Lots Happening Here

Let's start with the kids from the youngest onwards.
Anita has now started grabbing faces until she can draw blood whilst smiling.
Dani met Father Xmas the other day and got a couple of pressies while being very shy. Very unusual for him.
Maria has managed to break her foot, the famous metatarsal injury, by kicking the bath! No sympathy from me of course because she was in a pathetic childish rage with me for not letting her go to the cinema with her mates. She won't let me take a photo of it though so you will have to make do with Dani and Father Xmas.
Lynee is knackered through lack of sleep and I am working like a slave so am also absolutely tired out.
More to come very soon.

My fifth decade on this planet

My 40th birthday has been and gone. No pictures from the party but thanks to all of you who came and I hope a good night was had by all. I suddenly feel a lot different after the birthday which shouldn't be the case I know but it is. I have decided to sort a few things out in our lives so that we can concentrate on bringing up the kids and enjoying ourselves a lot more than has been possible in the last five years of hard work.

I have taken the bull by the horns and done some accounts for the family and they are not as rosy as they were a year ago but assets are Ok and can be sold off if necessary.

So fifth decade resolutions?
1) Make a success of the businesses.
2) Make a success of the family which is currently working out well.
3) Retire before 50!
4) Do something big to help the planet before it is too late.

We may move on at some stage too but not until Maria has finished her "A" levels in four years time. Until then we will stay in our very cosy home here in La Pobla and watch Danny and Anita grow up. They love each other so much at the moment that we hope it stays that way although Dani is sometimes overenthusiastic in showing it and squashes her in trying to hug her.

That OK Moment

We had some photos taken to make calendars and things for Christmas and here are some of the results of the photos. It shows how Anita is growing and the family are getting on. As you can see that means in my particular case a lot more wrinkles...

Cute Photos

Dani has his asthma back as he couldn't get rid of the cold so back onto the mask. He is still very cute even with the candles hanging from his nose on a regular basis. I had forgotten how being a parent of small children means that Lynne spends more time at the doctor's rather than at home.
Anita continues to grow and is very very very smiley. She greets everyone with a smile these days. As for Maria we very rarely see her as she spends most of her time at home revising on the BBC bitesize website.

Some recent photos

It looks like Autumn is finally arriving here. Every now and again we have a cloudy overcast day and there has actually been some rain. The store of water in the dams is down to an all time low but even so another 2 billion golf courses are planned until the moratorium comes in place.
Anyway here are some more photos taken recently.

Sleeping Problems

It looks like Anita is beginning to show the same symptoms as Dani as regards her lack of sleep. I am reliably informed by my better half that Dani slept fine until 3-4 months old and then we went through 12 months of hell until he went onto a non lactose based milk formula rather than the "natural packet". Anita has not now slept well for five nights, waking up every hour or so and not settling down until after midnight. It's a good job she is generally so smiley!
Anyway, Maria suffered yet another injury in Judo, this time gettng whipped across the hand with a belt and claims she now has a claw not a hand.

Some Pics From Dani's Party

Dani had a little party on Sunday to celebrate his second birthday. Here are some of the pictures and as you can see Anita was well impressed by the fuss.

Dani is 2

Life, The Universe and Everything

I have been shocked this week to find myself bored with a Liverpool game and then not at all surprised at another. The Chelsea game had Mike Reilly will ruin this one written all over it. If you keep the champions to one decent shot in the whole game (but what a shot) you should hope to come out of it with something to show but until we start to put away a couple of the multitude of chances that came our way this week then we will get nothing.
On the family front we went out to Chris' birthday party last night and got back late so Dani decided to wake up at his normal time and we are really tired now. He did however have a three and a half hour siesta. Both little ones have got bad colds with copious quantities of mucus being wiped all over the place but Maria is fine.

But not as annoying as Sunday

Lynne with gastro enteritis and both small kids with diahorrea and lots of nappies used up. Sunday was a busy day for me. I think we considerably reduced the available landfill space from Anita's nappies on Sunday and when Dani got it too...
Anyway with Maria and Dani back at school now life at home would be a lot more relaxed if I wasn't so snowed under with work. I am off to Mdrid on Thursday for a meeting and we have Notary work to do on Friday and Monday with loads of clients in VP this wek to deal with. It will be a relief to have Tim and Diana back from the UK to get things moving.
Dani was right about summer ending too as a couple of cloudy days and a considerable drop in temperature has nowmade the pool only for the brave.

Annoying Day

Because of the derby match. If you are going to lose at least play it in the evening so you don't have to spend the rest of the day mooching about complaining about Graham Poll.
So anyway it is now officially not summer here as Dani decided that he didn't really want to go in the pool today as it was a little nippy. If he won't go in I have now said goodbye to the pool until next year I think. He then fell asleep on the couch while Maria sang to him which is the first time that has ever happened, him falling to sleep and being taken upstairs flaked out rather than the singing bit.
Roll on Sunday and get well soon Riise lad!

Asturias Holiday

Well we are back from our holiday in Asturias which absolutely flew by of course and we are now surely more relaxed as the end of the very long summer holidays comes up. I have posted some photos of the trip and how Dani and Anita are growing as well as the rest of us. Highlight of the trip must have been Vodafone not having any coverage in the area of Llanes for two days while they worked on the transmitter and thus having total peace and quiet for a time! Images here included are the infamous train derailment of the FEVE on the way to Ribadesella, luckily it was going slow at the time but then again FEVE's never go fast, views of the beach at Poo (Crap name great beach), the rather scary cliff walk at Llanes and Anita in the pushchair of course.

Poor Little Chelsea

Good to see the reds beat Chelsea again yesterday and for a change Jose accepted it with what for him was almost good grace despite his protestations that we are more advanced in our preparations. Let's hope we can take the title off him this year so that Roman tells him where to go. A trophyless season would be nice for Chelsea and Abramovich to get bored and go into Formula One or something leaving Kenyon to sort out the financial mess. It won't happen but you can always hope.

Holidays and More Photos

We have decided to go away for a holiday in Asturias for seven days at some stage this month. After about 200 calls we finally managed to find a place free and will be in Llanes. The rest is going to be needed. Meanwhile here are a couple of photos taken in the last few days that may amuse or make you say aw cute, in equal measure.

The house in Olocau is now finished and looking good and we should sign for it some time later this month. Then we have the problem of furnishing it and getting lights etc put in!

Horror Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F56ZZzz4meU&search=Monty%20Python
Needed a laugh today after a horror day. Look at the second part of the Spanish Inquisition sketch from Monty Python to give yourself a laugh.

Photos of the new arrival and the family

This Week

After watching the demise of a rudderless England due to a useless coach and an invisible now ex-captain it is time to face up to life again.
Lynne will be giving birth on Tuesday unless Anita shows some sign of wanting to come out today or tomorrow. She will be induced on Tuesday and therefore we will become what is known in Spain as a "Familia Numerosa" (Three kids or more) It will be strange to see how Danny reacts and more than that Maria who needs something more to do in the holidays of course and bonding with Anita and Danny should help her out.
We currently have Lynne's mum and dad here which is a godsend as it allows us to count on some help for the first couple of weeks while we get used to so many children being around.
It is still hot and sultry here in Valencia of course and I have still not used the pool this year even though we are into July now. I also haven't sat under the tree on a Sunday reading the paper as there never seems to be time to sit around doing nothing these days!
Check out the cute pic of Danny with his new bag and hat.

Maria's Birthday

Maria is 14! 14! That is now much too old. Her birthday was on Friday and she was very happy because she got a load of music and some strange tasting chocolates from Sampaka (Vinegar Flavour, Anchovy Flavour etc...)
Lynne made her a cake and Danny decided that he didn't want any which Maria was quite happy about.
It is now Sunday here and England will today struggle in the heat of Germany. Global warming remember! Lazy Sunday it will not be. Come on England and try to put on a decent performance for once. I've covered my disappointment with a little wager on Ladborkes of England at half time and draw at full time just in case!

Soon

Lynne went to the doctor today and was told that it could be any time now as the baby is very low and ready to come out. If Anita has any consideration she will wait until Wednesday when there are no World Cup games of course!
Maria has just got back from her two day visit to Madrid where she quite enjoyed Mamma Mia and really enjoyed the Warner Bros Park where she went o all of the big rides. She was a bit hyper on getting back due to the adrenaline rush so will probably not sleep tonight much and complain on the penultimate day of school of tiredness, sports day too!
Danny has got really picky with food in the last two weeks and has learnt a new word... Yeuchh! Hopefully it will just be a phase!

Happy Birthday Lynne

Lynne's birthday today so we went out for lunch and Danny decided to be a good boy this evening and go to sleep when he should have. Maria had a judo class and came back remarkably uninjured as a pressie.
Found a great chocolate shop in Valencia yesterday called Cacao Sampaka where boxes of extremely potent cocoa filled choccies are on sale as if it were a boutique. Lynne seems to like them anyway.
Another week to Maria's birthday and still no sign of the birth of the third little one. England again managed to leave Lynne's blood pressure low despite all of my swearing at the screen at that lump Lampard as he squandered chance after chance (God he is sooooo overrated) And England managed to beat the might of Trinidad and Tobago (Combined Population the same as Valencia) 2-0.

The Blood Pressure Issue and Ouch

Blood pressure will probably dictate when the new arrival gets here and at the moment it is OK. However England helped enormously by making their game yesterday extremely tedious. The only person to try and raise the blood pressure was the flamin' preening Mexican ref with his horrible display. Nevertheless one more win and we face the second in Germany/Poland/Ecuador/Costa Rica probably. As all four of those teams looked equally dreadful in their first games there should be nothing to worry about there. (Famous last words)
As for the ouch, let's just hope that Djibril Cisse can show the same astounding powers of recovery that Maria managed just last week, although his injury does seem to be a little more serious.

The Rules and The World Cup

I have found the perfect thing for the World Cup and it must be printed out and stuck on the fridge. Thanks to Ian Ferguson in Barcelona and his blog at the site below. (Bear in mind that Lynne will be giving birth at some stage this month and we have already booked her to have her legs crossed on the 9th, 15th and 20th just in case and then we will work with the last 16 dates etc... depending on England's progress.)

http://englandfaninbarca.blogspot.com
The rules are published below and well worth a look.

LIST OF RULES

1. From 9 June to 9 July 2006, you should read the sports section of the newspaper so that you are aware of what is going on regarding the World Cup, and that way you will be able to join in the conversations. If you fail to do this, then you will be looked at in a bad way, or you will be totally ignored. DO NOT complain about not receiving any attention.

2. During the World Cup, the television is mine, at all times, without any exceptions. If you even take a glimpse of the remote control, you will lose it (your eye).

3. If you have to pass by in front of the TV during a game, I don't mind, as long as you do it crawling on the floor and without distracting me. If you decide to stand nude in front of the TV, make sure you put clothes on right after because if you catch a cold, I wont have time to take you to the doctor or look after you during the World Cup month.

4. During the games I will be blind, deaf and mute, unless I require a refill of my drink or something to eat. You are out of your mind if you expect me to listen to you, open the door, answer the telephone, or pick up the baby that just fell from the second floor....it wont happen.

CLICK HERE FOR A GREAT BEER OFFER5. It would be a good idea for you to keep at least 2 six packs in the fridge at all times, as well as plenty of things to nibble on, and please do not make any funny faces to my friends when they come over to watch the games. In return, you will be allowed to use the TV between 12am and 6am, unless they replay a good game that I missed during the day.

6. Please, please, please!! if you see me upset because one of my teams is losing, DO NOT say "get over it, its only a game", or "don't worry, they'll win next time". If you say these things, you will only make me angrier and I will love you less. Remember, you will never ever know more about football than me and your so called "words of encouragement" will only lead to a break up or divorce.

7. You are welcome to sit with me to watch one game and you can talk to me during halftime but only when the commercials are on, and only if the halftime score is pleasing me. In addition, please note I am saying "one" game, hence do not use the World Cup as a nice cheesy excuse to "spend time together".

8. The replays of the goals are very important. I don't care if I have seen them or I haven't seen them, I want to see them again. Many times.

9. Tell your friends NOT to have any babies, or any other child related parties or gatherings that requires my attendance because:

a) I will not go,
b) I will not go, and
c) I will not go.

10. But, if a friend of mine invites us to his house on a Sunday to watch a game, we will be there in a flash.

11. The daily World Cup highlights show on TV every night is just as important as the games themselves. Do not even think about saying "but you have already seen this...why don't you change the channel to something we can all watch??", the reply will be: "Refer to Rule #2 of this list".

12. And finally, please save your expressions such as "Thank God the World Cup is only every 4 years". I am immune to these words, because after this comes the Champions League, Italian League, Spanish League, Premier League, etc etc.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Regards,

Men of the World

Maria's Astounding Powers of Recovery

Well she was doing sport this week after almost breaking her toes on Sunday. She did Judo on Tuesday but not last night and then did gym at school. She is having a bit of a problem with her options for IGCSE at the moment. Does she do IT and Business studies or PE and IT. Ridiculous lack of choice but the more important option will come at the end of the next two years when she goes onto her A levels. She has got the results back of most of her exams now and they are extremely good. Give us a ring at home to talk to her as she is very proud of them this year.

A Sort of Dilemma

I went up to the house we are having built in Olocau this evening and what a dilemma. Because of circumstances beyond my control we haven't got the cash to go through with the purchase this month unless we get another quite large mortgage so we are thinking of selling it, but it is just so good. Absolutely fabulous to tell the truth so we really don't want to let it go.
It's not really a moral dilemma because we could take it on and try to get more on the mortgage to pay the first years repayments. We could also put the office in and experiment with the Wimax project too. Any ideas on what to do?

Lazy Sunday indeed

So there I was reading the Sunday Times quietly and waiting to go up to Gilet to carry on cleaning out the pool, when Maria goes and trips over the step between the terrace and living room. So again, for the second time this year, we went off to the local health centre where a doctor said, yes the fourth toe, (Rooney's metatarsal) is probably broken So we had top pick up a couple of books before getting down to the Arnau hospital for X-Rays only to find that after a couple of hours from the beginning, it wasn't broken and Maria's low pain threshold had struck again. (It did look really painful though) Another injury that will stop her doing Judo and Football for a while but at least it isn't broken!

Maria in The Newspaper

Maria was in the Costa Blanca News last week after her article about the electricity provision for the school in Cameroon was printed. You can see the article and read more by going to www.malima-project.org/VP_Maria_Cameroon.pdf . For some reason Blogger wouldn't let me upload an attachment of the file for publication here.

Knees

Maria finally felt good enough in her knee to go to Judo last night and came back uninjured for the first time in an age.
Danny now has his own bed and after 20 months may be starting to sleep better although he is like clockwork and wakes up every day at ten to seven. Does he not realise what a weekend is?

What is it about our finals?

Another fantastic final and another trophy for the Red machine today as they managed to come back twice with a 90th minute screamer from Gerrard and win on penalties. So we have been involved in the best ever UEFA Cup Final vs Alaves, the best ever European Cup Final against Milan and now what must go down as one of the best FA Cup Finals. Well done West Ham, they rode their luck of an own goal, a goalie muckup and a cross going in to put up a fight right to the end, but well done Pepe, Stevie G and the rest on a great win.

Big Day in Valencia

The big question is today will the signal on the BBC hold out for the FA Cup Final (Or will we have to break the speed limit into Valencia and look for an Irish bar that isn't heaving to watch it) and will Liverpool do it? YNWA
Yossou N'Dour is on in Burjassot tonight too so we might just get along there too although it's looking unlikely after Danny's last two nights of not sleeping.