Craaaaazy

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!!!

Yes I can hear the gasps of horror from you all *lol* - but I am SUPER DUPER excited.   Because we are going home this Christmas!!!  

WOO HOOO - for the first time in FOREVER - a  proper SUMMER christmas with all our family in New Zealand!    Going to be so much fun seeing all our aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

The last time we were all together was 2000 - much much too long.   Yes we had a big bunch of us together in 2006 when they came here - but my brother Mike and his kids could not make it that time - and although we had everyone else here which was fantastic - it still was not all of us.

This could well be the last time we can even do this - as we all get older.   All the kids are getting to the ages now where they are going to university, getting jobs, moving on and out.   So not that easy to all get together - not even counting the fact that we live in the US, my nephew is in Australia, and the rest are in NZ.

The getting there and back this time is a little wonky - all over the place really - because of the kids university schedules - and trying to get a somewhat decent airfare without totally being bent over and @#@$%#$ on price.  

I am flying over first, then Hannah - then Mike and Cait.    Hannah is back first because she is going to New York this year for NY Eve in Times Square.   Then Mike, Cait and I are all coming back together in January. 

I will even be in NZ for my Dad's birthday!!    Because of that - I am going to be gone a LONG time.   5 -nearly 6 weeks in fact as I leave the Monday after Thanksgiving. 

I am gone all of December!!!  and do not get back until the end of the first week of January.

But there is no bah humbug going on here cos..... 

going off for a few days

relaxing

water

camping

water

boating

water

sun

water

aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I wish I was small enough....

Declan spent so long up here... every day...  I think he wore holes in all Mike's shirts!!

It was so funny... he would just back up to Mike... and put his arms up...  no words needed!

And when he got tired, he would just lay his head down on Mike's and have a little rest.

while in LA

when our friends were here in from NZ - the weather was the pits!!!!!    I have had warmer weather there in December - it was just weird.   The 4 days we were there - we never saw the sun - nor any blue sky.

This is a pic from their first day - around 2pm - at the beach .....

I mean does this look like summer in LA to you????

I get around!

I am off to LA today.   Friends are arriving there tomorrow from NZ - and we are meeting them there.   Can't wait to see them and their boys who I will spoil rotten!!

I bet they have grown since this pic was taken!

I was talking to Jake (the oldest) on the phone yesterday and having him on that I might not recognise him at the airport and he better call out my name if he sees me

... in all seriousness he told me ...

well I have grown taller and lost some teeth

... gotta love kids!!

We are spending a couple of days at Disneyland and DCA so will be a blast.

We are heading out of LA on Monday via the La Brea tarpits.   I have to admit - after all these years in California and all my trips to LA - I have never been there.   Lunch in Solvang  and  then it's on to San Simeon for an overnight stay.

Early the next morning its Hearst Castle.   I am kidwatching while the 'dults go for the tour - I have done a lot of them - several times over!    Then carrying on up PCH1 - hoping there are still some elephant seals breeding on the beaches, lunch at Big Sur - then its San Jose bound - back here Tuesday!

Postcards from Bari - molto bella

We did not really know Bari at all - or what to look at - so we decided just to go for a wander in the car.   We headed towards the harbour and the old part of town

I look at some of my photos now and they look like postcards - almost not real.   It was the first time either of us has seen the Adriatic (I think!!) cos maybe Venice is on the Adriatic??     But certainly the first time on that side down that far.   We spied a little cafe up against the *wall* of what we are not sure - and decided it would be a nice place to have lunch looking out over the sea.

The lamposts were quite gorgeous and I would have liked to nick a few. 

When we first pulled up there were no boats out - but during our lunch lots and lots came out and it looked lovely.  

We carried on driving around the seafront - from the old part of town and the old port towards the new port.  We passed the Castello Normanno Svevo - a very forbidding but impressive looking place.   Decided not to go in - and just carried on - looking around at everything.

We got a little lost - and wound up on the Autostrada again - but it was a lucky lost - because that is when we found that wonderful shop that had the fridge of my dreams!!

Wednesday night - we met up with Riccardo, Annarita plus Ramie from Spain and Riccardo's sister Desiree and Riccardo took us all to Cafe Del Mar for dinner.   This is the website - however there is no English version so you will just have to look unless you are very good at Italian!   http://www.cafedelmarbari.it/

I think jet lag was getting to me - as I had my camera and did not take one photo on Wednesday night - DUH!

It is right on the sea and they have these huge window/door things that they usually open up but it was a bit windy so they left them closed.    The place specialises in fresh seafood from the area, along with pasta and pizza.    Our meal was just yum yummo.    Riccardo ordered a couple of appetisers to share, and then I had a pasta dish and so did Mike.  His had local shellfish and mine had a local cheese along with crudo (raw ham) and something else I can't remember.     All washed down with a local beer - really enjoyed that as we both still felt a little dehydrated.   the meal was finished off with Panna Cotta and a Ristretto - I was in heaven!

  We were not out too late - and on the way back we had a giggle - Riccardo had warned us - but evidently the road that the Cafe is on - along the seafront is a wellknown hooker spot.   Sure enough all the way along - many many ladies/trannies of the night were there.    There was a guy in an Audi in front of us cruising slowly - picking out which one he liked and he got right royally PO'd cos we were going too fast and in the end he had to pull over and do a U-turn to go back and look

Southern Italy or bust!

After a long and tiring flight from SFO to Frankfurt (I can now say I have been to Germany!!)  - we finally made Rome - on Tuesday afternoon.    At that stage we had been travelling over 24 hours.

We grabbed our rental car from Daniel the bad tempered Hertz guy and set off for Bari - after a quick detour around the airport trying to get out of the airport   - sometimes Neverlost is not THAT clear!!  We hit a bit of traffic on the ring road around the outside of Rome but once we were past that we had a pretty clear run and the further on we went, the less traffic there was.

That is not to say we did not get flashed all the time by speeding Italians! who thought we were going too slow in our little Renault Clio - which seemed to only have a top speed of 130km!



Finally around 10 we made it to Bari.   We found the road the hotel was on - although dopey Michael had put #445 into the Neverlost and it was #455!!    So after driving up and down the bloody road and doing u-turns several times, he got out and walked along and we eventually found it!

Got inside the gates and the owners showed us the room, and gave us the keys to the gates.  I was super pleased to get the green room as you can imagine.      The room was lovely and roomy, plus the bed was SUPER comfy and a REAL double - not two twins pushed together.



Those big wooden doors certainly kept the light and noise out which was great, and they opened up onto the verandah which looked out into the back garden.   It really was a lovely old villa.



About this time Mike and I pretty much crashed into bed as we had been up over 37 hours!!

buon giorno... come sta? ....

I am here!!!!

and if you want to really see where this is....

can you see me waving??

Andando oggi per l'Italia

Siamo così emozionanti.

Una intera settimana - appena Mike ed I - nessun capretti!!  

arrivederci i miei amici

Italy bound... nearly... last few items being finished today....

Mike and I have just been grocery shopping so the kids won't starve...  who knows they might even cook something for themselves!!!     I am doing a big roast dinner tonight - so at least they will have had one good meal this week!!

I am about to head out to get a mani pedi so I have beautiful feet and hands!!   Left it until the last minute and hoping they still look nice the day of the wedding. 

When I get back - I will pack my clothes etc.   

We have left that until the last minute because one of our cats is going to have a meltdown as soon as she sees the suitcases!!   She spends the whole time getting into the case and stopping you going any further!!   One of these days this is going to happen!!

Then tomorrow we are off!! 

First to here... 

which is Frankfurt Airport, Germany...

then to here....  Rome, Fiumicino Airport

then we will be on our way in the car over to Bari....