Park, Park, Park & Park

Here I am all kitted out (notice the Basque beret), ready for more red wine in the streets of Bilbao and a EUFA match against Anderlecht , from Belgium.

The four of us ventured south to a small town, Larrabetzu, just outside Bilbao - the center of the Basque Region of Spain- to visit some great Basque friends. We were treated to a very hospitable escape from the daily working routine. It amounted to a cultural immersion, lasting four days, which these friends organized perfectly. Very little English was spoken, lots of Basque food and wine was consumed, and the vistas of the pre-Pyrenees Mountains added a fantastic backdrop. Here are C, D and Laia. And even a bit of football (see next post)!

In a chat with my Dad tonight, he reminded Bells and I of a story we told them back in November 2009. C had just had his 4th Birthday Party- a big Pirate Affair. For a few days after, he was in a bit of a funk. Bells asked him in a gentle way why he was down. His response was that he thought he'd be a Big Boy after his 4th birthday, and he didn't feel like one. A lesson learned for his parents.

Following from here : D in the pink. C after bath time.

After Chartwell, we stopped in Sussex to see Mary Wigan- a distant relative of Bells. She turned 92 today. And her daughter Christina is to the left.

We spent a windy and misty Saturday morning at Chartwell- Churchill's home, now National Trust property. Bella's Dad met us there, braving the elements.

C met several of his friends at the local Activity Zone- a big indoor jungle gym and ball pit. This is his current best mate Alexander. And that's Alexander's brother Jasper in the back about to bean him.

My cousin Danny is spending this winter in South East Asia. He's a world traveller, and his most recent footprints stretch from Michigan, USA through London, to Europe and then to Cambodia and Viet Nam. When C was born, he happened to be in Thailand, and did this . Well, here's what he did for D's original birthday: