The lads visited Ronda and then Nerja, joining Vic & Gaynor yet again , at the start of 2009. Then in February, they had 2 weeks in the Old Country, travelling around: Dublin, Moyaliffe- home of gggs Grants - Thurles, then Cork - discovered the marriage of their gggs Lyons in Cork itself in 1851- and finally Waterford Castle . Had a few problems with heating and the food in this expensive hotel, and also were not best pleased that their mother still had not embroidered their names on their smart new sweaters!

Click on small/middle sized photos below to enlarge

In April they set off on a 5+ week cruise on the Volendam, from Hong Kong to Vancouver. Thanks to the wonders of online booking, the padre had us installed in one of the top suites on the ship, 707, for a fraction of its trua cost. The madre found a new friend in Shanghai, managed to scamper along the Great Wall and acquire a new cuddly, Panda, whilst around the Forbidden City in Beijung, more new friends in Japan, and in Korea,, and they had a band bid them - well, the Volendam- farewell from all the ports in Japan. They got into the USA without having their pawprints taken - immigration in remote parts of Alaska is somewhat primitive!!.

This was followed by 3 weeks in Canada, making this the longest time that they had ever been aay from all their friends in Moraira: they did well though, and did not suffer from homesickness, nor even Bridge withdrawal symptoms ! And still no names on their jumpers!. Acquired a new friend Mountie to take back to Moraira - a tad smaller than the one in the photo with the padres! Visited the railway museum in Revelstoke, loved the Bears Paw Bakery in Jasper, stuffed snow down each other's jumpers on the Icefields and then- wait for this - the last 4 nights were spent on a train, transporting them across the vastness of Canada from Vancouver to Toronto. But my, what a low profile they took when the camera was snapping!

 

In July they once again drove back to England, stopping in the Somme for 3 days en route, to get the MOT for Toad. They stayed at Fiona's whilst this was done, then enjoyed her flat in St Catherine's Wharf, next to Tower Bridge, for a few days, meeting up with Margaret, Joanna & John Lyons. .

They then drove through Germany to Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Budapest- and here Gerbaud Bear came into the family - and back home via Verona, where the padres twice visited the Opera, leaving them home alone until well into the small hours of the morning!

. .

Gerbaud Bear. The outside of his famous home in Budapest . . and the scrumptious interior

Yet again, very camera-shy boys - maybe 'cos those names were still not embroidered??

Life in 2010

Index