Oh Dear!!

I can't believe that it's been so long since I last posted a blog!!! We have been very busy all year, with visitors, holidays, and of course, coming home for 6 weeks.

So here is a quick look at how we've been filling our time.....

First of all, Gavin came out to visit us for 2 weeks in February. We were very excited, as he was our first visitor since we came out here.

We took him to El Nido for the weekend, which is a beautiful group of tiny islands just off the coast of Palawan - a large Philippine island.

El Nido is run as a holiday resort based around these small islands, and is really into keeping the environment clean and healthy. It encourages guests to do the same, and you get sheets to fill in for all the wildlife you may or may not see.

There are lots and lots of things to do in and around the islands, and there are activity coordinators around the resorts so you're never stuck for something to do...

The boys did lots of kayaking just in front of the beach where we were staying, and we were hopping on and off of boats getting around the different islands. We were able to kayak around a lagoon that was eerily quiet and soooo peaceful. We got to crawl through a space just about big enough for us into a cave that housed birds' nests and also had some sleeping bats up in the higher areas...
We stopped at another island for lunch, and there was plenty of wildlife to see including the fish just off the jetty in the resort. There were very colourful rainbow fish, huge jackfish, some stripey ones (sorry don't know the names!), and when the big boys went snorkelling, they spotted a clown fish....

Back in Manila, Gavin busied himself with trips to the zoo (see Adam's birthday post in April '07 for pics of that one!), also looking at a couple of the museums in the city - I've not been to them yet either!

John and Gavin went hiking up Mt. Tagaling, also to Corregidor. Corregidor is an island just in the mouth of Manila Bay whose position made it important during WWII. It's history obviously surrounds this era, which makes it a very interesting place to visit (I've not done it yet). Although, the ferry crossing from Manila over to the island isn't the best when the weather is bad!!! Johnny didn't like it anyway...

Then Gavin went out of town to Tagaytay - the lake in a volcano, in whose crater is a lake, where there is another volcano!!! Gavin took the boat across the lake, and hiked upto the next lake. I think he enjoyed his day out of town.

Back in Manila I joined Gavin on a tour of Intramuros - the Spanish stronghold from their occupation of the Philippines. The tour was given by a guy called Carlos Celdran, and it was very entertaining indeed - including a calesa ride (horse and carriage) from Fort Santiago to San Augustine - the only original church left standing after the war. Carlos takes you through Philippine history in a very entertaining and theatrical way - it's an eye opener, certainly.

Afterwards, we had stroll through Rizal Park, which is very pretty and has lots of little gardens off the side, including an orchidarium. Unfortunately, it was the wrong time of year for the orchids to be in full bloom, so we didn't see it at it's best.

A week after Gavin went back to the UK, we had Grandma and Grandad to stay for 3 weeks. This was a huge deal, because John's mum and dad haven't been further than France, so for them to get on a plane and travel half way around the world into a tropical climate (John's dad HATES the heat!!), was a monumental achievement for them!

So we weren't quite as active with Grandma & Grandad (G&G) as we were with Gavin. We didn't think they'd fancy a hike up a mountain, for instance. But we did take them to Cebu. Yes, we went back to the Shangri-La. Last time was the weekend from hell because the boys just seemed to cry and winge the WHOLE weekend! Anyway, it was much more fun this time - we spent the Easter weekend there - and now I would definitely recommend it to anyone!! :-)

G&G really enjoyed Cebu, and spent lots of time playing with the boys. Grandad especially liked the snorkelling and would often go with Bradley....

In and around Manila, G&G played a lot with the boys in the pool, especially as it was Easter Holidays, so the boys were both off school.

We took them to the aquarium on Manila Bay, which is a spanking new aquarium just opened. Of course, it's not quite finished yet, but there were still lots of fish to be seen. When it does get finished, it looks like it's going to be a superb place to visit, with an open water diving and snorkelling pool full of sealife!! So who knows if it will be complete before we leave Manila??!!

G&G also visited Corregidor, and went on a Carlos tour of Intramurous. They would go to the park here in the village with the boys on their bikes, so a lot of quality time was had by all.

We really enjoyed having them to stay with us, and we're hoping they'll come over again next year....?

Shortly after G&G left for England (returning to snow in April!!!), it was Adam's 3rd birthday. We thought that since he'd had such a quiet celebration for his 2nd birthday last year (when we'd only just got here), we'd have a big party for him this year. We invited his little buddies from the various groups he's involved in - school. playgroups and his swim class. We got an outfit called "Gymboree" in to do an hour's entertainment with all their inflatable toys, songs, dancing and games etc..

After Gymboree had finished their spot, we put on some music while we got the food organised, and Adam got all groovy showing us his dance moves!!!

Party food was followed by cookie decorating, which was closely followed by birthday cake! Adam had a tanker lorry cake this year, which didn't turn out too bad, although the tank part could have done with being a bit bigger!!

After singing Happy Birthday, we all went into the garden, and switched on the bubble machine, and the water sprinkler which was lots of fun!! The party finished with most children going home with either wet clothes, or no clothes!!! It was a great afternoon, and Adam enjoyed all of the attention...

For the half term holiday in May (all two days of it!), we went to a Philippine island called Bohol. This island is famous for a couple of things - one being the Chocolate Hills, perfectly formed hills whose vegetation turns brown in the summer months. Local legend has it that they are the calcified tears of a giant after losing his love, or the geological version that the whole island was once a coral reef, and as sea levels lowered over thousands of years, the parts that stuck out above sea level have been shaped by the monsoon rains and winds. There are over 1200 of these hills, and they do look like their name - Chocolate Hills.

Another thing the island is famous for are the tiny Tarsier Monkeys (not really monkeys, but tiny marsupials). They are certainly no bigger than your hand, but they have these enormous eyes, giving them a cute and cuddly kind of feel. The one shown here is carrying a baby in its mouth. The baby is no bigger than your thumb. One of the keepers asked the boys if they would like to feed them. So he got a wooden skewer, stuck it up a live cricket's rear end, then gave the stick for the boys to point in the general direction of a tarsier. Well, the cute and cuddly all of a sudden takes on a pretty evil look, when it's chewing on a live cricket! Not sure what it says about our boys, but they fed them about 8 each!! They couldn't get enough of it!!

We also went along the Lomboc River on a lunch cruise. The river is really green, and surrounded by such lush vegetation, you feel like you're in the middle of the jungle. A little way up the river, on the way back to the resort, we came across the hanging bridge. Made from nothing but bamboo and rope, we thought it would be a good idea to walk across, then back again!! Not sure I'd do it again, and probably not right for 3 and 6 year olds either!!

At the end of June, one of our friends was turning 40, and they went to the same resort in Bohol to celebrate. Unbeknowns to him, we turned up for the weekend, so there were 3 families - all with kids around the same age - there for the weekend. It was really good fun, although not for poor Dave (who's birthday it was). He was ill all weekend, and missed his own 40th. We celebrated for him though, and we'll have to have another bash at it when we're all back in Manila!

While we were there with our friends, we went on a painfully early boat trip to catch the dolphins. After an hour of being on a banca (small outrigger type boat), we finally got to see them all. It was pretty amasing, and worth the early morning start (even for me!). You didn't know which way to turn for the best, as the boats were literally surrounded by dolphins!!
It was great for the kids to have playmates there, and one day we hired a kayak, although, the kids preferred to push the boat out, and bring it in again, rather than ride in it!! They had terrific fun in the pool, and Adam already knows how to woo the ladies!!

A week later, the boys and I went back to the UK for 6 weeks, followed by John 4 weeks later. We spent a week in a cottage up north near mum and dad, then the rest of the time, in Stevenage with John's family. We got to see all of our family and friends and we had a great time!! We did tons of stuff with the boys, RAF (Hendon & Duxford)museums, transport museums, the aquarium in Ellesmere Port, Thomas the Tank Engine in Peterborough, concorde at Manchester airport, farms and petting zoos, parks, and to top it all off, Johnny took me to Paris for our anniversary. It was a fantastic 6 weeks, and I can't wait for next summer! Although, we've got quite a bit to fit in between now and then!!