Letter to a 7 year old

Project 366 2016 Week 22-23

Project 366 2016 Week 22-23 Day 150-163 with The Boy and Me.

Sunday 29th May – Day 150

Project 366 2016 Week 22-23

So Monkey got his hands on the Stylophone, it doesn’t have a volume control ……. I decided to get the holiday packing out of the so we could enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Monday 30th May – Day 151

Project 366 2016 Week 22-23

Bank Holiday and I felt rubbish with a really sore throat and generally feeling awful.  Not what was needed. Monkey and Daddy P went out for a bit and then it was action stations with Danger Mouse.

Tuesday 31st May – Day 152

Project 366 2016 Week 22-23

I still felt rough so managed to get an emergency appointment, thankfully it’s viral so at least I can go to Portugal without worrying too much.  Daddy P and Monkey took Brewster to the Cattery and we got the last minute packing done.  When all was done, it was time for a little mother and son selfie.

Wednesday 1st June – Day 153

Project 366 2016 Week 22-23

Holiday time!  A very early start at 2.30am as we headed to Birmingham and onto Faro in Portugal.  Hire car collected we drove on to Silves to meet up with Granny and Gramps after a year apart. They’d driven over from Spain to spend the week with us.  The sun was out, the hotel was fab, and we looked out on our balcony towards the castle.

We were all tired so agreed an afternoon sitting by the pool was in order.  Monkey clearly doesn’t have a fear of water, just a hatred of swimming lessons.  5 hours later we got him out of the pool!

Thursday 2nd June – Day 154

Project 366 2016 Week 22-23

We spent the day exploring Silves, the Cathedral, Castle and walked along the river.  At this time of year the city is the home of nesting Stalks and Swallows.  There is nature to be seen everywhere.

Monkey loved it as much as we did, and the bonus was finding a lovely playground.  He had a great time, especially as he had it all to himself!

Friday 3rd June – Day 155

Project 366 2016 Week 22-23

We spent the day at Praia da Rocha and we all fell in love with the beach.  It was much quieter than we’d expected and Monkey had a ball.  I even got a little time to read my book!  Relaxation, bliss.

We headed into Portimao for dinner before heading back to the hotel.

Saturday 4th June – Day 156

Project 366 2016 Week 22 Sat

We headed further inland and up into the Monchique mountains. By the time we reached the highest point in the Algarve, Foia, the clouds had descended and it was chilly to say the least.  We had a wonderful meal and I had my first taste of Cozido à Portuguesa.  It’s a casserole with pork and cabbage and it’s truly delicious.

After lunch we headed to Parque da Mina where we were given a personal tour of a restored manor house.  We then had free time to explore the area.  Look at Monkey almost running across a suspension bridge!  No fear there then.

Sunday 5th June – Day 157

Project 366 2016 Week 23

We spent most of the day at Lagos Zoo.  Monkey was off with Granny as soon as we arrived.  I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was and we all enjoyed the visit.  Granny bought Monkey some food for the waterfowl and he learnt a valuable lesson – don’t get your hand anywhere near a swan’s beak.  Luckily it got his hand rather than his fingers and was only a nip.  It wasn’t long before the smile was back on his face.

A little time back in the pool at the hotel was in order before we went out for dinner.  It’s Granny and Gramps 49th Wedding Anniversary on 10th, so we celebrated with a meal by Silves Castle.

Monday 6th June – Day 158

Project 366 2016 Week 22-23

We loved the beach so much we decided to spend another day there.  It did get busier than our first visit but still felt fairly uncrowded by the time we left in the late afternoon.  It was lovely to watch Monkey having so much fun and Gramps showed him where to find crabs hiding in the rock face, he was a happy boy.

Tuesday 7th June – Day 159

Project 366 2016 Week 23

Today was meant to be a lazy day, but I set my alarm for an hour earlier than I meant to and didn’t realise until I’d got dressed!  A good excuse to get the majority of the packing done whilst Monkey and Daddy P slept on.  Once we were all up and had finished breakfast we headed inland again  This time to explore a couple of dams, their reservoirs and the surrounding countryside. There were some breathtaking views and plenty of opportunity for some bug hunting.

Before heading back to the hotel we stopped in Silves and visited a local cake shop – yum! The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing before we went out for our last meal of the holiday.  We said our goodbyes to my parents and we’d have to leave the hotel long before they’d be awake in the morning.  I suck at saying goodbye.

Wednesday 8th June – Day 160

Project 366 2016 Week 23

Time to fly home.  A last look out at Silves from the balcony as the sun rose before he headed back to Faro.  Where had that week gone?  We arrived at Birmingham to a warm day!! Then the British weather hit us on the M40, torrential rain, yes we were home.  I sorted out the cases and got a load in the washing machine whilst Monkey and Daddy P collected Brewster from the Cattery.

Early nights all round.

Thursday 9th June – Day 161

Project 366 2016 Week 23

Back to school for Monkey and loads more washing for me to sort out!  The spiders appear to have moved in over the last week so a spring clean was needed before I finally braved turning on the laptop to start going through my emails.

Monkey had enjoyed seeing his school friends and was full of chatter as we walked home. Then he spotted some post we’d had from the Woodland Trust.  I tell you, this bug hunting thing is in the genes.

Friday 10th June – Day 162

Project 366 2016 Week 22-23

It’s Mum and Dad’s 49th wedding anniversary and Monkey turns 6½ today! I was in need of a hair cut, and maybe the last one before my hairdresser friend has her baby.  Time will tell on that one. It was school pick up time before I knew it today and Monkey came out full of beans.  He loves Play-Doh and was thrilled to try out a set we’d been sent whilst we were away.  I was less so, when he mixed the colours up!

Found out that one of Monkey’s NCT buddies has been picked to train with the Chelsea squad. He’s an U6 goalie, and loves football.  So chuffed for him and his family, and what a wonderful opportunity for him.

Saturday 11th June – Day 163

Project 366 2016 Week 22-23

I’d won a family ticket to Drayton Manor Park a few months ago, so headed there with my friend L and her son C for the day. We learnt that Monkey is a very sore loser when playing air hockey, but generally the day went very well.  The boys took it in turn to choose which rides we tried and Monkey went on a roller coaster for the very first time, loved it, and promptly went on another one.  I was amazed.

We all had a lovely day, and stopped at a pub close to the theme park for dinner, before heading back down the motorway.  Two little boys will be sleeping well tonight.



7 thoughts on “Project 366 2016 Week 22-23

  1. Lots of happy photos! Love the photo of you with Monkey, and him running on the beach, his happiness is shining through the screen of my laptop. Lovely that he enjoyed the swimming pool so much. Looks like you had a super holiday.

  2. Sounds like an amazing holiday, and nice to meet up with the grandparents, I bet they miss not seeing him regularly.
    Always amazes me how empty foreign beaches are, when the sun shines in Scotland you cant see the beach for people.
    Lovely to see him growing and thriving and lapping up new opportunities and experiences.

  3. I love Portugal, Old Albuferia and Lagos are my favourites.
    It must have been really tough saying bye bye to your mum and dad.
    Lovely to see Monkey getting more confident. Lots of smiley faces.

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