Holiday, Uni and moving forward…

Have you missed me? I know I have missed all of you.

It’s been near on 20 months since I first set up the blog and I think I have come quite far and established the key theme behind its purpose.  The time away, although has been extremely hectic has allowed me to think about some certain areas of my blog for which over the next month or so I will be refining and making some small changes.

As you log on you will notice a disclaimer, policy appearing as well as refining the recipes page.  I am wanting to keep the recipe selections simpler and hopefully easier to find what you want.

What have I been up to then, I hear you ask…it feels like I have not stopped if I am honest.  I have finally finished my degree in leadership and management with a second class honours (upper division).  I have booked my wife and I to attend the congregation for December.

The family and i have also been on holiday to Albufeira in Portugal and attended adventure training with the Army.  This alongside my daily job in the Army and all of the extra activities that I am tasked to perform.

Here is a little ditty on my holiday;

We embarked on our family holiday on 14 October, flying from East Midlands Airport which was ideal for us as it is only an hour’s drive from our home.  With the flight at 1600 hrs this allowed us to have the opportunity to leave at a reasonable time and wake as if it was a normal day, no grumpy kids or wife at silly hours of the morning…haha.  This did not stop the wife and I spending most of the night before checking, double checking and triple checking to make sure we had enough clothes for our week away or more importantly swimming clothes.

So after a smooth transition into the airport and onto the plane (the two hours hanging around was not too testing with our three kids) the flight itself was pretty painless as well. Thank you iPads.

Even the descent into Portugal was smooth and the kids were fantastic and we were very proud. We all know how it is on the descent to land, the cabin pressure changes and your ears can hurt. Even when sucking a sweet this does not always stop the irritation, yet we all survived without a single tear.

By this time, it was nearing 2000 hrs and the wait for our transfer to the hotel was at best no more than 35 minutes. The drive itself was pretty pleasant, could not see anything at this time as it was dark. One thing with regards to the taxis in Portugal which impressed us was that they all have booster seats for the kids available.

The villa itself was surprising, large open spaces and so close to the pool I could have thrown my breakfast in there, well maybe shy a few yards, but was, as they say a stone’s throw and to get there we only had to walk past the bar…winner.

Most of our holiday was spent relaxing by the pool.  The kids were in their element playing in the pool.  There was a kids club next to the pool area as well which made a great transition for the kids being able to switch between pool time and the kids club.

We did venture in to the old town on a few occasions. The old town itself was lovely to walk around especially in the sunshine. The old buildings were lit up beautifully with cascading shadows that moved as the day grew late. The evening itself had an amazing ambience of music and light as the more social areas were populated with family’s dining and others getting ready to party the night away.

The beach itself was lovely and made for a lovely walk. The sand soft even with the little shingle that was present.  The beach was not too busy and the sea looked quite tranquil as we looked from the rocks along the side.

The times we did eat out we kept the fayre simple as we had the kids with us. Two occasions to speak of was when we stopped at a small restaurant after buying our trinkets and ordered these lovely waffles.  The kids had chocolate and strawberries while my wife and I stuck to pure chocolate decadence.

The other was our last night out and we went for ribs and wings. I went to the XXL all you can eat platter.  I didn’t last that well with only one extra portion of ribs and wings.  They did not however tell me that as you ordered more they got relatively spicier, but it was not the spice that stopped me, I was physically full to bursting.

With the week ending it was that time to come home.  Getting home was as smooth as going, no delays and clear roads for the drive home. It was just a late time for getting home, 1 am, which was not an issue after we had such an amazing holiday as a family.

So there we go, i am back, more educated (apparently) and ready to bring you Our Family Food for your Table.