London

I love London. 

I just love this city. 

It's the perfect mix of all my favorite things: 

it's kinda artsy 

it's kinda shoppy

it's kinda olympic-y

it's kinda foodie 

it's kinda historical

it's kinda pubby

it's kinda walkable 

it's kinda festive 

Terry and Sharon took the kids for the night and Simon and I had a great couple of days beating the streets on foot (and Tube) just like we used to when we were in London together. 

Spent some time at the V & A

Spent some time at Harrods

Spent some time in the rain

Ran into Simon's childhood friend Ben Blake

Olympic countdown clock at Trafalgar Square

Full English Breakfast at the Breakfast Club

Checked out the Olympic rings at Tower Bridge

We had an amazing couple of days. . . all thanks to Terry and Sharon! 

THANK YOU! 

THANK YOU! 

THANK YOU!!! 

What a terrific memory!

Hunt Family Reunion!

Family reunions in the United States generally mean lots of bodies in one house, lots of food, lots of drinks, and lots of cousins running around squealing. As it turns out, they are exactly the same in the UK. 

Simon's Aunt Sue and Uncle Doug, cousins Toff and Kelly with their son Joe, and Jane and Justin with little Ben came over for the day. It rained most of the day, but brightened up for a bit and we all scampered outside to catch what dry moments we could. 

The cousins loved each other immediately, and it was amazing to see family traits and similarities in them all. That  Hunt DNA is powerful stuff.

Castle Coch

Castle Coch is a beautiful restored Castle in built in 1240 and remodeled in 1870. Simon and I visited it years ago, but this time we got to go with Lucy and Henry, and of course, Papa Wales. Lucy brought her new "Brave" doll along for the ride. It was the perfect "Castle" experience because it's not very fussy and very hands on.  We had a wonderful time!

"Clover" a new stuffed animal from the gift shop- Henry got a bow and arrow set that we accidentally left behind. We were disappointed, although I was having a hard time imagining it fitting in the suitcase. This will give Terry and Sharon time to practice their archery skills until we come back.

We had a little snack in the tea room- tea and Welsh cakes. 

Ahhhhhhhh . . . .

UK

We backed our bags carefully and got on an airplane or two. . . we very nearly missed our connection in Washington D.C. 

The kids were troopers. 

They kept calm and carried on.

And finally we arrived in Cardiff, Wales! 

Simon's parents were there to greet us with treats and food and cozy beds. . . and raincoats.

We just had WAY TOO MUCH FUN to contain in one blog post, so forgive me if I report on this one for a couple of days.  Our first adventure was taking the train to Cardiff Castle, via Pizza Express. The kids wore their new raincoats that their Nana Wales got for them before they arrived. They were a welcome addition, (especially considering we didn't get our bags for a couple of days.) 

Nana and Papa Wales just thought of everything!

These kids are ready for an adventure on Millbrook Park!

Trainspotting with Simon and Lucy

The California Girls and the castle that they love!

Nana was the perfect tour guide. . . and our tour had to be quite short. 

Henry fell asleep in the restaurant- jet lag is a mysterious ailment.

We decided to cut the afternoon short.