Melrose 7's Rugby

This weekend we went to the Melrose Rugby 7's Tournament with Pippa's Mum and Dad. Rugby 7's were invented in Melrose - it's a game of rugby played by 7 on each side, each half is 7 minutes long and it's played on a full size pitch. The whole tournament is played in one day.

We were blessed with the best weather of the year, the sun shone and it was a beautiful warm day.

The four of us in the stand.

Lots of people came in fancy dress. As well as this bunch of bananas there were Santas, Penguins and superheros!

The Army Parachute display team dropped in to deliver the ball for the final game.

Easter at Neil & Clair's

This Easter we flew down to Bristol to visit Neil and Clair. On our first day we hit Bath. It was a cold but sunny day and so inevitably we found a pub in which to warm up.

All the pictures are taken by Neil as we remembered our camera but forgot the memory card - oops! Neil also does great Wood Cut Prints - His website (Inky Fingers) can be found in our links section on the right hand side of the site.

What you don't see in this picture is the technical issues associated with the self timer.

Nor do you see the impressive catch Neil made when the camera fell off table!

On our second day we headed to Wales and the Welsh Heritage Museum.

They have reconstructed houses from across Wales all dating from different eras.

The school house.

John and Clair taking in the history lesson from one of the guides.

Day three and we visited Snowshill Manor. It was owned by Charles Wade. He lived in the Priest's House and used the Manor as an exhibition space for the many items he collected.

On our final day we braved the cold and wet and visited Windmill Tump (an ancient burial site).

St Lucia - Part II

Our first ever holiday together, over 5 years ago, was spent in St Lucia at Rodney Bay. In January of this year we returned and stayed just across the road from where we stayed the last time. It was just as good as we remembered it - great weather, laid back culture and the most amazing food.

Our hotel where from which we had views out to sea.

Reduit Beach which we walked along every day to have lunch in Spinnakers beach bar.

John taking in the view on one of our early morning walks.

Accompanied by me.

Me, in The Edge restaurant which claims to serve Eurobbean fusion (a mix of European and Caribbean cooking). We're not sure what that means but it tasted fantastic.

Sunset from our balcony.

New Year with Neil, Clair, Laika and Dylan

You'll guess from most of these photos that New Year was cold in East Lothian. We spent our time dog walking on a variety of local beaches, jigsawing in front of a roaring fire, eating and drinking.

The photos in this blog are a mixture of ours, Neil and Clair's. We'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Christmas with John's Family

Christmas 2009 was spent in Barnsley with John's Family. The cast includes - John, Pippa, Anne (John's Mum), Bryan (John's Dad), Jane (John's Sister), Andrew (brother-in-law), Muriel (brother-in-law's mother), Sophie (niece), Thomas (nephew) and Barney (the dog).

Pre-dinner drinks, looking out at the snow.

John and Bryan struggle to get a word in!

Mashed potatoes, an art form in the Jackson house. It takes years of training!

Jane presides over the beautiful table.

Tom wondering if he should have another roast potato or wait for the chocolate log!

John and Sophie

And finally Barney waiting to lick the plates clean.

Snow in Spott

Like most in Britain this year we had some of the worst snow in decades. Being so close to the sea, Spott hardly ever sees lying snow. This year we were snowed in on several days.

The Square.

Our back garden. Icicles formed down the wall and even the most enthusiastic recycler would struggle to fill these boxes.

Leaving by the back door posed some new risks!

Christmas Lights in Edinburgh

Every year there is a fair in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens, including a German Market and fair. We decided to ride the big wheel and sample the Fire Punch. Although that turned out to be the wrong order!

A View of the Castle.

We naively assumed the big wheel would be something like the London eye. How wrong we were. John's smile isn't enjoyment - it's sheer terror! It took all my courage to let go with one hand and take this shot. We needed the Fire Punch after this.

The Scott Monument.