Winter 2013

My uncle Alan once suggested that I write a journal about the children as they grow up; all the funny things they say, all the memorable things they do, all the ways they make you feel so glad to have them in your life.

Al and I discussed the idea at one of Dad's legendary bbq's. Liam was just a baby and Ella was but a twinkle in her mothers eye, but I took him up on the idea and have written some stuff in the past that I will put online at some point in the future - there's some fine tales there!

It seems apt to mention Al just now, as he convalesces in a Thailand hospital following an operation there recently. We hope he gets well soon and is back in Jersey as quickly as possible.

January has been a cold month as you'd expect and we had some snow during our stay in Jersey for Dad's birthday. The kids loved it, well for a little while at least, until their little hands got too cold to touch the snow any longer - even with a couple of pairs of gloves and socks on!

The kids stayed at Lian and Graham's lovely new house on the night it snowed, so they all built a snowman in their garden when they woke up...well, a little while after they woke up as they rose at 6am! When Mum, Dad and I arrived we went to St Andrews park for some make-shift sledging and the men partook in an impromptu snowball fight!

Maria was due to arrive in Jersey that day but was stranded in Southampton by the poor weather. The kids and I were gutted she couldn't come that day as playing in the snow is one of those amazing moments you share with the kids that you'll remember forever. That said, she did manage to take them both sledging at Hatch Grange when we got home, so that was great!

We recently went to Ella's nursery school for a parents evening. Despite her Diva-esq persona at times at home, Maria and I were thrilled to hear Ella is doing brilliantly at school. Making friends - she now has a small group of girl friends that she plays a lot with - and is advancing well with her writing, whilst wanting to play with all the toys on offer there. Ella's teacher said if she could have 15 kids like her, she would be very happy.

We were so proud to hear that. Ever since Liam left Jack in the Box for big school, Ella seems to have gone from strength to strength, developing more as she stands on her own two feet. Ella is such a character, in Jersey she made us laugh as she told us that her "attitude" was responsible for her jumping up and down on her bed. "How's your attitude," you could ask ask her, and she would reply with a forthright, "Okay!"

Ella had a bad belly when we were out there too, dirtying the tights Nanny had put on her a short while earlier. "I told you not to put those those tights on me Nanny, they've got poo on them now!" She exclaimed!

Meanwhile Liam has been doing really well at St James school. He has learnt the alphabet now and is also getting really good at reading. We read together every night and he can now read stories to Mummy and Daddy, with just a little assistance. He is also working on "sticky words" like "the" and "shoe," words that aren't pronounced as they appear using Fred Talk. He is also learning how to recognise numbers up to a hundred, which is amazing.

Liam has said in the past he would like to be a zoo keeper when he is older, which is fine by us as we are determined to keep the kids out of office work if they can possibly help it when they grow up. We want them to do something they love with their lives, and animals are definitely something he loves.

He is also a keen photographer and at Paul's 30th birthday in Jersey, Liam was on camera duty and you can see some of his shots further down in this blog!

Something else he is fond of is playing football, and we were delighted last week when he was named Man of the Match at his football fun session. He was beaming as his name was called out to collect a medal from the coach, as were his Mummy and Daddy! Nanu brought him some football boots for Christmas and since then, he's looked the part and seems to be really enjoying it!

Meanwhile JoJo continues to settle into life in the Huey household. He recently turned one and is completely part of the family now, as you can see in the picture of him cosying up on the sofa recently! We had to have his fur clipped a few weeks back as he was all matted. He looked like Skelator for a while there, but he's starting to look cute again now! Ella has inherited her mummy's obsession for gritting her teeth and saying, "yeah," to the dog, which is quite funny!

In other news, we all went swimming last week, and both Liam and Ella were determined to get rid of their arm bands and take to the water au natural! They did really well and we are committed to taking them swimming more often now, they loved it.

Finally, last weekend we had Maria's parents over for dinner. I have really got into my cooking of late so I cooked a nice leg of lamb for us all, and we had a lovely afternoon together. Later when the kids were in bed we retired to the drawing room and watched Guy Richie's film, Snatch. It's not every day you watch a gangster movie about travellers and the East End of London with your in-laws, but they seemed to enjoy it none-the-less!

On Sunday we went for a cycle ride with our good friends the Hammett's. Liam is especially close to James, but all the kids seem to get on well, as you can see in the photo of them all on their bikes!

Well that's it for now. Lots of other stuff has happened, some of it tragically sad with the loss of our friends daughter, Amelia. Their lives have been changed forever and we are devastated for them.

For me it re-affirms the fact that we have to make the most our lives, treasuring the gift we have been given in having two perfect children and enjoying happy times with our loving family and amazing friends. X

Seymour Tower

Our trip to Seymour Tower

"Choose life, choose a fooking television...", my old mate Ranjit Dhani used to say to me at Uni, in something that loosely resembled a Birmingham accent. Nothing like the thick Glaswegian drawl he was going for - the quote of course from iconic nineties film Trainspotting - but I got the gist of it!
'Live fast, die young, chase your dreams, enjoy everything that comes your way', was the essence of what he was saying, and it is what sprung into my mind as I got ready to head on out to Seymour Tower last Saturday.

Of course the two were poles apart; one was a tale of class A drugs, alcohol and debauchery, the other about train spotting. No, seriously, it felt like a bit of a "seize the moment" moment when my uncle Terry invited me along to his weekend excursion to the Seymour Tower, and I'm so glad I took him up on the offer.

Along with us on the trip were Terry's two boys Glyn and Ross, Glyn's father-in-law Martin, friend and Seymour Tower guide Kevin, Terry's brother and my dad, Colin and brother-in-law Rob for a lads weekend on the famous Jersey fortification. With the sun shining down upon us on Saturday 23rd June, we set off from Seymour slip at 2:30pm, aka nearly low tide!

Now, I am no Jersey historian or Maritime expert, but I thought I'd just jot down some of my thoughts on the trip, and apologies if I get anything factually wrong here!

The walk was about 2 kilometres (according to Wikipedia) from the mainland to the Tower and, laden as we were with enough food and wine to satisfy 8 incredibly greedy men, it was tough yakka crossing the sand, although maybe not so much for Kevin and Terry, who have negotiated much stiffer challenges in the past, Killy (Kilimanjaro) being one such example.

We stopped often, as much to marvel at the beauty of the rolling Grouville Bay landscape as to draw breath, pictures being taken at a staggering frequency. You can enjoy some of them here:

Setting off from Seymour slip

Almost there

And we weren't alone. Dog walkers joined us, as did other sightseers, and a man in a wetsuit who had managed to "speer" a sizeable fish. Unfortunately we couldn't talk him into joining us for dinner.

After our own attempts at fishing, raking, crab hunting and er, other pathetic attempts at catching some fresh produce for dinner, it was a relief to discover that Terry and Kevin had planned a five course banquet for us. A marvellous effort.

We returned to the Tower from trawling the beach, as the area surrounding the tower was at that stage, to enjoy a beer and bask on the glorious sunshine. It was also apparent that low tide had now passed, and the sea was rapidly starting to surround us, from every which way

Due to the gullies closer in to the shore line, the sea comes round the tower and eventually surrounds it, cutting incumbents of the Tower off when the water is sufficiently deep.

It was glorious watching this wonder of nature unfolding before our eyes, with Kevin explaining all as it took place. It was certainly a more pleasurable way of spending a Saturday night than watching X Factor for example, although Glyn wasn't entirely convinced by this ascertain!

As the water began to fill in, Ross and Rob set to work with their fishing rods. They were in for a tough night, with not so much as a nibble on their lines, other than the occasional snagged rock.

Meanwhile Terry and Kevin were setting about preparing a banquet which comprised of Garlic Bread, Moules Marinier, Seafood Pasta, Strawberries and Jersey Cream accompanied by desert wine and finally Cheese Board with Port.

By the time the cheese and port were served we had retired into the tower having enjoyed the earlier courses in the evening sunshine - it was a beautiful night to be out at sea in the middle of the English Channel.

Ross fishing off the side of the tower

The Cheese and Port brought some hilarity with Kevin complaining because the former had been brought from the Co-op and not M & S. Still, it tasted ok to my untrained pallet, particularly the Stilton and Brie. I was relieved when those cheeses were universally praised; it wasn't just me taking a lucky punt then!

The night was old and decrepit by now, or was that just us? With beers, 6 bottles of wine, 1 bottle of desert wine and the port all done, a fresh bottle of Amaretto was next up, and went down extremely nicely. So too did a quiz on local history, music trivia and famous events from 1951, the year of Terry's birth of course.

With the group split into Huelin's versus Rob, Martin and Kevin there was only ever going to be one winner, and when the Huey's stormed to victory in the music round, it was no great surprise to hear shouts of "fix" from the opposition!

The estimated time of departure from the living quarters to bed was 1:30am, but that is by no means fact. What is certain is that the whole bottle of Amaretto was downed, and it is therefore impossible to answer with any degree of accuracy that question!

The toilet facilities became a factor at this stage. Up until now we'd been pissing into the wind, literally, but now a bucket on the roof of the tower was our only option. There was also a seat with underpinned bag for the other end in the same place, and negotiating some steep steps up to this makeshift bathroom after a skinful and in unfamiliar, dark conditions was not easy, as I found to my detriment, almost doing myself a mischief on the steps at about 5am!

Morning came and a greasy fry up was desperately required. Bacon, egg, beans and tomatoes were grilled, fried and decimated by the group, before another round of washing up commenced. With no drainage in the tower we had to wash up in buckets having boiled water on the stove. It was long-winded but somehow added to the feel of the weekend.

As the tide crept out towards Normandy once more, plans to return to the mainland began to take shape. With an estimated departure time of 2:30pm agreed, there was time for just one more meal; the remaining cheese from the night before on fresh baguettes and the residual white wine too. A delicious snack just an hour or so after breakfast - we ate like kings.

With the washing up done, sleeping bags packed into those impossibly small bags they come in (there's a knack to packing them which I am yet to master!) and waste - and I do mean ALL waste - gathered up, we began the long trek home.

Weary and ready for home

It was a truly magical weekend. Lovely to spend as it was with loved ones, observing nature at its finest and living in accordance with it, for a short while at least. Life goes by without even noticing the world around us at times, but watching the sea devour the coast line before retreating again, like a giant bath being filled and emptied twice daily, was a very humbling and beautiful experience and one that none of us will ever want to forget