Spring into sunshine #blooming

Spring Shring....until Spring means Sun!

And that meant getting outside and making like a flower and BLOOMING!

We did this for a couple of hours up Dumyat...

 

A 35km ride around Gravelfoyle..

A 10km trail run at Callandar House, Falkirk...

In our new kitchen...

 

At a cheerleading showcase...

In Boston at the Seafood Show...(and a 15km run past Harvard)

 

At John Simpson's Leaders and Lunatics Tour...

With curly-haired companions....

And at a ballet show...

And Cyprus...but for THAT level of sun, you'll have to wait for the next post!

The art of life #dreamtime

LOVE the first quarter of the year.

Tick!

No January blues in this house, as crevette has her birthday and so do two of the cousins, so every year it's COUSIN PARTY TIME! Which in our house is basically dream time.

Two of the birthday cousins celebrating at the international climbing arena in Edinburgh.

And one special little cousin celebrating turning 7!

 

Yes, the outfit comes from her big sister. Not much I could do.

 

January is also race season in many sports:

January is also COLD:

But not for me! Because I had a work trip to Jakarta. That was a week of meetings in various parts of the Shangri-La Hotel, a lot of work dinners, and then an unexpected surprise.

 

See above for the meetings (with UK government and UK government representatives in Jakarta) and dinners (with all of them, plus a great one with an old school friend of mine). See below for the unexpected surprise. I arrived at the airport in Jakarta with the team to a message from El Puma telling me some sort of big storm was on its way to Scotland. I then arrived in Doha 8 hours later to a 21 hour postponement of my flight home...but a free hotel and meals in the centre of Doha for that time. So that was my 51st country, and a very nice unexpected surprise. Doha is a lot like its neighbours and has thoroughly invested in art, safe walking, and museums showing off its cultural history and architecture. I didn't think I would, but I did love it.

 

Switch out the month and it's another flight, this time to my kids' D-R-E-A-M time (all in capitals). Skiing! With cousins!!!!

Arriving into the Alps:

Quite literally IN the Alps (fresh snowfall):

 

 

AND a trip to CERN, home of the invention of the worldwideweb (among other sciency things):

 

And during the week, little Luca was born in Belgium. Congratulations Pacotio and Eveline and Elena!

And finally, MY month:

Looking shiny after the Spa!

And this year my birthday fell on Shrove Tuesday. That is one of the best gifts: no need to think about what to eat for tea!

 

And to top it all off, crevette became an Egyptian. In her dreams ;-)