The Hampsons! It's just like the Waltons but in Sonning Common

After jetting around the South of France, we decided to zoom around the South of England.
Off to sunny Sonning Common to see Paul's family.
Arthur in a red jumper (quite rare to see him in colours apprently) - he's just got back from the Friday lunch at the rugby club... Penny and crumpets!

Here is the newest addition to the family - this is Ruby, Paul's latest niece

Penny, Ruby and Eleanor

Jack - the girls' big brother. He's soooo very good with his sisters, a lovely young man!

Here is Nikki - Paul's younger sister, and mum to these three cheeky monkies

Her husband Shaun

Eleanor shows me her badges they she has got from Rainbows - it's like the girl guides

A very cheeky Ruby

A girl after my own heart - she likes to try to drink her daddy's Guinness!

Pile up!

I was so very very pleased to meet these guys properly - last time I met them was at Paul's 40th birthday party, where I didn't know anybody (ok - so I gatecrashed....) and definately didn't know they would become part of my family!

So we all know mum has a drinking problem - everytime she tries to drink water (see above) she throws it over herself

Arthur cooking duck (yummm - oh, by the way, Sharon, I've gained 4kg!)

Penny slaving over hot veggies The newly decorated dining room

A bunch of muppets

And this is a special photo for muppet 2 - your dad and I drinking port together and tucking into the stilton!

My absolute favourite photo (sorry Arthur) - 4 bottles of wine and some port later, Arthur crashed in a major way - glasses askew

Thanks all you Hampsons - mum and I had a great time - see you soon

The Reading version of Casa Picasso!

On the way to Paul's parents, we got stuck in a traffic jam in front of this restaurant. It made me laugh so much I had to take a photo.
Jen - I think you are safe from the competition!

Snot

urgh - mum and I both have caught a cold - we're pretty sure it's from Chrisiane (Alain's mum) who was sick when we had lunch together in Monaco.
Yuck.
Pass the Kleenex!

My mum's boyfriend

A fair number of years ago, I was speaking to mum on the phone, and she was talking about this gorgeous hunk called Tim. For a couple of days it was "Tim" this and "Tim" that. She told me he was lovely, big and black. So I was thinking "fair game" mum! Then I found out he was a black lab.....
Tim came over last night for some chewy sticks and a cuddle - here he is - he's now 15 and still doing great

Anne and Liz came over for dinner, and we had a great time (more food, my poor waistline...)

The Three Crowns - Sunday roast!

Well we landed at Gatwick aiport at about 1pm, and decided we would go to Tesco's to get a bit of shopping.
Unfortunately, the driver (ahem) missed the turning and we ended up at the Three Crowns pub near East Grinsted for Sunday lunch. What a shame.

Ahhh Guinness yet again Mum with her steak and ale pie - oh yes!

My roast pork and crackling - ummmmmmmm

We were stuffed and very happy - what a great trip to the Cote D'Azur

On our way back to sunny Blighty

First one to Nice aiport - look at the view out the bay windows OK, so here we have 3 pictures taken whilst on the motorway - look in the background - snowy Alpes

It was jolly cold that morning in Nice!

Another dinner and another mum

On our last night, Sabine and Meric invited us over to their new appartment, they moved in only 5 days ago! Meric's mum Martine also joined us. Even though we didn't manage to sit down at any time with the 3 mums and the 3 kids we did all see each other ove the 4 days. What a fantastic time

2 mums, mine and Meric's

Sabine comes from a region in France called Perpignan, which is very much a rural place with lots of hunting. She specially cooked wild boar for us which she had brought back with her from her last trip. What a treat.

Elephants on ice???

Well, mum and I went to Monaco in the morning to go and renew both our passports - so we rushed around town, getting photographs, filling in form and generally annoying traffic police but having no idea where we were going. One poor guy we saw four times in the same day - we nearly invited him home for dinner! lol.#
So, after having done our paperwork and feeling rather pleased with ourselves, we decide to have a spot of lunch on the port as it's a lovely sunny day.
there are people milling around and somebody doing a sound check on a PA system - we're not really paying any attention to this as we order our beers.
Then circus music comes on and we both joke about it being the music for elephants.
I stand up, and see 3 elephants. How many beers did I have?

Lots of people on the port

3 elephants!

bums!

They had now finished their show and were walking in line down along the port towards La Rascasse - just like the Grand Prix. By this time I was laughing so much I could hardly take any photos

Luxury yachts and nellies

Here is the swimming pool transformed into an ice rink for the winter, 3 elephants and million dollar yachts - what a picture! Monaco goes surreal.

Mum and a bum

After this picture, mum and I dashed like a pair of school girls to the car to see where they were going. By the time we pulled out of our space, the elephants had disappeared. We got up near the Rascasse and went along the other side of the port - there was a policeman at the end and I dared mum to ask him if he'd seen 3 elephants going that way.....