Our (Mud) Island Adventure: September 2011

Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Quick note on Travis (one for the family I guess)

Hello Dear Friends,

Whilst we absolutely love being here on Mud Island (its 24 degrees outside and full sunshine by the way! Nice for Autumn) there are some things that we miss about home. I have almost a whole post done on all the positive things we have to share, and one or two minor thorns in our sides, but that is for later. One of the things we miss is not being able to spend time with our younger nieces and nephews. Morgan is growing up in the US and we have been lucky enough to spend some time with him both in SA and the US, he is a great little guy and very clever, like his Mom and Dad. Bella and Andy have grown up around us and we miss them terribly! The great news for us is that they are visiting in December and we are so excited about that. One of the latest editions to our very large family is Travis Morgan Wills, who is a SUPER cute little dude and like my brother Camron (his dad) is already bigger than average. Jules Wills kindly sent me some photos of him, as we have yet to meet him, he is only 11 months old. We hope to meet him very soon, in the meantime, we track his progress with love and interest as we have done with all our nieces and nephews. Below is a picture of him taken this week, when Natalie and Bella and Andy visited him in Somerset West. We also have a great-nephew (!!! I know makes me feel old hahaha) in New Zealand, Harlem who just turned a year old. Hope to show you a picture of him too really soon. Thats all for today, much love as always, Rich and Sam

Told you he was Super cute. Pictured with Andy and Bella!

Saturday, 17 September 2011

A poser of a question

Hello dear friends,

I think enough time has passed since the London riots to share this little gem with all of you. Sent in by the venerable Mr Cartwright Esq, it really homes in on the essence of the problem the police services in the UK face. It also has loads of tongue in cheek humour about it. Enjoy. Oh and thanks Carty for another quality submission.....

Question:
How do you tell the difference between a British Police Officer, an Australian Police Officer and an American Police Officer?

Answer:
First - Lets pose the following question:

You're on duty by yourself walking on a deserted street late at night.Suddenly, an armed man with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, raises the knife, and lunges at you. You are carrying a Glock .40, and you are an expert shot, however you have only a split second to react before he reaches you.

What do you do?

BRITISH POLICE OFFICER:

Firstly the officer must consider the man's Human Rights.
1) Does the man look poor or oppressed?
2) Is he/she newly arrived in this country and does not yet understand the law?
3) Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack?
4) Am I dressed provocatively?
5) Could I run away?
6) Could I possibly swing my gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand?
7) Should I try and negotiate with him to discuss his wrong doings?
8) Does the Glock have appropriate safety built into it?
9) Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society?
10) Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound me?
11) If I were to grab his knees and hold on, would he still want to stab and kill me?
12) If I raise my gun and he turns and runs away, do I get blamed if he falls over, knocks his head and kills himself?
13) If I shoot and wound him, and lose the subsequent court case, does he have the opportunity to sue me, cost me my job, my credibility and the loss of my family home?

AUSTRALIAN POLICE OFFICER:

BANG!

AMERICAN POLICE OFFICER:

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! 'click'....
(Sergeant arrives at scene later and remarks: 'Nice grouping!)

Wednesday, 14 September 2011

55 Goldenleas Drive, family and friends stop by!

Hello dear friends,

As promised a few times now, I have posted some pics of our new home. Fresh off the visit by Brett and Shelley, we had Conan and Kerri and their kids the weekend before last. We had a fabulous time with them, doing a little tour of the Jurassic Coast and retracing our steps from the weekend before when we toured with Brett and Shells. As they were staying the night, we were able to show Conan how you can eat only veggies at dinner and still enjoy the meal. Sammy made her Chilli Con Carne, and Conan had to admit he enjoyed it very much! We love spending time with friends and it was great to have them over. On the Sunday we had a walk in a forest near our home and lunch before Conan and Kerri went home. Cam popped in from the US on his way to the Med unexpectedly. He had to fly out of the US a day early as he tried to miss the Hurricane which was a good idea as he was one of the last flights out. He stayed the night with us on Sunday and I popped him up to the airport on the Monday morning. As it was a bank holiday, we had an extra day after everyone left to explore our new surrounds. So we went to a beautiful place along the Jurassic Coast known as Durdle Door. We had tried to go the day before with the Kinnear's but time and adventure prevented us from doing so! Sammy has also put a lot of the pictures up on Facebook, as I am a bit slow with our blog at the moment! On Wednesday we were able to fetch our kitties!! At last, we have them home and we feel so much more complete. They are settling in well after a very traumatic drive down from Woking, and asking more and more to be let outside to explore. Still we have to keep them in for another two weeks, to allow them to become familiar with their surroundings. So be prepared for many pictures of our boys who we adore. Also by the middle of the following week I was fighting a serious case of man flu, no really it was genuine flu, and so my plans to play golf on the weekend were dashed. Instead when I felt a bit better on Sunday, Sammy and I visited Sherborne Old Castle after a great pub lunch at a pub called the Three Elms, in the middle of nowhere, just how we like it! Anyway, see below a few pictures as promised, enjoy!

I am really hoping to have a bit more time to add some new posts to the blog over the next few weeks! Until then enjoy the pictures and much love to everyone, Rich and Sammy.