Our (Mud) Island Adventure: All the November News

Hello Dear Friends,

Last time I posted we were heading into an action packed November and it has not disappointed! Before that, we must mention our trip to the Wimborne Food Festival. We heard about it at work and went to take a look with our friends Rich and Carmen. The festival is held in the centre of town, exactly like you would see in any cooking program on TV. Lots and lots of food stalls, and nice tasty things to eat and drink. Strangely we thought, there were a lot of stalls selling cup cakes, but you will see from one of the photo's below that the cupcakes are very creative. We also watched a short demonstration on cooking a pigeon breast, although Sammy watched from a distance as her vegitarian instinct took hold. I was pleased to try a Wild Boar burger and I am happy to report that Obelix was not wrong, it is delicious! We loved the food fair, it makes for a great afternoon out, and I am sure we will do many more like it. Back to November, I mentioned that we were on the way over to the Isle of Wight for Mark and Jo's son Noah's party, and then a double up for Sammys birthday the day after. It is always a treat to be back on the Isle of Wight, and we are already nostalgic about the place when we return to it, as it provided such a warm welcome to Mud Island for us. The afternoon was good with all the kiddies and families joining in for Noah's big day, and then we had a great evening with everyone afterwards. Champagne breakfast skillfully cooked by Conan on a Cadac Skottle provided a true South African flavour to Sammy's birthday breakfast. We left the Isle via Yarmouth back to Lymington and took a slow drive home to end a great weekend. Now I had mentioned all our plans on the last blog but I left something very important out. Sammy has joined the Bournemouth Adult Contemporary Company, and has been dancing with them every Tuesday night for some time. On the Tuesday after her birthday, she took part in a small concert with the company at the Pavillion on the Bournemouth beach front. As we would all expect she danced beautifully and was easily amongst the stand out dancers on the evening. We were asked not to take photographs during the session which was a pity as Sammy was very special! I was very proud of her and look forward to her next performance which will take place in early April. The next night we went to see a stage version of the hit tv series Allo' Allo at the Regent Theatre in Christchurch with our friends Rich and Carmen. As the show started fairly early, we hunted down a nice little Italian place for a quick pizza and wine to get into the swing of things. Dinner was fantastic and I was again floored by the speed at which Rich can put away a huge pizza. Now a lot of people including myself have the capacity to pack away a large on our own, but Rich is slim and 5ft 7ish. So for him to eat faster and more than me, is quite something to witness. We all enjoyed the show which was true to the tv series in every possible way. There were a few akward moments as the actor playing Madame Edith forgot her lines or missed her que, resulting in some silent moments followed by hurried whispers from stage left! All the same it was a great way to spend an evening and we enjoyed the play thoroughly.

It started off a fabulous weekend for us, with my Aunt's birthday in Coventry on Friday night. This was a chance to catch up with my cousins and their kids and also to meet some of the friends and dance partners we always hear about from my Aunt. On Saturday we were super excited to be able to go and watch the Parlotones at the HMV Institute. After standing in the wrong queue for 30 minutes we eventually got into the venue and it was very easy going from there. There was not big queue for the bar, and the barman carries a scanning device that totals up your drinks order and then shows you on a display how much you need to pay. Makes a change from screaming at the barman that you cannot hear him. The supporting act had decided that they would test out their sound equipment during their performance, which was um....interesting. Extremely loud, with the occasional microphone feedback squeal, I think they need a few more dry runs before appearing live again. But, the 'Tones were simply sublime. Kahn and the boys were at the end of a 6 week long tour of the US and the UK, so they could have rushed through it, but laid down 20 songs for us to enjoy. I had commented on the stupid woman who were in front of us for most of the show on Facebook, so the less said about that the better, but they did not spoil the show for us. It was a bittersweet moment to hear the Parlotones finish off their last song at 10pm. A curfew rule in the HMV Institute meant that there was no encore, as the place turns into a nightclub after the shows. Pity that, we were in the mood for more! We caught a train back to Coventry and had a slightly spooky walk back to my Aunt's home, as it was misty and dark in some spots. But of course, one of the simple joys of living on Mud Island is that you can walk safely at night without worrying about who might jump out in front of you demanding your wallet. There are so few areas that are not safe, its a wonderful thing we assure you! On Sunday morning we met my cousin Michelle and her husband Paul at the Bull Ring in Birmingham. The Bull Ring is a mamoth shopping centre in the middle of the city. So massive in fact, it comes close to Westfields in London for title of the Mothership! Picture Sandton City 10 times bigger! We enjoyed a morning roaming around Selfridges, looking at clothes and shoes we couldnt possibly afford and then took a slow drive back home to Bournemouth and our kitties.

During November we also confirmed that we are coming to South Africa in March for a few weeks, which we are very excited about. We have not yet met our latest nephew Travis, so we are going straight to Cape Town to spend some time with him and Cam and Jules. Then off to see my mom in George, before a few days on the Natal coast and then up to Joburg for a week before returning to Mud Island for more adventures! So we hope to see you all when we are in town!This past weekend Sammy and I browsed the Christmas market in Bournmouth central which was nice to see, although very small compared to some of the markets we will visit in the next few weeks! We also visited our friends Alan and Mandy in their new home in Christchurch. It was a great evening complete with the chance to christen a brand new braai which we did in style!

I had been riding my mountain bike frequently but in the last two weeks have suffered from some bad man flu. Unfortunately I passed the flu on to Sammy who has also been sniffling her way through the last week. We are on the mend now, but its hard to shake the bug with the cooler weather. Oh yes...the weather. Hmmm, we remain unconvinced as the autumn has been the mildest in a long time according to the locals, so maybe we will get a big fright when it eventually gets cold. But at this stage, we are not holding our breath! As I write this it is 12 degrees outside and in full sunshine, not a cloud in the sky. The weather forecast changes every 3 hours so we never really know what the weather will be like in advance. We have a busy few weeks coming up now and will share all of our adventures with you as they happen! Below as usual is a host of photo's enjoy them as much as we have enjoyed our November on Mud island. Much love as always Rich and Sam