UK trip more details

I can actually say I enjoyed this trip to the UK, I know this because I missed being on holiday after we got back.

We had summer weather that we dreamed of but never fully expected. This gave us extra space in the in-laws small house by eating most of our meals in the garden. It also allowed us to take the the children for walks in the local fields and woods whilst the in-laws carried out their morning ritual of getting up at the same time and having exactly the same breakfast at exactly the same time everyday.

Our plan of booking two trips to other accommodation worked well Center Parcs at sherwood forest was good and the in-laws visited for days out. And we went to Pontins in Southport for four days to visit my Dad and my brother Jason came to stay there as well with his wife and my new niece. Chloe-Anne who is 18months was a good ice breaker and Emily and Cameron took to her instantly and she likewise took to them. We had a great visit with Dad just eating out and going for walks along New Brighton beach (where dad used to take us as kids) and took the children on Mersey Ferry. The only downside was Pontins, it was dreadful, run down , deadly I had stayed there for a week about 33years ago before moving to South Africa with my family. I remeber it being fun however it looked like it hadn't been maintained or decorated in that 33years we stayed only 2 of the 4 nights we had booked and paid for and went somewhere else for the next night and headed back to the in-laws in Doncaster a day earlier. Teresa left a gerat comment on their feedback form 'Are there no minimum standards' and 'Don't you ever get inspected'

It wasn't just the accommodation, it was also the travel through Liverpool in rush hour traffic back to Southport it was taking an hour and a half

And that wasn't the only driving causing problems , in Hawkes bay and in New Zealand generally there is really very little traffic congestion, but to get back to Doncaster from Liverpool we has to travel past Manchester and the level of traffic finally got to Teresa and she had to pull into the motorway services in floods of tears.

Organic food was easy to find in the local Sainsbuty's and we found local farms selling their own meat which was also great.

The inlaws had arranged a hire car - it was supposed to be an Astra but we had a huge up grade to a top of the line ford mondeo which was huge and both of us had trouble parking, it was a diesel and was very very efficient

There's a bit more to go which I'll write tomorrow.

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