Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! After a fairly mild December, the weather has turned a bit and the temperature dropped quite a lot - tomorrow is meant to be rather frosty and icy, but makes for a nice chilly Christmas day - still not quite as cold as the Merry Christmas image I found below, but cold enough for us :)

Here's to a joyful, fun and happy Christmas, with lots of love from Southwick, Brighton!

Two weeks ago on Wednesday, Ian had his school nativity play which was the Donkey Seller and he had the role of Joseph in the play. It was very cute with both the reception classes taking part, and Ian did really well in the leading role :)

On Friday we had the Cinderella Panto show in Worthing, so all headed off there that evening, grabbed a bite to eat beforehand and then over to the Pavilion Theatre. That Saturday was just a relaxed easy day at home around the house, and then on Sunday we drove over to Walton for lunch at Greg, Kim and the boys before heading to their church Christmas show that afternoon.

Last week Wednesday morning Ellen had her school Christmas show which was very good, less of the nativity theme but more musical and singing, which they all really got into.

Last week Friday was the first day of school holidays, so after the kids had a lazy day at home and I finished work, we drove into Brighton for a walk around the Royal Pavilion Ice Rink and then up to MEATliquor for dinner before heading home.

This past Saturday Ellen had her PQA musical show 'Wish Keeper the Musical' which was in the Barn Theatre and included a performance from all the PQA groups. After the show we stopped in at the Manor Cottage where Santa was, so the kids got to meet him and reiterate how good they've been this year :) After the grotto, we had lunch at La Tavola and then a couple of drinks at The Cricketers before heading home.

Yesterday was a more social festive meetup at Dennis and Laura's house, with a total of 30 people there for the afternoon, so it was rather chaotic with the number of kids, but a good afternoon catching up with others.

On Friday before last, Will and Aggie were over in London and had organised to meet up at Mulberry Bush pub near to Waterloo. So Friday afternoon I headed into town and met them, Duncs, Paul, Carol, Lozzie and Kimmie for some drinks and food and a catch up. It had been ages since I last saw them so it was good to see everyone again.

Saturday was just a home day with the kids' activities and a bit of rugby in the afternoon, then Sunday we all headed out for lunch at Brighton City Airport and watched a few of the small planes taking off. Afterwards we bought ourselves a Christmas Tree and headed home to decorate it.

This past Friday Una and I had tickets to see Dara Ó Briain at the Brighton Dome which she had gotten me as a gift. So with Ben picking up the kids from school, Una and I had planned to head into town, except with the passing storm and pouring rain, the idea of some pre-drinks in The Lanes seemed less than desirable, so decided to drive instead. We had Tapas for dinner at Brisa Tapas & Bar, then basically ran over to the Dome to watch the show, which was called Re:Creation and a good night of laughs as usual!

On Saturday, while Ellen was at Lola's birthday party, the three of us decided to get out while the weather wasn't raining and headed over to Hove Lagoon for a walk around there and some time in the playground with Ian, despite the cold wind! But it made sense considering the heavy rain yesterday, no chance of getting out of the house, so glad we managed to get out when we did on Saturday!

On Thursday the week before last, after the day in London for work, I headed down to Borough and met up with Gav at the King's Arms. It had been ages since I'd last seen him, so it was good to eventually manage to catch up. After a few beers there, in the pouring rain, we decided to grab a bite to eat and headed down towards Bermondsey but everywhere was crazy busy so returned back to London Bridge and grabbed food at Honest Burgers.

On Saturday we had a busy afternoon of rugby on the TV, with Italy vs South Africa first, then England vs New Zealand followed by Ireland vs Australia. So after ignoring the kids staying indoors all day, on Sunday we headed out for lunch at Fatto a Mano in Hove which we'd spoken about going to ages and all thoroughly enjoyed it.

Last week Monday the cold snap hit us, the temperatures turned really icy, dropping by almost 10°C from the weekend, so always a bit of a shock for the system. It was always predicted to last just the week, and then return back to normal November temperatures.

The past weekend was busy again with usual kids activities on the Saturday, followed by a tense rugby game of Ireland vs South Africa that evening. Then yesterday we had Greg, Kim and the boys over to our place for a catch up which was good to see them again.

And at least today the usual November temperatures have returned, so it's not so bitterly cold with ice and frost everywhere!

On the Thursday before last, Davies was over in London for work so had organised a meetup in town that evening. So that evening I headed up into town and met him, Mark, Lozzie, Carol and Stacey at BrewDog Chancery Lane for a few drinks, burger and catch up.

Then on the Friday, which was both the last day of school as well as Halloween, Una took the kids trick or treating in Southwick Square, followed by a Halloween party at Adrian and Geri's place and then over to Tom and Elle's place, where I met up with them there. After some time there, we managed to get out for some trick or treating despite the rain, so the kids managed to stock up on their sweets and candy supply:)

On Saturday 1st Una and Ellen had tickets to see Wicked in London, so they headed off fairly early for their day in town, while Ian and myself had a boys day a bit more local. We started off at the Hove and Skate Park for a couple of hours, followed by lunch out at The Marina Five Guys and then over to Funplex for some indoor softplay running around.

Some pictures as well from Una and Ellen's day out :)

Sunday was a bit of a quieter day after a busy Saturday, with Ellen heading over to Lena's place for an afternoon Halloween party with the girls.

Last week Monday the kids returned back to school, but also Una started her new job, with her staying up in London from Monday through to Wednesday to get set up and meet the team. Then on Thursday was Eastbrook's Fireworks night which, despite always being a bit hectic and chaotic with kids, they always put on a good fireworks display.

This past Saturday was just a home day with a few rugby games on in the afternoon, so between the projector for the kids and the rugby for Una and myself, that took care of the afternoon for us :) Then yesterday was a really nice sunny day, and still fairly mild, so we decided to head into Hove for lunch and went to the new Meeting Place Cafe on the seafront which was really nice, plus the kids had the beach in front of us to play while Una and myself enjoyed the November sunshine.

That sunshine and clear skies quickly disappeared overnight and we were greeted with heavy rain, wind and grey dull skies today, but at least we managed to get out over the weekend and make the most of it :)

On Saturday both Una and I felt we were coming down with a cold or something, so had a very slow day at home. Then on Sunday we had promised the kids to go pumpkin picking so headed off to Poynings Pumpkin Patch to select a few pumpkins for this year's Halloween. It's obviously always a bit challenging to narrow down the selection they have to just the best five, but we managed to by the process of elimination and returned back home with our chosen five.

Then this evening we got around to carving them out, ready for Halloween 2026 :)

The weekend before last was just a home weekend, with the weather turning very autumnal and chilly quite suddenly. Didn't really have any plans other than just around the house and staying indoors.

Then this past Saturday, after dropping Ellen at PQA, since it was a fairly clear day, I decided to head out on the bike for a lengthy cycle to Ovingdean Beach along the Undercliff Walk and back, which took about an hour and a half. It's a pretty easy flat cycle, but nice to get out while the weather was fairly decent. The rest of the day was just at home with a steak braai for dinner that evening.

Yesterday the storm arrived, so it was just a lazy indoor day at home avoiding the wind and rain outside :)

On Saturday it was the Argentina vs South Africa Rugby Championship game at Twickenham. I left home mid morning and got to Twickenham around 11:30 and met up with Marty, Dan, Duncs, Mark and Lorenzo, as well as Greg and Jonty who also had tickets for the game. We took a walk down towards the river and had a beer at The Barmy Arms. But with the queues as long as they were, we decided not to stay there but instead head up towards the stadium instead. The game itself was really good with a great atmosphere, with South Africa winning 29-27 and clinching back-to-back Rugby Championship titles for the first time! After the game we headed back towards Twickenham and stopped in at The Eel Pie and then at Riccardo's Cellar before we all called it a night and headed home.

Yesterday we had the morning at home and with the weather being rather mild and sunny, we decided to head over to Marrocco's for lunch, followed by a walk along Hove beachfront which was nice to get out in the fresh sea breeze. Last night we were treated to some entertainment at home by Ellen who put on a Super Celebration show for us all :)

On Saturday morning, Una left first thing in the morning to head up to Gatwick for her flight over to Cork for a few days there, and back again on Wednesday. So that morning, after the kids were up and ready, they hopped on their bikes and we dropped Ellen at PQA followed by a ride over to the Leisure Centre for Ian's tennis lesson which he thoroughly enjoyed, even with it being the one up class from last week. After the rest of the morning at home, we cycled over to pick up Ellen, went on a mini bike ride around the area and then back home for the afternoon.

On Sunday we headed out to Brooklands Park, this time with both the kids' bikes in the car, so got to enjoy both the playground as well the cycle paths around. I wasn't able to take my bike along, so I was just on foot following them running after them as they zoomed around - certainly got my step count up that day :)

With Una in Ireland until Wednesday, I had booked yesterday afternoon and this afternoon off work, so had a bit of time in the playground after school on both days, then this evening we had swimming up at Wadurs, followed by McDs as a treat at Holmbush.

Last Thursday evening the Galeón Andalucía ship left Shoreham Port after having been docked there for just over 3 weeks. It landed up extending its original 5 days stay due to popularity and poor weather conditions on her onward journey. So that evening we took the Cargo Bike down to the port to watch it make its way through the locks and head out to sea.

On Friday I had the afternoon off, so after school pickup and the afternoon at home, we headed out to Black Rock which is between Brighton and The Marina for a walk around there before making our way into Brighton to Pizza Pilgrims for dinner, as requested by the kids :)

On Saturday morning Ian started tennis at the Southwick Leisure Centre at a similar time to Ellen's PQA, so while Una took him there, I dropped Ellen at PQA for her morning classes. After lunch at home, we headed over to Laura and Dennis' place for the afternoon and then home for the evening.

Yesterday was nice and sunny, and forecasted to be one of the last mild days before the temperatures dropped, so we headed out to Shoreham Fort in the morning which we had spoken about doing for ages. It wasn't open, but nice to walk around and sit by the beach while the kids played.

Once back home, myself, Ellen and Ian popped out for a bike ride around the Rec and the back roads which was fun to all be out on the bikes. Then the rest of the afternoon we were just at home and in the garden.

Last week Wednesday it was Ian's first day of school in his full uniform. The previous few days were just in casual wear, so it was cute seeing him all kitted in the school attire. We all headed off that morning for the drop-off to see him off to his class :)

This weekend was rather wet and rainy, so most of it was spent indoors. On Saturday afternoon there was a brief break in the rain, so I managed to get out with the kids and the bikes to the rec which they enjoyed and Ellen getting more and more confident on her bike too!

Yesterday afternoon was Seth and Arthur's birthday down at Bodhi’s Coffee Shop for ice-cream treats all round, which was convenient considering the showery weather outside.