One of the huge advantages of living in a condo, is the facilities that are available to residents. For us, that includes barbecue pits by the pool, barbecue pits on the roof, and barbecue pits in the garden. We are rationed to one BBQ per calendar month, but we have been steadily using our quota since arriving! 

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Always good to see the family!  David and Teresa came over to see Stephen and Christine - which made it a bit easier, and then we popped over to see Lynn and Chris. 

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It doesn't really matter where we go, one of the things Shanhong loves to do...   ... is feed the ducks.
Summer 2023 saw us home in the UK visiting Lincoln, Norfolk and the Isle of Wight, and in all three places, Shanhong was enjoying ducks and swans! Enjoy some pics of Shanhong in her 'happy space'!

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For Chinese New Year, I booked something a little different! We caught a local ferry over to an Indonesian Island, where we checked into a wigwam on the side of a man-made lagoon! The ultimate glamping experience. I loved it, Shanhong, perhaps not as much! I think you'll agree there are some lovely photos though!

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Always keen to try new things, we had our first trip in a Hot Air Balloon. As you'll see from the pics - all went well. It's amazing just how big the balloon is - and, in comparison, how small the bucket is!  If you are interested - I can thoroughly recommend this company - they were fantastic.  http://hotair-balloonrides.co.uk/
Remember, clicking on any pic opens the complete gallery.

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What would three middle-aged people do to celebrate a birthday? Go to the ice-cream museum, of course! Ball pits, swings, bouncy castles, and ice-creams to try at each station? Who says it is for kids? We had a great time as the pics will testify.

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Shanhong's mum and dad came to visit us in the UK for the summer, so we had a few trips to different places - you can read more in the UK 2010 reports elsewhere on this site. However, one of the daytrips was to Ironbridge, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution where the world’s first iron bridge was erected in 1779. Very close to the Bridge is the Victorian Village which is a replica of what life was like in Victorian times. Shanhong's mum and dad were fascinated by all the Victorian machinery, as they had had similar experiences in their own industrial past in China! Enjoy the pics :-)

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It is extremely rare that we get to go out with members of the family - so when a 50's/60's music show passed through Telford, we persuaded my brother and sister-in-law to join us. It would just happen to turn out to be the same night as a World Cup England game.. poor Stevie! Fun show though - plenty of "singing along" !

It is always special to surprise Shanhong on holiday. For Summer 2022 it was a Llama Hike in the Peak District. Organised through Alpacaly Ever After (Outstanding Alpaca and Llama Experiences - Alpacaly Ever After) this was a very simple but lovely day, enjoying gorgeous scenery with adorable animals. Shanhong was grinning all day!

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A nice holiday in the north of devon saw us horse-riding, clay-pigeon shooting, and staying in some quirky accommodation! Very "us" !

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Ever looking for new experiences, both for Shanhong's mum and dad - and their 'taste of England' but also for Shanhong, we rented a narrowboat for three nights and headed off down the canals! It was quite an experience to get through all the locks - but all worked well, and I, for one, had fun (I'm not sure about the others!).

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Another holiday surprise for Shanhong... let's jump off a clifftop together!
Queensland is the "adventure capital" of New Zealand, so, something had to be done. Organised through GForce Paragliding (GForce Paragliding – Tandem Paragliding Queenstown), these were tandem flights - so, nothing to do but hold on and enjoy!  I don't think Shanhong wants to do it again - but it was one of those things it was great to do once! For me, I'd love to do it again somewhere else. I have to say though, given Shanhong is afraid of heights - she really does get involved in more than I would expect.

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Pennywell Farm is a delightful little farm in South Devon, meant for little children, where you can cuddle baby pigs, watch pigs racing, play mini-golf, and ride on the back of a tractor. A place ideal for 5-year olds, and hence perfectfor Shanhong and I - yes, we loved it!

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Singapore is a beautiful place - as you'll see in the many great walks on this site. This was one of many trips to Sentosa - an island in the south connected by a walkway (as well as by tram and by cable car!). The island is home to Resorts World Sentosa, a major centre with hotels, casino, universal studios theme park and seaworld etc. However, it also has beautiful nature walks, and glorious sandy beaches as can be seen below.

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Summer 2014 was another busy summer. It started with three days in our home in Telford – a chance to see the family – one of the highlights was taking mum to see the animals at West Midlands Safari Park. That went so well that we returned two weeks later for another trip. The photos below are a mixture of the two days (as clever people would have spotted from the clothing). As you can see, the animals get up close – and I can tell you from personal experience that giraffes, while very gentle, have very, very big and sticky tongues !!

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We did make some other trips too – one day was spent at Blists Hill Victorian Museum – a working recreation of life in Victorian England.

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One further trip, on the way home from visiting my sister, took us to see the ruins of an Abbey just outside of Telford.

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After the few days in Telford, it was down to London where I was doing the last of my Principals’ Training Centre courses. While I was busy studying, Shanhong got to explore a little more of London. As she had already seen most of the tourist spots, it was the turn of Museums and Palaces.

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Of course, as always, Shanhong also got to a few shows , including ‘The Commitments’, ‘Matilda’ and Sunday service at Hillsong London. I managed to join her for both ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ and for my all-time favourite, ‘Miss Saigon’ which has just been revived.

The last few pics are with Eden and Ella, my two nephews' beautiful daughters.

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Keep in touch! Trevor, Shanhong and Teddy xx

Christmas 2015 saw us back in the UK - a time to visit mum, catch up with family news, and take Shanhong to some new places. The first few pics are with the family

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It is always the case that when we go away on holiday, we try to see everything, and yet when at home, rarely go out. So, this year we made the conscious decision to see a couple of new places. First on the list was a drive to Shakespeare Country - Stratford upon Avon - where the Bard was born. The following pics are all from Stratford, either at Anne Hathaway's cottage or at the Shakespeare Museum.

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Having enjoyed Stratford it was time for another nice day out and a moment of realisation that although I had driven all the way to Scotland with Shanhong, we had never crossed the much nearer border into Wales! So, it was time to cross that border and see the nearest castle in Welshpool.

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After Christmas, it was back to Beihai in China for the Chinese New Year and the chance to see Shanhong's family. Oh... and... have some great food!!

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So, there you have it, another lovely festive season visiting both homes and both halves of the family. Here's wishing you all a happy and blessed 2016.
With Love and Best Wishes,
Trevor, Shanhong, Teddy.

Easter saw us back in Beihai, our China home. For those who don’t know Beihai, it is a city on the South Coast of China, not too far from Vietnam and Halong Bay, with a 25km sandy beach that stays empty most of the year. We have a lovely house here, with plenty of room for visitors! Shanhong’s parents are in the same city for the winter months, so it is a good chance to catch up, and go fly a kite! The Beihai barbecued chickens are the best in the world. Try one, and you won’t disagree! We spend quite a bit of time sorting out the overgrown back garden, and I planted some cacti – so we’ll see if they survive!

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In April, my back went again – a recurring problem, but unfortunately one that seemed to be happening more frequently. When it didn’t recover as quickly as usual, it was time to see a specialist. X-rays and MRI’s later revealed a slipped disk from years ago, that was now completely dead and impinging on a nerve. I booked the op to take out the dead disk, put in a spacer, and bolt two bits together and was in hospital for two nights. Unfortunately, a complication (leaking spinal fluid) meant I had to go back in – but I am pleased to say Singapore hospitals are good, insurance paid (over $70000), and my back is doing well! If you want to see what I had done, you can watch this video! http://www.spine-health.com/video/spine-fusion-surgery-video. It worked… in July I was kayaking for a full day, horseback riding, and did the longest zip-line over water in the world!

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We had a visit from Shanhong’s niece’s husband to be, and another musical in Singapore, and that brought us to summer. Our main holiday of the year was to be in USA, but on our way over, we did visit the UK to see Mum, to meet the newest member of the family (Scarlett, seen here with her big sis Eden, and Shanhong) and to spend a bit of time in our apartment there. Mum had unfortunately moved into a nursing home since our last visit at Christmas - not a place she loved, but there were some good days – and here she is singing along with a visiting entertainer! What she did love was getting out, and a favourite trip, given the season, was to the Rose Gardens nearby.

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As you can see, a beautiful place when all the flowers are in bloom. It was an indication of mum’s dementia however, that having gone once and spent a good few hours, when we went back two days later, mum was convinced she had never been before. Little were we to know these would be the last photos with mum.

So, that’s all for this report – that brings us up to our departure for USA – and the next set of reports will be on that main summer holiday – hope you are looking forward to making that journey with us!

All the best, take care and keep writing

Love as always Trevor, Shanhong & Teddy (and friends) xx

Having enjoyed Dublin, our next mini trip was to South Devon. We have decided each UK visit to try and see somewhere new, so we started by heading to the south coast – also, it has become tradition to try and surprise Shanhong with the accommodation, so, after the castle in Ireland, it was to be a beach hut!

On the way down though, never to miss the chance of a musical, we called into Bristol, and went to see ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ – a fun little show with great choreography!

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First stop in Devon, even before we got to the surprise accommodation, was Pennywell farm, a delightful place meant for small children where you can cuddle baby pigs, watch pigs racing, play mini-golf and ride on the back of a tractor. Perfect for 4 years olds – and therefore perfect for Shanhong and I !!

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From Pennywell farm, it was off to Shaldon Beach – to enjoy our special beach hut accommodation!

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Next morning we went to Babbacombe Model Village which contains over 400 models of houses, stately homes, factories, shops, entertainment venues and environmental features as well as over 13,000 miniature people who live in the village!!

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Our final visit in South Devon was to a National Trust Property, called Coleton Fishacre, an Art Deco 1920s coastal retreat. Decked out in the prime of the Jazz Age with live pianists, the house is surrounded by beautiful gardens winding down to the sea.

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So, there you have it – our weekend on the very South Coast of England. We drove back via Wolverhampton and a chance to see another show – this time La Cage Aux Folles – and back to Telford to continue painting and packing to get two properties ready for rental!

All the best! Trevor, Shanhong & Teddy.

You will (hopefully) remember that before Cyprus we had a short break in the South of Devon. So, having returned from Cyprus, we went for a short break in the north of Devon – staying at Barnstaple. On the way down we ticked an item off the bucket list – doing our first ever hot air balloon flight.

On the way down to Devon, we stopped at a British Seaside town, Weston-Super-Mare, and had a walk on the pier – a true British institution! Shanhong got to experience the fun of winning hundreds of tickets, and then I had the fun of seeing her to go to redeem them for prizes and discover 100 tickets = 1 lollipop!

We had a short horseback ride – something we’ve found we quite enjoy – and then went to try another brand new activity – with a lesson in clay-pigeon shooting!

Whilst I quite enjoyed it, it was not to be a favourite for Shanhong – we both had big bruises from the gun recall for the next couple of weeks!

People who have read a number of these reports will know I sometimes like to find unusual places to stay rather than ‘normal hotels’, and so our home in N. Devon was to be Taw Tower, a lookout tower!

We had two ‘trips’ while in North of Devon, the first being to the coast at Ilfracombe

The second, to Dunster, famous for its beautiful castle and working water mill.

Enjoy!!   Trevor, Shanhong & Teddy xx