Stats

Kms: 4300
Hottest temp: 40degrees C
Champion swimmer: Ted
Pool champion: Ted (despite J claiming to have been the U21 Sheffield champion in her day). Ted's tactic of potting no balls and waiting for his opponent to foul on the black worked pretty much every match.
Table tennis champion: Dad
Table football champion: Dad
Question asker champion: Sam
Coped best with constant teasing about giraffes: Sam
Most physics books read: Charlie
Champion Bronzer: Mum
Champion suncream applier, to self: Charlie
Most annoying catchphrase: Ted
Champion waspcatchermaker: Mum

When did that happen

One of the many things that have struck me over the holiday (and it links to the previous eating post) is the size of my kids. But guess which of these legs belongs to J...

Le Gargantua

Their pizza's defeated J and I, But the boys finished theirs easily. End of an era.

Been around a Chateau today, bit odd. Doors all locked, we had to ring a bell 3 times to summon the wrinkled retainer. Had a private tour, in French. Pictures to follow.

No pool, but the Loir river

Buster's first happy foray into water. 4th for Jules.

Hottest day of our holiday

And we've no longer got a pool...

Dorgone

But not forgotten. In the Loire now for a day and a half, 300 miles from Calais. View is from our bedroom window, a town called Fleche.

A little routine...

That Ted's been doing whenever he gets one over one anyone.  Not sure where it came from, but it's performed with gusto.

Last night in the Dordogne

Here's a little phrase Ted's been using all holiday.

Promises

Before we came here I promised Charlie we'd have a good view of the Milky Way.  Most nights it's been poor visibility, until tonight, when it was awesome.  My camera isn't able to capture the sight, but it was amazing - a huge white band across the sky, and many meteors streaking overhead.  I'd wanted to see this all holiday, but for it to happen tonight has been fantastic timing.

Penultimate night

This is our penultimate night here, and it's 4 weeks since we got back together in Strasbourg.  To celebrate, Ted told me there was no limit on the number of beers I could drink, and the family bought me some new pants with an Indian theme.  The only way I could think to repay them for this generosity was to dance for them, in just my pants.  Plainly this would be too much for a mere mortal, so I recorded their reaction to my pants dance.  Enjoy.

Finishing point of the bike race

Dad even managed to end up in a bike race........ In his car.

Wine heaven

In St Emillion.

Ted wanted snails. We got 4 man-sized forks and pincers, but it's a very feminine hand mopping up the spare snail-juice...

Forgot...

That my camera works underwater...

Yes, it is full of Gin:

Brantome

We came here 4 years ago with friends:

And it's hardly changed:

There was a mouse in the kitchen, so she ran...

Either that or she's entering in for Miss France 2012...

Another day by the river - the Dronne

Ted & I decided we'd swim around the island again:

Around the top end we go...

Finished - sunning ourselves on the mid-river platform.

Moobs like Jabba

3 boys went to walk a dog, 2 got waylaid...

The French show us how to party

We've all been to parties that haven't quite made it.  I've had parties that have been poorly attended.  I've never seen a party like this though.  Went on until the early hours of the morning...

Very late birthday picture

I-spy

With my little eye, something beginning with 'W'.
Me: And you can see this one can you?
Ted: No. Not any more.

It would never happen on the sofa at home...

His first bone

We've bought all sorts of 'super tough your dog will take hours to get through this' squeaky toys for Buster. None has lasted more than 5 minutes. Yesterday J gave in to the kids repeated requests, and bought him a bone. Within minutes he'd taken the ball joint off, crunching it up like it wasn't anything hard at all. Kept him happy for ages though, and there's loads left.

Ted

Has swum every day it's been possible to. Today I did a river swim with him in the Dronne, including around an island. The on-shore watchers looked up from their drawing/reading, and J asked where we'd gone. C replied 'Dad's probably taken him somewhere dangerous'. As it was we had a great swim, trees overhanging the river, sunlight dappling the water, and no-one around apart from the 2 of us and a lot of (small) fish in the water. Really impressed by him, out of his depth all the way. Tonight he curled up on the sofa wrapped in a blanket he'd christened the 'Champions Blanket' and tried to convince me we should do it again, but next time with C and S. However, his incessant cry this holiday of 'Merci Beaucoup, good day to you' has got on everyone's nerves so much it means that it's pretty unlikely to happen!

They barely talk...

... But will share headphones when they find a new comedy series on youTube to watch together. This holiday it's been Hotel Babylon.

Melon O'Clock

Not as much fun as it sounds. Unless you're a vegetarian I suppose.