Days 167 to 176 : 29th November to 8th December

Wednesday 29th November:  Movie Afternoon

Another morning of boat school and then a kid free afternoon while they enjoyed a movie in the meeting room with the rest of the kids. Such a great idea and a very welcome child free time used for catching up on admin and sorting some issues with our train tickets from Manchester Airport back to Leeds. Looking forward to seeing family in a couple of weeks or so!


Thursday 30th: Quiet Day

A bit of a quiet day. I've signed the kids up to Doodle maths which has a free component which is pretty good, it does a handful of questions a day in a lovely format and kids can earn stars to spend on their robot. There is also Doodle Maths times tables which is good but I'm not sure if this is the first part of the paid section I have requested or is also free. Esmé is currently learning about volcanos, AJ about Greek Gods.

After a busy week of afternoons AJ was a bit disappointed to see some of the boys seemed to have disappeared without him so he an I went for a walk to try to find them. We enjoyed watching the big waves at the stoney beach and had some lovely chats although we didn't find the others. It was only later that we realised they were probably walking to their Italian Lesson with a lovely lady up the hill. We might try this next year!

In the late afternoon and early evening there was a strange haze, desert dust we thought that made a really weird moon overlooking the marina.

Friday 1st  December: Titania for Dinner - 1st attempt

AJ and I concluded his week of learning about Greek Gods by producing an animation. It was great fun and a lovely way to get him engaged in story telling without having to write.... much!

In the afternoon I cooked Curry as the crew of Titania were coming for tea, however I made the Rookie mistake of leaving the invitation to the kids and so Helen and Matthew had no idea they were supposed to be coming over. Curry put in the fridge to save for tomorrow. Pasta for tea!

Saturday 2nd: Games afternoon and successful Titania Dinner!

We woke up to horrible weather so decided our planned trip to Ragusa would wait for another day. Bianca and Max had seen the appalling weather forecast and arranged a games afternoon in the meeting room which was starting to look like a brilliant plan. I mistakenly thought the rain was over and made a dash to do some shopping before heading back to meet the rest of the gang for the games. About 200m from the room the heavens opened and I got drenched. AJ made the same mistake coming from the boat!

We all had a lovely afternoon playing a variety of games including a big beetle run!

However as the afternoon moved on the parents became more serious about the games and the kids retired to the end of the room to build dens!

Curry in the evening with Helen, Matthew, Ben and Annabelle was lovely and worth the wait!










Sunday 3rd:  Mrs Chippy for Dinner

After a lazy brunch we decided to head out for a walk in the town up to the playground that the kids had yet to see. It was a success despite still being a bit wet and we decided to return on market day.

On the way back we stopped at the town square for Gelato!

 

Such a lovely place we are living in right now!

In the evening we hosted the crew of Mrs Chippy, an American family of 7 who are just lovely. Thai curry was enjoyed by most, and it was lovely to chill out and relax with the adults while the kids disappeared for a Movie back aft.

Monday 4th: Ladies Night

Missing my nights out with the girls back home I arranged a night out for the Ladies here, finding one of the only places open on a Monday night as it seemed to be the only night everybody was free. A good night was had by all although my precarious seat near the step was actually as bad an idea as I first thought!

Cocktails were fantastic, followed by copious white wine. When the waiter asked us if we wanted some nibbles we agreed and then were amazed at what turned up.

As the end of the evening neared we started to get concerned about how much all this food would cost. But in the end we needn't have worried. Everything you see on the table (excluding the wine) came to a grand total of 22 Euros!

Such a lovely opportunity to chat to the others without having kids around!


Tuesday 5th:  Sinterklaas Party

The Dutch and South African Contingent organised a Sinterklaas party as the 5th December is when Santa traditionally visits Dutch children. They cooked traditional Dutch food and we all took a shoe and a secret santa present to be put in each shoe as per Dutch tradition.

It was a great evening with amazing food! (Note the shoes below the table!)

Wednesday 6th  Elf Movie

Just a normal boatschool day but with Movie Afternoon watching Elf! I'm not sure it's starting to feel like Christmas yet though!


Thursday 7th  - Reuben and Matteo's Birthday

Today was Reuben and Matteo's Birthdays so boatschool was quickly out of the way so we could go to the party at 1pm. We all assembled on the pontoon and enjoyed music, games, drinks and cake. I'm not sure if the adults may have enjoyed it more than the kids! AJ was particularly good at the game "poop the potato" and the Pinata's were amazing!

 It was a beautiful afternoon with a beautiful sunset.

It is possible that Patrick and I drank a little too much Prosecco (in fact somebody reliably informed me that there were definitely more empty bottles than adults present!). Cooking wasn't going to happen for dinner so we sampled the local pizza take a way. 3 Pizzas for 14.50 wasn't bad! Funnily enough we met a couple of other parents there too!

Friday 8th: Feast of the immaculate conception and meeting Scouts

So for a few days there has been talk of "something" going on in town for the "Feast of the Immaculate Conception". Eventually after much joking about the fact that if this was to celebrate the immaculate conception of Jesus then it was a remarkably short pregnancy, we eventually worked out that it is celebrating the conception of Mary! In any case we were still no wiser about what was actually happening in town although somebody said something about decorating the tree so maybe some lights were being turned on. Anyway I needed some groceries so as Patrick was feeling ill I took the kids into town. On the way in we saw some Boy and Girl Scouts selling decorations to put on the tree... I assume the money went to charity! Esmé was very excited to see them so we tried to explain that she was a Rainbow in England. There was a pretty big language barrier but they were very friendly and Esmé and I decided to return later with some of the Rainbow Badges she had brought to give away to any members of the Scouting or Guiding family she met.

When we got to the supermarket it was closed!!! Bank holiday for "The feast of the immaculate conception". On our way back Esmé scooted ahead and we lost her for quite a while..... not a good Mummy moment  but I think she was suitably frightened enough to think twice about doing similar again. After tea we set off once more into town, this time with Esmé sporting her Rainbow uniform and carrying badges. We spent a lovely 20 minutes with the scouts, who now understood what we were trying to say and Esmé had great fun being the centre of attention.

A lovely end to the day!

Days 162 to 166: 24th to 28th November. Settling in to Ragusa

Friday

Another morning of boatschool and then down to the "square" for a BBQ laid on by the marina for their winter guests. (Nice of them to wait until we got here). It was a lovely afternoon with fantastic free food and wine, and kids running wild while adults had time to chat.

After a brief rest back at the boat we went back down to the Marina bar for "Happy Hour" where some musicians were having their weekly open mic night. It was really a bit late for the kids before it got going but as AJ really likes his music we stayed with it and enjoyed some adult company while the kids scooted outside. Once the louder initial "act" were done, Ina (who had arranged Roger's lift to the airport) got up to sing with a small group of musicians and was a truly beautiful singer who had both kids captivated. A lovely end to a lovely day!

Saturday

Saturday was the first time we really had chance to start tidying up as up until now we had been otherwise occupied with boatschool and social engagements. The kids had a great time running wild while I then went to get some groceries. Having filled my trolley I then realised I had left our Caxton card back on the boat. No worries, I could still use my Metrobank card.... at least I would have been able to if there was any money in that account. After having the card refused I had to call Patrick to bail me out, could have been more embarrassing if there had been a queue! In the end I figured out the problem and managed to transfer some money around using (the joys of mobile banking) and escape the shop!

All in all a rather low key day.


Sunday

A little more restful day, with kids running between boats. We had AJ's friend Ben on board for tea, a swap for Esmé who ate with Annabelle on Titania.


Monday

Back to boatschool and a bit of backlash, kids not appreciating the increase in academic work, despite it being the same for all their friends. Then in the afternoon Lottie organised a kids Christmas craft afternoon and  most kids duly attended to make cards and decorations. It was lovely to see AJ enjoying making paint footprints, something he'd never do at school!

Tuesday

More boatschool but I wanted to get finished early so I could go up to the Market in the town. We haven't really explored properly yet but I was keen to replenish our fruit and Veggie stock. I got there just before they started packing up and got plenty of provisions before checking out the playground for the kids to come to another day.

In the meantime Patrick got loads of washing done, before we had a quick lunch and then took the kids down to the Marina Bar for Aladdin rehearsals while Patrick and I had a sneaky drink in the sunshine... there has to be some perks of this life!

Days 158 to 161: 20th to 23rd November 2017

Monday: Riposto to Syracuse

Early start for the 50 miles or so to Syracuse which all the adults were looking forward to. Unfortunately I had a stinking cold and ached a lot so the 50 miles was a bit of an endurance for me and I was extremely glad when we entered the beautiful harbour.

Once moored I just slept while Patrick and Roger took the kids out to explore. When they returned we had a discussion about the plans for the next few days and as the weather looked good we decided to keep going for the next two days so we could be in Ragusa for Wednesday so that Roger could get a flight home Thursday in time for the weekend. Roger then suggested that we eat out that evening so I didn't have to cook and so I could see a little of the town before we departed the next day.



Syracuse was truly beautiful and I'm sure we will return to explore further. The meal was delicious, with the waiter even going out to another restaurant because AJ wanted Pizza which wasn't on their menu. Patrick's meal was a little on the small side but as I wasn't so hungry he ate some of mine, as well as some of Esme's so all was good.

Tuesday: Syracuse to Marzamemi

I was feeling a little better but still pretty rough so I was glad that today was only 20 miles. We arrived at Marzamemi, paid a somewhat excessive 30 Euros given the non existent facilities and again Roger and Patrick took the kids out to explore. Apparently the whole place was absolutely dead! If I was feeling a little better I would have wished we had carried on and sailed overnight to Ragusa. We had an early meal and played Squirkle, the game that Roger had kindly bought us as a present!

Wednesday: Marzamemi to Ragusa

Another early start and once we rounded the bottom of Sicily we were met by some rather unpleasant swell. Not enough to really slow us down, but enough to make moving around the boat down below a little uncomfortable. However our spirits couldn't be dampened as we looked forward to seeing both old friends and new at Ragusa. Esmé was very keen to talk to Kynan on the radio but unfortunately we could quite make it before they had to go out.

On our arrival we were met by a rib outside the harbour and as we followed it in we saw the Dizzie crew waving to us from the other side of the marina. As we moored up more and more kids appeared and we had a great feeling of community before our feet had even touched the dock. Once we had eaten lunch the kids went for a movie afternoon with the other 20 or so kids while we booked ourselves in and started to find our feet.

We then went round for a lovely dinner on Dizzie and enjoyed our last evening with Roger. 

Thursday: Thanksgiving in Ragusa

We woke at a much more sociable time than recently, had breakfast and said goodbye to Roger before starting boatschool. With only a few teething problems we got Maths and English out of the way before Esmé and I got a lift to a supermarket with Lynita as she went to pick up Kynan and Leora from the local preschool they are attending. 

On our return we had lunch before the kids disappeared off again while I prepared some whipped cream for part of our contribution to the Thanksgiving meal being organised by a lovely American family. Showers for the kids then off to the large meeting room for a fantastic celebration meal where we enjoyed amazing food, plentiful drinks and great conversation,  the kids eating and playing together all evening. All in all a lovely welcome to a fantastic place.

Days 153 to 157 : 14th to 19th November 2017

Tuesday: Vibo Valentia

A bit of a miserable day, catching up on shopping, boatschool, and then a walk to the railway station to check out train times to Pizzo where there was supposed to be a local speciality ice cream truffle.

Wednesday: Vibo Valentia

This time we decided to head out early for the station so we could appreciate Pizzo, unfortunately we had only glanced at the train times yesterday and didn't realise that they only ran every hour in the afternoon, not in the morning. Never mind, we wandered off and found a playground instead where we found numerous children... I guess it must have been a random no school day! There was an amazing wheelchair friendly swing there which all the children enjoyed playing in.

We then went back to the boat via the ice cream shop on the front as we had heard that they sold the Pizzo ice cream speciality there anyway. 

Esmé had an amazing hot chocolate which reminded us of the chocolate river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

We then went to pay up and say goodbye to Angela at the Marina, and Esmé made friends with the bird, very disappointed that she hadn't seen him before now.

Thursday: Vibo to Bagnara Calabra

For Roger's first trip out on Laurin we set out with a little trepidation as the forecasts had been a little mixed and not very reliable over the previous days. In reality the trip was fine, except for the end where we got a little wet, and it felt like we were motoring in to a harbour of doom!








Once in the harbour we circled around until a guy gave us a shout and beckoned for us to go alongside the fuel pontoon. Once the rain stopped it turned into quite a nice evening, until it started again! The kids, Patrick and Roger went for a walk to the tower and then the kids enjoyed climbing on the sea wall near to Laurin.

We ended the day with rather good pizza at the restaurant about 50 yards away from the boat.


Friday: Bagnara Calabra to Riposto...... via the Messina Strait

It was with yet more trepidation that we approached the Messina Strait. Before we left I looked up the rules for reporting in to the Messina VTS and realised that Bagnara Calabra was already within their limits so I gave them a call and provided information on our boat name, size, and number of crew. It was an interesting trip along the Italian Coast, we could see whirlpools and our speed ranged from 4 to 9.5 knots depending on what the current was doing. As we were about to cross the shipping lanes we called Messina VTS again and they instructed us to proceed with caution. We saw a gap and went for it, dodging ferries, hydrofoils and other commercial ships.

Once on the Sicilian side we started to relax and enjoy the trip down to Riposto.

George, a Cruising Association HLR is based at Riposto in the winter so had advised the marina of our impending arrival and shortly after we had tied up he appeared to say hello and invite us to the liveaboard's Friday night. We turned up with leftover curry and a couple of bottles of wine and enjoyed a pleasant evening sampling the delights of other peoples offerings which included some amazing meatballs!

Saturday: Jobs day in Riposto

We awoke to an amazing view of Mount Etna but unfortunately very quickly the Volcano was covered in cloud. We realised that if we wanted to visit we would need a car and an early start. AJ at this point also said that he would prefer not to travel on his birthday so we talked to George and he very kindly arranged a rental car for us. We spent the rest of the day doing Laundry and a little shopping.

Sunday: Day out on Etna - AJ's Birthday

AJ woke early, opened his small pile of presents and very quickly built his new Lego set before we had breakfast and then set off for Etna. It was about an hours drive with a little tricky navigation but finally we were there. We bought tickets for the cable car but declined the four wheel drive bus tour further up the mountain as we didn't really have the footwear for walking on snow.  In any case just the cable car was ridiculously expensive and adding the bus and guide more than doubled the cost.

We all enjoyed the trip on the cable car and then went outside into the snow. Esmé immediately complained she was cold but we pressed on and walked upwards for a while. It was really the first time Esmé had experienced snow in any real quantity and it had been a long time for AJ too! Despite it being relatively poor visibility we enjoyed being in the different surroundings which was somewhat surreal when only hours earlier we had been in T-shirts at the marina! 

We investigated the different rocks and then Roger offered to take Esmé back to the café while Patrick and I stayed with AJ who was having a whale of a time playing in the snow.

AJ still seemed to have plenty of energy, I was feeling a little rough, and I could see that Patrick was desperate to climb higher so I went to join Roger and Esmé for a 5 Euro hot chocolate (Thanks Roger!) and left the boys to go on a little adventure. 

Apparently AJ did really well and we are now considering a return trip for Patrick and AJ and booking the tour right to the top!

Just before we left the café the cloud cleared and we had a lovely view of the top of the volcano smoking away.

On our return Patrick insisted I this picture for his colleagues at ECC as an example of Italian roadworks.

We were back on Laurin by lunchtime so we brought out AJ's final surprise, a fruit tart instead of a birthday cake as he absolutely loves these.... this is the first time we bought a family sized one and he was over the moon!

All in all, a lovely day!