It was smashing to hear your voice again this morning. You sound as though you are in the next room. Delighted about the flat and I hope you move in easily on Saturday. At least William and I will at least have a floor to sleep on when we get there. Only 9 and a bit weeks to go. I'm getting excited already! If you can carry on gathering info about activities/skiing/snowboarding for kids that would be great, as I am sure William will take to skiing like a duck to water, he has the same excellent coordination that you have Steve. Have been corresponding with your Dad via text and email which has been nice. I will try and get organised with the SKYPE system so that I can make cheaper phone calls, I'm sure Chris will help me with that one. He is going to the theatre with me on Friday to see the ELO tribute band. Should be good fun. Went to see Da Vinci code on Saturday night at cinema. Good film. I read the book at Christmas so unlike some films I have tried to watch, I understood what the plot was! Am starting to do alot more exercise and running. Determined to get fit for NZ, and for the Cancer Research Run in July. Hope you find jobs very soon. Lots of Love, Mum and William xxxxxxxxxx

Dear Claire and Steven, greetings from sunny hot Wales. Finally summer has arrived and gardens are full of lovely summer flowers and everyone seems happy and bright as they enjoy the lovely weather (hope your not to cold the other side of the world). Ceri and I have been down Grannys house clearing the garden of the green jungle and putting in some evergreen shrubs and plants so it is low maintenance for her. I also did some pots of bedding plants. We worked really hard and are well pleased with our efforts. She said she liked it so we are going to let her get used to the changes before starting on the front garden. Granny was also delighted that you had phoned her with all your news, we arrived just after your phone call ended so she told us everything she could remember. What ever she said about Australia I am coming out on holiday to meet you after Christmas. Good to hear you now have wheels, not sure about sleeping in a car in winter but if needs must. Make sure Lena and William are comfortable us mother in laws have our standards !!!!!
Well more baby news, congratulations to Tor and Greg a new arrival due in December what a lovely Christmas present. Sarah Robinson is looking well she is showing and is so excited. Paul has taken her to the Canary Isles for a weeks holiday before she gets to big. Did I tell you Mike has remarried? He told Kathy by EMAIL. He had gone to America on holiday to visit his girlfriends daughter and tied the knot over there. It was arranged in advance. I was speechless when Sarah told me and then just sad for the way things have turned out. Before I go, happy 3rd Wedding Anniversary for this week it seems only the other day you married. Love and kisses Mum xxxxx

Hi there you two

Looks like you have already got into the swing of things in NZ. You are very organised indeed!! Puff will try and call the mobile at some point.

All well here. Looking forward to Sarah's wedding on the weekend but wont be the same without you (come home soon, we miss you!!). I will of course have a selection of drinks on your behalf.

Cynth is the marathon runner of the year. We went to see her on the day and she did really really well. She didnt even look tired at the end. John was scared to death all day though. I think he thought she was going to have a heart attack!

Have moved into the new house now. Its lovely and really weird to think it belongs to me. Unfortunately it has turned me into a domestic bore. I have every single homes magazine on the market this month and every time I speak to Rachel we end up swapping furnishing ideas. Nothing better than premature middle age!!

Anyway lovelies, take care, keep having a fantastic time so I can live vicariously through your photos (not jealous honest)

lots and lots of love

Sarah xxx

Hello, there are finally new photos on site from Thailand, Singapore, Bali, Komodo and Flores...enjoy! xxxxx

m
Hi again! Can't remember if I mentioned in my last e-mail that William was awarded the shield and two trophies at the Wootton Bassett Rugby Club awards last Saturday. He was most outstanding player of the year amongst the minis and led all of the boys in to the ceremony as he is the team captain. One very proud dad was there to see it all and we have quite a few good photos. Must try to get them across to you soon. Impressed that you have the camper van already! It's going to be a scream I'll bet, just try not to get stuck in any snow drifts!!! Speak soon. Love and xxxx Mum and William.

hello both, glad to here your settling in in new zealand. we've just got back from a long weekend in cornwall. we stayed in a caravan in par, close to st austell. there was bad weather all weekend with rain and gale force winds, which is very entertaining when your in a tin can, the whole caravan was shaking and you went to bed wondering if you'd be on the same pitch in the morning. the children both really enjoyed and despite the weather we still got out and about and did plenty, including trying to fly kites on the beach at 8 o'clock in the morning in high winds. we visited the aquarium in plymouth and went swimming in the pavillians, still all looks very familiar down there and we didn't have any problems finding our way about.
thanks for my birthday message i'm looking foward to a relaxing afternoon while both children are back in school. if i don't get it then i will on wednesday when i go to st david's spa for the day all by myself, can't wait.
good luck with your job hunting.
all our love ceri andrew fion and josef xxxx

Welcome to NZ, you two! trust you to arrive too late for us to meet AGAIN! Now we'll enjoy seeing your version of the beautiful country. Wanaka we especially liked but there are so many great places we just hope you get to see them all.......without the rain if possible! Looking forward to following you round and your reunion with Mum in August. Best wishes R&J.

Hi Steve,
Its your second cousin Alison here! Your Mum is staying with me at the moment and telling me all about your travels. I have to say that I am REALLY envious!! The website and pictures are amazing. The diving looks fantsatic - especially the pictures of the giant manta rays. I dived with them in the Maldives a few years a go and they are awesome aren't they! Now I know about your website I will have a look occasionally when I am sitting at my office desk in Bath and hopefully it will take me away somewhere else!!
Your mum is being a very good houseguest by the way. We had a very blustery walk along the coast yesterday. Today it is solid rain so don't quite know what we will do. Oh to see some sunshine!
Did you go to Lombok in Indonesia at all and climb the volcano??

Ahoy there me maties, got your land legs back yet? I'm thinking of you today as your fly out to NZ. 12 weeks tomorrow Will and I will be doing the same. I've seen some beautiful Autumn photos from Richard and Jill but evidently it is very wet at the moment, so you might need your thermals sooner than you thought. We are both really well and looking forward to some good summer weather. I have instructed estate agents today to put the house and land on the market, so we should start getting visitors at Bank Holiday and thereafter. Was very pleasantly surprised as estimated prices from agents! Finances are almost sorted and we may not have to go through Court to finalise them as things are reasonably amicable at the moment. I am off out on Friday night with loads of work colleagues - pub then italian restaurant in Swindon - Chris is going to be my taxi driver for the night as I intend to have a drink....or maybe 2! On Saturday I am going to the coast for the weekend, probably staying with Alison my cousin - it'll be nice to have adult company for a couple of days. William is now a member of the Swindon Harriers and I take him to the County Ground on a Wednesday night. It's just like old times. Last night he did a blinding 200m sprint to win a race against girls and boys of up to 11 years of age. Dad has bought him his own spikes and he is really going for it. Really looking forward to the new photos as always. Keep looking for a spare bit of floor for Will and I to sleep on in August. Love you both. Mum and Will xxxxxxxx

Hello everybody. Wow, quite a bit of news from the Welsh lot! We are now back in the land of email and telephones after nearly 3 weeks of basic living in Indonesia. We have had a fantastic time and Flores in particular is stunning...30 days here is nowhere near enough but New Zealand is beckoning and we fly out of Bali on 18 May. I have some serious updating to do on our website over the next few days - it will keep me busy in between shopping for winter clothes and lazing by the pool! Ok, firstly a very Happy Birthday to my mum (Wales) - I didn't forget but we were in the middle of the ocean on a dive boat so I still qualify as a good daughter I hope! Really impressed that the diets are going well and there is even an exercise regime being undertaken - you are putting Steve and me to shame...keep up the good work and you will be a shadow of your former selves when we see you next. Fantastic news about Sarah and Paul's pregnancy - I think the population of the UK will have doubled by the time we get back with so many people having babies! Well done Ffion on moving up in your swimming group...I think you will start growing gills soon too like me and Uncle Steve. Josef is also very good for staying in his own room for the whole night - I expect it is much easier now that you have Spiderman and Batman to keep you company! Good news about the grommets...about time too. Really impressed that the nursery is learning about our travels - may be Josef can take in all the broken stuff from our parcels as examples of things from other cultures (we aren't having much luck with the supposed "Lucky Buddha")!!! I am off to catch up on emails but it is lovely to hear the good news. Mum, get to work on booking a flight - we will do some research this end and let you know. Love to everybody at home xxxx

thank you for the money, i took it in to school to show my class. we are all enjoying following your trip and all of nursery is learning about the countries you are visiting. i get to stand at the front of the class when the teacher talks about your trip and we look at the globe to see where you are in the world. lots of love josef xxx

well done chris on completing the london marathon, we saw the pictures of you on the web site, great one of you with your medel.