Love Meanwhile's blogs and pi ctures.

I like it -how your photos unfold to show the picture behind the picture. Could you not jump in on 'postcards' to sell some of the lovely povencal photos?? Aubergines, flowering courgettes, etc. - lovely!! By the way where are my Rouen Pots? I would love to see them again. Dad (or did they not travel too well)?

Nic, jen and children on th IW

It was lovely to see you four last month and we really enjoyed your compny - I hope the children enjoyed their visit. We have some nice pictures of the adventure in Alum bay and I will send you a cd or perhaps Steve can help me to put some on the blog except thos of mum and me!! For you to show to your family. I still have not found out how to move photos from the cd to the email screen. We are hoping to go up country to Trowbridge on Thursday to view one or two of the properties we have been sent. It is a slow business, selling a house, even one as nice as this. But it is becoming too much for us to manage, what with the garden an'all. I had a couple of funny turns last week, but nothing cerebral, only that I lost power in my legs and could not stand up. This happened on two occasions, but Doctor said if I rest for a few days, I ought to be able to drive up to Wiltshire with no worries. I will go slow and I will be careful, for mum's sake, as I know she worries about me. I'll keep you all posted with my health worries and our choice of new home. We are meeting Cathy up there so she will make sure i am ok. We hope you have a lovely time in Lewes, Julian and ruth. We are sorry we could not join you, only it's a long way from J17 of the M4 to Lewes. N'est ce pas? If and when we are settled you must all make us a visit.

Friday

We are visiting wiltshire on Thursday but could try to meet on Friday if poss. Where in lewes?
On Second thoughts, perhaps not this week - see you all next month in Meze.

houses

how 'bout this one? Where you gonna be Friday Da' 'cos I am in Lewes for two days for a wedding. J

Moving House

We are interested in a bungalow in a small village to the north of `Trowbridge, Wilts, just off J 17 of the M4 in a little place called Hilporton. Should be easy access from Oxford - Faringdon/Swindon/J17/A350/Hilporton,/ 53, Princess Gardens. We hope to view it on Thursday next week. View on Rightmove.co.uk (Alder King E/agents)

And the Winner is...................

Well done, Pete, you are a born poet. EKWADOR for the cup!!!!!!!!!!!Dad

Gem - your starter for ten...

History has taught us
That the World Cup’s full of woe;
So no surprise at Owen’s knee
And Rooney’s broken toe.

For doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?
Well....that’s what we all are told.
Yet the glory team of sixty six
Must be seventy plus years old!

Jan Tomaszewski’s Poland team
our boys just couldn’t beat
Jan used his arms, he used his hands,
He even used his feet.

Old Maradonna’s Argentines
We nearly put to bed...
He used his feet - and he used his hand!
(But he didn’t use his head).

Now we have Goran Erickson
To save us from defeat
Though now it seems for thirty years
The Swedes we’ve yet to beat!

So how many teams remain out there
That England dare not face?
Thank God for Ecuador, I say
(At least ‘I hope’, in any case).

Over-paid and under-worked;
That’s sums our players up.
Without a team of nondescripts
We’ll never win this cup!

Get them creative juices going & help Gem out!

There is a World Cup poetry competition running at work. If anyone out there fancy helping us out & penning one, stick them on the blogger I'll enter it and if you win I'll send you the prize (bring it over in you're in France next month)! Not sure what the prize is though...
The details are: "World Cup 2006 Extravaganza Poetry Corner. The rules are simple. Write a poem (deadline is by next Monday 5pm) and a secret panel will judge the best entries. The judges decision is final, but there will be marks for brevity, rhyming, and printability (no rude words please). No limericks please (unless really good)."
Gem x

Steve's shoulder

..just a quickie to say that today the specialist at the Nuffield diagnosed my problem as a Frozen Shoulder.
I was given a cortisone jab in the joint which should help reduce the inflamation and a list of excercises to do if it's not too painful. A leaflet I was given says a million people a year suffer from this and we don't really know why it comes on but just that it goes away on it's own eventually, and that there are three stages.. the pain, the stiffness and the getting better.. so much for progress eh? I'm over the worst as I can hold a pint glass but not a kettle, weald a barrow and potter but not plaster ceilings yet, so I'm messing about doing odd jobs.


I'm sending the Gite cheque in the morn... and I can get into my trollies having reduced down to 13 stone 7 pounds(86kg)! so I'm really looking forward to our adventure next month.

And, seeing as I'm supposed to be recuperating, (hep hem), I asked Michel about vacancies at the Gite during the previous week (which there was) so all the Oxford gang have managed to wangle extra time off and now we'll already be installed when you arrive on the 15th. Hopefully we'll have the lie of the land sorted out and perhaps could possibly fit in a visit to Bedoin at some point to admire the works!

I hope Dad doesn't mind me mentioning that the previous occupant at H*******k, has returned and made an offer he couldn't refuse, so we must help start organising for a downsizing.. the world Hewsappy is definately your lobster!

Great news from Will is that his job will become permanent, so something has gone very well there and we are all delighted.

Hope you all are well and not too stressed from the football
love Steve

Missed John H's birthday!

D'oh.. Mandy got him an Ivor Cutler cd!

Come Wayne or come shine.

oooo.. Michael Owen Ouch.... yeahh Joe Cole! ..Stevie yeah...phew glad that's over.




part3 of The Holt's Soccer Round Up

Is this the Way?

Singalong for England!















Who gives a..KARIOK-OY!

Dear Pete

We were very sorry to read of your health troubles and of your trouble with setting the exam papers. We wonder if you are back on e-mail yet as I have sent you one or two to your gmail ac and you don't appear to have received them, or at least to take note of what I have written. Can you have a look at gmail as I do not like to correspond in open website about things personal as I understand that there are many hackers on the look out for juicy bits of information which does our website no good. Best of luck in your search for a suitable Espace but my offer still stands. OK? Thanks for your Father's day message.
All our love and good wishes and we all look forward to meeting each other for Jan and Cathy's birthdays. Love from Dad

Pressure is abating...

Got flu last Saturday and spent Sunday and Monday morning in bed, went in to work for the afternoon and drained myself so that I ended up in bed for two more days. Eventually got back to work for the start of the exams only to find year 10 couldn't do the exam I set them and had to work till about 4am to get another one written. Serious paracetemol and codeine phosphate assistance has seen me through this weekend and I am just about on my feet again. Keep coughing and tomorrow the last exams see year 10 having a go at the re-write so fingers crossed. We have to try to get them to pass but one questions whether they really deserve to. Anyway, after this it will be a little marking left and as the reports are mostly written, it should be a cruise through to the end of the term next week. Amy is in for a small op on 29th and the 30th is parents' day. Then it's back to the dole office to sign on and then search for a Renault Espace or something to get us up to France.

Happy father's day dad. I didn't give it much thought I confess, but I did get a card from Amy that she made at school so I was happy with that. Nice to catch up on the blogs but they disappear faster than I can read them at times. Anyway, second half of delayed transmission on the box so, allez la France allez, allez la France allez...

I always use lyricsdemon.com

I have often walked
Down the street before,
But the pavement always
Stayed beneath my feet before.
All at once am i
Several stories high,
Knowing I'm on the street where you live.

Are there lilac trees
In the heart of town?
Can you hear a lark in any other part of town?
Does enchantment pour
Out of every door?
No, it's just on the street where you live.

And oh, the towering feeling
Just to know somehow you are near
The overpowering feeling
That any second you may suddenly appear.

People stop and stare
They don't bother me,
For there's no where else on earth
That I would rather be.

Let the time go by,
I won't care if i
Can be here on the street where you live.

~interlude~

People stop and stare
They don't bother me,
For there's no where else on earth
That I would rather be.

Let the time go by
I won't care if i
Can be here on the street where you live,

Let me be on the street where you live.

hum hum mmmmmm...dooby dooby doo (i know Sinatra rather than Nat King but but we dig that croonin don't we chum).

Happy Father day to our very own Papa love from Gemsi & Wills

To Ruth. My son and I share the same hum.

The song comes from My Fair Lady - not, I think by Jerome Kern. "I have often walked down this street before but the pavement never seemed to (leave) (touch) my feet before; all at once am I seven stories high, knowing I, mon the street where you live. But oh! that wonderful feeling, just to know that you are near and oh! that wonderful feeling just to know that any moment you would possibly appear".......get the drift?? p,s I have done a bit of walking down streets in my time, but she never appeared. I have tried to find the words from Google but to no avail. Tin pan alley songs for sale. 1/-d a sheet. Fellow sufferer. Hugh

HAPPY FATHER"S DAY TO TOUT LES AUTRES

Steve, Nic, Peter, John and to all male cat lovers in Vaucluse.
Mum says we are resting between our main course of Chicken au Batchelors (avec une tin de chopped tomates) and a bottle of Sangiovese , before tasting our plate of stewed pommes plus Creme Anglais plus creme Francais and a cup of coffee. Then it is a crash on the chaise longues!! Mum also says a Happy Day to Cathy plus d-i-l, Janet, Ruth, Jen-Hwei and also to all her lovely grandchildren, from 29 to 3.5ans. Better pack up before the Sangiovese takes over. Bye LOL. Mum and Dad

Merci por votre blog.

En Franglais,
Nous sommes hereusement pour votre achet d' un nouveau (pour vous), auto. Parce-que vous avez maintenant beaucoup d'Espace pour votre famille. Ha Ha (in French)
Thank you all for your love and thoughts on this Father's Day

wot like..

comme ca?

Happy Fathers Day

Hello my wonderful Dad, I hope that you are having a lovely day, the weather looks promising, what will you be doing? I sorry not to be with you today, so buy yourself a windmill and an ice cream and enjoy, I am thinking of you with love.
Sorry to have been out of communication with you all but suddenly the holiday seemed awfully near an we have been madly busy trying to sort out the house for our house exchange and get ourselves a new(to us) car. The weather has been beautiful, but quite truly hot for driving all around South Wales and Gloucestershire in search of the prefect car. But yesterday I drove our new(you have to iimagine that there is a photo here as I haven't learn that bit of blogging yet) Burgundy Renault Espace turbo diesel, with its tinted windows(no one can see who you have in the back!) its two sun roofs and multivarious seat positions to Tregaron with John, Nikki and Freya, Thomas Kate and Edmund, for coffee and a sandwich in the new Cambria Arts cafe.Hurrah! There was a point when we were beginning to despair and thought that we may have to come in the old car. Love Cathy

Many, Many thanks, Steve.

Thanks to my darling Cathy, my four lovely boys and most of all to my beautiful and loving wife, I have had a wonderful life. I'll just get a fresh hanky. Father's Day --------Phooey!

kak handed pressie on the way!

camera like mine off ebay which I won for £75!

work finished

cor blimey it's over! the hippy dippy rasta rainbow workers are gone (bless 'em) and Julian is just beginning to take in the new space. Of course we still have to put in electricity/loo/shower but wow, it's bloody gorgeous and finally all the packing and board gessoeing and cutting and printing and invoicing will move next door and I might have some peace around here. (not to mention a break from the humming - does anyone know the rest of the words to 'I have often walked down this street before...' jerome Kern???? HELP!!!!!)

what's the news about the house hugh and margaret. I vote chippy!

My lovely half sisters, Flora and Arabella, are coming (on their own! hoooray) for a week on July 27th, so they will catch the end of you lot. I am so looking forward to all you kids meeting. they are 14 and 16 and they are smashing!

I'm all ready for the England match on Tuesday

Phake Medical Centre
The Surgery, 12 Skyve Lane, Oxford
Sick note

Date: 20 June 2006

Gemma was unable to work on Tuesday 20 June because she had temporary amnesia.

Signed,



Dr Pula Siqui

How to get off work to watch the footy!

The Career Break Site

Hurray for summer! If all this lovely weather is making you yearn to get away, why not have a look at some career break options? All kinds of career breaks are here, whether you want to work, volunteer, travel or learn something new.
In case you hadn’t noticed, the World Cup is now on. But what if your job is interfering with your enjoyment of the beautiful game? We can help you skive off with a personalised skiving schedule, a customisable sick note, and an excuse generator. Skive off now!
Personalised Skiving Schedule-Excuse Generator-Sick Note Authenticator-When to get off Guide

From a bunker deep in the Bavarian underground, it's The Holt’s World Cup Diary

Part 1 of Clivo's World Cup Footy Roundup.doc

Part 2 Never mind the Ballacks.doc

Gite News

A few people have asked about what's provided and what to bring.
Bedding sheets etc all there, but not towels, so bring one and one for the beach as well... tea towels if you must!

ezappy say yes

from mouseprice.com
73, Church Road, Wootton Bridge, Ryde, Isle Of Wight
Type: Detached Tenure: Freehold New Build: No

sold 07 Sep 2005 price paid £282,500 value now £286,253

is this comparable?
Very exciting
Wanna buy next door?
or wadabout Chippy?
ORChinnor?
Thame?.. somewhere we could pop in and admire your LITTLE garden!

Meze Gite

To Gemma and Clive. I hope I do not snore too much.
To Steve. No hurry about the cheque. - buy me some euros!! Wadja reckon -- we have been offered £290,000 for our house - settlement by late August/September
Do you think we should accept?? What is the value of our house at PO33 4RG (92) LOL Dad

Sorry

I mixed up my Pounds and euros. Good treasurer I would make Eh?

Holiday Money

Just a gentle reminder to get your cheques to me by the weekend to allow the funds to clear.

Hewsappy! Dad.. I should have checked at the time but you've paid too much..

Plan a) is with Peter and family staying with you Mum and June and Gemma and Clive in the large gite. Will and I am sharing with Mandy and John.
Total cost works out at €110 (£75.50) per person
comes to €880 which is £603.50 (not £880)

so I'll send you a cheque for £276.50

Gitails encore

Through the square window
Originally uploaded by ezappy.

In fact the large gite is the upper floor of this building accessed from a terrace to the rear. Below is a 6-8 gite on one level suitable for toddlers..no stairs! CLICK (to see Michel's website in English).
All the gites have built-in kitchen, fully equipped with dishwasher, oven and hob, big fridge freezer and extractor hood.
There's also a washing machine, TV DVD player, air conditioning, and a wood burning stove for winter

Nearby is theEtang de Thau and the port of Sete (also known as the Venice of Languedoc), and it's magnificent beaches.

Thanks for everything, Steve.

It was really lovely of you to come down when Nic, Jen and their children were here. I know Nic loved seeing you as did Jen and the children. Aren't they a couple of lovely children. They were soon at home with you. Thanks for the time you spent re-organising my Mac. and for de-fragging the hard drive. Thanks also for the ice cream at the Horseshoe Inn.
We are so looking forward to our Meze trip. I hope we all have a super time. Love you. Dad and Mum

Something

something about this photo says 'merrow-smith'
to ezappy!
Something
Originally uploaded by patrickhugh.

picanica

picanica
Originally uploaded by patrickhugh.

we want a pica-nica cos it's so hot!!!

Get in there Becks...

It's all gone red & white round here & no not sunburn Here's the Holt celebrating as Paraguay's captain headed one in for us & the red roses are freshly cut from the front garden this morning. Also the beeb have have patriotic wallpaper for your pc's (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/4946840.stm). We have managed to get out to the shops today unlike J & R so have got the french beers in. Oxford town is packed with red & white and the temperature has reached 87 degrees - could it be summer?
Are there classes of vehicles in the Chevalier Mnt Ventoux race? As the video footage shows a F2 looking car against a tiny peugeot against BMW?

Côte de Mont Ventoux -

We're having trouble getting out shopping as the road up the Ventoux is closed for four days for a feast of velo and motorsport. Thursday was the Ventoux stage of the Dauphine Libere, Tain le Hermitage to Mont ventoux summit on a bike ouch averaging 25 miles an hour total length 184km and this weekend sees the CHAMPIONNAT DE FRANCE du Montagne- Le Mas des Vignes to the Summit in under 4 minutes. Ruth and I had a little inpromptu lunch at St Colombe and watched the cars roar past on their way up for the practise sessions - very noisy! I took some videos on Ruths little camera there was quite a selection vintage to formula ford.. I'll try and put them up later meanwhile....



this is an on board camera clip from a previous year camera




more photos and videos here from 2005..

http://www.chevallier-competition.com/php/multimedias2005.php
http://www.chevallier-competition.com/php/ventoux.htm

Never mind 2 Jags

Try Four FLAGS
..cool!

arrived 3pm in iow on thursday

yrs we are here but have been sleeping on nd off. just seen germany beat the rich coast boys. cu nic

Uncle Steve to visit

keep the home fires burning.. I'm booked on a late boat Portsmouth to Fishbourne tonight so I'll see how early I can get on.
Not having any luck calling you at the moment but I'll try from Portsmouth..

Later...with Jools Holland 11.35pm, BBC2 tonight!!

For UK viewers tonight me & Clive's friends from our HMV past 'The Young Knives' are getting nearer the big time when they appear on tonight's show. Other acts also include Ray Davies, Primal Scream & Rosanna Cash (Johnny's daughter). You can hear their stuff for free stuff including videos at:

http://www.myspace.com/theyoungknives

We like the new single 'She's attracted to' which has the fantastic line 'You were screaming at your Mother while I was punching your Dad'. (It's all about meeting your girlfriends parents for the first time, them not approving of you & it dissolving into a huge punchup!!)

Oh Germany just scored!!

Are you there yet Uncle Nic & Auntie Jen, Claire & Dan?

Can you hear the Isle of Wight Music Festival from the garden?

http://www.isleofwightfestival.com/

Oh Costa Rica have equalised!!

Gem x

nope Germany scored again....

Crouchy's Dance

Let's hope we see many more of his mechanical dances in the next four weeks. Hugh

Our very own Motty!

bbc.co.uk

Clive is writing a football column for the World Cup competition at my work, so what we blogged last week is merely part one! More to come so watch this space. Has everyone manged to get the moves down for the 'Crouch' yet?

summer...

looking forward to it! Can't wait to see everyone again. It doesn't seem so long ago since we last met! ha ha. We are all ok here, it's getting hot now and I've got exams next week....eek!! See you soon then. Lotsa love Jess xxxxxxx

Hi Mum and Dad, our kids we eat lots of different things, but kids will be kids and their mood can be influenced. They can both feed themselves and favourites would be spaghetti with meat sauce but not much meat, pasta with tuna fish, anything rice based, noodles, chicken, mushroom soup, apples, pears, oranges, boiled eggs, cereals like Honey Stars etc. Don't worry, we will find something for them and they'll soon get hungry with 18hr days and lots of fresh air.

Getting Ready, Nic and Jen?

Mum's usual request - what do you all eat? Breakfast Lunchtime teatime etc. Please let her know !!

We have local Chinese and Indian takeaways (and a fish and chip shop) in the village and a POSH Chinese restaurant in Ryde (The Beijing Palace) Yummmm.
We have carried out some initial scouting and went into one of the largest model train layouts in England with seemingly miles of track (all German and Alpine trains) with wonderful villages, lakes etc.
Plenty of children's playgrounds and sandy beaches.
We also had lunch yesterday with Richard and Celia in the clubhouse of the Isle of Wight Flying club, with planes landing and taking off all the ime, Great spectator sport. We also have a children's zoo, which is very popular and lots of other things to enthrall children. We have a lovely (cheap) clothes shop (Matalan) where I buy my stuff, and a large Marks and Spencer, only ten minutes away. For Daddy we have SKY Sports for the footy. See you soon Love from Dad and Mum

Special Offer!

Free Team Guide!
For all your football fans, our own resident ginger 'Stato' has prepared Clivo's Team Guide.

So get with it and get boned up!
What's the latest on Rooney?
1000 ways to prepare

Singapore Sling

So looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday, Nic. As you will have seen Steve is coming over on Friday. Love from Mum and Dad

Thanks Steve.

I think I will leave things as they are until we see you at the weekend.
Had a lovely day out yesterday - beautiful sunshine in Gurnard.
Big yacht race has just started @ 8am where 1400 yachts of all sizes sail in a mad dash anti-clockwise round the Island. Last one home is a sissy. First one home will be one of the big ocean going ones who will do it in a couple of hours, but the smaller ones could take all day. Me- well it is the Sri Lanka Test and it is England v Jamaica on the footy pitch and I have just subscribed to Sky Sports !!

Stop Press

you could do with that Disk Warrior Dad!
My copy has just arrived so I'll bring it down next Friday.

You could also try Utilities run from Instal CD to repair your permissions.
There's free demo of Fix a Troubled Mac on the Apple site which is an interactive PDF.

DAD'S iCal

Thanks for the tip, Steve. I clicked open Applications. then Utilities, then Disk Utilities, then NOTHING. I inserted Software Install , which claims Restorer, took me 35 mins, then NOTHING. Womagado? I have again tried to open Disc Utilities without success. What is this Toshiba that appears on your blog?

Dad's ical

The first tip is to run Disk Utility in your Applications/Utilities folder. Click on 'First Aid'.. Verify your permissions and see what comes up.


If you haven't run Disk Utility for a bit or perhaps have never run it, there could well be permissions to repair.
Don't worry you won't do any damage and it should make some improvements.

Where has iCal gone?

I appear to have lost iCal. It says you cannot open the Application iCal because it may be damaged or incomplete. This App is very important to me as all my diary dates are on it. Answers please, Dad

Path through a cornfield

JULIAN Mum and I join with your 'disciples' in loving that painting. I hope they are always with you.
Have you finished the Phase of your home improvements Dad

Et cum nostra

Happy Anniversary of that lovely day. Love from `
Mum and Dad

we didn't forget your special day!

Enjoy the day in Marseille

Looking forward to our visit

Hi from the Chinese 'babies'........ ' bigguns'