Spring Hols 20 April–3 May -- France!

We had the first week of the Spring holidays in France at the house with the children. Mum and Dad stopped off for the weekend on their way further down south (they are away for a few months). For the second week of the hols, the children joined Mum and Dad on the south coast so they had a lovely week of camping together by the beach while Chris and I got on with the garden and preparing the house for the season.

Busy with the garden

We've been busy with the garden this week (before we leave for the Spring break to France — yippeeee), and it's been hot hot hot in the city!!!! Here our the garden girls (who were earlier in their knickers running fancy free . . . . ).

Garden - up a plum tree

We've had our little garden for nearly a year now, so I'm hoping it will be more productive second time around. The fruit trees got an expert prune this weekend.

Conference!

Papa was super busy this week with the Tropical Ecology conference he'd organised here at ETH — (it was a great success, so well done Papa x), and I took the kiddies to see him give the opening talk to the evening "public lecture" being one of the few chances they had to see him all week!! Here's Bea and Ili outside. And the lovely poster was designed by me (every little bit . . . ).
A link here for Papa at work: http://www.multimedia.ethz.ch/episode_play/?doi=10.3930/ETHZ/AV-3e959234-7f58-47c5-98d6-91eb953e2fee&autostart=false Looks like it was empty, but everyone was at the back!

Tadpoles for our pond

Up to the woods with a couple of Bea's friends to find some tadpoles for our little garden pond. We found some!

Easter Sunday - Lago Maggiore

Lounged around by the lake, before final pizza and home. . .

Easter Saturday - Lago Maggiore

Second trip out on the rowboat to the little Islands! Bea was very chuffed as he rowed most of the way there. Water today was like a pond — Easter Friday was bit choppy — so made the rowing perfect for Beathan!

Only Easter Eggs we had were seagulls!!

Easter Friday - Lago Maggiore

Breakfast outside! Fab.

Bea and Ili in front of the Hotel Cannero.

Hotel Cannero

The "old" harbour.

The far end of the little lido at Cannero.

Bea was brave — he did manage one bracing width!

The little Islands in the lake.

 

Mmm . . . which pizza!!!

Easter Weekend — Lago Maggiore

We headed south over the border to the Italian Lakes for a mini breakaway for Easter (Thursday to Sunday). Stayed at Cannero in the same hotel we visited when Beathan was one-and-a-wee-bit and we'd only just landed in Switzerland (I'll dig out a picture!).  Cannero is a lovely old town with harbours (one ancient and one more ritzy), winding backstreets and a little pebble beach and Lido. Nothing much more to do beyond take in the lovely surroundings, drink (guzzle?) Processo, and amble from pizza restaurant to pizza restaurant. We took a row boat out a couple of times to get out to the little islands in the middle of the lake — highlight for the kids. No motor boat this time. . . . we took it slow! Blessed with mainly good weather, although the hotel pool and lake was still much too cold for anything more than toes!

Kids couldn't wait to dip their toes
in the hotel pool when we arrived- but mighty cold!!

Cowboy party

Bea was at a friends "cowboy themed" 8th birthday party all day today — he had a ball!! Ili, Papa and I spent it at the garden working on our new little pond (no tadpoles in the house this year, please!) and planting up our strawberry patch (but forgot to take pics).

Sunday morning biking

While Ili and I had a very lazy morning . . .  Papa and Bea went for an early Sunday morning bike ride in the woods to the mountain bike track.

Solar eclipse

No pics of the kids (although I've asked the teacher), but Bea's class had the special specs and were outside watching the solar eclipse in the playground. There was a clear blue sky so he had a good viewing. Ili's Kindergarden stayed inside. I was, perhaps foolishly, in my German class!

School garden club begins

Bea had his first day at the School Garden club on a Tuesday afternoon. He loved it and stayed late to prepare his little patch!

Open Days at school

There were three "Open days" for Bea and Ili's school/kindergarten this week (Mon-Weds). Always nice to see what they are up to! Here's a couple of pics of Ili having her extra German tuition on a Monday morning, and her Gym on Wednesday.

Happy Mothers Day!

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