Barca trip: day 2

Day two and disaster. The weather had turned from Mediterranean to Middlesborough overnight. Luckily we had taken our mac in a bag from Australia and Pinar couldn't wait to look like a total dork. It really was hammering down so we ended up spending most of the day trying to keep dry and looking round the museums and olympic venues in montjuic.

Barca trip: day one

Day one and great success. Landed to bright sunshine and checked into an amazing hotel.

We spent the day sans-baby and checking out all the usual touristy sights.

It was like the old days, travelling around, tryomg to see everything and tiring ourselves out. November in the North East seemed a long way away.

On the road again

Not quite as adventurous as our trip/trips in 2006 but it was the first time we’d been travelling as a couple since then. We’d never been anywhere without Amber since she was born so we were a bit out of practice. We didn’t exactly need to refill the backpacks but even just popping over to Barcelona for a few nights is an adventure for us now.

We soon got back into the grove and it was really liberating to be able to explore without pushing a pram/pushchair/huge baby bag. We still missed her though - apart from the flight back where we watched the other parents struggling with their own screaming offspring. schadenfreude don't even cover it

Halowinge

She hated her costume so much we couldn't even get the hat on her. Eventually she came round though.

air time

The 30ft ramp looked a bit unstable in the North sea gales but that didn't stop them pulling sweet jumps.

Harry half pipe

The xtreme 08 festival on the beach was pretty impresive. BMX, skaters and roller blades all hit the indoor half pipe and amazed amber. The pictures aren't the best but it was a pretty cool set up.

The dene

Amber talks to the animals and steals my glasses.

boozer

Parent of the year award...A baby barefoot in a pub. That's my girl.

freeze

Amber tries her first ice cream. Sub zero conditions on a North Sea beach didn't seem to lessen her enjoyment by the looks of it.

Kings of the golf cart

High jinks without Amber. Driving those golf buggys round our hotel grounds was addictive.

open fire

castle and coast

The first sunny day in about 3 years so we went up the coast to Bamburgh. The farn Islands are in the background but still couldn't persuade Pinar onto a boat to go there.

Amber's book

When Amber was born I thought it would be nice to try and mark it in a slightly different way.

It's taken a while but the book I paid to get rebound is finally ready and on the shelf in the literary and philosophical socity.

The library has one of the biggest collections of old books in the country and if to pay to get one fixed up they let you put a name in.

So here's Ambers book which is nearly 100 years old. Maybe one day she'll pop in and read it.

garden

at the beach

sandcastle comp

She was more interested in kncoking them down.

Had to watch she didn't smash the pro behind who made a dolphin

Bambuko

A bridge made entirely of Bamboo spans the Tyne for one night only. It was up to lauch the start of the summer tyne festival - of course it rained.

waiting for summer

Ready to face the lashing rain and gale force winds of another lovely summers day.

Summer Tyne

Nothing like an outdoor concert at the height of English Summer.
Predictably the somme-like weather conditions turned it into a battle of endurance. When they were giving out free ponchos on the way in we started to worry and looked like soldiers from nam by the end of the night.

Bib model

Here's amber with her little dog and a new bib.

She got to be a model again for part of our marketing campaign at work.

Despite the bib's logo she was a nighmare all day!