The Conclusion

So, our trip is over and we are officially back in Kingston. Here are the highlights of our trip to Britain. It seems like it was over in a flash and now we are back to our normal life in Kingston. We have already had a soccer game, went grocery shopping, went garden plant shopping and switched around the girls wardrobes. This is my last week at home before going back to work and we are trying to make every minute count.

The Big Voyage - It was a 24 hour trip from our door to Mark and Laura's door, which rolled out like this: drive to TO, train from parking lot to Pearson, 7 hour flight to Heathrow, 15 min Heathrow Express train to Paddington station, 6 hour train from Paddington to Penzance and then drive to Mark and Laura's in Helson. And in the slideshow, Riley is really sleeping like that.


Together - The last time we saw Mark and Laura and family was at the end of July last summer. Everyone has grown and changed so much. It was wonderful to have all these young cousins together. It did not go without incident though as there was a lot of diaper cream, tooth paste and more diaper cream being spread around in all the wrong places. Grace pretty much refused to go to bed every night, and when Mark and Laura thought their kids were silently off to sleep, they weren't. All in all, they had so much fun together and the bonding between Grace and Miah was very great and special, while the boys played together like old times.


The Baby Girls - This trip gave us the opportunity to introduce our new additions to each family. The girls mostly gooed and gawed at each other like babies do but it was really special to have them together for the first time.


The Many Views of Cornwall - From rolling waves on the beeches to to rocky cliffs, rides at Flambards to the Seal Sanctuary, there was so much to see and do in Cornwall. The little towns were so picturesqe and the trees shrubs and vines were so exquisite. You can tell that the climate is not that cold here by the enourmous size of the plants: Rhododendron bushes as opposed to shrubs, Fuschia bushes as opposed to hanging baskets and ivy laced everywhere.


Burmaster's and Beyond - There were a lot of things to do north of London too. While visiting Mark Burmaster, we toured Warwick Castle and a Safari. Both were really cool but I think the Safari topped this portion of the trip. The animals were so awesome and close to us and the bird shows were awesome. The highlight of Riley's safari experience was having a common vulture land on his hand. We had a lot of fun at Burm's palace, maybe too much fun, so we apologize to anyone who received calls on Saturday evening from Revenue Canada or the Canadian Bar Association or whatever.

Our flights home went well inspite of the long delay in taking off and a crusty Grace. Otherwise the hospitality of Air Transat was outstanding and we recommend travel with them to everyone, especially if you have children.