I was up first and I thought I'd try out my leg with a very small hiit workout. I went to the bottom floor so I didn't disturb anyone with my jumping up and down and it went well. 👍 I really hope it's on the mend now and I am looking after it, taking regular pain meds, raising it and I've bought some Nurofen gel to rub into it. 🤞
Once Leo and Oscar were up I sorted breakfast for them and they were extra hungry. We then chilled waiting for the other 2 to get up and ready.
We had no plan for the day but the boys (Oscar and Leo) wanted to head back to the beach. I wanted to have a little look around first so after lunch, yes that's how long it took us to get ready to leave, we went for a little drive along the coast. We didn't find anywhere to stop and it was raining so we went back to the house for some food.
Ellis, Rob and I played a little game of Pointless and then it was decided that since the rain had eased that we would head down to Fistral Beach again so the boys could play in the waves. We really should have got wetsuits for them before we left but the holiday was booked very last minute and I didn't really have the time.
At the beach it was a lot busier and very windy, which made for better waves and the boys were straight in again. Leo got totally wiped out at one point though and his head went under. He came to me and said he was shaking and that he nearly drowned. Bless him. It took him a while to get back in and to try the bodyboard out again. I've booked surfing lessons for Thursday so I really hope it doesn't put him off. Don't know if you can tell from the photos but they were pretty much the only people in the water without wetsuits on. 😂🥶
Our parking was running out and the boys were turning blue so we had to leave. Rob dropped me and Ellis off at Sainsbury's and he went home to shower and get the other two sorted out.
It was nice having Ellis with me, I don't spend that much time with him these days so I'm making the most of it.
Rob picked us up in the pouring rain and then once back, that's where we stayed, much to Oscar's disappointment. He kept asking to go back to the beach or just out somewhere. He was bored of his screens. I played some Dobble with him and then we had a family Trivial Pursuit game. Leo quickly loses interest but we worked out, quite late on that if we make him quiz master he is much more interested. We will definitely do that again.
Another very late night for everyone. I will get up reasonably early and give my leg another go at a workout. Then depending on the weather I will pick something to do with the day and hopefully get out before everyone needs to eat again! It's a race against the clock!
Where they to? 17th August Montreal
And so, we move on. This time to Canada's second biggest city, Montreal, for 6 days. Being so close to the border with Ontario, everyone here is bilingual, so it is safe to speak English to people without fearing a snooty or nonplussed reaction. Montreal is geographically as close to England as it is to our first stop in the west of Canada, Vancouver, and it combines aspects of both continents well, mixing glass and concrete skyscrapers with traditional churches and monuments.
We've only been here a few hours but we feel comfortable here already. We're back to having proper beds, air-conditioning and a generously sized room. We are well located, being only 1 block away from the main street in Downtown Montreal with a tube station right by our building.
We met some Montreal natives in Quebec City and asked them what the must-see sights are here. They said that the Olympic Village from the '76 summer games is worth a visit and that we should take a trip up the volcano. Having skipped the Calgary Winter Olympic Village as it seemed a bit pointless in the height of summer, we're a bit more enthusiatic about the Montreal one so we stopped in the tourist information office for some advice. I asked them for a map of Montral and for some information on the volcano. The reply was "Here's a map but there is no volcano in Montreal." How stupid did I feel? But then, I suppose that was the desired effect.
I stayed back to do some laundry and book some rooms for New York in a few weeks time while Mush went a couple of blocks away to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The cinema is very plush compared to the identikit multiplexes that we are used to back in England. The screen is one of thirteen full-size Imax screens and you sit in comfy armchairs.
We have sunk to new lows in the cheapskate stakes tonight. The kitchen here has a kettle but no mugs, so we went to McDonalds and ordered a tea with a spare cup so that we could, supposedly, share it. They duly obliged and, having taken it back to the hostel and rinsed it out, I am now supping my third tea from the same paper cup. We also smuggled some salt, pepper and sugar sachets out in the spare cup. I wonder what scabby depths we'll be plumbing come May 2006?
We spent an hour in a bookshop which is open until 11PM, on our way back. They have a coffee shop inside so you can sit and read a few chapters before you decide whether or not to buy which seems, to me, to be a great idea. Mush has finished 3 books already, since we left England, but has to just give them away when she's finished as we can't really carry a small library around the world with us.
We're getting an early night tonight as we're starting early tomorrow to get our bearings, all over again. We're thinking about starting with he Fine Art Museum which would be a first for us both and will probably be way over our heads but, we figure, if we don't try it we'll never know. Besides, for all we know, they might have a Rolf Harris or a Tony Hart section.
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