Logan’s brother Nathan, Michele and Enzo (and their kitty cat Daisy) live in a beautifully renovated house in Hoyland. The last time we saw them was in New Zealand and the kids were 3, 7 and 8 – they’re now nearly 10, nearly 14 and 15. We were all looking forward to spending time with them, but the kids in particular could hardly wait to hang out with Enzo! By complete coincidence, Logan’s Mum and Dad (from Tauranga) were in Hoyland at the same time as us, which was so wonderful for all of us. As Nathan and Michele already had a full house, we continued to stay in the campervan parked in Michele’s Mum and Dad’s driveway, so it was lovely to see her Mum Barbara again too.
Friday was a chill day with Enzo at school. We started the day with Pain Au Chocolat made by Zara and Nathan.
When Enzo got home, Nathan had some super exciting news for him – Enzo had earned himself a sponsorship deal with GT Bikes and his new mountain bike had arrived! Nathan, Logan, Enzo and Lucas geared up and headed out for an evening ride at Leeds Urban Bike Park. Nathan and Enzo were awesome at sharing pro tips, and it was cool for them to watch Enzo’s tekky skills.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday was a Bank Holiday long weekend and we filled it with lots of lovely family time, including a trip to the Sheffield Botanical Gardens, a ‘Dads and kids’ swim at the Calypso Cove swimming pool (whilst Michele and I hit the pub with Michele’s friend Janet!), 2 sleepovers for the kids, lots of fun playing outside (including a game involving a bike helmet, a bow and arrow, and some crash pads!), riding in the lane, and teaching each other some new board and card games.
Zara also spent hours patiently coaxing Daisy to play with her using gentle attention, cat treats, and a special cat toy she had made.
On Tuesday, Nathan and Logan had chores to do, so Michele took me and the kids to the seaside at Scarborough. To shelter from the rain, we went to a penny-arcade. After being introduced to a penny-arcade at Barry Island in Cardiff, Lucas and Zara knew what it was all about this time and went straight to the 2p slot machines! After a number of hours, winning more than enough knick knacks and 1204 tickets that converted into a stack of lollies, we were ready for some fish and chips at Winking Willies. Afterwards, undeterred by the weather, the kids played at the beach. They tried to brave the water but it was too cold to go any deeper than knee-deep. Michele and I watched in horror at two kids swimming in the waves fully clothed, including down jackets. I am usually pretty fine about the kids getting wet and/or dirty, but I definitely draw the line well before swimming in a down jacket in the sea!
Wednesday came around way too fast – our month in the UK had come to an end. Thank you Nathan, Michele, Enzo, and Daisy for your kindness, generosity and fun – the kids can hardly wait to see you all again sometime, somewhere soon. A big thank you to Barbara too. It was so great to see the cousins have such an easy friendship and it was wonderful to spend time with the UK Akers. It was a real treat to see Heather and Jim too.
From here we head to Cape Town to begin our 2 month adventure in southern Africa – Logan and I LOVE Africa so we are so looking forward to taking the kids there as we are sure they are going to love it too!
Those Pain Au Chocolat look good Zaz. Can’t wait to see you soon