Story telling

Reading a story she wrote to a captive audience (that's Gramps on the phone).

A special guest

We had a special guest in Toronto this week. Our dear cousin Eric is touring around the Americas (Canada/USA/Peru) with some mates. And they crashed at ours for a few days - I am sure lots of laundry was done!

The kids WERE happy to see him, I promise!

My cousins know where Mr. spends his time these days - in the kitchen with fond memories of Brighton.

Drama queen

This term, Sophie took weekly acting lessons. Her class worked together to create a play, which they performed this weekend. She played "Zoe" one of 2 sisters who discover that the "island adventure" their parents are taking them on involves chopping down a bunch of trees to build a resort. Zoe and her sister foil the plan with the help of a turtle. 

Saturday in Toronto & Athens

I like Sophie's taste in clothes

Enjoying the sunshine and some tunes at Roncey Rocks with her dad

And he treated her to a pineapple juice in a pineapple,

Meanwhile I was at the opera - not just any opera but Aida at the Odeon of Heracles.

Dance, dance, wherever you may be

At her end of session performance earlier this week - strike a pose

Spidergirl

After gymnastics last week

The lad

Socrates? Plato?

"I yuv oh-yives"

Days 2-4 Messing about in Athens

Sunset on top of Mt Lycabettus

That's the Acropolis without a good camera...

That's Acropolis from the top of a double-decker tour bus

And that's our goofy family

somewhere - eating probably

Seb is keeping the Greek economy afloat (and digging all the cops/anarchist signs/ graffiti

And we are off to the island of Tinos for the next few days. A ferry across the blue Aegan is calling us!

Day 1 = Acropolis

The guide book says that given Greece's labour unrest, it is good to prioritize what you want to see and head there first in case it is closed and you need to try again. So the Acropolis it was, and even though the transit strike continued, this time, it wasn't wider than that.

Goddess on the mountaintop

One of the theatres with a glimpse of the Med

my favourite lifeless gals

My favourite fella (and his guide book to which he was firmly attached)

us and the big P

a creature that the kids befriended

our gal in the tiny lanes around the Acropolis

the lovely light at sunset

The arrival in Athens

If I had had ancient Greek trumpets, I would have blown them. But given that I discovered that there was another 48 hour transport strike, only when I arrived at the metro station to head to the airport, I was impressed that I got there at all - and early!

(OK this was more departure than arrival, as it was taken on the UP train)

Even blurry you can see her smile

and theirs!

And look how colourful our clothes are - that cheers me!