February. Robin and Johan flew into the UK from Sweden

 Robin and Johan flew into the UK fro Sweden for a visit. They were now old enough to visit the local pub with Lisa and Lee for a game of pool and also a trip to the bowling alley.

The next day we took them over to the "Big Pit colliery" mining museum and took the cage deep into the mine for a well informed tour. 

Mandy then took the twins down to Bournemouth to see their Grandmother.

A Trip to the English Midlands

 We decided to have a short break in the English Midlands. Our first stop was the Town of Burton on Trent.

We then moved onto England's second City, Birmingham, where Mandy showed Rob around the area where she grew up in Erdington.

Our Final stop was in Worcester where we met up with our friends, Norma and Paul, who ran The Anchor Inn pub.

The Wenvoe Years

We moved from Grangetown to the small village of Wenvoe that sits just outside the City of Cardiff.

The  house we bought was a dormer bungalow with a small but well kept garden

The quiet village of Wenvoe was a pleasure to live in and there was easy access to the City of Cardiff.

Mandy's birthday 2003

For Mandy’s birthday, we transformed our Grangetown home in Cardiff into party HQ, rounding up family and friends – including Lee and his sister Lisa, Mike and his lovely wife Linda – for tasty bites, a few too many glasses being refilled, and a marathon of old family stories that got taller with every retelling

Christmas in Grangetown 2001

We took a trip into the centre of Cardiff to visit the Winter Wonderland

Then on Christmas day 2001 and The Flav's came around for Dinner.

A visit to Sweden with Val -2001

Rob and his Mother, Val, flew into Stockholm and caught the train up to Gavle where they were met by Mandy. They had a great time showing Val around Mandy's home town.

 We decided to spend a day exploring some of the beautiful countryside around Bonan, which promised the perfect backdrop for a picnic. The morning sky was clear, and the fresh spring air made it feel like the ideal day to be out in nature. We packed up a picnic, threw in a few of our favourite snacks, and set off on the open road, both of us eager to see what the day would bring.

Driving to Bonan was a treat in itself, with lush green landscapes stretching out on either side of us and the occasional lake glimmering in the sunlight. When we arrived, we found a peaceful spot surrounded by trees, with a view overlooking fields that seemed to go on forever. The quiet was blissful – just the sound of birds chirping and a light breeze rustling through the leaves. We laid out our blanket and took our time with lunch, savoring every bite and soaking in the surroundings. Val reall enjoyed visiting the countryside of Sweden, we felt like we had this beautiful corner of the world all to ourselves.

Later that afternoon, we decided to take a little detour and drive over to Iggen in Sweden. The road wound through charming little towns and scenic vistas, each one tempting us to stop for “just a quick look” or to snap a few photos. When we finally arrived in Iggen, it was everything we hoped for. The small village was nestled against a serene backdrop of hills and forests, the kind of place that feels untouched by time

Robin and Johan came over to help Val celebrate her birthday