To Brittany

After the Alps we engaged the help of Tom Tom to help us find our way all the way to a small campsite in Brittany. Begrudgingly I will admit that on this occasion he did a good job but I am watching him because I still don’t trust him..
Once in Brittany we found good friends and again very reminiscent to family holidays when I was young and wonderful to come here with my family.. We loved it. We stayed in a static caravan, enjoyed walking to the beach, drinking cheap French wine, eating and relaxing in the evenings with friends. Some combinations are hard to beat. It is also handy to have a professional photographer on hand as well. Photo credits to Melissa Love.

Should you really trust a Tom Tom?

Leaving the south of France we drove up to the Alps using some questionable advice from a sat nav device. Tom Tom sent us to our destination via Italy and the Mont Blanc tunnel to St Gervais. This to me seemed like a very long way around. I remain annoyingly untrusting of the Sat Nav while my good wife is however, fully trusting of it. Our small child is undecided on his viewpoint but I think he sides with his dad on this one!
We rented a small apartment and spent a week, relaxing, enjoying the cool fresh mountain air.
Ever since my parents brought us here on a family holiday the mountains of the French Alps have drawn me back to them often. It was brilliant to be in the Alps with my small and although there were times that I looked longingly up to the high mountains and despite the rain, we enjoyed it. As usual in the Alps I was inspired to return again.

Summer starts with classic Alfresco

At the beginning of the summer I thought that I might write every week which has clearly not been possible. Today I am making an effort to catch up with events so far because there is an imminent 'boy adventure' This needs to be documented properly but there is no way it can just jump in without a mention of the brilliant events of the summer so far.
Work ended for this rotation during mid July and the hectic pace of work was replaced with family life. This was the first time that I had left work by car and I was looking forward to it, as the small Packham family left Marseille early on the 14th July, to start our meander home through France. Our first stop was with friends in Fayance, in the mountains just north of the coast at Nice. This allowed some wonderful alfresco eating and some drinking of wine cooled by the trickling town fountain.

Breakfast with family

A new experience. Breakfast with my family before work.

In The ship yard

Daren starts again. July 2011

As you may or may not be aware, the internet police don't like me talking about work and so I have been good and not talked about anything! Lifes grand adventure has however been at a full gallop.
At work I have once again crossed the atlantic. This was my 6th Atlantic crossing and the 2nd as captain. Since I last wrote here the adventure has been a grand one. There has been a few noteable incidents enough to raise the heart rate and for me to lose yet more hair or turn what I have more gray. As always the rough comes with the smooth and some wonderful and beutiful moments have been fully enjoyed, seen, experienced and cherished.
The big Wilbury news is the growing up of our beautiful boy child who will soon be 8 months old! This is indeed an adventure. Work has bought the ship to a firm stop in a shipyard in the south of France this summer, so the boy child has brought his lovely mother with him to the sunny French coast and they are here with me. This is brilliant!
Something new for me is to get up early and leave my family in the morning while I go off to work. This is difficult! How does everyone do that? As of next week our family adventure begins in full force. I get to leave work and spend three whole months with them starting with a two week meander through France.
When I set out to write my blog, my plan was to be anacdotal and to tell small stories about things that make me laugh or things that amaze me. I don't want to write about feelings or bore you with endless pictures of my beautiful family. I am setting out again to write once a week and I will try to make it as entertaining as possible.

Clear Water

The clear water here is beautiful. My morning swims continue but soon I will be home to the stony beach that we all love and to my family and friends instead of my work colleagues and the routines and pressures of work.

He starts to run again

Since we have been here in Mexico I have managed to get out the running shoes and have even put them on a few times but I don't think that this will be enough training to be completing a full Marathon in just over a months time, even if I started it right now.
In one short year I have managed to ascend to the dizzy heights of division one of the Sussex Men's Fitness League, only to come crashing down to the girl guides corn dolly making division. Amazing how that can happen.
On a positive note though some of my friends will be running the Brighton Marathon and my good friend Richard Sullivan, AKA Sully is running for a charity that it quite close to my heart.
Richard Sullivan is fundraising for Clive Packham Memorial Fund

Clean Shoes = Big Belly

This is me, also in the Caribbean and despite what some think, unlike my shoes, not on holiday.
There is a direct correlation between the cleanliness of ones training shoes and the size of your belly. For me the less I use my shoes the bigger it gets. My belly that is...
At least the sun is shining and the water is warm, the beer is cold and the food is so so good...

These are my new shoes. They are taking a holiday in the Caribbean!

I have an entry into this years Brighton Marathon and was secretly hoping that my work duties may call me away and I would have to say, 'Oh well, next year then.'
However this is not the case! My lovely new running shoes, purchased nearly a month ago have not yet been worn. I have the huge task of training for a 26 mile jog about Brighton and Hove in only two months time and my shoes have their feet up in the sunshine..