hiya, it was nice to speak to you on Sunday, i'm really jelous of your adventures now. Glad to know i'm not the only un-coordinated one in the family. I think we should keep our feet firmly on the floor on holidays - no more 'd*** van dykes'. Hope your bum and leg are better and the Chinese medicine is fixing you. Not much has happened since i spoke to you on Sunday. I'm desperately trying to find a new job though, i don't think i can put up with the pensioners for much longer!! My new years resolution of saving is going well, i've started shopping in ASDA rather than Oasis, so hopefully i'll be able to join you on your travels next year. Went over LLanelli on saturday and bumped into kelly (our cousin), she's 10 weeks pregnant. She's having a rough time by the sounds of it with morning sickness. Uncle John is over the moon. Christine doesn't seem to have much sympathy for her, she told kelly to 'get over it, your only pregnant' Anyway I'll be in touch soon, enjoy yourselves, love lynsey...ps congratulations to the new parents!!!

hi both of you, i can see your having a good time by all the photos you've posted, although it did take me 2 hrs with the old computer. Haven't got any news, although the police in touch again as someone did hit and run on my car. i had to follow them into ntl and then reported them. I took Josef and Ffion to funsters, then they wanted to go to the park by your old house. They played for a while, then josef was pointing to the corner where you lived, so we walked over and walked to your house and josef went in the garage. He was a little upset that he couldn't go in. 6 nations start saturday, Wales v England, hope to be the old rivals AGAIN!!! i'm off to Ireland for that match. i'll have a guiness and i'll be thinking about you in vietnam! Still waiting to hear about the knee. sorry i missed your call on Sunday, and try not to fall down too many stairs. Got to go now cause my secretary has to make food (lynsey). Have a good time, speak to you soon. love dad. p.s i'm going to try and sell the car this month too

Well hellooooooo. I can't believe you've been gone for nearly 3 months now. Unbelievable! I have just spent about an hour of working time catching up on your trip. Lovely to hear about your black bogies and toilet troubles - lost of nice images in my mind ;o) We really have missed you and am really pleased you're having such a ball. 2006 has given Richard and I a huge kick up the bottom to get our wedding organised. The date is set for May 26th in Torquay and we're now getting quite excited about it (although I think Richard is more excited about his stag weekend than the whole wedding thing!!!) My mum is over from Australia at the moment to help me dress shop - and we found 'the one' at the weekend. It is absolutely beautiful. I have now marked your page as a 'favourite' so I can keep a track on you more regularly. Keep smiling, keep safe and lots of love guys. Mand and Richard xxxxx

Hi Claire and Steven It was lovely to talk to you on Sunday and to know you are both well and enjoying yourselves so much. Seeing the photos of China has made me more determined to visit this vast country but I will not be walking for 3 hours on the Great Wall Of China. News from Wales is a bit lean. Lynsey and I took the children down to Caswell bay on Saturday it was a beautiful Winter afternoon bright blue sky, sunny but a bit cold. We all went in to paddle in out wellies and stayed dry, but then the two children went into a rock pool which was deeper than expected, they both got wet as the water came over the top of their boots. Ffion was fine but Josef was howling, I was laughing so much at him I was nearly wet to!!!! Lynsey then decided to give him a piggy back but as he was getting on her back she toppled over and landed on her bum in the wet sand I just wished I had the video camera with me. Our diets are on stop at the moment its been cold and we just want comfort foods and a nice bottle of wine but we have got to start again on Monday. In answer to your question about Granny the money is for extras for her. She is looking forward to another " little break" soon anywhere I want to go but I think long haul is a bit ambitious, we will stick to Europe that is far enough for her to travel. She has written you a letter I think Lynsey is going to put it on your email. To finish I to would like to congratulate the proud parents of the new babes, I am sure they will bring you joy and happiness as well as sleepless nights. Take care Claire and Steven (have you really got a parcel on its way from China or were you joking? ) Love you both Mum xxxxx

A BIG WELCOME TO THE WORLD TO THE TWO NEW BABIES, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MUMS AND DADS, HOPE YOU ARE ALL KEEPING WELL. LOVED THE PHOTOS FROM CHINA, YOU'VE BOTH TAKEN POSING FOR A HOLIDAY SNAP TO ANOTHER LEVEL. FFION AND JOE WERE INTRIGUED BY THE ICE SLEDGING. THEY'VE BEEN LEARNING ALL ABOUT CHINESE NEW YEAR IN SCHOOL AND MAI LING IN JOSEFS CLASS BROUGHT IN SOME SPECIAL SUGARED FRUITS FOR THEM ALL TO CELEBRATE WITH HER. SPEAK WITH YOU SOON LOVE CERI ANDREW FFION AND JOSEF xxxx

Hello everyone. A big congratulations to Scott and Chris on the birth of their daughter and also to Claire and Rich for bringing a new baby boy into the world about 4 weeks ago - we look forward to hearing all about it....sleepless nights, dirty nappies, screaming child!
We have put some new photos on the site for China, so take a look. We are having a great time even though it is a tad on the cold side here. We leave Beijing on the 4th February for Vietnam and hopefully warmer climes. Hope you are all well, stay in touch xxxxx

Love the new photos. Look as though you are having fun. To Scott and family congratulations and all my very best wishes on the birth of your new daughter. Lena

Hi Guys. Hope this finds you fit and well in China. The bump has now arrived and bang on time too. Bethany Diane Wardrop was born today, 28th January 2006 at 07:27 weighing exactly 7lbs. Mum and baby are doing well. I'm exhausted and all I had to do was watch!!!
If I can work out a way of sending a photo I will.

All the best, Scott, Chris, Madi & Beth.

hi both, hope your keeping well and the cold weather isn't hampering your travells too much. it's been another quiet week at home. ffion and josef have started rehersals for the schools st davids day concert, with ffion learning how to folk dance. joe will probably really struggle with the welsh songs, especially as he hasn't fully grasped english yet. i've got an application form to do my health visiting so fingers crossed i'll get on the course this september. andrew has been applying for a variety of new jobs and has finally got his cv in order. avon sales are going well with an order over £200 in our first campaign. we're hoping to get down to cornwall in may for a little family holiday, hopefully ffion won't be ill this time, well third time lucky. had an email today about the race for life, ffion is keen to give it a go this year so we might try the llanelli course for a change. granny is keeping well and keeps meaning to write to you. she asks what you are up to every time i see her. have to go now as the children are putting on a puppet show. and finally hope you both had a very romantic st dwynwyns day yesterday (the welsh patron st of lovers) all our love ceri andrew ffion and josef xxxxx

Hi Both,
I agree.....the joke was truely awful and, no, there are only Z list celebs in the house; if celebs is the word? Decided that it's time to shoot myself if I have to resort to watching! Work is fine actually at the moment, I think everyone has got over those 'after xmas blues'. Hope you're both well and leaving the chicken feet well alone. Be in touch soon, love to you both x

Of course due to ffion`s reading ability it looks like lynsey will now have to take the kids to windsor

Hi both - Well the Christmas festivities are over for another year and things are getting back to normal. Diets are in full swing and the pounds should be falling off soon !!! Lynsey and I have watched loads of tv programmes about losing weight, getting fit, and more drastically surgery to reduce the inches, it seems every channel has an influx of information to kick start 2006 so watch this space. Weather wise its mostly wet and damp not really freezing cold as the weather forcasts keep promising us the coldest winter in years. Hong Kong sounded fabulous definately on my to see list along with everywhere else you have been apart from the treking. I would love to fly over the Himalayas though. You know how much I want to see China so take loads of mental notes for me. Granny is keeping well and talking about our next little break in the Spring so I am busy looking for ideas in the brochures. I think that we are going to go on a weekend break to Lille and Bruge in July. That will be the 3 of us Granny, Ceri and myself, it is France and only an hour and a half from Calais so the travelling isn't so bad. Lysney has said she will mind the children for the weekend and is hoping to take them to Legoland if she can rope Helen in to help. Andrew I think hopes to go up to see John and Lucy and play golf.
Ffion and Josef are doing well I can't believe how quickly she is developing in school, her reading is very good so you have to watch what you leave around in case its not suitable material which of course is most of the newspapers. We went to see the new Persimmon homes in Gorseinon all 7 of us trooped through the show houses on Sunday. They were nice but quite small gardens in the plots we saw, but the townhouse was a favourite. Lynsey said the flats down in Drovers Gowerton are £600 a month to rent (I still think you should have bought propery as an investment). The fish have a new pump and Lysney has treated your one for his bladder problem, there is an improvement in his condition but he still remains a fish with a problem, the boys in the mean time continue to thrive. Granny loves watching them, if they were not such a chore to clean out I would despatch them to Mumbles to live out their dates by the sea in Granny's house.
Well time to go I am waiting for Ceri to come up after she drops Josef off at nursery. I am keeping away from Swansea so I can save money to hopefully meet you somewhere, so any unnecessary spending is banned.
Love you lots, take care, have fun and enjoy Mum xxxxx