Our Little Dancer

Gillian has been taking ballet and tap lessons since the spring. At the end of each term the parents are invited to sit in on a class to see how the children are progressing. I've been very impressed at Gillian's improvement. Most importantly, she loves the class, and she loves her teachers, Miss Tara and Miss Siobhan.

Aaaah, Portugal

Last week we flew from Gatwick to Faro, Portugal. We have never been to Portugal, so we really didn't know what to expect. And we knew it wouldn't be terribly warm, but that it would be sunny, and that's what counted most.

My sister, Megan, told me she wished I could paint a picture of Portugal for her. I'm going to try! Although I don't think I'm very good at that with my words. I'll let lots of photos do that for me.

We took the kids out of school for a week. Since we'll be home schooling in a couple of weeks anyway, we don't feel like anyone missed out on anything not being there ...

So. The country is not very big, but we were in the southern most area - Algarve. On the map it looked like our village was far away from Faro, but it was really only about a 30 minute drive. The landscape is hilly and dry, but there are orange groves everywhere which I did not expect. We ate so many oranges on this trip and they were the best oranges we've ever eaten.

We stayed in a condo complex that was nearly empty as we were visiting out of season, but we didn't care. We just wanted the sun, the ocean, and some relaxing family time.The view from our condo balconyThe beach right outside our condoDigging the 'giant hole'It was a little cold when we first arrive, but it warmed up considerably during the week, and it didn't rain until the last day. The sunshine was so wonderful to our spirits.Silves, PortugalFresh seafood lunchIn restaurants in Portugal they bring appetizers to your table without your request - much like a basket of tortilla chips at a Mexican restaurant in the states. However, the appetizers you get in Portugal consist of a bowl of olives, bread with anchovy pate, a round of goat's cheese, and a plate of fresh shrimp - heads still on! Yum!At the harbor in LagosAncient Roman wall in LagosLast day on the beachThe giant hole is now complete - with a couch, even!