Frozen Llansteffan Beach

Here are some pics from our very short visit to Llansteffan Beach today. I think we were only there for about 20 mins because it was freezinf. Poor old Tom had to go back to the car with Andy because he just couldn't move. Seren and Jon tried to build sandcastles but the sand was frozen and we couldn't dig into it!

Christmas Day 2 (aka Boxing Day)!

Happy Christmas!

What's behind the door?

Wow! Father Christmas came and visited us! Look at all the pressies!

Out the back on our new bikes.

Jon's Christmas Play

Here is Jon in his school play, in which he played one of the wise men. As the play was made up of the nursey and reception classes it was quite short with lots of singing. Jon walked up onto the stage and was supposed to give his present to the Baby Jesus but he walked back off stage with the present!

Seren's Christmas Play

Here is Seren as the inkeeper number 3 at her school play, the picture isn't great because she was in the second row behind the angels. This year she had her first line "Na ond mae lle yn y stable" (No but there's room in the stable) which she delivered really well.

Nadolig Cyw a'i Ffrindiau

Today I took Jon and Tom to see a show at the Dolman Theatre from S4C called Nadolig Cyw a'i Ffrindiau (Seren also got to see it on a trip with school). It was a great show and they really enjoyed seeing Sali Mali, Noa from Ribidires, Norman Price from Fireman Sam and Heini who all helped out Father Christmas.

Jason Donovan

Jason Donovan, St David’s Hall, Cardiff.

An enjoyable evening was had at St David’s Hall on Monday when Jason Donovan brought his tour to Cardiff.

The evening started off with singer/songwriter Hannah singing some great songs from her new album “Everything is Changing”.

After the interval, excitement filled the air as Jason Donovan took to the stage. He began with the classic songs Let It Be Me and Love Letters from his new album (the first in 15 years) “Let It Be Me”. Other highlights from this album included Dream Lover and his current single Dreamboats & Petticoats.

The next section was probably my favourite of the night where he played 2 new songs that he had written this year but were not on an album yet, the first was one his dad loved called Home and the second (I missed the title) was dedicated to his children.

The build up to the finale included favourites like Rhythm of the Rain, Sealed with a Kiss and Especially for you with the concert finishing with Any Dream Will Do from Joseph and The Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat and his first solo Number 1 hit Too Many Broken Hearts.

I must also mention the beautiful set with drapes and a chandelier making the venue feel like a luxurious ballroom.

Skating Saturdays

Just a quick post with some pics of Seren practicing her roller skating and the boys playing in the garden.

West Side Story

West Side Story by WAWWA The Musical Youth at the Dolman Theatre, Newport

Based on the Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story transforms the play to a musical set in 1950s New York. The story surrounds two rival gangs (the Jets and the Sharks) getting ready for a fight, when one of the Jets leaders falls in love with the sister of the rival gangs leader.

The cast was full of strong performers who were at their best when they were singing but there were parts of the shows opening night that felt under rehearsed especially the dance routines at the beginning of the show. It often felt as if the stage was too small to encompass the whole cast and that a bigger venue would have helped the performance.

The stand out moment of the show was when the whole company was on stage singing the song Tonight, it really did make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. A bit of light relief comes in the song Gee, Officer Krupke where the Jets are mocking Officer Krubke after escaping from him.

The shows finale is a bit of an anti climax, (count the bodies!), but thankfully the closing scene is rescued by excellent performances from the supporting cast and Nadia Murphy who played Maria.

Happy Birthday Seren!

It's nearly Seren's birthday and we are having a High School Musical day to celebrate. Her birthday presents was HSM roller skates, HSM fleece blanket and HSM jewellery from Uncle Paul. After school we went to Pizza Hut with Mamgu and Dadcu and then we had HSM birthday cake.

Then, finally almost a year after we booked the tickets, we went to the Wales Millenium Centre to watch the official version of the High School Musical stage show. Look at how cute Seren and Jon look all dressed up in the pictures below:

Spotty Day

Today is Children in Need day and Seren and Jon got to wear something with spots on to school today. Luckily I had been shopping a couple of weeks ago and found these great Pudsey Bear T-shirts. Don't they look great!

Bonfire Night

Tonight is Bonfire Night and as there are no organised Fireworks Displays actually on Bonfire Night in Newport (this year it was on Sunday 2nd Nov) we decided to walk around our estate and see the other ones that have been done. The picture above is the best one we saw and it was done by our neighbours in the cul-de-sac, well done guys.

After our little walk we did some sparklers in the garden, click on the set below to see more.

Uncle Paul's Visit

We've had a weekend visit from Andy's brother Paul. The kids really enjoy seeing him and it tied in really well that he could come down to see them when they were off school. Today he got to spend some quality time with them at the park and then we went to the local pub (The Stonehouse) for a meal.

Click on the sect below to see us enjoying our meal: