Butlins with Derek, Jim, Myra and Jen

Once at Butlins we checked in to our spacious accommodation and did a little exploration of the area before going to the “Sun & Moon” pub for a lovely dinner. That was followed by a night in “Centre Stage” where we watched the cabaret and danced until the close!

The next day, as the weather was good we went to the fun fair and spent the morning on the rides and tried our luck on the side stalls trying our best to win a prize. After lunch we took a ride on the land-train along the front of Minehead and admired the lovely views. We had booked dinner in a very friendly pub in the village so that we could enjoy a nice meal and watch the England game at the same time! We had a friendly sweep-stake of a single pound for the first and last goal scored, which made it even more interesting. As only the one goal was scored, Myra was the lucky winner of both!.......ice creams were on Myra the next day. Afterwards it was back to “Centre Stage” to finish the night watching the shows and dancing until the close.

We woke to another decent day and after another cooked breakfast; we set off to the Owl and Falconry centre in Exmoor. At first we were inside the barn as we watched the owls flying from one end to the other. After that display, we settled outside in a field to watch the falconry display. They are magnificent birds and it was a very enjoyable time spent out in the sun. We had a cream tea and a locally made ice cream whilst we were there. We headed home to get ready for the evening at a great pub on the moors where we had a superb dinner at yet another very friendly pub. As usual it was back to Butlins for the “Blues Brothers” show in “Reds”, with more dancing to end the night.

As expected the following day was grey and wet, so we stayed on site and enjoyed the facilities. We had booked 10 pin bowling for the morning session and enjoyed a fun filled competition which was won by Myra’s team and Martin was the highest scorer. Well done! After lunch it was time to do a little bit of shopping for gifts. Once we were all shopped out, it was either off to the swimming pool or spending a few pennies on the machines in the arcade. The evening was back to the “Sun & Moon” pub before our last night at “Centre Stage”.

Spanish Costas with Colin & Pat

Our holiday to the Spanish Costas all went to plan with our flight from Gatwick departing on time and everyone was delighted with our accommodation, a 4* Hotel in Salou, a resort on the coast of the Balearic Sea.

We had a very relaxing week in the sun, with the weather averaging 80 degrees every day no one wanted to rush about.

Our Hotel had a very nice buffet style restaurant which offers an amazing selection of food - fish, various meats, salads, delicious deserts, ice cream and fruit to name just a few choices, something for everyone.

During the week we spent a lot of time on the beach, enjoying not just the sunbathing but also the walks along the front, playing Frisbee, taking out a peddle boat and of course splashing in the sea.

One day we took a trip out on a glass bottom boat that took us to Cambrils, a nearby fishing village where we visited the local market. We toured the local shops and also spent time at the Hotel swimming pool. We all enjoyed cooling off at the end of the day.

After dinner we spent every evening sitting on the Hotel veranda enjoying the Spanish entertainment and dancing the night away. We rarely got to bed much before midnight.

Every day we would have a little joke about how nice the weather was where we were and that all our friends that were back in England were trying to stay warm and dry !!!

Unfortunately all good things come to an end and before we knew it time came to return home and for us to wrap up warm.