Before Dinner in Agaete...

Veronica has begun to take photography very seriously, so it was finally time to upgrade her camera. Just after Christmas, we bought her a new Nikon that she rarely goes anywhere without. She shot a lot of time lapses, but unfortunately hasn’t had the time to edit them into a movie.

Not sure why Jimmy and I failed to remember to take advantage of her photography skills. Sally and John, however, were happy to pose for me.

And, of course, I took a lot of photos of the four kids.

This was the best decorated of Agaete’s white and blue buildings.

Agaete, A Small Fishing Village...

Since we’d arrived at the house late on Saturday, Sunday was our first real day of vacation. All of us were happy to just spend the day hanging out at the house. Eventually, we made our way into the nearby fishing village of Agaete, with a population of around 6,000.  

Although Sally’s guidebook had warned us that there weren’t many safe places to swim along the northern coast of the island, we saw the power of the Atlantic Ocean for ourselves.

The main coastal walkway was closed due to the powerful waves, but the overlook was open. We managed to stay dry, but there was clearly rain in the distance.

The Views...

There were views from every window and from every angle of the yard, which resulted in Veronica and me taking a lot of photos.

Check out the cloud bank sitting on the hills behind the pool.

We ate several meals on the terrace, where we could see down to the village of Agaete.

The same Atlantic storms that battered the UK in January, brought enough rainfall to the northern part of Gran Canaria for several waterfalls to flow for the first time in five years.

After seeing this view every day, the kids were determined to hike up to the falls.

Casa Rural Asomadita...

When we presented the girls the choice of going skiing or seeking some sunshine for the February half term, they chose the sun. Luckily for us, Sally, John, David and Andrew also were in need of some sun, so we worked together to decide where to go. We eventually settled on Gran Canaria, one of the Canary Islands, located 150 miles from Morocco. 

There weren’t a lot of vacation rentals on the island that slept at least eight, but I managed to find Casa Rural Asomadita just outside the fishing village of Agaete. The photos don’t do this charming and spacious house justice. Built in 1950, it has been modernized with a lot of care.

We ate breakfast in the eat-in kitchen, but dinner in the dining room, which Veronica also used for studying.

We spent several evenings in the living room watching movies in front of a fire. While Sally investigated day trips, Jimmy worked on editing the panto video.

No doubt that the boys’ favorite room was the games room.

Ashlynn and Andrew took advantage of this wall to practice their juggling.

Back into Braces...

When Ashlynn was nine, she got braces on four top teeth to correct a Nanny McPhee tooth that stuck out past her lip. She’s said for awhile that her teeth are too unusually straight and the dentist finally confirmed that her bite does need adjusting. So, here’s her last photo before getting braces, again.

She wouldn’t let me take a photo of her braces, so these will have to suffice.

Mr. Sociable...

Jimmy is now the leader of the agency’s social committee. He started Thirsty Thursday, which typically involves a visit to the local pool hall. No surprise that he made a toast to his colleagues at the dinner dance.

After being married for four years, Davinder and Roohi finally came to their first dinner dance. Instead of getting a photo of the four of us, only the boys posed together.

Agency Dinner Dance...

This year’s agency dinner dance was back at the Carlton Beach for the second year. I was disappointed that Jimmy didn’t arrange for us to sit with his friends, but we managed to have fun anyways with lots of time on the dance floor.