Butlins 2016
22nd - 29th July. This year we decided to go for 7 nights - and it worked much better on many levels. It gave us space to do things on our own without the feeling that we were missing out on family time, and we were able to pick up things on the programme which were repeated on the Mon-Fri slot which we had missed over the initial weekend - such as the Diversity Show (which John went to twice and to which we all went because we had two opportunities so could split the babysitting), the Zumba session (more later!) and the circus.
I had thought I would be driving down with Lorraine but during the week there was a message from her to the family stating that she was not now travelling by train but would drive down in her own car after work - so clearly I wasn't even in the equation! This suited me very well as I could leave as soon as I was ready to do so on the Friday and take as much stuff as I wanted without worrying about having room in the car. It even all fitted into the boot. I was able to listen to my audio book on the way down too. I had a very easy and enjoyable journey down and arrived about midday. Amanda had got there just before me and I met up with her in the Pavillion area - and helped out with Bethany's garlick bread lunch! We wandered around the children's fair ground and soft play area for a while until John, Carolyn, Leanne and Ollie arrived about 3 pm and we went to meet them at the reception area. It was then time to check in so John arranged that and we trooped off to see our accommodation. It was the best outside the hotel I had seen - in fact the bedrooms were very like the hotel. They were new chalets this year (or newly refurbished) and gone were the urine stained carpets in the bathroom to be replaced by clean fresh tiles. The kitchen area and lounge were ok, with a large flat screen tv, and there was a terrace/balcony outside each lounge. I shared one chalet with John - I had the double room with the TV in the room and soon made it seem homely with lavender reed diffuser. I also put a reed diffuser in the bathroom. Carolyn, Leanne and Ollie shared a chalet and were able to smoke on the terrace so that pleased them - although I am not sure this was strictly allowed. Lorraine and Amanda shared the third chalet - Lorraine having to share a room with Bethany while Amanda had Harrison with her.
We did all the usual things but were often able to split into different groups. I tended to get up and have breakfast and then go for a walk - I walked into Bognor almost every day which was lovely and I explored more of the town than I had done before. The others tended to have breakfast much later. In fact the first day I was back from Bognor clutching a roll for my lunch and met up with the others in the restaurant who were still waiting to be served having sat down for breakfast and then realised they were too late and had to order from the lunch menu. On the Sunday morning I walked in the opposite direction along the promenade to St Mary's Felpham, where I went to the 8 am Holy Communion service and then stayed on to ring for the main service.
I usually ate on my own in the evenings - mainly because the timings didn't fit with the others, or they were going to the American Diner which I didn't fancy. I was much happier cooking myself some pasta in the chalet. However we did have some meals together. On the Sunday evening Amanda and Carolyn cooked a roast dinner and we got all the tables and chairs from our terraces and set them up on Amanda's and sat round for the meal. One of Lorraine's friends was also at Butlins for a few nights and he also came to eat, with his little girl who got on very well with Ollie. Another time Amanda cooked a chilli and we all went round to eat it.
I was drafted in to go swimming with Ollie almost every day - neither Lorraine nor Leanne seemed able to do so although Leanne did do one of the stints towards the end of the week. Lorraine's friend and his daughter would come along at the same time and this seemed to spur Ollie on to learn to swim properly. So after our first session, where we played all the usual games on the slides and things, I bought him a foam float and from then on he just wanted to practice swimming and he actually progressed very well through the week. Carolyn was amazed when she saw him and didn't recognise him to begin with.
Leanne and I went to the Zumba session - we didn't really have the right clothing or footwear but it didn't seem to matter although we did get very hot as the studio wasn't air conditioned. Luckily the others came up to watch for a while so we sent John off to buy bottles of water for us. It was interesting that I was fitter than Leanne - but she was very good at the dance steps and looked really good and professional while I felt like a big lump of blubber struggling to keep up!! We both had quite a good workout.
I did some babysitting - sometimes just sitting in with Amanda while she fed Harrison but on the last night I agreed to do it on my own while the girls went out together. I thought Carolyn was going to sit with me but in the end she stayed in her own chalet and I think she was looking after Ollie. I was assured that Bethany wouldn't wake up and that Harrison would go to sleep after I fed him. However no sooner had the door shut than Bethany appeared at the bedroom door crying. So I went in to put her back to bed and I told her a story (I was making it up on the fly based on Jack and Jill) - and then Harrison started crying. So I went and got him and took him into Bethany's room and she then went to sleep while I finished the story. Then I fed Harrison and tried to get him to sleep again but it was a long hard struggle and I was very relieved when Amanda came back. Mind you I wasn't the only one to have a go at feeding Harrison during the week!
We tried the football again with Ollie, but he didn't really want to do it. He went once but wouldn't go again - and still got a medal at the end of the week which seemed pretty pointless.
The circus was good - mainly the Chinese State Circus so lots of balancing and ball spinning.
We had really nice weather - which was a bonus as we were able to sit around in the sunshine watching the children on the funfair or the little motorbikes. Bethany was very taken with the entertainment and shows too - which have never really caught Ollie's attention.
We had a lovely family meal together at Turner's Restaurant - John's treat - and it worked out really well this year. We had the same waiter as last year, but he didn't remember us even though we must be the family from hell with all our separate requirements and personal adjustments to the menu. However he remained cheerful throughout and this time we were all pleased with the food and the service and had a lovely evening.
Carolyn, John and I went to the beach one morning with Ollie and played around for a while - which is how the keep fit sessions started. It's not a very comfortable beach as it is stony - and I noticed that up near Bognor there is an area which has been fenced off and filled with sand for children to play in!
All too soon it was time to go home. I got up early and got my car packed so that I could help the others. There were lots of tables and chairs to relocate back to their original terraces! The others stayed for a few hours to let the children enjoy the facilities for a bit longer - but I got off after we had checked out and got home mid-afternoon so that I was able to go ringing with Mike in the evening. We all agreed that it had been a great holiday and that having a week had been much better and felt more relaxed and thus we had all been more relaxed with each other.
To see all the photos in the Butlins 2016 Flickr Album click here
I had thought I would be driving down with Lorraine but during the week there was a message from her to the family stating that she was not now travelling by train but would drive down in her own car after work - so clearly I wasn't even in the equation! This suited me very well as I could leave as soon as I was ready to do so on the Friday and take as much stuff as I wanted without worrying about having room in the car. It even all fitted into the boot. I was able to listen to my audio book on the way down too. I had a very easy and enjoyable journey down and arrived about midday. Amanda had got there just before me and I met up with her in the Pavillion area - and helped out with Bethany's garlick bread lunch! We wandered around the children's fair ground and soft play area for a while until John, Carolyn, Leanne and Ollie arrived about 3 pm and we went to meet them at the reception area. It was then time to check in so John arranged that and we trooped off to see our accommodation. It was the best outside the hotel I had seen - in fact the bedrooms were very like the hotel. They were new chalets this year (or newly refurbished) and gone were the urine stained carpets in the bathroom to be replaced by clean fresh tiles. The kitchen area and lounge were ok, with a large flat screen tv, and there was a terrace/balcony outside each lounge. I shared one chalet with John - I had the double room with the TV in the room and soon made it seem homely with lavender reed diffuser. I also put a reed diffuser in the bathroom. Carolyn, Leanne and Ollie shared a chalet and were able to smoke on the terrace so that pleased them - although I am not sure this was strictly allowed. Lorraine and Amanda shared the third chalet - Lorraine having to share a room with Bethany while Amanda had Harrison with her.
We did all the usual things but were often able to split into different groups. I tended to get up and have breakfast and then go for a walk - I walked into Bognor almost every day which was lovely and I explored more of the town than I had done before. The others tended to have breakfast much later. In fact the first day I was back from Bognor clutching a roll for my lunch and met up with the others in the restaurant who were still waiting to be served having sat down for breakfast and then realised they were too late and had to order from the lunch menu. On the Sunday morning I walked in the opposite direction along the promenade to St Mary's Felpham, where I went to the 8 am Holy Communion service and then stayed on to ring for the main service.
I usually ate on my own in the evenings - mainly because the timings didn't fit with the others, or they were going to the American Diner which I didn't fancy. I was much happier cooking myself some pasta in the chalet. However we did have some meals together. On the Sunday evening Amanda and Carolyn cooked a roast dinner and we got all the tables and chairs from our terraces and set them up on Amanda's and sat round for the meal. One of Lorraine's friends was also at Butlins for a few nights and he also came to eat, with his little girl who got on very well with Ollie. Another time Amanda cooked a chilli and we all went round to eat it.
I was drafted in to go swimming with Ollie almost every day - neither Lorraine nor Leanne seemed able to do so although Leanne did do one of the stints towards the end of the week. Lorraine's friend and his daughter would come along at the same time and this seemed to spur Ollie on to learn to swim properly. So after our first session, where we played all the usual games on the slides and things, I bought him a foam float and from then on he just wanted to practice swimming and he actually progressed very well through the week. Carolyn was amazed when she saw him and didn't recognise him to begin with.
Leanne and I went to the Zumba session - we didn't really have the right clothing or footwear but it didn't seem to matter although we did get very hot as the studio wasn't air conditioned. Luckily the others came up to watch for a while so we sent John off to buy bottles of water for us. It was interesting that I was fitter than Leanne - but she was very good at the dance steps and looked really good and professional while I felt like a big lump of blubber struggling to keep up!! We both had quite a good workout.
I did some babysitting - sometimes just sitting in with Amanda while she fed Harrison but on the last night I agreed to do it on my own while the girls went out together. I thought Carolyn was going to sit with me but in the end she stayed in her own chalet and I think she was looking after Ollie. I was assured that Bethany wouldn't wake up and that Harrison would go to sleep after I fed him. However no sooner had the door shut than Bethany appeared at the bedroom door crying. So I went in to put her back to bed and I told her a story (I was making it up on the fly based on Jack and Jill) - and then Harrison started crying. So I went and got him and took him into Bethany's room and she then went to sleep while I finished the story. Then I fed Harrison and tried to get him to sleep again but it was a long hard struggle and I was very relieved when Amanda came back. Mind you I wasn't the only one to have a go at feeding Harrison during the week!
We tried the football again with Ollie, but he didn't really want to do it. He went once but wouldn't go again - and still got a medal at the end of the week which seemed pretty pointless.
The circus was good - mainly the Chinese State Circus so lots of balancing and ball spinning.
We had really nice weather - which was a bonus as we were able to sit around in the sunshine watching the children on the funfair or the little motorbikes. Bethany was very taken with the entertainment and shows too - which have never really caught Ollie's attention.
We had a lovely family meal together at Turner's Restaurant - John's treat - and it worked out really well this year. We had the same waiter as last year, but he didn't remember us even though we must be the family from hell with all our separate requirements and personal adjustments to the menu. However he remained cheerful throughout and this time we were all pleased with the food and the service and had a lovely evening.
Carolyn, John and I went to the beach one morning with Ollie and played around for a while - which is how the keep fit sessions started. It's not a very comfortable beach as it is stony - and I noticed that up near Bognor there is an area which has been fenced off and filled with sand for children to play in!
All too soon it was time to go home. I got up early and got my car packed so that I could help the others. There were lots of tables and chairs to relocate back to their original terraces! The others stayed for a few hours to let the children enjoy the facilities for a bit longer - but I got off after we had checked out and got home mid-afternoon so that I was able to go ringing with Mike in the evening. We all agreed that it had been a great holiday and that having a week had been much better and felt more relaxed and thus we had all been more relaxed with each other.
To see all the photos in the Butlins 2016 Flickr Album click here
