Not so Hot – Paris & Eurodisney

May 1990 saw my first trip to Paris. We were staying in a gite in Brittany and for whatever reason, thought it would be a good idea to spend a day in Paris with a two-year-old, a six-month-old and a massive double buggy. We set off early, drove to Place d’Italie and walked from there all the way to the Champs Elysees (around 4 miles), admiring the architecture and it was quite a while before we realised the nappy-bag was in the back of the car.

The smallest pack of nappies we could buy was around 30, along with industrial-sized packs of all the other paraphernalia required to service a baby. Thankfully, she was fully breast-fed – the most awesome, portable, sterile delivery system ever designed. But I still quake at the memory of travelling on the metro (Parisienne underground) with 2 kids, the double buggy and that blooming pack of nappies.

The first time we stayed in Eurodisney (Sept 1993), it had only been open for 16 months, and still maintained quite high standards. Our family room in the cowboy hotel included a TV running wall-to-wall Disney movies, a mini-bar and, most importantly a fridge for keeping milk cool for the kids.
We were entranced by the attention to detail, with beautiful blooms in the luxuriant borders being planted in their pots so they could be easily removed should they fall below the required standard. The queues for the rides were humungous, and we soon learnt to get into the park early and had the scary Snow White ride all to ourselves at that time in the morning. Disney imagineering knew no bounds With each of the themed rides being more visually exciting than the last.

Our favourite was Pirates of the Caribbean, but the kids loved it's a small world anyway, and we have footage of their wide eyed enjoyment. But the biggest value for money came with the real life characters. Tigger made a huge fuss of Stephie in her pushchair - she was barely four months old and cute as a button, and every time Chris came across a cowboy they would draw their guns to his delight. But this first year was all about Beauty and the Beast, and we must have watched the lunchtime show three or four times in the short stay. Best thing was the yellow ball gown which transformed Jo into Belle. By the end she not only knew all the words to the songs in English, but in Fran French as well. Both the daytime and night time parades were not to be missed, and we got to see the fireworks as we walked through the Disney Village back to the hotel.

We went again in 94, 95 and 98, noticing the dropping of standards - that useful fridge went from only having water to being switched off and turned around - but we fired it up anyway. We revisited some of our favourite haunts, and watched the many shows, including the Wild Bill Hickok cowboy dinner show, with real life horses. Poor Brian got picked on at the lunchtime show in the old fashioned cowboy saloon and, despite this being his worst nightmare, he played along manfully.

While we waited for the parade, entertainers would get the crowd going with the chant, “Tout le monde, levez les mains, comme ca” – everyone raise your hands like this. At only 15months, Steph already had rock-chick tendencies. The last visit was in 2004, by which time they’d built the Disney Studios section giving rise to a whole new experience. Instead of staying in one of the on-site hotels, we had a chalet in the nearby Disney camp, which added an extra element. I would definitely recommend it if you have kids (and a stack of money to cover the daily expenses).

Steph and I travelled by ferry in August 2009, to pick Jo up at end of stay as an au pair. I was very pleased with myself for driving through Paris, and actually navigating to the right place, only to find that over half of Parisians desert the city for the month of August, and the on street parking was free! We stayed for a couple of nights at French family's pied-a-terre not far from Notre Dame, and she showed us Paris. We then went to Gometz, a small village on the outskirts, and I remember driving through a thunderstorm of biblical proportions. The house was on an extremely steep road, and the next morning it was blisteringly hot, and I opened the door to get the air con going, for getting I'd put the car in gear as instructed. Long story short, I ended up at the bottom of the hill with my hair trapped under the car's wheel, telling Joe to grab some scissors to cut it off I then figured I wasn't going to lose my hair to that hill, and made Jo reverse the car up the hill so I could get free. She had not long passed her driving test.
Several years later, after graduating, Jo went back there to teach English as a second language and stayed several years, meeting her Ukranian husband who was one of her students.

Not so Hot – Central Europe

December 1974 St Moritz, Switzerland

Back in the mid 70s, schools didn’t do all the extracurricular trips they do today, and the only option was an Egyptian cruise which my folks couldn’t afford as it was three times dearer than my sister’s skiing trip to Austria. She enjoyed it so much she blagged herself on another trip even though she’d already left school, and somehow, Mum managed to get me included, which meant reuniting with several kids I’d not seen since junior school, four years prior.
At 15, this was my first adventure outside the UK and, although the antithesis of a sporty type, I did well enough to join the intermediate group and have the thrilling experience of skiing down the side of a mountain with a sheer drop on one side. Scary, but exhilarating.

Because she was older, Deb joined the sixth-formers, and when it came to having a quick tipple on New Year’s Eve, I was bundled in, too. I vividly remember a disco, and The Goodies’ Father Christmas Do Not Touch Me playing as I joined the queue for this treat, waving jauntily to my contemporaries, who missed out on the fun, still being in the 4th form. Even before this insufferable smugness, I was left on the outside of their tightly-bound friendship groups, which I didn’t mind as I had little in common with them, being far too studious after passing the 11+ to go to a grammar school. So I hung out in the pool room with a bunch of lads from a Surrey school, and one lad, Nigel, was very keen, pairing with me on the table football against two of his friends. I recall walking into the nearby village, snuggled up in woolly scarves and appreciating the romance of all the Christmas lights. We rode back on the same sleeper train, and I remember doing the Quo dance (thumbs in belts) to Caroline and Down Down.

When we got home I wrote weekly to Nigel, who only returned a couple of letters before I finally got the message about the fragility of holiday romance/long-distance relationships. In a complete shocker, I’d apparently also given my address to a German lad Udo and, although I don’t remember speaking to him much, I ended up with a real pen-pal, who wrote faithfully for many months afterwards. He was extremely erudite, and seemed much keener than my actual boyfriend. He wanted to buy a guitar and I sent him a page from the NME featuring info on second-hand Strats. There’s defo a musical theme running through the men in my life.


February 1995 Munich, Germany

Steph was just short of two when my company first sent me to Munich. GPT (GEC-Plessey Telecoms) had merged with Siemens and I flew over to assess their software build suite with a view to implementing it in the UK. This was my first solo flight, but it ran smoothly and I was met in the hotel by a chap from a different department who whisked me straight into the city centre where the celebrations for Fasching (lent) were in full swing, with street performers on every corner.
We had dinner in a bierkeller (with all the clichéd noisy clashing of steins and cheers of Skol!) and he introduced me to weissbier (white beer), a cloudy light ale which goes down like mother’s milk. Unfortunately the ramifications the following morning were severe, when I had to meet (and try to impress) the head honcho. Lesson well-and-truly learnt.

I got on really well with my German counterpart, a tall, striking woman, and the work was quite similar to our way of doing things – except they had a way of putting out builds with unresolved bugs rather than fixing things first and incurring a late delivery penalty. It made good business sense, but went against our natural honour and integrity. Apart from that, there wasn’t much difference between British and German engineers – except they all prided themselves in being fluent in at least two languages apart from their own!. One thing I noticed was the temperature difference - I remember taking the subway into town wearing a denim skirt with no tights – it was considerably warmer than the UK where it would be inconceivable to go tightless in Feb.

Granny Gray

Hold the presses – or whatever the phrase is. We interrupt this broadcast (of holiday travelogues) with breaking news – my fabulous daughter-in-law, Sophia, gave birth to our first grandchild, Constance Jane Gray aka Connie, weighing in at 7 pounds, 1 ounce – massive for three weeks premature. Her entry into the world was marked by a solar eclipse and a stack of meteorites. It wasn’t the easiest of starts, but she’s a fighter, and her parents have phenomenal reserves of courage and strength.

Here’s some pix:

Hot or What? - Barbados

We were lucky to spend a week in Barbados in 2013, courtesy of my wonderful sister and her partner. Sam and Barry bought a timeshare in a smart hotel a couple of decades ago and holidayed there almost every September since then. They knew the island well, and rented a couple of adjacent villas, inviting the rest of us to stay – his job in Philadelphia meant he had enough airmiles to boost us up to first class. Awesome.

I never appreciated how time works at the equator – the day/night is always 12 hours (give or take a minute or two), and the sun rises every day at 6am, and sets at 6pm. no matter what the season. On several mornings, we got up at six and strolled along the beach before breakfast, and every evening saw us watching the sunset with a Pina Colada, usually from the rooftop of one of the villas. Barbados was a perfect piece of Paradise and we had a virtually private beach with a mill-pool sea 500 yards on from fun filled body-surfing breakers. Although a decent bottle of wine was prohibitively expensive – way more than a bottle of locally of locally-brewed rum, and we discovered fierce competition to serve the the best Rum Punch on the island – oh the lengths we went to on the quest of that little gem! Sheer Bliss!

Here's a taste of our holiday:

Hot or What? - Italy

It was always on my bucket list to visit Italy, so when my lovely hubby booked us a week in a really posh hotel, in a room overlooking the gorgeous Lake Como, I was thrilled.
The Grand Hotel Menaggio was the height of luxury, with fabulous food, friendly staff and all-in-all, one of the best experiences of my life. A decade later, I still remember the intricate patterns the housemaid made from my nightie - it was beautiful origami, as you can see - the purple rose in the montage below.

It was one of the few holidays we had where we didn't hire a car, but we discovered another way to travel - by ferry boat. Not the huge, well-equipped car ferries with shops, restaurants and cabins, but more like a bus or train, travelling across water instead of roads. The slow ferries take forever and the fast ferries are quite expensive, but Bri was 65, so the OAP discount was quite good. It got quite chilly - especially going to the extremes (Gravedonga/Como town), and a light jacket was essential. If we were to do it again, we'd consider going one way on the bus.

One of our favourite places to visit was Belaggio, and that and Varenna were linked together with Menaggio by frequent ferry trips. Como town was everything you might expect from a local centre - the market was fun and the cathedral was awesome.
On one day, we were a tad ambitious, doing Villa Monastero (top) in the morning, a quick half, then Castello Di Vezio (bottom). Monastero was beautiful - stunning gardens and a dozen rooms filled with exquisite furniture and artwork.
The walk up to the castle was quite challenging, but so worth it for the views, the history, the falcons and especially the ghosts. I have dodgy knees and one of them swelled up to twice the size by the time we walked back down. If we had a do-over we'd do that first, then maybe return for Monastero another day.
Villa Carlotta would be my 2nd choice - it was pouring when we did it, but there was still plenty to see.

Here's a flavour of our visit:

Hot or What? - Portugal

My first memory of Portugal was sitting for many hours in a queue at Santander ferry port, after an energy-sapping week in the Costa blanca with temperatures in the mid-high 30s. We were in the old Volvo with no air conditioning, while all around us people sat with their engines running making it even hotter and filling the air with noxious fumes. I got chatting someone in a nearby car, and they were returning from Portugal where the temperatures had been above 40°. Can't imagine why that made us think it might be a good idea to visit. But shortly afterwards, visit we did.

Unfortunately, I didn't keep many records of our brief stay in Portugal in July 2004, it was only a couple of days in a smart hotel with a fabulous outside dining area and an excellent pool. We travelled the 395 miles from Santander, a journey well over 5 hours, but by then we were in the Land Rover Discovery, with air conditioning and a DVD player to keep the kids happy while Bri drove. Because of the distances involved, and the need to get back up to North Spain, we didn't venture too far from the Portuguese/Spanish border, certainly nowhere near the Algarve. Two days chilling by the pool was just enough to recharge batteries before the 339-mile/5-hour trek up to Ovio (near Llanes and our beloved Beach of Caves) for a week before returning home on the 24-hour cruise via the notorious Bay of Biscay.

For some reason my memory insists associating this with the time Chris pulled the curtains closed and their bedroom and the whole thing fell down. Poor lad got teased unmercifully for years afterwards. In particular the jibe was don't pull the curtains in the cabin or you'll sink the ferry. Talking of being teased unmercifully, which I guess is what families do, I was never allowed to forget one of our visits to Spain when I asked for a cafe au lait instead of a cafe con leche. The waiter frowned, because I guess he heard café ole, and when hubby figured is confusion it became a standing joke. I do remember, however, how similar Spanish and Portuguese were, so if I couldn't think of the word, or find it in the dictionary, I would try the Spanish word instead.

Back in June, I mentioned playing cards in the commodore lounge – this was a hack we learnt fairly early on. With 2 adults and 3 kids, the normal 4-berth cabin was horribly cramped and no way to spend an entire day. You pay a chunk extra, but for that you get around 3 times the floor space with room for a couple of chairs and a table, a TV with (back then) video player, 4 berths (the girls were small enough to share) a fridge stocked with juice, water and, if memory serves, a couple of lagers, also a breakfast of croissants, bread juice and tea/coffee/chocolate. One of the big benefits was an outside window and access to the commodore lounge – there was no food or drink when we went, but a calm space away from the hoi-polloi. Well worth its weight in gold.

The ships sported several shops, a couple of tiny cinemas, apparently a swimming pool, although we never bothered, and great facilities for kids including a play area with its own cinema and several organised activities throughout the day. They had numerous cafes, and a posh restaurant (booking essential) and at least 3 bars, the main one having a dance floor and providing several acts throughout the evening, almost always ending with a disco after the magic show and band. After a dozen cross-channel ferry crossings, we figured we’d found our sea legs and we ended up doing this 20-hour mini cruise to Spain and back 14 times between 1993 and 2007, and only once can I remember the Bay of Biscay being so choppy it cost me a meal!

Dashed Hopes - Unexpected Victory

Couldn’t not wrap up this football-centric year without a quick look at England’s 2026 World Cup roller-coaster journey. Who’d have predicted the final score of the third-place playoff when England started the 2nd half 4 goals to nil? 

But first, here’s a quick recap of our team's performance since their first world cup in 1950.

Didn’t Qualify: 1974, 1978, 1994
Didn’t reach knockouts: 1950, 1958, 2014
Knock out before Quarterfinals 1982, 1998, 2010
Quarterfinals: 1954 (lost 2-4 to Uruguay), 1962 (lost 1-3 to Brazil),
1970 (lost 2-3 to West Germany), 1986 (lost 1-2 to Argentina),
2002 (lost 1-2 to Brazil), 2006 (0-0 lost to Portugal on penalties), 2022 (lost 1-2 to France)
Semi-finals:
1990 (1-1 lost to West Germany on penalties) – 4th: lost 1-2 to Italy in bronze playoff
2018 (lost 1-2 to Croatia) – 4th: lost 0-2 to Belgium in bronze playoff
2026 (lost 1-2 to Argentina) – 3rd: beat 6-4 France in bronze playoff
Final: 1966 – England's only World Cup title, defeating West Germany 4-2 at Wembley
Interesting quite how many times we lost 2-1. Just saying.

Back to this year - here's the show so far:
Group L: Winners
17 June: England 4-2 Croatia (Dallas)
The Croatia win was the standout: Harry Kane scored twice, with Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford also on the scoresheet.

23 June: England 0-0 Ghana (Boston)
The Ghana game was a tighter affair, with England held to a goalless draw but staying top of the group.

27 June: Panama 0-2 England (New York)
Jude Bellingham broke a frustrating deadlock to put England ahead after 62 minutes, then crossed for Kane to double their advantage with a close-range header five minutes later. It was the England captain's 11th World Cup goal - taking him one ahead of Gary Lineker, and it put England top of the group.

Knockout stage
1 July – round of 32: England 2-1 DR Congo (Atlanta)
England trailed from the seventh minute, when Brian Cipenga opened the scoring, until the 75th minute when Harry Kane equalised, with the England skipper then blasting a brilliant winner in a dramatic turnaround.

6 July – round of 16: Mexico 2-3 England (Mexico City)
Despite being reduced to 10 men in the 54th minute after Jarell Quansah received a red card, England overcame Mexico’s attempt to reach their first quarter-final in 40 years in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. In a dramatic match at Estadio Azteca, Bellingham scored twice in two minutes, giving England a 2-0 lead, and Mexico pulled one back just before half-time. Harry Kane converted a penalty to restore the two-goal advantage, and Mexico won a penalty nine minutes later. Mexico had strong possession (67%) and created chances, but England’s resilience and defensive organization held firm to secure progression to the quarterfinals.

11 July – quarter-finals: Norway 1-2 England, aet (Miami) Norway seized the initiative from the start with Erling Haaland's header straight at Jordan Pickford, and Schjelderup put Norway ahead in the 36th minute. The Three Lions weathered a wave of pressure before levelling in first-half stoppage time through Bellingham's driving run and cool finish. Harry Kane had the ball in the net moments later, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

15 July – semi-final: England 1-2 Argentina (Atlanta)
This eagerly-awaited revival of one of international football’s great rivalries ended with a repeat of the scoreline in the teams' most famous encounter in Mexico City 40 years ago. One report called the start of the match feisty, cagey and intensely contested, but I thought it was boring with dirty tactics and constant fouling, with the ref only calling a fraction of the Argentinian ones. Very telling that neither side produced an attempt on goal until the 33rd minute, giving a goal-less first half. Ten minutes into the second, Gordon slid a cheeky goal from a Rogers cross followed seconds later by a goal-saving tackle from Spence, stopping Messi in his tracks. The pressure from Argentina was never-ending, and inevitably they scored – 5 minutes before the end, and again, two minutes into add-on time. But most significant was the behaviour of the two teams at the end – few smiles and the handshakes were grudging and few and far between.

18 July – third place play-off: France 4-6 England (Miami)

Chalk and cheese are like identical twins compared to the difference between this match and the last one. Right from the get-go, the interactions were sportsmanlike, the tackles legitimate and the fouling clean (if such a thing is possible) and almost gentlemanly. In the highest scoring third round match ever, Saka gave us a world cup hat-trick including a proper tricksy penalty. Here’s the Fifa report:

France goals: Mbappe (48 & 66), Barcola (54), Ousmane Dembele (90+6)
England goals: Rice (3), Konsa (18), Saka (37, 45+1 & pen 87), Bellingham (90+8)
England overcame France in the ultimate game of two halves in the bronze final of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Bukayo Saka hit a hat-trick and Jude Bellingham finally put an end to a comeback Kylian Mbappe had heroically inspired at Miami Stadium. England annihilated France in the first half. Declan Rice stylishly struck home the opener from outside the box and, after Saka had a goal ruled out for offside, Ezri Kosna made it two. Saka then bagged a quick-fire brace to send Thomas Tuchel’s team in 4-0 up at the break.
Michael Olise’s pass enabled Kylian Mbappe to get them on the board, and the Real Madrid forward set up Bradley Barcola to further decrease the deficit. Mbappe then pulled Les Bleus within one, before Olise came narrowly close to rounding off a breathtaking team move and equalising. The Three Lions were under extreme pressure, but Saka gave them breathing space from the spot after Malo Gusto had tripped Djed Spence. It appeared to finally extinguish the comeback, only for Ousmane Dembele to get France within one again. England’s player of the tournament had the final say, though, Bellingham dribbling past multiple bodies to seal victory in one of the greatest matches the World Cup has ever seen.
It was England’s best finish at the global finals since they triumphed on home soil in 1966.

Post script
As so many have said - Sunday's final was a total anticlimax. Spain gave it everything they had and those dirty argies, who didn't even manage a single shot on target and thoroughly disgraced themselves with the wrangling after the final whistle. As my son said, never has there been a more hated team at the world cup, and the whole world enjoyed the schadenfreude of their defeat at the hands (feet) of the Spaniards who more than deserved the win.