As I couldn't attend last week's OSCON, I decided to take the family on holiday to the "Island" of Portland near Weymouth in Dorset (on the south coast of England for our non-UK readers). We had a blast, even though I was banned from bringing my laptop along. I did take a couple of books I am reviewing along, so I didn't feel I was missing too much ;)
The hotel, Portland Heights , and staff were very friendly and helpful, the food was great, the facilities were great and the price was fantastic. The view from the bar overlooked Chesil Beach and Weymouth and was breathtaking.
DanDan wore us out most of the time, even though he insisted he walk (or usually run) everywhere. You wouldn't believe a 20 month old baby had so much energy. It was his first proper holiday, first experience of the beach, the sea and swimming. And he loved it. Dan is the most friendliest child I have ever know, he loves to go up other children and give them a big hug, generally gives them a big smile and says hello. It was also amazing to see how many kids just let him pick up (in most cases take out of their hands) their buckets/spaces/etc and just let him play. I reckon he'll be pretty popular when he gets older.
We did some sightseeing, including Portland Bill lighthouse, Maiden Castle and a few ruins together with some great local markets. If you're ever thinking of somewhere to go for a break, I'd certainly recommend it. Even on the one overcast day, we had plenty to do.
Dan managed to climb upto Maiden Castle (an old earthen hill fort) run around the top, climb the banks where the battlements used to be and climb all the way down again. When you bear in mind it's steep, huge and takes about 15-20 minutes just to walk up, you might understand why we were disappointed we didn't wear him out!
Came back to 500+ home emails and 700+ work emails of which, 300+ were spam. Good job I use a spam filter these days.
