Well, actually, as I sit here writing, the weather has turned gray and rainy outside again, BUT the past few weeks up until now have been beautiful and spring-like! Much like in Seattle (since we have fairly similar weather here), as soon as the sun appears, everyone jumps to life and rushes outside. The parks are filled with families, cafes open up their sidewalk tables for people to dine al fresco, and joggers and cyclists are out in droves. Everyone just seems cheery and full of energy. We’ve joined in the spring frenzy like everyone else, trying to take advantage of getting outside while the sun is shining. In truth, although everyone likes to complain about it, I didn’t find the winter here too bad — very much like Seattle (though a bit colder and windier I think), maybe not even as rainy in my opinion. Nonetheless, we are glad to see the flowers blooming and the sun shining. Here are some scenes of springtime.

Playing in the park:

Rafi playing by the seafront

And last weekend we visited a cool place called Ardgillan Castle, about a half hour drive away. It’s a beautiful house with large grassy lawns and gardens overlooking the sea. We walked around the grounds and then discovered the awesome playground. It had a ton of great new equipment that both boys could enjoy — boats, castles, swings, and a zipline which Isaac loved (after a bit of convincing to try it). We definitely want to go back to this playground again!