Day 154 - Website Building, Paddle Tennis and Why the Kids Don’t Want to Leave Lake Garda

Kia and I were up first as usual, coffees going, easing into the morning. Emmett stuck to his routine and ran down to the shop to grab bread rolls, ham and cheese, then got back just in time to head straight off to tennis.

The plan for me today was to really get stuck into Kia’s website. I started working on it in the morning, then paused to cook breakfast and make another coffee before getting back into it.

Maddie headed up to watch Emmett at tennis, while Kia and I used the time to get a few things done. We knocked over some laundry and then went to the gym together, which was really good. The gym was packed today though. You can feel the place getting busier now. More people arriving, the pool filling up, just a lot more energy around the park.

After the gym, we met back at the accommodation and had lunch together. Then I got straight back into the website.

I’ve finally got a clearer strategy for how I want to build it out. How the pages will connect, how it should flow, how to make it look a bit more professional. I’ve started designing some simple symbols in Canva as well, colour-coded with transparent backgrounds. It’s a slow process, but it’s starting to come together. The homepage is now done, which feels like a big step. Now it’s just about building out the rest and linking everything properly.

By the time I wrapped up for a bit, the kids were already down at the pool. Kia and I went down to join them and ended up chatting with our Norwegian friends. Had a drink, watched the kids, just a really relaxed afternoon.

Eventually we headed back. I did a bit more work on the website, Maddie got dinner going, and Kia spent some time on her kinesiology work.

Then it was time for paddle.

This was our second time playing with a group from the hub. There’s usually about eight of us, and we book the court for a couple of hours. We rotate teams, play best of three sets, mix it up each game.

We were definitely better this time. Coordination was better, rallies lasted longer, shots were cleaner. Everyone was playing well, and it just made it more fun. Lots of laughs, good energy, just a really good way to finish the day.

The only downside is we finished around 8pm, so everything runs late from there.

I had to go hunt down Emmett after that. He’d gone wandering, and while I was out looking for him, he’d come back and Kia had sent him looking for me. Bit of a crossover, but we eventually found each other.

Kids showered, dinner done, into bed a bit later than usual.

Big, full day.

We’re handing the bikes back tomorrow, which Emmett is not happy about. He actually asked if we could stay longer because he’s loving it so much. I think both him and Maddie are really enjoying the freedom here. Being able to just head out for the day, do their own thing, come back when they’re hungry or when we call them.

And to be honest, we’re enjoying that too.

Tomorrow’s shaping up to be a good one. We’re heading into Lazise and then jumping on a ferry across Lake Garda to check out a new town.

Keen for it.

I just need to carve out a bit more time to finish Kia’s website. I’m getting close now. The goal is to have it ready so she can start bringing in some clients for remote sessions once we hit Morocco.

That’s the plan.