Day 101- 08/12/2007 (Sunday)
My brother and his family left early this morning. It was great having them here for a few days, particularly for the twins to be able to play with their ‘big’ cousins. They also were a great help to us especially during these very busy last few days.
We went to mass this morning, which was extremely busy with all the holidaymakers who are here. There was also a lot of media outside but the village is starting to return to normal again after the events of last week leading up to the 100 days since Madeleine disappeared.
A couple of other friends and their daughter have come out to stay with us this week, which really helps. We had a fairly quiet afternoon, spent with the kids who remain very happy. They speak about their big sister frequently and seem to want to look after cuddle cat as much as mummy!
Day 102 - 08/13/2007
Praia da Luz is slowly returning to normal. The number of TV crews has reduced dramatically and we have been able to get back to more of our normal routine here. There is still a large media presence particularly of print journalists who are waiting, like everyone else, for the next development in the police investigation. We are still optimistic that there will be a breakthrough. In the meantime however, little has changed for Kate and I. We will not give up hope until Madeleine is found and we will not stop searching for her.
The campaign, as planned, will enter a quieter phase again. We have always envisaged that media attention focussed on Madeleine and us would quieten down and just occasionally we would try to remind people that Madeleine is still missing and that we are still looking. There cannot be many people who do not know these facts after the events of this last week. As well as the find Madeleine campaign we will be working closely with ICMEC and it is heartening to see so many visitors to the YouTube don’t you forget about me channel for missing children.
Kate and I would also like to thank the thousands of people who have sent us messages of support over the last few days. It really does help and we know that you will keep looking for Madeleine.
Day 103 - 08/14/2007
Relatively quiet day. This allowed me to catch up with e-mails, phone calls and some administration. No major news on any front.
The weather has been unseasonably cool over the last 2-3 days. I have had a long sleeved top on for the first time in over 2 months and it is more pleasant overnight, making sleep easier.
Day 104 - 08/15/2007
It is the feast of the assumption today, which is a holiday in Portugal. This morning we attended mass, which was very busy and again many of the local community asked after Madeleine and said the word ‘force’, meaning strength.
This afternoon Kate and I did a combined interview for the Liverpool Post and the Leicester Mercury this afternoon. We said a big thank you to their readers for all their support and good wishes.
Day 105 - 08/16/2007
As well as the huge number of messages of support we have had a large increase in letters of support. We did some photos of us opening the mail and we received some lovely messages and a few symbols of hope. Afterwards I made a lot of phone calls and managed to catch up with all my e-mails.
Late afternoon we were invited round to a friends house with a pool which the kids and I really enjoyed. We stayed for dinner and the kids fell asleep on the way back to our house. Our accommodation is a very modest family home and, most definitely, not a luxury villa, as was reported in one of the Portuguese newspapers yesterday. I can confirm that it does not have a swimming pool, 2 storeys and in fact was amongst the cheapest accommodation available, at short notice, in Luz in August. I would also like to point out that Madeleines fund has not paid for any of our accommodation in Portugal.
Day 106- 08/17/2007
Relatively quiet day. We are looking at what other avenues we ca explore which might help us find Madeleine. Obviously we are desperate for a breakthrough in the investigation and we always try to look forward and ask what can still be done? The official PJ Spokesman Olegario da Sousa did an interview for Portuguese TV the other day and we will add the text of this interview to the news links so everyone can read the full interview.
I still have lots of e-mails and phone calls to answer every day. We spent quite a bit of time opening and reading all the mail that arrived which generally encourage us to keep going and not give up hope.
Late afternoon we took the twins to the beach for a couple of hours. The weather has become warmer again but the kids are still reluctant to get into the sea, which is pretty cold. They love playing in the sand and like most kids, building sandcastles but especially knocking them down.
This evening we had another vigil for Madeleine and other lost children. The priest who married us and is a good friend led the service that was conducted in English and Portuguese. The church was almost full but there was a calm serenity and sense of peace, which I find, helps me achieve an inner calm despite the turmoil in lives.
Day 107 - 08/18/2007
Kate took our friends to the airport early this morning. Otherwise it was a quiet family day. We have met some incredibly lovely people in the last few months. Today we caught up with a fantastic couple that met in London and lived there for 35 years before retiring to the Algarve. They have been incredibly kind to us and the twins very much enjoyed the apple cake we had with them.
This afternoon we had a British visitor ho came to offer us a different type of support. He has been through an ordeal similar to ours involving one of his family. It was good to talk about our emotions, the pressures and different coping strategies that we use in an ongoing trauma, with someone who has experienced a tragic event like ours.
My brother and his family left early this morning. It was great having them here for a few days, particularly for the twins to be able to play with their ‘big’ cousins. They also were a great help to us especially during these very busy last few days.
We went to mass this morning, which was extremely busy with all the holidaymakers who are here. There was also a lot of media outside but the village is starting to return to normal again after the events of last week leading up to the 100 days since Madeleine disappeared.
A couple of other friends and their daughter have come out to stay with us this week, which really helps. We had a fairly quiet afternoon, spent with the kids who remain very happy. They speak about their big sister frequently and seem to want to look after cuddle cat as much as mummy!
Day 102 - 08/13/2007
Praia da Luz is slowly returning to normal. The number of TV crews has reduced dramatically and we have been able to get back to more of our normal routine here. There is still a large media presence particularly of print journalists who are waiting, like everyone else, for the next development in the police investigation. We are still optimistic that there will be a breakthrough. In the meantime however, little has changed for Kate and I. We will not give up hope until Madeleine is found and we will not stop searching for her.
The campaign, as planned, will enter a quieter phase again. We have always envisaged that media attention focussed on Madeleine and us would quieten down and just occasionally we would try to remind people that Madeleine is still missing and that we are still looking. There cannot be many people who do not know these facts after the events of this last week. As well as the find Madeleine campaign we will be working closely with ICMEC and it is heartening to see so many visitors to the YouTube don’t you forget about me channel for missing children.
Kate and I would also like to thank the thousands of people who have sent us messages of support over the last few days. It really does help and we know that you will keep looking for Madeleine.
Day 103 - 08/14/2007
Relatively quiet day. This allowed me to catch up with e-mails, phone calls and some administration. No major news on any front.
The weather has been unseasonably cool over the last 2-3 days. I have had a long sleeved top on for the first time in over 2 months and it is more pleasant overnight, making sleep easier.
Day 104 - 08/15/2007
It is the feast of the assumption today, which is a holiday in Portugal. This morning we attended mass, which was very busy and again many of the local community asked after Madeleine and said the word ‘force’, meaning strength.
This afternoon Kate and I did a combined interview for the Liverpool Post and the Leicester Mercury this afternoon. We said a big thank you to their readers for all their support and good wishes.
Day 105 - 08/16/2007
As well as the huge number of messages of support we have had a large increase in letters of support. We did some photos of us opening the mail and we received some lovely messages and a few symbols of hope. Afterwards I made a lot of phone calls and managed to catch up with all my e-mails.
Late afternoon we were invited round to a friends house with a pool which the kids and I really enjoyed. We stayed for dinner and the kids fell asleep on the way back to our house. Our accommodation is a very modest family home and, most definitely, not a luxury villa, as was reported in one of the Portuguese newspapers yesterday. I can confirm that it does not have a swimming pool, 2 storeys and in fact was amongst the cheapest accommodation available, at short notice, in Luz in August. I would also like to point out that Madeleines fund has not paid for any of our accommodation in Portugal.
Day 106- 08/17/2007
Relatively quiet day. We are looking at what other avenues we ca explore which might help us find Madeleine. Obviously we are desperate for a breakthrough in the investigation and we always try to look forward and ask what can still be done? The official PJ Spokesman Olegario da Sousa did an interview for Portuguese TV the other day and we will add the text of this interview to the news links so everyone can read the full interview.
I still have lots of e-mails and phone calls to answer every day. We spent quite a bit of time opening and reading all the mail that arrived which generally encourage us to keep going and not give up hope.
Late afternoon we took the twins to the beach for a couple of hours. The weather has become warmer again but the kids are still reluctant to get into the sea, which is pretty cold. They love playing in the sand and like most kids, building sandcastles but especially knocking them down.
This evening we had another vigil for Madeleine and other lost children. The priest who married us and is a good friend led the service that was conducted in English and Portuguese. The church was almost full but there was a calm serenity and sense of peace, which I find, helps me achieve an inner calm despite the turmoil in lives.
Day 107 - 08/18/2007
Kate took our friends to the airport early this morning. Otherwise it was a quiet family day. We have met some incredibly lovely people in the last few months. Today we caught up with a fantastic couple that met in London and lived there for 35 years before retiring to the Algarve. They have been incredibly kind to us and the twins very much enjoyed the apple cake we had with them.
This afternoon we had a British visitor ho came to offer us a different type of support. He has been through an ordeal similar to ours involving one of his family. It was good to talk about our emotions, the pressures and different coping strategies that we use in an ongoing trauma, with someone who has experienced a tragic event like ours.
