A colleague who has family in NC visited there a couple of months ago -- I was surprised to learn from him that, contrary to other sources, no inoculation shots are required for visitors, against things like yellow fever, TB, etc. I inquired whether that only applies to the capitol city of Noumea, but he said 'no', its the whole island. Can anyone confirm ?

Broadview Gardens at Hadlow in Kent (SE of London) has the national collection of hellebores so would be well worth a visit. It is open under the National Gardens Scheme (www.ngs.org.uk)on 21 February. The NGS site will also list other winter gardens so should be a useful starting point. Many famous gardens (such as Sissinghurst) close during the winter months, so do ensure that you check opening times. The Royal Horticultural Society's garden (www.rhs.org.uk) at Wisley is open all year round and has many extensive plant collections and a good nursery too. Beth Chatto's Garden is also highly recommended and is open throughout the year (http://www.bethchatto.co.uk/gardens.html) Enjoy planning your holiday! Here is a link that might be useful: Broadview Gardens

We have two kids and are departing soon for a trip to Europe, we will be in the south of France for two weeks and in Holland for one week. In the south of France, we are staying in a house that is located in the Luberon. I drew a circle around the town we're staying in and basically researched the towns within a one hour driving radius. We are then flying via Ryan Air to Holland and staying in an apartment in Amsterdam. The house we're staying in in the south of France is a relatively simple place. My kids are older than yours, but we've made it a priority to pack books and simple arts activities they can do. I expect to buy a jigsaw puzzle. We are bringing a deck of cards, an IPod and a Nintendo DS. There is no TV or internet connection at the house. We've talked to the kids a lot about flexibility. The biggest hassle with the electronic games, is that yes they have the advantage of being small and light, but they need a variety of chargers and power adapters to work with the European electrical current. Radio Shack had the highest prices around, Best Buy was better, but believe it or not, I found electrical equipment in the men's section of Marshalls where they sell things like um, power golf ball washers and the like. I also have purchased and wrapped small items for the children to receive at various times through the trip. Little clay kits from JoAnne bought on sale, they like these, and they cost about $2 each. Calvin and Hobbes books collected from garage sales for about 25 cents each. I sleep mask and ear plugs set, two bucks on sale at KMart. I assemble these and wrap them before we leave -- unwrapping the 'gifts' makes it even more fun for the kids. Oh, crayons and paper are another must. I had my daughter down load a lot of young adult books on CD onto her eye-pod and got an ear phone splitter so two kids can listen to the books on tape on the same Ipod player. Ideally, they'll listen to these in the back of the car while my husband and I talk or listen to our own music up front. We enjoy having down time while we're away, and plan on doing only one 'big' touristy thing a day. When traveling with kids, I like to have a sort of big picture plan, with info about all the sights available in a specific region, but like to play it by ear on a day to day basis, being responsive to people's moods, energy levels, health, etc. I also know in advance that I want to show them certain things, as in categories of things, like in the south of France, it'll be something like one cathedral, one abbey, one art museum, etc. I have a child whose into nature so we've made sure to research natural habitats and will probably get him a book so he and his sister can identify bugs and birds while we're there. I've also taken out library books on the countries we're visiting and left them lying around the kitchen table and we've done some casual thumbing through the pages. I don't force it. I just try to get them thinking a little, and looking at pictures really does that. It's important to remind them that travel is fun but it's also work and some days may be challenging for them. Oh, one more thing, we bring addresses for their friends so they can write postcards. I also take pictures of their friends and keep them stored on the digital camera so they can scroll back and look at the pictures when they feel like they're missing the kids back home.

Cape Cod: Chatham Islands: If you have to choose one, I'd recommend Nantucket over Martha's Vinyard. There is a high speed ferry which only takes an hour but be sure to make reservations. The Vinyard is beautiful but very much like the rest of the Cape. Nantucket's historic district is truly like walking back through time - complete with cobblestone roads! Definitely worth googling to see if it's of interest to you. RI: Newport - Cliff Walk, Mansions, Thames St shops/restaurants, Inn at Castle Hill - fabulous (but pricey) waterfront dining/lodging or just enjoy a drink while sitting in their Adirondack chairs (weather permitting). Fantastic sunsets. CT: Mystic - downtown & Sea Port Waterford: Harkness State Park - beautiful, waterfront, mansion, popular with fishermen/family picnics. Essex: Essex Steam Train & Riverboat Tour: http://www.essexsteamtrain.com/ Madison: Lenny & Joes - casual, seafood Have a great trip!