Hi all,
I hope you all had a very happy Christmas time with your loved ones and that you all enjoyed the festivities and had fun.
I've been thinking about whether to do this update or not but I think I have to as this blog is about my life in general and I have to be honest to do it justice and to make it worth my while. So, I have a confession to make.... on Christmas morning I was so hungover that I was not able to attend breakfast or the opening of presents. There, I've admitted it. My shame and embarrassment have haunted me over the last few days and I'm sort of hoping that putting it out there on this will, at least,open people's eyes to what I can be like and also to get it off my chest.
I was so looking forward to having our first Christmas in our new home and to be having most of the family around us. My Christmas Eve started wonderfully with a visit to my daughter and her family.The 4 grandchildren - ages from 5 years to 8 weeks - were on great form and were a joy to spend time with. They were allowed to open their presents from us as we weren't seeing them on the day and that was very special. There reactions were something I will treasure.
Then it was back home to prepare for the arrival of the rest of the family for the annual Christmas Eve quiz. I sorted the food and hubby made several trips to the railway station to pick up family. By 8 pm everyone had arrived and we started on the food (just nibbles and a chilli really), had a few drinks and got on with the quiz. I hadn't organised any quiz prizes and so had to run around and find some things that would be acceptable.' Frozen' mugs anyone?! It was the usual uproarious affair with lots of laughs and a few bones of contention regarding the answers but we all loved it. From there on was where it all went wrong for me.
I was having a great time, chatting, catching up and not thinking about what I was drinking. The night wore on. Various people drifted off to bed and I was left with music, two other 'merry' guests who were as happy to sing and dance as I was and the remote control. Unfortunately, the music got louder (Uptown Funk is a great to dance to when at full volume but probably not best at 2 in the morning) and things got a little out of hand, After several requests from other guests to please turn the volume down, we finally gave in and went to bed and that was it. The damage was done and I was obviously going to be a wreck the next morning.
I WAS a wreck the next morning. I could barely get out of bed, let alone prepare breakfast or eat or drink anything. I couldn't sit upright without feeling violently sick so I went back to bed and that is where I stayed pretty much all day to my shame. I didn't open a present or see anyone open theirs. Fortunately, all of the family were leaving to go for dinner elsewhere, Unfortunately, my father in law was coming for lunch and that couldn't be put off. There was also no way that I was going to be able to cook a dinner or eat anything. Oh, I cringe as I am writing this. It really is appalling.
Well, anyway, father in law arrived and I spent about 10 minutes trying to make conversation until hubby returned and then hubby got on and cooked the Christmas lunch which he had no idea that he was going to do and which he has never done before and I, yes, you've guessed it, went back to bed.
I did try to eat some lunch but it was a wasted effort and father in law started to eat, got a bad case of hiccups and couldn't eat after that. My poor husband. I felt so sorry for him. No amount of apologising is going to make up for this episode but he was a star and didn't moan, complain or get angry with me and I know, if the boot had been on the other foot, I would not have been so gracious.
Hubby took father in law home, walked the dog and then, finally, his work was done. My headache and nausea had subsided but I still couldn't eat anything. I still felt wretched but more because I had ruined people's day more than anything...and the fact that I had been such an idiot made me feel even worse.
Boxing Day morning arrived and I had been up since the early hours thinking about what I had done and how I was going to sort it out. All I could do was apologise. There was nothing else to be done. I had already apologised profusely to my hubby who was was so gracious that it made me feel worse.
We had arranged to go racing at Fontwell Park and were meeting family there so I knew that I would be able to say sorry quickly which I did as soon as I saw everyone.I said sorry individually to each person and, I was very relieved when everyone accepted my apology. I also rang my father in law but he didn't answer his phone so I left a message for him.
The day at the races was great fun and a real tonic after the day before. The weather was cold and damp but we were wrapped up warm. Hubby loves going horse racing and looked the part in his cords, waxed jacket and flat cap. We had a few winners and the racing was good.We stood by the finish post so we had an excellent view. It was really exciting as the horses galloped past at speed. We left before the last race as we were all very cold by then and it was starting to get dark.
When we got home I got a roast dinner of sorts together and that was followed by Christmas pud and brandy butter which went down well and that was the day done.
So, that's my confession...warts and all. I can't add anymore really. What's done is done. Life goes on etc etc but the fact that I spoiled Christmas day for the person who loves me most in the world will live with me for a very long time.
Hopefully, none of you had anything similar going on.
Enjoy the next few quieter days before New Year's Eve is upon us and we herald in 2015.
Much love form a very humble and ashamed me
xxxxx
Saturday 27 December 2014
Sunday 21 December 2014
Seasons Greetings!
Hi all and welcome to my last update before the big day. I'm typing this, bright and breezy, at 3.45 am would you believe?! I've been awake for a couple of hours and sleep is proving elusive so I thought I'd get up, have a cup of tea and make some mince pies. I'm sure that sounds ridiculous but once I'm awake that's it and why waste time? I can always go back to bed later if I want to.
I came downstairs a few minutes ago, made a cup of tea, gave a slice of bread to the dog and made myself a slice of toast with loads of Anchor butter spread over it (well, it is Christmas!) and turned on the oven in preparation for the mince pie onslaught. I went to turn the lamp on in the lounge and - the bulbs blew. It's one of those lamps with a reading light and a standard lamp so a two in one job and neither would work so I assumed it was the fuse. I was wrong but I only found out after I had changed the fuse. I then changed both bulbs and now all is well. All a bit unnecessary for this time of the morning I feel.
So here I am, typing away with Radio 2 and a dog on the sofa beside me keeping me company.
Are you all ready for the festivities? If you're anything like me, you will think that you are but then, like the advert on the TV, you will randomly think of something that you just have to have and, before you know it, there will be yet another list on the go. My latest list, composed an hour or so ago, contains just about every vegetable that you can think of, the odd bit of fruit and some cloves plus bread, croissants and pan au chocolate. Quite why I feel it necessary to have all of this 'just in case' is beyond me but it's the same thing every year.
I have spent the last week since work finished visiting friends and chasing my tail. The visiting has been lovely. I have caught up with several old clients who have long since become friends. I have indulged in tea, coffee, mince pies, hot chocolate and the odd lunch and I been so touched by people that have given me gifts and cards. People are so kind.
Saturday was a lovely, if hectic, day. I picked up my daughter and we went to catch up with some of the family at what has become an annual event. My sister hosts it every year and it's always lovely. Lots of food and drink and good company. Although we are a big family, or maybe because of it, we don't get together very often so it's always nice when it happens. There are always a few who can't make it but there are enough of us to make it worth while. There are always lots of children which is great. There is also quite often an addition to the family too so it's great to catch up and see how much the little ones have grown and how all of the adults are surviving!
After the catch up and via a visit to my brother and his family who were about to host their own street party, my daughter and I set off to London where we visited the South Bank and their winter festival. Oh, it was magical...and very, very busy. We indulged ourselves with mulled wine while we wondered around and looked at the various stalls and then went to pick up our tickets for a show at The Royal Festival Hall that I had booked earlier in the month.
Once we had picked up our tickets, we attempted to find somewhere to eat but everywhere was full so we grabbed a spiced lamb wrap each from one of the vendors and sat on a bench and watched the world go by while we enjoyed our food. I then fancied some candy floss so that was my next indulgence which I thoroughly enjoyed and then we grabbed a mulled cider each that had a toffee vodka shot in. Now that was good.
We took our hot drinks back into the crowded Festival Hall and listened to a group who were playing hi energy gypsy songs to rapturous applause for the hundreds of people who were scattered throughout the building. We found a corner to sit for a while and it happened to be a knitting corner! People were invited to sit and knit a square. Wool and needles provided. All of the squares were going to be stitched together to make blankets for the elderly. Well, I couldn't resist and had a go. I'm not a great knitter but I'm happy to have a go. I really, really enjoyed it and I will most definitely go back to the Festival Hall again. I've walked past it so many times and never set foot inside.
Then it was time to go to the show...The Slava Snow Show. I had no idea what to expect but the word 'snow' was in the title, it's Christmas, so why not? Well, it was really the most bizarre show I have ever seen. It was basically clowns! It was funny, sad, bonkers and memorable. I think there was supposed to be a storyline of sorts but, if there was, it was totally beyond us.
My brother had already seen the show when it was in Woking and he said that it's impossible to describe what it's like to someone who hasn't seen it. I think he is right. It's a visual experience more than anything but mainly it's bonkers. We loved it though and we laughed our heads off at the end because it was so weird.
Sunday saw me having a day at home and hubby a day at work. I enjoyed a nice walk with the dog in the morning and then really just pottered about. One of our next door neighbours popped round with some homemade glogg from his Norwegian family recipe and in the evening we were invited to go to another neighbours house where she was hosting what is apparently an annual get together for friends, family and neighbours. There was food and drink aplenty and it was a great opportunity to meet some more of the locals and put some names to the faces of people that I have started to wave or nod at when I see them!
I came downstairs a few minutes ago, made a cup of tea, gave a slice of bread to the dog and made myself a slice of toast with loads of Anchor butter spread over it (well, it is Christmas!) and turned on the oven in preparation for the mince pie onslaught. I went to turn the lamp on in the lounge and - the bulbs blew. It's one of those lamps with a reading light and a standard lamp so a two in one job and neither would work so I assumed it was the fuse. I was wrong but I only found out after I had changed the fuse. I then changed both bulbs and now all is well. All a bit unnecessary for this time of the morning I feel.
So here I am, typing away with Radio 2 and a dog on the sofa beside me keeping me company.
Are you all ready for the festivities? If you're anything like me, you will think that you are but then, like the advert on the TV, you will randomly think of something that you just have to have and, before you know it, there will be yet another list on the go. My latest list, composed an hour or so ago, contains just about every vegetable that you can think of, the odd bit of fruit and some cloves plus bread, croissants and pan au chocolate. Quite why I feel it necessary to have all of this 'just in case' is beyond me but it's the same thing every year.
I have spent the last week since work finished visiting friends and chasing my tail. The visiting has been lovely. I have caught up with several old clients who have long since become friends. I have indulged in tea, coffee, mince pies, hot chocolate and the odd lunch and I been so touched by people that have given me gifts and cards. People are so kind.
Saturday was a lovely, if hectic, day. I picked up my daughter and we went to catch up with some of the family at what has become an annual event. My sister hosts it every year and it's always lovely. Lots of food and drink and good company. Although we are a big family, or maybe because of it, we don't get together very often so it's always nice when it happens. There are always a few who can't make it but there are enough of us to make it worth while. There are always lots of children which is great. There is also quite often an addition to the family too so it's great to catch up and see how much the little ones have grown and how all of the adults are surviving!
After the catch up and via a visit to my brother and his family who were about to host their own street party, my daughter and I set off to London where we visited the South Bank and their winter festival. Oh, it was magical...and very, very busy. We indulged ourselves with mulled wine while we wondered around and looked at the various stalls and then went to pick up our tickets for a show at The Royal Festival Hall that I had booked earlier in the month.
Once we had picked up our tickets, we attempted to find somewhere to eat but everywhere was full so we grabbed a spiced lamb wrap each from one of the vendors and sat on a bench and watched the world go by while we enjoyed our food. I then fancied some candy floss so that was my next indulgence which I thoroughly enjoyed and then we grabbed a mulled cider each that had a toffee vodka shot in. Now that was good.
We took our hot drinks back into the crowded Festival Hall and listened to a group who were playing hi energy gypsy songs to rapturous applause for the hundreds of people who were scattered throughout the building. We found a corner to sit for a while and it happened to be a knitting corner! People were invited to sit and knit a square. Wool and needles provided. All of the squares were going to be stitched together to make blankets for the elderly. Well, I couldn't resist and had a go. I'm not a great knitter but I'm happy to have a go. I really, really enjoyed it and I will most definitely go back to the Festival Hall again. I've walked past it so many times and never set foot inside.
Then it was time to go to the show...The Slava Snow Show. I had no idea what to expect but the word 'snow' was in the title, it's Christmas, so why not? Well, it was really the most bizarre show I have ever seen. It was basically clowns! It was funny, sad, bonkers and memorable. I think there was supposed to be a storyline of sorts but, if there was, it was totally beyond us.
My brother had already seen the show when it was in Woking and he said that it's impossible to describe what it's like to someone who hasn't seen it. I think he is right. It's a visual experience more than anything but mainly it's bonkers. We loved it though and we laughed our heads off at the end because it was so weird.
Well, I had better go and make some mince pies as the oven has been on for an hour.
I wish you all the happiest of Christmases. I hope that you get to spend it in the way that you want to, be it surrounded by family, with friends or quietly on your own.
Much love to you all xxxx
Sunday 14 December 2014
Special Children
Hi all,
So another busy week in the life of me comes to an end and I'm typing this with yet another headache which is not good. Off to the doctors for me if I can get an appointment. It will be my first visit to our new doctor which is a bit daunting as I had a wonderful doctor back in Guildford who knew me and my family very well and who we all felt very comfortable with.
This last week has seen me work two extra 12 hour night shifts to cover for a poorly colleague and, boy, was I happy to get to Friday and the end of term! As you can imagine, working in a boarding school you get a lot of the same illnesses presenting themselves as the children pass bugs from one to another very easily. This term has seen the usual run of sore throats and colds and, just during the last few days before the end of term, a bout of vomiting which made my last night busy when I could have done with it being quiet but there you are, that's how it goes and that's my job.
I have also been to the nativity plays of two of my grandchildren which was really lovely. There is nothing like a nativity to get me in the Christmas groove and hearing little ones sing 'Away In a Manger' has always, and still does, move me to tears. I was so happy to see them, and all of their school mates, singing their hearts out, speaking their parts clearly and flapping their angel wings with such grace. A magical time for this Nanny!
I think that I have mentioned before that two of my children were born with a genetic condition. That condition is called Stickler Syndrome, a relatively rare, non-life threatening condition that can affect hearing, sight and joints along with causing cleft palates. I doubt that any of you will have heard of this condition unless you know someone who has it.
I had never heard of Stickler until a few days after my first daughter was born. She was very poorly and ended up being diagnosed by fax machine by Great Ormond Street hospital when she was 2 days old. There was no internet back then and the fax machine was the latest thing in communication!
Once diagnosed, my daughter stayed in the special care unit for 6 weeks. She had various complications that needed treatment and observation but eventually we were able to take her home.
Various surgeries took place over the early years for her and I also had another baby girl who also had the same condition, although she wasn't as badly affected as her older sister.
The early and school years were difficult times for my girls and for us all as they were statemented for special educational needs, were told that they weren't allowed to take part in certain school activities (swimming!!) due to basic health and safety concerns and both suffered from various forms of bullying because of how they looked, talked etc etc.
This is really only a very, very brief synopsis of what it was like for them and therefore for us as we struggled in our own ways to deal with the constant issues that Stickler kept throwing in our way.
Ear surgery, palate repairs, detached retina, cataracts and nose reconstructive surgery were just some of the physical traumas that my girls had to go through.
Now both of my girls are grown women and married. The horrible thing about Stickler is that is is genetic. There is a 50/50 chance that any child that either of the girls give birth to will also have Stickler Syndrome and there is nothing that can be done to influence that statistic. One of the girls has recently given birth to her 4th baby and, absolutely amazingly, none of the four little ones appear to have inherited the condition which is miraculous to me and I will be forever grateful for that.
The mum of the little ones is now suffering with one of the curve balls that Stickler can throw at you - cataracts on both eyes. Her vision is severely limited. Reading and watching TV is virtually impossible for her at the moment. I have no idea how she copes day to day with 4 little people when her sight is so impaired but she does. She hasn't complained about it. There has been no 'Why me?' from her, just relief and a little guilt that she hasn't suffered as much as her older sister has done over the years.
Shortly after Christmas my daughter will be admitted to hospital for surgery to both eyes. She will have 3 lots of general anesthetic and will in hospital for at least 5 days. She will have a littlest baby with her and the other little three will be at home with Daddy, Nanny, Grandma, uncles, aunties, friends - whoever can pitch in and help out.
Anyone who knows me or who reads this blog occasionally will know just how much I love my family but my children are my 'babies' and I never want any of them to suffer any pain or to be unhappy. When things go wrong for any of them I vaguely feel responsible (I know that I'm not and I know that it's stupid!) and I wish that I had a magic wand to make everything better but I don't.
Stickler Syndrome came into my life when I was 23 years old and it is never going to go away. I wish that I had never heard of it and I hate the impact that it has had on the lives of my children and our family but, and it's a big but, my children are incredibly brave and resilient - all four of them, but especially my eldest two who have had more to put up with than anyone should ever have to to be honest.
Before I get too emotional about it all I had better go otherwise I will be embarrassing myself and my kids but I just want people to know how brave and strong my children are. To my eldest two, you are amazing. You just get on with your lives no matter what and I don't know where you get the strength from. Nobody would ever know from just meeting you and talking to you what you have gone through and that says more than I ever could. To my youngest two, you always, always look out for your sisters and you always have done. I know that it hasn't always been easy for you and I know that your childhoods, especially, were sprinkled with Stickler related incidents that affected you both because your sisters were poorly but look at us all all....still here, still a family, still together.
Have a good week everyone
A xx
So another busy week in the life of me comes to an end and I'm typing this with yet another headache which is not good. Off to the doctors for me if I can get an appointment. It will be my first visit to our new doctor which is a bit daunting as I had a wonderful doctor back in Guildford who knew me and my family very well and who we all felt very comfortable with.
This last week has seen me work two extra 12 hour night shifts to cover for a poorly colleague and, boy, was I happy to get to Friday and the end of term! As you can imagine, working in a boarding school you get a lot of the same illnesses presenting themselves as the children pass bugs from one to another very easily. This term has seen the usual run of sore throats and colds and, just during the last few days before the end of term, a bout of vomiting which made my last night busy when I could have done with it being quiet but there you are, that's how it goes and that's my job.
I have also been to the nativity plays of two of my grandchildren which was really lovely. There is nothing like a nativity to get me in the Christmas groove and hearing little ones sing 'Away In a Manger' has always, and still does, move me to tears. I was so happy to see them, and all of their school mates, singing their hearts out, speaking their parts clearly and flapping their angel wings with such grace. A magical time for this Nanny!
I think that I have mentioned before that two of my children were born with a genetic condition. That condition is called Stickler Syndrome, a relatively rare, non-life threatening condition that can affect hearing, sight and joints along with causing cleft palates. I doubt that any of you will have heard of this condition unless you know someone who has it.
I had never heard of Stickler until a few days after my first daughter was born. She was very poorly and ended up being diagnosed by fax machine by Great Ormond Street hospital when she was 2 days old. There was no internet back then and the fax machine was the latest thing in communication!
Once diagnosed, my daughter stayed in the special care unit for 6 weeks. She had various complications that needed treatment and observation but eventually we were able to take her home.
Various surgeries took place over the early years for her and I also had another baby girl who also had the same condition, although she wasn't as badly affected as her older sister.
The early and school years were difficult times for my girls and for us all as they were statemented for special educational needs, were told that they weren't allowed to take part in certain school activities (swimming!!) due to basic health and safety concerns and both suffered from various forms of bullying because of how they looked, talked etc etc.
This is really only a very, very brief synopsis of what it was like for them and therefore for us as we struggled in our own ways to deal with the constant issues that Stickler kept throwing in our way.
Ear surgery, palate repairs, detached retina, cataracts and nose reconstructive surgery were just some of the physical traumas that my girls had to go through.
Now both of my girls are grown women and married. The horrible thing about Stickler is that is is genetic. There is a 50/50 chance that any child that either of the girls give birth to will also have Stickler Syndrome and there is nothing that can be done to influence that statistic. One of the girls has recently given birth to her 4th baby and, absolutely amazingly, none of the four little ones appear to have inherited the condition which is miraculous to me and I will be forever grateful for that.
The mum of the little ones is now suffering with one of the curve balls that Stickler can throw at you - cataracts on both eyes. Her vision is severely limited. Reading and watching TV is virtually impossible for her at the moment. I have no idea how she copes day to day with 4 little people when her sight is so impaired but she does. She hasn't complained about it. There has been no 'Why me?' from her, just relief and a little guilt that she hasn't suffered as much as her older sister has done over the years.
Shortly after Christmas my daughter will be admitted to hospital for surgery to both eyes. She will have 3 lots of general anesthetic and will in hospital for at least 5 days. She will have a littlest baby with her and the other little three will be at home with Daddy, Nanny, Grandma, uncles, aunties, friends - whoever can pitch in and help out.
Anyone who knows me or who reads this blog occasionally will know just how much I love my family but my children are my 'babies' and I never want any of them to suffer any pain or to be unhappy. When things go wrong for any of them I vaguely feel responsible (I know that I'm not and I know that it's stupid!) and I wish that I had a magic wand to make everything better but I don't.
Stickler Syndrome came into my life when I was 23 years old and it is never going to go away. I wish that I had never heard of it and I hate the impact that it has had on the lives of my children and our family but, and it's a big but, my children are incredibly brave and resilient - all four of them, but especially my eldest two who have had more to put up with than anyone should ever have to to be honest.
Before I get too emotional about it all I had better go otherwise I will be embarrassing myself and my kids but I just want people to know how brave and strong my children are. To my eldest two, you are amazing. You just get on with your lives no matter what and I don't know where you get the strength from. Nobody would ever know from just meeting you and talking to you what you have gone through and that says more than I ever could. To my youngest two, you always, always look out for your sisters and you always have done. I know that it hasn't always been easy for you and I know that your childhoods, especially, were sprinkled with Stickler related incidents that affected you both because your sisters were poorly but look at us all all....still here, still a family, still together.
Have a good week everyone
A xx
Friday 5 December 2014
Good Times, Bad Times (not that bad!)
Hi everyone.
It's a been a strange old week really. Good things and not so good things. Such is life.
On the up side, this week has seen us take delivery of our new dining table (Monday), our new sofabed (Tuesday) and our new dining chairs (Wednesday). I have no idea why the table and chairs came separately and nor did the delivery driver who asked us if we'd ordered them at separate times and who rolled his eyes when we told him they were all ordered together!
The dining 'suite' looks lovely and I'm really happy with it but my current love is the sofabed which I haven't even opened up to see how it works because I just love it as a sofa. It's green, textured and really comfy to sit on. It has pride of place in what I like to call 'the family room' and which used to be a granny flat. There is not much else in there at present but I intend to make it a bright, colourful comfy room where the grandchildren can play when they come and a room that I can go to when hubby is watching the football or when I want so space. The only issue at the moment is that it does get chilly in there despite the radiator and lined curtains so I envisage getting a tv and some sort of music system in there, a throw or two and I will be very happy in there.
In fact, there is also a dolls house and a toy box in there and I'm not sure whether they will stay there or not. The toy box is actually a black trunk that apparently used to belong to my Grandad and who used it on his many and various travels. I remember it being in my Nan's sitting room and it being full of blankets and the odd bag of sugar that was in short supply at the time. Nan was used to rationing and so on throughout the war years so any mention of a shortage of anything would see her rush out and get as much of the item as she could just in case.
Our dining table and chairs have seen hubby and I have a couple of nice lunches together. It's amazing how nice it is to sit at a table and eat. We have just got used to eating off of a tray on our laps. I also sat and wrote my Christmas cards at the table the other evening whilst listening to Christmas songs via Spotify on our fabulous Tivo box.
The more rubbish side of the week has seen me struggling with a headache from hell for two days after drinking two glasses of red wine and eating cheese. I really very seldom drink wine these days and I've never been a lover of red wine so I'm not sure what possessed me. It was there and I fancied a drink so I drank it. I should have had a cup of tea instead to be honest.
The headache/migraine was so persistent that I ended up at the local pharmacy asking for strong over the counter painkillers. They suggested Panadol which seemed to do the trick and stopped the intensity of the pain but even now, Friday evening and 3 days later, I am still not feeling 100%.
I have been feeling lethargic and a bit out of sorts for a few weeks. I don't feel ill but I do feel flat. Now, I have stopped taking the antidepressants that I was on...I weaned myself off of them very slowly...so my lethargy could be to do with that maybe but I don't feel depressed, just flat.
I'm tired a lot of the time...actually, not tired, just weary.. and everything feels like a bit of an effort but I also think that maybe it's the time of year - lots of sad memories, dreary weather and dull days. I know that I am a really fortunate person and think, therefore, that I should be happy all the time. I'm not unhappy but I feel that I ought to be exuding energy that I just don't have. Now, I'm not sure that I have ever been that energetic. I have always needed something to focus on to get me motivated and I do think that I have often felt like this so I'm sure it will pass.
I am so very grateful for my life, for my health and for my family that I feel that I should be bouncing full of energy all of the time and I fret when I'm not, but maybe it's just me.
So that was not the promised more upbeat blog entry was it?! Sorry about that folks. It's just how it is. When I type these entries I type from the heart and I really just type how I feel. I think that there has been such a lot of exciting stuff happening to me that, at some point, there comes a realization that exciting things can't just keep on happening. Quiet time, down time is good. It allows me to think more about things (not always good!) and to pace myself instead of crashing on through each day trying to organize everyone and everything.
Life is amazing and I never want to take a day of it for granted. I feel like I should be loving life every minute of every day but I just don't have the energy sometimes...and, also, I am 54 so maybe my energy supplies are running a little low and my batteries take longer to recharge. I don't think about my age, or I try not to, but it must have an effect don't you think? I probably need to focus more on what I'm putting into my body and should also look after it better, listen to it when it shouts at me and treat it with the love it deserves. It has done pretty well so far with little maintenance from me so maybe now is the time for me to pay back some of its loyalty.
Have a great weekend everyone. Soon be Christmas!
Until next time,
xxxxx
It's a been a strange old week really. Good things and not so good things. Such is life.
On the up side, this week has seen us take delivery of our new dining table (Monday), our new sofabed (Tuesday) and our new dining chairs (Wednesday). I have no idea why the table and chairs came separately and nor did the delivery driver who asked us if we'd ordered them at separate times and who rolled his eyes when we told him they were all ordered together!
The dining 'suite' looks lovely and I'm really happy with it but my current love is the sofabed which I haven't even opened up to see how it works because I just love it as a sofa. It's green, textured and really comfy to sit on. It has pride of place in what I like to call 'the family room' and which used to be a granny flat. There is not much else in there at present but I intend to make it a bright, colourful comfy room where the grandchildren can play when they come and a room that I can go to when hubby is watching the football or when I want so space. The only issue at the moment is that it does get chilly in there despite the radiator and lined curtains so I envisage getting a tv and some sort of music system in there, a throw or two and I will be very happy in there.
In fact, there is also a dolls house and a toy box in there and I'm not sure whether they will stay there or not. The toy box is actually a black trunk that apparently used to belong to my Grandad and who used it on his many and various travels. I remember it being in my Nan's sitting room and it being full of blankets and the odd bag of sugar that was in short supply at the time. Nan was used to rationing and so on throughout the war years so any mention of a shortage of anything would see her rush out and get as much of the item as she could just in case.
Our dining table and chairs have seen hubby and I have a couple of nice lunches together. It's amazing how nice it is to sit at a table and eat. We have just got used to eating off of a tray on our laps. I also sat and wrote my Christmas cards at the table the other evening whilst listening to Christmas songs via Spotify on our fabulous Tivo box.
The more rubbish side of the week has seen me struggling with a headache from hell for two days after drinking two glasses of red wine and eating cheese. I really very seldom drink wine these days and I've never been a lover of red wine so I'm not sure what possessed me. It was there and I fancied a drink so I drank it. I should have had a cup of tea instead to be honest.
The headache/migraine was so persistent that I ended up at the local pharmacy asking for strong over the counter painkillers. They suggested Panadol which seemed to do the trick and stopped the intensity of the pain but even now, Friday evening and 3 days later, I am still not feeling 100%.
I have been feeling lethargic and a bit out of sorts for a few weeks. I don't feel ill but I do feel flat. Now, I have stopped taking the antidepressants that I was on...I weaned myself off of them very slowly...so my lethargy could be to do with that maybe but I don't feel depressed, just flat.
I'm tired a lot of the time...actually, not tired, just weary.. and everything feels like a bit of an effort but I also think that maybe it's the time of year - lots of sad memories, dreary weather and dull days. I know that I am a really fortunate person and think, therefore, that I should be happy all the time. I'm not unhappy but I feel that I ought to be exuding energy that I just don't have. Now, I'm not sure that I have ever been that energetic. I have always needed something to focus on to get me motivated and I do think that I have often felt like this so I'm sure it will pass.
I am so very grateful for my life, for my health and for my family that I feel that I should be bouncing full of energy all of the time and I fret when I'm not, but maybe it's just me.
So that was not the promised more upbeat blog entry was it?! Sorry about that folks. It's just how it is. When I type these entries I type from the heart and I really just type how I feel. I think that there has been such a lot of exciting stuff happening to me that, at some point, there comes a realization that exciting things can't just keep on happening. Quiet time, down time is good. It allows me to think more about things (not always good!) and to pace myself instead of crashing on through each day trying to organize everyone and everything.
Life is amazing and I never want to take a day of it for granted. I feel like I should be loving life every minute of every day but I just don't have the energy sometimes...and, also, I am 54 so maybe my energy supplies are running a little low and my batteries take longer to recharge. I don't think about my age, or I try not to, but it must have an effect don't you think? I probably need to focus more on what I'm putting into my body and should also look after it better, listen to it when it shouts at me and treat it with the love it deserves. It has done pretty well so far with little maintenance from me so maybe now is the time for me to pay back some of its loyalty.
Have a great weekend everyone. Soon be Christmas!
Oh, and another bit of good news....we received these today! We completed a survey and our name went in to a draw and we won. Hurrah!
Until next time,
xxxxx
Thursday 27 November 2014
Time Is A Healer (Missing Mum and Dad)
Hi all,
Things are good with us in our new abode. We are settling in nicely, got a few things on order and awaiting their delivery.... a dining table and chairs and a sofa bed. The dining table is arriving on Monday but the chairs apparently not until after Christmas?! Go figure! So we will be sitting on garden chairs while we have our Christmas lunch this year, not for the first time I have to say. I have also purchased a new mattress and have finally got curtains hanging in all of our rooms which makes the world of difference so all is ticking along very nicely for us. I am very content.
So content am I that, for the first time in 15 years, I paid little attention to the fact that is was the anniversary of my dear old Dad's passing. I didn't forget it but it wasn't my main focus of the day.
This time of year is full of difficult and sad memories for my family as, from November 11th - Dad's birthday - until Christmas we have the anniversaries of the deaths of Dad and Mum and their birthdays. We also have the anniversary of the passing of my mother in law and of Jonathan, one of the wonderful young men that I have worked with, who died within a day of each other 2 years ago this December.
It would not be right for me to blog about Jonathan. I did plenty of that last year when I had a separate blog when I was training to compete in the Silverstone Half Marathon in his memory. Anyone who read that blog, which is still available apparently, will know just how much he and his family meant to me. I could write about my dear mother in law and the debilitating illness that finally took her life almost 2 years ago but the pain is still too raw for people that loved her. However, I feel that it would not be inappropriate to write a little bit about my Mum and Dad who I loved and who I miss every day and I expect I always will.
My parents, although long divorced, still had a bond with each other that, I think, only comes when you have children together. They married when they were quite young. Mum was only 19 and Dad was 23. They had us in quick succession and, basically, outgrew each other and divorced. They both married again and had more children and were both very happy with their lives.
When Dad became ill with lung cancer it was a hard time for us all. He was diagnosed when he was 61 and died shortly after his 63rd birthday. Lung problems and cancer were rife in Dad's family and it turns out that Dad and his father died of exactly the same disease. I have both of their death certificates and the causes of death are the same on both.
Mum and Dad always cared about each other despite their differences and Dad's illness took as much toll on her as it did on us children. It was a very difficult time for us all...Dad's wife and family, us older children and Mum too not to mention Dad's remaining siblings and their families and Dad's friends.
The end of Dad's life was traumatic and something that I will never forget and the fallout from it all affected the family for a very long time. In fact, it still does from time to time. Relationships have been fractured and broken and now, after 15 years, will probably remain that way.
I miss my Dad very much still. He used to drive me crazy with his ultra laid back attitude to life but I loved to see him and I will always treasure the moments towards the end of his life when I used to pop in and see him and we'd just sit on the sofa and chat about silly things. Just being able to spend time with him was so important to me.
Now, Mum. My Mum who also used to drive me crazy! My Mum who really was my rock in the early years of myself being a mum to my poorly children and who rescued me from many a crisis.
Mum's demise was different to Dad's but similar in a way. We knew she was ill, very ill, but we weren't quite sure what was going to happen or when. I won't go into details...it's still very painful seven years later...but our family has not been the same since she left us.
I was really very angry for a long time with Mum for various reasons and it has taken me this long to get over myself and my selfish feelings and realise just how ill she was. I think she was ashamed of her illness and I think she was embarrassed, too embarrassed to accept help or to ask for it. It was hard for me to get close to her towards the end and I hated not being able to help her. She was terrified, I could see it in her eyes, and there was nothing anyone could do to help her. We just had to sit and wait.
Again, when push came to shove, I was completely hopeless and I wasn't able to cope with any of it. I felt a complete let down to my brothers and sisters who seemed to be dealing with things a lot better than me. When I should have been supporting them, I was shutting myself away and shutting down, unable to function on any level at times.
Over the past year or so I have overcome my anger with Mum for leaving us. It wasn't a choice that she made. She didn't want to die. She loved us. Family was what she was all about. My own feelings and emotions ran havoc in my head and affected me more than I realised for a long time but now I think of Mum and I smile. I am so like her in many ways as my own children point out to me on various occasions and boy, do I look like her! It's quite scary at times.
I'm sure that it's a 'rose coloured glasses' point of view but I do think that, generally, Mum and Dad did the best they could as parents and there is absolutely no doubt that they loved all of us in the best way that they could. They have left behind families that they would be very proud of. It's a constant sadness that they missed out on various family weddings and that they never lived to see all of their grandchildren and great grandchildren but I know they would be proud of each and every one of us.
So, at this poignant time of year for our family, I would just like to say 'thank you' and 'I love you' to my wonderful parents without whom I would not be the person I am today.
N.B. I have really tried to word this carefully and I sincerely hope that this blog entry will not upset or hurt anyone who reads it. To my brothers and sisters and to my step dad too, these are just my thoughts and feelings. I love you all very much and I would never upset you deliberately.
The next entry will be more upbeat I promise!!
Much love to all
xxxx
Things are good with us in our new abode. We are settling in nicely, got a few things on order and awaiting their delivery.... a dining table and chairs and a sofa bed. The dining table is arriving on Monday but the chairs apparently not until after Christmas?! Go figure! So we will be sitting on garden chairs while we have our Christmas lunch this year, not for the first time I have to say. I have also purchased a new mattress and have finally got curtains hanging in all of our rooms which makes the world of difference so all is ticking along very nicely for us. I am very content.
So content am I that, for the first time in 15 years, I paid little attention to the fact that is was the anniversary of my dear old Dad's passing. I didn't forget it but it wasn't my main focus of the day.
This time of year is full of difficult and sad memories for my family as, from November 11th - Dad's birthday - until Christmas we have the anniversaries of the deaths of Dad and Mum and their birthdays. We also have the anniversary of the passing of my mother in law and of Jonathan, one of the wonderful young men that I have worked with, who died within a day of each other 2 years ago this December.
It would not be right for me to blog about Jonathan. I did plenty of that last year when I had a separate blog when I was training to compete in the Silverstone Half Marathon in his memory. Anyone who read that blog, which is still available apparently, will know just how much he and his family meant to me. I could write about my dear mother in law and the debilitating illness that finally took her life almost 2 years ago but the pain is still too raw for people that loved her. However, I feel that it would not be inappropriate to write a little bit about my Mum and Dad who I loved and who I miss every day and I expect I always will.
My parents, although long divorced, still had a bond with each other that, I think, only comes when you have children together. They married when they were quite young. Mum was only 19 and Dad was 23. They had us in quick succession and, basically, outgrew each other and divorced. They both married again and had more children and were both very happy with their lives.
When Dad became ill with lung cancer it was a hard time for us all. He was diagnosed when he was 61 and died shortly after his 63rd birthday. Lung problems and cancer were rife in Dad's family and it turns out that Dad and his father died of exactly the same disease. I have both of their death certificates and the causes of death are the same on both.
Mum and Dad always cared about each other despite their differences and Dad's illness took as much toll on her as it did on us children. It was a very difficult time for us all...Dad's wife and family, us older children and Mum too not to mention Dad's remaining siblings and their families and Dad's friends.
The end of Dad's life was traumatic and something that I will never forget and the fallout from it all affected the family for a very long time. In fact, it still does from time to time. Relationships have been fractured and broken and now, after 15 years, will probably remain that way.
I miss my Dad very much still. He used to drive me crazy with his ultra laid back attitude to life but I loved to see him and I will always treasure the moments towards the end of his life when I used to pop in and see him and we'd just sit on the sofa and chat about silly things. Just being able to spend time with him was so important to me.
Now, Mum. My Mum who also used to drive me crazy! My Mum who really was my rock in the early years of myself being a mum to my poorly children and who rescued me from many a crisis.
Mum's demise was different to Dad's but similar in a way. We knew she was ill, very ill, but we weren't quite sure what was going to happen or when. I won't go into details...it's still very painful seven years later...but our family has not been the same since she left us.
I was really very angry for a long time with Mum for various reasons and it has taken me this long to get over myself and my selfish feelings and realise just how ill she was. I think she was ashamed of her illness and I think she was embarrassed, too embarrassed to accept help or to ask for it. It was hard for me to get close to her towards the end and I hated not being able to help her. She was terrified, I could see it in her eyes, and there was nothing anyone could do to help her. We just had to sit and wait.
Again, when push came to shove, I was completely hopeless and I wasn't able to cope with any of it. I felt a complete let down to my brothers and sisters who seemed to be dealing with things a lot better than me. When I should have been supporting them, I was shutting myself away and shutting down, unable to function on any level at times.
Over the past year or so I have overcome my anger with Mum for leaving us. It wasn't a choice that she made. She didn't want to die. She loved us. Family was what she was all about. My own feelings and emotions ran havoc in my head and affected me more than I realised for a long time but now I think of Mum and I smile. I am so like her in many ways as my own children point out to me on various occasions and boy, do I look like her! It's quite scary at times.
I'm sure that it's a 'rose coloured glasses' point of view but I do think that, generally, Mum and Dad did the best they could as parents and there is absolutely no doubt that they loved all of us in the best way that they could. They have left behind families that they would be very proud of. It's a constant sadness that they missed out on various family weddings and that they never lived to see all of their grandchildren and great grandchildren but I know they would be proud of each and every one of us.
So, at this poignant time of year for our family, I would just like to say 'thank you' and 'I love you' to my wonderful parents without whom I would not be the person I am today.
N.B. I have really tried to word this carefully and I sincerely hope that this blog entry will not upset or hurt anyone who reads it. To my brothers and sisters and to my step dad too, these are just my thoughts and feelings. I love you all very much and I would never upset you deliberately.
The next entry will be more upbeat I promise!!
Much love to all
xxxx
Saturday 22 November 2014
Heroic Hound and Curtain Chaos
Hi folks,
I hope you're all well. It's Saturday and I'm at home on a Saturday for the first time since we moved. I usually work on a Saturday morning but it's exeat weekend so I'm home and it's great despite the horrible foggy weather that has been hanging around all day.
Hubby and I both have the day off so we had a lie in this morning and had tea and biscuits in bed - a rare treat. Then I took the dog out and hubby set to sanding down and trying to repair our old wooden cd cabinet which was quite expensive back in the day but which has always been cursed with drawers that get stuck and become immovable. We have had the cabinet for at least ten years so the fact the hubby is having a go at sorting it out is testament to his new attitude - he sees this house move as a new part of our lives and he wants to do things differently. Long may it continue!
However, one thing that hasn't changed is hubby's tendency to spread his clothes around the bedrooms, depositing various items in every wardrobe or cupboard space available.
It's something that he has always done. Whenever we stay away, be it for a night or for 2 weeks, the very first thing he does when he gets into the room is unpack his bag and stake his claim for space. I, on the other hand, am quite happy to leave my clothes in the holiday suitcase and take things out as I need them. So, currently, our bedroom wardrobe is over half full with his clothes and he has hung his work stuff in a cupboard in another bedroom and he will not.entertain the thought of having all of his clothes in one place. Weird, eh?
The other thing he has done is claim one of the spare rooms as an office. This is fine. What has amazed me is that he thinks it's 'his' office i.e. nothing that belongs to me or anyone else has a place in 'his'office and must be removed or amalgamated into his stuff! Yesterday he was asking me to put all of my paperwork in his files so that we could get rid of some clutter, I refused but took my stuff out of the office in a huff only to find that he had later replaced my folders with more of his own. Men! Got to love them!!
On a different note, I have finally had my hair cut today, in a new salon that has just opened in the village and which was offering 20% discount for the day. I haven't had my hair cut in ages so it was a pleasure to get it done. I feel so much better for it. I had toyed with letting my hair grow longer and see what I thought and I actually DID resist the temptation to cut my own fringe ( which I have done several times and which is always a disaster). So, a good haircut, a good stylist and a cup of coffee and a biscuit and I'm happy! Happy Saturday to me.
Another issue for me this week has been curtains. I am absolutely dreadful at measuring up for curtains. I know how to do it, I've done it many, many times, but I always seem to get it wrong.
Our house has lots of good curtain rails but the previous owners took all of their curtains with them so I have been measuring the windows and writing down said measurements and trying to find curtains that will fit. I did order a couple of pairs on line which were OK but we decided to go and buy some decent quality ones for downstairs.
So, after trying various superstores plus TK Maxx and Matalan, only to find that they only sell curtains online, we found a curtain shop in Waterlooville that was perfect. I had all my measurements with me. One of the window measurements is relatively 'normal', the other is a little less so but curtains of a limited choice of style and pattern etc were still available. We pondered for ages looking at the choices available to us and me, with my lack of concept of what something will look like in a certain place without actually seeing it, just going with my gut reaction while hubby was much more deliberate.
Eventually, we chose a pair of curtains for the sitting room that were going to be too wide really but would just have lots of pleats(!) and a perfect pair for the 'family'room that is waiting for its new sofa bed to arrive. When we got home the curtains for the sitting room are actually perfect and the ones for the family room are completely wrong. They were packaged up and labelled perfectly but, somehow, between us, we managed to get a pair of curtains that are at least 3 times longer than we need. I have no idea how we made that mistake. Next week I shall be going back to the curtain shop again and just hope that they have the curtains that we want in stock.
I'm sure that all of this is relatively boring to read for which I apologise. I could write about the stranger who was round the side of our house the other evening and who, the police say, was probably only put off of attempting a robbery because the dog was barking loudly when he realised there was someone in the garden. That same day a house down the road from us was burgled and it's a pretty big coincidence that both things happened in the same road on the same day. I actually saw the person exit from the side of the house and walk past the front door. I opened the door but he didn't stop. I didn't call after him because I knew that, whatever reason he had for being on our property, it wasn't positive.
Our big, stupid, smelly dog probably saved the day. Harvey, the hero!
I have also had a week of discovering more of the local area courtesy of walking our 'hero'. I have found several new fairly short 'road'walks and been told about some cracking places to go for Harvey's longer walks, not just at Butser. I have taken a few pics while I have been out and about so I will leave you with a few of them.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone.
Much love xx
I hope you're all well. It's Saturday and I'm at home on a Saturday for the first time since we moved. I usually work on a Saturday morning but it's exeat weekend so I'm home and it's great despite the horrible foggy weather that has been hanging around all day.
Hubby and I both have the day off so we had a lie in this morning and had tea and biscuits in bed - a rare treat. Then I took the dog out and hubby set to sanding down and trying to repair our old wooden cd cabinet which was quite expensive back in the day but which has always been cursed with drawers that get stuck and become immovable. We have had the cabinet for at least ten years so the fact the hubby is having a go at sorting it out is testament to his new attitude - he sees this house move as a new part of our lives and he wants to do things differently. Long may it continue!
However, one thing that hasn't changed is hubby's tendency to spread his clothes around the bedrooms, depositing various items in every wardrobe or cupboard space available.
It's something that he has always done. Whenever we stay away, be it for a night or for 2 weeks, the very first thing he does when he gets into the room is unpack his bag and stake his claim for space. I, on the other hand, am quite happy to leave my clothes in the holiday suitcase and take things out as I need them. So, currently, our bedroom wardrobe is over half full with his clothes and he has hung his work stuff in a cupboard in another bedroom and he will not.entertain the thought of having all of his clothes in one place. Weird, eh?
The other thing he has done is claim one of the spare rooms as an office. This is fine. What has amazed me is that he thinks it's 'his' office i.e. nothing that belongs to me or anyone else has a place in 'his'office and must be removed or amalgamated into his stuff! Yesterday he was asking me to put all of my paperwork in his files so that we could get rid of some clutter, I refused but took my stuff out of the office in a huff only to find that he had later replaced my folders with more of his own. Men! Got to love them!!
On a different note, I have finally had my hair cut today, in a new salon that has just opened in the village and which was offering 20% discount for the day. I haven't had my hair cut in ages so it was a pleasure to get it done. I feel so much better for it. I had toyed with letting my hair grow longer and see what I thought and I actually DID resist the temptation to cut my own fringe ( which I have done several times and which is always a disaster). So, a good haircut, a good stylist and a cup of coffee and a biscuit and I'm happy! Happy Saturday to me.
Another issue for me this week has been curtains. I am absolutely dreadful at measuring up for curtains. I know how to do it, I've done it many, many times, but I always seem to get it wrong.
Our house has lots of good curtain rails but the previous owners took all of their curtains with them so I have been measuring the windows and writing down said measurements and trying to find curtains that will fit. I did order a couple of pairs on line which were OK but we decided to go and buy some decent quality ones for downstairs.
So, after trying various superstores plus TK Maxx and Matalan, only to find that they only sell curtains online, we found a curtain shop in Waterlooville that was perfect. I had all my measurements with me. One of the window measurements is relatively 'normal', the other is a little less so but curtains of a limited choice of style and pattern etc were still available. We pondered for ages looking at the choices available to us and me, with my lack of concept of what something will look like in a certain place without actually seeing it, just going with my gut reaction while hubby was much more deliberate.
Eventually, we chose a pair of curtains for the sitting room that were going to be too wide really but would just have lots of pleats(!) and a perfect pair for the 'family'room that is waiting for its new sofa bed to arrive. When we got home the curtains for the sitting room are actually perfect and the ones for the family room are completely wrong. They were packaged up and labelled perfectly but, somehow, between us, we managed to get a pair of curtains that are at least 3 times longer than we need. I have no idea how we made that mistake. Next week I shall be going back to the curtain shop again and just hope that they have the curtains that we want in stock.
I'm sure that all of this is relatively boring to read for which I apologise. I could write about the stranger who was round the side of our house the other evening and who, the police say, was probably only put off of attempting a robbery because the dog was barking loudly when he realised there was someone in the garden. That same day a house down the road from us was burgled and it's a pretty big coincidence that both things happened in the same road on the same day. I actually saw the person exit from the side of the house and walk past the front door. I opened the door but he didn't stop. I didn't call after him because I knew that, whatever reason he had for being on our property, it wasn't positive.
Our big, stupid, smelly dog probably saved the day. Harvey, the hero!
I have also had a week of discovering more of the local area courtesy of walking our 'hero'. I have found several new fairly short 'road'walks and been told about some cracking places to go for Harvey's longer walks, not just at Butser. I have taken a few pics while I have been out and about so I will leave you with a few of them.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone.
Much love xx
Monday 17 November 2014
The Written Word
Hi all,
Have you ever had a feeling that there is something that you want to do but you're too scared to try it in case you aren't any good? What am I saying? Of course you have...at least if you are someone like me who has always had a few self-esteem issues!
Over the years I have thought of trying to write something with the idea of getting it published. I love - well, I enjoy - writing and I always have done. I was always good at English at school and pretty hopeless at maths. Not much has changed. I have always been able to turn my hand to a verse or two of rhyming words without much trouble. I know that I can put my feelings down on paper much easier than I can sit and tell someone all about 'stuff'. I think that is because I don't want to be put on the spot or questioned. Many is the time that I have sat for hours over a letter to a loved one, desperately trying to find the right words without sounding preachy or superior and many is the time that those letters have never seen the light of day because I was too worried to send them for fear of hurting someone.
During our house move I have found many, many letters that I had forgotten all about. I have found letters that my nan wrote to me when I was away at school. She used to write to me every week, bless her. I found letters from my sister and letters from my brother from my brother when he was in the RAF. I found letters from Mum and letters from my Dad's mum to my Mum when she was in hospital after having my sister. I spent a long, long time re-reading those letters and, in the end, I had to put them away because I was losing all track of time.
Those letters reminded me again of the power of the written word and I think it is the power of those words that is the reason that I am so passionate about this blog. I really look forward to writing the updates but I don't spend any time at all on thinking about the content until I actually start to type. I'm sure that will not surprise anyone who has read any of these entries as I do tend to wonder from topic to topic. Quite unintentional but it happens all the same!
I have long wanted to have a go at writing something meaningful, something that I care about and something that I know about but I'm not sure what. People have always said that my life couldn't be made up, that if it was put forward as a storyline for Eastenders, it would be turned down for being too farfetched and unbelievable. t's true that there have been some dramas and I would love to be able to write down all that I can remember but I'm not sure that it would be of any interest to anyone other than myself. I would also have to be wary of upsetting people, especially much loved family members, by rabbiting on in a carefree way, prattling on about something that may cause hurt to people. And, of course, it's not only family. I have been privileged to have been a part of the lives of some wonderful people through my work, many of whom are no longer with us. While my feelings for them and the memories that I have of them are wonderful and precious to me, I couldn't write about them because they are so personal. But that is why I really DO want to write about them...because they are so personal.
I read the other day that there are very few books written about caring for the elderly from the perspective of a family member. I have no idea if this is true. I can imagine that there a thousands of books written on dementia, Parkinsons, etc. etc., books written from a medical perspective but are there many books written by the family members who have spent years caring for, and often nursing, their elderly relatives? I would think that the whole process of caring for a loved one is so fraught with anxiety, stress and worry that, in the end, when it is all over, the last thing that the carer wants to do is to write a book about their experiences. I should think that the vast majority of them just want to try to get their lives back on track while they still can.
My experiences as a carer, and not for my own relatives thankfully, have been, at times, overwhelming and also frustrating. I have been blessed to have worked with wonderful families and been made to feel part of those families. I have been inspired by the bravery and stoicism of the families who, despite whatever gets thrown at them, carry on doing the very best for their loved ones. I have cried with the people I am caring for and with their families when things have gone wrong and, boy, have I laughed when things have been good. I have felt almost as proud as a parent when any of my young charges achieved something incredible - from concentrating long enough to throw a ball to graduating from university with top honours. I've sat in childrens wards and in intensive care units trying, usually unsuccessfully, to support family members when their loved one has been ill.
But I AM a parent, a very proud one too and all of my experiences through work have gone alongside my family and their wonderful achievements. Very often I have been caught up in some drama at work when my own family have had their own crisis going on and I have often found it difficult to decide where I should be. An example? Should I stay with the dying client who had gone home for his last few days and whose family needed support or should I go and sit with my mother in law who was also dying and where I could offer support to my husband and his family? This actually happened and I think, in the end, I split myself in two but did spend more time where I felt that I could make more of a difference.
Do you see what I mean about having no plan when I start typing?! My brain really does wander all over the place doesn't it?
Anyway, maybe one day I will make a concentrated effort to make a plan and set about writing something. I don't have a very vivid imagination so whatever I write will have to be based loosely on fact and experience.
Maybe, one day.....
Much love xxx
Have you ever had a feeling that there is something that you want to do but you're too scared to try it in case you aren't any good? What am I saying? Of course you have...at least if you are someone like me who has always had a few self-esteem issues!
Over the years I have thought of trying to write something with the idea of getting it published. I love - well, I enjoy - writing and I always have done. I was always good at English at school and pretty hopeless at maths. Not much has changed. I have always been able to turn my hand to a verse or two of rhyming words without much trouble. I know that I can put my feelings down on paper much easier than I can sit and tell someone all about 'stuff'. I think that is because I don't want to be put on the spot or questioned. Many is the time that I have sat for hours over a letter to a loved one, desperately trying to find the right words without sounding preachy or superior and many is the time that those letters have never seen the light of day because I was too worried to send them for fear of hurting someone.
During our house move I have found many, many letters that I had forgotten all about. I have found letters that my nan wrote to me when I was away at school. She used to write to me every week, bless her. I found letters from my sister and letters from my brother from my brother when he was in the RAF. I found letters from Mum and letters from my Dad's mum to my Mum when she was in hospital after having my sister. I spent a long, long time re-reading those letters and, in the end, I had to put them away because I was losing all track of time.
Those letters reminded me again of the power of the written word and I think it is the power of those words that is the reason that I am so passionate about this blog. I really look forward to writing the updates but I don't spend any time at all on thinking about the content until I actually start to type. I'm sure that will not surprise anyone who has read any of these entries as I do tend to wonder from topic to topic. Quite unintentional but it happens all the same!
I have long wanted to have a go at writing something meaningful, something that I care about and something that I know about but I'm not sure what. People have always said that my life couldn't be made up, that if it was put forward as a storyline for Eastenders, it would be turned down for being too farfetched and unbelievable. t's true that there have been some dramas and I would love to be able to write down all that I can remember but I'm not sure that it would be of any interest to anyone other than myself. I would also have to be wary of upsetting people, especially much loved family members, by rabbiting on in a carefree way, prattling on about something that may cause hurt to people. And, of course, it's not only family. I have been privileged to have been a part of the lives of some wonderful people through my work, many of whom are no longer with us. While my feelings for them and the memories that I have of them are wonderful and precious to me, I couldn't write about them because they are so personal. But that is why I really DO want to write about them...because they are so personal.
I read the other day that there are very few books written about caring for the elderly from the perspective of a family member. I have no idea if this is true. I can imagine that there a thousands of books written on dementia, Parkinsons, etc. etc., books written from a medical perspective but are there many books written by the family members who have spent years caring for, and often nursing, their elderly relatives? I would think that the whole process of caring for a loved one is so fraught with anxiety, stress and worry that, in the end, when it is all over, the last thing that the carer wants to do is to write a book about their experiences. I should think that the vast majority of them just want to try to get their lives back on track while they still can.
My experiences as a carer, and not for my own relatives thankfully, have been, at times, overwhelming and also frustrating. I have been blessed to have worked with wonderful families and been made to feel part of those families. I have been inspired by the bravery and stoicism of the families who, despite whatever gets thrown at them, carry on doing the very best for their loved ones. I have cried with the people I am caring for and with their families when things have gone wrong and, boy, have I laughed when things have been good. I have felt almost as proud as a parent when any of my young charges achieved something incredible - from concentrating long enough to throw a ball to graduating from university with top honours. I've sat in childrens wards and in intensive care units trying, usually unsuccessfully, to support family members when their loved one has been ill.
But I AM a parent, a very proud one too and all of my experiences through work have gone alongside my family and their wonderful achievements. Very often I have been caught up in some drama at work when my own family have had their own crisis going on and I have often found it difficult to decide where I should be. An example? Should I stay with the dying client who had gone home for his last few days and whose family needed support or should I go and sit with my mother in law who was also dying and where I could offer support to my husband and his family? This actually happened and I think, in the end, I split myself in two but did spend more time where I felt that I could make more of a difference.
Do you see what I mean about having no plan when I start typing?! My brain really does wander all over the place doesn't it?
Anyway, maybe one day I will make a concentrated effort to make a plan and set about writing something. I don't have a very vivid imagination so whatever I write will have to be based loosely on fact and experience.
Maybe, one day.....
Much love xxx
Thursday 13 November 2014
Wet Walks and Frustrating Freecyclers
Hi all,
Now I know this is another update so quickly after the one I published yesterday but that one was actually typed on Sunday and yesterday was the first chance I had to publish it and so I am doing another one today. I'm sure it seems like overkill but there you go.
Things are settling down nicely for us although we have had a few more hiccups and it has rained almost nonstop everyday for about 4 days. I really must invest in some decent waterproofs because I have a dog that must be walked whatever the weather and the walks are around here are so wonderful that I need to experience them all come rain or shine. For example, this was Butser Hill yesterday morning - wet and gloomy but beautiful...
Just imagine what it will be like on a sunny day.
I have had 2 days off which has been lovely. I have got bits and pieces done including plumbing in our washing machine...actually, attaching the pipes and turning on the water but that's plumbing to me!... and putting up a few pictures to make the house more homely. The tumble dryer is a different story...no vent and nowhere to hang the hose from ... so I can't use that at the moment so I'm hanging clothes over radiators just like the old days.
We still have loads and loads to do but my priority is to get the bedrooms sorted, albeit basically, so people can stay if they want to and to empty the remaining boxes that are cluttering up the dining area which needs a table and chairs before Christmas! Christmas....eeek!
This morning I took a walk down to the village (literally 2 minutes away) and went into the post office, picked up the local parish magazine, popped into the local DIY shop which seems to sell everything you could ever need, called in at the butchers and got a bone for the dog and was greeted in such a friendly way by everyone that I smiled all the way home. Have I mentioned that I feel at home here already?!
I spent the other evening when hubby was working going through paperwork and making phonecalls to insurance companies and so forth. There are so many people that need to notified of our new address. I've done the driving licence and car registration document and notified the pensions people. I've registered at the doctors. I can't do hubby's so he will have to settle down and do all of his at some point but the poor chap is working so hard at the moment that his feet aren't touching the ground.
On that note, the travelling is taking its toll on hubby who has had 3 little bumps in his van in the last week. He is trying to do too much and not let people down and it's starting to affect him I think. He was sent home yesterday and I'm thankful that he was. He has a couple more shifts to do and then he transfers down here which is going to be so much better. I'm sure he will feel better once things settle down.
I have been doing a bit of 'freecycling' which I always think is a great thing to do but why the hell do people mess you around so much when you are giving things away for free?! As I type this I am waiting for someone who was going to call last night to pick up some bits and who then emailed to say could they come today instead. I arranged for them to call today at 12.30. It's now 12.45 and guess what? That's right, they haven't come. I am going to leave all the stuff outside and if they come they come and if they don't then I'll be off to the local charity shop later.(They didn't come!)
The other thing that has perplexed me is the fact that we have no curtains at the moment and, as a temporary measure, I ordered 2 cheapish pairs to be delivered yesterday. I waited in all afternoon and they didn't come. When hubby came in from work he found a delivery card in the door! I hadn't heard them knock. How frustrating!! We don't have a door bell and I just didn't hear them. They should be delivering again today so I am just keeping everything crossed and hope that they arrive,they fit and that I can put them up before I trot off to my night duty later on.
So, I'm off to walk the dog and just hope that I don't get soaked but I think I probably will. What's the betting that I get back and the freecycling lady has been and the curtains have been delivered!!!?
Much love xxx
Now I know this is another update so quickly after the one I published yesterday but that one was actually typed on Sunday and yesterday was the first chance I had to publish it and so I am doing another one today. I'm sure it seems like overkill but there you go.
Things are settling down nicely for us although we have had a few more hiccups and it has rained almost nonstop everyday for about 4 days. I really must invest in some decent waterproofs because I have a dog that must be walked whatever the weather and the walks are around here are so wonderful that I need to experience them all come rain or shine. For example, this was Butser Hill yesterday morning - wet and gloomy but beautiful...
Just imagine what it will be like on a sunny day.
I have had 2 days off which has been lovely. I have got bits and pieces done including plumbing in our washing machine...actually, attaching the pipes and turning on the water but that's plumbing to me!... and putting up a few pictures to make the house more homely. The tumble dryer is a different story...no vent and nowhere to hang the hose from ... so I can't use that at the moment so I'm hanging clothes over radiators just like the old days.
We still have loads and loads to do but my priority is to get the bedrooms sorted, albeit basically, so people can stay if they want to and to empty the remaining boxes that are cluttering up the dining area which needs a table and chairs before Christmas! Christmas....eeek!
This morning I took a walk down to the village (literally 2 minutes away) and went into the post office, picked up the local parish magazine, popped into the local DIY shop which seems to sell everything you could ever need, called in at the butchers and got a bone for the dog and was greeted in such a friendly way by everyone that I smiled all the way home. Have I mentioned that I feel at home here already?!
I spent the other evening when hubby was working going through paperwork and making phonecalls to insurance companies and so forth. There are so many people that need to notified of our new address. I've done the driving licence and car registration document and notified the pensions people. I've registered at the doctors. I can't do hubby's so he will have to settle down and do all of his at some point but the poor chap is working so hard at the moment that his feet aren't touching the ground.
On that note, the travelling is taking its toll on hubby who has had 3 little bumps in his van in the last week. He is trying to do too much and not let people down and it's starting to affect him I think. He was sent home yesterday and I'm thankful that he was. He has a couple more shifts to do and then he transfers down here which is going to be so much better. I'm sure he will feel better once things settle down.
I have been doing a bit of 'freecycling' which I always think is a great thing to do but why the hell do people mess you around so much when you are giving things away for free?! As I type this I am waiting for someone who was going to call last night to pick up some bits and who then emailed to say could they come today instead. I arranged for them to call today at 12.30. It's now 12.45 and guess what? That's right, they haven't come. I am going to leave all the stuff outside and if they come they come and if they don't then I'll be off to the local charity shop later.(They didn't come!)
The other thing that has perplexed me is the fact that we have no curtains at the moment and, as a temporary measure, I ordered 2 cheapish pairs to be delivered yesterday. I waited in all afternoon and they didn't come. When hubby came in from work he found a delivery card in the door! I hadn't heard them knock. How frustrating!! We don't have a door bell and I just didn't hear them. They should be delivering again today so I am just keeping everything crossed and hope that they arrive,they fit and that I can put them up before I trot off to my night duty later on.
So, I'm off to walk the dog and just hope that I don't get soaked but I think I probably will. What's the betting that I get back and the freecycling lady has been and the curtains have been delivered!!!?
Much love xxx
Tuesday 11 November 2014
Happy New House
It's Sunday morning, bright and early. I'm still in bed watching the sun come up over the fields from my bedroom window. I've had a cup of tea, a bowl of cornflakes and all manner of pills and potions and I'm contemplating the last few days.
We are in our new home and I love it already. Of course,there are the usual bits and pieces that you realise once you have moved in... kitchen really is little, there's a broken bit on the bath, the front door doesn't have a number and there is no doorbell but I don't care. I feel so at home here already. It's wonderful.
I got home at 8.30 am on Friday morning and the removal men were already waiting for us. What a great bunch of lads. They worked incredibly hard all day long and did a fantastic job. They dismantled furniture and put it all back together again when we got in at the other end,they were polite, considerate and tidy! The house was all packed into a van two and a half hours later and they set off to our new home.
Of course, there was a little last minute drama with the finances but it was all fairly smooth running and we picked up the keys at 2pm. The removal guys unpacked and had gone by 5pm and that was it. We were in, surrounded by boxes and mayhem, but we were finally in and it felt great.
Hubby had to go back to work at 4pm and didn't get back until about 11pm and I was up on Saturday at 6am to go to do my early shift. I knew we weren't going to see much of each other but this is getting ridiculous.
Anyway, I came home from my Saturday shift and hubby literally went off to work as I came in and then didn't get back until gone 10 last night. This morning he has gone off already (7am) and is picking the dog up on his way home at 3pm and then I'm off to do a night shift tonight. It's all becoming a little fraught as we don't seem to be living in the same house at the moment and tempers at frayed due to tiredness but things will settle down. It was always going to be like this to start with.
My stupid cold is starting to wear me down a bit. My ears and jaws ache and my throat is sore. I think I just need a bit of a rest and a decent meal as we have been living off of junk/convenience food for the last week.We don't have any TV connection at the moment and so I've been listening to music on my laptop and watching DVDs too. Last night I watched Disney's Aladdin followed by My Boy Jack starring Daniel Radcliffe as Rudyard Kipling's son who was killed in World War 1. Both films moved me... Aladdin because it underlined the true genius of the late Robin Williams and My Boy Jack because it is based on a true story and also because today is Remembrance Sunday which is especially poignant this year as it's the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1. I shall, as ever, be wearing my Poppy with pride.
Well that's probably enough from me for now. I need to unpack more boxes and go for a drive and try to find the nearest supermarket. I may seek out a Remembrance Day event locally and, as it's not raining , I am going to investigate the garden which I haven't looked at yet! Sleep also sounds like a good idea.
Thank you to everyone who has sent us good wishes and cards. We really do appreciate it and we hope some of you will be able to come and say hello if you're passing this way sometime. It would be a pleasure to see you.
Much love
Xxxx
Thursday 6 November 2014
Moving Mayhem
I thought that it might be a good idea to chronicle the build up to our house move as I'm sure that it's going to be interesting. I had that thought on Saturday when things seemed to be going as well as could be expected. Well.....
Sunday Nov 2nd - woke with a smile on my face. Packaging boxes and materials due to be delivered today. It's my last day off until we move so it's perfect timing really. Hubby is also off and, apart from a 2 hour break to watch the footie, he's all mine so we should be able to get a lot done.
By about 3 pm I began to think that something was amiss. No phone call from the delivery driver, no answer from the contact number we have been given and no sign of packaging materials. Even the email that I sent to the address on the business card I was given bounced straight back to me. Alarm bells ringing!!!
Finally, at about 6 pm hubby had to accept that something was wrong. I left a strongly worded email and and even more strongly worded voicemail message to the company asking them to cancel all of our instructions and to issue a refund for the deposit that they took initially to secure the removal slot.
One very fed up couple took themselves to bed. Tomorrow is another day.
Monday Nov 3rd - woke with a more positive attitude than I went to bed with but also with a runny nose and earache. Yes folks, it seems that I have a cold coming. I slept really badly for a variety of reasons and so, this morning, I feel rubbish.
A couple of cups of tea, a bowl of porridge and 2 painkillers later and I feel a little better. Hubby has developed a gout-like pain in his toe and is having trouble walking so I have taken the dog out and been to the post office to post the eBay items that I have been selling to try to make a bit more money.
The expected communication from the removal company has not materialised...no contact from them what so ever which is appalling... so hubby has rung them in a calm fashion and they have apologised for the 'mix up in communication'!!!... and confirmed that the booking with them is cancelled and that we will get our deposit returned. We shall see.
I have spoken with another more local company who are sending round one of their chaps this afternoon when I'm at work to give us a quote for removal and we shall just have to wait and see what happens.
In the mean time we can't pack anything up because we don't have any materials. Happy days!
11.20 Mmmmm...bit worried as I'm not feeling great. Rumbly tummy and I can't decide if it's because I'm hungry or I feel sick. May just have to try a piece of toast and see how we go. Fingers crossed.
14.10 Emails flying backwards and forwards. Organised for someone to come and collect our table and chairs via Freecycle. Organised for someone to come and give us another quote for removals and they are coming this afternoon. Interestingly, they have just rung to say that someone else has just rung to enquire about a Friday removal and they are giving us first refusal.....and given us a quote over the phone for double the price of the the original removal company. However, what can we do? They sound legitimate. We have to move. We have little choice. The good thing is that the chap is bringing packing materials with him this afternoon so, when I get back from work at 8.30pm, I will be able to start packing up....at last!
We have also had an email regarding our refund from the original removal company so, hopefully, that should materialise very soon.
Still sniffing and a bit headachey. Tummy a bit better. Hubby not hobbling quite so much so he has gone to walk the dog. Busy, busy!
21.50 I've been to work. The table and chairs and filing cabinet have been collected. The new removal company turned up....double the price of the original but we don't have any choice. Hubby has just announced that he isn't able to come to the Cat Stevens gig tomorrow night. Now have a spare ticket and face losing £60 if I can't get rid of it. Onwards and upwards.
Tuesday 4th Nov - awake at 5.30am when hubby got up for work. Mind already in full 'lets get packing' mode but there is a dog to walk first. Dishwasher and washing machine already on. Cup of tea in hand. Still coldy but no worse than yesterday. Looks like the removal firm didn't leave any bubblewrap. Doh!
09.25 Dog has been walked. It was a pleasure to take him. It was cold but bright and a proper autumn morning. Took a few photos.I don't know when I will do that walk again.Used to walk there to clear my head when thinking about Mum and Dad. Have packed 7 boxes. Realised that the big boxes aren't big enough for our pictures so I can't seal them. Found more stuff to take to the charity shop. Tweeted Cat Stevens re the spare ticket in the hope that someone may see it and want it. Sneezing from the dust. Realised that there is a hell of a lot to do and little time to do it. Off to see my Mummy no: 2 in a bit to see how she's doing. Will take her to the shops for essentials.
14.35 - Back from shopping and coffee. Now pouring with rain. No offers for the spare ticket for tonight so that's £60 down the swannee! Just paid my beach hut insurance which has gone up a lot!! Organised several pick ups for freecycle bits. Spoken to the council re move. Tried to pay removal people but they're not picking up the phone. Tried to speak with Virgin re move. They are going to ring me back. Time for soup. And if I get one more phone call from some idiot telling me that I used to work in a factory many years ago I'll scream. I have no idea what it's about but when I say that I've never worked in a factory they put the phone down. Rude, rude, rude.
15.30 - paid the removal people an outrageous amount of money, Tried to ring power suppliers who are 'experiencing a unusually high volume of calls'. Grrr! Ran to the post box in the rain as the removal guy who came last night forgot to take the paperwork with him and they need it before we move. Did remember to tell them not to be here before 8.30am on Friday as I won't be back from my night duty until then and hubby will be doing an airport run picking up friends for Heathrow. He's also working later that day too. Not quite sure when we're going to see each other to be honest.
Wed Nov 5th - 10.47 am - got home from the gig last night at midnight.What a show. Worth every penny to see Cat Stevens sing 'Father and Son' and 'Wild World' etc live. Never thought I would get the chance. Lovely stepdad enjoyed himself too which was fab. Thought I saw Fatboy Slim coming out of the loos behind us. Convinced myself that it wasn't him. Twitter later confirmed that it was. Celeb spotting at my age. Ridiculous!! Wasn't able to sell my spare ticket so I did lose £60 but such is life. Seeing the man play live was on my bucket list. Job done.
Woke this morning when hubby got up for work again at 5.30 am. So tired. Nose running. Hip stiff. Jaws ache. Apart from that I'm fine! Son stayed here for the last time last night and this morning the kitchen shows evidence of burritos and alcohol consumption. Could do without having to clean up the evidence if I'm honest.
Still, I did go back to sleep and have literally only been up 10 mins which is great. Dog still needs a decent walk before I start getting son up and dragging him to the dump with me. Sun is shining so it will be nice to take him. Then I have to be at work for 3.30 pm where I'm working until 8 pm and then I'll be home again to continue packing. No-one else has packed a box as yet. Laters!!
13.20 - dog walked, been to the dump and got rid of rubbish. Found more rubbish. Going for a coffee with son before work.
20.50 - back from work via Tesco where I picked up some vit c tablets and some multivitamins in an effort to give myself a boost and help to ward off the cold that is starting to annoy me. Came in to find a worn out hubby asleep on the sofa. He's now having a cuppa and watching the football. Dog a bit spooked by the local fireworks. Going to pack a couple more boxes and then call it a day I think. Tomorrow is going to be tiring. Tonight is my last night in this house as I'm working a nightshift tomorrow night. Having a pre-mixed gin and tonic before I retire. Oh, and we also popped into the cemetery and left Dad a poppy as I do every year. Must do Mum's tomorrow.
Thurs Nov 6th 09.35 - woke again, unnecessarily, at 5.30 am but went back to sleep. Getting out of bed was a problem this morning and I put it off for as long as I could. Hubby walked dog and has now taken him to kennels where he will stay until Sunday afternoon. Hubby is then off to work a 10 hour shift and won't be home until 11pm by which time I will have gone to work to do my nightshift. When I get home tomorrow morning he will have already left for the airport to do the prearranged pick up. Manic!!
Can't get rid of the sideboard or the wooden unit that is on freecycle so they need to go to the dump. I can't do that on my own so I've no idea how that's going to work. Better crack on.
11.27 - slight hysteria setting in. So much to do. Boxes everywhere. Me still full of cold. Hubby gone to do a 10 hour shift. Success with the sideboard which has been collected. Still haven't even started on our bedroom yet and that is the most cluttered room in the house.
12.40 - been to Oxfam with more bits and went to the crematorium to give Mum her poppy.
13.40 - ;
last load of washing that I put on -sheets, dressing gown, light stuff- has finished. Took it out and there's been an incident in the drum and most of the stuff is covered in greasy black stuff!! Bloody hell. Put it back on to wash again but I have now run out of washing detergent. Feeling super-stressed as I realise just how much more packing there is for me to do before I go to work.
14.20 - popped next door to let them know we are moving tomorrow. Posted 'warning' notices through neighbours letterboxes to let them know about the lorry that will be here tomorrow that hopefully won't cause any traffic problems for anyone.
15.15 - washing miraculously sorted. Hurrah! Been down the garden and took the dog collars down from the arbor. We always hang our doggie collars there. Packed Charlie's collar for the journey. Can't leave it behind. Took down lanterns and wind chimes. So, loft and top room done, top bathroom and airing cupboard done, spare room done, last lot of washing done and in the dryer, our bedroom semi-done, downstairs bathroom done, kitchen almost done, back room done. Why does it still feel like I have loads to do?!?! Don't panic! Hoovered the stairs and the bedrooms.
1700 - argghhhhh! That is all!!
17.32 - stopped for tea, precooked shepherds pie of sorts, and a cup of tea and a slice of cake. 10 mins chill and then pack more, get in the bath and get ready for work.
Hubby has rung. He is very busy and has no chance of getting back early tonight. Bless him.
17.50 - cleaned downstairs bathroom but am not going to have time to do much cleaning. Feel a bit bad about it but hopefully our buyers are investors and won't want to move in straight away.
18.50 - well, I think that's all I can do for now. Need to get ready for work. The dishwasher is still rumbling on. No doubt I will be emptying it in the morning.
I've never seen so many boxes and I have no doubt I will be seeing cardboxes in my sleep for a few weeks.
I'm off to work very shortly. I hope to have a calm night and I hope to get some sleep but it's the time of year for coughs, colds and sickness so we will see.
Tomorrow morning, when I come home, removal men should be here and we will be on our way.
I'm excited beyond words. So much has happened over the last few days, weeks, months. It's a very, very positive time for us. Long may it continue!
Until next time.....
Much love xxxxxxx
Sunday Nov 2nd - woke with a smile on my face. Packaging boxes and materials due to be delivered today. It's my last day off until we move so it's perfect timing really. Hubby is also off and, apart from a 2 hour break to watch the footie, he's all mine so we should be able to get a lot done.
By about 3 pm I began to think that something was amiss. No phone call from the delivery driver, no answer from the contact number we have been given and no sign of packaging materials. Even the email that I sent to the address on the business card I was given bounced straight back to me. Alarm bells ringing!!!
Finally, at about 6 pm hubby had to accept that something was wrong. I left a strongly worded email and and even more strongly worded voicemail message to the company asking them to cancel all of our instructions and to issue a refund for the deposit that they took initially to secure the removal slot.
One very fed up couple took themselves to bed. Tomorrow is another day.
Monday Nov 3rd - woke with a more positive attitude than I went to bed with but also with a runny nose and earache. Yes folks, it seems that I have a cold coming. I slept really badly for a variety of reasons and so, this morning, I feel rubbish.
A couple of cups of tea, a bowl of porridge and 2 painkillers later and I feel a little better. Hubby has developed a gout-like pain in his toe and is having trouble walking so I have taken the dog out and been to the post office to post the eBay items that I have been selling to try to make a bit more money.
The expected communication from the removal company has not materialised...no contact from them what so ever which is appalling... so hubby has rung them in a calm fashion and they have apologised for the 'mix up in communication'!!!... and confirmed that the booking with them is cancelled and that we will get our deposit returned. We shall see.
I have spoken with another more local company who are sending round one of their chaps this afternoon when I'm at work to give us a quote for removal and we shall just have to wait and see what happens.
In the mean time we can't pack anything up because we don't have any materials. Happy days!
11.20 Mmmmm...bit worried as I'm not feeling great. Rumbly tummy and I can't decide if it's because I'm hungry or I feel sick. May just have to try a piece of toast and see how we go. Fingers crossed.
14.10 Emails flying backwards and forwards. Organised for someone to come and collect our table and chairs via Freecycle. Organised for someone to come and give us another quote for removals and they are coming this afternoon. Interestingly, they have just rung to say that someone else has just rung to enquire about a Friday removal and they are giving us first refusal.....and given us a quote over the phone for double the price of the the original removal company. However, what can we do? They sound legitimate. We have to move. We have little choice. The good thing is that the chap is bringing packing materials with him this afternoon so, when I get back from work at 8.30pm, I will be able to start packing up....at last!
We have also had an email regarding our refund from the original removal company so, hopefully, that should materialise very soon.
Still sniffing and a bit headachey. Tummy a bit better. Hubby not hobbling quite so much so he has gone to walk the dog. Busy, busy!
21.50 I've been to work. The table and chairs and filing cabinet have been collected. The new removal company turned up....double the price of the original but we don't have any choice. Hubby has just announced that he isn't able to come to the Cat Stevens gig tomorrow night. Now have a spare ticket and face losing £60 if I can't get rid of it. Onwards and upwards.
Tuesday 4th Nov - awake at 5.30am when hubby got up for work. Mind already in full 'lets get packing' mode but there is a dog to walk first. Dishwasher and washing machine already on. Cup of tea in hand. Still coldy but no worse than yesterday. Looks like the removal firm didn't leave any bubblewrap. Doh!
09.25 Dog has been walked. It was a pleasure to take him. It was cold but bright and a proper autumn morning. Took a few photos.I don't know when I will do that walk again.Used to walk there to clear my head when thinking about Mum and Dad. Have packed 7 boxes. Realised that the big boxes aren't big enough for our pictures so I can't seal them. Found more stuff to take to the charity shop. Tweeted Cat Stevens re the spare ticket in the hope that someone may see it and want it. Sneezing from the dust. Realised that there is a hell of a lot to do and little time to do it. Off to see my Mummy no: 2 in a bit to see how she's doing. Will take her to the shops for essentials.
14.35 - Back from shopping and coffee. Now pouring with rain. No offers for the spare ticket for tonight so that's £60 down the swannee! Just paid my beach hut insurance which has gone up a lot!! Organised several pick ups for freecycle bits. Spoken to the council re move. Tried to pay removal people but they're not picking up the phone. Tried to speak with Virgin re move. They are going to ring me back. Time for soup. And if I get one more phone call from some idiot telling me that I used to work in a factory many years ago I'll scream. I have no idea what it's about but when I say that I've never worked in a factory they put the phone down. Rude, rude, rude.
15.30 - paid the removal people an outrageous amount of money, Tried to ring power suppliers who are 'experiencing a unusually high volume of calls'. Grrr! Ran to the post box in the rain as the removal guy who came last night forgot to take the paperwork with him and they need it before we move. Did remember to tell them not to be here before 8.30am on Friday as I won't be back from my night duty until then and hubby will be doing an airport run picking up friends for Heathrow. He's also working later that day too. Not quite sure when we're going to see each other to be honest.
Wed Nov 5th - 10.47 am - got home from the gig last night at midnight.What a show. Worth every penny to see Cat Stevens sing 'Father and Son' and 'Wild World' etc live. Never thought I would get the chance. Lovely stepdad enjoyed himself too which was fab. Thought I saw Fatboy Slim coming out of the loos behind us. Convinced myself that it wasn't him. Twitter later confirmed that it was. Celeb spotting at my age. Ridiculous!! Wasn't able to sell my spare ticket so I did lose £60 but such is life. Seeing the man play live was on my bucket list. Job done.
Woke this morning when hubby got up for work again at 5.30 am. So tired. Nose running. Hip stiff. Jaws ache. Apart from that I'm fine! Son stayed here for the last time last night and this morning the kitchen shows evidence of burritos and alcohol consumption. Could do without having to clean up the evidence if I'm honest.
Still, I did go back to sleep and have literally only been up 10 mins which is great. Dog still needs a decent walk before I start getting son up and dragging him to the dump with me. Sun is shining so it will be nice to take him. Then I have to be at work for 3.30 pm where I'm working until 8 pm and then I'll be home again to continue packing. No-one else has packed a box as yet. Laters!!
13.20 - dog walked, been to the dump and got rid of rubbish. Found more rubbish. Going for a coffee with son before work.
20.50 - back from work via Tesco where I picked up some vit c tablets and some multivitamins in an effort to give myself a boost and help to ward off the cold that is starting to annoy me. Came in to find a worn out hubby asleep on the sofa. He's now having a cuppa and watching the football. Dog a bit spooked by the local fireworks. Going to pack a couple more boxes and then call it a day I think. Tomorrow is going to be tiring. Tonight is my last night in this house as I'm working a nightshift tomorrow night. Having a pre-mixed gin and tonic before I retire. Oh, and we also popped into the cemetery and left Dad a poppy as I do every year. Must do Mum's tomorrow.
Thurs Nov 6th 09.35 - woke again, unnecessarily, at 5.30 am but went back to sleep. Getting out of bed was a problem this morning and I put it off for as long as I could. Hubby walked dog and has now taken him to kennels where he will stay until Sunday afternoon. Hubby is then off to work a 10 hour shift and won't be home until 11pm by which time I will have gone to work to do my nightshift. When I get home tomorrow morning he will have already left for the airport to do the prearranged pick up. Manic!!
Can't get rid of the sideboard or the wooden unit that is on freecycle so they need to go to the dump. I can't do that on my own so I've no idea how that's going to work. Better crack on.
11.27 - slight hysteria setting in. So much to do. Boxes everywhere. Me still full of cold. Hubby gone to do a 10 hour shift. Success with the sideboard which has been collected. Still haven't even started on our bedroom yet and that is the most cluttered room in the house.
12.40 - been to Oxfam with more bits and went to the crematorium to give Mum her poppy.
13.40 - ;
last load of washing that I put on -sheets, dressing gown, light stuff- has finished. Took it out and there's been an incident in the drum and most of the stuff is covered in greasy black stuff!! Bloody hell. Put it back on to wash again but I have now run out of washing detergent. Feeling super-stressed as I realise just how much more packing there is for me to do before I go to work.
14.20 - popped next door to let them know we are moving tomorrow. Posted 'warning' notices through neighbours letterboxes to let them know about the lorry that will be here tomorrow that hopefully won't cause any traffic problems for anyone.
15.15 - washing miraculously sorted. Hurrah! Been down the garden and took the dog collars down from the arbor. We always hang our doggie collars there. Packed Charlie's collar for the journey. Can't leave it behind. Took down lanterns and wind chimes. So, loft and top room done, top bathroom and airing cupboard done, spare room done, last lot of washing done and in the dryer, our bedroom semi-done, downstairs bathroom done, kitchen almost done, back room done. Why does it still feel like I have loads to do?!?! Don't panic! Hoovered the stairs and the bedrooms.
1700 - argghhhhh! That is all!!
17.32 - stopped for tea, precooked shepherds pie of sorts, and a cup of tea and a slice of cake. 10 mins chill and then pack more, get in the bath and get ready for work.
Hubby has rung. He is very busy and has no chance of getting back early tonight. Bless him.
17.50 - cleaned downstairs bathroom but am not going to have time to do much cleaning. Feel a bit bad about it but hopefully our buyers are investors and won't want to move in straight away.
18.50 - well, I think that's all I can do for now. Need to get ready for work. The dishwasher is still rumbling on. No doubt I will be emptying it in the morning.
I've never seen so many boxes and I have no doubt I will be seeing cardboxes in my sleep for a few weeks.
I'm off to work very shortly. I hope to have a calm night and I hope to get some sleep but it's the time of year for coughs, colds and sickness so we will see.
Tomorrow morning, when I come home, removal men should be here and we will be on our way.
I'm excited beyond words. So much has happened over the last few days, weeks, months. It's a very, very positive time for us. Long may it continue!
Until next time.....
Much love xxxxxxx
Saturday 1 November 2014
Beautiful Baby, Gorgeous Grandson and Exciting Exchanges!
Well, hello everyone. I hope all is well with you and yours and that everyone is happy and healthy and enjoying the incredible Autumn weather that we have been experiencing in UK.
I have several bits of excellent news to tell you about so I will crack on.....
Regular readers (!) will be aware that we have been in the process of selling our house and buying a new home for several months now and that the process has been a little frustrating with delays over what really seemed to be the silliest of things.
In fact, the situation got so tedious a couple of weeks ago that we decided, quite seriously, that if things weren't sorted out by the end of this week that we would pull out of the whole situation and save our sanity,,,,and probably quite a lot of expense.
I am delighted to be able to say that we have now exchanged contracts on both properties and we have a completion date which is next Friday....yes, November 7th, less than a week, and we will be in our new home.
I'm very excited at the whole prospect of moving and the adventures that we will have. I know there will be hiccups along the way but I feel ready for it all. Bring it on!!
However, as I am sitting in the back room typing this, I am suddenly aware that this is the last Saturday that we will spend here in the house that has been our home for 17 years. There will be no more Christmas Eve quizzes here and no more barbecues held by us.We have had a few of both over the past 17 years!! No more birthday parties and no more late night music which have also featured highly in the past.
However, hopefully barbecues and quizzes, late night music and birthday parties will become a feature of our new home....well, maybe not the late night music - can't stay up too late these days without needing ages to recover - but traditions will carry on in our new home and I am very ready to make more memories for our family to treasure.
The exchange of contracts was due to take place at the beginning of the week but things were delayed again as solicitors became unreachable by phone and emails and post went astray but the deals were finally done and the exchanges were made on the morning of Thursday October 30th 2014.
Now, I have been on standby for nanny duties over the last few days as grandchild number 4 was due to be born on October 24th. The due date came and went and, to be honest, my daughter was having such a great pregnancy that she didn't feel anywhere near going into labour and so she was booked in for induction on Nov 5th. As so often happens, there were a few little concerns with lack of baby movements and daughter was asked to go into hospital to have the baby monitored just to make sure everything was ok.
The monitor showed a few dips in heartbeat but nothing too alarming. However, my daughter was given the option of staying in hospital and being induced earlier than expected which she was delighted with! So, I got the call at about 7 pm on Wednesday 29th to pack my nighty and toothbrush and go and spend the night with my grandchildren while daddy stayed with mummy at the hospital.
That night I climbed into bed with my 2 year old grandson and waited to hear any news. Obviously, little sleep was had by me but the children all slept like logs until 5 am when the girls woke up excited that mummy was having a baby and excited because I was there.
No baby arrived overnight so I had the little ones for most of the day and we busied ourselves with pumpkin carving, broomstick buying and Christmas decoration shopping while we waited for news.
Having 3 little people to keep my eye on is not something I have had to do for a very long time and so I left my phone in the car while we went into the garden centre where we brought chocolate rabbits for everyone.
On our return to the car, I checked my phone and saws that I had 5 voicemail messages and several missed calls, one of which was from my daughter. I didn't know whether to listen to the voicemails or ring her so I decided to return her call. She answered, bright and breezy, asked how the children were behaving and so on and, in the background I could hear a baby crying. I assumed that it was someone elses baby but I was wrong. The cries were that of my newborn grandson, Marley, who had arrived about half an hour earlier. Mum and son were absolutely fine and all was well.
Due to the wonders of modern technology, Mum was able to speak in turn to all of her children and all of them were able to hear their new brother's cries which they were amazed to hear.
After I had taken in the news and settled the children in their car seats I listened to the voicemail messages which were all from estate agents and solicitors confirming that contracts had been exchanged a short while earlier. So, in essence, Marley was born and we exchanged contracts within about 10 minutes of each other!!
A few hours later I took the children back to their house where mummy, daddy and Marley were waiting to greet them. Yes, everything had gone so well that the hospital were happy for the new addition to the family to go home. This meant that I was able to see my new grandson and give him a proper cuddle about 6 hours after he was born. What a privilege.
So, Thursday October 30th 2014 was a pretty memorable day in the life of me! A day that I will remember for a very long time. A day when our future plans took another step forward and a day when our family welcomed another member. A day when I was able to spend hours with my gorgeous grandchildren and when I was able to hold my newborn grandson for the very first time.
A day when I was overwhelmed with pride and love for my daughter and a day when I felt so lucky to be alive to experience such pleasure. Absolutely wonderful.
xxxxx
I have several bits of excellent news to tell you about so I will crack on.....
Regular readers (!) will be aware that we have been in the process of selling our house and buying a new home for several months now and that the process has been a little frustrating with delays over what really seemed to be the silliest of things.
In fact, the situation got so tedious a couple of weeks ago that we decided, quite seriously, that if things weren't sorted out by the end of this week that we would pull out of the whole situation and save our sanity,,,,and probably quite a lot of expense.
I am delighted to be able to say that we have now exchanged contracts on both properties and we have a completion date which is next Friday....yes, November 7th, less than a week, and we will be in our new home.
I'm very excited at the whole prospect of moving and the adventures that we will have. I know there will be hiccups along the way but I feel ready for it all. Bring it on!!
However, as I am sitting in the back room typing this, I am suddenly aware that this is the last Saturday that we will spend here in the house that has been our home for 17 years. There will be no more Christmas Eve quizzes here and no more barbecues held by us.We have had a few of both over the past 17 years!! No more birthday parties and no more late night music which have also featured highly in the past.
However, hopefully barbecues and quizzes, late night music and birthday parties will become a feature of our new home....well, maybe not the late night music - can't stay up too late these days without needing ages to recover - but traditions will carry on in our new home and I am very ready to make more memories for our family to treasure.
The exchange of contracts was due to take place at the beginning of the week but things were delayed again as solicitors became unreachable by phone and emails and post went astray but the deals were finally done and the exchanges were made on the morning of Thursday October 30th 2014.
Now, I have been on standby for nanny duties over the last few days as grandchild number 4 was due to be born on October 24th. The due date came and went and, to be honest, my daughter was having such a great pregnancy that she didn't feel anywhere near going into labour and so she was booked in for induction on Nov 5th. As so often happens, there were a few little concerns with lack of baby movements and daughter was asked to go into hospital to have the baby monitored just to make sure everything was ok.
The monitor showed a few dips in heartbeat but nothing too alarming. However, my daughter was given the option of staying in hospital and being induced earlier than expected which she was delighted with! So, I got the call at about 7 pm on Wednesday 29th to pack my nighty and toothbrush and go and spend the night with my grandchildren while daddy stayed with mummy at the hospital.
That night I climbed into bed with my 2 year old grandson and waited to hear any news. Obviously, little sleep was had by me but the children all slept like logs until 5 am when the girls woke up excited that mummy was having a baby and excited because I was there.
No baby arrived overnight so I had the little ones for most of the day and we busied ourselves with pumpkin carving, broomstick buying and Christmas decoration shopping while we waited for news.
Having 3 little people to keep my eye on is not something I have had to do for a very long time and so I left my phone in the car while we went into the garden centre where we brought chocolate rabbits for everyone.
On our return to the car, I checked my phone and saws that I had 5 voicemail messages and several missed calls, one of which was from my daughter. I didn't know whether to listen to the voicemails or ring her so I decided to return her call. She answered, bright and breezy, asked how the children were behaving and so on and, in the background I could hear a baby crying. I assumed that it was someone elses baby but I was wrong. The cries were that of my newborn grandson, Marley, who had arrived about half an hour earlier. Mum and son were absolutely fine and all was well.
Due to the wonders of modern technology, Mum was able to speak in turn to all of her children and all of them were able to hear their new brother's cries which they were amazed to hear.
After I had taken in the news and settled the children in their car seats I listened to the voicemail messages which were all from estate agents and solicitors confirming that contracts had been exchanged a short while earlier. So, in essence, Marley was born and we exchanged contracts within about 10 minutes of each other!!
A few hours later I took the children back to their house where mummy, daddy and Marley were waiting to greet them. Yes, everything had gone so well that the hospital were happy for the new addition to the family to go home. This meant that I was able to see my new grandson and give him a proper cuddle about 6 hours after he was born. What a privilege.
So, Thursday October 30th 2014 was a pretty memorable day in the life of me! A day that I will remember for a very long time. A day when our future plans took another step forward and a day when our family welcomed another member. A day when I was able to spend hours with my gorgeous grandchildren and when I was able to hold my newborn grandson for the very first time.
A day when I was overwhelmed with pride and love for my daughter and a day when I felt so lucky to be alive to experience such pleasure. Absolutely wonderful.
xxxxx
Monday 27 October 2014
What A Wonderful Week
Hi everyone,
I am back home from a wonderful week of gallivanting around with hubby celebrating our wedding anniversary. We have really had a wonderful time and really enjoyed it all but, in truth, we both admit to feeling relieved to be back at home and sort of back to normal. We still haven't exchanged contracts on the houses. I won't bore you anymore with that issue. Suffice to say that I don't rate solicitors very highly just at the moment.
Anyway, back to our jaunts. After a lovely meal at a local pub on the Wednesday with good friends, we carried on our days as normal until the Sunday when we went up to London in the afternoon and had dinner at The Ivy which is known as much for its celebrity clientelle as it is for its menu. We checked in a little early for our allocated time slot and so had a cocktail while we waited. Pina colada? Yes please.
We were shown to our table which meant that we had to walk past Ricky Gervais who was having a meal with friends. Now, he's not my favourite person but he did flash me a lovely smile so that was nice. I'm also 99% sure that Jake Wood (East Enders' Max Branning and current star of Strictly) was there too but I couldn't be sure. Anyway, the food was lovely. I had calves liver which was beautifully cooked. I also had a glass of expensive champagne as a treat as Grandad had offered to buy the meal for us. In retrospect this was a mistake because, when presented with the bill for our evening (which was expensive but it was a special event) he decided that he wouldn't pay for it after all and gave us some cash towards it. Not quite what was offered but there you go!
From The Ivy it was on to Euston station where we were catching the sleeper train to Edinburgh. Now, I know that that is not everyone's idea of the way to travel but I have never been on a sleeper train and really wanted to give it a go. Our train didn't leave until 23.30 so we had time for a couple of drinks and then I decided it would be a good idea to buy a bottle of Prosecco for our journey or for the next night. Needless to say, we didn't drink the Prosecco and ended up bringing it home with us.
The train journey was fun and I found it really comfy although the champagne may have helped in that department. I slept really well although the cabin was very cosy and there really wasn't enough room to swing a cat in there.
We even ventured down to the lounge because we could where hubby ordered a beer and I had a cup of tea. It was really a silly thing to do but it was fun.
The next morning we had tea delivered to our cabin, got dressed and then arrived at Edinburgh bang on time.
We were both feeling a touch jaded but the weather was glorious and our hotel room wasn't ready so be dropped our bags off and went for a wander. The fresh air did us both the world of good.
That evening, after hubby had watched the football, we went for a stroll up to the castle which looked spectaular. The next morning we went and did the whole tour and it really was fantastic. Worth every penny of the £16 entrance fee. There was so much to see and so much of it was very moving. I loved it. We then did one of the underground tours which I had done before with friends. It was as good as I remembered.
Too soon it was time to get back on the train to return to London. We travelled first class which was nice. Free drinks and sandwiches all the way if you wanted them. We finally got back home at about 8pm, weary but elated.
Our hotel for the night
Sir Chris Hoy's Golden Post Box
Dog cemetery
Underground tour
Free drinks!
On the Wednesday we were out again with my sister and brother in law who treated us to a super curry. We had a great evening chatting and catching up. As usual, we said that we should do it more often and, as usual, we probably won't! We always mean it when we say it but life has a habit of getting in the way sometimes.
On Friday we drove down to Salcombe in Devon where I had booked us into a very swish hotel for the evening. We had a room that overlooked the estuary and had it's own balcony, sun loungers, complimentary gin and sherry and a bed and bedding to die for. It really was wonderful and I felt very relaxed and comfortable there which says more than anything else about how lovely it was.
Hubby had never been to Salcombe before but I had been several times with Jonathan and I wanted to show hubby what a lovely place it is and he wasn't disappointed. He enjoyed it very much.
We went to all of the places that I used to go with Jonathan and we had a cup of coffee and a piece of cake in his favourite coffee shop.Our evening meal was fabulous. We ate at The Victoria Inn. Food, staff, service and atmosphere all fab.
Our visit stirred a few memories for me about times I had spent there and it was quite apt that it would have been Jonathan's 31st birthday on the day that we travelled home again.
Now, I should be putting photos of Salcombe here but I can't find them at the moment. Typical.
So, that's it for now as far as our celebrations go. We still have dinner at The Ritz to book but I think we will leave that for now. The next things looming are the imminent arrival of grandchild number 4 who is already a couple of days late and the house move.
Oh yes, and just before I go, if any of you like a good read I can recommend India Knight's latest book called In Your Prime.
I confess to being a huge India Knight fan and, if I was a writer, I would want to write like her. Her style really appeals to me. I have all of her books and I refer back to them often. This latest book is aimed at women of my age...in the last third of life apparently...and is full of her experiences and tips/advice on things such as exercise (yoga all way and no running!), beauty basics, health and dealing with ageing parents among other things. I more or less read the book in one sitting but I have it on my iPad and I really think I prefer reading a 'proper' book. Must be my age! Anyway, I shall be asking for the 'proper' book for Christmas if anyone asks.
Love to all.
I feel that I have loads more to talk about but this will do for now. Need sleep!
xxxxx
I am back home from a wonderful week of gallivanting around with hubby celebrating our wedding anniversary. We have really had a wonderful time and really enjoyed it all but, in truth, we both admit to feeling relieved to be back at home and sort of back to normal. We still haven't exchanged contracts on the houses. I won't bore you anymore with that issue. Suffice to say that I don't rate solicitors very highly just at the moment.
Anyway, back to our jaunts. After a lovely meal at a local pub on the Wednesday with good friends, we carried on our days as normal until the Sunday when we went up to London in the afternoon and had dinner at The Ivy which is known as much for its celebrity clientelle as it is for its menu. We checked in a little early for our allocated time slot and so had a cocktail while we waited. Pina colada? Yes please.
We were shown to our table which meant that we had to walk past Ricky Gervais who was having a meal with friends. Now, he's not my favourite person but he did flash me a lovely smile so that was nice. I'm also 99% sure that Jake Wood (East Enders' Max Branning and current star of Strictly) was there too but I couldn't be sure. Anyway, the food was lovely. I had calves liver which was beautifully cooked. I also had a glass of expensive champagne as a treat as Grandad had offered to buy the meal for us. In retrospect this was a mistake because, when presented with the bill for our evening (which was expensive but it was a special event) he decided that he wouldn't pay for it after all and gave us some cash towards it. Not quite what was offered but there you go!
From The Ivy it was on to Euston station where we were catching the sleeper train to Edinburgh. Now, I know that that is not everyone's idea of the way to travel but I have never been on a sleeper train and really wanted to give it a go. Our train didn't leave until 23.30 so we had time for a couple of drinks and then I decided it would be a good idea to buy a bottle of Prosecco for our journey or for the next night. Needless to say, we didn't drink the Prosecco and ended up bringing it home with us.
The train journey was fun and I found it really comfy although the champagne may have helped in that department. I slept really well although the cabin was very cosy and there really wasn't enough room to swing a cat in there.
We even ventured down to the lounge because we could where hubby ordered a beer and I had a cup of tea. It was really a silly thing to do but it was fun.
The next morning we had tea delivered to our cabin, got dressed and then arrived at Edinburgh bang on time.
We were both feeling a touch jaded but the weather was glorious and our hotel room wasn't ready so be dropped our bags off and went for a wander. The fresh air did us both the world of good.
That evening, after hubby had watched the football, we went for a stroll up to the castle which looked spectaular. The next morning we went and did the whole tour and it really was fantastic. Worth every penny of the £16 entrance fee. There was so much to see and so much of it was very moving. I loved it. We then did one of the underground tours which I had done before with friends. It was as good as I remembered.
Too soon it was time to get back on the train to return to London. We travelled first class which was nice. Free drinks and sandwiches all the way if you wanted them. We finally got back home at about 8pm, weary but elated.
On the Wednesday we were out again with my sister and brother in law who treated us to a super curry. We had a great evening chatting and catching up. As usual, we said that we should do it more often and, as usual, we probably won't! We always mean it when we say it but life has a habit of getting in the way sometimes.
On Friday we drove down to Salcombe in Devon where I had booked us into a very swish hotel for the evening. We had a room that overlooked the estuary and had it's own balcony, sun loungers, complimentary gin and sherry and a bed and bedding to die for. It really was wonderful and I felt very relaxed and comfortable there which says more than anything else about how lovely it was.
Hubby had never been to Salcombe before but I had been several times with Jonathan and I wanted to show hubby what a lovely place it is and he wasn't disappointed. He enjoyed it very much.
We went to all of the places that I used to go with Jonathan and we had a cup of coffee and a piece of cake in his favourite coffee shop.Our evening meal was fabulous. We ate at The Victoria Inn. Food, staff, service and atmosphere all fab.
Our visit stirred a few memories for me about times I had spent there and it was quite apt that it would have been Jonathan's 31st birthday on the day that we travelled home again.
Now, I should be putting photos of Salcombe here but I can't find them at the moment. Typical.
So, that's it for now as far as our celebrations go. We still have dinner at The Ritz to book but I think we will leave that for now. The next things looming are the imminent arrival of grandchild number 4 who is already a couple of days late and the house move.
Oh yes, and just before I go, if any of you like a good read I can recommend India Knight's latest book called In Your Prime.
I confess to being a huge India Knight fan and, if I was a writer, I would want to write like her. Her style really appeals to me. I have all of her books and I refer back to them often. This latest book is aimed at women of my age...in the last third of life apparently...and is full of her experiences and tips/advice on things such as exercise (yoga all way and no running!), beauty basics, health and dealing with ageing parents among other things. I more or less read the book in one sitting but I have it on my iPad and I really think I prefer reading a 'proper' book. Must be my age! Anyway, I shall be asking for the 'proper' book for Christmas if anyone asks.
Love to all.
I feel that I have loads more to talk about but this will do for now. Need sleep!
xxxxx
Oh..... I've found a few Salcombe photos. Enjoy! Xx
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