Hi all,
I hope all is well with everyone and that you are all fine and dandy. I am very well and back in the swing of things after our holiday. It doesn't take long does it?!
I spent all of my weekend (apart from Saturday night which was spent consuming Prosecco and Cadbury's mini eggs) going through our house from top to bottom with a bucket of bleach, a vacuum cleaner and a bottle of Pledge and a duster. Yes,folks, finally, after years of pleading, sulking and discussions with hubby, we are putting our house up for sale.
We have lived here since June 1997 and our children have all spent the formative years of their lives here. Our house is a 3 bed-roomed semi detached with a loft extension and quite a big garden. We moved here from a house a couple of miles away which was almost the same style in design but which I didn't realise until later. Typical lack of observation by me. I just knew that the new house felt familiar!!
I have never loved this house. I have tried but I have never felt entirely at home in it for some reason. Hubby and the kids love it and I feel sure that we would spend the rest of our lives here - actually, until recently, I really feared that that was what was going to happen - until hubby relented and decided that a move would be beneficial to us both. I think he may have been swayed by my devotion to my hut and to the seaside. He has never been a seaside man but he can see how happy I am these days and he possibly thinks he is heading for an easier life if I get what I want ;-)
Many, many memories are wrapped up in this house. Shortly after we moved in, Princess Diana was killed and I remember that I put a TV in the kitchen so that I wouldn't miss any news.
My Dad sat on our sofa and told me that he feared that he had cancer like his brother in the back room of this house. He was correct and many tearful nights were subsequently spent in the same back room listening to music and feeling helpless and sad.
My Mum rang this house many, many times and I had countless chats and conversations with her about absolutely everything, although usually family to be honest!
This house has hosted birthdays, barbecues and boozy nights, parties, fundraising attempts, music sessions, Christmases and Guy Fawkes bonfires and fireworks.
We have prepared for weddings, christenings and funerals from here. Beautiful brides and bridesmaids have left here in their finery, the brides going off to the biggest day of their lives.
The garden is the final resting place of a wonderful little dog, a rabbit, 3 guinea pigs, a couple of hamsters and various fishes.
The same garden was tended by my parents in law when we moved in and they helped us establish our roses and gave us loads of books ( and advice) on how to get the best out of the garden. We weren't really interested at the time. We had young children and a house to run and the garden could look after itself. Of course, only now do I wish I could speak to Grandma about certain flowers and how to look after them and get the best out of them. I could ask Grandad but I'm not sure that he ever really knew what was right and wrong. Grandma definitely wore the trousers in that relationship at the time.
We have a lovely patio and back garden path along with a block-paved driveway which was put in by a good friend of ours and which has made so much difference to how the house looks. We have a lovely bathroom upstairs which was put in not long after Mum died and which I will miss very much. I remember sitting in the bath when it was first put in. There was no light and no bathroom door but I ran a bath, lit a few candles and luxuriated in bliss for a while. There is also a great shower in that bathroom and we have our fabulous brother in law to thank for that. He installed all of the plumbing.
We have installed double glazing and my super step-dad has been responsible for almost all of the electrical work that we have had done.
This house has been the place that our children have called 'home' for most of their lives and some of them still call it 'home' even though they've moved out.
We only have one remaining 'child' at home (and the dog) and that 'child' has the option of coming with us when we finally move but I think he is going to stay in the town that he was born and brought up in and where he has friends and a job.
We have wonderful neighbours too. You know, the kind of neighbours that don't interfere or bother you but who you know that you could call on if you needed help. There are also a lot of student houses in the area due to the ever -expanding university and campuses and that can make parking a bit of a issue but the students themselves rarely seem to cause any problems, at least not for us.
We have also seen sadness from this house. The death of one our son's friends who lived a few doors away at the age of 10 due to leukemia and the sudden death of the mum of a family of 3 girls the same age as my girls shook us hugely. I can see the houses of both of the families who had to deal with these tragedies when I look out of my bedroom window and I am reminded of them everytime I open my curtains in the morning. It is testament to our neighbourhood that both families still live here.
This was also the house that we took our beloved Labrador Charlie for his last visit to the vet after he had been poorly. We returned from that visit without him and I recall sitting in the back garden and sobbing later that evening.
So you may be asking yourself why, after all of that, that I so desperately want to move. Maybe it's as simple as the grass being always greener and we may be making a huge mistake but I truly don't think that's the case.I feel that the time is right for us to move on and make the most of our lives and do things that we have always wanted to and moving is one of those things.
I would like to move down nearer to the coast and, of course, nearer to my beloved beach hut. Tomorrow we will begin our investigations of the areas local to the hut and see if there is anywhere that we like the look of. We may not find anything suitable immediately but we are not in any real hurry to move...as in we don't HAVE to move straightaway...but wouldn't it be wonderful if we were to sell the house quickly and find somewhere we love and it could all be done by Christmas! We can but dream, but, you know, I have a really good feeling about this.
We have a lot of good things to look forward to and the next part of our lives is about to begin. I can't wait!
Much love
xxxxx
Monday 28 July 2014
Tuesday 22 July 2014
Home Sweet Home
Hi everyone,
We are back from our Florida adventure safe and sound. We had an absolutely amazing time and I/we didn't want to come home. It was only the thought of picking up Harvey from kennels and seeing family and friends that made the return home bearable!
We had an bumpy flight home which included sitting on the plane on the runway for an hour during an intense thunderstorm which turned out to be two storm fronts colliding over Orlando airport and which culminated in our plane being hit by lightening 10 minutes into the flight. Yes, we were airborne. There had been two previous lightening bolts that didn't touch us but the third one definitely hit us with a thud. It was a scary few minutes where we all looked at each other and held hands and smiled nervously but the plane carried on regardless thankfully. The captain later informed us that we had been struck by a 'small' lightening bolt and that all of the safety checks had subsequently been made and all was well.
We landed an hour later than planned, had a lengthy wait for a couple of our cases and then we bundled into our prearranged transport and were driven home.
The next thing was to pick up the dog and drop of various folk at their various abodes and then home again for shopping, washing machine loading and mail opening. Oh, the joys!
As for our holiday, anyone who is a 'friend' of mine or the family on Facebook will have seen various updates and photos and will have a pretty good idea of our experiences.
I had spent quite a bit of time working out an itinerary so that we were able to experience a lot especially as one of our party had never been to USA before and two others had not been to Florida.
I had booked a few restaurants and scheduled park visits and a few days away from Orlando visiting Miami and Key Largo.
Although I was roundly questioned and often criticized for my forward planning, it was definitely worthwhile and we had quiet days and full on busy days and I think it worked out pretty well.
What did we do? Well, the Disney parks - Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Epcot - Universal and The Islands of Adventure, Kennedy Space Centre, Seaworld, Aquatica, Downtown Disney, Hard Rock Cafe, T-Res eatery....
We saw fireworks, swam in the crystal clear waters at South Beach, Miami, visited an alligator farm and held snakes, had an armadillo and a snake in our back yard and a snake in our pool.....
...went to a Holocaust Memorial museum and met a survivor ....
...and basically ate and drank and swam and went on loads of hair-raising rides. We also got to experience the new Harry Potter rides, or at least two of us did. They were the two that were prepared to queue for 4 hours! Apparently it was worth the wait.
There is always a concern when a big group of people go on holiday together about whether there will be any arguments or discord. There were seven of us, all 'adults', and it was fantastic. Of course there were the odd niggles but we all got on extremely well.
Hubby did most of the driving despite my offers to help out but I did actually drive which was a first for me in a foreign country.
We all got bitten by mosquitoes - some of us more than others - but it wasn't really a problem as we had creams and lotions at the ready.
The weather was typically stormy for this time of year over there but it only stopped us doing one thing which was a real bonus. Unfortunately, that was the day that we went to the water park. That was our only disappointing experience of the whole two weeks. Two weeks of fun, laughter and pleasure. Two weeks of memories that will live with us all for a very long time.
Once again, thank you to all of my holiday buddies. You know who you are. You helped to make it a very, very special holiday on every level. Start saving and we'll do it again!!!
Lots of love to all
xxx
I will add armadillo pics when I can find them!
We are back from our Florida adventure safe and sound. We had an absolutely amazing time and I/we didn't want to come home. It was only the thought of picking up Harvey from kennels and seeing family and friends that made the return home bearable!
We had an bumpy flight home which included sitting on the plane on the runway for an hour during an intense thunderstorm which turned out to be two storm fronts colliding over Orlando airport and which culminated in our plane being hit by lightening 10 minutes into the flight. Yes, we were airborne. There had been two previous lightening bolts that didn't touch us but the third one definitely hit us with a thud. It was a scary few minutes where we all looked at each other and held hands and smiled nervously but the plane carried on regardless thankfully. The captain later informed us that we had been struck by a 'small' lightening bolt and that all of the safety checks had subsequently been made and all was well.
Our plane before take off and the lightening strike
We landed an hour later than planned, had a lengthy wait for a couple of our cases and then we bundled into our prearranged transport and were driven home.
The next thing was to pick up the dog and drop of various folk at their various abodes and then home again for shopping, washing machine loading and mail opening. Oh, the joys!
As for our holiday, anyone who is a 'friend' of mine or the family on Facebook will have seen various updates and photos and will have a pretty good idea of our experiences.
I had spent quite a bit of time working out an itinerary so that we were able to experience a lot especially as one of our party had never been to USA before and two others had not been to Florida.
I had booked a few restaurants and scheduled park visits and a few days away from Orlando visiting Miami and Key Largo.
Although I was roundly questioned and often criticized for my forward planning, it was definitely worthwhile and we had quiet days and full on busy days and I think it worked out pretty well.
What did we do? Well, the Disney parks - Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Epcot - Universal and The Islands of Adventure, Kennedy Space Centre, Seaworld, Aquatica, Downtown Disney, Hard Rock Cafe, T-Res eatery....
We saw fireworks, swam in the crystal clear waters at South Beach, Miami, visited an alligator farm and held snakes, had an armadillo and a snake in our back yard and a snake in our pool.....
...went to a Holocaust Memorial museum and met a survivor ....
...and basically ate and drank and swam and went on loads of hair-raising rides. We also got to experience the new Harry Potter rides, or at least two of us did. They were the two that were prepared to queue for 4 hours! Apparently it was worth the wait.
There is always a concern when a big group of people go on holiday together about whether there will be any arguments or discord. There were seven of us, all 'adults', and it was fantastic. Of course there were the odd niggles but we all got on extremely well.
Hubby did most of the driving despite my offers to help out but I did actually drive which was a first for me in a foreign country.
We all got bitten by mosquitoes - some of us more than others - but it wasn't really a problem as we had creams and lotions at the ready.
The weather was typically stormy for this time of year over there but it only stopped us doing one thing which was a real bonus. Unfortunately, that was the day that we went to the water park. That was our only disappointing experience of the whole two weeks. Two weeks of fun, laughter and pleasure. Two weeks of memories that will live with us all for a very long time.
Once again, thank you to all of my holiday buddies. You know who you are. You helped to make it a very, very special holiday on every level. Start saving and we'll do it again!!!
Lots of love to all
xxx
I will add armadillo pics when I can find them!
Sunday 6 July 2014
We're All Going On A Summer Holiday
Hi everyone,
This has been a busy and enjoyable week which I will not bore you with too much. Much more exciting is the fact that we are off on our long awaited holiday in the morning! Cases are packed, dog is in kennels, fridge is almost empty and we are ready to go.
It only seems like last month that we were all sitting in our back room coming up with a vague plan of what we wanted to do and where we wanted to visit and now plans are made, tickets are here, we are booked in online and we just need a good sleep and we will be off.
I have finished work for the summer at school and I don't go back until the start of September so I hope to have a lot of opportunities to get out and about and visit people and places and also, of course, spend time at the hut which I have finally decided will be called 'Bliss' because, every time that I talk about it, the word bliss is mentioned. I know that several other people have also called their hut by the same name. I think it's the perfect name for my wonderful hut.
Talking of which, I took a trip down to the hut on my own on Thursday as I know that I won't be visiting for the next couple of weeks. Once again, I was incredibly lucky with the weather. Although it was a bit blowy and the sea was a bit choppy - which put paid to my idea of going for a swim - it was a pleasure to be down there.
I also, finally, took the opportunity to visit my Mum's best friend who lives very close by and who I haven't seen for a long time.
I turned up unexpectedly but was made to feel very welcome. A cup of coffee (and a couple of hours later) I went back to the hut which I had left unlocked because I hadn't expected to be gone for so long. The people who own the hut next door to mine had arrived. They are a friendly couple and they regaled me with the story of how they watched my hut being moved back into position after the storms and how they had taken photos of the operation which I have yet to see.
I then sat in the sun, read my book and drank tea until it was time to drive home before my last night shift until September. It was another 'blissful' day.
The previous day I had had my final CBT session which was really good. I had really worked hard with my sessions and I have come to realise just how far I've come in a short space of time. I'm really happy with my progress, I'm really happy generally most of the time which is new for me and I am far less stressed and anxious which is a real bonus so my therapy has been a very positive experience.
Following on from my session I decided to take a drive to a place that I had wanted to go to for some time.
My Nan used to go to a spiritualist church and used to take (drag) my Mum along with her. Nan also used to talk about a healer called Harry Edwards who had a centre near Guildford I think. I have to say that I have never been to a spiritualist church and have no idea why Nan used to go although it's appealing to me for some reason.
Anyway, Harry Edwards had a home which is now a sanctuary/healing centre which is open to the public. I had a walk around the memorial garden before finding the reception area and being made to feel very welcome and being shown around.
The house is set in beautiful countryside and is very peaceful. It is fine to take a family, have a picnic, take dogs, whatever you like and it's free of charge. Donations obviously gratefully received.
It was a really lovely visit and I will definitely be returning again soon.
Also, our Poppy Picnic, which we held a couple of weeks back, raised an impressive £130 which has all been paid in so that was a very worthwhile thing to do.
The other big news is that we have had our house valued at last and I hope that we will be putting it on the market very soon. This is something that I have wanted to do for a very, very long time and I feel that the time is right. All we have to do now is find a property that we like and sell our house. That's all!!
So, I'll leave you with a few pics of our last trip to Florida. There will be a lot, lot more when we get back!
Stay safe everyone.
This has been a busy and enjoyable week which I will not bore you with too much. Much more exciting is the fact that we are off on our long awaited holiday in the morning! Cases are packed, dog is in kennels, fridge is almost empty and we are ready to go.
It only seems like last month that we were all sitting in our back room coming up with a vague plan of what we wanted to do and where we wanted to visit and now plans are made, tickets are here, we are booked in online and we just need a good sleep and we will be off.
I have finished work for the summer at school and I don't go back until the start of September so I hope to have a lot of opportunities to get out and about and visit people and places and also, of course, spend time at the hut which I have finally decided will be called 'Bliss' because, every time that I talk about it, the word bliss is mentioned. I know that several other people have also called their hut by the same name. I think it's the perfect name for my wonderful hut.
Talking of which, I took a trip down to the hut on my own on Thursday as I know that I won't be visiting for the next couple of weeks. Once again, I was incredibly lucky with the weather. Although it was a bit blowy and the sea was a bit choppy - which put paid to my idea of going for a swim - it was a pleasure to be down there.
I also, finally, took the opportunity to visit my Mum's best friend who lives very close by and who I haven't seen for a long time.
I turned up unexpectedly but was made to feel very welcome. A cup of coffee (and a couple of hours later) I went back to the hut which I had left unlocked because I hadn't expected to be gone for so long. The people who own the hut next door to mine had arrived. They are a friendly couple and they regaled me with the story of how they watched my hut being moved back into position after the storms and how they had taken photos of the operation which I have yet to see.
I then sat in the sun, read my book and drank tea until it was time to drive home before my last night shift until September. It was another 'blissful' day.
The previous day I had had my final CBT session which was really good. I had really worked hard with my sessions and I have come to realise just how far I've come in a short space of time. I'm really happy with my progress, I'm really happy generally most of the time which is new for me and I am far less stressed and anxious which is a real bonus so my therapy has been a very positive experience.
Following on from my session I decided to take a drive to a place that I had wanted to go to for some time.
My Nan used to go to a spiritualist church and used to take (drag) my Mum along with her. Nan also used to talk about a healer called Harry Edwards who had a centre near Guildford I think. I have to say that I have never been to a spiritualist church and have no idea why Nan used to go although it's appealing to me for some reason.
Anyway, Harry Edwards had a home which is now a sanctuary/healing centre which is open to the public. I had a walk around the memorial garden before finding the reception area and being made to feel very welcome and being shown around.
The house is set in beautiful countryside and is very peaceful. It is fine to take a family, have a picnic, take dogs, whatever you like and it's free of charge. Donations obviously gratefully received.
It was a really lovely visit and I will definitely be returning again soon.
Also, our Poppy Picnic, which we held a couple of weeks back, raised an impressive £130 which has all been paid in so that was a very worthwhile thing to do.
The other big news is that we have had our house valued at last and I hope that we will be putting it on the market very soon. This is something that I have wanted to do for a very, very long time and I feel that the time is right. All we have to do now is find a property that we like and sell our house. That's all!!
So, I'll leave you with a few pics of our last trip to Florida. There will be a lot, lot more when we get back!
Stay safe everyone.
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