New Dog, NYC, Granddaughter Fun and Cooking

Hi all,

I've been reminded that I am a day late with this update. Well, I have no excuse other than it's a Bank Holiday here in UK. To be frank, that makes no difference to when I blog, especially as I have done very little over the whole weekend apart from struggle last night and most of today with a really nasty headache, the first such headache for a very long time thankfully but which has caused me to feel sick, lethargic and wiped out.
Fortunately, my daughter had already planned to cook supper today so I didn't have to worry about cooking. What a supper it was too! She cooked massaman curry from her new Thai cookery book which was given to her as a leaving present by her previous employers and it was absolutely gorgeous - the type of food that I love. She will be blogging about it at some point over the next few days so do check here for more details and some nice photos too.

I have also indulged in some baking of my own this week and have made rum babas, spaghetti carbonara, spotted dick, bread and butter pudding and some iced blueberry and lemon muffins.

The next exciting bit of news is that we have booked our trip to New York City. Yes, we shall be in New York for a few days around New Year and are staying in the same hotel as friends who have been there before so it's going to be fantastic. My only worry about booking, despite the fact it's one of the places hubby and I have wanted to visit for a very long time, is my daughter's pregnancy but she assures me that she doesn't want anyone putting their life on hold for her and that we should just go for it as so that's what we are doing.

We have plans to make and need to decide where we want to visit in our relatively short stay. Obviously all of the usual tourist attractions are on our list but also is a trip to New Jersey - home of hubby's hero Bruce Springsteen - and a Jimmy Buffett concert which is being held on New Year's Eve at The Barclay Centre in Brooklyn. Tickets go on sale in September so I need to remember to check the ticket sites over the next few days so that we are in with a chance of getting some.

On Wednesday I spent the day with my eldest granddaughter. She had decided that she wanted to go to the beach hut and to the local country park the same as her sister and I had done the previous week. Sadly the weather was not conducive to a trip to the hut but we did squeeze in a visit to the park between the downpours. We also spent some time making chocolate cakes..,,

                .....before going to the local leisure centre for a swim which was great fun. It was a busy session but that made no difference to anyone there. There were inflatables of all kinds to play with and much fun was had by us both. I loved seeing the sheer joy on the face of our 'big' girl as she jumped fearlessly from the side of the pool and onto the surfboard. Her giggles as we pretended that we were in the sea and a storm was coming and the sea getting rougher will stay with me for a long time. It was wonderful to spend time with her.

Our last, and biggest piece of news I guess, is the arrival to our household of a little Jack Russell terrier named Bella who celebrates her 1 year birthday this coming Thursday September 3rd.

I found out about her via a friend on good old Facebook. His neighbour had a dog that needed rehoming due to unfortunate circumstances and would anybody be interested. I was! I messaged him and then rang the owner and arranged to meet the following day (Monday). To cut a long story short, I brought the little one home that same day and introduced her to Harvey, our 5 year old Labrador cross who has, up to now, accepted her presence in the house and has been very, very good. 

They make a great duo. Harv...big, cumbersome and not that clever and Bella ....little, bouncy and smart. (Timon and Pumbaa) 

I'm loving taking them out but I'm worried about letting her off lead so she stays on an extendable one which works well for now. 

The differences between the two dogs are obvious - shape, size, temperament, appetite, colour. She is a fussy eater, he eats anything and everything. She doesn't like walking in the rain, he will walk in any weather just as long as he gets to go out. She is a lap dog, he thinks he is and doesn't understand why he can't fit comfortably on your lap. That's because he weighs 35kgs!!  

So, our lives have moved on again and things continue to change and provide us with challenges but it's all great. I would normally be returning to work tomorrow  after the summer break but now I am free to do whatever I like. I foresee lots of dog walking, visits to family and friends and generally enjoying my life. Lots to look forward to. Happy days.

xxxxx                                                             

Being A Mum and A Nanny and NYC!

Hi all.

This has been (another) busy week what with one thing and another and it has also been a worrying and stressful one. I'll start with the 'busyness' and go from there I think.

The week began with the fallout from some family drama which a lot of people got involved in and which had the capacity to cause all manner of problems. Fortunately, with a lot of thinking and a few calm heads, there seems to have been little damage done overall which is positive. In fact, a few bridges have been built and I hope that things continue in that manner.

Tuesday was a fairly quiet day until my pregnant daughter rang in floods of tears. She had been sick yet again, had experienced tummy pain and was basically exhausted. Normally I would jump in my car and go to her but her Dad is much nearer to her since our house move and he was able to get there and make sure she was ok. She ended up at the hospital and has been diagnosed with dehydration and hyperemesis gravidarum - acute sickness to you and me- and has now been prescribed anti sickness medication which we hope will help.
The hospital were able to hear the heartbeats of the babies which was very reassuring to all involved and my daughter has had a few days off work and is now ready to return on Monday morning and attempt to carry on as 'normal'.

On Wednesday I had arranged to have my second granddaughter for the day...just she and I...and we had a lovely time.
When I picked her up she was very excited and was dressed in what I can only describe as a bridesmaids dress. This is typical of her. She loves all things princess and with her beautiful long curly hair she looked quite the stunner.
It was up to her what she wanted to do for the day so we went to Queen Elizabeth Country Park where she climbed on all of the adventure playground bits and we made a fairy house....

.....and then it was on to the beach hut at Hayling Island where we had chocolate spread sandwiches, toasted marshmallows and collected shells....

......before heading to the funfair for candy floss and the helter skelter before making our way home.

I popped to see my eldest daughter on my way home to make sure  she was ok after her hospital trip the previous evening. She looked knackered to be honest but was putting on a brave face. We were having a nice chat when, totally out of the blue, she was very sick. Poor love. I did feel for her. No wonder she feels so rough.
I did what I could to make her comfortable and left her to rest.

On Thursday I met up with a friend that I haven't seen for ages and who taught all four of our children when they were at nursery. We have stayed in touch over the years and we decided to meet at the halfway point between my house and hers - a garden centre - where we had lunch, cake and tea and a good old catch up. 3 hours later we decided we should make our way home!  It was lovely to see her looking so well.

Friday was a home day so I decided to cook something nice. I made a lovely lamb and potato curry (Hairy Bikers Diet recipe) which I served with naan bread (not diet!) and it was followed by a Jamie Oliver dessert of grilled strawberries that had been soaked in Pimms and stem ginger and vanilla seeds. This was served with smashed shortbread, vanilla ice cream and a sprig of mint.
Both dishes were well received by all who sampled them.

Saturday arrived and I had booked pedicures for two of my daughters and myself as a treat. We enjoyed the experience - the two girls having not experienced a pedicure before - but I, like a fool, didn't have any flip flops or open toed sandals available. I left my newly varnished toes to dry for the allocated time but, disappointingly, the big toe nails on each foot were not completely dry when I put my shoes on and they both smudged which ruined the effect completely. I then went to pay and I was taken aback by the total cost of our session. I won't put the amount here but, suffice to say, I won't be returning to that particular salon any time soon.
Before my holiday in July I went to a salon local to me where I just walked in off the street and had a manicure and a pedicure for less that it would have cost me yesterday and the results were much better. Lesson learned. However, both the girls enjoyed the experience so I'm glad that I did it.

From there it was to daughters house to load up the car with bits to take to the dump and then on to my friend's house to chat about the possibility of visiting New York in December!! Yes, it looks as if we may be spending this New Year's Eve in New York City. This is so exciting that I can't quite believe it. I'll keep you updated, never fear!

And so, to today, which looks to be a calm day on the face of it. Youngest daughter, and temporary resident, has gone shopping and is going to be cooking dinner today and you will be able to see the results of her efforts here on my daughter's blog I should imagine.

As a closing piece and in reference to the family drama at the beginning of this update - the role of a parent is tricky. We are not taught how to be parents. We learn from our own mums and dads - from their good and bad bits - and we do our best. There is no doubt that we all get things wrong from time to time but certainly, from my personal point of view, being a mum is all I ever really wanted to be and it's a role that I have always taken seriously and tried to do my best at.
My experiences as a mum have been wonderful and depressing, glorious and upsetting, stressful and frightening and everything in between.
I believe that I have given everything and more to my children and I will continue to do so. I love them all unconditionally and I believe all four of them know this. They are my life and will always be so. Despite the ups and downs and the curve balls that get thrown at me from time to time I will continue to do my utmost to ensure that they are all happy and well.

And on that note...and if you've managed to stick with it this far...thank you and well done!.......I will sign off.
Until next time...

xxxxx

Oh, and Michelle..if you are reading this I will be in touch about NYC. Be warned!! xx

Pregnancy, Grandchildren and Barbecues.

Hey ya!

Hope everyone is fine and dandy.

As any regular readers will know, I tend to use this blog as a diary for myself but I also like to share the ups and downs of life. I try to be honest and I try, mostly, to remain upbeat and positive and today will be no exception despite extreme provocation.

It has been another busy week in the life of this Nanny and Mummy and one that will live long in my memory. Here goes....

I woke on Monday morning feeling excited because, finally, I was going to be able to share the news that my eldest daughter was pregnant. I had known for weeks but had been asked not to tell anyone because the parents to be wanted to have the 12 week scan before announcing anything. My daughter has been suffering dreadful sickness and wanted to be sure that everything was ok. The scan was nice and early and so I busied myself with morning chores while waiting for the phone to ring.
The phone call came and I was assured that all was well. In fact I was assured that both babies were doing well! Yes, my daughter and her husband are expecting twins in Feb 2016.
This is happy, exciting and delightful news and news that has been received by all with nothing but positivity, kindness and good wishes for the couple.
I have been asked to not go into too much detail or share pictures of the scan and so I can't really say much more at the moment but I will update when necessary. I'm bubbling over with excitement but then that's just how I am.

What I will say is that, nearly 32 years ago, I gave birth to my first child. After a difficult start in life, her Dad and I were told that our little girl may not ever walk, talk or go to mainstream school. The very fact that that same little girl is now happily married and pregnant with twins is miraculous and is something that I am eternally grateful for.

The news of the twin pregnancy spread far and wide, I spoke to family and friends at length about it and I probably got over excited there for a while but life goes on and so....

.....on Wednesday I picked up three of my four grandchildren, gathered up their scooters and coats, bundled them into the car and off we went to a place run by the Forestry Commission called Alice Holt. I had never been there before but had heard good things.
Well, Alice Holt is wonderful and a great place to take children of all ages. There is a cafe and an ice cream stall, there are little walks and longer walks, you can hire bikes, you can take scooters and you can picnic. It was perfect for us and it was free. I only had to pay for the car parking and the ice cream!

The weather over the following days was dreadful and we had a bbq planned for the Saturday, the first proper bbq that we have had at our new house. As the rain came down over the next few days I seriously began to doubt that the bbq would happen and was already thinking that we would all have to stay indoors.....

....however, the forecast was quite good so we carried on the preparations and hoped for the best. We had no idea how many of the invited guests would be able to come and we had to cater for every eventuality including vegetarians, little people and allergies etc.
My youngest daughter, who is a good little cook on the quiet, spent the Friday night preparing her pulled pork which was delicious. She has her own blog so if you'd like to check it out go to

http://mytwentysomethingkitchen.blogspot.co.uk/

 Here she is 'cooking'...

... and I made pork scratchings for the first time which were yummy!

Saturday arrived. The weather looked promising. The pulled pork had been cooking all night by mistake but was fine. The barbecue was cleaned. I put up the gazebo which made me realise how small our garden is compared to what we had at our old house and the furniture was moved about. Homemade coleslaw was prepared, drinks put in the cooler and then people started arriving.

We had a lovely mix of people. Family and friends came and, while it was not the huge gathering and late night partying of our old kind of barbecues, everything went really well and it was great that so many people made the effort to come along. It also meant that we were all in bed by 11pm and I was able to get up and function on Sunday morning. There's a novelty!

Sunday teatime saw another bbq as we had lots of food left over from the day before and I handled it all myself much to hubby's frustration! He likes to think he is the barbecue king and I rarely get a look in.

So that's my week in a nutshell and no mention of Frank!!!!

Enjoy your week everyone.

xxxx

The Day I Met Frank Turner....and other stuff!

Good morning all.

I'm not quite sure where to start as it's been another very busy week so I'll just launch straight into it.

Last Monday we woke up in a hotel in Cambridge after our weekend at The Cambridge Folk Festival. We had had a fabulous time but were looking forward to going home and the week ahead. The trip home was uneventful and easy.

Tuesday came and I had agreed for friends to use the beach hut for the day. It's the first time anyone other than family has had it without me there and I wanted everything to go well. I needn't have worried. They were the perfect visitors and treated my little hut with the respect I feel it deserves! My day was really full of unpacking and washing our stuff from the festival trip and then thinking about packing for the next day because...

...on Wednesday I went with my four grandchildren and their Mummy to a yurt in East Meon where we were due to spend 2 nights! My daughter doesn't drive and I couldn't fit all 5 of them and me in my car so I picked up 2 the two granddaughters at lunch time, went food shopping, found the yurt, got checked in and unpacked.
I then realised just how basic the yurt was. The structure itself was fabulous and there was a woodburning stove, two double futons and a table and two bench seats. However, there was no cutlery, crockery etc so the girls and I drove down to the hut and picked up what I could from there.
By this point it was windy and raining and our planned barbecue for the evening was not going to happen. However, we were determined to have a good time.
Daughter and grandsons arrived later with Daddy who dropped them off and we attempted to settle down to the children's first camping experience.
Shortly after this my eldest granddaughter was sick twice. Anyone who knows me knows that I am hopeless around vomit or, at least, I used to be because it seems that I can now, at the age of 55, deal with it! We cleaned up our gorgeous girl who later fell asleep only to wake again being sick an hour or so later.
Things were a little stressful to say the least. Youngest grandson has started to crawl. A crawling baby and a woodburning stove is not a good combination. There were also wasps and bugs aplenty and it started to thunder and none of the children like thunder.
We bedded down for the night in our various combinations of sleeping partners. I was aware of all sorts of animals moving around outside the tent in the night and then, at about 5am, granddaughter number 2 was sick. And that, folks, is how we went on. Littlest grandson was sick all over his Mummy later in the day. Tensions were running high. We were all exhausted but at least the sun was now shining. However, we made the decision that we should pack up and go home. Poorly people feel better when they are in their own surroundings and so the children helped me repack what I had unpacked and unloaded the day before and we made countless trips with a wheelbarrow to load the car before going home.

                                         
                                           Woodburning stove

                                          A little early for blackberry picking but we tried!

                                                           Scooters in the woods

Wooden barn where we pretended to get married. I taught the children the tune of The Bridal March!

                                               
                                                            Haribo. Always a winner.

Not only did I deal with the sick situations with aplomb (!), I also had to deal with another phobia...rats. Yes, the bins at the 'campsite' were full and so I decided to put our rubbish in a big, heavy lidded wheelie bin. When I opened the lid there were at least 4 large brown rats rifling through the rubbish inside. I have no idea how the rats got into the bin and I don't wish to know either. All I do know is that I squealed, threw in my rubbish, slammed the lid down and got away from the bins as soon as I could.

So, a day earlier than expected and a little disappointed with the experience, I was back at home and unpacking yet again but I didn't really mind because......

.......on Friday I was going to HMV in Oxford Street where Frank Turner was playing a few songs to promote his new album. My daughter, mummy of the 4 little ones, had somehow got a ticket for she and I to attend. The tickets were free but there were only about 200 tickets maximum I would think so she was very fortunate to get them!

I got up on Friday morning, completely disorganised as usual, but excited for the day ahead. I had a panic about what I should wear (yes, really!!) and changed my top several times before giving myself a talking to about pulling myself together.
Because I had had such a busy week I really hadn't given the day ahead very much thought so I jumped in the car, drove to the station and got my tickets and boarded the train to Waterloo. En route my daughter texted to say that she had missed her train and would meet me at the event. I was unphased until I realised that I didn't know which underground lines to use to get to Oxford Street. That is the kind of detail that I usually clarify 10 times before leaving the house! Anyway, good old Google told me to use the Jubilee line to Bond Street which turned out to be perfect advice.
Daughter arrived at about 12.20 and we joined the queue at HMV  and awaited the arrival of the star of the show.
Unfortunately, daughter was not feeling well. She was without any of her children for the first time in a very long time which would have been a bit of a break for her and we were looking forward to spending some time together. Unfortunately, she was succumbing to the sickness bug that her children had at the yurt and, just after Frank's set of 5 songs, she went to the loo and threw up. I was more than a little concerned as I knew we had a trip on an extremely hot underground to contend with to get back to Waterloo but she was adamant that she would be ok.....which she was! Happy days.

Not only were we privileged to see Frank live but he was also signing copies of his new album 'Positive Songs For Negative People' and I was hopeful of finally getting a photo with him. However, a few minutes before the gig we were told that there would not be any photos allowed. I was really disappointed and I didn't think that was like Frank Turner at all to be honest. He really seems to appreciate his fans (hence he replies to all emails he receives etc). Imagine then my delight and excitement when, after the show, a voice over the tannoy system told us that photos WOULD be allowed after all but we had to have our phones/cameras ready!!

After a good hour and more queuing patiently and with daughter throwing up just before we got to the front of the queue I finally got to meet my favourite musician and singer of the moment.
I was very, very calm and I didn't go blotchy!! I was SO excited and my heart was racing but I think I held my composure for as long as I had to!
Frank greeted us with open arms and a big smile. He signed our CDs and posed for photos and, while I don't usually post pictures of myself or family etc on this blog I think in this instance it can't do too much harm. I know that most people reading this will know me, see me on Facebook or what have you and will already have seen this but, just in case.......this is when I met Frank Turner!!!

And so, to Saturday, yesterday, when I had to spend the day in bed because it seems that I am not totally immune to viruses and bugs. Yes, folks. Nanny was poorly and had caught the sick bug from the children. I had to cancel our plans for the day including attending a birthday bbq that I was really looking forward to.

Today is Sunday, the sun is shining and I am feeling much better.

That, my friends, was my week in as few words as I could get away with.

Have a lovely day all.

xxxxx

Cambridge Folk Festival and Frank(Turner) Friday

Hi all,

There is so much going on and so many things that I would like to blog about but I would be here all day. I need to be specific and so this update will be about our trip to The Cambridge Folk Festival which hubby and I attended last weekend - actually from Thursday to Sunday so a looong weekend!

Our first venture into the world of folk music live was at the Cambridge Folk Festival in 2011 and we absolutely loved it. It was unlike any festival we had been to before and it was the first time that I had ever heard of Frank Turner. It was the first time that we saw him live and we were bowled over by his performance. We said at the time that he reminded us of a young Springsteen which is praise indeed from hubby especially who is a mega Springsteen fan.

Frank Turner was appearing on the Friday of the festival this year and had an early evening slot for his live performance. However, he was at the festival for the whole day and so we were able to see him as he was interviewed on stage about his career and life and later in the afternoon as  there was a q&a session  with him held in the Flower Garden. Both of the 'day' slots were fairly intimate events and it was great to see him answering all manner of questions honestly and with humour and eloquence. Hubby even got to ask him about Meonfest.

Frank's live show was, as ever, full of energy and was a joy to see. He was joined on stage by Matt Nasir of The Sleeping Souls who provided backing vocals and mandolin accompaniment throughout. The set lasted an hour (there are never any encores at Cambridge to to the timing restrictions) and included songs from the new album due for release this Friday (Positive Songs for Negative People) including Glorious You which I hadn't heard before.
As it was a folk festival Frank also sang his own version of Barbara Allen, not a song that I know but which is a traditional folk song I believe. He sang it without any accompaniment and sang it with passion. Yesterday I read a review that said he gave a 'bombastic rendition' of the song and that his performance in general was 'tediously snarling'. I would like to think that it was a passionate performance. Certainly the packed area that I was a part of in the main tent loved the set. People all around me were singing along from start to finish. The roar of appreciation at the end of his performance was incredible. I know I'm biased but I loved every minute of my (slightly stalkerish!) Frank Friday and I even met a couple of ladies who appreciate him and the band as much as I do which was a nice surprise.

Saturday saw us decide to go to The American Cemetery in Cambridge which is a place  we have visited before. It is always immaculate and always very moving.

We went to the festival late in the afternoon and the main event was the appearance of folk icon Joan Baez who I have seen before but felt that I should see again. She gave a polished performance but I was disappointed that she didn't sing my personal favourite 'Diamonds and Rust'. There is no doubt that she has been pivotal on the folk scene for many, many years. Imagine being able to say that you introduced Bob Dylan in 1963, marched with Martin Luther King and lunched with Nelson Mandela!
There were lots of very satisfied customers by the end of her performance.

On Sunday there was really only one set that my hubby was interested in. He is very into Passenger and has been for some time. Passenger was at Cambridge in 2011 when we were there but as a busker or something so we didn't see him. However, on Sunday night he stole the show with what we felt was a wonderful performance. As he stepped onto the main stage he was greeted with rapturous applause that really seemed to stop him in his tracks. He seemed genuinely moved. He proceeded to play for an hour - just him and his guitar and his beautiful vocal and words. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand. The audience got caught up in the stories and the songs and were almost spellbound. Each song was greeted with rapturous applause. The hour long set flew by. We sang along to 'Holes', 'Let Her Go' and a great version of 'The Sound of Silence' which was beautiful. Passenger said that is was one of the gigs of his life so far and I can understand why. He really gave an incredible performance and I'm delighted to have seen it. Hubby was overwhelmed by the show and we went back to the beer tent to take in what we had just experienced.

Over the weekend we saw Goitse ( and Irish band making their debut) who were fabulous and we enjoyed Chris Smithers who sang a song about his Dad that moved us to tears.
There was music all around us all the time, there was laughter and fun, lots of food and loads of drink, the weather was great and I think a good time was had by all.
I do think that the festival is wonderful but I also think that it was a bit too crowded this year. The organisers ask that no chairs are taken unless really necessary. I think that the vast majority of people took chairs in and space was at a premium as a consequence. It was often difficult to find anywhere to sit where you didn't feel that you invading someone's personal space. I'm aware that it's probably just me who feels that way and that many people probably like 'close together' atmosphere!

We really enjoyed our weekend. We walked a lot - I now officially have the knees of an old person - and our food and drink intake was moderate. We met up with old friends and enjoyed each others company. We had fun!

xxxx