Goodbye to 2016

Hi all, I cannot believe that Christmas and all of it's shenanigans has been and gone and we are here on the last day of 2016. I also can't believe what has happened to the font on this post. I'm not sure why the font is as it appears but hope that it will right itself at some point! 

 I hope that you all had a happy time over Christmas. We had a very quiet time which, while unusual, was actually really enjoyable. We didn't see much of our family which made me feel a little sad if I thought about it too much but I hope that next year will be different again and that chaos will reign. No doubt I will then hanker for a quieter time. The grass is always greener eh? 

 On Christmas Eve I was inspired after watching a Jamie Oliver programme and so I made a glorious panettone bread and butter pudding with chocolate and marmalade....and tons of double cream....that made my house smell like a bakery. I also tried a carrot recipe which included clementine juice which wasn't so successful and pigs in blankets in a glaze of Worcester sauce and honey which was a total triumph. We went to my daughter's house in the evening and played Articulate, drank prosecco, ate nibbles and got a taxi home at 11pm which was very sensible of us i think you'll agree. *Right, I am trying to upload photos which has never been a problem before but now when I press the upload button all I get is a series of letters and numbers so something is going on here....not only font issues but photos issues too. 

 Christmas Day was mainly spent at home lazing about and eating until we couldn't eat anymore. Boxing Day was spent at Fontwell Park for a race meeting where I backed three winners, my very favourite being a horse called Happy Diva who won by a mile at 20/1 and who I only backed because the name reminded me so much of Phoebe ....well, the diva part anyway! Then it was back to ours for chilli con carne for supper.

 In the midst of all of this there was the stream of news regarding the deaths of George Michael, Carrie Fisher and then her mother Debbie Reynolds among others. This year really has been dreadful for 'celebrity' losses and George Michael dying has to be up there with the saddest for me along with Bowie and Terry Wogan. Listening to his old pop songs and then to his more recent efforts along with watching footage of him via Youtube reminded me how wonderful his voice was. Anyone who has seen his version of 'Somebody To Love' at the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert back in the 90's will know what I mean. It was brilliant. 

Hubby and I also got to see Chas and Dave in Brighton. Not everyone's idea of a good night out I know but I absolutely loved it. I have wanted to see them for years and they did not disappoint. A great venue, a great crowd, a great singalong. Brilliant!

 Now we prepare to welcome in a new year....2017. This time last year hubby and I were in Brooklyn after spending a few days in New York. We were preparing to see Jimmy Buffett in concert. I can't believe that was a year ago. This year we will be at home with my daughter and her fiancé. We will eat, drink and be merry I have no doubt. 

 This year has really been the year of the twins, Phoebe and Sam. From the end of January when they were born until now it has been a rollercoaster for all involved. There has been fear, worry and anxiety and there has been joy, elation and happiness. From the earliest days when Phoebe wouldn't feed, developed reflux, threw up after every feed and was generally unhappy, from the twins going home, through their Mummy being so exhausted and overwhelmed that she couldn't function and we were all so very worried about her, to their Daddy stepping up and proving what a top man he is, to Sam being a total joy at pretty much every turn....smiling, happy and content and extra cuddly even now....to both of the twins now sitting up unaided (even if Phoebs does topple over sometimes!)...it's been quite an experience and I have felt privileged to have been a part of it all. 

My pride in my eldest daughter cannot be put into words. She has always been an inspiration to me...and to many others I am sure. Her determination to live her life to the best of her ability has not changed since she has become a Mummy. You just have to see her with her babies to see her love for them and their love for her. She battles every day to stay positive and focussed. I don't know how she does what she does but I love her for being herself. She still thinks of others before herself, goes the extra mile, is kind, thoughtful and considerate and the world would be a better place if there were more people like her in it. 

 Now I have embarrassed her and probably riled a few people without meaning to I shall end by saying: Happy New Year to all of my friends and family. Thank you for your love and support over this last year especially but in general. I wish you all so much happiness, good health and lots of love in your life. 

 To my Rosie and Harry....this year is going to be amazing. You're getting married!! 

To my Lou and Bruce...hope 2017 is wonderful for you 

To my Jack and Geo...we love you and hope all your dreams come true 

 To my Kirsty and Kev...you know how we feel. Proud doesn't cover it. 

To Robyn, Poppy, Noah, Marley, Phoebe and Sam...we love you all very much and will forever.

To Lynne and Mick...we hope that 2017 is a good year for you. Mick, you are an inspiration and Lynne, my little sister, you are amazing. 

 Finally, to my Russell, my husband, my biggest supporter, my rock...thank you for everything xxxx

 Happy New Year everyone. Peace and love to you all. xxxxx

You'd Better Watch Out, You'd Better Not Cry....!

Hi everyone,

This is my second attempt at a quick blog post in 24 hours. I cobbled together a post yesterday in the early hours and then tried to publish it without saving it. Big mistake! My dodgy iPad decided to cease publishing mid process and the post disappeared forever. Never mind. 24 hours later and I've been awake for some time so thought that I might as well have another go and here I am.

I hope that you are all well and that your Christmas prep is well under way. Yesterday we finally managed to get our tree up, put a string of lights outside and hung up some of the cards that we have received so the house is starting to feel more festive which is lovely. We haven't gone mad this year as our Christmas is going to be much quieter than our usual affair. Our children are all grown up and doing their own thing so it will be hubby, myself and the two dogs for the whole of Christmas Day. I was a little peturbed at the thought of this initially but now I think it's going to be great for a change. Just the two/four of us being able to do what we like all day, eat when we want, watch what we want and do what we want. 

The main event of the last few weeks for me has been reaching the end of my contract at my job that has caused me so much stress and anxiety over the past 3 months or so. The ladies that I worked with were/are lovely and very supportive but the job caused me sleepless nights and anxiety attacks every time that I got in the car to drive to work. I'm actually quite proud of myself that I stuck at it and got to the end of my contract when every single part of my inner self was screaming at me to get out...run away and never go back. I couldn't let my colleagues down and I leave with the knowledge that I did what I could and more to help out in difficult circumstances and that I will most certainly not be going back. Quite what I will do next work wise is unclear at the moment but I will worry about that in the new year.

Of course, the last few weeks, work aside, has seen the usual build up to the seasons festivities. Whilst I haven't been able to make it to any of the grandchildren's nativities this year, I have been to a SCBU Christmas party with the twins which was lovely and taken part in my very first Santa Run which has been something that I have wanted to do for ages......and I ran all of the 5k route without stopping! 

        5k Santa Fun Run completed.

      The SCBU Christmas party

     Christmas books for my little people

     Bella getting into the Christmas spirit......sort of!

So, less than a week to go, loads still to do but time now to do it so I'm off to make a list or two (maybe check it twice😂😂) , wrap some presents and prepare for a peaceful(ish) time.

Lots of love xxxx

The One Where We Visit Lapland UK and Christmas at Kew

Good morning all. It's just about 5.30am here and I'm doing my usual 'wake up in the early hours and can't get back to sleep' thing so thought I would blog as I have been meaning to for the last couple of weeks. As per usual, loads going on, days are full and/or I am tired and anxious about one thing or another!
Anyway, on to cheerier matters....Christmas! Yes, it's fast approaching and I have just ordered two festive duvet sets via Amazon on the spur of the moment so I'm looking forward to them arriving.

Two weeks ago I took my three eldest grandchildren and their mummy to Lapland UK in Ascot, Berks for a special treat. It was not a cheap treat and as the day approached I became more and more concerned that this might be just another one of those Christmas set ups that actually end up being rubbish and stories about them are splashed all over the local news. Well, I could not have been more wrong. What a brilliant time we had!
From our arrival at the departure centre where we picked up the children's Elf passports and collected their Jingles ( the only currency allowed in Lapland and which came in a little drawstring bag) through the the Enchanted Forest and our introduction to Elf Sage, onto helping the elves make toys in the toy factory, gingerbread men decorating with Mother Christmas, ice skating and finally meeting the man himself....the whole thing was completely magical and worth every penny. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The children, aged 7, 6 and 4, were the perfect ages for it and to sit and watch them spellbound by the best Father Christmas that I have ever seen was something I will never forget. It brought tears of pure happiness to my eyes.

One week later and it was time to revisit Kew at Christmas, an event that I went to last year with heavily pregnant daughter and her hubby and an occasion that we recall often with great fondness. Basically, Kew at Christmas is a mile walkway of lights and illuminations through part of Kew Gardens. It is magical and very Christmassy. This year it was also very busy! We went on a Sunday evening as it was the only date that we could all do. We queued to get in and we huddled along with the double buggy and hundreds of other people along the trail with little opportunity to stop. I felt a bit like I was on a conveyor belt. It was almost impossible to stop and look at the lights without causing a hold up or a bottleneck.
Last year we enjoyed mulled wine/spiced apple juice and toasted exotic flavoured marshmallows. This year we didn't have the chance to do either of those things. There was only one marshmallow toasting stall and 2 mulled wine stalls on our way around and the queues for them was causing more problems for people trying to get past. A generator had packed up on one section of the walk and so it was very dark there and the illuminations were definitely not as good as last year in my opinion.
I think that we were so blown away by it last year that it was never going to have the same wow factor this time but we all wanted to go back with the twins and especially with Phoebe who, had she been awake for more than 5 minutes, would have really lovely the visual experience. She did see a couple of the trees and was mesmerised by the lights until she nodded off. Sam was awake throughout but was tired and a little grumpy. I think we will go somewhere else next year.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

A xx