Sunday and fingers crossed...

Busy, busy here today :-)

Packing and cleaning ready to go away to Argyll.

Here... to be precise.

I rang this morning to check if they had had snow. Only 8 inches or so!!

The guy said they have had more in one day than they usually get all year :-)

At the time we spoke it was still snowing heavily and it was forecast to do so all day.Luckily they are not far from the main road and it is all passable with care.Will check back tomorrow before setting off...

We have only had an inch or so here.The kennels we take Beauty and Socks to is a bit remote though and the (long) farm track is only passable with a four wheel drive.Alan will have to park up and trek the mile and a half carrying the cat basket and leading Beauty, with a rucksack full of her bones ( she is fed on a raw food diet so we have to take our own with us) on his back.Luckily he is not phased by that at all and just accepts it will be his morning walk...

So, the snow is making things a little difficult for us but the hot tub is calling, the thought of walking along the loch and in the forest means it is a trip worth doing.

We are taking DVD's and books and games and don't intend to travel far at all.We will probably visit Helensburgh as we spent the first years of our married life at the Naval base there.Apart from that the plan is to totally chill out with plenty of walks and long soaks in the hot tub:-) I have made extra portions each meal this week and have frozen the leftovers to take with us so I will not have to cook at all :-)

Fingers and toes crossed the weather is kind to us for the journey ...

We can come back refreshed and raring to go - we will need to be - we have to tackle the mountain of boxes we had to take out of the loft so it could be insulated.We cleared some bags to charity and some to the rubbish, the rest are filling the dining room at the moment, we can't see the table at all.We want to take the opportunity to sort it now or it will just sit up there for years again.

I will have to get cracking and sell the bags and bags of clothes and toys we have got from the various stages of Emily's life!

Ebay and car boot sales...

 Oh, then there is Christmas to think about - haven't started that at all!

It's going to be full on when we return.

Batteries will be on full charge to tackle it though :-)

A quiet day - with added wobble!

It's so cold outside today. It was sunny this morning but that has given way to grey cloudy skies - maybe, just maybe - we will get a share of the snow that is falling elsewhere ;-)

Milly is unwell today.She has been under the weather for a while now.She has had a period of growth and in Emily's cycle that is nearly always followed by a time for relaxing and just being at home.A cough and cold have crept in and that period of cocooning has lasted longer than is usual.

 Alan has been able to have the car this week and we have stayed at home.Our days have been spent quietly.I went for a short walk with Beauty on Wednesday afternoon - Milly was happy to be left for half an hour.She was tucked up in bed listening to a story tape. She had the phone with her so she could reach me if needed.The last two days I have not been able to go as Milly has not wanted to be left.Apart from that I have just pottered at home and kept Milly supplied with food and drinks and sat with her or played when she wanted me to:-)

I could have gone out for a walk when Alan got home but it is dark by then and I don't feel as comfortable being out on the country lanes on my own with Beauty.Last year a couple of dogs ran out of the darkness and attacked her!

This afternoon I was preparing some butternut squash and other veg to roast in the oven.I got to thinking about how long the recipe ( for spicy bean burgers) was going to take .Once the veg was chopped it needed to be roasted for 45 min's or so.Then I needed to mix all the ingredients with spices and leave for a couple of hours to marinate so all the flavours developed.Then they could be cooked. I am not a bad cook and sometimes I do enjoy cooking but quite often I find myself wanting to rush through it - as though it isn't an important thing to be doing and my time should be better spent.For some reason today - probably due to the slow ( and seemingly unproductive ) week we have had -the feeling was very strong and I felt agitated.

 When I put the veg in the oven I took Milly a mug of hot chocolate and a snack and sat down here with my cuppa and snack. I decided to spend a little time and finish a post I had started to write about our trip to London but realised all the pictures are on Milly's laptop which is away for repair!

So I started writing this instead...

I often find - when we are not doing much and are at home more - the wobbles occur!

Even though Milly is unwell at the moment the thoughts like, I'm not doing enough -I should be planning more activities - going places - meeting up with people - introducing new things to Milly - creep in.

The saying 'Live every day as if it were your last' came into my mind as I was chopping the veg. That evoked images of a life of adventure - rock climbing, abseiling, travelling, out and about, busy, never missing an opportunity to explore, fitting in as many things as possible.
What would I actually do if it was my last day - would I want to be busy - packing as many things into my last day as possible?

I thought it through and I realised that - aside from the obvious limitations I have to tackle rock climbing  *grin* -  for me 'living each day as if it is your last' has more to do with how I  live my life rather than how much I do.

 I want to be more mindful - live in each moment.
To appreciate and enjoy the people and activities that make my life worth living..To treat myself well - not in a material way - perhaps just by giving myself the opportunity to lay in a long, hot, bath reading my book and not feel I am wasting time and being lazy.To be fully present and enjoy the cuddles and time spent playing with Milly .To appreciate the fact that I am able to spend my days at home as I do because of my wonderful, supportive husband.

To find joy in all the things ( cooking and cleaning included ) I do every day.

"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves."

Guatama Buddha

 

I read a quote on a lovely new blog I found yesterday that ties in with my thoughts.

"Instead of wondering when your next vacation is you ought to set up a life you don't need to escape from." Godin

We are looking at our life and trying to find ways to follow our dream, to cut out any causes of stress and live life the way that suits us.We want to simplify things and try to find a way to earn a living that enables us to spend as much time together as possible.We don't want to look back with regret that we didn't do all that was possible to make that happen.

I do think life is an adventure, I think every day there are exciting things to see and new things to learn.They can be small things though - things that are easy to miss if we live at a fast pace.Some of us need the quiet times,our personalities require it.
Balance is the key for me -I will accept the slow, calm, quiet times as being as important and worthwhile
  as the busier, active days.

Living life to the fullest does not mean packing every moment full of activity.I believe it is about getting the most amount of pleasure from whatever it is you are doing.

Wobble over!
I'm going to go back to preparing the meal with a different attitude.I'm going to enjoy the process and not rush through it.How wonderful for me to have the luxury to spend time in our warm, cosy, home and spend time lovingly preparing a meal for those that mean the most to me.

I focus on what's really important in life!

I have been feeling very edgy lately - don't know why - just unsettled and unhappy...

After a very grumpy day I sat to have a cup of tea with Alan when he got home from work.We talked - not a deep or emotional talk - just day to day things

.I told him how sad I was feeling and he listened without attempting to fix anything for me, he held me close and I felt heard ...

We all went out in the wild and windy night to walk Beauty.We held hands and Milly told us a story the whole way round.

After food was made and eaten I set about cleaning the living room. As I was dusting near the computer I picked one of the Inner peace cards I keep on my desk...

The back of the card reads...

Quality rather than appearance

ethics rather than rules

integrity rather than domination

knowledge rather than achievement

serenity rather than acquisitions....

Good things to focus on I think :-)

Sunday and a slideshow...

Must blog about London!!

That is going to take longer than I have at the mo.I have managed to get pictures up on facebook and will endeavour to record it on here this week.

Today was going to be a full day of sorting through a bag of Emily's old clothes to list them on Ebay.Very shortly after waking Milly asked if we could do another set up with her Emily strange figures...

A couple of weeks ago I downloaded one of the Emily the strange audio books for Milly to take on holiday to London.She LOVED the story.When we got home she printed off images and made a collage to hang on her bedroom door .Then she printed off pictures of Emily and laminated them and carried them around with her wrapped in a flannel. We played games with them standing them up and acting out scenes with them. Here are the Emily's and her cats - and the accessories milly has made - stuck on card with blue tac to ensure they don't get bent...

We were playing with them yesterday - I needed to get things ready for our bonfire tea and  mentioned that she could use some card and place the figures on it to make a scene and photograph it to make a comic style book.- I was careful not to do much more than mention the option, as it is often enough to turn her off if I get too involved in the possible outcome. Milly adapted my idea and made a kind of stage set up.That then became a whole afternoon of setting a scene up and photographing it and then making a new blog to record the many pictures on.

Today we started around twelve o'clock.I had mentioned the possibility of doing a slide show yesterday but she wasn't keen - today she said yes when I offered it up again.I suggested I could do a story board to give us a rough idea of where her story was going and to give us a guide to which pictures to use where in the final slide show.Instead of drawing it out - too time consuming for Emily - I wrote it out scene by scene as she set up the action and got the shots :-)

I had taught myself how to do slideshows last year - I spent hours at the computer perfecting them - I still have things to learn but that experience meant things happened quickly today and Milly stayed with it! She did ask me to promise I would stop and just put the pictures on her blog if the process was moving too slowly for her and she asked me to stop....

With changes of scenery and finding props in the Playmobil box we spent a fabulous afternoon together.The final show was finished around 6.00 pm.
Forgive me for any spelling mistakes and there are parts where things move along a little faster than would be ideal but it has been a loooong day:-))

Here for your enjoyment Is Emily's Strange nightmare...

Copy write Emily Bamber Fantasy



Saturday snapshot ...

 11.20 on a sunny, Saturday morning

There is bread rising...

There is soup making....

There are the usual tasks to do...

There are gutters to be cleared...

And one of us is catching up on some sleep.... Guess who that might be:-))



This moment...

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember

Soulemama 

New remedies,new friends and new horizons....

It has been a while since I blogged...

Haven't been on Facebook much either - well,  I haven't posted on there, although I have been keeping up with folk ;-)

Just been feeling....quiet... you know - not had much to say...

I have spent many months having severely debilitating hot flushes day and night and the lack of sleep meant I was surviving on a very low battery.Rezwana, who I see regularly for healing/reflexology/massage suggested flax seed oil as an antidote to the flushes but I kept forgetting to buy it.Last time I saw her she had a bottle ready for me :-) I started taking a teaspoon a day and a couple of days later I received a remedy from my Homeopath.Within a week the flushes had diminished and have gradually receded to a much more bearable level.The combination of massage, oil and homeopathic remedy, seems to have been the key...

I have been sleeping much better, but feel worse - how does that work!!

Anyhow, things have been quiet here, lots of lazy mornings and time spent reading my book whilst lounging in a hot bath.I am not allowing myself to feel guilty,  accepting this is how things are just now...

Luckily Milly and I are in tune and she has been happy to join me in this chill out time and has taken to lying in bed listening to her story tapes.We have busy times, then down-times... The beauty of the life we lead is that we can go with the flow :-) Our one wish is that we can find some way for Alan to join us....

We have had some lovely outings as well.

We met up with online friends for the first time  :-)

 We have had two trips to meet half way at Walby farm park and they have also made the long journey to visit us here.

 Although there are a couple of hours between us, we are willing to find ways to make it work.Milly and the girls spend each night on the phone chatting and playing Club penguin - using the penguins for games of hide and seek online:-)

 We have lots in common and the children get on well, looking forward to getting to know each other more and strengthening the relationship:-)

I have also spent a lot of time planning our trip to London. I think I have put an itinerary together that is tailored for Emily, is adaptable and not too jam packed.We are keen to get a flavour of London and not have to spend an arm and a leg. Time will tell... I will let you know soon enough - we leave on Friday and come back on Monday:-)

Tomato sauce packed with veg...

I made a large pan of tomato sauce this afternoon.

I first heard of it a couple of years ago when I was at a friend's house when she made some up.

It is so simple and if you have children who don't like to eat veg it might be a good way to make it palatable to them.The first time I made it I added it to spag bol and Milly didn't notice the difference. I continued to add it to chilli and spag bol and on the rare occasions Milly would have Pizza I used it to top the pizza.I make meatballs and use the sauce for them with tagliatelle. Milly knows the sauce contains veg but it can't be seen and doesn't change the taste of her favourite dishes so she is happy to eat it.

Today I used two carrots (organic washed but not peeled) 2 green peppers,1 onion, 2 small parsnips, 1/2 a small swede, 6 or 7 mushrooms, 1/2 savoy cabbage 2 tins of plum tomatoes, then 2 tins of water,a heaped teaspoon of garlic paste or 2 big cloves, a good squeeze of tomato paste and a dollop of tomato sauce.

Stir it all - bring to the boil and then simmer gently with the lid on for a couple of hours.

Blitz and you have a rich, deeply flavoured Tomato sauce. I store it in portions in the freezer - lasts for many meals during the next few months....

 

I make a spag bol or chilli as I would usually do and add this as an extra to the normal sauce.I think it adds a real depth to the final dish. As well as the benefit of all those veggies, it actually tastes great...

Eternal love...

I felt like a change of background and wanted some autumnal colours.I found this one called Eternal love - I like the colours and the sentiment:-)

Wednesday....

We were due to go to Home ed group meet today. I woke to my phone alarm going off and promptly fell asleep again - I woke again and dragged myself out of bed to wake Milly.

She had been very active yesterday - I had my monthly meditation meet in the morning and she played with my friends two boys.My friend who was hosting this month has the most idyllic property.Stunning views over the lake district - land with a tree house,swings and land to wander on.Plus the added attraction of animals:-)They had a great time for a couple of hours and we had a great meditation!!

We got home at lunchtime and my Mum and Dad came to visit.I went food shopping.Milly then walked Beauty with Alan before the two of them went to the park in Cockermouth to climb and play a new dare game they had started last week.Lot's of opportunity for running jumping and climbing - unfortunately on this occasion an opportunity to bang her head on the climbing frame... Lot's of tears and home for a snuggle with me before tea and then a bath and bed.

I woke her gently and asked if she wanted to go - she didn't and turned over to go back to sleep - I got back into bed and did the same:-)

A slow chilled day followed .Milly watched TV and then putered for a while before heading up to listen to a story tape - I had very recently bought Skellig and suggested that might be good to listen to - she wasn't at all keen . She took a library one up she had listened to before. She came down after a while -couldn't really get into the story again.I suggested the Skellig audio book again and she reluctantly took it upstairs . She came down for lunch and asked if we could watch the DVD (alongside the audio tape I had also bought the DVD and a book called My name is Mina) and she asked if we could also start the felt Bat we had talked about making last week.

As she waited for me to finish off the last bit of paperwork before going to start the bat, she picked up My Name is Mina off my desk and sat on the chair near me and began to read it.Some of you will be aware of our journey and the fact Milly doesn't read much- she adores stories ,we read to her and she listens to lots of audio books - if asked she would say she can't read very well and it gives her a headache.We don't do lessons here and she never *has* to read or do spelling tests.She reads websites,magazines,researches things when she needs to - never pages and pages but little and often... 

She very quickly got into the story and identified with the main character (One of the reasons I got the book when I read a review on a blog was the fact I could see Emily in the description of the girl ) - she read snippets to me ( word perfectly ) and read a chapter in very little time. We talked about the character and I was enthusiastic and interested .I was sooooo happy to see her reading and was tempted to say something and praise her...but resisted - I didn't want to make it into a big thing and put any pressure on her at all . If she continued to read it, fabulous, if she didn't I would continue to read it to her as I would normally do...

The book has been carried around with her all day and has been dipped in to at times. It may be *the* book that she reads in full and realises that she *can* actually do it.If not - no problem things will carry on as before.

We spent time together cutting out the pattern and felt for the Bat and then watched the DVD of Skellig (very enjoyable film and since watching it she been listening to the audio book  ) whilst I sewed it together.Apparently we need another adult bat and a family of babies so I am going to be very busy.

Surprise!!!! The big Fifty is pretty nifty...

We arrived back from Center parcs on  Friday evening and on the Saturday I had my birthday present to enjoy:-) A Spa day, with two hours of treatments, a two course lunch and the use of the facilities - these included a wonderful serene pool area with jacuzzi and sauna.My idea of heaven...

Alan and Emily dropped me off there for 10,they said they were going to do some shopping and just chill out at home til they needed to pick me up...

 I checked in at reception and was told the time of lunch - 12.30 - and my facial and massage were for 1.30. I got myself changed, took my book and magazines and settled onto a lounger.

I have a little routine that I like to do, I read for a while then I swim a few lengths, jacuzzi, swim a few more lengths, sauna,swim again and then back to lounging and reading,repeat as and when desired:-)

They provide big thick gowns and slippers. So bundled up, I headed to the Bistro at my allotted time.Lunch was fabulous! To start I had Gravlax with a herb dressing and warm mustard potato salad. Light, fresh and totally delicious.I then had a pasta dish - I am struggling to remember the description but it had prawns and Parmesan and chili.It was the best pasta I have ever eaten! It was light, yet full of flavour and I ate every last morsel.

I know some people don't like to eat on their own but I love time to myself and don't feel in any way alone.

Being on my own means I can get the full benefit from the relaxing experience.It is a little like a retreat but with a little luxury -)

Back down to the pool area to read the treatments started.

I decided to have a massage that involves choosing an oil by smell, from four different bottles without knowing anything about the benefits of the ingredients until after you have made a choice This time the scent that called to me was full of sea minerals and was a rejuvenating mix said to help with the symptoms of PMT and menopause - Bingo - just what I needed and funny that I was drawn to the sea in eating and
treatments:-))

I think they should offer you a room to have the treatments in that you don't have to leave because after the two hours I felt soooo relaxed and just wanted to drift off:-) I had a very nice herbal tea in the salon before heading back to the pool to start the arduous task of relaxing some more:-)

I was sad to leave but was ready and waiting to be picked up by 5.

I was reading in the reception when Milly and Alan walked in.Milly handed me a little gift box all done up in a ribbon and it had a watch in that I had admired in a shop the previous week:-)

The next day we were up early.The plan was that they were going to take me for a surprise meal at about 2 and before that at about 1 they were going to help a friend set up for a show she was doing in the village hall.

Alan surprised me that morning by telling me he had taken the day off on Monday so we could all spend the day together.
He suggested we get the housework out of the way that day so we could relax the next day.We spent the morning cleaning and doing the jobs that needed doing.I have since found out the real reason ....

At ten to one Amy came round to get Emily and they tootled off with Alan to help D set up in the hall and I was under strict instructions to get in a long hot bath and change into my glad rags.

At the appointed time of 1.50pm  the two of them came back and blindfolded me before leading me to the car.The journey was short - we were only driving for about ten minutes - but I felt quite sick and dizzy by the time the car stopped.

They guided me out of the car and into a building.Then things happened really quickly I heard a door open and at the same time someone ( I now know it was Alan) whipped off the blindfold and a cry of
 "Surprise!!"
 rang out as I tried to take in the scene before me! I was so shocked, I first saw my Mum who looked as if she was about to cry and I then slowly took in that all my family and many friends had gathered in the village hall to celebrate my Birthday.I think there were around 40 or 50 in total!!
Family from Ripon had come all the way for the day.It was so good to see so many people in one place that meant so much to me.
I was shaking so much and had to sit down .People started bringing my gifts over and I just sat in a bit of a daze opening them!
There was a table of food and many lovely cakes.The time passed so quickly - after I had got my breath back and stopped shaking - I managed to circulate.
Alan made a speech to thank people and Milly brought in the cake for me to blow out the candles - which - according to her - I did too early :-)

 After a couple of hours it was time to clear the hall and we said goodbye to all my guests and came back home.Family members joined us - in our nice clean house:-)) the real reason he thought we should do the housework...
I have since found out all the details of how it came to be.Milly had been for tea at Amy's house a couple of months before my birthday and a discussion was had about a surprise meal.When she got home and asked Al if they could have a little party!

They decided to do a tea and cake tea party and book the village hall for a couple of hours.Then it kind of morphed as more people were able to come and a buffet was put on - a joint effort from Family and friends I think...

Alan had to grab time whilst I was in the bath or out of the house to phone people and he and Emily would do the planning whilst walking Beauty.Alan was far out of his comfort zone - he has many talents but party planning was not one he had attempted before.He said his stress levels were high with the responsibility he felt and the prospect of people not turning up on the day!They had planned the timing of my Spa day so I would be out of the way the day before to give them chance to do last minute shopping and setting up the hall :-)When they picked me up from the Spa Milly told me she had helped Alan washing up - yes a memorable enough occurance that she would be proud of herself for doing it:-)) - I now know she washed all the teacups and saucers from the hall in readiness for the party.
Helping D to set up her show was such a plausible reason for them to be over at the hall before the party and I didn't think anything of it...
Emily was fully involved in all the decisions and I am amazed at how she kept the secret.She said it was because she wanted it to be the most special day for me:-)

I am a lucky lady, I feel blessed in so many ways and couldn't wish for more.
A big thank you to all those who came along and made it such a special day.

Fifty is going to be my best year yet :-))

Center parcs...

The morning of our hols dawned.
Excitement levels were high in some quarters but unfortunately, for some reason, tolerance and patience were in short supply all round :-(
The journey was not a long one but we had shopping to do and stopped off to do that.Milly was so excited about going swimming and going down the slides, that her whole focus was on getting to Centerparcs and she had zero reserves for anything else.I won't go into details -things were said that would have been best left unsaid - we all have times like it -  it wasn't the start to the holidays we would have wished for though... 

First impressions of Whinfell were not favourable.

We decided to take advantage of the facilities and arrived earlier than the 3.30 check in time.It seemed everybody else had decided to do the same... This in itself was not a problem, the que seemed to be moving quickly enough.We were sat in line and Alan was doing his usual thing of deciding whether to risk swapping lanes and hopefully get through quicker.I reminded him that we were in no real hurry and that the cars in front were moving so let's just stay where we were... then a member of staff come over and took the decision from us by motioning us to another booth.We then moved quickly enough and got to the front, with one car in the booth doing the check in routine.

Around half an hour later - it became obvious that the car in front had broken down and had to be pushed out the other end of the booth .Knowing what the hold up was would not have got us seen any sooner but it would have made the wait easier if we had known the reason - it would not have taken a moment for a member of staff to let us know.

It took less than five minutes for us to pass through as I had registered online before setting off...
Eventually into the car park and by the time we parked up it was less than an hour until the time we could get into the lodge.We thought it would make sense to wait to get into the lodge and then go to the pool rather than getting out of the pool to go and get the car during the time the gates were open.Sounded like a good plan - however at 3.30 everybody else was keen to get to the lodges as well!!!

After another very long wait to get out of the car park we made it to our lodge.The lodges looked quite run down and the area surrounding them had a neglected air.After a cursory exploration we threw the luggage in and took the car back to the park before we headed - at last - to the pool.Alan had had a quick check round the kitchen and noticed there was only one breakfast bowl in the cupboard and mentioned it to the customer services desk before we went to get changed.

All of us had got on each others nerves and were not in the best of spirits but it didn't take long before the pool - especially the slides - melted the bad vibes:-)

I got out earlier to head home and warm up the pasta and meatballs I had made at home and after tea we got ourselves settled in.Milly was so excited about having an en suite in her room she had it as her face book status:-)

The lodge was billed as an executive lodge and I have to admit to a feeling of disappointment on entering.It was clean and there was a lot of space but it was stretching things to call it Executive! Maybe back in the 80's - when it last appeared to have been decorated - it was the height of Executiveness:-)

Then things began to turn around.A man arrived with the bowls that were missing.He was apologetic and very pleasant.Excellent prompt customer service.

Another plus point were the bed and bedding very comfortable and good quality,and nice fluffy white towels.

After a slow start the next day we went on to spend six hours in the pool -Milly spent most of that time doing a circuit of the slides and the long walk and climb back to them once she had gone down them:-)I was persuaded ( against my better judgement) to go down the slide that went out doors...
I panicked at how fast I went down and the slightest turn sent me sideways,I banged my head off the side at one point, ricocheted to the other side and ended up thrown off the bottom in a big heap underwater and coming up gasping for air conscious of the people standing on the bridge watching the show!

I can laugh now but I was mortified - and more than a little sore:-))

As I was making the tea that night I opened the fridge door, the plastic strap that holds the bottle in the door broke off and a bottle of wine fell out and smashed with wine spilling out all over the kitchen floor.Tea was put on hold whilst I cleaned it all up ( Milly and Alan had stayed in the pool a little longer ) and mopped the floor and tried to clean the carpet.

I informed customer services the next morning and they were pleasant and assured me someone would be sent to sort it.When we got in late that night the fridge was fixed and there was a bottle of very nice red wine and a box of Belgian chocolates on the table :-)

Thursday we had hit our stride and found a nice area to sit with comfy seats.We took a bag with books and snacks and my purse.One of us would get comfy and read whilst the other did the rounds of the various pools and slides with Emily - she did make a few friends on the slides ( by this time I had eventually had a go on a very short, straight slide and that was the one she would go on with me)  at those times she would ask if we wanted to go and sit down :-)
Emily wanted to eat instead of going home for tea that night so Alan went to order her meal at the burger bar and a portion of chips for himself -  just to keep him going :-)
He was gone some time and eventually arrived with a big smile on his face.Because he had had to wait for the food they offered him a burger as well to compensate!

On the Thursday morning - my birthday - I was made a full English breakfast and opened my cards and a voucher from my family for a Spa Day :-)

As we were getting ready to go to the pool the housekeeping ladies arrived and on seeing the cards they said they would be able to bring a bottle of wine and some chocs round for me later on! And true to their word there was a bottle and some chocs waiting for us when we got in :-))

 The first impressions were not great but at the end my memories are of clean, adeqate - if somewhat dated - accomodation, helpful and professional staff with wonderful customer service and a clean, well run pool area.Can't comment on any of the many activities on offer as Milly had not wanted to book any (we decided we would save the money to put towards our London trip) and the restaurants were out of our price range on this trip so will have to try them next time we go.Apparently the new style lodges are much better appointed ;-))

Celebrations,dissapointments and surprises to come!

Just back home after spending a lovely afternoon celebrating my Mum and Dad's Golden wedding anniversary.It was in effect a triple celebration with both my Dad and I also celebrating our Birthday this month.

We left the Hotel and went back to Mum's and a great time reminiscing and laughing - with family and some of Mum and Dad's oldest friends - as we looked back through some old photographs.

We are (nearly) packed and ready to head off to Center Parcs in the morning.We are really looking forward to walking and swimming and chilling!  

I will celebrate my Birthday whilst we are away.

Emily and Alan suggested I should go for a pamper day whilst we were away  but I decided  I would rather spend my Birthday day with them and would go for a Spa day at Oxleys at Underscar on the Saturday we got back home. 2 parking tickets this month have meant funds are low so unfortunately I have had to give that a miss :-(

 I do have the surprise meal to look forward to though:-) Not so keen on the blindfolded aspect of it but Emily is soooo excited. I am truly amazed how well she has kept the location a secret:-)

Final furlong of the re-organisation...

At the beginning of 2009 we began a major re-organisation of the house.We are blessed to have a nice sized house and have 3 reception rooms.The space just wasn't getting used properly though and we had furniture that was just not suitable for our needs. We needed storage and bookcases that could provide easy access to the growing number of books and other paraphernalia associated with home education...

Around April we had a few rooms done and just had the living room to finish. that didn't happen until the September and by Christmas we were straight again.

that is apart from the spare room which had ended up being the dumping ground.

I have put it off all this time - I am the queen of procrastination ;-)

I have had half hearted attempts at it and have set aside days to clear it but something else has always taken priority...

Today was the day I finally got motivated to attack it.

Alan took Emily to her riding lesson, I put on some music and off I went ..

There were all sorts of piles on the floor, vases with very dusty silk flowers and wind chimes that had hung in Milly's room when she was a toddler - they were never going to be used again but I have always put off parting with them..

Lamp without shade - waiting around just in case I could find the space to put it.

Bag

upon bag

of clothing , cushions, curtains, fancy dress clothes and ornaments passed to Emily from Alan's Mum and my Nana when they died...

Curtains from the living room, blackout blind from Milly's room ,pine curtain poles and roman blinds that hung in the kitchen years ago...

It was time to be ruthless. I cleared bag by bag and eventually some surfaces were clear..

Haven't seen the top of this set of drawers for over a year!

Aside from the things I have kept to go to the car boot sale,I organised bags of rubbish and have a bag for the charity shop and a large bag of clothes that I will list on Ebay ...

When we get back from Center Parcs we will have a couple of car boots and then whatever is left is going to charity.Just need a single bed and we will have a spare room again.

So *only* eighteen months after starting reorganising we are on the last leg...

Style on a budget by Milly.....

Milly wanted to buy a new dress. She wants to wear it  to celebrate my Birthday when we return from our break at Centerparcs.Apparently I am being taken out for a meal ,it is to be a surprise destination and I will be blindfolded! Looking forward to it - hoping it is a short car journey though as I am likely to feel sick if I can't see out!

We looked online but the prices were a bit steep for our budget at the moment ( have to pay for ladies clothes now as she is a size 12 ) so we decided to check out the charity shops.

In the first shop we walked into one particular dress leapt out at us. It was the perfect colour to go with her *high heels* as Milly calls them ( they have a really chunky heel about an inch high but they make a lovely clunky noise when she walks and she feels very grown up) it had a funky design and style that was soooo Emily...

She loved it so much and was eager to wear it so she put it on to celebrate my Dad's 70th last night...

Here she is, self styled with a touch of make up,teal coloured tights, a beaded handbag and a scarf to finish the look.

Not the best quality pictures I am afraid, but I think it gives you the impression..It has a puff ball skirt and button detailing on the yoke at the front.A really super little dress.

She also saw a fab hat with black netting in the charity shop but at £7 was more than I could afford so we went to another accessories shop and found the perfect headband to go with it..

London....

Over two days I spent quite a lot of time on line trying to find accommodation that would suit our needs and budget.

I had wanted to stay for a minimum of 3 nights ( this would enable us to pace ourselves a bit and still give us time to see all we wanted to see) and needed it to be fairly central. Mainly because we wanted to have the ability to explore easily and still be able to go back to have a breather if either of us needed it ( me from an energy point of view and Milly from overload!).It is going to be darker earlier by the time we go at the end of Oct and we didn't want to be travelling by tube in the dark.

I also wanted to be close to the train station (Euston) we came in at so that our first experience was an easy one and we didn't have to get off the train and try to work out tubes or buses.

Ideally I wanted en suite...

I began looking for cheap B&B accommodation - there were an overwhelming amount of websites -  trying to trawl through and read up on each possibility was going to take forever.Also the lower end of the market (within our budget ) had shared bathrooms.

Then I looked at Travelodge - you know what you are getting and Jenny (on facebook) mentioned about the buffet breakfast which sounds fab - eat as much as you like and children eat free.I found two possibilities but due to cost they were on the outskirts and involved a tube or train journey to and from.

I looked at the YHA site and rang one (can't remember where in London it was now, but it was early on in my search before I decided to stick close to the center ) to check for availability - a family room with en suite at £61 a night was only working out at £14 less than the Travelodge I had found.

After checking out all available Travelodges - and the travel implications of where they were situated - it became clear I couldn't afford 3 nights :-( No matter how I worked it, it was just too expensive and it looked as though 2 nights would have to do.

Then I decided to look again at the Youth Hostel site. The one at St Pancras caught my eye.Even better when I read that it was within walking distance of Euston - tick in box.It has been recently refurbished and had cafe facilities amongst other positives.

Online booking had no vacancies for the days I wanted to Travel ( no flexibility for us as Alan needed to be at home so he could look after the animals - London visit was not his cup of tea which is why he was staying at home)I rang and they had a double room available but no en suite.I dithered and decided to talk to Milly before booking.She had been looking forward to the TV,en suite and ability to make hot chocolate in the room .

I knew she would not go to the loo on her own with it being out of the room and that would bother her but once she knew I would go with her whenever she needed to go that was ok.The lack of TV in the room was not as much of a problem when we talked about how much time we were actually likely to spend in the room and we will take her laptop so she could watch a DVD if she wanted to.The drink making facilities could be got round by taking a travel kettle and plastic cups, so that was that sorted. There is also a cafe in the hostel so (apart from first thing in the morning) we could head down there to get a drink.Milly misses home so much when we are away so another reason to take the laptop is that we can pay to get Wi fi at the Hostel and teach Daddy to Skype before we go so we can chat each evening:-)) More ticks in boxes.

So I rang back and booked 3 nights with breakfast at a very reasonable cost of £165 (that includes the added cost of breakfast too) the cheapest Travelodge (fairly central but not as well positioned for us) for 3 nights was £100 more.

The Hostel also does discounted rates to some of the attractions which will save us money too.

Family and friends railcard (purchased at half price for £13 with the Daily Mail offer recently) means the train fare is £78 return instead of £138 so another saving there:-)

I have reserved a seat on the train,with a table and near the loo's ( not too near I hope ) so that Emily can feel safe going on her own and I don't have to leave all our belongings...

So that's it all sorted -  3 nights in the big city at the end of October..

 

With apologies to Facebook friends who may already have seen these ;-)

Milly has learnt a new trick! She was very keen to show me yesterday.

Climb onto the climbing frame and then ...

 keep going up...

wonderful to just lay and watch the clouds apparently...

 you get a great view when you stand up too...

London calling....

Colleen, The New Unschooler - who is not so new anymore - is coming to town!

I was excited quite some time ago when I got to the bottom of this blog post and she mentioned that there was a possibility she would be coming over .

Then, a while ago it became definite and they will be spending 7 weeks based in London!

They are taking the opportunity to travel around Europe,visiting Greece,France and Switzerland.and Spain they are also staying with Schuyler. Certainly packing a great deal into their stay:-)

 

Collen contacted me on Facebook to say they were going to go to Whitby and did we live near there.Getting from there to see us would have involved a 7 hour train journey and an hour in the car. I thought it made sense for Emily and I to take the opportunity to do something we had talked about for a while and go down to London to meet up with them!

 

Even though it is something we have dreamt about doing,I was pleasantly surprised when Emily agreed to go - travel is not top of her favourite things to do:-)She has known of Colleen and Jerry since we first took her out of school and I think she is very keen to meet a fellow Percy Jackson lover:-)

 

I have spent the day trying to work the trip out on a very tight budget.Initially I wanted to stay 3 or 4 nights,which would have enabled me to pace myself a bit better - but costs were too high so I have had to trim it back to 2 nights.

 

I think I have managed it and will be booking the train tickets and Travelodge room once I have had a chance to go through the details with Alan.My menopausal brain is playing very silly games on me and I don't trust myself to do it without making a mistake-like booking the wrong date of something! The last holiday I booked online I was onto the final booking page when I realised I was booking for 2011 instead of 2010!!Much safer to get them checked first...

 

 I am really looking forward to meeting Colleen and Jerry.I left it far too late to invite them to stay with us ( I had thought I had invited them when we started emailing about the trip but it seems I had the thought and didn't follow through with the action!) I have invited them to travel back up with us and stay but they have to leave on the 1st Nov so that is unlikely.Maybe another time...

 

It is taking me far out of my comfort zone to make this trip on my own - which is no bad thing.

I am excited and nervous in equal measure :-)

Another wonderful day out....

Today's outing was to Mirehouse with friends.

L and her family are very special to us. When I had postnatal depression and made the first tentative steps out into the world and attended the local playgroup L was the playgroup leader.She made me feel very welcome and probably isn't aware of just how her friendship at that time helped me.

L's daughter A is Emily's bestest friend:-)

The sun shone brightly and we enjoyed a picnic,assault course,zip wire and a giant tyre swing for little M . Milly and A joined him at one point and I was asked to push them I managed to trip and fell against Emily - I was aware we bumped heads but wasn't aware that banging into her made her bang her head on the large metal chain- until she informed me and cried that she didn't like me very much at that moment:-(

She wasn't happy with me for a while but luckily came round and  forgot about it and we headed down to the lake.

Look closely and you can see two heads at the base of the branches jutting out of the lake...

 

Idyllic really,lots of laughter and squealing and paddling and swimming.The four girls all went in - it was a warm day but the water was still  cold - they stayed in for about an hour .M stayed in the shallows with L and I  and we threw stones.I bragged that I had learnt how to skim stones but obviously after saying that was unable to do so ;-))

 Couldn't believe that A and Emily had a swimsuit suntan by the time they got out ( the sun had been behind clouds quite a lot of the time) and had a lovely criss cross design on their backs...

We walked back for another go on the assault course and said goodbye before heading home via Aldi to get something for tea and some goodies for the sleepover.

Alan took the girls into town to a play park where they spent an hour or so.Home for tea and then out for a walk to A's to pick up her sleepover gear - oh and a clothes airer!! Apparently it makes a good den:-)

They went out again to walk to the village park but were back within 15 mins, as it was getting dark.

They remembered how they used to slide down the stairs on duvets - so decided to revisit their childhood and padded the hall table at the bottom of the stairs before attempting it - thankfully no injuries and they are now in the kitchen making cakes.Don't need my assistance apparently! looking forward to seeing the kitchen when they are finished:-))

A busy busy day, but so enjoyable.

Plan D !!!

When I woke this morning the day ahead had been planned.Emily and I had decided yesterday that we would  go to Rheged again.We wanted to go to the giant cinema screen to see Take me to the moon in 3D.

When it got to 10.45 and she was still snoozing I woke her and after reading for a while I said that if she still wanted to go we would need to think about getting ready to make it in time.She asked if we could stay home and take Beauty for a walk and just hang out at home.No problem at all it was a nice sunny day so that became plan B:-)

After a while we talked about where to go for a walk and non of the regular walks near home fitted the bill so plan c was hatched;-) off for a walk around Buttermere and an opportunity for Emily to swim.Packed a bag and headed off. Buttermere was very busy and we had decided we wouldn't pay the £4 parking charge at the car park ( more money to spend on a cuppa/ice cream at the cafe) so headed of to the road we knew had some parking spaces for free. it seemed that every man and his dog knew about the road today and it was a very long way up before there was any space at all.We decided to carry on and turn round to go back down and see if someone had moved and created a space nearer the lake...

The nearest place to turn around was half way up the mountain!! As we pulled in near a waterfall we decided this would be as good a place as any to stop so plan D came into operation:-)

We set off to get to the waterfall.

Follow me I know where I am going she says...

Not too far to go now.

Look at that view.

Scramble down this rocky sloping path!!

Well worth the trek.

Ok Mum, instead of going back the way we came let's go over this way it's more exciting.At first I was resistant! I could see how much she really wanted to do it though and decided I would give it a go.

I am not too keen on this route Milly,I don't like the sheer drops!Ok it was only 15 feet or so but still...

A very steep decline to get back to the stream so we could cross over again.At this point I was moaning how difficult it was to walk sideways on mossy springy grass...

Look at those views...

Yes I see how lovely they are.

Far away in the distance is the slither of road we have to reach to get back up the steep hill to where the car is....

A drink and a breather to admire the surroundings and for me to moan about the prospect of getting stuck in marshy ground... 

Finally we make it across the stream with just this hill to climb back to the car.

I moaned and groaned but you know what? It was a much better walk than if we had just gone on the well trodden path:-) We took our time back up the road and sat and discussed many topics along the way.

A lovely drive home, past the lake with the late afternoon sun shining down on the glittering water.

Milly has a renewed interest in Mcfly with the imminent release of their new single and we put on Radioactive - very loud - which brought back many happy memories of the holiday to Wales with Millie :-)

Home and at this moment Alan is struggling to light the BBQ although he has managed to get a roaring fire going in the Chiminea.

An evening of cards and games in front of a roaring fire for us....