At last....

Ok ok, i know its cold but the sunshine has been amazing after so many months of grey skies. So we took the opportunity to cut the grass and tidy up and add a little colour to the garden today. Who knew garden centres could be so exciting!

All change.

I'm back....so much time has passed. I know life has its ups and downs, and quite often blogging is a way of sharing them, but this year has been the hardest year of my life without question. I have had to be as strong as i have ever been. But it has been balanced by good things. We have to grasp them when they come along don't we?

Our beautiful puppy has grown up into a gorgeous girl. Those beautiful eyes have made me smile when i thought i would never be able to again. That fluffy beard has mopped up my tears. This dog just knows what to do to cheer you up. She is a true friend.

Though stressful, one of the positive changes in my life has been a move. It was worth it. Hard work ahead. But worth it. True shabby chic...peeling paint, crumbling plaster....but worth it. It means my boy won't have to trek half way across the county to go to school and can make his own way there. He is closer to his friends. He loves it. I had no idea how difficult this year was going to be, but we moved at the beginning and since then however dilapidated this house has been like a huge hug to me when i needed it. It just had "that" feeling. It is a massive undertaking. I'm not sure i can do it so i am concentrating on one room at a time. Even one room a year. We have finished the first one in time for Christmas. We banished the orange walls, dusty curtains and grotty carpet and i am so proud of it.  My very own library....I will give you a peek....

I have finally got rid of the last speck of plaster dust, and been able to unpack some of my things. After the year i have had that is a GOOD feeling. We will make this ugly duckling into the most beautiful swan.

But first....Christmas decorating!

Best wishes to everyone, have a good week and keep warm. xx

Love is everything....

Hello again, so sorry its been so long. It seems blogging is something i sit down and do when i have a few minutes, and i seem to NEVER have a few minutes. However i do still love to catch up on your blogs for inspiration, and simply to see how other people live their lives.......because however different we are we all seem so very similar.

I have had some goodbyes in my life in the last six months which has been very sad, but also enlightening. My darling Grandma left us, and we said goodbye on the most gorgeous sunny day amongst the daffodils and giggled at how she would have enjoyed being very carefully lifted and carried by six young men. The greatest gift she gave me, and she gave me many, was being with her at the end of her life. After 98 healthy years she chose to move on, gradually, peacefully and with dignity. She knew there was a better place and i could see that. I am only sad because i won't see her again, i am happy that she knew where she was going and that i loved her so much. I had been scared, i have never witnessed anything like that before, I asked to nurses in her care home what the doctor had given her to keep her so peaceful but they said nothing, this was normal for those nearing death. She taught me to be strong and not be afraid, because there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

After a difficult few months, we had to say goodbye to our Mollie dog. She needed another home, she was a complex character, we loved her so much and tried so hard to make it work with lots of people to help us, harder than i have ever worked at something, but she wasnt happy and it showed. She would snarl and bite us every day, even if we walked past her in her bed which is very upsetting when you have children in the house. I still don't know why, she knew nothing but kindness but she couldnt relax unless she was in control of us all, she wanted to lead the pack at any cost. We have had lots of pet dogs and never met one quite like her but she is happy in a new home that can give her what she needs with other dogs to play with and i can't focus on the negative.

I was so down after her moving on that i said i wouldnt get another dog. The house was empty and felt less of a home, but i didnt have confidence in myself as a dog owner any more....what did i do to her? How could i have prevented it?......Then.....i fell in love....

I said no, we couldn't possibly, we didnt deserve her, we were obviously bad owners. But i couldnt sleep until she was ours. And five months on....

Meet Sooshi. Hobbies: cuddles, eating wasps, cuddles, stealing apples off the tree, tummy tickles, having her paws held, eating anything that is edible or not and cuddles.

Oh what fun we have had, what mischief. She has brought such love. Those soulful eyes have healed so much. She is off on her first holiday with us next week, to Long Melford in Suffolk, so hopefully lots of exploring. Any suggestions very welcome.

x

Mmmmmmm......

In an attempt to post more often, i have decided to blog about every day stuff, what i spend my life doing, and the little things that make me happy. This is what i love reading about in all your lovely blogs...so....

This is what i made today - home made crumpets - seriously you have n't lived until you have tasted these. You will thank me for encouraging you i promise! Ok, so they went a bit wrong, it was more of a dough than a batter but i persevered and they were fine in the end. As my son decided - 6 out of 10 for presentation but 10 for taste!! I will never buy the rubbery sort again. If you have a go let me know how you get on, i want to know where i went wrong.

Happy New Year

Well, it has come and gone and has been a lovely quiet family time for us with a chance to realise what a happy family we are. I am inspired by a new year, looking forward after a difficult six months if i'm honest and still not resolved but hopefully getting there. I find this time of the year a little easier than some, i think, as there are two birthdays to look forward to. I have truly felt that home is home this year, a real haven from the busy world.



Don't you find yourself longing for a bit of green though? I can't help flicking through magazine, book and blogs searching for inspiration - do gardens really transform themselves from this muddy mess? I have organised veg growing in anticipation and for once tried growing garlic and broccoli at this time of the year - it is supposed to be ready in a few months but it doesnt look promising.

I so love reading everyone's blogs and feel a bit of an amateur when it comes to keeping up mine, i need to improve, and my photography skills leave a little to be desired!!!!! Here's to another 12 months of happy home-making, may we continue to inspire each other. I don't set myself New Years Resolutions, to my undisciplined mind they are made to be broken, but i look back and see what i have achieved and what i could have done better.

Well, its time to take the tree down, cards down, hoover up pine needles and pack away. Lets hope before very long we will be spring cleaning!
xx

Did a whirlwind just visit?

Ok ok, we did it. After saying we didn't want another four-legged one we found we couldn't do without. Introducing Mollie. Or Mollie Bianca Snowdrop to give her full name. The last few weeks have been completely chaotic - the garden and house have been neglected, chewed and peed on. My vegetables have suffered from a lack of attention and i haven't had one home grown tomato yet, i haven't been able to potter and enjoy. BUT my time is taken up with cuddles, puppy kisses and someone who is very clever and very very cute.

Unfortunately our visit for lots of cuddles at school was cut short yesterday by a bee sting, which left us both in shock - and Mollie very very sad in her bed trying to keep her very sore poorly paw out of the way. Thankfully she is back to her old happy self today:


Apart from the last very windy week thank goodness we have enjoyed some sunny weather in the garden. We are off for Mollie's first picnic tomorrow, fingers crossed this wind dies down and we get some blue skies....happy holidays everyone.
x

Not something i every imagined myself saying, but thanks to volcanic ash i have been stranded in Switzerland for two weeks. Not a bad place to be. Beautiful views and chocolate, what more could you want? I spent the time walking, checking out people's gardens and missing mine. I could not have come back to a more beautiful sight - I had left a messy mudbath and came back to this sight - how amazing the Spring is? Two hours in the rain last November, water trickling down my back and digging through gritted teeth and a very bad mood - so worth it to see the beautiful tulips coming up! Ignore the washing - I have two weeks worth to catch up on now!!!
Enjoy the sunshine, and long may it last. x