Keeping every compliment....

After a little email conversation my niece said...

You're the cool auntie that, when I remember being a kid, always had everything anyone would ever need in your handbag... It was like Mary Poppins!

Isn't it great to know I'm part of a persons happy memories!!!

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Time and tide.....

....wait for no man (or woman)!

Certainly doesn't - can't believe how much time goes by between blogs. I actually think about it a lot but don't find the time to actually do it!

Certainly doesn't - celebrated this week 36 years married to the same man!

Certainly doesn't - both LittleOne and the extra time I now have to play Grandma has reached half a year!

Certainly doesn't - but have to say I'm enjoying each moment of it before it passes!

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Holiday 2009 - part 3....

Well we have done so much and been so busy I've not managed to write this every evening like I'd planned to, so I won't go into great detail now or you'll get bored before the end!

Best thing is that everyone got over their colds (some sooner than others) but thankfully it didn't stop anyone enjoying whatever we were doing. In fact the list of what we have done this week is amazing, considering we all feel like nothing was rushed and we are not exhausted by having to force all the attractions in...........

• 2 days on two different beaches, Poldhu Cove and Church Cove
• 2 evenings having BBQs, toasting marshmallows and very late nights by the fire pit
• Table tennis playing and DVD watching at the farmhouse
• Visit to the seal sanctuary at Gweek
• Long walks at Travarno Gardens, and to Loe beach and bar - eating blackberries en route
• Another long walk at Glendurgan gardens and all but me and LittleOne spent some time running and swinging on the 'Giant Stride' pole
• Dropped Sool at Truro station
• Lands End (most westerly) and Lizard Point (most southerly) parts of England
• Plus lots of internetting as the house had free wifi.

and tomorrow we sadly pack up and go home....but we'll spent some time at the Eden Project on the way, so as not to waste our last day!!!

Bet you wish you had been here?

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Holiay 2009 - part 2.....

Weather has been really good, chilly but warm enough to eat outside last night on food cooked on the fire pit BBQ style then sit around the fire pit until all the stars were out! Today has been warm enough to spend about 4 hours on the beach - a beautiful beach called Poldhu Cove.

Only two negative things so far, first is that Comedian and Olympian are getting over colds and Daughter and Hubby now have really horrid colds which is definitely spoiling things for them. Second thing is the amount of flies here - Hubby and Sool are having to make regular spraying and vacuuming rounds of the house.

Wish you were here.

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Holiday 2009 - part 1....

It's Cornwall this year and way down at the Lizard peninsular......end of the earth as SOOL calls it.

We spent nearly all day in the car yesterday getting here with a few 'comfort' breaks, mostly for LittleOne to have a feed or a bum change, a slight detour and stop to collect Comedian and Olympian as they were visiting their dad in Dorset, then one more 'comfort' break and a quick services-dinner stop as it was getting so late and we finally got here about 8:30ish.

7 of us plus luggage in the one vehicle was a little snug but not a problem. Daughter and Hubby sharing the driving. We had also taken with our in-car DVD player to amuse the children and it was so funny seeing the expression on LittleOne's face when we stuck a screen showing "Over The Hedge" cartoon so he could see it too!

The farmhouse is really nice and full of all we could need. A welcome pack was on the table with tea bags, coffee, bottles one of local fresh juice the other of sparkling water, packet of fudge, packet of biscuits and as pot of jam (all home made locally). We thought this was wonderful, then we opened the fridge to find not only eggs, milk and butter but a tray full of scones, jam and clotted cream.............great start to our holiday having our late night West Country snack :o)

Then it was a good scout round to check out the facilities and choose which bedroom to claim - (well that was the children) then trying to stay enthusiastic for the girls as they wanted to play the new games they had found in a cupboard, but we were all far too tired.......lasted till after midnight - girls were impressed that we arrived on Saturday but they didn't go to bed until Sunday - then all drifting up to our beds.

Today we are having a quiet "around the farmhouse" day.

Wish you were here...

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Looking back.....

I had my sisters over on Sunday to go through and share out all the photos I had taken from mum's flat and although sad it was good to reminisce our childhoods through the photos. We each took the ones that were special just to us and I now have another box of the ones that we all wanted, so I'll scan each one and save onto discs for each sibling.......although that could take some time. I've a parcel to post to my brother of ones he might like and a small collection of other members of our family that I'll take to my cousin's next week.

It was lovely to see how family living in Canada kept constantly updating mum on their growing children and grandchildren by sending photos and thankfully writing on the back of each one which child is which and how old they are. What a good idea, I really must do the same with mine by either writing on the back of the ones I have already or thoughtfully naming each digital file for the recent ones, as I don't print out so many now.

Good too to know that my parents had a life apart from us as lots of faces and places none of us knew. Unfortunately these meant nothing to any of us and so they were thrown away. I hope that hasn't done any damage to anyone's soul as believed by some tribes!

Fun to look back eh?

But looking forward now - my nieceS had a baby girl last week, so I've a great-nieceE who is fit and healthy and was given my mum's name as her middle name which is lovely. I'll be going to visit tomorrow for a big cuddle :o)

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More than one day at the seaside.....

Not sure what the pull of the sea is but I'm not alone as Brits flock to the sea at home or abroad all the time. Well I never cease to appreciate how lucky I am to live so near to the coast..........ok not luck at all but chose to live here!

I had a birthday this week and when asked what I wanted to do I said 'seaside'. So with Hubby, Daughter, Comedian, Olympian and LittleOne we went to Aldeburgh and had a lovely long walk while the girls used their scooters and then I was treated to an Italian lunch, followed by ice cream cones on our way back to the car and plenty of time on the beach. The girls really enjoyed being buried under the stones with just their heads showing and LittleOne seemed to really enjoy watching all that was going on.

That evening, as it was a Tuesday, I met the friends I eat with every Tuesday evening, but this week was different as friendJ cooked for us so we had a celebration evening. I had a great day.

Friday was another lovely hot and sunny day so Hubby and I headed to the seaside yet again. Felixstowe this time and first we went to Languard Fort and actually went inside to see the exhibition............we've lived here 26 years and never done it before! After that it was chips on the beach, my favourite, then a walk, then a pub stop so Hubby could have a pint and then an ice cream on the walk back to the car.

And our Daughter has just phoned to say she needs to kill some time at Felixstowe today (girls have a birthday party to go to there) and did we want to go for a walk with her.........of course I instantly said yes!

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About time too...

Enjoyed a great visit today from my special-friendH who has been part of my life since childhood. We have never lost contact and always involved in each other's special events like weddings, meeting each of our children as they have come along and been guests at their barmitzvahs and weddings too and now meeting grandchildren.

Of course we have shared the rough times too, though we sympathise and empathise and hug and weep together as we feel we must but have agreed not to dwell on the negatives!!!

We live about 60 miles apart and meet up at least three times a year, although most of the time it's me driving to hers.......but today she drove here, only 6 years after the last time.

Thank you H, I so loved you coming!

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Smellyvision..........

This morning when I flicked on the hairdryer there was a bit of a smokey, metally smell - just for a second - and in my head space where I should have been thinking "oh dear is something burning, do I need to turn this off and grab a fire extinguisher" I actually had the complete image of us as children playing with gun caps in those silly little plastic rocket things that you throw with great force nose to the ground to make the little cap go bang.......but often it doesn't so you do it again and again to give it another chance then take it out and squash it with your foot to make it finally crack, then comes that smell.

It's amazing how smells can bring on such graphic memory images:

- pipe smoke = dad sitting for ages creating his own blend of tobacco,

- burning rubber = me at 10 years old lying on a hospital trolley being anaesthetised for my tonsil op.

Can't actually think of any more just now........but when I do I'll report back.

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Not just name calling....

You know how sometimes you can't help calling someone a right "pain in the arse" - well today that's me. No, it's not that I'm being awkward or horrid to anyone I really have a pain today and yes it's my arse!!!

It started after our day on the park last Sunday, but today it is definitely worse. I think I may have pulled a muscle at the base of my spine, just where I bend so walking around is just about fine but sitting down hurts then standing up hurts again.

All drug-free suggestions on how to make it feel better will be gratefully received.

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