A life time ago!

I am sorry to say that our holiday now feels like a lifetime ago. We have been back for a little over a month and the whole experience is like a dream. We have had our usual mix of issues over the past weeks, with both Laura and Dad being unwell. Both are now on the mend. 

I can hardly believe that Mum passed away two years ago tomorrow, where has that time gone. On the one hand it seems like an age ago and on the other two minutes ago. One of the good things about having an IPhone is that it allows you to save your text and Whats app messages. I was looking through the other night and found the last few from Mum which was a big bit of a tear jerker. We are lucky to have such great friends and relatives who all have helped everyone over these past few years. We will never forget her  and think about her every day .

It was nice to be able to hang one of my Remember Me Angels to keep Mum close at hand all over Christmas. This morning we went to Mass, which was said for her. I was very impressed with Father Norbert who did most of the mass in speech and sign language. I am in awe of anyone who can do that, its like rubbing your tummy and patting your head as far as I am concerned!!

So what else has been happening? I have been sorting out Christmas presents, I had a marathon wrapping spree yesterday and we put the decs up so I was able to store the presents under the tree. I am trying to get the spare room sorted out so that it is all set for the return of the Hong Kong wanderer. We mainly use the spare room to store clothes so I need to get the bed in to position where it can be slept in. I am just about there. We are all looking forward to him coming home for a few weeks. I am looking froward to the school Christmas dinner and the Christingle service, I really feel that Christmas has arrived once I have been to those two things!!

I would like to wish two of my friends Happy Birthday, Karen and Fran, I hope you both had a lovely day.  Sorry that this was a quick update, I will have more time now that I'm a celebrity is over for another year!!! Have a great week.

Lots of Things going on.....

This week has been a long time coming, end of term, mums birthday the preparation and aftermath of the party. Its been a slog!! Its hard to believe that this is the second year that we have not been able to celebrate Mums birthday with her. She would have be 80 this year. It seems very strange that she is not here to celebrate. I am so glad that I have insisted on taking photos on everyone's birthday, it gives us something to look back on and track the changes.

This photo was taken on Mums 73rd birthday.

This year we went to Dads, it was a beautiful afternoon so I inflicted one of my Victoria Sandwiches on everyone!

I was actually pretty proud of this production !! During the week the council chopped down the once beautiful pink blossom tree, for years we had been treated to showers of pink petals every spring, it was a beautiful tree. Last year it suddenly stopped flowering, this year it stopped full stop, no flowers no leaves and now no tree :(  . It has however made a perfect cake stand!!

We decided to let a few balloons from Carl's party go to mark the occasion.

We set them free, but one was particularly resistant to leaving the garden , two shot off but the third went up to the eaves and then came back down a couple of times, in the end Beth had to take it down the garden and force it to take off!!

I have been back at my pottery course, inspired by my cups from the previous week I took some paper cups from work to use as templates and made three more cups.

I made this small cup for guess who?? Tom requested a small coffee cup !

The two cups in the background are the large mugs which I am pleased with, can't wait to get them cooked and then glazed!!

I also tried a bit of slip work on a bowl that made the previous week, I hope that will also look nice glazed up!! In my head I think this might look nice with a white inside and a nice sage green outside!! That said, I am sure I will change my mind a few times before the painting starts!!!

Have a great week, don't work too hard.

Weekend Away.

We have just returned back from a lovely weekend away in Whitby. I like Whitby where my brother and sister in law live. Its nice to see them from time to time. This was a bit of a last minute decision, mainly as I wanted to do something completely different for Mothers day. In previous years we have always spent at least part of the day with Mum, so this year was going to be particularly difficult. I think we made the right decision to go away and do something different. 

We booked a nice bed and breakfast on the top of the cliff, splashed out on a sea view but look at the photo above, it was a fog fest!!!!  We did get to see the sea, but only just!! 

The best bit about this weekend was that I was able to walk without any pain, so we walked from the cliff top right the way down to the beach and all the way along the pier!! I also walked around the town and clocked up 4 miles on my pedometer I can't remember the last time I walked that far !! I am so pleased with how far I have come.

The B and B had a lovely little sitting room looking out over the sea, but as you can tell the sea is not particularly 'seeable' in this picture!!

The Abbey is on the cliff on the other side of the harbour  I really like how this photo turned out, the fog adds and air of mystery to it!!

There were plenty of Lobster pots piled up on the harbour, The church in the background is St. Marys , just in front of the church is a church yard which has started to slide away. It was this church that featured in the Dracula books written by Bram Stoker. (previously I got my authors confused!!!)

One night we ate out at the famous Magpie Cafe, usually people queue up for ages outside, they queue down the steps and onto the pavement, its not unusual to see 40 plus people waiting to get in!! On Saturday night there was no queue, I expect March is low season even for very popular places!! We had fish and chips and it was nice, not exceptional but nice, I can now say I have been there and done that!"!!

Finally for the first time in my life I have had a Mothers Day without my dear Mum, I miss her so much its been a hard time without her.