Here I am on a beautiful and bright Saturday morning, ready to whizz off to Shoreham, which is not too far up the coast, more or less half way between Brighton and Worthing. I have been looking around the whole area for a few weeks now, and have settled on Shoreham because it is a nice little town with s character of its own, and a feeling of community which is lamentably absent from the "suburbs" of Brighton and Hove. This feeling is most important for me - I've lived in truly urban settings for the last
27 years (15 in Cambridge and now 12 here) and before that I was in the country, or in a village and all of those I loved, but I'm afraid the suburbs give me the creeps. I dread twitching lace curtains (or lace curtains of any kind really) and the kind of secret watchfulness that seems to typify the suburbs, Maybe it comes from having grown up in a very suburban area, and then escaping to London, where I lived and worked very happily in the kind of obscurity that Londoners seem to create effortlessly. It's not that they don't care about everyone else, just that they get on with their lives in a kind of bubble and don't concern themselves with the rest of the world unless it makes its presence felt.
Anyway, off to Shoreham this morning to look at a little house I had first seen last week. It's not perfect, and let's face it what is? But in a nice position and with a sunny, grassy piece of garden in the front. Small - but most places would be after this; I have three bedrooms, three bathrooms, three reception rooms and a kitchen, balcony and garden. Too much really, plus a lot of stairs. And a lot of cleaning. Today I went back to the little house (which needs a lot of work), taking the most negative friend I have, so that I could get all the pros and cons sorted out. And it turns out there are more cons than pros - at least today!! It's so hard to make up my mind, and I expect I'll feel differently again tomorrow.
At least my house is sold, and to a cash buyer, so I'm hoping it will go through smoothly. Oh it's bound to be a trying and stressful time but I do believe it will all be fine in the end, fingers crossed.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Back from the Future...
Well hello there - where have I been these last two years you may well ask? And it's a long story which I won't bore you with. At least I won't bore you with all of it.
To those of you dear, kind and faithful readers who have asked - yes I did come back from Thailand
in one piece, and a very tanned and relaxed piece it was. I hadn't been prepared for the strange, wet, heat that kind of slaps you in the face when you arrive in Thailand. But soon did get used to it, though I did make use of the air-con in the hotel as sleeping would have been out of the question without it!
Mostly it was Grandson and I who splashed about in the gorgeous pools and the blue, blue sea. And those two weeks positively flew by. We saw temples and elephants (poor things, they were tied up and looking very dusty - the elephants I mean) and we ate some exotic food and generally lazed about.The big surprise to me was that long-distance flying wasn't nearly as awful as I had expected it to be. We flew Emirates both ways, stopping briefly in Dubai, and though it was sometimes tedious, it was on the whole comfortable and made more so by the lovely flight attendants. Coming back to a still-freezing England wasn't great, and we were very tired. Still, it all seems a very long time ago now.
I'll move swiftly on and try to give you the rundown on our family since then: and there has been a fair amount of change... to begin at the end, I now have two more utterly gorgeous Grandchildren! Lucky me. Son and his lovely girlfriend (she is Polish if you remember) had a baby boy last March, so he is nearly a year old. He arrived two weeks early, giving everyone a bit of a shock - and was poorly for a while. He had bad jaundice and his Mum was poorly too. In fact they all three spent the first 5 days of his little life in hospital, so it was a worry. And then he turned out to be a non-sleeper who screamed when he woke up or was unhappy. Poor things, they were pretty desperate at times, as well as being constantly tired.( I remembered that Son had been similarly non-sleeping, though he didn't scream, and how like a zombie I was until he started sleeping at about 11 months.) Anyway, he is such a happy little boy now, a beloved darling, and very bright and lively. He's a good eater too, which is a blessing!
Daughter and her lovely Boyfriend (the lawyer, you may recall) have also reproduced, and a darling little Girl she is too. She was born last November, also 2 weeks early, and could not be more different from her little cousin, She has slept, fed and smiled since she arrived - and as she is now nearly four months old will soon be trying out Daughter's cooking. She has already been much travelled, as they went to Egypt for a quick week in the sun after Christmas, and they are planning an Easter holiday in Abu Dhabi. Lord knows, we didn't even think of taking off to exotic places with our children, but it seems to be perfectly normal now.
Son and Girlfriend and Baby all went to Poland for Christmas - not quite so sunny of course - and their trip coincided with the baby having 'Separation Anxiety' (spot-on timing at 9 months), which wasn't too much fun for them, and then the poor little mite got a chest infection which turned into bronchitis and meant he had to have antibiotics. Mind you it was bloody freezing there...
And while they were all away, I got bronchitis too! I have to say it was the first time in two years, but horrible nevertheless. We'll draw a veil over that and I'll just say what wonderful friends I have - they all rallied round: one friend in particular made me the best chicken soup I have ever tasted, so it wasn't all bad.
And now, you catch me as I'm leaving this house - after 12 years I'm moving. Where? well not too far as I now have three grandchildren, plus my two childer and their lovely partners to brighten my life.
Enough for now though - I'm off to bed, but delighted to have caught up a bit with you all. Night night.
To those of you dear, kind and faithful readers who have asked - yes I did come back from Thailand
in one piece, and a very tanned and relaxed piece it was. I hadn't been prepared for the strange, wet, heat that kind of slaps you in the face when you arrive in Thailand. But soon did get used to it, though I did make use of the air-con in the hotel as sleeping would have been out of the question without it!
Mostly it was Grandson and I who splashed about in the gorgeous pools and the blue, blue sea. And those two weeks positively flew by. We saw temples and elephants (poor things, they were tied up and looking very dusty - the elephants I mean) and we ate some exotic food and generally lazed about.The big surprise to me was that long-distance flying wasn't nearly as awful as I had expected it to be. We flew Emirates both ways, stopping briefly in Dubai, and though it was sometimes tedious, it was on the whole comfortable and made more so by the lovely flight attendants. Coming back to a still-freezing England wasn't great, and we were very tired. Still, it all seems a very long time ago now.
I'll move swiftly on and try to give you the rundown on our family since then: and there has been a fair amount of change... to begin at the end, I now have two more utterly gorgeous Grandchildren! Lucky me. Son and his lovely girlfriend (she is Polish if you remember) had a baby boy last March, so he is nearly a year old. He arrived two weeks early, giving everyone a bit of a shock - and was poorly for a while. He had bad jaundice and his Mum was poorly too. In fact they all three spent the first 5 days of his little life in hospital, so it was a worry. And then he turned out to be a non-sleeper who screamed when he woke up or was unhappy. Poor things, they were pretty desperate at times, as well as being constantly tired.( I remembered that Son had been similarly non-sleeping, though he didn't scream, and how like a zombie I was until he started sleeping at about 11 months.) Anyway, he is such a happy little boy now, a beloved darling, and very bright and lively. He's a good eater too, which is a blessing!
Daughter and her lovely Boyfriend (the lawyer, you may recall) have also reproduced, and a darling little Girl she is too. She was born last November, also 2 weeks early, and could not be more different from her little cousin, She has slept, fed and smiled since she arrived - and as she is now nearly four months old will soon be trying out Daughter's cooking. She has already been much travelled, as they went to Egypt for a quick week in the sun after Christmas, and they are planning an Easter holiday in Abu Dhabi. Lord knows, we didn't even think of taking off to exotic places with our children, but it seems to be perfectly normal now.
Son and Girlfriend and Baby all went to Poland for Christmas - not quite so sunny of course - and their trip coincided with the baby having 'Separation Anxiety' (spot-on timing at 9 months), which wasn't too much fun for them, and then the poor little mite got a chest infection which turned into bronchitis and meant he had to have antibiotics. Mind you it was bloody freezing there...
And while they were all away, I got bronchitis too! I have to say it was the first time in two years, but horrible nevertheless. We'll draw a veil over that and I'll just say what wonderful friends I have - they all rallied round: one friend in particular made me the best chicken soup I have ever tasted, so it wasn't all bad.
And now, you catch me as I'm leaving this house - after 12 years I'm moving. Where? well not too far as I now have three grandchildren, plus my two childer and their lovely partners to brighten my life.
Enough for now though - I'm off to bed, but delighted to have caught up a bit with you all. Night night.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Thailand here I come...
It's only three weeks until we go on our Thailand trip, and I'm pretty excited about it. I'm collecting good advice from anyone who has been, so would be happy to have any Thailand Tips you may want to share with me, please! Son, who has been to Thailand twice, has a very laid-back approach to travel generally, and recommends just relaxing and enjoying it, We are going to a five-star resort on Koh Samui, so I don't imagine there's much to fear really. I asked my Doctor about vaccinations etc, and she suggested taking the risk of Malaria pretty seriously (and who am I to disagree). However, there are various points of view, and some friends have suggested that I should simply spray thoroughly (with DEET). rather than take pills. And of course it depends which area of Thailand one is going to. I'm going to see the Practice Nurse this week, so that should be sorted one way or another. As for clothes, everyone says take very few clothes and very light things because it is so hot, pretty obvious I know, but I'm sure Daughter will be taking the biggest suitcase she can lay hands on! Anyway, please do pass on any info, it would be much appreciated.
This has been a lovely weekend, familywise, if not weatherwise. Son and his Girlfriend came down on Friday (a belated Mothers' Day celebration) and we all had dinner here. The main course was bought and cooked by Son and Girlfriend, nibbles etc came courtesy of Daughter, and her Boyfriend brought the wine. I made dessert (actually I made one and bought one), so it was truly a joint effort, and very nice too. Grandson supplied the entertainment (he usually does) and we all had a really great evening. Saturday was fun too, though the weather was awful - very cold and rainy for a change. We went to a VegFest in Hove Town Hall which was just awful - the food didn't taste of much, though I'm sure it was very worthy, and the place was full to bursting with worthy vegetarian and vegan enthusiasts wearing vegetarian clothes and shoes. I really wouldn't wish to offend anyone, but it certainly wasn't my cup of tea. In the end we scooted back home and got cosy in front of the fire which sounds boring but was lovely. Son and I played Scrabble (he won) we ate some more nice food and we watched the football. A perfect Saturday and a great weekend.
This has been a lovely weekend, familywise, if not weatherwise. Son and his Girlfriend came down on Friday (a belated Mothers' Day celebration) and we all had dinner here. The main course was bought and cooked by Son and Girlfriend, nibbles etc came courtesy of Daughter, and her Boyfriend brought the wine. I made dessert (actually I made one and bought one), so it was truly a joint effort, and very nice too. Grandson supplied the entertainment (he usually does) and we all had a really great evening. Saturday was fun too, though the weather was awful - very cold and rainy for a change. We went to a VegFest in Hove Town Hall which was just awful - the food didn't taste of much, though I'm sure it was very worthy, and the place was full to bursting with worthy vegetarian and vegan enthusiasts wearing vegetarian clothes and shoes. I really wouldn't wish to offend anyone, but it certainly wasn't my cup of tea. In the end we scooted back home and got cosy in front of the fire which sounds boring but was lovely. Son and I played Scrabble (he won) we ate some more nice food and we watched the football. A perfect Saturday and a great weekend.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Here today, gone tomorrow.
Well actually, here yesterday, gone today. The snow, that is. Yesterday we were treated to the most amazing and (obviously) unexpected late snowfall. It crept up on us during the day, and by the evening was a veritable blizzard, with fine but persistent snow being blown by an icy wind into quite deep drifts. At 3pm I went, as usual, to collect Grandson from school, and though it was snowing a bit and the wind was bitter, it wasn't a bad journey. We got back here and tucked ourselves in to wait for Daughter. By 5pm though, the weather had really turned nasty, and the traffic outside was creeping along icy white tracks. Daughter arrived at 6.15 and scooped up Grandson to go home. Hah! One hour later she phoned from her mobile and was stuck close to Brighton Pier (about a ten minute drive normally), in a non-moving queue of traffic. In the end it took them another hour and a half to get to the Lewes Road, and they had to leave the car and walk up Elm Grove to their flat - it was just too steep and icy to chance driving up the hill.
This morning things were no better, so they stayed at home. Surprisingly, Grandson's school was actually open, but many local schools were closed. And no-one could get to Daughter's office unless they could walk - so it was an enforced chill-out day. I got up to give my Student breakfast, but she didn't want it and took herself back to bed! So, a housebound day all round. By this afternoon though, the snow had practically melted and traffic was back to normal. I've seen on the news that many unlucky people were trapped in their cars all night. And everyone is blaming the lack of gritters. I have to say that we do seem to react very badly to a few measly inches of snow...
This morning things were no better, so they stayed at home. Surprisingly, Grandson's school was actually open, but many local schools were closed. And no-one could get to Daughter's office unless they could walk - so it was an enforced chill-out day. I got up to give my Student breakfast, but she didn't want it and took herself back to bed! So, a housebound day all round. By this afternoon though, the snow had practically melted and traffic was back to normal. I've seen on the news that many unlucky people were trapped in their cars all night. And everyone is blaming the lack of gritters. I have to say that we do seem to react very badly to a few measly inches of snow...
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Another Mothers' Day.
March already, and I've been otherwise engaged since my last post... luckily it wasn't The Last Post, though it might have been since my Blog completely disappeared, together with my Google account, when Grandson did something with my computer. What it was, I don't quite know, but he apparently tried to sign in for something and put in his date of birth - so I got a message saying that as I was under thirteen I was too young to have a Google account! Quite funny really, but it caused me no end of trouble trying to prove just how old I was before they would give me my account back. And then, when I had finally done it, my Blog had been deleted too. I have (as you can see) managed to get back on, and find all my posts. What a relief; I wasn't sure what I would do if it was completely lost, as I'm planning to use some of the posts as part of my Memoir. Anyway, panic over. I can access my Blog via Google Chrome - and so can you, my faithful readers, if you still have the patience and haven't dropped off the flat earth...
Old photos, diaries and bits of writing haunt me, I have read old poems, letters, short stories about my past life and even a pregnancy diary I wrote before Son was born. Plus an account of the brain tumour, operation and all. Somehow I have to fit them all together and make them make sense - it's going to take me a while, but I really hope the result will be worth the effort.
Mothers' Day is coming up here in the UK, and I'm not sure if Son and his girlfriend will be coming to visit. Daughter and her Boyfriend are actually going to Barcelona for a romantic weekend. so I have Grandson for Friday night and Saturday and he is going to the Boyfriend's Mother and Stepfather for Saturday night and Sunday. I'm sure he will have a great time with them, and I know that Daughter is very excited about her weekend away. So, it may be a non-event (in Mothers' Day terms) for me, but never mind - I've had so many lovely Mothering Sundays with my lovely children, it really doesn't matter. Whatever they do is alright with me.
I hope your Mothers' Day is a good one, if you're a Mother that is :-)
Old photos, diaries and bits of writing haunt me, I have read old poems, letters, short stories about my past life and even a pregnancy diary I wrote before Son was born. Plus an account of the brain tumour, operation and all. Somehow I have to fit them all together and make them make sense - it's going to take me a while, but I really hope the result will be worth the effort.
Mothers' Day is coming up here in the UK, and I'm not sure if Son and his girlfriend will be coming to visit. Daughter and her Boyfriend are actually going to Barcelona for a romantic weekend. so I have Grandson for Friday night and Saturday and he is going to the Boyfriend's Mother and Stepfather for Saturday night and Sunday. I'm sure he will have a great time with them, and I know that Daughter is very excited about her weekend away. So, it may be a non-event (in Mothers' Day terms) for me, but never mind - I've had so many lovely Mothering Sundays with my lovely children, it really doesn't matter. Whatever they do is alright with me.
I hope your Mothers' Day is a good one, if you're a Mother that is :-)
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Another New Year..
So much has happened within our family lately, it seems that things are really changing. Who knows what this New Year will bring, but this is what it looks like at the moment....
To begin with Daughter, she is now in a fairly new and rather wonderful relationship. And about time, I probably hear you say! She has certainly kissed a few frogs in her thirty-one years, and so I guess a prince is just about due. This one appeared roughly three months ago, and it seems that they are in love and actually making plans for their joint future. He is older than her by about 6 or 7 years, hasn't been married before and has no children. But the icing on the cake is that he also loves Grandson (which is totally reciprocated) and feels that meeting Daughter and Grandson has made his life complete. He is a lawyer, so pretty well set up, and a very solid and cheerful person. He loves his Mum and often cooks Sunday lunch. Does all this sound too good to be true? Maybe, but it is true, and I say long may it last as I touch wood. They are having a very nice time and Grandson is included in the fun. We were all invited to his Mother and Stepfather's house for Christmas Day, and it was a real treat. For a start, it was the first time in thirty-odd years that I hadn't cooked the Christmas Dinner for everyone! Amazing and lovely. They are a very inclusive and affectionate family, and I was delighted to be invited. We had such a lovely day and it was truly great to eat a Christmas Dinner I hadn't cooked for once.
Son was actually away for Christmas, which was another first! I'm pretty sure it was the first year we hadn't all been together in 33 years, since he was born (not counting the year of Daughter's 21st, which she spent in New Zealand with her Dad). Anyway, Son and his girlfriend had planned to go to Thailand, and then travel around Cambodia and Vietnam for a month, and the plan included flying out from Heathrow on Christmas Day. Sadly for them, their plane was delayed and they spent most of Christmas Day at Heathrow, finally flying out at about 3.30pm! I've had regular emails and photos from them since, and am following their travels on my wonderful map of the world (my Christmas present from Daughter last year). They are having a fabulous time, and the photos of white beaches and blue sparkling water are making me quite envious. They have stayed in some magical places and eaten some fantastic food. The latest email (today) is from Hanoi, which looks like a rather mad and exotic city! So Son's experiences of 2013 are already quite different. They are going to finish up with a flight to Auckland to visit his Dad and stay for 2 weeks. In all they will have been away for 6 weeks! What a trip!
The other piece of news is that I am going to Thailand too! Daughter's new Boyfriend's family have planned a holiday in Koh Samui in April, and invited Daughter, Grandson and me! They are meeting up with other family from Australia and friends from Dubai! This, I have to say, is not normal for me, as most of you will know! But how fantastic. I just said "yes" - no hesitation at all! It's a first for me, and I can't wait.
So, so far 2013 is going to be a year of change. Apart from the Thailand trip (two weeks in April) I am going to Majorca in March with a London BF whose father died in December, and who is booking us a special holiday week there. And my dear Brighton BF, whose husband died at the end of October, is planning several trips for us. First will be Venice (we have been talking about this for years, and couldn't really go while her husband was so ill) and then I'm up for just about anything in the way of travel. She is in Barbados as we speak, and is going to find us somewhere to rent for next January and February. It all sounds great. And in between the travelling I'm sure there will be other bits of Life, with a capital L.
As I always say, I'll keep you posted :-)
To begin with Daughter, she is now in a fairly new and rather wonderful relationship. And about time, I probably hear you say! She has certainly kissed a few frogs in her thirty-one years, and so I guess a prince is just about due. This one appeared roughly three months ago, and it seems that they are in love and actually making plans for their joint future. He is older than her by about 6 or 7 years, hasn't been married before and has no children. But the icing on the cake is that he also loves Grandson (which is totally reciprocated) and feels that meeting Daughter and Grandson has made his life complete. He is a lawyer, so pretty well set up, and a very solid and cheerful person. He loves his Mum and often cooks Sunday lunch. Does all this sound too good to be true? Maybe, but it is true, and I say long may it last as I touch wood. They are having a very nice time and Grandson is included in the fun. We were all invited to his Mother and Stepfather's house for Christmas Day, and it was a real treat. For a start, it was the first time in thirty-odd years that I hadn't cooked the Christmas Dinner for everyone! Amazing and lovely. They are a very inclusive and affectionate family, and I was delighted to be invited. We had such a lovely day and it was truly great to eat a Christmas Dinner I hadn't cooked for once.
Son was actually away for Christmas, which was another first! I'm pretty sure it was the first year we hadn't all been together in 33 years, since he was born (not counting the year of Daughter's 21st, which she spent in New Zealand with her Dad). Anyway, Son and his girlfriend had planned to go to Thailand, and then travel around Cambodia and Vietnam for a month, and the plan included flying out from Heathrow on Christmas Day. Sadly for them, their plane was delayed and they spent most of Christmas Day at Heathrow, finally flying out at about 3.30pm! I've had regular emails and photos from them since, and am following their travels on my wonderful map of the world (my Christmas present from Daughter last year). They are having a fabulous time, and the photos of white beaches and blue sparkling water are making me quite envious. They have stayed in some magical places and eaten some fantastic food. The latest email (today) is from Hanoi, which looks like a rather mad and exotic city! So Son's experiences of 2013 are already quite different. They are going to finish up with a flight to Auckland to visit his Dad and stay for 2 weeks. In all they will have been away for 6 weeks! What a trip!
The other piece of news is that I am going to Thailand too! Daughter's new Boyfriend's family have planned a holiday in Koh Samui in April, and invited Daughter, Grandson and me! They are meeting up with other family from Australia and friends from Dubai! This, I have to say, is not normal for me, as most of you will know! But how fantastic. I just said "yes" - no hesitation at all! It's a first for me, and I can't wait.
So, so far 2013 is going to be a year of change. Apart from the Thailand trip (two weeks in April) I am going to Majorca in March with a London BF whose father died in December, and who is booking us a special holiday week there. And my dear Brighton BF, whose husband died at the end of October, is planning several trips for us. First will be Venice (we have been talking about this for years, and couldn't really go while her husband was so ill) and then I'm up for just about anything in the way of travel. She is in Barbados as we speak, and is going to find us somewhere to rent for next January and February. It all sounds great. And in between the travelling I'm sure there will be other bits of Life, with a capital L.
As I always say, I'll keep you posted :-)
Monday, December 31, 2012
Oops, just made it..
Just scraping in before midnight and the start of another year! It's going to be 2013, can you believe it? To bring you up to date, I long ago finished the writing course, which was very good and motivating, but I managed to get a bad case of Bronchitis just as the course was coming to an end in November, and that really laid me low for the next six weeks. It wouldn't have been so bad if my local GP hadn't ignored the cough (what my Mother used to call a "graveyard cough") and dismissed me saying that it was merely a virus. Two weeks later she dismissed me again, though she gave me some anti-biotics with the hope that they "might take the edge off it". They didn't. I carried on in the hope that I would just get better, as I have in the past, and in the end was grey, choking and feeling like death.... Actually it was very scary feeling so ill, and being unable to breathe. I finally went to a well-recommended private doctor who was just marvellous. He actually listened to me and took roughly ten minutes to diagnose the problem, His words were "You have acute Bronchitis and should have been in hospital." So, that's where I've been, not actually in hospital, but in bed for what seemed like ages, and then slowly getting back to normal. I'm pretty much there now, and have had a really nice Christmas and New Year.
Let's hope I can get on with life and be a bit more communicative in 2013. Happy New Year to you all.
Let's hope I can get on with life and be a bit more communicative in 2013. Happy New Year to you all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
