Where is she now?

We pass this tree on our way home, called The Welcome Tree by the towns' people, but we never noticed it when we used to drive here, every year for a holiday at my Grans and Aunts.

My children were more fixed on the brow of the Three Step Hill, because at the top we could see the sea. So there was a lot of shouting, Who ever sees the sea first loves Holly Stewart!

In fact everything my three sons did revolved around Holly Stewart. 

First one up ths stairs, first to wash, clean their teeth get dressed! Who ever was first loved Holly Stewart!

She was a pretty little girl in my middle son's Junior School class. 

I doubt she ever knew that she was a big 'name' in our home.

Then she grew up and went off to University and we didn't see her for years.... until... my eldest came home one evening to say he'd see Holly. She was working in a local supermarket and had become a 'Goth!'

I saw her a week later walking along the high street; black clothes, black eyes, black lips and hair twisted into the then fashionable nest style.

I'm sure she thought she looked amazing and as a Goth she did;  but she was no longer the sweet little girl they had fought over when they were Junior School age. 

I wonder what happened to her. She wasn't mentioned again and was like favourite toys forgotten. She was my 'arrow in my bow' because I banded her name around when I wanted my sons to get dressed for school etc, poor Holly, perhaps it was good she never knew!

I still have her name in my mind when we reach the brow of Three Step Hill and I can see the sea!

Have you memories of your children?

Chrisxx

Does it make you happy?

 At the beginning of April,  I promised myself to  lose 8 pounds in the month, well I failed that goal. I lost 1/2 pound each week and then the first week of May I didn't lose but stayed the same. I was so disappointed I hadn't gone over my 'syns' (the extras you're allowed with the slimming world food plan) So what happened the next week? I gain a whole pound.  And I haven't done much better since. 

But I have now continued on my weight loss journey,  because that number on the scales doesn't tell you:

How strong you are.

How fit you feel.

How well you're sleeping.

And it certainly doesn't tell you how amazing you are; this last week on two occasions different people have said to me, how good they felt after speaking to me  and how interesting I was!

Losing weight didn't give me that ability I always had it! No one would deny that losing weight is better for health and allows you to live better day by day, and that it also promotes a feeling of well being, so I will carry on. 

But I know I can be happy regardless of my weight loss! And according to many friends I don't look my age, even with my greying hair, I have smooth looking skin. I presume that's because I eat a healthy diet and use good facial creams and no soap!

What do you think about dieting?

Chrisxx

Plane crash!

 
Great excitement but no one hurt, the pilot scrambled out and paddled ashore. A small singled engine plane crashed into the sea off our town beach.

It was under water for a while, but then dragged and carried over the rocks to be lifted away.. lots of excitement and people there to witness it happening around about 9:00 am yesterday morning.

Porthcawl was on the news!!

Chrisxx

Where is the rain??

We have had a lovely morning, a sun shiny day again, too hot really and we went off to buy a selection of shrubs. Our nearest garden centre is always full of plants including trees.

These don't look a lot but they are shrubs that will grow up and out and the photo doesn't do them justice.

But I have still had to buy some shrubs on line and those that have  arrived are in excellent condition.

This an Amelanchier tree in flower, is my favourite

These Gooseberries are called Giggles!

And to come are a crab apple, a Victoria Plum and a Russet eating apple, in the mean time my red hot credit card bought 3 climbing roses that I had seen on the Chelsey Flower show on TV!

We really need rain to plant these, at the moment our back garden registers 29.2° C. Planting them in this heat would be risky, so at the moment they are grouped where we can water them in the evenings.

Yesterday we visited a member of our U3A Gardening Group.. what a lovely garden, quite small and wall surrounded, but climbing pink sweet scented roses to to the skies and frothy clumps of Erigeron every where, in the cracks in the pebbles and all along the wall of her drive. So, so pretty, and something I'm going to do I usually pull it up when it self seeds.

So that's what I'm doing, Erigeron everywhere!! 

Come on rain, come here!! To think my old neighbours in Suffolk said I'd be upset with all the rain in Wales!!LOL

Have you had rain?

Chrisxx

 

A Boat, Corn beef sandwich and a paper bag!

 Trips on the Waverly paddle streamer have started up again. They go to Ilfracombe across the Bristol channel and west to Swansea and Lundy Island.

I went on one with my Aunty when I was 12 years old. I can remember being excited and scared! It had been decided we'd have breakfast on board and we did, big thick doorstop Corn beef sandwiches. 

Omgosh was I ill, and spent a long time with my head in a paper bag heaving! It was the first time I discovered that the sea was ok to swim in, but not to ride on! 

Ilfracombe was ??  Can't remember that at all, altho I've seen photos of us walking along eating an ice creams. I don't know how I was on the back but I guess I was alright, as there were no family stories about me!

Since then I have been on other sea journeys, but with very strong sea sickness pills! 

We are going to watch the next arrival just to see it docking along side the pier,  but I don't want to go on it and it took me years as an adult to have a corn beef sandwich!

How are you on sea journeys?

Chrisxx

Hedge gone./new Fence!

 When we moved into our bungalow, which will be two years on the 6th June, I said right away I didn't like the very high hedge, which went all round three sides of the property. Everyone I knew said, it would cost too much to have it removed and it was nicely green! Environmentalists said it would be alive with insects and birds and what a shame to remove it. But they didn't have the headache of getting it cut, nor the cost. The cost has risen over the two years and is now close on £1500 each year! But guess what.... it had no birds in it and apart from the odd spider or ant not a lot of anything else.. And as it was my hedge I have had it taken out and a fence in its place. 

We still have the Copper Beach hedge down one side and the half size one that edges the front garden. And now this wonderful fence! We plan to grow some small garden trees and at the top perhaps a Bramley and a Victoria plum. As well as roses and shrubs, I'm delighted and love it. We have gained extra ground,  where the hedge had grown out as well as up. I have plans and can't wait to go out and buy new plants. I already have bought three roses, 'Sweet Syrie,' 'Chanfos Beauty' which I saw on the Chelsey Flower show TV last evening, its so exciting.. Watch this space!

Chrisxx

Yes I did after all.

 

Yes I watched it and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Shame it rained for all the street parties and picnics planned and the people who had camped out along the Mal were soaked, but it didn't dampen their enthusiasm.

King Charles and Queen Camila were very regal with their crowns. Charles looked very emotional when William was swearing his allegiance.

Loved the Princess Royal riding the horse behind the gold carriage.

The Princess of Wales, Kate as  beautiful as ever and little Charlotte dress just like her mum. And proud Prince George as lead Page carrying the long King's cloak. Wasn't Louis lovely singing the National Anthem. 

An amazing day!

Did you watch?

Chrisxx

Getting ready for summer.

 It might not look a lot, but this is our start in the garden. One flower-bed weeded and edged, flowers to come are lupins, sea holly, verbena and aquilegia.. as well as dahlias, and my seedlings of antirrhinums and zinnias.. so come summer full of flowers and colour. 

The daffodils have gone and the tulips have started to drop their petals.

We decided to list some manageable jobs and keep to that today; its very easy to carry on and exhaust ourselves!

To day I've potted on some tomato plants and Dh has cleared the patio of the old herb box, we have a new larger pot. Cleared away the odds and bods and the extra patio furniture ready for a builder to lay a new patio. 

I'm very excited about it and can't wait, but wait we must as the builder has been held up on his other job with all the rain!!

We did sit out and admire what we had done, and by next week we hope to get the other flower beds done and me pot on some more seedlings.

I love my garden.

Are you getting ready too?

Chrisxx

Will you or won't you??

 Are you like me fed up of seeing posts about Megan and Harry and the Coronation? So who will watch it?

If someone wrote a book that named me and my family as not being very nice and I had a party planned, I'd probably not invite them.

Megan and Harry decided they wanted their own lives and weren't happy with the press coverage, but it seems to me they have done everything they can to stay in the public eye.

So who cares what happens to them? The vast number of people in this country living below the poverty line, using food banks, worried how they can afford their energy bill and how their children can eat healthily, do they care? I think not!

Megan and Harry are now winging whether their children will have Prince and Princess status. These Royals have no idea how the every day person lives and don't care. OK so they shake a few hands and smile but the world has vastly changed, and today the modern young person doesn't have the same respect for the Royals as did past generations.

Truth be told I don't think I do any more either.. so will I watch the Coronation? Probably just the high lights on the news and hopefully if its a sunny day, we'll enjoy working in our garden, and sitting enjoying a cuppa in the sun.

What will you do?

Chrisxx

Life changing on the 14th April

April 14th 2015. was the anniversary of the day when my life totally changed. I tripped, put out my hand to break my fall and ....... I fractured my right humerus. I remember looking at it at the time, amazed that when I went to move it, it didn't respond and at the time it didn't hurt.

Simple broken arm??? Yes? but no.. I didn't have a plate and screw repair because the Trauma surgeon on Duty in the hospital, where I was taken  that night, didn't do that, because he believed it would heal by itself. It didn't and it hasn't. 

2016 Two operations the following year with a different surgeon, failed.  I was in a lot of pain and fed up that I couldn't use my arm, my dominate arm. I needed my Dh to help me to dress. 

I went to see my own GP in tears. He was so nice, and advised me to get a second opinion and insist on an app. at The Royal Orthopedic Hospital,  London. The untreated fracture and unused arm meant my muscle had weakened and it had slipped out of my shoulder socket. 2017 I had  bone insertion and a complete shoulder replacement, twice. The first one failed so I had two 6 hour ops. Dh stayed in a hotel each time, one in September and one in November, while I was in hospital and came in each day for the four days. He brought me decaff tea from the Costa shop there!

I've known a lot of pain and my life has changed completely. I don't have full use of my arm. I can't drive, I struggle to cook, so don't, I take ages to dress, I find anything where I have to lift my arm up to use it, very painful. I do a little gardening, but can't dig; I can sew but slowly, crocheting for a short period of time is ok. but knitting is a no no. I could go on and on about where my life has changed and I won't pretend I don't have really down days even now 8 years later, the frustration of not  being able to do the simplest of things is depressing.

But Dh helps me and today we've spent the afternoon in the garden. I was able to do a little weeding, easy here as the soil is sandy. I then supervised Dh while he finished the rest and then he took photos of our pots. Some half price bulbs we planted late, such a joy to see. So I do have blessings and still love to look at my garden.

It has given me a real boost to be outside and these flowers fill my heart with such a joy. I can do somethings that I couldn't do a year ago and I keep trying to do something more all the time.

I have to use a walker ( rollator) walking outside, because I am paranoid about tripping again, but on flat surfaces I can speed along. We have a builder booked to lay a new patio in a couple of weeks time, so that's another blessing.

Chrisxx