Seventeen :: Christmas

 Pip turned seventeen on the 23rd December and I was utterly grateful that I was able to celebrate her day.  The previous week on the 15th I had a terrible allergic reaction to the flu vaccine ( shortness of breath and rampant tachycardia occurred within minutes of the jab) which essentially lasted the entire week and consisted of off the wall tachycardia, two severe migraines including light intolerance and needing to wear Ben’s dark glasses and an infection that went from 0-60 and was horrendous!  No vaccines for me going forward!! 

Dave’s mum spent Christmas week with us and we had a lovely, quiet time together.  For the first time ever I actually managed to watch some lovely programmes on Christmas Eve as there was no Christmas baking for me this year 🙂.  We had a video call with my mum on Christmas Day as well as a video call from Dave’s brother and his partner - they are still currently in Thailand as I type.  On Boxing Day we managed a trip to the seaside and enjoyed blue skies, sunshine and the bracing fresh air 💕

On the last day of 2025 we sent the old year packing with afternoon treats and time spent with dear friends, and just before the stroke of midnight I managed to sew the last button on Everlie’s cardigan!  I promised Kath that I would knit Ottie and Everlie matching cardigans and they will be duly delivered today 💕

May you be blessed in abundance this forthcoming year x 

A Picture Catch Up

Here I am trying to blog again, let's see if I actually succeed this time :-)

 Ben passed his driving test in March on a first attempt.  It was a nerve wracking few days before the test and on the big day but he nailed it.

We finally made it over to the North East, our first visit back since that dratted covid infection in December 2022.  We stayed at the Alnwick Youth Hostel and visited all of our old favourites Hexham Abbey, Lindisfarne, Seahouses, Barter Books and a new addition The Aln Valley Railway.

 Stained Glass Window at Hexham Abbey.

Seahouses for Fish and Chips.

Pip feeding the 'spuggies' at Pilgrim's Coffee House on Holy Island, Lindisfarne.

A lunch time treat at Barter Books.  Shock horror, I only came away with one book!  I've just recently had a big clear out of the book case so was determined to be very intentional with any purchase.

A lovely train ride on the Aln Valley Railway.  It wasn't a long journey but it was an enjoyable steam ride.

Pip received her exam results in late August.  She gained really good marks in her Maths and Geography but the English paper was an unmitigated disaster thanks to the Exam board, who failed to mark her second paper!!  As a result this cost her a place on her level three aeronautical engineering course.  By the time we challenged the result and she was given a remark (which although just eight marks shy of a pass would have been enough for her to study the level three alongside a resit), it was too late to attend the course :-(  Needless to say she was pretty devastated and this past month has been very difficult for us all. 

 We are now homeschooling for Year 12 which comprises of an English Language resit following a different examination board, AS Level Maths and a beginners course in pottery amongst any other short courses that come along.  We have designated Fridays as a field trip day, so here are some pictures from a recent trip to the British Commercial Transport Museum in Leyland:

This ambulance is very reminiscent of episodes from the lovely drama, 'Call the Midwife.'  Poor Pip had a quick run down on the best positions for labour and lying flat on your back was not on that list ;-)  She was very tolerant of her old ma!

The back of the Popemobile used to transport St John Paul Second when he visited the Uk in 1980.

I still find screens and cognitive stuff still a bit of a nightmare but I've missed sharing over here and connecting with lovely blogging friends, so I'm hopeful I can make it work this time around.  

Thanks for reading xx 

Some Lovely Things

 I had hoped to pop by sooner but I was floored by a vicious virus in late November, which required two emergency hospital visits before Christmas (signs of either a stroke or heart attack) and from which I haven't as yet fully recovered.  So much so I have engaged the help of the nutritionist that I have worked with these past six years.  I'm currently dealing with ongoing persistent viral reactivation and horrendous GI issues but I'm hopeful with a few minor diet tweaks and a change in supplement regime things should hopefully settle.  

Without further ado here are the lovely things from the past few months:

After years of making St Nicholas biscuits I finally bought a proper biscuit cooker and not only did they taste lovely they looked lovely.

You're never too old to make a den.

Mum H made a lovely sofa quilt out of some of Dad H's old shirts complete with squares of cat fabric and edged in the signature black and red associated with his motorbikes.  Poppy declared it 'her' quilt and who was I to argue.  I will take a proper photo of the quilt as it really is lovely.

Our third granddaughter Everlie Elba was born on the 19th December so another birthday to add to the December list ❤️

Pip was 16 on the 23rd and she had another fun day with her best friend Beth.  Thanks be to God I was manageably well enough to drive them to a local retail park.  They had a lovely time shopping and chatting.

Mary with Everlie

Ottilie with Everlie

 

Watching the Liverpool football match on Boxing Day with Pip, thankfully they won!

A cafe trip with Dave and Pip on the 2nd January, our first trip out since Pip's birthday on the 23rd.  I was able to buy Ollie's birthday presents in the sales 😊. He loves all things soft and fluffy so i bought him a pair of fleece pyjamas and an oversized 'oodie' that resembles teddy bear features.  His hood has ears and a cute face ❤️

I'm hoping that 2025 will be the year that I return to regular blog posts.  I've ditched the distraction of Instagram and I don't bother with twitter or facebook, so it's looking hopeful.

All good wishes to you x 

Tiny Tasks On A Thursday

 I had a reflexology appointment this morning which necessitated a drive back to our old stomping ground in Lancaster.  Whilst I had my appointment Dave and Pip had a coffee and cake at The Courtyard Cafe in the grounds of St John's Hospice.  Before the pandemic a group of us used to meet in the hospice chapel for prayers every Monday - that used to be a five minute drive from our old home.

Once I'd collected them after my appointment we nipped to the local post office/convenience store to post a parcel for a friend and this necessitated driving past our old home.  It was a bit of a shock to be honest as the exterior was looking quite shabby and I did wonder whether the house had been sold on again or was now being rented out.  When we arrived at the Post Office an even bigger shock awaited as the old owners had also moved on and that too was looking very run down and disorganised, in fact the whole area had taken a turn for the worse 😕. It confirmed to us that moving on was the best thing for us as a family and don't get me wrong there are issues where we live, notably drug problems in the village but thankfully not in our immediate vicinity.

After lunch I had my usual afternoon rest and prayer time followed by some sitting down sorting in the kitchen.  The new kitchen appliance comes with various accoutrements and I needed to find homes for them all 😂. Thankfully with a bit of judicious pruning of unwanted items I succeeded and even the cutlery drawer had a good clean.

Thanks to meal planning tea was a very simple affair, baked salmon, baked potatoes and petite pois.  No more kitchen duty for me today, it's time for knitting and reading 😁

Brunches and A New Look Bedroom

 On Saturday morning as planned, Pip and Dave made our brunch breakfast, for my part I popped to the local Co-Op for clotted cream, raspberry jam and chocolate spread.  The chocolate spread was £4.00 for the jar!  Shows how often we buy treat food 😂

Dave being silly 🙃 

On Sunday it was my turn to cook so we had Swedish meatballs, home made cranberry sauce (from frozen cranberries left over from Christmas) and carrots.  We've been following the intermittent fasting regime to try and help with some health issues, so we usually eat between the hours of 12-6pm and it is working quite well.

Here is Ben's new room, I so wish I'd taken pictures of the before - it was a hodge podge of boxes and random mismatched furniture.  He is very pleased with his room, all organised and super easy to clean!  He even has additional storage drawers under his bed 😊. It is always difficult to get lighting right especially at the close of day during the 'golden hour.'  I would say that the bottom photo is the best representation of the colours used, two very different shades of grey - the darker of the two colours on the wall behind his bed.  

The old furniture is still in pretty good condition, so we have offered it to an organisation that furnishes homes for refugee families, they are already interested in a fold up table which used to be in the school room in the old house, and is no longer needed.