Y Viva Espana!

**Attempting to resume something resembling a normal blogging service. Here goes.**

Last year we were lucky enough to get a bit of a financial windfall. After having some work done on the house (windows and doors painted, gutters replaced, bricks repointing - so our house no longer looks like the Clampets live here) we offer the kids a choice of holiday destination. They could have a 4 day visit to Disneyland Paris, or a week somewhere warm.

After persual of this video:

The First Choice Holiday Village at the Costa Del Sol won the unanimous vote.

Having never taken the kids abroad before and having been 13 years since either of us set foot outside the UK a full round of new passports was in order (eek at the price of that lot!).

Fast forward an unbelieveably quick 9 months later and we were getting up at 3.30am for a 6.10am flight out to Malaga.

I was a little worried how the kids would do with the flight (both of them having glue ears issues but Ewan being particularly prone to ear problems) but they coped with if fine (easily distracted by downloaded movies on the Android tablet :)).

We had the truly most amazing week over there. Ordinarily our holidays are Haven caravans in the UK which any of you fellow Mums will know is no really holiday (when there's still cooking to be done, and a caravan to keep looking respectable so as not to be mortified when the cleaner come in at the end of the week!).

The Holiday Village really was a holiday though. All inclusive for food and drink, beautiful warm spring weather (between 22 and 27 degrees), clear skies for the most part, kids club to entertain the kids (we barely saw the two of them all week long), mail service who changed the towels and made the beds everyday), comfy sun loungers by the pools.

Absolute heaven.

Even with my pasty milk bottle white start I've still managed to come back with something resembling a tan.

We're already plotting how we can manage to afford to go away again next year. Definitely bitten by the sunshine holiday bug!

Here's some memories of our lovely trip:

Doesn't take along to get back to reality though does it. Ah well. We'll just have to make do with nice memories to get us through the awful British summer!

TTFN

Overwhelmed?

A strange thought occurred to me this morning.

Perhaps not everyone exists in a constant state of feeling somewhat overwhelmed?

Maybe that's not normal?

Maybe?


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On a completely separate note.After years of doing battle with double point needles completely unsuccessfully (I find it somewhat likened to juggling an inebriated hedgehog!) I finally managed to gain control of them long enough to produce my first ever pair of handknit socks.

I'm quite proud of them, it has to be said. Hopefully they'll be as comfy as they look.

A short but socky interlude into the weirdness that is my life these days.

TTFN

Live Deliberately

I recently read this post by Deb over at Home Life Simplified.

It very much made me think that for the last year I have been living neither intentionally, nor deliberately. When I think how things have gone this year (particularly since Febuary) I've pretty much been running on autopilot. Constantly moving from the next thing that needs to be done, to the next thing that needs to be done. Everything from housework to time with the kids to job work to fitness time to what I put in my mouth has been just a case of moving from one to the next with very little active thought process.

That's really no way to live, is it?

If losing Mum should have taught me anything it's that life is way to bloody short to be caught up in a treadmill of existence. If I'm not paying attention to the day to day (especially with the kids) then I'm missing it forever. I can't get those minutes back, or those hours, or those years. Before we know it all future minutes, or hours, or years, all those times we think we'll have to enjoy those things could be gone. In the blink of an eye, or the last beep of a machine.

So then. To live intentionally. Deliberately. To "suck out all the marrow of life" (love that quote and its mention in one of my favourite movies). That requires some changes for sure, and some active thought into how to action them. Action rather than reaction. Food for thought at least.

TTFN

Daydreaming Of A Different Life

This last week I've been daydreaming of another life. Somewhere very different from where we live now. Somewhere far away. Somewhere I've always harboured a desire to live* (as has my husband).

I've been thinking about a life here:

This week it's been even more specifically about a life here:

This is the small, New England harbour town of Camden, Maine, USA.

I've never been there. I don't know anyone who lives there, but I'm harbouring dreams of small town life in a place that's half a world away.

Look, isn't it beautiful:

What's not to love?

Some beautiful clapboard houses to choose from. Like this one maybe. Or perhaps this one if we were feeling a little more flush.

I'm daydreaming about sunny days by the harbour, beautiful autumn (fall) walks, snowy New England winters. Clearly I'm dreaming about living in the movie version of the town. I've no real illusions that living our life in Camden would be any less tedious eventually than living our lives in St Helens. Ultimately a move there is never going to be a realistic possibility (barring that ever ellusive lottery win). We could never afford to relocate so far and when it came to the crunch I'm not sure I could leave everything and everyone I know to move over 3000 miles away. 

I can dream though. No financial considerations can restrict that activity. Thank goodness!

TTFN

*I feel I must add that whilst I've always loved the idea of living in Maine that definitely does not include living here, because that's where all the scary things live. Good job its entirely fictional really.

Thinking about......

Today, thanks to the lovely Shimelle and this post here, I've been thinking a lot about ISO and Aperture and Shutter Speed. Things that never really make sense to me, but make a little more sense to me after some blog reading today.

I have an itchy shutter finger today. I'm thinking about the fact that I don't take anywhere near as many photos as I used to. I'm reminiscing about the days when I was home with the kids and could snap pictures of their day to day. I miss being a SAHM today. Stupid work and the darn mortgage that requires it.

I wonder if the weather will hold up for some photo taking at the weekend? Or indeed if my unearthed enthusiasm for photography can last out the remainder of the week at work?

We'll see.

TTFN

You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

How is it Friday again?? How?? I cannot believe how quickly the weeks are passing at the moment. Won't be long till we'll be at the end of May (and I'll be another year older - yikes!).

The good thing about so many Friday's coming round is I am actually getting a little blogging in (even if it's only one post a week to force me to find something to be grateful for!).

This week's gratitude moment is a little strange. Today I'm thankful for the fact that at 35 years old I have finally come to accept that you're never too old to try something new. I think it stems from my karate training (beginning a martial art at 33 and discovering that even though you're no spring chicken you can actually turn out to be reasonably good at it is quite an eye opener).

Earlier in the week my thoughts turned to another fighting art that I've recently been considering. I decided that I might like to investigate whether fencing would be something I could do. I had a quick google around and luckily I found a (reasonably) local fencing club that is having a taster session on the 16th May, followed by a 5 week begineer's course should people decide they want to continue with it.

I dithered for a little while but after some consultation with my lovely, supportive, and slightly jealous (he doesn't think his dodgy old knees could handle fencing) husband I popped off an quick email to the club and I've signed up for the taster session.

So, today I am grateful for the fact that you absolutely can teach an old dog new tricks.

I'm soooooo looking forward to giving fencing a go.

En garde!!

TTFN

It's Friday! Time To Get Your Grateful On.

It's Friday. Again. How is that possible? How can it be almost the end of April? How can there only be 12 weeks of school left? I do wish time would stop flying by so.

Anyhoo. It is Friday. Which means its time to get your grateful on. I'm trying hard to make time for this every week. There's been so much doom and gloom around here of late I needs the happy.

This week I am grateful for my lovely husband. Sappy as it sounds he really is my soulmate (cue cheesy romantic music here) and I don't know what I'd do without him. Particularly this week I'm grateful for what he does in terms of providing for us as a family. He works really long hours (leaving the house 6 days a week before 6am and not getting in until past 6 in the evening) which would be okay except that he really doesn't love his job. It's a really difficult industry to work in at the moment (construction related) and there's always health and safety madness to contend with, as well as the usual management numptiness.

Working such long hours wouldn't be so bad if he could then have fun spending all his hard earned cash but like everyone in the current economic climate we have to try to be pretty frugal with where our funds go so he doesn't even get to enjoy the fruit of his labours.

This month I decided I would treat him with some of his hard earned dosh and splashed out on something new for him. And what does a woman buy her hardworking soulmate to show he's appreciated? Why, weapons of course. Namely in the form of a basket hilt sparring sword and a metal buckler:

He's one very happy little swashbuckler with his new toys. It was great to see him so pleasantly surprised and happy, and to let him know we appreciate everything he does for us.

I'm grateful for my wonderfully hubby (as long as he doesn't hit me with that sword!).

What are you grateful for this week?

TTFN