Friday's Fave Five - 31/1/20

If you've landed here looking for a JusJoJan post on Change, you can find it here.
If you're looking for 5 good things from my week you're in the right place.  Suzanne hosts this meme and you can check out her post and see who else is taking part here.

Here are mine for this week:

1)  Ladies Lunch.  I met up with my 3 former colleagues for lunch last Friday.  We hadn't been together since before Christmas so we had lots to catch up on.

2)  Curtains purchased.  We've needed new curtains for Hubby's den for a while but hadn't got around to getting any.  Now that we've decided to move it moved up the "to do" list so this week we made time to find some.  Now I just have to persuade Hubby to put up the new pole so that we can hang them!

3)  Progress with moving plans - well a little.  We've had a visit from 1 estate agent to get a valuation on our house and we have 2 more appointments lined up. 

4)  Good days with Rory.  The weather was good enough to get out and about this week and Rory was his usual cheerful self.  He did get a bit upset at bedtime on Wednesday - his bottom had got quite sore and he really didn't like having his bottom cleaned up.  I had quite a struggle to get him changed and dressed for bed.  But he settled quite quickly and was asleep by the time his Mummy came home.

5)  No work.  I haven't felt well the last couple of days - just a virus of some sort - getting through tissues at a rapid rate!  But I'm glad not to have to worry about getting to work or doing anything really.  I even found the determination to say no to a request to see Nathan.  My daughter asked me to help out yesterday but I knew I probably wouldn't be up to it so I declined.  I hate letting people down but for once I put myself first and it was a good job I did.

Anyway we have no definite plans for the weekend (apart from 1 of the estate agents coming) so hopefully I'll be able to shift this virus and recharge the batteries.  

Have a good weekend all.

JusJoJan - 31/1/20 - Chaos

It’s the last day of Just Jot it January 2020! Where has the month gone? This final prompt is thanks to Robbie Ann.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 31st, 2020, is “chaos.” Use the word “chaos” any way you’d like. Have fun
 
This challenge is hosted by Linda G Hill.
Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants.
 
And today the chaos really begins!

Today is Brexit Day. It's finally here. It's only taken 3 1/2 years and if anyone still thinks that today means it's finally a done deal then dream on. We may have finally got agreement on exiting but now the real work has to start on unravelling all the red tape and agreements that we had before and drawing up new arrangements.

Like I said, the chaos begins today and it's going to last a long time and I don't think it's going to be fun!

20 in 20 Photo of the Week #4 26/1/20

A few photos this week.

Rory loves his toy vehicles and trains. He was especially impressed with this life size "digger" in the park this week.  We saw it on Monday just parked up and on Wednesday it drove past us.

Also in Wednesday we saw these big machines. They have started work on Ilford station which is on the new Crossrail/Elizabeth line. The whole ticketing area/front entrance is being rebuilt so they have been demolishing it.  Unfortunately there was no activity going on when we went past on the way to the supermarket - the workers seemed to be having breakfast in a nearby cafe!

This is what it looked like pre demolition.  (Photo courtesy of Hugh Llewelyn via Flicker)

And an artists impression of how the new building will look.





I also took these photos in the Holocaust memorial garden on Wednesday- the area was cordoned off and had marquees up on Monday for the commemoration event.  I didn't take a shot of the whole garden because it's a bit bare at the moment although a few snowdrops had poked their heads out.

And for those of us who can't get enough of this cute face:

No pictures but there are still 3 goslings and they are definitely growing!

JusJoJan - 30/1/20 - Finished

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 30th, 2020, is “finished.” Use the word “finished” any way you’d like. Enjoy! (Today’s prompt comes to us compliments of Lauren)

This challenge is hosted by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants.

Well I'm feeling pretty finished right now thanks to another cold that's left me feeling pretty rubbish and getting through tissues like they're going out of fashion.

So I'm afraid I didn't get to Dazzle you (probably because I was chilling out watching Television) and my One Liner for Wednesday would probably have read "After a very long day with Rory, including putting him to bed, I'm too cream crackered to write a blog post!"

The links above will take you to the relevant prompt pages. Apologies for not giving a proper shout out to the providers of the prompts.

I've missed 6 days so far but this will be my 37th post of the month so I'm not feeling too disappointed at that. One of my 20 in 20 objectives is to be kind to myself particularly in circumstances like these. Could someone please tell me where my get up and go got up and went though?

Yesterday was definitely challenging. I was at Rory's house by 8 am and didn't leave until 7.30 pm. I'd had him all day on my own. We had been out twice to break the day up and bless him, apart from the last change of the day when he was tired, snotty, and had developed quite a sore bum, he was his usual cheerful self and very well behaved. I'm relieved that the final nappy of the day is a disposable one though. His Mummy is quite eco minded so he wears cloth nappies most of the time but overnight they've found a disposable works better for keeping him dry and thus asleep!

But I was finished for the day by the time I got home.

Review: Stolen

Stolen by Paul Finch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


How do you find the missing when there’s no trail to follow?
 
DC Lucy Clayburn is having a tough time of it. Not only is her estranged father one of the North West’s toughest gangsters, but she is in the midst of one of the biggest police operations of her life.

Members of the public have started to disappear, taken from the streets as they’re going about their every day lives. But no bodies are appearing – it’s almost as if the victims never existed.

Lucy must chase a trail of dead ends and false starts as the disappearances mount up. But when her father gets caught in the crossfire, the investigation suddenly becomes a whole lot more bloody…


Another solid crime thriller from Finch. Again, quite dark and gritty.

View all my reviews

Review: Strangers

Strangers by Paul Finch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Unknown, alone, and fearing for your life: as PC Lucy Clayburn is about to find out, going undercover is the most dangerous work there is.

But, on the trail of a prolific female serial killer, there's no other option and these murders are as brutal as they come. Lucy must step into the line of fire a stranger in a criminal underworld that butchers anyone who crosses the line.

And, unknown to Lucy, she's already treading it

Dark, gritty and ALWAYS edge-of-your-seat: Paul Finch will leave fans of Rachel Abbott and MJ Arlidge gasping for more.

This was new author to me thanks to a quick pick at the library. It's my type of book in that's it's a crime drama that is heavily focused from the point of view of the police investigation. It kept me reading but it is quite dark and gritty in places so wouldn't be to everyone's taste.

View all my reviews

JusJoJan - 26/1/20 - Busy

Today’s prompt comes to us compliments of Saumya. Thanks Saumya! 


This challenge is hosted by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants.

This was the song that came to mind when I first saw the prompt:

I'm busy doin' nothin'
Workin' the whole day through
Tryin' to find lots of things not to do
I'm busy goin' nowhere
Isn't it just a crime
I'd like to be unhappy, but
I never do have the time

(Although in my head I had it as a Disney song and didn't realise it's actual origin and of course I've taken the liberty of applying it just to me rather than the we it was intended for.)

Anyway I'm definitely busy doing nothing today.  I had breakfast in bed, thanks to Hubby (yes I did pick a good one)  I've done some reading and now I'm playing around on the computer.

I have also put a load of washing on, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher and folded washing from the tumble dryer.  So I haven't spent the whole day so far on my backside although my step counter would probably beg to differ.

I have also planned for the week ahead and ordered our Hello Fresh meals for next week.

One of my blogging friends was impressed that I was blogging every day and claimed I must be very organised.  Not really, I just somehow find time to do a post, even though it might mean something on my To Do list gets bumped down one.  I like the interaction with other bloggers although I must admit keeping up with all the comments and checking out other JusJoJan posters is proving a challenge.  I REALLY wish Blogger would install a LIKE button.  Many of the posters have Wordpress accounts and it's much easier to click the like button there and not always leave a comment.  I don't feel so guilty then because at least they'll know I've looked at their post.

I often think about switching platforms but I think another reason I can churn out blog posts here is that I'm familiar with the set up and posts don't take me that long to do.

Anyway just to prove I'm busy doing something I'm off to put the washing (which should be done by now) into the tumble dryer!

Next job - tackling my e-mail inboxes!  That'll keep me busy for a while.

We're busy doin' nothin' Workin' the whole day through Tryin' to find lots of things not to do We're busy goin' nowhere Isn't it just a crime We'd like to be unhappy, but We never do have the time

https://www.letssingit.com/bing-crosby-lyrics-busy-doing-nothing-f4n1qfx
LetsSingIt - The Internet Lyrics Database

We're busy doin' nothin' Workin' the whole day through Tryin' to find lots of things not to do We're busy goin' nowhere Isn't it just a crime We'd like to be unhappy, but We never do have the time

https://www.letssingit.com/bing-crosby-lyrics-busy-doing-nothing-f4n1qfx
LetsSingIt - The Internet Lyrics Database

We're busy doin' nothin' Workin' the whole day through Tryin' to find lots of things not to do We're busy goin' nowhere Isn't it just a crime We'd like to be unhappy, but We never do have the time

https://www.letssingit.com/bing-crosby-lyrics-busy-doing-nothing-f4n1qfx
LetsSingIt - The Internet Lyrics Database

We're busy doin' nothin' Workin' the whole day through Tryin' to find lots of things not to do We're busy goin' nowhere Isn't it just a crime We'd like to be unhappy, but We never do have the time

https://www.letssingit.com/bing-crosby-lyrics-busy-doing-nothing-f4n1qfx
LetsSingIt - The Internet Lyrics Database

#SoCS & JusJoJan - 25/1/20 - Last Call

Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “last call.” Talk about the enterprise (sales or service) conducted by the last phone call you received from a business you’re not associated with (i.e. your workplace), or talk about that phone conversation itself. Have fun!

These challenges are hosted by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here  to see details of today's joint challenge and check out other participants.

Well I'm not employed anymore so I'd have to refer to calls I receive at home although I don't actually get many calls.  Before you start feeling sorry for me I would add that I get countless communications on my mobile from various family members/friends all day long courtesy of Whatsapp or text message.  Why do we not talk more?

Even the phone calls I do get are often automated voice calls, initially at least.  Anyhow there are two recent ones that stick in my mind.

The first was an automated voice telling me it was HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs - think Tax Department) and that there was a warrant out for my arrest due to a fraud investigation.  I needed to press 1 to speak to the officer dealing with the case or I would find police at my door!

Yes it did sound official and it did sound scary BUT I am too savvy to be taken in and I hung up.  Investigations led me to this where unfortunately it seems that many people have been scared enough by the call to actually follow the instructions and subsequently be scammed of lots of money.

The second one came this week concerning my Amazon Prime subscription.  Again it was a similar scam (details here) which I did not fall for as I do not have a Prime subscription.  It did have me going to check out I hadn't accidentally set up a free trial and that my account looked ok.

Both these calls have confirmed my usual stance on phone numbers I don't recognise - ignore them.  If they're important and they really need to speak to me they'll leave a message or contact me some other way.

PS Thanks to all of you who took part yesterday using my prompt of Change and your visits and comments here.

Friday's Fave Five - 24/1/20

If you've landed here looking for a JusJoJan post on Change, you can find it here.

If you're looking for 5 good things from my week you're in the right place.  Suzanne hosts this meme and you can check out her post and see who else is taking part here.

1)  Family time.  We had 2 Grandsons and their parents here for dinner last Sunday.  The little ones are so entertaining and they love getting together too.

2)  A big decision made and some planning done - yep we've decided to move.  Check out my Change post above for all the details.  Although of course it all depends on us finding the right house so we may not be going anywhere in a hurry lol.

3)  Birds on my bird feeder - I need to start looking up what they are.  I know we have robins and blackbirds but there are some other small birds I need to identify.  

4)  A night out with Hubby.  We attended the Winter Lights event at nearby Canary Wharf.  

They currently have various light installations set up and we managed to see most of them.  We combined this with eating at a pizza restaurant.  It made a nice change.  For more pictures and details go here.

5)   Weather good enough to get Rory out to the park.  This is a familiar blessing but it really does help my week when I can get outdoors with Rory.  He loves the ducks and geese and of course we're following the progress of the goslings now.  It was a bit murky on Wednesday so I had him well wrapped up and the rain covers on the buggy but he was happy.  He also napped for 2 hours so I was happy too!

Have a good weekend all.

JusJoJan - 24/1/20 - Change

Woo hoo, I managed to get a prompt suggestion submitted in time!  Thanks Linda.

This challenge is hosted by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here  to see who else is taking part today using my prompt of "Change"

This word seemed very apt when I noticed Linda was after prompts for this week and I sneaked in my the skin of my teeth just in time.  Why apt?  Because Hubby and I had spent a lot of time last Sunday debating the pros and cons of staying put in our house or moving.

Well we've decided to move.  Which of course will be a big change!

Of course you're probably all mouthing why? at this point so here goes:

We love our house but it is quite unusual (why we fell for it in the first instance).  Essentially it is a 3 storey house.  At the front there is a cellar, a living room, and then a bedroom and an office on the 3 levels.  At the back there is the kitchen/diner, then the bathroom plus a room that has served as a playroom, a bedroom and is currently what we refer to as Hubby's den - he has his desk in there plus his various guitars!  On the top floor at the back there are 2 further bedrooms.  Except that, the back and front do not line up so we actually have 6 floor levels AND a lot of stairs!

Yes I know you're probably confused.  So was I when my friend, the former owner was trying to describe it to me.  I came to look and I was sold!  That was nearly 27 years ago.

We have been here a long time and have done various works.  The kitchen was replaced, we added on a small extension which gave us a downstairs shower room and utility area.  We decorated throughout.  We've moved the kids around from room to room.  We've provided a home again for the kids when we thought they'd flown the nest.

I think it's safe to say that the kids will not be coming back again now, except of course to visit and now that means Grandchildren too.  When they're all here it's a bit crowded.  Not too much but of course we're often spread over 2 levels - some of us down in the kitchen, some of us upstairs.  I'd like somewhere now that has a more conventional layout.

We're also beginning to think about future proofing with a home that would work if either of us became less mobile.

Lots of things to consider, and lots of things to sort out here.  At the moment we're going to get our house valued to see what our financial situation will be and then we need to decide where we would like to go.  I'd like to be able to wave a magic wand and make our house change into what we want in a house in exactly the same spot as we are now but of course I can't.  However it may prove hard to find what we want in a house with all the amenities/transport links etc that we enjoy now.  There may have to be compromises.

There are also things we need to do here before we could invite prospective buyers in.  But we've done a walk through of the house and made a list and thus a plan.

It's exciting but daunting.  It's a big step and we want to get it right.  For someone who's only ever lived in 3 houses, all within 2 miles of each other, this could be huge!

Two for the price of one! 20 in 20 Photo of the week #3. 23/1/20

Well I have several photos this week.  Following on from the Just Jot it January post, the prompt for which was Drive I have definitely been driven today.

I managed to get quite a lot done at home, mostly chores but I also managed to do a little bit of decluttering - things are changing around here but more of that tomorrow!

This post is about photos and here they are:

The one above is an interactive display - it's created by the people you can see using light creating software.  They are given 5 minutes to create a display.  Annoyingly I just managed to position myself to be able to get a shot of this piece finished and without the people obstructing the view when it was cleared for the next set of people to create a new picture.  You can tell I'm not a serious photographer by the fact that I didn't wait another 5 minutes for the shot.  (I was also using my phone and not a proper camera on a tripod of which there were quite a few around!)

Yes I was there!

This was another one that was hard to get a good picture of.  It's falling water that contains words.

"This atmospheric UK premiere is inspired by the experience of a night flight over storm clouds.  Columbus Courtyard will be transformed into an electrifying life sized cloud made of foam.  On a walkway, travel through and touch the cloud as lighting illuminates the foam to create beautiful colours accompanying the deep throb of a thunderstorm."

There were plenty of nights flights to London City Airport while we were there!

All these were taken at Canary Wharf this evening.  I managed to combine taking my weekly photo with a date night with Hubby (his office is in Canary Wharf) and dining at a new to me restaurant! (Franco Manca Pizza Place)

The installations are from the Winter Lights event on at Canary Wharf until Saturday.  For more information and (better) pictures go here.

JusJoJan - 23/1/20 - Drive!

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 23rd, 2020, is “drive.” Use the word “drive” any way you’d like. Have fun!
 
Thanks to Janet for our prompt word today. Give her a visit if you get a chance.
This challenge is hosted by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants.

I love to drive. Actually it's more correct to say I love "being able" to drive. I don't actually love going out just to drive, usually because I will be the driver and you can't appreciate scenery the same way as the passenger does. There's that pesky little thing called traffic to watch out for. I also don't enjoy long motorway drives (who does?) but as a method of transport for getting from A to B and the convenience it can bring I'm glad that I am able to drive.

I couldn't wait to learn taking lessons and passed my test at 17. I've been driving ever since and nothing much phases me, not parallel parking, multi-storey car parks, driving on the wrong side of the road (in a foreign country!) or even getting into strange cars.

Hopefully when the time comes I will know when it's time to hand in my licence and resort to being driven.

JusJoJan 22/1/20 - One Liner Wednesday

And still there are 3!

Rory was pleased to see them too - through the peephole in his rain covers!
 

(For anyone new here or not a regular visitor, we spotted these goslings 2 weeks ago and originally there were 4.  Last week there were only 3 but they have survived another week and seem to be growing.)

Linda G Hill hosts the Just Jot it January challenge.  Here's today's link for all the details etc.

Humour me, this post might be a bit scraggly! Jusjojan 20&21 Jan 2020

Well I'm a day late so I'm combining two prompts today.

Yesterday's prompt was Humor, given by Sadje at Keep it Alive and today's prompt of Scraggly was given by Cheryl at The Bag Lady

This challenge is hosted by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.  Go here to check out yesterday's entries or here for today's.

Ok that's the admin bit done, now for the content.  Well I'm not going to try and include any humur.  Although of course, being a Brit, I had to add in the "o" for my title.  The word just seems a bit on the scraggly side without it!

If I'd stopped there this whole post could be described as scraggly so I'll have to think of something else to write.  

I was once on the scraggly side.  If I dug out some old photos you'd see I was definitely skinny and bony.  But I'll not embarrass myself just so you can all have a good laugh.   As I said, no humor in this post! 

JusJoJan - 19/1/20 - Gobbledygook!

Today's prompt was brought to us by Jim.  Visit his blog to read his post and say hello. 

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 19th, 2020, is “gobbledygook.” Use the word “gobbledygook” any way you’d like. Have fun!

This challenge is hosted by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants.

Spending a lot of time with my Grandsons who are all under 3 means I hear a lot of gobbledygook.  Mostly it's amusing but when you're trying to interpret what they're trying to say, particularly the eldest who is often convinced he's making complete sense, it can get a bit tricky.

When my Mum was still alive I had to cope with her gobbledygook too.  She was full of thingamybobs and whatsits and oojamaflips and again I was supposed to comprehend.  Of course as she succumbed to dementia this became even harder.  

I just have to hope that when I'm reduced to gobbledygook someone understands what the whatchamacallit is!

 

JusJoJan / SoCS - 18/1/20 - Movie Title

Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “movie title.” Take the title of the last movie you watched (just the title, not the premise of the movie), and base your post on that title. Have fun!

These prompts are brought to you by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants plus info on #SoCS

Well I'm not sure this will be fun.  I'm struggling to remember the last movie that I watched!  And that's on the TV.  If I have to stretch my memory back to when I last saw a film at the cinema it would definitely elude me.

I did watch a couple of films over the holiday period but none of them were "Christmas" films.  I definitely watched a couple of James Bond films and one of those was Casino Royale.  So there's my title but what to write about it?  I've never been to a casino and whilst I have a rough idea about the rules of poker, as in which hand beats which, I have no idea about the betting system.

I'm not really a gambler at all.   I buy a lottery ticket now and again and of course when we've been to the seaside I've played various slot machines etc in the amusement arcades.  I've occasionally taken up the opportunity to take part in a sweepstake but not in a while.

I guess I like playing it safe, despite my penchant for watching action movies.  (I also watched one of the Mission Impossible films recently too.)  Not sure what that says about me but then I can balance this with having recorded Love Actually.  I intended watching that when I got a quiet moment but over the holiday period quiet moments were few and far between and now that time has gone I'll probably delete it.  I've seen it enough times not to miss it and I'm sure it's available somewhere.

So I guess I'm a romantic at heart with a need for a bit of excitement in my life from time to time as long as there's no risk involved!

Friday's Fave Five - 17/1/20

Well I'm a day late again!  But it's still good to look back on last week and find some blessings.
You can find our host Susanne here and check out the other participants if you have time.

Here are mine:

1)  Hair cut and colour.  Always feel better when my hair looks better.

2)  A get together with hubby's siblings yesterday.  We're trying to do this regularly but with 14 diaries to co-ordinate it's a challenge.  We all met up at one of his sister's in Brentwood and his sister from France provided a lovely meal for us all.  Always good to catch up.

(These two were the reason I didn't get to post yesterday.)

3)  Reading time.  I probably spent less time watching TV this past week so I got more reading done.  I've completed my online book club challenge for the month so now I might tackle one of the books on my TBR pile!

4)  Fine weather on "Rory" days.  It has been rainy on and off this week, downpours at time and very windy but on both the days I was Grandsitting there were long enough spells of dry weather to get out to the shops and the park.  It makes such a difference to the day if we can do that.

Sadly there only seem to be 3 goslings now (there were 4) but they have definitely grown since last week.

5)  Time with hubby making future plans.  Not going to say too much yet but this could mean big changes.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend all.

Review: The Silent Patient

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....

This is definitely a compelling book. It delves into how our behaviours are shaped by childhood events. Gradually, through the interaction Theo has with Alicia and through extracts from her diary, we discover what led to the murder of her husband and why she will not speak. I wanted to know the outcome. Would she speak? Why did she kill her husband? It's quite a slow burner and then ..... a twist I did not see coming. Could not put it down.

View all my reviews

JusJoJan - 16/1/20 - Experience

These prompts are brought to you by Linda G Hill.

Go here for the rules of the Just Jot it January challenge.

Go here for today's prompt and links to other participants and if you get time visit Dan who gave us today's prompt. Thank you, Dan.

 
Your prompt for JusJoJan January 16th, 2020, is “experience.” Use the word “experience” any way you’d like. Enjoy!
 

There is a lot of talk today about life experiences.  Gifts are being steered away from actual "things" (of which we all probably have enough if not a surplus) to "experiences".  There are so many options available to us for experiences.

 

Personally I don't hanker after being driven round a race track at a scarily high speed or plunging through white waters in a flimsy boat.  I certainly don't want to try out the latest theme park ride or biggest rollercoaster etc.  

 

Life is an experience enough thank you very much.

 

I've experienced new life coming into the world 4 times now.  The first 3 times were my own children.  I always thought 4 would be a good number but it took me 2 attempts to come anywhere near the idyllic birth that so many women hanker after.  (No pain relief, dim lights, water birth and so on.)

 

Mine were: 

 

1) nearly disastrous (interventions followed by a hastily arranged caesarian delivery under general anaesthetic.  We still sometimes joke our daughter could be anyones but her striking resemblence to family members confirms otherwise.)

 

2) assisted - if anyone gives you the option of pushing or forceps PUSH! and

3) as perfect as it was going to get for me - no interventions, little pain relief and yet the biggest baby of the 3.  

 

The kids often accuse me of making this one my favourite because of it but as they know, I don't do favourites!  I tried my best to be very fair to them when they were growing up whilst also pointing out that from my experience life isn't always fair!

 

Having managed a straightforward delivery and realising that 2 hands with 3 children under four were not enough I decided we would stick at 3.

 

The fourth birth I witnessed was that of my eldest grandson.  He arrived when my daughter was only just 29 weeks pregnant and events happened so fast that I found myself in the delivery room trying to support my daughter and daughter-in-law as best I could.  I'm glad I was there for them and the ongoing support I was able to give during their journey through NICU but I wouldn't want to repeat the experience.  I waited a long few weeks for this first cuddle.

 

 

Unfortunately I've also experienced death. Close at hand with my Dad but first hand with both my Mum and my Mother-in-law.  

I've also had the experience of receiving news by telephone that a loved one (hubby) had been involved in an accident, was in hospital and I needed to come.  Now!  Fortunately that one had a happy ending.

I've experienced first hand the effect suicide has had on a family.  I wouldn't wish that on anyone but the whole situation gave me knowledge that has proved useful.

I've experienced bullying in my workplace that meant a very dark period in my life and a change in direction.

But if all that sounds gloomy I've also had some wonderful experiences too.

We've travelled to North America, Australia, experienced the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong and seen a fair bit of Europe.

We've had 3 wonderful but different wedding experiences with our kids and now of course we're experiencing what it's like to be Grandparents (great!) and retirement.

 

Yes my life might seem a bit boring and unexciting but I'm happy with it, especially when I sit back and look at the 3 kids we've raised and feel proud of what good people they've turned out to be.  Hopefully my experience has had some input into how that happened! 

 

 

Hmm, this jot turned into a bit of a waffle!