It's Good News Week!

Today my blogpost will be grounded in reality. (That'll make a nice change!)

Before I give you some family updates, I am going to answer five questions that I have received from my dear bloggeroos either in comments or via email.

QUESTION ONE:

"Your stories, they're not real, are they?"

ANSWER:

Strangely enough, most of them ARE true, or at least based on events that have actually happened. Sometimes names and places may be changed to protect the innocent!

QUESTION TWO:

Are you planning to write a book?

ANSWER:

No - it sounds too much like hard work!

(Maybe I could secure sponsorship from Tena Lady, and let them chase a publisher!)

QUESTION THREE:

Are you really on medication?

ANSWER:

You read my blog, what do YOU think?

QUESTION FOUR:

Have you really had as many jobs as your tales would suggest?

ANSWER:

You don't know the half of it!

QUESTION FIVE:

Are all your family as crackers as you?

ANSWER:

Yep!

So, to other news....................

Did you have a lovely Easter?

I did.

My youngest and his family were in Lincoln for the weekend.

There was no usual Saturday Family Lunch at my parents as they were away for the weekend, so both my sons and daughters-in-law, and my three grandchildren came to my house for lunch.

So that the children didn't have too much chocolate, I made up Easter treasure bags with small presents; an assortment of small books, sunglasses, bath toys etc.

The girls loved them. (Jayden had a couple of rattles and some bath toys. He's only 11 weeks old, so the girls opened his for him!)

We've always liked a sense of occasion in our family.................

This is a pic of my youngest a few years ago, pretending he's the Easter Bunny!

Jayden's so like his Dad, he also disguised himself as the Easter Bunny.....

I did some Easter decorations............

I've always done an Easter branch - it's a German custom.

(Ex-hubby's family are German.)

When my boys were little, we lived right near the local Primary School. We would put our branch in the front room window so the school children could come to have a look.

Here's a close up of the glass jar. I found it at the Charity Shop for £2.50 couple of weeks ago.

I put in some shredded paper, some plastic eggs from Poundstretcher, a vintage ducky egg cup and a few chicks.

The hen is my kitchen timer.

I also did the fireplace.......

There was also a few bits and pieces in my hall window, but I forgot to take a pic!

Nobody bought me an egg, so I treated myself. I only had ONE, here it is........

Anyway, on to my exciting news.......................

My eldest son and his wife are expecting another baby in October. My lovely niece and her partner are also awaiting the arrival of their first baby in September.

We are all so looking forward to welcoming two more little people into our family.

Mumsie is delighted.

Daddio has suggested they should each buy one of these................

...................for their bedrooms :O)

Oh Daddio, you're such a wag!

Seriously - they are both SO chuffed.

They really love being great-grandparents, and by the end of the year they will have 6 great grandchildren!

Check back for my next blogpost for a tale about how Mumsie kept us all warm in the long cold winters of our childhood.

Why Did We Worry?

Some of you will know that the latest addition to our family arrived a few weeks ago.

Before Jayden was born, we all wondered how Hollie would react to her new brother.

As the oldest grandchild and great grandchild in both families, Hollie is the apple of everyone's eye.

She really is a lovely little girl: she's well behaved (mostly!) funny and loving.

We all love her and she has become accustomed to our undivided attention.

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you will also know that she has wisdom beyond her years, and is also a bit of a "Story Teller." (I wonder where she gets that from?!)

I wrote and emailed this poem to her the day Jayden was born.

CONGRATULATIONS HOLLIE!

You are now a Big Sister

Now Jayden’s arrived. Just what does that mean?

He’ll be the most beautiful baby you’ve seen.

He’ll cry when he’s hungry, and he’ll when he’s not.

He’ll cry when he’s cold and he’ll cry when he’s hot.

He might need a cuddle when you want one too.

He might smell of sick or maybe of poo.

But one day quite soon he’ll kiss your sweet face.

But he won’t steal your sweets or sit in your place.

As Jayden gets bigger he will join in your games.

And you’ll show him his toys and teach him their names.

Jayden will have the best sister there’s been.

And he’ll be your Prince and you’ll be his Queen.

You’ll never believe that this tiny wee lad

With one squeeze on your fingers will make you feel glad!

This sweet baby boy who’s as light as a feather,

Will love you for always and ever and ever.

We needn't have worried.

She keeps touching and kissing him and saying, "Aaaaah, I love my baby brother."

She fetches clean nappies and baby wipes for him. She holds his bottle for him.

She is a great Little Mother!

I couldn't resist showing this beautiful pic. It brought a lump to my throat!

Finally - I'm Back!!!!

So.................where have I been? Truthfully? I've been to Hell and back, that's about all I can say about my long absence.

Forgive my levity around issues of mental health problems, but humour has always been my way of trying to make sense of the world and some of the SH*T we have to cope with at times. Some folks use drugs, alcohol, chocolate or any combination of the three.

Me? I try to laugh out loud at the world, wave my arms about wildly and shout, "OK LIFE - JUST BRING IT ON!"

Unfortunately, sometime around May last year, life well and truly "brought it on." You may remember that my life partner Liam died of cancer a few weeks before I started blogging, and, for a while at least, the distraction of writing held back the floodwaters that would eventually surface. One morning, I woke up and everything just seemed so cold and black. I felt stunned, saddened and completely bereft. I was forced to face the horrendous reality that my life will never be the same again, and I now have to try and discover who this "new me" is and find ways to propel me forward into my future.

I've always been a "glass half full" kind of a girl, but bereavement managed to completely knock me for six, and shook me to the core. If you've never experienced bereavement, try imagining it and then times that feeling by ten. This will give a good idea on the impact that the death of a loved one has on your life.

Sooooooo.........................anyway, enough of that now! The tablets are working and each day I feel a little brighter. I intend to stay as upbeat as possible, examine my small daily pleasures, and thank God for all the people and wonderful moments I do still have around me.

No more so 'til today. What has brought me so much closer to my "usual up-and-atem" self.

Jayden Michael Smith, that's who. "Never heard of him!" I hear you cry. Hang on and I'll tell you!

Jayden is my new grandson, my third grandchild. And so, here I stand, honouring the Circle of Life that forever opens up before us. I realise that just because Liam is no longer with me, there's no reason why I cant still wear my love for him around me as an armour against the knocks of the world.

I do hope that now I'm back you'll stay with me. I promise to only be positive on here after today, and I will tell you some more hilarious tales of derring-do about my life. In the meantime, you will make sure you have your Tenna Lady pads at hand won't you?

Before I go.................I just couldn't resist this. Liam would have found this very funny!

LIAM, so popular but unfortunately no longer availaable

Jayden Michael

NEW STOCK JUST IN!