Whoooosh - where has November gone?

Yep, yet another month almost bites the dust! Has been hectic but good! Had a brilliant weekend away - way back to the 80s style!!! It was fab! However being 20 nearly 30 years older now - time takes its toll! Everyone started out on Friday really buzzing and up for the dancing, drinking, extended hours challenge. Yeah no, problem! In walked the Zombies on Saturday morning, chilled all day, had a two hour power nap on Saturday evening before dressing up (80s style, wigs an' all)to face the repeat challenge of Friday.

Well, did we make it? Yes, we did but definitely at a much slower pace with lots of rests in between the dances!!! Ah still it was great!!

Going Back To My Roots!!!

Just back from a couple of days in Scotland! What a wonderful place it is! Cameron and I had a great time with my mum and dad and it was super to spend some time on the beach (South Beach to be specific). We absorbed the never changing Ayrshire coastline and I swear it is the same as it was 50 years ago! I have the photos to prove it!

I appreciate being static can have a detrimental effect on that environment and all who live there but as a regular visitor now as opposed to a permanent resident I think it is fantastic. I love it and Cameron agrees! We reminisced about all the picnics and days out spent on this particular coastline over the past 50 years and spanning three generations!! Brilliant!

Soul mates!

My dad always tells me that you can have lots of friends but to have real soul mates is a privilege. Our friends, Gaye and Paul are just that - true soul mates. They are always there for you, everything they have, they share, they endeavour to make your (in the plural sense) life easier and happier. Paul has been a great shoulder for me to lean on for years now and am appreciative of that! Gaye - what a girl - my buddy - we have shared many a great moment - I truly love you! I consider Gaye, Paul and Ellis my family, so I guess you are stuck with me (us).

You both (should) know the feelings I have for you and am truly proud and fortunate to be part of your lives. I just wanted to write this down! Looking forward to many years together!

Autumn Days!!

What do they say in the films? Something like "don't you just love New York (or New England for that matter) in the Fall?" Yeah I'm sure it is lovely but actually "Don't you love Britain in the Autumn?" I love September and October. Lots of red skies, crisp, fresh mornings, the smell, the vibrant colours. I just love those months. I love when Tom Hanks says to Meg Ryan "I love September, the start of the new school year - it makes me feel like sending you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils! Don't you just love New York in the Fall?" (You've Got Mail). Yes Tom, I agree, there is something special about September, I can't quite figure it out but yes I just love September and October!

Welcome to the Hotel California!!

My little girl is now in California undertaking her second year of computing science at Santa Cruz University. I know she will have a wonderful year (life changing I expect) and know that she will make the most of this fabulous opportunity.

Stephanie - have a great time - looking forward to the pictures asap!!

Totally addicted!

To crafting. Yep, I finally admit that I am hooked! I have been well and truly stung and I can't seem to get enough of it at the moment. It is now two years since I joined a scrapbooking club run by the very talented Mandy Webb. I have learnt so much from these classes and even better made some new friends who share this passion.

This Summer I have been reading and teaching myself other little techniques and even made some cards - I am quite proud of my ribbon embroidery (even if it was only nine stitches)and am still working hard on watercolour techniques. The best thing is though I get to play with paper, card, glue, watercolour pencils, pens, inks, stamps, ribbons, threads - the list is endless and then produce something at the end of it! It's fab, it's fun and totally addictive!

Scrapbooking is a great way to store your favourite photographs in a very visual, tactile way. Adding your thoughts and feelings in the written form, to me, brings the photographs to life, so every time you turn a page in your album up pops a visual and verbal recall of that particular moment in time. Fandabbydosey!! I like to think I can remember everything but my memory is certainly not as sharp as it was 10 years ago and in 20 years time when I am looking back through the albums I will have little prompts to sharpen my memory!!

Mandy always encourages us to use our leftover paper scraps by turning them into a card or even another scrapbook page and I am now trying to do this and have surprised myself by making some cards - not brilliant but hey you know what they say about practise making perfect.

The point is I love crafting, the end result is neither here nor there - it's the actual process along with the satisfaction and enjoyment that counts.

Deputy Head Boy!

Cameron, as Mr Mangan said, you are what Roding Valley High School is all about. You ARE THE role model for the school and every teacher's dream. You are enthusiastic, funny, caring, considerate, hardworking and dedicated. I know you have ideas on how to contribute more to the school and spread your enthusiasm through involvement and commitment - go for it!

I'm really proud of you Cameron.

California Dreamin'

It's well done to Stephanie for completing the final hurdle yesterday to make way for her year of study in Santa Cruz, California. We are all really proud of you Stephanie and know you will make the most of this fabulous opportunity. Thank goodness for technology which will help bridge the miles between us! I guess I will be up late at night skyping you!

Summer Hols!!!

Just back from Bonny Scotland and Scotland is definitely bonny! The drive from Ayrshire to the Isle of Skye was amazing. The drive through Glencoe was hauntingly fabulous, yes Scotland is bonny even with all the weather trimmings!! Skye was a first for us all and it did not disappoint. The landscape (the result of glacier formation and all that jazz)was super duper. It is fair to say that you could travel all over the world and not find such beautiful, unspoilt terrain. Skye (Scotland for that matter) has it all - from white sandy beaches, mountains, rivers, springs, waterfalls to bright coloured housing, fish and chips (no deep fried mars bars in sight although there was deep fried pizzas and pies!).

It was good to see my family (although mum and dad are in Spain, sweltering hot they tell me)I caught up with my sisters, neices and nephews. Spent two nights in St Andrews with June and Tom - that was a giggle - our June is a scream and a wind up merchant!! It was quite sad to leave actually.

We missed you mum and dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Mum and Dad!

I've had a super duper month. Our camping weekend at Debden was really good - I have to admit much better than I expected, even though the weather could have been kinder - still it could have been worse. Gaye, Paul and Ellis really enjoyed it and we did have a laugh! There is nothing quite like being outdoors. We were lucky though to have an ensuite!

Mum and dad have been here for a week and it was good. Going through old photos, trying to get loads of information about our family etc and also trying to get a "feel" of my mum and dad's youthful days provided endless opportunities for giggles and belly laughs! I have learnt more about my dad's years in the Navy and my mum's days in the Clyde Confectionery and how "the dancing" played a major part in my mum's teenage years. I loved the story she told me about the ice skating - I am laughing as I am typing! Somehow her friend and herself sometimes ended up with two left boots and the stories surrounding this are hilarious!!!

I love my mum and dad and have appreciated this time getting to know them as teenagers!

Alastair and Iain

What a laugh we have had! Alastair it is great to pick up from where we left off (even if that is two and a half years ago!) It has been great to see you both and I only wish Kathy and Rebecca were here too - never mind. Oh! I so want to go back to Canada - it is a fab place to visit and so clean!

Iain seemed to like London and I hope he comes back over at some point with some friends and the same goes for Rebecca too. It is rewarding to see our children grow into adults (most of the time) and as Kathy and I were saying on the telephone "we have got good kids".

I have known Alastair since I was 8 years-old. We were in the same class during primary and secondary school. We lived a few streets away from one another and our social paths constantly crossed too. We both played volleyball and then ended up working in hospitals in Glasgow, so we travelled to work every morning together. We had a strong bond during those years and this has obvbiously stood the test of time and distance. Alastair and Kathy are great people and a great team -I feel quite honoured to know them. I must say and I know they will agree - having a sense of humour is the be all and end all and I think our sense of humour is second to none. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back to the grind!!

Ah well Easter has come and gone - it was good and I managed to get a few wee things done! We had a good day in Southwold again with Gaye, Paul, Ellis and Kath. I love that place and Steve and I think it would be a good place to retire to!

It has been great to have Stephanie home for a wee while and just fab to be out of the old routine. I have just returned from a super scrapbooking weekend in Debden - what a laugh! I love my scrapbooking and have been filled with inspiration from my scrapbooking buddies - there is so much I want to do. My Heritage stuff is coming along and Stephanie has now fixed the scanner - yipee! I can now get the rest of the "old" family photos on file to fix and print.

Work has been busy and my class is fabulous. I am so proud of them all - they have come so far and we are a good unit. I feel quite confident that they will do well when they move on!

My Children

Have I ever mentioned how much I love and respect my children. I am a very lucky parent who has two great kids!! Cameron keeps us amused with his humour - he is a great person to talk to and has a very strong sense of just, lined with a great sense of humour. Stephanie (I miss you) is gaining confidence and independence and am very proud of you. Like Cameron, you are great to talk to and have a good sense of humour too. I love what you both are and are growing into two well rounded, caring adults. Love you both - I desperately want you both to be independent and happy - always always there for you both and I know you will always be there for one another - xxxxxxxxx

April Fool Tomorrow!!

Two months since I have written in my blog - disgusting! Life has been very busy though but that is still no excuse. During February half term we went up to Scotland which was great, as ever! However this was the first time without Stephanie and it felt strange! I also had a super scrapbooking weekend at the tail end of February and am looking forward to the next one at the tail end of April!!

I am excited about Alastair and Iain coming over for a few days - it will be great to see them and catch up. Just a pity Kathy and Rebecca are unable to come too! It is super to see my mum and dad return to Spain for a short while and even better to hear them talk about returning shortly. All is as well as it can be! Work is good but hectic - the learning curve has been interesting for the most part and I have definitely enjoyed the challenge. In an odd way I feel more confident and glad to realise I do know my stuff and also the more the I learn the more I realise I do not know.

Photoshopping with Paul has been fun although I can't get on with the layers!!! Practise, practise, practise - I intend to in the Easter holidays. What else do I want to do? Yes I must scan in the rest of the "old" photos and get my Heritage Album sorted before the April scrapbooking weekend. I really love scrapbooking - it is fabulous. I also want to search for a photograph of my mum and dad's wedding. Somebody must have a copy somewhere! It is their Diamond Wedding Anniversary on 22 December 2009 and I do not even have a photograph of their wedding. I must try the ancestry sites - I need to sign up to one - but which one?!!!!?

January, January!!

Ah well the New Year has come in with a bang! New Year in Knaresborough certainly lived up to expectation! What a beautiful place to live! A good time was had by all -lots of laughs (real belly laughs)and Robbie had his first holiday in the Kennels! He had a good New Year too!

Going back to work after an enjoyable holiday is always hard but hey it has to be done and the usual, one hour into work and you say "what holiday?" It was good to have Stephanie at home for her birthday - as I mentioned previously - how can she be 19 when I am only 25! Something has gone loopy somewhere!!

Life is busy but it is so important to make time for friends and family. I had a great New Year with my friends - thank you! Will be seeing my family soon in the February half term. I must also make more time for my blog! Sometimes I shy away from it because other people are able to read it - I do sometimes dislike that I am guarded in what I write - I shouldn't be because the whole point of this is pouring out my heart and sharing life's varied experiences and challenges with whoever!!

Ah well, I'm sure I'll soften towards "the pouring out" in due course!!