Gingerbread Familia - April 2021

Happy Bronze Anniversary My Love

It’s been a weird one, we didn’t really get a chance to celebrate, after last year with the pandemic in full flow and this year with our two new arrivals we haven’t really had a chance to celebrate our marriage and how far we have come.  It’s not easy at the moment, we bicker and snap at each other like never before but we are both making a conscious effort to spend quality time ftogether.  It doesn’t help that because that boys are on holiday and GO is working from 5am we have time together and when we do he struggles to stay awake. We are both holding out for school to be back on where we at least get to spend a few hour alone together.

Sommerzeit 2016 Intro

"I'm going to live off Mamilein and Papichen for a couple of weeks."   When the funds have completely dried up and just existing costs money, time to pack up and head to the bosom of your familia.  

It was a teeny weeny prop plane.

Which is what I did, GO wanted to come but we could only spare the finds for one ticket.  He chose to stay in the UK as he had the chance of some extra work.  

I booked a very early flight, I hadn't been to Germany since Christmas an was very excited about spending time with the 'rents (as BB calls them).

This is GO's birthday cake....

We got into a nice little routine: breakfast, go out, go to a supermarket, home to watch a film (Tinkerbell is a favourite) with Mamilein while papichen "read" in the library, tea, soaps, FaceTime GO and bed to read.  

Snuggly while watching Tinkerbell

In the past we have only really shopped, but this time we tried to do some sightseeing.  When we moved to Bünde twenty years we went every where and took in all the sights, it was nice to revisit old places and discover new ones too.

Thirsty Meeples

What does GO do in his spare time?  Before you ask what spare time, the time when I'm busy (tutoring/keep fit).  Well he has been increasingly Invited out with his workmates.

Thirsty Meeples - games cafe in Oxford

Initially, they would all meet up and have a few drinks in the pub, before loving onto other less salubrious establishments.  

Choose a table and then your "games master" either collects your game or makes recommendations

They now however have started to try "other" things.  This is not as dodgy as it sounds.  Recently I arranged to pick GO up after I had finished a touring session with the lovely boy.  I was told to park up and join them, at Thirsty Meeples, a board games cafe.

It is always packed, booking in advance is recommended

I arrived to find them mid game, they were busy totting up the points; "he has three red, that's minus six but two brown, so he's the winner!"  GO had won, when I asked him how he had done it, he shrugged and said "I just did What I was told!"  It remainder me of the Friends episode when Joey is the host of a new game show that is ridiculously complicated.

Cheeky Mamilein

Look what my cheeky Mamilein sent me.

She knows I love Buende.

James Bond, don't cha know

Grey's Court, a manor house in Bix by Henley.  

Had many owners, all

with their own unique story.  

The most recent being the Brunner family, Swiss descendants, huge in the chemical business.  

The owner that sticks in my mind however,

and I am sure also on GO's, is that one of the previous owners was none other than Lady Flemming, 

mother of Ian, author of James Bond.

This is great

On the right hand side are the things that people, lovely, thoughtful, kind, well meaning people ALWAYS, say to me.  I try not to get upset.  But when you have heard them all a hundred times or more it starts to get depressing.  

This Instagram post made my remember that, whatever people say, what they really mean is 'I love you', 'I care', 'I don't really know what to say to make it all better'.  TBH you don't need to make it better, just be there.

I Am Trying To Believe In Miracles

And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

Deuteronomy 8:2 

Camp as a Row of Tents

Spending time together

Second May bank holiday of the year, what to do?  I had an idea....

Every week at school we do our Weekend News, the children write about all of the exciting things they have done.  Every week the children tell me about going to the beach, and one place kept being mentioned; Swanage!

I checked it out and it looked worth a visit.  So I planned our visit, we would camp in a campsite just by Corfe castle,each pitch was in the woods and had a fire pit.  It sounded idyllic, and to make matters even better you didn't need to book.

All sorted, GO booked the time of work.  Astrid (our lovely little car) was given her annual check up.  We packed our things and headed off to Swanage.  

I just gave the campsite's website a quick shufty.  I had been chatting to a parent the day before about our break and she had told me she was going to a similar place at the same time, but that she had had to book as it was a bank holiday.  The website had a new red box in the corner, that hadn't been there the last time I had looked.  BANK HOLIDAY - BOOKING REQUIRED -LIMITED SPACES!  Ahh!  I sent an email, it'd be fine...  I even managed to joke with GO about how, when I book a holiday it

never quite goes to plan, if only he knew.

A34 was jammed, all the way from Winchester to Bournemouth was moving at a snails pace.  Thank goodness for the new sat nav.  Avoid all motorways I commanded and she did.  Taking us through the lovely Hampshire countryside.  Eventually two hours after we should have arrived we got to the Swange Ferry.  It about three minute journey, not long enough to do anything (that didn't stop our neighbour from smashing her car door into the car) except read the adverts.  I noticed one for a campsite, not the one I wanted but I made a mental note, maybe next time if this one is rubbish, I thought to myself.

As we made our way to the campsite in the woods, I realised we had no fuel.  Making a quick decision I followed the signs for Swanage, surely we'd find some diesel there.  I pressed the button I the sat nav and off she went.  

It was a bit hairy navigating the windy roads,  not to mention all of the cyclists you had to serve around.  I was very relieved when the road became quite suburban.  Welcome to Swanage said the sign on the left.  On the right was a sign for the campsite I had noticed on the ferry.  As GO filled us up, I made an executive decision.  "There's a campsite round the corner.  I'm so tired after all those traffic jams.  Shall we just go there?"  GO agreed it had been a long drive.  So we followed the signs for te campsite, found a spot and set up the tent.  

It wasn't in the woods, it was on a hill overlooking the fields of Purbeck.  It did have fire pits, and at night the stars were so bright GO and I lay and gazed for hours.  It was one of the most romantic and relaxing experiences of my life.

On the other hand the nearest toilet was half a mile away, I even added it to my route on my map.

Camping always makes you appreciate what you have at home.  It was lovely to get away, but it was great to get back.

Making Friends

Look we're twins

Gorgeous views

Four years one, we can still strike the same 'beach pose'

He is so lovely

Just after this we saw a sand tornado!

Try to look cool while ants crawl up your leg

This place was so calm it was almost creepy

Happy Blogiversary

It has been a year since I started this blog.  Looking back I can't believe how much my life has changed and how happy I am.  

I have got a new job, which isn't without it's challenges, that I absolutely love.  I have most definitely got my teaching mojo back.  

After becoming more conscious about my overall health, I have begun to take matters into my own hands.  I go to fitness classes, hike and swim every week.  I have upped my fruit, vegetable and calcium intake and lowered my fat, sugar and alcohol (I am pretty much tee total now). I am healthier than I have ever been.

Fertility wise, I don't feel any closer to the goal.  I recovered from my op quickly and have to be honest I had extremely high (slightly unrealistic) expectations.  My cycles were 60- 90 days long, when this all began, are now 22-28 days long and while this is fantastic, I'm still not 100% sure I actually ovulate.  Which is the whole point surely?  I have a few appointments coming up which will hoepefully clear everything up, fingers crossed.

I have become more conscious of making sure that the time GO and I spend time together is worthwhile.  We have been on so many day trips, and weekends away.  We have coming with nature, been out for amazing meals and made the most of our National Trust membership.

What a year I have had, it has been full of highs and has been lacking in lows, which after the past few years is a great improvement.  Let's see what the next year on the blog brings.

Bank Holiday Shenanigans - Part 1

Getting some fresh air

So G.O and I had managed to arrange to spend a bank holiday weekend together, sort of (more on that later) and we were going to make the most of it. 

Then as is usual for us, Saturday rolled around and we were both exhaustimacated, we don't often get to spend the weekends together and aren't really sure of the protocol.  Do we go somewhere big an flashy or local, do we stay in and potter?

In the end I decided to just chillax at home, we hadn't done that together in a while.  I went downstairs to make a healthyish breakfast muffins bacon cooked in the oven (for crispyness) and scrambled eggs (eat your heart out McD's), while his lordship caught up on his beauty sleep (god only knows he needed it having worked about 1000 hours in the past few weeks).

While I was waiting for everything to cook (Healtyish and easy) the post arrived. There was amongst the junk and party political rubbish a letter for G.O, I didn't recognise the postmark.  I raced upstairs and have home the letter.  Urging him to open it, it might be something exciting, It was, kind of.

I had signed G.O up on the mailing list for his favourite cider, which unbeknownst to us also sold my favourite garden wines.  The Lyme Bay company.  I've never tried the cider but the wine has a kick and a half and a flavour to suit every palet (no I'm not on commission).  I've had the wine before and a couple of glasses and I am out like a light.

He excitedly looked at the catalogue, while I finished breakfast. After everything had been devoured, and G.O was cleaning up, I read the catalogue.  "Did you know that mead is supposed to help boost your fertility!"  I announced. "Nope!" Came the slightly disinterested reply.  "But they sell the cider I like in the Bicester garden centre you like!" Within the hour were in the garden centre pushing a trolley of exotically flavoured ciders and a garden mead to the check out. Bang goes our chilling out at home time.

As we drove back home, going the country way for a change.  I decided to make a pit stop.  

Beautiful Bluebells

I pulled into the Boarstall Duck Decoy, my intention was only to show Stuart where it was, excitement overtook me.  I changed into my boots and began to show G.O the beautiful sights and sounds of Boarstall.  "I came here before, on my own.  I was driving by and just thought I'd pop in, a bit like now!"

We spent a very long time looking at and photographing the amazing Bluebells, it's a shame I can't bottle the aroma it was intoxicating, sweet but very subtle.

Our first stop was the duck hide, we had the place to ourselves and were able to just sit in the hide and watch the water listening to the birds and take lots of

photos.

As we left the hide, I was shocked to see someone standing about twenty metres away just watching us.  S/he didn't move, wave or acknowledge us in anyway, they just stood on the path hands behind their back.  G.O was oblivious as he was too busy taking more photos of the Bluebells, he must have hundreds of them.

We carried on round the route and came to a fallen tree, which I decided was left for people to climb on, so I did.  

The view from the top of the tree

I felt very high up and wobbly, when I looked at the video G.O took I realise I was about 1.5 metres off the ground, but added to my height that's over 3 metres.  

Alright I climbed a tree that had already fallen down!

I jumped off, retrieved my bag from the natural bag holder and carried on.  I could hear other people behind us and didn't want them to bump into us when I was stuck up a tree, so to speak.

Natural Bag holder

As we scurried away I decided to leave them a false clue, just in case they were following us (you never know). I have been watching a lot of Man tracker and Survive That! recently.  I'm all about surviving in the wilderness and not leaving a trace behind me.  I'm not quite there yet!

Setting a false lead - which way did we go?

We carried around the bend, and bumped into the observer again, I still couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman.  As we got closer SHE shouted to us "clock tower, has four faces, see!" She grabbed me and pulled me closer to a flower that did look like it had four faces.  

"New princess is a girl, isn't it?" I agreed, and said how I had hoped it would be a princess, nice and even (didn't realise that had happened).  She didn't seem to want us to leave, so I distracted her by asking G.O to photograph the flowers and began to walk away.  I couldn't decide whether she was a guide just passing time or a very weird lonely individual.  Either way I made my way around the pond, sharpish.

We hopped back in to the car.  "Before we go home I just want to check something!"  The last time I had been here I had also been to the Boarstall Tower, it couldn't hurt to see if they were letting visitors in.