Birthday Celebration Number 1 (Mamilein' s)

"What's for tea tomorrow?"  I ask this everyday.  I need to know from on remark to the next what I'm going to eat, it's lessens the anxiety, ha ha.

As it was Mamilein's birthday, it was her choice.  "I don't want to cook anything she said, let's go out!"  Well the choice here is broad but as a family we only ever go to a couple of restaurants, either Italian or Chinese.  So of to Pizzeria Venezia is was.

It was nice to sit together and have a chat.  Talk of the evening turned to what would you do if you won the lottery jackpot.  Mamilleins plans are quite simple; buy houses in MG, UK and USA, let people in need use the Bünde house and that was all.  

Happy Birthday Mamilein

August Photo Challenge

I thought I'd give this a go, it'll keep me out if trouble if nothing else.

Day 1 - My Handwriting

Day 2 - Hands

Day 3 - Water

Day 4 - A Picture Of Me

Day 5  - Something I Made

Day 6  - A Favourite Place

Day 7 - In My Bag

Day 8 - A loved Activity

Day 9 - Transportation

Day 10 - What I Wore

Day 11 - Landscape

Day 12 - From A Distance

Day 13 - A Bad Habit

Day 14 - Clouds

Day 15 - Green

Day 16 - High Angle

Day 17 - Low Angle

Day 18 - My Shoes

Day 19 - Something Blue

Day 20 - Dinner Tonight

Day 21 - Summertime

Day 22 - Sunset

Day 23 - Eyes

Day 24 - A Mess

Day 25 - Dressed Up

Day 26 - Black & White

Day 27 - Fruit

Day 28 - Something Orange

Day 29 - Something Pink

Day 30 - Close Up

Day 32 - Mail

What can I smell?

As I rejoice at the fact that for a forth time in a row I don't have to share a seat with anyone else, I start to notice a burning/warm smell from the overhead blowers. It's nothing I am sure.

Well we're up in the clouds, well to be fair we are just below the clouds.

I can see Tatton Park and a checkerboard of golden fields, if farmers could see their fields from up here would they take a bit more care do you think? They look quite squiggly and scruffy.

We are now forty minutes into the flight, I think I need the loo, but I'll wait... This time I'll wait.

We left land behind and are now over the North Sea, there is a wind farm below with about a dozen turbines going like the clapper.

Just off the coast, I presume Hull five jets just flew underneath us, I've never paid this much attention to a flight before it is fascinating. I suppose I've never flown from Manchester before. When you fly from a London airport after about ten minutes you are over the sea and then is nothing much to look at. On this flight half of the journey has been over land, and not just any land, land I recognise.

- Kind Regards, C xx

I miss my Little Prince

We chilled out today after our bike ride yesterday, we puttered around the house. Doing those jobs that you tend to put off until the last minute.  We played Mario Kart, my favourite game to play with GO, only to discover that the online platform we used closed two years ago.

We snuggled on the sofa and I got to choose the Netflix. I chose the film The Little Prince, it has just been added. I bought the book years ago on someone's recommendation, but never got round to reading it. I spent the first few minutes, as usual, looking it up in IMDb. There was some interesting trivia, but what caught my eye was something the director said. "My girlfriend gave me the book to read...." It made me think of GO and me. I was about to go to visit my parents and would be 600 miles away from him for two weeks (he said he didn't want to come/it's too costly) and I know will miss him awfully.

The film was lovely, beautiful to look at with a deep message. The bit the stands out to me, and I'll admit made me cry, was when he realise Rise is just an ordinary rose. To which the fox explains, "what makes her special is that she is special to you".

Cue the plinky plonky music and floods of tears.

Love you to the moon my GO xxx

- Kind Regards, C xx

Getting out in the fresh air

What a lovely day we had today, getting out and about on the seafront. After the trauma of the other day, we borrowed another bike from Finlaw. We headed for the seaside, initially we planned to go to Blackpool but as there was an air show on (and GO had been in touch with a friend who was working) we decided to go to Lytham.

People always remark on how we seem to have such fun when were together.  Just to show the other side, this is how we looked after trying to put the bikes back into the car.

Kind Regards, C xx

Location:Lytham St Annes

Family get together

We spent the day with GO's elder brother and his parents, we went for a meal and a walk around a NT park.

It was so much fun spending time with our little nieces and getting to play and be silly without and responsibility.

I couldn't help making a feel mental notes (aka an EYFS long obs) about the learning and skill I was seeing.

- Kind Regards, C xx

He broke my bike ;-((

GO had an idea, seize the day and all that.  We'd get a bike and go for a ride along the Blackpool sea front.  I had my bike so all we needed was to borrow on from the Finlaw.  First problem, we couldn't get my bike out of the cellar.  GO decided that what we needed to do was just unscrew the handle bars.  Two hours later, after being unable to reattach them I called a local bike repair shop who talked me through how to fix it, it didn't work. My bike is now back in the cellar waiting for someone to come along and fix it, when I can afford it that is.

Well isn't that lovely news for a change

We received an official invitation from the LA to apply to adopt. It is a twelve page document and we both have to fill it in. We called the SW who paid us a visit and said we would like to go ahead and she was very excited.

- Kind Regards, C xx

Cheap for twenty four hours in London

Time for another reunion, what started as a one off thing a couple of years ago, has become a regular occurrence. Every season we (LC and SB) meet up and catch up with the life changes that have occurred in the previous three months.  From last visit to this there has been a birth, two house moves, two new jobs, a planned surgery and a perspective adoption.  

It is always fun, albeit a bit of a rush.  I have got travelling on a coach down pat now.  

GO dropped me at the coach station at half six in the morning.  I made my way to the bus stop, "I'll just pop into the loo" I thought....  The toilet was locked, ah well I don't need it anyway.

I settled in my seat, I have now got a routine on these long bus journeys.  I watch the city I'm leaving pass the windows.  I marvel at the sky scrapers and the people getting on with their lives.

Then I will listen to my ipod and watch the world go by.  I had brought my flask of coffee with me and peanut butter on toast, so I settled down and munched my breakfast.  It was about now that I felt pressure on my bladder.  I tried to ignore it, but it was getting more and more urgent.

After a couple of hours I could hold on no longer so I made my way to the coach toilet.  I got in and it was horrific, the flush wasn't working, but I was desperate.  I voided my bladder while squatting on tip toes, and I dribbled!  I forced myself to relieve my bladder and felt a million times better.  

Back at my seat feeling everso slightly yucky, but glad my bladder was empty I was mightily out out when the driver pulled into the half station to swap drivers and announced, "As the toilet isn't working we are going to stop here