Pram Shopping

I've been Bugaboo'd and it was such fun.  After much research Shelley chose Bugaboo Chameleon Third Generation Multi Terrain Special Edition (I kid you not).  I shall spare you all the detail, suffice to say that it's a beautiful olive green with quilted cream lining.  Then of course we had to pick out the accessories: pushchair, car seat, car seat adaptors and footmuff.  Must tell you that Shelley decided the high performance foot muff, rough terrain wheels, mosquito net, tray and cup holder are not necessary (at this stage).   The sales consultant gave an excellent demonstration, but I am wondering if the Open University do a follow-up course, as I'm not sure I mastered full use of all the knobs. 



Everything included - just add baby

I took it for a stroll around John Lewis and I felt very Grand.  It's all getting closer and closer!  

Homemaker

I fancied doing a bit of interior design at one stage (one of the 'could do' careers when I left BT), but it was a bit too pretentious and arty for me and I realised that all I wanted to do was make my home look pretty, stylish and pleasing on the eye.  I know that I haven't always achieved the mark.  One friend commented that my house was pleasantly 'lived in', which is subtly different from a pleasant place to 'live in'.  Never mind, I now have a little moment in between children leaving home and grandchildren taking over to pep up my shabby chic cottage. 

Since leaving work and having more time to devote to homely things I have created this guest bedroom and I'm really pleased with it.  All credit to Richard for doing the decorating and moving of heavy goods.  Mainly I browsed magazines and went shopping. It's designed to make you want to come and stay with us - do you?   



Thanks Rich for filing down the dressing table so that it fitted in the recess.
Ornaments and stool inherited from mum and dad. 

Perfectly matching cushion
thanks to my shopper sister



Note pink 'accent' chair
(which basically means it's not going to be sat in)'

Thanks to my ex-colleagues for these charming elephants:
Indian Blues and her two babies Precious and Sunday Best" 



Did I achieve country shabby chic? 

Buddy Adventure to Dorchester

A good thing about retirement is that holidays don't have to be squeezed into your quota of annual leave. So off I went again, on a little trip to Dorchester with Julie. We took a leisurely drive down with plenty of pit stops.



Lunch stop in Bosham



I reckon England is as pretty as anywhere in the world when the sun shines and the Dorset coastline and Purbeck Hills are a prime example.  It adds a little focus to the day tripping if you have an interest or hobby to indulge and Julie's particular interest was a visit to the pretty village of East Lulworth, where her Great x 3 Granddad was a gardener in the castle.  Lulworth Castle has been owned by the Weld family since 1641 and they are still the local landed gentry.  The Weld arms recently hosted lunch to Brad Pitt, who was in the vicinity filming World War Z. 

Pub in East Lulworth

Julie outside the tied cottage in which her ancestors lived.

I thought my special interest was going to be the literary connection, but we fluffed up the schedule and the day we were due to go to Thomas Hardy's museum/birthplace it was closed.  Instead Julie came up with an inspired suggestion of Sculpture on the Lakes, which was the most delightfully arty and tranquil place: http://vimeo.com/100697467 .  

 

Julie likes coincidences and constantly looks for these in life, so here's one Julie: narrowly missing Brad Pitt at the Weld Arms may not have been such a bad thing.  He got his first real break as the cowboy hitchhiker in the road movie Thelma and Louise.  As two ladies on a buddy adventure (albeit in a Fiat 500 rather than a Ford Thunderbird convertible), I'm glad Brad wasn't there to send us over the edge. 

For Julie's movie version of our trip please click on http://youtu.be/Y1LMGswoA5o

  









Safari in Kent




Fancy Glamping

Shelley is now 7 months pregnant and so I thought I would organise a family summer holiday that wasn't too far from home.  We went Glamping at Port Lympe Wildlife Park in Ashford http://www.aspinallfoundation.org/elephant-lodge/elephant-lodge.  Geographically speaking this is 50 miles from home, but in our mind's eye we were in Africa.




Shelley still looking elegant

It belatedly occurred to us that this would be our last family holiday without children for many years, and what did we choose? A zoo!  Surely an adult-only spa or gambling in Las Vegas would have been more appropriate.  But isn't it great that we all love animals, when group activities so often involve one or two people enjoying themselves whilst the rest look on indulgently (and bored)?  Motorcross, Mastercheffing, shopping, golf and art galleries for example. 




Ben and Killian

The highlight of the holiday was our Sundowner game drive, when the park was closed to the public and it was just the six of us, Andrew (our ranger) and the animals.  Andrew's knowledge and enthusiasm for wildlife was inspiring, and his South African accent and stories of safaris back home added a touch of the exotic to our evening adventure.  At sunset Andrew pulled the jeep over to where there was a beautiful view of the park and the Kent countryside beyond, all the way down to the coast at Dungeness.  We popped a bottle of fizz and toasted Ben's new job.


Brad multi tasking

Liz feeding a rat to an hyena

I enjoy my creature comforts too much to be wild about camping, I mean, it's difficult to get by without a hair dryer and straighteners isn't it?  To balance up the nature loving weekend we took a detour to the designer outlet at Ashford to indulge my inner retail desires.  I made some purchases in Baby Gap -  nawhhh, they're gorgeous.

Laid To Rest

My mum didn't make many requests about arrangements after her death, but she did solemnly ask to be reunited with my dad in the plot near to their last home in Hornchurch. Carole and I did that today.

To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to it.  It's been 6 months since the funeral and I was just getting accustomed to the idea that she was gone, and now this day seemed to want to raise all the sadness again.  But the sun was shining.  Carole and I took a slow stroll from their bungalow to the cemetery and messed about with the flowers she'd bought and roses I'd cut from my garden.  A pleasant young guy from the funeral directors showed up with the ashes and our vicar drove up on his motor bike.  It all struck the right chord of respectful informality.  The vicar chose some appropriate words from the bible, recited the Lord's Prayer, then read the following poem by Shelley:

Music, when soft voices fade,
Vibrates in the memory
Fragrance when sweet violets sicken,
live on in the sense they quicken

Rose leaves, when the rose is dead,
are heaped for the beloved's bed;
So thy thoughts, when thou art gone,
love itself shall slumber on.  

And so my mum and dad are gone from this world forever, but they live on in my fondest memories.

   

Mum and me 1957

  


Magic Moment

2 seconds after taking this photo I was sitting in that chair.

When I retired, my good friend Louise gave me a goody bag full of lovely bits and pieces that one may need at such a time.  Included were 2 small bottles of champagne with clear instructions as to when and how these should be consumed.  They were not to be shared with anyone, and were to be consumed during an afternoon when I was home alone with nothing to do and when the rest of the world were working their little socks off.  This was not something I was 'allowed' to do, this was a command. 

For a while since my retirement I have been busy: taking my exam, playing hostess to Meg, preparing our summer BBQ, tidying up after 40 years of being employed and generally catching my breath.  But today I had nothing to do, nobody waiting on my output, no deadlines to meet, no chores imminent. 

This afternoon I sat in the garden, on the finest day of the year so far, drinking champagne and reading Northanger Abbey.  Cheers Louise xx