Sunday 20 September 2015

Week 38 - Project 365

Last weeks travel has left me and hubby exhausted. We've flown into the UK for child 4 of 5 passing out parade in Catterick last Friday, it was a very proud parent moment, you can see a picture of us all for #MySundayPhoto. The week didn't get any quieter as we visited the kids, family and friends in Bristol, Gloucester, Lyme Regis whilst staying in South Wales and slotting in numerous coffee shop trips to meet up with people. This is only the 3rd time that hubby and I have been in the UK together since the end of 2010. We split our visits up during the year so the kids get to see us both as regular intervals, rather than just once a year. The youngest comes out for all the major holidays and hubby and I can split the shorter ones between us. We crossed over in the UK for a week in September 2013 when we were repairing thousands of pounds worth of damage to our house caused by our tenants. In November 2014 to sort out our papers to move to Dubai from South Africa and this trip.

Sunday was spent with child 1 of 5, Stephanie is profoundly disabled and lives in Gloucester. We collected her in the morning and drove down to Bristol to visit Granny in her new home and to borrow Granny's car for the week. Although I have my mums car to use while my parents are on holiday Monday till Friday, it isn't insured for hubby to drive and we do need to go off in opposite directions quite a bit. 

Day 256 #onedailypositive #wow #fmsphotoaday #cake #snaphappybritmums #project365 Today my plans to wander the shops and look for an amazing cake to photograph just didn't pan out as I had planned. I mentioned this to my mum who told me there was a cake in the kitchen I could photograph and actually eat.

Monday involved a 4 year old, in the shape of our niece, Olivia. We borrowed her from her mother for the day and took her to Tewkesbury to child 5 of 5 school to meet his new teachers in 6th form. The school has pigs and chickens and lots of open space, we had lunch out and then met up with friends and child 2 of 5 and his girlfriend in Monmouth for an early dinner. When we collected Olivia in the morning my 20 year old niece was visiting with her new born son Oliver, and her almost 2 year old, Elliot. There have been plenty of cuddles for everyone today.

Day 257 #onedailypositive #ImProudOfThis #fmsphotoaday #fun #snaphappybritmums #project365 I've raised 5 kids and I often wondered how hubby and I actually managed it and are still married, with our own teeth and full set of hair, albeit a little grey. We've been in charge of our 4yo niece who is currently sleeping in bed with me after a visit to a farm, a parents meeting at our youngest's school, getting caught in a torrential downpour, nearly divorcing after the 'can't fold the push chair in the pouring rain' incident and meeting child 2 of 5 with his girlfriend and friends for dinner in the local pub while our niece demanded a picnic under the table. Then returning home to make a bed for the dog (there isn't a dog where we are staying) drawing a picture of a dog that apparently was rubbish and was torn up, reading 3 books after brushing teeth and actually all 3 of us still alive.

Tuesday saw us collecting child 4 of 5 and heading off to Birmingham to watch City play Notts Forest. Child 3 of 5 warned me he would hunt me down if BCFC broke their winning streak. I'm now in hiding. For this weeks animal tales I introduced you to the real Chickenruby 

Day 258 #onedailypositive #ToMyLeft #fmsphotoaday #IAmReading#snaphappybritmums #project365 #bcfc #kro to my left is the Gil Merrick Stand & I've been reading the advertising

Wednesday morning was spent with social services, we've had a few concerns with our daughters care providers, not the staff, we can't fault them other than the extremely high turnover, but with the reality of the activities and staffing numbers in her bungalow, we then collected her and due to the weather spent the afternoon in ASDA as the floor is even, there are toilets and a cafe and we needed to pick up some toiletries and underwear for her. Child 4 of 5 met his cousin to go rock climbing and on our return to Monmouth we called in see our old neighbour for half an hour. I popped off to see Olivia while hubby cooked dinner for us and child 2 of 5 and his girlfriend.

Day 259 #onedailypositive #ToMyRight #fmsphotoaday#art #snaphappybritmums #project365 my niece and one of our drawings.

Thursday morning I nipped into Ross on Wye to meet an old school friend for our twice a year coffee, in the afternoon we drove to Abergavenny and had an early dinner on our way to the retail park in Newport to meet   our twitter friends @lady_wl and @welsh_si we called in at the Crematorium as it's the 10th anniversary of my Grans death in October and took her some flowers. This weeks Time Traveller took me back to 2006 and a trip to Berlin with the kids. 

Day 260 #onedailypositive #INever #fmsphotoaday#lunchtime #snaphappybritmums #project365 I Never had lunch today, I just ate sweeties I bought after a visit to Ross on Wye this morning.

Friday was back to Gloucester to take child 1 of 5 out into town for lunch, we then called in at child 5 of 5 school. We spent Friday night with another set of friends at their house for dinner and to watch the opening of the Rugby World Cup. For How does your garden grow this week it was a visit to the Mall of Emirates and bringing the garden indoors. 

Day 261 #onedailypositive #MyOwn #fmsphotoaday #SaturdayRelax I haven't been on my own for a week now as hubby and I tour the UK the Saturday relax prompt came a day early and I've been so busy today (Friday) I missed the photo prompt and it's actually now Saturday. Anyway I'm now on my own as hubby is asleep and I'm colouring in relaxing.

Despite a late night, it was up early on Saturday and off to Lyme Regis for the weekend to see hubbies oldest friend and while they went off on the friends boat and deep sea fishing, the wife and I wandered around Bridport tea, craft and gift shops, had lunch on a farm and joined them in the evening for a beer and fish and chips. 

Day 262 #onedailypositive #candy #fmsphotoaday #religion #snaphappybritmums #project I'm religious about my approach to eating my candy.

6 comments:

  1. oh my word - you've done loads of travelling! I don't know how you manage.. I'd be shattered, although most of that would be the queues on motorways and I'm bad at sleeping in beds which aren't my own, so I'm a problem of my own making!!

    The footy pic made me smile - have you come out of hiding yet? ;-)

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    1. still in hiding, they've haven't won a game since, I need a holiday now, i'm exhausted

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  2. good grief no wonder you are exhausted now you are home. I often wonder how any marriage survives and having a family with a disabled child the pressures are even worse.
    Sounds like you saw plenty of people and nice that you manage to keep up with so many.
    Chuckled at you looking for a cake and there was one under your nose all the time.

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    1. i was very surprised to find this cake, i can't believe my dad hadn't found it and eaten it

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  3. That's a lot of travelling! I imagine you must be totally exhausted. Lovely drawing by your niece. The cake looks splendid too.

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