Today I had sausage rolls and chocolate orange for breakfast. It’s that wonderful time between Christmas and New Year, when the real world is shut out, and I hunker down in my own festive bubble. The date is forgotten, time slows down, and for once, I live in the now. Eating when I want, sleeping … More The Advent Countdown
I remember the day Lottie Pie entered our world. 🙂 We’d arrived at the rescue centre, on that sunny Saturday in June 2014, full of excitement and hope. As Phil wandered the kennels, looking for our forever friend, the dogs rushed excitedly to the edge of their cages to greet him. Tails a-wagging. But as … More Goodbye My Lottie Pie
It was a trip three years in the waiting. We booked the family holiday back in 2019. When Covid hadn’t yet started its deadly rampage, when ‘social distancing’ was unheard of, and when you could cough in public without causing alarm. With homes miles apart, my Mum and siblings and I were looking forward to … More Third Time Lucky
We watched a nature documentary yesterday. With squealing monkeys and hungry lions. As the death throes filled the room, Kepler the puppy, continued snoozing. Oblivious. Last December, the sound of flamingos flapping their wings resulted in an evening of barking and zooming, as he searched for the scary pink birds. What a difference a year … More Living with PH and a Puppy
It wasn’t the trip we expected 🙂 The last time Phil saw his Father was March 2020. He flew to the Isle of Man days before shielding began, and days before the island closed their borders to visitors. For over a year. Living with advanced dementia, and in a residential home, we couldn’t even ring … More Covid Russian Roulette
Six months ago, I was lost in the storms of depression. My happiness had upped and left, my enthusiasm was missing, and I couldn’t find joy in usual loves. With rain pummeling the windows and my heart, with coronavirus restrictions still creating uncertainty and loneliness, and with the rampant virus still causing fear; summer seemed … More The Sunshine After The Storm
When the Coronavirus entered British shores, back in Spring 2020, the Isle of Man closed their borders. Residents couldn’t leave, and visitors were prohibited from entering. For seventeen months, Phil couldn’t return to his homeland. For seventeen months, we could only seen his family through a screen. And it was odd being kept apart. Our … More Sharing A Holiday Home
This time last year, my brother linked me to a couple of newspaper articles. One was hailing the latest vaccine breakthrough, and the other suggested we’d soon be able to buy coronavirus tests online. Although, we were only a few months into the pandemic, it felt like we’d been living under lockdown forever. Washing food … More The Road Back To Normality
My brother had a baby girl in January. Libby. His first child. As we started shielding a month after Emma and Gary announced the happy news, and because they live a couple of hours from us, we had to watch the pregnancy unfold over the internet. Congratulatory cuddles were replaced with squeals down the phone, … More Finally Meeting My Niece
The bees were buzzing, the sun was beaming, and the drinks were chilled. Lottie was sniffing for stray chips, the ‘Aunt Sally’ team were throwing balls at a dummy, and Phil was critiquing his pint. It was a normal August evening in our village pub garden… except it wasn’t quite! 😉 The benches were spread … More Navigating The New World
We Can Adjust The Sails 