Our Majorca holiday

We love to go to Puerto Pollensa in Majorca and after our 2 weeks last year we said we would take Hannah and Megan this year for a week and have 9 or 10 days after on our own. This was agreed with the children's parents and schools and then we realised how unwell our lovely daughter Kaye was and thought it might help her to come out for a week with Sebastian too. We all set out for the airport with much excitement, our wonderful friend Mike chauffeured Andy, the girls and myself to Bristol airport and Simon brought Kaye and Seb to meet us there. We checked in and got priority boarding which was great, the girls were sooo excited as they had never flown before. We had a lovely meal before boarding and very soon we were winging our way to Majorca. The girls loved the flight, looking out of the windows and giggling at the fluffy clouds. It was getting dark as we landed and the sparkling lights of Palma were wonderful from the air. We collected the 7 seater hire car and set off for Puerto Pollensa. We got to the apartment and had a quick drink and a biscuit or two and went to bed. We have stayed in this fab apartment before, 3 mins from the beach, just up the road from the British food & Hire shop. It has three big bedrooms, 2 large bathrooms, lounge diner and fabulous kitchen, fully equipped laundry room and has a pool shared by the other block residents. The girls thought it was heaven. The week was spent, swimming in the pool, on the beach, snorkelling, eating ice creams and dining out in our new holiday threads. Evenings were spent mixing with the locals in the square until very late, the culture is very much about including the kids in everything and evenings of course are cooler. The girls turned a lovely bronze colour and looked gorgeous, they were made a fuss of wherever we went and they behaved beautifully the whole holiday. We were so proud of their manners and social skills. Little Seb turned out to be proper water baby and wasn't content to just paddle...he wanted to be in up to his neck!! He loved making sandcastles with Gandy and then running off for Gandy or me to chase him. He delighted the staff in every bar and eaterie and is a dreadful flirt with the girls, cheeky smiles and giggles galore. We went to the market on the last day the girls and Kaye were there and they bought gifts and souvenirs with their holiday money, tried lots of local goodies and I treated us all to a gorgeous fish lunch on the square. As we were leaving the girls asked if we could look at getting their hair braided by the Senegalese ladies in the market, I said we would go and look but nearly fell over when they asked for 60euro each for the girls. I said no and they reduced the price to a 100euro for both. Still too rich for my blood. She asked me how much I would pay and I looked at how much cash I had and told her no more than 30euro for both! She almost spat at me and I said sorry but I didn't have any more to spend and walked away. We had only taken 5 steps and they were coming after us shouting "Nanna, Nanna, OK 30 euro for both." So they had their hair braided and were totally made up. We arrived back at the apartment and all they could tell Gandy was how Nanny had argued with the women to get their hair done. Gandy explained it's called 'haggling' and the girls decided between them to try it out next time they bought anything. We'll see how that pans out. All too soon the week was over and we all wished that we had booked for them to stay the whole time, but we tearfully waved goodbye at Palma airport, ditched the hire car and returned on the shuttle bus for a less strenuous few days. Poor Andy's Sciatica had been playing up and we had to make 2 emergency appointments with a local physio. Thank goodness our friends Sam and Ian who are residents there had a number for him. We enjoyed the rest of our time but perhaps didn't do as much physically as usual due to Andy's pain. We paid for it when we got home with a significant weight gain of over 7lbs for each of us...aaaaarrgghh! The trip home was horrendous as Andy couldn't stand for any length of time even when using his walking stick so we had to have a wheelchair and assistance through the airport and on and off the plane. He was so embarrassed but I couldn't manage everything so we had to have help.

Thankfully we got home and he had an appointment with the wonderful Wanda who has sorted him right out ( I don't know how, it's on a need to know basis evidently)

We thoroughly enjoyed having the girls,Kaye & Seb with us and will definitely do it again and hopefully with all the Grandchildren soon, maybe a very big villa to share next time...sounds great to me. It's all about family for us and the special memories that are left after sharing lovely family times together, bigger and better next time me thinks!

Here are a few pics to give you an idea of our fun....

The best laid plans....

I wanted to do so much in the garden and outside these last few weeks but have been thwarted by the bloody weather. I have never known a summer this wet...it must be a record of sorts. It's not cold or anything but the constant rain and grey skies are starting to get me down. Walking little Tink today it was like something out of Hound of The Baskervilles out on the links.Swirling murky grey mist shrouded everything and it was like walking above the clouds in places.  I couldn't see the castle until I was ten yards from it and couldn't see the sea or beach at all! The rabbits were out but not many today and Tink just looks at them curiously, no desire to do anything to them other than look. I'm told that there is Myxomatosis among them again, that's such a shame. 

I had so much planned but being out at least blew the cobwebs away, I met up with Anna and Dylan, who royally mugged me for treats as usual, Then bumped in to Bob and Barry for a quick chat before trotting home and snipping away some bramble on the drive before the heavens opened again. The lane is muddy and waterlogged everywhere and wellies are the order of the day. Tink has to wear her raincoat, she does look very cute in it. She waits patiently when we get in to take it off and have her muddy paws dried with her fluffy towel. We snuggled up on the sofa with a cuppa before sorting out some yummy dinner..ala slimming world style for when Andy got home.

We are still fat fighting but our recent holiday was a setback and we both gained at least 7lbs! Now all gone but this is where it gets tough again. Not going to quit on it though as I feel so much better now than I have for years.

A miracle has happened....

It gives me the greatest pleasure to announce to the whole world that Daniel and Lula are PREGNANT!!
This small miracle has occurred against all the odds and is due to make an appearance around the 10th December 2012.

Nugget our little miracle

Dan is insisting it is a boy and will tolerate no girl thoughts...he'll have what he's given and I know he'll love it either way. He was so ecstatic during the Ultra sound scan..the baby was waving it's little hands and he was in total awe!
Lula has had a bit of morning sickness but that has now passed  for the most part and her little bump, affectionately called 'nugget' is now very visible and causing all sorts of wardrobe problems....so pleased and excited, we are truly blessed and so very very grateful.

Can't believe it Sebastian Andrew is 1 year old!

Sebastian Andrew celebrated his first birthday on 27th April, I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone and how much he has grown.
Look at this happy little guy...soo gorgeous,

Minnie & Kieth's Wedding...19th April 2012

Oh what a fantastic time! Minnie AKA Georgia my late Cousin Ro and her late Husband Jon's daughter married her partner Keith in a beautiful ceremony at Oaks Farm Barn near Croydon on Thursday 19th April. My Sister Princess Sharon and I were honoured to be invited and were determined not to let the side down with our outfits!!

I did indeed wear 'THE' shoes with a lovely purple little dress and bolero and saucer hat & bag in matching hot pink. Sharon wore a multi coloured designer number with some acid yellow accents and funky jewellery. We looked the part and felt fab. The ceremony was beautiful and I confess to having a few tears as Minnie's older brother Gareth walked her up the aisle, her Mum and Dad would have been so proud... all the girls were bridesmaids & flower girls and the boys were pages.  

In the evening we kicked off our shoes and swung our pants until we sat breathless and a little sweaty, laughing like schoolgirls. Off to our hotel and a quick nightcap in the hotel bar brought us some strange looks, as we were a little overdressed, especially the footwear. A nice sleep before leaving after a great breakfast to catch the trains home....special, lovely , family times that are so precious and a big thank you to Minnie and Keith for inviting us. CONGRATULATIONS MR & MRS DEVEREAUX. XXX

Spring has definitely sprung !!

Well the smell of spring is in the air and the temperature on the whole is warmer. Been a very busy month for the Pretty Suns crew. Working, gigging with Joe Schmo, having Grandchildren to stay, weddings and parties....whew I'm worn out again just recalling it. 
I'm now working on Labour Ward/Triage 2 days a week for 9 hours a time and I have to say it is exhausting. I have however re-discovered the pure joy and privilege of helping a new little person come into the world and yes, I am still moved to tears. 
Joe Schmo are busy as ever and I have spent several nights dancing my socks off, great exercise and such fun. 
Grace and Tom (Danie's youngest two) came to stay for a few days. Danie and Charlie brought them down with Will and Kate and it was lovely to see them. Tom and Grace settled in straight away and got very excited about the coming Easter egg hunt we had planned. 

Fun with Gandy

All too much for Tommy!

We were joined by Megan and played lots of games, cooked super food and generally had fun. We went to the beach with Tink and fished in rock pools for crabs and then had an ice cream before heading home...Karl came with us and we all squished into Gertie, with Tink on Karl's lap in the front. We sang songs all the way home and made up silly verses when we couldn't remember the proper ones! 
On Sunday little Tink had a doggy Easter Egg and she loved it! 

Tink with her Easter egg...mmmmm

Andy had asked if he could have an Easter egg this year even though we are fatfighting..he specified that he just wanted a BIG chocolate egg..no sweets or chocolates in it, just the chocolate egg.....so this is what I gave him..

The HUGE egg!

It weighed a Kilo and he ate it all!!
Sunday afternoon the kids went out in the garden to hunt for the eggs that the Easter Bunny's little helpers (Andy & Karl)  had hidden....bags full of fun and chocolate, it was great....We all had a meal at The Gower Inn in the evening with Dan & Lyndsey and we let the kids watch Gandy doin' his thing with the band...Grace and Tom's faces were a treat to see and they haven't stopped talking about it since!

 The evidence of Tom's sneaky egg eating!

Watching Gandy!

We didn't realise at the time but little Tom had smuggled contraband into the gig..he was caught out when Karl picked him up and felt something soft in his pocket, when asked what it was he replied, "it's just goo" Karl had a tentative peek in the squidgy pocket and there was indeed a lot of goo...cadbury cream eggs that had been squished and melted over the course of the evening and were now a sticky mess!! Kids!
Karl drove up to Aberystwyth on Monday to collect Hannah and got back in really good time...we decided it was too good an opportunity to miss so planned a BIG Easter dinner, Danie and Charlie joined us as did Mike and Sue and Sam and Rhian..turkey with all the trimmings for 15...siiimples, it was a breeze and everybody had a great time..best of all was playing chinese whispers at the end of the meal, made very interesting by the fact that both Mike and Andy don't have the most acute hearing in normal circumstances let alone when the hubbub of noise reaches over 70decibels(Feels like it anyway).What starts off as "Lyndsey is very pretty" ends up as "Lyndsey smells of putty" and that's one of the kinder ones!!
Meg and Hannah and Karl stayed the rest of the week and it was lovely to go and get all the bits and bobs we needed for our upcoming holiday to Majorca later in May. We are all very excited and the girls were worried about the first time on a plane. Then something incredible happened and their very special Uncle Ashley took them flying over Gower in his plane...he even let them have a go on the controls...two super excited and delighted girlies really had a tale to top all tales of 'What we did in the holidays'. Wow... so much and I've only covered the first two weeks!  more in a little while!

Directions.....

It dawned on me recently that there are many ways to give directions to people regarding the complexities of finding one's way on Sandy Lane.

There are and have been for a very long time some landmarks that are obvious...The Water Tower, The Notice Board, The Orange Elephant and The Entrance Sign for example. However, once you get past the entrance sign, giving directions either means via a chalet to chalet route, OK if in the light but difficult to see names in the dark! Various bear left or right at the fork are a little ambiguous....which fork...is that a fork???

With the increasing demand for our now Internationally known Gower Bird Hospital a new development has taken place. The wooden Bird Signs, showing the  route to the Gower Bird Hospital from the start of the lane to the bottom field. Now we direct people with 'follow the bird signs'  'turn right at the owl' . Common place enough for us 'laners but imagine my surprise to see Simpson's Estate Agent's property pamphlet with directions to 'Sundowne' (Mrs Goldbourne's old place) given like this 'Upon entering Sandy Lane proceed for a few hundred yards, turning right at the sparrow sign and shortly after bear right at the duck sign, Sundowne can be found a little way down on the right hand side' 

Sundowne (rear view)

Sundowne March 2012

It really made me laugh and then of course I saw the asking price of £200,000 for the plot as the chalet is condemned...that wiped the smile off my face, it is a sad fact that the lane has become so expensive now that the people who were born and raised here cannot afford to own a property here anymore ..only the rich can shell out that sort of dosh for a plot to build on...a far cry from the days when they changed hands for a few quid or even swapped for a guitar!!

But that's another story in itself..... 

Welcome Wenny & Kev's little Peanut!!

What excitement over the weekend!! My dear friend Anne in USA has been awaiting the arrival of her newest Grandbaby...affectionately referred to by his Mamma, Wenny and Papa Kev as 'Peanut' !

Nine days overdue and wanting a home birth of course things were a little near the wire. Sunday was Wenny's Birthday and lots of Happy Birthday wishes were sent in many forms both paper, electronic and verbal...and many wished it to be a happy BIRTH  DAY too. It seems those wishes were heard and in the early hours of Sunday morning Wenny was in slow labour and by 10.00 am things were happening....the result of all her labours (to coin a phrase) was the safe arrival of little 'Peanut' who weighs in at a whopping 10lbs!!

Look at these very special and beautiful pictures of baby peanut and this loving family.....so lovely..I cried

Wenny's Mum Anne has been my friend for over 30years and when the kids were little they all spent loads of time together. Anne has two gorgeous Grandsons, Dylan & Dawson, from her elder daughter Massie,  and this was the first child for Wenny. Massie, Wenny and Maya are all strong, resourceful women, thanks in no small part to the example and guidance of their truly amazing Mama.

Wenny is a firecracker, full of light and life, love and laughter with a deep sense of social and political awareness. Straight talking and sometimes controversial with strong principles, Wenny has shown she has 'True Grit' on many occasions....not least this wonderful accomplishment to bring her beautiful baby boy into the world.

She and her husband Kevin are a loved up couple who are going to be such fab parents, that little peanut sure is a lucky little guy!!

I want to congratulate the whole of their family on the addition to it...the ever growing circle within which they are all bound by blood and love is a shared blessing and I know that each addition enriches them all.

My only regret is that they are all the way across the pond....we are with them in spirit, miss them keenly and can't wait to see them all again as soon as circumstances allow.

More blessings in my life and I am grateful.

The spectre of the Water Tower, engulfed in early morning mist.

This morning I took the little Tink out for our morning run before I left for work, thank goodness we had Hi-Vis jackets on. The swirling murky mist was clinging to everything, the middle field looked blurry eyed and soft focused. As we got onto the links the chalets on the edge looked  really mysterious and when we got to the water Tower I was amazed. There it stood, like some beacon ,wreathed in silvery mist that swirled around it's legs, it reminded me of the alien war ships in War of The Worlds...scary.

On our way home I really felt that spring had sprung when we came across these beautiful primroses bursting from the woodland bank.....

By the time I got home my hair was soaking from the clinging wet mist and so was Tink, I dried her off with a towel before heading off to the bathroom to try to avert an 'Afro' hair disaster!!

My early morning run makes me feel fantastic, my skin glows and I feel more energised. Part of the enjoyment is of course the beauty of the area I live in. This morning I couldn't appreciate the beauty but I loved the sheer drama of it all....I am blessed.

New pics on Chalets Page, Pics of Tink & Local Views pages

Now uploading new pictures of Sandy Lane and local views, Chalets and Tink the little Chonzer. 

My new shoes are causing a stir!

These are my totally gorgeous new shoes by Moda In Pelle, adorned with Swarovski crystals they are the ultimate in statement shoes!

I liked them so much I put a pic on Facebook and was quite astonished at my two daughter's reactions......they both think that they belong in a Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and asked if I was going to wear something unseemingly tight and short in a fluorescent colour to go with them!!

How could they be so conservative? I have told them both that life is too short to hide your light under a bushell and that they can stick to their sensible Clarks shoes and I WILL have my bling.

They are really beautiful and superbly well made and plus they are amazingly comfortable. Today, I tried them on with the complete outfit for an upcoming wedding which consists of a divine purple dress and shrug jacket with a tiered ruffle effect and jewels under the bustline, hot pink small saucer hat and hot pink satin bag. It looks fabulous!!

I will wear the wondrous shoes because I really want to and as I get older I become even more acutely aware of a tenet that I have always tried to live by...be true to yourself and if you have regrets make sure they are for the things you have done...not the things you didn't do.

I haven't always done things the right way, but, I have always tried to do what I believe to be the right thing and what is true to myself; After all it is me living my life..in person..here and now, it's not a dress rehearsal and we only get one turn of this particular wheel. 

So with that in mind, I WILL WEAR MY SPARKLING, GORGEOUS, SHOES AND ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!

Misty mornings and late nights...

The seasons are changing and evidence of spring is everywhere now. As I trot round the lane and over the cliffs and valley with little Tink it makes me smile as I notice more and more daffodils, greenery, flowers and buds everywhere I look. The very early morning run around before work is particularly wonderful..often shrouded in mist that swirls around and with a choral accompaniement from the birdies it's close to nirvana for me.

I took some pics recently of the lane ,some of the chalets and the bay and castle in the early morning mist...have a look

Little Tink meets lots of friends on our walks, she loves naughty Mungo our friend Sian's newest pup...but although she loves him and is only a fraction of his size he is scared of the little bully!

She is being very cute at the moment and has learned to stand on her back legs and turn pirouettes when she wants something from you, Andy has also taught her to give a 'high five' with her paw. Clever little thing she is, best of all though is when she brings her Bun Bun to have a cwtch on the sofa...how can I resist.

No more burglaries on the lane recently thank goodness, it was a horrible time for everyone and caused the kind of uneasy atmosphere that is so rare here.

Here are some more pics that you might all recognise...or maybe not and I bet they make you homesick if you're away at the moment!

The Mulberry Tree in memory of Audrey

I will add some pics of other chalets to the page of pics and there are  some new ones of Tink too.

I'm feeling fitter and healthier than I have in a good many years, now close to a 3stone weight loss thanks to Slimming World aka Fat Fighters! Blood pressure is normal and I am no longer diabetic! Result...a younger looking and more energised me and I'm loving it. I go out more, still dance on the tables all night in my stillettos and get up earlier in the mornings. 

Life is good...I am still blessed and very thankful...