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.

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.

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. 

The enigma of sleep.....

It would seem that in our house there have always been some issues surrounding sleep...Danielle slept in 2 - 3 hour shifts for the first 2 years of her life and Kaye didn't sleep through the night until she was 4 years old. She often awoke in the early hours to get up and ride her tricycle around the lounge, in the dark!! Karl would sleep any illness off from a very early age, taking to his bed and staying there until he felt better. Daniel loved his bouncer swing that hung from the door way and I felt guilty every time I turned away only to turn back to see him dangling there, blonde head lolling to one side..fast asleep!!

Andy and I both managed on very little sleep for years due to kids, bands, working shifts and general partying. Andy worked night shifts for many years and during this time he often had to have the children during the day when I was in work and they were off school. Kaye particularly remembers a day when he took them to the park in Derwen Fawr and she was on the zip line, squealing about how clever she was, when she eventually got the hang of it. She excitedly called out 'did you see me Daddy?' to the seated figure in sunglasses on the bench...no response came back so she went over to find him snoozing away behind his dark glasses, Kaye being Kaye she slapped his leg to wake him up, which it did with a bit of a start. 

Not too long after that we took Karl.,Kaye & Daniel to The Grand Theatre to see 'Pinnochio' we sat in the front row of seats for a better view. Andy had done a night shift and this was the afternoon matinee. During a bit where Mr Fox is leading Pinnochio astray he addressed the audience for some participation. In the middle of it all he held up his hand and stopped the performance. His finger pointing directly at Andy he said in a very loud stage whisper..'Look at him..he's asleep, WAKE UP!' The whole room erupted into peals of laughter and roars of 'WAKE UP'  much to the embarrassment of the children and I. Andy woke with a start and tried to sink lower in his seat but he was a marked man and us too by association!! Oh the shame at the interval as went to get ice cream and every one giggled as we passed, the whispers of 'that's him isn't it?' were almost too much for Andy to bear.

The kids have never forgotten it, nor have I and I know it is not one of Andy's fondest memories but it is often the subject of hilarity around the dinner table.

Speaking of dinner tables, during a particularly difficult time when the children were young I worked 4 jobs, cycling 112miles a week within a 3mile radius!! Working 7 days a week I was often exhausted and the children would wait in hushed silence as I nodded off at the dinner table..just waiting for the moment my face actually went into the food on the plate and on the odd occasion it did the screams of laughter could be heard as far as Pennard. I always thought it a strange thing when my parents and grand parents fell asleep on Sunday afternoon after a large roast dinner. My Dad and Grandad covered with a broadsheet newspaper in their respective chairs, the paper would flutter slightly every time they breathed out. My grand mother snored, not an offensive loud snore, more like the sort of snore a doormouse would have, if a doormouse was to snore that is! My Mother would sit dozing but somehow still aware of what was going on around her and my sister and I thought it was some kind of voodoo that she knew immediately we were up to no good, looking at us with the immortal words,'I was just resting my eyes, I was not asleep'.....I now sometimes succumb to an evening snooze but mine of course is a power nap....naturally!

The B*****d is still about....attempted burglary at Fern

It seems that Alice & Sam's place, Fern Bungalow in top field was the latest target for our local miscreant. An attempted break in occurred earlier this week but  no entry was gained. Bonzo dog perhaps scared him/her/them off! Stay vigilant peeps and keep it all locked away. By the law of averages this S.O.B's luck must run out soon!

On a better note Allie is raising money for 'Free The Children.UK' by running the London Marathon. She needs sponsorship NOW, so could you please donate at : 


www.virginmoneygiving.com/allie1989

A sad,sad day for us....

Today has been a very sad day for us at home. Our quirky, funny cat Felix,aka Stinky Pinkerton has died. She had not been well for a while with repeated bladder problems and she rapidly deteriorated today and had some sort of stroke/fit and I took her straight to the vet this afternoon. I brought her home and this evening we buried her in the little garden patch where our beloved dog Blue is buried,under the Lilac tree.

We don't know exactly how old she was as she was a feral cat that Dan rescued......he was the manager of a scrap dealers yard in Clydach quite a few years ago and there were a lot of feral cats. It took him nearly a year to make friends with her, first throwing her a bit of ham and gradually getting her to come closer until she came into the office. Once a trust had been forged she would let him pet her and she even sat on his lap. He left the yard to work elsewhere and after a couple of weeks was told by a friend that the new owners were having the feral cats exterminated the following week. He was anguished about the little cat and drove up there on the Sunday morning with a cat carrier to bring her home. To his utter dismay the yard was shut,metal gates padlocked and no way in. He took the cat carrier out and put it on the roof of the car while he walked the perimeter to see if he could see her and get her to come to him, but with no luck. He walked across to the workshops opposite to say hello to the guys who were working there and had a chat for a little while. On returning to the car he saw, sat as bold as brass in the cat carrier the little cat!! He closed the flap and brought her home and we all thought she was grey and black but after a while in a clean environment she turned black and white!

He named her Felix as she was the image of a cat on the TV of that name and equally as mischievous. Our dog Blue learnt to love her and they were very close, the cat went into a real period of mourning when Blue died and was never really the same again. She hated the new puppy little Tink and left home for a bit in protest (only to Dan in the cabin).

She came home eventually after a couple of weeks and an uneasy truce ensued. 

She was a real independent character and was really only ever Dan's cat, she kind of tolerated the rest of us but she adored him, rolling on her back and purring to have her tummy tickled. He is very upset at her passing and will miss her greatly. We will all miss the sassy madam too, she made us laugh so very often, even if it was tripping Andy up first thing in the morning as she demanded her breakfast!

The end of an era....sleep tight Felix. XX

 

The railway cycle path walk with little Tink....

On a happier note today I went with my super cute little Chonzer dog, Tink to do a few errand, we went in the trusty Gert and she rode shotgun in the passenger seat wearing her seat belt of course,she has a booster seat too so she can see out of the window. We eventually finished all the errands and pulled into the Railway Inn car park and set off in a westerly direction (I think) we turned left anyway onto the path and set off at a brisk pace. Tink had her coat on as of course did I and we needed them it was murky and cold and there was a real chill in the breeze. We started to jog for a while and then slowed back to a brisk walk. I find this is a great way to excercise without getting too exhausted & sore on tarmac. About 2 kilometres along I was struck by the lovely woodland either side of us and stopped by a beautifully still pool of water to just breathe in the rich, damp, earthy smell.

The still & beautiful pool

 The deep covering of leaves was now turning to a leaf mould and no longer crackled underfoot, so I just stood in silence. Something caught my eye on the right and I watched in astonishment as a greyish brown animal with a darker stripe running all the way down it's back was trotting along a fallen log, it moved quickly so I only saw it for a moment or two but I am pretty sure it was a Polecat(wild relative to the domestic ferret). It was definitely NOT a squirrel!

I am pretty sure this is the kind of animal I saw 

What a treat.We  carried on for about an hour and then turned for home and I stopped to take in the magical feel of the trees in winter. 

We arrived home muddy and cold and both of us had a warm bath (not together of course) and a hot chocolate before getting dinner on the go. I thoroughly enjoyed my jaunt and feel energised and refreshed and yes....I am blessed.