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....

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..... 

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. 

A Beautiful walk in the cold sunshine to start off February

On the 1st of the month I awoke to find that the grey skies and rain had given way to a crisp cold and brilliantly bright day!
After lunch when it had warmed up a little I took little Tink all dressed up in her winter coat out for our usual walk. The ground was hard underfoot, a pleasant change from sliding in the mud! The birds were singing their little hearts out and the sky was a deep clear blue. As we left the middle field to go onto the golf links I stood for a while to look at the Snowdrops all nodding their heads in the gentle breeze on the bank....Tink was playing chase with Dai's new Jack Russell puppy aptly named 'Dut' which means little and she is really little. They get on really well and have a rare old time together.

The lovely Snowdrops

We headed out onto the links and turned left, the sun was bright and Tink seemed to be even more full of beans than usual, gamboling on the grass and running circles around me. I couldn't run though as I am still recovering from a particularly nasty Urinary Tract Infection and running really hurts. We climbed the hill and Anna and Nigel's place was looking fabulous, they really have a great view from up here.

Nige & Anna's in the sunshine

We walked on, the castle to our right with the sun streaming around it and a bit further on the water tower standing like a watchman against the blue backdrop of the February sky. It's such a landmark for us, it even gives Tower Field it's name and I'm so glad it has not been taken down....long live The Water Tower.

Walking on we met up with Marta who was walking Missy and Coco Chanel, Missy is a grumpy baggage who barks all the time but is really harmless. Coco is staying with Marta while her owners are abroad and looks like Tink's sister only slightly darker....Tink plays well with Coco and tries to include Missy but she isn't having any of it.

Tink & Coco Chanel

Missy

We walked to the castle and the views took our breath away, the water was sparkling like crystal and once again I felt that deep sense of thankfulness for the beauty of my 'back yard'.

There are some rare plants that grow around and on Pennard Castle and some of the flora is starting to come back  by early summer there will be lovely little sprigs everywhere.

My back yard!

Plants on the castle wall

We strolled home and my thoughts were rambling as my feet were walking and I got to thinking about a John Denver song I used to play that had a line in it that in my youth touched a bit of a chord with me....'serenity's a long time coming to me' and I used to identify with that during the tumultuous times of my earlier life. I now know that some things are worth waiting for and the serenity I always craved has come to me for the most part and it gives me a deep and wonderful sense of peace and calm....perhaps this is one of the benefits of growing older in a place that you love.

We got in and I had a nice cup of tea before curling up on the sofa with my book, Tink and Tink's 'Bun Bun'....he's her baby bunny and she has had him since we had her, he always goes in her bed at night and she loves him! A bit like I love her, I guess....I am truly blessed.

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 beautiful little addition to the family...welcome Ella Grace

Yesterday our lovely niece Jasmine (Andy's Sister Bev's daughter) gave birth to the latest addition to the family, her name is Ella Grace and she weighed in at 6lbs 14ozs. I popped up to say hello after my shift had finished and was totally gooey about the little poppet. She has a mop of dark hair and the sweetest rosebud mouth.

Congratulations are in order to Jaz and her partner Bradley.

here she is ...

Ella Grace

The family circle just keeps getting bigger...Ella is the 2nd Grandchild for Bev and 10th Great Grandchild for Andy's Mum Betty!

What blessings and a lovely start to 2012.

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.

Oh no not another burglary on Sandy Lane!

I cannot say how angry I am about the latest burglary on Sandy Lane. It seems that Dai & Helena's shed had the door kicked in and a chainsaw was stolen. Cartref is being rebuilt and the chainsaw is one of Dave's tools that he uses frequently. This awful situation has to stop! Can everybody be extra vigilant and maybe go for more frequent strolls around the lane to keep an eye on things. I hope the culprit is found soon as this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. For those that have been the victims of these dreadful crimes the impact is obviously much worse and must shake your sense of security and safety when your home has been violated and that's what it is, a violation of people's personal, private space by someone who is uncaring or unmoved by the distress that is being caused. Whatever the reasoning behind this, whether it is someone who is just greedy, desperate or just too stoned and lazy to do it for themselves or too proud to ask for help, the resulting distress is not to be trivialized. 

Watch out, watch out...there's STILL a thief about.....

Risk Assessment at Pretty Suns !

Everyone that knows my lovely husband Andy will tell you that he is a little accident prone at times. Always has been, the source of much hilarity to the children as they grew up when he would trip,fall,stumble or bump into things. He was so busy talking to Kaye in Swansea one afternoon that he completely failed to see the signpost in front of him and walked into it with a very large bang! Staggering around dazed in the street while the kids were helpless with laughter.....bless him. One very memorable moment and also very public one, was while we were shopping in Boots store in Swansea about 6 years ago, we went upstairs and turned to the left towards the baby things, there was a central display console with fitness equipment on it and I noticed that someone had taken a step machine off the shelf and placed it on the floor to try it out, I avoided it easily, but Andy, blithely unaware of his surroundings tripped over it. I saw him falling out of the corner of my eye and shot out a hand to steady him. How fantastically quick were my reactions I hear you say, sadly the only effect was for me to punch him in the side of the head as he fell, he reacted by doing a commando roll whilst covering his head and shouting loudly "don't hit me again"  The shop came to a halt, as all eyes were trained on us and I tried to tell him through tears of laughter, (I can't help my sick sense of humour) that I was trying to save him and not hit him! He has never forgiven me and this story comes up regularly around the family dinner table, much to his discomfort. 
Today he came home from work and went to plug in his lap top, bending forward to reach the socket he caught his nose on the hook for the tiebacks. He stood up holding his nose as I asked if he was O.K. and what had he done, he explained and with a bemused smile I said that we needed to risk assess the house and remove all sharp objects. Without blinking an eye he said that would be great but what would we do with my tongue!!!! I couldn't help but laugh and did see his point. 
That's why I love him, he makes me laugh in every way, every day and doesn't take himself too seriously. I am truly blessed.

THE THIEVING B*****DS HAVE BEEN AT IT AGAIN!!

The low life scum are at it again!! Tower field has been the target this time and poor Tony from Jubilee had the door forced and a wallet and 'phone stolen.

This happened on a Tuesday the same day as the other recent theft...could this be a coincidence or is there someone around on a Tuesday that isn't normally about? Be vigilant folks, lock up and put valuables away..if you see anything suspicious report it straight away to the police,  then come and round up some Laners to dish out some instant Karma to the thieving s**tbags or of course that could be in the opposite order if the mood takes you!

Soaring Red Kite.....

Walking to the castle with little Tink my super cute chonzer we stopped at the lookout point where once my favourite bench was placed..sadly it has rotted and been removed. Please someone put one back for the tired and weary walkers to stop and catch their breath! Joy of joys today I saw a fabulous Red Kite soaring above the valley and over the castle, I stood enthralled for about ten minutes until the wonderful  creature flew off towards Penmaen. I walked home feeling elated and extremely blessed to have experienced such a special moment right in my own backyard!!
Youngest daughter Kaye is moving house this week and our littlest Grandson Sebastian is now crawling and getting into all sorts of mischief. He very kindly left us a message on our answerphone after finding the house phone and somehow managing to press redial.....it took me a few minutes to realise it was not some weirdo on the phone but a growling yabbering Sebby Bear. SOOOO cute. I can't wait to see them after Xmas and give him a big Nanna hug.

The super cute Sebastian

Let the bells ring out....for Christmas...

          I would like to wish you all a very 

                        Merry  Christmas 

                                 and a 

               Happy & Healthy New Year

Yeahhh...it really is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas....decorations are going up all over the lane,in our house we are nearly finished putting the decs up, just a bit more on the outside to do.Sadly gale force winds,rain and hail have hampered this, but hopefully all finished by the weekend. Our tree this year has coloured lights and is festooned with hundreds of crystals and coloured glass ornaments and is totally over the top as usual. Tink has her stocking hung up in readiness for Santa!! 

The Pretty Suns, 2011 Tree......understated chic!!

Twinkle twinkle,Pretty Suns

It has been so cold out walking little Tink, she has to have her winter coat on with the collar turned up. The waves are rough and you can hear them roaring and crashing before you can see them. The sky has been a menacing grey and of course that is reflected in the colour of the sea....a chilling and wintery sight indeed. The wind whips around us over on the golf course and along the cliffs and my lips are getting chapped from the drying,bitter wind. We get in shivering and damp and spend ages with towels and cuddles in front of the fire to thaw out!!

Cards are all sent and present shopping is pretty much done, finish the last bits on the weekend as well as doing an online food order.

Lots to do at the weekend then.

Our old ash tree that is directly behind the house has become unsafe and needs to be felled....this will now take place after Xmas when the weather permits, the lovely Lyndon and his assistant will be doing the deed and I hope to get some action shots of the shannanigans! I am however very sad about it as we have lived with the tree for over 30years, I know I will shed a few tears when it comes down. Karl is having the wood for his woodburner so it will not be wasted and I am going to keep a couple of pieces for the wonderful Mike Prankerd to make something out of to commemorate the mighty old tree. 

We are going to plant a few more trees to replace it, native varieties and more suitable for the area.

We are also now looking for a second little chonzer as a companion for little Tink and it is proving to be harder than we thought,but we don't want one until next summer really so plenty of time. 

Wintery weather...brrrrr

Getting up early to walk my little Tink I've noticed that there is a definite nip in the air. We go out in the dark but the sunrise catches up with us after about 30mins. The gorse bushes have some yellow blooms on and they look bright and happy in the pale morning light over on the golf course. Little Tink now wears her warm waterproof coat and her high vis jacket on top. The bracken has turned brown and crispy and bits cling to Tink's fur as we roam, cow pats are everywhere again, bloody destructive beasts, they churn everything up so badly. I have decided I need a new coat for winter as my current one is not as waterproof as I would like and I am fed up with coming home soaked to the skin and shivering with cold...only in very heavy rain but hey it's not a good feeling.
Bonus to all this walking is my continued weight loss and fitness improvement...I have been Fat fighting for a few months now and have lost 2stones 4pounds!!! Dropped 4 dress sizes,reversed my diabetes and controlled my blood pressure. What a blessing Slimming World Extra Easy has been and more especially the inspirational Alicia who runs the group in Killay. She really is a mine of information,support and also much hilarity week after week and I don't think I would have continued without her help. I feel 10years younger and have a new lease of life. Young Megan (my Granddaughter) did say quite seriously that she didn't want me to lose any more weight because she likes me squishy!! I'm going to carry on and get to my target weight sometime next year and then I will try to have the resolve to maintain it...wish me luck.

Scrumping apples!

This may be hard to believe but little Tink just loves fruit,but she especially loves apples. Recently if left to her own devices we come home to find bits of fruit, apples, peaches, banana, plums, pears etc all over the living room because she just can't resist them. We have to put them well out of her reach to stop her. She will beg and drool if I eat an apple in front of her and gets most upset if I don't share.We have a curving low branched apple tree in the garden over the steps that is laden with cooking apples....well it was! she Up until nowhasn't really eaten loads of fruit but over the last three days we have found the cooking apples all over the garden in various stages of consumption, Tink has also had a very upset tummy (not funny with a little fluffy bottom)....mmm I wonder why? After a few emergency trips to the shower, I watched her carefully yesterday from the bedroom window and to my astonishment she was taking a flying leap off the bank at the overhanging branch and snapping at the closest apples!!! She got three and was just carrying off the last prized one by the stalk in her mouth so it looked like a big green dummy, when I intervened and nicked them back. She yipped and yapped at me so much you'd have thought I had stolen her dinner. No more fruit for her...I harvested all the lowest apples and moved the fruit indoors even further out of reach. I gave her a very plain dinner,breakfast and supper tonight and I think we have solved the problem of the little scrumping Tinkerbell!!