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.

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 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.

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.

2012 has arrived ..HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

The New Year is here...after the celebrations over Christmas with family and friends it is nice to draw a line under the over indulgence and return to normality. We went to Fat Fighters on Thursday and miraculously I only put on 2lbs! Andy (who has been a bit of a piggy) gained 5lbs. Having said that he loses it far more easily than me  so I'm sure he'll be back on track in a week or two. 

Xmas day was spent in Malvern with eldest daughter Danie and hubby Charlie and the fabulous 6 kids, Erin,Kate,Will,Ben,Grace and Tom. We went up on Xmas eve after collecting the Organic Norfolk Bronze turkey crown and the biggest slab of Welsh Black beef you can imagine. The van was loaded to the hilt with food,booze,presents,decorations and party things, not to mention suitcases. The children went off to bed after the traditional reading of a beautiful paper sculpted book..The Night Before Christmas. We read it to our children every Christmas eve and still do even though they are all grown up and now it's the Grandchildren's turn.  We then had fun sorting out all the piles of prezzies and getting ready for the big event. On Christmas day we were joined for a fabulous lunch by my lovely Sister Sharon and cherished family friend Heather...12 of us around the table with party poppers and crackers..lovely grub and great company...HEAVEN! We played daft games in the afternoon and then settled down in the night to watch Xmas movies. Danie was very clever about present opening and it was done in several stages allowing the kids to actually enjoy the gifts before moving on to the next.

On Boxing morning we were joined by Kaye,Simon and little Sebastian, all dressed up in his little elf suit. 

Sebastian in his Elf suit

After lunch we made our way home and were greeted excitedly by the little Tink and Dan and Lyndsey. More presents to unwrap...especially Tink! On Tuesday I was back in work for the morning,did a bit of shopping in the afternoon and cooked a full turkey dinner for the evening arrival of Kaye,Si and Seb. Yet more present opening and even more goodies for Tink. She especially loved the Xmas hat and scarf for the lovely Gemma Bevs!

Super cute Xmas Tinkerbell.

The mighty Joe Schmo played their now traditional 'inbetween',  gig at The Plough and Harrow in Murton on Wednesday night and it was packed to the rafters as usual.

Friday got us all together again this time Hannah,Megan,Karl,Pippa,Finn, Sue and Mike joined us and we somehow squeezed 13 around the table for a huge roast gammon joint with all the trimmings and followed by the biggest trifle in the world,cheesecake and a flaming Xmas pud, not to mention the vanilla sponge castle cake with chocolate frosting the girls made!!! 

Megan & Hannah with their Castle Cake...Yummy!

The damage to the waistline doesn't count on such warm and momentous occasions and after a great game of 'Don't Panic' which Hannah won by a mile, we all agreed it was a lovely day.

We saw the New Year in at Sue and Mike Prankerds with more scrumptious food,copious amounts of booze,great friends and a finale of fantastic fireworks and a bonfire in the garden. 

2012 has gotten off to a great start and I have a feeling it's going to be one of the best years ever! 

I have been blessed with a year of marvellous happenings that have given me wonderful memories and I know that I am truly blessed and for this I am deeply thankful.

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.