Finding a new Beach

Last Saturday we were invited to go and join some friends for a beach barbecue down on Hayling Island where they live (about 45 mins drive from us). We have visited theirs before and know that the beaches down there are all quite pebbly. That is the reason why we have never looked at going there on 'beach' days as our children love sand. Imagine my surprise when we were greeted by this site.

It was quite a difficult walk over a very pebbly bit of beach to start with but we went round a corner and were met by an expanse of over a mile of sandy beach. This is one of those beaches that only appears when it is low tide. We arrived about 4.30pm to find it quite dull and grey around the edges, the forecast was a bit mixed but we all decided we would brave it out no matter what.

We were soooo pleased that we did. Within 45 minutes the clouds cleared and for the rest of the evening we had blue sky and sunshine.

The children played in the sand.

Walked our friends dog.

Paddled in the sea.

Frisbee and cricket were both played. We also got to watch lots of great big Cruise liners leaving Southampton Water into the Channel as they all left for great adventures.

Good food and drink were consumed and it really was just a smashing afternoon. It was great fun to watch the tide slowly coming in and by the time we left after 7pm we were the only ones left on this stretch. It really couldn't have been much more perfect. Thank God for the lovely area that we live in and for lovely friends x.

Our New Shed.

There seems to be something decidedly middle aged about getting excited about a shed. This is the shed that my husband and I promised each other for our 13th wedding anniversary last week. (Though he cheated and got me the most fantastic picture).


When my dad brought my niece down t0 us last weekend, he helped me to decide which was the best (and cheapest) for me to purchase. A few days later I had the conversation with my husband and we decided on the size and I bought it on-line. To pay someone to erect it would have cost more than the shed again so we decided we would have a go ourselves.

Now it has to be said, I love flat pack furniture, I get a great buzz out of making it and can usually do it despite the weak joints. I was not however terribly confident about getting a cheap shed together.


It arrived a couple of days later last Friday and with the children all very keen to help we decided to start it when my husband came home from work later that afternoon. First we set about painting the side that was going to be up against the fence.

While this was being done we got the door fitted in (though it had to be taken off again and refitted once we had erected it - bah!).
Then the excitement began of putting it together.
By 7.30pm we had got this far and though we couldn't shut the door it was starting to look like a shed.
Saturday my husband was working an early shift, so I devised an extra pocket money option for the children and they all took part in painting the rest of the shed. While I refitted the door and started to cut the glazing (they had delivered the wrong size and thought it would be quicker to just cut it myself than wait for new stuff).
As we were out for the afternoon and evening on Saturday we down tooled, but took them up again Sunday morning (we skived on church - naughty naughty) to get the roof on. Rain was forecast for Monday so I was quite keen to get this done. It is not quite finished just have the facings to put on the roof at the front and back but it is up, stable and water tight.


We managed to get all this done with hardly a strong word said - no easy thing for darling husband and I when it comes to DIY. I am hoping that this is further testament for us both that the extra effort we are putting into communicating with each other through the challenges we are presently facing, is well worth it - horrah!

Creating

In all the angst of this week, by necessity I got out some craft bits yesterday to make cards for the next week. I have been card making since before I got married, but made the decision just after my first was born in 1999 that I would no longer purchase cards. Until this last year I have reasonably kept up with this. Making all birthday, celebration and Christmas cards every year, my children have grown up believing if you want to send a card you make it and I love this attitude. Making a card gives me the time to sit and think about the person that I making it for and most importantly of all to pray for them.

The last 6 months or so I have really struggled to make any, when in emotional turmoil my creativity takes a nose dive, therefore I was quite surprised at how quickly I got these done yesterday. Like with writing card making does not always go the way you want/hope, but as a first draft I am pleased with what I have produced.

So tell me........

Why do you leave your wife when she becomes seriously ill?
Why do you leave your 3 year old daughter when her mother is taken into hospital?
Where were you on all those birthdays?
Why do you avoid paying any maintenance to your child for years and years, going to such extremes as putting all purchases in your new partners name to avoid them being repossessed?
When have you ever cooked your child a meal?
Why do you always take her shopping to buy things for yourself when you decide to see her?
How do you have the nerve to turn up at your ex-wife's funeral?
How can you plan to leave the country and your motherless child less than 6 months after the mothers death?
Why do you buy her a new mobile phone for her birthday giving her Internet access but not bother setting it up with any credit?
How do you put your child through a medical examination that she doesn't want to do because you want to call her a dependant on your work visa application?
Where were you when your daughter had her first day at a new school?
Why do you only contact her when you want something?
What right have you got to continually remind her about how much you are choosing to reject her?

I would just love to know.

13th Wedding Anniversary

Yesterday was my 13th Wedding Anniversary. So much has happened in 13 years, alot of it seems to have been just in the last 6 months! The day didn't start great. My daughter woke me up at 5am and I didn't really get back to sleep. My husband then came in from his night shift and I said happy anniversary to me - and I have to confess, I had completely forgotten it was! I hadn't even got him a card. We knew that we were busy so had agreed not to do anything particularly special - we had even agreed no presents - we would just buy each other a shed as we really need one!

It was therefore an amazing surprise when my lovely husband went into the back of my wardrobe and pulled out something big (now then!). It was a beautiful painting by a local artist whose pictures we had been longing to purchase for several years. I am not easily moved to tears by gestures, but this one sent them trickling down my cheeks. Today we have put it up in the place that has been waiting for a picture since we had our new fireplace done several years ago. Maybe our house is starting to feel complete in more ways than one.

My Aliums Misses

It's been a very busy week, so nothing on the blogging front and I've missed it! Still not got much brain left for creativity, but I have been working on something for a few weeks and as the last part was obtained yesterday I thought I would share it.

Last year, about February time, we had my step mother in law coming for a visit. About a week before she came I realised I still had a packet of Aliums that she had brought me the previous year and I had never got round to planting. I hastily planted them thinking they would probably now amount to nothing (I was rather cross myself). Despite my first small step (the only thing I had to do was plant them!), they flowered just a few months later though they were very small.

This year they are absolutely lovely, I am so pleased with them. I was so excited when I saw how many flower heads had appeared. When they first started to open I decided to try and capture them coming out in all their glory.

I was surprised how long it took them to open a little more. The photos aren't great I'm afraid they were taken on our little snappy camera which does not have a terribly good zoom.

Just yesterday, after a really good Spring week (lots of sunshine and showers!) I asked my husband to take this picture on his superduper camera - I could not believe how many bees were covering them!

As I start a potential minefield of a week, I'm praying that I might have the patience to sit back and let things take their course. God knows how beautiful my situation could become and I will trust him to make it bloom in it's own time, knowing that I will be able to sit back and admire the achievements that have occurred because of my first small steps.

Everything is blue.

Well shades of anyway - I have got a very blue garden at the moment. I'm not sure I planned it that way but this spring I have really noticed the colour changes in my garden. First there was just the odd white snowdrop. Then lots of yellow narcissus. Now it is blue

The bluebells are from my husbands old family home, we were given some bulbs years ago and this year they have finally taken a firm stand (I was always told they would take over my garden but never quite believed it).













I can't remember whether these blue geraniums came from my sister or my husbands, they most certainly do take over but with their first blooms of the year (they will continue all through till the end of summer) I am happy for them to have as much space as they like. I separated some of these last year and put them into my front garden which is not quite as sunny, but I have just noticed the first flower heads starting to appear!





This flowers name is 'heavenly blue' (sorry can't remember its proper name). I put this in the year before last, attracted by it's amazingly brilliant blueness. I have been a bit concerned with it all through the winter as it's evergreen stalks and leaves have been looking very wooden, but it has not disappointed and is living up to its name.