"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"

I'm guessing that you could probably write a whole Blog about Christmas just using lines from popular seasonal songs! I don't really have the time to do that at the moment but I might try and slip a few in as I write.
So this is Christmas! Last Christmas (that's two already!) was a real family affair. The house was busy and there was no room at the Inn, so to speak. The only person missing was Lizzie, who had only just started dating Phil, and had already booked a trip back to the States to be with her family. Mind you her presence was almost tangible as Phil pined for the girl who had so quickly stolen his heart!
This year will be completely different and we have reached the time in life when, as parents, we have to gently unfurl our hands and let our offspring free to do their own thing. It will be strange and has caused me to reflect the many happy family Christmases we have enjoyed over the years.
The first Christmas Gordon and I were married was very exciting. I had just found out that I was expecting our first child and we were both over the moon. No one else knew and we revelled in our own special Christmas present to each other. Each Christmas since then our house has echoed to the sound of over excited children, various noisy presents kindly given by over enthusiastic Grandparents (one day it will be my turn. Be afraid, be very afraid!), later equally keen teenagers wanting mobiles, designer T shirts, Computer games etc., and now adults who enjoy just being together.
The times they are a changing! (Dylan, but not festive!). This year our brood will not be gathering at our nest. Instead they will be spending time with their other families and enjoying the type of Christmas that their spouses have come to cherish as part of their heritage.
Am I sad? Yes a little, but I am glad that they feel they are free to make choices that are for themselves. I would hate to be the type of Mother that won't let go.
In the near future they will start families of their own and will begin to develop their own Christmas traditions. The baton has been handed over to the next generation and that is only right and proper.
The upside is that we get to have a weekend in January with all of the family together. And what a time that will be!
"So here it is Merry Christmas every body's having fun!" It's more than just "Mistletoe and Wine" and "Deck the Halls". "Santa Clause is coming to town" and we shall all have great fun.
We shall miss them all but I'm guessing we might be back to a full house next year (and Gordon and I are already taking bets on who might have their own little secret Christmas present then!)

Time rolls by!

Autumn is a time of year that makes me feel a little confused. The evenings have grown longer and darker and there is a distinct chill in the air. Memories of summer are quickly fading and the worst of winter has yet to hit us. And yet there is a serenity and beauty about the changing season that cannot be appreciated at other times of the year.

The leaves on the trees are now far and few between and the colours of "Fall" are spread out on the ground like a luscious carpet of the deepest hues. As I drive down the country lanes near my house I find myself distracted by the beauty of the merging colours of the surrounding woodland, the magnificence of which cannot be overstated.

The fields are almost all empty of their crops now, and the ground has been tilled in readiness for next years harvest. Bare, dark patches of earth worked through all weathers by hardworking farmers.

Today the tree surgeon/gardener arrived to prune back the diseased Cherry tree and the vast hedges that surround our front garden. It needed doing and it is the right time of year to do the job. Arnott (yes that's right!) and his team went for it big time assuring me that it would look incredibly harsh but that the garden would benefit from the radical procedure. He wasn't wrong! The lushness has gone and the garden looks a bit sorry for itself at the moment. Roll on next Spring says I!

It made me think about how our lives sometimes need pruning right back to get rid of the deadwood, and encourage healthy growth. These processes are a bit painful and can leave you feeling a bit exposed. But it also brings a clarity and a light that is often blocked out by the thick, overgrown branches of life. Like my garden the new growth will be better, stronger and more attractive. Worth the initial pain of The Gardener's secateurs I think!

Wedded Bliss!

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What a wonderful weekend my family and I have just had.Together again for the first time in nine months, we gathered to witness my son's marriage to his beautiful wife.

It was a glorious day full of fun, laughter, solemnity and sincerity. How proud was I of my fantastic offspring! Three handsome sons and a beautiful daughter now joined by the most amazing daughter-in-laws that any family could wish for.

The whole day was so delightful. From the outstanding October sunshine to the picturesque setting of the reception hall. From the historic and beautiful church to the togetherness of all who gathered to witness this amazing event.

The organisation hasn't been without it's ups and downs, or stresses and strains but they have only served to strengthen the resolve of the couple committing their lives to one another.

Here's to a long, happy, fulfilling marriage that will bring hope and joy to all those who have the privilege to share their lives with Phil and Lizzie!

"Be careful what you wish for..."

At the end of this week we shall have a new addition to our family. No I am not about to produce a tiny bundle of joy to keep me busy in my old age! Rather than go to all that trouble I have managed to get myself another daughter in law! I can't express how excited I am at the impending nuptials and at welcoming another beautiful woman into the family.

As I was contemplating the changing family dynamics yesterday and chatting about it to a friend of mine I was reminded about the days when my life was full of babies, toddlers, dirty nappies and sleepless nights. Being a mother to three boisterous, but incredibly gorgeous young boys and a beautiful daughter with special needs, I was always very busy and often exhausted but I always made sure that I spent time praying for them and their futures.You see it was always very clear to me that these children were not mine to keep! They had been given to me for a time and one day they would have lives of their own to live. My role was to prepare them for that day.

One of the things that I often prayed for was their future wives. I have enjoyed a fantastic, loving marriage that has brought me more joy than I could possibly have dreamt of. I have always wanted the same for my children.

Whilst they were growing up, so were the girls that would one day be my daughters in law. So I prayed for them. That they would have good relationships with their parents, that they would come to know Jesus as their Saviour, that they would be filled with fun and laughter, that they would be everything that my boys would need in the future. At the same time I prayed that my sons would be great husbands and together their Dad and I sought to teach them Godly ways of conducting their lives and treating other people.

So next Saturday my second son will promise to love and cherish his new wife- "for richer or poorer, for better or worse, in sickness and health, till death do they part" and I know that he will mean every word of it. And we will welcome Lizzie into our family with open arms knowing that she is the one we have been praying for since Phil was tiny.

"Don't fence me in..."

My attention has recently been drawn to a blog (now made into a book) of a young wife and mother of three, whose husband wanted to move the family to the wide open spaces of rural Northumberland. It goes by the title: " Wife in the North" and tells of the enormous upheaval relocating from the bustling bright lights of London to the remoteness of a small Northumbrian backwater.It is a very amusing and insightful blog and mirrors many of my experiences on doing the same thing some four years ago.Whilst my motives for moving North were somewhat different, and having had three of my four children already left home, I can nonetheless relate to the emotions and bewilderment of being so far removed from the comfort derived from familiarity.

It was four years ago this week that my husband, daughter and I uprooted ourselves from the hustle and bustle of "the smoke". Everything that I knew and loved was gone in the three hundred mile drive up the A1/M. Family, friends, streets and local amenities that I had grown up with faded from the rear view mirror as we sped our way to a new life.

Yes, it was hard to adapt to the quietness and remoteness of a more rural setting, and yes I did find myself longing to just pop on one of the frequent trains to Charing Cross to visit a familiar tourist attraction (not that I did this much when I lived there!) But time has taught me to appreciate the amazing place in which I now find myself living.

Northumberland is the Uk's best kept secret! Golden, sandy beaches that stretch for miles, deserted but for the occasional dog and it's owner.Magnificent castles that suddenly surprise you as you come around a corner. Wide, vast skies that go on forever and the darkness of night,black and solid, devoid of the orange glow of street lights and illuminated office blocks.

Yesterday I had to deliver a wedding cake to a country house hotel and then drive on to the Market town of Alnwick to take part in a food fair promoting local produce. As I motored along the country roads I couldn't help but think how lucky I was to have all this on my doorstep. I drove for miles without seeing more than a handful of other cars. The undulating hills and fields, sheep and cows grazing peacefully, farmers harvesting their crops. What a pleasure to live in such a wonderful place.

Water, water everywhere...

This last week has been very strange. Eight days ago we experienced rain on a scale that I've never witnessed before. Torrential, all night long and throughout the day.

I awoke on the Saturday morning to a dull brownish light that seemed very different to a normal morning light, even for a rainy day. The rain was lashing down, just as it had been when I went to bed the night before.

The nearby Market town of Morpeth has the Wansbeck running through it, an old town that has developed around the snaking bends of a usually calm and genteel river. It occassionally overflows a little, but after a catastrophic flood in 1963 the flood defences have done their job successfully.

I had to go down to the town that day to return some library books with my daughter. It wasn't pleasant as the roads were already becoming water logged, running off the fields and down the hills into the town. Having parked the car next to the river I was shocked to see that the Wansbeck was already steadily rising. At 10 o'clock it had reached almost to the top of the bridge arches and was a raging torrent.

I jokingly commented to the Librarian that she would need a boat to get home in later that day. She laughed it off saying that they would be okay! Having sorted out the books Hayley and I walked up to the main street to do some banking and a bit of shopping. There was water everywhere and the roads were beginning to resemble small rivers. We hurried about our business and got back to the car both soaked through to the skin.

Once home we both had to change all our clothes but soon settled down to the normal Saturday routine. After about an hour a dear friend of mine, whose house is right next to the river, rang to ask if she and her family could take refuge at our house that night as the river was rising at the rate of a foot an hour and they were taking as much of their furniture as they could upstairs in preparation for the inevitable flooding.

Suddenly the urgency of the situation began to hit home and I began to prepare the house for the impending visit of six wet, homeless refugees.

What happened over the next few hours was reported on the national news. The flooding of Morpeth, along with a number of other places in Northumberland, headed the main bulletins. Footage of the area and the emergency rescue operation beamed into houses across the nation. It's strange seeing familiar places completely under water: shops, sports centres, parks, streets. Peoples lives broken open by a deluge of water that swept through the town.

There isn't a person in Morpeth that wasn't affected, or knew someone who was. For my friend it was a double whammy of house and business washed away. It will be many months before people can get back into the homes they love. Many had no insurance and are trying to survive in houses that are damp, smelly and without gas and electricity. Those that had insurance are slowly moving into rented accomodation until their houses are returned to normal.

What happened last week has changed peoples lives. Many have lost almost everything but no one was injured and there was no loss of live. Despite the sadness and sense of bereavement, it has brought out a spirit of togetherness and a desire to give whatever help is needed.

It has made me sad to witness such an event but it has also made me begin to appreciate what others all over the world experience to a much greater degree than the dear folks of Northumberland! For us it was an extaordinary event that is only usually witnessed once or twice in a lifetime. Somewhere in this world, right now, people are having to deal with situations that are far worse than we could ever imagine. The cameras will not always be there, and the aid may not reach them in time. If nothing else, what has happened in my "backyard" has helped me to think a bit harder about others hardship and appreciate what I have.

Think before you speak!

I am always astounded by the way commentators seem to completely lose all sense of intelligence when engaged in verbal banter during sports events. One can forgive them when describing an event whilst it is in progress. After all trying to make sense in the 10 seconds or less it takes for an athlete to run the 100 meters is nigh on impossible, and many events become quite fast and furious in their closing stages!

We are all aware of British commentators such as Murray Walker and John Motson making incredible faux pas' whilst trying to get a grip of what was happening on the track or field they were observing. But who in their right mind, having had time to think about what they are going to say in a programme that rounds up the days sport, doesn't check what they are saying makes sense or cannot be misconstrued?

Such was my surprise on hearing Gaby Logan commenting on a swimming event the other day. "He is the best Breast Stroker ever!" Me thinks that with a little thought this could have been worded a bit better.

Mind you I am sure that some of these presenters deliberately try to include comments that can be misinterpreted. I am reminded of Blue Peter presenter who, when describing a set of door knockers from Durham Cathedral finished by saying:"They are the best pair of knockers I've ever seen!" One for the adults watching I think.

So, on goes the sports fest that is the Olympics, joined today by the official start of the football season. Good job the weather has been dreadful! Staying in is the new sport in our house and very tiring it is too!

"Tis the season..."

Time flies and, as I get older, I am left breathless trying to catch up with it! So I found myself unusually unprepared for the beginning of the new season. No not Autumn or Festive, but the new football season!

Having lived most of my married life in a male dominated household I kind of got used to the devotion of my men to the beautiful game. In fact I prided myself on the fact that I could be relied upon to know just what was going on, where and who scored the winning goal. My now husband was astounded by my knowledge of the game when we first started dating and even now I take an active interest in what's going on. If you can't beat them, join them! My eldest son often brags about my ability to know when a certain game is being played, much to his friends astonishment, and will often phone me up to find out rather than leave it to chance.

Nevertheless it's not something I particularly enjoy and was staggered to find out that, in not quite the middle of August, the Community Shield is taking place today, marking what will be the beginning seemingly endless football fest! The commentator was bemoaning the fact that it had been thirteen long weeks since the last season ended and twelve since the FA cup was played. He forgot that we have also had to endure a months worth of European Cup games throughout June/July, albeit without any home nations playing! What with that and the Olympic games we shall be the fittest armchair sports watchers in the UK. Well, when I say "we" I mean "he" ! For I shall take a cursory interest, find out what's happening and go about a normal way of life glad not to be glued to the TV.

A girls best friend?!

I work with chocolate! Yes it's true. There are jobs that involve making and creating chocolate delights. I'm not talking Cadbury's or Rowntree's massed produced stuff. These are genuine top quality truffles, chocolate bars and other delicious treats. It's a tough gig but someone has to do it!



Today I offered to work in the shop where we sell the chocolates as my boss (and friend) wanted to spend some quality time with her family. It's not what I really enjoy doing as I find it a bit boring, but today wasn't too bad. School breaks up this week and I had a lot of children buying end of year "Thank you" gifts for their hard working teachers. Lucky teachers! I used to teach and all I got at the end of term were cheap bottles of plonk ( and I mean cheap!), awful smellies that my Granny would have liked or cheap chocolates that were almost at their best before date!



Chocolate is, as I've come to realise, a girls best and worst friend. What can cheer you up as much as a bar of your favourite choc (accompanied by a glass of particularly nice wine) or a couple of champagne truffles? But then again we all know the effect that too much of that glorious treasure has on our figures!



There are days when I come back from work absolutely sick of the taste of chocolate. I long for something fresh and tangy, but it is a short lived dislike. Back at work the next day I'm ready for more!



Those Aztecs of long ago discovered a substance that brings pleasure to us all. Forget diamonds! Chocolate rules!

Upside down!

My daughter is one of the most adorable people that I know. She is vivacious, loving, funny, full of life and hardworking. She can also be stubborn, awkward, vunerable and obssessively compulsive. It's amazing what a difference an extra chromosone can make! You see she has a condition known as Trisomy 21, commonly labelled "Down's Syndrome". When I was young it had rather ugly title, but thankfully times have moved on and in this politically correct society she is often referred to as having a learning disability!

What a conundrum! Down's- named after the guy who first collated the characteristics of these fabulous people and linked it to an extra chromosone on the 21st pair.

Oh how I wish his name had been "Up"! For in my mind there is nothing down about my daughter or her life.

Sure life isn't all peachy, but that can be the case with all one's offspring, as I have experienced lately (but that's another story). And other people don't always make it easy for her to have the freedom she so desperately wants.

We have, as a family, had eighteen and a half years of living with the most wonderful person, who has contributed so much to our lives. What we have experienced hasn't always been easy, but we have all benefitted from the richness she brings to our lives and have become better human beings as a result.

Don't get me wrong. I think all my children are fantastic, and they know it. It's just that she has taught us all so much just by "being".

I long for her to have the life she wants and to experience the joys of adult life to it's full. She deserves it and the world is a better place because of people like her!

For better or worse....!

I have come to realise that these "Blog" thingies come in waves. After a couple of weeks of distraction and lack of inspiration I suddenly find myself wanting to put finger to keyboard and blog again! Sorry everyone but here I go.

My inspiration comes from a recent blog written by my future daughter-in-law after the sudden realisation of what it means to be in love with an accident prone Brown! Welcome to the roller coaster ride of loving commitment!

Singleness, whilst having its drawbacks, can be quite indulgent and sometimes selfish. No one to answer to and a certain freedom that cannot be exercised when one has to take into account others needs.

Relationships that are bound together by the overpowering bond of love, on the other hand, have a freedom of their own whilst giving a responsibility to address each others needs.

Experience has taught me that life is not fair and has never promised to be. So much of what we experience is out of our control. Sickness, unemployment, inability to conceive a baby, handicap, bereavement... the list goes on. For many the pressure is just too much and they have to walk away. But for others it brings a strength and depth that is just amazing.

Commitment is not a slavish bond that takes away one's freedom. It is a liberating relationship that means I don't have to "do it on my own"!

I'm glad I promised: "in sickness and health" and "for better or worse". Relationships that promise such devotion are not for the faint hearted, but boy are they worth it!

So there you go Lizzie! Welcome to the family. I just hope that you are as happy together as we are.

Like father, like son.....

None of us like being told that we are "becoming our parents"! It strikes horror in our hearts. I wince when I catch myself coining phrases that my mother used to use. But I guess that when you live with someone during those formative years somethings got to rub off!

I was amused the other day when I showed my Hubby my sons latest Blog detailing his proposal of marriage to his darling Lizzie. It was very romantic and having set the scene he waited for his beloved to arrive, and I quote:" With Bible in tow I set about reading Proverbs 31 and Prayed".

"What!", exclaimed said Hubby, "Bible in tow!"
"Don't you remember when you proposed to me darling? We were fasting and praying for a dear friend at the time" I reminded him.

Need I say more!

And the little one said...!

I share a bed with a snorer! Have done for twenty five years! You never get used to it. There are good nights when I manage to get to sleep before him but once it starts...boy is it annoying.

I love my man , of that there is no doubt, but I hate the snoring! Waking up in the morning feeling like a zombie and just wanting to curl up into the duvet and go back to sleep.

Once it starts there's no stopping, then suddenly...And I panic. Why has it gone quiet? Is he still breathing?! Yes he's just turned over and is quiet for a while. Then come the silly little noises, the little whispers and sighs that continue till the next snore.

And do you know what the most annoying thing is? When I have a cold and wake up the next morning to be told that I woke him up with my snoring! Where is the justice in that?!

Wow!

I've just had a comment posted on my last blog. I'm really excited. Do people really read this stuff?! I'm on a roll at the moment and just can't wait to blog again. I guess this is the honeymoon period. If I'm not careful people will think that I don't have a life, but I do.

I am an almost redundant mother! Well I guess I will never be really redundant but three of my four children have flown the nest and my youngest is ready to stretch those wings and fly!
In many ways I can't believe where the time has gone but gone it has, and I will have spent twenty five years caring for, and guiding my four little fledglings.

Some days I am sad that I don't see that much of them as I would like, but I am content in the fact that they have turned out okay. They all have good jobs, one is married to the sweetest girl and another is marrying later this year (to another lovely girl). I have done my job. I will always be there for them no matter what. I have, along with my husband, produced three lovely young men and a daughter that brings great joy to many (more about her in future posts!) Job done! Now it's up to them to make their impression on the world and to the next generation.

Grumpy old woman!

I think that I'm turning into a grumpy old woman! I guess that my offspring would argue that I have been for a very long time, but it has only just come to my attention.
Take this morning for instance. I had to go into Morrisons for a couple of things because we have some friends round for dinner tonight. Saturday! I always try to avoid Morrisons on a Saturday - and here's why.
On a Saturday, Morrisons allow various groups from the community to raise money by packing peoples' bags for them in return for a donation. This, in principal, I have nothing against but we live in a very affluent Market town and the fund raisers are usually trying to raise money for activities that are not essential to the fabric of daily life. It's usually for new rugby shirts or a nicer scout hut. Now if it were to help youngsters less fortunate than our often over indulged locals I would be more sympathetic. If it were for a charity that helped a local hospice or teenage cancer trust I would be right there with them. But no. Busy Saturday mornings with long queues and your shopping being packed haphazardly into your bags, all the time feeling obliged to contribute to a fund to help youngsters enjoy a trip of a lifetime in South America or the like!
See I am a grumpy old woman. I've finished the journey and arrived!!

Virgin Blogger!

So what do I know!? Here I am sitting at my computer having been inspired by reading other people's Blogs and.......Well suddenly I don't know what to say! All those day dreamy times when I constructed witty repartee in my mind have suddenly dissipated into nothing. What do I know?

Everyone else makes it look easy, but I guess that comes with practise. One day I will excel and people will be logging in in their hundreds just to see my take on life and all that it throws at us.

Until then I will persevere, conjuring up words that fit together to entertain others. But maybe it will be my inability that will cause mirth to other Bloggers and readers.
Hey! I have just become a Blogger! What secrets and thoughts I will share! What response will I get?

Can't wait for the next time. Does it get less embarrassing?