Whirlwind

Second coat on the kitchen door, door handles rubbed down, well actually it took a craft knife to gouge the old paint out of the grooves, much better

Friday was my birthday, need to forget the number, normal day but such a wonderful evening

First we met R, A & T at the park they had discovered in Calpe, footie, flying areoplanes, scooter, headers, go Yaya, you do it, this is where you find the knees are not what they used to be. The park had trails with zig zag and spirals for little people to follow and the good old hop scotch.

Next onto the Italian restaurant, right on the beach, wonderful views, out came the goodies, Theo had already let the cat out of the bag by declaring how he and Mummy had been baking a surprise birthday cake for Yaya, but of course its a surprise you know Yaya, bless him, you couldn't help but laugh.

Present time, come on Mummy, presents, so we spend an age opening each present that they had  painstakingly wrapped, lots of little gifts that made up a huge basket of wonderful pampering gifts, and a wonderful handbag/shoulder bag, beautifully soft and exquisite.

The meal was delicious, pizza, steak salad and more, then the cake, Theo loved blowing out the candles.

Such a wonderful set of memories to treasure

Back to basics, I sanded the clockroom door and glossed it, bright and fresh

Then Grandma duties, including a bit of a rush to  complete Theo´s costume for the Benissa fiesta, last minute stitches, velcro and it´s done.

We arrived early to get a good position, all the children were dressed in various costumes then came the various floats with confetti raining down, so much thought went into the proceedings, drums, bands of wind instruments, noisy, but great fun.

Rebecca has been exploring the job market, she had 3 interviews in one day, the main one being in her field of the holistic, beauty business, the red tape here is confusing and difficult, these are on going , but I´m sure she will find her niche.

Yesterday, like today, I was pleased help, another interview,  and spanish lesson, so had a lovely day building bricks, discussing books, talking your socks off and enjoying every single minute.

Maybe tomorrow is a chill day, no matter how much you love them, I think a little bit of tlc for me may be in order , selfish, no, just pacing yourself.

I´ll do some photos when  can process them

take care 

xcx

 

  

 

Little projects

Time has flown by, with so many other things to do I think blogging and reading went out the window for a bit.

I was pleased I managed a post on Sunday, couldn´t miss an anniversary like that.

Rebecca and family managed to get a bargain all inclusive mini break away to Tenerife. I was surprised that even from here it was still a 3 hour flight. Their hotel was pleasant with shared facilities with the sister hotel, so they were able to enjoy the indoor swimming pool and through the videos you could see Theo loving it and gaining confidence in the water. So looking forward to summer when he can enjoy our pool.

They visited the zoo/nature park, having a wonderful day, and several trips to the beach, black volcanic sand and rocks of course but Theo immediately searched for a special rock to bring home for YaYa and Yayo, bless.

Theo wanted to share his days so they called every night, we heard everything from the huge plane to transport rides, seeing the dolphins, penguins and wild life to the beach and swimming. So lovely to be able to share and feel included in their week.

We had a break in the weather so I started to clear an extremely overgrown area of the garden, a walk way down by the garage into the top garden. 4 days later it was finally done, needed a break after that though. Didn´t bother with a pic, there is only so much undergrowth you can show lol

I am making a wall hanging for our bedroom, slow but sure and bought some gloss paint to colour the accessories in the en-suite, a large mirror and a small bathroom cabinet that I had found a few years ago in a charity shop for 10e, both very discoloured.

then the after....

 

   A dusty faded wicker basket with a new look for the courtyard and a revamped terracotta pot 

A few projects having been beckoning me in the house, too many in fact! so I sanded down the kitchen door, both sides and the surround and glossed them. It´s only when you start that you realise how grotty they had become, 

Part way, although the coverage wasn´t very good so it has needed 2 coats. Unfortunately this seems to have made my project list even longer....

A little tip....place a sliced onion in the vicinity you are painting and it absorbs the horrible paint fumes, it really works, also you can use this if someone has a cold, flu etc, place by the bed side and again it absorbs the bacteria/germs

I apologise if I haven´t caught up with your blog, will aim to do better

right off now, another evening meal, probably another don´t know too

take care

xcx

Social history

 Today is the 95th anniversary of my maternal grandparents wedding

They were married 17th April 1927 on Easter Sunday at the Church of St George the Martyr, Southwark. Sam was 22 and Rebecca 24.

There were 6 couples married simultaneously with two vicars, my grandparents are fourth in line. Apparently it was the last time such marriages were conducted on an Easter Sunday.

With it being such an unusual event it made national news with the congregation teaming with pressmen along with the guests of all the brides and grooms. This was from the Daily Sketch.

They had quite a few knocks during their marriage, the depression, WW2, a hit and run motor accident which resulted in Sam losing his right arm, and in 1963 we nearly lost both of them to carbon monoxide poisioning due to a faulty boiler. They were saved by their dog who whined and barked, alerting their neighbour. 

I used to stay with them in the summer holidays and have so many very fond memories of them, caring, happy, loving couple.

In 1987 they celebrated their Diamond anniversary, they received a telegram from the Queen and we threw a lovely party for them in the residents hall of their sheltered accommodation. I made them a two tier cake, which incorporated a photo of their wedding housed in an icing frame, along with cupids and icing flowers. 

I also made a horse and carriage from piped icing and the flooding method, (seen on the left). This was for Grandad, he had worked with horses for most of his life, including being a drayman for Courage brewery.

 

They had so many stories to tell, which I loved to listen to, I asked them to write about some of these stories and so have hand written social history of their lives, absolute treasure.

Happy anniversary

take care

xcx