Here's my column which also appear in The Wokingham Paper.
It’s been one of those weeks when everything was planned and then a phone call put the spanners in the works, but in a good way so I am hastily rearranging our half term plans and wishing my daughter well for her knee operation. No one ever tells you when you’re pregnant what happens when your babies become teenagers so I am, like a lot of other mothers, learning as I go. Also no-one ever said parenting would be easy, well they didn’t say it would a stroll in the park either but if you’re parents then you will know what I mean.
When people ask how many children I have and my response is 3 the next question is what kind? I know they mean boy or girl so I say all the same and when they find out my lot are all girls they say oh dear. I smile sweetly and nod. I am blessed with 3 very different daughters and whilst life can be fraught it’s also good fun. One of mine said recently “before I met you I had never met anyone called Nellie”, after I had stopped laughing I said “before you met me you had never met anyone”. Children say the funniest things.
Weekend in Wales
Last weekend we were in Wales and the weather was gorgeous, admittedly it rained heavily on Saturday but Sunday was glorious making it much harder to pack up and come home. To delay it a little bit longer we arranged to see Caroline of Licorice between Abergavenny and Monmouth, all was going well and then we got lost with no phone signal so I had to drive back a bit until we got phone signal. As a result we arrived at the time I had said we would get home. Best laid plans and all that. It’s funny how we take things for granted and having a mobile connection is one thing we all rely on. Back in the day (growing up in Hurst where the power cuts were as regular as Benny saying Miss Diane in Crossroads) we relied on night storage heaters and a full scuttle of coal to get us through the day, now we can’t be far from a plug or WiFi!
Useful websites
Whilst the sun was shining at the Glanusk Estate Fayre and NGS Open Day we all had the chance to loll around on my new picnic blanket which is one of my new finds. I met Outdoor Lounge at the NEC in November and they very kindly sent me an outdoor lounge to try out. It’s a blanket with 2 pillows and a handy carry handle so it is self contained, easy to pack away and large enough for a gaggle of people to lounge around on. A very useful addition to the garden.
I also saw some great products from a company who had been at Badminton Horse Trials and was very tempted by the fire pit/barbecue from The Woodee and would highly recommend looking them up.
Last year I got given a marshmallow toasting fork from my friend Katherina who runs Ella’s Kitchen Company which was really useful, she’s got lots of Nordic inspired home wares and gifts and is offering new customers a 15% discount off for new customers, valid until 1 June 2016, just use the discount code NEL.
Bank Holiday weekend
I do enjoy a Bank Holiday weekend and this one falls in half term so there will be no Sunday feeling for a week for which I am very grateful for. I do admire people who glide through the weekend and then gently saunter into the week, but that’s not me! I trundle and bimble along all weekend and then just as everyone is going to bed I have a frenzy, meaning I wake up on Monday frazzled. I’m looking forward to switching the alarm clock off for a few days and hunkering down with my lot, catching up on their news and shoving my nose in a good book.
Have a good week, see you in June!
