Family time

Hello! I hope you are all well in blogland.

I haven't been around much but my life is good right now and things are getting sorted so I'll try to do an update soon.

Last Friday my sister was visiting so we all went out for dinner. This is my niece's dessert creation!

Plans

My friend bought me this journal quite a few years ago and I haven't used it... until now! 

So... I know I said I was going to have a blogging break but I wanted to document this, that way I can look back and if my plans aren't coming together, I'll give myself a good talking to! 

I am getting there with all the things I've got going on but it has made me think a lot about all the plans I had. The main one being to travel but that has been on hold since 2008... a long time on hold! The reasons it has been on hold for so long is because I lost my job back in 2008 and had a tough time getting back into work then I went to college and although I've been looking for work and applying, it's really hard when you've been out of work for a long time! The other reason is because of being a carer for my nan, I didn't really feel that I could leave her as the rest of the family work or have families of their own. I know there are other options for her, I just need to look into it and discuss it with her.

The other plan was work... in all honesty, I thought I had it sorted and knew what I wanted to do. I had planned to go to University to study Midwifery, I've done the Access Course and I'm volunteering in Maternity at the hospital but after everything that's happened recently, I'm not sure now so that's another thing to get sorted! 

One good thing to come out of what has happened, is that I'm finally getting fit! I started swimming about six weeks ago and now I've joined the gym, I can't say I love it or that I feel pumped when I've been but it is good to be getting fit!

When I was at college, I met someone that I lost contact with when I left but we've recently met up a couple of times. He's made me realise that life is too short not to do the things you've dreamed of and that I need to be happy and get on with my life without always putting other people first. He is travelling for the summer so it's made me think about travelling even more!

My travel plans included visiting my Great Uncle in South Africa and doing the working holiday visa in Australia. I can't do the working holiday visa now... too old! I'm not 100% sure where I want to travel to yet but these two places are still very much on my list.

I have wanted to do this for so long, so now is the time to get a job (it is hard though!), read the travel guides, start making proper travel plans, maybe find a travel buddy although most people I know have families of their own (I feel a bit scared about doing it on my own!) and generally getting it sorted!

The travel guides I've collected over the years, mostly from charity shops.

Thinking...

Feeling a bit lost...

Hello lovely bloggers,

Here we are on the hottest day of the year so far and half way through the year. As you will have seen, I haven't blogged for a while. I'm feeling a bit lost at the moment, there's lots going on in my life right now, it's not all really bad but some of it is upsetting. I'm sure I will be fine, just need some time to sort myself out but I think I will have a blogging break for now.

I have still been looking for highlights most weeks and I had some written down, that I didn't get round to writing up. These included taking my niece and nephews to Paultons Park, going to the Harry Potter Tour, my cousin giving birth to twin girls, a couple of Birthday parties, going on holiday, seeing a band and meeting up with old friends and having a really good laugh!

Paultons Park

Harry Potter Tour

Harry Potter Tour

Harry Potter Tour

40th Birthday party

Weymouth

West Bay

I really hope to come back to blogging at some point this year and I will try and keep up with all your blogs too.

I hope you all have a lovely summer, whatever you're doing!

Highlight from my week

Hello! I hope you are all well? I'm still dipping in and out of blogland when I can. I don't know how bloggers with children and jobs, manage to find the time to keep up. I don't have either and I'm finding it really hard at the moment!

These are my highlights from the last few weeks.

I saw this crochet book on The Book People and thought it would be quite good for presents ideas. I found it cheaper on Amazon though. 

Photo source

I was on holiday with my sister and her children, a couple of weeks ago in West Bay. I didn't take too many photos but I'll try and do a post with the ones I did take.

My cousin, her husband and two children were visiting, this week for two days. The weather was so nice on Thursday we spent most of the day in the garden. We had lots of toys out, the kids a water fight and some of the adults joined in as well! As it was so nice we had a BBQ for dinner, we are lucky we have a fairly new Tesco Express 5 minutes up the road.

I hope you've all had a good few weeks, whatever you've been up to.

Highlight from my week

Hello fellow bloggers, I've been out of the loop for a while so here are my highlights from the last few weeks.

1st March

I bought this calendar in the sale. I don't usually have a calendar but I liked this as it's Coastlines of Britain. This is the March picture, which looks beautiful.

It was my friend's little boys Christening on 1st March, in Bracknell. A couple of my friends, that I used to work with were there and I hadn't seen them for about four years so we did lots of catching up! It was so nice to see them but as we were talking so much, I forgot to take any photos!

8th march

I'd had my phone for about three and a half years and it had been playing up for a few months. I was due to upgrade at the end of February so I had too. I have now got an iPhone 6, which is more expensive but is definitely worth it! The case is from Photobox and has my photo of Weymouth beach on it.

I saw my 1st bees and butterfly. The butterfly was a Small Tortoiseshell, they were on the Heather in the garden.

Hanging my washing out on the line for the first time this year!

15th march

I couldn't get a sock for my new phone, I like one for when it's in my bag. I found a video on YouTube of how to crochet one.

I saw blossom starting to shoot through on Thursday!

Highlight from my week

I had aimed to get up to speed with reading your blogs and writing up posts, this year but it just hasn't happened yet! 

My highlights this week were: 

Maternity volunteering which I started on Tuesday, after a long wait! I really enjoyed it and it all felt very natural. I was shadowing a Maternity Support Worker and learning the ropes! I'm not sure how hands on I will be able to be but it's all good experience nevertheless. 

I haven't listened to an audio book for many years but as I'm getting the bus to my volunteering, I wanted something to listen to other than music. It takes just under two hours to get there. I looked on my local libraries catalogue but didn't see anything that took my fancy! I'd heard some talk of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, it's a psychological thriller. To buy the CDs was about £22 but on iTunes it was £12.95 so I downloaded it for my iPod. I'm so glad I did as I'm enjoying it so far!

Photo source

Highlight from my week

My highlights from last week:

Snow. We had a little bit of snow last week! Not enough for a snowman though!

Seeing friends and their new baby. I hadn't seen my friends for a long time so it was lovely to see them and meet their baby boy. We went to TGI Fridays and this is a creation my friend made, he's a child at heart!

Thought for today

From The Friendship Book 2015

Highlight from my week

Hello everyone, I hope you have had a good week? 

My highlights this week were:

Birthday meal at our local Brewers Fayre, there were 13 of us. The service is a bit slow there but I did have a free meal!

Volunteer meeting. I've finally had the meeting with the Matron from Maternity! It's taken quite a while but I now have my start date - the 10th February. I will be starting on the Postnatal Ward, helping with whatever needs doing and getting some general Maternity experience.

Highlight from my week

My highlights this week were:

Winterwatch - I love this nature series.

Photo source

My first bunch of daffodils this year.

Highlight from my week

My highlights last week were:

Booking another Sun holiday! I was looking for a holiday for my sister and saw one in October that was a 'pay only £9.50' week. So I booked it, the whole holiday cost £40.30! It is at Haven Combe Haven, in Sussex near Hastings.

Hastings beach
Photo source

My niece and nephew had a sleepover here, on Saturday night. My niece didn't go to sleep until 10.50pm! She went off to sleep when I put some music on. It was nice to be able to spend some time with them, we went to the park, did some puzzles, watched TV and my niece painted my nails.

I hope you've had some highlights in your week.

Highlight from my week

Hello again! I hope you've all had a good week? This week has passed so quickly, I keep thinking about the things I need to get on and do but I never seem to find the time! Maybe that should have been one of my hopes for 2015, to set aside time to do jobs.

I have two highlights from this week. 

1. I met up with my friend on Friday evening for a catch up and we went to two of her local pubs. We actually went to one and there were only a couple of people there, so we went on to the other pub. We had one drink there and then went back to the first pub but there were still only about six people there, we stayed for one drink then went back to her house. It won't come as a surprise, that I forgot to take a photo!

2. I booked my £9.50 Sun holiday today! I'm going in June so it's actually £15 per person but it still works out cheaper than booking through the company. I'm going to Haven Littlesea near Weymouth, I've been there once before but it was years ago and I don't really remember it. There is a Lagoon and you can walk along the South West Coast Path in both directions from there, which I'm looking forward to exploring.

Photo source

Highlight from my week

Welcome to my new project for this year, Highlight from my week. As I mentioned in my New Year post, this might be one or many highlights and I'll hopefully manage to do a post every week. Please feel free to join in with this project!

My first highlight. I've have been meaning to get some photo albums for ages now. I went to town in the week and in Boots they had all of their albums half price. So, I got these two for £14, now I just need to sort out my photos!

Beginning a New Year!

Hello 2015! 

I hope you all had a good New Years Eve/day. Our NYE was spent at my sister's, playing the Wii and iPads, we have done this for the past few years now. The kids stayed up until just after midnight but were ready for bed by then! Today has been grey, windy, wet and dull, a day to stay in.

In last years post, here, I mentioned my four hopes for 2014. I managed to achieve two of them - meeting new/seeing old friends and to keep blogging/join in with 52 Weeks of Happy. One didn't happen - finishing my Granny Stripe blanket. The last one is getting there - job/pursuing a new career, I'm on the way to volunteering which will hopefully lead to/help with this.

Have you achieved your resolutions/hopes for last year?

My hopes for this year, let me think...

• I definitely need to have a clear out/tidy up
• I would love to do some travelling but I don't think that will happen this year
• To read more. I have my magazine subscription to catch up on and lots of books on my shelf
• To pick up where I left off with my crochet
• The obvious ones - to find work, have good health and good times!
• I forgot one! To carry on blogging

So, onto a project to do instead of 52 Weeks of Happy. My project for this year, is going to be a post with a highlight/s from my week. This might be one highlight or many from my week, I'll hopefully remember to take a photo and post something each week! This is similar to 52 Weeks of Happy and will make me think about the positive things. Please feel free to join in with this project, if it takes your fancy!

Here's to 2015, which will hopefully be a year of love, laughter, health and good times for us all!