Getting there.

I really feel like I am starting to get back to normal. I'm not in much pain any more and have most of my mobility back. I just feel like I have a mountain to climb to get back to full speed and to catch up in all of the areas that I am now lagging behind.

I am celebrating because I can now

empty / fill the dishwasher
empty / fill the washing machine and hang the washing.
Play with the kids
cook slightly semi decent meals. (which is good because the emergency freezer stash is done!)

I just feel like we have been in some sort of survival mode for the past couple of months and I am so ready for everyone to be fit and well and out enjoying some spring sunshine.

I want to take bike rides and walk in the woods. Play at the play park and visit the beaches. I am ready to live life again and not just hobble along behind everyone and take occasional photos.

Like the day we went to Tentsmuir.

The bikes were abandoned pretty swiftly! So K and I explored while the boys took the bikes back to the car.

A toilet emergency cut our trip short.

The toilets aren't open until Easter weekend. What??

Tentsmuir forest, beach and playpark- highly recommended unless you need a wee before easter .....

So we made our way into St andrews instead.

And now I had best zoom off of here before Murray realises I have been editing photos and probably straining my neck ;-)

There is a lot of fun stuff coming up, so I am going to rest up a bit more in order to enjoy them to the full.

Back very soon xx

Down.

Ugh I am down and out for the count.

What I forgot to mention on my beachy post last week , was that I have hurt my back. I haven't injured it as such, there has just been a lot of muscle tension /wear and tear building up. Team that with zero excercise and poor core strength and I've got myself a pretty poorly back.

I also seem to have managed to flare up an old issue that I have with my neck. Awesome.

So after a week of trying to muddle through, keep going and some fairly expensive (and mortifying) physio therapy, I have decided that sitting at a computer and looking at my ipod are not going to help the situation. So I wont be around here much until it's feeling a lot better. I have put a self imposed ban on my ipod as looking down at it has to be making things worse.

Today I feel fed up, I have a mystery cupcake evening planned for Friday night and was so looking forward to it, now I am just hoping I will be able to bake! My house, oh my, you should see my house. I always think that I do very little around the house, it is a standing joke in our family really. But this week I have done NOTHING in the house and it shows. Boy does it show. I can barely even stand to be in it! Ah well at least I get to leave it every day to go to work.......................... oh wait that's right, I work here too!! aaaaaaa.

Hopefully with some excercise, rest and a little tlc, I will be feeling better soon.

I may however require some therapy to get over the embaressment of having a complete stranger massage my bum. And don't even start about the belt................................

One fine day.

This morning as I lay in bed I knew it was foggy. I hadn't even looked out of the window, but I could hear the foghorn, down at the harbour.
The long moan of the foghorn is a welcome noise for me, I have always enjoyed listening to it. I don't mind the fog. I like the darkness it provides, the warmth you feel when you look out of the window, of your warm house, into the thick soupy day.

Around about 11am the sun broke through. The dampness that has been hanging around, began to rise. A thick steam rose from our fence, our grass, the field at the end of our street.

And there were blue skies all around

K has been asking to go to the beach, for weeks. She can't wait to paddle in the sea, build sandcastles and wiggle her toes in the warm sand.

On the walk to Nursery, we made tentative plans to visit the beach after nursery. If it was still nice.

I assured her that even if we made it to the beach, it would be welly weather. No bare toes.

Our luck was in!

Just beyond the harbour wall, the waves were breaking high. The tide was coming in , and it was in a hurry.

But that wall was doing it's job well. We were sheltered, warm and in a little haven.

Ah well, what would the beach be without some bare toes...

Thank you Mr sun, for shining so bright.

And now the fog has rolled back in, full circle.

It is lovely and warm in the house, looking out on the thick soupy evening.

There is not one room in my house that could be called tidy. I didn't know where to start cleaning it, so I didn't.

I prepared our dinner , emptied all of the gross stuff out of my fridge and called it good.

I headed to the beach, with no regrets and my good friend Sonja's words ringing in my ears.

When I am (hopefully)old and on my deathbed, I will never look back and wish I had done more housework.

I will never wish to have spent less time playing with my children.

I will hopefully remember one glorious March afternoon where my little girl and I had the whole beach to ourselves and we had fun. We collected treasure, ate a makeshift picnic and had bare toes, in March.

A lovely day indeed.

Isn't life strange. For the past 3 weeks our house has been on an illness merry-go-round. Murray got sick, K got sick, I was sick and now K is sick again. In amongst it all there is of course work, school, homework, clubs, nursery. Oh and we hosted a birthday and birthday party in there too.

Thankfully by yesterday I was feeling better and my migraine that hit on Sat night has finally passed. K and I  are on day two of lying on the couch cuddling. If I try to do anything else she gets upset because she wants Mummy close by, or she follows me around. Which drains what little energy she has and we end up back on the couch again anyway. I have had to take today off work. This is no bad thing as it will give all of the kids a chance to recoup, they have all had bugs and sniffles going around and around. The carousel stops here! Hopefully next week they will all be fighting fit and have nothing left to pass on to each other.

But, hey! The sun is shining,  I am beginning to think spring is in the air, bulbs are reaching their little green shoots towards the sunshine. My two guinea pigs are stretched out along the front of their hutch, soaking in as much warmth as they can. Meatball is stretched out on my bed, basking in some delicious sunny patches.

My girly is in a snuggly mood and I have no where to be. What better way to spend a day than with one arm wrapped around my best girl.

I love finding unexpected sunshine in amongst times that begin very grey.

I have enjoyed the long stretches of time spent doing nothing, today, I have been able to finally sit at the laptop (balancing precariously on the arm of the couch, navigating with one hand ;) ) and FINALLY caught up on all of my favourite blogs. But, inevitably, this leads to more. It further fuels my addiction. Lol. I of course find new blogs to follow, new projects to drool over. Which ultimately requires more time to read them......

Well today I came across a real drool worthy blog. Oh be still my heart, the header on this blog had me hooked! I had not read one word but I just knew this was going to be a favourite. And she has an etsy store. sigh.

Nice day at Rosie's. Doesn't it just make you want to curl up, by a sunny window. Cuppa in hand. Meatball or snuggly girl by your side. (optional but highly recommended.)

I hope you are having a nice day where you are. I hope you find a little unexpected sunshine too x

A party for a Princess

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a beautiful young princess.

She had golden hair,

and wore beautiful gowns.

With jewels on her shoes

and butterflies in her hair,

she was the most beautiful girl in the land.

On the occasion of her 5th Birthday,



a party was held in her honour.

With party boxes for all of her Princess friends,

complete with a wand,

a white chocolate wand pop with royal sprinkles,

some pearls (of course)

and some bubbles.

Flower garlands were made for their hair. 

Princess K handed these out when everyone arrived so they could wear them throughout the party.

Princess Kirsten decided that only the special Birthday Princess should have one of these special wands.

A feast was prepared.

And a happy but serious little Princess waited patiently for her guests to arrive.

The little Princesses feasted and dined

Princess Kirsten listened while they all sang to her.

She made a wish and blew her candles out.

After the royal feast, the princesses played some games.

 Very soon it was time.The time they had all been waiting for.

Aunt Sarah, the magical Nail fairy arrived.

And with her, she brought treasures galore.

The little Princesses enjoyed their party.

Their Mummies and Daddies arrived and they all returned to their homes throughout the Kingdom.

And the beautiful Princess Kirsten lived happily ever after.

 tutorial for the hair garlands here