Elizabeth

Belinda's grandparents gave her a doll for her 2nd birthday in 1977 and as this coincided with the queen's Silver Jubilee the doll was duly named Elizabeth. She became a much loved doll although in later years suffered the idignities of make up and hair cuts. When Belinda left home Elizabeth remained sitting on the side in the spare room.

Over the last 3 years our grandchildren have all been offered the opportunity to play with Elizabeth .... Thierry calling her Belindabeth as he muddled the fact that she was Belinda's with her name.

On this visit Lily has really enjoyed playing with the doll, dressing and undressing her and sharing bath-time. She is fascinated by the pictures of her mum with the doll but was most upset that we no longer have the various pushchairs and prams that she was photographed in.

Cakes I have made

Birthday cakes

When our children were young I always made their birthday cakes and tried to be creative... then as they got older and we were busier I gave into the age of convenience .. why would you make a cake when shop bought ones are light and fluffy, ready to eat without the dramas and are just so convenient.

Well a couple of weeks ago I asked Thierry what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday, without hesitation he said he wanted "James" this year as he had "Thomas" last year (he is a big Thomas the Tank Engine fan). I casually agreed that that was a good idea and that Nanny would find him one. The only problem was none of the stores make James cakes only Thomas.

Not to be beaten I decided I would make him a cake ... after lots of checking out the Internet I came up with a design. Of course I cheated and bought a slab of Madeira cake ... Arthur enjoying all the pieces I discarded as I cut out the shape I wanted. The finished cake looked quite presentable but as we then had a two hour car journey I took lots of pictures in case the actual cake didn't make it to the party.

The cake arrived safely with us and as you can see Thierry enjoyed blowing out the candles. His face when he saw the cake made it all worth while, the only problem is he then asked what kind of cake I was making him next year!

It's a dog's life.

Whilst I spent the last week in Stoke-On-Trent dog sitting Arthur spent the week at home looking after our dogs. Buster, our 9 year old Lhasa Apso had to be taken for his regular haircut and has to have his eyes bathed every day as he no longer makes natural tears. 6 year old Lady, who is a staffy cross, had surgery on her knee 3 months ago but after the initial recovery period she was still limping and so the vet prescribed swimming once a week and at least two long walks a day to help build up the muscle strength. After 8 weeks of hydrotherapy she is looking very fit and well, although she is still limping when she first gets up. Not sure what the 8 weeks of long walks has done for Arthur though. Here is Lady "enjoying" her swim ... she splashes a lot but is happier to get out of the water.

I enjoyed my week looking after Ella, Sugz and Missie but I also took the opportunity to visit one of my favourite places Trentham Gardens, http://www.trenthamleisure.co.uk/ not on this occassion to stroll through the gardens, enjoy the lake or visit the monkeys but to browse through the shopping units. There were lots of new units open since my last visit and being alone meant that I could take my time and browse around the various gift and craft stores and the garden centre.

Ella kept me company whilst I used the time alone to read my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was as good as all the others and the only thing that made me put it down for a while was the two very heavy front paws landing on my shoulders and a wet nose nudging at my neck. I know I am not good company once I am lost in a book. I have enjoyed all of the Harry Potter books although they are very different from anything else that I read.

Where did grandad go?

I found Buster and Lady on the couch alone ... where is Grandad?

Scrapbooking

I have been trying my hand at scrapbooking and have started a memory book celebrating the lives of my parents, Iris and Jim Pickard.

It takes me a long time but I am sure I will get quicker at it. Of course I do need to get more organised as at the moment I have taken over the little bedroom (a problem when Thierry came to stay the other night and insisted on sleeping in his room!)

I have been using my parents old photos, my father's diaries and talking to my mother to help me create a book that celebrates their lives and will be there for our grandchildren to know what their great grandparents were like. The diaries are amazing as they were started when my sister was born and were kept until we had all left home.

My mother who is 87 now has enjoyed watching this book grow and as I tackle each new page I am able to get her to try to recall information and to talk about the past. I wish I had embarked on this when my father was still alive as he would have enjoyed telling his tales, he was a great story teller.

When this book is finished I will start on one about ourselves and our children so that our memories are not lost. So any family information or old photos about the Fo family will be gratefully received as otherwise our book will be a bit one sided.

It's a great new hobby and despite Arthur's occasional appearance in the doorway saying "Have you finished it yet?" he has enjoyed hearing about my parents past and especially the snippets I read to him from the diaries.

Precious times

I spent my entire life (well until 2004) saying "I want my feet firmly on the ground" so those who knew me then will be surprised to learn that I actually enjoy flying and can now manoeuvre my way around the airport, through customs etc with the best of them. Even my experiences on the return journey this last trip when I spent 3 hours at Fort Lauderdale airport sat on a small plane (well smaller than the cross atlantic plane) on the edge of the runway in a violent storm and then missed my connecting flight at Orlando have not put me off... although I have to admit to a few minutes of panic.

So why do I do it now ..... for those precious times with our grand-daughter Lily Kai and of course her mum, to enjoy feeling part of their lives and feeling needed by them. Then of course there is the great weather, the pool and being pampered ....... It isn't just Lily who gets her nails painted! Of course the reality is that on the two occasions that I have travelled on my own to Florida it has been to help Belinda move house. I think twice is enough but I hope that doesn't mean my trips will end.

My other big adventure whilst in the sunshine is learning to swim. I could swim a bit as a child but was never a strong swimmer and then years of not getting in the water meant that I lost all confidence .. and of course there are not many successful swimmers who manage to keep their face dry! As soon as I am splashed or my face gets wet I give up. Well not any more. When its hot the pool is very inviting and when left to play with Lily round the pool there is no saying you are not getting in. Lily was intent on teaching me how to swim and was very reassuring, swimming off to fetch me a noodle float. She couldn't understand my reluctance to put my face in the water and said with exasperation " .. but you JUST do this nanny!" So by the end of my 3 week stay this time I was more confident in the pool and could swim the length (as long as I had the pool to myself). One small step for mankind but a giant step for me. So I need to go back soon, the pool at the new house is fantastic and I need to carry on practicing.

In the past we have missed out on special events because I wouldn't travel and was always too busy at school .. the time was never right. Now we appreciate that we have to make the time right and get on with enjoying every precious moment and each new experience.