Weekend trip

We spent this weekend visiting Courtney and his family. A four hour drive across Alligator Alley and up the other side of Florida. We went Friday evening and came back Sunday afternoon. We had a good visit and Lily enjoyed playing with Michael, following him around all day. We were pleased to see Arthur's sister Olga and his other nephew Mark. Marlon (Courtney's other son) and Ashley joined us all for dinner on the Saturday so it was a full house and good to catch up with everyone. Arthur loves going there to be able to indulge in good Jamaican food.

Tuesday is make your own dinner day!

Who's sunning themselves

After our daily chores we enjoyed a morning relaxing by the pool. The weather is wonderful although too hot by midday. Our peace however was disrupted by the arrival of a slippery friend who popped his head out from under the deck box. We have got used to the little lizards running around but are not so sure of the new arrival. With no way of knowing if this was harmless as a grass snake or a less friendly variety we were stuck watching him until he had cleared the patio door so that we could call Belinda and ask her what we should do. Her response was kill it or trap it for Kelly to kill later .. of course by then we couldn't see where it had gone so have been keeping a cautious watch!

Visit to the sunshine state

We arrived safely in Florida on our latest visit to Belinda and Lily. It was a good flight and as always Virgin Atlantic fed us well on the flight. we were tired but managed to stay awake a while, even walking to the local park with Belinda and Lily to stretch our legs.

As we arrived on a Tuesday Belinda and Lily were both out all week so we were able to just potter around and enjoy the sunshine. Next week Lily is going to come home from school at lunch time as she only has lessons in the mornings and the rest of the day is activities and after school care. Marley and Guinness kept us company during the day until everyone came home.

It has been unusually hot for the time of year and the temperature has been up to 87F. They keep telling us there is going to be a cold snap and that the temperature will drop to the low 70's, which is of course still warm enough for us. The pool is really good for cooling down.

On Saturday I went to get my hair cut and we ate lunch out. In the early evening we walked along the Waterfront and engaged in some people watching. It was a beautiful warm evening with just the right amount of breeze.

Brothers

We are really happy that our grandson, Jayden is now living with his dad and the rest of the family. It has been a difficult time for them all but everyone is happy that the decision has been made. Lawrence and Tracy have welcomed him into their home and Thierry loves his brother. The boys are in the same school year so we are watching with interest how that works out. Thierry loves shool but Jayden's previous experiences of school have not been good so we are all keeping our fingers crossed that he will love it at Heron Cross Primary School

7 randon facts about us

Sue (Lily's other grandma) has tagged me with this survey. Below are the rules of the game.

~Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.~Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, we all want to know them.~Tag random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.~Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I was born in London, England and Arthur was born in Kingston, Jamaica.
2. We have now been married for 36 years.
3. We enjoy watching sports programmes, crime fiction and sentimental films .. Hallmark is our favourite channel.
4. I love using my laptop, have started scrapbooking and love looking at old photos.
5. We enjoy spending time with our grandchildren.
6. We have two dogs, Lady and Buster.
7. We hope to move to a bungalow some time this year.

I have tagged

Carol

Memories

I have been busy creating the memory book of my parent's lives and although it has been slow going I have really enjoyed the challenge. This week I have reorganised the pages and tried to do more journaling so that people's comments, recollections and the details are not lost. I took these photographs of one of my mother's treasured possessions which I have been looking after for her.




This Easter egg was bought for my mother by my father in 1945, a few months before they were married. It is a hollow egg made of sugar paste with small sugar paste flowers and what appear to be card figures and animals inside. It was bought using ration coupons at a sweet shop called Horwitz, in Dalston, East London. The original cellophane has now crumbled away so I have had to wrap it in cling film and there is some discouloration of the icing but it is remarkable for a 62 year old Easter egg.

All the time I am working on this project I am wondering what memories people will have of us and what possessions they will considered worth keeping. I have also started planning future scrapbooks, organising photos and looking out for suitable papers and embellishments. I have decided to start on at least one of these now instead of waiting until I have finished my parent's book. The small bedroom is beginning to take on the look of a craft room and I spend a lot of time trawling the online craft stores for bargains.