I have been thinking about death a lot lately. Not in a suicidal, morbid way but just trying to grasp the reality that one day my loved ones are going to die.
Bringing a new life in to the world is the most amazing thing. I was in awe of life for weeks after LD travelled from belly to moses basket and I guess I still am. Death wasn't something I ever really thought about but now all of a sudden I am aware my parents and close relatives are getting older. I even catch myself looking at them and wondering who will go first.
The first and only time I have experienced the death of a loved one was when my dear dog and best friend Zoe died in 2007. The loss was tremendous and I still think of her every day. How can life go on after the death of a parent, sibling, spouse, friend? It's terrifying.
Since this has been at the forefront of my mind I have been open to hearing snippets of the topic on the radio or tv. Jeremy Vine was talking about our (the Brits) attitude to death ie. we don't talk about it and this perhaps creates a fear of the unknown. Should we open ourselves up to discussion and allowing our children to spend time with the bodies of relatives like they do in other countries? Perhaps. Afterall it is a certainty in all our lives and as natural a thing as being born.
I am not afraid of dying.
I am afraid of leaving LD and husband before my time and I hope with all my hope to have a long healthy life for their sake. Profound love and selfishness wants them to live a long a healthy life too.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
This week I am grateful for...
Once again I am pleased to join Maxabella Loves I feel I have so much to be grateful for but my life has undoubtedly been massively enhanced by;
5. Learning to Windsurf. Taking up any sport as an adult is challenging and Windsurfing is really technical. I spent a week feeling a bit thick (the whole wind direction and sail points regarding wind took a lot of getting my head around). However, I have achieved the basics and can't wait to get on the water again. This new hobby has given me a new sense of self and re-awakened a child like enthusisam for life. It has also improved my self confidence by giving the old baby brain a thorough work out!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
One week of windsurfing and I'm hooked!
We are back from our Windsurfing holiday in Greece and I am hooked! Can't wait to try out my new (limited) skills at our local beach. I know there is less appeal when you have to rig up your own kit (and wear a wetsuit) but I am keen to keep Windsurfing.
When you haven't been abroad for a while you forget the way the heat hits you as you step off the aeroplane. It's wonderful, however I must say LD struggled with the heat for the first couple of days. We discovered UV sunsuits are perfect for swimming but very hot for hanging around and sleeping in - shorts, T-shirts and shade worked much better. Oh and why do manufacturers make the buggy uv nets black? Surely their is a niche in the market for light coloured ones?
Vasiliki is a small village on the Island of Lefkas, just off the West Coast of Greece and is a wind-surfing hotspot. The lack of wind was not a problem for the virgin windsurfers like myself. Getting to grips with the basic techniques is best practised in light winds. For those (like hubby) who can already windsurf and wanted to try new skills, test different boards or just hoon about it was not a great week for wind.
I was apprehensive about taking LD abroad (just couldn't get Madeleine McCann out of my head) and wanted to have a look at the creche before blindly releasing my precious man in to the depths of the unknown. This was a bit of an error as the kids club facilities were amazing. They were based on the beach with a lovely cool room and lots of toys. Sadly they were fully booked so my reluctance to book LD meant he really missed out. On the up side he spent a lot of time with Daddy whilst I was doing my Bridget Jones goes windsurfing impressions and this has really cemented their relationship. LD now asks for 'Daddoo' most of the time!
The great about this kind of holiday is you meet lots of other like minded people. The social life at Club Vass was awesome. Having a toddler kind of changes the way you approach the night life (we were in bed by 10pm more than once) but we still enjoyed meeting new folk and have swapped numbers and e-mail addresses to keep in touch. On the last night we found ourselves having a meal and drinks in the town with the other three families - isn't it amusing how families gravitate towards other families? A shared understanding, perhaps?
Now we are home and it feels like a dream. We have started saving for two weeks at Club Vass next year .... maybe if I keep practising I may be able to stay on the board by then!!
When you haven't been abroad for a while you forget the way the heat hits you as you step off the aeroplane. It's wonderful, however I must say LD struggled with the heat for the first couple of days. We discovered UV sunsuits are perfect for swimming but very hot for hanging around and sleeping in - shorts, T-shirts and shade worked much better. Oh and why do manufacturers make the buggy uv nets black? Surely their is a niche in the market for light coloured ones?
Vasiliki is a small village on the Island of Lefkas, just off the West Coast of Greece and is a wind-surfing hotspot. The lack of wind was not a problem for the virgin windsurfers like myself. Getting to grips with the basic techniques is best practised in light winds. For those (like hubby) who can already windsurf and wanted to try new skills, test different boards or just hoon about it was not a great week for wind.
I was apprehensive about taking LD abroad (just couldn't get Madeleine McCann out of my head) and wanted to have a look at the creche before blindly releasing my precious man in to the depths of the unknown. This was a bit of an error as the kids club facilities were amazing. They were based on the beach with a lovely cool room and lots of toys. Sadly they were fully booked so my reluctance to book LD meant he really missed out. On the up side he spent a lot of time with Daddy whilst I was doing my Bridget Jones goes windsurfing impressions and this has really cemented their relationship. LD now asks for 'Daddoo' most of the time!
The great about this kind of holiday is you meet lots of other like minded people. The social life at Club Vass was awesome. Having a toddler kind of changes the way you approach the night life (we were in bed by 10pm more than once) but we still enjoyed meeting new folk and have swapped numbers and e-mail addresses to keep in touch. On the last night we found ourselves having a meal and drinks in the town with the other three families - isn't it amusing how families gravitate towards other families? A shared understanding, perhaps?
Now we are home and it feels like a dream. We have started saving for two weeks at Club Vass next year .... maybe if I keep practising I may be able to stay on the board by then!!
My first ever ice lolly - yummy
Let's have a beer then Daddoo!
Amazing kit at Club Vass
I am moving - really I am ....
Ok so this is how it should be done!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Fun ahoy!
We are going on holiday next saturday - whoop whoop. Vasiliki in Greece (windsurfing) for a week and then visiting family for the following two weeks.
Exciting as this is, the thought of packing for LD is making me want to hide behind the sofa. Amusingly I have, instead, busied myself with a spot of on-line shopping. So far I have bought a very cute doggy hooded beach poncho thingy (for LD, not myself) and a bumble bee raincoat. On reflection I think the latter is an example of my extreme procrastination on the packing issue ... it is 26 degrees in Greece and the raincoat is WAY too big. Oops, cute though.
I have only ever tried windsurfing once before. Daddy used to partake a lot but it is a bit tedious carrying all the gear down the various cliff paths to the beaches of Cornwall so he took up Kite Surfing instead. The prospect of our move to Scotland re-awakened his passion and he bought me a wind-surf board. A few days later I found out I was pregnant and didn't want to risk my precious unborn baby by the inevitable crashing in to water that was to prevail.
Taking up skiing in 2008 made me aware of the difficulty in learning a new sport as an adult. Bridget Jones pretty much described my form on the slopes so I can only imagine the fun and games that await on the water!
Having spent the majority of my life obsessively training as a horse rider (which will forever be ongoing) has made me quite competitive with my self - I can't help but wonder 'will I be able to surf big waves by the end of the week?' In reality I will be pleased if I can just learn how to set all the gear up and stay on the board ...
21 months after the purchase of the board I am finally going to have a go - bring it on!!
Exciting as this is, the thought of packing for LD is making me want to hide behind the sofa. Amusingly I have, instead, busied myself with a spot of on-line shopping. So far I have bought a very cute doggy hooded beach poncho thingy (for LD, not myself) and a bumble bee raincoat. On reflection I think the latter is an example of my extreme procrastination on the packing issue ... it is 26 degrees in Greece and the raincoat is WAY too big. Oops, cute though.
I have only ever tried windsurfing once before. Daddy used to partake a lot but it is a bit tedious carrying all the gear down the various cliff paths to the beaches of Cornwall so he took up Kite Surfing instead. The prospect of our move to Scotland re-awakened his passion and he bought me a wind-surf board. A few days later I found out I was pregnant and didn't want to risk my precious unborn baby by the inevitable crashing in to water that was to prevail.
Taking up skiing in 2008 made me aware of the difficulty in learning a new sport as an adult. Bridget Jones pretty much described my form on the slopes so I can only imagine the fun and games that await on the water!
Having spent the majority of my life obsessively training as a horse rider (which will forever be ongoing) has made me quite competitive with my self - I can't help but wonder 'will I be able to surf big waves by the end of the week?' In reality I will be pleased if I can just learn how to set all the gear up and stay on the board ...
21 months after the purchase of the board I am finally going to have a go - bring it on!!
Image by Salvatore Vuono
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
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