Snapshots

We all have them, those snapshot images in our mind. The images that at times we would like to erase and images we really hold on to forever, they are like templated in to our brain.
They are photographic in our heads.

 Jeez everything is photographed now, we instagram, we post on twitter and Facebook whole parts of our lives are now documented on social media. I was thinking of the snapshots in my life and how obviously they must be of importance as why would they be in my head.

Here goes in no chronological order.

Seeing my son laid in the road after being knocked down, he didnt see me
My mam getting her first car, a mini, she was overwhelmed
Being there at the births of T L A & G 
Being at weddings that you know are just right 
The  Rose of Sharon going in to the hospital when my dad had died
The day of going to rehab with my daughter
New York it was amazing
Thailand always somewhere I wanted to go 

I could go on 

Sha x

Complimentary

We have just got back from Thailand and I have lots of stories to tell. Instead of doing them in order of happening I thought I would tell them as they come in to my head.

We inadvertently ended up in the place we stayed twelve years ago, more of which later. Not too much had changed except for the place seemed much more family orientated which suited us perfectly, the menus had European food and there was a new hotel next door.

The hotel we were in had our sun beds on the beach and next door had theirs. About a week in I noticed these lovely rattan bags everyone next door seemed to have on the beach and took a liking to them, they looked very stylish and roomy, holding all the paraphernalia you need on the beach.

I sent hubby off to ask one of the guests where they had got them from. The lady he spoke to said you could buy them from the hotel. I went into the back of the hotel to purchase one and when they realised I wasn't a guest apparently they had non in stock and wouldn't have any for
 a month. I was on a mission, hubby was sent to the foyer only to be fobbed off, they were on to him too.

Now this made me more determined to bag me one of these bags! In our hotel we were given complimentary dressing gowns and slippers, which you could buy, next door were given complimentary bags. Everyone in the next door hotel seemed to be non English speaking but I approached a couple and asked if they spoke English, sure they did they responded, but struggled to understand my broad Yorkshire accent. I eventually managed to make myself understood that because I wasn't a resident at their hotel they wouldn't sell me a bag but wondered if they would get one for me.

Over dinner that evening I was telling hubby and the couple we had met in our hotel of my encounter and to be honest I didn't have a lot of confidence in that they understood me and they were leaving the next morning.

Never judge, at 8.00 am the next morning I had a call to my room, it was the guy from the next door hotel, he had got me a bag it was 500 baht, a bargain, and would meet me on the beach in the next 10 minutes. He asked if I was Scottish as had found my accent difficult to understand, they were going to Bangkok to shop and were from Abu Dhabi. I wished them a good trip and told them how much I appreciated that they had gone out of there way to do that for me.

Shit goes on all over the world, wars, conflicts but simple acts mean a lot they unite, we may not completely understand one another, it was only a bag, nothing big in the grand scheme of things, however those small things are about human beings connecting.

As far as I am concerned there is nothing more complimentary from one person to
to another than acknowledgment, acceptance and maybe some assistance.


Sha X

The Holidays Have Begun

The weekend has been a busy one. I decided to hold an impromtu family get together on Saturday for about 15 of us, I have said before I love my sister and my brothers getting together, we ate good food, drank Pimms and reminisced, with lots of laughter. The thing that struck me was how although we remembered certain past events that we were all in unison about, how some events we all had our own take on which were very differing memories, as they say ask different people about certain things and the whole story can be very different. The thing that amused me apart from singing "The Things We Do For Love" a favourite of our sister, who in the days of leave the arm off the record player it would play on a loop, was how my brothers never knew we played down the beck, they thought this was their domain.

A had been at a party at Xscape luckily one of the other mums agreed to drop her home which meant I could prepare the food for the family. Sunday I took the kids to York Cemetery who were having an open day with a treasure hunt and a cream tea afterwards. T as we pulled up groaned " This is well weird" but after being given the clipboard with questions and puzzles to solve got in to it. The cream tea afterward was very nice and for me it was good to see the beautiful chapel which was so lovely I would have no hesitation in recommending to families for a service.

Monday T was off to Alton Towers, and Tuesday mass at school for A for the last day. The holidays are here and with my diary in hand it is looking like with careful planning there are only nine days of child care to cover. I really have a bit of a problem as in the problem is me, as to who I will let the girls be with. Lots of offers but I am really selective, the only people I have ever let look after them is family. As it is my sister big birthday party on Saturday hubby will stay at home with girls.

Sunday I am really looking forward to as I have booked a few days away with my hubby, just us two. The last time we did this was three years ago. He keeps asking me where are we going. I'm sure he will be pleased with where I have chosen and I think on the quiet he has pretty much guessed although I am hoping the venue will be more than a surprise and exceed expectations.

My lad is coming home for a couple of weeks as they have a shutdown over summer, which I am looking forward to, The plan is to do something at least once a week with girls. So I will don my entertainment officers cap and see where that takes us.

Work today was an odd day, we had a meeting and towards the end of it, well it didn't feel right for me, however I had the most beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered as a thank you from a client, how many can say that in their job.

There are other underlying bits and bobs going on, but I need to process them in my head before writing about them.

The holidays have begun.


Sha X

Proud To Be A Yorkshire Lass

Now I can't profess to be much into cycling but over the past few weeks seeing yellow bikes pop up all over our county, jersey bunting adorned and floral displays of red, white and blue, villages and towns really celebrating such an historical event,  you can't help but get caught up with all things Le Grand de Part. Tour de France in bloody Yorkshire who would have thought.

Last night was a colleagues leaving do, she's off to pastures new, literally, off to do her dream job in the Yorkshire Dales, a stunning part of the world. We had arranged to meet for a meal and a drink in Wetherspoons our usual after work meeting place for whatever occasion. Our group gathered on a table and ordered our food. You know the drill, table number then go to the bar and order. I turned to my left to ask my colleague what he wanted to drink but it was a stranger and jokingly said with a soft Scottish burr he would have a speciality scotch with ice, we laughed at my mistake and went to our tables. After we had eaten a couple of pensionable age with waterproof jackets plonked themselves at our table, taking off their jackets and settling themselves in. I thought they were the parents of one our group that I hadn't met. We established that they were complete strangers, and that they were completely hammered.

As the lady had sat next to me she proceeded to have a conversation that I understood about two words out of ten. Her husband went off to the bar and a couple behind me pointed out that he was wandering around the pub looking for where his wife was. I went to get him taking the two pints of bitter from him as he was spilling them. Back at the table his wife was not best pleased, she didn't drink bitter and flounced off to get a lager. He told me she usually drank orange, well she hadn't been on the orange today. They have been married fifty years, are from Leicester and were staying in the TravelLodge next door, and from what I could gather wife wasn't happy and was going to complain first thing in the morning.

Nipping out for a ciggie the couple behind us were looking on bemused, we got talking, they were from Birmingham and were having a weekend away and we were laughing about our aquired companions, they were a little shocked as they said they expected it to be the young ones who would be ever so slightly inebriated. As I was leaving the guy from the bar came over to me to go meet his wife. Again another couple in their late sixties, they were from Aberdeen and I told her how I had inadvertently pulled him at the bar with the offer of a drink.

Today watching the Tour de France the sun shone showing off our county at its glorious best. Seeing the route lined with so many people and how everyone turned out for the start in Leeds and end of stage 1 in Harrogate. Our Royals being part of it was great to see. The weird thing was not one of the couples in the pub visiting our county over the weekend knew that this was going on. I do hope that they along with the whole of the people attending the event felt our warm Yorkshire hospitality.

I think we brushed up well, roll on tomorrow.

#Yorkshirelassandproud

Sha x

Holding Out

For some reason my gut told me to hold out. Very last minute my sis in law wanted a weekend away in a caravan on the coast. She constantly texted me with ideas but as payday was a week away it needed to be very reasonable to justify this last minute break. And mid week my niece came up trumps, my other sis in law had stayed at a caravan last year in Hornsea. I phoned the lady the next morning and it was available, cue wondering at the price of it whether it would resemble the caravans we stayed in as kids, gas lamps and a pot under the bed to pee in.

Mad rush on Friday after work to throw bits and bobs together for myself and the kids. The thing is with the Yorkshire coast you have to cover every weather condition. Car loaded and arrival of my sis in law and nephew we were on our way. It was raining and I had arranged to meet the lady who owned the caravan on site at 7 pm. I really needn't of worried it was a nice caravan the lady had put the fire on and electric blankets apologising for the weather. It was all very cosy and perfect for us for the next few days. The kids were so excited. Fish and chip supper and we all snuggled up planning what we would do the next day weather permitting.

A brighter day greeted us and as I've always wanted to go to Spurn Point we headed off with buckets and spades. My hubby always says when we go away that I just HAVE to find a landmark to go explore, unfortunately they always look nearer than they actually are. I spotted the light house at the end of Spurn Point and that's where I was heading. Seeing signs on the way warning to check tide times was a little disconcerting but as this would be at six we had plenty of time. Spurn Point is the little bit on the English map where the North Sea is on one side and the Humber Estuary on the other, at high tide they meet. A's health and safety head was on high alert. What a schlep!! It was bloody miles away and the kids did so well to walk so far.

We were planning on going out that evening but after the unplanned expedition we were all knackered. Dinner on the front and back to the caravan for showers and pjs was all we were fit for. Sunday was bright and we headed off to Hornsea Mere. It's funny that you have some wonderful places to visit on your doorstep that you never knew existed and it takes someone who comes form another part of the world with an insatiable appetite for all things to discover them. The Mere is well worth a visit it's lovely. We took a boat ride over the lake and I got one of my favourite nature shots of a swan taking off. The kids fed ducks, geese and swans who were very brazen they followed you to your car for bread. A couple of hours on the beach after lunch kept the kids happy. I then morphed into my dad whilst packing up the car and making sure the caravan was all spic and span. A couple of quid in two pences for the amusement arcade and we were done, ready to head home.

Holding out payed off on all levels. It ticked all the boxes, we may do it all again in October half term.



Sha X