What a year this has been! It has been such a long time since I have blogged....or to be honest...wanted to blog. It is only now with life settling into its new "normal" that I feel I have the concentration levels to start again.
When I last "wrote" on here I mentionned hospital visits. This was mainly with my father-in-law who became very ill in and around Easter time. He had been living in a nursing home for the past three years and was doing very well there. However, at Easter he became ill and went downhill very fast. For a few months he was in and out of hospital and in mid June we got the call to the nursing home that he was in a rapid decline and wasn't expected to make it through the day. However, he was a fighter and appeared to come out of it, with us even being able to spend Fathers' Day with him. He was able to get out in a wheelchair and share ice cream with us. That day is a very cherished memory for us because the following day he was back in bed and declined very steadily until he passed away on 5 July.
For the weeks prior to this we lived in a sort of bubble, trying to maintain a normal life for the kids yet spending every available moment at the nursing home. Since then there has been a different sort of bubble and life has been a bit "fuzzy", if you know what I mean?! For the kids' sake we tried to have as normal a summer as possible. We headed off to North Wales the week after the funeral as this had been pre-booked. We did have a lovely time, particularly as the weather was glorious, but we were in a bit of a daze. Here are some photos...
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| Llanbedrog Beach (National Trust) |
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| Llanbedrog |
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| Abersoch |
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| Abersoch |
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| A delayed "romantic" anniversary meal! |
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| Karting |
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| Meditating!!! |
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| A bit of R&R! |
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A few weeks were then spent at home getting things in order and then we took ourselves off for another week, this time to Fleetwood, Lancashire, to spend some time with my brother-in-law and his lovely wife. We had a lovely week and felt really relaxed at the end of it.
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| At the top of Blackpool Tower! I didn't spend long on that glass!! | | | |
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| North Pier, Blackpool |
Just before school started back we had a lovely treat given to us by a friend of Peter's. His son, who is only 17 (!!), has his pilot's licence, and he offered to take myself and the kids up for an hour's flight. It was a fantastic experience as we saw Northern Ireland from a completely different perspective. The countryside was like a patchwork quilt and was truly beautiful! The kids had a fantastic time, as had I, although my stomach landed half an hour after the rest of me!!
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| Belfast Harbour (Harland and Wolff) |
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| My house is down there! |
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The one activity that "saved" me through the summer was running. In May I had heard that Belfast was going to host a Half Marathon in September. The furthest I had run before this was 10km and that was only once or twice. I needed a challenge and a goal to motivate me so I decided I would give the Half Marathon a go. Three years ago when I started the weight loss I couldn't even walk the length of myself without struggling and I felt that since I had come so far I had to at least give this a go. I began training in June and continued through the VERY hot weather. On the whole I enjoyed it, it gave me time out, but there were times I found it hard to remain motivated. I am so glad that I did though. On Sunday I ran my first race and LOVED it. With the atmosphere of the crowd pushing me on, I ran my easiest run in ages. My aim was to run it in two and a half hours with, if I could push it, a possible time of two hours twenty. You cannot imagine my joy when my finishing time was 2:13:13!!! I have been on a bit of a runners' high since!! :)
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So, that's things up to date. The kids are settled back to school and I have been able to get time to myself to sort out the house and to begin crafting again, as this was an area that fell away somewhat over the past while. A new look to the blog...a new start! A new rhythm and routine has started and we starting to settle nicely into it. We even have a new addition to the family! Isn't he gorgeous?!
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| Inca | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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It's good to be back!!
4 comments:
Welcome back and thanks for popping by to see me :)
Your year looks one of lows but some amazing highs too - well done on the running :) AND being on the glass at Blackpool Tower - not sure I'd be so brave!!
Glad to see you have kept going 'through all the changing scenes of life' may your autumn be full of unexpected blessings and joys xxx
Welcome back.Congrats on the run and a great time too.
Gorgeous photos! A cat, hmmm!!!
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