Tuesday 8 January 2019

Christmas 2018 Part 1

My goodness the weather is atrocious, it is blowing a gale outside.  Yesterday the winds were 75 - 100 mph the ferries were cancelled for the day and it was grey and more grey.  Unfortunately we had to leave our cosy cottage as I had a physiotherapy appointment for my shoulder.  The drive over was hard going but each view amazing.  The sea was raging and battered the shoreline making it look like a boiling cauldron.  Thankfully no damage.

Our trip away started with a bad weather forecast, so we changed our plans and rearranged the ferry to avoid the worst of it.  The ferry over was choppy and I must admit to been relieved to see the shoreline of Ullapool.



The drive down through Scotland was uneventful but slow due to the freezing conditions.  It was certainly worth it to see my dear parents, they are doing well.  They have made the decision not to move up with us, they have made new routines and the family visit and help regularly so all is well with them.  It was a joy to spend some quality time and enjoy their company.  We had lots of fun trips out, Mums favourite is the Garden Centre at Woodthorpe which we love to admire the wonderful Christmas decor displays.



Next stop Ampthill to visit Amie and her little family.  How those children have grown, we had so much fun with them.  Bertie loves to play with his Lego and Honey still loves ballet.



Soft play is still a big hit which was included in our trip to visit Santa.  Honey is a joy to watch clambering after her big brother trying to keep up with him.  All credit to Bertie he is mindful of her and gives her a helping hand.




Not too big for cuddles...and both still keen to show their crafting abilities.





How cute is Honey all dressed for the cold.

Amie is an amazing cook and a great hostess so it was a joy to enjoy all her goodies that she had prepared for us.  They went off to Disneyland for Christmas whilst Gerard and I drove over to Norwich to meet up with our eldest daughter and her little family.   Once again we were spoilt and had some amazing food, cooked with love.  The boys have grown, Wilbur more so.





Then it was off to Harwich for the ferry over to Holland and our stay at Efteling, which I will share in another post. 

I have made a start on catching up with you all but still trying to get back into some normality here.  The laundry has now been done but we are still struggling to find homes for the generous amount of Christmas gifts and craft resources.  Mum is no longer able to knit so gifted me a large amount of wool she had stashed.  I have lots of great plans for future projects.  

As always I thank you for your visit and your comments.  

See you soon.




36 comments:

  1. Proud grandma ;)
    Great pictures !
    Take care !
    Stay cozy !
    Anna

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  2. What a wonderful trip! I can't wait to hear all about Holland.
    It appears that the UK is getting some really wild winter weather while I am sitting here today with the temp going up to 8C! We had such a long and bitterly cold winter last year that we are enjoying this for now - it won't last of course, but it's a nice reprieve.

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  3. It is dry here today but not as cold as last week. I am tucked away in the sewing room getting my blocks made and happy as Larry.

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  4. So glad that you found your parents doing well and that you had a good visit with them. Fun to inherit your mom’s yarn stash.

    Then the daughters and their children...all joy to see them growing like weeds. They are all so cute and must have been so excited to see you. That’s a wonderful photo of you and your husband.

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  5. Nice to see YOU!!!!!!

    Lovely times.

    Glad your parents are doing well, with family around to help out some. What age are they, may I ask? (We are in our 80's)

    Someone speaking of Tidying, makes us stop and notice, doesn't it? :-) (My post)

    ✨✨✨✨

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  6. How lovely that you got to spend such special time with all your family. Lots more precious memories made. I'm so pleased to hear that your parents are doing well, it must put your mind at rest now that you've seen them and know they're well.

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  7. We had a couple blustery days this weekend but it's calmed down now. How sweet to spend time with your family. It's nice to hear your parents are still doing well.
    xx Beca

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  8. Lovely to spend time with the family, and then return to a cosy home. Wish you all the best for the coming year. Take care.

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  9. What a blessing family is! I know spending time with those adorable grands made for a very Merry Christmas

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  10. A wonderful time with the family you had! Such sweet and happy looking grand children you have. I love that furry coat that Honey is wearing. Hard to find those here. I may try to make one.
    Wow, I can hear the wind whistling. Do you ever see sea glass on the shores after a hard wind or rough surf? I love the seaglass.
    Betsy

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  11. What a wonderful holiday you had!I can't wait to hear about Holland.

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  12. I'm so glad you shared some of the wonderful family time you had on your holiday travel adventures! You truly have some of the most beautiful kids and grandkids! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  13. glad you had such a good time with your family. You must miss them. didn't know you were coming to Norwich, I live here but would love to live somewhere like you do.

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  14. I loved to see the pictures of you and Gerard and your daughters and their families. Nice that all went well even if the weather could have been less fierce.

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  15. Oh, I so enjoyed seeing your photographs and reading your post, thank you.

    It's lovely that you got to spend time with all of your family. Fun times and special memories to remember and cherish.

    All the best Jan

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  16. How wonderful your visits were over the holidays! I'm so glad you were able to spend precious times with family. Sending you wishes for a wonderful New Year! ♥

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  17. Fun to see the photos of your family and see how the children have grown. It’s so nice you could be together for Christmas.

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  18. Thank you for giving us a peek at your travel and family. Excited for you about future projects with that yarn.

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  19. so nice to see your holidays and I'm glad you are getting caught up with being home! sometimes you need a vacation from the vacation, ha ha ha.

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  20. Beautiful pictures! Hope you had a great time.
    Happy New Year.

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  21. Your holidays were wonderfully full of family and visiting. I loved seeing all the pictures.

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  22. Good pictures. You all seemed to have a very nice Christmas! I'm looking forward to the Holland photos too.

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  23. Looks like you had a wonderful visit with your family. Looking forward to hearing about Holland.

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  24. Adorable grandchildren you have and glad you had a good time visiting them and your parents! We had high wind gusts Sat and some small branches off trees. Rain showers this week and chilly evenings. Megan waiting for word on more hours at work or a new job...again. Stay warm and hope your shoulder gets better! Take care ❤!

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  25. I'm glad that your parents are doing well. Moving when elderly can be a real effort, and if they are doing well there, that's good. Your grands are darling and how you must have enjoyed your time with them. Holland sounds interesting and I'm looking forward to reading about it. Our weather is wet and sometimes windy, but not very cold this year.

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  26. Glad you had a lovely time with your family.

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  27. Lovely to know that your parents are well.

    Golly how your grandchildren have grown. They are gorgeous.

    Looking forward to hearing about your time in Holland.
    Hugs-x-

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  28. I don't envy you the choppy seas but I'm sure it was all worth it to see the family and enjoy such a great time together.

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  29. It looks like you had the most wonderful time! I don't like boats, or even water, all that much. I got scared on the IoW ferry crossing and it was a glorious, sunny day! The weather here is cool, bright and sunny. New Year's Day here was a balmy 8c. Going away is always nice, but it's lovely to come home again. Best, Jane x

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  30. Wonderful trip with love ones. Such a lovely vacation.

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  31. Glad you got to see all your family. Lovely photos.

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  32. Thank you Lorraine for this wonderful holiday catch-up on how your holiday visit went for the 1st part. I will be catching up on part 2 shortly. Your grandchildren have grown and Honey was very cute in her winter wear.

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  33. I so enjoyed sharing your wonderful Christmas visits!
    Your family is lovely and the hospitality shown to you is a testament to your own amazing love and parenting. I adore your sweet parents too! I am responding also to your email!

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  34. Wonderful start to your holidays. Woodthorpe Garden Centre - we could have passed one another there! Your grandchildren are adorable.

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  35. You have the most wholesome-looking family. Bright eyes and perfect skin.

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