Magic Holidays

Call me an old romantic but ever since Little Monster was born I've had this image in my head of him, me and hubs at the seaside. In my mind's eye, Little Monster is a toddler and he's squealing as the waves chase him and he chases seagulls. Hubs and I hold his hands as he dabbles his feet in the shallows and looks up at us with big, wide eyes. When he's bigger, we'll fly a kite with him and, eventually, teach him to fly our powerkite, maybe even go kite buggying.

                          (image by Karen O'D via Wylio)                                       (image by CeresB via Wylio)

Well, Little Monster isn't walking yet so chasing waves will have to wait but next week I'm taking him to see my parents for the first time at their home in South Devon. We're planning some coastal walks, some ice cream and, most definitely, a little sea paddling for Monster. We'll walk beside the coastal railway and Little Monster can see his first train. We've already determined that he loves tractors. What is it with boys and tractors?

My only sadness is that, since hubs had to use up his holiday to care for me and Little Monster while I was ill, he'll have to stay behind and work. So my job is to take lots of photos for him. Watch this space.

Putting things in perspective

It's taken me a long time to write this post, without really knowing why. I put it down and come back to it, trying to figure it out and put my thoughts in order.

I think the thing is that for the first time, possibly ever, I feel physically vulnerable. It doesn't seem to matter how much you know you're only human, how many lectures from teachers, parents, how many things you see and read about life and death. The fact is that, as kids and young adults, a lot of us just feel somewhat indestructible. 

Two weeks ago, I woke up in the night feeling ill. Several days and a lot of painkillers later, I was in surgery having my appendix removed. Appendectomies are so common now that they're considered routine and it's easy to forget that they can be life threatening and still have the potential to cause quite a lot of misery. Thankfully, so far, I'm making an excellent recovery but the last few weeks haven't been without their low moments. I keep fretting about complications, even though there's really no reason to think there will be any. I get frustrated about the twinges of pain, impatient to get back to my former level of fitness.

And all this, coupled with now having Little Monster in my life, has made me very conscious of my mortality. It's important to be around to see him grow up. I think what I really want to say is that being ill has provided some much needed perspective. If I'm tired because Little Monster has had me up 3 times in the night, or he's teething, or it's raining when we were supposed to go to the park, it doesn't really matter. I have a gift of 4 more months to spend getting to know my Little Monster. I can't promise it will be without moments of frustration or tears or anger but I do know how lucky I am. Hopefully we will make great use of that time. 

 

Flame for Hope

I wrote this at the beginning of the Olympics but didn't get round to publishing it on my blog for various reasons. I was so impressed with the way that the UK hosted and performed at the games. You did a great job all :)

8000 miles, through cities and dales,
To Lerwick and Belfast, 'cross England and Wales, 
8000 bearers, each story unique, 
Telling tales of our Nation, with action they speak. 
There's celebrities and children, sports stars to be made, 
Heroes of battles, the courageous and brave,
Cub leaders, charity workers and more.
We thank them with cheers and our spirits all soar.
We come to the Games. We come to compete.
To stand as a Nation, the world at our feet.
Our rowers, our cyclists, pool, track and field,
Our hopes for a Team GB gold medal yield.
It is not just our athletes, our country's on show,
We've a chance through adversity, to prove we still grow.
We'll finish each race with our arms open wide.
We'll hold our heads high; one Nation, one pride.
And we know that our actions, our dreams, motivations,
Could alter the future and inspire generations,
So raise up your flags for this is our time,
The Olympics are here, it's our Moment to Shine.