Auntie Knows Best

Ten years ago Mum died and in so many ways it feels like yesterday, but it is literally a whole lifetime for my children.

I am so proud of the way that we have coped over the years. It has been far from easy but I think that we have shown that by being honest and consistent and by being as generous and kind with each other we have survived and then eventually we thrived.

I miss Mum so often. It’s the small things which catch me unawares that hurt the most; the smell of baking Guernsey biscuits, a song that she loved, and rather bizarrely the sound of my laugh. Coping with the big things is easier – we gear ourselves up for them and steel ourselves to face the usual anniversaries and celebrations.

We practice gratitude often and we would do this alone and together Often Louise and I would talk about the things which were good, which gave our lives meaning and hope. It wasn’t an easy thing to do because at times it mean lifting our eyes from our sadness and looking forward. Something which our faith definitely helps with, but it isn’t the only thing.

I wonder what she would have to say about us all. I know she would be proud of us and the way we have coped and I know she would have adored all her lovely grandchildren. My big regret is that she never really got to know them. Eliza talks as if she knows her…. but she was born after she died. I guess it is credit to the fact that we talk about her so often that she thinks she is still here.

I am really proud of my Dad too, He has coped admirably and manages the things that we never thought he would. He has changed so much and mine and my sister’s relationship with him is so different. When Mum was alive we used to go through her if we needed something from Dad… these days we have a lovely relationship and I certainly wouldn’t wish to go back to how it used to be.

I think the thing I have realised over the years is that resilience is something you have to work at. You become resilient by grounding and connecting yourself with the people who matter. You live through shared experiences and talk all the time about the things that matter. We talk about Mum often and I think that in the past she was the glue that held us together but now we are the glue that holds us together.

Happy heavenly birthday Mum.
We miss you so much..
We love you.

I felt ropey at the start of this week – either I was completed exhausted or I had Covid. No idea which! It took me until about Tuesday to start feeling better.

The week has featured a meal with my lovely cousin Stef/Pedro and her husband Big Reece, lots of kitten time, and a brilliant pool part for The Little Miss’ joint birthday party. Big Reece particularly enjoyed this party and was very comfortable on the pink unicorn.

On Sunday we wagged church and took the kids pier jumping at The Cup and Saucer. I was especially proud of The Little Mister – this time last year he went coasteering and would barely jump off a little 50cm high rock. Now he was jumping off the high wall and loving it – Outdoor Guernsey has given him so much confidence!! They spent ages in the water and I had a lovely swim but it was really breezy around the West Coast so we headed off to the `east coast to try and find some shelter. `we finally managed it but it was still a bit windy. A lovely weekend.

A busy first week of the school summer holidays.

The kids spent the week at Outdoor Guernsey and they had a fantastic time – coasteering, nerf wars, archery, climbing etc.

Even better it was The Little Miss’ 9th birthday and it was on Friday which meant she had a brilliant time at Outdoor Guernsey. I had made a couple of massive chocolate cakes for them all and she had a great time. We had a few friends and family over and had pizza for tea. We are lucky to have such a fabulous daughter although she is definitely like a grumpy teenager at times!

Saturday was a really busy day. In the mornung we went for a walk to do the Scarecrow Walk. Such a fun, creative event. In the afternoon/evening we had a massive family party. It was billed as a 100th birthday party as my Uncle was 70 and my cousin was 30. It was a fantastic excuse to all get together (I reckon there was at least 60 of us!) and I had such a fun evening. I love my family. Fun and entertaining.

The weekend ended with an invite for the kids to swim in my cousins pool and then a BBQ at Dad’s house with my aunt and uncle and cousins. We also had some family staying so it was a mental and busy weekend and it was such a wonderful time.

I am absolutely knackered now though!

The weather has been nice for most of this week – until the weekend when we had planned to go Sheep Racing in Sark.

We went but it was drizzly and I have to admit that I found the actual sheep racing event a bit boring – not many race and lots of gaps in between. At one point we lost The Little Miss and found that she had got herself a job running the Hook a Duck stall!

Last week at school and we are all knackered…. finally the holidays have arrived. What a relief!

What a busy week – the Island Games have started and it has been absolutely fantastic. I spent much of the week trying to squeeze things in between meetings and clients so I managed to catch a bit of the basketball which was really exciting. The Little Miss and I queued one day to get in for the swimming. It was so inspiring for her to see people she sees at training, competing and winning. The atmosphere was electric!

On Friday The Mister and I took the day off work and we went into town to watch the Half Marathon and then the Cycling Criterium which was really exciting. The weather was pretty awful which made for exciting but dangerous racing. We picked the kids up from school and went back into town to watch the Triathalon relay. This was such a fine event but the rain was torrential – it was awful but we still had a great time! I was in awe of the sporting achievements of the individual athletes and the local support was phenomenal. Such a brilliant event 🙂

The Mister and I also managed to squeeze in a trip to theatre (well in marquee at the park!) when we went to see a performance of Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was absolutely fantastic! Funny and entertaining and I even understood it all!

The week ended with a BBQ with some of the girls and their families from choir and some kitten love. What a great week!

Things have eased off a little this week as several of the kids activities have stopped due to Island Games preparation so we don’t have swimming and things like that.

Monday started with the annual Viaer Marche which is a traditional Guernsey summer fayre and is a fundraiser for the Guernsey National Trust. It is an opportunity to eat Guernsey food and see as many family members in as small a space as possible! They have loads of traditional crafts and things like that as well as some very warbly singing!

The Little Miss had her first school overnight trip and she went to stay in Lihou with her class. This is a little island which is on accessible at low tide by a causeway. She had a fab time and made this lovely beach art which was her favourite animal, a panda. The boys and I went ouf with Grandpa for dinner and we sat on the terrace over looking Vazon. Just beautiful.

On Saturday the Guernsey Island Games 2023 launched with an opening ceremony in town. There were thousands of people lining the parade route and it was so exciting to see all the teams.

Sunday was the highlight of my week with the men and women’s Triathlon. Over a fabulous course on the West coast of Guernsey we watched Guernsey get gold in the individual men’s race and gold and bronze in the women’s as well as gold in the women’s team event and silver in the men’s/ The atmosphere was immense and it was such a fabulous event to attend. We then headed to a friend’s house to chill out, the kids swam in their pool and we ate homemade pizza. An amazing end to the week.

A very busy week leading up to a very busy weekend.

On Friday The Little Miss had Cubs at the Bathing Pools. It was an unusually foggy day in comparison to the really hot weather we have been having recently but that did not deter the crazy people who spent ages in the pools.

Saturday was our busiest day yet as we had Music Centre Open Day. Both kids are still playing the violin but from September Eliza will be switching to play the clarinet. She is incredibly excited about this and is really looking forward to it. Having listened to Primary Woodwind at open day I am not uite as excited about the early days of learning!

On Sunday we had our annual church in a field. It was a beautiful day and my aunt and uncle came with us which was lovely. I love this church community. They are authentic and fun and they enrich my life.

On Sunday afternoon The Little Mister had a coasteering party with some of his friend. Such a brilliant activity for them all and Guernsey is the most beautiful place to spend time like this.

It’s been a funny old week as I have felt really quite off-colour. I am not sure whether it is the heat or something else.

We have seen the kittens a few times and The Little Miss is really besotted with one of the black ones. She is on a bit of a charm offensive to persuade The Mister that we need one. He is proving to be a tough nut to crack! Who could resist her cute face though?

On Tuesday I went out for a sail with The Little Mister’s class as they were taken out on a clipper. It was a perfect afternoon and the kids had a fabulous experience.

I ended the week by going to Herm with some of my work colleagues for a wedding dance. It was a really warm evening which was perfect and my cousin’s band The Rubix was playing – they are a covers band and it was such fun. I danced until my feet hurt, and then I got the boat back to Guernsey and cycled home. A fabulous end to the week.

The in-laws went home and our cousin’s son James moved into Dad’s house to look after the kids – Susie loves him. he is really gentle.

A busy week at school and work and then The Little Miss had an outdoor cooking session at Cubs. On Saturday I went to a ladies weights session on Saturday morning at 7.30am…. the kids had swimming and music and then we headed to the beach for the afternoon. It was gorgeous! Emma and I scooted off on our bikes to attend a concert in the rectory gardens. Very nice indeed.

Sunday was Father’s Day and we had a lovely relaxed day… then the news came… Susie has had kittens!!!! 7 of then which is amazing for her first litter. So we had very excited children and Mummy and headed down to see them before ending the weekend with a glorious high tide swim before bedtime.

It was a really busy week of kids activities and The Mister was marking loads of OU papers. Also the inlaws arrived so they pretty much had to fit in with whatever was going on!

Very important news though is that I made it to 2000 miles on Basil the Bike. I have had him about 15 months and have ridden him nearly every day – I am feeling pretty pleased that we have made it so many miles!

We have been keeping an eye on Dad’s cat Susie who is expecting babies… she is getting fatter and fatter. I am trying hard to keep Dad’s garden watered and not to let everything else die out. It’s not easy as it takes up loads of time…. but I do get to harvest some of the goodies like strawberries and sweet peas.

The Mister and I went out on Saturday evening to see MTG Guernsey do Spamalot. It was hilarious!

The kids also went with the inlaws to go and see the lifeboat, and I had to sing at a wedding. A very busy weekend 🙂