Monday 29 December 2014

2014...

Well it's been a whirlwind! I've achieved some things, others have gone on the back burner and others I've disregarded completely oops!  But I've reviewed my blog post of what I wanted to achieve this year, so here goes... 

1. Send birthday cards and on time
I sent them, although I haven't got the on time bit down yet!
2. Walk the dog more
I'm rubbish!
3. Finish more projects
Well I've not started any, does that count??!!
4. Shop better and cook more
I'm getting better at this!
5. Exercise more
I started out well, I even took up Zumba at least twice a week! But then I hurt my back, had a holiday, hurt my back some more and I'm still sat on the sofa - must try harder!!
6. WW certificate
Nope!
7. Moonlight Memories walk
Yeah we so did it, and we raised just short of £1200!
8. Read more books
I read loads on holiday! Can thoroughly recommend 'Pay it forward' by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Best book I've read this year!
9. Race for life
I didn't do it, but proudly watched my beautiful step daughter cross the line of her first 10k run!
10. Grow some veg
I only went and grew my first ever courgette - so chuffed!!  I try every year and every year I fail!
11. Manage my time better
I'll get back to you on this one!
12. Cut down on booze
I didn't even manage a dry January!!
13. Manage our money back
Ask my bank manager ha!
14. Make more of an effort
Still working on this!

So as you can see, much like my school reports this should read, 'Samantha could do better if she applied herself more and stopped gossiping'. Am I upset? Nah. Life is for living and I've certainly lived it! Maybe next year I'll concentrate on one or two things rather than a list ha!

I'll keep you posted, Sammy xx

Thursday 11 December 2014

We did it....

We did it, we're amazing, we are Portsmouth!

Saturday saw the Rucksack project event for this year, organised by Joanne Tindle, a massive success!  We all know all about it now, if not have a flick back through some older blog posts of mine and check out www.rucksackproject.org, and it's amazing so many people took part!

Mum popped down on the day to help out (we were in Brighton for the day), met some amazing people and saw first hand the sheer volume of kindness in Portsmouth.
My mum, Tracey!
They think now after various tally's that 1500 rucksacks were donated plus bags and bags of extras. Wow. Just wow.  Who'dve thunk it?  We managed 8 rucksacks plus extras thanks to the generousity of friends, family and colleagues donating items.

Here are a few articles etc on the day...

http://www.aboutmyarea.co.uk/Hampshire/Portsmouth/PO6/News/Local-News/281426-Portsmouth-People-Delivered-for-City-Rucksack-Project

Well done Portsmouth, you are an amazing city, with amazing people. Much love to you all.  I'm so pleased everyone has well and truly grasped, ''its nice to be nice'.  No we haven't solved a crisis, but we have helped in a small way to make some people's lives a little easier.

Same time next year yeah?

TTFN, Sammy xx

Thursday 4 December 2014

I'm not all about the base....

So I keep hearing the song, it’s terribly catchy and I must admit I quite liked it at first, until I actually heard it more and more and listened to the lyrics and then it simply made me quite cross!

 

I completely agree with some of the lyrics, but others I couldn’t disagree with more!

 

Body snark is widely written about amongst bloggers, George being one from ‘fuller figure, fuller bust’ (fullerfigurefullerbust.com - couldn't recommend this blog more!) and I must say, I had never heard the term before I read her blog but can completely and totally relate to it.  


Us fat people have some kind of invisible protection, no one is allowed to call us fat or use derogatory terms, there’s lots of nice fluffy names for us, ‘curvy’, ‘voluptuous’ etc etc and yet it is deemed acceptable for us to call slimmer girls ‘sticks’, ‘ill’, ‘anorexic’ etc; how is this??

 

I completely understand that we are giving out wrong images to young girls, airbrushing magazine images, the peer pressure to be thin etc and this needs to stop but so does the slim girl hate, or being mean about anyone's shape/size, now defined as body snark.

 

So back to the bass….  I completely agree with ‘Cause every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top’, but shouldn’t this apply to everyone?  Why should we exclude slimmer girls from this, are they not beautiful too?  Meghan Trainer then goes on to say, ‘My mama she told me don’t worry about your size’, again a very applause worthy statement, but to be backed up with, ‘I won’t be no stick figure silicone Barbie doll’.  If you shouldn’t have to worry about your size – surely again this must include everyone, not people who are over weight. 

 

While we’re on the topic…. What exactly is wrong with a Barbie doll?  Didn’t we all play with them and love them as children?  And silicone?  What is wrong with that, if you are unhappy with your body and want to change it, it should be up to you and you should not be judged on it!  I bet if I wanted a gastric band and lipo no one would write a song about not wanting to be me?

 

Why are we so mean?  Why is it deemed acceptable to have pictures depicting a slim girl in a bikini with the caption ‘Only dogs like bones’, and the personal favourite, 'Real women have curves'. Yet we never see picture saying ‘Save the whales, harpoon a fat bird’?  Are we saying that not all women are real? Are we saying that slimmer girls have no feelings, that we can say all these hurtful things and it’s fine?  No I think not.

 

I can admit, it can be frustrating for someone with a lot of weight to lose, when a very slimmer lady says she is off to weight watchers or the gym to shed the extra pounds.  For me personally I'm just jealous, I’d like to be in that position where I only had a few pounds left to lose, but one day that will be me (I hope!).  But we shouldn’t admonish these people, slimmer people are allowed to feel uncomfortable in their body and want to tone up and lose weight too, we shouldn’t just look at someone and say ‘er no why do YOU want to lose weigh’, no one certainly ever asks me!  If they want to make a change, they have every right, the same as anyone else.

 

C’mon girls, we are girls/ladies/women, whatever you want to call us – but shouldn’t we all stick together?  We have enough negativity from people without turning on each other due to the way we look.  Can we not just celebrate each other, no matter what size?


So no, I'm not all about the base and saddened that anyone is!

 

Oh to live in a perfect World….

 

TTFN, Sammy xx

 

Ps… I do know that us fat people are referred to in derogatory terms and this is not acceptable as well.  But just because of this doesn’t mean we should be objective and horrible about anyone else.  We know what it feels like – why would you ever want to make anyone else feel like that about themselves.


Monday 1 December 2014

Ready for the Rucksack Project Saturday 6th December 2014

All bags re-packed with the extra items we required and the 'dear police officer' slips.  Everything done up and ready to go!


So pleased with our efforts and the kind help and donations from everyone else, we couldn't have done it without you!  You guys really are amazing, thank you all so much.


8 rucksacks for 8 homeless people, best Christmas gifts we could give this year, ever! Plus a bag of toiletries for Centre Point, including toothpastes and soap, a bag of boots, and four bags of spare clothes/hats/socks etc for the charities to fill their stock rooms with!  

All currently held in my mums bathroom, ready for the event on Saturday at Portsmouth Watersports Centre. (Yes the bath is full of rucksacks!)

A Big thank you and well done to the amazing Joanne Tindle for organising this years event in Portsmouth - same time next year eh?!  I can't be there Saturday, but mum is off to help for the day and of course take down our offerings. 


So proud to be part of the event again with my Mum. To help people less fortunate than us, to give an amazing gift at Christmas and hopefully help make a difference to someone's life.  Remember it's not about one person doing something big to change the world, but lots of people doing small things to get the change in motion. 


Everyone deserves a home, somewhere to live, but some people don't have that opportunity. All it takes is a random act of kindness and for people to then pay that kindness forward, make this your random act of kindness... it's getting cold out there... have a warm heart. 


Thank you all xxx


Quote from The Rucksack Project Website... (rucksackproject.org)


'THE INSPIRATION BEHIND IT

There are two films that really affected me and planted the seeds for The Rucksack Project. The first is Pay it Forward, the story of a young boy who, inspired by his teacher, comes up with an idea to change the world... by doing a big favour for three people, who must not pay back the favour, but pay it forward.. buy each doing three big favours for three more people... Random acts of kindness which grow expotentially into a movement of kindness that sweeps the nation.

The second film is Scrooged, the Bill Murray classic from 1989 following the well known Charles Dickins Christmas classic. In Murray's version, we see a homeless man who tragically freezes to death after leaving a homeless shelter. At the end of the film, Murray's character says "You can take an old blanket out of the closet and take it out and give it to someone.. you can make them a sandwich and say 'here!'"

The two things merged one fantastic day and the idea was born to fill a rucksack with stuff to get a lost soul through a freezing winter - something that would last longer than a bag of food or 50 pence.'

Sunday 23 November 2014

Preparing for the rucksack Project Portsmouth 2014

So this year mum and I decided that we would again take part in the rucksack project, and making and giving a rucksack is indeed one of the best Christmas presents we could give.

Last year we used lots of things we had indoors; bags, blankets, jumpers and coats as well as charity shop purchases.  After the event we found loads of people who said they had items we could've used for such a good cause, so we decided that would be a good starting point for this year!

So we raided our wardrobes and cupboards again, but decided before we hit the charity shops to see what people were no longer using that we could nab!  I advertised on our notice board at work, mum talked to all the people she goes beating with at the local shoot and I joined 'Streetlife' a local website for the community (Streetlife.co.uk) and posted a plea for unwanted goods and to advertise the event.  

We had an amazing response! Three people on Streetlife gave me bag fulls of donations, from food to sleeping bags and everything in between. A lady at work gave me a posh tall flask, mums friends gave her a bag full of soup he'd purchased, and the other beaters also gave donations of bags and clothes. When my mum was over head talking about things we need to purchase, the lovely gent who gave mum the soup offered her some money.  When mum politely declined as we weren't collecting money for charity, he insisted we have £5 towards the cost of food toiletries and flasks that we needed.  What amazing people we have around us!

Mum and I set aside today for sorting and making, but in the meantime I popped in to asda and picked up toothbrushes (pack of 2 for 18p) toothpaste (25p), roll on deodorant (30p), pack of 5 thick socks (£2), packets of soups (ranging from 20p for a box of 5 to 30p a single packet) and some multi packs of choc bars (£1 for 10).  Mostly Asda items, but amazing value for money and I spent a total of £12.

Today we got everything together and began to sort!

Still sorting...

We had enough items for 8 bags altogether! 3 ladies bags, 4 men's bags and a one man and his dog bag.

There are items I still need to get, I need 6 flasks and 4 sleeping bags so I'm off on the charity shop/pound shop hunt this week! 


But here they are! 8 rucksacks complete with hats, scarves, gloves, sleeping bags, jumpers, tshirts, jeans/trousers, toothbrushes, toothpaste, tins of soups, packet soups/pasta/noodles, choc bars, flasks, socks, warm coats, spoons, sanitary products for the ladies bags, deodorant, dog food, a lead and a ground sheet! We also have a large bag of left over items, boots, food, clothes and other bits and bobs that the charities will use to restock their store rooms.

So thank you, you very generous people who have helped us to be able to put together 8 rucksacks that will mean the world to a homeless person this Christmas. We are giving the best present this Christmas. Be very proud, we are xxx

TTFN, Sammy xx

Ps... I'll update when we've finished our shopping and the bags are ready to go with the slips in. 

Pps... A lady on street life posted last night that she had unwanted toiletries she had been collecting for a shoebox collection, but the people she was collecting for were not taking part this year. I sent her a msg and said I could put the items to good use, and am picking them up tomorrow to add to our bags! 

Ppps... It's not to late to join in and pledge a bag! 

Thursday 30 October 2014

The Great South Run for Rett UK

Me? Run?..... No! But I did hurt my back just watching ha!

No, not me, but my beautiful step daughter completed her first 10 mile run on Sunday and ran it in under an hour and 50 minutes! What a girl! We are all so proud of her, she has been determined since she did the 10k race for life, followed swiftly by the 5k straight after in the summer; to do this race and raise lots of money for a very worthy cause.
Lauren has trained hard, run harder and worked even harder towards this and completed it with a flourish and a smile, in honour of her older sister who has Rett Syndrome.  
Lauren and Carly

Lauren has raised over £500 for Rett UK, an amazing charity, you can read more about them here...

http://www.rettuk.org/rettuk-public/rettuk/about-rettuk.html

Or have a look and like their page on facebook here...

https://www.facebook.com/RettUK?ref=ts&fref=ts

Lauren is also holding a charity night on Halloween to raise even more money for this cause and her link is still live if you want to check it out.  More donations are of course more than welcome, or even if you just want to read Lauren's story... Do follow this link...

https://www.justgiving.com/Lauren-Barcroft/

Lauren we are so so proud of you and we are now looking forward to cheering you on next year, in everything you plan to put your running shoes through... Including the London Marathon!!

Well done and much love to you xx

Saturday 25 October 2014

The Rucksack Project Portsmouth

I've invited all my friends to this event on Facebook, I'm very proud to be taking part again. Do have a read about it and how it all started here... http://www.rucksackproject.org

The local event in Portsmouth is here... https://www.facebook.com/events/836615246357563/?ref=2&ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming   And there are people hosting events all over the country, do check out the main Facebook page for details of events in other areas, have a peek here... https://www.facebook.com/rucksackproject?ref=br_rs

If you want to take part, but can't make a whole bag, or don't have time to fill a rucksack; if you have any of the items on the list knocking about at home without a use, give me a shout and I'll gladly take them off your hands and put them to good use.

Mum and I did this last year and will again this year put some bags together for those less fortunate, those who are homeless in our local community. I don't want your money for sponsorship, just an old flask, thick gloves, sleeping bag, tins of soup with ring pulls, anything that you may have and don't/won't use that is nothing to you, but would mean the world to someone else.

Remember, it's getting cold out, have a warm heart xx

http://www.aboutmyarea.co.uk/Hampshire/Portsmouth/PO6/News/Local-News/278918-Fill-a-Rucksack-for-a-Homeless-Person



Sunday 12 October 2014

Anniversary! 10 years have passed already!

So this time 10 years ago, I was waxed, plucked, painted and primped; and all ready to get married tomorrow!

I can't believe it's been 10 years, it's gone so so quickly.

I wasn't a completely traditional bride, and I had a massive 'thing' about spending the night apart from Mr B the night before the wedding.  Everyone wanted us to stay in separate places, as tradition states, and I was having none of it! I've no idea why, or even why I felt so strongly about it.  It got as far as me refusing to get married if I couldn't spend the night with my husband to be!  Stress does wonders to your perception of life. 

Speaking of stress, I didn't just do wedding planning, I rolled everything stressful into one! It was my last year in uni; writing a 10,500 word dissertation on mental health and social exclusion, I chose this opportune time to give up smoking and was planning the honeymoon to leave the very next day of our wedding.  I also couldn't possibly have a wedding car like normal people, I insisted on hiring three mini's for our wedding cars (red, white and blue.... Think 'self preservation society'...) which needed returning in our absence, just to make it more difficult!
Anyways, this time 10 years ago, Mr B and I went out for dinner and promptly got quite drunk!  We left the restaurant and went along to a few bars to keep us topped up, when it dawned on me it would be hilarious to call my mum.  So call I did! I rang home and told her i'd changed my mind and the wedding was off, everything needed to be cancelled.... The prank however backfired on me, when my mum fell about laughing too - yep she and my dad were indoors drinking wine and were quite drunk too! Like mother like daughter eh!

Well we've had an amazing time this last 10 years, and I love looking back at our wedding pictures, it was a fabulous day. So I thought I'd share some with you.
My pyjama party hen night, with my two best friends.
With my mum and dad, two of the most important people in my life.
With my beautiful bridesmaids.
There was a moment in the Registry Office where we couldn't possibly stop laughing and this is my most favourite picture of the day.  Mr B got an attack of the nervous giggles, which brought about the giggles for me and then the whole room!  Even the registrar had to sit down and take a moment! I don't remember our vows at all, but this moment meant that all our wedding pictures have natural smiles and absolutely no one forgot our wedding day.
With my grandparents, very sad to say none of them are here anymore.
The wedding party. I still to this day feel sad we got married in a registry office, not for any reason other than we couldn't have everyone there I wanted to and that still makes me feel sad. But hey... I may manage to get my own way and renew our vows/get our wedding blessed and have a party under the pylon... Watch this space!
So 10 years on, I'm still as happy now as I was then.  I may have been very young to get married (22), there may be a huge age gap between us (19 years, nope doesn't bother either of us or our families), I had to have two wedding dresses (that's another story) but I married my best friend and love him dearly.

Thank you Mr B, for the amazing wedding, the memories, putting up with me, and everything in between xxx


Friday 10 October 2014

Couples holiday

Well as you know we’ve just come back from a lovely holiday in Turkey, two weeks of relaxing by the pool, the beach, long walks, lovely dinners and…. Couples bickering everywhere!

 

It is hard not to people watch when you aren’t doing a great deal, but it is so funny to watch two people, who may well be married but never spend more than an hour a day together in their usual busy lives; be thrown together for two whole weeks with not a lot else for distraction!  All the little niggles and insecurities come out, tempers fray and emotions are high and my god did these people keep us entertained!

 

We went to a couples hotel, (read - no children NOT swingers hotel please!) so we were surrounded by many many couples at all times in our resort.

 

Mr B and I are very lucky, we’re about to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary this year and we still get on ok quite well (I think!?).  There are times when Mr B works away, Monday – Friday and is only home weekends, sometimes he goes for two weeks at a time – so I do get quite used to being home alone, so when he comes home and makes a mess it is a little bit of a shock to the system, but doesn’t end in rows.  Although my two friends H and J know about my pile of clothes gripe! – That’s another story.

 

We always talk, (I'm a talker anyway!) and we always make time for each other (I'm conscious of falling fowl of a smug girl disaster here so I won’t say too much!) and generally we rub along quite nicely together.  So going on holiday and spending all that time together isn’t a massive shock to us, but of course – we aren’t perfect and don’t go without bickering from time to time.

 

It was so easy to spot these couples around the pool – these were the women throwing their men dirty looks, muttering in grunts under their breath and arguing about whether they had the right spot or the right bed.  I must say it was mostly the men on the receiving end of these gripes, but don’t get me wrong there are men arguers out there too.  I'm pretty sure if they knew people recognised their behaviour they would be embarrassed, but by and large I'm not sure they recognised the behaviour in themselves!  Even couples walking down the street passed us would be arguing, Mr B and I just fell about in laughter. (Once they had walked passed – I by no means want to make anyone feel bad!)

 

As well as being funny to watch, it did sadden me somewhat.  Think of all that time you’ve spent saving for your holiday, all that planning and this week or two of precious time to spend together and you spend it rowing!  So ladies, give your men a break, men if you are the arguer – give your lady a break and go and enjoy your time together. 

 

I was once told by a very lovely lady, ‘its so lovely you guys talk to each other all the time, a couple that can talk to each other at any time of the day or night, is a couple that will stay together’.  So remember, do talk to each other, do include each other in your lives and for the sake of your embarrassment keep the arguing to your room or at least quiet voices and not the buffet breakfast restaurant shouting at each other full pelt over the baked beans!  Or just suspend hostilities until you get home!

 

Ttfn, Sammy xx

Saturday 4 October 2014

We made it!

So.... I don't think for one minute that the holiday curse is cured; but I am pleased to say we managed a few weeks in Turkey, (all bar a bee sting, a bank account malfunction and puppy having to have his ear stitched up right before we went), and travelled home with no hiccups!
A mud bath to make Mr B and I look 10 years younger!

I have lots to tell you and lots planned, but I'm still very sleepy!

And I only put on 3.5lbs after a two week all inclusive holiday - I'm so happy!

Be back soon.... Sammy x

Tuesday 9 September 2014

The Devil Wears Prada syndrome....

So that scene in the film.... 

Anne Hathaway has to source Meryl Streep a flight home in a hurricane. Meryl Streep won't take no as an answer, Anne Hathaway has no idea where to start or what to do and the sense of panic is rising... Welcome to my life on a daily basis.

This damn holiday cannot come soon enough and I swear if they cancel me.... God help them!!

I'll keep you posted, TTFN Sammy xx

Thursday 14 August 2014

The holiday curse...

Have I ever told you about our holiday curse?  What can I say other than we’re due to go on holiday mid September to Turkey, loosely translated as don’t book any holidays for that period or consider travelling to Turkey!

 

It is a running joke that every holiday we book ends in disaster, its not strictly true, its not every holiday - just most!

 

We have been cancelled, delayed, stuck in other countries, attacked by giant bugs, the list is endless!  Don’t get me wrong – we’ve had some fabulous holidays, but its got to the point where it is a standing joke between friends and family. 

 

We’ve been cancelled due to rioting in Egypt – but ended up in a fabulous holiday in Rome and Venice.  We were cancelled due to the ash cloud – but ended up in Amsterdam for a weekend for compensation.  We were cancelled because our hotel was flooded by a massive hurricane in Cuba – we waited and went the following year!  We had a holiday from hell on our honeymoon and flew home a week early, we then flew to Dublin for the remaining week and got stuck there because the planes engines failed – the list is not exhaustive.  So as you can see, it all happens to us!

 

So it is with trepidation that I get down from the loft and dust off my suitcase for our next adventure to Turkey – do wish me luck!  And you've been warned... Don't book anything for when were away or for the country were going to!

 

TTFN, Sammy xx

Sunday 10 August 2014

A few things IBS sufferers might identify with...

So I've touched on it before, but I've suffered with chronic IBS since 2007.  I suffer with IBS-D, (diarrhoea problems), but there I'd also IBS-C (constipation) or IBS-A (alternating). Have been having a major relapse of late and am trying to see the funny side of it, so thought I'd come up with a list some people might identify with!

1. Wind.
Why am I always so full of wind! The problem isn't necessarily it coming out (either end... Both as embarrasing as each other), but the noises it makes rumbling around my tummy and the size I can swell up to is just amazing.  The problem with it coming out is not being sure if you should do it in the loo... Just in case!

2. Bread is the enemy.
As is most of everything else, pastry, onions, pasta, peppers, rice, cheese, milk... god I'm so bored of avoiding everything.

3. Always wearing trousers/skirts a size too big.
The possibility of them falling down is very real, but I need that extra size for when point #1 rears it's ugly head. My tummy has the most amazing swelling ability and I need the room just in case!

4. Always needing to know where the nearest loo is.
Being stuck in traffic on a motorway can be a close to the wind emergency situation, it sucks.  Not knowing where the loo is leads to all kinds of anxiety and makes the sitch worse I swear!  At cinemas I need to sit on the end seat so I can get out easily, same for plane journeys etc. it's just not worth not knowing where that nearest loo is!

5. The pain.
Oh god, why didn't anyone tell me about the pain? At time I feel like sometimes the scene from alien is occurring in my tummy. The faces I pull can be second to none and the groaning, well don't even get me started!  The pain cam keep me awake at night, can have me doubled over and can make me cry, it's just not fun.

6. Over sharing.
TMI at times, I know. I start with the... 'I suffer with my digestive system' and it ends up with 'awful upset stomach with such bad pain and constant vomit inducing feeling', and that's just for starters!  When I was younger it was so uncool to talk about your toilet habits, nowadays anyone that listens get to know!!

7. Hot flushes.
Sadly these aren't the power surges I've heard about. These are heart hammering, sweat beading on your top lip, bright red faced hot flushes that accompany the pain, bloating and the immediate need to rush to the loo.

8. The drs trips.
Well isn't going to the drs always fun, especially when they have absolutely no idea what to do with you. I spent a year going in once a week, convinced I was dying and no bugger would believe me. It wasn't until the end of that year did a dr actually take me seriously and send me for a colonoscopyto finally diagnose me with IBS.  He then retired and I'm back to the internet for cures!

9. Taking so many drugs I rattle.
I am now quite under control with my IBS, (apart from my current flare up) however to feel like this I take 3 prescription drugs a day (used to be 4 but a dodgy heartbeat put paid to the really good anti sickness pills 😔).  Living on Imodium is just amazing and if I don't take my cocktail of medicines, life is a very dark place indeed.  I am luckier than some, I know this, but oh to live drug free! 

10. Anxiety.
I am just anxious all the time, am I close enough to a loo? Does that gurgling mean the world is about to fall out of my bottom? Can I manage a coach trip or even a short journey in a car someone else is driving?

11. Exhaustion.
Being up all night in pain, up all morning with an upset tummy, feeling sick for the remainder of the day really wears me out.  I'm so tired my bones hurt.

There's loads of other points, I'm well aware... These are what just popped in to my head. High five if you're a sufferer like me or live with one or sympathise with one. Yes there are iller people out there, yes I should be more grateful I'm alive, trust me I am, but IBS can really get you down at times.

Thanks for reading, ttfn Sammy xx


Wednesday 25 June 2014

The Rowan's Hospice Moonlit Memories Walk

Well today seems a poignant day to write this blog.  Today is Jason’s birthday, the first birthday he hasn’t seen after passing away last year, he is 42 today.

 


On Saturday night (21/06) a group of us completed the Moonlight Memories walk around Southsea/Old Portsmouth to raise money for The Rowans Hospice.  It is a 6 or a 12 mile walk (we did 6 miles – there was a reason we weren’t just being lazy!) through part of the night starting at 11pm.

 

My friend’s husband Jason, sadly passed away at The Rowan’s Hospice in December last year.  He was diagnosed with a brain tumour in early December 2013 and was moved to The Rowan’s Hospice shortly afterwards; where he spent his last 4 days very peacefully with his family surrounding him before he passed away on 15th December 2013.

 

The Rowan’s really are an amazing charity, and will do anything they can to help.  There was nothing that Jason, his family or friends wanted for in the time he was there, they accommodated his wife and daughter to stay with him over night and even made up a room for his sister who flew over from Canada to be with her brother.  They also provide bereavement care after death and everything in between.

 

The Rowan’s Hospice is an amazing place and I could waffle on for pages, but if you would like to know more please visit their website – www.therowanshospice.co.uk 

 

The Rowan’s survives almost entirely on donations from the general public to provide their essential services and this costs them a whopping £11,000 a day, so to give something back we took part in the walk to raise some funds for them.  Now we aren’t lazy, we would have liked to have done the 12 miles, but we have a few challenges among us including; rheumatoid arthritis, an enthusiastic young one who should be in bed and my very short legs! So we plumped for 6 miles. 

 

There was 6 of us altogether, my friend Trina, her daughter and my god daughter Shannon, Trina’s mum Jill and Trina’s two sisters Chantelle and Sarah and little old me.  I was very ill Saturday afternoon with some kind of tummy bug/touch of food poisoning and there was quite a while on Saturday when I was as a white as a sheet and didn’t think I was going to be able to make it.  Somehow I managed to take enough anti sickness tablets and immodium to manage a few hours sleep and go out for the walk!

We donned our Jason T-shirts and hats and went for it.  All in all we had a lovely night, we stopped at Portsmouth Cathedral to write down a memory of Jason to stick to their wall and light a candle of remembrance for him.

Sarah and Chantelle shook their hats at every passer by and gained an extra £45 worth of donations on the night, and despite being young and getting very tired, Shannon did amazingly, she took it all in her stride and completed the 6 miles with hardly any complaint.

We completed the walk in around 2 and a half hours, including our toilet stops, Cathedral stop and hassling poor unsuspecting people of Portsmouth stops.  Once finished we de-registered and collected our bacon buttys and cups of tea and waited for our lift home after having raised nearly £1200.

Crossing the finish line
Medals ahoy!

So that is it, another event over with for the year.  It is an amazing event and I would suggest everyone gives it a go, this was their 7th year of running it.  It is an amazing charity to raise funds for and this year they had just under 1000 entrants, but they are hoping to have raised just over £95,000.

 

We are still collecting donations and if you would like to sponsor us or could spare some money for a donation we would be eternally grateful, even if it is £1 - every little helps! 

 

Here is our just giving website -  https://www.justgiving.com/JasonsWobblyWanderers/you can also sponsor us by sending a text to 70070 typing the code JHWW72 and £(amount you wish to pledge) in the body of the text (I believe they then add it to your phone bill) or I am collecting cash with a sponsor form.

 

Thank you to all our sponsors near and far – you are every bit amazing.  Jason – we did this for you (even though you would wonder why we were wasting valuable drinking time!) you are so dearly missed and your lovely wife and beautiful daughter you have left behind are just so amazingly strong.

 

Rest in peace Jas, much love, Sammy xx

 

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Saturday 14 June 2014

Peregrine news...


So our parent peregrines had a baby! Just the one, but one nonetheless.  My mum watched (she's a few doors down from us) as the baby came out of his nest and sat on our pylon the first time.  He has now fledged and does a bit of flying, what a legend he is!

He returns (we think he returns - he could still be sleeping here) every morning and his parents come back and feed him, yesterday he spent nearly all day here trying out different levels of the pylon and it is just brilliant.  He even found his way into my nephews homework, with what he'd seen in the garden at Nanny's!

Mum has been in touch with some peregrine watching/community/action type group from London and they gave passed on mums contact details to the Hampshire division with whim mum has now spoken.  We think Our peregrines aren't a young couple as we once thought, apparently 'pylon birds' usually only raise one baby, maybe because of the space? Who knows. But nest boxes and other environments are more conducive to larger numbers of chicks.  They think our pair are a pair that had already been identified, but had gone missing this year. They usually nest on a pylon a few pylons over, but this year have gone for a ours, lucky us! 😊

It's so lovely to have them here, not least because they are keeping the awful, noisy Rooks away, it's so lovely to see them.  They are relatively rare, there are only 1500 breeding pairs left in the UK and at one point were close to extinction.  They share the same status protection as the giant panda and tiger - how cool is that!

If you want to have a read and learn more, here is a link to the RSPB.... http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/p/peregrine/index.aspx 

Anyway, here's a few pics from yesterday.

TTFN xxx


Monday 2 June 2014

Welcome to my garden!

Well the last few years I've flirted with gardening, but it's no big secret that my fingers aren't as green as I think they should be! When Nan was here, we spent every Saturday going to a garden centre, it did involve tea and cake too, but we also spent time planning our gardens, buying things to plant and finding unusual things to look at.

We are very lucky, our garden us massive! We have a pylon in our garden (well 3 legs) and lots and lots of space. Over the years I've mainly grown veggies and a few flowers here and there and I even have two raised beds now!
A very unsunny picture!
The year Nan died, I did nothing with our garden at all, I wasn't enamoured by it and didn't want to spend any time out there. But last year, I relented a little, did a couple of hanging baskets and planted some strawberries.
This year I've grown some bits from seed, courgettes, squash and cucumber. Sown some carrots, parsnips and beetroot seeds, and planted a few flowers here and there. 
Strawberries in the bed (that needs a bit of DIY!), beetroot in the whiskey barrel and a courgette in the pot.
Lettuce in the window basket, some courgettes in the tray and flowers in the head!
Some cucumbers by the greenhouse.
Some flowers by the water butt!

I've not done any baskets this year, but I have managed to plant all my shrubs, to hide the wheelie bins (front garden) in the ground rather than them languishing in their pots, with the help of my lovely mum.
Half way through....
The finished article! 

I've managed to keep these plants alive for a few years now! The evergreen was a tiny 6 inch tall tree when I bought it!

Although the best thing about my garden currently is these.... 
We have a breeding pair of peregrine falcons on our pylon! They have babies and everything! 

We are becoming very boring about our birds (now named Fred and Wilma), we've been learning loads about them and have discovered there's only 1500 breeding pairs left in the UK.  We have our eyes trained on the pylon at all times and even mum and dad from their house have their binoculars trained on our pylon!  We are all self confessed twitchers!

We can't wait to see the babies fledge and are so pleased they have picked our pylon to nest in!

I'll keep you posted!

TTFN, Sammy xx