life

you know when it all seems just that little bit too hard

when you look around the house and see all of those jobs that need to be done, that you've put off again and again

when the kids seem to have been at each other for hours...niggling each other relentlessly

 when the clock is ticking faster and faster towards 6pm and you don't have the energy to even give dinner a thought...

sometimes it can be the little things that can give you a huge boost

the 'vintage' champagne glass that came from my mum's house will always make me smile, 

picked up on our last visit home, a little memento of her

filled to the brim with delicious sparking gold bubbles all the way from the bottom of stem (oh so chic!)...

a little aperitif and a quiet moment thinking about mum

yes, feeling much better now...

ready to take it all on

❤

ps. "it's all g" as Emma would say : ) 

g as in good ; )  

life : I resolve

I'm hopeless. Utterly, utterly hopeless at new year's resolutions. I gave up on them long ago. But this year, with so much having gone on over the past 3 and a half years and with so much on the horizon...moving house again, settling a tween into high school, coming to terms with life without my mum & making decisions with my sisters on what to do with mum's house, trying to re-enter the workforce after a long stint at home (I've just spent a butt numbing long time on the internet trying to find tips for "mature age" re-entry into the workforce & I'm terrified), getting a grip on my health & fitness... I've decided to make a quiet little resolution to myself, for myself.

I resolve to do more for me. Just me and me alone. Find a quiet moment each day for me, outside all the busyness of the household, the kids and school and well, you know just all that stuff that goes on in life,  just so I can focus my mind on what I want from the future. What I want for me. And also to focus on what makes me happy (I've realised that I focus most of my time on keeping the peace and keeping everyone else happy) and how I can harness that and keep it close to my heart each and every day (because I'm pretty sure that it's not really chocolate that makes me happy!! Although...).

And hopefully in doing so I will find my bliss (thanks Leese) along the way...

...hopefully...we'll see

I'm pretty sure this would be an ideal spot to indulge in a quiet moment of me time!!

❤

*oh and while I'm at it I should resolve to be a little bit more relaxed this year, and a little bit less tense and cranky pants all the time...the kids and Matthew will appreciate it, I'm sure!! ; )

image via here

snippet

The Secret Garden

...just makes it harder to believe she won't be around

❤

Going home

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.

I'm going home this week, to my home town. To do a few things at mum's house, our family home, and to spend some time with my sisters. It is going to be hard. It's not going to be the same without you there mum. There will be tea and slices but there won't be you. I wish that I had been able to have more time with you. I had so much more to tell you. *To talk about. To laugh over.  And to cry over. We still had so many cups of tea to drink together. Miss you. Miss you so so much.  xx

*edited by me, 13.12.11

this one goes out to the one I love

I'm home. But it has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride, to say the least since arriving back. After a short illness, my beautiful mum passed away. I'm devastated. I'm heartbroken. But now we must move forward. It is what she would want us to do. *No dwelling on the sadness of it because she was never afraid of death & she always saw it as beautiful, something that should be seen as a good thing and something to look forward to. She saw it as meeting her maker and being reunited with lost loved ones.


I wanted to share a beautiful song that my sisters and I played at mum's funeral last week. We also played it at my dad's funeral a few years back. They both loved this song and I think you'll understand why when you listen to it.

Bless you my beautiful mum, I will miss you so very much but I am very happy in the knowledge that you are now reunited with your one true love.

I could not have coped with the trauma of the past few weeks without the love and support of my wonderful, wonderful family and friends. And especially the love and support of you, Matthew. I love you all very much and I am blessed to have you in my life ❤. 

So even though it is a very sad start to our 'new'/'old' life at home, I am so glad to be home.

Home really is where the heart is. 

Alison x


*edit 17 jan 2012, i'll probably edit every now and then when i re-read this post, adding in a new thought about mum here and there. 

my mum

This one is for you mum. I know how you love peony roses.

Sending you lots of love and well wishes, healing thoughts and prayers. 

I can't wait to get home and see you soon. Wish I was there with you now. 

Lots of love and big hugs to Chris, Robyn & Lynne.

Alison  x

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