A Perfect Day

You know those perfect sorts of days; I mean the ones where everything just seems pretty great?  Well I had one on Saturday which requires its very own blog post.

Last week was great down in Devon with plenty of sunshine mid day and just the right amount of cool mornings followed by even colder evenings.  Cool, crisp and clear making evening walks a joy.  So when we woke up on Saturday we were greeted with true Autumn beauty. 

Even better was waking up in our magnificent new bed.  The much longer for, lusted after fluffy new mattress made our dreams come true.  So when we woke up to sunlight in a cosy new bed we woke up very happy.  TH was heading off to meet a organisation we could volunteer with in Exmouth so Daisy and I tagged along for the ride and took advantage of it being the first weekend I could walk her on the beach as it was after summer season. 

I wore my skinny jeans a t-shirt and a jumper and carried along my Barbour in case it felt chilly outside.   I looked my welly boots square on and then turned to pick up some flat ballet pumps – the one only slightly wrong thing with the day!  When we got to Exmouth TH popped right along to his appointment whilst Daisy and I trotted along the beach.  I’ve not walked on sand since we arrived in the UK in April, so I had totally forgotten how much sand fills up your shoes.  We walked the whole length of the beach and then back again just as TH was getting out of his appointment.  It was no trouble that I took my pumps off at one point and just started to carry them, and it was lovely for us to stop and look out at the sea (well, until Daisy started to cry and dig a hole right next to me).

Once we had met up again we took a leisurely walk along the sea front to a café where we sat in the sun.  Daisy sat under the table and TH got the breakfast whilst I went for a burger.  We both got tea, and I had a milkshake too.

After we polished off our brunch we headed home again, my cold had caught up with me, so after a bit of reading I went for a nap and woke up to the sound of the doorbell going.  TH and been battling his own cold that afternoon whilst I lay snoozing, and so had ordered us some delicious Chinese food…..just in time for Strictly to start.

A great day all round!

Gratitude

Oh my giddy aunt, every time I say that I'm about to start posting again LIFE gets in the way.  Busy life, empty blog.  Unfortunately a lot of what kept us busy was loved ones with terrible ill health and then the passing away of my Mother in Law.  It was horrible and all the bad sorts of words you can throw at such sadness and what feels like injustice.  It was awful that family didn’t gather round and it was yet another point of stress.  It was hurtful when people didn’t act the way I'm sure I’d treat them in that situation. 

 

However, we saw that was the reason we were taken back from Singapore in the grand scheme of things.  I felt happy knowing that The Husband wasn’t having to deal with this with an 8 hour time difference.  I felt comfort knowing that he didn’t have to organise flights and as unpleasant as it all was driving up, it wasn’t a day of no contact and worry for him to deal with.  Most of all I felt overwhelming gratitude that the family that didn’t turn their backs were right there holding hands, turning up to things, welcoming us into their homes, offering help and just being all round good people.  It was a bad situation, it just was, however we were shown such love and compassion that it didn’t feel unbearable.  And when you wake up to the phone ringing in the middle of the night you have to take any comfort you can.

However, good times are undoubtedly ahead.  We have had some great news too.  TH’s health problems seem to have been a massive over reaction by the Singapore health system – it is amazing, but any would be that you pay for.  He’s been given the OK by our wonderful NHS after lots and lots and lots of tests and we feel really happy and confident that everything that can be done has been, and will continue to do so.

We’ve also just taken a major step into being grown ups….yup, we put an offer in on a house and it got accepted!  We’ve already done the home report and it came back right on the money!  It needs work, but its all things we already could see and we feel really, really happy.

So I think that’s us up to date for at least a little while. Well lets see how long between posts I leave it now?!!!

A little update

Why hello there!

Welcome back to my little corner of bloggy land- where the posts are intermittent and the news is old.  I've been looking through my Singapore posts and getting a little bit home sick for a place I lived and loved for 18 months.  I'm still going through a whole new adjustment period where I feel sad for Scotland and Singapore in equal measure.  Its no good telling me how  lovely Devon is, don’t bother taking me out for a pleasant drive in Somerset, you can’t show me a warm beach or rolling hills or cream teas.  I know its not rational or can make any sense, but its how I feel at the moment.  A little bit sad and a little bit silly.

However, I am trying, I really am. 

So some updates from our household.  I have a new job.  We arrived back to the UK on the Wednesday, I’d planned an interview for the Friday and I started on the Tuesday.  Quite proud of myself really!

We stayed in a serviced apartment for the first month and gave our self that time to get into our own rented place….after a few properties we found our new home within a week!

This has been such a blessing, however perhaps a teensy bit of a curse too.  Everything has been so bunched up together that we’ve hardly had any time to process what has even happened.  Its only 3 months but Singapore seems like years and years ago.  I delight in picturing myself spending whole afternoons reading just for joy, swimming every morning or spending hour upon hour picking ribbons in a market…it wont be happening again any time soon.

So, the job-check, the house-check.  And that’s it really.  I’ll be posting our old bloggy notes for an update, but pretty much everything is the same.  I left the UK baby crazy and a bit cross that I wasn’t going to be getting any fertility treatment outwith the UK, and came back not with a baby but with a bit of calm and peace about the situation.  Daisy dog is doing well and prefers the warm breeze as opposed to crazy heat and we’re now just waiting for some Dr’s appointments for some on going issues.

Things seem to be going well for now and the house is slowly coming together….but that’s a whole other post!

Where have i been?

Hello there!
I think this post is quite a lot over due.  I've been trying to think of what to write and it's not been going well.  All I knew was that I loved writing on here and always felt 'bad' if I didn't.
My plan is to copy over my old blog posts from when I wrote on my husbands blog in Singapore and then start again from now really!
We've been through the mill really and have moved from Singapore to the UK again, Devon to be precise.  There's been quite a few dramas and health issues which seem to have taken up much too much time, so I can't wait to get back into thinking about lovely things again!

Welcome to St Just

'oh to be in England now that April’s there'

 

 Our new house for a month whilst we try and settle into life in the UK and a brand new city

 

 The kitchen is little and only one person can stand in it at once, but it opens up to a massive lounge area

 

The living room is the living room of the grand old house, which is now a few different flats

The bedroom is very big, I think this must have been another front room in days gone by

 

Lots of room to get ready in the morning now that I have to work again!

 

The spare room should Daisy want some space!

Singapore to the UK

Pack our belongings, wave Daisy off, say goodbye to friends, have something to eat at friends, drive around the block waving to people, get to airport, get coffee, cry so much I feel sore, get to passports checked, get fitbit in duty free, get to gate, get on plane, fly to UK, get off plane, collect bags, collect hire car, collect Daisy dog, drive to Devon, stop – we’re starving – back on the road again, “oh look Stonehenge, why is everyone driving so slowly?”, find apartment, find key, find door to apartment, get in and put the kettle on.

Daisy being taken to the airport