Recovered / half term visits

Well, I have made it through my first day back at work since arriving back from USA, and only a minor wobble in the sleep department.  Thank goodness no one was with me, I keep the tiredness away when I am driving by singing ... loudly LOL

Maypole

So its half term, which was great for my commuting today from Bedfordshire to Hampshire as there was minimal traffic.  And its visiting time for the eldest daughter and the family from Staffordshire for the end of half term.  The original plan was for them to come down on Friday and for the eldest 2 boys stay for another night with Grandma, and I would return them on Sunday, but the bug from hell has hit the clan.
First it was Dad, then it was the youngest boy, then the next boy up, then Mum, and now the eldest boy ... it really doesn't bode well. Fortunately it didn't hit the eldest girl, as she was part of the Maypole dancing team for the weekend and what a brilliant time they all had.

So proud of her for dancing so well - lots of fierce concentration faces during the dances, but she really enjoyed herself.
She also enjoyed the decoration of the perfect white shoes once it was all over - so keen, she didn't manage to clean them first ;-)

Re-designed shoes :-)

The pictures are a cat motif - she is very attached to my daughter's Tonkinese John-cat. To give him his full name - Lord John Marbury! yes we give our cats ridiculous names, but isn't that the joy of cats, you can call them whatever you want, without the embarrassment of having to call them in the park!  And John-cat developed his name when the boys were little, and learning the name of the cat - this is "John" - a "cat" - and eventually John-cat!

So the bug may stop the half term holiday plans, and the inconvenient working thing meant I missed out on the Maypole dancing, and being an 'access' grandparent, I don't get to have as close a relationship with my step-grandchildren as I do with my daughter's boys.  Its tough - you want to be inclusive and I definitely feel them to be part of the family, but thanks to the access arrangement, and me being on the 'step' side of the relationship, it is difficult to build the same connections that you have with children you see more often, and have seen more often since their arrival.  Although having said that, the last time I visited when they were all there, you could have heard the happy yells of "Grandma" a mile away when I turned up at the door LOL  And much as I love the youngest boy, I'm not as close to him either, as the distance means he sees me much less than his other grandparents, who live around the corner.  But he is only young yet - about 16 months old, and we have plenty of time.  
In fact, there is plenty of time all round - having brought up a 'blended family' (yeuch, I do not like that label - I was quite happy being dysfunctional LOL) I am secure in the understanding that there is plenty of love to go around, and that no blood relationship will ever be as strong as the ties of nurture.  Kids know who love them and care about them, and that is what really matters.
And the delight of being home again has meant I have spent time with my youngest grandchild, all of 5 months old, and doing that amazing weekly (no, daily) development of skills - sitting up, commando crawling across the floor, rolling over, and being happy - giggling.  She is a sweet, chubby, happy little girl and I am so proud of my daughter for being a great Mum.  
In fact both my daughters are fabulous Mums - its very humbling to see them being so mature and coping so very well with everything and being such brilliant Mums with their adorable children (I may be just a little bit biased LOL).

Well that's my post for the moment - I make no apology for the banal burbling ... until I have something meaningful to say, I will simply use this as a public diary for thoughts and feelings, as I feel the need to share.  And I must remember to ask my kids if they are happy for me to share names and pictures on here, and then I will get the doting Grandma bit out of my system!

What time is it?

Here I am back in the UK, struggling to stay awake to combat the inevitable jetlag after 2 weeks away in the US of A.
Fortunately the journey was uneventful, the most excitement caused when the gentleman of military bearing sitting in the next occupied seat near to me began snoring melodically ... 

This is the first year I have had to come back to an empty house after my business trips.  Let me explain - my lovely husband spends half the year in our rented house in Greece (our choice) and this is the first year all of the children have properly left home.  My eldest moved out when she was 16, then had a short re-appearance when she had her first baby, staying for 8 months, then off again.  My stepson Nick opted to stay with his Mum once he hit 16, leaving us with my boy and youngest daughter - he moved out last year at age 21, and daughter moved out (for the second time) this year in the spring.  So finally - empty nest syndrome has the potential to appear, and with a houseful like ours, dealing with family life with the 'mix and match' comings and goings, its been a very busy 24 years of children for me, and 17 years for my husband and I together.  

All this means that when I return from a trip away at the moment, I come back to an empty house except for 2 rather demanding oriental cats, who, in the way of cats, smother and ignore me by turns!

Its rather strange, and somewhat inconvenient, as it means I have to go and get myself some fresh milk for my tea when I get back :-)  There is much to do now, to de-clutter and downsize, and I have little or no interest or motivation if I am honest.  I am putting this down to getting used to being alone in the house, and of course, as I work for myself, there is always work to fill my time if I want there to be :-) 
But at some point, we will organise ourselves and move away from the big house we no longer really need.  It has served us well, and I think its all part of my 'empty nest' too - can't feel so empty if its somewhere new :-) 

I like the idea of new beginnings, fresh starts and new ventures - keep moving and keep trying new things.  Don't be afraid of change, even though it is often unsettling, its what keeps us alert.  Having said that, I admit to not liking changes much at all, but you learn to go with the flow in the end.

Well that was a little rambling post to say, 'I'm back in the UK' and to see if I could make sense whilst wrestling jetlag LOL - I cannot judge if this is any good - but the post may disappear if I thinks its rubbish when I am more awake! 

Homeward bound, I'm nearly homeward bound

Its been a couple of weeks, but seems a lot longer as my trip has been very full, and the time distance has meant I have felt very far away.
In fact I have been far away, all the way to another continent LOL 

Today I finished the work I was doing out here, and then bless my lovely husband, who is a mere 6750 miles away and 9 hours difference, stayed up to speak to me and have a video call before I start travelling back to the UK. 

Flowering cactus

I will be sorry to leave this astonishing country, as I would like to explore it further, but I would prefer to explore with company, not alone.  I learnt something about cacti - the traditional arizona cactus (saguaro) only grows arms after 100 years, so this one is a baby, but had some very lovely flowers on it.  My Dad used to keep small cacti in pots on his study window ledge, and we used to get so excited when a cacti flowered and here, I am surrounded by huge flowering cacti.  This one was outside an office block and is huge!


So its been an interesting trip, and I have really enjoyed the company of the videographer Cory, who made the experience of taping very dull courses as enjoyable as it could be.  He also was happy to share information about this crazy country, and we had some good chats during our lunches.


And now I am looking forward to being home again, hoping the cats will forgive me and that they haven't left any surprises around the place in protest!


Right - enough for now - travellers tales next week - hopefully there will be little to share, except the joy of seeing the family again.
My case is packed - to capacity and just a little bit more :) early to bed for an early start, leave the hotel at 6am, and my very long journey begins ...

Sometimes I just feel out of sync ...

At the moment, I am working in Scottsdale, Arizona, in the US of A, and as a consequence, I'm feeling a little out of touch with home.  For a start, the time difference is not particularly helpful, as when I finish my working day, everyone back at home is fast asleep.  And if they're not, it means there is something wrong, as its the wee small hours of the morning for them.

So all the news I want to share has to wait a day to share it, and then only a quick snippet before I start my working day, and my family settle to their evening.

But I shouldn't complain - the weather here is glorious, the business opportunities seem to be growing, and all in all the visit to a natural wonder of the world has made the trip worth while.

First view of the Grand Canyon

Let me boast for just a moment, or better yet, try and give you a glimpse of how astonishing the Grand Canyon truly is - but I know my words won't do it justice.
It really is breathtaking - quite literally in my case, as when I looked at some of the vertiginous drops, I genuinely began to lose my breath!  I also had the most extraordinary tingling sensation in the soles of my feet, and a general 'uncomfortable' feeling in my middle!  I suppose these are classic symptoms of vertigo, but I'm not generally a sufferer. I even got those sensations when I watched other people go close to the edge, or when, unexpectedly, a view would suddenly provide a display of such incredible depth, you felt that the world had dropped away before you.
I love geology and could have spent many happy hours simply staring at the astonishing rock formations and strata of this extraordinary "Big Hole in the Ground'!

So no complaints that my work has allowed me to experience something which otherwise I might not have seen for a very long time.

Yin & Yang

But today, back at work, with aching calf muscles from the explorations of the canyon, I feel out of sync with my family and home.  I've just worked out that I might be spending as much as a month away in the next 2 months, and I will miss my family and friends, and my cats.  In fact in all of this, my cats are the biggest concern - in addition to our fat Siamese we also have a beautiful little Tonkinese, who belongs to my youngest daughter.  Mogwai is so attached to Fitz that the pair stay together, even though Cait no longer lives at home.  Leaving this playful pair to their own devices is not a good idea - they love people, and need the company.

But enough of my musings today - as my friends and family wake up, it is time for me to get to bed.  Tomorrow is another day, after all and I will soon be home with travellers tales to tell.  Night night everyone! :)

So this is what I get up to when I should be working ...

Right now, I should be working, getting ready for the next week's work, in fact.  But instead, inspired by my lovely daughter Emma, I am creating a blog, to capture the mid life musings of a manic Mum and Grandma.

A little background - mum to 3, step mum to 1 and now proud grandma to 4, and 2 step grands ... confusing? Not at all, the 'family of the future' today, we're all used to mix and match, and know that it is nurture, not nature, that makes our families a success.

So why a blog? And why now? Well my fabulously talented husband has just been published on the web - short story 'The day before Easter' (crumpetsandtea.me) and frankly I am jealous LOL

I do have articles published, but they are work related and less than entertaining (if you are interested in my work life, my url is on my profile page), and as my daughter has started her own blog (Quilt-O-Matic) I thought I'd join in!

So why now?  To be honest, I'm feeling a little reflective - don't worry, this won't be an angst ridden outpouring, just the odd musing on life, how it takes you by surprise, and hopefully some fun :)

Grand Canyon & Colorado River

And I want to boast - I've just been to the Grand Canyon (sadly on my own as I'm in Arizona on business) and wanted to post this picture somewhere other than FB :)

Isn't that something?  Took my breath away :)

Well that's enough for today - back to work, I suppose.


Oh - last thing - the picture at the top is my fat blue point Siamese, Fitz (Admiral Fitzwallace to give him his full title) - yes I really am a mad cat lady in training!


Here's to happy blogging :)