A Matter of Choice

Another one of my 'Talking on Eggshells' posts, which if you missed it was the 'other' blog I briefly started and then decided to ditch.  So as not to lose the few posts I'd published I decided to move them over to here - hence the 'New Years' post in February.     I've always loved New Year, the very start of them at least. Many a New Years Day has been hungover to varying degrees, but once we recover from that I love the new beginning.  I love a new calendar,  writing in the birthdays and any plans that have been made for the year.      As much as I love Christmas I like to get the decorations away, have a good clean and feel like we are back to 'normal'.  I'm not one for making a long list of resolutions, but I do tend to have some in mind at least each year.  I never plan to start them immediately though,  I think that's a recipe for complete failure, for me at least.  It doesn't seem to be mentioned much these da...

 Happy new year!  We had a nice New Years Eve,  on the last day we were able to visit other peoples houses.   It was a sudden announcement that had come in with just a few hours notice on the previous Tuesday but New Years Eve had been given as an exception to the rule.    Which was good for us as it meant we were still able to celebrate as planned with my parents.  We opened our memory jar  and the boys really enjoyed opening up all the slips and reading out the memories. It took a lot longer than I thought it would and there were a fair few in there that we had all forgotten. It went down so well that we've already started again for 2021.  We'd printed out a few quizzes and puzzles to be completed throughout the evening, and some questions to get everyone talking about the year.  Of course a lot of answers were covid related, especially with questions such as 'Most Challenging thing this year'  and 'An unexpected obstacle thi...

Christmas was always going to be strange for many people this year, for some a little strange would be more than they could hope for of course but I'm staying away from the absolute sadness and horrors of the world like I've always done on my blog.     I'm talking about the people I know and know off in Cyprus, those who would have traveled back to the UK, or elsewhere,  those who were expecting family to come here, those who would have met friends for Christmas dinner in a restaurant, or had a large gathering at home.  Our restrictions changed mid December and a 9 pm curfew came into place. Soon after  all bars and restaurants had to close.   We were allowed to have up to 10 people in our houses  (but randomly only 2 people could meet outside).   Most Christmas events had been cancelled, so no markets, school shows, parties etc.   All the towns still put up the Christmas lights which were lovely to see as long as you were...

Happy new Year! 2019 was a good year for us, and I hope 2020 will be even better. Of course at this time of year you can't help but look back over the year that has passed,  and with this year being a brand new decade ( By the way, it absolutely is a brand new decade, just in case you had any doubt.   I can't even begin to describe how cross I got reading a load of comments on facebook from people arguing that there was another year to go.  I assume these people have forgotten the well known decades of the 80's and 90's just to name a couple. Anyway because of the shiny new decade many people are sharing the #10yearChallenge photos.  I am loving them all,  it's fascinating me to see how things have changed in the last 10 years. The first change of decade I remember was the start of the 90's, as I was 12 in 1989.  It seemed like a huge thing to be happening and I couldn't imagine what I would be doing at the end of the decade, apart from part...

Happy new year dear blog readers! On New Years Eve I'd taken the boys to Paralimni town centre just as it got dark to see the Christmas lights as we'd not got round to going there yet and I felt like we hadn't left the house in days.  We came home to a warm house,  music on, bubbly chilling and so our traditional NYE evening was about to get underway! Mum and Dad arrived and we celebrated with lots of food, drinks and music. Mostly sat ( and at various points dancing) and singing along to youtube,  all the old songs that it wouldn't be NYE without! Even Leo was singing along to Chas and Dave! Just before midnight I played our usual countdown which ends with the 'bongs' of Big Ben and a rousing rendition of Auld Langs Syne - although we don't get the chimes live at midnight, it's just not New Year until I hear them!     We all stood outside on the balcony (luckily it was not raining yet)  and I opened the front door as is the tra...

The obligatory end of year / new year posts are in full swing so I'm looking back over the year through my photos.   I took much fewer this year than in previous years, trying to live more in the actual moment than looking at everything through a camera.  I take many photos of the boys, this year I've been hard pushed to get one of them (especially Leo) to pose for a photo without dabbing.   It became a personal mission of his to 'dab' on anything, everything and everywhere, and most video clips taken would have included 'flossing' somewhere. I've got hundreds of photos of them over the year but looking back there are few that would be worthy of printing or framing.  I'm not a great photographer (that's Aaron's department) but I love a scenic pic.   I've got lots of sea and sky shots, many of the same place as I can never resist!  So here are 12 of my favourite photos, one from each month of 2018. January  I love ...

Hello 2018! How are we here already?  I realise it just makes me sound very old but seriously, how can we have reached a year that once sounded so far into the distant future to me that I couldn't have even imagined it.   Of course, once upon a time 1999 seemed like a long way away, but I feel like I've lost a decade somewhere if I think 10 years ago I still have to check myself to think it was actually 2008 not 1998! Last year Aaron was thinking it very funny to constantly tease me about the fact I would be turning 40 in October,  I generally tolerated it as I was ignoring the actual age thing and excited about the forthcoming celebrations.  I did assume that the jokes would stop once I became a 40-something but he still continues,  I wouldn't mind but he's older than me! So, I'll be 41 this year,  meh,   it's ages away and who actually cares. 40's the new 30 anyway ( thanks Pitbull! )  I guess that makes me a proper adul...

Although I'm not really a fan of making New Year resolutions as such I don't like to pass up an opportunity to make a list, even if it's just in my head!   I've always said that January 1st is a rubbish day to start something, especially if it's dieting or stopping smoking which always seem to be popular resolutions.... I will be doing neither! Instead, each year I tend to come up with stuff I would like to achieve in the year, In 2013 I will get back to my target weight, I made quite a a good start back on Slimming world after Louka was born but I kind of abandoned it all just before Christmas.  As I proved several times now actually going to a group makes all the difference so on 7th Jan I will be joining a new group local to me. Along with Slimming World, I would also like to regain my former fitness!  I was never the sportiest person but when I lost weight the first time round I was exercising regularly and really enjoying it.  Of ...

Dear 2010, It's time to say goodbye, you've been an interesting year, definitely like none I've had before. I won't be too sad to see you go, because although you've not been too bad to us I am all for onwards and upwards in 2011. I will always look back on you with great fondness as I will forget the bad bits (and there weren't that many - either that or I've forgotten  already). You were the first and probably last year that I spent the whole time with my boy, it's not always been fun, I've been very tired at times  and at times I've struggled with finding things to do . but on the whole it's been great that I've had this time with him and we've had lots of fun together. You were the year that Cyprus became our home  and we finally settled in to our apartment. I also developed a love of blogging, when I first started back in 2009 , I didn't ever expect to enjoy it this much. I've found some great blogs to read which h...

I love New Year's Eve, It seems that lots of people hate it but it's always been an important night for me. I've always loved it, ever since the parties that weren't really parties that my parents used to hold every year.  My Mum called it a gathering, and that's maybe what it would have been without my Dad and the important elements of plenty of whisky and Chas & Dave . We usually had a handful of people round, a few friends and a couple of neighbours maybe. I was always the only child and I generally allowed to stay up as long as I got into my pyjamas. (It's a good idea, partying in pyjama is the way forward I think, can literally fall into bed!) I think these nights are where I got my love of parties   gatherings from, I loved the preparation, the fact that we used to turn the dining table round across the patio doors was a big excitement for me ( I was young, it didn't take much!) I used to help Mum put out nibbles, sausage rolls, cheesey bis...