Grandparents

Sadly all of my grandparents have passed away and I wish that I had spent more time talking to them and really getting to know them.  I didn't really have a chance with two of them (Dad's Dad and Mum's Mum) as they died when I was little.  My Grandpa Jolly (Mum's Dad) lived with us until he died in the mid-1980's, but I was too busy being a teenager at the time to understand that old people are important and have relevant things to say - not that I didn't love him, just didn't appreciate him and what he could give to me.  My Grandma (Dad's Mum) however, lived into her nineties, and I really have no excuse as to why I didn't talk to her more often on the phone or go and visit.  I'll always regret that and so I am keen that Little Pink learns to appreciate her elders more than I did.

She has a full set of grandparents on her Dad's side, and a Great-Grandmother too.  We make sure that we visit her as often as we can and take lots and lots of photos with her.  Mr Pink also asks lots of questions about her past, where she lived, what she did so that we can remember her when she is gone and hold on to pieces of her life - funnily we have moved very close to the area where she was brought up and are on a mission to find her old cottage and maybe even bring her to see it.  So my first Gallery picture this week is of her and Little Pink:

My second photo is more poignant (for me anyway).  It is of my Mum and Dad with Little Pink when she was about three weeks old.  I think they had given up all hope of ever having grandchildren (I am an only child, so the pressure was on!) and were over the moon when I told them I was pregnant.  They were desperate to come and see her when she was born and were a bit put out when we asked them to stay away whilst Mr Pink had his paternity leave so that we could get used to being our own little family unit!  All that was forgotten when they met her, and you can see the love and happiness in their faces.

 

Sadly, behind her smile, Mum was still fighting breast cancer and unbeknown to us all it was spreading through her bones and into her lungs and liver.  She died when Little Pink was 16 months old.  I am grateful that Mum met Little Pink, that she held her, that she saw her start to turn into the funny, loving little girl that she is.  But I am angry that she was taken away before she could talk properly, before she started to have her own opinions and at a time when I needed her the most. (Here is an old blog post I wrote about her - Mum).  And it upsets me that Little Pink will have no real memory of Grandma, apart from the photos that we have and the conversations that we have about her.  It's funny, but every time we go into a church Little Pink says that Grandma is here (Mum had a deep, deep faith), and I think she probably is.


Treasure your grandparents, your elders. Don't take them for granted, and tell them that you love them every time you see them.  After all, we'll be in their shoes one day, won't we?

My Backyard

Regular readers of the Tickled Pink Crafts blogs (and I hope there are some otherwise I am talking to myself) will know that I, Mrs Pink, am having some building work done to create an extension that will eventually house my father.  So, when Sticky Fingers announced that My Backyard was The Gallery theme this week I was both horrified and pleased.

Pleased, because it was a fairly easy theme to do.  Horrified because my backyard is not exactly at its best at the moment.

This is the debris associated with a simple dormer extension to house a new bathroom, so I am dreading the mess that will come when the builders start work on the slab (see how conversant I am in builder's language) for the actual proper extension bit!

Still, it will all be worth it - we built a big extension on our previous house, and that involved me limbo'ing down the stairs on our wedding day, fully garbed in all my finery!!  And ultimately it means that my Dad will be here with us and not on his own and lonely.

And don't forget to pop over to Sticky Fingers and have a look at the other entries.

The Gallery - Mustachioed

Sticky Fingers have set a fairly impossible task for us ladies in this week's Gallery challenge.

The theme is Mustachioed and I would think there are few bloggers who could compete with the gentlemen at the World Beard and Moustache Championships which have taken place this week in Norway!

Here is the Tickled Pink attempt, taken on a girly night out last year and modelled by Miss Tickled.

 

I (Mrs Pink) am now going to run away very fast and hide.

Don't forget to visit the Sticky Fingers blog to see all the other moustaches on display.

The Gallery - Chilled Out

So the theme for The Gallery over at Sticky Fingers Blog this week is Chilled Out.

Funny really, as I don't feel at all relaxed or chilled out at the moment what with builders here already and the plumber and electrician due to start next week.  That will be next week when Mr Pink has conveniently disappeared on another of his regular trips to China.  Next week when the bathroom suite is due to be delivered along with six double-glazed window units.  Next week when the playroom ceiling needs to come down to accommodate the new bathroom floor.  Next week when I have sole charge of Little Pink, three dogs and the rest of the menagerie!  Stressed?  Me?  You betcha!!!

So I am choosing a photograph from another time when I was particularly stressed!  A photo of Little Pink not long after she was born, when I was worried whether she was too hot, too cold, hungry, not hungry, dry, not dry, happy, sad, comfortable, was I being a good mother.........you know how it goes.

To me, this is the epitome of chilled out.  An innocent sleeping child, without a care in the world.

Now, where's the Valium?


PS: It's not letting me put the nice picture link back to Sticky Fingers, so follow the link above to see all the other Gallery entries for this week.

The Gallery - April

This is a hard one.  April has been full of so many things.  We have seen the garden come into bloom and the blossom has been spectacular.  And we have had lots of lovely parties and gatherings because of all the Bank Holidays.

Easter was great fun.  My Dad was here and we were all invited to some new friends for an Easter Egg Hunt.  It turned into an all day session, Dad (at 75) putting all of us youngsters to shame! And we played croquet for the first time.  All the children ran and ran until they were shattered, and we had a wonderful time.  I have made more friends here in six months than I did in six years where we used to live.

The Royal Wedding was another excuse for a party, this time at our house.  We had bunting, flags, commemorative gifts, patriotic cakes, the works!  And what a gorgeous occasion it turned out to be.  The bride looked beautiful (although Mr Pink was more taken with her sister), the groom looked handsome in his striking uniform and they both looked utterly and completely in love.

So the choice of a photo is a tricky one this time, but I am plumping for this one.

This is Oscar who belongs to my friend B.  He found the Sticky Ginger Cake that I had made for the Royal Wedding just too tempting and gobbled the whole lot before anyone else had chance to taste it!  Apparently ginger is a great laxative for dogs!!

The Gallery - Green

This is my first attempt at The Gallery, but the theme this week seemed to fit.

This is the view from our house!  We have lived here now for over 6 months, but every day I look at this view and am amazed.  It changes every day, every hour depending on the weather.  On some mornings the mist lies in the bottom of the valley and everything is quiet and peaceful.  Some days the wind roars off the Black Mountains behind us and bends the trees double.  When the weather is bad, the view disappears completely. 

I will never tire of looking at our view and I know that we are incredibly privileged to live here and gaze on it.  I hope you love it as much as I do.

This is the Me Meme

OK, I know two posts in one day is a bit extreme, but when I saw this from the Sticky Fingers blog I just had to take part! 

Little Pink is 3 and drew this all by herself at the weekend.  Daddy helped with the writing.  I posted it on Facebook the other day and my lovely friends compared it to a pissed snowman or Spud the scarecrow from Bob the Builder - you decide!!

Not sure why she looks so pleased with herself, everyone says she looks like me so she's got no hope for when she gets older has she?