Well I feel like you must all think I've disappeared off the face of the earthSorry everyone - I haven't forgotten you all, life has just been so hectic that blogging has had to take a bit of a back seat - but hey! I'm back again so prepare to have the pants bored back off you all again :o)
The past two to three weeks have been a real mixed bag - phew!
Our holiday in beautiful Devon was very mixed - the cottage was not good! I'll go no further on that one, sufficient to say that two tired parents in desperate need of a holiday, three lively children and two very intolerant grandparents used to their own space, all cooped up together in a small room about 16' x 13' for seating, cooking, eating and playing doesn't really work for harmonious living for a week
The holiday had lots of plus points too - Devon is a gorgeous county - put it on your itinerary if you ever come to the UK
The weather was mixed but never so cold or wet to stop us doing something (thank goodness, because a cold damp day in that room would have added further tensions to an already very strained situation) and we did manage one very hot day on the beach where the three kids tried their hand at sea kayaking for the first time, much to Daddy's delight!
Big PLUS point - found a craft exhibition with some quilting included - the quilt above was my favourite (sorry about the picture quality but it was in front of a window and the camera is still being temperamental) The exhibition was so varied and extensive that all seven of us got something out of it - even if the three boys did retire to the pub opposite for the latter part of the afternoon as we spent the best part of four hours there
We had good days and not so good days - my father at 76 has the maturity of a five year old a lot of the time and gets very jealous when my mum spends time with the grandchildren - he does attention seeking with knobs on and is prone to storming off to bed in a huff if things don't suit him (hence the five year old label!!!) - so things were often strained but on some days when he managed to get over that we had a lovely time
However I must say it'll definitely be THE last time we ever go on holiday with them - their generous offer to pay for the accommodation was repaid in time, energy and patience a hundredfold and we both feel like we need another holiday to get over it
Enough said on that front now - I'm going to get off my soapbox and stop whining - you don't need to hear any more but thanks for listening and letting me get some of it off my chest
Other parts of the holiday were lovely - the other photo shows the girls in the family dressed in Victorian clothes (the boys were too chicken!) when we visited a reconstruction site of a Victorian village built up around a tin mine - we could step back in time and see how people lived and worked around 150 years ago.
It very much reminded me of a place I visited in Indiana when I was over 15 years ago - Connor Prairie, if any of you are familiar with it
The picture, if nothing else has made me realise it's time to do something about the double chins that have miraculously developed since we moved here almost a year ago - groan!!!!!!!!!!!!
I haven't forgotten about our quilt show photos and will start posting them over the next few days - plus probably some more Devon photos to whet your appetite a little more
Good to be back!
17 comments:
Welcome back Anne! Sorry the holiday wasn't exactly a vacation. Hmmm, I had one like that with my father-in-law and his lady friend down at my parents' beach shack with my two brothers and their two littlies. I thought it was a great idea to bring us all together but it was a DISASTER!! It taught me a very valuable lesson - let me tell you :)
I would love to go to Devon. But we have to win the lotto before we can afford to visit the UK!
Anyway, welcome back. It's good to know you're alive and well :)
Welcome back Anne - I am so sorry about your holiday and strained relationships. I too, have just experienced the same thing in my home. 3 weeks with my parents whom we hardly ever see and the way I feel about it is that it'll be too soon whenever they come back!
We'll be in the UK (Bournemouth, Dorset) for Christmas this year and I'm sure that we'll be doing some sightseeing around that area.
Have a lovely day - when does your new job begin?
Oh so glad to have you back!! You were sorely missed. Sorry that the vacation wasn't all it could be. They say traveling with relatives can either cement your bond or make you despise each other--tee hee.
too bad the holidays weren't a vacation, but only a change in pace... Perhaps you can grab a couple of days (a weekend even) and call it a vacation -- do nothing that isn't "fun" & rest. might help...
my father at 76 has the maturity of a five year old a lot of the time and gets very jealous when my mum spends time with the grandchildren
Oh great, it appears that I have something to look forward to for about 40 years... (Yes my husband is a toddler stuck in a mans body.)
Sorry the time away wasn't a vacation....
Ahhh yes, you just have confirmed why we don't go on extended family vacations! :)!
Glad your back and I look forward to the show pics. I love the apple quilt and really love your girls dressed up! That picture is wonderful!
you can love your family but you don't have to like them sometimes. Good to have you back! Who doesn't need to vent sometimes.
Did you know that holidays are among life's stressful events along with buying a house, marriage, divorce etc?
Glad to see you back in 'blog land' - we've missed you :)
You 4 ladies look like something out of Charles Dickens!
Sorry the holiday wasn't all you wanted or needed. But, it was still time away and you had some good times. Welcome back.
Glad you are back - we missed you! I'm so sorry the vacation turned out to be so strained. Sometimes a little bit of family togetherness goes a long way. At least you can smile and talk about all the good things that happened along with the not so good.
AH, I gre up with a father like that. Mine was very self centered and would fume and stop speaking to us and my mom for a week at most over some nonsense. Sorry it wasn't a better vacation.
Glad you are back and we'll be happy to see anything you care to show!
welcome back! I wondered where you wandered off--I bet you wish you would have stayed back with us bloggers, don't you? Sorry to hear it wasn't the best--lessons learned, I guess.
Good to have you back Anne. It does all sound like a bit "much". I suspect tho, that the coming years will fade out the really bad parts, and hopefully highlight the on the shared memories of the good parts.
Not so long ago, a hundred years or so, alot of families were composed of Grandparents living with their sons or daughters and jointly raising the children. Labor was labor, and alot of hands were needed. Times have certainly changed, unfortunately not always for the better. Looking forward to see you back into quiting, hugs, Finn
Welcome back, dearie!
Sorry the vacation was "interesting." Those costumes are wonderful.
Jeanne :)
Anne, Welcome back. I'm so sorry to hear you experienced challenges with your dad. You dad's behavior reminds me of my mom's behavior so only interact for brief periods of time. It's too stressful otherwise.
Glad you're back!
hi, nice to have you back. What a shame your holiday wasn't 100% great. When we went away over the Easter break earlier this year with my parents and my sister and her three young daughters we stayed in seperate cabins in a caravan park. There were times when we appreciated our own space.
Thanks for posting the photos. It's nice to see other parts of the world.
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