Uncategorized – Page 21 – Seaside Sparkles

The Simple life, Charlotte’s Web and the Spirit of Cricket #littleloves

Published on June 10, 2016 by seasidesparkles

Wow, that was a week which just zoomed past, I’m not sure how we are at Friday evening already. As the sun has been out for most of the week, it has been a week spent in the garden. We’ve had dinners al fresco, a barbecue, lots of swing ball and cricket and lazy evenings on the swings and making daisy chains.

READ

There’s been too much going on to start a new book this week so I’ve been reading my favourite magazine The Simple Life. I like the feel of the articles celebrating simple sensory pleasures of seasonal life. Perfect garden reading.

WATCHED

With the beautiful summer evenings, we’ve hardly had the television on this week. The one film I watched with the children on a drizzly Saturday lunchtime was Charlotte’s Web, I really enjoyed it and it inspired further activities.

I have been very lucky this week to have watched children having simple, good fun. I was on the parent rota for Beavers this week and loved seeing the boys explore their tent and to work out how to put it up together in the local park. I also had a great time at Paultons Park where the Rotary Club had very generously paid for our students to have a day out, all the local special needs schools are invited and it is so well organised to meet the needs of the children, it is an inspiring, humbling day. Paultons Park (aka Peppa Pig world) is a wonderful theme park and well worth a visit.

MADE

On Saturday afternoon, Little Miss went with our neighbour to tend her horses so Little Man and I did some crafting. Inspired by Charlotte’s Web we made a scene from the film, searching our box for materials. I was so impressed by Little Man’s creativity and interest in the activity which really developed from my original idea of a spider and web.

This period is crazy in our family for special events so I spent some time this week making cards online from Funky Pigeon. I find the website reasonable and there are nice designs. I use them too as the cards are made in the UK, I love quality cards but got really fed up with shops like M&S sourcing their pretty cards from China.

WORE

It was a shorts and tshirts type of week, my favourite!

HEARD

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03xsv58

The latest cricket test match started this week so I have my favourite TMS on the radio throughout the day. In the lunch break I listened to the Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey lecture by Brendan McCullum. It was one of those speeches which stops you in your tracks and you cannot do anything else but listen. Obviously the theme was about cricket, but it was so much more, it was about leadership, moral responsibility, being a team and recognising the important things in life. Brilliant.

AND LASTLY

I do like my sport and I am very excited by the start of the Euros today. This is the first tournament that Little Man is old enough to appreciate so he has been collecting stickers for his Panini album and we have a football wall chart on the play room wall. Fingers crossed for a strong England performance.

I’m linking up with Morgana at http://coffeeworksleeprepeat.com and all the other fantastic bloggers for this week’s #LittleLoves.

Little Sparkles

Published on May 2, 2016 by seasidesparkles

So another Little Sparkles with nothing else written in between, that’s just how life is moving at present. However its been a week of simple pleasures as illustrated below by my highlights and a moment of remembrance.

Sparkle 1 : Fresh flowers

I was lucky enough to receive two bunches of flowers this week. The first was a little posy of flowers which little Man picked on his way home from school, a mix of wild and garden flowers. He was very proud of his flowers and presented them to me with a lovely big kiss and a I love you Mummy, I just melted.

The second was a kind thank you gift from a colleague who was taken very poorly at work and I waited with her until the ambulance crew arrived. Whilst she is much better now, she detioriated quickly during the wait and I did find myself mentally rehearsing CPR. I was so relieved to see the ambulance arrive and have so much respect and gratitude for all our medical professionals.

Sparkle 2 : My Saturday morning run

7am on a weekend morning is my time, my hour to go for a run. It is at this time of year when it is a perfect time to be out, the sun is bright, the trails quiet and spring is blossoming all around you. Saturday morning was just fantastic this week, a warm, bright sun, little sailing boats bobbing along in the sea and brilliant running conditions.

Sparkle 3 : The Cricket Club

Cricket training has now moved outdoors and the cricket club is a perfect place to be on a Saturday morning, whilst the youth teams train, there is breakfast for the adults and the wonderful opportunity to sit in the sun, talk and relax. Having done my run and then on to the cricket it was a pretty perfect morning.

Sparkle 4 : My Light box

The lines this week were for Mr S. To the children it was simply a quote but it had a far more poignant meaning for Mr S. This week the Hillsborough families finally got the unlawful killing verdict in the new inquests and much of the evidence of the time has been discredited as lies, incompetence and cover ups. . I cannot fully express my utter respect and admiration for these families who have worked tirelessly for 27 years to get this result. For Mr S, Hillsborough is not simply a national tragedy, he was there with three friends, courtesy of tickets from his best mate’s cousin who played for Liverpool at the time. We have been together nearly 20 years now and only once has he ever spoken about what he witnessed on that day, what he told me was indescribable horror and has haunted me ever since, I cannot imagine the effect it has had on him. Mr S took some time out on his own on Wednesday evening, after all the news reports, he needed time alone to reflect and grieve. This quote was my little sign to him to let him know that I know this was a tough week for him and we’re all here together for each other.

April, Month in a Word

Published on May 1, 2016May 12, 2016 by seasidesparkles

April has been a much more relaxed and happier month. It’s a month I always like, it’s normally a holiday month and with the weather slowly improving and longer days it’s one of the fist opportunities of the year to get out and explore in sunshine and light.

This month’s word is family as we’ve been fortunate to spend much of this month with our close family. Firstly, Mr S has done fewer weeks away working and took a few days off during the children’s holiday to allow a few trips out together en famille. We’ve had Grandad to stay for Easter which although was in March, I’m still sneaking it in. Then the children and I had a lovely week with my parents in Somerset when Mr S was working away, a great way to spend part of the Easter holiday. And finally April ended with Grandad’s birthday weekend in Devon with my sister in law, her husband and their youngest daughter who has achieved goddess status to Little Miss, she loved the teenage culture of selfies and fashion and is regularly sending her cousin emails which are so sweet.

I feel so blessed to have such amazing family around us and it’s been a good month to be bathed in family love, laughter and good times.

Little Sparkles

Published on April 23, 2016April 23, 2016 by seasidesparkles

There is little variety in my blog writing at present, I am in one of those periods when life takes over and at least little sparkles is a way to catch up on our past week. I am writing down ideas for new blog posts its just finding time to write. I was reading a professional blog from someone who dictates their posts on their commute home, great time saving but as I work less than 5 minutes from home and am normally doing a mad dash to get from work to school on time I don’t think that strategy will work for me.

This week we enjoyed our weekend away in Devon with Mr S’ family to celebrate his Dad’s birthday and then just to prove how rock and roll our life is we got new windows and repairs this week which has been my highlight and something I’m very excited about, how life changes over the years…

Sparkle 1 : A weekend in Devon

This could constitute a whole post of its own as we had a fantastic weekend in Devon. We all met at Pecorama in Beer which has model railway displays, a light railway and beautiful gardens to explore with stunning views of the bay. It was a lovely place to spend a bright and chilly day and the children loved it. We moved on to Exeter in the evening for a family meal and then drove to Exmouth on Sunday for a gorgeous, sunny walk along the beach and birthday lunch for Grandad. It was relaxed and fun, the children fell in love with my sister in law’s menagerie of dog, cat and chickens and even me who is not a cat person may have fell a little bit in love with the cat too, for the first time ever I could imagine having a cat in the house, although it would need the temperament and character of their lovely little cat.

Sparkle 2 : My Light box message

As well as being my Father In Law’s birthday, its also been the Queen’s 90th birthday this week and as well as my light box message, Little Miss got this badge from Brownies on Monday to celebrate. (A Brownies session I accompanied her to as her adult partner for games and challenges, I’m great at moving marshmallows with chopsticks, a talent I’ve not had much call for before!) Whilst the message is a little tongue in cheek, I’m not a fervent royalist and have mixed feelings about the Royal family, I do have a lot of respect for the Queen who has served the country dutifully and diligently. The more I read of her I think she is a pretty sparky, intelligent and witty woman. As my light box message is a way of celebrating the week it seems an appropriate phrase.

Sparkle 3 : Star Wars

FullSizeRender - Copy

Yeah the Star Wars DVD came out this week and we have our copy. Little Man is made up and has been creating so many Star Wars inspired Lego models this week and reading all his Star Wars books. He even got to go to a Star Wars birthday party today (with a stunning Millennium Falcon cake) I love the film on so many levels and its definitely in my top 5 films.

Sparkle 4 : New windows

A little bit tragic but I have been so excited by our new windows, the children have windows in their bedrooms which they can open now ( of course with special child restrictors) and the clouded windows have been replaced, which makes the rooms look so much lighter. As we had to move furniture to prepare for the work, I also had a little change around in some of the rooms and am particularly happy with how the space is being used in our bedroom now. Its been a real homely week.

Sparkle 5 : A present for Mr S

In the first Spring I knew him Mr S asked me to get the new edition of Playfair. I had no idea what this was and to be honest it sounded like a dodgy, girlie publication with a name like that. Fortunately, its not, rather its the annual publication for cricket stats and information and I picked it up today for him. Mr S is so difficult to buy presents for and to find it for him and get it without being asked made it even more special, bonus wife points for me. As you can see from the picture, he has a lot of Playfairs and Wisdens they are double stacked on the wide shelves in the Dining Room and we have many other cricket books on our bookshelves elsewhere!

And finally

Its a time of change at work for me at present. I will be taking on significant additional responsibilities from Monday and have rearranged my hours to make my working time more efficient and effective. Work have been very accommodating but its time to deliver, inspire and lead, I’m excited but aware of the role I need to play. My challenge is to have a decent balance in all areas of my life, I think I can do it but am mindful of how organised and efficient I’m going to need to be, its quite a daunting thought.

Month in a Word, overwhelmed.

Published on April 8, 2016April 8, 2016 by seasidesparkles

I’m trying to avoid alliteration in this category which is a challenge as I love a little double letter word play in my writing. There could have been a few options too this month, March madness, manic March etc.. It’s been a very busy month and the word I’ve decided to use to describe this month is overwhelming. I am a positive, proactive person and nothing gives me pleasure than ticking off my to do lists but even the ultra organised and efficient me has found this month difficult, so much happened. It was just a perfect storm of events, work was busy, Mr S was working away, there were special events for the children in addition to the normal clubs, parents evenings, annual reviews, hospital appointments, an early Easter, a poorly Little Man, a visit to my parents, my list was endless . Fortunately I recognise it was an exceptional month and am happy that it is over and everything achieved. I’m looking forward to quieter and calmer months to follow this year.

Little Sparkles

Published on March 16, 2016 by seasidesparkles

This is a lazy write up in the hope of catching up with the sparkles of March, its a month which seems to have been pretty busy and I seem to be constantly battling with a migraine and the subsequent nausea and tiredness that accompanies it. I am in one of those periods when I know I am doing too much but can’t resolve the situation. I am definitely missing Mr S who is still working away, life is so much easier and fun when its our little team.

march sparkles.jpg

Sparkle 1 : My beautiful home made Mothers day cards, I love the blossoms and the messages inside are gorgeous. I have saved these away to my memory box as precious little memories. Mothers day is a funny old day, there’s great pride and love but a tinge of sadness too. Mr S did well and I got the book I wanted Deliciously Ella Everyday, he did comment it was another cookbook but I do love my homemaking and I do use my recipe books regularly. Mr S also treated us all to Sunday lunch out at a lovely local pub, which was much appreciated.

Sparkle 2: On Mother’s Day morning we went to the dedication of a family friend’s son at the local church. It was a warm and welcoming service and one filled with the love of family and friends. As well as the dedication there have been lots of children’s parties this month so weekends have been organised around these events.

Sparkles 3 & 4 : I had my neurology appointment at the hospital following my referral after my falls late last year. I cannot praise the NHS enough as the visit was so organised and efficient, I took a book and never had a chance to open it. I was seen early and after a very thorough consultation went straight for an ECG and had a screening and made an appointment for a MRI scan. I was delighted to learn with the ECG that I have a resting heart beat of 62 bpm which according to charts is excellent for my age. I can also start proper running again as the neurologist thinks that my migraines are affecting my balance and its nothing more sinister, this should be confirmed by the MRI, so as long as I avoid running with a headache I should be fine.

Sparkle 5 : The television is really poor at the moment and on my ironing afternoons I have rediscovered some classic films. I loved watching Strictly Ballroom, I have such happy memories of going out with my Uni housemates to watch it at the local Indie cinema, we left so exhilarated and one of those magic moments is us dancing in an underpass spinning each other round and singing Love is In the Air, the echoes just added to the atmosphere. Such a random moment but one 24 years later I remember so clearly. I also caught 10 Things I Hate About You, another classic and the scene with Heath Ledger singing Can’t take My Eyes Off Of You on the sports field is one of my favourite cinematic moments.

Sparkle 6 : March saw World Book Day and I was pleased with our costume efforts as Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and 2, simple and effective. Perhaps next year I can persuade Mr S to dress up too!

Sparkles 7 and 8 : This was our Poppy Treffry embroidered picture for Mum as a Mother’s Day present. In her new house she has a room nicknamed the Sewing Room so this seemed the perfect present. I love that it is hand made in the UK and such a pretty picture. As you can read from the text message, she liked her present.

Sparkle 9 : My Lightbox has been changed regularly this month, first we had the phrase above, followed by Be Awesome Today and now we’re on Terrific with a little spider and web from Charlotte’s Web. It keeps me happy!

Month in a word- February

Published on March 1, 2016March 3, 2016 by seasidesparkles

729-4269_PI_TPS1917009 — FRUSTRATION my word and feeling of the month but also a game we’ve liked to play this month!

My word for January was Homemaking and despite all my hopes for a fun, frolicking February I think it’s another f word for February, frustration! It’s been a month of domestic disasters, I’m pretty realistic and sanguine that these things happen but it’s the frustration to get things resolved that has caused the problems. It’s been a month of waiting and waiting and waiting… days have been wasted on the phone and stuck indoors waiting for engineers and second visits and deliveries (and redeliveries)

I don’t like to dwell on the negatives so away from the frustrations this month, I have loved the half term break and all our little treats, particularly our theatre trip to Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat which was amazing and very memorable. During the month, we’ve had pancake tossing, a lovely Valentines meal out and now we’re all having lots of fun with the new football goal in the garden which replaced our slide broken in the storms. Here’s to the Spring and blossoming of March.

Vogue’s 73 Questions…

Published on February 24, 2016 by seasidesparkles

There is a popular blog post called 73 Questions doing the rounds at the moment. It’s taken from a series of Vogue videos quick firing 73 questions to celebs. I have watched a few on the website below and it is a really neat idea.

http://video.vogue.com/series/73-questions

The questions are different in each video so I took mine from Running in Lavender. These are quickly typed answers to the questions

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

No.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

Watching a documentary on assisted suicide last week.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?

Yes, it’s very neat and always gets compliments. I love writing in fancy coloured inks.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH?

Homemade soup with chunky, granary bread from our local bakery or avocado salad dressed with balsamic vinegar.

INSTAGRAM OR TWITTER?

Twitter although Instagram is growing on me quickly.

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

I hope so.

DO YOU BAKE?

Yes, I love to bake. Most of my Instagram follows are bakers and cake decorators.

DO YOU LIKE FLYING?

It’s a means to an end, I like the excitement of airports.

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?

No. Never, I’m not that mad.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL?

Granola with natural yoghurt and fresh fruit.

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?

No, definitely a bad habit of mine and really annoying when I have to untie and retie my laces when I go out running.

DO YOU THINK YOU’RE STRONG?

Mentally, yes.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM?

A local company on the seafront. The ice cream is freshly made less than a mile from our home and there is always a different flavour to choose with their amazing specialities.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

Bags and shoes – I’m always intrigued and can read a lot by a bag!

RED OR PINK?

Pink.

WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?

My mad, crazy hair.

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?

Mr S when he is working away, my parents who live 2 hours away and my grandmothers who are both dead.

WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS READING IT?

Gone Girl – I struggled to finish it.

WHAT FILM MADE YOU CRY THE MOST?

Cinema Paradiso.

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?

Avocado.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

The Golden Hour on our local radio station.

IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOUR WOULD YOU BE?

Bright blue.

FAVOURITE SMELL?

The sea.

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

My husband.

MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE?

Beach hut.

FAVOURITE SPORT TO WATCH?

Football and cricket.

HAIR COLOUR?

Brown.

EYE COLOUR?

Brown.

PUPPIES OR KITTENS?

Puppies.

FAVOURITE FOOD?

Chocolate and fresh fruit.

SCARY FILM OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Happy endings.

LAST FILM YOU WATCHED?

Alvin and the Chipmunks at the cinema with the children. How I wish this was something different!

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler.

SUMMER OR WINTER?

Summer, summer, summer.

HUGS OR KISSES?

Hugs

FAVOURITE DESSERT?

Crème brulee

FAVOURITE ROOM IN YOUR HOUSE?

My kitchen.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN ON FACEBOOK?

I’m not!!!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COUNTRY TO VISIT?

Australia.

WHAT WAS THE LAST COUNTRY YOU VISITED?

Spain.

FAVOURITE SOUND?

My children singing and giggling. Waves lapping on the shore.

ROLLING STONES OR THE BEATLES?

Beatles but I do love the Stones too.

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?

Australia.

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?

I like baking and decorating cakes.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

London.

WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW?

At the seaside.

FAVOURITE HITCHCOCK MOVIE?

Not sure I’ve ever seen one.

WHAT BOOK HAVE YOU READ AGAIN AND AGAIN?

The Gruffalo

FAVOURITE TV SERIES THAT’S ON NOW.

Call the Midwife.

DARK CHOCOLATE OR MILK CHOCOLATE?

Milk and white.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE DRINK?

Cold – Lime and soda. Hot – Hot chocolate with all the trimmings.

WHO IS YOUR GIRL CRUSH?

Victoria Beckham.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST FILM YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA?

Bambi.

HEELS OR FLATS?

Flats every time.

FAVOURITE BED TIME STORY?

Any from a long list of favourites, anything by Julia Donaldson, Judith Kerr, Oliver Jeffers etc.. it’s not the book but the special feeling reading to children gives.

BATH OR SHOWER?

A long, relaxing bubble bath but the daily reality is showers.

WHATS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A MUM?

Guilt at not doing, listening, playing enough.

FAVOURITE BAND?

The Beatles, Abba.

FAVOURITE SOLO ARTIST?

Adele

61. TO BE OR NOT TO BE?

To be.

62. WHAT WOULD BE THE TITLE OF YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY?

Seaside Sparkles.

63. BEST GIFT YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

My engagement ring from Mr S and a painting from my parents.

64. BEST GIFT YOU’VE EVER GIVEN?

A carriage ride in Central Park to my parents. Wisden annuals and a special collage given to Mr S.

65. FAVOURITE FRUIT?

Apples and mangos.

66. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST PET?

A brown Labrador, Ben who was a little bit too frisky and had to be rehomed.

67. FAVOURITE BOARD GAME?

Trivial Pursuit, especially entertainment.

68. HOW DO YOU HAVE YOUR COFFEE?

As a cappuccino in a coffee shop, I rarely drink coffee it’s a treat. Instant coffee doesn’t hit the spot.

69. BEST INVENTION?

The internet and digital devices.

70. DIAMONDS OR PEARLS?

Diamonds.

71. BLOW DRY OR AIR DRY?

Towel dry.

72. CHEAP OR EXPENSIVE SHAMPOO?

Whatever is on offer.

73. HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?

Not too difficult.

Go, Go, Go Joseph

Published on February 18, 2016February 18, 2016 by seasidesparkles

This week we were treated to a trip to the theatre by my parents to see the touring production of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. It was amazing; a joyful, energetic and kitsch interpretation of the musical.

In our family we have such fond memories of Joseph and it seemed the perfect choice for the first musical for the children to see live at the theatre. I went to a lovely little primary school where the highlight each year was our school play, it became the focus of the summer term and happy hours were spent rehearsing, painting scenery and making costumes. I feel so grateful to have gone to a school where the creative arts were valued and promoted. Joseph was one of the plays we did and I remember quite clearly being in the chorus with my white t-shirt printed with Joseph in vivid colours singing away happily to all the songs. When watching the play I could remember the scenes from our school production, especially the Deputy Head as a very frightening Potiphar! Our family loved the musical so much that we bought the cassette of the soundtrack and many, many childhood journeys were spent singing and listening to it in the car. It is some testament that nearly 35 years later, I am still pretty word perfect in all of the songs from the original musical. In what could be a sense of history repeating itself I downloaded the songs onto my iTunes this week and played it on the car journey home!

The atmosphere at the theatre was lovely, a real sense of excitement and it being half term there was a wonderful mix of children, parents and grandparents. The performance was sold out and the audience all appeared pretty excited and happy to be there and all knew the songs well; there was lots of enthusiastic participation, particularly at the end when among the standing ovations, reprises and dancing most of the audience were singing along too. It was one of those lovely moments you just want to freeze and take in how wonderful it is, this is live theatre at its best. The lead was played by Joe McElderry a winner from X Factor in 2009. I remember him vaguely from the time, Oor Joe, but I’ve always been a Strictly girl on Saturday nights. However I was so impressed by him, he was stunning as Joseph, his voice is incredible and his acting in the role was perfect too. He is what Joseph should be and is definitely my Joseph. The other characters all were well cast and genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves in what must be a pretty energetic play. Despite it be a touring production, the scenery and props were fun and created a great show, Little Man liked the talking Sphinx and camel and there were some rather clever costume tricks too.

It was a really special afternoon at Joseph blending a little nostalgia from my childhood, the children’s first musical at a theatre and a brilliant show which had 3 generations of us standing and singing and clapping until our hands were sore. Needless to say I’m now looking for our next musical experience, there is nothing comparable to brilliant, live theatre.

Little Sparkles 6/2015

Published on February 12, 2016February 13, 2016 by seasidesparkles

It’s been a week of kitchen drama this week in which I’ve become far too stressed than necessary. Mr S has helped to put things into perspective and reminded me not to stress over material goods which can easily be replaced. After many phone calls and emails things are now proceeding more smoothly but it’s been a challenging week. However, as always there are sparkles and it’s been Pancake day which is always a favourite in our household and with an Inset day today, we’ve had an early start to half term.

Sparkle 1 : Pancake Day

We normally do pancakes after school but as Tuesday is our busy day we decided to start with a pancake breakfast as we have more time in the mornings. It was a brilliant way to start the day and whilst Little Miss had a little toss of her pancake, Little Man preferred not to risk his. The fillings were classic lemon and sugar. As is tradition I took a photo of the children cooking their pancakes, it’s one of those traditional poses we do each year and send to the grandparents and this year Mr S too who was away. As I had some batter left over we had a little pancake for tea too but our best ones were definitely for breakfast.

Sparkle 2 : Bright sunshine

There were 3 occasions this week when the clouds lifted and we had some stunning weather, crisp blue skies and warm sunshine. Luckily, I was outside on all 3 occasions and felt wonderful, the sun makes me happy, relaxed and energised. Life is better in sunglasses! On Sunday morning, we were at a local beach in the sunshine and the children were happily playing in the sand dunes, rolling down, laughing and pretending they were Star wars heroes, a man passed us walking his dog and commented that it was a little bit of heaven, I couldn’t have agreed more.

Sparkle 3 : Quality Viewing

I’m not a teary person, but two programmes had me in floods of tears this week, Call the Midwife with another tragic tale of a thalamidime baby and a documentary on assisted suicide. On two consecutive evenings this week, I happened upon some really quality viewing, connected unexpectedly by a theme of Motor Neurone Disease. The first was a documentary called Simon’s Choice about a man’s decision to take his own life in an assisted suicide, it was honest, thought provoking and heart breaking and offered a credible argument for assisted suicide. However by chance I also watched the film, The Theory of Everything, based on the autobiography of Stephen Hawking’s first wife for another perspective on life with MND. In a particularly striking scene she insists that he is to be resuscitated and to live when doctors thought it may be kinder otherwise. It was a curious juxtaposition of programmes, one showing a man living with MND and the other showing a man dying of MND. Personally I think assisted suicide is a very difficult and complex decision and one that needs to be addressed with a calm and balanced debate.

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/feb/11/how-to-die-simons-choice-review-beautiful-film-assisted-dying

And finally ..

Its been a quieter week than normal, as most of my free time has been occupied with domestic matters. However we’re on holidays now and off to my parents for treats, surprises and sparkles.

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