To all our family and friends near and far. We wish you a very merry festive season and love, peace and joy in 2023. We have not seen anywhere near enough of you all this year but if you're ever passing please do pop in!!
The Christmas gathering - with a camera shy Jazoli missing!
Well, there's lots to say and I'm short on time…so let’s cut to the chase. It’s been a kinda crazy, topsy turvy few weeks. As background, since early this year we’ve been undergoing an assessment by Social Work in Glasgow to allow us to have a young unaccompanied asylum seeker live with us. That process was concluded in the middle of October and then its been a (very short) waiting game for a suitable match. After a couple of ‘first meetings’ for us and the girls, we welcomed Jazoli to our home at the end of November. Jazoli is a 17 year old young man who travelled here from Sudan. Its been quite a journey for him, and now quite a journey for us. We are rapidly adjusting to having a 17 year old in the house – a steep learning curve! But we are starting to find our feet just in time for Christmas. I am not sure Jazoli is prepared for what’s about to hit but fingers crossed we’ll all find our way through the festive season together. More will follow in the coming weeks and months I am sure, but for now its enough to say “Welcome to our home Jazoli – we hope you will be very happy here.”
And its not just our numbers that have been growing. There’s been a growing of age too. We have just hosted all the Gedik and Gurney clan to celebrate Baba’s 80th birthday and indulged in some very fine Turkish food (Jazoli coped very well with it all and was particularly delighted with a gift from the Gurney’s of an electric blanket to stave off the cold). I’ve also grown in age to reach the half way point and the marvelous achievement of existing for 50 years. I had a lovely day including a stunning frosty walk with Tanya to kick off my 50th year of celebrations (lots planned). Only downside was my sumptuous birthday meal out was postponed as Niomi was not well – emergency pasta and sauce bringing me back to reality with a bump.
And then the kids have also been growing in excitement for Christmas. House fully decorated, parties galore and treats a-plenty. And with an extra place at the Christmas table we’re truly looking forward to it…
As previously placed on blogging record, we have 2 very different daughters. That doesn’t mean they don’t get on – they generally do – just that they are both very different in their take on life. Emily is a bookworm. And her 10th birthday party revolved around her latest reading obsession of Warrior Cats, as well as some erm, ‘party games’, which basically involved a nauseating jelly bean russian roulette. And as well as reading, she’s also taken up the flute and dance. All very calming, highbrow and classical.
Niomi on the other hand still loves poop, farts, burps and general slapstick. She’s just finished writing her first story with lead characters Poop and Fart (we aim for education in all our activity). It was erm, unusual. She’s quite the one for extremes – full of love, laughter, mischief and emotion. And certainly unique.
But both girls loved our recent visit from Unnati, who is the daughter in the Banker family that stayed with us for COP26 last year. And I think she loved visiting us too (she’s now studying in Sheffield). To remind us of COP we took a trip to Whitelee Windfarm. Fascinating, surreal and very enlightening – Britain’s largest onshore windfarm – would recommend if you’re in the Glasgow area and it’s a nice day.
So there you have it, poop, cats and wind turbines. All in one blog post.
Ten years ago I started this blog with no idea what I was doing or where I was going to go with it beyond the first few months. It was about documenting our lives, capturing those special moments and sharing them with folk that we love both near and far. 263 posts later and it’s still going. At times I’ve nearly chucked it, but there’s genuinely enough people who read it all over the world that I’ve been motivated to keep it going. Broadly speaking its held to its mission of documenting our lives, but at times it’s also reflected on other aspects of the world. So let’s see, is there another ten years in me? Who knows but for now I’ll pop a literary cork and celebrate a decade of blogging.
And with ten years of blogging comes the tenth birthday of Emily. Once known as ‘the Supreme Being’ she’s been a total joy and delight in our lives over the past ten years. Thank you Emily for all the smiles and happiness you have brought. You are a beautiful soul, and we are truly blessed.
PS Although this is all exciting news…this wasn’t the ‘other’ exciting news I was trail-blazing in the last post. Watch this space.
Another month flies by and my blogging efforts wane once more. It’s been a marked shift this month away from summer's glorious longevity to autumn's wind, rain, cloud and cold. For some reason I’ve noticed the season shift more this year; maybe because the weather’s turn has reflected the downbeat nature of the news, or maybe because as I approach 50 I am feeling more keenly aware of autumn. Whatever the reason October has led me to feel a bit of a lull – unusual as I generally feel fairly chipper.
Still there’s been lots to comment on – the girls are growing fast and Niomi has now joined Emily in Brownies. We had half term with an abortive trip to Banchory courtesy of Captain Covid. And then there was Halloween, and a trip to North Berwick with a sidetrack to Edinburgh to see Joseph. There’s also been flying visits by Nana and Baba, and we’ve tried to invest more time in playing family games (which has been great fun). And we’ve spent quite a bit of time putting everything in place for some exciting news to come in the next few weeks (but I won’t tempt fate by anymore spoilers here yet).
So whilst at times it’s felt a bit of a slog, October’s also brought some lovely memories that we’ll keep, and our freezer is now also bursting with all the final seasons veggies that we’ve (Tanya) harvested, including our homegrown pumpkins. And as October closed and we move into November I’ve started to feel much more optimistic, ready for winter and all the adventures it may have in store.
Wow…nearly 2 months since I last posted. Eek. Time flies and so does the world. It feels like we were all in a very different place at the beginning of August. Much of the stability that we’ve experienced in recent decades seems to be eroding by the week. If its not the impact of Covid or Brexit, it’s the war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, energy prices, interest rates and so on. We are undergoing a great period of uncertainty for many, and I don’t imagine things are going to miraculously improve any time soon.
But within times of change there are also things that are relatively constant in our lives – family being one of them. Our families often act as anchors in the world – people that are central to our frames of reference. They are there when we enter the world and often there when we leave it. Family often act as a stabilising force in the world, the solid foundation underpinning our lives – always there, whether in the background or foreground, whether we’re close or distant – they’ll always be our family. And we know them for that.
And our end to the summer has meant we have been fortunate to spend lots of time with our family, which has been very grounding and special. We're blessed with a very special bunch at our 'core' and we’ve pretty much (but not quite) seen everyone in that ‘core’ in quick succession – which has been wonderful - much fun, laughter and memory fillers. There’s been…
- A trip to Banchory to see Nana and Baba.
- North Berwick for Fringe by the Sea with the Gurneys. - My dad visited – 92 and still coming up on the train. - My brother and family (except Chloe) came for a weekend of Pink Floyd and fun. - And there’s also been the annual Gedik weekend away to Crieff.
Some photos below. Lets hope the world finds a little more stability in coming months. We all need that.
3 years in the waiting - and now its been and gone - but already I feel like Sesimbra “I miss you.” It felt like I was away for a month. The warmth, the food, the slow pace, the wonderful view…the fun times, the laughter, the silly games…here’s the top ten ‘highlights’ of Carry on Sesimbra – a fortnight on the coast south of Lisbon.
The flights – airports have become a bit of a trial. No longer is air travel a high class way to go. It’s a bit of a chore. That said I would gladly pay the airfare all over again just to see the excitement on the kids faces at take off and landing. Particularly Niomi – she loved it! She loved it so much that on the bumpy descent back to Edinburgh she vomited a combination of Oreos and Mentoes everywhere whilst I vainly tried to mop it up with her t-shirt. As I said, air travel is definitely not high class! But still the kids really loved it.
The heat – it was hot, everyday. Occasionally too hot but mainly it was just lovely to wear nothing more than swimming shorts and a shirt, ALL the time. And as the warmth soaked into my bones it felt good. A little faffy on the sunscreen front but as it rained on our drive back from Edinburgh I asked myself “how can people live like this?!”
The villa – the villa was lovely and airy with a stunning view and pool. And I spent an awful lot of time having massive fun in the pool (and around it). And that’s from someone who’s really not that keen in the UK. It makes such a difference when its hot and the water becomes your playground.
The food and drink – Swordfish, scabbardfish, bream, dogfish, shark, octopus, sardines, tuna, tiger prawns, squid, snapper, conger eel and probably more I can’t remember. We really cooked and ate them all. A highlight for me has got to be the market full of fresh produce, particularly fish coming straight off the boat to the traders. And then there’s the cheese – multiple variations of soft, hard, strong, salty and delicate local sheep, goat and cows cheese. Nearly all round in shape though. And then massive peaches and plums; huge lettuces, tomatoes and cumcumbers – fruit, vegetables and salad all super-sized, fresh and very tasty. Rustic bread. Wonderful red, white and green wines. Whether in stylish restaurants or cooking at home – we really ate and drank in style. And always outside – whatever the meal.
The beach – the Portuguese mainly paddle, sunbathe and occasionally batted a ball about. We built castles, whirlygigs, dug holes and made sand cakes – and generally got curious looks in the process. We swam in the sea – some for quite some distance. Needless to say the beach and sea were lots of fun. A highlight was snorkelling amongst the fish close to shore
The games – Uno, Dobble, Taco/Cat/Goat etc, Killer Dice, Love Letter were all part of our regular night time entertainment.
The exercise – I ran, swam, did yoga and meditated. Others did their daily stretch or pilates as well. We all walked up the steep hill nearly every day. But being outside and getting exercise just makes you feel really healthy and good.
The town itself – whether its castle, its port or marina; its old streets, tiled buildings of yesteryear or its more modern and stylish side; its bustle and hustle or laid back style – Sesimbra had something for everyone. Classy yet understated. Stylish yet old and shabby chic. It’s left its mark on my heart.
The boat trip – all of us agree that this was definitely the highlight. We chartered a fancy boat and crew for the day. We swam off-shore near remote beaches, paddled kayaks and SUPs into caves, landed ashore via private rib, and generally acted like the rich and famous for the day alongside some really stunning coastline.
The fun – the japes, pool games, banter and good natured fun just left you feeling a wonderful warmth and relaxation. It grows your spirit. Sure we all had our tired days, but really there was a whole heap of fun that was had.
So what was the downside. Well there wasn’t one really – what was not to like in the making of Carry on Sesimbra!
And a massive thank you to the Bucks Rookes for making it all possible – particularly to Will for inviting us along on his holiday.
Videoclip: Sesimbra - Photos only (short but not as much fun!)
My bat senses tingled. Generally this means some sort of job for me. Normally something not 'run of the mill.'
"Ah-uh..." I replied tentatively.
"Would you make a blog post from all those WhatsApp messages I sent you whilst I was away?"
I pondered this. All those WhatsApp messages showing what a lovely time you were having with sister, mum, nieces and our daughters whilst I was stuck at home working. A blog post on a trip where I wasn't even there. A blog post on the blog that I have written around 250 posts over 10 years - all of which included me in some way. Hmmmm....Naturally I said....
"Of course dear".
Sigh. A favour indeed.
Warning: The following feature contains no footage for which I have any responsiblilty (as I wasn't there). Consequently I cannot be held liable for any wonky shots or poor video quality. I did however pull it all together... 🤷♂️
Summer is (kind of) in full swing. Recent years have seen some wonderful weather in June, but this year seems to be a most definite return to our more unfortunate ‘usual’ Scottish summers. Grey, wind, rain with occasional sunny spells. That's pretty much been the order of the day, but this has not deterred us stepping out for our own ‘social season’ before we enter the holiday season.
There’s been the Kirky Gala (very wet and windy), the Dandelion Festival (windy with sunny spells), some Solstice adventure (sunny spells), parties a plenty (wild and noisy), and a very special trip to Dumfries and Galloway to spend time with friends – a night in Kirkudbright (wet, windy and sunny spells) with Fiona, Frank, Joseph and Anna where I got roped into the Buckland Burn Up; and then a hop to nearby Palnure (sunny spells then very wet and very windy) to spend a night with Laura, Dave, Rory and Arthur and a second round of celebrations for Laura's 40th.
And its been fun. Lots of fun. Despite what the Scottish summer has tried to do. We’ve had plenty of cold weather but experiences to warm the heart; monsoon-like rainy weather but good times have shined through; and plenty of blustery breeze to shake us but we’ve ridden it all out with smiles on our faces. The kids have finished P5 and P2, and we’re now all ready for the holidays! Lots planned including our third time lucky trip to Portugal (flights permitting). So the social season has not failed to disappoint...now let the holiday season begin!
