Double birthday celebration

July 13th has always been a double birthday celebration - Mum's birthday and previously Sylle, and now James fills that double slot.

Mum was 70 this year. Time for a celebration! It's sad that her memory is now such that she didn't really understand what was going on, but nevertheless still a good excuse for a 'do'. Her care home had organised a separate room for a small family gathering for afternoon tea, with finger food and homemade cake! Toni was there with Rob and his parents, and I was there with Lydia.

Mia sent some beautiful flowers which were displayed in the centre of the table and Toni brought wine.

Mum clearly did enjoy herself - especially the cake and the wine, and all went very well.

It was also James' birthday but he had a long day working so was unable to come to mum's party. Instead we had a lovely romantic dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant in town.

Happy birthday to MUM and JAMES.

Driving Miss Liddi

Lastweek was Bank Holiday Monday and unusually James, Liddi and I all had time off with nothing planned and the weather was looking reasonably good, so we decided to head up to beautiful North Yorkshire and visit James's parents at their farm. Luckily, we arrived just in time for a roast pheasant lunch! After lunch, we took the short journey to Helmsley and had a look at all the lovely shops.

Then, we headed back to the farm where Liddi had her first driving lesson! She seemed to really enjoy it. It was perfect for a first time - no traffic, no junctions, no road signs - just lots of sheep which (mostly) got well out of the way.

Blog update – March, April & May

I’ll just give a few highlights – which gives me a chance to add some photos!

May

• 22^nd - Midnight 10km charity walk. Liddi & I walked from Sewerby Hall, Bridlington right down to South Prom and then back again in 2 hours for medal, bacon buttie and hot tea. Never tasted better. Many thanks to all those who sponsored us.
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• James microlight flight. This was his birthday gift from me from last summer. What a fantastic experience. Not sure I could do it though. Scary!
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• I’ve started a 10 week photography course for digital photography. It’s mostly aimed at SLR cameras, but I am learning more things I can do with my Lumix digital although it has made me want a digital SLR camera. However, I will have to clean quite a few more ovens before that happens. Last week’s ‘composition’ class was really useful.
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• Ovenu: marketing continues. Lots more leaflet delivering. This job is getting me fit!
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• Waco: I’ve been in to my old company for a couple of days of consultancy work (can’t believe I’m some sort of marketing expert – now I’ve left!!). It’s useful money and reminds me why I want to work for myself!
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• May Day Bank holiday – historic Beverley. James & I visited the friary & the Minster – saw antique murals & grafitti. Also climbed the 165 foot Minster clock tower for fantastic views & then a quick trip to Beverley Races. Shame it was so cold and windy!

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• I’ve been blogging less as I’m concentrating more on my business (and not got time in the office to waste!), and because Liddi usually has the laptop in the evening (since boyfriend Ben has gone to Japan). However, I have been using facebook more (thanks to iPhone) – should I twitter?

April

• Ovenu marketing - took a stall at Beverley’s Saturday market on 24^th to raise local awareness and managed to book some appointments. Also joined “Meet!” local businesswomen’s networking group. Ooh, get me!! First meeting attended was ‘speed networking’. Good to hear what other women are doing and managed to book 2 oven cleans!

• Ovenu (Beverley) - my business started on 22^nd March, and April saw more appointments, more ovens cleaned. It’s really hard physical work and I’m aching a lot. I’m also pretty slow as yet, and still find responding to enquiries and getting to an appointment pretty daunting. I’m getting support from a couple of the other Ovenu franchises (mostly Christine in Northumberland – 2 years experience; and Matt in Richmond, Surrey – just 4 weeks ahead of me) which really helps. I can see it’s a great business and it’s very satisfying to get to the end of a job and see a transformed oven.
• Easter - Liddi’s friend, Braggi, visited. I had arranged some Easter fun. First Liddi & Braggi made masks with materials I provided. Then, Liddi, Braggi and James wore their masks whilst they searched for clues which I placed around the house the day before as part of their treasure hunt. They had great fun, and all ended up happily with a choccy egg. Then, Liddi, James and I went Ovenu leaflet delivering for a few hours whilst the slow cooked lamb did it’s stuff. Yum.

March

• 21^st – Manchester MEN Arena: Four Tops, the Temptations, Drifters, Three Degrees. Wonderful concert. Lots to sing along to!
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• 15^th - Get van & do Ovenu training in Wokingham for a week. Intensive, informative and exhausting.
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• 13^th – a full day of intrigue, mystery and information. Ovenu AGM in the East Midlands followed by Derren Brown in Hull.
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• 4^th – 6^th: Short break to Cheltenham: James and I met up with my old school friend, Jo for lunch. Hadn’t seen Jo for several years so good to catch up. The evening was spent with James’s sister and her family who also live in Cheltenham. Then we dropped in to see my cousin Chris his family in North Leach – to catch up with over 25 years gap!
• In preparation for starting my new business I indulged myself in an iPhone – oooh. Most of the deals are the same price, so I managed to persuade the Vodaphone saleman in Beverley to throw in a free Bluetooth headset. The iPhone so lovely. It’s pretty. It’s easy to use. It does lots of great things and has fun apps. In fact you can’t stop using it. You’re never alone with an iPhone!

Change of life

…..no, it’s not what you think! I not at that stage of life (!) yet, but I have made the decision to change my working life. Tomorrow is my last day working in an office and being employed. In March, I will be starting my own business – working for myself. Yippee. I am investing in an Ovenu franchise opportunity to offer a professional oven valeting service to domestic households in and around Beverley and Hull. I will be given full training and will be an owner/operator based at home, with a fully equipped, fully signwritten van to visit households in my local area.

An Ovenu franchise is a simple to manage business with low overheads from an established, proven franchisor with over 100 existing, successful franchisees around the UK. The business requires no previous experience and has a proven demand from a large potential client base and excellent earning ability in my own exclusive and protected territory which has approx 55,000 households – each one a potential customer! I only need to secure less than 1.5% of customers from the total available and this would achieve my target earnings.

I’m really excited about my new venture, and getting my van, and working for myself.

Congratulations!

Last Saturday, James & I joined my sister Toni and her new fiancé, Rob at a local pub to congratulate them on their recent engagement. Rob had chosen a ring (very brave!) and surprised Toni with a marriage proposal on 21^st January. We brought them traditional presents – toblerone and dishcloths, and raised our glasses to their future happiness. They are hoping to arrange a wedding sometime this year at the United Reformed church in Hornsea, which has family connections for Rob, so we await further details of how the preparations are going……

Yuletide festivities

Neither James nor I had a works Christmas party this year – seems like the credit crunch has given many companies the excuse to cut any extra spending on employees! So, we decided to start the festive season with an ex-ACMC alternative Christmas dinner with the friends we have kept in touch with since we all worked there together. It’s funny how sometimes you get on better with people after you no longer work together? And, it was a good chance for us to entertain in our new house! As James was the only person still employed at ACMC, he was excited to be able to spill the news of his imminent departure and tell all about his new job which starts in February*! It also meant we got the house nicely decorated for Christmas, and finished off a few tidying & DIY jobs outstanding!

We did also have our salsa Christmas party on 18th December so we got the chance to dress up and go out dancing. It was a very snowy/icy night, but luckily we were able to walk to the venue in Beverley. When we left the party at midnight, we picked up Liddi from Ben’s house nearby and walked home. The snow had been falling steadily for 2 days and she and Ben had been out earlier onto the Westwood and excitedly built a big snowman, so we had to go and see it (as snow doesn’t usually last long in England) – even though it was 12.30am and we were dressed for partying !

Unusually, we had a very snowy Christmas this year. Snow started on 17th December, and continued on and off for about 3-4 weeks. It does make everything look bright and beautiful and is great fun – unless you have to travel around by car! We English are so unprepared for snow, that it causes chaos and the country just grinds to a halt!

My sister Toni was spending Christmas in Hornsea with boyfriend, Rob and his family so she joined me for Christmas eve lunch (I baked homemade brocolli, asparagus & stilton quiche – super gorgeous). Then James and I went to see mum. She was a little subdued, and watching a film on TV (very unusual for mum). I brought her a gift of a shirt, but as with small children, she seemed more interested in the wrapping paper. I couldn’t help thinking about all the previous family Christmases with all us girls & our children gathering at mums house, and the fact that so much has changed with mum in just a few years, which did make me feel a little sad.

Christmas day was good. Just 4 of us - James, me, Liddi and Benji (my nephew). We had some very delicious roast beef, with all the trimmings, and all the fun. Later that day, we managed to drag Benji out for a walk on the Westwood – in the snow – so James & I could test out the new ski jackets we bought for each other (very good idea, given the weather!). Mia is now in Canada. She emailed a quiz (which we were all rubbish at !!) and it was great to get a call from her also. Dad & Jacqui like to take a holiday at Christmas and this year had pushed the boat out with a Caribbean Cruise. His text from St Lucia confirmed it was very warm and sunny and the obligatory over-indulgence was going well! Perhaps next year we will go away somewhere? (seriously considering the invitation to Canada, Mia!).
On boxing day, James took his kids to stay with his parents for 2 days. I joined them at the farm for lunch on boxing day, and Liddi was back at work! (sale starts – people love to shop!). They had loads of snow at the farm, all fresh and untouched, so it was perfect for sledging. The sheep kept well out of the way!

On Monday 28th December we also made a short break down south. By the time we joined the M25, I called my friend, Caroline and were invited a lovely, improptu dinner at her place. Great fun! At the last minute, Liddi decided to come too, and my friend Rowena very kindly offered to put her up. Liddi was thrilled as it meant that she could spend time with Ro’s girls, Grace (8) and our Godchild, Florrie (6). They had fun at the outdoor ice rink at Hampton Court while we were busy doing other things and then we all went out for dinner. It was great to see Ro, Chris and the girls and catch up on old friends and new plans. Before heading back North, we took the train into London and spent a day soaking in the vibrancy and diversity of Covent Garden, China Town and other places along the way. Liddi managed to find lots of shops to tempt her to part with her money – stationery shops are especially gorgeous and tempting, don’t you think?

Back to Yorkshire in time for New Year’s Eve, we didn’t really feel like wild partying, so instead had a yummy meal at home (chicken stuffed with boursin & spinach & wrapped in ham, cooked in wine and crème fraiche – my speciality & very, very delicious). Liddi then went out to a party and by 11.30, James & I decided to venture into town and popped into Nellies**. Someone had brought party poppers and the locals were friendly, despite a little confusion over when exactly it was midnight! The next day, James’s parents joined us for a delicous slow-roast pork lunch and a relaxing day with a good walk around Beverley.

All too soon, back to work – where did the time go?

* James did get invited to a party with his new employer in December, even though he doesn’t start the job until Feb! It was a fancy dress party with an agricultural theme. James’s cow costume went down a storm!

** Nellies is a pub named after a previous landlady. The actual pub name is the White Horse is is well known for being in a bit of a time wharp, still with gas lamp lighting, warm open fires, and lots of separate cosy rooms with un-modernised furnishings. Worth a try if you are coming to visit!

Remember, Remember it’s birthday time in November!

It’s been a busy time. My sister, Mia, and her Canadian boyfriend, Isaac, have been staying with us for 2 weeks as part of their UK ‘sandwich filling’ between leaving New Zealand and returning to Canada. They arrived Saturday 14th November and left today. I shall miss them! We had a family get together on the first Saturday – our first dinner in our new home dining room – to welcome them to Yorkshire and also to celebrate Toni’s birthday (15th Nov). My version of Jamie Oliver’s slow roasted pork was fantastic, and went down a storm!

I then had a few days off to be a tourist with Mia &Isaac. We visited York and caught up with our nephew Benji and looked in lots of shops. We visited a German Christmas market in Leeds and had frankfurters for lunch. Isaac was all shopped out from the previous day, so we explored the Leeds City Museum and found lots of interesting things. We then had a stay at home day to sort out some admin stuff - Mia’s permanent residency application, house rental for her flat and mum’s house, and me doing some research on a new business! All that could keep us busy for 2 weeks really, but we tried to have some fun as well.

By Saturday, Dad & Jacqui were also up in Beverley, visiting us for a birthday dinner. They very kindly treated us (11 in total!) to a night out at Pizza Express. Mmm, yummy! We usually try to have a family get together between Toni & my birthdays, so it was great to be able to get everyone together, including partners for a special dinner (Benji was in India on holiday!! and obviously mum was absent but we did visit her the next day). With everyone spreading further afield, it may be one of the last times we all get together in this way.

On Sunday, Dad & Jacqui joined us in Hull to visit another small German market, and see Lydia at work in Zara looking very professional! We shared a coffee and then they headed off back to Weybridge. Mia, Isaac and I took the opportunity to do a bit of Christmas shopping and then home to get out of the cold and rain.

I had another couple of days off work (I could get used to that!!), which included Tuesday 24th as it was my birthday. James and Lydia were also off work so we decided to have some fun. We went ice skating. We were all rather rusty, having not been for several years, but not too bad considering! Luckily, we had virtually the whole ice rink to ourselves, which was great. James spent a little more time closer to the ice than the rest of us, and Mia & Isaac tried some less conventional skating methods. We all had great fun! Then, we went to the cinema next door, where again we had the place all to ourselves, and watch ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’, which was indeed fantastic. A wonderful, enchanting, unusual, mesmarising fun film that I would recommend to everyone. (except possibly children!).

Arriving home, everyone (except me) set about preparing a surprise meal. It was a wonderful mixture of Chinese food in several courses followed by homemade (by Liddi) lime birthday cheesecake with raspberries. Delicious. A great way to spend a birthday – can I repeat that next year please? (We may have to go to Canada to do that!)

During the day, I received some birthday messages by text and email and it’s always great to know that your friends far and wide are thinking of you, so many thanks to you all.