The road trip - for real

 We had never done a road trip. As in we have driven to destinations in a car and spent some time, but Edinburgh was like 4.5 hours away. Pumpki has extreme car sickness, so we have always constricted our journeys to within 2 hours so that she doesn’t get too uncomfortable. We also tend to avoid windy  roads. The drive to Scotland would involve everything - a long journey, lots of hilly roads and sitting in a car. But Pumpki is 9 now, and we hoped she would be able to handle most of it. The biggest advantage of driving was that there was no time constraint to start to catch a mode of transport and boy was that a big sell for Pumpki since she hates waking up on time to catch a train or a flight. We could also pack our stuff all willy nilly, dump coats, carry extra shoes - the world was literally our oyster :D :D

It was immense fun driving through the lovely sunny weather. We took frequent breaks, swapped the driving between ourselves, snacked and the kids dozed a bit too. We started with lovely weather in jolly ol England and ended up with downpour in bonnie Scotland. The irony! Anyways, we can’t be slaves to the weather right? So we geared up to take charge of the trip anyways. The evening we reached, we visited my dear friend J. It was just so lovely to give her a cuddle and see her 2 darling daughters. My kids and hers bonded like they had known each other for a long time. Her eldest even came and mentioned that our family was so like theirs. Even J said to me that she had been telling her kids that we are the most similar family to theirs that could be :)

After some refreshments we headed off to the beach which was a 20mins walk from their house. We girls walked, we chatted and the husbands caught up. It was like we started off from where we had left in Ipswich. We went to a small park and J mentioned how we used to chat in Ipswich in the evenings in the park. It all seemed like yesterday quite literally. Time flew in hearty conversations and as we bid goodbye after 4 hours it seemed the most satisfying 4 hours ever. The next day we had plans to visit the Scottish highlands. But we still had one more day that we could potentially spend with each other. There were no concrete plans, but we finished day 1 with promises to meet again :) 

A road trip plan

 Its been a while since I posted on what happened the week after :) So here goes :) 

I made a friend during our stay in Ipswich. She was the wife of one of K’s colleagues. We used to bump into each other when she used to return from work and I would be in the local park with my little ones (I was on maternity leave then ) The casual hi, how are you, nice weather encounters led to more conversations. We realised we both intermittently used the same gym ;) We tried to motivate each other to go for the same classes. Some more casual conversations ensued. She was a nice cool person to hang out with and we enjoyed each other’s company.

Then life happened. We moved back to Leeds. We still kept in touch with the usual hi, what’s ups. They moved to Edinburgh and things moved in parallel non convergent paths for both our families. She ended up having her second child and a 2 daughters family like ours. We bought our first homes. We changed jobs. A lot seemed in sync happening in different planes. We kept in touch, discussing more than the weather. We discussed kids, husbands, jobs and gradually maybe everything under the sun. 

So this year she turns 40. I wanted to make a special gesture, just because. I couldn’t think of a good gift to give her. That’s when I had a light bulb moment! How about gracing her with my company :P I know not a lot of people would think of that as a gift ;) but I was kind of sure that she would appreciate it. I proposed it to K and he was surprisingly convinced that it was a good idea. Thus the  plan of a trip to Edinburgh took roots.

Scamp the champ!

 It was a lovely sunny Friday afternoon. We had some renovation work going on in our house. Our puppy development advisor came over with Scamp. Scamp was tiny for his age. And he was just so ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE. He was an awesome bundle of energy with an amazing personality of his own. He was playful, very naughty digging holes all around the garden. He started grabbing things from the house like slippers, shoes, socks, hats - whatever he could lay his paws on and take it outside. 

Since he was a small puppy he didn't need long walks. A good playtime in the garden was pretty much enough for him. But boy he could play! There were so many games that he could be a part of. Tug of war, chase, football and so many more. That puppy was a bundle of energy. 

He also had this silly fascination for my slippers. He would do anything to get them, even bite my ankle. Thats what he did many times with his tiny puppy teeth 🙂 He was such a sassy personality. He would look at us eating and have the eyes full of expectation. But he wasnt a beggar. He would look at us with those proud eyes to make us give him something. If we didn't he would walk off and chill in the garden. 

He also had this amazing habit of basking in the sun which made us feel he was even human 😂Everytime  he used to wake up from his nap he used to come to a spot on the garden which had a lot of sun. He would be super groggy and sometimes go back to sleep in the sun or rouse himself up. He had his naughty witching hour as well in the evening when he would try to bite everything and everyone. It wasnt meant out of aggression or anxiety, it seems it is a think that puppies do when they are that young. Perhaps something akin to babies having colic when they are around the 4 month mark. 

It was a lot of fun having him around for a little over a week. It kept us fully occupied and very joyfully occupied. When it was time to bid him goodbye it was quite tearful and sad. But then we had the next week to look forward to!

Easter break plan

We have been waiting for the Easter break. There was no earth shattering reason but there were numerous small reasons. 

So, the Easter break is for 2 weeks and comes around April first week. It's the time when spring is in the air. The bulbs are awakening and the tulip heads are budding out. There are sporadic rains in just the right amount which give the newly blossomed leaves after winter a lovely green sheen. It's just the right temperature on most days. The increasing hours of sunlight in during the day also bring in a degree of happiness. Given the cosmic alignment of such happy stuff taking a day off in itself makes one feel happy. 

To top it we were asked to look after a 3 month old golden retriever puppy for a week. Our family adores golden retrievers. After Lucky  this would be our second chance to look after such a young pup. It could also be our redemption. We were sent the picture of the puppy Scamp and he was supremely adorable. We jumped at the chance and said yes.

Our first week of the holiday was thus going to be occupied. For the second week I proposed a road trip to Edinburgh. I had a friend when we were in Ipswich. We have managed to keep in touch. She turns 40 in May. So I thought it might be a good idea to pay her a visit. K agreed quite easily for the trip as well! So that was our Easter break planned. What remained was execution!

A child's plan

 This post was long over due. I intended to post it last month but work and life came in the way. 

Pumpki's birthday was in December. Last year she took full responsibility of planning her birthday. Every. Single. Thing. From the venue to the party plan, from the invitees to the return gifts, from the menu to the return gifts. Including gifts she wanted from various members of the family. Every. Single. Detail. It was end to end planned by her. 

She wanted the party at home. A small party with her 2 best friends, Sara and Alice. And she wanted the food to be rice and chicken curry from a nearby place followed by boba tea for dessert. Of course there would be cake. She wanted balloons, lots and lots of balloons and a bunch of art and craft gifts. The list was big which included air dry clay, washi tape, different types of paints which I had never heard of. We also sneakily got her a few more things that she would appreciate. A month prior to her birthday I sent out the invites to her friends who gladly accepted it.

There was a month of shopping where every other day some parcel arrived at our door step :) 

A day before the party we adults got poorly. Thankfully Chiyaa was ok. She took the full responsibility of decorating the house. Since K was the only adult who could be of some help, they together got the entire house decorated as per Pumpki's wish. We popped all the paracetamols we needed and got ready for the next day. 

Pumpki's friend Alice texted early in the morning that she was had an bad tummy and may or may not be able to make it. It made Pumpki really upset. But being the darling that she is, she quickly cheered up and got ready to spend her day with Sara. Sara came in at the designated time and both girls got on with playing and a tour of the house etc etc. Chiyaa was the ever caring elder sister taking care of both the girls. Since we adults were not feeling so well, we kept away from the kids since we did not want them to get any illness. Around noon Alice's mom messaged that she was feeling fine and if she could come over. Pumpki was over the moon to hear this. So the trio was formed and the girls had lot of fun singing, dancing, playing video games, playing with bracelet and hair band sets and what not! Time flew and it was evening and it was time to call the party to an end. It was a lovely party planned end to end by an eight year old girl who wanted to celebrate turning nine. May God always bless this lovely child who has so much creativity, initiative and love for a close circle of friends and family.

Winding down and easing in

 December has a sense of winding down. There is a degree of laxness in  routine. There is a general chilled out attitude. This year it was more so because  Pumpki 's swimming classes were cancelled for some renovation work in the pools. This took out the hectic after school dashes on Wednesday. Pumpki loved it since she had more time to pursue  her art and craft projects.  Chiyaa had a lot of cancellations of her guitar classes as well which were very much to her glee. 

The Christmas holidays were a mixed bag. There was a whole lot of relaxation but there was the season of sickness as well. We somehow scraped through it and managed to land in January. K was the first to hobble back into work. I took the first 2 working days off sick since I was in no position to sit through a full work day. The weekend before start of school, we geared up with uniform ironing, books setting and the regular activities that are mandatory before start of school. But then it snowed. It snowed like there was no tomorrow. 

Sunday evening we received messages from the school that there might be delayed start to the school day because of snow and the disruption it was causing. We heaved a sigh of relief since we didn't need to start at break neck speed and be jolted into reality on 6th of January in the snowy and icy conditions. We woke up all relaxed at 7am to receive the news that both schools were closed. The hurrays from the kids went through the roof. One additional day was like manna from heaven. They spent the day baking and playing video games. Everything was already ready so there was no news for preparation for the next day!

One extra day did give us a more pumped up demeanor for the rest of the week. We woke up on Tuesday to news from Chiyaa's school that it was going to be closed since the premises were not safe from an ice and snow perspective to house the  kids. Whoop! We got Pumpki ready who was a bit dejected at having to go while her elder sis was to be at home. K painstakingly cleared the paths Nd worked up a sweat defrosting the car. He was about to start for the drop when I decided to check the emails for good measure. Her school had emailed that they would be shut too! OMG! The best thing ever for parents and kids alike! Another relatively relaxed day and we were ready for the week 😅

We had to grin and bear through 3 days only before a relaxing weekend. The start times were relaxed and we picked up both the kids together. It was lovely to have them come home shrieking and shouting and regaling us with  stories of school. 3 days indeed were not too hard and we slowly eased into the weekend. Sometimes snow is good  🙂

A lot can change in 2 weeks

 

A lot can happen in 2 weeks. Just 2 weeks ago we were winding down for the year. There were plans being made. Plans to continue come to the gym in turns so that we don't undo all the gains. Plans to take the kids on a lot of long walks which we hadn't managed this year. Plans to spend time planning for an upcoming holiday in February. Plans to have family friends over, who we hadn't seen for one reason or another in a long time. There were plans to read a lot, watch lots of shows together, cook, clean, organise. Essentially have a productive time together. 

It started well enough. Chiyaa had an early finish on her last day at school. She came home and chilled for a bit till it was time to pick Pumpki up. Chiyaa accompanied me and it was quite fun walking  back home with both of them. We were to have friends over on the next couple of days. There was a lot of tidying up to do. There was also a lot of food to be prepared. It was an all hands on deck scenario. I loved how everyone came together. Giving their ideas for the menu, helping out on the kitchen chores and cleaning the house. We had a fantastic dinner over the Saturday and the Sunday was spent in the lovely company of another family. 2 more days of work and we were good to bid adiue to the year.

Monday contrary to expectations was quite hectic with work being wrapped up. Plans for a walk came to some fruition and we managed a short one. We seemed to be doing all right when it came to execution of the plans made a few days ago. Morning shows the day and we were quite hopeful that it would indeed be a productive couple of weeks.  

Tuesday our work places called it an early finish since it was Christmas eve. We had plans to venture out but the girls were too busy playing on the consoles. Well it was Christmas eve so no point in being too hard. We decided to let it go and call it a chilled evening. 

The next day was Christmas and time for us to work on our annual lego pieces. We sort of have this tradition of building huge legos over Christmas. Chiyaa, Pumpki and I got busy making our legos. It took the good part of the day with some overflow into the next day. Well our other plans were going for a toss but then it was Christmas time!

Boxing day I started to feel a bit unwell. It started with an itchy throat. I popped some paracetamol and rubbed some pain relief balm on my neck with the hope of feeling better. The next day I was feeling worse! Much much worse. And to make matters worse, it was Pumpki 's birthday the day after. I really wanted to be better for her sake. I was still quite unwell the next day but we somehow managed to celebrate Pumpki 's birthday. It was a good celebration. 

After this I just went further downhill. I totally lost my appetite. I literally went 29th and 30th without any food. Without food my energy was rock bottom too. Thankfully my sister was around and helped with feeding and looking after the rest of the household though she wasn't feeling great herself. With 0 energy the only thing that could be done was watch TV. And we watched a lotttttt of TV. We finished the Harry Potter series and started The Lord of the Rings. We even watched some lesser known shows and movies on Netflix which we still enjoyed a lot.

I was hoping to get better atleast by New Year's Eve. But that was not the case. I was better but still not there. So that was another day of being at home, sitting with the kids and doing nothing much but watch TV. 31st December was quite sedate. We were greeted to some friendly neighbourhood fireworks which brought some spontaneous smiles. 1st January came with some recovery, which enabled me to manage to clean some of the neglected bits of the house. I was still weak but felt the house was in desperate need of cleaning. I did as much as I could manage and then had to plop in front of TV. We were not happy about it, but by this time even the kids were feeling a bit under the weather and we did not want to risk aggravating their condition. I had to take 2nd and 3rd January off sick. I managed some chores around the house but still it was TV which was the primary source of distraction. The kids were coughing and troubled by aches and pains and given the scene at home, it was best to stay in doors.

The last weekend of the holidays brought in snow. And the best excuse to cross the threshold of the house. It was cold but bright. It was wet but magical. The snow seemed a weird twist of fate indicating a turn round the corner. It was finally a new week and things were going to be better.