My Mam. Ten years on

It's ten years since my beautiful Mam left us. So much has happened since then. Yet, it seems like just yesterday that she was fooling around in the hospice, making us laugh and caring for the other patients, in spite of her being so very poorly herself.

Our family has grown since then ; we have moved house, county and country since then. But no matter where we are, or who we are with, there is always my Mam, never more than a whisper away from me.


I think about you every day Mam and I miss you dearly. The  searing pain of losing you has faded, and the tears are less frequent, but it doesn't take much to take me back to the last time we spoke. I kneeled by your chair and I was your little girl again. I cried at the thought of losing you and you comforted me in my sadness. You stroked my head and told me it would all be ok.That was so typical of you Mam. You are the most caring and selfless person I have ever met.  Your last words to me were "I love you bairn". I love you too Mam. Until we meet again

New Hoose!

There's an air of excitement in the "Shovlin Hoose" right now. We have put a deposit down on a brand new house in Lincs! It's not so long ago that we were adamant we would never buy again, as renting gave us the freedom to move around the country, or even abroad again if we wanted to. But here we are, setting down roots, getting a foot on the property ladder, and hopefully, investing in the future. It's a risk, but us Shovlins have never been a family that shies away from risk!

The house isn't ready until May, so we have plenty of time to prepare for the move, and figure out how we are going to furnish the five bedrooms....Yes, I said FIVE bedrooms! We began this house search with the words "down-sizing" in mind but somehow we just couldn't squeeze ourselves into a smaller house.

But, the house is beautiful and I can't wait to get moved.

On the down-side, I took a quick look at Lincs Elective Home Education Policy and it STINKS! Literally! So far we have managed to stay under the radar where the LA is concerned ; let's hope it continues because these guys are taking the biscuit, or maybe they need someone to set them straight! They will have met their match if they think they can get away with their ultra vires activity with Dave!lol

Getting in touch with nature....moi?

Now, as anybody who knows me will tell you, I am not an outdoorsy time of girl. So, it was somewhat of a surprise that I booked Katie and myself on a "den building, fire-making and investigating animal homes" event at Priory Park in Bedford.

I had seen it come up on the list a while back but had never quite got around to booking it. No surprises there! The thought of spending hours outside in the freezing cold, raking about in the mud and getting in touch with nature, really did not appeal. And anyway, I don't have suitable footwear!The last time I donned a pair or wellies, I was in primary school wearing bottle green knickers and my hair was in plaits!
Then, I found that our best friends were booked up, and I knew deep down Katie would enjoy herself doing the "outdoorsy" stuff. I was feeling just a tad guilty and sometimes I just need to step out of my comfort-zone so that Katie can experience lots of different activities (not just the ones that appeal to me!)
So, I bit the bullet and with just a little trepidation, I put our names down.
I am so glad we did!

I surprised myself, and that doesn't happen very often ; it really was a fun day and who knew my Den-Building was so good! Ray Mears eat your heart out!  There was quite a turn out of families and we split into smaller groups to each make our own den. Us mums took the task very seriously and we worked diligently and meticulously to build the "best" den. We scoured the ground for the best branches and twigs and willow, while slyly eyeing up the competition. Of course the kids helped out, collecting the branches and twigs and willow, but it was us mums who took the task very seriously.
Long after the kids had lost interest in making our den "the best" (by now they were digging in the soil for treasures and collecting foliage for food ), us mums continued furiously tying the willow and weaving the twigs. Well, you don't want the den to let in rain, do you?

Note to self; must buy wellies and lose the false nails before our next outdoorsy expedition!