LuckyAmeba

Marking milestones

2021-09-06T19:38:00.000+01:00

When Bug was born, well a month or so after, I bought some cards to mark her milestones. Who knew that I should have bought them when I was preggo? So we missed a few photos…

But now I find myself attempting to dressing her up for her milestones, only for her to accessorise them with accoutrements such as vomit! Then I jump around, cajoling her into smiling, while hopefully the camera is in focus and I actually press the snap button.

Those photos are all well and good. But I want some real-life photos and babies aren’t renown for their on-cue performances! So how do you actually get that photo of her first tooth?!?

That’s one of the current milestones we’re trying to mark. And she’s not particularly given to opening her mouth wide, unless it’s to cry loudly! I may not be parent of the year, but I’m not about to start taking photos of her mouth while she cries! So, it’ll just have to wait until she smiles for a prolonged period, while I conveniently have the camera to hand! Case in point with the eleventy thousand takes above!

How do you mark your milestones?

Lucky x

4 month sleep regression

2021-09-01T19:05:00.000+01:00

I write to you from Hell… just kidding, I’m on the foot stool next to Bug’s bed. Not talking, not touching, just sitting while she lies with her head facing the other way. And every few minutes gives an attempt at a cry.

But at least she’s in her bed! She’s completely refused all naps in her bed so far this week. So this is a major win! I’m talking champagne, the I proper stuff… or at least a really large glass of whatever is open in the fridge.

Now bedtime is the stuff nightmares are made from! Bedtime used to be a pleasant routine, now it’s a panic-inducing labour. I’m pretty sure my blood pressure is through the roof, climbing from approximately 18:00, in anticipation of the dreaded sleep attempts! Last night was an early 22:00ish before she was down. The night before, midnight. And over the weekend, one night her refusals were so adamant that I got a sum total of zero hours sleep. By midnight it was clear the only way she’d sleep was in my arms. So Bug and I got the big bed. She slept, I hot-eyed with lack of sleep, watched hours of Downtown Abbey! Every now and again she would wake. And I would break yet another rule from the book I’d probably added to the pile of must-reads.

We’ve seriously considered whether we could get the dog to pull his weight a bit more and add him to the bedtime rota?

And all this is the joy of the four month sleep regression. What a delight. A real champ! Something for all new parents to look forward to. And a real reason to make sure your wine fridge is well stocked! Maybe include a screw-cap or two, for when you’re too tired. Or if you’ve reached my level, it will just be a comfort to know all that wine is there, waiting for you, for when this phase passes (fingers crossed).

Lucky x

Teething troubles

2021-08-08T12:14:00.000+01:00

You get a whole nights sleep, you have a night out with the NCT gals, not every nappy is a poo, you begin to “settle” into a routine… And then teething!

It slobber-slaps you in the face and turns everything upside down! My super-salivating baby just wants to shove everything her mouth. She’s learnt to suck her thumb and I’m delighted, because she can’t throw it out her cot.

But it’s completely thrown any semblance of a schedule out of sync! She’s not feeding properly and is waking up at night again. Her naps are all over the show. She’s clearly uncomfortable and that breaks my heart! And this is, apparently, just the beginning of the teething process!!! Send help / grandparents!

We’ve got teething toys stashed throughout the house, including the freezer. So far the Matchstick Monkey Dinosaur has been a hit (just don’t try steaming the container, it will melt!)

What are your top teething tips?

Lucky x

Ps. That’s my milk drunk Bug

Mad naps

2021-07-29T08:33:00.000+01:00

After vomming/ salivating on three outfits by 06:50 this morning, I tried to cajole Bug into her early morning nap. This is the nap between her first waking up and 8am feed. And she really needs it!

As we were watching the Olympics in our bedroom, I suggested she nap on our bed, snuggled next to me. While I watch the kayak/ canoes.

But no, she had other plans. Apparently they were for me to get up. And for her to fall asleep on my shoulder in a really awkward fashion. I had to perfect the counterbalance cuddle. All while putting the laundry on, making breakfast (not quite eating it), sterilising bottles and pump accoutrements, making the coffee and re-packing her changing bag.

But she slept, and I guess I’ll take that!

Lucky x

Oh how times have changed!

2021-07-21T15:55:00.000+01:00

This morning, while having a blood test, I was chatting to possibly the best phlebotomist about babies. I mentioned that I was considering getting an Elvie pump — the one that goes in your bra and you can be hands free and, wonderfully, not tethered to one space!

My next line was “it will mean that I can hang the laundry and pump at the same time!” This may sound ridiculous, having this as a priority. But when you have so little time to yourself it becomes necessary to prioritise. And this can be hard - how do you chose between hanging the laundry or expressing milk?!? It’s currently my big dilemma!

Then I met my sister at Garsons for lunch, thinking the cafe would be airconed - it isn’t, beware! We both had our babies plastered to us, while we produced a gleaming layer of sweat. I could go on, but I think you get the picture!

So, this afternoon, instead of being able to wallow in the sun and work on my tan, probably with a delicious glass of rosé, Bug and I are whiling the afternoon away on the rocking chair in her bedroom. Where the aircon unit is providing a modicum of cool sanity. And the curtains are drawn tightly against the sun.

The dog has joined us. Yesterday he got very sad when he was excluded from this cool haven. Every now and again, from the bottom of the chair, he sticks his head up to confirm that all is well, then he returns to his slumber.

I wonder what very grown-up decisions I’ll make this evening?

Lucky x

Bug has moved to her big baby bed

2021-07-12T16:37:00.001+01:00

It’s happened, it’s been a week, she’s now sleeping in her big baby bed, in her room. And it’s been an excellent decision! We’re all benefiting from better sleep. We don’t wake her up, she doesn’t wake us up (as much). And sleep is becoming that friend we see a lot more of!

It’s coupled with a feeding routine, which I’m pretty strict about. Mean Mum only feeds every 3 hours. Gone are the boobies-on-tap!

And Bug is learning that when it’s nap or bed time, it’s sleepy-time. Which can be preceded by a bit of crying. But she’s getting more sleep and is, generally, a happier baby!

So, for us, this has been a positive move. Although I have to be honest, when we made the decision that this was going to happen I did cry a bit! My tiny baby was no longer tiny… time to consider the next?!?

Lucky x

One good thing about social distancing…

2021-07-02T13:01:00.000+01:00

Is that nobody comes too close and I can get away with only half brushing my teeth (no toothpaste, had Bug in my arms and wouldn’t have been able to rinse). And not wearing deodorant (again, the baby!)

Also, still wearing some of my pyjamas, semi-disguised as day clothes… But nobody can really tell cause they can’t get too close! Win!

On top of that we had a very successful walk. The dog mostly listened and was easily distracted by treats. Bug slept the whole time and was seemingly nose-blind. And my back pocket doubled up as my coffee cup holder! Hands-free, here we come!

Oh, and because we were out walking for so long - two hours, until it was time for the next feed - the dog is exhausted! He hasn’t been this tired since his play date with best friend Amber!

Lucky x

Meet the kids

2021-06-30T14:03:00.000+01:00

This morning they both wanted my attention. Bug wouldn’t stop crying and needed to be cuddled. And Indy wanted to play, non-stop.

Eventually I got Bug onto her play-mat where she likes to play with the baby in the mirror and smash her hands erratically against the dangling cow and dog. The cow is flying a plane that makes a noise when it moves.

Indy finds this fascinating. But only for so long. Then he remembered that he saw one of his dog-friends who was on-heat on his walk this morning. And started to hump me. A lot.

This presented a challenging situation. Do I stop oggling at Bug playing with her baby friend and risk tears? And stop the dog before he really got into his stride?

Or, do I just pretend the dog isn’t there? And hope he gets bored really quickly?!?

Ultimately it was a little from column A, a little from column B. Don’t ask!

Lucky x

Week 8 check-ups

2021-06-29T18:25:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we had our 8 week check-ups and both of us cried (luckily masks are absorbent!)

It’s utterly heart-wrenching when your tiny baby screams. For me, science has provided us with modern medicine that will potentially save her life. So, she will be having all of her jabs. And then all of the cuddles afterwards.

We spent the afternoon having skin to skin time. Then I spent the night keeping check on her temperature.

Today I was selected as the only one acceptable enough to do everything for her. All plans went out the window. Instead, we’ve had amazing snuggles on the sofa together. All day.

Any semblance of sleep training is out the window, we’ll tackle that tomorrow! I’ve changed into pj’s already and bath time this evening will be late as I’m loathe to wake her… it’s just one of those days!

Lucky x

This is the face of a rested Mum

2021-06-22T18:09:00.000+01:00

Wait, what? Isn’t that an oxymoron? Does that even exist?!?

I was struck down by a bug on Sunday night and it totally knocked my socks off! It punched me in the face and gut. I’m not sure if it was food poisoning or something that’s been going around. But it’s mean and very nasty!

It meant some serious Dadding needed to happen. I’m talking all the night feeds (thank goodness for formula) nappy changes and cuddles… at 3am etc! And it wasn’t just Sunday night, but Monday night too…

Which gave me the most sleep I’ve had since the little Bug was born. It’s also made me realise that I need more sleep! So, from now on, Dadding will be taking place on the weekends and this Mum will remember what it’s like not to have to get up in the night. To guilt-free know that my husbands got this one!

I don’t expect the dark rings to magically disappear, but give me a few weeks and I may consider a colour photo!

What do you do to catch up on that most valued of commodities, sleep?

Lucky

I’ve had a baby

2021-06-16T13:19:00.000+01:00

Having been pregnant for nine months and trying beforehand, it didn’t come as a surprise. But what has come as more of a slap-in-the-face-shock, in the nicest way, is the sheer exhaustion of being a new mummy!

When parents say to preggos “get as much sleep as you can”, as a preggo my response was, “well I’m up eight times a night to wee, but that’s not because I’m choosing to do so. I’m trying to sleep but my baby has found my bladder and treats it like a new, fancy trampoline!” What they should have said was “you’re not going to get any sleep for the foreseeable. So value being able to sleep whenever you want to now. When your baby is born you’ll be on their schedule - if they wake every hour, so will you. If they take two hours to fall asleep, you’ll be awake for that, trying desperately to encourage that most valued of commodities: sleep.”

On the plus side you become almost narcoleptic, able to sleep anywhere, any time… if your baby allows! Before Baby a luxury might resemble a spa day followed by a nice dinner and tasty wine. Today I’d prefer a nights uninterrupted sleep over that, seriously! In fact even a half-night, where I’m not half-sleeping, waiting for the tiny love of my life to grumble awake.

Today is going to be one of the hottest of the year so far. My baby isn’t a fan of very warm days, and has decided she will only be on me. All day. And do you know what, I don’t blame her.

So, I’ve set us up, on the sofa with F1 Drive to Survive to keep us amused. And then thought, there must be more that I can do all day… so I’m reviving my blogging! Am pretty certain the posts will be about babies and my experiences, but it would be great to have you along for the read.

Lucky

Ps. apologies for any typos, am probably doing this one-handed!

We love you Chewy

2019-07-26T11:26:00.001+01:00

Earlier this week we had to make the hardest decision anyone with a pet will ever have to make. You have to be totally selfless, even though you’re fully aware of the devastating consequences. I’m typing this with tears streaming down my checks and my nose running.

Over the last few weeks Chewy had slowed down, he wasn’t his beansy self, but we knew this might happen and just took everything slower. On Tuesday we went for our walks, he ate all his food and got as many treats as he could. On Tuesday night, he climbed into our bed. His breathing was heavy, the lymph glands in neck had hugely swollen and he was struggling to breathe. He was disorientated and wouldn’t eat or drink. He kept wanting to go outside, but wasn’t able to stand. I slept next to him on the floor, in the other bedroom and came downstairs when wanted to. Eventually at about 5am we called the vet.

She confirmed our worst fears. We booked an appointment for 7:45 that morning, we had a little time to say goodbye.

I keep remembering all of the little things he did, like nudge my hand ever so gently for a treat, or watch me cook in the kitchen or check on me in the bathroom. I don’t want to be able to leave a plate of food on the sofa and it still be there when I get back. I don’t want to be able to carry a heavy and full watering can from the kitchen to the garden and not spill it because he isn’t underfoot. I want those big eyes staring at me for another treat, a little playful lick and a nose nuzzling cuddle.

But we also didn’t want him to suffer. It was his time and I know we did the right thing. But he is so very, incredibly missed.

Last week I’d written the story below, but hadn’t yet posted it. It didn’t feel right to start with this. So, here are the missing parts of our journey: The Next Steps

After waiting for the results, a process that seems endless at the time. And especially taxing when you know that you need to act fast with the treatment option you choose, we got them, and we started the chemo.

We’d bought the special gloves to handle his medication and as an extra layer of protection when clearing away the remnants of the magazines he’s read. Play-dates with small people were cancelled. We were prepared.

Well at least we thought we were.

It’s all a bit of a blur now. After the first treatment we picked him up in the evening, after having had a discussion with a wonderful nurse. We came home thinking we had a highly toxic boy. Well, I’m not sure if I’m being callus or careless, but the toxicity was very manageable. And the gloves really weren’t necessary. But we didn’t know and it’s always better to have them.

Sadly, Chewy’s tummy didn’t love the avalanche of Chemo drugs that were pumped into his body, trying to beat his type B lymphoma into submission. We had a few more trips back to the Vet and weren’t able to have his next session as planned. But the golf balls that were lymphotically residing in his neck had disappeared.

Several days later than planned we went back for session two. This round, we’d been told, was to be far less aggressive. It would be one of the easy sessions…

We were fooled. Ourselves and the Vet. Poor Chewy just couldn’t handle the strength of the medication and after a night of pretty much constant illness – we were at a point where our dog who will do anything for food, wouldn’t touch it. Early the next morning we took him back to the Vet, having to carry him from the car.

Here he spent the day on a drip, carried around the surgery by the Vet. He’d lost 2 kgs, going down to only one more kilo than when he’d first arrived. We were in a very scary place and he was clearly in discomfort.

Luckily, the drip worked. That evening we were able to pick him up. Armed with tins of incredibly expensive vet-issued, Royal Canin Gastro-Intestinal food. I completely recommend it, we were at the point where we’d give him anything if he’d eat it! But it also gave us our boy back.

From the beginning of this process our number one priority was Chewy. It was his comfort that was important. Sure, I’d love to have him around forever. But that wouldn’t be fair – he was the one in pain and it would be our responsibility to manage that. Not our desire to have him with us, even if it was very strong.

So we made the decision to stop the chemo. It worked to a point, getting rid of the engorged lymph glands, but the extent to which Chewy suffered from the side-effects made it an easy decision not to continue.

Having the tasty Royal Canin Gastro food, and we literally bought trays of the stuff to feed him, first every two hours, then every two-and-a-half, then three hours helped to get our boy back. He was excited to eat again and was recovering his strength.

We were, and are, now in Palliative Care Mode. We’ve had to adjust his food again – he refused to eat the kibble he was getting (in conjunction with the raw food that I make for him). So we bought a share in Lily’s Kitchen. Which had him jumping up to the counter again, to make suggestions on how to place the food in his bowl…/mouth!

At this point we began to run low on the raw food. I’ve made this for him, since he arrived. It’s 80% meat (beef mince), 10% offal, 5% vegetables & 5% calcium. I make it in bulk… it takes approximately 6 hours to make 3 months work… so basically a day’s work. It’s exhausting and messy. But was really good for him, so I did it. But with the introduction of complete-meal tinned food I began to wonder if this was my excuse to not get up to my elbows in the biggest pot we own, really mixing all the blended meat together!

As much as we’d love to give him Lily’s Kitchen, if he were having only that he’d need 3 tins a day. At £2.50 per tin that would be £7.50 a day. So we looked around and found Forthglade. Made in Devon, all the nasties free and filled with goodness the Vet was very happy for us to replace his Lily’s Kitchen and raw food (slowly) with Forthglade. At about £1 a tray, and he’ll only need 2 trays a day, this will be both more affordable and far more time efficient for me.

We are now a few more weeks down the line. We have a much happier boy – sure, he gets tired and can’t walk for as long as he used to. But he’s got his beans back! And it’s wonderful. He’s completely, even more, food orientated and has even taking to jumping up to check if anyone has been silly enough to leave anything… and I do mean anything within snout distance.

He’s also become a much better boy when we go for walks. He isn’t running off and as we’re armed with pockets filled with Thrive Duck Treats, we’re able to let him off the lead in fields we wouldn’t previously have dreamed of. Sometimes we can’t even take another step until he’s had another tiny piece of duck, but we’re definitely all enjoying his new-found freedom. Seeing him have a little run about and prolonged stop-and-sniff is great.

So, for now, life is good. He’s eating, drinking and being cute. But, more importantly, he’s also happy and comfortable. We’ll be regulars at the Vet, we kinda were before, but that’s okay. I’m lucky enough to work for an amazing, dog friendly company. So Chewy comes to work with me, sleeps in his bed by my desk and occasionally farts for my colleagues (apologies). Because of him we go for regular lunchtime walks on the heath, which are great for everyone.

Yet again, Chewy and his awesomeness strike, enriching our lives and making them better. And despite of what we know will come, we have an amazing opportunity to really love and make the most of him. Our lives really are better because of him… even if he does wake us up at 3am because he’s moved from his bed to lie next to the wardrobe and is now having a running dream that means he keeps bashing the wardrobe.

Chewy all of our future dogs will have the biggest boots to fill. You were so very loved and will always be remembered.

Lucky xxx

My darling dog has cancer

2019-06-04T12:29:00.000+01:00

My darling dog has cancer

About two-and-a-half weeks ago, on a Friday evening after the Husband had been away for work for the week, the three of us, He, Chewy and myself were sat on the sofa, having a catch-up. The Husband mentioned that Chewy’s glands (lymph nodes) were really big.

A bit of back-story, he eats EVERYTHING! He has a keen eye for what we’ve termed a ‘poopsicle’ and happens to chance upon these seemingly tasty snacks rather regularly on his walks. He’s also partial to stale bread that some unwitting fellow has left out for the birds. Or the remainders of a teenagers discarded dinner. Let’s not mention the rotting snacks the fishermen leave behind during fishing season…

I think you understand then, that we often have a dog with a bit of a dodgy tummy*. We’re no strangers to probiotics.

So, obviously we squeezed probiotics onto his handcrafted meals, and kept and eye on what was going on. But coupled with the swollen glands, we called the Vet and they recommended coming in for a visit.

We’re fairly regular visitors to our wonderful Vet, Chewy is known and greeted! Often, it’s just so that we can have a quick weigh-in or pick up his deworming tablets. I’m a big fan of making the vet a fun place to be. It also helps that they have the super tasty Thrive Liver treats, of which he’s a very big fan!

We were kindly squeezed in and the Vet went through the process of examining Chewy. He felt the swollen lymph nodes, then he took out the thermometer… but there was no infection and when I wrongly said, “ooh that’s a good thing” I was given a look by the vet and was told that actually no, this was potentially a very bad thing.** And then the tears welled.

Chewy is my baby. When I started a new job, he was listed as my dependant. I would do battle for him… And now I was going to have to put my armour on.

We were advised to leave him at the Vet while some tests were run, we could pick him up in 1 ½ hours. So, we went for a walk. And quite dramatically, as we, somewhat dazed, took one step after another, the brooding grey clouds released their contents, drenching us, adding the weight of the water to our shoulders.

Arriving a bit earlier back at the Vets, we were told that the blood tests weren’t able to completely shed further light, but that symptoms pointed towards Lymphoma. Other samples (fine needle aspirates) had been sent off for further analysis.

We were given some meds for him, to treat the symptoms and were asked to begin the first of the Big Waits.

We waited. The results came through, but we needed more, to determine that it was 100% lymphoma and what type. There are two types. Type B is the better type, the treatable one. Type T is the terrible type, you don’t want this one.

While still waiting to find out what type we were dealing with, the vet, in consultation with the Oncologist, decided that they would need further aspirates/samples.

I’m afraid that I was mostly trying to control the tears during these conversations, understanding the seriousness of the nature, but with the details being washed down my cheeks. For this reason, I was either armed with the Husband who remembers all the terminology, or a pen and paper while the patient vet slowly explained the details and waited for me to illegibly scribble them all down.

The night before dropping Chewy off for his further tests, which would involve him going under general anaesthetic, I slept on the floor next to him. GA is a big deal and for an elderly gent who was clearly struggling, it wouldn’t be an easy occasion for him. We took one of his blankets, which I’d made sure to sleep on and, I have to admit, even stuck under my armpit to make sure it smelt extra of me… or just extra!

That evening we picked up a very woozy Chewy. He was out-of-sorts, but we were delighted to have our boy back at home. Even if he was staggering around as if he’d taken ownership of the Port and had subsequently made some excellent but controversial decisions!

And then the next Big Wait began. It didn’t help that it was also the bank holiday weekend, causing additional delays. And thank you to the lovely ladies who patiently answered my phone calls wondering if they’d had any further news. And then for going over-and-above and calling back to let me know that they still hadn’t had any update.***

Finally, on Thursday evening last week we got the call. Chewy has type B lymphoma, in an advanced stage.

Throughout this process, the prime importance for us has been to ensure Chewy’s comfort. Obviously, I’d like to have him around forever. But we all know that that’s not going to happen. So, it was with this understanding by all parties that whichever decision we decided to embark on, it would be to ensure that Chewy was in the least discomfort. Not with the focus on extending longevity. If longevity was a side-effect then that would be a win.

Over tears and a snotty nose (by me) the vet explained that actually if we wanted Chewy not to be in pain, then chemo would be the way forward. This was how to treat his discomfort. Otherwise we’d have a few weeks left with our boy who would be suffering.

So, on Friday morning last week we took our boy down to the vet, armed again with one of his blankets and his lunchbox, packed with his breakfast (we’d been advised not to give him his breakfast before the treatment, just in case). He is a trouper and such a good boy, we passed his lead over to the nurse and said how much we loved him and that we’d see him again later. Then quickly hot-footed it out of reception.

Midway through the Big Wait I had to make a decision. I could either be teary and constantly upset, which Chewy completely picks up on. Or, I could make an enormous effort to be happy and positive… and then go off to the allotment and bury my sadness in the ever-growing pile of weeds in the compost bin!

I chose the second. He picks up on my moods and responds appropriately. So, in order to give him the best opportunity I’ve been ‘happy’.

Saturday was a hard day, he wasn’t eating all of his food. Well, let me clarify. He ate all of his raw food, wasn’t a fan of his nuts. On Sunday we figured out that he’d eat the nuts if we hand-fed them to him. Great. But then we over-fed him in our exuberance that he was eating again and he was ill, there went his evening meds! Both days he was so tired he couldn’t really manage a walk of much substance, but he did what he needed then came home and slept.

Yesterday we turned a corner. Having worked out the feeding strategy and with the Husband working from home we had a Chewy who seemed pretty content. So, we set off on our evening walk, where once again he sought out the vaunted poopsicles he so enjoys. Then he tried to chase a cat and was pulling on his lead, eager to go to the big field. Of all the local fields around our house, this is by far the best. It comprises forested area, open fields, loads of paths and two rivers! With no treats in my pocket I was hesitant to let him off the lead (recall is still an issue). But he was just the goodest of boys and his shear joy of being able, and wanting, to run was completely worth watching him scamper around, nose to the ground, tail in the air.

His tail does this wonderful full-circle wag when he’s running around, you just know that he’s having the best time. He even jumped into the river for a quick refreshment! He was full of beans again! Alert, running around the house and playing! He even chewed a piece of cardboard and chased the Husband in the garden! We haven’t seen him like this for a while, and it’s given us the reassurance that we’ve made the right decision to undergo chemo.

We are only at the beginning of our chemo journey. On Friday he’ll go for another session (should the tests give the go-ahead). And I expect that we’ll be repeating the process of tired boy for the weekend, hopefully picking up again into our fun-loving boy.

We’ve had a few sleepless nights – he is now sleeping downstairs as there is a period of toxicity that we need to be aware of after his treatment. But, this has mostly meant that one of us has, on occasion, slept downstairs with him.

We are so proud of how well he’s handling this. It can’t be easy, especially when nobody can explain what’s happening. But, in a way, maybe that makes it easier. I don’t know. There’s a lot I don’t know, but with my pen, paper, positive mentality and the wonders of modern medicine I’m hoping to find a bit more out.

Lucky x

*When we first adopted Chewy, through the amazing Wild AtHeart Foundation, it took us 9 months to get him up to weight because of his tummy is so sensitive. Seriously, how he survived in the wilds of Cyprus on his own, we don’t know. We’ve had to monitor what he eats and we feed him a combo of raw and dry food, aim for recall training with Thrive Duck treats and general everyday treats by Pooch & Mutt… We’ve recently been recommended treats from The Posh Pet Kitchen, which look dog doglicious!

**We’ve previously had growths removed from Chewy’s feet, one of which needed to be tested for the big C. It came back negative, but the week spent waiting was a strain on our sanity.

***We go to Molesey Vet, based in Park Road, Molesey and they have been so kind, caring and understanding though this process so far. Thank you.

Dining room blues

2018-02-13T07:53:00.000+00:00

We'd initially thought to give ourselves some time to live in the house before decorating, you know, to get to know the space and how it'll be used... two months in and the dining room is first up! It's pretty obvious, we're going to be eating in there! It was an easy decision (we both agreed with each other) the walls were going to be a dark blue, both have pretty much floor to ceiling windows next to them, so we weren't too worried about the space feeling dark.

Farrow & Ball's Hague Blue was our first choice... so we got a sample. And samples of Stifkey Blue, Drawing Room Blue and Pitch Blue, you never know what it's going to look like on the wall... although the colour samples are a pretty good indication.

With a sort of naughty-child feeling the sample patches were painted onto the wall. It felt quite rebellious just painting stripes onto the wall, clearly ruining the paint already there. But also quite exciting, taking the first of many design steps in our own home. It was so enjoyable, second coats were painted!

As the post-it is a bit illegible, from left to right: Hague Blue, Pitch Blue, Stifkey Blue & Drawing Room Blue.

I have to say, it's actually almost just as hard to choose a colour from the test patches! The paints change as they dry, as the light changes and they're influenced by what's next to them, ie. the other samples! We just couldn't tell... so we got more samples!

Analysis paralysis!

Along with the original four stripes on the left, we had additional Hague Blue and Stifkey stripes as well as Dulux's Venetian Crystal 1 and Venetian Crystal 2 in different places along the wall to try and see how they'd look with differing light options.

It was getting a bit crazy. There had been another blue that I was also keen on, but in a ruthless decision, no sample was bought! Of course at this point we'd ruled out a couple of the blue's (Pitch Blue, Drawing Room Blue and Venetian Crystal 2). But that still left us with three to choose from.

What you probably can't see from the picture is that most of the samples are Hague Blue... so actually deep down we knew what we wanted! Out came the frog tape, the radiators were wrapped in newspaper and carpet protectors were laid. FYI this takes about as long as the actual painting!

Please note at this stage the wall behind the radiator hadn't been painted. We used a special roller for this. Not just one bought in a shop for behind the radiator, but because that wasn't long enough, an extra long one so that should anyone ever need/want to look behind the rad, the wall will be painted all the way down... I also spent some quality time painting the tiny strip of wall between the radiator and the skirting board!

The results are AMAZING. We completely LOVE Hague Blue. This colour has such depth, throughout the day it evolves as the light changes. It's moody and elegant and an utter delight. So if you're in any doubt, be brave and go for the darker colour. Especially if it's F&B's Hague Blue!

Isn't it beautiful!

Lucky x

PS. apologies for the completely middle-aged post. But these days painting the dining room walls is super exciting! Of course now we need new curtains... and feature pendant lights :)

We’re buying a house!

2017-10-15T14:05:00.000+01:00

Some-how we’ve navigated the quagmire of housing options, unravelled the tangled knot of estate agent ‘truths’, avoided injury / illness from some of the houses we’ve seen and eventually found something that we both like, in our price range!

Seriously, I’d like to take this moment to thank firstly the home owners whose houses will probably be on the market for quite some time to come. A few come bubbling immediately to mind. The one where the whole family was sitting in the living room, so we went upstairs. Past the underwear left out to dry on the dust laden radiators. Only to see a small room, luminous pink room and a master en-suite that we couldn’t even get into. Really, there were two double beds crammed into the room, which meant that the door couldn’t open properly. And to actually get into the room you’d have to climb onto and over the bed(s). We didn’t stay long in that house and we definitely didn’t keep the information sheet that the agent gave us. Instead we wished him good luck. The only thing that that house had going for it was that it was over the road from a great little booze shop.

The second house that I just have to mention is a three-bed on a pretty well-known road in the area. Let’s just say that this house needs A LOT of work. The structure, internally and externally needs both finishing and doing! I don’t think the kitchen floor has ever even seen a layer of any sort of screed. Going upstairs was an absolute treat. Having briefly (it wasn’t a big house) seen the downstairs, the agent told me to venture up. To just go ahead and have a good look around. Well there was an empty terrarium on the landing and a bedroom door with a large STOP, do not enter sign. And in that moment, it just felt like a house that would home a snake. For anyone who doesn’t know I AM PETRIFIED OF SNAKES!

The agent was immediately summoned upstairs to thoroughly inspect every orifice and crack of this dilapidated building for any sign of snakes. He found none. So, I gingerly peeked into each of the bedrooms and the excuse for a bathroom. Needless to say, I couldn’t get out of there quick enough. It always surprises me how people who are trying to sell their house can’t be bothered to clean it or attempt to put it in its best light! To make this story even better the agent (who was late for the appointment) told me that there was an offer on the property (which was, at that point on the market for £475k) the offer was for £460k. I told him to tell the owners of the property to take that offer. I was pretty adamant about that. Yet strangely, for some reason they didn’t and then the property got reduced to £435k… hmmm Dear Agent, why do you think nobody ever believes you? Do you think that I just look at your outdated website? Or do you think that like any normal person I’ve scoured Rightmove and have set up an alert system so that I know exactly what’s going on in the area?!?

But enough of the ranting.

Throughout the whole process we prided ourselves on the fact that we didn’t need to move. That we weren’t in a rush and that we could take our sweet time to find our ‘for-now-forever’ home. That was until we found one. Then like everyone who has gotten used to Amazon and their one day or even same day delivery, we wanted to move in ASAP!

So, we picked a date: 01.12.2017 and decided that that was the date we wanted. Well, let’s be honest, the date we would be patient until. Okay, that I could be patient for. And then we would move in to our new home. Conveniently the first is a Friday, so we could organise the move to take place over the weekend. Ideal.

What we hadn’t fathomed is how we’d need to get ALL of the information to everyone who required it by yesterday in order to facilitate this. Information that we didn’t even know we’d need!

So, to anyone who is looking to buy a house, here is my advice so far… am sure that there will be more ‘learnings’ along the way:

Look around for a mortgage & mortgage company. Do your research so that you know what is out there. Use comparison sites, but also go directly to the bank’s websites as we found a better deal there. (We have also opted for a 5 year fixed rate, so we know exactly where we stand for the first 5 years!) Do this before and continually while you’re looking for a property. Then speak to your chosen mortgage provider. Know what you’ve got to spend. But don’t end the conversation there (even if they want to). Also find out EXACTLY what documents you’ll need. If you’ve inherited cash you’ll need to prove that it hasn’t been through the washing machine – you’ll need documents to trace that financial stream (or river) to its source! You’ll need to provide all of these documents before you can apply for your mortgage (not just your pay slips, bank statements and proof of address). Talk your lender through how you think the process will go, then let them realign you! Keep a record of everything, both a printed version and an online file that are easy to access as and when you need them. Do your research and find a local surveyor. Decide which solicitors you're going to use. Contact them and find out what documents you'll need to provide them with when you do instruct them. And chose ones that won't make you pay if the sale doesn't complete. And finally, decide how you want to own the house, joint owners, tenants in common.

Finally good luck. At the time of writing this we were 5 days into our purchasing process (now 7) yet it feels like a month. We’ve instructed solicitors, given them all of the documents they’ll need. Found a local surveyor, in case we should need him. And chosen a mortgage, been approved in principal (I think that’s the right term) booked an appointment to get the mortgage confirmed, even though it’s at an inconvenient time in an inconvenient location, we were lucky to get it. There isn’t another in a 20 mile radius of London for the next 3 weeks! We know, we checked.

I’m sure there are going to be several more days of insane stress levels throughout this process (one way to pack lighter is to drink all the wine). And although I REALLY hope there aren’t, there could be ‘great’ little expensive hidden surprises, just waiting to unveil themselves at an inconvenient moment in time. But when we’ve moved all our bits and pieces in and we get to put up our (large) Christmas tree it will all be worth it… even if we have to put the tree up outside the front of the house… opposite the front door and huddle around it in a lost-Christmas-caroller-of-fashion because the final exchange hasn’t quite happened yet! At least we don’t have a chain!

Lucky

How To Buy A House vs Online Dating

2017-06-03T11:07:00.000+01:00

Buying a house is like online dating. I say that having had experience of both. Before having met The Incredible Davey (he requested a superhero pseudonym, we shall refer to him as TID henceforth) I discovered that in order to be an effective online dater, you need to date like a man... by having at least three men who you're going on dates with at a time (not all together). It means that if one isn't as responsive as you'd like or you decide you don't like another, there are still two more to keep you amused. And the same applies when looking for houses!

The similarities in the two experiences are uncanny:
1. You do both online.
2. It's brutal.
3. You need to be prepared to have your heart broken.
4. It takes hours of trawling to find one that you might like.
5. The photo's are often misleading.
6. You can 'try before you buy' but just the tip. You don't really know what's under the 'bonnet' until you're entrenched in the relationship.

It's been a while since I've posted and this experience has encouraged me to get writing again. TID and I seem to spend hours and hours on Rightmove and occasionally Zoopla essentially trolling for our new home. Any property with a vague nice-ness or potential of potential is liked and then poured over numerous times.

It's going to be seriously hard to find a house with a river frontage like this with our budget, but hey it's worth trying!

When we got serious and stopped looking at the £1.5M properties with a river frontage and attractive period features (versus the unattractive period features of the +_1960's and 1970's properties) we opened a new email account with a pretty ridiculous name to filter all of the emails sent from the estate agents and because there was absolutely no way I was going to give them my actual address. And this is already paying off because for some reason certain agents seem to think that we're interested in areas, sizes and prices that we specifically didn't ask for. Begrudgingly I handed over my mobile number and now also receive calls about said properties 'have I seen the email that was sent five minutes ago, during a busy work day?' to what is clearly a private email account???

What I particularly enjoy is when the agents ask how I'm planning on paying for a property that I've expressed interest in? 'Well Mr Agent what I'm actually going to do is take out several credit cards and incur a massive, crushing credit card debt' or 'I plan on winning the lottery, which reminds me, I need to buy a ticket.' Heaven forbid I should be a normal person and pay for it using a *shhh, whisper this* mortgage.

I won't go into the details of each property that I've liked, really it's only me who would find that interesting. Suffice to say that as first time buyers, we're skipping the 'starter home' and are moving straight onto the 'family home'... but with the starter home budget.

So we've got a search on our hands and will probably be looking at a complete fixer-upper that is only vaguely liveable in, but which we will persuade ourselves is actually okay for the next x years until we can afford to do it up... By which time we will have won the lottery and it will be substantially more than the £2.70 I got excited about last week!

The rise of the herb balls

2015-10-05T13:50:00.000+01:00

For a while now I've been wanting to get back into the garden! I miss spending hours pottering about, languidly watering plants and admiring them and their growth spurts. This desire has been somewhat stilted by living on the first floor and not having my own garden. We do, however, have a tiny bit of balcony space outside the back door. And after watching everyone else's flower boxes flourish throughout the summer months, I thought that as it's now autumn it would be a great time to get planting!

To be honest I can't remember exactly how you're supposed to assemble the balls. I can't even remember the name, so after a brief and unsurprisingly unsuccessful effort on The Google I re-hydrated the moss and used a combination of herb-plugs, moss and potting soil...

Taa-daa!

Having managed a few layers I opted for a centre-piece instead of a full ball, featuring fresh basil, parsley, chives, thyme and rosemary!

Even the strawberries that had ripened then lain ignored throughout summer were ceremoniously plucked from under some heavy foliage and brought up to my new green sanctuary!

And the results (herbs only) were enjoyed yesterday, in the form of a roast chicken, stuffed with a selection of herbs! Using my new pestle & mortar to crush the goodness out of them and combine the garlic and olive oil, we enjoyed a delicious lunch (and left-overs today!)

The watering can has been ordered, so from Wednesday languid watering will again take place!

Lucky

Lactose free & delicious! - What?!?

2015-01-25T09:32:00.000+00:00

Over the Christmas period we discovered that The Boyfriend, DC is actually really lactose intolerant, and not in a it's-currently-trendy-to-be-allergic-to-something way, he writhes in agony for at least 24 hours after ingesting dairy! So my challenge has been to find lactose replacements (while secretly snacking on the odd chocolate that falls my way when he's not looking!) that are both appetising and lactose free, which is not as simple as it should be!

Last weekend I was asked to bring dessert, so went off to scour the shelves of M&S... DC had said that I could get two options, fruit for him and something creamy for the rest of us. But, for me, this is just unfair. If I couldn't eat something and everyone else could, I really wouldn't want them to be having that in front of me! After 20 minutes scouring the shelves, I hit on jelly, albeit with fruit in it, and sorbet, finished with a sprinkling of blueberries.

About 15 min into this search it finally hit me that we wouldn't be having chocolate for dessert, how unfair, on all of us! However, if I'd had a little more fore sight, I'd have made this fantastic recipe from Madeleine Shaw's wonderful website (www.madeleineshaw.com) peanut butter chocolate brownies (which doesn't even have any added sugar, so it's also perfect for kids, who don't have nut allergies!)

Tips:

For all those who are looking for the ingredients, I've used regular cocoa powder, and it tastes delish! Not too dark! I did use coconut oil (first time) and am rather excited about what else coconut oil has to offer - you can get it in Sainsbury's or online. And I used 'regular' depitted dates, instead of medjool!

Enjoy, Lucky!

What a difference a shoe makes…

2015-01-21T14:03:00.001+00:00

Give them two or four little hours… Well Dinah Washington, I’ve just bought a pair of heels and am yet to wear them for either two OR four hours. That may be because they’re slightly too small (although a 6)… I’m optimistic that they’ll stretch soon, hence have been wearing them on a daily basis since the beginning of the week in the hope that soon, ideally by the time I go for dinner this evening, they’ll be perfect (read: my toes won’t be numb after 30 minutes.)

They look even better in real life!

In the same purchase I acquired a pair of snakeskin pumps. Now my tendency is to wear flats, but I’m a lady and so love a pair of pretty heels! So how could I resist a metallic bronze pair, on sale! They were calling out to me, they needed a home, it would have been cruel to leave them on the website. So I housed them, both. The flats will get me to and from the party, the heels are to be worn while everyone can remember their shiny beauty (at the beginning of the night)!

Attractive comfort, the life-boats that will rescue my feet.

But wow, it feels wonderful to tackle the bronze beauties off my toes and replace them with the seemingly spacious snakeskin pumps! Dinner might be quite quick this evening!

Lucky

My first foray into quinoa!

2015-01-16T14:00:00.001+00:00

Okay, so I'm a little late to this party, but as they say, better late than never. I'm kinda 'old school' I like my protein in meat form, ideally a steak cooked on the rare side of medium-rare (in particular, one from Roxie's, who do a most fantastic 250g fillet steak, for a very reasonable £14.45...) So to eat quinoa, pronounced 'keen-wa', just feels a bit odd!

A tantalising steak from Roxie's, who wouldn't want one?

However, I'm told that great things can be done with it (quinoa, not steak). A particularly loved and often visited website in our office, is that of nutritional life-stylist, Madeleine Shaw (and yet this is still the first time I'm eating quinoa!) I've made her sweet-potato bread before (add rosemary and extra baking powder and it's delish!)

Reasonably tasty, but probably vegetarian!

But I digress! Today I have had my first bowl of M&S's super green soup with quinoa and some other ingredients (beans, potentially some chicken - couldn't find the actual link on their website). And I feel healthy because of it! And full. And I'm not too sad that I have another pot in the fridge for Monday's lunch... But it's very probable that I'll be picking up a side of biltong to make this a proper balanced meal!

Lucky

Kew - Richmond: The First of our Top 50 Walks in the UK

2013-10-12T16:24:00.000+01:00

A few weeks ago three of us set off on our first of fifty walks. The idea behind all these walks was ‘developed’ one evening over dinner and a bottle of wine with Miss Benbow. We were making the most of the last warm evenings of the summer – dining alfresco – and the fresh air got to our heads. A few years back Amy had come across The Guardian’s Guide to Britain’s 50 Best Walks. And we were going to do them. All.

It was the perfect opportunity to see more of the beautiful country that we live in. We could take pictures, visit local coffee shops, pubs and restaurants and discover nature’s delights along the way. As the evening continued the idea branched off onto further tangents. But the crux remained the same: to complete the walks together. It was also decided that friends would be welcome and that we’d aim to complete them all in three years.

So with that in mind, a few weeks later we poured over our diaries to find a suitable date for our first walk. As expected this wasn’t as simple as it should seem, but we managed to co-ordinate a few Saturday hours, eliminating travel time, deciding on a more local option. Our first walk was to be: Kew – Richmond in Surrey.

On the day we met in Mortlake and after a quick Google Map check, worked out which way the river was, and headed in that direction. This particularly pretty tow-path walk wasn’t particularly long – only 14km. We were told it would take us four hours. Now if we hadn’t gone slightly off-piste in Richmond Park, we’d have done it in three hours (excluding our dalliance for lunch). But we did, and the few extra kilometres we added in took us up to about four hours of walking.

We began with a coffee / hot chocolate at a little coffee shop in Mortlake, Cafe Leo. Popped into a lovely looking pub called The Swan (or maybe White Swan?) just passed Twickenham Bridge – it looked lovely and was very tempting to stop for lunch here... we’ll be back. Instead we ventured on, through Richmond and to Petersham Nurseries.

If you haven’t been here before, I suggest you visit. It’s beautiful. There is both a cafe and a restaurant, which are housed in glass-houses draped in a selection of flowering plants: vines, jasmine and many more. You’ll need to book for the restaurant, not for the coffee shop. And they sell plants – need I say more!

Eventually we managed to tear ourselves away, as the rain started to drizzle and the temperature tipped lower. Conversation revolved around whether or not we’d have to hike up the hill in Richmond Park... To our utter delight, on reading the map, it was decided that luck was indeed on our side – we wouldn’t be walking up the hill.

To make the experience even better we stumbled across a magnificent stag, Amy’s first in Richmond Park.

Then we came to the gate. However it was the wrong gate. We should have actually just bitten the bullet and walked up the hill in the first place. Well we were about to now. Resuscitating our map-reading skills, we resigned ourselves to the fact that we’d be walking up the hill. This lead to further sightings of deer and conversation turned to how well we’d fare if left to survive in the wild for a night. I was rather keen, reminiscing back to the waterproof shelters built from branches in the forest during my youth. Amy admitted that she too had made shelters, but that they comprised sheets and pillows – she would obviously be doing the interior design of our shelter. Ciara advised that she had no survival skills. However, she would be the entertainment as she’s Irish and great craic.

Eventually we reached the right gate and with slightly tired legs, walked the remaining few miles back to Mortake Station. I’d recommend this walk for those who’d like to see a little more of the beautiful countryside that is really just so close to the city. As you meander along the path, life on the river continues – the rowers on the river training is always an inspiring sight. The bird life too entertains, pottering about on important Saturday business.

Here are a few more pictures from our adventure:

A little romance en-route!

FYI there are not really any locations until you get to Twickenham Bridge for one to make use of any facilities.

Lucky

A little amusement

2012-03-12T13:38:00.000+00:00

I was sent this last week and have watched it a good few times since then. Actually it's pretty much a fact that if you want to laugh, you should watch this:

Hope it makes your Monday a little more amusing!

Lucky

Sunday Craic

2012-03-11T21:50:00.000+00:00

Fact: first BBQ of the year took place today!

Lucky

Where's the wine glass

2012-03-09T21:13:00.000+00:00

Fact: drinking wine in the UK makes housework more fun! And while unloading the dishwasher I like to play a little game called: "where's the wine-glass!"

Lucky

London bus drivers

2012-03-08T22:10:00.000+00:00

Are having a laugh - fact! For the third time this week I missed my early bus, and today, despite leaving a few minutes earlier and running to the bus stop, the early bus ignored my frantically flailing arms, indicated himself back into the traffic, and headed to the next stop. Well I thought two could play this game - I ran after the bus, to the next bus stop, where it proceeded to drive off again! I drew the line at two bus stops, and decided to cut my losses.

I'm in two minds about going for the early bus tomorrow - I guess it will depend on how many times I hit snooze... But if you see a half-awake body trailing behind a bus, it could be me!

Lucky