Christmas just the two of us… and Christmas stress

Today is Boxing Day and we have come home from our night away and an amazing Christmas Day where the food was incredible. Best of all, no prep, no dishes, no tidying up, no pressure or stress. Christmas Eve, I commented several times that this was the most relaxed I have been my entire lifeContinue reading “Christmas just the two of us… and Christmas stress”

Is Christmas still the same or different?

Here we are on 22/12/25 in the countdown to Christmas. Three days to go for children and grandchildren to be excited for a visit from Santa. Three days to prepare all the things that need to be prepared for things – hopefully – to go smoothly on the day. This year though, for us itContinue reading “Is Christmas still the same or different?”

Forgetting words – is helping, helping? Or is it hindering?

This is probably a hard one to comment on for most of us. I know there are times when I am trying to tell my husband something and I lose the word, or the direction I was heading in. I often sit and shake my head and say that I have no idea what theContinue reading “Forgetting words – is helping, helping? Or is it hindering?”

The evolution of Christmas

Every year it seems that Christmas rolls around sooner and one minute it is months away and the next I find myself having to organise the family Christmas. This is a relatively easy task when you are the Mum and you have small children and the organisation is pretty much in your hands. The childrenContinue reading “The evolution of Christmas”

Some thoughts on travelling…

I have just loaded a podcast onto my page on Spotify. It is an interview with two members of our Parkies support group, a husband and wife who have had many adventures travelling together. From talking with them, a degree of spontaneity has always been part of how they travel, both together and individually. ThisContinue reading “Some thoughts on travelling…”

What have I learned from my travels?

It’s a weird thing this travelling lark sometimes! We left Rarotonga for home on Friday afternoon, got back here (Christchurch) and it was Saturday night, but we couldn’t switch off and stayed up past midnight. So, that would mean that we got up for breakfast on Friday, travelled to Christchurch to arrive on Saturday andContinue reading “What have I learned from my travels?”

Off on an island adventure

Sitting in an airport hotel restaurant, getting ready to fly to Rarotonga. This will be a big trip for me as it is the first time we have really done any overseas travel since my back operation. I have been making good progress and feel a bit more confident that things will work out OKContinue reading “Off on an island adventure”

Discussing the future… Podcast – Episode 3

A tough subject for some. When is the right time to discuss the future? Note that this is a replacement for a previous recording, which was of very poor quality. I’ve improved somewhat and so thought I would replace my earlier efforts.

The familiar, the ordinary

Generally speaking, the familiar or the ordinary in our lives gives us a feeling of comfort or safety. A known quantity or experience to be relied upon. However, there are times when the familiar or the ordinary or what has become so, is not a good or safe thing. My second marriage became an unsafeContinue reading “The familiar, the ordinary”

Dreaded Dentist!

Well, today I started off my Friday with a trip to the Dentist. My second dental appointment in as many weeks. I must say it will never be the highlight of the week! Ever since I was a young child I have dreaded going to the Dentist. I remember when we saw the school Dental Nurses, that they wereContinue reading “Dreaded Dentist!”