Campervan life

Can you imagine a place where chores are something wonderful rather than a drag?

I find myself saying, "hey let me put the table together"  "Don't worry I will empty the loo", even my youngest said " hey mummy I want to do all the washing up alone tonight, is that okay?".

Chores become the core of the day. They provide structure and shared moments of happiness.

Internet also is rationed.

It is only within metres of the reception area, and yes you do see a number of people crowded around the benches there, even families, but it is an intense 15 minutes and then back to the other life. The one of simplicity, proximity and togetherness.  I have to confess, to publish this blog, I had to cycle a few minutes with my ipad in my handbag after 9pm.......but there was something rather fun about it too. It made my journey very purposeful.

This is the life of campsites.

Dont get me wrong I can be a five star all inclusive princess at the best of times, yet I do like the other side equally. If I am honest it is the stuff in the middle I would rather skip. Paying high prices for average, does annoy me.

Camping however, yes please. It must come from my Girl Guide and scouting days, but I do like it.

Yes the shower sharing is annoying (well not literally sharing, but also not completely private), as is climbing up to bed in the alcove of the campervan, but that seems to be it. Everything else I love!! I am indeed a camper at heart. Well my parents did start their married lives in a caravan after all.

So cheers to camping life and another early night, as there is nothing to do but play cards by candlenight and finish the jigsaw puzzles off.

 Night night.......as I curl over and read my book.

10 past 2

Have you ever noticed that all watch adverts feature their watches with the time ten minutes to two displayed?

What is that all about?

Is it quite simply the best time of day?

Go check your magazines, I am yet to find an exception!

What is it that 10 to 2 suggests?

Does it mean, this is the best time of the day? Is it? Isn't 9.15 better.

Go look and tell me what you find........

Calm, content, relaxed and happy.

From the right side I hear, A5.....miss, L8...miss, C2.....hit. Battleships.  From the other side, One Direction is coming our of the speakers and a dance routine is being practiced. I am somehwehere in the middle, lounging on an orange deck chair soaking it all in, reading an absolutely wonderful novel.

The view in front of me, a stunning lake and in the hills behind it, Neuschwanstein, one of Germanys top attractions. It is in fact said to be the castle the Disney's Magic Kingdom was modelled on. Very possible. The view behind me, a camper van!

I feel fantastic. Calm. Content. Relaxed. Happy.

These are the days that carry us through. These are the days that fill us with memories and energy. Well I say days, but what I really mean is moments. Days are long and carry many moods, conversations and struggles, yet moments like this are what it is all about. A day has many moments and the good ones are treasured. I feel like I am in a picture postcard, I feel so tranquil, I can not imagine anyother way of life.

Everyone is doing something they enjoy, getting pleasure out of and it is happening at a pace and rhythm that is simply quite wonderful.

One more deep breath, in and out........quite simply a lovely moment.

Gossip

I would love to overhear what people say about me and my wig and hats.

"See that girl over there, she is bald?"

"Do you know her, she is wearing a wig"

"What does that girl in the gym, wear a hat?"

"Is that a wig?'

"Does she have cancer?"

I will never get the pleasure of overhearing these comments as that is the nature of gossip and whispering about strangers, but I do have a curiosity about what people say.

Do you ever wonder what people say about you?

Craving routine?

I seem to crave routines?

It sounds a little pathetic doesn't it?

Doesn't it sound like more fun to be spontaneous and go with the flow?

Yet somehow I seem to like looking forward to certain things, for example I like the idea of looking forward to my ice coffee at 3pm on holiday, my pre-dinner cocktail or beer on holiday. Even my morning swim before breakfast on holiday.

I really look forward to doing the same thing every day, even if it is the same thing for only 7 days.

Why is it for my Summer break I also need to have a routine. Shouldn't it be enough to have this for the other 50 weeks of the year?

Clearly not!

I think once I have a simple flow of the day established I can begin to relax and enjoy the moment, I seem to get a lot of pleasure out of anticipating the next few hours activity.

Am I planning my life away or just finding pleasure in the small things?

What about you?

Are you a go with the flow tye of person, or someone who likes a little bit of the same each day, even when it is not required?

Do tell.......

Can you hear with hats on?

I love wearing hats.

I much prefer hats to wigs in my leisure time.

But the downside is that they cover your ears. And as a consequence  you can not hear very well.
You see alopecia hats are designed differently, they need to come down part of your left and right side of the face, in order to drop down at the back and completely cover the neckline. Anyone other hat would leave that part of the head exposed. Not a good look.

So next time you see me wearing my hat, speak a little louder!

What do you need?

I need to sleep.

A lot.

I mean nine hours would be my wish each night.
I believe it keeps me healthy and balanced

What do you need?
How do you ensure you get it?

Transition matters

This year by complete fluke I have managed to have the Friday off work and free of committments before my Summer holiday starts of the Saturday. This is very different from last years scenario, when I rushed through my final meeting, grabbed my half packed bag and the family and raced out of the door, screaming at the family to hurry up to the airport.

As I said I can't take credit for this wonderful planning as it came about by my original idea of having this week off for holiday and deciding last minute not to, hence freeing up my calendar.

This has allowed me to have a glorious and dare I say relaxed week of work, including hanging out with friends for breakfast, lunch and dinner (not all on the same day, but spread out over the week), I met up for swims/floats down the Rhine and even a nice long walk. I have had time to complete my final work tasks, think through the delegation and as I said, have the Friday off to pack and prepare!! Amazing, such zen!

And you know what, this transition time matters. It matters for holidays and it matters when you come into the house from work, so why is it that I don't plan this in?

Have you ever tried to call the kids in from playing and chase them upstairs to brush their teeth and get ready for bed. It's impossible. Why don't they listen?? Well it's because transitions are hard. Moving so quickly from one thing to the next is difficult and the brain takes time to change its path.

So maybe, just maybe, I have learned from this week and next year I will plan in a week of transition.

It's definitely to be recommended!!!

The head breathing

This morning I was running in the forest.

It was warm yet the breeze was pleasant.

It was quite early so not many people were about.

So look what I did.

 

I took off my hat and ran with a naked head.

Wonderful.

My head could breathe and maybe I could a little easier too.

Generosity breeds generosity

Sometimes it is hard to be generous, especially when you are in a bad mood or when you are tired, yet over a few conversations with friends, we all came to the concluision that being generous, results in the generosity being reciproacted.

So if that is true, shouldn't we all be generous all of the time?

We discussed the scenario of going out with the girls for a night out. We love it when our partners say 

"great honey, you deserve a night out, go early, pick a great restaurant and stay out late, dont worry about the kids in the morning, I will get their breakfast ready"

Yet sometimes the response was more like "What again? Make sure you take the bins out before you leave and dont make a noise when you get in"

We were saying if the first scenario played out, we would be more likely to encourage our partners to go out later in the week and reciprocate all the good wishes for their evening. However if the second scenario is what happened, we would be more likely to begrudge them that night out and only relunctantly agree and possibly even grumble, about them leaving us with all the housework.

Have you experienced generosity reaping generousity back??

It's the same in any situation, at work or play.  When you insist on buying your friend an icecream, its very likely they ensure they buy it next time.

So if this theory is true, why aren't we all being generous all of the time?

For the exception when it is not reciproacted, who cares, aren't the other benefits all worth it?

Thoughts anyone?

Artwork and the viewing of oneself

It takes a kids drawing to show you how they see the world. Below see a picture my youngest drew of her family, namely us. Mum, Dad and two girls.

Its absolutely adorable.

I was curious to why I had been portrayed with blonde hair and asked my oldest girl.

She clearly said “ Mummy that is not your hair, it’s a hat!”

Of course it was!

So its funny how I have an image of myself with hair, yet my daughter sees me with a hat on.
And that makes sense, for 90% of her time with me, and for most of her life, I am wearing a hat or a scarf.

Silly that it surprised me, yet it did.

It was just a reminder of the fact that people see us different to how we see ourselves.

It reminded me of a quote I recently read “Whenever two people meet, there are really six people present. There is each man as he sees himself, each man as the other person sees him, and each man as he really is"

Hope you enjoy the artwork and the reflection on the 6 people!

Grumpy at home - happy at the office?

I hope to heaven I am not the only one with this problem, but I have a skill. Quite a fabulous one I believe.

I can be light, happy and entertaining in the office. Generous and kind. A great listener, patient and thoughtful. Yet my skill is that I can turn this into the exact opposite, just by changing locations.

I get back home and become, grumpy and moody. Impatient and selfish. Rushed and agitated.
Its instantaneous. No preparation needed.

This is really how it is - how awful is that?

Saving the best for work and giving your worst to your family??????

The same goes on weekends, we can be bickering and burdened, yet let another family or friend arrive and the atmosphere improves, we all pull ourselves together and laugh a lot more and ignore the chores and the dirty washing. We become lighter and seeem like a happy and nomral family.

It seems so unfair. I wish it was different. But it often isn't.

I may be exaggerating a little, but I know this to be true for me.

Is it because at home, I can let the guard down and be the real me? Is it because I know at work my home behaviour would be unacceptable? Or is it because I know my family love me unconditionally and I can say how I feel and behave how I want to?

Either way, I need to find a way to bring some of the energy I give at work back into the home. And maybe the cost of doing this, is reducing some of the energy that goes into the workplace.

Thoughts anyone? Please tell me I am not alone.

Tortoises and Hedgehogs

Our back garden is turning into a zoo! And how cool it is becoming.

It all started with the regular late night visits of a hedgehog and later its family. We would sneak into the garden at night and listen to hear any snuffling. Inevitably at one point, our prickly friend the hedgehog would appear. Very cute.

It resulted in my youngest daughter doing her school project/presentation on the subject of hedgehogs, where we researching and learning about hedgehog pregnancies, hibernation and general eating habits. Fascinating I tell you!

From this grew the interest in garden wildlife and low and behold we now have a pet tortoise. She has been christened Tina, but we don’t actually know if she is a girl or not.

 

 

 

She has a wonderful area in the garden which has now become the centrepoint for all visitors. Everyone is intrigued and enjoys watching her pad around and stick out her tongue to get her food. What I have enjoyed the most is watching the kids sit in her compound and talk to her. I think she has become the family therapist. Can't wait for my turn!

There is indeed something very soothing about watching her plod around, purposeful and determined.

For now we enjoy it and at least it has put the decision of a dog off for a while longer!!