Reassurance

Sorry to have gone quiet it's been busy and emotional this week.
Thankfully, little baby Snowdrop is tucked up safe and well so far so good, we know this as we ended up having a scan on Wednesday after I'd experienced abdominal and back pains Monday and Tuesday, I'd convinced myself something had happened (which only amplified things i think) so when we all trooped off to the EPU Wednesday lunchtime I was not expecting to see all was ok but there it was all tucked up, the size of a grain of rice, barely recognisable on the screen, but already with a fluttering strong heartbeat, I was choked! Still getting the back ache (may or may not be a kidney infection) but feeling much better now and able to face the next 5 weeks before our dating scan a little more positively.

What is going on with the weather, awful showers this week then yesterday when I had to work all day it was sunny and warm, not fair! Now apparently snow is forecast for this week, whaaaat?!! I am however feeling very Springlike now the clocks have gone forward and we have more daylight to make the most of (when the sun is out). We out the sunflower seedlings outside yesterday to try and harden them but bought them in for the night, will continue to do this for the next few days but if snow does come then i'm not sure it's the right time to plant them in to the ground/pots just yet, but i think they won't like it if I leave them too long all crowded up in the seed tray. Any advice?

We spent last night at Nottingham racecourse watching greyhound racing for a colleague of Mr G.T's leaving do. I was dubious at first about whether it would be my cup of tea, I have reservations about any form of racing and animal welfare, but I was really pleased to see they fully support the Retired Greyhound Trust with a percentage of all the takings for each race that provides housing and care for 6 retired greyhounds at the center. There were lots of posters around advertising how lovely retired greyhounds are as pets and it got us both thinking how much we'd love a dog, how lovely it would be to give a dog a loving family home and help us too to stay active and get out and about more with a dog to enjoy the walks even more with. Hmm, not sure that any will be compatible with 3 cats and a toddler though (and hopefully a newborn soon) probably not, but it's something I'd consider for the future. They are beautiful animals.

I love Spring!

Thank you so much for your kind messages of congratulations on our bit of news, it's still sinking in, time seems to have frozen and is now dragging on very slowly, but trying to find ways of distracting myself from over analysing every last twinge and ache. I'm feeling extremely rough, exhausted and nauseous, so hoping that's a good sign all is growing nicely.


I am off from work today yet the sun isn't shining so am taking it is an ideal day to get cracking on with potty training, yes I must be mad!



As you can see the sunflowers are growing nicely, we have a couple on this plantpot which is GS's own little pot he is tending to with a little help, and we have tray also which is overflowing, it must have at least 20 seedlings in! I think i'll give them a bit longer yet before planting them out just in case the frosts keep coming.

The garden is gradually taking shape, we've bought a few more plants including a varigated Hebe, a honeysuckle for my trellis, some black grass and summer heathers. I also got several spring bulbs for the garden from GS (& Mr G.T) for Mothering Sunday including hyacinths, tulips and daffodils, so my pots are bountiful with Spring goodies! Sadly the money we were putting to one side to get the decking started had to be spent when the oven suddenly went pop, but hopefully if we knuckle down we can get the savings started up again.

It's been an interesting week...

I am 5 weeks. Oh so excited but equally as terrified, it's been a real compost heap of emotions and I'm feeling like every day is slowly passing, still, patience is a key ingredient to motherhood so I'm just going to have to try and stay positive and take it a day at a time.

A ride to Buxton

The road from Ashbourne to Buxton, beautiful Dale countrside!

Buxton country park

This old abandoned house reminded me of the beautifully haunting houses Jude meets on her walks in Crete so I felt inspired to take some pics!

Daddy giving GS a helping hand on the woodland walk

A rather large fallen tree root

The beautiful Buxton country park woodland we explored!


As you can see what a lovely relaxing Sunday! The sun was shining, it was cold (there was still snow in parts) but gloriously clear blue skies meant we decided to take the car and head out to the Dales to Buxton. We packed a picnic and ended up at the country park where GS amazed us by doing quite a steep walk in to the woodland, he loved it!

It's always so relaxing driving through the Dales and seeing such beautiful countryside; farms, stone walls, rivers, railways, and the 1st lambs of Spring!!

I am inspired to get cracking on the gardening today, GS & I are going to get the sunflower seeds planted and if it stays dry I'll get the garden weeded. As you can see from the title photo the bulbs are out and looking beautiful!

Spring?

The title of my blogpost has a dubious question mark after it specifically because I can't quite believe yet that the snow is over, i just have this feeling there is going to be some towards the end of the month as Winter has one huge finale, we shall see! It has certainly been a wonderful break this week, the sun has shone, the bulbs are peeking through and GS has his sunglasses at the ready!

I think I have to say Spring is my favourite season, I love the warmer air, the bulbs flowering, the birds singing, Easter, and ofcourse the Hawthorn blossoming in to life! I am joining in the celebration of this over at Cathy's Nurturestore by taking part in the Sunflower Club after Cathy very kindly sent me some seeds; we are going to get our kids (little and big) to sew sunflower seeds then we'll get learning about all kinds of things as they grow, such a fab idea! Feel free to follow the link at the top right of my blog to join the club as well, there's still time to buy some sunflower seeds and join in!

Sorry I have been a bit absent, we are in the process of swapping PC's and therefore Mr G.T has been spending most of the evenings online while I have been lazing around, very naughty I know, I am really so desperate though for the warm light evenings to come so I can be pottering in the garden or have a stroll after tea, I am becoming increasingly demotivated by the cold weather and I'm becoming fat on all the baking we have been doing to occupy the time!

Our walk above was around a beautiful nature park in Nottinghamshire that has been set up on the site of an old coal pit. I know I am seeming to be obsessed about these, especially as our back garden is also part of a reformed pit yard, but I think that's more of the area I live in, so much of it was colliery land in the not too distant past, so it makes sense that most of the open spaces now are land that's been given back to nature from the industrial past. I think it makes it somehow more poetic and beautiful, that it has been through so much and yet now the land is tranquil, full of wildlife and best of all free to roam around! As you can also see, GS got a little bit muddy!!