Home!

Shaz, me and Millie enjoying Pembrokeshire

Well, I'm home. I've been home for two weeks and it is absolutely lush! I have also done pretty much nothing during those two weeks, and enjoyed every last second of it.

Moving out and the journey home went really well. My mum and step dad came to pick me up in their van so we got all my stuff in easily, although it seemed to have bred. I brought home twice as much as I went up there with I'm sure. We made really good time coming back to Pembrokeshire and although it was very cosy with all three of us in the front of the van, it all went smoothly. My room here was tiny, I could fit in a single bed, a chest of drawers and that was about it so I moved into the office. My mum had made out that it was a bit of a cave and that they'd only had time to bring my bed down but when I came home they'd completely set out my room with furniture and some of my knick knacks which were here. It was such a surprise and really lovely.

I have so enjoyed being back with my family and getting back into the routine of family life. I'm still in holiday mode really but it's just so nice to be back. Leaving the children was hard. They gave me a beautiful photo of the two of them in a lovely frame and a card which my boss had written some really lovely things in. We both cried in Carluccio's, haha! I was sad to be leaving them as they're wonderful, funny, clever children but I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with them and visiting them. It was the right time for them but most importantly for myself. It's very difficult as a nanny to think of yourself sometimes, I had such a close bond with them as I'd looked after them for two and a half years but this has been the right thing for all of us.

I've started Slimming World. It's going well, I'm about four days into it and I'm feeling really motivated. I'm hoping to do a full post on my reasons for going and how I'm finding it so keep a look out for that. I have weigh-in on Tuesday evening so I'll keep you updated.

I volunteered with SPAN arts, they were hosting an open air theatre performance and I helped wtih the catering. I really enjoyed it, it was something a bit different and I got to meet new people. My best friend works for them so I got to meet a few of her workmates and they were lovely, we're all going on a night out together soon which will be great. I was also surrounded by delicious looking cakes all night and not a single morsel passed my lips so I was pretty pleased with myself.

I've done lots of crochet since coming home. I've finally finished the blanket for my niece and I'm really pleased with it. I've done a rainbow colour scheme and it's really bright and fun. I can't wait to see her all wrapped up in it.

I've also been enjoying getting out with the dogs to the beach. There were many times in London when I just wanted to go to the seaside so I was determined to do it more now that I'm home. We have an Alaskan Malamute (Millie) and a Siberian Husky (Shaz) and they've been loving it too. The trouble is, in Pembrokeshire a lot of the beaches are closed for dogs during the summer months but our local beach, Amroth, allows dogs on part of it and we went to Newgale today which I'm going to write a full about about. It is so good to get out and appreciate this beautiful world we live in. My friend bought me a Wales travel guide as a leaving preseint! Such a good gift. I've already gone through it and marked all the things I'm hoping to do, I'm determined to visit more places locally.

Well, I think that's all for now! Sorry if this post is a bit 'me me me', I'll have something more interesting for you next time I hope! The dogs are both fast asleep so I may join them for half an hour! It feels very decadent to have a snooze in the day.

Dogs and Babies.

I deliberated with myself a lot over whether to write this post. I don't intend it to be a bashing of the parents or families of children who have been seriously injured or killed by dogs because lets face it, they've probably been punished enough. It's just a matter which has been weighing on my mind for the last couple of days and I wanted to defend these so called 'dangerous' dogs. I hope it doesn't turn into a massive incoherent rant but it's a matter which is very close to my heart.

Yesterday in Pontyberem, Wales, a six day old baby was reportedly killed by her family's pet, an Alaskan Malamute. You can read the full story here. How many times does this have to happen for people to wake up and realise that a child, alone and unsupervised, with a dog just isn't a good mix? I would never fully trust any dog with a child, they are animals.

Alaskan Malamutes 'should be supervised around unfamiliar small animals, as they have a strong prey instinct'. Why would you leave an animal which is described like that around a young baby? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love dogs. I cannot wait to be in a situation where I can get one of my own and it will most definitely be a large and widely regarded 'dangerous' breed. But even if i got a Jack Russell I wouldn't be leaving it alone with my child.

My mum has an Alaskan Malamute and a Siberian Husky and I can relate to the quote about them having a strong prey instinct. They are both brilliant dogs, so soft and gentle with us and they have really loving, laid back temperaments, but there is no way in hell I would ever let them be around children alone. I have seen them run after and pluck a seagull from the sky, thrust their heads into a hedge and come out with a bird between their jaws. I don't encourage it, obviously, but I can't punish them for it, they're animals and it's their nature. They had to survive for many years by hunting for their prey. Just because humans have decided that we like their company doesn't mean that we can change what's been hardwired into them by hundreds of thousands of years of evolution.

Our childhood dog was a Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix. He was the best dog ever. That's the only way I can describe him. The best dog. Staffies are immensely protective and in tune to their owners emotions, a soppier breed of dog you'd be hard pressed to find, but they are strong. More people every year are hospitalised because of Labrador bites than bites from a Staffordshire Bull Terrier but it is not sensationalised in the news because people aren't often killed by Labradors. A Labrador's instinct is to go for the arms and legs, they will bite and let go. A Staffy, with jaws that could bend steel, will instinctively go for the face and body and they do not let go. Also, bad people get Staffies. They think of them as a status symbol, a dog to make them look 'hard'. This is why there are so many Staffies in rehoming shelters, because people buy them thinking they're a dangerous breed then realise that they are soft as anything. I know there are exceptions, I am widely generalising, but on the most part if a dog has good owners then it will be a good dog.

People forget that these are wild animals which are living in their homes. Huskys and Malamutes are the purest breed of dog there is, the closest to the wolf, so surely they have some lasting instincts that make them wild and untameable? People hit, hurt and shout at these animals forgetting that the dog could quite easily kill them if it chose. People leave their children alone with these animals, forgetting that an elbow in the wrong place when the kids are climbing all over the dog or the kids taking food away from it could make it snap, bite, instinctively protect itself or it's prey. They are animals.

My Week #7

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Over the weekend I went back home to Pembrokeshire. I don't usually go home just for the weekend because it works out that I only get about 36 hours there so it's normally pointless. However, this was special occasion. It was my Gran's 72nd birthday. Also, all of our immediate family came to my mum's house for a bit of a party so I would have hated missing it.

Altogether there was thirteen of us, my gran, my mum, her two sisters and their partners and kids. I say kids but the youngest one is nearly 13 and the oldest is 24. I wonder when we'll stop being 'the kids'. Probably when we have kids of our own! My brother, myself and two of my cousins are really close. We spent a lot of time together when we were growing up and we are basically all brothers and sisters. We get on so well, most of the time, and we can really have a laugh together.

We don't all get together as often as we should, I think the last time we were ALL there was about a year ago but my Gran loves it so much when we're all under the same roof. We told her she was like the Don, sitting around with her family proudly and her chest puffed out. We are her achievements in life though. She didn't really climb the career ladder, she was a housewife when her children were young so we are the thing which she's put her life into, her family. She enjoyed the whole day. All of the women in the family can talk for Britain and I don't think the boys get a word in edgewise sometimes but they're used to it by now.

It was also nice to see Oscar, my Gran's puppy, again. I hadn't seen him for four weeks, since I was last home, and he has grown quite a lot! The one thing I hadn't counted on though was her utter devotion to him. When I gave him to her I knew that she would enjoy his company and like going for walks with him but she is absolutely besotted. She took him off on their own in the living room for a while so her could 'have a nap', she held him whilst we were eating AND fed him at the table when she thought nobody was looking. I'm telling you, if that had been one of us with our dogs she'd have killed us!! My mum and her sisters have all had dogs for a long time and we've been trying to persuade her to get one for a while and I think it has been one of the best decisions she's ever made.

It astounds me how attached people become to their pets. At the end of the day they're just animals, but it doesn't stop them worming their way into your heart. When our old dog died eighteen months ago we were devastated and the house seemed so quiet even though we still had two other dogs. We still talk about him almost everyday now, we grew up with him and loved him with all our hearts. I'm just glad that she's so happy with her new baby (her words, not mine!).

I gave her a crocheted blanket. I'd been working on it for about nine months and I was really pleased with how it turned out. It was the first big(ish) blanket I've ever made so it was a learning curve, there are definitely things I would do differently next time, but all in all I was pleased with it. My Gran loved it which was the main thing, she wore it around her, and Oscar of course, for the rest of the day. Here's a sneak peek at it but I'll be doing a full post on how I made it another day :)

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend and you have a great week ahead of you :)

Very, Very Bad Blogger - My Week

I know, I'm terrible. I haven't written in so long but it seems to have been pretty hectic here. That's my excuse anyway! This post will just concentrate on catching up on some news.

I'm currently re-reading the Harry Potter series and I am thoroughly enjoying them. Reading them now, when I am a bit older, the emotions and deeper aspect of the books are really hitting me. I find it amazing how the books 'grew up' with their audience. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is extremely simple in language and plot, it is a children's book. However, as the series goes on the books start to become more complex as they move into the young adult genre. J.K.Rowling has aimed for her audience to be the same age as Harry when reading the books (but her books obviously appealed to a much wider audience) and as they've grown up, so has he. I think it's brilliant how she's adapted her writing for the subtle change of age each year brings. I've just started on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. They are excellent and when I finish the series I am going to be mourning the loss all over again.

I am also MAJORLY excited because I'm going to the Harry Potter Studio Tour next week. Oh my god. I've got butterflies already! I can't wait, and there will be a full write up, including many pictures, on here so keep your eyes peeled.

An awesome photo I found when looking up the Harry Potter tour. Love it. Source

I went home last week for a holiday, its was so nice to catch up with my family. I didn't do much, to be honest I'm pretty fed up with running up and down the county seeing everyone so this time I just spent time with my closest family.

We bought my Gran a puppy! She's been talking about getting a dog for about four years but I don't think she's had the confidence to do it herself, it's a big step. So, when I visited her and she said again about wanting one, and that she likes Border Terriers, I thought 'right'. I went home and looked for Border Terrier puppies and there were three litters in Wales, about an hour to an hour and a half away from where my mum lives. We arranged to go and meet one family a few days later and came out with this gorgeous little man. It was complete surprise to my Gran, I don't think she knew what to say at first but she was so pleased. She has called him Oscar. He really is a lovely puppy, he was so quiet when we were driving him in the car. I get very regular updates on his behavior and how well his toilet training is going! She says she hasn't laughed this much in a long time, he's so funny. They are both very much in love and I am so pleased.

Millie, Daryl (brother) and Shaz on Saundersfoot Harbour wall.

My brother and I took our dogs for a walk on the beach, well, near the beach. Dogs aren't allowed on some of the beaches in Pembrokeshire during the summer so we walked from Coppet Hall beach, along a walkway which is built on the side of the cliff going around the beach. There is a tunnel cut through the cliff so that you can get to Wiseman's Bridge beach. We walked through the car park to another tunnel which brings you you Saundersfoot. We walked around Saundersfoot harbour, had an ice-cream (of course) then walked back. It's only about three miles all together but it is such a beautiful walk. And being that close to the beach is always a winner for me. It was a hot day too so it was perfect, the dogs slept well that afternoon!

The view from Saundersfoot Harbour

The view from Saundersfoot Harbour

I've recently finished a big crochet project which has taken me ages, I haven't been keeping up with it all that regularly. It's such a satisfying feeling to finish a project, especially a large one, there'll be a post on it a little later in the week. To fill that crochet sized hole I have started my Christmas projects! I know, pretty early to be thinking about Christmas but I've got a few fiddly things I want to try which I think will take up quite a bit of time. Here's a little preview of what I'm working on -

Snowflakes

Yesterday, Manon and I went to see Soul Sister. It's the story of Tina Turner's life with Ike Turner and features many of her songs. I absolutely loved it, it was a brilliant, sing along musical. My favourite kind. There'll be a full review soon.

The Great British Bake Off has started again, hurrah! It's one of the only things I watch on TV, it's brilliant and it's inspired so many people to bake. Saying that, the standard of their tasks are getting higher and higher. Some of the things which the contestants make are absolutely brilliant. I'm so happy that it's back to brighten up my Tuesday nights, especially now the nights are getting shorter. Follow this link to see one of the best pictures I have ever seen. You're welcome.

Well, I'm going to get ready for my date now, I KNOW! Off for a few drinks with a pretty nice guy so you may hear more on the subject soon.