#FlashbackFriday When they were younger..

Just had a look back at some of my oldest photos on Facebook. My kids were oh so cute in their pre-school days:

Flashback Friday Teddy

This is me with my first bear the night we moved into Dollar, Clackmannshire in 1976! I still have the bear though not Humpty Dumpty... The bed was actually the one I was born in and my daughter slept in for a few years too. That wallpaper was so dated and my nightie looks almost Victorian:

Short and sweet as too late and laptop keeps crashing on me...

#FlashbackFriday: Shoes

Like many parents I kept my children's first shoes. As the box with them in fell out of the wardrobe yesterday I thought I would take a look. Its scary to see how much they have grown.

Back in 2004 my daughter was a 3F and is now 2C:

Back in 2007 my son was a 4F and is now 2E.

Have you kept shoes?

#FlashbackFriday: My babies

It's good every now and then to look back and see what my children were like as babies as it seems to long ago. Amazingly looking at these they looked more alike then than they do now!

 

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#FlashbackFriday: Happy Campers

As a child in the 1970s and 1980s I almost always spent my main summer holiday camping somewhere in Britain or in France with my parents, sometimes with my granny and often with my mum's best friend and her family. I treasure many happy memories of these holidays (and also some tales of woe!). We must have stayed in so many places but the ones that stick in my mind are:

• Skye in the summer of 1976 
• Guernsey (my brother and I had german measles on this trip!)
• pitching a tent in a thunderstorm in the Loire valley
• Staying in the Dordogne
• Brittany with its creperies

Hopefully my children will look back on our own camping trips with the same fondness. We are reliving the tradition by spending our main summer holidays under "canvas" with my parents. Here are a few photographs from the family archives showing some of our old trips.

My brother in the south of France as a baby: 

That was my parents' first camping trip as a family and they got everything crammed into a Mini for the trip!


The next few shots all have our faithful Marina on them. They were taken in the mid to late 1970s. The blue tent lasted many years and comfortably slept 5 of us on all our trips. I remember sharing a compartment with my Granny whilst my brother had a smaller compartment to himself. Being away often with friends of a similar age meant that we always had someone else to play with:

feeding time at the zoo!

Off to clean our teeth before bed 

The adults having a well deserved rest

The French trips introduced my brother and I to new tastes and experiences. Here we are sharing a picnic and it looks like my brother has a glass of wine!

Definitely happy memories to treasure forever.

#FlashbackFriday: My favourite holiday

There is a competition over at Tots100 to win an Al Fresco holiday for sharing our favourite holiday on our blogs. So I would like to share mine with you today..


I am going to take you way back to the summer of 1979 (so not many photos to hand!). As a family we usually went camping, youth hostelling or stayed on farms in the UK and France for our holidays. However this time my mum had inherited some money so we were able to travel to the USA for the first time ever to see family and friends.


We started our 3 week adventure with a flight from Prestwick Airport on our first ever Jumbo Jet. This was the era of the Junior Jet Club and my brother and I got taken to explore the cockpit mid flight (this would never be allowed these days!). I remember seeing ice bergs from the plane and finding it amazing. Then we had to face the "joys" of US immigration which I was very intimidating. It was then a cab ride to another New York airport to catch a flight to San Francisco. After a full day travelling we landed in a very hot California. We were staying with friends of my parents and I was amazed at the outdoor pool! 


Driving down the twisted streets of San Francisco and riding on the tram was brilliant. Another highlight of this part of the stay was a visit to the giant Redwood trees, Then we drove down Highway One (I would love to repeat this) to Los Angeles. This has to be one the most amazing journeys you can do in the States. Fantastic scenery and stops at places like Monterrey to see the otters and ride on the carousel.


Our next stop was Los Angeles and probably the best bit of the holiday for children - Disneyland! At this time there was nothing even approaching Disneyland that we had been to before. The rides were incredible (and scary) with Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and Small World sticking in my memory. We spent an amazing full day including the final parade and were very attached to our souvenirs:

#FlashbackFriday: growing up

I found it quite interesting to look back at old photographs of me that emerged on my mum's computer from their 40th wedding anniversary celebrations. One thing I can't believe is how skinny I was and the second is how much my daughter really does look like me:

Me at 20 days old

1977 - I still have Sebastian!

1978 all set for the local carnival in homemade costume 

Flashback Friday: 5 years on

On this day 5 years ago I was trying to make myself comfortable in the Maternity Unit at the Conquest Hospital in Hastings. I was nearly 10 days overdue and was booked in to be induced in the morning. My previous pregnancy 3 years previously had resulted in an emergency C-section so the doctors didn't want a repeat.


The next morning I went to see the doctor to have everything kicked off but was told after an examination that it wasn't possible to induce me as the baby wasn't in a good position. So they were sending me home and booking me in for a C-section on the Monday morning. So I had another 2 days of feeling like a beached whale before I came back early on the Monday morning. 


I was 4th or 5th on the list of planned C-sections so had to wait until late in the morning for my turn in the operating theatre. It was all so much more relaxed than the emergency one I'd previously had. Things seemed to go pretty quickly and it wasn't long before the doctors were holding my baby and handing him to me. My little bundle of joy weighed in at dead on 10lb and was the largest baby for ages in the maternity unit (plenty of staff wanted a cuddle!).


He seemed totally unfazed by all the attention:

And about 2 hours after he was born he met one of his great grannies:

This Monday he is turning 5 and settling in to life as a school boy and tonight moved into a bedroom of his own instead of sharing with his big sister. Hard to imagine what he was like back in 2006 when I look at him now!

#FlashbackFriday: Brownies and Guides

There is a real treasure trove of photographs of me as a child that I've found on my mum's computer. Looking back its hard to imagine that I was ever that age but amazing how much I looked like my daughter.


Back in the 1970s things were more traditional than they are today so as a girl I joined  Brownies. I have to say that modern uniforms are a vast improvement on what we wore then:

My daughter very kindly said I looked like a coconut! I must have just taken my promise for the photo as I didn't have all the badges on my arm that I collected at the 3 Brownie packs I was in. I can remember cooking macaroni cheese for my cooking badge. Lots and lots of fun at indoor camps and I'm sure the skills I learned then have been useful throughout my life.

Then it was onwards and I joined the Girl Guides:

That looks like a Remembrance Day photo as I'm wearing a poppy. We were made of tougher stuff then as we weren't allowed to wear a coat over the uniform even in November! Another four years of fun with proper camping and plenty of badges earned.

I must have enjoyed it as I then carried on into Ranger Guides which was a combined unit with the Venture Scouts. Lots more freedom at this level and we did crazy things like the Tour de Trigs were we attempted to walk 50 miles in 24 hours (tried twice and failed both times!). There were plenty of community projects such as painting the milestones around Beaconsfield too. 

My Guiding career ended with a stint as a Young Leader to my old Brownie pack. Good fun being a Snowy Owl but I never carried on after I went to university. My daughter decided to be a Beaver and not a Rainbow and she is now about to take her promise as a Cub. I am glad that she has taken part in a uniformed organisation and hope she has as much fun as I did and learns some useful skills along the way. 

Flashback Friday 1973

You know it's amazing what turns up when you decided to go tidy up the garden shed! When I moved into my house just over a year ago there was a wooden box with what looked like nothing in particular in it so it got shoved out of the way in the shed. Today having taken my bicycle out for a long over due overhaul I had the space to shift things around. 

I was surprised to find several photos from about 1973 in the box (I daren't post the one of my mum complete with trendy perm and Clothkits top!). They must have been taken when my mum was assisting at the Pre-School Playgroups Association in Netherton outside Huddersfield. I am guessing on the date as I look somewhere around the 2 1/2 year old mark:

 

You have to just love the massive collar and the corduroy flowery dress! Funny how my daughter's  hair does a similar flick if we leave it too long between cuts. I look very solemn in the shot I must have been told to sit still for the photographer!

What old photographs have you got lurking in strange places that you are to share?

Flashback Friday: Medieval fun

Eight years ago this bank holiday my family signed up to join the Medieval Siege Society after watching a weekend of fun at Herstmonceux castle. My daughter was then only 10 and half months old and she looked adorable crawling around in her white linen shift.


Since then we have been to many interesting places and met some great people (2 of whom are my son's godparents!). I have learnt many skills including some craft and cooking on an open fire. My daughter is getting pretty good with her longbow and my son has picked up some sword skills even at 4 years of age.


We all enjoy living 500 years back in time and the freedom of living outside for a weekend. I think it has given my children a lot of self confidence. This is going to be our last visit to Herstmonceux this year as we live too far away to take part. Hopefully we will find a group up north we can join instead.


To give you a taste of the things we have done over the last 8 years here are a few of my favourite photos:

My children and a friend at Arundel in May 2010

My son aged 7 months at Appuldurcombe on the Isle of Wight (taken by AuntieP)

The mighty bombard at last year's Herstmonceux

#FlashbackFriday: A Fresh Start

I haven't joined in this for a while so time to have a trawl through the more recent past as it's a year this week that I moved into my new home in Kendal. The end of an era which had lasted from the 7th month after my wedding when we moved from Chesham to Kendal. With my marriage over it was time to start again near to my parents up here in Cumbria. A big move but one that is best for all of us (even of sometimes my daughter doesn't see it that way!).

It had taken many months to pack up our lives in Hastings with help from family and friends:

Eventually on the 31st July we had packed up as much as we could and it was farewell to the Edwardian town house we had called home for 7 years:

I then had the interesting experience of driving a 7.5 tonne lorry all the way from Hastings to Kendal! A little different from anything else that I have ever driven and it made me a lot more aware of my driving and others around me. It was a relief to reach my destination (especially after having to do a 3 point turn in a lorry!) and see my new front door:

My new landlady and her parents had left us some welcoming gifts to make us feel at home:

I have to admit that a year on we haven't finished moving in properly as life seems to get in the way a lot! We are here for another year at least and are so glad we did it.

#FlashbackFriday: Toddler Video

Time to try something different this week as I realised I'd never put any video up on here! I was trawling through my old files and I came across some videos taken when my son hadn't been walking very long. I'm not actually sure of the date but it may have been February 2008 when my son was 16 months old. Apologies for the fact my voice is rather high on this (why do we do that when talking to small children?). It was a time when he was starting to show his character and being mobile was making my life much more interesting...

The rugby shirt he's wearing was the smallest one available! This was taken on Hastings beach and he still loves throwing pebbles... It's great to see video as well as looking at still photographs of the time as it captures more of a feel of the time. Here is an accompanying photograph of his sister on the same day:

Even then she was quite happy to play in a little space of her own and make up her own adventures (though back then it wasn't Dr Who!). This was 7 months before she started at primary school and she was maturing rapidly. Quite strange comparing her then with her brother now who is 3 months away from starting at primary school...

For more stories please click on the logo up the top.

Flashback Friday: Where have the years gone?

For this week's Flashback as inspired by Karin at Cafe Bebe I'm taking you back to 2007 and what for me was a regular trip to the Royal Horticultural Society gardens at Wisley. I took my children and met up with my mum's best friend for a lovely day in this beautiful garden. Looking back my children look so young and small and I can't believe its only 4 years ago:

The years do go so fast and my son will be starting school in September. So glad I have these photographs to prove they were once small..


For more lovely stories please click on the link at the start of this post.

#FlashbackFriday The good old days!

Sorry I haven't joined in for a while and couldn't post last week with Blogger going down! Lat week one of my oldest (we've known each other 27 years!) friends discovered how to use her scanner and posted this on Facebook:

It was taken back in 1995 well before any of us had children and we were still only 24! Five years before we had written notes guessing where we would all be and what we would be doing in 5 and then 10 years time. None of us admit to remembering what was revealed but I don't think much of it was accurate! Shame the 5th girl from our group was taking the shot so isn't in it.


This is the same group of buddies taken a couple of years ago at my friend's hen night:

Do you think we've changed much? Now click on the logo at the top to see what other people have beeb remembering this week.

Flashback Friday: first riding lesson

About 2 and half years ago just after his 2nd birthday my son had his ever horse ride thanks to his godmother Kirstie:

Once he got over the initial shock at being a lot higher off the ground than normal he looked like a natural! He sat with a nice straight back and held on to the reins very carefully as Kirstie led him round the paddock. Just a shame we are now too far away to have more rides...


His big sister also had her first lesson that day but I was too busy keeping an eye on a small person to get a decent photograph of her! They were both looking like better riders than I was as a child. My riding instructor very kindly told my mum that she was wasting her money paying for lessons for me... I still remember the horse was called Biscuit and it never did what I asked it to. I have subsequently ridden a few times but never really had much confidence.


Wish it wasn't such an expensive hobby so that my children could do it more often.

This post was held up by technical issues from actually being posted on Friday!