My Most Precious

It's the very last Story Telling Sunday and that makes me a bit sad.  I have really enjoyed telling stories and reading the stories of everyone else who has joined in for the last three years.  It's all been thanks to Sian over at From High in the Sky.

This year has all been about picking our precious and my precious for the very last story was a no brainer, here she is:

My beautiful, funny daughter who goes by the names of:

Samantha Rose Daisy
Samantha Rose
Samantha
Sammie
Sam
Mattme
Matt
Maddie and
Boobar Rushdedardee!

Everyone calls her something different and I'm surprised that she hasn't ended up with split personalities!

I had a couple of miscarriages before I had Maddie and a couple after, I even had a threatened miscarriage when I was carrying her so she has always been very special.She surprises me with her intelligence, her sense of humour and the way she treats those less fortunate than herself.

She loves to photo bomb everything!

And even though she's 19 (and a half) she still likes to fall asleep cuddling her mum!

We live together and work together and I love it. She makes me laugh every day and makes my heart melt when she randomly comes up to me and hugs me.  There has only been the two of us for the last 14 years and we have such a special bond.

More often than not she is the adult in our relationship :) She checks all of my blog posts for me because I just can't spell so, as this one is a surprise for her, it's probably riddled with spelling and grammatical errors which will drive her mad!

I think know she's beautiful after all she looks like me :)

She has her own sense of style and is definitely not a sheep who follows a flock.

And there's not a day that goes by that I'm not thankful for her, she is definitely the most precious thing in my life.

I love you Boobar xxx

Now it's your turn to head over to Sian's and tell your story.

Thank you for stopping by
Jo x

Precious Friends

Unbelievably another month has passed and it's time for Story Telling Sunday over at Sian's.  This year it's all been about the precious things in our lives, the things that mean so much to us.

My story this month is about friendship.  When it comes to friends I always prefer quality over quantity and the few friends that I have are definitely worth their weight in gold.  I know that I can count on all of them and I know that if anything were to happen to me then Maddie could rely on them too.  This month though I'm just going to focus on one of those friends and I'd like to introduce you to Allison:

I first met Allison at high school way back in 1983. I had an exam and the desks were set out with alternating rows of year ones (my year) and year twos (Allison's year).  I was put next to Allison and straight away she started talking and telling stories and making people laugh.  Being new at the school I was mortified and wondered what sort of trouble I'd get in to because of this girl. Little did I know then how much she'd come to mean to me.

Allison is still a talker, she can still tell a story and she can still make everyone laugh.  Nothing seems to faze her, she can and does cope with anything and everything. She can reason and she can see all sides of a story.  She has an amazing knack of telling you a negative by making it sound like a positive.  She always makes you feel that she's got time for you, that you've never called at an inconvenient time - I once called her in tears and she let me talk for 20 minutes before she let me know she was at her son's birthday party and was looking after 20 kids!

I can go for years without talking to Allison but I know she's always there for me and for any of her friends.  No matter how long it's been we'll always start up where we left off and the years in between just melt away.

It is always great to spend time with Allison, I always know that I'll end up laughing and feeling good.  She is a special kind of person but if you ever cross her then I can guarantee that you'll see all kinds of crazy :)

So this little story of mine is to let you know about a great person and to let her know that I know she's been through so much recently and we all love her dearly.

Now it's your turn to head over to Sian's and tell your story.

Thanks for stopping by
Jo x

Ickle Bottle

Here we are again, another month has passed and we're on to the 10th Story Telling Sunday of the year! It's all thanks to Sian over at From High in the Sky.

This month my precious is something quite new to me, I picked it up from a charity shop last month for nothing more than £1.

I saw this little glass bottle and fell in love:

I could see the word Pyrex on it. 

And measurements on the sides:

But I left the shop without it at first but my friend convinced me to go back and buy it. 

And I'm so glad I did. When I got home I thought I'd research my little bottle and see if I could find any information on it. I was surprised when I found out it is a baby feeding bottle!

And that has made me love it even more. It's also made me hunt for others but I haven't had any luck yet. 

Now it's your turn to head over to Sian's and tell your story. 

Thanks for stopping by

Jo xx

Precious Bowls

Unbelievably another month has passed and it's time for Story Telling Sunday over at Sian's!

This month, following on from this post, I'm sharing a lovely little bowl I have and the memories it holds.

My dad's favourite place on earth was Le Pouliguen in France. We had many, many fabulous holidays there as a family, made so many friends, joined in with all the local customs and traditions and, sometimes, it's a place I miss so much that I have tears in my eyes. 

I often saw these little bowls in the shop when we visited and the last time my parents holidayed there, half way through my dad's illness, they brought me one back. 

Not quite with my name on but close enough!

And it's beautifully decorated inside. 

I use it all the time and it never fails to remind me of happy times in beautiful surroundings. 

Head over to Sian's to join in and tell us about your precious. 

Hope you've had a great weekend. 

Thanks for stopping by 

Jo xx

Bits and Bobs

I can't believe another month has passed and it's time for Story Telling Sunday over at From High in the Sky. Every month Sian encourages us to tell a story about something precious to us.

Although my precious items are very old they are new to me, I inherited them only yesterday!  The two items I'm sharing today hold wonderful memories for me and take me right back to my childhood.

 My mum and aunt have the unfortunate task of emptying my grandparents' home after the recent death of my grandad and my mum had asked if there was anything I wanted, of course there were things I wanted, things I knew nobody else would want.

When I was younger and we went to visit my grandparents we would always go in to the house using the side door.  No matter whether we were going to visit my dad's parents or my mum's parents we would always use the side door, never the front door, and although both properties were very different and miles apart the side doors always went to the same place, the kitchen.

As you entered my mum's parent's house the first thing you would see was this:

The beetroot jar.  It sat just inside the kitchen door and I have always loved it.  I don't ever remember it having any beetroot in it though.  I knew it was something I would love to have in my home.

The second thing I would see as I moved further in to the kitchen was on the windowsill just above the sink:

My mum and her sister bought this for my nan for Mother's Day many years ago.  It reminds me so much of my nan.  My mum couldn't understand why I wanted it as there is a big crack in it, I wanted it because it made me think of my nan and if she had this cracked old moneybox on display until the day she died then it was obviously something very precious to her.

So now I have these two lovely treasures full of memories in my home, do I care that the don't fit in with the other bits and pieces I have? Of course not because I want them to stand out like the precious things they are.

I hope that you will head over to Sian's now to tell your story and read the other stories being told there.

Thanks for stopping by
Jo xx

More Than a Badge

It's that time of the month again, it's time for Story Telling Sunday with Sian over at From High in the Sky.  This years theme is Pick Your Precious and it's been fun looking around at the things that are precious to me.

This month's item is something that I keep in my car, it goes everywhere with me and it used to belong to my nan. 

When my nan passed away two years ago my mum told me and my brothers and sisters that we could all pick something from my nan's jewellery box. 

My nan had some beautiful jewellery and I knew I wanted something that would always make me think of her so I picked this:

Nothing bright, shiny and covered in gems but my nan's Royal British Legion Womens  Section badge. 

To me it sums up my nan completely. She had been in the Land Army during the war, she had been a nurse at Bernardo's looking after 10 babies at a time and, even though she was a pensioner, she had been a volunteer helper for Help The Aged. Always ready to be involved, always ready to help. 

Now it's your turn to head over to Sian's and tell your story. 

I'll be back soon with posts about the things I was getting up to in June, when I failed miserably to get anything on the blog!

Hope your weekend is going well

Jo x

Precious Penny

It's that time of the month again, it's Story Telling Sunday over at Sian's!

I've known for weeks what my story will be and I can't wait to share it! So without further ado here is my precious:

It's a penny ring, made from an old penny! A penny that has been carefully molded into a ring so that all of the original markings remain, not melted and re stamped but manoeuvred into shape, amazing!

My dad gave it to me 25 years ago and told me how a friend of his had made it from an old penny. I look at it and think of my dad and remember the exact moment he gave it to me, where we were sitting, what the weather was like and what he told me about it.  Well, I remembered everything apart from the name of the person who made it, a friend of his whose name escapes me.

Granted, it's somewhat crude but I love it and I've kept it safe for all of these years.

Even though it's far too big for me. 

I recently took it over to show my mum, hoping she could fill in some blanks but, it turns out, she has never seen the ring before!

The one big thing I do remember is that it was made when my brother, Jon, was born.  Now my brother was born 40 years ago tomorrow so this little ring has been around for a while but it seems I'm the only living person who knew it existed.

It's was Jon's birthday party yesterday and I knew in a heartbeat exactly what his present would be, after all, it was made to celebrate his birth!  It was very emotional telling him the story of the ring when I gave it to him and gave him, in effect, a gift from his dad who had passed away 5 years ago.

I think know he loved it though. I also know it will be well looked after by him and I also know that sharing it with him and showing the rest of the family this little ring has made it all the more precious.

Now it's your turn, head over to Sian's and let's hear your story.

Thanks for stopping by
Jo xx

My Precious Boy

All week I've been trying to think of something precious I have for Story Telling Sunday, hosted by Sian over at From High in the Sky.

I've been wondering around my home, looking at things on shelves, searching in drawers and peering in cupboards. All the time being followed, nudged and having a wet nose poked in my ear!

That's when I had a lightbulb moment and realised my precious for this month, it's him:


My boy Alfie!

He is so precious and I can't imagine my life without him, can't remember my life before him either!


Over 3 years ago I walked in to the RSPCA rescue centre at Ashley Heath and found the man of my dreams. Prior to being rescued he'd been locked in a room with no food or water, he was infested with fleas and mites and he had no human contact :(


He came bounding over to me, a bag of bones, and it really was love at first sight! In fact Maddie will often laugh at me because I cried when I saw him, I cried because I knew he was going to be mine.


He loves cuddles more than anything and, although he's a Belgian Shepherd/Collie cross, thinks he's a lap dog!


He gets in weird positions when he's sleeping! He hates being alone in the dark though :(


If you give him a ball it's highly unlikely you'll get it back :)


He loves his cuddly toy "babies" and runs around gathering them all up when I get the vacuum out.


He's turned the garden in to a mud bath.


He owns my heart, loves unconditionally and I am grateful, every moment of every day, that he's mine.

I can't think of anything more precious in my home.

Now it's your turn, head over to From High in the Sky and tell your story.

Hope your weekend is going well.

Thanks for stopping by
Jo xx

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Another Precious

Well it's the first Sunday of the month so that means just one thing, it's time for Story Telling Sunday! Head over to Sian's at High in the Sky for more details about picking something precious for you to tell your story about.
My story begins with my Great Uncle Vic. I didn't know Vic, he died at Pegasus Bridge during World War 2, I did know his mum though! I was lucky enough to know my Great Nan, Rose Coppin until I was 17 years old and she was a remarkable woman. I have so many stories to tell about her because we were so close but this is just one of them.
A few years ago my mum took my nan, Vic's sister, to the the graveyards for the fallen soldiers in Normandy.They looked through the book of remembrance until they found something written in my Nanny Coppin's beautiful handwriting.
This is what she wrote for her son Vic:
"You may be one to all the world but you were one in the world to me"
It made us all cry.
Fast forward a few years and I was going through a terrible time in my life. My husband had left me for a women he met on the Internet. I was in hospital having a miscarriage whilst worrying about how me and my 5 year old daughter would cope. When I got out of hospital and back at home a friend came over to cheer me up, she arrived with a Chinese takeaway. I really was at the lowest point in my life and didn't know how I would survive.
At the end of the meal I opened a fortune cookie and found this:




I knew then that my Nanny Coppin was with me and that everything would be ok.
It's something that I carry with me all of the time, without fail and I think it's one of the most precious things I own.
Thank you for reading my story, don't forget to head on over to Sian's to share your story too.
I'm away this weekend but I promise to comment on all of the stories when I get home.
Take care
Jo xx

My Oh So Precious

So today it's time for the second Story Telling Sunday of the year, head over to Sian's at From High in the Sky to join in!
Well let me show you my precious, come on in and make yourself at home.

Actually, you've just walked straight past my precious.  It's something so plain though so I'll forgive you for not noticing.  It's something that hangs in my hallway and nobody notices or understands the relevance of but, to me, it's one of my favourite and most important things.  It's my Dad's coat:

After a twelve year battle, from the age of 58, with Alzheimer's my dad finally passed away just over five years ago.  This coat was the one thing I took from my mum's after he'd died and I love it.  My dad did have jewellery but I never saw him wear it, I wanted something that really made me think of dad.  It reminds me so much of him, of when he went out to walk the dog or when he went to his club.  It's not a shrine and it's not morbid it's just one of the little things that makes me think of him and smile.

Every morning when I go out to work it's the last thing I see before I open the door and every day when I return it's the first thing I see, it makes me happy and it lets me know he's with me all the time.  All the silver and gold in the world wouldn't make up for this very precious item in my home.
Head over to Sian's now and show us your precious.
Thank you for stopping by
Jo xx

Summertime

And the living is easy…I wish! Today it's time for Storytelling Sunday over at Sian's.

Seeing as it's August and meant to be summer (we've had torrential rain here today) I started thinking about summers gone by.

I remember the sun shining for what seemed like the whole of the school holidays. I remember us heading off to the beach early in the morning and having sights like this greeting us:


I love spending time at the beach no matter what the weather but those lazy days of summer were special. Small clouds passed over head like people drifting in the sea on lilos. When dozing on the sand the breaking of the waves sounded distant, everything seemed so relaxed.

During the day we'd go for a wander around the town:


I always loved walking around harbours looking at the boats, seeing the fisherman examine their catches.


I always dreamed of living somewhere like this no matter if the sun is shining, the wind howling or the rain pounding down.

I remember spending so much time in the sea during those lazy summer days, playing games on the sand, people watching. I remember leaving at the end of the day and hoping I'd be returning soon.


I wonder now if the weather has changed the summer or if it's the pressures of being a home owning adult that make those bygone days seem more relaxing.

We've all got a story in us so head over to Sian's at From High In The Sky and tell yours.

I hope you're having a great weekend.
Jo xx

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Better Late Than Never!

It was that time again for Storytelling Sunday over at Sian's this week.  On the first Sunday of the month Sian encourages us all to tell a story, it's great fun and if you haven't joined in already then I suggest you hot foot it over there!

Now I do have a good reason to be so late this month and it's all part of my story.

Eighteen years ago on Saturday this little person came into my life:

At 07:41 on 30th June 1994 Maddie was born.  I remember it all so well, I had a few twinges the day before but I refused to have her then because it was a Wednesday and Wednesday's child is full of woe!  So I waited until the following day, although my family will say I waited until the following day because they were having a family BBQ on the Wednesday night!

I had a back to back labour, I've also heard it called stargazing which I think sounds nicer, no pain relief and I even managed to fall asleep for a while.  Not bad going considering I was only in labour for 40 minutes!  Both of my sisters have since beaten that quick time with one of them doing it in about 18 minutes!

I've spent a lot of time reminiscing about her birthday, her life, the great team that we are since her dad left when she was four, the rows we've had, the laughs we've had and the adventures that are yet to come.

The night before her birthday we had a bit of a girlie night, it was a lot of fun:

So Saturday was a real celebration and I managed to arrange a small surprise party for Maddie ( I thought she would kill me but she didn't).  OK I know she doesn't look happy in this picture but she was!

I had managed to drive round and invite her friends because there was no way I was getting her phone out of her hand to get their numbers!

She has always wanted her own private island so my sister made her this cake:

It was a really great day and these cuties loved the BBQ:

A few days before Maddie's birthday I watched Mamma Mia and when the song Slipping Through my Fingers came on I sobbed and sobbed.  How can these 18 years have passed so quickly!

Hope you had a great day Mads, love you lots.

Thank you for stopping by
Jo xx