LIFE CHEZ DEE

I didn’t sleep last night. Happy that we’d had such a lovely, albeit very cold and wet, day out in Manchester to celebrate Justin’s birthday, and to see my big boy, who is loving University life, but goodness how I miss him. We ate, drank, chatted, and wandered and it was such a lovely day together. Such a bittersweet time. The birthday celebrations for Justin, and yet the memories of 5 years ago are so painful. 5th December is a date etched into my heart. The day five yea

Have you seen me lately? You might have missed me, there’s a lot less of me now than there was 6 months ago. I’ve been trying to lose weight, and really making a conscious effort to, but in a way which was not only going to be effective, but also steady and indeed sustainable. The science is all there. Consume less than you burn in energy and the weight will come off. It’s true. But it’s been hard. I’m not as young as I once was, and just cutting down, doesn’t actually cut

We’ve been out out. Doesn’t happen too often these days. Yes we go out, as a family, with the boys, we go out for lunch or coffees, but rarely do we get dressed up and go out … just the two of us … and we even stayed out all night! I was both delighted and privileged to be invited to a dinner dance at Derby County Football Club, by Steve Dayman, founder of Meningitis Now. Right from the day Edward died, Steve has been there for us. Steve founded Meningitis Now (or Meningitis

I lost my voice recently. Not physically, but it could just as easily have been. There was so much I was thinking about, experiencing, processing that I needed to write about, but for one reason or another, I felt unable to put those thoughts, feelings and emotions into my writing, or at least writing I was able to publish. I was totally lost. I know I don’t usually hold back; I’m more than aware that my writing is raw and from the heart, but I knew that the raw emotions I wa

It’s April already, and with this comes the thoughts, the build up, the feeling which permeates every bit of my being, knowing that we’re in the days approaching Edward’s birthday. What I should be doing is hiding the presents I’ve bought him, finalising party arrangements, putting aside cards which arrive through the letterbox so that all these surprises are there waiting for him to excitedly open when he gets up in the morning. But that is far from reality now. I will get u

I’ve listened on many occasions to the positives and negatives of social media, and indeed the time spent on it. So just how much is too much? And at what point does it become an addiction? For years I was sceptical about using social media. Ridiculously unnecessary I thought. Who wants to look at what others are eating for their tea etc etc. I eventually decided to take the plunge in about 2013. I felt as though I was missing out on knowing what was going on with stuff gener

This week it was announced that the University of Strathclyde had developed a test for sepsis; a test which would cut the time down for waiting for the results to under three minutes, rather than the 72 hours as it is currently. Fantastic I thought, another step in the right direction. Anything which cuts down the diagnosis time has got to be good. Every hour delay in the diagnosis of sepsis and antibiotic treatment given, increases the likelihood of death. Time is not on you

So this week has been all about love. How do I feel? I don’t know how to articulate a quick and straightforward answer to that. I wake up on Valentines Day and the first person I think about is Edward. Edward is the first person I think about every day in fact. Edward is ALWAYS in my head the minute I wake, and ALWAYS in my head as I drift off to sleep. My love for Edward is forever. My love for all my children is forever. My love for my children is shown in hugs, kisses and

Cycling ... such a wonderful pastime, appealing to all manner of folk being one of those things accessible to so many to partake in. Young, old, male, female, fit or unfit, the fanatical or the practical, there’s a bike for everyone; mountain bikes, road bikes, hybrids, racing bikes, even electric bikes and folding bikes. There are adaptations to help if necessary, with stabilisers for the little ones, and of course strap on seat, or tag along bike for the very young too; ext

It's been a strange few weeks, and Easter is no exception. No build up to the school holidays as Oliver has been schooled at home; holidays too have been cancelled or postponed; no jetting off somewhere, or packing of bags as we load up the car for a long motorway journey to our holiday cottage; no day trips planned for walks, museums, city visits, or visits to National Trust houses and gardens that we love so much. Visits to all these beautiful places put on hold, added to

I wrote a little piece about Edward for @MyBump2Baby in response to Carla's appeal for real stories. Please read, RT or share and give me a follow. More of my blogs on #life #love and #loss .. and much more ... can be found on http://elizabethdee.me https://www.mybump2baby.com/child-loss-and-grief-by-elizabeth-dee/ Losing a child is different to any other loss. My child died, and on every possible imaginable level, that is wrong. The death of a child is not something anyo

It’s been rather a cultured weekend of arts and music. When I use the term cultured here I simply refer to how I interpret the use of this phrase. If someone were to be described as cultured I’d immediately assume a knowledgeable and learned person, of good taste and having a love of arts and music. I’m well aware that there is far more to the meaning of cultured but when I write I’m assuming that this is the way it will be interpreted, but as I lecture the boys in how they s

Valentine’s Day … What does that day say to me? Well it evokes so many emotions for me. The first thing which comes to mind for me, and most people I’d guess, is love. Love for a husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend. The person you fancy who gets the card with the question mark. Should it be made obvious who sent it, or should it be left for them to wonder … The latter probably being a recipe for upset, and thankfully (she says with much relief) something I’ve never had to ex

Another year over, a new one about to begin; a time for reflection …of the year, of the memories of years gone by, of one’s self. I sit and think about all that this year has brought, all I’ve achieved … and not achieved. The old friends I still have alongside me; friends who have drifted; new friends who have come into my life. It feels to me as though this has been a significant year … not necessarily in significant event worthy terms; but in a sense of change. A change in

5th December is a date etched well and truly in my psyche. Three years ago was probably the most horrific and traumatic day I have ever, ever had, or ever will have. The day when my boy, my beautiful, funny, cheeky, bundle of energy, became very ill; seriously ill; and didn’t get better. 5th December 2016 was the day that Edward died. Today I woke up to the most beautiful red sky, obviously Edward hard at work making his presence felt by setting the sky alight on this third a

I wanted to write about trees. I could go on and on about trees and how special they are, but today I wanted to write about some really special trees … Trees #forEdward. Trees for Edward was born in 2018. It all started at the Post Office in St Annes, me chatting to Jan, Jan wanting to help the charity in so many ways. Jan knows many, many people, as you can well imagine, and before long she’s told all those many people about The Edward Dee Fund. One of the shop owners she to

I’ve had such a lovely day today. I’m feeling rather like a great deal has been accomplished, but I’m cold … really cold. I’m naturally a cold blooded person … I’m cold most of the time if I’m honest; but when I get cold I stay cold, I just cannot warm up no matter how warm the house is when I get back. When I’m chilled to the core, the only solution to get warm is to have a bath, get in pjs, dressing gown, slippers and cosy up in a big armchair with a hot drink. Those who k

We’ve just spent the day with Meningitis Now at one of their Forever Days, to support families who have been affected by meningitis in some way. The day was held at Alnwick Castle, Northumberland. We knew it was a bit of a trek for us, but given that it was ages since we had been on a support day, and given that we had nothing planned this weekend, we decided to apply to attend the Forever Day, and make a weekend of it. We managed to get a very cheap deal with a Premier Inn n

This weekend, the first ever Ball #forEdward was in full swing. I’ve been sitting today, recovering for a start, from lack of sleep, sore feet, late night, but also looking through so many fabulous photos of the event, and reflecting on what a huge success it was. Many, many months ago, Gary Fox, Oliver’s drum teacher, Head of Schools Music Service in Fylde, and drummer, singer and leader of Switched on Swing, mentioned to me that the band would love to play and support at an

So this weekend has been all about Edward again. We’ve been in a local store, raising awareness, and a group of NCS Students have been at Lytham Hall fundraising for Th