LIFE CHEZ DEE

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

I needed to write something this week, if only to journal some of the notable happenings of late. Oliver has been back to school, and is now off school again for the Easter holidays. He was glad to go back to school, to see his friends again, even though he hasn’t really missed their company much, given they chat together daily whilst gaming. He’s had far too much gaming time quite honestly, but with not seeing his friends in person, this is where the playground banter has ta

Today is Mother’s Day. Normally I’m awakened by the boys coming into our bedroom to wake me and wish me a Happy Mother’s Day. Today I woke early, particularly early in fact, and not feeling able to nod off again, I just got up. I do actually quite like it when it’s quiet downstairs, and whilst the boys were still snoozing I got on with all sorts of chores … feeding the cats, letting them out, cleaning the litter, putting a washer load on, emptying the dryer and folding the cl

It’s Sunday 14th February. Valentine’s Day. Today is all about love. The shops are full of cards, flowers, chocolates and much more, and don’t get me wrong I love all that, and both myself and Justin have always celebrated this day. To be honest, it isn’t just because it is Valentine’s Day, but it is indeed another excuse to go and buy gifts for each other and write down another declaration of love cards for each other. Justin has always been the romantic, and I don’t think a

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 anyone is prepared for or should ever happen. As a mother, the instinct to protect your child is always there. Not being able to protect your child; or save your child from dying goes against everything that motherhood stands for. This is not the natural order of things, and goes against the normal cycle of life. Watching

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

You get what you pay for! Right? Of course you do … sometimes; and there again, no you don’t. It isn’t really that simple a question; and therefore there isn’t really a simple answer. The answer is yes, no, maybe, sometimes, depends. Advertisers are good at what they do … targeting their audience perfectly, getting their message buried deep within our subconscious; working overtime on the plethora of adverts they produce, brainwashing us with brand awareness, brand quality, a

I love Springtime, it’s my favourite season. I love all the Spring flowers which emerge after the bleakness of winter. The crocus, little tete a tetes, and daffodils which poke their heads through the turf and into the light. So many of them offering a wonderful welcome as we arrive in St Anne’s (past the airport), or in Lytham we’re treated to the gorgeous display on the “daffodil bend” (as I like to call it), near the YMCA playing fields. Daffs are such a cheery, friendly f

Today we lost a national treasure, the forces sweetheart, a symbol of hope, and a very much loved lady. We have been reminded so recently of all the wartime songs which she and so many others sang, whilst the nation celebrated the 75th anniversary of VE Day, and I’m glad that she lived to witness our country marking this day. The nation’s sweetheart lived a remarkable 103 years and her long life will be remembered for a long time; iconic, timeless, unforgettable. I write on s

It was my birthday yesterday. There’s lots I could start writing about now about my birthday, but this isn’t the direction I’ve planned for my writing to take, and in any event, I’ve actually written a piece journaling my thoughts on reaching a milestone birthday … which, if you fancy reading, can be found on my blog page Life Chez Dee, called “Officially Quinquagenarian”. I need to begin this writing though on the morning of my birthday, when mid-morning, at the time when I’

I sat down to write today, prompted by the bad press given all too often to teenagers. Now before there’s lots of shouting about how people have evidence of such, and start to spout about all the wrongdoings, I wanted to say one thing … your reports of late are about a handful of teenagers, not most, and not all. Generalisations actually make me quite angry. Stereotyping and lumping everyone in the same boat is incredibly irritating, and very often simply not true. To begin,

Lockdown; stay at home; protect the NHS; stay safe; phrases we hear day in day out at the moment; everywhere we look, everywhere we turn; on the news, on the radio, on posters, and banners, printed or homemade, all displayed for us to see as we walk around our neighbourhood. So we stay at home, work from home, educate our children, help our elderly and vulnerable, take our allowance of daily exercise, shop as needed, watch the news, and wait for the next instructions to follo

1st January 2021 … a new year … new beginning … time to start anew. After my first lie in of the new year, I awoke to find the upstairs landing full of William’s duvet, pillows, sheets etc etc. What on Earth happened in the night? Well, one of the cats had the shits it seems, all over William’s bed, which he didn’t discover till he eventually decided to make his way to bed in the early hours. What a great surprise that was for him. What a way to bring the new year in. I disco

Monday night again, and time once more to meet with those others I have joined to talk through advent, and it’s meaning today. This week was entitled “At a Distance” and we looked at family life in lockdown and the Holy Family’s isolation at the time of their son’s birth. We reflected on how Mary had to give birth far away from her family, and what this might have been like for her; and also thought about those who have had babies this year, during a pandemic, and throughout

We’ve just got back from an impromptu break away for a few days to Cornwall, staying with my lovely sister in law. We were a little uneasy about having a holiday given the current COVID situation, but since we were staying with Justin’s sister, we thought it would be a lovely change of scenery for us, and a much needed break to be honest, given that J hasn’t had any time off since his few days at Christmas. We’ve spent many, many days in this lovely part of the world, and it

It’s a funny old year. Normally at this time of year we’d be making plans for weekends and bank holidays to spend time with the family on days out, walks and picnics, but this lockdown year has changed things, and as we have done with most of our weekends during lockdown, we’ve been catching up on the numerous jobs and projects which have either been neglected and have been on our to do list for a very long time, or they’ve been hopes and dreams of projects which we’ve planne

For many, home schooling our children began at the end of March this year. Suddenly, our workspaces, and working hours needed to be split between what we needed to do, and giving our children the education they needed and deserved. Initially, it was thought that the time at home would only be two weeks, with a return after the Easter holidays, but it soon became apparent that the need for children to stay at home would be much longer. I know some parents used those initial we

On Sunday 3rd May, it’s my birthday. It’s a milestone birthday; a big one; the day I turn 50; my half century; the big Five O. I used to think it sounded old … but now it’s my turn, and I’m not so sure. Fifty years ago I was born; 3rd May 1970, which also was a Sunday … a 70s child; and a child born on the Sabbath, which according to the rhyme, means I’m bonnie, blithe, good and gay. I have now lived 18,263 days and today sees me officially a quinquagenarian. God that sounds

We’ve been in lockdown for several weeks now; and I have to say if I had to sum things up, and encapsulate all my thoughts into just one sentence, then I’d have to conclude that (so far) for me it has been a really good time for us as a family. Together at times, or sometimes doing our own thing; positive, imaginative and inspirational; productive and busy, yet relaxed, calm and slow; noisy with a house full of people, and yet quiet times for reflection; insightful, enlighten

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