What a difference a year makes.....

23 November 2015



As the light fades on a Sunday evening, I go round the house closing the curtains, the fire is lit and candles are burning the house is cosy and warm, we are snug against the cold outside.  As the weekend draws to a close I try hard not to dwell on where my husband has flown off to work for the week, but instead on the wonderful weekend we have had.

I asked for you to send me your spare sunshine in my last post, but it seems I should be careful what I  wish for.  My weekend started on Friday morning with a drive via a couple of places and ending up in the late afternoon at my brothers house.  I was heading east into the beautiful and low winter sun, not the easiest of driving conditions.  Our second stop was at the rather wonderful Eureka!, a museum for children, big and small.  This was our second visit and we still haven't really 'done' the whole musuem, it is a huge place which is just as well as there were seven school parties sharing the space with us.  The noise in some of the rooms was a little over whelming but it was worth it.

As a child I remember going to visit an aunt and uncle who didn't have any children, they lived in a huge rambling house which was the perfect place for my brothers and I to play.  I had to remind myself of those wonderful memories the first time I took my children to visit my brother and his partner a few years ago.  After that first visit they kept asking when they could go back again.   It made me so happy to know that they wanted to spend time with them, my extended family were so important to me when I was growing up.  This time last year our visits were tinged with sadness and relief after a horrendous cycling accident my brother had one early morning in October.  If I see a cyclist without a helmet it always makes my stomach flutter, my brother would not be with us if he hadn't been wearing a helmet and whilst I know that not many of you are likely to be cycling in the early morning dark on a city road with an unlit skip, please wear one when you go out on a bike, wherever you go.

Living in a back to back on four floors is not the ideal house when you have a huge scar on one leg, extensive damage to the other knee and two broken fingers on one hand.  A year on none of those injuries are visible and my brother is back cycling his six miles to work each day.  So this visit felt different, all the sadness at the loss of mobility was gone and we spend many wonderful hours building memories, with a visit to the rather wonderful Saltaire.  Sadly I forgot to take my camera with me so I am not able to show your any pictures, doubly sad really the light was perfect........a good excuse to return again another time.  It was everything I imagined it to be and more.

We had two late nights sitting chatting and playing many of the board games my brother and his partner own they are not usual run of the mill ones and this one in particular was a great hit with us all, so much so that I think we will find a copy in our house by the end of next month.  Those late nights meant that when we returned home and I tried to write a menu and shopping list it seemed to take me forever.  We usually shop on a Friday but with being away it got shuffled back a few days, I really should have written it earlier in the week when I was less tired.  The supermarket was the last place I wanted to be on a Sunday afternoon but needs must, if we want to eat this week.

We closed the weekend with a bath, a story by the wood burner and an early night, we have some sleep catching up to do with as we have a week of lovely things to look forward to.  I hope you had a lovely weekend too, enjoy your week ahead.

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We woke on Saturday to a dusty of snow at my brothers, it seems it did the same at home although it is still hanging around....... 

Joining Karen

25 comments:

  1. Seems like a wonderful week-end to me. :-)
    I agree with you about helmets. My husband commutes to work by bike 8-9 months a year. The ride is 20 miles (32 km) round trip every day and he has had his fair share of accidents over the years including being clipped by a city bus and one gruesome one that left his right foot shattered in multiple places.
    Every time, he had his helmet and it saved him.
    I'm so happy your prother has recovered and is biking again. What a blessing!

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    1. It was thank you. I am sorry to hear that your husband has had some nasty accidents whilst cycling, it is a sad fact that they are seen as a nuisance on the roads and that everybody wants to be somewhere before they left.

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  2. so happy that your brother has made such a good recovery x sounds like a wonderful weekend.

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  3. So glad all is now well with yur brother and that you had a lovely weekend.

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  4. It sounds like you've had a wonderful weekend. Such good news about your brother's recovery, it's good to hear that he's doing so well and is back on his bike again. Eureka was a favourite place when my two were small, it's such a great place to take kids.

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    1. Eureka is great isn't it. We found out that they do home ed days so we have booked on their next one in January. Another chance to hang out with my brother for the weekend :).

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  5. Oh such wonderful news on your brother. As a former cyclist, helmets are a must, never rode my bike without one :)

    Enjoy your week. xo

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    1. Thank you :). I remember when my parents first bought me a helmet they were a rarity then. I had moved to a big city and was cycling everywhere. I was lucky that I didn't have any accidents but I did have very many near misses.

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  6. What a wonderful weekend and I'm so pleased your brother made a full recovery. It really should be a legal requirement to wear a helmet. Jack cycles 25 miles to work then 25 miles back again and I worry every day. X

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    1. I bet you do, that is some cycle ride! He must be very fit! I agree that helmets should be a legal requirement.

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  7. What a touching post! I wish your brother a full recovery! And best wishes to your husband!

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  8. We've had a lovely weekend too and I also felt a little sad last night thinking how quickly it went. It's good to hear your brother has recovered from the accident and you had a lovely time with them. We'd like to take our girls to Eureka too and I'd like to go back to Saltaire. Our last visit was just a quick one and I didn't really see much of the town. Hope you have a great week. Take care! X

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    1. Our visit to Saltaire itself was brief. It was bitterly cold and we weren't really dressed for it, we had left our hats and gloves in the car! Eureka is brilliant I can thoroughly recommend it, the ticket is valid for a year so if you don't manage it all in one visit you can go back again :). It is right next to the railway station so really convenient if you want to go by public transport.

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  9. Precious family time :-) wishing for you plenty of sleep in amidst another happy week.

    xxx

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  10. I'm so glad that you had a lovely weekend and that your brother is fully recovered now. My husband and eldest daughter cycle to work and uni each day and the thought of it terrifies me. Saltaire sounds like a great place to visit. It's on my 'places to go' list! xx

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    1. There are some places I have lived where cycling was a pleasure, there were so many cyclists that they were treated better by the other road users. Round here the roads are much quieter but they are narrow and drivers are fast so it is not the pleasure it could be :(. I didn't see a lot of Saltaire as it was rather cold and we had left the hats and gloves in the car! I definitely want to go back.

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  11. Glad to hear your brother is back cycling, I remember you writing about his accident last year!!
    Sounds like you had a great time at his house!

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    1. Thank you, I am glad too. We did have a lovely weekend.

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  12. what a nice weekend and snow? I want some. Just saying. I love being with family the older that I get.

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    1. It's funny how you change isn't it. I too love spending time with my siblings whereas in my twenties I guess I had other interests!

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  13. I remember visiting ancient aunts with a big house and even bigger garden, when I was little. It was magical. I wonder if they ever knew how much I loved exploring (included a secret sunken garden). Glad everything is getting back to normal for your brother and lovely to spend time with a sibling.

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    1. It is lovely to spend time with my brother now, I love how our relationship has changed over the years :)

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