8 photos of happiness

My daughter Sarah recently shared '8 photos of happiness' on her blog, The Scarlet State and nominated me to do the same. The original creator of the tag is Aerial's Little Corner of the Internet

Photos can hold so many memories and in some ways I look back at old photos and feel sad that those times are gone, a chapter in time that we will never revisit. But usually I can look at photos and just remember the happiness of the moment and enjoy the memories.
So here goes...My 8 photos of happiness!

1. I have 3 daughters, Sarah, Laura and Eleanor. They make me happy! They make me feel cross, frustrated, exhausted and sad at times too but on the whole, they make me happy and I love them all so much!
This photo was taken last summer in Ambleside Park in the Lake District. On this day, we had been for a lovely lunch and then took Mylo, our dog, for a run around in the park. Here is our selfie!

2. I married Phil on 31st July 2009. I love this photo of us and the girls outside the church after the ceremony. The happiness is evident! One of the happiest days of my life.

3. Phil and I went to Paris for our Honeymoon. This photo of us was taken at the top of the Eiffel Tower! I remember queueing for quite some time to gain entry to the tower and then it was a bit of a trek to the top but it was worth it. The views were amazing! Another tourist kindly took this photo of us. I just remember feeling so happy that day knowing that I had now entered a new chapter in my life.

                             

4. Mylo, our adorable Cockapoo brings me much happiness! We welcomed him into our family on 2nd February 2013 and can't imagine life without him now! I love getting out walking with him.

Here is a picture of Mylo taken earlier this year at Fell Foot by Lake Windermere. Look at that tongue! And those eyes....Could he be any more adorable?!

5. The Lake District is a beautiful place and we are so fortunate to  live close by. Thirty minutes drive from our home and you reach Lake Windermere. Here is a photo I took last summer. We had been walking up Biskey Howe, a small fell near Bowness on Windermere and this is the view from the top! A stunning view of the Lake! A drive up to the Lakes  always makes me feel happy. Such beautiful scenery and views!

6. Looking back to my childhood always brings back happy memories! I have a twin sister, Donna, and I know I wouldn't be without her! Always there for one another, in good times and bad.

Here's a photo of Donna and I taken back in 1978, taken in my Granddad's back garden in Portsmouth, Hampshire. We used to have holidays there and I have many happy memories!You can read more about me growing up as a twin here and here

7. My family mean the world to me and this photo was taken the Christmas before last. Mum and Dad have been married 57 years now! I love this photo because Christmas is always a happy time with family and it's great to have a photo of all of us together, Mum, Dad and their three daughters!

8. Final photo... Has to be this one! This little baby is my Grandson. I have been to a few scans with my daughter Laura now and seeing this little one on the screen is a wonderful experience.

I must admit, when I found out Laura was pregnant my emotions were all over the place and I found it hard at first to find peace about it all. But now, in my heart, I know that this little baby was meant to be and will bring much joy and happiness!( Hopefully not too many sleepless nights!)

There were so many more photos that depict happiness to me but I could only choose 8. It's been great fun looking through them all to choose some for the blog. When I look at these photos they represent happiness. They show that my idea of happiness is the people I love, care about and want to share time with. It also show my love of the Lake District. But most of all it shows my happiness is in people and places not material things...Although... I could have posted a photo of a bottle of Prosecco...I find much happiness in that! Ha!

What snapshot would depict happiness in your life? 

Feel free to leave a comment! 

All change...

It has been just over a year since I have written a post on this blog.
So much has happened and so much has changed since then.
Since I last wrote, I have welcomed a new great-niece into the world, have attended a friends wedding and sadly have been to 5 funerals. Yes, last summer was a summer of sadness.

Time..it keeps on ticking and the view from 'my window' is changing.

I have never liked change, preferring for things to remain the same and settled. But that's not what life is about. Life takes us through many chapters, different seasons and makes us who we are.

I am entering a new chapter in my life.

I am going to become a Grandma in August.

It is not something I ever thought I would be saying at my age. I envisaged it about another 10  years down the line when my girls were a bit older.

My daughter Laura is just 17. Although it is not something I would have wanted for her at this age, I have come to accept it, find peace in it and I'm now looking forward to meeting my new grandson with a mixture of apprehension and excitement.

I have 3 daughters so having a grandson will be a learning curve for me. And although I intend to support Laura as much as I can she will definitely be getting up in the night with him! That is part of being a mum! I will have to learn when and when not to step in because he needs to know that Laura is mum and I'm Grandma. And I'm sure she will be a great mum. She has such a caring nature and kind heart. Laura has the support of her boyfriend Joe, who I'm sure will be a great dad.

Because Laura is still young, she doesn't feel ready to leave home yet and we are making changes to accommodate that.

A far cry from the 'old days' when a teenage pregnancy in a family would quite likely have seen the girl disowned by her family and sent away in shame...

I sometimes thought about what I would do if any of my girls became pregnant before they left home and how I would deal with it.
I never came up with any answers though because in truth, I never thought it would happen.
But life likes to throw us a curve ball now and again and the unexpected did happen.

I have never felt angry about it. At times I have felt a bit sad that Laura is so young but mostly I believe that God has a purpose and plan for each and every one of us and that this little baby is coming into the world for a reason. That being the case I believe as a mum I need to do what is right for Laura and support her.
Laura made the decision to keep this little life, my little grandson and I know he will be a blessing to us all.

Last summer Laura lost her uncle and granddad on her dad's side and I know how very sad she felt. This summer it will be so good to welcome a new family member and the feelings of joy and happiness that it will bring.

The house is undergoing changes as we are building an extension. Laura needs her own bedroom. She currently shares with her sister when her older sister is home from University. The new extension will create a new bedroom for me and my husband Phil, plus an ensuite. So that provides 3 other bedrooms in the house and we will also gain another living room which will be useful as we only have one at the moment. And most exciting of all...We will have a downstairs loo!

We have been thinking of making the house bigger for a while now. As the girls have grown up, the house seems crowded at times, especially when they have friends round.

I guess Laura's situation has pushed us into going for it. I just wish we'd done it sooner as I am sure it will be so much better for all of us and give us the space we need.

So the race is on now to get it finished before the baby arrives in 7 weeks...hmm, we will see! I have a feeling we will be painting and getting carpets fitted when he arrives!

The front door, that was in fact on the side of the house, with it's window attached will move to the front of the house as part of the new extension.
So, my 'window on the world' will have a new view, both literally and reality!