Sunday Snapshot

Sunday Snapshot Father’s Day

This Father’s Day my husband has been spoilt for sweets. But I also want to give a mention to my brother who has been more like a father to me. So today’s Sunday snapshot is Father’s and Brother’s Day.

Father’s Day Treats

I love the card our Little Man made. He cut out the word Dad and made the ‘A’ look like a character from Among us. He wrote the names of his and his Dad’s favourite games and the fun thing he likes doing with his Dad like, walking in the stream and going to the park.

So, Happy Father’s Day Graham. I hope you feel spoiled x

Brother’s Day

We had a wonderful day yesterday. Earlier in the week my big brother turned 70. Had it been allowed we would have held a big party for him, but instead we gathered some close family members in my Nephew’s back garden and the sun shone on us all. My brother had no idea, he though he was going to pop into his son’s before going for a meal with his wife and daughter. He didn’t expect to see us all waiting for him.

Our Dad passed away when I was a little girl, my brother was already married with his first son at the time. Since then he has always been like a Dad to me. He’s first person I turn to in times of need and he’s been there through thick and thin. He’s given me away at both my weddings and all in all, I think he makes a pretty good substitute Dad for me. So, I hope he enjoyed his special birthday.

Brother and great nephew — *The oldest and the youngest members of my family*

my brother and my husband — *My Brother and my Husband*

Last weeks Sunday Snapshot

A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet

by Anne Sweet 17 Comments

I had lots of rose bushes in my old home that had been there for many years. I’ve always had trouble growing things since we moved house but this year I’m having some success. I have two willow trees and a rose bush that are doing well. I’ll take photos when I can get up the garden. In the meantime I have some new plants on the patio and one is a small rose bush which I think might actually thrive in the garden now.

pink rose — *A rose by any other name would smell as sweet*

The weather has been so lovely lately, but I still haven’t managed to get a shade for my garden. I know the weather is due to change soon, but it would be nice to have a warm summer. And maybe I can see some more things blossom in my garden.

Another new plant is this one, can you guess what it is?

strawberry plant — *What plant is this?*

I’m hoping it will give me a lovely crop of delicious strawberries very soon!

My apple tree didn’t arrive, but I’m hoping to have at least three fruit trees next year. I have also bought a clematis to climb up an ugly fence. We are removing the children’s swings and slides from the garden and creating more of a flower haven. The Little Man wants to keep his trampoline a little longer, but I’m thinking of bribing him with a tent instead. He can’t use the trampoline for long anyway as he gets back pain. We suspect he has a connective tissue disorder like his big sister but we are still waiting on test results from February. When Star had hers done it took eight months.

Anyway, I’m digressing. Tell me about all the lovely things you are growing in your garden.

Also Linking to My Sunday Photo

Last weeks Sunday Snapshot – Tamagotchi

Tamagotchi, My Sunday Snapshot

by Anne Sweet 7 Comments

This week has been stressful, but on Friday we had a rare day out. I have not been shopping for over a year, so I was both nervous and excited to get out. One of the shops we visited was a very quiet Smyths superstore and I bought myself a treat. A Tamagotchi.

Well, my daughter bought it for me, she also bought one for herself and we are in competition to see who can keep them alive the longest.

There is some history behind our reasons for wanting these toys. When my daughter was just nine years old I bought her a Tamagotchi which were new in this Country. She wasn’t allowed to take it to school, so I used to take it to work. At the time I worked in the local library and I’d keep it in a drawer at the counter. My daughter would come straight to the library after school (our home, the library and the school were all on the same street, and in those days the children were allowed to walk home alone.) I often had the children come straight to library where they would stay until my shift ended at 5pm. They would just go down to the Children’s section and read or do their homework.

Tamagotchi means egg watch, and they are actually egg shaped watches with a little digital pet incorporated. They give out a bleep when they need something. They are meant to be aliens and they don’t actually die now, but instead they return to their planet when their time is up or if they are neglected. When my daughter was little they did die though, I remember her sobbing on the stairs for about an hour the time her first Tamagatchi pet met his demise.

My other children have little interest in these toys, they are just not advanced enough for them.

Did you have a Tamagotchi in the 90s?

Last weeks photo, the opposite side of the picture.

My Sunday Snapshot – The Opposite side of the Picture

by Anne Sweet 7 Comments

I often show you photos of the trees over the fence of the garden, and today they looked gorgeous under a blue sky. But, then I turned 180 degrees and took another photo to show you the opposite side of the picture.

First up, the lovely trees as they looked this morning.

They are not my trees, they line the canal that runs alongside my house. We live at the end of the street. We get lots of birds and in the evening you may even see a bat.

Then turn 180 degrees and you can see the rest of my view…..houses, a large block of flats, currently with scaffolding and even the sky was cloudy. I’m happy to say that the clouds have passed over now and we have sunshine. I’m less happy that this had brought out the neighbours and the noise is way louder and much less nicer than the bird song.

If you look at the windows you can see the trees reflected back. I know which side I prefer to look at, but it just goes to show that there are nearly always an opposite side of the picture. I long to live somewhere more isolated, with lots more trees and maybe even a beach nearby. Maybe one day.

Bank Holiday

It’s the bank holiday and half term and the weather is going to be nice for a few days at least. Graham has been out in the garden and we have a few more things to do that I’ve been dying to get done but the weather has been awful. Then on Tuesday we are having a BBQ for the kids and a couple of their friends. They don’t feel ready to go off out yet so meeting up in the garden seems a better option for now.

And just in case you read my Word of the Week post, I can confirm that my niece has given birth to a healthy little boy. My brother’s 7th grandchild.

My Sunday Snapshot Flashback to 1999

by Anne Sweet 8 Comments

Do you remember New Year Eve 1999? For me it has a particular poignance, it was the night my life changed forever. The other evening I spotted this photo on my Cousin’s daughter’s Facebook asking if any of the family knew who it was.

Why am I sharing it with you? Well, it’s me!

The me I used to be in 1999.

I was happy, my marriage had ended but we’d finally come to peace with that. I had a fantastic job which I loved, my children were growing up, the eldest at Secondary School and the youngest in her last year at primary. We were at a party with all the family at a local pub function room and everything was going well. I’d had a few drinks but I wasn’t drunk. My ex was working as a taxi driver and had promised us a lift home so no worries. (Although we could have walked home in 20 minutes from this pub!) And it was the beginning of a New Millenium.

2000

The worst year of my life and I’ve had some bad years. I can’t even tell you what happened but the very next day my world imploded. This night was the last time I saw my Mum in five years and the last time our family was all together. There were other family parties, but they were fractured. Our family was fractured.

Isn’t it strange how one simple photo can mean so much. I’ve not even seen this photo before. I guess my cousin was going around taking photos of everyone. I probably would have hidden if I’d seen him coming, I hated having my photo taken.

My cousin’s daughter said she didn’t recognise me. I can understand, this really is a different me, I’m no longer that person and never will be again.

Life Goes On

Twenty One Years into the new century and life goes on. I met someone new, Graham, and we had three more children together. I did make some peace with my Mum just after Star was born and she got to meet both Star and Boo before she passed away.

I do try not to dwell on the past, it’s not something that can be changed. You can go over and over about all the things that you could have done differently, but it doesn’t make any difference once it’s been done. You have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get on with your life.

It has just been a jolt seeing the old me just hours away from becoming the different me.

I guess I had one chance to party like it was 1999……

More of my Sunday Snapshot photos.

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