With this ring…

I am linking to Sian for another Story Telling Sunday. Don’t the weeks come around quickly?

My story this week is a bit topical, it is about my wedding ring.
William seemed to have a little difficulty getting the ring on to Catherine’s finger didn’t he?
A similar thing happened to me, only it was quite a few years after our wedding and it was the other way about, I couldn’t get my ring off!
My poor hands and fingers decided to swell. So much so that I had to have my engagement ring cut off. It was 18ct gold, so very thin to start with, it began to cut into my finger.
My wedding ring began to get tight but I really didn’t want that cut off so I put up with it for ages. One day my friend saw me turning it to try to make it more comfortable, she told me about a goldsmith in the West Country, near to Bristol, who made jewellery from old gold.
Maybe I could have my ring cut off and a new one made from it?
Apparently you could take your old broken jewellery to them and they would make you a new piece of jewellery from your old gold.
We drove across to Bristol to investigate. I had a little packet of old and broken jewellery with me, not knowing if it was good enough or indeed enough to do anything with.
The goldsmith in the craft centre couldn’t have been kinder or more helpful, we decided to go ahead, he cut my wedding ring off and we added it to the little pile.
We had enough gold to make me a new wedding ring and some lovely new earrings. I was thrilled. As jewellery designing is not one of my skills we left it to them to help us. For the ring they suggested a simple twist which was one of their own designs, and they earrings would be a couple of cm long narrow at the top getting wider at the base with a hammered design (clear as mud to me). Although they drew the pattern of the ring and the shape they proposed for the earrings, really I had no real idea what it would be like. It sounded wonderful, the only thing I was concerned about was, would the ring fit!

A few weeks later we drove down to The Clevedon Craft Centre near Bristol to collect my new wedding ring.
With this ring

And these earrings

So what’s so exciting/interesting about that story?

The gold that is in my ring and earrings came from my original wedding ring, my engagement ring, my mothers wedding and engagement rings, my grandmothers wedding ring and my mother-in-laws engagement ring.
I am wearing something of probably insignificant monetary value but the family history in my simple ring is priceless.

There are more stories here

Anything But Simple

I usually try to link up with Simple Things on a Monday but as I came to write my post this morning I feel completely distracted so here is a True Story instead.
I’ll think of another one for Sian next week, promise.
I was going to post a picture to say Happy Birthday to my son because today is his birthday, yes that’s a simple thing and I should have been able to post under that heading but my feelings today are anything but simple.

The thing is, my friend Jane always celebrates her son’s birthday by doing something special just for her. A new haircut, full body massage, eyelash tint, you know the kind of thing? I admire her greatly for this. I spend the day thanking god for the child I waited so long for and chatting and laughing with my husband about the many funny and wondrous things that happened on the day of his birth!
Anyway, back to the birthday.
On the playroom wall at our old house we had a wall of pictures, called Ben & Friends. One of the little group of photo’s was called Ben’s transport.
We had lots of lovely pictures of the brick truck, the garden train, the Noddy car, the little scooter, roller skates, (the donkey!)

Then the first bike with stabilisers , then the very posh Raleigh thing with bells and whistles and speedometers. He used to fly around on this bike like a thing possessed.

Then the micro scooter which was the biggest pain because he used to go so fast on it in the house and then one day I saw him attach it to the dog! the poor thing was pulling him along on the scooter!
And then we moved.
The boy was too big for a special wall of pictures. (he said)
Now he was mad about building things that move and fixing things, preferably with an engine. A lawn mower first, Oh the noise! It never cut any grass mind.
Then came the bigger scooter. The body was in poor repair and the engine was in a cardboard box. We gave this to him one Christmas! He spent a whole year restoring it to its former glory. I remember the special colour paint for it cost more than the bike cost us!
Then there was the car. Oh dear the worry, I was nearly sick with it. I went in the car once while he was learning. I had to lay in the back seat with my head covered.
He is a very considerate driver now. At least he is when I am in his car with him.
So is there a point to this?
Well today as I said is his birthday, it is Easter Monday and he is taking his full motorbike test! I am not at all surprised of course, his whole life has been building up to this day.
I need to write this down, I need to say how I feel, I need to share it in my special place, my blog.
We are proud of course, he is a lovely sensible young man, we are happy for him, doing something he has talked about and dreamed of for years but we are also worried, frightened, nervous and stressed right now. Our baby is out on a motorbike! Ok he is 22, but as all mothers know, in my heart he will always be ‘my baby’
I am thinking a full body massage plus alcohol with my friend sounds just about right to me just now.

Wishing my boy a very happy, safe and most of all, fun birthday! Mx

Fellow blogger, Have you been here?

I posted a True Story last Sunday and I completely forgot to add a link to Sian from High in the Sky.
I have no idea why it suddenly popped into my head this morning either! glad it did though.
On the first Sunday in the month Sian hosts her brilliant idea “Story Telling Sunday”. It is such fun to do and even more fun to read all the wonderful stories that link to her.
A thousand apologies to Sian, go visit her here.
The next link up will be Sunday 1st May 2011, hope to read a story from you there/here

What sort of thing (that you can admit to!) do you forget?

Some stories need to be told even if they are difficult to write.

A while ago there was a discussion in blog land about whether we should share sad stories. I think it may have been on Sian’s blog. The general consensus was
that as they formed part of our lives as well as the happy stories it was ok to share.

My story is very sad

I have had this story written in my head for a few months, I wrote it all down at the weekend, today I will write it to my blog.

I know that everyone of us has a special child, one that stands out from the rest, just that bit funnier, a little brighter and certainly more beautiful. Do you agree?
Having got your agreement then, may I beg your indulgence and tell you about one that I know?
This particular special one was born 10 years ago in the summer of 2001,
The whole family were so very excited because we hadn’t had a baby in the family for 12 years.
Oh my goodness was he going to be loved, and cooed over and clucked over by his adoring aunties, and cousins who were all old enough to love him and not be jealous of him.
Because we lived 150 miles away we relied on phone calls with updates of his progress, he was cooing, laughing, rolling over, sitting and walking.
Of course he did all these things much quicker than the average baby because he was, well special.
So many people queued up to ‘baby sit’ So many aunties to love and be loved by!
So many nannies!
So many willing hands to push the pram, teach him to balance on a scooter and to ride a bike. All done, much quicker than the average boy, obviously!

He went to play school and loved it, he talked non-stop, a little old fashioned shall we say but then he lived with a house full of adults.
He went to school and loved it, he was a popular little chap at his first school, he loved to bring his friends home to play especially as his older brother and sister would join in the games which they were far to big for, but what kudos!
He grew to love the computer and e-mailed everyone, how lovely for his daft Aunty Miriam to receive an e-mail from her gorgeous nephew, with every e-mail I try to send a picture of my dog because he loves her so much.

Anyway, In February 2010 the beautiful child became poorly.

Every one of his huge and adoring family have been amazed by this fearless, funny, strong, wonderful, brave, beautiful boy.
We have learnt loads and loved loads, we have laughed and we have cried we have held each other tight, we have shouted, screamed, questioned, prayed and asked why, why him?

We spent some time with him on Saturday, in the beautiful hospice in Oxford.
He passed away today.

Cousins. May 2006

God bless you and keep you beautiful boy.
13 June 2001 – 8th March 2011