Monday 21 June 2010

Sun, sea and sentiment

I took the boys away for the weekend to Woolacombe and naturally along came Jason and Mathew. Jason had organized a beautiful chalet at Woolacombe Sands Holiday Park (pre summer rush prices). The weather was gorgeous, the surf was pumping and the boys were on form playing practical jokes on each other. Ed fell for the old trick of dig a big hole in the sand and cover it with a towel !!
As I have said before, many a happy family holiday was had in this place and it did bring back lots of memories, happy ones for a change. It was nice to sit watching the surfers from the grassy headland as the sun was going down. I could sit there for hours much to Jane's annoyance, she would be tutting at sighing at me to go back to the flat. She never was a 'great outdoors' person. Come to think of it we both had completely different tastes in what we liked to do so there was a lot of give and take in the relationship. Perhaps that's the secret of a happy marriage, go and do what you want to do on your own but knowing your partner will always be there for you when you get back. I liked the great outdoors, cycling, surfing etc, Jane liked trying out new recipes, red wine and a good party. I remember a quote she told one of her online friends once... ' I don't do walking boots, I do tottering about on high heels..'

When returning from our great adventures me and the kids would recite tails of woe or elation to Jane who would always encourage us to do more as long as it didn't involve her..
This time there was no one to tell, out loud anyway but I did manage a smile at her sat on the windowsill overlooking her kitchen.

10 comments:

  1. God Bless you Martin. A new friend, hopefully to be , but one who has read all your adventures since January via Jane's Story.

    Lisa from Lindenhurst, Long Island, NY

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hope there will be many more restorative days like this one, for you Martin. You are living all of our untold nightmares, and writing about it, I thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. your weekend getaway
    sounds like it
    was relaxing, Martin

    ReplyDelete
  4. good for you martin.sounds like the perfect weekend for you all. take care,mort.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a wonderful weekend Martin, you seem to have found a balance in the otherwise stormy seas. Thank you for sharing your break away with us all.
    Jackie xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am glad you enjoyed your weekend, it is difficult to find a balance but you have managed it
    Andy

    ReplyDelete
  7. So happy to see that you had a wee weekend away. Also returning home to no Jane is another hurdle you have overcome...Keep smiling and chatting to your Jane,
    God Bless,
    Love Sybil x

    ReplyDelete
  8. Martin one of Gods most precious gifts to us is the gift of memory,sitting in the sun looking at the beach and remembering Jane and your life together will bring its own comfort,I am certain that Jane is smiling at you from across her kitchen and being so very proud of how you are doing

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello Martin

    This is my first comment since Jane's death. We all knew the end was coming and i was still shocked to read of entry of her passing. As with all her followers my thoughts, love and prayers went out to you all.
    It has now been three years since my mother died, i still miss her terribly, she was a big part of my life. I found blogging about life after her death to be theraputic, i hope you will too.
    I hope you are not working to hard, i know Jane was worried about that in her last posts.
    Big Luv, Jaynee :o)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hallo Martin
    I'm just surfacing after a marathon of sorts. Quite by accident I came upon Jane's blog last night and started reading it from her first blog and after snatching a whisper of sleep, I finished it this morning. You knew her better than everybody else so it's almost redundant to tell you what a remarkable person she was. She told her story with honesty and courage. She gave voice to the lives of many people living with cancer. I could actually sense how she grew stronger while fighting this horrible disease. But then I think she was extraordinary right from the start. A particular sentence she wrote stands out in my mind, when she said that the extra time given to her by Sutend was priceless. That she spent some of that precious time blogging away was so thoughtful and I'm sure it will mean a great deal to many more people like me who read her story. She may finally have been overwhelmed but her light will never be dimmed. Thank you for leaving her Blog for others to read.
    On a personal level, I was diagnosed with KC in 2007 as well and if I can be half the person Jane was during her fight with this horrible disease, I will be OK.
    Thank you.
    Minnie

    ReplyDelete