Just Humans Being...

What an incredible year we have had... We downsized to spend 12 months in a sweet little house with the most stunning views of the sea. We were treated to an amazing holiday in Canada, thanks to our kind and beautiful friend Richard... It was fantastic to spend time with Richard and his fabulous family...  We adore them all very much and will always be grateful to him for his incredible generosity! We had lots of new work opportunities come our way, which have kept us extremely busy and have enabled us to continue living here - The price for a bit of luxury! We now work in more stunning properties and we also spent the summer season at the youth hostel with a lovely team... All the kidlets are happy living their alternative lives...  2 of them own a caravan, 2 of them live in that caravan, 2 of them gave up their flat to do a long term house sit and all of them have exciting plans ahead. We have come to realise that for us, our

Wishing you all well and for those of you who partake in the seasonal festivities, we hope you are having a happy and fun time! We had our annual family get-together early this year and enjoyed a weekend in a snowy Somerset. We stayed in a beautiful former church with all the kidlets, where we exchanged our usual Secret Santa gifts, ate, drank, played games and music, laughed and chatted pretty much non-stop! As the snow fell, we said our goodbyes and we travelled through a blizzard up to Stoke-on-Trent, where we sampled the delights of retirement village living with Granddad Gerry and Nana Stip-Pep! We then went on to Snowdonia, just the two of us and stayed in a little Welsh stone cottage, just outside Betws-y-Coed. There we experienced a big thaw with lots of flooding and then it snowed again! We returned home to lots of work and were busy up until Christmas Eve, but have now chilled out for a few days. It's just us and the kitties at home in this little ho

With lots to tell! Kay and Sime xx

For the very first time, our visit with Bebe was an absolute joy! It was so nice to be with her & wonderful to see her so positive at long last. Is it thanks to the drugs? Or is she finally settling? Probably drug related, but at least she wasn't tormented by all her anxieties... We took in some family photos & also printed off information explaining why she's there & where we are, etc to help calm her down at night, as the staff were telling us last weekend that they continue to have problems with her in the night. We've also promised Bebe that we'd write down everything about the kids, she likes to know how old they are & what they're all doing & always asks us several times each visit, so we'll get that done for next time. Her new improved mood is hopefully here to stay, she's even been reading a newspaper each day, which is something she found difficult to do before - she didn't have the interest or the ability to sit

Flea, much to Sime's disappointment, never really embraced the music genre associated with his namesake & although he often gets into scrapes & scraps... He's really a big softy, especially where music's concerned.  Here's some of his favourite tunes: He hopes you enjoy the videos as much as he does!

We visited Bebe this afternoon with Hugo. She very often talks about being a prisoner in the care home & wanting to get out, but of course - in reality, she wouldn't know where to go or what to do! The staff said she'd been in a good mood earlier, so this was just for our benefit. Kay & Sime xx

We have finally finished emptying Bebe's flat.  The keys have been handed in, the sale is going through - we've met with the estate agent, the solicitor, the new owner & said goodbye. Bebe was never into clutter, her home was always spotless & free of stuff, but when it came to clearing it out - it was still hard work! This is another reason why for us it is increasingly important to free ourselves of our own stuff... The thought of leaving all of it behind for the kidlets to sort out in years to come feels selfish, especially knowing what a nightmare it has been for us. No parent wants to become a burden to their kids, but it happens. We plan on leaving very little in the way of possessions, so when the end comes - the clear out will be a breeze! At least Bebe is still alive...  Many middle aged kids are left with property to clear & not only is it difficult to organise around their own family & work, but they are dealing with their grief too. 

Us chatting about work, family, etc & a glimpse of the view we have to put up with!!! We've looked after this house for over 7 years, one of the first jobs we took on when we started up our business.  It's now a very successful holiday let, attracting groups of people from all over the world & we spend most of our Fridays there... Which is nice! Kay & Sime xx

Over the years, our life has become simpler...  We work less, buy less & do less.  Last week, we spent a wonderful few days with our kidlets - all of them, here, together, enjoying each others' company.  Feasting together, playing board games, sharing stories, talking pretty much non-stop, laughing & exchanging our (late as usual) Secret Santa gifts - Perfect! As always, the Secret Santas' have oozed with imaginative creativity - much more fun than spending hours & money buying countless gifts. Our rules are: Only spend up to £10 & it should be home made or second hand - just one person to buy for... Simple!!! There is a lovely warm feeling having our gang around us & we feel topped up with love, hugs & fun.  There's nothing quite like it! The week before was spent celebrating 3 birthdays... Hugo & Jess both turned 18 & Bebe's birthday was sandwiched between the two - she is now 85. When Bebe moved

Happy New Year to you all! We've had quite a difficult time with Bebe... She is not the same person who moved in with us just over a year ago & since starting with a chest infection just before Christmas - she has lost her appetite & a stone in weight! Penicillin has perked her up a little, but we've had lots of sleepless nights which are just exhausting for all of us! Saying this, it hasn't stopped us from having some lovely times with family & friends over the holiday period... While staying in Bishop's Castle we had a meet up with friends, Shelley & Kelli in Wales...  Sime was in Shelley's band - The Hidden Persuaders back in the early 90s & after losing touch, they found each other on facebook a couple of years ago. This time we got to meet her fabulous Wife too & enjoyed a lovely afternoon chat, coffee & cake! A flying visit to Stoke & a lovely evening spent with Gerry & Brenda (AKA Nana Stip-Pep). Bre

We shared lunch with Rose & Asa today.  The food was actually better than it looks in the photos, but we forgot to get one of it served up on the plate... Cottage pie made with yesterday's leftovers, plus some miso & parsley added to the mash. Roast squash & garlic, mashed together with a little oat milk, black pepper, lemon juice & a liberal sprinkle of nutritional yeast.  We cut the squash in half & removed the seeds, placed it face down on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. The bulb of garlic, sprinkled with smoked paprika & wrapped in foil was added to the tray too. We cooked them in the oven on a medium heat for 45 minutes, then scooped out the squash from the skin into a bowl & added the puréed garlic (just squeeze from the cloves like a paste). We then mashed with the above ingredients & put it in the oven for 15 minutes... Which would have browned the dish - if the oven had still been on!!!  Never mind, it was stil

Wildebeest opened earlier this year in Falmouth & we love it! Not only is all the food (& drink) vegan, but every dish is imaginative - full of colour, fabulous flavours & it's all completely wholesome too! The cafe has a great atmosphere, very chilled - with friendly staff.  There is a huge chalk board on the wall of the cafe, as well as on the inside of the toilet doors for customers to get creative & enjoy reading! Even though it's about 30 miles away from us - we've still managed to visit quite often & met up with family & friends to share the experience...  We feel very lucky to have such a nice place to go - which has to be one of the best vegan eateries around!!!  Are your mouths watering? For those of you who think vegan food is bland & boring - visit Wildebeest