Reasons to be thankful in July

I love this saying! 

I met up with one of my best friends and her children. 

She had bought me a beautiful bracelet 

We enjoyed a few really hot days while the kids were still in school so mum kindly took me and Cerys to the beach one evening. We had our tea there, chippy tea yay. I also had a can of coke, which is one of the few times since having a stroke that I have drank coke, I have always considered it as a "kind of treat" I suppose but right now it is not something that I crave. 

I love this photo as although not obvious I am actually paddling in the sea and I tolerated the coldness of the sea really well. My legs ached that evening, walking on the sand is a great workout. 

This is the first rose I have ever grown. I am so proud and it gives me great joy to look at and smell it. 

My daughter had a particularly good week in school, I can't afford to buy many toys for her at the moment but she had seen a advert for this particular cupcake doll so we agreed if she achieved a certain amount of things that week in school and at home she would get one as a treat. There are a few to collect and at £7.99 each, they are within our grasp. I think they are very pretty too and as my daughter would say "this is a well made toy" I love the way she notices and appreciates things. 

I got to go to this years carnival! Yay! I did not require a wheelchair or a stick. As long as I'm armed with my ankle push up brace, some water and plenty of rests (plus I must admit in the crowds I needed the arm of my Mum or sister on occasions as my brain got a bit overwhelmed) I am fine, I did it! Woohoo! I am so happy that I got to see my daughter walk with her dance group. I'm so grateful to my friend who walked around with her own daughter and Cerys. 

I had been excited for weeks about this day. I had missed it last year because I had been in hospital. I had a image of sitting in the field watching the live music that was provided that day. In my head I did imagine that I sipping cava or pimms but that was not meant to be as no alcohol was allowed. Still very enjoyable though. 

We had a barbecue at Mums! I had been trying to use my selfie stick that I had recently bought but I think I was laughing too much in the end at not being able to work the thing that I just went for the old fashioned use an outstretched arm technique. We finally got some cava and Ceri had made some lovely cava sangria. 

The kids (my nephew, Nieces and daughter) provided the entertainment by putting on various shows for us throughout the evening 

Beautiful day and night :) 

One of Cerys's summer goals is learn how to sew. She was very impressed with mums sampler that she had made while she was in school so mum had very kindly given her some aida and threads and we have made a start on this. :) 

Cerys finished infant school. 

We have a few days out just in the town that we live in. 

I sat in mums garden the other day while looking after Toby dog and admired her lovely garden. I am loving flowers at the moment. 

Me and Cerys are writing a little story, another summer project. Not sure who is enjoying it more to be honest :) 

We went to the local library and she joined the summer reading challenge 2015- "Record Breakers". I am so proud of this girl. Not so long ago I worried about her and didn't think she would ever  enjoy reading but now she does it so well and really does enjoy it. 

I could shout it from the rooftops about how proud I am of her, she has also passed her stage 3 in swimming, again something that at one point I could not see happening. Lots of big changes for her in September and I'm sure she will face lots of new challenges but I feel safe in the knowledge that she is as ready as she can be for them.  She is moving on with her lovely friends which we are hoping to meet up with soon. 

Me having a quick go on Cerys's scooter, not so long ago I was being transported by one of these- 

Which I have to say are amazing but look at how far I have come in a year! My left hand could not even grip on to one of these. I had to physically hold it there with my right hand and now I'm getting to have a quick scooter. Yay. 

My mum took me to The National Botanical Garden Wales. 

It is beautiful. We were lucky with the weather too, it was nice to get my walking done inbetween lots of rests too surrounded by such beauty. 

Cerys has had her ears pierced. She has been asking for a while now. We had said you can when you are seven but thought it was best to do it in the summer holidays as you need to keep the earrings in for six weeks while cleaning twice daily and turning the earring to avoid infection. She is very happy with the result. 

Today is the last day of July and I am looking at back at what I have achieved this month and think maybe I may need to do weekly posts in August as this is getting rather long. 

Mum finished work a little but earlier today and offered to take us off for a few hours. We went to Fishguard which is always beautiful but like everywhere else around here looks even nicer in the sunshine. I went to Fishguard a few days after I got out of hospital. I walked with my stick, worried almost the whole time about not moving too far away from the toilet should I need to go and found the wooden benches far too uncomfortable to sit on. It is amazing to think that such thoughts are not even a concern for me anymore. This is why I have such faith that all will be okay. I I remember thinking that I would never be the same ever again and being devasted. I may not ever be the same ever again but that is fine. I'm improving, life is getting easier and I'm happy. 

We had chips in a place called Somethings cooking. It was lovely and I particularly liked the way Cerys's chips were served- in a mini frying basket. She had one battered and one unbattered sausage with chips while I had a vegetable spring roll and chips which was very enjoyable especially as it was served with soy sauce. I have been craving the taste of soy sauce for a few days. I washed all that down with a glass of rose wine. Delicious. Thank you Mum! And big thanks to everybody who has been a part  of my month of July and to anybody reading this - Thank you! Xxx