One year on

 

I cannot believe we have already been living on Hayling Island for a year. My last blog had very few photos, now this one will go to the other extreme. This morning I knew I would be writing this blog and I thought I would go through all the photos we had taken since moving down here. Oh my word I need to manage my photos better, over 1000 have been taken in one year.

We moved onto Hayling Island on the 12^th December 2020 having lived through the first lockdown in Aylesbury. Its now the 20^th December 2021 not only have we been through a second lockdown, but we are once again living through a series of restrictions. The difference this time is most of us have been jabbed and in a lot of cases we have our added booster powers. I took advantage of one of our trips back to Bucks we went to a walk in centre at Stoke Mandeville Stadium.

The first few weeks of our arrival were not all plain sailing, sadly my eldest sister lost her husband just two days before we moved. Thank goodness my middle sister was on hand and able to go and stay with GAL. On the 17^th December we had our first visitors, it was a complete surprise. Hubby and I were venture scout leaders back in the day and all through the first lockdown one of the ex venture scouts started a fortnightly video call with other ex members of the unit, the sessions were known as Covid Catch-up. Now months later on a visit down south Paul and his wife Wendy popped in to see us.

Soon it was Christmas Day and because of the horrendous circumstances us three sisters spent it together (but hey on reflection we shouldn’t have felt guilty because from what I hear there were others doing a lot worse).
 The new year arrived and our first priority was to unpack the various boxes and finish off plumbing in the kitchen sink.

 

I did not have a PA straight away, but I was fortunate that my nephew was able to step in. When the care agency were able to employ a PA the county council were only prepared to cover 12 hours a week (in Bucks I had 32 hours). Fortunately my nephew carried on coming to me as well as the PA so hubby could work. Our first few weeks were spent baking for Christmas and exploring Hayling.

While hubby and I were exploring
SMD was hard at work fighting the second wave of the pandemic. 
Together with GAB my hubby was able to lay the decking and ramp making everything even more accessible and a lovely place to sit and soak up the rays.


 Everything was all coming together, I added my female touch and love of birds with the bird feeders together with plant pots from CMB. Now in February we were still in lockdown, hubby was occasionally working and when he wasn’t he was DIYing, making good of our fireplace. 

We went on more winter walks and realised the beauty of living by the coast.
 There is a wonderful nature reserve just up the road from us, with a highland cow or two, they are part of the county council conservation grazing project. Would you believe it they all have names, one lucky male called Fred and five females, Wilma, Betty, Primrose, Heather and Bracken.

 

GAL moved to Hayling Island into a superb care home with just nine residents, again due to lockdown and the government guidelines on care homes we had to spend our time visiting her through the window at first.

I was so excited when April came round,  I was able to have a haircut and my nails done. 


The restrictions were slowly lifting and in May both my Dad and Sister celebrated their birthdays.

 Hubby and I celebrated our 25^th Wedding Anniversary and SMD her birthday.  Larger gatherings indoors were still not allowed, but we could have a gathering outside. With this in mind CMB arranged for a surprise celebration of our Anniversary. Feeling much more confident to have a gathering outdoors, plus the fact that three quarters of the people there by that time had been ‘double jabbed’.

 

June was another busy month, being close to family we were able to always be part of family celebrations and Fathers Day was no different.


 Our garden shed’s appearance was converted to look like a beach hut, thanks to CMB.


Sadly I had to say goodbye to one of my PA’s. 
We even went back to Bucks to go to a family Christmas BBQ.

 

July and August came along with a visit from my really good friend from Princes Risborough. SMD came down for my birthday and we spent the day in West Sussex.
Another visit also to the Hawk Conservancy Centre (it’s so much closer now we are living on Hayling). 
The hot weather meant we had a good excuse to eat ice creams. 
It was also the turn of Hubby’s family to come and visit. I love being able to show people around this wonderful island.

 We became members of the Weald and Downland Museum, another local outdoor family attraction probably best known for where The Repair Shop is filmed.

Before we knew it September was upon us and more exploring of the local area. This time the villages of Bosham and Emsworth. Both beautiful, it was great to wander around and get to know places now on our doorstep. 





A visit from my Brother and Sister in law from Denmark and another visit to the Hawk Conservancy and a chance to share one of our favourite places.

 

Before I knew it we were into the last quarter of the year and getting closer to the anniversary of when we moved. I had now established the Hayling MSers and we were meeting every month, CMB is really supportive and provides a selection of homemade cakes.

I love sitting in the lounge at home and looking out the window and seeing a paraglider going about their evening business.

We went to Arundel Castle in October with SMD and discovered their beautiful gardens. 
While she was down we took our first trip to Chichester Festival Theatre, it was the first time we had been to a Theatre outside of Aylesbury! A beautiful theatre and one we will certainly be back to again. 
Another visit from friends we hadn’t seen for a couple of years.

 

Ever since I was a Guide, I have always attended Remembrance Day Parade and again this was another first, one that was actually outside Buckinghamshire. So special though because for the first time in my life I was able to parade with my family, stand there with such pride as I watched my Dad who is 96 years young. Plus a colleague of my Dads came down from London and carried the Prince of Wales Sea School Standard. None of this would have been possible if we hadn’t of moved here.

The Chilterns MS Centre also restarted the weekly games of Boccia and whilst I cannot justify going each week I can certainly tie it in with the hairdressers. Was really chuffed that my first visit was when SMD was staying with us.

 

 

 

Over the year I have had my fair share of hospital appointments and have got used to the difference between Hampshire and Buckinghamshire. In November I got to meet the team of MS nurses, they are all lovely ladies. I am so pleased that every couple of months one of them will be attending the Hayling MSers group. This week I have a neurologist appointment. All in all I am very happy with my medical appointments and I have been fortunate with the postcode lottery when it comes to the NHS.

SMD has been able to come and visit more regularly, just recently more so as she took a short break before starting her new job.
 Hubby’s Stepmother lives much closer and whilst SMD was down we had a lovely day together albeit windy and bitterly cold.
 Now we are here for our second Christmas and very happy.

Family is everything last week my BIL and SIL (Brother in Law and Sister in Law) came down and we had a Christmas present exchange. 
Really looking forward to later on in the week when we do our marathon and drive to Bucks and see Hubby’s Mum, a couple of friends and then onto SMD to pick her up for Christmas.

So when I am asked am I pleased we made the move the answer is YES!