Family Archives - Conversations through the middle

Catch up

October 7, 2015

This past year has been one of firsts and I’m quite overawed in a way that I’m now where I am, 18 months after making a life change it took me so long to find the courage to make.

Almost 22 months – I have just worked it out.

My old life seems so long ago, yet it feels like just five minutes since I moved back to the North East.Read more

No I’m not having a baby, but a puppy. Two puppies to be precise. Angel is around a year and a half, and Dylan is three months, and they are both currently in Cyprus. I will tell you all about them soon, but as an introduction, here’s a short video of Angel taken by Constantina, the lovely lady currently looking after her.

We can’t wait for both dogs to join our little family and are so excited – they should be with us in around three weeks.

Post by Constantina Constantinou.

I’m a #Morrisons’ Mum

May 11, 2014

This is the first May bank holiday I have spent in the north east for many, many years, so I was thrilled to be selected as a Morrisons’ Mum and I turned the occasion into a bit of a family celebration.

My sister and I did the shopping at our local Morrisons’ store and then I prepared the food for all of us – Dot, Don (my sister), Becky and Laura (my nieces).

Unfortunately the temperamental northern weather let us down so the picnic I had planned went out the window – or rather we had it indoors, with lots of little dishes to tempt our tastebuds.

We enjoyed Greek salad, chicken drumsticks, which I flavoured with a smoked paprika and red pepper rub (Morrisons’ own make), outdoor reared chipolata sausages in buns, garlic bread (always goes down well with the kids) and homemade spicy potato wedges. For my sister, a committed vegetarian, I also bought a pack of frozen cheese ‘sausage’ rolls and she had Quorn hot dogs in buns in place of the chipolatas.

There were dips, houmous, cheese, French bread and mushroom pate. Finally for dessert I bought a dark chocolate and passion fruit terrine – ice cream layers with passionfruit sorbet and sauce, topped with sugar crunch and chocolate curls. Unfortunately we didn’t get that far. After bowls of fresh strawberries with cream and ice cream we didn’t have any room left! Talk about a feast.

Now I have shopped at Morrisons in the past, but what I noticed especially this time was the huge variety of product on sale. Instead of just popping in for a few things I set about my shop strategically and went in armed with a list of dishes I intended to make as well as an ingredient list. I’m particularly pleased with my spice find – there’s loads of the smoked paprika and red pepper rub left and it gave a fantastic flavour to the chicken. Another buy that has become a big favourite with me is Morrisons’ smoky chipotle BBQ sauce, which was great on the chipolatas and I suspect will be sublime on burgers. The kid’s preferred Morrisons’ tomato and chilli relish, which I liked too, but the chipotle sauce is something else.

Bargain-wise I did very well. The outdoor reared pork chipolatas were two packs for £5, saving £1.38; I bought a big bag of potatoes for spicy wedges for 69p; salad potatoes reduced to 50p, two packs of chestnut mushrooms for garlic mushrooms, down to 34p per pack, vine tomatoes for 69p and half price pizzas, £1.49 each. Needless to say there was no way we could eat everything I’d bought at one sitting, so the bank holiday has continued all week with salade tricolore, pizzas, garlic mushrooms, chiopolatas, chicken and more spicy wedges (yum).

I definitely noticed a difference in prices. Morrisons’ current campaign to lower prices is working – and they’re lowering them on things people actually buy. The fruit and veg offer (three items for £1.50) is particularly attractive and one I will be taking advantage of in future.

It’s almost six months since I became a single parent and with my daughter moved back to the north east, where I grew up. I can’t believe these past months have gone so fast; I love my new life, but I don’t think the transition would have been so pain-free had it not been for the enormous support of my family, especially my sister. Despite the Newcastle weather, we had a happy day and it felt good to be sharing it with my closest people; a family celebration to mark my almost six months’ anniversary and being back home.

My sister Donna, enjoying her veggie hot dogs in between rain showers (she will kill me for putting this up!)

Welcome Cosmo kitty

February 9, 2014

We have a new member of the family – Cosmo the kitten came to live with us from Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter a couple of weeks ago and he is settling into life as the baby of the family fabulously.

Dot has wanted a kitten for ages and now seemed a good time to go ahead. Not only has she a lot of love to give but I’m hoping Cosmo will help her settle in our new home and ease this transition in her life and the change in our family.

He is the cutest little kitty, but he’s a sod as well, always playing, play fighting and climbing up the furniture. Not just the furniture – he mountain climbs up my legs using his claws as crampons, hanging on to my jeans until he reaches my knee while I’m sitting at the computer. Or he hangs off my slippers as I walk across the kitchen, or stops Dot sleeping at night by batting her on the head, demanding she play with him. Every night he starts off in Dot’s room, door open; every morning he’s on the landing, Dot’s door closed, Cosmo banished from the comfy bed and reduced to jumping on Rosie, our other cat.

Ah Rosie, almost 18 years old and not impressed by this new pipsqueak in her life. He lies in wait for her and jumps on her, he chases her tail and tries to steal her tea. Our grand dame retaliated at first by hissing, but now she just clobbers him with a regal paw. Not that that stops him, as soon as she’s not looking he’s chasing her tail and jumping on her again. I think she secretly likes him – they are gradually lying nearer each other when they sleep and I don’t think it will be long before they are curled up close.

Not that he sleeps much. He has sooo much energy and is always running around, he doesn’t stop. Oh to have that much energy and find that much fun in life! He’s a total whirlwind, then just when you think he’s not going to stop, ever, he conks out. Sparko. Purring and asleep. Quiet and cuddly. Adorable.