On the nature of being ill and memories

Or to be honest - a bit poorly...

I've had a low-level cold this week - took one day off work to try and shake it, and since then have just been generally bunged up and sneezing a lot. Weirdly it feels more like hayfever than a cold, but it is October and the leaves are dropping off the trees and nothing is flowering so I think it is just a cold limping its way out of me.

But this got me thinking about when I am ill. Which (touch wood) I very rarely am. I can't remember the last time I had a full on grotty head cold, let alone the flu (thereby now opening myself up to a winter of lurgies no doubt) and I don't really know what to attribute that to. I'm not uber healthy, nor do I live a clean and pure lifestyle which would build up my resistance to all the bugs floating around.  But somehow I tend to manage to avoid the worst of them - the most I do is quaff echinacea and fortified vitamin c when I feel something coming on. Maybe thats it!

But the one thing I do always have is lemon & honey with disprin. I can't bring myself to buy Lemsip - and don't really see the point. And there is something comforting and homely about my lemon & honey drinks. Memories of hearing Mum walk up the passage way when I was ill at home as a child, and knowing she was bringing me my drink. Always before bedtime to help us sleep. Although I think I put a tad more honey in than she did as sometimes they were a bit tart! And even feeling just a little bit poorly, I go straight back there, and still want to be looked after. I'll never forget my 21st family celebration - feeling full of cold, and I just wanted to be at home. I was going home anyhow (I think I bused back with Eryn) and it was a journey from hell - cold, hot, sweating and shivering. But we got back to Taupo, I crawled into bed and Mum bought 'the drink' in. I was so happy to be home - even though I felt like I was dying!

Tracey comes to town...

I'm not even going to try and do a catch up in terms of Tracey's visit - she's been gone almost two weeks now :-( . But some of the fun bits below - and loads of photos are now on Flickr. More than my facebook album!

• Day out at the seaside in Brighton
• Beautiful Stresa/Lake Maggiore
• The heat in Bologna and Milan
• The weather during Tracey's last week
• Leeds Castle
• Buckingham Palace - no Queen but we did see 'The Dress'!!
• London Zoo - always a good day out :-)
• The Lost Gardens of Heligan - stunning
  
• Eden Project - great to go back to
• Having someone to drink G&Ts with!
  

And still falling...

This year Megan comes in at 23 in the most popular names list. Was 20th last year, and 15th the year before! There were 2223 girls named Megan in the UK in 2010...

Maya comes in at 57th (up from 66 last year with 1061), while Lucy pips me (again!) coming in at 21st (down from 16th last year with 2544). No Leigh, Louisa or Tracey, but Elizabeth comes in at 49th. Interestingly Erin comes in at 35th for girls with 1621.

Thomas comes in at 6th with 5307 - no change from last year. William is 7th with 5256. Alex is at 52 with 1359 (down from 50 last year) and Sam is at 93 with 692 (down from 88 last year).

Three years

What I've missed sharing:

• My 40th
  
• Skyping
• British Virgin Islands
• Egypt
• Turkey
  
• Prague
• Wales
• Walking adventures - Tryfan, Yorkshire, Peak District...
  
• London Loop
• Visits from the family
  
• Day trips to new places
• My new found interest in exercise
  

And everything still to come in my life...

Dropping away again...

This year Megan is back down to 20th in terms of popularity of names in the UK... Was 15th last year - check out the post here.

Three of my friends have girls named 1-3 (That would be Olivia/Daphne, Ruby/Raewyn, Chloe/Lindsey). Maya comes in at 66 while Lucy pips me again at 16th! Nothing for Leigh or Tracey... although Elizabeth comes in at 43.

For boys, Harry comes in at 3 (shout out to the Uncle!), Thomas at 6th (he's dropped 3 places), William at 8th, Alex at 50th (also down 3 from last year) and Sam is at 88th (down 9 from 2009).

So there are still going to be plenty of Megan's running around for a while yet...

Playing the hostess with the mostess...

September 11th Philippa arrived for a whirlwind 2.5 week holiday over here. I won't blog in detail about everything we did, but some of the highlights below - and lots of photos on Flickr :-).

• Highgate Cemetery - hadn't been for years. Both Philippa and Maya were keen to go after reading Her Fearful Symmetry and it was great. It was a slightly damp day, so the group was small, and it was quite atmospheric. Definitely worth revisiting!
• Westminster Abbey - can't remember the last time I went, but again it was good to go back (if somewhat expensive...). You forget how many famous dead people there are!
• Seville - we spent five nights in Seville which I absolutely loved. Would be very keen to go back again. The Alcazar just blew us away - it was incredible. We also went up to Grenada for a day to go to the Alhambra, but it wasn't as magical to us as the Alcazar. Although I would like to go back and do it again by myself (we were on a guided tour so didn't get any time to ourselves to explore it properly...)
• The Cathedral in Seville - purely just for its size and grandeur. And not that I was aiming to, but I have now been to the three biggies - St Pauls in London, St Peters in Rome and Seville...
  
• Lots of eating and drinking and just hanging out with Philippa, Maya and Chris. Very good times :-)
  

How famous am i??

I'm speechless... I remember Finbarr taking the photo. Most amazing thing is that I never saw this - a friend of mine spotted me and emailed me about it. The Times no less!

And finding out about it on Mum's birthday no less. Fantastic

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6814256.ece

These are the feelings I taste in my dreams...

Had an incredibly vivid dream this morning about Mum. I had travelled back in time (I have complex dreams!), and Sam was in it, but he was only young. He was in the lounge in Taupo telling Mum that something was empty, and she was talking to him about it.

I knew in the dream that Mum was gone, and I was just loving being there and having the opportunity to see her again and hear her voice. And in my dream I was thinking 'Thats right - thats how she sounded'. I woke up with her voice in my head, but already it has gone again. Sometimes I can hear her so clearly and other times I just can't hear her voice at all.

What I learnt from me Mum...

As I was folding my newly washed and dried tea towels the other day and very diligently putting them to the bottom of the pile so the towels stay rotated I thought of how it is second nature that I do that, and being told by Mum as a youngster that that was how you put the towels away...

Then about 1/2 an hour later I dropped a knife and could immediately hear Mum saying 'Oh no - don't drop a knife - I don't want any more visitors'. And it was the thought in my head as well 'Oh - visitors'.

Funny how its the little things that make you stop and pause during a normal day and remember.

Lucy's tribute to Mum

Lucy wrote this poem last week while suffering from tonsillitis and she has now had it published on the Tearaway site.

I think it is absolutely beautiful, makes me teary every time I read it and I just know Mum would love it.

Where would we be without family? Love you Lucy :-)

The ritual of sherry

Its funny little random comments sometimes...

Went out for a pint with Owen after work (VERY unusual for a Monday I hasten to add, but he was away last week so we were catching up...), and on the way back to the station we started to talk about the drink you have (but shouldn't have) at the end of the evening (mine being whisky in case anyone's interested).

Having just been to Spain he mentioned how they had been drinking sherry while they were there - pale sherry, chilled. Before dinner. So of course I mentioned the Shield's family ritual to him - and that started me wondering where did Mum get it from? Most pubs don't serve sherry chilled - but Mum did. I have no idea, but perhaps someone in the whanau knows when it started.

Anyhow - I went home with a smile in my heart remembering the sherry ritual.

Its the random comments...

Portsmouth Naval Memorial

On Sunday we headed down to Portsmouth to see the Naval memorial, where Mum's cousin Tom Willetts is remembered as one of the crew who went down with The Hood. I'd always been meaning to go down to take a look and send some new photos home - guess I just thought I had more time. So Tracey and I did it together which was lovely.

Even now the number of people named on these memorials is quite staggering - and a lot of the panels still had fresh flowers placed by them, or had recently had new plaques added in.

Street art on Tate Modern

Street art on Tate Modern (1)
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Fantastic street art on the walls of the Tate

Tracey outside the Houses of Parliament

Tracey outside the Houses of Parliament
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

In full on sight-seeing mode!

Battle of Britain memorial

Battle of Britain memorial (2)
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

My two favourite nieces...

OK - I only have two anyhow.... but they are still my favourite nieces...

Maya and Lucy in Opotiki, February 2008








(with thanks to Marilyn for posting the pic on her blog. If it wasn't for you I'd never see pictures of the Abrahams! Maurie's bike pics don't count...)

The Shields Whanau (by age)

The Shields Whanau (by age)
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

L to R: Jonathan, Bruce Leigh, Adrian, Tracey, Eryn & Me.

The first time we'd ALL been together in 30 years - and the first time ever (as far as I can establish) that a photo of all 7 of us has been taken...

Sam and Phil Goff

Myself and Phil Goff
Originally uploaded by enetheru_2006.

And here is Sam, snapped with Phil Goff while attending the Youth Parliament in Wellington - go Sam!!

Commuting NZ style...

Commuting NZ style...
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

Couldn't resist posting this one of Adrian on the train in Welly...

50 not out...

And Leigh
Originally uploaded by Megan Shields.

And so Leigh turns 50 today - happy birthday sis!! (I know your hair doesn't look like this anymore but its the most recent photo I've got of you!)