Not a natural blogger?

I don't think "blogging" is going to be my "thing" :)
Two entries in four years isn't exactly productive! The daft thing is I like to write - although a lot of it gets done in my head. When it actually comes to putting it down on "paper" - real or virtual - all the thoughts that seemed so well constructed and valid, seem to disappear into the ether!
This is the bones of something I was pondering the other day - about family.

No Girls Allowed?

I recently realised that there are a distinct lack of females in my family. I am one of three children, but the only girl. My mom was one of five, but again the only girl. My dad was one of three boys (although there was a half sister who we lost contact with when I was a child. My dads family history is very murky!) I never knew my paternal grandmother (more murk!) and my maternal grandmother died when I was ten, although we had been fairly close up to then. So apart from me and my mom, the nearest female blood relatives I had growing up were cousins, and not many of those. And I didn't get to spend a lot of time with them.

The newer generation was no better. I have no children, my younger brother has none either, and the middle one had two boys, now in their twenties. My younger nephew has bucked the family trend by having a daughter - the first girl since I arrived 50 years earlier!

I got to wondering whether this lack of close female ties when I was growing up has anything to do with my distinct lack of any desire to involve myself with anything labelled "girls/womens/ladies" stuff. I don't enjoy groups of women doing things, and I object to being sent off to sit with the "girls" if we are out with a group of people. I have a few female friends that I am close to, but a "girls night" has never been my idea of a good time. I don't really get the whole "girly" thing - clothes, make up, etc..... and I wonder if I would have been different with more of a female input when I was young?

We will never know!

Setting Off

Well this has been distinctly unsuccessful!
Tomorrow we set off back to our home in Spain after spending the last almost 3 months in our home in the UK - otherwise known as my parents house. I think we have definitely outstayed our welcome this time! 3 month is along time to have people hanging around you, I know I would be pulling my hair out by now if it were the other way around! We have tried to ease the pain by going off for the odd trip in the motorhome, and spending most weekends in Tamworth with Clive and Sue, but it has still been - well..... interesting!
So today we leave here, and after a night at Clive & Sue's the four of us set of on our mini adventure - our first trip abroad in the vans. We are heading home, and they are coming along for the trip. Hopefully the weather will be kind and we can enjoy the trip down, and maybe see some bits of France on the way through.Maybe stop at some of the interesting looking places we spotted on our lightening journey to France and back last year, when we did door to door in 12 hours!
If the weather isn't good, we will head home, have a bit of a pit stop / check-up of the house in Tibi, and then maybe scoot off to Portugal for a few weeks? Maybe catch up with Martin & Amanda if they are still around.
So - tomorrow is D-Day! The theory is I will post on here about the trip, but who knows!! Not even sure the internet will work until I get back home!

First Blog

Well not sure what this will be like - My first blog!
A quiet day at home attacking the garden, reading, eating (!) nothing exciting. Am now using up valuable intrnet access doing this. Other half watching football again!