Life through a lens - Tribute Tuesday, My sister Rachel

This weeks Tribute Tuesday is to my sister Rachel, Wacky Wachel, which is funny in a way because she is due to fly home from Germany for Christmas today too.

What can I say about Rache?

When Daz and I got married Rachel was one of our bridesmaids but apart from performing that duty we also put her to good use by playing the flute (and I think even singing) in the church at our wedding, she performed Ava Maria and it was the most beautiful thing. She was nervous as hell but on the day she didn't let us down.

When pregnant with Callum one night (about 2pm in the morning!!) our phone went. It was Rachel. "Sis I've been up London all night with my friends and I got to Romford but I didn't realise the bus doesn't go any further... and I haven't any money. Can I come stay at yours please?" See Rachel doesn't really think things through. lol. Anyhow what was a sister to do? So in traipses Rachel, drunk as anything and all talkative. "Rache, it's a weekday I've got to work tomorrow, plus ermm you know... pregnant... need sleep?" Rachel then proceeds to talk to my bump "Hello in there, I'm your Aunty Wacky Wachel. We're going to have so much fun." She then bizarrely asks me what we'd do if we had one of those babies that was both sexes (her exact words!), ermm you mean a hermaphrodite sis? Anyhow that comment must have really played on my mind (and the answer is obvious, we'd love it the same as any other child of ours) as from that night on I had constant dreams about it and then... well that's probably more embarrassing to me...

Oh ok... when Callum was born it all sort of went a bit wrong and ended up with me having to have an emergency c-section and Callum put into special care. It was 13 hours before I got to see my son for the first time. Anyway Daz went down to Special Care to check on Callum and they took some photos of him so that when I came too Daz had something to show me. Back up to the recovery room goes Daz to check on me and wait for me to come to which I do. He tells me that we have a beautiful baby boy. Now this is where most people would say "Is he ok, five fingers, toes etc?" isn't it? What do I ask? And I'm totally blaming you for this Rachel!!! I say "Has he got a big willy?" Yes, that's the first question I asked about my son.... I was on morphine if that excuses anything.

Show us those muscles!!!

When she was younger she had this wobbly tooth that refused to come out. You know the type, the one that bends right back and forth but just stays in. Well we dealt with that... and yes our own Mother let us. You know that trick they say about tying a bit of cotton/string around the tooth and the other end to a door handle and slamming the door shut... and out flies the tooth. Yep we did that. Actually I think Mum even held Rachel down. lol. Anyway it worked and out flew the tooth.


I remember when Rachel was born she had to have her hips in plaster (she was a breach birth baby), I always remember her sitting on that old sofa of Mum and Dad's in her plaster legs. I think I even have a photo somewhere of her like that.


One year we had a family holiday to Bognor Regis, we stayed in my Dad's business partner's caravan (and god did we break things). I don't remember the name but nearby there was a sort of theme park. You know some of them have one of those outdoor theatre places for the kids, normally clowns put on a show? They had one at this place and somehow Rachel ended up being called down to sing... (was it Happy Birthday?) I think they heard her singing... well more like shouting in Timbuktu. It wasn't until years later that she developed her beautiful singing voice.


On one of my birthdays being out shopping with Daz and my mobile going off. It was Rachel all the way from Japan, she got the whole bar she was drinking in at the time to sing Happy Birthday down the phone to me... in Japanese and broken English. lol.

Even though I haven't seen much of Rachel over the last few years due to her living in Japan for five of those years and this year living in Germany she's always been a fun sister to have around. She can drive you crazy with her forgetfulness but she can also give you hours of entertainment. Love you sis.

Like Mother like Daughter... actually most of us in my family like a good old drink.... it's the Irish in us.

Life through a lens - Tribute Tuesday, my sister Katie

This weeks Tribute Tuesday is in honour of my sister Katie... aka Bossy Boots.

Katie at her 30th Birthday Party

What can I say about Katie? Hmm... well ... do I embarrass her or not?

When Callum was still a baby Katie was working round the corner from us at the hospital and so would pop in for lunch. I remember her always bringing something nice in to eat and then her getting down on the floor on Callum's baby gym and playing with him and saying "I'm Favourite Auntie Katie.". She's always had a great way with kids and I know that if/when she decides to become a Mum herself she'll make a brilliant one.

Katie loves her food!! However Katie doesn't like waiting for her food, well she didn't when she was a kid. If dinner was later she'd cry. Aww bless. Also I remember how fussy she was with certain foods. Bread has to be fresh! Milk has to be fresh off the doorstep and not opened. Are you still like that Katie?

"I'm nothing like Sarah!". I've heard this is what Katie says when she's drunk. lol. Years ago Daz and I had a small New Years Eve gathering at our old flat, just family. Anyway Katie turned up right at the end of the evening totally wasted and embarked upon making her own cocktails. This basically involved her just throwing together in the hugest glass she could find every type of alcoholic drink we had. Once made she proceeded to drink it all. Then she saw the time and realised she should go home. Maybe this is when I should mention that our flat was on the first floor and the staircase was steep and narrow. See where this is going? Yep she went head over heals all the way down and lay there at the bottom like one of those actors do in a movie. We thought she'd broken everything, well at least something! But nope! Up she got, wondered why she was lying on the floor and went home. Apparently she didn't even remember turning up at ours. lol

You know how I said Katie is fussy with food? Well she is with clothes. How many outfits did you have for Daz and mines wedding Katie? lol

If you need a broken Swarovski Tiara taken back to the shop and replaced, Katie is the girl to do it. I never did hear how she got a brand new one but she did.

Sorry if I've embarrassed you sis, as well as giving us moments of laughter you give us plenty of moments of love. Katie may be strait talking but she has a good heart. Thanks sis!

Do you like butter?

Life through a lens - Tribute Tuesday, my sister Emma

For those that know me and my family you'll know that I'm the eldest of 7 kids. Yes I know in the photo above there are three kids missing but do you know what? I don't think there are many photos of us all together, maybe wedding photos and at the moment I'm feeling too lazy to get the wedding album out and then the scanner out.

I've thought long and hard on how to go about my Tribute Tuesdays, I don't want to offend any of my siblings or family but how exactly is the best way to go about choosing who is next? So I've opted for my siblings to go in age order and after that I'll do my Grandparents and then Aunts (alphabetically I think is safest) and then cousins. Next will be my extended family and after that we'll see who is next. And of course I'm saving the best to last with my wonderful husband Daz and my son Callum.

So this weeks Tribute Tuesday is to my sister Emma.



Emma is 3 years younger than me and while we've always had a rocky relationship as sisters we've still had plenty of fun moments together. She has two beautiful children, Eloise and Alex but I'll do a separate post for them.

Some memories I have from my childhood of Emma:

• The time while playing Hide-and-Seek and she hid in my bedroom. We had all given up looking for her but she hadn't heard that. She was in my room sitting on this tall chest I had right by the bedroom door... and the light switch. The door to my bedroom rather than being one of those that opened into the room was one that opened out. You can imagine my shock when I went up to my bedroom to get something, opened the door which felt a little stiff and then heard a yelp and cry. Emma had been holding onto the door handle and when I gave it a tug to open I had yanked her off the top of the chest of drawers, thrown her across the room and caught her head on the light switch. Notice how it was my fault? lol. Well Emma ended up at hospital having to have stitches while I had to stay at home and listen to my Auntie Ida tell me how bad a sister I was and how it was all my fault. Hello?!?! My bedroom?!?!? Finished the game?!?! Oh well Emma forgave me.

• She always loved to make Mud cakes in the garden but use Mum's best pots and pans.

• Borrowing a red nail varnish of mine and then denying she had used it... although she had red nail varnish over her duvet cover.

• Oh Emma do you remember that wedding dress you originally bought? And the musical garter? I think enough said but I still chuckle at the garter.

• The time we were on holiday in Ireland and you got bitten by that horse on the chest or was it the back. Anyhow it was just a few days after you had been bitten by that dog on the back/chest and you had matching bite marks on the back and chest.

I could probably do a hundred more childhood memories but I'll leave it at those... OK one more...

• The time I came home from Brownies and Mum said her and Dad had to rush you up to A&E as you'd swallowed some paracetamol. We had Valerie and Ron come in and look after us while Mum and Dad took you up to Harold Wood where they gave you this ghastly medicine to make you throw up. I remember hearing afterwards how they kept you in over night for observation and that you spent the whole time running up and down the ward with a toy pushchair. lol.

Thanks for being a great sis Emma.