A white Christmas?

[Spotty-ewe]

Here is Murray in the snow in front of the schoolhouse where I lived and taught. It was a 2 up 2 down building with one of the downstairs rooms with higher than usual ceiling (on the right of the photo) being the classroom. The rest was the teacher’s house. It was built as a school in 1878.

Shadow is digging in the snow behind Murray and the other cats are no doubt sleeping in front of the Rayburn on the sofa.

Snow very rarely stayed more than a day or so on the island so it was a novelty and fun for everybody whether 2 legged or 4 legged.

Hoping you all have a very happy Christmas 🎄🎅🏼 and New Year and that 2021 is a better one for all of us.🙏🏻

I am grateful to everyone on this forum for your support and love and for sharing your thoughts, crafts, recipes, pets and fun which has kept me going this very extraordinary year and many more besides me I’m sure.

Love and thanks to you all. 💝🤗😘🙏🏻xx

[Spanielmadlady]

What a fantastic place Spotty.i love snow but it's rare here too.on the occasion we do my 2 love to roll in it which on one occasion meant a trip to the vets.all one side of millies face dropped....they think she had hit her head on a stone under the snow 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️ x

[Spotty-ewe in reply to Spanielmadlady]

Oh no, poor Millie. 🥴 That must have been frightening for you until the Vet checked her over. How long did her face stay dropped? Murray never liked to roll in the snow. He hated getting wet too unless there was something in the water he wanted. 😆The cats rolled in it though, or dug in it like Shadow is doing in the photo. I don’t know what she expected to find.🤷‍♀️ Daft cat. 😂😂

[Spanielmadlady in reply to Spotty-ewe]

She was an accident prone youngester.she looked like she had had a stroke......took 5 days of steroids.on another occasion I was up all night her face like a football couldnt get the emergency vet he was out on the farms.think she had been stung up her nose....now I keep piriton to hand .

[Spotty-ewe in reply to Spanielmadlady]

Yes, I wondered if you’d have suspected a stroke. Thank goodness it wasn’t! 🙏🏻 And then the swollen face due to a sting. Poor Millie was very unlucky. Good idea to keep the piriton to hand. 👍🏻👍🏻

[honeybug in reply to Spanielmadlady]

Oh no !!! Poor Millie. 🤗🥰EJ ♥️🙏

[Spanielmadlady in reply to honeybug]

We never seemed to be away from the vets the first 4 years or so ...another time she got a scrape on the back leg and something got into it and burrowed into her thigh creating a big seroma...that had to be operated on 🙄

[honeybug in reply to Spanielmadlady]

OMGOODNESS poor thing.

I never had healthy pets. That’s part by of why I’d never get another animal.

But always made sure they were at the Vets ASAP when ill/injured.

EJ xxx

[Spanielmadlady in reply to honeybug]

She also had 4 lumps removed...3 off her ribs and 1 off her shoulder that were benign......she was just always bouncing around in bushes .shes 11 now and her insurance has been worth it in her early days.marley on the other hand goes once a year for his check up x

[honeybug in reply to Spanielmadlady]

Wow!!!! Big cuddles and kisses for both of them. Can’t be partial.

Oh poor little thing. Pray things will be stable from now on.

Yes thank God for insurance.

EJ xxx ♥️🙏

[Spanielmadlady in reply to honeybug]

Marlz always pushes his way in lol.old age issues now but she still bounces around the beach like a loony 😁 x

[honeybug in reply to Spanielmadlady]

Awwwww love ❤️ it. EJ xxx

[stiff19]

It’s like a Xmas card 😍👍 I’d like to live in there 😍 Murray looks like he’s on guard while shadow has a roll around. How I’d love a white Xmas, how I’d love some snow ⛄️ lovely pic as ever spotty and best wishes for Xmas and new year to you too .😍😘🤗xx

[Spotty-ewe in reply to stiff19]

Haha, he does look like he’s on guard doesn’t he. 😆 In reality he was probably itching to get away but had been told to stay until I got a photo of him. He was always very obliging. Glad you like the picture Stiff. Yes, wouldn’t a white Christmas be lovely? ☃️🌨Thanks for your kind wishes. 🤗😘❤️xx

[stiff19 in reply to Spotty-ewe]

🙌🏻🙏😘🤗x

[CecilyParsley]

Fabulous photo Spotty. Which Island was it you wee on? Were there a lot of islanders? Murray looks as if he is on patrol. Such lovely memories for you. Thank you too for your kindness, humour and positivity. All very much appreciated especially at this time. Have a very Happy and safe Christmas I hate snow because in Tredegar it can be a complete nightmare, roads closed, shops restricting purchases, chaos ensues. If I have a freezer of food, bread flour and eggs and do not need to go it I love to watch it coming down though xxx

[Spotty-ewe in reply to CecilyParsley]

I was on a small island off the west coast of Scotland - population 17 at the time I went there. Thanks for your kind words as always Cecily. We are all so good for each other aren’t we. 🥰 I feel the same as you about the snow - lovely to look at but now I’m older and my balance is rubbish I’m not so keen to tramp about in it. Have a lovely Christmas with hubby and your 2 boys. Xxx🤗😘

[CecilyParsley in reply to Spotty-ewe]

My hubby was fostered to Barra for a year. He said it was a different world where everyone spoke Gaelic, at the time there was no electricity either. You have such lovely memories. Wishing you the happiest of Christmas’s Spotty 🎄🎁🍾🥂 xxx

[Spotty-ewe in reply to CecilyParsley]

They are kind people on the islands, especially Barra. I hope he enjoyed his year there.🙏🏻 I had my own generator at the schoolhouse - that was a new experience to me learning how to fill it, change the oil, change a fuse etc etc. 😑 All part of island living. Couldn’t do it now!😆 Thank you so much for your kind wishes Cecily. Lots of love and hugs💕🤗😘🙏🏻🎅🏼☃️❄️🎄🥳xx

[CecilyParsley in reply to Spotty-ewe]

I am so pleased you had good memories of the islanders, sadly hubby did not. He was chosen for his strong legs not for any other reason, tormented as a boy because he had come from a home and at the age of ten worked hard emptying the boats and bringing stock to the shop where there were two other children used in the same way. They were replaced yearly. No warmth, affection , the care was perfunctory and they were just a commodity sadly but he loved the island itself and we hope to visit one day xxx

[Spotty-ewe in reply to CecilyParsley]

That is shocking Cecily. I am so sorry to hear that. So cruel to treat children like that. A lot were sent to Australia too for exactly the same reasons. Absolutely disgusting. 😡 I sincerely hope he had happier placements before and after that dreadful year. 🙏🏻 It is horror stories like that which has made fostering and adopting much harder for genuine people who can’t have children of their own. Any mental problems including depression or anxiety rule you out not to mention age. Terrible. And some of us would offer such a lot of love to children who desperately need it and we are not allowed to because of our age or past mental illnesses. Life can be so cruel. My father was 50 when I was born and I couldn’t have asked for a better dad. 🥰 What has age got to do with it? 🤷‍♀️ I hope you both go to visit Barra one day and see the better side of it and lay a nasty ghost at the same time. 🙏🏻 Love to you both. 💕🤗😘xx

[CecilyParsley in reply to Spotty-ewe]

Sadly not. The home he was in is now subject to the Scottish Abuse Enquiry. He has given evidence. Food and sleep depravation, cold baths, severe beatings necessitating being kept off school while the bruises healed, cold baths and much more. He has dreadful scars from the savagery and yet what was worse for him was that he had no contact with his family ever again from aged 5 to 15. His mother by that time was dead as wee two of his sisters and a brother. He has never found one brother and last year we finally traced two sisters one who died before we got to meet her and the other died just this year and we had met her once. She had Alzheimer’s and did not know who he was. So utterly tragic. It has had such a detrimental and damaging affect to this day. Despite all the set backs he was in the paras and later trained as a Child Protection Social Worker. We know only too well about the restrictions on adopters. After 8 years of fertility treatment I had to have an emergency hysterectomy. We were devastated. Neil was working and met with the Manager of the adoption team who told him of three siblings who had been orphaned. He came home and told me and we agreed to put ourselves forward. When they came to assess us they said the house was too small. We remortgaged ourselves to the hilt and had a double extension built. We were put on the training for the following month. We were so excited. Then the letter came...so sorry but we have cancelled your training as you are unsuitable due to your obesity. For the first time in my life I did not want to get out of bed. I was a manager of a ten bed children’s home with a twenty year career in child protection , Neil was a social worker of ten years. We just coukd not put ourselves through it again. We got our beautiful boys. They have fur but we love them dearly. It is preposterous to relegate children to care when there are people like us and you who could have loved them dearly. Such loss is hard to bare. Big Cwtches to you Spotty xxx

[Spotty-ewe in reply to CecilyParsley]

Such a tragic story of Neil’s childhood. I’m so very sorry to hear it. No wonder all that abuse has led to a lifelong detrimental affect on his life and yours too since you got together. After 2 miscarriages of 20 weeks and 22 weeks respectively I found I could no longer conceive. So my first hubby and I did the training for fostering with view to adoption. We couldn’t be considered for baby adoption because there was such a long waiting list that hubby would have been 40 and in those days you weren’t suitable for baby adoption if one of you was over 40! By the time we were offered a wee boy to foster our marriage was breaking up and I didn’t feel it was fair on the child to come to us on the verge of divorce. Present hubby and I tried IVF but no luck then I became very ill and had half my thyroid removed and then family problems stopped me in my tracks. We finally tried fostering again when I was 50 and they seemed keen enough until I filled out forms and disclosed I’d suffered with reactive depression due to the said family problems, and it suddenly all went quiet. I tried e-mailing them. No response. So we’ve not persevered and now in our 60s we’d have to foster adults! 😂😂 I can’t understand why you and Neil would have been rejected on such crazy grounds. With both your work experience, not to mention Neil’s personal experience of care, I’d have thought there was nobody better qualified. Oh well, I’m glad we didn’t persevere. If you didn’t succeed we definitely wouldn’t have. As my hubby says, “The best bit about bashing your head off a brick wall is when you stop!” We’ve had fur and feathered babies which have brought a lot of joy and love to our lives. All sadly gone now but their photos are in the house and we often laugh at some of the antics they got up to. Big hugs back to you Cecily. Xxx🤗😘

[CecilyParsley in reply to Spotty-ewe]

I am so sorry to hear that you wee treated so shoddily. Foster carers are essential . Having worked in Alternative to Secure and Children's homes there is nothing more sad than Christmas Day however hard you try. Young people all angry and upset, wanting to be hone. Invariably there were tears, outbursts, assaults and damage. I am certain you would have provided such a wonderful, nurturing home for children just as we would have. People making such decisions should have to work in a residential setting to experience the distress first hand. Thank you for sharing your story with me. Your hubby is right, for your sanity sometimes it needs to stop. He sounds like a good man. Xxx

[Spotty-ewe in reply to CecilyParsley]

Thanks for sharing your story too Cecily. Yes, I’m very lucky, hubby is a good man. Love and hugs to you, Neil and your boys. 💕🤗😘xx

[CecilyParsley in reply to Spotty-ewe]

Thank you Spotty xxx

[BonnyB in reply to CecilyParsley]

Wow, so very sad and unfair for you and the children you could have wrapped your arms around X

[CecilyParsley in reply to BonnyB]

Thank you Bonny xx

[honeybug]

Aww..love it love it. ♥️♥️♥️Wonderful history and memory. Thanks for sharing sweetie.

The same to you and yours.

Love peace and may the pandemic soon be conquered by the vaccine and the world 🌎 can start to recover soon in 2021.

EJ 🤗♥️🥰🙏🕊✨🎄❄️☃️

[Spotty-ewe in reply to honeybug]

Amen to that EJ. 🙏🏻🙏🏻 Love and hugs honey. 💝🤗😘xx🎅🏼🎄☃️❄️

[Horsewhisper]

What a beautiful peep into your past Spotty! A lovely pic of your school home and gorgeous wooflers doing their thing.

Thank you too for your never ending support, fun and positivity - I have never felt more embraced, when I’ve needed it most, by such lovely people on this forum. Peaceful Christmas wishes to you and your family and here’s hoping for a better 2021! 🙏🎄🎅⛄️🤗😘🤗

[Spotty-ewe in reply to Horsewhisper]

Thank you Horsewhisper. You have put so beautifully exactly how I feel too about this forum - ‘embraced’ sums it up perfectly👌. Thanks for your kind wishes and I hope you and your family have a wonderful time. I know you’ll all have scrumptious Christmas fare with Mrs C around! 😉 Love and hugs 🤗😘💕x

[svfarmer]

What a wonderful picture it looks like something out of a film 🎞 what a lovely place to live - hope you have a lovely Christmas 🎄❤️🥰

[Spotty-ewe in reply to svfarmer]

It was beautiful and the wildlife, especially birds, was amazing. If I ever got upset about anything I took Murray and went to watch the puffins at the back of the island that burrowed on a nearby stack and they were there from May until the autumn. Such comical lovely birds they never failed to lift my spirits. Have a good one yourself SV and I hope you get to see all your family including Connor. Hugs 🤗😘💕🎄☃️❄️xx

[svfarmer in reply to Spotty-ewe]

Wow how lovely to see puffins 🥰 I’m having bit of a nightmare week - I haven’t been feeling too well so had to have a Covid test yesterday and still haven’t had results back so all depends on my result as to if Connor can come for Christmas Day I’m just hoping and praying 🙏 that I’m negative. Have a lovely Christmas 🎄 yourself xxx

[Spotty-ewe in reply to svfarmer]

Oh no, I hope you are just off colour and don’t have the dreaded virus. 🤦‍♀️ A worrying few days for you. I’ll be praying for you too SV and hoping Connor can come for Christmas Day.🙏🏻 Take care and keep us posted. 🤗😘 🙏🏻 xx

[svfarmer in reply to Spotty-ewe]

Thankyou xxx

[Barbara17]

It looks just like Christmas should - but very rarely does. What great memories you must have,I echo everyone’s comments about love and support on this site. Some days it’s the first thing I read and there’s always something to cheer me up.

Have a lovely Christmas, everyone, and here’s to a much better 2021.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

[Spotty-ewe in reply to Barbara17]

👍🏻👍🏻🤗😘💕🎄🎅🏼☃️❄️xx

[Susieliz39]

A beautiful photograph Spotty ewe, quite the Christmas card scene I think! 😊

[Spotty-ewe in reply to Susieliz39]

So glad you like I Susie. Puts us all in the mood for Christmas. Have a lovely one! 🙏🏻🎅🏼🎄☃️❄️🎁xx

[Susieliz39 in reply to Spotty-ewe]

And to you too 🎄😘

[Spotty-ewe]

Thanks Louise 🤗😘🎄☃️❄️🎅🏼

[honeybug]

Ditto. ♥️🙏🕊

[jetjetjet]

Thanks Sotty -- Love That Pic's , As others have said and I agree wholeheartedly with them all , PostCard Scene for sure . Thank You for sharing with us all . A very Merry and Safe Holiday Season To ALL --- Looking for a better 2021 Bless You .

[Spotty-ewe in reply to jetjetjet]

Thanks for the lovely remark about the photo J. I know this Christmas won’t be easy for you without your fur baby, but I hope you manage to enjoy it anyway. Take care and keep safe. Bless you too J. 🙏🏻 Hugs. 🤗🤗

[BonnyB]

Absolutely beautiful, I've been waiting for your post. I work in a little primary school in a small village. The school house is attached, used as astaff room, storage and after school club. I often look around and think about the families that have lived there over the years. Merry Christmas X

[Spotty-ewe in reply to BonnyB]

It is fascinating imagining people from the past living in these wee schoolhouses isn’t it? If you are really wanting to know who lived there see if you can get access to old school Log Books - it is amazing what you will learn. This wee school is closed at present because there aren’t any school aged children on the island, but when it is open the teacher no linger lives in the house. Progress? What part of the country are you in Bonny? I’m pleased to hear there are still some small village schools around. Have a happy Christmas! 🎄🎅🏼💕🤗xx

[BonnyB in reply to Spotty-ewe]

Yes it is. We have all the records. I'm in Derbyshire X

[Spotty-ewe in reply to BonnyB]

A lovely part of the country. 👍🏻 Have fun researching the school. In the meantime have a wonderful Christmas. 🎄🎅🏼🎁💕

[svfarmer]

Just thought I would let you know my Covid test has come back negative 🙏 so I can now see Connor tomorrow so I’m over the moon - Thankyou for thinking of me ❤️

[Spotty-ewe in reply to svfarmer]

👏🏻👏🏻 I’m so pleased SV.👍🏻👍🏻 Our prayers were answered. 🙏🏻Thanks for letting me know. I hope you and Connor have a wonderful Christmas together with the rest of the family - human and furry. Happy Christmas! 🎄🎅🏼🤗😘💕x

[svfarmer in reply to Spotty-ewe]

Thankyou so much Spotty - hope you and family also have a very lovely Christmas 🎄❤️🎄👍