Taking a little time out....

Dan and I have spent a week Camping in our van, the good news is we are still married. The bad news is that we are home now and in two days time it will be Ellie's birthday. I have had moments while we were away of feeling waves of sadness wash all over me - one day by the sea it was so beautiful... met a couple with their little girl who was about three I guess. I spoke to the lady who said that her Dad had brought her to this spot some thirty years ago when she was little and she wanted to bring her daughter too. Then I longed...I longed to have my girl there, to show her this beautiful spot and for her to come here with her daughter in another thirty years. Gertie, our camper would if still alive(!) be nearly 70years old by then.....better look after her just incase...one day...maybe you never know....
Another day we met a lovely family with a bay camper just like Gertie, Dan ended up chatting away and Ellie came up in conversation. The father asked if we had a picture of her, it seemed such a rare moment, to be able to show someone a picture and be so proud...to say 'Hey look, it might just look like it's just the two of us here, but we were a family not so long ago....and look this was our beautiful girl. It was hard to talk about her but good to remember and for someone else to know about her and hopefully read her story.

When we got home today we had a nice surprise.

There was a knock on the door from a lovely lady called Wendy Graham, who is from our village and works at the local medical centre as part of a team of district nurses.
Along with coleagues, Kirsty Sewell-Threadgold, Magalie Prot and Carol Ashton have been very busy making cards, cakes and jewellery to raise Money for Ellie's fund. She gave us an envelope with £100 today which we will add to the fund.
Thank You so  much to those very kind ladies for following our girl's story and being so touched as to want to do something to show your support. The fundraising has come to an inevitable slow no, so it was lovely to recieve this 'birthday' present for Ellie.