I'm done with Sergio

Do you like this picture of half of my face?

OK just needed a photo to start the post.  

So it's time to come clean.  I've changed my username.  Whatevs.  When I first joined Blogger many moons ago I just came up with the first punchy little pseudonym I could think of because I never thought I'd end up having a blog of my own so it wouldn't matter that much.  Hence Lucy Nation was born (the origins of which are somewhere in the film Carry On Doctor in case you're interested - where else!)  But you know it ends up being quite complicated and you actually feel as though you're deceiving people.  Never my intention.  So from hereonin I will be using my actual name.  Well, sort of.

Hello, I'm Sarah Jane, nice to meet you.

It's not the only thing that may change around here.  I'm in a rut.   Not just with this blog but with so many things.  My hair being the main one.  Stay tuned...

xxx

The day is done for sleepy ones

Here I am bank holiday Monday in Vyrnwy.  I love Vyrnwy.  If you've ever been here you'll know why. I wrote about the history of the lake and my fascination with it here

It was a beautiful sunny day.  My Little Miss had spent the weekend in her grandparent's holiday caravan nearby and me, the Mister and Master L travelled up on Sunday to spend the night in the Vyrnwy Hotel and join up with them the following day.  I didn't get any photographs but I wish I had.  The hotel was beautiful and the views spectacular.  Didn't get to enjoy it quite to the full though.  Had about an hour's sleep.  Hence the sunglasses.  Just after these photos were taken I collapsed into the Mister's arms sobbing uncontrollably, so they also came in handy for the red eyes.  Needless to say I don't deal with tiredness very well.  Does anybody?  Seriously?

The aqueduct 

I'm a girl of simple pleasures.  I love to be surrounded by beauty and people I love, but I also long for solitude.  Being left in my own company.  Perhaps to read.  I consider myself a female Bernard Black but with different vices.  Switch the smoking and drinking for sleeping and eating and that's pretty much me.   I also get a bit angsty when my routine is disturbed.  What can I say, this childrearing lark has it's perils for someone like me.

As for Master L.  He's a heartbreaker.  He'll learn to love sleep as much as his mama and big sister do  eventually.  For the time being I'll settle for the coos and gurgles and the smiles he has at the ready for us.  Also for the soporific hour he and I spent in bed listening to this artist

xx

It felt good to be out of the rain

Hello there

Here I am in my back yard amongst the straggly (okay, dead) plants

It's the school holidays and my Little Miss has gone to Shropshire for a couple of days to visit her auntie and uncle.  Today, I was determined to actually get out of my pyjamas and out of the house, so the Mister and I took Master L out for breakfast. 

Cardi - Asos sale

Skirt & necklace - Dotty P's sale

Tights - fancy dress shop

Shoes - Ebay

Brooch - charity shop

About a month ago, just before the birth of my lil guy, I was sent the very bag I am sporting to review by a lady named Jocelyn at Sammydress

I call it my 'horse with no name' bag

On browsing the site I was struck by how many cheap pretty dresses and shoes I would be able to buy if I was a size 8 and had size 4 feet.  Unfortunately my post baby size 16-18 curves and size 7's are a stretch too far but if you are lucky enough to be all petite and doll-like then it might be worth checking out.  I love the bag apart from the fact that the shoulder strap broke the first time I used it, doh!

So how is everyone?

My Little guy is 4 weeks old this week and I could write a whole post on how amazing he is but you know that's not my style, right?!  Me and the Mister are in the 'not quite adjusted to the sleep  depravation' phase.  Your body does strange things during this phase, like shivers uncontrollably even in a centrally heated room.  I know there is a general assumption emanating from certain elements of the media that would have you believe that pregnancy, childbirth and life bringing up young children is a beautiful picturesque roller coaster ride to be celebrated and enjoyed like the healthy breakfast of granola and organic yoghurt, which is consumed each morning as part of a healthy, balanced breast feeding diet, which in turn miraculously makes your mummy tummy disappear and your figure snap back into shape.  Bah!  You know what, it is wonderful, but it is also horrendously emotionally and physically exhausting.  For my part, I am just taking each day as it comes.  Mainly surviving on quick chocolate hits and full sugar coke to keep me going.

Just keeping it real

Having Netflix also helps with the crazy hours

Sweet Baby Blue

Image source

Well, I'm officially a second time mummy.  My sweet little 3 day old bundle of sheer perfection, henceforth to be known as Mast. L, is sleeping contendedly in his bouncing chair while I undercoat my nails, Mr N watches the match and the Little Miss is in and out of the room by the minute to check on her little brother, stare at him, give him a kiss and stroke his face.  We're all besotted, exhausted but walking on air.

Normal service to be resumed once we float back down

xxx

Different colours made of tears

I recently spent some time in the sprawling New Galloway countryside.

Just down the road from our deserted rustic cottage was a 17th century church 

Spooky dancing children on these crumbling tombstones

The weather was wet and overcast for most of the week

It was the perfect place to contemplate the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and the major life changes ahead

I love tombstones that look like sacrificial tables

5 months in I am weary, tearful and distinctly lacking in glow.  Impending motherhood this time around has manifested itself as an all out attack on my equilibrium.

But this part of Scotland at this time of year presented a welcome break and an ideal environment for gathering one's thoughts and spending treasured time with loved ones.  Photographs couldn't do justice to the miles and miles of unkempt and unspoilt countryside and vast rugged landscapes.  Pretty it certainly isn't, but it is so wild and beautiful

Wild Mood Swings

Hello lovely blog readers

How are you?  I've been absent a wee while but let's not dwell cos that's boring.  Instead let me catch you up on what I've been doing.

Well, I've rejigged the old blogstead (again) and hopefully I've created a header that I might actually stick with for a while.  Also, last week I spent some precious family time in Pembrokeshire where I captured the beautiful medieval town of Tenby through my Hipsta-lense

Such a pretty little town.  Full of crumbling medieval walls mixed with windy roads of pastel coloured Victorian houses and hotels and the most beautiful seafront.  

This is me in one of my favourite childhood locations, Castle Hill.  I still get so excited when I see the canons

Managed to raise a small smile

Oh yeh, that was the other thing, the mister and I are expecting our second little bundle in March next year, yay :)

The first trimester wasn't kind to me at all.  It was basically a blur of sleep, longing for sleep, greasy hair, acne, soul crushing sickness and murderous anger and frustration.  Not pretty.  I barely left the house, inspiration was scarce and blogging was the last thing on my mind.

I'm hoping I've turned a corner now!

I promise this won't become a mama blog.  I myself have hit the snooze button on bloggers who've gone into full on maternity mode in the past so I know it's not everyone's thing.  Although, I'm sure you'll humour me a little bit won't you!

I'm going to try my best to catch up with you all soon

Ta ta for now

xxx

Black Hair

The name of a song written about the beautiful Polly Harvey

By the raven haired guru himself, Nick Cave

Ok so that was just an excuse to show some gratuitous pics of the goddess that is Polly Harvey!

Getting to my point, black is also the colour that my own hair used to be for quite a while 

 

  The longest while actually.  Out of all the other colours it's been, I've stuck with black the longest 

Eeep!  Who is this pale tired looking woman?  Could it be me when Miss 6 was Miss just turned 1?!  Nope, it looks too much like Samatha Cameron...ugh!!!

So although I love my red hair

As immortalised by the amazing, also flame haired, Edie Pop

I'm itching to go back to black

I can't stop looking at pictures of...

Pretty girls with raven hair and red lips

What should I do....?

Damn decisions!

Btw, I have no idea where I got these photos, I've had them a while.  Most of them came from Tumblr I think.  Please let me know if any of them belong to you and I will credit you pronto! x