On The Rebound

John frequently drove over to stay with Claire and on many weekends they then drove over to the cottage.
Claire and Sam first met John's children there. 
Their mum and partner were staying in another cottage but the children spent their time there with their dad.
There was Emily, 13; Sarah, 9 same age as Sam and Patrick, 6!
Sam immediately found an affinity with Emily being more mature. 
They seemed nice children with good manners.

As it neared the summer holidays Claire suggested the children stay over a while at her house.
John met half way with their mum to collect them.
Although Claire had a three bedroomed house it was difficult with one boy.
Emily and Sarah shared a room and Patrick ended up in a sleeping bag on the floor of Sam's bedroom.
It was fine as they all appeared to get on well.

It was meal times when Claire realised Patrick had never been taught how to use a knife and fork properly! Emily tended to help him a lot and even John's attitude was that he was a boy! 
Claire said that he needed to learn and must be struggling at school. 
There were other things too she noticed Emily tied his shoe laces and Claire asked if he'd been shown how to use the loo as most went on the floor! 
John didn't know and although he had been split a while from their mum Claire felt he should have noticed! 

Claire believed in everyone doing their bit but when drying pots Patrick came close to dropping things. John's attitude was to say he shouldn't do it but Claire said to give him cutlery to dry but no sharp knives.

Although Claire had done her share of babysitting when younger and run a crèche for a Gingerbread group she had no other experience than raising Sam. However she knew enough and was horrified that both John and his partner had been primary school teachers and owned a nursery!
She was later to realise the nursery was left to staff and half the time so were their children whilst they lived their own individual lives! 
This opened Claire's eyes to further understanding John and she had mixed feelings! 

The children stayed a few days but they could only go out locally as there was not enough car room for four children. Luckily the beach and a huge park were within walking distance.
Then they returned home.

Claire worked three part time jobs so Sam usually went to her grandmas but as John had all the holidays, being a lecturer, it meant Sam could stay home sometimes! 

They had a great summer going out to many different places.

Claire's friend was having relationship difficulties so travelled up from London with her two children to stay a week and Claire took time off work.
John stayed over at the same time and they all arranged to stay a few nights at the cottage meeting John's children there.
They met up at another small seaside village, Robin Hood Bay and when Sarah found out where they were to meet said to her dad "not f*****g Robin Hood Bay father"! 
When John relayed this to Claire she was totally shocked especially at John finding it comical. He just couldn't see it as a problem. 
Claire never heard him swear and she never spoke such words within hearing distance of Sam or any child! 

Claire had learned a lot about the life John had had with his ex. Apart from leaving their children to their own devices with Emily taking on the mother role a lot of the time, they appeared to have like minded friends and been cocooned in their ideas, opinions and ideologies!

John knew plenty about his subject but not so much about general knowledge and life in general!

Through things he said it was obvious the man his ex was now with, Jake, a long time friend, and his ex had been having a relationship for many years.

When she fell pregnant with Patrick they had not slept together for a long time and yet she suddenly decided to sleep with him once. Then she was pregnant! On seeing Jake it was so obvious he was his father and John agreed still wanting to hide from the truth! 

Time to blog about food again

Thai mixed veg.

When I cook I grab ingredients and chop straight into pan but can all be made ready first!

Drizzle sunflower oil in a wok/pan then add finely sliced carrots, stems of broccoli, sliced green beans, broad beans, thinly sliced pepper, sliced courgette, asparagus tips, a little fennel...they can all go in together... slithers of Ginger, slithers of chilli, squeeze half a lime and lemon, a few dashes of soy sauce, some shavings of creamed coconut and a little water... Stir every now and again. 
Cook either Ramen or rice noodles to accompany! 

Other veg could be swapped or added too!
I didn't use garlic or spices but you can experiment! 
Could add peanut butter or tahini to make a satay sauce! 

Enjoy!!! 

On The Rebound

Claire was devastated when her relationship ended. She had really loved Neil. He was over ten years older than her and she felt safe, secure and loved when he was around but it had all gone wrong. 
As they lived in the same seaside town she often saw him but he didn't frequent the local pubs so she could avoid him when out socialising! 
The months passed when she met someone else, she was later to realise this had been on the rebound but it was to change her life!
Although John lived in a city some miles away he had a cottage close to the town where Claire lived. 
They initially met as friends but started a relationship. At first she couldn't get Neil out of her head and when parading around town with John hoped to make him jealous! 
But the more she saw him the more she liked him.
It wasn't long until he invited her to the cottage, it was by the seaside but one that had been a little fishing village tucked away on the east coast.
The cottage was very messy with a hotch potch of furniture but she loved it, especially the open fire where they would later make love.
It was such a peaceful place, the sort where artists would retire to. There were often many visitors but it wasn't commercialised!
That first morning Claire woke to the sound of seagulls. 
John made her breakfast and then they went for a walk along the rocks with it's sea pools.
That night he made her tea and they snuggled up to soft music. 
On Sunday after a walk that took them over a river, flowing to the sea, via stepping stones, they went to the pub directly opposite the cottage for Sunday lunch.
Claire really loved this place.
That evening was back to reality and the long journey for John to the city where he lived and worked.

Claire had a daughter and John had two daughters and a son from a previous relationship. They lived some distance away and although a difficult situation Claire later encouraged him to see them regularly.

On one of the weekends John stayed over they went to the Sea Life Centre. Claire's daughter, Sam, was only young but was interested in everything stopping to read all the information boards.
After a long time walking round they went to the cafe. John expressed how shocked he was that Sam was so interested and well behaved! Claire started to wonder what his children must be like!

Too Young

Janet was about sixteen when she met Simon, he was twenty. She always seemed to be asked out by older men.
He lived on the next street so they had often seen each other but met up properly when Janet was out with friends at The Crown. They got chatting and would often meet up there amongst a crowd. 
When he found out she was good at Art he asked her to design a logo for his mobile DJ van. He wanted to call his business Aquarius. 
Janet found a small picture of a water carrier and checked it was what he wanted. She squared it up and made an enlarged drawing. Simon then took the design to be spray painted onto his van, he paid her too. 
One Saturday night he asked her to go with him to the club where he was working. She asked one of her friends to phone and tell her mum where she would be. 
They travelled in the van and it was an amazing night, she'd never been to a club before due to problems with transport. All the girls kept gathering round and asking for requests. Janet was pleased that she was the one with Simon and he wasn't interested in anyone else.
The club closed at one but when they arrived at his house it was nearly two in the morning. Immediately they turned into the driveway Simon's mum came out saying that Janet's mum had been round and she was livid!
Simon walked Janet round the corner immediately but still lingered long enough to give her a good night kiss. 
When Janet was in the house her mum started with the usual ranting and raving but when asked if Janet's friend had phoned she had. That was how she was able to go to Simon's house! She was fuming that Janet was out so late but at no time said that she had been worried. No it was all about control and not wanting her to go out with friends even though she knew she couldn't stop her. She knew this because when her sister was the same age and went out she once called the police! A lovely police woman came round who then listened to their mother ranting about how there should be something they could do to stop it. Her sister never even stayed out late! The police woman questioned what she expected the police to do and that as she was sixteen she could leave home if she wanted to and do as she wished. She did the following year! 
Janet continued seeing Simon and on a couple of occasions went to clubs with him but told her mum in advance knowing she could do nothing. After that she was always asleep when Janet returned home! 
They had been seeing each other for a few months and managed to sleep together on odd occasions when she came home from school and he had the house to himself!
Then out of the blue he asked her to marry him, he was ready to settle down and start a family and wanted his wife to be Janet.
She was so shocked! He told her he knew she needed time to think it over.
She spoke to friends at school saying that she felt too young, hadn't known him that long and had plans for a career! 
When Janet next saw Simon she had to tell him she wasn't ready to settle down. He said he understood, she was still young and he was willing to wait. She explained that she intended moving away as soon as she could. 
She never saw him again apart from at a distance.

Before Janet moved away she met someone else. 
Tom was a Royal Marine so older than her. He came from a nearby village where she went with friends to drink.
He had been to many countries already. He was tall, dark and handsome and not long after they started dating he took Janet to meet his mum. She let them stay together when Janet stayed over. Even Janet's mum approved of him not that she had met all of her boyfriends. 
He had a car so they were able to travel around. 
They had been together a few months when Janet was told she had been accepted at a college in London and would be leaving. 
Tom was due to go on duty in Ireland and even though he was an officer would still be involved in the fighting. They both hoped to continue the relationship.
When Janet was in London she had a special number to call so was only charged local rate to call Tom. 
It was a terrible time with all the bombing. One time she phoned he had been in hospital having glass removed from his back. He had been close to where a bomb had exploded. 
He wrote regularly and sent Love Is.. characters with his own Love Is... quotes. It made Janet's heart melt. 
But as time went on Janet found the long term relationship a strain. Eventually she met someone else. 
Then out of the blue Tom turned up, he was staying a few days with a friend in Knightsbridge not far away.
Janet had to quickly make excuses for not seeing her new bloke that weekend.
Tom and her had a great time and she wasn't sure what to do.
They continued to write until one day she told him she couldn't continue the long distance relationship.
He was very upset and the next time he was on leave went to see Janet's mum saying he loved Janet and could she do anything.
Janet was upset to hear this but realised she had made the right decision. Tom was ready to settle down but she wasn't.
She often would look at the Love Is... he had sent her and the fabulous love letters along with the photos of him in uniform his mum sent her. She would always cherish them. 
Then one day her new boyfriend saw them, he was very jealous and told her to throw them away. She had started falling in love with him and didn't want to lose him, so she did.
She would regret that action forever. 

Tonight's Tea

I often come home with the dilemma of what to have for tea. Unless I have something specific in mind I usually just grab ingredients and hope it works. I only ever remember one meal that didn't! Can't remember what I put together though!!! Lol
Tonight I grabbed a pan and put in a little sunflower oil then added chopped onion and a clove of roasted garlic.
I then thinly sliced half a courgette, podded some lovely fresh peas and rough cut some broccoli spears and added. Once this had cooked out a little I moved it to the side and added a little bulgar wheat and risotto rice and let it absorb the oil. A shake of bouillon and a small amount of water to plump up the rice then more water. I then added a small tin of sweetcorn, some fresh tomatoes chopped and half a tin of lentils.... Yes the pan was very full! The last ingredients were shavings of horseradish, a sprinkling of sea vegetables and a swirl of peanut butter! All cooked out and water added as needed! 
Now some of you may be questioning some of these ingredients but no taste was over powering and it all worked!

People often feel they have to follow recipes but if you like all the ingredients it's likely you'll like the finished dish... You can keep taste testing too!!! 

Loving Life

Susan's friend, Jill, was seeing Croc'c cousin, Matthew. They were either all out together or the two girls were in their local. They met two more bikers and would often go riding with them. 
Soon they saw these two new blokes on some nights and Croc and Matthew on others. Then sometimes it was a game of hide & seek if they all ended up in the same pub. 
Eventually Susan told Croc she had met someone else and he was very upset. She didn't want a serious relationship. 

Susan didn't sleep with everyone she went out with she just wanted to have fun.
Jill started seeing a non biker called Stuart who Susan rather fancied. This meant they often went their separate ways as Susan still went around with the bikers. 
Then Jill met Shaun and was seeing them both. Although Susan had done the same in the past she really liked Stuart and didn't like Jill treating him this way. 
She would chat to him when Jill wasn't there and there was obvious chemistry. 
Eventually Jill told him she didn't want to see him any more and he started going out with Susan. 
This brought about a completely different set of friends, all older and some with cars. 
Stuart lived in yet another area driving around to many places. Having a car was ideal if not a little uncomfortable. They used the back seat for making love, yes this was no longer sex as she was falling in love. 

Susan was trying to get into art college but a local one would not accept her due to the little amount of work she had to show. In the sixth form they had a set drawer for art work but her folder contained less than half. Someone had obviously removed it and her art teacher was very annoyed. 
Being a very academic school her choice was frowned upon with her careers teacher, a French teacher she despised, suggesting she find a job rather than attend an art college. It was expected students would attend university!
Eventually she found a course in London and was fully supported by her art teacher. The school should have promoted the fact that she was the only student from there who had ever applied and it was the only course of it's kind. 
She was accepted. 

The biggest wrench would be leaving Stuart. Everything was fine at first then he said that he didn't believe a long term relationship would work. This was because his best friend and girlfriend had split up when she had got settled into university. He then started seeing someone else. Susan and many friends knew it was to cover the fact that it wasn't what he wanted. 
They both went to a party and he spoke to all the girls but not Susan. They stayed over and she shared a settee with someone else in the hope he would be jealous, they just slept. 
The next day it was obvious Stuart was upset and they did go out together a few times after that but he insisted it wouldn't work so Susan made a clean break. She believed this was her first true love. 

Croc often used to turn up at the house under the pretext of showing his new bike or crash helmet or brought a friend to show his.
But Susan was no longer interested.
She was about to embark on a new life! 

Loving Life

Many of the bikers at the pub would travel around on an evening and although some had girlfriends there were many spare pillion seats.
Susan would travel on the back of whoever had a spare seat. She had no fear of speed and found it easy to lean when going round bends. 
They would go to surrounding villages meeting up with many other local friends. 
Sometimes they went to parties and stayed over night. 
One of the bikers was a fireman and Susan often went on the back of his bright yellow Laverda. He took her to Carnaby races and not only did the spectators all stare but the race riders all came over to take a look! It was the biggest bike there! Susan felt great that she was part of this event.
Although never in a relationship with this bloke, Martin, they spent a lot of time together. She once walked miles hitch hiking with him to collect a different motorbike. 
He also took her scrambling. 

Because of the biking gang she met so many blokes and one in particular she started to see on a regular basis. His name was David, known as Croc, many bikers had nicknames. 
He lived in a nearby village and used to come and collect her even if they were spending the evening in the village. 
Many evenings were spent at his home as although he worked he didn't have much money.
Susan loved where he lived, a large farmhouse, no longer with any land attached. 
It had a typical farm kitchen and this was the heart of the home with a huge open fire. Then, in a room off, his two grandmas stayed mainly bedridden with his mum taking care of them. The others in the house were his dad, uncle and and two sisters.  His auntie often visited with her husband. Off the first room was another room, the 'best' room where Susan and Croc would spend a lot of time. 
There were two staircases with bathroom and four or five bedrooms. With a toilet downstairs Susan never really ventured up unless she stayed on the odd occasion. They did not sleep together though.
Croc had a large family and they all slowly met her. She really liked him and loved the freedom of riding off wherever they fancied, sometimes just the two of them but mainly in a large group! 
Croc did go to Susan's house but they never spent all evening there, she preferred to be elsewhere! 
It was very difficult for them to spend time alone then they went to a party. 
Plenty of drink flowing and as the evening came to an end all those staying said one of the bedrooms was for them. They all knew how difficult it was for them to be together!
A whole night alone in the same bed! Susan was still not very experienced and although Croc was a little older he hadn't had many partners. They fumbled around a little but he kissed her gently and found all her sensitive parts around her neck and ears. Their hands moved around exploring until he was between her legs and she holding his hard, throbbing member. They couldn't wait and soon she was astride him guiding him in between her legs eased by the moistness. They rolled over so he was on top thrusting at times then gently pulling backwards and forwards to slow his final eruption. Susan always insisted on protection now which meant he didn't need to withdraw too soon. 
Afterwards they laid breathless for a while until she reached over and soon they were entwined again. 

The next morning they were tired but walking round with huge smiles. Their friends never commented and left their night together private.