My Family

As I will probably be mentioning them from time to time, I figured I should probably give some details about the members of my family quite early on, so anyone reading has a better picture of who they are.

I am very close to my family, and although I have been living almost 400 miles away from them for about 9-10 months of the year since 2008, they are still the most important thing in my life and I don’t know what I’d do without them. I’ll just get to it.

(l-r) my dad, niece, sister and mum

So, in the order of the photo:

Dad and me

My dad (Iain)

I love my dad so much. He’s the only male in our family, so I’m surprised at how well he copes (us girls are all a bit crazy individually, so together we can be downright scary). I call him Papple – don’t know why – and when I go home I make sure to get as many fleecy cuddles from him as possible (i.e. cuddles when he’s wearing his fleece - he's like a big teddy bear). He’s all about music, computers, cars and curry, so he’s quite a dab hand at many things. Very dad-like.

Aria

My niece (Aria)

Aria my little angel. Well not always, but she’s very close to it! She’s just turned 8 and I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone. I feel like another mother to her (I lived at home with her for the first few years of her life, so helped to bring her up – I like to think anyway!). We are very close and very similar: apparently she is like a clone of me at that age, evidenced by my mum constantly calling her Wendy (and me Aria…). I sometimes want to cry when I think of how much I love her.

Me and Weez

My sister (Louise)

I call my sister Weez. This is how I used to pronounce her name when I was little and I haven’t stopped! She is my best friend in the whole world and I can speak to her about absolutely anything and everything. She’s shorter than me by 3 inches so I have to bend for cuddles – I’m the younger so should be the ‘under-cuddler’ I think! She’s older than me by 3 years but looks after me like a second mum. She’s awesome.

My mum

My mum (Susan)

Superwoman. She has a super stressful job and battles with being ill a lot of the time (she’s very prone to colds and has had some pretty bad bouts of Labrynthitus) but you wouldn't tell a lot of the time: she still manages to be the best mum ever and is there for me whenever I need her. At times she is quite ditsy (which can be hilarious), her cooking is of course the best and she has incredible social skills. And she’s squidgy so grrreat to cuddle! And she's beautiful.

Also have to mention my auntie and uncle, Anne and Steve. They have been such a support to me over the last few years of living in Yorkshire, to the extent of even opening their door and having me live with them for 12 months over the past year and a half. I love them to bits, and will never be able to thank them enough for everything they've done for me.