5 tags, 2 memes, 10 memories, 35 answers, 2x5 blogs

I've been tagged by three lovely bloggers all at once to do the Great Read/happy memories tag and really lagging behind with actually posting it. Thank you Really Rachel, Being a Mummy and someone else (sorry, forgot! and very embarrassed I did) I've got real mummy reasons for not passing this on timely, having re-entered the land of sleep deprivation and utter lack of me time. And it's only partly to do with my sweet niece, mostly Cubling has decided to wake up to 5 times a night and shout for mummy, daddy or simply scream the house down. Which doesn't come appreciated when you're trying to give another new mummy some hours of sleep (and of course Cubling doesn't wake when her baby cousin is awake, but in between times!). Add to that busy busy work schedule, managing the redecoration of my old flat (which has been on the market unsold for 15 months), spending 4 days a week at my sister in law's house to help her around the house and keeping the 3 kids between us straight while she's recovering from her c-section, and you can imagine that there is very little time for anything other. So lots of mental posts, little real posts. All I can do is fit in the occasional row of knitting. And even that is slow. And after this paragraph, my head is even dizzier.

The thing is, I'm kind of brain dead. Do I have memories? I suppose I do. Just hard to gather them in the sleepy and thomping head of mine.

I wish to share beautiful memories. Yet nothing is pure happiness in the Cartside home at the moment. The memories I collect at the moment, which is all I can think about when I think "memories" are those of my late brother-in-law. There were some fabulous memories, but I'm appalled at how few clear memories there are. Our brain works in strange ways. There are photos of shared days with me in it, yet I don't remember the occasion. Sometimes it takes a focussed chat and the memory will come back, in a dimmer lightbulb moment, a tentative light being switched on ever so slowly. There are not enough of these chats because they still hurt a lot.

It seems my memory is no better than rubbish. So the memories I do have, I treasure even more. And I try to remember more, because memories can't be taken away as easy as a life. He lives on in our hearts and minds and this is why I want to share 10 beautiful memories of my brother-in-law.

-Before Christmas, he showed Cubling the installations in the McRobert Arts Centre, and we watched "Little Light".

-His happiness on this day, his pride in his son as he read the Gruffalo to him in the car while we were still chatting outside
-My memory of him pushing Cubling and her cousin in a wheelbarrow and the delightful screams of joy they uttered

-His chat to me after his son was born, reassuring the then very heavily pregnant me that even a c-section isn't all that bad (which I so needed, my sister in law's first c-section scared me endlessly, as she too would have done everything for a natural birth)

-His first visit to our flat after Cubling was born and my first walk through the park
-Throwing autumn leaves over our two buggies in Queen's Park

-Him cooking me up a quick and oh so tasty meal before setting off home

-Testing out the Wii one lazy afternoon
-The near explosion of his home brewed ginger beer upon opening
-Testing him on his single malt whisky knowledge (he claimed he could always tell a single malt from a blend). I'd bought him a whisky. He said it was definitely a single malt. It was a blend. I teased him about this for ages.

And I pass this on to five deserving bloggers:
Piglet - Our Adventure in Parenthood
Slugs on the Refridgerator
Lost in Translation
Yummy Mammy
Spanglish Baby

Next is yet another tag, Who's the Mummy kindly passed this on to me. This one is short and sweet with one word answers only!

Where is your mobile phone? pocket
Your hair? brunette?
Mother? dead
Father? far
Your Favourite Food: chocolate
Your Dream Last Night: none
Your Favourite Drink: Bailey's
Your Dream/Goal: happiness
What room are you in? living
Your hobby: many
Your fear: spiders
Where do you want to be in 6 years: home
Where were you last night: friend's
Something that you aren't: witty
Muffins: Blueberry
Where did you grow up? Germany
Last thing you did: blog
What are you wearing: jeans
Your TV: black
Your pets: bugs
Friends: lifeline
Your life: full
Your mood: stressed
Missing someone: mum
Vehicle: car
Something you're not wearing: make-up
Your favourite store: etsy
Your favourite colour: mauve
When was the last time you laughed: today
When was the last time you cried? yesterday
Your best friend: there
One place you go to over and over: Dublin
One person who emails you regularly: boss
Favourite place to eat: Thai

The rules say that I need to pass this on to five worthy bloggers, oh, I hear you running far and wide, but you can't hide from my public tag!
Intrepidly Bilingual
Metropolitan Mum
Noble Savage
Perfectly Happy Mum
Muddling Along Mummy

Finally, while I was trying to complete this post, Maternal Tales form the South Coast bestowed the Great Read Award upon me for a forth time - I'm blushing now with all this kindness from so many fellow bloggers. Thank you all so much!