Tales of Jill

Amanda was born at 2. 40 a.m.     on an early Saturday morning, January 3rd 1987..another darling daughter haha I was in seventh heaven.. I always only ever wanted girls, tho that was somewhat selfish of me, but that is the truth and if the good Lord gave us another daughter then that was what it was meant to be.. We were the first baby for the New year to be born in our location so the press came to the hospital and took photographs in amidst my frustration..dear me I looked a mess I hadn’t even had time to wash but men landed with big fancy cameras and they said “Say cheese please” Oh golly gosh!!! As soon as my midwife put her in my arms I just saw Robert staring back at me.. Oh Lordy teehee.. she was his spitting double you see.. perhaps a little wrinklier coz I think she was overdue.. and often newborn babies have creases here and there when they are spanking new.. Well our trio of trouble bubbles was officially complete, there would be no more trudging around feeling like a beach whale with all that extra weight on my feet!! Needless to say I breast fed again, the thought of bottle feeding after my bad experience with Jenni would have driven me insane..Well we were home again and Amanda’s tiny wrinkles disappeared, thank goodness her skin was peachy perfect and all those laughter lines had cleared..her big sisters helped me out here and there, especially after bath times brushing her fine hair..her baby years sped by without any problems at all but once she started swimming with the school, her earache drove us all up the wall..so she was only small when she got grommits fitted in her ears and that soon cured all her earaches and those ear erupting tears..I forgot to mention in Jenni’s chapter she had to have a Myringoplasty operation in her left ear, so swimming at the school has alot to answer for I fear..Amanda had soon begin to walk and talk whilst she toddled about shadowing her big sisters, annoying them at times no doubt..but the three of them looked so cute coz I always tried to dress them all alike amidst their boot and suit.. Haha I bought three of everythiing knickers, socks and vests, and I even had special occasional matching party outfits for their sunday bests.. Well time was ticking on and Amanda was a tiny tot, sat with her sisters watching ‘Rod, Jane and Freddy’ on our sofa happy with what she’d got..they all loved the television and would sit at it all day, but thankfully Granda Jacky used to rattle on our backdoor with his walking stick and take them away.. down to his Jungle  to see those Lions and Tigers everyday..it’s a wonder the three of them didn’t end up with nightmares in dismay.. but they absolutely adored Granda Jacky and Grandma Tait as well, mind you neither wonder coz they both spolied them as rotten as hell.. well I was helping out at the little playschool with both my two little ones there, neither of them were bothered at all or got amidst my hair.. so every weekday morning I would walk up to our little school and drop big sister there, then toddle to the nextdoor building what was our playschool with my pair..of course this was invaluable, they learned the rights from wrongs and I can still reminsce all the local little ones enjoying singing nursery songs..Amanda was a little angel I can’t remember her having any troubles but sometimes on my car journeys to my Mam’s house the three of them could be that ‘Trio of trouble bubbles’ Huh I would have to stop my car, get out and spilt them all up, then I would calm myself down at my Mams with a coffee in a cup..Teehee Oh the joys of a female family, I often felt for Robert betwixt his three daughters and me.. Eeh I can remember the lot of us took the trains and went to Glasgow for a few days, a garden festival was on but it was ruined in lots of ways.. Well when we got there the heavens opened and it teemed down all weekend, and I also recall poor Amanda’s ears gave her agony on the underground tube train.. that drove me around the bend.. this was long before her grommit operation but Oh boy, would those Glaswegians hear her screaming at that station...

Well of course as only to be expected  Amanda was soon old enough to join her sisters at the dancing.. and bless her she tried her utmost to copy them all as their feet 
were a’tapping and a’prancing.. I managed to buy her a tiny red leotard to look just like the rest and she looked so cute and canny wearing it upon her tiny vest..Years passed us swiftly by when she started junior school and yet again this litlle shy, quiet lass was certainly no fool.. Amanda had a handful of her very close mates and once or twice they would all go missing in the fields on our park and get us all in states.. I recall Amanda and her good friend Beth Short, she was in a static caravan on our park.. well the two little monkeys totally disappeared and it was getting very dark..so loads of us went out a’hunting in every nook and cranny and thankfully they turned up wondering what the matter was, now that was uncanny.. then on another of Amanda’s not so finest moments I think she was playing with Emma, Shauna and Beth when Amanda set alight to her Dad’s barn full of hay and almost scared the lot of us to death!! but she went through a spell of lighting little camp fires in her early years, so she wouldn’t realise that that episode could have well ended up in tears..Haha isn’t it hilarious when one looks back betwixt one’s memories ? Everyone’s life is full of factual sagas that could all make brilliant documentaries..Amanda started piano lessons coz her sister Laura was as well, and by the time she had finished this hobby this little lass had excelled herself very well, I had to find her another teacher that was higher in advance amidst her passing all her five grades with a distinction happenstance.. she still sometimes tinkles on our old piano today, and coz of her sheer brilliance that old piano cost quite abit of money I have to say.. we sent it off to London to get it’s entire inside’s refurbished and still looking a little worse for wear it has pride and place in our spare bedroom furnished..Aww but as I sit wandering back beyond my memories I can still see our Amanda now, she would always come up with little home made surprises on Christmas morning for us all somehow.. haha I must have bought her an actually ‘Real power workshop’ for one of her early birthdays, and wow the things she created on this little kit all made out of balsa wood did absolutely amaze !! each and every Xmas morning from a few years down the line, she would make each one of us something out of balsa wood that she thought suited us so fine.. bless her little cotton socks Amanda was oh so funny, quite a little character with an outlook that was sunny

So Amanda started off at York university but it didn’t last that long coz that wasn’t meant to be.. then she got a job as the baker in a nearby town ‘Marks and Sparks’ and she ended up a Jack of all trades there and was well known for her larks.. now this lass had good school qualifications so she must have wanted a better career, when she decided to do an open university degree, she would be an engineer.. and well she worked hard inbetween her Marks and Spencer’s employment, and this all paid off for her with alot of globe travelling enjoyment.. now at this particular time Amanda and Louis her doting pet dog bought a house in that local town but when she was offered an engineers job well she would never turn this down.. So she works at MSP,  in Alnwick amidst another small town not too far away and is currently selling her house in Berwick coz she bought herself one nearer us I can happily say.. now this establishment deals with computerised high-tech machinery all over the whole wide world, so as our Amanda has no ties there are so many far-out foreign destinations she has unfurled.. Australia, Poland, Canada, north and south America, Singapore and Spain.. she flies away at the drop of a hat for her companies financial gain..have I said that her beautiful canine pet Louis passed away ? no I thought not but she has a couple of canine characters today..A black spaniel called Darcy who is as active as can be and also a black with small patches of white Mumford who is a lovely cross-collie..Now Amanda has had a few quite close male relationships up to date and who knows what is just around that curious corner as her fate ? but never-the-less this single lass nowadays is not a child and everyone that knows her well will think of her as a free spirit wacky and wild.. her three neices absolutely adore her and always say “ Aunty Amanda is so cool” coz she takes them to great fun places on their holidays from school.. Amanda has a fettish with old VW campervans, and she has had a couple up to date complete with her essential pots and pans.. the first one took her and her partner in those days travelling all over Europe with it’s unpredictable stays.. haha part of it’s exhaust fell off and they were in Madrid for ages, so no doubt she had to wait for another one arriving all the way from the UK from the those phone book pages.. but she loved Madrid so that ended up okay and the pair of them had a wonderful holiday.. nowadays she has yet another VW campervan, she calls it her Grandma’s name Mary, and this old machine has been altered now as many times as can be.. first she stripped it’s inside out and she took many a months making it look good, then she decided to send it away, eeh she is such a funny dude !! Mind you Mary came home after quite a while with the inside all mod cons in light green, and just the other week Mary could tell us all the bonny hills and glens from the top, west coast of Scotland that she’s seen...So all-in-all Amanda Tait is such a busy lass, she has bungey jumped around the globe and makes sure her life is class !!!