Menu Planning Monday 28th June 2021

 

I had rather a rubbish week last week with earache which made my balance a bit ‘off kelter’. I felt whenever I had to walk anywhere that I was on a boat in rough seas, I could not walk in a straight line. I ended up spending 2 ½ days in bed as that was the easiest thing to do. When I am ill, I sleep a lot as that is my way of helping my body fight whatever is going on. Thankfully by the end of the week I was able to get up and go to work though I took it easy when I got home.

Looking around the house

Being out of action for most of last week the house is starting to look a bit neglected. I will need to do a good clean in all the rooms. I would also like to give my craft room a bit of TLC as it has been neglected the last few weeks.

On my to do list

As well as the obvious cleaning, I need to cancel my car insurance as Craig negotiated a multi car deal when he got the new car. I also need to pick up some flea and worming tablets for Penny. We are also having fun trying to find somewhere to go on holiday here in the UK that isn’t fully booked, extortionately overpriced and dog friendly. We were looking at Scotland but Ms Sturgeon has banned people from the North West where we are. Dorset is fully booked. I would like to look at the Cotswolds and Oxfordshire near where we used to live. Oxfordshire is looking a bit more realistic. It is also looking like it will be a camping holiday.

On the menu

Monday- Potato and meat pie, chips, peas and gravy

Tuesday- Spaghetti bolognese

Wednesday Sweet chilli Halloumi and salad

Thursday Slow cooker chicken tikka masala

Friday- Fish pie

Saturday – Chinese takeaway with my parents and sister

Sunday Chicken and leek bake

The Weather

Thinking

 Matthews room is in need of redecorating and he needs a new bed. He will be 16 in September so needs more of a grown-up room and a double bed as he is getting a bit big for his single one. I hope to get that done when we get back from our break (if we manage to get away). I would also like to re do the bathroom but that will be a much bigger job as the whole room is tiled which I want to replace as well as getting the new suite.

Hope you all have a good week.

Linking up with Sandra and Katy to see what other people are doing.

A Hole in Wand and York

 

Last weekend to celebrate Emma’s birthday she chose to go to A Hole in Wand which is an indoor magic themed mini golf course in York. It is based in the Coppergate shopping area and it is highly recommended that you book your slot. It is only a small place and there are obviously limits on the number of people that can be in there.

When you arrive you get a photo taken which you can view at the end where you are superimposed over The Shambles.  As you enter the building you are greeted by a Witch who asks you some friendly questions. We told her it was Emma’s birthday and she made a big fuss over her and got her to do the ‘magic test’ which is basically holding a cylinder that reacts to the heat in your hand. We were then given ‘wands’ (golf clubs) and taken over to the first hole where everything was explained.

As it is indoors the holes are not big but that does not mean they were easy. A lot of them involved slopes that you had to get up. I was rubbish at the majority of them. I should imagine a young child getting rather frustrated at not being able to get the ball in the holes. You could however distract them by getting them to solve the clues to the puzzle in the score booklet

At the end as part of the package you get a ‘potion’ depending on your final score. Craig, Matthew and Emma all got Serpents Venom (Lemonade flavour) and Sam (Emma’s boyfriend) and I got Butterscotch Beer. For legal reasons they cannot call it Butter Beer as they are not officially affiliated with Harry Potter. That is why it is a Magic themed attraction, not Harry Potter.

We did enjoy the experience and would recommend a visit but with the warning that you won’t spend a lot of time in there and it is quite difficult to get the ball in the holes.

We were only in there for an hour and we spent the rest of the day taking in the sights of York, including The Shambles, York Minster and The Treasurer’s House garden (National Trust property).

The kids were worn out as for them it had been an early start so they all fell asleep on the way home.

Menu Planning Monday 14th June 2021

 

Well last weeks menu did not go to plan for various reasons involving being out of the house running errands which were not anticipated. Emma's birthday went well and she did not have a clue about the surprise party until she got back from the meal she had enjoyed with her boyfriend Sam. Her face was a picture and everyone had a good time. Luckily because the weather was good we did not have to put up the party marquee. Everybody was able to stay outside without any coverage. We also had a good day in York (more about that in the next post). Again it was very warm an we did lots of walking.

The Weather

Getting cooler and wetter, I am not a great fan of too much heat so I appreciate the cooler temperature and as long as it rains whilst I am in work then that is fine by mine.

On the Menu

Monday -Burger and Fries

Tuesday - Creamy Chicken, tomato and chorizo pasta bake

Wednesday -Creamed corn and rice stuffed pepper (carried over from last week)

Thursday -Quesadillas (chicken or veg)

Friday -Beef and Broccoli stir fry

Saturday - Chicken Schnitzel

Sunday -Meal with family for Fathers Day

What I am watching

I am watching Clarksons Farm with Matthew on Amazon Prime. Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear fame has bought a farm and the series charts his trials and tribulations as he learns farming. As a family we are watching Loki on Disney Plus and for my personal viewing I am watching 'The Bold Type' on Netflix. This series follows three young women who work for a magazine and how they cope with managing their careers and personal lives.

Looking around the house

I feel that the bathroom grouting could do with being cleaned and I have some drawers that need to be tidied and sorted. I will also need to make sure that the table was no dog hair or dirt on it before I cut out any fabric.

On my to do list

Catching up with my weekly 'highlights of the week' scrapbook

Scrapbook page for trip to York

Buy cards and gifts for Fathers Day

Transferring photos from my phone to the computer  and from my old computer to new one.

Cutting out of fabric for skirt.

Wishing you all a good week wherever you are.

Usual link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and Katy

What I have been Reading- May 2021

 

I have been doing a lot of reading and studying for an exam next week so reading has not been top of my list. Only one book this month.

The Blurb

London 1940, bombs are falling. Emmy Lake is Doing Her Bit for the war effort, volunteering as a telephone operator with the Auxiliary Fire Services. When Emmy sees an advertisement for a job at the London Evening Chronicle, her dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent seem suddenly achievable. But the job turns out to be typist to the fierce and renowned advice columnist, Henrietta Bird. Emmy is disappointed, but gamely bucks up and buckles down.

Mrs Bird is very clear: Any letters containing Unpleasantness—must go straight in the bin. But when Emmy reads poignant letters from women who are lonely, may have Gone Too Far with the wrong men and found themselves in trouble, or who can’t bear to let their children be evacuated, she is unable to resist responding. As the German planes make their nightly raids, and London picks up the smoldering pieces each morning, Emmy secretly begins to write letters back to the women of all ages who have spilled out their troubles.

Prepare to fall head over heels with Emmy and her best friend, Bunty, who are spirited and gutsy, even in the face of events that bring a terrible blow. As the bombs continue to fall, the irrepressible Emmy keeps writing, and readers are transformed by AJ Pearce’s hilarious, heartwarming, and enormously moving tale of friendship, the kindness of strangers, and ordinary people in extraordinary times.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Emmy is always optimistic and the keep calm and carry on spirit comes through constantly. It feels like a sharp contrast to the gloomy attitude of the pandemic which seems to have become more common in people with everyone moaning about it. I appreciate that people have found it difficult not being able to go out and see family and have struggled mentally, but generally if we followed the rules we were in a lot less danger than being in the Blitz during World War 2.

Even during the difficult times Emmy’s spirit and determination shone through when a lot of us would have given up, and I really admired that and hope that if ever I am faced with a situation Emmy and Bunty found themselves in I can show half of the grit she did.

It also made me want to read some of the women’s magazines that were published during the war and afterwards to see how much things have changed with regards to articles.

Menu Planning Monday 7th June

 

What a glorious week we have had with regards to the weather. It looks like we have got this for a couple of weeks. It's a pity I am in work and cannot really enjoy it fully. We have got a busy end of the week as it is Emma's birthday on Friday so various friends and family will be popping in. We will also hopefully pick up our new (to us) car that day as well. We have bought a Citroen Grande 4 Picasso as if we all go out and take the dog it can get a little cramped so this is a 7 seater. I have nicknamed it 'The Bus'. It will get its first outing on Saturday as Emma wanted to go to York to play at 'A Hole in Wand' which is a nine hole Harry Potter themed mini golf place. No doubt we will also end up going to The Shambles to get some pictures as allegedly Diagon Alley is based on them.

The Weather

On the Menu

Monday -Chicken Tetrazzine

Tuesday - Ratatouille with king prawns

Wednesday -Creamed Corn and rice stuffed peppers

Thursday - Swedish meatballs with mash and green beans

Friday - Steak and Chips

Saturday - Meal out in York

Sunday - Gammon, egg and chips

On the crafting pile

Still plodding on with my blanket. I have got some fabric that I need to cut out to make a circle skirt and I might try to persuade my Mum to take the Disney sampler to work on. She is getting into cross stitch, I just hope she doesn't find something else beforehand. I cannot seem to motivate myself to work on it at the moment. It is the same with the quilt. Hopefully it won't be too long before the quilting group can met again and then I will have no excuse.

What I have been watching

 Craig has been watching LOTS of Youtube videos regarding motorhomes, campervans, van life, travelling around Scotland so trying to get to watch anything I want is difficult. I have found The Bold Type on Netflix and still watching the Great British Sewing Bee though that only has a couple more weeks left to run. 

Wishing you all a happy and healthy week.

Hoping Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom stays strong and wishing Katy at Katy Kicker a Happy Anniversary.

Word of the Week-Normality

 

This week for me things have felt like they used to.

On the Bank Holiday Monday we made the mistake of going to St Annes near Blackpool. We wouldn’t have gone but for the fact we were dropping off some gifts for our new great niece who had arrived the previous Thursday. It took us 2 hours to do a 50 minute journey. We dropped the gifts off with no issues. Mum and Baby weren’t home from the hospital as our niece had to have an emergency c-section but they were discharged later that day. 

We then headed to nearer the coast. Trying to find a parking space was horrendous. Craig ended up dropping us off as Penny was getting a bit anxious and needed to toilet. The kids and I headed for the beach whilst Craig carried on looking for a parking space. I have never seen St Annes that busy with people. It was as though there was no pandemic whist walking through the streets (except for the people socially distancing whilst queuing for fish and chips). The beach was also very busy, but we headed for the dog friendly part of the area which was a lot quieter. Penny had a wonderful time chasing the ball and going paddling in the sea with the kids whilst I sat watching them and enjoying the peace and cool breeze.

On Wednesday we went to the cinema to see ‘Cruella’. It was the first time I had been to the cinema since February last year. I have never gone so long without going. Although we had to wear masks walking around, once we got to our seats we were able to take them off. I felt a bit emotional sitting in the dark. I hadn’t realised how much I had missed going to the cinema as a family.

I know we have been going out and doing things since restrictions started to lift, but this week has been the first time I haven’t felt awkward and conscious about being out and doing things.

Linking up with Anne at Raisie Bay

Day trip to Haworth and the Bronte Waterfall

As it was a Bank Holiday and the weather forecast was favourable we decided to take a trip to Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters and only about an hour away from where we live.

I had never thought of going to Haworth until it popped up on the Instagram page of someone I followed and I was intrigued and wanted to find out more. I knew it was where the Bronte sisters had lived but I hadn't realised it was so pretty.

When we arrived we parked in the Bronte Parsonage museum car park as it was recommended for being good value for money. (We paid £4.50 for over 3 hours). We did not go into the museum as due to Covid restrictions you had to book in advance and the boys would not have been interested anyway. 

We left the car park and walked to the main street which you see in most photos. It wasn't too busy and it was full of some very interesting independent shops as we walked down.

 One of my favourites were The Cabinet of Curiosities which was fascinating to go inside and look around. The design is based on an old apothecary shop with lots of drawers and things on display. It smelt heavenly inside. The shop sells lotions and body washes, candles, wax melts, notebooks and books relating to wicca and witchcraft. Because of the lotions and candles for some reason it reminded my of 'Rose Apothecary'  David's shop in Schitts Creek even though it did not look anything like it. In fact I found out that the Cabinet of Curiosities used to be called Rose & Co Apothecary. 

A bit further down is 'The Souk' which sells vintage clothing, accessories and books. It was absolutely packed with items. I would have liked more time to browse but I was conscious of the fact everybody else was waiting for me outside. 

At the bottom of the hill is Central Park which is the council park. It was very pretty and peaceful to walk around but thankfully nowhere near as large as it's name sake in New York. 

We heard the sound of a steam engine from the park, but unfortunately by the time we had reached the station the train had already left. For the film buffs you might recognise the station from 'The Railway Children'. You could not go onto the platform without a ticket so taking a photo from the bridge was the closest I could get.

There are plenty of places to eat in Haworth and this tea room is one place I would have loved to go but unfortunately there was 5 of us and no tables free. Maybe if Craig and I come back on our own then we can go in.

At the top of the main street I could not resist getting a picture of Penny outside this shop. 

Close to Haworth is a walk to the Bronte Waterfall. You can walk to the start of it from Haworth but we decided to drive as it was getting on a bit. The car park at Penistone Hill country park was free and only a short walk down the hill to the actual start of the walk. Although the walk is easy it is not suitable for pushchairs as the ground underfoot did get a bit uneven. Also we had to keep Penny on the lead as it takes you across open fields where sheep were roaming and there was the possibility of ground nesting birds. The views were amazing. These photos do not do them justice.

The waterfall isn't the most spectacular but it is still pretty and there was an area at the bottom where you could have a picnic or wade in the stream. It only took about 1/2 an hour to get there so it isn't long if you decide to take a picnic.

You have the option to do a circular walk or just there and back which is what we decided to do this time as it was after 6.00pm and we still had to drive back. If we had been earlier then we would have done the circular route.

I admit I am not a fan of the Bronte sisters but I did buy a copy of Wuthering Heights whilst I was in Haworth and will hopefully get to read it soon.

Haworth is a place I would recommend visiting unless you have issues walking then the steep cobbled hill will not be suitable.