Body Shop and Book Haul

 Craig had been feeling a bit tired yesterday but he did not want to fall asleep too early so he asked me if I wanted to go to the Trafford Centre and get a coffee and have a look around with him. I only normally go to the Trafford Centre (or Trauma Centre as I call it) when I have to and I just go in and out to the shops I need to as I find it too crowded for my liking. However as it was a midweek evening and I needed some moisturiser I agreed to go with him. The kids also decided to come along as well ( especially as they knew they would get a drink out of it).

As we weren't going for anything specific Emma dragged us into her favourite shop, Waterstones. I like reading but generally don't buy books from Waterstones. However, I thought I would see if they had any Agatha Raisin books in that I didn't have. They did and I ended up getting two that I knew for definite that I didn't have.

This one also caught my eye.

This has been a long running radio programme on Radio 4 that I have never been able to listen to but have been aware of and would listen to if I could. I decided to buy the book to see what it was all about and get an idea of why it had been running for such a long time. I always imagined it to be a bit like a radio version of Emmerdale. I guess I will find out.

As I needed some moisturiser I went to the Body Shop whilst Craig and the kids went into Game and Apple. I picked up the moisturiser I wanted and then had a look around. I was initially looking at the Trinny London Vitamin C range but wasn't so keen on the price and after looking around saw this one instead. I like it and I can see a difference in my skin since using it.

 I decided to get some peppermint foot lotion as my feet get really dry and I used to use it a lot many years ago when it used to come in a bottle.

I also looked at the perfumes they now sell as I wanted to try something new and use it for work. When I was a teenager I used to buy the Dewberry perfume which was so overpowering. Nowadays I prefer something a little more subtle for daytime use so ended up buying the White Musk Free perfume.

 As there was a promotion on and I spent over £30 I was entitled to a free gift which was very gratefully received.

I am not a great fan of shopping like this normally and I don't do it that often. I am finding that as I get older I am less interested in buying and more interested in getting rid of stuff so it was unusual for me to do this spontaneously.  We did also go for a coffee, though Craig was the only one to actually get a coffee.

Do you ever have spontaneous shopping trips?

Happy Homemaker Monday / Menu Plan 25th July 2022

 

It has been such a long time since I posted a menu plan. I hadn’t really been doing a menu plan every week as I had just lost any enthusiasm for cooking and planning. I now realise it was because I needed a holiday more than I thought. I now feel motivated and energized to get back to doing the things that I need and want to, including blogging.

This weekend was the start. Since the start of the year I have been frustrated with how quickly the garage gets messed up and you end up climbing over things to get to what you want. Whilst I was on holiday I decided that I would do a proper declutter, especially after seeing how organized my friends house was in Colorado. I was going to get rid of things that I thought I needed but seeing as though they had been in the garage for years then I obviously did not. I also needed a better storage system so that things did not get piled up on top of each other. And that is exactly what I did. I spent Saturday afternoon going through everything and getting rid of the items I didn’t need or want. On Sunday we went to Costco and bought an industrial strength shelving unit which I then assembled and put the remaining items on. There was also a desk in there that I was reluctant to get rid of so I repurposed it by putting it over the washing machine and tumble dryer so I now have an area to store my washing liquids and fold laundry once it is dry. Clearing the garage also now gives me a space to be able to dry the washing when it is too wet to put on the washing line.

Talking of washing;

 On my to do list

After two weeks away with a house/dog sitter staying and then a week of recovering from jet lag and post holiday blues, I feel that my house needs a good clean. I am not sure how much I am going to be able to get done during the week as I am out three evenings this week so the deep cleaning may have to wait until the weekend.

 In my Craft basket

 The list of projects I want to do increases weekly but I am currently working on a Harry Potter hat for my nephew in Gryfinddor colours and a knitted dishcloth as I actually prefer the ones I have knitted to the ones I have bought.

 On the menu

 Monday – Sausage, egg and chips

Tuesday – fresh Soup and crusty bread

Wednesday -Taco Pasta Bake

Thursday -Thai Buffet (celebrating BIL’s birthday)

Friday – Homemade fish and chips

Saturday – Garlic Pork chops in a creamy mushroom sauce

Sunday – Roast dinner with neighbours

Looking forward to this week

Going out for the Thai buffet as I have never been to a Thai buffet before or really eaten much Thai food. I have Book Club on Friday and I am looking forward to having a good chat with the ladies there. Having dinner with the neighbours will also be fun as we get on really well with them and it is a thank you for helping to look after our dog whilst we were away.

 

It feels good to be back and I hope to be able to catch up with other blogs that I have fallen behind with.

Deborah

Knowsley Safari Park visit

 

Last Sunday it was Craig’s birthday and he decided he wanted to go to Knowsley Safari Park for the day as his birthday present. It has been about 12 years since we last visited so Matthew did not really remember it at all. Some of his family members came along as well.

 When we arrived we decided that we were going to do the drive safari first. It is split into various zones. Most of the animals (sensibly) stayed away from the road so I had to zoom in to get any photos. The rhinos and the ostriches weren’t afraid though and were stood right up to the road.

We decided that we were not going to drive through the baboon enclosure as last time we had seen them doing damage to quite a number of cars so we followed the car friendly route which did allow us to stop and watch those brave enough to drive through. This time the baboons were more interested in having a ride on the cars rather than ripping of windscreen wipers and wing mirrors.

 The drive through safari took an hour so it was a bit early for lunch. We had been told that there were various displays on so we went along to the Sea Lion show to find we had just missed it, so we went to the bird display instead. My goodness those birds like to fly very low over your head. I had to duck a number of times to avoid a bird crashing into me.

 My nephew decided he wanted to have his face painted so my brother in law took him along and ended up getting his face painted as well. As he was the only adult in the park daft or brave enough to get his face painted he became a bit notorious with members of staff looking out for him during the day.

 We saw the sea lion show. I didn’t take any photos as I ended up holding my great niece during the show. She was fascinated by it and was copying what the sea lions were doing when they were clapping or waving. I had forgotten just who wriggly a one year old could be and how much attention you need to pay to make sure they are not inadvertently kicking the person in front of you or trying to steal a little girl’s tiara. I did enjoy that it though as it brought back memories of when my two were that age.

 Knowsley Safari Park does not have any of my favourite animal which is the red panda, but they did have meerkats which made up for that fact. I was surprised at how close you could get to them as at Chester they are behind glass and when we went to the Cotswold Wildlife Park they were in a deep pit.

 My nephew was just the right age for the rides that the park had so he went on all of the ones that were open. The rides were aimed at children from about 3 to 12 years old. I don’t remember those being there when we last visited but I know that they have done a lot since we were last there. It was easier to buy a wrist band and they were surprising good value. It was £10 per wristband but you could have unlimited rides and any accompanying adult went on free. No wonder my nephew wanted to go on everything.

 The whole day ended up being longer than we expected as there was more to do than we thought. We got there at 10.00am and left just after 5.00pm. Obviously some of that was my nephew going on the rides and if you went with teenagers or babies then you would probably not be as long. We did all enjoy it and are now planning to go to The West Midlands Safari park next month.

Word of the Week - Cinema

 Warning – this post contains plot details and spoilers so if you are planning on seeing any of these films and don’t want to know then skip that section.

 It’s funny how like buses you can wait for ages for one to arrive then 3 come along at once, there are films that you want to see then they all seem to come at once. I have felt like I have lived at the cinema this week after seeing 3 films in 4 days. As you can see I don’t have a particular genre of films that I watch, it is just whatever takes my fancy.

We are fortunate to have the choice of a number of cinemas near us. We do prefer ‘Vue’ rather than Odeon as they have the big recliner chairs and you have more space. For us it is also slightly cheaper for the tickets. We don’t tend to buy snacks from the cinema as there is supermarkets very close by so we tend to stock up there. Matthew has also been known to take a McDonalds in when we have been in a rush.

 On Sunday, I went to see Downton Abbey with my Mum and sister. I have loved Downton Abbey since the first episode and have watched them all multiple times. It is even better to see it on the big screen. Mary is my favourite character but only marginally over Violet, The Dowager Countess. Violet always has the best lines and that was apparent in her final line on her deathbed ‘ Denka, do be quiet, I can’t hear myself dying’. I admit I was in tears at this point but that line was just typical of the Dowager Countess. The filming style was different from the series and the last film and all the characters looked more heavily made up and tanned (even those that didn’t go to the South of France). You could tell Hugh Bonneville had lost a lot of weight and he did look very different. I am glad that Mr Moseley finally had some good luck and that he and Miss Baxter were finally able to be together.

 On Tuesday we took advantage of the Meerkat Movies and went to see Lost City. It is a typical Sandra Bullock film which is why I was surprised that Craig wanted to see it. I enjoyed it as a rom-com but Craig just said it was okay. I hadn’t realised that Brad Pitt was in it as well and did gasp quite loudly at his sudden demise. The change in Channing Tatum’s character was a bit unbelievable but overall it was a light hearted fun movie and a pleasant way to spend an evening.

 On Wednesday, again taking advantage of Meerkat movies we went to see Dr Strange and the Multiverse of Madness’. Dr Strange isn’t my favourite MCU character but I did like Wanda. The trailer I had seen gave no indication that Wanda was actually the ‘bad guy’ in this film.  That did spoil it for me and I thought the film was ok but I won’t bother going to watch the next one. The heavy use of  fantasy style CGI  puts me off this series as well. I know that CGI is used heavily in most films now but when buildings are bending and things are being twisted etc, it is a little off putting for me.

 It seems the film industry are making up for the lost years as there are quite a few films that are being released this year that I want to see including ‘Lightyear’ ‘Thor, Love and Thunder’  ‘ Mrs Harris goes to Paris’ ‘The Fishermans Friends’  and maybe ‘The Railway Children’ and ‘Elvis’.  Craig wants to see ‘Maverick’ and ‘Black Panther’. Matthew and Emma will probably go with him, but I will give them a miss as although I will probably end up watching them at some point I am not bothered about going to the cinema.

 Do you like going to the cinema and what films are you planning on going to see?

Linking with with Anne at Raisie Bay

Word of the Week- Quiet

 

Craig and Matthew went to London for the day last week and had to be up at ridiculous o’clock to catch the train. Obviously, I was awake as well as it would have been impossible to stay asleep whilst they were getting ready. Once they had gone the house was still, quiet, and peaceful in a way that it isn’t normally. It was probably because it felt like the world was still asleep and I relished the calm and quietness.  Since then, I have been wanting to find ways in which to be quieter.

 That doesn’t mean that I am waking up earlier (5.15am is quite early enough thank you very much), but I am no longer putting the TV or radio on when I first go downstairs. When I am in the car driving to work I don’t have music or an audio book playing. The only noises are the sound of the engine and the road. At home, if the TV isn’t on then I don’t switch it on and I prepare dinner with only the sound of the food preparation as accompaniment.  As the weather has been good, I have taken to sitting outside for a short time with a cup of tea and just listening to the birds singing away and the distant hum of the motorway. I have also discovered a few ‘silent vlogs’ on Youtube which I am enjoying when I feel like watching something. I haven’t even put the radio on when I have been in my craft room so the only sounds have been the whirring of the sewing machine or overlocker.

 Since I have tried to make things quieter, I have found I am doing things more slowly but mindfully and have been feeling calmer and seem to have more patience. I have also found that when I have been in the car with other people and the radio has been on that I have felt more uptight.  I know it has only been just over a week since I have been doing this but I am enjoying the benefits of this quieter life. Maybe it is an age thing or maybe it is just me changing and wanting to focus on different priorities or maybe I have just had enough of the noise in the world. Whatever the reason I will enjoy it for as long as lasts.

Linking up with Anne, so why not hop over and take a look at other's words of the week.

What I have been doing in March.

 

March was a very mixed month. It started with a lot of socialising, I was ill in the middle and Craig caught Covid at the end.

 

Making

 I wasn’t really able to do much crafting this month due to various things but I did manage to make flower box frames for Mother’s Day gifts for my Mum and Craig’s Mum.

 I finally got around to making my own pair of pyjama bottoms from my Tilly and the Buttons book. I had made a pair for Emma last month as she wanted them for when she went away. I will be saving mine for when we go away in July. I had to learn how to thread my overlocker which caused a great deal of stress as I am very long sighted and struggled to see where some of the thread needed to pass through the machine. Thankfully a purchase of a pair of glasses that magnified and had built in lights solved the problem.

 I did go to the W.I craft clubs. The crafts were very quick to make and we ended up spending more time talking than making.

 

Watching.

Being ill in bed meant that I was able to binge watch Season 6 of Downton Abbey which I could watch constantly and Season 4 of Agatha Raisin. I had seen the episode at Christmas but missed the rest of the series. Agatha’s outfits are looking more and more eccentric and I would love the confidence to make bolder outfit choices.

 Craig and I started watching Death in Paradise from the beginning and got through the episodes with Ben Millar as D.I Richard Poole. It was a complete shock when he left as I expected it at the end of a season, not the beginning. I won’t give any spoilers in case anyone wants to watch them. I really liked the characters and the relationships they had. If only the police over here were so efficient and effective. You do have to suspend belief with how quick the results for everything come through and how the murderer is caught so quickly but it is enjoyable to watch and the scenery is beautiful.

 As a family we watched ‘The Adam Project’ on Netflix with Ryan Reynolds. The young boy who played the younger Adam was absolutely brilliant and could have easily passed as Ryan Reynold’s son, both in looks and character. It was an interesting story where Adam, a time traveller, accidentally crashes in 2022 and has to team up with his 12 year old self to save the world.

 

Reading

The Crafternoon Sewcial Club by J. Williams

 The Blurb

It's not that single mum Charlotte Newman is completely and utterly obsessed with crafting, necessarily.

Sure, she has balls of wool stashed everywhere like a squirrel stores nuts and more needles than a tattoo parlour. But that doesn't mean she has a problem, right?

Finding herself between jobs, Charlotte fills her time teaching crafting skills at the local nursing home. Encouraged by how positively the residents respond, the possibility of a career doing what she adores fills her mind.

The first step towards that ambition is creating a crafting hub for the community – The Crafternoon Sewcial Club.

When a local charity announces a major knitting-themed fundraiser, Charlotte sees the ideal stage to put her new club firmly on the crafting map and drum up new members in the process.

Unfortunately, not everybody is on board with her vision for a crafting club, as it turns out. Indeed, some are even hoping to see Charlotte's dream come crashing down around her.

Still, she won't let a minor issue like that derail her plans…

To ensure victory, then, she'll need to rally her new members and ask her friends from the nursing home to get those needles clicking faster than a hummingbird's wings!

 It was a light and thoroughly enjoyable read. Every character was lovely (even Charlotte’s nemesis in the end). I would love to live in a community where everybody helps each other and the right thing is always done. It is a definite chick-lit kind of book and I wanted to read it because of the crafting element. I don’t think I would rush to read it again, but it is the perfect book for when you are on holiday or ill in bed.

 

If You Could See Me Now – Cecelia Ahern

 The Blurb

What if love was right there in front of you – you just couldn't see it?

Elizabeth Egan is too busy for friends. As a reluctant mother to her sister Saoirse's young son Luke and with her own business to run, every precious moment is made to count.

But with Saoirse crashing in and out of their lives, leaving both her sister and her son reeling, Luke and Elizabeth are desperately in need of some magic.

Enter Ivan. Wild, spontaneous and always looking for adventure, in no time at all Ivan has changed Elizabeth in ways she could never have imagined. But is Ivan too good to be true? Has Elizabeth opened her heart only to risk it being broken again?

 

Not the kind of book I would choose myself, it was the W.I book club choice. I thought it was an original concept for a romance and though it ended as I expected I found I still had some questions about some of the other characters.

 

What else.

 

The first weekend we were away for the weekend at a Masonic Ladies Weekend at St Anne’s near Blackpool. It was a very enjoyable weekend and it was good to catch up with everyone after a couple of years. I won a rather nice handbag on the tombola so I was very happy. There was plenty to eat and drink and it was nice that for the first time it was just Craig and I. As it is a family event the kids normally come along with us, but this year Emma was working and Matthew did not want to come along. I did not mind at all, though they did miss out on the suite that we ended up being allocated which was bigger than some flats/apartments and had a terrace that was as big as the back garden we had in our first house. It is normally given to the Worshipful Master and his partner, but it is at the back of the hotel and the Worshipful Master wanted a sea view. It would be lovely if we could get it again next year. I did drop a hint to the Lodge secretary 😊

 

Happy Homemaker Monday / Menu Plan 4th April 2022

 

I haven’t really menu planned properly for a few weeks as I had a really bad cold that put me in bed for a few days and then Craig caught Covid. He wasn’t ill but he has been stuck at home and suffered from cabin fever. One of the ways that came out was becoming really fussy about what he wanted to eat, so I left the meal ideas to him because he never wanted what I suggested.

 As Craig couldn’t go out, he missed going to see ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ which we had booked last minute. One of Matthew’s friends came along instead. I enjoyed the show, it was a very different performance than the last time I went to see it. Hat’s off the Alexandra Burke who at 6 or 7 months pregnant was still giving it her all during the dance routines she had to do.  I wasn’t overly impressed with Jason Donovan though.

 Anyway, looking to this week

 The Weather

Not the best, but hopefully will improve next week for the long Easter Weekend.

 

Watching on TV.

Craig and I watched an episode of Death in Paradise at Christmas and over the last few weeks we have been binge watching all of the seasons. We are currently up to Season 4. Loved Ben Millar and was shocked at his exit. I am getting used to Kris Marshal who is obviously playing a very different character. We keep trying to guess who the murderer is each episode. We have about a 60% success rate.

 Looking around the house

It is getting to that time of year again when I want to get everything organised and decluttered. Over the weekend I cleaned out and organised my kitchen drawers, cleaned out my wardrobe and tidied the garage. There are a couple of kitchen cupboards that I want to tackle and a cupboard in the living room for me to do this week. I also want to finally donate my CD’s as I have no way of playing them. Craig has copied the ones I want to keep and put them onto a USB for me so I can listen to them in the car. I am hoping to tackle the garden when the weather improves next week.

 On the Menu

As the weather isn’t brilliant then I feel like eating comfort food.

 Monday- YOYO (You’re on your own)

Tuesday -Lasagne

Wednesday – Meatzza

Thursday – Dirty Fries

Friday- Meatball sub

Saturday- Chicken Fajitas

Sunday- Roast Dinner

 To relax this week.

Normally I would have a craft project or two on the go to help me relax but I seem to have lost my crafting mojo, so this week I am going to watch ‘Death on the Nile’ and re-watch ‘Fantastic Beasts, The Crimes of Grindelwald’ to remind myself of what happened before going to see the new one.

Linking up with Karen at Cats, Kids, Chaos and Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom to see what everyone else is planning this week.

Have a good week.

Deborah