Fluffy, Noisy Neighbours, Partying Bed Springs ... and It's Good to Be Home

Our neighbours at the caravan park.

I have never seen fluffy baby seagulls before, lots of speckled adolescents chasing round after chip stealing parents, but never the very young version.  They were lovely little things ... even if Mum was a bit vocal for a good part of the day.

After a visit to the flat and then on to our letting agents to discuss us not selling it, and a talk about how they had mistakenly given the go ahead for the redecoration and re-carpeting of the flat we drove into Llandudno.

The dogs both enjoyed the return visit to their favourite old stomping ground, and loved walking along the grass near the Little Orme.  The tide was right in and the beach that's usually there was well hidden, there was just a lone fisherman at the waters edge braving the grey skies and winds.

Moody skies but lovely fresh air.

Later after an evening playing bingo and having a drink in the club we enjoyed fish and chips in the caravan.  Then the next day we did a return visit to the flat to measure up for curtains and plan a few things for it's future.

The caravan was advertised a a 'Comfort' version ... it was nothing of the sort, and after two sore nights lying on a mattress with every spring having a party with it's neighbour we decided to call it a day and come home a day early to sort out some things that needed sorting.

 It's good to be home.

  

You only realise just how good home is when you leave it for a while!!

Sue xx

Do I Carry On ....

 

I've been wondering over the past few days if I want to carry on blogging.  😐

To be honest I am feeling that Blogland is on a downward turn, the negativity on quite a few of the blogs that I read and the downright nastiness of some commenters on a few of my blogging buddies posts leave me with a sour taste in my mouth.  

There's just no need for it.

I find if I read too many negative blog posts and their accompanying comments before I write a post on my own blog, all creativity and even the desire to write words of my own leaves me in a flash of sour coloured smoke.  

It's really frustrating.

I'm far from perfect myself and there have been times when I've been a bit of  Debby Downer myself (apologies to my readers, and especially to the two regular commenters called Debbie/Debby).  But hopefully that has been on only a few posts over the last fifteen years.  Maybe it's just me running out of steam that you are reading about right now.

We'll see!!

As for nasty comments on my blog, these are easily dealt with and rarely bother me if they pop up every now and then.  I deal with them either with a few words in print from my potty mouth or a sharp press of the 'Delete Forever' button. 😏

We are going to visit our Welsh flat over the weekend and have a chat with our letting agents in Llandudno.  We will be staying in a caravan in Rhyl for a few days, as obviously the flat is completely empty now that our tenant has moved out.  Hopefully this will give me some time to think about things and come up with a plan for life, the blog and just things in general ... I always find a change of scenery works wonders.

  The dogs will be coming with us, but Ginger will have the pleasure of my son's company.

Maybe I just need a break, we'll see.

Sue xx

From McDonald's to a Stately Home

We're just back from a four day weekend away in Hereford.  We stayed at the Holme Lacey House Warner Leisure hotel and had a lovely relaxing 70's weekend break ... although if I hear one more Suzi Quatro track I will scream.  😄

 

We left all the furry children in the care of Jason and Tash and set off in good time, although travelling on the Friday of a Bank Holiday weekend was not the best of ideas, but we finally made it to our destination after six hours on the road.  

At about the halfway point we stopped for a while, the services was packed but it was a very necessary stop.  I find it difficult to accept that Alan is still doing all the long distance driving and I always feel guilty.  

Unfortunately, ALL the queues for food at the services were ridiculous except for MacDonald's which was having a very brief lull as we arrived.  We made the best of a bad job and I discovered that MacDonald's black coffee is actually very tasty and less than half the price of a small Americano from Costa.  Why didn't I discover this years ago when we used to commute from Cumbria to Berkshire every week for our jobs.  I still don't like MacDonald's food though ... is it even actually food?  It sat like a lead balloon in my stomach for hours after I had eaten it.

The front doors of the hotel, a welcome sight after the long journey.

We had a wander around part of the grounds opposite the doors just after we arrived, so that Alan could point you in the direction of the view.

It was lovely sitting on the wall and drinking in the rolling hills and watching the wildlife ... I do miss having a view from home.

Just one of the 'proper posh' ceilings in the main rooms.

We were sat waiting for a quiz to start when I took this ... sadly we didn't do very well, so we had to go and commiserate with ourselves over a drink on the terrace, now that went so much better. 😁

Each night there was entertainment from the 70's.  

The first night was a Carpenters tribute act, not bad at all.  The second night a Fleetwood Mac cover band, I don't know much about Fleetwood Mac but Alan was impressed, and then on the final night the room was really rocking with T. Rox.  A T.Rex tribute act but who also sang songs by Mud, Slade, Bryan Ferry and even a couple of Bay City Rollers tracks.  They really got everyone up and dancing the night away.

Of course Alan couldn't resist sitting on one of the lions for a photo opportunity.

It was a relaxing few days and we both enjoyed most aspects of it, especially the food as it was so nice not to have to think of what to make every night ... or have to wash up after it.  

But somehow now that I am back home I am glad that I'm back to simplicity, and to be honest I would much rather have my caravan back and the little clubhouse that was there if you wanted entertainment on a Friday or Saturday night, or could be easily ignored if you just wanted your own company and a glass of wine on your own patio with snoring dogs at your feet.

As we drove through the gates of the hotel to head for home I was actually looking forward to getting home and my own bed ... even if I did have to think what was for tea and wonder what I had in the freezer.

Sue xx

Coronation Day

We decorated the house for Coronation Day with large bunting in the front windows, on my planters at the front door and flags taped to the top windows.  There is enough to spare for us to be able to take some to Mum's with us along with mugs for her and my brother as souvenirs of this special day.

This is the first time I will be alive for a coronation, my Mum was 13 when the Queen was crowned so this will be her second.  My Nana was alive through six monarchs, although she only obviously saw one live coronation on television and of course as she was born in 1898 she is sadly no longer with us.

So we will be heading off to Mum's armed with the flags, bunting and our Coronation Tea food for a day of celebration and memories.  Here in the UK we do these type of celebrations so well don't we.

https://youtu.be/98EKodxkg0M

I didn't make this Coronation Quiche, but mine is a pretty good replica and the homemade scones, dainty sandwiches and alcohol-free bubbly will make it a feast fit for a King.

I hope you all have a wonderful Coronation Day.

Sue xx

After the Break

 

To be totally and transparently honest my break from blogging for the last few days was not just because of our weekend away, but also due to a health scare.  

Once again my blood pressure has gotten totally out of control and lots of changes have to be and are being made.  Signing myself out of hospital last Thursday so that we could go on holiday was the best thing that I could have done, as with Alan doing all the driving and me being able to mostly relax and having new higher dose tablets the readings on my blood pressure monitor started to dip consistently.   As requested by the consultant I returned to the hospital for a check upon Monday as soon as we got back, and this saw me being signed off and handed back into the care of my GP.  

Last night I got a telephone message from the NHS Portal informing me that an telephone consultation appointment with a cardiologist has been made for me for a follow up.  The date of the appointment ... 30th April 2024.  They must have quite the waiting list if they are booking in phone calls over a year in advance!!

Hardcastle Craggs from the viewing point just up the road from our lovely holiday home.  As you can see from the top photo we also had a similar view while we were washing the pots each evening.

We stayed in a National Trust holiday home, Widdop Gate Barn, a converted barn in West Yorkshire.

Oh I saw alright ... drinking in the views and thinking on how lucky we were to be able to be there.

As you stepped into our holiday home the kitchen still has the old stalls for the cattle, with the table and chairs in the largest and a washing machine and a dish washer in the two smaller ones.

The vast window in the dining area, which really let in the cold at night.  The curtains were drawn straight after tea to try and keep things cosy.  Alan loves barns, and this was a good example of one that had been converted very sympathetically with hardly any full interior walls or false ceilings ... which made it very chilly!!

The photos on the National Trust website make it look a lot smaller and cosier than it was in reality.

The main bedroom, even this large king-sized bed seemed dwarfed in the space.

We had a large log burner in our Welsh house, but although this one was twice the size it still seemed dwarfed by the room it was in, and we went through a LOT of logs.  We sat wrapped in fleece blankets watching the television, wishing we had brought binoculars as it seemed so far away,

We went into Hebden Bridge on both the Saturday and Sunday, and the vibe on the two days was totally different.  On Saturday it was full of visitors dashing around taking photos and bustling through the shops and the market.  On the Sunday there was a large contingent of motorbikes parked in the square, with all the owners sat outside the many pavement cafes drinking coffees and chatting happily away.  There was a busker playing his heart out, and everything was just so much more chilled and laid back.

The dogs both loved the break, and once they mastered all the stone steps in the barn were relaxed and happy to be away with us ... but they were even happier when we got home.

This time, unusually for me, I bought my self a few souvenirs, but of course you know me ... they had to be useful things too.  

The wooden 'flour' box is actually lovely old wood and if I turn it around the other way on my shelf it will just look like a beautiful wooden box and the cockerel will be my little secret.  I was in the pottery shop making my rather excessive selection, when the 3pm emergency alarm practice went off on everyone's phones, causing much confusion to some people who had no idea what was going on.  It did get us all talking to each other and we had a good laugh as some phones were slightly late to the party and rang five minutes later.

Back soon.

Sue xx

Menu Plan Monday ... and Photos from Our Journey Home from Scotland

 

This is my menu plan from last week and as you can see by the first three ticks it went perfectly to plan for the first three days, and then just like I expected with a trip to Scotland planned at the last minute, the end of the week tailed off.

Alan invited me over to his house for my evening meal on Thursday as he had something that really needed using up before we left.  As it was a Higgidy pie and a big bowl of mashed potatoes I wasn't going to say no.  The on Friday I had a minimal breakfast and then we packed and hit the road for Scotland and a weekend away staying at Alan's sister and her fiancé's house.  

The dogs love going there as they have a lovely elderly German Shepherd dog called Tia and our little dogs hero worship big dogs ... much to Tia's annoyance.  Imagine it, suddenly your house isn't your own anymore and you have an annoying little Pug following you everywhere you go ... no wonder she is always relieved when they settle down a bit after the first day.

This week's menu took shape very quickly as I first transferred the meals that hadn't been used over from last week with little change.  Hopefully this week will go more to plan as we have nowhere that takes us out of the house for longer than a few hours.

Did I hear someone say 'What are bonus peas?' ... maybe not, but I'll tell you anyway.  They are the peas that you have left over when you tip out all the peas from the bag on Wednesday night's fish and chip meal, thinking that there will be just enough for the one meal and actually there are way too many.  So, in the interests of being able to add them to another meal I spooned some of them back into the bag ready for this week.

Now just because I got snap happy on the way back from Scotland on Sunday afternoon here are some of the lovely snowy scenes.

And there's the snap happy snow photographer in the wing mirror. 😄

As soon as we dropped lower down the hills onto the roads leading into Moffat the snow vanished, there was literally a line across a hillside field, snow on one side and then grass on the other and then the town and the roads leading to it were completely clear.

We stopped on the way home for a very late lunch at Tebay Services on the M6, and while Alan was picking up our order from the counter I snapped a photo of the view from our table.  This is one of our favourite services and if we pass we usually stop either just for a coffee and a dog walk or, like in this instance, for a dog walk and a meal.  We usually have a look around the beautiful farm shop too, but this time we were both tired and there was nothing we needed ... and I especially did not need any temptation to spend any of my money!!

And with two tired and happy snoring dogs on the back seat we set off for the final forty minutes of our journey back home.  Of course the best bit of having had our meal on the way home was that neither of us needed to cook or wash up, so it was just a case of a cup of coffee and the latest episode of Vera on the television ... a very good end to a brilliant weekend.

Sue xx

In Safe Hands, Sulking and Books

Someone asked about the animals while we were away, well for the third time this year we left them at home in the capable hands of pet sitters ... from reputable companies twice and once with Uncle Jason and Aunty Tash when we nipped back to Wales for a couple of days.

Sonya, Andy and their daughter Hannah, a lovely family from Queensland, Australia were originally pet-sitting their way around the UK before Sonya was offered a job with the NHS.  Now they are visiting Ireland and then she's re-entering the country this time on a work visa, and they are all staying for two years ... our motley crew and little town didn't put them off the British way of life then!!

To say our animals fell in love with them would be an understatement.

Mavis sulked and refused to eat for 24 hours and spent all her time sat on the doormat after our return waiting for Andy to come back.  Ginger has taken to sleeping on Hannah's bed, her staying obviously brought back happy memories for him of his first owners and he spent every night with her.

They have obviously just about forgiven us now that we have been back home for four days.  Going away and leaving them, although knowing that they were in the safest of hands was hard.  So much so that we have decided that any breaks that we decide to go on next year should be dog friendly and Ginger can go off on his holidays to Blackpool and stay with Uncle Jason.

You can almost hear Mavis asking, 'Where's Uncle Andy?'

In other news ... I have to hold my hands up and say that while we were away on our travels two more books arrived for me.  These look really interesting ... now I just have to get around to reading all my new acquisitions.

If I ever go on Mastermind my specialist subject could be Rationing During the War Years. 😄

Sue xx

A Holiday We'll Never Forget

 

They say when you hear of a death or something equally shocking you will always remember exactly where you were and what you were doing.  

I was wallpapering my shop walls when I heard on the radio that Diana, Princess of Wales had died, I was sorting through a delivery in the upstairs stockroom of the Scope charity shop when the Twin Towers went down ... and when the news broke that our beloved Queen had died we were sat waiting for our evening meal to be brought to the table before going into the show lounge to watch ' A Tribute to Queen' ... the group not her Majesty.

Of course, the show was cancelled, and all entertainment stopped for the evening.  The staff all changed into black dresses and suits and the huge screens all over the hotel showed the news until the last guest departed for their rooms.  We sat quietly drinking our wine, both deep in thought at times and reminiscing at others.

Such a sad end to what was a lovely holiday.

Each day had started with a lovely breakfast.

We had a game or two of giant chess in the gardens, then puzzles in the lounge.  Alan enjoyed the swimming pool and steam room every day over in the Spa, and I got lots of reading done.  We took part in some of the quizzes in the afternoons and generally relaxed and enjoyed ourselves.

We went out to an Antiques Centre one day and Alan enjoyed a cream scone, oh he does enjoy a good cream scone. 😄

I decided on something more tangible than a cake, although I did enjoy a coffee while he chomped away.  I bought this lovely butter knife and three 1930's Solian-ware Soho Pottery plates as my treat for the day.

The rest of my holiday 'souvenirs'.

Half used toiletries, excess sachets and napkins ... and an apple and a banana that we took one day for a snack and never got around to eating.  The VIP cards and the stars were left on our table each night to show that we had the VIP package and get us a drink of our choosing from the bar free of charge.  On the last night with the sad news of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II we drank our bottle of wine to toast her life but decided that any extra drink would just be too much.  Instead, they are souvenirs of a lovely holiday ... but one that will always be tinged with loss.

RIP Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II   

🌹 ♥ 🌹

Sue xx

Chop, Chop, Shoot and Relax

 

What's the last thing you do before setting off on a little holiday?

With me it's always checking through the fridge, chopping and freezing anything that just won't last the distance and making sure that nothing is going to be wasted.

Once that's all done and I've whizzed though with the hoover and wipe, it's time to throw the bags in the boot of the car and head off to which ever destination is next on our list.

And this time it's Alvaston Hall Hotel in Nantwich, Cheshire.

I've booked us a room in one of the more modern wings called The Limes.

And seemingly it's going to look like this, I'll take some photos for Instagram and see how they compare.

Alan is really looking forward to this particular break as there is a swimming pool and steam room for him to use, I've also booked him an archery lesson as he loved it last time he had a go at firing arrows during an event in Scorton.

While he does 'his thing' I will have peace and quiet to read a book or two and maybe even make notes about my upcoming Challenge ... on our own private patio if the weather is nice for us.

And then in the evenings there is a three-course meal with wine each night and entertainment.  It sounds like it could be a very relaxing few days away ... but I did make one biggish boo-boo.

I'll tell you all about that another time. 😆

In the meantime, while we are gone, and hopefully enjoying ourselves, the house and the animals are in the safe hands of a family from New Zealand who are house-sitting their way around the UK.  It's something we are having a think about for the future, it sounds like a great way to have holidays in all different towns and countries just for the cost of your fuel and food.

Sue xx