Goodlife

 Here’s a rare treat for you, a blog post that’s more photos than words.

On Saturday, the chap and I made our way over to Harewood House in Leeds. We checked into our hotel, and then set off to the Boutique, Goodlife Festival in the grounds of the stately home.

Promising a 90s lineup that included Soul 2 Soul, The Happy Monday’s and Todd Terry, and with the sun blazing down, we were very excited.

It was a bit of a trek from our hotel, I wished they’d had a camping package, but inside the vibe was all good.

Of course, when we ran into our good friends R & R, and their relatives too, two became six and it was party time. Hours and hours of dancing, laughter and drinking beer. It was amazing.

I can’t wait for next year! 

Spas and Tiny Houses

 You know those people who are always proclaiming how busy they are? Oh I’m just so busy I haven’t even had time to check my messages this week! I’m so busy I’ve not even been able to do the weekly shop! I find them incredibly boring and yet, here I am, becoming one! Don’t get me wrong, some of what I’ve been doing has been great fun, I’ve just not had a chance to write about it. A mixture of doing fun things, work, and trying to get all of my assignments in on time for a Leadership and Management course that is drawing to a close has kept me away from anything remotely resembling a hobby. 

I’m not lying when I say some of it has been super exciting. Every now and then I make a little purchase of some raffle tickets from a website. They are cheap, and with better odds than the lottery, an odd £1 spent here or there is a gamble I’m willing to take. Last week, a text popped up on my phone suggesting I’d won one of the draws. I thought it was a scam, so I checked my emails. It was there too, so I logged into the site and lo and behold I’d won an incredibly expensive professional coffee machine.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love coffee, so this was amazing. A few days later I was trying master caramel lattes, oat milk flat whites and everything else I can get in a coffee shop. Honestly, this has been a revelation, I have barely bought a coffee out since it arrived. 

The Saturday of that week, it was gloriously hot and sunny, so we decided to revisit Bondeville Model Village at Sewerby. There were very few people there, which was excellent.

Little miss and Thelma were able to really enjoy the attraction without being rushed. This model village is amazing, I think we’ll probably visit every year for as long as little Miss is interested.

At the moment she loves to take her favourite toy dog and set up little scenarios on the models. It’s so innocent and wonderful. Moments to hold on to.

Afterwards, we had a little saunter around the gardens at Sewerby hall, before heading home having enjoyed a very full day.

The following day I went to the spa with the chap.

I’ve been craving a spa day. Just being able to swim some lengths and sit peacefully in the sauna was exactly what I needed. 

I think if I had an abundance of money and a big garden I’d buy a home sauna, such is my enjoyment of them. Since I have neither, I will just continue to enjoy spa days whenever the opportunity arises.

We both got treatments too, which just made us both feel much better. To be honest, I do prefer a spa break because after you’ve done all that relaxing, it’s nice just to be waited on with a nice dinner and then fall into bed. It’s not always possible though, so a spa day fills a nice gap.

Aside from that we’ve been making the most of the heatwave with trips to the seafront, and I’ve even unpacked my summer clothes, which is probably why the heatwave went away. 

Time for (afternoon) Tea

 The weekend just passed was my Mums birthday. Unlike me, Mum doesn’t like to plan things too far in advance, so by mid-week she’d decided she’d quite like to go for afternoon tea at Mama Doreen’s in York to celebrate once more round the sun.

Afternoon tea outfit- shoes - Jimmy Choo, Dress - Tu, kimono - One Hundred Stars

Thankfully, I was still able to get us booked in, and we headed down on Saturday afternoon. It was packed in there. I think there are quite a few birthdays at this time of year, but there were also a few hen parties too.

I find the idea of having afternoon tea for a Hen Party a bit odd. When I had mine years ago, I hired a limo, crammed it with some friends and we went to the nightclub and got very drunk. Those were the days of those horrible shooters that were bright blue and tasted like mouthwash. It was fun at the time. I digress.

Anyway, Saturday was lovely. We had a nice table and Mum got thoroughly spoiled with a posh new handbag from me and some Pandora charms for her bracelet from the chap. We ate lots of cake and even had cocktails too. 

Mum said she’d had a wonderful birthday, which of course was the whole point. Afterwards, we had a little wander around the shops, where I succumbed to the most amazing lamp in TK Maxx.

All in all, a rather excellent Saturday.

Half Term Fun

Bank holiday and annual leave meant that the first half of my week was luxuriously free from work, to enjoy some half term adventure with little miss. Unfortunately the North hasn’t quite yet managed to make the transition into summer, and so in typical British bank holiday style, it rained all day Monday. The quiet time did at least allow me to finish my latest book, The Essex Serpent, which I absolutely loved. Then we broke the monotony of the day with a trip to the local garden centre for tea and cake. It was packed, evidently everyone had the same idea.

Tuesday wasn’t a great deal better, so agreeing we needed an indoor day out, we opted for a trip to the shopping outlet. Of course, I went with the intention of just window shopping and snacking, but there were bargains to be had, so I did come away with a new top from Joules and this leather wristlet/pouch from Kate Spade.

To be fair, I think I look at these every time I go and always walk away without one. Little Miss managed to talk me into a Puppycorn surprise in Clare’s accessories, and so everyone went home happy.

North Bay with Scarborough Castle on the headland

Wednesday the weather decided to cheer up. I decided we’d take Thelma for a lovely long walk at North Bay.

I couldn’t wait to wear the Joules top I’d bought the day before. I’m a bit obsessed with all things nautical at the moment, and turns out this top is perfect for those warm but breezy seaside days.

Joules Mariners top worn with Jeans, Dr Martens boots and Barbour jacket and hat, perfect beach walking outfit

The weather was very kind, the tide was out and little Miss was thrilled to check out all of the rock pools. She managed to find some booty in the form of some rocks and an uninhabited crab shell.

We finished up with an iced coffee (me) ice cream (little miss) and cheesy chips before heading home. Thelma slept for the rest of the day.

That’s one hell of an iced coffee

Thursday was the end of my adventures. I was back at work, but Friday I decided to go to the office. Unsurprisingly it was extremely quiet! After work though the chap came to meet me for Friday night dinner at the Pitcher and Piano.

It was also 2-4-1 cocktails so I enjoyed not 1, but 2 espresso Martinis. Definitely the way to start the weekend. Later on, we parked ourselves in Costa to people watch. Something I’ve noticed about York in recent years is that people seem to be a little more eccentric. There seem to be more Alt. Types, as well as the nonchalant bohemians wandering through with flowing layers, and of course the downright odd sorts dancing to their own tunes (literally) as the world wanders by.

We finished up with another beautiful walk along the river before I caught the train home. 

Saturday morning I was up early, and decided to take advantage of the good weather by doing a spot of gardening. Later in the day, I took a trip into town. I was dropping off some bits to the charity shop, and the charity shop fairies definitely smiled on me afterwards. I found 2 lovely summer tops.

The lavender one is River Island, and the other one is a brand called Anise, and still had the labels on. Not bad given both together cost me less than £7. It gets better though because I then found this trunk at the second hand furniture shop.

It wasn’t until I got home and googled it that I found out it’s still for sale at an expensive furniture retailer for almost £400 more than I paid for it. That’s what I call a bargain!

Today has been a relaxed day of playing Guess Who, watching Shrek and Hotel Transylvania and grocery shopping. Back to normality tomorrow. 

Rainy Days and Mondays

 After my last post, I thought I was on the mend. A summer cold that I was shaking off. Then Tuesday arrived and I felt terrible. It’s not often I trouble the Dr, but I did. So, the past week has been filled with penicillin and remedies for acute sinusitis. I genuinely do think I’m on the mend now, but it took a while.

The upshot of that is it was another quiet week. Little miss did manage to get back to school, which is always a positive sign. 

Scarborough Art Gallery

One of the things we missed while we were unwell was the opening night of the Scarborough Open Exhibition at the Art Gallery. Not something we’d usually get an invite to, but little Miss has a picture accepted to the junior exhibition.

Saturday we decided it was time to go and see it. A very proud mummy moment indeed, and she was so happy to see it there on the wall.

While we were there we looked at some of the other paintings. They have a beautiful collection of Atkinson Grimshaw work. I particularly like this one of beacons being burned on the beach at Scarborough to warn boats.

The rest of Saturday we just pottered around town. Sunday, I headed down to York to meet the chap. After coffee and a snack, we were off to the pictures to see the new Final Destination film. It was really gory in true FD style, but I always enjoy these films, and this one didn’t disappoint.

Afterwards we headed back into York for a wander. It wasn’t nearly as busy as it usually is on a bank holiday Sunday. There were people out shopping and drinking, but usually the pubs are spilling out onto the streets and all the eateries are full. Not so much this time. After a wander around the shops, we settled at Byron for burgers for dinner.

It was delicious. It’s ages since we ate at Byron. Afterwards we walked through town, visiting a few more shops along the way. Then, we finished up with coffee in the museum gardens where there was a Roman event with centurion guards, armoury and various educational stands. We finished up with a walk along the river, back to the train station.

It was a really lovely way to spend the day. This week I have a couple of days off work, and I’m hoping the weather will be kind so that perhaps we can get out somewhere.

Summer Cold

 Yep, I’ve had one! I came down with it last Friday and it hung over the start of my week like a grey cloud. I was determined to get to the sound bath I’d booked on Monday night though. I put my mats and blankets a bit further away from everyone and let the noises of gongs, drums and singing crystal bowls wash over me. This is the second time I’ve had a sound bath, it’s so relaxing and I really must do it again.

Tuesday I had to cancel my lunchtime nail appointment. I was still feeling too rough and didn’t think it very fair to go and breathe my germs all over the nail technician. I also realised that last week was so busy that I spent a lot of my time eating junk and convenience food, so it’s little wonder I caught this. Note to self, eat more fruit! 

Dusk falling over South Bay

By Tuesday night I was a bit fed up, so I went out for a breath of air near the sea, and a coffee at one of the local hotels, taking care to sit in a far corner. 

My lergy didn’t didn’t really shift for the rest of the week, and the highlight of my week was going to collect a parcel from the shop. A gorgeous skirt I’d bagged on Vinted. 

Friday, I did get to my rescheduled nail appointment though. Even though I felt the haze was lifting, with little Miss still being very poorly, I cancelled my weekend plans with the chap and some of our friends. Good job I did because I also managed to get little Miss into the doctors, and she was prescribed some antibiotics. They don’t give those out freely, so she definitely needs a quiet weekend with her mumma. 

Funky orange nails are the order of the day

Here’s hoping that next week is better!

Here Comes The Sun

 Wow! What a week we’ve had. It’s been incredibly warm, I even cracked out the new Dr Marten sandals I bought earlier in the year. Anyone who knows me knows that the feet don’t get exposed until it’s very warm. Unfortunately the warmth and hayfever has made concentration fairly difficult, but I’ve soldiered on all week.

Wednesday evening though I decided I needed to get my act together or risk missing all of the sunshine. It was the last day dogs will be allowed on the main beach until September, so we took Thelma down for a walk.

It was glorious there. The sun shining, people swimming and of course, Ice Cream.

Thursday the mercury hit 26, and I was off for a day in the office. It was so warm, I couldn’t even bring myself to go for a lunchtime wander. Instead, I sat in the sun on the office roof terrace and admired the Minster and the blue skies.

After work, the chap met me. We were going to go for a pizza in the pub, but instead opted for one of the chap’s favourite places, and another roof terrace, Las Iguanas.

The chap treated me to beer and fajitas. We’ve not been to Las Iguanas in ages, and we both really enjoyed it. Although we did also notice some changes to the portion sizes which seem somewhat smaller. 

Back at home I was excited to open the Kobo e-reader I’d bagged off eBay at the end of last week. My excitement was replaced with disappointment however when it didn’t work. So annoying when a listing says working, when it blatantly isn’t! I never have much luck with used electricals, so I might just save for a new one. 

Friday, I was exhausted. The week had wiped me out and I was looking forward to the long bank holiday weekend. I even went to bed early, which I never do on a Friday. Saturday we didn’t have much planned. The weather has plummeted to cold and windy, so I just sorted out some donations for the charity shop, and dropped those off. 

Later on, we took Thelma for a lovely walk around the duck pond in Thornton le Dale. Then it was home for a chilled evening. The chilled vibe spilled over into Sunday. After church in the morning, we had a leisurely brunch in the Morrisons cafe, which was pleasantly surprising. Cheap and tasty! Followed by grocery shopping.

While my chicken casserole was cooking in the oven, I did some yoga, and helped little miss with some Minecraft. Later in the evening, I sewed some patches onto my overnight bag.

Like the denim jacket that appeared in an outfit shot a few weeks back, my overnight bag is an ongoing project of patches depicting, mostly, places I’ve been. I love these infinity projects. They are like a record of thoughts or events but are usable too. 

Having what I would usually consider to be a mundane weekend has made me realise that I try to cram too much into too little time. I try to rush my shopping between some other activity, or always feel like I need to be going somewhere and doing something but, actually, it’s really valuable just to stop sometimes, buy your groceries, play Minecraft and have a lazyish day.