Half-term Diaries

 I'm still catching up with myself after my last few posts. Casting my mind back a couple of weeks, it was half term break. We were still suffering the after effects of whatever the nasty winter bug was (with Mum and little Miss suffering the effects for a few weeks more), and definitely weren't on form. A while back, however, I'd booked a decorator to do my hall landing and stairs. The last frontier of decorating in my house and definitely one I wasn't willing to try myself. My Edwardian ceilings are far too high for that! Knowing this would be disruptive, I'd also booked an apartment in York for the week, so I waved goodbye to home sweet home, packed up the car and off we went. 

Having left home in the early afternoon, we set off to York. We arrived a bit earlier than our check in time so spent some time at Monks Cross. I found (well Mum found for me) a lovely skirt in the charity shop. We picked up some food and then set off for the apartment. Unfortunately, after spending an hour or so trying to make the oven work, it was pretty obviously broken and we weren't going to be getting any food from it tonight, or any other night on this trip. Thankfully, the chap lives in York and like a knight in shining armour, arrived at our apartment with a feast from the chip shop. Definitely not a great start to the week. 

But at least the apartment's communal gardens were lovely

Tuesday was the chap's day off work. Originally we'd planned to go to Beningborough Hall, but then changed our mind. We thought we'd go to the Van Gogh experience but it was closed, so we headed into town with a vague idea that we might go into the Minster. We didn't, we decided to peruse the shops instead. 

Even though I work in York, I rarely get the chance to have a good look around the shops. There are some lovely antique shops that really need time for looking, so we headed for one and started off with coffee in their upstairs cafe. I'd been looking for a silver locket. I have been for ages, but I really wanted to hold it and examine it rather than buy off the internet. There were loads in here, and the majority of them cost more than I was willing to spend, but then, I found a beautiful heavy weight one, with some original photographs in it. I bought it. 

We had dinner at the York roast company and negotiated the crowds as we wandered around all of the shops. It was a chilled way to spend the day, and the weather was decent too. 

One of York's many, beautiful churches

Later in the evening, I met some of my work colleagues for a quick drink in a pub. A couple of them were up from London and one lady is leaving so I won't get to see her again, so it was nice to have a quick catch up. Back at home it was a night of watching movies on the TV. 

We decided we would head across to nearby Harrogate. Last time I was here was a few Christmasses back, with the chap. The weather was grim as we drove in, but thankfully the worst of it passed by the time we got out of the car park.

After coffee and a snack, it was another day of perusing shops. They have a wonderful department store there called Hoopers, Mum bought me my Christmas gift while we were there and I fell in love with some beautiful soft Italian leather bags all emblazoned with studs. At over £500 a piece I wasn’t about to add them to my collection and as Mum pointed out, they weren’t wildly different from the Balenciaga bag I’d bought in Paris last summer. If only I thought to shop my wardrobe hey!?

By dinner time the rain was bad again, and we were in search of our main meal, given the no oven situation! The Ivy had a set menu offer, it seemed good at the time. 

The surroundings were lovely and it was bustling but by the time we added a drink and a coffee each to our bill, and a children’s meal that wasn’t in the offer we were shocked by the bill that arrived. It makes you realise, these dining bargains aren’t really bargains and it wasn’t even like it was astoundingly good food. Also, I’d say, setting wise the Harrogate Ivy is better than York, but the food is definitely better at the York one. We'd have been better off going to Weatherspoons to be honest. 

The Ivy, nice surroundings but disappointing food

By Thursday, we were looking forward to getting home. I drove back across to Scarborough to check on progress at the house. I was amazed. When you've been ignoring a space for over a decade it's quite invigorating to see it made beautiful again. Back in York in the afternoon, it was more shopping. This time at the outlet. It was very busy, and I treated myself to a couple of small bits.

Thursday evening we popped to the chap's house so little Miss could do a quick trick or treat in her witches hat. We didn't stay long though. Friday arrived and it was finally time to head home. Not only were we all glad to be back in our house, but honestly the decorating. It looks absolutely beautiful. 

My funky little halloween witch at the apartment

Had we all been feeling better, I'm sure we could have made more of our extended stay in York but at the end of the day, it was functional so we could be out of the way while the house was being decorated. It was a different surroundings, it reminded me why I don't ever want to live in a city again but it was worth it to return to such a beautiful result.

York was walking distance from the apartment