The Inbetween bits

Little miss has been back at school over a week now, and the rhythm of Autumn, the return to routine, cooler evenings and rain showers (who would ever think we'd be glad to see the return of the rain?) are well and truly setting in. The last blog post brought us up to around mid-August though, and there were still a few weeks between then and now to fill with adventures. Let me give you a whistlestop tour. 

I'd booked train tickets to Leeds waaaaay back in June, adamant that if I didn't book them then we wouldn't get there. Typically, I'd managed to book the only day of the summer holidays where it rained pretty much continuously. All wasn't lost, we didn't make it to the Cathedral as we'd originally planned, but we were able to stay mostly dry in the large shopping centres. 

I didn't get to see that much if I'm honest, Leeds is quite big and once you get into a shop it seems to steal all of your time. I did manage to pick up the chap's present for his forthcoming birthday in his favourite place, the Lego shop, though. We perused a few shops and then had pizza in Cafe Concerto before heading for the train home. 

Keeping with the theme of trains, a few days later we took a trip from Pickering to Whitby on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. We have been on it before, once many years ago just between Whitby and Grosmont and then a couple of years back on the Santa Express. This time though we decided to do the full journey and it really is amazing. 

The Moors is such a stunning and wild landscape and the train goes through parts that seem untouched by human hands. Some of the stations had signs up to beware the Adders (the UK's only native venomous snake) if you were leaving the station since the uncharacteristic heat meant there'd been a boom in the Adder population. 

It was relaxing, and harked back to a time of steam trains when a journey was a joyful experience. We had a few hours to spend in Whitby. I had thought the weather was going to be cooler, and was thrilled to take my new All About Audrey green velvet dress out for a trip, unfortunately I misjudged the weather and was boiling in my skin soon after we got off the train. 

Nonetheless, we enjoyed a wander around a very bustling Whitby, and bought fish and chips from the Magpie to eat near the harbour. We didn't have too long there though before it was time for our slow journey back through the moors. That didn't matter too much. We spend a lot of time in Whitby in this day was more about the journey than the destination. 

Next up on the adventure list was date night with the chap. We'd spotted that one of the Indian restaurants in York had won an award in the national curry awards, and thought it well worth a try. Well, the Bombay spice was delicious, I'm pleased to report. 

It was also bustling, so I can understand why it has won awards, but honestly the food was delectable. I can't remember what I had, but I do remember thoroughly enjoying it. Needless to say, as always, we overindulged. We're both very foody people in case you haven't noticed. 

Afterwards we walked across town to the Dubliner, which was also bustling. There was live music, and we had an absolute blast of a time. It was one of those nights that was so good that we barely took any photographs. I always feel regretful when I don't take enough photos, but it is also a sign of an excellent night out, so what can you do other than to vow to take more photos next time.

Sunset from Lendal bridge

Of course, we ended the summer holidays in our traditional way with a day on the seafront. In the arcades, at the fair, eating ice cream and burgers and being tourists in our own town. After all of that excitement, it's little wonder that I was tired by the end of it all. 

Six down

 I can’t believe that we’re in July already. How quickly is this year passing by? And, more importantly, how is little Miss approaching the end of another academic year?

This time of year always gets a little chaotic with school events, and the excitement of the impending holidays. Last week, it seemed the chaos had started. I wasn’t feeling 100% anyway, despite the relaxing weekend prior. I developed some problem with my left eye, it kept pumping water out and felt like there was pressure in it. It was annoying, so I visited the pharmacist who recommended some treatment for dry eyes. As a daily computer user, glasses wearer and allergy sufferer you can guarantee I’ll always have some issue with my eyes.

Tuesday was Little Miss’ school sports day. She’s inherited my sporting ability and, like me, makes up for it with humour, although she’s much more of a character than bookish little me was! 

Thursday evening she was invited to her friends birthday party at a local Italian restaurant, Florios. I decided that, rather than taxiing all evening and trying to grab snacks in the middle, I’d book a table for me and Mum. Even for a Thursday night it was bustling! The tables were constantly full.

As always, I overindulged. In my defence, I didn’t realise that the Calzone or the puddings would each be so large. It was all delicious but I did feel uncomfortably full afterwards. I consistently find myself promising not to over indulge again after each experience but, it seems when faced with a menu all willpower disintegrates. 

It was a long day for little Miss but she loved it.

Saturday afternoon we were off to York to meet up with some very good friends of ours. The chap met us at the train station and we walked up into town to meet them at Thor’s tipi. It was surprisingly breezy, and the game of cards that the children were trying to play was abruptly ended by a gust of wind that launched the cards across the tipi.

We grabbed some snacks, and then wandered off to the Minster. York Minster is always a joy, whether you’re religious or not there’s so much to appreciate here. 

After perusing and wandering we set off to get a drink. York is an odd place on a Saturday because you have Saturday shoppers and tourists thrown in with hen parties, stag parties and all day drinkers. By the time 5 o’clock comes it’s absolute chaos, and trying to find somewhere to enjoy a beer as a family group can be quite a challenge. That’s why I didn’t hesitate to jump into Blue Heaven as we passed by, it looked delightfully calm and chilled, and they serve cocktails.

So, I finished my day out with an espresso Martini of course. I had fancied a classic martini but it wasn’t on the menu. The little people enjoyed bowls of ice cream and we spent the last hour of the day mostly laughing. It was amazing fun. 

Thankfully the train journey home was far less crowded than the one to York, given many of party goers heading from Scarborough earlier in the day were likely still out. 

Sunday morning I met the chap for breakfast in Thornton-le-Dale. We brought both Thelma and Bruno with us and had a lovely walk around the village after our hearty full English breakfasts.

There was even a craft fair for us to check out too. The rest of the day was spent catching up on household chores ready for the week ahead, but what a fabulous weekend it was.

Summer Breeze, Makes me Feel Fine

 Having listened to promises of an impending heatwave, and waking each day to grey skies through last week I must admit, I thought it was going to be yet another weather flop. I went off to get my nails done during my lunch on Thursday. I wasn't sure what to get, so I'd asked Little Miss for a suggestion during school run that morning. Of course, her suggestion was turquoise blue, because that's her favourite colour. Actually, when I got to the salon it was the colour that took my eye too, so I did go for it. 

Thursday was starting to show signs of cheering up, but by the time Friday arrived it was glorious. I was stuck at my desk of course, but was heartened by the fact that I was trying to wind up all of my loose ends and finish my holiday handover before taking a week off. The day got very hot, very quickly and by the end of it we decided to forgo our usual Friday dinner of fish and chips for a large salad. Something about the hot weather makes it a lot easier to eat healthily and I've found that salads and healthy lunches have been much more present in my diet the past few days. 

Top to bottom: Salmon fillet with baked sweet potato and salad. Scrambled eggs, mushrooms and avocado on toast. Roast chicken salad

Friday evening, I finally finished the top I'd been crocheting. I'm thrilled with how it turned out. I have a few more projects lined up (Little Miss is desperate for me to crochet her a creeper from Minecraft for one thing) but I definitely think I'll make a few more versions of this top. 

Saturday morning I actually went to the gym. I'll give you a second to get over the shock! I felt quite smug afterwards. Then we took a trip over to Whitby. Being slightly further North than us, and positioned on what seems to be a wilder point of the North Sea (there are reportedly around 530 shipwrecks off the coast off Whitby) it's always a little bit cooler than Scarborough, and when it's as hot as it is at the moment, that's welcome. 

Sandals - Dr. Martens, Skirt - Flamer Heritage, Top - Homemade

It was the perfect opportunity to wear my newly finished top, paired with a Falmer heritage skirt I picked up on Vinted last year. It's a very comfortable top, I'm very pleased. 

Stalls in Whitby

We had a potter around the antique shops, and the bohemian and gothic clothing shops where I always fall in love with so many of the clothes. Then we walked down to the harbour. and bought a fish from the famous Magpie fish and chip shop. We ate them outside on a bench near the lighthouse, careful not to get mugged by one of the many seagulls waiting to swoop. It was really starting to feel like summer had arrived. 

Sunday, the mercury continued to rise. The weather had certainly delivered on its promises. During the afternoon a nearby hotel was holding a family fun day in their grounds. Live music, cold drinks and a bouncy castle for Little Miss sounded perfect. 

Sandals - Dr. Martens, Dress - Kharibu, Bag - Caudalie free gift, Hat - Max Mara weekend

I decided to give my summery Kharibu dress its first outing of the season, and I was thrilled to find that the yellow tote bag I got free with my Caudalie skincare order the week before was the perfect match. 

Perusing stalls at the family fun day

Soaking up the vibe

At the fun day, we met up with my friend and her daughter (little Miss' friend), and set up the picnic rug in a shady spot by a tree. The children were thrilled to spend most of the afternoon bouncing around on the bouncy castle. Every now and again they'd reluctantly come off to cool down, get a drink and a snack and play snap on the picnic rug. 

Selfie stick's out! 

We stayed there for pretty much the whole afternoon and it was the epitome of a perfect summer Sunday afternoon. 

Bank holiday Monday arrived and, unbelievably, an even hotter day. We wanted to go to the local waterpark. Little Miss has pretty much learned to swim and now she just loves being in the water. Alas, it seems everyone had the same idea and so it was fully booked until early evening. We opted to hop on the train and head to York instead. 

It may have been a crazy idea and is the first time I've ever completely worn the battery out on my portable fan, but we had a great time. We walked in by the river, enjoying ice creams along the way and pondering what it would be like to own one of the boats moored there. One was for sale, but at £27,000 it was more than a little bit out of my price range. 

Drooling after the boat with the blue roof

Sandals - Dr. Martens, Dress - Urban Touch, Bag - Fairfax and Favor

Wouldn't it be fabulous to live on the river all summer, and then move back to your home come Autumn? I'd love that. The good thing about York is getting to peruse shops that we don't have in Scarborough, like Monsoon and Urban Outfitters. I saw so many things I loved in those shops. I bought me and little Miss a new summer hat each in Monsoon. 

Little Miss spent her pocket money that she's been saving in the toy shop, and we enjoyed lunch at Black sheep coffee. Iced coffee, of course, and a chicken wrap. 

We finished up with a drink at Thor's tipi, watching the world drift by before tackling the hot walk back to the station. "See, we'd be home by now if I had that boat" I exclaimed as we passed the boats on the river again. We were exhausted by the time we got home, so we just had a quiet evening watching Jaws... again! 

I can't believe how perfect the weather has been for the first bit of my week off work. I just hope it holds out for the rest of the week. 

On Saturdays we Steampunk

 Last Thursday, the weather finally started to buck up. This made me happy since it was an office day. As a Costa regular, I had a free coffee to cash in, so I decided to treat myself to one of their new Vanilla cherry iced whipped lattes. I'm obsessed at the moment, and was devastated the other day when my local Costa had run out of the cherry syrup. I digress.  

After work, I met the chap and we went for dinner. He'd asked me where I fancied eating, and for some reason, around midday I got a real craving for Spaghetti Bolognaise, and I desperately didn't want to go to one of the many chain restaurants that are all over York. In the end we plumped for a local restaurant just over one of York's bridges that we'd never tried before, Enoteca. 

It was perfect, exactly what I'd had in mind and it wasn't long before it started to fill up with locals also in search of a some good midweek Italian food. I got my bolognaise, and some wine too. We'll definitely be making a return visit.  

When the chap walked me back to the train station, I totally bullied him into trying one of those vanilla cherry iced whipped lattes, and despite him really not wanting to admit I was right, he enjoyed it! 

Friday evening, I took Mum and Little Miss out to a local pub for dinner. Me and little Miss tried to teach grandma how to play Crazy 8s while we waited for dinner, which for me was a delicious vegetarian Thai Green curry. Tell me you love food without telling me you love food! 

The previous week I'd seen an ad for a Steampunk weekend at nearby Filey. We'd once stumbled upon this before, but decided this time we'd go intentionally. I didn't need to buy anything special for the occasion since my wardrobe could be classed as eccentric at the best of times. I opted for a black Victorian style skirt that the chap bought me in Whitby a couple of years ago, a black top with a Joules tweed waistcoat that I've been wearing for at least the past 10 years. A beautiful velvet jacket from Monsoon, also a gift from the chap a couple of years back. My Ralph Lauren boots, Irregular Choice cat handbag which was a gift from my Mum a good few birthday's back and I topped it off with my Christies red bowler hat which I've also had for years. 

I had hoped to pick up some steampunk goggles to add to my hat, at the market, but alas there were none. There was, however, an abundance of people in various types of Steampunk attire. Little Miss took charge of taking the photographs and confidently asked the people who's outfits she liked if she could take their photos. 

She did a great job, and everyone was so very friendly towards her, and in general. We finished up our day with fish and chips and set off for home as the sun began to set on the days activities. 

By Sunday I was looking forward to a peaceful and restorative day. The chap came across. My gym (that I rarely visit) has a pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. He bought a pass in to join me, and we spent a couple of hours swimming, relaxing in the sauna and just generally having a chilled and laid back day. 

Afterwards we went down to the sunny and bustling sea front to get some dinner. Then we did some of the touristy things. Played in the arcades, enjoyed a big cherry flavoured ice cream and finished off listening to some fab live acoustic music in a seafront pub. All in all it was a perfect end to a lovely weekend. 

Petticoats and Penguins

 Last week brought glorious sunshine. Even the North Yorkshire Coast gave the impression that summer was on the way, paving the way for a fun filled week. 

On Thursday I was in London. It was a work trip, and as much as I do enjoy an odd trip to the London office, I do find it exhausting. Early in my career I used to spend a lot of time in London, but I never found it as draining as I do now. I did also live a few 100 miles closer to it, which is probably a factor.

Anyway, it was lovely to be in the office and catch up with so many of my London colleagues. I’d been saved a desk with a view out over the City skyline and at lunchtime a few of us went for a wander. Someone who obviously knows their way around led the expedition and within 10 minutes we were standing in the middle of the crowds on Petticoat Lane market. I’ve never been here before and was awestruck. There were Indian and African fabric shops and lots of street food stalls selling cuisine from every corner of the globe. We all split up to get our respective cuisines. I had Jerk Chicken and rice and at £7 for a large portion, it was no more expensive than I pay for similar in York. We all perched together on a wall in the sun to eat our lunches and mine, was delicious.

It was a long day. I wasn’t home until after 10 having left before 8am, and I’d enjoyed both the event I’d travelled down to attend, and catching up with people who I don’t always get to see. 

A parrot at the zoo

Saturday morning started off grey, and we thought our plans to go to the zoo at nearby Sewerby Hall were going to be scuppered by the weather. Thankfully, the sun managed to break through the clouds in the afternoon so we stuck to our original plan.

Puppucino in the cafe

After a snack in the cafe, we went to the zoo. It’s a small zoo with exotic birds, goats and other farm type animals and little Misses favourite, Penguins.

We were just in time for feeding at the Humbolt penguin enclosure and little Miss was over joyed. She asked lots of questions. We took lots of photos (I’m yet to download the ones from her camera), and she decided she’d really like a pet penguin.

After the zoo we took Thelma for a walk around the wonderfully picturesque gardens, alive with squirrels and birds. As the sunset, it was time to make our way home. 

Yes, I have used a filter 

Sunday I was off to York to meet the chap. He met me from the train, and first stop was some lunch. Then, I had a bit of a spending spree at Hotel Chocolat. In my defence, it wasn’t all for me, in fact most of it was Easter eggs for other people, including little Miss and the chap! Any visit to hotel Chocolat is always a good excuse to treat myself to some champagne truffles though.

Afterwards, we walked through York to the cinema. The chap had bought us tickets for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. We’re both big Peaky Blinders fans, so we were very excited.

The Everyman is probably one of our favourite cinemas, and the chap treated me to one of their delicious ice cream sundaes and a glass of red wine, to enjoy with the film.

Blurry photos in the cinema 

We really enjoyed the film. No spoilers, but there were definite differences between the style of the series and the film, but there kind of had to be because of the time period and the events. We enjoyed it, and I’m so glad I got to see it on the big screen.

The Everyman Cinema 

Soon enough I was heading back home on the train, ready to start another working week after a very busy few days. Fear not though, the customary grey skies we’re so familiar with have returned. Let’s hope it’s just a blip!