The Food Diaries

 I definitely feel like this week has started looking up. My humour seems to be much better. Tuesday evening, after work, we popped along to ASK on the seafront for our dinner. I even managed to grab an outfit shot, and yes I did need that faux fur gilet, there’s always a cooler breeze coming in off the North Sea, especially in the early evening.

Shoes - Hotter, leggings- llama leisure, dress - city chic, gilet -, headband - one hundred stars

I couldn’t face doing the grocery shop on an empty stomach so we had a carb fest of pasta bolognaise, lasagne and cheese bread dippers, washed down with a small glass of Merlot. It was all rather delicious and we managed to finish and leave before the rush of tourists started queuing for tables.

The view over dinner

That evening I finished the third book in the ACOTAR series, ‘A Court of Wings and Ruin’. Another emotional rollercoaster, and there were some bits that were a bit disappointing, but nonetheless I still enjoyed it. I’m going to give myself a little break before I delve into book four.

I was in the office on Wednesday and these books seemed to be everywhere. I’m not sure how I ended up so late to this party, but people were reading them in the kitchen, my colleague told me his partner reads them and then when I pointed them out to the chap at lunchtime, it turns out a few of the ladies at his work are reading them too. I guess this sort of fantasy novel has never been my chosen genre, so had they not been recommended to me I probably would never have read them.

Talking of lunch, more food of course, the weather was pleasant enough that we could sit outside at the Shambles food court. It was packed with tourists, but we managed to squeeze a little spot at one of the tables, and my chicken pad Thai was exactly what I was after. The chap opted for one of his favourites from the Greek food van, chicken Gyros. 

Thursday was a quiet one, although I did finish crocheting a drinks bottle holder for little miss. It was originally for me, but given I’m a marketing managers dream, I bought one for my Stanley cup (refer to marketing managers dream above) before I finished crocheting this one. Little miss couldn’t wait to lay claim.

Friday, I’d booked a day off work and decided we’d take a trip across to Leeds to visit Leeds Armories, aka the National Museum of Arms and Armour.

The journey was hell! School holiday traffic meant we arrived in Leeds far later than planned, but nonetheless we stuck to our plan, heading straight for the museum. Now, while I love history I do have an aversion to anything to do with war. So I’m not sure why I opted for this venue other than other people had said it was worth a visit.

I wasn’t disappointed, and actually it was really enlightening. Little Miss especially enjoyed seeing all of the displays of armour, as did I. Suits of armour worn by horses, soldiers and even King Henry VIII were on display. It was fascinating.

Although I’m not sure where a lady would have put her eyes if talking to the knight with the generous cod-piece at the local joust. 

We learned about weapons, and saw models of the battle of Waterloo and the battle of Agincourt. It actually makes me want to read more about those periods of history. It also makes you realise how much combat has changed over the centuries. Once upon a time it was mostly hand to hand combat amongst soldiers. I don’t doubt that villages were pillaged and innocents still caught in the affray, but I doubt it would resemble any of the horrors we witness on the news in modern times. 

The battle of Agincourt 

Given our late arrival, and then the time we’d enjoyed at the museum we didn’t have as much time to visit the shops as we’d hoped. We made our way up into town, to the Victoria Quarter. I wasn’t too fussed about missing the shops as long as I got to Harvey Nichols.

Victoria shopping arcade

We perused the makeup, bags and shoes (of course), and I treated myself to a lovely new tinted moisturiser from Nars. I’m not a big fan of full on foundation, but I think tinted moisturiser gives a nice even tone to my skin, and feels more like skincare than makeup. 

After a quick snack, it was time to head home. We’d had a lovely day out, although next time I’ll get the train and give myself more time in the shops. 

The Catch Up

 These long periods between blog posts seem to be becoming something of a habit. What can I say? With the start of the school summer holidays, revising for my impending final assessment for a management and leadership course I’ve been doing all year, an unplanned (and not exactly wanted) trip to the Midlands and my ongoing obsession with the ACOTAR series of books, I’ve not had much time for anything. Although we did have a lovely cast ch up with friends who were holidaying over this way at the end of last week.

Aperol spritz on my Midlands trip

I think things are starting to settle into the summer holidays routine now. I haven’t got the luxury of 4 weeks Sabbatical like I did last year, so it’s down to juggling what leave I do have. 

This weekend, the chap came across. We had planned to go to Rio circus, which I’d seen a poster for. Thankfully we didn’t book tickets because, when we followed the postcode to the event we found ourselves in the middle of a council estate in Bridlington. No sign of a big top whatsoever. I think a bit of a scam might be happening, but nothing lost.

Sewerby Hall

We went to Sewerby hall instead. We’ve been a few times, and it was nice to wander around the zoo and the house itself. It was a gentle way to spend a Sunday afternoon, and little miss does love the penguins.

Whereas my favourites are the Pigmy goats, if only I had some land for a couple of these cheeky little creatures.

Hopefully I can start to feel more like myself over the next few weeks, especially once I get this final assessment out of the way, and a break from work. Then, who knows, I might even manage to get back into my blog writing (and reading) flow.

Musings

 It’s been a little while since I last posted. I hadn’t realised in the blur of life how much time had passed. A couple of weeks back I decided to take Facebook and Vinted off my phone. I haven’t closed my accounts, but I am a person who seeks out distraction, so I just needed to get it out of easy access.

Thelma enjoying the sunshine in the garden

I must admit, I’m far more productive without their temptation, I even finished a book in a week, which I’ve not done in years. In fairness, I did have some long train journeys for work in which to spend time reading too, which helped. The book itself, ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ was a recommendation from one of the other mums at little Misses school, and I enjoyed it so much that I’m now a good way through the second book in the series.

The rest of my time has been spent working, tidying up the garden with the help of the chap and life in general. Alas, this week, life in general has included little miss ending up in a plaster cast for a fractured wrist after a fall in the school playground, and only a week before summer holidays too. Let’s hope the coming weeks are less dramatic.

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.