Blogging

I've been wondering for the past few weeks if I should keep blogging.  I took some time off last year and if I'm honest I didn't miss it at all.

Now I spend time wondering what to blog about, if I have anything to blog about and if I can be bothered to blog.

The answer to that last bit, it seems, is simple.  No I don't want to continue blogging.

So with that done I want to thank everyone who has visited in the last 10 years, everyone who has left a comment. 

It was fun whilst it lasted.

Two Halves of the Same Day

The weather here in the last few weeks has been lovely.  Temps as high as 30C. 

The boys decided to jet wash the garden at the weekend and did a great job.

Unfortunately the weather had other ideas and we ended the day with thunder storms and rain.
For me it was a chance to catch up on some crochet and relax.

Tall Ships Regatta

The Tall Ships were back in Liverpool at the weekend and John and I went along to the prom (with thousands of our neighbours) to watch them leaving.

They were escorted out by a ship from HMS Eaglet which is a Royal Naval Reserve training centre in Liverpool and all the ships are crewed by young volunteers.

They were headed 13 miles off shore before beginning a race to Dublin, Ireland.

We were a little disappointed that there weren't more ships taking part (only 17) as the River Mersey would have looked amazing full of sail boats.

Unfortunately I didn't take the big camera so the photos are a little on the small side.

Here's a picture I borrowed form the internet of them leaving at noon yesterday.

Royal Wedding

Saturday 19 May 2018

HRH Prince Harry to Ms Meghan Markle

Love is all you need.

A Small Achievement

Just 13 short weeks ago I made the decision to join Slimming World.

With all the stresses of the last few years the pounds had crept up on me and my bigger trousers were starting to get tight!!

I didn't want to get another bigger size so took the plunge one Wednesday night and went to a group my friend at work goes to.

The people there couldn't have been nicer or more welcoming.

I took to dieting like a duck to water and it has paid off.

I am now officially 1st 8.5lbs (22.5lbs) lighter and I feel so much better.

I now have a lifetime membership to Slimming World.

Eye Candy!

Eye Candy time.

Off to see Avengers: Infinity Wars with my boy.

A Nice Compliment

Last week at my 3 yearly health check and MOT I had the nicest compliment from the nurse.  It went something like this.

N:  Do you smoke?

Me: No.

N: Have you ever smoked?

Me: No.

N: No of course you don't.  Your skin is to nice to be a smoker.

Me:  Umm.  Thanks!

Race for Life

I've just signed up to do the Race for Life on 1 July 18.

There are a few of us from work doing it work and it's for such a worthy cause.

5km?

No problem (although it will be a walk not a run)

Next year 10km!


If you'd like to sponsor me the link is here
https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/elizabeths-race-for-life-1333

Recently

Recently I:

*  Have taken it easy on the blogging front.  I don't want to make it a chore having to post every day.

*  Have been loving the blossoms on the trees.

*  Have been having great fun starting a new crochet project.

*  Have been tidying up the garden (it's slow progress)

*  Have been re-reading some favourite books.

*  Have enjoyed booking a little break for me and hubby.  Somewhere not too far from home but     
    somewhere neither of us has been.

York

York, at any time of the year, is a busy place.  Last weekend was no exception.

Hubby and I stayed in a local hotel and as we were up bright and early we managed to get all the touristy places done with no crowds.

We stayed opposite Clifford's Tower which dates back to 1068AD.
It is now part of English Heritage and is set to undergo some upgrading.

Just around the corner from the hotel and up the road a little is York Minster.  The current Cathedral is 800 years old.

We managed to see it and hear the bells all before the tourists arrived.

A few minutes later we were at The Shambles.  A lovely little lane that takes it's name from the street where the butcher's used to sell their wares.

It was also the inspiration for J K Rowling's Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and there a few 'Magic' shops to look around.

Although the Shambles is the most famous street in York other streets are also worth a look. 

There are a lot of 'gates' in the street names (Petergate, Coppergate, Walmgate, Stonegate etc) and this dates back to Viking times.  It derives from the Viking word 'gata' meaning street.

After our lovely, quiet tour around town we headed off to Bills for breakfast.  It's a homely place and apparently very popular as it was busy even at 9am on a Sunday.  We had a leisurely breakfast

followed by a walk along the river whilst waiting for the family to arrive.

It was a great weekend and we're looking forward to going back in June.  Hopefully the sun will shine next time.

Lambing

Last weekend hubby and I headed to York to see our Grandson (and his mum & Dad).

We had been invited to K's Mum and Dad's farm for lambing.  There were already 154 new lambs when we arrived and unfortunately no new birth's whilst we were there.

Some of the sheep had had triplets so one baby had be given to another sheep.  Some had had four babies and some are kept as 'Pet Lambs' if another sheep won't take them.  They are in a pen by themselves and fed by K's dad until they are old enough to join the flock outside.

I got to hold them. 

They are so soft and warm and just want to nibble you all the time.

K's dad texted her later and said that two more lambs had dropped about ten minutes after we left.

Never mind there is always next year.

Jersey Boys

Last week I took the train up to Glasgow to meet up with friends.  We were off to see Jersey Boys at the King's Theatre.

It did not disappoint.

The signing was awesome and the whole cast were amazing.

We all had such a good time we're thinking of making it a yearly tradition.  We're now busy finding out what's on next April in either Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Back Soon

I'm off on my travels for a few days.  

See you soon.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I first read this book about 7 or 8 years ago on the recommendation of mum.  I liked it so much I've read it several times since (including, spookily enough, just now).

When I was a the cinema recently I saw that it has been made into a movie and will be released on 20 April.

I have a feeling I may have to go by myself as hubby won't want to see it!!

January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb…. 

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. 

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever. 

The Local Area Pt 3

This weekend's walk was another local one.  Just 2 miles away to be exact.  We parked up on the prom and walked 6 miles along the coastal path past Leasowe Light House.

The weather this week was decidedly warmer and less windy than last week.

Leasowe Light House

Built in 1763 and fully functioning until 1908, it is one of the Leading Lights that guided shipping safely into Liverpool. As well as a place of work it was also a family home.

A Little Thank You

The other morning the office staff were unfortunate to be on the receiving end of a very rude and grumpy delivery man.

Being British I immediately complained about his behaviour towards staff and for being rude in front of children and parents.

A few days later I received a very nice e-mail from DPD saying how sorry they were that we had had to put up with the rudeness of one of their drivers.  They said that the driver would be spoken to and they hoped it wouldn't happen again.

Another 'few days later' the grumpy driver was back.  This time NOT grumpy or rude and handing over a small box with my name on it.

It was a lovely handwritten note from Louise saying sorry.........again.  I emailed her to thank her and tell her how it had made us smile.

Do you think they have to say sorry a lot?  I can't imagine they had one cookie made just for me.

The fact that the grumpy driver had to deliver my "sorry" cookie was definitely karma.

The Local Area Pt 2

There is a very nice coastal walk, near where we live, that overlooks the Irish sea. 

Hubby and I took a stroll along part of it on Sunday.  The sun was out and the sky was blue but the wind!!  It was relentless.  Most of the walk to Hoylake saw me walking behind hubby so he blocked out the cold.

The route back was much warmer as we came back through the sand dunes.  Wish we had gone that way too!!

Something a Little Different

I'm normally very conservative when it comes to my nail colour.  I tend to stick to the same three colours.  Dark blue, burgundy or purplely black (if purplely is a colour!).

As it's almost Spring Break and I'm meeting up with friends I thought I'd go for something a bit different.

I hope they look as good as this photo.

ETA:  Sadly they didn't have the colours :(  so I went for my old faithful of dark red with a hit of sparkle.

One from the Archive

I didn't have anything to blog about today so went with an archived post.  I still have these little chicks and they will be coming out again next weekend for my Easter display.

Wednesday, 20 March 2013

Easter Chicks

Next Friday (Good Friday) the High Street in the village is decorating windows for Easter.  I'm not really sure what I'm doing yet but saw these little chickies somewhere (I will try and remember where and post a link) and thought they'd be really good in a display.

Problem is I can't get their feet right.  I manage one but then once I've put the wire through the chick my mind goes to mush and I can't remember how I did the first one. As you can see he has one gammy foot and one normal one.

It's all trial and error at the moment but I still have the weekend to figure it out.

If you're wondering how big the chicks are here's one next to a £2.00 coin.

Nashville - The Final Season

Awesome.  

Nashville is back.  

Time to get my weekly country fix.

March's Crochet

After finishing my last blanket (which has been put to good use over the last few weeks with the drop in temperature) hubby decided he wanted one of his own!  He wanted a blue one.  Just blue.  But I thought it would just be too boring to make to I added a few different shades and it's looking OK so far.

I'm about a third of the way into it at the moment and have to admit that I'm not finding it as interesting to do due to the lack of colour.

That's why I have these beauties waiting in the wings for when I've finished.

When it's made up it's meant to resemble the heather strewn moorlands.  I like to think of it as more like the Scottish Highlands.

The Local Area Pt1

I've been saying to hubby for months that we should get out and explore the local area more, seeing as we know live here full time and aren't just visiting.

As kids we walked the Wirral Way. 


The Wirral Way is a path on the track of an old railway that goes from West Kirby to Hooton in mid-Wirral offering superb views over the Dee Estuary to Wales. Originally the railway formed a circuit of Wirral and this is the missing link.

It is situated within Wirral Country Park. Wirral Country Park is a place of contrasts. Birds nest in the dense hedges or feed on the berries in winter, and you may see up to ten kinds of butterfly in summer. From the boulder-clay cliffs look out over the Dee Estuary across its 31,500 acres to the Welsh shore, 5 miles away, and on a clear day you can see the familiar outline of Moel Famau in the Clwydian Hills. The estuary's ever-changing light, broad vistas and westerly sunsets reflected in the mudflats and the sea are a constant delight.

Normally we walked it as part of a sponsored walk, as not having a car made it difficult to get there. 

Now we have a car it's a ten minute trip and the views across to Wales are lovely (except on dreich, cold and windy days).

We took a stroll through the trees

and along the cliff top (you can just see Wales in the background)

and down the steps to the beach

Thankfully we walked down them and not up!

Where, as you can see, it was lovely and warm! 

And I managed to get one startled looking photo due to my hands nearly getting frost bite when I took my gloves off to take the picture :)

We've decide we'll go back in the warmer weather.

Homesick Blues

Have you ever looked at one photo/picture and immediately felt 'Homesick'?

This one did it for me a few weeks ago.

Sent to me by my lovely friend J, I immediately wanted to be back there.

I may have to invite myself to stay sometime!!

Glasses v Contacts

I recently had the chance to try contact lenses, for free, on a months trial. 

It didn't go well.  I spent ages trying to get them in and often had to get up half an hour early so I wouldn't be late for work!!

I asked for varifocal lenses and was told that wasn't a problem.  It seems it was as when I tried to drive in them I couldn't see further than the front of the car.

One thing I loved about them, when I did manage to get them in, was I could see to put my mascara on.

I think I'll stick to my glasses.  At least they hide the bags under my eyes.  Ha Ha!! :)

Big Little Lies

Based on the same-titled best-seller by Liane Moriarty, "Big Little Lies" weaves a darkly comedic tale of murder and mischief in the tranquil beachfront town of Monterey, Calif. Amidst doting moms, successful husbands, beautiful children, and stunning homes exists a community fuelled by rumours and divided into haves and have-nots, exposing fractured relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, and friends and neighbours. Told through the eyes of three mothers -- Madeline, Celeste and Jane -- the series' narrative explores society's myths regarding perfection and its romanticization of marriage, sex, parenting and friendship.

This is an awesome series.  One that show's you never really know what goes on behind closed doors.  Or just because someone is smiling, they are happy.

I can't wait for series 2.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day here was an understated affair.  I did the washing and ironing as normal.  Hubby and I went for a walk and the YM did what he does.

There were't any flowers or chocolates (all very overpriced in my opinion) but I did get the best surprise.

The YM met me at the bottom of the stairs and said "look in the garden".

Imagine my surprise when I saw these three staring back at me.

These will definitely last longer than either flowers or chocolate!

Birkenhead Town Hall

I must have walked past this Town Hall a dozen times and never once thought much about it.

One day last week I had to go to a Council Finance meeting and it was held in this building and I was bowled over by how gorgeous it is.

This is the main staircase to the conference/lecture rooms.

The windows on the stairs.

The top landing.

And the ceiling in the room where we had our meeting.

I'm still in awe of the place.  What a great way to start your day.