Step Trackers

This Christmas Santa was very good to me and bought me a new Fitbit.  A nice, lovely pink one, thank you very much.

The last one I had was bought after a friend of ours thought he was having a heart attack and ended up have a stent fitted!!  It gave him and us, quite a shock.

Hubby and I took to walking around the local pond and I bashed out a few line dance routines twice a week and was more than happy when it hit the 10,000 step target.

This time I thought I was doing pretty well getting 10,000 steps most days. As I now walk to and from work I thought it must be all those extra paces adding up.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I found out I'd done 20 or more steps standing still to dry my hair!!  Or that I hit my target yesterday whilst sat on the sofa crocheting my blanket!

It seems that although we think we're just doing steps to hit the target the trackers we wear take into account arm movement as well. 

It just goes to show that you can't always believe what you read. 

♥♥♥ I still love my pink one though ♥♥♥

I wonder if I can do 10,000 steps one day without getting off the sofa?

This Weekend

This weekend was a quiet one.

Saturday was about covering the grey with a relaxing trip to the hairdressers followed by a little hooky time whilst watching the excellent film Hidden Figures.

Sunday was all about housework, ironing and sorting out my craft space (which I'm hoping to have sorted out soon).

The Alchemist - Liverpool

As we had a visitor last weekend and the YM had turned 21 the week before, I booked a table at the Alchemist in Liverpool.

John and I had walked past it in December when we'd been over the the Christmas Market and Ice Festival.  It appealed to me seeing as how the YM uses chemicals every day at work.

We googled the website for details and found out that they make amazing cocktails by making them look like experiments.

They have foaming one and ones that change colour and they all look amazing.

And you can book a masterclass in cocktail making.  Hmm must remember that for future reference.

The food is what you would call "basic".  Steaks, burgers, fajitas that kind of thing but it tasted amazing and the YM said it was the best steak he'd ever had (he even ate the greens!).   

Compliment indeed.

Will we go back?  You bet.  But I'll need to save up first as the cocktails are expensive.............
but so worth it.

Crochet Mojo

Living in Texas for two years I had very little need for woolly blankets so I didn't crochet much at all. (I did start the red, white & blue blanket but it is still sitting in a bag waiting to be finished).

Last winter I didn't feel like doing much at all but last week I suddenly thought I'd like to give it another go.

Lucy at Attic 24 is hosting a Crochet-a-long (CAL), lasting 6 weeks and involving the most gorgeous Autumn colours.  Having had a nosey at what other ladies had been up to I couldn't wait to get started.

Lucy had opted for a new ripple pattern (see below) but as I was just getting back into the swing of things I decided on her Cosy Stripe pattern.

I took a page out of Lucy's book and wrapped the wool around some pegs.  It seemed like a strange thing to do but I quickly realised that when you have 15 colours to chose from and the label is no longer on the ball it helps to know what your colours are!!

Whereas Lucy has gone for a random colour selection I've chosen a rainbow effect.

Apart from the brown stripe at the bottom, which I'm not too keen on at the moment, I'm really loving the effect.  Maybe it will look better once I add another brown row.

I've also discovered, after crocheting for the last 9 years, that I really prefer to do stripes instead of granny squares.. There is a lot less changing of colours and sewing in ends!

I'm a little behind with the Woodland CAL but I'm hoping to catch up in February when I have a week off work :)

This Weekend

This weekend saw us with a visitor.  My friend J popped in on her way back to Scotland.  She had been down visiting her parents and thought she'd come over and say hi.

We couldn't have had a wetter weekend to have a visitor.  It rained all weekend and the wind on Sunday was just so icy it was best to stay indoors.

On Saturday we ventured out and headed for Chester where we had lunch, walked the walls,

dried off in the pub and had a swift half next to the log fire, popped into Ye Olde Sweet Shoppe

 and strolled around the Cathedral to get out of the rain.

In the evening we took the train over to Liverpool and went for cocktails and a meal at The Alchemist.  The food was gorgeous and the cocktails were great (if a little expensive!!)

Sunday saw us try and take a stroll along the prom.  Only to turn round quickly as it was bitterly cold.  We stayed home all afternoon and watched movies, had a go on the VR headset,

drank wine and ate chocolate!  ♥♥♥ My kind of Sunday. ♥♥♥

The Young Man is 21

Everyone says that times flies and boy it's true.

How did this wee cutie grow up so quickly?

One day I blinked and he had grown into a toddler.

Then he was grown up enough to catch his own fish (with no help from Dad)

He was wanting to be as tall as Granny

And starting High School

then he was taller than Granny

and Graduating from High School in the USA.

I'm sure I've blinked quite a few more times in the past 21 years so for now I'll be happy with the memories I have.  Before I know it another 21 years will have flown by.

Happy Birthday Young Man.  Dad and I are proud of you xxx

This Weekend

This weekend was one of tidying up and unpacking the last few boxes still left from our move in May 2017!!.

That meant a trip to the tip with the cardboard

and a bit of an early spring clean in preparation for visitors on Friday.

Not a very exciting weekend but they can't all be fun and games now can they?  Still the boys had fun with their new gadget!!

Apple & Raisin Muffins

Tom Kerridge is a Michelin Star chef who has a new TV series out about a group of people in his neighbourhood  he is helping to lose weight after he himself lost 12 stone (168lbs).

This is one of his recipes from the first episode and taste delicious.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp runny honey
• 2 medium Braeburn apples, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 tsp ground mixed spice
• 2 large free-range eggs, beaten
• 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 200ml/7fl oz semi-skimmed milk
• 2 small bananas, mashed
• 300g/10½oz self-raising flour
• 2–3 tsp granulated sweetener
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 40g/1½oz raisins
• 1 tbsp rolled oats
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and line a 12-hole muffin tray with large muffin cases.
2. Place the honey into a small non-stick saucepan over a medium heat and heat for 2–3 minutes or until it turns a dark golden-brown and just begins to smoke.
3. Stir in the apples and spices and cook for 3–4 minutes, or until slightly softened. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
4. Beat together the eggs, sesame oil and milk in a bowl. Mix in the mashed bananas.
5. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sweetener, bicarbonate of soda and raisins. Make a well in the middle and pour in the egg mixture. Stir in the apples and any liquid from the pan. Spoon into the muffin cases.
6. Mix together the oats and sugar and sprinkle on top of each muffin.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer pressed into the centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and eat warm or keep in a airtight container for up to 3 days and warm for 5 minutes at 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

Happiness is .................

Line dancing!

Off to my first class in over a year.  Hope my feet remember what to do.

This weekend ........

This weekend was a little chilly to say the least.  We had our first hard frost but it didn't stop us heading outside.

Saturday after doing the ironing in readiness for the return to work on Monday I cut back the plants and bushes in the front garden and picked up yet another huge pile of leaves.  It looks so much better but won't be like that for long.

It rained in the afternoon so it seemed like the perfect time to do more tidying up in what will be my craft space.  A little helping of Pick of the Pops on the radio helped too.

I found my crochet project whilst tidying up so did another few granny squares.  This has been on the go since 2015 but was overlooked for the last two years.  Maybe 2018 will be it's year!

Sunday found me, bright and early, ironing hubby's work shirts (the ones I forgot about on Saturday!) followed by me dragging him out for a brisk 3.5 miles walk along the prom.  Boy it was nippy in the shade but the sunny patches made up for it.

We walked past the pirate ship, with Liverpool in the background

and watched the tug boats manoeuvre this big container ship into to port.  It was really something to see.  They literally turned it 180 degrees on a sixpence.

Then back home to bake some muffins.

5 in 5 - January 2018

In an attempt to get back into blogging I am joining in with Sandi at Itchifingers and her "5 in 5 on the 5th."

The idea is that on the 5th of each month you post five photos you have taken in 5 minutes.

I basically had no idea what I was going to take photos of .  There is only so much you can snap at when you're doing the housework.  Luckily the opportunity came whilst in the store buying green beans!!

 I turned my back for 5 minutes and found hubby lurking in the reduced isle.

::  Christmas sweets reduced for a quick sale

:: Christmas cards and crackers half price

:: And wrapping paper for a bargain.

BUT................ on the other side of the isle...................

::  Easter Eggs!!  What?

::  Surely not.  It's far too early.

Moving forward

Stress/Mild Depression/Emotional Upset………… however you see it, it is a real thing.  Unfortunately, most people (me included) don’t know anything about it and think people who say they have it should “Cheer up” or “get on with it”.

That is until it happens to you!

It comes out of the blue, when you’re not expecting it and it hits you like a ton of bricks.

Mine started in early 2017.

I’m not going to go into the reason why or what triggered it let’s just say that when you feel sick everyday at the thought of going to work or you burst into tears at the drop of a hat, spend hours sitting on the sofa watching trash on the TV, aren’t bothered if you wash your hair or not, have the same thoughts going through your head over and over or feel that you don’t want to talk to anyone at all but have to put on a “brave face” just to get through the day …………………….. that’s when you need help (if not sooner).

When you find yourself on your 51^st birthday crying all over the lovely Dr (who is not much older than your own child) it’s time to make some changes.

So what to do?

I got the Dr to sign me off sick for two weeks at a time (something I’d never done in 34 years of working).

I went for walks, to the cinema, cleaned the house from top to bottom tried reading, stopped blogging and did anything that wasn’t stressful.

I talked to friends who had also suffered from the same thing themselves and realised I wasn’t alone.

I also started job hunting again.  When your boss tells you to “stop being so caring” it’s time to move out of the care sector.

I started to look forward to Christmas and I finally got around to sorting out a craft space for myself.  Somewhere I can go to de-stress if it all gets too much again.

After three months off sick I have started a new job (in a school this time) and now work with some really lovely, caring people.

I won’t ever apologise for feeling like this as it’s part of who I am but I will be more understanding of others and not be too quick to judge.  You never know what is going on behind someone’s smile.

I am moving forward and hope that 2018 will be a better year than the last two.

Happy New Year

It's been a while since I posted but now is as good a time as any to try again.

I'm hoping that 2018 will be a better year.