Sunday 26 May 2013

♥ 52 Weeks of Happy (21/52) ♥

Four 'happy' moments of the week - with long winded explanations!

The tension was building on Saturday night.  It was 8pm and Eurovision was about to start on the TV but... I couldn't tear myself away from the computer because I was bidding for armchair on Ebay and I was up against someone who was also keen to win.  The auction didn't end until 8.20pm and MissG kept shouting through (my computer is in the hall) to let me know what was happening with Eurovision.  MrG said to bid the highest that I was prepared to pay and leave it to chance but if I'm honest I enjoy the thrill of the last few minutes and like to come in with a sneaky bid within seconds of the auction closing.  Cheap thrills!  Well in this case it was as I managed to grab myself the armchair and matching footstool for a mere £53.  Result.

This is what started my quest for an armchair.  While sorting through my stockpile of Country Living magazines (I can't possibly take 100 magazines with me to the new house, can I?) I spotted this fantastic chair and I could just imagine how good it would look in our new cottage.  I 'googled' the Trippy Granny armchair but could only source one in America.  It could have been an old advert as I had magazines dating back to 2008.

I like this one too.

So I set on a quest to find an armchair to cover in similar flowery fabric as the Trippy Granny armchair and found this armchair and matching stool 

and this fabric on ebay.  

1 happy moment Tick √ 

2.  Happy moment number 2 was a whole day of happiness.  

Said chair paid for and ready to collect.  It was a mere 97 miles away near Thirsk in North Yorkshire.  No worries I thought,  let's make a day of it.  So I met my sister at Tebay and we toddled off through the Yorkshire countryside, chatting all the way.   

We made good time because we used MrG's SatNav (only been out of the box on one outing) and it took us right to the door.  We had a laugh about the SatNav's pronunciation of some place names, the highlights were north-alert-on was Northallerton and racky-corka lane was in fact race course lane.  What fun.

It was a lovely sunny day.  We enjoyed an M&S picnic on the way home followed by tea and cake at a little cafe.  We had a browse around the shops at Kirkby Stephen too.





3.  Happy moment 3.  The sun shone all day and MrG and I left the office and sat here to have our lunch.  Our office is just behind that cherry blossom.


4.  And finally happy moment 4 was a trip back to Kirkby Stephen,  this time with MrG.  Rooting round the antique, vintage, shabby chic shops.  I bought an old wooden tray and a vintage ceramic jam jar - not much to look at but they will be useful in our new home.


We stopped off for lunch at .... and sat outside in the sun.  


This is the view from our patio table - glorious.  


Sunday 19 May 2013

♥ 52 Weeks of Happy (20/52) ♥

Firstly, my apologies for a picture heavy post.

Joining in with littlebirdie and the 52 Weeks of Happy

I have had a lovely week this week with many 'happy' moments but my four highlights are... in order of appearance -

1. Successful attempt at a new recipe
2. A quiet moment
3. Day out with MrG - part 1
4. Day out with MrG - part 2

1. Successful attempt at a new recipe.  I discovered a new recipe to add to my family favourites.  I'm not a great cook, not bad but not great.  I don't often try new recipes, I'm not a collector of recipe books.  I do enjoy watching cookery programmes and do occasionally tear pages from magazines if I see something that appeals but they are filed away and I don't usually get round to giving them a go.  But... every so often I get bored with the meals I make for my family and so this week I reached for my magazine clippings and found a recipe for Creole-style spicy prawns with pea rice.  Mmm...

2. A quiet moment.  I had a couple of hours to fill while waiting for my son in town and instead of rushing around shopping I popped into the newsagents and bought a couple of magazines, a bottle of water and a seriously delicious chocolate bar and parked my car in the park, high up above the town.  I sat quietly and enjoyed the moment - in blissful silence.  Highly recommended.


3. Day out with MrG - part 1. MrG took the day off on Sunday and our plan was to empty our attic.  I'm surprised our ceiling hasn't collapsed under the weight of all the junk up there.  Is it just us?  or is your attic groaning too?

On Sunday morning we decided that we's pop out for a while and return home to tackle the attic in the afternoon but once we were out we found any excuse not to return home  so many interesting places to visit.  

We headed over towards Grange-over-Sands and up to the Yew Tree Barn at Low Newton.  









Harry's Cafe Bar has replaced the Hat Trick Cafe (where they served the most fantastic chowder) and the cafe has had a make-over.  It looks lovely and inviting.



4. Day out with MrG - part 2

We then went down into Grange-over-Sands and had a stroll along the prom like a little old couple! 






But it was very nice to have MrG home and we did have a lovely day.  

Sunday 12 May 2013

♥ 52 Weeks of Happy (19/52) ♥

My 'happy' moments this week include - 

1. Lunch with MrG.  We usually just have filled rolls for lunch when we're at work so this was a nice treat.  We popped along to No.15 Cafe where they serve great fresh food.

"who is the tart?" asked the waitress "that's me" I replied.  It was only when I looked up at MrG's face that I realised what we had said.


and MrG was the ploughman.


2.  A trip to the hairdresser isn't usually something I enjoy and I think it's one of the first times that I have left feeling so happy.  I don't like being overly styled and bouffant-ed.  I have long hair but don't really do much with it - I just dry it by pointing a hairdryer at it while I bend my head to each side.  A low maintenance girl, that's me.  I'm usually pleased with the colour and cut but often when it comes to drying it hairdressers feel the need to fuss about with long hair and over style it.  This time Shelley, my new hairdresser, has made a really good job and I'll definitely be going back to her.  She cut it into a lovely shape and left my fringe long, which I'm happy about.  She coloured it so that it doesn't look coloured, it looks so natural.  And finally she dried it using a big round brush and made these lovely curls - I've never had curls like these before! 























3.  In between packing the contents of our home into cardboard boxes I have taken a moment or two to notice our lovely garden springing into life.  

The apple tree has the prettiest pink blossom... 

  

the quince is a riot of red...


the purple and blue alpines in the garden wall... 


and the clematis is just warming itself and getting ready for it's unveiling...

Just to keep you in the picture re the house move - the packing is proceeding but are the plans for the house move?  Who knows?  It's all gone quiet.  It's all in the hands of the surveyors and solicitors so hopefully they are busy and things are proceeding behind the scenes.  I hope to have something to report next week?!?  Keep you fingers crossed for me.

 4.  Crocheting.  My stripey blanket is steadily growing at a rate of 2 - 3 rows per day.  Slowly but surely.  At this rate it will be a perfect size by the time I'll need it in the autumn! Because it does get a bit repetitive doing row after row of the same stitch I have attempted to make a few little love-hearts and flower coasters.  Not sure what I'm going to do with them but I'm sure I'll think of something.

Hope you had a good week too.

Saturday 11 May 2013

ouch!

I was in work yesterday - up in the office in Penrith.  Working away like a little beaver, chuffed about getting through so much paperwork and finishing the day feeling much more 'sorted' and in control. 

Just as we were about to lock-up and leave, the heavens opened and it poured down.  No point in us both getting wet so MrG went to get the car (we park up a long climb out of the town centre) and he left me in the dry office - good deal I thought.  

Our office is over three floors and as I was heading back down to open the door for MrG I twisted my ankle on a loose floorboard.  The pain was excruciating.  I hobbled to the door to let him in then I fainted!  Luckily I could feel it coming on so I laid down on the floor and didn't actually fall.  I hate feeling faint - it's as if your body is giving in and although you can feel it coming on you have no control to stop it. Horrible feeling.  I think the faint was worse than the ankle injury.

MrG helped me to the car, convinced me that it wasn't broken and that we weren't going to have to spend our Friday evening in the casualty department.  He drove us home, collecting a Chinese takeaway, a bottle of red and a family bag of maltesers on the way!  Just what the doctor ordered.

This morning my ankle does feel tender but I can walk on it (so it can't be broken, can it?) and I have no excuse to not get on with the packing.  I think I may need to rest and put my foot up (and do a little bit of crochet) at regular intervals though!

Thursday 9 May 2013

leaving school

MissG had her last day in school today - well her last day of Year11.  She is now on 'study leave' for her GCSE's.  She has no more lessons - it's now down to her to revise, revise, revise.  She only has to go into school on the days that she has an exam.  Her first one is French on Monday 13th May and her last one is Maths on Friday 14th June.  I'm sure it will feel like a long four weeks for her.

Good luck to MissG x

Good luck to all her friends too.  Jeanne, May, Kerry, Charlotte and Molly.





impromptu day off

Today is one of my two allocated days to travel up to our office in Penrith but today my plans went pear shaped by 8.30am.  

I was doing the school run at 8.15 when MissG realised that she had forgotten a couple of 'crucial' things.  It is her last day at school today, tomorrow she starts study leave and only has to go into school on the days she has an exam.  So for today she needed her School Year Book as it was her last chance to get friends to sign and write their good wishes she needed batteries for her camera to take photos of everyone.  So little old me had to do a double school run - drop the kids at school, about turn, home for said items, about turn and back to school!

By that time it really wasn't worth doing the 40 mile trip up to the office only to set off back by 2.30pm to do the school run again.

So... I ended up with an impromptu day off.

On my return trip to school this morning I took Alfie with me and we enjoyed a blustery walk along the river at Kirkby Lonsdale.




I'll have to head up to the office tomorrow instead!

Sunday 5 May 2013

♥ 52 Weeks of Happy (18/52) ♥

My four 'random' happy moments of the week...

1.  Oh what a laugh we had - Alfie had a haircut!  This is the BEFORE shot.  


I took him to a new 'hairdresser' and collected him a couple of hours later.  I think the 'hairdresser' was a bit scissor happy!

This is the AFTER shot/s.  He doesn't look very happy though, does he?  Poor thing!


2.  I called into town to visit a new hairdresser for my own mop.  The grey hairs are coming through at an alarming rate.  I had a consultation to discuss my new colour and to do an allergy test.  All being well, I will have my hair cut and coloured next week.  I find it scarier than going to the dentist as I've had a really disastrous experience in the past.  On the way back to the car I spotted this patchwork throw and although I tried to resist (really I did) I just couldn't take the chance that it wouldn't be there next week so I had to have it.  My first purchase for my new country cottage.


3.  I'm a very low maintenance sort of girl and don't spend much on beauty products.  In fact I cringe at the cost of having my hair done.  I wear the bare minimum of make-up, I wear mascara every day (I have piggy little eyes without it) and I do like my 'lippy' but apart from that I don't really bother with anything else.  That was until I started using this restoring eye cream from the Boots anti-ageing range.    I had dark shadows around my eyes and I looked tired all the time so I thought I needed a little pampering.  I've been using it for the last 5/6 weeks and I am starting to notice a difference.  I'll be keeping this as part of my low maintenance morning make-up routine as I'm a liking the results.


4.  We have enjoyed some lovely warm sunny days this week and the garden is coming to life.  These little beauties have just flowered.  I've just googled the name as I couldn't remember - they are called Bleeding Hearts.