Happy New Year

I did it!

I walked 1000 miles this year, what an achievement I am so proud of myself.  

It can’t be...

Is it just me or does the guy waiting to board the plane with us look just like Carl from UP?

I could feel it in my water

We had an amazingly smooth journey to Germany, there was no traffic on the way to Hannover airport.  We checked in seamlessly, zipped through security,  boarding was fast paced, we caught a head wind arriving earlier than expected.  All of this should’ve made me feel happy, it didn’t.  I felt uneasy, it was going too well.  As we hopped off the bus in the car park I found the car first and....  it had a flat.  

GO was straight onto the recovery company, someone would be with us in two hours!  I knew (ish) how to change a tyre I loosened the nuts, GO jacked up the car, and it wouldn’t budge.  Bearing in mind it was muddy, we were travel weary we decided to wait the two hours.

I couldn’t play on my phone because I wanted to save the battery, so quickly I got bored.  I walked around the car park, I must have looked quite shifty.  Bus drivers kept stopping to ask me if I was okay.  I walked along the road to the motorway bridge (my sinlaw told me it was quite a dodgy place and I could’ve been mugged) and back.  Luckily I had left my wellies in the car so I had lots of fun jumping in puddles.  As I got back to GO and the car I checked my watch, is only been gone fifteen minutes.

Eventually the guy arrived and he was there for about eight minutes he slammed the tyre and was able to heave it off.  Just needed brute force.  He had been told that it was a recovery job (GO had said that we had two flat tyres!  Why?). 

All in all a great end to a blah! 2017

I LV BLKPL

The plan was to go to Manchester on an ale trail, when the email came through it wasn’t a guided tour it was an app so GO suggested that we go to Blackpool.  It was the last weekend of the illuminations. 

We parked in our usual spot and got the tram to the south pier before walking back.  We stopped for a spot of salty and vinegary chips and watched the sunset.  All very romantic as the wind was whipping up into a frenzy GO suggested we take shelter in a casino.

New tradition?

Boxing Day/Zweite Weihnachts Tag usually consists of lazing around watching crap, a long walk in the fields and waiting for the curry to cook.  This year we hit The Netherlands, their supermarkets were open (well some were).  It was a long way to travel for some onion soup and Walkers crisps but it was a day out at least.  Mamilein and Papichen were keen to show us the new shop they have found called Dirk’s, I checked the opening times which were 12.00-18.00 and we set off.  

Normally I get excited about travelling to Enschede but I knew that the town would be shut and Papichen doesn’t really like walking around these days.  We did manage to get a couple of cups of free coffee and a sausage roll or two before we headed home for kaffee, kuchen and The Snowman.  Maybe we’ll go again next year, maybe we won’t only time will tell.

Mumsplaining

I’ve invented a new word we’ve had mansplaining now we have mumsplaining, it’s self explanatory but if you wait long enough a passing mum will explain it to you.....

Five days

Well we made it to five days before Mamilein had a meltdown, I fear for her mental state.  She had always been a loose canon but she is getting quite vicious with it these days.  Her main bone of contention (along with the majority of Germans) focuses on the male refugees.  This has manifested itself as anyone who doesn’t agree with her being targeted for a tongue lashing and fictitious sleights.  You can’t laugh it off as she then accuses you of laughing at her, you can’t disagree because then you are sticking up for everyone else.  Do you just sit in silence for eight hours.  Ahh, home comforts.

Murray Christmas

What a lovely day we had, it was such a relaxed day no pressure for perfection.  We had breakfast, exchanged gifts, ate a delicious lunch before settling down with a binge session of The Crown (Mamilein found it boring so left us to watch Frozen upstairs).  We even FaceTimed Biglilbro during the meal to share jokes and play charades.  Mamilein’s Waterloo will go down in history.

Games night

This year more than ever before we’ve embraced board games, we’ve always been gamers (video variety) but in the past few years we like nothing more than popping on some tunes and playing games, Monopoly anyone?

Part of our Christmas traditions in the past few years has been a game or two of Ludo/Mensch ärgere dich nicht, it seems quite innocent but it has the same affect as Monopoly. It can quite rapidly descend into all our war, people taking sides and creating factions.

We did it!

Oh my god it’s the last day!  Two weeks after GO, three days after Southern schools we are on holiday.  Yes we will travel, yes I will have to do some work (some) but my plans are to catch up on some sleep. 

That’s the plan let’s see what happens....

Yomping Around York

“I’ve booked a night in a guest house just before Christmas.”  This sounded like a lovely idea until you suddenly realise that it was the weekend and you hadn’t packed.  Following on from my many forgotten to pack items from our last few trips I was convinced I’d forget something.  Mother Nature had her own ideas...

The guest house was in a little village called Easingwold, it was lovely very boutique.  GO  had booked a suite which was very modern and clean. I’m not one to complain but there was an awful lot of faux fur, a dusty/dirty pink rug and no complimentary shampoo or shower gel.  Other than that it was perfect.  Once we checked in we headed over to an nearby National Trust property, it was a large Manor House that had a special Father Christmas visit planned.  We had a pleasant time and as usual we headed to the cafe, the selection was poor so we decided to skip it.

Instead we headed for a nearby farm shop.  It was quite similar to the Crazy Bear in Stadhampton.  The cafe was very quaint with lots of wood beams, we started chatting about how Oxfordshire was over run with cafes like this but, that where we live, there is nothing.  They have tried to update Gordon Rigg and there is a very, very popular farm shop in Cragg Vale that is ridiculously overpriced.  It started us thinking again about our future plans to open a cafe, guest house or caravan park.  We have always talked about this and had almost forgotten our dreams.  We live in a picturesque area which could become a hotspot and we need to jump I’m the bandwagon quickly.

Let’s try this

I read an article about a woman who had conceived using an internal thermometer, nothing like anything I’d seen before.  It is, as mentioned previously, worn internally, think tampon, and takes  a reading constantly.  We’ve decided to give it six cycles and see what happens. 

OvuSense

8 Days to go

A little trip to Leeds

The benefits of having GO at home on the weekend is the fact that we can go on Saturday day trips.  He decided we should spend the day in Leeds.

Putting up the tree

I had a million and one work things to organise but made the decision to do something for me, I have struggled to get festive because I’ve just been so busy.  Today I decided to get all festive and put up the tree. As much as it’s lovely doing it together with GO, we had so many Christmas’ where he worked that it’s a job I do on my own.  I pop on the Christmas music and a cheesy movie or two (it’s a big job) and get on with it.  

It’s December

Photo Challenge Day 5

Seven days. 

Seven black and white photos of your life, no people no explanations. Everyday challenge someone new. 

Day 5 of 7.

Bring on the Ginger One

Ten years ago today I went on an Oxford pub crawl, I invited GO along and the rest, as they say, is history.

Photo Challenge Day 4

Seven days. Seven black and white photos of your life, no people no explanations. Everyday challenge someone new. 

Day 4 of 7.

Photo Challenge Day Three

Seven days. 

Seven black and white photos of your life, no people no explanations. 

Everyday challenge someone new. 

Day 3 of 7.

My Spirit Booth Selfie

Photo Challenge Day Two

Seven days. 

Seven black and white photos of your life, no people no explanations.  

Day 2 of 7.

Photo Challenge Day one

Seven days. 

Seven black and white photos of your life, no people no explanations.  

Day 1 of 7.

It’s Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Well it is at the Manchester Christmas Fair at least.  Not to be confused with the Christmas market.

Worth a repost

I am a Soldiers daughter, and a Soldiers daughter is someone, who at one point in their life, left their family and friends to move around the country and abroad to support their father as he served his country. Regardless of personal political views, it is an honour to support those who serve their country, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer remember that fact. I am so proud of my papichen and all of the people he served with.

In honour of couples week

In honor of couples week, here’s our story

           Met  👫 27th October 2007

           Dating ❤️ 5th December 2007

            Engaged 💍 2nd August 2011

              Married 💝 5th April 2013

Happy Birthday Papichen

Happy Birthday to the best dad a girl could ask for.  

You are my hero and the first person I ask for help.  

Have a wonderful day, even though you hate birthdays.

From your favourite financial burden. 

Time for a Birthday Treat

I wanted to treat him, I wanted to whisk him away to an “it” restaurant, to sped the night in a hot tub on a rooftop terrace overlooking.  This isn’t us though, I’m not a fan of pretty food that doesn’t fill you up, I need grub, good grub.  We do dress up but we dress to impress each other, our clothes make us look nice they don’t make a statement.  On top of this it was Friday and I wasn’t in the mood to spend the whole night travelling.  With this in mind I booked a table at a little trattoria in Hebden Bridge.  

Happy Birthday Ginger One

Happy Birthday to the best husband a girl could ask for.

This place is a vipers nest

I have worked in some tough places with some difficult people but this place takes the biscuit.  I have recently found out that my line manager had been bad mouthing me behind my back.  We had a weeks break and I was sick as a dog, but I still managed to haul myself in and help sort out the learning environments (I did claim for that day and also the planning day I needed).  There had been a kafuffle over the data (I hate data, they’re children not numbers) and I had been asked to reassess them and update the data.  I had no access to the system the school uses,  I was on holiday and sick.  My line manager then had the audacity to say I missed deadlines for the data (which I hadn’t been given) to two people that I don’t work with.  

I bumped into the head and offloaded a bit more than I had intended to but it all needed to be said.  The staff are struggling they have lost their zest for the job.  His response “What are you going to do about it?”  My response “cheer them on and chivvy them along, which is quite difficult when you feel like pants.”

Not to standard

Jay Kay Okay

What to give the boy who has everything?  Well just more toot for him to play with (hello fruity tablet), what does he buy himself?  Tickets to see his favourite band, and to make matters better they were playing in Birmingham so we got a trip out of it too.We planned the trip for weeks, months even and had our outfits sorted, we’d spend the day at the cake fair and then check into the our hotel before going out for a meal and attending the concert.

The first glitch was half way down the M6 when I asked GO where he’d put the outfits, “I thought you had them!”  I thought he had them, turns out they were hanging on the back of the kitchen door.  Panic station, we only had the clothes we were wearing.  Idea!  We found a Sainsbury’s (they have great clothes) and bought a couple of outfits.  I could only find a dungaree dress and stripey top, so decided to wear my travelling outfit to the concert and in the middle of the car park changed my outfits.

Budding Artist? Maybe Not

As well as all of the cake GO and I took part in an art class.  Using acrylics we painted a landscape, it was a step by step approach.  While I enjoyed myself, GO panicked and worried that it wouldn’t look right.  As much as I reassured him that he should relax and go with the flow he got moodier.  Finally he relaxed and his picture turned out to be quite lovely.  Will he do it again?  I’m not sure but I will give it a go.

Not to standard

When I explained to GO what the cake show was all about, cake making and an international cake decorating competition, he was not too impressed.  When we arrived however and he saw the standard of the cakes he was blown away.  

The show itself was a combination of people selling  or showing their cake related wares.

It’s taken ten years

It’s taken ten year but GO now wears pjs/grubby bums.  For years he’d just sit around like the dad in the Goldbergs just in his undercrackers. Now he has a selection of lounger wear that he pulls on.  It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy when he’s wearing them because it means he is home and won’t be leaving anytime soon.  It’s the little things. 

Here come the birthdays

Hello November

Happy Halloween

It’s that time of the year again, let’s get ready for trick or treaters. 

1. Turn off the lights
2. Mute the TV
3. Hide behind the sofa
4. Don’t speak until they’ve gone

I can’t handle sugar filled children in the holidays.

But I’m on holiday

It sounded like a request but was in actual fact an order.  “Let’s all come in on Tuesday and get the classrooms sorted!”  Again picking up the pieces for someone else’s failure.  I dragged myself in having collected the car from GO at work.  Full of cold and feeling cruddy I arrived and began the Great Pellon chuck out.  As bad as I felt there is nice feeling knowing that the room is ready and all I need are a few new displays.  I am a bit perved about being asked to do work during the holidays as I don’t get paid, I will chase that up.  I’m also not going bust my arse doing paperwork which I have left at school anyway.  Rant over, sorry.  Onwards and upwards.

Scary Tea

As a back to work treat I made a Halloween tea.  We had unicorn horn soup (Chantennay carrots), pumpkin couscous, bloody fingers (hotdogs), and eyeballs (potato balls).  For desert I made Halloween Bark.

Charming

GO went to Manchester to a book signing, the guy is a bit of a non entity.  He is “famous” for playing tricks on people on Facebook and had actually written a book.  “It’s something to do!”  Was GO’s reasoning behind it, what he didn’t say was that he bought a copy of the book on Amazon (and then had to buy  second copy in the bookshop).  The best part of the whole experience for me was when the cheeky  tit sent me this message.  I actually laughed out loud!

Hauntedish Autumn

GO sold it to me as a haunted house in the middle of the Lancashire countryside.  I bought myself a Halloween skirt and some pumpkin accessories, as it got closer anxiety kicked in.  I don’t like being scared and am very jumpy as it is.  So he did a bit of digging,  “oh, mm?”  “What?” I asked.  “I think it’s aimed at kids, so probably won’t be too scary.”

It turns out, it wasn’t scary at all, the scariest part was finding a parking space.  It was a perfect autumn afternoon, chilly but sunny.  

We went on the ghoul and ghost trail, warmed ourselves by the fire and had the chance to carve a couple of pumpkins.  It was a nice afternoon, very colourful. I enjoyed watching GO carving his pumpkin, he usually tells me what to make and just watches so it made a nice change.