Going forward

 The one thing that this year has taught me is that living a life in real life and online is challenging, so I’ve decided to try to post four times a month, whether in real time or retrospectively under four headings (all will be revealed later). Hopefully this will enable good quality pieces and help me to filter out the dross that inevitably always end up posting, so long holiday countdowns.  

The four sections, one for each week perhaps, are 

Gingerbread Haus - anything house related (decoration, purchases, news)

Gingerbread Travels - places visited (holidays, day trips, planned visits)

Gingerbread Love - anything related to couple news, family news (parents, siblings, fertility/adoption updates) and friends

Gingerbread Life - date night, updates on jobs, new outfits/hairdos/fitness/health

It’s beginning to look a lot like Halloween 👻🎃

I love a festival, and have become quite American in the way I celebrate, I like to dress the house particularly the living room up for the season.  So welcome to Halloween Gingerbread style.

The Haunting Of Blaine Manor

Did I work out the big twist early on?  Yes I did

Did I find some of the acting poor?  Yes I did

Was it hot and uncomfortable? Yes it was

Did I consider leaving at the interval?  Yes I did

We didn’t though, we got some cold drinks, we moved to some empty seats and we settled down for the second act.  It got so much better, there were twists galore, the actors stepped up and the story got really creepy with so many shocks.  I’m glad we stayed and saw the whole thing, I love the fact that we can walk to the theatre, although as always here the walk back is a killer.  I can’t wait for the day when I don’t feel the incline.

Totes autumnal babes

Came home to a card telling me my parcel was behind the bench.  Don’t remember ordering anything... it’s not for me.  I phone the number on the parcel and explain I have a parcel that doesn’t belong to me.  The young girl says “we’ve been looking for that all day.” She had received a text telling her it was hidden in her garden.  She says she’ll be right over. Ten minutes later I hear girlie giggles walking to the door. “Oh my god this is the cutest door I’ve ever seen.” Says the first “Now I need pumpkins in my life!” Says the second.  Is this the way youngsters (yep I’m that old) say “lovely display you have here.” I think it is and I’m taking it as a compliment.

This is ridiculous

Almost a year to the day that I was signed off work for two weeks I have again been signed off for seven days.  While last year it was either flu/heart issues, it was flu.  This year it’s been a little more traumatic, I woke up on Thursday with blood in my knickers from my back passage.  It’s just a year I decided and made my way to work on autopilot.  I’ll make an after school appointment I said to my teacher partner.  He was a little more concerned and told me to speak to the head and go straight to the GP.  I did, I had half an hour to get to the doctors, just at that moment there was a dramatic outburst from two colleagues, even with blood leaking out of my bum hole I can’t be the centre of attention.  While explaining what had happened I knew what would happen next, I had prepared myself but still that exploration was horrible and very sore.  The doctor said she suspected it was a haemorrhoid, and that I would need to use a suppository for a week but then she dropped the clanger.  So you cannot go back to work, not with blood leaking from your behind it would be horrific. She had a point I thought, back to work tomorrow but no she signed me off for seven days.  I didn’t need seven days, everyone will think I’ve done it on purpose.  Turns out she may have a point, I’m taking stool softener and using a suppository I don’t think I could cope with school life as well.  I’m not doing much just lounging on the sofa trying to make any sudden movements.  Am I still bleeding?  Yes not as much as yesterday which was gruesome, the blood went through to my dress and my coat.  So for the next few days I suppose these emojis sum up my life; 🚀🍩💩 

Mindfulness in Action

BBC Countryfile Magazine and Calm Moment.com have put together a weeks full of mindfulness activities in the week that we have World Mental Health Day.  I am going to try to make an effort to try each activity this coming week, as I missed it last week.

Monday - Stargazing

Tuesday - Creativity

Wednesday - Foraging  

Thursday - Seaside

Friday - Wildlife

Saturday - Cooking & Baking

Sunday - Walking

I am going to try interpret these in my own way but take some time for myself.  The weeks are flashing past so quickly and I feel like I am missing out on time for myself.  I can see myself slipping back into the work-eat-sleep-repeat cycle that leads to problems and need to stop it, change the path and take a moment.

Me, watch too much TV never....

Apparently, you never know how much tv you watch until you fill this out.   Put a heart by the shows you have watched more than 10 episodes of and two hearts if you’ve seen it all.

Grey's Anatomy: 💖💖

Stranger Things: 💖🧡

The Vampire Diaries:  

The Walking Dead: 💖🧡

Dexter:💖

American Horror Story: 💖

Orange is the New Black: 💖

Breaking Bad: 💖🧡

Prison Break:

Suits: 💖

Riverdale: 

House of Cards:

Once Upon a Time: 💖

House:

True Detective:

Shameless: 

Pretty Little Liars: 

Bones:

Criminal Minds:  

Chicago Fire:  

Game of Thrones: 💖🧡

The Big Bang Theory: 💖

Lost: 💖 

NCIS:💖

Law & Order SVU:💖

How I Met Your Mother:💖🧡 

Blue Bloods:

The Simpsons: 💖

Grimm: 💖 

Sons of Anarchy: 

The Originals: 

Chicago P.D.: 

Chicago Med:  

Friends: 💖🧡

True Blood: 

How to Get Away With Murder:  

The Sinner:

You: 

Lie to me: 

Orphan Black:

Breakout Kings:

13 Reasons Why: 

Making a Murderer

The Haunting of Hill House: 💖🧡

Power:

Arrow: 

The Flash:💖

Supergirl:

Jessica Jones: 

Scorpion:

Teen Wolf: 

Call the Midwife: 💖💖

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: 

DareDevil:

Marvel's AOS:

Atypical:

Gotham:

Family guy: 💖

Designated Survivor: 

You, Me and Her: 

Shadow Hunters: 

I Zombie: 💖🧡

White Collar: 

Instant Hotel:

Supernatural: 

Nurse Jackie:

Boardwalk Empire:💖🧡

The Affair:

Big Little Lies:💖🧡 

The Crown: 💖

The Following:

Dracula:

Hannibal:

Santa Clarita Diet:  

Dead to Me:

Cougar Town: 

Black Mirror:💖🧡

Luther:

Sherlock:💖🧡

Lucifer:

Mad Men:

Homeland:💖

24:

Travels with my Father:

The Tudors:

Reign:

The Borgias (European not American):

Castle:

Elementary:

Blacklist:  

Queen of the South:

Charmed (original): 💖

Charmed 2018: 

Buffy: 💖🧡 

Angel: 💖🧡

Glee: 💖🧡

Dawson’s Creek:💖🧡

Sex in the City:💖🧡

Outlander: 

Roswell:

Doctor Who (Nu Who):💖🧡

Doctor Who (Classic):

Torchwood:💖🧡

Welcome Back

Well hasn’t that been a busy old year?  It was about this time last year that noticed I wasn’t publishing as much on here.  It wasn’t that I didn’t have anything to say it was more that I had too much to say.  We bought a house, we bought a car, we packed up and moved on, we booked the holiday of a life time and we got to know our new home town.  Its been an amazing year but I still don’t feel like  me, I don’t feel like I’m back to feel grounded, I don’t know if I ever will feel the same.  They always say that moving is one of life’s stressful events, I’ve done it so often I take for granted that it is hard.  It is draining and it does takes its toll physically. Am I happy l?  Yes.  Am I content? Yes.  Do I have dreams? Of course.  Am I completely knackered?  Most definitely.  Am I babbling?  I’ll let you be the judge of that.  I will try to post more regular updates, if I don’t I’ll see you when I see you.

Kind Regards Cx

Happy Birthday 🥳

Happy birthday biglilbro you are the best road trip planner, we had an amazing time with you guys just let us book the hotels next time, 🌟🌟🌟 at least please.

The Gingerbread Haus World Tour of The States

I’m still buzzing, I think I’m in shock, I cannot believe that we did that.  I’m still trying to come to terms with what we’ve seen, where we’ve been, what we’ve done.  This trip was immense.  Most people do some of it, some people do a lot of it but only we did all of it (two of us for the second time, one for the third) and in less than three weeks. 

On arrival in Calgary we spent the day just chilling, making the most of the rooftop hot tub, watching the planes take of and land and exploring the little restaurant and cafes nearby. We were waiting for the Outlaws to arrive.  I was tracking them on Google maps.  It was a long, boring day.  Once we met up plans were out into motion. Where were we going? Well....

Calgary - Alberta

Banff

Canmore

Lake Louise

Johnson Canyon

Drumheller

Hoodoo Trail 

Alberta Prairies 

Ralston (my old house)

Montana Pioneer Lodge

Yellowstone Park - Montana 

Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming

Jackson Hole (drove through)

Idaho Falls 

Zion Park - Utah

Red Rock Canyon - Nevada

Death Valley - California

Grand Canyon - Arizona

Las Vegas - Nevada