ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 18TH OF 2021

 Good morning lovely people tis Friday time for

Well it has been a funny old week, we are still enjoying lots of blue sky spring days albeit that they aren't always particularly warm. 

Last weekend was one of my cousin's wedding anniversary, I'd made a little mini book and spent some time scanning photos and cutting them with a polaroid die that I have and then filling and completing the book.  I know it is a day she always struggles with because it also marks a sad day for her which is another anniversary that happened years later.  So I thought a mini book reminding her of the beautiful day she had would be a nice keepsake and it meant that for once I managed to 'complete' a mini book rather than leaving them blank.  

I delivered it to her doorstep and we had a very quick socially distanced catch up, I'd wrapped it, she said it was such a surprise and she couldn't believe she was seeing 'people' you forget how isolated some people have been and as a stay at home Mum she is probably more isolated than most.  There is definitely a lovely positive glow for yourself when you do something like this and I remind people of that.  I felt happy about giving her a little homemade gift which I'd poured love into and in turn she had a mini visit and also a gift that she opened later that day, which meant a phone call which was lovely again.  As I try and instill in said 20 year old, it often isn't about the money you spend as we can't take any of this with us, but the time you spend that create the lovely memories. 

This is the front of the book, I won't show you the inner pages as they are obviously of her wedding but I had great fun creating. 

Me and hubby enjoyed a trip to Ikea to buy some new cushion covers for the TV room, I went for an eclectic colour mix of electric blue with a splash of white (bargains at £1 a cushion) and some mint green ones, giving the sofa a decidedly spring like feel. 

For the sofa at the reading end of the room I bought some heavily patterned material with a 'jungle plant' type print on it to make some cushions.

I ordered zips from Amazon which I expected to take several days to arrive, but you can imagine my joy when they landed on Saturday morning. 

Saturday afternoon I met my Mum and sister at Wentworth Woodhouse gardens, we are allowed to meet outside socially distanced with up to 6 people, so we were falling in line with government guidelines.  My sister had never visited the gardens, so we gave her the 'grand' tour as we have been several times and gained further information each and every time.  We even enjoyed a picnic on the picnic plains, nothing major just some anti-pasti platter of meats and cheese with some olives and feta and some cheese bread, whilst drinking it with a flask of coffee.  It was nice to stop and chat it has to be said.

When we got back late afternoon hubby popped a film on but I was too giddy to get the cushions made, so I set too and created six new cushions for the sofa and here they are complete. 

Sunday should have been another trip to YSP,  but it dawned on me that we were going full tilt and I was hurtling towards another busy week without much of a breather, so we decided to stay put and chill out (well that was the plan). 

After making breakfast, sorting a few housey jobs out and preparing tea we were at 2.30pm in the afternoon.  Nevertheless, determined to have some time 'off' we hit the sofa and started to watch a Netflix series called Shadow and Bones and blitzed a few episodes before said 20 year old arrived home for work, we are really enjoying the series, it feels like a cross of Carnival Row and Game of Thrones, it is just one season of 8 episodes and we are halfway through, but we've really enjoyed it as it isn't mentally challenging. 

The beautiful cherry blossoms are in full bloom currently and I've noted them on my travels over the last week. 

Work has been exceptionally busy this week as always, but has flown by and for the first time in over 12 months I was in every day of my working week (Monday - Thursday), what I've found is that there isn't a lot left of me mentally at the end of this week and so with a long weekend ahead of me, I have a grand self care plan to action to make sure that when I return to work next week I've given myself the mental and physical time to rest as well as come up with some solutions to resolve some of the things I need to sort at work. 

And that my lovely people was my week, I hope yours has been grand, filled with people and making memories and I hope your weather has been kind and that you've been allowed to venture out (or stay put according to your preference).  If you fancy joining then Mr linky is below. 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 17TH OF 2021

 Good morning lovely people tis Friday time for 

So I actually thought I'd start this one last Thursday night (after I'd finished my post for last week) when said 20 year old came back from a visit to Ikea, not only having managed to get the two spare shelves I needed for the new book cases and the nets for the windows but also bringing me a bar of chocolate treat because he knew I'd had a tough week and just knew I'd appreciate it and he absolutely wasn't wrong. 

I also enjoyed a fun evening chatting with hubby and said 20 year old just putting the world to rights, which was lovely - remembering the little things in life. 

Friday and we had beautiful blue skies albeit a little on the cool side due to it being spring, although I really can't grumble because the weather is fine and dry which is always a win.  Hubby had spent time on Thursday cleaning the bathroom and hoovering through so no major cleaning needed on Friday, so we booked and headed to Wentworth Castle, built by a 'rival' cousin to the owner of Wentworth Woodhouse and had a wander around the gardens, they still haven't managed to recover them since they were closed for a spell before National Trust reopened, hampered obviously by the pandemic nevertheless it was nice to explore somewhere a little different for a change. 

The house is actually an adult learning college, so no chance of visiting the interior even without a pandemic

The garden walk is lovely, with pretty view points and follies

The top of the estate houses Stainborough Castle, built for the children of the previous owner, containing a miniature castle which just not comprises of the main tower and the footprint of the great hall and four little towers around the perimeter, at the moment you can't go into the main tower for obvious reasons, but the four towers were open to wander and as you can see they are open to the elements. 

The conservatory and its contents seem to have flourished with no visitors inside. 

Saturday and we headed up to Yorkshire Sculpture Park and did a different walk around the site, it is strange when you walk in the opposite direction you see very different vistas, we had a proper chat which was lovely and managed over 10,000 steps which is always a win before heading home.  Said 20 year old was back in his job for the first time in probably 9 or maybe 10 months, he messaged to say there was an issue with the motorway so we came back a different route, I was very grateful we didn't end up stuck in traffic on the motorway. 

We enjoyed different routes around the garden, checking out the expressionless snowman

Admiring the Night

and day mosaic

Hubby got the sun just on the pinnacle

and the buddha was glimmering in the sunlight

Once home, hubby picked a few things up and I ironed the new nets for the TV room, they are very sheer and let a lot more light in, we put them up when hubby got back and I haven't cut them yet as I'm not sure if I want to keep them long pending tie backs - we will see.  

Sunday and we celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary with a trip to Brodsworth, the sun was shining and we had a lovely walk around the perimeter of the house

through the ornamental gardens

until we found a lovely place to sit and have a picnic,  it is a picture I've wanted to paint for ages and hubby has discovered that I actually stop when I paint, so he was all for a picnic and a bit of painting and I must admit I had a wonderful relaxing few hours with hubby, eternally grateful for the hours and days and years we have spent together I feel incredibly blessed. 

We headed home and my sister popped over for an hour socially distanced in the garden which was lovely, then we had a naughty takeaway from the Chinese and thoroughly enjoyed the evening. 

Monday arrived in what felt like the blink of an eye and I've had my usual busy busy week but it has been lovely weather and hubby has got a few more bits crossed off the to do list, so I'm definitely not complaining.  I hope you have all had a beautiful and blessed week, if you fancy joining in then pop a post together come back and link up so we can come and visit. 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 16TH OF 2021

 Good morning all, I hope I find you well, time for our weekly check in for all things positive and the silver linings in life this week. 

Last weekend was a bit of a strange one if truth be told, whilst the UK is starting to enjoy slightly easier restrictions you still have to plan and book things in advance and to be honest I'm really not mentally in that zone yet if that makes sense.  So we had nothing planned at the beginning of the weekend. I needed a few bits from Ikea (bits they are sizeable items truth be told) and decided collecting them before they reopened properly would be sensible.  I glanced on thursday night as we headed to bed and the items were in stock, so once up on Friday I headed to the website to sort, alas, Edinburgh and Norwich were my only options, so I was grumpy to say the least (as you can probably imagine and kicked myself for not sorting the night before).  Nevertheless, we had a day busying ourselves around the house.  You can imagine my surprise when early Saturday morning hubby gets on the website and orders the items to be collected with ease, but this then scuppered chances of going out on Sunday. 

We decided that we would make some more progress with the TV room, we'd already painted it Egyptian Cotton which is a darker colour than we had previously, but I wanted a focal wall, we toyed with a few ideas before settling on a hand painted foliage wall which was looking grand by the end of Saturday.  We were just heading to get some food when a text telling us our Ikea order was available for collection so slight detour and we got the items picked up a day early, then leaving us Sunday free, but I'd then psyched myself up for another housey day.  So Sunday was spent finding the right quote and finishing off the aforementioned wall. 

So here is the before 

and here is the after 

The quote is from a Midsummer Night's Dream.

It isn't fully finished as I've ordered some fake gold leaf to pick out a few accents on the wall, I'm just hoping I don't go over the top. 

So overall a productive weekend, but just not in the way I'd thought at the beginning.  You'll be pleased to know I've booked for things this weekend, so we hopefully won't get a repeat. 

Monday was a hectic day at work in the office, we were expecting young people back in but have been informed they aren't back until next Monday so whilst we've had a few, the bulk of our students haven't been in this week. 

Tuesday was a busy and very long workday resolving a global budget for my year end file, I hardly moved from my 8am start to 6pm finish, but I was really pleased with what I got done. 

I've come home to finished tasks at home as well, hubby built two Ikea Kallax units yesterday and today I've come home to extra book cases which I still need to fill but they are now at least in position. 

Hubby also made a delicious soup this week 

I've also enjoyed getting cosy in front of the fire this week on the cold evenings

So there have definitely been positives in the week, I hope yours has been grand too, if you fancy joining in pop a post together come back and link up.

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 15TH OF 2021

 Good morning lovely people tis Friday time for 

So I have a few photos to share on three counts, the first is that it was a bank holiday weekend, the second is that the 'stay home' restriction had been lifted and the third is that we had nice weather on a bank holiday weekend - I mean let me just put that one there as the first happy positive grateful for this week. 

So Friday was the first day off and to be honest we stayed put, I had a good fettle of the house, started to catch up on washing (there was so much but that's what happens when you strip the bedding off, get an extra duvet set thrown in for good measure and have a massive towel wash to do not to mention the normal clothes wash), but with the sun shining I only had to air in the tumbler for a short period of time, so definitely another win! 

Saturday we had booked to go to Yorkshire Sculpture Park, how I've missed it, it was overcast when we got there but I didn't care.  We found this Henry Moore sculpture in the park with the giant cockerel behind

It wasn't raining but my hood was keeping my ears warm as it was still chilly

We did the long walk which is up the 72 David Nash steps  into the woodland at the top of the hill, where it then turns into open space where the old man sits.  Done by the same artist as the sea sculpture we saw at Newbiggin by the Sea last year. 

And just for scale, from a distance he looks 'normal' sized until you get up close. 

We passed the Highland cows, the baby now indistinguishable from his/her parents

When we got to the bottom of the field we turned left towards the Victorian shell grotto and then around to the boat house, as we headed back towards the bridge we came across a new sculpture, hubby thinks this one was 'poured' as there were little circles that gave it away on the top, nevertheless I liked it! 

We came across these stunning double daffodils

and hubby got this lovely perspective shot

and a final sculpture we hadn't seen, this one of what we understand was a very 'in' handbag at the time, apparently representing women's battle armour.  It was made of steel and genuinely looked like leather

I loved the silver lock on the front

and how they creased the steel to look like leather from the side

Easter Sunday dawned and we'd booked tickets for Chatsworth the sun was shining and we had blue skies.  

We started at the top looking back towards the stables and wound our way up 

The topiaries are coming along on the entrance the fruit and vegetable garden

From there we walked along the top and dropped down into the top of the Cascade

And hubby ran outside to get this shot of me stood in the arch at the top of the cascade, I hadn't realised how long my hair has got. 

The rhododendrons were in the full flower and utterly stunning

I loved the view when we looked up

And the carpet of flowers on the floor

We wound our way almost around the perimeter wall, seeing the sculpture in the wooded glade.

The view of the maze looked stunning and still devoid of people due to the pandemic

We got to the main pool at the bottom with the Emperor fountain

and got the classic Chatsworth shot

as well as one slightly closely

We stopped for a bite to eat and a cuppa sat on a picnic blanket that we'd taken and whilst there seemed a good few people about it still wasn't as busy as I'd thought. 

We left mid-afternoon and had a reasonable journey home before I settled down to some more mini book making whilst hubby put a film on. 

After tea (which we'd cooked the day before making everything super easy), we binge watched the first four episodes of Bridgerton which I thoroughly enjoyed, hoping to finish it off in the next couple of days. 

I can confirm we did indeed complete the series over the week, the rest of the week was busy at work as usual particularly busy due to year end, but I managed to get everything done yesterday and close the year end off, that is literally unheard of, I have been known to still be fighting with it in May but with the time I've dedicated to it pre-year end it made the task much simpler.  I've a few things to copy and then a back up document for the accountant and it can go on its merry way.  So overall a brill week. 

We did also start painting the TV room to spruce it up, I'd forgotten two things, firstly how big the room is and secondly how much stuff we have in there.  I will save information about that one until next week, but lets say we are definitely getting there. 

if you fancy joining in pop a post together come back and link up so we can come and visit.