So we ended up being notified to self isolate last Friday for 4 days, so we did, (we also did a test to make sure we were all good and we were).
Thankfully as always there is plenty to do, we had a fun day painting in the dining room on Friday and whilst I had an idea of what I was after, there was no definite plan if that makes sense. By the end of the day this is what we had, which I was immensely pleased with
Saturday morning and hubby treated us to a pile of pancakes with an assortment of toppings, which were enough to keep us full for the rest of the day
And so we decided to add to/finish off the wall we'd started which I am far happier with now.
On the opposite wall hubby had done a black outline design but we reflected that given all the black elements it was just too busy, so we blocked out some of the design and coloured the rest in, so the two walls technically now match and we are far happier with the room. This also shows my new Ikea mirror that we bought recently and the reflection from the other side of the room.
There is still quite a bit to do in the room to finish it off, but we are having great fun plodding our way around it and it is definitely not a race at the moment.
Sunday and we had the world's longest lie in, honestly cannot remember the last time we slept in to such a late hour (almost 10am), but as we reflected we must have needed it.
Another positive hubby helped me put a hair dye on, I haven't done one in an age and the grey was definitely showing through, it is also getting really long now, but I'm not complaining.
I managed a measly one layout Sunday afternoon, before joining hubby on the sofa for the second recent Jumanji film which proved great Sunday afternoon watching.
Monday came around all too soon and whilst we were all still self isolating, I was the one who could actually still attend work, so I worked from home as normal.
Tuesday and back to some normality, I hadn't realised how much I enjoy just being able to 'pop' somewhere if I'm honest. I went into work which is quieter at the moment as the schools are currently off for the summer holidays.
Wednesday and a full day at home studying (I missed my study afternoon last week, so my boss suggested a full day to prevent me getting lost in emails), it proved a wise choice and I made great headway.
Thursday and I was in work and so was hubby as he was volunteering, we had a good day overall and now I find myself here.
I hope you've had a great week, I hope you've found some positives to pull together from your week, those little silver linings add up to change your mindset and focus on the good things.
If you fancy joining in come back and link up and we can come and visit.
I will prewarn you this morning, I am definitely short on photos this week, it has been way too warm for me if truth be told, I am not one to sit in sun (I burn due to medication I was on years ago), so the idea of sitting out enjoying the sunshine when it is hitting up in the high twenties is not my idea of heaven.
However this is looking at the positives for the week so without further ado they are as follows:
We had a great business planning and volunteering event last Friday and the weather was kind everyone who came really enjoyed themselves and whilst the numbers were low anyway, we ensured we utilised the outdoor space to minimise any risks.
I had a weekend on my own as hubby was boat training, he is now an officially qualified boat trainer and whilst he found it hard work and the instructors methods of teaching not necessarily suitable for a mixed training style, he learnt loads and is still learning and hoping to put it into practice soon.
I on the other hand had a weekend of scrapbooking (no surprise there), although I didn't manage loads of layouts I was pleased with what I got done, I also managed to catch up with the Handmaid's Tale (as no one else in the house will watch it), it isn't an easy watch but it is a very very good series.
I've had some lovely chats with said 20 year's old fiancée this week which has been lovely and we have nattered about all sorts.
Work has been crazy busy (as always) and I've done a fair number of days at home, but this has meant that I've managed to get an awful lot done over the week which is great.
I got to meet a new work colleague too which was lovely.
Said 20 year old provided me with this beautiful but slightly strange slice of blueberry cheesecake, I couldn't quite make my mind up on whether I actually liked it but I persevered none the less, if that makes sense.
Thursday night and I sat and enjoyed Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix with the rest of the family, I haven't seen it in an age, so it was an absolute delight to watch, as anyone that knows me knows I am an avid fan of the books, films et al.
That my lovely people is my lot this week, apologies for the lack of photos, I promise to try harder this week, if you fancy joining in pop a post together come back and link up so we can come and visit.
Well last Friday morning we had to go into town for an optician's appointment and as hubby was after me I had a little wander around town, I came across the steel heart, the replica of which holds many family names including my Dads and is currently on display in the local shopping centre, it is hoped eventually to fund the Steel Man on the hill but we still seem a way off on that front
Then I wandered around and sat on a bench in front of the minster, which looked spectacular in the morning light.
Friday afternoon and I had a work meeting at Wentworth Woodhouse, not too shabby for a business meeting I'm sure you will agree
We were even given a tour of the garden and house (although readers will know we have already spent many an hour here).
This room is now used for afternoon tea and as a wedding venue it is in the back front of the house rather than the front front, I learnt whilst I was there that is how the double fronted house has always been referred to.
We enjoyed several Mischief Movie Night's In over the weekend which were all mad and hysterically funny in equal measure.
Our one day painting alas was not as good as we had hoped, so a second coat on the ceiling and a little touching up here and there was needed, but it was done and dusted in a matter of three hours, so I can't grumble
I have recently been painting up some Harry Potter water colour cards I got from Aldi, I realised that they were exactly 6 inch by 6 inch and any card maker will tell you that the envelopes may be that size but the cards are only about 5.75 inch, so I looked to see if they would cut down and they would, so I decided to cut the fronts off and resize them and then I decided to cut the backs off and use the watercolour paper to create this pile of watercolours to put on birthday cards, I had a lovely time making the little characters and whilst I am definitely no artist, they definitely raised a smile.
The rest of the week has been very much an awful lot of work and little play and we head into a weekend of silly temperatures (for us 27 degrees is silly), so I will be spending it hiding away and hopefully not getting too hot, hubby is training and at the moment I don't have any specific plans we shall see what the weekend shall bring.
I hope you've had a grand week, if you fancy joining in pop back and link up and we can come and visit.
Well I'm going to go back to the lovely long weekend that I had last weekend, as I'd worked very late the day before I went on leave my boss told me to make sure I recovered the time. So I took the Thursday off, giving me a lovely 4 day weekend.
On the Thursday, me and hubby tootled out to Aldi and Morrisons to try and get some bedding plants, Aldi was devoid, but I had great fun wandering their seasonal aisles and picking up a few bits we needed including a paint roller tray with rollers and paints, hubby got some screen wash for the car and I bought two lovely bunches of flowers. Then we headed to Morrisons and I picked up some bedding plants as the violas in the pots had gone to seed.
Then we popped to Ikea to pick up a frame I needed and then we wandered Meadowhall, because we were a little early for our trip to the cinema to watch Fast9 which was quite frankly a little too farfetched this time.
When we got out went to Tapas revolution for dinner before heading home and watching Mischief Movies.
Friday and we had dental appointments, the first since before the pandemic, once we'd done with them we popped to my Mum to catch up and hubby returned a ring that she'd given him to melt down, but it was such a pretty setting he decided to simply get a replacement stone and have a go at stone setting.
She was over the moon with it.
In the afternoon we popped to B&Q because I needed a tub of paint but then I spotted lots of plants that had been reduced so I picked some up to add to the ones we already had. When I got back I took out the old bedding plants and put the new in, which in retrospect was well thought through because the weather turned somewhat inclement over the weekend.
Saturday and the rain had set in, so we decided to paint the kitchen/dining room in a day, as it is we are going to have to give the ceiling a second coat (sad face) but the room looks better for being painted, I just need to sort all the other things in that room to get it to work, I've got my eye on a mirror in Ikea (just hoping it fits the car).
Sunday and we truly used it as a day of rest, I was sat at my scrapbook table scrapping at 10.30am and did five layouts before finding a comfy spot on the sofa to watch England versus USA in the Rugby Summer Series, I sat watercolour painting some Harry Potter cards whilst sat on the sofa, we also watched Tomorrow War on Amazon Prime which was really rather good.
We were back to Monday in the blink of an eye and as always I've had a mighty busy week, but it has tripped along at a merry old pace, the weather hasn't been particularly kind, but my final working day today and hubby has managed to get a few lines of washing out as it has been dry.
I hope you've all had a grand week, if you fancy joining in pop a post together come back and link up and we shall come and visit.
Well for those that wander along and have a read, you will be aware that last weeks post of fairly devoid as I'd prepared in advance of us heading out for a break for a week, so this is going to definitely be a major catch up of that week.
We were staying just outside of Durham in a pretty cottage called Sheep Pen on a working farm, the cottage was lovely but as is often the case the mattresses were of the overly firm variety which meant a rather hard week when it came to sleep, nevertheless it was an absolute joy to get away and have a break.
We drove up on the Saturday and said 20 year old headed up in his own car with his fiancée and so my first grateful is that on his first long trip driving (his fiancée has driven them to Cornwall and back twice already, but he has always been passenger) that we all arrived safe and sound.
We worked out some fun days out and a couple of days where we went our separate ways.
On Sunday we ventured to one of the nearest beaches at Seaham, we enjoyed finding Tommy the WW1 statue that is on the sea front, a poignant reminder of the young lives lost.
Then we headed down onto the front in search of sea glass which we had been informed was available in abundance. I had never found sea glass on a beach before (not big on sand if truth be told), but once I'd got an eye for it we had a merry old time finding a large supply for hubby to bring back and hopefully turn into so mighty fine jewellery.
Eventually a small driftwood bench became available and me and said 20 year old's fiancée sat and had a lovely natter whilst watching and listening to the sea and watching the other two like magpies in search of sea gems.
Back up onto the front, we had been recommended to try out Lickity Split, a 1950's style ice cream parlour, so we headed in and got our fill before heading to a beach front bench to enjoy. Hubby and I both had rum and raisin and Turkish delight and said 20 year old had chocolate and bubblegum his fiancée had some churros as the selection of lacto free products on the ice cream front had proved limited.
Monday and we headed to Durham a beautiful city with is relatively compact if you head to the older part. We parked up and made our way up the hill to the Cathedral, we headed in and enjoyed a fabulous light based art installation in the Galilee gallery, then out into the cloisters where they filled some of the first Harry Potter films, then back into the church. We visited St Bede's tomb and St Cuthbert's tomb and enjoyed the beautiful stained glass in the building.
Back outside we made our way down the hillside and popped into the university bookshop, where said 20 year old's fiancée found a book on the subject of her third year dissertation that she has recently submitted a proposal for, so it was definitely a worthwhile visit.
Tuesday arrived and we headed to the Bowes Museum, a fabulous French style building built intentionally as a public gallery space. We've been previously, but similar to Yorkshire Sculpture Park they do have a gallery with a changing exhibition and this time it was the North Country Quilts exhibition.
Anyone that knows me knows I have a slight weakness for all things fabric particularly of the craft/art variety so me and said 20 year old's fiancée (who shares my passion) were in our element. The exhibition documented a style of quilt that was popular in the northern counties, including Durham, Northumberland and surprisingly to me Yorkshire. Originally a whole quilt design that was produced by hand, sometimes as a community effort and often as a key gift to a couple for their wedding. The quilts changed with the invention of the sewing machine and became strippy quilts which could be made similarly but in strips so they could be easily constructed on the sewing machine. I bought a book providing the history of the quilts and later in the week returned, to buy the other book and a cushion pattern created in the style of the northern county quilts.
Wednesday and me and hubby ventured out on our own, said 20 year and fiancée headed back to Seaham and then Durham but we headed to the Oriental museum in Durham, which is part of the university. It was a fascinating exhibition with a wealth of artefacts dating back from thousands of years to current and contemporary.
We were in there hours and then we headed to the Botanic Gardens which was a stones throw away to find some of their sculptures and enjoy some outside space.
Finally we popped to Spennymoor art gallery and got to see some of the fantastic social history artwork of Norman Cornish including his studio set up that has been transferred there.
As an accomplished artist but also a miner for 30 years he has captured a part of the local history in a way that reminds you of the history of the area. There were also lots of other paintings in the gallery done by other artists which we admired immensely, our next favourite are two young artists (twins) who had a full exhibition on the second floor that the curator allowed us to have a sneak peak of.
Thursday and only booked activity when we came away was Beamish, despite social restrictions still affecting the UK significantly we managed admirably around the site, although it was a shame the trams weren't running and there was in fact a bus replacement service (genuinely sometimes you couldn't make it up).
The day was incredibly warm and sunny (too warm for wandering a large site if truth be told), we enjoyed a portion of fish and chips from Davy's coal fired fish and chip shop and had a wonderful day.
Friday was our last full day of holiday and it was almost like it knew as we woke to continual rain, we'd booked for a walk around Raby castle which we've visited before, just me and hubby and whilst the castle was lovely and the guides were great the inclement weather meant that a walk around the gardens was simply impractical. We therefore grabbed a coffee and a bite to eat before heading off on our final part of the holiday which was to see Susie, Susie and I have been friends for an absolute age, well above 10 years, she was one of the original Rockettes joining in with my regular posts, we almost met a few years ago when we were visiting Stratford but alas it was not to be, but given we were literally 20 minutes from her I arranged to pop and have a coffee. To finally meet someone you've known for years in person can obviously be a little nerve wracking because I suppose personas can be different in person, but for me and Susie it was genuinely like we just had seen each other in a while we had a fabulous few hours, Susie providing a lovely cuppa, we got to meet Princess Peanut and all of Susie's beautiful cats as well as see her in her new home and I got to ooh and aah over her fantastic craft room, it really was the very best way to finish a holiday.
So that my lovely people was my week and it was utterly joyous. I won't bore you with the weekend washing catch up or the working week as it is nice to leave it on the holiday high.
If you fancy joining in pop a post together come back and link up so we can come and visit.
