Well first up a massive thank you to hubby, I've been struggling a little bit over the last couple of weeks, nothing serious just feel a little bit meh so hubby decided to surprise me with a night out on Friday enjoying tapas. Tapas Revolution have reopened in the local shopping centre so we booked a table and ventured.
We had a lovely evening enjoying good company, good conversation and lovely food. Here is hubby
and the fabulous story of tapas
And yours truly
And the lovely bar area
Hubby enjoyed the two for one offer on the gin and tonic and I had the lemonade which is freshly made.
So a great start to the weekend.
Saturday was a bit of an odd one, in that we had no specific plans despite aspirations to do just that, but we did get hubby's shed ordered (which has been on our to do list for a while) and booked not one but two week's holiday (fingers and toes crossed that we actually manage to go on them).
We also did a homemade tapas tea which was lovely. In an effort to ensure we had some plans for the weekend, we invited my Mum to come with us to Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Here is a photo of the three of us with a Damien Hirst sculpture in the background
and here is the sculpture
I also grabbed a photo of hubby enjoying a view over the lake
We stopped and enjoyed a cuppa and a cake and took my Mum in to see the art in the underground gallery which she loved.
Back home and I've made a start on the 2019 scrapbooking and managed 3 layouts on sunday afternoon whilst hubby watched a film and we made a quick and easy tea, so all was good.
Monday arrived all too quickly but it was a positive day, I managed to get some online training done which was great and we managed to get the deck painted that the new shed is going on.
The rest of the week has tripped along at a merry old pace hubby bought me some flowers the other day
which are beautiful and a favourite colour combination
My Mum had a trip to the hospital on Wednesday and whilst the cancer in her back has stayed the same there is a little fluid on her lung which is a cause for concern, so if everyone can offer up an extra prayer for her whilst we are waiting on results that would be awesome.
Wednesday night we went over to help (we being the royal we I mean hubby) finish off a few kitchen bits, he has installed her an extra piece of worktop and a set of shelves which has made such a big different to the area she has to prepare food. She really seems to have enjoyed making little changes in the kitchen which have made a really big difference for her, she is already plotting and planning her front room so watch this space and that my lovely people is the week that was, I hope you've had a grand week, if you fancy joining in pop a post together come back and link up so we can come and visit.
Morning lovely people, tis Friday time to clock the silver linings and special moments that made the week worthwhile
So first up last Friday me and my lovely Mum went for a makeover, its actually more of an excuse for the make up counters to get you spending more money, but we had a lovely hour, trying out different products and make up and both came away with a bundle of goodies.
Unfortunately, I didn't engage brain and take a photo, but we had a lovely time regardless.
Then my niece came over, I was working but she wanted to do some work on my needle felter, so we had great fun, nattering and working albeit on very different types of work before her Mum came to collect her.
My sister stayed for a coffee, so that was lovely, she was heading into 3 night shifts and wasn't looking forward to it as she knew they were short staffed.
We enjoyed some blue skies at the weekend, which was lovely, it really made me feel much more positive.
I got my certificates through from some management diplomas I've been working on which was great.
I clocked another 9 days of green on my Fit bit, alas, I won't manage it this time, yesterday was a really hard day for me, I won't beat myself about it, but needless to say I am a little disappointed with myself this morning.
Sunday saw us out for a walk, which was great
Stopping at the pub half way
Back home we made tea, showered and changed and I put on my new PJ's that hubby bought me for Christmas.
I worked from home all day Monday and was back in work on Tuesday
Work means evening walks again
and the occasional moonlit night
But I did manage one in sunshine on Wednesday when I left early so I could get my walk in before we went on our date night.
Wednesday saw us pre-theatre dining and then theatre. We had a lovely evening, albeit that it was highly amusing, not necessarily for the right reasons.
I've taken to documenting parts of life through poetry, inspired by my wonderful Godfather, who we lost before Christmas.
Please don't feel you have to read them, they are just part of who I am at the moment as I'm wrestling with life a little.
Date Night (Part 1)
It'll be fun we said
A meal out, trip to the theatre
Nothing finer
We're booked in early and shown to our seat
Ambient music sets the tone
A Christmas song raises a single quizzical eyebrow
End of January, strange music choice
We order our drinks
They serve them to the table behind
Hubby waves to let them know there error
Sorry she stutters almost serving the drinks on our laps
There's two table 15s
We order starters and mains
Bread arrives wrestled between two spoons by the young
waitress
Sorry she says as they are launched onto our plates
We smile politely
We sit chatting preoccupied by life at the moment
Giant trays of food are brought to the nearby counter
We've ordered salad and goujons
Two piping hot bowls of soup rise up from the tray
Inexperienced hands tilt the bowls so the contents slide
onto the oversized lip
It's coming our way and hubby is oblivious on account of
having his back to them
Holding my breath, the soup goes on a detour to its final
destiny
We munch through starters when they finally arrive
Plates are whisked from the table before we are even
finished
Hubby grabs the bread as the plate hovers in mid air
With both hands the remains disappear into his mouth
And he grins
Main arrives in silence
We glance from the plate to each other and back again
Funny looking lamb (they've served us with salmon)
We explain we've both ordered lamb and the plates are
whisked away
In silence
Soon after our main arrives and we eat, it's delicious
"Drinks from the bar?" We are asked
More water would be nice,
Confused she walks away disappointed muttering she'll get
someone to sort
Obviously not her 'job' tonight
We sit waiting for the dessert menu
It arrives in the form of a person
She stutters and stumbles
We can barely hear what's on the list
We order 'pear' and 'cheesecake' as they are the only two
items we could make out
She asks us to repeat
The larger of the two arrives on a tiny plate and vice versa
Both with a tiny jug of cream
I glance thinking I will have to be careful not to knock
over the cream
Hubby's frangipane proves tough
The cream jug lands on the table no longer upright
forming a creamy white pool in the middle of the table
We look at each other, we leave it
watching it slowly move towards the edge
In some sort of silent poetic performance
We consider the napkin but eventually agree to lay two clean
paper tissues over the offensive sight
As a detective would cover a body on a TV show
The cheesecake has a virtually impenetrable base
Using a mix of brute force (in a controlled manner)
I work my way slowly through dessert
Desperate for it not to split with the pressure and fly
sideways in the process
Or worse still, break the plate
Fork marks score the biscuit base, as a stonemason would
chisel a stone
It would have been easier to eat the topping and pick up the
biscuit base but where's the fun in that
Once the plates are finally empty hubby moves the tissues
around trying to soak up the cream
We look at the large smear that remains on the table
Finally it's resolved with the use of a large overbearing
napkin
Minutes later you wouldn't even know
To finish the meal we order coffee
Hubby decides he needs to remain alert
After all we've got a Christmas play to watch
And I've already mentioned it's the end of January
He decides a double shot cappuccino is the way to go
I order regular
They arrive
One in a cup and one in what appears to be a giant soup
bowl
The caffeine is going to keep us up til one
Hubby pays the 'balance' of the bill
(As the ticket price included most)
We leave a tip balanced in the centre of the table
Maybe not for the service
But the entertainments been great!
Date Night Part 2
There is something special and magical about live theatre
Gentle bubbles of conversation fill the auditorium
The large red theatrical curtains cover the stage
We find our seats there is plenty of space around us
The couple in front chatting as we all settle into our seats
She's doing dry January
She declares "never again"
I tell her I've been teetotal since last March except for
the bottle of wine we shared in the summer in Stafford
She looks shocked and says she's disappointed that the
weight hasn't disappeared
She mentions she's eating more cake since she stopped
drinking and that might have something to do with it
The curtains open
Row 'C' has at least six late comers
All dressed in thick winter coats
There is a kerfuffle trying to get to their specific seats
Ironic in a rather empty auditorium
They eventually arrive at their chosen destination
Bemused I note the show has continued on regardless
They sit all tightly packed in their thick duvet like coats
Afraid to move
Afraid to cause more of a scene
Or heavens forbid be more entertaining than the
players
The scene in front of us is one of Christmas
There is a TV and an overbearing uncle narrating its
contents whilst thumbing through a television guide
The owners of the house bickering at each other
A young married couple are struggling to deal with their
children
Not that we ever get to meet them
She's heavily pregnant with a giant lumpy cushion
Her other half suddenly resembles our 18-year-old son
(Whose home alone ordering a meal deal with domino’s
blatting things on the xbox)
Until he speaks of course
The play unfolds
38 year old spinster desperate for love (or sex)(or both)
Her author friend (uninterested in any sort of relationship)
Arrives and takes a shine to the lady of the house
The drunk Aunt like character constantly succumbing to near
fatal accidents in the kitchen
The drunken arguments over snakes and ladders fails to ring
true
monopoly would have been more realistic but they would have
erred into trading names
and we'll I'm assuming the budget didn't stretch
Closure of the giant red curtains signals a time change
They open and close acting out various days over
Christmas
At half time, hubby stretches his legs whilst I sit in
bemused silence
Two ladies arrive on stage and start pulling raffle
tickets
It's not part of the play
A bottle of wine
Chocolates or a meal out are on offer
The wine and chocolates get snapped up
So, they confirm the meal vouchers isn't just for one
Although I'm sure she mentioned a cricket pavilion
They thank us for our custom
They've been going 70 years and started out as an operatic
society
(I'm grateful they've stopped singing)
Apparently, their next play is Ben Hur
Complete with chariot racing
Hubby has returned and looks eager to see that
The farce alone has to be worth it
He looks more than confused when they mention the
Sea battles and lets me know there weren’t any in the
original
The second half starts and my mind wanders
I realise the clock in the foyer that I assumed broken
On account of it reading ten past nine when we arrived
Was giving the end time of the show
I glance at my watch a little after 8.20pm
I settle back into the play
Half expecting the heavily pregnant whinging female to go
into labour
I'm not sure we've found the plot yet
The baby never arrives, actually the labour never starts
Instead we have a knife and a gun
And a shot
All because he's wearing a female balaclava
I'm still confused
What is a female balaclava and how does it differ from its
male counterpart?
The doctor (also responsible for the puppet show)
Which I forgot to mention
(Included a tedious conversation between the pigs one of
which is called ginger and the postman
And the none talking pet dog of the wolf
The family traditional boxing day puppet show is a cause for
constant discontent)
Diagnoses death as a result of the gunshot
Until the patient stirs and you realise his doctoring skills
are as useless as his puppeteering
The curtains continue to open and close
The clock reaches ten past nine
But we seem to be playing into overtime
The plot still missing
Two further time lapses before the cast appear bowing on
stage
We clap in sheer bewilderment,
I remember laughing and smiling,
My poor brain confused with the Christmas jingles it has
running through it,
I’m sure it was great
We exit stage left, pursued by no one but the freezing cold
air,
We head to the local supermarket and park in the brightly
lit underground carpark
We need a few bits and hubby declares he needs a beer
On our way to the entrance an old chap says something
I assume not to us, I don’t know him
But he repeats a little louder ‘Sorry?’ I say
He’s holding a carrier bag on its side and slides out of it
a glass lidded casserole dish
“Would you like to buy some salad”
I’m already shaking my head
“No thank you”
Hubby asks as we stand on the silly travellator (incapable
of using our own legs to travel up to the shop floor) what he’d said
“Did we want to buy some salad”
We shop quickly, the store is virtually empty but at that
time of night it always seems full of odd people.
I’m sure they’re not odd, well unless they are trying to
sell salad.
We head back to the car park, bags in hand
I purposefully peer left and right as we enter the parking
garage
“What ya doing?”
Hubby asks
“Looking for the man with the main course”
It takes a second for the penny to drop and he grins
Come on lets head home.
Thursday was a hard day overall and I'm still struggling a little with things, but I'm OK and everyone I know and love is OK, so I'm piecing things back together again albeit slowly.
I intend on a little self care today, which in my book is a shower and then crafting for the rest of the day.
I hope you've had a grand week, if you fancy joining in pop a post together, pop back and link up so we can come and visit.
It is soooooooooooooooo long since I last posted a layout, this one was using the Crafters' Companion February kit, that came with a 6 x 6 pad, I personally never buy these as a rule as I'm a 12 x 12 girl, but when presented with it in a kit you have to play - so with some cleverly positioned embellishment and layers I doubt anyone would know that the papers came from a 6 x 6 pad.
I've hardly done any scrapbooking this year, however, I feel that part of the problem links with a lack of new photos! So I've started to sort them, unfortunately there are thousands - but I've got to start somewhere.
Photo was a date night selfie, we rarely get a night out together on our own that we consider a date night, so it was good to actually capture the rather rare moment!
