ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 33RD OF 2021

 Good morning lovely people tis Friday time for

So I had an additional day off last Thursday as we knew we would probably have a late night watching the Lord Chamberlain's Men at Chatsworth, so I took back some lieu time I was owed and we had a leisurely lay in and then decided despite the inclement weather forecast to head up to Sheffield in search of bears.  

Having been delayed for a year, the Sheffield Children's Hospital have put on a bear trail around the city with 61 large bears and over 100 smaller bears that have been decorated and dotted around the city.  A few years ago they did a similar trail with elephants around the city, as they are far and wide we knew we wouldn't manage all of them, but we did manage to tick off 20 of the big bears in our wander around the city, here are a few of the ones we found. 

This was the first one we found

Then Nano bear, which I really liked due to it being covered it shiny gold 

The polka dot bear was actually covered in Yorkshire roses which was cool. 

This one outside of the town hall has some of the landmarks on, Sheffield is the greenest city in the country and this was in celebration of this. 

This one was quite quirky, I need to find out the meaning (if there is one) on this one. 

Mine and hubby's favourite one was this one on the way to the Millennium galleries

And I loved the face on the belly at the front

Into the millennium galleries there was one inside at the bottom of the escalator

And the painting one just outside

In front of the Crucible theatre (famous for the World Snooker Championships) 

this was a rainbow bear which was called Two faced

And here was his other face on the other side of his head, it definitely raised a smile

We headed back out towards the moor and found this one

And giggled at the placement of the badger 

One of the bears on the moor had been removed due to vandalism (anti-vaccination stickers would you believe), but we continued to the bottom of the moor

We then headed over the dual carriage (actually using the underpass), to the new Chinese quarter to see the pandas, this one climbing up the building

Hubby made me sit with the one on the bench who was eating a stick of bamboo

This one was huge

And above on that was a stag, not sure of the meaning on this but it was fab regardless

We then headed up town and came across the Hendos bear

In front of the famous Henderson's relish building

Down the road we went past where hubby was born in the building on the right the Jessop's Hospital against the modern architecture of one of the University of Sheffield building

The building from the font is stunning

In front of that is Allen

The write up stated that Allen the Peregrine was created to celebrate the opening of Ikea Sheffield and is made up of allen keys.

This bear was in front of the city hall

This one in front of the Cathedral

Steampunk bear was in front of the lower part of the cathedral

We had great fun wandering Sheffield and saw parts we haven't seen for some time if I'm honest.

Friday and we booked to go and see Jungle Cruise at the Cinema, it is a great fun family film which we both really enjoyed and it was nice to do something normal, even if we did insist on sitting in masks throughout. 

Saturday and the weather looked definitely changeable but we headed off to Yorkshire Sculpture Park regardless of the weather, we were glad we did as the weather held off (unlike Sunday morning when it absolutely hammered it down). 

Our main reason for going was to see the 399 days exhibition in the chapel, created from porcelain it was a stunning piece of artwork to see and a great setting. 

The panels were incredibly intricate with body shapes, flowers and abstract elements.

Outside Ai Wei Wei's iron tree was actually a home to some bees, which had us amused. 

Down the hillside along the lake past the David Nash piece

The silence monument feels even more enclosed surround by the greens of the trees around

Ai Wei Wei's horoscope piece has been cleaned up and moved to a new position

We spotted a baby bunny under the bench on the way past the Bothy gallery 

enjoyed a wander around the shop, a cuppa in the restaurant and an indoors exhibition by an artist who recently finished her degree at Sheffield Hallam University.  So all in all a very successful trip out to Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Saturday afternoon and we enjoyed a couple of TV films, Jolt and Shadow in the Clouds, the first strange the second stranger still but hubby seemed to enjoy them and I got a bit of scrapbooking done. 

Sunday and we woke to rain, we had a leisurely catch up on tablets before getting up for breakfast, we spent the rest of the day just chilling out enjoying book reading, magazine reading, scrapbooking and watching Peter Rabbit 2, again another great Sunday afternoon film. 

Monday and back into the humdrum of work life, but I'd had such a lovely weekend that it really didn't bother me, Monday rolled into Tuesday into Wednesday and before I know it I'm sat writing my rocking post.  

I hope you have all had a splendiferous week, if you fancy joining in pop a post together and we can come and visit. 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 32ND OF 2021

 Good morning lovely people, tis Friday time for 

Well last Friday hubby had a meet up with his ex-work colleagues as they were having  a lunchtime meet up.  I encouraged him to go as is always the case with work places, the likelihood is the teams will change and people will move on/retire etc.  He had a lovely catch up and I think he saw it as a bit of closure when it comes to his full time working life.  I on the other hand caught up with some of the TV programmes I watch that others aren't fussed about (namely Handmaid's Tale) which I enjoyed albeit that it is a stressful watch and then my sister popped over for a catch up which was lovely. 

My sister has always 'got me' so when I'm struggling or wanting someone to bounce things off she completely gets it, so it was good to while away a few hours and have a proper catch up and natter, putting the world to rights.  

Then said 20 year old popped over after work (he is currently at his fiancee's house) and then hubby arrived home, so it was lovely to catch up with everyone. 

Saturday and we headed to Ikea, we are still on with the dining room currently and we had an idea of how to sort the window, which has always been quite a difficult space.  We came across this fun neon sign in the plants section which reads 'Ey up flower' - when Ikea does Yorkshire!

We picked up two units I wanted, so the afternoon was spent building units, putting mirrors up and, filling holes (that had been missed).  We made great headway and when I came down on Sunday morning, the light level difference was palpable. 

However, back to Saturday night, when we booked the 8pm showing of Mischief Movie Night in, to find it was the sequel to the 5pm show that we hadn't seen.  We managed to 'catch up' and because it was such fun to watch, we decided to stay up way past bedtime and actually watch the third final instalment at 11pm.  We were laughing so much which I genuinely think elevated our mood. 

Sunday and we popped to Morrisons for breakfast, I facetimed my Mum for a spell and then me and hubby set to painting things up.  We printed a quote for a canvas and then we transferred a design.  Then we spent the afternoon painting, it was lovely and we really enjoyed the time.  In the middle of the afternoon a couple came to collect the old unit that I sold on marketplace, so that piece of furniture is out of the way too. 

As well as painting walls and canvases I also decided to paint my Sheffield Bear that said 20 year old bought me recently (I was so giddy to receive this although we still haven't been on a bear hunt to find the bears which are around the city).  As I wanted the bear in the dining room, I used the wall inspiration to decorate it, painting it Egyptian Cotton before free hand painting the leaves and designs on the bear.  It was great fun, then I finished with a black paint pen to finish it off. 

We didn't finish until got 7pm, then had a quick tea, before watching the final Mischief Movie Night In (I'm hoping they will do some more in the future but there are no guarantees, however, I assume this is a sign that things are moving forward when it comes to the pandemic). 

The rest of the week has  been the usual busy busy with work as is normally the case but Wednesday I left work early and we headed to Chatsworth to watch the Lord Chamberlain's Men (an all male theatre production) in their version of Macbeth.  As anyone who reads my blog knows I absolutely adore Shakespeare and Macbeth is my favourite play because it is the first play I ever saw of his.  This version was utterly fantastic, I had forgotten how much I love live theatre.  We were concerned about the weather as we left work it was raining heavily, but by the time we got to Chatsworth the night was clearing, we got a great place to watch it from and just sat and soaked up the atmosphere. 

Plans for Thursday are to head to Sheffield to see some bears but I will catch up on that next week as it may well be a late one getting back. 

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

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 31ST OF 2021

Good morning lovely people tis Friday time for

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. 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 30TH OF 2021

 Good morning lovely people tis Friday time for

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. 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 29TH OF 2021

Good morning lovely people tis Friday time for

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.