ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 10TH OF 2021

 Good morning lovely people tis Friday time for 

So first up last Saturday would have been my Daddy's 72nd birthday if he would have still been with us and whilst it is hard it is also nice sometimes to reminisce and think of the good times. 

Part of this led me to download a colourising photo app to allow me to play with some old black and white photos.  The photo below is a school photo from when he was about 14 and this is the first time I've seen it in colour, it felt like receiving a new photo and interestingly his greeny/grey eyes were absolutely spot on to how I remember them, so I shared this to family far and wide. 

Sunday brought my Mum and Dad's wedding anniversary and again I dragged out the colourising photo app and converted one of their original wedding photos which was black and white into colour, initially it decided the bridesmaid dress skirts were dark grey, but they were in fact a red velvet, so I used another app to change them, it didn't take very long and whilst not perfect it definitely raised a smile. 

The other key task last weekend was this awful hedge that affects the corner of our garden, unfortunately because the neighbour doesn't keep it in check it overhangs quite severely the main deck we use and pigeons frequent it leaving rather a mess on the deck, as we were spring cleaning the garden hubby and said 20 year old set too pushing back the hedge by trimming the offending and overhanging branches and whilst the finished result isn't exactly pretty it is a lot more functional with our deck now and I'm sure it won't take long to become green again.

After 

After what was a very busy few days if I'm honest, we sat and enjoyed a G&T on the front (mine being the non-alcoholic Gordon's one). 

Lockdown continues on and is quite utterly boring at the moment, we are all hoping for some normality soon, so the rest of the weekend was spent enjoying the six nations rugby and catching up on scrapbooking, I also managed to put a photo order in to bring me up to date. 

I've managed to catch up with my Mum recently and that was a positive. 

If you fancy joining in Mr Linky below

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 9TH OF 2021

 Good morning lovely people tis Friday time for 

So last Friday was our only true day out of the week I had off, currently in the UK national lockdown whilst you can exercise it has to be 'local', thankfully we have this place on the doorstep 

And so we booked for a wander around the historic gardens which is something we enjoyed a couple of times last year too. 

From this shot in the distance we could see one of the follies on the hillside known as Hoober Stand

We grabbed a selfie in front of the house - the other side, it is a double fronted house with two completely different styles. 

We had a lovely few hours and after walking back to the main carpark headed on down towards the dams at the bottom, something I haven't done since 1977 when I was a little girl when I went with my Mum and Dad. 

The rest of the week off was a mix of general house jobs and lots and lots of scrapbooking, with a weekend full of Mischief Move Night in Theatre as it was their last weekend before they had to head off for filming. 

So here is some of the scrapbooking I managed last week 

I will officially catch up with scrapbooking this year for the first time ever since I started scrapbooking in 2004 and because I scrapbook chronologically it is going to be mighty strange!

We got a few shots of the theatre but obviously the key to these was to watch it. 

I thought I'd give you an update on the carnations, these appeared on my Instagram feed on the 31 January (originally with roses which have long since died) and whilst I've had to cut off a couple of heads they are doing amazingly! 

I also got some more flowers this week, these are from my Mum, just to say thank you - she didn't need to but it was a lovely surprise and they too are still going strong. 

On one of our walks around the neighbourhood we noticed the valentine's tree near the church

And we managed to do a little reading on our week off

And a few more scrapbook layouts for good measure. 

It was lovely to have a week off and stop, however I was straight back into it this week and managed to get some key tasks done on Wednesday and took today (Thursday) off, as we had finally got an appointment to take hubby's parent's ashes to be buried in the little plot we had sorted last year.  It has been a beautiful blue skies day and was good to finally put them to rest. 

I hope you've all had a good week and managed to stay safe, if you fancy joining in Mr Linky (if he's behaving) below.

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 8TH OF 2021

 Good Morning lovely people tis Friday time for 

So first up on the positive grateful list is a week off, whilst we can't go anywhere it has been nice to stop and take stock a little bit, always a positive. 

First up on my list of things to do was to finish making Christmas cards with the ones received last year, I always like to do a little upcycling and cutting and reusing the cards with a combination of my scrapbook papers, means they have a little more longevity. 

Friday night, we enjoyed another Mischief Comedy Bunker night in another fantastic watch (we did the same on Saturday and Sunday night). 

We had a weekend of Six Nations, whilst England won the rest of the matches didn't quite go the way we were hoping, but Six Nations means more crafting time for me which is always a positive. 

Sunday was hubby's birthday and my Mums.  I dropped a card and some gifts at her doorstep, its strange not being able to properly visit, but she was glad to get a card and she got her main gift when we sorted her craft space recently. 

We enjoyed a candlelit dinner for two on Sunday night, it was a lovely evening and hubby enjoyed a glass of red and I had some non-alcoholic fizz.  We were trying to keep on programme as we are watching our weight currently, but the wine was too nice not to finish (his words not mine) and he'd treated me to a small box of chocolates which were way too moorish not to finish. 

As the week commenced the weather started to finally warm up but it also ended up with lots of rain, so we've seen the back of the white icy conditions for a while (hopefully, I'm ready for spring now if I'm honest). 

Hubby was doing some silversmithing on Tuesday and I finished off this batch of watercolour/mixed media Christmas cards.  I've hit 113 cards now so I should have enough to cover the ones I send each year so I can now officially stop.  I've also made individuals ones for family (some more successful than the others). 

So overall a rather quiet annual leave week but it has been grand having a break from work if I'm honest. 

I hope yours has been good too, if you fancy joining in pop a post together come back and link up so we can come and visit. 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 7TH OF 2021

Good morning lovely people tis Friday time for 

So another quiet week in what feels like a mighty long lock down, but in amongst this there are little positive elements from my week that was. 

First up, having time to craft, I will always take that as a win if I'm honest, so spending time over the weekend whilst hubby was enjoying watching the Six Nations Rugby meant I managed to clear some areas of my desk - yet another positive. 

Second positive was managing to get an Ikea order picked up for my Mum, it is her birthday this Sunday and so as a treat we've put to to try and sort her some better storage for her craft room as she'd ended up with lots of left over pieces of furniture from other parts of the house.  Said 20 year old did some number crunching and came up with a layout wholly reliant on Kallax units from Ikea and whilst the house was empty managed to get them installed ready for her to re-fill.  It was hard work but because there was me, hubby and said 20 year old it only took a couple of hours to get it resolved.

These are the photos she took to show how far she'd progressed with it once we'd left and she'd had some time to start trying to sort. 

The room was still fairly messy when we left as she needed to put items into the areas she wanted but I knew she'd enjoy having a sort out and we managed to do all that socially distanced whilst she was out, so win win on that front. 

She sent me a photo the other day to show how far it has come and she is soooooooo pleased with it, she does still need a set of drawers to go under the desk and she would like to get herself a proper computer chair rather than the fold up one she's got, but they are the finishing touches. 

I nearly forgot, we also enjoyed the Mischief Comedy bunker last Friday night, it is proving great fun to watch and great value for money. 

Hubby had his final meeting with his boss on Monday and officially retires on Sunday (his birthday), she brought with her a bottle of single malt whiskey and an Amazon card bought by his colleagues, she is going to send his card on once it's completed.  But that's another element out of the way. 

Wednesday saw me heading to the hospital for my annual mammogram, due to family history.  I was in and out in less than 30 minutes, which was great given the strange times we are living through, fingers and toes crossed everything is OK. 

We've been enjoying some lovely meals out of the three Pinch of Nom books and it is great to find some new recipes to put through their paces and everyone has been having the same meal which is definitely a win. 

My flowers are still going strong as you can see, isn't it lovely when they seem to last and last. 

And that my lovely people was my week, if you fancy joining in pop a post together, come back link up and we can come and visit. 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 6TH OF 2021

Good morning lovely people, tis Friday time for 

So another quiet week lovely people well those that follow my blog will be pleased to hear we finally have a boiler that doesn't sound like a jet engine - yay.  I'm still going to get my boiler guy in to do some additional checks in a couple of weeks but now I'm not stressed putting the heating or water on. 

I did a bit of hunting around for my insurance for my car last weekend, it was worth the effort as I managed to save a few pound notes which is fab. 

We also enjoyed some more Mischief Move Night's in 

Hubby bought me some flowers which are still going strong and the carnations are starting to open fully

We had a good weekend, but it flew by, even though we are still in national lockdown which is most weird if I'm honest, I managed to make another mini book and cut some die-cuts to go with all the ones I've made recently.  I'm still finishing them off and can't believe how long they seem to be taking me, but I'm nearly there now. 

I also had fun with my sewing machine making yet more gifts for Christmas, yes I know it is months away but at the moment keeping me occupied means either something fun like crafting or more cleaning and so I definitely went with the fun.  Again there is still a little finishing off to do with hand stitching and I want to make adjustments to one of them that I made, but overall they are lovely and I'm really pleased with them and they used up some of the fat quarters I own so definitely a win. 

Monday came around all too soon, hubby has officially decided to retire from his job as of his birthday on the 14 February 2021, he will be 59 so it is early for him but he has officially felt that it is time for a change, this week it also went official with his work colleagues and he's had a few phone calls and a few emails which have definitely raised a smile, sometimes it is the little things that make the big difference. 

I should have been in work on Tuesday but we woke to snow which rendered any chance of getting off the estate pointless and dangerous, so I had some work to do so I could attend my very first Zoom meeting which went well.  

Wednesday said 20 year old and his GF came and helped at the foodbank again, which was brilliant of them and dropped some packages off for online sessions we are doing - they are both stars and hubby took me to work as I was still a little worried about the weather, which meant I could capture this photo as we were whizzing to work 

Thursday has proved a difficult day probably too much work and not enough time (as usual), so I was mighty glad to finish this afternoon and stop, we headed out to pick a couple of things up that we needed before tucking into making tea. 

I hope you've had a lovely week and managed to stay safe, if you fancy joining in pop a post together come back and link up and we can come and visit. 

 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 5TH OF 2021

 Good morning lovely people tis Friday time for 

And while the month seems never ending and the weeks seem to roll into the weekend back into the week, I find myself already at the end of January, I feel time is a little confusing at the moment. 

We are still in a national lockdown so this limits significantly our ability to venture out and do different things for obvious reasons. 

However, I do have a few positives from the last 7 days. 

We have been trying some lovely recipes from the Pinch of Nom recipe book, I did actually own the original but had barely put it through its paces, but it has been fun to try new recipes for the whole family and find some new favourites, so that is definitely a positive. 

I also managed to design a new mini book to make and whilst the original had a few flaws in it, which I tweaked for the next book, I had a lovely time creating 4 new minibooks this week with an assortment of papers, some of which had been received as Christmas gifts, I always think it is lovely when you can start putting new papers through their paces. 

I also had a lovely few hours sorting my papers out, I have a giant mound of papers that I have in proper plastic paper stacks that I bought when a local craft shop was closing down.  So reworking the papers, putting them into correct order and also re-acquainting myself with some paper stacks that I had forgotten I owned was all a positive.

We also recently ordered some new pillows, both me and hubby have a problem with our necks and had used a memory foam pillow for many many years, occasionally trying to find a replacement but often reverting back to the original.  I decided that we would make the switch and having checked out various articles ordered a 'soft' set and a 'firm' set from the Premier Inn hotels range (having stayed at a Premier Inn in the dim and distant past I vaguely remembered their pillows being really good).  I personally struggled on the first night, but by the second night I was much better and we've slept well all week on them, so the old ones have now gone and we have some fabulous new ones.  I'm just hoping they last, if that makes sense, and don't end up too flat too soon, but time will tell. 

Another positive was that the pillows came in a zipped bag with a clear window at the front and black fabric for the rest.  I decided to move all my gift bags and wrapping paper which was rather precariously positioned on a cabinet in the spare room into the bag and find space under the bed.  So now out of the way, in a dust free bag, but still easily accessible - definitely a win in my book.

I continue to clean the house by stealth and have been doing the odd shelf or the odd cupboard when I've realised they need a sort.  So rather than spending a whole weekend doing a deep clean, I'm basically doing them as I go, which means I still get lots of my weekend to enjoy. 

Finally, last weekend we managed to book for the Mischief Comedy Bunker for both Saturday and Sunday night and enjoyed some chaotic improvised acting for an hour on both nights.  It's accessible all over the world and we had a few people from the US and Canada in the participation audience aka as Zoom, (we didn't do that just paid to watch it), at £10 per performance and with 4 of us watching it it definitely was value for money and if it helps keep the arts and theatres alive then I see it only as a win win.  They are doing more every night up to the 31 January and then a special 'rom com' on the 14 February which is hubbies birthday, so we might still manage a theatre night, albeit a theatre night in. 

Update on the boiler - it needed a part, so we are booked in again for Friday 29th - let's hope this sorts it as currently it sounds like a plane taking off when it is on (so very very noisy). 

I hope you've had a fabulous week, if you fancy joining in pop a post together come back and link up and we can come and visit. 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 4TH OF 2021

 Good morning lovely people tis Friday already time for 

So last weekend was quiet yet again, we had a fairly rapid thaw on the snow, our boiler man came to see our increasingly noisy boiler (despite the fact it is less than 3 year's old) thankfully that is covered by warranty so we have the company coming out this week to take a look. 

Friday was a quiet day as we avoided the icy pavements and stayed put, we ventured out on Saturday as we need some essential items from the Range and B&M, thankfully we got what we needed and headed home as we are still on national lockdown.  I spent some of the weekend on a Christmas project (Christmas 2021, yes I am being essentially the most organised person in the world at the moment - blame the lockdown).  I also had a lovely weekend reading books (and reading three at the moment and went from one to the other over the weekend), enjoying our woodburning stove and definitely enjoying a drink with hubby.  As those that follow my blog will know I'm teetotal and have been for heading up three years, whilst I really don't miss drinking you do sometimes tire of tea and coffee and pop just doesn't feel grown up enough, so you can imagine my delight when I got my hands on this. 

It has proved an absolute hit for me, mixed with tonic it definitely has a gin like taste which has made me very happy, so now when hubby is having a G&T I can have one too. 

Work is still very busy as it has been throughout the pandemic, I had one day in the office this week and there were still people coming in asking for help, so our services are still very much needed. 

I must admit the lockdown is proving harder than I thought probably because it seems never ending and because we have poor weather and shorter days.  So I decided to take a day off work today (thursday) my boss authorised me to take the time off and I'm so glad I did. 

I treated myself and had a relaxing lavender bath last night, I rarely have baths and shower as standard as I have a dodgy back, but it was nice to have a soak and read a book, something I haven't done in an age. 

Today we were woken by the phone and the boiler man, but he wasn't here long as he's had to order a part, I spent some time sorting through my scrapbook papers as I was adamant that I had bought a Christmas pack, I went through all my papers to discover that I had obviously just window shopped and not actually bought them, but the positive was I sorted my papers and dusted the tops off. 

I then spent the afternoon making Christmas gifts for work colleagues for Christmas 2021 which didn't take too long, I've bought a bag for under the bed to store anything if I buy things as I go this year and I'm having great fun filling it up. 

The rest of the afternoon has been spent looking at a new mini book design so that I can crack on with some of the books that I make through the year for friends.  My current template is OK, but won't fit the bill for what I want it to do, so I'm back to the drawing board at the moment, but with a cunning plan. 

I hope you have had a good week and hope you have managed to stay safe during these difficult times. 

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