ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 43RD OF 2023

 Good Morning lovely people tis Friday time for 

Well it has been a mighty tough week, I cannot say that it has been any easier than the last couple.  We came back on Friday and had a busy weekend catching up on washing and family.  I leant heavily on family over the weekend, a lengthy chat with my Mum, catching up with said 23 year old and his beautiful wife and then my sister on Sunday afternoon the chats were needed even though we didn't actually make any progress. 

Monday arrived and I returned to work, I wasn't mentally in the best of places but felt that progress was made by the end of the day.  Unfortunately that progress didn't continue into Tuesday and I found myself with a sleepless night on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, unusually for me I decided that for the sake of my sanity chip the only sane thing to do was to go to call in poorly and take a day to try and catch up a little bit and not stress my brain out too much.  I managed 3 hours which helped but didn't resolve. 

We had theatre tickets for the evening and hubby felt that I really needed a distraction so encouraged us to go, it was called 'what's your poison' and strangely was about a Victorian Doctor who lived in Rugeley and was tried and eventually hanged in Stafford prison which was funny given the fact that we used to live in Stafford.  It was really interesting and proved a good distraction so hubby was correct. 

Thursday and I managed a day in work, we've returned home, grabbed some tea, had a tidy around and then we are heading for showers.  I'm going to down tools and look after my mental health over the weekend.  

Said daughter in law is at the hospital on Sunday, so thoughts and prayers as always would be much appreciated. 

So sorry that this isn't the most fun posts but in amongst the difficult week, I'm still eternally grateful for my lovely family and all their support this week. 

Sending hugs to you all. 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 42ND OF 2023

 Morning all this one is technically only a day late, but after the pretty hard journey home yesterday I couldn't face writing the post. 

So what was Rocking my World yesterday?

Well last Friday despite the fact I really didn't want another break away we'd booked a cottage in Wales and hubby insisted given the dreadful week that I'd had that I really needed to take some time away from home.  We hacked our way across the country and arrived a little after 4pm, the reduced speed limits down to 20 mph proved an interesting experiment in Wales, to be honest, not sure when we will return Google maps that we rely on for satnav seemed to have every speed limit programmed except the correct one, it has made for an entertaining week. 

We also learnt later in the week that the Welsh government are changing the 70 days of letting period for people who own holiday homes to 6 months of letting, this means that the property has to be let for a 6 month period in any 12 months otherwise they will have to (currently) pay double the council tax, they have the ability to increase this to 4 times the council tax amount which for many holiday let owners will make this an untenable business option.  I appreciate that this is to free up some much needed housing to allow people to get on the property ladder, but this carte blanche approach does appear a little short-sighted.  Furthermore we also learnt whilst away that Wales is considering charging a per night fee for staying in Wales (similar to some of the countries on the continent), I'll be honest I genuinely don't feel that this bodes well for the travel industry to Wales.  But I digress away from the positives for the week.

The cottage was on a working farm on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park in a little village called Rowen.  The cottage itself was small and quaint, very clean and fit the bill for the week.  The only real issue was the split levels there were two steps down to the kitchen and out of the only bedroom 2 steps down to the bathroom which wasn't great in the night when you needed to visit the bathroom.  However, we managed which is good. 

The week's forecast was definitely changeable but we carried on regardless if I'm honest.  We had a list of places to visit if we fancied and set too ticking these off.  We headed to the National Trust held castle at Pendryn, this is a stunning Victorian Gothic castle but the locals fell out with them 120 years ago and haven't let their grudge go if I'm honest due to the 3 year slate mine strike, but more importantly the money it is built on links back to the slave trade and despite having been here before I hadn't appreciated by how much.  The owner having the largest number of plantations.  Nevertheless it is good to see the history around and to acknowledge what some landowners did.

The second day was dry and sunny so we headed to Bodnant Gardens which were a riot of colour and the walk was very much needed.  We enjoyed wandering the grounds and finding the different areas from the formal garden down to the huge redwoods growing in the ravine. 

Monday and the weather seemed to be changing so we headed to Portmeirion one of our favourite places to visit, we had a wonderful day wandering the beautifully coloured houses, enjoying the fresh air and just spending time together.  An utter joy if I'm honest. 

Tuesday we headed to Conwy which was only a 10 minute drive, we wandered around the castle and then the walled town, it really is a sight to behold.  We found a wonderful bakery and bought the softest tastiest Welsh griddle cakes, freshly baked that day and enjoyed a cuppa in a 17th century building. 

Wednesday and we had a day trip to Llandudno, as we arrived an air ambulance helicopter landed on the beach which isn't something you see very often, we headed around the incident which seemed to relate to the RNLI, we wandered the pier and realised just how blustery it was as we got to the end of the pier.  We had a wander around the town, hubby found a new book (he'd not taken enough variety) and we had tea and cakes at the Mostyn Gallery, unfortunately they were between exhibitions which was a shame. 

Thursday our final full day and somewhat inclement weather we headed to the copper mine on the Great Orme near Llandudno, only rediscovered back in the 1990's they initially thought it a Victorian mine, but discovered tools dating back thousands of years back to the Bronze age and over years have identified that there are over 5 miles of mined tunnels below where they extracted the malachite crystal to grind down to extract the copper.  The walls are still full with the crystal malachite, which for those of you who know me is incredibly close to my heart.  

We then headed back to Conwy to a little Turkish tea shop where hubby tried Turkish coffee probably for the first and only time and I had a cuppa.  Then we did the wall walk around Conwy. 

 We had a little jaunt to Conwy Water gardens which aren't at their best but enjoyed a Dutch apple cake and Lemon Dream cake at the Pancake house there so not a complete waste. 

Friday was our return day and with Storm Babet battering the UK, it made for a stressful journey home.  We passed 3 or 4 sections of road that were flooding but managed to pass thankfully, the roads were full of water and spray and so it made for a very very long journey home.  

We landed back I got on with some washing and then we put things away before collapsing on the sofa.  

I hope you've had a wonderful week too, I'm behind on reading so will be catching up.  

Hugs

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 41ST OF 2023

 Morning all 

I hope you are well, I'm going to apologise that this is over a week late I just didn't have the space mentally to process the positives in life last week as we are going through the mill a little bit, but I'm determined not to break my streak of posts, I've been doing this post for many years and I've always managed to raise a post even if the grateful moments and silver linings seem very slim on the ground. 

So on reflection last week, my wonderful husband for all his support as always, when things were tough and I didn't know which way to turn he was rock solid as always and for that I am eternally grateful.

My Mum always there to listen when I need her and receiving the fantastic news that things are currently stable following her recent scan and they'll rescan in 12 weeks.  Mum's reply (as only my Mum can), "good that means I can plan Christmas".

My sister and niece for their sage words of advice when needed and just for being there to support me when things got tough.  I never ever take my family for granted and know how very blessed I am. 

Said 23 year old and his wife the absolute joy of the two of them despite the fact that life is throwing a few curve balls.  Said daughter in law has a hospital appointment coming up so prayers thoughts and good vibes would be much appreciated, but it is said 23 year old who also needs some thoughts at the moment, he is at a bit of a crossroads in life on the career front, so I'm hopeful he can find his way through. 

Other positives include a theatre trip and pre-theatre dining with my Mum, the play was great and my Mum really enjoyed it as did we.  So that definitely provides a silver lining in the week. 

Right off to write this weeks post despite the fact it is a day late.  

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 40TH OF 2023

 Morning all determined to actually post on a Friday this week, we will see. 

So after the busy week away last week we arrived home safe and sound on Friday, put everything away, did a weekend shop and set the washer going to catch up on washing. 

We were both really tired on Friday and sat and watched the England versus Chile match from last weekend which we'd missed a 71-0 score line not to be sniffed at. 

Saturday morning and I was awake early as my back was giving me grief, so I got up for a plod around, still washing, but main plan to head to the craft room however son and d-i-law came over and we had a few hours catch up so we didn't get any crafting done.  We made tea and then headed out in the evening to the local theatre to see the War of the Worlds on a Budget

The play was excellent and gave me chance to have a catch up with my sister as she came too which was lovely. 

Sunday and we went to see my Mum for a couple of hours for a catch up before heading home and finally getting to the craft room.  I had a lovely few hours working on my Mum's Christmas journal and cutting papers in readiness for mine. 

And before we knew it the weekend was gone. 

Monday and my first day back in and 120 emails to deal with, unfortunately all very relevant so they took me over a day to complete. 

Monday night and we had our usual family chat, I had to laugh, my sister picked up her phone and inadvertently converted herself first as a dog and then as a llama and it took her quite some time to resolve, she had me in stitches

Tuesday and Wednesday were both busy days and then Thursday I found myself with a day off, not that I'd remembered booking it if truth be told but my boss assured me and because she was primed for me to be off she was more than happy for me to take back some time owed.

Thursday was spent having first a lie in and then spending the day on the front of the house, pruning the shrubs on the front, weeding the pavement and the drive and the tiered part of the garden.  Hubby then weeded the side of the house, it was mighty tiring but well worth the effort as it looks soooooooooooooooo much better if I'm honest. 

And I find myself back to Friday, I hope you've had a good week too.

Hugs

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY 39TH OF 2023

 Morning all tis Friday time for 

Well after what seems to have been a very long run of no holidays we ventured off last Friday for Warwickshire, staying just outside of Stratford upon Avon in a village called Barton. We'd booked predominantly because we had theatre tickets mid-week, but the area has a wealth of things still to offer even though we've technically been here quite a lot in recent years.

The journey down was OK, we never do the motorway and the worst part of the journey is hacking our way around the edge of Leicester but hubby appears to have got his head around it so we managed fine on the junction with what feels like a million lanes. 

We stayed in a lovely romantic retreat just the two of us and were met by the owner and some of her chickens when we arrived. Thankfully we'd been sensible enough to do the food shop before we got to our venue, so we didn't need to head out again which was great. 

Our first full day being Saturday and the sun was shining so we headed off to our first 'must do' place of Cotswold Sculpture Park. It is privately owned and only open from April through to the end of September, so missed out last year. It was about an hour's drive from where we are, but it was definitely worth it. 

Me and hubby spent a number of hours browsing the sculptures, the trail much longer than we had expected. All of the sculptures are for sale so people do come and buy them, but we are simply just browsers of art rather than buyers.

Here are a few of our favourites. 

Blogger is misbehaving so it has them in the wrong order, but these metal dragonflies were created by the owner and are dotted around the park, made of parts of engine, it did make us wonder if he owned a scrapyard at some point. 

I loved this piece, the brightness isn't really visible on this photo, but it really was beautiful 

an Ed Elliott piece

Hubby photographing the trembling vole (note the flying owl behind him)

I loved the level of detail on these bearing in mind they were only about 10 inches tall, this one called 'putting the world to rights' and made of frost proof earthenware

This goat with his traffic cone on his back was known as 'party animal' 

and we met Myrtle the Turtle originally created to raise awareness of plastics in the ocean, made from old tyres. 

another stunning piece and as you can see we had some sunshine

this one raised a smile

and this one has to be one of my favourites 'hareoplane' - zoom for a closer look

and this iconic piece at the entrance to the trail

we enjoyed a cuppa and a rock bun before heading back to enjoy an hour in the hot tub, this is definitely the life. 

Sunday and we ventured to Upton Hall and Gardens, a freebie with our National Trust membership. Only 30 minutes from our abode, we grabbed a timed ticket in readiness and headed for the cafe for a cuppa before our venture around.

The house itself similar to many other country houses but filled to the brim with some amazing artwork. Initially we weren't sure if we'd engage in the artwork, but there were a few that drew us in and got us talking.  

We particularly liked the oil painting on copper sheet, weirdly I didn't know that was such a thing, apparently it allows for more detailed painting which we could see from the finished article. 

Afterwards we walked the terraced gardens which with the word terraced meant walking down which meant a hike back up. We went down to the mirror pond but with the over abundance of vegetation it had a more swamp like feel if truth be told. Overall though a lovely jaunt to a lovely home.

Monday and we were treated to a blue skies day and some white cloud, we decided to head to Batsford Aboretum, not top of my list if I'm honest, but many places close on Mondays at this time of year and I didn't really fancy walking around another National Trust home. 

Strangely enough though we had a lovely day, whilst it too was fairly steep in places, the oversized map leant us to finding all the items on the same. Ranging from the hermits cave at the top of the Arboretum, technically out of fashion when it was created I genuinely can't imagine someone paying somebody to be a hermit

We grabbed a selfie on our travels

and admired the buddha statue

We had a lovely lunch in the restaurant before heading back and completing the trail. 

As we were only a few mile away we decided to head over to Rollright Stones. A stone circle near a burial ground and other ancient monument it isn't our first jaunt there but it is some years since our last visit. 

Legend has it if you can count the stones accurately 3 times your wish will be granted, I counted them 3 times, the first time there were 61, then 59 and then 60 - no wishes for me today. 

The burial chamber is a little way off but a stable path down to the site makes it easy to reach. There appeared to be a lot of items left on this which we didn't see last time ranging from crystals to coins. 

Then we headed back along the path and over the road to see the King's stone

Tuesday and we fancied something different (again) and this time headed to Compton Verney now deemed an art gallery it is still based inside a stunning home.

We admired the ceilings in the play room for the kids

The Sphinx like creatures on the bridge designed by Capability Brown or as we always refer to him Bloody Stupid Johnson which only Terry Pratchett fans will appreciate.

I believe it to be the first thatched ice house that we have found on our travels

and the adornment on the front of the pillars reminding us of home and Wentworth Woodhouse, this being part of an intriguing National Lottery Heritage funded project

We headed inside and wandered the art gallery on the ground floor, full of Italian paintings, artefacts and sculptures

I found these sculptures somewhat strange, they said they represented the 4 continents, Europe, Asia, Africa and America.

This is Africa

and this is a very angry looking America, I'm confused why so angry other than the fact they've depicted her with her boobs showing - I mean the mind boggles.

We also found this very strange picture, which from a distance I thought reminded me of a Dali but wrong nationality apart from wrong century, it was only on closer inspection we saw elements of what is technically pergatory although it was described as the edges of hell, where some were redeemed according to the story it was depicting. 

We then went and grabbed a cuppa before continuing on, the primary reason for visiting Compton Verney was the promise of an exhibition by Quentin Blake, it did not disappoint and we were actively encouraged to take photos which was an absolute joy here are a select few

This one from a book about a family attempting to teach birds how to fly as they were taking over their home

This one done as a series for a hospital for children when the Doctors and nurses are shown as dragons

This one raising the plight of migrants crossing dangerous seas

and a magical beast

Another hospital painting showing the kids what they will be able to do when they get better 

Back to the birds again learning to fly

and another nurse shot

It really was a joy to behold 

We then headed to the American birds exhibition which didn't really float our boat and the illustrator and artist has been identified recently as a slave owner so there is a degree of distancing people are doing from his work. 

The final two floors were around British folk art, the design of the display had been assisted by Mark Hearld one of my favourite artists unfortunately there was little in the way of his work to be seen but we enjoyed the display nonetheless

This was the main artwork created by him

and I enjoyed the room that had been covered in a wallpaper designed by him

We then headed back to the cafe for more tea in fabulous little tea pots and cake to share, one a sticky ginger cake and the other an orange jaffa cake, both were light as a feather and very rich and went down a treat.

We headed to the gift shop on our way out and hubby found a book on soldering which pleased him no end and he bought me the gift books so I can find out a little more about the place.

We then managed to get to the chapel although the sky was looking somewhat threatening.

We managed a quick dash across the lawn and over the bridge back to the car in the nick of time 

Wednesday and a decidedly slow start for us book reading, catching up on our tablets and a chill in the hot tub before heading into Stratford-upon-Avon. We had a mooch for a bit before heading to the RSC in time for a tour of the theatre at 3.30pm. We had a brilliant hour with Bob the tour guide, showing us inside both the RSC theatre as well as the Swan theatre next door. It is crazy to think that the stage is 19 metres in height when you consider that the furthest seat from the stage is only 15 metres. It is also crazy to think that under the stage there is a 7 metre space which technically goes below river level (and has been known to flood). 

The Swan theatre is lovely and even more intimate to the main theatre. Then we headed over to the costuming department, looking at all the crafts created there from weaponry to hats to shoe/s and boots to clothes and jewellery absolutely stunning! 

Then we had a naughty tea at Zizzis before heading to the Swan theatre to watch Merchant of Venice 1936 set in London at the height of the fascist movement it was a mesmerising watch. 

Thursday and our final full day, we had booked for Sezincote one of those 'must sees' if I'm honest but the tour time was tight and we needed to be back in good time. Thankfully it all went swimmingly. 

The house itself has a distinct Indiant feel to it, being influenced by a prior owner who had spent a huge amount of time in India. They simply put a 'skin' on the outside of an existing home

The tent room was very pretty

The bronze elephants adding to the overall feel

We ventured in the garden and enjoyed walking down the stream and along the stepping stones under the bridge

We then headed back to where we were staying, enjoyed the hot tub for the last time before getting showered and ready for an evening out at the RSC to see Macbeth

It was nice getting dressed up

and this is the stage set at the RSC

it was an unusual take on the play, it was difficult to place the time it had been set if truth be told and they played to the fractured personalities and mental health issues far more than normal and whilst hubby still remains sceptical on this version I can see the merits of this different version. 

Overall a brilliant week away, just need another one now to get over the week away.

Hope you've had a grand week.