ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 8TH OF 2024

 Evening all I'm late but let's not worry about that. 

Saturday we booked to go to Stratford to the RSC to see A Midsummer Night's Dream, we hadn't booked earlier as we couldn't guarantee the weather. 

We managed to get two cancelled tickets for the matinee performance on the front row. 

It was amazing, this was the ceiling which they lit up at different parts of the play to emulate the fairies. 

This was the bare stage and our view. 

This was a better view you could see from this how close we were. 

Hubby during the interval 

The play was superb, having seen the Bridge Theatre version on NT Live, I thought the play was 'spoilt' forever because I didn't think it could get any better, thankfully I was wrong. 

We booked for a meal at Zizzi's in the evening and then we wandered back over to the RSC theatre to the shop, hubby had fallen in love with a couple of t-shirts and was feeling really guilty that I hadn't got anything, so assisted in me looking for something, I found a book with Shakespeare's Sonnets which I've never read. 

Back at the hotel I really enjoyed reading the Sonnets and realised there was a pattern, so went off to find out the detail of how to create, needless to say I'm now on Sonnet number 5.  

Sonnet 1 is named Stratford which is below but please feel free to skip if you don't fancy it. 

A play we did seek from our place of rest

We travelled nigh on three hours along a road

Did park up fighting through a heavy test

Envisioned spot did rise near our abode

A walk along the rivers path by boats

The looming edifice grows closer now

Through doors marshalled by those in fleecy coats

A cafe full of weary peeps allow

Clear table and a queue did beckon me

My love sat waiting with a cheery brow

Returnneth me with tea and cakes with fee

We sit awhile a smile upon our face 

Once more we sit in our favourite place

Sunday we travelled back up home but genuinely got stuck due to flooded roads, we ended up heading into Birmingham which genuinely stressed me out, thankfully hubby was level headed and we just plodded home.  

The rest of the week tripped along and then on Thursday we had a follow up hospital for hubby.  The biopsy has come back inconclusive which means that there is likely to be an operation in the near future, not the best of news but fingers crossed once the thyroid nodule is removed and tested no further treatment is needed, please offer up some prayers and thoughts on that front. 

We got home, did the silly thing of googling things (very silly) and decided to head for a meal at the local pub to get out of our home space.  We enjoyed a main meal and shared this deconstructed apple pie dessert which was mighty different.  Hot custard, hot crust, cold poached apple in cinnamon, and mango sorbet, it really was quite different. 

I hope you've had a good week. 

Hugs

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 7TH OF 2024

 This is over a week late, but in all the time I've been doing Rocking posts I have never completely missed a post and so here it is albeit it is 7 days late. 

So Friday the 9th we managed to get to the hospital appointment which was good and hubby had the biopsy taken. 

On the Saturday we had a get together for the valentine's birthdays in the family, both hubby and Mum share the birthday and we were able to get everyone to ours which was a blessing. 

We had a great get together and it was lovely to catch up with everyone. 

On the Sunday we had tickets to see Ed Byrne comedian at Barnsley Civic, for his Tragedy plus Time tour. 

It was a superb show, genuinely but it really was very poignant, touching on the death of his younger brother and whilst there was much comedy as it was the second year anniversary of this it was obviously still very raw.  

The rest of the week tripped along, we had a day over at said 23 year old's and his wife, hubby helped daughter in law learn how to panel one of the walls and me and said 23 year old were stripping paper off the breast wall and filling it.  It was a very busy long day but also great fun. 

Tuesday was Shrove Tuesday so we had pancakes for tea. 

Hubby's actual birthday on the 14th we bought a meal deal to share with said 23 year old and wife, so another family get together which was fab. 

He bought me some exquisite long stem roses.

This was the table before our meal, we were so busy chatting we never got a photo together, having such a lovely evening. 

The thursday was spent in the hospital with Mum, we are currently in a holding pattern with input from more people, Macmillan are now involved in providing support, a dietician, local authority are installing grab rails things are moving at a pace and I'm unsure of what that means in real terms. 

Said daughter-in-law had another follow up appointment at the hospital and is now being referred to Sheffield, they genuinely don't know what the issue is which is frustrating but hopefully Sheffield will be more proactive to get to the bottom of things. 

And those were my grateful moments last week. 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 6TH OF 2024

 Morning all tis Friday time for

Last Friday we headed up to the hospital for the ultrasound scan for hubby, he was also due to have a biopsy but they initially decided against that but have since changed their minds, so please keep him in your thoughts for a positive outcome so we are returning today for that. 

We had a quiet day around the house on Saturday, we decided to head to York on Sunday as my sister who was on annual leave could come too.  The annual ice trail was on around the city, this year 33 ice sculptures to find, unfortunately the weather was against us but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

This is a selection of the ice sculptures we got to see, from Willy Wonka

and his golden ticket

to the hat of dreams outside The Grand hotel

A crown throne opposite the train station

and dragon and trailer at the Judges' lodgings

I always love the one outside the jeweller, there was a robin on holly leaves inside the egg

The weather got worse late morning, so we took refuge in a café and enjoyed hot drinks and drying out for a while.

We continued on but by the time we got to Spark things were genuinely starting to melt considerably 

and by the time we reached the Yeti, we decided it was time to take stock and start to head back, we managed 30 of the 33 and were all well over 15,000 steps for the day so a win win in my book. 

We enjoyed facetime family chat on Monday catching up with everyone, my Mum had had her first visit from the nurse so she was feeling a bit more comfortable. 

Hubby and I have been doing lots of talking, chatting and engaging with each other which has been positive, we've started to do a daily walk which is good. 

Thursday the day turned decidedly wintry unfortunately, we headed out for a walk

The village was very pretty although the roads were quite difficult to pass by the time we headed home. 

We grabbed a snowy selfie

The fields were covered

We got back and spent some time in the craft room, hubby enjoying silversmithing and I was doing some scrapbooking. 

I hope you've had a good week, please keep fingers and toes crossed we can get to the hospital appointment tomorrow. 

Have a great weekend and week ahead. 

Hugs

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 5TH OF 2024

 Good morning lovely people tis Friday time for 

Last Friday we had a lovely morning with our son, he came over to have a natter and catch up and was here when we were having lunch so we shared a meal together, I can't actually remember the last time we did this but he was mighty grateful for the bowl of turkey soup that his Dad made - genuinely nothing finer! 

These spring beauties that my sister bought me such a welcome reminder that the darker days of winter are growing lighter and that spring is on the horizon. 

We ventured up to Yorkshire Sculpture Park last Sunday we enjoyed a sausage sandwich which was very naughty but very delicious and then we had a really excellent walk together, blowing off the cobwebs, chatting, talking and just enjoying time together - nothing finer. 

Skyspace was a little mundane due to the cloud cover but still fun nonetheless

We witnessed some of the trees that have succumbed to the recent storms and sad given how long they will have been in the park. 

Photo of hubby enjoying the lakeside view, they are doing a degree of grounds maintenance taking out some of the invasive rhododendron plants to allow the trees room to move. 

Snowdrops - yayyyyyy - I love snowdrops so these made me happy

and hubby got down and got this photo for me. 

Selfie of the two of us in front of the snowdrops

A new sculpture we hadn't seen before - not my favourite but a great pop of colour

Spring blossom which smelt divine, I think possibly a viburnum but I'm not sure

You can see the blossom in front of the sculpture

The rest of the week has tripped along, we had a lengthy meeting on Wednesday which focuses on future plans and needed some fairly in depth thought process on our part but things are still not finalised but we are getting there. 

Thursday and we took my Mum back to the hospital, things haven't improved since she left hospital, so an x-ray and an ultra sound showed fluid on her lungs again, it was agreed that a drain be fitted again and they took off 350ml of fluid straight away, we then went for a drink and then collected her prescription.  She'll now have a district nurse visit 3 times a week to deal with the drain.  Please keep her in your thoughts, her quality of life at the moment isn't brilliant, we just want some more time with her and that she is well enough to enjoy that time together, but she's still smiling as always. 

We are actually back at the hospital this morning for hubby, he's having a biopsy so if you can keep him in your thoughts and prayers as well that would be lovely. 

Hope you've had a fabulous week.

Hugs

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 4TH OF 2024

 Good evening lovely people I'm late - so sorry time for

Well last Friday we ventured back to Wentworth Woodhouse for a wander using our new membership, we had a different route around the garden and found a few different sculptures. 

We had a lovely view again over the valley

found these sculptures in the tree

hubby waiting for me taking photos - as you can see it was somewhat cold. 

We really did enjoy the walk

I had to smile when we saw some of the Christmas decorations still in the tree

The weekend flew by we had everyone over for bacon and sausage butties on Saturday, we whiled away a few hours catching up which was great, even my Mum managed to come and we managed to feed her a bacon butty. 

The beginning of the week was spent catching up on house jobs, I even managed a full clean of all the kitchen cupboards including the plinths, cornices and architrave followed by a full clean of the floor, so the kitchen feels so much better. 

Wednesday morning we were at the hospital, hubby has found a lump in his neck which he knows has been there some time and a previous doctor had said it was nothing, but he noticed it more over Christmas, we went to the Doctors again and they referred him and we went for the first appointment on Wednesday, the Doctor was thorough and used a camera to examine his throat, I could see how worried he was but being with him, it meant that I could keep him calm and everything was fine.  They are now going to do an ultra-sound biopsy to make sure it is nothing untoward which is later next week so keep him in your thoughts if you would. 

Wednesday evening and we were out to the theatre my Mum should have been with us but she is still really poorly, so we went on our own, we had pre-theatre dining. 

I had salmon gravlax and beetroot and fennel salad starter 

And crusted cod with chickpea and chorizo stew and butternut squash puree, it was lovely

Pudding was mango bavarois 

then we went to watch Witness for the Prosecution an Agatha Christie whodunnit which was really good. 

Thursday and we had lots of medical appointments, hubby had a blood test, I had a doctor's appointment and then hubby took my Mum (as it clashed with my appointment) to her appointment.  

Thankfully hubby is fairly formidable when he needs to be and managed to get her some antibiotics for the chesty cough she has had since her time in the hospital, which is very obviously infected so we are hoping she will now start to turn the corner.  They also gave us some hope that there are other treatments they can try for her cancer that may provide some degree of quality of life and longevity but we need to get her built back up before they consider that. 

Overall this week I've been grateful for my beautiful family, I feel very blessed to have such wonderful people in my life who support us and in turn we support them, it is a true blessing. 

I hope you've had a great week. 

Hugs