Dear Rex – His (Dramatic?) Birth Story – Part 3

Newborn baby wrapped in a brightly coloured blanket

If you’ve landed here and not ready Part One or Part Two, you might want to go back and start there.

From here, it goes a bit fuzzy in my brain, I have a conversation with Nicola about whether it’s time to call Chris. She says yes and between contractions, I tell Chris he needs to come. I’m sure in my head there was a more wordy response with clearer instructions but this was all I could spit out. I imagine him jumping out of bed like it was on fire, getting dressed one-handed while ringing my parents and trying not to wake Jaxon. Then going downstairs to make a coffee (to wake up after his disco nap) then standing near the front door fidgeting while waiting for Mum and Dad to arrive. He arrives at the hospital around 1 am. (see it was fuzzy, I know roughly it was after midnight and definitely not 2 am but could have been anywhere in between that).

I think he was expecting to get there and the baby would be crowning or
something like that, but no it wasn’t quite that dramatic at this point.
While we’re waiting for him to arrive, I have a conversation with Nicola about painkillers and can I have something at least until I can have gas and air. Nicola went to find the doctor but she’d been called into theatre and so we were waiting for her to come back to approve any pain relief. I’m put on gas and air and then I’m offered an epidural, which I desperately agree to. I have to wait for the anaesthetist to come and explain the risks and what’s going to happen. Somehow between contractions and the fact that my glasses have been taken off my face (Chris did this because they kept sliding down my nose!), I’m then asked to sign my consent form, which I end up doing with one eye closed and the other kind of squinting to make sure it’s somehow legible! Nicola offers to write my name and date it for me if I’m happy for her to do (which I am because I’m not even sure I could spell my own name at this point!).

The doctor comes to do the epidural and I had to sit on the bed at a funny angle. I thought it would be like when I was given the spinal block for the C-Section which I thought I could do. However, either it wasn’t the same position or because I was contracting it was really uncomfortable. It seemed to take a very long time to get the epidural in. At one point, I remember saying to Chris that I couldn’t do it and I needed to lie down or move because it was so uncomfortable. I think at this point too, I was holding Chris’s hand with one hand and then holding Nicola’s hand too. I’m not sure if it was this point or when that was (it just came back to me now and I think this is when it was). Also, by the conversations around me, I’m not 100% sure it was working the way it was supposed to.

Nicola, the midwife, had said to take a deep breath and then imagine blowing out candles but rather than a quick blowing out it needed to be a low blowing out – probably a rubbish explanation but it made sense at the time and I just kept relighting and blowing out those candles in my mind. This worked with the gas and air too.

Trying to remember what happened and in what order is a little challenging so I might get it wrong. I was told I could lie back down again and get comfortable (or as much as I could be comfortable!) at one point I was told to move back across the bed, apparently, I’d wriggled so much that I was pretty much on the edge of the bed and they were surprised I hadn’t fallen off! At another point, I kept being told to try and breath normal air instead of the gas between contractions but I was so far away with the fairies that by the time I’d realised I’d finished a contraction and tried to take the gas mouthpiece out of my mouth to breath, the next contraction was already starting and so it was easier not to do it. In the end, Chris was told by the midwife to hold it and to try and take it away in between if he could.

Around 4/4:30, I’m told that with each contraction, Rex’s heartbeat keeps dipping and they need to get him out soon. I keep trying to push but it’s not working or not working enough, so it’s decided I’m being taken to theatre for a forceps delivery but need to be prepared that I could end up having a C-Section (it’s actually possible this was when I signed that consent form and couldn’t really read it! As I say some bits are fuzzy!). I have to leave the gas and air there and cope until we get to theatre. I’m sure at this point I was squeezing Chris’s hand really tightly! At one point, Chris is taken by Nicola to go and get into scrubs so that he can be there for the next bit. He had to change into scrubs when I went for my C-Section so I was aware of where he’d gone and that he wouldn’t be long. We arrive in theatre and I get moved onto another bed and have to shuffle down the bed so that they can get my feet up into stirrups. My epidural is now topped up so that I’m numb from the waist down. It could have been Nicola or someone else but they use this cold spray stuff to see how numb I am by spraying down my arm and then down my leg. Well, it’s obviously done it’s job, because I’m able to have a proper conversation with Chris for the first time since 6 pm. We talk about What he and Jaxon got up to after dropping me off, and then what they did at bedtime along with what Chris got up to between Jaxon’s bedtime and having a nap. Well we’ve been chatting, various things happened around us and I’m told it’s time to push. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to know it’s time to push, given that I no longer feel in the contractions. If I remember correctly, Nicola was watching the monitor, and was able to tell me when the next contraction was happening. I think I pushed three or four times with the forceps and that was it Rex was born.

I think when we got to theatre, I did ask Nicola if we could do skin to skin if it was possible. Rex was placed on top of my chest (just after this picture) and I don’t know whether it was the relief or adrenaline or something but my arms were so shaky!

Now I imagine, it wasn’t actually that simple, and I imagine that various other things did happen. As I say, lots of it is fuzzy in my mind, and maybe some of it is a bit rose-tinted. Throughout the whole evening, I felt alone, but at least to start with, I was able to rationalise why I had to be there by myself (to a degree). As the pain got worse, it was at that point that I began to struggle with why Chris couldn’t be there. In the grand scheme of things, I was really fortunate. I’ve heard some bad stories recently, including one where the father missed the birth of his child because he’d ran to the building and his temperature read as a fever rather than because he’d been running. By the time it had come down and he’d been allowed in, his child had already been delivered.

After everything was finished in theatre, we were moved through to recovery. We were putting recovery for about an hour or so and with all the crazy being over, both Chris and I had a little nap. When I was told, it was almost time to be moved to the ward, Chris went home, so that he could take over from Mum and Dad. I was moved to the ward and then met another midwife. The midwife on the ward was a little bit more formidable and to be honest a little scary. She gave me all the information about where the toilet was and where to get food but also that I need to wear a mask when I left my cubicle. I almost apologetically asked that although I knew it wasn’t her job, could someone get me some breakfast as I haven’t eaten since dinner the night before. She was surprised that hadn’t been given anything in recovery and said that I should’ve been given tea and toast there. She asked me various questions like did I want white or brown bread, well honestly, it really didn’t matter as long as it filled a hole lol. I did have snacks in my bag that I could have had but at this point I wasn’t entirely sure I could get myself out of bed.

Once I’d had my toast, I did my best to get comfortable. I was going to need to get out of bed if I need to change the nappy or take myself to the toilet but first of all we needed to try breastfeeding again. While Rex and I had been in recovery, we tried to breastfeed but I think like me he was tired and the idea of feeding was just a bit too much of a challenge. Because of the nature of Rex’s birth and the fact that he had been quite stressed during the delivery, we were being kept in for observation for 24 hours. Every few hours someone to come and ask how he was feeling, how I was feeling, and take various stats like Temperature and BP. (This would continue through the night which was hard work because just to get settled and back to sleep it would then be time to be woken up again and go through it all).

At this point, I was grateful for technology again. During the lockdown, my Grandad learnt to use FaceTime on his iPad and has often been using it to make calls rather than the telephone. So just after 9 am my phone rang and it was Grandad, I was really excited that I’ve got to introduce him to his newest great-grandchild so soon. Well at that point he was still Baby Johnson… we were struggling to decide on a name even though Jaxon we’d known right away lol. I think Grandma had been feeling left out because halfway through the call she appeared in the background. I’d been a little worried about how we were going to get to see the Great-Grandparents and still maintain social distancing etc.

I managed to nap between observations and kept trying to feed on both sides although the right seemed to be coming along much easier than the left. I’m encouraged to get up and move as well as take myself to the toilet etc. I manage to tick all my boxes so that I should be able to go home, just need to tick Rex’s now.

I have to have various extra bits that I didn’t have with Jaxon including a Tinzaparin injection. Apparently, various flags in my medical record put me at risk of a DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) so I had to have an injection while in hospital and then take it once a day for 10 days. Oh, and they would be injections at home too. I guess it came in handy that I’d given Heparin injections in the past, just needed to get over giving them to myself. (Mum was there when I did my first one at home and sang Always Look on the Bright Side of Life to me – I just imagined that every time and that definitely helped!)

We stayed until Sunday lunchtime and when I was told we were going home I couldn’t ring Chris quick enough. I just wanted my own bed, I wanted to hug Jaxon and I wanted to get a reasonable chunk of sleep! My parents had come back to our house around 10am when it looked like I was going home so that they could be there when Chris needed to go (Mum is the host for their church Zoom call service at the moment so she really needed to be in one place to make sure it happened the way it should).

Chris took this picture of me on our way out of the hospital. He could have warned me right??

When Chris came to collect me, he had to bring the car seat up to the ward door and wait for a midwife to collect it from him. She would then bring the car seat to me so I could then put Rex in it. He was getting worked up about going in the car seat and I was getting flustered trying to make sure I had everything and not hold anyone up. In the end, it turned out that I’d left the little tag from Rex’s cot behind with his stats on. I realised this around Day 3 so as you can imagine it was more trauma then it needed to be! I had the changing bag and the Doona (We have a Doona so it’s car seat/buggy) and the midwife then wheeled my case and carried my bag to the door for Chris to then carry back to the car. Folding myself into the car was a little challenging but once I’d worked out the best way to do it, it got easier each time I went in the car.

Dear Rex – His (Dramatic?) Birth Story – Part 2

Newborn baby wrapped in a brightly coloured blanket

If you’ve landed here and not read Part One, head here to read that bit first.

After the second growth scan on the 20th July, it felt like the left hand really didn’t know what the right hand was doing. I’d been told to have the scan but when I got to the hospital, the ultrasound consultant had written on my notes that I didn’t need the scan. After discussing it with the sonographer, she did the scan anyway. With Chris not being allowed to attend, the last time he’d “seen” baby was the 20 week scan and last time he’d heard baby’s heartbeat was back at my 12 week scan. I decided I’d chance it and ask if I could have a scan picture. The sonographer said that by that point (36 weeks) baby is so big that it’s hard to get enough definition on the picture. She managed to get Rex at a certain angle and it was enough that we could identify the “landmarks” to know which way around he was and things like that.

Following my scan, the sonographer asked when I was seeing the doctor. To
which I explained that I wasn’t expecting to see the doctor, I’d just been sent
for the scan. She told me that I needed to see the doctor and so she was going to send me up to the Day Unit to wait there for the doctor. The Midwife on the Day Unit made sure I was okay and tried to get hold of the doctor. It turned out that the Doctor I’d seen after my ride in an ambulance was on duty that day so she was already aware of my case etc. The Doctor wanted me to chat to the consultant about birth options and so the midwife attempted to get me an appointment later in the week. In the end, the consultant took a glance over my notes, decided induction was possible and that it would be on my due date. Rex’s estimated weight was putting him around the same weight as Jaxon (Jaxon was 9lb 14.5oz when he was born). Clearly, I make big babies!

Due Date/Friday

The whole week had led up to Friday and what was going to happen. The action plan for who was having Jaxon when things were happening properly had been changed like three times and I was still not sure what was going on. But basically, unless Rex had shown up earlier, I was going into hospital to be induced. We knew that Rex was probably going to be big like his brother and we wanted to try and get him out safely without me having to have another C-Section. I guess a benefit of working from home due to Covid-19 was that even when Chris’s paternity leave had finished, he’d still be at home and able to assist with day to day stuff unlike with Jaxon where he had to go back to work quite quickly (thankfully Mum was on standby to assist then).

Back in March, I had discussed with the Birth Choices Midwife about having a VBAC delivery but once again I was flexible. Getting Rex out safely was the priority, if that meant I had to go for an emergency C-Section along the way then we would take it as it came.

Just before 6 pm on the Friday evening, Chris and Jaxon dropped me off at
the hospital. The info I’d received was a little muddled so I took my stuff
with me in case I was staying the night. On the phone, with the consultant, I’d been told one time and in my letter, I’d been told another. We went with the earlier one, figuring that I could always go for a wander or find somewhere to knit or read until they were ready for me. While I was in the hospital, the boys went for a walk around the river near the hospital just in case I would be coming home until the induction medication kicked in. Apparently, Chris had planned to just sit in the car but Jaxon decided they were going for a walk and Chris was happy to oblige as we’d all spent most of the day at home.

I arrived on the Delivery Ward and was told by the Senior Midwife that I was early and inductions aren’t normally started until 7 or 8 pm, so I told Chris to take Jaxon home. If they weren’t going to start me off until 8 pm it wasn’t fair to make Jaxon wait in the car for two hours! I was sent by the midwife to sit in the family room, while she figured out whether I could stay or not. At about 10-15 minutes later, Becky the Senior Midwife came to see me. Because of the previous C-Section when Jaxon was born, there’s a high chance I would have to stay in. Because of how the induction medication works, in a small number of cases, it can cause the contractions to be so strong that the previous C-Section scar can rupture. Therefore, I was going to be monitored just in case I was one of those unlucky few. The plan was that I would get given the gel stuff (prostaglandins) which are support to start the contractions and dilation etc. Then I’d go up to the maternity ward overnight, then I’d be brought back to delivery once things were progressing. If needed, they’d look at breaking my waters in the morning once the day shift took over. Also because of the previous C-Section, I was only going to be able to have one lot of gels, if it didn’t take we’d be on Plan B instead. At my last Midwife appointment, my Bishop’s Score had been at 4 so Becky was hopeful that the induction would almost be a final push of sorts rather than starting from scratch (Apparently a
6 or higher is waters breaking/baby is coming, so I was close just not close
enough).

I wasn’t kept waiting for long and was moved to a side room instead. A lovely midwife called Mhairi came to see me and she was getting me all assessed to see what order things were going to happen. Around 10 to 8, after being monitored for over an hour, I was given the gel. According to the CTG (Fetal monitoring), I had already been having contractions but they were quite far apart and I thought it was Rex wriggling rather than a contraction.

Digital screen displaying different groups of numbers. Including blood pressure and fetal movements

By 9 pm, I’d been taken off the monitor and was pottering around the room
and swaying through my contractions. I was keeping Mum and Chris posted via WhatApp but could have done with someone in person to chat to. I’d taken most of the rules in my stride and had understood the why but at this point, they were getting to me. Chris could go to the pub, he could go and play a team sport but couldn’t be in the hospital with me when I needed a cheerleader. I had made sure I had some TV and films on my iPad to watch so I started watching The American President. I’ve seen it hundreds of times so if I had to stop it or missed bits it would be okay.

Around 10 pm, I had a conversation with Chris, he wanted to go to bed as he
was quite tired but didn’t want to miss anything important. I told him to go to bed but leave his phone on loud so that I could call if I needed him. I then
had a similar conversation with Mum and Dad. They were on standby to go to our house and take over on Jaxon-duty when the time came. (At this point I’m not 100% how this fitted in with the rules, but to make sure Mum and Dad could be there as soon as we needed them they’d spent near enough 20+ weeks shielding/isolating at home to make sure they were ready and able to help. They are amazing!).

Also in the conversation with Mum, we discussed what would happen next. The information I’d been given was what would happen if nothing happened and I was still there in the morning. I think I missed anything about what happens when something DOES happens. Mum and I have a chat and I decide that at 10:30 I’ll go to the Nurses Station and find out what happening next. I’m told by the Midwife that I’ll be left until 2am (6 hours since the gel) and then we’d go from there. The contractions carry on but they are manageable if I keep moving. I tell Mum and Dad to go get some sleep. After all, 3-4 hours of sleep has got to be better than none (especially as the rest of the night would have been in our bed not their bed).

I watch out the window and potter around my cubicle for the next hour or so. I get into bed and figure I’ll give it a go and getting some sleep. I think I
dozed but I’m awake again before I know it. I wake up and wriggle to try and get comfortable and I have this feeling like I’ve wet myself. I’d read (or it might have been on a Mama Doctor Jones video) that to test between it being a bladder accident and your waters breaking, you have to lie down and then get back up again and see what happens, well as I was already lying down I figured I’d get just out of the bed. Well, nope I hadn’t wet myself and it wasn’t my waters. I was bleeding and I need a Midwife. Having not reached this point with Jaxon, I was really quite worried (but calm if that’s possible) – what if this was where it was about to go really wrong and Chris wasn’t here to be with me?

I’m asked to get back onto the bed so I can be assessed and it’s decided I’m
going to delivery. It’s heading towards Midnight at this point and I’m hoping
that Mum, Dad and Chris are getting at least some rest along with me worrying about what the blood is about – is it something wrong or is it straight forward and part of the process?

Through most of my contractions I’d been walking or swaying, and now I had to sit in a wheelchair to go up to the Delivery Suite, when I did have a
contraction, it was so uncomfortable that I practically jumped across the room. I get taken in the lift to the Delivery Suite and I’m handed over to a
different Midwife called Nicola who’s now going to look after me through the rest of my delivery.

And that’s Part Two…Part Three is coming tomorrow.

Dear Rex – His (Dramatic?) Birth Story – Part 1

I’ve tried to start this 3 or 4 times now. I start at 6 pm when Chris and Jaxon dropped me off at the hospital. Then I rewind it and try and include some of the lead-up. Then I come back to it and change it again. So let’s start with the lead-up… 

Newborn baby wrapped in a brightly coloured blanket

Now for sure back in December when I held the pregnancy test in my hand I did not expect to deal with being pregnant in a pandemic. With other things going on in our family, Chris and I were the only ones to know and we kept it to ourselves until February after the scan. It was so hard! I wanted to tell my Mum so badly!

Jaxon’s Clever Counter

Chris created this for our announcement. Whereas with Jaxon’s announcement, I’d had the idea for weeks, with Rex I had no ideas what to do. Chris came up with this so the code on the left side of the laptop screen, it displays “Jaxon’s Clever Counter” which reads “187 sleeps until Christmas Baby” (and actually, in the end, it was only one sleep out!). On the right-hand screen, there’s a google search about “How to be a good big brother” along with our Google Photos with the scan picture (second row down and second in from the left). When we sent it via WhatsApp to some of our family, it ended up compressed so some of the text wasn’t so clear but it did the job once it was explained. Similarly, when it was uploaded to Facebook, it took a little explaining for those who couldn’t read the actual text etc in the picture.

So we fast forward a few weeks, I’m upgraded to “at-risk” and then within a week, schools close and the country is in lockdown. Along with this, partners are no longer allowed to attend scans or antenatal appointments. Also, rules are brought in around being present for the baby’s births too, but we have months before we get to that point so I try not to worry about it.

After a week of “lockdown learning” with Jaxon, Chris starts to cough and because of the rules and the fact he might have symptoms, we had to quarantine for 2 weeks. This means I have to postpone the 20 week scan and other appointments. After a bit of a headache, I manage to get my appointment re-booked and I go for my 20 week scan on the 6th April (I was almost 22 weeks by that point). It was weird going without Chris and then getting home and only being able to show him a photo. There had been rumours that you could video call your partner and show them that way but turned out it was only certain hospitals and Bedford was a No to the video call idea.

While the rest of the world sort of comes to a standstill, we muddle our way through the next few months and I go to appointments by myself and check-in with the midwife to make sure all is going well.

Two days after Jaxon’s birthday (Saturday), I wake up feeling rubbish. There is a longer version of the story and maybe I can come back to that on another post, but the short version is, I ring 111, they send an ambulance, my BP is higher than a kite and the paramedics decide to take me into the hospital to be seen. I’m taken straight to delivery which seemed straight but I’m well looked after. I am having a little freak out that at around 36 weeks they might have to get baby out early if there’s a problem. My BP comes down by itself within a few hours but whereas Chris came with me when something similar happened with Jaxon, he had to stay home this time. (here – turns out it was around 36 weeks then as well!). I’m discharged around 4:30/5 pm but have to come back the next day just for monitoring as well as having a growth scan to check nothing has changed. But again by myself.

There was a miscommunication about when the growth scan would be but it’s booked for the 20th July and that’s where we’ll start part 2 tomorrow.

Jaxon has a Great Adventure in Copenhagen Day 7

Back in the February half term, we went to Copenhagen for a few days. Having been in the summer too, we were excited to see the city in a different season and visit new places. We were nervous about travelling when the COVID-19 Pandemic was getting worse around us. (The first case in Denmark was reported a week after we’d been there). Anyway, here’s what we got up to while we were there. All the posts from this series can be found here.

Day Seven

After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel but also put our cases in the luggage store so that we didn’t have to take them around with us this morning. Once that was sorted, we headed to Superkilen park again. It was a bit drizzly but Jaxon was still having a great time. This Octopus slide was from Japan (The name Blacksprutte translates as squid rather than Octopus). He loved exploring the different routes up and down.

This elephant slide came from Chernobyl which was kind of cool but maybe a little creepy too.

After a while, we headed to Frederiksberg C to get some lunch (this was the shopping centre I had visited on Monday). Jaxon and I had like a cross between a hot dog and a sausage roll from Fotex. It definitely seemed to be a popular choice. Chris went for a salad in the end.

While we ate our lunch in the shopping centre, we discussed what else we could do and decided that with our train tickets about to expire, it would make most sense to get to the airport and pass the time there rather than buy another ticket to get us to the airport later. First we headed back to the hostel to collect our cases and then started for the airport.

Once we got to the airport, we found some seating before going through passport control where we could pass some time. Then a bit later once we had a rough idea of our gate we moved in that direction and found some seating to watch the aeroplanes.

By the time we got back to the UK, it was getting later and later. Jaxon ate what remained of my Onsdagsnegl and then as he was getting crabby and tired, we ended up making him a little nest to snuggle in.. He’d done so well trying to keep up all day though. He had Chris’s coat as a blanket and my jumper as a pillow. I think my coat was also somewhere in the nest too.

It was lovely to visit Copenhagen again and with all the crazy that then kicked off in the weeks following our trip I’m so glad we took our family holiday in February this year.

All the posts from this series can be found here.

Jaxon has a Great Adventure in Copenhagen Day 6

Nyhavn in Copenhagen with a search bar reading "Jaxon Does Copenhagen"

Back in the February half term, we went to Copenhagen for a few days. Having been in the summer too, we were excited to see the city in a different season and visit new places. We were nervous about travelling when the COVID-19 Pandemic was getting worse around us. (The first case in Denmark was reported a week after we’d been there). Anyway, here’s what we got up to while we were there. All the posts from this series can be found here.

Day Six

Even with it being really wet outside, I was excited for today. We were heading for Torvehallerne but also making a stop at Sankt Peder’s Bageri which we had also visited back in the Summer.

Wednesday is the best day to visit as they freshly bake Ondsdagsnegls (Wednesday Snails). Imagine a cinnamon swirl but rather than being pastry it’s more doughy like a bread. It was so good when we got them in the Summer that we had to come back.

With it being so wet, I think everyone was trying to find a seat and eat in rather than takeaway so we grabbed ours to go and attempted to find a doorway or something to shelter under to stay dry. We walked to Ørstedparken in the hope there would be somewhere there but we didn’t find anywhere. The rain did ease of a bit so it wasn’t quite as bad. In the end, I put mine into my bag and figured I’d appreciate it later when I wasn’t so soaked!

We walked through Ørstedparken and Israel Plads to Torvehallerne which is a fresh food market. There are stalls where you can buy fresh food to take home and cook like fish and meats. Then there are also stalls where you buy prepared food. We had banana ice cream when we visited in the summer (I think this was a temporary outdoor thing during the summer as all the little outdoor stalls weren’t there this time). We found a quieter corner in the Torvehallerne and had some of our pastries from the bakery as we were all getting a little grumpy (mostly probably hangry!).

We had a wander around Tiger and Panduro Hobby as they were walking distance from Torvehallerne and meant we could stand int he dry for a little bit!

Chris has this idea that we could move to Denmark for a year (Especially with Brexit looming and us, therefore, losing EU citizenship and all the privileges we get with being a member state). One of my “it’s scary therefore I’m not doing it” points was that going to Lemon and Ginger at The Pavilion is a massive part of my week/life and therefore if I’m decamping elsewhere I needed to find a similar knitting group that I could join and make friends at. So Chris set about finding me a knitting group in Copenhagen. He found one that should be meeting at Valby Public Library. Having wandered around local shopping centre as we were too early, we then sat in the library for nearly an hour waiting for people to arrive for the group. In the end, no-one showed up.

I’m quite glad the boys were there to “hold my hand” otherwise I think I’d refuse to go back (or might have gone home for a cry in my current hormonal pregnant state). The boys did however have fun trying to read the childrens books in Danish and then discuss the stories in English. I did manage to complete an armhole on my jumper so it wasn’t a completely wasted hour sat in somewhere warm and dry.

We took the train from Valby to Herlev and then walked from the station to Cecilies. Cecilies is an indoor mini golf course and bowling alley. There’s also a restaurant so you can get dinner and a game of golf. Jaxon is absolutely loving playing mini golf at the moment (actually he even asked to go and play a proper 18 hole kind of game of golf recently – I think a driving range might be the starting point) so when he asked to go and play mini golf, Chris had a look to see if we could do it while on holiday. For dinner, Chris had to order the food when we booked so he’d ordered me a chicken burger. It was a lovely burger and filled a hole. It was good fun to play golf – I’m not a massive fan but Jaxon had spent a lot of time doing our stuff so it was good for him to have time to do something he likes. When the boys go to play mini golf near home, I usually despatch the boys to play while I sit in the bar/coffee shop and read or knit rather than joining in.

Some of the course was hard even for Chris and I so we kept editing Jaxon’s score so he didn’t end up too far behind (especially as he’s still getting the hang of a lower score being the winner)

After dinner we walked back to the train station – we had just missed one train as we got to the station so we had to wait for the next one to arrive. Jaxon was really good even though he was tired and it was getting close to 9 pm by the time we’d got back (That was only 8 pm UK time but with all the walking we’d done he was shattered!)

All the posts from this series can be found here.

Jaxon has a Great Adventure in Copenhagen Day 5

Back in the February half term, we went to Copenhagen for a few days. Having been in the summer too, we were excited to see the city in a different season and visit new places. We were nervous about travelling when the COVID-19 Pandemic was getting worse around us. (The first case in Denmark was reported a week after we’d been there). Anyway, here’s what we got up to while we were there. All the posts from this series can be found here.

Day Five

Today was our day at Tivoli. We had visited when we were here in the summer too. (You can see my attempt at a travel vlog here). We started the day by walking though Superkilen Park. Nørrebro is a very ethnically-diverse and socially-challenged community and the park was designed to bring people together. It’s almost a kilometre long and the name refers to it’s shape “kilen” meaning “wedge”.

We then took the Metro from Nørrebro to Københvn H (the main central station is right across the street from the gates to get into Tivoli). As I couldn’t go on any rides, I had a non-rider pass that we discovered back in the summer. The boys were determined to go on as many rides as they could.

A number of rides are based around the stories of Hans Christian Anderson. Den Flyvende Kuffert (The Flying Trunk) covers a number of HCA’s stories including The Little Mermaid and The Snow Queen feature. (I thought it was a bit like their version of It’s Small World After All at Disneyland Paris).

The good thing about coming in February was that there was a lot of the Christmas/Winter decorations and theming still out. The hot air balloons on the Ferris Wheel has been decorated as snowmen. We’d later find out that a lot of the trees around the park had twinkly lights in them.

I could have done with somewhere warmer to park as it as so cold outside just sitting still. I did try to knit but between the cold and having to move between rides I wasn’t keeping track of where I was on the pattern. We found this inside slide bit which was so much warmer. I’m sure mostly just because it was sheltered from the wind!

We ended up eating our packed lunch, outside the theatre in the middle of the park. It was still kind of cold but thanfully sheltered from the wind a bit so I got to defrost again. Hot chocolate definitely became a bit of a lifeline! With hindsight, today should have probably been the “Mummy/Hannah does her own thing” day instead of yesterday.

Dinner for us was at Tivoli Food Hall which was rather exciting but trying to find something we could/would all eat was a bit of a challenge. In the end we found a stall (I think it was Chicks by Chicks) that would do chicken nuggets and chips. Wow! The portion seemed huge lol. I could have done with a takeaway box so that I didn’t waste any of it!

After dinner, Chris did a couple more rides and then we headed back to the hostel. It was great to have a whole day in the park but for me it wasn’t all that interesting and I was so cold.

With it still getting dark around 4/5pm by the time we came out of dinner around 6/6:30pm, it was dark enough to really appreciate the sparkly lights in the trees and the other pretty lighting around the park.

All the posts from this series can be found here.

Jaxon has a Great Adventure in Copenhagen Day 4

Back in the February half term, we went to Copenhagen for a few days. Having been in the summer too, we were excited to see the city in a different season and visit new places. We were nervous about travelling when the COVID-19 Pandemic was getting worse around us. (The first case in Denmark was reported a week after we’d been there). Anyway, here’s what we got up to while we were there. All the posts from this series can be found here.

Day Four

After the wobbles of the last few days, we decided that Chris and Jaxon would go on their own adventure while I had a slower day exploring by myself and chilling out.

We all walked to the S-Train stop at Bispebjerg. We had all sorts of variations of pronouncing it while we were there but at least we knew what we were making reference to even if it probably made no sense to anyone else!). My train was going to Nørrebro and the boys were going to Hellerup to go the Experimentarium and other bits.

At Nørrebro, I took the Metro to Frederiksberg for the shopping centre there. I was looking for Panduro Hobby. The store there is almost squashed in like an afterthought so there wasn’t as much choice as there had been in the store I’d visited when we did a day trip to Malmö in the Summer. In the shopping centre, i found a branch of Søstrene Grene and also a book shop called Bog and Idé.

My next stop was a yarn shop called Nicoline Garn. It was easy to find as the Metro is part of the shopping centre. The yarn shop is then a short walk from the Nørrebro Runddel Metro Station. The staff were lovely and friendly even if I was a bit like a deer in the headlights when they spoke to me. One lovely lady asked me a question in Danish and I’ve just looked completely blank at her. I think she realised that I didn’t understand, and then asked me in English instead. Unlike Sommerfuglen, that I visited before, this yarn shop had more “everyday” yarn Which was good but I decided that I’d resist purchasing and just go with what I had with me. I then walked back to the Metro station at Norrebro via Lidl So that I can get a drink and some chocolate (I ended up finding chocolate hobnobs. Winner!) I then went back to the hostel and a little meeting before having an accidental nap. Like the boys I had a packed lunch at lunchtime.

The boys had a lovely time at the Experimentarium. With it being term time, and not a weekend, it was a lot quieter than when we had visited in the summer.

For dinner, I went to meet the boys at McDonald’s (Østerbrogade). This was actually just along the road from Nicoline Garn so it was quite easy for me to find it. I took the Metro from Skjolds Plads to Nørrebro Runddels and then walked along Østerbrogade to the McDonalds. Although I am convinced it seemed to get further away as I walked towards it lol. When I finally did get to it, I accidentally walked past and it was only when Jaxon shouted at me did I realise I’d missed it! (which he thought was hysterical!). After we had our food, we headed back to the Metro and then to the hostel.

Jaxon has a Great Adventure in Copenhagen: Day 3

Back in the February half term, we went to Copenhagen for a few days. Having been in the summer too, we were excited to see the city in a different season and visit new places. We were nervous about travelling when the COVID-19 Pandemic was getting worse around us. (The first case in Denmark was reported a week after we’d been there). Anyway, here’s what we got up to while we were there. All the posts from this series can be found here.

Day Three

With it being a Sunday, we decided we’d go find a church and ended up at Hillsongs Copenhagen again. We visited while we were in Copenhagen in the Summer and it was good to go back again.

It happened to be their “Vision Sunday”, so they were sharing what the churches goals were for the coming year and what they thought God had in mind for them which was kind of exciting. The majority of the service was a video from Hillsongs Australia with the vision fo rhte whole of HIllsongs CHurches across the world.

One story in the video made me cry. I wrote down a brief version of it but I’ve found the Vision Sunday video on YouTube so that covers all of it. (Vision Sunday).

The story was in a section all about community and how the church is a community in the worldwide sense, in the local church sense but also in small groups/community group sense. The man in the story talked about how while in the US with his wife to get cancer treatment, she died very unexpectedly. Someone at his home church in Australia, passed on a message to someone at the local Hillsongs Church in the US and before he knew it someone was send to buy his groceries and someone else took him out for dinner and all kinds of things like that until he was able to head home. He was basically adopted and looked after like your own Community Group would gather around you and take care of you.

While we were in the service, Jaxon went to Hillsongs Kids again. They were really welcoming to him and made sure there was someone to translate from Danish if needed. Although the main services are predominately in English, the kids work is in Danish with translation available. When we came in the summer there was a lovely American lady who looked after Jaxon, we had hoped she might be there again but I guess we were on the wrong week so she wasn’t on kids work this time.

For lunch, we went to Smagsløget (Website – Vesterbrogade 19). Chris had prewarned me that they are big sandwiches so we would be sharing with Jaxon and still could have some spare to take home with us. I’m surprised that we hadn’t found the shop before as it was practically next-door neighbours with “our” Lidl from when we were in Copenhagen in the summer. (Apart from a stray piece of chilli in my sandwich, it was so good! If you’re ever near there make sure you go!)

After lunch we headed to the Rundetaarn (The Round Tower). I wasn’t sure how well I was going to be climbing the tower but thankfully the windows had such big window sills I could sit down on one of them every so often and catch my breath. The Rundetaarn was built as an astronomical observatory. The tower is interesting because rather than having steps the tower has a sloped ramp all the way up. Historically, it’s been ascended by horse, bicycle and unicycle. When Czar Peter The Great visited Copenhagen he road up the tower on horseback. With it being the equvialent of Half Term the week before in Denmark, a lot of the half-term activities were still running so there were all sorts of extra bit for Jaxon to do. From the top there’s an amazing view across the city. It was amazing!

For dinner, we went to a pizza restaurant called Pico (Website – Skyttegade 3). Rather than having a big pizza each or struggling to choose our toppings. We had these 3 pizzas between us with different toppings on. So one was definitely Margarita (I think the bottom one maybe?) then I think the middle one is Rosemary’s Bacon (Mozzarella, sweet potato, fresh rosemary, smokey ahumado bacon and fried crispy capers). I’m not sure what the top one was but they were all very yummy and perfect between the three of us.

Image from Pico Pizza’s FB page

We loved how cosy and hygge the restaurant was. (We sat at one of the long tables on the left near the window). We also loved that the kitchen was part of the restaurant so we could see our pizzas being made. After dinner, we then walked back to the hostel through the city.

While I looked after Jaxon back at the hostel, Chris went to explore the Copenhagen Light Festival. Across the scity during February, there are a number of light installations to be seen. They can be seen by foot, bike or Segway but also from the water. Right up Chris’s street!

All the posts from this series can be found here.

Jaxon has a Great Adventure in Copenhagen: Day 2

Nyhaven in Copenhagen with a search bar reading "Jaxon Does Copenhagen"

Back in the February half term, we went to Copenhagen for a few days. Having been in the summer too, we were excited to see the city in a different season and visit new places. We were nervous about travelling when the COVID-19 Pandemic was getting worse around us. (The first case in Denmark was reported a week after we’d been there). Anyway, here’s what we got up to while we were there. All the posts from this series can be found here.

Day Two

Today was the main feature of this trip to Copenhagen and why we were coming in February. The great thing about being in a hostel is that they often provide breakfast (usually at an extra charge to your room but it’s often cheaper than “going out” for breakfast). There were lots of choices which was good. It was your usual continental breakfast kind of thing but there was also fruit, cereal, yoghurt and other choices.

After breakfast and getting our things together for the day, we headed to the Metro Station at Skjolds Plads and took the Metro from there to Frederiksberg where we changed onto the M1 line to go to the Bella Center. (It’s like Copenhagen’s version of the ExCel Centre in London). At the front and back of the driverless trains, they had these stickers, so kids could pretend to be driving the train. Every time we got on a metro train, if there was a space at the front, Jaxon was there pretending to drive the train. He would even turn around to make sure all the people were on or off the train before pressing on the sticker to “close” or “open” the doors.

The station at the Bella Center is above ground so as soon as we pulled into the station we could see the Lego flags outside of the exhibition centre.

We headed inside and there was so much to see! We started in the Fribyg (Free Play) area where there were lots of Lego bricks to play with. Jaxon and Chris got playing but I retreated to the side and sat with my back against the wall while doing my knitting while I could. (Why do exhibition centres never have enough seats? We went to Alexandra Palace when I was pregnant with Jaxon and I ended up sitting on the floor there too because there weren’t enough seats!)

Jaxon and Lego Lightning McQueen

After convincing Jaxon to move onto the next bit, we headed further into the centre to see what we could find. We found the GBC (Great Ball Contraption) which was kind of what we had come for and it was even more impressive than it is when we see it on YouTube. (This is a walk around of the GBC at Copenhagen). Chris was having a great time looking at all the little bits but Jaxon was getting more impatient and wanted to move onto the next thing. I don’t think we’d quite released how big the event was and could have done with bringing lunch with us. As it happened, I had a big bar of chocolate in my bag and we were able to buy drinks. They were even more expensive than the usual Copenhagen prices but it would keep us going until we could go elsewhere to get some lunch. We worked our way around some more of the different exhibitions but Jaxon was flagging. Between the late night and the lack of food, he was being very grumpy and stroppy.

Rebuild The World Lego Banner at Lego World in Copenhagen

While Jaxon spent some time at one of the other free play sections, Chris went to take a look at a stand labelled “Lego Produktion”. Chris managed to find a spare stool at one of the building tables, so I could sit on that with my knitting and keep an eye on Jaxon. I think he was very excited to see the machine making Lego bricks, his excitement went up just a bit higher when he was told you could get your own printed brick. He asked me if I’d like it instead as he could only get two but I said that as much as I would like it I know that he and Jaxon would appreciate it so much more than I probably would.

Lego tooling machine
Red sparkly Leftover/Melted Lego plastic

Near the free play area we were sat at was the “Plants for Plants” display which was all about the attempts to make Lego bricks from plant-based plastics rather than the plastics they use currently. Having had a play with the bricks you really couldn’t tell that they weren’t made of plastic plastic. This week in the news, there was an article about Lego ditching plastic bags in their sets and replacing the plastic with paper bags from 2021 – this is exciting and it’s great to see change. You can read the article here.

Jaxon's Special Edition Lego Kit
A red lego brick with Jaxon's name printed in black on the side of it

After exploring some more we decided that we needed to go get some lunch. Chris had looked at the map and found there was a supermarket a short walk away from the center so we headed there for lunch and had a little picnic. We decided that we head elsewhere int he city on our way back to the hostel. Following our late night, we were all a bit weary and needed to chill out a bit.

Our exploring trip on our way back involved getting off the Metro and took a walk through Christiania towards Nyhaven then we got back onto the Metro at Kongens Nytorv.

Christiania is an intentional community within Copenhagen. Within this area, there are a few extra rules to abide by one of which is to not take photos. So although there were some amazing colourful buildings that I would love to have taken photos of, I didn’t. There’s a lot of photos on the internet but if you’d like a video, I suggest watching this one by Kara and Nate. (First Impressions of COPENHAGEN (strangest place we’ve ever been))

Once we’d been for our walk and caught the Metro back to Skjolds Plads station, we headed up to our room to relax for a bit. We put on the TV to see whether there were any cartoons or something like that for Jaxon. We found the Disney Channel but all the cartoons were in German. Jaxon said that was fine and actually ended up completely glued to the TV for a little while.

Jaxon stood on the bed watching cartoons

This was the end of Day 2. I’m sure we must have gone to get some dinner but I now can’t remember what we did! (If I remember I’ll be sure to come back and add it!)

All the posts from this series can be found here.

Jaxon has a Great Adventure in Copenhagen: Day 1

Back in the February half term, we went to Copenhagen for a few days. Having been in the summer too, we were excited to see the city in a different season and visit new places. We were nervous about travelling when the COVID-19 Pandemic was getting worse around us. (The first case in Denmark was reported a week after we’d been there). Anyway, here’s what we got up to while we were there. All the posts from this series can be found here.

Today was going to be a funny day. Chris was working from home and Jaxon went to school as normal. I had to run some work errands in the morning then came home to finish up work bits and finish packing. We’d decided that we were going to go straight away once Jaxon had finished school. Dad came to collect us from home with our luggage and then we collected Jaxon from school. He was so excited to be going on a train and an aeroplane that he didn’t stop moving until he got to the car! We got him changed in the car out of his school uniform into his “play” clothes. Dad took us straight to the train station while I packed Jaxon’s school uniform into his school bag. I switched his reading book into our hand luggage so that we could take it with us. His lovely teacher has given him a chapter book to read over half term. It’s definitely harder than the normal reading books he gets but it’s enough of a challenge to keep him interested.

Dad dropped us at the train station and Chris collected our tickets from the machine. Jaxon and I read the departures board to see which train we should be on. I picked the 1602 to Gatwick which Chris said might not be the most direct train to take. He was adamant the one we needed left about 5 minutes before from Platform 2. Well having dashed up the stairs, over the walkway and back down onto the platform it was clear the 1602 was the train we needed and when Chris checked his phone he realised his instructions were the earlier time to walk to the station to get the 1602. Oops!

We rode the train from Bedford down into London and then out through East Croydon to Gatwick. Having checked his phone a couple of times, Chris said it might be quicker to change at East Croydon for a more direct service (instead of the almost “all stops” service we were on). Between Farringdon/Blackfriar/London Bridge the train was very busy and we were at risk of getting off only to get on the other service and have to stand so we decided to stay put.

From the station, we headed into the airport and found out which terminal our flight would be leaving from. This time we were flying Norwegian and they leave from Gatwick‘s South Terminal. We headed straight to security to get ourselves sorted out. I’d packed all my liquids in a freezer bag before leaving the house so I could switch out for a “proper” one at the airport. However somehow in the crazy, I’d missed the hand sanitizer and nail varnish that was still in my backpack. I’d been using my Roka London backpack for about 5 months since I purchased it and love it. I’ve not wanted to move to a different bag. So when it came to packing a bag to use as hand luggage and then everyday bag while we were away – it was perfect. It also has room for me to carry my maternity notes. I was hoping I wouldn’t need them while away but it’s better than I have them just in case.

Anyway, we get to the x-ray machine and put all our things through. Everything goes fine until I’m pulled out the line for an extra check and my backpack is pulled to one side too. Oops! Chris was right behind me so went through and stood with Jaxon (who looked a little worried but was okay). I went through the body scanner and then collected my backpack, apologising profusely that I’d forgotten those bits. I was a little worried about if the scanner would affect baby but apparently it emits less radiation than I get from my phone so not going to harm baby. Having been through security we headed through the airport to find some food. We had a variety of choices but Chris really wanted Nando’s.

From our table in the restaurant, we could see out onto the tarmac so we could see lots of the planes reversing from the gates and getting ready to take off, while Chris was in the queue sorting the food, Jaxon and I were plane spotty and talking about the different designs on the tails of the aircraft.

Some of my dinner was very spicy even though it was the planest version on he mneu. I ended up draining most of my drink (which was really not good when I’m about to get on an aeroplane – thankfully it turned out I had an aisle seat so that was a bit easier to get to the loo when I did need it!)

After dinner we headed straight for the gate as the number had been announced although it wasn’t boarding yet. When we got to the gate, we were able to check in then find some comfy seats in like a waiting room between the check in desk and the actual door to go to the plane. We hda to wait for the next door to open but that was fine. As it happened, we ahd the “upstairs” entry so we could just walk out through the walkway right onto the plane. Jaxon had the window seat again so he got to watch the world go by and be excited about that.

The flight wasn’t too bad. There was a bumpy moment with some turbulence but that passed quickly. The onboard wifi wouldn’t let me text so although I texted Our Sidekick and my parents to tell them where we were etc, it didn’t send so they got a text about being over the North Sea as we landed in Copenhagen and my phone connected to the mobile network there.

I texted Our Sidekick from the Metro. As we got into the city there were more people on the train. A (possibly) drunk chap started to talk to Jaxon and I. Chris kept saying “They don’t speak Danish” (in Danish too!) but not really loud enough for the man to hear and I just sat there. I don’t know whether the combination of being pregnant and in a semi-strange setting was triggering some kind of anxiety. I was a state and had to try and hold it together. I just wanted to get off the train and protect Jaxon. Thankfully more people got on and then the chap moved further away from us. It’s possible he was just making conversation but I was so shaken by it.

We arrived at the hotel at almost midnight so were all very shattered. We stayed at the A&O Hostel at Norrebro. Even with it being so late, the staff were lovely and helpful. When we arrived at the reception desk, the receptionist was busy dealing with the people in front of us so the barman came over to check if we were okay and if there was anything he could do to help us in the meantime. We found our way to our room and got sorted out. Jaxon was very excited that he had a bunk bed and chose to go on the top bunk. I was a little nervous as it didn’t have proper steps but Chris’s side of the bed was so close, that if Jaxon did fall, he’d more than likely land on the bed. The mattress would work as a crash mat and hopefully, he’d be fine.

The A&O Hostel is right at one end of the Superkilen Park. The hostel is the building in the top left corner. The Park then runs for around half a mile between blocks of apartments and other buildings. Partway along the park there is a community space and a library. The park is dedicated to celebrating ethnic diversity with Norrebro being one of Copenhagen’s most diverse neighbourhoods. Throughout the park, there are different objects from different places in the world. Jaxon’s favourite was the Octopus/Squid slide from Japan (see image 22/57 here). I loved the elephant slide from Chernobyl and the star-shaped fountain from Morocco. There is a map of all the objects here (it might take a Google search to find images of them all).

Image from here.

It was too late to explore that night but we were definitely going to take a look at least once in the rest of our week!

All the posts from this series can be found here.

This Week’s Meal Plan
Affiliate links in this post will be clearly marked with a *
and if you click one of these links I will earn a discount or receive payment.

This Week's Meal Plan - image shows cherry tomatoes, some cut into halves along with basil leaves

In our house, Chris deals with writing the meal plan and then doing the shopping. We try to make sure we write the meal plan before we go shopping so that minimal (if any) food goes to waste. Since lockdown, we’ve been attempting to compost the vegetables and bits that can go on the compost heap rather than in the bin so this helps with wastage too. Chris writes the plan on Monday before going shopping int he evening so our meal plan runs Tuesday to Monday.

Where possible we had been freezing leftovers as homemade microwave meals on busy days when we were trying to squeeze in dinner between work and evening groups or meetings. Once lockdown happened we were often finding that more meals were ending up in the freezer but not always getting used so last week was “leftovers” week – we basically had a list of what needed to be used and made our way through it – I had meatballs and pasta twice in one week! (Not that I’m complaining it’s one of my favourites!). Some of this week’s meals were also either leftovers or thing we’d got in the freezer and hadn’t been used.

Tuesday – Pizza – Chris gets the pre-made bases when they are available in our local supermarket then he makes the toppings. When possible Jaxon will assist him to create something. This time we just had margarita (I think it was cheddar and mozzarella yum!)

Wednesday – Ribs with Chips and Broccoli – Not our usual fare but we were given the ribs by a friend so they’d gone in the freezer until we had use for them.

Thursday – Leftovers and Rice – I think this one is raid the freezer and see what comes out – I’ll have to update you with what we have when we get to dinner!

Friday – Frikadeller with Chips and Leftover Sauce – Frikadeller is something that Chris found in our local supermarket but also found when we were in Copenhagen. They are a type of meatball but the supermarket ones almost look like little burgers – so they work either in sandwiches like a cold burger (Although can be heated too) or like with this meal with chips.

Saturday – Jackets and Chilli – When Rex was born, our friends from church organised a meal rota for us for the first week or so, one of the meals that arrived was chilli with nachos and other bits. There was so much chilli that we froze some of it and have been working our way through it for other meals too. Definitely looked after with this meal!

Sunday – Gammon and Dauphinoise Potatoes – Both today and tomorrow’s meals come from the Everyday Gluten-Free* book by Nosh Books. We love the recipe books from Nosh Books as they are really easy to follow and really yummy food! Also, we often find that a recipe for 4 people can do the 3 of us and either 1 or 2 portions in the freezer for another day (This recipe can be found on page 182)

Monday – Sweet and Sour Pork Noodles – Another recipe from the Everyday Gluten-Free* book by Nosh Books. This one can be found on page 102. Chris will often add extra veg in with the noodle to make sure we’ve got more of our 5-a-day! This again is another where the leftovers can be frozen for another day.

Make sure you check out Katy’s meal plan and the other links on her page to other meal plans for this week.

Katykicker

Books: The Gift of Cockleberry Bay

One great thing about lockdown/isolation is that I’ve been able to read more. When I was offered an advanced reader copy of The Gift of Cockleberry Bay, I jumped at the chance. But with juggling homeschool, I read this back in March, I’ve only just properly been able to write about it. (Sorry!).

The Gift of Cockleberry Bay

I discovered Nicola’s books on Amazon Kindle Unlimited sort by accident a while back (like last year, see here) and loved them. The first in the series is The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay and the second is Meet Me in Cockleberry Bay

All our favourite characters from Cockleberry Bay are back, including Hot, Rosa Smith’s adorable dachshund, and his new-born puppies.

Now successfully running the Cockleberry Café and wishing to start a family herself, Rosa feels the time is right to let her inherited corner shop go. However, her benefactor left one important legal proviso: that the shop cannot be sold, only passed on to somebody who really deserves it.

Rosa is torn. How can she make such a huge decision? And will it be the right one? Once the news gets out, untrustworthy strangers appear in the Bay, their motives uncertain. With the revelation of more secrets from Rosa’s family heritage, a new series of unpredictable and life-changing events begin to unfold.

The Gift of Cockleberry Bay concludes this phenomenally successful series in typically brisk and bolshy style, and will delight Rosa’s many thousands of fans.

It was great to be back in Cockleberry Bay to see how those characters are doing and what’s going on in their lives for the third instalment. I love how in the first book Rosa arrives in Cockleberry Bay and immediately makes friends and is adopted by the village, her little sausage dog Hot (yes Hot The Dog) is also adopted by the village too. This third book in the series ties up all those loose ends (after it’s opened a few more to puzzle over for a chapter or five!). I loved it that much I’d finished it in 3 days! Clearly should have slowed down a bit but I was desperate to know what was happening.

In the first book, Rosa is gifted a shop in the little village and in this third instalment she works on deciding what to do with the shop. The rule is that she can’t sell it, it has to be passed on to someone who really deserves it. With Rosa and Josh starting a family of their own, she starts to think about who she can pass the shop onto. And if a baby on the horizon wasn’t exciting enough Hot The Dog and one of the other four-legged friends from the village have a litter of puppies too! I had an inkling who would get it but I’m glad that I didn’t know for sure until the announcement was made in the book.

I’m not sure it can stand alone as an individual book without missing part of the back story so if you want to give it a go start with the first book and work your way through the whole story (and hopefully fall in love with Cockleberry Bay just as much as I did).

I was sent a review copy of The Gift of Cockleberry Bay to write this book review. These are my own opinions.

Hannah’s Cozy Home Days: Day Thirty-Eight

Hannah's Cozy Home Days - a series all about my adventures while socially distancing during the Coronavirus Pandemic 2020

Hello there, it’s Thursday now. I don’t know about you but some days I can’t actually remember which day of the week it is. They sort of seem to blend together. Some days have specific things on them like Church is still on a Sunday but weekdays – no chance all a muddle!

Today we tried a new plan for homeschooling. Yesterday when we finished dinner, I wrote a list of the tasks Jaxon needed to try and get through during our “academic” time sessions. There was no guarantee he’d get through all of them and some of them looked like big tasks but actually were little ones. In the end, we managed to get through almost 4 out of 6 of them before running out of time. The others have rolled over to tomorrow. I think it definitely worked better for Jaxon to see what was planned and we could go from there. Jaxon also took to correcting my handwriting where I hadn’t done my letters quite right. Maybe I need to practice my cursive handwriting while we’re doing homeschool things.

Mummy's Corrected Handwriting

For Create and Craft time, we baked some cakes. It was a kit that Chris had got from the supermarket and only made 6 little cupcakes so that was sort of disappointing but it worked out and gave us a cake each. (There’s currently one left on the worktop – it’ll probably be gone by the time we finish dinner later but I might be able to sneak it before someone else does…).

Jaxon played Transport Tycoon and some other games on his iPad for a little bit this afternoon while I worked and did some other bits on my laptop from the kitchen table.

I worked on updating my projects list – some of the everyday tasks have stopped now that I’m juggling homeschooling too but a lot of do still happen when possible. For instance, as I write this, the washing machine is running for the second time today and I’m about to hang the washing out for a couple of hours in the hope it might dry a bit before either being left out on the line overnight (and then drying tomorrow) or being brought inside to finish off drying in the kitchen overnight.

Hannah’s Cozy Home Days: Day Thirty

Hannah's Cozy Home Days - a series all about my adventures while socially distancing during the Coronavirus Pandemic 2020

There’s definitely some serious catching up that might need to happen soon. I keep writing notes of what I want to say and then don’t always get there. I’ll keep trying though, hopefully if I can make it part of the routine instead of tagged on at the end of the day if there’s time will hopefully make it happen properly.

So today is Day 30, it’s the 15th April which means it’s less than two weeks to my birthday – I can’t decide whether counting down to my birthday is in bad taste given the rest of the crazy going on in the world (might need answers on a postcard to that one so we can maintain our social distancing lol!)

This morning, I woke up with a headache and ended up going to curl up in Jaxon’s bed while he was snuggled up in our bed next to Chris playing on his iPad (and Chris was reading the news again lol). Jaxon’s bed isn’t the widest but at least he’s now in a proper single it’s not like when I tried to squash up in his toddler bed for a nap before Christmas! I woke up around 8:30 and needed to get motivated as Chris started working from home at 9 am (ish). I got down to the kitchen and they were mid-breakfast. I sat down with my breakfast in the lounge when Jaxon started his Cosmic Kids Yoga session for today. Sometimes he’s really focused and loves it and other days he messes about. On the whole, he was focusing because he knew I wasn’t feeling very well and I was still eating my breakfast (although once I finished and Chris stuck his head around the door, that was it, his focus was gone!)

Today in our “Academic Time” slot, we learnt about volcanoes and try to label the different parts of the volcanoes. This follows on from yesterday where we had Google Maps up and were trying to find where in the world different volcanoes were. Did you know that from it’s very base to the top, Mauna Loa in Hawaii is actually taller than Everest? Also that Popocatépetl actually recently erupted in January 2020 – okay so that’s what the Twinkl PowerPoint told me but I’ve just gone to check the spelling and apparently it erupted again at the weekend. Volcanoes and Earthquakes were two of my favourite topics when it came to Geography so really have to make sure I don’t get too nerdy about it and carried away!

For “Creative Time”, we carried on making a papier-mâché volcano for a science experiment tomorrow. In the end, I did most of the glueing – Jaxon and I were mid-falling out this morning and he just gave up. He’s going to be doing the painting tomorrow then hopefully we can either do it later in the day or we’ll wait until Saturday or Monday to do the actual experiment (if Chris is helping, I might try and post a video to Instagram. You can find me at @hannahjplans). Hopefully, you can see the in-progress video here.

This afternoon while Jaxon had iPad time and Quiet Time, I got on with some work and then got on with my knitting for today. I’ve been working on Section 14 of the pattern which is colour work which is a first for me. It’s kind of exciting but I am finding that my “yarn around the back” and slip stitches are getting super tight – I’m hoping once I get through this bit it’ll ease up again and then once I block it, it won’t be obvious that it is getting tighter.

Composting at Home

We’ve lived in our current house over a decade and we have two compost bins, the first actually completely collapsed through no use/mistreatment over the years. The second lives down by our shed and up until recently wasn’t really being used. I guess between one thing and another it was just easier to chuck the food waste in the black bin and be done with it. We have usable compost in it but need to figure out how to get it out and make use of it. (Chris has just told it’s super easy to do – clearly it’s just me in my pregnant state who can’t deal with it lol).

Growing up my Dad had a compost heap and also had a worm farm (wormery) – both take mostly the same items but the wormery can’t take certain things (like citrus fruits – the compost can take it but not too much. If you give it to the worms, it can raise the pH level too far and make the worms unwell – also spicy good and dairy products aren’t good for them either.

So, since being on “lockdown”, I decided to try and narrow down what we put in our black bin. Here in Bedfordshire, we have the black bin which is household waste, the green bin which is garden waste (like grass cuttings etc) and then the orange bin which is recycling (but not all recycling is created equal so some stuff can’t go in there). We then collect glass which is either recycled at the bottle bank or if it’s clean and has it’s lid, then we take it to The Store for the jars to be reused when people purchase “refill” products from the shop. (The Store can also be found on Facebook here and Instagram here). This all happened to coincide with us filling our green bin and then being notified by the council that green bin collections would be cancelled for the time being to minimise the amount of time their bin men had to be out doing collections.

But what about our black bin waste, some is cooked food and so can’t be composted but what about the vegetable waste – what were we doing with that? Well, normally it goes right in the bin in the kitchen and then goes out in the main bin for it’s fortnightly collection. In the last week or so, we’ve been trying to collect the compostable waste in the kitchen then Jaxon and I have walked it down to the our compost bin each morning or as needed, rather than putting it in the black bin. I’m sure if I’d thought about it, I could have seen how much we were putting in the compost instead of the black bin and then worked out how much longer the bin bag was lasting (see too much time on my hands! I’d probably even have time to create a spreadsheet to measure the change…)

Well, to improve the composting, I figured some more research was needed. It’s either that or I keep asking Dad or Chris what to add or not add to the compost heap. (It’s always possible that this list isn’t complete. It’s a bit of an amalgamation from different sources).

According to the Recycle Now website, it takes between nine and twelve months for your compost to become ready for use, so right now we won’t see the benefits (other than those visible like the black bin changes) but we will be able to use it next year which should be good. Also from Dad’s advice, we need to add an accelerator that will help to break down the food waste a bit quicker.

I’ve been out this evening to add the next lot to the heap and gave it a good mix so that the “fresh” stuff was a bit more embedded into the older stuff underneath it. I’m not sure if this is the technical way to do it but it seemed to be like a good idea! I read another blog post about composting and it says to add to one heap for 6-8 months and then if you can start a second – that way you can be building up the second while the first is doing it’s thing and composting all those bits you’ve added to it – I might need to think about seeing if the old compost bin is rescuable. Otherwise, I might have to start a post-lockdown shopping list.

Do you recycle in your house? What about composting? Is it all just a bit too much effort and it just goes in your black bin (or equivalent)?

#The100DayProject

#The100DayProject

What is it all about?

#The100DayProject is a free art project that takes place online. Every spring, thousands of people all around the world commit to 100 days of exploring their creativity.

Anyone can join (yes, that means you!). The idea is simple: choose a project, do it every day for 100 days, and share your process on Instagram with the hashtag #The100DayProject.

#The100DayProject website

So what am I doing for #The100DayProject?

Well, I’ve decided I’m going to do 15 minutes of something creative every day. Given the fact that I’ve been knitting most days anyway, I’m starting from the original start date anyway – so I’m already on Day 10. (But this post has been backdated to fit in the right place!)

My current project has been the Olive Pink shawl by CasaPinka. (Pattern can be found here on Ravelry). I’ve been doing mine as a stash buster so although the pattern is written for 4ply yarn I’ve been using DK as I kind of have it coming out of my ears lol. I know for definite that one yarn is this variegated one by Hayfield. This colourway is called Mystery Spirit. (I also have the Grace colourway in my stash but I have 3 balls of that – need to make something proper with that rather than splitting it up…).

So what will I work on next?

Well, this is definitely not going to take me 100 days to get finished (I’m currently on Section 14 and have 9 more sections to go) but I definitely have a whole bunch of other projects to work on including three baby projects ahead of Bump aka Rex arriving in August. So plenty to be doing. I’ll be doing my best to update here as well as on Instagram. You can find me at @hannahjplans. All my #The100DayProject posts there can be found under the hashtag #Hannahs100DayProject.

Hannah’s Cozy Home Days – The Rest of Week One

Hannah's Cozy Home Days - a series all about my adventures while socially distancing during the Coronavirus Pandemic 2020

My plan had been to write a daily post about what I had been up to while in lockdown/isolation. But once school had been closed, writing every day became a challenge so instead I went for a weekly update. Some will be long essays and others will verge on bullet points. But hopefully, it will make sense as some kind of “log” of what we were up to. Here’s all about my cozy days.

I had this great plan. I was going to blog every day in Lockdown and now I’ve realised it’s just not going to happen. I’m grouping it into weeks and seeing if that works better. So this is week one. You can read about the rest of week one here, here, here and here but this is the first of “weekly” posts.

Day Four finished with Jaxon coming home from school with his exercise books. Here starts our “lockdown learning” adventure at home. I was excited and terrified. I was excited because in a way it gives us a taster of homeschool life. But without the pressure of actually handing in the notice to the school and things like that. Then I was terrified, Jaxon can be strong-willed so how am I going to get through it all. On the whole, I am sure school would have just been grateful that we had attempted anything. I signed up for Twinkl and set about planning some work for Jaxon. Just in case either there wasn’t anything coming from school, or what did come was later than our plans.

Saturday

Chris encouraged Jaxon and me to start the weekend by getting out the house for a walk. We headed down the woods and explored for a bit. The challenge was that people weren’t socially distancing so I was getting a little anxious. I was ready to head back home again after less than 10 minutes. At one point, Jaxon spotted this bug on my jacket. It looked a bit like a bumblebee so I left it to do his own thing.

Small bug on yellow jacket

He kept attempting to splash in the puddles so his wellies came in handy. At one point he wanted to bring home a twig that was verging on being a small tree! I convinced him that a slightly smaller one might work better lol.

In the afternoon, I got a text from my cousin, saying there was something outside the house for me. She’d delivered chocolate to us. (I think I ended up eating most of it but it was for all of us really lol). Following the government announcement, it was discussed on our Family WhatsApp about who had been upgraded. Mum and I joked that we needed chocolate to be able to get through it and my cousin delivered. Winner!

After the adventures this morning, we gave Jaxon a bath and put one of his bath bombs in the bath. It ended up this amazing orange colour – it kind of looks like he was bathing in orange squash!

Once Jaxon was in bed, I cracked open the chocolate and cast on a new knitting project. With some of the ladies from our knitting group, we’re doing a lockdown knit-a-long of sorts and trying to all work on the same project while we can’t meet up together which is really cool. It’s the Olive Pink pattern by Casapinka. (You can find it on Ravelry here but I wanted to give you a warning. I believe Casapinka is working on getting her patterns onto her own website but it’s just going to take some time, when available I’ll update the link).

Sunday

This was definitely the start of things not feeling normal. Today it’s Mother’s Day and rather than going to church or a flying visit to Mum’s, we stayed home. We started the day by watching the Woodside Church service on YouTube. Jaxon gave me this Lego heart. He and Chris had been busy tinkering while I woke up.

Heart made of red Lego bricks

Rather than going to see Mum in person, we took to Zoom and hung out for a little while for a chat. It was so good to see everyone and get to catch up a bit. Even with Dad’s brithday next weekend it could be some time before we properly get to spend time together in the same place rather than via video call.

That’s one week of cozy days at home complete. It could be at least 12 which takes us to the beginning of June but who knows, cozy days could extend into the Summer and maybe even into the Autumn. I guess we will see.

Hannah’s Cozy Home Days: Day Four

Hannah's Cozy Home Days - a series all about my adventures while socially distancing during the Coronavirus Pandemic 2020

So having thought we’d have another two weeks of school until the Easter break it sort of starts today. Once Jaxon finishes school today, that will be it for the time being and come Monday, homeschool starts. I think Jaxon is sort of excited about it as it’s different from his normal every day life but also I think he’s a bit worried about it all.

This morning, our friend Tom (who runs Tom’s Garden Services) came to fix our garden fence – he’d been booked in for weeks so we figured that as long as we had minimal contact it should be okay for him to go through to the garden and do what he needed to get done. Then when I went out to check the work he’d done, I’d just stand at a distance. With Jaxon and the little boy next door both being off school from Monday, I’m glad we were able to get the fence fixed so that they don’t try to play together when they should be separated.

I saved this from Instagram – let’s hope the world is a better place when we come out of this craziness.

History will remember when the world stopped
And the flights stayed on the ground.
And the cars parked in the street.
And the trains didn’t run.

History will remember when the schools closed
And the children stayed indoors
And the medical staff walked towards the fire
And they didn’t run.

History will remember when the people sang
On their balconies, in isolation
But so very much together
In courage and song.

History will remember when the people fought
For their old and their weak
Protected the vulnerable
By doing nothing at all.

History will remember when the virus left
And the houses opened
And the people came out
And hugged and kissed
And started again

Kinder than before.

Donna Ashworth

I had some happy mail from Mrs Brimbles arrive. In these uncertain times, I love to be able to support businesses when and where I can. Especially those where they are super reliant on the income from their business to pay the bills.

Homeschooling begins on Monday and I’m a little nervous. I always hoped I’d be like Miss Honey if I was ever a teacher but why do I have the feeling I’ll come out more like Miss Trunchbull come Monday… I guess we’ll see how it goes. Let’s do this thing…

Hannah’s Cozy Home Days: Day Three

Hannah's Cozy Home Days - a series all about my adventures while socially distancing during the Coronavirus Pandemic 2020

Captain’s Log: Star Date: -302785.89…

It feels like my post should start something like that (yes it’s a minus date because that is supposedly the correct Star Date for today but actual Star Trek Star Dates don’t start until 2323 or something like that. I guess it would be like 100BC being -100AD! I have too much time to think at the moment!)

I woke with a headache this morning and was worried that it would wreck my day. I have a data entry task to get done and with the schools closing tomorrow for a while, I need to get it done so that I can “teach” Jaxon/knit in the background while he does activities.

I’ve seen posts about scheduling and others about just taking the day as it comes. This one was on FB but I’m not sure who posted it originally so can’t attribute it (but will if someone can point me in the right direction).

My advice for any parents wanting to homeschool during the school shut down – don’t. It’s going to be stressful. If things get worse you’re going to be stressed, your kids are going to be stressed. Your kids might be scared of things they’ve heard or seen on TV. Arguing with your to do work is not what anyone needs right now. Instead, cuddle up together and read, read, read. Take turns reading. Read them your favourite novel (yes, you can read novels to kindergarten age kids). Do a puzzle. Build a fort. Bake. Watch TV together. Paint. Get out the Lego and build together. Set up a tent in your living room and camp out. Look at photos of when you were a kid. In other works. Don’t stress about them forgetting. Don’t stress about homeschooling them. Just spend time together. Your kids won’t learn much if they’re feeling stressed. Though this is a scary time, it could very well be a time they remember as the best time in their life.

The schedule could look a little intense but then when you see that so much of it playtime or outside time that it soon isn’t as intense. For instance, 7-9 am Get Ready is kind of what we do anyway. If Jaxon’s had a good day the day before he gets his school uniform on and then snuggles in bed with us and gets iPad time for an hour. We then come downstairs and have breakfast – we then leave for school at 8:30 am and I get back home around 9/9:15 am having dropped him off. So that 8:30 – 9 am slot will become free time or maybe an extension of Active Time. There’s no reason why we can’t go for a walk around the block or through the local woods and then come back and play in the garden some more.

Rather than sticking to it rigidly, I think I’m going to use it as a guide and then see how our days go – as Anna (Mrs Brimbles) commented in her video yesterday – some days are focused others are pyjama days but they get through them.

I’m fully expecting that next week could be a complete muddle while we find our way and what works for us. My job for today/tomorrow is to also make sure the kitchen table is clear so that we can use it as a “school” area rather than trying to do worksheets sat on the sofa and things like that. It also means that if I do have things to do I can sit one side of the table while Jaxon sits the other.

After posting my blog post last night, I finished this cardigan. It had been all knitted but needed sewing together and having it finishing touches like the ribbons. Now I need to try and get it to the recipient (or at least the “collection point” for it to go onto the recipient).

Later today…

So although I was self-isolating, our friend still came to fix the fence panels for us which was great. I just stood at a distance and minimised contact as best as I could – getting the panels fixed could be essential to stop the boys trying to play with each other if the schools close (which they are rumoured to do).

Jaxon and Chris worked together to sort tea for me which was very lovely. I was presented with a handful of liquorice allsorts too. After starting these socks back in May 2019, at the Lemon and Ginger Knitting Group they were high on the priority list to get finished. I was irritating close to the finish so just had to do it! I learnt a Kitchener stitch from YouTube (this one stops the little eats apparently). So I put them on to take a photo of course and get very excited that I had actually finished another project! Time for the next one…

Hannah’s Cozy Home Days: Day Two

It’s now Wednesday and the day started with a sort of change of pace. My only trip out this week now is to see the Birth Choices Midwife to discuss how Rex/Bump will come into the world amongst other things I’m sure. Before going to the appointment I was pretty sure on a VBAC but if a C Section is needed then we’ll go with that when we get to that point. The size of my bump is being tracked closely given how big Jaxon was (he was 9lbs 14.5oz making him 4.5kg and that classed him as having a larger gestational size or something like that.

Coming out of the meeting… still pretty much on VBAC and then C Section if needed but the interesting thing was that, I might be able to have a water birth. I spent so much time in those last 5 days before Jaxon was born in the bath that the idea of being about to hang out in a birthing pool to labour sounds really good.

After the appointment, we came home and Our Sidekick was mid-strop – all I wanted to do was to get two skeins of wool from the living room but Our Sidekick had only just got up and was still getting ready for the day (it was 11am!) and got super grumpy with Chris and I. In the end he went out for the whole day – if we had to fully quarantine for 14 days, I might retreat to a tent in the back garden if that’s allowed!

I spent a few hours knitting in front of the TV then had a call about work so I’ve got another data entry/research project to be getting on with which is good.

Jaxon had craft club after school so Chris got him from school. Then we got ready to make a flying visit to Chris’s parents. I rang my Mother in Law as we were leaving to let her know we were on our way but then there was a change of plan so we came home for dinner. As we’d been ready to go out, Boris made another statement, this time closing schools. Okay so no pressure, Mummy you’re now homeschooling (of sorts) from Monday.

Having watched this video from Anna (Mrs Brimbles), I felt a bit more like I can do it. Not every day needs to be a school day, some days can be lots of school work stuff – other days can be pyjama days and we spend all day watching cartoons – swing and roundabouts. It’s not the end of the world. And actually even baking a cake can sneak in maths and literacy! (Oh and problem solving too!)

After tea, I carried on with a project for a friend who’s expecting a baby soon. This is part one of it and it’s all finished – I’m now working on the second part – just hoping I can get Chris to either deliver it to either my friend who’s packing it with her bits or he’ll go to the post office and post it for me while I’m “socially distancing”. Since Monday I had been getting muddle by what I was actually doing – self-isolating, quarantine or socially distancing. Now I knew it wasn’t quarantined because I’ve not got any symptoms and don’t know anyone with symptoms. Then I saw this tweet – so straightforward but definitely helped! Some times it just needs to be in KISS terms – Keep It Simple Stupid!

So that’s been Wednesday, definitely a bit of a slower day but glad I got out of the house even if it was just for a little bit. I think I needed it more than I thought because my mood definitely lifted after being out with Mum and then with the boys a bit later (I didn’t leave the car).

Now to cram in that data entry work into two days before Jaxon finishes school like so many other kids across the country.

Hannah’s Cozy Home Days: Day One

Good Morning! Well maybe evening by the time you read this. It’s Day One and so the first official full day.

After having a loopy dream about bad guys holding up the local post office and me relaying information to the police via a payphone (That isn’t even there in reality… and my mobile was in my other hand!) I woke up before the alarm. Normally I wake with a “oh my goodness how is it morning already?” sort of attitude but this morning I woke with a really positive one. Probably about all the things I was going to cross off my list (Without going too crazy and then not having anything else to do!)

Having just commented on Twitter about “the list” I thought I might do a little more explanation. I’m definitely a do-er if there’s a problem I want to help with the solutions. Yesterday, two friends posted on social media that they were looking for baby milk (one lives a short bus ride away and the other lives 30-45 minutes by car away). I started by going to our local corner shop and then to the shop near Jaxon’s school in case either had the right milk for the first Mummy. Turns out she needed a specific brand that neither of them had but I’d done my bit in trying to find a solution. Mummy 2 then tried like 3 supermarkets near her and in the end found what she needed but I did say to her that I would send Chris out to the supermarkets near us to look for the right milk if she needed. Getting it there might be more of a challenge but we’d sort something out like maybe meet in the middle or something.

Anyway, so as I said there listening to the news and feeling a bit wobbly and spirally, I grabbed a notepad and started a list. First of all, I worked out when the 12 weeks would be up – it’s not an official deadline and it could still move but at least being there and written down I had a deadline of sorts. I started with the projects I wanted to do – knitting projects and which order, things I needed to fix and keep putting off and other immediate jobs I thought of. It definitely made me feel more in control even if the situation outside my house hasn’t changed.

This morning, while Chris got Jaxon sorted for school, I worked on adding daily and weekly tasks to my list – as well as the one-off project type of goals too.

These are everyday tasks that I (or someone else in my house) gets done, but it felt like by writing them down and crossing them off each day I’d feel like I’d achieved something even if I wasn’t leaving the house to achieve things.

Then there were the bigger projects or things that might take more days (and others that were a few minute jobs but I just needed to do them lol)

So as you can see – some are little jobs and should be done super quickly, others will take longer (like knitting a blanket!).

How did Today go?

So, today’s getting dressed involved me just changing my pyjamas bottoms which then looks like I haven’t got dressed. But honestly, I have sort of! While I don’t really need to leave the house (minus my potter around the garden or short walk around the block), I’m working on catching up on all the washing. So, in theory, all my “going out of the house” clothes will be washing and put away, ready for when I need them. Most days there will be a proper getting dressed even if it’s into a hoodie and jogging bottoms to chill on the sofa while I knit lol.

Following that I got on with putting away the washing, I get it all done then it gets to the bedroom and forms a clean washing mountain that I sort of avoid dealing with until it’s exploding (or I’ve run out of clean underwear because it’s in the clean pile waiting to go away!). Jaxon is almost up to just the uniform he’s in – which will either last him to the end of the week (if the school remains open) or it will come home mucky like yesterday’s trousers did and I’ll be doing *more* washing!

I brought the washing downstairs and go the washing machine and dishwasher running before sitting down with my laptop at the kitchen table and eating my breakfast. I took a FaceTime call from my Mum who was running errands ahead of her and Dad “battening down the hatches” and then a call with a client to formulate a plan of sorts (99% postponed but the 1% is to help if there is stuff I can do from home or to help once the crazy is over). I then booked a FaceTime/Coffee Date with my friend for Friday – between us we are both socially distancing for different reasons but it would be great to catch up.

I worked through various other work tasks but also crossed off 7 of my Projects from the list and added a couple more so will need an updated list by the weekend I think!

If you’re now, self isolating have you written a list of some kind? I’ve heard lots of people call it a bucket list which seems sort of a silly name but if it works for you. Each to their own.

Hannah’s Cozy Home Days: Day Zero

I’d say this was Day One but that’s officially tomorrow. Coronavirus has been heading this way anyway and I guess I hoped that it would somehow skip me and I wouldn’t really have to worry – well I wouldn’t have to worry about me, instead I was worried about my parent and grandparents. I know maybe that’s naive of me.

So it’s now the 16th March and the PM made a statement this evening with updates about how the UK is dealing with the pandemic and what the plans are for the foreseeable future. We’ve been still making plans for the rest of the month but as the day went on, things got cancelled and then when the PM made his speech one of our other plans got cancelled.

Well following Annie‘s lead, I’m starting a Quarantine Bucket List (except I’m not really in quarantine so I’m not sure what to call it but it can be that for now). So what am I putting on this list – seeing as I might have time to spare….well, you might have to come back for that tomorrow once I’ve figured it out lol.

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

20 Projects in 2020: Project 3

One of my goals for 2020 is to complete 20 projects. More than likely these will be knitting or crochet but it’s always possible that some sewing will creep in there too. Here’s the latest completed project. (The full 20 in 2020 list will be available soon!)

20 Projects in 2020

Project 3: Equinox Crop Jumper

This is my second test knit for Verity at Truly Hooked. I was still very nervous whether I’d be able to do Verity’s pattern justice and whether it would come out the way it was supposed to.

I found that the finished product might need to be a bit longer in the body but that’s definitely personal preference rather than something wrong for the pattern.

The patterned yarn at the top is Trance by Truly Hooked. I purchased it at Fibre East back in the Summer. The other grey is a James C. Brett yarn that Mum and I compared and decided it was close enough to work together.

I kept finding that no matter how many more rows I did on each sleeve for a while they didn’t seem to grow at all! (Is this a sleeve thing?) I wondered if it was also because I’m used to doing cuff up sleeves rather than shoulder down.

In the end they were just about long enough to cast off and class it as finished. I still need to sew in the ends and definitely to practice my photography skills (or ask one of the boys?!) but it’s another finished product I can actually wear! (Unlike the red jumper from a few years ago that I had to give away in the end because it was too small!

20 Projects in 2020: Project 1 and 2

One of my goals for 2020 is to complete 20 projects. More than likely these will be knitting or crochet but it’s always possible that some sewing will creep in there too. Here’s the latest completed project. (The full 20 in 2020 list will be available soon!)

Projects 1 and 2 were baby blankets for friends at church. I was so busy trying to get them finished that I forgot to take pictures of the final finished item! So here are some of the in progress pictures.

Baby Girl Blanket

After having two boys my friend is expecting a little girl so I went all out with the pinks and purples. It was a simple granny square pattern with row 1-4 in the middle being different colours then rows 5, 6 and 7 were white. They were all sewn together and then edged with pink around the very outside of the blanket. A lot of the pinks and purples were from stash but when new shades were purchased (and the white), they were all Stylecraft Special DK.

Baby Boy Blanket

Similarly when it came to the little boy blanket, I stuck with greens and blues but I’d also put a yellow middle in each of the squares, most were this Sunshine shade but the rest were a Lemon shade just for a bit of variety.

One finished blanket being appreciated by it’s new owner

Both were delivered to the respective Mum’s to be at church on Sunday and got lots of hugs to say thank you!

Thank you again so much for the gorgeous blanket! It really is such a special present and I can’t wait to use it! Perfect colours too! So kind of you.

Baby Boy’s Mummy

That blanket is incredible! Thank you so so much! It’s so so beautiful. You are very talented Hannah!!!

Baby Girl’s Mummy

So that two out of twenty done and we’re not even out of January – so I think that puts me on target lol. Project 3 is coming soon as I just need to finish the arms.

My 2019 in Music

I opened Spotify a few days ago to put some music on while I was in the car. A new playlist had popped up and it was a recommended one from Spotify that is my top tracks from this year.

I saw Les Miserables (Staged Concert and the UK Touring Cast) and Come From Away this year so figured they’d feature somewhere in there.

The Playlist

(The full list is here)

  • My Lighthouse by Rend Collective
  • Come From Away (Original Broadway Soundtrack – yes the whole thing)
  • joy by For King and Country
  • Pioneers by For King and Country
  • Burn The Ships by For King and Country
  • God Only Knows by For King and Country
  • You’re Welcome by Dwayne Johnson (Moana)
  • My Shot by Lin-Manuel Miranda (From Hamilton)
  • Amen by For King and Country
  • Let It Go by Idina Menzel (Frozen)
  • Where You Are by Christopher Jackson (Moana)
  • In Summer by Josh Gad (Frozen)
  • You’ll Be Back by Jonathan Groff (Hamilton)
  • Fine Fine Life by For King and Country
  • I Just Can’t Wait to Be King from The Lion King (1994)
  • This Is Me by Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman)
  • Fight On, Fighter by For King and Country
  • Try Everything by Shakira (Zootropolis)
  • I’ll Make a Man Out of You by Donny Osmond (Mulan)
  • Fix My Eyes by For King and Country)

Clearly I may need to branch out a bit and listen to some other soundtracks or albums – I seem to be stuck on 2 or 3 ones all year!

Books Read in 2019
This post includes affiliate links

We’re into December now but I might still add more to this list but here are the books I’ve read in 2019. Each title has a link to Amazon should you wish to buy it and a link to the author’s own website. Hopefully, all the info is correct so you can always try your local bookshop instead.

Books I've Read in 2019

On The Road to Here by Robert Kugler (Amazon)

The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher (Website/Amazon)

The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay (Cockleberry Bay 1) by Nicola May (Amazon/Website)

A Village Affair by Julie Houston (Amazon/Website)

The Magic of Christmas Tree Farm by Erin Green (Website/Amazon)

6 Caledon Street by D. van de Merwe (Amazon)

The Cottage at Hope Cove (Hope Cove 1) by Hannah Ellis (Website/Amazon)

Escape to Oakbrook Farm (Hope Cove 2) by Hannah Ellis (Website/Amazon)

Summer at the Old Boathouse (Hope Cove 3) by Hannah Ellis (Website/Amazon)

Whispers at the Bluebell Inn (Hope Cove 4) by Hannah Ellis (Website/Amazon)

The House on Lavender Lane (Hope Cove 5) by Hannah Ellis (Website/Amazon)

Friends Like These (Friends Like These 1) by Hannah Ellis (Website/Amazon)

Friends Like These by Hannah Ellis

Christmas With Friends (Friends Like These 2) by Hannah Ellis (Website/Amazon)

My Kind of Perfect (Friends Like These 3) by Hannah Ellis (Website/Amazon)

A Friend in Need (Friends Like These 4) by Hannah Ellis (Website/Amazon)

Always with You by Hannah Ellis (Website/Amazon)

Christmas Spirit by Nicola May (Website/Amazon) – Also released as Christmas Evie

Beyond The Lens (Lucy Mitchell 1) by Hannah Ellis (Website/Amazon)

Beneath The Stars (Lucy Mitchell 2) by Hannah Ellis (Website/Amazon)

Goodness, Grace and Me by Julie Houston (Website/Amazon)

An Off-Piste Christmas by Julie Houston (Website/Amazon)

Coming Home to Holly Close Farm by Julie Houston (Website/Amazon)

Coming Home to Holly Close Farm

The Bookshop of Hopes and Dreams (Hope Cove 6) by Hannah Ellis (Website/Amazon)

Meet Me in Cockleberry Bay (Cockleberry Bay 2) by Nicola May (Website/Amazon)

Origin by Dan Brown (Website/Amazon)

Summer at Hope Meadows by Lucy Daniels (Website/Amazon)

Christmas at Mistletoe Cottage (Hope Meadows) by Lucy Daniels (Website/Amazon)

Springtime at Wildacre (Hope Meadows) by Lucy Daniels (Website/Amazon)

Snowflakes over Moon Cottage (Hope Meadows) by Lucy Daniels (Website/Amazon)

Christmas at Lilac Cottage by Holly Martin (Website/Amazon)

The Cosy Seaside Chocolate Shop by Caroline Roberts (Website/Amazon)

Coming Home to the Loch (Loch Lannick Book 1) by Hannah Ellis (Website/Amazon) – Finished! Now waiting for Book 2 that’s due at the end of December and can be found here.

That works out at 8651 pages this year according to Goodreads. (I’m not quite sure how that works out if I was reading Kindle editions though!)

Decorating and Storage
#AD #Shurgard #Storage

Back in around June sort of time, Chris and I started talking about the things that needed to be done around the house. In November, we will have been living in this house for 10 years. We’ve had a lodger, a foster son and a baby over those years so as you can imagine, some rooms really need some TLC.

We started with the kitchen as in my mind, it took the least amount of furniture moving to get started. In theory, it would be simple. Because of the windows, units, worktops and the radiator, there’s less wall space that needs to be painted. I’m not sure my painting skills are the best but I got started and we worked on it. Around Jaxon’s birthday we put a hold on the decorating and realised that now in October, we really ought to get it finished so that we can start other projects that need doing.

At the same time, across the Summer, Our Sidekick decided that the time had come for him to move out. It was either going to be moving to university or moving in with his girlfriend but he wasn’t really sure. In the end, his plans changed but moving in with the girlfriend was one of the things he was going to do pretty soon. 

With a paintbrush and the tester point, I set about cutting in around kitchen units where possible. We’d settled on colours after a debate about which shade of green to use but hadn’t got as far as buying bigger tubs of paint. 

I worked around the room, mostly focusing on the walls that didn’t involve moving too much. For instance where I just needed to move the toaster or the kettle to be able to paint the wall.

Having paused for Jaxon’s birthday it was time to focus back on getting the rest of the room finished. With Our Sidekick moving out, we left it a month or so in case things didn’t go to plan and he wanted to move back then we wanted to start thinking about moving Jaxon into the bigger bedroom but first, it would need painting.

As excited as I was to get Jaxon moved into the bigger room, we needed to get the kitchen finished so this week we’ve been shuffling things around. This week, Our Sidekick’s room became a drying room for the washing that normally goes on the airer in the kitchen (it’s also become a storage room for Chris while he figures out what he’s taking on his trip in a few weeks time). Chris then moved the bookcase and the freezer into the middle of the room so that I could work on treating and painting both the walls.

The plan made sense but then it went to pot, around Tuesday, I had run a load of washing as normal but the tumble dryer wasn’t working, no problem I’d just try it again maybe there was too much in it. Well after 3 or 4 different combinations and one load of washing stinking like a damp dog. We came to the conclusion that the heating element in the machine had gone and that’s why it wasn’t warming up enough. (YUCK!) This is the second time we’ve had a problem with this machine so decided that it might be better just to replace it instead of try and get it fixed. (When the call out is £70-90 then you’ve got the cost of parts on top, it soon adds up that a new machine might be cheaper/better value).

With the expectation that our new machine would be delivered on Friday, we came up with a plan, we needed to get the freezer corner of the room finished so that the freezer and bookcase could be moved back into the corner along with the old machine being moved out from its current space. When I got home from Community Group on Thursday night, Chris had managed to move the furniture around which was great. I then spent some time, cleaning and treating the wall behind where the washing machine lives as it was a bit grotty and needed some TLC.

In our case we’ve been able to shuffle around bits within the same room or into other rooms in the house but sometimes for bigger projects, you might need to move things out completely. Maybe even think about hiring a storage unit (You can even use the storage calculator on Shurgard Self Storage Harrow‘s website to see how much room you would need). When it comes to painting our living room, I’m really hoping that we can get away with moving it into the middle of the room, otherwise a storage unit might be the way to go unless we can get some really dry/warm days on the forecast and leave the sofa in the garden for a few days!

Right, well back to the painting and finishing up the kitchen. TTFN!

Hello October

I thought it was a few weeks that I hadn’t written a blog post then I realised the last time I wrote was when we were in Copenhagen (or had just got back). And that was August!

So what’ s been happening. Well, Jaxon went back to school in September and I’ve been trying to get back on track since some days I’m properly focused and other days I’m really not.

I’ve been working on a number of knitting and crochet projects but it feels like just as I clear one there’s another one pops up – I guess I will get there in the end! (And be able to share what I’ve been up to too).

I’ve also been working on the Equinox Crop test knit for Truly Hooked. The yarn from the neckline to the colour change is the Trance yarn from Truly Hooked – I absolutely love it and it’s for charity so there’s a donation towards Mind too.

Jaxon started swimming lessons a few weeks ago. I had been wanting to get him into lessons for a while given how scared of the water he seems when Chris and I take him swimming. He’s doing lessons with Edge Swim Gym, the team there are so lovely, in his class, there are two assistants in the pool with the kids so if any of them get stuck or just need that extra bit of help then they are there to help which is great. In fact, on Jaxon’s second lesson he got his Puffin Award which is being able to swim 50m with aids (like a tummy band and armbands). (Yes one very proud Mummy here!)

In September, I had two adventures in London. The first was to run an errand for Chris (but then I had a bit of a wander before catching the train back) and the second was to go to London with Mum to see the staged concert of Les Miserables.

On my first trip, I found a branch of Ole and Steen. When we were in Copenhagen, we frequently passed a branch in the train station but had resisted purchasing as it was pricier than other options. I bought a Cinnamon Sharing Slice and brought it home to share with Jaxon when he got home from school. Like the Ondsdagsnegl we had at Sankt Peders Bageri, it was more cake-y than pastry but that made it even yummier! (You can read all about that trip here)

Our second trip was very exciting. Mum and I have seen Les Miserables a couple of times now in different formats, we were excited to see how the staged concert would work. Without too many spoilers, it was amazing, as we expected it to be. Michael Ball, John Owen-Jones and Carrie Hope Fletcher were amazing as we expected them to be. Matt Lucas and Katie Secombe as Monsieur and Madame Thenardier were epic too and so funny! They’d added so many ad lib bits which just completed added to it.

This last week it has been Fiver Fest here in Bedford. I’ve stopped by épanoui, The Store, Rogan’s Books and The Pavilion. You can find out more information about it here.

I’m sure there’s more that has been happening along the way but going to move forward now and fill in the gaps later.

Our Danish Adventure: Last Day

Each year we end up going somewhere different for our summer holiday. We’d look at a couple of ideas but still wasn’t really sure where we wanted to go. When Chris asked me and I said I didn’t know, I showed a map of Europe to Jaxon and got him to pick. Originally he picked Oslo but in the end we settled on Copenhagen. So here we go, our Danish adventure.

The first thing on today’s plan was to get up and get everything packed up. I had intended to it last night once Jaxon was asleep but Chris had dozed off on the bed next to me and I thought if I switched the bedside light on it could wake them both. So shortly after 7:30 when Jaxon had arrived in our bed, I got up and started to get things organised. Having spent the other evening getting most of the packing done I did have a good head start.

Chris’s backpack was packed as a day bag so I needed to get all the other bits we didn’t need during the day into the other two backpacks. Probably a bit easier said than done and I’m sure I had to repack things multiple times.

Once we’d all got dressed and packed up the remaining bits it was time to check out. We could have checked out as late as 11am but one of my plans for the day was very time specific.

Somehow one of Kara and Nate‘s videos popped up on my recommended videos on YouTube after I’d been on Google looking for things to do in Copenhagen. I watched the video and they talked about going to Christiania Freetown and going to Sankt Peders Bageri. Once I’d figured out that it wasn’t too far from our hotel and that actually it was really close to one of the playgrounds (legeplads) that was on the “To visit” list anyway it seemed like a good starting point for the day.

But why today specifically?

On a Wednesday…. ondsdagssnegl. Oh my goodness it was massive! If you imagine a cinnamon swirl but made of like a bread-y dough instead of flaky pastry and you had this pastry/cake/bread thing. It was more than we’d paid for the pastries we’d been having for breakfast (maybe £2.50ish each instead of 75p-ish) but given that it was a specific thing and our last day I think Chris would let it slide on this occasion.

Sankt Peders Bageri (Saint Peter’s Bakery) is the oldest bakery in Copenhagen. It’s had two major restorations over the years and now it’s a listed monument(?) as its part of the city’s history in a way.

Once we’d purchased our Ondsdagssnegl, we wandered up to Ørsted Park to find somewhere to have a mini picnic and then for Jaxon to burn off some energy around the park. We stayed in the park for around an hour and Jaxon made a new friend. The little girl was very chatty and told Chris and Jaxon all sorts of things in English. Including the fact that she’s 4 and is already bilingual.

We had planned to stay longer but there was an unexpected downpour that sent a lot of people diving for cover. We found somewhere to stand while we waited for the rain to pass.

Our Danish Adventure: Day Seven

Each year we end up going somewhere different for our summer holiday. We’d look at a couple of ideas but still wasn’t sure where we wanted to go. When Chris asked me and I said I didn’t know, I showed a map of Europe to Jaxon and got him to pick. Originally he picked Oslo but in the end, we settled on Copenhagen. So here we go, our Danish adventure. Back in the Summer I started writing about our adventure but life kept getting in the way. Now I’m finishing!

Image of Nyhavn in Copenhagen. A red box includes the text "Our Danish Adventure"

This morning we headed to Lidl for breakast again then walked to City Hall. I thought Jaxon would love to see the Jens Olsen’s World Clock given the number of cogs it has. He liked most of it and looking a the cogs but the clock itself wasn’t running properly at the moment so he was quickly bored of it and ready to move on.

The boys then took me to Blox where they had found a play area on Sunday. The play area was outside then inside was the design museum. One of the exhibitions was a whole room of Lego to play with. Around the outside of this room were landmarks from around the world. In another room there were displays all about designing buildings and how technology is changing how things are designed.

We tried a coffee shop and then a sandwich shop oppostie the museum to get some lunch but getting something was causing hassle. We ended up heading to Lidl again.

After lunch, Chris found me a yarn shop to look at called Sommerfuglen. (That means butterfly in Danish). It was a lovely yarn shop but a lot of the yarn was hand-dyed stuff. I loved a lot of the Hedgehog Fibres yarn but couldn’t choose just one so decided I wouldn’t purchase this time. Today was a bit of a shorter day as we headed back to the hostel at this point.

Our Danish Adventure: Day Six

Each year we end up going somewhere different for our summer holiday. We’d look at a couple of ideas but still wasn’t sure where we wanted to go. When Chris asked me and I said I didn’t know, I showed a map of Europe to Jaxon and got him to pick. Originally he picked Oslo but in the end, we settled on Copenhagen. So here we go, our Danish adventure. Back in the Summer I started writing about our adventure but life kept getting in the way. Now I’m finishing!

Image of Nyhavn in Copenhagen. A red box includes the text "Our Danish Adventure"

Today’s adventure would take us across the Øresundsbroen (Øresund Bridge) to Malmö – it was really easy and was more like local train ride rather than an international trip.

We had a wander around the harbour area and found a lighthouse – which I think I was more excited about than the boys were! There were various sculptures to see there as well. Jaxon loved the multicoloured one that he could climb (Yes he was allowed to climb on it – there was a sign as well!). It’s called Spectral Self Container and it’s by Matti Kallioinen. It’s near the Non-Violence sculpture (also known as The Knotted Gun) by Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd. This is one of the original ones, but there are multiple ones around the world. (You can read more about it here).

We did a slightly random walk through Malmö and explored. I rather excitedly found a Panduro Hobby shop, so despatched the boys on their own adventure while I had me time! I also found a Fjallraven shop. I had a look but really couldn’t warrant the price tag so I took a photo of the one that I really liked and then decided that would have to do. I’d add it to my wish list and maybe I’d receive it or find it in a sale one day lol.

When it got to lunchtime, we found a local Lidl and also found that Swedish Lidl is much cheaper than Denmark Lidl. so while we were there we got some extra treats. We discussed how if we were to live in Copenhagen it might be worth the train fare for one of us across the Øresundbroen to do the shopping because we’d probably save more than the train fare by doing it. The other one of us could always meet the shopping person at the last stop on the Danish side covered by the normal tickets lol.

While we explored we found this recycling bin, both Chris and I were impressed – puts our recycling efforts to shame for sure! We also found a park for Jaxon to play in for a little while – it also included some bits that we could join in on too.

I realised that I had lots of video and not so many pictures so here’s the vlog I attempted to do.

You can read all the posts about our Copenhagen trip in 2019 here and 2020 here.

Our Danish Adventure: Day Five

Each year we end up going somewhere different for our summer holiday. We’d look at a couple of ideas but still wasn’t sure where we wanted to go. When Chris asked me and I said I didn’t know, I showed a map of Europe to Jaxon and got him to pick. Originally he picked Oslo but in the end, we settled on Copenhagen. So here we go, our Danish adventure. Back in the Summer I started writing about our adventure but life kept getting in the way. Now I’m finishing!

Image of Nyhavn in Copenhagen. A red box includes the text "Our Danish Adventure"

With it being a Sunday, we had a look to see if there were any churches near us. It turned out that Hillsong Copenhagen meets at the Bremen Theatre which wasn’t too far from the hostel. (In fact, it was right near the Planetarium).

The welcome team were serving waffles so even though we’d already had breakfast at the hostel, Jaxon and I shared a Banana and Chocolate Spread one. YUM!

Jaxon went to Hillsongs Kids which is all in Danish but we made friends with Jennifer who was an American living in Denmark so she was able to translate for Jaxon who had a great time.

The service was really good and I loved the worship time. A lovely lady called Celina did the sermon, she was really good and really interesting.

Celina at Hillsong CPH (Image from Hillsong Copenhagen’s FB page)

Something I loved was the group that the church have on FB. The idea is about doing life together so throwing open collective invites to different events. One guy was like “I’ve had a change of plans and now have gig tickets spare. Would anyone like them?” Another was like “we’re going for a bike ride starting at xxx, let us know to expect you and bring your bike”. Basically reading the posts made me excited that a church (or a wider community) could be like that. We’ve kind of had it in the past but maybe we lost it somewhere. During the week, while we were there, they’d got a number of their Women’s Ministry events (#Sisterhood) on across their campuses (Aarhus, Malmö and Copenhagen) so having said to Chris it would be cool to go it crossed my mind to post in their group to see if anyone was going and I could walk with them (or maybe hire a bike for the evening). Unfortunately, it didn’t work out and I couldn’t go but I think the fact that I was even considering it excited Chris lol. Anyway, I love the idea of the group and doing stuff together. In the past (when it was Chris and I), we’d make dinner for four and then put the call out to see if anyone wanted to come and share dinner with us if they didn’t already have plans. When we hosted a community group, I’d never know how many I was making dinner for some days! I think I’m just rambling now but it seemed like such a lovely way to do life together (and now I’ve voiced this thought, I’m going to go back to my crochet….). Then again maybe it’s a Danish thing because part of hygge is “spending time with family or loved ones in the moment”.

After the service, we went for a walk around Sankt Jørgens Sø which was kind of nice. Chris was driving me a little crazy talking about moving to Copenhagen.

You can read all the posts about our Copenhagen trip in 2019 here and 2020 here.

Our Danish Adventure: Day Four

Each year we end up going somewhere different for our summer holiday. We’d look at a couple of ideas but still wasn’t sure where we wanted to go. When Chris asked me and I said I didn’t know, I showed a map of Europe to Jaxon and got him to pick. Originally he picked Oslo but in the end, we settled on Copenhagen. So here we go, our Danish adventure. Back in the Summer I started writing about our adventure but life kept getting in the way. Now I’m finishing!

Image of Nyhavn in Copenhagen. A red box includes the text "Our Danish Adventure"

My main plan for today was to go to the Tycho Brahe Planetarium It was 10 minutes walk from the hostel so not far at all.

The boys were really cute. I was awake but still had my eyes closed while I tried to eek out just a little more sleep so I stayed as still as possible and listened to them chatting.

Chris: SSH! Mummy is sleeping.

Jaxon: My shoes are too loud.

They were trying to get out to go and get us breakfast while I had a lie in. It was very sweet of them both.

It was very quiet at the planetarium but it meant that we got to explore it properly – There were a lot of exhibitions that would have sucked if it had been busy.

The auditorium in the Planetarium was huge – it was amazing! I was getting into the presentation then Jaxon decided he needed the toilet. To get to the toilet we had to back upstairs within the auditorium then all the back down to the ground floor. By the time we got there it wasn’t worth heading back up to the auditorium so Jaxon and I waited downstairs for Chris to finish.

After the planetarium we took the bus to Christiansborg Slot (The Christiansborg Palace). We got a boat tour from here around the canals and the harbour We went past Nyhavn and the Church of the Saviour in Christiania. It is most famous for it’s helix spiral with an external winding staircase that can be climbed. We took a route right up the harbour to The Little Mermaid then back in a loop to Christiansborg.

We then went to the Experimentarium Museum. This was another amazing museum for kids – there was just so much to do and see. I just wished we’d done it on a weekday as it was far too busy to really enjoy it but Jaxon absolutely loved it and could have spent hours and hours playing.

We then headed back to the hostel so that I could find a quiet corner for a video call with my Mum and some friends. With us being away, I missed my friend’s gender reveal party but my parents had it under control and the Mum-to-Be made it happen too. Mum called me on FaceTime then once my friend knew I was there and part of it, her and husband pulled their confetti cannon things so I didn’t miss the reveal. I’m so pleased and grateful that she did include me because I was quite sad that I was missing out on it.

You can read all the posts about our Copenhagen trip in 2019 here and 2020 here.

Our Danish Adventure: Day Three

Each year we end up going somewhere different for our summer holiday. We’d look at a couple of ideas but still wasn’t sure where we wanted to go. When Chris asked me and I said I didn’t know, I showed a map of Europe to Jaxon and got him to pick. Originally he picked Oslo but in the end, we settled on Copenhagen. So here we go, our Danish adventure. Back in the Summer I started writing about our adventure but life kept getting in the way. Now I’m finishing!

Day Three started with breakfast from Lidl. We’d discovered that the local Lidl was actually quite close to the hotel and this became a regular stop as it was cheaper than the 7-Eleven that was at the end of the street.

Today’s plan was to visit Tivoli Gardens. Both Chris and Jaxon are massive roller coaster fans (As you’d have seen from older posts like at Disney and Chris’s Birthday Challenge), so while we were in the city we had to make use of our Copenhagen Cards and go to the amusement park.

Jaxon was desperate to go but we tried to keep it a surprise, every time Jaxon asked about going we’d say “Maybe later in the week” or something like that – little did he know we actually meant later that day!

We left the hotel and headed for the entry gate. There was a bit of a downpour while we were in the queue but we didn’t let this dampen our spirits.

Whether it wasn’t very clear in the instructions or if I’d just missed it, the Copenhagen Card covers entry to the park but if you do want to go on any rides you need an additional pass which is your ride entry. We found that one adult and one co-rider was the best system for us. The co-rider ticket is sort of a child’s ticket but has the accompanying adult included, so if Jaxon went on a ride but needed to be accompanied by an adult then I could go on with him included in his pass. We found this worked well because it meant that we weren’t paying out for a full adult ticket for me when I wouldn’t really be going on any rides. It’s possible that we could have both gone on this pass but there were rides that Chris wanted to go on but Jaxon wasn’t tall enough to ride accompanied so the adult ticket was needed too.

Jaxon and I started in the Fun House which was quite physical and exhausting (for me certainly!). We’d managed to climb up a moving ladder to get to the top of the slide but then Jaxon decided it was too high and decided I needed to help him to get back down the ladder again so I ended up piggybacking him down the ladder (yes in hindsight this probably wasn’t the best idea but you figure out these things looking back right?)

The boys then went onto the Rutschebanen. This roller coaster is one of the oldest running wooden roller coasters in the world. It was built in 1914. Each carriage has a brake person too. One of the brakemen was wearing a very bright rainbow headband – I think he was getting into the feel of Pride (which is tomorrow). While the boys were on the ride, I found a bench near the ride entrance and did some of my crochet project.

Jaxon loved going on the carousel – which was playing Danish versions of Disney songs. I sat playing “Guess that song”. There are quite a few rides similar to Dumbo at Disneyland as I went on a couple of them with the boys. Jaxon loved going on the dodgems – especially the one he could do by himself rather than with an adult.

You can read all the posts about our Copenhagen trip in 2019 here and 2020 here.

Our Danish Adventure: Day Two

Each year we end up going somewhere different for our summer holiday. We’d look at a couple of ideas but still wasn’t sure where we wanted to go. When Chris asked me and I said I didn’t know, I showed a map of Europe to Jaxon and got him to pick. Originally he picked Oslo but in the end, we settled on Copenhagen. So here we go, our Danish adventure.

Day Two started with trying to find breakfast. There was the option to have breakfast in the hotel but it was kind of pricey per head (we’d come to realise everything is a bit pricier than the UK anyway!).

We headed to the 7-Eleven (which was our corner shop of sorts). We were able to get breakfast which was about 70-80DKK in the end so about £7-9 for all three of us. We’d look at the price of things we knew from home. For instance, 2 bottles of Coke Zero (500ml) were on offer at 36DKK. That’s about £4.50ish depending on the currency exchange. Two bottles that size at our local supermarket in the UK is around £2 maybe?

Following breakfast, we needed to get some wet wipes so we found a pharmacist (Apotek). The packet of baby wipes worked out at about £3 – I think that’s more than even a packet of named brand wipes in the UK. We’ll note for us go to Lidl for wipes too if we need them (or pack them before we leave the UK). Another thing we had to navigate was that although we just wanted to pay, we still needed to take a number and wait our turn.

Our first attraction of the day was Den Blå Planet. There’s a courtesy bus that runs from right outside Central Station to the front door of the Aquarium and you get a nice tour of the city on the way. While we were on this trip we found that Netto and Lidl are both here in Copenhagen and that maybe one of them would be cheaper (Lidl won this in the end).

We spent around two hours in the aquarium. I’m sure we could have spent more but Jaxon was still feeling the effects of the very late night and so was throwing a strop at every opportunity when he didn’t get his way.

There were lots to see both inside and outside the Aquarium. In the first two areas, there were lots of smaller tanks with smaller fishes and other creatures to look at too. In the third area, it was a rainforest area with tanks of tropical fishes. In one tank there were Piranhas and opposite were these really big fish. They were easily the same length as Jaxon and about double or triple his width.

Following Den Bla Planet, we walked to the metro station at Kastrup St and took the metro to Kongens Nytorv. We got lunch at Magasin du Nord (Department Store). We ended up with fresh bread from the bakery (which I think was an Ole and Steen concession) along with sliced cheese from the food hall/supermarket bit. (When we were in France, we found that sliced bread and presliced cheese or ham was often a cheaper way to feed us a quick lunch than buying premade sandwiches).

There was a bit of a breeze but we sat outside and ate our lunch while watching the world go by. We also looked at the buildings that were all dressed up ready for Copenhagen Pride which was the Saturday we were in the city. Next up we headed to Kastellet and Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid). We took the bus again which meant we got to see more of the city that we would have missed on the metro, which was lovely.

I was excited to see The Little Mermaid and knew it has quite of a lot of significance to the city of Copenhagen, both historical and political. It did, however, feel almost anti-climatic. We’d walked about a mile from the bus stop, through Kastellet to find her and then that was it. Maybe I was tired or something but it felt a bit like “Oh and that’s it?”. At this point, Jaxon was desperate to play Hide and Seek, so I hid behind a tree – very obvious and easy to spot but I could still see him and he got to play which helped him focus again on where we were going next.

At this point my plans ran out, the challenge with exploring with Jaxon is knowing when enough is enough and we just need to go back to the hotel and chill.

Chris came up with our next stop. We headed to the Guinness World Records Museum. Outside the Museum, there is a statue/mannequin of Robert Wadlow who holds the record of being the world’s tallest man ever at 8ft 11.1 inches (that’s 272cm!) – the current tallest living man is 8ft 2.8 inches. Even with Jaxon sat on Chris’s shoulders they were still only up to Statue Robert’s chest. (Chris’s shoulder was in line with Statue Robert’s hip!).

We had good fun exploring various exhibits and hands-on bits you could take part in. After this, we headed back to the hotel to relax as we were all getting tired and feeling it from our long day the day before. We attempted to find something for Jaxon to watch and in the end settled on what looked like the Danish equivalent of CBBC.

You can see the video of our adventure here.

Our Danish Adventure: Day One

Each year we end up going somewhere different for our summer holiday. We’d look at a couple of ideas but still wasn’t really sure where we wanted to go. When Chris asked me and I said I didn’t know, I showed a map of Europe to Jaxon and got him to pick. Originally he picked Oslo but in the end we settled on Copenhagen. So here we go, our Danish adventure.

Once we had decided where we were going, I grabbed a roll of old wallpaper we have for crafts etc and started a list of things to do, our flight information and other things to do while we were in Copenhagen. How is it there are loads of places I want to see or things I want to do until I actually have the chance to go and then get major brain freeze. At least by having this big bit of paper I could scribble down ideas as they came to me.

I started packing on Monday. I’m not sure how it happened but because of the way the baggage allowance has worked, it made more sense for one of us to focus on packing across the allowance we had. As usual, packing started with a list – where else was I going to begin?

The plan had been for Jaxon and I to go to knitting group in the morning but when we got up in the morning I felt like there was still so much to do that we decided to stay home.

While Chris finalised some work bits, Jaxon played and I tried to get together all the last bits. Chris had a couple of errands to run so I was on Jaxon duty for some of it then Jaxon went out with Chris to get some air before we sat in a car, aeroplane and train.

When 3pm rolled around and my Dad arrived to take us to the airport, there’d been two extra loads of washing done and a few tears shed.

There was a bit of traffic around Black Cat but on the whole we made good time and it was a good idea that we moved our leaving home time half an hour earlier as it gave us breathing room at the airport.

The queue for security was insane. It was really long. Now maybe that’s just how busy it is as Stansted in the school holidays but it felt really crazy. We followed the easy steps that are shown through the queue to speed up the process. While in the queue, remove devices like your phone/tablet/laptop from your bag, as well as making sure you remove wallets, belts etc. When you get to the last bit, you’re placed in a queue and at this point take your shoes off. Then when you load your tray for security you’re already almost ready. In the end, when I collect my bag and bits, I packed my shoes with my watch and other small bits then carried everything else to get out of the way of the next people.

I was behind the boys and saw that Jaxon was taken one side and Chris went the other. Jaxon was so grown up and listened so well. He had to stand in the full body scanner, then the security chap did a quick body check (Chris and I were both within eye line so it wasn’t like he was alone). The security guy then gave Jaxon a sticker as a well done for being so good. Chris’s bits got delayed so I caught up with Jaxon and we both stood the other side of security and waited for Chris. I got my bits packed in the right places and got my shoes back on.

Chris made it through and it was apparently his little Lush Bar Shampoo in it’s metal tin that was one of the things that held him up.

Once we’d finished with custom we headed to find some food as it was getting towards 5:30 and we had time to spare before our flight. We ended up at Leon. Jaxon has gluten free chicken nuggets and Chris had Vegan Wings (which are made of jackfruit). I had a Halloumi Wrap which is becoming my favourite at Leon. By the time we’d finished eating and been for “just in case” visits to the loo, our gate number had been announced so we headed to the gate. When we got there, there was already a queue forming, there’d been delays too with the plane so we had time to hang around.

In the end I gave Jaxon my hoodie and his iPad and he sat playing on the floor as the queue wasn’t moving at all. When the gate did start boarding, Chris was in the priority queue and we were in the normal queue (it worked out best this way to be able to take a carry on suitcase too). Our queue stayed completely stationery until Chris’s queue had moved through to the next bit. By the time we’d caught up with Chris on the aeroplane, he’d already been in his seat almost 10-15 minutes.

The flight went smoothly. The staff onboard were lovely and friendly. Jaxon got a high five from one of the air hostesses when we went to find the toilet before landing. Everyone else had had a similar idea as there was a queue and then we had to stand in the “staff only” area at the end of the plane because we couldn’t get back along the aisle (and when we did attempt it, it was a very tight squeeze!)

We landed in Copenhagen only a little later than expected which was good. I sent a message to my Mum and Dad so they knew we’d arrived safely and we set about finding the train.

I knew from my research it should be fairly easy. First we needed a ticket machine then we needed to find the train.

The ticket machine is bilingual so that was really easy. We got a single ticket for us all to get to København H (Copenhagen Central station). Two child under 12 can travel for free with a paying adult so although you have to make sure you still have a ticket for children, they can go free which is good.

We headed down to the platform and got a bit muddled about whether we needed to scan our ticket. Chris jumped off the train quickly to check then dashed back on again when he thought he was going to miss us. It seemed to be that if you had a paper ticket you just had to show it to the conductor when they did check otherwise you just kept it on your person and didn’t need to do anything else.

Here’s where I got a little muddled. We found our way to København H station nice and easily but once we were off the train, my directions didn’t match what we had in front of us. The station has exits through the station itself or up a set of steps at the end of each platform. I guess in rush hour this helps to move the crowds?

Anyway, my instructions had been from inside the station rather than from these steps at the other end. It was a little tense but in the end we found our way around the station and then back to my instructions. From the end of the street our hotel is on you can actually see the station, that’s how close it is!

We made it to the hotel and got all checked in. Once we were in the room we got all settled in and headed to bed. We were all shattered!

You can see the video of our adventure here.

Camping in Yorkshire: Day Three

With about ten days notice, Chris announced we were going camping during the May half term – there was a debate about or not the discussion had been had previously but in the end, we just got ourselves together and set off on an adventure. Yorkshire here we come! (I know we’re in July! I’m catching up with all those drafts that I started but didn’t finish!)

So according to my phone, it was 7C outside our tent at 8am. Inside my sleeping bag it was like an oven and I really didn’t want to have to get up. Chris occupied Jaxon for a little bit but then I really did have to get up and get on with the day.

Following breakfast, we headed to Kirkby Stephen where there was a charger and we could explore the town a little bit. We stumbled upon Mini Eden. Mini Eden describes themselves as “a children’s clothing and gift shop in Kirkby Stephen with a difference, we are plastic-free (apart from the Lego!) and ALL stock is either preloved, end-of-line, recycled, handmade, Made in Cumbria or fairtrade.”

There was Duplo and a wooden train set that Jaxon could play with while we drank our drinks and had some cake. I had a very yummy chocolate brownie. I also got Jaxon a couple of pre-loved T-shirts too.

We ended up at some services on the M6 to eat our picnic lunch on our way towards the Lake District. At the services, there was a little footpath that led away from the car park and when we got to the end of the path there was an amazing view across Killington Lake – who could quite believe that so close to the motorway there was this picnic area and lake.

After lunch, we headed to Windermere and stopped at the Beatrix Potter Museum. Chris and I had visited it in 2011 when we were in the Lakes for a little holiday (You can read about that trip here). Some bits had definitely changed and others bits were just the same. With it being the school holidays there were other bits going on including meeting this chap. Jaxon wasn’t so sure at first but then posed nicely for a picture with Peter Rabbit.

We headed down to the lake itself and got an ice cream. Jaxon chose bubblegum or something like that which he thought was great fun! Then it was time to head back to the campsite so that we could sort out dinner when we got back.

Camping in Yorkshire: Day Two

With about ten days notice, Chris announced we were going camping during the May half term – there was a debate about or not the discussion had been had previously but in the end, we just got ourselves together and set off on an adventure. Yorkshire here we come! (I know we’re in July! I’m catching up with all those drafts that I started but didn’t finish!)

Most people would be annoyed about having a building site outside their hotel room but Jaxon and Chris spent more time with their noses to the window looking at the building site across the road. I guess it was glad it was a Bank Holiday otherwise we could have been woken by the builders and been unhappy lol.

While we were getting ready we had a call from reception, the guy from yesterday had finished with the charger and wanted to let us know so that we could go put our car on charge while we were at breakfast (We have a Renault Zoe). Chris headed down to get it sorted while Jaxon and I got ready for the day and packed our stuff so that after breakfast we could come straight back up and get our things.

We headed down to breakfast and it just happened the reception lady was on her way through the restaurant as we arrived and she remembered we needed a gluten-free option so helped us out. There was a choice between a cooked breakfast, cereal and pastries etc. I either go without breakfast or end up with a bowl of cereal so didn’t really know what to pick. I ended up with some scrambled eggs and a couple of sausages to start with.

While at breakfast we watched the news about the European Elections. With Brexit going ahead, this was the last time we’d be included. The charging man also came to see us to make sure that reception had let us know about the charger. That was very nice of him to check as he didn’t need to go out of his way to do that but I’m grateful he did.

Once breakfast was finished we headed back upstairs and got ourselves all sorted. We came down and checked out before getting on the road again. The next leg would take us from Lincoln to the services at Ferrybridge on the M62/A1(M) which is just outside of Pontefract. It seemed liked everyone else had stopped for their lunch too so finding somewhere to sit was a real challenge.

In the end, we found some seats right in the corner which worked while we had our lunch.

Following lunch, we got back on the road to do the rest of the trip. We had a discussion about what order to do things in as we needed to stop for a charge and the camp site would be about 15 miles away from the campsite. In the end Chris decided that we would go to the campsite first, the car would then be lighter for the drive back to the charging point and would hopefully make the charge last a bit longer.

We got the car unloaded and started setting up our tent. We managed to get the tent set up and everything inside before the heavens opened which was good! Jaxon and I stayed at the tent and got things sorted out while Chris went to the charger at Scotch Corner. We were staying at YHA Grinton Lodge which has dormitories but also has space for camping.

About a mile from the charger, Chris ran out of charge and had to wait for the AA to come to his rescue. The first AA man couldn’t help. The call centre person had taken “I’ve run out of charge” to mean that we had a flat battery like you would in a standard car rather than “My electric car has ran out of battery”. The first guy then updated his system and got a tow truck called out for Chris.

Outside our tent throughout our stay we had a few visitors who were quite noisy…

While Chris was out, we booked in properly as the YHA reception was then open and tried to sort out food for Jaxon and I. There was a little hiccup with payment which caused me a little stress but I got it sorted in the end. As well as that, food isn’t normally served until 6:30pm or something like that so trying to get food for Jaxon was proving to be a challenge. We both had a panini and sat in the YHA dinner hall. Apparently, food isn’t normally served until about 6:30 but the YHA guy sorted it out for us as a sort of goodwill gesture.

Once we’d eaten we headed back to the tent and I got Jaxon ready for bed. Between waiting for the tow truck and then waiting at the charger, Chris was delayed with coming back and missed bedtime. Jaxon got all settled then decided that actually he needed the toilet again so I had to get his coat and shoes back on again and take him into the building. The toilets for campers were really easy to find but did involve doing almost half of a lap of the building.

Once Jaxon had settled, I did some more tidying up and organising around the tent and then curled up on our bed to read my book.

This was the view from part of the building. It was a soggy start to the week but even then the view was still beautiful.

Camping in Yorkshire: Day One

With about ten days notice, Chris announced we were going camping during the May half term – there was a debate about or not the discussion had been had previously but in the end, we just got ourselves together and set off on an adventure. Yorkshire here we come! (I know we’re in July! I’m catching up with all those drafts that I started but didn’t finish!)

Well, technically I guess the camping didn’t start until Monday but our trip started on Sunday.

After visiting our old church in the morning, we headed home to get lunch, sort out the remaining bits, load the car and get on the road.

With all the luggage backed into Zoe the EV, we decided that I’d sit in the back for the first leg (and by the time we got to the campsite along those winding, country roads it was decided that Chris or I would sit in the back on the way home too!)

Off to Peterborough

With Zoe the EV working her little socks off, we needed to stop for a charge. Chris had planned the route so that we had specific places to stop and charge. Our first stop was at the council offices in Peterborough. As it happened they were walking distance from the Nene Valley Railway. Although there wasn’t time to ride the railway while we waiting for Zoe the EV to charge, we walked to see the trains. We got to see Helga, she is a Swedish Rail Car and is orange and yellow so you can’t miss her! We also saw the MagLev Carriage which has seen better days!

Helga the orange and yellow Swedish Rail Car
Maglev train at Nene Valley Railway

Continuing to Lincoln

Once Zoe the EV was charged some more, it was time to get on the road to our final destination for the day. We would be staying at the Holiday Inn in Lincoln City Centre. The great thing about this is that the hotel has got it’s own charger (and it’s a rapid one I believe!). We arrived at the hotel and someone else had just beat us but they took Chris’s number so that they could let us know when they’d finished with the charger and we would be able to use it after them.

After we got settled in the room, we headed to the local McDonalds for tea which was very exciting for Jaxon because he’d been told he could have it but it would be later in the week.

We headed back to the hotel and got Jaxon ready for bed including a shower – he wasn’t so convinced about it but we managed to convince him to get on with it! Chris and I then sat in bed and read while Jaxon got settled down for bed. He was a bit too excited at first but he settled down in the end.

That was the end of Day One.

Come From Away #HappyCanadaDay

Wow!

At the beginning of last week, I entered a competition to win tickets to see Come From Away in London. I’ve been wanting to see it since I saw the trailer for the Broadway version (and then found out it was opening in London) so figured I would give it a go and see what happened next.

🌍 Competition time! 🌍

Help us PAY IT FORWARD this Canada Day as we take over Tottenham Court Road Underground Station for an afternoon of community and kindness.

Here’s how to enter. 👇🏻

Comment below and tell us how the message of Come From Away has inspired you.

Five winners will get to spend an afternoon with our cast, spreading kindness. They’ll also win a dinner for two at Joe Allen Restaurant and a pair of tickets to see Come From Away on Canada Day, with an on stage meet and greet after the show.

On Wednesday, while Jaxon and I shared an apple, I got a message on Twitter from the social media team to say I’d won! (Yep nearly sprayed the apple across my laptop! Oops!)

I rang Mum and we start a plan. Can Mum take the time off work? Can Dad do the school run and look after Jaxon? Can he take us to the train station too?

She goes off to chat to Dad and I have a little freak out because I’m SO excited. Mum texts back, Dad will have Jaxon so we’re good to go.

After a couple of days of being super excited, we got up to Monday and it was time for our adventure. I got Jaxon up and to school like normal (well minus me repacking my backpack with “day out” things instead of my everyday stuff) and then after a quick pit stop at the supermarket headed home to kill time until Mum and I would go to the station. (Even managed to get some work done!)

The trains were definitely on our side as we managed to get a London bound train within 10 minutes of getting through the barrier at Bedford.

On our arrival in London, we stopped to grab a sandwich and headed towards the theatre (figured it was better to kill time there if we needed to).

We found a spot to sit just around the corner from the theatre and ate our sandwiches and put the world to rights. Thankfully the sun was shining and it was warm but not too hot like Saturday!

At 12.30 we went back to the theatre and met the cast/crew and the other winners and their guests. We were each given a Come From Away pin (in the shape of a Canadian maple leaf) so that we could be identified by the cast (even if we couldn’t remember everyone’s names!). After being introduced to lots of people and told the plan we all walked from the theatre to Tottenham Court Road Station. As part of the Crossrail (Elizabeth Line) project a lot of Tottenham Court Road station has changed since the last time I think I went through the station.

At first we were a bit muddled what we needed to do and where we should stand but as the first flash mob started we relaxed a bit. Following the flash mob, we handed out the preloaded Oyster cards and holders. The first time, we were all a bit uncomfortable (I think!). We tried to give out the cards but often people were too busy saying no and walking away to listen to us. (Or we think they thought there was a catch – cos why would anything be free?)

Following our first flash mob/giveaway, we ended up going to Pret for a coffee with Mark, Jenn and Kirsty from the cast as well as a couple of the other winners from the competition. It was great fun and we talked about all sorts of different things including how Kirsty once played a Hobbit and then how tall Hobbits had to be. Actually, that started from talking about birthdays and how Hobbits give presents on their birthday instead of receiving.

Grabbing coffee with Mark, Jenn and Kirsty from the cast, Cher, Heather and My mum.

Mark is our selfie photographer, then in the picture starting over Mark’s left shoulder we have Heather, Kirsty, Mum. Then down the otherside, I’m at the back, then it’s Jenn and CherAnn. Then it was time to head back to the station for round two. Mum and I chatted to Harry (He plays Oz and other roles) leading up to the second flash mob. We figured that if we started handing out the cards as soon as the cast finished then we could catch people while their attention was still on it before they’d moved onto the next thing in their day. We definitely found it worked better. There were still people who turned them down but by getting on it straight away it definitely made a difference.

Following the second flash mob, Mum and I went to sit outside and have a snack and a drink. We talked about what show is now on at the Dominion after We Will Rock You finished in 2014. (We came to see it when I was about 34 weeks pregnant with Jaxon!). We then headed back into the station as we were getting really hot in the sunshine outside (and it was about time for the final flash mob).

Following the third flash mob, we headed back to the theatre with the cast and we were able to go through the stage door, through the corridors and onto the stage, which was so exciting! It was a bit surreal being on the stage looking out across the auditorium. We stood and counted the rows to figure out roughly where we would be seating. Actually I counted it the wrong way and we were on the opposite side to where we thought but we were still 13ish rows from the front and to one side of the row so still had amazing views of the stage and really felt like we were part of the action, rather than being off in the gods or something like that.

How cool are these lighting rigs? They are trees with the lights then hung on them which is really cool. I took the photo to send to Chris but he was busy at work and didn’t reply.

After taking photos, we headed out through the other wing of the stage, through the auditorium and then out the front door of the theatre. We had a couple of hours to pass before our booking at the restaurant, so Mum and I started by going to Paperchase as that is on Tottenham Court Road (about 10 minutes from the Dominion I think). We then went to Hema, Muji and another store (but I can’t remember which one now!). We did talk about going to Flying Tiger but we have one of them in Milton Keynes whereas are closest Muji and Hema are London. After shopping, we walked from TCR to the Joe Allen restaurant in the Strand, this included cutting across Covent Garden market as my instructions were taking me around the block rather than across it!

We arrived at the restaurant thinking we were maybe 5-10 minutes early but according to the Maitre’D lady we were closer to 40 minutes early as they had us booked for 5:30 instead. They were able to seat us anyway and we started with drinks. I ordered an “Over The Hedge”. It contained Elderflower, mint, lime, cucumber and tonic. At first, I really didn’t like the drink as the tonic was sat on top of the ice and I tried sipping it from the edge of the glass. Then I realised if I used the straw I got all the elderflower and lime taste which was great but as I got through my drink the tonic was getting stronger to the point that I didn’t drink the end of it. I guess if I had it again I might ask if they could switch the tonic for lemonade instead.

We were given a set menu to pick from which was great (sometimes less choice for me is better!)

I had:

  • Starter – Buffala mozzarella, salsa verde, cherry tomatoes, croûtons
  • Main – Cornfed chicken breast, aubergine & red pepper couscous, yoghurt, mint.
  • Dessert – Vanilla panacotta, summer berries and Chocolate tart, crème fraîche, caramelised hazelnuts.

No I didn’t have two desserts. Mum and I couldn’t decide and ended up getting one of each and going halves. Both were lovely but I think the pannacotta was my favourite out of both of them. Could have happily had another portion of that I’m sure!

We headed out of the restaurant and started to walk back towards the theatre. We got to Covent Garden market and spotted a Cycle Rickshaw, so we decided that we would go on one of them back to the theatre if we could. (I’ve been trying to embed the video here but it’s so huge that it’s not working. Try here on my IG Stories)

We got back to the theatre in perfect timing. We got settled in our seats ready for the show and I was so excited I thought I might burst. The couple next to me seemed to be having a terrible time or something. The gent looked really miserable, his partner/wife seemed to be having a better time. By the end, she was clapping along but that was only in the last song or so at the end.

It was such an amazing day and I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to go. Very grateful to my Dad too who took us to the train station in the morning, collected Jaxon from school and then collected us from the train station in the evening.

To make sure I disclaim this properly, I won two tickets to see Come From Away in London. We were “audience members” for the three flash mobs/performances in Tottenham Court Road Station. Followed by dinner at Joe Allen’s. There was no need for me to blog about it/post on social media but I have done because I want to share my love of the musical and the community around Come From Away.

Happy 5th Birthday Jaxon

Jaxon's black school shoes and his blue trainers on the stairs

Five years ago, I think I was at the point of pacing the living room. In fact, I’m surprised I hadn’t worn a rut in the carpet, I’d been pacing that much. (Birth Story is here) We’d been the supermarket to get lunch after my Midwives appointment, then came home because I felt ill. Then the pacing started!

Jaxon through the years

And here we are, today Jaxon you’re 5!
I put you to bed last night and had a moment. After talking about your birthday for what felt like months, it would actually be your birthday! Yesterday your first school report came home. And we are just so proud of you! This time last year you were sad about finishing preschool but so excited about starting school. Every time we went past the school building you’d get so excited and tell us how that was your big school (and now preschool is the little school). I was a little worried about how you would fit in at school just because some days your own rhythm is so different to everyone else’s but you settled in amazingly. You made heaps of friends (and I made friends with a lovely huddle of Mummy Friends).

I sat on the sofa last night and listened to you in bed. I could hear you turning pages in the book you were reading. With it being summertime you’ve sometimes struggled with how light it is in your bedroom – even with the new blackout linings for your curtains. You’re like me and you love to read, we try to do a story every evening before bed and if you’ve done your reading for school too then we have two stories each day.

But you’re also like Daddy. You’ve got a crazy explorer/adventurer heart and so will probably throw a dart at a map, learn about that place and want to visit it. (You picked Oslo for our summer holiday this year and Daddy came up with Copenhagen as a sort of compromise. Very exciting!!)

In the last year, you’ve properly developed into a little boy instead of the big toddler playing dress up in school uniform that it seemed at the beginning of the year. I have to remember to take your picture next week when it’s the end of term so that I can compare you now against you then (and probably prove my imagination wrong!)

From Wikipedia

You love trains and tell that when you grow up you want to drive a double-decker train for your job. Daddy says you might need to think about moving to Europe to be able to do that. We did ride on a couple of double-decker trains in France when we went to Disneyland Paris last year (Daddy and I had been on one in Holland too when we went from Rotterdam to Amsterdam).

Monthly Review: June

This month’s Monthly Review. Do you write a similar post? I stumbled across Belle’s review posts over on her blog by accident and decided to attempt to revive my own Monthly Review posts. You can see others here.

Highlights

  • The Mummies and I went to the Quiz Night at Church. We had a great time and it was lovely to hang out as us rather than just around the school gates waiting for the kids.
  • My Sister in Law and I had lunch and discussed her crazy idea for a “side hustle”. It’s exciting but hard to try and not take over lol.
  • I attempted to go and give blood but my bus was delayed. Then when I got to the session, they were short-staffed so the delay was growing and growing. I tried to be patient but in the end, I just had to get on the bus and go home again so that I could be at school in time to collect Jaxon.
  • Ikea Field Trip – My friend and I took our boys to the soft play/kids area at Ikea while we grabbed breakfast. We also went around the store to get some bits that we needed.
  • We talked about which paints we are going to use to work on our house. We’re getting there on the kitchen but there is still some to do. Unfortunately, as we’re both trying to do it around our jobs and looking after Jaxon. I’m thinking I should have taken more before pictures though so that I can show what we’ve been up to.
  • We took Jaxon to the cinema to see Toy Story 4. I wasn’t sure whether he’d sit still through the whole film but he did pretty well. He was sat with Chris right near the aisle so they could both get out if a quick break was needed. Grandma and Grandpa came with us too which Jaxon thought was great fun.
  • Jaxon had two birthday parties which was good fun for him.
  • Mum, My brother and I went to see Yesterday at the cinema – loved it! Especially that epic cameo! (I’ll happily discuss more but I think it’s better if it comes as a surprise of sorts).

Projects Worked on in June

I’m working on a couple of projects but as they are presents they are surprises. Once they are complete I’ll share. In between them, I am working on finishing my Juniper Tee by Verity Castledine (aka Truly Hooked). I’m really trying to finish it before we go to Fibre East at the end of July so that I can show it off.

Books Read in June

  • Christmas Spirit by Nicola May
  • Always with You By Hannah Ellis
  • Beyond The Lens by Hannah Ellis
  • Beneath The Stars by Hannah Ellis
  • Goodness, Grace and Me by Julie Houston (In Progress)
  • Coming Home to Holly Close Farm by Julie Houston (In Progress – I had started this but it’s almost the middle of the series so I’ve gone back to the beginning of the series)

Series Watched

  • iZombie (Netflix)
  • Good Omens (Amazon Prime)
  • New Amsterdam (Amazon Prime)
  • Designated Survivor (Netflix)
  • Tales of The City (Netflix)
  • My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman (Netflix)

Films watched

  • The Emoji Movie
  • Toy Story 4
  • Yesterday
  • Always Be My Maybe (Netflix)
  • I Am Mother (Netflix)
  • The Wife (Netflix)

YouTube

I’ve added a bunch of YouTube channels to my subscriptions including Knorpp and South, Grace for The Millers and Anomalily.

Podcasts

I’ve been listing to more podcasts especially while I was working on the kitchen painting. I love Rocking the Cradle and That Sounds Fun.

Top Posts Viewed in June

Recently Off The Needles: Baby Kimono

Back in February, my lovely friends, Mel and Daniel announced that they were pregnant and expecting their first baby. They shared their story of infertility and their IVF journey to get to where they are. You can read that here.

I decided that I would cast on a cardigan or something along those lines. Mostly because a cardigan would pack a bit smaller than a blanket and would travel a little better from the UK to Australia.

I finished quite a while ago but finally got it into the mail about two weeks ago and as it’s arrived as it’s final destination, I thought I’d share the picture.

The pattern is the Baby Kimono Pattern by Elizabeth Jarvis. It’s available on Ravelry. It’s a really easy pattern to follow as it’s pretty much almost knitted all in one piece (I think it’s just the second arm that’s knitted separately and then joined on but it’s really easy to do).

Monthly Review: May

This month’s Monthly Review. Do you write a similar post? I stumbled across Belle’s review posts over on her blog by accident and decided to attempt to revive my own Monthly Review posts. You can see others here.

Highlights

  • I had a number of exciting meetings throughout May talking about new ideas and things that are going to happen. One meeting was with my ex-colleague. I was so nervous I had butterflies the size of Pterodactyls or something! I dashed from one thing to another that day and really felt like I never had any time to process what was going on!
  • Dad and I went out for Brunch at The Longholme, here in Bedford. We took part in a Walking Quiz during the Easter Holiday and we won the selfie competition that was part of the quiz. (Our winning selfie is here. Yes, Jaxon is wearing his Christmas jumper!)
  • Chris and I celebrated our 12th Wedding Anniversary. He was trying to meet a deadline for work stuff, so we went out for tea on the Thursday before our anniversary with Jaxon and decided that we’d put a pin in official celebrations and come back to them when needed. The Saturday rolled around and as Chris said dinner was ready there was a ring at the doorbell. Chris had organised at the last minute for his sister to come to babysit while we went out. We went to the cinema to see The Hustle. It wouldn’t have been my first choice but it was still good. I’m a massive Anne Hathaway fan but feel like Rebel Wilson plays the same character in a different outfit sometimes.
  • My lovely friend Rachael asked if I would man her bookshop for the day. OHYGOODNESS! That’s like being trusted with her baby for the day. I worked in a well-known High Street Bookshop for my Work Experience when I was 15 but that was the last time I worked in a Bookshop. Well, on the whole, I think it went okay and I got over my nerves after a couple of customers. They did come back though when I had a couple of customers come in one after the other asking for recommendations and I couldn’t think straight! Well, I hope the ones that I did recommend found a loving home!
  • That same day we were off to see the UK Touring Cast’s version of Les Miserables at Milton Keynes Theatre. We had dinner at Bella Italia first then headed around to the theatre. Our seats were the front row of the Upper Circle which was an amazing view, especially for the Barricade bits. (I can’t find the trailer for that one but we’re going to see the Staged Concert in London later this year so you can see the trailer for that here).
  • Having been to the theatre, we drove home singing along to the soundtrack at the top of our lungs. When my Mum tried to start a conversation, my brother just got louder – it was so funny! I dropped everyone home and headed home to bed. I got up the following morning not feeling right, but right enough to still go serve on the team liked I’d committed to at church. When I got home I snuggled on the sofa while Jaxon played and waited for the feeling to pass. Chris arrived home and we discussed about when we needed to leave for Spud’s birthday party. He asked me a question and I knew I needed to get to the loo or sink quickly – either way I couldn’t stay sat where I was. Well, that was it, anything I’d eaten came back up and I was certainly not going anywhere other than my bed! Chris was amazing and took Jaxon to the party even though he didn’t really know anyone there. I ended up sleeping on and off for 15 hours in the end once you add up that I slept on and off all afternoon and then pretty much solidly between midnight and about 7 am. I missed knitting group on Monday and cancelled some work I was due to do on Tuesday. We were sure it was food poisoning rather than a stomach bug but in case it was a bug, I decided I needed to stay home.
  • Then with it being half term at the end of May, we were on holiday for a week – yeah!!

Projects Worked on in May

  • Pink Floral Baby Blanket – this was delivered to the receiver at the beginning of June. The Mummy of the receiver shared a lovely photo with me of it being used. The cropped version was shared on IG here.
  • Blues and Greens Granny Square Blanket – this one is going to take me a bit longer but it’s getting there.
  • Juniper Tee by Truly Hooked – It feels like I started this ages ago! I completed a bit more in May but it’s then got put on hold after I lost the other yarn I was going to use to complete it! NO!

Books Read in May

  • 6 Caledon Street by D. van de Merwe
  • The Cottage at Hope Cove by Hannah Ellis
  • Escape to Oakbrook Farm by Hannah Ellis
  • Summer at the Old Boathouse by Hannah Ellis
  • Whispers at the Bluebell Inn by Hannah Ellis
  • The House at Lavender Lane by Hannah Ellis
  • Friends Like These by Hannah Ellis
  • Christmas with Friends by Hannah Ellis
  • My Kind of Perfect by Hannah Ellis
  • A Friend in Need by Hannah Ellis
  • Beyond the Lens by Hannah Ellis (in progress)

(Thank you to Amazon Kindle Unlimited and going camping for a week! Yes I found an author that I liked and had to read all her books pretty much!)

Series Watched

(Not full seasons btw!)

  • iZombie (Season 5 started in May)
  • Tiny House Nation (New show that started on Netflix)
  • Chicago Fire
  • Grey’s Anatomy
  • 911 (Mum told me this was the first one I had to watch when I got home!)

Films watched

  • Wine Country
  • The Hustle

Top Posts Viewed in May

Goals for June

  • Catch up on blogging and try to get some posts scheduled ahead of time.
  • Keep up the reading (maybe not at the same pace as in May but at least clear a few off the list!)
  • Keep my Bullet Journal going – it definitely works better for me and is more flexible to fit what I need to go in there.
  • Exercise more and eat healthier (I’m attempting #100DaysofSweat with YesTheory)

Eight Forty Four

Eight forty four is when my Mum rang me a few Saturdays ago.

I thought she was calling to talk about going to the Craft Fair at church. No, her call was more urgent and life changing. Grandad had passed away in the small hours of the morning.

He’d not been entirely right for a while and back in November-ish, Dad had a very matter of fact conversation with us. The doctors had said that Grandad could have weeks but that would be it. Six months later and he was still going but after being admitted to hospital about 10 days ago, it was sort of the beginning of the end.

Four generations: Grandad, Dad, Jaxon and I at Jaxon’s Dedication
Four generations: Grandad, Dad, Jaxon and I at Jaxon’s Dedication

Jaxon, Chris and I had been sat in bed chatting and playing games on my iPad. So when Mum’s tone was serious, I rolled over and sat up on my side of the bed. Chris knew by my tone and body language that something was up. 

I got off the phone and said I needed to go to the hospital if he could look after Jaxon. Unlike Grandma who was unconscious when we’d get the call that she didn’t have long left, Grandad had already gone. I wasn’t really sure about going to the hospital. My brother and cousins had decided that they weren’t going to go (or couldn’t go for various reasons) but I decided in the end I needed to go, even if it was just to support Dad while he and his siblings made the necessary decisions and plans that were needed. 

Chris and Jaxon took me to the hospital and I headed through the hospital to the lifts. I got to the lifts and as I got in the lift, Mum dashed in behind me, she’d been waiting for me in the corridor but I think I’d been in a bubble and sort of missed her as I went past. We headed up to the ward and Dad had come to meet us.

Dad walked Mum and I to the relatives room and my Aunt grabbed and gave me a squeezy hug and told me “It would be okay. Grandad was now with Grandma” We sat in a “relatives room” for a little bit chatting about what had happened etc. We talked about how Grandad had been telling the nurses all about his Great-Grandbabies – he’s got four boys and he was so proud of that fact! (Jaxon is the eldest and the most recent addition arrived just a few months ago) Dad then asked did I want to go and see Grandad. He warned me that it wasn’t going to be a pretty sight and I could leave whenever I wanted to and if I changed my mind I didn’t have to go and see him. I did go and see him. It was good to say goodbye but it was a bit strange. After all the soul of what made him Grandad was no longer there. That had gone and it was just his body left. We went back to the relatives room and then chatted some more. Dad spoke to my Uncle on the phone and they discussed various bits. Between my Uncle being away for work and my cousin being away for work, fitting in the funeral was going to be a challenge but they’d figure it out. In the end my Uncle said to book it and he’d figure out work around it. With it being a Saturday, a lot of the legal bits couldn’t be dealt with until Monday so we decided to head home. Chris had taken Jaxon out for breakfast after they’d dropped me off at the hospital so I headed home to an empty house. I decided I’d still go up to church for the craft fair and went to get my bike out. I figured the head space of cycling up there might be good. It wasn’t that easy in the end and I had to walk my bike back home again just in time for the boys to be home with the car! So I switched to the car and headed up to church, I chatted to a few of my friends who had stalls there and then headed back to the car. I drove along the road that church is on and decided I needed to go and see my other Grandma and Grandad. I just needed to go and put my arms around them and give them a big hug while I could. In the end, I sat on Grandma’s sofa and had a cry. She held my hand and talked to me about all sorts of things. I told her how I’d been talking about her at Community Group and stories she’d tell me about God providing when her and Grandad needed it.

So that was the beginning of April, then we headed towards the end of April for the funeral. The service would be on the Monday after my birthday at the Crematorium, we’d then go for lunch together after. I got Jaxon up and took him to school then came home and didn’t do a lot. I didn’t have time to go to knitting group – I tried to figure out if I could do both but I would have to leave knitting group almost as soon as I had arrived so that I could be at the Crematorium in time. The service was lovely (Well as lovely as a funeral can be). I cried lots through it, I’d forgotten to bring any tissues so ended up using the sleeve of my cardigan at least to wipe my eyes. (Oops!) The service ended with Bring Me Sunshine by Morecambe and Wise. I got to meet my Cousin’s son for the first time which was lovely and got to catch up with other family members – just wish it had been on a happier occasion.

I started this post back at the beginning of April, I tried to put into words what I was feeling but I’m not always sure it came out clearly and so I kept saving it as a draft and then leaving it there for a bit. So now we’re in May and I’m adding some more thoughts to it and hitting publish.

Dear Friends (on Mother’s Day)

Dear Friend, today I know you’re wondering if that person to have a family with, will ever cross paths with you.

Dear Friend, today I know you’re questioning the next negative pregnancy test in a long line of failed attempts, wondering if you’ll *ever* get to be a Mum.

Dear Friend, today I know your heart is aching because as much as in your head and heart you want to be a Mum, your health or your circumstances mean that you’re not able to be a Mum.

Dear Friend, today I know you’re mourning the loss of the baby you’d hoped would be part of your family, maybe you never got to meet them other than a scan or maybe you didn’t even get that. Maybe you got to hold your sweet child for minutes, hours or longer but now they are no longer here to cuddle and kiss.

Dear Friend, today I know you may sit and miss your own Mum. Maybe she was a huge part in your life and now leaves a big hole.

Dear Friend, today I know that maybe your Mum wasn’t ever part of your life and you miss her for the what ifs so much it aches.

Dear Friend, today I know that maybe although your Mum was part of your life, maybe it would have been better for her not to be there at all.

Dear Friend, today I know it’ll be hard either because your Mum is in another country or maybe on another continent or maybe you’re a Mum and your children are far from home.

Dear Friend, today I know you might be missing your Mum because the path your life took doesn’t line up with what your Mum wanted for your life.

Dear Friends, today I know you might be avoiding church so you don’t have to deal with what Mother’s Day brings to some churches, or maybe you’ve battened down the hatches and you’re not leaving your bed so today can be skipped and ignored.

Dear Friends who have been my “Second Mums”, thank you for adopting me and taking me along on this journey of life. Thank you for hugging me when I’ve cried, feeding me when I’m hungry, giving me a drink when I’m thirsty. Thank you for looking out for me along the way.

Dear Friends, I wish I had a magic wand or something to answer your prayers and wishes but I don’t. I do however have hugs for those who need them. I have shoulders to be cried on. I’m not going to win a Michelin Star and it might just be a frozen pizza or microwaved pasta but you know that if you come to mine and need feeding I’m on the case. I’ll never win Bake Off but I’ll track down or make some cake or biscuits if the situation calls for it. I don’t drink tea or coffee but if that’s your beverage of choice you can bet the kettle will be on for a cuppa. (And at the moment if wine is your beverage of choice I can actually do a glass of that!)

Dear Friends, today will be hard for some of you maybe for the reason above or maybe it’s something else but if you know me in person, come find me, I’ve got a hug and a smile for you.

Friends you are lovely. Share the love, spread some happy, let’s celebrate our friends, those who encourage us along like sisters or those who take us under their wings like a mother.

Drawing by Mari Andrew

Monthly Review: February

Highlights

  • Started the month with a Skype call with a new client. That was exciting. Another meeting with a client/friend, just needing some help finding her way around WordPress so it was just a couple of quick questions but it was good to have a little catch up too. And then another couple of meetings around current work and new work. Just hope this continues.
  • The Mummies from school went out for dinner. It was a lovely little gathering. It was great to get to know a few of the mums a bit better than just the small talk we do around the school gates.
  • Jaxon’s school had a special little party to celebrate Chinese New Year as they’d been learning about it. We had some food and they sang a song (unfortunately I missed that bit as I was running behind)
  • We had snow forecasted then the following week it was like 16/17C and we could go out without our coats – crazy times!
  • Jaxon had a Parents Consultation which was good to hear what he’s been doing at school. It was good to chat to his teacher and clarify some bits around the work Jaxon is set home with each week.
  • We had a week off from school as it was half term. Chris was able to take Tuesday off work and have Jaxon while I was in Birmingham (Part One is here, Part Two is still coming!). Our Sidekick was really good too and was able to babysit Jaxon while Chris came to the station to get me.
  • Also did practical things like changing broadband provider and finally got the energy supplier changed. I had an eye test too. The lady was super helpful. I didn’t need new glasses but my prescription has changed fractionally so she wanted me to keep an eye (haha!) on it and if my sight changes at all to go back even if my test isn’t due.

Top Posts Viewed in February

Goals Set for February – and the Progress

  • Continue with walking 1000 miles challenge. So February’s target was 76.9 miles. With Chris working from home at the moment, I’ve had the car more which is great but does mean I haven’t been walking as many miles a usual. According to Fitbit, I completed 89.14 miles – this would be total rather than just going out for specific walks. I’ve slacked off a bit this month but hopefully, I can get that back in March.
  • Clear more WIPs from the knitting/crochet pile. I got up to the lace section on the Northern Lights Shawl and it just wasn’t working. Somewhere along a repeat I got it wrong so I tried un-doing it to start that bit again but it really wasn’t agreeing with me so I ended up frogging the whole thing and trying a different pattern instead. It’s a shame given how many hours of knitting had already gone into it but the new project knitted up quicker so I’m getting there on those two. I didn’t do much work on the Stormy Skies Jumper but hopefully I can come back to that in March if there’s time.

Goals for March

  • Continue with walking 1000 miles challenge. Try to get over 100 miles in the month again.
  • Give blood
  • Work on #40Acts for Lent.
  • Clear more WIPS from the knitting/crochet pile.
  • Find patterns that can be used as stashbusters.

A Sort of Random Act of Kindness

About 10 days ago now, I parked the car at our usual place and walked up to the school for Celebration Monday. We had a lovely time in the school library and I asked Jaxon about going our local council ran library – after all I think the last time I took him, he was definitely still in his buggy!

When Jaxon and I got back to the car, I’d strapped him in and went around to get into the driver’s seat. As I got in, something in the road caught my eye, so I got back out again. Even if it was just a bit that had fallen off a car, it was big for a car part and could damage someone else’s car if it was left there.

It was a small handbag (not much bigger than a clutch bag sort of thing). I opened it to see if there was an ID or something like that, there was a phone and a variety of cards. At this point I rang Chris. Our local police have changed what they will take as lost property so I wasn’t really sure what to do. Chris looked it up on the internet and there’s a national website you can report lost property to. Given the style and what was in it, I wasn’t really sure that it belonged to a “younger” person. Chris suggested ringing the mobile network – maybe they could identify the person. It was only then as I went back to the phone for a closer look did I see that there was a debit card in the front pocket of the phone case.

Having got home, I rang the mobile phone network first – they suggested taking it to the store who might be able to assist. Jaxon and I jumped back in the car and headed to the shop. The guy who I spoke to said that without the phone number or the IMEI number they wouldn’t be able to narrow it down. I said about there being a bank card in there, to which he suggested taking it to the bank – which was my next stop anyway.

Jaxon and I got back in the car and headed to the nearest branch of the bank who issued the card. We got to the bank and the guy there said of course they could contact the owner of the bank card and they could hold onto the whole handbag until the owner could collect it. Also would I like to leave my details with them, I said yes please – I’d like to know that it got home to the rightful owner okay. (Knowing how flappy I can get when I lose my bank card or my phone, I wanted to make sure it made it home).

Yesterday evening, I had a phone call on my mobile and it was a mobile number but I didn’t recognise it. The lady on the other end of the call said “Is that Hannah? Hello I’m Mrs P. You found my purse!” (or words to that affect!) She was so very pleased that it had been found. When retracing her steps she thinks it must have slid off her shoulder when she took her coat off or slid off her coat when she put it on the back seat of the car. Either way, she was very grateful that I’d found it and handed it in. We had a little chat about how it ended up at the bank and how she dislikes contactless bank cards.

After the slightly crazy evening Chris and I had yesterday, we were grateful that at least one plan had come together with no issues!

Thank You Card

Following our chat yesterday, there was a knock at the door today. Mrs P and her friend had popped around with this card and a little present to say thank you for being a lovely person and handing her handbag in. That was so super lovely of her and I’m very grateful – although she didn’t need to do that, returning her handbag was the right thing to do. In the event, I couldn’t get it to her in person, getting it to the bank to look after it was the responsibile thing to do.

#40Acts – Day Three: Period Poverty

Image from the #40Acts daily prompt email
  • Green Option: Spend some time looking into local groups that give free sanitary care to schools.
  • Yellow Option: Go Shopping. And drop off a package in a donation box in your local area.
  • Red Option: Do your bit to educate. Get the word out on social media – even though it’s awkward.

For this one, I took to social media. I regularly donate a packet or two of sanitary pads to the Red Box Project collection box at Rogan’s Books. It was the facts that worry me and make me cross. According to Plan International, 1 in 10 girls can’t afford sanitary products and over 137,700 children have missed school because of period poverty; 40% have used toilet roll as a substitute. On average it costs £13 a month and some households have to weigh it up against heating or food. How in this day and age is period poverty a thing here in the UK?

The Red Box Project are doing a great job about getting sanitary products into schools that girls in need can be given. It’s not just pads or tampons but it’s underwear so that they have spares to change into if needed. (Another thing we probably take for granted and don’t think of)

If you’re in Bedford and you’d like to donate to the project, there is a collection box in Rogan’s Books in Bedford. Sealed in boxes tampons, pads and clean, new underwear are all gratefully received. The Red Box Project aim to reach 10 to 18-year-olds to give you a guide of what’s needed.

A number of people commented on my Facebook post. A male friend commented: “Most guys don’t like to talk about this issue but soon would if their bodies partially fell apart every month. I think the real issue is why a device that consists of only a few simple and cheaply sourced components, which are mechanically assembled, costs people £13 a month when the production would be cheaper than 1.3p/unit. What did poor girls do 100 years ago?” He’s certainly doing his part though, he manages a conference/events location and in the ladies loo there, there is a basket of complimentary sanity products just in case there’s an urgent need – great idea! (There’s a similar idea at our church which is great!)

Another friend commented about promoting reusable products too. I can see where she’s coming from but I think this goes back to that money sum again. If the parents/guardians can’t afford the £13 for the products, do they have to then weigh up food/heating against washing powders etc for products like reusable pads – also is there the education around using the products?

Red Box Project Bedford

#40Acts – Day Two: People Watch

Image from the #40Acts daily prompt email
  • Green Option: Watch for needs. Get rid of usual distractions – the paper, or your phone – for the length of your commute, or for a long stretch of time when you’ll be around others.
  • Yellow Option: At midday and 3pm (or two other times if these don’t work), spend five minutes actively looking for an opportunity to be generous. 
  • Red Option: Put your phone on airplane mode for 1–2 hours (or as long as is practical). When you go to reach for your phone, let that moment be a prompt to think up a generous act for someone.

After House Group, Chris came home with a plan. As a group, we were going to bless one of our house group families. They’ve been having a rough time of it recently and just as they seem to get over one issue, another appears causing them to be back at Square One again. So this almost became our act for today (alhtough technically part one is taking part tomorrow!)

#40Acts – Day One: Pledge

Day One: Pledge

#40Acts - Day One: Pledge
Image from the #40Acts daily prompt email
  • Green Option: Set a reminder for each of the next 40 days to prompt you into that day’s act.
  • Yellow Option: Get an accountability partner who’ll keep you to your word (and your acts).
  • Red Option: Write a post on social media for each day’s act. Alternatively, start a daily diary or blog. Invite others to join in.

I’ve ended up blogging about what I’m up to. I’m going to try and stay on track but I’m not sure I will always have the opportunity to complete the acts. As I work from home, ones that need to do things for my colleagues or something like that might be a challenge. Maybe need to come up with a plan to do those on Knitting Group days or something like that.

Friday Finds – 1st March

Friday Finds

I love all those specific boxes for the different jobs – like the shoe storage and the TV box! So clever! Japanese Moving Company (From Rachel and Jun‘s YouTube Channel)

I love cheesy chick flicks – they are so predictable and unrealistic but I love a good love story. This week Isn’t It Romantic was added to Netflix and it pokes fun at chick flicks a bit like Chris does so I really enjoyed it! Rebel Wilson is perfect for the role and Chris Hemsworth’s saxophone playing at the end made me laugh lol. I love the references to other chick flicks, for example Rebel’s white dress and black hat earlier in the film and then a bit later in the film when one of the characters says “I’ll have what he’s having” which is a nod to this scene in When Harry Met Sally.

I’m sure I have other knitting projects to be finishing up and not casting on another but I am loving this baby blanket (Knitted Baby Blanket in Novita Baby Merino Dream). I figure if I start now by the time another friend announces there pregnant, I’ll be through it enough to give it away maybe. (Also it will probably be knitted in something nice from my stash rather than the one listed). The one above is one that I need to get done and took with me on our adventure today so that I could carry it in my backpack – small projects always travel that bit better!)

One of the projects, I have almost finished is this Baby Kimono Cardigan. I need to add the finishing touches like the buttons and ribbon but I think I will need to take it with me and get proper matching buttons rather than using whatever I have to hand like I might do with one of creations I’ve made for Jaxon.

I’ve found a couple of new channels to follow on YouTube. I’m a fan of Van Life/Tiny House/Schoolie videos and so Wild We Roam is right up my street. I also found Fight for Together too. Spent some time knitting and watching their documentary of hiking the Appalachian Trail – I think I might have shared it last week too but this week I got to watch some more of their videos and love their channel that bit more! I think a schoolie would work better for us as far as the size of it but we’d have nowhere to park it and to get a yellow school bus schoolie we’d have to import it before we could even start on fitting it out. I think I will stick with crazy “bricks and mortar” ideas for now.

Friday Finds – 22nd February

Friday Finds

During the week, I find all sorts of random things that I often mean to share then don’t so this post is all that, so here are my Friday Finds.

How crazy is this adventure! Sounds amazing though! It’s the kind of crazy adventure that Chris would want to do! The Crawford’s Hike the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail is 2,200 miles long running from Springer Mountain in Georgia (this is the Southern Terminus) to Mount Katahdin in Maine (This is the Northern Terminus). Mount Katahdin is also the start point for the IAT which is the extension of the Appalachian Trail into Canada – as far as Newfoundland. (YAY!)

I discovered this week that Republic of Doyle is filmed in St John’s, Newfoundland. I got excited about this and told my friend at knitting group who had originally told me that I’d probably like it, which then launched into how Gander grew overnight (Operation Yellow Ribbon, Come From Away). Come From Away opened in London this week so there’s lots of new articles popping up about it like this one from BBC News.

This week I guest posted over on Reema’s blog, It’s called Aumsome and you can find my post here. I was writing all about the joy of penpals.

{AD – Gifted} Bedtime stories is one of my favourite times of the day, we get to shut the rest of the world out and have a snuggle. We’ve got a variety of stories – and some nights Chris and /or I are just audience members to Jaxon’s reading skills – he’s getting so good! While at #SBSEvent2019 last week, I crossed paths with Allan who created My Strawberry Monkey, when I said I had Jaxon he offered to send us a copy of one of the My Strawberry Monkey books. It arrived today and hopefully will be read at bedtime! Yay! (Hopefully, I’m using the right disclosure! We were sent the book as a gift and I’m sharing on Social Media to show my gratitude and my love of the book).

Playground Adventures: Shenley Brook End, Milton Keynes, IKEA and Intu

Following my adventure on Tuesday, I really needed to catch up with work so minus one short trip out for an hour or so Thursday ended up being a work day which by bedtime was stressing Jaxon out.

He’s 4 so couldn’t really explain to me how he was feeling. I’ve read a variety of articles and blog posts over the years to understand that misbehaviour can often be a sign of something else. So Jaxon being naughty etc. because he may have been feeling lonely because I was busy.

Anyway, on Friday morning while the boys ate breakfast – I cleared a couple of tasks off my to-do list so that I could free up more of the day – I decided that I may have to work into the evening or even on Saturday while the boys were out but that’s okay. Just have to do juggling when it comes to the holidays. I think in the summer I’ll book in one day a week with Grandma and Grandpa, maybe Nanny and Grandad can do something too. We’ll see what can done.

Once we’d dropped Chris at the train station to go on his adventure, we found somewhere to stop to look for a playground. Jaxon asked for a “hard: one but in the end, a “new” one had to do as I’m sure my definition would have been different to his definition.

On Instagram, I follow Laura aka MiltonKeynesKids who often posts about new/favourite adventures which often includes different playgrounds that Laura and her boys visit. (Her Instagram profile is here). Earlier in the week, I’d seen Laura post about her boys going to the Shenley Brook End playground again, so I went back on IG to find the information then we set about driving over to Milton Keynes. It’s on the far side of Milton Keynes from Bedford. (About the same time in the car as going to Ikea at Bletchley so that’s not too bad).

To get to the park, the postcode recommended is that for Cashmere Close (MK5 7FA), my sat nav brought me along Garthwaite Crescent and then the playground was on the left hand side. Jaxon was very excited to get out of the car and go to explore. He loved climbing around the castle and exploring the different levels. He wasn’t so sure about doing some of the climbing bits and did have trouble with the climbing wall on the right of the castle. He loved the slide although it was still a bit wet when he first went down.

Jaxon loved exploring the other areas of the park. He wanted to go on the big swing but decided against it when he got over there and realise the whole seat was really wet. It’s possible that had we come back closer to lunchtime it would have been dryer by then and he could have gone on it with no issues. Apart from the “baby”: swings, all the equipment is meant for bigger children rather than smaller children. Jaxon was able to do a lot of the different activities on the castle but I think if he was any smaller he would have really struggled. There didn’t seem to be any signs with age limits etc so I think the park is open to all children.

While he played I read this plaque about the enhancements that were made to the park as part of MK50 (50 years of Milton Keynes). I then joined in with him and attempted to play on a few of the pieces of equipment. We played for about an hour in total and then Jaxon asked could we do something else. I was determined that we were going to spend the day having fun so next, we headed to IKEA at Bletchley. This also meant that I could put our car on charge while Jaxon played in Smaland. I grabbed a hot drink and some breakfast in the cafe while he had a lovely time playing. He absolutely loves going to Smaland and playing there (which works for me because I go get a hot drink and if I bring my laptop I can work too!).

After IKEA, we headed to the main shopping centre. In the “new bit” (Now it’s Intu Milton Keynes), there’s a small soft play area that Jaxon regularly plays on if he’s been good while we’ve done any shopping we’ve needed to get done. I think on one trip Chris stayed with him there while I did the errands rather than drag them both round.

We’d got about an hour to kill before we needed to head back to Bedford and collect Chris from the train station but after about 20 minutes Jaxon asked to go. It was quite busy so I wondered if he’d just had enough of trying to be careful around the smaller children or something along those lines. We headed back to the car and then after a pit stop in Bromham to grab some lunch from the shop there we went to the station to get Chris.

All in all I think it was a good day and we both enjoyed ourselves. I’m definitely thinking about trying to make our way around more playgrounds at weekends (and as it happens as I wrote this post a friend of mine sent me a message asking for details about the Shenley Brook End playground and also about any others I know of).

If you’re a parent or look after children, do you have favourite playgrounds to take them to? Do you look for specific equipment? Jaxon’s favourites for a while were the swings but I think he’s back on the slides being his favourites.

Friday Finds – 15th February

Friday Finds

During the week, I find all sorts of random things that I often mean to share then don’t so this post is all that.

David Tennant’s podcast – okay there is swearing in it so just to warn you all. Jodie Whittaker is his first guest so comparing Doctor Who stories and Broadchurch stories is kind of funny.

Wonder Women – another podcast I found this week. I struggled with the first episode because the volume is too quiet. My headphones were on full blast and I still couldn’t hear it. Hopefully, it’ll be better in the second episode.

Come From Away: Why we need the 9/11 musical – I’ve been practically wearing out the soundtrack. The London production opens this week and I’m really hoping I can go to see it. I’ve written before about how I remember 9/11 but it’s only in the last few years have I learnt how Gander and the surrounding towns came together to save the day. I think I first heard about it on a Billy Connolly documentary when he took part in the Newfoundland Screech In (oh and it’s one of those places that you don’t pronounce it how it’s written so I thought it was New-Found-Land but it’s almost New-Fin-Land).

Totally don’t need *another* planner but do like the look of the Erin Condren On The Go Folio or the Kikki K B6. I love this setup from Cindy LaTruce on her YouTube Channel.

Things I Learnt

Some of these things I might have already known but they are often the things I’ve looked up this week to learn more about them.

Ingenue – so an ingenue is an innocent or naive female.

Chutzpah – extreme self-confidence or audacity – one of those words I’d be able to throw into a conversation one day lol.

Hannah’s Adventures: Birmingham and #SBSEvent2019 – Part One

If you follow me on social media you will know that back in October, I was and winner of SBS (Small Business Sunday) that was created by Theo Paphitis. Earlier this week, I went on an adventure to Birmingham to attend the SBS Annual Event. This is a conference with a number of different speakers put on for the SBS Winners.

Chris went to work this morning and Jaxon and I went to knitting group as it’s the school holidays. Then after lunch (and some play time) Jaxon and I collected Chris from work and then we all went to the station at Milton Keynes so that I could catch my train up to Birmingham.

It should have been that simple. On my arrival at Milton Keynes Central, the train I was going to catch was already 2 minutes delayed – not an issue at all. I made a detour to the toilet on my way to the platform for the train then grabbed a hot drink from the kiosk to drink on the train. This was kind of mistake one but I wouldn’t know that until I was on the train.

The expected time for the delayed train got longer and longer, 27 minutes late in fact. According to the announcements there had been trespassers on the line near Wembley and that was slowing down all the trains heading northbound on this particular bit of track. I think it was delaying the southbound too but I’m not sure.

The train arrives at 1650ish and all the people who had been waiting then get on the same train. I ended up stood in the end of the carriage – which wouldn’t have been a problem but I was then stood trying to stop my suitcase falling over, as well as not falling over a guy’s bike and then holding on without spilling my hot chocolate (which I think was heading towards tepid by this point…).

As we left Milton Keynes station, I was resisting the urge to sing along to my music (Come From Away – Broadway Cast and Les Miserables – 10th Anniversary cast) while looking out the window. We went past what used to the railway sheds at Wolverton, then I figured I might be able to see Chris’s old office. It just happened that his old office is on a hill and had a direct line of sight to the railway so I could spot the building really easily.

Lots of people around me got off at Northampton which meant that I could get a seat. In my rush to get my suitcase on the rack and then find my seat I nearly elbowed a fellow passenger in the head (but at least I didn’t hit him with the suitcase!). I sat down with three lads who were then all discussing which train they needed to be on as more and more stops were being skipped to try and still get to Birmingham New Street on time. Two of the lads decided to get off straight away and they’d get on the next train which would hopefully still be stopping at Birmingham International Airport.

After settling in my seat, I put in a refund request for my train ticket. I’m not sure I’ll get much back as it was 27 minutes late (so would be the same as if it had been 15 minutes late…) but it would be something. I also got a reply from London Northwestern Trains on Twitter so I think their social media person must have been on the case given the number of trains that were delayed and how many complaints they were probably fielding. I then got on with a couple of others bits. I was still working on a blog post as we started to get closer to Birmingham so I got my things together ready to get off the train.

Thankfully my lovely host for the night (friend of a friend) had just been in touch about dinner, she was doing pasta and would happily stick some more on for me. Yes please and thank you! I offered to bring dessert in exchange – this seemed like a good idea! We agreed on it needing to be something chocolatey and I spotted a small supermarket in the station so decided that I’d grab something there and then be on the next train to Sutton Coldfield where I was staying. I also had a brief look in Foyles to see if they had any Hobonichi planners in stock but they only have them in the London stores it seems. I also stopped briefly at the Moleksine shop in the station too. (I know I know, I don’t need any more planners or notebooks lol)

I headed down to the platform and waited for the next train. It arrived within a few minutes and then there was a bit of a scramble to get onboard. I found a seat and got comfortable.

Then I almost missed my stop…

I’d been listening to the announcements and even said to myself “It’s the next one” and even then I nearly missed it! The announcements in our carriage just seemed to be really unclear, so having just caught the end of the announcement I realised we were at Sutton Coldfield so grabbed my backpack and my suitcase. My suitcase was in the overhead rack and clearly I misjudged how heavy it was or something because my wrist/arm did a funny and my suitcase ended up on the floor. I grabbed it quickly, got off the train and then accessed the damage. My wrist/hand was a little sore but no permanent damage. I decided I’d keep an eye on it and if it’s really bad, I’d cross that bridge when I got there.

I walked through the station – or what there is of a station, Sutton Coldfield station is smaller than I think I expected it to be given how close we are to the city. Then loaded the directions on my phone. Google’s directions involved a public footpath between some houses so I put my phone away and power walked. At one point my hood up to look scarier or something lol. I followed the rest of the directions and easily found my host’s house. My host was super lovely and was in the middle of making dinner as I arrived so she just added the finishing touches. My host, her friend and I got chatting and it was lovely to get to know one another and how my host knows our mutual friend (who helped me finding somewhere to stay for the night). We had dinner then shared our desserts. I then headed off upstairs. I didn’t want to seem rude but then also I didn’t want to be in the way. I’d come prepared with things to do to occupy myself and with an internet connection there’s always Netflix (or the new episode of Cold Feet that just came up on my notifications!).

So that’s Monday complete. Tomorrow I’m off back to the station to catch the train back into Birmingham then off to find my way to the venue. Hoping I will bump into some friendly faces on the way. A lovely lady called Rachel from Ashby Interiors has been chatting to me lots so I’m hoping when we meet in person we get on as well too! Right, time to schedule this post for the morning and then head to bed. Now that the bathroom is free I think I’ll get ready for bed and snuggle down in the bed. The house is a bit colder than I think I’m used to in our house so although my hands are warm from typing. My feet are cold!

Little Makes – February

Little Makes

Little Makes was started by Jemma at Thimble and Twig and Fee at One of Each, I’ve not joined in for a while but thought I’d share the projects that I’ve been working on.

A Trio of Baby Blankets

Having paused on my own projects to get a couple of Christmas presents made, I decided that I’d start this year by finishing some WIPS (words in progress).

But first up, with three (more) babies due in our extended friendship group across January, it was time to grab the crochet hook and get a couple of baby blankets made. In the end there were two boys and a girl. But, as I didn’t know who was having what, the three blankets were all sorts of gender neutral. One was nearly all blues because by the time I got to it, I either knew baby was expected to be a boy or he’d already arrived.

When it came to wrapping the present, I used plain brown paper that I had left over from Christmas along with some blue wool and these tags from I should be mopping the floor. I have some of these from Stationery Geek but they’ve ran away somewhere in with my craft bits – hopefully I’ll find them next time I have a present to give.

Progress: All finished and two delivered.

Stormy Open Back Jumper

This pattern is by Nicky AKA Handknits and Hygge. You can find the pattern here. The body was nice and easy but the lace bits on the arms is what is taking me the time. It’s knitted in the round and all in pattern so getting anywhere seems to be taking all the time but I will get there in the end!

Progress: Down to the arms – they are taking the time but I’ll get there in the end!

Jaxon’s Rainbow Jumper

I had seen a pattern in a knitting magazine for a stripey jumper, so when I asked Jaxon would he like one, he requested that he had a rainbow jumper. Rather than go out and buy lots of new wool for it, I started with my stash which meant that I ended up with some really interested contributions.

Progress: Minus the buttons for the neckline, it’s finished and ready to go.

Northern Lights Shawl

This is another project from a knitting magazine. This time it’s the Northern Lights shawl from Simply Knitting (Issue 182). Again I started with what I had from my stash. This rainbow one is Hayfield Spirit in the Zest colour way, I’m accompanying it with the Schjeepes Colour Crafter in Dordecht that I won in a giveaway from BinkyPlans.

Progress: 136 rows into it but still going! At leasto the same still to go!

Monthly Review: January 2019

January was here and then gone so quickly! What happened?

Highlights from January

  • The month started bittersweet and it wasn’t really a highlight but the fact that I got to see a lot of old friends was a highlight. Our friend was involved in an incident at the beginning of December and after being placed on life support he had to be removed from it and unfortunately passed away. It was lovely to see everyone at Three Rivers Church, I just wished so badly that it had been under better circumstances.
  • We tried to get life back to normal following Christmas and everything else but it just felt like trying to get through January was like wading through treacle – I’m sure it probably actually wasn’t that bad but it just felt like I wasn’t really getting anywhere and then we were at the end of the month already.
  • In a completely insane and surreal moment, I was contacted by Andrea Diaz from CNN Entertainment after I’d tweeted a radio station here in the UK about how I’d been watching Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and had put it into practice – my photo and my essay of a comment was used in the post and then it went around a bunch of affiliates too! Did you see that bit? Read here)

Top Posts Viewed in January

Goals Set for January – and the Progress

  • Start #walk1000miles2019 – Walked 104 miles in January. This was about 13 miles over the target for the month. This is great because it allows for a quieter week over half term!

Projects Worked on in January

  • Jaxon’s Jumper
  • Baby Blanket 1, 2 and 3

Books Read in January

  • The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher
  • On the Road to Here by Robert Kugler

Series Watched (Not full seasons btw!)

  • Black Lightning (Netflix)
  • Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
  • Luther (Netflix but originally BBC)
  • Timeless (Netflix)
  • A Series of Unfortunate Events (Netflix)
  • House of Cards (Netflix)
  • Friends from College (Netflix – not so keen on Season 2 – seems to be trying to fit that Friends/How I Met Your Mother idea)
  • Star Trek: Discovery
  • Grace and Frankie
  • Republic of Doyle
  • The Good Cop

Films Watched

  • Bob’s Broken Sleigh (Netflix)
  • Super Monsters and the Wish Star (Netflix)
  • Swimming with Men (Netflix)
  • 13 Going on 30
  • Leap Year
  • Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
  • The Bookshop
  • Gnome Alone
  • The Last Laugh
  • Frozen
  • Moana
  • Olaf’s Frozen Adventure

Goals for February

  • Continue with walking 1000 miles challenge. Target for February is 76.9 miles which should be relatively easy. However there is a week of half term so I’m not entirely sure if I will then be behind target but we’ll see!
  • Clear more WIPs from the knitting/crochet pile. Try to finish the Northern Lights Shawl and the Storm Skies jumper by the end of February so I can move onto something else.

Hello Friends! Let’s Do Some Catching Up

Well January has almost been and gone. I’ve just stood in Rogan’s Books telling Rachael about how I feel like I’ve not been very productive. Maybe I just need to get on with catching up.

I say not being productive but I think that’s more work stuff rather than other stuff.

Watching TV…

Tidying Up with Marie Kondo - a Netflix series - love catching up with my favourite TV shows

Having watched Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, I was on a bit of a crazy organisation run. I took bags to the charity shop, then bits to the dump. I did a run to the bottle bank and felt even more accomplished. (Then got contacted by CNN Entertainment. Did you see that bit? Read here)

I finished Jaxon’s jumper. Well almost it still needs the buttons but I’m doubting myself which ones to use. I might take my button tub to mum’s and get her to pick for me then again maybe I ask Jaxon – he’ll probably pick a crazy combination but if he likes it then that’s fine. (Once I do some catching up, maybe I can update my Ravelry too)

I’ve been working on a couple of other projects so I’m hoping I can share them soon.

Blog Posts

I’ve also been attempting to get some blog posts written too. Not always as easy but we’ll get there in the end I’m sure. Maybe I need to go on an adventure one day while Jaxon’s at school. Maybe something like interesting things to see around Bedford based on the bus routes! This week I was called the “Bus Genie” because I was able to give my friend the bus routes she needed to get from her house to an appointment. Can you tell I use the buses nearly everyday?

Which happens to be exactly where I’m writing now. I’m heading to the supermarket to get some bits for dinner as requested by Chris then home for work before the school pick up. This morning I had a lovely catch up with my friend from church (actually I think we were school friends before church friends) then I went birthday present shopping.

Crazy Tidying!!

Back in 2015, I purchased The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo and started reading it. I think the saying thank you to my clothes was the thing that put me off at first although I was still excited to give it a go, and I’m sure at that point I did.

But that was then and this is now, I think between one thing and another I’d settled into doing the everyday jobs to keep on top of the mess but never really made it any further than that. I get the dishwasher loaded in the morning and maybe a load of washing on the go but then get caught up in looking after Jaxon or working on my business bits. When I saw that Marie Kondo’s show was coming to Netflix I was very excited – I know what a nerd! But I think between Netflix commissioning this as well as the whole hype around Mrs Hinch towards the end of last year, I was suitably excited about finally getting our house in order. Some of the work was definitely going to be more of a team effort but some bits like sorting my own clothes and sorting Jaxon’s clothes could be done while the boys were out at work/college/school and I could surprise them with the things I’d achieved. I watched the first episode around New Year’s Day and really had to stop myself from binge-watching all the episodes in one go! It was too tempting to just click that “Next Episode” button!

I thought that it might give me the get-up and go to get the house sorted properly and it definitely did. With Jaxon going back to school after Christmas, I was all prepared than on the first day of term once I’d dropped him off at school, I would come home and get started but actually I got up on the 2nd January and once we’d had breakfast and played for a bit, that was it. I was starting on my wardrobe and getting rid of those clothes that I was holding on to for that day when I was slim enough to fit back in them again.

Chris had gone back to work and Jaxon still had a day off school. We had our breakfast and played for a little bit downstairs then I really felt like I needed to put this energy to use. I set Jaxon up with the iPad and his drawing books at the end of the bed and got all the clothes out of my wardrobe and emptied the chest of drawers too. In my wardrobe, I have some dresses that I’d bought over the years for different occasions like weddings and birthday parties, but I’m not the size I was maybe 3-4 years ago and I often gravitate to one particular dress that I pair with different cardigans and pairs of tights depending on the occasion. Maybe one day I’ll be that size again and fit in those older dresses but opening my wardrobe and seeing those dresses that I couldn’t wear did make me a little sad. It was like they were taking up space and being unloved when they could be loved in someone else’s wardrobe.

My daily “Mum Uniform” generally revolves around a t-shirt and jeans. I’d also been holding on to lots of t-shirts that were just not the right size for me any more. They would ride up while I tried to do chores around the house or I’d reach up for something in the supermarket and with the other hand have to hang onto the hem of my shirt. I got a bit drastic when it came to the t-shirts, I tried on so many and stood in the middle of the bedroom with my arms over my head, having a mini dance party and things like that to see if they were still suitable or if they were riding up around my tummy.

This was when the saying thanks to my clothes was coming into play. Still not sure I get this bit and still not sure it’s necessary but I did try to say thank you to my clothes but also a quick thank you prayer to God, that I had the opportunity to throw away the “extra” clothes because I’m fortunate enough to have clean clothes that fit me and keep me warm in the cold weather and things like that. I felt really happy like I’d achieved something really good when I saw the two bin bags but then I was like “Right what can I tidy next?”.

Well, it had to be paused that day because using all that energy caught up with me and Jaxon was climbing the walls as he was getting bored. I came back to it earlier this week when I got all the clean laundry that hadn’t made it back into the wardrobes piled on the bed. Put Luther on the iPad and worked on sorting, folding and putting away all the washing. I moved the dirty laundry downstairs ready to get on with that too. Now I’m waiting for the washing to catch up with me as it’s not drying as quickly as it might have done when we were home all day and the heating was running more. I’m thinking I might bake a cake over the weekend and move the washing in front of the oven while the cake bakes so that they can dry a bit quicker hopefully. Either that or I’ll be cranking up the heating for a little while.

While putting away the clean washing, I worked my way through Jaxon’s clothes and cleared out the items that were too small. I also ended up looking up on eBay and Amazon in case I could find two of the shirts that Jaxon has that are now too small for him. One is from Canada that Chris’s auntie brought back for him and the other is one that I found at an NCT sale. I think I might have to admit defeat on finding them in bigger sizes but we’ll see, maybe I’ll find them if I sit and properly look rather than my quick look the other day.

Now I’m off to set up my new bullet journal and write down a list of all the cupboards and other bits that need to be dealt with now. For example, we have so many mugs in the kitchen and really don’t need that many for four of us! Even when we have guests we have our white “wedding crockery” set that could be brought out instead.

Have you attempting using the KonMari method to tidy your house? Do you follow Mrs Hinch on Instagram? Are both of them not your cup of tea? 

Happy New Year
Recently Off The Needles

Hello there.

So now it’s January 8th and I’m finally sitting down to write a blog post.

Leading up to Christmas, I was desperately trying to homemade finish Christmas presents.

I had had this great idea that making presents would be really nice. So there were three presents that I was making.

The triangle scarf/shawl for Rachel, the cowl for H1 and the Scarf for H2.

When I finished H1’s cowl, I added one of these gift tags from Stationery Geek. This was great but then when I went back having finished the other projects, I couldn’t find my tags then! Nearly ordered some more.

Then I got carried away and decided that I needed gift tags on the packaging too. I printed off this collage sheet from Mrs Brimbles (as part of her Patreon rewards) and then used some Christmas tags I found on Pinterest and combined them to create something a bit nicer than the sticky labels I had in my Christmas wrapping stash.

When I finished Rachael’s present I tried it on and snapped a picture to share. Another project was finished. On our way to London on the 18th, I worked on project number 3. Yes I was cutting it fine but we were going to make sure it happened. I was knitting at every opportunity possible to make sure the projects were finished. I finished it on Christmas Eve Eve just in time to start any Christmas presents that I received.

Christmas Presents

I received two crafty presents for Christmas. One was some balls of pale yellow DK wool (perfect for all the baby blankets I make!) and then from Mum and Dad I received a knitting kit. (I knew this one was coming as it was purchased from Woolzone at Festiwool in November but I’d asked Mum to hold onto it until Christmas).

The pattern itself is by Drops Design and the wool is Drops Fabel. It’s in sock weight which is thinner than I’m used to but I’d like to give it a go and see what I can do. I attempted to cast it on 3 or 4 times and I still couldn’t get it right. Definitely going to need to take it to knitting group and see if my friend can walk through it with me. Either that or I’ll find another pattern to use the wool with (this might be the option I go with so that I can get started).

Have you got any projects on the go? Did you receive any yarny bits for Christmas?

Books Read in 2019

These are the books that I’ve read in 2019. You can see further information and reviews over on Goodreads.

  • Christmas at the Little Knitting Box by Helen J. Rolfe (New York Ever After)
  • The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman
  • Coming Home to the Loch by Hannah Ellis
  • The Cosy Christmas Tea Shop by Caroline Roberts
  • Christmas at Lilac Cottage (White Cliff Bay #1) by Holly Martin
  • Snowflakes over Moon Cottage (Hope Meadows #4) by Lucy Daniels
  • Springtime at Wildacre (Hope Meadows #3) by Lucy Daniels
  • Christmas at Mistletoe Cottage (Hope Meadows #2) by Lucy Daniels
  • Summer at Hope Meadows (Hope Meadows #1) by Lucy Daniels
  • Origin by Dan Brown
  • Escape for the Summer by Ruth Saberton
  • Meet Me in Cockleberry Bay by Nicola May
  • The Bookshop of Hopes and Dreams by Hannah Ellis
  • Coming Home to Holly Close Farm by Julie Houston
  • An Off-Piste Christmas by Julie Houston
  • Goodness, Grace and Me by Julie Houston (Amazon UK / Goodreads)
  • Beneath These Stars (Lucy Mitchell Book 2) by Hannah Ellis
  • Beyond the Lens (Lucy Mitchell Book 1) by Hannah Ellis
  • Christmas Spirit by Nicola May
  • Always with You by Hannah Ellis
  • A Friend in Need (Friends Like These #4) by Hannah Ellis
  • My Kind of Perfect (Friends Like These #3) by Hannah Ellis
  • Christmas with Friends (Friends Like These #2) by Hannah Ellis
  • Friends Like These (Friends Like These #1) by Hannah Ellis
  • The House on Lavender Lane (Hope Cove #5) by Hannah Ellis
  • Whispers at the Bluebell Inn (Hope Cove #4) by Hannah Ellis
  • Summer at the Old Boathouse (Hope Cove #3) by Hannah Ellis
  • Escape to Oakbrook Farm (Hope Cove #2) by Hannah Ellis
  • The Cottage at Hope Cove (Hope Cove #1) by Hannah Ellis
  • 6 Caledon Street by D. van de Merwe
  • The Magic of Christmas Tree Farm by Erin Green
  • A Village Affair by Julie Houston
  • The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay (Cockleberry Bay #1) by Nicola May
  • The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher
  • On The Road to Here (Avery and Angela #2) by Robert Kugler

6 Caledon Street by D. van de MerweThe Magic of Christmas Tree Farm by Erin Green lage Affair by Julie Houston

Adventures With Jaxon: Piccadilly Line Part 2!

Our Adventurous Jaxon takes on the Piccadilly Line - Part Two

At the beginning of November, Chris set off for his latest trip to visit Home of Hope in Malawi. With Jaxon in school, he and I stayed at home and held down the fort. There were a few confusing moments for Jaxon. At first, because Chris had gone to work before going to the airport, I think Jaxon thought that Chris was coming home before going to the airport.

Just under two weeks ago, Chris returned from his adventure. Following the morning service at church, Jaxon and I caught the train down to London then rode the Piccadilly line out to Heathrow to meet Chris. With Jaxon now being two years older than when we last took the train out to Heathrow, he was able to talk to me and tell me more about what was going on and what he was thinking.

Dad had recommended that we got the service to London that stops at Farringdon as it’s easier to get from the mainline to the underground. However, when we asked the lady in the station and she showed me the map, we were going to have to make extra changes so it wasn’t actually that much easier. We caught the direct service from Bedford to St Pancras with just two stops at Luton and Luton Parkway.

We were able to get table seats on the train which was really handy. This also meant we could finish our lunch before getting into London.

On our way out of Bedford station, he was chatting away to me about all sorts. Some bits I didn’t keep up with and other bits he was so excited about he almost didn’t stop for breath.

Jaxon watching the world go by on the train

We arrived at St Pancras and then headed through the station to get to the underground. The station is already looking very Christmassy. The Christmas tree is 43-foot tall and is decorated with 600 replica bottles of Tiffany’s Signature Eau de Parfum perfume, 600 paper Iris flowers and 600 white and silver Tiffany Blue baubles. There’s also a 17-foot tall robot made of Tiffany Blue Boxes (but I don’t think I saw the robot from where we were). You can read more about it here.

Once we made it down to the Underground it was pretty much plain sailing all the way to the airport. Chris’s flight was running ahead of schedule for most of the flight so I was a little nervous that we’d get all the way to Heathrow and he’d have been sat there waiting for us for ages. Turned out that they were so far ahead of schedule that they spent 20 minutes in a holding pattern going round in circles just north of Greenwich. 

I’d had great plans, Jaxon and I were going to create a “Welcome Home” sign for Daddy but I ran out of time (and the headspace to do patiently with Jaxon). So while we found a corner of the floor to sit on and wait for Chris, I scribbled this out on my iPad – not necessarily my best creation but Jaxon loved it all the same and wanted to show it off to Daddy as soon as he came through the Arrivals door. Welcome Home Daddy

Chris came through the Arrivals door and walked along in front of this sign in the picture below, round to the end of the barrier. Well in the time it took me to make sure we had everything, Jaxon was already running to meet Chris. Fortunately, he was in my sight line for most of it then was in Chris’s line of sight because Jaxon can move so fast when he wants to! Arrivals Gate at Heathrow Airport Terminal 4

After catching up with the boys we headed down back to the underground and headed beack to St Pancras to get some food before heading home. Following dinner we found this art installation (not Christmas display like I thought it was!). It’s created by Jacques Rival (more info). There’s a swing in the middle and of course, Jaxon had to have a go! Well he’d been such a good boy on the train and then waiting for Chris that it was only fair we took a few minutes out to stop and play. He was even really polite to the others (mostly adults) who wanted a go too.

Jaxon really likes the Lego Harry Potter game so although we weren’t 100% sure he’d know where we were going we went to the Platform 9 and 3/4s display inside King’s Cross. Unfortunately it was so busy we decided to turn back towards St Pancras instead. We hadn’t told him where we were going so when we did have to go the other way it did mean he wasn’t disappointed. Hopefully another time we can take him and we’ll have time to stand in the queue instead. We headed back to St Pancras and got to the East Midlands platforms. We had about 20 minutes to kill while we waited for the train but then were able to board the train.
We got on the 1910 Nottingham service to get home. It seemed like the world and his wife had the same idea because it was so busy!

There were absolutely no seats available and at one point we had to stand in the “foyer” bit at the end of the carriage right outside the toilet (that needed a good scrub down!). As I finished tweeting East Midlands trains thankfully, the announcement came over the tannoy that they were declassifying the next carriage so the three of us made our way along the carriage. We found a table with 3 spares seats and thankfully a lady who was already there let us share with her. I think she liked the entertainment given by Jaxon. Mum met us at the station to bring us home which was really lovely. By the time we got home, it was time to get Jaxon to bed as it was past his bedtime and he had school the next day. Even Chris needed a nap after all his travelling so I kind of had the rest of the evening to myself once we were home.

 

 

Monthly Review: October

I stumbled across Belle’s review posts over on her blog by accident and decided to attempt to revive my own Monthly Review posts. This is October’s monthly review. You can see others here. At the end of each month, I write a monthly review all about what I’ve been up to each month. 

Monthly Review: October

Highlights from October

  • October started with the Harvest Supper at the chapel. With Chris being at youth group and Our Sidekick having plans, Jaxon had to come with me. He was a very good boy and behaved himself as I helped Mum with serving the meal. When I got him home he went straight to bed as he was absolutely shattered by then!
  • At the beginning of November, we will have been in our house a decade, so we’ve been looking at our outgoings as far as the mortgage and figuring out if we are on the best deal and bits like that. There was lots of adulting on my part, as I was going to meetings at the bank to chat to the lady there.
  • With Jaxon starting school, there have been lots of extra sessions to learn about what’s he’s learning. I went to a session at school all about the school will be teaching Jaxon phonics and then how to read. (His first book should be arriving home any day and I’m super excited!)
  • Even though there were a couple of days which felt a bit crazy, I managed to grab coffee with a friend and we got to chat about all sorts of bits without getting distracted by our respective children (yay for school or husband’s who take child-duty)
  • Mum and I went to Vue to see the live stream of Cliff Richard’s concert. We had a lovely time but there were a couple of hiccups which did interrupt the evening a little bit but overall it was lovely. We worked out that I was probably the youngest in the room lol.
  • Jaxon had his first Parent’s Evening and oh my goodness I am so proud! He’s settling into school so well and he’s learning so much each day!
  • After a bit of a confusing conversation with the Receptionist at my GP surgery. I had an appointment at the Asthma Clinic and the nurse decided I was still Asthmatic enough to qualify for my flu vaccine.

Top Posts Viewed in October

Goals Set for October – and the Progress

  • Clear some more projects.
    • So, I manage to clear a couple and get them delivered to the recipients. I then started on another project for a charity event at the end of November. Just hope that I have time to finish it.
  • Work on a business plan for work and ideas around a new direction.
    • This is still not really happening. When it comes to work bits I get caught up in the day to day tasks and don’t get the plan sorted out but I have managed to have a “mentoring” call with another business lady who is helping me so hopefully with her guidance I’ll get it sorted out.
  • Exercise! There are 20 school days in October (although 25 weekdays) so I’m going to attempt to make sure that all of those 20 days I reach my step count.
    • I’m not sure this worked out as I kept forgetting to charge my FitBit but I am definitely taking this goal into November to try and make it happen. (I have the car for two weeks though so it’s possible it will all go to pot completely!)
  • A longer term goal is to walk 2018km in 2018. (540km in 90 days).
    • Having just taken a look at my Fitbit I’m on 112km to go in the rest of the year. I will definitely wipe the floor with that one!

Projects Worked on in October

  • I worked on 3 baby blankets that are finished and all delivered now.
  • Charity project for the end of November.

Books Read in October

  • The Sally Red Shoes (finishing properly ahead of starting The Keeper of Lost Things in Book Club in November)
  • Remember God by Annie F. Downs
  • The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll.
  • Returned to You by Emma St. Clair (I read it as a Beta Reader but it is now released)

Series Watched (Not full seasons btw!)

  • The Shannara Chronicles
  • 9-1-1
  • Grey’s Anatomy
  • Hyori’s Bed & Breakfast: Season 1
  • Ascension
  • Salvation
  • Salt Fat Acid Heat
  • Jack Whitehall
  • Cheaspeake Shores
  • Scorpion
  • Reign (Didn’t really enjoy it….)
  • The Good Place (Still not really getting into it)

Films Watched

  • Nights in Rodanthe
  • You Can Tutu
  • The Lady in the Van
  • Moana
  • Coco

Goals for November

  • Try and get some of the handmade Christmas presents started and finished.
  • Finish planning the rest of the presents.
  • Purchase some of the presents (the rest get pushed into early December)
  • Book the car service.
  • Get the home stuff sorted.
  • Keep us all alive while Chris is on his adventure.

BEDN: Rebellion

Blog Every Day in November

I am so stuck! Rebellion… what a word. I guess it has negative connotations. Is there a way that rebellion can have positive connotations?

I guess in a way we sort of rebelled last week. For years, when Halloween has come round, we’ve come in from work or whatever we’ve been out to do. Shut the front door and sort of battened down the hatches. When people have knocked at the door we’ve ignored it or turned them away empty handed.

The theme for this term at Community Group has been “Taboo” or “questions you’ve always wanted to ask but never had the forum to do it” or something along that route.

So a few weeks ago, ahead of it being Halloween, we got talking about celebrating or observing Halloween.

We started with a discussion about what Halloween was like for our families growing up. Mine involved sticking a sign on the door and then ignoring the door. Sometimes it would involve decamping to the dining room so that the living room light was off too. One of the other ladies in the group said how it would be majorly embarrassing because her parents would hand out “Jesus Loves You” stickers or something along those lines. There was then the opposite to those, another member of the group said how her Mum would host a party and invite the kids in the street, almost the idea being that they got to join in but had somewhere safe to do it rather than knocking on strangers doors.

We then watched a video from Mark Driscoll titled “Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?“. He kind of breaks it down to three opinions. Receive, Redeem and Reject. So I was definitely brought up in the reject camp. Have nothing to do with it, ignore it and hope it will go away almost. Having watched the video and discussed as a group, I sort of went away still feeling in that camp. We’d previously discussed that we were going to hand out Bag of Hope goodie bags from UCB and Scripture Union. There is an activity sheet and a story booklet and you can add sweeties or other bits. I had only expected to be handing them out to a small group of kids that we knew would be coming on Halloween then probably turn everyone else away.

Following the chat at Community Group, Chris and I hadn’t discussed it more, with all the usual crazy plus him getting ready to go away, it hadn’t got much further than what had been discussed at the group. On Halloween itself, I’d got home with Jaxon and we’d taken up residence in the living room as we do after school and it just happened that the hall light and the kitchen lights were off too, so the house looked really dark. The pumpkin that we’d carved after watching Patch The Pumpkin was still in the kitchen and the battery operated tea light that had been in the pumpkin was still switched off. Other than packing the Bags of Hope earlier in the day, I really hadn’t thought about it.

Chris then got in from work and commented about it being so dark and like we weren’t joining in. I put the pumpkin outside on top of one of the flowerpots we have near out front door, then got some washi tape and taped my blue star fairy lights around either side of the door. I wasn’t going to decorate with skeletons like next door but I could at least add some decoration. I grabbed one of my big granny mixing bowls from the kitchen and emptied the spare packets of sweets that I had and we were ready. Chris and I ended up having to take a call about adulting stuff in the middle of all the crazy. So between Chris and I on the call, we were tag teaming answering the door and trying to get there before Jaxon because he was having such a good time! His main Love Language is defintiely thoughtful gifts, so to be able to stand on our door step and give out sweeties this spoke right to his lovely and caring heart. At one point we were running low of sweeties in the bowl – first year doing it “properly” so I had no clue how much we needed! Chris commented that we might have to raid Jaxon’s treat box but could restock it the next day if needed. Well in the time it took Chris to finish the sentence, Jaxon had gone past me, past Chris, got his treat box from the cupboard and presented it to Chris like “here it is, let’s share it”. So they took it to the bowl and emptied what was going to be shared and then Jaxon put the box back.

Jaxon went to bed about normal time and we brought in the decorations/switched off the lights. In a quiet moment, while I did bedtime, it dawned on me that I felt happy. I didn’t feel sort of scared and fearful like I might have felt on previous years. Now I’m not going to be dressing up or going all out as I have seen on FB and Instagram. But if we can make a difference to our neighbours by showing them love and redeeming Halloween in a way to show love to our neighbours then that’s a good thing right? Maybe we’re being positively rebellious right?

BEDN: Healthy Living

Blog Every Day in November

Healthy Living

When people talk about healthy living we generally end up discussing the food we eat, the latest diet that is trendy or the exercise that we did (or intended to do but didn’t get to do). But can healthy living also include our mental health and taking time for self-care?

On a variety of scales used by medical professionals, I’m not very healthy. I’m overweight, my lung capacity is rubbish and too low for someone my age/size etc. But I think on the whole my mental health is reasonably good. It’s also possible that since giving up Diet Cola, things are in general that bit better too. Something that has recently been discussed on some platforms is how if you’re overweight you can go to the doctor and because you’re overweight that is immediately blamed for the rest of the symptoms. Some days I struggle with loneliness. It can sometimes feel like some weeks I see my boys and that’s it. This is part of why I have a couple of things I try to keep in my week even when it can seem a little crazy. Firstly, I try to make sure that I get to the two daytime knitting groups that I am part of. Otherwise, I can end up spending all the time that Jaxon is at school by myself and actually that can be kind of detrimental to my mood. But actually, sometimes I need time by myself. The human mind (or specifically my variation of a brain) is complicated! The second is making sure I get out for a walk, most of the time this isn’t a problem as Chris has the car and Jaxon and I walk to school every weekday. This week with Chris being away we have the car, tomorrow I will drive him to school as I’m going to do the food shopping on the way home and hopefully I’ll be able to walk to collect him in the afternoon. If worst comes to worst, I’ll drive part of the way and we can then walk from the school to the car and drive the rest of the way home.

Arm from Lefty Cartoons

Earlier this year, I had two issues that I had to go and see the doctor about. On both occasions, it took me at least a fortnight to pluck up enough courage to go and figure out if the problem I was having was an actual problem or a weight-related issue. On one occasion I was sort of fobbed off (and that issue hasn’t improved). The second issue was an actual issue and wasn’t weight related at all. But in my head, they were both weight-related and because of that, I felt like I couldn’t go and ask for help. Sometimes, I just need to be able to ask the question which almost seems like it doesn’t need a full doctors appointment and might just need a telephone call along with some treatment at home/come back if it doesn’t get better kind of information. There was a reason to this train of thought and then it took me a little while to find the picture and make sure I had remember it correctly so I think I shot off on a tangent but hopefully it sort of makes sense!

Trying to live healthily isn’t just about taking care of your physical body, it’s about making sure that your mental health is taken care off too. Just because it isn’t visible like a broken limb doesn’t mean, that it doesn’t need taking care off too.

BEDN: Lists

Blog Every Day in November

Lists

I am a huge fan of a to-do list. Whether it’s a short list of errands to run on a Saturday when I have the car or all the things I feel like I need to get done then there’s a list on the go. Basically, all the prompts for BEDN have been added to this month’s list in a way but rather than writing all 30 prompts into one list, I just add the one for that day and any that I missed.

I’m pretty sure this is part of why keeping a Bullet Journal works for me. I’ve got everyday lists, I’ve got “in the future lists”. I’ve got notes I scribbled in meetings. Recently we’ve been sorting out mortgage bits, so there’s lists I wrote down in the appointments at the bank to deal with when I got home. All the notes are there in one place instead of being all over the place on different scraps of paper or napkins!

On days when I don’t write a list, I nearly always miss something. I’ve even told Chris in the past that if it’s not on my list then it doesn’t happen. There are too many other things going on in my head to remember all the other things too. It’s usually at that point he encourages me to be more mindful lol. Making lists is a sort of mindfulness for me. It means I can write down what needs to be done. It also means then it doesn’t run out of my head when I’m not thinking about it.

To Do List
Now time to go and write a shopping list for Monday and a list of the chores I need to get done in the rest of the weekend.

BEDN: Travel

Blog Every Day in November

Travel

Travel

To me, it’s rather entertaining that this is today’s topic. This morning I’ve been working from IKEA in Milton Keynes while Chris has been at work. Today is the start of two weeks-ish of “solo parenting”. Do any other parents out there never know whether that’s an okay phrase to use? Just me?).

In a little while, I have to go and collect Chris from work and take him to the train station. He’s then taking the train from Milton Keynes to Euston then joining the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow (it sure is a lot colder than when Jaxon and I did it before). He’s then going to travel from London to Lilongwe in Malawi. Well, technically it’s the flight to his first destination before he catching the connecting flight tomorrow sometime.

So, most talk about travel in our house has revolved around Chris’s latest adventure. Two friends have just been on crazy adventures – one got back from Hong Kong (You can read about her visit to Hong Kong: Disneyland here) and another just got back from Japan. (Yep I am a bit jelly lol).

The list of places that I would love to visit definitely keeps growing, especially with my growing obsession with travel documentaries as a way to see the world until the budget allows! I watched Salt Fat Acid Heat a few weeks ago and wanted to go to Italy to learn about growing and harvesting olives which is hilarious because I do gardening out of a necessity rather than because I enjoy it. Maybe that one comes in the “Hide your passport before watching” category. Eat Pray Love is similar in that I get to Julia Roberts being in Italy eating Gelato and Pizza and I want to be back at Il Maggiolino stuffing my face with that fabulous pizza! You can read all about our adventures in Rome here. The other one is Julie and Julia where I get this crazy idea about decamping to France for weeks on end and blog my way around while eating as much French food as I can eat. Well, ignore the fact that Chris thinks I can be a fussy eater sometimes. (The only fish I eat is fish fingers and avoid mushrooms like the plague!). Oh and that Amy Adam’s version of Julie Powell would be my best friend and she’d guide me through how to cook Julia Child’s, Beouf Bourguignon. (A friend of mine emigrated to France earlier this year, maybe she needs to teach me how to make French Beouf Bourguignon so that I can make it when I come back? Right?)

My current list of places to visit is available here on my blog – it’s called Hannah’s Wanderlust List.

Where’s your favourite place to visit? Have you got a worst one? 

BEDN: Something New and Personal

Blog Every Day in November

Something New and Personal

Share something new about yourself. A personal story. Introduce yourself to new readers. What do you stand for?

Hello! So it’s Blog Every Day in November and while I may fail and could end up skipping days, hopefully I will be here most days.

So in case you’re new in these parts, hi I’m Hannah. I’ve been blogging in some variation for the last 11 and a half years. I started blogging somewhere around the time that I was in my final year at university and Chris and I was about to get married. Since then we’ve become both foster carers and parents. Our little family is probably considered a normal size but when you look at ages etc the maths goes a bit squiffy!

In those 11 years, I’ve been a student, a PA/Housekeeper, Admin Assistant, Customer Service (for a Safe Manufacturer), Data Entry (for an energy company) and somewhere along the line also worked as a Kitchen Assistant (at a residential home). For the last four and a bit years I’ve been a full-time Mum as well as (attempting) to run my own business. My blog seems to have taken such a back seat that it’s actually locked in the boot of the car instead.

But here we go, let’s see what we can do with these prompts from Elizabeth and hopefully somewhere along the line I’ll find some ideas to write about.

Decluttering Your Mind… A Quick Thought…

Sometimes I just want to throw out a random thought or a few and see if anything comes back. At the moment, I’m reading The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll. I’ve just started the chapter “Decluttering Your Mind” and this is one of the opening sentences.

“Studies have suggested that we have 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day. For context, if each thought was a word, that means our minds are generating enough content to produce a book.”

The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll

Wow! That’s a lot right? No wonder my brain feels like an internet browser with too many tabs open some days!

I read this quote in “The Bullet Journal Method” by Ryder Carroll. For most of the last 6 maybe even 8 years even before I knew what bullet journaling was, I have been doing some variation of bullet journaling. Occasionally I wander away and try other planners but more often than not I end up back with a notebook with grid pages, starting another bullet journal. I’ve tried plain and dots but every time I come back to grid. I just get on with it better it seems.

While reading this page I was cleaning my teeth. Even in the ten ish minutes between cleaning my teeth and writing this I think I’ve had twenty or more thoughts.

  • Where are my pyjamas?
  • Is Chris asleep?
  • Is Chris’s phone still in his hand seeing as he’s asleep and it’s not on the bedside table?
  • Should I shut the bedroom door? (Leaking roof issues there!)
  • I need to scan our passports tomorrow.
  • We need to fill in that paperwork.
  • Is Jaxon warm enough? Is he too warm?
  • Is all of Jaxon’s school uniform ready for Monday?
  • Should I be in thicker pyjamas?
  • My bullet journal is downstairs. Do I have paper to write this post on? (Answer is no, I used Pages on my phone!)
  • Is this really enough for a blog post?
  • Should I publish on my blog or Instagram?

Okay so that’s just the ones I remember thinking between the bathroom and my bed. Crazy isn’t it? Sure explains why using my bullet journal helps to keep my brain in order. However with the bullet journal being downstairs, now I’ve remembered all those thoughts I need to write them down somewhere so I don’t forget them when I wake up!

Simplify 2018: Bathroom

Both in 2017 and 2018, my focus word is simplify. I’m sure I was supposed to pick another one but as I hadn’t finished what I hoped to, it became my word for this year too.

Every year, I’ve always struggled with resolutions. At school, we’d often have that task in English where we had to write our resolutions and it would do often be a pointless exercise. My resolutions would fail either because they are unquantifiable or have been unenforceable. So often I wouldn’t bother but maybe they just needed to be simplified. Make them into attainable goals with quantifiable results.

We’ve been in this house almost nine years now and so through wear and tear some bits of the house have needed to be redecorated and things like that.

While the boys were away in Malawi last year, I worked on decorating the bathroom. It made the most sense while there was just me in the house rather than when the house is full.

Some of it was easier said than done. Chris and I had already chosen the paint so thankfully I didn’t have to do that and risk getting it wrong. When I opened it though I wanted to paint it the purple not the grey! Actually it was just where it needed stirring a bit. Then it was about getting the paint on the wall. Without removing the toilet and the sink, I had to lean and stretch all over the place which I’m sure probably broke a bunch of health and safety rules!

It seemed simple enough. Grab a brush or a roller and go for it. Then I got round to the radiator and actually it wasn’t that simple. I ended up calling Dad to see if he could take the radiator off the wall for me so I could paint behind it.

Well, I was getting there. It probably took me longer than it should of because I was doing bits in the bathroom then going off to other bits in the rest of the house while I had the chance.

When the boys got back, most of the paint work was done but some bits still needed finishing also we still needed to replace the bathroom unit (in the above photo) and the flooring.

Fast forward to earlier this year, we finally got the flooring sorted and a new unit.

Chris decided we’d get the Vilto unit from Ikea. I wasn’t so keen on the idea of open shelves but was willing to give it a go. This also helped with the task of Simplifying because it meant we couldn’t have too many bottles on the shelves. In the end I’ve added some storage boxes, to store shampoo, shower gels etc in but they in turn do make it look tidier. Since I discovered Mrs Hinch and the #hincharmy, I’ve added a further two drawers/boxes on the top shelf to store the cleaning materials and Chris/Our Sidekick’s shaving stuff rather than them both mixing together and escaping across the shelf. This definitely makes it easier just to grab what I need to clean or to tidy the shelves again.

I thought we were there and that we were finished on the bathroom but then we had an issue with the sink. There’d been a puddle appearing across the bathroom floor but we’d figured it was Jaxon playing with the water. However, when it happened again on a day that Jaxon hadn’t been playing with water in the sink we knew there might be a problem. Chris was out on the Saturday evening so I took a screwdriver to the sink and figured out where the problem was.

Because it was around 9.30pm by the time I’d figured out the issue I told the boys not to use the sink. Chris decided we needed a sign too in case any of us forgot. Once Jaxon got over the change of routine, he thought it was kind of novel washing his hands in the bath after going to the toilet.

Following church, Chris and I set about taking the sink apart again to double check what we needed. I’m glad we did because actually it was the metal bit that connects the waste pipe to the sink that had corroded and was leaking into the pedestal and then onto the floor. We went to Wickes, to get a new part and also got some sealant to re-seal the bath while we were at it. While I pulled off the old sealant Chris worked on the sink. At one point Jaxon was watching cartoons on the iPad sat on the landing so that we could keep an eye on him at the same time.

So it took a while because of how it all worked out but now our bathroom is complete. I’m sure we’ll find some bits we need to change over time but hopefully they are little bits and pieces rather than big projects. Onto the next room now…

Fall 2018 – 10×10 Challenge

Fall (well Autumn) has arrived here in Bedford. Some morning it’s chilly but by lunch time it can be warm again. For instance, today as I write this post, my phone tells me it’s 19C (66F) but earlier this morning it was a low of 9C (48F). It’s completely varied so something that I might wrap up in for the morning school run can be too warm for the afternoon school run! Helpful right? I wore my red lovely scarf earlier for the morning school run but as soon as I got home I had to take it off as I was cooking!

Autumn Leaves

So what is the 10×10 challenge?

Well, my lovely friend Shelby has started fall with a 10×10 challenge. So you pick out 9 or 10 pieces to wear and coordinate for 10 days. I’m attempting to join in from October 1st-10th.

My week didn’t entirely go to plan and it’s now the 5th and I’ve finally got chance to take a photo of my outfits. Great right?

Stylish Fall 10x10 Challenge

So in my picture I have:

  • 3 short sleeved t-shirts (red, navy blue and pale blue)
  • Black Hoodie
  • Red Star Jumper (which is kind of my Christmas jumper but is also unchristmassy enough that I can wear it the rest of the year!)
  • Grey Cardigan
  • Two pairs of Black Jeggings
  • Grey jeans
  • Dark blue/indigo jeans (that I’m currently wearing so they aren’t in the picture!)

For a long time I’ve often end up wearing, a t-shirt/jeans combo because it’s been easier to keep up with Jaxon or just chuck it on in the morning. I want to try and be more adventurous and start dressing more grown up than my current “student” look that seems to still be going on!

Shelby says on her blog post that a successful 10×10 challenge is where you can coordinate the pieces together to make different outfits. Included in my picture are a new pair of black jeggings and the (not pictured) blue jeans. Because they are both new they still have that “I’m jeans but I can be smart” kind of look if I had needed to go out this week. Also dressed with the red jumper over one of the t-shirts this would have worked for going out.

What is also not pictured is my black t-shirt that I needed to wear for work on Monday. I was on standby to work for one of my Mum’s Clients and the uniform there is a plain black t-shirt with black trousers. In the end I wasn’t needed.

With the weather being so changeable I decided not to include a coat and as I practically live in one set of trainers I also didn’t include them. (I guess if you were trying to be strict with the rules you’d include them in your count too in which case I have too many items!)

So these are my 10×10 outfits and hopefully I’ll come up with some good combinations.

If this challenge sounds like your kind of thing you might like to check out Shelby’s Dressember challenge too. I’m still trying to decide if I can do it!

Is a challenge like this your kind of thing or do you like the whole range of your wardrobe to pick from? Do you have different wardrobe setup like a capsule wardrobe?

Monthly Review: September

I stumbled across Belle’s review posts over on her blog by accident and decided to attempt to revive my own Monthly Review posts. This is August’s review. You can see others here.

Monthly Review: September

Highlights from September

Flowers from the Wedding

  • September started with two of our friends from church getting married. Chris had been asked to help with some lighting and other bits so he was at the church nearly all day and into the evening. When Chris got home in the evening, he’d been given one of the floral centerpieces from the tables as a thank you to me for letting the Bride and her family borrow him for the day. They were a lovely mix of wildflowers so were right up my street. I love the daisies especially – they are my favourites!
  • We continued counting “Lasts” before Jaxon started school. One of these was his last morning at Lemon and Ginger before starting school, He’ll get to go to ones in the school holidays but it won’t be the same as the lovely ladies there seeing him every week.
  • Jaxon and I had a last field trip to MK before he started school and it almost ended up with a trip to A&E. (read about that here).
  • Jaxon started school and settled in really well. At first I don’t think he wanted to go back as he’d done the first day so why did he need to go back. But he’d taken it completely in his stride and the first day we had tears was when I left by the “wrong” gate after the caretaker had opened the one closer to the main gate about three weeks into term.
  • We had a temporary lodger. One of Our Sidekick’s friends needed some help so he came to stay with us for a few weeks. Every evening that he was in the house he’d often offer to make drinks. I was well looked after – especially on days when I had forgotten to get a drink!
  • I got a new to me bike! My friend Emma has moved back to Australia and so I bought her bike from her. It’s so much nicer and easier to ride than my “old” bike. I rode home from her flat and left it in the garden for a few days because I pretty much went everywhere on it! I even cycled from Jaxon’s school to my knitting group in town. I got there and had to have breakfast because I was starving!
  • I have been walking to and from school which has added heaps on to my average step count each day. I’m trying to make sure that on week days, I am hitting my 10,000 steps which generally does work on school days. Out of the 19 school days in September on 11 of them I reached or exceeded my step count. On 5 of those days I was over 9000 but under 10,000. Also some of those days had lower counts because I cycled instead. So all in all I am doing some exercise each day which is great.

Top Posts Viewed in September

Projects Worked on in September

  • Stormy Skies Jumper (Pattern by Nicky at Handknits and Hygge)
  • Jaxon’s Jumper
  • Autumn Breeze Sweater (Pattern by Paintbox Yarns – downloaded from LoveKnitting)
  • I finished the Autumn Breeze Sweater. DIsappointingly, the arms are long enough but the body is too short. I even got Chris to try it on and it’s too short in the body for him too.
  • Jaxon’s Jumper had a little more work done on it but it’s been put to one side for now.
  • Stormy Skies Jumper was also put to one side temporarily.
  • I’ve been working on a couple of fairly urgent

Books Read in September

Series Watched (Not full seasons btw!)

  • Hilda
  • Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (Recommended by Nikkei at knitting group – still not convinced but will keep trying it)
  • Scorpion
  • Three Wives One Husband
  • Amazing Interiors
  • Joel & Nish vs The World
  • 9-1-1
  • For The People
  • Burden of Truth
  • Chesapeake Shores
  • Instinct
  • Michael Palin in North Korea
  • A Taiwanese Tale of Two Cities
  • Dramaworld
  • Good Witch
  • Great News
  • Sisters
  • Bodyguard
  • The Great British Bake Off

Films Watched

  • Wonder
  • Nappily Ever After
  • Us and Them
  • Leap Year
  • Step Sisters
  • Annabelle Hooper and the Ghost of Nantucket
  • Sierra Burgess is a Lose
  • The X Files: I Want to Believe

Goals for October

  • Clear some more projects. They’ve been growing rather than reducing but I’m sure I can make it happen in October.
  • Work on a business plan for work and ideas around a new direction.
  • Exercise! There are 20 school days in October (although 25 weekdays) so I’m going to attempt to make sure that all of those 20 days I reach my step count.
  • A longer term goal is to walk 2018km in 2018. This is a new goal but is still possible. According to my Fitbit account by the 30th September, I had walked 1478km. This leaves 540ish to walk in 90ish days. This works out around 5-6km each day which is relatively easy when the school runs alone are nearly 5km total – especially if I have time to take a longer route home.

Another Adventure to MK

At the beginning of September, like a lot of other four-year-olds, Jaxon started school. With so many things changing, I thought we’d have one last adventure just us two. Due to the time that we had another adventure to MK seemed to work best.

The day started with us heading to Lemon and Ginger at The Pavilion in Bedford Park. Jaxon’s honorary aunties and Grandma’s wanted to see him before he started school. They were all so excited for him. We are both so blessed that they are all part of our lives. Bus to Lemon and Ginger

After Lemon and Ginger, we headed into town to catch the X5 from Bedford to Milton Keynes. Before we had left knitting group, I grabbed Jaxon a Kid’s Lunch Box from the Pavilion. It included a sandwich, a drink and some other bits. I figured it would be easier for me to grab food on the go when we got there. Making sure Jaxon was fed before I asked him to be patient was the better option. He had his lunch on the bus while we travelled to Milton Keynes.

Once we got to the shopping centre, Jaxon and I had a deal. If he would behave and let me do what I needed to do then he could play on the soft play in the shopping centre. It meant he would have like two hours to play.

To the Bank and the Apple Store

First, we stopped by the bank. They weren’t able to help me with my request but I was able to find a temporary fix that would allow me to do what was needed while we were there.

I’ve been thinking that I could really do with a new phone. My iPhone has been dying on me for a while. I’ve been having to charge if twice if not three times a day for it to keep up with what I do on it some days. So our first stop was the Apple Store. I’d already done the research and if Apple couldn’t price match another store in the shopping centre then I’d go to the other shop instead. I spoke to the Apple person who was helping me who said, yes they would price match. Also the guy I was talking to let me put my “old” phone on charge while we chatted and processed my order, as I was already running out of battery. I don’t think this is normally allowed but as I was there making a big purchase I think the rules could be flexed for me. So, while we were there I got my new iPhone sorted out.

Soft Play in the Shopping CentreThat was the one major thing I needed to do, the other thing I needed to do was to get a phone case but I could always order a new phone case from the internet once I was home rather than going to a shop to buy one. I’m sure if I’d have been there by myself I could have filled the time easily. But I wasn’t going to drag Jaxon round the shops for the sake of it, especially because if it caught up with him the day after he might not have been on best form at school.

Lego, Train and Soft Play

We went to the Lego shop where Jaxon wanted to buy all the kits. I love Lego and love to build the kits. Then we headed to the soft play area, which he loves. The miniature train that drives around that bit of the shopping centre leaves from next to the soft play area so I let Jaxon have a go on it and while he was riding that around the loop in the shopping centre I grabbed a drink and found a seat on the bench while I waited for him to come back.
Once he arrived back at the “station” we went to the soft play, after all he had kept his part of the deal by being a good boy and letting me get on with what I needed to do. I parked myself in one of the corners within the soft play. With my bullet journal across my lap, I worked through my email inbox to clear the decks and write a to-do list once Jaxon was in school. I even go talking to another mum there about the lack of seats and then it turned out that she draws illustrations, so she showed me her sketch book which was really lovely. I wish I’d taken her name so I can take a look at more of her illustrations.

Pizza Hut and Falling Down the Stairs

So around 4pm we went to Pizza Hu, firstly to use the toilet and then sit down and have some food. In this particular restaurant, the toilets (minus the disabled one) are up a set of fairly steep steps. Having been upstairs, we were on our way down the stairs and Jaxon tripped about 4/5 steps from the bottom and just flew. He was there in front of me and then he was gone and was in a heap on the floor. There was a staff member waiting at the bottom of the stairs for us so he tried to help Jaxon up but I think that freaked Jaxon out that bit more.
I dashed down the rest of the stairs, dumped my stuff on the floor and scooped Jaxon up in my arms. I think a stranger coming to his rescue rather than Mummy freaked him out more than the surprise of falling down the stairs.

Jaxon and I moved from the stairs to a table in the restaurant so I could see if he was okay. It also meant I could get a better look at his head where he said it was hurting. The member of staff who’d witnessed it all went to grab the duty manager for us who looked after us amazingly. She got one of the other members of staff to grab some ice and a cloth to put on his head. While we waited for our food to arrive, the manager took our information and what had happened to put it all in the accident book. While we ate our dinner I was having a text message conversation with Chris who was about ready to drop everything and get us or meet us at A&E. I think he was more panicked when I didn’t answer my phone. He had rang a few times and there were missed calls but we were eating dinner so I’d put my phone away.

The Trip Home

After dinner we walked through the shopping centre then outside to meet Chris who was coming to get us. We headed back out of MK but as it was the middle of rush hour there was traffic everywhere. When we got to Newport Pagnell there was really heavy traffic so we took a diversion through Newport Pagnell itself instead of round the outside. There were work men resurfacing a driveway. It just happened that their big delivery truck arrived right in the middle of the rush hour. It was tight but we did make him home for bed time and that was our adventure done.

Time to get the uniform out and ready for the first day at school! EEK!

Back to School – Setting Goals

“Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.”

“You’ve Got Mail” – Nora Ephron

“You’ve Got Mail” – Nora Ephron

You’ve Got Mail is one of my favourite films. I just love cheesy chick flicks, that are usually so predictable you just know that the girl and guy who hate each other at the beginning will fall in love along with some kind of misunderstanding along the way. But there’s something about it too. I think it feeds into my love of New York but also the fact that it starts with “Fall” well Autumn here in England.

I love this quote because it makes me think of “Back to School” season. As I write this Jaxon is on his third day at school. After the first day, he said he wasn’t going back. Then yesterday morning he was a bit more for going to school. Today the debate was which side of the road we had to walk and then where to cross outside the school (there’s a pelican crossing but about five metres away there’s also a small traffic island in the middle of the road so you can wait for the lights to change and then still cross the road further along – if that makes sense!)

So what have I been up to with my days so far of “freedom”? Well, lots actually. I’m almost up to date on the washing and have managed to clear some other bits of clutter that have been gathering around the house. I even got the bedding and towels back into the airing cupboard instead of them migrating across the landing.

My bullet journal. On the left page there is a tick chart for the jumper I'm currently doing and on the right side is my to do list for the 6th September.

I may have got distracted by pretty highlighters too. Interesting colourful spreads make you more productive right?

Well, I’m sure it might but not 100% I was as productive as I could have been!

Then I got onto longer-term goals. What did I want to achieve next week and for the rest of September? Well, I might have got to a “Before Christmas” stage as well but decided to pause that one.

SMART Goals.

So I don’t know about you but when it comes to making goals that aren’t just a “cross of a to-do” kind of goal I often end up back at SMART goals. (For daily goals I sometimes try the 1-3-5 method that my friend Rickie introduced me to. 5 little tasks, 3 medium tasks and 1 big task each day rather than a long to-do list like I normally do. You can read more here).

Back to SMART goals, so let’s go back to the beginning. What does SMART stand for?

Specific – Make sure the goal is well defined. What do I want to accomplish? Why is the goal important? Who is involved? Where is it located? What do I need to achieve it?
Measurable –  Make sure the goal is obtainable – think about how will I know when it is accomplished? (For instance, rather than ride my bike more, I might set a goal like ride my bike 10 miles a week)
Achievable – how I accomplish this goal? How realistic is the goal?
Relevant – is the goal relevant? Does this seem worthwhile? But also is this the right time?
Time-Bound – Every goal needs an end day so that you have a deadline to focus on. Maybe it’s the day of a big race (like London Marathon is always around the 25th April – actually it’s nearly always the weekend before my birthday!)

My planner is definitely more of the appointments along with daily to do list kind of goals. I’ve decided to try and start a new insert in my standard TN for the longer goals. With Jaxon now being at school on weekdays, I’m trying to be more proactive and try and achieve some of those goals that I kept putting off because I couldn’t do them with Jaxon in tow.

September started with a lot of decoration, I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and even if Anna’s September stickers weren’t technically HP and Hogwarts themed they did work perfectly (with some additions) to decorate the week leading up to what is the day everyone catches the Hogwarts Express to school. I paired the stickers with red and yellow washi. They were the closest I had to the Gryffindor colours (although I did discover at last year’s Jingle and Mingle that technically I’m a Hufflepuff. Have you booked your tickets for this year’s Jingle and Mingle? They are available here)

This post was originally shared on Mrs Brimbles’ Blog here. 

When FOMO and Comparison Take Over…

Around a decade ago, I started my first blog. I guess the Grandma of this one in a way. I would write about what I’d found on the internet that day or what had been going on. It had seen me through grief, happiness, becoming a superhero (of sorts), becoming a foster carer, dramatically changing jobs and becoming a mum.

But somewhere along the line I started worrying about what I was writing rather than just getting on with it. I was getting caught up in the SEO and readability of my posts. Then also things like whether the post was in my niche and whether people would read it.

For along, time Julie and Julia was one of my favourite films, even now it still is in the Top Ten. I loved how she’d cook and then blog about it and somehow the readers would come. Okay I get it wasn’t that simple and when Julie Powell was blogging about the Julie/Julia Project. It was 2002/2003 and blogs were a new thing as well as holding down a day job. We were on dial-up and it was all about MSN Messenger!

Oh and of course the film gives a more glamourised version of what was going on. I used my Cineworld Unlimited card to go and see it at the cinema. By myself of course! I got home took my copy of The Joy of Cooking by Irma Raumbauer off the bookcase. Then learnt how to make scrambled eggs properly. Wasn’t rocket science but up until then I had almost been scared of getting it wrong or something.

But I wanted to be that kind of blogger. And here is the issue. I think comparison and FOMO got the better of me. Rather than putting fingers to keys (or on the screen as I write this from bed when I should be sleeping!) I’d save yet another draft to my blog and then analyse and edit it until I was frustrated rather than happy and leave it there forever to be a draft and not to be read outside of the draft folder. Then I’d analyse the photos I’d taken and still not happy I would save the post again and back it would go into the draft folder. I think at last count I had around 20 drafts. Time to get them out into the world I think.

So here we go a line in the sand. I’m going to try to write for me. For the thoughts that belt around my head at midnight. For the thoughts that mean when my body is saying good night my brain is pleading “just five more minutes” in the way Jaxon does to avoid bedtime or to avoid going to school or church.

Monthly Review: August

I stumbled across Belle’s review posts over on her blog by accident and decided to attempt to revive my own Monthly Review posts. This is August’s monthly review. You can see others here. At the end of each month, I write a monthly review all about what I’ve been up to each month. 

August

Highlights from August

  • August started with Chris being away at Newday. Combined with Jaxon being in the middle of the school holidays. Things felt a bit crazy all week.
  • Chris arrived home on his birthday. I hadn’t really made any plans because I didn’t know whether he’d want to go out or stay in but in the end we ended up going out for dinner. My brother and his wife were busy but Mum and Dad were able to join us for dinner which was lovely.
  • Across August, my Dad was amazing and had Jaxon once a week (Sometimes more depending on what was on) which mean I was able to buckle down and get lots of work things done which was great.
  • Once Auntie Rachel was back from her big adventure, she was able to have Jaxon as well for a few hours here and there which meant I was able to have some more “solo” time to clear the decks a bit more which was lovely and added to my gratitude.
  • Mum, Richard and I had decided we were going to see Antman and The Wasp. We asked Dad if he wanted to come and he said yes so we all went together. We got dinner at Wagamama’s beforehand. Not sure Dad was so convinced about it but we all loved the food again. I introduced everyone to Chicken Gyoza.

Top Posts Viewed in August

Projects Worked on in August

  • Stormy Skies Jumper (Pattern by Nicky at Handknits and Hygge)
  • Jaxon’s Jumper
  • Autumn Breeze Sweater (Pattern by Paintbox Yarns – downloaded from LoveKnitting)

Books Read in August

Series Watched (Not full seasons btw!)

  • Elementary
  • Doctor Who
  • Reverie
  • The Catch (Another Shonda Rhimes show!)
  • 9-1-1
  • For The People
  • Burden of Truth
  • Cheaspeake Shores
  • Instinct
  • Eight Go Rallying: Road to Saigon

Films watched

  • Girl in Progress
  • Of All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (Janel Parrish as a sort of “goodie” instead of her “Is she a goodie or baddie?” character in Pretty Little Liars was a little strange!)
  • PLaying nice
  • Brimming with Love
  • Freshman Father
  • Love Blossoms
  • Bramble House Christmas (it turned cold, I was doing Christmas planning, I kind of couldn’t resist! Don’t judge me!)
  • Birthday Wish
  • Jumanji (new one)
  • The Boss Baby
  • Moana
  • Frozen
  • The Clapper
  • Public Schooled
  • Love on the Slopes

Goals for September

  • Clear some of the UFOs (unfinished objects). Across the summer I started three projects and none of them are close to being finished so definitely going to work on those, especially the Stormy Skies Jumper. That is definitely more of a challenge with all the repeats etc and the fact it’s in the round for some of it but I am determined that I will finish it and not give up on it. Maybe if the boys go off for an adventure, I will take up residence on the sofa and work my way through the sleeves as far as I can.
  • Getting my small business back on the rails properly. I think a lot of the summer had been able keeping my head above water rather than actually getting anywhere. I’m hoping with Jaxon now being at school full time I’ll be able to get better at structuring my days and clearing the decks each day (rather than working into the evening/night instead of having self care time)

Self-Care in the Crazy Hannah Bubble

This was originally posted on Mrs Brimbles Blog here.

The practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health.

It might not be a broken bone or rash that is visible but mental health is important too. It’s massively important. Did you know that a lot of mental illnesses show with physical symptoms too? Sometimes it’s things like Insomnia or Hypersomnia, sometimes it’s things like a change in your diet or the way your body processes what you are eating. 

I would say I’m a bit of a logophile then again I thought something like etymologist would be more official (not to be confused with entomology which is the study of bugs! Always makes me think of Gil Grissom in CSI). I like reaching for a well-known search engine to look for the dictionary definition of terms (especially big words – the bigger the better sometimes! For instance, today I used discombobulated in a tweet during BedsHour!).

But what’s this got to do with my planner or journalling?

Well certainly this week has been about self-care. For one week in August, it all goes a bit crazy and Mum and I along with 15ish other volunteers run a Holiday Club at a local church. It always seems like a good idea then by the time we get to this week we start to question our sanity!

Along with this my amazing Dad and Sister in Law have taken Jaxon for a little across two days which meant I could try and get my head in the right place and clear the decks a bit!

I worked through my emails, wrote some tweets and did some work tasks but I didn’t make it to this week in my planner (As you can see below). It crossed my mind to do it Friday morning when Sister-in-Law had Jaxon but I woke up with a bad head and decided to snuggle on the sofa instead. (As Mum said, I was burning the candles at both ends and that’s why I’ve had a bad head twice this week!)

She’s exactly right. I get up with Jaxon around 8ish then I’m on Mum duty until he goes to bed. Because he’s been at Holiday Club too his bedtime has been later than usual. I’ve got home around 9pm and then started to try and fill in what I need to get done. Any parents who survive on minimal sleep because their kids think sleep is for the weak, I applaud you because I’m one spoilt Mummy when it comes to sleep! Ever since Jaxon was born he’s been a good sleeper overnight – nap time was a different story but overnight – I’m spoilt!

But on Thursday when my Dad/Jaxon’s Grandpa had Jaxon for nearly the whole day I managed to get September sorted out. With Jaxon starting school, I can see the monthly view coming in handy to make sure we’re organised and keeping up with washing uniform and things like that. When I saw the fairytale/woodland stickers, I wasn’t 100% sure they were my thing but then I got thinking about how as kids we’d go conker hunting in September and October once the leaves started to change and things like that. So I decided that I’d use them across the September Monthly and actually by the “end” I wanted to try and fit more stickers into the spread so actually decorated the first week of term too!

I cleaned down the kitchen table, got the tripod out and decided to go for it. I could edit out the rubbish parts and talk over it later when needed. As I was stood there mid filming, Our Sidekick arrived in the kitchen chatting away followed by Our Sidekick’s Social Worker coming for a visit. Part of me was tempted to load it at the end as a blooper reel! The SW got all excited about how my tripod was set up and how I was using my phone and things like that – It was kind of entertaining to listen back to it while editing! But we got there in the end! I think I’ll go back and do the August Monthly one as a memory keeping kind of thing because I’ve done zero journalling.

So when I’ve actually had time to do self-care, what have I been up to? Well, I’ve been knitting a jumper designed by a lovely lady called Nicky. It’s all knitted in one piece and from the neck down (Rather than back, front and two sleeves like most jumpers I’ve done in the past). It’s knitted in DK on 4mm needles so feels like it’s taking ages but it’s at a point now where I can do a couple of rows, put it back in my bag and carry on with something else so it’s perfect for knitting groups etc. This week I had two knitting groups. I ended up talking Disneyland Paris to one lady as she’s off on an adventure with her daughter, son in law and grandkids next year and wanted to know every piece of information I could bestow on her! I also caught up with my lovely friend who’s recently opened her own shop in town. The two knitting groups I attend are definitely my self-care slots. Even if I’m having

Well, I’ve been knitting a jumper designed by a lovely lady called Nicky. It’s all knitted in one piece and from the neck down (Rather than back, front and two sleeves like most jumpers I’ve done in the past). It’s knitted in DK on 4mm needles so feels like it’s taking ages but it’s at a point now where I can do a couple of rows, put it back in my bag and carry on with something else so it’s perfect for knitting groups etc. I’ve now got to the arms which have a lot of lacework so at least for a little bit it’s taken a back seat.

This week I had two knitting groups. I ended up talking Disneyland Paris to one lady as she’s off on an adventure with her daughter, son in law and grandkids next year and wanted to know every piece of information I could bestow on her! I also caught up with my lovely friend who’s recently opened her own shop in town. The two knitting groups I attend are definitely my self-care slots. Even if I’m having bad day and want to miss group, I know that if I can just get out of the house and get to the group after 10-15 minutes I will feel better. I know that once I get through the door someone will watch Jaxon if I just need to go have a little cry in the corner or someone will hug me tightly and tell me it will be okay, maybe not right away but it will be okay. And you know what, right now it’s exactly what’s needed.There’s  been various things on top of the holiday club crazy and I’ve been so grateful for those lovely ladies picking me up and giving me a hug.

This was written and submitted to Anna but now today Jaxon starts school and I can see things getting a little loopy again. I think once he’s in school this morning, I will feel that bit less stressed because he will be there and that will be the first day in progress but at the same time I’m still a bit anxious about how he will be in school and things like that. I spoke to a friend of mine who runs her own business amongst other things. She told me to take a break for a day or two. You’ve gone from being a “full time” Mum as far as Jaxon being with me all the time to now him being at school five days a week. Well, I had a few plans but when my friend said “Let’s catch up” it turned out that today is the best day for us both so I’m off to see her and her children for the morning which will be lovely. (and more self-care!)

That’s It – School Holidays DONE!

And like that, the school holidays have finished. 

Last week, Mum, Jaxon and I went to purchase school shoes. At the beginning of the week before we went shopping, I took a look on the Clarks website. Were they going to have Jaxon’s sizes and in the right styles for the school uniform list? His feet had changed a little bit but just half a size. It was also fine because they had shoes for him that would fit.

The young lady who was looking after us used the clever iPad and step measuring thing to measure Jaxon’s feet. I think he was nervous that he’d break the iPad by standing on it. After all if he stood on mine I think I would get very cross with him and he would have to sit in time out. 

He was really good and stood there as long as she needed him to. The young lady then went out to find a couple of sets of shoes that had velcro fastenings. Thankfully they actually did have a wide selection for school appropriate shoes in Jaxon’s size. He decided he liked the first pair and that was enough. We also tried on trainers as there was an offer on in Clarks. As part of his PE kit he’s supposed to have plimsolls or trainers with light soles that can be worn for indoor PE and things like that. However because he has insoles in his shoes, really he needs to have proper trainers rather than canvas plimsolls as they don’t give very much support. We tried to find a pair of trainers that had a light sole but were still fairly school approprate. In the end we’ve gone with black ones that have a black sole too. The one pair that Clarks did have in Jaxon’s size had a toggle fastening and wouldn’t have really been easy for him to get on and off.

It’s now Monday evening and Jaxon starts school in the morning. When I got up this morning there was a plan. Some of it went a little to pot when Jaxon fell down the stairs in Pizza Hut and then when we got caught in traffic. At Pizza Hut in Centre:MK, the toilets are upstairs. Having been up the stairs to the toilet we then came back downstairs to join the queue and be seated for food. We were about four steps from the bottom and Jaxon had just gone. I think he’d tripped over his own feet (getting used to his new trainers) and was slightly just out of reach of me so I couldn’t grab him. In the end he was okay but it did sort of throw me a little. Anyway, once I write this post and get my phone backed up then I think I can go to bed and that means I’m almost back on track. His uniform is laying out upstairs ready to go (down to pants and socks too because he’ll faff otherwise!). I think I am about to lay out my outfit for tomorrow so that I know that, that is done and ready to go and one less thing to think about in the morning! 

I’d read this on one of my friend’s feeds on FB and then shared it: 

Dear Teacher,

“I know you’re rather busy, first day back, there’s just no time, a whole new class of little ones and this one here is mine.

I’m sure you have things covered and have done this lots before, but my boy is very little, he hasn’t long turned four. 

In his uniform this morning, he looked so tall and steady, but now beside your great big school, I’m not quite sure he’s ready. 

Do you help them eat their lunch? Are you quick to soothe their fears? And if he falls and hurts his knee will someone dry his tears? 

And what if no-one plays with him? What if someone’s mean? What if two kids have a fight and he’s caught in between? 

You’re right, I have to leave now it’s time for him to go I’m sure he’ll learn so much from you, things that I don’t know. 

Yes, I’m sure they settle quickly, that he’s fine now without me, I know he has to go to school, it’s just so fast. 

You see, it seems like just a blink ago I first held him in my arms, it’s been my job to love, to teach, to keep him safe from harm. 

So, when I wave goodbye in a moment and he turns to walk inside, forgive me if I crumple into tears of loss and pride.

I know as I give him one more kiss and watch him walk away, that he’ll never again be wholly mine as he was before today.

By Emma Robinson. Source: Poem – Motherhood for Slackers. Photo – Working Mother

I shared this on my Facebook and I needed to share where my heart was at and somehow this got it. I’m excited that he’s going to school and that he’s going onto newer things but he’s still that little boy that I cradle when he cries, he’s that little boy who uses me as a human climbing frame then kisses me on the cheek for no reason. Jaxon has been to preschool or he’s been out with family but we’ve always still spend a lot of the week together. From tomorrow that all changes, and although I’m excited for him and I want him to learn things and be able to achieve greatness. He’s still my little boy, he’s only just four. He seems so little in his uniform that’s kind of too big for him. 

So the school holidays are done and Jaxon’s been to his last Lemon and Ginger knitting group this morning. He’ll be back in the school holidays but that won’t be until October. It’s the same with Cofffee Morning – he won’t be back until February Half Term because of where it falls and then he’ll be four and a half. (I think cake might have to be smuggled home when possible!) 

The Monthly Review: July

I stumbled across Belle’s review posts over on her blog by accident and decided to attempt to revive my own Monthly Review posts. This is July’s monthly review. You can see others here. At the end of each month, I write a monthly review all about what I’ve been up to each month. 

The Monthly Review: July

I supposed it’s better late, than never that I post this monthly review. Some days I feel like I am chasing my tail round and round in circles rather than actually getting anywhere but hopefully July’s Monthly Review post will be on time.

Highlights from July

  • https://www.gallones.co.uk/July started with Race For Life. It was so hot that weekend! It was 28C around lunchtime so we were very hot!
  • There were three family birthdays in July so had a Birthday BBQ followed by another birthday party.
  • Jaxon was one of those birthdays. Jaxon and I went to Lemon and Ginger Knitting group at the Pavilion. Laura sorted out a brownie for Jaxon and the staff at the Pavilion were amazing. They couldn’t find a proper birthday cake candle so used to two tealights. Two of the staff came out onto the veranda bit to join us and they all sang Happy Birthday to Jaxon. It was so lovely of them! I asked Jaxon what he wanted for lunch. He decided that he wanted sausage rolls so we went to a bakery and got some sausage rolls and drinks. He then wanted to go and get an ice cream so we headed to Gallones. It was a lovely birthday and I hope he enjoyed it. His next birthday falls on a school day and I’m not sure how well he’s going to cope with that one!  Jaxon's Birthday
  • In August, I’m helping at a Holiday Club so as part of that I went with a group from the Holiday Club to take assemblies at two lower primary schools. It ended up as three school sites because of how the school is setup at the moment. They were good fun. One of my friends is a teacher at one of the schools, she walked past the assembly hall and waved at me. She had to go to a meeting while her class was in assembly so she couldn’t stay but it was lovely that she’d come past to say hello.
  • At Coffee Morning, we had a couple of speakers from Bedford Street Angels. I was part of the team when they first started so it was great to hear about what they’ve been up to and how things are going now. Bedford Street Angels has now been running since February 2009.
  • Since about March I’ve been working more on our family tree – specifically Chris’s side to figured out the link between him and Admiral Byng. A few weeks ago, I got an email from Ancestry.com to tell me that more extended family members on my side  had been added to a tree that I had found. I sat down and started to fill in what I could. In the end I worked out I was back to my 9th time Great Grandad or something like that. INSANE! I’m still not much further on Chris’s side though which is a shame but it’s coming along. You can read more about when I started back in March here.
  • Chris has gone to Newday this week so I’ve been looking after Jaxon with tag team assistance from my parents and Our Sidekick when needed. Our Sidekick has also been helping with some of the chores (yesterday afternoon he took up three baskets/bags of washing which is great – I’m hoping I can get it all away before Chris gets back at the weekend and then I have more washing to do!
  • On the first night of Chris being away, Jaxon had gone to bed in his own bed but around midnight woke up and decided he wanted to sleep in my bed – it was easier to say yes then to upset him in his half-awake state. I expected that he was going to be a wriggle bum but actually once he was out he was really still once he got settled. I decided that would be a one off and was grateful to have the bed to myself on the second night!

Top Posts Viewed in July

Projects Worked on in July

  • I’ve been working on my jumper a bit more but I’m having trouble with the arms so it’s on pause at the moment.
  • I started Stormy Skies Jumper, but between one or another thing I ended up having to start again.

Books Read in July

In July, my reading level has gone back to the pre-Disney level again. Hoping to get this back up again.

  • Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
  • The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares (Second Summer of the Travelling Pants)
  • Come Matter Here by Hannah Brencher

Series Watched (Not full seasons btw!)

  • Amazing Interiors
  • Elementary
  • Nashville
  • Marvel Agents of Shield
  • SuperGirl
  • Arrow (just the crossover episodes when I could find them)
  • Flash (just the crossover episodes when I could find them)
  • Doctor Who (Season 7)
  • Hyori’s Bed and Breakfast (Season 1 – I attempted to watch it but with it being in Korean with subtitles I needed to be able to watch it and concentrate on the subtitles)
  • Gilmore Girls (Sometimes you have to go back to the beginning)

Films watched

  • Home Again
  • Moana (lots! It’s Jaxon’s current favourite to the extent that if he would learn Tokelau, I think he would!)
  • Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (this is still in progress)
  • Brain on Fire

Goals for August 

  • Clear some of the UFOs (unfinished objects. I have the jumper to finish (Autumn Breeze Sweater) as well as properly get started on another one (Stormy Skies). I was about 20 rows into it and then thought it was going really wrong so pulled it all out again. Casting on for like the third time now so hopefully, it’ll work now.

A Week in Disneyland Paris – Monday

Following our weekend, exploring Paris some more. It was now time to head onto the second part of our adventure. We were off to Disneyland Paris or as it had been called in our house “Mickey’s House”. It’s only taken me since May to catch up! A Weekend in Paris

Getting to the Park

The great thing about Disneyland Paris is the transport links. The train station is right in the middle of the Disneyland Paris area. There is a Eurostar service that comes directly into this station as well as the RER Ligne A service. From the station, you can then get shuttle buses to and from the hotels. There’s also a coach that runs to Charles de Gaulle airport. This should have been straightforward but because the train we got on stopped at Torcy (four stops away from the park) we had to get off and wait for the train that would take us the rest of the way. The train seemed to take ages to come by which point we were all getting a bit grumpy.

On our arrival at Marne-la-Vallee Chessy, we followed the signs to find the Disney Express desk. Now, this was something I’m glad Chris had looked into. We were able to drop the luggage that we didn’t need for the day at the desk and they would transfer it to our hotel later in the day. This was a great idea because it meant that we could have the Monday in the park without having to drag our suitcase with us (and then try to guard it while we were on rides etc).

Monday in The Park

Having dropped off our cases we headed into the park. This was very exciting and I wanted to get that first feel of Main Street. As we arrived the “Pirate and Princess” parade was happening right in the middle of Main Street. Rather than try to get along Main Street, we ducked into one of the arcades and escaped the crowds. This actually meant that we would meet our first character. Unexpectedly as we came out of the arcade we spotted Eeyore. As the queue wasn’t very long, we decided to queue for our first Character Meet. When we were the second in the queue, the actor playing Eeyore had to take a break. Jaxon was really good and waited his turn.

Hannah and Jaxon meet Eeyore at Disneyland Paris

Nearly all the day was spent doing rides, we headed to Discoveryland which included the Star Wars rides and some Toy Story ones. We first went on Orbitron, followed by the Nautilus. These were both Jaxon suitable (and Mummy suitable!). After this, we temporarily split up for one ride. Chris went on Star Tours by himself while Jaxon and I looked around the Star Wars themed shop. Jaxon was just about tall enough for Star Tours/ However, we wanted to check that the ride itself was okay for him.

An Adventure to Guest Services

When Chris came off, I was going to take my turn on Star Tours while they went to get in the queue for Autopia given how long the wait was for it. I took some video clips to show my brother but then realised that I had lost one of the tickets. I retraced my steps back through the queue line and then around the areas we had been. However, I think the Cast Members on litter picking were being extra organised and had already scooped up the ticket for the bin.

I went to Autopia and waited for the boys to come off. They were still in the queue and Chris could see me from where I was stood. He texted me to see if I was okay and I explained what was going on. I explained that I had lost the ticket and I was kind of upset at my own stupidity. While the boys explored the park a little more, I went to Guest Services to try and get the ticket reissued.

Chris looked at the Disneyland Paris app and told me where the nearest Guest Services was. The first one I went to was inside the park. The Cast Member I spoke to had a look to see if it had been handed in as lost property. He came back a few moments later and no it hadn’t been handed in. He then said that I needed to go to Guest Services just outside the park. At the second Guest Services, I spoke to a lovely lady called Raquel. She had to do various bits to make sure that the tickets I did have in my hand were official ones. She then called the hotel to make sure that we did indeed have a booking there.

It took a few moments to get all the bits together to be able to reissue the tickets but Raquel was really lovely and helpful. There was a minor hiccup in the system so it wasn’t entirely working the way it should have. However, Raquel came up with an idea and it meant that she could reissue the ticket. YES! Thank you lovely Raquel!

Back into the Park

Once I was back in the park, I went to find the boys. They had been on Autopia and then Nautilus again then had taken up residence in Videopolis. Jaxon was watching clips of Star Wars animations on a big screen. While they carried on watching the videos, Chris despatched me to take my turn on Star Tours. After my turn, we went to Starport to meet Darth Vader. This probably would have been more interesting to Jaxon if he had known who Darth Vader was but we had a good time. It was a bit surreal especially as the person playing Darth seemed to be very tall!

Following food at Plaza Gardens it was 5 pm and time for the Disney Stars Parade show. Apart from on Friday, this was the only day that we stopped in one place to watch the parade – and this time we stayed for the whole parade. Jaxon was very excited and when Mickey waved at him, he nearly exploded!

After the Parade

After the parade, we completed a lot of rides and attractions including the Dragon’s Lair, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, Lancelot’s Carousel and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Between various bits going on, at this point I went for a sit-down. I think the cold/wet was making my joints hurt and really I needed to sit down somewhere and warm up properly. While the boys went to do Pinocchio and It’s a Small World, I sat down in Videopolis and tried to get comfortable. When I realised my phone was running low on battery and the battery charger wasn’t working, I decided to go and find the boys (And go through the pain!)

You can read the rest of the posts about our trip to Paris here. 

Unicorns, Frogs and My Passion Planner

Imagine a messy desk with just about enough space for the keyboard. That’s my desk, so the idea of sitting at my desk to journal or create anything more than the odd scribble has been a challenge. Working hasn’t exactly been easy with no space on the desk but it’s worked in it’s own way!

Supposedly a messy desk is the sign of a creative mind. I think mine would just be unorganised!

Back in May we went to Paris for the weekend and then to Disneyland Paris for a week. I’d spent all week collecting train tickets, paper placemats from the restaurants and photos galore to then journal about it when I got home. Just like I’ve done with so many other trips.

Well, we arrived back on Sunday evening having been away for about 9 days. In theory, we were ready to go back to normal life. However, at the end of our trip, Jaxon had gone down with Chicken Pox. Of all the times to come down with it! We knew it could be coming because it had been going round preschool and one of his little friends had gone down with a week earlier. While Chris went back to normal life, Jaxon and I were sort of in quarantine. Thankfully with some tag teaming with Grandpa I was able to escape to a work meeting. This is where working for myself comes in handy but between one thing and another journaling about our trip was getting further and further down the list.

It’s now the middle of July and I’m writing this post. Well actually it’s the end of July and this post is being edited from the one I wrote on Mrs Brimbles blog. Jaxon is playing in the soft play bit at Ikea and I am attempting to get some bits crossed off my to-do list while I have the chance. Back at the beginning of July, it crossed my mind to join in with One Book July but it’s only now that I sort of have a plan in place. (About time right?)

Passion Planner

Week 16th - 22nd July using Mrs Brimbles stickers

For months maybe even years it had crossed my mind to get a Passion Planner but having not got on with other hourly based planners I wasn’t sure it was right for me so kept putting it off. When I sat down with another independent business owner here in Bedford and I saw what her Passion Planner looked like, I was convinced – I’d print off the tester PDFs from the website and see how it would go. Well, that lasted all of the time it took me to fill in the next few weeks – I decided to order the undated version and get on with it. Well, the classic is a bit big (it’s A4) but works wonders! (And actually, since writing the post for Mrs Brimbles, I’ve ordered a compact too!). When my stickers arrived from July’s Sticker Club, I carried them around tucked in my planner for a few days and got a few ideas together like alternating the sticker washi with normal washi tape. Then when Chris was out at the church youth group and Jaxon was in bed, I attempted to get some filming done before it got too gloomy. I’m not sure it’s my best recording but it was fun to have the camera out for the first time in a while.

Week 23rd - 29th July Using Mrs Brimbles Stickers

Journaling

Bullet Journal Layout with Mrs Brimbles Patreon Collage Sheets

When you consider all the delays about writing about the Paris trip, I think I got further and further away from wanting to journal about the trip because there was more time that had past since we had got back. In the end, I sat down and did it. I knew by getting on with it, I’d actually be able to clear both some of my messy desk and the pile that was growing underneath my desk (and would regularly get kicked and messed up!) Also I’ve been collect items since our holiday so they are taking up more space too!

My go-to for journaling is usually some kind of TN insert, for a long time I’ve been in a TN but something recently has taken me away from that and I’m not entirely sure what it is that has put me off. I’ve been working my way through the notebooks and inserts I already have. Some are as big as A5 and others are smaller size TN inserts.

My current notebook is a Midori MD A5 notebook with grid pages. I’ve used some of the collage sheet from previous Patreon collections from Anna to decorate the outside and then used some of July’s Patreon collage sheets to decorate where I’m starting in the notebook. This will be a bit like a bullet journal in that it will carry my to-do lists but it will also work as my journal to write about what we’ve been up to and how I’m feeling etc. Also, it will be a bit of a “catch all” so there might be photos and things too along the way (maybe a flip through will follow at the end of the book).

I’m hoping now that I have this plan, I can clear my desk a bit, I can feel a bit more clearer in my head and come up with a plan to move forward. After all, what’s the point in getting caught up in all the decorative planning if you don’t actually get any plans done?

7 Things I’ve Noticed Since Giving Up Diet Cola

7 Things I've Noticed Since Giving up Diet Cola

For five years I worked in the same company, and nearly every day I had at least one can of Diet Cola (and the nearest drinking water tap was upstairs). When I changed jobs, I semi gave it up but was still drinking quite a lot of the stuff. When I started Slimming World, you’re told that diet fizzy drinks are fine. Meaning that the full-fat versions are the “baddy”. For just over a fortnight now, we’ve been on a new health kick. As Lucy put it on her IG story – “I don’t like to drink my calories”. Exactly! Why waste the calories on a can of full fat Cola when you could have chocolate or ice cream? When I was pregnant with Jaxon, I switched to lemonade or other non-caffeine fizzy to try and make a difference overall. However, sometimes the odd can of Diet Cola or glass while we were out for dinner would slip in there. I’d been told that it was probably rotting my insides and yet still drinking it was easier, even when I was pregnant.

As a mum to a small child, having that caffeine boost was needed. The caffeine boost was still outweighing any damage it was doing.

Back in May, we went to Paris and then Disneyland for just over a week. For lunch on the first Saturday, we were there, we got McDonald’s. Having had our crazy adventure around Paris, we were all hungry. Chris and I figured it was a safe bet that Jaxon would eat it. We would have plenty of time to get experimental! This was the first time I noticed that French Cola Light was definitely not the same as Diet Cola we have here in the UK. I was sure that last time we were in Paris it tasted more similar to UK Diet Cola. Chris told me later in the week that the French recipe had changed in line with the changes to French Food Law or something like that.

Well that was it, at first it was one meal, then it was a whole day and now it’s around 10 weeks. I feel like I need a reward of some kind. Maybe I’ll run that one past Chris! We also made sure we had some squash (or the closest French equivalent). Even when I was offered Diet Cola at a friend’s house, I turned it down. (She never normally has Diet Cola in her house and yet this time she did and I stayed strong and said no!!)

So what did I notice once I gave Diet Cola up?

Less Headaches

In the past, giving up Diet Cola has often been accompanied by the mother of all withdrawal headaches. However, something I learned this time around was that most of the time when I had given up, I wasn’t replacing that fluid. I’d go from drinking anything up to a litre of Diet Cola a day (plus a few cups of squash or water) to maybe having less than a litre fluid all day total. Not only was I going through withdrawal but I was dehydrated – no wonder my head hurt!

Having gotten over those first few days when you’re in withdrawal, overall I’ve noticed that I’ve had fewer headaches. I think I can count on my fingers how many I’ve had – I think I’m on less than 1 a fortnight so that’s 5 in the space of 10 weeks. The headaches that I have had since I’ve been able to pin to a particular factor like not enough sleep or getting overheated in the crazy heatwave we’ve been having in the UK. Also when I have had those headaches I’ve tried to use 4Head or a similar product rather than reaching for paracetamol as the first stop.

More Settled Nights

As a teen and in my early twenties I would dream vividly, I’m talking about them being so vivid I could recount them in great detail each morning. But I found as I got older that’s gone away but I’ve also realised that that could have been suppressed by the amount of caffeine and sweetener I was consuming. Now the vivid dreams haven’t come back although I do dream more now than I did, but I have noticed that my nights are more settled. Minus the odd wake up for Jaxon, I am sleeping near enough full nights whereas I would often wake multiple times in the night even though I was shattered.

Easier Bedtimes

Before we went away, I often drinking between 500ml and a litre of Diet Cola everyday, that amount of caffeine has the tendency to keep you awake longer than normal. This was great I had extra time to work into the evenings. NOT! I would get into bed and lie there starring at the ceiling or I was downstairs doing stuff and then going to bed as late as 2am. On top of this, I would still think that I could wake at 6:30/7 for Jaxon and still be able to function. How wrong am I? When we were in France I was often going to bed anywhere between 9pm and 11pm once Jaxon was in bed and asleep. I read lots but often found that ours days had been so busy I was getting a bit of reading in and then falling asleep.

Once we got home, I tried to continue the 10 pm bedtimes. I would get in bed at 10pm, read or watch an episode of something before settling down to sleep. I would often be out for the count once I closed my eyes! They were the odd late ones that crept in when I really needed to finish something but often I’d get to 11pm and be feeling in. Would sometimes just go “that’s it” and retreat to bed, it would have to wait for the next day!

Better Mornings

Mornings with Jaxon
Both Chris and Jaxon are very much morning peope and I am really not. In all honesty, I’ve never EVER been a morning person. Add in the need for caffeine, along with the lack of sleep and I was really not human for the first chunk of the day. Getting Jaxon ready for preschool or to get out the house for something else was often hard work and I would be snappy. I’m not always 100% awake when Jaxon and Chris wake up in the morning now but I am a bit more human which is always a good thing with a 4 year old jumping on you!

Change of Appetite

This was one I was told about but never realised. There’s something in Diet Cola which makes you crave sweet things – not just more Diet Cola. I discovered whereas I could gobble down a lot of chocolate or something equally sweet. Once I’d given up Diet Cola my tastes have changed more. Sometimes I still fancy chocolate but it’s a small bar insead of a bigger bar. If I fancy biscuits then its 2 or 3 digestives rather than the majority of the pack. All in all, I’m eating less (combined with drinking more water/squash)

Bloating/Weight Loss/Change of Shape

This one I’m still working on. I have noticed a few changes but they are definitely slower. I think a combination of the other things I’ve noticed have given me more energy which has made it easier to exercise. I’m still not going to be a gym bunny or take up marathon running but I am definitely trying to make more of an effort.

A few weeks ago I actually walked all the way from town to preschool, normally I take a 20-minute bus right instead. This worked out as a 2-mile walk – that’s almost half my target for a day!

Moods

Overall it feels like my moods are better. I think my fuse has got longer so I’m less likely to fly off the handle at the boys. Also, I think it’s meant that my moods are more balanced. I still get upset about things but I don’t go from being perfectly happy to bawling my eyes out like I might have used to do. This has also meant that when my period comes round, I’m getting less PMT-y and not walking around with a black cloud over my head.

Naps!

I’ve discovered naps! Okay so I used to have them – Sunday afternoon often became a nap slot. Chris would be on Jaxon duty and I’d doze off on the sofa. But at that point they were often necessary. Sometimes a nap was the only way of clearing a withdrawal headache enough to function. Now why wasn’t that the point that I was putting a stop to it and giving up Diet Cola. Actually, I don’t have an answer. I think again it was easier to pick up a Diet Cola from the corner shop and with a dose of paracetamol deal with the headache that way. On one occasion, I curled up on the sofa to lie down for a few minutes, next thing I knew it was nearly preschool pick up time and there was no way I was going to make it to preschool. Thankfully Dad saw the funny side of it and came to my rescue! Now, most of the time I’m falling asleep with my book in front of my face at bedtime!

Is it bedtime now?

BONUS: Jaxon’s Diet

Of all the things to also notice, Jaxon is eating less sweets now. Cut down/out the trips to the shop while we’re out and Jaxon is having less sweets! He’s had more sweets recently as he’s been to birthday parties and had his own birthday. However, I try to steer him to fruit before the sweets. Also tried to keep treats to meal times once he’s had proper food and at least one piece of fruit.

Good Morning Sunshine! AKA Our Trip in an Ambulance

Why is it I start these blog posts and then don’t finish them? This was about four weeks ago now.

We have our morning routine down to a fine art. Jaxon is embarrassingly good at sleeping so when he doesn’t sleep right we know something is up. So it was definitley unexpected that we’d be going in an ambulance.

We woke up this morning and could hear him coughing. At first, it was one or two barking coughs and we thought that was it. Then it was a few more so Chris went in to check on him. When Chris hadn’t come back I got up too. Jaxon was wheezy and has this barking cough. He wasn’t right so we rang 111.

Jaxon was awake and alert so ringing 999 seemed a little excessive. I answered all the questions from the lady on 111, was he awake? Could he speak? Was he turning blue or was his chest being sucked in? When she then said she was despatching an ambulance, I signed at Chris something like “Get dressed NOW!”. She then said the usual bits about making sure the door is unlocked and the paramedics can get themselves in, if one of us can’t get to the door and if Jaxon’s symptoms change at all callback or call 999.

As Chris was now dressed, he sat with Jaxon while I got dressed. We then all got downstairs and packed a bag, basically “If Jaxon gets admitted what do we need?” So there were things for us to do, snacks for Chris and I (That could be shared once Jaxon was cleared to eat). Also, chargers – if you don’t know how long you’re going to be, take your phone charger! Having done an unexpected overnight in the hospital with Jaxon, phone charger is definitely something that’s harder to get hold of (unlike food and drink!).

The paramedics arrived and were lovely. They asked Chris and I questions but always addressed Jaxon as his own person (so important right?). He takes after me and studied the heart monitor when they put the pulse oximeter on his finger. Between wheezy breathes he tried to read the numbers out loud. They also put the little pads EKG pads on his chest and feet to check other heart bits too. The paramedics listened to his chest (and then gave Jaxon the stethoscope to listen to his own heart and chest) and decided that yes the wheeze was in his chest and wasn’t just upper respiratory like croup. Whereas he’d been almost coughing as a way to try and clear the wheeze, by the time the paramedics were there he’d stopped coughing. Maybe after about 10-15 minutes, he did a couple of coughs and they discussed whether it actually was a bit of croup too.

They decided that they were going to give him a nebuliser treatment there and then to try and clear the wheeze. He definitely wasn’t happy about having the mask on his face but in true Jaxon style, he took it all in his stride and sat patiently. I think he had a small children’s mask on but it was slightly too small so didn’t fit on his face quite right – he might have looked silly but a bigger children’s one or even an adult one might have worked better!

While he had the treatment, they also took a heel prick for his blood sugar levels. The paramedic asked me did had we been through a heel prick before, I explained that we had when he was born so it’s no issue and that I’m sure it would be fine. I held Jaxon and kept talking to him while the paramedic did the heel prick. He did flinch a little but as usual, he was completely chilled. He looked like he might cry but actually didn’t – so brave!

Now comes the fun bit (well for Jaxon it was fun I’m sure!). As he’d had the treatment, the paramedics wanted to take him in to get him checked over and make sure there wasn’t anything worse going on. I carried him out to the ambulance as he didn’t have his socks or shoes on. When we got to the ambulance, the paramedics asked me to sit on the trolley (gurney is what it’s called on US medical dramas but I’m not sure that’s what it is here!) and then to hold Jaxon, they would then restrain us both with a combination of the straps they use to restrain patients in transit. We didn’t go blues and twos which I think disappointed Jaxon a little! As it wasn’t a B&T kind of emergency and I was with Jaxon if anything changed, Chris finished getting ready for work so that he could go straight to work from the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital and the paramedics got us signed in before sending us through to the paediatric waiting room. Jaxon was the only child in there for a while and we were seen fairly quickly in the end.

The Paediatric Waiting Room

We were seen by a nurse who gave Jaxon a once over to make sure the stats from home versus now were either matching or improved. We were then sent back to the waiting room and waited to be seen by the doctor.

While we had been seen by the nurse, Chris was on his way from where he’d park the car and met us in the waiting room. I was a little worried that we could end up waiting ages for the doctor but thankfully it wasn’t too long even though it was longer than when we waited for the nurse.

We were seen by the doctor and discharged as Jaxon was back to normal again and the doctor couldn’t see anything wrong so obviously the nebuliser had done it’s job. Chris dropped us at the supermarket on his way through town then he went to work. We then walked a different route through the park to get to knitting group.

That was a bit of a dramatic start to a Monday morning but so thankful that things weren’t worse, which they could have been. Once again so grateful for the lovely NHS staff taking care of us and making sure we were all well.

Monthly Review: June

I stumbled across Belle’s review posts over on her blog by accident and decided to attempt to revive my own Monthly Review posts. This is March’s review. You can see others here.

Review - June

I supposed it’s better late, than never that I post this monthly review. Some days I feel like I am chasing my tail round and round in circles rather than actually getting anywhere but hopefully July’s Monthly Review post will be on time.

Highlights from May and June

At this point I usually recap one month but I didn’t get as far as recapping May before so we have May and June here:

  • We went to Disneyland Paris. Yes I was very excited and yes I am a big kid! There are posts all about it here.
  • Chris and I celebrated our wedding anniversary while in Paris. After last year’s hiccup with Amsterdam I’m glad it mostly went off without a hitch.
  • Jaxon got chicken pox 🙁 I also learnt that in France Chicken Pox is called La Varicelle amongst other random pieces of French Medical information.
  • Chris spoke at Renhold Chapel. He was talking about Jesus making the disciples “fishers of men” and one of his object lesson, was to make fish finger sandwiches for everyone. This worked fine because we were at a small church – at our normal church, it would have taken far too long!
  • Our Sidekick went on a solo trip with friends – they went to France and Croatia, and a great time was had by all. I played taxi between London Luton and then Gatwick. Luton was definitely easier especially when it came to finding a charging point on the way home for Zoe the EV. I think it’s the first time in four years that I’ve seen a sunset and then a sunrise and hardly slept in between (or at all in this case!)
  • I got to attend an event here in Bedford where Philip Pullman was taking part in a Q&A. It was organised by Rogan’s Books (our lovely local Indie Bookshop) in collaboration with The Panacea Museum.

Goals for June

  • Finish at least one book – my speed of reading has been slowing down completely! I managed this and then some! Since getting back from holiday I’d been trying to go to bed before 10pm rather than staying up late to get things done. 
  • Get my bike fixed and encourage Jaxon to ride his bike more. Chris helped me to get my bike sorted out and we did do one trip home from preschool but my gears were being awkward and I was struggling with cycling up the hill to preschool quick enough. I’m sure it’s something that would come with practice. 
  • Clear some of the UFOs (unfinished objects) – I finished two projects but there could have been more UFOs completed instead, I ended up starting new ones! 

Top Posts Viewed in June

Projects Worked on in June

  • Two baby blankets, two friends had their babies really close together so have been trying to get projects finished for them. (It’s now the end of June and they are still sitting in my living room so the next challenge is getting them to the respective Mummies!
  • I was given some balls of wool so I’ve started a knitted jumper for me. Easier said than done – I’m not sure the pattern is technically big enough so it could be an experiment to see if it actually works for me!

Books Read in May and June

In May and June, I got a lot of reading done especially when we were on holiday:

  • Love Does Not Envy or Boast by Lila Diller
  • Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak
  • The Inn at Cherry Blossom Lane by Jennifer Vander Klipp
  • Snowflakes of Christmas Street by Ivy Pembroke
  • New Beginnings by Fern Britton
  • Coming Home by Fern Britton
  • Falling Short by Lex Coulton (really struggled with this one and gave up in the end)
  • Talents by Anna Huckabee
  • Sandover Beach Memories by Emma St. Clair
  • Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes

Series Watched (Not full seasons btw!)

  • Queer Eye
  • Once Upon A Time (Season 7 then I went back to Season 1)
  • Something in The Rain (Korean)
  • 12 Monkeys
  • My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman: Howard Stern
  • iZombie
  • Designated Survivor
  • Miracles from Heaven
  • Elementary

Films watched

  • Ghostbusters
  • Set It Up
  • Ali’s Wedding
  • Alex Strangelove
  • Thi Mai (Spanish and Vietnamese – Netflix keeps up with the subtitles for the Spanish bits but doesn’t for the Vietnamese bits which makes it really interesting trying to understand what’s going on. It’s a lovely heartwarming story but one of those irritatingly inaccurate films. I’m prety sure it’s not that easy to fool the system!)
  • About Time
  • Candy Jar
  • The Kissing Booth
  • The Greatest
  • Return to Me
  • My Perfect Romance
  • The Intern

Goals for July

  • This are to follow! Once I’ve written them!

Monthly Review: May

This is May’s review – it’s been sat in my drafts waiting to be completed and here it is. This month’s Monthly Review. Do you write a similar post? I stumbled across Belle’s review posts over on her blog by accident and decided to attempt to revive my own Monthly Review posts. . You can see others here.

Monthly Review: May

Highlights

  • A large chunk of May was our adventure to Paris and Disneyland Paris. We had a great time but it did mean that the first week of May was a bit crazy trying to get everything done.
  • Paris was lovely. Before we headed to Disneyland, we stayed in the city for a couple of days. We visited the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and the Sacre Coeur. We walked a lot of the time rather than taking the Metro which mean we got to explore the city all that bit more.
  • Disneyland was really fun. We had expected it to be quieter with it being term time but hadn’t quite expected how quiet it would be. Minus Meet the Princesses and Meet Mickey most rides had wait times under 30 minutes and when they were close to that we were often able to get a Fast Pass instead of queuing. I think the longest queue we found on something that we wanted to go on was when we went to Ratatouille.
  • Jaxon also contracted Chicken Pox which was really kind of tough. We were “quarantined” in our hotel room for the last day and a bit before we travelled home. We’d gone through all the necessaries in case we had to delay our trip home but in the end we were able to travel home which was really good. Jaxon and I spent the next week at home. I think the only time I went out was to go to a meeting and to go to the supermarket and in both cases my amazing parents stepped in to help on Jaxon duty.
  • Once we were home we tried to get back on track as best we could. I tried to work around Jaxon being at home, it wasn’t always easy but we made it work.
  • Auntie Rachel came round for dinner as it was her birthday. It was lovely to see her and tell her all about our trip.
  • With it also being the half-term holiday, once Jaxon was clear of the Chicken Pox, we went to Safari MK soft play so he could burn off some built up energy!

Top Posts Viewed in May

Projects Worked on in May

Prior to our trip to France, I had been working more on the Unicorn KAL from ArteSanitorium and a mystery present for a friend. These both went on hold and I ended up taking a ball of wool and a crochet hook to France with us, so start a new baby blanket. When we got back I spent the week catching up on work so not all that much crochet or knitting got done. Having tidied up the corner where my wool and WIPs generally congregate, I found an old project that needed some love so I’m trying to complete that one rather than just putting it back in the corner for another day. I’m hoping this will be off the hook soon and I can share it in another post.

Books Read in May

While we were away I managed to fit in lots of book reading!

While I was away I completed:

  • Coming Home by Fern Britton
  • Falling Short by Lex Coulton (Started but really didn’t get on with it)
  • Door of Hope (Lincoln Square Series – Book 2) by Anna Huckabee
  • Talents (Lincoln Square Series – Book 1) by Anna Huckabee
  • Sandover Beach Memories by Emma St. Clair
  • Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes

and started:

New Beginnings by Fern Britton and the audiobook of The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials Book 1) by Philip Pullman

Series Watched (Not full seasons btw!)

  • Madam Secretary
  • Grey’s Anatomy
  • iZombie
  • Once Upon A Time
  • Something About The Rain (Korean TV series)

Films watched

  • Sherlock Gnomes
  • About Time
  • Candy Jar
  • The Kissing Booth
  • Return to Me
  • The Greatest
  • My Perfect Romance
  • Miracles from Heaven
  • Meditation Park
  • The Intern

Goals for June

  • Catch up on blogging and try to get some posts scheduled ahead of time.
  • Keep up the reading (maybe not at the same pace as in May but at least clear a few off the list!)
  • Set up my Passion Planner (when it arrives!)

Things I Love Thursday – .v2

With our holiday done and work bits out of the way I’m working on getting back on the blog train. At least in theory, let’s see how this goes. Here is Things I Love Thursday.

Things I Love Thursday

New Clothes

When we were in France, we visted Val d’Europe and the shopping centre there. Val d’Europe is part of the Disneyland Paris area but isn’t explicitly Disney. While we were there I bought this top below – I absolutely love it. I think I will need to dig out a long sleeved top to wear underneath it when the weather turns cold because I love it that much lol. Now I think I will need to speak to my sewing friends and see if they can help me make one of my own (or maybe two!)

red/orange Sleeveless top with white floral pattern
Decking in the garden

Our Garden

We’ve started to get ideas together to sort out our garden, which is need of some proper TLC. Our friend Tom who runs Tom’s Garden Services here in Bedford is helping us with some of the harder bits like digging out the conifers in the front garden and fixing up the fence in the back garden. But we’re working on ideas for decking just outside the back door. I love the combination of the dark decking and the white raised flower beds in this one. I think I would be going for a colour rather than white but that’s just me! 

On The Hook

I’ve got a variety of crochet projects on the go and before we went away I was working on a couple of things including clearing my WIPs pile as it was breeding. One of those is changing a hexagon project into squares. Hexagons work really lovely but on my project they just aren’t working. Whereas this one by Padraigin Handmade is gorgeous. I love Sharon’s eye for colour – the colours in her projects always work so well together!

Hexagon Cushion by Sharon at Padraigin Handmade

The Marvel Universe

A few weeks back, my brother, my mum and I went to see The Avengers: Infinity War. I thought I was all up to date but I think along the line I’ve missed some of the storylines so didn’t entirely know who everyone is. (This one was the one found on Pinterest but wasn’t the one originally in this blog post – you can find this one here).

This is the kind of thing I could come up with, if I had the patience (or didn’t have an assistant trying to help me!). For as long as I can remember, whenever anyone has asked me what my favourite colour is my response has often been rainbow – if it’s counted! But I realised that my daily outfits were graduating towards greys and blacks. I think I became boring or something like that! Time to re-embrace the colour I think! 

Any tips on how to do it or maybe just go for it?

Simplify 2018: Sorting Mugs and Under the Stairs

Earlier this week, Chris came upstairs carrying an empty mug in one hand with his index finger on the other hand stuck out like he was pointing at something. On the end of his finger was a small piece of chipped mug. He’d gone to get it out the cupboard to make a drink and the mug had got chipped. Once again, my one word was going to come into play. How do we simplify the mugs cupboard? How do we store things and what needs to be cleared out?

Too many questions for my brain when I wasn’t entirely ready for the day.

That same morning, while Jaxon ate his breakfast I stood in front of the mug cupboard trying to figure out which ones of mine we could get rid of or use elsewhere. There’s the one I was given for Secret Santa at a networking event, then there’s the birthday one that my Mum’s friend gave me. There’s then the two that Chris bought me for my 18th birthday (I turned 31 a few weeks back!) Lots of the mugs some how had a story. How am I going to narrow down the mugs that we have in the cupboard?

Simplify

Simplify has been my word of the year since the beginning of 2017. We’re still working on losing some of the clutter. Sometimes it’s easier than other times but I’m sure we have less stuff than we had before.

While I’m pondering this over my breakfast, storage in a bigger way was rattling round my brain. Our summerhouse/shed in the garden is a bit of a dumping ground – it always has been! The owners before us had a home office down there, and as much as I love the idea of turning it back into an office so I physically have to “go to work” in a way to run my business, do I want to be down there in the middle of winter when the house is warmer?

Anyway, I am a huge fan of flat pack furniture. When my friends are complaining about assembling the furniture. I’m there having a field day! Isn’t flat pack furniture like Lego, Meccano or k’Nex for adults?

How clever is this storage option for under the stairs?
Image from goodlifejoinery.co.uk

I love looking at Pinterest for clever storage ideas. Other than the mugs in the cupboard dilemma, the other one I’m trying to figure out is under stairs storage. We keep the vacuum cleaner and ironing board under the stairs amongst other things but it’s definitely not a good use for the space. In an ideal situation I’d love to open it up and create something like below (probably with doors to hide the clutter!). But from what I understand, part of the cupboard is a supporting wall for the staircase. Therefore it’s not as simple as just taking the cupboard out. So, I’m thinking of more effective uses of the space (between all the other things I think about!)

But what if it’s not a case of just rearranging a cupboard or putting a new shelf? What if you need more storage, maybe away from your house or flat? I love the tool on the Shurgard website. You can select the items that you want to put in your unit and it will estimate how much space you will need. That way you can make sure you’re only paying for the size storage you need. So whether you need to store all your possessions while you have a round the world adventure or just temporary storage between moves – you can figure out the size you need easily. Clever right?

So back to the mugs, how I narrow down which to keep and which to get rid of? And when it comes to under the stairs, where do I start?

A Weekend in Paris – Sunday

Earlier in May, we went to Paris for a couple of days before our bigger adventure to Disneyland Paris. With Jaxon starting school in September, we decided we would try and fit this “big” holiday in before the schools break up for the Summer.

My first post was getting too long so I split it into two posts. You can find Part One here.A Weekend in Paris

Sunday

With it being our last proper day in Paris, we decided we’d get up and be organised about what we were going to do. First, thing we headed over to the Sacre Ceour. We decided that we’d walk again which was fine. However the route that Chris had found on Google Maps, involved us climbing up the stairs that he tried to get us to climb back in 2010 when we came. We ended up taking a more gradual route which wiggled across the Montmartre hill instead of taking the stairs up the side.

Outside the Cafe des Deux Moulins (oh my goodness look at all my grey hairs!)

We wandered along Rue Lepic and Chris commented that we were off to a special location. It crossed my mind whether we were going to be coming near the Cafe Des Deux Moulins which appears in Amelie. Actually in Chris’s plan he took us to 54 Rue Lepic which was Van Gogh’s House when he lived in Paris with his brother.

While exploring we stumbled upon Le mur des je t’aime (or the Wall of Love). The wall features the phrase “I love You” written 311 times in 250 languages. Some of the languages were easy to recognise or spoke but it was really hard to find English. While Jaxon explored a little where we were, Chris and I sat on the bench nearby and tried to spot the English one. Chris found it in the end but I now can’t remember where on the wall it was! 
Le mur des je t'aime (The Wall of Love)

In this little garden, the birds were so tame. I think they were used to being fed by tourists. We found that there were signs all over the place saying not to feed the birds. Jaxon got a little excited and did a squeal which scared the bird away but even then the bird came back and sat on the fence just a little way, away from us.
This little bird was so tame and came really close up to Jaxon. He loved it!

We continued our walk through Montmartre towards the Sacre Ceour. If like me you’re a big fan of the film Amelie, You will recognise the greengrocers from below. Again I was excited and the boys didn’t really get why I was excited about a random Parisien shop. If you like the film Amelie, you can find more of the filming locations here. When we came to Paris back in 2010, we had been through the Abbesses Metro Station when we came to Montmartre that time.This is the greengrocers from Amelie.

Having made it to the Sacre Coeur, again we just wandered around the outside. It was very busy – I’m not sure if that was just the tourists or whether the churchgoers were also making it seem crazy. With it almost being lunchtime we decided to head down the hill towards the creperie that Chris had found. We had a little challenge between us which was for Jaxon and I to ride the Funicular railway down the side of the hill and Chris would race us on foot. The last time we did that was when we were in Bridgnorth and I was pregnant with Jaxon!
La Sacre CourI didn’t manage to take many pictures on the way down the funicular. As I got my phone out to take a picture, I realised I had a message from my brother. There had been a small attach in the Opera district of Paris the evening before. By the time the attack had happened we had been back in our hotel room for hours but it was really sweet that my brother was on it to make sure we were all okay.

We went for lunch at Crêperie Brocéliande. For our main course we had a galette, which is a savoury buckwheat based crepe. With this being buckwheat it makes it wheat gluten free which meant Chris could eat it. I ate all of mine and then had what was left of Jaxon’s as he didn’t really like it. Chris also had a crepe for pudding too. The service was so lovely. The waitresses were bilingual and the menu came in French, English and Spanish. We made friends with an American couple and their daughter. The little girl thought that Jaxon was great so they kept pulling faces at each other.
Yummy Galettes at Crêperie Brocéliande. I had ham and cheese (as well as most of Jaxon's too!)

Following lunch, we found a playground for Jaxon to play in. He’s spent the last two days doing things that were kind of “adult” activities rather than child-friendly and yet he’d been such a good boy. We spent a little time in the playground before we headed back to the hotel again. Chris and I spent some of the time repacking the suitcase ready to head to Disneyland Paris in the morning.

You can read all the posts here.

A Weekend in Paris – Friday and Saturday

Earlier in May, we went to Paris for a couple of days before our bigger adventure to Disneyland Paris. With Jaxon starting school in September, we decided we would try and fit this “big” holiday in before the schools break up for the Summer.

A Weekend in Paris

The last time we were in Paris was May 2010. We’d won a trip just for a night so we got the Eurostar to Paris just for two days. On that trip we visited the Eiffel Tower and the Sacre Ceour amongst other bits. (It starts here)

This time it was for the weekend before our bigger adventure to Disneyland Paris.

Friday Evening (Traveling and Our Arrival in Paris)

Having got the train from Bedford to St Pancra’s and then the Eurostar to Gare du Nord. We’d made it to our hotel room very late, we were all excited but tired too.

Jaxon hiding from me!

Saturday (Day One in Paris)

Saturday began with a bit of a lazy start but we got going and found a local supermarket to get some breakfast. (The Hotel was lovely but on the breakfast front a little pricey).

Jaxon and I went for Pain Au Chocolat and I think Chris risked one until we could find something more him friendly. The little supermarkets don’t seem to have “Sans Gluten” ranges. We would later find gluten free bread in a health foods shop and that kept Chris going.

After eating our breakfast outside we headed off to the Arc Du Triomphe. According to Chris it wasn’t too far for us to walk so we set off an adventure. Between the adventure this weekend and then the week we had planned, it was going to be a long one so Jaxon did a lot of time in the buggy. Chris was right that the walk wasn’t too long. Having looked it up on Google Maps, it says it was 45 minutes roughly but actually the exploring of Paris on the was definitely made it seem a lot quicker than that.

There were a couple of dodgy spots that we could have probably avoided but I guess that’s a risk with Google’s directions that it doesn’t know what’s a good area and what’s a dodgy area.

We got to the Arc du Triomphe and Chris decided that if Jaxon could, we were all going to climb up to the museum and viewing platform that is above the main arch.

PAUSE

Right, at this point I’d be saying to Chris “No I’m sitting down here, I’ll wait for you here” but over the last few days I had been reading “The Year of Yes” by Shonda Rhimes and something about it made me want to try and say yes instead of saying no. So here came my first yes. (Actually maybe my second after saying yes we’d walk to the Arc du Triomphe, but we’ll count it as the first).

"The point of this whole Year of Yes project is to say yes to things that scare me, that challenge me. So in order to YES a problem, I have to find whatever it is inside the problem that challenges me or scares me or makes me just freak out - and then I have to say yes to that thing," - Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

PLAY

We join the queue to buy our tickets and all those “what if” questions go round my head. What if I fall down the stairs taking out a bunch of tourists? What if I break a bone or something worse while falling down the stairs? What if I am so out of shape that I have an asthma attack on the way up the stairs? Why did I leave my inhalers at home?

Well soon enough we were moving along into the next queue and had to sort out other bits. The security lady supplied us with a special pass so that the buggy could be padlocked to a railing (like how you’d lock up your bike). We then went through an X-Ray scanner and got out tickets scanned at the next member of staff. Time to climb the circular stairs.

So I later found out that it’s 284 steps from the bottom to the top. That’s about 50 metres.

As we got to the top I was feeling it. Not only were my legs really hurting and my lungs were going to explode (or collapse who knows!) but that little voice in my head was telling me I was going to throw up or that I couldn’t do it. But we did it, one step in front of me other, Just Keep Going. We were in the foyer that leads to the museum bit that runs across the top of the arch. I parked myself on a bench and tried to pull myself together.

To go up to the viewing platform there were a few more steps but they were relatively easy after the crazy of the circular staircase.

From the viewing platform, you could see La Grand Defense in one direction, La Sacre Ceour in another direction and the Eiffel Tower in another direction. One section of the roof was closed off so you had to do a funny half lap of the roof then go back the other way to see the rest of the fire.

After plenty of photos to prove the achievement, we headed back down to the museum floor again. We had a look at a display all about Victory Arches around the world. Marble Arch was on there as it’s the same style as the Arc du Triomphe and one we had seen in Rome was also on the display.

Achievement Unlocked: Climbed to the top of the Arc du Triomphe and didn't die!

Lunch was a stop at McDonald’s. Jaxon had worked hard climbing the tower and we needed something that would be a “safe choice”. Getting food in our tummies was the important bit instead of trying new things. I ordered a “Golden Meal” by mistake. This meant that as well as a Big Mac, I had four chicken nuggets with it too! Really I didn’t need both of them for my lunch, I guess it was a good job that I had climbed the Arc du Triomphe in the morning after all! I had a Cola Light (French Diet Cola) with my lunch and wished I hadn’t. Not all Diet Cola are equal lol. Minus maybe one other cola based drink this was my last Cola Light all week! Yeah I know – am I crazy?

Following lunch, we headed to the Eiffel Tower. Jaxon is a huge fan of the film Home so when he knew we were going to Paris where there is the “great antenna”, we had to try and fit in a trip. (Just in case you don’t know which bit I’m talking about try this video)

Between the long day on Friday and then the exertions of the morning, Jaxon had fallen asleep in the buggy. We let him have a disco nap until we got to the Eiffel Tower then Chris gentle woke him up. I think he was a bit discombobulated but then came to and got excited about where he was.

At this point, we decided we’d head back to the hotel room. Given the past 48 hours we were all a bit shattered and needed to relax a bit. When we got to the hotel, we put on French TV to see what we could find. We ended up watching a bit of a documentary about Eurovision before putting on French music channels. I watched about 20 seconds of The Mentalist in French before changing channel again.

Maternal Mental Health

Four years ago this week, I finished my job. My birthday celebrations at work had been combined with my leaving work celebrations too.
I finished work on the Friday before the Bank Holiday weekend and that was it. I woke up the Tuesday morning, Our Sidekick had gone to school and Chris had gone to work. What was I going to do with myself? Well, I’m sure I did some productive things but I also watched a lot of television.
Now four years later, we’ve had Jaxon’s primary school place confirmed and I’m trying to think about how far through the summer holiday should I be getting his school uniform. I’m sure my Mum got it somewhere around the middle and of course, I don’t want to be trying to buy school shoes in that last week of August before everyone goes back to school.
I’ve been out to a meeting this evening. I knitted my way through the meeting because I knew that I needed something to focus on this evening. Work has been a little crazy and especially today I feel like my brain is about to turn to mush and drain out my ear!
So when this popped up on my Facebook feed, I knew I had something to say and I needed to get it down now. I’d heard about Postnatal (or Postpartum) Depression and Postpartum Psychosis. But I think I’d only seen the dramatised version in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, Call The Midwife or other medical dramas that I’d been so glued to.
Some days I couldn’t even pull a coherent thought together. I frequently forgot wipes, nappies, and changes of clothes because I thought they were in the changing bag and actually I’d used the last one of the above when it’d been out the day before.
 
Some days I had all the thoughts and couldn’t verbalise what it was that was going on in my head. I wanted to be grateful that I had this newborn baby and I was so blessed that I could carry a baby to full term. There were women I knew around me that couldn’t conceive naturally or had miscarried along the way. All these feelings came forward every time I was a bit like “Did we do the right thing?”. I love Jaxon to the moon and back and some days I do question my sanity but that’s a normal thing to do! Especially with a three year old who seems to think he’s a teenager already! That’s enough to make you question how balanced your mental health is at present! 
 
One day I sat in my Mum’s dining room and bawled my eyes out. I think in a way I’d had enough of holding onto ALL THE THOUGHTS. That my little head exploded and made a mess.

I felt like I had a Catch 22 in a way. It would take so much organisation to get out the door that it was easier to stay home. However, once I got out I then didn’t want to go home to the empty house where it would just be Jaxon and I. We’d frequently get to baby groups and Jaxon would decide he needed a feed the second we got through the door so I would then spend the rest of the morning feeding or holding him while he slept, I think other mums and the group leaders would steer clear so they didn’t wake baby (although I am sure there were occasions where I was offered drinks and biscuits etc). At which point I’d kind of question why I went through the stress of getting out the door when at least at home I could feed him, then hold him while he slept and watch the TV or something like that.
Now Jaxon is a bit older and he’s at preschool some of the week, I try and help other Mummies who might be struggling. Maybe it’s taking them “posh” coffee when they’ve been up half the night (instead of instant stuff at home!). Maybe it’s taking them sandwiches, cake or other snacks to make sure they’ve had something to eat today (After all if you’re breastfeeding Mummy, you can’t give baby energy when you don’t have energy going in your own body!). (Sandwiches and other finger food is perfect for one handed-mid feed eating!). Sometimes it’s watching their baby at church, so they can take their older kids to kids work. Maybe it’s grabbing them a cup of tea etc while they get comfy to do a feed. Maybe it’s just a hug or on those days when they are “all touched out” or “just need an adult conversation” it’s listening to them vent about the things that are getting them down or annoyed.
 
Maternal Mental Health is so important. If you had a physical ailment following the birth that didn’t seem right, you’d be at the doctors or postpartum care asking what’s wrong. Please remember to speak up when it’s your mental health too.
If you’ve got this far, and you need someone to speak to, please find someone. Whether it’s a friend or family member or a medical profession if that’s what you need, please find that person. If you’re worried and don’t feel like you can reach out to them, my inbox is always open. I will listen/read and do what I can.
All the images were created by a range of artists for the Postpartum Stress Center. You can find more information here. I saw them shared on the Tommy’s Midwife FB page here. 

Our MK Adventure (Part Two)

So after the hiccup during our adventure on Friday, Chris suggested that we got on and attempted the field trip again. Originally he had suggested it as we ate our dinner around the kitchen table on Friday. I think my response went something along the lines, that he had to let me hibernate for the weekend while I recovered!

Mummy and Jaxon head off on another whirlwind adventure

This time we had a better formulated plan for today’s adventure. We’d have our lunch, catch the bus so that we could meet Chris at the MK Coachway while he took part of his lunch break. We’d borrow the car to do stuff in MK while he was at work then we’d go back to get him from work when his day finished. Sorted.

With the Easter Holiday being over, I’d got meetings coming out of my ears. Of course, it wasn’t as simple as showing up at the meeting and this meant I needed to do prep before going to one of my meetings. I’d spent Tuesday morning doing what I could to get prepped for the meeting but I think my anxiety level was up as we got ready to go out again.

I realised that about midday, we’d had no lunch and needed to be on the bus soon. Okay new plan, I got Jaxon loaded into the buggy and we headed for the supermarket. Maybe I could rescue this day by feeding us both on the bus. We grabbed sandwiches and crisps at the supermarket and headed to the bus stop. We were there about 5 minutes before the bus was due which was great. Exactly what we needed. The bus arrived and I got the buggy stowed in the hold. Jaxon got on ahead of me and decided where we were going to sit while I got the ticket. Well of course he decided we had to sit right at the very back of the bus didn’t we.

We got settled in our seats and got belted in. Then we had our little picnic. Jaxon decided that he was having his crisps first. Normally I would have told him to have his sandwich first but he was happy and chilled. I tucked into my sandwich and he polished off his crisps. As we got toward the M1 junction and then into Milton Keynes, Jaxon decided he needed the toilet and desperately. Thank goodness for picking the seats right next to the on-board toilet.

This was when my Mummy skills had to step up a notch. Not only were we both attempting to stand up while the bus was moving. We were then trying to balance while I lifted Jaxon onto the toilet. Well we got through it in the end and managed to get him sorted out. The tap wasn’t working so had to get Jaxon back to the seat to attack his hands with a combination of wet wipes and anti-bacterial hand gel. Thank goodness for random things in my handbag!

The Next Step

On our arrival at the Coachway I asked Jaxon to stand still with the bags while I grabbed the buggy from the hold. The buggy had rolled a little bit during the journey so was further from the door than I had left it. I managed to get the buggy out in one go which was good and when I turned round Jaxon was near enough where I had told him to stand which was also good. Next up was to find Chris. We headed into the bus terminal but as we got to the door Chris was coming out the door towards us. Jaxon got excited and took Chris’s hand and they headed to the car. I was left juggling the buggy and our bags! Thank you boys!

We got to the car and within about 15 minutes we were at Chris’s office. We went in to meet the team that he now works with. Chris’s manager and myself got talking about automation using IFTTT. We sat and chatted for a bit for a little while. We sat spotting different bits in the mural on the office wall.

We borrowed the car from Chris and took a trip to IKEA. Jaxon loves the soft play/creche area there so he got to spend an hour in there and I decamped to the coffee shop for a little while. I managed to get a bit of work done but I was running out of battery again (I’d remembered my battery pack but not my charging cable!)

As Jaxon got towards the end of his slot, I wandered through the shop and picked up a few bits. I collected him and we went to pay for the shopping. It turned out that one of the items I had picked up was actually the display model – oops!

Following our IKEA stop we went to the supermarket next door for me to grab a charging lead. I had a “discussion” with another lady in the car park who’d parked in a Parent and Child space and wasn’t accompanied with a child (apparently she’d just dropped her daughter off). But it was also the point that she was across the line so was blocking two bays not just the one.

Following the supermarket we headed round the corner to McDonald’s for ice cream. Jaxon had asked me for ice cream while we were at knitting group the day before but I’d said he needed to have his lunch first. Well once he had his lunch he was too busy playing to have ice cream, so I made it up to him. I should have got it in a pot rather than a cone because as it started to melt the ice cream was going everywhere!

Ooh lovely ice cream

Jaxon loves ice cream – he’s so funny! But he’s also so very sweet, he kept saying “Would you like some?” Yes baby I would – it also meant that I could lick up the bits that were running down the cone! In the end he had had enough and didn’t want any more so I polished off his ice cream before it melted away across the table. He loved playing on the tablets that were available. It was time to head to get Chris by now. Jaxon decided that Chris had to sit in the back with him so I was driving home too.

YES! Our second attempt at our adventure was much more successful than the first attempt which was great. I think we’ll try MK on the bus again but I think I will get Chris to meet us at the shopping centre or I’ll make sure we leave in plenty of time so we can get the next bus if we miss the one that we mean to be on.

In The Room Where it Happened – Hamilton West End

I got to be in “the room where it happened”. Then again given how long it’s taken me to finish this post maybe it should be “What Did IMiss?”

Well sort of.

Back at the beginning of March, I went to see Hamilton in the West End. Sometime last year it was announced it was coming. Then in November following a couple of hiccups the tickets went on sale. Jen and I decided we were going. Jen and I chatted on Twitter and Instagram. However, other than a bit of youth work she’d done with Chris, we actually hadn’t hung out together. We got our tickets booked and then decided we probably should hang out before our adventure. In February about two weeks before we were due to go, we grabbed a coffee on her day off and got to know each other a bit better!

The countdown could properly begin from our coffee date.

Yes we were *that* excited.

Over the last few years since Hamilton came out on Broadway, I’ve been watching the Ham4Ham videos on YouTube as well as various live versions of the Hamilton songs. Most recently a parody called Hamilton Polka by Weird Al has been added to the playlist too – thank you Amy for the intro!)

(My favourites have to be the The Schyler Georges and My Shot at The White House).

The Journey to Get There

After the challenge of getting across Bedford, from my house to the station we were very relieved when we just about managed to catch the fast service into London. This was after running down the platform and shouting STOP! at one of the conductors as he was folding up the wheelchair ramp. Thankfully he let us on (although he looked panicked!). Once on the train finding a seat was interesting. However, in the end we found two sort of across the aisle from one another. I spent some of the journey trying to get my head around the Dotted Rays Pattern by Stephen West.

When we arrived at St Pancras, we had a quick visit to Cath Kidston and then headed down to the underground. I’m glad Jen knew where we were going because the route I’d been looking at was completely different.

We got on the Victoria Line which took us straight from St Pancras to Victoria Underground Station. I didn’t realise we could get the tube that close to the theatre. I’d been looking at wandering there via JP Books if possible so I’d not entirely clocked where the theatre was. We left he underground station and the exit is directly across the road from the theatre.  so was very surprised when we left the tube station and the theatre is right there in front of us.  which is directly across the road from the Victoria Palace Theatre where the show is.

Well This is Where it Gets Dramatic!

As we left the underground station, there were crowds of people absolutely everywhere. I figured it was just because we’d hit rush hour and people were trying to get into the Underground and Victoria Station. It was only when a lady walked passed us talking, did we realise what was going on. Victoria Station had been evacuated due to a suspicious package. We decided to go into a local Pret A Manger and grab a sandwich. Due to how early you have to queue for ticket collection, we decided it would be better to grab our sandwiches and then eat in the queue. It also meant we could get out of the crush of people on the pavement outside.

While we were in the queue in Pret, my Social Media hat came on and I got checking Twitter – was anyone tweeting about what was going on? I couldn’t find anything at first so I texted Chris to explain that if anything did go on the news we were safe and weren’t involved in whatever was happening.

Having got our food, we headed over to the theatre. Thankfully Jen put up with my Mum moment. As we crossed the road, I grabbed Jen’s hand. I think I’m too used to dealing with Jaxon or something! (Sorry Jen!)

We followed the barrier to join the queue to get tickets and it turned out that we were at the front of the queue. I don’t know whether they’d opened the bar areas for people to wait anyway or had heard what was going on the other side of the road in the station and decided to clear the street of “their” people but it meant we were able to eat our sandwiches in the warm and dry bar area while killing time.

When it had come to booking tickets, I kind of left Jen to it. She’d said we were in one of the boxes and that there was kind of a restricted view. I was so surprised when we got into the auditorium and saw our seats.

View from the Auditorium Doorway at Hamilton West End

This was from the door way, we’d done all the leg work getting from the street to the bar area so I don’t think we’d (or specifically me) had clocked quite how high we were. This took us in at Circle level then went down the stairs and through a special corridor to those chairs (they look like dining chairs!)
A better view from our seats at Hamilton West End

When we found our eeats and helped someone else find their seats too, we took some photos including a few selfies, updated the relevant family members who had been texted to make sure we were okay etc.

While sat there I checked my email and ended up setting up a telephone call with a new client for my business! That was an unexpected surprise!

Thoughts after Hamilton

I’ve been listening to the songs and various covers. I think I had a little idea of what the show was about based on the songs that I had seen. Along with the interviews that I had seen with Lin-Manuel Miranda. But on the other side I don’t think I’d quite realised a lot of the story. I love the different styles of music that appear in it, You have a Beach Boys/Beatles style thing going on with You’ll Be Back next to a Prince jazzy number with What Did I Miss?

I got caught up in all the history bits when I got home. The Schuyler Sisters were related to some of the original Dutch settlers that arrived in New York – or what was New Amsterdam. So, my inner history nerd was very happy!

At first I wasn’t entirely sure that I would like Hamilton. I guess when I heard that it was mostly rapping that may have put me off. Rap music is generally not my first choice! However once I’d heard a few of the songs, I fell for it and I loved the musical.

Mission: Fix my Bicycle

Over the Easter Weekend, we went to buy our new tent and I spotted this lovely bicycle. I think I liked the chunky tyres and the funky basket most of all. Then again it’s similar to the Dutch bicycles that I drooled over in Amsterdam a decade ago when we were on our Honeymoon there.

As lovely as it is, what I needed was to repair my existing bicycle. After all it was sitting in the summerhouse at home. It just needed two inner tubes (£12 for two tubes versus £200 for a new bicycle lol)

Bicycle Memories

Back in September 2013, before I found out I was pregnant with Jaxon I was on a health kick. We’d decided that trying for a family was closer than it had been previously. I’d decided that it if I was going to have a healthier pregnancy it would be good to shift some excess weight. As I started to look for a new bike, my friend was selling hers so I was able to purchase her “new to me” bicycle.

I worked about half a mile away from our house which probably isn’t that much for one trip but cycling a mile (or two if I came home at lunchtime too) would soon add up and would all count towards helping.

I think when I bought the bike I had great ideas – I was going to cycle all over the place but once I found out I was pregnant the idea of trying to ride my bicycle to and from work was a bit daunting. I’ve ridden my bicycle through town in the years prior to getting pregnant and twice (on the same day!) had almost got knocked off my bicycle by taxi drivers who opened their doors without looking.

Fixing my Bicycle

Having been to buy the inner tubes last week I was determined to get it sorted out. Then when the sun was shining and it was a lovely warm day on Saturday. I decided it was time to get it sorted. I think Chris had wanted to curl on up on the sofa and relax. Instead I dragged him and Jaxon into the garden to walk me through fixing the bicycle. Some bits were easier than others and at one point I nearly through the wheel across the garden!

A little while later we’d got both wheels sorted out and Chris set about fixing the brake for me. Once it was reasonably ready to go I took it for a ride around the block. The first time I’d been on a bicycle in probably about 4.5 years!

Now just to maybe purchase a child seat for my bicycle and we can go on more adventures. Jaxon is a bit too new to riding his bicycle to be able to keep up with me on adventures.

Monthly Review: March 2018

I stumbled across Belle’s review posts over on her blog by accident and decided to attempt to revive my own Monthly Review posts. This is March’s monthly review. You can see others here. At the end of each month, I write a monthly review all about what I’ve been up to each month. 

Monthly Review: March 2018

Highlights

  • Having spent some of February, wondering whether I should be going back to a “proper” job. March has picked up and I gained new clients which is great and is definitely more positive. The first week of the month was all a bit crazy – I spent two days squishing in meetings and telephone calls while Jaxon was at preschool.
  • Catching up with friends. There was more catching up in this month. I went to dinner with my friend from our old church which was good.
  • Chris started his new job this month. He’s definitely more positive about the new job and after 3ish weeks seems to be really enjoying it.
  • We had more snow! Okay so to some this wasn’t a highlight but Bedford so rarely gets a decent dumping I get a bit over happy about it! (Then after a day or two I get fed up especially as I walk or bus everywhere now!)
  • Following one of the dumpings, I was kind of poorly. We’d had heaps of snow on the Thursday and I woke up Friday morning with a really bad head. I’m sure I heard somewhere that when polar explorers go exploring they have to remember to drink more and eat more because of the cold. Now it wasn’t quite that extreme but I think when I’d been outside pushing the buggy, I didn’t entirely realise how hot I’d got. So, I think part of my headache the next day was dehydration more than anything. I had a conversation with preschool and although they were open they were fully understanding that some of us wouldn’t be able to get our kids there. I decided that Jaxona dn I would stay home. We took up residence in bed and watched cartoons (or dozed!) for a couple of hours.
  • Back at the beginning of March, I went to London with Jen (musicals addict!) to see Hamilton. We’d booked our tickets back in about November when they were released and it seems to have come round SO fast. It was so good!
  • I helped out at Rogan’s Books during BedPop Science Labs – I was there helping so that I could attend the events because the STEM ones sounded like good fun but I’m too old so couldn’t really attend as a “guest” (and Jaxon is too little)
  • Mum and I went on an adventure to Letchworth to join Wooly Chic for Crochet for Comfort. Was lovely to stop by for an hour-ish but with it almost being the end of month, and then a short week because of Easter) we had to get back and get work bits done.
  • Mum and I also attended the Creative Bedfordshire conference at Bedford Heights – it was great to hear from Max McMurdo who was the keynote speaker.

Top Posts Viewed in March

Projects Worked on in March

At the beginning of March, while we were expecting the snow to arrive, Chris commented that we needed a tea cost – so I made one. It took me just under two days to knit in this brightly coloured Aran weight wool.

Tea Cozy

Someone on Instagram put out a call for crochet squares in certain colours to make a blanket. I knocked out four in a lemony yellow and cream and got them into the post.

Lemon and Cream Granny Squares

 

Books Read in March

In March, I finished two books. The first was Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and the second is Cold Feet, Hot Summer by Emma St. Clair.

 

Series Watched (Not full seasons btw!)

  • Madam Secretary
  • Grey’s Anatomy
  • iZombie
  • Project Mc2 (thanks to my Goddaughter)
  • Once Upon a Time
  • Designated Survivor
  • The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes (Season 1)
  • Salvation

Films watched

  • Burnt
  • Annihilation (This is directed by Alex Garland who directed Sunshine – I should have known it would be extra random!)

Goals for April

  • Finish at least one book – my speed of reading has been slowing down completely!
  • Get my bike fixed and encourage Jaxon to ride his bike more.
  • Clear some of the UFOs (unfinished objects)

Our MK Adventure

There was a plan.

That’s what I told Chris, it’s what I told Our Sidekick.

And then there wasn’t a plan. It was gone and I was winging it.

So back to the beginning…

With it being the Easter Holidays I’ve been working around looking after Jaxon. Some days he’s been lovely and got on with is own thing. Other times this holiday he’s been really in need of Mummy time. We needed an adventure!

Jaxon being a dude on our adventure

I decided we were going to take the big bus to Milton Keynes and meet Daddy from work on Friday. We’d get the X5 to the shopping centre and potter around the shops. I would also make sure there was time for Jaxon to go on the soft play in the Shopping Centre. We’d then catch the C10 bus to Chris’s work. The bus would get us to the main road outside Chris’s work then we would walk through the estate to the acutal building.

We had our lunch at home before heading across to the bus stop. We were so close to missing the bus. Thankfully it was coming along the road as we got to the bus stop which was good. I think I got extra Mummy Brownie Points too because it was a double decker!

When we got to the bus station we had to change to a different bus for the remainder of the trip to Milton Keynes. This is where I chatted to the gentleman with his runaway scarf.

Coming to the assistance of a fellow bus traveler

Once we changed bus there was a little delay while we waited for other people to get on the bus. Then we were on our way to Milton Keynes for the next part of our adventure.

Getting comfy and heading out of Bedford for our adventure

We got off the bus outside The Point. Now Jaxon asked me like five times what the building was. It’s now a Bingo Hall but I think it was a cinema at one point wasn’t it? Growing up we always went to Cineworld in Bedford rather than going to MK for cinema trips so I don’t think I ever went there.

On our travels around the shopping centre we found this shop. Well it’s a retail unit but it’s not technically a shop at the moment. It’s called the “Electric Vehicle Experience Centre”. You can find out about Electric vehicles, charging at home and charging on the go amongst other things. We already have Zoe the EV so we’re already converts to the cause.

The lady we spoke to was all ready to give the sale spiel but I think was caught off guard when I said we already had Zoe. I guess she’s used to dealing with sceptics or undecideds.

 

I think the last time I visited a Disney store was when Chris and I were in Paris. Jaxon and I popped in to the MK Store as we were passing. Part of me wanted to see if his reaction (especially with our Disneyland Paris trip getting closer).
Spotted this Baymax mug in the Disney Store - another part of our adventure

You’ll notice from here onwards there aren’t any more pictures. This is where the plan fell apart. After heading back to the Intu bit Jaxon was playing on the little free soft play area that’s there and I noticed my battery was really draining a lot quicker than usual. I check our bus times and warned Chris that my battery was dying. I would keep him posted but try and keep my phone on sleep rather than awake to conserve what I could.

We were due to get on the 1611 C10 bus towards Cranfield, this would drop us almost at the end of Chris’s road. Well we got to the stop and no, we’d missed it. My phone said 1612. We must have missed the bus by seconds. I get Google Maps up in my phone and find the next bus time. So the C10 doesn’t run every 30 or 60 minutes. It runs every 1 hour 14ish. So the next bus would be the 1725. Not good. That would be too late. So I look for the next alternative. We can get the bus to Market Hill in Newport Pagnell and walk the rest of the way. No problem.

Is it Still an Adventure if We Get Lost?

My phone was on single digits so I scribbled down what I could of the directions and switched my phone off completely.

As the bus did a U turn round the roundabout I figured we were at Market Hill so we got off the bus. I’d memorised that the stop was outside a pub and I found that okay and then followed my instructions. No problem.

Here’s where it went wrong. I went straight on when I should have turned left. Had we gone left we would have found Chris’s work no problem.

We went straight on and crossed over the river. Where was the turn we needed? We’d gone over the bridge as per my instructions (turns out we’d have gone over the same stretch of river as well if we’d gone be right way!).

I kept telling myself it was fine. It would be okay but I think all the 101 thoughts going through my head were stressing me out more. I’m not really an anxious person but I was getting more and more anxious and couldn’t entirely get my head around a solution.

Having got to the point that the road was de-restricted and the footpath stopped. I decided that I needed to turn back. Either to find a payphone to figure out a new plan with Chris or find somewhere to sit and wait and hope he’d find us. I’d walked past a residential home and figured that they’d either be able to point me in the right direction or could hopefully at least let me use their phone to quickly ring Chris and update him of where I was.

A Carer to the Rescue

Well, rather nervously I rang the bell of the residential home and read all the signs on the window to make sure I was at the right door. In case there was a specific door for the reception. One of the carers came to the door and my heart leapt into my throat. I garbled something about my phone running out of battery, getting lost, my directions not being quite right and where the nearest payphone might be. Well, I guess with the “necessity” that mobile phones have become the idea of a payphone is almost alien. Well, she let me come inside and got Jaxon and me to sit in one of the offices/lounges. Jaxon completely made himself at home and had taken his shoes and coat off. The carer had been to lock up the door again because they have “walkers”. (I guessed by this she meant residents who don’t always remember where they are so they try to wander “home”). She came and asked me again what was happening and I said I just needed to ring Chris if that would be okay.

She got me the phone and dialled the number for an outside line. Well, as soon as I heard Chris’s voice I burst into tears. I felt like such a wally for letting my phone run out of charge because it’s exactly what I tell Our Sidekick off for. While Chris was on the phone, I explained where I was and the carer relayed the postcode so that Chris could look it up. I got off the phone and the carer asked: “Does he [Jaxon] eat doughnuts?”. Well yes, he does. He inhales any form of cake given the chance.

With that, the carer disappeared back into the corridor. Well, it turned out it was Cake Friday or something because moments later, the carer arrived back in the office/lounge with a plate and a doughnut cut into small “Jaxon sized” bits. (She commented by name that someone was 2.5 and about the same size as Jaxon – I presume Grandson but I’m not sure). Then she offered Jaxon a juice and me a cup of tea. Jaxon pretty much downed his squash in one go. Some days I’m not always sure he remembers to ask for drinks and just hopes I will remember (and most of the time I do but with all the thoughts running around my head I just figured I’d get it when we got to Chris).

The carer potters off again and Jaxon and I count lights, chairs, cushions and various other things to pass the time while I calm down and hope that I don’t resemble a strawberry for much longer! About 10-15 minutes later there’s a conversation out in the corridor and the carer appears again. There’s a white car parked on the drive and a young man with glasses just got out. Well, that works for a description of Chris. The carer went back to unlock the door again and then Chris sorted out getting the buggy into the car while I got Jaxon sorted.

Having sorted Jaxon he was too excited that Daddy was here and was running to the door before I could stop him. I said thank you to just about every carer I saw between the lounge and the door – I just hope they realised how genuinely grateful I was.

When we got home I made a thank you card to stick into the post. It’s only little but I really hope they understand how grateful I was for their help.

A to Z of Date Nights: The Alphabet So Far…

Back in September, we started a challenge for our Date Nights. We would work our way through the alphabet visiting different places on each date night. Because of other commitments and things that have come up, we’ve got a little lost. Most of the dates I had blogged about as we went along but some got delayed and then didn’t happen. Here is a catch up with our A to Z of Date Nights.

A to Z of Date Nights

Here are our date nights so far…

A is for Athena’s Palace

Greek food – unexpectedly yummy! I love Italian food and other Mediterranean cuisines but not sure I would have picked Greek immediately. You can read more about it here.

B is for Bella Italia

Italian. My favourite! Definite safe bet here. With some extra organising we went to Bella Italia in Milton Keynes. We had a lovely meal and then went to the Odeon as they have a Snog concession there. We love Snog frozen yoghurt but they are mainly based in big cities or just the little concessions like this one. More here.

C is for Cineworld

This was the date night that started the whole idea in the first place. I’d seen that Kingsmen: The Golden Circle was coming out and this was the night that we had booked tickets for. We both really enjoyed the film and it was good fun. I loved Elton John’s cameo although was the swearing really necessary? You can read more here.

D is for Domino’s and Deadman’s Cross

This one I struggled with. I had Dessert Island on the list but could we just go out for dessert or did it need to be a dinner? Also Dominos was on the list but I don’t think they do eat in. Well Chris came up with the plan and off we went. We collected our pizzas from Dominos and then got back in the car. We headed out past Cotton End to Deadman’s Cross for an outdoor picnic then back into town to Dessert Island. More here.

E is for…

Well, this one was skipped temporarily due to what was available locally (and in our budget!). Hopefully we’ll have an E in 2018!

F is for Frankie and Benny’s

Oh dear! We ended up at Frankie and Benny’s in St Neots and all it did was prove that Bedford’s F&Bs isn’t the only disappointing one. More here.

G is for GBK

Towards the end of last year Riverside North opened in Bedford and there are a number of new cafes, restaurants and bars that have opened there. Chris and I visited GBK for G. More here.

H is for Herd/Home

We’ve been to Herd a handful of times and one of the knitting groups that my friend attends go to Herd for their Christmas party most years. The times we have been there we’ve had great service but this time it was a bit of a muddle. We didn’t let that dampen proceedings though. For this week’s date night we had a takeaway from Herd and ate it at home while catching up on things like The Apprentice and other bits of TV that we were behind on. You can read more about H’s Date Night here.

I is for Il Girasole

Chris found this one again. Il Girasole is in St Neots near the Market Square. Chris was impressed by the fact that they had a gluten-free menu with a wide range of choices. I ordered a calzone for my main course and oh my goodness, I’m surprised Chris didn’t have to roll me back to the car. It was as big as my head (or at least it seemed that way!)

Other Dates

Between these dates we’ve been using up various voucher codes that we’ve gained from other services we use like our mobile phone provider. When we’re in London we like to go to Snog (Frozen Yoghurt) near Soho. We thought that was our closest one but on our Bella Italia date night we found that there is a Snog concession at the Odeon Cinema at Milton Keynes Stadium. We have been known to get dinner at Bella Italia or one of the other restaurants on that retail park and then go round to the cinema for dessert!

So, hopefully over the next few weeks we’ll get back on track and will tick off some more of our A to Z of Date Nights. 

Recently Off The Needles: Phoenix Chunky Boys Jumper

Back in December when I went to Kathleen’s workshop at Tudor Rose Patchwork, I spotted this pattern for a jumper for Jaxon. While he’s so small it’s great fun knitting projects for him but I get the feeling as he gets bigger it will get harder to make things for him. The Robin Phoenix Chunky wool is really nice to knit with and because it’s chunky, it knits up really quickly. It’s mostly in stocking stitch so would be great for a beginner looking for something to stretch them that bit further. There is raglan shaping around the arms but again once you’ve got the hang of the first few rows it’s easy enough to keep going.

Off the Needles - Robin Phoenix Chunky Boys Jumper - Recently off the needles

Getting the pocket in just the right place was a bit of a challenge, especially with the edging which involved picking up stitches. One of the sides on the finished projects comes out slightly wonky because I got it a little wrong when I picked up the stitches but hopefu

lly it’s not noticable! I’m sure once he’s worn it a few times, it won’t be that noticeable anyway!

Robin - 3005 - Recently off the needles.

Project Specs

Pattern: Phoenix Chunky Boys Jumper
Pattern Source: Purchased here. But available elsewhere on the internet too.
Yarn: Phoenix Chunky in Parrot (Reds and greens with a bit of blue)
Date Started: January 2018
Date Finished: February 2018
Modifications: None that I’m aware of but it’s possible that there are some in there along the way!
Final Measurements: Hopefully as the pattern but who knows!

Front completed of the Robin Phoenix Chunky Boys Jumpers
Almost completed - Robin Phoenix Chunky Boys Jumper
Finished Jumper! - Robin Phoenix Chunky Boys Jumper

I’m really not sure what is going on with Jaxon’s trouser leg here but he loved wearing his Robin Phoenix chunky jumper. It was perfect from all the unseasonal snow we have been having here. As a kid, I’d hardly see much snow – occasionally we might get a dusting but that was about it. In the last 3 months we’ve had 3 dumpings of the stuff! If it means we are going to be getting more and more snow each year I’ll have to start knitting big woolie jumpers for Chris and Our Sidekick too! I’d better start Our Sidekick’s one now so I have the whole summer to get it done!

Robin Phoenix Chunky Jumper - Finished and being worn

Family Tree: Part One

Family Tree

I love watching Who Do You Think You Are and seeing how the celebrities trace their family trees. Also, the things that they discover along the way. But I always notice how they often say how they don’t know enough about their close family through one thing or another. I want to be able to pass on as much information as I can to Jaxon when he’s old enough.

Attempting to Build our Family Tree

Before Jaxon was born, we’d had a discussion about names. If baby was a boy, following family tradition, he would carry a specific middle name. This is all to do with the family somehow being related Admiral John Byng. His family carried the Peerage title of Viscount Torrington. Admiral John Byng is particularly famous because, during the Seven Years War, he refused to follow orders and was later court-martialled and found guilty of failing to “do his utmost” to prevent Minorca falling to the French. (You can read more about it here).

I guess at first it didn’t particularly bother me and we’d just name the baby and get on with life. However, with Jaxon getting older, it’s become more important to find out how we are related to the Byng family. That way when Jaxon asks where his name comes from I can tell him the whole story.

Chris’s Side

Finding out some of the information is really easy with Byng’s family carrying an official title (and their family home for many years was at Southill, Bedfordshire so just up the road from where we live). However, some of the relatives around the edges who weren’t as “important” don’t seem to have as much information about them available. One of the challenges at the moment is finding out where Loans is in Surrey – or at least which Parish it belongs to so I might be able to find out some more information.

This week, I’ve had email correspondence with both Surrey Heritage Centre and the Local Studies team at Richmond Council in the hope that one of them may be able to help me narrow it down a bit. So far they haven’t been able to assist me but the lady at Surrey Heritage Centre asked me to email over the information that I did have. That way she might be able to narrow it down or come at it for a different direction possibly. In both cases, they did suggest that I went for a visit to take a look at the information myself. I do like this idea but with the price of the train fare down to London along with any Underground travel needed from St Pancras. I think I need to narrow down a bunch of bits that I’m looking for so that I have a proper plan of action.

My Side

As far as my side of the family, I could get back at least 4 generations on both sides. Some of the bits were just a name or a place others were lots of information. I started from there then added what I could get from my Great Aunt’s version of the family tree. I always knew I was Bedfordian through and through. However, it’s only now that I look through the records do I realise how Bedfordian I am! My 7th Maternal Great Grandfather was born in Roxton, Bedfordshire. Whereas my 2nd Paternal Great-Grandfather was born in County Cork, Ireland. That makes me a little sprinkle of Irish against all that Bedfordian! When I have been looking for specific records, it has been fairly easy to find them as they often stayed within the local parishes. I spent an hour in Bedford Library last week having a look but could have easily spent more time there and still had things to find. In the section about family history, there are records dating back to the 1700s and I was able to find a few members of my distant family – one of whom being my 6th Great Aunt(!) also called Hannah. Some of the information I have found is really interesting but some

When I have been looking for specific records, it has been fairly easy to find them as they often stayed within the local parishes. I spent an hour in Bedford Library last week having a look but could have easily spent more time there and still had things to find. In the section about family history, there are records dating back to the 1700s and I was able to find a few members of my distant family – one of whom being my 6th Great Aunt(!) also called Hannah. Some of the information I have found is really interesting but some

In the section about family history, there are records dating back to the 1700s and I was able to find a few members of my distant family – one of whom being my 6th Great Aunt(!) also called Hannah. Some of the information I have found is really interesting but some is really sad. Hannah and her husband for instance, had a baby boy called Samuel in 1792. Within 5 days of his birth, he had died and they buried him. I had started with births/baptism records as that’s first in the book. I worked my way through all the references with the same surname and noted them down. When I got to the burials the names all rang a bell and that’s when I realised that they’d lost him so soon after he’d been born.

Have you looked into your family tree? Did you find any interesting stories along the way? 

Music Monday v1

Music Monday is about sharing the music I’ve been listening to this week, I’ll try and be original and do different songs each week but if one or two get stuck they might get shared across multiple Music Monday posts. It’s possible that this is another one that I may have started before. My taste in music can be very random (for instance I had Pop by NSync followed by Hand in My Pocket by Alanis Morisette!)

I thought I’d share some of the songs that were on repeat last week. I went to see the Sing-A-Long version of The Greatest Showman at the end of February and then went to see Hamilton last week so they have both been on repeat a lot!

From Now On (from The Greatest Showman)

Come Alive (from The Greatest Showman)

Aaron Burr, Sir (from Hamilton)

My Shot (from Hamilton)

The Schuyler Sisters (from Hamilton)

Fix My Eyes by For King and Country

Greater by MercyMe

Happy Dance by MercyMe

Do Something by Matthew West

No Longer Slaves by Bethel Music

This entry was posted in Music.
« Older posts
Newer posts »