Crumlin Road Gaol

 A very interesting visit to Crumlin Road Gaol, where many political prisoners were held during the troubles. The tour took you through the tunnel under the gaol that led to the court house, and also around Cell block C. Hard to imagine what life would have been like there back in the day.


The tour was followed by lunch in the gaol's restaurant 'Cuffs' - really lovely food and service.

Belfast Christmas Market

 We were lucky enough to be in Belfast the week end the Christmas Market opened. Despite the crowds we went every evening to have a look around and enjoy the Christmas feeling. The highlight of course was the Dutch pancakes! Tho I have to say the smell of food coming from every direction was wonderful and overwhelming!


SO lucky to have been here when the weather was good.

Belfast In photo's - part 1

A few photo's for my lovely friends that aren't on Facebook or Instagram -  Bohemian restaurant in the city centre.

Victoria shopping centre looking very Christmassy, loads of Christmas trees and pretty lights.

 

we timed our visit just right, the Christmas lights were switched on at City Hall on Saturday night. The Christmas market also opened on Saturday night, oh my god - the crowds! We lasted 5 minutes!

Thanks to all who've been reading xx

Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read my blog, however due to recent lack of interest I am wondering if its worth continuing. I've always enjoyed writing my blog, but you always hope that someone will take the time to read it. Otherwise in a big old world, you feel like you're talking to yourself. So for the moment, I am going to take a break from this and decide whether I want to carry on.

Wild West adventures - yee ha!

The highlight of the holiday was visiting Mini Hollywood, where the old spaghetti westerns were filmed. After a 9am pick up we were on our way. There was a short stop in the Tabernas desert to take photo's and then it was on to Mini Hollywood, we arrived just after 10am. The coach dropped us off and we were free to go and explore.

We were both so excited to see this place and follow in the footsteps of Clint Eastwood and all the other famous cowboys. This is where all the famous spaghetti westerns were filmed back in the day. It was a quiet day and there weren't too many people there. It was great being able to look around and explore. We had coffee in the Yellow Rose saloon, visited the bank and various other buildings, and took a lot of photo's. At high noon a hush filled the air as everyone found somewhere to take cover. We found a bench tucked away in the shade to watch all the action. Suddenly dramatic cowboy music could be heard, and then the fall of hooves  as horses came galloping into the town square. And so it had begun, the bank robbery and shoot out. It was a lot of fun to watch all the action, lots of people getting shot, following over balconies and there was even a hanging! After the show was over, we headed back over to the saloon. We grabbed ourselves some beer and settle down to watch the cancan how. Again, a lot of fun although everything was in Spanish and most of the time we hadn't got a clue what was going on. Not great when they are trying to get people to join in with the singing etc. It was still fun though.

It really was fun, a had my photo taken with a cowboy (things didn't end well for him in the shoot out) and found a cool souvenir - a blank cartridge left from the shoot out.

There is also a big zoo there, and after all the western fun we headed over to look around. We sure did a lot of walking, but there was lots to see including  a parrot show. We couldn't linger too long, as we had to be back at the front of the park by 5.30pm for the pick up. But we got to see everything, and managed to buy a souvenir or two in the rather poorly stocked gift shop. Would definitely return here if we're ever in the area again.

Luckily for us we had fabulous weather, couldn't have been better timed.  We returned to our hotel in time for dinner, and a walk along the beach.

 

 

 

Castillo de Santa Ana and beyond.....

 

 

 

After breakfast on Sunday morning we headed to Castillo de Santa Ana, a castle over looking the sea. It was about a half hour walk along the sea front, it was a lovely morning, and luckily not too hot. The castle didn't open will 11am, so when we got there we had a coffee down by the harbour. The castle is free to visit and though small, is an interesting place to look around. On the ground floor there was an exhibition of artwork all designed around fairy stories - the first one I came across was Alice in  Wonderland. Amazing pieces of work, not only art, but beautifully themed handbags, shoes, sculptures etc. It was lovely to look around. From there you could climb the stairs to the upper level, and learn more about the history of the castle. The views from outside were great.

When we left the castle we had a walk around the lighthouse, only the outside, as that didn't seem to be open. By this point the sky was clouding over so we started to head back. We stopped at the Aloha beach café for something to eat and drinks. Lovely little place with a great view of the ocean. Thankfully we made it back to the hotel before the heavens opened and it absolutely poured. The pool area and car park were partially flooded, and the roof in the restaurant was letting in water! Just like being at home - LOL! We chilled out in our room for a while before heading out to dinner. We were able to go out for a walk after we'd eaten, but it was extremely windy!

On Monday we decided to be adventurous and use the local buses. The stop was just around the corner from the hotel, but timetable was a mystery! The timetable on the bus shelter said one time, the over head electronic notice gave a different time and the bus turned up when it felt like it! Some how we managed to get to Gran Plaza mall! We were there early, so coffee first and then a look around the shops. Lots of familiar names, including Primark!! It was fun to look around, and we did buy a couple of things. The best place was the huge Carrefour supermarket, where we spent ages and spent a fortune. I did get three new dresses, and Paul two shirts, plus we got all kinds of goodies, so it was the highlight of the day! And at this Carrefour, they didn't grab our bag and run off with it, like they did in Benidorm!

Our afternoon and evenings had fallen into a routine by now. A bit of a rest in our room, dinner and a walk along the sea front. A look around the sea front souvenir shops and then a drink in the hotel bar. We did buy quite a few things from the local shops, things were a good price.

It could only get better!

Our holiday to Spain did not get off to the best of starts, in fact the journey turned out to be our worst airport experience ever. We were delayed just outside the airport by a very large and wide vehicle with escort blocking the road. Luckily we weren't delayed too long, and we were soon parked and on our way to departures. This is where the nightmare began!! First we saw how long the queues for security were, the end was nearly outside of the terminal - at this point the panic was starting to set in. Then we went to drop off to get rid of our cases only to be told one of them was TOO LIGHT and they couldn't take it. I think we were both speechless! We were told to take them to another drop off point with the pushchairs and gold clubs, ridiculous situation and not helped by another long queue. At this point I had real concerns that we would miss the flight. So, leaving Paul in the queue I dashed off to buy fast track passes for the security queue from the machine in departures. You'd think this would be easy - alas not! The machine took the payment and did not issue a voucher, leaving me to run around like a crazy person trying to find someone to help. Luckily one of the Jet2 staff helped us out, and got us through the fast track. But by the time we got on the flight I was majorly stressed!

The flight was uneventful and 3 hours later we were in Almeria and on our way to our hotel in Roquetas de Mar. The hotel was lovely, we had a room on the 5th floor that overlooked the pool area and had great views of the sea. We were lucky that they let us check in straight away even though it was only about 12.30pm. So we dropped our cases off and had a wander around the hotel. We had a drink in the bar (barman not very friendly!) and looked around the hotel grounds. Its very much a hotel for families, not somewhere I think I would recommend to couples looking for a quiet break.

Dinner at the hotel was good, buffet style with lots of choice. Sadly the restaurant staff were also not friendly, not one smile the whole week we were there. Surely it wouldn't have killed them to be a little more pleasant. Its the first time we have experienced this, usually hotel staff are always nice - or at the very least polite! But we had a good dinner, wine and afterwards went for a walk along the sea front.

On Saturday after an early breakfast we set off to explore the local area.  About a 15 minute walk away we found a long road with lots of cafes, souvenir shops and a tourist information office. So we picked up maps, had coffee and looked around the shops. By the time we returned to the hotel we were pretty hot and tired, the 3am start on Friday was really catching up with us. But we had maps, and plans for the rest of the week!

 

Girls Night out

I'd been looking forward to this week end, my friend Mandy was coming to stay! On Friday Paul collected Mandy from the station and they were soon home. It was a fun evening, we had a  Chinese take away and a bottle of Prosecco, and watched the film Nativity. To compliment the Christmas film, I found some Christmas crackers, all added to the atmosphere. We also managed to find the time to book our tickets for Mamma Mia, which all three of us are going to see In December. I had so wanted to see this great musical again, and am thrilled that this time Mandy is coming too and not leaving us after dinner.

On Saturday we visited East Midlands outlet centre. It was fun looking around the shops together, and as I had a 20% off voucher for the Gap we all ended up buying stuff in there - happy days! The weather was not great,. but we managed to dodge the showers. On the way home we stopped at the Hollybrook for lunch, they do a set 2-course lunch for £7.49 and it was lovely. The desserts were huge too!

Our afternoon was a relaxed one, watching a couple of episodes of The Big Bang Theory and chatting, conserving our energy for the night to come. Paul very kindly offered to drive us to Branston Golf Club for our girls night out - not something we get to do very often. It was a great evening, there was a 3 course meal and show. The starter wasn't up to much but the main and dessert were lovely. We were sat at a table with 4 other people, an older couple and their son and his wife. Very pleasant people, though it soon became apparent that the son like to talk.....a lot!  It turned out he is a professional magician, off duty and on a family night out - though he did perform a trick or two at the table. It was a fairly small turn out, about 50 guests in all but this definitely worked in our favour. The Opera boys did two sets, the first one after  the main course which lasted about 45 minutes, and then a second set after coffee and dessert. They were of course amazing, and even though there were only two of them there it was Rob and Colin - the Dream Team! They are such talented and lovely young men. After the show they were out in the foyer, so there was time for photo's and hugs. Most of the other guests didn't linger long, which I am so glad about as it meant we could stay and chat to the guys for ages. I appreciated the fact that they stopped and talked to us, even though it had been a long day for them. Paul came and found us eventually, he had figured out I would be talking!

The two Cinderella's made it home before midnight (only just) and didn't turn into pumpkins. But it was a late night by the time we finally got to bed. Has to be said we made the most of the day!

On Sunday morning we had a little walk around the garden, before taking Mandy back to the station. I was very sorry to be saying good bye, but at least we have our Christmas get together to look forward too.

 

Our day was totally....WICKED!

Saturday got off to an early, the alarm went off at 5.45am and I arose like a zombie! But then excitement kicked in and we were soon on our way to Lichfield to catch the 7.12am train. We arrived at London Euston at 8.30am and made our way to Dishooms in Carnaby Street. Indian food for breakfast is the way to go - delicious!!! I had a naan filled with bacon, cream cheese and chilli jam, yum! We had a very pleasant start to our day in somewhat 1970's themed surroundings.

After breakfast we visited Hamley's, it was still pretty early and for once the store was not rammed with screaming kids so we were able to stroll around and look at things. My patience finally paid off, I was able to get a glitter tattoo done up on the top floor as it was quiet. Its so sparkly! From Hamley's we walked along Oxford Street and stopped in a few shops, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Pull & Bear have opened a store. We didn't but anything, but it was fun looking.

Our next stop was the Wallace Collection, an amazing place that we truly love. We admired the paintings, and visited the armoury. There is so much to see, it really takes your breath away. We didn't have as long as I would have liked, but we never do! We had to leave in plenty of time to make our way to the Apollo for what was the highlight of the day - WICKED! This was our 9th time seeing this amazing musical and it still blows me away. The sets, the costumes, the music are all incredible but its Elphaba's performance that just wows you. I love it more every time, and am already looking forward to next year!

After the show we had dinner at Sicily, lovely food but expensive! We finally had a drink at the Doric Arms near Euston while we waited for our train. The day flew by way too fast, as they always do.  

Cannot wait for the next trip down to London.

 

 

Spirits of Salford Hall

Another lovely week end, this time despite the awful weather. On Saturday we left fairly early and made our way to Stratford-upon-Avon, always a favourite place of mine. It was a grey and wet day, but we started the day with a coffee at Debenhams and then we went for a wander around the market and shops. It wasn't quite as busy as usual though there were still plenty of tourists around. Of course we had to visit The Nutcracker Christmas shop! We had lunch as ASK Italian, always a good choice. By the time we had lunch the rain was getting heavier, and with no umbrella we were getting wetter! So we decided to call it a day and head to a nearby garden centre. When the park and ride bus came along, the bus driver let us ride for free - what a nice man! Then, when we got to the garden centre they were handing out glasses of Prosecco. How very civilized!

We checked into our hotel - Salford Hall - around 3pm. Its where I stayed for my birthday. Its a lovely old building, more National Trust than Best Western with wooden beams, wood panelling and creaky floor boards. I love it there, the building is well over 400 years old and apparently has several ghosts in residence. I am glad to report that the only spirits I saw were the vodka and gin in the bar! 

A little history -

One of the most commonly seen ghosts at the hotel is that of a nun. She was believed to have been murdered at the hotel way back in the 17^th century, and has been seen consistently by staff and guests alike since then, mainly on the lower floor of the building.

Other ghostly goings-on include guests feeling as though they are being watched by unseen eyes followed by shadowy figures that appear and disappear before their very eyes, as well as the ghost of a stable boy that leaves a foul smell behind him and the figures of two monks striding through the hotel, only to disappear into thin air.

A gaggle of giggling girls is often heard in the reception area of the hotel and the figures of two priests have been seen walking through the courtyard.

In the evening we had a drink by the log fire in reception, lovely spot to just sit and chill. We got chatting to another couple who were really lovely. It was a wonderful end to the day.

On Sunday after a good breakfast, we headed to the Valley. It has a garden centre and several shops such as Fat Face, the Works, Pavers etc. The weather was much better on Sunday, with the sun coming out to shine on us for much of the morning. It was a great week end and one I hope we can repeat soon.

 

Mamma Mia 😊

Another week end over, how do they evaporate so quickly?? But at least it was a great one. On saturday afternoon we headed over to Lichfield. After a short walk around town, and a stroll down by the cathedral we wondered down Bird street to find somewhere for an early dinner. We had decided to throw caution to the wind and not book. There are so many restaurants in Lichfield we were sure we would find somewhere for dinner. We ended up at an Indian restaurant called Lal Bagh, dinner was delicious though they did bring me out a korma the first time and not the korahi I have ordered. Luckily they were able to rectify the mistake quickly! I think its somewhere we will return too in the future.

After dinner we were off to the theatre to see Arrival - an Abba tribute band. This is the first time we had seen them, and they were fantastic. It was a lively show with lots of costume changes and a great selection of Abba songs. A lot of thought and effort had gone into presenting the show, and it really paid off. It was a great night, I sang way too much. I suffered for that the following morning - LOL!

On Sunday we headed off to East Midlands outlet centre to meet up with a friend, someone I used to work with but haven't seen for a few years. It was so lovely to see Amie and her beautiful little girl Bodhi. She is such a gorgeous and happy baby. It was so nice being able to catch up and spend some time with them both. After we'd said good bye,  Paul and I went for a little look around the outlet centre. On the way home we stopped at a garden centre near Derby, one that we haven't been to in a long while. It was nearly 3pm when we got home, how can a day fly by so quickly!

I've been so happy this week end thanks to two gorgeous girls, a lovely husband and a little bit of Abba 😊

Code breaking @ Bletchley

Last week end was the first of this years Open Heritage week ends, and I had free tickets for Bletchley Park - famously home to our code breakers during the war. We left home early and by 9.30am we were just pulling into the car park. We've been to Bletchley several times, but its such an interesting place and there is always something new to see. We spent several hours wandering around the different buildings looking around the exhibits. I think you learn something new every time you go. By about 3pm we were ready to head off, and made our way to our hotel.

We were booked into the Doubletree by Hilton at Milton Keynes football stadium. Unusual venue, but a lovely hotel. When we checked in, we were given free welcome cookies - they were still warm! How civilised is that - and they were delicious! We did have a fair old walk to our room, half way around the stadium - LOL! The room was lovely, spacious and  well stocked (tea, coffees, shampoo, hand creams etc) We knew we weren't at a Travelodge!

After dropping our bags off we headed over the road to MK1 to look around the shops. Didn't buy much, but it was fun looking. And then it was time for dinner at Prezzo, food was lovely and my cocktail (pink gin, Prosecco, lemonade and raspberries) was fabulous! It was a lovely end to the day.

Sunday started with a rude awakening!!! The fire alarms went off at 7.45 am, oh my god the noise was deafening! Everyone had to evacuate the building. Not how I expected to start our Sunday. Luckily I was already up and nearly dressed, but a lot of people were outside in their PJ's. Glad it wasn't raining!! Breakfast was brilliant, everything tasted good.

From the hotel we made our way to Canons Ashby (National Trust) a property we both love. We did the taster tour of the house which lasted about 45 minutes, and then spent the rest of the time outside. It was a beautiful day and we were happy walking around the gardens. We really didn't want to leave. There won't be many more chances this year of sitting outside and enjoying the sunshine!

 

 

 

From Blake to Christopher Robin

As with any week end, this one was over way too quickly. But it was a good one! Saturday morning we popped into Burton to run errands. First stop was at the pawn brokers to buy Euros as they have the best exchange rate. Boy is the pound weak against EVERYTHING at the moment. I could weep! Whilst there we cashed in the dollars we had, we have no plans to return to the States any time soon so it didn't seem worth hanging onto them. Once errands run, we had coffee and then headed home.

Later in the afternoon we headed over to Lichfield, we got there about 4.30pm. We had a little while to look around the shops and then we headed to ASK Italian for dinner. Thanks to a free voucher I finally got to try an Aperol Spritzer - its so orange! But I liked it! Dinner was so scrumptious, I had the tagliatelle with green beans and pesto (oh my god, I think I have turned into a vegetarian by default). We had plenty of time so we shared some gelato and then strolled back across town to the Garrick to see Blake. They have been around a long time and I thought it would be nice to see someone we haven't been to see before. Ok, so my verdict - they have good voices, but (you knew there was one coming!) the song choice was very bland, especially in the first half. Things picked up a little in the second half (or maybe the glass of wine in the interval helped?). Our biggest issue was the fact they talked too much, I am sure there was more talking than singing. Its not what I bought tickets for - so would I go and see them again - no! The highlight of the night was tweeting the Opera Boys to tell them they were so much better than Blake, and they replied to say - Can we retweet that! Which they did - LOL! It was great having a night out though which included a box at the theatre! Almost felt like a grown up....almost!

On Sunday we went to the Red Carpet cinema to see Christopher Robin, what a great film. So cute and very well done. We loved it, I wanted to rush straight out and buy a big cuddly Winnie the Pooh! I am so glad we were able to go and see it. On the way home we stopped a big furniture shop to have lunch in their coffee shop, that was nice. Lovely week end!  September is going to be an action packed month, so many things going on! But what a good start to the month this was!

 

 

Bank Holiday shenanigans

At last August Bank Holiday was  here, and that can only mean one thing....the arrival of my best friend Mandy. Its become a wonderful tradition that she comes up to stay with us every August. Paul picked her up from Tamworth station, and they arrived back at home just before 6pm. It was so lovely to see Mandy again, it had seemed like ages since we last met in London. So this year we decided to do something different, and instead of going out, Paul went out for Chinese take away. I think it worked out quite well as it was a chilly and wet evening, and we were able to get cosy at home, have a natter and eat yummy Chinese food. Oh, and of course there was wine involved.

On the Saturday morning  we woke up  a very  grey and wet day, but we were up early and set off for Lichfield. There was a huge food festival on all week end, with stalls set up all over the city. Sadly the weather let us down and there were several rain showers. We had a look around the shops (who can walk Flying Tiger without going in) popped in the post office (where the girl behind the counter tried to sell me 80 £1.25 stamps.....NO....I said 8...geez!) and wandered around all the stalls (sampling things here and there as we passed) We had a lovely morning, though we had to seek shelter under some leaky scaffolding when the rain became more than a drizzle. We stopped for coffee and also visited the cathedral, which is beautiful. There seemed to be lots going on, and many people milling about.

On the way home we stopped at the big furniture store and had lunch in their coffee shop which was very nice (great idea Mr Ivans!) Saturday afternoon was lovely, the rain had stopped so we were able to sit out in the garden and chat whilst enjoying a damson gin and tonic. When we came in from the garden we got my laptop out and decided to do some shopping at Stationery heaven and split the postage between us. Now, that was fun and I could have spent a fortune! I had to show a lot of restraint. It was fun sharing that experience with a friend who understands the joy of buying pretty writing paper!! That was followed by a sparkling red wine before dinner, I never even knew such a thing existed but it was very nice! We had dinner at home and then 'discovered' the BBC's version of Picnic at Hanging Rock so we watched a couple of episodes. Very lovely chilled evening.

Sunday was WET! We visited Woodland garden centre, which is about 30 minutes away from us. Its a big place with lots of other shops inside like the works, Peacocks, Lakeland etc. It was nice to look around, though we were staggered at how busy the car park was. Strangely, when we went inside the garden centre it did not seem as manic! When we left we got soaked running from the centre to the car, it was pouring and there were huge puddles of water everywhere. I could have literally have poured water out of my trainers. But we stopped for lunch at the Gate Inn, and that was nice. Finally we headed home, I was eager to change out of my wet clothes! The rain never stopped, so we had a very cosy evening at home watching TV, and chatting. Oh, and looking at what theatre shows we might like to see together at Christmas.

On Sunday evening we all went to Spice Touch for dinner, another August tradition. It was a lovely evening and the food was delicious. The restaurant was very busy, so I am glad I booked a table. How quickly the week end flew by, before we knew it Monday morning had come around and we had to take Mandy back to the station. That's the part I don't like - having to say good bye. But at least we know we had a wonderful week end, and the best part is that I will see Mandy again in October.

 

 

Home for the week end

This week end has been a busy one, at 6.30am on Saturday we were up and getting ready for a trip down south. The day did not get off to a very good start as the road leading to the motorway was blocked and we had to turn around and back track till we found an alternative route....grrrr!!

Being a Saturday morning, the traffic was not too bad and by about 10.45am we were at Lakeside in Essex. Its a big mall just before you hit the Dartford Crossing. We stopped at Bella Italia for breakfast (a rather spicy frittata for me!) and coffee, then had a look around the shops. I found a lovely parka in Primark which I just couldn't leave behind. After a couple of hours, which was a welcome break from the car, we were on our way again to my parents house in South London.

When we got to Penge, there was nowhere to park - what a surprise - NOT!! We ended up in the next road which was not great as we had a bedside table for mum, which Paul had to carry all the way to their house. I don't think parking in Penge will ever improve no matter what new initiatives they introduce.

It was great to see mum and dad, especially as I had to cancel my trip last month. As some of you will know dad has been in and out of hospital all summer and not been in the best of health. Its been a worrying time, so you can imagine my delight to see dad looking well and much more like his old self. Still frail, but he's up and about and I cannot tell you the change in him since the last time I saw him at the end of June. We had a lovely few hours with them, Paul did some gardening for them and we chatted with dad. In the evening Paul and I went out and got a Chinese takeaway which was delicious and cheaper than what we buy at home. Not everything is more expensive down south! I was so sad when it was time to leave, saying goodbye almost breaks my heart 😢

As we aren't able to stay with mum and dad at the moment, I had booked us into a Holiday Inn express near Dunstable, a half way point home which meant we didn't have to do that long journey in one go! The hotel was nice but we found the staff very unwelcoming, how disappointing. I think HIE could do way better. Breakfast in the morning was good, and there was a nice selection. It amazes me though to see how people pile their plates up as if they are worried the food will run out! It was pretty chaotic and not really enough seating!

On the way home we stopped at MK1 for coffee and a tootle around Primark. A great place to stop if you are driving along the A5. Our final stop for the week end was Whilton Locks garden centre where I got another book (I couldn't resist) and a lovely new diary for planning next years adventures. We definitely prefer coming home via the A5 more things to look at and places to stop. A tiring week end but a really nice one.

 

 

Let's go vintage

Saturday morning found us up early to head off to RAF Cosford for their new event - a vintage and handmade festival. Arriving early, we had time to park and have a little walk around before heading down to Hangar one to access the festival. A smaller event than the food festival last month, there were lots of stalls to look around but not much choice on the food front and a fraction of the vendors we have seen  at Cosford before. It was fun looking around, even though we didn't buy anything a part from jams and chutneys. We did have a nice lunch, followed by ice cream!

There was lots of 1940's themed musical entertainment, first up was a George Formby tribute which was very good and so funny! His mum was sitting in the front row, which made us all smile! We also saw the Ronnies and Gloria Sunset. Both good too, but we really missed the Bluebird Belles. The music was definitely the highlight of the day. Sadly the spitfire fly over was cancelled, I expect this was due to the windy conditions. The weirdest thing of the day was hearing the Ronnies performing Wuthering Heights (the Kate Bush hit) in a 1040's swing style. It did not work - at all!

We stayed at the festival will about 2pm, then walked over to the RAF museum. Its a really interesting place, with lots of exhibits to look at. The museum is free and I can highly recommend a visit. It took us about an hour to get home. I am glad to say the rain held off till we were home, how lucky is that!

 

 

Visiting Shakespeare country

Early on Saturday morning we set off for Stratford Upon Avon, its about an hour away from us and by about 9.20am we were at the park and ride waiting for a bus into town. I love Stratford, its a wonderful place to amble about pretending to be a tourist. Our first stop was the market which was mostly bric-a-brac. We had a wander around and then headed of for coffee. We found a new coffee shop in Bell Court with tables outside, it was a lovely spot to enjoy a coffee and do some people watching.

After our coffee break we had a walk around the shops and then headed down to the park, by this point it was already really warm. So we sat in the shade and watched many tour parties go by. In seemed to be one after another, all led by someone holding an umbrella. Its quite comical to watch. At noon we decided to take a boat ride down, what a lovely way to spend an hour - just bobbing down the Avon. When you get on the boat you get a hand held audio guide which tells you about the buildings and sites you are passing. I think this must be new, I don't remember having an audio guide in the past.

Next, it was lunch time and we made our way to the Giggling Squid, a lovely thai restaurant. I couldn't resist the name! The food was delicious and we would definitely return. After lunch we thought we would walk to the church to see William Shakespeares Grave. its about a 20  minute walk from the town centre, but thankfully mostly in the shade. When we got to the church it was closed for a wedding. I wasn't best pleased, this is the second time we've walked up there and its been closed. So we had a wasted journey. Its not a very nice area either, there are many  homeless people around the church, most of whom seemed to be very drunk and behaving very inappropriately. I don't think I would bother to walk there again.

A part from the wasted trip the church it was a lovely day, and I do love Stratford. There is always something new to see or do.

Sunday was a very quiet day, and today.....was our first day in our new office. Everything is unpacked and put away. That was a challenge, our drawers are teeny and I am sure the cupboards are smaller too. The building is spacious though, and sat here in my corner I can't see a soul. I have seen some interesting things from the window though, a Shetland pony, a bus and a vintage vehicle. I didn't even know there was a road behind the building, let alone such a well used one.  I'll get used to it - I'm sure?!

 

 

August?? What happened to July?

Somehow, without me even noticing August has arrived. 2018 seems in such a hurry to leave us, you can already notice its starting to get dark a little earlier in the evenings and soon the shops will be full of Christmas merchandise (don't roll your eyes -lol - you know its going to happen!)

Not had a chance to blog the past couple of weeks due to a very nasty stomach virus which pretty much wiped me out for the best part of a week. Not just me, but husband too! I honestly don't ever remember being so horribly sick. You know its bad when you don't even have the energy to pick up a book!

Prior to this we had attended a food festival over at RAF Cosford. It a great event with lots of stalls (so lots of goodies were sampled) live music and cookery demo's. We got to see the Bluebird Belles who we love, they perform a lot of numbers from the 1940's.  We had a great time, and spent a few hours just enjoying the festival. In the afternoon we headed over to the RAF museum, its a very interesting place and Paul loves all the old planes. It was a very good day out!

What else? We went to see Mamma Mia 2 which we loved. What a great movie, I loved the way they wove the story around the songs. And it was great to hear so many great songs from Arrival! I felt totally inspired to go out and buy Arrival on CD.

So currently having a manic week at work, not only the busiest time of year but we are moving offices next week and are currently surrounded by packing crates. Tomorrow I must pack - my cupboards are full of hard hats, first aid kits, safety boots etc. What a joy that will be, ha ha! And then on Monday a new chapter of my FG adventure begins.