The one where I ran a half marathon..... and ate enough food to fuel a full marathon .....

Hi Birdies

I hope you've had a great week.
This week has been a busy one as always, with football fever and then the inevitable depression hitting the Birdie house on Monday it wasn't the best start.
Before that I went on a last ditch run with my sis in law Nicki to get some miles under our belt before the dreaded half on Saturday. We did 6 miles in what turned out to be very humid, warm conditions. the pace was good and I felt ok which was the main thing for me as I needed a good run mentally so it was mission accomplished.  
So back to the football, I didn't watch it myself as I find the whole thing way to stressful so I took myself off to my usual Monday event - bingo.
We started going to bingo in January after our return from holiday. My mom was staying with us due to 2 hip operations in 4 weeks and both her and the Mr's mom are widows now so we decided to find something to do to get everyone out the house a night each week.  I have to say from the first visit, where we had no idea what we were doing we now love it and go every Monday.
So Lin my lovely mother in law (my mom who incidentally has a blog right here is back home now) and I took ourselves off to bingo and let the boys scream and cry at the TV.
We didn't win but we had a good night anyway, until I got home was was told all about what is wrong with English football....

This week as been not so great on the food front I have to confess. Monday was completely on SW plan and I came back from my run to SW freindly hunters chicken cooked for me by the Mr.
Tuesday was a meal out at Prezzo with some customers from work, there may or may not have been a glass of wine too but I couldn't possibly say!
We had some sharing flatbread to start and I opted for pasta in the end after a tough 10 minutes pouring over the menu. The Pappardelle Gorgonzola and it was really nice. 
Now i'm sure you are all aware of the pudding pocket, that little space you have left in your tummy no matter how full your "main" tummy is, reserved especially for something sweet. With this in mind I opted for the Amaretto Trifle which was on the specials board. What I didn't do which I must start remembering is to take pictures of my food for the blog. Always learning !
On Wednesday as we both got home after 7pm we found ourselves at Chiquito's... this was a bit of a disappointment to be fair. The prices seem to have all increased by a few pounds and the portion size was not as generous as it used to be - well on the Chicken Fajitas anyway. The Mr had chicken and pulled pork which didn't really live up to the menu description although the service was good and fairly quick. We really wanted to go to TGI Fridays as i've never been and i'm keen to see what the fuss is, but there was a one hour wait for food so.... maybe next time :)

These 2 nights aside i've been fairly good since then helped by the Mr being on cooking duties this week in the main due to my work schedue...well good until the weekend that was....

Friday afternoon found me in Peterborough by Stamford and I found an amazing place called Burghley House. I'd heard of it but never been, so passing right by I had to take the chance to park up and have a peek at the House. I was not disappointed at all and spent a lovely if short time there. Its definitely worth a visit with a picnic and blanket.
   
So Saturday dawned along with the realisation it was race day ahhhhhhhhh.
The usual nerves kicked in along with major doubts that i'd even be able to finish due to the short notice and lack of miles in my legs.
The weather was fine, not too warm and some cloud which threatened rain on a few occasions - which would have been very welcome - so the stage was set.
The start was  a little unconventional in that we went through a door one at a time in various waves of around 100-150 people, someone put our number into a laptop and then said..GO ! It took me about 10 seconds to realise that was it ! 
and I was off. My sis in law Nicki and I had agreed to run together the whole way as she was carrying an injury and I was not really fit. Nicki is quicker than me usually so we were pretty evenly paced together and trotted on into the morning along the Birmingham canal. the whole race was run along the canal from Wolverhampton to Birmingham centre and so was a nice enough flattish (they lied) route. At 4 miles there was the Coseley tunnel which was pitch black and 329 meters long. There was a strict instruction not to overtake in the tunnel which I am pleased to say was observed even if we did hold a few people up, and in our tradition Nik and I had a rendition of oggi oggi oggi half way down..hehehe.
I have to say the organisation was great, the volunteers at 3,6,9 and 12 miles with electrolite drinks and water off barges were a welcome sight and much appreciated.

We were steady up to 8 miles and commented on how well we both felt , then 10 miles came and we still felt fairly well. I can honestly say its the best i've felt at 10 miles in a half. Miles 11 and 12 started to make themselves known in my knee and calves and I can only say pure faith, adrenaline and each other got us through mile 13 and the last bit. We went over the line hand in hand and actually had a really good experience. The route ended up being long at 13.25 miles so I stopped my GPS watch at 13.1 to get a true time for the half and was over the moon to have finished in 2.22.26 which is a whopping 3 mins 50 seconds off my PB. It was not flat.....they did lie. The elevation was low at 131ft compared to my previous half marathons, Brum 473ft and North London at a whooping 536ft. The elevation came from the locks and bridges and this was the cause of my knee issue, the rise up was short but very sharp with an almost immediate steep decline which was difficult on the both knees and calves but I survived. So much so that today (Sunday) I was out again taking part in a Colour Blast run for Compton hospice. A group of us ran, hobbled, limped round and we had a fantastic morning. I have to give a big shout out to my sister Angela who ran a 10K over 12 months ago and hasn't run since and decided to take part. she committed to running the whole 5K and she was fantastic. I am so proud of her and her determination. Go Angela !! 
 
Also a big massive, no, huge, no, enormous mega holla shout out to Livewell Health who were offering 10 minute massages at the end of the half. It's something i've never done before but took up this time as my calves were almost crippling me after cooling down. It was THE best £10 ever spent. He made me cry, swear and scream but boy did he work his magic on my legs and I could actually walk after 10 mins on the bench when I was barely crawling onto it.
Also thanks to Guiness (and Nicki) for the traditional pint after the half oh and also check out Nosh + Quaff in Brum by Centenary Square. We popped by for a cocktail on the way home and the



Expresso Martini was as yummy as it was lethal and I'll defo be going back , hopefully dressed more appropriately next time. The building itself is worth a bespoke blog post so stay tuned.....
So Saturday was alcohol fuelled - well that's a lot for me and Sunday may have included a trip to Burger King on the way home purely down to the fact I was STARVING. My first BK in around 10 years and it filled a hole but I won't be running or crawling back soon, although going through the drivethrough covered in colour run powder paint was amusing so hey I win. 

So that's all for this week, its been a busy one again. Mainly squished into 2 days but i've been a Bizzie Birdie all week and I'm excited to see what the next week holds me. Life is good at the moment and next weekend is shaping up to be another bizzie one, with my sisters buffday do in Brum on Friday and a trip to Liverpool on Saturday already planned. 

I'm off to watch Pitch Perfect to round off an amazing weekend, so be good birdies and remember....
Make good choices.....

BB

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Stratford Shenanigans.....

Hi Birdies,

sorry for the late post this week again ......
So last week was full of running, and running, and a bit more running in prep for my very short notice half marathon on Saturday.
This past weekend we went to Stratford upon Avon in Roger.
We stayed on a small site we have used before called Dodwell Park. Its around 2 miles outside the town so the perfect location.

We arrived early evening Friday set up and jumped on Rhonda... oh sorry ! How remiss if me, i've not introduced Rhonda properly although she has featured in a previous post Yorkshire Belles and is our little 50cc scooter.

Stratford is a really nice place to visit, there always something going on in the spring and summer and of course it was full of visitors from all over the world.
We had a wander around Stratford and inevitably ended up in a pub and had a few early evening drinks. We then moved across to the bar and restaurant at the top of the RSC on the river. They have an outside terrace which is a great place to sit as you can see for miles.  
We ate in Bella Italia which was nice but not the best visit we've ever had to a Bella I have to say. The restaurant wasn't overly busy in my opinion although wasn't quiet, but the space itself was awkward and not very large and we did wait a long time to be served at every step. Even paying seemed to be a big issue to get sorted. But to be balanced we did get a great voucher from voucher cloud that gives you a second main for £1 which is incredible value so check that out guys.

On Saturday we got up relatively early for us when away and went on a trip to Wellesbourne market which is about 5 miles outside Stratford. Its on the airfield there and used to be a really big market and quite a day out so it was a little disappointing to find it had dwindled down to around 3 rows of traders. We didn't buy anything despite our best efforts. There was a guy selling Naked pallets and so I took a picture to send to my girls to ask if they wanted one - by the time they replied and we went back round the stall had totally gone - I mean like completely upped and disappeared ! moral of the story don't take a picture and scare the life out of the store holder - I'm not saying thee were dodgy but.....   
After the market we headed back into town - sheltering under a tree on the way back to let the worst of the rain pass over - only downside to a scooter!
We had tickets to see Midsummers Night Dream at the RSC matinee performance so we grabbed a coffee and had a walk around some of the shops and the market area.
We have been on the look out for some more vinyl to add to our collection and were told about an antiques shop that had an upper floor full of the stuff.
We were not disappointed at all and could easily have spent all afternoon in there. As it was we found some real gems and will definitely be returning to have another scout through the stock.






And then it was time for the theatre. We have been to RSC quite a few times to see a number of plays and so had an idea of what to expect. The theatre is in a traditional setting with the seats curving around the stage on 3 levels.
We were sat on level 2 or the circle in lovey speak. The seats were like high stools and although look unconventional are actually pretty comfortable with plenty of leg room.
To say we laughed is an understatement. The play is well known obviously but to see it performed and the characters bought to larger than life was just amazing. Puck played by Lucy Ellison was so funny and expressive and really made the play for me. Lysander played by Jack Holden was also very good and I highly recommend a visit if you can catch this before it finishes on 16th July. 

After the performance we shared a bottle of wine in the pub and caught the football on the TV - that's all I'm saying about football ...grrrrrr 
The night was polished off with fish and chips - what a perfect way to end our day. 

Sunday is pack up day so after dismantling camp and enjoying a sausage sarnie we popped into Stratford for a walk along the river and came across a craft / artisan market.
One of the stands was an owl sanctuary and you could stroke the owls for a donation which was a brilliant thing to do and I of course jumped at the chance, thanks to the Mr for the picture.

So that was pretty much my week.I stayed on food plan for most of the week - fish and chips aside - oh and wine, and ice cream....ok I stayed on plan Monday -Friday lunchtime...  and I also managed to get to my SW group this week to get weighed, which was fun ! Actually it was ok I'm still under target weight so all is good. Hopefully all the running will counteract the bad food consumed at the weekend.

So next weeks blog will be on time, promise.
My goals for this week are get food back on plan - I'm failing at this already in spectacular fashion <hangs head in shame>
Finish the half marathon on Saturday and live to tell the tale to you lovely birdies and generally just win at life.

So have a great rest of week and don't forget.....make good choices 

BB

X

 

Pureology review

Hi Birdies,

How is your week going ? Here as promised is a quick review on my new hair products.

Sooooo as I told you a week or 2 ago I went to see a hair colour specialist about my dry, haylike hair.

So after the consultation in which it was determined my hair was over processed and under nourished this shampoo and conditioner was recommended to me. In no way was it pushed upon me at all but i decided if I was going to commit to this process then I may as well take the advice given so I purchased the shampoo, conditioner and mask.

The brand is Pureology and the products have no sulphates in them and are friendly to vegans too so if that's your thing then this is the brand for you.

They offer something called the Pureology Promise which is a money back guarantee if you aren't happy after 4 weeks of exclusively using their products they will refund your money. I can honestly say i'm happy after a week of using it.

My hair feels so much better already after only a few shampoos and 2 mask treatments.

I was advised that i'd been conditioning my hair wrong for the last 43 years ...who knew ! 

apparently you are supposed to wash your hair then towel dry it BEFORE applying conditioner. I have never heard this and so i'm not sure how much of my improved condition is down to this new technique and how much is the conditioner but either way i'm a happy girl.

The range I am using is Hydrate and is specifically for dry coloured hair. I used a 10p sized blob of shampoo and it lathers up just right and is plenty for my mid length hair. Its a purple colour and has a light minty fragrance to it that isn't unpleasant but has taken a bit of getting used to.

I then towel dry and add another 10p sized blob of conditioner from the middle to the ends rubbing any residue on my hands onto the roots as advised. The conditioner is really nice and thick but smooths on really well.

I was dubious that this would be enough for my hair but it does seem to be working so i'm sticking with it.

Once a week i was told to apply the mask that they call Hydra wrap. The instructions say to apply and leave for 10 minutes but my hair guru said to apply to damp hair from half way to roots and leave in overnight and I have to say I think this has had the most impact on my hair. Aside from having to attempt to sleep in a plastic shower cap - conveniently removed from a hotel after an overnight with work - this is not a difficult task and well worth the effort.

Its no longer as dry as it was and is definitely on the mend. its not as "taggy" as it has been. It gets less tangled and knotty and generally looks much better.

So in conclusion so far so good, i'm really happy with how this hair revolution is going and cant wait to see how much improvement I can get in the next few weeks.

I'll update in my blog how I get on and how my first appointment goes with Sophie (the hair guru) in August.

So in conclusion..... this set of products was not cheap at around £65 for the 3 bottles but a little goes a long way and so far its totally value for money. You don't need lots of it so I think it will last me a while. It's 100% working its magic on my hair so it gets a 10/10 for me.

That's all from my first product review I hope you enjoyed it....see you Sunday and keep making those good choices birdie :) 

BB

X  

Sew...Sew...Sew.....

Happy Sunday birdies ....

So...or I should say Sew...as this week that's all I have been doing.

Child 2 decided to drop on me she required 2 fancy dress costumes and one for her boyfriend this week.

The deadline was Friday as shes at uni in Lancs and her boyfriend was going to take them up.

So every night this week was dedicated to constructing a Victorian gypsy outfit, a tail and mittens for Puss in boots. Then there was a small matter of a tunic that was supposed to look like armour with a gold griffin on the front and back.

It was such a rush / stressful task given work is bedlam at the moment that no pictures were taken but shes promised me lots of pictures for next weeks blog*.

*I'm warning you now next post may well be a day late as we are away in Roger. 

So....what else can I ramble about ..... this weeks goals were , staying on food plan - this was kept to by and large with no major problems - if you don't count the fact I'm currently eating these..
 in my defence there were only a few left in the bag.

Challenge 2 was getting back to the gym....ummmm shall we just skip this one...! I failed spectacularly at this and never entered the vicinity of the gym let alone the gym. I should let you all know I sort of run. This is a loose term and I hesitate to call myself a runner as sometimes it doesn't really resemble running at all , but I give it a go. I have partaken in a few half marathons and 10K's and have a nice little medal collection now.

I've not really been out very much since my last half in October last year. I did start getting my miles up a bit in March in prep for Hackney half in May but my surf accident put paid to that little trip.

I'm booked to run the inaugural Disneyland Paris 5K and half in September and was procrastinating about getting out and starting again....then 2 things happened in quick succession. Firstly my sister (who doesn't really run aside from a 10K last year) decided to run another 10K in prep for her 5K at Disneyland Paris ( I know.... go figure a 10K to run a 5K! ), Any hoo I decided to join her as its a few weeks before Disney and a good training run. The second thing, my sister in law who does run and trained with me last year to run her first half (then swore at the finish never again ) famous last words, text me and asked if I wanted to run the Blackcountry half with her along the canals of the Blackcountry. Ummmmm said I depends when it is really as I have races in the diary....2.5 weeks she said !!! WHAT !!!!!!  picks phone up off floor.

So this morning saw me testing the waters and the theory that your muscles have a memory, and would take me on a nice 9 mile route I have. When I say nice I of course mean a hilly, vile bitch of a route but its pretty to look at and try and distract your brain. And boy did my legs remember, every blooming step ! I managed 8 miles constant and then instead of pushing on and risking injury I walked/ran the last mile, counting lampposts like you used to when you were a kid, walk a lamppost run a lamppost....no ? Just me then !

So the upshot is I've registered for the run and have effectively 1 week to get some miles under my belt as I always have the week prior to a race off any running at all and i'm away at the weekend. 

So next week I plan to do some short runs but plenty of speed work to get my legs working and hopefully carry me 13.1 miles on the the 2nd July.

For me running is 90% mental. I have a chimp in my brain telling me I cant do it, this feels wrong that feels off, turn back now , short cut here. Any other runners out there have the same problem ? I have a book called Chimp Management that has really helped me with these negative thoughts and given me a strategy for putting my chimp back in her cage.and I highly recommend it for all aspects of life. Running this race with someone whose pace will be about the same as mine so enabling us to hopefully stay together will be crucial to me getting to the end i think. Usually Nicki is faster than me but as shes carrying a slight injury we have decided the distance and bling at the end is more important than the time...just need my chimp to remember that on the day.

The last challenge this week was to keep smiling and I think I did well on this. 5 work days of 6am starts on the M6 and long days seeing me out the house for 12 hours most days were a challenge. But I kept smiling and felt so much better for the positivity.

So - sorry for the lack of pictures this week. Next week will be packed I promise.

I'll  post midweek a review on some new hair care products I've been using. I don't usually review products as a separate post but don't want this one dragging on, for anyone that's still with me here....hehehe 

Goals for this week :

Run, Run, Run

Smile 

Stop eating M&M's 

ohhh also I've started drinking cup of green coffee 's detox green coffee. If you follow me on instagram and if not why not ? Then you'll have seen me post about this and the lovely people at Cup of Green Coffee regramed my picture - so thanks guys. I'll update how this goes in a week or so to give it chance to do its thing (hopefully).

So that's me over and out for now. Have a fab week, I'll see you midweek for a mini review on my shampoo and hair stuff and remember birdies ......

Make good choices....

BB

X

  

The week that flew by......

Hi there birdies, I hope you've all had a great week.

I don't know about you but some weeks it seems to take forever for Friyay to show its face and then others, like this week seem to fly by at rate of knots. 

So lets set the scene for this weeks update. I'm currently sat in bed with an intensive conditioner on my hair (that I've been told I HAVE to sleep in once a week religiously) covered with a shower cap that was usefully uplifted from a hotel I stayed in this week with work.I have Neil Diamond on the record player, a nifty little purchase from EBay this week and all is good with the world. I've also acquired Jamie Lawson, Ed Sheeran and a few other LP's this week. Ed's is unusual in that its split over 2 records with 3 tracks on each of the 4 sides. For this reason it has to be played on 45rpm rather than 33rpm. Hence when switching over to Jamie Lawson I discovered that at 45rmp he sounds like Dolly Parton something that the man himself found amusing when I tweeted about it.

   

This week started with me deciding to strip the wallpaper off the wall behind my bed. I've been wanting to do this since the new year but never really got round to it. We spent around 3 weeks with different samples of paper blue tacked to the wall over the existing paper. There was meant to be a decision made but they just sort of stuck there for a few weeks until they decided to drop off one by one. The Mr made no argument for any of the papers which was pretty useful as I'd all but decided I wanted a brick effect anyway. 

So after a week of bare wall Friday night I took the bull by the horns as I was home alone for most of the evening and decided to get that wall covered. By 11pm it was all done with little to no problem. I can wallpaper I must add and put the original wallpaper up a few years ago, my dad taught me years ago and it gave me great pleasure to stand back and admire my handiwork. So cheers Dad, here's to you wallpapering up there somewhere x .

The wallpaper is from Next and the monogrammed lights are also from Next. I am beyond happy with how this looks now. I've got the effect of a loft style which is exactly what I was looking for, this works so well with the sloped ceiling and the dark furniture we have in the bedroom.    

Before 

After

This week we visited Chiquito's for their beer and a burger offer that is on during the Euro's. They are running an instagram promo which of course I just had to enter so here is my effort, with a homemade tash and obligatory hat ...hehehe #mymexicanblonde

The food was amazing, definitely not in line with SW but I inhaled the lot and also downed 2 bottles of the new beer they have had specially brewed for them.Talking of SW I have been totally on plan all week and as of this morning managed to lose the 5lb I'd gained over the last few weeks of excess. I think I've finally managed to balance staying on plan and being sensible and letting myself go occasionally and enjoying the non SW things in life. Which is just as well as I decided I wanted to give baking Macarons a bash this week. They were easier than I expected if a bit odd to make. They turned out really well and I'm excited to try different flavours in the next few weeks. Sorry for the very uninspired picture I'll make it look a lot artier next time...honest!

In other news I've been to see a hair colour specialist this week who has told me I need 3 visits of remedial / reconstruction work before I can consider having anything resembling the honey/blonde sun kissed look I was hoping for. So next summer for that then ! I'm booked in for my first 'session' which I can't have until August  as she's so busy and booked up. In the mean time I have been instructed to use Purology shampoo and conditioner and the hair whip once a week...hence the plastic bag on my head right now. anyone have any experience of this brand ? Is it worth the price tag ? Watch this space in the coming months for hair updates. 

So a quick round up of other bits and bobs, this week I bought Fearne Cotton's cook book and I'm looking forward to making some yummy things from there in the coming weeks.
I've also bought tickets to see Jamie Lawson in October which I'm very much looking forward to already.
I've started to use Tesco on-line and get my shopping delivered. I've resisted this for a long time but I just do not have the time to move food from shelf to trolley to conveyor belt to bag to home to cupboard, quite frankly its exhausting !  So far so good I'm very impressed with the meat and fresh fruit and veg that they pick for me so I'll continue to use them. Not only is it saving me time its saving me from those naughty impulse buys and its making me more organised as I have to plan the meals each week in advance and have a menu all set in advance.


This week also had some not so great moment, I left home on Tuesday with not a penny to my name and was out for 12 hours with work. Luckily I had a small packed lunch with me and some bottled water I keep in the car. The small matter of a lack of a spoon saw me drinking my yoghurt and utilising my finger as a spoon, and I missed my daily fix from Starbucks but all was good and in the general scheme of things its wasn't too much of a low. The gym action has been little to none this week due to work hours and lack of energy ...when I say little to none I actually do mean none ! 
And then at the weekend my car , that has been playing up for a while now decided that it would go backwards in drive rather than forwards (its an automatic) and scare the bejesus out of me. So that's now in the Audi garage getting the gear box stripped down as they couldn't repair it so now I'm driving a beast of car as a replacement. I'll let you now how that goes next week

Plans for this week coming are :

More Gym / exercise
Stay on SW plan
Get the sewing machine out again as Child 2 needs a fancy dress running up 
Keep smiling

So thanks for catching up...if there's anything you'd like to me to blog about in particular then please leave a comment below. 
See you next week birdies and don't forget.....

Make good choices... 

BB

X
   

Yorkshire Belles....

Well hi there birdies and happy humpday to you all.
True to my word here is a mid-weekish post on my recent trip to York.

As I previously mentioned my desire to visit York was first ignited a number of years ago when I read a book called Louisa Elliott by Ann Victoria Roberts. My copy of the book is much loved and shows all the signs of this. I will not apologise for this. I believe all books should look like this after they have been enjoyed and enjoyed again. I used to be avaricious reader, time has curtailed this in the last few years - holidays aside. I still read but where once I would stay up all night to finish a book these days I can only manage a few p
ages before I nod off. 

Anyway I digress, as I am wont to do....ask Mr Birdie !
York ..... I have tried several times to get a weekend there and I once passed very close by with work but never actually made it inside the city walls. All that changed bank holiday weekend when we packed up Roger and arrived in a lovely little camp-site around 3 miles from York called Acomb Grange. The site was small but perfect with electric hook up and some room for non electric and tents and was never completely full but did have quite a few visitors over the weekend.

On the Saturday my beautiful friends Kirsten and Sarah drove over from Liverpool to spend the day with us as we haven't been in the same place for a while. Lets face it Whatsapp and snap-chat are good but not the same as actually spending time with people. Although in the next few months we will be seeing plenty of each other as we have lots of plans.

When we go away in Roger we also take Rhonda our 50cc Honda scooter and Kirsten was itching to have a spin so while I locked up the van off she went with the Mr. I think she had lots of fun.

We drove into York and parked by the river, walking into the city walls right by York Minister.
I have to say I was not disappointed at all. We spent the first part of the day wandering around a few of the shops and bought the obligatory badge for our camp blankets.
We went to Jamies for lunch, Sarah is a Coeliac and as they catered for her it was an easy choice.
I had a burger and chips which was nothing special to be fair although I did enjoy it. we all declined pud in favour of getting an ice cream later on.
One thing I have to say is the toilets in Jamies were amazing. They were all old porcelain Crapper toilets and cisterns with old sinks and swan neck taps...an absolute dream of a bathroom in my opinion.


After lunch we decided to walk the city walls, stopping off for an ice cream before we started . The wall walk is 3.4 km. most of the walls are intact although there are sections where you have to get off the walls and walk along to find the next section. its all very well sign posted and something I'd highly recommend if you visit York yourself. 

Sarah and Kirsten left us on Saturday evening , but not before a visit to the McArthur Glen outlet and some retail therapy.

On the Sunday the Mr and I went back into York to explore some more of the places mentioned in my book. We took a walk to The Shambles and Petergate and spent a few hours having a wander around. We came across a market and an amazing record store that I didn't get a picture of but we did get some fantastic old vinyl off there for both ourselves and our daughter Chloe who was bought a turntable for her birthday recently.

No visit to York would have been complete without a trip to Betty's for afternoon tea. there are two Betty's in York. The main flagship store is renown around the world and therefore the queue for tea was around the building. But there is also a smaller shop with a seating area above just a stones throw away which serves exactly the same afternoon tea. We must have timing it perfectly because we walked right in and were seated in a nice little table by the fireplace. We opted for the standard Betty's afternoon tea and we not disappointed at all. everything about it was amazing and I particularly enjoyed the lemon macaron which was just like a lemon meringue pie...ummmmmm.

All in all I have to say York did not let me down. To top it off on the Sunday afternoon the minster bells were ringing which really made my day. I will definitely go back again but I'm booked up for the rest of this year with trips to Stratford, Liverpool and Wales to name a few we have in the diary.   

so that's all for now...have a fun second half of your week Birdies...and remember....

Make good choices...

BB
                                   
                                 x

A Few of the amazing toilets in Jamie's Italian York

Bank Holiday Bliss....

Well hello there birdies, I hope you are all good and had a fabulous short working week thanks to the bank holiday.

The problem with bank holidays, not that they are a problem. In fact I'm a big fan, no a mahoosive fan of those lovely 'free' days from work. The issue, shall we say, is that you sort of lose where you are in the week, which of course is a great side effect of a 3 day weekend but a bit of an issue when I was supposed to blog on Sunday.

So here we are again with me doing the blog walk of shame (and we are only 3 posts in) as i never blogged last week on the previous week. Sorry ... again.....I know...its boring now. I will do better.

So this will be a super duper, double whammy blog  of 2 weeks and a bank holiday bonus trip.

Right where to start.The last few weeks have been fairly run of the mill to be honest. The usual work chaos. I work in sales and have a largish area to cover down the east coast so inevitably I end up in a hotel every 2 weeks or so.

This last fortnight has seen me in a real favourite of mine The Pykkerell Hotel in Ixworth and the Premier Inn in Norwich, which was not a favourite and will never be ventured into again !

First the good, The Pykkerell is essentially a pub with a small restaurant and rooms above. But its nice, really nice. The food is amazing the welcome warm and beds comfy. I even managed to venture out for short 2.5 mile run with my friend Claire who lives near there.
The Premier inn on the other hand was not so great. Upon arrival is was clear that there was extensive building work extending the hotel, something the website conveniently failed to mention. I had scaffolding right outside my window and so at 7am the next morning had work men on that scaffolding !!!! The food wasn't great, my medium steak ended up more like a well done but I have to say the staff were all really nice and couldn't do enough for the guests and breakfast was excellent. Sort it out premier Inn, you are usually my go-to hotel chain to ensure a decent room and hotel and you let me down, we may have to break up now .....

What else.....i've been hitting the gym this last few weeks. I am a follower of the Slimming World plan and am currently a target member. notice the word currently..... of late I've gotten a bit slack shall we say. Not sticking to Syns, not weighing and measuring things I should, not enough speed food (if your not au fait with SW bare with me on this bit ) So it was no surprise after maintaining a regular weight for over 3 months I had been avoiding the shame step (weighing scales to the uninitiated) and burying my head in the sand. The time had come...right after one afternoon tea with my sister and before another planned afternoon tea at Betty's in York , not ideal timing but hey ho!
So 3lb heavier I step off the shame step and decide to enjoy my long weekend in York, afternoon tea and all and then get back on it. So post York trip that's now 5lb  and shame and panic set in. Hence the gym bunny act for the last few weeks. along with strict SW meal planning and the weaning of my body from sugar....AGAIN!
I'll keep you updated as to how I get on, I may get lynched before I lose the 5lb as I keep dragging the Mr to 6.30am spin but we shall see.

I recently bought some Scuba material on-line from a site that was having a sale. I've never sewed with Scuba but did have a cute pattern for a dress that the material would work perfectly for so I launched myself at that in the week.
I'm self taught with a sewing machine - thank the lord for the internet and YouTube. I would never make anyone wear anything i've made but its OK for me as I can hide all the mistakes lol.
I was happy with the finished project and have some more scuba to use but I'm waiting for to use it. inspiration.







Also pre-shame step realisation I stopped off at the Pancake & Waffle Shack and inhaled this beauty....

OMG it was so worth every drop of sweat I've shed to get it off my body again, and I highly recommend a visit.

So....bank holiday weekend saw me and the Mr trundle off to York in our camper van Roger. I've wanted to go to York for years since reading a book set in 1800 York. I was not disappointed at all. we had a fab weekend and also had a visit from my two chica's from Liverpool Sarah and Kirsten who drove over for the day on Saturday. I've decided I'm going to do a separate post about York which I'll post mid week.

I think that's all my ramblings for this week. The problem with missing a week again is I cant remember what I did 2 weeks ago so i keep trying to remember them. I think I'll start a daily notebook / journal where I can note down little things to remind me.

So have a fab week birdies and remember.......

Make good choices ....

BB
x