31 May 2014

Blog Every Day in May 2014 - I did it!! #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!

Yaayy!! Pop the champagne and hang out the bunting - I blogged every day in May! Go me!

[ crochet bunting from BeckyGarratt on Etsy ]

So what have I gained from blogging every single day in May? Well, I'm more motivated in my blogging in that I want to blog more and I have loads of ideas for other posts (err, hello 36 draft posts!). I have also learned (maybe most importantly of all) that I don't need to write a massive long post with loads of photos every single day - short and sweet posts are OK too!

I've really enjoyed reading along with everyone else's posts, and following along with the #BEDM hashtag on twitter - sorry I haven't replied and commented much - I have been reading though!!.

These are some of my favourite posts from the last month:

Passion Projects - Crafting and Me
What's in my bag
A Photo and Hour
Museum Day
Home Sweet Home

So I am going to be blogging more, and hopefully more regularly too, rather than sporadically here and there. It might just be once a week, but hopefully it will be every week.

What have been your favourite posts?

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30 May 2014

Birthday Weekend in the Lake District #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!

Over the last May Bank Holiday weekend, Martin, Zoe and I went and camped in Eskdale in the Lake District for my birthday. We camped at the Fisherground camp-site, which was great, I would certainly recommend it if you are camping in the lakes. This is what we got up to!

Thursday we travelled down to the camp-site via St Bees, which is a beach that I used to go to a lot when I was little. It was a bit grey and windy, so we didn't have a paddle in the sea, but we still went down onto the beach. Zoe had a little play on the playground, which was half behind barriers as they are putting in some new equipment, she still had fun on the slide! We then pootled down to the camp-site and set up the tent before having a BBQ tea of burgers and sausages in buns. Yum!


Friday we went on the La'al Ratty (which I posted about on Monday), it was a bit wet and cold, but we still had fun! We went from Dalegarth to Ravenglass on one of the diesel trains, and spent some time walking around Ravenglass. We then had a picnic lunch at the station then headed back to Dalegarth on the steam train! Back to the campsite for pasta, potatoes and peas for tea, then bed!


Saturday we got up early and drove to Wast Water to climb Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England. You may remember in my 31 before 31 blog post that one of the things on the list was to climb Scafell Pike (also on the list was Ben Nevis, Helvellyn and Snowdon - didn't get to those!!). There were a few moments when I thought I couldn't do it, and that I would have to turn back, but we kept going and I made it to the top! Two things kept me going - one was that there was a pepperami in my bag for when we got to the top (mmmmmmmm), the other was that Martin's ex had made it to the top in 3 hours and there was no way that I was going to give up! I made it in 2 hours and 52 minutes!! Wooop!! Zoe was really good, she even had a snooze on the way up, but she got very cold and shivery on the top so we headed back down pretty quickly, and whizzed back to the car. Once we got back to the camp-site, I took Zoe to the shower, and on the way I fell over and busted up my knee - it was pretty gross. Zoe kept saying uh-oh in the shower and pointing at it. Oww! We then headed off to meet my lovely godmother Penny for a meal in a lovely pub that I have forgotten the name of. After dinner we headed back to Penny's house and Zoe played with 'dog' - so much giggling!! An eventful day!


Sunday was my birthday, and after getting up and opening pressies and cards, we made our way to Muncaster Castle, where we had yummy bacon butties for breakfast before going and looking at the owls, the castle and the grounds. We went into a maze thingy that terrified Zoe, so we quickly ran through it and played on the slide instead. Muncaster Festival was on and there were loads of extra tents and things to do, one of which was a load of musical instruments made from junk, which Zoe loved - she spent most of the afternoon in there! We went to see the owl display, but Zoe got grumpy so Martin took her back to the sound tent, and I stayed to watch. It would have been nice to see them flying, but it was too busy - you can see some photos of the owls in this post if you want. I also had a bit of a play with my new lenses for my phone camera too - so much fun!! Zoe was getting pretty tired so we headed back to the car, Zoe had a sleep on the way back to the camp-site - we drove over some little fell roads, stopping to take lots of photos. Back at the tent we had a bit of a relax before heading out to the Wild Olive for my birthday meal. Unfortunately they seemed to be having some problems in the kitchen, resulting in a few mistakes with our meals, so we ended up getting three 3-course meals for less than a tenner! We left a big tip for the waitresses though, as we had a lovely time and they had been so nice! Even though we had issues, it was a one-off and I would still recommend it to anyone out that way.


Monday was the last day of our little holiday and we packed up the tent before dropping Martin off at the bottom of Muncaster fell - my legs were still too sore from Saturday to do any more climbing!! I had planned to take Zoe to Ravenglass to play on the park, but she fell asleep so I ended up sitting in the car with her doing a bit of crochet while she snoozed. After meeting Martin in the car park after his walk we headed back to Ravenglass for lunch then took Zoe to play on the park for a half hour. We then drove home via Hardknot Pass and Wrynose Pass, through the lakes, then the back way home across Caldbeck Common. Then we had to unpack the car and start the washing - joy!!

Whew! Well done if you read all of that!!

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29 May 2014

Owls at Muncaster Castle #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!

On Sunday 25 May, as it was my birthday, we went to Muncaster Castle for the day. The World Owl Trust have a whole heap of owls (a parliament of owls is the collective noun) at the castle, and they do regular displays in the grounds. Unfortunatley, as it was the Muncaster Festival when we were there, the place was heaving and so they couldn't fly the owls, as there was too much going on, and the owls would have just flown off to a tree to hide.

I did manage to get some photos of the owls in the aviaries though early on in the day. I used my new lenses for my iPhone (you can find them here) which is so much better than using the zoom function on your phone). I didn't take any of my big cameras with me, although I did take my little mini lomo action camera (a bit like this one) so when I get the film developed I will share them with you all!





You can click on the photos to make them bigger if you want. I really like the vignette effect that the lenses add to the photos, but you can also just crop out the edges if you want to.

What did you get up to this bank holiday weekend?

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27 May 2014

Off the hook! Crochet finished items #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!

Here is what I have been crocheting this week:


I have been a busy bee making mandalas to send to Lucy from Attic24 to be displayed at Yarndale in September. I'm hoping to go this year, and would love to be able to find mine there in the flesh!!  The one above is my favourite and was made from Lucy's own mandala pattern which can be found on the attic24 blog.

Hmm, this one went a bit wrong, so I won't be sending it off to Lucy!! It's supposed to have 6 'spokes' from the centre but I miss-counted and ended up with 5! The correct pattern if you want to have a go yourself is here.
I then had a go at making a crochet doily from a pattern in Simply Crochet, I think it was this month's issue (i.e. the one that came out at the end of April). I blocked it, but it's still a bit wonky so I may give it another blocking. But what shall I do with it?!?!

Ideas on a postcard please!!

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26 May 2014

Bank Holiday Fun #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!

As you are reading this we will be heading off for our day of fun at the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway (or the La'al Ratty as it is known round these parts)!!


A bit about it from their website:
The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway is one of the oldest and longest narrow gauge railways in England, known affectionately as La’al Ratty meaning “ little railway “ in olde Cumbrian dialect. It was 100 years ago in April 1913 that the original 3ft line closed and in 1915 the new 15in La’al Ratty was born. The heritage steam engines transport passengers from Ravenglass , the only coastal village in the Lake District National Park and of huge significance in Roman times, being a significant last defence point of the infamous Hadrians Wall, to Dalegarth for Boot some 210ft above sea level. 

We used to live near Ravenglass when we were little and I have many fond memories of spending the day on the railway, having a picnic in the park, playing in the park. I look back at photos of those times and try to remember the smell of the railway, the noise of the trains, the feeling of excitement I had waiting for the train to arrive.

I hope that this blog can serve as a reminder for Zoe when she grows up and wants to, needs to remember her youth, the fun she had with us, and the memories we made.

Ooh got a bit deep there - sorry!

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25 May 2014

Dedicated to my little sister #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!

It's my birthday today, but it's also my little sister's birthday too! I remember wanting a bike and a goldfish for my fifth birthday, and I ended up getting a sister! Lucky me!

I thought I would embarrass her by sharing a few photos of us!


So this is my sister Alice, there exactly five years between us. I love her to bits even if we did sometimes do each other's heads in! I remember telling her she was adopted once - she didn't believe me!


My Mum loved dressing us in matching clothes! Lucky Alice got to wear the outfits twice - once new and then she got them again 5 years later as my hand-me-downs! Poor thing!!

I didn't always enjoy having to share my birthday, but it's actually pretty great - it sort of becomes like a mini-Christmas sometimes!! This year my mum has planned something for us both - it's a secret though, I have no idea what we are doing but apparently we have to wear pretty dresses! Hopefully not like those in the photo above!!

Happy Birthday Alice, I love you lots and lots like jelly tots!!

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24 May 2014

Celebrity Crush #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!

Yes, today's #BEDM prompt is 'healthy living' but we all know that I am not the person to be writing a blog post about how to eat healthy or how to exercise, don't we? Also, tomorrow is my birthday so I can do whatever I want hehe!!

So instead I'm just going to provide you with some eye candy in the form of Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who I very much admire as an actor, especially as Henry VIII in The Tudors, but who I also find as tasty as a cinnamon bagel covered in Nutella.

He really has got that 'smouldering' look down to a tee!!



Who is your celebrity crush?

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p.s. Katie - here is a little link just for you hehe

23 May 2014

Date Night #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!

Well, it's been a while since Martin and I had a date night - the last one was Valentine's day (or the day before actually I think) - we went to Nando's and then to a few bars in town - nothing too exciting really.


I was talking to a friend of mine about making the effort to have 'couple' time when you live together, and I had to admit that it wasn't something that Martin and I consciously had to work at. Since Zoe came along, the evening routine is pretty much the same - we always eat together as a family, then quite often we do Zoe's bedtime routine together as well (although sometimes one of us will do some jobs). Once Zoe is tucked up in bed we sit together in the living room and we either watch something together or do our own things (usually blogging or crochet for me and xbox or football for him).

That hour or two where we are together, just us, gives us time to talk about the day, about any things we need to do, and to just re-connect as a couple. Oh I've gone a bit soppy here, haven't I?!


So while we don't have a lot of date nights out, most nights in our house are date nights, in a way.

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22 May 2014

My LiveJournals *possible trigger* #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!!

Today's prompt is 'out of the comfort zone' so I'm going to share with you some excerpts from my LiveJournals that I used to have. This really is out of my comfort zone - as you know I haven't really talked about my history of mental health on this here blog, apart from the interview I did with Becki a while ago. It's hard for me to talk about because it's all so personal, and also I have a constant fear of relapse, so I am always afraid to think about it in case it comes back (probably not a healthy attitude, but it seems to be working for me).

These are a few extracts from when I was about 16 or so, I'm not sure if I'll keep this post up or not. Warning - possible trigger ahead...

 i am here. all alone. god, im sad.

 im not going to cut im not going to cut im not going to cut im not im not imnotimnotimnotnotnotnot

 how long will i last this time? how long are these black clouds going to hang over my head and follow me around?? i hate having them there. i hate the fact that every thought that enters my head spirals around and around, and gets twisted until i have nothing but warped thoughts that are so far removed from the origional thought that ive fabricated a million new worries and concerns and heartbreaks. ... last night could have been the end for me. if i had ended up at home on my own, if i hadnt gone online, i would not be here now. ... but i hate it so much. im sick of being this way. im sick of scaring people, and depressing them by association. i want to be happy

 After everything that happened last night I DID NOT CUT. and that is the most important thing ever. ... i talked to people and i got myself out of that place. i can talk myself down. next time, i might not be able to, i just know that if ive done it once, i can do it again... similaraly... i can go one week without alcohol, then i can go two weeks. or three. regardless of the fact i have been drinking since half past eight last night. and i haven't got sober yet...

 disregard above statement. alcohol helps my thoughts and feeling flow freely through my fingertips into the wide web that is this journal, and my friends... my friends help me through my worst times. ... sorry for scaring the shit out of you guys recently.

alcohol is good. people get me to stop drinking "calm down". you sound like a broken record. & absinthe should be banned. so should vodka. i should go back to drinking alcopops through a straw while spinning in a circle (ah those were the days).

 i found a page of my drunken post-cutting scrawl from the other week. i dont remember writing it. i've said it before, i'll say it again - i hate that. i hate waking up on a morning, and finding suicide notes littering my floor.


21 May 2014

My Workspace (at work) #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!!

Today's #BEDM prompt is 'my workspace' - so here is my workspace at work (rather than my workspace at home which is usually the sofa or bed!!).


I used to have a massive desk in a massive office with lots of space to keep lots of stuff, which is what happened - I ended up with 'stuff' everywhere! As you can see, it's essentials on the desk now - notebooks and diaries, pens and pencils, and coffee!! Definitely a necessity at work, especially on a Monday morning!

But as you can see it's not all that pretty or inspiring. I do have two windows to look out of (as opposed to my old office where I had zero windows! But I would love to add a bit of personality (and a bit of colour) into the office.

So I've made a little wish list! These are a few of the sort of things I would like for my little office. We are actually having a 'bring a plant to work' day soon - so I will be taking along a little succulent - hopefully I will manage not to kill it - I don't have much luck with plants - no green fingers here!!




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20 May 2014

These are a few of my favourite pins #2 Pretty Pastels #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!

For the second of my 'favourite pins' posts I have selected my absolute favourite board - my Pretty Pastels board. There is really no point to this board except for aesthetics - there are no DIYs or patterns, it's more like a mini pastel mood board. So just enjoy the pretties!!


I feel like I should write something more about this post - you can have a look on the Pinterest board I've linked to up there /\ to find the sources for these photos if you want to. Oh and if you want to buy me a pair of pastel converse, I won't say no!!

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Being Adventurous #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!

Us Robinsons love adventure - in fact Martin is off on one right now! He's popped up to Scotland for a few days of Munro bagging, then when he gets back we are off to Eskdale for my birthday - woop!!

 photo mandzatsilloth_zps7a4137e0.jpg

Martin is a lot more into walking than I am - I'm a bit of a fussy walker - it can't be too cold, or raining, snowing or any other precipitation; it can't be too hot or sunny, and it can't be windy. So that leaves 2 days a year that we can go!! Just kidding, as long as it isn't too cold or too rainy I'm happy! I think I've done about 20 Wainwrights now, Martin has a list of the ones that I have done so far.

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Zoe loves adventuring too - we recently went on a walk up Catbells and after we had eaten our lunch she took Grandad by the hand and took him off walking down the other side!! We watched them until they turned into little dots, expecting Zoe to get tired and need picking up, but she just kept going!

I'm looking forward to our walk up Scafell Pike next weekend, and I think Zoe is too!

Adventure is out there!!

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19 May 2014

10 songs I’ll listen to for the rest of my life #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!!

In another departure from today's prompt (best thing about being an adult) here is a list of the 10 songs that I know I will listen to for the rest of my life.

Secret Smile - Semisonic
Birdhouse In Your Soul - They Might Be Giants
Good Riddance - Greenday
Layla - Eric Clapton
Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac
Hotel California - Eagles
Come Undone - Robbie Williams
Hey Jealousy - Gin Blossoms
Thank You - Led Zeppelin
Protection - Massive Attack





THANKS photo thanks-signature_zps76499913.jpg

18 May 2014

Museum Day - Solway Aviation Museum #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!

The Solway Aviation Museum is run by volunteers up at Carlisle Airport (bet you didn't even know we had an airport, right?). My Dad has been volunteering there for at least 10 years, probably more, which has the bonus of free entry for me!! Woop!

From their website: Solway Aviation Museum is home to a collection of aircraft, aviation artifacts and displays reflecting Britain’s position as a world leader in aircraft design and innovation at the dawn of the jet age. The museum’s primary objective is the preservation of our Aviation heritage, its display and interpretation. The Museum is run entirely by a team of volunteers from the Solway Aviation Society.

All the staff are aviation enthusiasts who dedicate some of their spare time to preserving part of Cumbria’s aviation history. Many have skills and abilities gained from experience in the aviation industry or as ex-service personnel, while others have a keen interest or skill that they are willing to share. We are always striving to develop new ways to present our exhibits and to develop the Museum to a permanent site with covered areas to protect our aging aircraft collection. There is always something to do and current projects include the ongoing repaint of the Vulcan along with the refurbishment of its systems in an attempt to halt the effects of corrosion.

On Saturday we went up to the museum, Martin thought he had visited it once when her was very young, and he didn't remember much. I thought that Zoe would love playing in the planes, but she would only go in one of them! I went in the Vulcan, which was a tight climb up a skinny ladder - it was a fair squeeze to get my big butt into the cockpit!!

Oh, and I took some photos while we were there!


What a gorgeous day!


 The walk down to the Vulcan.


Zoe wouldn't share her crisps with Grandpa!!


Helicopter! The nose opens up so you can see the engine.


Pilot Zoe!

The museum are always looking for volunteers *cough* Jo show this to your Dad *cough* so if you are interested you can give them a ring on 01228 573823.

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17 May 2014

Photo an Hour - May 2014 #BEDM

Hello Lovelies!

Here's my #BEDM day in the life/photo an hour post. I took all of these photos yesterday (Friday) but instead of publishing them last night, I thought I would do it today, and put a different post up yesterday. Which I did, you can go and read it here!!

This is pretty much and average Friday for me. I get up with Zoe, pootle, have lunch with my girlies, go to booby class, come home, have tea, put Zoe to bed, then chill with the Mister before popping off to bed myself. How exciting!


07:00 - Up and time for breakfast - fruit and fibre with banana -yummy!


08:00 - Cuddles after breakfast! As you can see Zoe had coco pops for breakfast which she manages to COVER herself in every day without fail. Which is one reason why we don't get dressed until after breakfast!


09:00 - Time for my second cup of coffee of the day! I can only have 2 a day or the caffine makes me go a bit loopy- mental! Also my heart goes weird too!!


10:00 - Unloading the dishwasher. Wow what I totally excellent life I lead!



Bonus 10:15 photo!! Zoe did a wee in the potty so we had to take a photo! Fantastic!!


11:00 - Zoe 'helped' me to crochet a mandala to send off to Lucy at Attic24 to be displayed at Yarndale, hopefully I will get to go this year!


12:00 - Walking through the park on the way to have lunch with the girls!


13:00 - Zoe totally crashed at booby class after lunch. Bless! Her being asleep means I actually get to talk to people instead of just chasing her around all the time!


14:00 - The view from the window at booby class, we will be heading off home soon.


15:00 - Finishing off the mandala while Zoe plays with her toys and watches Peppa Pig.


17:00 - Chopping up some veggies for tea.


18:00 - And here is that tea - steak, chips, egg, onion rings. mushroom and onions. Super healthy!!


19:00 - Going upstairs to get ready for the bath - Martin jumped in with Zoe tonight!


20:00 - Daddy reading Zoe a story before she has her milk and goes to sleep. My turn tonight!


21:00 - Yummy reduced raspberry panacotta while blogging. Martin is playing on the xbox.


22:00 - bedtime for Anna - zzzzz!! I didn't take a photo for this one, I'm just in bed!! 


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