Holiday - Day 7: Warkworth Castle and Oreo Ice Cream

As the sun decided to keep shining today we headed off for a little English Heritage. Northumberland is littered with Castles and so we thought for the last day what would be better than to walk the ruins.

We bypassed Alnwick for Warkworth Castle. The original home of the Percy family who debunked to Alnwick in their later generations.


Even though a lot of this castle is made up of crumbled walls and greener than green grassy areas you could still get a feel of what it would have been like to ride up to the gates on your stead and wait to be permitted entrance. The tower and the architecture in general took you back, made you long for the pride and glory of simpler times.

After the castle we moved on Amble for a spot of Harbour lunch and an Oreo Cookie Ice Cream from a specialist Dairy Farm. How can you not love a farm shop that sells only ice cream and has photographs of their cows on the walls... Like I said above, pride and glory ha ha.


It feels sad that this is our final day, there is just no appeal to go home... Maybe if I lived in a Castle... :) xx


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Holiday - Day 3: Berwick weather not permitting...

The sun has taken a day off. We are Yorkies, we don't mind the cold but when you are trying to look around a holiday town filled with shops and the fine rain just will not let up... It makes you miserable.

We did manage to find a restaurant that allowed Rohan in and the decor was warm and friendly which was what we were longing for. But when the bill was over £50 for sandwiches, scones and coffee we almost wished we had eaten fish and chips in the car.

We headed back to our beautiful house where we played games and giggles with Katharine who loved having everyone's attention.


Rohan loved it too, much better than cold paws on cold cobbles.

Tomorrow we pray for a return of the sun but the weather forecast doesn't look too promising. :) xx


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Holiday - Day 2: Bamburgh...

Our first official day of holiday outings!

We chose Bamburgh after reading it had a lovely village and a castle. This has to be the most impressive castle I have ever seen!! I can take or leave Edinburgh Castle, I found it to be a busy courtyard of rude tourists, but Bamburgh... I was awed.


It is literally built into the mountain! And you can have your wedding here, imagine that! Unfortunately Rohan was not allowed into the grounds so we wandered around the outside taking far too many photographs before we headed into the village.

On the way back to the house we drove through Alnwick so that I could get a glimpse of Hogwarts ha ha. We decided not to go in but to wait until Katharine is old enough to appreciate its history and its current Potter fame.


We are going to start a list of MUST SEES and in a couple of years start ticking off the ones that Katharine views. :) xx


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Photo - Sleepyheads...

I got up, popped in the shower and returned to find this...


And of course I couldn't resist snapping the scene and sticking it on blogging land for all to see. :) xx


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Musings - Sunday in Stafford...

Sunday we visited the in laws and has a wonderful time in the garden. Katharine wheeled around the doll...


She contemplated the baby wood pigeons...


And shared a private joke with her cousin Ewan...


Good times. :) xx


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Photo - Caught in the reflection...

So I twirled the mirror around in a wee circle until I found something in our living room to snap a photo of...


I happened upon the husband. :) xx


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Photo - Too much?..

Well...


And this isn't all the memorabilia we have been collecting!

Geeks to the core! Hurrah! :) xx


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Review - Batman Part 3...

I went to see ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ because Tom Hardy was in it.

I’m honest at least! I was conscious that his face would be covered the whole 165 minutes and bar about three seconds it was; but I am a die Hardy fan (get it?) and let’s face it… his face might have been hidden but those muscles were not.

And you know what? He was out done. I went for Tom but was bowled over by Joseph. But before I wax lyrical about young JGL…



As an ending to the trilogy this film was immense. I never get to use that word on a day to day basis but in a one word summary that is it… IMMENSE!

The score, the visual effects, the acting (minus Christian Bale – wooden as ever), Anne’s bottom and the twists of the story kept you so entertained that the three hours (including trailers; I quite fancy going to see ‘Lincoln’) flew by. I love my action and I was not disappointed. I was not expecting such a poignant ending either but it worked. The whole thing worked and without revealing any spoilers I have to demand / scream / chant… that was so a hint at another movie!!!!

So, Joseph Gordon-Levitt… I know him of old; at university we had a poster of him up in our bathroom. His wee self would grin at you the whole time you were in there. He saw some sights, owes all our fathers a few goats. And he grow up FINE! And he can act! The last thing I saw him in was ‘500 Days of Summer’ which was fantastic though it did not offer him up as Man of The Week potential. In TDNR he was phenomenal (see another of those big out of the norm words), intense, emotional, charming, buffer than usual and he utterly stole any scene he was in.

He definitely has MOTW contender status.

Overall I would highly recommend the film; even if you haven’t seen the first two you can always back track when you get home.

Score, hmm… 8/10. A little more facial offering from Tom might have gained those extra points. Ha ha. :) xx


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Photo - Big Blue Frog...

Our Friday outing was to the Big Blue Frog play centre...


Katharine and Daddy (who surprised us by having a day off) lived in the ball pool.

We will definitely be going there again. :) xx


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Photo - Husband cooks...

A lemon, bean and chickpea medley...


Delicious. :) xx


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Photo - Our hands...

Poppa, Momma and baby bear...


How fantastic is that photo? And how HUGE are my husbands hands? :) xx


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Photo - Caught in the act...

This photo is me trying to take a stealthy photograph of Katharine reading her book...


It turned out to be Katharine spotting herself in the view finder and pointing with a 'there'.

Bless her, funny little onion that she is. :) xx


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Photo - Still shining...

It is very rare in West Yorkshire to have a full week of sun! Therefore today we have taken advantage of the weather once more and taken a picnic to the park.


Katharine LOVED the swings.


Auntie Noisy loved the climbing frame ha ha. :) x


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Musings - Beaching it...

Today we have taken a trip to the east coast. Bridlington is a lovely seaside town, one of the quaint places that still have teddy grabbing machines and hour long boat trips around the bay.


We all had a great time, though I got sunburnt.


Sometimes I feel very lazy when I think that the beach is less than a two hour drive yet we never go.


We will have to make more of an effort to go, doesn't that seem to be my mantra these days? ;) xx


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Photo - Two days in a row...

I am on a roll this week with cooking so I thought I best document it as it doesn't happen often. :)

Tonight I made a Colourful Carbonara. Pasta, vegetables, bacon, quark, Parmesan cheese and three egg yolks. And spices of course.

Here are the vegetables...


And the process...


And the grand reveal...


How delicious does that look? (if I do say so myself ha ha).

Ps. If you are wondering why the diet coke is in pot mugs, well it's incognito as Katharine insists on using a glass if she sees one! :) xx


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Photo - Disney...

This photograph is of a bag from the Disney store...


Inside it hides a stuffed dog of the Lady and the Tramp variety just waiting to jump out.

You see, on Friday, my baby turns one!!!! And as she loves both dogs and Disney we thought it only fitting that this bag should be nestled amongst all her other gifts.

I can't wait to see her face... :) xx


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DIARY - 26th March 2012 to 1st April 2012

This week has been about three things…
1. Logging my dreams and realising I have ‘issues’,
2. Training my brain into oblivion,
3. Finding out the guy I liked twelve years ago liked me back and I never knew!

At the beginning of the week I downloaded an app to log my dreams; needless to say I put a password on it! I don’t want everyone knowing the inner most bizarre workings of my mind. As dreams go there seems to be a theme this week of absent friends and things that could have been but aren’t. Cryptic? Woohoo, I think I have my groove back. :)

Tuesday I got another slimming award. Slow and steady it might be but I have lost 23lbs in twelve weeks. I feel so proud of myself. I have a bit of a way to go but I am getting there. I have set my goal for December, I am determined to wear a pretty dress for my friends wedding.

The next few days involved programme training that completely pickled my brain and trying to schedule my way around forty tasks to get done… that didn’t much help the pickling situation either. The use of the above programme will make my life easier at some point, I just need to remember what I was taught and then insert a little enthusiasm.

I was never so happy to see the weekend arrive!

Saturday involved a trip to the local town of Huddersfield where shopping and a three hour lunch took place. There is nothing like a bottle of wine and a cheeky cocktail to bring out the secrets and the heartfelt chatter. We, my best friend and I, are such a pair of women ha ha!

And then there was today. Sunday being the day of rest we took no notice and went for a jolly good walk around the local reservoir. Both child and dog are wiped out from all the fresh air which is making for a very peaceful evening.

My advice for next week… if you know you have a cake to bake and can’t bake cakes… practice. :) xx

Photo - Sunday sun...

Today the weather was glorious. We went for a long walk around the water and Rohan managed to do a little basking. :) xx



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Photo - Ewan's a sweetheart...

This Mother's Day was my first official one that includes a baby that is not the Rohan. :)

And with a little help from Kieran I was presented with an amazing baby blue pot mixing bowl, a funny card and a bookmark that says 'Mum's Book'. Perfect.

But I was also given another card from my nephew Ewan, which he made himself with a giant beautiful flower on the front. This is it...

It's great, it even says Happy 1st Mother's Day inside. I think he was covering all bases in case Kieran and Katharine forgot. :) xx

Musings - Mama Kat's Workshop (8th March 2012)

This week Mama Kat has given me the perfect prompt.

Since having Katharine and since meeting an extremely inspiring individual who has refused to let cancer beat him, I have thought more and more about what is important to me. So this week's prompt put a smile on my face and made it so easy for me to take some time and complete it.

THE PROMPT: On The Bachelor a rose is given to the women he could really see himself spending the rest of his life with. What six things in your life would you like to give a rose to and why?

And my six...

My Baby - Because she is my life. :)

My Man - Because he is my monster. :)

My Pooch - Because she is my furry hot water bottle. :)

My folks - Because they made me who I am. :)

My BFF - Because she listens and laughs in all the right places. :)

And my books - Because, let's face it, they are my first love ha ha. :)

So what would be your six?

Who read this and, with raised eyebrow,

realised their spouse would not make the list above chocolate? :) xx

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