Weekend in Worcester

Not so much a weekend as a flying visit, we were travelling down on the Saturday, everything was going to plan and then this happened. Didn't even realise at first we just thought the road had got really bumpy, until we saw the smoke... Burning rubber does not smell good. Luckily it was the passenger side so it wasn't as hairy as it could have been to change on the hard shoulder. 

Motorway driving on a spare is not fun, seeing as you are not meant to exceed 50 miles per hour and we still had an hour to go. I have a little more sympathy for caravan towers now, not a lot just a little. We did manage to find somewhere to get a new one at our destination which I was extremely thankful for, I did not want to travel back on a spare, probably would have doubled our travel time.

This was our beautiful hotel, it's looks ever so pretty from the outside, it's not all that on the inside unfortunately, nice, modern and clean but nothing special. We did meet a crazy old lady in the car park who couldn't work reverse on her car, and expected us to push it, uphill!! She managed to remember how to drive it in the end thankfully, I really think some old people shouldn't be trusted with cars... am I wrong?

This beauty was behind our hotel, overlooking the car park! Bit strange but not an unwelcome site.

The reason we travelled all this way was for a 40th Birthday dinner, it was in held in their local pub, literally opposite the Birthday boy's house. I really enjoyed the food, poached duck egg, belly pork and pigeon finishing up with Toffee Holly Hog. As you can probably tell I tucked into my main before taking a picture, it was good though nom nom. The pub also had some tasty ale on from their micro brewery "This", "That" and "T'other".

The weekend seemed to fly by but it was fun, it's nice to get away and take in the scenery of a different town. Still nice to get home though if only to see Molly Moo.

What did you get up to this weekend?

Blueberry Muffins

Last week after we had planned to get the tandem, I decided to make some Blueberry Muffins for the picnic, so Friday night I did. I got all my shiznit together and picked a recipe from my Hummingbird Bakery book.

Mixed everything together using my not very fancy £15 hand mixer, (I am desperate for a fancy orange Kenwood mixer, but can't justify the cost at the moment...) it did the job. I did however realise too late that I should have put my apron on, my t-shirt was covered in flecks of muff mix, oh well that's what washing machines are for.

My first batch were a complete disaster, so obviously I didn't take a picture. I think my oven my be on it's last legs, or it's just grumpy and temperamental. I cooked them as instructed at 170 degrees for 20-25 mins, but when they came out they were pretty much still cake mix. We still ate them though, who doesn't love cake mix? Don't pretend you don't lick the bowl.

For the next lot I turned it up to 190 and let them cook for 30-35 mins, they looked better but not quite as I had hoped. Anyway lesson learnt, and it's a good excuse to practise a little more to suss out my crazy oven.

What did you last bake?

Two Girls on Tandem

Yesterday me and a friend hired a tandem, we've never ridden one before just thought it would be fun. And it was once we got going it was, it just a bit tricky to actually get going, didn't help that we couldn't stop laughing. My friend likes to be in control, so I let her go in front to steer and I didn't want to take the blame if we crashed. It was both scary and fun, scary because I couldn't see where I was going but fun because I got to take in all the beautiful scenery.

We headed along the seafront using the conveniently placed cycle paths, we took a picnic with us and stopped in Bexhill, to scoff and enjoy the sunshine. Took a few pictures, cute bell on the bike we had one each, both with Mickey on though. We chained the bike up for a bit and had a wander around, got an ice cream, and had a pint of Pimm's before heading back, it wasn't quite a pint but it may as well have been.

  

It was a hell of lot hotter on the way back and the front was a lot busier, but it seemed to be easier on the way back, I think maybe we had just got the hang of it. It's amazing how excited people get to see a tandem, we got loads of smiles and waves from the kiddies, which made it all the more fun, I think so anyway.

When we got back, we took the bike back and headed straight for the pub for a cold cider, nice. It was a great day obviously the weather helped, only down side I have a very sore behind today. Maybe a few spin classes will help me out for next time, because I'm pretty sure there will be one.

Have you ever ridden a tandem?

Congratulations J & N

It turned out to be a beautiful day, a very long day but worth it. I managed to get my hair dyed, dried and make up on in the morning. I had to be at the venue for 10am to help with the set up of the reception area, and we managed to get all the bunting and pompoms up, tables laid and flowers put out just in the nick of time. We just had enough time to get changed into our glad rags and leg it to the ceremony.

The bride looked stunning, as she made her grand entrance at Swallows Oast, the formal vows were said in the oast, with all their friends and family squeezed into the little venue both in seats and peering down from the balcony. Everyone then made their way down to a wooded area for their personal vows and ring exchange.

With the formal stuff over it was time to party! This was the card we got the bride and groom, it doesn't look like them but the alcohol consumption wasn't far off. So although I think all involved are feeling a little jaded today, it was both a pleasure and honour, to be a part of J & N's special day.

What did you do this weekend?

Boxes

Today I have mostly been putting this beast together and filling it with books and sundries. I love it, I've been wanting one for a while and it has helped a hell of a lot with our storage issues. I just nee to add a few more cupboards in at the bottom, (they are fiddly buggers) and then I'm done. I've got another one for the bathroom but that is most definitely for another day.

Tomorrow is our friends wedding, so I have to get up super early, hopefully fit in a run, dye my hair, and get spruced up by 9:30 at the latest. I have to be at the reception area to help set up at 10:00. Wish me luck!

Are you doing any DIY this bank holiday weekend?

Vintage and Emerald

Weekend over and back to work, why do they fly by so fast. I have been decorating my kitchen, just a bit of a revamp, so big chunks of Saturday and Sunday were spent buying and assembling wall cabinets. I did manage to slip out for some fun though.

Our friendly local tattooist Madam Butterfly, has branched out into vintage clothes and nik naks, and Saturday was the grand opening of her new shop Starfire Vintage. So I popped down with one of her favourite customers, my Dad. There was stacks to look at and definitely something for everyone. I lover her decor, it looked like it had come from an old fairground ride.  

I was quite taken with the beautiful cushions, think I might pop one on my Christmas list...

Sunday we had the perfect excuse to pop out for breakfast i.e. the kitchen is a hell of a state. So we made our way down to the old town and tried out Emerald, we've not been there before but they had Eggs Benedict on the menu so I was sold. It was really tasty and Adam was happy because there was a bit a bubble and squeak included on his full English. The green touches inside were great, and even the ol' guy serving had a green top on!

I love our Old Town, it's a great place to go for breakfast on a Sunday, so many places to try...

What did you do this weekend?

Juice Fast Over

Well the juice fast is finally over, I'm not going to lie it was tough. I know I only did 3 days but I really missed actually chewing something. The juices weren't so bad in themselves just not chewy enough! I did lose 6 pounds though!!! So well worth it, I will probably put most of it back on over the weekend though. As you can see from my pic I celebrated eating solids with a huge breakfast and caramel coffee, oh how I have missed coffee. 

Although I will definitely do it again, might even try 4 days next time. I think it might just be a case of experimenting with the juices to see which ones work best for me. It's not so bad once you get past the first couple of day. I do have a mental note I need to make for next time though, as it seems your stomach is ever so slightly sensitive to real food after just juice for 3 days, and I probably should have stuck to fruit and veg for the first day instead of the big breakfast and huge burger I had for tea...

Have you tried the juice diet, how did you do?

The Worlds End

After my Friday night fun I had quite a lazy weekend, I played with my Sensationail starter kit that a friend bought me for my Birthday. I think I did quite well, it's not really my colour, a sickening Barbie pink (Pink Chiffon) but I think I can cope with it just to see how long it actually lasts.

We then went round to my folks for a very tasty Chinese take away, and watched The Double a Richard Gere spy movie. It was a bit of a slow starter, but had a few twists as the plot unfolded which made it a bit more interesting. I'm not sure I would recommend it as such, but it wasn't horrible.

Then we went to see The World's End on Sunday, it was so funny. We went at the perfect time too. Hardly anyone in the cinema, so no problems getting our popcorn and finding our favourite seats. We are big fans of the cornetto trilogy so fun to see all the same actors in new roles, and a few new faces. I loved how they reminisced about when they were teenagers and the references to old school friends (marmalade sandwich). It's well worth a watch, Simon Pegg is great as the unlikely hero and the dynamic between him and Nick Frost is spot on as usual.

Are you a fan of the Cornetto Trilogy?