Coronavirus lockdown diary weeks 11 & 12

After three months, tomorrow marks the start of shops reopening. As much as I'd like to look round, I think there will be long queues and a lot of people milling around, so I will probably wait a while.

I'm missing the sunny and warm weather,it's been very rainy and cloudy most days. However my gardening efforts are just starting to pay off! In the first week of June I harvested my first courgette, quickly followed by two more, including a round one. We've been snacking on fresh peas straight from the pod and pulled up one pot of potatoes, which were delicious - full of flavour and firm. I just used some old supermarket potatoes that were past their best and already sprouting and I think they were tastier than last years from seed potatoes. My only regret is that I used two potatoes per pot instead of the three I did last year, as I'd read that cramming them in actually reduces the yield. However, the foliage seemed a bit sparse and my concerns were confirmed when i pulled them up, as I had a yield of just under 600g, approximately a third less than last year! So from now on I'll stick to three seed potatoes in my pots as it doesn't seem detrimental.

At least however I can now use the potato pot for something else and today I filled it with radish seeds. They are fast growing so hopefully I can get a few batches.  I've sown two more waves of spring onion seeds and some carrots. The carrot seeds are five years old so may not sprout, but there's only one way to find out!

My eBay sales were fairly busy last week, but so slow this weekend. It could be in view of the shops opening imminently, but I do hope it picks back up again as it has been a good way to declutter.

My gorgeous rose bush has finished flowering for now and I miss its scented showy blooms, but the sweet peas have started to put out flowers so hopefully it won't be long until they take over. I'm going to try to take cuttings from the rose next month so I have more plants.

It is such a treat to pick roses from the garden for your vase, especially whilst it's been difficult to buy flowers.

Finally, up until last week we were still seeing the cute great tit family in the garden, the chicks still sticking together and being fed by their parents. I haven't seen them this weekend but think I heard them in the trees. I bought a new feeder for them so I'm hoping they come back to visit soon!

Coronavirus lockdown diary weeks 9 & 10

Most of the last two weeks were spent in the garden on warm days and updating my eBay listings on cooler days.

The garden has really started to burst into life now, with the roses out in full bloom, the lavender starting to flower and the sweet peas are taking off. I've been filling out the border with my home grown zinnia plants which have finally all been planted out, along with some marigolds and petunias.

In the back garden, I've used a raised bed to create a wildflower patch. I'm not sure if many seeds are growing; at the moment it's hard to tell between weeds and flowers as the only shoots are very small. There are however a few rogue tomato seedlings, I have no idea where they came from but perhaps it will be a vegetable bed instead!

The vegetables are doing well having enjoyed the warmth and sunshine last week. The courgettes are starting to produce viable fruit, early thanks to the nice weather and early start. It's a risk starting seeds too early in case the weather is too bad for them to go outside when they need planting out but this year it seems to have paid off; there are four courgettes which will be ready to pick in the next day or two. The tomatoes have started setting fruit too and the runner beans are producing flowers. Two of my cucumbers are looking very healthy now with big leaves any tiny fruit. The next two don't look as good, with split stems and small leaves. I don't know why this is, but I'll be trying to coax them to grow stronger as there's nothing to lose. I have another two cucumber plants which were sown later to replace failed seeds and one looks particularly healthy, so I'm aiming to pot that one up by this weekend too.

My lobelia plants finally looked big enough to plant but as I'd grown them in a tray I was concerned about splitting them, so I decided to just split them in half and used one half in a hanging basket and the other in a terracotta pot, but mixed with petunias. They're looking good and I'm hoping to put them out soon.

On my days off from gardening, I listed some clothes on eBay and then went through my stash of seeds and listed some of those too. It was successful and I managed to sell over twenty items, so I
was pleased to declutter and make a little cash.

As the days went on through May, it became clear that the adorable birds and their chicks would soon be vacating the bird house, as the birds started calling to the chicks and they started to look out of the nest box. We noticed one had fledged on Wednesday 20th May, when we saw it hoping around the patio and clumsily flying around the plant border. We didn't need to worry though as it flew into the nearby plum tree and was then found by one of the parents who had brought it some food. On Sunday 25th May, the last of the chicks moved out, and the once buzzing little box now seemed sad. I was quite sad about their departure but hoped to tempt them to stay near by replenishing the bird feeder which seemed to work. We've been hearing them in the trees daily and I've even spotted them a few times too, all together in a tree being brought some food. The smallest chick was just a tiny ball of fluffy feathers! So far we have been able to count five chicks, though there may well have been more as they are tricky to see in the trees. I'm hoping the parents will return for a second brood, if not this month then next year.

I've finally started reading a new book. I mentioned previously enjoying dreaming of st Tropez by TA Williams and was thinking about buying another from the dreaming of series. Last weekend it was sunny so I pulled my sunlounger outside to the shade and decided to download a summer read, only to find that one of the books in the series was free to download on Amazon, so I'm now reading dreaming of Florence. So far I'm enjoying it, but I also want to get the last book in the series soon, dreaming of Italy, as it has received good reviews following its release at the beginning of May.

Lockdown is gradually easing but everything is still strange. Now more people are going out I sort of feel like I want to stay in more, as places become more busy and crowded. I hope everything returns to normal soon.

Coronavirus lockdown diary week 8

This was a very busy week, I spent a lot of time in the garden trying to get through my long to-do list and I have been able to get most of it done, so I should only need to spend a couple of days in the garden this week and I shall be having a break from it the other days!

On Monday I made a banana loaf and I spent one evening making a birthday list for my dad's birthday in July. My mum and I were hoping to book a weekend away for him this year but that was before coronavirus, so I've been trying to think of some other nice ideas. I've had a couple of eBay sales which I posted out and listed a couple more items, but it's still quite slow. I've also done a little yoga too. Other than that, I really have spent most of this week in the garden, so it's mainly just a garden update hereafter.

We finished weeding the borders and I've started to plant some of the sweet peas I've been growing in pots. I've put three bunches around an obelisk one border with two more pots further along, both supported with bamboo canes. I have some more to go out next week but I'm staggering them in case they don't take in their new homes or if the slugs get them. So far though they're all looking ok.

I also planted some miracle gro border flower seeds. The tub apparently contains everything you need, seeds, coir and feed, so you just put it in the border, water it and flowers should grow. The reviews were mixed online, but I had it in my cupboard from a garden shop clearance last year so I thought it was worth trying. I haven't been able to go out to buy plants like I normally would this time of year so if even any flowers come up, it will help fill out the border.

I planted my second batch of pea seedlings into a window box and added more seeds in the gaps of the two boxes. The pea plants in the first window box are looking strong and have just started to flower.

One of the cucumber plants has grown much faster than the rest, so today it went in its final pot, though I'm keeping it indoors for a short while longer whilst it gets warmer. It's crazy how when you move a cucumber plant from its small pot, it smells so strongly of fresh cucumber! Two more went into bigger pots, but not their final ones and the remaining three are still in their seed trays whilst they catch up.

I also moved five of the courgettes in big plant pots. Three look reasonably happy, though the remaining two look a bit weak as they were very leggy. Hopefully they'll strengthen up soon.

The other big task this week was potting up all of my first lot of tomatoes into their final pots, as a few had started to flower. This took a couple of days as there were fifteen plants and then I had to move my second lot of tomatoes from their seedling pots into the now vacant medium pots. There were another 17 or so to plant so this took another couple of afternoons.

Next week I'm planning to do something more fun, maybe some baking and making more plans for my dad's birthday, plus some tidying and perhaps more eBay listing.

Nesting birds

One of the greatest sources of entertainment in lockdown has been a pair of great tits who moved in to the nest box (just hours after we put it up!), built a nest and now, seeing them fly back and forth all day collecting food and feeding the chicks. You can tell when one of the birds has brought food as the chicks start a symphony of chirps that seems to be getting noticeably louder each day! I don't think it'll be long now before the little chicks fledge!

Coronavirus lockdown diary week 7

Yesterday the government gave a much anticipated update on the current lockdown situation. Unfortunately however, not much has really changed. In short, there are fewer restrictions on exercise now, with the exception of team sports mostly, but otherwise not much has changed. I don't think it is surprising but it is hard to remain optimistic. That said, I had a nice chat with the cashier in the supermarket today who was so upbeat that it was uplifting and for that I was grateful. It has been another slow week, but not totally unproductive, so that's a positive.

1. Gardening
I planted out some sweet peas into the border on Saturday where I'd already set up an obelisk for them to climb up. The temperatures have dropped this week so yesterday I went out with some homemade cloches repurposed from plastic bottles to keep them happy. So far, they seem to be working. I have some more sweet peas in pots but want to be sure the first lot settle in OK and don't need replacing before I find places to plant them.
I managed to get some more of my runner beans planted out into a big tub but still have four plants that need a home, so this week I need to find another tub or see if I can fit them in amongst the others. Everything else has been growing nicely this week, although the spring onions are starting to struggle and a few have gone limp, which could be from overwatering them or maybe the change in weather, I'm not sure. I still have plenty of seeds anyway so I'll sow more every couple of weeks.

2. Reading
I tried reading some more of the book is started a couple of weeks ago but it wasn't for me, so I've decided to put it aside for the charity shop when the re open and this week I'm going to pick out a new one from my book shelf. It's good to finally be getting through my stack of unread books, even if I don't enjoy one book, if it gets earmarked for donation at least I'm decluttering.

3. eBay
Over the past two weeks I've been busy listing items in eBay to declutter. I've only sold one item but I have a bid on another and a few watchers on others. I have some more to list and will be going through my wardrobe again to see if there's anything else to go.

4. Baking and VE Day
This week I baked a sponge cake, iced it and decorated it with raspberries. It was so tasty and we saved half to have a cup of tea and slice of cake to commemorate VE Day.

So that is mostly it for last week. It is quite repetitive and monotonous but there's hope that things will start to improve with a provisional date for the reopening of shops and the hospitality sector. In the meantime I hope the sunnier weather returns so we can spend more time in the garden.

Coronavirus lockdown diary weeks 5 and 6

The past two weeks have been much the same as the ones before. The reality of the situation has become increasingly difficult as the weeks have gone on. That said, hopefully things will improve as the news is reporting a decrease in cases and outlines of the 'exit strategy.'

So, again this is what I've been upto...nothing new!

1. Gardening
The weather has turned a little recently, cooler wetter weather with the odd sunny warm day here and there. I was able to get some of the runner beans in a large pot and all of the tomatoes potted up. The Spring onions are coming along but roughly only half of the seeds I sowed in March and early April germinated. So yesterday I sowed another batch of spring onion seeds and some chives which also need a bit of a boost in numbers. I've also planted a couple of extra cucumber seeds to replace the two which have failed but the other four seem ok so far. The flower seeds however have been a mixed bag. Out of three trays of lobelia seeds, two failed completely! Only a handful of pansies have germinated too, but the zinnias look more promising - there are nearly forty seedlings - and the sweet peas are looking healthy too. We've started weeding the border this week so I'm hoping the sweet peas can go out shortly and will be soon followed by the other flowers. A rhododendron and lily of the valley both burst into flower this week, brightening up the garden and the lilac is still blooming and the gorgeous scent fills the air when you walk by.

2. Cooking/baking
I did some more baking and cooking over the past few weeks. I made a banana loaf which was so good that I'm hoping to make it again this week and my mum and I made some sweet unicorn cupcakes yesterday. I also made some apple and parsnip soup as a starter one evening and tried a recipe for cauliflower Mac and cheese. The latter was not good so the following week I reverted to my favourite tried and tested recipe.

3. Reading
I didn't even pick up a book over the last fortnight so absolutely nothing to report here!

4. Sewing
I made some homemade face masks just in case it's a requirement to wear them post lockdown, as I had some basic and elastic stored away by chance. It gave me a chance to dust off my sewing machine and practice so I enjoyed that.

5. eBay
I finally got around to listing some of the things I've been wanting to get rid of for ages. So far I've listed about six items and one has sold, but the remaining items are clothes which don't seem to sell well anymore so I'm not hopeful but it would be great to declutter.

I think that covers everything really. My hopes for next week are some more baking, finishing the garden border, sowing some flower and courgette seeds and listing some more items on eBay. However, it's very much a one day at a time approach now so I'm just planning to take it as it comes.

Keeping busy during the coronavirus lockdown weeks 3 and 4

It doesn't feel like two weeks since my last diary post, a sign of the days blurring into one and becoming very samey no doubt. My momentum has definitely slowed down, particularly this week with the colder, rainy weather. Thankfully though, the sunshine and warmth seems set to return next week. So here's what I've been up to:

1. Cooking
Not much from the ordinary admittedly, but for Good Friday I cooked a Tuscan butter salmon dish with new potatoes and green beans for dinner and made individual jam sponges for dessert. The weather was lovely so we were even able to sit outside and eat. It was a nice start to the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Tuscan butter salmon

2. Gardening
Over the last two weeks I've been sowing more seeds; runner beans and various flowers. Then I discovered it was far too soon for the runner beans and despite only sowing them one week ago, I have seedlings about 10cm tall. Oh dear. It is more than likely too soon for them to be planted out as we could still have frosts in the next month, but on the basis that I have spare seeds to plant, not enough room to keep them indoors and some homemade plastic cloches, I'm going to put them out anyway. My two earliest courgettes are probably a few weeks ahead of schedule too, but again I'll try my best to keep them happy for another couple of weeks and have more seeds if I need to resow.

3. TV
I'm really struggling to find anything to watch on tv at the moment. At a time like this, it would be nice if more cheerful films and programmes were scheduled. The only show I've really been watching is Belgravia which concludes tomorrow evening. Other than that I'm hoping Netflix comes up with some good new releases soon!

4. Reading
I started in my next book, "The Best Boomerville Hotel". I've only read a little but I'm struggling to really get into it. I'm not sure if this is because I'm finding it hard to concentrate and in fairness, I didn't get into the last book I read that quickly either, but ended up really enjoying it. So, perhaps I should give it another go, or move on to the next one and then return to it later on.

5. Easter
As I mentioned earlier, Good Friday was marked with a nice dinner and drinks outside in the sunshine. On Saturday I made a floral centrepiece for the Easter dining table with some ranches for the garden. It wasn't the best decoration, but it brought a little colour inside and brightened up the table.

 On Easter Sunday we had an impromptu egg hunt as a way to burn off a few calories before enjoying some Easter chocolate! I cut out eggs from card and hid them in the garden, so none of the resident wildlife would find the chocolate eggs first! I'd purchased my Easter eggs well before the lockdown when they were on offer, so I had one for everyone :)

That's been about everything. I'm going to try to be more productive next week than I was this week, perhaps some baking and more garden progress hopefully.

Egg hunt - hidden in bluebells!

Keeping busy during the coronavirus lockdown - week 2

This week felt longer (and harder) than the last, in part due to the weather turning cold and windy, meaning almost all day every day was spent in doors. Thankfully this weekend is looking brighter, so I've been tidying the garden up today and hope to get some more seeds planted tomorrow. This is what I've been up to anyway:

1. Reading
I've just finished reading 'dreaming of st Tropez' by T A Williams, which follows twenty-something architect Jess embark on a summer of dreams in the south of France after unexpectedly being let go from her job. It was a light, easy and uplifting read, which is just what I want at the moment. The idyllic descriptions of st Tropez and the surrounding areas have me pining for a holiday though! I have a stack of books to choose from next, but I'm tempted to purchase another book from the 'dreaming of' series as I enjoyed this one.

2. Cooking/baking
I made an indulgent brunch of eggy bread earlier this week, but apart from that I've not been trying anything too exciting. However I've bookmarked my favourite dessert recipe (jam sponge cake - the jam goes in the tin first so it runs out when you turn it out). If I can get some jam in my next supermarket visit I'll be making those. I've also got some cookie mix in the cupboard so I'd like to make cookies in the next few days.

3. Gardening
As I mentioned above, the weather has meant I haven't been able to do much in the garden this week, but I've been keeping an eye on my seedlings and today I've been able to do some tidying ready for a new raised bed and if the weather tomorrow is as nice as it is meant to be, I'll be planting more seeds. So far I have three courgette seedlings, 6 cucumber seedlings, about 12 spring onions shooting up, two trays of tomatoes and some peas. Flower-wise, I've thrown the flower bombs so hoping they take and my various flower seedlings seem to be doing ok. The most exciting garden news however is that a couple of great tits have started making a nest in the bird house we put up just a couple of hours earlier! I am so hoping they are happy in their new home!

4. Tidying the attic
This I did over two afternoons. It was much overdue but it almost looks like a different room now. There were far too many have empty boxes and just by packing them better, I was able to throw out about three or four large boxes which made a lot of space. There's still some more sorting to do, I don't think we need a lot of what is there, but now we have the space to sort through things and it looks much tidier,

Apart from this, I've done a YouTube yoga session, watched some tv, not a lot - mostly old Netflix shows to unwind when I go to bed, though I have been catching up with the new show Belgravia this week. I've been watching YouTube vlogs most days and started playing chess in the evenings. It's not my favourite game but it is satisfying if you win!

Now I'm off to clean my coat collar from make up (I'm glad to be getting round to this, it's been on my to do list for ages). I expect the coming week will be much the same as this one, but I'm also hoping to do some Easter decor to brighten the house up a little and with any luck, it'll be a little brighter and warmer.

Keeping busy during the coronavirus lockdown

These are strange times. Certainly not what I expected from 2020, but here we are. I'm not the sort of person who enjoys staying indoors all the time, I always like to get into the fresh air at least once a day, so I wasn't sure what to do with myself once the lockdown happened. I think it's been officially four days, but prior to the situation getting worse, I'd already chosen to stay indoors as much as possible, going out only to buy food, so it already feels a lot longer.

I started off strong however, and to be honest I thought this wouldn't be so hard after all. I retracted that sentiment by day three. So, I've decided to write a diary-type post of what I've been up to, to keep track of and maintain productivity.

1. Gardening

I was originally thinking I'd have to scale back my gardening plans this year, but now I've obviously got a lot more time to dedicate to it. So, as well as vegetables I'm trying to grow some flowers from seeds. I have grown sweet peas before, but that's it. A few of my seeds I've started on the early side, but at least if they don't work out I'll have time for another attempt. This is what I've got growing so far:
Vegetables: courgettes, cucumbers, spring onions, peas and tomatoes.
Flowers: violas, lobelia and sweet peas

Over the next couple of weeks I want to plant some more spring onions and peas, green beans and French beans and perhaps some lettuce, spinach and radishes. I also want to sow some pansy seeds, large daisies and wildflowers.

2. Sewing repairs

I've had a few items of clothing that have needed minor alterations or repairs or since the Autumn but I'd been putting it off. Earlier today I pulled out my sewing supplies and repaired a dress and altered another. Last night I'd also managed to rip my favourite pyjamas and although I really do have enough other pairs, I couldn't bring myself to throw them out. (It would happened to be the comfiest ones!) Luckily I remembered that I had some hemming web tape that can be used for repairs too, so I dug that out together with a scrap of fabric I had and carried out the repair work this morning. Even though the rip was really quite large it's not too noticeable now so I hope it holds up and I can get some more wear out them. It seems like the more I repair the more I'm finding to repair though, whilst typing this I've just noticed a small hole in my trousers, so I'll be fixing that when I'm done here!

3. Cooking and baking

I've been making an effort to cook more food too. I can't usually be bothered with lunch, either picking up something small on the go or just having a snack at home. Whilst I've been indoors though I've been trying harder. A few days ago I made a chestnut soup with some boxes of chestnuts that I already had in the cupboard and it was so good, I can't wait to make it again. Tonight I'm going to make a cheese sauce from scratch too, so hopefully that turns out ok. I'm also looking forward to getting baking again, I think that tomorrow I will make jam sponge upside down cakes.

4. Exercise

Mostly gardening so far but also the occasional walk outside of the house. I want to get back into yoga too as I found it so good for both mind and body.

5. Reading

Over the past couple of years I've grown a collection of books to read without actually getting through them, so one of my New Years resolutions was to read one a month. I'm reading Dreaming of St Tropez by T A Williams at the moment, which is a nice, light mood-lifting book and helping me to dream of holidays in warmer climates too!

These have been my main focuses so far, but I'm also trying to sort out my rooms to find anything I no longer want and putting them aside for the charity shop when they reopen and I'm keeping up my daily Duolingo practice. It's a great app if you want to try learning another language. I am hoping to also get on with some DIY projects too, if the weather stays sunny and dry. Hopefully that's enough to keep me busy for now :)

Birthday celebrations with Tutankhamen

A couple of weeks ago it was my mum's birthday and as she has a great interest in ancient Egypt, I took her to the Tutankhamen exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea. She had been to the exhibition the last time it was in London, fifty years ago and was looking forward to going back. This time round the exhibition featured items which had not been on exhibit before. I'd booked us early tickets on a weekday, so we were able to walk straight in (by the time we left at mid day the queues were very long, so it's worth getting an early slot, once you're in you aren't restricted in how long you spend there).

 We started by watching a short film before heading through to the galleries. One of the first things that caught my eye was a beautiful gilded wooden pencil box which was very ornate.

Alongside each item was a description and information, as well as information about the dig that discovered the lost pyramid, so it is a fascinating collection. 

This is a wooden game that was found in the tomb, so intricately designed and made. I'd love to know how it would be played. 

This was another of my favourite artefacts, a tiny replica of the famous casket, so small and yet so exactly copied, the skill and craftsmanship is just unbelievable. 

After spending almost a couple of hours in the exhibition, we stopped for a cup of tea in the gallery cafe before having a stroll through the quaint shopping area in Chelsea. We then stopped at the John Lewis store which has a cafe on the top floor with amazing views over London, where we enjoyed a slice of cake and a cup of tea.

NYE 2019

We had a quiet New Year's Eve this year. My boyfriend and I went out for dinner (and a yummy dessert of banoffee donuts) and then walked back to watch the fireworks on TV.

On New Years Day we went for a walk in the woods at Hampstead Heath before heading home for a family roast dinner.

Christmas 2019

We're finally at the end of January! I cannot wait for Spring to arrive and I'm so happy that the days are finally getting a little longer, but roll on the warm, sunny weather. 

As long as January has felt, the festive months flew by. Even though I don't post on my blog often, I always like to recap what I got up to over Christmas so I can look back. 

We kicked off the festivities by going along to seven dials Christmas light switch on event, where my mum and I took part in a free wreath making class. We then enjoyed a glass of prosecco and a mulled wine whilst we wandered through the cobbled streets, browsing the festive displays. After watching the light switch on we walked through Covent Garden and met my boyfriend and dad for dinner at cafe rouge. 

A couple of weeks later I had free tickets to some exhibitions in London, so I took my mum for a day out in central London. We started at the British Museum, where we had free entry to an exhibition about the influence of the Islamic world in Western art. I wouldn't otherwise have gone, mainly because the tickets are quite expensive, but I was glad I was able to go as it was very interesting. There were beautiful, vibrant paintings, exquisite fabrics and ornate armour. One brightly coloured and intricately woven silk scarf was believed to be nearly a thousand years old!

We had a brief look round the rest of the museum and saw the Rosetta Stone. It is incredible to think that thanks to this stone and much hard work, the mystery of hieroglyphics was solved. I'd love to know more about why the stone was created and who commissioned it.

After a quick lunch break we went on to the London transport museum. Again this isn't something I'd normally go to, but it was worth the trip. Having watched the downton abbey film a short while before, it was so interesting to see vehicles from around the same time, imagining how life was. I appreciate the horse drawn buses would have likely been a bumpy ride, but they do hold a charm you just don't find on a red London bus today!

In early December, my boyfriend and I went to a Christmas shopping weekend in Chelsea. It coincided with a food market, so after listening to a brass band play Christmas carols for a little while and browsing a few shops, we shared some vegan potjie (basically a curry on chips dish) which was so good, followed by some mini pancakes with chocolate and strawberries. So indulgent, but worth it! I bought some cute festive cannoli for dessert that night and we did a bit more window shopping and listened to the Chelsea pensioners sing carols before heading home for takeout, Netflix and a cannoli! 

 My boyfriend and I also managed to fit in ice skating in Covent Garden on one chilly December morning. It was a pop up rink by Tiffanys to promote their new fragrance and although small, no one else actually turned up for the session so we had enough room to skate for a while, before we walked around Covent Garden for a while and did some Christmas shopping.

A few days later I got to attend a free wreath making workshop at h&m home. The event was fun and informal and they provided lots of cute accessories to make the wreaths pretty. I was really pleased with it (admittedly though it wasn't anywhere near as good as many of the others made - but it suited me and fitted in with my decor so it didn't matter!)

The week before Christmas, my boyfriend booked us tickets to see the gingerbread city exhibition at the south bank, which was interesting and some of the entries were very impressive, but the space was very small and crowded, so I'm not sure I'd go again. 

Finally after braving the supermarkets for all the essentials and battling the crowds, Christmas was upon us. On Christmas Eve evening we had a buffet dinner before we attended midnight mass. I'd not been before, but it was a nice service with a message of hope. We got back home at about 1.30am and I was exhausted, but hadn't finished wrapping my gifts which took another hour. By the time I was done I was basically wrapping in my sleep. I never leave gift wrapping to the last minute usually, and I definitely won't again haha. 

On Christmas morning I made salmon blinis for breakfast served with Buck's Fizz and orange juice. We'd bought some citrus infused, gold edged salmon from waitrose. It looked so festive and tasted so good.

After breakfast we opened our gifts. I received some nice leather boots from my parents, which was exactly what I wanted, some sanctuary spa facial masks, (I love their face masks), a couple of books I'd wanted, including the latest shopaholic book (Christmas themed, so very apt and my all time favourite book series), some cosy pjs, a couple of lush bath bombs and a Mary Berry Christmas recipe book which has some great recipes in that I am looking forward to trying. My boyfriend bought me a lovely necklace, a Spanish book to help me learn, a recipe book and a cute little enamel pin badge that I'd wanted. So in short, I was spoiled! After dinner, I settled down with my new books and we enjoyed a peaceful evening in front of the TV. 

Sweet peas from the garden

For the last couple of weeks my sweet pea plants have been blooming gloriously in the garden. I'm really pleased with how well they are doing this year and I have been picking a good sized bunch every few days to help prolong the flowering season and it means the living room is filled with their gorgeous sweet scent. Going into the garden to pick such beautiful fresh flowers is one of my favourite things to do right now.

I grew these from a packet of mixed seeds, but by chance about 90% of the flowers are white! There are a couple of pretty purple stems and just one pink and one red stem!

These are my current blooms from the garden, sweet peas and a rose!

First home grown vegetables of the season

With the wet and cold start to summer back in June, all of my vegetable plants are behind schedule this year. However now with warmer and sunnier days, things are picking up and yesterday I pulled up my first crop of potatoes I'd grown in a plant pot about 40cm wide. Because it was such a small pot I wasn't expecting much, just hoping for enough for dinner. I was pleasantly surprised! After pulling up the stems of the plants I was met with the sight of golden potatoes; I always find this part fun and exciting, it feels like panning for gold!

I ended up with just over two pounds of new potatoes, half of which I used this evening for dinner and the rest I shall use over the weekend. Now I have high hopes for the potatoes still growing in a big grow bag!

Finally some of my courgettes have been pollinated so this evening I picked two to have with dinner and it looks like there will be another one or two ready tomorrow so I will make a vegetable lasagne with those. They taste so much fresher than store bought courgettes (like all home grown produce really) and their skins are much smoother and not tough like the store ones either. And at last I have a cucumber! It was the only one growing, I'm not sure if it was inhibiting any more from growing or if the others simply didn't get pollinated, but now I've picked it hopefully it won't be long before another is ready to pick. I'm still waiting for the beans to grow and tomatoes to ripen.

There really is nothing better than picking your own vegetables and getting them straight on the plate.   The dream is to one day have a big greenhouse and lots of raised beds to grow all sorts of delights!

Tulips in Amsterdam

Every year I have promised myself that I will book a weekend away to Amsterdam to see the tulip fields in bloom and finally, after four or five years, this year I did it! I booked a two night mini break at the very end of April, as the best time to visit the fields is usually mid April to the end of the first week of May. Unfortunately this year, unseasonably warm weather meant that the tulips were flowering a week or two ahead of schedule (typical!) and were likely to be cut down a few days before my trip, but I did a little research online and found some farmers fields which were taking tours and would still have some fields in bloom, so all was not lost after all!

We took a direct Eurostar from St Pancras and arrived in Amsterdam at lunch time. After a little confusion on the trams, I got my bearings and headed out of town to the hotel. We stayed at the XO Park West hotel, which was pleasant, if a little out of the way, but the tram stopped right outside so it wasn't difficult to carry our luggage. The first thing we did on arrival was book our tour to the tulip fields the next day and then had a walk around Amsterdam, wandering through tiny streets and over bridges, admiring the canals and the pretty architecture. We found a sweet little Italian restaurant for dinner by chance, which served good food and must have been known by the locals as a table was never free for more than a few minutes and most of the time there was a queue. After dinner we stopped by the supermarket for some snacks for the hotel room and of course some Tony's chocolate and stroop waffles to take home as gifts! By the time we got back to the hotel we were exhausted from all the walking and travelling and had an early night.

The next morning we took the tram into Amsterdam and found a cafe for breakfast, before picking up some sandwiches from the mini mart and going to join our bus tour. The bus took us to the farmers fields first and we were told interesting facts along the way. About an hour later we arrived at a huge tulip farm, where we could see that some flowers had already been headed but there were a couple of fields still in bloom and we were taken to a sea of pinks and reds. After a brief explanation of flower bulb farming, we were able to take pictures in the fields and then were taken inside to watch a video about the history and cultivation of tulip bulbs. 

The next stop on our tour was Keukonheuf gardens, a huge garden with thousands of flowers which is only open for a few weeks a year, during which time it houses the most impressive displays. We had our picnic in the garden and walked round, taking so many photos along the way. We even went inside a windmill! When we got tired of walking, we sat down and had a cup of tea before making our way back to the bus. I think everyone must have been tired out from walking around the gardenas the bus was very quiet going back!

By the time we returned to Amsterdam we were pretty tired so we picked up a quick dinner and then decided to walk to the tram station we usually changed at, so that we could visit Anne Frank's house en route. We found the house which is now a museum and the front has been enclosed in a glass building, which I believe was to protect it from development. However the side of the house is still visible and was quite moving. The museum tickets were all sold out and even at nearly 9pm there were still queues outside, so I would recommend booking tickets in advance if you want to go inside.

We eventually got back to the hotel by around 9.30 and packed our cases before heading to bed, absolutely exhausted!

The next morning we decided to indulge in breakfast at the hotel, as our return train was not until 3pm and it had not been easy to find somewhere the previous day. The hotel breakfast was so good! It had the usual hot and cold food you'd expect plus a fresh omelette and pancake station and plenty of fruit and pastries, so we filled up and then checked out to make our way home.

We arrived at the station early and sat having a cup of tea whilst waiting for our first train, as there still aren't direct return services. Although the first train was nice it ran slow and we ended up having to run to make our connecting train in Brussels, reaching the check in just minutes before it closed. By the time we returned to St Pancras we were both exhausted but had enjoyed our mini break away. I would like to return to Amsterdam, but when the direct return train services are in place, so I don't have to worry about missing the connection!

Birthday celebrations in Rome

Last week was my mum's 60th birthday and we organised a few surprises to celebrate. 

A couple of days before her birthday she was given an early gift, a travel guide to Rome - she was surprised to say the least! The next day we took her to London for a family dinner at the Ivy restaurant on Kensington High Street followed by cake at the hotel. 

Our flight was quite early from Gatwick so we had to be up at 5am and off to the airport. We arrived in Rome about 12 and by the time we reached our hotel it was just gone 1pm. We were lucky that our rooms were ready early and we had been given complimentary upgrades, so we settled in and unpacked before venturing out to explore. 

Our first stop was the Piazza del Popolo where we stopped to look at the towering Egyptian obelisk of Sety I, brought to Rome in 10BC by order of Augustus. There are lions on each corner which look more Sphinx like, which I found interesting. Im not sure when these were carved though.

We then made our way to the Spanish Steps, took a few photos and climbed to the top where we took in the views. we walked around a little more before heading back to the hotel to change for dinner.

After freshening up we sat and had a drink and snacks in the hotel bar, before venturing out again in search of the trevi fountain. It took us about twenty minutes to find it, almost hidden away between small unassuming streets, a beautiful sight. It was very busy as to be expected, but we were able to take photos and enjoy the surroundings before heading for dinner and walking back to the hotel for an early night, as by now we were exhausted! 

The following morning was my mum's actual birthday and I delivered some '60' birthday balloons and a couple of banners to her room and we went down to breakfast. The hotel had a nice breakfast with lots of choice, hot foods, pastries, cakes, fruit, fresh juice, yoghurts and a huge tea selection.

After breakfast we all took a walk to the Villa Bhorgese. It was a pleasant walk from our hotel and although it was raining, it was nice to walk around the parklands and the big lake.

Our next stop was back in to the city centre for a leisurely walk around. We happened to be near to the Trevi fountain so we decided to revisit it in the day time. I'm glad we did as it was worth seeing twice to take it all in, athough it was of course much busier in the day time. We stopped for a birthday muffin and cup of tea at a cafe and then walked back to the hotel. 

Back at the hotel we all got ready and went for a drink in the bar before going out for dinner. Unfortunately we forgot to pack the small birthday cake we had meant to bring with us, but we'll be enjoying it at the weekend anyway! It was then back to the hotel for a hot chocolate in the bar and off to pack for the flight home the following day. 

NYE 2018

I don't usually do much for NYE, perhaps dinner out somewhere but then it is usually back home for pyjamas and tea in front of the fireworks on the tv. One year we did go to Somerset house and watch the London fireworks from there, which was a great experience but it involved a lot of waiting around in the cold (easily three hours) trying to secure a good spot for the display. 

However this year I noticed just a few days before NYE that the Natural History Museum still had tickets left for their 'champagne on ice" New Years Eve skate session and as it would just be my boyfriend and I celebrating this year, it seemed like it could be fun. 

We turned up about 10.15 to enjoy the champagne included in our ticket and were one of the first customers there, yet they had already run out of champagne and were serving prosecco instead, which I did think was a little poor. Apart from this however we did have a good time and mused how sensible it was to be getting on the ice after the champagne as we strapped on our skates. 

The DJ played music until the New Year countdown began and we stopped skating to ring in the new year. It was a pleasant and joyful atmosphere at the rink and although it did get a little crowded at times, after midnight people starting leaving and it got much quieter as we skated for the last half an hour of the session. 

It was a fun way to celebrate the new year and by the time we got back I couldn't wait to go to sleep as I was so tired from skating!

Christmas 2018

I can't believe it has been nearly a month since Christmas, it just doesn't seem possible! Even though it was a little while ago now, I still wanted to add something on here as we had such a lovely day.

This was the first year that I hosted Christmas, so I was a little apprehensive about getting the dinner right and everyone having a nice time, especially with such a high bar set by my mum's amazing Christmas dinners! The evening before, I got all of the food out and noted down the cooking times and temperatures and made myself a schedule of what needed to go in the oven or on the hob and when. I even added what shelf and tray each item would be on as trays and oven space were scarce so I had to plan it out to make sure it would all fit in. 

I woke up early on Christmas morning and before everyone else woke up, so I took my duvet to the sofa and watched the rugrats go wild movie, which was a favourite from my childhood. Once everyone else was up we opened our presents around the tree. I was very lucky and received a dyson airwrap which I absolutely love and my hair has never looked better. A few other gifts were a lovely notebook, my favourite bubble bath and face mask and a sweet daisy necklace. My mum also put together a lovely wooden tray filled with all sorts of little goodies such as a festive mug, hot chocolate sticks, chocolate orange spread and a lush bath bomb as a Christmas Eve treat, which was so thoughtful.

After opening our presents, I served up breakfast which was croissants, jam, chocolate orange spread, strawberries and fresh orange juice and tea. I think croissants must have been a popular breakfast choice this year as I had to look in several supermarkets to find a pack on Christmas Eve morning before I bought the last one in a Tesco express. Once breakfast was done we all retired to the sofa to watch the television, although there wasn't a great choice this year, so by 11.30 am I started to prep the vegetables so dinner would be ready for 3ish. 

The timing preparation from the evening before paid off and dinner went without a hitch, apart from forgetting the Yorkshire puddings until I was plating up, but luckily I had bought frozen ones (is there a better Yorkshire pudding than an Aunt Bessie one? I don't think so!) so they only took a few minutes to cook and were ready by the time everything else had been served up. I was so pleased (but mostly relieved!) that everything turned out as I hoped and dinner was a success. There were a few leftovers which were plated up and put in the fridge for Boxing Day sandwiches (possibly my favourite meal of the year, as I think I look forward to this even more than the main Christmas dinner!)

We then all settled in to watch more television and although we had planned to go for a walk after dinner, one by one we each felt too tired to go, so we stayed in and relaxed for the evening with a few nibbles and before we knew it the day was over.

Christmas Eve 2018

I'm spending Christmas Eve evening sat on the sofa in festive pyjamas watching a Christmas film and admiring the fairy lights adorning our small-but-perfectly-formed Christmas tree. December has flown by in the blink of an eye.

At the beginning of the month, my boyfriend and I went ice skating at the natural history museum, my favourite place to skate outdoors. It was so much fun and by the end of our session I was skating with a little more confidence...well just about! 

We also made the trek to Columbia Road flower market, with the intention of just browsing to see how much Christmas trees and wreaths were. We walked right through the market without anything catching our eye until we reached the last stand, where the most perfect tree was sat waiting! We got it netted up and my boyfriend heaved it over his shoulder for the long walk through brick lane to the tube station. It took a while and trying to navigate the crowds was a task, but it got back safely and we had an evening of decorating the tree.

The following week we went to Hampton Court Palace for their annual Christmas fayre. The palace is steeped in history with a wide array of sights to see. You can walk around the former Royal apartments, take in centuries-old paintings in the art gallery and take a stroll around the grounds.

Some of the ornate decoration on the ceilings is breath taking.

We grabbed lunch from the fayre in the courtyard (which was a little disappointing as it was not overly festive) however there were singers singing festive songs which was nice to listen to as we ate lunch. In the gardens we found the rest of the Christmas fayre which was more festive and we purchased some decorations for our tree.

Later that week my mum and I went to the Birmingham Christmas market. I like to go every year if possible, but for the last couple of years it hasn't seemed to be as good, it seems to have fewer market stalls and less variety. That said, we still enjoyed our visit and had a nice afternoon.

On Saturday my parents came to stay for Christmas, so I arranged a little festive buffet for dinner and yesterday evening we had a gingerbread decorating competition, which was more competitive than I envisaged haha, but they all turned out so cute and everyone had fun!

We've also had a couple of nice evenings wrapping up gifts whilst watching a festive film and snacking on a tin of chocolate, enjoyed lots of roasted chestnuts, mince pies and a couple of glasses of Buck's Fizz. Later on I'll do a final tidy of the flat, a little preparation for tomorrow's dinner and arrange the presents under the Christmas tree...Merry Christmas!

Wreath making at Seven Dials

Last Thursday evening I took my mum to the Christmas event at Seven Dials, near Covent Garden. We arrived a short while before it officially started so we had a walk around the area.

The cobbled streets looked festive with decorations strung up and Christmas lights waiting to be switched on. 

We stopped for a cup of tea in a cute little ice cream cafe called Udderlicious. They had so many flavours of ice cream that all looked so good, I'd love to go back and try them when it's a little warmer.

Our next stop was the free wreath making workshop. We arrived early to secure our spots and within ten minutes the benches had all filled up. 

We were each given a moss wreath, spool of wire and a selection of foliage.

The florist explained how to attach a piece of foliage at an angle and wrap the wire around the wreath to fix it in place. It was a lot of fun putting together the wreath and arranging it to look just right and half an hour later this was my finished wreath:

After we'd finished making our wreaths we went to the Monmouth Kitchen pop up bar for a complimentary cocktail called a Monmouth Fizz, which was delicious! They even added edible violas as decoration to the glasses which looked so pretty.

We had such a nice time; the atmosphere was festive and fun, with Christmas music playing and all of the local shops getting involved. There was lots to see and do, as well as wreath making there was ice curling and make up demos and most of the shops had 20% off. It was a lovely event to start the festive season with and I would love to go again next year. 

My wreath hung up on the front door!