Day 872

Day 872...

Monday has rolled around and it was a beautiful morning with clear blue skies and warm sunshine as we set off on our early morning walk armed with a Tupperware tub! Yep you read that correctly as today we were on a mission to pick some blackberries. We took a steady one hour and seven minutes to complete 3.4 miles and by the end we had a tub full with berries.

While I got myself ready for going out Simon was able to apply some varnish to the 3D printed pieces that he'd airbrushed yesterday. He's also done a little more work on a model that he's currently building as well.

We then jumped in the car and headed just a few miles up the motorway to the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet mall. It had been a while since we'd last visited here and we just thought it would be somewhere different to have a look around with no specific reason for going.

Because we have now adopted an intermittent fasting approach to our meals we no longer eat first thing in a morning instead we have our first meal of the day around a traditional lunch time of the day. So as that time of day approached we decided to 'break our fast' with burgers! One benefit of eating low carb/keto for these past 8 years is that we have moved away from the traditional breakfast type foods and therefore making our first meal of the day burgers is perfect for us and Five Guys is great for anyone who eats like we do. We were able to order bacon cheeseburgers with whatever toppings we wanted (I go simple with mushrooms, green peppers and mayo) but without the bun. You can opt to have your burger in a lettuce 'bun' or, like us, simply in a tray. Great way to break our fast and this was followed by a 200 Degrees coffee, which is always a great cup of coffee.

On our wander around we decided to pick up a pair of Converse Hi-tops for Ethan as he'd mentioned getting a pair and these were too good a price to pass up. We also came away with some bargains from Superdry as not only were all their prices discounted to 'outlet' prices but they had another 20% off on top. This meant we came away with three t-shirts for Ethan and a pair of short denim dungarees for me all for under £50! 

Back home and we decided to make the most of the remainder of the afternoon by 'going down our gym' and throwing some weights around. Simon is making great progress at getting back to where he was before he broke his wrist and was able to lift some heavier weights again today. He even had me proper bench pressing at one point and I was quite pleased that after a first set of just the bar I was able to add 5kg to it and complete a full set of 10 with relative ease. I might need to keep at this one and see just what I can manage, I might surprise myself!

And then to finish out the day I managed my first three minute cold shower!!

See you all tomorrow.
xx

Day 869, 870 & 871

Day 869...Friday

This morning started with an increase to my cold shower so I am now at two minutes and forty five seconds! Still got a little way to go to match Simon's four minutes but not doing too bad.

My phone weather app was telling me there was a 74% chance of rain but the skies were blue so we went out on our early morning walk armed with the umbrella just in case...did we need it? Nope!Anyways we did our usual 1.9 miles in another quick 36 minutes and stayed dry all the way round.

My morning was spent catching up on a few odd jobs and having a bit of a clean through before stopping to have a little jigsaw time. Ordinarily I would leave my jigsaw until the afternoon but as it sits in front of some french doors and is in direct sunlight during the mid to late afternoon it can get a tad hot. So today I thought I'd take advantage of the shade and get a few pieces moved around before lunch.

I tried numerous times throughout the day to sit outside and soak up some vitamin D but failed as it decided to rain each time I poked my head out the door, despite my wonderful weather app telling me there was zero percent chance of rain! Mmm something tells me I ought not to pay much attention to this app!

One of the tasks that I have set myself is to go through all the bits and pieces at my mum and dads house and figure out what to do with it all. Myself and my brother have gone through everything and taken anything that meant something to us or could be useful and our kids have done the same. But now we are left with a lot of items that are simply too good to throw away and need to go where they will be appreciated. So this afternoon I made a start...a little start! To be honest I've been putting it off because it feels like such a monumental task and I haven't had the willpower to simply just start but I need to man up and get on with it.

So this afternoon I started with something small; some jewellery. I wanted to go through all the bits that we have and figure out what we actually have and what to do with it. I've decided to keep my mum's engagement and eternity rings although I'm not sure if I'll ever wear them. The engagement ring is quite thin and has some stones missing so would need some restoration work doing to it before it could be worn but I have always loved this ring and am just happy to be able to have it. The other pieces that we have could possibly have belonged to my grandparents as I don't remember seeing them at all but I simply don't know. I think I will be taking them to a local jeweller to get them appraised and see where we go from there.

One item that I'd brought home from my dads house was a christening gown that appeared to be in too good a condition to have been mine but as my brother was christened in hospital not long after he'd been born (he was in an incubator for a few weeks and things were a bit touch and go!) it made sense that it would be mine. So I did a little investigation by looking through some old photo albums, and sure enough found photographs of my christening in early 1968! And I am pretty sure that yes the christening gown we have found is mine! It has a label that is definitely from that time but it's condition is amazing, in fact it looks like new.

The day was rounded out with our third weights workout of the week and today I was focused on arms and shoulders. Really happy with how my workouts are going at the moment as having found some new moves online it seems to have reinvigorated my attitude towards exercise. 

Day 870...Saturday

This morning was a change to our routine as after we'd had a coffee we headed into Derby. It was really nice to actually dress a bit smarter for a change (tend to be a shorts and t-shirt kind of girl) and I was more than a little happy that the denim dress I chose to wear felt like it fitted me much better than it did this time last year so I must be doing something right.

Once in Derby I wanted to pop into Next to see if they had some shorts I've been after; I bought a pair online a few weeks back and decided that a second pair was needed. However they are no longer in stock online and when we visited Nottingham on Monday their store didn't have any and today Derby was no better! Wish I'd ordered a second pair straight away now!

We then went in search of coffee before heading off for a wander around the city centre. It is so sad to see so many shops empty but thankfully the one shop we did want to pop into was still open; Warhammer! Purely for Simon as he needed some model paints for finishing off a couple of prop making endeavours he has on the go at the moment. On our way back to the car we had the obligatory stop by Primark but unfortunately there was nothing that caught my eye.

On the way home we stopped by a DIY store to purchase a piece of furniture panel that we could make into shelves for the cupboards we have built upstairs in our new study/craft room. We had taken measurements before we had left home this morning so knew that the piece of panel whilst big enough to make the shelves that we needed would be too big to fit in the car. So we had come armed with a tape measure, a couple of saws and our calculations of where we needed to cut it! So using a couple of large trolleys as a bench we were able to take a 2.39 metre piece and cut it in half so that it fit perfectly in the car and knowing that each half would make two shelves of differing sizes!

After a spot of lunch we then spent the afternoon spent cutting the wood panel to the correct size for the four shelves that we needed. Although the units we'd bought were Ikea they didn't sell extra shelves hence why we were having to make our own. When we'd looked at the panel online we knew that it wouldn't be quite as deep as the shelves we already had but it was the best sizing that we'd been able to find. But when Simon started to measure up we found out that the piece we'd picked up was actually deeper than the one we'd seen online and in fact deeper than the existing shelves! So although this did involve extra cutting for Simon it did mean that by the time we'd finished we had four new shelves that matched perfectly to the existing ones - win!

The last job was to iron on the white trim to cover up the bare wood edges and while the edges were 'setting' we nipped out to Lidl for some salad stuff. Back home and all the edges were set and just needed a quick tidy up by Simon. 

The one thing we hadn't picked up when we bought the wood panel were shelf pegs but that was probably a good thing because when we went to order some online we realised that the holes we have were slightly smaller than the standard. But by the power of Amazon we were able to order enough pegs to be delivered tomorrow.

Day 871...Sunday

Today we had a gentle start to the day and with a coffee inside us we headed out for a not quite so early morning walk. We had a lovely 3.5 mile walk in gorgeous weather in one hour and 7 minutes, although this did involve some blackberry picking along the way! 

Our first job of the day was to swap over some light fittings. We had a couple of wall lights that we had bought when we moved into our first house and that had come with us when we moved here a lot of years ago. Suffice to say these lights were showing their age by rocking an eighties vibe pretty well! After taking them down Simon need to fill a few holes before we could put up the new fixtures, so while the filler harden we had some lunch. It was then a simple job of putting up the new brackets and installing the new much simpler sconces.

By mid-afternoon the shelf pegs had arrived so we were able to see if all our hard work from yesterday paid off and thankfully we were able to install all four shelves with relative ease. We now have three cupboards with extra shelf space which is great as Simon is now able to store all his art materials in a much better way to keep all the paper and card flat and clean.

Simon has also been able to spend a little time cleaning up some model parts as well as airbrushing his latest R2D2 3D printed pieces. He was even able to get a little more paint applied to the interior of R2's doors as he puts those final finishing touches in place.

I've been able to catch up with writing this blog and then at 6pm I was able to hook up via Zoom for one of our  Disney Dream Girls Sunday Disney Quizzes! And I think I won which means that I'm going to have to write the next set of questions although our next quiz won't now be until the end of September!

And with that I think I will stop typing and see you all tomorrow.
xx

Day 814 & 815 - The Weekend

I decided to write up 'the weekend' as one post as it has been a relatively quiet one.

Day 814 - Saturday...started very slowly and with a coffee to get us going we headed out for a not so early morning walk. We took a slightly different route to normal which turned out to be slightly shorter at just 1.8 miles, in 40 minutes.

After a very late breakfast/early lunch (maybe I should just call it brunch?!) we had an afternoon of catching up with a few bits and pieces. I managed to get all of the cataloguing of items from my dads house complete...finally! One of those jobs that seemed to take way longer than it should because searching the internet to figure out what things are is never as easy as you think it should be. Now I just need to figure out what to do with all the information I've gleaned.

Simon also had the task of replying to a retro game journalist who'd contacted him with some questions for an article all about the good old days of the Amiga, Rick Dangerous and gaming in the late 1980's and early 1990's! Simon managed to find an app that would convert a voice recording into text which meant he didn't have to type all of his responses as typing is a little awkward at the moment with a cast on his left arm!

A very quiet Saturday.

Day 815 - Sunday

We had a very slow start to the day as it was the first time in long while that we had no particular reason to be up and about.

But once we'd had a late breakfast we took off in the direction of Nottingham to have a wander and a mooch about. We had no real focus or intention, simply just thought it would be somewhere different to visit as it's been a few weeks and somewhere that was less likely to trigger Simon's hayfever!

It turned out to be a successful trip as we came away with a couple of t-shirts, a shirt and a pair of jeans for Simon and a t-shirt, dress, jumper and some make-up bits for me. Simon's shirt is unfortunately a little on the tight side over his arms (which he was quite pleased about!) so when we are in Nottingham next weekend (as we have a Dr Sketchy's to attend) we will get it exchanged.

I couldn't resist a walk through Primark and as is the law I came away with a couple of Disney themed purchases...

T-shirt - front

T-shirt - back

Cute dress

The weather was lovely as we wandered about and by the time we headed home we'd walked just over 3.5 miles! So shopping and exercise in one go - win!

It was then back home for coffee and blog writing!

See you all tomorrow.
xx

Day 780

Day 780...

The weekend has arrived and we started with a prompt getting up as Simon had a barbers appointment just after 9am.

Once Simon had returned home we gathered ourselves together and headed off into Derby for a little shopping trip. I wanted to see if I could pick up a few birthday pressies (May is a busy month!) and it was also chance to get Ethan out for some clothes shopping.

Primark proved successful for me as I came away with two new Disney t-shirts, a Mickey Mouse themed cushion and some earrings. 

We stopped for a coffee mid-shop to keep us going although Ethan ended the trip empty handed. He's not too excited by shopping for clothes and is quite tricky to buy for. I'd hoped to be able to point him in the right direction but it was not to be today.

I did get asked twice today while we were out and about if I was a Disney fan; I think the themed trainers, jacket, t-shirt, earrings and handbag may have been a bit of a give-away. I was even able to hand out a business card for the Disney Dream Girls podcast!

Back home and it was an afternoon of sorting stuff out along with sitting in the sunshine with a coffee. I'd got solicitors paperwork to go through and needed to get together some more bits and pieces to take into their office next week. Not very exciting but necessary.

And so there ends this Saturday, see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 757

Day 757...

Another day that saw a good amount of 'stuff' get done!

First job of the day was to pop to the funeral home to collect the jewellery that my dad was wearing when he passed away. There were only a couple of pieces to collect which included my mum's wedding ring that he used to wear on a chain so I was very happy to get them back. Although there are a few pieces of jewellery that we haven't managed to find yet but that I know he used to wear and I also know would mean a lot to Molly if we could find them.

On the way home I stopped at our local Lidl to pick up a few essentials. Good job I did as I also have an Asda shop to collect tomorrow and yet again there are quite a few items that I cannot get but thankfully I had the sense to pick them up from Lidl instead.

Once home it was podcast recording time with my co-host Michelle. We recorded two shows; this coming Sunday's Disney Dream Girls and a special show just for our Patreon supporters. We talked about Disneyland Paris as Michelle is off over there next week, some news items, some Easter food treats and ticket prices and reservations.

I finished recording just as Simon was about to break for lunch and so we decided to pop out for a lunchtime walk completing 2.5 miles in 48 minutes. After a spot of lunch I then headed to my dad's house to see if I could find any jewellery pieces and check on the post. No jewellery found but I have had a look through some other bits and bobs as I try to get clear in my head those items that we may want to keep, those that can be sold and those that will be thrown away.

Back home once again and I had the pleasure of the ironing pile to attack...whoop! Actually it wasn't as bad as I thought it was and was dealt with relatively quickly. In fact I even found a spare few minutes to sit outside with a coffee and enjoy a spot of late afternoon sunshine. Although between the rather large bumble bee buzzing around and the wood pigeons that like to swoop on and off the fence next to where I was sat it wasn't the most relaxing of times!

The day was rounded out with a trip to our gym. But now I think I need to put my feet up and have a cuppa!

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 719

Day 719...

Sunday has rolled around once more.

We started the day off with the collection of our weekly grocery shopping from Asda. Really beginning to notice not only the price rises but also the lack of availability of some things. But we were home and everything packed away by about 11am and so we had the rest of the day in front of us.

We decided to head into Derby for a little mooch about; chance to have an explore around to see what was on offer. We are very fortunate to live within equal distance of both Nottingham and Derby but of late we have found ourselves visiting Nottingham more so we decided to give Derby a go today.

Derby has a lovely shopping mall but we decided to park away from the mall so that we could have a wander through the city rather than just experiencing the mall. Derby is not a big city and is quite easy to explore. We were very aware as we wandered about just how many shops were empty, or simply had chosen not to open on a Sunday. We noticed how quiet the city felt and it was really quite sad.

We made our way over to the mall which is a lovely space to walk around and has all the major retailers that you would expect to see in a city and while the mall itself had plenty of people walking about it was not what I would call busy. Perhaps it was because it was a Sunday but it felt awfully quiet for what was once a busy city centre. Just so sad to see so many shop units empty.

I did manage to come away with some new make-up though; a lipstick and eye-liner...

...and I was tempted by...but resisted the Disney make-up by Morphe!

Before heading home we stopped for a coffee and took the time to talk and start evaluating our current position in our world and where we see ourselves heading.

With my decision to leave pre-school and head for 'early retirement' there are lots of things to be thinking about and lots of decisions to be made. And part of this whole process is a chance for me to stop and think about what I want to do for me...not what I need to do, not what I ought to do, not what is right for everyone else but what is actually right for me at this point in my life. I have no idea what that is as yet but I do know it's going to take a little time to adjust to that thought and a little time to figure it all out.

And today, by simply talking with Simon, I have started the process...I have no idea where it's going to take me or how long it will take me to get there and I suspect there is lots more to talk about between now and then!

And with that I will say, see you tomorrow.
xx 

Day 586

Day 586...

We are now well into the half term break although neither Simon or I usually work a Monday anyways. But we were up and about relatively early as we had plans for the day...shopping plans!

To be fair the shopping was a bonus side effect of the real aim of today which was to meet up with my podcast co-host Michelle. As she lives about 90 miles away we can't meet up as often as we would like but every now and then we find somewhere that's not to far for either of us to get to and more often than not that happens to be Meadowhall shopping centre at Sheffield.

And another side effect of today was that Molly was able to drive us there and back in her new car which meant that she got to experience motorway driving for the first time. As Molly will be moving in with Dan in a few weeks it will mean she will need to get used to motorway and long distance driving as to visit us will mean about a 190 mile journey! But she did amazing and took it all in her stride, we were both super impressed and proud of her. It also gave her chance to have a good drive out in the car and it seemed to drive really well and did everything that was asked of it.

Me and Molly, let the shopping commence!

So we met up with Michelle and first order of the day was to find a Starbucks and grab a coffee and a sit down and simply have chance to catch up. Second job of the day was to head off to Primark because as every Disney fan knows if you want a little bit of Disney retail therapy then Primark is the place to go...especially now that the UK Disney stores are no more.

Me and the lovely Michelle, living our best Disney lives!

And Primark did not disappoint especially as they were able to combine not only my love of Disney but my love of Christmas.

Simple Christmas themed t-shirt

Then we spotted this hoodie...I was in two minds about it but the ears and bow on the hood along with Simon's insistence meant it came home with me.

And these were just too cute (and inexpensive) not to buy...

I did try on a lovely soft and furry coat (non-Disney!) but I put it back...I may regret doing that...oh well I will just have to go shopping again and see if I can find it in another store.

On the way home we got Molly to stop by a local petrol station so we could fill up her tank for her (well she was playing taxi for us so it seemed the fair thing to do!) plus this meant she got to fill the car up with Simon on hand in case she needed any help...which she didn't. Simon was then able to show her how to check the tyre pressure and top them up with air which is one of those useful things to know about and better she do it with someone there to help her for the first time. I on the other hand wouldn't have a clue but as I said to Simon later, that's why I keep him around!!!

Back home and it was time for a coffee before Molly headed back out the door to drive herself, on her own, to her kickboxing class - eek! Our 'little girl' is all grown up which is both exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time. So no more in and out the house playing taxi for her instead we now have time on our hands which I think may take a little getting used to. 

Molly then had the return journey to master, in the dark and with twisty country lanes but she did it and she made it home so that meant a much needed glass of wine for me!! She is taking it all in her stride and just getting on with it all which means we are super proud of her but it won't ever stop us worrying about her.

Right so with Molly home it was time to cook dinner (keto chicken garam masala) before stopping for the evening with the aforementioned glass of wine and a little TV time.

See you all tomorrow.
xx

Meet-Up & Shopping

Day 442...

So after another crappy nights sleep it was up early-ish to set off to meet my very good friend, and podcast co-host, Michelle for a day of shopping.

Michelle lives about 90 miles away from me and although we talk all the time we have not been able to see each other since August of last year. So with us both working in education, and both being on our respective 'half term' breaks, we grabbed the opportunity to meet up.

Halfway between us is the city of Sheffield and luckily for us they have a giant out-of-town shopping mall called Meadowhall. So me and Molly jumped in the car and headed north for some much needed retail therapy.

We had a lovely time just catching up while we shopped. We visited the Disney Store (of course!)...

...as well as few other favourites, and managed to come away with shorts, jeans, t-shirts, tops and shoes between the three of us. We stopped for a coffee, at Michelle's favourite coffee retailer, and simply enjoyed being out and about doing something close to normal.

Well, I say normal, but of course we had to wear masks, there was a one-way system around the mall and all the shops had 'red' or 'green' signals outside to indicate whether you could enter or not. Some shops and services even had queue areas into the walkway areas to ensure that there was no over crowding. 

So there we sat in the middle of one of the walkways at our coffee shop of choice, without masks while everyone around us wandered about with masks on - how ridiculous! As we walked around with our masks on we could smell the coffee, we could smell the cookies, we could smell the donuts and we could smell the perfume oozing out of Lush (a beauty product retailer) as normal...so if we could smell all of that through our masks...exactly what are the masks protecting us from? Aerosols are smaller than the smells we can detect so it's common sense that if we can smell something then the aerosols can get through as well...isn't it common sense?? 

Now some of the changes I do actually quite like. The one-way system around the mall definitely made walking around a lot easier and the 'social distancing' between tables at the coffee shop was greatly appreciated; I don't want to be sat overtly close to people I don't know at the best of times (covid or no covid) so having a bit of extra space was to my liking!

After a few hours of shopping it was time to head home so we said our goodbyes to Michelle and gave her a big hug with the promise to meet up sooner rather than later!

Once home it was time to have a coffee and chill for a few minutes before scanning more photographs from our past with the Photomyne app. I have now managed to work my way through our summer holidays of 1988!

Late afternoon I took Molly out for another drive and we did the same route we have done the past few days. I have to say she is doing really well and, as I said to her when we arrived home, today was probably the most comfortable that I have felt with her driving. Her skill set is really improving and I am so very proud of her.

While Molly and I went for a drive Simon headed down 'our gym' and we were then able to call an end to our day...a very productive day.

Here's to good friends, meet-ups, shopping and coffee - simply pleasures that mean so much.

See you tomorrow.
xx

Disney Gifts

Day 279...

So today has been a day of getting jobs done with the first task of the day being to collect the weekly grocery shop from my supermarket of choice.

We saw our usual store colleague, Marky Mark, so it was nice to be able to wish him a 'happy Christmas'. I will admit to this being a bigger than normal weekly shop...think I fell foul of a 'well it's Christmas' attitude while shopping as I'm sure we have more than we actually need!

Packing everything into the fridge was like playing a game of Tetris and woah behold anyone who doesn't put things back in the right place!!

I then had the pleasure of getting all the ironing completed - whoop! Simon has spent the day working on his R2D2 build; a laborious job of masking off all the many, many, many parts ready for spray painting and followed by an afternoon of spray painting all said parts in a silver to get a metal appearance.

The podcast I co-host has created a special Facebook page called 'Disney Dream Girls Podcast Family'; a page where a group of us can get together, swap Disney stories and share what's happening in our lives. This year we decided to set up a 'Christmas gift exchange'; everyone who wanted to join in the fun added themselves to a list and specified whether they wanted to exchange with someone in their own country or from abroad.

I joined in the fun and was partnered with Donna in the US. We chatted online to agree a budget and specify any likes or dislikes. I decided to buy Donna a Disney Key Christmas ornament as she had mentioned she collected the keys and then I included a range of quintessential British chocolate and sweets along with some park maps from Disneyland Paris. Today my parcel arrived from Donna and I was blown away...

The contents of my parcel - just love that Star Wars paper!

...wow! So some Disney socks, well socks are a Christmas must have! A Mike Wazowski clip (which has made its way to Molly's collection of Monsters Inc items!), a Baby Yoda hanging ornament (this is now sitting on top of the mouse droid in our living room...but will stay out all year round), some Jolly Rancher sweets and my all time favourite...Midnight Dark Milky Way...in mini form!!!

There was some lovely Disney tissue paper which has been saved as well as a couple of  leaflets from the Disney Store in the US; one of which was a pop-out hanging decoration..

This is now hanging on my tree!

Such a lovely parcel to receive and this gift exchange has created so many lovely and thoughtful surprises for people around the world; truly encapsulating the essence of giving at Christmas.

And to round out today I best stop typing and go wrap some presents!!

Take care out there.

xx

Shopping & Coffee

Today is day 161...

This morning me and Molly had decided to take a trip into Nottingham to do a little shopping...well specifically we wanted to go to one particular shop.

I decided to dress up a little and use this as an excuse to deviate from my usual jeans/shorts and t-shirt that seems to have been my 'uniform' for the past few months. I also decided to do my make-up...now most days I have applied what I would call 'day make-up'; mascara, blusher and lipstick but thought I would push the boat out today and put on some eye make-up.

Now I always like to have some colour in my eye make-up, I'm never one for 'natural' tones, and always like to tie the colour into my outfit of choice. So today I knew I wanted to go for a green and purple combo but I looked at my various eye-shadow palettes and felt completely lost! It has been so long since I've applied eye-shadow that it felt like starting from scratch. I'd completely forgot which shades I normally use and even applying them felt weird...but at the same time it was also nice to be bothered to 'dress up' a little.

Nottingham is only about 8 miles from where we live and normally it can take anything up to 40 minutes to get there but today it was a breeze. We parked up and decided that rather than take our masks on and off we would where them from leaving the car until we got back.

Walking through the city centre there were plenty of people about but nothing like as busy as I would have expected. There were markings on the pavements to indicate which side of the walk ways pedestrians should walk although they weren't as obvious as they could have been and it was a little while before me and Molly actually noticed them. 

Of those walking about there were a mixture of people wearing masks and those with masks hanging off ears, or under chins. There was a queue to get into one of our favourite shops which we counted at about 8 or 10 groups waiting but we carried on in order to get where we wanted to go.

Our mission was to visit a shop called Bravissimo; a bra shop that is great for us girls that are 'blessed' up top and that have a fantastic fitting service. The only problem was that they don't offer a 'booking' service so when we arrived at around 11.30am and asked if we could get measured we were told the earliest we could be seen was 4pm! Now even in normal times I think we would have struggled to fill four and a half hours with shopping and coffee but under current circumstances I really didn't fancy 'hanging about' for that long! We were told if we came back tomorrow we might be able to get in to see someone but there were already people booked in for 10.20am but we couldn't book in...okay I'll admit to being confused. So we can't book an appointment but tomorrow we might struggle to be seen because there are bookings...??!! Argh!

We left...and didn't really know what to do next. Neither of us fancied standing in queues to get in to shops that we only wanted to have a look in...we didn't need anything specific we would just be browsing. And I think this is where the problem is for me when it comes to shopping, the social aspect of having a wander about, browsing, window shopping and stopping for coffees has been scuppered by having to queue and plan.

So we went back to the car and decided to stop off at a coffee shop on the way home. We put on our masks and had to queue outside the shop, there was hand sanitiser on entry to the shop, a QR code to scan if you were 'staying in' to eat/drink and markings on the floor for where to stand. It was a straight forward experience and we ordered drinks to go but it did seem to take longer than normal...although I'm not sure why?!

As we drove out of the retail park we noticed the queue for a fast food restaurant that must have been 15 groups/families long...I really don't think I could be bothered to wait that long and this is when I'm really glad that fast, highly processed food, is not my thing!

Once home, and armed with coffee, I spent 15 minutes sat outside in the sunshine with Simon catching up on our mornings before spending the rest of the afternoon catching up on pre-school work. Lots of invoices, updating contact information and writing of newsletters.

And before I knew it it was time to play taxi service for Molly to get her to and from her karate class. So shopping, coffee, work and my day was done...all topped off with a glass, or two, of red wine!

Stay safe out there, keep your distance and wear a mask
xx

Day 115

Day 115...

Well here we are at the weekend and a steady start to the day fueled by coffee and a good breakfast as we planned what we wanted to do.

So we decided that between our house and Simon's late mum's house we needed to get on top of some gardening and that would involve a trip out to DIY store...which would mean our first proper outing since lockdown began.

Over these last few months we have managed perfectly well with online shopping and click and collect grocery shopping. We have had the odd venture out to the post office or local 'corner shop' but have not really felt the need, or the inclination, to venture much further. But today we decided that in order to get a few outside jobs done we needed to shop in person.

Now I know lots of people have been out and about and have been using shops on a regular basis but for us this was a pretty big step to take so we set off armed with masks and hand gel. The first store we visited was very well organised with a clearly marked queuing system outside and a very friendly store colleague on the door who was letting in small groups at a time and explained what to expect and where to go.

Once inside it was relatively quiet and we had no problem wandering around to get what we wanted and when it came to paying at the tills it was all very straight forward and well organised. But as this first store didn't have everything we wanted we decided to try another well known store a couple of miles away. This second store was much bigger but again had a clearly marked queue system for getting in although we did have to wait around for quite a while before being let in and the staff on duty weren't quite as friendly or informative as the first store. But yet again we got the items we needed and headed out via the tills and again this was very well organised with a member of staff directing you to which till was free; to be honest this was so much better than the usual way of randomly picking a till and hoping you've picked the quickest one!

All masked up and ready to shop

So we survived our first proper shopping trip; we commented that the queuing felt like being at a theme park except the ride was really rubbish!! And I felt very aware that I was 'on a mission' to go in, get what we wanted and get out again...the idea of 'browsing' felt wrong and that we shouldn't be doing that! But we did it and I think now the thought of going out, should we need, to won't be such a strange thing to do.

Interestingly we saw very few people with masks on and with rumours that our government maybe more strongly in favour of masks in shops I think, and hope, it will only be a matter of time before it will be the new normal to wear a mask when out and about. It is something that we will be doing for the foreseeable and I think my challenge will be to have enough masks to match whatever outfit I am wearing.

Once home I was able to jump online with my friend Michelle and record this weeks episode of our Disney Dream Girls podcast before spending a couple of hours in the garden. We had a number of new plants to plant, a tree to chop back and a new patio cleaning solution to try.

It was then time to make another low carb dinner, this time it was chicken korma with keto naan bread. I would never have entertained the idea of making my own naan bread in years gone by (or I should say in the pre-low carb years) but now I am quite happy to spend a little time and make my own naan bread from scratch...and it's very yummy if I do say so myself.

So today we have conquered shopping in real life and it was fine...it was a slower experience to 'normal' and so 'nipping to the shops' is no longer a quick option. But it has also shown us that shopping online and using 'click and collect' options is working really well for us, we have been able to get everything that we want, when we want and for a price that we are happy to pay. We have got out of the habit of shopping; primarily of making multiple grocery shopping trips over the course of the week. We have survived from one week to the next without the need to 'pop to the shops', we have probably spent the same amount of money, we have saved money on petrol and we have saved time spent shopping and instead spent that time with each other. 

It felt good to be out, to be doing something 'normal' and to survive the experience but this does not mean I will be rushing out to the pub or cafe or more shops it just means that I can when I am good and ready for it...and with my mask and hand gel in tow at all times.

Whatever you do, wherever you do it just take care and stay safe.

xx

Day 89

Day 89...

Or is it? I have returned to work today so I did think twice as to whether I should carry on with the same numbering of days or what? But figured I'd carry on as we are still in some weird state of normal.

So yes, today was back to work day. Ordinarily I don't work Mondays but as today was the first day pre-school re-opened after 3 months having been closed I wanted to be there to support my staff. And everything was fine. 

Parents arrived on time, followed social distancing and adhered to our new 'rules'. Children were happy to come into pre-school without parents and seemed not to be phased by a different set-up to normal. The children impressed us all with their knowledge of 'the virus' and they knew that they couldn't get too close to each other and that they have to 'wash our hands lots'.

I spent a couple of hours getting my desk up and running; typically the laptop seemed to want to run on slo-mo and it took two changes of batteries to get the mouse to work; paperwork from home was returned to its rightful place and documents copied and filed away. By lunchtime I was home and adopted what will now be my new routine on arriving home after a day at work...work clothes in the wash and me in the shower!

After lunch we took a walk out over the fields and discovered a new route that took us 3 miles in just over an hour and 10 minutes; and after a grey and misty start to the day we were blessed with glorious sunshine and a very warm afternoon.

When we got home it was time for a much needed coffee and some more time out on the patio enjoying the sun, in between checking work emails. I even managed to find time to complete the border of my latest jigsaw - boy was that one a challenge and a half?!

And today was the day that we saw non-essential retail shops open up in England and if the media is to be believed some people had queued from early this morning just to get into certain shops. I must admit that I have no desire to get back out there to retail shopping just yet; I'm sure I will eventually when I actually need to get something and I can't get it online but for me shopping is much more of a social event. It is something to experience with friends or family; to be enjoyed; to take your time over; to stop for a coffee or lunch and perhaps if you're lucky enough to pick something up that you hadn't even realised you needed. I'm not sure I'm ready for queuing and a strict regimen of what and where and with whom I can go!

There has also been talk about the potential opening up of hospitality and hairdressing on the 4th July, coupled with a review of the two metre social distancing rule. Now don't get me wrong I am looking forward to getting my hair cut, and perhaps even a colour, but I am much more interested in when we can get to spend quality time with friends, family and loved ones. To me the most important thing at the moment is to be able to reconnect with friends and family and to see relationships flourish, I would much rather Molly be able to meet up with her boyfriend than get my hair cut...but hey that's just me...priorities and all that!!

Take care out there, stay safe.

xx

So you're going to the Theme Parks!!

This post was inspired by a recent tweet from fellow Disney fanatic, friend and blogger Emma, who when talking about her upcoming visit to WDW was asked the question 'so you'll be visiting the theme parks?'

Often when telling people where I'm off to on vacation I get greeted with a look of puzzlement and a 'oh you're going to the theme parks' with a heavy hint of disdain, and slight disbelief - people do not get it do they?

So here is my little rant about why I don't do beach holidays and my attempt to explain why WDW is more than 'just theme parks'.

It can be very frustrating, and exasperating, when, as a UK based Disney obsessed individual, you encounter those who have no grasp about WDW, those who when finding out you're off to Orlando say 'oh you're going to Disneyland'....err NO!!!  Now I know that I need to exercise patience and understanding but sometimes it can be very difficult.

So before we go any further lets just clarify something - DisneyLAND is the original Disney theme park and is located in Anaheim, Los Angeles (US west coast).  Walt Disney WORLD is the second Disney theme park and is located between Orlando and Kissimmee, Florida (US east coast) - everyone OK with that?!!

Here in the UK when it comes to vacations we tend to head for somewhere where we can at least guarantee some warm weather as the UK can be somewhat unreliable when it comes to spells of good weather.  Staying in the UK means having to pack for all occasions - heat, cold, rain, wind and that's in the middle of summer.

So those of us that can afford to tend to head for the sun...which often means a 'beach' type holiday.  Now I have a few problems with a beach holiday;

• Firstly, I am fair skinned, so the thought of sitting all day on the beach, or by a pool, is simply not an option unless I want to look like a lobster!
• A beach vacation is all about chilling out and doing as little as possible - not something that I am very good at, I like to be up and doing stuff.
• And if I did manage to 'chill out' I have two children who, I know, after a couple of days of not doing much would be hassling me with 'mum....I'm bored', 'mum....what can I do?'...

But a vacation to WDW, in my opinion, means the best of all worlds:

• Good weather
• Plenty to do
• And time to chill

Now I won't dispute the fact that there are plenty of theme parks at WDW, but they are more than just theme parks, they offer so much more.  They are a truly immersive experience; the theming, the atmosphere and the attention to detail all make it more than just the thrill rides that are traditionally associated with the term 'theme park'.

Yes it's a ride - Splash Mountain, Magic Kingdom, August 2011

Also WDW is not just theme parks it is a resort, a self contained community that provides everything that you could need for that well deserved vacation.  There are beautifully themed hotels (to suit all budgets), excellent water parks as well as pools at all the hotels, fantastic shopping, a wide range of eating places from fast food to high-end dining, sports facilities, spa's, health clubs, behind the scenes tours, Broadway quality entertainment, fireworks, parades, special events and more......it really is so much more then 'just theme parks'.

Shopping!  Mouse Gear - Epcot August 2011

Sport - well, mini golf! Fantasia Gardens, August 2011

There is also that sense of something magical, something that you can't quite put your finger on, something that to a WDW virgin is very hard to explain and convey without sounding like a completely deranged individual!  There is a special quality to visiting WDW, where you can suspend the trappings of normal everyday routines and indulge in a fantasy, in make believe, in a magical place.

But it's just for kids isn't it?  NO!!  When we first visited back in 1991 there was just me and Simon, and we fell in love with what we experienced, so much so that we came back the following two years dragging first Simon's parents and then my parents and brother with us, eager for them to experience the same feeling as us and share in the memories. Visiting with children does bring another dynamic to a visit and watching their faces is a truly wonderful thing, but as Walt said 'Adults are only kids grown up, anyways'.

A visit to WDW brings people together and creates memories and experiences that last a life time and ones that you want to keep experiencing again and again.

Cheers! Chilling by the pool with a mango margarita - Port Orleans French Quarter, August 2011