Deacon Blue

....30 years on!

Back in the October of 1989 I saw Deacon Blue play at Leeds Student Union, whilst visiting my sister who was studying there. Last night in Portsmouth, 30 years on..... 

.....Jeff and I went to see them at the Guildhall.

And they were brilliant!

Ricky and

Lorraine, fab vocals.

I will say the audience was an eclectic bunch, although I guess, I'm inching ever closer to 50! 

but the music was still so good!

Favourites had to be Chocolate Girl, Wages Day, Real Gone Kid, Dignity, Fergus, Swaying Arms, The Hipsters.... well I could just keep listing. A fab night, great company, just a late night with work the next day to face - there, proof I'm getting old!!

Girls Day Out

So yesterday - 6:00am alarm, quick drive to Castle Cary, then caught the 7:34 to London Paddington - picked up a most welcome addition in Reading, with coffee!!! Ready for a day out together in London, might have to become an annual event x

Breakfast was on Sophie, my birthday pressie treat, 

so why not start off the day with coffee and doughnuts!!

We wandered down Carnaby Street to Liberty's but we were so early, it wasn't even open...

...so we headed over to Covent Garden before it got too busy.

Was fab to spend time with my girl and have a good old catch up. We had no plans for the day, other than to mooch, chat, eat, chat some more. I really do miss her but know she is so happy and settled at Uni. She has made good friends both in her flat and on her course, so I have nothing to worry about...

.....just make the most of the opportunities that we get to spend time together.

We headed to Spitalfields for lunch and a wander around the market.... 

..... then headed to the river (Walkie Talkie Building, home of the Sky Garden)

.....by the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.

We walked across the bridge to the South Bank and walked...

...to the Shard, where we caught the tube back up to ....

...Oxford Street to see the lights.

It was super busy, too busy really but oh so festive.

We went into Selfridge's and John Lewis to look at their Christmas departments but it really was too hot and busy to really enjoy it. So we headed back out onto .....

.... Regent Street to see the Christmas angels.

Absolutely spectacular.

We then wandered back to Liberty (now it was open!!) 

Back along Carnaby Street, which was packed....

then tubed it back to Paddington, where we sat, chatted some more, grabbed a coffee...

...before getting the train back home.

Sophie got off at Reading and was safely back in her flat, as I made my way back to Somerset. 

A truly lovely day spent with my gorgeous girl.

Birthday girl

It was my birthday on Wednesday, am inching ever closer to the big 50!!!!

I took the day off work and treated myself to a little retail therapy in Bath, then celebrated in style with my first mince pie of the year!

Treated myself to some new wide leg cropped trousers from M&S which I then had shortened at a local place in Wells. Being a shorty, I can never find the right length straight off the hanger - they altered Sam's prom trousers, so I knew where to go. Also got the spotty jumper from no other than Sainsbury's TU clothing range, still love a 'spot'!!

Work

Nothing really to report! 

Worked my Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday week, day off  Friday. Had a coffee with someone from work, taxied Sam into wells to meet friends, then worked overtime on Saturday. Am working my normal Sunday hours today and Monday, overtime on Tuesday, then do have 5 days off. It's my birthday, so I'm hoping to got to Bath for the day, plus get myself a little organised for Christmas, plus I have my day with Sophie in London coming up. Sometimes you have weeks when nothing much really happens.

Birthday Girl xx

Today my beautiful girl turns 19 x

Our first birthday not together!

It does feel odd being apart but we saw her last weekend, armed with trays of brownies for her flatmates and a cake, that would still be in date for today and we have face-timed her this morning! What a fabulous way to still be together, watching her opening her birthday cards and presents via the wonders of face-time x

I made a cake for us to celebrate in her absence and ....

...I went up last weekend laden with birthday pressie's for her to open.

And a special gift, not to be opened until November the 30th - her own 'Countdown to Christmas' as she'll be missing out on all the festive build up at home. She coming home on the 15th, so getting back just in time to decorate the tree!!

So my gorgeous girl, I hope you have a truly lovely birthday. You are missed and I wish I could give you a birthday hug but I'm so happy that you are with your friends and are happy and settled up in Reading. Our London day out is only 2 weeks away and we have our Christmas shopping day in the diary too, so have a fabulous day, lots of birthday love, hugs, kisses and wishes. 

Mum x

Half term round up

So farewell October and the first half of half term. We started the week up with Sophie in Reading. I then worked a couple of days then... 

....met up with old school friends in Hereford for the day. Em was down from Edinburgh, visiting friends in Ludlow (near where we used to live during our teenage years) Ju stills lives nearby and Mel in Hereford, so seemed the easiest spot to meet up, only a 2 hour drive for me. We reconnected about 4 yrs ago via the wonders of FaceBook and this was the 3rd time all 4 of us could get together, always lovely but there's never enough time!

Of course Halloween was in the middle of half term, Sam was out and probably due to the weather, we had few trick or treater's knock at the door this year.

Pinch and a punch ..... to welcome in November on Thursday.

A few gorgeous, cold, blue sky starts this week, with early morning mists below the Tor

 but a soggy, damp, grey day today.

Final treat after SW weigh-in on Saturday morning, a catch up and lunch with my sister and niece in Wells. We went to ASK for lunch, missed having Sophie there, as she'd have no doubt joined us but it was lovely to catch up and semi celebrate our birthdays, hers is in October, mine mid November. Before children we would always get together somewhere in between, so nice to see each other.

Today is Sophie's 19th Birthday, odd not having her around but will write a separate post this afternoon in her birthday honour xx