A fabulous festive few days x

Just got back from a few days away, all the festive feels x

4 weeks today and it will be Christmas!!

It's been a really busy week.

Jeff was off on Monday but the weather was rubbish and I didn't feel great. I didn't react very well to the painkillers I'd been prescribed for my frozen shoulder, so cut my morning short, came home and spent the afternoon on the sofa! Felt better by the Tuesday, so got out for some fresh air and a much needed wander around my favourite woods.

Absolutely loads of fabulous fungi about.

On Wednesday it rained!!

So I decided to get my Christmas cards written. 

7 hours later.......job done!!

Thursday and what seems like an age ago, I walked with Lynn!

I think I was away, then she was away, then I worked and the weather....

....anyway, we walked from Ham Wall to Avalon Marshes and back. 

Enjoyed all weathers, cold but good to get out.

Was up bright and breezy on Friday and headed over to Bath, 

to meet up with my sister and have a wander around the Christmas markets.

Sophie got the train over from Cardiff and joined us in the afternoon.

Everywhere was looking and feeling very festive x

My niece then joined us after school and we met up for food......

.....before the main event.....

....Love Actually with a live orchestra.

Sophie and I saw this in 2019 and it was wonderful. A really fabulous start to the festive season. You can't help but get goosebumps as the orchestra crescendos. It was my niece's first watch of Love Actually, so what a fabulous way to begin. Wonderful.

Hard to believe it's celebrating 20 years!!

And I still see something new, every time I see it!

Saturday morning was beautiful. 
If I hadn't already had plans, I would have gone out for an early morning walk.

First frost of the year. 

Had to scrape the car last night in Bath before we could head home.

Sophie came home with me last night and today, we headed to......

...Bristol!

A little shopping....

...lunch at Zizzi's...

....then Annie at the Hippodrome!

Our last musical at the Hippodrome for the year!

Another fabulous performance x

Bristol looking festive on our walk back to the car.

Sophie persuaded me that it would be a good idea for me to take her back to Cardiff!! So we went via Ikea for a little look around and meatballs for tea!! then sat and watched Strictly together x

Sunday and Christmas tree decorating!

Sophie won't get home to help me decorate our tree this year, so Christmas tunes, sparkling lights, coffee, panettone, clementines - perfect x

Starting new memories. 

It's still early but time for her to enjoy her tree, before coming home for Christmas and we get to enjoy decorating it together. I gave her a selection of our home tree decorations last year, and mixed in with new ones, she can build her own memories and traditions x

Then a bonus treat, Sam came round for tea!

Love seeing them both together x

I stayed Sunday night, then left early this morning, stopping at Cribbs on my way home!

I didn't buy much, in fact I didn't really need anything. I'm pretty much done with my gift buying this year, just need to wrap! I always like to wrap my presents once the tree is up, Christmas tunes playing and all the festive feels. I won't put our tree up until sometime late next week, usually 2 weeks before Christmas. I have a busy few days ahead, a few work sessions in the mix too, and need to give the house a good clean before I begin to get Christmassy!!

53!! And feeling it!!

A birthday girl in the house this week......me!!!

53!!! (And feeling it!!)

I enjoyed a quiet day. Coffee with a friend in the morning, then a free afternoon doing nothing! 

Had my traditional 'first' mince pie of the festive season on my birthday.

Perfect!!

I had hoped to go over to The Newt on my actual birthday, 

but the weather wasn't good, so went on the Wednesday instead.

Beautiful Autumnal colours.....

.....deer!.......

........And loads of fungi!!

Had to get back for a Physio appointment in the afternoon. Frustratingly, after a good few months of self care, I've had to see a physio and been diagnosed with a frozen shoulder!! 

A very nice physio...
"Do you want the good news or bad news first?" 

Went for the bad......it can take 18 months ➕️ to recover!!!!! The good news, I'm 5 months in, seeing as this all started in June!!! I haven't done anything, didn't fall, just something that can happen, is more common in women over 50, could be hormonal, another possible gift of the menopause!!! 

I thought way back it was a trapped nerve or pulled muscle, but the pain has increased and movement become more restricted. Have been prescribed painkillers, am on a waiting list for an injection, and have a video link for exercises. I'm still in the 'freezing' stage and am feeling hard done by!! I think I'm reasonably fit, active, eat healthily but the past few years have been challenging. A 2 year dose of plantar fasciitis, an on-going year of an inflamed sacroilliac joint/ back pain, dry eye and now this!!! 

Can you tell I'm feeling sorry for myself!!? 

Feeling all my 53 years!!

I worked the Monday and Thursday all day and Friday morning. It's Exeat weekend, everyone goes home and Jeff gets to finish at lunchtime on the Friday and has a long weekend. So we headed over to Ham Wall to try and catch a murmuration, but it wasn't to be! No big groups, lots of smaller groups of starlings scattered. Will have to go back again and hope for a mass roost!

Annoyingly, the weather hasn't been great. Grey, damp, miserable. Jeff has tried to get out in the garden to do a bit of a tidy up. We had hoped to get out for a couple of walks but I hate the rain!! Got up early this morning to try and get Glastonbury tickets for Sam! An hour in the queue and no joy! He and his friends didn't have any luck either. We still have the local ticket sale and last resort, the Sunday tickets. I just don't get it how some people get tickets every year. It feels pointless trying! 

Anyway, the best bit of sitting here writing this, is the realisation that I'm no longer in Sainsbury's having to work a Sunday!! It's such a great feeling. I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year and not having to work. Need to seriously get my act in gear though! As of tomorrow, it's just five weeks to Christmas and we are away one week of that! 

I have a super busy end of next week, a couple of invigilation sessions up at school and then a two week block of focus! Have done a quick check on what I've bought and squirreled away for Christmas so far, what I need to buy and what cards I've got. Once I tidy my birthday cards away, I can clear the side, ready for December the first and Advent. So a busy few weeks ahead xx

Walking to work!!

So this week, I started work as an Exam Invigilator.

It was good, I quite enjoyed it. There's a lot to learn and each session is very different but everyone was very helpful and kind. This is a two week block of Mock GCSE's. I have another couple of days in January in the diary, for mock A Levels, maybe a few in between, but I guess a 6-8 week block from May through to June. I'm loving the flexibility, the fact it's not continual and peppered throughout the year but I'm not sure if it will be enough money to do only this. Will have to see how things go!

It did mean I could have Wednesday off, as I've had plans in the diary since February.

It was wet, but I could be under cover most of the time!

Bristol is only an hour away, so a very easy trip.

Spotted the fabulous, colourful, Aardman character mural for the first time.

'It's a collaboration between Cabot Circus, Aardman and street art festival, Upfest.
It was created by artist, Dave Bain, based on original artwork by Aardman illustrator, Lorna Harrington.
It includes Aardman characters Shaun the Sheep, Wallace and Gromit and Morph can be seen in the mural, alongside famous Bristol landmarks, including Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol Children's Hospital and the colourful houses by the Harbourside.'

The main event however, was 'Pretty Woman'. I went on my own, £13 for a ticket!! The Hippodrome was packed, excellent show, funnier than I was expecting. Ore Oduba was brilliant. Well, they all were. Need to watch the film again, but seeing as I knew a lot of the lines, I'd say it was true to the film.

Then on Thursday I was in Bath!!

I worked the morning, then headed over, in the rain!! Again, it's about an hour away, so it's completely doable and another fab city close by. We also have Exeter just over an hour away, so very lucky really.

I did a little window shopping in Bristol and Bath, gathering ideas. I didn't want to buy stuff and carry it around, have to go back to the car (it was pouring down) or spend £ I don't have!! Need to be a little more frugal now I'm not working as much. If things are there when I go back, and I still love them!! they're meant to be! Do I need more puddings and toadstools? 

Anyway, the main reason for going to Bath, was to meet up with my sister. We haven't exchanged birthday or Christmas presents for a few years now, instead we try and spend time together and this year, after food, we saw......

Haircut 100!!

Taking me right back to my school days and the first cassette I ever bought, age 11! 

Didn't really know what to expect, although my sister and I did see Nick Heyward back in 2018, even met him afterwards as we were leaving. It was a great night. An eclectic audience, but as we joked, people probably look around the venue and think the same thing about us!! 

Worked Friday morning. Not gonna lie, I was tired!

Had a hair appointment booked in for the afternoon, a bit of pampering!!  

Saturday was Armistice Day. 

I was working in the morning and then met a friend for coffee in the afternoon. We met via Instagram, another 3 and a half hour coffee and catch up!! Have decided we need to meet for lunch next time, give us plenty of time x

I took this picture on my walk to work on Saturday morning. A damp, misty, murky start but the sun was trying to burn through! Today has just been wet!! A really miserable day. Everywhere is really wet and muddy already, thoroughly saturated and it's only mid November. A lot of the walks I like to do will be far too muddy now until Spring, good job I joined the Newt!!

Have a few sessions booked in for next week, a birthday, a physio appointment and Jeff ends the week with an Exeat weekend. Here's hoping the weather is better  xx