Getting organised!!

On Monday, Sam's car was being collected for scrap! 

Initially I was told I'd have to stay in all day and wait for someone to turn up! 

(The scrap man actually arrived at 6.02am!!!!!)

So I thought I'd start on my Christmas cards. 

Use any free days wisely and get ahead of the game for Christmas!

I have a real mix of old cards, sale cards, new cards!!

I've tried to use as many as possible this year and need to be really good about not buying as many for next year, as I already have a secret stash I'd bought in last years sales, which don't even feature here!!! I do have a 'thing' for buying nice cards and really do need to limit what I buy!! Although I do defend myself and argue that there are far worse addictions to have!!

I also updated the round-up note that goes in some cards. Only those who aren't on social media and where our only contact is through the yearly Christmas card, get one!! I did think I'd try and cut my list but..... I have over the years cut it greatly, from circa 200 to 60'ish!!

So the list remains for another year! 

At the end of the day, I enjoy sending Christmas cards. I like choosing nice cards, cards significant for certain people. I like to check in, write a personal message and love to receive cards and catch up with people I wouldn't otherwise keep in touch with. Yes, cards can be expensive, and stamps are getting super pricey, but I still value a nice Christmas card and appreciate the time and effort it takes for someone to send a card. And those of you who have followed here over the years, know that I display my favourite cards year after year!

So my pile of cards is here, ready and waiting to post out at the beginning of December!

I do seem to have fallen into Christmas a lot earlier this year. It's partly down to my new work timings and a bit more free time and the fact that I am super busy over the next few weeks, so need to be organised. I was back in Bristol on Tuesday, so did a little more Christmas shopping.....

....met up with my sister for food and my birthday treat....

....seeing Will Young, for an informal evening of songs and chat!

It was a good night. St George's in Bristol is a nice little venue.

Woke up on Wednesday morning to a gorgeous pink sky and...

.....a frosty start.

The first proper 'scraper' of the year!

I had to get out for a little walk and make the most of it.

The perfect winter combo - cold, crisp, clear, blue sky day!

I promised myself I wouldn't buy any new decorations this year, then got tempted by these lovely baubles. The perfect new addition and by the lovely Lexi, whose homemade baubles have been on my tree since 2011!!

I also started wrapping!! 

Just Mum and Dad's presents. I'm going to see them for a couple of days and as I'd got everything for them, I thought it was sensible to take it all down with me. We are meeting on Dec 23rd but just in case something happens, illness? weather? I thought best take it with me now.

I also took down the birthday bits and replaced with snowflakes!! Jeff has either not noticed or chosen not to comment!! I'm away 'on and off' this week, so it's a head start to getting 'Advent Ready' when I come home on Sunday!! I'm going down to Cornwall, back on Wednesday. Have Thursday at home, albeit I'll be in school invigilating, then it's up to Cardiff on Friday after my hair cut, to check-in on Sophie and Sam, coming home on Sunday! So, busy, busy!!

I'm hoping the weather will improve. We're currently in the pathway of Storm Bert. It's wet and windy and generally miserable. Not the weather to be driving down to Cornwall in. So a busy week ahead, am then home for a week, although lots of coffee dates already in the diary, before Jeff breaks up and we go to Madeira for a few days, hence I need to be a little organised this year!!

54!

Happy birthday to me....

54!!!

A very achy 54!!

On the one hand, I don't feel 54. I still think I look a relatively young 54, but some days I feel a good 64/74!! This blumin menopause is not very kind. Generally day to day, I feel fine but at night, I ache! My back, my hips, my arm.... which in turns means I don't sleep as well as I used too!! I'm on HRT, I dose up on collagen, turmeric, magnesium, sleep with a pillow between my knees, doing all I can to help myself ....sigh!! Hormones, who'd have em? 

Anyway, enough of my moaning!! 

I worked Monday, Tuesday and took off the Wednesday to go to Bristol.

To do a little Christmas shopping, idea searching and.....

....to go and see Mary Poppins!

The tickets weren't cheap, so Sophie decided not to come, so I went for a slightly cheaper mid-week ticket and sat at the back of the stalls. Worth every penny. It's a fabulous show. I think that's the third time I've seen it now and would happily go again.

Bristol was looking beautiful on my walk back to the car.

Then on Thursday, my actual birthday, I took myself off to Bath for the day. I haven't been to Bath since June, so had a good mooch, bought a few Christmas bits, ensured I had a Landrace cinnamon bun for my birthday breakfast!!!

And then enjoyed toasted panettone and ice-cream for tea!

Well, if you can't indulge in cake on your birthday, when can you?

I worked on Friday, final exam of this session! 

So a nice mix of a week. 

The next few weeks, well all 5 leading up to Christmas are starting to fill up. I need to use any free time wisely. I have this week at home. I have to stay in all day tomorrow waiting for the scrap man to come and collect Sam's car! I 'might' start writing my Christmas cards!! Then Tuesday I'm walking in the morning, going into Bristol in the evening to meet my sister and go and see Will Young for our birthday treat. Am meeting various friends for coffee and catch ups, possible trip to Frome, so a busy week ahead. The weather is supposed to turn cold. I don't mind cold, I just hate rain!! So will hopefully squeeze in a few walks too. Have a good week x

Birthdays, exams, and baubles!!

We started the week off with birthday celebrations.

How is my baby 25????

It was lovely having Sophie home for a couple of days. She was here for her actual birthday, heading back to Cardiff after tea. So we had a nice mooch around Wells and lunch out....

....then had tea, cake, cards and pressies once Jeff got back from work. 

She and I are off to Italy for a few days in the Spring to celebrate our birthdays.

I took the Monday off but have spent the rest of the week working, invigilating Year 11 mocks. The weather has been terrible. We've been hiding under a blanket of grey cloud for days, so having to work hasn't been too bad, although there are lots of new invigilators, so I'm now considered a pro!!!

My lovely Cornishware Christmas bauble delivery arrived, to brighten things up!! 

These are seconds, not that you can tell, so make them a little cheaper.....

....and I don't mind the price, as I keep them up all year long!

Not just for Christmas.

On a Christmas note....

.......we have had the same Christmas tablecloth for 22 years!!! 

(It's as old as Sam!!)

Considering it's cream, it's done amazingly well to have survived the numerous wine, gravy, and wax spillages and stains over the years.

I have decided to have a change this year! I bought a single duvet set, like the bedding set I'd bought for Sophie's room from Habitat. I had planned to use it as it came, double-sided, but annoyingly it looks gingham with the underside showing through. 

So I've unpicked it and now have two new tablecloths for a bargain £16. I will sweet talk Sophie into hemming around the edges for me and make napkins out of the pillowcase. I bought some green placemats from Primark, so can still use my Cath Kidston Christmas plates and have been collecting various candles, crackers etc.

Fingers crossed, it should all look lovely and festive come the big day.

Jeff and I have also just booked a few days in Italy during his 2025 Christmas break.

The 2025 autumn flights came out the middle of the week, so we booked up Lisbon for the October half term for a few days and then noticed some December flights were out to, so decided on Italy for a few days. Think of all that deeeelicious Panettoni we can bring home with us!! Both trips are with just the underseat bag allowance, so it'll be interesting to see how we get on. Although we have included one extra cabin bag for our return flight from Italy, thinking Christmas presents!!

HOLA!!! Our Andalusian Adventure

HOLA!!

Gosh! What a busy week and a bit!!

A much needed week away in Spain.

It started off slowly, queueing for over an hour in the 'Brexit made' Passport Control queue!!!

 Such a sad and unnecessary outcome of an unnecessary event!! 

This wasn't our queue.....our queue was this x4, at least!!

Anyway once in the taxi, heading to Nerja, we quickly forgot about it!!

Day one of our Andalusian Adventure. 

Exploring the beautiful town of Nerja!

First swim in the sea for Jeff!

I paddled!!

We based ourselves in the coastal town of Nerja, for four nights. A resort about 40 mins along the coast from Malaga, and an area we've not been to before. All we really wanted from this resort, was a nice town near the sea, and it delivered!

Day two!

And a pre-booked bus tour, to walk the 'Caminito del Ray', 'The path of the King'.

A 7km walk through the gorge, with the most impressive scenery. Absolutely brilliant!

We went as part of a tour, as it was the easiest way to get there, access the gorge and get the helmets etc. We separated off and walked it independently, rather than stay with the group. It wasn't difficult, all one way and most of it on a level.

Would highly recommend going, if you ever visit Malaga.

Day three!

A visit to Frigiliana and an afternoon on the beach.

Frigiliana is a really pretty hillside, white housed village. 

It is home to the last remaining working sugarcane factory. This factory in the centre of Frigiliana is the only one in continental Europe that produces sugar cane honey. We spent a lovely 3 hours exploring the town and the maze of cobbled streets.

Then back to Nerja and a chilled afternoon on the beach....

.....perfect!

We tried the local delicacy 'berenjenas en tempura'  - aubergine in tempura, served with the Frigiliana honey. Our tour guide yesterday suggested we try it, so we did, at our first opportunity. Deeeeeelicious!

Day four!

Final day in Nerja. A breezy morning and a couple of degrees cooler.

We walked west of Nerja along the coast for a hour, to an old lookout watch tower.

Then headed back for food, a last swim in the sea for Jeff and some afternoon sun.

Day five!

Adios Nerja, Hola Ronda!

Took two buses and 3 and a half hours to get to Ronda but

15,000 steps later, I can say it was worth the effort!

Absolutely stunning scenery and a fantastic afternoon exploring.

Ronda was beautiful but Ronda was cold....unseasonably cold!!

Could've done with an extra layer and a hot water bottle for the evenings.

Day six

Our final full day in Ronda.

It may have been unseasonably chilly, but we dodged the rain and still packed in a lot.

Day seven

After a stormy night, with four hours of loud, rolling, thunder, we very much had a day of two halves.

We were leaving Ronda and heading to Benalmadena, on the coast for our final night.

More torrential rain, thunder, lightning and landslides throughout our eventful bus journey,

from Ronda to Malaga.

Thankfully things brightened up eventually in Benalmadena, our final stay of this trip.

And we got to enjoy a final beer and meal, sat outside, along the seafront.

Nerja, Caminto del Rey, Frigiliana, Ronda and Belamadena.

Many more pics and much more info, as always, over on our travel Instagram account @ha_pea_travels 

The storms that hit the region were devastating. A year's worth of rain fell in 8 hours and there is a mounting death toll as a result of the flash floods. This was the view from the plane. All the debris from the floods fully visible from the plane.

Valencia, in the South East was worst hit and is a scene of utter devastation. It is the worst flood in Spain's history. 100's of lives have been lost and tragically more casualties will be found during the clean up. From just our bus journey, we were shocked at the speed at which the torrents of water developed and the extent of the water running off the mountains, made worse from the long dry summers the area has endured.

 Certainly made our road closure and access to the house, or lack of it, small fry in comparison. We got home to find our whole road was closed and being resurfaced, for the next two weeks!!! No letter, no notification!! The man guarding the top of the road, did let us drop off our cases and move Sam's car, which was due it's MOT the following day! (which it failed!!) Makes coming and going a bit harder over the coming week, more planning required!!

It's always nice to be home, even when you've had the best time away! 

And, it's even better to wake up to blue skies and sunshine!

Autumn at it's best!

We were home in time for Halloween.

This was the only pumpkin activity for us this year. With being away for a month over the summer, our pumpkin plants at home didn't produce anything and we had no trick or treaters!! A bit of a none event but it marks the end of the month!!

So farewell to October.....

....and hello to November!!!

Sophie came home on Saturday, spending her birthday weekend at home this year!

We popped over to the Newt this morning.

A damp, dull, murky, mizzly morning but the autumnal colours outweighed the grey skies. We had a lovely wander around outside. It felt very mild to be fair, probably warmer than it had been in Ronda!!

Sophie is here for her actual birthday before heading back up to Cardiff. Sam is in London for his reading week, spending time with Poppy. Jeff goes back to school tomorrow, a five week term, but a busy one, with year 11 mock exams kicking off the term, which I'm in for, for the next two weeks. So we settle back into our routines before the festive season creeps in!!