Trip to Crete - Day 1

At the beginning of October Lee and I went to Crete for a week! We had booked it months ago, knowing we would need some rest and relaxation after the house move and everything else that has gone on this year. We planned to do very little and we really did very little. We didn't care where we went so I looked at plenty of places but eventually we booked an all inclusive holiday near Heraklion, in Crete. The hotel was called Blue Bay Resort and the reviews said it was lovely but the pools were cold, so we were prepared for that. Anyway, we packed and got everything ready the night before, because we had to leave the house at 3am. 

Yep, 3am. We were flying at 6am, through our choice, so we left the house at 3am and I drove us across Woodhead Pass to Manchester Airport. We had booked Meet and Greet parking which took us a while to find but we eventually did and we headed inside. Check in was easy and security was a doddle. They've simplified it and it took two seconds. Once we were through we got seats and got hot chocolate from Pret a Manger. It was so early and so ridiculous, haha. We knew we would be hungry later so we bought sandwiches in WHSmith before boarding the plane. 

We had booked with Jet2, we haven't been with them before but I would recommend them. The aeroplane seats were comfortable and really quite spacious. We both listened to music and read things, and both fell asleep too, which made me lose one of my earbuds which was annoying. We had hot drinks and croissants on the plane so didn't end up eating our sandwiches. We landed about 12.15 local time and quickly got through security and everything and picked up our bags. I use a walking stick, as you know, and got to bypass queues in both airports which really helped me. We then headed out into the nice warmth, where we were greeted by friendly Jet2 staff who pointed us in the right direction for our transfer. We were with three young women who were in the same transport, and the driver brought a taxi round to us and set off. It was lovely to not have to stop here there and everywhere - we stopped at the girls' hotel first and then Lee and I maybe half an hour later. 

We arrived at the hotel about 1.45 and checked in. Lunch was finishing at 2pm so the receptionist told us to go down to get something to eat before going to our room, which was nice of her. The dining room wasn't busy which was good for me because it allowed me to get my bearings. There was a lot of choice and we ate well all week. I got salads and chilled red wine which was lovely. 

We went to our room, which was fine, like most hotel rooms abroad, but it did have a really lovely walk in shower which is good for me. The view from the balcony was lovely. We had paid a little bit extra to have a room in the main building which was good because the resort was on a very steep hill and there were rooms dotted all over and I would have struggled to walk to and from some areas. We got changed into swimming things and headed down to the main pools. 

As promise, they were freezing so we just dipped our feet in. The sun also wasn't totally over the pools for a lot of the day in October, which was basically fine for us. There was a bar by the pool and as we were all inclusive I started my way through the drinks. Some were better than others but it was nice to try them! 

We had showers about maybe 6pm before heading down the dining room for food. There were plenty of vegetarian choices and quite a few Greek dishes to try, so I was fine for food. I think we headed to bed early after the very early start, but I was wearing these pale blue Converse slip ons. As you know I really like the style but my white ones have had it so I got these on Vinted. I like the colour and will wear them a lot next year, but they are good for holidays too

Hot chocolates at 4.45am in the airport

Sunrise

Over some mountains, possibly Croatia?

And as we were arriving into Crete

My lunch - plenty of salads and fresh tzatziki and I'm happy

Chilled red wine in the dining room

View from the balcony, of the hamlet where we were staying which was basically hotels, 3 bars, 2 shops, and a beach

One of the pools when we got down there. The parasols were really good, we made a lot of use of them

A lot of drinks were included but I bought this one extra

And finally my new to me slip on Converse

Weekend With My Cousin

At the end of September my cousin K came to stay for the night and to see our new house. She was supposed to be getting the train all the way to Penistone where we live, but there were signalling problems, so Lee and I ended up going to Meadowhall to meet K. While we were there we decided to have some lunch so we went into Pizza Express. It was only about 11.30 so Zizzi's wasn't open so we went to Pizza Express instead. K and I shared a mushroom pizza and I had some polenta chips too which were lovely. 

After lunch we popped into M&S for snacks for tea and then we came back to the house and showed K round and chilled out for a bit. Lee went out to a gig so K and I started going through my make up, which I had asked her to help me with. I got rid of a lot that I had very similar shades of. She also arranged my perfume and some of my jewellery which look really nice now. 

K and I sorted out our tea and ate it in the living room while watching a bunch of stuff on the TV including Derry Girls and Heartstopper (which we both love). Then we made some Christmas cards - I have a bunch of supplies and they're all now easily accessible so we each made a few. Lee came home and soon it was time for bed. 

In the morning I slept in quite late and then showered, and then we all had croissants and pains au chocolat for breakfast. We needed to plant some plants so K and I went off to Tesco to try to buy some compost but they didn't have any so we had to go to Pot House Hamlet. We then got back and planted my plants. A few of them came from the old house and my mum has been looking after them for me, and a couple were Christmas gifts from my mum. She kept saying we needed to get them in the ground before the first frost arrived so we finally did it. Well I mostly just supervised and everyone else did the hard work.

After that we all went upstairs to the back bedroom where all the books are. Lee and I have been working hard on organising and shelving them all. There are over a thousand books, wow. My very own library! K helped to shelve some books and she and I also did our nails - toenails for me, ready for my holiday. The books look so good, they're double shelved on most shelves and by genre. I'll share photos. 

K then wanted to get back home so Lee took her to the train station. I'm not sure what I did, but then about 4.30 I got ready to drive to Leeds for a swimming session. It was a LGBTQ+ disabled session at Bramley Baths so I decided to go. I've never been there before and it's a beautiful old Edwardian baths, truly gorgeous. There were probably about 25 of us. I thought I might know someone, but I didn't. But I did speak to a couple of people, and it was a nice session.

When I got back Lee and I had some tea and then I had a nice long bath. I'm still getting used to it and trying to have a bath every week, just to relax! 

All the make up I got rid of. Lolly took a lot of this for herself or her nieces when she came to visit the weekend after, which was totally fine! 

One of the Christmas cards I made, isn't it cute?

My perfume and jewellery on Lee's chest of drawers. I do have a lot of perfume, yes. I love it! In the little red tin, which I also really love, are perfume testers, way more of them than I realised. I've been using them pretty regularly as I'm trying to get through them

K and Lee planting plants in the garden

Ta da

This is the vanity in the en suite bathroom, above the bulkhead of the stairs. My make up is all on the right now with shower gel and hair care to the left. I actually moved that circular carousel on to the windowsill where it now holds Lee's toiletries and soaps. I put more skinarcare on the left

Here is the start

Of the one thousand books

Doubled up

That I own 

But there's still space for more! I will also be working at a desk built in to this bookshelf but I need to get my laptop sorted out first for that

And here's Bramley Baths from outside, it's so cute inside

Lunch with Chloe and Lolly

Towards the end of September I met up with Chloe and Lolly for lunch. Lolly didn't have loads of time so Chloe and I decided to meet her at Meadowhall as it's not too far from her house. Chloe came to mine first of all to see my new house and then we went to Meadowhall in separate cars so that Chloe could go straight home afterwards. 

I parked near Next for reasons that are not entirely clear to me now, and I walked through to Wagamama where we had agreed to meet. Chloe and Laura were already there so I sat down. We ordered food - I went for a new coconut curry they had, with vegan chicken, which was really good, I would eat it again. And I had bang bang cauliflower because I also have bang bang cauliflower. To drink I had a peach iced tea which was nice too.

After we had eaten we headed across to Hotel Chocolat for hot chocolate and cake, as usual. In there I remembered to take a photo of us. We had to say goodbye not long after that so it was shorter than usual, but still great to see them both. I headed down to Lush. Since we got a bath in the new house I've been trying to have a bath at least once a week, if not more, and I've been loading up with bath bombs for my baths. I was pleased to see Snow Fairy is back so I bought a bubble wand in that fragrance which I'm looking forward to using. I bought another bomb which was Christmas themed and smells minty and lovely, and I bought a watermelon soap which also madde a donation to Gaza with the purchase. It smells amazing - I've put it in the en suite bathroom and the entire top floor of the house smells of it! Then as I was paying at the till the cashier offered me an otter bath bomb which was no longer for sale because it was a bit damaged. I don't care because it's just going to go in a bath. I think it's in Sleepy fragrance which will be nice for a bath before bed. 

I headed back to my car and realised that I hadn't got Chloe or Laura to take a photo of my outfit. Lee works in the office in Sheffield on a Wednesday so he wouldn't be at home to take a picture either, so I asked some shoppers coming back to their car to take my photo. Fortunately they understood! I headed home to relax until Lee got home from work. I was also wearing some earrings that belonged to my grandma and which I re found while unpacking recently. I don't think they're genuinely gold and diamond but honestly, when it comes to my grandma, who knows? They're so sparkly though and just a bit different. I like them! Oh my outfit was my Schitt's Creek dress which I had in storage and was thrilled to see, and a black shrug cardigan over the top. 

Fancy earrings which I think look nice with my stacked earlobe piercing above

Bang bang cauliflower, I could eat some of this right now

And the new coconut curry, it had a nice kick to it 

I think I had mint hot chocolate and a brownie. I'm a VIP at Hotel Chocolat which does save quite a bit off the cost

Here we are in there, it's a really nice cafe

Here's my dress and cardigan, thank you to the random stranger for taking the photo!

And here's what I got in Lush!

Films of the Month - August

I'm so far behing with blogging! Moving has really taken it out of me! We have been so busy unpacking and sorting things out and the house is looking really lovely and nearly everything has a place, but it means I'm way behind on blogging here and on my book blog. I'll get caught up eventually, but as I write this we're going away on holiday in less than a week, which will obviously mean more blog posts and more books to review! Maybe by Christmas...? 

I only watched six films in August, because of all the moving and everything. I've also started watching Emmerdale again - because Robert Sugden is back - and this has taken up more time than I thought. And I'm behind on that, too! Anyway, here's what I saw:

I heard a load of buzz about K Pop Demon hunters so I thought I would see what the fuss was about, and I ended up really liking it. It's really cute, I would recommend it 

I'm still making my way through Heath Ledger's films, for a zine and to complete something, so I watched Brokeback Mountain. I've seen it before but not in forever, so I really enjoyed it. It's just such an emotional film

I really like the film Identity and have since Lee and I saw it at the cinema way back in 2003 when it came out, but I hadn't seen it in ages and wanted to, so I watched it by myself

Bend It Like Beckham turned up on Netflix so I watched it. I loved it way back when but I'm not sure it's really stood up to the test of time

Lee and I watched Ocean's 13 the day after we moved house, in our new living room, while Lee unpacked all his records which he was happy about. I don't like this as much as the first two but it's okay

Finally Lee and I watched Oliver and Company which I've never seen. We've bee watching some of the older Disney films. I liked this but it's not great

Girls Weekend Day 3

On the Sunday of our trip we didn't do much, as we all had to get home and get to other places. But we had brunch! Sam had booked a table at Space, which wasn't far from where we had being staying. It was fine but the music was so loud it was like being at a rave. A bit annoying!

I went for smashed avocado with tomato and mozzarella and pesto on sour dough toast, with hash browns too. I also had a hot chocolate but unfortunately it wasn't hot enough and I couldn't catch anyone's eye to get it sorted. My food was nice though. 

Once we'd finished we drove Jacqui to the train station where she was going to Cardiff to visit a friend, and then I drove me, Sam and Jodie back to Huddersfield. It was a fine trip back with no traffic so we made it in good time. Back at home Lee helped me unpack and took a photo of me in my What Would Dolly Do t shirt. As I write this she hasn't been well so I'm sending all my love to her. She and I share a birthday, you know - which is why I also share my birthday with Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The food was good but everything else left a bit to be desired

Like my hot chocolate, which wasn't hot

Here I am in my outfit when I got home, though. This is on the top landing of the house... 

Girls Weekend Day 2

On the Saturday of our weekend we had a lot planned! First of all we did a Beatles trip, then we ate delicious vegan food, then we got stuck in a downpour, then we had hot drinks and cake in a cafe. We went back to the Airbnb and relaxed for a few hours, watching an utterly ridiculous film, and then we went out for Thai food. When we got back we drank champagne and watched more Red Dwarf before bed. It was a busy day and so good!

We set off about 11am after I'd failed to have a warm shower in the en suite bathroom and went in the other one instead, and went on Jac's Magical Mystery Tour of a bunch of Beatles locations. I'm not a huge fan but I like them enough (I love Sgt Pepper) and I was glad to see all these places. Jodie is a huge fan so she kept us going with lots of Beatles facts and information which was cute. 

First of all we went to Paul McCartney's childhood home which has a big sign outside. You can go in but we had decided not to. There was a bright yellow taxi with a tour, so we waited until they had done before taking photos. Then we went to George Harrison's childhood home which is on a very unassuming crescent and which just has a blue plaque on it. Next was the graveyard where Eleanor Rigby is buried - Paul says he hadn't seen her grave but who knows what the truth is there. There were two other tours there so we tried to not get in their way. We headed across the road to the community centre where Paul and John first met, which was way cute. I think we then stopped at the Strawberry Fields gates but there were a lot of people about so we didn't stop for long. 

Next was John Lennon's house where there were two more taxi tours - they're expensive though. But the leader of one made sure we had taken all our photos and were happy before he moved in, which was nice of him. We then headed to Penny Lane. At one end there's a sign so we were going to get out and take photos, but in trying to turn round we found a very cute little garden which had a bunch of Beatles related stuff, so we gout out and took tons of photos. There was a zebra crossing so we recreated the Abbey Road cover (I was Ringo). I was glad we found this but there's also a little Beatles museum there but it was sadly closed. 

Last thing was Ringo's house. It is on a very tiny little street and isn't marked at all, but there is a massive mural on a nearby gable end so you do at least know you're in the right place. It was cute to see. We then went to Guac and Roll more in the city centre. Lee has played gigs there a few times and rates the food so I had asked if we could go. It's all vegan so there was an overwhelming choice for me. I eventually went for the Guac and Roll burger which was fake chicken and salad and it was so good. Everyone enjoyed it. It was so nice to visit here! 

It was starting to rain as we were in the cafe and then on the way back to Aigburth it absolutely threw it down. I fancied a hot drink and on Aigburth Road I saw a cafe that also sold flowers so we went in. It had some cute things for sale and while the drinks and cake were a bit limited in choice I enjoyed what I had - a hot chocolate and chocolate chip banana loaf. We tried to avoid the rain but weren't entirely successful so we were all glad to get back into the flat. I got into my pyjamas for a bit but before I did Jodie took a photo of my new Red Dwarf t shirt, I love it. 

As I said, we chilled out and watched a very terrible film and laughed a lot. Then we got dressed again and got a taxi to Thai Me Up which is a tiny Thai restaurant on Aigburth Road. We were still pretty full from lunch so I had Panang curry and we all shared some rice. It was lovely! It was still throwing it down so we got a taxi back to the Airbnb and had some champagne and relaxed for the rest of the night. A lovely day! 

Paul's house, very cute

Eleanor Rigby's grave

George Harrison's house

The plaque on the community centre where John and Paul met

The gates at Strawberry Fields

John's house

All the very cute tribute stuff at Penny Lane

The mural at the end of Ringo's road

My burger in Guac and Roll

Banana chocolate chip loaf

And my lush hot chocolate

Boys from the Dwarf!

The artwork in the Airbnb

Round the table selfies as we were waiting for food

And finally my curry, it was lovely!