Day Trip to Ripon

On the 2nd of December my mum and I had our Christmas shopping day planned. We weren't sure where to go but then I thought I would like to go to Ripon, and then we decided we would take Lee and my stepdad along with us for the day too. So we all went in the same car and we got there in good time. I actually drove there! We parked in the long stay car park and walked up an arcade that is new since any of us were last in Ripon. It had some lovely shops in! In fact the first one was a very good charity shop where my mum found some Jacques Vert slingback shoes and matching handbag, which she snapped up as she was about to go on a cruise and thought they would be perfect for it. We then went in a cute clothing boutique where my mum kindly bought me a very festive jumper as part of my Christmas presents.

We went in a cafe and had a coffee and a little breakfast - I had a toasted teacake which was lovely. We walked up to the main square and then through to the cathedral. We went in, my mum and I looked around more than Lee and my stepdad. We lit some candles which I nearly always do in churches, and we spoke to one of the priests who was really friendly and had a lot of information for us. Their cushions round the edge are all about Ripon and one of them had York St John on it, which is where I went to university! It was Ripon & York St John at one point but the Ripon campus shut just before I arrived there - or maybe as I arrived, not sure. It was nice to see the cathedral. 

We went back to the square and went into the Lounge which is one of the chains, I like them. We just wanted a drink; I had mulled wine and so did my stepdad. My mum had some kind of cocktail but I'm not sure what. We then did some more shopping, I managed to get quite a few Christmas presents. By this time it was getting on a bit so we went into a pub for some lunch. It was nice food, my mum and I shared some wine too. By the time we left the pub and were back on the square it was starting to get dark. My stepdad was flagging a bit by this point so he went and found a pub to sit in and Lee, my mum and I did more shopping, I think we went in nearly every shop that Ripon has! We finally went to the pub to meet Norman. I think it was about 4.30 by this point and as we didn't want to set off and get stuck in rush hour traffic on the A1, we decided to just sit there for a couple of hours and chill. So it was a bit later by the time we dropped my mum and stepdad off! 

As it was nearly Christmas I had pulled out all my sparkly tights so I was wearing them with some boots. I also got my vaguely festive skirt out of storage. It was a dress which a friend gave me but the top didn't fit me, so my mum made it into a skirt for me. It is a wintry scene and I get a lot of compliments on it! On top I was wearing this teal coloured top which I don't remember buying but I love the colour! 

Breakfast in a cute little cafe

Looking up at the cathedral. I must have been in there before because we spent a lot of time in Ripon when I was little, as we had a caravan and we used to go near Ripon a lot, but I don't remember it at all. So it was nice to see

I love all the old saints, this was cute to see

Apparently Lewis Caroll was a choir boy at Ripon cathedral and may have based Alice in Wonderland on some of the things he found there

I also really like stained glass windows

Oh this is the cushion that mention my university!

Christmas decorations in the pub, which was nice

Here we all are. I can't remember what I had to eat

This cute little thing is in the main square 

And there were festive lights too!

My outfit when we got home

And my tights and boots!

Gig in York

As I said in my previous post, Lee's band was touring at the end of November. These were the last gigs he will be playing for a while, as they have decided to go on hiatus and Lee has started something else. They did three in a row - Sheffield on the Friday night so Lee stayed at home, and then they went to Sunderland on Saturday and York on Sunday. I decided to go to York to see them as I wasn't sure if I would get chance again, although they've decided they will play some more dates in 2026 but won't really practice or write new music. My mum and stepdad decided to come and see them too. I asked Jac if she wanted to get lunch first and she did, so I set off a bit early to York. 

I couldn't park where I wanted so ended up in an NCP. I wouldn't mention this usually but it becomes relevant later. I then walked the wrong way out of the car park but eventually I made it to Brancusi and met Jac outside. She and Sam and I ate there in 2024 and enjoyed it, so we had decided to go again. We got a table and eventually got served - it was a bit slow. I had autumn eggs which were spicy and delicious, I would definitely get them again. Then I had some kind of cherry chocolate thing. 

We walked back to my car past a crystal shop and went in, I bought a couple of presents and some hagstones. I love hagstones (stones with holes in) and I thought Emma would like one. She is the drummer in the band Omega Tribe that Lee was touring with, so I was about to see her. I said bye to Jac and headed back to the car and got into the car at just after 2pm. I drove out of the space and towards the ramp - I was on the first floor - and then I got stuck. There was a queue to get out of the car park and it just .........didn't move. I moved one car's space in like forty minutes. By this time I was getting a bit worried because Lee's band were going to be on soon. I called him and they could put it back a bit but not much. My mum was already in York and could have come to get me, but the problem was that I was just stuck on the ramp. I couldn't even repark the car and leave the car park! People were wandering about everywhere trying to work out the problem. I could SEE the exit and there were seven cars in front of me, but NO ONE WAS MOVING. Lee was trying to ring NCP for me but there was no answer. A man told me that someone couldn't get out of the barrier which like, fine, but by this point it had been over an hour. Eventually two women just pulled the barrier up and stood there and held it so people could leave. I do not know what the problem was but it was incredibly annoying!

I finally got to the Fulford Arms well over an hour after I had wanted to be there, but the band before Lee's were just finishing up so it was okay. I made Lee get me a drink and I spoke to Emma, who did indeed appreciate her hagstone, and sat with my mum and stepdad for Lee's band. They sounded good, I enjoyed them. My mum left not long after This Is Not A Drill finished, but I stayed with Lee of course. I sat behind the merch table for Omega Tribe, which was helpful of me and also meant I had a seat. The Fulford Arms has video screens too so I could see the band on there. 

Lee and I didn't stick around that long after Omega Tribe had finished but I was glad I got to see them! We went home where we had already put the Christmas tree up even though it wasn't yet December, because we knew we wouldn't have much chance to do it. We bought a new one which is seven feet tall and SO wide across the base. We have room in the new house for it! It looked gorgeous and made the living room so cosy. 

Coffee in Brancusi 

And my autumn eggs. We shared some bread and butter, too, which was lush

Cherry chocolate something

Not pictured here is the HOUR PLUS LONG WAIT IN THE CAR PARK OMG

Lee's band

And finally here I am behind the merch stand a bit later!

Tattoo Flash

Hello! Happy New Year! I really fell off blogging and writing in general last year so I'm a bit behind on my posts. As it is, I'm writing about things that happened at the end of November and it is the third of January as I do so. It's fine, I'll get caught up. 2025 was a long and stressful year in many ways, and I'm glad it's over, but it also brought some great things, like moving house. It was lovely to spend Christmas in our new house and I'm looking forward to sharing photos with you! 

But first, the end of November. Earlier in the year I joined a Whatsapp community of alternative people based in Sheffield (it's called Alt.Sheff and there's an Instagram for it if you want to check it out) and it's been really good. They have meetups and different chats for different things, and I've enjoyed getting to know people. A few months ago someone in the Tattoo chat suggested getting flash tattoos from a girl in north Sheffield. I have always wanted to get flash tattoos - which are usually small line drawings off sheets that the artist has already drawn, that you just choose from, rather than custom work just for you - but haven't got round to it, so I was excited to join in. The artist had TONS to choose from. Her business is called Coven Tattoos and she's on Chauncer Road in Sheffield. I liked tons of her flash and could have chosen loads! But I restricted myself to two. She does a flash day every month and charges £19 for each tattoo in either black or red. 

Maggie was in charge of setting up all the appointments with the tattooist, and I went for 11.30am. Lee was off touring with his band - see the post about the day after this - so he wasn't in. I set off by myself and was a bit early for my appointment. But the previous person had finished so the tattooist let me in early. I really can't remember her name which I feel a bit bad about. But I was soon done! I had a little fan done, which is near my Mary Poppins umbrella and I felt they matched, and a little cat outline which is on my upper shoulder. They are both so cute! 

When I was done the next people hadn't arrived but I wanted to meet Abi who is in the group as we're also friends on Facebook and have mutual friends, so I hung around. She and her girlfriend were getting tattooed next so I went back into the shop and chatted to them, and then to Nancy, who was after that. Then I went round to the pub nearby to meet some of the other people, including Maggie and Rey, who I've met before. The pub wasn't the greatest but they had food so I had fake chicken on poppadums with chutney, which was surprisingly nice! 

I said goodbye to everyone about 3pm I think, and then headed to my friend Gillian's. She had recently moved house to a place only about fifteen minutes away from our new house, which is brilliant. We've made plans to meet up for drinks/a cuppa every now and then - we just need to do it in 2026! I hadn't yet seen the house. I took some sweets for her girls and Gillian and I sat and chatted. Her husband Tom had gone out for something, but Gillian made pasta and bits for us. Tom arrived back just as we were sitting down. It was nice to see them all and their new house. 

I left about 8pm I'm guessing. The weather was absolutely horrendous so I was glad to get in and cosy! As I said Lee was away so I spent the first night in the new house by myself! 

The little fan on my forearm

And the little cat on my upper arm

And finally the surprisingly nice food in the pub!

The Skints in Leeds

At the end of November a lot of things happened in a few days but not really enough to make separate posts so I'm just going to mush all of these things together into one post. I'm sure you'll cope! 

First of all Chloe and I were supposed to be meeting up with Lolly but she couldn't make it so Chloe and I just met up instead. We decided to go to Pot House Hamlet in Silkstone which is pretty close to my house. I like the food there but the vegetarian choices aren't great and the service is always a bit rubbish, so I actually think it's off my list now, especially as I now live in Penistone which has better cafe options. I had a hot chocolate and I don't even remember what I had for main course, but when we had had that we went for a walk round the shops there. I bought some plants I think, oh and some dried orange slices for crafting. Then we went back into the cafe and sat in the exact same place and had cake and coffee before saying bye. 

Lee works in the office on Wednesdays so when I got home I did some tidying up and I did a Christmassy design on Lee's neon light up board thing which I bought for him last Christmas. I also then made a few garlands with the dried orange slices and some other stuff. Then I did some work in my new work space. I desperately needed a separation between work and personal, so we got me a laptop and we have put it in the back bedroom on a desk that is fitted to one of the bookshelves (thank you Ikea!). It is SO much better for me and has been working well so far. 

On the Thursday evening we put up our Christmas tree. Yes it was early but we were just too excited to put it up in the new house, and also Lee was away for the weekend so it was better to get it up. Last year we didn't put up a big tree because I didn't trust Kiki with it. So far she has behaved with this one. We've always had a slim tree before because our old living room was small (and was also a dining room, and Lee's office) but now we have the new massive living room so we went and bought a new tree. It's huge! It fits in the space though. I love it, I've spent a lot of cosy time in there recently with the lights on. I also liked the really ridiculous tinsel candy cane so put it at the top of one flight of our stairs, it's cute. 

On the Friday I had to take Katniss to the new vets for her injections but she's fine, a clean bill of health. When we think about the cat who arrived in November 2024, she's a totally different animal. She is happy and confident and she's getting better with other adults. She still doesn't like children or the hoover, but she adores me and Lee. I'm so glad we adopted her, she's a little sweetie. 

I did some work and then I set off to Leeds quite early to meet Sam for food before a gig. We had booked to see The Skints absolutely ages ago. We used to really like them in the late noughties and early 2010s, but hadn't seen them in forever, so we decided to go. We booked a table at Oba Korean and Japanese food. I have been there a couple of times and the food is always nice. I had spicy Chinese fake chicken which was nice, and a mocktail which I think had elderflower in it. 

We finished food way before doors were opening, so we decided to go for dessert. I can't remember where we went but there are a few dessert places round there. We had a hot chocolate each and shared a crepe with strawberries, banana, and chocolate sauce. It was nice and just enough! Then we went to the Key Club and joined the queue to get in. I had requested access as I know it's good there, and indeed someone came out and asked if anyone had access, so we went down. There were several high stools to sit on at the back, which were fine but not that comfortable for me to sit on for over three hours, so I sat on the floor for a bit while the support act was on. She sounded great but I didn't see her, it was fine. The floor was actually quite clean!

The Skints came on and were really good! I really enjoyed them! They do make a lovely racket. Marcia sings beautifully and I like Josh's rapping type singing a lot too. He chatted a lot to the crowd which was really nice too. I'm really glad we went! 

Hot chocolate with Chloe

Coffee cake at Pot House Hamlet

The very silly artwork I did for Lee, he needs to have this plugged in more!

One of the orange garlands I made with some felt flowers too

My new little workspace, it will do!

The new tree from both sides. It now has a bunch of presents under it!

And this ridiculous tinsel candy cane, I bought it from the Range. I love it

A mocktail and food in Oba

I feel like I have been drinking a lot of hot chocolate this winter

The crepe we shared

My view from the floor while I was waiting for the Skints to come on

And here they are, and sounded great!

Visit to Sheffield Christmas Market

On the 21st of November Lee and I made plans to go to Sheffield Christmas market. We went last year and enjoyed it, so we planned to go again. I had a hair dressers appointment in the morning which actually took forever because I had the ends of my hair bleached and dyed! I've been wanting to do it for ages and finally made an appointment for it at Lady Luck Hair which is at Scallywag tattoos in the middle of Barnsley. I got there at 10.30 and it took until nearly 1.30 before I was done! 

I went for a turquoise teal colour, mostly because I like it but also because I knew it would fade into a minty green colour and not look too terrible between sessions of dye. Now Chloe has done it once, I think Lee will be able to top it up for me until the bleach needs doing again. Chloe's salon is autism friendly so I was the only person there and it's just so much better for me. I didn't really mind how long it took as I took my book with me and was reading that while I was waiting.

I finally got home - it's much further from town now we live in Penistone and I haven't quite recalibrated myself for that - and then we set off to Sheffield. We parked at Lee's office which is just off the Moor which was really useful! We walked through and looked for somewhere to eat and in the end Lee wanted Bella Italia. It would never be my first choice but it is cheap and cheerful so it was fine. I had Christmas vegetable pasta which was quite yummy. 

We walked down the Moor and went into a few shops and then queued to go on the ferris wheel. I love a ferris wheel so was happy Lee agreed to go on it with me. We went into the new Asian grocery store that has opened and bought some presents and snacks. We walked back up to the Peace Gardens and went into one of the bars. I had a mulled wine which was delicious, I love mulled wine so much. It was busy but it wasn't too busy to sit down, which was good. 

After we had had a drink we both wanted dessert so we got different things. I had churros with milk chocolate sauce, and Lee had Dutch pancakes. We walked back through the market to the car park before coming home! 

My hair when Chloe had finished - I just love the colour and I think it suits me!

My pasta - it was nice to have sprouts in as I love them

Looking up at the wheel as we walked towards it. The queue wasn't too long, either, so we didn't have ti wait long

Views from and around the wheel

As we walked up to the bar 

Hot drinks

Here I am at one of the exits to the bar

Churros

Looking down into the Peace Gardens

And finally the snacks that we bought for us. Weirdly the ones of the top right tasted like Sugar Puffs!