Films of the Month - November

I watched fifteen films in November which was a decent amount. I wonder what my year end tally will be! I never watch many films in December because I'm always so busy. But here we go on November:

Someone had recommended The Edge of Seventeen to me and I liked it. It's a good coming of age film, it reminded me of Booksmart

Lee and I watched Psycho together which I don't think I've ever seen its entirety before. I enjoyed it

I hadn't seen The Truman Show in forever, so Lee and I watched it together. It's very good

Lee wanted to watch Toy Story 4 so we did. I do really like it, I think it's got a strong storyline

I really liked Enola Holmes when I watched it last year, so I was thrilled to see there was a sequel. I highly recommend both films - Millie Bobby Brown is so good and so is the supporting cast. They're fun films

I have seen She's the Man but not for well over a decade, and Buzzfeed reminded me of it, so I watched it by myself one afternoon

Lee wanted to watch something so we went for Captain Marvel which we saw in the cinema when it came out. I love it, it's such a good film even though I'm not really into the MCU films

Everyone on Twitter was recommending Falling for Christmas with Lindsay Lohan so I watched it. It's very typical for a Christmas film but I did like it - there's some very funny bits like when Lindsay is trying to make a bed in the lodge

This is a documentary about a submariner and a journalist that he murdered. It's really interesting and odd

I loved the book The Wonder when I read it a few years ago, but I hadn't realise they'd made a film of it until Netflix recommended it to me! Very exciting! It's set in the mid 1800s in Ireland, with Florence Pugh as a nurse sent to watch a young girl who has supposedly not eaten any food for several months. Tom Burke is in it too as a journalist, and the girl playing the young girl was really good. Florence was perfect. I would really recommend this!

I love Enchanted, but hadn't realised there was a sequel until I kept seeing the adverts, so I watched it. It was okay - fun enough. Amy Adams was still good and I liked the PTA moms

I remembered about Let It Snow which came out three years ago and which is based on a book that I liked. It's a cute YA film

I dunno why I fancied watching the original West Side Story, but I did. I watched it one Saturday afternoon when we weren't doing anything else. I love it so much

Netflix recommended Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich to me. I've watched quite a few things about her and Epstein and find them fascinating. I of course believe the survivors

Finally towards the very end of the month Lee and I watched Die Hard 2, even though Lee insists it's a Christmas film. I said we wouldn't have chance to watch it closer to Christmas. I really like it - I like William Sadler as the bad guy and the storyline

Lady Maisery and a Craft Workshop with My Mum

In the last week of November I had quite a busy week. On the Monday we went to Chatsworth Christmas market which you've already seen. On the Wednesday I had tickets to see folk trio Lady Maisery in Sheffield. My friend Sarah was going to come but couldn't at the last minute, so Lee came with me. We went to Cutlery Works for tea first, which I haven't been to before but I've heard of it. It's like a food court inside, with several different vendors. We both decided to go for a burger though. Mine was vegan with loaded fries and it was nice. Then I had a cherry Bakewell brownie which was so good! 

We went to Firth Hall for the gig and I had reserved seats at the front so we had a brilliant view. Lady Maisery are all extremely talented multi instrumentalists, and I love the stories they tell about their songs. I had Kickstarted their album, so I took it in to get signed afterwards. It was a really fun gig! 

On the Friday of that week I went to a craft workshop with my mum. It was at A Touch of Craft Yorkshire in Ossett, which I've been to twice before but my mum never has. It was a soap workshop and we booked it absolutely forever ago and were really looking forward to it. She picked me up at 3pm and we first of all headed to Penistone to go to the craft fair which is held annually at St John's church. It's always lovely and I always pick up a few nice presents. We both bought some bits! We then went to Wakefield to get tea before going to the craft workshop.

It was run by Rachael and there were only three of us plus her, which meant we got some brilliant one on one tuition from her. We made three different types of soaps - Himalayan salt and charcoal, snowflake peppermint ones, and some with glitter and snowmen and Christmas trees in. The whole thing was a lot of fun, and we came away with a lot of soap! We wrapped them up nicely before leaving too. I am keeping one of each of what I made and giving the others as gifts for Christmas. 

We went back to my mum's after the workshop and Lee came to pick me up. My mum had bought this cute tealight holder for my stepdad, someone I know at craft club made it! 

Burger and fries - I also had a very nice orange gin

Cherry Bakewell brownie

Lady Maisery during their set

And at the end

Signed CD!

This was all the stuff set out ready to make soap. It was just melt and pour and then add mica and such like - really simple but so much fun!

Himalayan salt and charcoal soap

Wrapped up afterwards

I love these snowflake ones, they're so thick too!

Love the glitter ones too, so much glitter!

Here's everything I made all nicely wrapped up

And finally here's the tealight holder my mum bought

Chatsworth Christmas Market with Lee

On the 21st of November Lee had the day off and we headed off to Chatsworth to visit the Christmas market. I follow Wax This Way on Instagram (I highly recommend their wax!) and saw that they were setting up their stall at the market, and thought I would like to go. I imagine it is heaving at the weekend but thankfully Lee had a couple of days holiday left so he booked one off. I went to craft club for a little bit, then we set off from Penistone at about 11.30. Chatsworth is about an hour away from there, over the tops and past Ladybower reservoir. It's a nice drive. You had to pay for parking but it was well organised. Pre booking was essential - signs said not to proceed if you didn't have a ticket booked, and that's just on a random wet Monday! As I can't walk far, we were told to go closer to the entrance to the market, which was really useful for us. Staff were doing brilliantly! 

I did find the market quite accessible - the walking wasn't too hilly and even though it was raining so much the flooring they had in most places wasn't slippy and I found it fine to walk on. I walked a long way! There's plenty of seats and some are undercover, but the ones that aren't were wet. That was our main issue - neither of us had a proper coat, just hoodies, and we ended up VERY wet.

Anyway we walked in and went straight up to the food stalls as it was lunchtime and we were hungry. I immediately noticed a sign for vegan bockwurst, so I had one of those with sauerkraut and mustard. It was so good! Lee ordered a Yorkshire pudding wrap, which took a while, but he really enjoyed it which is the main thing. Then we started to walk round the market. Most sellers were really friendly, despite the rain. There was a good variety of stalls. We bought cheese, presents, Christmas decorations, brownies, and lots of candles and melts (I treated myself!). I would definitely recommend the market for its variety. 

About 2pm we had some hot chocolate, and a sit down under one of the gazebos. Then we did the rest of the market, by which time we were really wet in the rain and had seen all the stalls. Our tickets did also get us into the stables shops and cafes, and we could have gone to the estate shop, but we didn't go to any of those. I would visit again and go though! 

We drove to Bakewell and eventually managed to find parking. Lee wanted to go to the record shop he found last time we went to Bakewell. He spent £50! We could have gone in more shops but we had barely dried out in the car and I was very tired. Fortunately we did both have dry hoodies to put on, which helped. Anyway we decided to go and have a drink in the pub while we waited for Sahil Street Food to open. The pub had mulled wine! I would have had some at the market but had hot chocolate instead, so I was happy to have some in the pub. It was warming and lovely. 

I had found Sahil Street Food on Tripadvisor, where it's the best place for vegetarian food in Bakewell apparently! It opened at 4pm and we got in there just after. It's basically a takeaway but they do have some tables, so we sat down. We ordered vegetable pakora, samosa chaat, masala fries, butter chicken for Lee and Mum's school vegetable curry for me. Oh and a naan bread! It was SO good! I'd highly recommend it if you're in the area. I didn't eat all the chaat so I brought that home with me. The pakoras were SO good - light and spicy and gorgeous. 

After we'd eaten we came home. It was such a good day, I really enjoyed the market and the good food I had! We've said we'll go again next year for definite! 

I was wearing the lollidot skirt that I wear quite a lot, with my star print top from Simply Be. I've been struggling with my mental health for the past few weeks, so to try to combat that I'm leaning heavily into cosy and embracing Christmas even though it was only the middle of November. This star top is one of my festive pieces of clothing!

My vegan bockwurst! So good! This is before I got very wet

One of the bars at the market

The front of the stables

Getting wetter

This statue is in the stable courtyard

And so is this lovely fountain

And this gives some extra info about the Devonshire family

Looking down the market

And this is the entrance to where the house itself is, it looked really pretty

Loved this bus - if it wasn't raining it would be lovely to sit on top!

Hot chocolates for us

And here I am ninety minutes later with my mulled wine

The Christmas tree in the pub was lovely

Here we are! 

Samosa chaat, I absolutely love this wherever it is

Vegetable pakora

Mum's school vegetable curry - a few too many peas for my liking but it was nice

Star print top and skirt, I had sparkly tights on too

And here's what we bought for us!

Lunch Out with Helen and a New Top

On the 17th of November I went to Manchester to meet up with my friend Helen. We met on Twitter seven years ago and it turned out to be the sixth anniversary of when we met in person for the first time! So that was quite cute. We had met at Slattery's then, which Helen had never been to. I think we've been at least once since then, and we decided to meet there again this time too. I never mind driving over to Manchester as it's usually quite a nice drive over the tops. However, the rain was quite bad so I decided to go on the M62, and I set off nice and early. I was early enough to be able to wait for a space in the car park, and then have time to do some shopping in the shop downstairs too. I bought some Christmas presents and some bread and a piece of cake for Lee as he'd asked me to. I then went upstairs to the dining room and waited for Helen.

Slattery's does gorgeous savoury food, but I nearly always get the rarebit because it's really lovely. I had garlic mushrooms on top of it too, and one of their gorgeous hot chocolates. Helen had a club sandwich which I think she enjoyed. Then of course we had dessert - why would you bother going to Slattery's otherwise?! I went for the strawberry and marshmallow dippers, which come with two cups of melted chocolate - so good! I ate about half and brought the rest home for later. 

It was raining on the way to Manchester but the motorway was okay, but on the way home it was really bad. I ended up getting off and going through Cleckheaton - not a place I know well and I followed my nose until I got to Heckmondwike, where I know the way home! It took forever - I might have been better staying on the motorway, but who knows. Anyway it didn't really matter because I didn't have anything else to do, and once I did get home I could just get into my pyjamas and relax. It was nice to see Helen! 

I wearing wearing this old Scarlett & Jo skirt that I've had forever, but with it I was wearing this new top from Very, from the Judi Love collection that the cardigan I showed recently was also from. I liked the purple colour and I liked the cut out - I had two tops like this when I was a teenager! I also like the ruching on the sleeves, and the fact that it's long sleeved but still light enough for me to wear wherever. I was also wearing sparkly tights and my new boots. 

Delicious hot chocolate - there's melted chocolate all round the glass, which is filled with hot milk, and you have to mix them together. One is plenty! I tried two once and it was too much!

Rarebit with garlic mushrooms - so good

Helen and me - Helen is a very sunny and funny person and I count myself genuinely privileged to be her friend

Dessert! The chocolate is so delicious

New purple top and purple and blue skirt - don't they look really good together?!

And finally the ruching on the sleeves