RIP Ruben

On Valentine's Day I went off to work as usual. My friend Jane had been staying with us for a couple of nights; she left just after me. I had loads of work to do and got loads done, but I had been awake in the night and was reslly tired when I came home. Lee and I had decided to not go out for Valentine's Day but decided to order curry. I really wanted Thai food but no one in Barnsley would deliver that, so we ordered curry instead. We gave each other a record each that we had bought in Leeds just the week before - I'm very excited to have Billie Holiday on vinyl! 

However, just before Lee was going to go out to collect the curry, my mum rang in floods of tears and asked if we could take her and my stepdad to have their cat Ruben put to sleep. They had been out for lunch and both had a drink so couldn't drive. So we quickly got dressed (we had been in pyjamas) and set off for my mum's, picking up our curry on the way.

Ruben and Millie, my mum's cats, were actually born on the day my dad died in 2008 and came to live with her twelve weeks later. Millie is black with a tiny white smudge, like my Jasmine. Ruben was mostly white with black markings - really cute markings. While my mum was by herself they were constant companions for her and were absolutely spoilt rotten. They would sit on the table with her while she ate tea, a habit that they never grew out of! Ruben was one of the most friendly and amenable cats you could ever wish to meet. They have both been really healthy cats their entire lives. A few months ago Ruben started losing weight and wasn't eating properly. He had been put on different food but it didn't make much of a difference. In late January he got all jaundiced - the skin on the tips of his ears had gone all yellow. 

My mum knew she would probably have to make a difficult decision quite soon, and just before Valentine's Day Ruben was having trouble walking so she said to me it would probably be soon. Then on the Tuesday he couldn't walk at all, so my mum called it. We all went into the vets. The vet was lovely and the whole thing was peaceful. Ruben was very brave, bless him. He will be so missed! My mum brought him home to bury him near his favourite bush. Please give your pet an extra hug from us - I made sure Poppy and Jasmine were covered in kisses and hugs 

Billie Holiday and Public Enemy

A picture of Ruben taken about four years ago I think, wasn't he the most handsome boy?

Pottery Painting with Sam and Jacqui

On the 11th of February me and Sam and Jacqui met up to do some pottery painting. I've wanted to do it for ages and I put it on my list of forty things that I want to do before I turn forty in January 2024. I will try to blog things on this list as and when they happen, but I've already missed writing about a couple - like get another tattoo was on the list, and I did that just before this day. I'm going to write a zine about the forty things, because it's me and that's what I do! So anyway Sam and Jac said they would do it with me. We looked around at plenty of places but decided to go for Crafty Owls in Ossett, near Wakefield. 

We decided to go for some lunch first, so booked a table at Bistro 42. I've been before, but it was ages ago, for my mum's birthday at one point. I remembered it being nice though, and it is. Jac and I shared some nachos and then I had a halloumi burger and chunky chips. They were both nice. Sam and Jac enjoyed their food too. They also had two cocktails each, which I tasted and which were delicious. 

We got to Crafty Owls early but we were able to sit down. They have lots of clay things for you to choose from to paint, although the person in charge said their choices were a bit down because they had been so busy. There was still ample choice though! I went for a big bauble and a cat. I am not, it turns out, a natural painter. I enjoyed making the patterns on the bauble, though, and I just sort of tried my best with the cat. It's orange, reddish, and black. My own cats are black, and black and white, but that seemed like it would be boring to paint so I went for more of a calico. Sam painted a bowl and a cup, doing patterns and stuff. Jac did a Belle! She was beautiful and will look stunning I am sure! It took her ages but she did manage to also paint Stede Bonnet (if you know you know) on to a teabag holder.

We were there about two hours in all. Crafty Owls has some drinks and sweet things, so we got a drink each. We paid and I arranged that I would go back to collect our stuff once it had been glazed and fired. It was really good fun to just sit and paint and chat - so much so that Jacqui asked if we can go to the place in York near Christmas and paint some stuff then! I am so glad this was on my list and that we crossed it off!

I had painted my nails - Barry M Spearmint - so took this photo while I was waiting for Sam at the station

Nachos to share!

Halloumi burger and chunky chips

I love ghost writing on old buildings like this!

My cat and bauble before painting

All the different paints we had to choose from - we each had a tile to use as a paint palette which showed what each colour looks like when fired

Sam and Jac!

And all three of us - there were other people in the place, on and off

My bauble

Jac's Belle - just so good!

My little cat - I'm excited to see what this will look like too

And finally my plate

Jac took this of everything we had made!

Lunch with Sarah and a Boohoo Dress

On the 9th of February Sarah and I headed across the Pennines to go to Slattery's cakes in Manchester. I've been plenty of times as you've seen before, but Sarah never had so we made plans to go. She picked me up and drove us over on the M62. I never mind driving but it was nice to be drive for a change! We got there about midday and went straight to our booked table. 

We both went for the rarebit; I had garlic mushrooms on mine as usual and Sarah had a poached egg on hers. We shared some potato wedges. Then we both had the wicked chocolate sampler which has four little pieces of cake and two chocolate pots, one with melted chocolate in and one with cream. I can never eat even half of this, and actually only ate both the chocolate pots. I then brought the rest home to eat later! We had also had a hot chocolate each, which are so good - they're melted chocolate round the edge of the glass and then hot milk and you mix the two together. So delicious! 

Sarah really enjoyed the food and the general ambience of the dining room. It does feel upmarket and just a generally nice place to go. I also recognise plenty of the waiting staff from when I've been years and years ago, so obviously they don't have a high turnover of staff, which shows it's a good place to work in my opinion. 

We went down to the shop and bought a few bits each - Lee likes me to take bread home for him whenever I go. I also bought some chocolate discs for Sam and Jacqui who I was seeing a couple of days later. 

I was wearing a new dress from Boohoo. I saw it when I was looking for the My Little Pony t shirt and couldn't resist it. I've never been into leopard print but I think I now own three items of clothing with that on it - so maybe I'm getting into it! I love the dress but it is a little bit out of my comfort zone. It's a little bit tighter than I'm used to, and it's a bit shorter, too. However, I love the pattern and the flash of blue, so I decided to wear it anyway. Fake it til you make it, that's my motto. I also knew that I had some Snag tights in the same blue colour as is on the dress, so I pulled them out. I do have some plain blue ones, but I pulled out this new pair, which have cat faces on the front and cat tails on the back! The cats are just about on my knees! As is common with Snags, because these are printed they do run a bit smaller than some of their other ones, but still fit me fine. I think the outfit was lovely and I'm glad I wore it. I posted the picture on my Facebook later because I think people sometimes see the outfits I wear and think I'm always confident and wear what I like, but that's not always the case. Sometimes I feel vulnerable! I got some lovely comments on the dress anyway!

I didn't get a great picture of the tights but you can see the cuteness of the cats here

Delicious hot chocolate

Gorgeous rarebit and garlic mushrooms

And my gorgeous chocolate sampler - is it any wonder I brought most of it home?! 

And the dress when I got home - it is really lovely

Lunch and Two New Tattoos

On the 8th of February I got two new small tattoos, again done by Nini at The Ink Station in Heckmondwike, who has done like three quarters of my tattoos. I love her and I love her style, so I keep going back! My friend Chloe and I had booked in for two hours together so we could hang out too, it was really nice to do this! We arranged to meet for lunch first at Leon, near Chloe's house. 

It markets itself as a healthy eating fast food place, and I was pleased to see they have plenty of veggie and vegan choices. I went for vegan meatballs on rice, and got them with waffle fries and a pink lemonade. It was all pretty nice, I would go again. We then went over to the petrol station where there's a Cinnabon outlet, I got two choco ones to bring home for me and Lee. 

We went together in Chloe's car to The Ink Station and got everything all copied and ready with Nini. I went first. As always, I hate being tattooed but love having been tattooed. I got three Heartstopper leaves on my left arm, and a Mary Poppins parrot umbrella on my right arm. Nini made them fit with my other tattoos because she is magic that way! I got the leaves coloured in but just some shading on the umbrella. 

Chloe got a lighter and a flame, I can't remember what she said it was from but it was cool. We finished and said goodbye before heading back to my car so I could come home. When I got home it was past 4pm so I just put my pyjamas on and read my book on the sofa. Lee made spicy noodle soup for tea and it was absolutely delicious, we will make it again. We shared one of the Cinnabons for tea, we reheated it in the microwave as the box recommended, and it was really delicious. 

I was wearing some new clothes - someone on my FB shared this Boohoo men's My Little Pony t shirt recently and I just had to have it. I've never bought from Boohoo before but also got a dress at the same time. They were both cheap and cute. The t shirt is a 2xl and it's fine on me. 

I got some of the Snag tights My Little Pony ones in the mystery bag sale so I put them on too. They looked cute with the t shirt and skirt I think! 

Tights and boots just before I set off

Vegan meatballs on rice, with vegan aioli

Heartstopper leaves!

And the very cute umbrella

These photos were taken as soon as they were finished, so bear that in mind re redness/etc

My Little Pony t shirt!

Really spicy and delicious noodle soup

And a Cinnabon!

Films of the Month - January

I only watched six films in January, the last one being on the 12th of January. I was busy the weekend after that, and then away for my birthday, and then my grandma died and I was dealing with all of that, so I just didn't get round to watching any more in the rest of the month. I feel a bit sad about it, but I can't do anything about it now I guess! 

Here's what I saw:

So here's the thing about Knives Out: I thought it was a horror film. I'm not sure why, but I did. So I never watched it, because I don't like horror films very much. Then everyone kept going on about Glass Onion over Christmas, and I was intrigued, so I started with the first one. I really liked it! Daniel Craig was brilliant

I watched Paddington 2 because I really like it as a comfort film. I think I prefer the first one but this is just so cute too

I have never seen the Indiana Jones films so I wanted to rectify that in 2023. So Lee and I watched the first one the first weekend of January. I did like it!

I loved Dumplin' the first time I saw it, the book was brilliant to. I watched this the day after I had had dental surgery and it was perfect for recovery

Netflix recommended The Courier to me, and I do like a war drama, so I liked this with Benedict Cumberbatch in it

Finally I watched Glass Onion. I didn't like it as much as the first one, though

Sale at the LGBTQ+ bookshop and Korean food with friends

On Sunday the 5th of February we headed to Leeds to meet up with our friends Leanne and Adi and their little girl April. I had noticed that The Bookish Type was having a sale and thought Leanne might like to join me. It's an independent LGBTQ+ bookshop and it's brilliant. The first time I went was with Leanne, and I went when I was Christmas shopping with my mum to buy some presents for friends. I was excited about a sale so we arranged to meet Leanne and co there just before 12.

Lee and I got to the Merrion Centre about 11.10 and went to the record shop, Jumbo Records, where we bought each other a record that we will give each other for Valentine's Day. We went into The Works and were just getting a coffee when Leanne messaged me to say there was a queue forming upstairs, so we headed up. The queue was already pretty big! The shop is not huge so even when the doors opened the staff were only letting about 6 people in at once. Adi, April and Lee decided to go down to Oba Kitchen, where we had planned to eat, instead of coming in, which made perfect sense as it's a small shop. 

Leanne and I headed inside eventually. There was a rack of secondhand books, none more expensive than £5. There was also a trolley of 'new but damaged' books, again priced cheaply. Of these, each customer was allowed ten, which seemed really fair to me. I picked up five. Then I picked three books off the shelves, at full price. My friend Sam bought me a voucher for the shop for Christmas, so I knew I could use that. Because of that I took chances on two books that I probably wouldn't have used my own money for. I also had Christmas money which took care of the rest of the money - I spent less than £20 in total so it was a bargain! It was a good sale, I would definitely go again.

Leanne and I headed to Oba Kitchen. There's two Korean restaurants in the Merrion Centre but one of them just does barbecue, meat options, with no veggie options, so it was no good for me. This one looked lush though. It has Japanese choices too. I nearly went for two Japanese dishes, but changed my mind as Japanese restaurants are more plentiful and I wanted to have something Korean. I went for sushi to start with, which was really yummy, and then veggie bibimbap for my main course. I've never had bibimbap before and am so glad I did - it was delicious and had an egg in it which I enjoy. It was nicely spicy!

Lee and I didn't get desserts but I had a Sex on the Beach cocktail instead which was really good. We said goodbye to Leanne, Adi and April, it had been so nice to see them as we hadn't seen them since Lee's 40th party back last August. We had bought April a Disney princess wand and I'm glad to say she really liked it!

I sat down while Lee popped into Morrisons and then we came home. I was wearing my new Alanis Morrisette t shirt which my aunt and uncle bought me, I love it and I'm so happy to finally have an Alanis t shirt! With it I wore my black and flowered skirt, which again used to be a dress but I like wearing it as a skirt with whatever top I like! 

It was a lovely Sunday - I do like buying books! 

First of all my nails - Chloe gave me this nail polish at the clothes swap and I just love it, a gorgeous dusty blue. My nails are finally looking okay again after I had gel on them

Outside the bookshop

Sushi to start with!

Veggie and egg bibimbap, I would like to try to make this for myself some time

Sex on the Beach cocktail, it was delicious

Two of my lovely lunch companions. April was busy chatting to me, including telling me which is her favourite type of penguin

And finally my outfit!

Sarah's Birthday Party

At the beginning of February my friend Sarah had a birthday and housewarming party at her house near Workshop. She and Tom and Robyn moved there last October , Lee and I went over in November to see the house. They had a bit of a rubbish Christmas due to flu so Sarah wanted to have a party to make up for that a bit. So Lee and I said we would go. First of all we went into Barnsley because I needed an eye test (thankfully my prescription hasn't changed much and the optician did not recommend new glasses, which is great). We got some bits in M&S and then looked at the market, where we bought cake and also some new pillows for me. They were 2 for £20! This was also one of the items on my 40 Before 40 list, which is forty things I want to do before I turn forty next January. It was a basic item but a needed one I think!

We got to Sarah's just after 12 and found the house in chaos with many small children there. We sat in the dining room and chatted to a ton of people and I got to cuddle a small baby so that was fun. Because of everything going on with my grandma and stuff I had just bought Sarah some wine and chocolates, usually I would get her something more personalised but I don't think she minded because she likes wine and chocolate anyway! We left at about 3.30. There was a buffet which included a bunch of vegetarian sandwiches, then Sarah's mother in law had made some gorgeous individual pavlovas, and then Sarah's mum made a gorgeous gin and tonic cake, so we were well catered for! 

I was wearing this jumper that I got from Marks and Spencer in the sale in December. It's funny because my mum had the same one but all in green and I thought I had ordered that one, but this pink and navy one arrived and I didn't really think about it until I put it on. No matter though because I really love the colours of this one. I put it on with my black Lollidot skirt that used to be a dress, and new tights from Snag. My aunt and uncle bought them for me for Christmas, they are some of the duo ones. These are "Whack", white and black, and I love them, especially with the skirt! They're unusual and cute. 

Delicious homemade pavlova and fruit

The gin and tonic cake Sarah's mum made for her

M&S jumper, tucked into Lollidot skirt. I was wearing my patent boots that I got from Skopos mill last November - I haven't worn them in ages cos since Christmas I've been wearing my second hand Dr Martens! 

A close up of the duo tights, aren't they cute! 

End of January, My Grandma, and Christmas #2

On the 25th of January my grandma died. She had been in hospital for about a week, suffering from fluid on her lungs and anaemia. She wasn't responding particularly quickly to treatment, but on Tuesday evening she was quite agitated and a bit in distress - my mum and stepdad had gone to see her and I'm glad they did. She died peacefully in her sleep at around 9.30am on the Wednesday morning. My mum rang me straight away and asked me to go to the hospital with her, so I very quickly got ready to go. What was worst is that Lee was on a flight to Frankfurt, to go to Bratislava where his company is based. I rang him straight away and he could have turned round and come home, but I told him there was no point because there was nothing he could do. He was going for some team building stuff so I told him just to carry on.

I went to my mum's and she and my stepdad and I went to the hospital to see my grandma. My mum's vicar (technically my boss, too) met us there and prayed over her, which meant a lot to my mum and would have meant a lot to my grandma too I'm sure. We went back to my mum's and started ringing round relatives and friends to let people know. My mum had obviously already spoken to her sister, and what is sad is that her mother in law died just 8 days before my grandma. I feel sorry for my cousins, losing both grandmas in such short succession! 

I could have stayed at my mum's but didn't want to leave my cats for too long so I went home. I was fine by myself, and I let the cats sleep with me overnight if they wanted which they don't always get to do. On Thursday morning my mum and I went swimming and then had coffee and cake in a cafe near me. I was by myself for the rest of the day but fine with the cats.

On Friday I went to lunch with someone I went to school with, who I haven't seen since I left school in 2000! I just burnt my bridges when I left I think, desperate to move on to the next part of my life (6th form college). I made friends with Sally on Facebook ages and ages ago and last year said it would be nice to meet up with her. So we arranged to meet for lunch at Blacker Hall Farm which is a nice place near my mum's house. I was quite anxious about seeing her, but it turned out we chatted just fine and I really enjoyed myself. I had falafel salad to eat and it was delicious! I headed home afterwards where Lee had just got home. We both napped for a bit before heading to my mum's about 4.30. Lee really wanted to see her, obviously, and make sure she was okay. 

My aunt and uncle arrived not long after us and we ended up staying for tea - my mum always has vegetarian sausages and sausage rolls in her freezer in case we need feeding, so we had sausage rolls with omelettes which were lovely. 

On Saturday we headed to my mum's for about 11am. My cousins and the eldest one's wife were already there. We had already planned to all get together on this day to have a big Christmas meal together and swap presents, as we hadn't had the chance to do that at Christmas itself. We decided we would still do this even without my grandma, and it turned out to be a really lovely day. We swapped presents, made a big meal with a lot of help from many people, and played some games. Rob made soups to start with, including a French onion soup that was so delicious. I had nut roast for my main course, with all the trimmings. I had asked Rob and Beth for a plush of Lucky from 101 Dalmatians, it is so cute! We left there around 11pm. I'm glad we still did it and didn't mope about my grandma - we talked about her, obviously. It was a lovely day.

I got this new pink hoodie off Vinted - Lolly saw the listing and sent it to me as I wanted one to replaced my burgundy hoodie which had really seen better days. This one was £11 and was brand new with tags! It is quite long but that will just keep my bum warm. It's big enough to wear a cardigan or jumper underneath too. 

So my grandma's funeral will be in February. On the Tuesday after her death, I went to my mum's and the undertaker and the vicar both came to see us so that was lots of admin to do. It was exhausting. I am glad to have nothing to do today except get my blogs up to date!

My grandma - I'm not sure how old she was here but I really like the picture

Falafel salad

Me and Sally! It was lovely to see her!

Modelling my new hoodie, I love the colour

Me and my cousin Peter on the Saturday - I always take a photo like this of the two of us at Christmas so had to carry on the tradition

Lucky! Isn't he the cutest thing! Beth is a big Disney fan so when I wanted one of these I knew she was the perfect person to ask to buy it!

Everyone sitting down for lunch - it was a bit of a squash but nice to sit all together

Selfie mode with me in it too 

Christmas dinner - it was so delicious! I made the cheese sauce and the bread sauce