Tidying My Mum's Attics and a Spa Day

Towards the end of March we went to my mum's house two days in a row to tidy out her attics. She had been threatening this for years but then waited until we moved house so that we have a loft of our own to put our stuff in rather than hers. My uncle Neil then offered to come and help us, as neither me nor my stepdad can climb the ladders into the attics. It was nice of him to help and he was so useful! He arrived at my mum's on the Tuesday afternoon, and we went over there on Wednesday morning. Lee took three days off work, so we had the time to do it. 

There are two attics in the house because it's extended. One is the ordinary common or garden attic, kind of boarded out and all dark and shadowy. The other one is in the extension and it was my 'chill out' space when I was a teenager. It's pretty small and set in the eaves, but it's properly boarded with a nice floor (that I painted purple) and a window. I LOVED it up there when I lived there - it was a cool space and I had cool furnishings and stuff. Since my stepdad moved in fifteen years ago he and my mum have used it just to store stuff. It was definitely in need of sorting, as was the other one!

It was actually snowing in the morning; Kiki and I were not impressed with this! Penistone really is its own micro climate. We got stuck into sorting things out at my mum's - where it wasn't snowing - and did well. I sat on the landing looking at a load of old stuff that was mine, and a load of stuff that was my dad's. We broke for lunch and then went again, and got stuff sorted into lots of piles, including lots of stuff to take to charity and lots of stuff to take to the tip. Lee and my uncle did a tip run late on and then we gave up, and had a nice night instead. 

My mum made sausage casserole (veggie for me and Lee) and she had got puddings from where I work, so I had apple crumble which was lovely. We had a few drinks and chatted for a bit, then Lee and I headed home to see the cats and go to bed!

Thursday was very much the same, only there was less of my stuff now because they were in the extension loft and that wasn't as much my stuff. I did go through a lot of my dad's stuff, including all of his school exercise books. Funnily, one of them was filled with football scores of a local team that he was friends with. I found loads of funny things and loads of touching things, too. My mum and uncle had taken a load of stuff to the charity shop first thing, and then Lee and Neil did another tip run just before it closed. There were still boxes of my stepdad's stuff for him to go through - a lot belonging to my stepsister, who doesn't speak to us anymore - but nothing for me or Lee to do. 

We had fajitas for tea and more pudding - jam sponge this time for me! - and played games and had some more drinks. We got  home late again so we weren't that early getting up the next morning. I was given a voucher by a friend which was for use of the spa facilities and afternoon tea at the Mercure Hotel in Sheffield City Centre. I had heard that the spa isn't great but we headed off anyway, of course. We got there about 11.30 and into the spa. 

There's a swimming pool and a sauna and a steam room, but no hot tub, and as it's all in the basement it's pretty dark and a bit dingy. But we had a nice swim and sat for a bit, and then swam some more. We went up to the hotel lobby for afternoon tea which was right next to the Winter Gardens. It was actually lovely food and we both enjoyed it! We headed back downstairs and I went into the steam room, which was lovely, for a bit, and then went for another swim. We didn't stay way long into the afternoon but we had enjoyed ourselves.

We went into Caffe Nero for a drink and took it up to Lee's office so he could show it to me. He works near the car park that looks like a cheese grater, if you know Sheffield. His office is on the top floor so we went up and he showed me his desk and the board rooms and stuff like that. There was only one person in! We went out on to the roof terrace which has a lovely view over the station and Park Hill. 

Then we came home! It had been a busy week! 

Kiki looking disbelievingly at the snow falling from the sky

This was given to me on my first Christmas, when I was nearly one, and was signed by my dad - adorable 

Bottom right is the first record I ever bought, when I was about eight years old. The others were definitely mine, haha

A wedding photo of my parents! My mum made her own dress, isn't it gorgeous? 

This was a folder I decorated in Year 10. All my folders looked like this

And the back of it, lol

Neil said he needed counselling over the number of baby dolls he found in both attics, haha. This one was my grandma's, so she's almost a hundred years old, and she's very fancy. Her head has been loose ever since I was a little girl, and it's now come off entirely. We did have it, though, so I am going to look into getting her mended and getting her clothes back in good condition too! She did look a bit terrifying sitting here with no head, though

Here we are playing Skyjo and having a drink

The afternoon tea in the hotel, which was lovely, the scone especially

I finished this cross stitch on Friday night I think!