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!

Family Weekend and Party

On the weekend of the 14th of November my cousin Rob, his wife Beth, and their toddler T came to stay with us. They were partly here to see our new house, but they also were here for my mum's party. She had decided to through herself a 'I no longer have cancer' party once she had got the all clear, and once I had had my first mammogram and had made sure it came back clear. She booked a room in a pub near her and organised it from 2-5 in the afternoon. So it fitted in nicely with Rob and co's plans to come visit. 

They arrived at about 7pm on the Friday having been at work, and we all had tea together before T went to bed. I think Beth ended up going to bed at the same time as him, but Rob and Lee and I sat and watched TV and chatted, it was nice. 

On Saturday morning we had breakfast and stuff and I got ready for the party. Lee's parents all arrived about 12 and we had a cuppa and chatted to them et cetera, and then we all headed off to the party. My aunt and uncle were already there as they had stayed with my mum for a couple of nights before. There were also my mum's cousin Gary and his missus Allie, and a bunch of friends already there. My friends Sam and Jodie turned up not too long after. We sat and talked to people and then this band called The Broken Amps played. They are a pub band around Wakefield and my mum and stepdad first saw them about eighteen months ago and really like them. They are a covers band and they sounded pretty good. I haven't seen them before. 

T got to play the electric drum kit which is very exciting when you're two years old, and he also has a pretty good sense of rhythm! He also danced with his grandma and grandad which was very sweet. They left earlier than us as Lee and I were talking to family friends and stuff, it was really nice to catch up with lots of people that my mum knows. My mum also got Lee and I a present which is a photograph of a loch in Scotland and which matches a different photo which we got that was a wedding present for us twenty years ago. It is so lovely and we have put them both together at the top of the first set of stairs in our house (it's a three storey house) and I love seeing it. 

We got back about 6.30 I guess and Rob had started making tea for us which was very sweet of him. We were having giant Yorkshire puddings with veggie sausages, mashed potato, and vegetables. So that was ready not long after we got back. After that I helped Beth bath T which was a lot of fun because I let him use bath bombs and tons of shower gel and so on. He went to sleep better that night, so Beth came back down and we chatted and watched TV and did quizzes and stuff. 

On Sunday morning we went to Barnsley Metrodome to go swimming. It's a big leisure centre near us and when I was a kid it was the best place ever. It has a wave machine and slides and so on. I've been as an adult of course, but not for a while. So we had booked tickets for all five of us to swim. I have to say that the whole place could do with a refurb. The tiles and everything are a bit delapidated and in need of a rehaul. I don't suppose they'll do it though because it would mean closing and losing money. Anyway, we all went in. Beth and T went in the baby pool but they hadn't been in long before a bucket of water tipped itself over them! T was quite upset so we all went in the pool with the wave machine but when you're in the shallows - you know, with a toddler - the waves are quite vicious! 

So we went into the length pool which was better for all. T was swimming between all of us, he's very good. It was a fun time! We went home and had some lunch, although I don't remember now what we had to eat. Rob and Beth and T set off home about 3pm I guess. Just after that I went in the bath! I had bought a couple of bath bombs from an independent shop in Barnsley so I chucked one in. The water was very purple! It smelt of violets and was lovely. While I was in the bath Lee brought me a cup of hot chocolate which added to the cosiness! 

It was a lovely weekend. The week before I had had an infection in my face which was incredibly painful. I had had to go round the houses to get antibiotics because I'm allergic to penicillin and it set everything else off, but I finally got some. The GP I saw was incredibly helpful and thinks I have fibromyalgia. It would make a lot of sense for me, I'm often fatigued and need to take things slowly. I'm hoping to get on betters meds too! 

T was allowed to play the ukulele which was thrilling for him. He is honestly the cutest

My mum and I at the party. I was wearing a Scarlett and Jo dress and you can read her t shirt for yourself!

The Broken Amps in the middle of their first set

T playing the drums, very cool

In the band's second set

T dancing, very cute!

Tea when we got home - thanks Rob!

Glorious purple bath on the Sunday afternoon

And with my hot chocolate too

Saturday 8th November

As I said previously, my cousin Peter was staying with us for the weekend as he'd come to see the new house. We decided to go into Leeds on Saturday and we had been thinking about what we were going to do. So we booked to play crazy golf at the Junkyard in Leeds, and arranged the day around that. 

We got to Leeds about midday and parked in the Light. It is so expensive there but we needed to be in the Light so we just sucked it up. We walked through to Tamatanga which is Indian street food and where I've been a few times. Lee suggested it as he'd really liked it, and Peter agreed. We just turned up but it did get busy so I'm glad we were there for opening and managed to get a table. 

I had two cocktails as they were on special offer, I don't quite remember now what they were but they were nice. For food I had chaat, as always, and some onion bhajis, and I shared a chilli cheese naan bread with Peter. It was all delicious food and we all enjoyed it. We maybe over ordered a little bit though!

I was wearing my black Simply Be dress that has blue hearts on it, I love it but the sleeves really annoy me so I we them pushed up. I had also put on my other glasses that I got earlier in the year when they were on buy one get one ffree. They rub my left ear a bit so after a few hours I get fed up of them, but for a little bit they are cute. I must get them adjusted again because I really love the pattern on them. 

We went up to the Junkyard at about 1.30 for our booking. There are three different golf courses, all themed but basically the same. You can play all three of them for £16.50 which isn't bad at all. I can't remember which was which, but we played one first then had a sit down and a drink, then went to another and then did the same, and then I noped out about halfway through the third one because I was really aching and needed to sit down. They were fun to play, with a few different types of holes, but on the Saturday afternoon they were just so busy that we ended up waiting behind big groups for ages which was a bit annoying. Staff told us to skip forward which did help a bit, but not entirely. I'm not sure I would bother to go again but it was a fun time and we enjoyed it. We took some photos in the photobooth as I do love a photobooth and in my new craft room I've 

After we had finished there we went to La Dolce for pudding. I think that was Lee's suggestion too. He and I went on my 40th birthday in January 2024, for brunch. There are so many things to choose from but I went for a crepe with chocolate and bananas. When we'd finished - absolutely stuffed full - we left Leeds and went to my mum's in Wakefield so she and my stepdad could see Peter for a bit. We didn't stay there long. My mum had made this meaty thing for their tea and gave Peter some to take home haha as there was loads. 

We got home and just chilled out for the rest of the night, watching a couple of films and just talkimg. 

On Sunday morning Lee went off to band practice so Peter and I did some jobs in the house. He helped me to sort out the garage a bit more. I thought we had way more boxes still to unpack but seeingthe garage reassured me that we didn't. We actually unpacked the last box a couple of days later! Amazing to be honest as it wasn't fun but it got done. When Lee got back Peter helped him with some stuff in the loft (I haven't been in it as I don't think I could do it safely, but I have stuck my head through as the ladder is okay for me to access). That really helped us too! Lee made some kind of roasted food for lunch before Peter left about 4pm! It was a lovely weekend with him. 

Here we are in Tamatanga, the ceiling is very lovely

Drinks and chips. Oh seeing this it was some kind of martini with a beer shot, haha

I had put some make up on and you can also see my other glasses as opposed to my red ones

Outfit photo in the loos. My tights were bright blue of course

Peter playing a hole in the crazy golf

Here we are sitting in a hollowed out car waiting for our turn

I love black light and neons, so I took this in one of the rooms

Here's our photobooth photos, we weren't expecting the second photo! 

And here's my crepe!

Friday 7th November

On the 7th of November my friend Helen came over to Penistone to see my new house! It was lovely of her to come over as she lives in Manchester so it is a bit of a trek. She got here about 11am I think. I was still getting ready because I had had a malfunction with the shower and ended up having to wash my hair over the bath with tepid water. Not ideal! Oh well!

I showed Helen round the house and then we headed up to Holme Coffee House for lunch. It's by far my favourite place to eat in Penistone, although there are other places that are good. I had Turkish eggs which I've had before but they were ever so slightly funny this time, which was a bit disappointing. Oh well! I'll get something else next time. I had a piece of flapjack too, before Helen had to set off back home. She had told me it was really foggy over the tops, and the fog then came to Penistone. I had to pop out to get something I had bought off Facebook and it absolutely came in, it was loopy! I took a photo of a spider's web on a railing because it was covered in dew and very pretty. 

I was wearing my galaxy print dress and leggings, and then this jumper. I got it at a clothes swap way back in May or whatever, but I hadn't worn it until now because it's a winter jumper. It's very thick and cosy and I love the print on it. I've worn it loads since then, it's lovely! 

Once I was home I got into my pyjamas and around 5pm my cousin Peter arrived! He was coming to see us and the new house, which was lovely, of course. Lee made something for tea, I can't remember what now, and for the rest of the evening we watched films and relaxed. Peter had come a long way so it was extra nice to see him! 

Turkish eggs in Holme Coffee House

Squidgy flapjack

I remembered to take a photo of us just as Helen dropped me back off at home before she set off back

The fog moving in as I went out somewhat over the tops

Spider web

And here's my outfit!