Weekend in the Cotswolds Days 1 and 2

On the first weekend of September Lee and I headed off to the Cotswolds to spend the weekend with my aunt, uncle and cousin. We had booked a cottage from Thursday to Monday, so Lee and I set off about lunchtime, maybe a bit earlier but not much. We stopped at a service station for lunch and then stopped off in Warwick.

We went to Warwick in 2020 when just a few things were opening up after lockdown; we stayed in a cottage nearby and had a nice week. A few things in Warwick were open, including a sweet shop. So we parked and wandered into some shops, including the sweet shop. We went into a bunch of charity shops and the bookshop. We stopped and had a drink and a piece of cake in a greasy spoon type of place. Then we got back in the car and carried on to Bourton on the Water.

We were stuck in traffic in Stow on the Wold round school kicking out time, but then we got to the cottage about 4pm. It was in Little Rissington, only a couple of miles from Bourton. It was honestly one of the nicest holiday cottages we've ever stayed in! There was a decent sized and well equipped kitchen, a living and dining room, a conservatory, then upstairs there were three decent sized bedrooms, one with ensuite, and the main bathroom. It was lovely!

Everyone else was arriving on Friday so Lee and I just chilled out for the night. We watched a film. I did some cross stitch and Lee started on a jigsaw that we had brought. It was nice!

On Friday morning we got up but we were a bit later than we thought, so we didn't have any breakfast, we just went into Bourton. Parking there is INSANE. We managed to get in but there were a lot of people around! We had been there six years ago as well, but obviously there weren't the same numbers of tourists around. 

We went into a cafe called The Chestnut Tree which had the most amazing cake selection. I had a piece of caramel shortbread which was so good, the chocolate was so thick. Lee had a cookie brownie thing, it was huge. We walked around a bunch of shops and then we got phone calls from Caroline and Neil and then Peter as they had each arrived and were looking for parking. Lee and I sat under the Bourton on the Water sign and waited for the others. They had brought a picnic lunch so Lee went to get us a sandwich each and we sat on the bench by the sign and shared crisps etc. It wasn't boiling but it wasn't cold either, which was good.

After we had eaten Neil and Peter decided to go to the cottage to unpack and stuff, so Caroline stayed with us and we went round the rest of the shops. I got a tiny vial of perfume in the Perfumery as it was expensive - smells great though!

We went back to the cottage about 3.30pm I think, and then we chilled out for the rest of the day. Lee made pan haggerty for tea as the others hadn't had it before, and then we had all brought snacks to share and so on. Neil had been for a walk and foraged some apples and blackberries! We played quizzes in the evening and Caroline and Peter both did join in with the jigsaw Lee had brought. It was a nice chilled out time!

This monstera was on the stairs in the cottage and it was so perfect, I loved it so much!

My friend Jane had recommended this book to me when she visited in Augst, so I got it through the library. I really liked it!

My immense caramel shortbread in The Chestnut Tree for elevenses. Peter went in and bought a piece of the same thing Lee had, which he then spread over a few days because it really was immense too

The lovely river in Bourton

Pretty sure I took these exact same photos back in 2020

I love the weeping willows alongside, too

It really is so pretty, just so touristy too!

Last one I promise

I finished my first book and I had brought this one along to start. I ended up really not liking this and it was a slog to get through it, but you can't win them all! 

Spa Weekend With Lee

At the end of August Lee and I went away for a spa weekend. We had had to change the date from earlier in the month so it meant we had a run of really busy weekends, but it was fine. We had been talking earlier in the summer about doing a spa weekend so Lee had looked online. I think he found it on spabreaks.com eventually. We paid just over £350 for the weekend which was good value!

We  went to Shrigley Hall near Macclesfield. I have been there before, with my friend Sarah, way back in like 2017 or 2018. It was a bit hilarious actually because we were quite drunk by the time we got int othe spa as our room wasn't ready and they kept giving us free prosecco to mollify us. We didn't have long in the spa and while we enjoyed the food, we kept on drinking and it got ridiculous. We stopped in Glossop on the way back on the Sunday for breakfast and got stuck in a Remembrance Day parade which was just so funny. So I have been but maybe don't have the best memories of the place. But I was willing to try again! They have extended the spa since I went, too, and there's an outdoor hot pool and more to do. 

We headed off on the Friday afternoon. I think we went to Holme Coffee House in Penistone for brunch before we left. It is only just over an hour from our house and we got there about 1pm. We couldn't check into the hotel so we left the luggage in the foyer and walked round to the spa. We were a bit early for that, too, as the spa access starts at 1.30pm. We got a drink in the cafe attached to the spa. 

At 1.30 we went and got changed in the locker rooms and then went out to the indoor spa area. It's set in what was the chapel of the old hall and it's absolutely beautiful. The pool in there is nice to swim in and it gets pretty deep too. One of the hot tubs and one of the hot rooms were out of commission, but it was fine. There's another hot tub in the chapel area and some loungers. We swam for a bit before we headed outside.

The outside pool is SO hot and has jets in different areas, so that was really good. We had a drink and at 4pm we each went for a treatment as the weekend included treatments. I went for a hot stone massage which I LOVE, I would get them a lot if I could. The masseuse was really good, I really liked her. I can't remember what treatment Lee had but he liked the massaging on his back. He often suffers from sciatica so this really helped.

The spa access finished at 5.30 so we went back into the hotel foyer and got checked in. The room was small but fine, and the bathroom was pretty big. We ate some snacks and got showered and then headed down to the restaurant for 7.30. We had a £30 food allowance each and the food we had fitted into that. I had mushroom soup and then vegetarian lasagne, which were both delicious. I had a tequila sunrise which wasn't too expensive especially for a hotel. We decided to not get pudding, so we walked into the bar and sat there for an hour or two. I had another drink and we just watched the world go by. 

The hotel has a lot of weddings so there were people around, but it wasn't too noisy. In our room we could hear one of the weddings but it finished at midnight so that wasn't too bad. Hilariously they finished off with The Killers and then I've Had the Time of My Life, I was laughing!

We got up in the morning and went down for breakfast. There was a lot of choice but not tons of veggie choice. But I had enough to eat anyway and it was good. Then we had a few hours spare and we had considered going into Macclesfield or something, but we decided to just stay in the hotel. We sat in the bar area again. I was cross stitching and reading and Lee was playing on his Steamdeck thing. It was nice to just relax!

We went back to the spa at 1.30 again and did basically the same things again. We had treatments again; this time I had a facial with the same therapist and she was again excellent. We went into the cafe and had a drink and cake. The staff were all really lovely which really added to the nice time. 

We left the spa again at 5.30 and went back to the room for showers etc. Then we had booked a table at an Indian restaurant in a village nearby. We got there a bit early and it was quite a strange set up. We sat in the foyer and were given menus, and then we had to order our food before we were shown to a table. It was odd! We had poppadums and they were a bit odd too. The food was nice enough but not amazing. It was really busy though! 

We were done early so we went back to the hotel and sat in the bar again until bedtime. In the morning we had breakfast again before setting off back home. We got home before midday so had the rest of the time to relax! It was definitely a good value weekend and very relaxing and enjoyable. 

In the old chapel area on Friday afternoon - this is a cold water pool and nice to swim in

The outdoor pool which was SO warm and had a bunch of seats and jets, it was so lovely

Inside my treatment room before my hot stones massage

Looking from the other side of the inside pool. This little area was cool but fun to sit in. The hot tub was at the far end here and was lovely

Lee and I in the restaurant later in the evening, proving that we do go away together occasionally

Mushroom soup, which we both had

Me and my tequila sunrise 

Veggie lasagne which was really nice

I was wearing this dress which I got off Chloe recently

I started this book which I had had recommended and which I'd been waiting for from the library. It was really good, I would recommend it

In the bar of the hotel on Saturday morning when we were just sitting and chilling

The picture does not accurately portray just how gold the lift walls were

The view would have been better in better weather, but we could see Old Trafford

The peacock was trying to get into the cafe on Saturday, and eventually it did and was ushered out

Cake on Saturday afternoon

Selfie as we were sitting outside

And then Lee and I in the outdoor hot tub

Lee took this photo of me as we were eating cake. I like the halo I appear to have!

And finally the outdoor pool as we left it at 5.30pm!

Lee's Birthday

It was Lee's birthday on the 21st of August and he, as usual, had the day off. We decided to go to Barnsley Metrodome for a fun swim, and we asked along my friend Roslyn and her kids too. We all met at about 10am and headed down. Unfortunately the wave machine wasn't working, but we did otherwise have a lot of fun. The eldest kid went on a bunch of big slides, I was impressed!

We said goodbye at about midday and then Lee and I headed off to Meadowhall. Lee decided he wanted to eat at Pizza Express so we went there. I had goat's cheese and caramelised onion and it was such a good pizza! Then we went to Hotel Chocolat where Lee had a sundae and I had a mint milkshake I think.

We wandered round Meadowhall a bit. I got a Kenny Rogers vinyl in the music shop in The Lanes. I'm not sure if Lee got anything or not. We headed home and relaxed for the rest of the day, which Lee was happy to do. We watched a couple of films and just chilled out.

On Saturday we had a party! I had been wanting to throw a housewarming type party so I combined it with Lee's birthday and we invited a few people. We had a barbecue which meant that we had a BUY a barbecue but it's really cool and will last a while. I went to Costco with Lolly on the Thursday evening to get supplies for it and I was wandering around aimlessly as I don't eat meat so wasn't sure what to buy! I got some good stuff though. People started arriving about twelve I guess and we got the barbecue going. Lee's mam and stepdad were staying at Cubley Hall which is only like four minutes away from us so they went to get checked in. 

We had vegetarian stuff cooking first so that was good. Then my cousin K did the meat. Everyone enjoyed themselves I think! My mum and I were on the prosecco. My aunt, cousin, and baby T came (he's three, he's not a baby... but also, he is...) and my friend Stacey with her youngest, so they were keeping us amused. Our friends Ceri and Martin came which was lovely - they live in Penistone and Ceri takes credit for us living in Penistone now as I'm in her book club which meets here. Ceri took this lovely photo of me and Lee before they left.

Everyone had gone by about 8pm except my mum and stepdad, Lee's mam and stepdad, and my cousin K, so we decided to go up to Cubley Hall for a couple of drinks there. We left Lee's mam and stepdad there about 11pm I guess, as the rest of us were staying here!

On Sunday Lee headed off to band practice and my mum and stepdad went home eventually, but my cousin K stayed all day as we had plans to watch some films and do some lino cutting together. Lee came home with this ridiculous guitar that his bass player had found in a charity shop but said Lee could have for the same price. They don't think it's ever been used. It's gross but Lee likes it! 

My cousin stayed over again and came to craft club with me the next day where Catherine taught her how to crochet. I'm glad we had the party though, it was a lot of fun! 

Pizza on Lee's birthday

Birthday boy with his chocolate sundae

I recently got this Libertines t shirt off their website and I love it, I've been wearing it loads. It's very soft and I of course love the pink colour! I also wear this skirt a lot, it's good to wear for work

Kenny Rogers vinyl that I got for a few quid

The dining table all set up for the party. We got the dining table recently off Facebook marketplace - it hadn't been used previously. It's way more comfortable that the old one - which we gave away free - although I'm hoping to get some chairs for each end of it

And the kitchen island set up too. One of the upgrades our vendor paid for when she bought the house - before it was even built - was the kitchen island, and I'm so glad, as we absolutely love it and use it a lot. It's so useful when you have a lot of people around!

Lovely photo that Ceri took of us. The weather was better than it looks in this photo, which I was glad about. This dress was from Simply Be I think originally, but I got it off Vinted

And finally Lee's very wanky new guitar!

Family Wedding in Oxford

In the middle of August we headed to Oxford to go to a family wedding! We were invited along with my mum, stepdad, and my aunt and uncle. Lee and I probably would have gone there and back in the same day but my mum wanted us to stay over so we did. So she and my stepdad picked us up about teatime on the Friday night and we headed south. 

We stopped at Leicester Forest services for tea and that's where we were when the nationwide alert went off warning about wild fires, so we heard a LOT of phones go off at the same time! We got to Oxford about 9.30pm and while it was a bit difficult to find the hotel we eventually managed it and got checked in and everything. We went in the bar for a couple of drinks before bed. 

On Saturday morning we got up and had a hearty breakfast as we weren't sure what time or what we were going to eat. We got in our finery and then we walked to the registry office for just before noon. We weren't staying very far away from it. My aunt and uncle were already there and my uncle was taking a ton of photos as usual. 

It was my mum's first cousin getting married; he and Allie have been together for around eighteen years and decided to make it official! The ceremony was very nice and made very cute by a little ring bearer who had held on to the ring box very well! The music was good too. Outside there were photos and then we set off to the grass where there was to be champagne and canapes. My stepdad and I were among those who couldn't walk as far as it was, so we got into the bridal car to be taken there! It was a gorgeous vintage car with a push down roof so I felt very fancy as we set off!

We stopped by the grass but it turned out there were building works on it so it wasn't as big as it might have been but obviously Gary and Allie didn't know. Never mind, there was plenty of champagne and nibbles to eat, so it was nice. Neil took a lovely photo of me in the trees. 

We got back into the car and went round to a dock where everyone got on a boat. We went down the river through a lock and past all kinds of things, including the Winklevoss boat house! There was an open bar and sandwiches and things, so we had quite a few drinks and some things to eat. My mum ended up getting a lot of it as I couldn't move well on a moving boat, and Lee gets very seasick so he wanted to stay very still. Bless her! 

We got off the boat about 5pm after a band had played and we had got back to the dock. We got a taxi with my aunt and uncle to Gary and Allie's house where family had been invited after the wedding. There were a lot of people crammed in! We talked to some relatives and had some food, and then we left about 8pm I'm guessing. We had a couple more drinks in the hotel before bed. 

On the Sunday morning we had arranged to meet up with my aunt and uncle, who were staying elsewhere, for lunch. We had booked a table at Dishoom, which I bloody love and was very excited about going to. Me, Lee, my mum and stepdad walked round the city centre for a bit first, looking in fancy shops and stuff. We bought some pastels de nata which were so delicious, I would definitely buy some again. 

We got into Dishoom and had the nicest server, she was lovely. I ordered some chai, which is bottomless, so I had chocolate chai to start off with. It was spicy and delicious! I would definitely get that again. Caroline and Neil arrived and we ordered a range of things, mostly to share. Lee had chicken tikka and kept his to himself - he isn't keen on tapas style food haha. My aunt and I shared the black dahl which is always SO good. Everyone really enjoyed their food and my mum was glad we had gone there.

After that we said goodbye to my aunt and uncle and headed back to the car, going through the shopping centre to get there. We drove home and then thankfully I could rest for the rest of the day! It was a lovely wedding though and nice to see family. 

Here I am in the back of the bridal car just outside the reigstry office

On the boat

My mum and I on the boat

Going through a lock

And a ton of interesting weeds in the river at one point

My aunt and I on the boat, although we didn't get a lot of chance to speak to my aunt and uncle as they were in a different bit and it was very busy

This was my dress back in the hotel. I bought it years ago and took it on our first cruise, but I don't think I've worn it since. It was good for a summer wedding!

Oh when we get back to the hotel on Saturday night we had some desserts in the restaurant. Lee hadn't had much to eat so he was more hungry than the rest of us

Chocolate chai in Dishoom on Sunday

All of us in Dishoom before we got food

And finally here's Neil's photo of me on Saturday