Suppa Club September

At the end of September Lee and I went to Elsecar Heritage Centre with my mum and stepdad because Suppa Club was on again and I like to go! It's held in the old iron works and it's a bunch of food trucks out the back with plenty of seats inside, and I really like to go! I went to Elsecar at the end of August with my friend Sarah but I never mind going again. 

Lee was still unwell although doing way better than he had been, so my mum and stepdad picked us up which was good as neither of us had to drive. We managed to park easily at Elsecar and then walked through. We started off on the left, going in the shops there - the record shop, the boutique, the shoe shop, craft shop, and the sweet shop. I bought a few bits and treated us all to some sweeties. We went into the crystal shop which hasn't been there very long and which I didn't get chance to look at a few weeks ago when I went, so I was glad to get a good look round. I bought a piece of ruby in fuschite and 

Then we headed to the food trucks. It was about 12.30 by this time so Suppa Club was open. There were plenty of seats inside. Lee and I went out first and we looked at each truck before deciding what we wanted. I went for Japanese from a truck called Yuzu - I had crispy tofu bao bun, katsu fries, and vegetable gyoza. Lee went for chicken shawarma which he really enjoyed. My mum and stepdad went after us - my stepdad got butter chicken poutine and my mum had Argentinian steak. We all enjoyed it! I do like it when we can all choose something different. 

After lunch we went into the antiques centre. My mum and I looked at all the jewellery and my stepdad looked at the tools and Lee looked at all the records. There was a lot of nice jewellery this time and my mum bought me an onyx drop which was just £7, I really like it. She also bought herself three little ebony elephants for £3 each. We both felt she couldn't split them up! 

After we had all looked round the antiques centre we headed to the cafe for a drink and some cake. I don't love that cafe for food as their vegetarian options are rubbish, but cake is nice. I had a hot chocolate and chocolate orange cake which were both really nice! 

Once we had had a drink we came home. Lee was really tired by that point and so was I - I've been a bit under the weather getting used to some new tablets. I had a long nap! I was wearing this Scarlett & Jo dress that I've had forever. I love the blue colour and the vibrant pink colour. I wore my Barbie capri tights underneath too. 

My delicious lunch

You could buy this huge Pegasus in the antiques centre

The little elephants my mum bought

Hot chocolate and cake

And finally my lovely S&J dress!

Afternoon with the Family

On the 24th of September my family got together to scatter some of my grandma's ashes. Unfortunately Lee was still unwell so couldn't join us, so I went alone. I also had an appointment for my Covid booster at 11am so I got up and showered and went to the other side of Barnsley for that. It's where I've had most of my jabs - I think all except my first one, which I had at the doctors surgery in my village. It was working really well; I barely had to queue and was in and out in no time. My arm really hurts after the vaccine but that's the most after effects I've ever had with my previous ones so I'm sure I'll be fine. 

I drove then to the New Inn in Walton where I was meeting up with family for lunch first. I was really early so I popped into the shop first and then sat in the car listening to a podcast for a while. The pub opened at twelve so I went in and got seated upstairs at this ridiculous big table. I ordered a coffee - which was delicious - and my mum and stepdad arrived not long after. The rest of the family arrived at about 12.30. They were all on holiday in Derbyshire - my aunt, uncle, both my cousins, and their wives, and Rob and Beth's new baby, Theo, who I haven't met yet! It was an absolute pleasure to meet him. He let me cuddle him for a long time and he was smiling and laughing at me. He's such a cutie! 

We ordered lunch. I went for the vegetarian Sunday dinner which was Quorn sausages with mashed potato, roast potatoes, roast carrot, a stuffing ball, a huge Yorkshire pudding and really delicious red wine gravy. It came with vegetables too and my mum and I also shared a side of cauliflower cheese. Everyone seemed to enjoy their main courses. I had chocolate fudge cake for pudding which I thought was fine but other people didn't enjoy their desserts as much. But generally it was a nice pub and I would go back.

We then drove to Nostell Priory. My grandma was a National Trust guide there for over thirty years - friends of mine would tell me they had seen her inside the house when they visited! We thought she would like some of her ashes scattering there. We walked past the house and settled on a big sycamore tree. I video called Lee so he could see us scatter her ashes, although we did have some hilarity because we couldn't open the tube. Neil ended up having to pop it open with a Swiss army knife! 

It was nice to all be together to scatter her ashes in a place she loved. Afterwards we went back to my mum's for a little bit (and more baby cuddles for me!) before they headed back to their holiday just south of Hathersage and I went home to check on the invalid. 

This is the ridiculous table we had - there were nine adults and one baby and we had plenty of space so I would recommend for bigger groups

My coffee as I was waiting

The wall had this ridiculous set up on it 

Me and my cousin Peter and his wife Beth, it was so nice to see them

Baby Theo! He's such a cutie

My lunch. The mashed potato wasn't great but I'm really fussy about mashed potato and I enjoyed the rest of it

Chocolate fudge cake and ice cream

This was near the car park at Nostell Priory, and there were tons of cows moving across the grassland

Looking up at the house, which my grandma would have been able to tell you the history of

As we walked back across after scattering her ashes 

Bradford Zine Fair 2023

On the 23rd of September I headed to Bradford for Bradford Zine Fair. I haven't been to that one before and didn't get a table at first, but then I was on the wait list and a table came free so I snapped it up. Lee would have gone with me but he was really ill - I think it must have been Covid but he wasn't testing positive. Fortunately I don't seem to have caught it which is good because it completely felled him - he was horribly ill. We stayed apart in the house for a while which seems to have helped. 

I was worried about where to park in Bradford and it's historically been terrible, but there's a new shopping centre now - which has some amazing looking restaurants in it so I'll have to go back soon - which has a big and cheap car park, so I parked there and then went across to the library where the fair was being held. I have a suitcase for all my zines and my cash box and it has wheels, so that's fine. I didn't take my leaflet holder because I couldn't have carried that as well as my bag and the suitcase. I had put all my personal stuff into a new bag that I got from TK Maxx recently. It's a Jansport rucksack which was definitely a coveted brand when I was a teenager and I love the hot pink colour! It fitted loads in it - I think I will mainly use it as a gym bag but it will be useful for holidays too. It was only £17 too!

I got into the library and discovered that the lift was broken. There was another in the art gallery, which meets the library on the first floor, but fortunately one of the fest volunteers took my case upstairs for me and I could manage the stairs myself. I took a table in the corner and Chris had the table next to me, which was nice. He lives in Barnsley like me and he's done the artwork for Barnsley Zine Fair which is happening next February, which I'm involved in organising! It's exciting.

The fest was really busy with loads of people throughout the day. I sold quite a lot of zines which was great. I bought some stickers but only one zine! But it's fine, I already have lots of zines. I hope my table looked okay. I saw a bunch of people I knew which was good too. 

I packed up and left just after 4pm and drove home. I bought some sushi on the way back to the car. When I got home Lee was ill so I looked after him for a bit but then had my sushi and watched some TV before an early bedtime. I was wearing my Topsy Curvy rainbow check dress because I knew it would be comfortable for me, and my Barbie capri Snag tights. It wasn't a cold day but I had my cardigan with me too as I wasn't sure whether it would be. 

I'm so glad I got to go to Bradford Zine Fair, it was a good one!

My lovely stall all set up

My new Jansport rucksack, it fits a lot in!

Rainbow check Topsy Curvy dress (with pockets!) and bright pink tights

Lunch and Drinks in Huddersfield

On the 20th of September I went to Huddersfield to have lunch and a few drinks with my friends Sam, Jac, and Jodie. As I mentioned in my previous post, Sam's mum had died so we wanted to meet up to support her. We met at Bambukat at midday when it opened. We all had Thali - I had paneer, Jodie had vegetable, Sam had prawn and Jac had lamb! We had the full range! I also had some onion bhajis which were really good. We sat in there until about 2pm. 

Then we went just a few doors down to Wetherspoons where we shared a few pitchers of cocktails. (Well, Jodie didn't as she doesn't drink alcohol). I haven't been there in forever and the cocktails aren't brilliant but for the price you can't complain. We stayed until about 4pm and I'm so glad we got to see Sam and make sure she was okay. I also got presents from both Sam and Jac as Jac had been at Comic Con in July and Sam had been in New York with Jodie and they'd brought me stuff back. 

In the evening I went to book club - it was my turn to have chosen the book and I had chosen The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell. I really liked the book and I'm glad we read it. It felt like a worthy book to me! We had a nice discussion about it as always. 

As soon as I got home Lee and I got into bed because we were both under the weather. We watched TV for a while before going to sleep early to try and feel better! I was wearing this new dress from Yours (although I got it via Very). It's quite thin material but it's SO nice to wear, it feels really comfy on. I love the colour and pattern and think I'll wear it a lot over the coming months.

I was also wearing these really cute socks that I got from Flying Tiger in Meadowhall when I went recently. They were on sale for like £1 and I love how cute they are!

I LOVE Thali and Bambukat's is particularly good - I've had it before and was happy to have it again. The paneer curry is top right, then Bombay potatoes, then lentil dhal and of course rice, naan, and poppadum. It's so worth it!

Cocktail time! Look we're back drinking blue shit!

Picture of all of us, aww

Here's this lovely dress - it's a bit big at the top but I like that, it sort of billows

And my cute ice cream socks

Brunch and Shopping with Lee

On the 3rd Saturday in September I had had plans to see my friends Sam and Jac but then a family emergency happened so we had to cancel. Lee came back from Bratislava with some kind of bug, so he and I had laid low for a few days, but by Saturday he felt a bit better so we decided to go into town. 

We got to The Lounge at about 11.45; we had walked from the car park and had passed a brass band which sounded great on our way there. Oh, we also went into TK Maxx where I bought a candle and the first Christmas present of the season! I had wanted some kind of autumn candle but the choice wasn't great so I went for a Sandalwood and Myrrh one instead. 

I've been struggling with my appetite so I didn't go for the big veggie breakgast at The Lounge like I usually do. Lee did, but I went for the smaller veggie breakfast instead. It was so nice, I enjoyed it. We had a hot chocolate each too. After that we walked through the market looking at a few stalls and into a couple of independent shops. There seems to be a lot more indie shops in Barnsley now since the town centre regeneration, which I am obviously pleased about. 

We then drove down to the retail park where we first of all went in Starbucks for a coffee for me and another hot chocolate for Lee, and then we went in The Range because we both needed boxes for work. I bought a paper cutting craft kit too which looks like good fun! Lastly we went to Asda to get a few things. We got back and both relaxed for the rest of the day because we both definitely needed it, but I am glad we went out for a bit! 

Lee in The Lounge before food arrived

My smaller breakfast - I ate Lee's mushrooms too because he doesn't like them

Lee's big veggie breakfast

This sign is in the market and I love it! I like living in Barnsley, we get a lot of knocks but it's a nice enough place!

What I bought

Second Week in September

On the 9th of September Lee went to Bratislava. He's been a couple of times before (he was actually on his way there when my grandma died back in January) because the company he works for is based there and he goes sometimes for team stuff and so on. He flew out on Saturday and came back on the Wednesday so I was by myself (with the cats!) for four days. On the Saturday evening I went to my mum's house and we ordered pizza for tea and sorted out some stuff to do with my birthday party (I will be forty in January). On Sunday I stayed in and mooched around the house by myself all day. I was fine! I think because I've been unwell both my mum and Lee's mam were concerned about me though.

On Monday I went to craft club like I usually do and then my friend Sarah came to meet me there. She and Robyn played in the children's area for a a little bit while I finished up and then we met at Pot House Hamlet for lunch. They only have two vegetarian options on their menu but I do like both of them so it is fine - but you'd be hard pushed as a vegan to get food there. I had falafel and couscous with olive and feta salad and dips, and some of their amazing truffle chips with parmesan. It was so hot that day; Sarah and I were sitting by the door but it still wasn't ideal inside. But never mind, it was nice to catch up!

When we had finished I drove into town to buy a McFlurry because it was so warm and then laid in the airconditioning for a while. The heat really floored me, I think because of my new medication. So I tried to take it easy. 

On Tuesday I went to work and stayed longer than I usually do going through some of the accounts archives and otherwise sorting stuff out. Then I went to pick up my step cousin. She works in Wakefield now really close to where I work. We went into the city centre to Robatory, which is a nice restaurant that feels kind of fancy. I've been before but not for ages so it was nice to go. It was quite busy for a Tuesday teatime too! I had cauliflower wings, sweet potato "burnt ends" and mushroom bao buns. We each had a virgin mojito (as I was driving) and had chocolate brownies which were SO good for dessert. I was absolutely knackered by the time I got home but it was nice to see N for a bit. She was cat sitting for my mum as my mum and stepdad were over in France visiting my godmother. 

On Wednesday Lee arrived home around 9am. He had flown about 6am from Bratislava so he was tired by the time he got home so we just relaxed for a bit and then I had a shower and set off about 12.15 to Bradfield where I was meeting my friend Philippa for lunch. We went to the Old Horns Inn which Pippa suggested but I'm always up for trying somewhere new. I had a vegan chicken burger which had vegan cheez, hash browns and an onion ring also in it - it was huge and so good! It also came with chips which tasted like chip shop chips so they were so good too! I've really been struggling with my appetite since I started taking Prozac a couple of weeks previously to this, so I was trying to be gentle with myself. I did enjoy the burger but didn't eat all of it. 

I was wearing this new dress from Topsy Curvy which I pre ordered and had worn once before. It's so lovely and I love it and it's also really comfy which I needed because I had been stood up for a long time on Tuesday and my body was killing me. Philippa and I sat outside chatting for hours and although the sun came and went it was warm enough. We had dessert around 3pm; we both had this chocolate fudge cake. 

I needed a nap when I got home, I think I'm just generally under the weather and as I'm already chronically ill it's fine if I needed more rest!

Falafel and pita bread and stuff on Monday with Sarah

Virgin mojitos with N on Tuesday

My delicious food - they had a few intriguing vegetarian options!

Triple chocolate brownie and ice cream

These are the sweeties that Lee brought back for me from Bratislava! I am intrigued to try them!

This is the view from the terrace in the pub where we sat to eat - isn't it beautiful? Yorkshire is so beautiful

My amazing and huge burger

Chocolate fudge cake 

And finally my amazing galaxy print dress

Lunch Out with Chloe and Lolly

At the beginning of September I met up with Chloe and Laura at Meadowhall. We alternate between going to Meadowhall or meeting up in Sheffield so we met at Meadowhall on what was one of the hottest days ever. I was hoping it would be nice and cool inside Meadowhall but maybe the sun was just too strong for the airconditioning! We met at Starbucks at around 10.30 where I had an iced maple something which was really delicious. We went into a few shops - we mooched around Yours, smelt candles in TK Maxx, I BOUGHT candles in Yankee Candlee, and we went in a cute new shop which is a bit like Paperchase called Mooch. We went into Lindt and Kenji - I bought a new bullet journal in Kenji because I find them really good quality for the price. They're just £5 and I think this will be the fourth or fifth I've had from there! I use fountain pens in my journal and they don't bleed through or ghost which for the price is excellent. 

We wandered into the Oasis at about 12.30 and decided to eat at Wagamama - well I suggested it because I like the vegetarian options there. I had what I usually have - Bang Bang Cauliflower and tofu raisukaree. We sat chatting and didn't really feel like we were in the way because it wasn't packed busy. At 2pm Laura left us so Chloe and I wandered into the Dr Marten shop before saying goodbye at the opposite end. I wasn't too late home and then I asked Lee to take me into town. I ended up not being able to do what I wanted to do there, but Lee got a record in the record shop and then we got McFlurrys which was good because it was still really hot.

I recently went back on antidepressants and they were really making me feel a bit weird - a bit dizzy and sick and stuff. The heat didn't help either so once we got home about 4.15 I laid in bed for a while and had a nap. It was one of those naps where when you wake up you don't know who you are or what year it is. But I think I needed it! Chronic illness is often made much worse in the heat and this didn't help either. But I had had a ncie day with Chloe and Laura. 

I was wearing my white dress with spots from Yours but didn't get a full length photo. It's ideal when it's hot though. Underneath I was wearing anti chafe shorts from Better Tights which were ideal too. I also put on a pair of slip on Converse that I got last year I think but haven't worn as much as my black or white ones. You can see they've got a cute floral pattern. They're a bit tighter than my other pairs but they were fine for walking around it so really I'll have to wear them more! 

Cute slip on Converse - these are ideal for me as I can't always bend very well

I've been trying to wear make up more - I really just need a tiny bit of powder and blush and some lipstick and call it done. This lipstick is an Avon one I got recently; it's maybe slightly peachier than it appears in this photo. I was wearing contact lenses too

In Starbucks before Chloe arrived, Laura was on the left of me. I am still wearing lipstick here I promise!

Bang bang cauliflower - it's so spicy and delicious

Tofu curry - it's just so nice! 

And here's all of us at the table

Films of the Month - August

I watched thirteen films in August, which was quite a lot. Lee and I watched a few when we were away in Northumberland which brought my total up. I saw some ace stuff! Here's what I watched:

Netflix recommended The Lucie Blackman Case to me so I watched it. I do remember the case from twenty years ago but didn't remember the ins and outs. It is a good documentary

I have seen Pray Away before - it's about people who used to be involved in Christian fundamentalism and who were "ex gays" and it's terrible and shocking and just very sad. 

Someone reminded me of the existence of Judy Blume Forever which is about the writer and her life and books. I meant to watch it anyway but hadn't got round to it. It is so good - if you grew up on Judy's books like I did then it's really worth watching

I don't even know why I had Cheaper By the Dozen on my computer ready to be watched but I did so I watched it and quite liked it

Netflix kept trying to get me to watch a documentary called The Real Bling Ring which was the people involved in the actual crimes talking about what happened. I was intrigued but hadn't heard of the case so I watched the film based on what happened first. It's a funny film and Emma Watson is great, but the actual crimes were just... bad 

I noticed that both Goosebumps films were on Netflix so I watched the first one first. I loved Goosebumps books when I was a kid so it was nice to see the film version. Jack Black was really good and I really liked this film

Lee and I watched This Is Spinal Tap while we were away. It's always so funny and so stupid, no matter how many times I see it. I often say "And it's like, how much more black could it be? None. None more black"

We watched Ghostbusters Afterlife on our second day away. We saw it in the cinema when it came out and I really liked it but Lee was less sure. But I think it's a decent addition to the franchise and I think people who whine about it are children who need to get over it - new things exist! Even of your favourite things! That's okay! 

Lee and I have been making our way through Auf Wiedersehen Pet again, and are about halfway through Series 2 as I'm typing this. This reminded Lee about this film existed, with Jimmy Nail in it. So we watched it on his birthday while we were away. It's funny enough

We then watched Pocahontas because we're still making our way through some of the classic Disney films that we missed out on in childhood. This is a terrible one, though 

When we were back at home I watched Goosebumps 2, it's not as good as the first one but I did still like it

Okay now this was the film of the month for me! I loved it so much! It popped up on Netflix and I watched it straight away. It's about a girl who is about to have her bat mitzvah and there's tons of drama around her best friend and so on. The girl is played by Adam Sandler's daughter, and his other daughter is her sister and he is her dad! And Irina Mendel plays the mum! It's SUCH a cute film and I would utterly recommend it if you like teen films

Finally I watched this true crime documentary on Netflix which was really interesting but also of course very very sad