Day Out with Paul and Lianne

On the 24th of August our friends Paul and Lianne came to visit. They booked a hotel in Wakefield and got the train to there. Lee and I went a little bit early because we wanted to have a look round the Ridings. We went for a coffee and a toasted teacake each to begin with, which was lovely. Then Paul and Lianne joined us at the antiques centre in there which is a real treasure trove of things. We didn't know that they liked looking at antiques so that was nice to learn! 

Once we had looked round Wakefield enough we drove to Holmfirth. Paul and Lianne are both vegan and I know that Lick, a vegan ice cream shop, is there, and I knew they'd like it. We parked in the Co op and walked across the bridge and went into a bunch of shops. We looked in the vintage shop and all the charity shops and stuff. At about 3pm we went into Lick. I got chocolate and strawberry ice cream in a cone which was lovely. Lianne was really overcome by having so much choice! I knew they would like Holmfirth and I was glad to be right! 

Lianne was wearing sparkly Converse that are a bit like mine so I took photos and then Paul made me take a photo of his and Lee's Converse because they were both wearing all black ones. About 4pm we set off to Glossop to go to The Globe which is an all vegan pub. We drove over the moors which were absolutely stunning in the sunshine, so we stopped at a vantage point to look out and take some photos. 

The Globe gets really busy and you can't book which is why I wanted to get there early, but when we got there it was really empty! We got some drinks and sat and chatted though. Again Lianne just had too many choices as everything is vegan. She ordered some hot dogs and some chilli fries for us all to share to start with, and then I had a nacho burger and Lee had sauisages, chips and gravy. We were all so full afterwards!

We took Paul and Lianne back to Wakefield to their hotel and we were home by about 8.45. We were knackered so we went and got into bed and watched TV there. I had bought a jammy rock bun type of thing in Holmfirth so I ate that. I got five books in Holmfirth too which I was happy with. 

I was wearing one of my flamingo skirts and a new flamingo top that I got on Vinted. It's really cute all together! 

My latte and toasted teacake in Wakefield first thing

Crossing the bridge over the river in Holmfirth

Wasn't it so pretty?

Ice creams outside Licke

Here are Lianne and me in sparkly Converse, because we're sparkly girls

And here's the punks in black Converse because they are punks

To be fair Lee also has some mint green hi tops but he wasn't wearing them that day

Looking out at the moors 

Paul standing on a rock

And here's all four of us!

Starters. We couldn't tell much difference in the hot dogs, two of them were supposed to be spicy but we couldn't tell

Nacho burger

Lee's sausages and chips

The Globe is still pretty cheap, and delicious - I recommend it!

Double flamingo when we got home

Here's all the books I got. As you can see, I'm having a bit of a Val McDermid thing

And finally my jammy biscuit last thing

Trip to Hardwick Hall

On Friday the 9th of August I went to Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire to see my friend Jane. It's a while since we met up but as she works in a school she is off during the holidays so she suggested going to the hall. I've never been before but it's only about an hour's drive from my house so I agreed. We met there about 11.45 (there was some traffic on the motorway) and went into the hall. 

The new hall is huge and has a bunch of old tapestries which are shown in two big halls. There's a ton of steps up but they weren't too bad, and it was worth it because the tapestries were really amazing to see. Bess of Hardwick Hall - a friend of Elizabeth I - bought them from somewhere else and they were really interesting and well laid out. The hall is fab, really worth a look. I didn't know much about her so I learnt a lot about her, too. After the main hall we walked across to the old hall, which is just ruins now, and had a little look round there. It wasn't too interesting, but I'm glad we saw it. 

We had both taken a packed lunch so we found a bench to sit on in the garden to eat. We were chatting loads of course, as always. It was so nice to see her. We went into the gift shop next, and then had a hot drink in the cafe. It was really busy! We then had an ice cream, sitting again in the sunshine. I had chocolate and mint choc chip. We looked in the tiny bookshop just before it closed, and then we said goodbye. 

I headed towards Meadowhall then because my friend Tukru was coming to stay and they were coming via Megabus into Meadowhall. They were caught in traffic so I went to Costa nearby for a  bit and read my book until they arrived! 

I was wearing my rainbow tartan dress from Topsy Curvy, and new Snag capri tights which are in a colour called 'Guava' which is totally gorgeous. I had also painted my nails - they were both Christmas polishes actually but I liked the colour and the glitter on top, so why not! 

Hardwick Hall as you wallk up the lawn towards it. It is stunning to look at

One of the tapestries which depicts Penelope

A really beautiful inlay table

This portrait of Queen Elizabeth I is like really old and really important. It's about six feet tall and really stunning

This portrait of Bess of Hardwick is posed next to the one of Elizabeth

These tapestries depict Gideon from the Bible

This is the long hall, full of tapestries, which is the longest Tudor hall still remaining, or something

This was our view from where we ate lunch which was also beautiful

Purplish and glitter nail polishes

Guava capris and my all black Converse

Ice cream! It was nice

Here's Jane and me just before we said goodbye

The drive round Hardwick Hall is one way and really scenic on both the way in and the way out, but kind of slow. I got stuck behind a tractor and took this photo of sheep just hanging out on the road

And here I am in my rainbow tartan dress when I got home

Lunch in Derbyshire with Lee and Philippa

So you may remember that last year I did a list of 'forty before forty' things that I wanted to do before I turned forty in January. I did not do brilliantly, but I enjoyed the things I did do. So I decided to make a list of things I wanted to do before I turn forty one next January. I chose forty one things to do! And one of those things was to go to Derbyshire to a country pub with Lee and Philippa for lunch. They were both up for it so I booked a table at the Cheshire Cheese Inn which is in Hope. It's a part of the world that I really love; it's so beautiful and we've camped close by and visited Castleton too. I've never been to this pub, though, and I liked the look of the menu so I chose it. 

Lee and I were tired after our long day in Newcastle - I fell asleep about 11.15 which is really unusual for me - so we were glad to not be up too early. We lounged about and then tidied up the bedroom a bit before we both got in the shower. We set off just before midday. I drove because Lee was so tired and said he would drive back. It took us about an hour to get there and it is such a beautiful drive. We went in. The pub is really small and we were put on the table right in front of the bar which was a bit annoying because it meant everyone had to pass us. I should have asked to move but some of the tables were down steep steps and and Philippa is disabled I didn't know if she would mind. The staff were a bit odd too - the landlord wass very grumpy and not very welcoming.

But! Pippa arrived and we ordered food and drinks. She and I both went for the vegetarian Sunday dinner and Lee got the turkey one. Mine was so nice! There was a nut roast with goats cheese, Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, roast potatoes, carrots, green beans, and cauliflower cheese. It was all well cooked and clearly homemade. 

We were chatting so it didn't really matter, but the staff took ages to come and take our dessert orders. Lee and I both went for warm chocolate fudge cake with ice cream and Philippa went for crumble. They were really nice desserts. I will say that the food was lovely but the atmosphere just left a bit to be desired for me. 

We finally left at about 3.45. It was another nice drive home. It was finally sunny and lovely to be travelling in the sunshine. When we got home the cats insisted on going out the back for a while. They're allowed out the back and the front but only with supervision. I sat for a bit with them before getting changed. I was wearing this Joe Browns dress that I've had forever but hadn't worn in a really long time. Because I have lost weight it is a little too big for me now, and I also no longer have a white cardigan to wear with it. So I decided to wear a white top underneath it and I think it works well. I love the pattern on the dress so I will try and wear it more this year!

My dinner before I added the vegetables

Lovely warm chocolate fudge cake

I took this photo of all of us just as we were leaving. Look at that sky! The pub has a lot of character too

Cats outside investigating insects and chewing weeds

Lee used to be able to pick them up in one hand but look how big they are now! So big!

Here's my dress and top

Afternoon out with Bettie and Jen in Derbyshire

On the 11th of June Lee and I had a little trip to Matlock with Bettie and Jen. Lee and I had decided to go anyway and I invited Bettie and Jen just a few days before. We haven't seen them in ages so I was really glad they could come with us. We picked them up and set off for Tansley, where we had booked a table for 12.30 at The Gate Inn. Lee had chosen it and it was a good choice - the portions were absolutely huge! I had a goats cheese and balsamic pizza and some chips. Really good! 

We then drove to Matlock and went in a couple of shops. It was incredibly hot though so we didn't go too far. We then drove to Matlock Bath and had some delicious ice cream. We drove to Cromford to find the river, hoping we would be able to dip our feet in. It was lovely - cold and quite a difficult scramble down the bank for me but I'm so glad I did it. 

We then went to Cromford Mills and just got a drink in the cafe there. It was just after 4pm and we were all hot and bothered so we drove home after that. But it was a nice relaxed afternoon in the sunshine!

Here we all are in the pub!

My delicious pizza. It was huge so I brought half of it home to eat the next day

Lee and I paddling

Chatsworth Christmas Market with Lee

On the 21st of November Lee had the day off and we headed off to Chatsworth to visit the Christmas market. I follow Wax This Way on Instagram (I highly recommend their wax!) and saw that they were setting up their stall at the market, and thought I would like to go. I imagine it is heaving at the weekend but thankfully Lee had a couple of days holiday left so he booked one off. I went to craft club for a little bit, then we set off from Penistone at about 11.30. Chatsworth is about an hour away from there, over the tops and past Ladybower reservoir. It's a nice drive. You had to pay for parking but it was well organised. Pre booking was essential - signs said not to proceed if you didn't have a ticket booked, and that's just on a random wet Monday! As I can't walk far, we were told to go closer to the entrance to the market, which was really useful for us. Staff were doing brilliantly! 

I did find the market quite accessible - the walking wasn't too hilly and even though it was raining so much the flooring they had in most places wasn't slippy and I found it fine to walk on. I walked a long way! There's plenty of seats and some are undercover, but the ones that aren't were wet. That was our main issue - neither of us had a proper coat, just hoodies, and we ended up VERY wet.

Anyway we walked in and went straight up to the food stalls as it was lunchtime and we were hungry. I immediately noticed a sign for vegan bockwurst, so I had one of those with sauerkraut and mustard. It was so good! Lee ordered a Yorkshire pudding wrap, which took a while, but he really enjoyed it which is the main thing. Then we started to walk round the market. Most sellers were really friendly, despite the rain. There was a good variety of stalls. We bought cheese, presents, Christmas decorations, brownies, and lots of candles and melts (I treated myself!). I would definitely recommend the market for its variety. 

About 2pm we had some hot chocolate, and a sit down under one of the gazebos. Then we did the rest of the market, by which time we were really wet in the rain and had seen all the stalls. Our tickets did also get us into the stables shops and cafes, and we could have gone to the estate shop, but we didn't go to any of those. I would visit again and go though! 

We drove to Bakewell and eventually managed to find parking. Lee wanted to go to the record shop he found last time we went to Bakewell. He spent £50! We could have gone in more shops but we had barely dried out in the car and I was very tired. Fortunately we did both have dry hoodies to put on, which helped. Anyway we decided to go and have a drink in the pub while we waited for Sahil Street Food to open. The pub had mulled wine! I would have had some at the market but had hot chocolate instead, so I was happy to have some in the pub. It was warming and lovely. 

I had found Sahil Street Food on Tripadvisor, where it's the best place for vegetarian food in Bakewell apparently! It opened at 4pm and we got in there just after. It's basically a takeaway but they do have some tables, so we sat down. We ordered vegetable pakora, samosa chaat, masala fries, butter chicken for Lee and Mum's school vegetable curry for me. Oh and a naan bread! It was SO good! I'd highly recommend it if you're in the area. I didn't eat all the chaat so I brought that home with me. The pakoras were SO good - light and spicy and gorgeous. 

After we'd eaten we came home. It was such a good day, I really enjoyed the market and the good food I had! We've said we'll go again next year for definite! 

I was wearing the lollidot skirt that I wear quite a lot, with my star print top from Simply Be. I've been struggling with my mental health for the past few weeks, so to try to combat that I'm leaning heavily into cosy and embracing Christmas even though it was only the middle of November. This star top is one of my festive pieces of clothing!

My vegan bockwurst! So good! This is before I got very wet

One of the bars at the market

The front of the stables

Getting wetter

This statue is in the stable courtyard

And so is this lovely fountain

And this gives some extra info about the Devonshire family

Looking down the market

And this is the entrance to where the house itself is, it looked really pretty

Loved this bus - if it wasn't raining it would be lovely to sit on top!

Hot chocolates for us

And here I am ninety minutes later with my mulled wine

The Christmas tree in the pub was lovely

Here we are! 

Samosa chaat, I absolutely love this wherever it is

Vegetable pakora

Mum's school vegetable curry - a few too many peas for my liking but it was nice

Star print top and skirt, I had sparkly tights on too

And here's what we bought for us!