Lunch and Barbie with my Cousin

As I said previously, Lee was in London at the end of July so I was home alone on the Sunday. I knew I wanted to see the Barbie film in the cinema so I thought I would go to the new Cineworld in Barnsley. However, then I thought that my (step)cousin Nirosha might want to see it with me so I asked her if she wanted to meet me at Meadowhall and have some lunch first. She did want to, so we booked it and planned it. I left my house at about noon. I had thought I was  going to wear a pink off the shoulder dress but when I went to look for it I came across this pink spotted one instead and changed my mind! 

We met at Las Iguanas at 12.45, we both like the food there. I went for nachos with veggie chilli and cauliflower bites. Las Iguanas always have 2-for-1 on their cocktails and mocktails, so we got two Berry Fizz and had one each. It was really nice! Nirosha doesn't drink alcohol and I was driving otherwise I might have been tempted into two cocktails instead!

I thought the film was absolutely brilliant - really funny and meta and it looked brilliant. I like Margot Robbie anyway and she was great, and I didn't know Kate McKinnon was in it so that was really good to see too! Then of course Sharon Rooney as Lawyer Barbie! Perfect! All her costumes were amazing, too. PLUS Closer to Fine by the Indigo Girls is one of my favourite songs so I was DYING every time it came on in Barbie's car! I really want to see it again because I think I missed a lot of details. The screen was really full and loads of people were wearing pink and it really felt like a nice celebration. 

I had dug out some of my favourite pink accessories to go with my dress. I also had new Snag tights - they emailed a few weeks ago with details of their new shade "Barbara" so a week or so before the film I ordered some, as well as some black footless tights because mine had gone all bobbly. I ordered the pink ones as "capris", but I wasn't sure how long they would be on me. As it is, they come nearly down to my ankle so are perfect for the summer. I LOVE the bright pink shade!

I've had this necklace forever and wear it periodically, but it was perfect for Barbie

These earrings are the ones I bought at Copy That Zine Fest

I've no idea where this particular bracelet came from but when I was a teenager we wore hundreds of heart bracelets a bit like this

Aren't the tights BRIGHT? I love that! I am going to wear these with other stuff too. I took this photo just before I went out, with my white Converse

Here we are in Las Iguanas

My food

And in the Barbie box after the film!

Lunch with Michelle and Tea with Paul and Lianne

I had a busy day on the 12th of April because I had arranged to meet my friend Michelle for lunch and then mine and Lee's friends Paul and Lianne said they were coming down so could we meet up. I didn't want to cancel seeing Michelle because I haven't seen her since before Christmas, so we decided Lee would finish work a couple of hours early and we would meet Paul and Lianne for tea. We also then decided to go to my mum's for a bit so she and my stepdad could see Paul and Lianne as they always like that. 

I left the house about 11am and drove to Jct 27, where the Ikea is. I went for a coffee at Starbucks first as I was reading a book that was annoying me and I wanted to get a bit further with it. I then went over to Chiquito for about midday and Michelle arrived soon after.

I quite like Chiquito because even though it's a chain the food is always decent and I know they have lots of vegetarian and vegan options. Michelle and I both went for nachos which were lovely, I really enjoyed mine. We chatted about all kinds of things including birth and death! No trite conversations for us! I got home about 3.15 and Lee and I set straight out to my mum's. 

Paul and Lianne arrived not too long after. They had been at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and were staying overnight. We stayed at my mum's until after 6pm just chatting. Then I headed into Wakefield with Lianne so I could show her the way to the restaurant, and Paul went with Lee so they could chat and Lee could get some petrol on the way. Lianne is a really nice person - I don't know her super well but it's always nice to chat with her!

We had decided to go to Syhiba, which is an Indian restaurant in Wakefield where Lee and my mum and stepdad and I went on my dad's birthday in January, which I blogged about. I had remembered they had tons of vegetarian and vegan options (Paul and Lianne are both vegan) and they have an early bird special which is cheap. I had paneer pakora and then potato and cauliflower curry, both of which were so delicious. I would really recommend the place!

We said goodbye around 9pm, so when Lee and I got home we just got into bed and watched TV in bed. I finished my annoying book! It was Orlando by Virginia Woolf and I did enjoy it but I don't read many classics and I found the language too flowery by far! 

I was wearing my Libertines t shirt, my flamingo skirt, and my leopard print cardigan, which is such a ridiculous piece of clothing but it always gets loads of comments! 

My nachos. I didn't get photos of my tea but believe me when I say it was nice

Me and Michelle

Me and Lee and Paul and Lianne. The restaurant was really quite busy for a random Wednesday night, I'm glad they could fit us in!

And finally my outfit

Weekend in East Yorkshire - Day 2

On the Saturday of our weekend away we had a relaxed morning watching TV and then we went for lunch at a local golf club. Lee had booked it because I had gone a bit loopy looking at nearby places as the vegetarian choices weren't brilliant. But Lee found that this place had a few choices so we headed there. The atmosphere was a bit weird but the food was nice enough so we enjoyed it. 

After that we headed up to Hornsea where we stopped right on the front and I took the picture of the beginning/end of the Trans Pennine trail. We had an ice cream before going to play in the amusements for a bit. Then we drove into Hornsea centre and went into some charity shops and stuff; we picked up a few things including a new bird feeder for the garden. Then we had a hot drink and a sit for a while. 

On the way back we stopped at a couple of places to look at the sea, but it was raining again on us by this point. We headed back to the van where we again just chilled out, watching TV and two films and relaxing. I was doing some needlepoint too - I have never done it before but bought a kit. 

I'm glad we factored in doing some relaxing as we were both tired and once again, as chronically ill people, we often need to just relax and let ourselves rest. 

Made up face just before we set off out - this lipstick is new and I really like it

I had a nice glass of wine with my lunch

This marks the beginning and the end of the Trans Pennine Trail, which we live right near. I wonder where the other end is! 

Looking out to sea

Eating my ice cream in the wind

I love days like this by the seaside

But then the weather came in a bit

Finally here's my outfit - the Lindy Bop skirt that was a dress but which my mother altered for me recently, a plain white Simply Be t shirt, and my new black cardigan from Very

Brunch with Roslyn and a New Skirt

On the 5th of March I went to Fox Valley to meet my friend Roslyn. We often go there as it's halfway between our houses, roughly, and it's accessible for both of us. We planned to go in The Lounge that's there, so when I arrived first I went in. But there was a huge queue and our wait would have been forty-five minutes. So instead I headed to McGilveray's which is just opposite. I've looked at their menu before but their vegetarian main course choices are really limited. But their breakfast menu had plenty of veggie choices so I decided it would be fine for us. 

I had a coffee while I waited for Roslyn, and then we both ordered the meat free breakfast. Roslyn is also a vegetarian so that's good. We then both had a slice of chocolate cake too, which was really nice and homemade and just enough for pudding. We walked to Holland & Barrett where I bought some snacks. We said goodbye after that and I drove home. 

I was wearing this skirt for the first time. It used to be a dress  from Lindy Bop and it belonged to my friend Gemma. She passed it on to me, and I knew that the bodice wouldn't fit me, but the skirt would. So I asked my mum to alter it. It was a bit of a challenge because it had a zip down one side and pockets, the first of which had to be removed and the second of which had to be preserved. But she likes a challenge! Promise. The lining is a bit wonky but otherwise it's good. I love the print on it and I'm really glad I can wear it now!

I wore it with my Pits & Perverts: Lesbians and Gay Men Support the Miners t-shirt which I really like. I also had on these pale green Snag tights, I think my aunt bought me them for my birthday last year but I hadn't yet worn them. But I knew they'd go with this skirt so I pulled them out. I have been wearing my Dr Marten boots that came from Vinted almost every day since I got them at Christmas. I swear when it's a bit less cold I'll wear some other shoes, but these are so comfortable and I just love them!

Veggie breakfast

Chocolate cake! So good!

T shirt and new-to-me skirt

Green tights and boots

Finally, I refound this necklace in my jewellery stuff recently and pulled it out to wear, it's so nice!

What I Wore 16th October

This is what I wore to go out with Sam. I was just browsing my dresses and spied this pink Lindy Bop dress that I've had forever, so I pulled it out. I was looking for my black cardigan to wear with it, but I couldn't find it (we had recently done SO much washing, it seemed to pile up from before and after our holiday) but I spied my Beth Ditto heart print cardigan so I pulled that out. I like the clash of prints and colours, I think it works. I put on my cropped leggings - just after this was when it dropped colder so this might be the last wearing of the cropped leggings this year - and my Dr Marten shoes. I've had them forever but only started wearing them properly a couple of years ago. They're broken in now and pretty comfortable, so perfect for the winter. I haven't worn them in forever through the summer, but took them on holiday.

I put a little bit of make up on, including a bright pink Clinique lipstick that a friend gave me - I love the pop of pink!

What I wore 14th August

In the middle of August Lee and I had a nice morning out in Penistone. We live not too far away and we really like going to the market. It's been a little small in the pandemic, but there's always a cake and bread stall, a vegetable stall, and usually a cheese stall which also sells amazing butter. Lee said we should go, and we had also been meaning to go to the Art House Deli cafe for breakfast, and I wanted to pop into Tesco, so we decided to combine all those things. We set off a little bit later than I would have liked because I slept in, I needed to sleep! 

We went to the market first because we weren't sure what time it packed up. We got some sourdough bread and some fruit and vegetables from that stall. Then we bought butter and I got twp types of cheese: smoked feta and a pecorino. She gave me a sliver of that to taste and while it's quite strong and verging on too strong for me, I liked it so decided to buy some. Mission accomplished!

We then drove round to near the church where the cafe is, because we weren't sure what time they stop serving breakfast. They actually do it all day. We both had a veggie breakfast and a hot chocolate, and it was all very delicious and nice! 

We then went back to Tesco. I haven't been in a supermarket for weeks, so I picked up some snacks, some wine, and some interesting Malibu drink that should be nice! 

We got home and made some mulligatawny soup that we were planning to eat for tea with the fresh bread and butter and cheese. It was pretty easy to do. We cooked it then left it for later, when we blended it and reheated it to eat. It was nice! 

I was wearing my La t-shirt with my flamingo skirt that was originally a dress. It was from Lindy Bop originally, who I understand have gone under. That's a shame. Plus size retailers just seem to get fewer and fewer... 

What I Wore 1st May

We had some errands to run on the 1st of May so I got dressed to go and do them. We took my car out for a run which it was in need of as it hadn't been used much. Lee popped into the places we needed. I put on this new-to-me dress from Lindy Bop

I bought it on eBay at the beginning of March and was planning to wear it pretty soon but then lockdown happened and I didn't get chance to. I thought it was exactly the same as my blue spotted Lindy Bop dress but when it arrived, it isn't. It doesn't have pockets and when I held the two dresses up together, this one is smaller. Still, the material is stretchy so I gave it a go. It does fit, but I think it'll be better when it's softened up a bit and stretches a bit more. It feels a bit tight on my boobs but I think it looks fine in the photo so I'm not going to worry about it. It's lined, too, which the other one isn't, which makes it a bit thicker and warmer. I love the colour! I'm glad I've got it, I'm also glad I didn't pay full price for it!

What I Wore 15th February

It feels like forever since I've done an outfit post and I think that's partly because I haven't been going out that often recently; I've been kind of hibernating. It's partly because I don't have many new clothes to wear; I'm trying to save money and I do already have lots of beautiful dresses. It's just a thing, and it's fine, but it does mean there haven't been as many outfit posts. But then this blog is a catch all of stuff for me and that's how I like it!

Anyway, Lee's dad phoned a couple of days before the 15th and said he and Lee's stepmam were going to come down to stay in Wakefield over night (all of Lee's family live in Durham still) and would we like to go out for tea with them. We didn't have any plans for the weekend except that my cousin and his girlfriend were going to arrive around 10.30pm to stay overnight, so we had mentioned going out on Saturday evening before that. Lee's dad told us to choose a pub so I booked a table at The Sovereign pub in Shepley, about 20 minutes from our house.

We had a nice meal with them. The Sovereign is part of the Vintage Inns range and although their vegetarian selection isn't amazing, they do have a dedicated vegan menu. I went for spiced cauliflower soup, which was nicely spicy but not amazing, and then their vegan burger, which was really good. It came with chips. Then I had banoffee pie to finish with. It was really lovely to see Lee's dad and stepmam, it's been ages since they've been down so we've only seen them at Christmas.

We got home and Peter and Beth arrived eventually, so we chatted for a bit before bed. The next day they wanted to be off around 11am. They'd come to Sheffield to do indoor climbing, something they both enjoy. We made breakfast before they went, which was nice.

I wore this blue spotty Lindy Bop dress to go out in. I love it because it's easy to wear and comfortable but looks really good on. I pulled out my Beth Ditto heart cardigan to wear over it as I knew I'd be warm in the pub.

I had painted my nails just the day before with Barry M Caspian, which is a gorgeous gold polish with a rose gold flash. I'm really trying to paint my nails every week as I didn't manage it at all this year until the 6th of February!

Barry M Caspian

Lindy Bop dress and Beth Ditto cardigan. Thanks it has pockets!

Lunch Out and What I Wore 3rd October

At the beginning of October I went to Manchester - again - to meet up with my friend Helen and her little girl. We met on Twitter, weirdly, through some other people. We've met a few times in real life, and the first time we met up we went to Slattery's, a patisserie in Whitefield in Manchester that has an amazing dining room upstairs in the shop. I suggested we should go again, so we met just after E had finished nursery.

I set off in loads of time actually, and had quite a nice half hour sat reading in the waiting room, which was nice. We got a booth seat, too, which are really nice and make it feel like a really special occasion.

Miss E had meatballs and pasta from the kids' menu, Helen had a toasted sandwich, and I went for a cheese tartlet with pickles and chutneys. The savoury food is all really nice, I've never had a bad dish, but it's dessert that you're really there for. E had ice cream, Helen had an ice cream sundae, and I had strawberry and marshmallow kebabs with chocolate dipping pots. They are so delicious - all the chocolate there is! We had a nice time chatting and it was really lovely to see her!

I recently went through all my dresses, getting rid of some that I didn't wear anymore. I'll put them on eBay and hopefully make a few quid off them. I remembered about this dress, which is from Lindy Bop and which I really love. The bodice is a bit more snug than I would usually wear, but I love the dress so much that I don't care. The weather had dropped really cold so I pulled on this navy cardigan from Simply Be. I bought it a few months ago but hadn't worn it, but it's nice and soft and also provides enough warmth when the weather cools down a bit.

I also pulled on Simply Be leggings and my ankle boots so that my feet were warm on the drive across!

While I was out a man was at out house mending a pipe that's been broken for a really long time, I'm so glad to have it off my mind and hopefully our cellar will stop flooding quite so much!

Dark chocolate hot chocolate - literally hot milk and chocolate and you stir it together yourself, and it's delicious

Cheese and onion tartlet and salad - it was very pleasantly cheesy

Strawberry and marshmallow kebabs with dipping pots

I took this picture in the disabled loo because I was sure I would forget when I got home... The colour of the dress isn't very apparent

But I remembered when I got home, so Lee took this better photo! I love this dress, I really ought to wear it more often! It's a size 26 from Lindy Bop and fits me fine, albeit a little snugly

What I Wore 8th June

At the beginning of June I had a resurgence of one of my chronic illnesses, meaning I was almost incapable of doing anything. I struggled through work on the Tuesday, but Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were a total washout. I had said I was going to go to the cinema on Thursday, but couldn't manage it. I'm extremely lucky to have Lee to look after me, I know that. I also made sure to take all the medication I could and to let myself sleep - a couple of times I fell asleep on the sofa and I must have needed it.

By Saturday I was feeling a bit better so I wanted to get out for a bit. I'm a homebird but so long in the house was beginning to drive me mad. Lee was playing a gig with his band This Is Not A Drill in Sheffield, so I said I would go with him. It was in a pub in Pitsmoor where the ordinary customers seemed pretty bemused by the ton of punks turning up. Lee and I sat down for a bit then moved towards the stage when it was time for him to play. His band was good, just very loud - they play hardcore punk.

We spoke to a few friends and then stayed to watch Rites of Hadda who I actually really liked. They sounded a bit like the Dead Kennedys. We had some vegan burgers from the barbecue out back. It was a nice evening and I was really glad to get out of the house!

I'd put on my flamingo skirt with this new top from Simply Be that I got a few weeks ago. I haven't worn it yet but I liked the knotted bit on the front and the colour. It feels really comfortable to wear and I think it looks quite cool too!

Easter Saturday with the Family

On Easter Saturday Lee and I got up bright and early to go to the supermarket before we went to my grandma's. We needed to get something vegetarian to eat in place of the roast lamb everyone else was having, and I also picked up some alcohol and some other veggie bits to try during the week. I'm loving being vegetarian and trying a ton of new things. We got some fake chicken which was really nice, it was very chicken-like in texture.

While Neil, Rob and Lee were cooking (love a man who cooks! get u one!) my mum, Caroline and Beth helped me with the favours for our vow renewal. I knew it wouldn't take four of us long at all, so we made a production line on the living room floor. It didn't take long at all, so it was one job off my mind which was good.

We had a roast lunch which was delicious, and then Lee and I had made a mini egg cheesecake. Everyone loved it, my mum told me we could make it next Easter too! After we'd washed up we went to sit in the garden with some Pimms. Rob and Beth had to go because they were going to Cumbria to stay with Beth's grandad, but the rest of us stayed outside for ages enjoying the sunshine. We eventually went back inside but no one wanted to break up the party! It was a lovely day.

I wore my flamingo skirt and a white top, along with a flamingo pin badge and flamingo earrings. I went with a bright coral lipstick too.

Bright lipstick. I took this at home before we left

My mum and Caroline with stickers and chocolates and ducks for the favours

Caroline and Beth

My grandma's garden. I was sitting on her new seat here!

Mini egg cheesecake! It was so sweet but really nice

And finally, my outfit. We came home and collapsed into bed, we were so tired! Can you see Ivy's face just in the corner?

What I Wore September 18th

I'd read somewhere, before we travelled, a Top Ten Tips for what to do on your cruise, and I'm really glad I did read it because it was so helpful. No idea where I came across it, but one of the things it said was to definitely see one of the shows on board because they're excellently done. The shows are free but you do need to book ahead, so as soon as we had our online accounts set up I logged in to have a look.

It just so happened that the show on while we were on holiday was Priscilla Queen of the Desert! I love the film, but I've never seen the musical, so I was thrilled. Lee said he'd go with me so I booked the tickets. It was showing four times in the week, so I went for the early showing on the Tuesday, because it finished around 9pm and meant there would be time to eat afterwards.

So Lee and I got showered and ready and arrived at the theatre just before 7pm. It seated 350 but we needn't have worried because there were loads of seats spare. We sat right at the back on comfortable seats, which still gave us a great view, and got talking to some Canadians from Toronto who had visited Pompeii that day. They were eager to tell us they were Canadian and definitely NOT American... I can't think why that is...

The show was great. Lee isn't a fan of musicals but he'd said he'd go, but actually he really enjoyed it and laughed a lot. It's definitely not meant for children, and given the time constraints I think some scenes had been cut out, but the dancing was excellent, the sets looked great, and it was over all just really funny and fun. If you ever go on a cruise, definitely do see the show, and thank you to whichever blogger gave me that tip!

We headed up to the sun deck where my mum and stepdad had been hanging out watching us leave Naples. We had planned to eat at the buffet, but then my stepdad slipped on the wet deck and fell over. He has bad knees anyway and he went right over on one. Staff immediately came to help and took him off to the medical centre, where I hear he got excellent treatment, but it did mean he missed out on something to eat and my mum didn't get anything until later. It was such a shame. It had rained but not much, but the deck in that particular place was quite slippery.

Lee and I stayed on the deck waiting to see if they would come back, but eventually headed to bed. My mum found us in our room to let us know what had happened. I think the staff have to be commended though for their quick actions.

I was wearing this new flamingo skirt. It was originally a Lindy Bop dress, which I mentioned in this post, but the bodice didn't fit me. But given the huge discount it was on sale, I decided to keep it and make it into a skirt. Well I didn't get round to that so in August I gave the dress to my mother and asked her to do it. She did it with only a bit of grumbling (she'd had to remove the zip and keep the pockets intact) but gave me it just before our holiday so I could pack it. I absolutely love the pattern and it's a really gorgeous material, so I'm glad I did this.

I'd bought this top in Yours to go with the skirt, I think the pale pink is just picked out on the flamingos although I could also wear a cream top or a white top with it too.

The entrance to the theatre

And the advert. And they really did have a school bus!

Dramatically lit photo

Meeting some of the cast afterwards

That night's towel arrangement was my favourite, I think!

What I Wore 23rd August

I saw on Twitter recently that Debenhams was having a sale on Lindy Bop items so I thought I'd have a nosy. They only went up to a size 26, but I've heard that they can be generously sized so I thought I'd try. I ordered five dresses, they came really quickly. Two were a weird slippery material that I didn't like, so I didn't keep them. Two of the cotton dresses didn't fit me on the bodice, so I sent one back and I've kept the other. It's flamingo print, so really cute, and since the skirt fitted me I am going to chop off the bodice and make a waistband to make it a skirt. Since it was so much on sale I feel like this is an okay thing to do!

The fifth dress however was this one. It felt a little bit tight in the bodice, but it looked like it fit me, and I thought the pattern was cute so decided to keep it. I decided to wear it to go out with my mum and stepdad for Lee's birthday. We went up the street from our house to one of the best curry houses around - the Dilraj in Dodworth. We quite often get takeaway from there but we haven't been in to eat in ages. It was delicious, as usual!

The dress does feel tighter than what I would usually wear, but I really like it. Plus it has pockets! It feels really well made and I'll definitely keep an eye on Lindy Bop in the future.