Tempting

My Family sent me home with these....

All ready for my birthday...
If I can wait that long!

Half Term Round Up

 Pumpkin Spiced Latte

 Pumpkin Scone

 Lots of  Coffees

 A visit to the Vintage and Homemade warehouse and their cute little cafe

 Then my favourite restaurant

Hmm I seem to have spent my holiday hopping around coffee shops and cafes!

Homely chuckling

This week is half term and I am at my Mum's for the whole week.
It is very enjoyable to be back amongst the family and there has been a lot of laughing.
My mum has a habit of mispronouncing or making up her own names for things- she also has a broad Welsh accent, which makes it even cuter.

Mums dictionary:

CAPPUCINO =    Cap-O-sheen-ee-o

PAIN AU CHOCOLAT = Shock-A-pan

PANNINI = Pan-een-O

'The Hug in a Mug' (local cafe) = Hugamug

:)

x

Reading Festival

My half term is going well. I have finished two books and it is only Tuesday!


The first, 'Dark Places' by Gillian Flynn is a whodunnit page turner, kind of runs out of steam towards the end, but good for a spooky read.

The second- 'Dark Matter' by Michelle Paver- OH MY GOD!
Go out and buy this book immediately. I started and finished it in about 5 hours.
I could not put it down. It is so simple, yet so chilling. There are no great reveals or twists, just an incredible sense of place and a very evocative plot.

I spent 2 hours this afternoon sat in the window seat of Starbucks while it poured with rain outside, glued to this book-even the presence of the town professional rugby team did not distract me from my book (well, maybe just a little!)
:)
x

Friendship bird

 Last Christmas, my best friend gave me this, it is one of a pair of 'friendship birds' that sit beak to beak.

You split them up between friends.

Mine sits on my bedside lamp.
Cute.

Halloween decorations

At my house

Book Trolley

 When I first moved into my house in May, a bookcase was on my list for an alcove in my bedroom, I want a tall one, with room for a tv, all my books, jewellery box etc. However, my new house budget has most definitely run out and so I had to improvise on my book storage with this retro tea trolley I found in a charity shop.
It has actually grown on me now, it would be better if it was a proper librarian's trolley, but I still think it is cute.

On the top is my pile of books to get through this Winter. As you can see, I am in a very spooky mood at the moment- I think I have been influenced by the cold weather and horror movie style high winds we are having here!

It is half term next week so I will definitely make a dent in these.

x

Breakfast and Christmas

 This morning when I met my friends for breakfast...
They were putting these up.....

It's coming!.....

The Perfect Weekend

This weekend, my university friend came to visit without her children so we browsed the shops, coffee shop hopped and got ahead on a bit of Christmas shopping.
Then-
I went to dinner with the friends I went on my Italy trip with and this was a huge success:-

http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/jamie-oliver/mustard-chicken-and-black-forest-affogato-meal

The black forest affogato was AMAZING.

I wish I had taken a picture- You have got to try it!

Yesterday, I went to visit another friend for Sunday Lunch- she lives in a beautiful old cottage out in the middle of the countryside amongst all the orange and yellow trees of the Autumn. The drive out there was amazing. She then very kindly gave me lots of plants from her garden to put in mine as plants from a friend make your garden more special.
We then quickly dropped into another friend's parents house for a quick cuppa, then home, lamps on and a film.

Perfection.

Funny

Things I have heard in my classroom:


On discussing how Lennie in 'Of Mice and Men' accidentally kills small animals as he does not know his own strength-

Boy D: 'Why don't they just get him an elephant?'

Whilst discussing weekend activities-

Girl E: ' I went to an air show and sat in a Red Arrows plane Miss'
Me: Did you?
Girl E: 'Yeah, they didn't let me fly it though'

Random conversation-

Boy J : 'Miss, I don't think it's right that fish have only got 3 second memories'
Me : 'Don't you?'
Boy J : 'No, 'cos in Finding Nemo they all remember things'
Me : 'I don't think you should base all your fish knowledge on Finding Nemo though'
Girl A : ' Yeah, 'cos they're just acting in that aren't they Miss?'

Random Conversation-

Boy B : ' You know what they say about Blondes..'
Boy N : 'They have ginger babies?'

Random Conversation -

Boy L : ' I am actually registered disabled but I bet you can't tell what's wrong with me'
Boy W : 'Your hair?'

Vegas Experiences

This summer, in Vegas there were two new attractions that we had never done before but were excited to try

First, 'The Mob Experience' at the Tropicana Hotel

 The Tropicana has had an overhaul since we were last in Vegas, and the new style is really great- and they have this new show.
It has live actors, famous guides to talk you through the Mob history of Vegas and lots of personal belongings and artefacts.

 We really loved it, the live actors were hilarious, unfortunately we were not tough enough to become mobsters and so at the end we were unfortunately killed.



The next show we did was the new 'CSI experience' at the MGM hotel

We saw this advertised the last time we were here, but it was scheduled to open after we flew home so it was definitely on the list for this visit.

There are a number of mocked up crime scenes that you have to gain clues from and write on your investigator report sheet..

 then, take them to the lab and enter all your evidence into the machines

Then, solve the crime, get a personal video message from Grissom and a souvenir certificate to take home...

Yes, I know it's naff... but something about these interactive shows gets me every time.. I LOVE THEM!

Illuminating

Scenes from our annual Blackpool trip.

The illuminations were switched on through the pouring rain

By Sunday, the weather had broken so we got a nice walk along the pier

And of course a visit to Starbucks