Sunday Catch Up ~Wales and Home

So, this week! It was a good one (mostly cause I wasn't at work for much of it ;p) and you know about most of it from my post the other day, so this is mostly just a few more pics of my time away!

We went to the seaside and I got a little caught up in taking pics of the beach shops laden with cute colourful buckets & spades!

The weather was bad, but as we were sat in a glass fronted cafe eating ice cream, it cleared enough to show off this lovely rainbow over the choppy sea x3

The Haven complex we were staying in had loads of cool little wood carvings about the place, I really liked this set, very Welsh!

Back at home I got straight out into the garden and got 'building' with all the flowers I bought a week or so ago. This basket needs somewhere better to hang than the greenhouse but I haven't found the place for it yet! Maybe Dad will help when he gets back by drilling some holes in a wall somewhere so I can place a bracket XD

I was also pleased to find stuff had been doing well without me about and I've got some pea shoots showing and the dirt is moving on some of the runner beans too. I'm hopefully going to have a ton of peas this year x3
Today I plan to go find a cloche or polytunnel so I can plant my squash and courgette outside, so I'm going to get going now, hope you have a great Sunday!



Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me! :)
Bloglovin - Twitter - Instagram - Pinterest - Youtube

Time away ~Little Welsh Holiday

So this last week I've been away (that's why I missed this weeks Project Wednesday- sorry about that!) with a couple of friends from work and their little lad. We went up near Pwllheli to a Haven resort called Hafen Y Mor, paid for mostly by sun holidays! I've never been on a Sun holiday before, but I really couldn't fault it, for only £80 Face and I stayed in this 6-sleeper apartment and we even got to be next door to our friends, so we hung out at each others places a lot.

The weather was pretty terrible for 3 out of the 4 days, but that can't be helped. Actually on our first day we spent most of it getting there, so we only got a little look around the site, which was huge, much bigger than I remember Haven sites being from when I used to go when I was little. We played on some 2p machines and looked at a show that was being put on, it wasn't really our thing though!

The next couple of days we did what we could while avoiding the weather. Tuesday was windy as, but only rained every hour or so and was mostly sunny inbetween, so we got a little time to look around, checking out Porthmadog, the beach and nearby Criccieth. We didn't make it up to the castle sadly as the wind would've blown us off the hill it's on top of! So we settled for some awesome fish and chips and then over the road to what became a bit of a theme of the holiday: the ice cream shop Cadwaladers, so good. This Cadwaladers had a conservatory area which was perfect to look out onto the blustery sea while staying nice and warm even while eating ice cream!

The next day topped even that though by raining constantly. We weren't sure what to do at first and hung out in the apartment for a while, but then we decided to go have a look in the complex, at a part we'd not been into before. It had a large arcade and we easily wasted a couple of hours in there. Face is so addicted to 2p machines! After we had worn ourselves out on flashy colours and losing money, Jenni, Ciaran & I went swimming while the lads went home to doss some more. The pool was huge and had some cool features like a slide, flumes, rapids and a wave pool!

On our last day the weather calmed right down so we put a little effort into getting out to see some things, first going to a local animal farm so Ciaran could see lots of cute animal (it didn't hurt that I got to see them too ;p) and then onto Pwllheli to see what was there. At first we missed the beach and had a wander around not finding much of interest but a Cadwaladers! After a little driving around though we found the seafront and spent some time playing in the sand, I got pretty good at building castles! Later on the other went for a rest in the apartment but I wanted to check out the beach at the haven park we were in, so I left them and went for a walk on the beach for an hour or so by myself, it was good to be by myself for a little while, I can't help myself, I'm just so antisocial sometimes!

Overall we had a good time, even if I'm not big on kids and stuff, Ciaran was mostly well behaved. I couldn't help but think it would've been even better had we gone a couple of weeks back when the weather was so much better, but it can't be helped! Overall was just nice to be away from work, back to it now I suppose xp



Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me! :)
Bloglovin - Twitter - Instagram - Pinterest - Youtube

Sunday A Little Different- Hassleback Potatoes

So usually on Sundays I do a catch up but I thought today I would do something a little different as as I was looking back through this weeks photos I realised I'd pretty much already posted them all here, whoops! I guess the weather hasn't been too great this week to encourage me to get out, except for the first two days where I didn't do much but gardening.
So today I thought I'd show you how I made Hassleback potaotes for dinner one night. They were on my list of things I wanted to make and I finally found time! It was really easy too and super tasty, if you love cheesey potatoes like me I'm sure you'll love these as much as I did!
So, you'll need:

• A couple of jacket potatoes
• Butter
• Parmesan
• Cheddar Cheese (grated)
• Chives (optional)
• Sour Cream (optional, but totally worth it!)
• An Oven preheated to Gas Mark 6 (200C, 400F)

First you need to get the potoates, and cut slits in them but don't cut all the way through. Then cut up your butter and parmesan into thin little slices and alternately wedge them into the slits you made. It helps if the butter has only just come out the fridge when you cut it up, and put it into the potato as soon as possible so it doesn't squash. Now they are ready to go in the oven a while. I'd advise putting the potaotes on baking paper on an oven tray cause they make a bit of a mess as they cook! Some people say to put a dash of oil over the top of them before they go in but I have found this unnecessary, it's up to you though!
From here I'd give them 45 minutes to an hour. I checked mine at 45 minutes but they weren't quite done, so I left them to the hour. It all depends on the size of your potatoes I suppose! I had plenty to do in the mean time so I didn't mind the wait :] I grated the cheddar for the next step and went and got some chives out the garden.

Once the hour is up, don't eat them yet! You want to get them nice and cheesy right? So Get a nice little pile of cheddar and place some on top of each potato, I mixed some chives in too for a little extra flavour, I bet it would also be really good with some onion mixed in at this point! Once you've got a good amount of cheese on the top, they can go back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
Once that buzzer goes off, they're done! You can eat them straight away, but they are so good with a little extra sour cream on top! May as well add to the unhealthy XD
I served them on the baking paper they were cooked on, it kept the melted butter and crispy parmesan around the potato to enjoy with it!
Let me know if you give this a go, I'd love to see your outcomes too! Good luck x3


Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me! :)
Bloglovin - Twitter - Instagram - Pinterest - Youtube

This Time Last Year ~May 2014

By contrast with April 2014, May 2014 I took a ton of photos! But it was because I went on holiday, so not sure if you can count it as a success or not, particularly as I only took photos while I was away xp So, this time last year we went to Tokyo, Japan. Both Face and I have long been dreaming about a visit to Japan so we were pretty excited, and it was awesome *.*

In such a large city, we kind of expected the mild sense of fear many people who live in cities radiate, a kind of fear of not knowing who is walking near them and being so singular in such a large place, but we felt none of it! Even in a country whose language is so different from our own, many signs were in English and people made an effort to talk to us, it was so welcoming! We had a great time exploring as much as we could in the 12 days we had, travelling easily on the subway system and even getting a train out of town to Yokohama.

Our hotel was old fashioned but fit for purpose and our view totally made up for it anyway, as we directly overlooked the Tokyo Tower, a tower built to resemble the Eiffel Tower in Paris. At night it lights up different colours depending on the day or occasion, and I would sit on the sill of our window just to watch the view in the odd slow moments we had :]

And although Tokyo is known as one of the most modern cities, there were plenty of throwbacks to what it had been when it was known as Edo, with historical buildings like this shrine entrance melding in with the large city buildings surrounding it. We visited lots of shrines and also the palace gardens and a few parks, to get away from the city bustle a little.
Looking back on it now, I really miss Tokyo, there was something about it that just felt so right! I definitely need to return, and soon! Have you ever felt like this about a foreign country? Let me know, I'm always looking for new places to explore!


Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me! :)
Bloglovin - Twitter - Instagram - Pinterest - Youtube

Project Wednesday ~Dossing in the Garden

Well, usually my projects are little more paper based than this weeks, but it's nice to have a change, right?
I had a long weekend this week thanks to my bosses rotaing so I took full advantage to spend most of it in the garden! The weather was supposed to be terrible but it actually turned out pretty good, I even got to see the sun a fair bit! I admit it's getting chillier, but it's not enough to stop me at the moment (if it gets much colder it will though, I'm terrible for avoiding the outdoors!).

I was given some tiny little seed pots that were going to be thrown away so I dived straight in with filling them with compost and now they all have peas or beans in them XD Some other peas that I started off about 3 weeks ago were starting to outgrow their seed tray and although I'd planned for them to be planted out by Dad they were just getting too root-y so they got planted outside, and the seed tray is already being used for broad beans! I still have two more sets of peas to germinate so I'm sure Dad will still have something to do :]

It's not all been legumes though and I've also been paying some attention to the front garden where I hope to plant some flowers for colour. I don't trust vegetables to stay out the front, although the general consensus of the neighbours appears to be that if it comes from the ground its poisonous! Later on in the year I'll probably end up putting some peas out along the fence line though as they've done pretty well there for the last couple of years. (I think people think they are boring sweet peas xp) I'm trying to make a bit of a feature in the front garden with some plant pots as the middle piece is getting so boring to me! The cherry tree is offset from the middle and not big enough yet to draw much attention, so I'm hoping to get this pot set to have lots of nice blooms and some trailing plants down the side. I've never attempted anything like this before so fingers crossed!

Out the back garden I've got two lots of onions in, they like the sunshine so I've tried to get them in prominent spots, and because I don't usually have a lot of luck with getting them to grow as big as I'd like I've done a little research this year and put a whole bunch of compost and slow release plant food in before planting them :] I'm hoping that'll give them a head start while I concentrate on watering to try and get them chunky XD

And of course with all this I feel the need to bring a little paper organisation in somewhere so I created this chart to keep track of everything as it's planted and grows. I'm really looking forward to filling it in, but I feel theres more I could do with a more garden-focussed journal, but I'm not really sure where to start, or how to go about it. Even Pinterest isn't bringing much up for me!
Do you have any ideas, or have you done any garden themed journals or crafts before? I'd love to hear about them!
Catch you soon,

Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me! :)
Bloglovin - Twitter - Instagram - Pinterest

Sunday Catch-up ~Busier than I thought!

Here we are again, back at Sunday! It's been a more eventful week than I hoped at the beginning as one of my coworkers swapped shifts with me so I didn't have to do all 12 starts, which although I lost out on a little money, was way better for my mentality xp I did miss a lot of the good weather by having to be at work, but at least I got to enjoy a little of it, including this great sunset on Thursday, which I nipped out the back gates at work to take a picture of in the middle of service!

Thursday daytime I had a good day trekking around the shops and found a fair bit that I wanted to buy- luckily I'd only taken so much money with me, perhaps something I need to do more often ;p

It did mean on Friday I'd got all that out my system and I got a little time to focus on the garden, dragging planters about an putting in some new things, I still have a lot to do but I'm pleased with how it's all doing so far :] I'll save you from any pics of dirt this week though xp

On Friday I went out with Face to a factory shop nearby where they sell surplus of all the products they make. They sell a load of brand name foods so cheap it's totally worth the trip out to see what you can find x3 This time we found a massive tub of caramel flavour frappe mix! So guess what we did when we got home? They were really good too! I was surprised at how easy it came together with just a little bit of mix.

Yesterday was a super busy day for me, my first day off in over a week and I was ready for it! I dyed my hair in the morning (though the less we speak of that at the moment the better) and then went to get a new tattoo from the girl who does Face's. It was a good afternoon of scratchy pain an i think well worth it! Excuse the picture, I promise you none of it's blood!

In the evening i went to see my friend Sami in Wolverhampton and we went out to Isosushi, which as recently opened up x3 We ate a little too much but it was well worth it! If I had a shop like this near where I live I would be poor with the amount of sticky rice I could buy on demand *.* Maybe one day... After we went back to her house for some Matcha latte and a look around the garden in the dark x3
Today I was waiting for the weather to warm up a little and I'm off to go have a play in the garden again x3 Did you have a good week? Let me know! I'll catch you soon!



Keep up to date with my latest posts by following me! :3
Bloglovin - Twitter - Instagram - Pinterest

Spreading Kindness

I don't really have a focus today, I just wanted to write a little about some of the stuff that happened to me the other day, and how it sparked a bit of a realisation :]
It started when I didn't have to go to work at 12- one of my coworkers kindly agreed to take on my early start so I could start later. I think my boss noticed that I appear to get a little stressed out after too many long shifts, particularly when the sun is shining and I'd blatantly rather be outside so she'd asked him to cover for me. Just a little thing, but it improved my day so much.
I started by getting out into the garden and putting some of the indoor plants out into the sun to enjoy the weather. Then I thought I'd go do some shopping for a few bits and pieces I'd decided I needed ;p
I started at the garden centre and found some little seedlings past their sell by date, so I got those cheap, another act of kindness, even if it was only by the shop Xp
I went on to get some food for my dragons, and while I was at the retail park I bought some compost, it was really cheap too at only a pound so I got three bags- I don't understand, I buy compost every year, so where does it go? I don't have a massive pile of dirt from last year that would explain it! Anyway...
I moved on to Wilkinsons as I wanted to get growbags still. Around where I live you can no longer park for free unless you park miles away, so I went to get a ticket, but found I only had a two pound coin and the machine doesn't give change. As I was wondering what to do a lady came to use the machine and kindly swapped my coin for two pounds so I didn't have to overspend X3 It's not much, but to a cheapskate like me..!
And Wilkos has a lot of things I want at the moment, I think I'm going to have to go back soon! In the meantime though, I just bought the growbags I was after. And you know what, as I was carrying them the 5 minutes back to the car, I got three offers to help me carry them, (I was obviously looking pretty weak in my attempts to carry two grow bags and maintain their integrity xp) from total strangers, how cool is that? I didn't accept their help which maybe I should've but I thanked them for offering.


When I got home I began unloading all the stuff from the car, and my next door neighbour came over and asked if he was alright to mow my lawn! While Dad's away I haven't mown it and since the weather's been good it's kind of gone nuts, so it really was in need. I was hoping to try and do it at the weekend even though the forecast wasn't very good, so this was an awesome help x3 I edged the lawn as he mowed it, trying to look like I was helping!
What was strange was all this kindness in just one day. I didn't know what to think! Maybe cause the weather was nice and was putting people in a good mood or I was just looking pretty pathetic, I'm not sure. But I really appreciated it, and I noticed that all my offers of help were from an older generation. I'm not sure what that says about my own, but it does make me feel like I should put more effort in, even if it's just at work when I see someone struggling with their bags or something.
Kindness is still alive and kicking it would seem, in a country that people are often complaining about getting worse, and town that many dismiss as being soulless. Maybe those complaining need to think about helping others a little more?

Project Wednesday #6- Completed Banksy Diary

Hey, if you were here on Sunday, you may remember that I was thinking about writing about my Thai Smashbook today. Well, I admit, I changed my mind XD Instead, I've decided to write about another ongoing project that has another stage complete: my diary/journal:


Like I said the other day, I've not been consistently writing a diary for a while before this, until about November when I decided to start it back up, give it another go and all that xp
Usually my diaries are full of all sorts of cut-outs and doodles and what not but as this one was just an aim to get back into the swing of things, I thought I would leave it simple and just put stuff in if I really felt like it, rather than feeling I was forced to find something to decorate a page. Because of that, it doesn't make for the most interesting flick though, but those interested in journal-keeping might like the peak into another's book x3
I've moved on now to one of the ones I previewed in my last post on journals- the pink UK ferris wheel book :] I'll let you know how it goes, in fact, I may just go write in it now while I enjoy the sunshine :]
Catch you soon,

Sunday Catch-up #5- Ups and Downs

Oh, sorry, I'm a little delayed in my catchup this week :x
Last week started really well actually and then went into a bit of a decline, and I don't really have many photos this week because of it! Here we go with what I do have though x3
Monday was a good start, I had the day off and I spent it around the house as the weather wasn't so good. I was doing as I promised myself in one of my earlier posts and catching up with my Thai Smashbook x3 I'll post a little more about that on Wednesday I think.

Tuesday I was at work at 3, but as I was determined to enjoy the good weather I went out to Attingham Park. I took a a public footpath in, which went through some fields with some sheep and their lambs x3

When I got in, I wandered round the walled gardens, my favourite bit of the park x3 I hadn't timed it spot on though and didn't get much time to wander before having to come back home via Tesco and go to work.


He's always so polite, typical chef! On Wednesday I had another day off, and barely stopped! I was all over the place with Face buying meat and then by myself locating other items for a barbeque held at his Mum's house in the evening. Some of our best friends came round too and we all had a really fun night x3
The week gets pictureless after this as I spent Thursday and Friday in bed all day with sickness XD I had some sushi on Tuesday that I didn't look after very well before eating so I think it took me out! I barely got up for anything, I was so lethargic and my appetite completely gone (very unlike me!) Ah well teach me a lesson I suppose.
By Saturday I was back at work on 12-11, and Sunday the same, which is why I really haven't had much time to pop by here. In fact I'm on Midday-Midnight shifts all week so I'm not going to get much time for anything in the next few days and next weeks Catch-up may be pretty bleak too! I may skip it if it is, there's not much to write about having to go to work all day every day xp
How did I get time to come by today though? I rolled myself out of bed at 9.30 to wash my hair. I'm not feeling to good for it but it had to be done and it has given me time to come by here so not all bad x.X
Catch you Wednesday :]

Project Wednesday #5 ~La De Dah Smashbook

The weather has been really lovely this week so far, except for Monday, my first day off this week. I took that as an opportunity to get very invested in one of my Smashbooks, so while smashbooks are in mind, for today I thought it was time to come back around to my La-de-Dah book, and show a few more pages from it :]
So, this first set of pages is kinda just one page but I put in an extra page using the front cover of a magazine, then covered the back with pics from inside :] I went to see the Libertines in Hyde Park, London, and I was so excited! They are my favourite band easily and to see them back together again was just overwhelming. This page is a mix of stuff I collected from the BST festival, magazines and even a patch I had lying around x3

This next set of pages is one of my favourites in the whole book! I did a 100 Happy Days challenge with my sister, and and once I was done I got all these tiny pics printed out and spend ages cutting them to size to do this page! The page wasn't big enough for all the pictures though so I put in another 'expansion' page to fit even more pics in. I actually wanted to be able to lift the pics with a washi hinge originally but I couldn't think of a way to do that that wouldn't make the page look messy. So there isn't much writing on this one, just a keep it simple page :]

When I was at work one day I came up with this super awesome idea for a business and spent the next two days or so finalising all the details XD Once I knew exactly how it would all work and what would be included I thought I would make it a page in my smashbook XD I'm not one for making my own businesses so it'll never go further than this page, but it was fun to think about it x3 The right hand page is more of a daydream wish for when I move out.

This is a simple page for my birthday. This page started out being the page after the christmas page but after adding an expansion pack it made it's way more towards the middle of the book! I really think I could've done more with this page, but I didn't seem to have enough little things to stick in to liven it up.

I'll leave you with this one for now. In January our town hosts the first big tattoo convention of the year, Tattoo Freeze. I'd been before but not for a couple of years so I thought it was time to check it out again! I ended up getting a tattoo too, the sparrow in the corner (which by September I had re-worked to look a lot better ;x) but I had a good day and collected a bunch of stuff that needed sticking somewhere ;p
I really enjoy smashbooking, but as with most of the crafts I choose to do, I am not quick at it. These pages all took me quite a while to put together and although some came out better than others I'm pleased with it overall. Give it a few more weeks and maybe I'll put some more up from this La-De-Dah smashbook :]