My Week #7

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Over the weekend I went back home to Pembrokeshire. I don't usually go home just for the weekend because it works out that I only get about 36 hours there so it's normally pointless. However, this was special occasion. It was my Gran's 72nd birthday. Also, all of our immediate family came to my mum's house for a bit of a party so I would have hated missing it.

Altogether there was thirteen of us, my gran, my mum, her two sisters and their partners and kids. I say kids but the youngest one is nearly 13 and the oldest is 24. I wonder when we'll stop being 'the kids'. Probably when we have kids of our own! My brother, myself and two of my cousins are really close. We spent a lot of time together when we were growing up and we are basically all brothers and sisters. We get on so well, most of the time, and we can really have a laugh together.

We don't all get together as often as we should, I think the last time we were ALL there was about a year ago but my Gran loves it so much when we're all under the same roof. We told her she was like the Don, sitting around with her family proudly and her chest puffed out. We are her achievements in life though. She didn't really climb the career ladder, she was a housewife when her children were young so we are the thing which she's put her life into, her family. She enjoyed the whole day. All of the women in the family can talk for Britain and I don't think the boys get a word in edgewise sometimes but they're used to it by now.

It was also nice to see Oscar, my Gran's puppy, again. I hadn't seen him for four weeks, since I was last home, and he has grown quite a lot! The one thing I hadn't counted on though was her utter devotion to him. When I gave him to her I knew that she would enjoy his company and like going for walks with him but she is absolutely besotted. She took him off on their own in the living room for a while so her could 'have a nap', she held him whilst we were eating AND fed him at the table when she thought nobody was looking. I'm telling you, if that had been one of us with our dogs she'd have killed us!! My mum and her sisters have all had dogs for a long time and we've been trying to persuade her to get one for a while and I think it has been one of the best decisions she's ever made.

It astounds me how attached people become to their pets. At the end of the day they're just animals, but it doesn't stop them worming their way into your heart. When our old dog died eighteen months ago we were devastated and the house seemed so quiet even though we still had two other dogs. We still talk about him almost everyday now, we grew up with him and loved him with all our hearts. I'm just glad that she's so happy with her new baby (her words, not mine!).

I gave her a crocheted blanket. I'd been working on it for about nine months and I was really pleased with how it turned out. It was the first big(ish) blanket I've ever made so it was a learning curve, there are definitely things I would do differently next time, but all in all I was pleased with it. My Gran loved it which was the main thing, she wore it around her, and Oscar of course, for the rest of the day. Here's a sneak peek at it but I'll be doing a full post on how I made it another day :)

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend and you have a great week ahead of you :)

My Week #6

Yet again, another week which has been crazily busy. I apologise for the lack of posts.

Last Tuesday I had asked previous Great British Bake Off contestant Holly Bell a few questions which she was kind enough to answer. You can see that post here.

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I had a busy weekend. I went to a friend's house for a few (much needed!) drinks on Friday after work and on Saturday it was an au-pair friend's birthday so six of us went out for a meal and drinks. We went to Wahaca, a Mexican restaurant in Soho. It was really busy when we got there so we had a few drinks in the bar downstairs first. They serve tequila cocktails (alongside Mexican beers and other cocktails), they were so strong! Usually cocktails just taste like juice to me but I could definitely taste the alcohol. They were nice, I had a grapefruit one which was really refreshing and a passion fruit one which was nice and sweet, but I don't think I would have them again. The decor was really cool, empty tequila bottles on shelves, chairs suspended from the ceiling and chain link curtains gave it a really Mexican but modern and unusual feel.

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We sat at a table for six, it was plenty big enough for us all to sit around it comfortably. We ordered and the food came pretty quickly which was good because we were all starving by then. There was about 10 minutes between the first dish coming out and the last dish being served though so some people had to start their meals before some of the others had anything. I ate the grilled steak tacos, the black bean and cheese quesadillas and the sweet potatoes, the food was divine. It was slighty spicy, enough so that your lips burn from the heat but not too much, the flavours were delicious and the service was quick. I asked for a glass of tap water and the waiter came back in about a minute with glasses for the whole table. I was so full, I really shouldn't have had dessert but they had churros with chocolate sauce which I really could not resist. I was definitely right to have them. YUM! All together, including a nice cool Corona to wash it all down, my bill came to around £22 which I thought was excellent value for a Central London restaurant. It is a chain but it feels so individual and with those prices I wasn't really going to turn my nose up. The music was quite loud, meaning you had to shout across the table if you were talking to each other but other than that a great place.  I would definitely return. In fact, there was lots of cool, unusual looking places to eat around that area in Soho, if you are looking for somewhere new then maybe go for a browse.

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I went on a date this week to the cinema to see The Conjuring. I enjoyed it, there was some really jumpy bits and there was quite an interesting story line which is what I like in a horror film.

I'm working on a pretty exciting (if incredibly lame!!) Harry Potter knitting project at the moment so watch this space!!

I was featured in Bonjour, Blogger's Saturday Summary, which you can see here. How exciting! I keep forgetting that people actually read what I am writing! And I hope you're enjoying it. A couple of people have come up and started a conversation with 'I saw on your blog' which is pretty surreal, and brilliant :)

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I have just booked tickets to see Blood Brothers AGAIN!! This will be my fourth time. It is an unbelievably good musical, I love it. It's definitily one of my favourites, if not my all time favourite. This will be the third Nolan sister I've seen playing Mrs Johnston. I am excited.

My Week #5

Last week seemed so long! It was only four days because of the bank holiday but it just went so slowly. Autumn is well and truly on its way. The mornings have still been sunny and warm but there is a crispness creeping in which makes me excited for Christmas! I know, its way too early to be thinking about the old Crimbo but I do need to start sorting out my Christmas crafts. 

I found this great blog from the Travelettes. My wanderlust is always there, bubbling away under the surface but this post made it erupt. I want to travel so badly, this post made me want it so much more. Some of the points are really funny and some are a bit more heartfelt but it was a really good read.

I had an interview with Cathy Glass! I was so excited, she is one of my favourite authors and a big inspiration. If you missed it you can read it again here. Keep a look out on this blog because I have a few more really interesting blogs lined up for the coming weeks.

I also went to the Harry Potter Studios. It was amazing. Here's the post if you didn't catch it the other day.

Whisks, Hooks and Books also has a brand new Facebook page! Head on over to https://www.facebook.com/whiskshooksandbooks to like us :)

Well, it's only a quick one tonight but I'll be posting a few exciting things this week including an interview with a previous contestant on the Great British Bake Off! Keep an eye out. And I hope this week is a great one for you.

My Week

I know, I've been a terrible blogger! I haven't blogged in a fortnight and I actually quite missed it! The week before last was so hectic because both I and the children were going away for a week so I had to ensure that not only all of their ironing and packing was done but I had to pack mine too! I just packed for myself though. I do not iron more than is necessary!

Then, last week I was at home for a whole ten days. It was blissful. I caught up with loads of friends and family, did a few mundane things which I don't get to do up here and I sadly enjoy like spending hours cooking a meal and shopping in Tesco. The best thing of all though was that I got to spend lots of time with my mum and brother. My little bro (not that little, he's nineteen!) had the whole week off college so we had movie days and I just generally spoiled him. My mum also managed to have a few days off work, she runs her own garden centre so time off is pretty hard to come by.

I went home because it was my birthday on the third of July. On the actual day I took my mum out for lunch at a gorgeous local Spanish restaurant, check it out here, I'll post a full review of our meal later in the week. Then we just went home and drank tea and chatted. That's what I like most about being home, just relaxing and catching up properly with the family. I also had a bit of family get together on Friday. On Saturday we had a bit of a surprise birthday party with about seven of my brothers mates and my stepsister and her boyfriend. It was so much fun! The alcohol was flowing and we had a really good time.

So you can see why I haven't posted, these last couple of weeks have been crazy but I'm back now and my fingertips are itching to type.

I am loving tribal, Aztec and Indian prints at the moment. This is a picture of a selection of skirts and tops from New Look's Inspire range.

I haven't had a chance to read any blogs this week so I can't link you to any that I found interesting. I'll buck my ideas up for next week!

My Week

This week seemed so hectic! The children usually get up at about 3pm and have dinner at 5pm which leaves us two hours in the afternoon to do something. We usually play in the house or go for a little walk to tire them out but we went out every afternoon which makes the time go quickly but we were all knackered by Friday.

I went out on Friday night and it was good, the weather was warm and the sun came out late afternoon so we could sit outside, bliss. I met two friends who are also nannies so our evenings are always filled with hilarious stories and plenty of laughter. The pub served vanilla vodka though, my Kryptonite.

On Saturday I went to West End Live, you can see my post about it here.

Sunday was a day of relaxation, I needed it after such a busy week! The children and I had found the Boho cafe whih is about ten minutes away from our house. Its a lovely little cafe with great coffee, yummy cakes and plenty of toys for the children to play with. Its a great place which I think I will be frequenting.

With the summer holidays coming up I really like this post from Make and Takes about activities to bring when travelling with children, it has some great ideas.

This infused sugar from A Beautiful Mess looks so yummy! It would make such sweet gifts too, something to think about for my Christmas hampers. I really want to try the lavender one.

I cried my eyes out when I read this post from How Does She. tells her son how to be prepared for the world of dating so that he is ready for his princess when she comes along. It is a beautiful post straight from the heart and infused with so much feeling and some wit.

And last but not least I need this yarn storage solution from Knits for Life. Its so gorgeous and a really easy, effective way to display all your wool hoard.