Five on Friday!

Its been a funny week here on The Glade and, I for one,  am so ready for the weekend.

My Five on Friday seem to  mostly reflect my need for comfort this week.

It is definitely chiller and darker around here now.

Here are five things that have irked and pleased me in equal measures this week.

One

The leaves have started to fall off the trees around the Chapel this week.

It looks so autumn and pretty.

For those of you who don’t know, the Chapel is opposite our house and is supposed to be our community centre.

However, we have lived in the house for 16 months now and not a tap of work has been done on it by the builders.

It remains boarded up and deemed unsafe.

This is very disappointing because the Chapel was a part of the deal when we bought our houses..

We were all sold the idea that the residents on this development would have exclusive use of the Chapel.

Alas, we remain locked out – it really is a poor show by the builders.

Two

The spiders have been busy all over The Glade this week.

These spectacular webs have appeared all over the place, don’t you think it looks very Halloween like?

Three

We have had slow cooker dinners almost every night this week.

It is such a great way to cook, throw everything in and come home to a lovely hot dinner.

I do tons of things in my slow cooker from lasagna to crumbles to mulled wine.

In fact, although I already have two, I invested in another this week. I am sure I will get lots of use out of all three.

The recipe for the sausage casserole that is cooking in the picture came from Lucy BakingQueen74‘s blog.

Honestly, if you are looking for inspiration, pop over to visit her, she is fab!

Four

I have been burning this candle all week.

It is gorgeous and does smell very summery. It is as good as my usual expensive brand.

However, this little beauty only cost £1.49 – an absolute bargain!

Five

When we were taking Jack for a run yesterday, we were rewarded by this magnificent sunset.

Isn’t it a beauty?

Thank you to Amy & Stevie for hosting xx

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

A postcard from Dubai!

I might have mentioned that himself and I celebrated our silver wedding anniversary this summer.

Instead of buying each other expensive presents, we decided to snag a cheeky week away, on our own, sans children.

It was to be the first break away on our own in 20 years. In my mind we were rehearsing for our retirement, therefore if it didn’t work out, there was till time to do something about it ha!

We stayed in a lovely hotel next to the Marina and with hindsight, we probably couldn’t have chosen anywhere better.

It was perfect for exploring and about a 10 minute walk to the beach.

We went to the malls.

This waterfall was at one end of the Mall of The Emirates.

While this fashion show was occurring at the other end.

Then there was a shark in the tank at The Dubai Mall.

There was the world’s tallest building.

Dancing fountains!

Boat trips across the Abra after exploring the gold and spice souks.

Boat and monorail trips along and around The Palm Jumeirah.

We enjoyed our stay but whilst I wouldn’t be upset if I had to go again, say for work, I wouldn’t go back on holiday.

I felt we well and truly ‘did’ Dubai. We found our own way around and made use of the fantastic metro system, water transport and trams.

We had a great break. However, I found it a very materialistic city and it felt like a very clean, well organised but souless destination.

I know I couldn’t live there, not even for the sunshine.

I loved the Marina but it made me miss walking Jack beside the River Mersey.

Sometimes, it takes a trip like this to make you realise that actually there really is no place like home.

And our retirement?

Well I don’t think it is actually going to be that bad, I have decided to keep himself. I call that a win win ha!

Have you ever had one of those moments when you realise that you are right where you should be?

Have a lovely day!

 

An update and The three stags – Bebington!

Hello my lovelies!

We have arrived back safely from Dubai.

However,  it seems that I have been carrying a chest infection for a while without actually realising it.

It has knocked me for six and I spent last week doing my best to stay upright. Anyway, a course of antibiotics has been prescribed and I am sure I am in the recovery phase.

But hey, given my recent history, what do I know?!?!

Over the weekend, himself decided that a jaunt away from The Glade was in order.

The youngest was safely deposited at a sleepover and we went to The Three Stags, in Bebington for dinner.

The pub was really busy but they managed to find us a table.

We chose the baked Camembert for starters.

It was served with chutney, rocket and toast.

Now this is quite a favourite in our house, so there was quite a lot to live up to.

It was nice, but I felt it was a bit unadventurous.

A nice nutty or rye bread would have been a welcome change, nevertheless we made short work of it and the chutney was very nice.

For his main course, himself chose The Ultimately Mixed Grill.

Good grief, for a veggie like me, it looked as though half a butcher’s shop was loaded onto his plate.

There was a  beef steak, a gammon steak, a chicken breast, two sausages, two fried eggs, a pile of onion rings, mushrooms, peas and chips.

The verdict: ‘It was lovely’ said himself, high praise indeed!

A pasta dish with mushrooms and goat’s cheese was the offering that I chose.

I found the sauce was a bit watery and cold which was disappointing.

However, the meat dishes are obviously the show stopper.

Given that I hadn’t eaten much of the pasta dish, I obviously had room for a dessert.

It was an easy choice for me when I saw that Creme Brûlée was on the menu.

I have to say this gorgeous pud did not disappoint.

It was a huge portion too, therefore I didn’t mind sharing a nibble or two with the carnivore.

We enjoyed our trip to The Three Stags and I would definitely give it a whirl if you are in the area, they even allow children in now (side eye to the previous bosses).

However, I would say that it is definitely geared more towards meat eaters, there is a limited choice on the menu for vegetarians and it was very standard with disappointing execution.

The atmosphere was great though and dessert was amazing

Have a lovely day!

 

My Sunday Photo!

 

This was taken last night at New Brighton, Wirral.

Less than an hour later there was a huge thunder storm!

This scene made me think that about how beautiful nature really is.

Have a lovely day!

‘Discover’ – Geocaching, Patience and the Beach!

 I have been wanting to join in with the fabulous Word Of the Week run by Jocelyn who writes at The Reading Residence,  for ages but have not been organised enough!

But this week I am and my word of the week has been `Discover’!

  

 It is no secret that we like a bit of geocaching.

In my opinion, it is good healthy fun for all the family.

However, our eldest has never enjoyed the delights with us before. She is usually at work, uni or nursing a hangover, whenever we go.

On Sunday, she advised that she would be free to come out with us for the day and asked what would we be doing.

When we decided on geocaching, her face remained unchanged and she asked would food be involved. Knowledge of a picnic and ice cream at the end secured her participation.

 So you see there were no expectations.

She imagined she would be walking the dog with food being an added bonus.

So off we set, suitably attired for a rummage through brambles.

 Then this happened!

The youngest discovered the first cache on our list.

 

 She filled in the log and the eldest discovered:

The caches are there.

The clues are accurate.

The logs revealed that tons of people do it.

It is really exciting!

When it came to locating the next one, she was in the lead.

There was a water trough involved and she was straight in.

I had to remind her that the youngest needed to look too and to wait her turn to sign the log ha!

 She was delighted by the whole thing and was talking about how she could incorporate into her lesson plans – she is studying primary teaching!

 This is a picture of them as they rushed to the next cache, they are both bouncing along, even the dog is bewildered. 

They were well away, racing to their next discovery!

 Then I discovered this view of the beach that I have never seen before.

It was beautiful!

This is the added joy of geocaching for me, I always see something I would have missed.

Have a lovely day!

Holidays are nice but……….!

Amy is taking a well-earned break from hosting Five on Friday for August.

Therefore, I have jumped at the chance to join in with Steph from Diary from a Midlife Mummy and her lovely What I have Loved This Week link.

We returned home in the early hours of Tuesday morning from our recent holidays.

Later that day, himself was dispatched to collect our black labrador, Jack, who had been billeted at his mum’s house for the duration of our travels.

This week I have loved taking him for his evening walk.

It is nice to go on holiday, but we all miss Jack when we are away.

I think he missed us too and has reverted straight back into his routine, without any readjusting!

We live on the boundary of a country park and the woods are beautiful. It is such a peaceful place in the evening when the hoards of visitors have left.

For me, there is nothing better than coming home from a long day at work and heading for the cool but sheltered woods with the boy in tow – I love it!

Jack is such a huge part of our family, therefore it is nice to go on holiday but, it is also nice to come back home and have the missing link restored.

So, in short this week I’ve loved –  walking the dog!

I also love the badge for this link up – isn’t it gorgeous?

Have a lovely day!

My Sunday Photo!

 

This beautiful Passion Flower is blooming in my garden right now.

I am delighted!

Have a lovely day!

My Captured Moment #15

 

As I walked behind the girls this weekend in The Glade, I just had to capture this moment.

If I had asked them to dress the same they both would have vehemently objected.

However look at them, dressed virtually the same and walking in tandem.

The eldest at 19, is adamant that the 12 year old is not almost as tall as her – but she is!

The youngest misses the eldest so much when she is at university and yes, they are linking arms as they walk.

I captured this moment when my two lovely girls both suddenly seemed very grown up.

I felt I was having a glimpse into the future and, hopefully of the friends they will always be to each other.

As always I am joining with Heledd from Running in Lavender for her lovely My Captured Moment!

Have a lovely day!

Strawberry Fields Forever!!

The sweltering heat on Saturday set myself and the youngest thinking about Strawberries.

As luck would have it we live about 3 miles away from the wonderful Claremont Farm. They do ‘pick your own’ fruit and so we went hunting.

 

Strictly speaking,  I am opposed to child labour, however when it comes to filling my fridge with the best strawberries that the Wirral has to offer, then I relax my standards.

The strawberries were out in abundance, all plump and juicy!

This one made the grade and was promptly added to my basket.

Claremont Farm do the whole experience so well, they even include a complementary tractor ride to the further fields.

We didn’t partake this time, apparently 12 is too old.

Look at these beauties! We filled two small baskets, which filled a large colander and they cost less than £3.50 which I think is a bargain!

 

It would have been rude not to make a Strawberry cake, wouldn’t it?

 

Have a lovely day!

The one when we go Geo Caching!

On Saturday, Miss Glade and I decided to go Geo Caching for the second time. We did it the first time on Bank Holiday Monday, but didn’t find a thing and so gave up, however inspired by Muddy Mum from Mud and Nettles, we decided to give it another try.

With beautiful views like this Rapeseed field with the Welsh Hills in the background, I decided it was a great way to spend the afternoon even if we didn’t find anything again. The 12 year old was slightly less enthusiastic.

However, when she quickly found her first ‘Cache’, with a little help from a runner who had done the same last week with his children, she was thrilled!

She was keen to carry on and find more. We walked along the track of the old railway line that forms The Wirral Way and didn’t see another living soul for miles. It was beautiful.

The next find was a lot easier than the first. Then when we were looking for the third one , we ended up in a sort of ditch, in front of an empty field. The clue said something about the view of the Welsh Hills so that was the direction that I looked to, I heard a rustling behind me and turned, expecting to see another walker, instead this handsome chap and his friend who was My Sunday Photo had appeared to say hello.

We honestly couldn’t believe it and forgot about Geo Caching for a while, instead preferring to admire our hosts, we were at the bottom of their field after all.

Eventually, we did find the cache at the top of the ditch so really we need not to have got that close, but it was extraordinary to see them.

The next two finds were relatively straightforward. If she hadn’t been getting hunger pangs, the youngest would still be there, she had a great time.

On Sunday, As we were about to take the dog for his walk, we looked to see if there are any Caches near to where we live. There was one listed behind a field, somewhere we had never explored before.

Eventually we found that one too, although I think. we made it difficult for ourselves.

Afterwards we went back towards our house through the woods, stopping off to reward ourselves with Cheshire Ice Cream.

Although, that said, I think my real reward was seeing this absolutely beautiful Bluebell wood that was hidden away behind a sports centre. Between that and the horses the day before, we couldn’t decide which had been the most magical.

Equally, the look on the youngest’s face when we eventually located the Caches was   priceless. It was a fabulous thing to do, to get out in the thick of the undergrowth and have a good look around, it’s amazing what you miss power walking along these beautiful paths.

If you are tempted to take part, I strongly suggest you read Muddy Mum’s blog, she is far more advanced and knowledgable than us.

Have a lovely day!