This and That Thursday

Hello!

I thought it was time for a blog post about my recent adventures.

Jersey

We spent a few days in Jersey last month. It was the first time we had been to Jersey but I hope it won’t be our last as it was really lovely. We crammed loads of adventures in and tried to visit as many things as possible. The weather was glorious as well.

Walking

We are still trying to go for a daily walk even though we have completed our Lent challenge and we are now very close to completing our most recent Conqueror Challenge.

English Heritage and National Trust

This week we met up with my friend and visited Wrest Park which was amazing. We walked the extensive gardens all day and still didn’t see everything. My husband and myself also visited Upton House very briefly but the weather was so terrible we only did the house and avoided the gardens.

Happy Reading

Etsy

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This and That Thursday

Hello!

I haven’t done a This and That Thursday post for a while so I thought I would do one. It has mainly been work and my Etsy shop recently but we have tried to fit in some adventures.

Walking Lent Challenge

For Lent this year we decided to do a walk everyday of at least a mile. These walks have mainly been local but with all this lovely weather we have been having it has been wonderful to get outside into the sunshine, especially when I have been stuck inside for most of the day teaching.

Lunch

We have also managed a few nice lunches out which have included some nice walks as well. You can’t beat a nice walk followed by a good lunch! One of our favourite places for walk and lunch is around the Wyre Forest.

Decorating

Work on the house still continues and recently we have been working on the music room door which needed some work and prep before repainting. It is hopefully ready now for the undercoat. The library is slow going but we now need the electrics sorted which we can’t do ourselves so hopefully we can get that sorted next.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

This and That Thursday

Hello!

I thought it was time for an update which is outside reading. We’ve been quite quiet since Christmas as we have been back at work and trying to do work on the house but we have managed a few little adventures.

Walking

I have really got back into my walking recently and I just love been outside. I do a few sessions a week on the treadmill but mainly I try to get outside as I find a walk outside really helps my mental health and helps me sleep better. My husband and myself are still trying to finish the last Lord of the Rings medal on the Conqueror Challenge but it taking a very long time. I really want to finish it because I have a big list of medals I want to earn next.

Library

The outside of the house is now basically finished so we are really cracking on with the inside now. The room we have planned for the library needs quite a bit of work as we have found a few horrors since stripping the wallpaper off the walls (the problem with old houses). We also had to remove a sink from the room and deal with a large hole in the wall. This week my husband filled in the hole and now I can finish stripping that wall of wallpaper. The next thing we need to sort is the electrics as we need the sockets moving to fit around all the shelving we have planned. I will post pictures when it stops looking like a horror story!

Dinning Out

Last week was half term and I took the week off teaching so we decided to go out for a treat. We had a meal at a lovely restaurant which is quite close to our house and the food was amazing. We will definitely be going back. We’ve also had a few lunches out as well.

So there are our few little adventures. We are really looking forward to the National Trust places opening up fully again but the main thing at the moment is pushing forward with the library so all my lovely books can have a proper home.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

This and That Thursday

Hello!

I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I thought it was time for a post which doesn’t involve books.

House and Garden

Our house is still covered in scaffolding and work on the roof and the rest of the house is progressing. We have been busy inside the house whilst the builders have been busy outside. We have been clearing the room that is going to be turned into the library. Yesterday I was taking tiles off the wall as the room has a bathroom sink in it from the previous owners. The library is proving to not be as simple as we originally thought but I’m still hoping to get it all finished before Christmas.

Garden wise we have now had two massive clear outs and filled nearly three skips! Now we have some space to lay slabs and create our new pond area.

Powis Castle

We managed to both get a Sunday off together which is something my husband and myself very rarely manage so we went to visit the pea fowl at Powis Castle. We love Powis Castle and always love seeing the peacocks so it was nice to visit the super cute peacock babies.

West Midlands Safari Park

This week we went on our annual visit to the safari park. We always go in the Summer and sometimes to the other events they run during the year. It was a super hot day so we were very grateful for the AC in the car and we got a little pink walking around during the afternoon but it was so nice to see all the animals. My personal favourites are the elephants and hippos.

Walking and Dining Out

We have also been trying to keep our walking going and thankfully we have had some good weather to help with this. We have also been treating ourselves to a few nice meals out, hence the need for so many walks. We haven’t managed a holiday this summer due to the work on the house so we are making sure we go for some nice treats instead.

Happy Reading Everyone

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

This and That Thursday

Hello!

I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I thought it was time for a post about my recent escapades.

Walking and Step Challenge

I am still trying to complete my final medal for the Lord of the Rings walking challenge run by The Conqueror Challenges. The final medal is very long but I really enjoy the challenges and it keeps me moving. If anybody would like to join a challenge here is a link for 10% off. I have also signed up for the 1 million step challenge run by Diabetes UK. This runs from July and is three months long. Here is a link if you want to see what it is about. To be honest averaging 11,000 steps a day is proving quite challenge and I am slightly behind because I got Covid but hopefully I will manage the challenge and get some decent sponsors.

Witley Court

We went for a recent visit to one of our favourite English Heritage properties, Witley Court. I always love visiting but I also find it rather sad to see the ruins of what would have been a wonderful house. I do however find it very shocking that they ripped out the library and replaced it with a ballroom! The ballroom is huge so would have been an amazing library. Walking around the ruins and grounds also meant a good step count.

Brockhampton

Another favourite is Brockhampton which is a house owned by the National Trust. It was a beautiful day so we did loads of walking. The house is also really interesting and is deceptively a lot bigger inside than it appears on the outside. I also really enjoyed how each room was set up as a different time period from the house’s history.

We are limited in how far we can go at the moment and we sadly don’t have a summer holiday in sight because our house is still covered in scaffolding and we have people working on the house 5 days a week until possibly September.

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

This and That Thursday

Hello!

Welcome to my first This and That Thursday of 2024.

I will be honest I have been rather hectic with work so have had less adventure time. I am now teaching at three different schools as well as teaching from home and doing playing work but I can’t complain as it helps me do the things I love, oh and pay the bills.

Walking and Pokemon Go

During 2023 my walking really took a hit so my husband and I have decided to really make an effort and get back into our walking again. This has also meant I am playing more Pokemon Go. I am in a bit of a competition with my sister-in-law with Pokemon Go but sadly she has really pulled ahead due to my lack of movement and playing. However, I am determined to catch up again! If anybody would like to add me as a friend my friend code is 6008 1727 2520.

National Trust

We have managed a few of National Trust properties so far this year. We went to one of my favourites in the New Year to see their Christmas displays before they took it all down. Berrington Hall does one of my favourite Christmas displays and they never disappoint. We have also been to Hanbury Hall which we haven’t been to for many years. I had forgotten just what a beautiful property it was and what beautiful gardens it has. This week we went to Benthall Hall which also included a lovely walk and a trip into Much Wenlock for lunch.

Etsy

I am still running my little Etsy business and I am absolutely loving it. The TBR Tickets are proving very popular and keeping me busy. I just love creating new bookmarks and coming up with new products for my fellow book lovers.

So there are a few things I have been up to. I am really hoping for more walks and more adventures soon, I just wish it would stop raining!

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

This and That Thursday

Hello!

I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I thought it was a good time to do a non bookish update.

Now I am back at work we are trying to make the most of my days off which is nice because we are planning little adventures to go on.

Walking

We are still trying to go on regular walks and I have been really enjoying all the beautiful blossom which is about. We also spotted a fantastic coronation themed postbox. We are also still working on our Conqueror medals.

National Trust and English Heritage Properties

We have been visiting lots of National Trust and English Heritage properties recently and making use of our memberships. They are all properties we have been to before but it is always nice visiting our favourites. You can’t beat going for a nice visit, lunch and a walk and possibly an ice cream if the weather is nice.

Afternoon Tea and eating out

My best friend bought me an afternoon tea voucher for my birthday and we finally used it recently. The afternoon tea was really scrummy and it was at a lovely venue. We have also been going out for the occasional evening meal which has been lovely. We discovered a wonderful local Tapas restaurant which we will be definitely visiting again and we have visited one of our favourite restaurants which does the best chicken lasagne ever.

Hopefully our little adventures will continue as it makes such a difference to get out and about on our days off.

Etsy

This and That Thursday

Hello!

I thought it was time for a non bookish update.

Walking

This week I have been on half term so I haven’t had school. This has meant more free time and I have made the most of it by going on some lovely walks. I am really enjoying the start of the lighter evenings and I am looking forward to going on some evening walks once I am back at school. My husband and myself are also taking part in the Conqueror Lord of the Rings Challenges and we are now half way through earning our second medal, fingers crossed we get to the end soon.

Yummy Treats

We have managed to go out for some treats recently. Last week we went out for a lovely meal where I tried my first ever Baked Alaska. It is so nice to go out for the odd treat. I also cooked a roast on Sunday which I rarely get to do because we generally don’t have enough time on a Sunday due to work commitments. I will be honest the Yorkshire puddings are the best ones I have ever made, sadly they caught slightly on the one side but they were huge!

Card Making

I spent a lovely afternoon yesterday making some Easter cards. I am really enjoying my bits of crafting at the moment and have loads of ideas. I just need to find more time to work on my ideas!

So there are a few of my non bookish activities. We are hoping to go out for an adventure tomorrow but we haven’t decided what yet.

Happy Reading!

Etsy

This and That Thursday

Hello!

I thought it was time for a check in of my non-bookish activities. A lot of my time is currently taken up with work and because the weather has been so horrid I haven’t managed much walking but we have been trying to make the most of our days off together.

Statesman Train and Whitby Abbey

We recently went on a Statesman Train to Whitby and back with my husbands family. The food was absolutely incredible and I managed quite a bit of reading on the train. It would have been nice to have had a bit more time in Whitby but we managed to see the Abbey which is somewhere I have always wanted to visit.

Christmas Shopping

I love Christmas and I love buying Christmas decorations so we have been to a couple of places to buy some new decorations. These include lights for the outside and inside, I also managed to get a few Christmas presents as well. I have yet to find a new singing toy but I have managed to find a light up Father Christmas. I buy a new Christmas singing toy every year. I’m hoping to get some more decorations when we visit the Bath Christmas Market in December.

Christmas Card Making

I have recently got into Christmas card making and I am really enjoying it and finding it a nice relief from work. In fact I am finding it a little bit addictive. Due to the sheer amount of cards I have been making and I am now putting them on my Etsy site as well just in case I get swamped with Christmas cards. I am going to have a go at making some birthday cards as well. If you would like to check out my Etsy site the link is below.

Etsy

Walking

We are trying to go on walks when we have time and the weather isn’t to horrid or it is too dark. We have been having a lot of rain recently which has been hampering our walking but we are still trying. On Tuesday we went for a lovely walk with beautiful sunshine and explored our local nature reserve.

So there are some of my latest adventures and endeavours. We have quite a few things planned for the run up to Christmas so I will keep you all posted.

Happy Reading

This and That Thursday

Hello!

I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I started yet another book today. I now have four books on the go which is feeling very odd and I definitely prefer reading one book at a time but I just can’t seem to settle at the moment.

I have been having some adventures outside of books though, so here they are.

Lord of the Rings Conqueror Challenge

We are still walking and trying to complete our Lord of the Rings Challenge. We are still on the first medal (there are 5) but we have now reached the 40% mark of that medal. Who knew it would take so long to get to Bree!

RAF Museum Cosford

I had an unexpected free Monday a couple of weeks ago so we decided to go to and see some antique planes. I always love visiting but I always feel a little sad at seeing all these beautiful planes which will never fly again. This is one of my favourite planes.

Afternoon Tea

It was my Mom’s birthday last week so we took my parents out to an amazing afternoon tea at Stanbrook Abbey. The food and service was absolutely brilliant and the venue itself was incredible. Definitely worth a wander around.

Attingham Park

Today we took advantage of the beautiful weather and went on a National Trust outing. Sadly, we were not able to go around the house but were allowed to go for a wander around the basement. Thankfully, the grounds at Attingham are beautiful so we did lots of walking and investigating. There was also a huge second hand book shop where we found a holiday guide for our next holiday.