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Turning 60 – celebrating with Covid 19 Restrictions

July 31, 2020

Turning 60

Turning 60 makes me sound really old and I cannot believe I am this age. Last week I reached this milestone and celebrated turning 60. How I celebrated was very different to how I had planned.

After I retired from nursing and we moved into this house we inherited a fabulous large garden. It has a big lawn space and a large patio space, perfect for entertaining. My initial plan was to hold an afternoon garden party for my immediate family, my husbands and few close friends. The guest list would have been around 35 and would fit comfortably in the area with room for the little ones to run around and play.  However these plans were obviously curtailed by the Governments Guidelines to help control and contain the spread of Covid19.

I may earn money from the companies mentioned in this post as I am an affiliate. This does not incur any cost to you and I only recommend companies and products that I use and trust

Turning 60

Turning 60

My plans for celebrating then meant I could just have my immediate family around in the garden. This then posed it’s own problem as the weather in Manchester has been dreadful for most of the month – grey skies and so much rain, in fact leading up to my birthday it rained every day.

Mr Fitz and myself usually have a holiday or trip away to celebrate a BIG birthday. I have wanted to visit Oxford for ages and we had booked a stay in a Hotel for this month much earlier in the year. However we had cancelled this due to the uncertainty and because we planned to travel by Rail and this was not something we were ready to do yet.

Therefore we decided to have a mini break much closer to home and Mr Fitz treated us to a night’s stay at Hotel Gotham Manchester and a meal in the hotel’s Honey Restaurant. I’ll write a full review of this in  my next post.  All I will say here is that we had a wonderful time and is something we are considering doing again for our 35th Wedding Anniversary at the end of September.

Hotel Gotham Manchester

Hotel Gotham

British Weather

As you may know I live in Manchester UK and I love living here. However this summer we seem to be getting more rainy days then other area’s. Despite me posting that it’s a myth about it always raining in Manchester, conditions are making me doubt this! I see social media photographs from friends and fellow bloggers around the country and they look to be enjoying being outside in sunshine. I have been looking forward to turning 60 and enjoying muted celebrations but have been so anxious that the rain would stay away.

The weather was dry when we travelled to Manchester and I didn’t take a coat but the minute we had checked in Hotel Gotham then ventured outside for a bit of shopping it started raining. My freshly styled hair started to flop. My fine menopausal hair does not tolerate any moisture well at all.

Turning 60

For my garden celebration I had my poor family on standby as to whether my little gathering would go ahead.  I had to hold it outside for Social Distancing reasons and for enjoyment. I have 5 boisterous great nieces and nephews who love to run around and play. More so at the moment as they have been apart during lockdown. Anyway thankfully the forecast was dry and I decided to proceed.

We had a gazebo on standby and is probably an essential for any UK garden

 

I bought a selection of inexpensive garden games to lay out on the lawn for the little ones to play with and keep them entertained

Garden Games Snakes and Ladders

Garden Games Snakes and Ladders

Flamingo Ringo Garden Games

Flamingo Ringo Garden Games

Snakes and Ladders

Flamingo Ringo

 

A Twister style game

We also had a few other games that we all enjoyed

Rory’s Story Cubes by Asmodee Games

Rory's Story Cubes Asmodee Games

Rory’s Story Cubes Asmodee Gamesj

Dobble Card Game

And no get together would be complete without a Pinata – as adults we love watching them squeal with delight trying to release the sweeties

The rain stayed away and we had a lovely afternoon, a much needed get together as we had suffered the loss of my brother only about 6 weeks before lockdown and we had been apart since then.

Even though it was to celebrate me turning 60 I made the emphasis for my great niece and nephews as we are all happy to watch them play and be happy.

I put on a simple spread to meet everyone’s needs, my Sister in Law follows a Gluten Free diet and some of the little ones can be a bit picky but also love nothing more than cucumber and tomatoes! So there was finger food and hot food selection of chilli or chicken curry, in case it was a bit chilly and something warm was required.

I made an activity out of serving ice cream – I made an ice cream station and everyone got to have a vanilla ice cream in a dish or a cone and could decorate it themselves. I provided an assortment of sprinkles and toppings including fabulous sauce, including unicorn shimmer and bubblegum flavour and other fantastic flavours from the Skinny Sauce Company. This was a big it with the little ones and the adults!

Ice cream fun

Ice cream fun

 

So here I am at 60 , and all my working life I expected on turning 60 to collect my Pension and bus pass at this age, but sadly due to changes in legislation and local authority guidelines that was bot to be. I can however receive free prescriptions, which thankfully I don’t need regularly and I look forward to a Bowel Cancer screening kit in the post! Happy Days!

Have you had a celebration or milestone occasion during lockdown, what did you do to celebrate? Did you still manage to have a great time?

Anyway thanks for popping by today and come back to see my full review of our night in Hotel Gotham Manchester.

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Filed Under: Health and Wellbeing, House and Home, Lifestyle, Manchester, Manchester Bars and Restaurant reviews, Uncategorized

Visiting Harrogate A stay at Artists Cottage

July 15, 2020

Harrogate A stay at Artists Cottage

Harrogate is in North Yorkshire and Artists Cottages are a selection of cottages, 5 in total, perfect for a self catering stay.

I was lucky enough to win a 2 nights stay for a winter break at the end of 2019 from a Facebook competition for myself and Mr Fitz. My stay was originally planned for February 2020 but due to family circumstances and then the worldwide Covid 19 Pandemic my stay didn’t take place until the accommodation had been allowed to reopen again after Government advice.

Our stay was a Monday and Tuesday at the beginning of July, 2 days after it was open again for business. Before I proceed further I must state that writing this review was not a requirement for our stay. As a lifestyle blogger I love to share the things I do in retirement.

We enjoyed a lovely scenic drive from our home along the A59 through the Ribble Valley to Harrogate.

Artists Cottage

As I stated earlier Artists Cottages are a collection of 5 different places to stay, Artists House, Artists Loft, Artists Cottage, Artists Corner and Artists Place. All owned by the same team.

Our stay was in Artists Cottage. A 2 bedroom terraced cottage a short walk away from the centre of Harrogate, approximately 10 minutes.

We were met by Marie-Therese, one of the team and given a warm welcome, all socially distanced, due to the challenging times we are in.

The cottage had been empty during lockdown and had been given a thorough clean by staff who had been specifically trained and provided with Corona Covid-19 Certification.

There was hand sanitiser in the utility room as you entered the property and of course we brought our own supply too.

Pin for Later

Accomodation

Downstairs it comprises of a kitchen, a lounge, a utility room and a bathroom. Leading from the kitchen is a steep staircase up to 2 double bedrooms.

The lounge is compact and cosy with a sofa and 2 armchairs all comfortable. There is a chest containing the garden seating cushions that doubles as a coffee table. Along with a TV and a vintage style record player. A small selection of vinyl records was provided.  On the walls in the lounge are a selection of paintings from local artists to promote their work and are available for purchase. Most of the images were of local Harrogate scenes or Yorkshire landmarks.

Harrogate Artists Cottage

Lounge Artists Cottage

The Kitchen is very well equipped with everything you would need for a boutique stay, including a coffee maker. As a welcome we were provided with milk, tea, coffee, local delicious Harrogate shortbread biscuits and a fabulous bottle of Rioja. Everything is high end from the kettle to the cooker.

Kitchen Artists Cottage

Kitchen

Artists Cottage

Kitchen

Outside of the kitchen is small yard with a table and chairs for outside dining.

The bedrooms were similar in size and both contained a double bed, a wardrobe and a dresser. A hairdryer, towels and fans were available.

Front Bedroom

Front bedroom

We chose to sleep in the rear bedroom and the bed was so comfortable.

Bedroom Artists Cottage

Rear Bedroom

As we were only on a short break we ate takeaways and didn’t choose to cook anything for ourselves – lazy I know but it was such a treat to be away from home after lockdown when we’d had ample opportunities to cook!

Visiting Harrogate

As I said it was short walk into Harrogate and that’s what we did both days of our stay. It was quiet when we were there pubs and restaurants had only been reopened 2 days.

We took the opportunity to walk around the town looking at the buildings and sites. It was a our first visit for many years and we wanted to familiarise ourselves plus we love admiring buildings and architecture. Amazed at how they were built and decorated without modern day techniques and equipment. There are many fabulous buildings to admire. Particularly the houses and properties around Swan Road close to the magnificent Swan Hotel. The Swan Hotel is famous as being the hotel the famous novelist, Agatha Christie fled to during her mysterious 11 day disappearance in 1926.

The Montpellier area is very picturesque and I loved the tree sculpture to commemorate the visit of the Tour De France in 2014.

Tree Sculpture Harrogate

Tree Sculpture

We also walked around the shopping area. I visited the Rigby and Peller store – I have always promised myself one of their bra’s, however when I was inside browsing I wasn’t blown away by what was on offer. The products did not look any different from other brands but at extortionate prices. I was offered a fitting but declined. I didn’t see anything that I thought was worth the £100-£200 price tag. I also visited the Slingsby gin shop, a local Gin, after a recommendation from a friend. As you may have read I have been a gin drinker before it was fashionable.  There were many fabulous Slingsby gins on offer and I was able to try 2 free samples. Oh yes please!

Betty’s Tea Room is one of the iconic places to visit in Harrogate, it was open with restrictions and under normal circumstances we would have enjoyed a visit or visited the shop to purchase a takeaway treat. As there was a need to queue we decided to give it a miss but it will be a must for our next visit.

We love pubs so we had a couple of drinks on both days in the Montpellier, the landlord was so friendly and welcoming with great social distancing measures in place. Also we visited All Bar One, where again social distancing measures were in place. I enjoyed a lovely Aperol Spritz as part of their 5 0’clock cocktail offer.

Aperol Spritz All Bar One

Aperol Spritz All Bar One

No visit to anywhere is complete for us unless we’ve visited the local Wetherspoons. Mr Fitz and myself are big fans of the pub chain. Harrogate has a large pub based in the site of the historic Royal baths.  We love how Wetherspoons convert old historic buildings into pubs and hotels retaining the character and original features.

Wetherspoons Harrogate

Wetherspoons

Harrogate is close to many beauty spots and sights but due to the times many events had been cancelled for the year due to Covid 19.

Summary

In summary we enjoyed a pleasant 2 night stay after staying home for 3 and a half months. Harrogate is a lovely town and somewhere we will revisit again as it is not too far from home.

The accomodation was lovely, the biggest plus was the decor. Each room was painted the same colour, which I understand from the owner was custom mixed to match the Laura Ashley fabric on the bedroom headboards. It was a subtle shade of greeny blue, taking on different hues in different times of the day. I would best describe it as a pale peppermint green. It was a very calming, peaceful colour.

The things that caused us problems was the heat – the heating was on and Mr Fitz and myself do not like to feel too warm. Our first nights sleep was broken by being too hot. The windows were original sash window and could only be open a small amount. We are used to having 2 windows open in our bedroom regardless of the time of year or outside temperature. The second night we had found the fan and cooled the room down before retiring for the night.  Also the radiators had individual thermostats so we were able to bring the temperature of the house cooler to how we prefer it.

The bathroom and toilet being downstairs was a bit of a problem too – the stairs a re very steep with narrow treads. I had to leave the bathroom and utility room light on at night to enable us to see our way to the bathroom during the night. I have arthritic knees and Mr Fitz has size 10 feet too which added to the challenge.

But overall it was a lovely accommodation with luxury touches.

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Filed Under: Lifestyle, Product Reviews, Travel and Things to Do, Uncategorized Tagged With: Agatha Christie, All Bar One, Artists Cottage, Harrogate, Places to visit, Self catering, Stay in UK. Staycation, Wetherspoons, Yorkshire

How to recreate the Wimbledon experience at home

July 1, 2020

How to recreate Wimbledon at Home

In this post I am going to share with you how to recreate the Wimbledon experience at home. My previous post shared my experiences of actually visiting the tournament, now I am giving hints and tips to host your own social event with family at home.

I may earn money from the companies mentioned in this post as I am an affiliate. This does not incur any cost to you and I only recommend companies and products that I use and trust

This year the tournament has joined many other sporting events by having to be cancelled due to the global Covid 19 outbreak.

The Game

I have many friends who are huge tennis lovers and i know are really going to mix their annual fix of this fabulous British tradition. I have already described my experiences of attending as a spectator. Now I’m going to suggest ways you can enjoy watching tennis at home.

Wimbledon may be cancelled this year but the BBC will make sure you can still watch plenty of classic action and hear from the top players. BBC Sport will have over 50 hours of programming for two weeks from 29 June, including weekday rewinds of memorable matches, an Andy Murray Greatest Hits weekend and a countdown of best finals.

You can enjoy a nice afternoon at home with family whilst still observing social distancing guidelines.

How to recreate Wimbledon at Home

Setting the scene

Ideally you can set up your garden with ideas how to recreate the grounds of Wimbledon, even if you only have a small area like a balcony or paved courtyard.

A couple of chairs on the lawn or in the lounge will start to set the scene, especially as they are in the colours favoured  by The Lawn Tennis Club.

 

Or these fabulous scatter cushions in a variety of colours can be used both inside and out as they are waterproof

They would both look good against this fabulous picnic rug

This fabulous eco friendly outdoor tableware set would be perfect for serving food on

For young and old alike how to recreate the competitive spirit of the tournament by a game of swingball to host your own mini tournament

Next is what to wear – something casual but suitable for garden and Wimbledon elegance

A pretty little shift dress is ideal. Wallis has a lovely one that can be dressed up or down with heels or flats and as its neutral and can be matched with many coloured accessories to add a colour pop. Click here for details Wallis UK

Shift dress from Wallis

These sandals would look fabulous again from Wallis  they have a metallic trim as I love a bit of bling.

Carousel Image 2

This is a similar look to what I wore at Wimbledon

Fred Perry statue at Wimbledon

Shift dress with sparkly slip on comfy wedges

Alternatively if you’re not comfortable in a dress how about a jumpsuit

with a kimono

And of course sunglasses are an absolute must – no outfit is ever complete without them. I am wearing my favourite Tiffany’s in the photo. A treat when I retired. I do have quite a few other pairs though  I’m a little bit obsessed. Remember to make sure they have a high UV protection. Here are a few styles I like at the moment

                                       

How about these rose gold mirrored beauties?

 Match the food to the occasion

Food and drink are also part of the occasion. There are the obvious choices of Strawberries and cream. Accompanied by a jug of Pimm’s – a perfect refreshing summer drink.

9 Best Cocktails With Pimm's No. 1 Liqueur - Easy Pimm's Drink Recipes

Food choices could be simple cucumber sandwiches or other tasty finger foods. Nothing too intricate that needs you to use cutlery. Your hands need to be free to cheer on amazing parts of the game! Any light summer picnic food is appropriate. I shared a fabulous Mary Berry recipe for scones to make at home to accompany the strawberries and cream.

Due to the menopause I am always looking at ways to reduce sugar and calories without losing out on taste and fun. I have become a big fan of Skinny Booze. SkinnyBooze now offers the UK’s most exciting collection of lower calorie wine, beer, champagne, gin and premixed cocktails. Ensuring that the only compromise is the number of calories contained,.

Finally add great company, great tennis and lots of laughter. The BBC alongside their coverage of classic games are running a promotion called #WimbledonRecreated where they wish you to share what you are doing to celebrate using the hashtag over your social media channels.

If you have enjoyed reading how to recreate Wimbledon at home I’d love to hear what you are planning to do.

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Square foot garden How I started my plot

June 21, 2020

Square Foot Garden

How to grow vegetables in a Square foot garden is something I have learned whilst staying at home. I have talked about spending lots of time in the garden and watching gardening shows on TV during Lockdown.  I was quite in awe of seeing vegetables being grown from seed.

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As a couple of our flower beds were looking a little overgrown and in need of a revamp. I could see that there was a potential for growing vegetables and herbs in one of them, I had been wanting my own herb garden for a while to grown my own for use when cooking.

Research

My garden is south west facing so gets lots of sun. Once I’d identified a suitable bed the lovely Mr Fitz did any heavy digging and moved a couple of plants to other areas of the garden. I weeded out the rest and started preparing the soil. I didn’t really have any knowledge of how to do it. The preparation was unresearched and I just did my own thing. Once the beds were cleared, I raked the soil until it was fine and I added 50 litres of fresh compost which I was able to obtain from a small local garden centre when it reopened, and mixed it through. I then googled about planting methods and the best vegetables to grow, It was then that I discovered the Square Foot Gardening technique.

Square Foot Garden Preparation

Preparing My Square Foot Garden Plot

Square foot Garden

Square foot gardening (SFG), was invented in the USA in the early 1970’s. I admit that I had never heard of it until doing this research

Square foot gardening is a method of growing vegetables which centers around planting crops in blocks rather than rows. The system divides the growing space up into a grid of square foot areas (hence the name), with each one crop allocated to each square. It maximises the ability to grow crops in a compact area.

This seemed to be a perfect answer to my small space. Typically this is recommended for raised beds in a 4 foot by 4 foot square. My bed was a semi circle, around 5 foot at its longest part and 3 foot deep, but I decided to adapt the method to suit me. The area is then marked out into 1 foot squares. One square is then devoted to 1 crop. The number of plants you put in each square depends on the size of the individual crop, so for example you might plant 16 of a small crop such as radish or rocket salad, four of a medium-sized crop such as round lettuce or strawberries, or one of a large crop such as broccoli or cauliflower.

Planning what to plant

During my research I came across some Planners to help me, I downloaded mine from Pinterest. They provided information as to how many of each type of crop can be planted in a 1 foot square. This was a great help. From this I was able to decide which seeds to buy, between us we chose vegetables that we would eat.

Square Foot Garden Plan

My Square Foot Garden Plan

 

As well as this bed we also planted some tomato plants in a large pot we had, herbs in pots and potatoes in a vegetable grow bag – we bought a pack of 2 from B&M but these from Amazon are similar

Tomato Plants in a patio pot

My tomato plants in a pot on the patio

Potato plants growing in a canvas sack

My potato plants growing in a canvas sack

Planting

I purchased some seeds of veg and herbs we like and simply read the instructions on the packet. Some seeds could be sewn straight into the bed others needed to be started in a seed tray or pot before being transplanted out into the bed after they had reached a suitable size.

After making labels I then covered the bed with net to keep the birds off, we have a couple of wood pigeons who visit regularly and are right scavengers plus blackbirds that can scratch up the earth at times.

Square Garden covered with net

My square garden plot marked into squares seeds sewn and covered with net

I then sat back and awaited to see what grew. It took between 7 and 10 days before I saw the first signs of growth. So exciting to see it begin.

I started this project creating my square foot garden at the start of May, it is now mid June and I am now the proud owner of crops at various stages of growth. These are Potatoes, Tomatoes, Mint, Coriander, Sage, Oregano, Basil, Parsley, Sweet peppers, Chilli peppers, Savoy cabbage, cauliflower, Sprouts, Beetroot, Shallots, Garlic, Peas, Mangetout, and Lettuce. I’m amazed and proudly walk in the garden every day inspecting the rate of growth and doing any maintenance work that’s needed.

Vegetable seeds beginning to grow

Some of my fabulous crops

When I started this it was to pass the time in Lockdown and I thought that if I failed at least I’d cleared that particular bed and I could replant it next year with flowers and plants, but who knows now. I will keep you updated with the progress of my crops!

Coincidentally after I began ITV then started to transmit a show on a Monday evening called Grow Your Own devoted to this very subject.

It has been so easy that I would encourage anyone to give it  ago. It’s not too late to start for this year and they can be planted in the smallest of spaces in any container.

If you are reading this is it because you are thinking of starting to grow your own square foot garden or are you already the proud owner of your own.  Let me know what you do, or do you have any tips to pass on to me. I would also love to hear from you of your successes or failures.

Thanks for popping in today

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5 Life lessons learned during lockdown

June 10, 2020

5 Life lessons

I thought I would share with you 5 life lessons I have learned during lockdown due to the Coronovirus Pandemic.

UK Lockdown 2020

I am a mature blogger approaching 60 next month – where did those years go????? I learned many years ago that you never know everything and that there are always new things to be learned and new challenges to be met.

As you grow older there are many life lessons that have been learned along the way but these can be changed and relearned differently again.

These have been strange times for us all. We are now in our 12th week and I have been reflecting on my time staying home. I thought I would share with you 5 lessons I have learned during this time.

Life lessons learned

1 Toilet Roll became the symbol of the pandemic. Shopping for food was initially very difficult as we all now, what was interesting to me after following my favourite youtube vloggers overseas is that the search and stockpiling of toilet rolls was a worldwide issue. It was a source of frustration but also humour. I learned some facts about why the humble loo roll became so important. Firstly toilet paper flows from paper mills to retail stores through a tight, efficient supply chain. Toilet paper is bulky and not very profitable, so retailers don’t keep a lot of inventory on hand; they just get frequent shipments and restock their shelves. Once people started to buy in bulk, which in fact first started in China in February and rapidly spread to Australia, USA, Canada and here in the UK. Shelves started to look empty panic set it and the supply chains initially struggled to keep up supplies. Secondly the psychology of it set in the FOMO instict or Fear Of Missing Out .”They think if this person is buying it, if my neighbour is buying there’s got to be a reason and I need to get in too,”

One consumer expert, Dr Rohan Miller from the University of Sydney, believes it is a reflection of an urbanised society and lifestyle where modern convenience reigns supreme.

“We’re not used to shortages and scarcity, we’re used to being able to pick and choose what we want, when we want. So the rush to get toilet paper is just this sheep mentality to maintain that status,” he says.

Soft, white squares of toilet roll – marketed with pictures of puppies and pure snow – are a daily “luxury” that Australians and others just aren’t willing to mentally part with.

“I think people want to make sure they have some comforts in their lives if they’re going to be shacked up with their family for a long time,” he says.

“Toilet paper doesn’t really matter – it’s just so far down the survival list compared to other things like food or water – but it’s just something people cling to as a minimum standard.” The thought of no loo roll filled people with dread!

2. I realised very early on how thankful I was to own a house with a garden. I’m fortunate to have always lived in a home with a garden even as a child. Neither my parents or Mr Fitz have been keen gardeners but have dabbled and enjoy having their own outdoor space. When we moved into this house nearly 5 years ago the aspect of the garden, south facing, was fairly important on our wishlist. We knew nothing about this feature when we bought our first home, but having lived in a house with a sunny aspect we felt it important to have the same again. This was only important to us so that we could sit out and enjoy time reading, contemplating whilst enjoying a beer or a glass of wine.  During lockdown it was so important to have our own outdoor space whilst staying home. We caught up on a few maintenance jobs like repainting our fence and metal gates. Then we caught the gardening bug! We started to dig out flower beds and replant them. I even started my own veg patch using the square foot gardening technique. I am now the proud owner of blooming seedlings, tomato plants and potato plants! The other reason we have loved our garden is that we have been so entertained by the birds who inhabit the garden too. A family of Robins have been so fascinating to watch, they have become tame and now have us very well trained. They know when they appear in the morning and the evening we will go out and feed them! We adore them and have seen their juvenile off spring hopping around the lawn.

Wine and strawberries in the garden

Enjoying time in the garden

3 How to cut my fringe! Oh how I miss my hairdresser who is also one of my closest friends. I have discussed before that my hair has taken a hit during the menopause, losing body and texture. It is also thinning. I need her talents to keep it in check and looking the best it can. My roots are emerging but I have been able to touch them up due to some great products, but like loo roll they too have been in short supply. However my fringe has become a nuisance, as it grew it became lank and lifeless. I have watched youtube videos and learned how to cut it myself. I now possess a budget pair of hairdressing scissors!

5 life lessons learned

4 Cooking our own ‘treat’ meals are better than takeaways. This is something I’ve discussed before but how to reduce food waste and be creative when meal planning. As we have been social distancing we haven’t been able to indulge in old habits where if we fancy a particular meal or need an ingredient for a recipe. I have continued to reduce food waste and use up leftover produce and meals again. We used to regularly have at least 2 takeaways per week and this is something we have stopped doing now. We have had a couple of curries delivered from our favourite Indian Restaurant but his works out around £30 with delivery. We have now started buying some nice ingredients to cook ourselves and enjoy. This weekend Mr Fitz bought  a leg of lamb which was around £11, before lockdown we would have thought that a lot to spend on one meal. However reflecting on the money we spent on takeaways we now don’t think it is. Add in some new potatoes, carrots from Morrisons wonky veg range and a cabbage we enjoyed a fabulous Roast dinner on Saturday evening, enjoyed with homemade mint sauce from our newly made herb garden. Sunday morning I used the leftover potatoes and vegetables to make a Bubble and Squeak for breakfast. It was truly delicious, if you’ve never tried it I suggest you do.  As we are not as active everyday we don’t always want a full meal in the evening, so Sunday evening we had lamb sandwiches. Then on Monday with the remaining meat we enjoyed it with salad and pitta breads, making a kebab style dinner. All meals for much less than the price of a takeaway and all delicious. This is a life lesson learned that I will continue to follow.

5 I do not need all the clothes and accessories that I own. I have a self confessed obsession with clothes, shoes, handbags and jewellery. Last count just before lockdown was that I possess around 60 pairs of shoes, 35 handbags and a huge stash of costume jewellery. They have been no use to me whatever during these times of crisis. I have lived in the same 3 pairs of trainers and fitflops. Used 2 bags only, which are 1 handbag and a rucksack if calling at a shop on my daily walk. These items take up so much space in the house. That isn’t even without my vast collection of clothes. I have started to declutter and minimise what I own. There is an old adage that you only need 3 sets of clothing – 1 to wear, I clean to change into and 1 in the wash! Extreme I know but a reality during our time at home. My life lesson learned here is that I truly have too much stuff that has no real value in my life.

Have you learned any new life lessons during lockdown, I’m sure we all have to be honest.

Stay safe lovelies.

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Filed Under: Health and Wellbeing, Lifestyle, Uncategorized Tagged With: DIY fringe trim, Food waste, handbags, home hair cuts, Life lessons, life lessons learned, Lockdown, lockdownuk, loo roll, Menopause, Moving house, Over 50 woman, over 50's, reduce food waste, Shoes, stay home, staying home, Toilet roll

Retirement in Lockdown – Diary Update May 2020 #2

June 7, 2020

Blog Post title Retirement in Lockdown

Retirement in Lockdown has been a mixed experience for myself and Mr Fitz. My previous post outlined what we did to fill our days in the first few weeks.

So it’s now June and we’re 2 and a half months into this unusual phase in the world.  Time has flown for us and it’s interesting to reflect on our activities.

Retirement

A retirement balloon

Mr Fitz who was working for the NHS as a hospital porter took early retirement at the end of April. This date was pre planned prior to the Covid 19 outbreak. This is a lifestyle decision following the death of his brother aged 66 and my brother aged 70. John is 62 in October and not due to receive his state pension until he is aged 66. He has therefore not got an income – his NHS pension is very meagre as he was only employed with them for 10 years. He does have some personal savings to keep him going for a while. We are not planning on changing our lifestyle though, just being more frugal and looking for value for money. His plans for retirement though looked so much different, we would go for long walks, pub lunches, restaurant meals, trips into Manchester and further afield. Instead he’s captive with me! We are lucky to celebrate 35 years of marriage in September and still get on so well. We have had no problems being with each other 24 hours a day.

Retirement in Lockdown

 

Walking

We have continued to walk, not further afield like the Lake District and Whitby as planned but just locally. We have found many local tracks, one track provides us with 4 different options of routes to take, all semi rural with beautiful scenery. We pass horses, sheep, cows, have seen hares frolicking in fields and seen crops and mowed fields now showing new growth.

A collage of country animals

 

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Gardening was never on our agenda in Retirement, however our garden has been our saviour.  We have spent hours in it tidying and replanting beds. I have even cleared one bed to start my own Vegetable patch, using the square foot gardening technique, something I discovered whilst researching how to start growing my own. My first seeds are now beginning to shoot. I love seeing progress each day. The sun has been shining a lot and we have enjoyed beer and wine in our lovely tidy garden. Watching and listening to the birds. One robin has become quite tame and given us lots of pleasure as he hops around us after scraps of food.

collage of seedlings growing

My veg patch divided into square foot plots

what to do during lockdown

Food

I have talked about reducing food waste, this was something we have tried to do when accessibility to shops has been limited and bearing in mind our new frugal life style in retirement. I have been consciously still avoiding waste but one think we have noticed is that we haven’t been cooking a meal everyday. We haven’t been as active so some days we’ve had a side salad with a jacket potato or the previous days leftovers. Crackers and cheese has been very popular with us. Not the healthiest but very satisfying.

Watching TV

We are of an older generation so don’t tend to regularly binge watch Netflix, in fact we don’t have a subscription. We do have a full Sky package and I have an Amazon Prime subscription. One thing we have realised is how much we enjoy the Soaps, and the reduced episodes from all of them have been a big hole in our viewing along with no live sport. In my opinion the TV has been poor, we have struggled to find anything exciting many nights. I said we don’t binge watch but we do occasionally find something that grabs us.

Our favourite shows have been The A Word from the BBC we have watched the previous 2 series and this series has been the best so far. The storyline of a family coping with the diagnosis and then the behaviour of an Autistic boy called Joe is charming. The casting is marvellous, Max Venta as Joe is adorable, Molly Wright plays his sister Rebecca and their relationship is so touching. However many scenes are stolen by Christopher Eccleston who plays Joe’s grandad – hilarious bringing the humour to the show. If you haven’t watched it yet all series are available on BBC iPlayer.  Pointless has been something we have watched several times a week. There are always a few episodes on our planner, both the regular and the Celebrity versions. I love, love, love this show and would love to be a contestant. Mr Fitz is warming to the idea. I find myself punching the air with glee when I get a Pointless answer. Surprisingly we have also watched hours of gardening shows – is this a sure sign that we are now in retirement? Not something we have regularly watched before lockdown.

Tracing my Family Tree

Following VE Day celebrations when I celebrated my parents contribution to World War 2 I began to reflect on my family and it’s heritage. Coincidentally my older cousin was experiencing the same thoughts and we talked by telephone. My SIL passed me some photographs that were in my brothers possessions, mostly black and white, with people I did not fully recognise. My cousin and I swapped photo’s as he had some well. We started to try and identify who they were. I had started to look into my family tree 2 years ago. I have picked it up again. I bought some books to keep records and have been totally absorbed in it. Once lockdown is over I am going to join a Geneology group at my local library and investigate it further. I have manged to trace back 3 generations on my fathers side.

Black and white photos of family ancestors

What have you been up to? Have you found yourself taking up new hobbies or interests? How have you found TV, I’d love to know if you have any recommendations.

Retirement in Lockdown

 

 

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Review Motown the Musical – Manchester Opera House

March 26, 2019

Caption Review Motown the Musical

Motown the Musical is much more than a showcase for its music it’s also a lesson in American musical history.

I saw this production at Manchester Opera house during the recent UK tour. It has enjoyed a successful spell in London.

I was fortunate to win these tickets and wasn’t sure whether I really fancied the show. Don’t get me wrong I love a trip to the theatre and Motown music formed the backdrop to my teenage and school years. I usually research shows I go to see but in this case I hadn’t.

logo for theatre show Motown the Musical

Motown the Musical

With just $800 borrowed from his family, Berry Gordy founded Motown records and launched the careers of Diana Ross and the Supremes, Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations and many more. Motown the Musical brings this story to life and follows the record label through the decades up to the point of the 25th Anniversary celebration.

The show starts at the end e.g. the day of the 25th Anniversary party where Berry Gordy feels disillusioned and rejected by many of his artists. The initial dialogue is with him and his life long friend and brother in law Smokey Robinson. From this scene the show follows the story back in time from the start of Gordy’s story.

The initial music depicts The Temptations and The Four Tops tip toeing around each other in competition singing their collective songs. The vocals and choreographed moves that were the ‘norm’ of the time are on display. So slick and suave with sharp shiny suits. The original boybands! I love watching these old acts on Youtube and I felt really nostalgic seeing them portrayed on the stage.

Image The Temptations

I was hooked from this first scene – singing along, proud that I remembered all the words! The show continues at a fast pace with so many memorable songs Featuring over 50 classic hits including My Girl, What’s Going On, Dancing in the Street, I Heard It Through The Grapevine and Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.

The show continues to flow through the years, Smokey Robinson an ever present. It portrays the relationship between the iconic songwriting team of Holland Dozier and Holland responsible for so many hits.

There is a portrayal of so many stars we have known and love from The Supremes featuring Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson Five.

I’ve read many stories of Diana Ross being a Diva and this is how she is portrayed throughout the show. She had a long standing relationship with Gordy but ultimately leaves him and his label after being offered more money by RCA records. In this production Miss Ross was played by Karis Anderson of the band Stooshe. She plays her well although I thought her voice mimicked Ross’s best at the lowest softest notes. The wardrobe worn by her and the Supremes was amazing – oh to be 20 years younger and 6 sizes smaller!

Image of actress playing Diana Ross

Karis Anderson as Diana Ross

But to me Edward Baruwa playing Berry Gordy who has the stand out voice – my favourite black singer of all time is Teddy Pendergrass and Baruwa has the closest voice to his I have heard.

 

image Edward Baruwa as Berry Gordy Motown the Musical

 Edward Baruwa as Berry Gordy

I have to give a special mention to the young actor who played Michael Jackson in his early days. Yami is a local Manchester lad who got the role after attending open auditions – he was so like the real thing! His vocals and movements were great to see.

What I really liked about the show was that the History of black people and civil rights ran as a backdrop throughout the story. Events portrayed included the assassinations of John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King through to the Black Power movement, strongly supported by Marvin Gaye.

I attended a Monday night show and I don’t think it was the liveliest of audience. The cast encourages the audience to join in with songs and the final seat has the audience on its feet. I suspect on a livelier night the audience could be dancing in the aisles.

The music of Motown has now been around for 60 years and is definitely here to stay!

Evaluation

Motown the Musical tells the thrilling tale of the man who broke barriers, fought against the odds to create something more than a record label. Discover the story behind Motown, the personal relationships, the professional struggles, and – of course – the music that made history, defined the sound of a generation and got the whole world moving to the same beat.

Motown the Musical continues to tour around the UK after leaving Manchester and I highly recommend it if you are a music fan.

Any trip to the theatre is turned into a special occasion with a pre show dinner. The Ivy Manchester is virtually next door to The Opera House, a fabulous venue that I reviewed in February.

Thanks for reading

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Romance – what it means to me after 33 years of marriage

February 11, 2019

What does being romantic mean

Romance can mean so many different things to so many different people.

Even dictionary’s have different definitions – one I found that I liked stated it as a noun – to mean a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.

I have also seen it describes as a thoughtful expressions of love.

Having been married for 33 years and together with my husband for 38 years I think we must be getting something right. We are very happy and friend have commented on our relationship, how close we are and always laughing. I think there is a lot of romance in our relationship but maybe not in the classic way that it is to others. We do not do grand gestures like public displays of affection or flowers delivered to the door.

Also the romance has built during our relationship, I think true romances grow and evolve. They are never perfect from the start, we both think that we love each other much more now than at the beginning. Our opinion is that you think you love someone when you get married but as time has passed you know you do after a few years. Shared experiences and values.

Romance and relationships take compromise

Still happy and romantic after 33 years of marriage

We are a happily childless couple and that may have an impact on our closeness – we are everything to each other. Having each others sole attention – well Mr Fitz may argue that he shares me with Manchester City Football Club! To understand that last sentence you may want to read my previous post about why I love football.

We may give each other a card or we may not – it’s not something we get hooked up on if one forgets or doesn’t bother. We do not need one day of the year to express our thoughts – we do it daily.

Romantic gestures to us are small things, more gestures of love and caring – a brew in bed at weekends, Mr Fitz surprising me with my favourite take away fish and chips! Recently I had a nasty chest infection and I was having to sleep sat up on the couch, he got up in the middle of the night and offered to go to the 24 hour chemist to get me supplies. The silly text message during the day that doesn’t make sense to anyone else but us!

I read a lot these days about girls wanted to be treated like a princess and to them this means being bought expensive gifts and getting their own way about everything. This is the total opposite of my view on life. Each person is equally important in a relationship. Each person can have different viewpoints on many things and it is important that  both persons viewpoints, hobbies and interests are respected.

Mr Fitz and I do lots of things differently and although extremely close and loved up we are by no means joined at the hip!

In summary it is the silly things that are romantic gestures to us – one Valentines day he bought me a card and a pasty from a well known high street bakers! To me that was funny and sweet. I’d much rather that than expensive flowers. I’m fortunate to have been on the receiving end of so many small romantic gestures that have meant a lot to me and count my blessings to have romance in my life every day.

Anyway thank you for reading this and I wish you all a Happy Valentines Day

What is the most romantic thing that has ever happened to you – I’d love to know please comment and let me know or email me

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Excellent Service Fado Rock Corralejo

January 29, 2019

If you're looking for good food in service in Corralejo visit Fado Rock

Excellent service is always a huge plus in any restaurant. We recently visited Fado Rock in Corralejo Fuerteventura and found the service here to be of the highest standard. If you haven’t yet read the resort review then feel free to take a look now.

I review all restaurants against the same criteria’s. I have outlined these on my sister blog, please pop over to read my process.

Name of Restaurant

Fado Rock

This is one of a chain of restaurants around the Canary Islands. It is a large airy restaurant away from the main high street but on the seafront. This review is made after our second visit, our first was on our holiday last year.

Reason for Visit

I visited with my husband on the Saturday evening of our holiday. We stay in an apartment and tend to eat breakfast and lunch there. For evenings we often have a takeaway. Our winter break is not one where we dine out every night.

First Impression

We arrived at 7pm and were the first diners there. I was a little worried that we were the only ones there but needn’t have worried as it soon filled up. It is a lovely large, clean well decorated restaurant. There are discreet images related to batman in the logo, but as yet I haven’t worked out the connection between the name and the film! One thing I noticed was how the cutlery is placed on the table – it is attached to the wine glasses instead of placed on the table in the traditional way. I thought this really eye catching. The waiters take it out of this set up and lay it down for you so that you don’t have to worry about dismantling it and dropping the knife and fork everywhere.

Balancing cutlery on a wine glass

Novel way of placing cutlery on the table

Time To Get Served/Attention

We were met and seated immediately. Given the choice of all the tables we chose a position by the window. However as it was after dusk the view was not the same as it would be in the height of summer.

Food

Having eaten here before we knew that the portions are very generous, therefore I chose not to have a starter. Mr Fitz chose a tomato and onion salad which was so fresh and delicious served with a slice of aubergine crisp and a chopped chives. Before the starter was served we ere give a free appetiser each – a small deep fried cheesey nibble.

For main course I chose pork fillets in Roquefort sauce and Canarian potatoes.  Mr Fitz chose the Fado special kebab which was huge! 2 kebabs, 1 was mixed meat – steak and chicken, the second one was large chunks of fish.

Fresh and healthy starter at Fado Rock

Tomato and Onion salad

Pork fillet at Fado Rock is delicious

Pork fillet with Roquefort sauce and canarian potatoes

1st part of the Fado Rock special kebab – note the salad artistically wrapped in cucumber

2nd part of Fado Rock special kebab - excellent service

Fish kebab

We did not have a dessert as we were full – to follow we were given a shot of honey rum, a local speciality drink.

We were so full that instead pf moving home for a drink, we decided to go back to our apartment and watch something downloaded on our tablet.

Service

Excellent service all round, in fact it is second to none. 2 staff accompany every dish and are so attentive. Drinks orders are quick. The serving staff also have a great humour and are so friendly.

Evaluation

We would highly recommend this restaurant. Great decor, staff, service and food.

Would I Visit Again

Definitely yes without hesitation.

Do you have a favourite holiday resort and restaurant? I’d love to hear your comments.

Thank you for popping by today and if you liked this maybe look at my review of Hawksmoor in Manchester on my sister blog beespiesandrainyskies.info

 

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My Personal Tribute on World Prematurity Day

November 17, 2018

After working as a neonatal nurse for over 30 years read my tribute on World Prematurity Day

On World Prematurity Day I just had to pay tribute to this day after working in Neonatal care for over 30 years. Even after retirement I still worked some part time hours in the field for a while. I finally hung up my stethoscope 12 months ago, I felt these precious babies and their families deserved someone with a sharper brain to care for them than me with my menopausal brain fog.
Throughout my time it has been a privilege to work with such fine specimens of humanity – the babies!
When I’ve told people what I do many people have commented “oh that must be hard” “that must be sad” but no. It’s quite the contrary –  it’s uplifting and inspiring.
These little beings that arrive at the most inconvenient times, many weeks early are as tough as teak. Parents and families are scared of their small size and shiny skin, many looking like little skinned rabbits in the early hours after birth. Those of us who care for them aren’t, we know they are strong, tough, durable and will fight to do what’s necessary to cling to life. Sadly some don’t get to stay here but have to join the heavenly band of angels, but thankfully the majority make it in the end.

World Prematurity Day has been allocated to raise awareness and pay tribute to this unique world. They have my utmost respect and I am in awe of them and their families.
Many of the babies I cared for in my early career are now parents themselves, some are fine big rugby players, clever, talented adults.

Parents as well cope with more than they think they can. Premature births often happen when a mother of family also have another traumatic event going on – these preterm babies don’t care! Mother can be days away from a house move, death of a close family member, another child already in hospital. The birth of a tiny, frail baby is another burden they fear they cannot cope with – but they do! They manage to deal with a whole host of things whilst still managing to visit daily, sometimes for a stay of over 100 days. They do remain sane and come out smiling.

The professionals who work in the field, support these fragile tiny bodies as if they were a family member, they listen to stressed parents, wipe away tears of sadness and laughter, encourage parents to have some ‘me’ time. These professionals also grieve with bereaved parents and celebrate with parents as tiny milestones are reached.

On World Prematurity Day I salute you all.

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I’m Elaine a Neonatal Nurse who retired from the NHS at age 55. I’m loving the 3rd age of my life – Retirement is the best job I ever had. Being married for 35 years I am lucky to have someone to share life with.

I’m a foodie who enjoys travel, football and my home.

I love to share over 50’s lifestyle tips including age appropriate beauty reviews, coping with the trials and tribulations of the Menopause, weight gain around the middle, fashion, travel and food including recipes and restaurant reviews.

I want to challenge the myth that life ends at retirement.

Feel free to get in touch earlyretirementrocks@gmail.com

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