Monday 26 November 2018

Joy in the Everyday Ordinary - November, 11-20

Hi there everyone 😀

We were away for the week last week, in a cosy cottage in the midst of the countryside very close to the Somerset/Dorset border. We always go away at this time of year to celebrate my birthday and this time we had a very special excursion planned that did not disappoint.

We are now back home and in the throes of all of those jobs that need doing in preparation for the festive season ... preparing home made gifts and advent calendars, getting ready for a Christmas craft fair and generally thinking about how to do Christmas whilst trying to reduce the waste we generate. I feel like we're doing quite well but you will have to wait until after Christmas to see how this year's gift giving was received 😀

I will be posting more about our break away and our journey to producing less waste over the coming weeks but for now, here is the last 10 days ...
Day 11 - It was Remembrance Sunday and I really wanted to see the poppy cascade that had been installed at the castle. I'd actually donated some plastic bottles for use in the project and really wanted to see what had happened to them. I was not disappointed. It was a beautiful clear day and I managed to capture this shot just before the two people in the picture fired a blast of poppy petals into the sky. It looked beautiful and there was a fabulous turn out. We are so lucky to have such a beautiful castle on our doorstep and lots of local events that go on throughout the year.
Day 12 - Monday and another dry and bright day. We decided to tackle a job which was in desperate need and spent a good couple of hours out back making a start on clearing some of the leaves. We managed to completely fill the garden waste bin before calling it a day. There's still another couple of bin loads out there but we were happy that we'd made a good start.
Day 13 - I've been wanting to have a go at making these origami stars that I'd seen on Pinterest a while ago and today was the day. I was really pleased with how they turned out and will definitely be making some more.
Day 14 - Whilst I can't honestly say that I love it when Martin has a bottling session in the kitchen, I do love the fact that he is getting plenty of use out of some of the random beer making stuff that I bought him for Christmas a few years ago. It's also nice to have a short period of time when there isn't a bucket full of beer brewing in the kitchen 😀
Day 15 - Today was Thursday and all about getting ready to go away on Friday. We did packing, cleaning and shopping and I didn't take a single photo all day, so just thought I'd drop this one here again as it is just too cute 💜💜💜
Day 16 - After a long old drive we arrived at our new home for the next week. We were looking forward to getting cosy curled up in here in front of the TV and the log burner on a chilly evening.
Day 17 - It was a lovely bright day with plenty of sunshine but a definite nip in the air. We headed off to Wells for the day, where we had a good wander around the cathedral, which was just beautiful. 
Day 18 - My 54th birthday and for this year's treat we were off to Longleat for a drive round the safari park, followed by their annual Festival of Light, which is something I've wanted to see for ages. It was amazing. Neither of us have ever really seen anything quite like it and we have lots of pictures to share but this underwater part was definitely one of my favourites ... it was just absolutely stunning 💜💜💜
Day 19 - Today Martin, who is a Yorkshireman born and bred, had a revelation. The Hovis ads weren't filmed in Yorkshire! They were filmed in Shaftsbury in Dorset and today we went and had a look. It hasn't changed much at all. 
Day 20 - It was certainly a bit duller today and we did have the odd shower. We spent the afternoon at Montacute House, a National Trust property not too far away. As usual we hit the tea room first for lunch before exploring. Now I've never really been a fan of 'Kings & Queens' history, but I was fascinated to learn that all three of Henry VIII's offspring, by three different wives, became monarch ... a fact which I did struggle to get my head round.

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