Peppa The Pig Or Panda?

What a whirlwind the last couple of weeks has been! We arrived home, with some Bausemums in tow to spread the addiction, and it was lovely to be back. It was also a relief to see our house still standing (phew! so I hadn’t left the oven or straighteners on).

We got over the journey my way, which was possibly not the most relaxing. Whilst Luke wanted to take it easy I decided to invite family over and cook them sunday lunch. Well, I might have got Luke to cook the sunday lunch. I just ran around the house with a duster, hoover and mop as I rearranged furniture to make sure everyone had a seat even if they were wobbly ‘emergency chairs’. I thought it seemed a bit unfair, as I had to keep a firm grip on the table in case my chair collapsed, that my parents’ dog had the best seat in the house! However, the food was scrumptious and Luke, somewhat surprisingly, outdid himself. It was certianly a nice way to get used to being home. It was so nice in fact that I will be sticking around a bit longer than Luke for my work and I can commute to Norway. Not a bad life! I get to choose when to go over and this maybe when it is warmer. There just so happens to be the Norwegian food festival in summer. Perfect!

This also meant we could get another addition for the family in the form of a mini panda called Peppa. Well, she is actually a collie disguised as a panda at the moment. A lovely fat panda. Well she is lovely most of the time but I have now spent all my time- even all through the night- following her around with kitchen roll armed with a disinfectant and anti-chew spray. I am like a highly trained agent. Trained in cleaning up poop. How glamorous!

I do worry my neighbours think I may have had a turn and are almost avoiding me. In their defence all they will see is me wandering about the garden, holding a blue lead, appearing to talk to myself, looking bedraggled and once ( by accident as I hadn’t realised) blindly staggering about in the early hours of the morning in my pyjamas. Whoops! One even commented that I looked well, in a concerned wary way, when we had our usual chat over the garden fence. I have made a note to now carry the puppy, very prominently, so that they know something is actually attached to the blue lead!

Although, at the rate she is growing they will be able to see her soon! I did get a bit of a shock when I found she had managed to get up to the third step as I almost stood on her. There is now an assortment of furniture dotted around the house in strange places to stop her from going anywhere she can cause mischief. The post lady certainly looked a bit bemused as I clambered over a footstool, underneath a lamp and moved an upturned bench to answer the door. I explained about the puppy and she gave me a knowing nod. Alas, the odd furniture arrangements don’t seem to be working. It turns out, she can skilfully jump over a bench, leap (or elegantly roll) off steps, crawl behind her den, tangle herself up in curtains and go under cupboards. I am slowly getting her trained to avoid any mishaps. So far we have sit, paw and ‘come here’ sorted (unless she gets too excited and takes a flying leap at me instead of sitting). Now all I have to do is apply the same techniques to Luke and see if I can’t get him trained as well!

 

Home!

So, after hunting the Northern Lights, which consisted of a very early morning drive across islands with my head hanging out of the window  for so long , to try to see if I could see them, that my nose nearly fell off with the cold,  and still not finding them we decided it was time to head home to the UK for a little bit for the Easter holidays. This turned out to be a lot harder than finding the Northern Lights!

It started off with us both needing a shower, about an hour before the flight and discovering there was no water! queue a quick phone call to our landlord and he came up with an unusual solution. This involved us following his sisters car, who we had never met, across the town to her flat. Here she promptly showed us where her shower was and left. Well, they say saviours come in all forms! We then had to work out how to get out of the flat, which wasn’t the easiest thing. Then the real difficulty was finding the random shoe shop she had asked us to leave her keys at. To add to the problems, the shop staff didn’t speak English. I hurriedly thrust the keys into the hand of a bemused lady and left hoping I hadn’t left them with the wrong person! That might be a bit awkward when we go back to our apartment. I don’t think the landlord would take too kindly to us helping his sister be burgled!

We then had a very quick drive to the airport where Luke had insisted it would be easy as it is one of the quietest airports in the world. Well that day must have been an unusual event for the airport then as it was packed full of travellers and the queue to get through security was massive! It even gave me the chance to be fully prepared and I arrived at the beeping machine with shoes off and everything. I was chuffed when it was the first time I went through the beeping machine and it didn’t protest. However, my happiness was short-lived as my carry-on-case was scrutinised a little bit too long for comfort. After a while I heard the words  that no one wants to hear from an airport security guard – ‘ do you mind if we search your bag’. Well, I guess they aren’t the worst words a security guard could say. I was left desperately wracking my brain for what I might have left in my bag by accident. All was revealed when the guard, with some flourish, pulled a bottle opener, with corkscrew attached, from my bag. Part of me was glad as I had been searching for it the whole time we had been in Norway but then I was concerned I would be in trouble for taking a potentially harmful implement onto a plane. Luckily, they must have understood my need for a bottle opener, or it had been used so much it was now blunt, and I was allowed onto the plane.

The rest of the journey was the standard squeeze onto bustling flights, various drinks passed hurriedly along aisles, seats so small even my knees touched the seat in front, turbulence and crying children. I thought that the journey wasn’t great but it could have been worse. It then turned into one of the worst when we boarded the last plane and luke placed my bag in the overhead locker. It appeared these had shrunk as my bag stuck out far too much. I was then anxiously sat staring at half of my suitcase poking out of the overhead compartment and wondering how on earth the air hostess would be able to make it fit. It turns out that she couldn’t and as she asked everyone who’s bag it was. I meekly said mine and slunk a bit lower. My suitcase was then heaved out of the overhead compartment, accompanied by tutting and glares from the air hostess, and was then removed to underneath the plane. This wasn’t the only contributing factor for the flight being delayed by forty minutes but it certainly didn’t help and it didn’t dd to my popularity. I just hoped they wouldn’t spot my computer bag half wedged under the seat in front because it wouldn’t fit all of the way. I cleverly disguised it with my scarf and I got away with it. Either that or the air hostess was just too flustered to acknowledge my additional error.

We finally, and rather bumpily, touched down in Manchester. We then spent the next few days with the lovely Murray family for a special lady’s birthday. We were the surprise guests for this birthday meal and attracted a bit of attention as we stealthily hid in reception and then crawled between cars. We then had our first Sunday dinner for a long time and what better way to celebrate being home than baking a sticky toffee pudding to accompany it! Well, I was pleased with my attempt but I am not so sure about the other diners.I think my Grandparents care too much to be critical and the others were just thankful they weren’t my now infamous glowing beetroot brownies or sweet potato and pumpkin pie.

 

Another Week, Another Home.

It’s hard to believe that we have only been in Norway for nearly two months! It feels a lot longer with everything that we have managed to fit in so far. This has included lots of new things, like taking a boat to dinner. No, we didn’t take a boat for actual diner but we had to get one to travel to the restaurant. I did think this would be really lovely and it was certainly interesting. The boat looked like a big waiting room and, although not the prettiest thing to look at, I thought that it would be a fun way to travel to dinner.

What I hadn’t considered was the possibility of the boat journey being what can only be described as ‘rough’. By the time we got to the restaurant I wasn’t as hungry as when we set off, funnily enough. Then, on our way home, I was regretting eating at all as the boat precariously tipped from one side to the other. Must remember to choose my food more wisely next time!

Luckily, a few days later we moved back to ‘the big city’ so we can now just walk to a bar or restaurant and not risk the choppy waters again. Our new flat is lovely with gorgeous views. It also has a wide range of modern items, some I have no idea how they work. We even have our own candle window boxes!

I am also very pleased to have a great kitchen again. Although, as you can see, I haven’t quite tested my culinary skills beyond the world’s most expensive Indian take away and Fish Finger sandwiches…

I think I will have to don my apron soon though as I have made a horrific discovery! It has really upset me…there is no Gingerbread Men, Gingerbread Women or Gingerbread Houses anywhere!! Unless they are hiding. I will now make it my mission to introduce them to Norway. Starting with Luke’s team first. Not so sure if that will improve or worsen things for him but worth a try!

Another surprise was that it has one very cool hoover. Yes, I am well aware that this sounds a bit sad! I promise that this is not the only reason I like the flat and wasn’t the only thing I was impressed with. I was also very impressed when Luke actually used it, to hoover, and not just hang his coat on. The fact that Luke has used it is a sign of just how cool this hoover is! There has just been one mishap the flat so far, involving the shower door, in that it fell off. Whoops.

I had a few days to settle in and enjoy the view of the quirky multicoloured buildings and the water before it was time to venture to another spouse’s meeting.

It was lovely to meet some new faces and there was lots of cake with coffee. I got to try Lefse which is a Norwegian speciality – It was lovely! However, I think I may have lost a few brownie points with some of the other ‘spouses’ though as I think I have, inadvertently, caused the organiser to sign us all up for a ‘team spouses club’ entry for a half marathon – Whoops!! that earnt me one or two evils. I just sat there quietly trying to unsuccessfully hide behind my coffee. Where’s a coffee shop bucket-like mug when you need one!

Luke and I also got to go to a house party and meet lots of people from all over the world. I had worried about what to wear and Luke was no help. We then found out, just as we had left our flat, it was ‘Bow Tie  themed’ . That set of alarm bells! I couldn’t have been more uncomfortable when we entered the flat and it was full of men wearing bow ties ( as well as suits, don’t worry, it wasn’t that kind of party!) and some fairly dressed up girls. You know the feeling you get when you walk into a party and either you’re the odd one out in fancy dress, or the muppet who forgot to wear fancy dress? Well, that was how I felt. However, everyone was really friendly and I soon relaxed, which possibly may have been helped by the wine! Towards the end of the evening I did wonder if some people were being rude as they retrieved any left over alcohol they had brought and squirreled them away. However, I found out that this was customary in Norway and everyone does this due to alcohol being so expensive. I don’t think this would go don to well at a party in the UK! I suppose it is because it is so expensive here and as one person put it “If I buy a bottle of whiskey in Norway and take it to a party, there is no way I am leaving it at the party”.

I then found out that my hopes of the spouse club organiser maybe forgetting the run were dashed as a follow-up email arrived a few days later, it appeared that my hopes had been wishful thinking. With that, I decided to go for a run. I did wonder why I was finding it difficult at first and it was only when I ran past a building displaying the time and temperature that I realised why. Not only was it ridiculously early, it was also minus 6! I suppose I will just have to get used to this whilst running in Norway – or just start running in a duvet. Although, the locals may think it is strange to just see a duvet, with a pair of trainers sticking out of the bottom, running around Aalesund early in the morning. It may have been freezing but at least the views were worth it!

I got the day to myself to get warm again as Luke ventured into new territory: Alpine Skiing. I have spent a week doing this type of skiing however, as I never managed to master the whole process of being able to stop, I decided to say in the safety of the flat. It appears I made the right decision as Luke arrived home with a bruised face and chin. He explained that he decided to go for the easy slope after getting confident on the baby one . This was, as it turned out, perhaps a bit too soon and a bit too over-confident of Luke.

It resulted in him getting misdirected onto a bit of a medium slope first, which turned out to be far too steep. Therefore, he did what was inevitable and he fell. At first I was caring until I found out that he had only stayed on the baby slope for about thirty minutes. My sympathy quickly evaporated. Honestly!

And if that wasn’t bad enough he informed me a man, who we had met at a party a few days before, was now in hospital. It got worse. He had been skiing behind Luke on the ‘steep slope’ when Luke heard a bang, turned to see him lying in the snow and this had what caused Luke to fall over. By the time he reached his friend the red cross were whisking him away. Luckily it was just a sore leg but this put Luke straight into my bad books, or the books I reserved for muppets, I haven’t quite decided. What I have decided is that I will be concentrating on cross-country skiing for now where it is usually nice and flat!

 

Journey Between Islands

It was so refreshing waking up in a place with different rooms and where you could have breakfast at whatever time you wanted and not have to think about looking presentable. Well trying to look presentable. However, as we still needed to check out and reclaim our skis we had to head back across the water to Aalesund. We had thought this would be simple and we left our new apartment knowing it was protected by a politimann.

Yes really, the man who owns the flat (and lives above us) is a policeman so there goes any ideas of having parties. Although, we do face other obstacles to having a party, that would actually have other people there apart from us and some party food. We only know a small amount of people and all of whom would have to get a boat, and a few buses, just to get to our house (as we found out when we were invited to a party on the other island). This makes the whole notion of a party seems to require a lot more thought and effort than in the UK. We also didn’t make it to the party we were invited to as we were told at about ten in the evening, as Norwegians don’t party or go out until really late, and we had no alcohol to take, or anything for the host, which is considered very bad form in Norway. It is probably the best way to never be invited to somebody’s house again. Next time we are going to keep a stock of drink, just in case ,as you can only buy alcohol from certain shops, within certain times. You cannot buy it after four on a Saturday or at all on a Sunday. It certainly would be hard to be an alcoholic here!

We certainly felt like a drink after our journey back to Aalesund. Not only did we just make it onto the ferry thanks to speeding up a little bit, but once we got to the other side we were subsequently run off the road by a car that pulled out without looking. Turns out that stupid drivers are a global phenomenon. Thankfully, the speed limit is a lot lower in Norway and we were forced into a well positioned lay by and not the barriers. Meaning our Beetle has not been turned into a crushed Beetle. I am also glad to report that the Beetle’s horn, and brakes, are in fine working order and that we did then arrive at the hotel in one piece. Much to the delight of the receptionist, I am sure, as we were then able to pay our bill and check out.

It was then time to locate my prized possessions that had been left with one of Luke’s colleagues. It was of course time to be re-acquainted with my old friends Mrs Marmite, Mrs Peanut Butter, Mrs Creme Egg, Mrs Heinz and Mrs Jammy Dodgers. Everything you need for a balanced diet!

I haven’t been able to try any just yet as we stopped for lunch before heading back and I got my first taste of Fiskesuppe. It was absolutely gorgeous, if you like fish, and thankfully I certainly do (if you are interested in making your own, which I will be doing soon, then I have found some great ones here) .

We then headed back to our new island with no further incident so we were able to just enjoy the views.

I was then able to make my own coffee in an actual kitchen. It still feels like a novelty but this might wear off when I have to start cleaning again. Maybe I can find a Norwegian tradition or rule which states that only males clean?

 

Abandoned In Norway

From the title you may have guessed that I have been abandoned in Norway. Well, abandoned might be putting it a bit too strong. It is more the case of Luke going away for meetings for four days. Four whole days! Normally I would think great, perfect opportunity to have a pampering session, have a longer lie in and have control of the TV remote (it’s the little things) . However, this meant I was faced with being on my own in a place I didn’t speak the language and wasn’t 100% sure I could walk around, without getting lost, and then be able to find my way back to the hotel. After having a mild panic about these facts I also realised it was the perfect chance for me to go and explore, and try to look for a job. Even if I did get lost I was sure, almost, that I would be able to ask somebody for help. So, I set off armed with my trusty map, a mountain of CVs and my ‘Nye i Norge’ book.

It was lovely wandering around and I discovered that there was a lot more to Aalesund then I first thought. They had some amazing bakeries, homeware shops, a H & M and even a Colours of Benetton! It made me feel a lot more confident about our move here! The job hunt proved a mixed bag. I had a few positive results in that I had a conversation with them and they didn’t mind that I didn’t speak Norwegian yet. I had one very awkward moment when I asked (in very bad Norwegian) about jobs and the lady responded very quickly, and more difficult for me in Norwegian, about the need to speak Norwegian as all their customers are mainly Norwegian. She had a point there and all I could do was nod, smile and pretend to understand whilst trying not to appear too flustered! Yet there was a positive from this situation, I have found a shop which has amazingly quirky things for the home (it’s called Kremmerhuset) . So, although I didn’t get a job I have seen all the cushions I want for our flat. I am not sure that is quite what Luke intended when he was encouraging me to go out and hand my CV to lots of places.

It was then time to have the spouses’ meeting , where I still feel a bit of an imposter as I am not a spouse. It was lovely, lots of coffee and cake and it was nice to talk in English and not have people look blankly back. There was also a lady from the Red Cross who came to talk to us. I may well sign up for the search and rescue, once I am confident that my searching wont end up turning into a rescue for me. I almost needed rescuing as I left the meeting. I went down in the lift as I didn’t know the right door to get to the stairs. To my horror I arrived at the ground floor and nothing. No doors opening and no beeping, there was just a few moments filled with absolutely nothing. I rapidly pressed a lot of buttons while trying to remember if anyone was still in the building and what the norwegian for help was. Luckily it is ‘hjelpe’ so I think even I could have managed that. Thankfully one button worked and I ended up going back to the floor of the spouses’ meeting, much to the amusement of the host who I had just said goodbye to. I hurriedly explained about the lift and made a bashful exit down the stairs. I think I will be avoiding that lift from now on.

After that mini-trauma I decided the safest thing to do would be to head back to the hotel . I nipped into a deli to get some dinner for later,

a really lonely looking meal for one, and then I went into the shop. I didn’t quite get the shop bit right as the checkout girl scanned the items and sent them to the other side of the till. I went to retrieve my items first and then realised, as she was trying to get my attention in front of a long queue of people, that you are meant to pay first and that they use split tills to speed up shopping. There is no waiting for the person in front to slowly pack up all their items first like in the UK. My saving grace, so that she didn’t think I was shoplifting, was to play the English card. Well it has to be useful for something! I then went to the gym before dinner and my day brightened up a little bit (sorry Luke!) when a man looking incredibly like Thor (well, the Thor from the recent movies) was in there. I kept expecting there to be a bolt of lightning. He even had the long beard and hair! When I first saw him I almost fell off the treadmill, which could have been a really possibility as my balance on them is’t very good at the best of times, whilst blurting out ‘I don’t believe it’. I had joked to Luke that if I met Thor in Norway then I would run off. Preferably with Thor. Unfortunately, the only place I was running anywhere on was the treadmill as I don’t think look-a-likes count. At least I think he was look-a-like…

Luke finally made it home after a fall, missing credit card, delayed planes and lost suitcases. Who said business travel was easy and just filled with drinks and meals? We then did a bunk from the hotel. Well, we are going back tomorrow to check out. I Just hope they realise that as we sped away with all of our suitcases without paying. We have left our skis and Luke suits in the room so hopefully they will realise that we are coming back, even if we aren’t staying there tonight. We had left to move across to a new island, called Ulsteinvik, and set up home for the next few weeks in a lovely apartment.

 

 

This meant each being able to buy food to use in an actual kitchen! I have missed cooking so much but I was a little disappointed when I gleefully told Luke I would cook him a nice dinner for Sunday and asked him what he would like. He responded , after much thought, ‘beans on toast please’. Great, thanks, that will really take all of my culinary skills to prepare that dish!As well as buying proper food, moving into a flat also meant getting a quilt set each because in Norway they have a small quilt per person. This will save a lot of arguments over quilt stealage!

The flat has stunning views and I am just glad that I am living somewhere that has rooms that are actually separate from each other!

 

Reise til Norge

So, the day had finally come to leave the UK and begin our journey to Norway. I can’t say it went as smoothly as we hoped. I realised this as, after I had half fell out of bed, I caught a glimpse out of the window to see a blanket of snow. This was followed by a steady stream of prawn-craker esque snow that continued to fall. Add this to the anticipated arrival of the fixer-of-boilers, as well as the pressing need to finish packing for Norway, and I may have been a teensy bit stressed. Especially as Luke was still packing half an hour before we had to leave the house (told you!). However, the Murray Parents saved the day as they were kind enough to stay in our slightly chilly house to await the fixer-of-boilers . We were then able to leave our lovely house to begin our journey to the airport. This involved a quick stop for a hug with the grandparents, and covertly check they had their fire on and didn’t need milk, because if you ask them if they need anything they say no and then you find out later they have made an Artic-like expedition to the shops!It was then time to be driven to the airport with all of our bags. In total we had two rucksacks, two carry on bags, three suitcases and two lap top cases. It was ridiculous! but, as Luke was laughing at me, I pointed out the merits of my packing and how, as we were moving for two years, it could have been a lot worse. I don’t think he appreciated my analysis as he had difficulties trying to wedge the items into his boot earlier. Luckily he was able to fit all the cases in otherwise it would have been a long walk for me to get to the airport in time!

Once we had said all our goodbyes it was time to say goodbye to our luggage which, thankfully, was not overweight. Then we braced ourselves for security and began our descent further into the airport. I hate this part of travelling and this hatred always appears justified. Not only was I held up in the queue, due to the man in front not being allowed to take his duty-free items with him, but Luke overtook me! Even worse? both him, and the security guard dealing with him, were laughing at me as he sailed through security whilst I was still waiting to place my items in the boxes. The guard even joked with Luke and directed a “nice one Luke ” to him as he skipped ahead of my queue informing me that “Luke had made a wise move Lucy”. Well yes Mr Security Guard he may have made a good move getting ahead of me but he would still have to face me on the other side! so maybe not the wisest move Luke had ever made! However, this sentiment floundered as I was finally accepted through to the next round of security only to set of the  first alarms. Consequently, I then had to go through another detector; then I had to remove my shoes; and then I had to have body search. Meanwhile, back in the land of the other ‘Lu’, Luke had sailed through and was waiting for me at the other side. This incident did nothing to improve my experiences with going through security at Manchester Airport! Then the ultimate gooey icing on this particular cake was when I was informed that I was not allowed the three bags of liquids, which Luke as a frequent flyer had informed me would be fine, and would have to fit them into one bag. Oh no, only one bag! Deep breaths.

We finally made it onto the plane and I began to relax a little bit more, especially as the food was served. It was a lovely salmon and rice concoction. Although I had to cajole Luke into eating it. I did this by informing him he had to get used to it as we were moving to a place where fish formed its main food staple. He did then eat it the fish and the rest of the flight was rather pleasant. However, we ended up the last ones on the plane as I could not find my passport. Luckily, I eventually found it and we entered the Copenhagen airport that was full of wood and leafy plants, typically Danish I thought. There was then a few jokes from the security guard after he noticed I now have to wear glasses, which did wonders for the self-esteem, and then it was on to the hotel. Thankfully, I had resisted the urge to joke back with the security guard as I knew I really did need to be allowed to stay in the country for the night.

The hotel was lovely and we even got a dressing gown each! I am easily pleased I know, I even had trouble sleeping in my anticipation of the hotel breakfast! You can tell I don’t stay in hotels often! The breakfast didn’t disappoint as I was able to have cheeses and ham, as well as a huge vat of coffee.

It was then a struggle back to the airport to get on our final plane. We stopped for a juice along the way at ‘Joe and the juice’ where they shout your name when your order is ready. Unfortunately, just I was trying Luke’s drink the waiter then shouted ’Luke’ . Turns out I was trying the wrong drink…. there was then an embarrassed silence and swopping of drinks.

Luckily, we made it without any mishaps untill it came to opening my milk, for my coffee, whilst we were on the plane. The poor gentleman sat next to me got spattered with drops of milk as I opened my carton upside down. Thankfully, he appeared to see the funny side (I think) and refused my embarrassed attempt to offer him a napkin. He then looked slightly concerned when I asked for another coffee but as I asked Luke to open the next one for me he visibly seemed to relax. I must remember never to open milk on a plane again, unless it is completely empty! The plane that is, not the milk carton

We arrived safely in Norway, The Avis man agreed, somewhat amusedly, that we would definitely need a bigger car than a beetle as he peered his head above the desk to take a look at the two trolleys full with our bags!

After we fitted in all of our suitcases into the hire car, we were on our way through the stunning scenery to Aalesund. The best thing about the drive? apart from the views I was reunited with seat warmers! Heaven.

It really was stunning and I still cannot believe this will be our new home. What I also cannot believe is how expensive it is! After  checking in to the Quality Hotel, we had a meeting with a very nice lady who told us all about the things we needed to know  we went for a lovely dinner at Anno. I had only meant to get one glass of wine, honest! but as he brought the wine over and asked me if it was ok I began to worry slightly.

This worry intensified when I saw Luke’s alarm bells go off after the waiter asked me to taste the wine before pouring me a full glass. Luke then asked the waiter how the wine system worked and if they just charged by the glass, to which the waiter replied along the lines of  you ordered the bottle you would have to pay for it so would you like a glass. Luke almost choked a quiet ‘yes please’ back and took a very, very long drink, whilst I was racking my brain to work out what the cost of the bottle was. I apologised profusely and then we found out at the end how much it was. I almost fell off my very high chair (a high stool not a child’s chair, don’t worry ,  even though I am in the region of giants and vikings  it doesn’t appear that I am unusually short, i don’t think). I am sure I heard the man sitting behind us giggling to himself as we debated the cost of the wine and tried to justify it to ourselves. I now know never, ever, to order anything that might appear in a bottle instead of a glass. Ever.  Seventy Pound! It hurts just to think about it. I have never spent that much on a meal out let alone just the drinks! I needed the wine just to get over the shock and Luke did his best Victor Meldrew impression, although I don’t think he meant to, as he proclaimed “I don’t believe it!” . However, we did have a very nice meal regardless.

I was even served cloudberry chutney with my cheese!

Well, you must have cheese with red wine… at least that is what I told Luke!. It was then time to absorb the shock of the price of one bottle of wine. The flurry of snow was enough to sober us up as we made our slippery way back to the hotel and, as we raved about the lovely food we had eaten, we also made a vow to only stick to spirits in the future.

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The Perfect Kidnap

As Norway approaches my wonderful sister and mother decided to kidnap me for the day. I began to get a little bit worried about what they may have in store for me as I was given a time to meet them, in order to go to our first destination, without any clue for what was in store. Had they decided to do something drastic and bungee jump from somewhere? or possibly base jump off the Manchester Hilton? Whilst I am absoultely positive that this would make me remember both Manchester and the day, though possibly not in the best light, I remembered that there would probably never ever be the slightest chance my mum would be going to the top of any tall buildings in order to parachute off them, or was there? It was quite a relief when we boarded nothing more frightening than a train which took us to our first destination. This just happened to be The Richmond Tearooms, somewhere I have been wanting to go to for ages.

I wasn’t disappointed as we left the surreal world of clubbers being ushered out of a hidden club at ten in the morning (ten! I am getting old, there is no way I could stay out that long anymore!) and entered the lovely , almost time-capsule like, tea rooms. Think mad hatters tea party, birds and English things and that is almost what the inside is like. It is hard to describe as it was just lovely. I was even more thrilled as we were allowed to sit on the comfy seats at the back.

Nothing is worse than going to a lovely cafe/ restaurant and being plonked in the middle of the room where you can’t relax or feel comfortable. It was lovely and the staff were great.

We had real door-stopper toast and lovely Eggs Benedict.

We somehow managed to sneak in a cheeky peach Bellini as well . Perfect!

It was a lovely, decadent way to sped the morning and I highly recommend it!

It was then off to the cinema and I didn’t find out the film we were watching until it started, although I had suspected it wouldn’t be the 3D version of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre! It turned out to be The Quartet (phew) which had a great cast and a poignant storyline. It was then home for more drinks, food (including homemade Toy Story cupcakes) and films.

Great way to send one of my last days and was the perfect kidnap! I feel very spoilt to have such a wonderful sister and mother.

 

Christmas Shennanigans

Traditionally, christmas always begins for me with the annual family party where there is always far too much food , drink and dancing to songs you would usually run a mile from, in any direction.

Now, planning a party is never easy, planning a christmas party is so much harder due to all the festive expectations and then planning a christmas party for all the family adds that little bit of extra pressure. Especially when the family is a rather massive clan and not just a couple of aunt or uncles or grannies. No, this party was for my dad’s side of the family of which he is one of seven and they have other halves, numerous kids and now even grandchildren. Therefore, we have developed a routine that is carried out with a unique, and somewhat haphazard, military  precision. This worked particularly well as the shopping was done in record time the day before.

On D-Day all hands were on deck moving sofas, before deciding it was better in its original place so moving it back; hoovering

; making a playlist to suit everyone’s tastes including some Somerset classics (who knew there were such a thing!? they included lots of ooo ahh oo ahh’s and combine harvesters..); finding emergency chairs from anywhere possible

and yes this did include bringing in the garden chairs ; creating space for enough people and animals. At least it wasn’t as tricky as the previous year where we had to find room for all the guests, a new puppy, two gerbils and the perfectly timed trip from the Gas Man as there appeared to be a gas leak on the very day we were holding a party. The Gas Man looked very bemused as he entered the mayhem and skillfully navigated, it was rather impressive really, his way around the various pets and people to locate the gas meter hidden by a group of aunts and uncles; finding enough plates

, of which there is never enough;

cooking enough to feed everyone; designating a room for beer, presents and coats and ensuring everyone sticks to it so there is no mad panic when someone cannot find their coats or, and this is potentially worse, the extra supplies of beer ; finally, ensuring there is enough time for the party organisers to have a drink and a relax before the guests arrive

which, in my family, could be at any time.

Once the revellers arrived the next staged of the operation began with serving dinner, drinks and cakes whilst trying to talk to everyone and keep a track on where everyone’s coats and presents went. It was then time for a celebratory drink once the last guest had managed to negotiate the small lake that had developed in the road although there were a few cheers as various aunts and uncles did not heed our warnings and almost disappeared , in the style of the Vicar of Dibley,in the puddle in their effort to find various methods of transport.

Another christmas event was a trip to Hogwarts.

It was amazing, the set was fantastic and we even got to fly the blue flying ‘Muggle‘ car. There was then days filled with walks, baking and food. The walks were very muddy, I almost got lost in one particularly deep hole of mud! There was also the chace to walk to the local village, which involved getting lost and aimlessly wandering around a golf course  and ensuring we didn’t get hit by any flying balls at one point. However, it was worth is as we grabbed a bite of local produce from the BBQ outside the Prestbury Farm Shop. Yes a BBQ, in winter, I think they are even nicer at winter! It certainly warmed us up, or it might have been the mug of mulled wine we were persuaded to buy…

There was far too much of the latter as Luke and I almost set a personal best with having four christmas dinners. Well, it is christmas.

Now we have to prepare for New Year and we have started by a very muddy bike ride

followed by making a gingerbread house.

Now it is time to go off for drinks. Happy New Year!

 

Dickensian Christmas

It was time to round-up the Grandparents and take them on their surprise Christmas day. We managed to keep the destination a surprise right up until the last-minute as, luckily, both Grandmas can talk just a little bit. My Granddad seemed perfectly happy, in the peace and quiet, in the front of the car. Luke kept giggling at me sat in between two of our favourite ladies as they began their conversation began pre-WW2 and chatted all the way up to modern-day. Now that was a really fascinating, very condensed, history lesson for us. The historical theme continued as we pulled up to the gates of the beautiful Tatton Park, where the surprise was revealed. We were taking the grandparents to Tatton Park for a look around the Christmas Fair and the Dickensian themed mansion.

We managed to park and joined the crowds of people heading into the midst of the beautiful grounds. Well, we went at a bit of a slower pace as my grandmas, bless them, kept having to stop just to talk to each other. What ever happened to women being able to mulit-task! Although, I secretly congratulated myself on taking them all on the same day as they proved great companions for each other and they got on wonderfully.

We had almost made it to the Dickensian mansion as we stumble upon a gloriously beautiful Merry-Go-Round.

I had never been on a Merry-Go-Round, least of all one with the old-fashioned colourful horses and I think either a lama, or possibly an over sized chicken, but I couldn’t really tell. I just couldn’t resist. Luke and I joined the other, somewhat younger, Merry-Go-Rounders. Honestly, you would think we were children again as every time we passed our group of grandparents my Granddad was surprisingly nifty at using Luke’s phone to take pictures, although I don’t remember that sort of technology being used when I was younger! Although I did remember grandparents always being cautious as our grandmas were reminding us to keep both hands on the bars each time we passed them.

Once we had returned to acting our correct age, well almost, we led them through the packed courtyard full of people eating lunch and followed an enchanted looking, fairy-lit path towards the stunning mansion.

I scooted ahead to get the tickets in case my Granddad did his usually trick of disappearing and then turning up having already paid for whatever event we were at, you can’t trust him or let him out of your sights! you try taking him out anywhere and he has a habit of pretending to go to the toilet and secretly paying. Once it ended up my dad, myself and my Granddad all leaving the table separately, only to find ourselves all at the till cards at the ready. There wasn’t any way that would happen this time. I was then able to greet them at the entrance to the mansion with a little bit of a delusion of grandeur occurring, well it is best to aim high!

The mansion was just perfect. It was so beautifully decorated and each room provided a delightful surprise from Mrs Havisham‘s Wedding Feast , chirstmassy themed libraries, beautifully set tables

twinkling Christmas decorations which including a few surprise uses of forks and spoons! I am not sure if hanging knives and forks hung around my house would have the same impact!

and the Cratchit’s Christmas Dinner. There were even carol singers lining the main stair case although I was distracted by a strange figure on the landing and as I was worried at first that I was the only one who could see it until I asked Luke and we discovered it was Jacob Marley’s ghost! I got over my distraction by admiring the beautiful garlands and learning more from the extremely helpful staff. We also got to go underneath the house and explore the cellars and see where the coal was transported along,

where the beer was stored and where the food was prepared.

We followed the tantalising smell of freshly baked minced pies and found the kitchen where we were able to listen to the very knowledgeable Housekeepers explain their jobs and roles within the house.

It was then off to the Christmas fair which was filled with beautiful crafts, presents and goodies.

There was also a stalls selling pies and fudge. However, we resisted and headed to the farm shop instead where we discovered jams, strawberry wine, scrumpy jack cider, chocolates and cheeses. All stocked up we headed back to the car park through the glorious gardens. We were going to have lunch in the restaurant but unfortunately it was just too popular so we discovered a cosy pub on the way home, still in keeping with the day though as it was called Egerton Arms.

I would highly recommend a trip to Tatton Park, especially at this time of year, to anyone who wants to enjoy a special day. It was a perfect present for  our Grandparents as they thoroughly enjoyed themselves and the mansion was fascinating, you could tell how much effort had gone into making it look so beautiful. I think this is going to become a tradition every year now.

 

Shooting, Santa and Stirring

It began to feel a lot like Christmas after a night at the Christmas Markets in Manchester with a lovely bunch of colleagues and then a Christmas fete. We were then sent off into the cold to Catton Hall  to spend the afternoon outside. After getting a drink from the beautifully countryfied lodge first before we braved the cold. It also gave me a chance to spot a fireplace I would like to own, although there would be no room in my house for anything else, well maybe if I accidentally misplaced Luke, it was time to see who the best archer and shooter was.

We trudged off to the field to join in with the other archers, no not those archers, actually bow and arrow people. I then thought the instructor had spotted a hidden talent when he chose me to go first. I thought he might have seen a potential Robiness Hood? or maybe a stunt woman? He had chosen me because I had to use a special bow. I gleefully grabbed some arrows for my bow and cheerfully followed the instructor to my special bow. It was only when I got the bow that what he had spotted about me became abundently clear. So special was the bow that it is usually reserved for children. Apparently I am not quite tall enough to use the adult sized bows yet. Maybe I will have a growth spurt before next year?

The rest of the group then moved quite far back from me as I strung up the bow, I am not quite sure why. However, they were proved wrong, or right depending on how you look at it, as I scored a bullseye. This surprised everyone else and even myself! Luke went a bit pale and the other archers warned him he would have to be more careful from now on . So… next time he leaves a wet towel in the middle of the floor, or his socks stuffed down the sofa  for no apparent reason, I might just have to remind him.It was then onto another activity, air rifling. Don’t worry there were no rabbits hurt in the process, just metallic ones.

We then headed back home to our more modest fire to defrost and warm up with a curry, although there was no Plunky this time. The next day the wintery theme continued as I began to start stirring up my Christmas cake, thanks to the fantastic recipe from the Good Housekeeping Magazine, which I used last year (please see my previous post – Stir-up Sunday = The Six Week Countdown)  and it is becoming a bit of a tradition. Almost… Although, I made need a few more years of making a Chirstmas cake before I can call it a true tradition. Another aspect of this tradition is to don my reindeer socks whilst I am baking. I rescued from the loft and discovered that they have become slightly sorry-looking this year with one missing its bells. The other hadn’t survived as well either as it appears to have become an one-eyed, noseless reindeer. It must be trying to be a new version of Rudolph!

Whilst the cake was in the oven there was time to embrace the cold to go and see the lights switched on. We also got to meet Santa who arrived in a fire truck escorted by lots of fireman. I’m not sure which one I was more excited to see! When Luke asked my automatic answer was Santa, naturally, or the nice one in red.

Then it was time to wrap up the cake untill it needed feeding, which left enough time for me to feed myself with my first Ameretto of the Christmas season.Well someone had to make sure it was good enough to feed the Christmas cake with!