Carpe Diem - Sieze The Day!

OK - so the static caravan has not sold yet, and we have no money in any hidden back up pots of gold - we live to full a life to be able to save LOL, however this was a bargain that we just could not say no to!

Having emailed Sally-Ann to see if she fancied a trip to Truro this avo, as I had some Christmas presents, and Dee's birthday pressie to buy, she suggested popping along to see this van, that they had spotted that very same morning!

(This is not actually the van, it was too dark to take a decent photo, but it will give you the idea)

The chap who owns it at the moment has already replaced it with a newer version and had to sell fast or incur double costs, so we managed to get it for a real bargain, a lot lower that we ever thought we would get a van for, and it included a brand new awning, new tyres, the electric hook up cables, all the anti snake towing equipment and the aqua roll water barrel, along with loads of other stuff I just cannot remember!

The inside is immaculate, and has new stainless steel splash backs in the kitchen area.


It even has the more expensive cassette loo so that you have non of that horrid blue fluid to dispose of that I remember so 'fondly' from my childhood!

And so, despite the lack of funds, it was decided in about 5 minutes flat that this was a chance that we just could not miss. If we waited until the static sold we would not find anything so cheap or in such good condition again.

Hence - Carpe Diem!

We have been able to get a pitch in a secure compound that has security cameras and someone on site 24/7 and it will cost us a fraction of the annual running costs of our BAH. Bonus!

Meanwhile, with a little help from some fantastic friends the cost of the van is covered temporarily for us.

Along with same fantastic friends, we shall await the spring weather and do a little test run to Dartmoor for a long weekend to try it out - I think it will be a whole new learning curve in driving for Paul, but he is looking forward to the challenge.

And NO - we shall not be the bain of Jeremy Clarkson's life, and drive 15 miles per hour on the motorway whilst towing it - it won't go as far as the motorway! It will however, give us the opportunity to explore Somerset, Devon and Cornwall to it's max

We Can't Wait!

Well done to the dynamic duo for such a fab find, and for making it happen for us x

A Gok'ing Great Day!

Gok Wan has a lot to answer for, if you ask me!

For the last 2 or 3 weekends there have been repeats of Gok's shows on E4 - Not only How to Look Good Naked, but also Gok's Fashion Fix.....

Now, not only is Gok THE bloke you want with you whilst you are shopping, but he also speaks a great deal of sense, and certainly makes a girl feel more attractive, even if it's not you that it actually being Gok'd so to speak.

Anyway, to get on with the story.....

Having been watching all of his programmes I decided a few changes were needed - not only does very little in my wardrobe fit any more, but what does fit is about 18 months, two years plus old and worn and washed to death....

I started off small - knickers! - yep they virtually all ended up in the bin and I started all over again with sparkling new pieces that actually fit me, and not leave me with a huge muffin top of fat that did not quite make the tiny expanse of fabric that was there!

Once this was done, I was starting to get it! Gok is right - only a few key pieces are needed for your wardrobe, it's just trying to decide on what and how these pieces can work in your real life.

Two very large bags of clothes, that don't fit, later and my poor wardrobe is pretty bare - so much so that it astounded my poor hubby - enough for him to suggest a shopping trip to get some essentials to tide me over.

A this point it is 8.30 am - if we pull our fingers out, he said, we could get to the railway station and catch a train to Plymouth ( a 2 hour drive away) to see what we can get for me.

Now an offer like this does not get turned down - especially when the credit card was being offered!

Despite the pouring rain, we walked the 20 minutes down the hill towards the train station and managed to catch the 10.30, which would get us in at 12 noon.

We had a lovely stress free ride into Plymouth (our first visit there too) and walked on over from the train station to Drakes Circus the big shopping mall.

It all started to well - the sedate train ride the stack upon stack of lovely shops and a credit card at my disposal..... two hours later I had still not spent a single bean! I think it's been so long since I have needed to do a serious clothes shop that I have forgotten how to do it!

At 2pm we gave up and headed up to the restaurant in House of Fraser to grab some well deserved lunch, and to review the situation.

After Lunch, and deciding on a few pieces that both Paul and I liked, we headed back to good old M&S for a trying on session.

Success - some casual trousers and four tops were purchased.

All I need now is a new pair of jeans and a couple of jumpers for the winter and I'm all set.

Despite the frustrations of the day, and taking so long to get into the groove, we had a smashing day, and better still Paul got to close his eyes for a bit on the journey home - not something you would want to do if you were driving!

Thanks Paul - I had a great day, and I've probably got the best hubby in the world for offering to do this for me!

City of Lights Spectacular

Tonight we headed on into Truro, with our friend Alison to watch the festival of lanterns - which I thought was going to be school kiddies, singing Christmas hymns and carrying paper lanterns - ow wrong I was!
The paper lanterns were incredible - with mermaids, elephants, horses, storms in teacups, pirate ships - all huge and completely amazing....

I started taking photo's and couldn't stop - unfortunately I've only added about 20 of the 60 odd that I took, but I had to show how wonderful the parade was!

This storm in a teacup was really inspired!

After the main parade it was time for the Christmas lights to be switched on

After this the parade headed off towards Lemon Quay, so we headed towards the cathedral as we knew it would all end there.

We were really lucky - the tree lights had been switched on as a test, so we were able to get some crafty shots of them without loads of people

We took the chance to get a picture together, Alison seemed to think she looked like a little gnome - lucky her - I'm the marshmallow man from Ghostbusters!

We headed off to grab a coffee at the nearby Thornton's and when we got back, all of the 'animals' were around the Christmas tree, so we had a chance to get up close and personal with them

This horse was incredible, the puppeteer got the head movements perfectly

but my favourite was the Elephant - so lovely

Having seen all that we could we headed back to grab the bus back to the park and ride. The queue was long..... 3/4 mile long! However, everyone was in good spirits after such a nice night, and the bus drivers played a blinder, and I don't think we waited any longer that 20 minutes.

A fantastic night - the organisers should be congratulated!

Gothic Gastronomy in The Castle

It was a dark and stormy night.

The wind was at gale force and the rain lashing down so hard it bounced off the floor as it hit and reached back up into the heavens.

And we were booked at the Carn Brea Castle Restaurant, one of the highest points in Cornwall, to go for a meal with friends.

As we arrived, the wind whipped around our bodies, trying to carry us away with it, but we were having none of that! We were here to enjoy an unusual night out, and were really looking forward to it.

After trying our camera's on just about every setting, Alison and I finally managed to get a couple of great, moody shots of the Castle from our parking spot just below it..... this is to be our haven and eatery for the evening.

We were welcomed by Mr Sawahla, the owner and our host for the evening, and walked up some winding steps, dripping with rain water that had seeped through the granite walls, adding to the atmosphere.

There is no electricity in this most unusual restaurant, everything is lit by candle, making for a really fantastic atmosphere, especially with the increasing wind and rain outside.

Again, us girlies fiddled with our camera settings and found a suitable one to give us nice bright pictures, and did the compulsory couples posing pictures....

Firstly Alison and Paul...

and then Paul and I....

Mr Sawahla took our food orders, cranked up the Jordonian music and pulled out his traditional drum, and began tapping away to the music.....

The rhythm was great and got us all clapping along and wondering how on earth such a huge noise came from such a small piece of kit

It was then our turn, and it slowly got passed around for us all to have a go, some of us with better results than others

Paul, having stated that he didn't think he could do it, actually got really into it and looks a treat with his big cheeky smiles.....

I thought I'd have to fight him for my go LOL

It was great fun

Our meals arrived, and were amazing - Alison and I had the Jordonian spiced Lamb kebabs on a bed of rice with yoghurt dip and salad...... It was nothing like we expected (ie basically cubes of meat on skewers) it was actually about 8 lamb steaks on the bone marinated in spice - I've never eaten so much meat in one meal in my life!

The boys had steaks - once cooked in a whisky marinate, the other in a pomegranate sauce.

We followed all of this up with a plate of baklava - loads of little sample pieces for us to all pick at.

Absolutely fantastic.

Well worth a visit, and we will certainly be going again - YUM!

In Rememberance....

They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them..

Who's a Lucky Boy Then?

My friend Mandy was clearing out some of her Mum's cupboards and came across some old towels. They were going to go in the bin, until I said Fred might be able to make use of them!

As you can see, he even managed a smile for the camera LOL - and now he has 3 lovely bright towels to use after his splish splash bath or muddy walks...

Bless him, it was just like Christmas for him - he even opened the bag himself!

Woof Woof - Thanks Aunty Mandy, Lick, Kiss!

Happy Birthday Sally-Ann

It's Sally-Ann's birthday today, and we had all decided to go out for a meal to celebrate. We booked a table at the Crab-Picker in Portreath, and arrived all suited and booted, ready for a good meal and relaxing time with friends....

Sally-Ann sat pride of place at the head of the table, with Paul next to her....


then Mel, who tried desperately not to have her picture taken...

then Mike and the other end, followed by me and Ricky...

Yes! I know there is no picture of me.... I was holding the camera!

Another lovely evening, concluded with our friends, as we tried to work out how soon the next birthday was so we could do it all over again!

That Pesky Psoas....

Since I started going to Pilate's back at the end of April, my awful back pain has subsided and I no longer have to see a chiropractor/osteopath every 4 weeks or so.

In fact since April, I have only had to visit him twice, this is most definitely a great testament to the wonders of Pilate's, and the very knowledgeable Mel, who teaches us.

Anyway, to get to my story.... as you are all aware (from my profile info) I am the proud owner of a flashy crystal blue sports car called Betty Blue.... she is beautiful and spends most of her life with her lid down so that my unruly locks can feel the wind, and become even more tangled than they normally are!

In an effort to ensure that she stays beautiful, Betty gets garaged at the end of each and every outing. Unfortunately, because of all of the accumulated possibly useful in the future' stuff' we have acquired over the past 2 and 1/2 years, it has become increasingly difficult to open Betty's door, once in the garage, to exit her lovely sleek little profile.

After one such outing, I parked a little nearer to the wall and 'stuff' than normal and only lefty about a 2 inch gap to climb out of her, and PING! upon twisting my leg into the available gap my Hip Flexor (Psoas Muscle) popped and then...... PAIN!

and O M G what PAIN! - this was back in July.

Mel got our her anatomy charts and showed me what the muscle was and how it could affect my movement, and suggested some lovely stretching moves that would help with the release of the muscle and aid it's repair.

God Bless Mel!

Anyway, to cut a long story short, the pain is still there, and since our initial decision of the cause, we have decided that due to the length of time it is taking to heal, and the areas of movement that have been affected, that some of the 'attached bits' (no that's not the technical term) got torn - this means a long drawn out process of healing.

Meanwhile, Mel, being the complete anatomical genius that she is, has given me yet more moves to help release this pesky Psoas Muscle, some of which are the Cat Stretch, Shoulder Bridge, Leg Slide, Side Stretch, Clam, and of course the 'doorbell, letterbox, catflap combo'. There is also this rather awkward looking thing I do lying across a hard foam roller with my legs stretched out - it pulls the Psoas out long and feels fantastic!

One of the bits of information about the Psoas Muscle that Mel found out, is that is affects your mood, and depending on it's state, that's how you are, if it is relaxed and happy so are you - yeah right! - Well you know what? I reckon, having laughed about this, it must actually be true, for the last couple of weeks I have felt totally miserable, and this can only be down to my Psoas feeling miserable too - No Kidding!

I know that it will be a long haul, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and with any luck, my sleepless painful nights will soon be over!

Thanks Mel - without you and Pilates I would have gone do lally tap! Roll on Monday nights class!