Mick's 60th - January

It's Mick's 60th birthday in August so I had an idea that we'd have a year-long celebration, doing lots of fun things for the whole of 2026. I'd like to think we could do something each month, but we'll see, I've got a few ideas, I'm keeping everything a secret from Mick.

For January I decided that we'd have a weekend away in St Annes-on-the-Sea. It's a place we know very well, we used to have short breaks there with my parents, my sister and her family and my brother and his family before we had children. Of course, when Daniel and Eleanor came along, they came too. It holds many fond memories for all of us.

We arrived at lunch time last Friday but as we couldn't check-in to the hotel until 2pm, I decided we'd head straight to Lytham Hall. An 18th century Georgian house, it's situated in 78 acres of parkland. The hall itself is closed at the moment but it was a lovely place for a walk.

Admission is free, we just paid a nominal amount for parking. There's plenty of space to stretch your legs, a shop, a cafe, and the animal hub where you can see the resident bunny rabbits, Charles and Camilla, and visit the mischievous goats, Bogie and Toby.

These are the first snowdrops I've seen this year, a welcome sight, surely spring can't be all that far away now.

We arrived at the hotel, which was situated on the promenade overlooking the beach, and found we'd been given a room with a balcony and sea-view. We were just in time to see the sunset.

On Saturday after a lovely cooked breakfast, we ventured out for a walk on the beach. It's a wonderful place for a stroll, so open, the sea always seems to be so far away at St Annes.

The promenade is a nice place for a wander too, there's well tended gardens complete with waterfalls, a playground for children, a pitch n putt and par 3 golf course, and in the summer months, you'll find trampolines and a miniature train, fun for all the family whilst still retaining its Victorian charm.

The beach huts are closed up for the winter but they look so well kept and taken care of.

The Lifeboat Monument commemorates the death of thirteen lifeboatmen from St Annes who were lost during a rescue in 1886.

I definitely chose a good weekend for our little jaunt, the weather on both Friday and Saturday was very mild compared to the freezing temperatures we'd had beforehand.

The comedian, Les Dawson, lived in St Annes. He died in 1993, this statue was unveiled in 2008 and stands in the Peace and Happiness Garden just by the pier.

After a little rest back at the hotel, we decided to spend the afternoon in nearby Lytham. All the years we've been visiting St Annes and yet we'd never once visited this nearby town. Although they're often grouped together as Lytham St Annes, they're actually two separate but adjacent towns. Most of the shops in Lytham are situated on Clifton Street, a bustling thoroughfare with both independent and high street names. I really enjoyed visiting Stringers, an independent, family run, department store. It's good to see a business such as this thriving in today's world.

I came across a yarn shop in an arcade. I could see through the window that Habs & Dash stock a good range of quality yarn, including hand-dyed, but I resisted entering the shop, after all, I've got enough yarn in my stash to open my own small shop.

This pebble mosaic is called Paradise Garden and it was created by Maggy Howarth, it can be found in Clifton Square. At its centre is the red rose of Lancashire, and set around it is features of Lytham, including the windmill. Isn't it a beautiful piece of art. My photo doesn't do it justice.

And speaking of the windmill, here it is. This windmill stands on Lytham Green, it was built in 1805 and now houses a museum. Unfortunately, it's closed during the winter months, opening again at Easter.

We arrived back in St Annes to see another glorious sunset, this time we were on the beach by the Victorian pier. Perfect.

We stayed for two nights and had bed, breakfast and evening meal in the hotel. It was the perfect winter getaway, I'd worried about having a weekend by the coast in January but it was actually lovely. Yes, we were very lucky with the weather, we've had snow in the UK this month but the weekend we were away was mild and though I did have a woolly scarf around my neck, I didn't need a hat or gloves. This was the perfect start to Mick's birthday celebrations, stay tuned to see what's next!

Sherwood Forest

We've had a spell of very cold weather here in the UK, well, cold for us. Storm Goretti wreaked havoc upon parts of the country but we've been very lucky here in our neck of the woods, the only snowfall we had was overnight into Sunday when we woke to a thin covering. That didn't hang around long, the rain washed it away just as quickly as it had arrived.

Although it was cold on Saturday, it was bright and sunny so we decided to have a trip to RSPB Sherwood Forest.

Sherwood Forest is the remnants of a vast royal hunting ground in Nottinghamshire, now a National Nature Reserve. It's known for its connections to the legendary outlaw Robin Hood. 

It was a beautiful day, stunning blue skies without a cloud to be seen and though it was cold, we were wrapped up well so we didn't really feel it.

There are several trails through the forest which cater to different abilities and interests.

It's about a mile and a half to the Major Oak, the tree known as Robin Hood's legendary hideout. It's thought to be about 1100 years old and is now supported by props and bracing in order to preserve it.

The path to the Major Oak is always well populated, people travel for miles to see this iconic landmark, but once past the tree, the forest is much quieter.

It's said that lichen grows where the air quality is clean as many types are highly sensitive to pollutants.

Can you see the face in this tree? I'm not sure the photo captured it as well as we could see it.

It seems there are microclimates within the forest as we happened upon areas covered with frost.

The ground here was rock hard.

Puddles were frozen.

There's no admission fee at Sherwood Forest, car parking costs £6 and you can stay for the whole day. It's free for RSPB members. There's a visitor centre with a shop and cafe and between the car park and the visitor centre is Sherwood Forest Arts and Craft Centre where there's an array of different independent craft shops, everything from candles to fabric crafts. There's handmade soap and jewellery, gemstones and fossils, and a paint a pot studio, as well as many more things to discover. Such a great day out.

Twelve Days Of Christmas 2025

This is a post I regularly write every January, it's a round up of all the gifts I received in my Twelve Days of Christmas swap with my lovely friend, Lisa. This is the twelfth year that we've swapped twelve small gifts, one to be opened on each of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

What a wonderful line up of gifts.

Here's a closer look.

A cosy hot water bottle with a fleece cover, perfect for the cold weather we're experiencing just now. The cutest Winnie the Pooh socks, three pairs which will keep my feet toasty warm. A set of bath bombs, and a fig and pomegranate soap bar, I look forward to using those in my bath.

Two plain white candles and a sheet of transfer stickers to decorate them with, isn't that a fab idea, I haven't come across those before so I look forward to giving that a go. A crepe paper craft kit, something else I shall enjoy having a go with. A puzzle cube, all those flowers, so pretty, and the cutest little bird pot hanger which Lisa sent in the cutest little tin. I like to pretty my pots up with little ornaments so I love this, and the tin will be put to good use too, I can always use a nice tin, haha.

We usually each pop a book in our parcels. This year I received A Christmas Murder by Mary Grand, it looks like it's set on The Isle of Wight, somewhere I'd love to visit, so I shall enjoy reading this. Included with this gift was a page corner bookmark, very handy. A cotton tea towel with a picture of marsh violets on it. We also include a couple of edible gifts. I received some Pistacchio biscuits and some cute Snoopy gummies, I'm not sure I'll be able to eat Snoopy, far too cute.

Thank you, Lisa. You spoil me every single year.

Here's what I sent to Lisa.

Here's a closer look.

A box of Christmas crackers, I just loved the plaid design and the velvet ribbon, if they don't get used this year they'll come in next year. A rhubarb and elderflower candle, I had a sniff of this and really liked it, I hope Lisa likes it too. Shower steamers, it's always nice to have a lovely aroma when taking a shower. A Twelve Days of Christmas nibble tray, how could I resist this when our theme is the Twelve Days of Christmas.

I know that Lisa enjoys doing jigsaws and I thought this Toy Shop Window at Christmas design very festive. A strawberry design cross stitch, it has everything needed in the kit. I usually pop a book in as one of the gifts, this year it's An Unfortunate Christmas Murder by Hannah Hendy, a cosy murder, perfect for snuggling up with over the festive season. A gardener's enamel mug which is printed with hints and tips on how to tend to your garden.

Three Clues, a guessing game which is a perfect table game. Lip balms in a variety of flavours, perfect to use in the cold weather, I always tend to get chapped lips at this time of year. The edible gifts I included in the swap this year were Bailey's Creams, and Caramelised Biscuit Fudge.

It's been another wonderful swap, so fun sourcing the gifts throughout the year, and of course opening a gift each day right into the new year, it extends the magic of Christmas. Thank you, Lisa, it's been another enjoyable swap.

Twelve Day Advent

I had such a lovely surprise at the back end of November when a parcel was delivered to my address. I hadn't ordered anything and I had no idea what it could be. When I opened it, I found a sack full of presents.

My lovely friend, Maggie, who blogs at BlackCountry Wench had put together a twelve day advent for me. What a kind and generous thing to do.

I had a wonderful time opening up each of the gifts through December in the run up to Christmas, and I saved the yarn to open on Christmas Day. Such lovely presents, a book I've had on my wish list since it was released earlier this year, a yummy Lindt reindeer, the cutest Moomin calendar which I'm thrilled to have as the Moomin year planner I usually use was out of stock when I went to order it, a gorgeous bookmark, in fact, take a look at the photo, you can see for yourself all the fabulous things I unwrapped. The West Green Loft yarn is the prettiest shade. Something extra special though, Maggie gifted me the beautiful pillow ornament she'd stitched which I was admiring on her blog back in November, something I'll treasure.

Thank you so much, Maggie, I feel so lucky to have such a special friend, someone who goes out of their way to gift me something so magical at Christmas. Thank you for your friendship.

December 2025

Looking back on December there have been some rather chilly days but also plenty of mild ones too. We've had rain, so much so that Yorkshire Water have, at last, lifted their hosepipe ban. Christmas was lovely, we spent lots of time with family and of course, seeing Jack enjoying himself has been the icing on the cake.

Last year, many of the things we'd planned in the run up to Christmas were cancelled as Storm Darragh struck and there was heavy rain. Although we've definitely had our fair share of downpours this month we did manage some trips out leading up to Christmas. I wrote about Robin Hood's Bay Victorian Weekend in an earlier post, we also visited Haworth one wet Sunday. We didn't let the rain spoil our fun and it was lovely to see the Parsonage decked out in its Christmas finery. There was also a day out to the Christmas market at Ilkley.

I've read five books this month.

In the Time of Five Pumpkins is the latest in the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. I'm always pleased to see a new book published with these characters as they've become like old friends in the years I've been reading about them. The stories are slow and simple, perfect when you want to just unwind without having to think too much, and they take you off to Botswana where the way of life is relaxed. Perfect.

The fourteenth, and penultimate, book in the Dr Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths is The Locked Room. This book takes us back to 2020 and lockdown, and I have to say that it brought back so many memories of when Coronavirus kept most of us at home. For Ruth, living in a remote cottage on the edge of the Salt Marsh, it was particularly isolating, however, she has a new neighbour who she's struck up a friendship with. Nelson is home alone as Michelle is in Blackpool with George at her mother's house, he's investigating the deaths of women which may or may not be suicide but lockdown or not, he can't keep away from Ruth. Another great tale.

Daniel and Jasmine bought me The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories a couple of Christmases ago. Each story in the book is only short and they come from around the world with tales from authors such as Dylan Thomas, Tove Jansson, Truman Capote, Anton Chekhov and Hans Christian Andersen to name a few. I've read this book, a few stories each month, over the course of the year, finishing it this month. I'm not really a fan of short stories, I don't think they're long enough for a tale to really get going, but it was enjoyable enough. Some stories, as you'd expect, were better than others. An okay read, definitely a book to pick up and read at intervals.

I'm so sad to say that I've now come to the end of the Dr Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. The Last Remains is the fifteenth and final book and I've enjoyed every one of them. There's a cold case to solve in this final chapter, loose ends in the private lives of the characters are tied up, and this last book is a fitting conclusion to a fantastic series.

After a break from The Thursday Murder Club series to write We Solve Murders, Richard Osman has taken us back to Cooper's Chase with his latest book, The Impossible Fortune. It was good to be back with Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim, and many of the characters from his earlier books made an appearance too. I have to say that I enjoyed this book just as much, if not more in some cases, as the earlier books in the series, and though The Thursday Murder Club film was much anticipated earlier this year, I really think the books are so much better.

I feel as though I'm falling to bits at the moment. In November I saw a physiotherapist as for many months now I've been having pain and loss of movement in my shoulder. She diagnosed frozen shoulder. I've also been having a lot of hip and back pain so the physiotherapist booked me in for another appointment at which gluteal tendinopathy was diagnosed. Honestly, this getting old lark isn't for the faint hearted. The physiotherapist sent me a link to an app which provides personalised exercises, tips and information. I'll see how I get on.

I told you in November that Jack had managed to pull a hole in the jumper I'd recently knit for him. I've mended it in a fashion but it's not really fit for wearing for best now, it will do for around the house though. I've just finished another jumper for him, exactly the same pattern as the last one but this time I've used this gorgeous Spray Blue. Let's hope he looks after this one a bit better.

We paid a visit to our local food bank before Christmas. We always pop a few extras in with our shopping each week, making sure that the items we buy have good long use by dates. We were able to drop off 160 items this time.

I'm not really one for watching films, I'm a bit of a fidget and can't concentrate for long periods, but there are so many Christmas movies which I've never seen so I'm on a bit of a mission to watch some of them. A couple of years ago I watched ten Christmas films throughout December and though I haven't watched that many this year, I've managed to cross more off my list. Tinsel Town is a new film this year, it's got some quite big names in it, Kiefer Sutherland, Rebel Wilson, Derek Jacobi, then others such as Jason Manford, Katherine Ryan and Danny Dyer. Robbie Williams' daughter also makes her acting debut in it. It was an okay film, funny in parts. What I really loved about this film is that it was filmed in and around Wetherby and Knaresborough which are places we often visit so it was fun picking out all the places we know. We've also watched Last Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, and of course, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Before I sign off for the year I just want to let you know that I've decided to do things a little differently next year. I'm not going to be writing my end of month posts going forward. I know myself that I enjoy reading shorter posts rather than a whole round-up of what's been happening, and though I thought doing posts this way would save time, it hasn't really worked out that way. From now on I shall be writing shorter posts like I used to do prior to 2023 when I changed things up, but I probably won't be writing as many posts as I used to do back then, I just don't have as much time these days. I do still love blogging though, I post on Instagram every day but that just isn't the same. I've always enjoyed the connections I've made with people through blogging, and that's why I'm also going to be replying to the comments I receive again, I'm hoping that I'll be able to keep up with them. I used to reply to every comment left on my blog but it got to the point where I just didn't have the time to do that any longer. Now, with fewer people blogging and therefore fewer people commenting, I can go back to answering the comments which are left for me, so please do pop back for a reply.

And this brings me to my thank yous. As we end another year I want to thank each and every one of you for continuing to come back to my blog and for all the wonderful comments you leave on my posts, I'm truly thankful and appreciate this so much. I know there are many people who read but don't leave comments, thank you too, although it would be lovely to hear from you. As I said, I love the connections that are made through blogging and every single comment means the world to me.

Here's to a happy, healthy and peaceful 2026 for us all.

Books Read In 2025

I've read fifty books in 2025, up a little on last year. I seem to have settled into a routine of sorts with my reading and I think this amount is what I'd expect to read in a year at the moment.

I've continued to read some classics, my favourite of the ones read this year is The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I've still got plenty of classics waiting on my bookshelf so I shall continue with these next year.

I've now come to the end of the Dr Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. There are fifteen books in all, I read the first one towards the end of last year and I've read the rest this year. What a fantastic series this is. Dr Ruth Galloway is a forensic archaeologist who helps the police solve cases. There's a new murder/mystery to solve in each book, but more than that, the characters in these books are just brilliant and it's the wanting to know what happens in their lives which keeps you turning the pages. If you haven't read this series I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

The Janus Stone - Elly Griffiths

The Teashop Girls at War - Elaine Everest

Winter's Wishfall - Ceri Houlbrook

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

The House at Sea's End - Elly Griffiths

The 24-Hour Cafe - Libby Page

The Shell Seekers - Rosamunde Pilcher

A Little Place in Prague - Julie Caplin

Nella Last in the 1950s - Nella Last

A Room Full of Bones - Elly Griffiths

We All Live Here - Jojo Moyes

A Christmas Wish at Woolworths - Elaine Everest

Dying Fall - Elly Griffiths

The List of Suspicious Things - Jennie Godfrey

The Outcast Dead - Elly Griffiths

The Appeal - Janice Hallett

The Ghost Fields - Elly Griffiths

This One Life - Amanda Prowse

Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides

One Last Secret - Adele Parks

The Woman in Blue - Elly Griffiths

Always You and Me - Dani Atkins

Lady Susan - Jane Austen

The Watsons - Jane Austen

Sanditon - Jane Austen

New Horizons for the Woolworths Girls - Elaine Everest

The bookshop of Secrets - Kerry Barrett

My Darling Boy - Helen Cooper

Anna O - Matthew Blake

The Chalk Pit - Elly Griffiths

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

The Four Winds - Kristin Hannah

The Dark Angel - Elly Griffiths

The Time Machine - HG Wells

The Stone Circle - Elly Griffiths

All Things Consoled - Elizabeth Hay

A Terrible Kindness - Jo Browning Wroe

No One Saw a Thing - Andrea Mara

Tell Me Everything - Elizabeth Strout

The Lantern Men - Elly Griffiths

The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah

The Night Hawks - Elly Griffiths

Jamaica Inn - Daphne du Maurier

In the Time of Five Pumpkins - Alexander McCall Smith

The Locked Room - Elly Griffiths

The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories

The Last Remains - Elly Griffiths

The Impossible Fortune - Richard Osman

My favourite read this year is undoubtedly The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Eleanor bought me this book for Christmas last year, I'd read so many great reviews of it and every one of them is so richly deserved. 

Other favourites were The List of Suspicious Things, The Silent Patient, The Four Winds and A Terrible Kindness. The whole of the Dr Ruth Galloway series is definitely up there too. It's been a very good year for finding great books.

Eleanor bought me Holy Island by LJ Ross for Christmas 2024 but I haven't got round to reading it yet. I've had the next four in this series bought for me this Christmas, so I now have the first five books in the DCI Ryan series. I'm hoping to get started on these very soon, though there's twenty five rather hefty books in this series so it may take me some time to work my way through them all.

Do you keep a tally of the books you've read? I'd love to know what your favourite books of the year are, please do tell me in the comments, it's always good to have recommendations.

Merry Christmas 2025

We've got a full house again this Christmas, Daniel, Jasmine, Eleanor, Jacob and Jack will be spending the day with us to celebrate. It's our first Christmas without our beloved Archie, he always enjoyed opening his presents, he was an expert at getting his treats out of the wrapping paper. He'll be missed so much, and we'll also be remembering other loved ones who are no longer with us.

Jack is eighteen months old now, just the right age to really understand what's going on and so it will be exciting watching him open his presents and hold court!

Wishing you all a happy and peaceful Christmas.

Robin Hood's Bay Victorian Weekend

We were going to visit the Victorian Weekend at Robin Hood's Bay last year but it was the weekend when Storm Darragh hit and that spoilt our plans so we decided to try again this year. 

It was sunny and bright as we set off but heavy rain was forecast later in the day. A thick fog appeared as we headed over the North York Moors but this lifted as we came out the other side and the village of Robin Hood's Bay was bathed in sunshine.

Robin Hood's Bay is an historic fishing village on Yorkshire's east coast. It's known for its steep cobbled lanes.

On the weekend of the 6th and 7th of December, the village turned back the clock for their Victorian Weekend, an annual event established in 1994, where residents and visitors dress up in Victorian costume. We didn't, but plenty did!

There was a real feeling of days gone by with all the period attire, there were even military figures in Victorian costume enjoying a drink and a game of cards in the local hostelry.

A choir was singing carols and another folk group were singing sea shanties.

This lady was playing the concertina. She was really good.

A beck, or small stream, runs through the village and flows into the sea on the slipway.

This culvert, on the very left of the photo, on the beach is the discharge point of the beck. Robin Hood's Bay has a history of smuggling and it's said that there's a whole network of tunnels underneath the village with false walls and disguised openings which were to cover up the flow of goods and make them difficult to track. Apparently, you're able to get from the bottom of the village to the very top without setting foot above ground.

I was expecting it to be a cold day but it was actually rather mild so we decided to have a walk along the beach. Plenty of other people had the same idea as us, and as the tide was out, there were a lot of people rockpooling too.

Robin Hood's Bay is a popular spot for fossil hunters too. Ammonites, belemnites and devil's toenails can all be found here, along with jet. We didn't find any but there's always interesting stones.

We called into The Higgledy Pig, what a great name, where Mick stocked up on some Whitby rum. He's got quite the rum collection from many different places.

I love how quirky the village is with so much to see. I didn't really photograph the many ginnels, snickets and alleyways on this visit but I wrote a post about Robin Hood's Bay last year and you can see more there.

I love a blue plaque, this one is placed on the cottage where Leo Walmsley lived. Leo Walmsley was an author, known for his fictional Bramblewick series, though I've never heard of him myself.

All the cottages in Robin Hood's Bay are so individual, and so are the doors. I loved the wreath here, just simple berries.

And then I saw this one, isn't it fabulous, both the door and the wreath!

Rose Cottage, so pretty.

Before we left we popped into St Stephen's Church.

The church was hosting a Christmas tree festival.

It was a lovely day out but sadly, this was the last Victorian Weekend as the current organisers are stepping down and there's no interest for anyone to take over. The fog swept in once again as we headed for the moors on our way home and the heavy rain, which had been forecast, finally materialised. At least this last Victorian weekend had been able to go ahead and was enjoyed by many.