October Life; Manchester Bee Trail (Part 3) Saying Goodbye To The Bees!

Hi readers,

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to go to the Goodbye Bees event which was a chance to see all 101 bee statues in the same place and for the last time.

Many of the bee statues are being auctioned off next weekend and who knows where they'll end up and if they'll be on public display again. Some of the bees though are being given back to the charities who sponsored them or are represented by them. For example, Harpurbee will be going back to The Manchester Youth Zone. (I believe it'll be placed in the closed car park/allotment garden back area which isn't accessible to the public).

The event was held at the Manchester National Cycling Centre with some of the bees being inside and most of the being outside. It was really busy - lots of people eager to see the bees they had missed during the trail and the weather was bad too - the tail end of a storm that has flooded part of the UK this weekend.

To add to this my boyfriend had started with a cold and wasn't feeling well. We also had a nightmare parking! We ended up in the wrong place but then got told to go back there as there was nowhere to park around the cycling centre! Walking through the rain to get there then having to walk around the bees in the rain didn't help improve our moods but I tried to enjoy it as best I could.

It was really nice to see all the bees together and look at the ones we'd missed. I think we got to see around 50 on the trail and I realised whilst planning the second trip to see them that there was going to a few that I'd never get to see. So, it was good that the event was held and I could get tickets for it as I didn't feel like I'd missed out!

Of all the bees my favourite is still the one in the opening photo, Bee-You-ti-ful. I love the washed out colours and the inspirational imagines and quotes. A lot of the other bees are also inspiring and carry positive messages but there's just something about this one bee that really speaks to me!

If I had to pick a second favourite it would be this one below; Sundae. I love the ice cream look created on this bee and it feels so summer-y. For me this bee was also very different from all the others, I guess because it didn't have a 'bee' theme as such like some of the other ones do. Also, I love ice cream!

Due to how they had set the bees up it was hard to get a 'group photo', I tried my best but there was also trees and people in the way too! 

  

Now, here's a selection of bees from the event that I liked best and all of these are ones we didn't get to see during the trail.

I love this bee above! It had this really old stone look and reminded me of a headstone! 

I like this one below too. It's simple and pretty with the butterflies on it. 

The bee above is themed around the 80 Days Around The World novel and the bee, I believe, was at Manchester Airport to celebrate the airport's 80th birthday! 

I also liked this Egyptian themed one too.  

I think this bee was called something like The Sky Isn't The Limit and it has this star consolation theme. I liked the Galaxy painting on this bee.

The below bee really sums up Manchester for me; Cottonopolis. Manchester in the past has long been the centre for the cotton industry and the worker bee is the symbol of the hardworking people. 

This is Rainbow bee, who I also liked and seemed fitting in all the wet weather!

And this last Bee, I mistook as a bee with a cold as he was called sneezebee and I joked that my boyfriend was feeling like the bee was! Actually, this bee is theme around allergies, especially pollen which makes sense in the summer!  

So, that's it! The bee trail is officially over. I am super sad to see the bees go and it's a shame they can't be left on display around Manchester. It was a good way to bring people together but I guess there'd be too much up keep. 

I did buy the book of the bees though which lists them all and the small bees too. It's a great reminder of all the bees and fun that we've had finding them. I got a set of postcards too which had some nice photos of 9 different bees and the 10th postcard says something like we completed the bee trail. 

So, it's goodbye from the bees and goodbye from me. Until next time readers. 

(All photos belong to me.)

July Life Update; Devon Holiday

Hi readers, 

Last week, I went to Devon on holiday with my boyfriend, my parents, my younger brother and his girlfriend. we had a great week visiting lots of different places in Devon and Cornwall. This post is going to be photo heavy and also quick. I've a job interview tomorrow and there's far too much to write about in one post! Here are some highlights;

Tintagel Castle  

There's just something about this castle that makes it stand out above all the others in England for me. Maybe its the connection with the King Arthur Legend, maybe its the fantastic views or the scale of the place. Tintagel is a must visit for anyone, though you'll need to be fit enough to climb all the stairs up! 

I've been a few times now and though my memory is mostly of a ruined castle on a cliff top, it's the beach and 'Merlin's Cave,' I recall the most. Getting down to the cave is little tricky as though there are steps at the bottom you have to climb through a rocky section. The beach is small and covered in stones. There are a few different caves but Merlin's is the one on the left, under the castle. 

A few years ago, they added this statue of king Arthur. It stands on the far edge and looks back over the medieval houses that can be made out. It's a big photo shoot for everyone! I took a few photos and a selfie. The statue is sort of creepy at first due to this ripped up cloak and it sort of looks like the ghost of Arthur. 

They've also added this gallery next to the gift shop where you can read the legends connected to the castle. I liked the 'pop up books' they had there, some awesome paper crafter has created them. 

The views in the area must be some of the best of Cornwall's rugged coastline! That just adds to the greatness of the place. There's just something about powerful sea waves pounding against jagged cliff sides that appeals to me.     

Charlie Bear Museum

I never knew Charlie bears had a shop and museum you could visit! I've collected the bears for years and love them lots. By chance my boyfriend wanted chips when we stopped for lunch in a little village and whilst waiting, I saw a leaflet for the bear museum. I thought we were too far away to visit but as it turns out the next day we were going to the same town and a few roads away from the museum to have the car's air con fixed! So I got to visit the museum! 

It was really great and there were so many bears. I also got to meet the owner Charlie as she was showing an American visitor around and it was so special to talk to her. I suggested that she needed to design a bear named Hayley as there isn't one! She said it was a possibility and thought it was fated I ended up at the museum today. I agreed with that! 

I took so many photos, I just selected 3 to post up here, though I could do a whole blog post about this place alone! I thought it was that good! Of course, I didn't leave empty handed and brought myself the 2018 bear. My mum and brother also about me a bear each for my birthday, so I brought 3 home to add to my collection! 

This is so a heaven for all Teddy bear loves and a must if you are in the area!

Otter wildlife Park

This was one of the first places we visited. It's a small animal home, though they specialise in otters. They are so cute and funny to watch and seeing them get feed is the best thing. There's also two owls talks a day and you get to hold an owl or other bird of pray.

My favourite section was the walk through deer bit, where you can feed birds, deer and wallaby. Most of the animals are tame enough to eat out of your hand and be stroked. There was a wallaby with a joey which was so cute and seemed really interested in my mum. The wallaby was so calm and soft! 

This is a really nice place to spend a morning or afternoon. 

Breakfast with Peacocks 

We stayed at a country club called Woodford bridge. They had lots of peacocks there and they were really use to people, guess they have all been fed over the years. It became something of a habit whilst we were there that when we had breakfast or dinner outside a peacock or a peahen and her chicks would come by for food. 

It was really nice, though a few times scary as peacocks are really big close up. They also wanted to try and get inside all the time! There was one day when I had a peacock at the kitchen window watching me for ages and he also pecked on the glass a few times too. 

I did collect some nice feathers throughout the week and brought them back home with me. I wouldn't want to keep peacocks as pets though!

 The Gnome Garden

This is one of my favourite places in Devon! It's a large garden where you go around and look at a huge collection of gnomes and their friends! You have to put on a fluffy gnome hat so you fit in and you get to try your hand at fishing in a pond. It's just a fun place to spend a few hours. There's also a fairy garden trail and a quiz to do. The shop is really lovely and the old lady owner makes clay pixies and other things which you can buy. 

Jamaican Inn 

This is another hot spot for all visiting Cornwall. Made famous by Daphne Du Maurier's novel by the same name which is said to have been based at the original inn there. There is a museum dedicated to her and a shop with lots of themed items. There's also a farm shop selling local produce and let's not forget the pub itself! 

We'd visited before but this time we had tea here. The food is bit more expensive then a normal pub but it's worth it! The plates are big and the food so lovely! I also got to try out a new Rattler cider - strawberry and lime, also I got to eat the steak and ale pie I'd been craving! 

Well worth the visit for sure! 

We visited so many other places, but I just don't have the time to write about them. I just want to add that the ice cream and sorbet they have there has to be the best. I had a lot whilst I was down there! I never got to try a cream tea which is also famous in Devon, but I've had lots before, so I knew I wasn't missing out really. 

We also got to try out my new board game; Kill Doctor Lucky which everyone enjoyed playing! It's like the prologue to Cludo! And is more a game of chance and luck then anything else. I think this is going to become a family favourite now. 

And that was my holiday to Devon. There's so much more I could write though but it's getting late and I've a busy day tomorrow now. Hopefully, one day I'll go back and then I can write more about it! 

Thanks for reading!

(Please note all photos copyright to me. Please do not use them.)

August Life Update; Flash back to July part 2. Birmingham bear hunt and London trip

Hi readers,

In July, I went to Birmingham for a night and a day then on to London for two days and two nights. I had visited Birmingham before a few years back whilst on a canal boat holiday and stopped in what's known as the Birmingham basin. This time, I stayed in the city center and I had a really good time. Currently, they have this bear statue hunt on and there's like over 200 bear statues and some little bears to find. I had great fun doing this and it also helped me navigate about the town center. My favorite bear has to be the first one I found; Shakesbear.  

Around the church yard there were lots and I spent time taking photos and looking at the gravestones. It was a nice place to chill. I went inside the church too and saw the pretty stained glass windows.

My favorite bears here where Peony the panda and this love hearted one. There was also a jungle bear and a metal bear called Snowy.

 I then went over to the art gallery and museum which I'd picked to spend the afternoon in. On the way I found some more bears! This moon and star one is so cute.

Everyone loves the Spock bear.

My favorite in this section had to by Olly bear because he was so funny. Lots of people wanted their photo with him.

It was also at this point I helped someone to find a bear. I had a printed out map but it made it easier as I had already seen and taken a photo of the bear she wanted to see. Later, I picked up a real map from the train station and discovered the locations of all the bears!

I also liked this bear with a northern lights theme. Then I went on to the art gallery and museum. They had a lot of the little bears there and I too far too many photos to post up here. I looked round and did enjoy it, but with the weather being so nice and the wanting to find other bears, I left early.

The bear who cares a lot was the first bear on my list but I didn't find her until we had got back to the train station. She was the last bear I found because we then had to leave for London. I did so want to stay and look for other bears though!

I had a good wander around Birmingham city center and I really enjoyed it. There was lots of shops and people, who were all interesting to watch. I found a cool Japan shop and brought some presents for myself and my boyfriend. I found this like hidden cathedral and this cool waterfall, which the water falls over a poem about the city and it's really interesting to watch. I'll miss Birmingham and hopefully I can go back someday. 

London

Next came two nights and two days in London. Sadly, I wasn't feeling well and choice the first day just to stay close to the hotel which was in Blackfriars, so I just had a wander around there. I walked alongside the Thames and I saw the Eye. I've been on it a few years ago and I saw some of the bridges and some boats. It was a nice walk under lots of trees. 

Then, just wondering about, I found St. Bride's church. I think I'd past it last time I was in London but this time I decided to check it out. It's really small and pretty. The old woman at the desk was so nice and happy too. I went down to see the crypt which had some buried headstones inside of it. No one actually knew about the crypt and foundations until the a second world war bomb hit the church. Then they found that it dated back a long time.

This is like a underground chapel that's just off the main crypt. It was really quiet and cool down here. I took a few moments to chill out.

From there I went to St. Paul's and had a walk around the gardens which I'd missed last time. I also saw and went on the Millennium bridge which felt a bit weird crossing. I only went like half way because I had no reason to cross to the other side.  

View of St. Paul's from Millennium Bridge. 

The next day, I was feeling worse, but I couldn't stay in the the hotel as we'd checked out. I went to see The Temple church which wasn't far away. Though I did get lost and had to ask a doorman where it was. There are lots of doorman in London and they may seem scary but they are actually nice and helpful.

You have to pay to get into The Temple church, but its' worth it. Inside is really nice and bright, it's quiet expect from when a load of tourists come in! They had lots of history information up but I was distracted by the knight statues. It actually took me a good few minutes to figure out this was the Knight's Templar church! You can go to the first floor and look down which gives a nice view of the structure of the tower.

There's lots of knights and other important people statues. There are like from the 1300 and have worn a bit. I found that there wasn't much information about them and some of the statues haven't been identified! There are some memory stones too and it was interesting to read some of them.

The Templar's have a thing about Pegasus, I saw a lot whilst I was there in all the designs of the floor and hangings. There was also one in a stained glass window. I should have asked what it meant, but I forgot.  

I also liked all these little faces which came out of the sides of the tower. These two were like the cheekiest as most were sensible. They made me laugh though.  

I also liked all the old Bibles, prayer and hymn books there were in the pews. I took some cool photos of them. This one is my favorite though. 

Temple Church is really nice and if you want to escape the busy flow of London It's a good place to just sit and chill. Though I'd prefer St. Bride's as it's less busy with tourists.

You can't get into the gardens, even though I wanted to. I had to make do with the courtyard. It was nice with this water fountain, though it was really loud. I read my book for a bit and then had to go back to the place my mum was at because I still wasn't feeling great.

I wished I'd been better and bale to travel around London more. There's so much more I want to see there. Maybe next year when I hopefully go for my birthday.

That's all for now anyway. I'm off to Sweden on Thursday, so my next post will be all about that. In the meantime please check out my other blog; https://thestoryfiles.wordpress.com/ I write a new shor story everyday on there.

Thanks for reading and see you soon!