February Life Update: Spa Weekend Away!

Hi readers,

I've just got back from a really nice weekend away with my boyfriend. We went to a little village called Ramsbottom in Bury which is just up the motorway from me. A few months back, I saw on Wowcher this deal for a two night weekend spa there at the Old Mill Hotel and we decided it would be a nice Valentine's weekend away.

Unfortunately, even though I tried to book two months before hand, the hotel was booked for a wedding that weekend and the week after they only had rooms on Saturday night. The weekend after that- the last in February they were also fully booked due to the Chocolate festival. So, we had to go with this past weekend as there was a time limit on the deal.

We still had a great time though. We arrived Friday afternoon and just chilled out the room. I wanted to go swimming but my boyfriend wasn't feeling that great- something he'd eaten the day before- so we had a nap and just enjoyed having alone time together. The room we got was really nice and the bed comfy.  Later, we had tea in the hotel restaurant which was okay but could have been better. We were both really hungry though. Then we spent the evening and early night watching movies and chilling.

On Saturday, we got up had breakfast which had been included, then went out to see the village. There are only like two main streets which are lined with interesting shops. There's also a train station which also has steam trains running on it. We did look at going on one but it was expensive and we had other things we wanted to do.

After walking around the village, we went to The Chocolate Cafe and had some lunch. Even though it had only just gone lunch time it was worth getting early because minutes after we sat down it got so busy people were having to queue for tables! The food and drinks were really good. I had a jacket potato which was one of the best I'd ever had and also a hot chocolate that was butterscotch and banana flavour. My boyfriend had a cheese toasty and a chocolate milkshake which he said was the best he'd ever drunk.

We were too full to stay for cake and the cafe had got super busy, so we went back downstairs into the shop and brought some chocolate for later. we've not eaten the bars yet but we shared the buttons which were awesome! They were so melt in the mouth and thicker then normal chocolate buttons. I so will be buying them again as you can order online; http://www.chocolate-cafe.co.uk

We were then going to walk up to Peel Tower which was about half an hour and said to have good views of Ramsbottom and the surrounding area. However, I had a bad asthma attack and I really wanted to go swimming. So we went back to the hotel room for a bit and when I was feeling better, we went down to the spa. The pool was really small and you couldn't fit more then 6 or 8 people in it. However, when I was alone in the pool, it felt like this was my private swimming pool because it has that feel to it!

We couldn't use the Jacuzzi because a sign said it was too cold outside and so it wasn't working. I don't get that but we went in the sauna and steam room. I do love steam rooms because they are good for my asthma and I try to stay as long as possible. Saunas though with their dry heat, I can only go in for a little while. I really enjoyed it thought it was nice to swim after walking.

For tea, we had decided to go out and we picked a Chinese restaurant that we had walked past in the morning and checked the online reviews of. However when we arrived less then hour after they had opened, we were told it would be an hour and half wait as they were fully booked! I couldn't wait that long, so we went to a Chinese and English takeaway which seemed really good. We ordered and as we sat down to wait the place filled up with like twelve people coming into order or collected food. So it was really popular. The food was really nice, but we got far too much! I had bbq ribs to start with and there was like 10 good size meaty ribs in the box. That meant I couldn't eat my chow mein which was really big too!

We went to bed early, stuffed and tried. Then though we realised we could hear the music and people from the wedding party which was happening in the bar/restaurant area which was opposite our room. We got through that only then at about 1am we were awoken by a drunken arguing couple in our corridor. They were slamming, knocking and kicking their door and shouting at each other. It seemed to be mostly the man doing all of this as he seemed to be locked out by her. Whatever was going on, they kept us awake for an hour and a half or so. We watched a movie on TV and did thing about phoning reception to complain.

We didn't phone in the end and just went back to bed. We slept through breakfast even though we did get up to go but we both decided we were too tried. We went to checkout and I did complain then. The receptionist said other people had phoned the night porter and he had been up a few times but nothing has been resolved and there was little they could do. She then give us the receipts and tried to charge us for drinks we'd not had! We had already paid for the drinks we'd had with the meal and we'd not brought anything else. She did try hard to make us pay but when we really refused, she tried to find the bar receipt. Of course, she never found it so she didn't charge us.

Overall, it was a good weekend though and it was nice to spend alone time with my boyfriend. Ramsbottom is a good place to escape for a weekend away and if we do visit again I'd like to go on the steam train and walk to Peel Tower.  

That's all for today. Next week it's back to book reviews.

(All photos belong to me)

October Life Update Part 2: Happy Halloween!

Hi readers and happy Halloween to everyone! 

So, it's fallen on a Monday this year, which is pretty cool cause I get to share Halloween on the actual night! Also, though it does mean that I've had to get ahead writing this because I've plans and I'm just so busy right now. Which is good, but also not so good. Anyway, in to this post. So the Jack O'Lantern above is my tester one. I wanted something real simple and quick, which this tree was, but I know it's a bit messing because I had to hurry making it. 

I made this on Thursday because my brother who's just moved out wanted pumpkin pie, which he would have missed out on as he moved on Friday. I'm super going to miss him as we get on great and he's moving far away. Well, about 5-6 hours drive away to Southampton which is past London and we live in Manchester. So, he wanted pumpkin pie and then it seemed a waste to let the outside go to waste, so I used it for practice.

Also, I've been having a go at taking some better photos. So hopefully that'll be useful. So this year I've three pumpkins, which I think is like the max I've every had. I've not carved all three though. I've only every done two. The third one was craved by the new man in my life. We've still just dating at the moment, but things are progressing. This was the first time he's carved a pumpkin! It was actually great fun doing it together. 

Here's the pumpkins before carving.       

This one's mine and I decided to go with a Count Dracula face, but I didn't get it right. So it kind of looks like a weird face. 

This one is my date's. He went with a really scary face. We also switched out a candle for this light up balloon which made his even more creepy.

I think it all went well and they turned out pretty good. I just love shopping in October and all the Halloween stuff really attracts me. I've tried hard not to spend as much money as I normally do, but I think I've not been able to stick to that! The first thing I brought for Halloween was actually this baby werewolf plush soft toy. He's from Build-A-Bear and I just fell in love with him so much! He's so fluffy and I find holding him real calming. Which has been great for my anxiety problem. I could have brought this little ripped up blue denim jacket for him, but then he'd also need pants. I do kind of like him the way he is, but maybe I might make him clothes at some point - be a lot cheaper! 

I treated myself to another bear from Spiral.com this year too. Last year, I got the vampire Vlad and this year I got the grim reaper teddy. They also have a cat with bat wings which I might get next year. These two look so cute together though! Also, they match what my date and I dressed up as, which was a little strange! 

  

I always love all the different cups, mugs, goblets, jars etc that the shops sell and you can get. I don't actually have many myself as I don't use them, surprisingly! However, that changed when I got the purple plastic bat sippy cup! I totally love it and I don't think there's a day gone by since I got it about three weeks ago now that I've not used it! The bats have googly eyes on and it's actually a really big almost a pint I'd say in size. Now, the mason jars. They are huge in America and seem to be growing in popularity here in the UK. I got the white one which has like Witch's drink on it first and then brought the orange for my date to have. So we'd be kinda matching, which I thought was cute. The fourth glass was actually the first I brought and I was thinking of using it more of a tea light holder or maybe a little vase. 

I am a massive fan of candles as most of you know. But we don't get many autumn/pumpkin scented candles here. So when I see one I always end up getting it. I found this abandoned on a side shelf of Halloween masks and though I tried to find some more, I couldn't. I smells great though. I also got the new Yankee Candles scent which was called Forbidden Apple. Which smells awesome, but I do feel let down by it because apple is one of my favorite smells and I have a big Granny Smith scented Yankee candle which smells almost the same to me. I've got a caramel/candied apple too.

Okay, so this year for the trick or treaters I just got a big bag of 'monster' sweets/candy. I made goodie bags last year and ran out, so this year I'm just going with this. I've a sweet tooth but Halloween sweets just appeal to me even more. My favorites are the Chewits fangs, but I can only get them from one shop for some reason! But they are so good. 

My mum actually brought me the Twinkies - we don't have them in the UK and only certain shops - American themed sweet shops have them. But we found these in the world food aisle in a supermarket and I just knew I had to give them a try! They are brought out for the new ghost buster movie, but I guess the supermarket was like they are Halloween-y. They are key lime flavor which is like one of my favourite things, but you can't actually buy a key lime pie or anything else that flavor here. No idea why, I'd love that to change! 

Then there's a packet of witch's fingers which are peanut butter and strawberry jam centered- so tasty. And a big box of fancy chocolates. These are so good and just I could eat them all. My mum originally thought I'd give them out to the kids, but they are too good for that and too cute! 

Halloween fancy chocolates.

I've actually brought a lot of table clothes this year. I got three. Though one I'm actually using as a veil for my costume though! That was the first and it's actually the cloth I used for the table to take this photos with. The second cloth is the colorful plastic one. Even though I'm not having a party and don't need to cover a food table, I thought this would be great for actually going on the table/s outside were the pumpkins are to be displayed. The second cloth is the sliver bat one and that actually has a runner with it too. It was expensive but I love the fabric! Then I got so spider cobwebs as I really need some more that were not white or black.   

 Today, has been really crazy. Had to carve the pumpkins and decorate the house. Luckily, I'd got a few things out of the attic for that, but I think the big box of stuff is under my bed somewhere and I didn't have time to get that. Anyway, the front of the house looks pretty good. It's kinda the same how I had it last year I think. I wanted to get like some gravestones and them dotted around the front lawn bit, but I didn't have the money. I also saw some more skeleton creatures - rats, ravens, spiders, but I couldn't find any when I went back for them. It looks the part anyway.

We put up the decorations up first thing and then we carved the pumpkins. This is how the display looked this year. 

Then finally there's us in our costumes. I went as a vampire bride and he was a grim reaper.

And I just have to show you my dad's costume! This was the one he made last year, but it's still so awesome. My mum and I helped him make it.

We decided to go to a local ghost walk tonight and though we didn't see any ghosts it was fun, and I learnt a little about the town I live in. We walked though the graveyard too and I took some creepy photos.

On Saturday evening, My date and I went into Manchester for a meal to celebrate my new job! I'm now a causal receptionist at the youth center. I've been volunteering on reception for the last 8 months and then this job came up and I totally aced the interview. So we went out to celebrate that. Also, Manchester was dressed for Halloween and there were a few different events on, but I think we must have missed them. Still though, I love the paper pumpkin lanterns in the trees and the gate was pretty cool. The town hall was lit up green, but you couldn't get there because they are busy putting up Christmas stuff and yes that is a big inflated Santa in the background!

Lastly, and I know it's not really got anything to do with Halloween, but I wanted to share this awesome wool I found. It was really cheap and I'm going to knit a nice woolly scarf with it!

Thanks for reading and I hope everyone has had a fun night! See you all next week!

Formby Woods

Its been too long again, but I seem not to be able to find the time, of late anyway. Hopefully I'll have some time now because very little is currently happening. Everything seems to be winding down to summer and the holiday plans. I should be glad for the break, but I feel lazy not doing anything, so I've been reading the set novels for my 3rd year, I'm on my third one now- The Moonstone by Wikie Collins and unlike Oliver this one is more hard to read. I'm not getting into it and so far its taken me just over a week to read 166 pages....but there must be 200 words per page, as the writing is so small and a great many things are happening within them. I must push on though and it might get better later on.

Anyway, I've chosen to write about Formby woods today because I've photos for it and it was the highlight of last week. Its a national animal reserve in-between Liverpool and Southport and is a pine forest really. There are lots of trails through the trees and you sometimes can go off the path, but they are led to the sand dunes and to the beach.

Its less then an hour away from my student house by train and since the weather was okay and we were bored, it seemed a good place to go for lunch. We took sandwiches and ate them on the dunes whilst playing in the sand and joking about moving dunes. That's what most of them are-still growing dunes but it was funny to picture a dune getting up and moving around.

Pine trees

Then we walked back across the beach and drew somethings in the sand, as you do. We got back to the train station and decided to go for tea in Southport....how that place has gone down hill is shocking. I've been before, but this time we went to the pier and all the seaside places. It seems you can do very little there now and what's left is just an empty shell of by gone days. There are things where you can picture the place being once alive with people on holiday and having fun, but now and I guess like many places around Britain, it has fallen prey to the growth of aeroplanes, package holidays and the British peoples' urges to 'escape the country/weather'.

One of the walks at Formby

So many people are missing out and what England has to offer! So what if the weather isn't so good as Spain or the USA? Many places in England are soaked in history, most of it very exciting and you don't have to dig so deep-even in your pockets! to find it. That's why this year I'm grateful that once again I'll be holidaying in England, a place in Cornwall I've never been before and who knows what I might discover there?

Train map To Formby

Bolton Abbey

Been busy again and also ill. I got a cold off my friend though I knew something had been hanging over me for a little while, but I was busy and didn't really have the time to give in. Now though I'm just getting over a mild cold, though I'm suffering from lack of sleep due to noisy housemates......Anyway, I had my exam on Monday, which was my last thing of the year really, but I'm not sure if I've passed or not. I ran out of time and messed up the ending. I'm not really sure why I didn't have enough time, I know what I was going on about, but I think I tried to pace myself too much so that I didn't miss something important out. Still though, its done now and I'll know on my birthday if I've past 2nd year or not. How rubbish is that? Then I go on Holiday - 2 weeks camping in Cornwall. That should be good!

Anyway, today my post is about an outing that I had with my family-minus 1-a few weekends back, on bank holiday Monday weekend. Just image for a few minutes that you've gone back way in time and your standing in almost untouched British countryside. Its a mild spring day, though the sky is cloudy, it still feels warm and some times there are a few drops of rain and a refreshing breezy which carries with it the scent of damp woodland, wild garlic and soil. You here the bells of a monastery and the chiming of a clock.

You are walking down a road, past fields and already old oak trees, when you come across a tall boundary wall. You see a little wood door, which is half open, further down and decided to investigate.....You step through the small door and your breath is taken away by a view of sheer beauty. You see before you wide open fields through which cuts a mighty river and hills towering above you and covered by so many different trees that you're not sure if you can name them all. The fields are home to some sheep and other farm animals, which you can hear adding their voices to that of the birds and a strange humming sound which seems to rise and fall in pitch......

You turn and a twisting path catches your eye, but it also spies something else, a building hidden by tall trees almost too perfectly. Its old and made from stone and wood. Suddenly you figure out that the humming is the sound of the monks singing and curiously, you let your feet take you through the fields and towards the Abbey. You keep the arch of a massive window in your sights at all times, but the path leads true and soon you are turning upwards towards the side of the Abbey.

You can see it clearly now and also some of the massive stones and columns that are part of the structure. The monks are still humming and there's a slight ringing in your ears and then.....things began to change around you and all of a sudden you find yourself in the middle of a ruined Abbey. You pause, looking down at the stumps of columns that line your way and wonder what happened here......

Moving through the archway, you find yourself in a room and looking up you can see the sky and the clouds sweeping across it. Your feet take you to stand in front of that massive window and you feel something.....worry? fear? guilty? you are not sure, but it seems that the window is staring down at you, judging you and yet all you can see is the sky and the hill covered with trees, wonderfully famed by the stone window.

Turning, you nearly bump your leg against something and staring down you see a row of stone coffins led against the wall and which, when the sun shines through the window can fall upon. You quickly hurry through, but the path leads straight out into the graveyard. As you cast you eyes around and take in the old moss covered gravestones, who's names have been erased from time, you feel a kind a of peace settle over you. You drift through the graveyard, taking in the names of those who wished to be buried in the grounds of such a holy place. Then your feet led you out and down towards the river.

Its a slow winding flow of water and there's a man fishing in the middle of it. There seems to be a pathway made out of stones that cuts across the natural flow of the river. You watch for a few minutes as a daring young man runs across the stones. You think he might be some warrior in training, showing off to his peers. Next to the stones is a bridge, you think its safer to cross there and so do so. Then you are climbing upwards, following a path that leads through the trees and climbing so high that soon you can stop and slightly turn back to view the Abbey.

Then you continue, moving swiftly and keeping an eye out for hobbits and such creatures which may be lurking under or in the trees. Along the way you discover some fallen down trees, which once most have been very mighty, but now lay in pieces across the floor. You see something sticking out of one of these trunks and as you get closer you see that someone has hammered 2p coins into the brittle wood. You ponder on this, but can come up with no reason to why someone would do this......Money Trees? Then you walk on, following the path higher and deeper into the woods......

A strange smell reaches your nose as you began to come down from the hill side. You believe you know it, but can't really put your finger on it. Then as you reach a small stream, you realize its garlic and looking around you, you see wild garlic growing on the woodland floor. The stench is very over powering, even for garlic lovers and you quickly move on, but at least you feel a little safer walking through the woods...vampires won't harm you here!

Stepping out of the woods, you follow the great river and soon reach a bridge which you cross over and then you began to walk back, but this time on the other side. There's more wonderful woodland and twice you think you can hear children laughing above your head, but you know you are alone......Then as you look below you and see the river, you also see a strange sight....weird rock formations on that side of the river. You go down for a closer look.....

Then you continue your walk and climb back into the woodlands, suddenly you find yourself at a clearing a large cafe and shop. You take a break, drinking warm/cold drinks and eating sandwiches/ice cream. Then you pause at a sign post to figure out which way to go now....

You decided against going to there and decided to head back to the Abbey, taking a path which leads back to the main road and all to a memorial fountain. There you study the gargoyles that decorate the top of the fountain, before winding your way back to the Abbey......

The end