~Half-term week~

This week's gone so fast, as hols always do. I've batch cooked for the freezer, cleaned cupboards out, renovated some more furniture, met up with friends and done some charity shop rummaging...
Today we had a run to Filey.  It takes about an hour and half due to the traffic round York and it wasn't the best day weather-wise but despite the mizzly greyness it was unseasonably warm.

Top left - Yummiest hot choc ever from Rendevous Café which sits in the Cliffside below the Crescent Gardens. Cream? Yes please. Flake? Yes please.
Top right - Coble Landing boats, note appropriate 'Morning Mist'.
Bottom right - The Filey lifeboat on the Coble Landing.
Bottom left - a photo of me with Jack; a brave first actual photo of me on my blog. The bobble hat wasn't so much for the cold, more a hair-taming intervention. Do you know the Friends episode where Monica's hair hates humidity and gets bigger and bigger?  Well the trusty bobble hat prevented that happening :)

~Crochet ta-da and Summer Holidays Part 1~

I have to say I am really enjoying the summer hols - I know I am lucky to work term-time but I do only get paid for 39 out of 52 weeks so that's the trade-off isn't it?
I have completed a few crochet garlands - this one is the rainbow one I did in lovely cotton yarns (leftovers and bargain buys) for my cousin's daughter in Australia...

 Jack and I spent a few days in Filey last week and we had gorgeous weather apart from a crazy thunder, lightning and rain storm one day which you could see roll in from Flamborough Head across the sea.  Cue hundreds of people running to take shelter in the amusement arcade :)   I feel lucky as my friend's family has a bungalow there, so we get to go there quite often for just the cost of food and petrol. I really recommend Filey as it's a traditional seaside town and is absolutely pristine with plenty to do both locally and within a short drive.


 

Filey beach near the Coble Landing last Tuesday

 

I've made tomato chutney and blackberry cheese from the first blackberries in the hedgerows in my village.  The basic method I blogged about before is here. I love making fruit cheeses as you can eat them on toast or with cheese and cold meats. As they are sieved, they are a great way of using fruit with loads of pips or stones.

 

Also, when you go to the coast don't forget the neglected courgettes will swell to epic proportions...this one will be ratatouille-d later today for the freezer.

 

Back soon with some more seaside photos from further up the Yorkshire coast.

 

Yarn Shop Day & simple pleasures

Yarn Shop day was Saturday 3rd May - did you visit a wool shop? I did -  I visited Needlecase at Tadcaster, which I've blogged about before. They had a plentiful supply of tea and cake going on, as well as a knitted flowers workshop - however I just popped in to purchase some wool and a pattern to knit for my new niece, expected in July. I bought Sirdar Snuggly in this blue/purple colour and some mother of pearl buttons...

The pattern is a chunky aran type cardigan with bobbles round the yoke

 which I'll do in a 6-12 month size.

 

Jack and I went to give Laura a lift home from the coast and took the dog for a long walk at the seaside.

Hornsea beach - I love it.

Definitely my 5-year plan to live there.

The tide was coming in and the sound was so calming.

Pebbles, pebbles, pebbles...I could look at them all day!

I made this chocolate cake today - just a Victoria Sponge with added cocoa and chocolate chips topped with leftover Easter egg melted chocolate and filled with fresh vanilla cream

It was gorgeous!

 

~Helmsley visit~

We had a lovely day trip on Friday to Helmsley, North Yorkshire on what was the warmest day of the year so far!  Helmsley is a traditional and quaint market town on the River Rye, and has the ruins of a 12th century castle which is open to visit with an English Heritage visitor centre. Here are a few photos of the day...



 ...it was market day and this statue in the centre of market square is apparently of Lord Feversham.   Great selection of stalls - fruit and veg, collectables, haberdashery etc...
Daffodils still in bloom...

 

 

Plenty of independent food, craft and antique shops...

 

as well as a few charity shops.  The Oxfam was particularly well-stocked and well-priced.  This 2m x 1.5m piece of Sanderson vintage roses fabric was £1.99

 



And of course the castle and the English Heritage visitor centre.

 - you may also notice I'm a bit obsessed with period doors and doorways...

 

On my travels I usually come across a little café I would like to run, and this one was no exception...

 

We sat outside CottonHouse, in Barker's Yard for an Earl Grey and a Mocha.

This sunny courtyard of shops were converted from the stables.  As well as being a coffee shop, they also have this lovely haberdashery

 and sell locally handmade crafts...crochet, cards, appliqued t-shirts, bunnies...

excuse my reflection in the window!

www.cottonhousehelmsley.co.uk

 

A lovely day out in a beautiful part of Yorkshire. Enough to do and see to warrant a weekend break.

Have a good weekend x 

 

 

~Chocolate Cake~

My (not so) Small Boy is 11 today.  What a year for change 2013 will be...High School for J, and hopefully off to University for L.
This is his birthday cake.  The loveliest chocolate fudge cake (recipe from Carnation found by my best friend Jo). It's now become the cake of choice in this house.  The chocolate fingers were an inspired addition to ramp up the chocolatey calories!

If you're looking for the perfect chocolate cake,  the recipe for the chocolate fudge cake can be found on Carnation's website here
P.S I substitute the corn oil with sunflower oil.
Also a thrifty tip to make it cheaper - Carnation Caramel is approx £1.75 for a 397g tin.
Morrisons sell a copycat version Farmlea Caramel for £1.15 for the same size tin.

~Caravan Trip to Castle Howard~

We had a lovely few days away in 'Chateau H' at Castle Howard...despite the rain, the copious amounts of duck and goose poop and the mosquitos... All was cosy in Chateau H though with homemade chilli and chocolate brownies...

There was absolutely no mobile signal - not good when your daughter is at Leeds Fest and you're a nervous wreck!    Saturday night and early morning we had torrential rain and lightning, and I felt sick with worry thinking about poor L. in a tent and no way to contact her.

Next day we went into Malton and rang L - who was fine of course, but we do take our mobiles for granted I think...I was happier then and felt up to a Charity Shop reccie in malton and came away with this BHS lamp from the Hospice Shop (PAT tested and good to go for £3)

I think a table lamp is a cosy essential in a caravan.  With every trip we think of something that we need - this time it was a decent breadknife, a measuring jug and some insect repellant...
Lakeside Holiday Park is literally at the side of the Great Lake, so of course you'll get mozzy bites and woken up by the ducks at early o'clock, but it was beautiful.  This is the view when you ascend the banking of the lake and look across...

Photo borrowed from Mark Denton Photographic (www.markdentonphotographic.co.uk)

A lovely walk at dusk, lots of ducks and ducklings, moorhen and geese... Dogs weren't allowed around the immediate lake, though quite a few people ignored this, which is annoying. The touring site has a forest feel, which was a bit dark in places and our pitch was a bit waterlogged in the awning space. I think it teaches you to be a bit more assertive when booking - next trip I will ask for a sunny pitch that's not near a pedestrian thoroughfare.

We were opposite the shower block, which was modern and ok cleanliness wise, our only gripe was there is no shop on site, but there is a farm shop, deli and bakery up at Castle Howard itself.  A nice touch was when the ice-cream van came round, and also the delicious fish and chips from Pickering in a mobile van on Saturday night...

 We got reduced tickets into Castle Howard which had a family day with archery, cycling, climbing etc.
OH and J had a go on a 7-person conference bicycle up and down the drive at great speed, past the Atlas Fountain and the house itself...

Photo from internet 

My camera ran out of charge or I would have taken loads more piccies.

Lakeside Holiday Park
Coneysthorpe, York
www.castlehoward.co.uk

~Leeds Festival Update~

Many thanks you lovely friends out there in Blogland,  for all your supportive comments and practical advice for L's first festival...

They left at 6am, almost walking backwards due to the weight of their rucksacks.
Wellies, toilet roll, Home Bargains tissues, waterproof jacket...*check*
She rang tonight and said she already feels very icky and dirty, but has had a good look round, and has already bought some vintage clothes.  Then I was regailed with a very vivid toilet description of what sound almost like open latrines, with plenty of opportunities to see what the people before you have deposited. Eeeeugh. Not for me. I would have to be helicoptered in...The line up is very good though and I know she'll love the Foo Fighters and The Black Keys tomorrow, The Cure on Saturday, and The Vaccines on Sunday.
I am a worried Mum but trying not to fuss...thanks again everyone xx

~Preparations for the weekend~

This weekend will be daughter L's first festival camping experience as she heads off to Leeds Fest at Bramham over the bank holiday with her friends.  Despite her initial apprehensions about the sanitary arrangements, level of comfort and lairy behaviour, she seems to have chilled out and is thinking about all the great bands she'll see.
Two of her friends are staying overnight at our house, with all their stuff, and OH is dropping them off early tomorrow morning.  I think it's probably me who is more apprehensive now, I have been pottering round town today buying things for L, as she is definitely a Last-Minute Larry.

How does my pile of festival essentials look to you? Pot Noodles, Batiste dry shampoo, baby wipes, hairspray, first aid kit, ibuprofen, Glow sticks, Nutella...  Not that I'm a fussy control-freaky overbearing parent or anything...
We will be having a couple of days in Chateau H (the caravan) here...

...at Castle Howard, where there is a campsite at the side of the great lake. I've not been here since I was a child so am looking forward to a good look round.
http://www.castlehoward.co.uk/holiday.html
Have a lovely Bank Holiday whatever you're up to!

~Seaside Trip~

We've just come back from 6 days in Chateau H (our caravan) and we have survived intact!
Our first 2 nights we were parked on our friends drive in Filey - a fantastic bungalow holiday home in which the fittings are the late 70s, early 80's intact, for example a brilliant formica kitchen with sliding doors and rose-patterned carpets...I love these glass doors and the display of pottery...

Filey beach - Lovely weather...a few showers but gloriously warm...

I love Swing Boats...

Beach chalets at Filey... I like the colours...available for hire right on
the beach - Baker's Beach Chalets on the Coble Landing. Another nostalgic
 moment, they remind me so much of East Coast holidays with my Nana and Grandad...

The fantastic view of the Vale of Pickering and the Wolds from Lebberston Touring Park...

Then we moved on to Lebberston Touring Park,
a couple of miles outside Filey on the way to
Scarborough - an immaculately run 5* site- highly recommended...

J enjoying a hot chocolate in a melamine mug whilst wearing Dad's essential caravanning hat...

Tired Small Dog gets cosy under blankets in Chateau H...

Imposing 12 foot tall iron Fisherman statue on Filey seafront by artist Ray Lonsdale read about it here

We thought Sterchi's had closed down, but- hurrah!- thay'd just moved round the corner!

Long live Sterchi's and their enormous chocolate drops and Rose and Violet creams!

Beautiful boats at the Coble landing, Filey...

Cocoa in Scarboro' - a retro sweet shop with a fab collection of vintage confectionery ephemera in the window...

My first Wonka Bar (It's my all-time favourite film...)

"I got a Golden Ticket!" (Don't tell me that they're in every bar...)

Love this Fudge Shop display with shelves groaning under the weight of goodies, and the pom-pom shelf trim


Sorry for the sweetie and chocolate emphasis in this post - we did do lots more, I promise...

~York Minster Trip~

As part of her A level Textiles, daughter L is currently looking at the 800 celebrations in York (1212 - 2012) and has chosen to explore stained glass patterns, so on a (very) rainy Saturday morning we tootled off into York. Not living more than 45 minutes from York for all of my 42 years,  I am ashamed to admit I have never been in the Minster before, so I was quite excited...
  An entry fee has been payable for the last few years (although free to York residents).  This caused a bit of a hoo-ha when it was introduced as previously it was free to look around.  After visiting you do realise the enormous amount of renovation and upkeep that is ongoing (currently the Great East Window is removed for years of releading and cleaning) and I think £9 to visit the Minster and Chapter House was more than worth it.  We took advantage of one of the free guided tours, in a small group of 6, with one of the knowlegeable volunteer Minster guides.  This was brilliant for L, with lots of history, facts, figures and explanations about the stained glass windows...

                                           

                                                     The Great West Window known as 'Heart of Yorkshire'
                                       with the Semaphore Saints below

The Rose Window above the South Door
commemorating the union of York and Lancaster
and the start of the Tudor dynasty

Our 2 hour visit was also accompanied by the beautiful rehearsal of a choir and concert orchestra as there was  a Jubilee concert on Saturday night.

What a fantastic experience and very calming and uplifting it was too!

When we were soaked and in need of a hot chocolate we visited a little cafe behind the Minster on College Street; The Vanilla Cafe, where you can sit outside in Summer (haha if only) The sideways rain forced us inside - it's one of those places where you walk in and think 'oooh I wish this shop was mine!'

Illy coffee and Crystal teabags, homemade food and cakes, homemade cards, bunting and gifts...

Gorgeously decorated with floral wallpapers and green paint...

Vintage china for sale...

Even the loo had my favourite Cath Kidston wallpaper!

Good prices for a City Centre cafe too- there are a couple of additional rooms upstairs too with a sofa and lovely vintage floral pictures on the walls. Very nicely done. I will be back!

The Vanilla Cafe

Open every day from 10am

12 College Street

York YO1 7JF

~Caravan Trip~

We've had our first caravan jaunt to try everything out - we didn't go far; just 15 minutes down the road to Cawood Park see here, a lakeside park with an indoor pool, very swanky new facilities and a clubhouse. With the benefit of hindsight we should have arrived early afternoon. We arrived later; about 6pm when all the seasoned caravanners had already set up and were sat out in the sun, drinks in hand.  So their evening cabaret entertainment was us newbies making a mess of everything and putting the awning up for the first time!
Lots of things were learned and mistakes made - including a serious painful  twang to my wrist with an elastic bungee rope when I was emptying the waste water when we were packing up. I nearly passed out it was that painful. My left wrist is black and blue...
However, the weather was fantastic all week end...
Everything in the caravan is thrifted, car boot sale finds or what I have been given...

Breakfast in the awning...
Stainless steel teapot £1 Charity Shop, melamine from car boot sale

Lots of the caravans and the vehicles towing them were top of the range - I'm not sure this site was 'for me' and that our old van with it's bunting fitted in - I think I'd like to be somewhere more laid back and less structured.
The temptation of the football in the club proved too much for husband and son - so I enjoyed some wine and a bit of knitting...

Trip number 2 is next weekend, so let's hope we've made all the schoolboy errors already and have an easier time...

~Caravan News!~

We've just returned from a sunshine and showery few days in my Mum's caravan at Skipsea, near Hornsea.  We're replete with both fresh air and Yorkshire coast Fish & Chips - eaten both in Sullivan's restaurant on the prom in Hornsea...


...and outside in the rain in Bridlington harbour!
Exciting news is that we went and had a look at some tourers at Yorkshire Coast Caravans in Carnaby.
We found this 4 berth caravan, a Lunar Chateau- a little gem and very smart considering it's 11 years old...

It will be known from now on as 'Chateau H' ...
...Sunny yellow curtains and blue and yellow upholstery - just crying out for a bit of bunting, some polka dots and comfy blankets!
Many thanks for all your recent comments - we are still struggling with the PC.  Hope you are all well and I hope to have a bloggy catch-up this weekend x