ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 5TH OF 2025

Good afternoon, apologies for my tardiness, Friday appeared as if by magic so I was caught on the hop if I'm honest, time to look back at the last seven days and clock the positive moments and silver linings as it is time for 

So last Thursday afternoon our daughter in law came to visit and brought our grandson which was brilliant, hubby got this photo of me sneaking a cuddle

and in the evening, me and hubby went to the local college for a Burns' night tasting menu event.  We had a lovely evening together and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful food cooked by the students. 

Canapes were smoked haddock and chive fishcakes, whipped sheep's cheese and heather honey gougere and black pudding croquette which were all beautiful 

The cock-a-leekie soup, the brown lump is a prune and I genuinely wouldn't have thought it would work but it did. 

Then potted brown trout with dill butter a fennel and caper salad and oatcakes

Main was lump of lamb with pureed neeps and tattie terrine with Haggis bon bons and kale with cherry jus

dessert orange and white chocolate bread and butter pudding on a whisky sauce which was another fabulous course and much bigger than expected

and we finished with Scottish tablet which we'll be honest didn't feel like they cooked it long enough, it hadn't quite got the fudge look that I'm used to

but it was tasty nonetheless, I got a photo of my lovely date (you can see the size of the pudding on the plate now, the largest course by far, but with 6 courses the last thing you want is a large course)

and he got a photo of me 

We've kept our new walking routine up all month which I'm really pleased with, we walk past a brook which is barely a trickle normally but it has been much fuller recently with all the rain we've had. 

I've also been enjoying a cacao with hot milk and a smidge of honey for bed, it has genuinely helped me sleep recently which I'm really grateful for. 

I've had a really busy work week and ended up working the entire week from home to try and sort some spreadsheets I've been working on, one of the evenings, I came down to this after I'd finished work a butterbean and chorizo stew with homemade wholemeal bread, it was lovely. 

On Wednesday I glanced out of the back bedroom window and initially was confused as there seemed to be an awful lot of people with their boilers running, then I realised it wasn't boiler steam, but the sun warming the frost on the fences which was evaporating, it genuinely made me smile.

And I also received this photo this week when I was tearing my hair out trying to get the spreadsheet sorted and well all seemed at one and calm with the world again. 

Genuinely the cutest smile you ever did see and they are coming in thick and fast now. 

I hope you've had a fabulous week. 

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 4TH OF 2026

 Good Morning lovely people tis Friday time to clock the silver linings and grateful moments from the last 7 days time for

So last Thursday evening me and hubby had a good walk to a local pub that does excellent food.  We went early and I had my favourite meal which is a chicken shish kebab with chips, salad and flat bread it was mighty tasty. 

Then we walked back home over the motorway which was still very busy, I was glad I wasn't rushing around in the dark on the motorway but rather meandering home having had a lovely meal out. 

On Friday I met my daughter-in-law and grandson, my sister and my niece at the local heritage centre, we drank coffee and whiled away a couple of hours before having a wander around the centre, I fell into a craft shop and bought more paper, I'll be honest this genuinely wasn't a surprise. 

Photo of his lordship enjoying the fresh air. 

Then two shots one taken by my sister

and the other taken by my daughter in law

Saturday and Sunday were tootling around the house days to be honest as the weather hasn't been great.  We've still managed our walks but they have been mighty wet.  I managed to finish this book which was a strange read. 

It also meant that I got some scrapbooking done these are all from 2023, the boat trip that my Mum adored

Said 25 year old hunting for potatoes with my Mum in the garden

My Mum at my son and d-i-law's wedding

Before the wedding as we got ready for the photographer

More wedding photos

A layout from YSP 

The haircut our son had pre-wedding

More wedding photos, it has been a joy to get them scrapbooked helped by the pack of paper I bought when I was out. 

A layout from art at Wentworth Woodhouse in 2023

My Mum and my niece in 2023. 

The rest of the week has tripped along, lots of work, I didn't get blue Monday but did feel a bit down Tuesday and I've no idea why, thankfully support from hubby, my sister and daughter-in-law have helped of which I'm definitely grateful 

I did see some blue skies (albeit fleeting) on one of our walks

The poetry books that I'd sent to be printed have arrived

I finished this book which was a lovely read

and we went to see 'The Incident Room' at the local theatre which although a hard watch (it's about the Yorkshire Ripper investigation) was a particularly good watch. 

I hope you've had a grand week. 

Hugs

ROCKING YOUR WORLD FRIDAY - 3RD OF 2026

Morning all tis Friday time to clock the silver linings and positive moments for it is time for

So one of my tasks this year is to catch up on my scrapbooking as I'm still scrapbooking 2023.  This is bittersweet as it means I'm still scrapbooking photos of my Mum, but it also means that scrapbooking of my grandson is going to take an age to get to.  Nevertheless I'm determined to put best foot forward. 

This first layout is a double page, it was family making some headway on my Mum's garden which had got a little bit wild.  Me, hubby and my sister set too getting it sorted, and my Mum dipped in and out helping as much as she could.  She was really pleased that it was a more usable space after we had finished and the following weekend my niece, her partner and his sister helped recover the first tier in the garden. 

Then this layout I took of my Mum when we were at a craft class, she loved nothing more if I'm honest and we always had a wonderful day. 

Then this was a theatre trip out, the show a one man show about Laurel and Hardy, they were childhood heroes of mine so it seemed apt to see it with my Mum (hubby was there too)

and then documenting seeing the Ocean at the End of the Lane, which was a fabulous touring production

Layout for the Motley Crue and Def Leppard gig 

I feel that my layouts have become very similar, so I'm attempting to mix things up a bit, you'll have to let me know if you think I've achieved it with the next set I share. 

So how has the rest of my week panned out?

Well I finished this beautiful book last Friday, it is a set of four and showcases Angela Harding's linocut artwork and is beautiful.  I have the other three which I will be reading as the seasons appear (Spring, Summer and Autumn still to read)

We also woke to a smattering of snow, but it didn't last (thankfully) although it did make everything look very pretty. 

We had some persimmons lurking in the fruit bowl and as we both have a real issue with food waste hubby made a persimmon parfait, which was lovely, topped with pistachios and then he added to it the following day with baklava biscuits which are what are sticking out either side.  The dessert lasted us 4 days in total and fully used up the persimmon so definitely a win. 

I also finished this read, I've had the book an age, I think it was published back in 2013.  It is a riotous read and I thoroughly enjoyed my first read of a biography.

You may recall my first knitting kit coming through the post, this was my first couple of rows, I am very rusty and I don't think it will be very pretty but I'm off.  For reference Lisca my intention to learn is one a month not one a week, I don't think there are enough crafts out there for me to learn that would enable one per week. 

I also finished reading this book, which also proved a good read and allowed a little bit of focus. 

The knitting was coming along OK later in the week

and Wednesday night after my working week was done we headed out for our walk and accidently fell into the pub.  I had the none-alcoholic Old Mout cider cherries and berries and hubby enjoyed a pint of cider. 

Thursday was my first full day off, I thoroughly enjoyed a lie in after my three very busy days at work.  We sat drinking tea and reading tablets, made a plan for the next few days and then had showers.  

I had some house jobs to sort, vacuuming through and lots of washing so the dehumidifier is on full tilt today but it shortens the drying time so that is definitely a win. 

I also managed to sort a couple of boring tasks out that were on my to do list, you know the ones you keep putting off and then once you've done them you don't know why you put it off because it didn't actually take that long to sort.  Hubby helped with that and I'm definitely grateful on that front. 

I hope you've had a fabulous week.

Hugs