A photo every day for a year! 6th - 12th July! Week 28 of #Project365

Yesterday my word of the week was unplanned but by looking at my photos from this week it really should have been "sweet". Honestly, I don't always eat sweet things even though this week it looks like it!

I am so glad we went to the country show last weekend on the Saturday as it was lovely weather, the Sunday was wet and grey. My dad was still there on the Sunday showing off his vintage car and had to go running into it plenty of times to avoid the downpours. Eek! Since the weekend it has been hot, hot hot! I had a panic on Thursday while I was cleaning the wheelie bin out, using the hosepipe. While I was waiting for the bin to dry a little I was watering the plants when I was hit with panic thinking there was a hosepipe ban. I turned the water off and came inside to check! There isn't in the area where I live. Phew! It's confusing as sometimes where I live we are classed as being in Yorkshire and the Humber region but apparently it all goes by who supplies your water and we are not customers of Yorkshire Water. I am being more mindful about the water we use though.

Now for a photo every day!

187/365 - 6th July

Candyfloss! I bought a bag from the show and of course I didn't get to eat it all, my family got there first but I did get the last bit!

188/365 - 7th July

I had an unexpected walk out after being on the phone and on hold to the doctors, it turns out it was quicker to walk down there and speak to the receptionist face to face. I called in the butchers and bought myself a treat, the cream scone was like a reward.

189/365 - 8th July

Just hanging out in front of the air fryer waiting for something to cook. I love my air fryer, it keeps the kitchen much cooler compared to when I use the oven. I rarely use my oven now.

190/365 - 9th July

I went out into the garden to do some weeding, it was warm but not the warmest day that we've had this week. There was actually a nice breeze coming from the fields. All the weeds were removed for now.

191/365 - 10th July

I bought some Pear Drops expecting them to be the same as I remembered from being a child. I was very disappointed. They are not the same and taste so different. Hmmf.

192/365 - 11th July

I picked a bag full of cherries off one of my dad's trees and spent an age taking the pips out and got the juice everywhere. What a mess but worth it, I made crumbles with them.

193/365 - 12th July

I always buy an iced coffee with the food shop. I do make my own at home but this feels like something a little bit special.

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This week my Word of the Week is: Unplanned! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

If there’s one word that sums up my week it’s unplanned!! There's been unexpected twists, last minute changes and all those moments where you say "well that wasn't on my bingo card for the week!"

We had been watching the weather forecast in the run up to last weekend as we were going to a nearby country show and some days it was forecast rain other times we looked it was going to be dry but not as warm as it had been. It turns out it was the perfect weather which I wasn't expecting. I took a jacket which sat in my backpack all day and a cardigan which I had taken off before we had even got to the end of our street! Stu actually got a little bit of sunburn on his arms. Eek! We had a great day!

We had planned to go out to see a band at our local pub after the show but the girls decided that they'd had enough moving for the day, our legs were aching from all of the walking we had done so we had an unplanned evening at home and it was lovely! We just sat in front of the TV and relaxed. We didn't have any real tea and just ate snacks and sweets that we had bought during the day.

Stu set off early for work on Monday, it is his usual day off but this week he was working it so he could have Saturday off. The bus was late which wasn't a great start and he got part of the way there and then the traffic stopped. The bus was on the Humber Bridge when traffic came to a standstill and there was a crash ahead. The Humber bridge is about a mile and a half long so if you are on the bridge when traffic stops there's nowhere to go. The bus driver wasn't letting people off to start with but then people started kicking up a fuss and made their way off the bus and walked back to the nearest town. Stu just hung tight, the crash happened at about 7am, he started work at 8am and he was still sat there at almost 10am. He rang work and said he wouldn't be in, would just work Saturday and try again for a day off next week. Yes, he wished had had got off when other people did. lol He carried on to Hull, picked a few things up that he needed and doesn't usually have time to buy and then came home. It was nice for him to have an unplanned day off even if it did start off a bit chaotic. From what I have seen online it was a five vehicle crash but thankfully there were no fatalities. I do hope everyone was OK.

The meal plan I wrote over the weekend has been pretty redundant. Some weeks it all goes to plan and weeks like this I have just been winging it! Instead of carefully prepared meals it’s been more like get what you want from the fridge! It's fine but I do feel a bit unorganised by it all. Yesterday I hadn't planned on doing any baking but there I was making cherry crumbles after picking a bag full off my dad's trees! I cheated and used the Air Fryer as I wasn't heating the kitchen up when it was so warm.

We have had quite the saga getting an appointment that Ellie needed. I'm not going to say what as it's personal to her but we didn’t expect to be waiting until the middle of September for a slot but which is so frustrating as we wanted it sorting over the summer. So rather than sitting around waiting I’ve been hunting for alternatives and thought I had found a way to get the job done by travelling to Hull and all was good until we got another phone call saying someone had checked and we're just out of their catchment area. Ugh, so now we wait although I do keep phoning back up and checking if they have any cancellations.

Usually I like routine and all the planned things but this week has been interesting and a little bit fun. The nice, unexpected weather, the unplanned day with Stu, it has been fun to feel a little bit naughty and not stick to the meal plan and even in the frustration of sorting Ellie's appointment we did have a laugh about it.

Now I just want a quiet weekend, we have no plans at all and that I am happy about! How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one! I am of course linking up with Anne who blogs at Raisie Bay for her Word of the Week linky!

What I have loved this week! Week 28. #FridayFavourites

What a week. I feel all out of whack with our usual routine but I'm fine with that. This past week has been full of the unexpected and unplanned and I am actually happy about it. I am of course linking up with Erika and Andrea to share the things that I have loved over this past week.

Easy phone calls!

If you know me, you know I hate speaking on the phone. I had a couple of calls to make over the past week and it makes such a difference when the people I am phoning want to help and make everything easy apart from one, the doctors! I was on hold for 40 minutes and had got down to caller 8 from caller 12 when I started. It turned out it was easier to go to the doctors surgery and speak to the reception face to face. lol It was a nice walk out and I was there and back in the same time that I was on hold. 

Pizza!

I shared half of this pizza with Stu over the weekend from the country show that we went to and it's something I have been thinking about all week, it was so good. Just a simple ham and mushroom one but it was perfectly cooked! They cook it in a little van and I've only ever seen it at the country show, I guess I'll have to wait until next year for another one.

My eldest being back at work!

I love having Becky off work, she took a couple of weeks holiday and we had a great time together but it is good that she is back at work. It adds a little bit of normality and routine to our days. She was in work Sunday night and had an easy shift then Monday and Tuesday off so it was a gentle start to being back at work. She's worked the last couple of nights and she said it's taking some getting used to again. Eek!

Sunflowers!

The sunflowers I have grown from seeds are getting tall, they're about four foot tall but had no flowers on until the weekend, this one appeared from nowhere! It wasn't there the day before I took this photo!

Seeing my dad happy!

He was happier than a pig in mud over the weekend showing off his vintage car at the local show. He loves talking about all things cars so was in his element educating people about his. He was there for the full 2 days of the show (my family only went on the Saturday). On the Sunday he ended up winning a prize of lunch for two in the fancy hospitality tent from a local company. He said the food was amazing and it was nice to get out of the rain. I am so glad we picked the dry day to go!

Horse art!

I bought this at the country show we went to over the weekend, it is made from feathers and is something a bit different!

The Walking Dead!

I've seen it all before but I was stuck for something to have on the TV for a bit of background noise during the week and decided to rewatch it. Of course it's going to lead me onto watching Fear the Walking Dead and all the other spin offs.

What have you loved over the past week?

How I really feel about wearing shorts!

I used to love wearing shorts, when I was a teenager and even in my 20's I had a cracking pair of legs. I put it down to all the horse riding that I used to do. Now, in my mid forties with a body that’s lived a life, birthed children and developed a fondness for late night snacks the idea of slipping into a pair of shorts, especially the kind that go above the knee makes me want to run for cover. This is not a pity party, I don't want compliments, it's just a bit of truth from me about how I feel!

It’s not even about the weather. It could be 30 degrees and I’ll still be thinking that I know I should wear shorts but I just don't. The sun might be blazing but the moment I put on shorts my brain kicks into a self conscious overdrive. I look in the mirror and suddenly it’s not just my legs I see, it’s the cellulite, the stretch marks, the veins, the scars from shaving mishaps and then the voice that lives in the back of my head pipes up with you really should have started moisturising daily when you were twenty!

I know it’s silly. It is everywhere online about body positivity. I know we’re all supposed to embrace our bodies and love our flaws but sometimes that feels like a massive ask when I’m stood looking in the mirror. The truth is I hate showing off my legs. I’m overweight and I carry most of it in my thighs so shorts especially the shorter ones make me feel exposed in all the wrong ways. They ride up when I walk, they cling in weird places when I sit down and they always make me second guess myself.

When I catch sight of women my age and older confidently strolling in shorts without a second thought I feel this strange mix of admiration and envy. I want to be like that. I want to get to the point where I can say, this is my body, these are my legs. They’ve walked me through life, they’ve climbed hills, danced in kitchens, stood for hours making dinner for my kids. They deserve the breeze!

Maybe one day I’ll get there. Maybe this summer I’ll start small with the safe, just above the knee pair I bought last year but haven’t had the courage to wear out. Maybe I’ll pair them with a long, floaty top and pretend I’m someone who totally wears shorts all the time or maybe I’ll stick to my trusty 3/4 length leggings. Either way I’m learning not to beat myself up about it. Shorts or no shorts, my worth is not measured by the skin I show.

Do you wear shorts?