Lawnmowers and bikes. #MySundayPhoto

 This week has seen lots of retail opening back up and I wasn't too fussed about it until I realised the local auction that we love will be opening up too. 

The stuff they had for sale was fantastic especially outside. All the lawnmowers and bikes were impressive but the bike I fancied Stu said wasn't much better than the one I have so we didn't bother bidding on it.

I wasn't too fussed that we didn't buy anything, it was just nice to have a walk out, see people and spend some time in the sunshine.

Week 15 of #Project365. 10th - 16th April. A photo every day for a year!

Happy Saturday, I hope you have all had a good week. Mine has been busy and I am glad it's the weekend. Yesterday I stayed in bed, had a bit of a lie in and then had a soak in the bath. It was lovely to relax. I feel like I have been here there and everywhere. I will be glad on Tuesday when Ellie goes back to school so we can get back into a routine.

Now for a photo every day!

100/365 - 10th April

Even weeds look pretty when the sun is shining.

101/365 - 11th April

My plants on my windowsill are growing well. Tomatoes, some sort of flowers and dwarf sunflowers.

102/365 - 12th April

We had sloppy joes for tea on Monday. This was the mixture.

103/365 - 13th April

I was gifted a confetti balloon to review and it was perfect timing with my dad's partners birthday during the week. She loved it.

104/365 - 14th April

Home made tomato and chilli bread. One of those things where I should have made double as it didn't last long.

105/365 - 15th April

I was at my dad's helping with some painting. I of course got covered.

106/365 - 16th April

Becky came pack from town with a present for me. A Harry Potter diary/planner. It really is beautiful and she said it cost under £10 from Primark. Sometimes Becky drives me crazy but she does make up for it with thoughtful moments like this.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

(Ad - Gifted) The All-Hands collection from Mad Beauty.

Over the past year our hands have been suffering with all of the handwashing we have been doing due to Covid. I know mine have been. Last year they were sore and dry and I really don't want that to happen again so was interested to try out The All Hands collection from Mad Beauty which has been created as an SOS for Covid tired hands!

Now that the restrictions of lockdown are easing we will be washing and sanitizing our hands even more especially if we are venturing out to shops, pubs, to get our hair cut or anywhere where people are.

MAD Beauty All Hands Hand Wash - £7.99

Refresh your hands and awaken your senses with the new All Hands Hand Wash. The heavenly fresh fragrance will give you an uplifting burst every time you wash your hands and leave your skin fragrant & beautifully cleansed.

Fresh Lychee & Asian Pear hand soap combines the perfectly blended scent of sweet lychee & exotic notes of Asian pear bringing you a sweet tropical sensation with every wash.

Hand washing has never been so important & our formula will not only cleanse hands but leave them feeling hydrated. Suitable for all skin types, simply pump onto wet hands & massage into a lather before rinsing thoroughly.

This smells so good, it really is a fresh, uplifting scent. It leaves my hands feeling amazing and it is a pleasure to use.

MAD Beauty All Hands Soap Sticks - £3.99

The soap sticks are such a clever idea. You can pop an All Hands Soap Stick in your pocket or bag and have it on hand when it needs to be used. I have been places over the last week, used their toilets and really didn't fancy touching the soap dispensers and some places didn't even have soap dispensers. These are so handy to have!

You simply wet your palms then rub the stick on your hands and you have your own personal soap on the go. No mess and no need to share with anyone else which is a good thing at the moment.

The soap sticks come in 3 fragrances: Zingy Pineapple & Lime, Lychee & Pear & Raspberry & Honeydew. They all smell so good but the Zingy Pineapple is my favourite and that has been put in my bag. The girls have claimed one each which will be put in their school/college bags to use too.

Do you like the sound of any of these?

I was sent a selection of products from the All-Hands collection from Mad Beauty free of charge in exchange for this blog post.

This week my Word of the Week is: Open. #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

When I started writing this Word of the Week post my word was busy, then it changed to bustling, then working and finally I decided to go with open. More restrictions have been lifted and our country is starting to open back up again.

We nearly had a disaster over the weekend. Stu had been upgrading some parts in his computer and all went well with that but when he tried to plug the external hard drive back in with all of out family photos from the last 15 years on it wouldn't open. You could see it was there but it just wasn't picking it up. It just wouldn't open or even show any of the files. He managed to find a recovery programme online and got all the photos and videos back. Phew! I was so relived. The only thing was that the recovery programme put everything in one folder so Stu has spent all of his spare time sorting all the photos out and putting them back into separate folders. 

Wednesday seems the new day for me to visit my dad and this week he gave me and the girls the job was finding the right keys to open different locks around his business and put labels on them. Finding a needle in a haystack was a phrase which was used a lot but we got there in the end and out of about 40 locks we found about 30 of the keys. lol His keys are all organised now and it does make his life a lot easier.

I had an appointment in town this week and it was busy but good to see the shops open, everyone socially distancing mostly and wearing masks. Stu, Ellie and I are going back on Monday to do some shopping. It is a treat for Ellie, I think the last time she was in town just to have a mooch around was August last year. She has a list a mile long of things she wants to buy. She has been saving her money so is very exciting to get spending.

My dad's business opened back up too after the latest lockdown and thankfully it has gone well. It was nice to catch up with people that I haven't seen for months. I ended up back there yesterday where I helped with some painting and of course ended up covered. I would love to be one of those people who can paint and not make a mess.

I also called in at the local auction which has reopened and spotted a few things that I fancy bidding on on Saturday. Almost a couple of years ago all got bikes from the auction and I am wanting a better one and this week they must have about 40 bikes for sale. Stu is going to call in tomorrow and have a look and see if any would suit me. There was a couple items of furniture which I fancy, a gorgeous dressing table with a mirror. I have always wanted a dressing table but to buy new they are so expensive or flimsy looking. This one looks fab.

Becky is off to town today to meet up with her girlfriend. She has said not to expect her home until late on. They have all the shops to look around. I predict them spending at least an hour and a half in Primark. lol

Life is seeming pretty normal at the moment and it feels good. I hope it continues. 

How has your week been?

The most nostalgic smells. Freshly mown grass, Pencil shavings, Baby powder...

More than any other sense smell can evoke powerful, emotional memories. Whole scenes of people, places and things can be brought back to life by the mere hint of a long forgotten scent. Whether it’s a seaside holiday, a visit to a fairground, or a sunny walk through a forest, suddenly smelling a particular scent can suddenly take us right back there, recreating the whole sensory experience.

The research commissioned by Disneyland Paris says that the top 40 scents show a wide array of things that awaken our senses and stay with us for the rest of our lives. They show the pleasure we take in experiencing smells and the powerful emotions they evoke.

The 40 smells that transport us to our childhood.

1. Freshly mown grass - Summer days/school sports day. 

2. Pencil shavings/case/stationery - School days.

3. Baby powder - When the kids were babies.

4. Vicks vapour rub - Colds/illness.

5. Plasticine - School days.

6. Candyfloss - Childhood, fairgrounds.

7. Bonfires - Winter nights. 

8. Sun cream - Family holidays.

9. Fish and chips - Going to the beach.

10. Old perfume - Gran/mum.

11. Bubble gum - Sweet shops.

12. Chalk - Classrooms.

13. Talcum powder - Baths as a child.

14. Pipe smoke - Granddad/older male relatives.

15. Garden shed - Granddad. 

16. Chicken soup - Being ill as a child.

17. Hairspray - Mum/gran getting ready. 

18. Rain on tarmac - Summer holidays and school playground.

19. Doughnuts - Fairs/attractions.

20. Savlon or Germolene - Colds/illness.

21. Old Spice - Granddad/older male relatives.

22. Coal Tar soap - Grandparents.

23. Log fire - Winter nights.

24. Roses - Grandma.

25. Petrol/engines - Dad/ granddad.

26. Marker pens - School lessons.

27. Leather/shoes - New school shoes.

28. Lavender - Grandparents.

29. Muscle rub cream - Playing sports.

30. Popcorn - Summer

31. Musty shed - Granddad.

32. Hair gel/brill cream/lynx etc - Boys as teenagers. 

33. Bovril - Bonfire nights/cold winter nights.

34. Peppermint - Grandma.

35. Cinnamon - Early Christmases.

36. Chanel perfume - Mum.

37. Cocoa butter - Holidays/ mums.

38. Shower gel - Sports team showers.

39. Tea tree oil - Childhood injuries.

40. Jasmine - Grandma.

So many of the top 40 smells remind me of my childhood and especially the summers of my childhood. I love the smell of rain on tarmac and sun cream and there was nothing better than having a trip to the beach and getting fish and chips. Germolene reminds me of fun days playing out with friends and coming home with bumps and scrapes and the Bubble gum smell reminds me of going to the corner shop and getting 10p mix ups. We seemed to get so much for 10p about thirty years ago.

Bonfires and pipe smoke remind me of my Grandad and petrol and engines remind me of my dad. My girls even say when they smell petrol they think of my dad. He is always tinkering with some sort of engine. Even now when I go into my dad's workshop it takes me right back to being a child. The smell of it is exactly the same.

Baby powder and Johnsons baby shampoo remind me so much of when my girls were babies and I used to love sniffing their heads. There is nothing nicer than the smell of a freshly bathed baby. That sounds so creepy but it's not meant to be. 

What smell takes you back to your childhood?