My May goals & plans!

I’m carrying on with my monthly goals and plans because writing things down really gives me that little kick up the bum to actually get things done. I always feel more motivated when I have a list to look at instead of just thinking I should probably do that at some point. When it’s written down it feels more official, like I’ve made a little promise to myself.

I ticked a lot of things off my April goals list but not as many as I would have liked. I don't want to make excuses but Ellie was off college for 2 weeks, there was Easter and Stu had some time off work too which left me all out of whack, I didn't get many days home alone.

Paint the doors in the living room - Nope, I wanted to do it while everyone was out

Use the washing line - Yes, apart from when the weather out wasn't great.

Wash the cushion covers and curtains in the living room - Yes!! I actually got sent a press release mid-month saying 1 in 5 British adults have never washed their curtains! Eek! Well I am not one of those 5 now. lol

Have a family day out - I had days out with my youngest, my fella but not my eldest. She was way too busy enjoying life seeing Mamma Mia in the theatre and seeing Alex Warren in concert.

Read more audiobooks - Yes, I listened to 4 and partly listened to another which I didn't finish.

Sit outside with a drink on sunny mornings - Sometimes but not as much as I would have liked.

Watch four more movies that are new to me - Yes! 2 of the Suicide Squad movies, A Man Called Otto, Anaconda and my favourite was I Swear about a young man with Tourette syndrome who eventually becomes a campaigner to increase public awareness. I laughed and cried all the way through. It was brilliant!

Get my little greenhouses out of the garage - Yes and I am thinking about putting plants in them but I am wanting it to warm up a little more.

Do some baking - No!

In May I want to:

Move the plants outside!

Hopefully this month warms up a bit and I can move my plants out of the kitchen outside into my little greenhouses. I will need to repot some of them into bigger pots and hopefully that goes well.

Get Becky to declutter her bedroom!

Becky's bedroom is cluttered and it's annoying me. I know I can just close the door and ignore it but I still know the clutter is there. Becky agreed it is time to have a good sort out in her room but I know what she is like and will put the job off and that is where I will step in and start the nagging. I will even help her if she wants. lol

Write a day in my life post!

It has been ages since I wrote a day in the life post and I think it's about time I wrote another, I might actually write two. An average stay at home day and a day when I am out and about doing things.

Read more audiobooks!

I am still loving them and two that I have been on the waiting list for a while will become available to me in May. This Book Made Me Think of You and The Astral Library. I am aiming again to listen to four again this month.

Watch four more movies that are new to me!

I am enjoying watching movies which are new to me, especially those that I wouldn't normally watch.

Do some baking!

I must do some baking this month because the baking supplies really do need using up now.

Spend more time outside!

I feel like I should spend more time outside. I have plenty to do in the garden, I am determined to go on more walks and I want to spend some more time at my dad's. He is always working outside so it would be fun to hang out with him more.

Make some plans for the summer!

We have no plans at all for the summer and I think that needs to change. It would be nice to have a couple of nights away but that depends on what the girls have got planned. Some days out would be nice too. I really want to go to the seaside. It's been too long since I was last at a beach.

Paint the doors in the living room!

This is going back on the list, May should be a quieter month at home so I should be able to get them done. The doors aren’t terrible but they are looking a bit worn and scuffed, so a fresh coat of paint will make a big difference.

What do you have planned for May?

The Wednesday Hodgepodge #53

I hope you are all having a good week. It's Wednesday, which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce who blogs at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

1. Are you feeling more reset, restart, or full speed ahead as we move into May? Tell us why.

I'm feeling full speed ahead at the moment. I’ve just got over a cold and I didn’t realise how much it had knocked me and slowed me down until I started feeling normal again. I am now feeling energised and I have a lot of motivation for the week ahead. I’m writing this on a Sunday afternoon and I've just written a list of jobs that I want to get done this week, house things, online things and some jobs around the garden. I was also writing my goals and plans post for May which makes me excited about a new month.

2. Painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, cinema, theatre, music...what's your favorite form of art? Elaborate.

I think cinema and music are my favourite. They feel easy to dip into. I can stick a film on in the evening and be pulled into a different world for a couple of hours or have music playing while I’m cooking, cleaning or even just sitting doing nothing. A song can change your mood so quickly. You can go from feeling a bit meh to suddenly singing along in the kitchen in the best mood. I like that you don’t need to learn how to enjoy cinema or music, with things like painting or sculpting there is more effort involved with learning how to enjoy them. I do feel like I’m slowly getting more into literature due to the discovery of Audiobooks. I know some people turn their nose up at them and say it’s not the same as reading but I don’t really care. It works for me, I can listen while doing other things.

3. What time is dinner at your house? How do you feel about leftovers?

Dinner at our house is usually around quarter to seven, Tuesday to Saturday when Stu gets in from work. On the other days it’s a bit earlier, at around 6pm. It just makes sense for us all to eat together when my fella gets in. I did try doing two sittings at one point. The girls would eat earlier and then Stu and I would eat later when he got in. At the time, it sounded like a good idea but in reality, it just meant I was stuck in the kitchen for way longer than I should have been.

Myself and my family love leftovers. If there’s anything left from tea, my fella will usually take it to work the next day for his lunch. It saves making something else and it’s always nicer than a boring sandwich. Some meals taste better the next day. Things like casseroles always taste so good once everything has had time to sit and soak into each other, pizza is another one and anything that took me ages to cook the first time feels even better when I'm just reheating it.

4. What's the last thing you fell down a rabbit hole investigating?

I saw online that a guy, Darrell Sheets took his own life. I used to watch him on the TV show Storage Wars years ago. That led me down a rabbit hole investigating where the rest of the cast from the show are now. It then got me thinking about the show Ice Road Truckers, which I used to watch around the same time and where all the cast are now.

5. And now for a question from the book Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me... At what are you 'self-taught?'

There is quite a lot when I think about it. Cooking is a big one. I’ve never had any proper training or lessons. It’s just been years of trying recipes, guessing measurements, adjusting things and hoping for the best. Gardening is another. I’ve picked things up over time but a lot of it is trial and error. Blogging is probably the biggest thing I started with no clue. I didn't follow a guide and had no plan when I first started. I just jumped in and figured it out as I went along and I am still figuring it out 13 years later. Then there’s parenting. No one really taught me how to be a parent. I read books, looked things up online, asked for advice but it's one of those things you mostly learn by doing it.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Thanks to writing this blog post, I am now watching Ice Road Truckers. It reminded me to have a look at who was streaming it. I found the first 4 seasons on ITVX which will keep me going for a while. Ice Road Truckers is a reality TV show about truck drivers hauling supplies across frozen lakes and remote winter roads in places like Alaska and Canada. It follows the risks they take, thin ice, brutal weather and long isolated journeys.

Surviving social media as almost a middle-aged Mam!

You’d think, after spending over a decade faffing about online, I’d have cracked the whole social media thing by now. No, not even close! Half the time I’m just clicking things and hoping for the best while my girls are there swiping, posting, editing and filtering like they were born with ring lights attached to their tiny new born heads. I try a filter and end up looking like a cross between a cartoon koala and a woman who hasn’t slept since 1992. My girls can pop on a filter and look like supermodels. Eesh! Surviving social media isn’t just about figuring out how to press the right buttons, it’s also about the weirdness of being a parent in the digital age.

When I finally got the hang of Facebook, uploading photos without accidentally tagging the wrong people, my girls had already moved on. Instagram was their world, then Snapchat and then suddenly TikTok took over. By the time I’ve downloaded the latest big thing, they’ve already declared it cringe and have stopped using it! My 18 year old can spend three hours on TikTok, learn ten new dances, a recipe for pasta I’ve never heard of and a conspiracy theory about why pigeons aren’t real. Me, I’m still figuring out why my For You Page thinks I want to see endless videos about home decluttering when clearly my house proves otherwise. hahaha I have given up trying to catch up and keep up!

I’ve noticed there are two versions of me. The real life mam who wears PJ's lots, I nag about laundry and make sure the fridge isn't empty and then there is the social media mam posting cute pictures of family meals, looking weirdly happy in every selfie and pretending I don’t have a pile of washing behind me. The problem is my girls see straight through it. My 23 year old will say liar if I post a spotless kitchen shot because she knows I shoved three pans and a rogue spatula out of the way. I’ll take what I think is a lovely photo of my garden or my cuppa and Instagram acts like I’ve posted something really awful all while someone my girl's age posts a blurred picture of their shoes and gets 600 likes. I asked my girls why my posts flop and they said it’s because you post like a mam, not helpful!

Being a parent in the social media era comes with a whole new set of worries too. I’m not built for this level of stress. I didn’t grow up with people messaging me at all hours, location tags, strangers following you or disappearing photos. Half of my parenting now feels like detective work. Who’s that person commenting heart eyes? Why is your location on? Do you know that person? Why is your Instagram private but your TikTok isn’t? My girls say I’m paranoid but I do like to know who they are connecting with online. They try and switch it back on me about my safety where my blog is concerned but most people who read and comment here are other bloggers, are open about who they are and those who try to be Anonymous really aren't. lol

If you want a real adrenaline rush, don’t bother with skydiving. Just try posting a comment on your young adult's photo on social media! hahaha! If I say "So pretty!" it gets deleted within seconds, followed by a DM saying, "Don’t embarrass me." If I say "Omg you look amazing!!!" I’m trying too hard, the safe option is a single emoji. A thumbs up or a heart. Even then, there’s a 50/50 chance I’ll get told off for picking the wrong one!

The platforms can’t quite figure me out. I'm there for the family updates, recipes, the memes and some random shopping ads but TikTok thinks I’m a fitness enthusiast, a skincare addict, a wannabe gardener and someone who urgently needs a stairlift. My girls feeds are slick and perfectly curated. Mine looks like a jumble sale with the occasional inspirational quote thrown in.

The weirdest part of being a parent on social media is watching your worlds collide. One minute I’m chatting with friends that I have known for years about how quickly time flies. The next, I’m looking at my girl's posts and realising they have a hundred people liking their photos in less than an hour and apparently they know most of those people! It’s bizarre and all I can do is hope they remember my number one rule: Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want me, your Grandad or your future boss to see!

For all my moaning, social media has its upsides. It’s how I keep up with my kids lives without nagging them for updates. I get to see what they’re proud of, what they’re into and what they're laughing at. It also keeps me connected with friends, gives me ideas for meals when my brain’s gone blank and occasionally makes me laugh so hard I cry.

Surviving social media as an almost middle-aged parent isn’t about being perfect, trendy or up to date with every new app. It’s about finding your balance. My kids might laugh at me for my dodgy hashtags or my habit of oversharing pictures of my garden but that’s fine. I’ll keep posting, keep scrolling and keep embarrassing my children with the occasional over enthusiastic comment.

Do you manage to keep up with all the social media trends that your kids do?

Our weekly meal plan! 27th April - 3rd May #MealPlanningMonday

Happy Monday! I hope you have all had a good weekend. Ours was a quiet one. Becky came back from her travels on Friday evening and we had a lot of catching up to do. She ordered a pizza just after she arrived home and was that busy telling me about her adventures that I had to say stop, get something to eat! lol The pizza came in handy as she had the leftovers before she went to sleep for her night shift. It meant no cooking for her on Saturday morning.

Last week's meal plan went pretty well. We ate most of the meals and of course, our favourite was the sausage casserole. My family do love it. The Thai style pork patties have been bumped to this week because we had to eat some chicken which needed using up last week, now the mince for the patties needs using up. This week I thought I had ordered a Gousto box. I remember putting the meals in the basket but I couldn't have gone any further and checked out. Oops. I only realised on Saturday when I didn't get my usual text saying it would be delivered between so-and-so time. I order one off boxes every week instead of subscribing to a weekly one, as I know I would forget the other way and get one delivered when we don't want one. lol

I have a few plans for this week, gardening being my main one. The plants on the kitchen windowsill need putting in larger pots and I am going to start putting them outside during the day and bringing them back in at night to harden them up a little before they fully move outside.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Thai style pork patties with sweet potato wedges and salad!

This was bumped from last week. It is another one of our favourite Gousto meals which I have made many, many times before. They are so full of flavour and always go down well.

Tuesday - Sausages in buns!

Not a sausage sandwich, more of a hot dog style meal with fried onions, mustard and ketchup. We will probably have them with fries or onion rings.

Wednesday - Quiche and salad!

I feel like I have jumped into our summer meals this week; quiche and salad is usually a summer thing for us. It's not even that warm here at the start of the week but I feel like we should be eating lighter meals.

Thursday - Salmon, Broccoli & Pea Risotto!

This sounds fancy but it's not. It's a meal in a bag from Iceland where you just pop everything in a pan and let it heat up and then serve!

Friday - Chippy tea!

Friday night is a chip shop tea! No cooking, no fuss and the biggest drama is deciding what we fancy. Last week I had fish, chips and mushy peas and it was so good. This week I am thinking about getting a battered burger with chips and gravy.

Saturday - Pizza!

It could be homemade or it could be out of the freezer. Who knows? It depends on the plans for the day.

Sunday - A help yourself evening!

I have no plan for today and everyone can just help themselves to whatever they fancy. Last week I think we all ended up having toasted sandwiches.

What are you eating this week?

A photo every day for a year! 19th - 25th April Week 17 of #Project365

How are we almost at the end of April already? I will start by saying it now, this year is going way too fast and it doesn't seem like two minutes since I wrote my last Project 365 post. This past week seemed to drag because I was full of cold but at the same time, it flew over as everything was back to normal with Ellie back at college after the Easter break and Becky went away for a few days and saw the singer Alex Warren in concert. She had a great time!

We have had a nice weekend so far. We've not been up to much, as Stu isn't feeling the best being full of cold. He caught it from me. He thought he had got away with not being poorly but there was no escape. Yesterday was all about catching up on the housework that I didn't do during the week. Although I did manage to keep on top of the laundry, it seems so much easier when I can get it out on the line to dry.

Now for a photo every day!

109/365 19th April

Just the sun setting. We seem to be getting a lot of pretty sunsets lately but I keep missing them. Before the clocks changed, I was seeing all the sunsets when I was cooking tea but now it's not setting until later, Ellie is the one spotting them when she goes to put the kettle on for our evening cup of tea. She shouted that there was a pretty sunset, so I went running.

110/365 20th April

I was doing a good job of staying hydrated while I was full of cold. The amount of cups and glasses I had beside me was comical. Two glasses with juice in, a mug of tea and a mug with Lemsip in which I was waiting to cool down. Drinking all the drinks was good for me but it meant I was up and down to the bathroom non-stop, which wasn't fun, when all I wanted to do was sit.

111/365 21st April

This looks like a simple photo of a lipstick but it has a story behind it. When I took this photo it had been through the washing machine. It dropped out of Ellie's short jeans pocket when I was hanging it on the line. I dread to think what could have happened if it had been wet out or I had been feeling lazy and had put it in the tumble dryer, it would have made such a mess. Eek! The lipstick isn't as black as it looks, it is a really dark, dark red.

112/365 22nd April

Ellie asked me to take a photo of her trousers just to prove to her dad that she had worn them. She got them a couple of years ago and he said it wasn't her style and would probably never wear them out of the house but here she was, wearing them and had been all day when she was out of the house. She said she will be wearing them lots in the future as they are so comfy and light, they will be perfect for the warmer months.

113/365 23rd April

We have a shoe rack in the hall and a cupboard under the stairs where shoes go but Ellie keeps putting her shoes there, just next to the dining room table. I keep tripping over them and then forgetting to tell her to get them moved when she gets in. I took this photo to remind me to have words. The shoes have now been moved! Kids!!

114/365 24th April

Becky brought me some Pease Pudding home from up north. hehehe Pease Pudding is this thick, savoury mush made from split peas that looks a bit dodgy but tastes really good, especially in a ham sandwich. We can't get it here where I live as it seems it's just a North East thing.

115/365 25th April

Just a Mr Kipling French Fancy cake. I bought a box last week and forgot all about them until today. These always make me think of my childhood, we only got these for special occasions or when we went to visit my great Aunt. We thought she was so fancy as she always had a box in the cupboard.

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

This week my Word of the Week is:

What a week! It has been a long one but it seems to have flown over at the same time. I am very glad it's the weekend and we are all home and can relax a little. This week has been quite eventful even though I had planned on a quiet week. We had more drama with the drains being blocked which I wrote about yesterday. Short story is, it was limescale blocking them this time. I spent the weekend watching Wrestling and still catching up with it on Monday. Becky got engaged, I am feeling better, Stu is not, we've all slept in when we needed to be up and did I mention I am ready for the weekend! lol

This time last week, I was just starting with a cold and now I am nearing the end but Stu started with it on Wednesday evening. Ugh! He went to bed early, not feeling great, which was the sensible thing to do until around 11pm when I had to wake him up. I went into the kitchen when I was on my way to bed and saw the garage light was on and I was sure someone was moving around in there. I ran upstairs, woke Stu and he said Oops, he must have left the light on earlier. There was no one moving around in there, it was just my eyes playing tricks on me. He went and switched it off. I felt bad for waking him up as he hadn't been asleep for long but like he said, he left the light on and he didn't really want it on all night as the electrics are not amazing in there. Eek!

Becky got engaged! She asked the love of her life to marry her on Wednesday evening and of course, the answer was yes! What made it funny was "M" was calling her Nanna, sister and whoever else to tell them the news and they all already knew. Becky is good at keeping secrets but not good at keeping things totally to herself. They are in no rush to get married yet, they have more plans to put into place before that happens. They got engaged in Newcastle Upon Tyne, their happy place. They went there to see Alex Warren in concert on Thursday night but during the day Becky had a trip down memory lane showing "M" where she grew up when we lived in Northumberland. They got off the bus near Becky's high school, walked past the two houses we lived in, stopped off for lunch at the local Wetherspoons, walked up the high street and then got the train back to Newcastle. That is new, there wasn't any trains when we lived there. Hmmf.

Ellie was feeling the first week back at college after a two week break and sleeping in until she felt ready to get up. She slept in one day this week. Of course it was her sister's fault. If she ever does sleep in, she knows Becky comes in just after half past seven, which still leaves enough time to get ready and run for the bus but Becky had other plans and never came home, so Ellie missed the college bus and had to get the normal bus and then another one to college. She wasn't that late, only about 20 minutes. Phew! Stu slept in on Thursday morning, not too late. His watch usually wakes him up but that day his actual alarm went off and I almost slept in the day the food shop was delivered. I hit snooze one too many times.

I am so glad I haven't moved my plants outside yet. I had just about given up that my peppers were going to grow but they're doing their own thing at their own pace and have started to sprout. My little greenhouses are out of the garage ready to be filled but I think I am going to hold off as the temperature is so up and down at the moment. Stu leaves the house on a morning wrapped up in a thick coat as it's freezing and the said coat gets carried home when it has warmed up later in the day.

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 to join in with her Word of the Week linky!

What I have loved this week! Week 17. #FridayFavourites

Happy Friday! I hope you’ve had a good week. This week seems to have gone extra quick which I am happy about as I didn't have much planned. I had a cold over the weekend which dragged on throughout the week but I am feeling much better now. As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea to share the things that I have loved over the past week.

Wrestlemania!

I know most people are not wrestling fans but I am and it is a favourite of my week. I watched both nights shows live, staying up until late, way past my bedtime and it was worth it. What wasn't on my Wrestlemania bingo card was crying. I cried both nights. Firstly, when a wrestler announced that she was pregnant and on the second night when a big wrestler retired, which felt very strange, as for years I had hated him! It was special as you could almost see him passing the torch, so to speak, to a young and upcoming wrestler. Lots of my favourites won and there were some amazing matches!

Unblocked drains!

Every couple of years our drains outside get blocked up and the toilet backs up. It's not our fault or our neighbours. It's just one of those things we have put up with. We were told a couple of years ago there was a dip in one of the pipes and stuff just collected there and caused a blockage. The water people came out, cleared the blockage and put a camera down and discovered what the big issue was! It's limescale!! The pipes coming from our drains, towards the road are full of the stuff. The men who were unblocking the drains said it's really common and they are sending another van out with a special tool which will scrape all the limescale away. It might not be anytime soon as there is a waiting list for the van with the tool but it shows how common it is.

Vicks Shower Steamers!

I was full of cold over the weekend and I found the box of Vicks Shower Steamers that my eldest had bought when she had the cold. I thought I would give one a try and they are brilliant. You just pop on in the shower with you and the menthol and camphor scents are released! I don't think they are totally meant for when you have a cold but they did help me feel better and cleared my head a little.

Cancelled plans!

I had plans tonight but I just couldn't be bothered. I didn't cancel at short notice, I decided on Tuesday I wasn't going out and let the people know. It feels good just to say no. I used to be a yes person and would do things when I wasn't feeling great or not that into it but now I feel like I am at that time in life where I have to do what is right for me. So, tonight for me it's fish and chips for tea, PJ's and sitting down in front of the TV.

My eldest living her best life!

My eldest works hard and plays hard too. This week she finished a night shift, had a few hours sleep and went off on her travels. She went on a city break to Newcastle Upon Tyne. She had a lovely meal out, a walk by the river and got engaged to the love of her life. I of course knew it was going to happen but when I got the phone call saying it had, she sounded so happy! Last night she went to see Alex Warren in concert and today she returns home and will probably want to go for an afternoon nap before having a catch-up and she's back to work tomorrow.

What have you loved over the past week?

A beginner’s guide: What to plant in the garden at the end of April!

Now is the time when the garden is waking up, the days feel longer and you suddenly feel like you should be doing something outside, even if you’re not totally sure what. If you’re a beginner gardener, now is usually the point where doubt creeps in and you ask yourself have you left planting things too late or is it still too early? The end of April is actually a perfect time to start planting in a UK garden. You just need to pick the right things and keep them simple.

If you’re new to growing veg, April is actually a great place to start. A lot of vegetables like cooler weather and don’t need perfect conditions to get going.

Potatoes!

If you haven’t planted potatoes yet, you’re not too late. Late April is fine. They’re one of the most forgiving things that you can grow. You can plant them straight into the ground or even into bags or tubs if you are short on space. They don’t need special soil, just dig a trench, pop them in, cover them up and you’re done.

Carrots!

Carrots are perfect to plant at the end of April. They like cooler temperatures and actually do better when they’re not rushed. Plant them directly into the ground or into deep pots. The thing with carrots is not to disturb them too much. Just plant them, water and leave them be.

Beetroot!

Beetroot is another one that doesn't mind the cooler weather and grows easily from a seed. You can plant beetroot straight outside now and keep sowing every few weeks for a steady supply. They don’t need much attention, they grow quickly and you can eat both the root and the leaves.

Lettuce and salad leaves!

If you want quick results, salad leaves are perfect. Lettuce, rocket, spinach and mixed salad seeds can all be sown at the end of April. They grow fast, don’t need loads of space and are great in pots or containers. Plus, you can just pick what you need and leave the rest growing.

Strawberries!

If you only grow one fruit, make it strawberries. They’re perfect for end of April planting and are very forgiving. You can plant them in pots, hanging baskets, grow bags and raised beds. They don’t need loads of space and they start rewarding you pretty quickly, which always helps motivation. Plant them now, keep them watered and by early summer you’ll be enjoying them as dessert.

Blueberries!

Blueberries are great in pots, which makes them perfect for beginners. Plant them in a pot, keep them watered and they’ll be quite happy. They also look nice, so they earn their keep even before fruiting.

Apple and pear trees!

If you’ve got the space, late April is fine for planting container-grown fruit trees. You don’t need a massive orchard. There are plenty of smaller trees or patio varieties that do well in pots. Once planted, they just quietly get on with growing while you feel very proud every time you look at them. They won’t give you fruit straight away but it's worth the wait!

Parsley!

Parsley takes it's time to germinate, so don’t panic if nothing seems to be happening. Sow it now and forget about it for a bit. It’s hardy, survives cool weather and once it gets going, it just keeps giving.

Chives!

Chives are basically indestructible. You can plant them in the ground or in a pot and they’ll come back year after year. They don’t need special treatment and are one of those plants that make you feel like you know what you’re doing, even if you don’t.

Mint!

Mint is easy. Too easy. It will grow pretty much anywhere and take over if you let it. If you’re a beginner, keep mint in a pot. Plant it now and enjoy but don’t let it loose in your borders unless you want mint everywhere.

Flowers are where gardening gets really fun, especially when you’re starting out. Seeing things bloom feels like magic, even if you barely did anything.

Hardy annuals from seed!

Annual flowers can be sown directly outside at the end of April. These are flowers that don’t mind cooler temperatures and will happily grow where you put them. Good beginner choices include: Sweet peas, Cornflowers, Calendula and Nigella! They’re easy, forgiving and don’t mind if you mess up a bit. Scatter the seeds, cover lightly, water and see what happens.

Bedding plants!

You’ll see loads of bedding plants in garden centres by late April and it’s tempting to buy everything! You can plant them out now but be prepared to protect them if there’s a late frost. If you’re unsure, keep them in pots near the house or somewhere sheltered for another couple of weeks.

Perennials!

Perennials are plants that come back year after year and it feels like a bargain once you realise you only have to plant them once. Late April is a good time to plant perennials like Lavender, Hardy geraniums, Lupins and Echinacea. They’ll settle in over spring and summer and reward you later on.

A few beginner tips before you get planting!

You don’t need to do everything perfectly. Gardening is very forgiving, despite what Instagram might suggest.

Don’t overwater. Most plants hate sitting in soggy soil.

Read the seed packet but don’t stress about it.

Start small. You don’t need to plant everything at once.

Expect a few failures. Everyone has them, even experienced gardeners.

The end of April is about getting going, not getting it all right.

So if you’re at that end of April stage where the garden is calling your name but you’re not quite sure where to begin, this is your sign to just start. You don’t need to do everything at once and you definitely don’t need to know all the rules. A few seeds, a couple of pots and a bit of time outside is more than enough.

Are you planting anything this year?

The Wednesday Hodgepodge #52

I hope you are all having a good week. It's Wednesday, which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce who blogs at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

1. April 22nd is Earth Day...what's the most 'out of this world' place on earth you've ever visited? Tell us something about it.

I’m actually quite boring when it comes to travelling. I don’t really go anywhere but the most "out of this world" trip I’ve had was spending Christmas in a hotel with my family, my dad and his partner. It just felt really different from the usual Christmas at home. Everything was already done, the decorations were up, there was no stress about cooking or cleaning and it felt like I was stepping into a Christmas film for a few days.

2. A favorite quote, verse, or song lyric with the word earth in it?

The first thought I had for this was Earth Song by Michael Jackson, I used to love that song and the music video which went with it but thought that was too obvious! I found a few quotes which did make me smile:

Be like Earth: keep spinning even when nobody appreciates the effort.

You are allowed to grow slowly. Earth took billions of years and still isn’t finished.

If Earth can survive asteroids, you can survive that awkward email you sent.

When life feels heavy, remember Earth is literally carrying oceans on its back and still showing up daily.

3. What's the most trivial thing about which you have a strong opinion?

The TV volume! It is never right! One minute someone’s whispering like they’re sharing a big secret and the next minute it’s like the whole soundtrack is trying to blow the windows out. When I am watching some shows, it feels like I am a sound engineer, constantly turning it up then down! While I am on about the volume on the TV, it has to be on an even number. Odd numbers just feel wrong.

4. What's your most commonly used kitchen utensil or tool? What's the last thing you made using that tool?

I bought some tongs a few years ago and they are the most used thing in my kitchen. I got a pack of 5 or 6 purely to get things out of the air fryer but now I use them with everything like the George Foreman grill, turning things over in pans and they have saved me from burning myself many times while using the air fryer. I last used them to make the red onion and bacon tart. They are great for turning the bacon over in the pan and scooping the red onions out of the pan to put on the pastry.

5. Marilyn (Memphis Bridges) gave me a great book of 3000 questions, and I'm going to try to use one in our Hodgepodge every week. Here is today's - What is your greatest extravagance?

My biggest extravagance is definitely takeaways but not just the obvious ones, like pizza, Chinese food or fish and chips. It’s the random shop sandwiches for lunch when I could’ve easily made something at home but didn’t. It’s picking up a sausage roll when I’m out, even though I wasn’t even hungry five minutes earlier but I could smell them coming from the shop. It’s the fancy coffee drinks which are like a reward for getting something done. All these little food decisions add up and I never seem to learn.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

If my eldest could have a break from bringing colds and germs home from work that would be great. I came down with a cold that I caught from her over the weekend. Thankfully, I didn't feel too ill. It was more the inconvenience from my runny nose and not sleeping as much as I would have liked but that worked out well. I was snotty and sneezing, dosed up with cold and flu tablets and felt wide awake, which meant I stayed up both nights to watch Wrestlemania. If I had been feeling well I would not have stayed up both nights but sick me thought I was going to be awake anyway, so I might as well. I am feeling much better now and can at least breathe through my nose properly again.

The cups of tea that get me through the day!

It turns out there really is a day for everything and National Tea Day might just be my favourite of the whole lot. A whole day dedicated to sitting down with a cuppa and pretending it’s not just something we do on autopilot every single day. National Tea Day feels like the perfect excuse to stop and notice how often tea pops up in my life and routine.

Tea just fits into my day. It’s not rushed, not complicated, it just shows up exactly when I need it and if I haven’t had the right cup at the right time, the day feels a bit off.

I need a proper cup of tea to actually wake up on a morning. My morning tea is my quiet time before the day properly kicks off. The whole process matters. Boiling the kettle, finding my favourite mug which is usually near the sink, not washed from the night before. It's not rushed. I let the tea brew properly, add a bit of sugar, the milk and then give it a stir. It’s a little routine that tells my brain it’s time to wake up!

Lunch tea is a bit more flexible and it depends on what I’m eating. If it’s something hot, then a cup of tea is almost guaranteed. It just feels right but with cold lunches, especially sandwiches, it depends. Some sandwiches demand tea and others do not. There are days when a glass of milk feels like the better choice.

My afternoon cup of tea is special. After doing things around the house, the afternoon slump hits me hard and this cup of tea is usually accompanied with a slice of cake if I’m lucky, or a cereal bar if I’m being sensible. It's a little boost to keep me going for the rest of the day.

I don't have a cup of tea with my evening meal, I save myself for my evening cup of tea at around 8pm. Ellie always puts the kettle on at around this time and Stu makes the teas. I get to sit and have it brought to me. There's no rushing, just some calm and a couple of biscuits.

I really love the cup of tea that I have when I go to visit my dad each week. It's always with lunch and his tea seems to taste better than mine. For a long time we thought it was down to the tea-bags but we switched to the same brand then we thought it must be down to the size of his cups but no, the explanation was simple. It was the milk! He uses whole milk and at home I use semi-skimmed!

What I love most about my tea routine is that it’s totally mine, there are no strict rules and no crazy schedules. Tea’s not just a drink for me, it is how I pause, reset and sometimes just sit quietly and National Tea Day feels like the perfect excuse to appreciate all that.

Do you drink tea? When do you have your favourite cup of tea during the day?

Our weekly meal plan! 20th - 26th April #MealPlanningMonday

Happy Monday! I hope you have all had a good weekend. Ours has been a good one even though I was full of cold. Ugh! I am hoping by now I am over the worst of it. I thought it was just hayfever on Friday but it carried on over the weekend. We had a weekend of watching Wrestling. Two nights of Wrestlemania, the WWE Hall of Fame event and of course, all the pre and post shows.

Last week's meal plan was a bit hit and miss. We didn't eat anything on the right day but we did eat all the meals. Stu made me chuckle on Monday, he cooked the Sesame Pork & Egg Fried Rice and he's never really made a Gousto meal before and struggled to follow the recipe. He is more a chuck things in and see how it goes instead of following a recipe type of person. We decided to ditch the chippy tea and get McDonald's delivered on Friday. I was starting with the cold, so I really wanted junk food. I know I probably should have eaten something healthy but I so wanted a milkshake and it did make me feel slightly better!

This week is back to normal after the Easter break, so I will have some days when I am home alone which hasn't happened for the last fortnight. I am looking forward to doing my own thing. Becky is off to see a concert and is having a few nights away, so she is very excited and still has to pack. She is never in a rush to pack, which always stresses me out. I know I should just leave her to it but I like her to be prepared. I haven't ordered a Gousto Box for this week because I wanted a week of having some of our favourite meals.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Red onion and bacon tart with baby potatoes!

This one is inspired by a Gousto recipe for Bacon and Leek Tart that we had years ago and it’s stuck with us ever since. I decided to make our own and Red onion and bacon tart became a thing. Ready-made puff pastry, a layer of soft cheese, topped with red onions and smoky bacon. I will make a little extra so I have some for lunch the next day because it’s just as nice cold.

Tuesday - Sausage casserole and mashed potato!

This is a proper family favourite, especially with the girls. It feels like ages since we last had it, so it’s definitely due a comeback. I keep it simple and use a packet mix, then add sausages, onions and mushrooms and let it all cook away in the oven until everything has thickened up. I’ll be making extra of this one too because it freezes really well and it's great to have something as a backup in the freezer.

Wednesday - Minced Beef & Onion Crispy Pancakes with chips and baked beans!

A nice easy, out of the freezer meal. I might make homemade chips but it depends on how I feel and how busy I am.

Thursday - Thai style pork patties with sweet potato wedges and salad!

This is another one of our favourite Gousto meals which I have made many, many times before. They are so full of flavour and always go down well.

Friday - Chippy tea!

Friday night is a chip shop tea! No cooking, no fuss and the biggest drama is deciding what we fancy.

Saturday - Pizza!

It could be homemade or it could be out of the freezer. Who knows? It depends on the plans for the day.

Sunday - A help yourself evening!

I have no plan for today and everyone can just help themselves to whatever they fancy.

What are you eating this week?

A photo every day for a year! 12th -18th April Week 16 of #Project365

Happy Sunday! I hope you are all having a great weekend. Mine hasn't been so bad so far but I have another cold. Ugh! I thought it was my hayfever playing up when it started on Friday as I was walking to my dad's. I left the house feeling fine but on the way, walking past all the trees and flowers, I felt a scratchy feeling in the back of my nose. By the time I got to my dad's, it was running and my eyes were streaming, then came the sneezing, which is totally typical for hayfever. Friday night I went to bed and I was full on snotty and sneezing. As of writing this yesterday, I don't feel much better but I suppose at least the worst of it is happening over the weekend and I am hoping to feel better by tomorrow. I am totally blaming Becky for bringing it home from work. She had a cold last weekend but I thought I had escaped catching it. Ugh!

Now for a photo every day!

102/365 12th April

This photo sums up our Sunday. At one point it got so dark outside that it looked like it was about to chuck it down and I am pretty sure it did at some point. We were all sat in the living room, full from lunch, watching TV and it just got darker and darker. We kept saying we should put the light on but no one moved, we just sat there in the dark being lazy.

103/365 13th April

Stu was out for the afternoon and came back with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts! This isn't something that happens often as he is not into sweet things, so it doesn’t cross his mind to pick up treats like that. My girls and I love sweet treats so we were very happy.

104/365 14th April

Ellie finally got herself an F1 T-shirt. It came from Primark. Alpine isn’t her favourite team but she really liked the design of the top and it is quite nice.

105/365 15th April

The grape hyacinths are back in the garden in their usual spot, against the fence. I really don't understand how they grow there as it is so shaded but every year they pop up and do their own thing.

106/365 16th April

My Ew, People T-shirt made an appearance and I still love it just as much as the first time I wore it. It sums up my mood on the days when being sociable is a lot of effort.

107/365 17th April

Ellie ended up helping her grandad with his vintage car, which was really sweet to watch. He needed someone to sit inside and press the brake in and out while he was underneath doing whatever he was doing under the car. It was a two-person job so she arrived just at the right time.

108/365 18th April

It's WrestleMania weekend! I set a reminder on Netflix which is not needed because there’s no way I’d forget but I'd rather have the reminder set just in case. lol

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