What I have loved this week! Week 25. #FridayFavourites

Hello there and happy Friday! This past week seems to have flown over and it feels like I don't have much to show for it. It has not been a bad week though, just busy!

I am here today to share some of the things that I have loved this week and I am of course linking up with Erika and Andrea to share them.

Summer Solstice!

Yesterday was the longest day of the year and it actually felt like summer. There was no threat of rain and as I am writing this it is 18C but it felt warmer. We have had quite a bit of rain over the past week but the flowers in my garden have started to bloom thanks to it. The weather forecast is looking good for the next week too! Sunshine and warmer temperatures. Hooray! It feels like summer is actually here!

Football!

The Euro's are happening, the The UEFA European Football Championship and the country has gone football mad again. I am going to write more about it in my Word of the Week post tomorrow but I have watched a lot of football over the past week and I am loving it. England were playing last night and I am so disappointed in them, they did not play well at all but did manage a 1-1 draw. We should go through to the next round.

Father's Day! 

We all had a lovely day on Sunday, we went to see my dad to give him the gifts that he didn't want me to buy and of course he loved them. A cheese hamper with different flavoured cheese, crackers and chutney and some fancy ginger biscuits. We had lunch and then went to the pub for a couple of drinks, it was so busy but we had a fab time.

Gel nails!

Last Friday I did my own gel nails and they are still going strong. I know they don't look the greatest but they are better than when I first did them earlier in the year. lol I thought they were going to be bright red, when I put it on it was red but dried more of an orange colour! I love it! Now I am thinking the other colours which I bought in the set might not be the colours that they look like straight out of the bottle. I have a blue, green, pink and a lilac.

Doctor Who!

The new series is coming to an end and there's just one more episode left! I have really loved the new Doctor and his companion Ruby Sunday! They have brought something different from all the previous Doctors and companions. I am so tempted to stay up tonight to watch the new episode at midnight when it is released on the BBC iPlayer. Who is Ruby’s mum? What’s was Susan Triad’s dreams all about? And there has to be more to Mrs Flood!

Hay fever tablets! 

I woke up on Monday thinking I had a cold, I felt rotten but then my eyes started itching and puffed up. I took a hay fever tablet and in a few hours I was feeling much better! I have suffered this week when I wake in the morning. I am not happy about the hay fever but I am glad it wasn't a cold. I have only been bothered with hay fever since we moved here 5 years ago, we are surrounded by fields and my poor nose does not like it. 

Inside Out 2!

It's not one of my favourites but my girls. They have been to see it twice, once on Saturday and then they went to see it in 3D yesterday. The first time they saw it they didn't wait until the very end and there was a little extra bit after the end credits. I thought I had taught them better, always stay right until the end. I learned that from Marvel movies. They said it was even better 2nd time around.

What have you loved this week?

No ID to vote, no worries! Get a free Voter Authority Certificate!

I don't like to talk politics on here but I was talking to someone the other day about the upcoming election and they said they are not voting as they have no photo ID. I informed them that they could apply for photo ID to vote called a ‘Voter Authority Certificate! Don't let a lack of photo ID prevent you from exercising your right to vote. This upcoming general election is an important one. Even my brother who has never voted in his life is going to in this one!

A new law was brought in over the last couple of years that you need a photo ID to vote in any elections. For people like me who doesn't have a driving license or passport meant that I couldn't vote until I heard about the Voter Authority Certificate! I applied for one early last year which only took about 10 minutes online, the biggest chunk of my time was getting a passport style photo, just on my phone. It was easy and in less than a week I had the sheet of paper and the ability to vote!

The deadline to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate to vote in the UK Parliamentary general election is 5pm on Wednesday 26th June!

Here is how you can apply for a free voter ID certificate!

Check eligibility:

Ensure you are registered to vote.

Confirm that you don't have any of the accepted forms of photo ID.

Prepare your required information:

You need your National Insurance number. If you don’t have a National Insurance number, you can provide other proofs of identity, such as birth certificate, bank statement, utility bill, etc.

You also need a recent, digital passport style photograph. The photo needs to be of your head and shoulders, with your face uncovered. It needs to be clear and in focus, in colour, against a plain, light coloured background, your true likeness and with no photoshop or filters, just like a normal passport photo.

Application Methods:

Online Application:

Visit the official Government website.

Complete the online form with your personal details and upload your photo.

Paper Application:

Download and print the application form from the government website.

Fill out the form and attach a recent, passport style photograph.

Send the completed form to your local electoral registration office. The address can be found on the Electoral Commission website.

In-person Application:

Visit your local electoral registration office.

Fill out the application form and provide the necessary documentation.

The staff can assist you with taking and uploading your photograph if needed.

The free voter ID doesn't have an expiry date but they are expected to last roughly 10 years as you will need to continue to look like the photograph. 

Are you ready to vote?

Pizza Scrolls - Recipe!

Did you know that this week is National Picnic Week? National Picnic Week is an annual celebration that invites people to connect with nature, enjoy good food, and create lasting memories through the simple pleasure of picnicking.

What better way to enhance your picnic experience than with a batch of these scrumptious pizza scrolls? They combine the classic flavours of pizza with the convenience of a hand held snack, making them an ideal addition to your picnic basket.

Pizza scrolls are versatile allowing you to customise them with your favourite toppings and fillings. Whether you prefer a traditional pepperoni and cheese combination or a veggie packed option these scrolls are sure to satisfy everyone's cravings. They're not just a treat for your taste buds but also a fun and interactive way to celebrate National Picnic Week!

Makes 12 scrolls

Ingredients:

220ml of warm water.

1 packet (7g) of fast action yeast.

400g of strong bread flour and a little extra for flouring your surfaces.

1 tablespoon of sugar.

1 teaspoon of salt.

A jar of tomato pizza sauce.

Grated mozzarella cheese.

Fresh basil leaves.

Equipment:

A measuring jug

A large mixing bowl

A rolling pin

A spoon

A knife

A 20 x 30cm baking tin lined with parchment

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan).

Add the yeast to the 220ml warm water in the measuring jug. Set to one side while you combine the bread flour, sugar and salt in the large mixing bowl.

Add the yeast/water to the dry ingredients and bring together with your hands to form a dough. Tip out onto a floured work surface and knead for 5 to10 minutes before returning to the bowl and leaving in a warm place to prove for at least 30 minutes.

Once the dough has doubled in size, knock it back by pushing the air out of the dough with your fist and tip it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle, keeping the thickness around 5mm. 

Use the spoon to spread the pizza sauce evenly all over the dough before sprinkling with the cheese and three quarter of the basil, roughly torn. Roll It all up into a long sausage shape and cut into 12 portions.

Place the scrolls swirl side up in the baking tin, leaving a bit of space for expansion in between each one and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden. Allow to cool slightly before topping with the remaining fresh basil leaves and serving.

This recipe is from the Easy Peasy Baking campaign, launched by UK Flour Millers, making baking simple. You can find more Easy Peasy Baking recipes and information on the campaign over on the Fab Flour website.

5 years living here!

Oh how time flies and the last 5 years really has! This time 5 years ago we were getting ready to move from Northumberland in the North East of England down to near Scunthorpe. I still don't know how to describe where we live. Sometimes people say it's Yorkshire, sometimes the midlands and sometimes it's just North Lincolnshire but if you are reading from say London do you know where North Lincolnshire is? It's not the most well known areas. For people who aren't around here I just say we live over the bridge from Hull. lol

Next week is 5 years since we moved here and I can honestly say things have changed for the better. All of my family have changed, relaxed and feel so much happier here than we ever did in Northumberland. Yes, we had some good times there but in 5 years things have just been better! 

When we moved here both Stu and I couldn't sleep because it was so quiet! There was no drunken fools walking home from town, there was no one fighting on the street and there certainly have never been any drugs raids in the houses around us. In fact if we see a police car now we get shocked and wonder what is going on. 

A few days after moving here I wrote this blog post about how it felt like a whole new world and in some ways it still does. I still can't get used to all the green, grass, fields and flowers. I thought by now my body would have got used to it all but I am suffering with hay fever for another year it seems. That is the only negative I have about living here but I wouldn't change it. I love having a garden even if I am having a battle with weeds at the moment. There is nothing better than hanging washing out on the line!

When we first moved here I thought I would miss being in walking distance to the main high street but living where we do we have the best of both worlds. Scunthorpe is a short bus ride away and Hull not much further and with the £2 bus fares even if I did drive I still wouldn't drive to Hull with the bridge toll and parking costs. Yes, sometimes I miss being able to nip to McDonalds or Costa but in the long run it has saved us money! I rely on online shopping for the groceries and random things but that's fine. We do have a little Tesco and Co-op locally so it's not like we go without. Now when we go to town it feels like more of a treat than an every day thing.

I have seen the biggest changes in the girls. Yes, in 5 years they would have changed but I think if we had stayed in Northumberland Becky would be plodding along unhappily doing goodness knows what and Ellie, I don't know. There might have been a mental breakdown or two. I'd like to say I was exaggerating but she was not in a good place mentally when we left Northumberland. 

When we left Northumberland Ellie was suffering with social anxiety but now she is a totally different girl. I wouldn't say she is fully confident in everything but she has came out of her shell! She sailed through school doing well in her GCSE's and is almost finished her first year of Electrical Engineering in college.

Becky works full time, night shift in a care home. She loves her job and the residents. She said it's a job she could see herself staying in for life. It's close to home, the hours suit her and the money is good! Soon after moving here Becky came out to us as bisexual and over the last 5 years she has had a few girlfriends. She has been seeing her currant girlfriend for about a year now and is happy. She said if we still lived in Northumberland she would not have came out to us or anyone. Things were different there.

We live in a small town which has a village feel to it. Everyone knows everyone and I feel like we are getting there with the locals. We have had some moments when we have felt like outsiders but I just name drop my dad as he has lived here for almost 15 years and all is good. hehehe 

The best thing about living here is having my dad up the road! We see him a couple of times a week, he's a busy man but I still speak to him most nights on the phone. The girls have a great relationship with him and his partner. He is so proud of them both. Some people look down on carers but he thinks Becky is amazing for being one and he has really taken Ellie under his wing when it comes to her being an electrical engineer. He has had her doing wiring and has been buying her tools.

I think we moved at the best ever time! We moved here at the end of June and by early 2020 the world was in lockdown because of Coronavirus. I think if we were in Northumberland when that happened we would have fallen apart as a family. In the job Stu had in Northumberland he would have still been working during the lockdowns but here he had a few months at home as he wasn't an essential worker.

I have said this is my forever home! If the landlord ever wants to sell I will beg, borrow and steal to keep it! I couldn't imagine living anywhere else!