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

We have had a really good week, I have been lost as to what day it has been as the summer holidays are in full swing here, well at least for my family they are. We seem to have been so busy and I have been glad of the past couple of days when we haven't had much on. I am of course linking up to the Friday Favorites with Erika and Andrea as I have quite a few things from the last week which I have loved!

Seeing my dad!

My dad wasn't too well last week, he thinks he has had Covid again but nothing compared to the last twice that he's had it. He felt tired and drained more than anything. He is not one to sleep late or stay in bed but he did and it just wasn't like him. We were ordered to stay away until he was well and as soon as he was we went to see him. He is fine now, it could have been Covid but I think he just works too hard. He's 76 and sometimes forgets that! 

Show weekend! 

I have a whole blog post next week about the fun we had over the weekend when the agricultural show was on locally. By Monday I felt like I could sleep for a week as we were out and about more than usual. We had so much fun, ate so much lovely food and laughed lots. I have to say Friday was the highlight for me, we all got dressed up, went to the pub and sung and danced to an ABBA tribute band, Swede Dreamz. They were fantastic.

Time off work!

My fella Stu took Saturday off work which felt like a real treat, he could enjoy Friday night with not having to worry about getting to bed early and he could come along to the show! A couple of months ago Becky was told by her manager that she had to take some holidays as she had too many saved up. She booked this past week off which came as a surprise as I thought she had next week off, she has that off too!! She's only taken 7 days holidays but as her shifts work it means she gets the whole 2 weeks! 

Baby pumpkins! 

Last week and just before I was worrying about my plants but they have all came back to life after not being watered enough and are thriving! I have noticed a couple of my pumpkin plants doing especially well, I have baby pumpkins on a few! Hooray! 

My girls getting along!

My girls argue like cats and dogs! They always have and no doubt always will but over the past week they have been a little nicer to each other and have got along pretty well even when my youngest was trying to put make up on her sister. Becky never wears make up and we had such a giggle when Ellie was trying to convince her to put a little bit of mascara on and maybe a bit of bronzer. She stood her ground and Ellie just put extra on herself. lol They went off to town together on Wednesday, Becky needed a couple of things and wanted the company so Ellie went too. They had lunch out and a look around the shops. I do love it when they are like this, it won't last but I am enjoying it while it does!

Meatloaf!

A while ago we got the lamb meatloaf from one of the Gousto boxes that I ordered and it was a favourite of ours. I used beef mince as lamb mince seems so expensive. Usually I cook it in the oven but I thought I would try it in the air fryer and it turned out even better than before! I have just about stopped using my oven now, almost everything I can cook in there I can cook in the air fryer!

A rainy day!

On Tuesday it rained nearly all day and it was welcome, after a busy weekend and Monday we needed a good excuse to stay home and the awful weather meant we didn't have to feel guilty about not going out. We stayed in, watched Greys Anatomy, sorted the piles of clean washing and gave the house a good tidy.

Football!

I was going to say this is probably the last time you will hear me talk about football here on my blog until the World Cup happens in 2026 but England are through to the finals of the UEFA European Football Championship (the Euro's) which is such a big deal! England beat Switzerland on Saturday though penalties, that never happens, we never win on penalties when it gets down to the final few teams! On Wednesday it was the semi final against the Netherlands and England again left it to the last minute to get the win, they did though and on Sunday we play Spain in the final! Eek! 

What have you loved over the last week?

A bored jar and 50 ideas for teenagers and young adults.

A little while ago I saw a blog post from Our Grand Lives about a summer fave! Fun in the sun activities jar! It is something I used to do with my girls when they were little and if they were feeling bored they would pick something out of the jar and we would do it. Back then it involved things like play Lego, make Play-dough or slime, bake or go to the park.

How to use a Bored Jar!

Prepare the Jar: Write each activity on a separate piece of paper and fold them up. Place all the papers in the jar.

Pick an Activity: Whenever you're bored or looking for something to do, draw a piece of paper from the jar and complete the activity.

Now my girls are older the things we used to have in our Bored jars just don't work anymore but I got myself thinking about doing one this summer. Becky has days off from work, Ellie has a long summer and there will be days when we don't know what to do with ourselves, this is what I have came up with.

1. Go on a walk.

2. Tidy your bedrooms properly.

3. Go to McDonalds.

4. Bake something new.

5. Create a new playlist on Spotify.

6. Research your family tree.

7. Make your own ice lollies.

8. Message a friend that you haven't spoken to in a while.

9. Read a book.

10. Go for a bike ride.

11. Cut the grass in the garden.

12. Make some TikTok videos.

13. Play a board game.

14. Plan your dream holiday.

15. Go on a picnic.

16. Write a blog post for your mam.

17. Make cupcakes.

18. Play a new game on your computer.

19. Create a time capsule.

20. Go to the pub.

21. Paint your nails.

22. Vacuum and dust the whole of downstairs.

23. Have a water balloon fight.

24. Watch a documentary. 

25. Go to the cinema.

26. Do a jigsaw.

27. Watch a concert (off the TV).

28. Meet your dad from work.

29. Eat an ice cream or ice lolly while sitting in the garden.

30. Go for a soak in the bath.

31. Write a bucket list.

32. Video chat with one of your friends.

33. Do some adult colouring.

34. Watch a new to you TV show.

35. Go for a look around the charity shops.

36. Draw or paint a picture.

37. Create a wish list of things you want for your birthday.

38. Go to the beach.

39. Create a scrapbook.

40. Play on your laptop without me nagging.

41. Try new hairstyles or makeup.

42. Make your own lemonade.

43. Go and visit Grandad.

44. Listen to a podcast or an audiobook.

45. Do a Lego set.

46. Write a letter to someone.

47. Watch a Christmas movie

48. Weed the garden.

49. Visit the farm shop.

50. Do a face mask! Pamper yourself.

What sort of things will keep your children occupied during the summer?

The Big Butterfly Count!

 Leading wildlife charity, Butterfly Conservation, has revealed the dates of this year’s highly anticipated Big Butterfly Count! It will take place from the 12th of July until the 4th of August! Will you be taking part?

The Big Butterfly Count is a nationwide citizen science survey aimed at helping the experts assess the health of our environment. This annual event encourages you to go out into your garden, local green space or the countryside to spend 15 minutes counting butterflies. The information gathered helps scientists to understand how butterflies and moths are faring, informs conservation projects, government policies and supports other experts with their research and vital work to protect our planet.

It is open to anyone, of any age, in any part of the UK - towns, cities or the countryside. No green space is too small. A back garden, a small terrace or balcony with some pot plants, a public park, allotment or country lane are all important spaces to explore, track and report.

How to take part:

Simply count the butterflies that you see for 15 minutes during bright (preferably sunny) weather during the Big Butterfly Count dates. This time of year is the best because most butterflies are at the adult stage of their lifecycle so more likely to be seen.

If you are counting from a fixed position in your garden, count the maximum number of each species that you can see at a single time. For example, if you see three Red Admirals together on a bush then record it as 3, but if you only see one at a time then record it as 1 (even if you saw one on several occasions) - this is so that you don't count the same butterfly more than once.

If you are doing your count on a walk, then simply total up the number of each butterfly species that you see during the 15 minutes.

Also please remember that if you don't see any butterflies then let them know that too. It is very important that we know if there are areas where butterflies are not being seen, this may indicate a wider problem.

You can do as many counts as you want to. You can submit separate records for different dates at the same place and for different places that you visit. And your count is useful even if you do not see any butterflies or moths.

To add your counts go to The Big Butterfly Count or download the free Big Butterfly Count app!

Last year more than 135,000 Counts took place up and down the country with participants spending a combined total of almost four years counting butterflies which I think is amazing! Butterflies are more than just pretty insects fluttering in our gardens. They are vital pollinators, indicators of environmental health, and key players in the food web. They are so important to our world.

Do you see many butterflies when you are out and about?

Share our Lives - A day in my life!

This months Share Our Lives linky prompt is: Day in the life, Summer edition. I had this post all planned for what was going to be a lovely summer's day, housework, lunch out at the pub, then watch the football but then things happened and the day went on way longer than it should have and our plans changed dramatically. This was my Tuesday the 25th of June.

I woke up when my youngest Ellie was getting ready for college (or so I thought) just after half past seven and I got out of bed soon after. I could already tell it was going to be a scorcher of a day. We were in the middle of a mini heatwave. It was set to be 25C. Before I had even had a cup of tea I got some wet washing out on the line! It was the last load that I had to do, I did think about changing all of the beds but it is such a workout and didn't fancy it with it being so warm.

At around 10am I decided that I would prepare our evening meal as our kitchen gets so hot on an afternoon. Beef Meatball & Tomato Farfalle. I had the back door open and it was still so hot so it was such a good idea to cook it when I did.

I went back in the living room and did a bit of blog reading and commenting while I cooled down a little and my next job on my to do list was sort out all of the washing that I had got done the day before. I always say to myself as soon as it comes off the line or out of the dryer I am going to sort it and put it away upstairs! I never do and then I am left with a pile like this!!

I had a look on social media and saw that there was 50% off food at our local pub all day because England were playing in their final match of the group stage in the Euro's football tournament. Becky was home and I suggested we go out for a late lunch after she had a tidy in her bedroom and put her clothes away. I still had to get dressed as I was still in shorts and vest top so she had plenty of time.

We headed off to the pub at about half past one. I did mean to get a photo of Becky in her shorts as she never wears shorts, she never shows off her legs but has started to feel more confident about herself but by the time we had got to the pub, got a lemonade and sat down we forgot all about the photo. We said we'd get one on the way home. We ordered onion rings, a chip butty and a fish finger butty and decided to share them and have half of each which was such a great idea.

Becky and I finished lunch and were sat chatting, we had just ordered another drink, luckily it was lemonade and not another cider that we had with lunch. I then got a phone call from Ellie's college. The safeguarding team said they had her and she was very drunk and unwell. I do not allow her to drink alcohol unless it's at Christmas and it's Bucks Fizz and I certainly didn't know she had been skipping college so it came as quite the shock.

The short version of the story is she had been drinking vodka with friends, got steaming drunk and was outside all day which meant she had a bit of heat stroke too. We took her off to hospital where they kept her in to fill her with fluids and keep an eye on her.

It was no fun in A&E waiting to be seen. We got there a little after 4pm and saw various people who checked different things, took blood, blood pressure and did and ECG. It got to 8pm and we were still in the main waiting area. I was filling her with water which of course was making her vomit, thank goodness for the cardboard bowls.

At around 9pm we were admitted to the assessment unit with a bed and a bit of privacy. She was going to be kept in for the night so they could keep an eye on her and make sure she wasn't severely dehydrated (she was). My dad came and took me home so I could grab some things like pj's for Ellie and comfy clothes and I went straight back to the hospital. Ellie had a cannula put in and that was an ordeal as they couldn't find a vein as she was dehydrated and it turns out she has really small veins.

Ellie is 16 years old and is classed as an adult so we were panicking that she would have to stay in hospital by herself but thankfully they said I could stay with her and I am glad I could. Ellie was vomiting at least every half hour between about 11pm and 5am. She hit the bowl every time apart from once at about 3am. The amazing nurses came in to change the bed and help her get changed as she had a drip in, giving her fluids. It was then I went in the corridor and sobbed. I had 5 minutes of not being the strong one and then went back with Ellie. She slept for a couple of hours on and off between 5am and 7am and I slept for about 30 seconds at a time, I think. Coffee and adrenalin kept me going. I think I had about 10 minutes sleep in all that night.

By the time morning came around Ellie was much better in herself, she had stopped vomiting and was just much brighter. There were a lot of tears from us both but then they brought toast and once she had something in her stomach she felt much better about everything. She was still dehydrated and her bloods were coming back not right due to the alcohol poisoning which meant more fluids and blood tests. Her dad came back to the hospital just after 9am and we sat for the day with more blood tests, moved to a different ward and more tests.

They wanted to keep her in for longer and did. She ended up having another night in hospital and we were finally allowed home on the Thursday. There is a lot more to the story about my youngest which I have chosen not to share.

So there you have it, a day in my life. Not the one I had planned and it was extra long. The food I cooked in the morning mostly went to waste and we missed watching England in their match but I don't think we missed much, there were no goals but they got through to the next round. Ellie is absolutely fine now and gave herself (and us) such a scare she has swore never to drink alcohol again until she is much older. It was a lesson learned the hard way!

I am linking up with:

 Adrienne from Mom Life with Adrienne.

Dara from Not In Jersey.

Jen from Show me & Sweet tea.

Joanne from Slices of Life.

Sarah from Toronto Sam.