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Movies, meals and muddling through life January 2020

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It’s a brand new year and I still can’t quite get used to the fact that we are in 2020. Does anyone else still find it really strange? Life seems to be moving way too fast these days and I’m trying my very best to enjoy all of the moments. I haven’t done one of these general life updates in a little while. I have really struggled to reclaim my writing mojo but I’ve started to plan out some writing time in my days just 30 mins here or there and I am slowly getting back into it.

So what’s been happening?

Well the answer is lots. But let’s do this the way I always do, starting with movies:

Movies

The last three months have been quite film/movie heavy. In the cinema I’ve seen Frozen 2, Cats, Ford v Ferrari and Last Christmas. My favourite was Frozen 2, it’s a truly excellent film and I enjoyed it far more than the first. Fave moments for me include the Samantha scene and Kristoff’s 80s style ballad. Last Christmas was predictably cheesy but also made me think…a lot. As for Cats. Well. I can’t really begin to explain it. The kids loved it but I spent most of the film looking at my older sister and wondering what on earth was going on. It’s properly weird but I’m glad I’ve seen it so I can actually understand the reviews 😂.

Photo by Myke Simon on Unsplash

On Netflix we have watched a wide range of kids films and Christmas Prince films and I have also watched Marriage Story and rewatched About Time again.

TV/Netflix shows

I don’t watch a lot of normal tv. I cancelled my tv licence last year as it was such a rarity so now I only watch terrestrial tv at my parents house. Last month I watched Gavin and Stacey which I quite enjoyed, mainly as I watched with all my family. Funny to see how various characters had aged or in some cases had not due to various face treatments. On Netflix I have watched a fair bit including You, Dirty John, Don’t F*** with Cats, People V OJ and an assortment of food related shows. You is a fairly creepy series which is focused on the life and loves of Joe Goldberg a handsome young romantic who has serial killer tendencies- fascinating but also creepy. People v OJ was really interesting and well cast. Don’t f*** with cats is a quite distressing watch and I wouldn’t watch it again, in fact if I had know what it was about I wouldn’t have watched it the first time but once you start it has you gripped!

Meals

My food life has been a little boring of late. I’ve had to spend a lot of time indoors and I ended up cancelling all of my Christmas work meals etc and to be honest I’m not sad about that. I am back to creating in the kitchen a bit more, not quite ready to share recipes but I’ll get there soon. Aside from the odd breakfast out with my mam, sisters and the girls I haven’t eaten out since maybe November when we had our fake Christmas meal. I am making some changes to what I eat at home, cutting down a little on meat consumption and just cooking mostly from scratch again.

Health

Ah where do I begin? It’s been a year of poor health which ended up with severe break and dislocation in my toe from stubbing a cardboard box, seriously. I’m healing up now thankfully and just awaiting results from my back MRI which took place just before New Years. I have managed to regain the heavy weight loss from earlier in the year so now I am just trying to maintain a healthy weight and exercise lightly when possible.

Life in general

I can’t deny that the last year has been incredibly stressful, probably the most stressful one of my life so far but I have definitely learned from it, I am not sure how much stronger I am for it but it’s taught me things. I do want to try and do a little more with the blog this year and also find some way to use it for good, whether it’s to help raise awareness for charities I support or to talk about important issues. The girls are flourishing and getting so clever and funny. They are great company these days and we talk about the most random of things and dance about the house to silly songs, current fave is Dance Monkey by The Tones.

The New Year

I’m not making resolutions this year but there are a few things that I started late last year which I’ll be continuing with. One is looking for the positives, I find it all too easy to be negative and I really want that to be a change for me. Last year with positive advent I made a point each day of finding all the little things which were positive in my day so I’m continuing with that. I’m also keeping a journal, one from Amazon which is one line a day ( actually about 3 lines) for 5 years, I think it’ll be interesting to read back on the different days and compare things. Each page of the journal has five spaces for each year for that particular day. This is the one I have:

I am also trying to walk each day even if it’s just a little, I still can’t overdo things as in a lot of pain with my back but walking is so incredibly good for my mental health that I owe it to myself to prioritise it. I’m also actually considering the food I cook and eat, making sure to eat proper meals even when the girls aren’t around rather than forgetting then grabbing some sugary laden treat when I feel rubbish. I know this year will hold challenges, it always does but by taking care of myself more maybe I’ll be better prepared for them.

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Part Time Veggie

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I’ve often toyed with the idea of being a vegetarian or part time veggie for various reasons, financial and also along with most people I don’t like the idea of animals being killed or treated badly.

For years I’ve tried incredibly hard to use up all of the meat both to save money but also because I hate to waste meat more than anything else. If I cook a whole chicken then I use every part of it. Use by dates are noted and meat frozen if not used in time. I try to find free range meat where possible if I have been able to afford it. But I still feel like I eat too much meat. Most main meals ( evening) are centred around meat and often lunch will be tuna pasta or a ham sandwich etc. It’s something I’ve become used to as have the girls but I really do enjoy veg heavy meals so a change is needed.

Now I will say quite honestly that I don’t plan to become veggie as I do like meat and enjoy having it regularly – I know lots will disagree with that opinion but we are all entitled to our own and this is mine. I have however decided to cut down on my meat consumption. Every week will have two entirely meat free days. They won’t be the same two days each week as I’ll adapt for when suits best but I will do the two days every week and aim to do meat free Monday as much as possible.

I’ve looked into this a little and chatted to others who do this and there are apparently a lot of benefits from going meat free for at least one day a week. From helping with the environment to better heart health and the obvious one is financial.

I’ll keep you posted on how I get on. I plan on making lots of dishes using butter beans and chickpeas plus hearty vegetable stews and curries. If I enjoy it and find it maintainable I may look at going 50/50 but I do enjoy meat a lot and don’t ever anticipate it being a full time thing.

Are you vegetarian/vegan? Any recipes I have to try out?

Photo by Edgar Castrejon on Unsplash

Everyday Positivity

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Happy New Year all. Hope the festive period was kind to you. I’ve spent the last fortnight in a bubble of family and food. Which of course is great but Christmas ends and January is hard on lots of us. Typically over the years January has been one of my hardest months, I have always found NYE pretty tough and the expectations that a New Year brings.

if I am being completely honest with you the reader, I have to admit that sometimes I can be a little too negative. The last few years haven’t been exactly straight forward and it can be all too easy to focus on the bad. There were so many times in 2019 when I sat and had a cry and felt sorry for myself. Crying isn’t always a bad thing and can definitely be good for the soul but some days it never seemed to end.

Towards the end of November whilst waiting for various hospital appointments to swing around for this constant back pain I broke and dislocated my toe – badly. For a few days I let that useless, painful feeling consume me. Breaking a toe probably doesn’t seem like a big deal unless you of course are the only adult in your home and you don’t drive! Combined with it arriving at that time of year when I had so many grand plans with the kids and well it broke me. I was in severe pain and I don’t tolerate pain meds very well so aside from the first 48 hours with gas and air to get it back in place and codeine I stuck it out after that with paracetamol. I ended up spending way too much time on my own and often felt stuck at home. My family as always were amazing, my sister in law ran the kids to school as often as she could, my parents showered me in their usual kindness and I was incredibly thankful for them. And just in general my family were ace. But it was so hard and I think it was the icing on the cake which made me really start to despair a bit at just how much was always going wrong.

I hated feeling that way. Lost, sad and frustrated.

On December 1st I made a pledge to myself to start focusing on the positives in my day, even if that day all I was thankful for was good coffee and a warm home. These little things, they are the big things. I shared on Twitter my plan for a Positive Advent and I invited others to join in, you can read about that here. I tried to do it every day without making it a chore, I skipped a day here and there, because some days it is really hard to force cheeriness. But for the most part I stuck with it, and so did others, so many of you joined in whether it was once or twice or every day and wow it helped. In fact by the end my original Positive Advent tweet reached nearly 20k people with nearly 1k engagements/responses.

When December 24th came and went and with it the end of Positive Advent I decided that this should be something I continue to do. And so along came Everyday Positivity. Finding little things about my day, maybe making a note here or there and a few times a week I’ll share them online. I don’t want it to be a challenge or a task I have to do but rather a burst of positivity in your feed every now and again. I have already begun to see that I am seeing more and more good things in my day. Minor things that would have upset me previously don’t seem quite so big a deal when I compare them to the good things. Yesterday my microwave broke and my back was incredibly sore but I also got to spend time with my big sis and her children for the first time in a few months ( she lives in Kent ). I had an evening with my mother and sisters while my kids played happily with their cousins and I came home to a cat in need of fuss and a warm house thanks to a well set timer. I’m starting to realise that life is hard for everyone, even for those whose lives seem rosy. We all have challenges, health issues, money worries etc. Maybe not all at the same time as has seemed this year but I’m stronger for it. By sharing these positive things I hope to help my brain focus on the right stuff, I also hope that others will see the occasional tweet and feel encouraged to seek out the good in their days.

If you are a regular follower maybe don’t expect me to be a ray of sunshine on a daily basis but know that I am trying. In all the ways that I can.

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow. 

Helen Keller

positive
Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

Filed Under: Life ·

Positive Advent 2019

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Social media can be kind of crazy. Some days you feel like you are talking into a void. You say something, you may even thing it’s a clever something or a funny something but not a single reply out of 6000+ followers. I remember when that used to bother me, just slightly and before I realised that the majority of people these days follow 500+ people each. Not everyone will see your tweet about your cat walking like a human and that’s ok. I tend to use Twitter more these days for ramblings, catching up with news and bookmarking funny cat videos for the kids. It’s still one of my favourite social channels alongside Instagram.

This week I had one of those thoughts. About how nice it would be to share positive thoughts and thankful thoughts in the lead up to Christmas. I’ll admit that if I’m very stressed or ill I can feel low quite quickly and I wanted to challenge myself to start seeing more positives in my day than negatives. Positive Advent began. I decided that each day I’d share an amount of positive thoughts that correlated with the date so on the 1st I shared one, today I’ll share two and so on until the 24th when I hope to share 24! 

Yes 24 positive or thankful things from one day! How will I find them? I’m not sure. Some days certainly feel more negative than positive
But that’s the point. Finding the little things and far more importantly actually noticing them and shining a light on it.

Yesterday was the first day. I popped a tweet out and well it surprised me. So many of you. Replying, retweeting and YAY joining in. It was a good feeling. A really good feeling. Even if you don’t join in I encourage you to read the various replies on the hashtag, it brightened my whole day reading the responses and seeing my feed so positive and happy. Thanks to you all!

I’ve put a brief description of what Positive Advent is below, no super strict rules or guidelines. I may blog about it each week and feel free to join in with that but there’s no pressure to link back or credit me etc. Just enjoy it.

Positive Advent 

Post something which you are thankful for each day or something positive happening in your life. Each day increased the amount. The important thing to note is each day you are increasing the amount of good things you are looking for rather than adding one new thing each day. Hopefully in time helping those partaking to notice positives over negatives more often.

Day 1 – one thankful or positive note
Day 24 – twenty four thankful or positive notes 

Don’t feel obligated to join in every day. This is meant to help improve your mental health not add more pressure. Join in once, every day, every week or not at all. Be a lurker and just join in from the sidelines. Do whatever suits you or nothing at all, I am doing this for me rather than to have hundreds joining in. Every one who does join is a bonus 😊.

Thanks for reading and for all of you who replied yesterday – thank you for lifting my spirits.

If you want to follow this on social media you can do so by using the hashtag #positiveadvent – prior to yesterday it hadn’t been used in a few year so should mostly be related to this challenge. Note to self: get a brand new hashtag next time.

You can follow me on twitter here or Instagram here but you don’t need to be following to join in, please feel free to tag me though as I’d love to read more positivity in my feed.

positive advent

Image courtesy of Annie Spratt on Unsplash. Go check her out, she’s amazing.

Christmas Gift Guide 2019

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It’s that time of year again and I don’t know about you but I am feeling reasonably well organised this time. I have a good idea in my head of what the girls want for christmas and my family started a new tradition so we each buy for one other family rather than individual gifts for each child. I am one of ten children for those who don’t know and most of us have children now and as you can imagine it can get both costly and stressful. Instead we now draw names out of a hat and buy one more expensive gift for that family or couple. I made a small hamper of gifts last year for my brother and his wife and children and this year I am doing the same but for a different brother and his family. I don’t have the budget to go crazy for my children and I am also sensible enough to know that children don’t need £300’s worth of gifts at the ages of 6 and 8. The time will come when they will request iPads and fancy trainers I’m sure but for now they have a sensible pile of gifts and a stocking with bits and bobs. I still buy for my parents and the girls grandparents etc so I have rounded up a selection of gifts for men, women, children and even your cat. Hope it helps!

Please note some items have been gifted for inclusion, some are random bits I’ve found or brands I like to support:

For the kids:

Nestling:

One of the new toy crazes for this year. I think the girls will have lots of fun with this super cute Nestling:

Adopt an animal:

Izzy is a real animal lover and I think she will love this adopt an animal tin from The Personalised gift Shop. There are a few different options including Sloths, Llamas and Tigers.

Soft toys

Most kids are obsessed with soft toys and I know my girls have their beds covered in cuddly toys for bed. These penguins from The Gift Experience are just gorgeous.

Science in Wonderland

Have yourself a budding scientist on your fan or just a fairy lover? This kit from Smyths toys looks amazing and educational too!

Bookeez

Both girls love to write their own stories and make little booklets out of folded paper so I think they will love this make your own book set from John Adams.

Bic Gelocity Pens

I always include some kind of arts and crafts bits in the present pile or popped into stockings and these pens look great and not too childlike so will meet with the 8 year olds approval!

Johnson’s Baby Gift Set

We are longtime fans of the Johnsons bedtime range and still use it most weeks. I always include bubbles of some kind in the girls stockings as well as bath bombs and new flannels. These gift sets are perfect for parents of young babies up to early years.

Books:

We always have new books for Christmas, both girls are really getting into reading and doing so well that I want to keep encouraging it. This year so far I have ordered The Excitable Edgar book from John Lewis and am looking at a new Matt Haig book too – we loved the Truth Pixie books and Evie and the animals so I’m considering The Girl Who Saved Christmas.

Lava Lamps

Red candy have some gorgeous gift items including this beautiful black and gold lava lamp

Slap Ninja:

Slap Ninja looks like the kind of toy everyone will be pulling out at christmas parties for little kids and big kids alike. really looking forward to doing this with the kids!

For grown ups and big kids:

Sous Chef:

Sous Chef have a huge range of gorgeous food and kitchen related items in their online store including these salted caramel truffles from Artisan Du Chocolat

Yumbles:

Yumbles is another food and drink based website with lots of gifting options including this night before christmas hamper:


RTC100 Tyre Inflator

For the people who like more useful gifts, this digital tyre inflator may save some trips to the garage!

Nextbase Dash cam:

Next base have a range of dash cams to suit all budgets including this one for £149.99 with emergency SOS and Alexa built in.

The Ribman Gift sets

Have a food lover in your life? The Ribman has some great sauces and gift sets that nearly always sell out so go check them out and quick!

Yankee Candle:

If you know me at all you know I love candles and I was sent a gorgeous Sweet Maple Chai candle from Yankee and it smells incredible.

dav

Quality St at John Lewis:

Did you know you can order personalised tins of Quality St at John Lewis and choose your own flavours to go inside? I went for the strawberry and orange cremes and the purple ones!

Beanies Coffee

Beanies coffee have lovely gift sets including flavoured coffee jars like this:

Love Leggings

The most comfiest leggings I’ve ever owned. Great for both adults and children and a great price for what you get.

Canvas Prints from Canvas Art Rocks

There are so many gorgeous canvas and poster prints on Canvas Art Rocks, from Banksy murals to fave sporting moments as well as mugs in hundreds of designs. I like this Banksy poster:

Maykher

Maykher is a gorgeous Welsh brand that I love to support. They make the most amazing beanie hats, as well as lots of other products and have recently launched these beautiful candles. They are an ethical and sustainability focused company that I urge you to go find out more about.

The Preservation Society

The Preservation Society owned by the very lovely Angharad is a Welsh food business that I have loved for years! It was one of the very first brands I started to look out for at local food markets and her products are incredible. My favourite used to be the candied jalapeño syrup but everything I have had from her has been 10/10. she has lots of gift options including this Christmas All wrapped Up set or maybe a Jam Subscription package would be perfect for someone you love.

Baked By Mel Barabrith

Mel makes the most incredible Bar Brith and you can order it to be delivered to your home or to a gift recipient. Seriously delicious and a personal recommendation from me!

Guylian Chocs

Guylian have beautiful boxes of chocolates for Christmas this year, they are available in most large supermarkets, I’ve linked to Tesco above for ease of shopping:

Zippo Heatbank

We all know one person who is always cold and this rechargeable heat bank from Zippo is amazing. It also charges up devices such as mobile phones so it is a really handy gadget.


For your cat:

Gus and Bella:

This is a subscription box for cats and cat owners, the Christmas box is delightful. My fave bits were the cat socks and the gorgeous cat bauble for the tree. Tiger’s fave bits were the gingerbread cat nip toy and the sausage treats. I like that each month you get introduced to new cat food brands and get an idea of what your cat may like without forking out on a large pack. get 10% off your first box with code MUNCHIES10.

  • As stated some items have been gifted for inclusion in this gift guide.

The Pork Lovers Tourbus

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*AD* This post was commissioned by Interporc for the Pork Lovers tourbus campaign.

Last week I was invited to join the Pork Lovers roadshow organised by Interporc as it stopped in Cardiff for a brief visit.

Who are Interporc?

The Interprofessional Organization Agrifood of the Porcino of White Coat (INTERPORC), is a non-profit organization which all sectors of the value chain of White coat porcine are represented: Production, transformation and commercialization. It is the most important Interprofessional oranization in the meat sector due to the volume of pork production in our country.

The Pork Lovers Tour bus is a celebration of pork and on board you can learn lots about the various cuts of meat as well as enjoy plenty of delicious samples. The knowledgeable staff are on hand to educate you about the benefits of pork and what cuts are healthiest. There is an onboard nutritionist and chef. The chef cooks various dishes during several demos throughout the day and there are often cookery classes involved too.
I have long been a fan of pork and the Spanish style of eating with Serrano ham and chorizo being particular faves. 

pork lovers

A lot of people don’t typically think of pork as a healthy meat but it has a low saturated fat content and is high protein. For example a 100g serving of pork tenderloin has approximately 290 calories but over 25g of Protein. When dry, the protein content of lean pork can be as high as 89% — making it one of the richest dietary sources of protein. It contains all nine essential amino acids necessary for your body’s growth and maintenance. For those worried about fat content don’t forget you can always trim the fat from various cuts such as pork chops – although for me I’d rather eat a little less and enjoy one of the tastiest parts which to me the fat is.

The chef taught me a simple tasty dish that is easy for home cooks of all levels. 

You will need:

Spanish bacon

A mix of peppers sliced into strips

Red onion cut into long slices

Extra Virgin olive Oil

Mozzarella

We started by frying strips of peppers and red onions in extra virgin olive oil until softened. We then set these aside before cooking 4 rashers of Spanish bacon. Once cooked we layered the strips of bacon so that they overlapped, we then added a pile of cooked peppers and onions and topped with strips of mozzarella. We then wrapped the bacon into a parcel and secured with sticks. We served with the remaining veg and a drizzle of balsamic syrup for a nice flavour contrast…oh and a beautiful glass of Spanish red of course.

The various cuts of meat you can buy especially Serrano and chorizo are just perfect for these last days of Summer. Especially if like me you love some easy Al fresco dining. One of my favourite ways to enjoy is by wrapping Serrano ham or even bacon around asparagus and baking or griddling on the hob. Drizzled with a little good quality oil it’s delicious and easy!

pork lovers tour
pork lovers

What pork dishes do you enjoy? Would you like to see more pork recipes on the blog because I’m inspired right now!

If you can’t wait check out a pork recipe I already have only my site for Candied bacon with Nutella sauce. It’s a favourite for any Pork Lovers!

Thanks to Interporc for inviting to be part of their campaign.

pork,#porkchops, #serranoham, #deliciouspork,#porkloverstouruk, #porkloversuk, #PorkLoversRecipes, #serrano, #jamon, #tapas, #quicklunch, #foodstyle, #tasty, #spanishfood

8 Ways To Enjoy School Holidays On A Budget

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I don’t know about you but I am always a little bit surprised by just how much the summer holidays cost, even when you don’t plan on going away for a real holiday. The cost of keeping your kids entertained 24 hours a day and more importantly fed ( I mean seriously …snack after snack after snack) can be a bit much when you are on an already tight budget. I decided that as much as I wanted to give the girls the best summer holidays I could manage that I realistically couldn’t afford to do paid activities all the time. And that is ok. Kids need some days where they are allowed to be slightly bored, to create their own entertainment and to just play in the house. Don’t let the world of Pinterest and Facebook tell you otherwise. We have chill out days where I catch up on household bits whilst the girls play or craft or colour..or you know what sometimes they just watch telly. We normally end up curled up watching a film with popcorn and having a real lazy day. However I and they would go stir crazy if we did that all the time. Here are some of my favourite and simple budget friendly ideas to keep your little ones busy during the holidays:

Camping in the garden – we have done this quite a lot this year. There are so many benefits to camping by your back door. You have access to a fridge, a bath and of course wifi! There is something so exciting for kids to sleep outdoors, yes you may not get them to sleep super early but in the holidays thats not such a big deal.

Exploring with a checklist – make a list or even just verbally give them 5 items they need to find. We do it with things like funny leaves, a particular colour flower ( we don’t pick them, just have a look and maybe take a photo ) or a cool rock.

Picnic in the park. We probably do this about once a week where we will take some sandwiches and maybe a tub of strawberries and just spend a few hours playing in the park. Often with cousins, sometimes school friends or just us. Our local park is especially lovely at this time of year as there are so many wildflowers.

Kids club at the cinema – most cinemas do kids club screenings every single day of the school holidays from approximately £2.50 per person. If you pick up your own snacks in the supermarket this is really cheap morning out and perfect for the occasional rainy day.

Toy sort out day – now this may not sound much fun but pulling out all of the toys to clean and sort is actually a good way to pass time and also declutter. We look through our books and soft toys regularly. It usually ends up with a handful being donated to charity or younger family members and the kids end up in a corner with forgotten toys for a few hours.

Cooking/baking – if it’s rainy we may bake some banana bread or fairy cakes. If it’s warm we may make chocolate covered strawberries or cornflake cakes so we don’t have to turn the oven on.

Gardening – it is surprising how much of an interest kids can take if you encourage it. We have planted tomatoes, cucumbers and squash amongst other things this year and the kids have helped weed and water most days. They are really excited now that we are almost ready to taste our produce…as am I!

Check your local authority website. There are generally lots of free activities throughout the holidays, including outdoor film screenings and craft days. We recently spent the day at Cardiff Bay’s fake beach. The beach and splash pool were free, we did end up spending out on rides etc but you could do it quite cheaply if you wished. We also discovered these rather incredible lego sculptures.

What are your top tips for keeping kids busy without spending a fortune?

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Noztock 2019 Preview

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Once again this year my younger brother Josh is reviewing Nozstock along with his friend Dan, I’ll hand over to them for this preview of Nozstock 2019:

It’s that time where Britain becomes enthralled in the festival season, where globally known artists flock to the UK’s countryside to perform to scores of revellers. Amidst all this chaos, this weekend, on the Nosworthy dairy farm in Herefordshire the Boutique festival Nozstock will take place. Although small this festival is not to be underestimated; music, food, art, sustainability and community all flow through the very soul of this festival. This year’s theme is The Wizard of Noz so we expect to see some magical costumes and themes.

Last year we were delighted to be asked to join in the fun and the very same has happened this year! So here’s who (and what) we’re looking forward to seeing at the 21st annual Nozstock festival.

Sleaford Mods

Headlining the festival on Friday will be the punky, foul mouthed Sleaford Mods from Nottingham, or as they would say ‘Nottz’ this eccentric duo has toured the UK to premier their album ‘Eton Alive’ and will be livening up the main stage in Nozstock this weekend. If you’re planning on bringing children to the set, it might be worth bringing some earmuffs for them to wear else they may be coming home with some new… words in their vocabulary.

Notable track – Tied up in Nottz

Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard

This denim clad clan from Cardiff are certainly not to be missed at this year’s festival, their 70’s-esque rock and roll sound will surely get the crowds in the mood for a dance. Formed in 2016 this four-piece has certainly gained traction with praise from Radio One and a set at Green Man festival. We’ll certainly be doing the ‘Double Denim Hop’ when these guys perform in the hidden valley.

Notable track – Double Denim Hop

Kings of the Rollers

Performing in the aptly named ‘Cubicles’ KOTR will definitely be dropping some stinkers for the crowds to enjoy, this DJ supergroup consisting of Serum, Bladerunner and Voltage are dominating the scene with their jungle influenced drum and bass sounds. It’s no doubt that KOTR will be keeping the bass rolling all night at Noz.

Notable track – Round Here

Soul II Soul

Are words even needed here? I mean this is a blog post so yes, but it goes without saying, it will be an honour to witness the genius of Soul II Soul in person and I couldn’t think of anywhere better to do so than Nozstock. Formed in London back in 1988 Soul II Soul are showing they are still a force to be reckoned with.

Notable track – Back to Life

Now Nozstock isn’t all about the music, this year we hope to take part in a few ‘extracurricular activities’ like beat the blacksmith, Anzahata yoga workshop, chicken sh** bingo and many, many more. The Wizard of Noz awaits!


  • Press tickets have been provided for this festival. All images have been provided by Nozstock.

Movies, Meals & Muddling Through Life – June 2019

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It’s been a while hey? A lot has been happening in my life since my last movies, meals and muddling post back in Autumn of last year. It has been a stressful and busy time. I haven’t taken as much time for myself as I should have even though I am well aware of the importance of self care and me time. I am working on that.

My health has taken a bit of a hit this year, I’ve had a few scary appointments, damaged my SI joint and lost a little too much weight but that at least seems to be improving. I am focusing massively on my health right now, eating as well as I can, getting outside as much as I can and exercising lightly so as not to irritate my back. Fingers crossed my efforts will mean that soon I will be back to full fitness. I’ve also begun to work harder to get all of my vitamins etc through food because for some reason my body doesn’t absorb iron or folate as it should and if i can avoid taking tablets I will.

Movies

I have managed to squeeze in a few films lately, not as many as I’d like but I have also blitzed through a few netflix series and a couple of books. At the cinema recently I’ve watched Aladdin, Dumbo, A Dog’s Purpose and Toy Story 4. My favourite being Aladdin. At home we have watched a few films too including old classics such as Big Foot & The Hendersons and Marley & Me. I also recently watched Booksmart ( the Netflix film) and I enjoyed that too.

TV

I don’t have an actual TV subscription such as Sky or BT right now but I use Netflix and Now TV ( thanks to a free subscription for Netflix from my phone provider and a 3 month freebie for Now TV thanks to Maccies monopoly). Most recently I have watched Game Of Thrones ( of course) – I actually enjoyed the final series, so much shorter than I’d have liked but I enjoyed. Chernobyl is a truly fascinating watch, highly recommend it. After Life – one of the best TV shows I have ever watched. So so good, heartbreaking in parts but truly excellent. Jailbirds was another interesting show to watch, a documentary set in a Sacramento county jail, it blew my mind a little how they managed to chat to fellow inmates via the toilets. I have just started the second series of Good Girls and I am powering through series 13 of Greys Anatomy.

Books

I haven’t had the best of concentration over the last 6 months, I have picked up so many books and had to just give up. These are the very few I have managed to stick with.

The Prisoner Of Auschwitz – probably one of the most powerful books I have read about a true historical event. It made me cry with both sadness and joy for the author. Well worth a read.

The Phone Addiction workbook. This has made me take a serious look at my phone usage. I have set screen time limits and I ( mostly ) keep to them. When the girls are around I try to limit my use a lot more. It is a really interesting book written by Hilda Burke an integrative psychotherapist.I recommend it if you find yourself mindlessly scrolling and notice an hour drifts by.

Meals

Hmm. I haven’t really eaten out much of late. A combination of insufficient funds and just not having the desire to. I did have a gorgeous afternoon tea for my sisters hen do at The Angel Abergavenny and a few lovely treats at my sisters wedding at The Emlyn hotel on the weekend but other than that my foodie life has been almost on hold. I am back in the kitchen more at home, cooking from scratch as much as possible. Creating new simple and more importantly budget friendly recipes that the girls and I have been enjoying.

Life in general

My sisters wedding and the planning part has taken up a lot of the last few months and I am so glad to say she had the most perfect day a few weeks ago. I did have some major concerns last week that my back wouldn’t quite hold up for me to walk down the aisle ahead of her ( I was maid of honour ) but yay it all went to plan. Last Friday my family stayed at the most amazing farm in West Wales prior to our weekend at The Emlyn where I experienced Reiki and sound healing for the first time. It wasn’t something I ever imagined trying but you know what I left the room feeling lighter and more relaxed, maybe there is something in it. I think it helped. I’m also hoping to be starting a new job soon, it was originally due to happen last month but it has been postponed – hopefully not for too long. The girls are continuing to grow and thrive, they are such kind and big hearted children and a pleasure to be around. They have reached an age where you can sit and talk about things and feel like its a real conversation. Izzy is an eco warrior already, obsessed with bugs and animals and saving the world. Chloe is funny and determined, never content to be just the little sister, wanting to do all that her sister can yet still managing to be small and soft and often offering a cuddle. I also did a little volunteering last month with our local food bank via a church that my mother attends and while it was quite literally the straw that broke the camels back ( I could barely move by the following day) it’s something that I want to do again, possibly not in exactly the same way but I want to do more.

And that’s it for now, I am hoping to be able to share a new recipe with you soon. Hopefully within the next month. I’d like to thank you for all for taking the time to come and read.

Eating Out In Cardiff – Grey’s At The Hilton

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*AD. This meal was gifted for the purpose of a review*

You’ll have probably noticed that I don’t write many restaurant reviews. I often find that the amount of work that becomes tied up with what is considered a free meal out doesn’t always feel like a valuable use of my time and also sometimes I just want to sit down and enjoy a meal without taking any photos. This isn’t meant to sound ungrateful, I massively appreciate the perks that blogging offers but it’s just how it is at times. Sometimes however things come about at the right time and when we were invited to visit both Grey’s at Hilton and an exciting Dinosaur day out in Cardiff for the girls, I immediately said yes.

My mother and I took both girls up for a day out in the Capital, travelling up on the train and making the day a bit of an adventure, they had a ball. I haven’t really done much in terms of blog related stuff with the girls for a while and Izzy especially found it pretty exciting that we were so well looked after and even more so that we got to see the dinosaurs before the general public.

greys cardiff

I have visited Grey’s previously with some blogger friends and enjoyed but that was just for a quick glass of prosecco. This time we were invited to try their midweek lunch deal and I was keen to see what they had to offer. Grey’s is a small but perfectly formed modern restaurant based on the ground floor of The Hilton hotel. We visited last summer ( 2018 ) – due to the fact that I have taken some time off from blogging the review is more than a little delayed but if you follow me on social media you will have seen my many stories and images at the time we visited.

Some of the dishes we enjoyed are no longer on offer but I am seeing lots of good things on social media so I would encourage you to go see what they currently have on the menu. Based on our experience and the 4.5 stars they have on trip advisor I can’t imagine you will be disappointed. I especially like that the current menu has a whole section just for eggs – eggs are underrated.

Dining out with a child with allergies is always tricky and often you are made to feel a little awkward, I’m pleased to say this wasn’t the case at Grey’s. They dealt with Chloe’s allergies with ease and made sure she had options. Whenever I review I like to watch how the staff treat other diners, because after all when they know you are reviewing I am sure most sensible establishments make sure you have very little to complain over. The restaurant wasn’t overly busy on our midweek lunch visit but there was one other large party and a few smaller tables dining at the same time and I was happy to note that everyone was treated well – promptly and politely. The restaurant has a cool, relaxed vibe and was clean and a pleasure to dine in. But onto the food…

greys cardiff

My mother and I started off with light salads, my mother really enjoyed the mackerel and mine was delicious too. Fresh, crispy salad is always what I want come the summer months and the creamy mozzarella was a treat. The girls had crudités and houmous which they both loved.

greys cardiff food

Onto the mains, both girls really liked their dishes. Izzy had fish and chips and Chloe had a roasted chicken bun with chips – adapted for her due to her gluten allergy. Chloe was incredibly happy that she could have chips – this may seem minor to some but for a 5 year old girl who is told on most occasions that a jacket potato or boiled potato is the only menu option she was thrilled. As you can see!

The meals were plentiful and Chloe’s chicken was delicious, there was so much in the bun that we all had a little try!

greys cardiff

My mother and I opted for a roast chicken dish ( my mum) and chorizo and pea risotto ( me). We were both impressed with the flavour, quantity and aesthetic appeal of our dishes and both plates were empty pretty quickly!

For dessert the girls had an ice cream while we enjoyed a coffee. The coffee was excellent and I am a little fussy with coffee so a big thumbs up there.

greys cardiff

Overall we were all more than happy with our lunch, from the food to the service and atmosphere. Next up I’d love to try their bottomless brunch which at £27 for two courses and free flowing prosecco for 90 minutes sounds a bit special, anyone tried it?

And in case you were wondering the Dinosaur day out was pretty cool too!

cardiff castle kids

Thanks to Grey’s for inviting us and looking after us. As stated above our meals were complimentary for the purpose of this review.

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