Winter Sun Fun…

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This year for all sorts of reasons , but mainly because non of us can face it without mum. We are going to leave on a jet plane and spend Christmas abroad somewhere hot.

Mum was our Christmas .

She was ‘Mrs Christmas’.

She adored it. She always had the best, most tastefully dressed tree [always red  and gold ], ensured the house was lit up like Blackpool, and her giddiness was infectious. Family was everything to mum and she ensured we always had the best time.

I tend to get my own way and have spent every single Christmas Day at Mum and Dads, bar one when I went to my ex-husbands house for Christmas lunch. I hated every single minute of it. Not because they did anything wrong, it just wasn’t the same without my mum around.

I’m positively dreading this year , the first year without her. 

It’ll never be easy but I’m kinda guessing this year will be tough for us all. Firsts always are.

We [ dad, BF & brother] made a collective decision that this year we would take ourselves out of our usual surroundings and do something we’ve never done before. Hence a week abroad is on the cards. It’s new, there are no memories of mum there. [though I’m sure we will all be thinking about her.] It will still be absolutely gut wrenching her not being there with us … 

I love Christmas but quite frankly this year I could take it or leave it. 

So while I’d normally start looking for a warm, snug yet stylish outfit with an elasticated expanding waistband;  this year that will be substituted for a new bikini, sandals and a good false tan.  Continue reading →

Shall We Spa . . . Cha Cha Cha 

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It’s me again … twice in one week bloody hell wonders will never seize !

Today I’m going to be introducing you to a fabulous , intimate little day spa just outside Penistone. [Hollin Lane, Millhouse Green, Sheffield S36 9NH] It’s only 20 minutes from my house.

Oh oh I have a feeling this could be dangerous.

Smallshaw Cottages & Spa is A- mazing and if you don’t already know about it then you really should.

There are 4 beautiful cottages available to rent, complete with landscaped gardens and tennis courts . Today however I am concentrating and going to take you on a tour of the Spa.

Before I go any further I just need to clarify something with you – I don’t love everything.

You probably think I do and the reason for this would be because I only accept and feature on the blog things / places / experiences that interest me; that I would do or buy myself.

I turn down a lot of opportunities [ mobile phone covers , bingo nights, clothing ] or product reviews because they simply aren’t my bag.

If you make it this far … you are loved. I have enjoyed you.

I certainly enjoyed this.

Continue reading →

 A Sheffield Girls Guide to Cornwall . . . Part 1

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“The deeper blue ocean, the paler blue sky. The call of the seagulls all soaring on high.

Weherever I travel , wherever I roam, one day I will live here, and call Cornwall home”

If you’ve been following my ‘stories‘ on Instagram you’ll have no doubt noted that I’ve been staying down in Cornwall for the past week with my dad, boyfriend and our dog Mollie. I’ve become a ‘Cornwall bore’ although I can assure you there is nothing boring about Cornwall at all.

We choose Cornwall for numerous reasons.

My dad’s brother lives in Coombe [ near St Austell] and due to sickness couldn’t get up to Sheffield for mums funeral. Dad was keen to see him …as you can imagine.

It was a special place for mum and dad. They’ve spent a few holidays there in the past, the last one being in October last year. Not even a year ago – life … it’s so unpredictable, so preciousness .

So dad mentioned that he wanted to go back, I think in a ‘weird’ way it brings him comfort. It holds precious memories.

Who were we to say no?

We stayed in the beautiful area of Carbis Bay just outside St Ives which is around a 6 hour drive [ traffic willing ] from Sheffield .Yes you could get to Spain quicker!

I never intended to blog about my time spent in Cornwall … but after being there a few days I’d basically fallen in love.

The aqua blue seas drew me in, the tropical plants that surrounded the house made me feel like I was abroad. I just grew to ignore the biting wind . It had a magical feel to it. The view I woke up to every morning was delicious. Beautiful sunrises with multi-coloured skies. I honestly sat in bed every morning and pinched myself.

Basically I decided it was too good not to share with you all.

View from the terrace

Continue reading →

Updates & Beauty Banter…

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This blog post is brought to you by a rather discruntled and fed up Tracey.

Since mum left us [ I still can’t say died, it’s far too final and blunt] I’ve been trying really hard to wake up each morning with a smile; to think happy thoughts.

Obviously I’ve not always succeeded and on quite a few days I’ve been in tears before it’s even turned 10.00am. I’m a lady in grieving and I take it this is normal behaviour.

To make matters worse,  today I’ve woken up to a poorly Mollie [ dog ] she’s struggling to walk on her back leg and looks and probably feels the same as me.

Very Fed up.

It’s just another worry I could do without. I love the bones off that little fur lady and couldn’t bear it if anything happened to her. I’m currently sat typing with her next to me, that way I can keep my beady eye on her.

I’ve cried, I’ve had coffee. Normality is resumed… for a few hours anyway.

So anyway today I thought I’d share some beauty products with you. I’ve been using all of these on and off for the past couple of months.

Just to clarify [ I know their are skeptics out there who think Bloggers only feature gifted goods] Non of the products featured were gifted by a brand.

I love them, I buy them and I use them. Simples!

So without sounding like a chuffing record [ I do , I know ! ] the stress from the last few months has really taken a negative toll on my already shitty skin.

A few weeks ago I had a major, MAJOR break out. I’m 46 please stop. Lots of lump, bumps and white heads around my chin and jawline , some of which turned into angry red spots.

Due to lack of sleep I’m hollow and dark under my eyes . I look drained, spotty and knackered. I sound delightful don’t I?

Makeup helps. Thank the lord for makeup!  Continue reading →

Charity begins at home … Would you shop at a Charity Shop?

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Losing mum to cancer has had a strange effect on us all. While in the most part it’s been bloody shit it has also brought out a positive, determined side in us. A can we do more?… Can we help? …Can we raise awareness? 

Having experienced first hand the scale of this awful disease, the helplessness that we felt , its compelled us to want to do something worth while; try to give back.

I’m considering taking up running [ yes you heard correctly – sofa monster might move yet!? ] so that I can participate in a sponsored run next year. 

The BF and I are constantly thinking of hair brain schemes to help fund raise.

‘Wing walking‘ has been mentioned a few times but having Cataplexy I doubt it would even get past Health & Safety! Thanks to my ailment I have terrible balance generally … never mind while walking on a chuffing planes wing!

By a weird twist of fate an opportunity arose for my BF to help out at a local Cancer charity shop for the next couple of week-ends. It won’t bring mum back unfortunately BUT it will help raise money for research and maybe, just maybe it will go towards preventing somebody having to through what we have, as a family,  in the future.

Every little helps …

It was his first day working there today , [no drunken Bank Holiday escapades for us] so I popped into see him earlier. 

*Proud girlfriend moment* Continue reading →

Atomic Blonde … 

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Last night was ‘Date Night‘.

What with one thing and another ‘we‘ tend to get side-lined. We decided Date Night should become [where possible] a weekly affair. Sometimes life gets in the way of romance doesn’t it? We made a promise to make time for each other.

You may all say awwwww… 

or be sick. 

Your choice. 

The BF mentioned the cinema. I pulled a ‘urgh’ face. I was tired I told him , I’d fall asleep as soon as the lights went down . It would be a total waste of money and let’s face it going to the cinema these days isn’t a cheap affair.

Sometimes I’m mardy and not much fun! As you can see my can’t be arsed mood isn’t shifting very fast.

Then I remembered that Atomic Blonde with the beautiful Charlize Theron was showing at Vue, Meadowhall.

I’d been dying to see this film after seeing the trailers. There was only one problem the BF was keen to see bloody Spider-Man .

Some quick thinking on my part and the promise of some naked, lesbian sex scene action sealed the deal. The BFs eyes lit up and the decision was made… Spider-Man could wait! Continue reading →

Discover Sheffield … #StayDifferent

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“We live in Sheffield, we write about things we see here. What else is there to write about“ – Alex Turner, Arctic Monkeys

It may seem strange to anybody looking in that I got invited to spend the night at St Paul’s, Mecure Hotel and Spa in Sheffield.

Why you may ask ?…

Well basically because I live in the steel city. Apart from a 2 year stint in Lincoln it’s always been home.

I did question why I’d been invited myself but as I often get asked where to stay in Sheffield AND as I am a massive advocate of the beautiful city I thought it was an ideal opportunity.

What better way to recommend a hotel than to have stayed there yourself .

What better way to promote a city than to see it through ‘first timers’ eyes…

So I said yes … if it was still ok with them then I’d love to take up their generous offer.

So that’s what I did last Friday night along with a group of bloggers from around the country. Continue reading →

Getting down in Dracula country – Whitby

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You all know of my love affair with the North Yorkshire coastal town of Whitby. I mean if you don’t where have you been? … I’ve mentioned it enough over the years.

My obsession with all things vampire and especially Dracula only adds to the mystique. In the Bram Stoker novel Count Dracula’s ship crashes into the rocks at Whitby and that my dear friends is how Dracula came to be in Old Blighty.

On a cold, misty night as you totter along the cobbled streets, the Old Abbey looking down on you … I swear there’s the distinct smell of vampire in the air.

Today I thought I would do a photo diary of the few days we spent in Whitby last week, mainly because I took loads of photographs and it would be rude not to share them.

As I mentioned on a previous post the BF and I decided to take my dad away.

It’s been an awful few weeks and I think we all needed a change of scene, especially dad, whose finding it hard. Yes it would be extremely weird without mum but it’s something we all need to adjust ourselves too. Dad has spent some great times there with mum and was keen to return.

Firstly we stayed in the beautiful ‘Coachmans Cottage‘ which is situated just off Church Street. It was ideally located for all the major attractions and having only recently been refurbished it was like a show house.

It allows you to take your beloved dogs [ up-to 2 in fact], and was spread out over 3 floors. Kitchen , living area, bathroom and 2 bedrooms.

Perfect. Continue reading →