Review: Bella Vista Farmhouses, Gozo, Malta

This summer my husband and I spent a week on Gozo, a small island off Malta. It was a nice relaxing holiday - there are a few things to do on Gozo but it's not as busy as Malta. We stayed on the outskirts of a small village and enjoyed pottering around and sitting by the pool. We booked through a holiday rentals website as we were looking for a villa, and the Bella Vista Farmhouses looked nice and seemed good value. By the time we had decided where...

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Meal Planning Monday 2017 Week 39

I've been absolutely exhausted again this past week, falling asleep in the evenings and getting very little done after work - you may have noticed I'm blogging a lot less these days, and it's not because I'm spending the time instead preparing for the baby - I'm generally asleep! I haven't had - or wanted to have - a social life for several weeks now though I do really want to see my friends, so I'm glad that I'm finally getting together with one of my bridesmaids this week. Though our night out was postponed from last week which means I've...

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Christmas Cookie Recipe Christmas Cards

I went into my craft room (aka the spare bedroom) earlier today to quickly make a 'new home' card for my brother-in-law and his family, and got rather side-tracked and ended up making a dozen Christmas cards - and not actually making the new home card at all! I came across some free printables I'd downloaded and printed out a long time (I think literally a couple of years) ago. Each sheet had three tall thin rectangles containing a recipe for Christmas...

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Caramel Cupcakes with a Hidden Centre

 I’m a bit of a mad cat lady (and proud) even though I only have one cat. So when I saw the local cat rescue was having an open day, I definitely wanted to go. It’s a private rescue run by one amazing lady out of her house – she finds fosterers and new homes for rescued kitties and also keeps several herself, including ones who are too traumatised to be rehomed elsewhere after they are rescued. The first time I went there, for a bric-a-brac...

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Review: Naked Dough Cookie Dough, Old Street, London

  When I was a bit younger I often used to drag my husband to new and unusual places in London, like a pop-up ice rink at Christmas, or the ice bar, where you are given furry capes to wear and drink from glasses made of ice. We haven’t done that sort of thing in ages as we are more likely to just go out to dinner or the cinema these days, but when I read about a pop-up cookie dough café I really wanted to try it.   My husband loves that...

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Meal Planning Monday 2017 Week 38

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Restaurant review: The Lamb at Hindon, Wiltshire

As part of our wedding anniversary weekend in Wiltshire, I'd booked dinner on the Sunday night at a country pub. I used Trip Advisor to find a few in the vicinity of our hotel and then looked at websites to check menus – some pubs will only do a roast dinner on a Sunday, which would be perfect for me, but not so good for my husband!   I chose the Lamb at Hindon which turned out to be a great choice. Hindon is a small village with the Lamb at...

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Meal Planning Monday 2017 - Week 37

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Review: The Beckford Arms, Fonthill Gifford - Take 2

I reviewed the Beckford Arms  last year and don't normally review the same place twice but I had a unique experience last time as I stayed there the night before and the night of my wedding. My husband and I went back for our first anniversary and had a much more normal experience so I thought I'd share. We had booked a two night stay in the same lodge as last year, which is away from the main building - about a 5 minute drive or...

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American MidWest Chocolate Cream Pie

My parents came to stay over the bank holiday weekend which was perfect timing for my husband and I to share our news in person. We had my husband's parents over for lunch and told them all at the same time; for that reason I didn't want to be cooking anything where I would have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen! I made enchiladas for lunch which I was able to prepare that morning then just put in the oven, and my mum and I made dessert the...

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Something else I made....

This blog is all about things I've made - food, drink, cake, crafts - so here is something else I've made that I want to share with you all.... My husband and I are having a baby! He or she is due in March - one reason I haven't been blogging much lately is because I've been exhausted, falling asleep after dinner and even having naps during the day sometimes. Apparently you do get very tired in the first trimester and then get a lot more energy...

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London to Brighton Rally and the Codfather, Brighton

My husband and I took part in the London to Brighton rally for the second time this year - the classic car rally is probably more famous but there is also a version for sports cars and kit cars. For the uninitiated a kit car is one where people assemble a vehicle from components - they often resemble other more expensive cars. We had lovely weather for it, unlike last time, and also managed not to get lost, unlike last time. You don't end up...

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Meal Planning Monday 2017 Week 36

I was away on holiday last week - five days in Majorca with two friends which was nice and relaxing though quite cloudy weather so not as hot as I was expecting! I got back in the early hours of Sunday morning and was so tired on Sunday I ended up not going to the shops and only doing my meal plan in the evening! Still I've put a bit of effort into planning healthy meals for the coming week. snacks this week houmous and carrot sticks fruit nuts crackers with soft cheese cheese Monday Breakfast yogurt Lunch nothing in the house after holiday...

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