Off to Hogwarts...

So you know I love Harry Potter, right? I might have mentioned it before. So this little trip out on the last bank holiday of the year was a bit of a thrill really. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it, my husband had chosen the destination and the outline for the day, and strangely enough, trains are not really my thing. I must be honest though, it was an enjoyable day out, and the sounds of an authentic steam train are amazing, it definately takes you back to by-gone eras. It really felt like I was on the Hogwarts Express, there were proper carriages, with a narrow walk way and seperate little rooms, with great wooden panels and doors. To put the cherry on the cake, there was a trolley lady too, but sadly, no pumpkin pasties!

This is a shot of Goathland Station, which was used as Hogsmeade in the first HP film, I was sooooo excited to find out this was on our route, and half expected Hagrid to come striding through the steam.

It was a good day out, and just goes to prove there is fun to be found in things you don't think you'll like.

Lovely Ladies

These are the fabulous ladies who worked at my "mother ship" The Scrapbook Shop. The closure of this shop has left a big hole in my life, I still wake up on a Monday morning and think "I might pop to the shop today..." and then reality sets in. Sigh. I have to try and get a silver lining from this, and the only one I have at the moment is that my bank balance might be a little healthier. Maybe.

Tears, jam and cake....

Wow, where does the time go to? It doesn't seem like two minutes since I last posted, but it's been an absolute AGE hasn't it?! Oh dear....

So, a quick re-cap of what I've been up to recently, which involves jam, cake and chocolate bark.

I find myself with quite a bit of time on my hands at the moment, I am, as they say, "between jobs" at the moment. When I have time, I tend to potter on in my kitchen, I do like be a bit of a domestic goddess, although my goddess like qualities run out when it comes to things like ironing and dusting. I'm aware that housework won't kill me, but why take the risk?

Well, I digress....back to business, this month has seen the closure of The Scrapbook Shop, which leaves quite a big hole in my life (but might give my bank balance to recover a bit). Not only was this the place I got most of my crafting supplies, it is also the place I go to crop and meet friends.

This is a shot of the "Last Crop", which involved quite a bit of chat, some eating and very little actual crafting, but that's normal.

There was a lovely red velvet cake from Nat, which was yummy, and I had made some chocolate bark, which is one of my favourites.

I have tried my hand at jam making this week, which turned out a lot better than I hoped. I am now the proud owner of a few jars of lovely plum jam, and the plums came from my very own fruit tree too. Now how Domestic Goddess is that?!