Welcome to Night Vale

The last couple of weeks I have been listening to a podcast called Welcome to Night Vale. I saw some fan art for it on Tumblr and was intrigued so downloaded it to see what it was about. I fell in love immediately! It is about a town built somewhere in the desert in America and is voiced by Cecil who has a community radio show with news and updates for the citizens of the town. Night Vale is not your average place, strange things seem to be the norm, and it becomes all too apparent that to live there is to be in danger of being eaten, snatched by hooded figures or attacked by prehistoric pterodactyls who have escaped from a portal that has inexplicably opened during a PTA meeting at Night Vale elementary. All in all, it doesn’t sound like a very nice place to live, but Cecil’s amusing chatter and the atmospheric accompanying music make it well worth a listen.

It’s actually really relaxing to listen to before sleep, Cecils’ voice is quite mesmerising…

So give WTNV a try, and whatever you do, don’t think about the Dog Park.

Coughton Court and ice cream

On Saturday my folks (who are also visiting from Devon) took us to Coughton Court near Stratford-upon-Avon. It is a National Trust property but is still occupied by the Throckmorton family as a lease of 300 years was agreed upon when it was handed over to the National Trust! It’s a lovely old building, a little different to a lot of the NT properties I have been to as there is a lot of modern art in the gardens and around the property itself. It seems to sit strangely in contrast with the traditional and historic nature of the building, but then again i’ve never really been a modern art fan. The walled gardens were different also, and although the plants were beautiful, I prefer a more ‘cottage garden’ feel. Whatever that means.

We drove along the road to Henley-in-Arden where my dad used to come as a boy. He and my nan used to walk here from their little house just down the road. He remembered getting ice cream here, so we came to see if the shop was still there.

It was! I had mint choc chip. ❤

I love these National Trust visits, glad that I can add another to my list but sad that it’s back to work and reality tomorrow. On the bright side, I have seen adverts for Downton series 4 this week as well as The Great British Bake Off starting again on Tuesday. Excited!

Warwick Castle & family visits

This week I had a visit from my older sister Beth and her two little kidlets Evie who is 5 and Jim who is 2. They live in Southampton which is quite a way to get to, and we don’t see them often, so it was great to know i’d have a few days with them. We met in Warwick and decided to take the kids to the castle, which was originally home to ‘The Kingmaker’, The Earl of Warwick who played a big part in the Wars of the Roses. I love anything like this, Englands past is so gory and cruel!

We dressed the kids up like a little knight & princess…

And explored the castle and it’s lovely gardens.

The day flew by and was loads of fun, watching re-enacted sword fights and jousting, but I think the highlight was seeing the Trebuchet fire a huge flaming ball across the grounds. The kids loved it!

The next day we went into Birmingham to meet my eldest sister and her two kids Alice, 9 and Harriet, 7. Kate had been keen to see a Julia Donaldson exhibition in the Gas Hall next to the museum and art gallery so we took the kiddies. We stopped at Yorks bakery next door where I had been meaning to go since we were living at the flat and it didn’t disappoint.

My Mojito brownie!

The little dudes had a blast! We then popped out to the Birmingham food festival to grab some pork rolls with stuffing and gravy.

We travelled about an hour down the road to Kates rented cottage in Appleby Magna. They are moving in about a weeks time, so we thought we would have a bit of a sleepover as we don’t often get to spend time together.

I loved this rose growing by her front door and took a couple of cuttings. I really hope they grow!

This cottage down the road was gorgeous. I love the wildflowers out front.

It’s been a tiring week, but I love seeing my little family. I can’t believe how fast the kids grow and I am sad that I don’t get to see them that often but I appreciate it all the more when we can be together.

Good news and happy days

Hello again! I was pretty excited to hear I had got onto my RHS course this morning, so as of September 4th I will be a student once more! This has made me feel so much more positive for the future. Lots has been going on this last couple of weeks, so here I have summed it up with pics.

Bub the zombie sticker on the way to work. Super cool!

The Dahlia in the front garden is thriving…

…as is this Agapanthus.

I got my new Stay Home Club tee!

And saw this pretty Fuscia plant in town.

The front garden looking lovely.

The blooms on the streets of Moseley.

My Gardenia finally bloomed after about 2 years of waiting! It smells gorgeous!