Dolly's Dreamings

A busy couple of days

So my last few days began with a good idea.

 

The best things always do ... or so it seems at the time.

I use Photobox a lot and they have some good offers. I get all of my digital pages printed and made into books with them But i gett eh square books.

Anyway ...

I had an e mail offer of a reduction on a reduction on a reduction.

 

One of those offers that was too good to miss - or so it would seem

 

It was for an A4 hardback book of 160 pages for £32.00. Full price would have been over £150

 

What a lovely idea - we said.

We could make a travel photo album - we said

It will be lovely - we said

For 160 pages we could put the best shots of the last seven or eight holidays we said

It's very cheap - we said

We used to pay about £5 to have a roll of 36 film developed and then we had to put them in albums and not all of the photos were ones we loved - we said

You will have fun making it - HE SAID!

It will be a lovely project - HE SAID!

OK - she said. I will do it.

 

Now the only photobooks I have made have been of my digital pages. Piece of cake. they are all square, are all edited and I just drop each page onto a page of the photobook. Job done. Book complete in about 15 minutes.

 

So THIS is 160 pages FROM SCRATCH.

No of course I can't use their templates as the photos don't fit like that!

I need to go into each holiday album (and most holidays are filed on a  day by day basis so even our recent trip had a folder for travel, a folder for Ghent, a folder for Amsterdam, a folder for Haarlem, a folder for Ypres etc ) and then I had to pick four or five pictures from each, put them in a  separate folder, edit them if necessary (I gave up editing them. They are as they came out of the camera and good enough!) upload them to Photobox, add them to pages, resize them, play with them, decide on layout and background. 160 pages worth!!!!!

The first 20 pages are lovely. All beautifully arranged and labelled and with coordinating backgrounds. The next 80 pages are photos dropped onto pages. I have gone with simple.

 

160 pages is an awful lot of work. I am on page 100 and have had enough but I know I have to finish it or I have wasted the hours I have worked on it so far. I think, when it is finally finished and the book arrives, it will be a while before I want to look at any of the photos.

 

However, angst aside, it will be lovely to have the book. I think all of us, now we are digital, are guilty of having our photos in digital format. I do print a  lot of mine to scrap but it is not like when we used to have photo albums. We have just dismantled our photo albums to get them out of the non acid free environment. This will be fun to have in years to come. I think! Maybe!

 

I have a new digital page to share today made with a new collection by Created by Jill called Sunday morning and available as a bundle which includes a FWP.

 

 

This is what I made for it - my first digital page of the most recent trip we took.

 

 

The picture in the frame is me looking sideways - concealing the nose which is still looking pretty grim and scabbed and red and vile. The bottom faded picture was me looking at the camera with nose stitches in full view and horrid - hence why it is faded.

Barb you asked what inks I use to edge papers - most of the time I use Tim Holtz distress inks - I have the entire range and I rarely use them as they were designed for - I don't really do the whole mixed media thing. But they are great for edging with the foam pads. I do still have the cats eye chalk inks which I love too - though many are very old and dried up now.

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely day out in the forest enjoying the sunshine
• completing 100 pages of the worst project ever
• perseverance
• the new car coming ever closer

 

 

 

Did we move to Florida?

I wondered this afternoon if we had really ,oved to Florida already and I had forgotten.

The rain

Oh my!

It was like Florida.

It went black as black and boy did the rain come down ... so much so all the roads were flooded as they couldn't cope with such a sudden onslaught.

And we were out. Oh yes. We were in Hobbycraft at the time and decided it wasn't worth waiting to get to the car so we ran for it and were soaked through!

I did snag what I hoped at Hobbycraft though. I bought 4 new albums at £2.50 each - amazing. They might not be the highest quality or the prettiest covers but to be honest that has never really bothered me. I just want them to store pages in. Gone are the days when I would pay £25 for a nice K and Co album. I just can't afford that any longer. These work perfectly well.

 

And with that in mind  I have a new page to put in them.

This is for the UKS challenge this week to scrap something new, use lace and flowers and a sketch.

 

The layout details how we moved to a new room on our one night trip to Amsterdam courtesy of a bathroom malfunction. No, not the toilet, but the bath and sink.

 

I wanted the page to be an overload of patterns and to reflect the first room which was a deep rich blue and a Wedgwood blue and the new room which was blue and gold.

 

 

I enjoyed adding some lace to the page

 

 

It is really old lace from the bottom of a petticoat I had when I was a teenager.

 

Apologies for missing yesterday (and the day before actually) but we were at a craft fair all day in Milford on Sea and when I got home I was shattered. The fair went well and I sold a lot of things which is good. Mind you, Nigel still says I have to sell everything I ever made, twice over, to make any kind of profit, but then I wasn't in it for the money but for the fun and for the joy of making.

 

Today I am thankful for

• being home and dry
• time to scrap
• going out to help Nigel with a job this afternoon
• cheap albums

 

 

 

Day 3 and 4 - a Happy Easter weekend to you all

This is another travel post so feel free to skip further down if you want to go straight to the new stuff and the crafting. It's the last one for a while - it was only a short break away!

 

Day 3 –Amsterdam – Ypres 22^nd  March 2016

The best thing about Amsterdam – apart from leaving – the breakfast. It was delicious. There was an incredible selection of food from cereals, fruits, breads and pastries to all sorts of cheese and meat and even a full hot breakfast. It was probably the best scrambled egg I have ever eaten anywhere ever! And complimentary too.

Nigel set off to walk back to the carpark and managed to find it – though there was a story about the exit and reversing up a spiral ramp that makes my eyes water, and he found his way back to the car and we were off on our way to our next stop, Haarlem. The guide book had said it was a pretty town and we figured it was worth a go. It was everything Amsterdam wasn’t. It was very very pretty – a whole town made of doll house style buildings. It was green with lots of open spaces and was very clean and friendly. Yes there were bikes – but a normal amount! We went for a walk to their Marketplace and enjoyed the morning sunshine and the peace and quiet of being out of Amsterdam.

 

 

 

 

 

This art shop was beautiful with a huge paintbrush outside.

 

and look what was in the window

 

 

We then headed to Noordwijk where Nigel used to stay and had a look at a somewhat bleak looking North Sea. We drove through the areas where all the bulb fields are – not in flower of course in March – but we did see fields of daffodils – though from a distance it looked like rape fields. The houses were all lovely – it seemed to be a very affluent area. There were also lots of houses on the canals – literally. Like a cross between houseboats and houses.

 

 

 

Our destination today was Ypres. My grandfather fought in the first world war at Mons and Ypres and the Somme. I am incredibly proud of all he did and when I knew how close we were going to be – relatively speaking – I suggested we went to Ypres and stayed over night so we could see the Last Post ceremony at the Menin gate.

 

 

 

 

 

As we drove through the areas of the battlefields you could feel the presence and the ghosts. You really could imagine what horrors it must have been for so many young men in trenches. So many who lost their lives to preserve the very freedom we enjoyed. It was as we were making this journey that we heard the news that there had been two attacks in Belgium in Brussels. Both the airport and the metro had been hit with many dead and injured. It was especially poignant to be in Belgium as we heard the news and to realise that despite the horrors of the ‘war to end all wars’ man’s inhumanity to man still continued. Very sobering.

No-one told us Ypres was beautiful. We didn’t know what to expect and it was a superb destination. We arrived late afternoon and spent a very pleasant hour or so wandering around the beautiful centre. It was lovely and bathed in sunlight.  So many beautiful buildings and such a relaxed atmosphere after where we had been the previous day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is also home to the Flanders Fields museum. This is another thing dear to my heart. My mom used to recite poetry to me instead of reading to me when she put me to bed and one of her favourite poems was In Flanders Fields. I wrote it out and placed it in her coffin when she died.

 

 

 

 

We spent a long time at the Menin Gate, reading about it, about the last post ceremony and reading many of the names. It is somehow unimaginable that almost 55,000 men died in the Ypres salient, men who have no marked graves. It was a war that wiped out a generation. It was just such a waste of human life.

 

 

The Menin Gate is one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders which cover the area known as the Ypres Salient. Broadly speaking, the Salient stretched from Langemarck in the north to the northern edge in Ploegsteert Wood in the south, but it varied in area and shape throughout the war.

The battles of the Ypres Salient claimed many lives on both sides and it quickly became clear that the commemoration of members of the Commonwealth forces with no known grave would have to be divided between several different sites.

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields. It commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

The YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL now bears the names of more than 54,000 officers and men whose graves are not known. The memorial, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield with sculpture by Sir William Reid-Dick, was unveiled by Lord Plumer on 24 July 1927.

The Last Post, the traditional final salute to the fallen, is played by the buglers in honour of the memory of the soldiers of the former British Empire and its allies, who died in the Ypres Salient during the First World War. It is the intention of the Last Post Association to maintain this daily act of homage in perpetuity.

The Last Post Association is an independent, voluntary, non-profit-making organisation. It was the Association that first founded the Last Post Ceremony back in 1928, and it is the Association that is still responsible for the day-to-day organisation of this unique act of homage. It also administers the Last Post Fund, which provides the financial resources necessary to support the ceremony. It is a tradition that the Buglers of the Association should wear the uniform of the local volunteer. Fire Brigade, of which they are all required to become members.

The Last Post was a bugle call played in the British Army (and in the armies of many other lands) to mark the end of the day's labours and the onset of the night's rest. In the context of the Last Post ceremony (and in the broader context of remembrance), it has come to represent a final farewell to the fallen at the end of their earthly labours and at the onset of their eternal rest.

Similarly, the Reveille was a bugle call played at the beginning of the day, to rouse the troops from slumber and to call them to their duties. In the context of the Last Post ceremony (and in the broader context of remembrance), the Reveille symbolises not only a return to daily life at the end of the act of homage, but also the ultimate resurrection of the fallen on the Day of Judgement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then went and checked into our hotel – Yoake Bed and Breakfast which had amazing reviews and it deserved them. We were greeted by our hosts like long lost friends and shown where to park – for free and close by – and shown to an amazing suite. I cannot call it a room. As you entered through your own front door there was a cloakroom and breakfast room. Then there was a bedroom with four poster bed, a bathroom area with a massive double shower and then a lounge with sofas and TV. At £77 including breakfast it was immensely good value and very lovely. They had had a problem with damp and there was slight lingering smell in the breakfast area but he wanted to know if we were happy as it was such a special room and he wanted us to enjoy it. We were very happy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We sorted ourselves out and then headed back on foot to find food.

We are not good at eating foreign food. We know what we like and thankfully it is the same things as each other. We selected a super restaurant which was one which seemed very un-touristy and frequented by locals. We enjoyed a really delicious handmade pizza, plenty of Belgian beer and amazing desserts and whiled away a couple of hours, spoilt only by the dramatic nosebleed. Not the side that was operated on and which still looked dreadful, but the other side. Ah well. The napkins were red anyway!

At 7.30 we walked up to take our places at the Menin Gate for the ceremony. It was incredibly moving as we knew it would be.

The prayers that were said also included special prayers for the people killed and injured in Brussels earlier in the day. That made it even more poignant. Added to that there was a group presenting a wreath who had brought a Scottish bagpipe player with them. She was only a young girl in full regalia and she walked the length of the Menin Gate, up and down, playing and it was hauntingly beautiful.

 

It really got to me when they played Reveille as that holds special memoires for me. My dad would often wake me up in the morning by whistling reveille and I think that bit finished me off.

After such a moving service we then wandered back through the town, now beautifully floodlit, before a quiet night in our suite and some much needed sleep.

 

 

 

Day 4 –Ypres – Home 23^rd  March 2016

Breakfast was delivered to our room in a beautiful basket. Freshly baked still warm croissants and rolls and pastries and cheese and fruit. Gorgeous.

After eating our fill we began our journey back home. We were on minor roads so it took a while and the border post between Belgium and France was manned and people were watching carefully. On arrival in Calais there was a huge difference in the level of security when we checked in – but that just made us feel safer. We were glad to see it. The ferry was very very quiet – almost empty – and we enjoyed a frap and watched the world go by. When we disembarked there was again a high level of security and they were doing full 100% checks of every vehicle. We stood by the car as they checked everywhere and we even had the dog(he was very cute) in and out and in the boot. We chatted to the border guard as we waited and were reassured about this extra security in place. On the way home in the car we heard a very interesting debate about whether or not security needed to be upped or whether that was just giving in to terrorists who had won if we lived our lives in fear. I could see both sides of the argument.

Once home we collected the cats and our home was once again complete. It had been a wonderful few days – just long enough for us. We had some great memories and had laughed such a lot, but it is always nice to be home.

 

Today has been an interesting day. Nigel has needed to change his car for a while and I was quite keen he looked at something more economical than his gas guzzler. His cars have always been special and he is a man who never ever wants anything for himself - except his car. His car has always been a part of him, his identity and he deserves to have something nice that he loves.  He wasn't thrilled with my pressure on economy and environmentally friendly but has been doing a  LOT of research.  Everything he has read and seen led him to one car - a Mitsubishi. He really liked it so we went to see one today and it was love at first sight. Love at first drive. Love at first ever meeting. And they had an ex demonstrator and it was the colour he loved, the spec he loved, it is economical, it is a true hybrid and it is to be ours ... soon. He is a very happy man and deserves to be. He spends his whole life doing everything he can to make me happy and nothing is ever too good for me. He rarely ever asks for or wants anything and I am so thrilled he is getting a new car that is exactly what he wants (and quite a bit what I want too though I will be terrified to drive it - it's big!)

I have new scrapping to share too - another for our new holiday album.

 

I so badly wanted to see a windmill and we saw lots but never at a point we could stop and take a picture so I snapped this one whilst driving along. I am really pleased that the photo came out at all - and I like it. I couldn't wait to scrap it.

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a very productive and exciting day
• helping to make Nigel happy
• helping to make the world a little bit greener

 

 

 

 

Day 2 and some crafting

This post features day 2 of our travels. Do feel free to skip to the end for the crafting bits of the blog - or stay for a laugh at our hysterically bad trip to Amsterdam!

Day 2 –Ghent to Hell  Amsterdam 21^st  March 2016

I have wanted to go to Amsterdam for the past 20 years.

Nigel used to go on business, staying on the North Sea coast at Noordwijk and would always been taken into Amsterdam for an evening. He had visited many times and I was keen to go. In my mind it was a beautiful romantic city, filled with canals, pretty houses with iconic roofs, cyclists lazily meandering down cobbled streets and views on every corner. Funny how you envisage something and then find it to be TOTALLY DIFFERENT. I now realise I could have spent my life without going to Amsterdam and my life would probably have been the richer for it. I would at least have had my dreams rather than the brutal reality. True some events conspired against us to colour our view of Amsterdam, but in fairness we just didn’t like it. It was busy, dirty, chaotic and not pretty! I think we had been spilt by places like Paris, Rome, Venice, Brugges, Ghent.

Anyway I digress. Amsterdam it was. We knew we wouldn’t have long in the city but we also knew it would be long enough for us. More than long enough as it transpired.

We left Ghent at 6.30 and started our drive to the longed for Amsterdam. It was a very easy drive as we travelled an unusual way (sat nav was in control) and went via Antwerp, Rotterdam, Delft and even negotiated, successfully, a toll booth and tunnels. On the way we saw endless wind turbines and, eventually as we moved steadily north, quite a lot of windmills. I even managed to take pictures of a few and in one or two managed to get the whole windmill not just a bit of it!!!

 

 

 

We arrived in Amsterdam in good time not long after 10. As we entered the outskirts of the city I thought it was quite cute to see so many bikes. Odd bikes too. They were all clearly working bikes designed as workhorses. They were not smart of shiny and they were very upright with high handlebars. And they were everywhere – and I mean everywhere! Word of advice – don’t ever take a car into Amsterdam (actually don’t visit Amsterdam but that’s another story) and especially don’t take a big American car into Amsterdam!

 

We negotiated the bikes and the trams and the roadworks (everywhere there were road works) and we eventually made it via back streets to the road the hotel was on. The road the hotel was on was being re-paved and so was closed. We lifted the barrier and drove to the front of the hotel to seek help for unloading and directions to their carpark. I knew the city would not be car friendly so one of the criteria had been a hotel with a car park. The hotel’s web site states: Boutique hotel Estheréa is housed in a row of 17th century buildings on the Singel, Amsterdam's oldest major canal and part of the ring of canals added to the official UNESCO World Heritage list in 2010. Dam square, the central railway station, the main shopping area, museums, theatres and night life are all within walking distance. The rich, colourful interior includes woollen carpets, crystal chandeliers, mahogany panelling, luxurious fabrics, extravagant wallpapers, flowers, plants and fish.

It really was a gorgeous 4 star  hotel –

These photos are all of the public areas, the lobby, the library, the bar, the lounge - all so lovely and eclectic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

but more in a moment!

We were told that the carpark was not in this road and were going to be given directions for it when they asked what car we drove. When I told them they came outside and looked at it and went to check a book and then told us our car would not fit in the car park. They said it was clearly stated on the web site. Well it was stated but I would dispute clearly stated. Anyhow, the bottom line was our car was too big for the car park. Nigel did say he didn’t realise boutique meant the car park was compact and bijou too. However the hotel had two solutions. There was a valet service they used. They would ring, someone would come and collect the car and take it out of the city to park it and then bring it back the next day. It was a cost of 40 euros but that was less than the hotel’s car park. The other option was to find street parking or a nearby carpark. The nearby carparks looked a long way from the hotel and street parking wasn’t an option so we reluctantly agreed to the valet, though Nigel wasn’t keen on someone else driving his car. They called the valet and told us it would be about half an hour. They took our luggage and in fairness the staff could not have been more helpful. We used the free tea and coffee facilities and enjoyed the beauty of the hotel. The lights everywhere were amazing, it was all decorated beautifully and there was a library and beautiful furniture. It was everything it had promised to be.

We drank and we waited, itching to get out to explore the city which surely must be so much nicer than the bits we had seen. After about three quarters they came and said they had spoken to the valet service and they would be another half an hour but our room was ready and would be like to go up to our room. I hadn’t been able to book a canal view room for this one as they were quite pricey so we were thrilled when we were shown to a canal view room. It was tiny (not a surprise as our experience is that city hotels especially when they are in very old buildings often have very small rooms) but it was beautiful with heavily decorated blue and white wallpaper, two windows overlooking the canal, a beautiful light and an impeccable bathroom. Yes it was small – really small – but it was lovely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes there are lots of photos of the hotel - it was the NICE part of Amsterdam!

 

We waited for half an hour and then went down to meet the valet and finally set off. He hadn’t arrived and when they called him again he said it would be half an hour at least. We were furious and so were the hotel staff. We had them show us the ‘not too far away’ carparks again and admitted defeat and set off in the car to find one. We had a map and a sat nav and it still took us three or four circuits and about 40 minutes to find a car park – any car park – and get into it! Finally we were parked.

It wasn’t actually that far from the hotel. It was a long way by road but about a 10 minute walk. We walked back to the hotel – to make sure we could or we wouldn’t have the confidence of ever finding our car again – and then finally set off to explore.

 

It turns out that actually we didn’t need as much time in Amsterdam as we thought. We did not like it. We started at Dam Square. Large, cluttered, dirty and with few redeeming features actually.

 

 

 

 

 

We grabbed a snack and even that had a story. We stopped at a little bakery and spied a gorgeous looking waffle, chocolate, cream and strawberry concoction. It was huge so we opted to share one. There was a small seating area at the back so we sat to enjoy. We had asked for a knife (to cut it in half) and two forks. Plastic of course. I went to slice the waffle in half and at first touch the knife shattered. We just burst out laughing. The fork shattered too! I love the photo of Nigel being undeterred with the blade of the little knife and trying to cut! It was even fitting that, for some bizarre reason, we were sat under a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Not half an hour earlier Nigel had said ‘Is this the worst place you have been?’ and I said ‘Yes, even worse than san Francisco!’

 

 

 

 

 

The best bit is we laughed our way through it all. That is our saving grace.

 

We explored round Ould Kerk, saw the edge of the Red Light District – more than enough for us – and then went to look at some of the canals and take some beautiful picturesque shots. There weren’t any! The bikes and trams meant we feared for our lives – the bike is king and bikes seemingly stop for no-one. We searched in vain for the beauty we were sure existed and just got more and more tired and more and more disenchanted.

 

These are some of the more picturesque of the pictures and I think you will agree - not great. Amsterdam on a cold grey busy day in March.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The weather didn’t help in fairness. It was dull and grey and as it was March no leaves on trees to soften hard vistas.  The queue for the Ann Frank House was 2 ½ hours and we didn’t want to see it that badly so we headed for where we KNEW we would be happy.

YEY – after yet more walking e arrived at the Hard Rock Café. Of yes – another on our step to visit every Hard Rock in the world.

We had a lovely table right by a canal, a fabulous meal, a good rest and could pretend, for a moment, we were not in Amsterdam.

 

 

 

 

 

And it was whilst there we investigated the tram system and realised we could have made life a whole lot easier for ourselves by using the trams. Cheap, efficient. Way to go. Tickets in hand we hopped off and on a few and then Nigel said ‘Let’s go to central Station. It will be nice there, there will be lots to see’.

Only we could be on the tram which then had some sort of severe problem. It ground to a halt, blocking every other tram, Most people got off. Police got on. We waited and wondered and then eventually the police got off and the tram started moving. No idea what that was all about – but fairly typical I feel. We eventually got to central station and it turned out it wasn’t nice. It was just very busy.

 

Just some random pictures of Amsterdam and the tram and a very bizarre hamburger vending machine!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had had enough and so went back to the hotel for a bit of a re-group.

We were thrilled when we went to our lovely room to find a box of chocolates from the staff to say sorry for all of the waiting and confusion that morning. What a thoughtful gesture. We were debating going out to see if Amsterdam was any prettier at night when I went to the bathroom for a wash. As I let the water out of the sink I heard the most outrageous gurgling and thick black sludge came up out of the bath plughole! I stared in fascination nd called Nigel. He had the presence of mind to take a photo as it started to ebb away a little. We went to call front desk and the phone didn’t work either! Amsterdam was proving to be a challenge in every sense. Nigel went down to reception and returned with a very helpful member of staff who had never seen anything like it. We tried to demonstrate how it happened so filled the sink full of water and pulled the plug but all that happened was a little more black slime went into the bath and the sink would no longer empty!

The hotel were brilliant. They moved us to another room – this time a much larger deluxe room with one of the biggest bathrooms I have seen in a while with underfloor heating and everything. And they offered us complimentary breakfast too. This seemed to be the holiday for upgrades and free stuff.

 

 

We were both shattered and had had enough so shared a bottle of wine and an early night, pleased to be leaving Amsterdam the next day.

 

Next installment tomorrow.

 

It's better - promise!

 I have had a crafting day today as Nigel has been at Speedway so I have already made a start on the holiday album and have completed the first two pages.

 

This first page is of our first real view of the holiday. We had loved Ghent when we visited just for a few hours in 2014 and wanted to go back. THE view is of the Graseli and Korenlei and so when I realised we could stay overlooking it at the Marriott it was too good to miss.

The photo was my first - taken at the front door of the hotel and showing we really were right int he heart of the beauty.

 

I fulfilled the criterea of the weekly challenge on UKS too.

Love it when things work out like that.

 

 

Apart from the small letters and the photo - everything I have used is really really really old - has to be about 12 years old.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely day scrapping and humming away to myself
• my stitches gone and my nose responding well to a bit of TLC. Still very red but I am hopeful!

 

Day 1 – Home to Ghent 20th March 2016

Day 1 - Home to Ghent 20th March 2016

 

The whole premise of this trip was to celebrate our 30^th wedding anniversary – although sadly due to school commitments it could not be ON our anniversary. We liked Ghent so much when we visited briefly two years ago that we knew we would like to see it again. Couple that with the fact I had always wanted to go to Amsterdam ever since Nigel made a few business trips there in the mid 80s and a road trip was born.

We like being independent and we like driving so flying was never an option for us – it was always going to be sans auto! It is a long drive for us to Dover but non-the-less the best option. I won’t go UNDER the water so the channel tunnel is totally out of the question, and Nigel doesn’t like being ON the water. We had a seriously bad crossing on a hovercraft from Dover to Calais 30 years ago and Nigel hasn’t recovered from the trauma. Therefore the crossing from Dover to Calais as about 90 minutes is the best option for us. However Dover is a long drive – a good 3 hours away so it made for a very early start on Sunday morning.

We were on our way before 6 am and at that time of the day the roads were empty and the journey smooth. We arrived in very good time and were sent to the front of one of the boarding lanes. It was in our favour that we have a large car as it meant they put us on as one of the first vehicles to board. Sadly the benefits of a large car were to cause numerous problems later in the trip, but at this point we just thought it was a good thing! Being unaware is a good thing sometimes.

We found great seats in an empty lounge – we were on awfully early – and secured ourselves a view and … bonus .. a frap! Who knew P and O would have Starbucks on board.  

 

 

 

Perfect for disguising stitches in a nose too

 

It was an impossibly calm day and so a very smooth and trouble free crossing, made even better with a little retail therapy of some very cheap wine (£16 for a case of 6 bottles) and some reduced perfume I love. The wine would last us well as we are not big drinkers these days. If we manage our daily units in a month we are doing well. But we do like to have a glass of wine when we are away and so would drink some of it whilst on holiday.

We were almost first off the ferry and Nigel, so used to driving in America, was very confident from the outset. It is, however, a little more tricky when you are in your own car you are so used to driving and you suddenly have to switch to the other side of the road with everything in the car on the wrong side and every sense telling you things are not right. It is much easier in a hire car with the steering wheel on the correct side and a good 24 hours separating you driving in the UK and driving abroad. However, he is VERY good and adapted like a pro. Whereas I would happily drive in America there was no way I would drive in Europe and so Nigel had a lot of miles to cover. Just as well he loves driving eh!

We had a very smooth trip to Ghent; the roads are fabulous in Europe. Very little traffic, very little congestion the whole trip, and the roads are smooth and well maintained. During the  trip we did ring roads round a lot of major cities and they put ours to shame. So do the service stations – we stopped for a loo break and they were clean and friendly and pleasant to use. Yes you did pay 50c for the toilet but they gave you a 50c voucher off purchases and the toilets were a much nicer experience than the oft dirty motorway services in the UK.

Having been to Ghent before we managed to find the hotel carpark easily. The sat nav took us almost there but I was able to judge the unnamed side roads to discover a beautiful underground carpark at the Marriott.

Their website states : With an extraordinary location in Ghent city centre and a wealth of unparalleled amenities, the award-winning Ghent Marriott Hotel is dedicated to exceeding your every expectation. Make yourself at home here in the heart of one of Belgium's most captivating cities, overlooking the Korenlei and Graslei on the banks of the river Lys.

All true.

It is an amazing mix of old and new. The frontage and the bones of the building are the old canal front buildings but they have covered the back with a huge glass atrium that is quite spectacular and illuminated with different colours. This is the lobby at the back

 

 

The room wasn’t ready as we arrived about 1.30 pm but they made us really welcome, looked after our luggage and asked if we were there for a special reason. We said yes it was our anniversary trip and they seemed genuinely shocked when they asked how many years and we told them. I did explain I was only 10 when I married!!!

We set off to explore as the sun was out and the city was calling. The weather forecast for the trip had been grim but actually we were very lucky. Though cold, we saw the sun several times despite the forecast saying it was NOT planning on putting in an appearance, and we had no rain other than once when we were driving anyway.

How amazing it was to exit through the front door of the hotel right onto the Korenlei and the banks of the Lys. The shot from the doorway says it all.

 

We enjoyed snapping some photos in the sunshine and then set off exploring. These pictures are all just outside our hotel - and visible from our room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First stop was to grab a quick snack as we hadn’t really eaten other than a granola bar and then we set off to explore the many many churches in Ghent. One of the things that had struck us on our previous trip was the number of spires and towers on the skyline. It was quite breath-taking. We enjoyed visiting many of the churches and it was extra special as it was, of course, Palm Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They were stunning inside and quite huge. There were beautiful carvings and sculptures and the sheer size and workmanship inside left us quite breathless.

We walked round the whole of the old town area. It is quite compact and a photographers dream. By now the cloud cover was thick and without the sunshine it looks a little grey, but trust me it is very beautiful and a relaxing city to enjoy.

 

One thing that interested us was the fact that it was so busy during the day and yet when we went out in the evening it was incredibly quiet and empty. It would seem not that many people stay overnight in March!

We enjoyed seeing the Gravensteen – the 10^th Century castle with a huge moat. We went to the Old Fish  market, the town hall, the Kranleii and everywhere in between. We spent a very pleasant few hours before returning to the hotel, right in the heart of it all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In stark contrast we also went to see Graffiti Street which was very vibrant and really interesting to look round. Little narrow lanes filled with colour and by providing this creative outlet it keeps the rest of the town clear. We really enjoyed seeing this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and creatively hiding the nose again

 

 

Our room was ready and so we went up to see it. As a real treat I had booked one of the canal view rooms. It was spacious and luxurious and the view was wonderful. A very special place to stay for just one night.

 

We had just settled in to relax for a couple of hours before dinner when there was a knock at the door. It was the manager we had checked in with and he brought gifts. There was an ice buckets filled with ude and a bottle of champagne, a box of Belgian chocolates, two glasses and a card which several of the staff had signed to wish us a happy anniversary. Incredibly special and totally unexpected. What a lovely thing to do and it made things feel really special. We relaxed over champagne and then went out to dinner.

 

 

Window looks tiny but it was one of 4 in the room overlooking that view.

 

 

You know us – we are no gastronomes. Food is something e have to do – not a reason for being! We hadn’t taken anything other than walking clothes with us as we knew casual dining was the order of the day for us – always! So it was a pizza and then a walk round the old town at night before collapsing in bed at about 9 am – knowing we had a very early start tomorrow – and a horrifically aching leg. I had a cramp like I had never had in my calf and it just would not go. Thankfully a night’s rest in an enormous bed did the trick.

Finally - Ghent at night

 

 

 

 

And you can see our room int his one as I purposely left the curtains open. The cream building just left of center - the 4 windows on the first floor

 

Today I am thankful for

• vaseline hopefully doing the job. The stitches could not be remved yesterday due to the large hard scab. Hopefully they can get them out today.
• Nigel back earlier than expected
• sleeping in my own bed

 

Normal service scrapping will be resumed tomorrow.

Back from Europe - France, Belgium and Netherlands

We returned home today after a few days away in Europe and managed, in just a few days, to take in three countries, France, the Netherlands and - poignantly - also Belgium.

Yes, we were in Belgium yesterday when such an awful series of events happened.

No we were not in Brussels, but we were close enough for it to feel very real. And had we not visited Bussels before there is every chance we would have been there yesterday.

We attended the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate last night and, as if that wasn't poignant enough anyway, there were also special prayers for the people killed and injured in the attacks in Brussels and it made it very significant.

We also noticed a vastly different level of security as we crossed from Belgium into France and as we arrived at both Calais and Dover. Whilst it made the wait much longer we were pleased to see the checks in place. They were very thorough. Our hearts go out to the people affected by yesterday's events and, like everyone, we continue to pray for peace int he world and a cessation of hatred and violence and prejudice and terrorism.

We are pleased to be home, to have the cats with us again and whilst we had a superb trip we are looking forward to sleeping in our own bed tonight and not having to pack in the morning.

 

I was due to have my stitches out today too - we rushed back for the appointment. Sadly we were told at the hospital to put nothing on my nose. A thick scab formed and, if I had used Vaseline, would have been softened. As a result of putting nothing on it, it is hard and it was not possible to remove the stitches today. Vaseline at the ready now, they will have another go tomorrow. Why is nothing i do ever simple?

 

We also came home to the news that someone has used our credit cards again. This time it looks like an on line hack of a company we have shopped with. I cannot speak highly enough about how brilliant the credit card company have been again. They spotted the fraud after 2 transactions, have covered it completely, were so hot on it and so supportive. However, having to wait for new cards and then changing everything over is just another pain. Still, it could have been so much worse.

Over the next couple of days I will post my travel journal (feel free to ignore those bits and just skip to the crafting if that is what you visit for ... of sit back and enjoy the ride ... there are some great bits to re-tell!) and some of the photos. Some places were incredibly photogenic .... others not so much!

Meanwhile - I have photos to download!

 

Today I am thankful for

• a super trip away - just what we needed and most people we encountered were kind enough NOT to mention THE NOSE!
• being home safely
• the vigilance of our credit card company
• having my fur babies back where they belong

 

 

 

Losing myself in colour

Holidays are about doing nothing much yet doing what you want. No scrapping today but something pretty and colourful.

I am getting a little addicted to colouring - I am loving it.

 

Sadly the new Millie Marotta book I bought does NOT lend itself to my watercolour colouring as the paper is not thick enough.

So I used my Spectrum Noir pencils for this one and I really enjoyed colouring it.  Rainbow birds.

 

 

At conference they said that mindfulness was NOT adult colouring books. Do you know - I feel I was mindful doing this. It was calm, it was relaxing, it was enjoyable. I loved doing it.

The finished product is not perfect, but it made me happy.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• mindless ... or mindful ... activities
• Colour

 

 And a few more of those photoshoped animals that I shared the other day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

some very scary

 

 

 

some beautiful

 

The purrfect princess

I have been so keen on doing the Pickle Barrel things that I hadn't had time to share another new release I have been working with.

It is another digital page but now I am off on holiday - and getting better - I will have time to paper scrap a little too.

 

This is a new collection by Heather T called Little Princess Collection

 

 

It was a joy to work with and I knew the purrfect little princess I wanted to showcase on the page.

 

She is such a little princess who almost seems to say 'wait on me ... be my servant!' And of course we do!

 

It's been a quiet but a very relaxed day today. The first proper day of the holidays is always a nice one int hat it is not the weekend, it is a weekday but you are not at work and that feels special.

 

Imagine what it will feel like when it is the first day of my retirement. How will THAT feel!

 

Today I am thankful for

• Having a  little princess to share our lives (and a prince too of course)
• holidays - gotta love them

 

And finally, because there were so many and they were too good not to share, some more of those word arts that are so clever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pickle Barrel still going strong

The Pickle Barrel promotion is still going strong over at Pickleberrypop

 

Remember it is  a great chance to buy things at just $1 and they will all coordinate. However, if you buy the 6 packs from any designer you also get great freebies.

 

This is another Pickle Barrel pack I worked with. This time it is one by Eudora designs and I loved the contrast of the dark with the light

 

 

If you are looking for it after the Pickle Barrel promotion this is the link to Eudora's store.

 

 

This is what I made with it

 

 

The photos were taken on a trip to Swanage right at the end of 2015 - the first trip when Nigel was finally starting to feel a little bit better.

 

Today I am thankful for

• working with great designers
• healing - slowly but a little more surely

 

And finally - some very clever word art (yes been on Bored Panda again)

These show the power of graphics - the words do what they say and some are so clever. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheering up

Flowers from work arrived today which cheered me up.

 

I am trying hard to stay positive but my nose is sore, weeping and I am worried what on earth it will be like int he long run.

What was a small lump appears to have been exchanged for a potentially horrible scar!

Dreading the stitches coming out on Wednesday to be honest.  However, I am looking forward to be able to blow my nose again one day. You have no idea how hard that is!

 

I have another Pickle Barrel page to share today - you know the deal!

This time I used a collection called Delighted by Tiramisu Designs.  l love her delicate floaty work with gorgeous masks and gentle papers.

 

 

 

This is what I made with it - a photo from our time in Yellowstone with the most beautiful elk grazing on a river bank

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• slow but hopefully steady healing
• holidays
• my fur babies - I love them so much

 

And today some crazy mixed up animals - and no ... not my CFH - other crazy mixed up animals ... it's bizarre what you can do in photoshop