Cheeseburger in Paradise

I can't remember how long it has been that I have wanted to use that song lyric as a title to a blog post. 

Yesterday evening I had the pleasure of visiting The EngineHouse Cafe for my dinner. 

I saw the lovely Katie from the Leeds Grub blog had been there for breakfast and it looked scrummy.  Also M has been wanting to go there for a while after a recommendation.

So, as we weren't doing anything else we decided to have a little mooch into town for a midweek meal.

Completely tucked away in a mix of new and old buildings, the cafe itself is a glorious grade II listed building.  Exposed brick walls and a high vaulted ceiling.  It's cosy but doesn't feel cramped.  There were little twinky lights across the bar and it really felt like we were on holiday in a lovely European bar. 

The food (and my wine - M had a beer) was absolutely amazing.  Good, honest tasty food - the kind of stuff that often gets lost in a chain type restaurant. 

I can't say enough good stuff about the whole atmosphere of the place.  The service was absolutely fantastic.  The food was great and to top it off, all for the bargain place £16.95 for three courses - including our drinks!

Our meal:-

My lovely Shiraz 

My starter:- mozzarella and tomato salad

M's starter - Rabbit Pasty (apparently cooked nicely - I didn't try it)

Our main course - EngineHouse burger with cheese

My pudding - homemade chocolate brownie and ice-cream 

(M had carrot cake with cream but he was too eager to eat it and had started before I had chance to snap)

Here's the bit where I tell you all to go there and have a marvellous meal.  However, I'd quite like to keep it as my own little piece of secret relaxing paradise.  So, you can go if you like. ;-)

Woody's round-up

Ok, maybe not Woody, maybe me.  Me me me, it's all about me.  Maybe.

So what about that Toy Story 3 eh?  I've not seen it yet but I'm very excited about it.

I watched Toy Story 2 over the weekend (I can't remember what day it was on) and I just love love love it.

My favourite bit:-
 
Urk!  Doesn't it just melt you?! *heart melts immediately on the floor* Was that a no from the back?  No feelings, you have no feelings! 

It may be clear by now that I failed on my 30 days of me - well, I could carry it on but it will take precisely 643 days to complete at this rate.  I think I will pick it up again at some point, when you least expect it, keep that excitement you're feeling about it and store it up, until such time as I unleash this particular feature again. 

But seriously, I don't think I do well with constraints.  I've always been the same.  It all seems like a good idea at the time, then, ultimate failure.  No matter though, life goes on.

This weekend was mostly chilled out.

Saturday we woke up leisurely and had bacon sandwiches.  Then M went to the hairdressers to get rid of his mullet head - he hadn't had it cut for a while.  When we walked into the salon it was massively busy so I decided to wait in the car.

I was going to listen to the very superb various cd that I'd made for myself but I just happened to put the radio on and Paloma was about to come onto Radio 2 for an interview.  It was brilliant.  Only short but she played Smoke and Mirrors and New York, ace.  Oh and she was drinking tea which spilled on her and she said "oh shit" on the radio and everything.

I wished she'd done this:-
 
One of my favourites from the live show.  I can't wait to see her again.

Yesterday we went over to Skipton to see M's dad.  We had a lovely pub lunch in their local.  I had a homemade piece of pie, chips and veg and M had steak and chips.  Oh and fresh strawberries and ice-cream for dessert.  The food was lovely.  I had a couple of nice glasses of wine too which I never normally do during the day.  It was very relaxing.

Unfortunately I can't say the same for the journey home.  M decided to go all 'rally driver' on me because he knows the twisty roads.  Ugh.  Not good after two glasses of vino.

This week is mostly going to involve work, work and some more work.  And maybe a bit of Stevie Wonder for good measure.  If only I meant having a tea party with him and not just listening to choice tracks.

Before I go, I have fallen in love with Mark Ryden again after seeing one of his prints on some jewellery.

More particularly, I love this:-

 The Meat Magi

Go and have a read about him.

Oh and double before I go, my Graze box is coming tomorrow!  Hoorah!  I have some pineapple, some rice crackers and some dried fruit.  It's just a trial so at the moment it costs £1.99 per box.  It's normally £2.99 so I'm not sure I'll do it full time, it's a little pricey.  

Toodles party people.

Voucher Hub

As highlighted yesterday I'm a big fan of shopping online.

I want to get my stuff and get out of dodge without the trauma of having to deal with the ever increasing amount of rude people in towns these days.

Of course, that's not to say that everyone is rude but when there is a good thing to be had, people turn crazy.   
I am also English and therefore, I love a bargain.

That's where VoucherHub comes in.

They say:- "VoucherHub.com is a people-powered website for finding and sharing money-saving vouchers. VoucherHub’s active community of savvy spenders post, recommend and rank thousands of vouchers, making it fast and easy to find the best available discount".

So basically, they share the latest money off deals, discounts and vouchers with you, for free!

Their website is very easy to navigate.  I went with a particular shop in mind as I know that the ASOS sale is in full swing and I've had my eye on a certain Juicy Couture Butterfly and Flower ring for a while. 

I used Voucher Hub's own very simple to follow tutorial and typed asos into the search bar.  As soon as I did an asos code page came up, hoorah!  Not only does it give you the latest voucher it also allows you to subscribe to any future offers.  I am please to report the voucher code worked as I tested it out using my ASOS account.  

Often I have seen discount codes and vouchers suggestions on places like MoneySavingExpert and have already expired.

With VoucherHub you can clearly see the vouchers that have already expired for that particular shop before you do your shopping.

Very handy for those not so great checkout moments when the voucher you thought was saving you 20% actually makes your heart sink a little. 

VoucherHub are on facebook and twitter so you can keep up to date with all their offer news.

If you're looking for something on-line and wonder if there is a cheeky discount to be had, head over there.

Sales patter

That time is upon us again.  Time we dust off our comfy shoes and march into town to trawl through hours of sales racks on the high street.  Stopping only to wipe our brows and have a shot of espresso coffee. 

Or, kick back, relax and just browse the vast online sales from the privacy of your own home.  Stopping only to make yourself another cup of tea and grab more packets of biscuits. 

Some of my favourite picks from a quick look along the virtual rails yesterday:-

Lazy Oaf Moonie Tee

The very bargaintastic vintage boat handbag from Lunacy Boutique

Continuing on the Nautical theme - Red or Dead navy sandals

Love from Hetty and Dave Explosion Necklace

Thunder Egg Mini Mouse t-shirt

Go forth and obtain a bargain (but one you actually wear and don't just buy because it's in a sale).  I'm watching you. 

Day Ten - A photograph of you taken over 10 years ago

This is me circa 1986, rockin the duffle coat look.

I did debate putting a picture up of me with a particularly strong look consisting of a granny jumper (crazy box pattern), purple 'keep away from flames' coat, white tights and some mouse faced patent pumps.  

Incidentally I think I've actually seen a similar version of the mouse shoes recently so I must have been cool.  Maybe.  

Day Nine - A photograph you took

 I can confirm this was as tasty as it looks.

The best ice-cream sundae I've had in ages (possibly ever).  

We have been visiting my beautiful Juli and Matt for the christening of LovelyLolaFace™.

It's been so wonderful staying with Juli for a few days, just catching up and chatting mundanely about makeup and outfits and babies, enjoying being in her company and of course seeing family and friends at the Christening.

Today for the last supper (we left early afternoon) we went out to Wickham near where my little flat used to be.  It brought back loads of memories of that time in my life.  Some good, some not so good, but enjoyable soaking up the atmosphere of the area again.

We went into Lilly's Tea and Coffee House for our breakfast/lunchtime treats.  I had a delightful bacon sandwich, M and Juli had eggs Benedict and Matt had a full English.  The food was excellent.  If you're in the area I'd definitely recommend it - very relaxed atmosphere and really friendly staff.

Juli was a little disgruntled that we couldn't order some chips with our food because they didn't start serving the lunchtime menu until 12 noon - and it was 11.35am.  I guess rules are rules though.

My '30 days of me' is certainly going to be going on for more than 30 days but I'm trying my best to complete it.  Watch this space!

Day Eight - A photograph that makes you sad

I know, it looks like paradise.  But it just serves to remind me how far away my dad is and that I really miss him.  We don't speak very often, only by email and they're normally quite short. 

He hasn't been in the UK since October last year and that's just rude. 

I could fly and see him but because of changes in my job and lack of holiday days I'm struggling to find the time.  Anyway, Dubai - I like the look of you but you stole my dad.  Thanks a lot.

Day Seven - A photograph that makes you happy

This reminds me of my first holiday with M.  We went to a cottage in Wales for a week.  The week before Halloween. 

The last night we were there we decided to have a Halloween party and a pumpkin carving competition.  M already knew before hand that we would be carving pumpkins and thought it would be a good idea to bring his dremel with him to carve precisely - he was a pumpkin virgin!

So I used a traditional method of a knife and a spoon to scoop out.  My pumpkin (the one on the left) was finished fairly promptly.  I was quite proud.

M's on the other hand took hours.  And I mean, hours.  There was so much mess and he was being such a perfectionist about the whole thing.  He still wasn't happy with it in the end but I think it's great.

Anyway - I look at this picture and it makes me smile about M's complete overkill method of pumpkin carving.  Anal?  Most definitely.  Funny?  Oh absolutely.

Day Six - Whatever tickles you fancy

I have always always *always* wanted to see the Colosseum in the flesh.  I have seen many pictures, read many books and fantasied about standing on the platform over the raised sections, taking it all in with my own eyes.

Well, a few weeks ago (I cannot believe I didn't come straight on here and blog about it immediately) M told me about the most amazing surprise that he has organised for my birthday next month.

We came home from work, it was a Monday night.  M said he was cooking dinner for me.  Great, I thought.  I wasn't allowed into the kitchen but I didn't think anything of it, he's quite possessive when he's cooking.

Out comes a starter - at this point I'm wondering if he's sneaked in a professional chef to make us a meal.  He asked if I'd like a glass of wine - err hello, have we met?  Ice cold wine is brought to me with a reference to it being Italian wine.  Still, no alarm bells are ringing.

So we're sat eating the starter - which is mushrooms stuffed with ricotta and M says that we're going for an Italian meal for my birthday.  Great I said, that sounds lush.  Then he pulls out a wrapped up present and a printed up invitation from him to me - inviting me to what looking like a hotel for my birthday weekend.

I open the present and it's a guide book for Rome.  I look at it for a while.  Look at him.  Look at the guide book again.  And finally ask if we were going to Rome for my birthday...?  Yes!  That's definitely the case!  Great heavens, hallelujah!  My thought process went a bit like this...Rome....Colosseum....Fountains....Ice-Cream....Italian men....shoes....Pizza....More ice-cream....Plane...Oh god....Plane....Crash.....Death...Before 30....Arghhhh....(completely irrational fear of flying which I should have in check by now)....Rome.  Repeat.

After the excitement died down a little - a lie of course, it still hasn't, we had a lovely main course of spaghetti carbonara, made from scratch, I was very impressed with my boy!

Such a surprise.  Such an exciting trip.  I've ordered a couple more guide books and a phrase book and maps.  I NEED to see as much as is humanly possible in 4 days, without melting in the August heat.

I'm so chuffed he really did pull out all the stops, but he always does so no surprise there.

Tasty new designs from KitschenSink

Hello lovely people.  Normal service of my '30 days of me' will resume later today, apologies for the slight absence, I was away in fabulous Newcastle (more on this later). 

Before that though....I've blogged about KitschenSink before, the jewellery is marvelous and I ALWAYS get complimented on my necklace when I wear it.

Last week I was very excited to learn that the lovely Rowan was launching her new collection - "Forecast of Fun".

Unfortunately I've been busy the few times I could have seen it in the flesh at various crafty events in Leeds, so I was eagerly anticipating the collection being put online.

So - I was like a baddie in an evil lair with a white cat waiting for the moment when I got the call on the red phone telling me I could buy buy buy (note: I've changed kill kill kill to buy buy buy). 

The collection was uploaded at the end of last week and I love it all!  I only bought one necklace but it was hard to resist buying everything.  As my friends and family will know I've always had 'quirky' tastes and this jewellery sums me up so well.  It's different, fresh and exciting.  It's chunky and very easy on the eye.

I bought the Thunderbolt and Lightning necklace:-

How lush?

My lovely necklace came on Saturday but because I was away for the weekend, it was waiting for me when I got home, like a lovely little surprise (I love receiving nice jewellery through the post if anyone wants to send me any hint hint). 

I'm very impressed with it.  The build quality is wonderful and all for the fantastic value price of £15, I mean for someone's handmade time and effort you'd struggled to get a necklace of that quality on the highstreet or indeed in any shop. 

I have so much admiration for Rowan (and a bit of jealousy).  She's doing all this in her spare time, I wish I had the forward thinking to do something similar. 

You simply must buy something (whether from the old or new collection) it's all fab. 

I want to ride my bicycle

Ok, so I'm trying to come up with reasons to buy this and fool myself into thinking it's practical.  I've come up with a few so far:- 

1. It looks ace.
2. It's a bicycle.
3. It's probably is very comfortable and easy to wear.
4. It reminds me of those little bikes you used to get in card shops with little felt pandas and teddy bears on.  And that in itself is immense.
5. The possibilities of making little people to put on said bike are endless.  
6. Did I say it looks ace? 

Anyway - you can check out the rest of this exciting collection (there is a sausage dog ring - oh yes) here:-

Lucky Duct by Rachel Pfeffer

Day Five - A favourite quote

"Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living! You said I killed you--haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe--I know that ghosts have wandered on earth. Be with me always--take any form--drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh God! it is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!" - Heathcliff