So every year we have two Christmas trees (because why have one when you can have two!!)
I have already posted about our regular, lounge Christmas tree but, we also have a very special Christmas tree in our bedroom…
**Drum roll***
It’s a Harry Potter themed tree!
(What a suprise đ¤Ł)
Originally I used bits of memorabilia to decorate my tree with a Sorting Hat topper, but as more and more Harry Potter stuff has become available (thanks Warner Bros and Primark!!) I have built up quite an extensive collection of baubles.
Most of them are from Primark sets but a couple are from the Studio Tour in Watford, as are the ribbons.
Without further ado, lets take a look at the different stages I went through to create my awesome Harry Potter themed tree.
First up…
Lights
They have had a little upgrade this year… but what could be more magical than star shaped fairy lights in the four house colours (nothing, exactly!)
After that…
Tinsel
I go for red and gold as although all Hogwarts Houses are represented on the tree anything like tinsel or bows are very much in a Gryffindor colour scheme.
Next…
Baubles
As I said, alot of the sets come with a bauble for each house, so all are represented… but more heavily represented are mine (Gryffindor) and my husbands (Hufflepuff) favourite houses.
I bought two new sets of baubles this year (from Primark)… the top one is from a set of four and each bauble is clear with cute, thin tinsel inside to correspond with its Hogwarts House… the tinsel also has lots of tiny little stars in it. The house emblem and name is also written on the front in the same colour font.
These are my favourites so far. They are so pretty.
I also picked up another set with four baubles. Each one says something from the series, eg: ‘Platform 9 3/4, Lumos, Forbidden Forest & Golden Snitch’
Then..
Ribbons
Gryffindor themed of course!
And Finally…
The topper
I bought this in the sale last Christmas time. I think I got it just after Christmas so it was a bargain.
This is the first year I will have used it. It looks great.
Here is the final tree! – Looking super magical if I do say so myself đ
We are halfway through 2022 (HOW!?!) So I thought I would do a halfway round up of what I have read so far…
So far…
Harry Potter and the Philosphers Stone: Minalima Illustratred edition
I know what you’ve done by Dorothy Koomson
Cometh the Hour by Jeffrey Archer
22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
Her majesty the Queen investigates… The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett
Trust me by T M Logan
The Sanitorium by Sarah Pearse
The Land of Stories: An Authors Odyssey by Chris Colfer
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
Love, Locked down by Beth Reckles
Nalas World by Dean Nicholson
This was a man by Jeffrey Archer
Midnight is a lonely place by Barbra Erskine
Walking on Sunshine by Giovanna Fletcher
Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
The Summer Fair By Heidi Swain
The Baby is not mine by Oyinkan Braithwaite
The Donor by Clare Mackintosh
1. My Favourite book so far: ‘Wrong Place, Wrong Time’
This is an absolutely fantastic book. It had me at the synopsis – never have I sent a synopsis to so many people because it sounds SO good. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I didn’t want to put it down. The characters and their relationships were lovely and it was a great reading experience.
2. The most gripping so far: ‘Wrong Place, Wrong Tim’ & ‘The Hunting Party’
These were both brilliant books for making you say ‘Just one more page’. There was lots of drama, lots going on and lots to keep enticing you to the end.
3. My Least Favourite so far: I know what You’ve done.
Simply because I didnt find it as gripping as Dorothy’s other books and I found the characters less likeable. It did have a good few twists though.
4. Easiest to read: ‘Love Locked Down‘
It was weird reading a book about the madness that was the beginning of the pandemic but it was quite cool reading about something that you’ve actually been through in a relatively light hearted way. I liked the variety of characters.
5. One I would recommend: ‘Wrong Place, Wrong Time.’
The time loop and just the sheer depth of the plot ans suspense made it a fantastic reading experience. I really enjoyed her writing style.
I took my nephew to the cinema a couple of times in March. They are my little cinema buddies after all. We watched Migration & Kung Fu Panda 4.I went to the football a few times this month. We go with my Dad and I share a season ticket with my sister. The bottom photo is from the women’s match, this was the first time they had played at the stadium, and it was a great game 5-0We celebrated ‘World Book Day’ at work – I dressed up as Harry Potter âĄď¸We celebrated ‘Mothers Day’ with our traditional homemade afternoon tea. I made a Victoria Sponge, topped with buttercream and a Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake! Me & Mum also went out for a nice lunch at a nearby cafe/garden centre.We celebrated my Uni friends’ baby shower this month, too!! It was lovely to celebrate and catch up.WE FINALLY HAVE NEW FLOORING AND WERE ABLE TO MOVE BACK INTO OUR HOME !!We enjoyed a fun (& delicious) Easter Sunday! With our traditional Chinese for dinner.
& finally,
We watched Mark Watson, the comedian in our hometown. I bought these tickets for my husband, for Christmas! He has seen Mark Watson a few times and really enjoys his comedy. I myself hadn’t seen him live before but he was very funny and I would definitely watch him live again. We got to meet him afterwards, too, and get a signed copy of his book.
I’ve always enjoyed doing a few ‘baking’ recipes on here, every now and then, particularly at Easter time.
All that delicious Easter chocolate in the shops or that you may receive can be put to good use by yourself or your small people – it’s super easy and great fun too!
So what is Easter Bark you say?
Well it’s shards of decorated chocolate.
And here’s how it’s done (by us anyway)
Ingredients
X2 large bars of Milk Chocolate
X2 large bars of white chocolate
Sprinkles
A selection of your favourite Easter chocolates to adorn
Recipe
Prep a baking tray with a lining of baking parchment, make sure it covers the sides of your baking tray a little too, not just the bottom.
Melt your different chocolates (we went for milk and white for the kids – dark would also be delicious) in separate bowls over water (or in the microwave)
When the chocolate that you wish to have as your base is ready (ours was milk), pour that into the baking sheet and spread out so it covers the bottom in an even layer. Don’t spread it too thin.
Drizzle over the other chocolate/s that you’ve melted (our white chocolate) either yourself or the children need a cocktail skewer to swirl the chocolate carefully to create the marbled effect.
Adorn with your sprinkles and chosen Easter Chocolate, trying to evenly distribute it throughout.
Pop into the fridge (or freezer if you are impatient like us!! đ)
Once it is fully solidified, break it up into shards and ENJOY!
Super easy, fun & delicious! Perfect for occupying the kids this Easter hols – my nephews and niece loved it (especially the eating part!)
If like me, you can’t walk past a bookshop (or supermarket) without buying new books, or if you need some inspiration for what to read next, then this post is for you!
Here are some of the books that I’ve bought recently, from a variety of places!
Let’s take a look!
â¨ď¸
Title: ‘No one saw a thing’
Author: Andrea Mars
Genre: Crime Thriller
Why I chose it: I love thrillers and the blurb sounded very intriguing.
Title: ‘None of this is true’
Author: Lisa Jewell
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Why I chose it: I am a big fan of Lisa Jewells thrillers!!
Title: ‘The Sisters’
Author: Claire Douglas
Genre: Thriller
Why I chose it: I live a thriller, and it mentioned twins (which I am), so my interest was piqued.
Title: Tale of Magic series
Author: Chris Colfer
Genre: Fantasy
Why I chose it: Chris Colfer writes truly magical fiction. His previous series,’The Land Of Stories’ was fantastic, so I had to get this one too.
Title: ‘The Wake Up Call’
Author: Beth O’Leary
Genre: Romance/Rom Com Fiction
Why I chose it: I am a fan of her other books and have read them all, plus they are very easy to read.
Title: ‘The Air Raid Book Club’
Author: Annie Lyons
Genre: Historical fiction
Why I chose it: Because it had ‘Book Club’ in the title and the blurb gave me ‘Goodnight Mr Tom’ vibes.
We started back doing our Parkruns this month! Happy with my time of 34.01 – here’s to getting back to it again đ
Me and my twin sister Sarah organised our bestfriends baby shower. It went really well and everyone had a great time! Lots of delicious food, fun games, presents and laughs đś
Pancake day! One of the best days in Feb đĽ I managed to have two pancake meals, haha.
We celebrated Valentines Day this year with our traditional meal to a local Turksih restaurant. It was delicious as always.
As you may have see from my previous holiblog post, we went to Northern Italy for the Feb half term. It was brilliant. We did Verona, Lake Garda, Milan & Venice (again!)
We had a brilliant time, there was so much to see and it was beautiful. We were also mostly, pretty lucky with the weather.
This Feb Half Term, we embarked on our latest Italian adventure, this time in Northern Italy. This trip was sort of inspired by our 2020 Italy trip that never was (thanks, Covid!)
We changed the plans a little from the original idea, as we only had a week half term instead of the Summer Hols, but we knew we wanted to travel around more of Northern Italy. I found some cheap flights to and from Verona, and we went from there.
Let’s see what we got up to!
Day 1 – Travelling to Italy
Sat 17th – Today was mainly spent travelling to Italy. It was pretty uneventful (and actually an ok flight, and that’s coming from someone who isn’t very fond of flying)
We arrived in Verona at 7 pm and after a short bus ride and a check-in at our hotel we went in search of food.
The little Pizzeria (Rio’s) that we found nearest to our hotel did not disappoint. It was one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had in Italy.
Day 2 – Verona
Sun 18th – Today, we spent the day in Verona, exploring the town.
We did lots of walking.
We had a short tour of the Verona Arena, which was really cool!
It’s the best preserved Arena in Italy!
The Arena was probably my favourite ‘sight’ of the trip.
In the early evening, we travelled to Lake Garda, the next destination of our trip.
Day 3 – Lake Garda
Mon 19th – Today, was we visited Salo in Lake Garda.
It is home to the longest promenade in Italy.
& it is very beautiful.
They also do a bangin’ sandwich. This was an insanely good lunch. That bread đ¤¤
We had a lovely time walking up and down the promenade as well as looking through the city streets.
We rounded off the day with a delicious dinner, Caprese, Rosemary Foccacia, Risotto, and Tiramsu – so good.
Day 4 – Lake Garda
Tues 20th – We started off Day 4 with another yummy breakfast at our lovely B&B before we headed off to get our bus tickets for the day.
We didn’t realise a market was on, and it was quite extensive. There were some amazing food stalls, including fruit, veg, soooo much cheese and meats.
We decided to pick up some bits and create our own lunch. We chose a delicious fresh tomato, a fresh ball of Mozzarella, a fresh Foccacia, and some amazing strawberries. Delicious.
These made a yummy picnic.
In the afternoon, we headed off to explore another part of Lake Garda – Sirmione.
They are known for their delicious gelato, so we had some in the sunshine when we arrived!
We then had a walk through the castle and town on our way to the ruins of a Roman villa. There was a museum and the ruins itself so that was really interesting to see.
The ruins were so vast.
Once again, the weather was amazing.
We went back to freshen up before having a delicious dinner and a chilled evening in our room.
Day 5 – Milan
Wed 21st – Today we travelled to Milan! We were sad to leave our lovely accommodation in Garda.
Milan Centrale Station is massive! It gives Grand Central Station NYC Vibes for sure.
We spent the day doing LOTS of walking around Milan, seeing the city on foot, there is some cool architecture and graffiti. We picked up some more delicious ice cream, and we went to the Leonardo Di Vinic museum to round off the day.
We had these incredible crepes for dessert from those amazing Gelatoria that we discovered first in Verona.
Day 6 – Milan/Verona
Thurs 22nd – Today, we travelled back to our starting point, Verona, for our final leg of the trip!
Once we made it back Verona (after a 40 min delay at Milan) we freshened up and spent some time just chilling/reading in our hotel room.
It rained in the evening, so we just ventured out nearby to get some food. We didn’t stay out for long before heading back and watching a film in bed.
Day 7 – Verona
Fri 23rd – Today was the only day it rained pretty much all day. We had been so lucky with the weather so far. Typically, we had our Verona Walking Tour.
We didn’t let the rain dampen our spirits and we both thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the city. It was so interesting and Verona is such a beautiful place.
Booking a tour is well worth it!
We grabbed a spot of lunch from a place near the end of the tour, as recommended by our tour guide. The fresh pasta was delicious, and the tiramisu was insannnne.
We were very glad to have such a lovely shower in our hotel room because we were freeeeeezing 𼜠after walking back in the rain.
And of course, we had another delicious dinner to round off the day!
Day 8 – Verona
Sat 24th – Today was our last full day đĽ˛
The weather was beautiful, which was great for our final day. We headed over to a cafe that we heard was really nice. We had yet another delicious coffee and pastry.
We spent the rest of the morning/early afternoon looking around the castles museum – it was really interesting with our audio guide, and at the top, you get soke beautiful views of Verona.
After all that exploring and walking around, we enjoyed a lazy afternoon in the hotel.
In the evening…
WE WENT TO VENICE!!! My favourite đ
It was beautiful as always â¤ď¸
We had a delicious pasta dinner when we arrived…
… before heading to our favourite gelatoria!! đ¨ Su So is incredible. We had to squeeze some in for dessert.
It was buzzing in Venice as it was the Venice Carnival that weekend.
Venice is truly unique.
I love sitting by the Grand Canal. It’s so peaceful.
đ
Day 9 – Home time
Sun 25th – Today, it was time to go home!
We enjoyed a nice walk into the city centre of Verona to find a nice cafe for breakfast again. We really enjoyed doing this the day before.
We had a final delicious coffee, pastry (and Lasagne for Tim đ¤Ł)
We then had a walk around a bit more, including the arena before heading back to make our way to the airport.
We had such a brilliant trip and it was great to see so many new parts of our favourite country.
I thought I would (try) doing a post a month called my monthly highlights. I thought this would be a good way to share what I’ve been up to. A little diary of sorts.
So, without further ado – here are my January highlights.
Our first film of the year, Disney’s Wish đĽ
Back to running on the track, at our running group! đââď¸
Testing out my new headphones that Tim got me. We’ve been doing lots of gaming this month!
đŤFun in London watching Stranger Things: The First Shadow. A brilliant show.A fun afternoon playing a murder mystery for my besties birthday, with my husband and her family. Great fun, and Granny did it!!!An evening in London, on a weekday (oooh ah!) To see ABBA Voyage. Absolutely fantastic.
I usually do a little reading challenge of some kind each year, over here on my blog. This year, I decided to take the pressure off. I was just trying to read a bit more and read more of a variety of genres. (Which I think I definitely achieved!)
I have kept a list of all of the books that I have read throughout 2023. I kept a list that is in sections depending on the type of book that they are.
I have highlighted our 2023 Book Club books in pink.
In 2023 I read… đĽ
47 books
Let’s take a look…
Books
The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict
The Maid by Nita Prose
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
The Murder List by Jackie Kabler
The Perfect Lie by Jo Spain
The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl
The Magpie Society: One for Sorrow by Amy McCulloch & Zoe Sugg
The Magpie Society: Two for Joy by Amy McCulloch & Zoe Sugg
The Curfew by TM Logan
Verity by Colleen Hoover
The No Show by Beth O Leary
You and me on vacation by Emily Henry
The Shell Seekers By Rosamunde Pilcher
Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer
The Book Lovers Retreat by Heidi Swain
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle
Fairy Tales by Stephen King
The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent
Confess by Colleen Hoover
The Minaturist by Jessie Burton
Sleepovers by Jacqueline Wilson
The Best Sleepover in the World by Jacqueline Wilson
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
The Mother by TM Logan
The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns
That Festive Feeling by Heidi Swain
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie
The Christmas Book Club by Sarah Morgan
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Novellas
Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman
This Winter by Alice Oseman
Kindle App Books
It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
Audio books
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling
Needful Things by Stephen King
Friends, Lovers and the big terrible thing by Matthew Perry
The Twat Files by Dawn French
Graphic Novels
Heartstopper Vol 1 by Alice Oseman
Heartstopper Vol 2 by Alice Oseman
Heartstopper Vol 3 by Alice Oseman
Heartstopper Vol 4 by Alice Oseman
Heartstopper Vol 5 by Alice Oseman
Autobiography
Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton
Friends, Lovers and the big terrible thing by Matthew Perry
I have wanted to read this FOR AGES!!! but I am hoping to read this with my book club so I am going to suggest it. I really want to watch the series of this too, so I need to read it first.
2. ‘Strange World’ with Sarah and the boys. ââ1\2
3. ‘Matilda the Musical’ with Tim âââ
4. ‘A man called Otto’ with Sarah ââââ
5. ‘M3gan’ with Sarah ââ
6. ‘Empire of Light’ Solo trip ââââ
February
7. ‘Puss in boots: the last wish’ with Sarah & the boys. âââ
8. ‘Titanic 25th Anniversary edition’ in 4DX with Sarah ââââ
9. ‘The Whale’ with Sarah ââ1/2
10. ‘Whats love got to do with it? UNLIMITED SCREENING with Tim âââ
March
11. ‘Aftersun’ with Tim âââ12. ‘Scream VI’ with Sarah & Charlotte ââââ
April
13. ‘Mummies’ with Sarah & the boys âââ14. ‘The Super Mario Bros Movie’ IMAX with Tim & they boys ââââ15. ‘Renfield’ with Tim ââ1/216. ‘Evil Dead Rise’ with Sarah âââ17. ‘Missing’ with Sarah ââââ. 25
Till
Empire of Light
A Man Called Otto
Elemental
Love again
Guardian’s of the Galaxy: Vol 3
One Life
May
18. ‘The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry’ with Tim ââââ19. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3’ with Tim, Dan & Wes ââââ20. ‘Book Club: The next chapter’ with Sarah âââ21. ‘Love Again’ with Sarah ââââ
June
22. ‘Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse’ with Crash ââ.523. ‘The Boogeyman’ with Sarah & Demi âââ1/224. ‘National theatre live: Fleabag’ with Tim ââââ25. ‘Greatest Days’ with Eloise ââââ26. ‘The Little Mermaid’ With Tim ââââ
July
27. ‘No Hard Feelings’ with Tim âââ
28. ‘The Tunnel of Summer: The exit of goodbyes’ with Tim ââââ
29. Insidious: The Red Door with Sarah âââ30. Oppenheimer IMAX with Tim ââââ
August
31. ‘Elemental’ with Sarah, Noah & Casey ââââ32. ‘Barbie’ with Tim, Charlotte & Wes ââââ33. ‘Haunted Mansion’ with Tim âââ 34. Unlimited Screening: ‘Theatre Camp’ with Tim âââ
September
35. ‘Canterville Ghosts’ with Tim, Noah & Casey âââ.536. ‘The Nun 2’ me, myself & I ââ.5
October
37. ‘Saw 10’ with Sarah ââ38. DISNEY 100 (& FROZEN 10 YRS) Frozen with Charlotte & Evie âââââ39. ‘Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie with Noah, Casey & Evie âââ40. ‘Trolls: Band together’ with Tim, Noah & Casey ââ41. ‘Five nights at Freddy’s’ with Sarah âââ.542. ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ with Sarah ââââ
November
43. The Hunger Games: A Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes with Tim âââââ44. Thanksgiving with Sarah & Charlotte ââ.5
December
45. Elf (20th anniversary screening) Me, myself & I âââââ46. Teddy’s Christmas with Sarah, Noah & Casey. âââ47. Secret Screening…. with Sarah. (Next goal wins) âââ48. Napoleon with Tim ââ.549. One Life: UNLIMITED SCREENING with Sarah & Tim ââââ.550. ‘What Happens Later’ with Sarah ââ51. Wonka with Casey âââ.552. ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ with Sarah âââââ
I am so happy that I got to my target of 52 films, the equivalent of one a week, all year.
Chuffed with that!
Favourites…
Till
Empire of light
A Man named Otto
Love again
Elemental
One Man
Guardians of the galaxy: Vol 3
Here’s to 2024, and hopefully, another good year of cinema!
Roseanne Byford 