'Happiness can be found in the darkest of places if one remembers to turn on the light'
Author: Roseanne's Blog
I'm Roseanne :) 33. Married to Tim 💗 I'm a Harry Potter fanatic ⚡ and a Bookworm 📚 I started this blog to document our wedding planning and its grown from there!
Blogmas Day Two is here, December is under way! So let’s talk Advent Calendars.
Mines varies from year to year and I am a bit partial to a regular chocolate calendar – that scrunchy metal sound as you pop through the foil to get to the chocolatey goodness is just nostalgic happiness.
As a younger child I did also have a Material Santa Advent Calendar with pockets that my Mum would fill and those kinds are super cute too and perfect for picking exactly what you want in it.
Last year I picked up my own Material Advent Calendar… and its not just any Calendar, no! It’s a Harry Potter one – Amazing.
Epic!
I love the little Hogwarts Letter Pouches with Hedwig at the top, it’s like he is delivering me a little festive treat everyday!
My husband very kindly bought me some Dairy Milk (the elite chocolate) Heroes (the elite tubs of chocolate) to go inside it, so it was nice to come home to see it filled with treats.
And now we have 25 days of waking up and eating chocolate firsr things- what a dream!
So this weekend me and my husband went to the Stranger Things Experience.
I bought us tickets for Tim’s birthday in July and we have really been looking forward to it since.
We decided to dress up for the experience.
I dressed as Eddie Munson…
And Tim dressed as Dustin Henderson…
The experience was really cool and really well done. It genuinely felt like we took a little trip to Hawkins, Indiana and snuck around the lab.
The actors and everyone involved were really good and very authentic – some of them were a little too good at staying in character.
Once we had finished the experience we were free to go around the merch/eating/drinks area. The themeing was really cool and very well done. They had recreated lots of iconic Stranger Things ‘Sets’ and rooms to make your experience really immersive.
There was the Surfer Boys Pizza Van, Family Video, Scoops Ahoy and they even recreated the iconic living room of the Byers house, fairy lights and all.
As well as these there were smaller themed areas and sets that were themed around Hawkins high and the Roller Rink from Season 4.
I had to do a little Eddie Munson Redemption Photo…. 86′ baby!
There was some cool merch on offer too (although not as much as I thought there would be) and a Hellfire Club themed Merch area which was amazing.
Hellfire Club Merch AreaTim at the Surfer Boy pizza van Family VideoScoops Ahoy!Dustin at the AV Club doorSurfer Boy pizza vanMeeting Vecna!‘We’re not in Hawkins anymore’
There were lots of cool photo opportunities with sets and props as well as retro photobooths.
Photo bioth snaps
It’s a brilliant experience for any Stranger Things fans and I would definitely recommend it.
The only negative I can think of is that maybe the actual experience could have been a little longer. It’s a 45 minute experience but I think an hour would make it more worth the money.
And prehaps a little more specific merch for some of the main characters like Dustin, Steve and Eddie.
I did pick up some cool bits though, Inc some Hellfire bits and a cool poster for our picture wall.
Eddie & Dustin’s Day Out
My fave!
Like I said, I would definitely recommend it, it was a really fun afternoon out.
Here is another book review from my monthly Book Club meeting.
I haven’t done one of these in a while as our meetings have been a bit different. Our July meeting was a trip to see ‘Where the crawdads sing’ as the book had been read at Book Club previously, and I have read it and loved it.
August/some of September was devoted to out next read, the one I will be talking about – ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest’.
We decided to go for a classic for August as we all expressed a wish to read more of them! So someone chose One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest.
If you have ever read it (or indeed any classics tbf) they are a bit harder to get into so we gave ourselves longer to read it, seeing us through August and most of September, meeting last week.
So, let’s get into it!
One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest
SYNOPSIS
‘In order to escape the prison labour, McMurphy, a Prisoner, fakes insanity and is shifted to the special ward for the mentally unstable. In this ward he must rise up against a cruel nurse, Ratched.’
THEMES
•Stigma and Mental Health
•Power
•Masculinity/Feminity
•Human Dignity
PROS
It’s a classic and it is always nice to add a few of them to your repertoire.
I really enjoyed the characters and found them to be very interesting, likable, endearing and charismatic – for me, they are one of the best bits of the book.
I also really like how thought provoking it is, in its themes and the way it conveys them through plot devices, imagery and the characters themselves.
CONS
It’s quite a slow burner, a slightly arduous start to the story and a story where ultimately not alot happens (considering the book is over 300 pages.)
It is also written in a very confusing way, sort of disjointed with A LOT of dialogue.
Also, the font is tiny. You feel as if you have read alot but haven’t got very far at all.
I also much prefer a book when there are short, clearly defined chapters – this one didn’t which was a shame!
Rating out of 5:
☆☆☆☆☆ (2.5)
Would you recommend it?
Y / N
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? 💭
As we all know unfortunately our Queen died on the 8th September 2022.
I was completely and utterly shocked – we all knew at the impressive age of 96 that it was an unfortunate inevitability… but somehow it just seemed like she would always be there, like she always has been.
It still seems unbelievable to write that even now, on the 21st September, 3 days after her state funeral.
How can someone who is such an intrinsic and integral part of Great Britain be gone?!
She was a constant throughout all the hardships and dramas (The COVID Pandemic being a particularly poignant one) as an unwavering source of comfort and support to the nation, to her people.
She served with such honour, pride and distinction, and alot of us held her with great affection, I know that I did, so it is a sad time now that she has passed away.
Grief is the price we pay for Love’ – Queen Elizabeth 2nd
I was heading down to London the weekend after The Queen had died, for a pre organised event and I was actually really pleased to be able to take the opportunity to pay my respects to her, at Buckingham Palace, the Queens London Residence.
It was a wonderful show of shared grief and respect and I’m sure she would have been deeply touched by the affection shown to her.
London really did pay tribute to her and it was lovely to see that happening around the country and the world too.
Me, My Husband and My Father in Law watched the funeral together on the Bank Holiday Monday.
It was a beautiful occasion for a thoroughly well deserving Monarch- 70 years in any job is unbelievable really.
Our longest reigning Monarch. I will remember her fondly, in particular her kind smile, her wicked sense of humour, her colourful attire, her Corgis and her care for this country.
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.
Italy is our favourite country to visit and out of all of the places in Italy that we have been, Venice is my favourite.
If I could recommend one place for people to go – it would be Venice. It’s beautiful and so unique.
Shall we take a look at what we got up to!?
Day One
22.07.22
Being up for over 24 hours wasn’t the most fun 🙃 but it was worth it to really make the most of the first of our four/five day trip.
We arrived in Venice at about 10/10.30am and I was honestly in a bit of shock, my eyes genuinely couldn’t believe that I was actually there again.
Last time we visited Venice was for our first wedding anniversary!! in 2016.
And of course, a lot has happened since, including a two year long global pandemic (who the hell would have ever guessed that would be around the corner) so consequently we hadn’t been on a plane since 2019 when we visited Rome (another MUST SEE city for its Italian awesomeness, food and history.)
My brain couldn’t comprehend that we were actually there, in the beautiful city of Venice – Honestly, at the real height of the pandemic I really did have those thoughts of ‘What if this is it? What if we can never leave this country again? Was our last holiday our LAST holiday for the foreseeable future?’
It really was a crazy time wasn’t it!!?
So to actually be back on Italian soil, in my most favourite country was so special and I am so very grateful that we got to visit it again.
We wandered around before checking into our lovely hotel (we always stay at the same one) and freshened up. We basically did lots of exploring and wandering around (to find pizza).
On our second day in Venice we did a walking food tour. We have done one of these before so, being seasoned visitors to Venice, this time my Husband created his own walking food tour (with the assistance of Trip Advisor).
It was really fun and nice to try out some different spots. We visited the most amazing Gelato shop. The flavours were insane. Our particular favourites included the ‘Opera’ which was hazelnut and chocolate, the Strawberry Cheesecake and the Pistachio and Amaretto Cherry.
We visited our favourite place for dinner ‘Al Bari’ which is situated just behind our hotel. I have SO missed the food here. It was amazing.
Absolutely INSANE 😍
Day Three
24.07.22
Having wandered around many times over the last few days we discovered that Venice has a Natural History Museum which we hadn’t visited before.
With the addition of a English Speaking Audio Guide we really enjoyed all of the different exhibits. It was cool to find something we hadn’t done before.
We decided to get some food from some of the little eateries that we had passed on our walk, on day one, on the opposite side of the canal to our hotel. There were lots of yummy things to try and it was cool to have a bit more of a look that side of the canal.
In the evening we played some games and went on a nice little stroll around the canals, it was fun to just wander and see what we would find around the corner. I then did my usual early evening routine of sitting outside the hotel, right on the Grand Canal and reading my book as the sun set. Heaven.
Day Four
25.07.22
Our final full day saw us take a lite adventure down the canal to one of the furthest points, St Marks Square! (Via Rialto) so that we could enjoy the amazing view from the bridge properly.
It was cool to go to St Marks again, we enjoyed a nice stroll around the whole square, in the hot sunshine.
The weather has been amazing.
Day Five
26.07.22
This was our final ‘day’. We had our flight to catch at around 2pm so we only really had until midday to spend in Venice.
We decided to head to Academia Bridge as we hadn’t been for a while, maybe even missing it out on our previous trip a few years back.
As we wandered around we discovered a little ferry that will take you across the canal, which is cool. So we have managed a ‘Gondola’ ride every time we have been now 🤣 I mean, it was a less fancy one and was definitely less than 5 minutes but, we’ll count it haha.
We had a great time in Venice, and as I said it is my most favourite place to be. A great start to the summer of 2022 ☀️
Have you been to Venice? Where is your favourite holiday destination?
So this weekend I have been flying solo as it were, because my husband has been away to see family (unfortunately I had driving lessons so couldn’t join) so instead I filled up weekend alone with all the things I love to do!
Now don’t get me wrong, I love a bit of ‘me’ time every now and then but I am quite a social person – being a twin I don’t think I’m really programmed to thrive on my own 😂
So I did a mixture of both – Here’s what I got up to!
Saturday
Starting the day off with a driving lesson.
Then I went for a swim at our local swimming pool.
A lovely walk along the Waterfront.
Ice cream stop!
The cinema with my Niece, to see Minions.
A play, followed by dinner at my Sisters house.
Sunday
Another driving lesson.
Lunch with a view, with my friend Dan.My awesome Animal Crossing: New Horizon Birthday pressies.
So something pretty awesome happened this month and if you are a bookworm like me you’ll definitely appreciate how cool this is!!!
On a book club page on Facebook I read this Synopsis…
‘It’s every parent’s nightmare. Your happy, funny, innocent son commits a terrible crime: murdering a complete stranger. You don’t know who. You don’t know why. You only know your teenage boy is in custody and his future lost. That night you fall asleep in despair. Until you wake . .. . . and it is yesterday. Every morning you wake up a day earlier, another day before the murder. Another chance to stop it. Somewhere in the past lie the answers, and you don’t have a choice but to find them . . !’
This book is called ‘Wrong Place, Wrong Time.’ By Gillian McAllister.
Never have I read a synopsis and thought OMG I NEED TO READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW – it intrigued me so much!! I also immediately sent this synopsis to so many people because I knew they would think the same!!
I put this book forward as a suggestion at Book club last month… everyone went for it and I subsequently tweeted about it being our chosen book on my Twitter page for this blog… and then this happened…
😱😱😱
I never thought the author herself would tweet me asking to join our meeting. I was shocked!!
After lots of sorting out (and stressing out behind closed doors by me 🤦🏼♀️🙃) it all went off really well.
Gillian was lovely to chat to and was really eager to answer our questions and listen to our thoughts on her book.
It was interesting listening to everyones views and perspectives on the book, with her added into the mix. It was also great to get some background information on how she came about her ideas and the thinking behind certain areas of the plot, the chatacters etc.
It just added a different dimension to our usual meetings and it was fascinating to get a real authors perspective on something you’ve just read (and thoroughly enjoyed!) As well as the writing process as a whole.
I’m so glad I was able to organise it successfully and that everyone really enjoyed themselves.
I already know that I will be scouring my local library for some more of her books asap.
The power of Books, Blogs and Twitter 📚🌟
Have you read the book? Or any of her other ones?? What did you think??
Roseanne Byford 