A photo every day for a year! 19th - 25th July Week 30 of #Project365

Happy Sunday!! I hope you've all had a lovely week and are enjoying your weekend. I have had a great week with lots of time outside, which is always a good thing when the weather has been so nice, warm but not too hot! We've had another quiet weekend so far and I don't have much planned for today apart from watching TV, catching up on some blogging and eating lots of nice food.

Now for a photo every day!

200/365 19th July

I didn't want to like the half-time show during the World Cup, it seemed like such an American thing but I loved it! My favourite part was definitely The Muppets appearing. I was not expecting that at all and it made me laugh. 

201/365 20th July

Mine and Ellie's little adventure on the sculpture trial started with brunch! We decided to have something to eat before heading off and it was a lovely way to start our day. The food was only OK though. The sausages were too undercooked for my liking and the bacon was overdone. We didn’t let that spoil our day and we definitely walked off all the calories afterwards.

202/365 21st July

I don’t think my cherry tomatoes are actually cherry tomatoes! They are carrying on growing and growing but they are not turning red yet. I keep checking them hoping to see them changing colour but not yet. I do love growing things, even when it doesn’t always go exactly to plan.

203/365 22nd July

It seems like years since I have had a butterfly cake! Ellie brought me one in and it took me straight back to being a kid. They were always a Sunday afternoon tea treat and a favourite at parties. It was a lovely little surprise and definitely brightened up my day.

204/365 23rd July

I love the sunflowers in my garden. I always thought sunflowers moved to face the sun but mine are doing their own thing and pointing in all different directions. I read that young sunflowers do follow the sun but once they mature they usually face east. There's a little fun fact for you.

205/365 24th July

The farmers around here have been really busy harvesting their crops over the past couple of weeks. We've heard them at all hours doing their thing. It always amazes me how quickly it all happens. They were busy on Thursday and I passed by the field while they were combining. I ended up getting a mouthful of dust from the machines but I still had to stop and take a photo because it is such a fun part of living in the countryside.

206/365 25th July

Stu is planning on decorating the bathroom when he has some time off work next month. He has some big plans and has been ordering stuff in preparation. Instead of painting around the shower, he's ordered some PVC shower wall panels, so it'll look a bit different when it's finished. It's his project, so I'm quite happy to let him get on with it. The last couple of times the bathroom has been decorated, I've been the one doing all the work, so I'm more than ready to let him get on with it. It might be one of the smallest rooms in the house but it always seems to take the most work!

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This week my Word of the Week is: Outside!! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

I hope you have all had a great week. Mine has been fantastic with a good mix of being busy, staying on top of things at home and of course, some downtime. We've had some lovely weather here this week. The temperature has been just right for me! It has been great to open the back door and have a bit of a breeze coming through the house, even if the flies did come in. Hmmf.

I've spent quite a bit of time in the garden this week. I had an afternoon out there pulling weeds, trimming things back and giving everywhere a bit of a tidy up. There's still of course lots to do but by the time I'd finished, it looked lovely and I felt very pleased with myself. Of course, now there are already more weeds appearing. Ugh. It really is a never-ending job!

The biggest excitement has been my tomato plants. I have around ten of them and they're all doing really well, although they all seem to be growing at different speeds. Some are full of green tomatoes while others are only just catching up. Every morning I go and check on them and see how they are doing. I was convinced one of the plants would already have ripe tomatoes on by now but what I thought were going to be little cherry tomatoes are actually much bigger and they still seem to be growing. I hope it won't be long until I can pick some. I have lots of plans for tomatoes this year!

The school summer holidays officially started this week where I live. It still feels a little strange, even though Ellie has now finished college. For the last 20 years, our lives seemed to revolve around school holidays and now they don't but I can't help thinking that we should be making plans, having adventures and enjoying the extra free time. Things are different now but Ellie and I still decided to have a little adventure together. We headed into town to take part in the We're Going on a Bear Hunt sculpture trail. Since I read about it online I have been dying to go hunting for the bears. I don't think either of us realised quite how much walking we'd end up doing. By the end of the day we had walked miles. One of the best things about our little adventures was that we explored parts of our little town we had never been to before, walked down streets we don't usually use and noticed little things we'd never noticed before.

How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one! I am of course linking up with Anne who blogs at Raisie Bay to join in with her Word of the Week linky!

What I have loved this week! Week 30. #FridayFavourites

Happy Friday! I hope you’ve had a great week. Mine has been a good one and I have been quite busy. I am here today sharing what I have loved this week and I am of course linking up with Erika and Andrea to share.

My girls and appointments!

My girls have had a busy week. My eldest went to view another house with her partner. They liked this one a lot more than the previous one they viewed and didn't get. It ticks more boxes and isn't too expensive. Hopefully, this will be the one for them. My youngest has been here, there and everywhere. She has had a few appointments and managed to find her way to them with only a couple of phone calls to me asking for directions when she got lost. It was a new area to her and travelling there was way out of her comfort zone but she did it!

A bear hunt!

My youngest and I went on the We’re Going on a Bear Hunt sculpture trail in Scunthorpe, the town where we live. There are ten large bears hidden around the town as well as eight little bear cubs to find. We didn't quite manage to find all of them but we found more than half, so I'm calling that a success. We walked for miles, stopped off for lunch and even got a drink from Starbucks! It was a good day!

Elle!

When I heard there was going to be a series about Elle Woods before Legally Blonde, I was a little unsure but I loved the new series on Prime! It's all about Elle’s teenage years and shows us what she was like before Harvard. I watched it all in a couple of days and loved it! Nobody can replace Reese Witherspoon’s Elle Woods because she made the character iconic but Lexi Minetree does a fantastic job of making the role her own! One of my favourite things about the series was the 90s setting. The clothes and the music.

Cooler weather!

It's still warm here, warm enough to enjoy being outside but not as warm as it has been and I am loving it. It has been mostly 20C today, which is 68F and that is the perfect temperature for me. It is easier to sleep, housework doesn't feel as much of a chore and I have been able to get out into the garden. I've had a proper tidy up out there. The weeding has been done, well as much as I am willing to do. It's hard to tell what are weeds and what are flowers which haven't fully grown yet!

Sunflowers!

One of my favourite things about this time of year is watching the sunflowers bloom.

Little House on the Prairie!

Surely we have all heard of Little House on the Prairie? Netflix has a new version, telling the story of the Ingalls family as they leave their home and begin a new life on the American frontier. The scenery was stunning and the costumes too. I like the characters, especially the kids and I watched it all in a couple of days. I really enjoyed watching it. It’s one of those shows that doesn't need all the flashy drama. Sometimes the simplest stories can be the best ones.

Reading challenge!

At the start of the year, I set myself a challenge on Goodreads to listen to 35 audiobooks. I imagined I'd listen to a couple a month but I have just realised it's week 30 of the year and I have just started my 30th book which means I am averaging one a week! Go me! I never thought I would be someone to enjoy books but here we are.

What have you loved this week?

My favourite summer drinks from best to worst!

Summer and drinks just go together, don’t they? The moment the thermostat ticks past 20C, I want a drink in my hand at all times. I have become one of those people who can’t function without ice cubes. Every trip out somehow turns into an opportunity to try a new drink and my fridge starts looking like a mini corner shop.

Summer drinks are an absolute minefield. Some are pure bliss in a glass and others taste like melted plastic and regret. So here is my very important ranking of summer drinks from best to worst.

Iced Coffee!!

This is the drink that gets me through summer without being a grumpy cow! There is something magical about iced coffee. Especially when you’ve been melting all morning and finally sit down with one that’s freezing cold. The sound of the ice clinking around the cup cools me down, just hearing it and the caffeine kick is a great boost.

Fruity Cocktails!

Cocktails make me feel like I'm on holiday, even if I'm just sitting on a plastic chair in the back garden. They’re fun, colourful and they make the summer feel a little exciting. I want something that is bright and comes with a slice of fruit stuck on the side and a silly umbrella. Give me a Sex on the Beach, a strawberry daiquiri or a pina colada. It doesn't even have to have alcohol in, it can be a mocktail.

Fizzy Coca-Cola Out of a Can!

Not a bottle or glass, it has to be out of a can! Coca-Cola from a can tastes colder somehow. I don’t know the science behind it and I don’t need to know. It just does. The sound of opening a can of Coke on a hot day is one of the best sounds, especially when it’s been in the fridge for ages. That first gulp hurts with the coldness and the fizz but it is sometimes what is needed.

Lemonade!

Lemonade is one of the simplest drinks but in the summer it is so refreshing, especially with loads of ice. I love proper cloudy lemonade most but I’m not fussy. If it’s cold and fizzy I’m happy. Lemonade is also one of the few drinks that works with absolutely everything. You can have it by itself or a mixer for another drink.

Fruit Cider!

Fruit cider feels like summer in a glass. Strawberry and lime, mixed berries, dark fruits. There’s something about fruit cider that feels less heavy than other alcoholic drinks in hot weather. It’s cold, fizzy and easy to drink. Sometimes a little too easy.

McDonald’s Milkshake!

A McDonald’s milkshake in summer is either the best decision ever made or the worst. There is no middle ground. Sometimes they’re thick and freezing cold and perfect and other times you spend ten minutes sucking through the straw with nothing coming out. The main problem with them is they can become too much very quickly in hot weather. You start off feeling refreshed and end up feeling like you’ve swallowed melted ice cream by the bucketload.

Iced Tea!

I want to love iced tea more than I actually do. It always looks so refreshing and people drink it in films while sitting on porches looking peaceful and organised but when I drink it, I spend the entire time trying to decide whether I like it or not. Some flavours are nice, especially a peach one but others somehow taste both watery and too sweet at the same time. I’ll happily drink iced tea if it’s offered to me but I’m probably not choosing it first.

Coconut Water!

I keep trying coconut water because people insist it’s refreshing, healthy and amazing and every single time I convince myself maybe this will be the time I finally understand the hype. It never is. I know loads of people love it and swear by it in summer, especially during heatwaves but I just can’t get excited about it.

Fruit Smoothies!

This might be controversial because smoothies seem healthy and cheerful but I just don’t want a thick fruity drink when it’s hot. They feel too filling and I don’t want to chew my drink. Homemade smoothies are always a gamble. One banana too many and suddenly you’ve created baby food, shop bought smoothies are better but they still leave me feeling weirdly thirsty afterwards.

Blue Raspberry Slushie!

Last place is the blue raspberry slushies. I don’t care how nostalgic you feel about these they are a crime against humanity. What even is a blue raspberry? Have you ever seen a blue raspberry? They look amazing but they are too cold! The freeze gives you brain freeze, they taste too sweet and artificial and when you finish one and your tongue looks like you’ve been eating crayons.

What are your favourite and least favourite drinks in the summer?