Hoppy Easter...

I hope you have all had a wonderful Easter and blessings have befallen you.

We have had a lovely time. Peaceful, loving and fun family time.

Flowers and cards x

Warm Carrot and Hazelnut cake x

Melting moments x

Little chef x

On the hunt...

Easter goodies x

Waiting for Easter feast x

Cakes x

Nom...

Nom, Nom...

And cute pup got his first(and much needed) bath with us.

Happy Easter everyone xxx

Talented Friend...

When it comes to family I definitely pulled the short straw. I won't go into details but lets just say it is not a harmonious, loving group of people, But, when it comes to friends I have pulled every long straw there is. 

I have so many people that I call friends, and they are. We are all there for each other and we have happy and sad times together. I have too many acquaintances to count, but you know what else I have? Best Friends! Yep! I said it. I took you all back to school and playing with your girlfriends and whispering to each other that today, "You're my best friend really, not Sheila!"

But I have them. I am 31 and I have 6 best friends. What makes them best? They are my family, not by blood but by friendship. ALWAYS there. Always making life so much better. I can only hope that in some small way I do the same for them.

One of these very special people is Hazel. Hazel is a creative force that has gone above and beyond friend duties.

Last year my eldest was due to start high school, because we had moved and I wasn't happy with the catchment school for a number of reasons I had to wait months for an appeal(we lost the appeal but magically one of the best schools in the area managed to find him a place...nothing to do with his high academic achievements!) during these months Hazel and her husband drove miles every Friday after being in work all day to tutor Jacob. Hazel is a dab hand at French, Spanish and was excellent at English Lit, lang and history! Her husband Edward is training to be a science teacher in secondary school. How lucky am I???

On Christmas night I ended up having to go to hospital for a crappy episode with the bipolar. This has been the worse episode in years. I had to go and stay with my brother in Manchester a lot, I was sleeping all the time, drugged up and feeling useless. Not able to do anything for myself.

Guess what this lady did?

No! She didn't rub my shoulder and say everything would get better, she didn't avoid me so she could avoid an awkward conversation. She came over one night, unannounced I might add, and with her she bought a MOUNTAIN of home cooked food! Days of work and effort cooking and baking for my little family! My freezer and fridge were filled. Homemade curries, pies, fruit crumbles, naan bread, shepherds pie. So much awesomeness! I also had a pile of goodies just to cheer me up(including her AMAZING mince pies with her own mince meat)

Awesome!!!

This lady is also incredibly talented. If you haven't had a chance to have a gander at her blog go say hi :)

For my Birthday a few years ago she made me this

ALL by hand I might add.

For my 30th I got this

and these

even creating a cake recipe and naming it Emmatines after me!!!

For my last birthday I also got something so cool and very needed.

A few years ago Hazel bought me a recipe journal so I could write and store my recipes. The man decided that it was fine to clean around it and getting it wet...it got ruined long story short lol.

So Haze made me this...

All her own art!

Photographs of her kitchen and mine. 

Look at the detail. So, so talented. I am always in awe of her drawings and art work

Because I enjoy a good tipple ;)

I finally managed to start sorting and adding to it yesterday and it made me so happy.

I feel blessed to have this unique lady in my life and I am so unbelievably lucky to be able to call her my friend. My best friend hehe!

Love you Lady xxx

St. Davids Day Awesomeness...

A belated Happy St. Davids Day to you all.

We had a fantastic day. We went to one of my all time favourite places. The museum of Welsh life, better known as St. Fagans.

It is just on the outskirts of Cardiff and it is a place filled to bursting with everything you need to see and know about Welsh life through the years.

The place itself is a collection of buildings from all over Wales that have been painstakingly dismantled brick by brick, each brick logged and numbered and then re-erected in St. Fagans. Many of these incredible buildings would have been demolished and lost forever if it wasn't for this great place.

We met up with our awesome friends. The wonderful Hazel from Little Welsh House, her husband and her two fabulous rescue dogs Millie and George. 

#NOTE: PHOTO HEAVY BLOG ABOUT TO COMMENCE... 

Awesome trees that have been trimmed back making them look like Whomping Willows(Harry Potter)

Beautiful part of the castle gardens

Signs of Spring

Bara Brith...I will share recipe. It is DELICIOUS!

A few hundred year old farm house. They were painted red to keep away evil spirits.

Gorgeous Hazel with the bugs and the dogs. Doesn't George have the best photo smile???

Sheep bum!

Welsh cake making in a traditional farmhouse kitchen. Welsh cakes are yummy(like drop scones) and smell divine.

(we had already enjoyed some of Hazels welsh cakes at our picnic nom nom)

Sitting room in Farmhouse. I love the fireguard. It is so intricate and beautiful.

Dream House!

Where bakes are made in a traditional way

This street of Miners Cottages is one of my favourite parts of the museum. I will take you along on the journey through time.

First home is 1805. Look how sparse it is. To think that these were built for families is incredible. There is a lounge with a stove for cooking and a table for eating. This back bedroom and one bedroom upstairs. They are so small.

1855 There are more decorative items building rather than just the essentials. 

1895. This is already so incredible how the designs and rooms change and become so much more homely and vibrant.

1925. Photographs on the wall are a symbol of the effects of progression and scientific advancement. Reminders of the Great War on the mantle.

1955. Awesome original roller skates. Imagine the fun the child(or adult) that wore these had whizzing around laughing and screaming with joy.

These pictures are from the out building, some of these were made from old air raid shelters. Talk about making use of space. I would love this in my back yard. It is absolutely gorgeous. I could quite happily move in tomorrow.

The house of 1955. Times have definitely changed dramatically. These were no longer just somewhere to live, they were homes that could show off the disposable income that people were now acquiring.

1985 Have you noticed the even more extreme changes? Modern times require modern layouts...including a bath! OK it is in the kitchen but it is a bath. I think this house just shows how small these cottages really are and how ingenious the people living in them were to make the most of the space throughout time. Always adapting to the needs of the time.

 The next group of photos is my second favourite part. This is a prefab. Prefab stands for prefabricated. They sprung up everywhere throughout Britain after the war. They were cheap and more importantly quick to erect. They were essential as so many families had lost their homes in the bombings of the war. Left homeless these buildings were so needed and appreciated.

Originally built as a temporary measure many of the families they were built for spent the rest of their days in them and many still stand today as family homes.

How gorgeous is this room? The stunning furniture, the quilts, even the knitted horse on the bed.

Not too sure about the curtains but I am definitely in love with everything else. Look at the detail on the floor...don't you just love the hat and scarf too(I like how even back then it was clear that the bedroom is the womans room...dresser for her, wherever there is space for him!)

That tablecloth! I think I need to go a hunting!

I think there a few of you that have just fallen for this kitchen! 

I appreciate how much effort goes into the detail of all the properties at this magical place.

Each part and each building is a trip back in time. You can imagine the people, the faces the work.

We took so many more photos and there is a fair I want to share with you but I think this post has come a long way and taken you through enough year hehe.

I hope you have enjoyed our little tour together. I have enjoyed making you a part of our day. 

Happy Sunday x