York Christmas Market

Today, I went Christmas shopping in York. It was very festive and fun! The Christmas market dominated the whole of Parliament Street! I found some fantastic gifts and treasures to give to people!

It was absolutely packed with shoppers and tourists, so much so that I needed to be carried!

Mid afternoon came rather quickly and off we went for lunch to our favourite tearoom, Little Shambles Tearoom.

After a bit more shopping and deciding which item out of several options to buy, we decided to wind down before catching the bus home and had a very creamy, smooth hot chocolate from Costa.

It was delicious! And even had a chocolate snowflake sprinkled on top!
Next adventure, CHRISTMAS!

Bonefire and Free Fireworks

Yesterday, I went to go see the fireworks in Wetherby. We discovered a nifty little spot where no buildings, trees or crowds of people could obscure your view.

Ok, so the second picture of the bonfire isn't great... but I recommend that if you do go see a firework display, remember the event as it is, don't take pictures because it is distracting to others and no where near as fun for you. Fortunately for me, there was only a scattering of people and we were all far apart from one another.

Bring on my next adventure!

Manchester Museum

Yesterday, I went to Manchester Museum with a friend as it was his birthday. In comparison to the Natural History Museum (see my adventures there by clicking here), it is tiny but it is still full of wonders and spectacles like no other!

As soon as we found our way to the museum, we immediately bought a coffee or tea. I'm drinking a lovely frothy cappuccino!

Onto the museum now!

It was amazing the artefacts they had on display! All those ceramic Egyptian dolls, I loved the range of colours! 

We soon arrived at the natural world and wow! what a variety of animals there were! Though I'm not too sure what that bird is...

Even though this individual bird is no longer living, it still looks incredibly powerful!

And the skills of some birds too! The nest of the Weaver bird is so intricate. I would never be able to do something like that even if I had all the patience in the world!

Well, I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of this angry looking Long earred Owl!

This picture shows the variety of dog breeds there are. All dogs are derived from the Wolf, so it fascinating to see a pug skull next to a wolf's...

These pictures show how nature is involved with the decisions human's make and their lifestyles. 

This beautiful creature is Maude. She is a Tigon; her father was a Tiger and her mother, a Lioness. She died in 1949 and her skin was donated to the museum and she has only been on display since August! What a mighty fine creature she must have been!

Soon we arrived into the Geology section!

These are actual fossil roots of a tree! They Were HUGE! A mini fossilised forest, wow!

And of course, this fella, dominating the ceiling space. He, or she, may be just a cast but it is still very impressive!

Soon, it was time to go home. As we waited for our train, we bought a rewarding cup of tea each!
Time for the next adventure!

Pumpkin Carving

Today, I had a go at pumpkin carving for the first time!
Here are 2 my friends made to give me an idea on a face and also how it was done.

It was quite a messy job but I managed ok on my own! The knife was sharp, so if you ever carve a pumpkin yourself, ask for help if you are unsure!

After carving 4 of the pumpkins, we had one left...

The demon of all pumpkins!

He didn't scare me!

And this is all 5 pumpkins together, what a sight and what joy I had carving them!

Making a new hedgehog friend

A few moments ago, I made a new friend. He, or she, is a hedgehog.

My family ended up bring him into the house and feeding him a MASSIVE portion of wet cat food!
I imagine he slept well after that!

If you come across a hedgehog, feed it wet cat or dog food which is fish free. Fish will give them tummy ache and we all know how that feels when we eat something dodgy!

Create a home too, an old wooden crate with a 13 x 13cm doorway will do perfectly. Be sure to put lots of fresh bedding; dried leaves, grass cuttings, straw etc into the box and cover the outside likewise to create a natural layer of insulation.

Lastly, make doorways in your fences or dig a small ditch going under your walls to create a network of pathways between gardens for these small prickly mammals. This will allow them to forage for food, find more hedgehog friends and make their nest.

I've helped my friend, now it's your turn to do the same. Lets stop this amazing creature from declining any more.

A trip back to Filey

Yesterday, I went to Scarborough to meet a friend. It was a bit of a boring journey to be honest so I was relieved when I arrived in Scarborough and was able to buy food!
We ended up buying a battered jumbo sausage each and a portion of large chips to share. I ate the whole of my sausage even though it is longer than me...

The chips and endless scraps were yummy too!

Before setting off to the b&b, I took in the wonderful sight of the sea whilst allowing that sausage to settle...

Once at the b&b, it was time to watch Doctor Who, have a cuppa from this nifty kettle...

Eat all the biscuits...

And relax!

The following day (today), we took a much needed trip to Filey. I haven't been to Filey for over 2 years so it was good to be back there! You can remind yourself of my first adventures in Filey by clicking here.
Though, I'm not entirely sure what happened here... Scarborough apparently overheated and exploded from what I can see...

When we arrived, we bought chips...

And doughnuts. Filey doughnuts are simply the best!

We walked a great stretch of the beach too picking up shells, the backs of crabs and the occasional rumbled fossil.

Admittedly, the weather couldn't decide whether it was sunny, windy or cloudy but all in all, we had a fantastic day!

A trip to York's Tea Rooms

Today, I had a wonderful trip into York. I like York, full of historical streets, architecture and life, there is just no beating it.

Like last year, I went to go see my favourite woods next to the Knavesmire. It is all still very leafy. Of course it is still early September and very mild.

A small gander into York city centre and we discovered a very cute little tea room down the Shambles. Called the Little Shambles Tea Room, it is situated off the Shambles down a tiny street heading into the market square. If you haven't already guessed, the Tea room is named after the tiny street it is on; Little Shambles!

The menu looked so tasty and the staff very welcoming!

Once my friends and I had ordered our lunch, our tea had arrived to keep us occupied.

Discovering there was an upstairs, we were soon moved to a lovely little window table overlooking the market.

Soon after came the meal! I ordered their classic Afternoon Tea with their famous scones!

All too soon, the yummy lunch had been eaten and all the tea gone. I will definitely be going back there soon!

After browsing the unique shops around York and before catching our bus home, we indulged in a hot chocolate and cake at Costa Coffee.

YUM!