Results matching “Christmas”

Standen House is located in West Sussex and is an example of an Arts and Crafts house that is designed in the style of Morris & Company, a popular designer. The house was built in the late 1800s, but it is set up to appear like it may have done in the mid-1920s. The house is now in its 50th year of management by the National Trust, and a special 1970s theme is presented in line with the year it came under the management. This 1970s exhibition is taking place until the middle of October. I had previously visited Standen House and Gardens during the pandemic, so I have never seen the full house open until this visit. In addition to the 1970s theme, the Surrey Sculpture Society trail exhibited close to a hundred different sculptures at the location for a month-long residency.

In keeping with the 1970s themes, there were special touches around the grounds of Standen House, such as the "Space Hopper" toys that children could play on.

I visited the house to see the interiors for the first time since the pandemic restrictions were lifted. Many of the small touches around the house paid homage to the 1970s.

One of the items was a pick between David Cassidy and Donny Osmond, two teenage heartthrobs for people in the 1970s.

The pool table had a series of felt colours and shapes inspired from the 1970s, and visitors could make their own 1970s image or flowers from the shapes.

A group of board games from the 1970s were on display.

The rocking horse was wearing a pink wig.

I am not sure if the gnome is from the 1970s or if it is always there.

The living room also had board games and some snack packaging from the decade. There was also a projector placing a series of photographs onto the wall.

A 1970s hair dryer was on display in the women's dressing room.

The men's dressing room had various floral 1970s men's shirts and a velvet suit.

The flowery bedspread, toys, and magazines are all from the 1970s in the bedrooms. There were also vinyl records on display.

The bathroom had various products with the vintage packaging from the time period.

In addition, each room contained a little mouse, and these were dressed up in 1970s-inspired clothing. I remember seeing the mice on a previous visit and trying to find them in each room. This is to done to keep children from being bored while looking around the house.

This large Mother of Pearl box was impressive.

Upstairs, one room was dedicated to Morris & Co's interiors with a showcase of floral designs for furnishings and wallpapers.

The dining room contained a spread of 1970s pottery and plates, including a fondue set. The designs with the bright colours is very much a product of the era - florals with bright yellows, browns, and oranges were traditional colours.

The kitchens also contained the mice and recipes for items popular in the decade, including Coconut Ice squares.

Leaving the 1970s behind, I visited the gardens to check out the sculptures and the gardens. I previously visited Standen House in the mid-autumn and in December, so I had not seen the gardens in the summer.

"Metamorphosis" - Claire Nelson

"Shell-Emerald Chasm" and "Cone Shell-Life Entwined" - Ben Nicolas

"The Boxer" - Steve Bicknell

"Helmets for War and Peace" - Teresa Martin

"II Cavallo (maquette)" - Maggie Butler

"Horse Head XI" - Kate Woodlock

"Hex" - Elizabeth Leyland

"Galetea" - Malcolm West

"Cloud Nine Feline" - Teresa Martin

"Veg Plot Totem 2" - Karen Pearson

After the visit to Standen House, I stopped off at a pub and enjoyed a bit of lunch in the lovely sunny and warm weather. 

Previous visits to Standen House and Gardens on this blog:

A Morning at Standen House and Gardens (West Sussex, National Trust): Lockdown Edition
Christmas at Standen House 2020

The Postal Museum opened in 2017, and I find it difficult to believe that it's actually been that long! I gave charity to the museum and was able to get a tour of it before it was officially opened to the public and also before it was completely finished. (One of the last elements to add was a series of videos to display on the platform.) Visitors of the blog may remember that post, but here it is again: A First Look at the New Postal Museum. The Postal Museum re-opened to the public again after over eighteen months of being shut, and it was re-opened in August. Those who had donated were encouraged to return. As I had not yet seen the completed museum, I signed up to attend.  

The visit was a "look at your leisure" of some of the static exhibits and information boards, a ride on the postal trains (adapted to take passengers instead of mail bags), and a walk on the rails through the tunnels to see the plaques printed out and nailed to the sleepers for the charity donations. These events are also quite good because all of the members have a story as to why they donated. Some are in memory of others - perhaps a lover of trains or in memory of someone who worked or were associated with these mail tunnels. One of the plaques is for an engagement of two postal workers.

There's quite a lot of re-development taking place in this part of London, and the land opposite Mount Vernon postal site (now the museum) is currently being re-developed. I was also happy to see a large mural on the side of a building here; it was commissioned by the Postal Museum, and the artist is Atma Art. I am not sure what the plans are for the development across the street.

The mail trains have been re-built for passengers. These would haul bags around. The mail tunnels were built to quickly send post through the network. Instead of this going above ground where there were delays, they engineered these series of tunnels underground. There were several stations along the way to send the post across London. I cannot remember how much post was sent per day, but there was a lot more than is sent today. The postal museum was in operation from Victorian times and ceased in the early 2000s. Remember that we did not have email or the Internet or fax machines readily available until more modern times, so any document or correspondence was sent via the post. This is a difficult concept for a lot of people living today to grasp.

Ops. We were told that the "west" and "east" signs had fallen off, and a colleague had put them up the wrong way. 

We had a trip on the rail, which gradually passed by a platform. Some of the tunnels were used for Christmas parties, and children were also invited. A lot of people have contributed to the history of this museum as some of the workers are still alive.

The videos I mentioned in the introduction are a part of the rail journey. The train stops and displays a series of imagery and animations relating to each decade of the London post system. 

On the way back through, a different video was shown. This depicted three different letters of correspondence that made their way through the system. One was a little girl who shared Queen Elizabeth's birthday and wrote her a letter. Another one was a journalist sending a letter to a writer. I cannot remember the third option. Most of the correspondence would be day-to-day and what we would send as emails now.

After the rail trip, we could look around at the static displays and also use some of the interactive displays - such as changing the signals (which I have never been able to get my head around) or sorting mail during a moving platform.

The final part of the visit was to walk through the tunnels. This requires a hard hat and being able to duck or crouch down at certain places where the tunnels are very low. It also requires stepping over the sleepers and track and signals and other equipment and simply watching steps not to trip. 

As always, it was an insightful visit and a historically-important place that is probably under-stated. I think more videos about the history of the museum and exhibitions would be welcome. There's currently a postcard exhibition, and I think having some royal mail memorobilia on display would also be interesting and take it to a new level - stamps, advertisements, a postbox, special ink stamp, etc. Those who love the trains won't be disappointed, and perhaps a model train set showing the tunnels would be nice.

In the centre of Bury St Edmunds is the remains of one of the most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England with a complete 14th century gatehouse and Norman tower. The location has been popular with pilgrims since 903 when the relics belonging to king St Edmund were moved here. The abbey was founded in 1020, and it became one of the wealthiest and powerful in England.

The abbey was the important place with history of the Magna Carta. People were upset with the treatment under king John in 1214, so they aired grievances in the abbey. This paved the way for the Magna Carta.

In the 1300s, the townspeople clashed with the abbey and rioted often for 100 years. In the 1400s, Henry VI stayed at the abbey for four months from Christmas.

The abbot's palace survived the dissolution of the monasteries and was in use as a house until 1720.

Visitors can see the abbey remains of the crypt and imagine how wonderful it would have looked. The gate shows the example of stonework and detail, and the abbey would have been much more impressive. The abbey entrance to the great court was damaged in 1327 when the townspeople stormed the gate and kidnapped the abbot. The new gate was built in the 1400s to replace the old one.

The grounds of the abbey area are now gardens with beautiful flowers and views over the cathedral, and the ruins make up one section. During the monastery days, the gardens would have been the site of various workshops dedicated to daily life. Inside the gardens are an "Internet Bench", which is famous and cutting-edge for its time. It contained a dial-up modem so that people could sit and use the Internet. (There was no such thing as WiFi then.) The connection has since been disabled as no one uses dial-up modems now, so it was no longer required, but it served a place in history.

The rose garden outside the cathedral contains several memorials to people or troops who served in the wars. There are several monuments and plaques and a bench created from a plane and dedicated by the U.S. Air Force.

Groups of ruins exist around the ruins of the abbey.

The abbey, below, can be seen with the lower crypt level and columns pointing up from the ground.

A plaque mentions the link to the Magna Carta where there was the meeting with King John.

The Norman tower exists on the other side of the present day cathedral.

The present day cathedral and buildings appear to use some old stonework from the monastery structure.

The ruins of a church in the grounds on the opposite side of the cathedral are roped off. There are several graves here, and the chapel is located in the present day cemetary.

Bury St Edmunds has an attractive town centre with everything within walking distance. Visitors can enjoy a walk around, and the market was taking place during my visit. There were crafts, baked goods, alcohol, clothing, jewellery, and so many different types of items that could be purchased.

I am not sure where to begin on this one. To put it bluntly, the year has not started out the best. You may remember my last update when I mentioned about the job that I enjoyed pulling redundancies, and they did not treat me well at all at the end. The job that I started toward the end of last year has been extremely busy and less than enjoyable, and I've got another few months of the very long probation period to get through. I'd hardly left the house, and I could feel my mental health suffering on some days. Additionally, I had some other bad news today. My grandmother passed away today; she was my last living grandparent, and she would have been 98 in April. 

I had hoped to get over to "home" before anything like this happened. I was too late. Pre-2020, I was over-worked and did not take breaks for a few years. Then 2019 was a year I had a rolling monthly contract, and they extended me for six weeks just before Thanksgiving. (I had planned to go "home" for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they needed me and I wasn't sure when my next job would be, so I cancelled those plans.) In mid-December, I'd just secured a permanent job that I interviewed for in the autumn of 2019, so I decided to hold off my travel plans until 2020. I wanted to start the new role as soon as possible to work my three-month probation then plan my travel and make up for the lost time. Unfortumately, the pandemic happened six weeks after I started. Then, of course, there were travel restrictions and mess. Then, of course, it was my role being made redundant and having to start a new role with a 6-month probation. I am still working that probation.

In short, I feel that past employers and the pandemic has cheated me. 

It is not a good feeling. All of these things have happened beyond my control. It is not good for mental health.

Grandma was very opinionated, set in old ways, and that caused some clashing. I always worked very hard. I would help her at the family market and farmer's market from a very young age. I was always a hard-worker, and many times I'd set up everything myself while she talked to other people and caught up on the news. She loved to talk. Then there was favouritism shown toward my cousins when they were born after I was around eleven years of age. Just stupid stuff. I'd been put to work every time I went to her house or to the market. The new cousins were allowed to do anything; they were allowed to make a mess and not clean up, and then I had to clean up after them. With me and my brothers, we were told "children are to be seen and not heard", but with the cousins, they were out doing the things we were forbidden from. Then there was the Christmas times. My brothers and I were given clothes and spelling and math books. We never got toys, but the cousins were being swamped with all types of toys. Then there were the comments. I'd had my cat Bells from the day he was born on March 13, 1988. I was nine years of age. My cousin, who was born in 1989, liked to go over to my house and see Bells, so she named her cat after mine. My grandmother tried to say my cousin had the name first; she knew it wasn't true but she was making a stupid comment which annoyed me (and my parents). Then there was the birthday gift she gave me for "contact lenses", which I didn't wear and did not want to start; I wore glasses. I told her I did not want them because I have a phobia of things near my eyes. I never did get a birthday gift; they actually stopped with the coming of the cousins. Generally, there was a bit of snobbery about religion, alcohol, and other cultures too, which I think is a factor of that generation. While I feel that having a glass of wine or cocktails is acceptable from time to time, she was against it completely.

Perhaps the reasoning for my (and my brothers') different treatment was down to my father, the third-born child, not being the favourite. I really do not know. It's always been a bit strange, but then I think everyone's family can be a bit fracked up sometimes.

I worked with her quite a lot at the farmer's market and market, but she never treated me as a child. When I was in middle school and high school, I would often get a ride back with her. We had a strange bus route. We had to get up extra early in the morning and were the first people on the school bus; but, we were then the last ones off in the evening because the bus started the route on the opposite direction. So, I would walk to the elementary school where she was a teacher. I would stop at a little cafe that sold candy and would buy a couple of items to have on my walk to the school. I would then help my grandmother. Sometimes, she would have me take one of the children and go over flash cards of spelling and reading. Sometimes, I would read to them or have them read to me from a book. These were children that needed some extra time spent with reading, writing, and spelling. There was probably an hour to an hour and a half of this each day. 

She (and the two aunts on that side of the family) wanted me to become a teacher. I would never have been happy doing that, and I am glad that I did not get pressured by them into doing that. I think teachers do not get enough credit and are often considered child care by some some bad parents. One of my best friends got into teaching, and she really regrets it.

Originally, this post was a re-cap with some unblogged activities and storms. We had high winds for a few days and then two separate storms only days apart. Storm Eunice was the worst one, and it took down a tree on the road and a tile off the roof. Storm Franklin took place days later. 

In terms of unblogged stuff, I had drinks a few times with neighbours. We had drinks a couple of times at a local bar/restaurant that makes amazing cocktails. We also had drinks around each other's houses. I ordered Tapped! cocktails, and we had a bunch of those and a bottle of Prosecco. The neighbour and I went to Shoreditch to watch "There's Something About Mary" playing at a hotel cinema at Shoreditch Courthouse. We had some drinks before and afterwards. I took her to one of my favourite's - Monty's Bar.

The bloke and I had a couple of Sunday roasts out. We tried The Pomeroy at Amersham, and the roast was delicious.

I also had to go to a funeral in late January. It was the funeral of the oldest resident on the street, who lived in the house from when he was only seven years old! He passed away in his mid-90s in mid-December, and his only living relative is an older lady in Leicestershire, and she was unable to get to the funeral. Luckily, we do have a social street, so he had a large amount of people at the service. A photograph of the flower arrangement is below.

Today had also brought more bad news in the form of war with Russia attacking the Ukraine. So, I hope that it gets better in 2022. It just has not started out very well. Overall, the past several months have been unkind now. I hope it does not get worse. Please get better.

I'm not sure where the year has gone, but it's mid-February and almost Valentine's Day already. I've hardly left my house this year due to my work situation, so I've not really been exploring London for the best Valentine's Day treats. I've been super busy, and I've been exhausted by the time the day finishes and by the weekend, and the last thing I went to do is go out. It's not healthy, I know...keep your fingers crossed for me. But anyway, I did manage a fleeting visit to Peggy Porschen's cafe on Elizabeth Street ahead of the big day. They launched their Valentine's Day specials early. I had the champagne and strawberry cupcake and one of their special iced biscuits.

Their theme this year was pink flowers and a pink and white striped hot air balloon. The biscuit was themed for this with a "love is in the air" slogan. 

Happy early Valentine's Day!

More posts about Peggy Porschen:

• London's Christmas Lights, Decorations, and Treats (2021)
• Happy Halloween, 2021
• Valentine's Day Treats in London 2021
• Where to Buy Christmas-Themed Treats in London (2020)
• Autumn 2020 at Peggy Porschen's Cafe
• "Happy Valentine's Day" London Displays and Treats
• Peggy Porschen Winter 2019
• Summer at Peggy Porschen Cafe King's Road
• Easter at the New Peggy Porschen Cafe, King's Road
• A Christmas Visit to Peggy Porschen Bakery

Windsor Great Park Illuminated (or simply Windsor Illuminated) has now ended, but I visited it this past Saturday on its final weekend. Windsor Great Park hosted a winter light trail from the end of November last year until early January, bringing a light trail with light installations and music for visitors to experience. The trail took about a little over an hour to walk, though I prefer to take my time but was being rushed by the bloke who complained of it being too cold and damp; it was not raining, but it had rained earlier in the day. I like to experience the atmosphere of the immersive light trail, watch the displays set to soundscapes, and take photographs. Next time, I will leave him at home so that I can enjoy it!

The first part of the trail was probably the muddiest part through what looked like a temporary path that was drenched in mud. Around the first bend was a display of sparkling lights reflecting off of disco balls high in the air. The illuminated trees changed colour, and the small lights from these disco balls were projected onto the ground below.

Of course, music was being projected from speakers along the trail with various songs playing, but I think the Christmas music was largely replaced by classic pop music.

The illuminated trees with the disco lights was a small length of trail, and this came to the main pathway, bordered with illuminated hedges covered with white light nettings.

In front of me, was the lake, which contained beautiful illuminated trees on the other side of the lake, and these colours shifted onto the trees.

The path continued around with an impressive view of additional illuminated trees and an illuminated ship in the lake.

The path split here, but going onto the right would have skipped out the majority of the trail. So, we continued on and soon came across this beautiful display of patterned sequenced lights set to a soundscape. The lights changed colour and pattern and were also projected onto the trees, and it was a beautiful display.

After this, we walked past a giant gift with a blue ribbon, designed to be used as a prop for photographs, and some additional photograph props: an illuminated archway with mistletoe and an illuminated set of wings. There was also an illuminated tree and a couple parts of the trail decorated with large stars around some of the trees.

Another interesting display was on a beautiful giant tree, and it had a thunderstorm soundscape and lit up as if it were being illuminated by lightning. The colours of the light illumination changed, but I thought the standard white light mimicked the effect of the thunderstorm best. 

After this, there was a light tunnel that changed colour.

The trail led through a slightly muddy trail through the woods, which were illuminated with changing colours.

A really fun section of this trail were additional light displays with smoke machines and light projections, which really made a great experience to walk through. There were two of these, and they were both different.

The trail continued to loop around through another field of stars and some additional props to get photographs near.

The next art installation was a transparent screen suspended in the air between two trees, and there were different moving images projected onto it: an owl, a dancer, flowers with moths, and eyes.

There was a place to stop and get food and drink, and I had a hot chocolate and toasted marshmallow (which the bloke complained about because he did not want to wait around, though it actually does not take long to toast a marshmallow or drink a small hot chocolate, which I took around with me anyway) before continuing on. 

More stars and props were dotted along the path, which came out of the main wooded area. One of the props was an illuminated hot air balloon.

The trail came out on the other side of the lake with additional views over the illuminated trees on the opposite side with some illuminiated water lillies in the foreground.

The trail then led along the lake on a straight well-defined pathway lined with stars, lights, snowflakes, and other illuminations.

At the end of this, beside the bridge, was another display with illuminated flowers and birds in motion being projected onto a waterfall. 

The final part of the trail led over the bridge and down an illuminated rainbow path. The colours of the rainbow moved. At the end of this trail is the obelisk, which is also illuminated.

Right before the obelisk, the trees were lit up with soundscape and changing colours and lights on the trunk.

The end of the trail had a bar, carousel, and a couple of food kiosks. The bloke did not want to wait around, so we rushed off reluctantly. Next time, I will go on my own so that I am not rushed.

I am a little behind in writing this and have managed to use up a lot of products over the summer and autumn last year. These are primarily beauty and skin-care products that were used up, despite working from home most of the time and not going out a lot. I decided to post these products to help me remember which products I would purchase again, and it may help others with deciding which products to purchase too.

Roger & Gallet Lait Pour Le Corps: This miniature bottle of hand cream was obtained from Sofitel hotel. It had a lovely scent and was absorbed into the skin without feeling heavy or looking oily. I do like this brand, and they have some fantastic fragrances. Would I buy it again? Yes.

Bath and Body Works Purrfect Pumpkin hand sanitizer: I used to carry hand sanitizer in my handbag before it was fashionable. This one dates from a few years ago when I went to the states and bought a few Halloween-themed miniature hand sanitizers. This one was their pumpkin scent, which is a sweet scent with a hint of pumpkin spice. I love this brand and find I cannot really go wrong with their sanitizers and love the fact that they release seasonal products. Would I buy it again? Yes.

Rimmel Sheer Temptation lipstick in 'Lust': This is a dark and muted pink shade of lipstick, which is probably best described as being a matte application. I found it to be a good application without being clumpy like some lipsticks, and it has moisturising ingredients. Would I buy it again? Yes.

Halo Fragrance Free Facial Wipes: These facial wipes are perfect for on the go or at music festivals. The wipes are prefect for sensitive skin and do not contain ingredients that are harmful. Would I buy it again? I wouldn't because I am unlikely to use all of them, and they dry out quickly once opened.

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara: This mascara from brand Urban Decay promises to lengthen lashes. Would I buy it again? No, as much as I do love the brand, I found the product clumped too much on my lashes. 

The Ivy Chelsea Hand Sanitizer: I received a bottle of this in 2020 when I went to visit The Ivy restaurant in London, and it smells herby and fruity and delicious.

Weleda Pomegranate foaming day cream: This foaming cream is made from pomegranate, which is a symbol of longevity. It is blended with other oils and ingredients to create an anti-aging cream. Would I buy it again? Yes, I thought it applied well and did not feel too oily on my skin.

Nuxe Insta-masque: This product promises to exfoliate and rejuvenate skin and offers a range of benefits for different concerns. The product has a nice fragrance. Would I buy it again? No, I found it a little too oily on my skin.

No7 liplicious Moisture Balm Sp15 in 'Angel Cake': This lip gloss is highly glossy and leaves a high shine; it promises to keep lips hydrated. Would I buy it again? No. The product felt too thick, and my hair often got stuck in it. The packaging was also frustrating because it would come out of the sides of the cap when I was squeezing it out.

BioEffect EGF Serum: This anti-aging solution promises to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and is perfect for any skin type. It only uses seven ingredients so that it is not harmful, and it's perfect for sensitive skin. Would I buy it again? No, only because I did not notice any difference after using it.

Chloe perfume sample: This perfume has a rose fragrance and is highly floral. Would I buy it again? Yes; I actually have a full-sized bottle, and this was my travel size sample. I absolutely love this brand of perfume.

Atelier Cologne - Bergamote Soleil: This is a musky and citrus fragrance that is actually very difficult to describe. Would I buy it again? Yes, I absolutely loved the scent.

Marks and Spencer Lip glosses and mini lipstick: I tried a variety of different Marks and Spencer lip glosses and lipsticks that I received as gifts in the past. Would I buy it again? No. They all felt too thick on my skin.

Bath and Body Works 'Crisp Morning Air' hand wash: I love this brand, and this scent was an autumn or winter one and left hands feeling soft and well-moisturised. Would I buy it again? Yes. I also loved the fragrance of this one.

Superdrug masks - Deep Cleansing Fruit mask and Fruit Sorbet Antioxidant Peel-off: Superdrug offer a range of different masks to help cleanse and purify skin. Would I buy it again? Yes, their masks are ok at a deep cleanse.

Nutriburst Hair, Skin and Nails Advanced Nutrition: These vitamins promise to help grow healthy hair, nails and skin quickly. This was a sample size of a couple of gummies. Would I buy it again? No, I think this is the type of product that takes too long to see results, if there are any results. I am always dubious of such products.

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap: This liquid facial soap promises to clean skin without being too harmful. Would I buy it again? No, I found that Clinique products were too hard on my skin awhile ago and it hadn't changed when I came across this to use it up. It is also painful if you do accidentally get it in the eyes.

Naobay Moisturising Peeling: This product promises to exfoliate and cleanse skin without being too harsh. Would I buy it again? No, I did not enjoy the product nor think it worked well.

Crabtree & Evelyn Home Comforts candle: I discovered Crabtree & Evelyn home fragrance products too late. I loved this Home Comforts scent, and I loved a few of their other scents, but the company were shutting its doors and the fragrances have been cut. It's since been bought by another company, but they are focusing on the skincare side. The candle was lovely and filled the room. Would I buy it again? Yes, if they revived these exact products, I would.

Bath and Body Works Hand Lotion in Cucumber Melon: This fragrance is a refreshing cucumber and melon, and the hand moisturiser is a size that fits in the handbag. Would I buy it again? I love this brand and the fragrance; it's my favourite fragrance. I have too many hand mositurisers to use.

Revlon ColorStay foundation: This is marketed as a long-life foundation that does not cake or clump or dry and claims to hydrate skin. Would I buy it again? I would purchase this again because it felt light on my skin and gave good coverage without looking too caked on.

Holika Holika Water Melon Soothing Gel: This face and body gel claims to hydrate, brighten and cool tired skin. The gel is cool to the touch, so it is a perfect product to use on a hot day. Would I buy it again? I am not blown away by the product. It felt good to use on the warm days that we had, and it is easily-absorbed, but I could not really see any claims to the benefits. On that basis, I would not buy it again.

Bath and Body Works Hand Soap in Merry Berry Kiss: This is a Christmas fragrance of the brand's hand soap. The soap has a fruity and fresh scent. Would I buy it again? I love the brand, and I enjoyed this fragrance, so I would buy it again.

Leighton Denny Miracle Mist for nails: This product is to be used on nails to decrease the time it takes the polish to dry, and it is perfect when you're in a hurry or have nail polish that takes awhile to dry. The product should be sprayed on the nails, and it cools them. Would I buy it again? I would have loved for the product to have actually worked, but it did not work that well. The nails were not dry, and it just left an oily residue on my fingers. The can also got very cold when using it. I would not buy it.

LA Tone Slim Gum: This gum contains green tea extract and other ingredients that claim to surpress appetite. Would I buy it again? I believe such products are a gimmick. Chewing on gum can have benefits, but I don't think it would have too much of an impact. The product's taste was not to my liking. I would not purchase it, and I couldn't even finish the sample.

Garnier BB Cream: This tinted BB cream adds moisture to skin and protects against the sun. It is meant to be worn as a foundation. Unfortunately, the product that I received was much too dark for my pale skin, so it did not suit me at all. Would I buy it again? I would have liked to have tried it with the correct foundation tone, but it did feel a little too oily.

Boots White Collection hand wash: This hand wash from Boots is supposed to mimic a luxury spa product. Would I buy it again? No, I prefer other brands and fragrances of hand wash. I would not go out of my way to repurchase this. 

Kiehl's Vital Skin-strengethening Super Serum: Skin-care brand Kiehl's have a few products that gain a lot of attention, and this super serum is one of those. The product promises many benefits, such as anti-aging and moisturising. It is absorbed into skin without feeling too heavy. Would I buy it again? I only tried a sample size, but I liked how the product felt on my skin. I would consider buying a full-sized bottle.

Anna Sui perfume in 'Night of Fancy': This perfume is the grown-up or night version to their "Flight of Fancy". "Night of Fancy" is an after-work and sophisticated version with the floral tones but less fruity and less sweet. Would I buy it again? I bought this as I love "Flight of Fancy", and this was an alternative for the evening. I like it, but I probably wouldn't wear it again.

Imperial Leather shower gel in 'Cosmic Unicorn': This scent is formed of grapefruit and citrus with floral tones. It is not too sweet, and I'd consider it a perfumed "grown up" scent. It was launched three or four years ago when unicorns became the rage. The product lathers up well, and a little bit goes a long way. Would I buy it again? I would consider purchasing from this brand again because I was impressed with the fragrance and the quality of the product. It also lasted a long time.

Clinique 'Take The Day Off' make-up remover: This is Clinique's make-up remover solution. Would I buy it again? No, I find the brand's products too harsh for my skin. It also was not a delicate product, and it stung if you accidentally got it in your eyes. I would not buy this again.

Crabtree & Evelyn Evelyn Rose Soft Touch Facial Foam: As mentioned earlier, Crabtree & Evelyn were bought by another company and created some new formulas to focus on the skin-care range. I received a sample of their facial cleanser in one of their scents, which was one of the scents of the original brand (and my niece's name!). It's a delicate cleanser and removed make-up. Would I buy it again? Yes, the product was really good at cleaning away make-up, and it was kind to my skin.

The Body Shop perfume in 'Moroccan Rose': I purchased this rose-scent perfume from "The Body Shop" to use a voucher. Would I buy it again? No, there are other rose-scented perfumes that I prefer, and they last longer than this one. It's not a bad brand or fragrance, but I'd rather spend the money on the other product.

Balance Me Tinted Wonder eye cream: This product promises to get rid of fine lines and also provides a tint to the skin. Would I buy it again? No, the product felt too dry and cakey. The packaging also failed. 

REN Satin Perfection BB Cream: This sample-size of BB cream promises to hydrate skin and keep it smooth. The cream is tinted so that makeup is not required. Unfortunately, the make-up tone was too dark for my skin tone. Would I buy it again? No, the product was too dark for my skin, and it only suits certain skin tones.

Trifle Cosmetics Lip Parfait in 'Guilty Pug': I love the branding of Trifle Cosmetics, and their Lip Parfait products come with a different design per colour. 'Guilty Pug' is an orange-brown colour with an illustration of a pug. It's got a high tint and is moisturising. Would I buy it again? No, I found the product was too clumpy and cake-y on my lips. 

In mid-December, the immersive artistic experience "Borealis" by Dan Acher appeared at the Guildhall in the City of London. The installation is inspired by aurora borealis (the northern lights) and turned the yard around the Guildhall into a spectacular viewing point to watch different colours and shapes appear above, taking different shapes and forms. A soundscape helped to bring the experience to life.

"Borealis" was held last year and ended just before Christmas. However, it has been installed in a couple of locations last year and will probably make a come-back to London or elsewhere at some point.

2021 has been the year of the sculpture trail. Nearly twenty charity sculpture trails have taken place on various streets in the United Kingdom this year, and many of them were delayed from 2020. The sculpture trails aim to raise money for charities, and they are always a fun day out to explore new areas and to see creative work by local artists. All of the sculptures are unique, and the designs are often a nod to the local area. Below is a list of some of the sculpture trails that I visited this year and others that I was unable to visit.

Elephant Parade in Southampton: Launched in the middle of March, this sculpture trail is run by Elephant Parade to raise awareness of the plight of the elephant in the environment. It consisted of nearly twenty sculptures dotted in and around West Quay shopping centre.

Derby Ram Trail: The Derby Ram trail made its way to Derby's streets in May for the summer and featured several ram sculptures that have been based on the famous Derby ram sculpture in the city. 

Elmer's Big Heart of Kent in Maidstone: The children's book character, an elephant named Elmer, came to Maidstone in Kent in the spring. The sculptures are located around the city and raise charity for local organisations.

Winchester Key Workers Otter Trail: Winchester had several otter sculptures in its shop windows in the spring to raise awareness for key workers. The sculptured were hard to discover and not easy to photograph.

Cows About Cambridge Sculpture Trail: Cambridge is known for its herd of cattle, and these painted cattle raise money for local charity and are fun to locate across the city. They launched in June.

Tusk Lion Trail in London: A pride of lions came to London during the summer months to raise awareness for the endangered lion. The sculptures were designed by celebrities and popular artists and located across London but mainly in west London.

'Hares About Town' at Southend-on-Sea: Over thirty large hare sculptures and several smaller ones were placed around Southend-on-Sea in the height of the summer to raise money for local charities. These were located in various parts of Southend and encouraged a trek around to explore.

GoGo Discover Dinosaurs in Norwich: Twenty T-Rex sculptures were placed in Norwich in the height of the summer. These were meant to be launched in 2020, but it was postponed. These sculptures will be returning next year with additional sculptures for a larger trail. The sculptures highlight the arrival of the dinosaur skeleton of "Dippy" on display in the cathedral.

Worcester's Big Elephant Parade: Another elephant trail featuring thirty elephants went on display in the height of the summer across the centre of Worcester, and this was a pleasant walk around the city with most of the sculptures being accessible easily in a loop walk.

Luton's Big Trunk Elephant Trail: More elephants...this time in Luton. Over thity sculptures are located in the town centre of Luton and in parks outside of the centre.

Hogs of Hampshire in Basingstoke: There were approximately thirty hogs across Basingstoke in the summer months to raise money for local charities.

Gratitude NHS Sculptures in Manchester, Birmingham and London: These human-like figures have been commissioned to raise charity for various NHS charities to benefit those that were on the front line for the pandemic. They were on display in one place for a weekend in London, Manchester, and Birmingham.

Rocket Round Leicester : Fourty rockets have been placed around the city of Leicester with several smaller ones to raise money for a local hospice. The rockets are a nod to Leicester's National Space Centre museum and its study of space through the university programmes. They were placed in the height of the summer.

Walking with the Snowman in Bromley, Swadlincote, Birmingham: I did not visit any of these trails, but the same sculpture designs were displayed in London along the south bank near London Bridge in 2019. The trails each feature twelve snowmen to coincide with the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with each sculpture decorated with one of the twelve themes in the song. 

In addition to the above, the following were some sculpture trails that I did not get to see this year:

Lincoln Imp Trail: Thirty statues of imps are scattered across the city of Lincoln. The imp is one of the statues of the cathedral that is known in the city. I had planned to see them, but I ran out of time.

North Notts Journeys: Nottingham had fourty book benches on display across the city to mark 400 years of the Mayflower, and millions of people can trace their ancestory back to 102 individuals who travelled on the ship. The trail aims to get people back to the high street.

Octopus Ahoy!: Thirty octopus sculptures were located around Essex with one at Liverpool Street Station. These octopuses mark the 400 anniversary of the Mayflower ship and Clacton-on-Sea. 

Light the North: Over 45 lighthouse sculptures have been placed around some of the northern Scotland islands: Orkney, Moray, and Shetland.

Eye Art Trail: The town in Suffolk has brought several tortoise and hare sculptures across the area to raise money for charity as the pandemic has caused a decrease in funding.

Kingfisher Trail: This Cotswolds trail brings over twenty sculptures to the area so people can get out to explore.

Bears of Sheffield: The city of Sheffield hosted bear sculptures over the summer to raise money for children's charities.

Gigantic Leap Stockport Frog Trail: In 2019, the city of Stockport hosted a frog trail. It has returned this year with more frogs to raise further charity for local hospice.

Winchester Gingerbread Trail: Several gingerbread sculptures have been placed in shop windows across the city of Winchester for visitors to find.

Hello, readers. I hope that you have all had a good year. I, for one, am glad to see the end of 2021. This year has not been a good year to me, and it was worse than 2020. I went into the year with hope and positive feelings that 2021 would bring improvements and stability, but for me, 2021 has upset my world. A few weeks into the year, something just felt "out of alignment" for me, and things quickly got worse. I felt that I could not get ahead, and so many things were a set-back with me. I have had the worst of times again, and I really do not know why, despite keeping positive and hopeful (until it came all too much). I really do not know what to say other than that I am feeling lost. I am feeling trapped in some limbo cycle that has been continuing for a few years now. I do not know how to break from that path, and I feel that I cannot control it, despite my best efforts. Working hard and supporting or giving to others has not worked in my favour. Despite all of that, I did manage to enjoy some things, so that will be my focus!

January: We started off the year in a continuation of total lockdown. All non-essential shops and all hospitality sectors were shut since last October, and they would continue to be shut until early July with everything reopening in August. On New Year's Day, I took a trip over to Canary Wharf to see the new light illuminations, "Connected by Light" that was taking place this year in place of the annual "Winter Lights" before new stricter lockdown measures were enforced.

I busied my time at work, which I was enjoying more since the agency controlling it was finally gone and we started to make plans. My workplace allowed half-day Fridays, so I made the most of my time getting out of the house and taking walks. Over the next few weeks, I would come to learn about some lovely places on my doorstep to enjoy; I'd lived here for just over five years and had not had the chance to explore them yet! Eactcote House Gardens, Ruislip Woods, and the Celandine Way were three places that I went to explore for the first time. Since we were in lockdown, the footpaths were all so muddy due to everyone going out to walk for their exercise; I fell over on my walks a few times but did not let that stop me. The remains of the Battle of Britain House in Ruislip Woods was one of my little Friday lunchtime walks.

The highlight of the month was the snow day that we had toward the end of the month. I don't like snow, but it is a novelty here. The snow fell on a Sunday morning, and I took a walk around the area to get photographs. So many people (as long as they were able and not working) seemed to be outside and playing in the snow with their families. Parks and front gardens were filled with snowmen and giant snowballs.

February: February was a continuation of walks and watching the first signs of spring emerge (Snowdrops in Ruislip). I was content, and I finally felt as though I had some form of balance and stability in my life; I was looking forward to the end of the lockdowns when I could start to enjoy life fully. I also started the process of closing my freelancing company as I felt that this chapter in my life was now behind me and thought that I had the stable job that I'd longed for.

The middle of the month brought Valentine's Day and Pancake Day virtually back-to-back, and this was followed a couple of days later by my first vaccine appointment for protecting me against COVID-19. On Valentine's Day weekend, I took a tube journey into east London to walk around and see street art, and I enjoyed a take-away Valentine's Day treat from HumbleCrumble (read about other Valentine's Day London desserts.) Lockdown Pancake Day was not the most exciting this year since dining out was not an option and most restaurants were shut. I made pancakes at home, but they looked like cow patties after I put chocolate spread on them! A couple of days later, I had my first vaccine appointment; this gave me some hope about getting back to life.

The end of the month brought a few sunny and warm days, and I was enjoying the signs of spring on my walks around the area, particularly Eastcote House gardens (read my post about signs of spring around Ruislip and Eastcote). One day that I remember particularly well was the first (or one of the first) proper warm day of the year on the last Friday of the month. I had walked to Eastcote House and discovered amazing crocuses in full bloom nearby; I had a long wander and felt amazing. I was full of hope and looking forward to the future.

March: For the past three or four years, I've got to add that March is not a good month to me. Last year, it was the lockdown. Before that, it was issues with contracts or mortgages or being messed around by something that I have no control over. It just has not been a very good month for me for the past few years. Unfortunately, the bad trend continued this year. The "Ides of March" was the lockdown last year, and this year brought trouble at work. We were told that top management were looking to replace the framework at work, and this happened just as I had felt started to feel settled with job security and had started the process to close my freelancing company. We were told that no one would be made redundant. I was worried, and I left that meeting crying my eyes out to a friend. I just feel that I cannot "catch my breath." Also, I thought that I had found the company I wanted to grow with, but they later turned out to treat me poorly and based on what I saw from others and experienced, they do not wish to invest in people (nor realise that they actually do need my skills and skills of others, but these things are always coming from the clueless top management).

I struggled throughout March due to the news. The most positive aspect of March was the "postbox toppers"; essentially, several postboxes in the area were yarn-bombed with spring and Easter themes (Postboxes in Ruislip and Eastcote have been Yarn-bombed). I had fun finding these. Yarn-bombing and crafts have experienced a boom during the lockdowns.

At the end of the month, I had to take a couple of days of annual leave or lose it. Since we were still in lockdown, I did not have many options, but we had a couple of days of glorious weather, so I took advantage of that. On the first day, I walked across Ickenham Marsh and then picked up the Celandine Route trail from Swakeley's Park to Ruislip. It was a long walk, but I really enjoyed it and found some great areas to visit.

The day after the long walk, I had a more relaxing day. I ordered a takeaway afternoon tea (since we were still in lockdown) from Foodie Wuwdies in Pinner and had a quiet day in with a bottle of Prosecco, jazz and swing music, and not as nice weather as the previous day but offered a chance to relax. On one of the Fridays in March, I'd also walked to Pinner on a beautiful day, and it was full lockdown but so many people were out in the park; I listened to a good musician who was singing and playing a guitar on a park bench near the aviary in the park.

April: Easter was at the beginning of the month, and restrictions eased slightly so I could see the bloke's brother and his family in Bournemouth. They'd had a new baby right born around Christmas to meet, but I was unable to meet them due to the restrictions, and the last time I had actually visited them was in January of last year. We visited Hengitsbury Head in Dorset and had a walk around on a lovely sunny day. Due to the lockdowns, I was not used to walking (or leaving the house much) and suffered some blisters on my heels after a short walk.

Then more trouble came. I was stalked! Late at night on Easter night and the early morning, a group of local youths broke into the cricket ground and caused expensive damage there. I was doing some community social media work from October of the previous year. On one of the social media groups, I was targeted because a member had posted images and video of a huge group of intoxicated people (which turned out to be youths of various ages but some of them not legally adults) damaging the property. I was stalked online with a threatening letter put through my door because of this. This actually caused me issues with my mental health and anxiety. The mother in question should have been angry with her daughter and not me; if your teenager is out at 3:00am, then that has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the parent or guardian. Regarding social media and online, I had always been very careful and never shared my personal details online as I have been a bit paranoid before about what is on social media. Unfortunately, I have an uncommon name that I was also using for my social media (because why wouldn't you use your real name so your connections know who you are?), so I had to make changes to that. Then, you start to think about identity and how it impacts your friends and family, and it ended up being a vicious cycle. After this incident, I locked a lot of things down and am still paranoid.

Throughout April, I continued almost-weekly visits to Eastcote House Gardens, and mid-April was my favourite time here. The gardens were stunning with a mixture of colourful tulips and spring blossom.

Toward the end of the month, a few restrictions were lifted and some places could reopen. I visited Emmett's Garden in Kent and discovered a carpet of bluebells. I did not realise that Emmett's Garden is one of the best places to see the bluebells in the south of England. I also saw bluebells at Hatchlands, which probably had the largest display that I discovered this year, and Cliveden (visited for the beautiful daffodil display and separately for the bluebells), Ruislip Woods, and Bayhurst Woods in Ruislip.

May: In May, galleries were allowed to reopen, and I was happy to be one of the few who was able to view Lucy Sparrow's Bourdon Street Chemist at the beginning of the month. I previously visited her first exhibition near Columbia Road market several years ago. All of the items are made from felt. In this case, it was a pharmacy (or chemist).

Toward the end of the month, theatre performances were allowed to reopen at limited capacity, and I visited the "War of the Worlds" Immersive Experience for my second time after a couple of years. Getting back to live events and performances was an amazing feeling. Our expeirence felt a bit rushed with technical issues, unfortunately.

Since I was unable to use much of my annual leave last year, I carried as much as I could over and had to use it throughout the year. I had some time out to take advantage of the warmer weather to visit National Trust properties. A few of the places that I visited included Lacock Village and Fox-Talbot Museum, Lacock Abbey, Great Chalfield Manor, Westwood Manor, and Petworth.

At the end of May, the bloke and I had our first mini-break away from home: Derby. We went to visit museums and to see the Derby Ram Trail. The Ram Trail was my first of several charity sculpture trails this year. Other places we visited on this long weekend included Calke Abbey, Derby Museums, and Katherine's Cafe and Gifts. Katherine's had the best cookie sandwiches, and I wish there was a branch close to me in London! They also make amazing "unicorn" hot chocolate or milkshakes. After so long of not being out of the house much, going away for a weekend was a new experience. 

June: Warm weather continued at the start of June, and the bloke and I headed to Southampton to visit the Elephant Parade, the second sculpture trail I saw this year, and Medieval Merchant's House, an English Heritage historical museum. We had an enjoyable day, and nice weather always helps make life more enjoyable.

The European Cup football games also started this month, and we had a few street parties to coincide with the games and decorated the street and houses with flags. We had BBQs and plenty of drinks and set up space outside with televisions to watch the games.

June is my birthday month, and it was a semi-lockdown birthday for me. I ordered a large sheet cake from Costco and had drinks with neighbours on the day as everything was still largely closed. This birthday was not a total lockdown like it was last year because we had a few freedoms, but reduced-capacity dining was available again from mid-June. I booked Bottomless Champagne Afternoon Tea at Rubens at the Palace to celebrate my birthday a week later, and I enjoyed being able to dine out again and enjoy afternoon tea.

The end of the month took me to Maidstone in Kent to see another charity sculpture trail, Elmer's Big Heart of Kent Sculpture Trail. It required a full day of walking, and some of the sculptures required a car to get to. The bloke and I walked to the majority of them, even though there were large gaps between many of the sculptures. Before leaving Maidstone, we visited National Trust's Stoneacre, which I thought was a beautiful house and gardens.

July: July was a busy month, and the country was starting to reopen more venues and lift more restrictions. I had three overnight breaks this month to begin to use my annual leave. The first overnight trip was to Cambridge, and I explored the city's museums and attractions on my own at the beginning of the month. I completed another sculpture trail, Cows of Cambridge Sculpture Trail, and I also visited the Dinky Doors miniature doors around the city. I visited several museums and other attractions, and these are detailed here: Exploring Cambridge and Punting on the River Cam. 

In the middle of the month, the bloke and I had a long weekend in Northumberland. We stayed for one night at the previous inn that we visited last August and visited Segedunum Roman Fort near Newcastle and a few National Trust and English Heritage properties (such as Belsay Hall and Brinkburn Priory). The additional nights were spent in a bed and breakfast in Alnwick, and one of the best meals that I enjoyed this year was a late lunch at The Treehouse at Alnwick Gardens. I visited the castle, gardens, the largest second-hand bookstore (Barter Books), and other attractions in Alnwick (What to See and Do in Alnwick).

Readers may recognise Alnwick Castle as it was used for filming "Harry Potter". The castle does have a lot of Harry Potter exhibitions and a tour, and the photograph below was where the students learned broom skills. The castle today does offer broomstick flying lessons for children in the same location.

Another highlight of this long weekend break was a visit to the Farne Islands and Inner Farne to walk amongst sea birds and puffins. This was such an amazing trip, and it included about an hour of sailing around the islands to look at sea birds and seals. We had an hour to spend on the island, which included raised walkways so we did not disturb nesting birds. The baby puffins were just about to emerge from holes in the ground, but we only saw a couple of heads poking out of the holes and a few bodies of those that emerged too early and did not make it. The return trip went much quicker because we got soaked by the rain in the boat for the last half hour on the way back to the mainland.

Although the summer was largely a washout, we had a few sunny days here and there. We took off some time to visit some National Trust properties to make the most of our membership. These properties included Baddesley Clinton, Packwood House, Biddulph Grange, Coughton Court, and Moseley Old Hall.

At the end of July, we had another long weekend away for our ten-year anniversary. This time we went to Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. I had originally wanted to visit the Isle of Skye, but it was booked up a few months in advance. On the way up to Dumfries and Galloway, we stopped off at Carlisle for one night and enjoyed one of the best meals that I have had this year at David's Restaurant. We struggled to find places to eat in Scotland, and the country still had strict distancing measures in place during our visit.

Unfortunately, Scotland still had stricter pandemic restrictions than England, so we did not get to see many attractions here due to the large majority remaining shut. We were able to visit Buittle Castle, which was the highlight of the trip. We also visited Threave Garden, Castle Kennedy Gardens, several distilleries, and a couple stone circles/cairns. I will be posting some of these places in the coming weeks.

August: I wanted to lay low for August as July had been busy, and August usually suffers from poor weather anyway. I also expected that families eager for time away would cause a surge in domestic travel with a shortage of accommodation, so I decided to avoid expensive overnight stays. On a warm Friday, I took the tube across London and a train to Southend-on-Sea where I saw the "Hares About Town" sculpture trail, lovely gardens, and the pier. I did not realise that Southend-on-Sea's pier was over a mile long. I took the train out on it as I did not want to stay out too long, and a train on a pier was a novelty for me. Visitors can also walk the pier, and I nearly did as I did not realise how long it was, so I am so glad that I booked the train for the return journey on the pier.

Then things got worse. I received the bad news at the end of the month - one day before I started three long weekends of holidays, as if that was not harsh enough. I learned that my role was actually being made redundant (we were lied to in mid-March) at the company that I really enjoyed, and I had only just started to feel a sense of stability early in the year. What is even harsher is that most of the pandemic restrictions had just been lifted (but we are still in a pandemic).

This news was the first catalyst for the anxiety and depression that would follow me through following weeks and months. It occupied my mind heavily, and I could not find any enjoyment in anything. I tried, but it was there in my thoughts like a shadow over everything.

That brings me onto the holiday at the end of the month, a day before I was told of the redundancy. It was a last minute plan as a friend contacted me a month prior to go and do something, and we were scheduled to do Leicester and then York. I would not have done anything otherwise. I'd booked my hotel room, and the friend cancelled on me saying he had had the wrong dates in the calendar (dates I told him in advance that I could not do), so I went to Leicester by myself as I'd already made my plans. I visited the Rocket Around Leicester sculpture trail, the National Space Centre, the Richard II museum, abbey ruins, and other museums. There are enough things to do and see for a couple of days should you find yourself in Leicester. The best thing was the farting alien sculpture in front of the Victorian sewage pumping station, and thinking about that makes me laugh. (I'll be adding posts in the coming weeks for unblogged Leicester!)

The highlight of the month for me was the visit to Worcester for one night over the bank holiday at the end of the month. I had fun exploring the beautiful city in the sunshine locating elephant sculptures on the Worcester Big Elephant Parade, yet another sculpture trail. I enjoyed a good breakfast and dinner at The Cosy Club, which was another one of the best restaurants that I ate in this year. While in the area and travelling around it, we visited a few National Trust properties: Brockhampton, Croome, and The Firs. This was only one night away and booked at short notice because I just needed to get my mind off everything.

September: September brought two more long weekends of holiday, but my mind was really struggling. September and October is normally my favourite time of the year, and I had been looking forward to my trip to Ilfracombe all year. It was the first holiday that I booked, and I booked it at the start of the year. To be honest, I could not concenrate on anything this month and found life a struggle. I guess the best way to describe it is "going through the motions".

Now another piece of bad news. I had originally booked my accommodation in Ilfracombe at the start of the year, and it was scheduled to be the first weekend of the month, but the bed and breakfast that I had booked at had decided to sell it with less than a month's notice to my reservation. (Their sale ended up falling through, so I was able to re-book for the weekend after my original booking as my original dates were not available.) Talk about hassle and having to re-book attractions and restaurants! During the days that I was meant to be in Ilfracombe but was let down by the accommodation, I'd decided to book up a budget hotel for two nights in Suffolk to visit a variety of different attractions: Audley End House, Sutton Hoo, Melford Hall, Ickworth, Landguard Fort, a few other heritage properties, and a quick visit to Norwich Cathedral to see Dippy the Dinosaur and GoGo Discover Dinosaurs trail. (Of course, the weather was nicer for the original weekend that I was scheduled to be in Ilfracombe, and nice weather does make a world of difference.)

All of these attractions are very different. Audley End House is a huge 17th century Jacobean mansion with grounds. Sutton Hoo is a series of burial mounds dating from about 2,000 years ago, and there is a museum about the discovered items and the burial. Melford Hall is a manor house that is famously associated with Beatrix Potter, the creator of "Peter Rabbit" and other characters, who stayed there, so there are various items related to her. Ickworth is an Italian-style mansion with extensive grounds and a few pieces of art on display inside the mansion. Landguard Fort is a port fort at Felixstowe and has a history from the 1600s through the Cold War. There are mazes of rooms to discover, and it is rich in history. It ended up being my favourite attraction that I visited on this trip.

As previously mentioned, the Ilfracombe trip was put back to the following weekend, which was then the middle of the month. My mind was very anxious due to the work situation and, on top of that, the bloke was complaining because he did not want to visit Lundy island because he did not want to walk around and wanted to watch the Formula 1! I'd already booked Lundy months ago, so he was aware. So, the stress was getting to me and making me extremely depressed. I was at a really low point. I had been looking forward to Ilfracombe all year, and the trip was already plagued by the accommodation informing me just shy of a month before my visit that they had to change my booking. This week and the next several weeks were amongst my lowest points.

Lundy island, which is a few miles off of the main coast, was the highlight of the visit to Devon and Ilfracombe. The weather was overcast and not too cold nor warm, and I found a few letterboxes. I will have to return to discover the others. I just wish that the bloke had not kept complaining as it really wore me down when I was already at a low, and this made everything worse and meant that I did not have a great time. I was already mentally and then physically exhausted with my life.

I also visited some National Trust and English Heritage properties on the Ilfracombe visit. I visited Knightshayes, a Victorian mansion with a lovely garden and fresh flowers in the rooms. I also visited Monacute, an Elizabethan mansion, and the ruins of a monastary called Muchelney Abbey. The abbey's highlights include the intact outhouse (which is a rare example surviving today) and one of the buildings of the complex. I also visited the beautiful property Lytes Cary, which is a home dating back to the middle ages. Sherborne Old Castle and Arlignton Court were additional attractions that I visited during this trip. Arlington Court house was not fully open, but we could look around a couple of rooms on the ground floor and explore the gardens and the carriage museum. (More posts will be published about some of these places in the coming weeks.)

Before leaving Ilfracombe, I spent the majority of one of the days exploring Lynton and Lynmouth. The weather was not great during the majority of the trip, as I mentioned, and this was one of the wettest of the days; the other wet day, we actually did something in the morning then went back to the bed and breakfast. We walked around a couple of the attractions and took a ride up the Cliff Railway and had lunch (afternoon tea) on top. I still want to walk from the Valley of Rocks as I enjoyed this walk a year ago. There is a pathway into the town from the trail.

October: October is another month that has not been kind to me in recent years, especially when it comes to work. In the middle of October, the redundancy came through, firmly cementing the chapter of my time at the company. At the same time, an aunt and a series of friends were lost to COVID with additional friends and family in hospital or very ill with COVID. With this sudden bombardment and the past several weeks of emotional exhaustion (also not helped by the bloke), my mental health deteriorated. I was emotionally and mentally exhausted, and my mind was in the darkest place. Not only that, but I was really screwed over by that company, but I cannot go into details about that here. It ended up being a really bad place to work and not the company that I thought it was, and that really affected me because I had put in so much effort and went above and beyond. Everything just crashed down on me. 

Before the August announcement, I had been planning to book a spa visit to use up some of my annual leave and to actually unwind for once as I do tend to pack a lot in to my breaks. I was planning to do this in late October as there were some Halloween-themed specials that enticed me. I've never ever been to a spa nor treated myself. I planned to take a few books and enjoy some down-time. Unfortunately, this plan was canned. I was glad that I had actually not booked it as I would have been unable to relax.

At the start of October, I visited the Gratitude Sculptures in Southwark Cathedral. These have been painted to raise charity for NHS charities. All of the sculptures were placed around the cathedral in a socially-distanced group. I met another person in the queue who also visits a lot of these sculpture trails.

Toward the end of the month, a few neighbours and I had a girl's bottomless brunch (Bottomless Brunch at Arens in Ruislip), and then we had drinks at another neighbour's house when we returned home. We hope to arrange more of these in coming months. It was really fun and what I needed.

I also went into London to see Little Amal at St. Paul's Cathedral. Little Amal (although you could hardly describe her as little) is a puppet of a refugee girl that is helping to raise awareness of the innocent people displaced by conflicts. She is constructed by the team responsible for the "War Horse" theatre performance, and she had a couple of days at various locations across London and then at other locations in the country.

October is Halloween month, and I normally love Halloween, but I could not get into it at all this year due to everything bad going on. I did visit London to get some photographs of Halloween-themed decorations and treats one weekend in order to get my mind off everything else that was going on (see post). I was in a low place.

November: I continued to struggle with my mental health this month. I tried to focus on positivity. I tried to get out to keep my mind off things, and other days, I felt like doing nothing at all except sleeping. I had my booster shot at the beginning of the month, and it and a combination of everything else going on (mental exhaustion) knocked me out for two days. I just slept solidly through those two days. 

I visited a friend in Poole to have a chat, and going to visit and chat to friends and family during this time was much-needed medicine. We went out to a pub for lunch and then had a long wander around Kingston Lacy, her nearest National Trust property (Autumn Colour at Kingston Lacy). This was actually on Diwali, and I returned home just in time to have a quick street party celebration with neighbours who were celebrating and provided Indian sweets and a few fireworks. The day after Diwali was Guy Fawkes Day (Bonfire Night). Since we were not locked down this year, I was able to see a fireworks display on Bonfire Night. There were three nights of fireworks with Diwali taking place the day before and the Saturday after Bonfire Night being a prime time for other local and personal displays to take place.

I went into the office for a final time in mid-November. I had been in the office for five days in total to see colleagues and the new office as the company had moved to Nine Elms during the pandemic, and I also got to use the new tube station at Nine Elms soon after it opened in the autumn. I started a new job the following week without a break between them. I hope that the new employer treats me well. (More about the story can be read here: Unblogged Summer and Autumn, Difficult Times.)

Also in mid-November, I tried to keep my mind occupied by visiting the Country Living Christmas Fair; I paid for the VIP ticket, and that allowed me to have a place to sit and relax, exclusive storage for my shopping and coat, and Prosecco throughout the day. It was really worth paying extra for this. There was so much to see, and I spent the day at the fair and managed to see most of it. Because of the bottomless booze, this was actually a few hours where I was able to force my mind not to think.

Also in the middle of the month was my visit to the Lord Mayor's Day Parade, a London event that I'd been wanting to visit the past few years before the pandemic. The parade's origins date back to over 800 years old, and it is a celebration in the City of London with different livery companies, charities, and political figures parading down the streets from Mansion House to Trafalgar Square and back again. The last several floats in the parade feature horses and horse-drawn carriages with the important people, including the new mayor of the City of London in the ceremonial golden chariot and driven by the finest horses.

The day after this parade, I went to Penge to join in on a free street art tour organised by London Calling. The organiser had started to organise street artists to paint in Penge a few years ago. As the street art is managed here with individuals and businesses that have donated walls, the street art manages to remain relatively safe from tagging, a problem that east London has been experiencing for the past few years now. I've yet to post my photographs from that day.

See what I am doing here? Keeping myself busy is a coping mechanism for me.

I normally look forward to Thanksgiving Day each year as it is my favourite holiday, but the past months had been too depressing, and my mind just was not really in it much. Thanksgiving Day was a muted affair this year, and I did not really celebrate except for dinner in the evening at a pub. My mind just was not in it this year due to everything going on. I'd also just started the new job the previous week.

At the end of the month, I took the tube into London with a couple of neighbours to have cocktails at Miracle at Henreitta, the Christmas cocktail pop-up bar.

The bloke and I also had a day off to visit Silverstone's "Lap of Lights". We went last year (it was re-branded this year), and he wanted to go again this year. Last year, he purchased a combination ticket that included Silverstone museum tickets, which he planned for us to do ahead of the light trail, but we were unable to use them due to the lockdown. Since there were not many pandemic restrictions this year, we visited the museum before we went on the light trail. The museum has only been recently opened in the past year or two. Earlier in the day, we visited National Trust's Grey's Court to see the house decorated for Christmas.

December: The first weekend in December was another mini-break that I had organised as far back as late spring and consisted of seeing a few Christmas light trails and a few National Trust properties that had been decorated for the holidays. The first night was spent in Cheshire. On the way, the bloke and I visited Hanbury Hall and Wightwick Manor. Hanbury Hall was my favourite of the National Trust Christmas houses as it was decorated with a 1970s and 1980s party theme that was inspired by the tenants that lived there at the time and threw lavish parties. Wightwick Manor is a mansion built in the 1800s but was inspired by medieval interiors, and the property was decorated for that period of Christmas with a few fashionable dresses created and located around the property.

That first evening, we went to Bolesworth Castle Light Trail to see beautiful lights in the woodlands and sculptures, and we had a bottle of champagne and snacks on "Champagne Island" in the little dining bubbles that have become popular in the past couple of years. 

On the second day, we spent the day at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden. This was our second ever visit, and we had a tour in the morning, followed by a quick lunch. In the afternoon, we walked back through the grounds to the abbey where we listened to the live choir music in the abbey. They sang a mixture of Christmas carols, and some of these were lesser-known carols from other countries. I stayed until it grew darker so that I could enjoy the abbey lit up, and it was really beautiful. 

On the third day, we headed back down south and stopped off at Nostell to see the house decorated for Christmas, Coinsborough Castle, and Hardwick Hall. I'll be adding more posts in the coming weeks for additional places I've not yet published. The mansion at Nostell was decorated with a traditional Christmas with woodland theme, and we had to locate the animals in each of the rooms.

The final stop of the trip before heading home was Christmas at Belton House, an illuminated light trail around the National Trust property. I really enjoyed the wander around here and found it magical.

That brings us to Christmas. This year has not felt like Christmas at all for me, and I had to work through it up to the day without any time off, contrasting to my previous employer that did give us free days off. There was a lacklustre meal out on Christmas day and a trip to London to see the lights and decorations before the big day itself, but that was it. I really struggled to get into it this year with everything that has gone on. The bloke's brother and his family visited on Boxing Day. A couple of Christmas gifts were exchanged on Monday (as I was not ready on Christmas Day itself). I've since felt poorly, which is possibly an accumulation of many different things. For New Year's Eve, I will possibly be in bed before midnight because I really cannot bother.

Conclusion

At this time a year ago, I was grateful for my job and patient/hopeful that 2021 would bring some normality and enable me to start to think about travel abroad again. It's not quite there yet with the travel and normality, and my past employer turned out to mess me around, so I am lacking the stability I had started the year with. I had also planned to take better care of myself and to not work myself to death, but I failed in both respects this year. I leave 2021 in a worse place than I started.

At this point, I do not know what to say. I am at a total loss. The last few years, I have expressed in these "end of year" posts how I just want stability in my life. I am tired of focusing on work and my life being derailed because I have to find a new job, worrying about my contract extension renewal, or suffering a role that requires constant overtime. I want to feel settled. Last year at this time, I has just begun to feel settled in my job, but the pandemic and lockdowns was unsettling. Before the lockdowns had even ended, I'd received the dreaded news about my job. This is why I am not sure what to say. I just feel completely messed around.

I also worry about friends and family. COVID has taken friends and family. Besides the sickness and deaths, COVID has taken much more. It has taken away travel, visits to spend time with my friends and family, and it also (in part) took away the role at the company and any sense of stability.

In a lot of ways, I feel that I have given up hope. I feel disillusioned, and I feel betrayed. I am still not recovered from the wrong-ness dealt to me this year. This year ends, and next year starts on the feeling of being unsettled. This feeling is not going to go away anytime soon. I've got the first six months of 2022 to get through first, and then maybe everything will be different.

I would love to get to the place where I can plan things to look forward to. That requires the employer and the pandemic, so it is not in my hands, and I've begun to realise how little that I do/can control. It does not matter how hard I work or how much support and kindness I have given to others because I have worked bloody hard and have been professional and supportive. I'd worked more hours to help others. All I can do is live one day at a time and hope for the best to get through the next twelve months with a visit to see my family and friends before this time next year.