The Forest of Marston Vale

Traff has been promising to take me here for more than a year! every time we try to go we end up getting lost- well, 117th times a charm!
It's surprisingly simple to locate with the correct postcode.
In fact, it's very well signposted.

Traff got a bit tetchy when he realised there was a "visitor centre, tea room and gift shop" but I managed to restrain myself from buying any tat.

We walked all over the place- we didn't use the map we just tried to stay out of the rain- as a result of using a "path that is not a path" I have a bleeding ear. brambles! argh!

We ended up walking along the side of the railway line, where we found curly plants:

We also found a teepee made of sticks:

And some interesting views:

Round the lake we saw a kingfisher and baby moorhens, We also saw lots of baby bunnies and blackbirds.
Well worth getting covered in mud for!

Traff took some photos of me- Although, his pictures do make it look like the weather was really miserable! I've made him promise me totem poles when we have our own garden.
:D

How to cook vegetables

OK Kirstie, you can stop laughing any time... I'm an awful cook. I can manage toast. or bacon sandwiches.
Actually, thats selling myself short, if someone who was really special to me came for dinner, and we had all the ingredients I could make them a lasagne (With proper béchamel sauce), Turkish Pancakes, Enchiladas,Chicken Satay Skewers, couscous salad, risotto or roasted vegetables, but it would really take me all day- If I've ever cooked you dinner or attempted to I must really love you!
I also do a mean roasted ham, but you'll have to give me 2 days notice!
That said, my pineapple upside down cake is a legend for all the right reason, as are my fruit pies (Karl's mum requests them now! and my parents love my vodkas).
If you want anything more complicated you'll have to take over and do it yourself (in the "complicated" category falls anything I don't eat- Rice, eggs, spaghetti, sausages, oven chips, pancakes- unless they're gluten free- which for some reason always come out lovely, cupcakes, cookies- mine are always the size of the fucking tray- etc etc).

I always wish I was a good cook, but I lack the time and inclination to practice (Traff worked out that usually I work a 60 hr week, and he does nights 3/4 days a week every other week, so we're usually cooking for one!) Add to that my current stomach chaos and his crazy vegetarianism and it's just easier to warm up a can of soup!
All my friends are wonderful cooks (Even you Jay with your magic oven and breaded dinosaurs) which means I should really up my game. I can't be almost 30 and have to be rescued from a kitchen full of smoke by my long suffering other half every time I try and heat a pizza! especially not now we have a smoke alarm as it means all the flats in the block get evacuated....

So, my aim for the summer will be to do more cooking- I'm already on a lasagne promise with lentils rather than mince- I could probably fit in a more challenging meal!
It would be nice to be able to have guests and not have them tell me "not to bother" about cooking for them because I'm too hopeless!

Suggestions please!

Tie Dye madness!

Alice, The Jolly postman and dinner with the girls

Jay and I went to visit Sah and Dan in Cardiff- Jay rode down and I followed him in the car as he didn't fancy the vegetarian food studio for dinner.
It turns out that Alice would rather like to be a biker- she tried on his boots, jacket, gloves and wrist supports.
She also made him read the jolly postman, twice, but he wasn't allowed to take any of the letters out. We also played the fishing game!

Sah and I drove to Penarth -leaving dan to read the jolly postman for a 3rd time- and met with Steph and Becca- I will be returning!
the food was amazing and super cheap too!

Dyrham Park

Whilst staying with my parents, I think it is impossible to avoid a national trust property visit. I am not conditioned to think about coffee and walnut cake whenever I see the national trust symbol on road signs.

I'm not a massive stately homes fan- I like the grounds and the walks and very much enjoy the tea rooms, but this visit I enjoyed very much.

My dad was keen to go to this particular property- the roof is being replaced, so we were able to go up the scaffolding and see the work going on to fix it- I've never seen a tudor building reduced to it's rib like rafters before- very interesting!

The views were impressive too. I don't think I could be a roofer though- every time I looked directly down it freaked me out how high up we were.

After an afternoon tea (what else would you possible have?!) we walked to the chapel in the grounds- If you know me in person, or read this often  you will know that I really enjoy spending time in cemeteries. My mum told me I'd like this one especially- Graves dating back to the 1700s which have to be the oldest I've ever seen, and medieval graves with brasses still intact- undemolished by the victorian craze of grave rubbings!
I was very impressed!
They also had some of the original medieval tiles and a mausoleum for the owners of the stately home. All in all this has to be my favourite national trust visit!

We walked back round the grounds and saw these coots feeding their babies- they had 8 ducklings! very demanding!