Happy Place

Happy place is 

Getting the kitchen sorted a itty bit from this

to this 

A bag like this 

A cat in a box 

Dreaming of my bicycle 

Hugging a tree 

Tea 

However an opinion is a where I come unstuck especially when I said " I don't like Moulin Rouge " I suspect I should have sugar coated it with some sort of a back story. You see it takes a hell of a load for me to give an opinion without causing offence .  

And while we are at it I don't like marzipan either ...

Things That Like to GO Whee

Are you ready for the adventure ?

Where my blog will take you from September onwards ? I am hoping by the end of the year I will have my beloved bicycle with a basket as it is really my hearts desire . To whisk down the lanes round here with my feet off the peddles joyfully going wheee. There're so many villages round here that I will be able to cycle to the next door which holds a well dressing each year. which is very indicative of Derbyshire.

Well it is September and my bicycle is still a dream , I dream about her everyday and she will be called Myfawney and I think many hope I will get a bicycle soon so I can finally shut up about one. I keep thinking about where I will go , I know you can buy one for a few hindered pounds but the one I want is rather more than than than . Why settle for polyester when you can have silk , I want to eek back to a simple time and cycle down to the shops and wander around with my basket. Did you know the bag tax is coming into force by the 5th October so no longer will you hear after the cashier has glided 60 items through the till


"Do you want a bag with that ?


And you are ever so tempted to say

"NO I will walk each one individually to the car"

You think it but don't say it.


Your inner monologue keeps you in check , very ,such I think life have an angel and demon on your shoulder keeping you on the straight and narrow but that flash of "what if I did say this"

I had my haircut the other day, nothing understand in that other that i only ever go between 2 hairstyles as my hair will never go long and silky and swishy like the lying  adverts. The usual hair dresser chit chat ensued which way does your fringe go ?where did you go on holiday ?

"Washington D.C "

Replies I

"What's there then ?"

" I 've seen it in movies "

I really had the devil in me spluttering , no doubt that will be because horror of horrors they served me instant coffee and not latte ?

Oh and today I did my first aid course at school , and if you've got an injury probably best not to see me !!

Don't worry you'll survive * probably 

But for now I'm channelling my inner Mr Flibble ...

Family Frugal Things Do In Washington D.C

You're going to love Washington D.C you feel feel right at home immediately and it is so easy to get around the city. The moment we arrived in Washington D.C we didn't immediately go into the city instead we got to know the neighbourhood where we were staying at the Omni Shoreham which is brilliant for the urban explorer. Though you are in a a city the Capital of USA it is so leafy and green and the pavements are so wide you really did not feel jostled as you might on Oxford Street for example.

The first day we were there we took the Metro from Woodley Park ( which is the Washington Zoo stop) and went to see the sights so we could get our bearings for the subsequent days. We immediately headed for the White House as will everyone else and we weren't disappointed as not only will you get a great view of the White House but you will also get a cracking view of Washington Monument as well. And be prepared to be moved when you are gazing upon the White House for when the Secret Service say move this is what you do and you do it with speed !

Now you can go up Washington Moment but do make sure that you book on line for this , I have heard that you get a awesome view and the lift is jolly fast ! However even with your feet firmly planted on  terra firma you can still appreciate the majestic nature of the monument.


Just a quick note if visiting Washington DC in the summer months do take a hat, carry water and possibly an umbrella ( for shade) as the temperature soars and the humidity is very high.

The Washington monument is like an exclamation point on the landscape and is 555ft , the reason that the monument is 2 colours is after construction started in 1848 the Civil War stopped work at 156ft. And when work restarted in 1876 the stone from the original quarry had dried up and contractors had to go else where by Federal law no building can be build higher than the monument.

Then we went onto the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King gave his "I have a dream speech) you'll know instantly the spot as this is where everyone gathers to have their picture taken or taken pictures from that spot. The Lincoln memorial is the monument for the countries 16th President  the style is evoked by a Greek temple design. Lincoln gazes out over the Reflecting pool and it really a defining DC visit moment.

If you are Hap Pee and You Know it Clap Your Hands

In the good all days I would be heading off into town alas not wearing stilettos never could get on with those instruments of torture. If a drink looked pretty then I would have it  , 20 20 you name it  never one to get drunk in fact I am one of those people who get terribly sober. Fast forward 20 odd years and responsibility has crept up on me , marriage a child and 2 cats , well it was 3 but Rollie mark 1 got run over but such is life. And Rollie mark 2 has no soul anyway seen Pet Cemetery then that explains my cat. The husband answers the television when a game show is on , the son does his own thing like having a tamagotchi in the house you feed it and keep it alive.


Then there are the cats the fluffy bundles of joy to the house , if you read here not only will you get a recipe but you can read about the antics of the mouse that was on my stairs. Life I have to say is never dull in this household I am pretty sure a camera crew will appear any minute and film us for a documentary.

SO what am I doing on this rock and roll of a Friday well I am taking bets on how long the flat pack furniture will take to be made up, having a debate on the price of cucumbers * a question I do believe that was on Question Time. No I am cleaning cat pee off the front door , not my cat but another that has a gripe with one of my cats * probably Rollie . Oh and the front door that I will replace one day who the hell paints the front door  *  brown my husband that is who.

Rock Cat and Roll.

Washington DC Where to Stay For The Urban Explorer

For us the Omni Shoreham was a perfect location feeling like a home from home.

Omni Shoreham

We had breakfast once in the hotel as a treat as every day would have been pricey and we love to be urban explorers in the areas we stay in. There's so much choice eating wise around the Omni Shoreham you will be spoilt for choice , I only had one meal I wasn't keen on and that was when we went to some shrimp place and they insisted tieing a bib around us all .

The Omni Shoreham is a 1930s historic hotel , the Beatles stopped there as well as Frank Sinatra . Inaugural balls for various presidents have graced the marble floors and high ceilings. History is embedded very much in this luxury hotel , there's even a haunted suite which the concierge will let you visit if no one is staying there .

There is always a conference cracking off and whilst we were there it was a Nelson Mandela young African leaders conference.

There's a gym which We didn't visit and a pool which we didn't dip out tootsies in . 

The Metro( their version of the underground) is only a short walk away and enables you to get about Washington DC with ease.