It’s the weekend! The sun was lovely today so I had a little mooch to York. I needed my coat really but I am unwilling to admit defeat because I’ve washed, dried and put it away for next autumn… Anyway, I am so excited to tell you about the York Ghost Merchants. Personally, I love York. It’s one of the most beautiful places. I love its cobbled streets, its higgledy-piggledy streets and matchbox sized shops. I must have walked by this shop on the Shambles hundreds of times. But today, I joined the queue…
I didn’t know what to expect. Ghosts are synonymous with York. It’s a history of hundreds of years. I knew they were handmade ghosts in there but that really was it. However, I’ve learnt since that each ghost is made follows traditional values and methods imported by The Sorrowful Guild of Master Ghost Makers. Each is a true original and has an embossed maker’s mark. To top it off, each has a spirit of its own and they’re made upstairs, above the shop. I’m sold. I feel a new obsession coming on.
Inside the shop was a truly unique experience. The staff are informative and lovely. I felt like it would have been perfectly acceptable to spend the day there, seeing which ghosts were going to come and live with me.
There’s secret cupboards, peep holes with secrets behind and a photo booth to take snaps of your lovely ghosts in. I found myself choosing four ghosts that caught my eye for different reasons. I was drawn to them. (A totally normal experience apparently. I did check!)
I then took my little ghosts to my favourite place in York – Bettys! Three big ghosts, one smaller ghost; two with their funky coloured designs, one marbled white and a pumice stone style in blue.
I love the fact that I own a little bit of history. I need to consider very carefully where their home will be in my new house. I do hope they’re happy here. I was assured that they’re all happy ghosts!
If you’re interested in finding out more, please see their website. If you’re visiting York, I highly recommend visiting. Be warned, the queue can be massive. Thankfully, it was only half an hour for me but I did hear the staff say it can be over an hour. If you have accessibility issues, you can book entry. I loved it though. It was so unexpected. I cannot wait to add to my ghostly family.
I hope you’re all well and enjoying the festive gap in between Christmas and New Year. I’m always stuck during this period of time. I never really feel ready to say goodbye to Christmas. However, I’m hoping you love this visual treat I’ve got for you today!
Just as a side note, I’ve been working hard on some new graphics for my blog for 2024 and also my reading challenge for 2024 which I hope you’ll join me on! (Any suggestions are always welcome!)
Before all that, I had a lovely afternoon in London recently because I wanted to see the two iconic trees of Christmas this year, one at Kings Cross on Platform 9 and 3/4 and one at St. Pancras.
St. Pancras
This tree is a magical reading experience as well as a Christmas tree. The tree is made of 270 book shelves around a spiral staircase with more than 3800 hand painted books. The little booths also give you the opportunity to listen to five minute audiobook clips of some of the most prolific writers. I chose to listen to Beatrix Potter and Charles Dickens.
Kings Cross
It’s no secret that I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. I grew up with it and I’m still as passionate now as I was when I was an impressionable youngster, desperately and patiently waiting for my own Hogwarts letter. This tree is glitzy and magical all at the same time.
Aren’t they beautiful? I’m so glad I got to see them both! It’s made the end of Christmas truly magical.
I’ll be back tomorrow for a round up of the books I’ve read in December, an overall of the books for the year and also to start my New Year’s Eve celebrations!
Well, what a week this week has been. I’ve been absolutely floored by flu I assume (7 negative Covid tests – no fear) but I can honestly say I’ve never been so poorly. It’s the first time ever that I’ve had time off school too. But, I’m coming round the other side now which is good. If you hear someone sounding like a seal, that would be me coughing haha! Anyway, onto more pressing matters and a very delayed explorations post!
Anyway, I want to share with you today the final part of my journey for honouring the late Queen. You’ll remember from a few posts ago that I was part of ‘The Queue’ (you can see that post here). There was just one final part I needed to do and that was pay my respects at St George’s Chapel which is within Windsor Castle. This is the Queen’s final resting place where she has been reunited in the royal vault with her beloved husband Prince Philip. My dad and I queued together and it was time for us to say bye together. My mum was also here for this too!
Windsor Castle is the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world. Originally founded by William the Conqueror, it’s been home to 40 monarchs which is incredibly impressive. The State Apartments are sublime, the contents are wonderful and I really liked seeing the different gifts received throughout the reign of Her Majesty the Queen. Photos are only allowed of the outside which I totally understand. You have to see it to believe it really. The one thing that has stayed with me from these state rooms is the colours: bold, vivid and flawless.
Naturally, there was a huge queue to be able to get this photo. It’s the closest you can get but we’ve all seen this on the television screens. It made me think back to the funeral of Prince Philip. The view of the Long Walk was one of my favourite bits but because this was inside the castle, you weren’t able to take photos.
It’s really quite hard to comprehend how lucky we are to have this amount of history around us. I’m fortunate in that my dad is just as interested as I am – it’s something that has been passed down through our family. It felt fitting and right to see the final resting place and to thank the Queen once again for all she has done.
I hope this little snippet has tempted you into visiting. The amazing thing is, your ticket can be validated for a whole year! And I can confirm, the gift shops are excellent. For more information on visiting, please click here.
I hope you’re all well. This week I’ve been really reflective because of the events in the UK. The sad passing of our dear Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th knocked us from our core. For me personally, she’s the only Queen I’ve ever known. She’s always been there everywhere we look: on passports, stamps, money and postboxes. She’s come to feel like everyone’s grandmother. So one week ago, I joined the queue to see the Queen lying in state. I knew it was going to be an experience but I didn’t expect it to be like it was…
Midnight, Saturday 17th September, Southwark Park. After obsessively watching the live tracker all day, this was where the starting point was. There was a buzz and a sense of electricity in the air with everyone having their own reasons for this journey. All I know is, I felt an overwhelming sense of needing to be there, like it was the right thing to do. The queue constantly moves which isn’t so bad and at 2:41am we had obtained the elusive wristband. The view was equally as fitting!
In my foolishness, I hadn’t realised that the park was the queue to join The Queue so the journey hadn’t actually really begun. Regardless, considering I’d done a full day at work I was feeling positive and very much like the hashtag ‘let’sdothis’. I knew it was going to be hard so I made sure I spoke to every single marshal on route. I mean, those in the queue were constantly moving but they had to stand in the same spot, all night. They were very positive and smiley too which helped.
I love Tower Bridge but I saw this bridge for 4 hours of the wait time. It was freezing cold but thankfully blankets were being given out. Later I saw a news report saying they were from the fire brigade – so thank you for that! Regardless, this was the lowest point. When the cold gets into your bones and you question why you hate yourself so much to have done this. The queue quietened and increasingly looked crestfallen and beaten. I dread to think how I looked. I’d been up since 6am so approaching the 24 hour mark was something I’ve not done in a long time. But then, 6:30am, a miracle was performed: the sun was rising and a coffee cup was spotted. I’ve never experienced a mood shift so rapidly. People went off to find hot drinks, the queue was moving again. Onwards! 6:15am.
This is my favourite photos of the whole queue experience. The best thing was that we were moving again. Feeling buoyant, the hubbub of the queue was increasing now everyone was warm and filled with coffee (hot chocolate for me) and the can do attitude from the marshals meant that everyone felt better. Of course we can queue and keep going – it’s the British way after all! The next stop: The Globe. I cannot thank the staff enough here. They’d opened the toilet facilities for those of us in the queue. I nearly cried (exhausted, emotional, grateful tears) because they had soap and hot water. I can only imagine what we all looked like, but it gave the queue another boost.
We continued walking and queuing. I saw this now as a mission I needed to complete. I hadn’t lost the overwhelming pull towards the Queen but foolishly did wonder how on Earth I’d look when I got there. 11:24am (many hours later) we see the London Eye. Everyone outside of the queue is supportive of the queue. Strangers asking how you are, saying you can do this, helped. Kindness was at the core of the queue. 11:59am – Big Ben. Surely the end is in sight? I’d been in the queue for 12 hours at this point but the sun, the people and the pull was still keeping me going.
The Covid memorial wall generated another moment of hush. It was at this point that I too went quiet. I don’t think any of us realised quite what trauma Covid created for the world. The memorial means a lot to many people so I was thinking of them too. But then the queue stopped. If the cold of 4am was the worst part, the stopping of the queue came a close second. At this point, the world’s press were all standing there making me grumpy. How dare they look fresh and well slept. Irrational, but true. However, the stopping this time was for a very exciting reason. King Charles and Prince William had come to thank those who had queued overnight. It was incredible to be that close to royalty. You could see the pain and grief in their eyes. It was emotional to see them. But it gave the queue another boost to make it over Lambeth Bridge and to the other side where in Westminster Hall, the queen was waiting for us.
Still we progress. Over the bridge, through miles and miles of zig zag railings, excitement building because we are at the last part before Westminster Hall. We can see Westminster Hall, see the security tents. This. Is. It. And then silence. It’s very hard to describe the feeling inside Westminster Hall. It was like nothing else mattered. There she was, the coffin of the only queen many of us have ever known. The crown twinkled under the lights. The flowers stood proud. I had my moment next to her. I bowed my head, my thoughts between myself and her. I’ve never felt emotion like it. Silent tears, immense gratitude. I was proud that I did it. I stood for 15 and a half hours for this moment. I’d not slept for well over 30 hours. None of this mattered though. This woman gave her life to our service, it was the least I could do.
11 miles. 15.5 hours. One experience I will never forget. Thank you to the many many people from the queue, local businesses, police, marshals, strangers passing by and the staff guarding the queen. You’ve made the experience easier for those people in the queue. Once I’d left the hall, the lady at the gate said thank you. That’s still with me now and will be forever.
So, I’ve been surrounded by this gorgeous view for a month now and I’m honestly so grateful for that. It’s beautiful, idyllic and a paradise. Yet, I have more pressing matters at the forefront of my mind… books. Whenever I see a book leave a beach bag, I’m looking to see a) what it is and b) if they are enjoying it. I have that genuine fear of missing out on a good read.
This has led me to think about why people read the type of books they do on holiday. How do they make their choices? What leads them to pick those specific titles?
Well, this has been going round in my head for a few days now and has now turned into a little sun lounger activity of mine… First of all, it’s really pleasing to see just how many people, on the loungers have been adorned with towels, start reading. There’s books everywhere! Always a paperback, never a hardback and only one Kindle. I can totally relate to this; I only packed paperbacks, had my Kindle in hand luggage but didn’t actually use it. In fact, it’s still in flight mode. Hmmm.
The hotel had a bookcase in reception which was very pleasing! I had a little look here and it followed the same pattern: paperbacks, no hardbacks at all. However, there were some larger paperbacks. These were all Grisham. I saw a lot of Grisham on the loungers along with James Patterson. These were the top two authors by a long way. (Embarrassingly, I didn’t read any of Grisham or Patterson!)
In terms of books that I saw multiple people read, this was terribly interesting! They were Tyson’s Fury’s Between the Mask and Ant Middleton’s First Man In. Non-fiction! I didn’t expect to see that… In fact, the Tyson Fury book was my mum’s and she felt chuffed that others had taken it from the hotel bookshelf.
Repeat ‘take outs’ gave me another train of thought. I read (and thoroughly adored) The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller. When I saw that someone else had picked this off the shelf, I felt exactly like my mum did, like I made a good choice. It made me feel validated and like my recommendations could be trusted. Isn’t that silly? I feel silly writing it…
Overwhelmingly, the main genre I saw was crime and thriller. I totally understand that! It’s my favourite after all. But for summer? Where were all the romance novels? The chic lit?
I read one, Lizzie & Dante by Mary Bly which was stunningly beautiful and had me sobbing on my lounger. But this was the only one I saw. Where are the other people sobbing at a good love story? I did spot that this book was moving further back on the hotel bookcase too. But why is that? I always thought summer was about the soppy love novels that were only bearable because of that very reason – the fact that it is summer. There’s something about the smell of suncream that makes me think this… When you know, you know…
Also, there was a distinct lack of female authors too. I helpfully added to that with my own pile. Writers like Liza Jewell, Jenny Han, Jane Corey and Michele Campbell vacationed with me and are all there waiting to be discovered by the next reader.
So, why do we read the things we do on holiday? What is a typical ‘beach read’ and are they changing? What have you spotted? For me, it was all my paperbacks that didn’t fit on the bookcase. How do you pick yours though?
I wanted to share with you today a new explorations post! This time I toddled off to the beautiful seaside town of Whitby. I’ve never been and literally only know about it because of a) Dracula and b) Lucky Ducks made by the Whitby Glass Company. Therefore, I decided it was time for me to pay Whitby Abbey a visit and boy, it did not disappoint.
Standing tall for nearly 1500 years, this monumental ruin features everything you’d expect from a gothic abbey.
Whilst the history is fascinating, for me it was learning about the links between this abbey and Bram Stoker. In 1890, Stoker stayed in Whitby following a gruelling tour of Scotland. Whilst staying here, he absorbed the views that Whitby offered and excited writers, artists and ‘romantic-minded’ visitors for the past century.
Gothic Literature of the time was set in foreign lands with eerie castles and/or ruins and Whitby’s windswept headland with the ruined abbey meant that it gave its own sense of horror; perfect for any story.
You may have heard just this week about the Guinness World Record attempt at Whitby Abbey to celebrate 125 years of Dracula. The challenge: to get the most people dressed as a vampire at the abbey. 1369 people did just that. Impressive!
For more information on this beautiful abbey, it’s history and it’s heritage, please chick here.
How are we all? I mentioned in my last post that I’ve got a couple of exploration posts to write and today I am presenting the first one. I love finding new places and seeing new things and today’s post is super exciting for me and my fellow Potterheads!
First spotted in London back in 2018 to promote the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, eight huge wands will now be touring the country to promote the release of the next film Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets. The installation features the wands of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Lord Voldemort, Newt Scamander, Tina Goldstein, Queenie Goldstein, Gellert Grindelwald and the Elder Wand. These beauties are a whopping fifteen feet high so perfect for seeing the details up close!
There’s also a light display and music from the shows too so I managed to visit twice! The evenings were much busier with hundreds of people queuing to see them! I saw them outside the City Hall in Hull which was very exciting but they sadly departed today to head towards their next venue. You can see them here:
March 11–17 – Birmingham, the Bullring
March 21–27 – Stoke-on-Trent, Smithfield
March 30–April 5 – Reading, the Oracle Shopping Centre
A must see for any Potter or Fantastic Beasts fan, these really did bring a bright of joy and light into this week in Hull. I think one of the best things for me wasn’t just seeing them, but seeing all the youngsters dressed up. It shows you that over twenty years later, the magic lives on. Fantastic Beasts means that there’s another generation to continue the love!
These daytime photos were taken very early in the morning so there wasn’t anyone around, thankfully. I hope you appreciate them! If you’re off to visit, wrap up (it’s cold again!) and embrace the magic. Are you off to see them? Do let me know what you think! Take care everyone and I’ll see you when I’m back for my next post.
Oh, my am I excited to be writing this post. I’ve looked back on my blog history and I’ve not written and explorations post for two years. That’s thanks to the obvious but today I want to share with you some snaps of my recent trip to London.
This trip was definitely a once in a lifetime experience because I was booked into the Shagri-La, the Shard hotel. Mesmerising and iconic, it’s the capital’s highest building with unmatched views of London’s skyline enveloped with 5* excellence.
There are so many things about this hotel that it’s quite overwhelming with where to begin. The staff are excellent, the food sublime. What made it for me was the room which was furnished with everything you could ever ask for: marble bathroom, rain falling shower, heated toilet seat. The bed was quite literally like sleeping on a cloud. (I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve Googled extensively about trying to buy their pillows…) It’s the view though that is quite literally breathtaking. I couldn’t stop looking at it. I didn’t want to stop looking at it.
London Bridge by Day
London Bridge by Night
Oh, the Shangri-La, you have my heart.
I really will never forget that experience. If any of you are around London, take a trip to the Ting restaurant. I highly recommend the breakfast and the dinner menu. (A little shoutout here for Alex and Nathanial who waited on me for the weekend!)
Lastly, this weekend reminded me of what Covid has taken away from us. The chance to go off exploring and see new places. Having the ability to be able to do that again (at the moment anyway) meant that this trip was all the more special to me. And yes, that is a free standing bath overlooking the Tower of London.
Wherever you are in the world, just know that lockdown or not, we’re never really apart because of this platform. I hope this little post has taken you off on a trip to one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
Continue to stay safe and well, especially as it’s now wrap up season!
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