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!
I remember when I first posted about Mystery Guides at the start of the summer holiday and I can’t believe I’m posting about another adventure but we’re nearing the end of the summer! Where has the time gone? Before I dwell on that, the mystery guide I want to share with you today is for London! (If you want to check out my post for Stratford upon Avon, click here!)
To be perfectly honest, I’ve fallen in love with the Mystery Guides as they are really so much fun and for each one I’ve done, I’ve been to places I’ve never seen before. London is a little train ride away so I head off into London to start my adventure.
The mystery this time was: ‘Who Pushed Molly May?’ I love the mix of story and solving clues whilst covering places you know and love whilst finding places you didn’t know existed. I adore theatreland in London but just like the Stratford one, I found places I’ve never seen before! For me, this is the best bit. It really did feel like stumbling across hidden gems. I love the history attached to it as well. I loved finding out where Charles Dickens drank and where where Dick Turpin drank prior to his hanging in 1739. I enjoyed becoming a part of the history by exploring it.
Again, the clues were really brilliant and I was able to work out each part and solve the mystery! There are extra hints at the back if you need them too. Just like the Stratford one, I didn’t work this out until the very end as well which makes the adventure much more fun. I was completely engaged right until the end of the book. I did stop along the way for various cakes and dim sum in Chinatown so I love how you can make this adventure your own by dipping in and out of it. It’s perfect for a family day out or a day out with a group of friends.
You can find out more about the guides here and start planning your own adventure. Keep an eye on their socials too as they announce new guides for pre-release. I’ve added a list at the bottom of this post for ease.
I cannot recommend these enough as they’re great fun for everyone and the story is well thought out. I had a really good time and the guide makes you look all around, not just what’s in front of our faces.
If you are interested, there are mystery guides for the following places:
London – Who Pushed Molly May?
Bristol – The Sabotaged Balloon
Brighton – Who Smashed Brighton Rock?
Liverpool – The Stolen Golden Record
Winchester – The Bishops Golden Tankard
York – The Gunpowder Snitch
Manchester – The Strangeways Soprano
Bath – The Prince’s Stolen Statue
Edinburgh – The Midnight Body Snatcher
Portsmouth – Nelson’s Stolen Diamonds
Oxford – The Bullingdon Burglar
Southsea – The Laughing Sailor
Southampton – Titanic’s Missing Millions
Cambridge – The Professor’s Impossible Puzzle
Stratford upon Avon – Shakespeare’s Lucky Quill
Nottingham – Robin Hood’s Secret Stash
Birmingham – Fake Cheque Fiasco
Chester – The Missing 9th Legion (due September 10th)
Cardiff – Cardiff’s Missing Masterpiece (due September 3rd)
Mine have always been delivered really quickly so you’ve got time to go exploring this weekend! I’m going to try and fit another one in because I just have such fun and I love to learn something new each time too. I also think it’s brilliant when I bump into other people doing them too. Finally, if you can’t see a place that you know and love, you can vote for it on the website!
I’ll see you next time for more adventures and reviews whilst I desperately cling on to the last of the summer holiday.
It’s May! For those in secondary education it’s the time where exams loom and it’s the final push to get our students over the line. I’m definitely feeling the countdown in the background! I really hope for all of you it goes well. It’s also a month of seeing a lot of shows which I’m super excited about.
Anyway, I’m slowly but surely playing catch up with the posts I’m behind on! I just lost my way a bit and time ran away with me. I know we’ve all been there and the support from you all has been lovely. I’m blessed.
Today I want to share with you my book choice for my reading challenge. April is a strange period of time: rain, sunshine, hail, frost. It has it all! The theme from my reading challenge that I chose was: Read a collection of poetry. I have to say, I absolutely loved this and found a theme close to my heart: education. I picked England: Poems from a School edited by Kate Clanchy.
What’s it all about?
Rather than spoiling this collection and revealing details of all of the poems, I’m going to share with you my favourite three. These three stood out to me for a variety of reasons: the content, the emotions and the age of the writers. I said before that I was completely blown away by this and I really hope you can see why.
The first poem I’ve chosen is The Doves of Damascus by 14 year old, Abou Kerech. This poem made me feel really emotional and grateful at the same time. It speaks of missing home, of missing what you’ve ever known despite being in safety now. Simple things we take for granted, like snow, flowers and grapes all feature here. It made me reflect on the fact that the longer you spend somewhere, the more you rely on memories of home. Memories are literally all some of these children have of their old lives.
“I lost my country and everything I had before.
and now
I cannot remember for sure…”
My second choice is by 12 year old Mohamad Assaf called Where Are My Unnumbered Days? The only way to describe this poem is to say it’s a poem all about longing for home and losing what it used to be. Displacement is a feeling that I’d never want to wish on anyone. However, for a 12 year old, I found that this poem really tugged at my heart strings. Imagine feeling like you’re just a number, a statistic. I can’t begin to comprehend it.
“I lived in a house with a name:
And now, I am just a number.”
Finally, I chose a poem by 17 year old Rukiya Khartun entitled Silence Itself. This one called out to me because it just felt like the embodiment of loneliness. The wonder, beauty and yet sometimes pain of silence means that silences are hard to read. Is it isolation? What does silence give to us? Here, the silence is a friend, an opportunity for reflection and acceptance. For a 17 year old to write like this, it’s powerful.
“I know I always felt like a ghost:
observing the world and myself…”
Final Thoughts
Working in education provides me with such highs and real lows. There’s rarely a day where there’s anything in between. However, it’s really easy to forget that there are places in the world where children do not get the same opportunities as everyone else. There are also children who are displaced, leaving what they know and love for safety. The children in this anthology are real hero’s in my eyes. The collection oozes talent and personality. I’d be really proud to have these students in my class. I’m also really pleased I branched out into poetry too. It’s something I don’t spend a lot of time reading but with children writing like this, the future of poetry is looking really bright.
Happy Sunday. I hope you’re having a wonderfully restful weekend. I definitely am! However, the wind and the rain is disturbing my sleep for sure. I hope you’re all keeping safe, dry and warm.
I seem to have gone off the boil again with my little blog. I’m back at work so that’s the norm really but work is so tough. My flight or fight response is to read, read, read. Writing makes it real but reading means I can hide away and throw myself into someone else’s narrative. I miss the joy of my book advent calendar too. However, book shopping really does take the edge off. I also had my book subscription box delivered this week. Books everywhere!
This weekend I had a lovely day to Beverley which has some of the most gorgeous independent shops along with a Hotel Chocolat cafe. My favourite shop though is the Beverley Book Shop where I often stop by. This weekend was no different. I picked up two gorgeous looking books: Are We Having Fun Yet and We All Want Impossible Things. I also popped to the Oxfam Book Shop too where I used to go as a student to pick up the texts I needed to read. I had a good haul from there too! Have any you read any of these? I’ve no idea when I’ll get to them but I did make a big dent in my to be read pile I’ve the Christmas break.
It’s obvious that people, myself included, spend a lot of money on books. I’m really lucky – I get free copies but I am trying hard to save some pennies this year too. I’ve set up a little savings challenge for myself – 1p for each page I read. It means that I’m making an effort to save as well as spend. It’s really easy to get carried away when buying books. I know for a fact that I get taken in with a gorgeous cover, a signed copy or a sprayed edge. But, if I can save too, I’ll feel much better!
I’ve been working my way through the next Galbraith book too. It’s an incredible 1012 pages (£10.12 in the savings pot!) and has a brilliantly clever plot. I highly recommend it!
I’ll be back for reviews soon! Much love everyone!
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.
I hope you’re all well. I’m back in the UK now with a special post all about one of my favourite things: telephone box book libraries! I think the one I’m sharing with you today is my favourite so far! This one is in Snitterfield, near Stratford upon Avon.
What makes this one so special, I hear you say. Well, there’s books everywhere! But they’re organised and there’s a really good range too. So far, so wonderful. However, the keepers of this phone box have also added two plastic tubs for people to share seeds. I love this! I found some dahlia seeds (one of my absolutely favourite flowers) and planted them with my dad. I think it’s genuinely so lovely of people to share extra seeds that they’ve got left over.
I left a few books for people to hopefully read and enjoy but I’m super excited to show you how beautiful these dahlias are. Fast forward a few weeks and ta-da! Aren’t they just gorgeous? So whoever was kind enough to leave the seeds there, thank you. The colours bring a smile to my day, seriously! I always find it amazing that a little seed can flourish into such beautiful flowers.
These flowers are so lovely and the weather is divine. It’s made coming back to the UK a bit more bearable. The littlest things really can make the most difference. I hope these flowers bring you a little joy too.
See you next time for my book choice for August – spoiler – it’s amazing!
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.
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