There's nothing better than a week off work, especially after the craziness of Christmas. It's good to have a week off to recharge your batteries, spend time with your loved ones, have Netflix binges and catch on television programs or Youtube, amongst another things.
I was so excited about my up and coming week off from work as I hadn't had a week off since the end of October/start of November, so a week's holiday was well needed.
So what all did I get up too?
Sunday 4th February
Our weeks start on a Sunday rather than a Monday. Simon had stayed at my house on the Saturday night but on the Sunday, we headed to Holywood to his house where we were planning on staying the week. However, I was driving to Holywood this time, for the first ever time and I was very scared. I had driven to Belfast once before and that was just to the Odyssey Arena and then I had driven to the Northern Ireland Hospice to visit my brother. I was worried about driving as my Corsa wasn't overly reliable. There were quite a few things wrong with it and I was scared it would fall apart while on the middle of the motorway. We left Ballymena around 12ish (I think) and off we went to Holywood. Holywood is about 10 minutes outside of Belfast city centre. The journey itself wasn't too bad and I had Simon to direct me and help me out with the lanes. It took us about 40 minutes to get to Simon's apartment. The journey was fine and I didn't mind the drive. We spent some time at Simon's house so I could unpack my suitcase before we went to dinner at Simon's family's house. There we had a very delicious dinner. We also watched a film called Shelter. I'm not a fan of thriller movies or scary ones at all so I was a wee bit worried about watching this. There were a few moments where I had to turn away and couldn't watch and quite a few jumpy moments. If you're interested in that sort of movie, about a person with a personality disorder who kills people then you'll enjoy Shelter. It did end on a bit of a cliff hanger though. It did make me think there should be a sequel. We then returned to Simon's apartment and I got changed straight into my pyjamas so we could relax on the sofa with a movie. Due to my old age, I cannot for the life of me, remember what we watched.
After purchasing my brand new car, Simon and I headed off to get something to eat as we were both starving with hunger. We went to a cute farm house between Dundonald, Ards and Belfast, called McKee's. I had never heard of it before, but then I'm not from the area. It is in the middle of nowhere so I was amazed at how busy it was. There's a farm shop and then the cafe. I ordered chicken goujons on a bed of mashed potatoes with crispy onions and gravy. (I don't have a photo). It was blooming amazing and very, very tasty. I was so full up afterwards. After lunch, we made a quick dash back to Simon's house, grabbed our over night bags and headed to visit my brother Adrian at the Northern Ireland Hospice. I didn't drive this time. It was only a short visit to see Adrian as we had to go back to Ballymena so I could go to Girls Brigade. When we arrived at my house, I made Simon and I a cup of tea then he took Zoe and I to Girl's Brigade. I was only there an hour and my little ones made Valentine's Day cards. Simon then picked me up as Zoe had to stay a bit longer. We returned to my house and I got changed straight into my pyjamas then made us toasted sandwiches. I then taught Simon how to play Ligretto which is a highly addictive card game. It was then that it began to snow outside and it was lying. Simon and I then decided to go back to Holywood that night, even though it was quite late. It was snowing quite heavily by the time we left ballymena. It was so cold and I couldn't wait to get back to Simon's and get changed into my pyjamas. We then went to bed.
Tuesday 6th February
I wouldn't say it was an overly early start for us but I think we stayed in bed for a bit and talked. After some breakfast, we got showered and dressed and headed out to run some errands. Simon went to get his hair cut so I paid the M&S Foodhall a visit and sat in the car with some chicken and tomato pasta while I waited. We then went to his Mum's house to use his sister's printer so we could sort out my car insurance and print out my cover letter so I could sort out the tax of my new car. Then we went to a local post office to get my car taxed. I was very happy that the road tax for the Fiat was only £30 compared to the £140 I had to fork out for my Corsa. Simon and I then headed to Sainbury's to do a food shop. We must have spent well over an hour, wondering the isles and deciding on what food we wanted for the week and beyond. I fell in love with some Tatty Teddy pyjamas and dressing gown (which I call a house coat). I was having a debate about whether or not to purchase them. After all my bank account took a battering with me getting my new car. We then headed to Simon's to get stuck into making dinner. I'm not the best cook but I always give Simon a helping hand in the kitchen so to help me learn how to cook a bit better.
Simon and I then went into town as I had to nip into work to collect a dress I had ordered. I was slowly getting used to my new car but I liked it. We parked in my church car park then walked to the shopping centres. I picked up my dress and purchased a top too in work. We didn't stay up the town very long as we were heading out for dinner at 6pm. We were going to a restaurant called Millside which is in Gracehill. It's one of my favourite places to eat. I wore my new red top from work and a black leather skirt from Primark. I ordered the Millside special which was a huge Yorkshire pudding with chicken, mash and a mushroom sauce. I got a side of chips. It was so good and very tasty. Simon got the same as me but with a side of mash. I was so full up afterwards. We just got a jug of water between us. I think it came to about £26 for the both of us. It was then off to Belfast again. I was scared again due to it being dark as I'm not a fan of driving in the dark. The drive to Belfast in the dark, wasn't too bad as the motorway wasn't overly busy. When we arrived back at Simon's we changed into our pyjamas and watched Me Before You and Just Friends. Both films were good. It was then bed time as I was shattered.
I was so excited about my up and coming week off from work as I hadn't had a week off since the end of October/start of November, so a week's holiday was well needed.
So what all did I get up too?
Sunday 4th February
Our weeks start on a Sunday rather than a Monday. Simon had stayed at my house on the Saturday night but on the Sunday, we headed to Holywood to his house where we were planning on staying the week. However, I was driving to Holywood this time, for the first ever time and I was very scared. I had driven to Belfast once before and that was just to the Odyssey Arena and then I had driven to the Northern Ireland Hospice to visit my brother. I was worried about driving as my Corsa wasn't overly reliable. There were quite a few things wrong with it and I was scared it would fall apart while on the middle of the motorway. We left Ballymena around 12ish (I think) and off we went to Holywood. Holywood is about 10 minutes outside of Belfast city centre. The journey itself wasn't too bad and I had Simon to direct me and help me out with the lanes. It took us about 40 minutes to get to Simon's apartment. The journey was fine and I didn't mind the drive. We spent some time at Simon's house so I could unpack my suitcase before we went to dinner at Simon's family's house. There we had a very delicious dinner. We also watched a film called Shelter. I'm not a fan of thriller movies or scary ones at all so I was a wee bit worried about watching this. There were a few moments where I had to turn away and couldn't watch and quite a few jumpy moments. If you're interested in that sort of movie, about a person with a personality disorder who kills people then you'll enjoy Shelter. It did end on a bit of a cliff hanger though. It did make me think there should be a sequel. We then returned to Simon's apartment and I got changed straight into my pyjamas so we could relax on the sofa with a movie. Due to my old age, I cannot for the life of me, remember what we watched.
Monday 5th February
It was up earlyish and out so I could go car hunting. As I said before, my Corsa was 14 years old and had many things wrong with it. I was spending too much money getting it fixed so was in desperate need of a new car. My ideal car was a Fiat 500 but so many people tried to talk me out of it. I was open to a couple of different types of cars though. Our first stop was a Ford garage. I had driven a Ford Ka as a learner driver as my sister had owned one. One thing I found about visiting a car garage is that the car sales men could easily sell snow to the Eskimos. There was a silver Ford Ka which was quite cute but I wasn't completely sold on it, even though it was in my price range. Our next stop was the garage where a friend of a friend works. Having a budget of £4000 wasn't really ideal as there isn't much choice but I was determined to stick to that. They had one Fiat 500 in, in silver and it was so cute. Ideally, I did want a Fiat in blue or mint green but I couldn't afford to be picky. I was allowed to take the Fiat for a test drive and I was freaking out. I didn't know the area at all and driving a completely different car in a strange area was not my idea of fun. The guy called Niall, ensured me that I would be ok. He took me off to a quiet road off the duel carriage way and let me have a drive. It was very strange getting into a car that's completely different than my old one but it was fine, other than a few gear change issues but that was due to the bigger engine and the gear stick being higher up. It was only a short drive but enough to get me a taste of what the Fiat was like. We returned to the garage to talk finance to see how much the car would cost all together. Sometime, we managed to be in the garage for hours, talking away about the cost of the car and all about the finance. It was all very adult stuff and I was out of my dept. I decided to go with the car which was a huge decision for me to make and a very scary one at that. I did have to ring my brother for some advice. I could have cried having to pay for the deposit though. I left the garage having purchased a brand new car. It was the first big adult decision I had ever met and I did freak out ALOT. Here's the first photo of me with my new set of wheels. After purchasing my brand new car, Simon and I headed off to get something to eat as we were both starving with hunger. We went to a cute farm house between Dundonald, Ards and Belfast, called McKee's. I had never heard of it before, but then I'm not from the area. It is in the middle of nowhere so I was amazed at how busy it was. There's a farm shop and then the cafe. I ordered chicken goujons on a bed of mashed potatoes with crispy onions and gravy. (I don't have a photo). It was blooming amazing and very, very tasty. I was so full up afterwards. After lunch, we made a quick dash back to Simon's house, grabbed our over night bags and headed to visit my brother Adrian at the Northern Ireland Hospice. I didn't drive this time. It was only a short visit to see Adrian as we had to go back to Ballymena so I could go to Girls Brigade. When we arrived at my house, I made Simon and I a cup of tea then he took Zoe and I to Girl's Brigade. I was only there an hour and my little ones made Valentine's Day cards. Simon then picked me up as Zoe had to stay a bit longer. We returned to my house and I got changed straight into my pyjamas then made us toasted sandwiches. I then taught Simon how to play Ligretto which is a highly addictive card game. It was then that it began to snow outside and it was lying. Simon and I then decided to go back to Holywood that night, even though it was quite late. It was snowing quite heavily by the time we left ballymena. It was so cold and I couldn't wait to get back to Simon's and get changed into my pyjamas. We then went to bed.
Tuesday 6th February
I wouldn't say it was an overly early start for us but I think we stayed in bed for a bit and talked. After some breakfast, we got showered and dressed and headed out to run some errands. Simon went to get his hair cut so I paid the M&S Foodhall a visit and sat in the car with some chicken and tomato pasta while I waited. We then went to his Mum's house to use his sister's printer so we could sort out my car insurance and print out my cover letter so I could sort out the tax of my new car. Then we went to a local post office to get my car taxed. I was very happy that the road tax for the Fiat was only £30 compared to the £140 I had to fork out for my Corsa. Simon and I then headed to Sainbury's to do a food shop. We must have spent well over an hour, wondering the isles and deciding on what food we wanted for the week and beyond. I fell in love with some Tatty Teddy pyjamas and dressing gown (which I call a house coat). I was having a debate about whether or not to purchase them. After all my bank account took a battering with me getting my new car. We then headed to Simon's to get stuck into making dinner. I'm not the best cook but I always give Simon a helping hand in the kitchen so to help me learn how to cook a bit better.
That evening we made Pearl Barley. I hadn't had it before so was excited to try something completely new and different. It did not disappoint as we had a large bowl of it each. We then had some apple pie and custard. I was completely stuffed afterwards. I also got changed into my brand new Tatty Teddy pyjama bottoms and dressing gown. I did have to wear a 101 dalmatians pyjama top with it though. I had brought my Harry Potter Quidditch jigsaw puzzle with me to Simon's so we got stuck into building it, well sorting out the pieces into different piles. I think we played several games of Ligretto too. Simon was far too good at it for being a beginner. I did manage to beat him a few times. It was then off to bed.
Wednesday 7th February
I did think I was going to get my new car but I hadn't heard anything from the garage. When I did ring them, they informed me that it wouldn't be ready. I was gutted that It wouldn't be ready for me, especially as I had got my insurance changed over and set to swap that day at 12pm. I spent the morning on the phone to Axa sorting out my insurance again. As I didn't know when it would be ready, I changed it to Friday at 12pm. It cost me even more money because of the admin fee. I wasn't too amused.Simon and I then set off to Ards to visit the shopping centre there with me driving. I had filled my car with petrol so wanted to use as much of it as possible before I traded it in for my new car. It wasn't a bad drive, though I am not a fan of driving around the busy streets of Belfast. Ards shopping centre has a Primark which was my first stop. I did purchase a few items of course. After visiting a couple more shops, Simon and I headed back to the apartment for some lunch. I think we had some potato and leek soup. Then we spent some time building my Harry Potter jigsaw puzzle before making a start on dinner. We were making our own chicken goujons and cheese and bacon potato wedges. Simon got the chicken cut up for me then I dipped it into flour, egg and then bread crumbs. My hands were covered in the stuff. My long nails really didn't help much. Simon and I chatted for ages about nothing in particular then put our food on. I was so excited to eat, especially as everything looked so tasty.
Wednesday 7th February
I did think I was going to get my new car but I hadn't heard anything from the garage. When I did ring them, they informed me that it wouldn't be ready. I was gutted that It wouldn't be ready for me, especially as I had got my insurance changed over and set to swap that day at 12pm. I spent the morning on the phone to Axa sorting out my insurance again. As I didn't know when it would be ready, I changed it to Friday at 12pm. It cost me even more money because of the admin fee. I wasn't too amused.Simon and I then set off to Ards to visit the shopping centre there with me driving. I had filled my car with petrol so wanted to use as much of it as possible before I traded it in for my new car. It wasn't a bad drive, though I am not a fan of driving around the busy streets of Belfast. Ards shopping centre has a Primark which was my first stop. I did purchase a few items of course. After visiting a couple more shops, Simon and I headed back to the apartment for some lunch. I think we had some potato and leek soup. Then we spent some time building my Harry Potter jigsaw puzzle before making a start on dinner. We were making our own chicken goujons and cheese and bacon potato wedges. Simon got the chicken cut up for me then I dipped it into flour, egg and then bread crumbs. My hands were covered in the stuff. My long nails really didn't help much. Simon and I chatted for ages about nothing in particular then put our food on. I was so excited to eat, especially as everything looked so tasty.
It was then off to the SSE Arena (or the Odyssey as I stil call it) to watch the Ice Hockey. The Belfast Giants were playing the Nottingham Panters in a cup match. My friends Michelle and Alison were going to be there so I was looking forward to seeing them. I was a bit silly when booking our tickets as I had tried to get tickets near Alison but failed as we were about 60 odd seats away from her, oops. During the first break, we did head down to the bridge to meet up with Alison, Roland, Michelle and Audrey. This was the first time they had all met Simon. Alison had met him briefly. We chatted for a bit then found some empty seats for us all to sit at. It was good to have a catch up with Alison and Michelle. During the second break, Simon and I had headed out to get a drink. We just missed getting hit by one of the Subway sandwiches they shoot into the crowd as it landed right between our two seats so Roland got it and ate it. I did find that funny as Simon and I had been joking about getting one of the free subways earlier on. The Giants thankfully won the game, meaning they were through to the final, wooohoo "GO GIANTS!" Simon and I then headed to the Finn McCool bar to see if any of the players were coming, had a bit of a chat and a catch up, only to be told they weren't coming up so we ended up leaving. Simon and I then headed back to the apartment to go to bed.
Thursday 8th February
Writing this post, nearly 3 weeks later is rather hard as my memory isn't as good as it used to be. I cannot remember that morning at all. I do know we went to pay my brother, Adrian a visit at the Hospice. My sister Vera and brother David were both up that day so he had quite a few visitors, including two of his best friends. We spend some time sitting talking to him and his partner Tim. Then we left and went to the Abbey Centre as I wanted to visit Primark to see if they had something. Annoyingly they didn't but I find that with the Northern Ireland Primarks, they can be very hit and miss. Most of our stores over here are in shopping centres too so are quite small. Simon treated me that day to a new charm for my nomination bracelet, which was part of my Valentine's Day gift from him. For the life of me, I cannot remember what we had for dinner that evening, that's my old age memory getting to me lol. I think Simon and I worked on my jigsaw puzzle that evening or else we watched a film but again my memory fails me.
The nomination charm Simon got me.
Friday 9th February
Today was the day that I was finally getting my new car and I was so excited but scared at the same time. I was due to pick my Fiat 500 up at 12pm and trade in my old Corsa. I was scared about have to drive to the garage as I haven't had much experience driving in and around Belfast. I was also scared about having to drive a brand new car in around the busy city centre, well Dundonald area. I also had to clear out my Corsa of all the junk that I had in it, including a pile of CDs which I couldn't actually use as I didn't have a CD player in my Corsa. Simon and I left the apartment about half 11 and headed to the garage in Dundonald. We did cut it fine, time wise but we made it just before 12pm, when my insurance would swap to my new car. I was nervous now and hoping I was doing the right thing. Buying a new car is a huge deal and the biggest decision I've probably had to make. I parked the Corsa up at the door and headed inside to wait on the Fiat being brought around. I didn't have to wait very long. I handed my Corsa keys over to the guy and said my final 'goodbye' to my old car and 'hello' to my new Fiat 500. I was very nervous now as I had to drive my new car back to Simon's apartment. I think I only conked out the once which was quite scary. I made it back to Simon's house in one piece thankfully. Simon then made us a tuna salad which was rather yummy.
Thursday 8th February
Writing this post, nearly 3 weeks later is rather hard as my memory isn't as good as it used to be. I cannot remember that morning at all. I do know we went to pay my brother, Adrian a visit at the Hospice. My sister Vera and brother David were both up that day so he had quite a few visitors, including two of his best friends. We spend some time sitting talking to him and his partner Tim. Then we left and went to the Abbey Centre as I wanted to visit Primark to see if they had something. Annoyingly they didn't but I find that with the Northern Ireland Primarks, they can be very hit and miss. Most of our stores over here are in shopping centres too so are quite small. Simon treated me that day to a new charm for my nomination bracelet, which was part of my Valentine's Day gift from him. For the life of me, I cannot remember what we had for dinner that evening, that's my old age memory getting to me lol. I think Simon and I worked on my jigsaw puzzle that evening or else we watched a film but again my memory fails me.
The nomination charm Simon got me.Today was the day that I was finally getting my new car and I was so excited but scared at the same time. I was due to pick my Fiat 500 up at 12pm and trade in my old Corsa. I was scared about have to drive to the garage as I haven't had much experience driving in and around Belfast. I was also scared about having to drive a brand new car in around the busy city centre, well Dundonald area. I also had to clear out my Corsa of all the junk that I had in it, including a pile of CDs which I couldn't actually use as I didn't have a CD player in my Corsa. Simon and I left the apartment about half 11 and headed to the garage in Dundonald. We did cut it fine, time wise but we made it just before 12pm, when my insurance would swap to my new car. I was nervous now and hoping I was doing the right thing. Buying a new car is a huge deal and the biggest decision I've probably had to make. I parked the Corsa up at the door and headed inside to wait on the Fiat being brought around. I didn't have to wait very long. I handed my Corsa keys over to the guy and said my final 'goodbye' to my old car and 'hello' to my new Fiat 500. I was very nervous now as I had to drive my new car back to Simon's apartment. I think I only conked out the once which was quite scary. I made it back to Simon's house in one piece thankfully. Simon then made us a tuna salad which was rather yummy.
We then headed off to the Hospice to visit my brother Adrian. It was only a quick visit as we were taking a drive back to Ballymena so I could get used to my new car. I have to say some drivers in Belfast are pretty darn scary and don't know how to stick to the speed limits. First issue I had was getting my seat in a comfortable position. Then when I was driving, I had some ignorant driver up my bum. I wasn't used to the changing of lanes so that was kind of scary. The journey to the Hospice only took about 15 minutes or even less. We spent about an hour with Adrian then it was off to Ballymena for the first time in my new car. Simon guided me back onto the busy motorway then we were off to Ballymena, listening to my McFly Memory Lane CD. The journey back to Ballymena took us about 40 minutes. I was very glad to arrive back in my estate. We showed Dad my car then as we were leaving to go into town, Vera and Zoe arrived.
Here's me in my new car, Bertha hehe
Here's me in my new car, Bertha heheSimon and I then went into town as I had to nip into work to collect a dress I had ordered. I was slowly getting used to my new car but I liked it. We parked in my church car park then walked to the shopping centres. I picked up my dress and purchased a top too in work. We didn't stay up the town very long as we were heading out for dinner at 6pm. We were going to a restaurant called Millside which is in Gracehill. It's one of my favourite places to eat. I wore my new red top from work and a black leather skirt from Primark. I ordered the Millside special which was a huge Yorkshire pudding with chicken, mash and a mushroom sauce. I got a side of chips. It was so good and very tasty. Simon got the same as me but with a side of mash. I was so full up afterwards. We just got a jug of water between us. I think it came to about £26 for the both of us. It was then off to Belfast again. I was scared again due to it being dark as I'm not a fan of driving in the dark. The drive to Belfast in the dark, wasn't too bad as the motorway wasn't overly busy. When we arrived back at Simon's we changed into our pyjamas and watched Me Before You and Just Friends. Both films were good. It was then bed time as I was shattered.
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