18 September
Hello and welcome to another week of weekend reading - a bit of a catch up post and chat about the week.
This week feels like it has been my first proper week of full work in ages and it feels great! I have stuck to my schedule and although it is intense, especially trying to grow two new blogs alongside this one, it has been manageable and I do plan a day off on a Friday / don't generally work in the evenings so I'm not going to complain that I work too hard.
Steve has been back at the office for two days this week. It's not going to be a regular thing, it was just a one off catch up but it felt so strange being the only person in the house after goodness how long. It feels a little weird to me that this used to be my norm. Steve might actually end up going back to the office. His work are really good and have put forward a range of flexible options. He hasn't decided which one is right for him yet so we will see what happens with that.
I am actually typing this on Thursday afternoon. Steve has Friday off too this week and we are going to sort our back garden out a bit (a lot of my plants are dying now) and clear some space in our conservatory. Our conservatory has been switched around and used a million different ways over the years. We just can't turn it into a functional space. It is old (I think it was built in the 70s or 80s), damp and the roof leaks. We do need to knock it down and start again but sadly don't have an extra £15k knocking around.
Anyway, one of the ways we use the space is as storage and we keep our coats and shoes in there. The wardrobes we did have in there are all warped with the damp and we had to get rid of one last year and now the other is on its last legs. So I have ordered another wardrobe to replace them. This one is huge and takes up the whole length of a wall. It is getting delivered on Saturday and I can't wait. I am hoping it will see us another 5 years or so and by that stage, we *may* be ready to looking into upgrading the conservatory. I have looked at the new roofs you can get now which would dramatically improve the space for us but even those are at least £2k and we are saving for a new kitchen first. There is always something isn't there!
What is going on with Matfen Hall this week! Talk about a PR disaster. For those who missed the news, they cancelled weddings of anyone who was spending less than £20k. Some of these weddings are less than 9 months away and the Bride and Grooms were told in same cases by email that they could keep their date, but they would now need to spend a minimum of £20k. Wow!
I mean I know the industry has been hard-hit but this comes across as so greedy. I haven't heard of any other venue not honouring contracts like this. The thing is, in the wedding industry, word of mouth is everything and I am certain Matfen Hall will be feeling the consequences of this for many years to come. I mean if I was a bride, there is no way I would consider them now.
So after a lot of media attention, they back tracked. But I have a feeling it may be too little, too late.
I worked with Matfen Hall a few times under their old ownership and I know how important providing excellent customer service and repeat business was to them. It feels like this has been lost now which is sad.
Strictly is back this weekend. I was very late to the party with this one and only started watching in 2019 (thanks to Chris Ramsey being a contestant) but I absolutely love it now. I am 100% team Sara and can't wait to see who she is teamed with. We are going to have a cocktail night whilst watching. This week's theme is Prosecco themed cocktails. No doubt I will share on Instagram stories what we end up making but we are going to attempt our own Pornstar Martinis I think.
Work has been good this week, I am in the process of setting up an interactive map with all of my blog reviews pinned. You just click on a pin on the map and my review link will pop up. I should be finished in a month or so. I have a lot of blog posts!! But once it's done, I will share it in some of my blog posts and will email a link to anyone who wants one - something to look out for.
I have also been busy promoting and sharing various Christmas and Halloween events. It's all go now! Bonfire night will be next so let me know if you've spotted any displays taking place.
In the past few years, I have noticed a growing trend of families only wanting to take their children to see Santa once at one of the bigger, more established events, but still book in other festive activities where a visit to Father Christmas is not included. Honestly, if I was an event organiser, I would be trying to plan more events without Santa than with Santa as that seems to be what people are looking for.
New posts this week:
What's On for Kids in North East England this Weekend 30+ Places to take your Dog (tried and tested by readers)Halloween Events in Newcastle 2021 Blackfriars Newcastle Set Lunch Menu Review CJ's Funhouse Soft Play Review
Northumberland Country Zoo Review
You may also like:
20+ Halloween Events for Kids Across North East England
20+ Christmas Events for Kids Across North East England
It's Harry's 15th birthday on Monday. We have an array of family meals and celebrations planned which I am looking forward to. On his actual birthday he is ditching us and going out for Nandos with his friends after school. How times change.
11 September
Hello and welcome to another installment of weekend reading - a little bit of a catch up / chatty post.
Last weekend we enjoyed a lovely walk around Gibside with Ollie. We absolutely love taking him out and this week, we put our name on a waiting list for a dog of our own at the start of next year. We have wanted our own dog in forever but I really didn't want to rush things. I am so happy we are finally putting plans in place though.
