Monthly Meanderings - March 2020

So, then there was march 2020, and what a month that would turn out to be! If anyone had told me at the beginning of March what would be happening by the end I would have though they were bonkers.

- Plants, Pharos & Panic Buying -

So I started my March vlog on a bright sunny day preparing for a trip down to London with my family. Corona Virus was very much in the news at the time, but the governments advice was, as long as you wash your hands as often as humanly possible and don't touch your face, it was safe to travel around as before.

Benn & James at Kew // Greenery at Kew // Dad and mum on the tube //
Pharos tomb tresures // My wonderful friend Alan // Beautiful Mosaic at Chingford STN

Then there was a comedy of errors involving a early morning incident on the main drag in to Hinckley, which meant that we couldn't get the bus to the station and so we missed our train, even after ordering a taxi which didn't show up (I tried six companies before one agreed to even try, Uber is not a thing round here). So rather than spend another £90 on replacement tickets we resorted to driving down. I was already hesitant about our trip, I don't need much to set my panic sensors blazing and the news had been seeing to that, so the extra stress of missed trains, I will confess to have been anxious as hell! I didn't convey any of this in my video.

Despite it all we had a wonderful few days first visiting Kew Gardens for my little brothers birthday and then on to Tutankhamun Exhibit at the Saatchi Gallery and V&A on Sunday. On Monday before heading home. we made a little detour to Walthamstow for some fabric shopping and for Benn to taste the delights of 'Pie & Mash' in the wonderful victorian L Manze, a true Cockney must.

The trip was wonderful and turned out to be a very poignant way to start the month, as merely two weeks later and we were about to enter an unprecedented time of restrictions to our movements here in the UK in the form of the governments Lockdown. I am so grateful that I was able to see some of my friends and my family just before it all began in ernest, and also for having this video to look at to remember the happy times as well as the monumental things that happened in March. Stay safe and stay at home!

Wendy x

Monthly Meanderings - Feb 2020

So what did February have in store!

~ Sewing & Growing Plans ~

It was a stormy old month February, I did my best to get outside when I could but rain stopped play more often than I would have liked!

Benn spent hours sanding and fixing the stairs // I finally get to do a bit of digging!
// Tracing // Garden planning // Suits you Sir!, sewing plans!

It did mean however there was plenty of time to spend plotting a big sewing project, which is always fun, speaking of fun Benn  decided that a prank was in order!

Wendy x

Monthly Meanderings - Jan 2020

~ Woman about the house ~

January was a very quite month,which means that it gave me the chance to do a bit of an early spring clean and slowly build some motivation, for 2020!

I even started sewing again, something I haven't done properly since I moved in with Benn!

• Re-Nourish: A Simple Way to Eat Well 
• Annie Carlin Keep it Vegan: 100 simple, healthy & delicious dishes

Wendy x

Monthly meanderings - Nov-Dec 2019

having had weeks of sunshine in 2020, it seems strange to look back at frosty mornings and crisp days of November and December, but here is my 2019 vlog from those months, with a little reminder of the winter and a more 'normal' time.

~ Brilliant Birthdays & Green Gifting ~

Liverpool museum and soup to warm the soul! // A painting from the Lady Lever Gallery // GMRC at Warley
// Finally a dining table // Sunset over the water

November we made another, trip to see my dad on the Isle of Wight, it was a short and sweet trip and we enjoyed some gorgeous sunny spells! My crochet game was still strong and I was still joining those squares together! 

My Birthday, day, we stopped at Crown Street to look at the park // Eco Gifting // Terrarium time
// Liverpool your gorgeous // Sunlight and Xmas Stockings // Beau and some Baubles!

December involved birthday for me, which mean a little trip 'oup north' to Liverpool for a few days being a tourist, visiting the city and then a little trip out to Port Sunlight and the Lady Lever Museum.

Then christmas rolled in and had me making Eco friendly Xmas gifts to help kick start the clan into a less plastic way of living, a girl can try!

Wendy x

Monthly Meanderings - Sept-Oct 2019

This is a plant heavy episode, I bought a lot, killed a few and then bought some more!

I also finally got some crafting going with Granny Square plans.

~ Plants, plants, plants... oh and some Crochet ~

Crochet Squares // Loo paper by the mile

// Jamin' // Sansevieria Trafiscata

I bought a lot of grant squares from eBay as I had grand ideas of making something very 70s!

I also did a spot of Jam making, a very tiny bit of decorating, we ordered our first 'Who Gives A Crap' loo roll order! And then there was a lot of plant potting and fingers crossed saving!

Wendy x

Monthly Meanderings - August 2019

August has rolled around and it is full of things to be done!

~ Gardening, Island'ing & Vegan BBQ'ing ~

Beautiful Butterfly on the Budlia // Benn and my Dad enjoy a pub dinner
Dom came to visit and inspired a Vegan BBQ // 'Somewhere over Shanklin'

In this episode there is a little catchup on the garden, which includes some surprise potatoes, some of which were eaten as soon as they were dug up! 

There is another little trip to the Isle of Wight  where we he'd to Dimbola lodge and see the Bowie Photo Exhibition I wanted to see the last time we were there! I have to say the weather was particularly fierce and certainly added a sense of drama to the occasion!

And some gorgeous cows which we saw on our way home from Shanklin!

Once back on the mainland there is some house plant repotting to do and a very exciting trip to the compost heap (what do you mean its not exciting) oh and a little Vegan BBQ, which went a little bit wrong...no vegans were harmed don't worry!

Wendy x

Monthly Meanderings - July (Part Two) 2019

Part two of Julys vlog is all about getting things done at home

~ Sewing Room Tidy ~

In this episode I spend my time, trying to fit all my stuff into my Sewing room, Spoiler, I didn't quite manage it, there is still lots to set but its a start and thats something!

A Billy Bookcase to make the sewing room neater!?! // Me pondering my tan // Yarn stash!
// The burning bin from Hades // Benn's secretly built compost heap!

We also get our very first doorstep milk from Milk and More, Benn builds a Compost bin, and then sets light to some stuff, I'm not sure the burning bin will ever be the same! 
Oh its all riveting stuff I'm sure you'll agree, haha!

Wendy x

Monthly Meanderings - July (Part One) 2019

So now to July, where I films so much I had to break it down into two!

~ Eisteddfod & The Isle of Wight ~

So in part one of Julys vlog, we take a trip to Wales for the opening of the Llangollen Eisteddfod, where Benn has a warm up set and we get to see Jools Holland!

Benn found a traffic light he proves of  // Oxalis looking fabulous // demure as always! ;P
Jools Holland and the Selecta!  // The Needles // Benn keeping us in time

Then there is a holiday to the Isle of Wight, where we visit Ventnor for food and sea side relaxation, Shanklin for Record buying, Sandown for Glass blowing, Ryde for charity shopping, Freshwater Bay for relaxing and Haven Street for a Steam trip, before returning home to a blossoming Oxalis Plant!

Monthly Meanderings - June 2019

So its June now in my round up of well overdue videos, the internet round here is no better than before!

~ LDN & MCR ~

Planting herbs //Oxalis bulbs // Benn on the decks
Phillip //  Euston Station // Quarry Bank

In this video there is a day trip to London to catch up with my wonderful friend Phillip, where we stroll around and get lost! Theres a little planting of herbs and new bulbs and...

I ended the month with a trip with Benn to Manchester, for a spot of DJ'ing and a Birthday day out to the beautiful Quarry Bank Mill!

Things mentioned:
• The Doric Arch
• Monstera Deliciosa'Taueri 
• Oxalis Trangularis
• Jamies Jungle Instagram
• Soul Sauce DJ
• Quarry Bank Mill

Monthly Meanderings - May 2019

Hello, its now May, well it is in the round up of my over due Volgs - which happens to mean quite a bit is going on! 

~ Foliage & Festivals ~

Planting up my succulents // my dishevelled moosh //
Benn doing his DJ thing // Suede giving off their 90s best!

In this video there is a bit of DIY, some plant shopping and a lot of plant waffle, some vintage shopping and the Bearded Theory Festival 2019!

My Boston Fern has started an indoor plant obsession, oops!

Not having had a garden of my own for quite a few years now and being a hopeless but passionate gardener I was finally able to get a few plants from the garden centre, which was very exciting, I bought a few indoor plants not something I have really dabbled with much and can feel a new hobby/habit forming!

We also go the chance to visit the Vintage Home Show which is held a few times a year in Coventry, usually we are away or busy the weekend that it arrives but this time the stars aligned and we were able to pop along and snag a few, very green as it turned out, bargains!

We finished the month with a 5 day festival extravaganza, at the Bearded Theory Spring Gathering, Benn had been booked to DJ the VIP bar and invited along the legend that is Martin the Mod, together the ensured that the staff and artists we kept well tuned with their mix of Soul, funk and 60s classics. It was a great weekend and even better that I got a chance to sneak off and watch a teenage favourite Suede!

Things mentioned:
• Lucy's Lock-up
• Monstera Deliciosa'Taueri 
• Boston Fern
• 'Plant these save the bees' T-shirt
• Vintage Home Show
• Bearded Theory Spring Gathering
• Soul Sauce DJ
• Martin the Mod

Monthly Meanderings - Jan-April 2109

Hello everyone, its time for another one of my monthly vlogs, we have finally made it to 2019 and we have four months in one, so we will nearly have caught up very soon!

We have a trip for work to London and another one to Glasgow, a house move and a little look around my current home, well... mostly the garden as in April there was not much more than a mess to see inside the house!

Monthly Meanderings - December 2018

I know it's way too early to talk about Christmas, but what about Christmas 2018!?!

~ Christmas Shopping & Sewing ~

Beau // Hinckley's Lights // My first Project //
Difficult sewing decisions // Lefunk! @ the Woodstock Stockpot

So in the December 2018 edition of nonsense Wendy got up to, we have a little bit of sewing, some difficult decisions- prompting a whole lot of waffle, a quick view of my fabric stash...obviously that's what airing cupboards were really made for.. a trip to Liverpool and Stockport for Christmas and lots and lots of Benn being very clever with the band he's part of!

Links to bits mentioned in this Vlog:
• NewLook 6619 - only available second hand Ebay
• Secondhand Rose Worcester
• LeFunk! Stockport


Wendy x

Monthly Meanderings - November 2018

So there is a hint crispness in the air is it that winter is here already or does it mean we have now arrived at November 2018 little vlog!

~ Shopping...(meh) & Jazz...(niice) ~

Record shopping / Side eye at the thought of clothes shopping /
Filming is blooming hard / Leicester Cathedral looking all fancy / The Art Blank Combo educating me in Jazz

In Novembers video, we have a shopping trip to Leicester in an effort to have some clothes that don't need repairing (spoiler, I didn't buy any I'm too frugal or too fussy) I visit the Warley Model Railway Show for work, attempt to film an introduction to a 'proper' Youtube Video and as an early birthday treat I go to Wales to see Benn play with the The Art Blank Combo.

Wendy x

Ps. As before I have added subtitles for those who find them useful!

Monthly Meanderings - October 2018

~ A Trip Home ~

Woollen Village // Sleeve Knitting // My lovely Mum //
 Pizza Wrap // Struggling with Math whilst having a headache // Beau being Beau

In October 2018, I din't pick the camera up much, the only time I did was when I headed home to Liverpool to spend some much needed time with my Mum and Beau. My Dad was on the Isle of Wight and my little brother was away having yet another fantastic adventure, this time in Peru, and so I had a bit of alone time with my Mum. 

Hard life!! Photo taken by my brother

Beau as you will notice doesn't live with me anymore, this is partly due to him being much less grumpy and very content with my Mum and Dad and the fact that where I was living doesn't allow pets. I miss his grumpy little moosh an awful lot but I know that he is better off with three people fawning over him.

Ok, on to the video...

Wendy x 

Monthly Meanderings - September 2018

So we now have reached September 2018, I know these videos are late but will catch up to present day very soon!

~ Steam Trains, Spuds & Sewing ~

In September 2018 there was a trip to the Churnet Valley Railway, Some vintage knitting patterns, a spot of DIY and some desperate attempts to create a 'proper' Video, the out takes of which lie within the minutes of the below video. All of this and you'll finally seem my gurning face and my voice together for the first time on film anywhere to date...which is utterly terrifying! Please excuse the nervousness and the consequential over editing to create a sentence without the word ERRRM.

Wendy x

PS. Again there are edited subtitles if my mumbling gets too difficult to understand!

Monthly Meanderings - August 2018

Around this time last year I decided to start recording little snippets of the (hopefully) interesting things I got up to, with the intent to make little videos that I could share on here each month, in an effort to get back into blogging, just in a much less wordy way. 

~ Yarn Bombing, Sewing & The Seaside ~

Nina Lee Kew Dress Sewing prep / Appuldurcombe House / The biggest pdf stick together I have ever done /
Isle of Wight Mod Weekender / Barwell Yarn bombing / Waiting for the Train at Brading Station

Unfortunately, though finished for months now it has taken ages for me to upload these videos, partly because I have had no real internet at home for a nearly a year, and partly due to genuine fear of sharing it. The fear has now been suppressed (though I may well delete them in the future when I remember I am too shy for this malarky).

So even though it's mega late I thought I may as well share it, and you get to hear my voice for the first time - all be it my 'phone' voice, which I can't seem to shake when talking to the camera (or myself, clearly). At least my mum will be proud that I've hidden my more cockney overtones*- though they do sneak out here or there!

So here is the first, from Aug 2018, there is Yarn Bombing, Nina Lee Dress pattern waffling and a really lovely trip to the Isle of Wight with lots of Trains!!

Wendy x

* That said, despite my best efforts to be audible youtube has not been able to figure out much of what I am saying! So I have done my best to correct the subtitles to the videos to ensure my anxious witterings make some sense to those not as well versed in mumbling cockney!

Hello from Middle Earth

Or the East Midlands as the locals would probably prefer to call it. I've taken to calling it Middle Earth purely because it makes me feel more at home - I mean there is a place around here called Moira...it had mines and everything...just saying.

Hello!  I have just realised that its now over a year since I last posted on this little space of mine, I must say that I feel a little apprehensive, it's been such a while and I can't say I know just how to get back into this blogging lark, I guess a little rundown of what I've been up to these last 12 and a bit months is as good a way as any!

So much has changed in my life since this time last year that if you had told me then where I would be now I would have told you to "sod off and stop being silly!" Yeah, I'm actually quite a meany!

Goofballs in Berlin

So, in late September last year I'd just got back from a trip to Berlin (such a fabulous place) with my folks and brother to watch him run the marathon (he did very well and we are all super proud) and I was hesitantly preparing to start a new job miles away from London in the shires of Leicester at the beginning of October.

Hinckley. This canal runs right near to the Triumph Motorbike factory though from this angle you would never guess!

The company I had been working for 10 years (blimey that feels like forever) EFE had been struggling for a long while and so when a job offer came from Bachmann (they make trains rather than buses) I knew that I should take it. The stress of not knowing from one day to the next whether I would have a job was making me really unwell and starting to undo all the good work I had done with my anxiety counselling. So I took the massive leap to move 100 miles away to Hinckley in the East Midlands and start afresh at a new company.

Christmas with my family

Initially, I moved into a shared house (on my counsellor's advice) which was a little cheaper and meant I had a bit more flexibility to decide if this was the job for me. After moving I was returning on the weekends back to London to see the Boyfriend, Beau (the cat) and my sewing machine, but by the January of this year I realised this situation was making me utterly miserable (I'd spent most of Christmas in tears, though you would never guess from my Instagram feed). I knew it was time to make the decision and leave London for good. I was paying two rents so my boyfriend could afford to stay where we were living and it was crippling me - I lost 2 stone because of the stress and lack of money for food. Plus the burden of trying to keep a relationship going that was I was getting nothing back from, was unbearable. I think we both loved each other (at least I know I did) we were just no longer able to make each other happy, I think it was deep down the reason I took the job, I kinda knew (though I didn't want to see it) that things between us were over and had been for years.

Moving: Boxes // Beau breaking my heart by packing himself // more boxes
New place and utter chaos // getting better stuff has been whittled down // finished...just don't expect me to move
again too soon!

So by April, I had found myself a new place on my own to rent and with the help of my lovely mate, Phillip, we moved all my stuff up to my new home. I took the opportunity to have a massive clear out of things I had accumulated that just didn't feel like me anymore, I gave loads away to the Ex and to charity, I needed to shed stuff it was weighing me down. I also realised that I had totally lost the desire to be crafty, knitting and sewing were just not something I was craving at all, it scared me a bit but I knew that much of why I threw myself into them and this blog was because I was feeling so miserable with my life in London, they had for years made me feel better but now that I wasn't as sad all the time I didn't need my crafty band-aid to help me get through the days.

Beau and my parent's wild carpet which has been in the house since the 1950s!
It's threadbare in places but it's holding up surprisingly well for a nearly 70-year-old!

Beau, it was amicably decided, was going to live with my folks up in Liverpool as my new place is part furnished and doesn't allow fury family members. The Ex (still feels odd calling him that, especially as I have never had one before) very kindly drove him up to them for me, which must have been hard as he truly adores him - I offered for him to keep him, praying he would say no, but he was adamant that he was mine and so he's now become a Scouser and is just as much of a little daemon as before and living the life of riley being fed and fussed by all he meets up in the 'Pool!

Me eating cake and Phillip checking out the views...pretty much sums up our trip! Caaake!

I also in April took a little trip to Amsterdam with Phillip as it was somewhere we both wanted to go and neither of us having significant others we decided to go together, as mates before you wonder, it was a lovely break away and just the tonic I needed (goodness I ate soo much cake!)  after the emotional rollercoaster of the first few months of 2017.

Beautiful Jess & Rhys, celebrating their engagement.
Together 10 years and they're still in their early 20s!

So that brings us to now, since moving here I have made a some really good friends, and some really great ones, who if it wasn't for, I would have crumbled and given up more than once (you know who you are, Jess & Benn - in case you don't) though I still miss my London mates a ridiculous amount, this is my home now.  I had the honour a few weeks ago of taking some engagement photos for the beautiful Jess and her fiancee Rhys, which was just so much fun and so lovely to watch them enjoy their moment.

Benn on the decks

I've been to a soul night in Llangollen with Benn, who apart from being a bloody brilliant drummer is also a Soul Sauce DJ, I took along my camera so that I could mess around with it and grab a few snaps and as it turned out a bit of video (you can see my efforts here) the set was great, I thoroughly enjoyed the music, the company and getting my teeth back into photography. Thanks also to Benn I've seen Brian Wilson and Al Jardine play Pet Sounds in Sheffield, an utter dream come true I can assure you, it was a magical evening one I won't forget!

Glyndyfrdwy Station on the Llangollen line

Work has also had its fun I have been to lots of preserved railways which means it honestly doesn't feel like work at all! I also got dressed up in my 1940s finery to attend the Cosby Victory Show as a videographer see the video here for the W.Britian brand a few weeks back - I know, I should be paying them for such things! One thing that surprised me is that my Cockney accent gets mocked and laughed at here on a daily basis, which I am still learning to live with I mean I sound pretty normal to me! I have taken on a bit of the local lingo I've learned a few new words so as I can attempt to fit in, s Jitty which is an Alleyway round these parts, Chopsin' which means Chatting and Bosting which means great. Oh, and if anyone has anymore just let me know!

Me manning (or womanning) the stand at Llangollen Classic Transport Weekend

It has taken a while and I can't lie my new job is much more intense than the old one, but I can honestly say I am happier now than I can remember. My anxiety is lower than it has been in years and I have back the hope that I once lost. I am not saying that I am cured by any means, but the therapy I had before leaving London was the best thing I could have ever done for myself, and I am thankful for it every day that I don't wake up crying (or convinced I can't leave the house or that have some horrific illness). The best part is that I can slowly feel my crafty mojo coming back I have finished off a dress that has been in my UFO pile for years and I have knitted another Hermione sock - just the one at the moment I don't want to overdo it!

A trip to the GCR after work

I am not sure where this space of the internet will go from here, I hope to post some more things very soon, but I just don't know if that will happen. I have missed catching up with everyone's blogs, the community on here has helped me through many hard times, though I doubt you could tell, the thing about the internet is we get very good at showing our best bits and hiding the bad and as long as you realise that it's edited it can still be a great place to dwell. I have often referred to this blog as my happy space and it truly is, it's just now its a little more honest than perhaps I had expected but I am totally okay with that!

Wendy x

European Adventuring - London to Paris

With all the turmoil we have been facing in the UK over the last few months, after the vote to leave the EU (I refuse to use that horrid abbreviation), I thought it might be a good time to give you all a little glimpse into the wonderful European adventure I took with my family last year, to show those in any doubt (surely there can't be many?), just how wonderful our neighbouring countries are and just how much I love being part of Europe.

Paris // Zurich // The Alps, Switzerland //Millan // Tiber river // The Colosseum

It really was the holiday of a lifetime. We spanned three European countries in our ten-day trip and saw some of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Our journey was inspired by my dad and brothers mutual love of Michael Portillo's Railway Journeys, watching this show together is their bonding time, and so our route was planned to encompass as much as we could of their favourite sights from the show.

London - Saturday 23th May 2015

At all began on a rainy morning in the heart of London, outside King's Cross Station to be exact, where we met to embark upon our European rail adventure. As we passed through customs and boarded the Eurostar bound for Pairs on the 1.15 train, we were all feeling a little apprehensive; this was a family first, we had never been abroad together before and were a little unsure as to what to expect from the trip and each other. My brother James was the mastermind behind the organising and booking, as he is the most well travelled among us, so we were trusting him to look after us and have everything under control (spoiler alert - He totally did!).

The journey was perfect, we arrived in Paris a mere two and a half hours later, after pleasantly watching the French countryside whiz by in the spring drizzle and occasional sunshine. On arriving at Garde du Nord, with watches (OK mobiles) set to European time, we went in search of the famous Metro and the ticket (billet) machines. This proved more complicated than we had anticipated; fresh off the train we were all a little nervous about asking for help, instead we muddled through and somehow managed to buy the single tickets we needed for the journey to our hotel. Tickets and suitcases in hand, we hopped on the Metro to Châtelet, where we changed for a connecting train to Port d'Italie.

You can download a PDF of the Paris Metro from Here

On leaving the station, we made our way to our hotel. No, let me start again, what we actually did was wander around and around a rather 'attractive' dual carriageway in ever decreasing circles for about an hour. We later learnt that we could have used a different exit at the station and made much lighter work of this endeavour; however, we did eventually hit upon the correct direction and made our way to the Ibis Paris Porte d'Italie. Once inside we discovered a lovely and spacious hotel (the reward for booking on the outskirts of Paris) which quickly banished any anxiety that we might spend the night sleeping under that dual carriageway! After a little siesta and a wash and brush up, we headed down to the hotel's restaurant where we had our first French meal of the trip, once we had figured out how to order!

Travel Tip: If staying at an Ibis Hotel in Europe, there is usually also a Budget Ibis close by; sometimes it's right next door and sometimes it's a mile in a different direction! Your GPS mapping thingy may be confused by this, as will some people you ask for directions, so do double check the address and which type of Ibis you have booked before setting off on a long, long walk in the wrong direction, with all your luggage like we did!

Paris - Sunday 24th May 2015

Parc Kellermann

After a good nights sleep we set off bright and early towards the Metro, which we now found could be reached from the bottom of the road after a pleasant stroll through the beautiful Parc Kellermann, a real tonic compared to the chaotic route the day before, and made us aware that the area we were staying in was actually quite nice, nowhere near as rough and ready as we had thought!

Eiffel Tour

After purchasing a one day Metro ticket (€7 each) from the ticket office (the machines seemed only to offer single trip tickets, so I mustered up the courage to try out my French, not that my family who I was quietly trying to impress were even paying attention, C'est la vie!), we made our way via Place d'Italie to Bir-Hakeim the best stop for the Eiffel Tower. We walked along the main road and encountered our first street traders of the holiday, selfie sticks and Eiffel Tower ornaments abound. After battling through them, being as polite as our well brought up English demeanour allowed, we made it to the tower which was carpeted by a sea of tourists. We grabbed some breakfast/lunch from a Kiosk and then made our way to a shady seat adjacent to the tower from which we could see the grand structure reaching into the sky between the trees, the weather was perfect and our fresh baguettes were delicious, so it was bliss!

Believe it or not, this is the best photo of us all! We took a few and not in one are we all looking happy, but this one makes me laugh so I am sharing it!

After lunch, my brother and dad went off to find the tour group with whom they'd booked tickets to scale the tower. Mum and I, not being fans of great heights, opted to sit and watch the world go by until they returned. When the wind picked up a little, we decide to go for a walk down to the main stretch in front of the tower, where the hoards of tourists were milling about. We sat for a  short while basking in the warm sunshine until we could take the pestering from the beggars and the selfie stick sellers no longer and returned to our seat in the shade. On the boy's return, they told us they had a great time and expressed their wonder at the beautiful views across Paris. Mum and I were quite content just to look at the pictures.

Mum & the Tower // Me, James & Mini Stee // The View from the top

Our next plan was to catch the RER to St Michael Notre Dame. The platform at this station was very long and the train was built to match it. As we were waiting at the end of the platform, on a bend where the driver couldn't see the end of the train, and because it took so long for the passengers to depart, there was almost no time for boarding, which meant James and dad were the only ones to get on. I'd kind of got on, as I'd managed to get myself wedged in the closing doors (it wasn't just my top that had blue stripes on that evening I can tell you!) but somehow, thankfully, I'd managed to get back onto the platform with mum to wait for the next train. Deciding that the train to Notre Dame was going to be too long a wait, we chose to get on the very next train which was terminating a few stops earlier; reasoning that it would be the same platform and we could wait there just as well as here.

Notre Dame Cathedral

When we arrived we realised this was a massive mistake, the train we were on had pulled into a siding platform and there were no legible signs to suggest where to go - eek! Luckily we managed to find a Guard who was helping some other befuddled English tourists, and by listening intently we managed to decipher a platform. Eventually, quite shaken by our little detour, we managed to meet up again much to mum and my relief. The boys, however, were totally unconcerned about leaving us behind and had even bought themselves a bag of Haribo to eat while they waited for us to arrive! Once, thankfully, out of the station, we walked around the magnificent Notre Dame cathedral and after a few wrong turns, around the Île de la Cité, we found the entrance to our next destination- Sante-Chappelle.

Sante-Chappelle

From the street, you would have no idea what beauty lies hidden behind the more modern, but still super old, buildings. The only clue that there is something special awaiting you is the length of the queue, which stretches up the street. Once in the grounds, you get your first true glimpse of this Gothic, gargoylian masterpiece. Built around 1238 (taking only seven years to complete) it was commissioned by Louis IX of France to hold his sacred Christian relics, such as Christ's Crown of Thorns. Now I have to say, that the French really knew how to house a sacred relic in style, as once you step inside the true beauty of this building is revealed in all its breathtaking glory.

Sante-Chappelle Upper Chapel

After passing through the beautiful lower chapel and climbing the twisting spiral staircase up to the massive upper chapel, we were immediately awestruck by the overwhelming beauty before us! The upper chapel has 15 windows, each 15m high and all depicting scenes from the bible in the most beautiful and detailed stained glass I have ever seen. It's simply breathtaking, worth every Euro of the €8.50 ticket price and every minute of the hour-long queue. We were actually lucky to see it as it had been closed for months whilst undergoing restoration, and had literally just opened back up that week. If you're in Paris and you get the chance, religious or not, it's somewhere truly worth adding to your sightseeing list!

Sante-Chappelle upper & lower chapel

Once outside, in the slightly less colourful Parisian daylight, we headed across the road to the Brasserie Les Deux Palais, where we had a dinner of ham baguettes and coffee. It was then time for a leisurely rambling stroll around the streets and along the Seine. We walked across to the south side of the river passing rollerskating street performers and a musician playing a piano in the middle of the bridge, it was so wonderful and so French!

Batobus Hop on, Hop off River Boat Shuttle Service

We decided to make our way to the nearest river cruise company for a relaxing bob along the Seine and this is where we found Batobus Paris, located at the Hotel De Ville stop. The tickets were a little expensive at €16 each but they can be used all day for hopping on and off at different locations along the route, so if bought in the morning they would be better value!

Bobbing along the Sein

Our twilight river cruise was lovely. We were able to take in some of the best sights from a new angle. The only downside, was that at this time the cruises were no longer going along to the small-scale Statue of Liberty on the Île des Cygnes, so we missed the fab view of the statue with the Eiffel Tower in the background, something which had stuck in my mind from my very first trip to Paris many years ago. My family were none the wiser to what they had missed, so they were not disappointed.

The Louvre at Night

We decided to depart the boat at the Louvre so that we could see a little more of Paris before returning to our hotel. It looked so spectacular lit up and it was blissfully quiet with only a few tourists milling about. As soon as we returned to our hotel, we ordered some Earl Grey tea before bed, it had been a very long but fabulous day!

On the Metro

Travel Tip: If you are wearing a Breton stripe (surely it's 'de rigueur' that most women will get the urge to do so when travelling to Paris) be prepared to be asked directions or for the time (at least in hindsight I think that's what I was being asked) by many Parisians. I was mistaken for French more times than I can remember; which might have as much to do with the fact I was in France as anything, but I am sure the stripy top helped! Don't get me wrong I was really rather flattered, it's just I felt an utter fraud when I had to wheel out my go to "Je suis désolé, je ne parle pas français" (I am sorry, I don't speak French), it's certainly a line worth learning rather than blankly staring back at a poor confused Parisian.

The next day we left the hotel and made our way to Gare du Lyon, in preparation for catching our next train. Before boarding, we hastily grabbed some sandwiches from the stations Pret a Manger (which we discovered is a British company) and then had a quick coffee in the Costa (also a British company, so much for eating locally!). All that was left was to board the SNCF to Zurich, say 'Au Revoir' to Paris and watch as the grey cloud and lush green French countryside flew by our picture window. Switzerland, here we come!

Wendy x