I'm taking part in Greenthumb's photographic scavenger hunt again. I do enjoy putting words into pictures, but oh my goodness this month has gone quickly! I didn't manage to get them all.

Walk
The view from one of our walks

Horizontal
You can't really get more horizontal than the horizon


Square


Rough
If you've ever been licked by a cat you'll understand


Bow
I gave Big Ted Michael a spruce up for our teddy bears' picnic with a handsome red bow


Crowd
Not exactly and huge crowd but a crowd of people none-the-less


Colourless
Some chives that I forgot to water


Friendly


Whatever you want
A beautiful August sky


The ones I didn't get
Diversity
Joy
Forgotten

If you fancy joining in here's September's list, link up with Greenthumb over at Made With Love
Woven
Repeating
Greedy
Flowers
Curly
Adventures
Line
Mesmerising
Triangle
Dreamy
Day
Whatever you want

I was pleased when I first read that Jane and Louisa's photo an hour was going to be held on my birthday. And then I started to worry that my birthday might seem rather boring.

I've already celebrated with a family BBQ back in July, we decided to have it then so Andy could be there, he's currently MIA in a cloud of dust, aka being a farmer at harvest time. I had a Teddy Bears Picnic with my niece and nephew last weekend, and I also have a girls night out planned for a few weeks time - pizza and cocktails!

And today I've been to Go Ape with my best friend - nothing says 'turn 40 in style' like playing about in the tree tops and hurling yourself down zip wires. Great fun!

So anyway, back to yesterday.

5am awake to find a balloon above my bed, after a quick glass of water to combat the previous night's drinking, I went back to sleep

6am woken up by my felines wanting food. I open the cupboard every morning and Tink gets in, turns round and comes straight back out again.


7am time for gifts! I was spoilt by Andy, not only has he organised a trip into the Sahara for me he gave me loads of gifts too - a scarf, a giraffe, a tea cosy, an Italian cookery book, and interiors book, some bath bombs, a huge tube of Parma Violets, gardening gloves...


8am it's become a bit of tradition that we get up and go to a local Little Chef for my birthday breakfast. This is a bit later than usual as it was a wet day and Andy didn't need to rush off to work so early.


9am with Andy off to work, I settled down with a cuppa to open my birthday cards. This is my favourite, it's from my Dad who always finds the best cards!


10am After a late night and an early morning I was snoozing when this should've been taken. Zzzz.

11am my Mum and her husband arrived so it was time for more tea and gifts


12pm leaving for my birthday lunch


1pm lunch at The Fountain in Tuddenham, we sat in the garden in glorious sunshine


2pm we decided to drive to a different pub for dessert, I had mint tea and strawberry ice cream


3pm after dessert and a good long sit, sipping tea, we headed out to Needham Market, there is an old cattle tunnel, under the railway line. I have to bow my head to walk under it and I'm only 5ft4'. It takes you from the station, across a common, across a river, and to Alder Carr Farm


4pm Alder Carr Farm has PYO, a shop with locally grown and sourced produce, gift shops, haberdashery, pottery and a lovely little tea shop. After a good nose around them all we decided it was time for more tea (and cake)


5pm on our way back to the car we played Pooh Stick, I won but also got a splinter


6pm after a day of so much lovely food I was in the mood for something quick and simple. Andy came home and made me beans beside toast


7pm the viewing for the evening - Paddington!


8pm we stopped our viewing so I could take a photo of this amazing sky


9pm one final cup of tea before bed.

 I hope you had a lovely day, and thanks to Jane and Louisa for organising A Photo An Hour.

It's my birthday today. I'm 40. Yep, the BIG FOUR-O.

I'm feeling OK about leaving my thirties, I can't see any point in freaking out about it. I can't stop time. Although it would be totally awesome if I could.

Can I still say 'totally awesome' at the age of 40? I wonder if I say 'totally awesome' in real life... *thinks about it* no, I don't think I do.

I'm off having a lovely day, snapping photos throughout, as I'm taking part in Jane and Louisa's A Photo An Hour again.


I'll pop the post up tomorrow, so you can see what a raucous day I'll have had (ahem), and the day after I'll be posting again. Because I've set myself a little challenge - to post everyday for 40 days.

I know that the key to getting things done is making the decision to do them. I always have numerous posts in my drafts folder, so I've made it my mission to publish them all.

Some are old, some are a bit personal so I've resisted hitting 'publish', some are recipes I've been wanting to try for an absolute age. There's a real hotchpotch of things to come. I hope you enjoy.

So I'll be back tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that...

Today I'm taking part in my first Yarn Along. Which is an idea to share what you're knitting and reading.

I'm making a Monkey Moo - a pattern I found on Ravelry ages ago. He's not the first I've made and probably won't be the last.

I haven't picked up my needles in a while but felt the urge and he's easy to do and quick to work up - and I can always find a willing recipient for him!

He's almost done with just his tail left to finish and some sewing together.

I'm reading The Sunrise by Victoria Hislop, I've almost finished and have been thoroughly engaged by it, more so than any other book I've read this year. I've already got another of her books - The Return - lined up to read next.

My honeymoon in Switzerland introduced me to Bircher muesli, and this introduction has turned my breakfasts from blah to bloomin' lovely.

Generally I don't 'do' breakfast, most days I just don't fancy it and skip it or just have a slice of toast and a very early lunch instead. Strangely, on holiday, when breakfast is prepared for me, I can eat huge amounts.

Anyway, with my mother's words of 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day' ringing in my ears, I've been trying out some different recipes to find my ultimate Bircher!

Bircher Muesli by Tesco Real Food

This is the first recipe I tried, simply because I had most of the ingredients. I was missing OJ and lemon juice so I added the equivalent volume of milk (I used Alpro almond milk). I also added a tablespoon of chia seeds and instead of natural yogurt I used Alpro Simply Plain, which is soya with yogurt cultures, and added calcium and vitamins.

At this point I should say that I try not to eat dairy as I find consuming a lot of it makes me really congested, which can bring on a bout of sinusitis (this is pretty tough for someone who loves milk and cheese, especially brie, as much as I do!)

Verdict - not bad at all!

I liked the flavour and texture, it could've done with a few more apricots and raisins but I compensated by adding more blueberries and raspberries on top. The amount I made seemed a lot for 4 servings but then I'm not used to eating a proper breakfast so I might get used to this amount of food in time.

I used Granny Smith apples for this because they're one of my favourites but they're hard to grate - the skin just doesn't want to give in! Next time I'll use Gala apples as suggested in the recipe. (I did try grating Golden Delicious apples for another batch but these weren't any easier, so I'm guessing all apple varieties put up a little resistance!)


A Modern Way to Eat Bircher  (Recipe from 'A modern way to eat' by Anna Jones)

This was my second Bircher. I found this on the Jamie Oliver website, and this time around I stuck to the recipe (if you can call omitting the pumpkin seeds because you don't like them 'sticking to the recipe').

It was nice, maybe a little heavier than the first recipe but still good. The mixture of pear with dried sour cherries was actually really tasty, although not something I'd want to eat everyday.

Lastly I tried a Basic Bircher Muesli. I liked this easy recipe, it's made with yogurt instead of milk which gives it a slightly different taste (but I do think I prefer the milk version). It's a good base to which all manor of things can be added.

The great thing about Bircher Muesli is that once you've found a basic recipe that you like, you can experiment by adding different ingredients and toppings. With so many options it'll never get boring.

How do you breakfast?

I got me a new bag. Why? Because I'm hopping on a plane again soon eeeeeeeeeep!

When I flew out to Zurich for our honeymoon I found I was lacking in the hand luggage dept. I opted for a tote bag, which I then used as a day bag while we were away, but I could've done with something a little bigger.

I have a fear of my baggage going missing en route, so I always pack an emergency pair of pants, deodorant, and a toothbrush in my hand luggage. This along with the normal flying paraphernalia - passport, magazine, hand cream, boiled sweets, pen and puzzle book, phone, camera etc, etc - means I need a good size bag.

I knew I didn't want one of those drag along wheelie case thing-a-me-bobs (lost count of the amount of times I had to stop in my tracks to avoid being run over by one of those pesky things, the owner oblivious. And don't even get me started on those people who pull along two at the same time).

I digress.

As soon as the idea for the trip first started to form, I got all excited and ahead of myself and bought myself a new bag suitable for hand luggage.

I wanted to be sure that it would fit in the overhead lockers, I didn't want to get to the check-in desk only to be told my hand luggage was too big and have it taken away and put into 'The Hold', so I checked the luggage allowance.

Fun fact: some airlines have different size and weight restrictions, just to make it nice and easy for us passengers.


After some umming and ahing, and checking of dimensions, I opted for this Aztec print bag. It's cute and well made (especially considering the price) and has a handy pocket on the back for easy access to passport, boarding pass etc.

I guess I should tell you where I'm going? For my birthday Andy has treated me to a trip into the Sahara. It's something I've wanted to do since I visited Morocco over a decade ago. I can't believe I'm actually going, I'm going to sleep under the stars of the Sahara for three nights in October. I. Can. Not. Wait!!

With the trip booked my thoughts immediately turned to what to travel in. I love planning a capsule wardrobe to take away with me and what I wear to travel in is always one that gets a lot of thought.

I tend to go cabin casual. I'd love to turn up looking polished and uber stylish but, let's face it, I'm no A-list celeb. I'm not turning left when I get on a plane.

I look for things that won't wrinkle, won't get uncomfortable to sit in for long periods of time, and that make a reasonably presentable outfit. All the time I keep in mind an article I once read about surviving a plane crash (honestly, I'm not a nervous flyer, I just think it pays to be prepared). It said, wear trousers, don't take your shoes off, remain sober and sit near an emergency exit.

So this puts pay to a cute dress and wedges combo.


I'll fly wearing a classic t-shirt and skinny jeans combo with a scarf worn as a shawl, it will suffice for warmth in the airport and doubles as a handy blanket on the plane. Wearing a scarf like this always makes me feel like a seasoned traveler, I have no idea why but it gets me in the holiday mood.

My feet will be slipped into something casual, flat and comfortable. I always forget how much walking is required from car park to plane and there is nothing worst than a badly timed blister.

And a hat. Wearing it, so it doesn't get squashed en route.

What do you wear to fly in?

I have been compensated by Purple Parking for writing this post, but this is a genuine post, all excitement of generous birthday gifts, hatred of pull along bags and fears of lost luggage are entirely my own.

It's been nearly two months since we visited Zurich for our honeymoon. It's a beautiful place, one I'd highly recommend visiting.

We stayed at The Dolder Grand, set high in woodlands over looking the Alps and down to the Limmat river, which was stunning. Waking up and looking out over this scene was truly breathtaking.


Each night we'd return to our room to find the curtains closed and the beds turned down. We'd open the curtains and sit on the balcony to enjoy the view. It never got old. We'd sleep with the curtains open so we could wake up and look out to the Alps from our bed.



Everyday we where greeted with a slightly different view, it was ever changing. Between us we took hundreds of photos of this view alone.


The hotel was exceptional, everything was finished to a very high standard, the service was excellent and the food more than hit the spot. Breakfasts where huge and relaxed, eaten in the dappled shade on the terrace.



The spa and pool where very well appointed and practically empty, which suited us just fine. I had a heavenly back and neck massage, followed by a very lazy hour enjoying the pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, and snow room. Sipping lemon and cucumber water on the outdoor loungers in the sunshine. This is what holidays are made of.




The city itself is clean and pretty. Easy to navigate, with wide open spaces and plenty to do. We enjoyed a boat ride, a trip to the zoo, a wander (and a short nap) in the botanical gardens, a trip to the watch museum to name a few. All of this was a short tram ride from the hotel into the city centre.

From here I'll let the photos do the talking.









Of course, we couldn't return home without a souvenir for the fridge.

We flew to Zurich but decided to travel home by rail. From Zurich we took a train to Paris, which only took four hours. Somehow I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that we were going to get home from Zurich without getting on a plane, and zipping up a runway. But it was actually a really nice way to travel.


The bustle and noise of Paris was a stark contrast to the relaxed atmosphere of Zurich. We stayed overnight in a hotel that overlooked the Eiffel Tower. It was only a few minutes walk away, so we had supper and took a stroll to see it.

We spent the night watching the sun set over Paris, sipping wine on our balcony.

In the morning we returned home via Eurostar to a wet and windy day.

Have you ever been to Zurich or Paris? Which cities would you recommend visiting?