Download Rundown & Days of Sunshine!

Hello everyone! I just thought that I would drop by and fill you in on the goings on around here over the last month or so, the most notable of which was the fact that I went off to Download Festival! 

For those of you that have been following my blog for a while now you may remember me blogging about this back in 2013, but for those of you that don't know Download Festival is the biggest rock festival in the UK, which is held annually at Donington Park race track in the East Midlands. It is always held for three days across the middle weekend of June and attracts some 80,000 per year, hosting some of the biggest names in rock over it's over 30 year history: Including acts such as; AC/DC, Aerosmith, and Alice Cooper to name but a few!

This year was my sixth time at Download, all of which I have attended consecutively minus last year when we opted to go to Readings Festival for a change. I have to say though that having been to Download for so many years, returning back this year was like going to a home away from home. I and I think that it will always be my festival no matter how many others I go to! I look forward to it every year that we go as we always have an amazing time, plus it is the only form of holiday that I get to go on.

However I did um and err over going this year partly due to the expense not long after buying our first home, but mainly because my best friend and her Fiancé were unable to come and I have never been without my partner in crime before!

We also normally have a number of other friends that come with us to as it's not really my hubby's thing, so there usually ends up being between 6-8 of us in total. However this year there were only two of the male friends that I normally go with that could attend. I worried that it wouldn't be the same without my best friend and with only a few of us going, but I was desperate to seeing one of the headlining acts MUSE, who are a band that I have loved since I was eighteen but have never seen live as they don't tour very often. Then even when they do tickets are very hard to come by!

So in the end I decided to go and I am so glad that I did, because I literally had the time of my life! Granted it took me a while to recover when I got back after five days of camping, (as we arrive on the Weds when the site opens,) partying, going to bed as the birds woke up, and surviving on a few hours sleep. Before we would then get up, go and see the bands and do it all again. But it was so worth it! I did miss not having my best friend there, but being that there were only a few of us it gave us the opportunity to make new friends, of which there were many! All of whom we are staying in contact with, and hoping to meet up with again and some point. This is despite the fact that we live at opposite ends of the country!

When we arrived on Weds 10th June the weather was lovely, which was lucky as we had to queue for 2 and a half hours to get into the site, which is something that we have never had to do before!

We thought that this may have been due to the fact that they were trialling "dog tags," which were basically little bits of plastic that were fitted onto your wristband that had chips inside them to enable you to pay contactless like you can with a card. I was a little sceptical about this to start with to say the least, especially since they were the first big UK festival to be using them! It meant that you could only pay for everything on site with your dog tag, which you pre-loaded with you ticket before leaving and could top up whilst there. It took a little getting used to just bleeping a wrist band on a machine as payment, but I have to say though that by the end of it I was converted as it all ran smoothly and made paying very easy, maybe a little too easy! But then coming back to reality and using cash felt very odd, it's strange how quickly we get used to different ways of doing things!

The queue ahead of us when getting into Download just as the entrance tent came into view

 

  My Dog Tag Wristband

My tent and our camp complete with the Gazebo! 

The stunning sunset on the Weds evening! 

 

So anyway back to the weather, like I said it was lovely on the Weds when we arrived and remained that way until 8pm on Friday and then the heavens opened! When I say opened I mean rain for 24 hours straight until 8pm Saturday night, which isn't really what you want at a festival but equally it wouldn't be a British festival without it! Luckily it stopped raining just in time for MUSE to play which meant that I was able to use my camera, which I was most worried about not being able to do if the weather had persisted. MUSE didn't disappoint and were literally the best band that I have ever seen live, and it was made even better by the fact that myself and a girl that I had met there managed to work our way really near the front. It was a pretty rowdy crowd of predominately men, and we were all packed in like sardines keeping each other up as we all jumped about. I am not sure how I managed to get out of that crowd without breaking myself or my camera, but again it really was worth it and an experience of a lifetime.

 

Waiting in the crowd for MUSE to start

The crowds behind us whist we waited for MUSE!

 

Matt Bellamy MUSE's lead singer!

The confetti balls above our heads that were thrown into the crowds before and after they burst!

Images from during MUSE'S set

Some more images from during the set including the fire blowers at the end. We were so close to the front that we could feel the heat from them as they went off!

On Sunday the weather was once again not particularly fabulous and the site was a sticky mud pit, but it certainly didn't dampen anyone's spirits! I know that festivals aren't for everyone but I love them! I feel most alive and relaxed there, watching live music with friends in the euphoric atmosphere. Yes the mud and the rain aren't the best, but it makes you feel quite free and at one with nature. Plus you definitely appreciate the creature comforts of your own bed, toilet, and running water more when you get back!

The crowd at second stage on Sunday night, and back at the Doghouse the rock club on the campsite

 The amazing end to the headliners Kiss's set on Sunday night, which ended the festival

The sunrise begining to break though at the campsite village on Monday morning before we returned home

 

The sunrise as it broke through further on the Monday morning 

 

Typically on the day that we left Download and ever since I have got back, the weather here and across most of the country for the last few weeks has been just beautiful! The summer has now well and truly sprung for now at least! 

However it is probably a good thing that it wasn't this hot at Download as I managed to burn quite badly with little sun and cloud cover, despite being careful and having factor 50 on! I now look like a bit of an idiot with my burnt chest and thighs complete with short lines! So I definitely won't be going out in the sun anytime soon! Not that I am a sun lover anyway, but it is nice to have the brightness even if it is rather on the warm side!

So you are now nearly up to date with the goings on around here!

Last week my hubby had the week off to recover from a stag do from the previous weekend, and I was off on the Weds which turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far here, so we took a jaunt into town. I am not sure exactly how hot it hit here in the end but I think that it must have got to the mid 30's, as whilst sipping on a cooler in a local café I recorded the temperature at 32 degrees in the shade at 4:30pm! This for those of you that don’t live in the UK is practically unheard of even in the summer!

On the way back home we went via the river walk and came across this little fellow below:

There are usually a lot of squirrels jumping around this walk but on this day I think that the heat may have been getting to the squirrels too, as he was practically the only one about! He caught our eye not only for this reason, but because of the fact that he seemed particularly tame. These shots don't really do justice as to how close he was as they were taken on my phone, but he was cute little thing and kept posing for the camera. In the shot on the bottom left he reminded me of a little fox.

Further along the river walk we saw lots of Blackberry bushes all beautifully in flower, with the start of the Blackberry fruits beginning to form as you can see below: 

We will have to go back Blackberry picking in a few months once they are ripe!

Once home we finished off the day by having some lovely raspberries, meringues, and ice cream! Perfect for a summer day and Wimbledon season even if it wasn't quite strawberries and cream!

  

Since last week the weather has continued to be lovely and rather warm, minus the odd bit of heavy rain and electrical storms on Friday night!

I hope that the weather is good where you all are and that the heat is not getting too much for you! Stay safe in the sun and thanks as always for popping by and bearing with another long and picture heavy post! I got a bit carried away with all of my Download talk! x 

Birthdays, Blooms & Bunnies!

Hello everyone! I hope that you are all well! I just thought that I would pop by to bring you up to date with the goings on around here over the past six weeks or so. I also need to apologise to you in advance for how long and photo heavy this post is going to be!

So where to start!

Well back in April the 23rd to be precise it was my 27th birthday, which also so happens to be St. George's day here Great Britain. It fell on a Thursday but as I had the week off I was able to enjoy it by chilling and relaxing during the day, before going around to my parents for a Chinese in the evening. I also got very spoilt as you can see below!

A couple of my birthday cards, with bunnies on naturally!

My gorgeous Pandora gifts! The pendant was from my hubby, whist the matching ring and bunny bracelet charm were from my parents.

A close up of my bunny Pandora charm, and Hoppity my Jellycat bunny who I also got from my parents. 

All in all I had a lovely day, and continued the birthday celebrations that weekend by going out on the town with friends.

After my birthday I used some of my birthday money to buy a couple of bunny themed items for our new home. The first being a bunny cushion to add to my collection, (much to my husband's annoyance!) I don't think that you can every have to many cushions! Especially if they have bunnies on them! 

You can see the one I bought on this occasion to the left of the picture below, which is placed alongside the rest of my collection! 

 

This particular one I found in M&S. Whilst the one in the middle was from Primark a few years ago, and the one to the right I got last year in Next.

I have found recently that different high street stores seem to go through phases of selling lots of bunny themed items, and this year it is definitely M&S! Whilst I was at it I also found a cute bunny doorstep which you can see below;

some beautiful bunny Thank You cards;

 

and since one of my close girlie friends had a beautiful 8lb little boy named Lincolon just before my birthday, I couldn't resist buying this gorgeous two piece Peter Rabbit dungaree set which was also from M&S.

Fast-forward a month to the weekend before last and the hubby and I decided to make the most of a lovely sunny Sunday by going for a walk down to my usual bunny spotting place, and along to a farm which has land open to the public. I have blogged about this place a few times in the past, and looking back it was almost a year since we last did this walk! (You can see the post about our last walk here.)  

On this occasion we saw lots of trees and shrubs in bloom, birds, and of course bunnies! All of which you can see below:

Beautiful blooms! 

 Bunnies bouncing and munching!

Sunbathing bunnies!

The same pony and Shire horses that we saw on last year's walk!

Plus the new editions of sheep and a Llama!

 

We also saw some birds. The one below on the left I hadn't seen before, but I think that he was a Chaffinch (please correct me if I am wrong.) He was quite hard to photograph hence the blurry pic! We also saw a Jay bird which although clearer, was again quite hard to photograph due to its skittish nature.   

 

This was followed by a little Robin that was perching on a branch in the river, and a male Blackbird that was cheeping away to its female counterpart. We also saw some Great Tits going back and forth from their nest to feed their young, which was placed between a gap in a wall but unfortunately I didn't get any pics of them.

Lastly we came across some Mallard ducks! Firstly a male that we saw on his own looking a little lost up river, and then a female with a duckling! This was a lovely sight as it has been years since I last saw any ducklings, but I did feel a little sad wondering what may have happened to her other young.

However the story of the ducks did not end here! As we stood quietly watching the female duck pootling along upstream with her duckling, something suddenly spooked her and she flew off leaving her little one all alone! We stood watching the little ducking going up and down stream cheeping away for his mother, wondering what an earth had spooked her for a good ten minutes.

It was heartbreaking to watch but we knew that it was just nature and that we shouldn't interfere, and in any case we were standing on a bridge that was inaccessible to the little duckling.

We watched him until he was no longer in sight until at which point we had to admit defeat, and came to the realisation that maybe the mother wasn't coming back.

 

Then as we reluctantly began to walk home we saw the mother with another two ducklings, swimming back up the river in the direction of the lost little one! (It had to be the same duck as there were no others in the area.)

We stood and watched her go up-stream until she came to where she had left the little one, at which point she suddenly flew further up-stream presumably to catch up with him. She had to leave the other two alone again in the process, but they seemed to have a little more sense that the other one and quickly scuttled up stream to catch up with her.       

So the story ended well which we were both very pleased and relived about, as I don't think that I could have slept well that night knowing that the little ducking was lost. I can only imagine that the mummy duck must have sensed that he other ducklings needed her, or were in danger hence why she fled so suddenly leaving the other one.

As for the male Mallard that we saw further up-stream that also looked  lost. I don't know if he was the dad or whether ducks stick together once they have mated, but if so they were a very unorganised and scatty family of ducks!

Minus the duck dramas, the hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed our walk. I especially love going for walks in the spring, and seeing everything suddenly come to life after the winter. It always seems to happen just like that, as the last time I blogged there were no leaves on most of the trees at all. Now after a bit of sunny and slightly warmer weather mixed with showers, everything has come to life in an almost magical way.

Fast-forward again to the Tuesday just gone, and both I and the hubby went to see a Football match.

Now I don't and never really have much interest in football as I only have a sister and being that my dad was always more interested in F1 than football, I have never really had any need to be either! But My hubby being from Croydon is and always has been an avid Crystal Palace fan, so I have had to become accustomed to this over the years!

He took me to one family game a few years ago, but I haven't been since. However the hubby wanted to go to this particular match, as it was a testimonial match for their goal keeper to celebrate that he had been at the club for ten years. Apparently they don't happen very often hence him wanting to go. The match was a friendly against Dundee United, as the goal keeper in question Jullian Speroni had also played for them in the past and is well respected amongst their supporters. So much so that 2000 of their fans came down from Scotland just to watch the match.

I have to say that being that it was a charity match I rather enjoyed myself! There was a great atmosphere, and as you can see from the pics below Kayla the Palace Eagle made her usual appearance prior to the start of the match. The Keepers young son kicked the ball to start the match, there were also ex-Palace players that came on to play during the second half as well as there current manager Alan Pardew. The goal keeper in question played down the Dundee end during the second half, and the Crystal Palace mascot also got into the light-hearted spirit of the match by wearing a kilt in homage to the Dundee fans! The weather was lovely, and it was an all round enjoyable evening that showed how Football should be! It was also nice to spend some quality time with my hubby, and I also wore one of his Palace shirts so maybe I am yet to be converted! (Sorry that the pics are not of great quality they were taken on my phone!) 
  

So that brings you almost up to date with everything that has been going on around here! I just want to leave you with a few pics that I have taken of the skies over the last few weeks! Our weather had been pretty mixed within this time, and although generally bight it has still not been particularly warm for the time of year. It has also been pretty breezy, and we have had a lot of sudden heavy April showers in May! This has meant that we have had some lovely rainbows, which unfortunately I haven't got any pics of but I did get a pic of one of the gorgeous sunsets that we have been having lately. 

The clear skies at night have also meant the stars have been out in force, and there has been one particularly bright one too as you can see below! Which I assume is either a satellite or a planet.

I hope that you are all having a fab weekend and thanks for bearing with this rather long post! I am hoping to be able to pop by sooner next time! x      

Spring Has Sprung!

Hello everyone! It's been a while once again, but I thought that I would just pop by to make sure that you all had a lovely Easter and Bank Holiday weekend last week.

Below you can see that both my hubby and I were rather spoilt by family and friends on the chocolate front! On the left you can see my pile, and the right shows our piles combined! I could say that it will take us a while to get through these, but somehow I don't think that they will be hanging around long! Especially since I haven't had chocolate for a fair while after giving it up for Lent.



Apart from all of the chocolate my Bank Holiday weekend itself wasn't very exciting though as I worked for all of it, apart from Easter Sunday itself which I managed to get out of since it was decided that we would actually be closed for once. This also meant that I missed out on all of the lovely spring weather that we have begun to have over the last few weeks, as well as the annual Italian Festival that runs throughout the town over the Bank Holiday weekend.  

I have however have managed to make up for it in the evenings over this week as the weather has lasted, which meant that the hubby and I were able to go for a cheeky pub garden drink after work the other day for the first time this year. 

I have also been able to enjoy the weather today to by going out for a little jaunt in the countryside. It really was the perfect walking weather for me, because as much as I like the bright weather I am not to keen on the heat and getting all hot and bothered when walking. So today the nice breeze that accompanied the bright weather made it rather pleasant, and you can see a few picks from my little trip below.  



On another note I do apologise once again for my prolonged absence! There is still a lot going on with us sorting out the flat so please do bare with me as I am still finding it rather hard to juggle between flat sorting, work, blogging, card making and illustrating. So for the next few months at least I will probably have to continue to blog less frequently, but please do keep popping by as it won't be forever and I do hope to start getting some more Bobby Bunny designs on the go once all is sorted. But in the mean time if you do need a bit of a Bobby Bunny fix, my existing designs are still available to buy on my Etsy shop which still remains open.

Many Thanks for your understanding, and have a good week! x