miss b loves .......a stylish afternoon tea at Thornton Hall and a 'model village.'

Last Sunday was yet another birthday treat! The Red Letter Day Experience was one of my very special gifts which I received in June but I decided to enjoy it at the end of the summer...

The range of activities includes aerobic stunt flying, white water rafting and bungee jumping .......... but my experience was most certainly the perfect one for me! Did you really think for a moment that I'd been brave enough to bungee jump?

I finally selected the venue, Thornton Hall Hotel and Spa on The Wirral Peninsula, a beautiful area between Liverpool and North Wales ..........and what a great choice!

A glass of Prosecco was the perfect apéritif to sip whilst we perused the menu .....imagine how long it took to choose from the extensive list of loose teas, coffees and seventeen different jams and curds ..........

Just as well we didn't have to choose from the list of sandwiches and cakes (or we would still be there).......apparently we were going to be served all of them!!

Our tiered stand arrived with a quirky teapot each ......Organic Darjeeling Estate in the cupcake teapot for me ......

 .... and White Orchard in the toaster teapot for mr b......

miss b loves.......Red Herrings and White Elephants

On Valentine's Day I prefer small, thoughtful and quirky gifts rather than grand gestures and when I opened this first little package I was instantly impressed with the cute double-sided gift wrap and the book cover!

Thoughtful and quirky.......you see, a couple of weeks ago, I had been saying that I wondered where the strange sayings we use daily actually come from. Well...they are all explained in this little book.......'raining cats and dogs'...'as sure as eggs is eggs'.....'no great shakes'......'to spill the beans'....even the origin of 'OK'....and 'to propose a toast'.....

So....an example.....to be 'given the sack' meaning to lose your job, dates back to the time when craftsmen travelled from place to place carrying their tools in a sack (long before toolboxes!) The sack was given to the employer for safe keeping and returned when their services were no longer needed. 'Fired' was when someone was caught breaking the rules or stealing and the tools were burned so that the worker would be unable to work again!!

So....if like me you are interested in the English language and all its odd idioms....then you too will enjoy it! In fact, it's really quite addictive..... and unbelievable just how many of these phrases we use without thinking about their origins.

My second little gift....cute travel-themed bookmarks......

miss b loves.........shopping in pyjamas.....sometimes!

love to shop bag via NOT ON THE HIGH STREET

Even a shopoholic like me can find shopping at this time of year a chore.....the crowds, queues, cold and rain just take away most of the pleasure .....You can't beat shopping in comfort, even in pyjamas, scented candles lit, glass of wine......browsing the internet... finding unusual gifts....

...and here are a few great ideas I found this weekend.....a tea towel perfect for a blogger friend who is never without a camera.....

via la cerise sur le gâteau