Well I suppose all good things come to an end, so I’m now back at work. I’ve had a nice break from the blog, thanks Pooks, and I'm now well on the way to actually finishing a story; so it’s not as if I’ve been doing nothing. Well, that might not be the case.

I didn’t actually get up on Friday till turned 3pm and the only reason then was my stomach was convinced that my throat had been cut. I was still ready for bed come 11pm which must have meant I was tired – too many late nights yattering on the computer.

I had a nice surprise when I did eventually roused myself on Friday, a parcel from Pooks had arrived full of nice things for me. That was the second present in a week. The first being some photography books from Chris, which have inspired me to try black and white pictures for a change. Certain people will surfer – all complaints should he addressed to him and not me. Seems only fair after all for encouraged me.

Anyway, I opened my box and Oooh at the contents, then had a weep 'cause I'm like that I'm afraid - she’d put such a lot of thought into her gifts after all. Although I have to say I wasn’t sure if the mug was meant to be an insult or extremely funny. I settled for funny in the end as even I had to admit it was quite apt. It has written on it ‘I don’t need your attitude, I have one of my own.’ I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions on that one then.

The box also contained several very expensive Bath Bombs, which I’ve got to tell you about.

Now there is nothing I enjoy more than a soak in the bath, preferably with a good book and a glass of wine. So at the first opportunity I filled the bath full, popped in a bomb and then immersed myself up to my neck in the water with Harry Potter in my hands. The book that is and not Daniel Radcliffe. Heaven. Pure bliss; even with my poor sense of smell the lavender aroma was wonderful. All very relaxing.

After about an hour of soaking and topping the hot water up as it cooled, I eventually got out, dried myself off and got ready for bed. Himself then came upstairs and asked me why I was glittering. Glittering? Yes, he said, I was covered in the stuff – well the parts he could see at any rate.

He was right too, I was. I took my t-shirt off and Himself nearly wet himself laughing - noooo, not at my body; it’s not quite that bad and he has after all held my hand through childbirth. He's used to unusual sights and some of the positions I got into to ease the pain would have made your eyes water.

Apparently as I pulled the t-shirt over my head I showered everything around me with tiny pieces of glitter, including the cat whom was sat on the bed. Tinkerbelle had nothing on me; it was all over the place – the cat, the bed, the carpet, the bathroom floor, the towel, my clothes, all over my body and face and also in my hair. The glitter of course had been inside the bath bomb and as I was reading I’d failed to notice it. Two days and several showers later and I still sparkle occasionally in the light. I bet she did that on purpose for the guilt trip I put her through last week which ended in her blogging for a change.

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This weekend we visited Biddulph Grange in Staffordshire and once again marvelled at the Sat Nav which took us straight there – It would have taken hours to find it using a map.

The house is still privately owned but the gardens have been taken over and restored by the National Trust. The gardens were designed by James Bateman in the mid 19th century and are set out in a series of connected 'compartments'. You walk through tunnels and along pathways to individual gardens inspired by countries from around the world.

And it most certainly lived up to it’s description, when you’re in one part of the garden you can’t see another themed compartment so it a lovely surprise when you walk though a Chinese building and come out in an Egyptian court.

So to the Photos then….

We stopped on the way back home for a late Sunday lunch in a local pub, which was most enjoyable – especially the pudding….