What to do in York for a day

The Ordinary Lovely: York in a day

On Saturday, small handbag over my shoulder as opposed to a massive bag across my body and two children around my ankles, as is my norm, I headed off on the 8:59 train from Chester to York with my mother. A day of shopping, gossiping, nibbling and sipping ahead of us. Bliss, right? I can still count on two hands the number of full days that I've had away from my boys since my eldest was born nearly five years ago. Opportunities have been there but, to be honest, I don't really enjoy being away from them for too long a time. A couple of hours here and there to put my feet up, read a magazine or two, and eat slice of chocolate fudge cake as large as my head is my preferred way to recharge my batteries and enjoy a little peace and quiet. But having looked after two erratically-sleeping boys and a post-op husband for a week, a whole day of ambling at my own pace was much needed.

The day started cloudy but after a quick pit stop for a glass of wine at the York Food and Drink Festival (the food looked and smelled divine but we were saving ourselves for a special treat later in the afternoon), we emerged from the smokey, packed tent to beautiful, blue skies and bright sunshine. As it had been years since either of us had visited York, we decided to mingle with the tourists and brave both The Shambles (a ridiculously charming medieval street, once home to many butchers' shop and now packed with cute little stores and bars) and York Minster.

There are so many fantastic shops in York with gorgeously colourful window displays to tempt you in, but your eyes can't help but be drawn upwards to the medieval architecture. It's both beautiful but ever so slightly spooky at the same time, with the many signs dotted around to tempt you on a ghost walk of the city. Not for me!

Here are a few photos from our day ...

The Ordinary Lovely: York in a day
The Ordinary Lovely: York in a day
That bag contains my Christmas present!! It's a little too early to be excited, I know. But it's a new handbag!! And it's orange!!

That bag contains my Christmas present!! It's a little too early to be excited, I know. But it's a new handbag!! And it's orange!!

The Ordinary Lovely: York in a day
The Ordinary Lovely: York in a day
Who the heck is Alice? I feel like I need to research Mad Alice and why she had a lane named after her.

Who the heck is Alice? I feel like I need to research Mad Alice and why she had a lane named after her.

The Ordinary Lovely: York in a day
The Ordinary Lovely: York in a day
Possibly one of my favourite photographs. There's something quite Mary Poppins-esque about the York skyline. Step in time!

Possibly one of my favourite photographs. There's something quite Mary Poppins-esque about the York skyline. Step in time!

The Ordinary Lovely: York in a day
The Ordinary Lovely: York in a day
Beautiful York Minster.

Beautiful York Minster.

And the special treat that I mentioned earlier? More on that to come later this week!

 

Rachel - The Ordinary Lovely

Someone’s unimpressed that I won’t share my chocolate biscuits with her.
AD | Back in May, I went behind the scenes at the Homebase Christmas photo shoot. Yes, on a warm spring day, the halls were decked and fairy lights draped over every available surface. It was amazing. Homebase is focusing on six key festive trends in 2019: Festive, Blush, Elegance, Scandi, Bright and Outdoors. I’m sure you can guess which is my favourite – always the most colourful option – but there’s a trend to suit all tastes and every home … and they look great mixed and matched, too. My top six takeaways from my time spent at the shoot are: 1. Scandi and Bright are a match made in heaven, and ribbon tied in a bow on Christmas tree branches is incredibly effective. 2. Baskets aren’t just for storing toys and blankets, they make an amazing to alternative to a Christmas stocking. 3. Peg rails are crying out to be adorned with decorations, particularly a wreath and twinkly lights. 4. Blue walls still aren’t for me but gold decorations look amazing against a navy backdrop. 5. Blush pink is going nowhere and makes for the prettiest festive theme. And 6. I need to up my game when it comes to adding Christmas decorations in and around my front door. Homebase has some fabulous lanterns and I’ll be stocking up on them come December.
Proof that I don’t always wear jeans and wellies!! You might remember that back in August, I popped down to London for a photo shoot for @styleathomemag I was invited to style - with a little bit of help - a gorgeous Christmas tree for @homebase_uk and I absolutely love the result. What do you think of the dark elegance theme? Navy and gold are perfection together, aren’t they? Have you chosen your Christmas colour scheme yet? The magazine is out in the shops now so do let me know if you pick up a copy. It has the gorgeous @thesilvermermaidxo on the front cover 😍
Apologies if my photos get uncharacteristically festive from here on in. I know it’s early. I know we haven’t had Bonfire Night yet. And I know that some people (including me for the most part) think Christmas belongs in December only. BUT, I’m running a craft session at a special Christmas Day at @thecopperbeechhouse next week, helping to host the festive @insta_mingle_events the week after, plus I’m in this month’s @styleathomemag decorating a Christmas tree (need to get a copy ASAP) and I’ve also got some videos and photos to share with you next week from when I went behind the scenes at the @homebase_uk Christmas photo shoot back in May. So, switch on your fairy lights, grab your tinsel and pour yourself an egg nog, it’s happening🎄
William Morris wall feature and William Morris cups (gifted from @by_spode and thoroughly gorgeous - I’m buying everyone these sets for Christmas). Feeling like I need to change out of my pyjamas into something with a Morris print to achieve complete Morris-dom. What do you think?
AD | In between teasing each other and fighting, these two have been properly amazing today. I’ve got some cold/flu-type thing where my head is cloudy and my bones are aching and they’ve both been a dream helping me around the house, playing with the pup and looking after themselves. It only seemed fair to treat them to hot chocolates with marshmallows on the side as a thank you. The super cute owl and fox mugs are from @studio.co.uk and are perhaps the most adorable cups I’ve ever come across. And now I’m off to snuggle under a blanket and keep my fingers crossed that the germs disappear in time for us to have at least one fun half term day out🤞#StudioStylers
The last of the leaves are hanging on by a thread now. How’s your half term going? I’m suffering with germ overload so we’re mostly at home and only nipping out to walk the pup. The boys must be in need of some downtime though as they seem remarkably content doing very little.
I’ve been so busy recently that crafts have taken a back seat. And I’ve really, really missed making things. It’s my way of switching off. Anyway, yesterday, with a few hours to spare, I poured myself a glass of red wine, put Modern Love on the TV and transformed a handful of @wmorrisandco fabric samples in to a gorgeous wall feature. It was bliss. And I LOVE the result. What do you think?