Frosty walk to Higger Tor

I haven't really been sleeping very well recently, on this particular day I had to get up early anyway to drop James off at the train station, and I was having the following day off as holiday. I guess I was just feeling too excited to sleep, and I spent all night with a busy brain planning what to cook for James, and what I'd do with my rare day off.

I decided to go for a solo winter walk to Higger Tor, I was going to take a flask of hot chocolate, sit on top of rocky outcrop, and drink it. What better way to celebrate winter in the peaks?

I couldn't sleep with the excitement of a nice day ahead of me, I was wide awake at 4:30am and had given up on getting back to sleep so I got up and made some coconut drop scones for our breakfast. After dropping James off, I was walking around Aldi to get some picnic bits & I came across my best friend, Sean! So I invited him along on my wintery adventure.

I did a route out of a book called "short walks in the Peak District" published by Collins ramblers. But we decided to do it backwards. 

Once we got out there it so so peaceful, there was a beautiful frost hanging lower down the valley and the air was fresh. We did the walk with equal measures of giggles, chatty conversation & comfortable silences. I wish I could start every day with a frosty walk...

And I made my daydreams come true with the hot chocolate on top of Higger Tor!

Whitby!

Having lived in Yorkshire for 8 years of my life, I thought it was an outrage that I had never ventured to the beautiful coastal town of Whitby before. I eventually visited last year on what I think was probably that last sunny day of 2013.

 We were greeted by colourful fishing boats bobbing about in the harbour, skinny little seaside houses, and scrawny children leaning over the railing with crabbing lines & plastic buckets.

I'd been reading about "must visit" places, and dragged James through the crowds, up cobble streets and led him up a steep street until we arrived at Fortune's. Looking at a map wasn't necessary, you could follow your nose the whole way, it was delicious sweet & salty woodsmoke that was wafting down the streets from a tiny little fish smokers.

We had to rush, as they only stay open until they've sold all the kippers for the day. We selected what size we wanted and they were wrapped up in newspaper by a friendly lady. They also sell a homemade pate which looked delicious!

Walking around there was a great atmosphere about the place. The scenery was tranquil & relaxing, but there was so much activity, hustle & bustle, things were happening all around us. People paddling, rowing, fishing, working, relaxing, walking, morris dancing, shopping, eating, queue jumping,  playing, waiting, rushing...

Of course when it came to lunch time, there was no question of what we were going to eat, it was just a question of which Fish & Chip shop to choose. We went for the one with the longest queue, because they must be brilliant to be making so many people wait about in this weather!

After scoffing our faces on dinner, we walked up to get out to the sea, as you might imagine, there were some lovely colourful beach huts. It looked like you could rent them which would be a lovely idea if you were planning a couple of days there with your family.

After a meander back through the streets exploring tiny shops, boutiques & antique centres, we headed for an ice cream and made our way back to the car. It was a wonderful day out, it's so great that places like this are only up the road. It's amazing how much you can take your location for granted sometimes. I really must plan some more little day trips in 2014.

Folksy Summer School!

Last weekend I had a fantastic weekend at the Folksy Summer School. If you are not familiar with Folksy, it's an online marketplace for all things handmade. The summer school was intended to help the talented entrepreneurs to take their craft to the next level.

There were masterclasses on everything from sale & marketing, to blogging & photography.

Along with the speakers presenting, there were craft demonastrations, great food and you could have one-to-one tutorials with industry experts.

I was invited along as a case study for business growth. I always get really nervous when speaking to groups of people, but somehow, all the friendly faces put me at ease and I was able to present without getting all breathy & weird. 

Tilly from Tilly & The Buttons was there to give her top tips for creating and running your own blog, (my pen was scribbling frantically for that half hour), and I was honoured to meet the lovely boys from Mini Moderns. 

My good friend James Green teaching Doug Richards how to make linocuts.

I had a fantastic time and really learnt a lot. I can't wait to start putting it all into practise. When they do it all again next year, I would highly recommend attending, even if it's just for the bonfire that Frankie & I started at the end of the first day!

What has inspired you recently?

BBC Sheffield & Portland Works

It's funny that even when something is right on your doorstep, you might never visit it.

This was the case for me and Portland Works. I had heard a lot about it, and followed their story for a couple of years. They were trying to buy the building off the owner when it faced being converted into flats, thus ending 130 years of manufacturing history. But had never visited in the 6 years I have known  Sheffield.

That was until Friday, when I was invited back onto Rony's show for a 100 years of Stainless special. The show was broadcast live from Portland Works, and I was amazed by what I saw.

At the entrance you are greeted by a higgledy piggledy selection of post boxes which help to give you some indication of the variety of businesses, artisans, craftspeople, cutlers, creatives and musicians that all call Portland Works 'home'.

The whole place is a cluster of tiny workspaces, filled with all manner of tools, machines, materials, piles of bricks and wonky doors. It's utterly charming but also completely functional for the needs of the tenants.

If you have yet to visit this amazing collection of creativity that is right on our doorstep, I seriously recommend a trip down. It is steeped in history and completely inspiring. Their next open day is part of the National Heritage Open-Up Weekend. They are opening their doors on Sunday 15th September and will be running a series of workshops and demonstrations. Find out more here.

After opening it's doors in 1877, it is one of the earliest surviving examples of an integrated metal trades complex. Portland Works was the first place to manufacture the famous Stainless Steel. The buildings were saved following a community effort to sell shares in the Works. They raised enough money to complete the purchase, and are now in their second phase of share selling to complete vital repair works.

I can clearly see why it was so importnant for them to save Portland works. Not only to preserve the past, but the secure the future for these micro businesses. You can find out more about purchasing shares and helping this amazing place by visiting this page.

Outside Portland Works there are a series of posters advertising the sorts of skills contained within their brick walls. You can find Stuart Mitchell - a knife maker who learnt his craft from his Father. Mary Sewell - A fine artist.

Paul Hopprich - Specialising in quality cabinetry. Mark Jackson - 'Squarepegs' an innovator of an contemporary coat hook system for schools.

During the programme "Rony's friends" I was joined by Ron C a.k.a Mr Sheffield. The point of the show is to discuss various topics in the news. We covered all sorts of topics from whether you own any Sheffield Stainless Steel (which I do thanks to the fabulous butter knives in this post), whether brides should do a speech at their own wedding, Don Valley Stadium potentially being saved as a community asset (similar to Portland Works), rent-a-bikes in Sheffield, and the internet! We covered a lot of ground and I always find it really interesting to see what the other 'friend' has to contribute to the same topic.

As I don't own a TV, or read newspapers, I always find it a bit tricky to talk about news topics, but somehow I am able to muster up enough passion that I keep getting invited back!