Prestatyn Weekend Away

My sister and her husband booked a caravan weekend away for the four of us at the Presthaven Sands Complex. I know this sounds a little bit naff but we love getting a cheap deal with the Daily Mail offers and we've only paid about £60 for three nights for all four of us. You can't beat a break away from home, some fresh seaside air and good company.

We had a great little caravan that had three bedrooms for 6 people and we were just near the sand dunes with the sea on the other side. We were at the far end of the complex so it was peaceful and quiet.

We spent Saturday shopping and walking on the beach and around the sand dunes. We visited the outdoor market and carboot sale at Towyn in the morning. I found one lady who was selling a mix of new and used clothing at £3 an item. I bought three dresses which were from Monsoon and Laura Ashley from her and a brand new summer coat from Marks & Spencer Autograph complete with a £99 price tag. What a bargain. I'll tell you all about my carboot finds in another post.

We called in at a little tabletop sale that was being run for charity on our way back. It was so sweet. We had to pay 50p entrance fee and for that we got a free tea or coffee and there was a seating area with little plates of biscuits on each table to have with your drink. We pulled David's leg for eating the chocolate biscuit on our table and on the tables either side of where we sitting. He left all the plain and cream biscuits. Nobody seemed to mind.

In the afternoon, we loved walking on the beach and around the sand dunes. The air was fresh, salty and warm with a gentle breeze. There were so many wild plants in and around the sand dunes I could not believe it. There was even a lone olive tree which was only a sapling but how did that get there?

The weekend was relaxing but tiring. I actually went and had forty winks on Saturday afternoon with David. We slept for about an hour to wake up to the sound of the cork being popped in a lovely bottle of dry cava - bliss. We sat outside and got the last of the sunshine before heading indoors for a quick and easy evening meal.

Sunday morning we were up bright and breezy and at another carboot sale before an afternoon along the coast in Llandudno. We headed back for my sister and brother in law to pack up and head off home while we showered and changed for an evening out in a local pan asian restaurant. Delicious food at a lovely table at the window watching the world go by.

We were up early this morning (5.30am) for the 1.5 hour drive home in time for me to change and head off for work. David retired a week ago (he is 57 and took early retirement last Friday during being made redundant) so I left him to unpack the car and tidy up a little.

This is our last weekend away this year that has been booked and paid for. I am sure that we will book more for in the autumn and in the meantime we have two weeks away in Turkey to look forward to in two weeks time.

Carbooting Today

After missing the Cheshire carboot sale last week due to rain, we were pleased that it was a dry day today and arrived early at just gone 7.15am. My first buy was this Leighton Denny nail set which is nearly complete but not quite. It is missing the nail file but I did not mind as £5 is a snip considering the polishes normally cost £11 each.

I also bought this darling Harrods small tote which is great for carrying a packed lunch to work. I think it is so cute and looks like something mini mouse would carry. It has the sweetest little pocket inside.

I found this lovely Maristota red dress which is new with tags and this cost me £5. It is a little tight for me so I think I can either leave it in my wardrobe as a motivational dress for losing weight (but will that really happen?) or I may have to sell it on eBay. I cleared out my whole wardrobe and clothing storage bags under our bed yesterday and have 100s of items to sell so I may throw this in with the rest of them.

I bought 8 magazines which were 50p each which is a little more than I would normally pay but they are nearly all Vogue magazines and are from this year and last year. I rarely buy new magazines now a days unless they have a freebie with them or are on offer or I have a money-off voucher. 

I love this soft vintage mohair and wool scarf in a creamy ivory colour. It is made in Scotland by a company called Yarrowvale. It is quite wide compared to other scarves in this style and it is so soft. This cost just £1.

I bought a couple of box set DVDs for my brother-in-law (Bear Grylls - £4) and nephew (Keith Lemon - 50p). I will put these away for them for Christmas.

I also bought quite a few DVDs for myself. The box sets were £1.50 and £1 and the single ones ranged in price from 20p to 50p.

My final purchase was this River Cottage cookbook for £2. This is new and never been used. It has some lovely recipes in it which should add some variety to the meals that I have recently been serving. 

Not an enormous haul today as the carboot sale was fairly small and it was not of the standard that we normally find. I think it may be due to it being Father's Day? A lot of the stalls were selling tatty items or tons of children's toys and clothes which just doesn't interest me.

We are away for the weekend next weekend so we will miss the Cheshire Carboot sale again but I am sure we will find something else to visit instead in North Wales.

How did you do with your carboot sale finds?

M&S Foodie Haul

Oh how I love Marks & Spencers food. I love the convenience, the variety, the quality and most of all how they reduce it to cheap prices. I love getting high quality at low prices. 

I called into the new M&S Food Hall on the way home from work as I needed some bread and vegetables. The new store is great as parking is free and I can normally park right next to the entrance. My work colleague Amy always laughs that I must book a parking space in advance at most  places because I usually get a jammy parking spot right next to the door. Today was no different. 

I came out over £65 lighter. Now that was expensive bread and veg. What I actually bought was lots of meat because they were just reducing it as I arrived. Everything is tucked away in my freezer and ready for some scrummy meals. Here is what I bought:

Three packs of two pork steaks which should have been £3.50 a pack - I paid £1. Four packs of two pork burgers at £1.35 a pack. David loves burgers - any kind of meat. I'm not sure how much these had originally cost but they had been reduced twice to £1.35. I guess around the £2.50 - £3 mark.

Two packs of BBQ piri chicken pieces at £1 a pack and one pack of lightly dusted plaice fillets. The plaice is another of David favourites and he will be having one of these for his evening meal tonight. These were £1.20 for two fillets. These should have been £10 for the 3 packs on offer so £3.20 for them is a good saving. A pack of lamb steaks with a honeyed parsnip topping for £1.75. Again I don't know how much these should have cost but this is a cheap evening meal for us with some vegetables and new potatoes.

Two packs of honey mustard chicken fillets at £1.20 a pack. I often cook these to put into a pasta dish or leave them to go cold to then put into a salad for a light lunch at work. These were in the 3 for £10 deal too. A beautiful stuffed loin of lamb for £3.20 and a pack of peppery sausages for 85p. I adore peppery sausages and usually buy Cumberland because they have the right amount of peppery heat. I hope these are going to be similar.

Two packs of 2 smoked haddock fish cakes with cheddar cheese filling. These should have been around £3.50 a pack so £1.20 is a great price. These will be lovely with fluffy homemade mash and peas.  Four ready stuffed jacket spuds for £2.10. I love these as they are quick and easy on a week night. Jacket potatoes from fresh are nicer but take an hour to cook so these are simples at 20 minutes. I also bought a pack of fresh bernaise sauce (again one of David's favourites with steak) for 25p. I also bought some fabulous fancy salmon fish cakes but forgot to take a photo (doh!)

For work lunches this week I bought the following items: a lovely crayfish salad for £1.80 which I'll eat tomorrow which should have cost £3.50. Two Pina Colada yogurts at 35p each - scrummy pineapple & coconut. These are usually around 80p each. A Greek salad for £1.15 instead of £2.50. A large fresh fruit salad for £1.20 instead of £2.50 and a pack of white grapes for 60p.

I bought 6 bottles of wine which were all on offer themselves £12 down to £8) and then added the "buy 6 save 25%" offer on top and then at the till I used a £5 off coupon. I was then given another £5 off coupon for my next shop. I used my Sparks card for further offers. I got a free copy of Hello magazine last week by using it.

So that's pretty much our meat for the next couple of weeks at a bargain price. 

Table Top Sale

As it has been raining most of the weekend, we decided to give the Cheshire carboot sale a miss today and instead go to the local Grammar School where they were holding a table top sale. We have visited these before and done quite well but found there were just some slim pickings today.

Even though I did not buy much I am still happy with my finds. The first items I bought were 9 bottles of The White Company Flowers toiletries. These are large travel sizes and I bought a mixture of shampoo, conditioner and hand & body lotion. These cost just 50p each and are a decent 100ml size. The products are £14 for a standard 250ml so I think I got a bargain at 50p a pop.  The lady who sold them had just returned from a cruise on the Oriana and had these complimentary toiletries in her bathroom.

I also bought this Wild Fig gift set from Arran Aromatics. It contains a full size hand wash, hand cream, massage soap bar and flannel. This cost just £2 and similar currently sells for over £30.

I used to have loads of these Tesco Cath Kidston shopping bags in all different patterns but over the years I've given them away to family - usually as a gift bag with birthday or Christmas presents inside. They cost £3.50 each when new so I was pleased to find this new candy stripe version for just £1. They are light and cheerful enough to pop in your suitcase for sightseeing trips and taking down to the beach or pool.

I bought 8 magazines for £2 from another lady who had some fabulous homeware items but they were the kind of things that look great but you don't know where to put them in your own home. I decided that I'd just stick with the magazines.

Finally I bought some DVDs at 50p each. The boxed set of series 1&2 of Extras was £2. When I got it home I found there were some extras in one of the boxes with two additional discs - series 2 of Phoenix Nights (result!) and a W C Fields Film (not a result!)

I have not been posting as much as I would have liked over the last week or so and this has been due to a lack of time on my part. I have been having a major clear out and listing my clothes on eBay. This is taking some considerable time as I am embarrassed at the amount I have. I am trying to list items every day and the dining room is looking a mess with all the clothes in piles either waiting to be ironed, listed or posted out. I think it is going to take some time so I'll just have to find the time to post too.

How did you do at the carboot sales?

M&S Summer Beauty Box

Marks & Spencer have brought out a summer beauty box with contents worth £120. If you spend £40 on clothing and/or home then you can buy it for just £10. I was on line within minutes of seeing the advert and splashed out on a new swimsuit and a couple of useful white t shirts for my holiday to Kalkan in July and added the box to my shopping basket.

My order was delivered to my small local store and I collected it today. I am pleased with the items and will be taking some on holiday with me as some are large travel sizes and others are full sized products. So what was inside the box?

M&S Island Escape Eau de Toilette - 25ml and a lovely size to take away on holiday. It is sea salt and bergamot and I loved the salty citrus scent when I had a spritz for testing.

Leighton Denny Crystal Finish Quick Dry Top Coat - full size and fabulous for a quick finish to my favourite Nails Inc nail polishes.

Nails Inc Gel One Coat Nail Polish - full size and in a bright pink colour called Chiltern Park. Not sure if the colour is for me - a little bit too Barbie but maybe with tan it may look good. Not sure...

Stila Lip Glaze - full size in Raspberry, a bright raspberry pink colour and it matches the nail varnish  really well. I'm not quite sure if this is my colour either to be honest. I think this and the nail varnish maybe either given to my sister, niece or sold on eBay.

M&S Sunsmart sunscreen 30SPF - 50ml and a handy size for carrying around with you on a day trip out when on holiday.

Ultra sun Face sunscreen 30SPF - 25ml and perfect for me to use after having skin cancer on my nose. I am a little manic about making sure I have a minimum 25SPF on my face every day now but I am still a sun worshipper. I just love the sun and spend as much time outdoors as I can in the UK and abroad.

REN Instant Firming Beauty Shot - 10ml and to be worn under moisuriser. I like to use serum but I think this will be like a serum and I will take this away with me on holiday.

M&S Pure Hot Cloth Cleanser. I use Liz Earle's' Hot Cloth Cleanser and think I will give this a go at home.

Philip Kingsley Swimcap. This is for combing through damp hair and wearing when you are swimming and sunbathing. It is a protective cream and you wash it out with shampoo. Again I am not sure whether I will use this or not but I may give it a try on holiday and have a slicked back look once I've had a swim in the pool.

Nuxe multi purpose dry oil for face, hair and body - darling little bottle which is ideal for holidays. I like multipurpose products too so this will be used on dry ends of hair, tanned legs and arms and overnight as a hand cream.

Pur Correcting Primer which is for wearing under mineral makeup. I sometimes wear bare minerals powder foundation so I'll use it then. A small tube at 10ml.

Percy & Reed Volumising No Oil Oil - for smooth sealed and sensational hair. I'll use this at home at some point.

Swell Protect & Renew hair serum - 30ml and a good size for a two week holiday. I may take this away with me on holiday.

Rodial Dragons blood hyaluronic tonic - 50ml. It can be misted onto the face at any time for a real hydrating boost. I've never used anything like this before so am a little unsure about it but I'll use it at some point.

So am I pleased with the items? Overall yes and at £10 I am pretty much delighted. I hope you manage to get a box yourself.