Markeaton Park, The Great Yorkshire Show and Planking!

A trip to Derby for a car festival and the annual Great Yorkshire Show meant a busy week!

Click here for the vlog or see below. 

I shared this photo over on my business Instagram account. I finally have my lips back! Okay I know it’s a little bit of an extreme reaction but I feel like they’ve been so dry for so long and they’re finally free from that journey of constant dry-ness. I can’t wait to start wearing LipSense again soon!

 L and I ended up going to Markeaton Park, a lovely park in Derby, for a car festival. Honestly, it's not something I'm particularly interested in but he wanted to go so I was more than happy to oblige because I'm just happy to spend any sort of time with him. They were mainly old cars which aren't really my forte but there were a number of cars I did like. My favourite was this car mainly because of the sign which made me laugh far more than it should have.

It ended up being really cute though because after looking around the cars, we went on a little boat ride around the lake. It was lovely and when L wan't trying to purposely rock the boat, it was a very peaceful ride and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 Afterwards, we walked around the gardens and there was a small community garden filled with flowers that was lovely. We didn't stay for very long as L thought we would get locked in but it was stunning and the variety of colours and flowers were beautiful. I loved looking around and hearing how it was all gardened by volunteers.

 After 3 long day shifts of Neonatal Unit, I was sad but glad to have the placement finished. I'll share more about that later, when I write about my other Non-Midwifery Placements. I drove home after my third shift, having showered and packed the car. I was very surprised it took less than an hour having also stopped for food on the way back. I was super naughty and bought a KFC as I passed it before I even got on the motorway.

It was a bit of a sombre welcoming as only one dog ran up to me. Holly got extra cuddles and love. If you haven't heard about Tilly, go ahead and read my post from a couple weeks ago. After unpacking and putting on a couple of washes, I headed to bed before getting up bright and early for the Great Yorkshire Show the next day.

We got a bit of a late start but ended up heading into the showgrounds and beginning with the flower show section. It's always the place that holds the most memories with not only the vegetable display showcasing out produce but also as the People's Choice Awards is presented in memory of my grandfather.

Then we went onto the food which of course is when I put my camera away to eat all the samples and yummy food. We hadn't had breakfast but we defintely had plenty to keep us going until lunch. The only place I got my camera out was for the cookery instruction by Rosemary Shrager. The clip I got for the vlog made me laugh but she is quite rude to the staff working alongside her.

Then we moved onto the forestry area. I find it fascinating watching them work every year and this year we saw something a little different as we went at a different time in their programme so instead of the usual competition, we learnt a little more about how they actually work as a team and more so about the mechanics behind the career.

We then headed to Morrison's. As one of their suppliers we get free breakfast and lunch each day of the show, with unlimited salad bar and drinks which is amazing if you eat it and drink alcohol. It's nice to sit down and have a buffet away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the show. Afterwards we somewhat split up. Mum and Jess wanted to go to the toilets for literally the 3rd time in less than 3 hours, so I headed up towards the forgery to watch the horse shoeing competition. On the way up, I passed the fashion show and having missed it every year, I thought I would stay to watch it until the end. The dresses were gorgeous and the closed the show with a tribute to America in a spoof manner.

Finally, I made it to the forgery and it was actually super crowded. I defintely think the Great Yorkshire Show has got more and more busy as the years have gone on. Plus, different activities are now more popular than others. I struggled for a spot for a while and then managed to get a good spot just as mum and Jess caught up to me. I told them to wait for a few minutes but they ended up looking around some of the caravans while they waited because Jess couldn't remain by the horses. In fact her allergies meant she couldn't stay at the sheep shearing, while I watched, and we didn't go around any of the animals because of it either.

 I did struggle to find them for a little bit when I did decide to vacate my spot, so while the phone refused to ring out, I headed to Land Drover and Ferrari to look at their cars. I fell in love with this midnight blue Ferrari...

I don't know what it is about sheer shearing but watching it is incredible rewarding and satisfying to me. I feel like I could watch it all day and be happy. I genuinely find the whole mechanism so fascinating. I love it.

Finally, after going back to the food hall to buy some goodies, we had a quick mooch around all the craft stalls before heading to get a bacon sandwich and some drinks at the bar. Then we made our way to the main ring and watched the show jumping. With £23,000 to the winner there was a fair amount on the line and the first rounds were just qualifying for the final so the jockeys just needed a clear round.

Only 9 horses made it into the final and then it was down to the clock and penalties. It was an amazing competition, everyone had so much fun and you could feel the energy in the audience. The second the winner started his round, I put my camera down. I instinctively knew it was going to be a good time and I was on the edge of my seat watching for faults. It was amazing. Even more inspiring was the 3rd place jockey who was a Yorkshire man competing at 65 years of age. Crazy!

Following the show jumping, the pony club horses and riders came out into the main ring. Having never seen it before I was excited but to be quite honest it was ridiculous. The games were incredibly fast paced, very random and everyone seemed to struggle. The horses didn't particularly seem to enjoy it and while they said it was gentle because they didn't hit the horses, use whips or spurs, the kids were kicking the horses increasingly harder as the games went on.

The day closed with the marching band playing a couple of songs and then marking the show as closed. I don't think I've ever stayed until the end before and it was actually really nice to mark it.

Overall, it was a lovely day out and it's the first time in a while that we've all three been together with no one else. It was nice to spent a full day alone together.

The next day, we did some gardening and with Jess planted some flowers in the garden over Tilly. Holly was by our sides the entire time and we just loved on her as she sat peacefully by the flowers.

The week ended with an early morning at archery before heading back to Nottingham somewhat earlier than I had anticipated. We went to one pub and played a board game while watching the Women's Wimbledon Final, before L and I headed to a house viewing. It wasn't quite what I had anticipated and L was never particularly interested in it but I'm glad he finally looked around one of the many properties he keeps sending me. It didn't take very long, and then we headed to a different pub for food. Sam ended up coming to meet us and I had a lovely time enjoying the afternoon with some of my favourite people. 

I was hoping for some alone time with L, having not spent any time together for the last week but in the end we all ended up going snooker. Well let's just say that I won't be playing in any championships any time soon because I am well and truly CRAP. I had thought I'd leave L and David to play alone as they would be the better players and the most competitive, meaning I could have a nice relaxed and fun practice but no no no...Ollie is just as competitive. 

I dropped David off at home on the way back and then L quickly disappeared when we got back so I was left all alone for a night of catching up on work and television.