Happy birthday to me WHOOP and Happy New Year in Costa del Darlo

Happy birthday to me (last year...oops)

It all went with a whoop. :)

It was quieter than usual with neither Twin 1 nor Twin 2 being at home, but it is a lot easier to make a decision when there are only 4 of you...heaven help us if we all make it to San Francisco this summer, that will be a definite "Whoop!" if we make it happen. Early stages of research at the moment!

So after the birthday planks....

...we made a decision, well I did,  to go to Commonhall Social for fish and chips, and oh mumster what a good decision that turned out to be. Thrice-cooked-chips (twice fried and then baked) ...I was in potato heaven.

I wore my new top.

SWEATY BETTY...Get me!

 Great choice, Nem :)

I risked a birthday cuddle with the Bear.

and when we got home tried out my top some more and it coped very well with bicep curls.

This year our film choice was STARWARS.

 Blimey....unanimous decision.

 There was just enough time to speak to Cub in SF before grabbing the necessary 

food, warmth, health, happiness and eyesight items for the year ahead.

We always bring the new year into our house.

Nem grabbed my eyedrops and bagsied the lump of coal,

and Mr Happy ALWAYS comes out with us, we HAVE to bring happiness into the house.

It was a lovely birthday that lasted till about 2am and then somehow we got up next morning and drove to Costa del Darlo while the rest of the world was asleep. Good planning by us.

HolliBelly house is adorable and so cosy and a great little property but after our late night we were in danger of nodding off ! We needed some cold, fresh air and a leg stretch. Where better place than... 

Rockliffe Hall!! 

How posh is THIS golf course witwooo!!

5 star golf indeedy.

Designed by Hawtree, the world-renowned course architects, Rockliffe Hall’s 18 hole championship golf course is one of the most challenging in Europe. While its full 7,879 yards from the back tees will give even the best professional tour golfer a stern test, most will find the five individual tee boxes on each hole a welcome addition, offering players of all abilities the chance to experience the challenge.

They even clean your clubs for you at the end of your round.

I mean, honestly...

just look at it...

Happy 2016 everyone. 

AQUA BAKED POTATO PARTY

Everyone loves a Freddo. Even though they are now twice the price and half the size.

So instead of crackers, which are a lot of faff and anyway Christmas was SOOO last year, they all had a foam snowflake, an owl nailfile and a chocolate frog.

The cardboard cutout was once again a great success.... who would have thought I could get so much life out of a bit of box.

How come none of these ladies look like they have JUST got out of the pool?!

Perfect hair!

Barb, Betty and Pat

haha! Anne and supermincepiebaker Jan

Awwwww... Hazel and Ann

The Fab Four 

and Cynthia, Frances (Have I WON the Heads and Tails?!) and Val.

I love this lot. 

Still sploshing around with me after all these years and still supporting everything I do.

They are SO lovely.

So is Vicky, I've never seen her not smiling.

Heads and Tails.

A Head and a Tail.

Yes, Cheers!

Then the props came out.

Suze had matching necklace and earrings.

Barb, Vicky and Kate had facial hair problems.

Heather suited a hat.

The potatoes had been baked really slowly while we were sploshing about so they had crispy skins but melted in the middle and we nearly all picked them up because plastic knives and forks are worse than useless haha but what a fab fun hour. Thank you all for coming,for bringing the extras, mince pies and biscuits, for clearing up the rubbish and for the whipround at the end. 

You are all lovely, thank you :) 

PLANKS AROUND THE WORLD 2015

How fantastic is this! 

I suggested that my keep fitters should do a plank while they were on holiday

 AND LOOK AT THE RESPONSE!!! 

I'm so honoured.

Like they are half way round the world just chillin' and they thought,

 "I'll just do Ali a quick plank".

San Francisco.

South France

Roquetas de Mar

Montenegro

Roquetas de Mar

Japan.

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA!

ALCATRAZ

San Francisco

Brrrrrr....ICE BAR in Spain

Santorini

Sienna Cathedral

GREAT WALL OF CHINA

St Tropez

Norway

Austwick, Yorkshire Dales

Turkey, on the banks of the Bosphorus

THE BAHAMAS!!!

A plank on a plank!

Chester. Dolly Dog wanted to play at planks! 

Starting young in Portugal.

Falkirk.

Pembrokeshire.

Calf Crag, Lake District.

Portugal.

Swallow Falls.

Bodrum, Turkey.

Malaga

Blackpool

MOTHER OF THE BRIDE! Glenridding, Lake District.

Thailand.

Lake Windermere, Lake Distict.

On a boat near Lanzarote. How did she not fall off?

Portugal.

Morocco.

Thailand.

Portugal.

River Dee, Chester.

Barbados.

France.

Paddling pool in Chester.

A good effort when tiddly, on a bar in Spain.

Swallow Falls, Snowdonia.

Los Angeles.

Wimbledon (!)

South France.

Birthday plank.

Malta.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK!!! The highest yet?

Swallow Falls.

South France.

Pile On !!

Chirk Castle AFTER A 13 MILE RUN!

Thailand.

Mam Tor, Peak District.

Turkey.

Portugal.

WIFEY AND HUBBY, Glenridding.

She just held it while he "Supermanned" :)

Wifey... the day after.... Glenridding.

Royal Liverpool Golf Course, Hoylake.

Cyprus.

Anglesey.

Coventry.

Kirkstone Pass, Lake District.

Coventry.

Falkirk.

West Kirby

Hilbre Island

Hoylake

Harlech, Wales.

New Brighton.

Las Vegas.

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco.

Bethesda, Snowdonia.

Yosemite National Park on a curvy log-tricky.

Bethesda, Snowdonia.

Hope, near Wrexham, Flintshire, Wales.

No idea where she was!

Coventry.....AGED 2 :)

Thailand.

Down the pub!

Bulgaria by the Black Sea.

Manley Beach, Australia.

Showing off in Hoole.

Sydney Opera House, Australia.

Malcesine, Lake Garda

Tenerife.

Turkey.

Portugal.

Eskdale, Lake District.

Portugal.

Thailand.

Malcesine, Lake Garda.

"G'Day possums."  Manley Beach

Thailand.

Majorca.

Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Japan.

Hardknott Pass, Lake District.

Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

Japan.

Pembrokeshire.

Brisbane, Australia.

Surfer's Bay, Gold Coast.

Japan.

Falmouth.

Japan (Espe was busy!)

Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia.

Surfer's Bay, Gold Coast.

Dublin. To be sure.

Cardiff.

Crete.

Cardiff.

Helm Crag, Lake District

Gibson Knot, Lake District

Muscle Beach, L.A.

Oswestry.

Bangor. N.Wales. AFTER A 13 MILE RUN!

Corfu.

Portugal.

Cardiff.

Autswick. Yorkshire Dales.

Oswestry.

Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh.

Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Montego Bay, yeah mon, Jamaica.

Cozumel, Mexico.

GRAND CAYMAN! Cayman Islands. Caribbean.

GRAND TURK!! Caribbean.

In front of Mont Blanc.

39,000 feet high in the sky!

Great Sutton, Wirral.

Birthday Boy, Darlington.

Even Santa did one (THE BAHAMAS)...With a beard...

and without.

WELL I HAD TO BUY THIS DIDN'T I?!!!!