*Heartbeat & The Hogwart Express*

Following on from the last post ... off we travelled to Goathland.

We parked at the old station and wandered on in.

This is the ticket office which was full of lovely old things, I didn't know at the time but a man was actually sat in the little booth as it is a working station still & here I was 'ooohhing' & 'aahhhing' whilst taking lots of photos ~ but I'm sure they are all used to it!

I love this sign above the door to the platform.

Of course the station had a tea room ...

Some wonderful old milk churns on the platform ...

More lovely photos of the station ...

Anyhoo I mentioned the Hogwarts Express in the title as this is the actual station used in the early Harry Potter films!

You can see some photos of the film *here* ~ the last on on that page is of the station as I'm looking in this photo but it is taken from above!

Here is the 'Hogwarts Express' approaching the station ...

As I said this is an actual working station and so there were lots of people on the train ...

We didn't go for a trip on it this time as we wanted to explore the village as it was such a wonderfully sunny day ...

This lovely house above is just near the station and it was a huge house, how lucky they are to live so near to that wonderful station ...

The village is full of lovely big houses ...

As I said in the previous post Goathland is not only famous for the Harry Potter films but is also the place where they film the Heartbeat series and they were actually filming outside the pub whilst we were there!!!

As it is the home of 'Heartbeat' there are lots of the old police cars dotted around the village and here is one of them ~ well the back of it anyhoo, & all you Harry Potters fans like me will also notice it is a Ford Anglia famous as the car they flew when they couldn't get onto the station platform!!!

Anyhoo, we had a wonderful day wandering around the pretty village & I didn't want to come home ...

*Sea-side Fun*

Well we had a lovely trip to the sea-side on Friday, the weather was bright & lovely if not a little blustery at times. (We skulked away from walking along the pier when we were hit by blustery sand too many times for our delicate skins liking)!

We parked up by Whitby Abbey and the weather looked slightly misty that high up but once we were down into Whitby the weather was gloriously sunny ~ it was along way down from that car park believe me and if anyone has ever visited Whitby and climbed it's famous 199 steps up to the church you know what I mean!

Lots of sunshine, sea & seagulls & unexpectedly it was a very busy day. It was actually jammed packed full of Goths as it was the start of a Goth Victoriana weekend and so many a fantastical outfit was to be spotted! Whitby is very well know for being a Goth town due to the fact part of Dracula is set there and so they have a good few get togethers there throughout the year.

Now it may surprise some of you out there that I wasn't always a sweet, pretty pink type of gal and in fact in my youth used to be a Goth who wanted her bedroom painted black & to sleep in a coffin ... yes it's true but nowadays I am more inclined to get excited about shops like this ...



The Shepherd's Purse in Whitby is such a wonderfully sweet boutique, it mixes sweet 'shabby chic' style pretty clothing & other goodies with a wholefood shop, which may seem a little strange but it really works well together. I read online that the shop was opened in 1973 by a couple who made patchwork dresses & then went on to sell wholefoods too & the boutique that stands today is run by their children retaining all their parents’ style & beliefs ~ how lovely is this?



The Shepherds Purse also has accommodation and if you take a peek at their website *here* you can see that the bedrooms are just as pretty as the rest of the boutique ~ we are definitely going to have to return and spend a night here!

We left Whitby still bathed in sunshine but it wasn't home time for us just yet we headed off to visit the beautiful Goathland nearby which is famous as the setting for Heartbeat but I will tell you all about that in the next post ...

*Ice Creams & Sandcastles*

As the weather has been so lovely this week & we thought we deserved a treat (we work very hard don't you know, *giggle*) ... we decided a trip to the sea side is in order for us, first of the year for us I may add!
So we are heading off to the coast tomorrow for a fun filled day of fresh air, walking along the cliffs & sniffing those delicious sea side chips ...
oh if only I wasn't on a diet!

*I really must make some of these sometime ...*

Nigella's Chocolate Croissants ...

But as I'm on a diet to lose a few pounds it won't be anytime soon (boo hoo) but a handy recipe to have close for when guests are upon you!

INGREDIENTS
1 x 375g packet ready-rolled butter puff pastry
1 x 100g dark chocolate bar (minimum 70% cocoa solids) or best-quality milk chocolate bar for children
1 egg, beaten
Serving Size : Makes 12

METHOD
1.Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7. Unfurl the sheet of pastry and then cut it into six squares.
2.Cut each square diagonally to give 2 triangles (they will appear quite small). Put the triangle with the wider part facing you, and the point away from you.
3.Break off small pieces of chocolate (approx. 1cm) to place on the pastry triangles, about 2cm up from the wide end nearest you.
4.Then carefully roll from that chocolate-loaded end towards the point of the triangle.
5.You should now have something resembling a straight croissant. Seal it slightly with your fingertips and curl it around into a crescent.
6.Place the 12 chocolate croissants on a lined but not buttered baking tray and paint with the beaten egg. Bake for 15 minutes until they are golden and puffy and exuberantly, if miniaturely, croissant-like.

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Mmmmmm they seem completely delicious and I know I would eat a good few in one sitting, so better to leave it for a time when one is expecting guests, methinks ...

*Time for Tea?*

As I was flicking through my flickr photos, I thought of the idea of choosing a page number & photo number & whatever that photo was posting it on the blog in the spirit of randomness ~ so I chose page number 7 & photo number 7 & this was it!

'To Tea Gardens'

This sign is found in the wonderfully beautiful Cockington Village, Devon on the gate of a pink house which is also has a lovely Tea Gardens. I took it last year when we visited in early Autumn. Of course we went to the tea gardens and had a cream tea sat outside in the late summer sun ...

*Do you Twitter?*

Ok so I joined Twitter a while ago not really knowing or understanding what it was, but I saw that Martha Stewart had recently joined and thought 'well if it's good enough for Martha, I will see what it is all about' and promptly joined up! Call be gullible if you will! *giggle*

Anyhoo, it took a while to get over thinking 'well what is the point' but I tried and posted a few messages, followed Martha of course and then found other people including more famous people ~ Alan Carr has to be my favourite he makes me giggle all the time! I found a few online people I knew on it so followed them and vice versa & then a few weeks on I'm addicted ~ well sort of in a nice 'oh I have a free moment I will pop on twitter' kind of way and not a star stalker kind of way ~ just to clear that up!

I just don't know how it happened, I think that little birdie somehow gets to you, perhaps sings you to sleep or wakes you up on a morning with it's sweet twittering. It may be the fact that it is almost like blogging but without the pressure to do a huge 'interesting' (said lightly) post, a couple of lines telling people what you are up to & that is it ~ fab!

Anyhoot, what I want to know is do any of you lovely folks out there twitter and if you do tell me your Twitter name I want to follow you (not in a creepy way of course)! My Twitter name is (surprise suprise) VintageAmethyst if you want to take a peek at me but I warn you now, I'm not terribly exciting ...

*Kirsties Homemade Home*

Ok so did you watch it? I know a lot of you did from your messages on the previous post. Did you all enjoy it? I did but I think I was expecting something a little different. I was ever so slightly disappointed in the show ~ now I love Kirstie I think she is delicious and so hate to say I was disappointed but the truth is I was a little.

I think I was expecting more 'trash to treasure' kind of thing, you know watching Kirstie painting her own furniture and making more things to fill her home with. Ok she made one cushion but I was just expecting her to do more handmade things, you know? Things that we could all do easily, as we all don't get the opportunity to make our own bowls & glasses.

I did love her going to the flea market, if only I could find fab flea markets like that around here I would be in heaven! Our house is filled with second hand furniture & nic-naks that I have found and painted but I do have to work to find them believe me.

I was also slightly shocked that all of a sudden the kitchen was finished! I thought we would see her decorating, choosing colours, paint etc. But sadly no. I would have loved to have seen more of that I think than the amount of time spent glass blowing but that is just me. Did you see the size of that Aga though, blimey!!!

It was nice to see Cath Kidston appear on the show however briefly it was, but were you really shocked by her kitchen I know I was! Modern, clean lines & sparkling white, I know the table was laid all nice (for the show) with all her goodies, but it did look a bit soulless to me, did it to you?

I also thought it was going to be a family home too but I found out today that it is just a holiday home and will be rented out as a holiday cottage too, which you can rent incidentally for £2000 a week if you want to. *Click Here* Spoiler alert though ~ there are more photos of the rest of the house so if you don't want to see it don't click!

Now it sounds as if I didn't enjoy the show at all but I did and I will be watching all the other episodes but I think I was expecting something ever so slightly more homemade if you know what I mean? Perhaps more will come in the upcoming weeks ... perhaps.

I did love the knitting title though, cute. Oh and her parents house too ~ beautiful!

However much I was disappointed (just slightly Kirstie, just slightly) I will be tuning in next week & look forward to it ...

*A Homemade Home*

Kirsties Homemade Home is a new series that starts tonight on Channel 4 with the beautiful Kirstie Allsop ~ I just love her don't you? Anyway the show 'sets out to inspire viewers to explore the world of crafts as she transforms a dilapidated country cottage in Devon in to the ultimate 'homemade' home.'

Now doesn't this sound like a yummy show, I've got it Sky + so that I won't miss an episode!
I can't wait!

*Happy Easter*

*Happy Easter* to everyone who is celebrating this weekend.

The weather is glorious here today and a day filled with family, including that new baby of ours (yay!) all gathered for a huge Easter lunch is how our day is looking, hopefully rounded off tonight with curling up on the sofa with some chocolate! Mmmmmm.

Have a wonderful fun filled Easter Sunday everyone.

*The Winner*

Thank you all so much to everyone to entered the giveaway & thank you all for your wonderful messages & wishes, I really enjoyed reading them all so thank you.

But there can be only one winner ....

which is the lovely Carol from the equally lovely Katherine's Dream blog.

Well done Carol the heart t-light holder & rose garland will be on it's way to you very soon. Just e-mail your address & it will be posted out to you next week!

Sorry to everyone else, but again thank you for joining in & I will be having another giveaway very soon I promise!

Hope you are all having a wonderful Easter weekend filled with lots of fun & treats.

*Vintage Amethyst Giveaway*

Well today is a one year anniversary for Vintage Amethyst!

One year ago today the 'new' Vintage Amethyst website & homeware range was launched!

Of course Vintage Amethyst itself is over 5 years old now, but a year ago I made the decision to only sell homewares online as I had previously sold handcrafted jewellery online but I was selling jewellery & homewares at craft markets and it was the homewares which I was most fond of & interested in and so I decided to take Vintage Amethyst in the direction of interiors & gifts.

***

So a year ago was a big leap in the world of Vintage Amethyst when I opened the new look Vintage Amethyst website and I must say it is one of the best things I have ever done. This last year has been a wonderful success, more so than I could ever have dreamed of ~ I never thought I would be this busy! *Giggle*

***

I have met some lovely kind people & have been invited to participate in wonderful things & events ~ although I haven't taken up any of these great opportunities yet I think 2009 will probably be the year to take these next big steps!

***

Anyhoo, to celebrate this anniversary for Vintage Amethyst I am having a giveaway!

One lovely person will win this pretty set of a lovely hanging heart t-light holder & vintage style cream rose garland.

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To enter all you have to do is leave a message here on this post!

The giveaway will be open until Good Friday ~ 10 April.

*Good Luck to all that enter*