The Emmerdale Studio Experience

It's no secret that I am a huge Emmerdale fan. I used to watch all the soaps going but with time more restricted and the realisation that I probably shouldn't spend all my evenings staring at a screen, Emmerdale is now the only one I watch. Therefore I was a very happy bunny when I got the chance to visit the new Emmerdale Studio Experience recently.

Situated in Leeds, the tour is based in the studios they used to film the programme in and is next door to the current studios. It is based in the city centre and really easy to get to by car (with the help of google maps, I wouldn't get anywhere with them!) and about a 15 minute walk from the train station.

After watching a short video about the history of the show we were shown costumes, make-up, props and how the show is produced. I loved seeing the production part as it amazes me how much time and effort has to go into each scene. Don't quote me but it takes something like six weeks to create one week of episodes!

Each scene has a storyboard created. The one above is when Robert sets fire to Andy and Katie's caravan.

Viewers will recognise this as the late Edna Birch's outfit, including the hat she wore everywhere!

Belonging to the make-up department this shows all the cast member they needed to make up on a particular day. The sheet next to it describes each scene and any particular details to their hair and make-up that is important to remember for the next scene.

We were showed many props from over the years but I loved this shelf for the number of memories it holds. We've got the late Shirley Stelfox/Edna Birch with Batley at the Soap Awards, The Valerie Pollard Foundation collection boxes, Dr Bailey and his wife and some lovely photo's of deceased and departed characters that were used in the show.

The tour also showed us various sets which you will definitely recognise! I really enjoyed learning how the lighting works for an indoor studio, there's a lot more too it than you think!

The Woolpack in the quarter size village replica.

Enjoying a drink in the Woolpack!

Lastly we enjoyed a visit to the Woolpack and a photo opportunity you can't really miss. You'll have to excuse the quality of this one, it's a photo of a photo!

Throughout the tour our guide continued to feed us with information and showed us via video's and small scale replicas how various disasters over the years were filmed. I really loved learning the behind-the-scenes details about Emmerdale as i'm such a nosy parker. I think i'll be watching the programme in a lot more detail from now on!

If you want to visit here yourself you can find all the information you need at www.emmerdalestudioexperience.co.uk/ If you go, do let me know what you think!

Anyone else a big Emmerdale fan around here?

The Bloggers Blog Awards 2016

The Bloggers Blog Awards was so successful last year that it came back this weekend for it's second year. It was even bigger and better and included a lot more categories to help celebrate the best in blogging.

Hayley had secured the gorgeous Canal Mills, an old industrial warehouse for this year and it was perfect. There were many quirky little objects to photograph! There was pic and mix and popcorn to nibble on and CarrieAnne had made the most exquisite cakes for us all. I'm told they were delicious but I didn't get to try one unfortunately. But just look in the photo's at the thought and effort she put into each individual one!

The winners of each category were well supported and cheered by everyone and were each so surprised and grateful that they won. I'm sure Hayley will be publishing a list of winners so keep an eye out for that so you can discover some new and old favourites.

Then the raffle. Well wasn't that just suburb. I don't even wear much lipstick but even I wanted that Urban Decay Vault! I managed to win a Tastecard for a year, so i'm looking forward to using that, after all I do count eating as one of my listed hobbies!

It looked like everyone was having a great time meeting old and new friends. I put myself on raffle ticket duty but realised later I never actually introduced myself to many people, I was so focused on taking everyone's money! There were a few people I definitely wanted to speak to but I find it hard speaking up in groups and find one-to-one interaction much easier. But I did meet a few people so baby steps and all that.

It was a great day, though very long for me as I had been out in the morning too at a coffee morning. My feet were very happy to see the bath when I eventually got home that night!

Thank you Hayley for all the hard work you put it for this!

Did you attend the awards, or fancy going next year?

29 reasons I feel old at 29.

Here's a confession. This post was originally titled '28 reasons that show i'm 28' because I started it nearly a year ago. But as it's took me all this time to actually finish and press publish i'm now a lovely year older. Yay. Although I did get to add 1 more reason to the list so there is that.

Blowing out my candles on my 27 + 2 birthday cake. 

So onto the list . . anyone identify with any?


1. You know exactly how much the petrol is in every station in town, in fact it's a talking point when it goes up or down.

2. You're wary about the new layout in Wilko's.

3. When having to shop in a new town you pine to be in your old Asda, it's comfy, familiar and you know where everything is

4. You wonder where the rest of the clothes are on that girl that just walked past you. Short shorts and a crop top barely covering her bra? ERRR?

5. Escape to the Country and Location, Location, Location? GIMMIE, GIMMIE.

6. You're rather good at guessing the house price on said programs.

7. This weeks special deal leaflet from Aldi and the Argos homeware sale catalogue is perfectly acceptable bath time reading.

8. Secretly enjoying Prima and Good Housekeeping.

9. Not caring if people think you're boring, i'm so past trying to change myself

10. Realising you don't have long to complete that epic 30 before 30 list. None of which you have started on.

11. You hate on the youngsters who cry at turning 22. Are you freaking kidding me? You're practically a baby.

12. Sleep - never enough sleep, wanting an early night always and never getting it and having a guilty feeling you never used to get when lying in.

13. Hankering onto the dial-up days

14. Being old enough to remember the time when your entire existence didn't revolve around the computer, mobile and unlimited TV and secretly wishing we could go back to that.

15. You feel there's something wrong with you because you're not married or have a baby.

16. You actually drink that pint of water you're supposed to drink after a night out. The effects the next day are totally worth it by the way.

17. Though said nights out are far and few between.

18. When on your first night out in several x 10 months you actually go out two nights in a row and your body rewards you with a stinking cold. In summer.

19. To be honest though, it's mostly about the food these days. When, what, how much, when, what? You get the picture. Food = yum.

20. Bridget Jones. You are her.

21. Trying to find the perfect candle/plug-in/scent that smells of apple/spice/cinnamon/mulled wine is the aim of every shopping trip.

22. Staying at your sisters and not understand how it's nearly 12am and her housemates STILL haven't gone out yet.

23. You get angry and frustrated because younger people don't know who Adam Rickitt is.

24. You own anti-aging eye cream.

25. The only reason you are excited for your birthday next year ie. the 'big' one is so that you can throw a 90's party.

26. You realise you are of that awkward age of knowing something about computers, as in how to turn them on, type a few words and that chrome is better than IE but nothing about photoshop/hmtl or basically any of the IT than younger people seem to know about now and that would be pretty useful to know.

27. Leaving school and starting uni was 10 years ago . . actually make that 11 by the time I publish this.

28. Watching the England game last night and remembering Euro 96 and THAT moment and the footy songs that followed

29. You feel in a sort of limbo. Am I in my 20s? Yes but I don't feel connected to other twenty-somethings. Am I old? Not really, but all the talk of the approaching significant birthday makes me feel it.

So there you go. 29 reasons that show my age and how I feel.

I have however just found this link telling me all the reasons i'm not old and that this age is actually fantastic. So go have a read of this if you're feeling like me.

Where is Emma Butler's Life Plan? By Julia Wilmot - GIVEAWAY

I have the pleasure today to be introducing Julia Wilmot's book 'Where is Emma Butler's Life Plan?' and there are three copies to win by entering on the link at the end!

Where is Emma Butler's Life Plan?

Blurb:


Emma Butler doesn’t know it but she is about to get bit more angelic help than she was banking on. Someone has messed up, or have they?

It appears that Emma is about to be ‘recalled’ to heaven but has completed none of the tasks she had set herself for this life time. They must be completed before she is recalled and time is running out.
Arch Angel Gregory decides to take over. He will be her Guardian Angel to ensure it all gets done.

There’s a lot to do and a very short time to do it in. Gregory is determined that it will all be completed by hook or by crook. But where does that leave free will and what about Jack who has been chosen to be Emma’s love interest? How will this impact him? Jack and Emma have no idea what is going on, but it’s not going to be plain sailing.

Links:

Goodreads

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About Julia Wilmot:

Julia Wilmot began her exploration of the spiritual life as a teenager at school. She was fortunate to meet a wonderful family who all practised Transcendental Meditation (TM) and her future was set. At the age of 15 Julia learnt TM and felt she had found her path in life. She was so sure that this path was the only one for her that she decided not to go to University and study law as she had previously planned but to devote herself to teaching TM and working within the charity that teaches the technique.

At 20, Julia was one of the founding members of a 300 people strong TM community in Skelmersdale, Lancashire and at 28 Julia became the Centre Chairman of the largest teaching centre for TM in Europe, which was based in Central London. Teaching Transcendental Meditation to people from all walks of life.

Julia began this novel in 1995 but it remained in a drawer for many years. She came across it again in the early 2000s and fitting in with becoming a mother in 2002 it took until 2015 to finish it.

Julia currently focusses her attention on her writing, blogging and looking after her family. Forty years on and she still practises TM, as do her husband and son and they live in the Chilterns in Buckinghamshire, UK.

Links:

Twitter

Website


Excerpt: 

Jack cleared his plate away and put the kettle on. How to distract himself for the rest of the evening? He knew he needed something that would lift his spirits and bring comfort. He wandered into his sitting room cradling his cup of tea. One wall of the room was filled with a huge bookcase. It harked back to Jack's early foray into the world of spirit and alternative health, when he was trying to find a solution to the burnout he had experienced as a result of his lifestyle in the city. Every book he had explored during that period had pride of place on these shelves despite the fact that not every book had proved that useful.


His eye fell on a copy of the I Ching. It had been a long time since he had consulted this Chinese oracle but he fondly remembered evenings spent tossing the little bronze coins and reading the rather obscure texts, trying to decipher advice from the arcane language. He clearly remembered the phrase, ‘the handles of the cauldron have been removed, therefore it is hard to manoeuvre the vessel.’ He couldn't now remember what question had elicited such a gnomic response but the phrase and all its mystery had stuck in his head. He turned the book over in his hands.


‘Why not?’ he thought.


On the shelf above where he had found the I Ching was a small pot. He put his hand in and felt the three small bronze coins that were needed to create the hexagrams that would in turn lead to an answer to his question. He moved over to the sofa and put the book down on the coffee table.


‘But what should the question be?’


Asking the right question was important. He sat back, the three coins in his hand. What question should he ask? He closed his eyes. He knew that the more he could tune into his higher self, the more likely that the answer would be pertinent to the question.


Brian watched with some amusement as King Wen and his son Duke Chou arrived. They bowed deeply to the angel and took up their positions cross-legged on the floor in front of Jack. Jack breathed deeply, trying to clear his mind of other concerns. He opened his eyes, unaware of his regal visitors. Asking a question of any oracle can be fraught with concerns. He had often heard people say that you shouldn't ask the question if you were not prepared to accept the answer, the reality being that you were not always going to hear what you might want to hear. It was important the question was clear in your head, he knew that. He closed his eyes again and began to frame his question.


‘What would be the most life-supporting path for me to follow at the moment?’

Giveaway:


To win 1 of 3 paperback copies of this book please enter this giveaway.

Top telly I love to watch

I used to be glued to the screen of an evening. I'd watch all the soaps, films and Saturday night telly there was, but i've gradually found myself busier and busier, either with work or with wanting to fill my time with other activities. There are some programmes though that I continue to watch and to find time for.

Emmerdale

As I said I used to watch every soap going but with less time, I only watch Emmerdale now. I just love the little village set in the Yorkshire countryside and although I moved to the county myself last year it's not exactly the same. It's crazy how in these soaps there can only be a handful of houses yet a busy thriving pub, village shop and so many scandalous story lines!

The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory is one of those to eat your tea with. You know when your dinners ready but there's nothing else on the telly at that time of the evening? You can pretty much guarantee this will be on and it doesn't even matter which episode or whether you're joining half-way through an episode. If you are as much of a fan as most people are then you will have seen every one before anyway. It's sort of the new Friends really isn't it? The number of series they have produced seems to indicate it's heading that way!

F1

I've loved Motorsport since 2010 and I try to watch every race I can and have even been to the British GP a couple of times. I find it exciting and even a teeny bit glamourous. Many say it's boring or that all the rules and new technologies are reducing the competitiveness and natural instinct in the sport. But for me there are so many little parts that make up the race that it is never dull. From the car itself, to the team, engineers, practice, qualifying and even the drivers personalities there is always something going on and news to absorb. It's my absolute dream one day to get a pit lane/paddock pass, i'd be in my absolute element!

Euro 2016

As a football fan it's only natural i'm going to be watching the Euro's this summer. The first game we watched at my Aunties house and as we were round for a BBQ their lounge was rather packed, there must have been over 20 of us trying to watch! Thankfully they have a pretty big TV so everyone got a good view. When I say big I mean over 60 inches, it certainly made out TV at home look small in comparison! There are some similar sized TV's by Panasonic here: 4K TV Panasonic and the quality in these is supposed to be almost like having your own cinema at home!

I didn't get to watch the second match live due to work but I caught up as soon as I got home. It was a strange one for me as we have a little Welsh heritage in my family and so a part of me was hoping for a draw between the two teams! I've enjoyed seeing the other teams playing too and creating a few surprises in the results and cheering on the smaller sides especially the Irish and Welsh teams.

I'm looking forward to the last group stage game tomorrow night, are you going to be watching?

If you're not into the football, which I know not everyone is, i'd love to know what your favourite programmes to watch right now are?

This is a sponsored post but all words and opinions are my own.

Life lately - Placement, Roxy Ballroom and all the fun of the fair

I've been really busy recently - for me anyway. In May I started my first full-time placement and whilst I am enjoying it, it is tiring. I'm out the house for nearly 12 hours each day as there is quite a bit of travelling and i've discovered a hatred of Yorkshire roads. Not only are they super hilly but the the potholes and grids are destroying my car!

Apart from that it's hard to fit anything else in. I've been struggling to fit in my fitbit steps each day. I make sure I do do them, but it really eats into my time when I get home in the evening. I've started staying on after work and walking around the town for an hour to get them in. The traffic is also a little less by doing this too so it's a win-win. I'm also still trying to keep up with my C25K running that I mentioned here, although I've switched from outside to the gym. It's much easier on the treadmill so I fear I shall struggle when I get back outside. That wasn't the reason though for the change, it was because I needed the gym for other things too. I've been without lights and hot water in my flat for nearly 2 weeks now which is incredibly frustrating. I think i'm a bit of a pushover but i'm determined to change this from now on!

Placement and exercising has basically been my life for the past month, although I have had a few little days/evenings out.

Last Saturday myself and a couple of course mates visited the fun fair in the town park. I've not been to one in years and I can't see myself going again anytime soon. It made me feel so sick!! I was so surprised because i'm mostly fine at theme parks but it was the waltzers that did me in, they spun round so fast! I did really enjoy the dodgems though, they were very fun!

The other week I also went along to the opening of the new Roxy Ballroom in Huddersfield. There is one in Leeds and Liverpool and this was their newest venture. It had a really good vibe going on with great rock music playing. They have table tennis and pool tables for you to play on and I even spied a big game of beer pong going on as I left! Looking at the website, I see they have just opened mini-golf at their Leeds venue. Mini-golf at a bar is something I don't think you'll find anywhere else and can imagine playing that after a drink or two! Sampling some of the food the chicken burgers were delicious and the chips were really unique. You know the crisps McCoy's? They were exactly like them but in chip form, definitely worth a try! It was a very busy but lovely evening and all just around the corner from me!

Have you been to a Roxy Ball Room before? How do you cope when you're so busy with work? I'd love any tips you have with how to fit everything in!

Celebrating with a BBQ

A few weeks ago we hosted a big BBQ for family and friends to celebrate a couple of special birthdays in my family. It was the end of April when the weather was really up and down with sunshine one day and pouring rain the next. We got a mix of both on the day so we had to be prepared! I thought it would be interesting to write about the BBQ as I don't know about you but i'm always worried about things like . . . what music do we play? Have we got enough food?

Food

Aside from the usual burgers, sausages and salads we had a load of sweets dotted about the place. We'd picked up a tub of flumps from the wholesalers and my brother had given me a massive box of skittles (we're talking 2.5kg here!) and they went down really well with the kids as you can imagine. Although most of the flumps did end up on the floor as we spent most of the night trying to throw them into our mouths! By the way . . flumps are not easy to clean from the kitchen floor the next morning!

Drink

We'd bought a selection of beer, cider, wine, spirits and soft drinks and made up a couple of drinks dispensers with Pimms. Pimms has come back into fashion in recent years and is basically Pimms mixed with lemonade and lots of fruit. Another drink I love to make is the Hugo. I discovered this when I used to work in Italy and is made with another current trendy ingredient, Elderflower. It's quite a sweet drink but is very refreshing. I posted the recipe and pictures for the Hugo here if you wish to try this. Let me know if you do!

Music

We just stuck on a recent chart hits CD I'd bought recently. It's this one we've got which was fine for the day but to be honest i'd probably skip a lot the tracks if I was on my own! You can't really go wrong with chart music at a BBQ though, as there's bound to be some tracks that appeal to everyone.

At night when everyone was getting merry we had a Ministry of Sound 90's album and an 80's album that went down a storm. Let's just say some shapes were thrown on the kitchen floor! We played all this on the radio/CD player in the kitchen but some sort of wireless device would have been better so we could have had a bigger choice of music to play. The chart CD did get popped on repeat a few times so being able to play music via my phone or laptop would have been handy. Something like these Panasonic Multi Room Speakers would have worked well, one of them is even waterproof which would have been perfect for the weather we experienced!

Decoration

We're not decorative arty type of people but my Mum did make some bunting and I attempted to make the outside table look pretty, using flowers from the garden. That's about the extent of my creative talents though!

The Weather

We were fully prepared for the unpredictable weather and on the day we experienced sun, rain, warmth and cold. We'd put up a gazebo on the decking and had a chiminea going throughout the day and night. It was a coats on all day sort of weather!

Activities

This may sound a weird one but when there are kids in attendance and people are staying all day and evening sometimes they need entertaining. We had croquet on the grass for the children, although this turned out not to be so good as it got pretty dangerous when the kids were swinging the clubs around! We've got chickens down the bottom of the garden and the kids loved seeing them and feeding them. They were fascinated to see where eggs come from! Lastly we had archery. My Dad had bought it  a couple of years ago and it was perfect to bring out that day. People loved trying to beat each other, although the chickens did nearly get hit many a time!


We had a really good day, although hosting is hard work. When you know everyone in attendance it is hard to get round everyone and I know I lost my drink a million times!


Have you been to a BBQ recently? Or any tips or tricks to hosting one?

(This is a sponsored post)

Fitness and Healthy Eating Update

Sat here writing with a glass of fizzy drink and a chocolate bar you'd be mistaken for thinking my fitness and healthy eating journey is non-existant. But that's not true, i'm getting there, slowly.

Last Year

Since being on a mission to complete my 10k steps a day a year ago i've done very well on the whole with that. There was a couple of months end of last year where I gave up but I was going through some unsettlement and wasn't really in the mood to do anything. But on the whole I really enjoy getting my steps in and completing with other fitbitters, it's certainly gets competitive!

Out on a walk

Body Shop Evening and the new Piñita Colada range

This weekend I attended an evening at the newly re-fitted Body Shop in Huddersfield to trial some of their new products including the Piñita Colada range. I've used Body Shop products for many years, although my current skincare regime is rather lacking so I was looking forward to trying some of the products I was unfamilar with like the Oils for Life and the Vitamin C range.

10 Thoughts I had today

Oh my days, i'm about to collapse! (upon completing my first run in four years)

Wow I feel great, bring on the day.

Why don't I have a ski holiday booked so I can warrant buying this beauty?

It's SUCH a nice day, a perfect day even.

I just bought a screwdriver set. Eugh. Old.

Why are there so many types of suncream?

Ow my filling hurts. That's just great.

Oo The Chase is on, wahoo!

I want to get back to the blogging world.

I'm stuck, I don't know what to blog or to tweet or even what blogs to read.

10 habits

Look at the photo. See? I'm holding my hands up. I know i've got faults and here are a few annoying things I do.

1. Being a thinker not a do-er.

I have all these fabulous ideas of things to do, routines that will change my life but I never do them. I think, read and absorb all the tips and advice on the internet but never put it into action or if I do it's only half-heartedly. Part of the problem is never writing these things down or if I do it's on a scrappy bit of paper or my notebook that I always forget about.

A trip to Skipton and the 'Bronte' town of Haworth

Back in February my sister came up to visit and stay with me. She goes to uni in Northampton, so it was a fair old trek to come up here on the train. We decided upon visiting Skipton for the day and calling in on Haworth on the way back.

Skipton we discovered was a pretty castle market town full of team rooms and cafes - you'd need to spend a month there to visit them all I swear! We had lunch at the Pie Shop which I thoroughly recommend. Pie, chips and gravy all for around £7. The rest of our visit was spent aimlessly meandering up and down the streets and discovering a very cute shopping centre.

ALL FOR YOU by Kristina O'Grady book tour review

Blurb:

Is it time for a second chance at love? When Lily left her home town – and the love of her life Wade – 8 years ago to start her acting career she had big plans to make her dream a reality. However, a few dead end jobs and one dead end relationship later she is back to make a fresh start with the only good thing to come out it all – her unborn baby. Lily soon realises however that the heart wants what the heart wants, and hers clearly still wanted Wade Copeland! Can they overcome the hurt and pain of the past to allow themselves a future?

The third novel in the sizzling sexy Copeland Ranch romance trilogy from Kristina O'Grady

I'm in Grazia!

A couple of weeks ago I got to do something a little bit special. A little out of the ordinary for plain old me, something that gave me a peek into a completely different world. I went down to London for a photo-shoot with Grazia!

EEEK!

You know you're addicted to your Fitbit when . .

Fitbit addiction is real. It sounds stupid to non-Fitbit owners. How can it make you walk more, because surely it is just like a pedometer? Once you own one for youself though, you'll never look back . . .

Lost in a Book - the why, what , where and how's of how I read!

I saw Sarah from Saloca in Wonderland post this tag so here is my version!

Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

In bed or the bath are the best places. Even in the middle of the day i'll often get into bed just to read, much comfier than anywhere else!

Where do you like to read?

It's mainly at home but if I have a journey on public transport or know i'm going to be alone at lunch-time i'll take it with me.

Bookmark or random piece of paper?

As I use a kindle I don't need a bookmark however when I did read paperbacks i'd just fold the corner of the page over!

Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop at a chapter?

I always stop at the end of a chapter unless i'm tired and there is too much left. In that case i'll stop at the end of the section.

Do you eat or drink whilst reading?

Yes both. Although eating is bad because you do it without thinking or even really tasting it really.

E-reader or real book?

Kindle all the way now. I do have a lot of paperbacks because I can't bear to throw anything away and if I wan't to read them again but anything new that comes out i'll purchase it on the kindle. It's just so convenient and I can have the latest novel in my hands in an instant.

Music or TV while reading?

I can't listen or watching anything whilst reading and the same goes for doing anything else. I know many people blog and watch the telly but not me unfortunately.

One book at a time or several at once?

Always one at a time and I always wait a few days after finishing one to start another so I can think about the story and remember it. Because of the genre I read (chick-lit) a lot of the stories tend to merge into one after a while so I like to give them each a bit of breathing space!

Reading aloud or silently in your head?

Silently all the time. Apart from if i'm finding it hard to process an academic book (all the time!) I will read it out aloud. But apart from that I read in my head and I have to read every word too. I know many don't do this but I find I have to otherwise I don't absorb.

Fiction or non-fiction?

Fiction all the time. I'm all for escaping to a dream land where girl enters new situation, struggles, encounters boy and everything turns out great. I know it's not real but it gives me hope especially the books where the girl is starting over job wise!

Do you read ahead or skip pages?

Sort of. I never skip pages but if the part i'm reading is a little boring i'll flick forward and briefly look at the next few pages to see what is going to happen. I sometimes end up going quite far forward and it takes a while to get back!

Break the spine or keep a book like new?

Doesn't apply with a kindle but when I did read paperbacks I wouldn't intentionally break the spine, I just read with care and I guess it eventually broke itself!

Do you write in your books?

No not at all, I read for pleasure not to study or take notes! You can highlight and make notes on the kindle though and there was one book where a particular line struck a cord with me, that I 'highlighted'. You can also see what other people highlight. Though if I had a copy of Persuasion on the kindle I would likely highlight sections from the chapter where Captain Wentworth writes the letter to Anne when she is still in the room. I found that powerful and it really touched me.

Your favourite book?

One of my favourite books is Chasing Daisy by Paige Toon but I haven't read this a long while. It is set in the F1 world and with certain events in the book resonating with recent events in the real F1 world I would find it difficult.

I also love Lindsey Kelk books, in particular the series featuring Tess Brookes which i've reviewed: About a Girl and A Girl's Best Friend.

Lastly Sealed with a Kiss by Rachael Lucas is really beautiful. It is set on a remote Scottish Island and the community, scenery and the locals just pulled me into this new world that Kate was slowly learning to love.