An indulgent day!

We awoke to a cold and sunny morning, and I was astonished to see beautiful patterns in frost on the roof of the conservatory...

I'd never seen anything like that before in all the years we've lived here!

We had a relaxed start to the day, and at 11am, drove over to Market Harborough. We had to take the glasses back to Majestic, and I wanted them out of the car! We parked in our usual place and could see that the town was busy with Christmas shoppers. I popped into the Post Office to send a card to my friend, Julia, in the US, while Sophie had a look in The Attic. We then went to Two Old Goats for a coffee and sat outside in the sun. It was gorgeous to soak up the rays and watch the good people of Market Harborough go about their business.

Next up were a couple of charity shops, a small Christmas market taking place in the square and Waterstones, where Sophie paid just 99p for Daphne du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel. By now, we were both ravenous, so we crossed the road and went to The Little Thai for lunch.

We ordered side dishes of fish balls, fishcakes and satay chicken, along with the same main course of Thai yellow curry. A bottle of Thai Colombard accompanied the meal. As ever, the food was delicious, and we were stuffed, but we still managed to find room for puds - mango sticky rice for Sophie, and banana fritters for me. Scrumptious!

The restaurant is so lovely and relaxing, and the staff are friendly and attentive. We love sitting by the window and watching the world go by! We even chatted with a couple sitting nearby, which was lovely!

After paying the bill, we ambled over to Toni & Guy, and Sophie asked about a skin test for a treatment on her hair to strip off the colour. One of the staff recommended she have a semi-permanent colour instead until the colour grows out. She agreed and made two appointments, one for the colour and one for a cut. It means we will be back in Market Harborough next week!

We returned to the car and drove to the care home to see Mum. She looked a bit brighter today and said that one of the carers had taken her down to the lounge for a chat. We sat with her, and I gave her two bags of chocolates I'd bought in the Oxfam shop. A carer stopped to have another chat with us, and we reminisced about our family history, which was great. 

When we got up to leave, my Mum said she wanted to walk down the corridor with us, but nearly fell over. Luckily, I was standing right next to her, so I prevented the fall, but I told her she mustn't get up and try to walk without anyone helping her. The last thing I need at the moment is my Mum in hospital again!

We drove home via Mill Lane and stopped to take a photo of the gorgeous sunset sky and the trees outlined against it.

When we got home, Keith was out watching Sileby, and we relaxed. Sophie watched Homeland, and I wrote my blog. When Keith arrived home, he sat with us in the kitchen while we played Scrabble, and I narrowly beat Sophie! She opened a bottle of Moet & Chandon Champagne that we had bought for her to say thank you for all her help over the last week. It was well deserved!

It would have been my Nan's birthday today - she would have been 106!

Back to normal (almost)!

Sophie and I were back at work today, but my daughter didn't go to the gym. We both felt shattered, and I hadn't slept well last night. We watched most of Race Across the World and then got ready for a day at work.

This was my last Friday in my current office, so that felt a bit strange! I was kept busy all day, and my colleagues asked how the funeral had gone yesterday. Keith had taken me this morning as he needed to go shopping today, so he picked me up at 4pm, and we trundled home.

Sophie and I watched the last fifteen minutes of Race Across the World and opened the bottle of Brixworth wine that Sophie had bought at the Christmas Fair in Lamport. It was made from the Bacchus grape variety and had cost about £18, but I wasn't impressed, much to Sophie's disappointment. It was quite tart and reminded me of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. I didn't think it was worth the money, either, but it's always good to try new wines. You never know!

We had a very simple supper of baked potatoes and used up the sandwich fillings from yesterday. Sophie and I had been watching a couple of episodes of The Vicar of Dibley, and when we finished, we turned over to BBC2, and we were astonished to see The Pet Shop Boys belting out Always On My Mind! What a coincidence!

After Top of the Pops, we watched Michael Palin's journey through the Himalayas until 10.30pm and then I called up to Sophie (she was upstairs with the cats) to ask if she wanted a mince pie and to see Graham Norton for a change. We used to watch this every week when it was on, and it was great to prolong that Friday feeling!

A good send off

Sophie and I were up early this morning, and while she prepared all the food, I made space in the fridge and took the barstools into the garage. The whole house was a hive of activity! I'm glad it was dry and chilly, as we could keep our own fridge stuff in the garage.

After the food had been prepared, we hoovered and mopped and made sure the cloakroom was clean. I had realised that not many people would be coming back to the house, as people had contacted me to say they were ill and my Dad's brother, David, was flying back from a holiday. 

We moved Sophie's car right up the drive and parked the VW across the road, so Mike could park his car when he arrived. I had already let people know on our residents' Facebook page that we were holding the wake at home, and our neighbours had been kind and understanding, with some even offering their own driveways if we needed them.

Before getting ready, we turned on the heating in the house and put a heater in the conservatory to warm up the space. I felt very nervous the whole time I was getting ready, and it almost felt like a surreal experience.

Keith took Sophie and me to the care home at 12.30pm, and we made sure Mum looked nice. We took her down to reception and chatted to Anna, one of the senior carers, before the limousine arrived. Lloyd was driving, and he even had a wheelchair in the back of the huge car that we could use.

I'd told Anna that a couple of the carers could accompany us in the car, but nobody did, so it was just Mum, Sophie and me. Mike had arrived at home just before we left, and he went in the VW with Keith. We needed a lift back to the house afterwards!

It wasn't a long journey to Kettering Crematorium, and we had booked the Albert Munn Chapel for 1:30 p.m. A small crowd waited for us outside the entrance, and we helped Mum out of the car and into the wheelchair. We went in first and sat right at the front on the right-hand side while everyone followed us in. 

I started to feel very emotional, especially when the coffin was carried in, to the music of Simply Red's Holding Back The Years. I didn't really take in the beautiful flower arrangement on top of the coffin, which was shaped like a plane. Kerry, the celebrant, asked us to stand while the coffin was carried in, and then we sat while she conducted the lovely service.

I couldn't help shedding tears, but my Mum remained impassive throughout. I honestly don't think she has taken it in yet. My favourite part was when a montage of photographs was shown on a television screen to Chris Rea's On The Beach, a song my Dad loved. The photos were perfect and summed up his life.

I had included two pieces of writing in the Order of Service - Shakespeare's Sonnet 73, and a beautiful piece of Buddhist prose from Peter Matthiessen's novel, The Snow Leopard. I wanted to use the Buddhist writing when my Grandad died in 1987, and thought it was fitting for my Dad:

"Grieve not for me, but mourn for those who stay behind, bound by longings to which the fruit is sorrow

For what confidence have we in life when death is ever at hand?

Even were I to return to my kindred by reason of affection, yet we should be divided in the end by death.

The meeting and parting of living things is as when clouds, having come together, drift apart again, or as when the leaves are parted from the trees.

There is nothing we may call our own in a union that is but a dream..."

I read the novel when I was in Nepal and thought it was beautiful.

At the end, we were invited to leave by Lloyd and walked out to The Pet Shop Boys and Always On My Mind. We hugged our family and friends and thanked them for coming, and then Keith fetched the car around so we could go home.

We all arrived together, and I was thankful that there were just a few of us - my cousins, Beverley and Kim and their spouses, my Aunt Joyce and her son Tony (also my cousin), Chris, a lovely woman who used to work for us in the soft play business, us four, and my Mum. A few more people had been to the funeral: Sarah, a friend and former neighbour, and Frank, a man my Dad had worked with years ago. Another man was there whom I didn't recognise, but nobody from the flying club, which was disappointing. We had placed notices in the two local papers, so I was hoping for a few more people,  but as it's the season of colds and flu, it wasn't surprising.

The wake was lovely, and there was a great atmosphere as we ate and drank. The food was lovely, and there wasn't too much left afterwards, which was a relief! Nobody drank the red wine, so that was mine and Sophie's reward for our hard work!

People started to leave at about 4pm, as my family had long journeys to make to get home. Sophie and I took Mum back, and one of the carers met us in reception to take her back to the room. I heaved a huge sigh of relief, and Sophie and I returned home to clear up, wash dishes and do the porridges for our breakfast at work tomorrow. Life goes on!

A family meal

Sophie had taken today off to help with preparations for tomorrow, so we were able to have a little lie-in this morning. After the usual coffees and Wordle-off, we got down to some cleaning, and I blitzed the conservatory, clearing away lots of cobwebs dangling from the ceiling. Keith helped me get rid of some of the unnecessary stuff we keep in there to open up the space, and we put Mum and Dad's old computer in the garage, along with the exercise bike. Sophie ironed the tablecloth and sorted out bowls for the food. We rearranged the table in the conservatory, and Sophie cleaned the chairs, putting our new grey covers on them. What a good idea that was!

Tesco arrived with our food order mid-morning, and we were able to get it all away into the fridge, as Keith had cleared a lot of items out and cleaned the shelves. I still have no idea how many people are coming back to the house tomorrow! Sophie wiped down the surfaces and the cupboard doors in the kitchen, and I said we'd mop the floor properly tomorrow after preparing the food. 

Sophie and I had leftover Jerk Chicken pasta for lunch, and we carried on tidying the house, but we were finished a lot earlier than I had anticipated. I was able to write my blog in the afternoon while Sophie caught up with a couple of episodes of Homeland.

We were lucky that today has been a beautiful day with plenty of sunshine and blue skies. What a treat it is to see the sun in December! Majestic delivered the wine and glasses mid-afternoon, and by 6pm, we were all showered and changed, ready to collect Mike from town to go out for dinner at The White Hart in Great Houghton. 

The pub was cosy and welcoming when we arrived, and festive with lots of decorations. We were a bit early, but we were able to take our seats in a quiet corner and enjoy our drinks. The men had beer while Sophie and I chose a bottle of Chardonnay. One of the bar staff asked if we wanted our starters to be prepared, but as we'd only just sat down, we asked if we could wait a little while.

We noticed that our table was the only one set up for a Christmas meal with crackers, and the pub certainly wasn't as busy as I'd imagined it would be! As the time was getting on, we asked for the starters, but it took a while to get the bar staff's attention, and in the end, Mike went to the bar to get a drink and ask!

I had decided to skip a starter as I wanted the chocolate fondant for pudding. Sophie and Mike had chosen the arancini balls, while Keith opted for the tandoori skewers. All three of them said the starters were delicious, so I had high hopes for the main course.

We had a long interval between the starters and the main course, and by now I was very hungry! The pub still wasn't busy, and a table of elderly men in front of us had only just received their meals. The table next to us was also waiting, so we were disappointed with the slow service.

Three of us had ordered the turkey main course, while Mike chose the steak and ale pie with chips. When the dishes arrived, my heart sank... I could tell that the meals had been heated up from frozen, and the food was tasteless... We had a couple of slices of turkey, two small boiled potatoes, two roast potatoes, peas, broccoli, carrots and barely cooked parsnips. Along with this, we had a small wedge of stuffing and one cocktail sausage wrapped in bacon. The gravy that coated everything was completely devoid of taste. The meal was horrible. When I think of the delicious fare we enjoyed at our pub in the village the other night, I wish we'd gone there instead!

Mike said his meal was fine, but the three of us were heartily disappointed and annoyed that the pub was charging £27.50 for two courses, and £35 for three. Now we knew why nobody else was dining on the festive menu!

At least I had a chocolate fondant to look forward to! Mike had ordered the Bailey's cheesecake, while Sophie joined me in the fondant. Mine oozed, Sophie's didn't. It pretty much summed up the evening!

We paid the bill and ambled back out to the dark car park. Keith and Mike had used the front entrance to avoid the multitude of steps in the place! We dropped Mike off and went home to relax for half an hour before it was time for bed. I hoped I'd get a good night's sleep ahead of tomorrow!

A short day

Sophie felt drained this morning and had no energy, so she stayed at home again. She had a GP appointment anyway this afternoon, so she would have had to leave work early. I was able to take her car to work, so Keith could take the VW to Tesco.

I was all alone at work again until about 9.30am as both Sheila and Sara were at our new office testing the network connection. Jo came in, full of a cold, so I hope I don't get anything! I helped her out with phone calls this morning, as there were only the two of us in the office!

Because I was taking half a day's holiday (I must have had a premonition), I left at 1pm. Sara was stressed when she arrived in the office, as one of my colleagues had given her notice and would be leaving in early January. We don't seem to have enough staff to go around at the moment, which is making it difficult for those who have decided to stick it out!

I accompanied Sophie to the surgery and stayed in the waiting room while she was seen by the nurse practitioner. She didn't have a chest infection, so that was a relief. We went straight over to the care home to see Mum, who was asleep on the sofa. I'd had a worrying phone call at work this morning from her doctor, who wants to do a couple of tests as she is anaemic and has lost a lot of weight recently. It was the kind of call I received when my Dad was ill. We stayed for a while, but again, Mum didn't seem at all with it. I just hope she will be OK on Thursday.

Back home, we pootled about, and I sat in the kitchen with Mooney, who was curled up on the other barstool. This seems to be his favourite place at the moment!

Keith went to see Sileby play this evening, while I prepared Sophie's favourite, Jerk Chicken Pasta, for dinner. We popped doughballs in the shape of a Christmas Tree in the oven to go with the meal, and sipped on a couple of glasses of Pinot Gris. 

After we'd eaten the spicy meal (it was so hot Sophie needed a glass of water!), we watched Scrooged starring Bill Murray. It's one of my favourite Christmas films and never fails to please!

Under the weather...

Sophie felt like she had a chest infection last night, so she didn't go to the gym this morning, and didn't go to work either. Unfortunately, it's the season of colds and flu at the moment. Yuk!

I went to work and sat in splendid isolation for an hour until Kathy came in. As hard as I tried today, I couldn't get the emails down to an acceptable level, and Nicola kept asking me to check Bob, who was going rogue and offering things to new members that weren't part of his training! He was supposed to have made things easier for us! Nicola didn't have Sara or Sheila to jump on today, so it was my turn!

I left work at 4pm and went home to see how Sophie was after a day of resting. She had hoovered for me and made the porridges, but wasn't sure whether she was going to work tomorrow or not. We were all a bit glum tonight. My Mum called me as I walked through the door and sounded depressed, saying she missed both  Dad and me, and we found out today who is taking over the contracts for three of our centres next April. The tiny bit of hope that all the operators had pulled out and we could remain was now quashed, and it seemed so final.

To cheer myself up, I drank three of my whiskies and made notes while munching on crackers. They are only 30ml measures, and it was lovely to sip them slowly and appreciate the different aromas. Sophie had made supper tonight, vegetable soup with added shredded chicken. Unfortunately, I found two gristly bits of chicken in my soup, which put me off, so I only had a few spoonfuls... not the most successful of meals!

Keith and I watched Only Connect and University Challenge after dinner, and the questions were so hard in UC that I gave up!

A mercy dash!

We had a very relaxed start to the day and watched Saturday Kitchen Live from a week ago, when Bob Mortimer was the guest of the week. We also witnessed the atrocious end to yesterday's show when James Acaster "lost his temper" over Food Heaven, and acted like a spoiled toddler, hitting the table decoration, a Polar Bear decoration, and a Christmas Tree. We watched the aftermath, and everyone seemed highly embarrassed by his childish actions.

I then went and put a colour on my hair while Sophie and Keith prepared tonight's dinner, a gammon joint served with creamed cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli cheese and roast potatoes. The smells coming from the kitchen were delicious!

Back downstairs, I was relaxing and having a bite to eat when my phone rang, and it was Mike asking if we'd pick him and Abbi up from Bletchley train station as the trains from London were stopping there, unexpectedly. They were getting in at 1.30pm, in just over half an hour's time! Sophie said she would come with me, so we hurriedly changed and set off in the pouring rain.

The M1 was busy, and the spray being thrown up from the vehicles using the motorway made driving difficult. It was a relief to pull off at Junction 15 and follow the signs to the station. Mike and Abbi were waiting outside when we arrived and were very grateful we'd driven to collect them. They'd been to a friend's birthday party in London and hadn't realised there was a problem with the trains until they got on in the capital.

I asked Sophie to take me home via the A5 and the A508, and it seemed a lot quicker getting back! We dropped them at Abbi's Mum's house and popped into McDonald's so Sophie could have something to eat. 

Back home, we were straight back out again to the care home to collect Dad's clothes and shoes. We packed them into two suitcases and a box, sat with Mum for a while and then went home. Plans to play Scrabble tonight were put on hold, and Sophie made us both a small vodka and tonic.

Our dinner tonight was utterly delicious, but it was hard work! Luckily, Sophie had prepared the cabbage and broccoli and cauliflower earlier, and just had to heat them up. We simmered the ham with cloves, onions, celery and carrots and then brushed over a marinade and roasted the joint in the oven. It was lovely to sit and read the weekend's papers while the smells wafted about us!

The gammon was moist, juicy and sweet, and the vegetable dishes were gorgeous. Sophie can certainly make them again, perhaps when we have our Christmas meal on New Year's Day!