Goodbye 2010...

I asked the question at the end of yesterday's blog as to whether 2010 has been a good, bad or indifferent year...I've been pondering the question overnight and the honest answer for me, is that it's been OK. I've had worst years, I've had better. But do years tend to be good or bad, or are they are mixture of the two? Life just happens. Sometimes we have control over events, sometimes we don't. I suppose it's how we react to situations in life that is the most important.

I don't tend to make resolutions, but I am trying to be more positive in 2011. I'm a firm believer that a postive outlook helps tremendously. Maybe not in certain situations, but even when things are really bad, there's normally a thin silver line of hope. And without hope where would we be?

My hopes for 2011 are too numerous to mention here but I will try, every day, to see something good in the day and not let the niggles get me down. I wish everyone a wonderful New Year and a wonderful life in 2011.

Mission Accomplished!

Today has been a good day. It's been rare lately, I have to admit, so when good days do come they are much appreciated! I was up early and took advantage of the peace and quiet to watch the end of It's A Wonderful Life which I'd recorded over Christmas (my own DVD copy is missing which I discovered on Christmas Eve...) and had a cry as I always do.

Work was pleasantly busy but the real good news was that we were awarded a Carbon Trust Loan to install two new heaters in our seating area which should be much more efficient than the ones we have at the moment which are 40 years old. It means we can pay back the loan (interest free) over three years rather than have to pay out a lot of money upfront so we were delighted. It was all down to Dad's hard work as the process was pretty complicated so he was chuffed to bits!

After work Mum, Soph and I went over to Milton Keynes as I have nothing to wear tomorrow night! It was something I wasn't looking forward to as I'd left it much too late but I found a lovely black jumpsuit and floaty, see-through jacket to go with it...and shoes!!! Miracle! I then bought Mikey clothes and a pair of new school shoes and a bra for Sophie...phew!

We drove back home through thick fog which has been with us now for two days. The days have been dark and gloomy but the weather is set to get a bit sunnier on Sunday and it will be a relief to see it after this week! Even Keith's tomato soup was a bit "greyer" than normal, probably because the tomatoes he used were grown under glass and not under lovely warm sunshine as they are in the summer.

So tomorrow is the last day of 2010...has it been good, bad or indifferent?

Grouchy!

Yesterday was not pleasant. I was up early and into work even though, officially, it was a Bank Holiday...sob! I love Bank Holidays, but there was no way we could close down for four days so it was back to the grindstone. Our cleaner doesn't work Tuesdays so we had to do the cleaning and I think in the New Year we will try and resolve this little problem...

Tuesday was a little bit stressful so the less I dwell on it the better, in my opinion. The weather has reverted back to mild and damp and all the snow has disappeared. Some people may think this is a good thing, but I don't. I love crisp, cold winters but I hear colder weather is on the way this weekend.

Thankfully, today was much less stressful and we sat down and sorted a few things out which always helps to see things more clearly. The fog has been around all day and even though it's been milder, it still felt chilly so when I got home I went straight into a hot bath and then I spent a pleasant half hour lolling on our bed watching Doctor Zhivago (one of my favourite films) and cuddling Mikey. The house smelt of turkey again as Keith had simmered the carcass all day to make a stock for the soup we're going to have tomorrow. It will be accompanied by the Christmas pudding we didn't have on Christmas Day and which will be flamed with brandy. Yum! It was also bliss to then go downstairs, pour myself a brandy and lemonade and thrash Keith at cards!

Turkey curry day!

I woke up with a bad headache this morning which was probably caused by the new drink I invented last night - a blend of Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry (bought for Nan) and Cava...I don't think I'll be drinking that again (I had a few glasses...).

After the wobbly start Keith and I ventured out to Tesco to pick up a few bits and it was surprisingly quiet. Maybe people are all shopped out! Back home we had pain au chocolat for breakfast and Keith prepared his famous turkey curry which is on the menu tonight. I'm very pleased with myself because we haven't thrown a lot of food away this Christmas. I made bubble and squeak last night which was delicious (if I may say so myself) and we ate it with slices of cold turkey and the leftover stuffing balls, sausages and roast potatoes. I think I enjoyed it more than our actual Christmas dinner!

Once the turkey was marinating in the Jalfrezi sauce we went off to the cinema to see Little Fockers which I'd been looking forward to very much. The review in the newspaper hadn't been glowing but I enjoyed it nonetheless, despite it not being as good as the first two (in my opinion). One thing that surprised and delighted us all was the trailer for the upcoming film The King's Speech starring Colin Firth (swoon) and Helena Bonham-Carter. Back in January of this year we stumbled upon a film or documentary being shot opposite Buckingham Palace in London and for ages we wondered what it was -well now we know as we saw the scene on the trailer!! I'm just mad I didn't see Colin Firth because that really would have made my day!! So, that's one to see when it opens here in the New Year!

Here is my recipe for bubble and squeak:


Take cold leftover vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, mashed potato, carrots etc (cabbage is very good as well) and chop finely. Mix together in a bowl and add two whisked eggs. Mix thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.

Heat some oil in a frying pan until hot and then empty the contents into the pan, patting it down firmly until it makes a cake. Leave it to cook for a few minutes to get all nice and crispy and brown and then place a large dinner plate over the top of the frying pan and flip it over. Slide the cake back into the pan so the other side is nice and crispy and brown. You can either keep doing this so both sides are evenly cooked or you can transfer the cake into a greased baking tin and let it cook for a further 20 minutes in the oven so the inside is piping hot. It's good to brush the top with a little melted butter or vegetable oil so it crisps up nicely. Serve with cold turkey and lots of HP Brown sauce. Yum!

Boxing Day walk photos

I hope you enjoy the photos from our walk today. I have played around with some of them a little! To see them a little bigger, just click onto each pic.

Boxing Day walk

I love Boxing Day. It's a time to relax after the hard work of the day before (that's unless you're lucky enough to be invited somewhere else for Christmas lunch!) and there's all the delicious leftovers to eat! Yesterday was a success but it was hard work. My parents came around at about 4.30pm and we opened presents with a glass of Cava. I'd prepared prawn cocktail for a starter as my Nan loves that and we ate it a good hour before the main course so we wouldn't feel too full!

For our main meal we had roast turkey (I often toy with the idea of having goose but I'm always over-ruled) with the usual accompaniements of sausages wrapped in bacon, stuffing, roast and mashed potatoes, roast parsnips, brussels, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli and green beans.Getting it all ready at the same time and keeping it hot is a real challenge! Luckily we have a second small oven that we used for the extras but it took ages to heat up and things started to get a bit panicky! But all was well in the end and it was heaven to serve my dad's Tiramisu for dessert (which was gorgeously creamy) and relax! So that's it all over until next year - maybe I can arrange for someone else to cook it next year!

We had a very lazy morning today although I was up at 6am again. I did try and go back to sleep but I was wide awake so I went downstairs and made coffee. Keith was up watching the cricket so we had a very relaxing couple of hours before the children woke up.

In the afternoon we set off into the snowy countryside and had a wonderful walk over the fields. Today (because I was dressed in my scruffs) we met lots of people who had the same idea. Sunny dry days are a bonus at this time of the year and the landscape was looking particularly beautiful. We walked down to the Nature reserve and then up a snowy track to the village looking at all the animal tracks in the snow. There were lots of rabbit tracks, a fox (we think) and bird tracks all using the same paths along the edges of the fields. The sky was a blend of smoky blues, greys and apricot with the bare trees standing out against the luminous sky. I took lots of photos and it was bliss to be out in the fresh air as the sunset drew near.

Just before we got  home we met our neighbour, Sarah, who was walking a very eager Max. She told us she had 10 for lunch yesterday which I think was very brave! There was seven of us and that was enough! She must be a sucker for punishment as she and Liam are also hosting a New Year's Eve party which we're all invited to, and I'm looking forward to that very much!

Christmas Day!

For the second year running we having lying snow, despite it technically not counting as a White Christmas, although it does in my book! It was also a beautiful day - lots of sunshine and sparkling frost to make everything look Christmas card pretty.

I was awake early but forced myself to go back to sleep and it was 8am when I went downstairs with Sophie to see what Father Christmas had brought us overnight. The children had a great time opening their presents and seemed delighted with everything we bought them. They will get a few more this afternoon when mum, dad and Nan come around for dinner.

After breakfast Keith and I prepared all the vegetables and I set the table, hoovered downstairs and tidied everything away. At lunchtime Keith and I popped around to mum and dad's to borrow a couple of their saucepans and then we called into the pub for a drink. It was heaving with people and we ventured into the relative quietness of the back bar to escape the crowds, although there was a great atmosphere. Poor Ian was rushing around like a mad thing but seemed to enjoy himself, nonetheless!

So now we have a short lull before things get manic here. The turkey is roasting away in the oven and smells delicious. Soon, Keith will peel the cooked bacon away from the breast and there'll be a stampede as he calls the children to the kitchen to eat it all.

I'd just like to wish everyone who reads my blog a fantastic Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2011. Cheers!

Christmas Eve

Well, the day didn't start as well as it could have... It was just pure luck I was up and making a cup of coffee at 6.15am this morning, because our cleaner sent me a text to say she couldn't come into work as she was ill...

Keith and I went in together with me ranting all the way but by 8.30am we were back home and mum and dad had taken over so I was now finally finished for Christmas. I went to give blood at 10am which was surprisingly very busy so it was lunchtime by the time I got home. I spent a pleasant half hour watching the end of the film Suspicion with Joan Fontaine and Cary Grant and then we went to the pub for lunch.

The pub was busy with a great atmosphere and we had a lovely lunch. It was heavenly to get home, put our feet up and watch some television to let our lunch digest!

The rest of the day has been very relaxed and after the children went to bed I filled their stockings with some little presents I bought yesterday. They might not believe in Santa Claus but they'll be surprised when they get up in the morning to their extra treats!

Happy Christmas!

Christmas Eve's Eve

We know it's almost Christmas in our house when it's Christmas Eve's Eve, so the excitement is building. I was up early this morning as last night, just before dropping off to sleep, I suddenly remembered I hadn't locked our storage unit at work...All night I worried that our petrol lawn mower would be stolen, or worse, the thieves would douse the contents of the unit in petrol and then set fire to it, which would, in turn, set alight the unit next to it which we rent out to someone who restores old cars and then the resulting inferno would set the unit on the end ablaze. The people who rent this from us would have no insurance so would sue us, which would see us bankrupt, destitute and living on the street in cardboard boxes...

Needless to say when I drove into the car park this morning, my heart in my mouth, the place was untouched. Sometimes I think it's a good idea to have a vivid imagination, sometimes not...

The rest of the day passed smoothly. I am now in possession of a 14 pound turkey which is sitting snugly in our outside fridge, surrounded by bottles of beer. Keith's favourite tipple is on special in Tesco at the moment and he can't pass the aisle without buying some, chuckling away at the pennies he's saving.

So now I'm all set for the big day! All the presents have been bought, the food is all stored safely away (including the Brussels sprouts) and my favourite day, Christmas Eve, is tomorrow. I'm off work until next Tuesday but do have to do one thing in the morning which is go and give blood. I'm really, really hoping that instead of biscuits, there'll be mince pies to build up our strength before we go and celebrate!

White Christmas anyone?

White Christmasses are all very well if you don't have to venture out into them, you're able to sit at home with something warm and tasty and just gaze out at the view...Who wanted it to snow???

When I woke up this morning to a white world I had one thought...I had to get into work to do the wages or else no-one would be paid before Christmas. I called mum and dad at 7.15am and they said they'd come and pick me up to take me into work. It wasn't too deep, but living out in the sticks, I wasn't sure how the roads would be.

As it turned out, they were OK. A bit slushy in places and it would have been foolhardy to drive along at speed and brake suddenly but we made it OK. Our car park was about 4-5 inches deep so after opening up Dad and I went out with the snow shovels and cleared most of it away from the main door and put some salt down. We were very quiet. We had people in but we were much quieter than normal, which is only to be expected in this sort of weather. At lunchtime, I took mum over to her doctor's surgery as she had booked her flu jab. The plan was to drop her off, go to the bank and then pick her up again but the outside car park of the shopping centre had been closed...why? Elf 'n' safety, no doubt...

I dropped mum off and drove around fruitlessly for ten minutes stuck in interminable queues. Giving up on parking I returned to the surgery and found a parking space by some sort of miracle. After her flu jab, mum and I walked over to the bank and then took a deep breath and ventured into Tesco where it had obviously just been put out that the world was about to end and and everyone had to grab as much food and drink as possible to survive... The noise of crying babies and insistent carols in the background made me want to scream!

At 2.30pm we called it a day and drove home as yet more snow fell. It was sheer bliss to get home and be peaceful and quiet, watching the falling snow from the window, something warm and tasty in my hand...!

Winter Solstice

Today has been the shortest day but I still managed to pack a lot into it!

It snowed a little overnight but not enough to disrupt anything this morning so I was in early to do the cleaning, our regular cleaning lady not in on a Tuesday. We'd decided to drive down to Kent today to pick up Nan who was staying with my parents for Christmas, as the rest of the week looked a little iffy, weather-wise!

We had an OK journey down, the only problem being the outside lane of the M1 which hadn't been cleared completely of snow so it made overtaking a little hairy. At one point I went to overtake a coach, saw the compacted ice in the lane and thought better of it! In Kent, the snow was a lot deeper than at home and we escorted Nan from her flat to the car with a lot of care. We did not want a broken leg and a stay in hospital for Christmas!

The journey home was very good, except for the water being frozen at one of the motorway services. My screenwash had all gone so I had to go into the shop and buy a litre of mineral water to get us home! An expensive screenwash indeed!

In the evening Sue popped around to distribute presents and had a glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with me. I said it would be lovely as a refreshing drink in the summer and I thought back to the day (yes, there was one!) when it was so hot we didn't move from the table in the garden. It's difficult to imagine now!

Monday 20 December

It's been a very quiet start to the week with not much at all happening today. Maybe that's not a bad thing considering all the excitement that will take place at the end of the week!

Keith and I had an appointment with our building society this morning to discuss changes to our mortgage which will take place next year, but annoyingly we'd been double-booked and after a long and protracted chat about our home insurance we could no longer wait to see the mortgage advisor so it was all a bit of a waste of time. I'd far rather have been discussing the much more important mortgage, but there you go.

It was very,very cold today and the landscape was well and truly frozen. While Keith was at the pub I had a lovely hot bath and going back out in the sub-zero temperatures to pick him up was not pleasant!

Chilled out!

Today has been very relaxed. I had a lovely lie-in but if I hoped for snow when I woke up I was disappointed, although it was bitterly cold. We called in to see mum and dad after getting the Sunday papers and they were still recovering from their eight hour journey home from Milton Keynes yesterday. They eventually arrived home at 11pm after leaving the town at 3pm - normally a 45 minute journey. I really think this country needs to wake up to the fact that maybe winters like this will be a way of life and we need to keep the transport system clear no matter what. We must be the laughing stock of other countries who have weather far worse than we do.

After leaving mum and dad we popped to the pub for an hour to have a drink and book a table for tonight. It was lovely and quiet and with the fires lit and the decorations up it was very homely and cosy. Perfect on a cold winter's day!

Back home, even between doing some household chores, I did a bit more research on the family tree and filled in a couple of gaps. It just reminded me of how much I love looking up my relatives and how much I've missed it because of being so busy just lately. I really must make more time for some long country walks and doing the tree, things that really relax me.

Our meal at the pub was great and it was even more cosy than lunchtime as Ian the Landlord had drawn all the curtains and the fires were roaring away. We had a good meal and then it  was bliss to get home and loll about on the sofa!

Weather disappointment...

Last night was great. We ate some delicious food (we each contributed a course) and the wine flowed. My three friends went home at just after midnight so after doing the last of the washing up I sat and watched It's Complicated until 2.30am which was bliss.

Today has been very relaxed. I wrapped all my presents and then Keith and I went for a walk over the fields. It was bitterly cold but very pretty with the snow like icing sugar on the grass and hedges. We were out until way after sunset and while we were walking mum phoned to say that her and dad were well and truly stuck in Milton Keynes where they'd gone to do some shopping. Apparently it was snowing hard there and it took them two hours to drive about half a mile. We'd had a few snow flurries but it was dry for most of the day so I was amazed that the weather could be so different a few miles away.

As I write they have just reached the M1 which has taken them five hours. They had booked a table at a restaurant for 8pm (now cancelled) and Keith and I went to feed the cat so they didn't have to worry about him. They estimate they won't get home until after midnight as the M1 is at a standstill. This snow has been forecast since the early part of last week so it's disgraceful that we can't cope with the weather. What is going on?

I'm pretty disgruntled that we don't have any here. I would love to go for a long walk in the snowy fields but it's not to be. Obviously putting salt down on our car park yesterday (just in case) put the curse on getting any snow!

Entertaining

Tonight I have three friends coming around for dinner so the house is looking lovely with candles everywhere and my best china and glass out. Keith has really helped by preparing the main course (beef casserole) and doing the vegetables for me. We moved our dining table back into the conservatory and it'll stay like that until after Christmas now as I'm not moving it all back again for just a week!

Work has been better today. We solved a major problem in our Nursery by finding a temporary Nursery Nurse until the end of January. Our Nursery Manager left today for pastures new so it's put us in a bit of a quandary as we haven't yet managed to find a replacement for her and we needed another qualified member of staff to run one of the rooms. I must admit that I feel very relieved...that is until we receive the invoice for her!

It's been another cold day but no snow as yet. It's supposed to come here tomorrow so dad and I put down some salt on the car park so we wouldn't have a thick layer. But with Sod's Law, we'll probably have none at all now!

Thursday 16 December

There's not really a lot to say about today, to be honest. Work continues to be stressful at the moment and there are times when I dream of doing something completely different, something that the weather couldn't affect. At the moment I think it would be good to be holed up in a castle in Scotland with plenty to eat and drink, a bunch of good friends and just sit this weather out.

And talking of the weather, it did worsen through the day, the rain turning to snow in the afternoon when I went to pick the children up from school. Keith was meeting his mates from work so I was on taxi driver duty and when we went to pick him up from the pub at 5pm it was snowing heavily. There's lot more forecast for Saturday and at the moment, there couldn't be too much of it!

School concert

Tonight was Mikey's last ever school Christmas concert. This time next year he'll be at secondary school so the days of the Nativity play will be over. I didn't feel a twinge of sadness, though, just relief, if I'm honest. The children seem to spend so much time rehearsing and learning their lines that I do think their education suffers a little, even though it probably is part of the curriculum. The teachers always look stressed and most of the tinies in the front row (far too young for school in my opinion) just spend their time looking a bit dazed and confused albeit gorgeous in their angel costumes. All the parents and grandparents were squeezed onto teeny tiny chairs that made our bums go numb, straining to hear the words and follow the story.

For years now I've been saying that I'd love to see the Reception Year do the classic Nativity scene while the rest of the school sing carols (always brings a lump to my throat) and us parents can join in. Preferably while sipping some mulled wine in a church full of candles and twinkling lights on the last afternoon of term. Perfect! But no. We have to sit through some convoluted story that we can't make head nor tail of while our attention wanders to all the things that need doing at this busy time of year!

I always examine the costumes and thank goodness that Mikey hasn't been cast as a King or some weird character that involves a lot of sewing. One year the whole school had to wear Hawaiian clothes - try tracking down leis and brightly coloured shirts in the middle of December! Huh!

Tuesday 14 December

Today has been grey and depressing - the worst kind of gloomy winter weather. The news is full of the Arctic conditions on the way at the end of the week and the forecast for maybe a white Christmas this year. I won't hold my breath, though. Our part of the country looks set to miss it all as usual!

After work I picked up Sophie and Susie from school and then with mum, we headed off to Milton Keynes again for some shopping. I'm almost done now which is great - this year I've bought most of my presents in the traditional way rather than online. I just need to wrap them all now!

91 years young...

Today Mum and I went down to Kent to celebrate Nan's birthday. I really can't believe she's 91 - she looks more like a woman in her late 70s and is still independent, living on her own and keeps her flat spotlessly clean. I only hope I'm like that if I get to her age!

There was a lot going on at work this morning when we left - we were having some new carpet fitted, stainless steel splash boards installed in the kitchen and our handyman was cutting perspex sheets so it was great to escape and leave poor Dad to it. He told us later that there was a big mess so no doubt we'll have to tackle that tomorrow morning!

It took us two hours to get to Dartford which wasn't bad and after a quick coffee we left for the Harvester Restaurant in my uncle's car. It was lovely to not have to drive, even though it wasn't far! Amazingly, for a Monday lunchtime, the pub was heaving and we were told there would be a short wait, so we went to get a drink but before we were served, smoke started billowing out of the fireplace! The pub was very cold and the Landlord had obviously decided to light the fire to warm things up a bit, but the flues were blocked. The weirdest thing is that no-one moved, even when (after a long interval) the fire alarms started. We could see what was happening, but people further into the restaurant must have wondered where the smoke was coming from, but did nothing!

I must admit I prefer to eat smoked food rather than be smoked myself, but after a lot of flapping with papers, the smoke was blown away and we were told by our waitress that our wait would now be an hour or more as the alarms had shut down the kitchen! Luckily, as we finished our drinks and prepared to leave to try our luck elsewhere, things improved and we were able to go through and help ourselves to the salad bar, the only good thing about Harvester restaurants...

Our meal was not the best I've ever had. Three of us had starters (breaded mushrooms and crispy King Prawns) and then we all chose the turkey (why? I had to ask myself afterwards...) The turkey was OK, but the vegetables were obviously re-heated from frozen and the Brussels sprouts could have been used as ammunition. Plus there were about 100 on my plate as well as the same number of sliced carrots, two of my least favourite veg... The roast potatoes were an insult to potatoes and the stuffing looked like it had dropped out of the back of some large animal with a digestive problem...

By now the four of us were slowly going blue from the Arctic temperature and mum surreptitiously went over to feel a radiator. It was stone cold. We paid our bill and fled back to the warmth of Nan's flat.

The journey home took three hours. Everything was going OK until an accident stopped us in our tracks on the M1 near Luton (not us...someone else) and I arrived at the pub at 7.30pm just in time to take Keith home!

A blur of fur!

This morning Keith and I were up early, enjoying a coffee in the quiet before the children awoke. I always go straight into the kitchen and before I've even reached for the keys to unlock the back door I can hear the cats miaowing as they can hear us moving about. Last night was a bit chilly again and they both shot through the door in a "blur of fur"! I leave the garage door open for them at night but they'd much rather be in the warm in the house than outside, I'm sure!

It's been a bit colder today but after a lovely sunny start, the sky turned to grey, lumpy clouds. We went for the papers and on the way home met our neighbour, Gill, who was out on her bike and looking a bit chilled. She told me that the "bus stop mums" meal on Friday was not very good so I was glad I didn't go. Our (other) local pub is obviously not doing a good job and the room they were in was freezing so I'm mightily glad I stayed at home curled up on the sofa with a glass of wine!

Mikey was at a Birthday party in the afternoon painting pots at a local Garden Centre. Mum and I went with him and planned on mooching about while he was creating. I had to buy some more tree lights as the ones I bought yesterday went wrong this morning when we unplugged them...oh well!

We wandered about and then made a quick trip to Boots to get Nan some perfume for her birthday tomorrow. On our return to the pot painting place Mikey was having a whale of a time with his goody bag contents which included an exploding ice-cream cornet. Less said about that the better!

OK - for Rick of Life101, photos of our trees...don't laugh at our new slimline tree. It's supposed to look like that! :)

Our silver/pink/lilac tree...

Our new skinny tree...

I can see a gap - must get it filled!

I'd love to have a real tree in the house but it's too warm, especially in the window where we have a radiator. I did put some lights on our real one by the front door to make up for the two artificial ones we have!

Merry Christmas!

The hunt for the perfect pub, Part 2

After a very lazy start to the day (it was heaven!) we went to The Red Lion at Thornby for lunch. This was another contender for the perfect pub and we had fond memories of visiting it years ago when there used to be a huge Great Dane in residence.

Our first impressions weren't great as there was a lingering toilet smell as we walked in, but the inside of the pub hadn't changed much since we were last there: lots of low beams, brasses, pottery, vases of flowers and plants, a log fire (unlit) and some squashy leather chairs. Keith wasn't too happy with the beer selection, though, as there were no strong beers so this was a disappointment for him.

The man behind the bar was very friendly and took our order for food: sausages and mash, battered haddock, chicken risotto and steak and ale pie. The food was very good. Keith said his fish wasn't as good as our local but the chips were homemade and Mikey ate every scrap of his pie. I'm not sure Sophie was keen on her risotto (I did warn her about the spinach) but the meals were plentiful and well-cooked. Three of us found room for pud (I love having my main meal at lunchtime!) and I had a delicious coffee afterwards, something I can never do at night as it keeps me awake!

So is this the perfect pub? In a word, no. The beers were the one big drawback and the Landlord explained that they don't do strong beers as they are right on the main road through the village. At night I should imagine it would be very cosy with the log fire but I can't see us going back.

We dropped the boys off at home and Soph and I drove over to Tesco as Mikey is at a Birthday Party tomorrow and, of course, it was down to me to buy the present and card for his friend. I also needed cards for my Nan who will be 91 on Monday and I wanted to get another artificial tree for the living room. Tesco was manic as usual and we beat a hasty retreat to Focus where we managed to get a 6ft tree and some lights for under £20!

Back home at last, we decorated the new tree with my "Scandanavian" decorations, little wooden figures that I bought at a Christmas Market in Arras a couple of years ago. It all looked very pretty and I think we are finally done!

Presents en masse...

We have a couple of Christmas parties this year at work so mum and I played Santa today and bought lots of presents. It's no easy task and I don't envy Father Christmas at all! Our age range was babies to about 4 years and a lot of gifts weren't suitable for the under 3s because of the choking hazard so it makes it doubly difficult to buy something appropriate for their age, that's within budget and is in stock! Luckily we managed it fairly easily today as little books are always a great present and are totally safe and educational too!

The weather has been grey and dismal today - how I prefer the bright blue skies and frozen trees so maybe I'm not fed up with the cold after all! It reached the dizzy heights of 9 degrees so the layers were peeled off and the dirty car was finally put through the carwash, along with a lot of others!

Stressed? Me?

I think I'm officially fed up with the cold now. Today was a touch milder but still chilly, despite the sun that shone for most of the day. Mum and I went back to Milton Keynes at lunchtime (perhaps not the best time to go!) and we planned on collecting the hamper and then maybe grabbing some lunch, but I couldn't get parked and the pick up point outside M&S was like a rugby scrum! Hugely stressful!!!

We turned tail and went back to Northampton lamenting how busy everything was and it's only the 9th! Imagine what things would be like in the week before Christmas! Huh!

I was at work until late as Sophie was working so I busied myself with lots of important things (sending out Christmas cards) and the time flew by. I wanted to get the car washed on the way home as it's now way past just dirty but it was late and I couldn't be bothered to stop at the garage and put it through the carwash. I saw one car today that was so filthy the number plate was obscured. Isn't that illegal? If I do see any clean cars they stick out like sore thumbs and look a bit weird!

Late night shopping

Yesterday, after work, Mum, Soph and I went late night shopping in Milton Keynes. It was heavenly as the place was almost deserted and we were able to wander around and browse without being constantly pushed and shoved by other shoppers. I have done very little shopping online this Christmas and it was great to get things I wanted there and then rather than having to wait. I would avoid Milton Keynes like the plague at the weekends at this time of year but having the shops open until 9pm was wonderful!

Sophie bought lots of little presents for her friends and Mum and I went and chose a hamper for Nan in M&S. As it was quite late they were unable to make it up for us before they closed so we'll need to go back on Thursday to collect it. Another opportunity for a shop!

We were undecided as to where to eat. I was tempted by Cafe Rouge but the only dish Soph fancied had garlic in it and she refuses to eat garlic in the week in case she reeks of it at school the next day! We had a look at Wagamama's but were put off by the seating so we ended up at Giraffe which was almost empty. We had a very pleasant meal, served by a friendly waiter and then ambled off back to the car, stopping to browse a bit more in John Lewis on the way!

Winter Wonderland!

I have never seen the local landscape looking as beautiful as I did today. The fields, hedges, verges and trees were completely covered in a hard frost and against the blue sky, they looked gorgeous. Driving to work I wished so much I could stop and take photos, but it wasn't to be. The temperature had dropped overnight to around -9 to -10 degrees, the coldest I've ever seen in this part of the UK!

There was a slight delay in taking the inflatable to Hinckley as the van hire company we'd contacted yesterday let us down. I called another company and they had a transit they could hire us so I sped home, picked up Keith and we drove to Wellingborough to pick up our van. Back at work we waited for our neighbour to get back to his office so we could use him and his fork-lift truck to manoeuvre the bouncy castle into the back of the van, which was a hard process! We first had to clear some of the play area and then the fork -lift truck drove in, much to the delight of some little boys who watched round-eyed in wonder! Keith, my Dad and our neighbour somehow managed to manhandle it onto the bars of the fork-lift truck and then stuffed it into the back of the van!

Keith and I set off, ably helped by Gladys (mum and dad's SatNav) and we were in Hinckley by 1pm. The monstrosity was unloaded and then we headed back into the frozen landscape, gazing in awe at the beauty of the fields and woods. I loved driving the van - it was a bit larger than the people carrier we hired last year in Florida and I loved being up so high. It was extremely easy to drive and I handed the keys back with a touch of sadness. Back in my own car, I felt like I was about an inch off the road! A very strange feeling!

The temperatures rose slightly through the day but tonight looks like it's going to be another freezing cold evening. I did manage to take a photo of the trees in our car park this morning - nothing like I wanted to take, but better than nothing!

Freezing frosty fog!

Today has been freezing! All the trees and fields were coated in a thick layer of frost as I drove to work and again, I really wished I'd had the time to stop and take some photographs. It was beautiful. The cold clear weather gave way to a foggy afternoon and evening and the temperature dropped to -5. Brrr!

Keith had a hospital appointment today for his hip so I picked up both children and took them back to work. We didn't get around to much cleaning at all today but we did roll up one of the inflatables that has to go away for repair. We had planned on putting it in the back of Dad's Mondeo but there was no way it would fit so we've hired a van for tomorrow to take it up to Hinckley in Leicestershire and guess who's driving? Yes, me! Keith is coming with me so I just hope the weather improves a little tomorrow! I really don't want snow!

In the evening I was coerced into making some mulled wine which turned out to be delicious. I bought a sachet of spices on Saturday at Beckworth Emporium and added it to a bottle of French red and some sugar. After heating it gently I let all the wonderful flavours infuse for half an hour and then poured a glass. It was yum!

Christmas activities

Today has seen a slight rise in temperatures to 4 degrees which was positively balmy! It rained heavily last night so most of the snow has gone but we've had brilliant sunshine for most of the day which is lovely but it does make it hazardous for driving!

I managed to pick up Sophie's camera today from Tesco Direct and I also bought some wine with our Clubcard vouchers. Tesco have some great deals on at the moment and by carefully choosing wines on offer I managed to get eight lovely reds and two bottles of Keith's beer for just over £48! I'm in love with the Redwood Creek Merlot at the moment and as we opened our last bottle with dinner last night, I bought three of those, three bottles of Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon and a bottle each of the Turning Leaf Pinot Noir and Cab. Sauv which were two for £10.

The afternoon was spent decorating our little tree in front of the house with some fairy lights and writing out Christmas cards with a glass of whisky mac to soothe the way!

Village affairs

Our phone line still hasn’t been fixed so at the moment I’m using a Vodafone dongle to get online, but it’s very unreliable and extremely slow! It's driving me MAD!!! Roll on Monday when it should be back to normal. The excuse I was given when I called BT was that the engineers were unable to work because of the weather. How did I know I was going to hear that?

First thing this morning we went out for breakfast. I was awake at 6am and suggested to Keith we go out for something to eat, a decision not influenced in any way by Twin Peaks where they are all coffee freaks! Funnily enough Sophie and I watched an episode before we went out and two of the characters were enjoying pancakes, muffins and “damn fine coffee”!

We really should have gone to Buddies but we went to a local Little Chef instead and had a very good breakfast. Keith was delighted to find kippers on the menu as things have certainly changed since Heston Blumenthal took charge! Everything had a posh name and was organically farmed with prices to match but the children raved about their sausage sandwiches and the food was very good and well cooked. Oh, and the coffee was great as well!

After breakfast we drove to work where I picked up the dongle and checked various important things on the internet, such as the National Lottery, and no…we didn’t win anything although we did win £100 on the Premium Bonds so that will come in handy this month with all the repairs we need doing!

In the afternoon we walked to the village to meet mum and to go to the opening of our new village hall. It was a huge improvement on the old one which resembled a Nissen hut and the great and good were wandering around, sipping Cava and eating a lovely buffet. The children managed to stuff their faces before we left for the next event, the school bazaar, which was absolute bedlam. Michael bought about eight jam jars filled with sweets and won a photo calendar on the tombola. Needless to say I didn’t win anything!

We dropped mum back off at home before Soph and I went to Beckworth Emporium. It was heaving with people and the car park was full, probably because of the ice skating rink which was doing a great job of attracting people in the lead-up to Christmas. Sophie and I wandered around their food hall, amazed at the amount of things for sale and having a good look at what others were buying, some of it complete tat!

I was persuaded to buy some gorgeous bread, a tray of mince pies and some chocolate before we left and headed home in the dusk drizzle. It’s been marginally milder today and at one point we reached the dizzy heights of 3 degrees!

Back home we put up the Christmas tree, this year in the conservatory. Its normal home in the window prevents me from watching the TV in my normal spot on the sofa and we can’t draw the curtains and be cosy, so I suggested putting it in the conservatory where there’s more room. The children went to town with the decorating and by the time night had fallen the house was ablaze with lights!

Another bitterly cold day...

I'm not sure I'll be able to write this at home tonight so here it is, now. It's been a busy day at work, catching up on things that needed doing and I was pleased I was able to get so much done. It's been another very, very cold day with horrible grey cloud that threatened snow but didn't deliver.

I am so looking forward to getting home tonight and maybe having a hot bath, but this week, things haven't quite turned out as expected, so I'm not getting my hopes up, just in case!

Thursday 2 December

I was off from work today and acting as taxi driver as Keith was supposed to be meeting some ex-work colleagues for his bi-annual drink in Northampton. However when the snow arrived it was postponed as one of his mates lives down in Slough and he didn't fancy getting stuck in Northampton!

It snowed until about 10am and then the sun came out, much to the disgust of Sophie who had been on the verge of being sent home from school if it continued for another hour! Keith and I pottered about the house doing some jobs then we drove into work so we could use the internet for ten minutes. Our phone line is still down so therefore no internet at home which is now very annoying. On the way back home we called into the pub for an hour for a drink and a sandwich and it was pleasantly busy which made for a lovely atmosphere on a cold and chilly December day!

Keith and I both went to pick up the wee ones from school and listened to the news about our World Cup bid. We were both very disappointed and angry when it went to Russia and horrified to learn that England only had two votes. Some foul play there, I think.

Back home we drew the curtains on a very cold day and snuggled up in front of the television!

The last month...

So, this is it...December already and almost a year of keeping up with this blog which I have enjoyed so much. I fully intend to carry on next year...and all the years after that, hopefully!

The weather continues to be very cold with snow almost everywhere except here, which has not pleased the children who yearn for a "Snow Day"! Last night we went to see another Clairvoyant in Kettering who was supposed to be very good, but the word "Charlatan" came to mind almost immediately. I went with mum and dad who were equally unimpressed! He was very vague and said things that could have fit almost anybody. Sadly, there were a lot of women there who were very emotional and I felt quite uncomfortable as I was sure he was not genuine, despite accolades from the media (Jane MacDonald in particular) and having written three books. If I ever decide to see another medium in the future I will stick to a one-to-one session from a registered list, as I did before.

Our phone line at home is now completely dead, but I did get a text from BT to say they aim to have it fixed before Saturday, so we're keeping our fingers crossed. My car is now fixed and at a reasonable cost as well, not the hundreds and hundreds I was dreading!

Snow!

We've had snow here this morning but it hasn't stopped us opening at work (we have one customer in so far) and we put down a lot of salt by the entrance to stop people falling over.

The phone line at home is down so I'm writing this today as I doubt I'll be able to write anything tonight.

Have fun in the snow!

Monday madness...

I think it's started already, the Christmas frenzy. Mum and I made our daily trip to the shopping centre to go to the bank and the queues to park were horrendous. It may have had something to do with the snow forecast for tomorrow, but the place was a complete madhouse! Arrrggghhh! It was certainly "dog eat dog" with no thought for the goodwill of others at all!

Back at work we got out all the Christmas decorations but it was too late to finish it all so we'll leave it for the rest of the week. The way I see it is that it's not December yet!

My car is currently languishing at the garage awaiting repair. Keith popped into work mid-morning with Mikey's main Christmas present and we went home together to drop the car off. It was fearsomely cold. I put my winter coat over the top of my work fleece to just get a bit warmer.

I forgot to say the other day that the camera I ordered for Sophie arrived in damaged packaging so it was swiftly sent back. Curry's called today to say they had received it and to arrange a replacement. However, while I was off battling the crowds at the bank they rang again to say it was out of stock and couldn't guarantee delivery for Christmas...Agggh! Luckily Tesco also had it so I've arranged to pick it up from the local store. I don't trust delivery drivers any more!

In the evening as the biting winds intensified, we moved the dining table back into the dining room proper. The conservatory is just too cold to use at the moment and it was very cosy when Sue came around for a drink and a chat. Will it snow properly tomorrow? We'll just have to wait and see!

The best laid plans...

Today has been a disaster. Someone who shall remain nameless (but is female and a stroppy teenager) suggested a day in London today and I thought it was a great idea to see the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park as there was talk of mulled wine and German Bratwurst! Yum! It would mean fresh air and exercise and promised to be a great day.

We set off in the freezing cold and treated the wee ones to a MacDonald's breakfast and then made another stop to buy some screenwash as mine was frozen solid. For a change we decided to go down the M40 and into London that way, thus avoiding the roadworks on the M1. Half way along the M40, the heating packed up. This was a bit worrying and came hot on the heels of a strange noise coming from the front vents on the dashboard. We pushed on and Keith told me to keep an eye on the temperature, which I did.

However, on the A40 (we went wrong somehow as the last time we came this way home, I'm sure we went on the M4 and the M25) the temperature gauge suddenly shot up and my coolant warning light came on. Luckily we were right next to a bus stop, so I pulled in just as a load of steam erupted from the bonnet...

Keith went to investigate and shot me a look of absolute despair. It was clear we were going nowhere fast. We topped up the radiator with water but when we switched the engine back on, the warning light flashed up again. I thanked my lucky stars for my AA breakdown cover but getting through to them proved a wee bit difficult. Every time I called them the number was engaged. Keith and Mikey went off in search of more water but came back empty handed while I tried again and again to get through to the AA. I later found out that on an average Sunday they get 300-400 calls, while today they had over 4,500 due to the weather!

On my fifth attempt I managed to get through and was told a mechanic would be out within two hours. Amazingly, within ten minutes he arrived but it was clear that our fault was not repairable (a split water hose) and we would have to be taken home. The most annoying thing is that in September the AA wrote to me offering an upgrade to Relay for just £10 and I forgot to do it, but when I upgraded at the roadside it cost me £114!  Ho hum!! A lesson learnt there, I think!

I have to say our mechanic was brilliant. As we were by the side of a very busy road he suggested we follow him around the corner to a MacDonalds where we could get a cup of tea and wait in the warm for the recovery van. He filled the radiator with water and Keith followed him the short distance to the restaurant.

Within the hour, I had a text saying the recovery driver was waiting outside for us so we hastily gathered up our things and went outside to meet him...only he wasn't there. He was at a Macdonalds four miles away! Now four miles in London is a long way, especially on a busy Sunday afternoon. I gave him details of where we were as the office had given him the wrong address and by the time he reached us he told us he was almost out of driving time. We managed to get to the London Gateway Services where he had no choice but to stop for 45 minutes to take a break. He then took us onto Toddington Services where we waited three hours for our next recovery man.

Motorway service stations are depressing places at the best of times, but when you have no choice but to wander around they are even worse! We had a hot drink, used the facilities and then went back to the car, only to be told the driver had been delayed by the traffic. We had a walk over to the southbound services, had a snack and then wandered back to sit in the freezing cold car and await our saviour. By 8pm we were on our way home, but another two stranded drivers were also wondering where their vans were and I think we were very lucky to have had to wait just the three hours.

We were home at 9pm and never has a whisky Mac tasted so good!

Christmas shopping

Well, I suppose I had to mention it sooner or later, didn't I? It's been very Christmassy here today with a fall of snow this morning and a plan to go to the village Christmas Bazaar in the afternoon. However, when Keith and I popped out this morning to get the newspapers, we noticed the bazaar was on from 10.30am-1.30pm... As it was 11am and we hadn't even had breakfast I gave up on the idea of going so late in the day (all the homemade cakes would have long gone) so I suggested a trip to Market Harborough instead with mum and Sophie.

Market Harborough is one of the rare towns that actually has individual little shops alongside some of the more well-known faces in the High Street. We spent a good while in New Look while Sophie tried on some tops and we persuaded her to buy a fur coat and a wonderful hat that she looked ravishing in. But she was having none of it and knew exactly what she did and didn't want!

She then dragged us into Monsoon and spent some of her Nan's money on jewellery. I gazed at the gorgeous children's clothes in there and thought back to when she was a baby and would wear anything I put her in with a huge toothy grin. Alas, no more!

I made an early start and bought my Christmas cards - this year I've cut right back on cards to send, preferring instead to send e-cards from Jacqui Lawson's wonderful site, but I do send cards to family members scattered around the country that we don't see very often. I was astonished to see Christmas cards to family pets - "To the family cats...we hope you have a purrrfect Christmas" - I mean...really! Who buys these things?? There were also cards to the Childminder and the Classroom Assistant! Is it really necessary?!!

By now we were a bit cold and hungry so we had coffee and cakes in Emerson's, a lovely old-fashioned tearoom above their delicatessen which was stuffed full of lovely things to eat. We resisted temptation and explored the tiny side streets full of individual clothes shops, cookshops and a great little garden shop where I bought some decorations for the tree, a seed hanging treat for our wild birds and a smelly candle.

Our last shop was my favourite...Duncan's fab wine shop where I used to work. It was very busy as he had the last tasting of the year going on, a selection of Madeira wine that were going down very well with the customers! I bought a couple of bottles of beer for Keith - Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale - and was then expertly sold a very special bottle of 10 year old Vouvray from the Loire Valley in France and a South African Chenin Blanc by Nick. Our next wine evening at the end of January will feature this white grape and it will be interesting to compare how it tastes from such different regions. However, the Vouvray is mine...all mine!!!

We staggered back to the car with all our purchases and drove home in the growing dusk, the fields and woods looking beautiful with their light dusting of snow!

Friday 26 November

A cold, sunny day dawned and mum and I spent our first few minutes at work transporting heavy, freezing cold bags of salt over to one of our storage units. Baca had delivered 15 bags instead of 5 and already our resident crows had been pecking at them, which must have been a salty shock on their beaks!

Although it stayed very cold, around -1 degrees, we didn't get any snow and it was a relief to get home in the evening and get warm. Keith had very kindly bought me a bottle of whisky and a bottle of Stones Ginger Wine as he knows I love a whisky mac or two when the weather is freezing! That should keep me warm over the next few days!

First snow!

Not a huge amount, but a very light dusting which made everything look pretty! The news is full of the "big freeze" so it's bound to be an anti-climax. In the afternoon, mum and I popped around to BACA for some salt to sprinkle on the car park should we have a white-out. They still have loads left after all the stocks they had delivered earlier in the year - remember all the lorries lined up in our car park?!! They were good enough to deliver five bags so at least we didn't have to stagger to the car with them!

Work has been a bit stressful today - would you belive our lease still hasn't been signed and mum and I had to restrain Dad from saying something he would later regret to the Landlord's agent today. There are times when we'd love to just walk away from the building and find somewhere new but it's almost impossible so we have to soldier on and hope that things will get sorted soon.

On a lighter note, it's Friday tomorrow!!

Snow is forecast...

The country is bracing itself for a cold snap and as I write I'm sure it's snowing somewhere in the country, most probably the north and Scotland! I'm torn in two over the prospect of snow. One half of me would love to see a covering of the white stuff, the other half is apprehensive about what it does to the business and last winter's freeze is still fresh in my memory along with the disruption it caused. I really don't want to be shovelling snow in our car park on Saturday morning!

It has been a beautiful day though - what I call a "grey and blue day" - the clouds heavy and ominous and an orange tint on the horizon as early at 3pm this afternoon. The temperature dropped as I took Keith home from work and the children are excited about the forecast. We'll see what happens...this part of the country normally escapes the worst of the weather so I'm not getting worked up, either way!

Sunrise this morning

My view this morning...

Mrs Angry

I went back to work today feeling much better after a good night's sleep. I was in a great mood until I walked into the office and found that my darling mum had cleaned up my desk...She'd also stuck a big box behind my chair (why?) and had thrown out something important...

When I went down to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, they'd switched the coffee machine off so I had to wait until it warmed itself up. All very minor things in hindsight but enough to get me doing a very good impression of Victor Meldrew on speed. Of course, when they innocently walked into work half an hour later I gave them the big guns so the day didn't really get off to a good start. Then I found out that the beautiful Jacqui Lawson advent calendar I'd sent to them on Friday had been - "no idea how, it wasn't me!" - deleted and was missing from the deleted email folder. Cue more shouting and storming around the office!

Sometimes my parents have to put up with a lot from me as I can be very impatient and intolerant at times and today wasn't one of my best...I did try to make it up to mum by asking if she wanted a mince pie but she turned me down. Ho hum!

Sophie has been off from school today and is currently mooning about the house with a nose the colour of Rudolph (she's reading this) but tomorrow I think she can definitely go back to school, red nose or not!

Monday 22 November

When I woke up this morning I felt tired and horrible so I took the day off, although I felt very guilty about it! It's been ages since I've had time off sick, though, and the time spent lolling about was very beneficial. I think every now and again it doesn't hurt to take time out.

The day was obviously spent quietly and I'm not sure I'd want to be at home every day! In the evening, Sue came around for a glass of wine and we had a good chat over a bottle of Chenin Blanc and some popcorn. Time spent having a good chinwag is also very beneficial!

Lazy Sunday

Sunday was a very lazy day but I was determined not to feel guilty about being such a sloth! I thought it would be good to try and shake off this wretched cold that Mikey has given us and I do hope this isn't going to be the pattern for the winter as normally I don't catch colds!

The weather was slightly better than Saturday and it did brighten up briefly. I planned on going for a walk but by 3pm it was dark and gloomy again so I put it off and just sank deeper into the sofa with my tissues! I did a far amount of research on my family tree which is proving to be completely engrossing!

Writer's Block!

Last night I sat down to write this and just couldn't come up with anything to write, even though I had lots to say! It was a bit ironic seeing as I'd just completed a course on writing! After three attempts to write something interesting about Friday, I gave up and went and watched Twin Peaks instead which is being repeated on one of the Sky Horror channels. I was a big fan of the cult series the first time around and it's still just as good and weird as it was in the late 80s.

Yesterday evening was the perfect time to watch something like Twin Peaks. We had fog all day - a real misty, damp and grey November day that was a hangover from the weather the previous day, although we did have a glimpse of sun on Friday afternoon.

I had booked to go on a course yesterday at a school in Kettering and if I'm honest, really didn't want to go. Both Keith and I have colds again (although his is far worse than mine, he's definitely got man-flu) and all I wanted to do was curl up on the sofa and do very little. But I forced myself to go and I was very glad I did as the course was extremely helpful and the little group of us got on really well.

First of all, though, I thought it had been cancelled as when Keith dropped me off at Reception the doors were locked. A little man appeared and told me that the course was in a different building and showed me the way. I was a little alarmed as I followed him off up the road, but Keith drove along behind me and all was well when I found our alloted classroom for the day. The course was led by a lovely woman called Jane Hill who has had three novels published. There was only one other lady in the classroom but slowly another four people managed to find us even though there should have been twelve of us in total.

It was great to have a few hours to concentrate on something other than work or family and I learned a lot about the structure of a novel, plot points, planning and then the difficult business of getting the thing published. I plan to re-write the novel I've already written called Staring at the Sun and at the end of the day I could see how to streamline it and take some of the silly plots out that are in the original story.

We had a very relaxing evening, a delicious beef casserole for dinner and the last episode of the drama, The Pillars of the Earth which finally came to its dramatic conclusion! 

In search of the perfect pub

Today has been a bit stressy at work so when I got home I suggested to Keith that we slip out for a drink for an hour. The other week I was talking about finding my perfect pub so I thought tonight we could make a start. But what makes my perfect pub?

I've been to two pubs in the past which have come very close - a very old inn just off the M20 in Kent and not far from Maidstone. We called in once on the way back from a day trip to France and I remember stone-flagged floors, low beams and log fires. The other is the The Falkland Arms at Great Tew where we went with friends a few years back. Both pubs served real ales and were friendly and welcoming.

It's a hard job, but somebody has to do it so we set off into the dark and misty night to The Tollemache Arms at Harrington.  My perfect pub has to have:

Age - at least 16th or 17h century with a thatch if possible - the older the better
A real log or coal fire(s) - the more the merrier
Low wooden beams
Stone-flagged floors
A complete absence of piped or loud music
Real ales and a good choice of wine
Friendly welcoming staff
Friendly customers - not pompous prats
A dog lolling by the fire would be ideal, if not I'll accept a cat
Candlelit tables
Comfortable chairs - squashy sofas would be ideal and if they're mismatched so much the better
Good food at reasonable prices, ideally without things on a bed of pureed mash and accompanied by a jus

Cosy - not too smart or posh
No fruit machines or loud games with flashing lights

The Tollemache Arms did reasonably well. I ticked off a thatched roof, log fires, low beams, and the stone-flagged floors. Also present was the friendly Landlord, real ale (even if Keith isn't keen on Charles Wells Bombardier). It was cosy and welcoming and even though we didn't eat there, we saw it was a runner up for some Good Food award, so that looked promising. Harrington is a fairly remote village of thatched houses and is far enough away from main roads to make it nice and quiet. There were no fruit machines, only a skittles tables in the main entrance so that was fine.

There was however music playing, although not obtrusively, and two pompous prats having a conversation about the price of Ferrari tyres which spoiled things a bit so I'll deduct a few points for that. And there was no animal at all, so that's another point off. Overall I gave the pub 6/10 so not bad for a start!

On the way home we became completely lost, which was hilarious seeing as we were about 5 miles from home. I went a different way to the outward journey and we ended up on the narrowest single track road with no road signs at all and utter darkness. It could only happen to us!

Some favourite summery photos...

 

 

St Ives, Cornwall

St Ives, Cornwall

Mallorca

 

 

Puerto Pollensa, Mallorca

Puerto Pollensa, Mallorca

Mikey, aged about 15 months, Paros, Greece

Paros, Greece

Dark days of November

Today has been a real dark, gloomy day, the sort of day that gives winter a bad name. Keith and I were in together at work and he sorted out yet another blocked toilet. I suppose kids and loo paper don't mix so we'll always be at the mercy of blocked drains!

We both managed to lose each other in Tesco's...I said I'd meet him by the flower stall but he misunderstood me and thought I said I'd find him in the household section where he went in search of caustic soda. We must have stood waiting for each other for a good 15 minutes and there were a few cross words when we eventually reunited over the roses!

After work I dragged him back out into the cold, damp chilly air to find a school in Kettering where I'm going to on Saturday for a day's Adult Education course. I will learn How to Write a Novel, presumably in a better way than the one I've already written, which is pants!

Life's too short to drink bad wine...

On our regular jaunts to France we only ever buy French wine as I feel bad buying foreign wines on French soil. The other week I treated myself to six bottles of Redwood Creek Merlot from the US and six bottles of Ocean's Edge Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand to pad out our sorry looking wine rack. We still have a few bottles of red hanging in there from France and I opened one tonight, a Southern wine that looked as if it might be OK.

I decanted it into a jug (which looked remarkably like a container for a very large sample!) and let it breathe for a while, sloshing it around every now and then to release all those - hopefully - lovely aromas. When I took a mouthful, Keith knew at once how I felt about it - it was horrible. I think that over the years my palate has changed and I love all the gorgeous tastes and smells you get from New World wines, such as the US, South America, South Africa and Australia. I stuck with it for a while, but as my title says, life really is too short to drink something that you don't like. Keith thought it was acceptable (and it probably will be with a hearty meaty stew) so it's back in the kitchen and he can drink from it whenever he wants. There wasn't anything bad about the French red, it just tasted thin and bitter in comparison with some of the reds I've had lately, and that includes a wonderful red German wine which should be thin but certainly wasn't!

I have a theory that French wines are made to be drunk with food, whereas a lot of the New World wines are happy to be enjoyed on their own. It's amazing how a French wine will transform into something delicious when it has a partner!

Ooops!

I was a bit over-zealous with the cleaning at work today...

I thought it would be a good idea to try and dust the girders in the roof and all was going well until I sent a big puff of dust in front of one of our smoke detectors which set all the alarm bells ringing! Thinking that the Fire Brigade would be on their way (they're literally just around the corner!) I went into a mad panic and sent Dad off upstairs to turn the alarm off.

Luckily, when I rang the local Fire Brigade they weren't on their way and within a few minutes the awful wailing noise was silenced and all was back to normal. I did laugh half an hour later, though, when the Chubb maintenance man came in to do his six-month check! At least we knew the smoke detectors were working!

The weekend

Another weekend has flown by and it's Sunday evening. I've been able to spend some time on the family tree again, in between my other job as a taxi driver.

Yesterday flew over. Sophie and Susie had a great time at Pizza Hut before having a look around the shops in Kettering and then seeing Paranormal Activity 2 at the Odeon, which frightened them both to bits. We picked them up at 5pm and drove Susie home and then managed a very relaxing hour in the conservatory with a game of cards and a drink. I also managed, finally, to get Mikey's passport back from Sarah and Liam so that will be sent off on Monday.

Today the weather was dull and damp, very different from the sunshine of yesterday, and we drove over to Milton Keynes with mum in the afternoon for some shopping. It was very busy in the centre but we found a space in the car park after queuing for a while and then we braved the crowds in M&S for a coffee and the first mince pie of the season.

Sophie spent an age in New Look with mum while I had a browse in Waterstone's. When I went back to join them, Sophie had an armful of clothes but she still managed to con me out of £10 to buy an eyeshadow primer from a make-up range called Urban Decay in Debenhams! At her age I certainly wasn't spending money on make-up but she definitely knows what she wants and has far more expertise than me! We tried on some smellies so the scents in the car on the way home were very mixed!

It's getting dark now at about 4pm and we were treated to a beautiful sunset. The sky was layered in blues and pinks and I only wish I'd been able to stop and take a photo. It feels like it's getting colder again which suits me fine!

Musings on driving

There has been a bit of an argument raging over the last couple of days about driving. Luckily I drive a diesel car because if I didn't, I think I'd have to go out and sell my body on the streets (and that wouldn't get much!) as all I seem to do is fill the bloomin' thing up with fuel. I put between £30 and £40 of diesel in my car every week and I'm seriously thnking of getting a sign for the roof which says "Taxi".

On Thursday Sophie informed me that she was planning to go to Pizza Hut on Saturday with her friends. Fine, I thought, the nearest Pizza Hut is about 15 minutes away and as one of her friends lives practically next door, we could share lifts with her mum. Then she casually mentioned that she wanted to go to Sixfields, a huge out-of-town leisure complex that is 30 minutes drive away as they were thinking of going to the cinema, too! Well, I was sitting having a nice drink with hubby and I exploded. I'd already had to do most of her French homework as 24 years ago I studied the language and this was the last straw!

To cut a long story short, the argument has raged on for the last couple of days and the fact that I would be spending two hours in the car driving her to and from the cinema (the friend nearby dropped out of the arrangements - I wonder why?) doesn't seem to bother her one bit.

However, last night we came to a compromise and her friend is being dropped off here and I'm taking them to Kettering, thereby saving at least an hour in travelling time.

I used to love driving, but just lately it's become a pain. The whole country seems full of roadworks - even the village has temporary traffic lights! - and every stretch of road is lined with cones. I think it's mainly about resurfacing after the hard winter we had last year when the roads were littered with enormous potholes. I'm all for paying to use the motorways as they do in Europe. Last year in France we travelled 2,500 miles with not one single traffic jam and the privatised motorways were an absolute joy to drive on - smooth, fast and well-maintained. We should abolish road tax and have tolls instead. Simples!

Wild weather!

It's been another wild and windy day and as I write this, I can hear the boom outside as the wind whips through the trees and around the houses, rattling the windows and making me feel all safe and warm inside. I went out with mum today and we must have driven through the edges of a storm - all the leaves were flying about in a mad rush and the sky constantly changed from blue to black. It was very exhilarating!

I love this poem - I've no idea who wrote it as I first saw it carved onto some wood at Pitsford reservoir but it sums up today perfectly!

Calm weather is for calm souls
But the light that comes
Through the whirling trees
When the wind is high
Stirs the blood of the wild creatures
Who dance to the rhythm
And sing with the singing leaves

Lest We Forget...

Raw Emotion

Tuesday 9 November

Yesterday was mum's birthday and I wanted to get into work early to decorate her desk, but we all overslept! I dashed into work and rushed around blowing up balloons and putting a banner on her chair so she was thrilled when she walked in and saw her cards and presents.

I was feeling a little guilty as we were off to the WWE at the O2 in the evening but dad had arranged to take her out to her favourite restaurant so that had pleased her.

We left for the O2 and had a good journey down until we got to the Blackwall Tunnel which was a bit congested - only to be expected at rush hour, I suppose! Parking was easy and within minutes we were inside the O2 and looking for somewhere to eat. We chose Garfunkels this time and had an OK meal before queuing at the Merchandise stand to buy the children tee-shirts. The lines were horrendous and I can't imagine the amount of money they must have taken!

Our seats this time were closer to the Wrestling ring but almost at ground level so when the crowds around the ring stood up to see their heroes we had to stand as well! The event wasn't being televised and I felt it was flatter than last time - there was no famous host, no huge screen showing close-ups of what was happening and I have to admit to not being as entranced with it as I was before! Sophie loved it to bits and that was the main thing, but I think Mikey had trouble seeing what was going on which must have spoiled it for him a bit.

The event ended with a big fight between John Cena and some other bloke and then there was a mass exodus. We had one last drink in a bar to let the crowds disperse so it was almost 11pm when we finally drove out of the car-park. Everything was going well until we reached a huge traffic jam, unbelievable when you think it was so late at night. One of the main roads had been closed for roadworks so that held us up for about half an hour.

Further problems awaited us on the M11 as they'd closed the motorway between two junctions so it was a very, very late 1am when we finally drew up outside the house and breathed  a huge sigh of relief that we were home!

Day into night

Today has been horrible weather! I awoke to the sound of the wind and the rain beating against the window and it never stopped all day, making everything dark and gloomy and totally miserable!

Keith came into work with me today and helped us scrub the floors - always our favourite job! Dad was cleaning out all the extractor fans in the kitchen so we had a busy day and every time we opened the door, all the wet leaves blew in! It was yuk!

When I got home it was straight into the bath to get warm and a lazy evening followed. Tomorrow we're off to London to the O2 for the wrestling again so that's something to look forward to!

Mercy Mission

Yesterday my Nan was not well and I told Mum that if she was no better today, I'd be happy to go down to Kent with her. At around 8am mum phoned to say that Nan was still feeling poorly and she said that we'd both make the journey south to see her.

When we arrived Nan said she felt dizzy so we told her to rest and I went to the local shop to buy her some chicken soup which I always think is brilliant if you're not feeling well. Sure enough, after a bowl of soup, she felt a lot better and we think it was the tablets the doctor gave her yesterday that she'd taken on an empty stomach.
He said she has a viral infection of her inner ear which is causing the nausea and dizziness so hopefully tomorrow after a good night's sleep she'll be much better.

We stayed with her all day and left her feeling more like her old self. She'll be 91 next month but is as strong as an ox and I can see her living for a good few more years yet!

The journey to and from Kent was OK and I arrived home at 7pm to a glass of good white wine and the aromas of roast chicken. The temperature outside had dropped to about 3c on the way home and I think we're in for a frosty night!

Bonfire Night photos

We had a great time at the Firework display in the village, despite the cold and the muddy field! When we got back home our baked potatoes and burgers were very welcome!

Here are some photos I took!

 

 

Getting colder...

Today has been far busier than I anticipated. I tried to resist rushing around first thing and managed a leisurely breakfast with lots of coffee, but by 11am the fates had decided otherwise. Sophie was working for us today and had to be in at 12 o'clock and I suggested to Keith that on the way home we call into Homebase to look for a black-out blind for our room and a curtain pole for the front door as the hallway gets a bit chilly in the winter. He (no doubt thinking about all the sporting fixtures on in the afternoon) insisted we go to Homebase on the way to work so we had to rush to go and get ready when we could have had an extra hour lazing about!

Our search in Homebase was very disappointing. Our window needed a blind of just over 4ft or 5ft if we fixed it outside the recess of the window. Could we find one to fit? No, we couldn't. We would have had to buy a 6ft one and cut it and Keith wasn't prepared to do that in case he made a pig's ear of it. The 4ft one would have been too small so we gave up on that and went to look for curtain poles instead. This was also problematic as we couldn't have one with fancy bits on the end as that would mean there would be a gap on either side of the curtain to let the draught in....it was all very confusing.

Abandoning Homebase we drove to Focus but they had even less choice although the children did amuse themselves for a while playing with the plungers by sticking them to the floor and then laughing at the small farty sounds they made when they eventually pulled them off...then they had hysterics when they picked up a ballcock and asked Keith what it was... So, that's the Christmas presents sorted as no doubt plumbing implements will amuse them for hours!

We dropped Sophie off at work and went home but I was back out again within minutes to go and see Sarah next door to ask her to sign Mikey's passport application for me. It's been something we've been meaning to do for ages as his passport expires a few days after our holiday next April so we need to renew it before we go. Sarah and Liam invited me in for coffee and I had the most wonderful welcome from Max the dog who nearly wagged his tail off as we had cuddles. I do miss my walks with him! We had a good chat and it was 2.30pm before I arrived back home again and then I had to go and pick Sophie up from work!

Going into work was a mistake as Jenny informed me they'd run out of lettuces...so? Well, it meant I then had to drive to the nearest shop, wait ages in the queue and then drive back to work again...arrrgggggh!

 It was a relief to finally get home and have a cup of tea but tonight we're off to the village to see the bonfire and fireworks which I'm really looking forward to. We have burgers, hot dogs and jacket potatoes planned for when we get home and we're meeting mum and dad at the pub at 5.30pm. It looks like all our neighbours are going as well so there should be a good atmosphere!

Bonfire Night washout!

Yesterday was grey, damp and miserable and by the evening the rain had set in, so probably spoiling many Bonfire Night parties and firework displays. I was very glad we had decided not to hold a party at work as we had had a busy day at work with the cleaning to do first thing as our daily cleaner was on holiday.

Back at home in the evening I heard a few fireworks going off but nothing like normal so maybe people decided to postpone them until Saturday evening!

Back to work...

I hoped this morning I'd have a quiet day at work and my hopes were fulfilled. It was good to catch up with mum and dad and mum said she'd thoroughly enjoyed looking after the children who seemed to have had a better time than us!

In the car on the way to work I played my new CD by Alexi Murdoch which arrived from Amazon while I was away. I'd seen the film Away We Go and his music was featured on the soundtrack. I fell in love with the sound immediately and especially the track Orange Sky which was perfect for today as everything has been orange - the sky driving home, the leaves and the roads and paths covered in Autumnal orange.

Mikey went to a school disco in the evening and the weather turned wild and windy - it seems amazing that it's Friday already tomorrow!

Three days in Berlin...

Wednesday 3 November and a-wandering we will go...

Not impressed with the breakfast we had yesterday, we went to the hotel restaurant in the morning and had a better experience with lashings of coffee, fruit, boiled eggs and cold meats. Our feet still hurt from all the walking we did, and in particular the balls of our feet which really stung. I'd worn my walking boots but they'd still hurt me so we will have to re-think future trips and try not to cram too much into our days! I think an apartment would be a good idea - I just have to convince Keith it would be a good investment!

Back in the room, we packed and checked out and left our luggage in their secure room. We bought day tickets again and took the underground to Alexanderplatz to shop at the huge Galeria department store there. After much deliberation I bought Sophie a beautiful scarf, my mum a huge box of chocolates, my dad a bottle of red German wine (hard to buy in the UK) and Mikey some Lego. Laden down with our purchases, our heavy coats (it was sunny and mild) and feeling grouchy and hot, we wandered around not sure what to do and feeling very reluctant to go on another route march. We had planned to take the train to the airport at about 2pm and there wasn't enough time to go far, but we couldn't see the point of wandering around aimlessly. 

I suggested having a look at the Marienkirche, a gorgeous 14th century church which sits in the shadow of the TV Tower. I  went inside and lit a candle as I always do in memory of loved ones who have died and we had a look around, the beautiful architecture and atmosphere spoiled slightly by two men buffing the floor in front of the altar.

Back outside again, we sat on a bench in the sun and then made our way back to the Nikolai Quarter where I bought a bottle of the red Dornfelder in a small wine shop. It had better be good! I suggested finding a bar and sitting outside in the sun but a few places were closed so we headed for a lovely cosy cafe and spent a couple of hours in there with a drink. It was blissfully quiet, each table was adorned with a red rose and a candle and the smell of lunch being cooked was wonderful. We were very relaxed and contented sitting there and I almost forgot that we were on our way home.

As the place filled with lunch time diners, we paid up and left before heading back to the hotel, collecting our luggage and going to the station. This time, as we climbed up the flights of stairs, we had a heavy(ish) suitcase with us and it was hard going!

The journey to the airport was smooth and easy but we fell foul of easyJet again by trying to check in our luggage too early. I thought with bag drop you could put your bags in at any time, but no. This is what happened last time when we had waited over an hour to check in, to be told by a very brusque, rude man that we had to go to the back of the queue and wait all over again! Luckily this time, there was hardly anyone about, and after waiting 40 minutes we were successful. In the meantime we chatted to a very pleasant American man travelling to London to see his girlfriend and who'd been in Germany studying.

All too soon, we were boarding our flight (still with empty seats) and I gazed at the gorgeous sunset that was hidden from the ground by the thick cloud.

We made good time on the way home, distributed presents, changed into our comfy dressing gowns and collapsed in a heap on the sofa, tired but very happy!