Going out with a whimper...

It's been a pretty quiet end to the month today. Mikey went to school with Sophie this morning for a Science Day which he really enjoyed. He was so excited to be going on the bus with his big sister but I'm not sure she felt the same!

And so ends another month and if I'm right I think that tomorrow will be the very middle of the year! Where has the time gone?

A little rain must fall...

Which it did this morning, but it must have been early because the ground was wet when we woke up and although it was cloudy it still remained warm and sultry all day.

The little bit of rain (or maybe it was a lot, I don't know) brought a few customers in so we weren't completely deserted like we were last week. We had a shock visit from the Environmental Health, though, for our annual inspection but Dad dealt with them and apart from a few very minor things, everything was fine.

On the way home Soph and I called into the Beckworth Emporium to buy some salad as the stuff that Keith bought in Tesco over the weekend was tasteless. I'm hoping that the lettuce, peppers and red onion will have a lot more flavour. I also bought some strawberries and a pot of cream for dessert. Yum!

36 degrees in the afternoon...

Not quite 37.2 le matin (or Betty Blue as the film is better known) but still extremely hot inside our building!

We had a school in today and I have a feeling they would have preferred to be in the park! Once they went we cleared up but it was far too hot to hoover or  mop the floors so we've delayed that until early tomorrow morning when we hope it'll be a bit cooler!

It's been a bit of a fraught morning so I'm looking forward to getting home and relaxing for just a short while before our last Jenny session. I went and bought her a bouquet of flowers and a card because she did a very good job with Mikey. It'll be a little sad but it will be very good to get our Monday evenings back and I won't miss the trek into Northampton!

Sunny Sunday

It's been another hot day with temperatures of around 27-29c - much too hot for me, I'm afraid! We pottered around the garden this morning and sat and read the papers as not moving much was the best option! I was persuaded by Sophie to go out, though, so we went to Dunelm Mill to have a look at curtains and curtain poles. The shops were very quiet as well, with hardly anyone in Homebase when we ventured in to get another couple of paint samples. On the way home we called in to see Mum and Dad, had a drink and then left to make sure we were on the sofa in time for the England v Germany game at 3pm.

For once, I actually watched the game from start to finish and was appalled at both the bad playing and the terrible decision to disallow a goal from Lampard that the linesman just didn't see. It wouldn't have mattered though as we lost 4-1 and our World Cup tournament is now over. As a family we still have an interest in four countries - Spain, Holland, Argentina and Brazil so I'm hoping that at least one of them will make it to the final so we can still have a chance of winning a few pennies!

Clean-up!

As promised, we had a good clear out of Sophie's room today and cleaned everything in preparation for decorating next week. She threw a lot of stuff out and all her soft toys, including about 12 Fraser Bears, were put into storage in the loft. It was hard, hot work! Maybe one of the warmest days of the year was not a good time to tackle the room, but I had promised and it was great when it was all finished.

After lunch in the garden, we drove to the tip and then B&Q in Northampton to buy paint and look at wallpapers. Ages ago you may remember we bought a new quilt cover and it was important that we found a wallpaper to go with this. The cover is cream with black roses on it and the only one I saw at B&Q was the previously mentioned flock wallpaper. I tore a strip off while Sophie amused herself by picking out papers that I just knew wouldn't really go. I also saw a fabulous one for my room - gold and silvery blue trees which sounds horrible, but isn't. I couldn't resist taking a sample for myself...

On the way home we had to call into work as I hadn't bought enough plastic cups...my fault entirely and my stab at being environmentally friendly backfired on me badly!

When we pinned the samples up on the wall, it was pretty obvious (even to Mikey) that the flock wallpaper looked gorgeous with the quilt cover so it has to be that. We can then get a creamy emulsion for the other three walls and go to town with curtains and a new blind. Sophie still keeps wanting a sort of dusky pink in there as well and I said that would be perfect for cushions, frames and other little touches!

Thank goodness it's Friday!

Today was long and slow. We were quiet again, but at least we had more customers in when I left at just before 4pm. It's been another warm and sunny day and the weather is set to continue like this until the weekend and into next week.

Sue came around for a drink in the evening and I bought another bottle of the Freixenet Cava which disappeared in a flash! It really is very drinkable and I might just treat myself to a case. We had a good giggle over delicious nibbles of olives, hummus and nachos so I really didn't fancy any dinner!

Thursday 24 June

Another very hot and sultry day. Keith came into work with me today but kept me company in the office while I managed to get a lot of things done.

Back home, it was too hot to go for a walk, so it was a warm game of cards in the conservatory, dinner and a night of very relaxing TV viewing. Sadly, one of my favourite programmes finished tonight - The Good Wife - but another - Lie To Me - has started!

Victory at last!

It's been another very quiet day at work and we closed just before the football started at 3pm. The temperature in my car said it was 29 degrees and we've decided to hire an air conditioning unit for a few weeks to alleviate the worst of the heat in the building. It seems incredible that a few months ago we had to hire a heater to warm the place up! We really need to look into a suspended ceiling for the seating area next year to get some better insulation.

Soph and I drove home at 3pm and I watched the match with Keith. Driving home was certainly no fun! I think the crazy drivers were out and all trying to get home before the match started! But at least we won and will be playing again on Sunday.

As it was so hot, the roast chicken dinner we had planned went by the wayside and we just had warm chicken baps. Way too hot to cook Yorkshire puddings and roasty potatoes!

Tuesday 22 June

HOT! HOT! HOT!

Yes, it's been hot today! As expected work was very quiet and we closed up at 4pm. Back home we pottered about the garden and decided to go to the pub for dinner as a treat!

The pub was surprisingly quiet and we had a lovely meal. Three of us chose fish. Sophie and I had it just grilled with new potatoes while Keith went for his battered. Mikey had his favourite, the steak and ale pie! Delicious!

Wrung out!

I'm so glad (again!) that Monday is over. It's been hot today - about 24-25 degrees - and we had the floor to strip and re-polish, not the best thing to do in a building that has a lot of glass in the roof!

The good thing is, it's done and the floor does look beautiful, but the next time we do it, in September probably, we're going to invest in a scrubber drier to take most of the hard work out of it. They're about £1500 but it'll be worth it. I scrubbed the floor with a buffing machine while mum and dad mopped up all the water with a big drier, but it wasn't working properly which made it even harder work. By the time I left at 4pm, all the tables and chairs were back and the place was looking a lot better. We had someone coming out to give us a quote to put grass and beds down in another area of the garden so I'm hoping it'll be reasonable and we can go ahead. It'll be a twin of the garden area we have at the moment and will give customers a chance to sit outside when the weather's nice, as it is at the moment.

The rest of the evening followed the usual pattern of rushing about, but Jenny (Mikey's tutor) did say that next week will be the last of this term which is very early, not that I'm complaining! I told her we'd be stopping and not returning in September as Mikey is now reading really well and she was great about it. Without her, he wouldn't be reading now, so all the Mondays we've spent rushing about have been worth it!

Fathers' Day

There wasn't really much celebrating today for Keith - it seems a lot more subdued than the madness that surrounds Mothers' Day back in March. Breakfast was at MacDonalds (Keith and I had a coffee) and then we popped into Tesco to get a present as Mikey is going to a party this afternoon.

Back home, I helped Keith make another big pot of delicious tomato soup. I'd be very proud if ever we grow any of our own tomatoes and they make it into a soup! Keith and Soph also made a batch of chocolate chip cookies which were lovely.

Mum, Soph and me headed back to Beckworth Emporium in the afternoon and I was amazed at the range of plants they had for sale, a couple of which I'd never seen before so I had no choice but to buy them. One is supposed to smell like chocolate and it's certainly very pretty. Mum bought three baskets and then we meandered around the food hall where I bought a tub of almond stuffed olives for tea. We also drooled over the meat, pork pies and fresh fruit and veg. I take back what I said about the place a few months ago, but guess what I forgot? Yes! My £5 voucher!

We stopped at mum and dad's for tea and cake and I gave him his present - a bottle of Rioja Gran Reserva which he was very pleased with. It was a gorgeous afternoon - beautiful blue skies, sunshine and little white puffy clouds. However, some sort of pollen had been unleashed and it was like it was snowing! Little bits of cotton wool type things were floating everywhere and getting into our hair and mouths!

Back home Keith and I sat in the garden and enjoyed the warmth and sunshine - what a difference to yesterday! Jenny very kindly called in and offered to pick Mikey up for us from the party as her son was also there, so we moved to the conservatory for a game of cards. When Mikey got home both children joined us so we had a game with four of us which was quite difficult!

Dinner tonight was soup and rolls, followed by some lovely cheese and biscuits that I bought at Weedon yesterday. It's a Welsh cheese called Little Black Bomber and is delicious - very strong and full of flavour. I also enjoyed a spoonful of picalilli with it and of course, the olives!

Mum's garden

What summer?

Today has been cold and certainly not weather for sitting out in the garden with a cold beer. That lovely hot weekend, a few weeks ago, seems a distant memory now...

Mum, Soph and me went out in the afternoon to the garden centre and Weedon as I had to get some wrapping paper and a bottle box for dad's wine. Soph also wanted to buy her friend Susie a birthday present. It wasn't really a day for plant buying but we braved the outdoors and I bought three new plants, one of which is in need of tender loving care.

At Weedon I spotted a pair of slippers for Keith that were in the sale. They were perfect but they didn't have his size. The sales assistant said she had another pair very similar and I noticed that they were marked up at £13.99 which was a bargain! However, when I went to buy them she said they were £30...now this is where I should have said, "Hang on! They're priced at £13.99!" but like a stupid idiot, I said nothing!! Outside the shop I asked mum if she thought £30 was too much for slippers (YES!) and she looked shocked. We went back to the car with me seething with annoyance (at myself I hasten to add) and both mum and Sophie managed to convince me to go back to the shop (very embarrassing) and ask for a refund.

Why do I do these stupid things?? I'm normally quite good with money but why I didn't open my mouth and query the price, I do not know...!

Friday 18 June

Oh dear...the whole of England, it seems, was geared up for tonight's match against Algeria and what a disappointment it turned out to be! Keith, amazingly, didn't even go to the pub, preferring to stay at home, have dinner early and get ready for the footie. I vowed this would be a football free zone, but even I was astounded by the poor performance of our players and the huge let-down it must be for England.

The next match is Wednesday. Keith was originally supposed to be in hospital, but because of a drug he takes for his heart, they have cancelled the operation and will have to wait to see if he can come off the drug next year before doing it. This will be dangerously close to our holiday in April, but there's nothing we can do. I have to say, from a purely selfish point of view I'm relieved. But at least he can now watch the football from the sofa!

Clearing the air...

I lost my temper this morning. I very rarely lose my temper but this morning I'd had enough of everything and unfortunately, Keith felt the full blast! We'd had to do the cleaning and what should have taken me 30 minutes, took a full hour, then something fell off the hoover which had only been repaired the day before... Then Keith turned up to claim my car for yet another favour for a friend and moaned that the fuel light was on... As it had only just appeared on my way into work and I hadn't had the time to put more diesel in, he was subjected to the full fury of my frustration which was a bit of a hangover from yesterday.

Anyway...he went off and when he came back all was sweetness and light. Mum and I sloped off to the garden centre at lunchtime where I bought some compost for three plants that I'd been given. When I got home I planted them up and also "pricked out" my four little baby tomato plants and re-potted them. I'm hoping soon we'll be eating our own produce!

The evening was spent at Sophie's school watching her pick up an award for a contribution to her house...she thinks it was because of some hampers she made up and distrubuted to the elderly in the village. It was very pleasant to eventually get home and have a nice cold drink!

One of those days...

I'm glad today's over, to be honest. Nothing serious has happened (well, if you ignore the car accident I nearly had), just niggly things that have made today more difficult than it could have been.

We only had half a day at work as we had to be at Mikey's school for 1pm. Keith managed to mow the Nursery garden and then we tore about doing various errands, going to the bank and getting some stuff from Tesco. I had had everything finely planned out involving cars and getting people from one point to another, but it all fell apart when we took mum home early, after the dancing, and Keith decided to drive his own car back to the school so he could go home while I went to pick up Sophie from school...

One of the mums asked for a lift home so I took her while Keith went to get Sophie, forgetting that all our work mail was on the back seat of my car. Our mail is franked so can only go in Franked Mail boxes. When Keith arrived home we had to go back out again which I wasn't happy about! The journey nearly ended in disaster as I almost had an accident on a roundabout which was completely my fault. I was waiting to enter the roundabout to turn right and saw a car coming across. Thinking the car coming from my right had stopped, I went but he carried on. Keith shouted at me so I put my foot down (producing a lot of black smoke!) and managed to avoid him, thank goodness. It really shook me up though and made me realise how accidents can happen so easily.

But anyway...we arrived home and I pottered about in the garden which was a lovely way of relaxing and forgetting the little niggles of the day!

Busy Day

I've been hobbling about today but managed to get a lot of things done, which was good. The toe is slightly better tonight but it did stop me from having a walk after work which wasn't very good!

Instead I had a walk (well, hobble) around the garden and watered the plants. We've had a lot of sun today which was great and sitting in the conservatory it was hot! We've a couple of busy days coming up as well - tomorrow is Mikey's "Dance Afternoon" at school - somthing he's really looking forward to...er NOT! The good thing is he's running a stall to raise some money so at least that's a reward for dancing around in an embarrassing way!

On Thursday we have an Awards Ceremony for Sophie at her school. She's raised money for her house so that's good, but I have a feeling most pupils in Year 9 are invited...

Before we know it another week will have flown by!

Ouch!

I'm in pain...I was hoovering the carpet at work today when I dropped the metal pipe on my toe. The pain was excrutiating as it landed on my nail which has turned blue. So I've been hobbling about all afternoon and putting up with a constant throbbing pain! I really don't need this today!

Apart from that, it's been ok today. Mum and I went over to Tesco to buy a new playhouse for the one that's been almost destroyed. I suspect that children over the age of two have been sitting on the roof which has cracked and is a safety hazard. We picked one out in Tesco and paid for it, but when we got it to my car we couldn't get it over the raised part of the floor in front of the back seat...Hmm! It wouldn't go in the boot either so we had no option but to take it all out of the box and leave the cardboard in the Tesco cage! Ooops!!! I think I'm going to have to get myself an estate car next!

Feeling a little tired!

Last night was great. It was the second Wine Evening and was held next door at Sarah and Liam's house. We had one couple drop out because of the football (less said about that the better) so there was eight of us. We all watched the first half of England playing the US and there was a great atmosphere. When England scored the first goal I could hear hooters going off all around us!

We had a total of nine wines - three white, two Rose and four reds. Liam had done a great job of printing off forms for us all to fill in for our scores and comments. We had a break for some grub and watched the rest of the second half so nobody missed seeing the football and it actually added to the success of the evening. I have to say we were a bit disappointed with the reds, except for the very last one which eventually won. Sue and Paul had chosen a Black Tower Rose to get back at Dad for his comments on pink wines last time and amazingly it came second with all of us really enjoying its deliciously fruity taste. We all agreed it was perfect for a summer party or BBQ! So, tonight, Sue and Paul won - their red, a La Motte Shiraz from South Africa, was gorgeous. They were given two footballs and we all signed the larger football which was a nice touch.

The wines we drank last night were:

White Burgundy
English white wine from Kent (Ortega grape variety)
Isla Negra Rose
Black Tower Rose
Italian Pinot Grigio
La Motte Shiraz
Portugese Syrah (made by Cliff Richard)
Italian Barolo
Red Burgundy

We rolled home at just after midnight and Paul and Keith had an impromptu game of footie in the street!

Althorp Literary Festival & Bill Bryson

I've been looking forward to today for ages - ever since I found out that Bill Bryson was attending the Althorp Literary festival. A few days ago I also found out that tickets were sold out for his event so I was mightily glad that I snapped two up the minute they went on sale.

Mum and I had a brilliant afternoon at Althorp. We arrived early and had lunch in the stable-block courtyard. There was a very genteel atmosphere...lots of people of a certain age, most of whom were carrying books and chatting earnestly about favourite authors. Stowe School Jazz Band played in the background, the sun shone and the coffee was delicious.

After lunch, with an hour to spare, we strolled over to the house, unfortunately shrouded in scaffolding and plastic. The entrance we used last year was for book sales only so we made our way around the back of the house to gaze at the sweep of beautiful parkland. There was a large marquee attached to the rear of the house and when we got up close I realised the whole thing was for Bill Bryson! Last year we saw Louise Rennison in a very cosy room so this was a bit of a shock! All ideas I had of a small gathering went out the window!

As it was still early we strolled on admiring the gardens and the plants. Althorp is a stunning house with fabulous grounds.

Realising that if we didn't get back we wouldn't get a seat anywhere near the front, we strolled back and were able to get seats about three rows back. While waiting I entertained mum with some extracts from the book, especially the bits about personal hygiene through the ages (almost non-existent!) and the origins of the word "crap" - NOT because of Thomas Crapper who designed the flush toilet! It's actually a very old word and it was just co-incidental that Mr Crapper was a plumber! The book is very, very funny in places and extremely interesting. Bill Bryson takes a journey around his own home and charts the history of houses and homes in general.

We were honoured with Lord Spencer's presence and he made a lovely speech (I think he's as much of a fan as I am) before Bill Bryson was interviewed by a woman from The Times newspaper. We were also given the opportunity to ask questions and then there was a book signing at the end. It was lovely to meet, perhaps, my favourite author and he wrote an insciption for me. I asked whether he had any plans to write more travel books which he said he had so let's hope!

Tonight we are off to Sarah and Liam's for the second wine evening which should be good. It clashes with the football so I'm not sure how much attention the wine will get, but it should be an enjoyable evening nevertheless!

Day off

I fancied having the day off today, so I did! Keith and I planned to have a walk around Pitsford, something we haven't done for ages. The weather was grey and overcast during our walk, but I did take a few photos despite the gloomy skies.

To be on the safe side, we parked Keith's car near the Sailing Club and mine at the car park near Holcot. That gave us the option to just do about 4 miles, which is what we actually did. We walked the long half first and it was very quiet with just a few people running or cycling. When I think back to how I used to do the 7 miles every week with Max the dog, I'm annoyed with myself. This of course led to me doing the 16 mile Holcot Hobble one year which was brilliant but I'd need to do some training before I could attempt that distance again. Keith's hip has been playing up recently and he is due to go into hospital on the 23rd for a hip replacement operation. It's better when he walks but he still felt a bit achey after our 4 miles so we headed back to the car and a late breakfast at home.

I needed to get some wine for tomorrow night so we drove over to Market Harborough to see Duncan. He's still going strong so it was hugs all round and a few minutes spent catching up before we got down to the serious business of choosing some wine. I'm really pleased with my choices (not giving anything away!) and I treated Keith to some beer, plus a sparkling strawberry aperitif for Sue and I tonight.

Back home, we sat out in the garden for half an hour and I surveyed some of the damage that the rain and the bloomin slugs and snails have wreaked over the last few days. They seem to love the Verbena which has all been eaten, as have my lupins in the front garden. Grrrrrr!


http://www.duncanmurraywines.co.uk/

Brrr!

What a difference a week makes! Last Thursday I spent the afternoon in the pub garden having lunch in the sunshine. Today we haven't seen the sun at all and it's been distinctly chilly! Was that our summer?

Today has been quiet - it's matched my mood. Mum and Dad had an appointment at the doctor's this morning so to make it easier for them (parking is a nightmare) I dropped them off and went to the bank. Of course, today it was very quiet in there so I was back at the doctor's within twenty minutes. I managed to squeeze into a space and found them both still waiting. An hour and a half later I was still sitting waiting for them! Not the most pleasant ways of spending my time, I have to say!

June showers

Today Keith managed to cut some of the grass at work before the heavens opened! We had lots more rain and this evening, as we were sitting in the conservatory, we had torrential rain for ages! It just went on and on and the road outside was beginning to flood as the drains couldn't cope. It's been more like April than June today!

We think that the lease may be all settled now - we had a copy arrive in the post this morning and they seem to have backed down on all the things that we were in disagreement with so that's good news. Maybe at last we can start some planning!

Tuesday 8 June

My laptop is playing up at the moment and last night made a very funny sound as well as being hot, so I turned it off and gave it a rest!

Yesterday at work was busy - we only had Polly in so we were caught up with giving her a hand over lunchtime and looking after the Reception desk. I managed to escape at 4pm as Keith was doing a favour for a friend and wanted to use my car! While he was gone I dug over the front garden which was made much easier by all the rain we've had lately. The bushes have made a remarkable come-back since slasher-Keith pruned them and they're looking beautiful and healthy now, which is a relief. The new plant I put in is growing by the day but the lupins are looking a bit sorry for themselves! I think I'll give in trying to grow them!

We had more rain and thunder in the early evening as we sat in the conservatory. I love this sort of weather - it's so dramatic and interesting!

Thank goodness Monday is over!

It was very hard getting up this morning - I just wanted to lie in bed and stay there all day! However, I was up and at work by 8am and the day went surprisingly fast. In the afternoon I shampooed the carpets at work and they did look a little better, but time will tell.

Today has been overcast and damp, so different to the sunny weather of the last few days but the gardens really need some rain!

Misty and damp.

We had a terrific thunderstorm here last night - an amazing light and sound show that had all of us watching out of the window and went on until about 11pm. The lightening lit up the entire sky and then we had torrential rain which the ground badly needs. This morning it was grey, misty and humid with further rain and thunderstorms throughout the day.

Keith and I went for a walk first thing and then he made a big pot of tomato soup for dinner tonight. Along with Sophie he also made some chocolate muffins so the kitchen was a hive of activity! I gave the downstairs rooms a good clean - the conservatory was particularly bad with dead flies behind the sofas! We still managed to sit in the garden to have lunch and a cold beer and it's been considerably cooler today.

Ma and Pa came around for dinner and we had a lovely meal of tomato soup to start, followed by salad, cold meat and quiche. Dad had also made a delicious ice cream affair with lime and coconut which was gorgeous. He served it with lots of juicy red fruits and it made a great end to a very summery meal.

Back to school for the wee ones tomorrow! Monday has come around very quickly!

Lazing about...

It's been another pleasant day, although a bit humid and warm in the afternoon. Much of today has been spent outside, reading the papers and enjoying the warmth. Tomorrow is forecast to rain so we might as well make the most of it today! It's also been lovely to hear the sounds of children enjoying themselves as well - although Mikey has been in the house with Coby all day. Maybe we should have chased them outside to get some fresh air!

World Cup fever

I'm officially fed up with the World Cup now, even before it's started! Everywhere we went today seemed to have something to do with the football - even the doughnuts in the baker's had red crosses on them! It's mad! Having said that, mum came into work this morning with a World Cup tee-shirt for our Barney Bear mascot to wear when he goes to wish the children a Happy Birthday! I shall be glad when it's all over!

Other major news this week has been terrible - the shooting of twelve people in Cumbria on Wednesday has shocked the entire country and given us reminders of Dunblane in 1996 and Hungerford in 1987. I don't think we'll ever really know what made Derrick Bird shoot all those innocent people who were all going about their daily lives but I just hope they rest in peace.

Today has been hot and sunny but I think we have this weather until tomorrow and then it's going to become cooler and wetter on Sunday and into next week. I have Sue coming over for drinkies tonight and have a bottle of pink Cava lined up for her delectation. I think tonight we'll be sipping in the sunshine!

Afternoon off!

Well, today has been as relaxing and stress-free as the previous two days have been horrible! Because of the beautiful warm and sunny weather, we were very quiet at work, although luckily we had four parties today. By lunchtime, it wasn't worth hanging around and as it's been a stressful week, Mum, Soph and I went home to enjoy the rest of the day.

As soon as I walked through the door, Keith suggested going to the pub...so we did! You have to grab the opportunity when you can! We had one extra - Mikey's friend - so off we all went and had a delicious lunch of sandwiches and cold drinks sitting in the lovely garden area. Ian, the Landlord, was a bit harried as a lot of other people had the same idea but it was still very peaceful and idyllic sitting under the trees and enjoying the warmth.

Back home, Keith and I sat in the garden and soaked up some more sun and that's where we stayed, more or less, until dinner!

Another frustrating day...

My day didn't get off to a good start when I drove into our car park this morning to find four MacDonald Happy Meals boxes left by a customer who visited us yesterday. It was disgusting to think that someone could have just opened their car door and thrown the rubbish out like that, with no thought for anyone else.

Despite the good weather we were busy and Mikey chose today to be extremely naughty. He really should have been at home with Keith, but after today it will be a rare occasion when he visits again. He's too old to play now and with another member of staff's son, he caused mayhem throughout the day, with a couple of customers actually complaining about his behaviour. What a difference to the sweet boy who sat and played cards with us last night...

When I arrived home, Keith knew that I was stressed so we went out for a walk which always works wonders on my frayed nerves. We had a lovely walk over the fields and through the village and enjoyed a nice cold bottle of Becks in the garden on our return!It was heaven to sit there and appreciate the peace and the early evening sunshine!

Mrs Grumpy!

Today has been frustrating and annoying. It's rained all day and we were really busy at work and although we were glad and very appreciative that we had a lot of people in, the public can be extremely stupid at times.

I had Sophie and Mikey in with me. Keith dropped them off at about 10.30am, much later than I expected but at least it gave us a chance to do some work in comparative peace. Sophie helped out in the kitchen and did very well. Next, she'll be running the place!

Late in the afternoon we went to the bank and if anyone is in need of new friends or just general company, then NatWest at Weston Favell is the place to be. As usual, it was heaving and I went and parked the car while mum queued. When I joined her she'd struck up a friendship with a strange man and they were both swapping queue stories while everyone else listened in. It's becoming a real problem at the moment - not just the odd day, but every day the place is packed and they only seem to have two tellers on to cope with the crowds. One woman patrols the queue interrogating people on what they're doing and then shows them how to use the machine in the corner. I think she would be more use actually sitting and dealing with customers, but there you go.

When we got back to work, both of us in a filthy mood, I found a whole crowd of people gathered around two or three tables next to one of the fire doors, blocking it completely. Diplomacy was not my strong point today and I really had to resist the urge to shout at these people who had no thought for the safety of others at all. Another group of women had also set up camp right next to the garden doors and I had to restrain myself tightly otherwise I think we would have lost a few customers today! Arrrrggggh!!!

Back home I finally managed to relax with Keith and Mikey in the conservatory with a game of cards and...yes...a drink!