Back to work

And of course the sun has shone all day and it's been warm...typical!

The first day back after 17 days off hasn't been too bad despite having to do the cleaning first thing this morning which was hard work as we have been very busy over the last few days. I caught up with lots of paperwork and had both children in with me so that in itself was a miracle. One more day and they are both back at school...hooray!

The summer seems to have gone over very quickly and I dread the appearance of Christmas things in the shops. We have to go to one of the wholesalers tomorrow and I know in advance they already have cards and decorations on display. I will steadfastly ignore them until the beginning of December when most of them will have been snapped up! I just can't think about Christmas at the moment even though we had a flier come in the post at work this morning about Christmas parties!

We are entering my most favourite time of the year - the months of September, October and November. I love seeing the nights draw in, feeling that chill in the air and the lovely smells of Autumn and seeing the colours of the trees change from green to gold. I love getting all cosy at home and curling up on the sofa with a good film. Each season has its own beauty but Autumn, for me, is the loveliest of all. I also think (I have no idea why) that September is almost like the start of a new year. Maybe it's because the schools go back and it can be seen as a new beginning but I like to have a mini new year in September and plan things for over the winter. This year I'm determined to research my family tree on my mother's side so I'm going to question my Nan when I next see her and try and find my grandfather's birth certificate which might lead me back a bit further in time. It'll be interesting to see what I come up with...I hope there are no skeletons in my closet!

Domestic duties

I love Bank Holidays but this one, the last before Christmas, passed way too quickly! Keith and I went for a walk first thing, into the village (passing our old house and saying hello to our old neighbours) and then back over the fields. It was lovely in the sunshine, but today has definitely had a hint of Autumn about it and it was dark at around 8pm this evening.

Keith made a big pot of tomato soup while I changed two of the beds, taking advantage of the wind and sunshine to dry the sheets. The smells in the house of clean laundry and soup were wonderful!

So, it's back to work for me tomorrow which will come as a bit of a shock!

More London photos...

Mingling with the tourists in London

We had a great, if tiring day, in London and visited the most touristy spots we could manage! The sun shone, it was lovely and warm and it was the start of a Bank Holiday weekend! Of course, we picked one of the busiest sporting days to visit the capital, realising as we were driving down that Leeds were playing Warrington in the Rugby League final at Wembly, which is on our route. Almost every other car was carrying the flag of the occupants' chosen team but luckily we didn't encounter any problems until we saw signs that the Cromwell Road was closed due to gasworks. However, there was a very good diversion in place so we were soon driving past the musuems and into Hyde Park where we found a space on the road.

As we had only about £7 in change on us, we parked for just three hours and made our way quickly towards Buckingham Palace by the side of Rotten Row but we didn't see any horses being ridden. The crowds were out in full force and the whole area between Buckingham Palace and Horseguards Parade was packed with people of all nationalities. There was a lovely bustling atmosphere and I actually felt very proud of all the fantastic pomp that London has to offer. St James Park was full of people picnicking on the benches, feeding the birds and admiring the gorgeous flowers and shrubs in the borders and beds.

From Horseguards we walked up to Trafalgar Square and then down the Mall and back to Hyde Park. Back at the car we had a picnic of our own and then drove to Chiswick to the George and Devonshire pub which is right next door to the Fuller's Brewery. Keith loves their ESB but to his horror it was off! He settled for a bottle instead and then we watched a football match in 3D which is something he's never experienced before! It was stunning and the players seemed to come right out of the screen at us!

It was great to get out in the fresh air, have some exercise and see some fantastic sights in London!

Conspiracy of silence...

I always think there's a conspiracy of silence surrounding having children. No-one really tells you what it's like to have a family and all the mess and chaos children bring. Once you get the baby stage and the toddler tantrums out of the way and you don't have to cart lorry loads of nappies, wipes, milk and baby food around with you, you enter what I would call the halcyon period of having children, from about the age of six to ten years. In this period you can (generally) take them out for a meal, have a conversation with them and they are quite willing to go anywhere with you and are normally interested and happy to be with you and enjoy whatever you have to offer them. I remember this stage with fondness. It was heavenly to take the children out and I can think of lots of days when we had a marvellous time and we all enjoyed ourselves, just as I imagined how family life would be.

Then at about the age of ten they change. It's no longer "cool" to go to places with you, places which would normally have had them jumping up and down with excitement. They've changed but you haven't so it's a shock when you suddenly realise that they have absolutely no interest in going to the seaside, or the park, or going for a walk in the country.

They're too young to be left all day while you go off and do things you want to do a long way away and they're too old to have the grandparents babysitting for them so effectively your life goes on hold, unless you're willing to go somewhere like Alton Towers and be scared silly.

Today I have been going stir crazy. I am normally a restless person and love going out and seeing things and am quite willing to drive long distances just to spend a couple of hours somewhere new. This afternoon I suggested we all go to the coast tomorrow and was met with enormous resistance from Sophie who was not keen on going to the coast. Whatever I suggested was not "cool" or Mikey groaned loudly and said it was "boring".

So, we have to compromise. I've given up my plans to go to the Dorset coast and we're off to London tomorrow but maybe not to a museum (boring). If it's sunny and warm we'll walk over to Buckingham Palace like we did in January and see how the day unfolds...wish me luck!

Rain, rain, rain...

I know back in June I was praying for rain, but this is really too much, now. We awoke to grey skies and rain this morning and it hasn't stopped all day. Yesterday we were at least able to get out into the garden for an hour to check on things before the rain came down in the afternoon!

We went to Ikea which was a big mistake...it was packed to the rafters so we made a quick dash for the bits we wanted to see - chests of drawers for Sophie and then the picture frames. We saw a lovely dressing table for Sophie so we've earmarked that for later but the frame I wanted for the five pictures of New York was gone, so it was a bit of a wasted journey! Before leaving we bought some Swedish goodies (meatballs, beer and reindeer sausage) and then had a coffee before driving home.

We've recorded some films so I think tomorrow will be a movie day!

Tuesday 24 August - Arras, France

We were up early and boarding the ferry to France at 8am. It was a beautiful day and the boat was packed with people either on a daytrip or off on longer holidays to Europe. We had breakfast and lots of coffee and before we knew it we were docking in Calais.

Our plan was to drive to the town of Arras, about 60 miles from Calais, have a walk around and some lunch and then head back to Cite Europe for some shopping. The autoroute, as usual, was almost empty, just the odd lorry and British car heading further into France. It took us about an hour to get to Arras and 7 euros in toll money, but the roads are so good in France we never mind paying to use them.

The last time we were in Arras it was November 2008 and we went for the lovely Christmas market they hold there every year. This time it was a warmish day in August and we were able to park right in the main square which is surrounded by beautiful old Flemish buildings. I love this style of architecture which is very similar to that of Bruges in Belgium.

We wandered around for a little while, exploring the town and visiting the tourist information centre in the town hall. The beautiful Belfry was destroyed in the First World War and at the moment, the square in front of the town hall, La Place des Heros, is being renovated.

Sophie and I did a spot of shopping while Keith and Mikey found a pizzeria in a small back street. The children had a pizza each and it was lovely to sit for a few hours in the sunshine with a drink, watching the locals eat their lunch. If only for a few hours we experienced the pleasure of a pavement cafe and people watching!

All too soon we had to leave the beautiful town and head back to Calais. The journey was uneventful and quiet and we saw lots of British cars all heading back to the port. Cite Europe was quite busy and we headed to Carrefour to buy some wine and French goodies, including coffee, chocolate and pastries for breakfast the next day.

I was dragged into Pimkie while Sophie shopped for clothes and the boys went into the large Toys R Us for lego for Mikey. Cite Europe has changed considerably since we first started going and the fall in the pound against the euro has meant that Tesco have closed their store there. We also noticed a lot of shops had gone and some of the restaurants had closed down. I'm not a fan of the shopping centre and I think next time we go, we'll maybe head to Boulogne and do our shopping there before finding a nice restaurant for lunch.

We had dinner at a restaurant called St James - I had chicken breast, Keith had steak while the children had nuggets as they weren't really hungry after their pizza at lunchtime. Not very French but we did have delicious French fries which are always yummy!

None of us were really looking forward to the ferry trip home as the wind had increased all day and it was blowing a gale when we drove back to Calais at 7.30pm. We were told that the ferry was delayed because of the wind and in the end we didn't board until about 10.00pm French time.

Because it was so rough, we found a seat in the bar and tried to ignore the rolling of the ship. I had a large coffee to keep me awake on the long journey home and tried to stay put but the children dragged me off to the Duty Free shop. It was very difficult to walk because of the motion of the boat and I soon returned to my seat!

We finally docked at 10.30pm (UK time) and it was 2am before we got home and sank thankfully into bed!

Monday 23 August - a day in Kent

We had a rather slow start to the day and instead of getting away at 9.30 as planned it was closer to 10.30am by the time we loaded up the car and set off. We had a good journey down to Kent and stopped at the Medway services for a picnic and coffee. The weather brightened up, thankfully, and just before we reached Dover we turned off the A2 and headed over to Folkestone. I wanted to go to Hythe and take the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway which runs from the town out to Dungeness.

When we got to the station, though, the car park was packed and there was no other parking nearby so we headed off to Dymchurch, which mum used to visit when she was a child. The seaside towns along this stretch of coast are a bit sad and neglected, but Dymchurch was quite pretty with some thatched cottages and a nice beach, albeit hidden behind a huge defence wall. I bought a family ticket to the train and tried to summon up some enthusiasm in the rest of the family who were not really keen on this sort of outing! I'm reading Paul Theroux's book, The Kingdom by the Sea, at the moment and he takes the train from Hythe to New Romney, but the children weren't really interested in that! There were a few families on the tiny train - actually it's the world's smallest railway -  which is pulled by a steam engine. Some of the carriages were open to the elements but we chose a closed one and it was exceptionally small!

The railway runs along to the remote outpost of Dungeness and most of the scenery along the way is back gardens and  fields rather than a view of the coastline as we were hoping. As the train travels out to Dungeness, the landscape becomes bleak and windswept and the soil changes to gravel but it's home to lots of wildlife and plant species. We marvelled at the black wooden houses dotted about and imagined what it was like at night with no street lights.

At the end of the line is the huge Nuclear Power station, which dominates the skyline, and a lighthouse. We stayed on the train as the afternoon was getting on but a few people got off, presumably to have a look around before the last trains ran back to Hythe later. Although desolate and remote, there was a strange beauty about the place and next time I'd love to go back by car and take some photos of the beached fishing boats which are dotted about.

Back at the car we drove along the M20 to Dover and checked into the Premier Inn which overlooks the busy port. After a quick wash and change we were back out and heading towards Deal in search of a nice pub for a drink before dinner. We saw a sign for the village of St Margaret's at Cliffe which had not one but three pubs! The Smugglers looked the best so we parked the car and went in and were not disappointed. It was a lovely old country pub, full of beams, fireplaces and books. Although the menu looked inviting, we read about another pub right on the beach at St Margaret's Bay. The road down to the bay was very steep but we were rewarded with a fantastic sea view with steep cliffs on either side. The Coastguard pub was not very pretty looking (it reminded me a of village hall) but the smells were very enticing! Unfortunately they were a little snooty about the children in the bar area so we were forced outside onto the terrace where we watched the ferries coming and going from Dover. The menu specialised in local produce but we decided to push on to one more pub before going back to the hotel to eat.

It was a beautiful evening with blue skies and sunshine and before long we found ourselves in Kingsdown and  the wonderfully quaint King's Head pub. Again, they weren't happy about children in the bar area but we had the whole pub to ourselves as there was no-one else in. The walls were festooned with old antiques, fishing nets and coloured floats and Keith discovered an old pub game called "Win-a-fag" which he used to play when he was younger!

We liked it so much we had two drinks there and then headed back in the dusk to Dover and a meal before bed.

Sunday 22 August

It was such a relief to wake up to blue skies and sunshine this morning. What a difference it makes! The morning was spent pottering and I washed my car thoroughly inside and out in preparation for our little trip to France. The back seats were still full of sand from our trip to Southwold!

In the afternoon, Mum, Soph and me drove into Leicestershire to a lovely little place called Garden Barn which we'd never been to before. It was lovely and stuffed full of things for the house and garden which were a little quirky and different. There were so many things I wanted  but I bought a lovely loveheart key hook in the end while Sophie splashed out on some little gothic stone hooks for her room to hang scarves and jewellery on, plus a very pretty tea-light holder. We had a coffee with some cake and we'll definitely be going back there!

In the evening we went off to the pub for a meal. A large group of people had set off the day before to cycle all the way to Hunstanton for charity and they came back while we were eating so the place was packed out but it made for a great atmosphere!

Short story

Dedicated to the BMW driver who did indeed overtake me on the A43 the other day...revenge will be mine!


Overtaken!


There he was again! Laura watched, amazed, as the brilliant red BMW swept past her, gravel and dust flying  This time, as she turned her head to glare at him, she was sure he was on his mobile, his face set in grim determination as he manoeuvred the powerful car past her smaller, slower Beetle.

This was the third time this week that he’d overtaken her on the narrow country road. Usually he would loom up behind her, seemingly inches from her rear bumper and then abruptly swing out and roar past, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. She would watch him speed off into the distance, overtaking anything slower that had dared to hold up his progress.

The first couple of times, Laura had thought nothing of it, but this morning he was driving dangerously and she was angry that he had so little thought for the other drivers on the road. It was now well into Autumn and the light in the early mornings would get worse as the season wore on. Before long Laura knew that the untreated roads would be frosty and she wondered whether he would still drive with such careless thought for safety.

Laura drove the same route every morning on her way to work. She normally loved the early start and the way the sun came up over the fields and woods. But ever since the demon driver had appeared on the scene she felt nervous and anxious. Her little Beetle was her pride and joy; she’d had the beautiful green colour customised with flowers and loved how bright and happy it looked. She winced every time the BMW overtook her, noticing how the stones and dust he threw up rained down on her shiny bonnet like missiles. She watched him disappear into the distance and tried to forget about the anger welling up inside her. Short of phoning the police, who wouldn’t be interested, there was nothing she could do.

A few weeks later, Laura awoke to a hard frost that coated her little car with a sheen of ice. Overnight the temperature had plummeted and although it was cold, the surrounding fields and woods looked magical with their layer of white. She gingerly made her way out onto the country road that led to the small town where she worked as a Receptionist. It was her job to appear polite and friendly at all times, a career that suited Laura perfectly. She was always smart and her small, neat cottage where she lived with her cat for company and her little colourful car reflected her attitude to life.

The roads felt crunchy under her wheels and the surface glistened in the sunrise. The small country lane had clearly not been gritted overnight and Laura tensed as she realised just how dangerous it could be to drive too fast. Praying that this morning she wouldn’t meet her nemesis looming up behind her in the BMW, she eased off the accelerator and crawled slowly along the road, concentrating solely on making sure she didn’t send her little Beetle into a spin.

She’d almost reached the main road into town when she saw him zoom up behind her. There were just a few miles to go and she would have been on the dual carriageway, but he had chosen this moment to tail-gate her. He was so close she could see the anger in his eyes as he tried in vain to pass, his manoeuvre thwarted by an approaching car. Laura could see a bend in the distance and slowed down even more, praying that he would take the small window of opportunity to pass and be gone.

He did. With a surge of his powerful engine, he pulled out and passed her, a slight wobble from his car making her gasp with fear. He had no thought at all for either of their safety and again, Laura was forced to watch as he roared off into the distance, a plume of black smoke coming from his exhaust. She breathed a sigh of relief and decided that when she got home that evening she would try and work out another route to work. She couldn’t face this every day through the winter. As she relaxed slightly she heard the bang. It was a terrible noise that Laura knew she would never forget. A flock of birds flew up from a nearby field in fright and Laura gasped as she slowly rounded the bend and saw the red BMW impaled on a tree.

“Oh no,” she groaned, her hands shaking with fear. She brought her car to a halt some distance from the wreck and turned her warning lights on, in case another driver had an accident while trying to avoid them both. Fumbling for her mobile on the seat next to her, she opened the car door and, on trembling legs, made her way over to the driver’s side of the car. Steam was coming out of the crushed bonnet and she could see the man inside slumped over the air bag, his face a deathly grey.

“Ambulance, please!” she almost shouted into her mobile as she connected to the emergency services. “Quickly!” Giving her location to the person on the phone she opened the door and touched the driver on the face. He moaned a little but she could see blood seeping from his ear. Not daring to move him, she explained on the phone what had happened and was assured that the ambulance was on its way.

Laura ran back to her car and fetched the blanket she always carried on the back seat. Draping it over him she spoke to him in a low, reassuring voice, praying that the ambulance would arrive soon. Another car passed and slowed down, the male driver asking if everything was OK. There was nothing for him to do, so Laura waved him on, feeling the cold seep into her bones.

Before long she could hear the sound of the siren and sighed with relief when the ambulance, blue lights flashing, made its way towards them. The paramedics rushed out and Laura retreated to her car as they worked on the BMW driver, the seriousness of the situation almost making her cry with emotion.

The driver was carefully lifted onto a stretcher and one of the paramedics came over to Laura. “The police are on their way. You’ll need to let them know what happened, OK?“

Laura nodded and watched as a police car drew up and two uniformed officers got out. They spoke to the paramedics and then made their way over to Laura, their faces looking stern.

They introduced themselves and asked Laura to accompany them to their car where she gave them a statement about what happened. “How is he?” she stammered as the two men finished writing their statement. “Will he be OK?”

“We don’t know,” one of the policemen replied. “But you did everything you could in the circumstances. If we need to know anything else, we’ll be in touch.”

Laura, her hands shaking in shock again, climbed slowly into her own car and drove away, the bright sunny morning making a mockery of what she had just witnessed. Serves him right, she thought, but she couldn’t stop the tears running down her cheeks at how ill he looked when she first found him…

Weeks passed and she heard nothing from the police again. She scoured the papers but there was no bad news, just a small piece about the accident that Laura almost missed. Assuming that he hadn’t died, she tried her best to forget him and as Christmas passed and then Spring made a tentative appearance, the BMW driver was almost forgotten.

One morning, the sun shone brilliantly as Laura made her way to work and she felt so happy that she sang along to the radio in her car. It was Friday and Laura was looking forward to the weekend and the freedom that it entailed. So when the black BMW loomed up in her rear view mirror, she gasped out in fear. It was him, but Laura could see that the anger had disappeared from his face, to be replaced with a look of interest. He pulled back slightly, but continued to follow her which unnerved Laura even more. He made no attempt to over-take her and although she slowed down and moved over to the left to make it easy for him, he kept on following her, all his previous aggression gone.

Laura glanced in her mirror as she left the small country road and moved out onto the dual carriageway. He would overtake her now, she was sure, but he didn’t, he just sat behind her, the BMW looking slightly menacing as he followed her the short distance to the industrial estate where she worked.

What was he doing, she wondered as she pulled into the office car park and stopped the car. She could see him drive slowly past and then turn and follow her. Her heart started thumping as she watched him pull up in one of the visitor spaces. Was he blaming her for the accident? Because she always drove so slowly?

She turned her ignition off and got out of the car, her fingers fumbling with the lock. If he started to be nasty to her, she could always run into the building and get help from one of her colleagues. He emerged from the car and Laura was stunned to see a huge bouquet of flowers in his arms, as well as a bottle of Champagne.

As he approached, she took a good look at him. He was attractive and Laura relaxed slightly as she took in his slim build, dark hair and friendly brown eyes. The look of aggression and anger had completely disappeared.

She stopped and he smiled sheepishly at her. “I guess I owe you an apology…”

Laura smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “There’s no need.”

“There is! I drove like a bloody idiot! I suppose it serves me right.” he paused and watched her reaction. “So…can I give you these to say sorry? Oh, and this?” he handed her the bottle of Champagne. “I’m Mike, by the way. The paramedics told me what you did for me…”

Laura laughed and took the flowers which almost hid her from view. “I’m Laura. I just did what anyone would do in that situation. Are you OK now?”

He grinned ruefully. “Almost. If it wasn’t for you, I dread to think what would have happened.”

They stared at each other for a few minutes and Laura felt herself blush under the intensity of his gaze. “Well…I’d better get to work. Thank you so much for these.”

“No problem,” he hesitated. “Would you…um…I live not far from you, I guess. We’ll see each other every morning like we used to on the way to work, but would you like to go out for a drink sometime? If you’re not busy, that is?”

The hopeful look on his face almost brought tears to Laura’s eyes again. “I’d love to…on one condition…”

“Which is?”

“That you let me drive!” Laura winked at Mike and together, they burst out laughing.

Miracles do happen!

Yes, they do! For the first time in...oh, years...Keith went shopping (not Tesco!) on a Saturday! And it was at his suggestion! I initially looked at him in horror...Milton Keynes on a wet Saturday...are you mad? But I relented as we really needed to get Mikey's trousers for school sorted out as none of the pairs I've bought him so far have fitted...I have them stacked up everywhere in the house, awaiting return. And I thought I was being so clever ordering them online as well! And the even more annoying thing was that I couldn't return the original pairs to the John Lewis store as I used a credit card with a forgotten pin number...

So, off we went in the mizzle and took the back route to MK, along the Newport Pagnell road so I could drool over the Aston Martins. Milton Keynes was surprisingly quiet and we parked easily and made straight for M&S where Keith escorted a complaining Mikey into the changing rooms and sorted out the trousers once and for all.

To make up for the stress, I treated the family to drinks and a bit of cake in Debenhams and then we made our way slowly, and thankfully home, via Olney and Castle Ashby. Just as the sun was coming out!

Photos from Salcey Forest

A walk in the woods.

We had a hospital appointment for Sophie today - she was due to be fitted for a brace and the orthodontist was a little worried about how her teeth were developing so, to be on the safe side, she was referred to a Consultant Orthodontist. We arrived early as I always panic about finding the right place and waited ages to be seen. Happily, the Orthodontist (who was gorgeous, by the way!!) said that the slight problem she had would be resolved by a brace and having four teeth out, poor thing! Anyway...at least it doesn't mean that she will need surgery, which is great.

Having escaped the confines of the hospital, we drove to Salcey Forest with two starving children in tow. After lunch we made for the Tree Top walk which was lovely. We had brilliant views over Northamptonshire and it was only about a mile, so a great deal shorter than the previous time we went for a walk in Salcey forest where we were walking for miles!  I will upload photos tomorrow.

Back home it started to rain - the weather has not really been brilliant, has it? I haven't fancied going to Southwold this week at all and I really think our summer is over now...

Mum and Dad came around for a glass of wine and then Keith and I made breaded pork schnitzels which turned out very well. I must be getting the hang of this following a recipe lark!!

Wednesday 18 August - a spot of shopping

Well, we all survived the night with the giggly girls, although this time they weren't quite so giggly...perhaps it's not cool to be giggly any more!

We picked mum up and then headed off to Milton Keynes. I'd forgotten the warning signs that the A45 towards the M1 was congested so we became stuck in a massive jam with no-one going anywhere. I managed to turn off at Wootton and head out to MK on the Newport Pagnell road and we learned later that the motorway had been closed because of an accident involving four lorries. It wasn't opened until past lunchtime so it was good that I'd been able to turn off otherwise it wouldn't have been worth going!

We had a good few hours shopping - I bought more uniform for the children and we had a good browse as it wasn't busy at all. We had to head back earlier than we wanted to as I was due to give blood again at 5pm.

This week, although lovely and relaxed has been taken up so far with too many mundane chores and I'm hoping that come Friday we'll start to do things that are fun and more holiday-like!

Time...

It's lovely, for once, to have plenty of time, something I regard as a luxury these days. This morning we all pootled about giving the house a good clean so we can have the rest of the week off to relax. It was great to be able to do things that I've never had time for before but I'm not being complacent! I know how quickly the time can go when you're enjoying yourself!

Yesterday we booked to go to France next week for the day and we may leave home early and drive to the Romney Marshes before staying overnight in Dover. It's an area of Kent I've always wanted to visit and has lots of smuggling connections which I find interesting. We're staying at the Premier Inn in Dover and this time I've learned my lesson and booked two twin rooms so at least we'll all have some sleep before the journey the next day. We've booked a late ferry home so we're going to try and get down to Arras for lunch before heading back to Calais for some shopping.

Tonight, Sophie has a sleepover with Susie and Vicky so the conservatory has been turned into a bedroom. I just hope they do get some sleep as we're off to Milton Keynes tomorrow!

Holiday Homes

(This is a bit long and definitely fits into the "musing" category!)

We’ve been lucky to enjoy staying in lots of different houses on holiday over the years. When the children came along it was a easier to rent a “home from home” for the space and the convenience of making up bottles of milk and heating up baby food.

Our first ever house was in Mallorca and Sophie was just 9 weeks old. We were introduced to villa holidays by my parents and apart from the odd hotel stay, we’ve always rented houses abroad. They’ve all been lovely in their own ways and some have been very comfortable while others have been extremely basic!

After the success of the villa in Mallorca, which had a lovely barbecue room next to the pool and a huge outside bathroom, we decided to rent a house in the Dordogne, again with my parents. We drove down in separate cars in pouring rain that continued for a week, more or less! The house was damp, chilly and dismal. We never used the pool which was sited in an area of the garden that never received the sun’s rays. I suppose the comments from the previous holidaymakers should have warned us about the weather and the useless pool! I hadn’t taken any warm clothes and I had to wrap Sophie up like a sausage when I put her to bed at night to keep her comfortable in the cold house. The lack of nearby toddler-tolerant restaurants and the constant rain sent us fleeing back home after just a week.

In September of the same year, Keith and I took off to Mallorca again for a week in a villa on our own, while mum and dad looked after Soph. We had a modern villa with a pool and it was a very self-indulgent week of eating and drinking. The only problem was the dogs in the vicinity who barked non-stop day and night. Dogs in Mallorca are mainly used for guarding houses and they were doing their job very well!

We returned to Mallorca the year afterwards to a lovely little resort called Cala San Vicente. The house we rented was beautiful but crumbling around the edges. Sophie was 2 and there were steep marble steps everywhere! We had to use tables and furniture to block off the worst of the steps and never took our eyes off her for a minute. Around the pool she wore a little life-jacket and, of course, it was ironic that the moment we took it off she fell into the pool. Luckily I was in the water at the time and was able to grab her when she bobbed back up and laughed in delight!

The following year I was pregnant with Mikey and we made the long drive down to Javea in Spain. I didn’t enjoy this holiday at all. I was anxious most of the time, convinced we were going to have an accident in the car, but at least the villa we rented was lovely and very spacious. It had a huge terrace overlooking the mountains but one night, in a storm, we left the sun canopy unfurled, and the wind caught it and broke it…

When Mikey came along, we missed a year but when he was 1 we went to France with some friends and rented two neighbouring gites. It was a disaster! It had been arranged that mum and dad would share one gite with the two other couples and they sorted out who would have each room before we all set off. Keith, me and the children would have the other gite, purely because of the mess and chaos that accompanied us!

However, when we arrived it turned out that mum and dad would not even have a shower room to themselves, while the other couple had their own en-suite bathrooms. My parents’ room had no wardrobe, no mirror and just a toilet and sink. While we waited (and waited!) for the other two couples to arrive, we made the decision to share one of the gites (mum and dad were used to our children) and leave the other gite for the two couples.

When they arrived there was a huge argument between all of us as the other couples thought we’d arranged things to suit ourselves as we‘d had to take the larger of the two gites, there being six of us! Needless to say, after the holiday, during which we barely saw them, we were no longer friends!

Our next villa was back in Mallorca, right out in the countryside. Our first night was nearly our last when Keith temporarily forgot he was abroad and nearly collided head on with an approaching car…we treated the road with a lot of respect after that! The villa was lovely with huge grounds and our own little family of chickens. Michael was three at the time and would follow them around all day, dressed in just a nappy. We would occasionally shout out his name and he would answer from a distant corner of the grounds, happy to wander about in pursuit of the hens who were probably traumatised by the experience! It was wonderful as the property was totally secure with large gates and fences all around and everything on one level.

Two years later we were back in Mallorca and renting privately this time. Mikey was 5, Sophie was 9 and we arrived at Palma airport in a huge storm. Our villa was just off the main road into Puerto Pollensa and had a very tight place to park our hire car. The owner met us and was showing us around, but Mikey couldn’t wait to get into the pool. He changed into his trunks, jumped in but realised he was out of his depth and started to panic. The owner, a little old lady of about 80, saw what was happening and jumped in fully clothed to rescue him. I knew he was OK as, very sensibly, he was making for the side of the pool but we thought the owner was going to have a heart attack. She emerged dripping and shaking and looking very pale indeed!

The pool area and gardens of this villa were lovely and we had an outside kitchen with a barbecue, worktops and huge table where we practically lived for two weeks. The inside was a different matter, though and was basic in the extreme. The second bedroom was on a mezzanine floor with extremely steep stairs leading up to it, so Keith slept up there with Sophie in twin beds, while I had Mikey with me in the “double” bed. I’m 5’7” but my feet would overhang the end of the bed! It was perhaps the most uncomfortable bed I’ve ever slept in!

The following year we wanted something a bit better so, again, we rented privately, but this time a bigger villa. Unfortunately, it was way out in the wilds, so every trip into Pollensa would take ages on a very narrow and bendy road. It certainly put a dampener on having a drink in the evening over dinner! The villa itself was OK, with a large main bedroom, and two smaller bedrooms. However, the pool was the size of a handkerchief and had rope fencing all around with a nasty drop to the gravelled driveway below. One day it simply collapsed into a heap and no matter how hard Keith tried, he couldn't repair it! Again, there were hard steps everywhere and one night I tripped on them and fell into the pool. My leg still hurts to this day! And no, I hadn’t been drinking!

The grounds were scruffy and hadn’t been maintained at all, which was unusual in Mallorca. Lots of villas are owned by local people who use the surrounding grounds to grow vegetables and fruit and keep livestock. Normally we have a cockerel and a donkey who are kept nearby and they seem to follow us wherever we go, along with the barking dog. The cockerel wakes us every morning and then the donkey and dog keep us company for the rest of the day, braying and barking in turn.

One afternoon, the barking dog seemed more insistent than normal so Keith went to investigate. He found a beautiful golden Labrador trapped by a length of chain and a wooden stake. He was overjoyed to be set free and for a couple of days became “our” dog. The children named him “Preventtic” which was on his collar, not realising it was a tic repellent collar, bless them! He was a lovely friendly dog who appreciated the titbits we brought back from our meals out, but the owner of the villa, who lived nearby, eventually returned him to his rightful master.

This last villa put us off renting privately so we returned to using villa companies where we would have a representative on hand should something go wrong. We stayed in the same gorgeous small villa for the next two years, enjoying the beautiful gardens and the goats who were kept in an adjoining field. We gave them all names and they would come to the fence every morning for titbits and to say hello. We also had two cats in this villa but thankfully no dog or donkey!

The approach to the villa was very hard to negotiate and every time we returned after going out, Keith would have to get out of the car to guide me around the very sharp bend. We even had a little roundabout in our driveway but no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t just drive in and out. Sometimes it made for a bit of stress whenever we ventured out!

Rising car hire prices in Spain and the hassle in flying sent us to the Languedoc in France the following year in our own vehicle. The freedom was wonderful. The one mistake we made was to try and do the journey in one go. Keith drove down to Dover and then I took over in France and it took us 12 hours to get to our villa near Narbonne. Towards the end, when it wouldn’t have been worth stopping and having a nap, I felt as if I was floating due to the tiredness. Very dangerous and something I would never do again!

Our villa made up for the journey though and was one of the loveliest we’ve ever stayed in. We booked through a company, but the people who owned it also ran a hotel and restaurant nearby called Chez Pierrot. The restaurant was huge! On our first night we arrived to eat and couldn’t believe the amount of people queuing to get in! There were also bouncy castles everywhere so I felt very much at home! We think that the people were coming from the nearby campsites on the coast as the village we were in was only small, but had the classic French Boulangerie were we would buy our bread most mornings.

This year we took the decision to save our pennies for a trip to Florida next April. The children are no longer so easy to please and the lure of the pool is waning. Last year the children and me travelled to Orlando with my parents and rented a villa that was stunning in the way that American villas are. We had comfortable beds, comfortable sofas and every appliance you could think of.

I shall miss our rented house this year and the inevitable stress that accompanies it. It’s not the easiest of holidays, I’ll have to admit. It truly is a “home from home” in that we still have to cook, make beds, wash the dishes and clean up. I love the quirkiness, the way the houses are decorated in the owner's style (sometimes good, sometimes tacky!) and the total freedom and privacy that comes with a house of our own. I sometimes dream of a hotel, the breakfast buffet and the restaurant at night and maids coming in every day to clean and make the beds, but I wouldn’t swap for the world!

18 years!

So, 18 years ago today Keith and I were married! The time has flown past! We've had a nice lazy day, pottering about in the garden, reading the Sunday papers over coffee and going to see mum and dad for an hour. The weather (so far) has been warm and dry and I hope it stays like that for a few days at least, although I doubt it!

I've just opened a bottle of sparkling Vouvray (Chateau Moncontour from M&S) as the Loire wine has a special meaning for us. We spent our first Wedding Anniversary in Vouvray after driving all day from the French Alps. We'd had an argument in the morning as Keith thought there was something wrong with the tyres on the car and I refused to go and ask a mechanic for help, despite having an A Level in French. So we drove all day in an awkward silence and arrived at our hotel in Vouvray parched and grumpy. Two litres of water and a delicious bottle of the local wine improved our spirits and we lived to fight another day!

Here are a couple of photos of us from our Wedding Day:

We look a little different now! I tried to scan the photos, but it wouldn't work so I photographed the photos, if you know what I mean! My dress is a bit meringue-like and I still have it, wrapped in tissue paper in a wardrobe. I used some of the lace from the sleeve for Sophie's Christening dress and I really hope both gowns will be handed down to the next generation.

Mum and Dad bought us an olive tree which I re-potted today and put in the gravel garden. We also re-potted the vines which have grown considerably. Hopefully one day, we'll have our own grapes and olives!

Is it August or April?

It's been another day of showers and with the temperature at about 15c it's been more like Spring than Summer. Mum and I went to Kent today to see Nan and had a slow journey down. I think the world and his wife were off on their hols and we saw lots of cars loaded up to the gunnels as well as quite a few caravans.

We took Nan out for lunch to a pub next to Hall Place which is a lovely old house and gardens. As we went in the sun was shining and I was going to suggest a walk afterwards but when we came out it was pouring! We had a very good lunch of Chicken Caesar salad and then we took Nan to get some new cushions for her sofa.

The journey home was the best we have had in a very long time, despite the numerous roadworks. We were home by 6.30pm and I was welcomed by the smell of Keith's boozy beef casserole. The French wine I opened the other night was really not very good - it was from a town in the middle of France called St Pourcain and my parents and me used to stop at a nearby small auberge about 25 years ago, so it had sentimental connotations. The grape was Gamay which produces a very light wine (think of Beaujolais) and it was just a bit too thin for me. At the moment we're trying not to throw so much food away so we kept it in the fridge (it can be drunk chilled) and Keith marinated the beef in the wine overnight for dinner this evening. It was delicious!

We had a wonderful storm through dinner and some of the heaviest rain and hail I've ever seen. The thunder rumbled on for about an hour and we all had a great time watching it out of the window. The television is still not back to normal, though!

Manic!!

It's been a mad day at work! I'm just glad that Sophie was able to help us, bless her, otherwise we would have been seriously stuck!

I suppose it's ironic that my last day at work should be so busy, but there you are. It was sheer and utter bliss to get home, jump straight into the bath and have a long soak for a while. The April showers we had today were certainly not very summery and I do hope the weather improves just a little for my "staycation!"

Stormy weather

Last night was lovely at Brasserie Blanc and it was great that all six of us went out for a meal together as we haven't done that for a while.

The four of us munched on delicious bread and butter while we waited for mum and dad to arrive and then there was silence as we all studied the menu. I decided to go with the Dine With Wine choice and ordered pea and marjoram pancake served with a poached egg to start, followed by beef brochettes and almond couscous to follow.

Keith and the children skipped starters but mum chose the gravadlax while Dad opted for the snails!. Yum! Keith, Mikey and my Dad chose the shoulder of lamb for a main course, Sophie went for Beef Stroganoff and mum had the fishcake with a side of new potatoes.

Our starters were delicious. My pea pancakes were moist and soft and the egg beautifully cooked. We all wanted more bread which was not a problem and by now the restaurant was beginning to fill up and the noise level rising which added to the great atmosphere.

Our mains arrived and Keith was slightly disappointed with this lamb. He was expecting a substantial amount of lamb but had one thinnish slice. When you consider his dish was £17 and my three course meal with a glass of wine was £18, I think I had the best deal.

 I enjoyed my beef brochettes but would have liked more of the delicious sauce and some green veggies to go with it. Maybe next time I'll order some French green beans.

I think Mikey was still hungry after his lamb and chased the juices around his plate with some more bread! He was definitely looking forward to his dessert which was chocolate souffle, recommended by our lovely friendly waitress. While we waited for his pudding (and I chose the chocolate marquise while Soph had mousse) we had coffee.

A couple next to us had Baked Alaska which looked gorgeous! It was a sharing dessert and was flambeed at the table. Next time I'm having that! Our desserts were yummy and I think Mikey had the best one...

As you can see, there is not much left!

After dinner we showed Keith and Dad the rest of the "Hub" which is lively with restaurants, bars and hotels. Dad liked the look of the Loch Fyne restaurant next door to Brasserie Blanc so I think he'll be taking mum there next.

At work today, I had Keith and the children in with me all day as mum and dad had some time off. Keith managed to mow the grass despite the early rain we had first thing. It's been a lot cooler and on the way home in the car we had heavy showers and thunder.

It was lovely to get home and watch last night's Masterchef!





 

Celebrating

We've just arrived home after a great meal out with my parents to celebrate Dad's birthday today and our Anniversary on Sunday. We went to Brasserie Blanc again and had a lovely meal and I will post more about it tomorrow with a couple of photos I took of the beautiful food.

Today has been a clothes shopping day and I managed to get some of the school uniform for the children, including their shoes which is always the part I hate most. I bought Sophie two pairs of trousers in New Look and with her new shoes she looks very smart! Which reminds me, I MUST sew that badge onto her blazer!

Grumpy...

Yes, I have been Mrs Grumpy today. The first thing I do in the morning is part the curtains and look out of the window to see what the weather is doing and I was met with rain today. What a difference it makes to our business! We were very busy and Sophie came in to help and did very well, bless her! She'll earn a nice pay packet at the end of the week.

Going out to the car in the afternoon to go to the bank, I saw to my extreme annoyance, that someone from Terry's Bouncy Castle Hire had festooned all our customers' cars with leaflets advertising their Birthday parties and bouncy castle hire!! What a b****y cheek!! Mum and I went around snatching them all off and I marched into the office and phoned the number on the leaflet to give "Terry" a piece of my mind! Huh!

So today I have been a bit grumpy, but I felt much better after a warm bath and a good old rant to poor Keith. And I also caved in on the alcohol front...I opened a bottle of French wine and had two small glasses. Oh well! There's always next month!

Return to summer?

Well, I thought it was, but as I write this it's pouring with rain. It put an abrupt stop to our nocturnal hunt for whatever is eating all our plants. Examining the leaves gave us no clue so we thought we'd venture out after dark with the torch and have a look, but it seems that our little nibblers don't like the rain either as we didn't see a thing!

So, it was warm today and we were very quiet at work. On the way home, mum and I stopped off at Beckworth Emporium to have a look at some plants and for me to buy some vegetables for dinner. I bought an upright plant with frond type leaves and lovely purple spikes of flowers but mum didn't see anything she liked. I always think of this as the in-between time for gardens. A lot of the plants for sale wouldn't last into the winter and the pansies and violas won't be available until a bit later.

On a personal note, I scored a little victory tonight that made me feel good. I seldom say "no" when someone asks a favour but this evening I did. A neighbour caught me as I was going to get Keith from the pub and asked me to look after her cat, water her plants, put the bins out, etc...I was caught last year but this time I was ready. As I already look after two houses (three if you count mum's) I normally don't mind but this particular lady is always on the scrounge. Whenever I see her approach, my heart sinks as she always wants something from me and never ever returns the favour. I can't count her as a friend as I rarely see her and when we do meet she does nothing but moan. I had my excuse ready this time, though and said I couldn't commit to feeding animals as we may go away ourselves (which could be true!). She then said she would ask our immediate neighbour but they are away as well, so I don't know which poor soul will end up feeding the cat twice a day, watering all her baskets and putting the rubbish out! One thing for sure, it won't be me!

Dead flies...

If there was an industry that used dead flies, we'd be millionaires. I was sitting on the seat in the garden today and looked through the conservatory windows - big mistake! I could see some dead flies on the windowsill and one on the floor and, frankly, they didn't look very nice. Resigning myself to giving the conservatory a good going over (and it's been warm today!) I set about cleaning it.

It obviously gets warm in there in the summer so we have the doors open, but this brings in hordes of flies and, what I think, are hoverflies. They congregate on the ceiling and then die and I'm forever sweeping them up. Sadly I also found a dead butterfly on the windowsill as well. Not only were the dead insects (spiders, wasps, bees and flies) in accessible places, but they were behind the sofas as well so I had to pull all the furniture out and do a deep clean! Serves me right for thinking I could lounge about in the garden all afternoon with a glass of um...sparkling water!

I'm also going to ban Monty from going in there for his post-breakfast nap. He had used every single cushion to sleep on and his hairs were clinging to every surface...

So, now the conservatory (and the rest of downstairs) is squeaky clean and immaculate and I've been growling at anybody who dares to make a mess!

Back to Buckingham

We liked Buckingham so much last week that we went back again today and took mum with us. She liked the town, too but it was Sophie who had the best afternoon after we found a lovely little shop which sold second-hand designer clothes, shoes and bags. After much deliberating she chose a lovely top while I browsed the scented candles, beautiful ceramics and paintings which were also for sale.

We had afternoon tea at Connie's again and dodged the showers of rain that plagued us all afternoon. Summer seems well and truly over at the moment, but I still bought a citronella candle in a pot in case we have some more warm and sultry evenings to sit out in the garden.

Our planned evening meal of pork schnitzel didn't go as planned as the pork was too thick so we cut it into cubes and will use it as a curry tomorrow night. Our substitute meal of steak and garlicky potatoes went down very well in its place, though!

Friday 6 August

The summer is in full swing now and everyone I know seems to be off on their holidays. This year, for the first time in ten years, we won't be packing our cases and joining them, but (apart from the odd niggle) I'm not sad. I'm looking forward to spending two weeks at home for once and having all my home comforts which I miss so much when we go away. I miss our bed most of all as, unless we're really lucky, we rarely get a King or Super-king bed wherever we stay and sometimes the beds have been unbelievably uncomfortable. Keith and I are used to having a bed where we can't even touch each other through the night so if we have to share a double we're guaranteed a bad night's sleep! We bought our bed 10 years ago when the children had a habit of joining us through the night. At times we had both of them crawling in so having a large bed was the solution as we can all fit in reasonably comfortably and they still jump in when we're having a lazy morning.

Other things I won't have to miss will be somewhere comfortable to sit and watch a good film. We've rented villas in the past with dodgy television reception and hard sofas. Sometimes in the evening, all we've wanted to do is have a BBQ and then watch a good film, but as we don't speak Spanish or German, watching a good film has been impossible! However, one year, in Mallorca we did rent a villa that had BBC1, BBC2 and ITV so we were able to keep up our daily viewing of Neighbours all through the holiday! Now that Neighbours has moved to Channel 5 I think even that would go by the wayside!

I have one more week of work and then I'm off for two weeks. We're planning on going back to Southwold for a day, this time properly equipped with swimsuits and suntan lotion. Well, that's if the sun ever shines again. Friday was dismal, grey and miserable! What has happened to our summer?

Catching up

This is a two for one blog today!

The past two days have been pretty uneventful. Mum and Dad took Mikey to the cinema last night to see the Karate Kid and then for a pizza afterwards which was enjoyed by all three of them. It was lovely to see them all go off together for the evening and Mikey loved all the attention!

Today, Sophie met her friend Susie and went to the cinema as well, this time to see The A-Team which was something I used to watch when I was a lot younger! They, too, had pizza afterwards! It was good for Sophie to see her best friend as she misses Susie and Vicky when they're not at school.

I am still alcohol free and enjoying two or three glasses of mineral water every evening before and with our meals. I imagined I would feel fabulous, but I just feel tired!

A couple of pics...

Gorgeous hanging basket at Weedon

Our bread and butter pudding

It's been a quiet day today. Keith made a delicious mushroom soup for dinner - another success!

Bread and butter pudding!

I did it! I followed a recipe! Keith was about to throw away half a crusty loaf but I stopped him and suggested we make Bread & Butter pudding. I know it's probably one of the easiest things to assemble (!) but I'm very proud of the result and will post a photo later!

A short story...

Barking Mad!

“Oh no, not again!” Kate covered her head with the pillow in an effort to drown out the sound of furious barking. But even through the padded softness she could still hear next door’s dog howling.

“I don’t believe it!” she shouted and flung the covers back, jumping out of bed to try and glimpse the offending animal from her bedroom window. For a week now she had been woken every morning before dawn by the terrible din and she was exhausted and frustrated.

Seeing nothing but inky blackness she crawled back into bed but the howling started again. Why had she bought this house, she wondered? It had been such a good idea at the time: a sweet “pretty as a postcard” cottage on the edge of an idyllic village where she could retreat from the stresses of her working day. She imagined nothing but the sound of birdsong disturbing her relaxation, but now she seriously contemplated selling up and moving on.

Sighing with annoyance, she padded downstairs to put the kettle on. A cup of tea would soothe her nerves and if she moved about in the kitchen she might be able to catch her neighbour. This had gone on for too long now and although Kate normally shied away from confrontation, she had no choice but to say something about the noise. Waiting for the kettle to boil she realised that she’d never seen her neighbour and despite her preconceived ideas of country folk being friendly, nobody had popped over to welcome her to the village.

She could see a window of the next door house - a large rambling cottage that was roomy enough for a big family, but she hadn’t seen any children and there was only one, very smart, sports car in the drive.

The howling started again and Kate peered out of the kitchen window into the darkness of the early morning. How could anyone ignore that noise? The dog sounded like a lonely wolf, its long drawn out cry making Kate groan in frustration. Stirring her tea she opened the back door and listened, but no sound came from the neighbouring house. Suddenly a terrible thought struck her…what if her new neighbour was ill and the dog had been left on its own all this time?

Kate’s mind whirled with possibilities. Her neighbour had fallen and was lying at the bottom of the stairs, or even worse, someone had broken in and hit them over the head…

Tying her dressing gown tightly, Kate crept next door, her hearing alert to anyone moving about. All was silent except for the dog who continued to howl in desperation and despair, his cries accompanied by the occasional whine and the sounds of scratching. She made her way along the dividing fence to see if she could talk to the animal but at the sound of her voice it became frantic, yelping and barking like a wild thing. Standing on tiptoes she tried to see over the fence but the hand on her shoulder made her cry out in panicked alarm.

“Can I ask why you’re looking into my garden?”

Kate almost fainted with shock, her head spinning as she turned around to confront a tall man, dressed like her in a navy blue dressing gown. “I…I was…the dog!” she spluttered, feeling herself going red. “The noise he’s making! You must be able to hear it!”

Her neighbour had the grace to appear sheepish at her words. “Ah sorry…I…er…didn’t think you’d be able to hear it next door.”

Kate’s anger and frustration returned. “He’s been barking like that all week! You’re lucky I didn’t report you to the council!”

It was then that she looked down and noticed the thick plaster-cast on the man’s left leg. He was leaning heavily on a walking stick and his handsome face was pale and drawn.

“Your leg? What happened?”

“Well, that’s the problem, you see,” he grimaced and leaned forward to open the gate, allowing a huge Golden Labrador to whirl past them in a frenzy of yellow fur. The dog went crazy, trying its hardest to lick both Kate and her neighbour, its tail wagging madly as he bounded about, nearly knocking his master down in the process.

“Steady on, you mad thing.” He ruffled the dog’s silky ears, a genuine look of affection on his face. “Look, we seem to have got off to a bad start. I’m sorry. I’m Luke and this beast is Bertie. And this…” he tapped his leg, “was a silly accident when I thought it was a good idea to go ice-skating for the first time.”

Kate couldn’t help smiling, her feelings of anger disappearing as she watched the two of them together. “But why’s he been barking? I was beginning to think that something terrible had happened.”

“I normally take him out for his walk every morning,” Luke explained. “It’s a ritual we have before I go off to work and Bertie can’t understand why we’re not going. It takes me ages to hobble down and let him back in after his run in the garden and I just didn’t realise how much noise he was making.”

Kate suddenly felt guilty about all the moaning she’d been doing over the past week. Luke was obviously doing his best to look after his dog and it wasn’t his fault that the dog was frustrated by his lack of exercise.

Luke ran his hands through his thick dark hair and smiled ruefully. “Look, why don’t I make us a cup of coffee to say sorry about all this?”

“I’d love to if you don’t mind me dressed like this!” She laughed and followed her neighbour as he hobbled painfully back down the path to his front door. Bertie scampered about, sniffing the bushes and looking eagerly up at his master as if expecting a walk. His handsome canine face fell when Luke reluctantly called him into the house.

Five minutes later, sipping a frothy coffee from Luke’s amazing cappuccino machine, Kate had a sudden thought. “Why don’t I walk him for you? I can spare an hour before work and maybe another hour in the evening now it’s getting lighter.”

Luke stared at her in astonishment. “Do you mean it? I’ve got nobody else to ask as I’ve only just moved in here myself.”

They looked at each other and Kate grinned. “If you carry on making me coffee like this, I’ll definitely walk him for you!”

Reaching down to pat the sleeping dog, Luke smiled back at her. “It’s a deal, but don’t ever let me suggest taking you ice-skating, OK?”

Sleepy Sunday

Today has been nice and slow, just how Sundays are supposed to be. We had a very late start, reading in bed until gone 10am, something we rarely do. The children kept coming and asking when breakfast would be, but seeing as both of them are more than capable of getting themselves something to eat, we ignored them until the lure of the coffee pot finally drew me downstairs.

In the afternoon, I drove mum and Sophie over to Weedon for yet more browsing around shops that are full of useless things that look nice but that we don't really need. There is a lovely cookshop though, and I did look at some of the cookery books with a view to buying one to help us plan our meals a bit better, but nothing looked simple enough for me to follow. One tome, very posh looking, had Italian recipes and I know that I would find it virtually impossible to follow them. For some reason I panic when I follow a recipe and I have no idea why. I really must try and resolve that problem so maybe an evening class would help as I'd love to try different dishes. I have the greatest admiration for people who follow a recipe and it all works out perfectly. I have been thinking of taking evening classes when they start again in September and do something completely different like sewing, another thing I'm totally useless at!

This afternoon I didn't take up mum's offer of a drink as I am going to try and have an alcohol free August...Sophie scoffed at me when I told her about it as she knows that Keith and I do enjoy a drink in the evening as we play cards and when we have dinner, but I'm determined. One problem on the horizon is our Wedding Anniversary on the 15th, but I'm sure we can get around that.

Wish me luck!