Come Dine With Me!

Well, as hoped by all of us, ITV studios came into work this evening to film one of the Come Dine With Me contestants playing with her three children. It was great fun to watch and they were all lovely people. The woman who's taking part is from Boston, Massachusetts and is a real character. She'll certainly be interesting to watch on TV as she's quite outspoken and I liked her immediately. Her menu will be based on New England food and sounds delicious. They filmed her and the children on our large wavy slide and on one of the kiddie rides. We all stayed well out of the way, but I did get a sneak preview on the Director's screen as the cameraman was filming. It looked great!

Grouchy Sunday...

Today I have been mostly in a bad mood...Last night we had our Wine Evening and I have to admit it wasn't the most enjoyable night we've had so far. Another couple had been invited by our hosts for the night, which was OK, but they live in Northampton, so if they decided to invite us back to their place it would cause all sorts of problems, with drink-driving being the main one. Our Wine group is made up of (mostly) neighbours  so no-one has to drive and worry about being over the limit. Our hostess for the night had also mentioned that she had someone staying with her but I was assured the guest was going out and wouldn't be at home. Trying to share a bottle of wine out among 12-13 people and making sure you all get a good taste can be a bit of a problem. It's also good to have some wine left so if someone likes it they can have another taste afterwards.

Keith and I went around to the house a little early to open up the wine and set the table up with the glasses and tasting sheets. It was then that Sue mentioned that her guest wasn't going out and had invited her boyfriend over. They wouldn't be taking part (good, as I'd planned for 12) but they would be "observing" us...Huh?? What did they think we'd be doing? By now I was fuming as I'd already been a little annoyed she'd invited another couple in the first place!

The evening was extremely noisy. Usually there's a fair amount of banter but for some reason last night was even noisier and all attempts to talk about the wine just went by the wayside so I gave up. We had seven whites and all but two of them were from South Africa. We then had a break for food and moved onto the six Cabernet Sauvignons. Sue and Paul had decided to put on a music quiz at the very end so I was trying to tot up the scores to a background of loud music and people shouting out names of bands...The most popular wine was a bottle of Chenin Blanc from South Africa called Morgenhof, available in Waitrose. The second was a Cabernet Sauvignon called Montes Alpha from Chile available from Tesco. A Chenin Blanc also came third, a Ken Forrester white from South Africa, sold in most big supermarkets.

We rolled home at just after midnight and I had a bad night's sleep! Too much wine does not agree with me!

So Sunday was a bit of a grouchy day, if I'm honest. I'm determined that we'll revert back to normal for the next Wine Evening with just the ten of us, even though the couple who'd been invited had hinted at the end of the evening that they would like to hold a tasting. I politely told them we were already fixed up.

Sophie had arranged to see her friends today and to go shopping into Northampton town so I dropped them all off and then went to the garden centre with mum for a much needed cup of tea and a gossip. It was too cold to venture outside and buy pansies so we mooched about a bit and then drove back to the town in the hope that the girls were finished their shopping. They weren't so we parked and walked up to Debenhams, passing far too many empty shops on the way. Northampton is sadly run down and is certainly not the town it used to be. Even though it was a Sunday afternoon, there was a vague sense of menace about (although that could have been coming from me) and it was really heartbreaking to see all the shops with For Let signs in them. I find Northampton depressing now and it seems I'm not the only one. I much prefer to shop in Milton Keynes or Market Harborough which is very sad seeing as I've lived in the area for 38 years.

Mum treated herself to a new handbag in Debenhams and by the time we'd walked back to the car, the girls were ready. I dropped them off at home, went into mum's for a quick drink and then headed home where I fell asleep on the sofa.

Sue came around to return the glasses and I did hint that last night wasn't the success I'd expected it to be. I wasn't rude, I just said that I found it very strange to have a couple sitting in the room but not being part of what was going on and they must have felt a little weird about it as well. I said I'd like to keep it to just ten and I think she knew how I felt. Sometimes honesty is the best policy!

Saturday strolls

After another early awakening - I was watching Neighbours at 4am this morning - I thankfully went back to sleep and had a lazy start to the day. Sophie and I ventured into Market Harborough in the afternoon to choose some wine from Duncan's shop and to pick up the bottle of Chenin Blanc I'd put by. I tasted a delicious Romanian Chardonnay and so bought a bottle of that as well!

It's been a freezing cold day today but that didn't stop Sophie, Mikey and me from going for a walk in the afternoon. I thought that maybe the sun would peep through the clouds and although we had some subtle pinks and greys, we didn't see a sunset at all. The wind was a nasty, cold, biting chill that penetrated our coats and scarves but when we arrived back home our cheeks were glowing from the lovely fresh air!

Money matters

Today has been mostly about dealing with money, both at work and at home, and a few problems were solved which should make for an easier night's sleep (I was awake at 5am this morning and watching It's A Wonderful Life, a film that has a lot to do with money!).

When I got home I found that my lovely extended family had sent me cheques to cover the deposit I paid to the restaurant the other day, so that was great. I'm not good with mixing money and friends or family so that was another lovely thing to happen today! I now just need to do a bit more research into my father's side of the family tree so I can have something to show them all when we meet up next month. I don't think that will prove to be an onerous task, though!

Thursday 27 January

I have to confess to sitting down late last night and trying to write this, but I gave up. The only really exciting thing that happened yesterday was the arrival of our new heaters, which caused a bit of mayhem as they had to be offloaded from the lorry by forklift truck, they were so big! Luckily the small company that rents one of our units has a forklift truck so we were able to get them off and stored safely until they can be installed next week. Just wait and see - we'll get a freak heatwave now in the UK!

The day sped by again but mum and I did find a few minutes to go and get our eyebrows shaped at the local beauty salon. Sadly, now I cannot enter a Dennis Healy lookalike competition!

Birthday celebrations.

Today has been Mikey's birthday so we had a lovely half hour opening presents and cards this morning before it was time to get ready for school and work. The day passed very quickly and again, I managed to get a lot of things done. I also booked a big family celebration I'm organising in February and paid a deposit for the meal. There will be eighteen of us meeting up at a restaurant in Kent, the first time we've all been together since my Grandmother died in 2007. This is my dad's side of the family and we're scattered all over the country so I'm looking forward to meeting up with everyone again.

After work, Mum and Dad popped around for a cup of tea and a slice of birthday cake and then we all met up again at The Mandarin Buffet in Northampton to celebrate Mikey's Birthday. As expected, the children loved the restaurant and couldn't believe how many choices there were available. They particularly enjoyed the desserts and Mikey was overjoyed when a waiter brought out a Black Forest gateau for him with a candle! He was even allowed to take it home so a great time was had by all. The food was very good and the service excellent and I suspect Sophie will want to come back when it's her birthday!

Today has been a lot colder than of late with a freezing wind blowing in from the east. I'm not sure whether we're going to get any more snow - something we really don't want at the moment!

Hmmm...!

Inspiration is not striking tonight, I'm afraid...today is one of those days when I'm finding it difficult to write anything, either boring or interesting! I suppose I could mention the phone call I received this afternoon from ITV Studios asking if they could possibly come in and see us with a view to filming a small scene for Come Dine With Me next week... We were all very excited but nothing is set in stone yet. Dad and I met the Director who loved the look of the play area and explained that they were filming in Northamptonshire next week and one of the women involved had three small children. It would be brilliant for us if it happens, so let's keep everything crossed!

In the evening Keith and I celebrated Burn's Night in a very small way by having a wee dram of whisky. I wasn't allowed any haggis, mores the pity!

Typical Monday...

Yesterday was a typical Monday, which was a relief after the Monday I had last week! We managed to do a fair bit of cleaning and I went outside to clear up the litter that was spread over our car park. I'm not sure if it was wishful thinking, but there was the tiniest hint of Spring in the air. The birds were singing and even though we had a light rain shower, it still felt lovely to be outside. I'm not getting my hopes up as the next few weeks can be really wintry, but for an hour, at least, it was great!

When I got home I'd suggested to Sophie we go for a walk, but I'd forgotten that Keith needed to go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. I wasted almost an hour waiting around for him in the car as the tablets he wanted weren't available at either the surgery or the chemist in the village. Grrrr!

Not a good day for a walk!

This morning, at my suggestion, we drove over to Stoke Bruerne for a canalside walk. The weather was dull and grey but I really wanted to get out in the fresh air and get some exercise after being in the house most of the day yesterday.

Unfortunately, Sophie wasn't so keen and we had a bit of an argument as she thought the walk was boring even though I said it was better than going over the fields behind the house. We walked for about half an hour, turned around and then went back to the car, stopping to see a narrowboat enter a lock on the way. I'd forgotten how much hard work it is opening and closing the lock gates as when I was a teenager I regularly went on narrowboat trips with my sixth form class and we had a brilliant time. I'm not so sure Sophie would agree with me!

After lunch Keith and I set out for a stroll into the village, but frustratingly his hip started to hurt. I urged him to go back to the house, but stubborn as ever, he refused so we pushed on into the village and on the return walk he suddenly said it didn't hurt any more! Weird!

We had a bit of drama on Friday when Keith met up with his mate who he sees at the pub. His 17 year old son had taken his dad's car out for a spin without permission and had lost control of it near to where we live, rolling it over twice and ending up in the hedge. Amazingly the young lad was unhurt but I think he'll be in a fair bit of trouble and the car is a write-off. Before going home we went to have a look to see if we could find the registration plate for Keith's friend, but all we found was small shattered bits of it...

So, all in all, not a very good day for a walk. I think in future we'll leave our own moody teenager at home!

 

False alarm!

My weekend didn't get off to a very good start when I was woken by the phone this morning. Keith came upstairs to tell me that mum had been on the phone to say that our weekend receptionist was feeling ill, and even though she was at work, she wasn't sure if she could last the day...

I jumped straight into the shower but happily for me, Jenny felt a lot better and I didn't have to go in. Sophie did, though, which was a shame as Donna (Keith's daughter from his first marriage) was due to visit with her husband and three year old daughter, Faye. Luckily they arrived before I had to take Sophie into work and she was able to unwrap a late Christmas present from her half-sister.

When I got back from dropping Sophie off, I made lunch and we had a good chat while Neil, Donna's husband, played on Mikey's PS3 with him. I have a feeling Mikey beat him!

Donna, Neil and the gorgeous little Faye left at around 2.30pm as Donna had to work later in the day. It was great to see them as it's been a little while since we were able to visit them in Lincolnshire, on Faye's 2nd birthday. She has grown into a really pretty little girl who chattered away the whole time they were with us.

All three of us went to pick Sophie up from work at 5pm and it looked like it had been a busy day, which was good news. Luckily Dad was in and keeping control of things which is always a bonus!

Friday 21 January - a sad day...

Well, it was the end of an era today. Our Nursery closed a week earlier than expected because we have virtually no children left and it wasn't fair on the few who did come in to have no other children to play with. Although it's a huge relief it's also very sad that something we started back in 1999 has come to an end. Would I do it again? No way. I don't normally use this blog to voice my feelings about political issues, but I think childcare is becoming far too rigid, obssessed with targets and achievements and doesn't realise that most parents who put their children into Nursery just want them to be looked after, cared for by loving and warm staff and really would like the education of their babies and toddlers to be left to schools.

Curriculums for babies as young as three months is ridiculous. When we started the Nursery in 1999 we were governed by the Social Services who made care a priority. Now it's education and Early Learning Goals. When are children supposed to be children?

Anyway...rant over. Mum and I will have a lot of cleaning and tidying up to do next week and it's hoped that another Nursery will take over the space in a few months which will give us a rental income. It will seem very strange on Monday to have no children laughing and chattering up there.

It was a relief to get home on Friday evening and enjoy the peace and quiet. When everyone had gone to bed I put on a good film and finally relaxed!

Getting things done!

Today has been another good day - nothing spectacular happened, it was just...enjoyable! Keith came into work with me while Mum and Dad had the day off and we bought our theme park tickets for Florida as well as organising our travel insurance. I'm glad that's been sorted as the holiday is getting closer!

I called Nick at Duncan's shop and asked him to put the Chenin Blanc by for me, which I'll pick up on the day of the wine tasting. It seems ages since we last met up for any wine appreciation, although technically we were all together (at one point) on New Year's Eve. We also booked a restaurant for Mikey's birthday next week so it's been a good day for getting things done.

The weather has been great again - lots of blue sky and a spectacular sunset on the way home from work. If I saw the colours on a photograph or painting I'd have thought they'd been artificially touched up, but nature was at its beautiful best this evening - a symphony of pinks, peaches and subtle greys and blues. Gorgeous!

At home I had an indulgent couple of hours catching up on programmes I'd recorded, such as Simon King's Shetland Diaries and the last episode of the very informative and interesting Edwardian Farm. Needless to say I had a glass of very delicious wine to keep me company!

Return to winter

There was a heavy frost this morning, which at first, looked like snow. Driving to work it was foggy but the sun came out and the rest of the day was beautiful, albeit cold!

I slept really badly last night and when I looked at the clock expecting it to be about 6am, I was dismayed to see it was 4.15am...I decided to get up, watch My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding which was fascinating, and went back to bed at 5.30. Needless to say I felt groggy and horrible all day.

I'd booked one of our staff onto a Fire Awareness course so I went to pick her up at 9am and dropped her off at the Fire Station (no hunky Firemen, I'm afraid) and then mum and I spent most of the morning doing Reception duty. We also made the painful decision to close the Nursery on Friday, a week early, as the numbers of children have dwindled dramatically. However, I have to say it will be a relief when it closes.

Keith popped in to see us, full of good cheer as he'd sneaked out for a walk and neither heart nor hip had given him any trouble...have we finally turned a corner?

In the evening I had a couple of glasses of The Liberator and felt pleasantly relaxed!

A little wine appreciation.

It was a welcome relief to see the sun today - what a difference it makes to my mood! Work has been OK and mum and I drove back to Hinckley to pick up the bouncy castle that had been in for repair. It was lovely to get out and about for a change as yesterday I was chained to my computer with masses of paperwork.

At home I tasted the two wines I bought on Saturday in Duncan's shop and was surprised to find that one of them was a blend of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier and the little known Clairette Blanc so that is a no-no for the Wine Evening as it has to be just one grape variety. It was a powerful, heady wine from South Africa at a magnificent 14.5% so not to be trifled with! It was called The Liberator Episode 1 and looks a real character!

The other wine, a true Chenin Blanc, was called Beaumont from Walker Bay in South Africa and was as far away from my beloved Vouvray as it's possible to be. I was not keen, I have to admit, as it had a bitter, tart  aftertaste that didn't go down very well at all with me. However, I think I may still take it with me and take along a Vouvray as well, to contrast and compare. It will be interesting to see what the others think!

Something good this way comes...

At least something good has happened lately at work - we've had the new cladding fitted to one part of the building which has made a huge difference to the way it looks as people come down the road. First impressions count!

The old appearance

 

 

 

 

 

The new cladding in a lovely bright blue!

Simple pleasures...

My working life has been pretty stressful lately so it's always a relief to get home in the evening and enjoy some simple pleasures which, on the whole, are free. I'll be really glad when this month is over and things will settle down so, to keep positive and try and relax, I just keep thinking about all the little things I love to do:

Jumping into a warm soapy bath and chatting to Keith about what we've been doing during the day. If he brings me up a glass of wine, then so much the better!

Sitting on the bed after my bath and watching Escape to the Country or A Place in the Sun - Home or Away.

Playing a game of cards with Keith (and the children, too, if they decide to join in). While he shuffles the pack I do the daily crossword.

Going out for a long walk and leaving my mobile at home.

A beautiful sunny day.

The peace and quiet on a Friday night when the rest of the family is in bed and I can watch a film knowing it's the weekend.


A really good book.

A full night's deep uninterrupted sleep.

Looking at old photos, especially of holidays.

Pottering about in the garden when the weather's fine.


Breakfast in our sunny conservatory, the weekend newspapers and a pot of coffee.


The first warm days of Spring which make me feel full of energy. I'm looking forward to those!

 My hope is that this year has far more simple pleasures than stresses!

The celebrations continue!

Today has been another very relaxed day starting with a lovely lie-in and a slow start. In the afternoon mum and I went to an Antiques Fair in Kettering and had a good look at what was, mostly, tat although there were some beautiful clocks on display but they were way out of our price range. We ended up taking home a beautiful meat platter from around 1900 for £7 (me) and a gorgeous huge Victorian bowl which should have had a jug with it for £10 (mum). Mum collects a china range called Mason and we did see three pieces (I was tempted by a cream jug) but she resisted as the plates she saw were a different style to the one she collects.

I popped into their house for a quick drink and then, after an hour at home, the four of us went to The Green Man at Lavendon for a meal. We'd been to this pub before, on my 40th Birthday, and it's a lovely old inn with low wooden beams and rough white-washed walls. We chose our meals and had a fairly long wait before they arrived by which time we were all famished. The food was OK. Keith and I chose the mixed grill and the sausages were almost burnt to a cinder while the steak was a bit tough but on the whole we enjoyed the meal and certainly weren't hungry when we left!

Another year...another candle on the Birthday cake!

These Birthdays are coming around a little too quickly for my liking! Last year's seems like only yesterday!

I've had a lovely day today which started with a long lie-in (hooray! Maybe the early waking curse has ended) followed by my favourite breakfast (poached eggs on toast with brown sauce and lots of coffee) and then a shopping trip to Market Harborough in the afternoon with mum and Sophie. I received lots of cards and some lovely pressies so maybe becoming one year older isn't too bad, after all!

My good friend Lynda came around just after we finished breakfast and brought me some lovely flowers. I made her a coffee and we both had a good chat while Keith disappeared off to Tesco to do a quick shop. On reflection he maybe shouldn't have gone after his little op yesterday but he's so stubborn he wouldn't hear of resting today. His leg seems a lot better and he did mention that when he turned over in bed last night it didn't hurt as much so we're keeping our fingers crossed that the injection has worked.

After lunch I collected mum and we all had a lovely mooch around Market Harborough and enjoyed the  unique little shops that line the high street. Sophie tried on two lovely tops that really suited her and I treated myself to a pretty scarf and necklace in Monsoon. Before we left we went into my favourite shop and I bought two bottles of Chenin Blanc wine in readiness for the forthcoming Wine Tasting. Both of them were from South Africa so I will taste them over the next couple of days and try and decide which one to take. Nick (my erstwhile work partner) has very kindly put a bottle of each of them aside in the storeroom for me but I have a feeling I will like both! I now need to find a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon so I will choose that the next time I go in. I love the fact that Duncan stocks wine you will never find in the big supermarkets and specialises in Southern French wines so there's sure to be something that'll catch my eye.

Back home I was met with the mouthwatering aroma of beef casserole and a glass of wine!

Hospital again!

Keith and I were up early this morning as he had to be at the hospital for 7.30am to have treatment on his hip. We're hoping that the injection of steroids will reduce the pain he's been in lately. I dropped him off then sped back home to get the children off to school before going into work and awaiting his phone call to pick him up. He was supposed to have had a general anaesthetic but ended up just having a sedative and a local and was allowed to go home at 1pm which was a huge relief!

I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from mum for my Birthday tomorrow and we're planning on going to Market Harborough for some shopping. The plan to go out for the day has been put on hold, mainly because of Keith's poorly hip but also because of the weather.

I went home early in the afternoon as Keith wasn't supposed to be left on his own (ahhh!). I picked the children up from school and went straight home which was bliss. We had a very relaxing evening watching a film and ordering a Chinese takeaway and it was really weird having Keith at home on a Friday night as he was not allowed to go to the pub!

Thursday 13 January

Today was spent in Kent, seeing Nan and visiting my uncle who's in hospital. We had a very good journey down, had a quick coffee and then took Nan shopping and to the bank. I managed to put myself back into my son's good books by buying him a game for his Playstation...we'd ordered what we thought was a game from Amazon but when it arrived it was a guide to the game! Oh dear! Keith told me what happened when I phoned him so I went into one of the games shops and managed to get a "pre-owned" one for a very good price. Phew! Disaster averted!

We were too busy to go and look at the church I wanted to visit (for family tree purposes) so we'll leave that for our next visit. Nan told us some funny stories of when she was growing up and it's great how researching the family tree has had such a positive effect on her, bringing back lots of memories and giving her a chance to talk about the past.

Our journey home was fine, despite the heavy rain and huge lorries everywhere!

Out and about.

Keith and I made another trip to Hinckley today to take a sickly bouncy castle that needed repairing. In contrast to the last time we went, the weather was horrible. It's rained all day, the sky grey and full of horrible porridge-like clouds. I didn't actually spend much time at work today which has been a good thing as things have been a bit stressful on the staffing front...less said about that the better, in my opinion!

Two days in one...

Yesterday and today have been busy and my laptop is taking ages to power up in the evening when I get home so I've been a bit tardy again with updating my blog. You can be assured that nothing really exciting has happened...if it had I'd be itching to report it!

The weather has turned grey and miserable and I'm longing for the Spring to arrive, but the worst may not be over yet, so I think we still have a way to go before we can throw open the windows and doors and let the fresh air in. I have noticed, though, that the evenings are getting a tiny bit lighter. At 4.30pm today it was still quite light so maybe I'll be able to squeeze in a walk when I get home from work after all!

Cleaning!

I've spent most of today cleaning the house - Keith keeps it ticking over a lot of the time but every now and again I have to have a blitz and today was the day. We moved the dining room table out of the conservatory and I gave that a really good clean as the roof struts were dirty. It was very satisfying to see it all shiny and pristine when I'd finished!

Of course, the sun shone all day today and even though I'd planned on going for a walk, by the time I'd finished at 4pm I just didn't have the energy to tramp over the fields for an hour or more so it was into the bath and a long soak before dinner!

Shopping!

It's been a lovely, very busy day today and I've been able to relax and forget about work for a while. This morning I picked my mum up and with Sophie, we drove to get Susie who lives in town. I'd promised I'd buy Sophie and Susie and my mum breakfast before a shopping trip in Milton Keynes. We parked easily and had a delicious late breakfast in Caffe Italia which set us up for lots of shopping.

I desperately needed some new clothes and for once I found lots of things I liked - two pairs of jeans and three tops! Miracle! As the day wore on it became a lot busier and the sun made an appearance which was a welcome change after all the grey days we've had lately. The girls went off on their own while Mum and I had a good look at all the shops, lusting after several handbags in the sale and trying out a couple of new perfumes. I always come home from a shopping trip smelling of different perfumes!

We were all home by 4pm and I did some research on my family tree. Yesterday a death certificate arrived for my Great Great Great Grandmother, Mary, who died at the age of 30 years. I'm ashamed to admit that I thought her husband William had had something to do with it, but she died of a fever and to my shame I found out tonight that he died shortly after her, leaving three young children orphans, one of whom was only two years old. It's been an ongoing mystery as I couldn't find any record of him after the 1841 census and, with my imagination, I thought he had been a bad man and had been sent to Australia. But no...the poor man, aged only 33 years died nine months later. They are both buried in a church in Swanscombe, in Kent, so that will be our next place to visit and maybe take some flowers, if I can find their grave.

I can only imagine how terrible it must have been for the children to have both their parents die so young but I know that they were taken in by their grandparents so at least they stayed within the family. I wish I knew more about them and their day to day lives, but that's one of the frustrating aspects of genealogy. You can find out facts such as births and deaths but it's the real lives I'd love to know about!

Relaxation!

Today had been another good day so maybe this positive thinking is beginning to work! The forecasted snow didn't arrive although it was very sleety as I drove into work this morning. Snow is the last thing we want at the moment (this weekend is busy with Birthday parties) so maybe the harsh winter we've had up until now is on the way out.

After work Sue came around for a glass of wine and some nibbles. It was good to relax at the end of a pretty stressful week and have a gossip. It makes me realise how essential relaxation time is and how great it is seeing friends and family and having a laugh. Work is important but there has to be a balance and I hope I'm achieving that!

Late again...

Thursday was much more peaceful, thankfully! We took all the Christmas decorations down at work which was a bit sad as they always brighten up everything, especially at this time of the year. I think January and February are the darkest months, with Spring still a way off, so it would be nice to have extra shiny lights to cheer us all up!

At home in the evening I spent a very enjoyable couple of hours watching The Bear Family and Me which has been on television over the past week. How I envied the presenter/photographer Gordon Buchanan who spent the Spring, Summer and Autumn studying bears in Minnesota! What a job!

Wednesday 5 January

Oh dear! Five days into the New Year and I'm already behind!

I do have a reason, though, as I really didn't feel like writing this last night at all when I got home from work. Yesterday was sad as we had to tell five of our Nursery staff that they would not have a job after January. We've made the decision to shut down the Nursery part of the business which has been limping along for a good few months and is just not making enough money. The last straw was our Nursery Manager leaving at the end of December and under Ofsted, we need to have a Manager in place to continue. As our numbers are so low, we can't afford somebody really good to take the Nursery on and turn it around, so that's that.

We've had the Nursery since 1999 and things have changed unbelievably over the last few years since Ofsted took over, rather than Social Services who made sure we took care of the children properly. With Ofsted it's all about education so I think the time is right to get out and do something different with the space we have.The paperwork is becoming horrendous and it will be a relief not to have to deal with it any more.

So yesterday was rather stressful as we were busy at work, the noise level was tremendous and we had to see girls that have worked with us for a long time to tell them that they would be out of a job in February. I have a feeling they knew it was coming but it was very sad nonetheless. I was mightily glad to get home and have a relaxing game of cards with Keith in the evening, draw the curtains and shut out the winter night!

Back to work!

It was a real shock when I was awoken at 7am this morning! Poor Sophie was back at school so we both got ready for our day together while Mikey snoozed on (I heard he didn't wake up until about 9.30am!). I suppose there comes a time when the holidays have to end and the work begins again!

We were busy at work today (we could have done with Sophie's help) and I was caught up with a lot of paperwork so I didn't get to see much daylight, except the small bit I could see out of the window. On the way home I called into the garage and booked my naughty car in. We can't open the passenger door at the moment and there is a crack in the windscreen which is due to be mended tomorrow. If she carries on like this she will find herself on the scrap heap - she is costing me a fortune at the moment!

An afternoon stroll in Ely

Keith woke me at 8.30am this morning and asked what time I wanted to go to the Cotswolds, but I'd changed my mind about going! The weather was still dull and grey and the thought of driving all the way just to walk around a village we'd already walked around before had lost its appeal.

We spent the morning arguing half-heartedly about where to go and in the end I suggested Ely, in Cambridgeshire. It wasn't far away and I'd always wanted to go as I'd heard it was a pretty place - a small city with a large cathedral. It took us about an hour to get there, the city visible easily from the flat landscape which surrounds it.

We parked and walked up to the cathedral which was built by the Normans in the 12th century. It was built on the site of a monastery started by Etheldreda in 673 so there was an enormous amount of history in the building. We had lunch in the cathedral cafe, walked around and admired the stained glass windows and then had a stroll around the monastic buildings (very old) and the gardens. It was very cold, just above freezing, so after exploring the town and making plans to come back in the summer to do the riverside walk, we drove home.

I particularly liked this house...

 

 

The Fens are beautiful, despite being so flat and you can see for miles. I'd love to spend more time exploring this little corner of the UK, but despite this area being so close to us, it's a region we rarely go to. Perhaps this year we'll go there more often and visit the little towns and villages that are dotted about.

On the way home we made the mistake of calling into Tesco as Sophie is back to school tomorrow and we needed bits for her packed lunch. The place was heaving. It took us ages to just get out of the car park and I wonder if everyone went today to avoid the VAT rise which will come into effect tomorrow. I noticed on the road that the diesel prices had gone through the roof. If this carries on we perhaps won't be able to afford to go exploring in the car any more!

Easing gently into the New Year

Today has been another relaxed day but I felt a lot better than I did yesterday morning! In the afternoon Mum, Soph and me went to Weedon which we did this time last year! Old habits!

It's been colder today but still a bit grey. I haven't looked at the weather forecast for the next few days but I did hear somewhere that we may get more snow next week.  Hmmm...I'm not holding my breath!

Weedon was quiet but I did buy a Snowflake Obsidian gemstone fashioned into a keyring. It's supposed to prevent negative thoughts so I'm determined to keep my resolution! Before going home we stopped at mum and dad's for a drink and had a good gossip about the New Year's Eve parties we went to. I do love a good dissection of an evening!

Oh, what a night!

Hmmm...today has been a bit of a washout and I'm so glad we decided to delay our trip to the Cotswolds. Firstly because none of us actually surfaced until about 11am (Keith and Sophie managed to lie-in until lunchtime - shameful!), secondly because we'd have been over the legal limit to drive and thirdly, the weather forecast was right and it's been a horrible, rainy grey day.

Last night was memorable (well, I can remember it but I'm not so sure some of our friends will!) and we ended up going to two parties! Sue and Paul came around to us with a bottle of champagne and a small bottle each of peach schnapps and sloe gin, which we enjoyed as an aperitif, and then Mum and Dad joined us so it was past 8pm when we arrived at Sarah and Liam's house next door. We were the first to arrive but we soon livened things up as the wine flowed and the conversations became louder and louder. Unfortunately a lot of the guests that Sarah and Liam had invited had been struck down by flu so it was a select little band of us that saw in the New Year at midnight - actually, apart from Paul and Sue who had left to go to another party, it was just the Wine Club members and various offspring!

The fireworks in London were matched by bangers going off around us so we all trooped outside to see what was going on and came across another riotous party in a nearby house. As we knew everyone there we joined forces and had a great time because by now everyone was nicely tipsy, the kids were playing on the various PlayStations and Xboxes scattered about and the champagne was flowing like a river.

We eventually left at 3am in a state of woozy drunkenness and Keith did his first footing so that should ensure another year of wealth, health and happiness!

So today has been a bit quiet, the adults are a bit fragile but it's the first hangover I've had for years on New Year's Day so I can't complain!