Strike!

It sounds like most of the country is out on strike today in what I think has been called the "biggest action for a generation." We were affected doubly - both children weren't at school and we were extremely busy at work as parents flocked to us to entertain their children while they were off. Sophie came in to help so she earned herself a few hours work into the bargain!

The weather was much better today - we had beautiful blue skies in the morning so I was able to get out and take some photos of the cladding which is coming along beautifully...

I also took a couple of sneaky pics of the new car, one of which is below:

Girlie night out!

For once, I was the passenger this evening, rather than being the driver!

Keith came into work with me today as my parents had swapped their days off, knowing we would be busy on Wednesday when a lot of the schools would be shut because of the strikes. We did a lot of driving about and I took him into Northampton at lunchtime where he was having his bi-annual meet with two of his old work colleagues.

The weather today has been terrible - really wet and very windy so when I went to pick Keith up from the pub the journey was horrible, and made even worse by the heavy traffic and absence of street lights! I wouldn't want to do that journey every evening!

So it was with a feeling of relief when I eventually got home, jumped in the bath and then went out with Sue for an Indian meal in Kettering. She chose a restaurant called "Exotic Dining" which was absolutely lovely, but sadly very empty when we arrived. Another couple arrived as we were half way through our meal, but such a great restaurant deserves to do well.

We were both famished when we arrived so we ordered two poppadums each, accompanied by some delicious sauces and chopped onion and tomato. I sipped on an enormous glass of Pinot Grigio, very grateful to Sue that she'd offered to drive! My starter was called "Pears of Potato" which consisted of breadcrumbed mashed potato shaped into little pears and served with an apricot and date chutney. Sue had a vegetable samosa and they resembled two perfect little boobs!

For my main course I chose Murgh Masalam which was a fillet of chicken breast marinated with white pepper, English mustard, garlic and ginger paste and then stuffed with chicken mince. It was served with an onion and yoghurt sauce and an egg! With that I had mushroom rice and half of a Peshwari Naan which was dripping with syrup. It sounds odd, but it was delicious!

Sue had Chicken Shaslik with Chana Masala, pieces of marinated chicken served with a chickpea sauce which she said was delicious and very filling.

We couldn't manage a dessert so we settled for a decaffeinated coffee each, an After Eight mint and I was offered a freebie Baileys, which I felt was rude to refuse! We waddled off into the night, feeling very replete and very happy!

Deck the halls...

As we have a Christmas party at work this weekend we had no choice but to spend all day putting up the Christmas decorations, a job I really don't look forward to!

I arrived at work early and one of the workmen who was in doing the cladding came into the office to let me know what they were going to be doing with the building today. Before I knew it, he started telling me his life story which was a touch surprising, seeing as I hardly knew him! I didn't mind though as it's just another example of how complete strangers seem to treat me as an unpaid counsellor! I really should be in another job! Preferably one where I can charge!

Keith came into work to help me and also to lend a hand with putting up one of our outside lights so at least the customers can see where they're going until the cladding is finished. We put up three Christmas trees and a whole host of other decorations which took the whole day, so I was a bit tired when it came time to call it a day and go home. The place did look beautiful though, and we turned off all the main lights so we could appreciate the twinkling bulbs on the trees and the lit up sleigh and reindeer!

This Sunday last year...

...we broke down on the way to the Winter Wonderland in London, something I only remembered as I drove down the M1 today!

Luckily, this Sunday's journey was a much better one and the temperatures much higher than last year when it was freezing! I think the thermometer hit 14 degrees centigrade today, so almost balmy! What a contrast! We weren't heading for the Winter Wonderland, either. Mum and I made the trip to see Nan who was feeling a bit down as she'd had £60 taken from her purse on Thursday and the warden that looks after her block of flats (and a lot of other people as well) think that a so-called "friend" of hers was responsible.

Naturally she was very upset, and the loss of money was the least of her worries as she was very down about the fact that someone she trusted had let her down like that. Life can be incredibly lonely for elderly people and she really enjoyed the contact she had with this person, something that will inevitably have to stop from now on.

We offered to take her out for lunch but she wasn't interested but she did ask us to go to Sainsbury's and get her some shopping, something we were only too glad to do.

We stayed until about 4.30pm and then made the journey home which was fast and without any mishaps, thank goodness!

A more relaxing day!

I had a bit of a lie-in this morning after my late night and then spent a couple of hours pottering around the house doing some chores until it was time to take Sophie into work. I'm still very nervous driving the car but I'm sure that will pass and I'll soon be throwing it about the lanes like I did with the Passat!

In the evening we all went off to Milton Keynes to see a film at Xscape (Keith drove over and said he liked the car). We chose Tower Heist with Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy and it was very good, with lots of funny bits and a good storyline.

The meal afterwards was not so brilliant - I chose a Harvester restaurant as they did most things the children liked and I love their salads, but it really wasn't a brilliant experience and I don't think we'll be visiting the brand new one that's just opened near us in Northampton!

Friday 25 November

Today was due to be a very busy day. Mum and Dad gave me a lift into work this morning as I was off to collect the new car in the afternoon and Keith was coming into work to pick me up. I regretted saying I would pick the car up at 3pm as I had friends coming around for a meal in the evening and I knew that time would be very tight.

So, most of the day was normal, with all the excitement and frantic preparation squeezed into the latter part of the afternoon and evening! Sophie texted me and pleaded with me to pick her up from school, adding even more to the complications!

We picked both children up from school and then drove over to the other side of Northampton to the Audi garage. I looked all around for the car but couldn't see it, although I did see a car hidden by covers sitting in the middle of the showroom...

We went through all the paperwork again, Craig went to look at Keith's car to make sure it was the same one as we'd brought previously (!) and then he said that my car was the one hidden under the covers! With the children, he pulled the cover off and I was absolutely amazed at how beautiful the car looked, all shiny and new! The foglights looked wonderful and you would never know that they'd been added afterwards so that was a big relief for me. I was presented with a beautiful picture of the car and I can honestly say that the whole service I had from Audi was outstanding.

We had a good look at the car, inside and out and then Craig and I went to get some more diesel from a garage nearby. When we got back it was all mine to drive and I have to admit I was terrified. The bodywork is so shiny and immaculate and I was scared that something would happen to ruin it. Luckily, we made it home in one piece and then the frantic preparations started!

Keith and I both prepared the main course as my friends were each bringing a course. I'd decided to cook coq au vin and I wanted it really tasty and rustic, with lots of bacon, mushrooms and shallots. I prepared the vegetables, Keith browned the chicken and then I took him to the pub before rushing back and hoovering the downstairs of the house. My gorgeous daughter had tidied up for me so by 6.30pm I was all ready to go and have a shower and relax for a few minutes!

My friend Lynda arrived first with the desserts, a huge Pavlova and a homemade jelly that she was going to decorate with edible glitter. Fiona and Andrea arrived next, laden down with bags of food! Fiona was providing the starter - two different pates - while Andrea was doing cheese and biscuits.

After a glass of white wine we ate the delicious pate (all homemade) and then I put the finishing touches to the main course which was just how I wanted it to be, deliciously thick and meaty. Keith and the children managed to sample some as well and pronounced everything delicious!

Lynda's jelly looked fabulous decorated with the red glitter and pomegranate seeds and then we made it to cheese and biscuits at about midnight, long after my family had disappeared to bed. It was 1am by the time I was able to sit down and relax for ten minutes after doing all the washing up and clearing away. We'd drunk three bottles of Redwood Creek Merlot, most of a bottle of Pinot Grigio and a bottle of Prosecco so I had a feeling I'd sleep well, and I did!

Thursday 24 November - a lot of shopping!

Christmas is growing ever nearer and today mum and I went off to one of the wholesaler's to buy around fifty presents for a group coming to us in December. We managed to buy some lovely little Christmas books and games so that's one problem solved!

After work Mum, Sophie and me went off to Milton Keynes to do more shopping. I was delighted when I did quite a bit of present shopping which is a miracle for me as usually I don't seriously start any until at least the middle of December! The shopping centre was very quiet and it was blissful to be able wander around without hordes of people! Sophie bought some dresses in New Look so she was very happy, despite having loads of clothes already!

We headed back home at 7pm and ate a very delicious beef curry that Keith had been cooking all day!

Wednesday 23 November

Thankfully today was a much quieter day than yesterday but I did have a lot of things to sort out first thing and I felt a huge sense of relief when I'd accomplished them. Last night I slept really badly, my mind full of things that needed doing, so I was determined to try and solve some of the niggles that had been keeping me awake!

Keith and I had a good day and then we picked up both children from school in the afternoon as Sophie was working for us in the evening. I took Keith and Mikey home and then came back to see a young lad about a job. When it was time to go we realised just how dark our car park is without the outside lights! They've all been taken down because of the cladding work and Polly had to accompany the customers out with a torch so they could find their cars! It's darker still as Northamptonshire council have turned off a lot of the street lights in an effort to save money!

Keep Calm and Carry On!

Well, today can certainly not be described as boring! It was all happening at work this morning, with the arrival of the workmen to start the cladding and then Jenny, our weekend Manager, arrived and wanted to have a word with me. Knowing it couldn't be good news I took her into the office where she handed her notice in as she's taken on a full time job now her children are at school every day. She's been with us for four years and we've come to rely on her heavily at the weekend so it will be a sad loss, but we fully understand her reasons and it will be great for her to have her weekends back with her family.

As the weather was so awful, we were busy at work and with the constant drilling and hammering outside it was a bit of a stressful day! All day I was expecting Audi to email me details of my new registration plate and, of course, it arrived as I was driving home. I'm fairly happy with the new plate, although Keith did make up a rude name from the three letters so I may think long and hard about transferring my own plate which is on the Passat to the new car to get back at him! Ha!

A very relaxed evening followed a busy day which was a huge relief!

Monday 21 November

Today, at work, we did very little, which was in marked contrast to last Monday when we managed to achieve so much! Keith and our handyman, Ian, did take down all the outside lights, though, in preparation for the cladding of the building which is due to start tomorrow. The signs all came down as well and it was very strange seeing our building without any identity! I will need to put up a makeshift sign tomorrow morning otherwise we will have customers thinking we no longer exist!

Sunday 20 November

Today was spent glossing the doors in the living room and sorting out the contents of the cabinet. Much to Sophie's disgust we've had to put it back as I really can't cope with boxes of stuff lying around, especially as I have friends coming to dinner on Friday evening! The crystal was carefully wrapped and put in a box, which was then, along with several other boxes, put into the loft. Why we hoard this sort of stuff is beyond me... Sometimes I yearn to have a very minimalist house with very few possessions but then again, certain things have sentimental value and I just can't bring myself to throw them out, so up into the loft they go!

I finally finished the paintwork at about 3.30pm and then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening watching films on BBCiplayer. I managed two Cary Grant films (Mr Blandings Builds his Dream House and Every Girl Should Be Married) plus an episode of Frozen Planet with David Attenborough!

We had the most delicious beef casserole for dinner with a lovely bottle of Rioja and then Keith and I watched another film, the 18 rated London Boulevard, which was definitely not one for the children!

Decorating!

Today was spent decorating our living room and I was really pleased that Keith had already done some work during the week as it made our job today a lot easier!

We used to have a border around the top of the wall and Keith had managed to remove it over a couple of days (it was well and truly stuck on!) so that helped. He tackled our "feature" wall with the Mulberry Burst while I did the other three walls with Soft Stone. At first I thought we'd made a dreadful mistake as my emulsion looked really patchy but it dried beautifully. The Mulberry Burst looked wonderful and didn't make the room look dark at all. The two colours went together really well and with the white paintwork the room looks really clean.

I took down the curtains and gave them a good wash and also removed a very old fashioned cabinet we have, which is stuffed full of Lladro figures and crystal. Keith and I really don't want the cabinet to go back so we've no idea what to do with all the figurines. A trip to Ikea looks like a good idea!

Friday 18 November

I now know what happens when you fill your car up with petrol or diesel and suddenly realise you don't have any money to pay for it!

Mum and I were on our way to Booker this morning when I said I needed to go and get some diesel. We pulled into the Tesco garage and I put about £40 worth of diesel into the car. As I put the nozzle back I realised, with a feeling of absloute horror, that I'd left my bag at work!

We had the business cheque book with us so I took that into the shop, hoping that they would accept a company cheque. They didn't! "What happens now, then?" I asked, expecting them to call the police or for me to call someone to bring money down to me...

They told me I had to fill in a form with all my details and that I'd have until 10pm that night to come in and pay. I was amazed! The staff were so lovely and very accepting of my silly mistake, telling me it happens a lot.

I dropped mum off at Booker where she met my dad and I raced back to work to get my purse and go and pay! Phew!

Thursday 17 November

After work today Keith and I had an appointment with Mikey's form teacher as it was Parents' Evening at school. Sophie was working so I picked her up, took her back to work and then went home to get ready. Mikey has been having a bit of a tough time at school lately, and has been in a bit of trouble so we went to the evening with a feeling of trepidation.

His form teacher was a great man and we got on well with him, but the underlying message we received from him was that Mikey was a bit too easily distracted and that he needed to really knuckle down and get on with school work. I know for a fact that I could have done a lot better at school, something I've told both Sophie and Mikey no end of times. I really wished I'd worked harder and know now that opportunites you get at school are rare later on in life. I'm not sure whether Mikey took all this in, but we can only hope. I get the feeling that he will be the sort to get more out of life when he leaves, as my father did, and he hated school as well!

Wednesday 16 November

Luckily today was a much quieter day and although Polly was feeling better she took the day off to fully recover. We managed to get another member of staff in, which helped tremendously so after doing the cleaning this morning (grrr!) I had a fairly easy day! Keith was in at work with me and we managed to leave at 3.30pm, which was great.

For the first time in ages Keith and I sat in the conservatory and played cards and the funny thing is, I put on his glasses for a laugh and was immediately able to see the crossword much more clearly...! Time for a visit to the Optician, methinks!

The day started off well...

...but sadly, went downhill!

I was delighted to find out this morning that we had a large amount of Business Nectar points, enough in fact, to buy ourselves a new fax machine! Our fax machine is very old and very unreliable and we only use it once or twice a week but to get something for free was great! We also had enough to buy a case of wine from Laithwaites! Yippeee!

At lunchtime the three of us decided to go out for a sandwich as we needed to buy some new bats and balls for the table tennis game. Everything was fine until we got into Tesco and I noticed a very strange grey-haired man lurking about, mumbling away to himself with wild staring eyes. He was directly in front of my dad who made eye contact with him and I honestly thought he was going to go up to my dad and attack him. 

I told Dad to keep away from him so he went off to get the bats and balls while mum and I bought some corner cushions for the table tennis as I had visions of tots impaling themselves on the edges. Mum and I kept a lookout for mumbling man and I did say that I thought it would be a good idea to mention him to a security guard in case he went on the rampage (I have a vivid imagination). We kept seeing him everywhere we went and at one point we hared off down one of the aisles rather than meet him. He wasn't buying anything just muttering away to himself!

We met up with dad and then my parents spent ages choosing a bag of potato wedges to go with their evening meal while I kept watch. All this tension made me feel horrible so when mum's mobile phone rang and it was work I immediately imagined the worst.

We tried to call Polly back but no-one answered. We called the kitchen phone and no-one answered that either so with my heightened sense of doom, I imagined there'd been an accident (tot impaled on table tennis table). When we eventually got through we learnt that poor Polly had fainted twice and had hit her head on a table. Our cook had called an ambulance so we rushed back to work to find her lying on the floor looking very wobbly and pale.

The ambulance arrived a good half hour after they'd been called and I later learnt that Polly was put in a queue when she arrived at the hospital as there were another five or six people who'd also been brought in!

This all meant that we were in for the long haul and I asked Sophie to cover Reception while another girl was brought in to look after our evening party. It was another late night as we were there to do the locking up and it made me realise how much we miss Polly when she's ill!

I spoke to Polly tonight and she's better but her head is painful where she hit it on the table, poor thing. I immediately told her to rest tomorrow and do absolutely nothing all day, which I hope she does!

Monday 14 November

Today we achieved far more at work than I ever dreamed we could! Polly came in and completely replaced two areas of netting that had been repaired many times so it all looked much neater. Keith also came in with me and we cleaned all the tube slides which made them look lovely and shiny again. I also hoovered the entire carpeted area and used the soft nozzle brush to clean all the padded scaffolding.

We also moved the large slide inflatable into a different position as I had plans to buy something new for the tots area and it would only work if we moved the inflatables. I wanted to put the two bouncy castles side by side, but when we moved the slide we realised the children could hit their heads on the girders in the ceiling and that they would also be able to climb over the walls onto the netting that surrounds our wavy slide! So that idea was soon disregarded! I'm just so we tested it out first before ordering the new piece of equipment!

We did manage to take up our old Gladiator Duel, which has had its day, and I hoovered all the carpet underneath, finding some very odd objects as I did so! We moved our table tennis table into the area and also put our table football game there as well, to make it into an area for older children and their parents.

We pulled back the Tots bouncy castle and I finished up by cleaning one more slide and hoovering the carpet underneath! When I finished at 4pm, I was absolutely shattered as the inflatables aren't the lightest of things to move even when there's three of us doing it!

It was great to get home, jump in the bath and have a well-earned soak!

Sunday 13 November

Today was a little more relaxed, but I did manage to drive down to Homebase and buy the paint for the living room. I've chosen a rich mauvey colour for the wall with the fireplace (Dulux's Mulberry Burst) and Soft Stone for the other three walls, with white paintwork and ceiling. I'm just hoping the Mulberry Burst won't be too dark but as there's not a great deal of wall showing, I'm hoping it will look OK. If not I can always paint over it!

In the afternoon we all managed to get out for a walk, which was lovely as it was a gorgeous afternoon. We went out at almost 4pm so caught the sun going down which turned the sky a beautiful shade of pink.

Mum and Dad came around for dinner in the evening, to make up for not coming around for a drink earlier in the week and we had a delicious dinner of roast pork and all the trimmings. Yum!

Out and about

Sophie is working every Saturday now, which means an end to our jaunts to Market Harborough and it also means I'll be driving her into work every week. My new car can't come quickly enough! I'm really hoping that my diesel consumption will be improved with the new, smaller car and that I'll save some money!

We took her into work and then we had to go to Booker to get some coffee as our cook hadn't ordered enough for the weekend. Back home I washed my car as it was filthy, did some housework and then caught up with the crosswords from three weeks worth of newspapers! Keith and I haven't played cards in the conservatory for ages, mainly because we've been busy in the evenings but the light in there isn't brilliant so I find it difficult to complete them. Today, after a misty start the sun came out in the afternoon and it was lovely to sit in there and enjoy the lovely blue sky overhead.

All too soon it was time to go and pick Sophie up from work and we nipped down to one of the retail parks to pick out some paint pots as I'm planning to decorate the living room next weekend. I also popped into Halfords to look at car covers as when I was washing my car I noticed how scratched the bonnet was - no doubt from the cats' feet as they use the car as a giant seat! A small cover cost about £65 but it will be money well spent if I can protect my new car from the claws of the cats! Grrrrr!

If today was a colour...

...it would be grey. Grey has been the theme for this week, weatherwise, and today was no exception. It was also a dull, boring day with not a lot happening of any note. The good thing about today was that it was Friday and it's been a long and busy week. Apart from tonight when I went home a bit early, I've had something on every night which has made for a hard week. On Thursday I wasn't home until 7pm and it's amazing how quickly the rest of the evening flew by!

I put some night-time cough medicine in hot water, drank it and went thankfully to bed early. Bliss!

Another late one!

It's 5.30pm, I'm still at work and would far rather be at home, especially since I've been here since 8am and I've probably got at least another hour to go!! Never mind, the relief will be all the sweeter when I get home and relax.

The gloomy November weather continues and we had a very dismal morning of fog and unrelenting grey today. I have an irritating cough and cold which seem to be dragging on for longer than necessary! 

Wednesday 9 November

It was Mum's birthday today and I'd invited her and Dad around to the house for a drink in the evening, but it wasn't to be. The girl who was due to come in and work called in sick which meant I was stuck at work with Sophie until 6.30pm. Grrrr!

Mum had a lovely day, though and received some beautiful cards and flowers which I'm sure made up for not having a drink with us in the evening. There'll be lots of other times.

When I eventually got home I settled down to watch a very amusing episode of The New Hotel Inspector (I've got a girlie crush on Alex Polizzi) with a very welcome glass of whisky and ginger ale!

Money matters...

Keith came into work with me this morning as Mum and Dad were taking today off rather than Wednesday. I was keeping my fingers crossed we wouldn't be really busy as I'd made an appointment to test drive the Audi A1 at 11am. Luckily, although a few people were in, most of them had just come to play rather than eat as well, so Keith and I slunk off into the gloomy morning.

We had Keith's car with us as we were using this in part exchange for the new car. Keith does hardly any miles in his car (3000, I think, last year) and he pays through the nose for road tax and petrol for it. The idea was to keep my lovely black Passat for him to use and have the new Audi which is exempt from road tax (the emissions are really low) and great for fuel consumption. Both cars are nearly ten years old and I felt it was time to have a change and hopefully save some money as well! I've been doing my research into this since August and I was determined to get it right this time!

For some reason, Keith was in a really grumpy mood and left me to deal with the salesman, Craig, who went off to look at his car. We then went for a little drive in it and then it was back to the showroom and my turn to take out the Audi. I'd chosen the 1.6 diesel so off we went and I was very impressed with how smooth and zippy it was. My worries about the smaller engine were put to rest and although I wasn't out in it for very long I liked it...a lot!

After the test drive came the bit I don't like...the haggling. They came up with a price for Keith's car that he wasn't entirely happy with (what a surprise!) and then we ran into problems because I wanted to add foglights to the front of the car. The model I wanted didn't have them as standard and to have the car ordered from the factory would mean I'd have to wait until next March, by which time Keith's car would have lost even more value. They refused to guarantee the same price for Keith's car next year so we were on the point of going and having a long hard think about everything when they came up with a plan. They needed to get their figures in for November and they had a black A1 at another dealership. If I was happy to have the foglights "retro-fitted" they could give us some more for Keith's car and then we'd be all happy!

They asked us to come back later in the day to sign the order and pay a deposit and then we scuttled off back to work, much later than I'd anticipated! After trying to get as much done as I could we picked Mikey up from school as he needed some football or rugby shoes with studs in them. We went off to Brantano's where I noticed his school shoes were in pretty bad shape...after three months! I bought a new pair for him then we went off to JJB Sports to get him his football shoes before driving in the heavy rush hour traffic back to the dealership.

Back in the showroom we were told that the Business Manager wanted to just go through a "range of options" before we signed the order form and Keith immediately told the salesman that we had no intention of buying paint protection or special insurance or anything else that cost an arm and a leg. Craig went off with his tail between his legs and then we were escorted up to the offices where I felt a twinge of alarm! This was serious now! The Business Manager was fine, though, and a fellow Newcastle United supporter and he didn't try and sell us anything, just gave me some leaflets on the options available which was fine. We paid the deposit, I signed my life away and that was it! Hopefully the car should be ready within the next couple of weeks.

By now it was pretty late so we decided to have dinner out, to celebrate, and we went off to the Han Chinese restaurant in Market Harborough for a lovely, relaxed dinner with the children. For once, they didn't argue or bicker and we had a wonderful time!

Grey and murky...again!

Today the weather has been awful - grey, damp and really murky and misty. Typical November weather, I suppose!

We didn't get much cleaning done at work as we had some new carpet put down which has been a huge improvement. I did manage to do a fair bit of hoovering after the carpet men had gone and then I hurried home to take Keith off to the hospital in Kettering to pick up his friend Dave who had been in all day to have some treatment.

It was lovely to sit and relax with Sue in the evening and we had two bottles of wine on the go! I didn't have to venture out to pick Keith up from the pub as he's on the wagon again, so as Sue had brought a bottle of wine, and I'd bought one as well, we had a tasting of the two. And very good they were, too!

All change!

As the weather was much better this morning, I felt energized to do things in the house! The two seater sofa that has been languishing by the front window was put back into the conservatory and the extender taken out of the dining room table, a legacy from the last Wine Tasting Evening about six weeks ago! We changed a few bits of furniture around in the living room and I have to say I love the new layout. It means we can get to our DVDs so much more easily than before.

In the afternoon I went to Milton Keynes with mum and Sophie and spent a lot of time hanging around clothes shops waiting for Sophie to choose what seemed like a whole new wardrobe. I knew I should really have bought some clothes for myself but I just wasn't in the mood. Amazingly we met Sarah and Liam, our neighbours, outside Debenhams and admired their new computer which looked very impressive! I do wonder where all this technology will go in the future!

Remember, remember the 5th of November...

Today was a classic Bonfire Night type of day - grey, misty, damp and murky and it never improved!

Keith and I went off in the morning to our local Audi dealership as the time really has come to buy a new car. My dream ride would be an A4 Estate but for now I'll make do with the little A1 which has really stolen my heart. We just didn't have time to go for a test drive but I completed a lot of paperwork with the salesman and managed to sit in one, which felt really good. I've been in love with Audis ever since the adverts of the 80s when the cars seemed to be the epitome of cool:

With the voice of Geoffrey Palmer, I was completely hooked and I've been wanting one ever since! Hopefully, within the next few weeks I will get my dream car and I've booked a test drive for Tuesday to see if the make will live up to my expectations!

We raced back home and I took Sophie into work which is to be a regular thing now on a Saturday. The afternoon was spent doing very little before making the return journey to pick her up. It probably cost me more in diesel to take her there and back than she actually earned!

In the evening we went off to the village for the annual firework display. There seemed to be loads of people walking along the path and the display was well attended. We braved it for an hour and then it was home to a delicious beef casserole and a glass of red!

A bad start!

Today didn't start off very well, when my mobile phone rang as I was driving into work. Knowing it wouldn't be family, I pulled off the road and rummaged in my bag for it in the pouring rain, curious to see who it was. It was our cleaner at work and my heart sank when I saw her name displayed, my immediate thought being that she was calling in sick.

However, she was calling to say that we had an enormous puddle of water in the middle of our restaurant floor and that our wet and dry machine just wasn't coping with it! I told her I'd be in in ten minutes and to leave it to me to clear up.

When I arrived she was still sucking all the water up and was on her twelfth empty! The floor was like a lake so I pitched in and after about twenty minutes we had it under control, just as Mum and Dad walked in. Our cook had turned off the chilled display cabinet when she left last night and it had leaked water all over the floor...It's a good job she'd taken a day's holiday today!

Feeling a need for some very strong coffee, I went to get us all a cup when I discovered that the machine wasn't working either! I opened it up and saw that the milk was all clogged up so we had to take it apart, clean it all and then put it back together. Was I ready for a coffee when I finally got it!!

Luckily the day improved drastically after that and the rain stopped just in time for mum and I to go off to Booker and do the weekly shop for work. We managed to get a lot of things done in the afternoon, some of them longstanding niggles that had been causing problems for a while so today has turned out to be a success after a very shaky start! Hooray for that!

Thursday 3 November - Heavenly skies...

I finished work a little earlier today so as soon as I got home, Sophie and I went off for a walk. As usual I forgot my camera and the sky was absolutely beautiful. I did have my camera phone on me so made do with that and I have to say I was pleased with the results! I think it's a well-known fact that I'm obsessed with taking photos of trees and clouds so today I was in heaven!

It was a fabulous sunset and as we neared home the colours changed from peachy greys and blues to charcoal greys tinged with pink - I really wish I could have captured the amazing range of colours with my phone but it just wasn't up to it.

 We arrived home just as it was getting really dark but I was so pleased we managed to squeeze in a walk!

Wednesday 2 November

After a busy and productive day at work Keith and I settled down to watch the last film in the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Millennium trilogy. I really enjoyed the first film (despite the shocking violence) but thought the second was lacking in something. The third film, "The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest" was excellent, though, tying up all the loose ends neatly and justice being served to those who were the baddies!
 

1 November - Embrace the dark!

So, now it's dark at 5pm and our walks after work will be seriously curtailed, which is a real shame as Sophie and I loved to get out for an hour for fresh air and exercise. It also gave us a chance to have a girlie chat and catch up with things that had happened during the day.

The newspaper today was full of moans about the clocks going back but I can't really see the problem (apart from not being able to walk after work) as I think it's the natural way of things and there's nothing we can do about the loss of daylight. It's a great excuse to draw all the curtains and get lovely and cosy at home while the weather's awful outside. I love the colours at the moment, as well. Everything is orange, red and gold and who wouldn't want to experience that?

Time passes so quickly that before we know it, the Winter Solstice will be here and then the days will slowly start to lengthen again!