Chilling out!

As the last few weekends have been very busy Keith and I decided that today we would do very little, but we still had to go and do our food shopping in Tesco after dropping Sophie off at work.

I was dreading it but actually it was less busy than I expected and we sailed around, just the two of us, as we'd left Mikey at home.

The weather today was grey and overcast, perfect for researching my family tree and staying inside in the warm as it was chilly as well. The heatwave of last week was definitely over!

Fuel panic

Another theme that has dominated this week is the panic buying of fuel that has erupted after the tanker drivers here in the UK talked about going on strike. Unfortunately the Government made things worse by encouraging people to stock up on fuel with the result that every garage I've passed has long lines of people trying to buy fuel for their cars!

I've got just under half a tank in my car but as I'm planning to go to Milton Keynes on Sunday to do some shopping for Sophie's birthday, I'm going to need to get some soon, but I hate the thought of being in a long line of cars waiting to get at the pumps!

Someone posted a photo on Facebook today which summed up the situation pretty well. It shows a man holding a placard with the words:

"Severe shortage of common sense...Don't panic, receive your FREE complimentary slap on the head today!"

Hmmm...not sure now if I want to go and fill up even though I will need to either tomorrow or Sunday...I don't want a slap on the head!

Oh dear!

I have fallen behind badly with this week's blog, simply because not a lot has happened and it was very difficult trying to make the blog interesting enough to read! I'm going to have to do some more fascinating things in my life!

This week has been dominated by the weather. We've had unseasonably high temperatures during the day despite very chilly mornings when there's been a frost. Afternoon averages have reached just over 20 degrees centigrade and we've had unbroken sunshine now for almost two weeks.

Understandably this has resulted in being very quiet at work, and I think this week has been one of our worst weeks ever for business. Every afternoon we've been empty so on Wednesday we closed at 3pm, on Thursday we closed at 4.30pm but today (Friday) we're much busier as we have several groups in, including two birthday parties.

Today the weather has been chillier and cloudy and it's amazing what a difference it makes. The children break up from school today for two weeks and I hear the weather forecast is set to be colder and cloudier, with even snow forecast for some parts of the UK!

I have to admit it's been nice to get home at a reasonable time and enjoy the good weather. Mum and Dad were due to take their new caravan to Grafham Water but they had a slight technical problem so they've postponed their first ever trip for a couple of months. They've now found somewhere to store the caravan on a permanent basis as getting it in and out of their drive is proving to be slightly tricky! I'm glad it's not me towing it!

More hard work!

The clocks were supposed to have gone forward last night but I refused to move ours on at home as I had no plans to go anywhere today and I was NOT going to lose one hour of my precious Sunday!

We had a lazy start to the day and then went to get the Sunday papers and I bought some crumpets and raspberry jam for breakfast. On the way home we called in to see Mum and Dad and had a cup of coffee with them.

Breakfast was taken in our lovely sunny conservatory and then I tackled the front garden and had a long chat with Jenny who's son Matthew used to be at the same school as Mikey. They've just got a new black labrador puppy called Ellie who was gorgeous and at the really playful, bouncy stage. As soon as Jenny continued with her walk I had an equally long chat with Sue who was out gardening like me. It's wonderful how this beautiful weather brings everyone out and we're all so much more sociable!

In the back garden I pottered about examining the plants and seeing how they'd fared over the winter. I think the extremely low temperatures have caused damage to several of our shrubs but only time will tell. We cut a couple back and we can only wait and see what will happen over the next few weeks as the weather turns warmer.

Keith had cut the lawn yesterday so I just mooched about and trimmed a few bushes and swept up a load of leaves that had gathered in the gravel garden over the winter. I even managed to sit and have a very welcome drink in the sun! Bliss!

After a quick bite to eat Sophie and I went for a walk and met Liam and Sarah who were walking Max. The horses were out and wanting another cuddle and again, although we didn't have any food with us, they were quite happy to be stroked by Sophie, Liam and me and even Max went up to say hello! Can horses and dogs be friends?!

By the time we finished our walk I was a wee bit tired so it was into the bath for me with a good book and a long soak!

A bit of hard work!

Today Keith and I cleared out our garage and made three trips to the tip to get rid of stuff that we no longer wanted. The garage had become very cluttered again and walking through to get to our tumble dryer was becoming a hazardous operation!

Keith started by making a false floor in the eaves and put loads of stuff up there, some of which I wanted to throw out. A short argument followed with him getting his own way in the end. Huh! I just chucked everything out onto the drive and then tried to fit it into his car but I knew we'd have a few trips ahead of us. Our immediate neighbours, Gill and Tim, came out and had a chat with us and before long Tim was tackling his garage as well so all our mess didn't really matter as he was making enough of his own!

Our first trip to the tip was interesting as we were quizzed as to what we had in the car and then directed to one of the 10 skips. In the old days everything was just thrown into one but now we had to recycle almost everything we had with us and I was quite impressed. Their notice said that last month they recycled 80% of the waste deposited there which I was very pleased about. We managed to actually throw away just one black bag on our first trip with the rest of the stuff going into the metal, wood or textile bins.

After my second trip I went to pick Sophie up from work (we weren't at all busy) and then Keith and I made our third and final trip with our old exercise bike (into the metal bin) and a bag of old toys which sadly went into the landfill skip.

I went home, hoovered out Keith's car which was filthy from all the dusty, dirty items that had been packed into it and then covered the car with some old sheets as I'd taken it through the carwash earlier and I didn't want muddy cat footprints all over it! It raised a few eyebrows from our neighbours but I didn't care!

As we'd worked all day we ordered a Chinese take-away for dinner and Keith and I went to the pub in Walgrave for a drink while it was being cooked. Although I enjoyed going to the Hare at Loddington last night, I'll always have a special affection for the Royal Oak which we've been visiting for over 20 years. I feel very at home there, know most people who come in and it's great to sit at the bar and chat to Ian, the Landlord. Home is best!

The Hare at Loddington

Poor Dave (Keith's drinking mate) was ill again tonight (we're a bit worried about him) so it gave me another opportunity to have a drink with my husband on a Friday evening. We decided to go to the village of Loddington about six miles away to a pub that was always closed when we'd visited before. It was a bit of a risk but apparently it's under new management so it was well and truly open!

We had an exceedingly pleasant couple of hours sitting at the bar and having a good chat over a couple of drinks. Keith was impressed with his Abbot ale and I liked the very cheerful ambience of the pub which was busy with early diners making use of the pub's special deal between 6 and 7pm. We may well go back and take the children for a meal.

It's great to have an alternative pub to visit and a friendly local is always a bonus!

The Hare at Loddington

Drought!

Today I finished a load of paperwork that had to be done at work so I was very relieved it was all done. The weather has stayed beautiful now for a few days but it's not a good idea to get carried away and think that Spring is here to stay!

Although it's great to have sunny, dry weather, our area is suffering from a drought at the moment and from the beginning of next month our water company has issued us with a hosepipe ban. I'll certainly be thinking carefully about what plants to buy for the summer as I really don't want to be lugging a full watering can all over the garden!

On a happier note, I booked for Mum, Sophie and me to go to Bruges in June for two days. We're travellling by Eurostar and staying in a hotel in the centre called the Jan Brito for one night. I'm really looking forward to visiting Bruges again as it's a beautiful city with some fantastic chocolate shops and some very good Belgian beer. I wonder if I can convert my mum to the beer? She's already a huge fan of chocolate!

A countryside amble

We celebrated the first day of Spring with a lovely walk and it was a beautiful evening with lots of sunshine and a warm balmy temperature.

We patted the horses for the first time this year and the big bay was very affectionate - he kept nuzzling us with his gorgeous velvety nose and seemed to want us to scratch his cheek and ears. We didn't have any carrots or apples with us as we really didn't expect to see them but he didn't seem to mind at all and was happy with a bit of grass I managed to find for him.

On the way home we came upon a dead rabbit on the verge and at one point Sophie thought the poor thing was still breathing as she swore she saw its tummy move. It couldn't have been alive though as it was in a really bad way, and over dinner that night when she mentioned it to Keith, he said that its stomach was probably full of wriggling maggots...Eeeewwww! Nature can be very horrible at times!

Out for dinner!

This morning Keith and I just couldn't decide what to have for dinner so we decided to go to the Royal Oak for a meal as they are still doing their marvellous two for one meal deal. I'd had a busy day at work ploughing through loads of paperwork and staying late as Sophie was working, so it was a real treat to go out in the evening and be waited on.

Both Keith and I had a sirloin steak and very good it was too. We talked about holidays and Mikey admitted that he wasn't keen on being away at Christmas, something we're planning again this year. I think he just loves his home comforts, bless him, and being able to open all his presents on Christmas morning!

I'm planning a little trip away with Mum and Sophie after my daughter finishes her GCSEs in June. I've a hankering to go back to Bruges and as Keith is not keen on the city (I have no idea why) I thought it would be nice to celebrate the end of the exams by taking my mum and daughter away for a couple of days. Three women in a city stuffed full of chocolate shops is my idea of heaven!

A-scrubbing we will go!

By the end of today I was absolutely shattered as Keith and I had scrubbed the whole floor at work and I'd applied two new coats of polish. When we finished everywhere looked beautiful and to add the finishing touches to the day I went out into the car park and swept up all the leaves and cigarette butts as well as picking up the litter that some of our customers so thoughtfully leave behind for us.

It was straight into the bath when I got home for a well-earned soak!

Celebrating Mums!

First thing this morning I had a bit of a fuzzy head due to mixing red and white wines last night...oh, and the Black Velvet we all had before we started the Wine tasting!

I tidied the house again in the morning and in the afternoon Sophie and I went off to BHS to get my mum a voucher for Mother's Day. Home Sense, next door, was full of Spring colours and stuff for the garden but I managed to resist and we went home without spending too much money!

Mum and Dad came around for dinner in the evening and enjoyed our Coq au Vin very much. I served a beautiful dark red Portugese wine with it...well, we all needed the hair of the dog!

House, transformed...

Today has been very busy, but also very enjoyable.

I worked hard in the house all day to get it ready for our evening and I have to say when I finished everywhere looked lovely (well, downstairs did!) which was a huge difference from the morning when it looked a complete mess! Before picking Sophie up from work Keith and I went to Tesco to buy some bread and the place was absolutely heaving with people buying flowers and cards for their mums. I was so so glad I hadn't left buying the food until today! We bought what we needed and then beat a hasty retreat!

The evening went very well and I introduced a new format where we tasted the wines completely blind. We had some very good bottles, notably a Portugese red, a delicious Rioja and some very fruity and moreish whites. It was interesting to find out where people thought the wines came from. I gave them all a "cheat sheet" to help and although I scored the highest I gave the first prize to Sue as I was able to deduce where a couple came from by process of elimination!

Thank goodness it's Friday...

...Although we have a really busy weekend coming up!

Mum and Dad came back to work today after having a few days off to get to know their new caravan. We were busy at work so I was glad they were in!

Tomorrow I'm hosting our Wine Evening and yesterday Sophie and I went and shopped for all the food after we came home from work and school. The lovely sunny weather of the day before had  disappeared again and it was foggy and damp when we drove back. I was so glad I'd decided to do it all on Thursday evening rather than Saturday morning as Sunday is Mother's Day and I have a feeling the shops will be really busy!

Payback!

Yesterday evening Keith, Sophie and me went for a walk over the fields and took Max the dog with us. I was really pleased that Keith came with us but today he's been suffering with his hip which has been a real shame. It just proves to him that he needs his hip replacement operation and that until it's done we won't be able to do the same walks we used to. I'm hoping when it's all done we can go for some lovely long walks and maybe book a few days in Berlin to celebrate.

Talking of his hip operation, he was called by the hospital last week to go in yesterday but he refused. The reason? Cheltenham!

We have a winner!

Cheltenham has been on all this week so Keith and I have been having a couple of bets, but he's been far more successful than me. Sadly, the horse I picked yesterday, Scots Irish which was the favourite, had to be put down as it broke a leg. It's this side of horseracing I really don't like and having been at a course where a horse has died, the whole crowd fall silent and you can feel the emotion. I don't doubt the horses are looked after really well and it's always tragic when they don't finish a race.

Anyway, today Keith backed a horse called Son of Flicka and it won for him at 16-1!! Keith was over the moon as it meant that he wouldn't lose a penny over the week! Needless to say the horse I picked came nowhere so I think I'll write this Festival off!

INPAS 2012

It was definitely a girly day out today when Mum, Polly and I went off to Warwickshire for the annual INPAS trade show. We were looking for some new ideas but I have to say we were a bit disappointed with what was on offer, which consisted mainly of bouncy castles, some of which were huge and super-scary!

We said hello to a couple of people we knew in the industry and admired a very large "Circus dome" inflatable that was completely enclosed. I liked the idea of it, but Polly who mans Reception and is therefore far more involved with what the children get up to, was worried that we couldn't see what was going on inside and if there was an accident, it would be difficult to get the child out of the very narrow exit.

After a sandwich for lunch (no posh dining out here!) we wandered outisde to see another vast array of bouncy castles, all on the same sort of theme. We did like one which had a slide at the front but it looked geared towards more younger children so we decided that it wasn't the best show we'd ever been to and headed back to work.

Today has been grey and misty with no hint of sunshine at all. What's happened to Spring?!

Another learning curve!

We went off down to Kent again today to take Nan for her hearing test but this time we had a new wheelchair with us to make the journey to and from Specsavers a bit easier!

We arrived at lunchtime and showed Nan her new wheelchair (like a camping chair on wheels) and packed everthing into the car. The earlier mist had cleared and it was a gorgeous Spring day, perfect for a short shopping trip!

I found the wheelchair easy to push, but it really hits home how difficult it can sometimes be to get around if you have a disability. Inside the shopping centre it was easy as the floor was level and smooth but in the pedestrianised area of Dartford, the ground was very uneven and at one point, as I crossed the road with Nan, I couldn't get the wheelchair up the very low kerb. I'm really glad to say that one very kind man offered to help me and I said I should have an "L" plate on the wheelchair!

Nan's hearing test was enlightening to her (but not to us) as she has lost 50% of the hearing in both ears. She refused to talk about hearing aids so we'll still be shouting at her for a few months to come unless she relents and sees about an NHS one. She refuses to even contemplate the super-duper one that costs £1500!

Painting!

The whole of today was spent painting the kitchen and did it need it! It's not until you start eaxmining walls and surfaces that you realise how badly things need doing! We have lots of glasses on top of our cupboards (each with a story to tell) and these had all been washed the day before as they were so grimy! I'd scrubbed the cupboard doors, washed the walls and cleaned all the skirting boards so we set to with the paint at just after 8am and we didn't stop until we were finished (well, Keith stopped at 3pm to watch the Rugby).

When we were finished we were very pleased with our hard work and the kitchen is now spotlessly clean and bright and airy. We used "White Cotton" from Dulux which really brought out the colour of our green tiles and the new blinds. It was great to see the old green paint which I really wasn't very keen on, disappear beneath our paint brushes!

Getting ready...

Decorating time has loomed again and Keith and I have put aside the whole of Sunday to re-paint the kitchen. It's been something we've been meaning to do for ages but the arrival of our friends next Saturday for our Wine Evening has expedited it somewhat!

We weren't supposed to be hosting it again as it was Sarah and Liam's turn, but they've had a bit of a mishap in their house and it was actually dangerous to hold the evening there!

I only realised the extent of the damage when I went to deliver their reminder note and was invited in to see what had happened...While they were away at half-term skiing in the French Alps, their son somehow left the shower running for almost eight hours and had flooded the ground floor. The wooden flooring in their hall had risen up and at one point had formed a "mountain" that was very easy to trip over. The water had cascaded down the walls so four of their rooms had to be re-decorated and new flooring put down. Ooops!

I fully understood their predicament and said it would be no problem hosting it at our house. I just needed to do something about the kitchen!

I spent most of Saturday cleaning and preparing the kitchen to be painted and as a treat in the evening, Keith treated me to a couple of drinks in the pub while our Chinese take-away was being cooked. Bliss!

Happy Campers!

Mum and Dad took the afternoon off work today as they were due to pick up their new caravan just after lunchtime. Neither of them have had any experience of caravanning and I was a bit worried that they'd taken on something that would, ultimately, turn out to be a mistake. Dad had taken a course in the basics last weekend but the real hurdle was getting the caravan through their gate and into their drive.

I arrived home to find my house empty and the Passat missing. As I walked through the door, my mobile rang and it was Keith asking me to go up to mum and dad's house to help. Fearing the worse (the caravan wedged against the stone wall) I drove up to find the back end jutting out into the road. I parked opposite and went to see if there was anything I could do. Keith was helping out, along with the man who owns the units across the road.

There was space either side of the caravan and Dad had fitted a self-parking device which meant that he could, using the remote control, put the caravan anywhere he wanted. We finally managed to get the thing onto the drive (I actually towed it a few inches!) and away from the road so everyone was happy.

My parents will need a few days to get to know their new toy but have decided that keeping it on the drive is not a good idea. The opening is quite narrow and they don't want all this palaver every time they bring it home! We had a look inside and it's really beautiful with a lovely bathroom and a fully fitted kitchen. The children were excited about being inside and maybe one day, when Dad gets the hang of everything, I can see them enjoying a weekend away with my parents and being very happy campers!

Not a place for a vegetarian!

Don't read on if you're a committed veggie!

In the evening I went out for yet another meal with three friends who I used to work with. We try and pick interesting places to eat and a Steakhouse in Northampton called "Frank's" had recently received a very good review for its food.

This is not the sort of place to go if you're a vegetarian! Cow hides are everywhere and the place resembles a Ranch (not that I've ever visited one!). We were led upstairs where about eight tables jostled for space - it was very cosy! The menu was short (always a good sign) and consisted of a few dishes that weren't steak based, and then a long list of meaty treats that had us salivating.

We ordered a bottle of Spanish red, munched on some very good homemade bread and garlic butter and then got down to the serious business of ordering. We all had a starter - I chose black pudding, pancetta and poached egg salad, Fiona and Andrea went for the chicken liver pate and Lynda had Beef Carpaccio. All were delicious.

We had to ask for help with the steaks as two of the girls wanted the 16oz "Cote de Boeuf" and weren't sure what it was. It turned out to be a Rib-Eye steak on the bone and not for the faint hearted! Lynda and I chose a more modest Sirloin each and we all enjoyed homemade chips and two vegetable dishes to share.

We had a lovely meal and my steak would probably rank amongst the best I've ever had. Cooked perfectly (medium) and oozing with delicious juices it was beautiful. Our only gripe was the noise we endured throughout the meal which reached a climax when a particularly noisy group of four sat down. The tables were crammed in a bit too much and if I'd wanted to go to the loo during the meal I would have inconvenienced not only our table but our neighbours as well!

I'll definitely be going back, hopefully with Keith who enjoys his steak just as much as I do!

Prom!

After work Sophie, Susie, Mum and I went to a local Ballgown hire shop to start the hunt for a Prom dress. The end of year Prom is now big business and the local magazines are full of adverts for shops hiring out Prom dresses along with the subtle threat that they will all disappear within a month so the pressure is on NOW to get something fantastic to wear.

We made an appointment and braved the post-school traffic to get to the centre of Northampton in time for our booking. The shop was stuffed full of beautiful dresses in a multitude of colours as well as shoes, jewellery and tiaras. The girls had great fun trying on the dresses although Sophie was very miffed when she was given a red flouncy number to try on at first. Her face was murderous as she'd already stated that she didn't want anything big and "sticky-out" and I thought she was going to hit someone. I managed to calm her down and she found a gorgeous dark blue chiffon dress with ruffles on one shoulder strap that fitted her perfectly. With her hair swept to one side, dangly diamond earrings and a bracelet, she would look like a young Audrey Hepburn.

Susie tried on lots of dresses but didn't find anything she liked and Sophie was a bit unsure of the dark blue so it made for a disappointing end to the appointment. Mum and I told Sophie how lovely she looked but it was her decision at the end of the day as it had to be right. My worry was that she was going to waste time looking for an elusive dress and then miss out on the dark blue one, with an outcome of panic and lots more stress.

However, after much thought and sensible discussion, Sophie decided that the dark blue dress is THE ONE and will hire it for the evening. I know she will look gorgeous and I'm getting as excited as she is about the whole evening!

A sort of Anniversary...

Keith and I have been together 24 years today and I have to ask where all those years have gone? I really can't believe it!

I took the day off work but we didn't do anything exciting. The first couple of hours were taken up with sorting out domestic problems - the loo in our en-suite had been making a terrible droning noise whenever it was flushed so Keith tackled that and then replaced the batteries in our carbon monoxide alarm which had been beeping loudly all night. I made matters worse by slamming shut the door on our dishwasher and breaking the tiny lever inside which meant it wouldn't close properly so we had to take the whole door off and replace the handle which sounds simple, but wasn't.

As I had the day off I intended going to the DVLA offices to start the transfer of my private plate from the Passat to the Audi, but I'd left all the paperwork in my office. We called into work, then had an indulgent half hour at Costa Coffee with two lattes and a scone and a pastry for breakfast. It was a beautiful sunny day and it almost felt like we were truly in Italy and soaking up the sunshine!

When we went to the DVLA office I discovered I'd omitted a vital piece of paperwork so we had to drive all the way home, get it out of our file and then go back but at least it's all completed now and within seven days I'll get the go-ahead to transfer my own plate onto the Audi.

In the evening we all went to a local Chinese restaurant to celebrate our sort-of Anniversary and we had a delicious and very filling meal which the children loved.

24 years...unbelieveable!

A whole new perspective!

Today has been hard work. We're due a ROSPA inspection next week so we spent all day making sure that everything was as safe as possible. I took the hoover up to the top level of the framework and cleaned all the scaffolding and tubes which were very dusty. Seeing the play area from on high is a different experience as I don't go up there very often!

Keith and Ian (our handyman) also went up on the roof to clear a load of leaves away from one of the drainpipes so we were all shattered at the end of the day. It was lovely to get home and have a deep, hot bath to wash away all the dust that had fallen on me throughout the day!

After I dropped Keith off at the pub (Dave was much better) I went home and Sophie gave me a lovely manicure for my poor, much neglected hands!

Wash out!

In total contrast to yesterday today was a complete wash-out! We all went out for breakfast and I popped into work on the way to ask Laura to try and get some more staff in, as I had a feeling we would be very busy!

In the afternoon, Mum, Sophie and I drove over to Olney in Buckinghamshire to see if any of the designer dress shops were open as Soph's Prom is looming ever closer and tensions are beginning to rise. The rain and sleet continued unabated and we all got soaked to the skin as none of the shops were open. We ran into a cosy Brasserie for a cup of coffee and a slice of cake and dried out before getting back into the car and going back to Mum's house.

On the way home we decided to make an appointment at a hire service for ballgowns in Northampton and then Sophie can try and get a good idea of what she wants to wear. Hopefully she can then hire something rather than buy!

Honestly...I never had a Prom to go to when I was her age!

Saying goodbye...

Despite the weather forecast saying it would rain all day today, after a brief shower in the morning, the sun came out and it was a beautiful day. I dropped Sophie off at work, had some lunch and then went outside to tidy up the front garden which was looking very sad for itself. We have several Hypericum bushes which are gorgeous but one of them was looking very dead indeed.

I went to see if Sue was around as she is a font of knowledge of all things gardeny, but she was away for the weekend so I chatted to Paul instead who thought that maybe the bush was still alive. They have some Hypericum bushes as well and theirs were looking a bit sorry for themselves as well. I decided to cut it back and see what happens. Looking closely I could see some new buds but I think the spell of really cold temperatures we had a few weeks back really took its toll on the garden.

I filled our garden bin with leaves and dead branches and the garden looked a lot better. I think I'll tackle the back garden on another day!

When we went to pick Sophie up from work we drove down to Brackmills, the industrial estate where Keith used to work. His old building had completely gone now so we took some photographs and said goodbye to the place where we met 24 years ago!

I'm allowed out!

Friday nights are always sacred to Keith. It's a man thing and where he comes from, the North-East of England, the men go out on a Frdiay night while Saturday night is couples night. Keith's been going out on a Friday night for as long as I've known him and it's been something I've always accepted.

Tonight, when he was in the bath, his phone rang and it was Dave's son saying that Dave was ill and wouldn't be meeting him at the pub. It was funny because as I was driving home I really fancied doing something different so here was my chance! It was a lovely feeling!

Faced with so much choice of where to go we opted for our local pub, The White Horse, as we rarely went in there, much preferring The Royal Oak. However, we had a very pleasant hour in there, chatting to the other locals and hearing about the events over the weekend, which included a lot of men being waxed for charity. Keith was glad he had an excuse to get out of that one!

We stayed for an hour and then went home and had a very delicious dinner - one of Tesco's meals for a tenner which included a bottle of wine! Fab!

Spring has sprung!

It was a beautiful day today and really warm and sunny so Mum and I ventured outside to try and clear some rubbish away from the hedge that borders the car park. We worked for about an hour and managed to clear lots of litter away - it never fails to amaze me how people can just chuck away bottles and cans and crisp packets. Driving along our roads in Northampton we seem to have a bad problem with litter and the gangs of workers dealing with it seem to be a rarity now. I suppose it's all down to the cutbacks, but it's awful to see our verges and hedges full of rubbish.

Anyway, we're now officially into Spring and the evenings are getting much lighter. It's a lovely time of year but I have a feeling that although it's March, winter could still hold us in its grip! I'm not relaxing just yet!