Pennies from heaven...

What a difference a week makes! Last week on this day we were sweltering in a heatwave, but today is wet and although warm, nothing like the temperatures we had last Tuesday!

Of course, as it was raining, we were flooded with customers, which was great, but I do get annoyed when they come in and moan that we're busy...what on earth do they expect? I told one lady she should have come last week when we were empty and closing early because we had no customers!

And Sophie chose today to go to Milton Keynes with Susie so I didn't even have her to fall back on, but we did have enough staff to cover the most important jobs. I managed to escape at 4pm as Mum, Dad and I had been in before 8am to do the cleaning so I was determined to get out on time! I went to pick Sophie up from Susie's house and she gave me all the gossip on the way home!

After a long leisurely bath, I tried on my new gym gear that had arrived so I'm almost all set to be a gym bunny again...now I just need a new body!

I join the gym...

Mum and Dad joined our local Virgin gym last week and I've decided to take the plunge and join as well, dragging Sophie along with me for moral support! I used to be a member ten years ago and I do admit I miss the spa section with the jacuzzi and sauna so I'm looking forward to going back and being a member there again.

After work Sophie and I went to sign all the paperwork and we've arranged for an induction on Thursday. Oh gawd!

Work has been relatively quiet today but one big thing I managed to achieve today was to fix our internet problems which have been plaguing us for the last few weeks. I have a feeling it was the HP wireless printer I installed as when I set up a new router and uninstalled the printer on my computer, everything worked perfectly! Hopefully that will be the end of the problems now!

Our new washing machine arrived today and Keith spent all morning getting that installed so it's been a bit of a day mucking about with machines. I have a feeling we won this time, though!

That Sunday evening feeling...

Tomorrow I'm back at work so today is my last day of freedom until I take another week later in August. I've so enjoyed the time off and so happy that I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather we had!

In the afternoon Sophie and I went off to Beckworth Emporium again and this time we took Mum with us. We treated ourselves to a scone and some tea and very good it was, too! The restaurant was packed with people enjoying a snack or a meal and I'm sure they do more business there than in the plant section!

After we'd eaten Mum bought some plants while I treated myself to a fuchsia hanging basket which I couldn't resist!

We had a quick drink at mum's and then Keith and I went for a walk over the fields for the first time in ages. We had to walk a longer way than usual as some petty minded landowners have blocked off our usual entrance to the fields. What makes it worse is that we end up just a little bit further up the track than before so it really is pathetic and I can only assume they've built the ugly barricade to put local people off the walk altogether. There was also a big ugly sign saying that sheep worrying is a crime and that because of incidents when lambs and sheep have been maimed anyone caught with their dog off a lead will be prosecuted! All the people I know who walk their dogs over the fields are extremely responsible so I have no idea where this accusation comes from, but it certainly put a bad taste in our mouth when we were walking.

We did the walk in very good time and didn't even stop for a breath up the steep hill! When we got home the sky went a very dark grey colour and the children wanted me to go out and walk the cats so we walked around the estate twice before dinner, listening to the rumble of thunder and seeing the occasional flash of lightening in the sky!

A cool wind blows...

Today has been a lot cooler, thank goodness, but still mainly sunny. We took Sophie to work at 11am but the poor little thing wasn't needed so after we'd been to the post office to send off some parcels, we picked her up and went home.

It was great to have her back so we went off to Homebase and I splurged on some new plants for the garden and paint for our hallway which I will decorate next weekend. We picked the Dulux Jasmine White without even trying it as the last two choices have not met with approval and I'm fed up with buying tester pots!

Back home I planted my geraniums and painted our gate which was badly in need of some care and attention. The paint was horrible, like a smelly oil, but the gate does look beautiful now and as the weather is sunny and breezy it should dry very quickly.

The rest of the day was very relaxing - we had a barbecue then settled down to watch the Olympic swimming events after dinner. Sadly Team GB (I'm not really a fan of that name!) has not won any Golds yet, and the big disappointment of the day was the cycling, but never mind. It's the taking part that counts!

A wee bit of indulgence...

This morning Keith and I went in search of a new washing machine as ours has gone wrong again despite it being mended the other week. We had a feeling this would happen! For the past 20 years we've been going to an appliance warehouse that sold really good makes that had small dents or scuffs on them. We've bought a fridge freezer, our current washing machine and a tumble dryer there and all have been great except for the smallest dent in the side which nobody sees in our kitchen anyway, as everything is built in.

However, when we got to the warehouse, we found that the man who runs the place is now concentrating on designing and fitting kitchens although he said he could order us a make of washing machine that we'd never heard of before! While we were there we admired the kitchens on show and said that within the next few years we'd be looking to refurbish our own kitchen as it won't last forever and we're planning on extending it by knocking down an interior wall. Keith was being very receptive to the idea so I can only keep my fingers crossed and hope it will one day happen!

When we returned home we decided to buy another make of washing machine altogether (the same one as we have now) and it's going to be delivered on Monday thank goodness. Keith managed to get ours going again as today is a perfect washing day - warm, dry and breezy!

The afternoon was very indulgent as Sophie and I settled down to watch "The Help" which we both found very interesting and enjoyable. Sophie had baked a chocolate brownie and some cookies so we treated ourselves to those while we watched the film. Back to reality next week, I think!

The afternoon wasn't entirely lazy though, as I painted the two struts on our driveway and they looked so much better when I finished. Again, it was a perfect painting day as well, because by the time I'd finished the paint was almost dry on both pieces of wood!

So, this evening we will be watching the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games which goes on until past midnight. I'm really looking forward to seeing all the spectacle and witnessing all the planning that's been going on for so long!

A lazyish day...

Today has been another scorcher and when Sophie and I went out with mum just after lunch the temperature was showing 27 degrees. There was a lot of very thin, high white cloud though and it would be great to have a really good thunderstorm later tonight!

The three of us went to Jones's and Sophie spent a small fortune on toiletries while I splashed out on grass seed, bug killer and compost bags...I tell you, I could barely contain my excitement... Keith and I had treated our sparse lawn with moss killer and the idea was to put down some grass seed to cover its bald patches. Also, some horrible little creatures are feasting on several of our beautiful shrubs and enough is enough!

After Jones's we dropped mum off at home and carried on to Market Harborough to take the films back to Blockbusters. I popped into Tesco where I somehow spent £10 on very little and then I treated Sophie to a milkshake before going home.

As the afternoon wore on it became hotter so we had a spell of sitting in the garden and then I relaxed on the sofa with the fan full on me. Ahhh...bliss!

The heat is on!

It was lovely to get out yesterday but the heat is supposed to intensify today so we decided to pop out in the morning, stock up with drinks and then spend the afternoon doing very little. On the way home from Whitstable the temperature in the car registered 32c which is very hot for us indeed! We can never seem to have a happy medium in this country, it's either too hot or too cold!

We all got ready in the morning (I was the first to use the new shower!) and then we called into work to see mum and dad for an hour and to have breakfast there. As expected we were very quiet with only a handful of customers in, but I honestly don't blame people in this heat!

After work we drove over to Tesco and stocked up on some beer and wine and chose a Finest meal for our dinner in the evening as a treat. It was heaven to finally get home and relax as the temperature was heading for the 30s again!

When it all got a bit too hot, Sophie and I escaped into the house and watched one of our films, The Awakening, which was a ghost story set in England in 1921. It was enjoyable but I'm glad I didn't go to the cinema to see it!

Dinner was delicious as always - the meal deal for £10 is fantastic as if we went to a pub or restaurant we'd be hard pushed to get a main course for £10 let alone wine, a side dish and dessert! We then settled down to watch The Grey starring Liam Neeson (I am a fan) but sadly, it was a depressing film that I thought was a tad unrealistic! When it first came out I wanted to go and see it at the cinema but now I'm glad I didn't!

A day at the seaside

As it was promising to be very hot today we drove to the Kent coast where we hoped it would be a bit cooler! We originally planned to go to Hastings but luckily changed our mind and went to Whitstable instead. I say luckily, because the journey wasn't the best we ever had and we heard of a long delay on the M25 near to where we'd have had to turn off to go to Hastings!

Whitstable is famous for oysters and there was a festival taking place celebrating the slippery little things, but we had a picnic with us so we weren't tempted. It was very busy with lots of people soaking up the sun on the pebbly beaches and a few children in the sea.

As soon as we arrived we ate some of our picnic (and a couple of gulls shared our sandwiches) and then we took a walk along the beach. It was very hot! I was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea, because unless we were set to spend the day on the beach with all the paraphernalia that that involves (beach chairs, umbrellas etc) walking about in the heat is not my idea of fun!

The children wanted an ice-cream so we walked up to a lovely shady park overlooking the beach that we visited the last time we came to Whitstable back in 2008.

It was a beautiful place with lots of shade and some gorgeous flowers and plants. I could have stayed all day!

After our little break we carried on along the promenade which stretches along the coast to the next small town. There were lots of beach huts with people enjoying the weather and we saw several groups of teenagers with barbecues on the beach. Summer must be sorted easily if you live by the coast and the weather is good!

I was getting worried about being out in the fierce sun so we returned to the car and drove along the coast to Reculver where we had a drink in the pub there. It was full of people enjoying an early afternoon meal and it was lovely to it outside and enjoy the warmth. We decided to head back home as the journey would take us about three hours and then order a takeaway, rather than try and find a pub on the way. Sitting out in our garden with a glass of chilled white wine would be just about perfect!

A new shower!

So, it's the first day of the holidays and we're all stuck in the house as our new shower is being fitted today, which is great, don't get me wrong!

The plumber arrived at 9am and soon had the old shower unit removed and it looked pretty horrible, I can tell you! It was very difficult to keep clean properly which is why we took such care to find an enclosure that didn't have any awkward fiddly bits!

I made a big breakfast for us all (the plumber had coffee and biscuits) and then Keith and I took all the packaging and the old shower unit to the tip. The weather is warming up considerably and there wasn't a cloud in the sky at all today.

By 2pm everything had been installed and it was looking beautiful. There were a couple of bits that needed filling in but apart from that the whole new enclosure fitted perfectly and we were very pleased indeed!

In the afternoon, Sophie and I drove over to Market Harborough and did a spot of shopping. We had a milkshake in Caffe Nero and then went to Blockbusters and rented four films to watch over the next three nights. Three of them were scary movies, and guess who chose them?!

Not so lazy Sunday

We woke to beautiful blue skies and sunshine today so it was out into the garden again with the lawn mower and the strimmer to tidy it all up. I was looking forward to our barbecue tonight and wanted to sit and have a drink in a lovely tidy garden!

I cut the lawn and strimmed the edges and then we made the decision to be a bit ruthless again and take down our table and chairs. They're looking a bit tired and scruffy and we never sit at the table anyway, preferring to relax on the double seat next to the conservatory. When we took them down we realised the garden looks so much bigger!

I cleaned all the windows and the window-sills and then went to have a shower before Sophie and I drove over to Beckworth Emporium, somewhere we haven't been for ages. There were lots of people enjoying lunch in the lovely restaurant and with the gorgeous smells and sunshine I felt like we were abroad. Sophie enjoyed some ice-cream and I had a home-made scone which was enormous with a cup of tea! Bliss!

I resisted the temptation to buy more plants as we have a week of holiday coming up and my pennies will have to be used for that, but I did buy two tubs of incense sticks which I love to light in the evening after we've cooked. That will please Keith as he's been looking for some for ages!

Back home we watched the end of the Tour de France which was a fantastic result for our very own Bradley Wiggins and then I fell asleep on the sofa! It has been a busy weekend!

We barbecued in the evening and it was lovely to sit out in the garden with a drink and soak up the evening sunshine!

Slasher Keith (and Janie) strike again!

Keith and I have really been ruthless in the garden today, cutting back our rampant Virginia Creeper which has reached the very apex of our roof and had even started to creep under the eaves of the house. Keith balanced precariously on the ladder and managed to cut the top bit down while I stood anxiously below! We then cut back a lot of the bushes in the back garden and took the knife to two shrubs that will either benefit or die!

After that I cleaned the garage door and the "white" surround which was filthy! Then I took the hoover to the underside of our carport which was covered in cobwebs. Gill and Tim came out to admire our handiwork although I think Tim was a bit miffed as now we show their part of the driveway up!

Once I picked Sophie up from work at 4.30pm I could finally relax! Let the holiday begin!

We had a delicious curry for dinner and then settled down to watch something interesting for once on television. By the time it ended at 10.30pm we were ready to watch one of our favourite films, "Flight of the Phoenix" which had us all on the edge of our seats! A great end to Saturday!

I make a decision...

This morning, as I drank my cup of coffee I watched the news and saw that the weather is set to be a lot better next week. Traditionally I always take my holiday at the end of August but this morning I decided to take next week off and make the most of the warm and sunny days!

Mum and Dad were OK about me having next week off and I doubt very much we will be busy! Now I just need to plan what we're going to do every day to minimise the arguments!

The school holidays are looming...

I truly cannot believe that tomorrow the children break up for the six week summer holidays. It still feels as if it should be May, not July and I just know that the break will speed by with September and the onset of Christmas just around the corner!! I have never known time go by so fast and it really does make me stop and think that I should cherish every minute, especially as the children are growing up quickly and this time won't last forever!

We were busy at work again today so Sophie came into help while Keith and I went to Booker to stock up with drinks. The weather forecast is supposed to be improving next week, just in time for the long summer break to start!

Summer storm...

As we were eating dinner tonight the sky grew dark and we could hear the rumble of thunder in the distance. I love a good storm so before tackling the washing up I went out onto our drive with the children and attempted to capture the thunder and lightening on my phone. There was a huge rainbow in the sky and the clouds were a mixture of fluffy white and dark grey. Very atmospheric!

As we stood there, Liam and Max appeared back from their walk, both of them soaked to the skin! Liam was laughing and said he'd tried to miss the rain but he was drenched! We stood and chatted and naughty Max rushed into our kitchen and ate all the cats' food! One of these days our feisty cats will send him packing with his tail between his legs!

Gooey puds!

Today has been a wee bit stressful on the financial front as the money for our business credit card was taken out of our account today and was for the full amount, even though the bank had said they would refund the transactions that were fraudulent. We had to call them again but they reassured us that they were in the process of putting the money back into our account so we can only hope it will be done swiftly! £1600 is not a small amount of money!

Sophie came into work with us and stayed in the evening to do a party while I escaped home. As a treat I'd bought a Tesco Meal Deal for £10 (well, two actually) for dinner and I didn't like the idea of the food being left in a warm car (yes...the weather is better again today!).

I have to say that our meal was delicious! I padded it out with extra veg, including beautifully tender asparagus, but for £20, including two bottles of wine, the food was very good value. We ate chicken in a Madeira sauce and the puds were the gorgeously gooey Gu desserts which were sublime! The white wine I chose was deliciously fresh and fruity so who needs expensive restaurant food? It was so much better at home!

Return of the rain

Today it has been terrible weather so yesterday was obviously just a freak day in our summer! We were busy at work with the cleaning as our daily lady is off this week, and it took us most of the day to get the place back up to scratch.

As I'd been cleaning it was straight into the bath for me when I got home and a very lazy evening followed!

Sociable Sunday!

Today the weather has been much improved and Keith and I toddled off to the garden centre after dropping Sophie at work to get mum and dad a wedding anniversary present. The garden centre was very quiet and a lot of the plants looked a bit sad and droopy so I treated my parents to a gift voucher to buy whatever they like.

On the way home we stopped off at the pub for a sneaky drink and very pleasant it was as well!

After I picked Sophie up from work we went out to tidy up the front garden and spent a very pleasant hour pruning an overgrown bush and strimming the grass verge. As the weather was better we had a great long chat with Sarah and Liam from next door who were walking Max the dog, and then Sue drove up and we had another gossip with her as she's recently returned from holiday and was loooking lovely and tanned, whereas we just all look rusty from the rain! It was so good to get outside and see people, which is how summer should be!

Getting there...

This morning Keith and I went off to B&Q to buy a new shower enclosure. We'd seen one we liked online but we wanted to have a good look before we bought it. The new one is made of glass and looks so much easier to clean than the one we have now which has fiddly bits and is almost impossible to clean properly.

So, we saw it and liked it and bought it, but delivery won't be until next Saturday so we will have to carry on using the shower in the family bathroom. At least the washing machine has now been fixed though!

Definitely Friday the 13th!

Well, so far today has certainly lived up to its reputation. When I went to pick up Sophie this morning I noticed a large pile of rubbish just inside our entrance gates and when I returned to work I had a closer look. There were lots of wooden planks and exterior lights so obviously someone had been doing a job and rather than go to the local tip, had dumped it all in our car park. I was furious.

Before I could tell Mum and Dad about the rubbish they gave me the horrifying news that someone had been using my business credit card, to the tune of about £1600! I was angry that my bank hadn't called me to verify the transactions as they were definitely not my usual purchases, such as flights with Aer Lingus and RAC insurance. I was speechless that my card, which has never left my purse, could have been cloned like this! We called our bank and without any argument they said they would refund the money and cancel my card, but it was extremely worrying and I haven't got a clue how it happened.

After calling the bank we went and cleared up all the rubbish in the car park but I fear it will happen again, especially if the person responsible thinks they can get away with it.

As the weather has been horrible yet again today, we ended the week on a very busy note again. I know it's good for business but I really yearn for some warm sunshine now! It feels more like Autumn than Summer!

Gifts galore!

Mum and Dad are now home after being away in Germany for the last week with Dad's model aeroplane club so they called around tonight for a drink and to give us an abundance of gifts!

Keith and I received a bottle of German whisky between us (I wasn't even aware the Germans made whisky!) plus Mum bought me some Chanel perfume and chocolates. Delicious! Sophie received a bottle of Marc Jacob's Lola perfume and some choccies while Mikey was treated to Jean Paul Gaultier's "Le Male" aftershave which smelt gorgeous. And a huge Toblerone!

We all had a good chat over a glass of wine with Mum and Dad telling us all about their trip. I don't think Mum was too excited about it all but they did stay in a lovely hotel in Marburg which sounds like a lovely town and full of, as Dad said with a gleam in his eye, around 23,000 students, most of whom were female!

At last...Sophie and I get a hair cut!

I've been meaning to get my hair cut for weeks now and Sophie's hair is also in dire need of a trim so this morning we went off to a new hairdressing salon we've never used before. I thought Sophie was going to kill me as when we went inside the shop there were quite a few ladies of shall we say - more advanced years -  in there all getting their hair washed and set. Luckily the lady who did our hair was very young and trendy so I was spared a tongue lashing and we both emerged into the sunshine with shiny, well cut tresses! It felt so good to have our hair cut and next time I won't be leaving it for so long!

I was at work until 6pm this evening with Sophie and we came out of work into bright sunshine which later turned into a very stormy night indeed! I do wonder whether we should all start building an ark!

Jinxed?

At the moment I feel like I'm jinxed when it comes to inanimate objects going wrong! Our washing machine is yet to be fixed and now we've noticed a crack in our shower tray which means that will have to be replaced as well (plus the surround too, I suppose).

We used Rated.com which helps you find a reputable local tradesman to do any work that needs completing and so far the system is working well with a plumber calling us to give us a quote. I suppose that as the shower unit is 11 years old and gets used a lot there must come a time when it just gives up!

We also ordered two new window handles on the internet over the weekend as one of our handles broke off some months back and seeing it every day is a source of irritation. Luckily when the new ones arrived they were a perfect fit and now the windows are looking much smarter than they did!

Easy Monday!

I had an early appointment today at Chips Away in Wellingborough to get the scratches and scuffs repaired on my little Audi. I wouldn't have minded if I'd been the cause of the damage but it really irked me that I had to pay for someone else's mistakes!

Keith picked me up after seeing Mikey off to school and we had a fairly pleasant day at work. I didn't manage to get any cleaning done which I felt a wee bit guilty about, but the phones didn't stop ringing all day and we also had customers trooping in and thinking we were open! Another Play Centre owner popped in to say hello so we had a good chat about the general state of the industry, with both of us agreeing that the bead weather of late had been very good for business!

After work I went to pick up my car and was amazed at the results - they do a fantastic job at Chips Away and the nasty scratch just below the rear window is now a thing of the past. You couldn't even see a slight dent and Keith was very surprised they'd been able to repair it so well. I just hope I never have to visit them again!

A day of sport!

Well, today we have Andy Murray in the final at Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, just down the road from us!

I did some housework early on and then settled down to watch the tennis. I'm not a fan of Andy Murray but it would have been great to watch him win, sadly something that didn't happen this year. However, he put up a good(ish) fight and I enjoyed the match very much. It reminded me of when I used to live at home with my parents and the Wimbledon Final was always a special occasion in our house. I used to love seeing Ivan Lendl (now Andy Murray's coach), John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg play. Ah, those were the days!

For dinner tonight we cooked homemade chicken Kiev from a recipe by Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall which was shown on a television programme last week. The recipe went down very well and was a success which made a change for us! We served the chicken with home-made potato wedges and I can only say it was delicious - even the children ate every scrap!

A mixed bag...

The weather still dominates the news at the moment, unfortunately, with the rain and floods causing more problems for parts of the UK. I think we're all now officially fed up with the wet stuff!

Today I pottered about the garden and pulled up a few huge weeds that seem to have flourished over the last couple of weeks! I went off to our local DIY store in the afternoon and picked up a tester pot of paint for our hallway and some geraniums and lavender to brighten up the garden. After picking Sophie up from work I potted them up but that's about all I could do as the ground is still very wet after yesterday's rain. The grass is long and straggly and the garden looks a complete mess, to be honest! Even though we've seen a bit of sun today, we've had more showers and grey clouds!

We managed to barbecue in the evening and my dream of sitting in the garden with a cold bottle of Leffe was realised, but it was certainly not hot and sunny...more damp and chilly, if I'm honest!

"Like a drowned rat!"

I was absolutely drenched to the skin this morning when I popped up to Mum's house to take a load of washing. I do wonder if this weather is ever going to improve! 

When I got back home again I had to dry my hair and my top with a hair dryer before I could go to work! Poor Keith was also drenched as he went to Tesco early before joining me at work with Sophie. So, it was very much a family affair today and Sophie was great at helping out in the kitchen until 5pm when we finally left to go home.

The unsettled weather is set to continue over the weekend but we have planned a barbecue for one night...we'll just have to keep an eye on the forecast to find out which is the best night!

At last! Some sun!

Today has been warm and sunny, which has been a relief after all the grey days we've been experiencing recently!

After work Keith and I went off to The Whyte Melville pub in Boughton for a couple of drinks. The pub was almost empty so we sat at the bar and had a good chat. We've just booked two nights in Berlin in October, without the children, so it was lovely to sit and chat about that and what we planned to do. We didn't get to Berlin last year at all so it'll be great to go back to our usual hotel and do some more exploring. I'm determined to get to Potsdam this visit!

Not the best of days!

Today has been horrible. We have had no internet connection at work at all and despite trying all day to fix it, it still wasn't working when I left at 4pm.

First thing this morning I went to Chips Away in Wellingborough to find out how much they would charge to deal with the deep scratch and also to polish out the scuff marks on the bumper where someone else had pushed past it a few weeks ago. I'm beginning to think my shiny new car is jinxed!

Chips Away quoted me just over £300 to fix both problems and I have no choice to get them done as the car is only seven months old and I hate the thought that it's got dents already.

Sophie has spent all day at school visiting the 6th form finding out more about the courses she's doing in September. She is really looking forward to her photography course and I envy her greatly...I wish I could have done that when I was at school!

We have finally managed to shift our huge pile of washing and Keith left work early to go home and iron it all. Not a great idea in this humidity we are currently experiencing!

So busy!

For some reason (probably mainly due to the weather) we were exceptionally busy at work today and it was a good job we had Sophie in to help! It rained on and off for most of the day and it felt humid and sticky as well. Not pleasant!

In the evening, as both Keith and I had been in at work, we decided to have a fish and chip supper as a treat. It worked out to be an incredibly expensive decision...

I picked Sophie up from work at 6.30pm and we went to a newly opened takeaway at our local shopping centre. Keith and I went in to order our meal and left Sophie in the car. When I went back to tell her there would be a wait she told me that a woman's trolley had hit the back of my car. The woman didn't do anything about it. I had a good look at the car but couldn't see any damage so even though the woman (elderly) was still putting her shopping in her car, I didn't say anything.

When we got home I saw a deep scratch just underneath the rear window so I was not very happy at all. To make things worse, the fish and chip supper was mediocre so all in all, not the best of evenings!

Monday morning blues...

I really did not want to go to work this morning and even contemplated throwing a sickie, but I did go in even though Mikey himself was off school with a bad cough and cold. Keith had to stay at home as well (to look after Mikey) but also to wait in for the washing machine repair man as our washer has gone on strike. 

When he called me later in the day to tell me the repair would take up to ten days, I was not very happy. We already had a backlog of washing as it stopped working on Saturday so I asked mum and dad if we could wash our laundry in their machine otherwise I didn't know what we'd do!


We had a new coffee machine installed at work today and despite them telling us the engineer would be with us at lunchtime, he never arrived until past 3pm. Just lately, despite the recession, I'm finding it more and more difficult to deal with certain companies...I'm constantly having to chase them up about things which is a bit annoying. Whether they have laid off staff and there's not enough people to fulfill the promises they make, I'm not sure, but I'm not liking it!

 

Mooching about...

Both Sophie and I fancied going out in the afternoon so we drove over to Weedon, somewhere we haven't been for ages.

The weather was looking a bit ominous with dark grey clouds making an appearance but luckily the rain held off otherwise we would have got drenched walking around the small courtyard of shops. We had lunch first and were seated at a table for six, sharing it with another couple, but when they left the local loony arrived and after ordering himself a jacket potato and a glass of wine, proceeded to have a great conversation with himself...time for us to leave!

The rest of the afternoon was very enjoyable mooching around the shops and looking at all the things on offer, most of which we had absolutely no need of! I did buy some barbecue sauce for our evening meal and a packet of biscuits but that was about it!

We decided to barbecue in the evening and were rewarded with clear blue skies and early evening sunshine, which was a bonus!