Heat+Monday=School visit

We had another school in today and this time, rather than bring packed lunches, they took advantage of our catering so Polly came in to do the cooking.

I managed to escape for most of the morning by driving off to Booker and the bank and arrived back in time to find all the children tucking into their lunch, so it was a bit quieter!

When they left at 2pm, it was time to clear up again, but there wasn't much mess as the eating had been confined to our party rooms. I left at 3.30pm and went home to wash my car as the delightful birds that inhabit our car park had messed all over it! There's gratitude for you!

Sophie was off on a jaunt to Milton Keynes shopping with some of the friends she's going to Barcelona with. She told me she was then going off to the cinema to see "The Fault in our Stars" and could I pick her up when it was finished, probably at about 11pm...and I thought my taxi driving duties were over for a little while!

Non-day

Today I didn't do half the things I wanted to do and all because of the weather. The forecast was for a dry, sunny day so I'd planned on varnishing our garage and front door and tidying up the garden but every time I went out it rained!

I did manage to varnish the garage door, though, so at least I did something! Sophie was at work all day and after I picked her up to take her home I called to see Mum and Dad to help them connect their little Sky box to the internet. It was a lot easier than when I did ours and within half an hour they were connected up to hundreds more television programmes!

Back home I watched the first ever episode of Wallander on Netflix while Keith cooked dinner tonight. It was his turn!

In search of meditation...

Today has been exactly as forecast - wet, grey and much cooler than of late. I was up late after being awake in the night. Keith woke me up at just after 9am and I'm glad he did as I dread to think how long I would have languished in bed!

After a much-needed cup of coffee I prepared the beef for tonight and then went to get ready as Sophie and I were headed for Market Harborough. When we left it was chucking it down with rain and the countryside was dripping wet. Everything looked very green, though!

On the way to Market Harborough we went to the Nagarjuna Kadampa Meditation Centre in Kelmarsh and had a cup of tea in the World Peace Cafe. I am very interested in learning how to meditate as I can forsee some very stressful times coming up at work! One of the things I dislike about myself is the way I worry about a lot of things so I'm hoping that meditation can help. There will be a free talk on meditation and mindfulness on the 16 August so I'm hoping Sophie and I will be able to go.

We had a lovely cup of tea and it was such a shame we couldn't sit outside in the gardens. After looking in the shop we drove off to Market Harborough and had lunch in Caffe Nero before browsing in Monsoon and then going to see Duncan.

We had a tasting of some delicious wines from France and Portugal and I treated myself to a bottle of Irish Whiskey that I hope Keith will enjoy as well. We staggered back to the car with our purchases, stopped off at home to pick up our gym bags and then went to Virgin where we intended to have a swim. However, the pool was very busy so we stayed in the spa which was full of very loud young men all shouting over the noise of the gushing water! Not very relaxing!

After a quick chat with Sarah who was off to pound away on the treadmill, we headed off home where I finished off the preparations for dinner. I have to say the recipe I followed, Mary Berry's steak and mushroom "pie" with Dauphinoise potaoes, turned out very well! Phew!

Flood!

The threatened thunderstorms arrived this evening and luckily Sophie and I were still at work to clear up all the water that cascaded down the drains and into the kitchen!

The sky turned dark grey and I rushed to close all our roof windows but I was a bit late. We hadn't got many customers in as it was almost 6pm but when the kitchen flooded we had to close a bit early as we needed to clear up for a private party coming in at 6.30pm. We have one customer who comes in regularly with her grandchildren and she always finds something to moan about. This evening she followed me around telling me that there were leaks and I could have strangled her. I was sorely tempted to tell her not to bother coming back as she never seems to be happy when she comes in!

Sophie and I had planned on going to the gym after work for just a session in the spa and I was determined to go and relax, although by the time we got into the jacuzzi I was a bit fed up with water!

We had a lovely time, though, even though I discovered the till key in my jeans pocket which I had to return to work on the way home! We didn't get back until almost 8pm so Keith was in charge of dinner tonight. He didn't mind as tomorrow it'll be my turn to cook when I make Mary Berry's steak and mushroom pie with a dauphinoise potato topping!

During the evening we had more thunderstorms and torrential rain - the garden certainly needs it! Sophie was shattered as she'd been up late last night and was awake early this morning. We were both glad this week was over!

Silent house...

Today has been exceptionally quiet at work, even though the weather has been no different to yesterday when we were quite busy. My daughter was a little bored and spent a good deal of time in the office with Mum and I, which I have to say I enjoyed. It's been great having her at work with me!

Luckily, Paula came in to cover again so we left work at about 3.30pm and went home. I had a sudden craving for a scone so Keith and I made griddle scones on our George Foreman grill. I'd never made them before and they were very easy to make. Within twenty minutes, Keith and I were enjoying a cup of tea and scones!

It's been a very quiet house this evening as no sooner had Mikey arrived home than he was out at a friend's house to go to the Marine Cadets in Kettering. His friend goes twice a week and Mikey is interested in joining as well. I'm not sure about it as Thursday was our only free night of the week, but he assured me he can walk to his friend George's house and get a lift home.

Sophie spent most of the evening getting ready to go out with two of her friends for cocktails - yes, it was another 18th celebration - and we took her into Northampton at 8pm. She was then staying over at her friend Laura's house and I'll be picking her up tomorrow morning after taking Mikey to school.

When Keith and I eventually arrived home we ate the dinner that we'd planned originally for the four of us - pulled pork - although it wasn't quite the same as when I made it the other week...less said about that, the better!

Late night drinkies...

Life is very busy at the moment with a lot of driving about and our holiday can't come soon enough! I think, by the time it arrives, I will be more than ready to have some relaxation!

I was expecting to be at work until 6pm today but Paula came in at 4pm to cover Reception until we closed. I thought she was in tomorrow, but we grabbed the opportunity, nevertheless, and sped off home. I felt a bit tired today as I hadn't slept well last night, so rather than be virtuous and go for a walk, we sat in the garden for a while to soak up the late afternoon sunshine.

Sophie was off to a friend's house later in the evening and after dinner she went off to get ready while Keith and I watched the last ever episode of Wallander. I've certainly enjoyed watching this latest series and I can catch up with all the earlier episodes on Netflix, so I didn't feel that sad (even though the last programme was very sad).

Sophie's friend Susie was 18 today and had been out for a meal with her family, so she asked Sophie to go to her house at 10pm! The girls were going to have a little gathering and then some of them were heading into town afterwards. Sophie had decided that, with work tomorrow, she would just spend an hour with Susie and then Keith and I would pick her up at about 11pm. Rather than drive all the way home we headed off to the Althorp Coaching Inn in Brington for a couple of drinks.

Predictably, at 10pm, the pub had emptied out so we had a very pleasant and relaxing hour sitting at the bar and chatting. The Althorp Coaching Inn is a lovely old place with all the ingredients of the perfect pub - low beams, stoneflagged floors, a hint of woodsmoke, good beers and wines and an interesting menu.

We left at 11pm and picked up Sophie and her friend Danni who we were giving a lift to. The girls had had a good time, but I did wonder about all the effort they'd gone to for just an hour!

Rushing about!

Today has been a manic day! Keith went for a walk around Pitsford this morning before spending the afternoon meeting up with his ex-workmates at a pub in Northampton, something he does twice a year. I took Mikey to school and Sophie and I went into work as she is covering for Polly every day this week.

At lunchtime I went to collect Keith and then we popped to the Co-op in Moulton to buy some stuff for work. It gave me the opportunity to eat a sandwich on the way back to work because that was all the lunch break I was going to get before taking Keith down to the pub on the outskirts of Northampton.

From there I rushed back to work before Dad and I went into town to see our Solicitor for a meeting, and then it was back home to be there for Mikey when he got in from school! I suggested we go back to work for his tea and he jumped at the chance as he loves Maureen's Aberdeen Angus burgers! Much better than the lasagne we'd bought for him!

Luckily, we were all able to leave work at 5.30pm to go and pick up my tipsy husband. Getting to the pub in the busy rush hour was like being one of the entrants in the Wacky Races - I'm so glad I rarely drive in the evening rush hour! Keith was a bit merry so we headed straight home as Mikey was off to Army Cadets. I knew that I'd be in charge of dinner tonight, which was a Tesco Finest special - a good plan as Keith promptly lay down on the sofa on the pretence of watching the final England game and fell fast asleep!

Too hot!

Today has been pretty uncomfortable at work as we had a school visit and clearing up afterwards was not fun in the heat. When I went out in the car the temperature was 27c but inside our building it was registering 32c. Not great when you have to hoover, sweep and mop!

Dad returned from Eastbourne with a very suntanned face and said he'd had a great time. We all left at 3pm and Sophie and I popped to Tesco so she could buy some nibbles for when she goes to see one of her friends later in the week. I treated her to an ice-cream in an attempt to cool us both down a bit!

I just couldn't face exercising in the gym so I went straight down to the spa and I was joined after about twenty minutes by my daughter who also said she was too hot! We cooled down in the jacuzzi where Sophie fell asleep!

Return of the cat...

The plan was to do more gardening today but it was warmer than yesterday and I just didn't feel like it, so after cutting back a few bushes, I went and had a shower and Sophie and I popped over to Beckworth Emporium for a bite to eat and to have a look around the plants.

It was another gorgeous day but the restaurant certainly wasn't as busy as it had been the last time we went (and promptly left!). We sat and had a late lunch and soaked up the warmth as we were seated in the greenhouse bit of the restaurant!

Afterwards I bought a few plants to go in some of the empty pots I had and we had a look around the food hall. Mum was coming over for dinner tonight (Dad's off flying his planes in Eastbourne) so I bought a punnet of strawberries for dessert and two bottles of beer for Keith.

Sophie managed to persuade me to go to Boots at Riverside as she needed some make-up and then we headed home to sit in the garden, put the plants in and drink wine with the cats. By the way, Archie has come home but is still not quite right. Normally he's a very greedy cat but he's off his food and just wants to lie quietly somewhere cool. We still have no idea where either of them have been but I suspect Archie has been living over the fields hunting rabbits. Perhaps he ate a dodgy one!

Sufffering!

Sophie sent me a text this morning at about 8am to ask if I was awake...well, I certainly was, but I was most surprised that she was! She called me and said they hadn't got back to Laura's house until 4am but that they'd had a great time and had met lots of people they knew in town. I was just relieved she'd survived a night in Northampton town!

I went to pick her up at 10am and she was a bit hungover, so after dropping Daisy and Danni off, I treated her to a Mocha and an egg and bacon muffin from the local garage. Thankfully, five minutes after arriving home we had a call from work to say that she wasn't needed which gave her the chance to laze about the house all day moaning about feeling ill!

Keith and I spent five hours each cleaning the conservatory and tidying up the garden. The weather has been beautiful today, perfect for getting out and doing this job - so glad it normally only needs to be done once a year!

Out on the town!

So, the end of another week has arrived and tonight Sophie and her friends went out to town, for the first time. I'd been dreading it to be honest but as she's now 18 and can do what she wants, I don't have any say any more!

It was bad timing in a way as I was also going out with my friends Lynda, Andrea and Fiona, to The Rose and Crown at Yardley Hastings, somewhere Lynda had recommended because of the good food. Today has involved a lot of taxiing about as Sophie and her friend Danni had been in town all afternoon, so I picked them up at 3pm, took Danni home, filled up with diesel (again!) and then went home to get ready for the evening.

I think Sophie was a bit nervous about going into town and I told her about my own experiences when I was her age. Of course, the pubs and bars were a lot different then and my favourite was a place called Camilla's Wine Bar in Northampton's Gold Street. It was the place we made for first before going on a trawl down Bridge Street. Ah, the memories!

Sophie had a shower at home and packed a bag with all her make-up and clothes as she was getting ready at her friend's Laura's house which is nearer to the town. They would then get a taxi home to Laura's house and spend (what remained) of the night there.

My evening was much more subdued so I was ready in under thirty minutes! We drove through gorgeous evening sunshine to Danni's house again, where another girl, Daisy, was being dropped off. Now, I used to have an enormous crush on Daisy's Dad when I was about 16 as he was at the same school as me (a couple of years older, though) so it was really funny when he dropped her off! I didn't dare tell Daisy and I'm not sure her Dad would even recognise me, but it's funny all the same! I never dreamed that my daughter would be friends with his daughter!

I drove the giggling, slightly nervous, girls to Laura's house and then set off to pick Lynda up before going on to Yardley Hastings. When we arrived, the pub was very busy indeed, with lots of people enjoying the summer sunshine in the garden. We bought ourselves a drink and then sat outside to wait for Andrea and Fiona who were coming together. Andrea was doing a Race For Life event the next day so she was not drinking, which made two of us. Keith had volunteered to drive me, but my poor car had done enough miles today without him making the return journey home and then coming out again when I was ready to be picked up!

Lynda showed us her photos of New York (she'd visited in May) and then we were called to our table inside. The Rose and Crown is a lovely old pub, dating from the 1700s (I think) with low beams, fireplaces and an uneven stone flagged floor. The menu was very tempting and I went for the warm black pudding salad served with potatoes and lardons to start, followed by Ballotine of chicken stuffed with sausagemeat, wrapped in bacon and accompanied by a Porcini sauce. We'd shared some ciabatta bread and olives beforehand so we certainly didn't leave hungry! The food was delicious. All four of shared just the one bottle of a Chenin Blanc from South Africa and we had a good gossip.

During the evening Sophie texted me to say that they'd ordered pizza (this was at 10pm!) so I was pleased she had a full stomach to absorb the alcohol she was planning to drink!

I took Lynda home and then had a quiet drive back to my own house. Although it was 11pm, the sky was still dark blue and not quite dark, and I remembered that tomorrow is the Summer Solstice!

Freedom!

It's been a grey miserable day today and the feeling of gloom was heightened when I received a call from Mikey's school to say that he'd been hit on the head with a baseball and felt a bit dizzy. I rushed off to get him and took him straight home to Keith who was given strict instructions to keep an eye on him. I later found out that Keith had treated both kids to a McDonald's lunch!

After work, Sophie and I went off to Milton Keynes as she had a lot of presents to buy for various friends who were turning 18. We had a quick stop in the Costa Coffee in Waterstones first (I love being surounded by books!) and I asked her how her first day of freedom had been. She replied that she'd felt guilty doing very little all day and wondered what she was going to do with herself, but I told her to make the most of it as having that level of freedom in the future would be rare!

After our brief stop for a drink we hit the shops and this evening we managed to save a lot of money by using various vouchers and money off coupons. As Sophie had a 30% discount in Accessorize I treated myself to a new handbag and in there alone we saved £20! This was great for Sophie who was on a tight budget, bless her, and had three friends to buy for!

On the way back to the car we called into HMV and I bought three posters for Mikey who wanted to have one wall of his bedroom covered in pictures of his favourite bands. I find it quite amusing that as a fan of Nirvana, my own children now love their music! Mikey had, in fact, just ordered one of their tee-shirts online!

Needless to say he was delighted with what I'd bought him and he put them all up on his wall in a very artistic fashion!

Celebrations!

It's been yet another gorgeous day today and after work Keith and I went for an amble over the fields. On the way to the village we met Mum and Dad who had returned last night from their Greek holiday and were looking all suntanned and relaxed. They were both coming around for a drink and a catch-up later so we bid them farewell and carried on with our walk.

Back home we just had time for a quick bath and then Mum and Dad arrived. I gave Dad his Father's Day present of a bottle of Maker's Mark Bourbon and a card, which he was delighted with. We had a great chat about their holiday and saw their photos of the stunning Greek scenery. They'd been to the island of Paros and had had a fantastic time. Now, back to reality!

After Mum and Dad had gone home, we had dinner and waited for Sophie's call. She was having an end-of-exam barbecue with some friends and she called to say she wanted picking up at 9pm. It was the most beautiful evening and I only wished we could have stayed at Brixworth Country park and had a little walk!

Missing cat...again!

Yesterday morning Archie came back from a little jaunt and really didn't look very well. He occasionally wanders off, especially when the baby rabbits are about, so we weren't as worried as we were when Monty went off.

He went and flopped down on the stairs so we decided to leave him in quiet while we were all at work and school. When Sophie and I returned from the gym last night he'd gone out again and he didn't come in for his dinner or his breakfast this morning.

I just hope that he's off hunting over the fields, but I do hope he doesn't go missing like Monty did. Perhaps they're both trying to worry us and taking it in turns to disappear!

It's been a beautiful day today and I was delighted to see the crow babies again this morning when I arrived at work. One of them seemed quite unfazed by me being so close and eyed me carefully when I gave them their breakfast. As soon as one of his parents arrived on the scene he opened his mouth wide to be fed but was very much ignored! You're on your own now, mate!

I left work early again and went home to wash my car and do other houseworky things. This is starting to become a habit now but next week I might not be so lucky as I've given Polly the week off as she's set to work the next two weekends, poor thing!

Crow babies!

I knew that it was going to be one of those days when Keith's car wouldn't start first thing. I left him to it and went and fed the fish before going back and seeing if he'd been successful. He hadn't, so we all piled into my car and set off for school. Unfortunately, we were much later than usual and there were roadworks going on in a village on the way which held us up for twenty minutes. It made us so late I had to call the school to let them know Mikey would miss registration.

All was quiet at work today as we had no school visits in and Keith and Ian managed to get on with some essential jobs. Sophie was in with us, supposedly revising, but not doing very much at all!

I had to take Keith home after work and miraculously, his car started first time. We both realise though, that it's reaching the end of its life and the need to get a new car for him and Sophie to share is now becoming urgent.

Sophie and I went to the gym but neither of us were really in the mood to work out, so we did some weights, a short time on the treadmill and then went down to the spa. My foot has been aching badly since Sunday and I put it onto the powerful water jets for a few minutes to see if it would alleviate the pain.

On the way home we called into work to shut the gates and we were delighted to see two crow babies on the grass with their parents! I've been wondering where they are and it was lovely to see them out with Mum and Dad pecking about in the grass looking for crumbs!

Celebrating Dads!

Mikey was off to Army Cadets again today so we decided to leave celebrating Father's Day until he returned in the late afternoon. Keith took him into Northampton while I cooked breakfast of tomatoes and bacon, my husband's favourite!

We managed to squeeze in a walk over the fields this morning before Sophie and I went off to the gym for a swim and lunch. Today has been overcast and dry, one of those horrible days when the weather isn't unpleasant, but it's boring and dull. We popped to Boots on Riverside after lunch and I treated Sophie and myself to a 99 flake as a Sunday treat.

Almost as soon as I walked in the door from the gym, Mikey called and wanted to be picked up. He was in a good mood when we arrived and had passed his First Aid tests well, which he was pleased about.

As he was now home and the fish had been fed, I could relax and have a glass of Leffe, one of my favourite beers. Keith opened his cards and presents and was delighted with the shorts and shirt we'd chosen for him. I think he was one happy Dad!

I'd prepared tonight's dinner yesterday morning when I'd marinated a large fillet of pork in smoked paprika, garlic and thyme and it had been sitting in the oven since 12pm today on a very low heat setting. An hour before we were due to eat I'd taken it out of the oven to rest and couldn't resist nibbling a bit of the crispy meat - it was delicious! I'd taken the recipe from Gordon Ramsay's latest cookbook and the pulled pork was going to be served with a Chipotle mayonnaise and crushed new potatoes mixed with cheese and spring onions. I'd never cooked the recipe before and I was hoping it was going to be OK, as Sophie in particular was looking forward to it!

Luckily, it was gorgeous. The meat had been cooked very slowly so it just fell apart and with the crusty baguettes, mayonnaise and potatoes it was a lovely Sunday dinner. Keith couldn't resist sitting afterwards and pulling off the lovely hunks of juicy meat!

I spent the evening watching a film on Netflix as Keith wanted to watch the football. Thank goodness for Netflix!

Just waitin' around...

Today has been a bit quiet and subdued as both kids have been out all day - Sophie to work (she was asked to swap days) and Mikey for an Army Cadet weekend. The weather looked grey and rainy when Keith and I woke up at the unearthly hour of 5.55am (why??) and it didn't really improve all day.

We'd planned to clean the conservatory roof but the showers of rain we had put a stop to that. To do the job properly we really need a sunny, breezy, dry day - and it certainly hasn't been that today!

Every time I ventured out into the garden to do some tidying up, it started raining so by 4pm I gave up and Keith and I sat by the phone waiting for the kids to call us to go and pick them up!

Predictably, they both wanted to be picked up at almost the same time so we collected Mikey first and then drove to work to get Sophie. I'd promised her a trip to Costa Coffee so off we went but it was a take-out this time!

We dashed home in the early evening sunshine so Mikey could get ready for a party he was going to. It meant we had barely an hour before I was out in the car again to take him to a friend's house in Northampton. Luckily the weather stayed dry and sunny for our barbecue but it was certainly chillier than it has been of late.

Sophie and I were allowed to watch two (yes, two!) episodes of Desperate Housewives before Mikey called us to go and collect him. At 10.15pm it was still light which was wonderful. When you think of the extra hours of sunlight we have in the summer, it's amazing that we get by on just eight hours in the winter.

Back home I suddenly remembered I hadn't wrapped Keith's presents (despite him not being my Dad) so it was a mad dash to do that before bed. At least I wasn't disturbed when I was wrapping them as England were playing Italy in the World Cup!

Quiet end to the week

It's been another scorcher of a day today, although by the afternoon the beautiful blue skies disappeared under a blanket of thick cloud and it became very muggy.

We were desperately quiet at work. I went to Booker with Keith mid-morning and then we seized the opportunity to go to Tesco to do our weekly shop at lunchtime and when I got back to work, there was just one man in with his child. Before long, he left as well and for an hour we had no customers at all.

I picked up Sophie a little earlier than usual and after finishing up at work we drove to the Garden Centre near Wootton to get Keith some clothes for Father's Day on Sunday. He'd been dropping heavy hints about shorts and tee-shirts for the holiday so we picked out things we hoped he will like, had a quick look at the fish and then went off to the gym.

Sophie was at the Orthodontist yesterday and he'd tightened her braces so it was painful for her to eat. She had hardly eaten all day so we went to the gym cafe first and I treated her to a sandwich before we went upstairs to work out.

I did fifteen minutes on the treadmill and 10 minutes on the bike before I joined her in the changing room to go down to the spa. It was blissfully quiet so we relaxed by sitting in the sauna and the jacuzzi before having lovely hot showers.

Back at home I rushed around preparing dinner and afterwards, just as I was preparing to relax a bit, Mikey asked if he could go down to the village to see one of his friends. As it was now 9pm I wasn't at all happy for him to go on his own so I drove him down on the understanding we would pick him up at 10pm. My taxi duties never seem to end!

Catching up

As it was another gorgeous day and we were very quiet again, we left work at 2pm and went home to catch up with some housework. I changed all our bedding and with Keith and Sophie, cleaned the bathrooms until they shone. I could quite get used to days like this!

Sue came around for a drink and nibbles in the evening and we had a good catch-up over a glass of white wine. When she'd gone, all of us congregated in the conservatory and finished off the food I'd bought. Outside a huge Virgin hot air balloon hovered over Sue and Paul's house and then slowly drifted away. What a fantastic experience it must be!

Bunking off from the gym!

Rather than go to the gym after work today, and Sophie couldn't find her headphones which meant she was kicking up anyway, we went home and went for a walk with Keith instead.

It's been another beautiful day and it was really quite hot over the fields when the breeze dropped. We extended our walk by going up to Mum and Dad's house to feed the fish so we were all quite weary when we got home, probably because of the heat!

The World Cup is looming - tomorrow is the first game between Brazil and Croatia - so I won't be seeing much of my husband over the next few weeks as the cricket is also on, plus the golf, the Rugby and then Wimbledon! 

Bunking off!

It's been another gorgeous day and I managed to finish work at lunchtime as we were quiet at work.

Keith and I went home and I'm afraid we didn't do anything exciting - housework called! Keith tackled the ironing while I cleaned the downstairs of the house, helped by Sophie who had stayed at home today to do some revision. She made a fantastic job of cleaning out the fridge...not a good idea, Sophie! That'll be your job in the future!

After all our hard work we went off for a walk over the fields. Mikey went to the village on his own to meet some friends and the three of us enjoyed a great walk in the late afternoon sunshine. My legs still ached a little bit from our Pitsford amble on Sunday, but it was great to get out and do another hour of exercise!

The heat is on...

Today we had a local school visiting and, as always on a Monday when a school is in, we had warm temperatures and sunny skies!

We had about 120 children so it made for a noisy few hours, and when they left there was a lot of clearing up to do. Not very pleasant when the temperature (near the ceiling) was registering 35c!

Sophie and I were both tempted to head straight home after work, but we went to the gym and relaxed in the spa for an hour. I thought that sitting in warm water would make me hotter, but it actually cooled me down and it was bliss to have the strong water jets trained on my feet which were a wee bit sore from yesterday!

A walk around Pitsford...and a miraculous return.

We awoke to a gorgeous day - perfect for walking around Pitsford Reservoir.

On the way to taking Sophie to work, Maureen texted me to say that my daughter wasn't needed so we took her home and then made our way to the reservoir. As the powers that be have now introduced parking charges, the strip of land along the causeway was full with cars, so we had a bit of a dilemma as neither of us had brought any money with us! We were forced to park a fair distance up the road where there was a layby.

Parking here meant we could start our walk around the Nature Reserve side of the reservoir and we said again about renewing our permit! The Nature side is much nicer to walk around, very quiet and the path is soft and grassy.

Once onto the public side of the reservoir, the path was very busy indeed with cyclists, walkers and joggers. We set off at a good pace and enjoyed the views and the beautiful blue sky. There was a light breeze and it was very pleasant walking.

We stopped just after half way and Keith produced an Aero bar out of the rucksack which was lovely - sitting there on a bench munching chocolate and gazing out over the gorgeous views was wonderful.

The last part of Pitsford is always the hardest. Once back onto the causeway we knew we had a longer walk than usual to get back to the car, but by 2pm we were back and driving home. We both had a bath to soak our tired muscles and spent the rest of the afternoon half-heartedly watching the tennis.

Our plan was to barbecue in the evening and although we had the tiniest drops of rain at one point, it stayed fine. Keith was in the kitchen preparing dinner when he heard a familiar miaow and in walked Monty! We were all speechless with surprise! Where on earth had he been?

He was a little thin, but otherwise very healthy so I suspect someone had been looking after him. He seemed very restless at first and wouldn't settle, but when we went to sit in the garden he came out with us and calmed down a bit. What a miraculous return!

Having a break

It's been lovely to have a complete break from work today - no phone calls even!

We awoke to grey skies and as the morning wore on the rain became torrential - not great as we were planning on going to Market Harborough to do some shopping!

However, by the time we left, the skies were clearing and we didn't need the umbrella that we lugged about the town. First stop was lunch in Caffe Nero and I managed to avoid all the delicious cakes and biscuits and went for a chicken salad sandwich and a bottle of water. So virtuous!

Sophie made a beeline for New Look after lunch and bought herself lots of clothes for her upcoming holiday to Barcelona. She also treated herself to a new bag in Accessorize so she was very happy. For me, it was heaven to go and see Duncan who was kicking off the World Cup celebrations with a tasting of French and Spanish wines and asking everyone which country they preferred. We had four wines to taste (I only had sips) and I preferred France while Sophie went for Spain.

I bought three bottles of wine to replenish our wine rack, had a sniff of some interesting looking Irish Whiskey that I had in mind for Father's Day presents and then we drove to the gym for a swim.

It had turned into the most beautiful of afternoons with blue skies and little white fluffy clouds. The gym was quiet and we swam happily for half an hour before relaxing in the spa. As an extra little treat we sat in the cafe afterwards with a cookie...!

Keith and I went to the pub in the evening and ordered a Chinese takeaway for dinner. Ian was in a bit of a strop tonight as his credit card machine suddenly stopped working which would have been a disaster for him. Been there, know how it feels! Luckily he managed to get it back working but his mood didn't improve the whole time we were there! We had a very pleasant hour sitting at the bar and chatting with people we've known for years through the pub and reminiscing about old times!

Sophie...the Babe Magnet

Sophie came into work with us today as our cook returned (hooray!!) and I wanted to make sure we had some help in case we became busy (we didn't). All this week we've had crying babies at work and we're beginning to suspect that Sophie is a babe magnet...a crying babe magnet! Wherever she goes babies start crying which is a sound she absolutely hates. I don't think I'm going to be a Grandmother any time soon (or maybe ever...).

Anyway, as Maureen was back, things returned to normal which was a huge relief. It meant we could go out and sort out Sophie's new bank account and I was able to buy myself a new pair of sandals as the ones I was wearing this morning suddenly disintegrated!

By the afternoon, it was very hot and we were able to leave at just after 3pm. On the way to the gym we took my car for a wash and Sophie loved the way we drove through the automated machine that sprayed it with water and then dried it. She has a fetish for car washes...

It was bliss to get back into our gym routine and we spent ages in the spa and both of us nearly fell asleep. My own magnet was working well as I got into conversation with a woman in the jacuzzi who proceeded to tell me her life story. I didn't mind (for once I could actually hear her over the sound of gushing water) and we had a lovely chat before I got out and had a blissful shower.

When I met up with Sophie who'd gone off to the cafe, she said that there had been a crying baby in there as well...as I said...she's a babe magnet...!

Return of the sun

It was wonderful to wake up and see blue skies and sunshine this morning. What a difference it makes to my mood!

Ironically, we were busier today than yesterday when the weather was foul, but it was very wet underfoot, so perhaps people had decided to go out in the sunshine, realised how wet the grass was and came to us instead!

By the afternoon we were much quieter and Sophie and I managed to get away at 5pm which was a bonus. As we drove into the estate we saw Sue out walking her dogs so we stopped for a chat and arranged to see each other for a drink next week. It'll be good to catch up.

In the evening Keith and I caught up with more Nordic Noir when we watched Wallander. As usual Keith guessed the murderer...I was very surprised when the culprit was revealed!

Gremlins on the rampage...

Well, after yesterday being a huge improvement on Monday, today has been a real challenge again! For a start, the weather today has been terrible - constant rain, grey skies and a chilly wind. It's supposed to be summer!

Mum and Dad tried to contact me on holiday but were unable to make sense of the computer in their hotel so we'll be relying on mobile phones as usual! Just after they called I noticed an unusual email from our work address and when I checked our sent box, there was nothing there. It turned out that somehow our account was hacked and hundreds of scam emails have been sent out to everyone in our contacts list...

I have no idea how these things happen but luckily, the majority of the emails seemed to have bounced back and I'm hoping the receipients of the rest had the sense to see that it was a dodgy communication!

Sophie and I were at work until 6pm again, so no gym tonight. We gave Polly a lift home (it was still chucking it down with rain) and went home where I treated both Sophie and myself to a glass of wine. It was well deserved I think!

A better day

Today, thankfully, has been a better day and Keith and I managed to get a lot done at work. The lady who looks after Reception for us at the weekend came in to cover until 2.30pm and then it was down to Sophie and I to carry on until we closed at 6pm.

It was a long day but after giving Polly a lift home, Sophie and I popped to Boots at Riverside so my daughter could get some new make-up and then it was off to feed Mum and Dad's fish before finally getting home at 7pm. I was back out again ten minutes later to take Mikey to Army Cadets! Our relaxing weekend away is just a distant memory now!

Bucket List

On my Bucket List for the rest of 2014 were two things I needed to do each month. One was to cook something I'd never attempted before, the other was to visit somewhere new.

Well, I baked banana muffins in May and went to the top of Snowdon so they've been successfully completed!

I'm not doing too well with the others yet, but my veggies are beginning to sprout in the garden...excuse the pun!

Welcome back...or not!

Today has been horrible. Not in a majorly serious way (no-one died or became ill) but things stopped working, for no reason, and I seemed to have one problem after another.

Mum and Dad are away for a while now, so Keith and Sophie came in with me first thing. Sophie officially finished school on the 23 May but couldn't wait to get back today to go in for a revision session with her friends! Just as I expected!

I walked in to find Dad at work as he'd called in while buying a newspaper. He had a list of problems for me and then I found the coffee machine wasn't working properly. Never a good start to the day! Luckily, we sorted that our fairly quickly but the rest of the day was a real challenge.

I was looking forward to going to the gym after work, but even that was not to be. Sophie and I left at 4pm but we couldn't set the burglar alarm so I called Keith as he had been using some keys earlier in the day which led to a part of the building that was giving problems. He was a bit sheepish when he admitted to still having them in his pocket...

I had to drive all the way home, collect him and then go back to try and sort out the problem. Even doing that was a hassle with a door not opening properly! In the end we had to isolate one of the zones to set the alarm and we went wearily home. I felt guilty that I hadn't been to the gym but there was no way I could have left the alarm as it was. I'll try and make up for it later in the week but our cook is still off sick, so Sophie will be covering Reception Wednesday and Thursday so even that opportunity is looking unlikely!

A Spring break in Wales - Day Three

We awoke to another cloudy day but over breakfast the sun did manage to peep out and we saw some patches of blue sky. We'd decided to walk over the railway bridge that crosses the estuary this morning before heading home.

Barmouth was hosting some sort of event this morning and we managed to park the car on the very edge of the town, near to the bridge.

No cars are allowed to use the bridge, just trains and pedestrians (and cyclists). There was mention of a toll but nobody came out of the house at the start of the bridge to take any money. The bridge is wooden and was very rickety in places! I'm not sure I would have liked to have been on the train!

The views up the estuary more than made up for the rickety bridge though and we had a very enjoyable walk over to the other side.

Once over the bridge we came to Morfar Mawddach station and saw that a train was due in at about 11am. We thought it would be great to be on the bridge at the same time as the train so we walked a little way along the Mawddach Trail which follows the same route as an old train line (one of the ones closed down in 1964 by Beeching). However, the path was overshadowed by trees and bushes and we couldn't see any of the gorgeous scenery. We left the path and returned to the bridge via a protected bog which was full of beautiful yellow flowers that looked like very tall orchids.

Just before we got back onto the bridge we heard the train coming and sprinted the last few yards! It was early!

By the time we returned to Barmouth it was almost 11.30am and we decided that it was time to return home. The journey took us about three and a half hours and the roads were busy with people travelling back after the half-term holidays. We heard that there were problems on the M6 so we decided to take the toll road which was smooth and trouble free.

The children were pleased to see us and the house looked lovely, due entirely to Sophie making sure that the housework had been done. She had missed us a lot so I made it up to her by watching several episodes of Desperate Housewives back to back!