Today the weather has been terrible, with grey leaden skies and a nasty drizzle that put an end to all plans to go out for a walk or get into the garden.
Sophie's friend Danni was coming around in the afternoon so I concentrated on tidying up our messy conservatory and sorting out all the stuff that was still sitting on the sofas. I put the unsold books on the window-sill, took a load of DVDs and CDs into a box to store in the garage and asked Sophie to sort out the cuddly toys she didn't want so we could take them to the tip.
By the time I'd finished the room was back to its lovely, tidy self and Sophie was over the moon at the difference I'd made. I carried on cleaning downstairs while Keith took Mikey to have his hair cut and then on to see his mates in Brixworth.
The weather didn't improve at all until the early evening when we went to collect Mike and we did see a bit of sunshine, albeit briefly!
Dinner tonight was pulled pork but we didn't really have the right joint for it (we'd bought belly pork) but it was still delicious served with crusty baguettes and new potatoes!
Sunday 31 May 2015
Saturday 30 May 2015
Sunny Saturday!
As I enjoyed my first cup of coffee this morning I watched an episode of Insane Pools and it set the tone for the day as we had Florida skies and sunshine first thing, which was a welcome relief after the grey skies of yesterday! The pools on that programme are gorgeous and I watch in a state of complete jealousy!
Keith and I had to go to Booker as we'd run out of a lot of stuff yesterday. I'd had to go anyway as we planned on having pulled pork for dinner on Sunday and I needed to buy a shoulder joint which would be marinated overnight.
We were all done and back at home by 11am and made bacon sandwiches for the children. Keith and I had sausage sandwiches (we really must be fans of the pig!) and sat and read the papers in the sunny conservatory.
In the afternoon Sophie and I went to Market Harborough and we chose Starbucks today for a hot drink and a muffin before having a mooch around the shops. We didn't see Duncan today as he had English wines on tasting and I'm not a fan...I couldn't see the point of going in there if I had no intention of buying any of the wines on offer!
I bought a couple of DVDs in the British Heart Foundation shop for tonight. It would be great if we could all sit down and watch a film, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll all like Mr and Mrs Smith!
Back home I helped Sophie print off a photo to be framed for her friend Laura's birthday. I'd scanned the original onto my computer but the result wasn't brilliant. We kept on trying for at least two hours until we were pleased with the result and Sophie put the picture into a frame. Keith came and sat with us in the conservatory and in between sorting out the photos, we watched a family of starlings visit the buffet on offer in our garden. We were amazed to see the babies still demanding to be fed and I felt really sorry for the parents who looked run ragged by the constant demands of their offpsring. Sometimes I know exactly how they feel!
Keith and I had to go to Booker as we'd run out of a lot of stuff yesterday. I'd had to go anyway as we planned on having pulled pork for dinner on Sunday and I needed to buy a shoulder joint which would be marinated overnight.
We were all done and back at home by 11am and made bacon sandwiches for the children. Keith and I had sausage sandwiches (we really must be fans of the pig!) and sat and read the papers in the sunny conservatory.
In the afternoon Sophie and I went to Market Harborough and we chose Starbucks today for a hot drink and a muffin before having a mooch around the shops. We didn't see Duncan today as he had English wines on tasting and I'm not a fan...I couldn't see the point of going in there if I had no intention of buying any of the wines on offer!
I bought a couple of DVDs in the British Heart Foundation shop for tonight. It would be great if we could all sit down and watch a film, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll all like Mr and Mrs Smith!
Back home I helped Sophie print off a photo to be framed for her friend Laura's birthday. I'd scanned the original onto my computer but the result wasn't brilliant. We kept on trying for at least two hours until we were pleased with the result and Sophie put the picture into a frame. Keith came and sat with us in the conservatory and in between sorting out the photos, we watched a family of starlings visit the buffet on offer in our garden. We were amazed to see the babies still demanding to be fed and I felt really sorry for the parents who looked run ragged by the constant demands of their offpsring. Sometimes I know exactly how they feel!
Friday 29 May 2015
A bad decision!
Luckily Sophie felt a lot better this morning and I really needed her to feel well as the forecast was for rain and I knew we'd be busy at work.
We awoke to grey skies and by the time we were driving into work the rain had started in earnest. Sophie and I did the tills and opened up as Mum and Dad had to go to Booker to get a few bits. At 10am we went to the doctor's as Sophie needed another blood test: to check her thyroid levels and Vitamin D.
On the way back to work it was really chucking it down and I expected to see masses of customers at work. It was a bit of a surprise, therefore, to see the car park only half full but that was soon to change!
Sophie started work in the kitchen with Maureen immediately and at first things seemed pretty calm. However, by 11.30am we were flooded with customers and I had to man the till while Sophie helped Maureen to cook all the orders. I hadn't been on the till for a while and I was astounded by some of the demands from our customers! How Sophie puts up with it at the weekend, I'll never know! We had the "Excuse Me" customers in today, those who refuse to queue up but hover by the till and demand napkins, extra sachets of sauce, spoons, change, etc, without bothering to wait and oblivious to the fact that we're working flat out and trying our best to cook all the orders and serve people waiting patiently.
It was a hectic, demanding day and we really could have done with at least three more members of staff to come in and help, but they were all refusing to answer texts or phone calls!
I was just glad it was the last day of the school holidays as the noise levels were tremendous and the mess was just as it always is...terrible!
Sophie and I managed to escape at 5.30pm but I had a list in my bag of stuff that we desperately needed from Booker so I was planning to go on Saturday morning. We went home, had a quick shower and then Keith and I went out for a drink. He'd called Dave to cancel his usual Friday evening session and we decided to go to the pub in Old as it was so convenient. However, this proved to be a bad decision!
As soon as we entered the pub I knew we should have gone to Clipston (a pub we'd talked about going to), but it was too late to turn around and walk out. There were three children running wild in the pub, screeching and yelling and ramming toy trucks along one of the low tables. The noise was unbelievable.
Keith ordered a pint of beer but it looked like a bad sample of urine. It was cloudy, with bits floating in it, and looked thoroughly unappetising. As we stood at the bar I said to Keith that I couldn't stand the noise, having suffered children's screams all day and I don't know whether the woman sitting at the bar heard me as she turned to me and "apologised" for her grandchildren.
"They're letting off steam," she said indulgently as her charges carried on yelling and running the toys trucks up and down the table. The noise was so loud I couldn't hear Keith speak to me. We sat in our window seats for five minutes but the noise was so bad we were forced out of the pub and across the road where we sat at a picnic table in the sun, relishing the peace and quiet and watching one of the Red Kites being chased by a couple of crows.
We left our glasses on the table and drove over to Clipston. Years ago this used to be one of our favourite pubs as the Landlord was a huge whisky fan and he stocked over 300 different types of the Scottish tipple. It changed hands a while ago and went downhill, but was now back to being popular and we couldn't find a space in the car park!
Keith's beer was much better and I had a half of Titanic Stout as we sat and relaxed. OK, there were children here but at least they were well-behaved and sitting quietly! After our first drink we moved to the bar and had one more before leaving and going home to prepare the dinner. On the way we saw a beautiful little Muntjac deer who panicked when we drove past and dived into a gap in the hedgerow! Seeing him made our night!
We awoke to grey skies and by the time we were driving into work the rain had started in earnest. Sophie and I did the tills and opened up as Mum and Dad had to go to Booker to get a few bits. At 10am we went to the doctor's as Sophie needed another blood test: to check her thyroid levels and Vitamin D.
On the way back to work it was really chucking it down and I expected to see masses of customers at work. It was a bit of a surprise, therefore, to see the car park only half full but that was soon to change!
Sophie started work in the kitchen with Maureen immediately and at first things seemed pretty calm. However, by 11.30am we were flooded with customers and I had to man the till while Sophie helped Maureen to cook all the orders. I hadn't been on the till for a while and I was astounded by some of the demands from our customers! How Sophie puts up with it at the weekend, I'll never know! We had the "Excuse Me" customers in today, those who refuse to queue up but hover by the till and demand napkins, extra sachets of sauce, spoons, change, etc, without bothering to wait and oblivious to the fact that we're working flat out and trying our best to cook all the orders and serve people waiting patiently.
It was a hectic, demanding day and we really could have done with at least three more members of staff to come in and help, but they were all refusing to answer texts or phone calls!
I was just glad it was the last day of the school holidays as the noise levels were tremendous and the mess was just as it always is...terrible!
Sophie and I managed to escape at 5.30pm but I had a list in my bag of stuff that we desperately needed from Booker so I was planning to go on Saturday morning. We went home, had a quick shower and then Keith and I went out for a drink. He'd called Dave to cancel his usual Friday evening session and we decided to go to the pub in Old as it was so convenient. However, this proved to be a bad decision!
As soon as we entered the pub I knew we should have gone to Clipston (a pub we'd talked about going to), but it was too late to turn around and walk out. There were three children running wild in the pub, screeching and yelling and ramming toy trucks along one of the low tables. The noise was unbelievable.
Keith ordered a pint of beer but it looked like a bad sample of urine. It was cloudy, with bits floating in it, and looked thoroughly unappetising. As we stood at the bar I said to Keith that I couldn't stand the noise, having suffered children's screams all day and I don't know whether the woman sitting at the bar heard me as she turned to me and "apologised" for her grandchildren.
"They're letting off steam," she said indulgently as her charges carried on yelling and running the toys trucks up and down the table. The noise was so loud I couldn't hear Keith speak to me. We sat in our window seats for five minutes but the noise was so bad we were forced out of the pub and across the road where we sat at a picnic table in the sun, relishing the peace and quiet and watching one of the Red Kites being chased by a couple of crows.
We left our glasses on the table and drove over to Clipston. Years ago this used to be one of our favourite pubs as the Landlord was a huge whisky fan and he stocked over 300 different types of the Scottish tipple. It changed hands a while ago and went downhill, but was now back to being popular and we couldn't find a space in the car park!
Keith's beer was much better and I had a half of Titanic Stout as we sat and relaxed. OK, there were children here but at least they were well-behaved and sitting quietly! After our first drink we moved to the bar and had one more before leaving and going home to prepare the dinner. On the way we saw a beautiful little Muntjac deer who panicked when we drove past and dived into a gap in the hedgerow! Seeing him made our night!
Thursday 28 May 2015
Brace yourself!
Keith took Mikey to the Orthodontist this morning and when they called into work on the way home, my son had permanent braces fitted to his teeth (at long last!).
We didn't have Sophie in at work with us today as she wasn't feeling well, but we could really have done with her as we were busy, the short shower of rain this morning making people decide to come inside rather than risk a trip to the park.
I missed having my daughter at work with me and it was great to go home at the end of the day to see how she was. Keith and I played cards in the conservatory and I opened one of the bottles of wine I bought at Majestic last week. For dinner we had chicken fajitas (Sophie's favourite meal) but she only had two, rather than the four she normally puts away. She really must have been feeling under the weather!
We didn't have Sophie in at work with us today as she wasn't feeling well, but we could really have done with her as we were busy, the short shower of rain this morning making people decide to come inside rather than risk a trip to the park.
I missed having my daughter at work with me and it was great to go home at the end of the day to see how she was. Keith and I played cards in the conservatory and I opened one of the bottles of wine I bought at Majestic last week. For dinner we had chicken fajitas (Sophie's favourite meal) but she only had two, rather than the four she normally puts away. She really must have been feeling under the weather!
Wednesday 27 May 2015
A little donation...
Today's been gorgeous with lots of sunshine and a blue sky full of little fluffy clouds. Keith went out to cut the grass at work and I helped him by sweeping up the cuttings. It was great to feel the sun on my face.
I had all the family in with me at work today but Mike was very well-behaved and sat at my Dad's desk playing on my laptop. In the afternoon we disappeared to see his friends and Sophie, Keith and I went over to the bank and into Tesco.
After work my daughter and I went to give blood, but as I expected, they wouldn't take any from Sophie until she gets her thyroid sorted out. I was glad that she will be able to give blood in the future as she was worried that she'd never be able to donate again.
I was fine and had no problem with giving an armful!
In the evening Keith and I spent a very pleasant hour having a drink and playing cards in the conservatory before making dinner. Afterwards we all had a lively discussion about gay marriage and although it became heated at times, it was great to hear the children's views on the subject!
I had all the family in with me at work today but Mike was very well-behaved and sat at my Dad's desk playing on my laptop. In the afternoon we disappeared to see his friends and Sophie, Keith and I went over to the bank and into Tesco.
After work my daughter and I went to give blood, but as I expected, they wouldn't take any from Sophie until she gets her thyroid sorted out. I was glad that she will be able to give blood in the future as she was worried that she'd never be able to donate again.
I was fine and had no problem with giving an armful!
In the evening Keith and I spent a very pleasant hour having a drink and playing cards in the conservatory before making dinner. Afterwards we all had a lively discussion about gay marriage and although it became heated at times, it was great to hear the children's views on the subject!
Tuesday 26 May 2015
Memories
When Sophie and I went over to the bank this afternoon we had a look at the timeline celebrating Weston Favell's 40 year history. Polly at work had told us there was a photo of my Nan with David Jacobs and it was wonderful to see! How pleased she would have been to see her smiling face on the display stand! I felt very proud!
Today started off busy at work and then became quieter in the afternoon as the weather today has been lovely. What a change to the weekend! Typical!
Sophie and I left at 4pm and I went home to sit in the conservatory and soak up the sun. Mike didn't go to Army Cadets tonight so at least that was one journey we didn't have to make!
Today started off busy at work and then became quieter in the afternoon as the weather today has been lovely. What a change to the weekend! Typical!
Sophie and I left at 4pm and I went home to sit in the conservatory and soak up the sun. Mike didn't go to Army Cadets tonight so at least that was one journey we didn't have to make!
Monday 25 May 2015
Last day of freedom...
I was hoping for sunny weather today but I was disappointed. Although it stayed dry all day, we had a thick layer of cloud covering the sun and a chill little wind that put a stop to sitting out in the garden with a glass of wine!
I woke up feeling OK after our late night - I made sure I didn't have too much to drink last night as I wanted to try and get lots done today. My last day of freedom before going back to work tomorrow... Having said that, Keith and I did go in as I had to do the Booker order and Mum and Dad were also in doing the cleaning.
When we returned home I washed my car inside and out and put a load of washing on, including the tea-towels and aprons from work. My little robin was about, but I didn't spend as much time in the garden as I wanted and kept putting off going into the gravel garden until the afternoon. I lopped some of the branches off a large bush by the conservatory doors, but felt overwhelmed by what needs doing in this part of the garden so I said to Keith we'll set aside a whole day to do it properly.
After taking Keith to the pub in the evening I was totally surprised when I saw Tom from next door and he told me that he and Emma had got married the day before! We'd had no inkling at all that they were going to wed so it was a huge surprise!
After dinner Sophie and I watched a film called "Country Strong" on Netflix. We both love the theme song - Me and Tennessee - but we had to watch the entire film to hear it as it came on during the end credits! Typical!
I woke up feeling OK after our late night - I made sure I didn't have too much to drink last night as I wanted to try and get lots done today. My last day of freedom before going back to work tomorrow... Having said that, Keith and I did go in as I had to do the Booker order and Mum and Dad were also in doing the cleaning.
When we returned home I washed my car inside and out and put a load of washing on, including the tea-towels and aprons from work. My little robin was about, but I didn't spend as much time in the garden as I wanted and kept putting off going into the gravel garden until the afternoon. I lopped some of the branches off a large bush by the conservatory doors, but felt overwhelmed by what needs doing in this part of the garden so I said to Keith we'll set aside a whole day to do it properly.
After taking Keith to the pub in the evening I was totally surprised when I saw Tom from next door and he told me that he and Emma had got married the day before! We'd had no inkling at all that they were going to wed so it was a huge surprise!
After dinner Sophie and I watched a film called "Country Strong" on Netflix. We both love the theme song - Me and Tennessee - but we had to watch the entire film to hear it as it came on during the end credits! Typical!
Sunday 24 May 2015
It's a Dog's Life!
All plans to go into the garden were thwarted by the weather this morning as we had a few hours of drizzle and grey skies. Not really what I was expecting and hoping for today!
I had a bit of a lie-in this morning so it was a slow start to the day. We went to get the Sunday papers and called in to see Mum and Dad for a coffee. They were off to Milton Keynes to do some shopping and I think they had the right idea! It was certainly better than gardening!
Keith and I returned home, had crumpets for breakfast and then I made a start on tidying up our very messy and cluttered study, helped by Sophie who was in a ruthless mood!
In the corner cabinet I found lots of old mobile phone boxes that I was keeping for some unknown reason so I put them all in a box to take to the tip. After about two hours we were very pleased with how everything had been tidied up and we had a load of stuff to take to the tip. I cleared all the drawers out as well and chucked out paperwork that was no longer needed and old school stuff of Sophie's.
In the evening we had been invited to Sarah and Liam's new house for nibbles along with Sue and Paul. Sue very kindly offered to drive even though she'd driven the last two times we'd been out. It was good luck that she knew the way as we'd never have found the house on our own.
We'd been warned that Sarah and Liam's new kitchen was still being fitted and that they'd acquired a brand new Irish Wolfhound puppy as well as dog-sitting another pooch, but the house, and its canine occupants, was very calm and the puppy was fast sleep when we arrived.
We had a lovely evening and were very impressed with the new house which was beautiful. They still have a lot of plans for the rooms and the cellar and I'm sure it will be gorgeous when it's all finished.
We had delicious nibbles, lots of lovely wine and went home at about midnight!
I had a bit of a lie-in this morning so it was a slow start to the day. We went to get the Sunday papers and called in to see Mum and Dad for a coffee. They were off to Milton Keynes to do some shopping and I think they had the right idea! It was certainly better than gardening!
Keith and I returned home, had crumpets for breakfast and then I made a start on tidying up our very messy and cluttered study, helped by Sophie who was in a ruthless mood!
In the corner cabinet I found lots of old mobile phone boxes that I was keeping for some unknown reason so I put them all in a box to take to the tip. After about two hours we were very pleased with how everything had been tidied up and we had a load of stuff to take to the tip. I cleared all the drawers out as well and chucked out paperwork that was no longer needed and old school stuff of Sophie's.
In the evening we had been invited to Sarah and Liam's new house for nibbles along with Sue and Paul. Sue very kindly offered to drive even though she'd driven the last two times we'd been out. It was good luck that she knew the way as we'd never have found the house on our own.
We'd been warned that Sarah and Liam's new kitchen was still being fitted and that they'd acquired a brand new Irish Wolfhound puppy as well as dog-sitting another pooch, but the house, and its canine occupants, was very calm and the puppy was fast sleep when we arrived.
We had a lovely evening and were very impressed with the new house which was beautiful. They still have a lot of plans for the rooms and the cellar and I'm sure it will be gorgeous when it's all finished.
We had delicious nibbles, lots of lovely wine and went home at about midnight!
Saturday 23 May 2015
My little companion...
I was awoken this morning by the tremendous racket from a group of rooks and crows who were having a right old argument in our garden at 5am! They were squabbling over a couple of fat snax I'd put out last night and the noise was unbelievable! I'll have to stop putting food out in the evening otherwise I won't be very popular with our neighbours!
The beautiful sunny weather gave way to overcast skies and gloom by the time Keith had returned from doing the shopping. We left both kids in bed and went to the car boot sale in Holcot to see what was being sold and whether it was worth taking the rest of our stuff to sell there.
I'd last been quite a few years ago and we were both aghast at how many cars and people were there at 9am. The first large field was given over to parking, the middle, huge, field was for the sellers and late arrivals were being directed to another field further on. When we'd visited last time the whole car boot was situated in just one field.
We parked the car and went off to see what was happening. I have to admit to thinking there was a load of tat for sale with some stuff I wouldn't even give to a charity shop! There were rows upon rows of tables set up, some genuine car booters hoping to sell unwanted stuff and make space at home, but there were also a lot of traders. Neither of us were impressed with what was on offer and after walking up and down a few rows we decided to go home for breakfast. I couldn't face going there and setting up a table myself so we had some decisions to make about the stuff we have cluttering up the conservatory!
Back home we made sausage sandwiches and I put a load of the items we'd set aside to sell at the table top sale into my car to take down to the British Heart Foundaton shop in Northampton. I knew we'd have difficulty getting rid of the soft toys, the clothes and the paperback books so hopefully they'll make some money for the charity.
Sophie wanted to come along with us so we set off at lunchtime for the post office in Brixworth (more stuff to send off!), Jones's, where I bought three more window handles, and Homebase where we picked up a colour chart for the living room. We like the idea of soft greys on the walls with lovely white paintwork.
Mike called us as he had planned to go and see his mates so when we arrived home, Keith took him over to Brixworth straight away while I cooked a Spanish omelette for lunch.
I went out into the garden again after lunch and the robin was my constant companion, searching for worms when I dug more soil and finding lots of little worms to feed his family (I'm assuming he's a male, but it could be the female!).
Again, he showed absolutely no fear of me whatsoever and came really close as soon as I'd turned over the earth. I dug all along the border and was pleased to see that the bushes that Slasher Keith had pruned back in March were showing small signs of life.
It felt great to be out in the garden and I was delighted with how it all looked when I finished. Tomorrow I'm hoping to get out into the gravel garden and tidy that up as well as a prune is long overdue!
In the evening we had a delicious three course meal and enjoyed the Eurovision Song Contest. We had to give up on the idea of a food for every country taking part as it would have meant trying to find weird and wonderful foods and probaby cooking all day, so we chose pate to start from Belgium, a main course of Beef Stroganoff and a dessert of Pavlova in honour of Australia's entry this year.
Our song was mediocre and we ended up with just five points, but my favourite, the Swedish entry, was very good and ended up seeing off Russia to win!
The beautiful sunny weather gave way to overcast skies and gloom by the time Keith had returned from doing the shopping. We left both kids in bed and went to the car boot sale in Holcot to see what was being sold and whether it was worth taking the rest of our stuff to sell there.
I'd last been quite a few years ago and we were both aghast at how many cars and people were there at 9am. The first large field was given over to parking, the middle, huge, field was for the sellers and late arrivals were being directed to another field further on. When we'd visited last time the whole car boot was situated in just one field.
We parked the car and went off to see what was happening. I have to admit to thinking there was a load of tat for sale with some stuff I wouldn't even give to a charity shop! There were rows upon rows of tables set up, some genuine car booters hoping to sell unwanted stuff and make space at home, but there were also a lot of traders. Neither of us were impressed with what was on offer and after walking up and down a few rows we decided to go home for breakfast. I couldn't face going there and setting up a table myself so we had some decisions to make about the stuff we have cluttering up the conservatory!
Back home we made sausage sandwiches and I put a load of the items we'd set aside to sell at the table top sale into my car to take down to the British Heart Foundaton shop in Northampton. I knew we'd have difficulty getting rid of the soft toys, the clothes and the paperback books so hopefully they'll make some money for the charity.
Sophie wanted to come along with us so we set off at lunchtime for the post office in Brixworth (more stuff to send off!), Jones's, where I bought three more window handles, and Homebase where we picked up a colour chart for the living room. We like the idea of soft greys on the walls with lovely white paintwork.
Mike called us as he had planned to go and see his mates so when we arrived home, Keith took him over to Brixworth straight away while I cooked a Spanish omelette for lunch.
I went out into the garden again after lunch and the robin was my constant companion, searching for worms when I dug more soil and finding lots of little worms to feed his family (I'm assuming he's a male, but it could be the female!).
Again, he showed absolutely no fear of me whatsoever and came really close as soon as I'd turned over the earth. I dug all along the border and was pleased to see that the bushes that Slasher Keith had pruned back in March were showing small signs of life.
It felt great to be out in the garden and I was delighted with how it all looked when I finished. Tomorrow I'm hoping to get out into the gravel garden and tidy that up as well as a prune is long overdue!
In the evening we had a delicious three course meal and enjoyed the Eurovision Song Contest. We had to give up on the idea of a food for every country taking part as it would have meant trying to find weird and wonderful foods and probaby cooking all day, so we chose pate to start from Belgium, a main course of Beef Stroganoff and a dessert of Pavlova in honour of Australia's entry this year.
Our song was mediocre and we ended up with just five points, but my favourite, the Swedish entry, was very good and ended up seeing off Russia to win!
Friday 22 May 2015
Out with the old...
I took today off work as our new sofa and armchairs were due to be delivered this morning, between 8am and 8.30am (DFS have been great with keeping us updated about the delivery) and I needed to help Keith move the old three-seater sofa into the garage - no easy task, let me assure you!
We had to ask Mike for help in the end (despite his bad back) and with a bit of effort we managed to manhandle the heavy piece of furniture out of the back door and push it into the garage along with the two-seater and the armchair. They'll have to sit in there until the council come along and collect them next week.
I took Mike to school and when I arrived back the DFS lorry was just pulling away from the front of our house.The sofa and armchairs were in and in place, making the room look a lot bigger. It means we can open the double doors leading out into the study area and the room now looks less like a waiting room! The cushions were a little hard to sit on but we had been warned about that and told that they will soften over time.
We decided to all go out today - I needed to post something that I'd sold on ebay, we wanted to check out curtains and we also had to go to the postal collection centre as Sophie's planner had arrived from the US and she needed to pay a customs charge on it, poor thing!
From Dunhelm we went to Market Harborough and on the way became caught behind an extremely slow moving steam engine. There's a big fair on at Lamport this weekend so no doubt this won't be the last time we find something belching out black smoke in front of us and crawling along at 1mph!
We had lunch at Pizza Express in Market Harborough and I have to say there was nothing speedy about the service! We ordered some dough balls with dips to start and a couple of pizzas to share but our main courses took ages to arrive and we nearly ended up with another...the waitress was a little ditzy!
After lunch we had a quick look around the shops but as Keith was with us we didn't linger like we normally do. On the way home we called into the Buddhist centre in Kelmarsh to enquire about meditation classes and spoke to a lovely woman who gave us the information we needed. There was some sort of Spring Festival going on so the cafe was closed but we were still full from lunch anyway.
Back home I made a start on the gardening. I mowed the front verge and cleared away loads of weeds from the soil behind the bushes. They've all grown madly lately and are closing in on each other nicely. Soon, there weren't be any bare soil to weed!
In the back garden I mowed the lawn, strimmed the edges and then started to dig over the border by the fence. To my delight the little robin made an appearance and started looking for worms in the soil I'd turned over. He was completely fearless of me, moving closer and closer until he was right next to my feet. I stood very still and chatted away to him as he searched for juicy worms.
I finished in the garden at about 6pm and was really pleased with the progress I'd made. It all looked so much neater - it's amazing what a little work will do!
We had to ask Mike for help in the end (despite his bad back) and with a bit of effort we managed to manhandle the heavy piece of furniture out of the back door and push it into the garage along with the two-seater and the armchair. They'll have to sit in there until the council come along and collect them next week.
I took Mike to school and when I arrived back the DFS lorry was just pulling away from the front of our house.The sofa and armchairs were in and in place, making the room look a lot bigger. It means we can open the double doors leading out into the study area and the room now looks less like a waiting room! The cushions were a little hard to sit on but we had been warned about that and told that they will soften over time.
We decided to all go out today - I needed to post something that I'd sold on ebay, we wanted to check out curtains and we also had to go to the postal collection centre as Sophie's planner had arrived from the US and she needed to pay a customs charge on it, poor thing!
From Dunhelm we went to Market Harborough and on the way became caught behind an extremely slow moving steam engine. There's a big fair on at Lamport this weekend so no doubt this won't be the last time we find something belching out black smoke in front of us and crawling along at 1mph!
We had lunch at Pizza Express in Market Harborough and I have to say there was nothing speedy about the service! We ordered some dough balls with dips to start and a couple of pizzas to share but our main courses took ages to arrive and we nearly ended up with another...the waitress was a little ditzy!
After lunch we had a quick look around the shops but as Keith was with us we didn't linger like we normally do. On the way home we called into the Buddhist centre in Kelmarsh to enquire about meditation classes and spoke to a lovely woman who gave us the information we needed. There was some sort of Spring Festival going on so the cafe was closed but we were still full from lunch anyway.
Back home I made a start on the gardening. I mowed the front verge and cleared away loads of weeds from the soil behind the bushes. They've all grown madly lately and are closing in on each other nicely. Soon, there weren't be any bare soil to weed!
In the back garden I mowed the lawn, strimmed the edges and then started to dig over the border by the fence. To my delight the little robin made an appearance and started looking for worms in the soil I'd turned over. He was completely fearless of me, moving closer and closer until he was right next to my feet. I stood very still and chatted away to him as he searched for juicy worms.
I finished in the garden at about 6pm and was really pleased with the progress I'd made. It all looked so much neater - it's amazing what a little work will do!
Thursday 21 May 2015
A little tipple!
This evening after work, I accompanied my parents to a Wine Tasting at a Majestic branch in Northampton. Sophie was going to come with us as well, but she wasn't feeling well again so she stayed at home.
It took us half an hour to make the journey into town because of the rush hour traffic and when we arrived there weren't that many customers milling about. I have to say the event wasn't terribly well organised as the man who was supposed to be welcoming us and giving us a glass of Rose was on the phone. This meant we wandered over to a table with a member of staff who was giving out tasting samples of a Pimms-type drink, beer and cider. I was a bit confused as I thought it was a wine tasting but we enjoyed three of the drinks nonetheless! Someone rushed over and gave us a tasting sheet and then we moved on to another table with a man pushing Cava and two different Riojas. I vainly searched for the wine on my tasting sheet but couldn't find them!
We had a sip of a Rioja Crianza but it was too dry for me, although Dad said he liked it. We finally started on the wine tasting after having a quick look around the wines on offer and enjoyed a sip of a Rose wine. The two tasting tables were right at the back of the shop and there was a crowd of people milling about in front of them, making it very difficult to actually get any wine! If it were me organising the tasting I would have had a long table to make it easier for people to look at the bottles and actually have a tasting! But perhaps it was deliberate as we only tasted four other wines, two whites and two delicious reds: a Pinot Noir from the south of France and a Shiraz from Australia. I bought two bottles of each, plus a Californian Zinfandel and a Viognier from South Africa.
I was a little disappointed that the choice of Californian wines wasn't better (and some of them were very expensive!) but overall I thought the choice of wines on offer was great. As it was a tasting event there was a 10% discount on the wines I bought so I thought that was a great bargain!
When I arrived home, Sophie felt a lot better so that was a relief. Next time she's definitely coming with me!
It took us half an hour to make the journey into town because of the rush hour traffic and when we arrived there weren't that many customers milling about. I have to say the event wasn't terribly well organised as the man who was supposed to be welcoming us and giving us a glass of Rose was on the phone. This meant we wandered over to a table with a member of staff who was giving out tasting samples of a Pimms-type drink, beer and cider. I was a bit confused as I thought it was a wine tasting but we enjoyed three of the drinks nonetheless! Someone rushed over and gave us a tasting sheet and then we moved on to another table with a man pushing Cava and two different Riojas. I vainly searched for the wine on my tasting sheet but couldn't find them!
We had a sip of a Rioja Crianza but it was too dry for me, although Dad said he liked it. We finally started on the wine tasting after having a quick look around the wines on offer and enjoyed a sip of a Rose wine. The two tasting tables were right at the back of the shop and there was a crowd of people milling about in front of them, making it very difficult to actually get any wine! If it were me organising the tasting I would have had a long table to make it easier for people to look at the bottles and actually have a tasting! But perhaps it was deliberate as we only tasted four other wines, two whites and two delicious reds: a Pinot Noir from the south of France and a Shiraz from Australia. I bought two bottles of each, plus a Californian Zinfandel and a Viognier from South Africa.
I was a little disappointed that the choice of Californian wines wasn't better (and some of them were very expensive!) but overall I thought the choice of wines on offer was great. As it was a tasting event there was a 10% discount on the wines I bought so I thought that was a great bargain!
When I arrived home, Sophie felt a lot better so that was a relief. Next time she's definitely coming with me!
Wednesday 20 May 2015
Unexpected news
This morning, over my coffee, I watched last night's 24 Hours in the Past which took place in a Workhouse in Nottinghamshire. The six celebrities hated every moment of it and outspoken Ann Widdicombe was banished to solitary confinement for having the nerve to speak back to the nasty matron in charge of the women.
I found it fascinating as several of my family members in the past ended up in the workhouse, either in Dartford or in one near Rochester. The building featured on the programme is open to visitors and it would be great to go there and look around.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/workhouse-southwell/
I took Sophie to the doctors this morning, for the results of her blood tests, and was astonished to discover that she has an under-active thyroid. She was also low on calcium and Vitamin D so she's booked in for more blood tests next week. My Nan had an under-active thyroid gland and Sophie, like her, will be on medication every day for the rest of her life. It might go some way to explaining why Sophie often seems tired and listless so we're hoping that once the tablets kick in she will begin to feel better.
We arrived back at work to find it was very busy indeed. Booker had been and gone and the customers were piling in, even though the weather today has been better than yesterday. The busy conditions lasted all day which is typical as Sophie had an appointment to have her nails done in the afternoon while I had a short session at Virgin to get my eyebrows sorted!
In the evening it was bliss to relax in the conservatory, play cards with Keith and have a couple of drinks before we prepared dinner. Sitting watching the birds flit about and seeing the blue sky and clouds overhead was the highlight of my busy day!
I found it fascinating as several of my family members in the past ended up in the workhouse, either in Dartford or in one near Rochester. The building featured on the programme is open to visitors and it would be great to go there and look around.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/workhouse-southwell/
I took Sophie to the doctors this morning, for the results of her blood tests, and was astonished to discover that she has an under-active thyroid. She was also low on calcium and Vitamin D so she's booked in for more blood tests next week. My Nan had an under-active thyroid gland and Sophie, like her, will be on medication every day for the rest of her life. It might go some way to explaining why Sophie often seems tired and listless so we're hoping that once the tablets kick in she will begin to feel better.
We arrived back at work to find it was very busy indeed. Booker had been and gone and the customers were piling in, even though the weather today has been better than yesterday. The busy conditions lasted all day which is typical as Sophie had an appointment to have her nails done in the afternoon while I had a short session at Virgin to get my eyebrows sorted!
In the evening it was bliss to relax in the conservatory, play cards with Keith and have a couple of drinks before we prepared dinner. Sitting watching the birds flit about and seeing the blue sky and clouds overhead was the highlight of my busy day!
Tuesday 19 May 2015
Losing it...
We've had a fairly intense day at work today as we had a meeting with our buyers this afternoon and I was unhappy with the outcome as they still haven't been able to give us a completion date. I explained, quite strongly, that as a family we've got to the point now where the delays are very frustrating and the fact that our insurance expires at work in mid June is certainly not helping matters. I think they were quite surprised at my outburst and maybe they've come to realise now that they've pushed us to the edge as they promised to get things moving with the Landlord and to try and work with us to solve the problem with the insurance.
I left for home soon after the meeting as Sophie and I had an appointment with Punks and Pin-ups in Mawsley. We'd booked a wet cut each and we were both in and out within half an hour, which was very fast indeed. There was just the one woman washing our hair, cutting it, answering the telephone and dealing with a customer so not much time was spent on our locks! Maybe it's time to look for another hairdresser!
We sploshed home through some big puddles as today has been a mix of sunshine and heavy downpours. And the temperature has been cold as well! We relaxed until it was time to take Mikey to Army Cadets and then we drove into town for a meal at The Lamplighter. We still had some money left after the table-top sale and it just about covered our drinks, garlic bread for starters and our main courses.
The pub was extremely quiet - perhaps everyone is waiting for the Beer Festival which is coming over the Bank Holiday weekend!
I left for home soon after the meeting as Sophie and I had an appointment with Punks and Pin-ups in Mawsley. We'd booked a wet cut each and we were both in and out within half an hour, which was very fast indeed. There was just the one woman washing our hair, cutting it, answering the telephone and dealing with a customer so not much time was spent on our locks! Maybe it's time to look for another hairdresser!
We sploshed home through some big puddles as today has been a mix of sunshine and heavy downpours. And the temperature has been cold as well! We relaxed until it was time to take Mikey to Army Cadets and then we drove into town for a meal at The Lamplighter. We still had some money left after the table-top sale and it just about covered our drinks, garlic bread for starters and our main courses.
The pub was extremely quiet - perhaps everyone is waiting for the Beer Festival which is coming over the Bank Holiday weekend!
Monday 18 May 2015
Shopping the world
I picked Sophie up today at 12pm and she came with me to the bank and into Tesco. It's the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday and I suggested we try and buy foods from each country taking part. In Tesco I was utterly amazed at the range of foreign foods on offer. There was even Japanese food with no clue whatsoever to what was inside the packaging!
I don't think we'd have a problem with the likes of Germany, France, Italy, Spain etc, and there was a huge range of Polish goods on offer as well but we might find some of the Eastern European countries a bit hard. It should be fun, anyway, and I'm sure Australia are taking part this year! Sophie is mad about the contest so I thought we could have a buffet when the show is on and eat the food of the country when they're on stage singing.
After work we went off to the gym and did some exercise on the bike, treadmill and cross-trainer. It was good to get back into our routine and even nice to go downstairs and relax in the spa for a little while!
I don't think we'd have a problem with the likes of Germany, France, Italy, Spain etc, and there was a huge range of Polish goods on offer as well but we might find some of the Eastern European countries a bit hard. It should be fun, anyway, and I'm sure Australia are taking part this year! Sophie is mad about the contest so I thought we could have a buffet when the show is on and eat the food of the country when they're on stage singing.
After work we went off to the gym and did some exercise on the bike, treadmill and cross-trainer. It was good to get back into our routine and even nice to go downstairs and relax in the spa for a little while!
Sunday 17 May 2015
A spot of gardening
The driving about continued today as we had to take Sophie to work and then pop to Booker to get a few bits for work. We also went to the local tip to take the old table we used last week and went to see Mum for a coffee on the way home.
I didn't have long between getting home and going to collect my Mum as we were going to Beckworth for a cup of tea. Sophie had to come with us as well as she finished work at 3pm and there was no way I was going to take her home and then go out again. She wasn't very happy coming with us in her work clothes and we had a bit of an argument about it, but in the end she reluctantly agreed to it, even though I could see nothing wrong with her appearance!
I bought some bedding plants, a liner for a hanging basket and some treats for the children and when I got home I spent two hours putting them all in. I also bought a packet of sunflower seeds and we've all chosen a pot - whoever grows the highest sunflower will win a little prize! I've put them all along the garage wall which is the sunniest spot, plus I've planted other seeds and put them in different places in the garden. It will be great to see their cheery flowers in a couple of months!
I didn't have long between getting home and going to collect my Mum as we were going to Beckworth for a cup of tea. Sophie had to come with us as well as she finished work at 3pm and there was no way I was going to take her home and then go out again. She wasn't very happy coming with us in her work clothes and we had a bit of an argument about it, but in the end she reluctantly agreed to it, even though I could see nothing wrong with her appearance!
I bought some bedding plants, a liner for a hanging basket and some treats for the children and when I got home I spent two hours putting them all in. I also bought a packet of sunflower seeds and we've all chosen a pot - whoever grows the highest sunflower will win a little prize! I've put them all along the garage wall which is the sunniest spot, plus I've planted other seeds and put them in different places in the garden. It will be great to see their cheery flowers in a couple of months!
Saturday 16 May 2015
Hanging about...
Today, all I have done is drive Sophie and Michael about...endlessly.
Mike wanted to go to Moulton this morning, for their annual Festival, so I dropped him off at 11am, came home and ate a quick breakfast before taking Sophie to work at 12pm. She was only needed until 3pm so it was back to pick her up and then we waited for Mike to contact us about picking him up.
In between I felt I couldn't settle to anything, but I did put a colour on my hair as the grey was coming through really badly! It's been a gorgeous day today but the wind is still chilly so not really sitting out in the garden weather.
We finally got hold of Mike at 6pm and picked him just outside Moulton. He said the festival had been "boring" so had spent most of the day at his friend's house. After a delicious dinner of chicken en croute Keith and I settled down to watch "The Affair" a new series on Sky Atlantic. It was a bit raunchy so I'm glad the kids decided not to watch it with us!
Mike wanted to go to Moulton this morning, for their annual Festival, so I dropped him off at 11am, came home and ate a quick breakfast before taking Sophie to work at 12pm. She was only needed until 3pm so it was back to pick her up and then we waited for Mike to contact us about picking him up.
In between I felt I couldn't settle to anything, but I did put a colour on my hair as the grey was coming through really badly! It's been a gorgeous day today but the wind is still chilly so not really sitting out in the garden weather.
We finally got hold of Mike at 6pm and picked him just outside Moulton. He said the festival had been "boring" so had spent most of the day at his friend's house. After a delicious dinner of chicken en croute Keith and I settled down to watch "The Affair" a new series on Sky Atlantic. It was a bit raunchy so I'm glad the kids decided not to watch it with us!
Friday 15 May 2015
Phew! Friday at last!
Today was as sunny and lovely as yesterday was wet and horrible! English weather, eh!
Keith and I went to Booker this morning and when I dropped him off at home I brought Sophie back with me. We had a lunchtime party so we had an hour or two of being busy and then it quietened down in the afternoon.
We stayed at work until 5pm just in case it became manic again but we weren't needed so we went thankfully home. After dinner, Sophie and I watched a very interesting programme called "Swamp Beasts" about strange animals in Florida. It featured the Alligator Snapping Turtle which is perhaps the ugliest animal I've ever seen! It has terrifically strong jaws and snapped a broom handle in half. The man presenting the programme and a man who lives in the area went exploring in the swamps and they couldn't see beneath the black water. All manner of dangerous creatures could have been lurking there, but that didn't deter them one bit!
Keith and I went to Booker this morning and when I dropped him off at home I brought Sophie back with me. We had a lunchtime party so we had an hour or two of being busy and then it quietened down in the afternoon.
We stayed at work until 5pm just in case it became manic again but we weren't needed so we went thankfully home. After dinner, Sophie and I watched a very interesting programme called "Swamp Beasts" about strange animals in Florida. It featured the Alligator Snapping Turtle which is perhaps the ugliest animal I've ever seen! It has terrifically strong jaws and snapped a broom handle in half. The man presenting the programme and a man who lives in the area went exploring in the swamps and they couldn't see beneath the black water. All manner of dangerous creatures could have been lurking there, but that didn't deter them one bit!
Thursday 14 May 2015
A night out
Well, the beautiful warm and sunny weather disappeared today and in its place rain and cold winds arrived, making it a really miserable Thursday!
Keith came into work with us this morning as his car had been in the car park all night. When Polly came in she remarked that an old chiller cabinet had been dumped in our car park...we hadn't seen it!
We looked on the CCTV cameras to see a van drive in shortly after we arrived. We didn't see anyone actually dump the cabinet, but two minutes later it drove back out empty. The cheek of it! Now I have to try and get someone to take it away for us and I'm sure the council won't help.
As the weather was horrible, we were busy today and Sophie helped out on Reception, aided by Keith. It quietened down in the afternoon, though, and Keith took Soph home at 3pm while I stayed on for an hour. Keith took my car home and had parked the Honda around the other side of the building so I got soaked running to it. Yuk!
Sophie had managed to persuade Keith to take us all to The Han tonight, in Market Harborough, the bill being paid by the money we received from the sale last week. We left home at 6.30pm as we were determined to find The Beerhouse, situated a few doors down from the Chinese restaurant.
We parked the car and walked the short distance and realised we hadn't seen it from the road as it was tucked down a tiny side street. It was a bit of a strange place, I have to admit, being situated in what looked like an old shop or office building and not pub-like in any way at all.
There was a rudimentary bar, behind which were twelve large barrels. A huge blackboard advertised the beers on offer and I tried a dark mild beer that was supposed to be on the sweetish side. Keith went for an IPA while Sophie had a Pilsner. Poor Mike had to settle for Pepsi!
The place was very basic, with mis-matched furniture and no music whatsoever, which was lovely, but made the atmosphere quite subdued. There was none of a pub character at all. Sophie wasn't keen and I can't see Keith and I rushing to go back. The beer, served out of barrels, had that flat quality that neither of us are keen on and the weird atmosphere was a little off-putting!
We stayed for a second drink and I had a very pleasant Porter while Keith stuck with his IPA. He said it was perfectly fine but it looked a bit cloudy to me!
The Han was very quiet indeed, so I needn't have bothered booking a table. We were sat by the window and chose the Han Banquet which was delicious and plentiful. The bill came to £110 so we still have a bit of money to go somewhere else...the Lamplighter next Tuesday is a good bet!
Keith came into work with us this morning as his car had been in the car park all night. When Polly came in she remarked that an old chiller cabinet had been dumped in our car park...we hadn't seen it!
We looked on the CCTV cameras to see a van drive in shortly after we arrived. We didn't see anyone actually dump the cabinet, but two minutes later it drove back out empty. The cheek of it! Now I have to try and get someone to take it away for us and I'm sure the council won't help.
As the weather was horrible, we were busy today and Sophie helped out on Reception, aided by Keith. It quietened down in the afternoon, though, and Keith took Soph home at 3pm while I stayed on for an hour. Keith took my car home and had parked the Honda around the other side of the building so I got soaked running to it. Yuk!
Sophie had managed to persuade Keith to take us all to The Han tonight, in Market Harborough, the bill being paid by the money we received from the sale last week. We left home at 6.30pm as we were determined to find The Beerhouse, situated a few doors down from the Chinese restaurant.
We parked the car and walked the short distance and realised we hadn't seen it from the road as it was tucked down a tiny side street. It was a bit of a strange place, I have to admit, being situated in what looked like an old shop or office building and not pub-like in any way at all.
There was a rudimentary bar, behind which were twelve large barrels. A huge blackboard advertised the beers on offer and I tried a dark mild beer that was supposed to be on the sweetish side. Keith went for an IPA while Sophie had a Pilsner. Poor Mike had to settle for Pepsi!
The place was very basic, with mis-matched furniture and no music whatsoever, which was lovely, but made the atmosphere quite subdued. There was none of a pub character at all. Sophie wasn't keen and I can't see Keith and I rushing to go back. The beer, served out of barrels, had that flat quality that neither of us are keen on and the weird atmosphere was a little off-putting!
We stayed for a second drink and I had a very pleasant Porter while Keith stuck with his IPA. He said it was perfectly fine but it looked a bit cloudy to me!
The Han was very quiet indeed, so I needn't have bothered booking a table. We were sat by the window and chose the Han Banquet which was delicious and plentiful. The bill came to £110 so we still have a bit of money to go somewhere else...the Lamplighter next Tuesday is a good bet!
Wednesday 13 May 2015
Unlucky for some...
I was hoping that today would be a much better day and indeed, it started out that way first thing. The weather was beautiful, dry and sunny so Keith went out and cut the grass in the car park while I helped him by picking up litter and sweeping up the grass in our little garden area. It was lovely to feel the sun on our faces and see our little work robin flitting about among the trees and bushes.
After lunch we went to the bank and Tesco and then Sophie wanted us to go to Homesense to have a mooch about. We took Keith's car as he needed to get some petrol and when we parked at the retail park he did comment on how tight the spaces were.
We didn't really see anything we liked in Homesense and Keith started to feel a little dizzy and went to sit outside while Sophie and I carried on looking at the garden stuff. When we came out he asked me to drive and as I was putting my handbag in the boot, a woman, standing by her car which was parked next to us, said we'd "dinged her car" when we arrived.
At first I thought she was joking as Keith certainly hadn't said anything to me about hitting her car but she was insistent, even pointing out a tiny (and I mean tiny!) scratch on the driver's door of the Honda. Keith got into the passenger seat and released the handbrake so the car gently rolled forward, allowing me to get in. The woman was by now busy taking photos of the Honda's registration number and the minuscule scratch on the door and was also threatening to call the police. What she expected them to do was a mystery!
I drove off but it left us all feeling horrible and a bit stressed out. I certainly hate public confrontations but what if the three of us were nasty people and Keith decided to bop her one?! You never know who you're dealing with these days and I would never have the gall to confront someone about damage, however small. I remember a woman losing control of her trolley and it hit my little Audi A1 but even though she'd known what she'd done and was still packing her groceries into the car I didn't say anything to her about the damage.
We got back to work but Keith didn't feel any better and I didn't want him to drive home on his own. Minutes after arriving Mike called to say he'd missed his bus and could I go and pick him up from school? I drove off (swearing) and collected him and then we all went home in my car leaving the little Honda in our car park for the night.
Back home Sophie and I noticed that Archie was limping badly so we had a look at his foot to see if we could find the problem. He wasn't happy about us feeling around his little leathery pads and did a fair bit of growling at us! We couldn't feel a thorn or a sharp stone so I said we'd let him be and if it didn't get better we'd have to make a trip to the vets.
Keith and I decided to go to the pub later, just the two of us, for a relaxing drink. We sat in the window and watched the cars race by and having a good chat about the events of the day. I just hope tomorrow is a quieter day!
After lunch we went to the bank and Tesco and then Sophie wanted us to go to Homesense to have a mooch about. We took Keith's car as he needed to get some petrol and when we parked at the retail park he did comment on how tight the spaces were.
We didn't really see anything we liked in Homesense and Keith started to feel a little dizzy and went to sit outside while Sophie and I carried on looking at the garden stuff. When we came out he asked me to drive and as I was putting my handbag in the boot, a woman, standing by her car which was parked next to us, said we'd "dinged her car" when we arrived.
At first I thought she was joking as Keith certainly hadn't said anything to me about hitting her car but she was insistent, even pointing out a tiny (and I mean tiny!) scratch on the driver's door of the Honda. Keith got into the passenger seat and released the handbrake so the car gently rolled forward, allowing me to get in. The woman was by now busy taking photos of the Honda's registration number and the minuscule scratch on the door and was also threatening to call the police. What she expected them to do was a mystery!
I drove off but it left us all feeling horrible and a bit stressed out. I certainly hate public confrontations but what if the three of us were nasty people and Keith decided to bop her one?! You never know who you're dealing with these days and I would never have the gall to confront someone about damage, however small. I remember a woman losing control of her trolley and it hit my little Audi A1 but even though she'd known what she'd done and was still packing her groceries into the car I didn't say anything to her about the damage.
We got back to work but Keith didn't feel any better and I didn't want him to drive home on his own. Minutes after arriving Mike called to say he'd missed his bus and could I go and pick him up from school? I drove off (swearing) and collected him and then we all went home in my car leaving the little Honda in our car park for the night.
Back home Sophie and I noticed that Archie was limping badly so we had a look at his foot to see if we could find the problem. He wasn't happy about us feeling around his little leathery pads and did a fair bit of growling at us! We couldn't feel a thorn or a sharp stone so I said we'd let him be and if it didn't get better we'd have to make a trip to the vets.
Keith and I decided to go to the pub later, just the two of us, for a relaxing drink. We sat in the window and watched the cars race by and having a good chat about the events of the day. I just hope tomorrow is a quieter day!
Tuesday 12 May 2015
Not a good day...
Today has been horrible. I saw cars arriving in our car park well before our opening time and when we let the customers in we discovered that a group had decided to visit us, but hadn't thought to let us know they were coming!
By 10.30am, the car park was full so I dashed home to get Sophie to help out. She had thought I'd wanted her in just for her company but changed her mind when she saw the amount of cars that were parked outside the building. Even more had arrived since I'd left to pick her up.
Sophie got to work straight away and I was called over to Reception to see Polly as the glue that Ian and Keith had put down yesterday to fix the floor hadn't dried and it was being trodden everywhere. The children had it all over their socks, it was on the carpets and the framework and it was just a sticky mess. What I was supposed to be about it was beyond me and you can imagine my reaction. To be honest, I'd had enough!
Mum told me to calm down so I had a go at her and we ended up having a horrible argument, which certainly didn't help the already stressful situation. The group (women who carry their babies in slings) turned out to be a real moany lot as well. We had a few complaints:
1. Our menu was misleading. One woman thought that our paninis were served with a crisp, when actually the wording read "Accompanied by a crisp, fresh salad." Sophie dealt with her and I think my daughter's customer service skills deserted her for a little while.
2. The cheese was too "greasy". This from a woman who had ordered a Panini and when the cheese was melted, said it was greasy. She demanded a refund.
3. Later in the day a woman accused our cook, Maureen, of "squashing" her chicken nuggets. Quite how Maureen managed this, I have no idea.
So, that was today. It was bliss to finally go home and relax for a little while, even if Mike did want us to take him to Brixworth (again!). He wasn't keen on going to Army Cadets this evening so we dropped him off at a friend's house and went back home to prepare dinner. We enjoyed sweet and sour chicken with prawn crackers but even though Mike ate a lasagne he nicked most of our prawn crackers!
By 10.30am, the car park was full so I dashed home to get Sophie to help out. She had thought I'd wanted her in just for her company but changed her mind when she saw the amount of cars that were parked outside the building. Even more had arrived since I'd left to pick her up.
Sophie got to work straight away and I was called over to Reception to see Polly as the glue that Ian and Keith had put down yesterday to fix the floor hadn't dried and it was being trodden everywhere. The children had it all over their socks, it was on the carpets and the framework and it was just a sticky mess. What I was supposed to be about it was beyond me and you can imagine my reaction. To be honest, I'd had enough!
Mum told me to calm down so I had a go at her and we ended up having a horrible argument, which certainly didn't help the already stressful situation. The group (women who carry their babies in slings) turned out to be a real moany lot as well. We had a few complaints:
1. Our menu was misleading. One woman thought that our paninis were served with a crisp, when actually the wording read "Accompanied by a crisp, fresh salad." Sophie dealt with her and I think my daughter's customer service skills deserted her for a little while.
2. The cheese was too "greasy". This from a woman who had ordered a Panini and when the cheese was melted, said it was greasy. She demanded a refund.
3. Later in the day a woman accused our cook, Maureen, of "squashing" her chicken nuggets. Quite how Maureen managed this, I have no idea.
So, that was today. It was bliss to finally go home and relax for a little while, even if Mike did want us to take him to Brixworth (again!). He wasn't keen on going to Army Cadets this evening so we dropped him off at a friend's house and went back home to prepare dinner. We enjoyed sweet and sour chicken with prawn crackers but even though Mike ate a lasagne he nicked most of our prawn crackers!
Monday 11 May 2015
Cleaning up!
Today, we had to get down and do some cleaning as the tube slides were very dusty indeed and the framework needed a good scrub to get rid of the dirt that had accumulated since we'd last paid any attention to them.
Dad made a start and after all the normal Monday jobs were done and I'd made roast beef sandwiches for everyone, I helped out by hoovering everywhere. Of course, today was warm and sunny so it was hot work!
Keith and Ian spent the morning trying to repair a worn out section of flooring with a patch. It wasn't a great look but it was better than people tripping over it, which was a worry!
After work it was off to the dentist for the kids and me. All of us had our teeth cleaned which we all hate! Sophie lay in the chair with her hands clenched and I can honestly say that when it was time for us to go we heaved a huge sigh of relief!
Back home and just about to take Keith to the pub, we realised we had no milk, and I needed at least a pint to make Macaroni cheese this evening. I was not happy as I wish I'd known earlier because I would have called into a shop on the way home from the dentist! I dropped Keith at the pub and decided to go and get the car washed at a nearby garage which also sold milk.
My extended trip meant I arrived home with barely enough time to make dinner so my relaxing evening had well and truly disappeared! Sophie and I made the Macaroni between us and then I dashed off to pick Keith up from the pub. Needless to say it was down to the men to wash up and clear away tonight!
Dad made a start and after all the normal Monday jobs were done and I'd made roast beef sandwiches for everyone, I helped out by hoovering everywhere. Of course, today was warm and sunny so it was hot work!
Keith and Ian spent the morning trying to repair a worn out section of flooring with a patch. It wasn't a great look but it was better than people tripping over it, which was a worry!
After work it was off to the dentist for the kids and me. All of us had our teeth cleaned which we all hate! Sophie lay in the chair with her hands clenched and I can honestly say that when it was time for us to go we heaved a huge sigh of relief!
Back home and just about to take Keith to the pub, we realised we had no milk, and I needed at least a pint to make Macaroni cheese this evening. I was not happy as I wish I'd known earlier because I would have called into a shop on the way home from the dentist! I dropped Keith at the pub and decided to go and get the car washed at a nearby garage which also sold milk.
My extended trip meant I arrived home with barely enough time to make dinner so my relaxing evening had well and truly disappeared! Sophie and I made the Macaroni between us and then I dashed off to pick Keith up from the pub. Needless to say it was down to the men to wash up and clear away tonight!
Sunday 10 May 2015
The Big Sale!
Well, the day has finally arrived and Keith and I were up pretty early. We were astonished to see Sue and Paul setting up at 8am as the table-top sale didn't start until 10am and I certainly didn't expect any customers before then.
Keith became a bit jittery, so we moved both our cars and carried the heavy table down to the end of the drive and onto the narrow path that runs in front of our house. A little wooden sign had been put up letting people know we were taking part and stating that visitors to our premises did so at their own risk! Health and Safety these days!
We woke the children and asked them to help us transfer all the stuff we were selling from the conservatory to the table and I arranged it all, making sure that everything was shown off to its best advantage!
We found out why Sue and Paul had been setting up so early...Sue was going to help out in the village hall and Paul's parents were coming over to help sell their stuff. As we were watching out of the window, a woman drove up and went over to see what our neighbours were selling. She then got out her purse and bought some things! It wasn't even 9am so we assumed she was a canny dealer, getting in early to pick up the good stuff! She came over to our table and relieved us of a little spoon and a necklace!
Keith rode around the estate a couple of times on his bike to see what the other houses were doing and reported back that progress was slow as a lot of people still hadn't set up their stalls. We had a few other people walk past and look and a couple of cars drove slowly past, and then the first woman turned up again and bought some vintage compacts and cigarette holders that I'd bought at an antique fair years ago. By now we were well into profit and heading towards our first goal!
As the morning wore on and the sun came out, it was very pleasant chatting to the visitors who sauntered past. Some people just looked and didn't even speak but over the next few hours we made a lot of sales and one man bought all of our PS2 games, which amazed me! I was in the house at the time as things had slowed down a bit, and from then on I was told to stay inside and Sophie and Keith went on to sell a lot of stuff!
I hoovered the house and prepared the dinner and Mum and Dad came around to see how we were getting on. By the end of the afternoon we'd made enough for the four of us to go to The Han in Market Harborough so we were really pleased. I was a little disappointed that I hadn't sold more books, CDs or DVDs, but maybe we'll go to another table-top sale in the future and try and get rid of them there.
We cleared everything away and then I went to have a bath and a snooze on the bed while Keith watched football downstairs. The dinner of beef casserole I'd prepared was delicious and it was a great feeling knowing that we'd cleared some of our unwanted stuff out and made a little money in the process!
Keith became a bit jittery, so we moved both our cars and carried the heavy table down to the end of the drive and onto the narrow path that runs in front of our house. A little wooden sign had been put up letting people know we were taking part and stating that visitors to our premises did so at their own risk! Health and Safety these days!
We woke the children and asked them to help us transfer all the stuff we were selling from the conservatory to the table and I arranged it all, making sure that everything was shown off to its best advantage!
 |
| Archie watching what's going on. He was lucky he didn't have a price put on him! |
We found out why Sue and Paul had been setting up so early...Sue was going to help out in the village hall and Paul's parents were coming over to help sell their stuff. As we were watching out of the window, a woman drove up and went over to see what our neighbours were selling. She then got out her purse and bought some things! It wasn't even 9am so we assumed she was a canny dealer, getting in early to pick up the good stuff! She came over to our table and relieved us of a little spoon and a necklace!
Keith rode around the estate a couple of times on his bike to see what the other houses were doing and reported back that progress was slow as a lot of people still hadn't set up their stalls. We had a few other people walk past and look and a couple of cars drove slowly past, and then the first woman turned up again and bought some vintage compacts and cigarette holders that I'd bought at an antique fair years ago. By now we were well into profit and heading towards our first goal!
As the morning wore on and the sun came out, it was very pleasant chatting to the visitors who sauntered past. Some people just looked and didn't even speak but over the next few hours we made a lot of sales and one man bought all of our PS2 games, which amazed me! I was in the house at the time as things had slowed down a bit, and from then on I was told to stay inside and Sophie and Keith went on to sell a lot of stuff!
I hoovered the house and prepared the dinner and Mum and Dad came around to see how we were getting on. By the end of the afternoon we'd made enough for the four of us to go to The Han in Market Harborough so we were really pleased. I was a little disappointed that I hadn't sold more books, CDs or DVDs, but maybe we'll go to another table-top sale in the future and try and get rid of them there.
We cleared everything away and then I went to have a bath and a snooze on the bed while Keith watched football downstairs. The dinner of beef casserole I'd prepared was delicious and it was a great feeling knowing that we'd cleared some of our unwanted stuff out and made a little money in the process!
Saturday 9 May 2015
Disappointments
This morning, to make up for my sloth of yesterday, Keith and I cut back the bush in the front garden and I swept up tons of leaves that had gathered underneath it. This will then give us more room tomorrow for our table and all the boxes of stuff that we have to sell.
Once we'd finished that we took Mike to Brixworth and then it was home to get ready to go shopping with Sophie to Market Harborough. Our first stop today was a wine tasting at Duncan's shop. He had five Loire wines to show off and the man in charge was a Master of Wine, no less. I was looking forward to meeting a real live MW (they're a rare breed!) and to tasting some lovely French wines. What a disappointment I had, though!
The MW (I won't name him) had about as much charisma as a leaf of limp lettuce and when he introduced the first wine, a Reuilly, he said to us that we wouldn't have heard of this appellation as it wasn't widely drunk in this country. I replied that I'd certainly heard of it as I used to work for Duncan and he wouldn't have been very happy if I'd been ignorant about it! This shut him up a bit, but I was really annoyed that he'd assumed Sophie and I didn't know anything about wine.
Duncan then came over and we indulged in a bit of continental kissing and he told me a hilarious story about his spectacles. The MW looked on with a face as long as a wet weekend and we moved onto the next wine, a Chardonnay from the Auvergne which I didn't think was strictly a Loire wine, but apparently was!
I'm afraid Sophie and I liked none of the wines on offer and I ended up buying a red from Duncan's mate in Languedoc and a white from the same region. I also bought some beers and asked Nick if we could keep them in the back room while we did our shopping.
We wandered off to Costa for lunch and then mooched about our usual haunts. Sophie bought some clothes in New Look and I bought a few bits and pieces in Superdrug. Today was supposed to have been wet but the weather remained dry all day, if a little cloudy and breezy.
We called into Duncan's before leaving and retrieved our wine. The Master of Wine man was having an earnest conversation with a couple so perhaps he just didn't like the look of Sophie and me! We drove home, Sophie tried her new clothes on and we went off to the gym for a swim. However, two lanes had been given over to family swimming and a couple of children were screaming constantly...not the relaxing session we'd hoped for! We wallowed in the jacuzzi for a short while but we both felt like going home to relax after our busy day.
Back home I discovered that Mikey had decided to go to a camp-out that he'd been talking about and wanted us to go to Brixworth, pick up his friend and then drive them both to another friend's house in Boughton where the camp-out was to take place. I wasn't particularly happy about it as I had asked him not to arrange anything this weekend because of the sale on Sunday.
We dropped both boys off and then went home to finally sit and relax with a drink. We had a lovely time watching a baby blackbird in the garden who had obviously been left by his parents to fend for himself. He kept nibbling on some pellets I'd put down and then he would retreat into a pile of logs to just sit and watch the other birds visiting the garden. We did get a little worried about him, but he seemed perfectly happy so we enjoyed a game of cards and a drink and looked forward to dinner.
Then the phone rang. It was Mikey saying that he'd come into contact with some horses and could we go and get him? We'd forgotten about his strange allergy to horses and when we picked him up his eyes were like puff-balls. I managed to buy him some antihistamine tablets in a nearby shop and we dropped his friend off and went home where he dived straight into the shower while Keith and I prepared dinner! So much for our relaxing evening!
Once we'd finished that we took Mike to Brixworth and then it was home to get ready to go shopping with Sophie to Market Harborough. Our first stop today was a wine tasting at Duncan's shop. He had five Loire wines to show off and the man in charge was a Master of Wine, no less. I was looking forward to meeting a real live MW (they're a rare breed!) and to tasting some lovely French wines. What a disappointment I had, though!
The MW (I won't name him) had about as much charisma as a leaf of limp lettuce and when he introduced the first wine, a Reuilly, he said to us that we wouldn't have heard of this appellation as it wasn't widely drunk in this country. I replied that I'd certainly heard of it as I used to work for Duncan and he wouldn't have been very happy if I'd been ignorant about it! This shut him up a bit, but I was really annoyed that he'd assumed Sophie and I didn't know anything about wine.
Duncan then came over and we indulged in a bit of continental kissing and he told me a hilarious story about his spectacles. The MW looked on with a face as long as a wet weekend and we moved onto the next wine, a Chardonnay from the Auvergne which I didn't think was strictly a Loire wine, but apparently was!
I'm afraid Sophie and I liked none of the wines on offer and I ended up buying a red from Duncan's mate in Languedoc and a white from the same region. I also bought some beers and asked Nick if we could keep them in the back room while we did our shopping.
We wandered off to Costa for lunch and then mooched about our usual haunts. Sophie bought some clothes in New Look and I bought a few bits and pieces in Superdrug. Today was supposed to have been wet but the weather remained dry all day, if a little cloudy and breezy.
We called into Duncan's before leaving and retrieved our wine. The Master of Wine man was having an earnest conversation with a couple so perhaps he just didn't like the look of Sophie and me! We drove home, Sophie tried her new clothes on and we went off to the gym for a swim. However, two lanes had been given over to family swimming and a couple of children were screaming constantly...not the relaxing session we'd hoped for! We wallowed in the jacuzzi for a short while but we both felt like going home to relax after our busy day.
Back home I discovered that Mikey had decided to go to a camp-out that he'd been talking about and wanted us to go to Brixworth, pick up his friend and then drive them both to another friend's house in Boughton where the camp-out was to take place. I wasn't particularly happy about it as I had asked him not to arrange anything this weekend because of the sale on Sunday.
We dropped both boys off and then went home to finally sit and relax with a drink. We had a lovely time watching a baby blackbird in the garden who had obviously been left by his parents to fend for himself. He kept nibbling on some pellets I'd put down and then he would retreat into a pile of logs to just sit and watch the other birds visiting the garden. We did get a little worried about him, but he seemed perfectly happy so we enjoyed a game of cards and a drink and looked forward to dinner.
Then the phone rang. It was Mikey saying that he'd come into contact with some horses and could we go and get him? We'd forgotten about his strange allergy to horses and when we picked him up his eyes were like puff-balls. I managed to buy him some antihistamine tablets in a nearby shop and we dropped his friend off and went home where he dived straight into the shower while Keith and I prepared dinner! So much for our relaxing evening!
Friday 8 May 2015
Shock results!
Well, I awoke to a Conservative government today with the results totally unexpected by everyone as we all thought we were in for a Hung Parliament. The news was full of the election results and I did feel a little sorry for Nick Clegg, Ed Miliband and Nigel Farage as they sloped off with their tails between their legs. Some funny person posted on Facebook that the problem with Top Gear has now been solved as they can take over from Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond!
We had a quiet day at work and by 1pm we were ready to go home and try and get sorted out for the table-top sale on Sunday. I wanted to cut back the unruly bush at the front of the house, but it started to rain so that was out of the question!
Instead, very lazily, we sat and watched some recorded programmes so that made me feel guilty but I knew I had a busy weekend ahead so I didn't feel that bad!
We had a quiet day at work and by 1pm we were ready to go home and try and get sorted out for the table-top sale on Sunday. I wanted to cut back the unruly bush at the front of the house, but it started to rain so that was out of the question!
Instead, very lazily, we sat and watched some recorded programmes so that made me feel guilty but I knew I had a busy weekend ahead so I didn't feel that bad!
Thursday 7 May 2015
Off to the polls!
I don't think it was very wise planning to hold a Parents Evening on the same night as the country goes to the polls to vote, especially as the school is right next door to the Polling station! We'd already been to vote in our village when Sophie and I had got home from work as we realised that leaving it until later in the evening after we'd been to the school wouldn't work.
We had appointments to see Mike's teachers at about 5.30pm, peak time for people to be stopping off to vote on their way home from work! The area was absolute mayhem, but by some miracle we managed to park and get into the school without mishap!
Mike's teachers were generally happy with his progress but they did say if he tried a bit harder he would get great results. He saw several of his friends and there was a fair bit of banter between them as we awaited our turn for the short meetings.
We were finished by 6pm and heading home for curried chicken (and a prawn one for me). I always say I'll try and stay up to watch the election results but I never do! I was too sleepy!
We had appointments to see Mike's teachers at about 5.30pm, peak time for people to be stopping off to vote on their way home from work! The area was absolute mayhem, but by some miracle we managed to park and get into the school without mishap!
Mike's teachers were generally happy with his progress but they did say if he tried a bit harder he would get great results. He saw several of his friends and there was a fair bit of banter between them as we awaited our turn for the short meetings.
We were finished by 6pm and heading home for curried chicken (and a prawn one for me). I always say I'll try and stay up to watch the election results but I never do! I was too sleepy!
Wednesday 6 May 2015
Dream a little dream...
Tuesday was a very quiet day with little going on, apart from the usual work and taking Mike to Army Cadets, so not much to report at all, except for the terrible weather and the high winds that have blown us all about!
After work on Wednesday we priced up all the stuff we're planning to sell on Sunday. We have so much stuff! On the way home from work, we'd called in to see Mum and Dad who'd given us some clothes and some bits and pieces to sell.
Keith and I started a game of cards while Sophie wrote out the price stickers but I couldn't concentrate so we all helped out. We actually had a great time arguing about what prices to charge and then we started to fantasise about what we'd do with the money we received! I think this is what we decided:
£50....we'd have a McDonald's meal washed down with a bottle of Champagne
£100...we'd have a meal at Las Iguanas
£150....we'd go to The Han in Market Harborough and have a Chinese feast
£200....we'd have a day at the Races
£250...we'd go to France for the day
£300...we'd have a very indulgent weekend with lots of nice food and drink
£350....maybe a Michelin starred restaurant
£400...would go towards a city break
I personally think we'll be eating McDonald's but you never know...we can dream!
After work on Wednesday we priced up all the stuff we're planning to sell on Sunday. We have so much stuff! On the way home from work, we'd called in to see Mum and Dad who'd given us some clothes and some bits and pieces to sell.
Keith and I started a game of cards while Sophie wrote out the price stickers but I couldn't concentrate so we all helped out. We actually had a great time arguing about what prices to charge and then we started to fantasise about what we'd do with the money we received! I think this is what we decided:
£50....we'd have a McDonald's meal washed down with a bottle of Champagne
£100...we'd have a meal at Las Iguanas
£150....we'd go to The Han in Market Harborough and have a Chinese feast
£200....we'd have a day at the Races
£250...we'd go to France for the day
£300...we'd have a very indulgent weekend with lots of nice food and drink
£350....maybe a Michelin starred restaurant
£400...would go towards a city break
I personally think we'll be eating McDonald's but you never know...we can dream!
Monday 4 May 2015
A visit to Blenheim Palace
After seeing Cinderella yesterday Sophie said she'd love to visit a palace...so we did! We had a lovely day sight-seeing at the very beautiful Blenheim Palace near Oxford. It took us just over an hour to drive there and first up was a cup of coffee in the very pleasant cafe.
We sat and decided what to do as there was a Jousting display going on in the grounds, with birds of prey and people could try their hand at Archery. We went into the Palace itself first and marvelled at the gorgeous works of art, china and furniture. Blenheim Palace was built in the 1700s and is home to the Dukes and Duchesses of Marlborough. The 12th Duke lives there today with his wife and family.
Sir Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace so there was a lot of mention of him, as well as his ancestor, also Winston Churchill, who was a military leader.
We had a good look at all the rooms that were open to the public.
We couldn't believe how many books there were in the library! And some of them looked so old.
After a quick visit to the chapel we made our way out into the gardens. In the distance we could see the Jousting display and a lot of people had gone there first. We wandered over to the Secret garden where it was beautiful and peaceful,
There were some gorgeous plants in the garden and we saw a robin!
A couple of weeks ago the display of daffodils must have been a sight to see! They were planted everywhere but sadly the flowers had faded. However, we did see lots of blossom so that made up for it a little bit!
We walked over the South Lawn towards the Jousting, stopping to try and work out the age of some of the majestic Cedar trees on the way. They looked like they were planted when building started on the house in 1705.
The house looked beautiful from the South Lawn.
We decided to have a bite to eat near the Jousting but we were a bit dismayed to see the long queue waiting at the stall selling beefburgers. We saw that the Hog Roast stall was a bit quieter so we went there and enjoyed a beautiful pork bap served with coleslaw. It was a bit messy to eat so we leaned against a wall but we were moved on by a member of staff as the horses were due to come through to start the jousting. Everywhere we went seemed to have been in the way so we abandoned the whole area and made our way over to the lakeside walk which was much quieter.
We discovered the grounds had been designed by Capability Brown and he was responsible for the "Cascade":
By now the sun had come out in full force and it was an absolutely beautiful day, with blue skies and fluffy white clouds. It became quite warm and I was glad I'd left my coat and umbrella in the car!
We made our way back to the house and unfortunately, hordes of other people had had the same idea. They were streaming away from the Jousting display and I just knew there would be a queue for the loos and the cafe where we were hoping to have a cup of tea and a slice of cake.
As predicted the queue for the loos was horrendous and the cafe, so peaceful and quiet when we first arrived, was rammed with people all with the same idea as us. We had a quick look in the gift shop and decided to leave and perhaps find a cafe on the way home.
The grounds in front of the house were full of cars and I think we made the right decision to leave when we did. The great thing about today was that you could use the entrance ticket to upgrade to an annual pass...for free! We'll definitely be back and maybe we'll bring a picnic next time and sit down by the lake.
The journey home was smooth but we decided to go to the Gallone's ice-cream parlour in Northampton for a sundae, which both of us fancied. However, even in this we were thwarted as the queue stretched out of the door and was going nowhere fast! We gave up, called into work to do the Booker order and had a Magnum instead!
Back home we discovered that Mike had gone to see friends in Brixworth and Keith had made a cottage pie for dinner with the leftover beef joint we had on Sunday. I took him to the pub and then did most of the dinner before picking him and Mike up later in the evening. The lovely weather of earlier gave way to torrential rain and it's set to continue this week. Good job we made the most of the lovely weather while we could!
We sat and decided what to do as there was a Jousting display going on in the grounds, with birds of prey and people could try their hand at Archery. We went into the Palace itself first and marvelled at the gorgeous works of art, china and furniture. Blenheim Palace was built in the 1700s and is home to the Dukes and Duchesses of Marlborough. The 12th Duke lives there today with his wife and family.
Sir Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim Palace so there was a lot of mention of him, as well as his ancestor, also Winston Churchill, who was a military leader.
We had a good look at all the rooms that were open to the public.
 |
| This room is used once a year for Christmas and the table can seat up to 40! |
We couldn't believe how many books there were in the library! And some of them looked so old.
 |
| The long library |
 |
| Coronation robes |
After a quick visit to the chapel we made our way out into the gardens. In the distance we could see the Jousting display and a lot of people had gone there first. We wandered over to the Secret garden where it was beautiful and peaceful,
There were some gorgeous plants in the garden and we saw a robin!
A couple of weeks ago the display of daffodils must have been a sight to see! They were planted everywhere but sadly the flowers had faded. However, we did see lots of blossom so that made up for it a little bit!
We walked over the South Lawn towards the Jousting, stopping to try and work out the age of some of the majestic Cedar trees on the way. They looked like they were planted when building started on the house in 1705.
 |
| Sophie trying to count the rings on the bark of a tree! |
The house looked beautiful from the South Lawn.
We decided to have a bite to eat near the Jousting but we were a bit dismayed to see the long queue waiting at the stall selling beefburgers. We saw that the Hog Roast stall was a bit quieter so we went there and enjoyed a beautiful pork bap served with coleslaw. It was a bit messy to eat so we leaned against a wall but we were moved on by a member of staff as the horses were due to come through to start the jousting. Everywhere we went seemed to have been in the way so we abandoned the whole area and made our way over to the lakeside walk which was much quieter.
We discovered the grounds had been designed by Capability Brown and he was responsible for the "Cascade":
By now the sun had come out in full force and it was an absolutely beautiful day, with blue skies and fluffy white clouds. It became quite warm and I was glad I'd left my coat and umbrella in the car!
We made our way back to the house and unfortunately, hordes of other people had had the same idea. They were streaming away from the Jousting display and I just knew there would be a queue for the loos and the cafe where we were hoping to have a cup of tea and a slice of cake.
As predicted the queue for the loos was horrendous and the cafe, so peaceful and quiet when we first arrived, was rammed with people all with the same idea as us. We had a quick look in the gift shop and decided to leave and perhaps find a cafe on the way home.
The grounds in front of the house were full of cars and I think we made the right decision to leave when we did. The great thing about today was that you could use the entrance ticket to upgrade to an annual pass...for free! We'll definitely be back and maybe we'll bring a picnic next time and sit down by the lake.
The journey home was smooth but we decided to go to the Gallone's ice-cream parlour in Northampton for a sundae, which both of us fancied. However, even in this we were thwarted as the queue stretched out of the door and was going nowhere fast! We gave up, called into work to do the Booker order and had a Magnum instead!
Back home we discovered that Mike had gone to see friends in Brixworth and Keith had made a cottage pie for dinner with the leftover beef joint we had on Sunday. I took him to the pub and then did most of the dinner before picking him and Mike up later in the evening. The lovely weather of earlier gave way to torrential rain and it's set to continue this week. Good job we made the most of the lovely weather while we could!
Sunday 3 May 2015
Pottering about!
I've spent today just pottering about, which has been lovely. The weather first thing was horrible with heavy rain and wind but the forecast said it was due to clear up in the afternoon.
Keith and I went and bought the newspapers and then called in to see Mum and Dad on the way home for a coffee. We got soaked running to and from the car! I showed my Mum the baby clothes I'd kept, all of them bought by my parents, and she loved seeing them again after such a long time.
Back at home I warmed up pain au chocolat for the kids while Keith and I ate the waffles he'd bought a while ago, which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment as they went rock hard after being grilled! Even eating them with maple syrup didn't help!
Sophie was meeting two of her friends at the cinema at lunchtime so I dropped her off, came home and went out into the garden to see what was happening with the plants. In our gravelled area the plants have gone a bit mad so Keith and I will need to do some pruning before long otherwise it'll turn into a jungle! I raked up some dead branches but then it started to rain again so I headed indoors. We really will have to set aside a weekend to tidy up this area and Keith needs to go up the ladder to cut back the Virginia Creeper that is winding itself around our satellite dish.
Mike went off for a walk over the fields but then called and asked to be picked up in the village. I went to fetch him and, typically, as I stopped to let him get in the car I received a text from Sophie asking me to collect her at 5pm, giving me just enough time to get over to the other side of Northampton.
Mike came with me, so that was nice. He put his headphones on, though, but it was still nice to have the company and the odd grunt! Sophie had been to see the film "Cinderella" followed by a meal at TGI Fridays and said the cinema had been full of children running about and kicking the seats. Then, in the restaurant, they were seated between two families with screaming babies...the babe magnet is working well then. Sophie!
As soon as we got home I poured her a glass of wine while I had a very delicious vodka and tonic while Keith cooked roast beef for dinner. I'd recorded a programme called "Cribs" as one of Sophie's heroes, Tyson Ritter, was showing us around his home in Florida. Needless to say Sophie was in ecstasy so all irritations from her afternoon out were quickly forgotten!
Keith and I went and bought the newspapers and then called in to see Mum and Dad on the way home for a coffee. We got soaked running to and from the car! I showed my Mum the baby clothes I'd kept, all of them bought by my parents, and she loved seeing them again after such a long time.
Back at home I warmed up pain au chocolat for the kids while Keith and I ate the waffles he'd bought a while ago, which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment as they went rock hard after being grilled! Even eating them with maple syrup didn't help!
Sophie was meeting two of her friends at the cinema at lunchtime so I dropped her off, came home and went out into the garden to see what was happening with the plants. In our gravelled area the plants have gone a bit mad so Keith and I will need to do some pruning before long otherwise it'll turn into a jungle! I raked up some dead branches but then it started to rain again so I headed indoors. We really will have to set aside a weekend to tidy up this area and Keith needs to go up the ladder to cut back the Virginia Creeper that is winding itself around our satellite dish.
Mike went off for a walk over the fields but then called and asked to be picked up in the village. I went to fetch him and, typically, as I stopped to let him get in the car I received a text from Sophie asking me to collect her at 5pm, giving me just enough time to get over to the other side of Northampton.
Mike came with me, so that was nice. He put his headphones on, though, but it was still nice to have the company and the odd grunt! Sophie had been to see the film "Cinderella" followed by a meal at TGI Fridays and said the cinema had been full of children running about and kicking the seats. Then, in the restaurant, they were seated between two families with screaming babies...the babe magnet is working well then. Sophie!
As soon as we got home I poured her a glass of wine while I had a very delicious vodka and tonic while Keith cooked roast beef for dinner. I'd recorded a programme called "Cribs" as one of Sophie's heroes, Tyson Ritter, was showing us around his home in Florida. Needless to say Sophie was in ecstasy so all irritations from her afternoon out were quickly forgotten!
Saturday 2 May 2015
Hidden treasure...
After dropping Sophie off at work this morning Keith and I went to Screwfix to buy an inspection lamp as we planned to go up into our loft today and see what we could find to sell next Sunday. The lamp worked really well and for the first time I was able to see clearly into our loft space.
We found two boxes of books (more books!!), my wedding dress, some baby clothes of Sophie's, an old rocking horse and bags of soft toys. Getting it all down was hard work and then we transported it all downstairs to sort out and clean. Our conservatory now looks like a junk shop!
So, we now have books, CDs, DVDs, Play Station games, china, clothing and little bits and pieces for the table top sale next week. Keith and I talked about the weather and we've decided that if it rains, we can get the Honda into the garage, pull my car right up the drive and then put our table under the carport to keep us dry. Needless to say we're praying for good weather!
After we'd finished with the loft I hoovered the house, ironed the pillowcases for our bed (I'd changed it that morning and was now regretting it!) and thankfully sat down for a while before going to pick Sophie up from work.
When she got home I showed her what we'd found and she tried on my wedding dress. Amazingly, it fitted her!
It looked more of a golden colour than I remembered so that may be something to do with the age of it (23 years!) and I would love to have it professionally cleaned and boxed up to save it. Sophie looked gorgeous in it but said she didn't really fancy wearing it at her own wedding, which I completely understood! It did feel a bit strange, though, seeing my daughter in my wedding dress!
I also showed her the beautiful baby clothes I'd kept and maybe, one day, her own daughter will wear them.
In the evening we went out with Paul and Sue to the Princess Alexandra pub in Northampton. The place was packed with people and very noisy, which seemed to set the tone for the night. We found seats in a corner and Keith and I were delighted to see an old wooden wine box for the Vieux Telegraphe vineyard that we'd visited years and years ago in Chateauneuf du Pape. The whole wall was covered with wine boxes which I thought was a great idea, even if the pub did specialise in craft beers!
We spent a couple of hours in the pub and I was able to try the Neapolitan Milk Stout again. Paul also bought three third of a pint of different beers to try, but we all preferred the ones we were drinking...
From the Princess Alexandra we drove to The Star of India for dinner. This restaurant was also packed with people, including a particularly noisy group of women behind us who cackled loudly for the whole time we were there, plus a 50th Birthday party who were also determined to celebrate in the most raucous way possible as well!
We chose the set menu for four and there was so much food we could hardly fit it onto the table. We gamely worked our way through poppadums, two different starters of prawns and chicken, four main courses, rice and various side dishes, plus naan bread! Phew!
We found two boxes of books (more books!!), my wedding dress, some baby clothes of Sophie's, an old rocking horse and bags of soft toys. Getting it all down was hard work and then we transported it all downstairs to sort out and clean. Our conservatory now looks like a junk shop!
 |
| Some of the children's soft toys waiting to find new owners... |
After we'd finished with the loft I hoovered the house, ironed the pillowcases for our bed (I'd changed it that morning and was now regretting it!) and thankfully sat down for a while before going to pick Sophie up from work.
When she got home I showed her what we'd found and she tried on my wedding dress. Amazingly, it fitted her!
It looked more of a golden colour than I remembered so that may be something to do with the age of it (23 years!) and I would love to have it professionally cleaned and boxed up to save it. Sophie looked gorgeous in it but said she didn't really fancy wearing it at her own wedding, which I completely understood! It did feel a bit strange, though, seeing my daughter in my wedding dress!
I also showed her the beautiful baby clothes I'd kept and maybe, one day, her own daughter will wear them.
In the evening we went out with Paul and Sue to the Princess Alexandra pub in Northampton. The place was packed with people and very noisy, which seemed to set the tone for the night. We found seats in a corner and Keith and I were delighted to see an old wooden wine box for the Vieux Telegraphe vineyard that we'd visited years and years ago in Chateauneuf du Pape. The whole wall was covered with wine boxes which I thought was a great idea, even if the pub did specialise in craft beers!
We spent a couple of hours in the pub and I was able to try the Neapolitan Milk Stout again. Paul also bought three third of a pint of different beers to try, but we all preferred the ones we were drinking...
From the Princess Alexandra we drove to The Star of India for dinner. This restaurant was also packed with people, including a particularly noisy group of women behind us who cackled loudly for the whole time we were there, plus a 50th Birthday party who were also determined to celebrate in the most raucous way possible as well!
We chose the set menu for four and there was so much food we could hardly fit it onto the table. We gamely worked our way through poppadums, two different starters of prawns and chicken, four main courses, rice and various side dishes, plus naan bread! Phew!
Friday 1 May 2015
Out and about...
I think I've been out of work longer than in work today as I had an appointment with a chiropodist first thing this morning and then Keith, Sophie and I went to the bank and Booker in the early afternoon.
The chiropodist I normally see exclaimed at how long it had been since I'd seen her, and I was in dire need of her services. She worked her magic and when Sophie and I got back to work we were surprised to find the car park almost full and Keith manning Reception, looked a bit harassed!
We helped out over lunchtime and then things calmed down a bit so we went off to get some shopping at Booker and called into McDonald's for lunch as we had various free vouchers for drinks and ice-cream.
Sophie and I managed to slip off at about 3pm and I washed my car which was covered in the usual array of cat foot prints and bird poo. Mike asked me to take him to Brixworth and I made a fish pie for dinner which was a bit tricky as I had to fetch Mike back, then go and pick Keith up, whilst trying to cook dinner and do a starter, that Keith had suggested, of prawn cocktail for us and garlic bread for the children. It was heaven to sit and finally relax with a glass of wine!
The chiropodist I normally see exclaimed at how long it had been since I'd seen her, and I was in dire need of her services. She worked her magic and when Sophie and I got back to work we were surprised to find the car park almost full and Keith manning Reception, looked a bit harassed!
We helped out over lunchtime and then things calmed down a bit so we went off to get some shopping at Booker and called into McDonald's for lunch as we had various free vouchers for drinks and ice-cream.
Sophie and I managed to slip off at about 3pm and I washed my car which was covered in the usual array of cat foot prints and bird poo. Mike asked me to take him to Brixworth and I made a fish pie for dinner which was a bit tricky as I had to fetch Mike back, then go and pick Keith up, whilst trying to cook dinner and do a starter, that Keith had suggested, of prawn cocktail for us and garlic bread for the children. It was heaven to sit and finally relax with a glass of wine!
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