We awoke to grey skies and rain this morning so maybe it was a good idea that we had to take Sophie to uni and then pick her up later in the day, as I didn't fancy walking to the village to the drinks party we'd been invited to this afternoon.
Sophie, predictably, was tired and a bit grumpy and not at all pleased that she had to go into uni and do some work. An ideal day for both of us would have been to have curled up on the sofa to catch up with our recorded programmes but it wasn't to be. We drove her in at 11.30am and then went straight to our friend's house where people were starting to arrive. John, the host, was manning his "bar", their large kitchen table laden with bottles of beer, wine and Champagne. His wife Sue had prepared a delicious buffet and after being given our drinks we went into their cosy sitting room where a log fire was burning.
It became a bit of a squeeze in the sitting room after more people arrived so we escaped to the kitchen and chatted to Dave, another of Keith's drinking chums. We had a very pleasant time and stayed for about three hours. I had a couple of glasses of Champagne but Keith enjoyed four bottles of beer so we when we got home he went straight to sleep on the sofa!
I mooched about with the Sunday papers and then ventured out into the windy evening to pick Sophie up at 6pm. When we got back Keith was looking a little more lively so he cooked dinner while Sophie and I watched A Place in the Sun featuring apartments on Florida's Gulf Coast. How I would love to be there at the moment!
Sunday 31 January 2016
Saturday 30 January 2016
Homeward bound
I woke early this morning at 5.30am and the first thing I did was check the status of Sophie's flight. They were heading towards Ireland and the flight was on time so that was great.
Over a cup of coffee, Keith and I watched two episodes of Alaska: The Last Frontier which was a very pleasant start to the day. It was a lot colder this morning with more wind and showers forecast, some of them wintry. We have another storm heading to us on Monday and indeed, when Sophie landed and I asked about her flight she said it was horrible due to the turbulence.
She called me at about 10.15am to say they were in Northampton which was a slight shock as I'd asked her to call me when they were passing Milton Keynes, but she'd fallen asleep. This meant we had a scramble to get out of the house and I had to hassle Mike who wasn't ready, thus putting him in a foul mood.
I'd promised the kids something to eat on the way home (and Mike was off to Heather's) but that resulted in an argument because Mike didn't want to set foot in McDonald's (his hair wasn't right) but Sophie moaned that she'd been cramped up in a plane and a coach for the last ten hours and wanted to sit inside. So, the lovely reunion I'd fondly imagined all went a bit pear-shaped with our grumpy offspring bickering at each other and Keith and I fed up already!
We dropped Mike off at Heather's house and returned home where Sophie promptly disappeared to bed. I loaded her washing into the machine and she came back down to lug her case up to her room. She showed us her goodies from New York which included tee-shirts, hats, jewellery and make-up. Needless to say she'd spent all her dollars!
In the afternoon I made some chocolate chip muffins and Sophie emerged from her room at about 5pm, looking very bleary and saying she was shattered. I knew she'd be like this today and I did feel for her as it's horrible coming home from a holiday and trying to get back into a routine.
Keith and I went to the pub for a quick drink in the evening after ordering a celebratory Chinese from the van in the village. The pub was packed but we managed to bag our seats by the window and had a chat with a couple we've known for a long time. We only stayed for two drinks and went to collect our dinner which was all ready for us. I'd planned on watching a film after dinner but Sophie went to bed so Keith and I caught up with Alaska: The Last Frontier. The day has ended how it began!
Over a cup of coffee, Keith and I watched two episodes of Alaska: The Last Frontier which was a very pleasant start to the day. It was a lot colder this morning with more wind and showers forecast, some of them wintry. We have another storm heading to us on Monday and indeed, when Sophie landed and I asked about her flight she said it was horrible due to the turbulence.
She called me at about 10.15am to say they were in Northampton which was a slight shock as I'd asked her to call me when they were passing Milton Keynes, but she'd fallen asleep. This meant we had a scramble to get out of the house and I had to hassle Mike who wasn't ready, thus putting him in a foul mood.
I'd promised the kids something to eat on the way home (and Mike was off to Heather's) but that resulted in an argument because Mike didn't want to set foot in McDonald's (his hair wasn't right) but Sophie moaned that she'd been cramped up in a plane and a coach for the last ten hours and wanted to sit inside. So, the lovely reunion I'd fondly imagined all went a bit pear-shaped with our grumpy offspring bickering at each other and Keith and I fed up already!
We dropped Mike off at Heather's house and returned home where Sophie promptly disappeared to bed. I loaded her washing into the machine and she came back down to lug her case up to her room. She showed us her goodies from New York which included tee-shirts, hats, jewellery and make-up. Needless to say she'd spent all her dollars!
In the afternoon I made some chocolate chip muffins and Sophie emerged from her room at about 5pm, looking very bleary and saying she was shattered. I knew she'd be like this today and I did feel for her as it's horrible coming home from a holiday and trying to get back into a routine.
Keith and I went to the pub for a quick drink in the evening after ordering a celebratory Chinese from the van in the village. The pub was packed but we managed to bag our seats by the window and had a chat with a couple we've known for a long time. We only stayed for two drinks and went to collect our dinner which was all ready for us. I'd planned on watching a film after dinner but Sophie went to bed so Keith and I caught up with Alaska: The Last Frontier. The day has ended how it began!
Friday 29 January 2016
Gathering storm
I changed Sophie's bed today and we took her large bedspread to the launderette to have it washed before she comes home tomorrow. It's been ages since I went to the launderette but the man running it remembered me from when we used to take all our work laundry there so that was good!
I treated Keith to a snack at Beckworth and as we arrived too late for breakfast and too early for lunch we each chose a scone with jam and clotted cream. Very naughty, but so very nice! I wanted to buy something for the hostess of the drinks party we are going to on Sunday and as they have asked us not to bring alcohol I went for a posh box of chocolates instead.
On the way home we drove back to the launderette to pick up Sophie's bedspread and then it was home to do a few chores before relaxing in the conservatory. Outside the wind had been getting stronger all day and in the afternoon the heavens opened and we had torrential rain. Mike brought Heather home with him and they were both very wet when they came into the house! We are now experiencing Storm Gertrude but Scotland and the north of England seem to be having it much worse than us.
We had a slight problem when Sophie sent me a photo of a pair of Converse boots she'd bought for Mikey. He loves Converse but normally only wears black so I was a bit surprised to see that Sophie had picked out a pair of red and brown boots. I felt I had to show him (even though they were a Birthday gift) but he was very hesitant about them and said he hadn't really got any clothes to wear with them. I told him that if he didn't like them he must say as I didn't want Sophie to spend $60 on something he would never wear. I went back, told Sophie what he'd said and she went mad, which led to a bit of an argument...in the end she said she would take them back to the shop and would have to get him a gift from the airport instead.
At 6pm I drove Keith to the pub as there was no way he could walk in the horrible weather and then returned to a very quiet house. Were the two lovebirds having a nap?!
We took Heather home at 7pm and then drove to pick up Keith. I was keeping an eye on my phone all the time to see if Sophie's flight was on time and she sent me a message to say she was at the airport, which was a huge relief!
I treated Keith to a snack at Beckworth and as we arrived too late for breakfast and too early for lunch we each chose a scone with jam and clotted cream. Very naughty, but so very nice! I wanted to buy something for the hostess of the drinks party we are going to on Sunday and as they have asked us not to bring alcohol I went for a posh box of chocolates instead.
On the way home we drove back to the launderette to pick up Sophie's bedspread and then it was home to do a few chores before relaxing in the conservatory. Outside the wind had been getting stronger all day and in the afternoon the heavens opened and we had torrential rain. Mike brought Heather home with him and they were both very wet when they came into the house! We are now experiencing Storm Gertrude but Scotland and the north of England seem to be having it much worse than us.
We had a slight problem when Sophie sent me a photo of a pair of Converse boots she'd bought for Mikey. He loves Converse but normally only wears black so I was a bit surprised to see that Sophie had picked out a pair of red and brown boots. I felt I had to show him (even though they were a Birthday gift) but he was very hesitant about them and said he hadn't really got any clothes to wear with them. I told him that if he didn't like them he must say as I didn't want Sophie to spend $60 on something he would never wear. I went back, told Sophie what he'd said and she went mad, which led to a bit of an argument...in the end she said she would take them back to the shop and would have to get him a gift from the airport instead.
At 6pm I drove Keith to the pub as there was no way he could walk in the horrible weather and then returned to a very quiet house. Were the two lovebirds having a nap?!
We took Heather home at 7pm and then drove to pick up Keith. I was keeping an eye on my phone all the time to see if Sophie's flight was on time and she sent me a message to say she was at the airport, which was a huge relief!
Thursday 28 January 2016
News from afar
Today has been very quiet, which is just what I intended. After Keith returned from taking Mike to school we sat over a cup of coffee and wrote out the week's menu as we both wanted to go and get the shopping out of the way as soon as possible.
We were all finished by 11.30am and I spent the afternoon catching up with stuff in the conservatory and talking to Sophie on Messenger. It never fails to amaze me that although she was over 3000 miles away we could communicate so easily. When I went to Nepal back in 1987 I had to cross Kathmandu to find a hotel that was able to make international telephone calls. They were no mobile telephones, no internet, no instant communication of any kind and I can only wonder what I put my parents through when they were unable to get hold of me!
After having a conversation on the computer she actually called me via Messenger and we had a somewhat unsatisfying chat. Firstly, she told me that in Central Park the day before a man had come up to their group and had demanded donations for a children's charity. He looked very rough and Sophie said he appeared to be on drugs so they were polite and refused to give any money. At this, he starting calling Sophie and another girl in the group some really nasty names which obviously frightened them both to bits. He went away, thankfully, and started to hassle other people but he continually looked back at Sophie and her friend and still shouted out names at them. I became very alarmed when I heard this (obviously) and wished she had waited until she arrived home before telling me the story!
She then went on to say that a group of them had wanted to all go out on Sunday night which further inflamed me as Keith and I had said before she left not to plan anything on this day as we're going to an afternoon drinks party and there was no way I was going to drive afterwards!
We rang off but by now I was in a bad mood and even a game of cards with Keith in the conservatory didn't make me feel any better. He roundly thrashed me (apart from one game) so I made him go back to the kitchen and finish the dinner! Bah!
We were all finished by 11.30am and I spent the afternoon catching up with stuff in the conservatory and talking to Sophie on Messenger. It never fails to amaze me that although she was over 3000 miles away we could communicate so easily. When I went to Nepal back in 1987 I had to cross Kathmandu to find a hotel that was able to make international telephone calls. They were no mobile telephones, no internet, no instant communication of any kind and I can only wonder what I put my parents through when they were unable to get hold of me!
After having a conversation on the computer she actually called me via Messenger and we had a somewhat unsatisfying chat. Firstly, she told me that in Central Park the day before a man had come up to their group and had demanded donations for a children's charity. He looked very rough and Sophie said he appeared to be on drugs so they were polite and refused to give any money. At this, he starting calling Sophie and another girl in the group some really nasty names which obviously frightened them both to bits. He went away, thankfully, and started to hassle other people but he continually looked back at Sophie and her friend and still shouted out names at them. I became very alarmed when I heard this (obviously) and wished she had waited until she arrived home before telling me the story!
She then went on to say that a group of them had wanted to all go out on Sunday night which further inflamed me as Keith and I had said before she left not to plan anything on this day as we're going to an afternoon drinks party and there was no way I was going to drive afterwards!
We rang off but by now I was in a bad mood and even a game of cards with Keith in the conservatory didn't make me feel any better. He roundly thrashed me (apart from one game) so I made him go back to the kitchen and finish the dinner! Bah!
Wednesday 27 January 2016
Funeral in Kent
Today I drove down to Kent with my parents to go to a funeral of the husband of one of my Dad's cousins. I had never been to a funeral before where I didn't know the person who had died, but I did know his widow, who I think is my second cousin.
The day was forecast to be very windy and wet so I wasn't sure if the bridge at Dartford was open. We left at 8am and immediately hit traffic on the M1 and this was the pattern for the rest of the journey on this particular motorway. We literally crawled along as there'd been an accident between junctions 11 and 10 and there were also roadworks which slowed us down.
Things picked up on the M25 but I was a little worried we'd be late if something else happened. We decided to risk the bridge rather than the Blackwall Tunnel and I was glad we did as things went smoothly and we arrived at Eltham Crematorium with half an hour to spare.
My Aunt Pat was there as well and had been kindly given a lift by a friend of the widow. Steve was lovely and very friendly but he did remind me a little of Dobby from the Harry Potter films, bless him! Walking into the chapel reminded me of when my Nan died and I gave a Eulogy - I was very glad I didn't have to do that today. However, the lady that did went on and on...and on! If I didn't know the deceased when I walked into the chapel I certainly did at the end of her speech and we were informed of every little thing about his life! The eulogy lasted about fifteen minutes, far longer than it should, in my opinion!
Eventually we emerged into a rainy, blustery day and had a quick chat with the widow who seemed remarkably cheerful! We were invited to the wake at a nearby golf club and I followed my Aunt and Steve who drove a very rugged Land Rover Defender. Not an easy car to lose in traffic I was glad to see!
Arriving at the golf club we were met with an almost gale force wind and driving rain so Mum and I pulled our scarves over our heads and just bolted for the door. We arrived looking like bedraggled rats. By now I would have killed for a cup of coffee but when we went to the table where the pots and cups were, the coffee had all gone!
Luckily a lady came to re-fill them but there was no food to be seen at all and my small breakfast bar at 6.30am was a distant memory! There were just a couple of chairs free as all of the funeral congregation had decided to go to the wake. Dad and I made Mum and my Aunt Pat sit down and eventually some staff arrived with small cake stands on which were a couple of tiny sandwich triangles and some small cakes. Dad and I stood behind Mum and Aunt Pat and encouraged them to take a sandwich but I'm not one for grabbing food and there were about six other people at the table so I said I'd be fine and we'd go and get something to eat when we left. Dad looked very annoyed at the tiny selection and took a sandwich and a scone and made me eat them!
The scone I had was dry and as there were no knives we couldn't spread anything on them. One lady who was near to me was clearly bemused by the whole affair and I have to admit to it not being the most welcoming of wakes! A buffet spread out as we arrived would have been far better! I seem to be a real moaning minny at the moment when it comes to food and eating out so I apologise, but a lot of people looked very hungry as it was now past lunchtime and some of us had obviously travelled a fair distance to attend.
Some more staff came out with plates of sandwiches and some of the mourners fell upon them like a bunch of starving wolves. We felt it was time to leave now as we didn't want to be home late so we said our goodbyes and a lady very kindly offered to direct me back to the A2 if I followed her in her snazzy little Mazda sports car. We had a good journey into London as I'd decided to go home via the Blackwall Tunnel and Mum and Dad reminisced about the time they both worked in East London.
We stopped at South Mimms services and Mum and I had a prawn sandwich while Dad treated himself to a burger. He must have been really hungry! I called Keith at home and said I hoped to be back before 5pm which I was!
He suggested a drink at the pub, which opens at 5pm, so I readily agreed. Heather had come home with Mike from school and was staying for dinner of cottage pie. Keith and I had a very pleasant hour in the pub then went home to finish off the evening meal which was delicious (as always). Heather really enjoyed the meal and it was great to have her around for dinner. Again, I wished Sophie was at home but she'd sent me a message earlier in the day to say she was having the time of her life which I was really pleased about.
After dinner we treated Heather to some early videos and photos of Mike and she found them hilarious! The funniest was the one where I videoed him having an almighty tantrum and Sophie shouting at me that she hated me...oh happy days!
The day was forecast to be very windy and wet so I wasn't sure if the bridge at Dartford was open. We left at 8am and immediately hit traffic on the M1 and this was the pattern for the rest of the journey on this particular motorway. We literally crawled along as there'd been an accident between junctions 11 and 10 and there were also roadworks which slowed us down.
Things picked up on the M25 but I was a little worried we'd be late if something else happened. We decided to risk the bridge rather than the Blackwall Tunnel and I was glad we did as things went smoothly and we arrived at Eltham Crematorium with half an hour to spare.
My Aunt Pat was there as well and had been kindly given a lift by a friend of the widow. Steve was lovely and very friendly but he did remind me a little of Dobby from the Harry Potter films, bless him! Walking into the chapel reminded me of when my Nan died and I gave a Eulogy - I was very glad I didn't have to do that today. However, the lady that did went on and on...and on! If I didn't know the deceased when I walked into the chapel I certainly did at the end of her speech and we were informed of every little thing about his life! The eulogy lasted about fifteen minutes, far longer than it should, in my opinion!
Eventually we emerged into a rainy, blustery day and had a quick chat with the widow who seemed remarkably cheerful! We were invited to the wake at a nearby golf club and I followed my Aunt and Steve who drove a very rugged Land Rover Defender. Not an easy car to lose in traffic I was glad to see!
Arriving at the golf club we were met with an almost gale force wind and driving rain so Mum and I pulled our scarves over our heads and just bolted for the door. We arrived looking like bedraggled rats. By now I would have killed for a cup of coffee but when we went to the table where the pots and cups were, the coffee had all gone!
Luckily a lady came to re-fill them but there was no food to be seen at all and my small breakfast bar at 6.30am was a distant memory! There were just a couple of chairs free as all of the funeral congregation had decided to go to the wake. Dad and I made Mum and my Aunt Pat sit down and eventually some staff arrived with small cake stands on which were a couple of tiny sandwich triangles and some small cakes. Dad and I stood behind Mum and Aunt Pat and encouraged them to take a sandwich but I'm not one for grabbing food and there were about six other people at the table so I said I'd be fine and we'd go and get something to eat when we left. Dad looked very annoyed at the tiny selection and took a sandwich and a scone and made me eat them!
The scone I had was dry and as there were no knives we couldn't spread anything on them. One lady who was near to me was clearly bemused by the whole affair and I have to admit to it not being the most welcoming of wakes! A buffet spread out as we arrived would have been far better! I seem to be a real moaning minny at the moment when it comes to food and eating out so I apologise, but a lot of people looked very hungry as it was now past lunchtime and some of us had obviously travelled a fair distance to attend.
Some more staff came out with plates of sandwiches and some of the mourners fell upon them like a bunch of starving wolves. We felt it was time to leave now as we didn't want to be home late so we said our goodbyes and a lady very kindly offered to direct me back to the A2 if I followed her in her snazzy little Mazda sports car. We had a good journey into London as I'd decided to go home via the Blackwall Tunnel and Mum and Dad reminisced about the time they both worked in East London.
We stopped at South Mimms services and Mum and I had a prawn sandwich while Dad treated himself to a burger. He must have been really hungry! I called Keith at home and said I hoped to be back before 5pm which I was!
He suggested a drink at the pub, which opens at 5pm, so I readily agreed. Heather had come home with Mike from school and was staying for dinner of cottage pie. Keith and I had a very pleasant hour in the pub then went home to finish off the evening meal which was delicious (as always). Heather really enjoyed the meal and it was great to have her around for dinner. Again, I wished Sophie was at home but she'd sent me a message earlier in the day to say she was having the time of her life which I was really pleased about.
After dinner we treated Heather to some early videos and photos of Mike and she found them hilarious! The funniest was the one where I videoed him having an almighty tantrum and Sophie shouting at me that she hated me...oh happy days!
Tuesday 26 January 2016
More Birthday celebrations!
Today has been spent making Mike a Birthday cake, the first time I've ever made one! I took a recipe from the BBC Good Food site and made him an easy chocolate cake, topped with cocoa frosting and filled with cream and jam.
As well as doing that I also changed his bedding, and ours, and tidied the house as Mum and Dad were coming over for a meal this evening. It's been a wet and windy day today but very mild again for this time of the year.
I was very happy when I finished making the cake...
Mike wanted gammon for dinner so we cooked that as well as home-made potato wedges to accompany the meat. Mum and Dad arrived at 7pm and I opened a bottle of Prosecco to toast Mike's 16th Birthday.
The meal was delicious and the gammon very succulent and tender. My parents thought it was lovely and it was a bit of a change from what we normally serve when they come around for a meal. After dinner we enjoyed the Birthday cake and Mike blew out his candles. It was a shame Sophie was in New York but I sent her the video so she could see what we got up to!
As well as doing that I also changed his bedding, and ours, and tidied the house as Mum and Dad were coming over for a meal this evening. It's been a wet and windy day today but very mild again for this time of the year.
I was very happy when I finished making the cake...
Mike wanted gammon for dinner so we cooked that as well as home-made potato wedges to accompany the meat. Mum and Dad arrived at 7pm and I opened a bottle of Prosecco to toast Mike's 16th Birthday.
The meal was delicious and the gammon very succulent and tender. My parents thought it was lovely and it was a bit of a change from what we normally serve when they come around for a meal. After dinner we enjoyed the Birthday cake and Mike blew out his candles. It was a shame Sophie was in New York but I sent her the video so she could see what we got up to!
Monday 25 January 2016
A clear out!
I took a deep breath and went into Mike's bedroom this morning in an attempt to have a tidy up. As usual, the scene that met me was one of utter mayhem, with empty bottles strewn all over the floor, his bed unmade, clothes everywhere and chocolate wrappers (minus the goodies inside) scattered over a wide area.
I tackled the wardrobe first and took out all the clothes that he hasn't worn for ages. I then put them all in a pile on my bed for him to sort out when he returned from school later in the day. He had so many old tee-shirts that I had to form two piles!
I then emptied his underwear drawer and found about a million socks that he'd been given and probably never worn either! Keith arrived on the scene and took all the plates, cups and glasses downstairs then came back with a bin bag for the rest of the rubbish. We hoovered, dusted and cleaned and at the end it all looked so much better. Heather is coming to dinner on Wednesday evening so tomorrow I will change his bed so at least the room smells a bit fresher and not so much of teenage boy!
I cleaned the rest of the house and Keith and I sat and watched Alaska: The Last Frontier with lunch and a cup of tea. A bit indulgent, I know, but we felt we'd earned it! We had to drive out and collect Mike from school at 4pm as he had stayed back for a revision class, but after that I didn't have to go out again as Keith was being picked up by his mate John and taken into town for a drink later in the evening.
Mike sorted out his clothes and to his credit he did decide to give a lot away to charity. He also sorted out old school stuff (from his primary days) and some toys he no longer wanted. If I'd known then what I know now I don't think I would have spent so much money on toys and games when they were little as all we seemed to do was give them away after very little use. I wish now we'd saved the money and put it into a savings account for them, as a deposit for a house or towards University fees!
At 6pm Keith, John and Dave went to The Garibaldi pub for a pint and then, apparently, tried three other pubs in Northampton! It meant that dinner was very late (Mike and I ate before Keith) as he didn't get home until about 8.45...dirty stop-out!
Sophie phoned us in the evening via Facebook which I thought was brilliant and she sounded like she was having a fantastic time. She went to Times Square on Sunday night and was heading out to Chinatown after she'd spoken to us. I was so happy for her!
I tackled the wardrobe first and took out all the clothes that he hasn't worn for ages. I then put them all in a pile on my bed for him to sort out when he returned from school later in the day. He had so many old tee-shirts that I had to form two piles!
I then emptied his underwear drawer and found about a million socks that he'd been given and probably never worn either! Keith arrived on the scene and took all the plates, cups and glasses downstairs then came back with a bin bag for the rest of the rubbish. We hoovered, dusted and cleaned and at the end it all looked so much better. Heather is coming to dinner on Wednesday evening so tomorrow I will change his bed so at least the room smells a bit fresher and not so much of teenage boy!
I cleaned the rest of the house and Keith and I sat and watched Alaska: The Last Frontier with lunch and a cup of tea. A bit indulgent, I know, but we felt we'd earned it! We had to drive out and collect Mike from school at 4pm as he had stayed back for a revision class, but after that I didn't have to go out again as Keith was being picked up by his mate John and taken into town for a drink later in the evening.
Mike sorted out his clothes and to his credit he did decide to give a lot away to charity. He also sorted out old school stuff (from his primary days) and some toys he no longer wanted. If I'd known then what I know now I don't think I would have spent so much money on toys and games when they were little as all we seemed to do was give them away after very little use. I wish now we'd saved the money and put it into a savings account for them, as a deposit for a house or towards University fees!
At 6pm Keith, John and Dave went to The Garibaldi pub for a pint and then, apparently, tried three other pubs in Northampton! It meant that dinner was very late (Mike and I ate before Keith) as he didn't get home until about 8.45...dirty stop-out!
Sophie phoned us in the evening via Facebook which I thought was brilliant and she sounded like she was having a fantastic time. She went to Times Square on Sunday night and was heading out to Chinatown after she'd spoken to us. I was so happy for her!
Sunday 24 January 2016
An early start!
Sophie's flight had been delayed again so we didn't have to be at university for 4am, which was a bonus! She now had to be there for 7.45am but we were all up before 6am anyway. I was still convinced the flight would be delayed again but at 7am we were all ready to go, with a nervous and excited Sophie!
When we got to the university there were a few people about but no coach. Sophie's friend George arrived, and then her friend Hannah so we said our goodbyes and went to buy a newspaper with the intention of returning and parking some distance away to see what would happen. Just before 8am the coach arrived to take them to Heathrow so we drove home feeling very relieved that everything looked to be on schedule.
Today has been grey and damp - I would have loved just a little bit of the snow that New York was getting! I did say I wanted it, didn't I? But here, not there!
Keith and I popped over to Tesco's in Kettering after breakfast as I wanted to buy the ingredients to make Mike a Birthday cake and to get some little treats for his 16th on Tuesday. As we walked around I received a text from Sophie saying she had gone through to the Departures Lounge so that was great news. The supermarket was busy with people so we bought the stuff we needed quickly and headed home.
By now, the weather had brightened a little so I went out to wash Jazzy Jim which was filthy. I've never seen the car so dirty! While washing the car I had a chat with Tom next door who told me that, as I'd already guessed, his wife Emma was pregnant and the baby due in March. I gave him my congratulations and he apologised in advance for any screaming that we'd hear. I told him not to worry and that the baby would probably make a fair amount of noise as well...!
After washing Jim I cleaned my own dirty car but I just know that within a few days (if not hours) it'll be muddy again. We are to be treated to the remnants of the storm that hit the US over the next couple of days with rain and strong winds affecting us. Wonderful!
In the evening we had booked to go to Bella Italia for dinner and we took Heather, Mike's girlfriend, with us. The restaurant was very busy when we arrived with a large group celebrating a 21st Birthday. We were seated and then left for quite a while before a waitress arrived to take our drinks orders. We all chose starters and I opted for the Tempura prawns which were OK, but not the very light and crispy batter I'd been expecting.
I chose my favourite main course, the Pollo Milanese, but was very disappointed with the meal. I chose the roasted new potatoes to go with the breaded chicken but everything was dry and tasteless. The green beans were succulent, though, so I suppose that's something!
Mike and Heather were happy with their pizzas and Keith had chosen a butterflied chicken breast and said it was OK. As usual Michael went for his favourite for dessert - The Godfather Sundae while I enjoyed Panna Cotta.
We left about 9.30pm, took Heather home and got back to our house in time to see Deutschland 83 with a wee dram of whisky!
Keith and I popped over to Tesco's in Kettering after breakfast as I wanted to buy the ingredients to make Mike a Birthday cake and to get some little treats for his 16th on Tuesday. As we walked around I received a text from Sophie saying she had gone through to the Departures Lounge so that was great news. The supermarket was busy with people so we bought the stuff we needed quickly and headed home.
By now, the weather had brightened a little so I went out to wash Jazzy Jim which was filthy. I've never seen the car so dirty! While washing the car I had a chat with Tom next door who told me that, as I'd already guessed, his wife Emma was pregnant and the baby due in March. I gave him my congratulations and he apologised in advance for any screaming that we'd hear. I told him not to worry and that the baby would probably make a fair amount of noise as well...!
After washing Jim I cleaned my own dirty car but I just know that within a few days (if not hours) it'll be muddy again. We are to be treated to the remnants of the storm that hit the US over the next couple of days with rain and strong winds affecting us. Wonderful!
In the evening we had booked to go to Bella Italia for dinner and we took Heather, Mike's girlfriend, with us. The restaurant was very busy when we arrived with a large group celebrating a 21st Birthday. We were seated and then left for quite a while before a waitress arrived to take our drinks orders. We all chose starters and I opted for the Tempura prawns which were OK, but not the very light and crispy batter I'd been expecting.
I chose my favourite main course, the Pollo Milanese, but was very disappointed with the meal. I chose the roasted new potatoes to go with the breaded chicken but everything was dry and tasteless. The green beans were succulent, though, so I suppose that's something!
Mike and Heather were happy with their pizzas and Keith had chosen a butterflied chicken breast and said it was OK. As usual Michael went for his favourite for dessert - The Godfather Sundae while I enjoyed Panna Cotta.
We left about 9.30pm, took Heather home and got back to our house in time to see Deutschland 83 with a wee dram of whisky!
Saturday 23 January 2016
Snow worries
After a lazy morning (and a lie-in for once!) Sophie and I went to Market Harborough to do some shopping at midday. Sophie was a bit quiet because of her delayed trip but lunch in Pizza Express soon cheered her up. We started with garlicky dough balls and shared a pizza for a main course. With a glass of Pinot Grigio each the bill only came to £28! The restaurant was really busy but there was a great atmosphere and we enjoyed our lunch tremendously! Maybe it's something we will do again, as a treat!
We had a mooch about the shops and Sophie bought a new top, some perfume and a cute little headband in New Look. I tried to get her to buy some sensible boots with a better grip on the sole but she resisted. I admitted to her that I was worried about the boots and shoes she was taking as on the news this morning the snow was very deep indeed and was starting to look as if it was the worst snowstorm the East Coast of the US had ever experienced. Her footwear was totally inadequate!
At my urging we went into Mountain Warehouse and I asked one of the sales assistants whether they had anything she could put on the soles of her shoes to give her some more grip in the snow. They only had extra soles that fitted onto proper walking boots, but I spotted some snow boots in the sale and although Sophie tried a pair on she wasn't convinced!
We went home in a bit of a mood and Sophie was a little stressed about the weather in New York and the fact that her flight could well be cancelled again tomorrow. Back home she sent a message to her friends who were on the trip and guess what? They had all gone out and bought more robust footwear!
We got back in the car again and drove to Brantano where I bought her a pair of snowboots that she said were extremely comfortable and even looked acceptable! She said she would wear them to travel in and I have a feeling she secretly loved them to bits! I was very relieved!
We had a very pleasant evening and Keith cooked a delicious roast chicken for dinner. Sophie's flight on Sunday morning was delayed but that was only to be expected in the circumstances!
We had a mooch about the shops and Sophie bought a new top, some perfume and a cute little headband in New Look. I tried to get her to buy some sensible boots with a better grip on the sole but she resisted. I admitted to her that I was worried about the boots and shoes she was taking as on the news this morning the snow was very deep indeed and was starting to look as if it was the worst snowstorm the East Coast of the US had ever experienced. Her footwear was totally inadequate!
At my urging we went into Mountain Warehouse and I asked one of the sales assistants whether they had anything she could put on the soles of her shoes to give her some more grip in the snow. They only had extra soles that fitted onto proper walking boots, but I spotted some snow boots in the sale and although Sophie tried a pair on she wasn't convinced!
We went home in a bit of a mood and Sophie was a little stressed about the weather in New York and the fact that her flight could well be cancelled again tomorrow. Back home she sent a message to her friends who were on the trip and guess what? They had all gone out and bought more robust footwear!
We got back in the car again and drove to Brantano where I bought her a pair of snowboots that she said were extremely comfortable and even looked acceptable! She said she would wear them to travel in and I have a feeling she secretly loved them to bits! I was very relieved!
We had a very pleasant evening and Keith cooked a delicious roast chicken for dinner. Sophie's flight on Sunday morning was delayed but that was only to be expected in the circumstances!
Friday 22 January 2016
Walking the cats...and the robin, too!
We've had a very quiet day today as Sophie stayed at home to pack for her trip and I spent the morning putting a colour on my hair.
In the afternoon Sophie checked her emails and it was a good thing she did as she discovered that her flight to New York tomorrow has been cancelled due to the snow storm. She was understandably upset as she had spent most of the day getting ready but she will now leave on Sunday instead. It means we have to get her to the university at 4am!
The grey and overcast weather turned into blue skies and sunshine in the afternoon so at about 4pm I suggested we go and have a little walk around the estate with the cats. I had to post a letter so we walked out of the estate to the field-gate and stopped to admire the beautiful sky. The cats were having a great time, as usual, and I noticed a little robin hopping about in the branches, almost as if he'd come on the walk with us! He was there last week as well!
We walked around the estate with the cats who happily sniffed at everything and then as it was getting chilly we returned home. Mike was at Heather's house this afternoon so Sophie and I drove over to collect him, calling in to see my parents on the way home. As Sophie was supposed to be going to New York tomorrow we cooked fajitas tonight for dinner and I've never known my two children to be so excited over a meal!
In the afternoon Sophie checked her emails and it was a good thing she did as she discovered that her flight to New York tomorrow has been cancelled due to the snow storm. She was understandably upset as she had spent most of the day getting ready but she will now leave on Sunday instead. It means we have to get her to the university at 4am!
The grey and overcast weather turned into blue skies and sunshine in the afternoon so at about 4pm I suggested we go and have a little walk around the estate with the cats. I had to post a letter so we walked out of the estate to the field-gate and stopped to admire the beautiful sky. The cats were having a great time, as usual, and I noticed a little robin hopping about in the branches, almost as if he'd come on the walk with us! He was there last week as well!
 |
| Archie exploring |
We walked around the estate with the cats who happily sniffed at everything and then as it was getting chilly we returned home. Mike was at Heather's house this afternoon so Sophie and I drove over to collect him, calling in to see my parents on the way home. As Sophie was supposed to be going to New York tomorrow we cooked fajitas tonight for dinner and I've never known my two children to be so excited over a meal!
Thursday 21 January 2016
Back down to earth!
Today has been a bit more normal and routine and we went shopping with Sophie this morning so she could get some toiletries for her trip. We dropped her off at uni and popped to see Mum as she needed some help with her printer. From her house we drove to Kettering to do our weekly shop and we'd barely been home an hour when it was time to collect Mike from school.
It's been another cold day but the weather is due to change tomorrow when we'll have rain and milder temperatures. It has been lovely to see the sun this week but I knew it wouldn't last!
Sue came around in the evening for a glass of wine and she brought lots of nibbles with her so we feasted on them and a very good Spanish red. We had a good chat about the work going on with her new kitchen and I can only say I admire her for putting up with it in the winter!
It's been another cold day but the weather is due to change tomorrow when we'll have rain and milder temperatures. It has been lovely to see the sun this week but I knew it wouldn't last!
Sue came around in the evening for a glass of wine and she brought lots of nibbles with her so we feasted on them and a very good Spanish red. We had a good chat about the work going on with her new kitchen and I can only say I admire her for putting up with it in the winter!
Wednesday 20 January 2016
A delightful day!
Today has been really lovely and all of it was down to Sophie!
We went and had our hair cut this morning and called in to see Mum and Dad first as they had some spending money for Sophie for her New York trip. We had half an hour to kill before our appointment so we had a chat and then left to find somewhere to park. We'd decided to use a new salon called Style Exchange in Moulton and parking is always a problem, but we managed to find a space in the Co-op carpark before the hordes of college students arrived!
We had a great wash and haircut and both hairdressers really took their time with our hair. We both had quite a few inches lopped off with Sophie's hair cut to just below shoulder length. It looked so much better and healthier though.
We popped home briefly before heading off to Beckworth Emporium for our afternoon tea that Sophie had promised me for my birthday treat. The queue for the restaurant was already quite long so we waited for about fifteen minutes before being seated at a large round table.
Sophie insisted on ordering a glass of Prosecco each which was a lovely treat and we sat back to await our food. Beckworth do a very good afternoon tea consisting of a range of sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, a slice of sponge cake, a mini mince pie and a tiny shot glass of gateau. We ordered pots of tea and spent a very happy hour consuming all the food!
When we finally finished we were both very full and we waddled off to buy some bird seed before heading home. Beckworth haven't got their full range of plants on display yet as I suppose it's too early in the season for Spring flowers. Keith wasn't feeling too well today for some reason, so Sophie and I went off to collect Mike from school and saw a lovely sunset as we drove.
Back home we had a couple of hours to relax before we went out again in the evening for another treat paid for by Sophie - a trip to the cinema in Kettering to see The Revenant starring Leonardo DiCaprio. I didn't know really what it was about but Sophie was very keen to go and see it, especially as it had just been nominated for an Oscar. The cinema was almost full and quite a few people came in as the trailers were showing, which was a bit annoying, especially as we had all become settled and were munching on popcorn! One couple even came in a good 45 minutes after the film started, which meant they missed the vital action, and then started having a conversation about where their seats were.
I glared at them so they scuttled off to two seats in the front row and we were able to continue enjoying the film, which was very gory, bloody and violent, but fantastic nonetheless. The cinematography was breathtakingly beautiful and the scenery gorgeous. It was a long film, at about two and a half hours, but we all enjoyed seeing it very much and I can't wait to see it again in the comfort of my own home!
On the way home we were treated to the sight of a little Muntjac deer standing by the side of the road. Perfect!
We went and had our hair cut this morning and called in to see Mum and Dad first as they had some spending money for Sophie for her New York trip. We had half an hour to kill before our appointment so we had a chat and then left to find somewhere to park. We'd decided to use a new salon called Style Exchange in Moulton and parking is always a problem, but we managed to find a space in the Co-op carpark before the hordes of college students arrived!
We had a great wash and haircut and both hairdressers really took their time with our hair. We both had quite a few inches lopped off with Sophie's hair cut to just below shoulder length. It looked so much better and healthier though.
We popped home briefly before heading off to Beckworth Emporium for our afternoon tea that Sophie had promised me for my birthday treat. The queue for the restaurant was already quite long so we waited for about fifteen minutes before being seated at a large round table.
Sophie insisted on ordering a glass of Prosecco each which was a lovely treat and we sat back to await our food. Beckworth do a very good afternoon tea consisting of a range of sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, a slice of sponge cake, a mini mince pie and a tiny shot glass of gateau. We ordered pots of tea and spent a very happy hour consuming all the food!
When we finally finished we were both very full and we waddled off to buy some bird seed before heading home. Beckworth haven't got their full range of plants on display yet as I suppose it's too early in the season for Spring flowers. Keith wasn't feeling too well today for some reason, so Sophie and I went off to collect Mike from school and saw a lovely sunset as we drove.
 |
| Taken by Sophie |
I glared at them so they scuttled off to two seats in the front row and we were able to continue enjoying the film, which was very gory, bloody and violent, but fantastic nonetheless. The cinematography was breathtakingly beautiful and the scenery gorgeous. It was a long film, at about two and a half hours, but we all enjoyed seeing it very much and I can't wait to see it again in the comfort of my own home!
On the way home we were treated to the sight of a little Muntjac deer standing by the side of the road. Perfect!
Tuesday 19 January 2016
Exploring...
Keith and I spent the morning and early afternoon giving our kitchen a really good clean, including all the beer glasses we have displayed on top of the cabinets, which was a major job in itself!
The plan is to try and get this room decorated next which will be tricky as painting above the cabinets is a hard job. Maybe I can try and convince Keith to do it for me while I tackle the rest!
In the evening, after dropping Mike off at Army Cadets, we picked up Sophie's friend Daisy as they were heading to The Lamplighter for a drink and a meal. Keith and I had planned to go to a new pub (for us anyway) called The Garibaldi Hotel, which has recently been refurbished and now boasts a range of "craft beers".
We knew vaguely where it was, in a maze of backstreets that used to house Northampton's Boot and Shoe workers. The area has become a little seedy and once we found the pub there was nowhere nearby to park. The alternative would have been to park in the large carpark about a ten minute walk away but neither of us fancied doing that as it was a very cold evening!
We decided to maybe come back during the day and have a lunchtime drink so we headed for The Princess Alexandra pub and parked easily in the small carpark across the road. The pub was very quiet with only a handful of other people in and we sat by the window which was a mistake as it was freezing!
We had a couple of drinks and then returned to The Lamplighter at 9pm to collect the girls. They were both in high spirits and had had a great time chatting and eating the lovely food. We dropped Daisy at home and collected Mike before heading home where we finished our evening with the 10pm news and a warming dram of whisky!
The plan is to try and get this room decorated next which will be tricky as painting above the cabinets is a hard job. Maybe I can try and convince Keith to do it for me while I tackle the rest!
In the evening, after dropping Mike off at Army Cadets, we picked up Sophie's friend Daisy as they were heading to The Lamplighter for a drink and a meal. Keith and I had planned to go to a new pub (for us anyway) called The Garibaldi Hotel, which has recently been refurbished and now boasts a range of "craft beers".
We knew vaguely where it was, in a maze of backstreets that used to house Northampton's Boot and Shoe workers. The area has become a little seedy and once we found the pub there was nowhere nearby to park. The alternative would have been to park in the large carpark about a ten minute walk away but neither of us fancied doing that as it was a very cold evening!
We decided to maybe come back during the day and have a lunchtime drink so we headed for The Princess Alexandra pub and parked easily in the small carpark across the road. The pub was very quiet with only a handful of other people in and we sat by the window which was a mistake as it was freezing!
We had a couple of drinks and then returned to The Lamplighter at 9pm to collect the girls. They were both in high spirits and had had a great time chatting and eating the lovely food. We dropped Daisy at home and collected Mike before heading home where we finished our evening with the 10pm news and a warming dram of whisky!
Monday 18 January 2016
Pastures newish...
Today dawned very cold but all the snow had disappeared overnight, which was a shame. I would loved to have seen some more of it and maybe have it hang around a little longer as the countryside looked so beautiful.
The sun came out mid-morning and Keith and I made a trip to the tip with our old carpet. It wasn't the most pleasant of jobs, being heavy and wet from where we'd left it outside since Saturday! The underlay was equally heavy but it was great to get rid of it as it looked horrible lying outside the garage door!
When we returned I had to hoover out the boot of my car which somehow turned into a full-blown wash, inside and out! However it was very pleasant in the sun and Keith and I saw a Red Kite hovering over the estate. I still maintain that the pair nearer to Walgrave have disappeared as this one was more over towards Old, but it was great to see it nonetheless.
Sophie and I had an appointment with the bank in the afternoon so I picked her up from university and before our meeting we went to New Look to buy a pair of boots to go with her new trousers. She is off to New York on Saturday and has to have smart clothes for meetings she will be attending. She is getting very excited now and I just can't believe the time has come around so quickly!
After our busy day, Keith and I went to The Royal Oak in Naseby for a drink in the evening which was a pleasant surprise. The temperature was dropping rapidly on the way over and tonight is supposed to be the coldest of the winter so far.
I wasn't that impressed with the pub, to be honest. Keith and I think we visited a long time ago as we always used to go to The Fitzgerald Arms in Naseby rather than the Royal Oak as the former pub had such a good reputation for food, but we couldn't remember much about it and, of course, pubs change hands very frequently.
There were a lot of locals gathered at the bar with just one man serving but we found a place to sit in a quiet corner and although there was a log fire burning it was almost out. In front of the fireplace there was a heap of what looked like rubbish which didn't give a very good impression! I was disappointed as before we went out I was yearning for an old cosy pub, with a roaring log fire and a nicer smell! What is it about some of these pubs that have a stale, smelly odour?
Anyway, Keith and I had a good chat about pubs and it would be lovely to go on more mooches, like we used to do before the children came along. Now they don't need babysitters we certainly have more time and freedom to go and explore! I ended up enjoying the evening, despite the rather dingy surroundings, and Keith did say the beer was very good, so at least he was pleased!
After a couple of drinks we drove home and I was careful not to go too fast because of the freezing temperatures. Back home we hastily prepared Spaghetti Bolognese for supper and then I had the living room to myself all evening as Keith watched the football upstairs and Sophie was involved in uni work. Bliss!
The sun came out mid-morning and Keith and I made a trip to the tip with our old carpet. It wasn't the most pleasant of jobs, being heavy and wet from where we'd left it outside since Saturday! The underlay was equally heavy but it was great to get rid of it as it looked horrible lying outside the garage door!
When we returned I had to hoover out the boot of my car which somehow turned into a full-blown wash, inside and out! However it was very pleasant in the sun and Keith and I saw a Red Kite hovering over the estate. I still maintain that the pair nearer to Walgrave have disappeared as this one was more over towards Old, but it was great to see it nonetheless.
Sophie and I had an appointment with the bank in the afternoon so I picked her up from university and before our meeting we went to New Look to buy a pair of boots to go with her new trousers. She is off to New York on Saturday and has to have smart clothes for meetings she will be attending. She is getting very excited now and I just can't believe the time has come around so quickly!
After our busy day, Keith and I went to The Royal Oak in Naseby for a drink in the evening which was a pleasant surprise. The temperature was dropping rapidly on the way over and tonight is supposed to be the coldest of the winter so far.
I wasn't that impressed with the pub, to be honest. Keith and I think we visited a long time ago as we always used to go to The Fitzgerald Arms in Naseby rather than the Royal Oak as the former pub had such a good reputation for food, but we couldn't remember much about it and, of course, pubs change hands very frequently.
There were a lot of locals gathered at the bar with just one man serving but we found a place to sit in a quiet corner and although there was a log fire burning it was almost out. In front of the fireplace there was a heap of what looked like rubbish which didn't give a very good impression! I was disappointed as before we went out I was yearning for an old cosy pub, with a roaring log fire and a nicer smell! What is it about some of these pubs that have a stale, smelly odour?
Anyway, Keith and I had a good chat about pubs and it would be lovely to go on more mooches, like we used to do before the children came along. Now they don't need babysitters we certainly have more time and freedom to go and explore! I ended up enjoying the evening, despite the rather dingy surroundings, and Keith did say the beer was very good, so at least he was pleased!
After a couple of drinks we drove home and I was careful not to go too fast because of the freezing temperatures. Back home we hastily prepared Spaghetti Bolognese for supper and then I had the living room to myself all evening as Keith watched the football upstairs and Sophie was involved in uni work. Bliss!
Sunday 17 January 2016
Snow!
Well, we awoke to a covering of snow this morning, but not enough to cause serious disruption!
I put out a lot of food for the birds who were mightily glad of the buffet! We have lots of feathered friends coming to visit, including robins (two who seem to be squabbling over the territory), blackbirds, thrushes, starlings, a whole family of sparrows who sit on the fence chattering away, magpies, blue tits and chaffinches. I put out fat snax, mealworms, cubes of cheese and greasy slices of bread and the lot went down very well, especially the mealworms which disappear very quickly indeed.
In the background today we could hear lots of shooting going on over the fields and I'm still worried that we haven't seen any Red Kites lately. There was hardly a day went by that we didn't see one hovering over the fields or the village, and even over the garden, but Keith and I haven't seen any since before Christmas. I put a post about them on our Facebook page and quite a few neighbours said they'd seen them, so why haven't we?
We gingerly took Sophie to work this morning and the main roads were pretty much free of snow. We came back and had a lovely cooked breakfast in the conservatory before taking Mike over to Brixworth as he was visiting friends. The skies remained grey and overcast and I would dearly loved to have seen some more snow falling!
Mum and Dad came around in the afternoon to admire the new living room and we had a good chat over a cup of tea in the conservatory. We did see a few more light snow flurries but certainly not enough to cause any problems!
I put out a lot of food for the birds who were mightily glad of the buffet! We have lots of feathered friends coming to visit, including robins (two who seem to be squabbling over the territory), blackbirds, thrushes, starlings, a whole family of sparrows who sit on the fence chattering away, magpies, blue tits and chaffinches. I put out fat snax, mealworms, cubes of cheese and greasy slices of bread and the lot went down very well, especially the mealworms which disappear very quickly indeed.
In the background today we could hear lots of shooting going on over the fields and I'm still worried that we haven't seen any Red Kites lately. There was hardly a day went by that we didn't see one hovering over the fields or the village, and even over the garden, but Keith and I haven't seen any since before Christmas. I put a post about them on our Facebook page and quite a few neighbours said they'd seen them, so why haven't we?
We gingerly took Sophie to work this morning and the main roads were pretty much free of snow. We came back and had a lovely cooked breakfast in the conservatory before taking Mike over to Brixworth as he was visiting friends. The skies remained grey and overcast and I would dearly loved to have seen some more snow falling!
Mum and Dad came around in the afternoon to admire the new living room and we had a good chat over a cup of tea in the conservatory. We did see a few more light snow flurries but certainly not enough to cause any problems!
 |
| View from my computer |
 |
| Archie doing a spot of bird-watching |
Saturday 16 January 2016
New carpet!
The carpet fitter called us this morning to ask whether he could come earlier than planned, which was fine with us. Luckily we had removed all the furniture and had started on taking up the old carpet so we were all ready when he arrived at 10am. I had just arrived back from taking Sophie to work and I'd called in to have a chat with Maureen.
I'd disconnected the internet before I left and we couldn't get it working again which annoyed Mike very much as he couldn't get in touch with Heather! Whatever happened to good old-fashioned phone calls!?
The carpet fitter had it all finished within an hour and when I got back from taking Mike to Moulton Keith had moved all the furniture back into the room. We set about making a late breakfast and I then I spent a good two hours tidying up and de-cluttering the conservatory which had been filled with all the stuff from the living room. By the time Keith went off to his football match the downstairs of the house was looking a lot tidier!
After dinner in the evening we watched a very long drawn out film, Catch Me If You Can, and then it started to snow! It was such a lovely feeling watching the snow fall and knowing that it wouldn't affect me any more because of work. Normally I'd be fretting about whether it would affect the business and wondering if the staff would turn up for work! I hoped we'd get a decent amount and that it would continue all night!
I'd disconnected the internet before I left and we couldn't get it working again which annoyed Mike very much as he couldn't get in touch with Heather! Whatever happened to good old-fashioned phone calls!?
The carpet fitter had it all finished within an hour and when I got back from taking Mike to Moulton Keith had moved all the furniture back into the room. We set about making a late breakfast and I then I spent a good two hours tidying up and de-cluttering the conservatory which had been filled with all the stuff from the living room. By the time Keith went off to his football match the downstairs of the house was looking a lot tidier!
After dinner in the evening we watched a very long drawn out film, Catch Me If You Can, and then it started to snow! It was such a lovely feeling watching the snow fall and knowing that it wouldn't affect me any more because of work. Normally I'd be fretting about whether it would affect the business and wondering if the staff would turn up for work! I hoped we'd get a decent amount and that it would continue all night!
Friday 15 January 2016
Birthday girl!
We awoke to glorious blue skies this morning and lots of sunshine as well as a hard frost, but I didn't mind. It is winter, after all!
We all went for breakfast at Beckworth Emporium this morning and Mum and Dad came along as well. I wouldn't be seeing them this evening because it was my Dad's Model Aeroplane Club annual dinner and they were staying the night at the hotel where it was being held. We made an excuse for Mike so he could get out of school for an hour otherwise he would have missed out!
We arrived to find Mum and Dad already at the table in the lovely sunny conservatory and over a cup of coffee I opened my cards from them. I'd already opened my cards from the children and Keith at home and was delighted with cash (to spend on the living room no doubt!), a bottle of wine from Sophie, chocolates from Mikey and also a voucher from Sophie for either afternoon tea or a breakfast at Beckworth whenever I wanted!
We all had a lovely cooked breakfast with very efficient service and delicious food. The place wasn't busy at all and it was utter bliss to sit with my family and relax for an hour. When we were finished we dropped Sophie and Mike off at uni and school and drove to Aldi to get some shopping to tide us over the weekend. I then took Keith home and went back to pick up Sophie who now finishes at 12pm on a Friday.
We drove to Next on Riverside for a cup of tea as Mum had given me a voucher and I wanted to get a new clock for the living room. The one we have at the moment is quite old-fashioned and just does not go in there any more! Sophie treated me to a cup of tea and we sat right by the window which was a bit scary as it was glass from floor to ceiling!
I picked out a lovely silver clock and we went home to relax for the rest of the afternoon. I had to post some cards so just before the sun set we walked to the post box on the edge of the estate with Monty who had the time of his life gambolling around in the undergrowth! We walked down to the gate leading into the field and looked out for the Red Kites which seem to have disappeared lately. The sky was a mix of blue and pink and the landscape looked breathtakingly beautiful. To our delight we saw a little robin on the fence and he kept hopping nearer and nearer.
We walked slowly back and then meandered around the estate with a happy Monty. Back home it was time for a warm bath before we walked up in the frosty night air to the pub for my birthday dinner.
I was a bit dismayed to find the pub packed to bursting point and we actually had difficulty getting through the door and to the bar! Our reserved table had been requisitioned by another family but they hurriedly left when we were shown to our seats. Sophie and I chose a bottle of wine to share and we had a look at the menus with Sophie keen to try the burger. Keith chose fish and chips (as usual), Mike went for the steak and ale pie and I opted for the pork belly.
There were a couple of things I wasn't thrilled with before we had our meal - I was sat right underneath a speaker with the music turned up quite loud which made hearing what my family were saying a bit difficult. Why does there have to be loud music in country pubs? The other thing was a little group of children in the corner who were having fun with a game of Jenga, not really the most suitable game for a pub! Their parents were standing at the bar chatting and drinking and Sophie was not at all happy that the children were running about and jumping up and down the small flight of stairs leading to another part of the pub. All in all it was very noisy!
We ordered our meals and Keith's and Mike's dishes arrived well before mine and Sophie's. When my daughter's burger arrived it was very pink in the middle and she looked very unhappy, especially as we'd watched a programme on restaurant burgers the other day and the advice was never to serve burgers pink. Steaks are fine as all the bacteria is on the outside of the meat which is cooked well, but burgers are made up of minced beef and the bacteria could well be sitting right in the middle. My pork belly was on the small side so my birthday meal was rapidly turning out to be a bit disappointing!
We sent the burger back and Sophie would have worried about eating it and I hate to say that we were all finished our meals before she received her dinner. My pork belly tasted lovely and the sauce that accompanied it was delicious but it just wasn't very big! It sat in the middle of a huge square plate and looked a little lost!
For desserts we chose chocolate brownies (Soph and Mike), cheese and biscuits (Keith) and a bitter chocolate and malt tart (me) which was very good and certainly filled up the space left in my tummy! Although I love visiting the pub for a drink I don't think we'll be coming back to eat!
Walking back under the stars was lovely and despite the disappointment I had a wonderful birthday!
We all went for breakfast at Beckworth Emporium this morning and Mum and Dad came along as well. I wouldn't be seeing them this evening because it was my Dad's Model Aeroplane Club annual dinner and they were staying the night at the hotel where it was being held. We made an excuse for Mike so he could get out of school for an hour otherwise he would have missed out!
We arrived to find Mum and Dad already at the table in the lovely sunny conservatory and over a cup of coffee I opened my cards from them. I'd already opened my cards from the children and Keith at home and was delighted with cash (to spend on the living room no doubt!), a bottle of wine from Sophie, chocolates from Mikey and also a voucher from Sophie for either afternoon tea or a breakfast at Beckworth whenever I wanted!
We all had a lovely cooked breakfast with very efficient service and delicious food. The place wasn't busy at all and it was utter bliss to sit with my family and relax for an hour. When we were finished we dropped Sophie and Mike off at uni and school and drove to Aldi to get some shopping to tide us over the weekend. I then took Keith home and went back to pick up Sophie who now finishes at 12pm on a Friday.
We drove to Next on Riverside for a cup of tea as Mum had given me a voucher and I wanted to get a new clock for the living room. The one we have at the moment is quite old-fashioned and just does not go in there any more! Sophie treated me to a cup of tea and we sat right by the window which was a bit scary as it was glass from floor to ceiling!
I picked out a lovely silver clock and we went home to relax for the rest of the afternoon. I had to post some cards so just before the sun set we walked to the post box on the edge of the estate with Monty who had the time of his life gambolling around in the undergrowth! We walked down to the gate leading into the field and looked out for the Red Kites which seem to have disappeared lately. The sky was a mix of blue and pink and the landscape looked breathtakingly beautiful. To our delight we saw a little robin on the fence and he kept hopping nearer and nearer.
We walked slowly back and then meandered around the estate with a happy Monty. Back home it was time for a warm bath before we walked up in the frosty night air to the pub for my birthday dinner.
I was a bit dismayed to find the pub packed to bursting point and we actually had difficulty getting through the door and to the bar! Our reserved table had been requisitioned by another family but they hurriedly left when we were shown to our seats. Sophie and I chose a bottle of wine to share and we had a look at the menus with Sophie keen to try the burger. Keith chose fish and chips (as usual), Mike went for the steak and ale pie and I opted for the pork belly.
There were a couple of things I wasn't thrilled with before we had our meal - I was sat right underneath a speaker with the music turned up quite loud which made hearing what my family were saying a bit difficult. Why does there have to be loud music in country pubs? The other thing was a little group of children in the corner who were having fun with a game of Jenga, not really the most suitable game for a pub! Their parents were standing at the bar chatting and drinking and Sophie was not at all happy that the children were running about and jumping up and down the small flight of stairs leading to another part of the pub. All in all it was very noisy!
We ordered our meals and Keith's and Mike's dishes arrived well before mine and Sophie's. When my daughter's burger arrived it was very pink in the middle and she looked very unhappy, especially as we'd watched a programme on restaurant burgers the other day and the advice was never to serve burgers pink. Steaks are fine as all the bacteria is on the outside of the meat which is cooked well, but burgers are made up of minced beef and the bacteria could well be sitting right in the middle. My pork belly was on the small side so my birthday meal was rapidly turning out to be a bit disappointing!
We sent the burger back and Sophie would have worried about eating it and I hate to say that we were all finished our meals before she received her dinner. My pork belly tasted lovely and the sauce that accompanied it was delicious but it just wasn't very big! It sat in the middle of a huge square plate and looked a little lost!
For desserts we chose chocolate brownies (Soph and Mike), cheese and biscuits (Keith) and a bitter chocolate and malt tart (me) which was very good and certainly filled up the space left in my tummy! Although I love visiting the pub for a drink I don't think we'll be coming back to eat!
Walking back under the stars was lovely and despite the disappointment I had a wonderful birthday!
Thursday 14 January 2016
Brrrr!
We awoke to dark grey skies this morning but no snow. I was hoping to see a covering but all we had was rain and wind, and cold temperatures!
Sophie was meeting Daisy and Laura first thing this morning and on the way there we called in to see Mum who was having problems with her printer and needed my help. I just switched it on and it worked, churning out loads of paper from print instructions that had been stored on the machine! I have no idea what my parents do to the printer but it was certainly working fine when we left!
After dropping Sophie off at Daisy's house we drove to Aldi and bought a few bits of shopping to get us through to the weekend. From there we went to Jones's where we bought a few odd bits we needed and then I decided to get my filthy car washed. However we ran out of time as Sophie had to be picked up at 10.30am as she had a meeting at uni for her New York trip which is coming ever closer. My daughter is certainly deciding to travel this year, which is great for her. She had booked Rome with the girls and was looking forward to going shortly after her 20th birthday.
We dropped her off at uni, went to get the car washed (and very thorough it was too) and then returned home for an early lunch and a catch-up with internet stuff that I've neglected while I've been decorating!
In the evening I picked Sophie up from uni with Mike as we were off to a Sixth Form Open Evening at his school. We were a bit early so we called in to see Mum and Dad again who were delighted to see us. It's very handy with them renting in Moulton at the moment!
We did the Open Evening a bit back to front as we went off to the Sixth Form building first, rather than go into the main school hall for a talk. It was a good thing, really, as it meant that we were able to talk to the teachers as a lot of people were sitting listening to the talk! Mike wants to do English Language, English Literature and Sociology at A-level so that pleased me a lot. I did English Literature at A-level and didn't do very well, so I hope he does better than me!
Sophie was meeting Daisy and Laura first thing this morning and on the way there we called in to see Mum who was having problems with her printer and needed my help. I just switched it on and it worked, churning out loads of paper from print instructions that had been stored on the machine! I have no idea what my parents do to the printer but it was certainly working fine when we left!
After dropping Sophie off at Daisy's house we drove to Aldi and bought a few bits of shopping to get us through to the weekend. From there we went to Jones's where we bought a few odd bits we needed and then I decided to get my filthy car washed. However we ran out of time as Sophie had to be picked up at 10.30am as she had a meeting at uni for her New York trip which is coming ever closer. My daughter is certainly deciding to travel this year, which is great for her. She had booked Rome with the girls and was looking forward to going shortly after her 20th birthday.
We dropped her off at uni, went to get the car washed (and very thorough it was too) and then returned home for an early lunch and a catch-up with internet stuff that I've neglected while I've been decorating!
In the evening I picked Sophie up from uni with Mike as we were off to a Sixth Form Open Evening at his school. We were a bit early so we called in to see Mum and Dad again who were delighted to see us. It's very handy with them renting in Moulton at the moment!
We did the Open Evening a bit back to front as we went off to the Sixth Form building first, rather than go into the main school hall for a talk. It was a good thing, really, as it meant that we were able to talk to the teachers as a lot of people were sitting listening to the talk! Mike wants to do English Language, English Literature and Sociology at A-level so that pleased me a lot. I did English Literature at A-level and didn't do very well, so I hope he does better than me!
Wednesday 13 January 2016
All finished!
I spent the morning glossing the other sides of the living room doors and was mightily glad when I'd finished!
After I'd cleared away and had a shower Keith, Sophie and I went over to the Weston Favell centre again (that's three times too many this week!) as Sophie wanted to draw some money out of her savings. She's set her heart on going to Rome in the Spring with her friends Daisy and Laura and wanted to make sure she had some money in her current account to book it with them tomorrow.
We said a quick hello to Mum and Dad who were in BB's (I'm sure they're their best customers!) and then drove to Tapi Carpets at the St. James Retail Park to have a look at what they have available.
There was no way we could get away with keeping the carpet we have in the living room as it's worn in places and no amount of cleaning will make it look any better. It hasn't done bad for being 15 years old!
We had a look at all the carpets and eventually picked out a silvery grey colour (Sophie saw it first) and arranged to have it fitted on Saturday! We gave them our measurements but to be on the safe side we asked one of the men to come out to see us tomorrow to make sure we'd got it right.
From the carpet store we went next door to Homesense and I bought a new lamp as the one we have now certainly doesn't go. I have plans for the small DVD cabinet and lamp to go on the landing and just need Keith and Ian to fix me up a plug point there. Why one wasn't put there when the house was built is beyond me!
We also popped into BHS and I bought two new lampshades for the light fittings on the ceiling. I originally wanted two new posh light fittings but the shades will do for now as they're very modern.
It was then back home for lunch and time to tidy the place up a bit before we managed to sit and play cards and enjoy a drink in the conservatory!
After I'd cleared away and had a shower Keith, Sophie and I went over to the Weston Favell centre again (that's three times too many this week!) as Sophie wanted to draw some money out of her savings. She's set her heart on going to Rome in the Spring with her friends Daisy and Laura and wanted to make sure she had some money in her current account to book it with them tomorrow.
We said a quick hello to Mum and Dad who were in BB's (I'm sure they're their best customers!) and then drove to Tapi Carpets at the St. James Retail Park to have a look at what they have available.
There was no way we could get away with keeping the carpet we have in the living room as it's worn in places and no amount of cleaning will make it look any better. It hasn't done bad for being 15 years old!
We had a look at all the carpets and eventually picked out a silvery grey colour (Sophie saw it first) and arranged to have it fitted on Saturday! We gave them our measurements but to be on the safe side we asked one of the men to come out to see us tomorrow to make sure we'd got it right.
From the carpet store we went next door to Homesense and I bought a new lamp as the one we have now certainly doesn't go. I have plans for the small DVD cabinet and lamp to go on the landing and just need Keith and Ian to fix me up a plug point there. Why one wasn't put there when the house was built is beyond me!
We also popped into BHS and I bought two new lampshades for the light fittings on the ceiling. I originally wanted two new posh light fittings but the shades will do for now as they're very modern.
It was then back home for lunch and time to tidy the place up a bit before we managed to sit and play cards and enjoy a drink in the conservatory!
Tuesday 12 January 2016
A touch of gloss...
I hate gloss painting as I get it everywhere...in my hair, all over my hands, over everything else, but I couldn't put it off any longer so I made myself get started with it this morning.
I managed to paint all the skirting boards and one half of the doors so I felt I'd done well. It was lovely to see all the scuffs and marks disappear under the gloss paint but the downside was the smell! It'll be like it for days!
Sophie didn't go into uni until lunchtime today and Keith took her in while I finished painting and cleared everything away. I felt it was too much of a risk to paint both sides of the doors (plus I'd had enough by the early afternoon!) so I decided to paint the remaining sides tomorrow.
After uni, Sophie had an appointment to get her nails done so we picked her up at 3pm and drove to the bank to arrange an appointment to have her savings account there sorted out. I still have control of it which is silly as she's now nearly 20 and needs to be able to move money into her current account whenever she wants to.
From there we dropped her off at the salon and Keith and I went to Morrison's to get some diesel. I was planning on getting my car washed as it's so filthy but it had started to pour with rain so we decided against it and went into the supermarket to check out the beers and wines. I spotted an interesting bottle which was Fortified British wine and cost just over a fiver so I bought it to try. It was recommended to be drunk with ice so I thought Sophie and I could try a drop when we got home.
She was ready earlier than I'd anticipated and we battled our way through the heavy traffic home. Driving is certainly not fun at the moment and as most of the street lights have been turned off in the town it's so dark everywhere!
It was bliss to get home and relax in our new living room with a drop of the new wine I'd bought...
Neither of us were keen on the drink at all but at least it wasn't expensive!
In the evening, after dropping Mike off at Army Cadets, we treated ourselves to an outing to The Lamplighter. It's been ages since we went there for a drink and we all felt as if we deserved a little time off! It was a very chilly evening and I hoped they have the coal fires burning but they didn't. However, the pub was warm and welcoming and we had a great evening with maybe a bit too much over-indulgence on the food front! We shared two plates of garlic bread to start followed by a burger for Sophie, fish and chips for Keith and chilli for me. Sophie and I even found room to share a chocolate brownie for dessert so we literally waddled out at the end of the evening to go and collect Mike!
I managed to paint all the skirting boards and one half of the doors so I felt I'd done well. It was lovely to see all the scuffs and marks disappear under the gloss paint but the downside was the smell! It'll be like it for days!
Sophie didn't go into uni until lunchtime today and Keith took her in while I finished painting and cleared everything away. I felt it was too much of a risk to paint both sides of the doors (plus I'd had enough by the early afternoon!) so I decided to paint the remaining sides tomorrow.
After uni, Sophie had an appointment to get her nails done so we picked her up at 3pm and drove to the bank to arrange an appointment to have her savings account there sorted out. I still have control of it which is silly as she's now nearly 20 and needs to be able to move money into her current account whenever she wants to.
From there we dropped her off at the salon and Keith and I went to Morrison's to get some diesel. I was planning on getting my car washed as it's so filthy but it had started to pour with rain so we decided against it and went into the supermarket to check out the beers and wines. I spotted an interesting bottle which was Fortified British wine and cost just over a fiver so I bought it to try. It was recommended to be drunk with ice so I thought Sophie and I could try a drop when we got home.
She was ready earlier than I'd anticipated and we battled our way through the heavy traffic home. Driving is certainly not fun at the moment and as most of the street lights have been turned off in the town it's so dark everywhere!
It was bliss to get home and relax in our new living room with a drop of the new wine I'd bought...
 |
| Furry love |
Neither of us were keen on the drink at all but at least it wasn't expensive!
In the evening, after dropping Mike off at Army Cadets, we treated ourselves to an outing to The Lamplighter. It's been ages since we went there for a drink and we all felt as if we deserved a little time off! It was a very chilly evening and I hoped they have the coal fires burning but they didn't. However, the pub was warm and welcoming and we had a great evening with maybe a bit too much over-indulgence on the food front! We shared two plates of garlic bread to start followed by a burger for Sophie, fish and chips for Keith and chilli for me. Sophie and I even found room to share a chocolate brownie for dessert so we literally waddled out at the end of the evening to go and collect Mike!
Monday 11 January 2016
It's curtains...
First thing this morning Keith took down the masking tape we'd put up to protect the white coving from the grey emulsion but we received a bit of a shock when it pulled off quite a bit of paint as well. I was annoyed as the tape was supposed to be "low tack" and it meant I had to go around and re-paint the coving where the paint had come away.
We took the kids to school and university first and then we returned home to repair the damage. I painted very carefully around the tops of the walls and was very pleased with the neat result. A lot better than previous attempts!
After that had been done we drove over to the Weston Favell Centre and bought a new curtain pole in Wilco's along with some sugar soap to clean the fireplace. Back home Keith put the curtain pole up and we hung the curtains that I'd bought back in June!
At first I wasn't going to use them but they went beautifully with the grey on the walls. Sophie still isn't sure about them but Keith and I love them to bits and it now means we can draw them at night and have a bit of privacy. I don't think our large footstool goes with them so I may have to move that out into the conservatory where we have black sofas.
We're now back into the routine of picking Sophie up from uni so I collected her at 4pm while Keith took Mike to have his hair cut in Kettering. When we got back (after a horrible journey in the rain) Mum and Dad were waiting for us and loved the new look of our living room. Mike said it looks "modern" and he's absolutely right. It's a much more modern look than we had before and quite different for us!
I made Mum and Dad a cup of tea and then they headed home in the gloom. Although the nights are getting lighter (bit by tiny bit) this evening was gloomy and wet and prematurely dark!
We took the kids to school and university first and then we returned home to repair the damage. I painted very carefully around the tops of the walls and was very pleased with the neat result. A lot better than previous attempts!
After that had been done we drove over to the Weston Favell Centre and bought a new curtain pole in Wilco's along with some sugar soap to clean the fireplace. Back home Keith put the curtain pole up and we hung the curtains that I'd bought back in June!
At first I wasn't going to use them but they went beautifully with the grey on the walls. Sophie still isn't sure about them but Keith and I love them to bits and it now means we can draw them at night and have a bit of privacy. I don't think our large footstool goes with them so I may have to move that out into the conservatory where we have black sofas.
We're now back into the routine of picking Sophie up from uni so I collected her at 4pm while Keith took Mike to have his hair cut in Kettering. When we got back (after a horrible journey in the rain) Mum and Dad were waiting for us and loved the new look of our living room. Mike said it looks "modern" and he's absolutely right. It's a much more modern look than we had before and quite different for us!
I made Mum and Dad a cup of tea and then they headed home in the gloom. Although the nights are getting lighter (bit by tiny bit) this evening was gloomy and wet and prematurely dark!
Sunday 10 January 2016
More of the same...
Today has been dry and sunny so it was great to be able to spend some time painting the wall by the window and seeing what was going on outdoors, especially as we have been stuck in all day!
We managed to get all the walls painted today and although I'd originally only wanted the grey on the wall behind the fireplace we liked it so much that we decided to paint all four walls in the same colour. The grey looked beautiful against the white woodwork of the doors and skirting boards.
It only took us the morning to paint the walls as Keith used the roller and after painting around the edges he quickly filled in the middle bits. I did all the areas around the window and we were very pleased with the end results.
We took half an hour out to pop to the shop in Moulton to get some beer for Keith as he deserved a bottle after all the hard work. Today has been lovely weather but colder than of late, which is fine by me. I'm fed up with grey skies and rain!
We managed to get all the walls painted today and although I'd originally only wanted the grey on the wall behind the fireplace we liked it so much that we decided to paint all four walls in the same colour. The grey looked beautiful against the white woodwork of the doors and skirting boards.
 |
| All finished. The yellow strip is masking tape used to protect the white coving. |
It only took us the morning to paint the walls as Keith used the roller and after painting around the edges he quickly filled in the middle bits. I did all the areas around the window and we were very pleased with the end results.
We took half an hour out to pop to the shop in Moulton to get some beer for Keith as he deserved a bottle after all the hard work. Today has been lovely weather but colder than of late, which is fine by me. I'm fed up with grey skies and rain!
Saturday 9 January 2016
Decorating!
This morning, after packing Sophie off to work, we made a start on decorating the living room. We began by painting the coving and then moved onto the tricky business of applying emulsion to the ceiling, which I hate doing.
Thankfully Keith did this while I moved around the room with him holding onto the paint tray so it wouldn't fall onto the floor...I am such a messy painter that it wouldn't have surprised me if I'd dropped it on the sofa!
In between doing this I dropped MIke off at Heather's house and came back to find that Keith had used up the white emulsion by rollering the purple wall. It now looked a bit psychedelic!
I made a start on using the grey paint (Dulux's Warm Pewter) on the wall and thought that we would need two coats as the purple underneath is quite dark.
I finished up by masking the skirting boards ready for glossing and then we called it a day. We taking our time with decorating this time as we can be a bit slapdash and when we painted the living room before we weren't that careful with the lines and getting them nice and sharp!
Keith was supposed to have gone to Wellingborough this afternoon to watch football, but yet again the match was postponed due to the wet weather. We had also planned on going to the pub but Sophie didn't finish work until 6.30pm so we had to make do with a glass of wine and beer at home!
Thankfully Keith did this while I moved around the room with him holding onto the paint tray so it wouldn't fall onto the floor...I am such a messy painter that it wouldn't have surprised me if I'd dropped it on the sofa!
In between doing this I dropped MIke off at Heather's house and came back to find that Keith had used up the white emulsion by rollering the purple wall. It now looked a bit psychedelic!
I made a start on using the grey paint (Dulux's Warm Pewter) on the wall and thought that we would need two coats as the purple underneath is quite dark.
I finished up by masking the skirting boards ready for glossing and then we called it a day. We taking our time with decorating this time as we can be a bit slapdash and when we painted the living room before we weren't that careful with the lines and getting them nice and sharp!
Keith was supposed to have gone to Wellingborough this afternoon to watch football, but yet again the match was postponed due to the wet weather. We had also planned on going to the pub but Sophie didn't finish work until 6.30pm so we had to make do with a glass of wine and beer at home!
Friday 8 January 2016
Old friends
This afternoon Sophie and I went with Mum and Dad to visit an old friend called Marie who lives in Leicestershire. She has bred Great Dane dogs for most of her life and I used to be very friendly with her daughter Linda when we were growing up. Marie bred the dog we had when I was a child, a Great Dane we called Karl.
Now she runs a boarding kennels, cattery and dog "creche" with Linda from her lovely home near Leicester and as it's doggy heaven we took Sophie with us. When we arrived there was an incessant barking and howling and the house dog, Mia, came to greet us. She was huge! She's very much like a large black labrador and just as bouncy, something that's a bit hard to handle coming from a Great Dane who is the size of a small pony!
I could have kicked myself as I'd forgotten my phone so couldn't take any photos of the dogs, but we had a lovey time meeting all her Great Danes and lots of other dogs as well, some of whom were boarding. Marie and Linda also have two Jack Russell dogs who took a shine to Sophie (and she to them) and constantly jumped up at the gate to see her.
We had a look at all the kennels and peeped into the creche where four or five dogs were hanging out and enjoying themselves! It was kitted out like a child's nursery with individual beds and soft toys! We were also shown where Linda does the dog grooming so they have a really good business going on and I was really pleased that Marie had made it such a success.
We all went back into the house for a cup of tea and a final cuddle with Mia and then it was time to head home. On the way we stopped off at a McDonald's just outside Market Harborough for Sophie to get her fix!
Now she runs a boarding kennels, cattery and dog "creche" with Linda from her lovely home near Leicester and as it's doggy heaven we took Sophie with us. When we arrived there was an incessant barking and howling and the house dog, Mia, came to greet us. She was huge! She's very much like a large black labrador and just as bouncy, something that's a bit hard to handle coming from a Great Dane who is the size of a small pony!
I could have kicked myself as I'd forgotten my phone so couldn't take any photos of the dogs, but we had a lovey time meeting all her Great Danes and lots of other dogs as well, some of whom were boarding. Marie and Linda also have two Jack Russell dogs who took a shine to Sophie (and she to them) and constantly jumped up at the gate to see her.
We had a look at all the kennels and peeped into the creche where four or five dogs were hanging out and enjoying themselves! It was kitted out like a child's nursery with individual beds and soft toys! We were also shown where Linda does the dog grooming so they have a really good business going on and I was really pleased that Marie had made it such a success.
We all went back into the house for a cup of tea and a final cuddle with Mia and then it was time to head home. On the way we stopped off at a McDonald's just outside Market Harborough for Sophie to get her fix!
Thursday 7 January 2016
Getting colder
Keith was at the hospital this morning doing his research thingy so Sophie and I cleaned the upstairs of the house before he arrived home. After I finished I showered quickly and Keith and I drove over to Kettering to do our shopping. We're back in the old routine!
The weather the morning has been abysmal and as we were driving home the heavens opened and the wind really got up. We scuttled home, put all the shopping away and had lunch before going to pick up my Mum as we were off to Next at Riverside.
On the way to my Mum's house the skies cleared and the sun came out. However the temperature has dropped a lot today and the mild weather looks set to be a thing of the past. Before we went to Next to we called into the Weston Favell Centre and I bought a pot of white emulsion in Wilco's. It goes on pink so that'll make it easier to see where we've painted the ceiling. I'm dreading it!
Next was full of gorgeous things and Sophie and I spotted this which made us laugh...
We had a good look at the furniture and the colour schemes as Sophie still thinks I've chosen the wrong combination of colours for the walls. Mum showed us the furniture she's ordered for the new house and the swatches of material for the sofa. She hasn't chosen yet as I think they need to be moved in first before they make a decision.
Upstairs in the men's section we looked at bags as Mike wanted to swap the tee-shirt my Mum had given him for Christmas for a new school bag. Sophie took a photo of the ones on offer and sent it to his Facebook page for him to look at when he got home from school.
In the meantime we sat and enjoyed a cup of tea and a cake which was lovely. They have some really delicious cakes on offer in Costa and I tried a Malteser cake which went down very well with my tea.
As soon as Mike arrived home from school he sent a message telling Sophie which one he liked. We duly went off to get it and exchanged the tee-shirt. As we were walking out we spotted some aftershaves so we had a go at trying them on...one of them, The Collection, I think it was called, smelt delicious - so fresh and clean. Would it be strange for a woman to wear Men's aftershave?!!
We dropped Mum off and then drove home through the dusk. As the skies were clear we were treated to a lovely sunset and we had a quick walk to the postbox to send a card out for my Mum. Monty started coming with us until he saw a neighbour's dogs so he backed off, even though in the past he's taken on dogs and won!
Sophie was off out in the evening with her friends Daisy and Laura so Keith and I dropped her off in town and went home to finish off the dinner of cottage pie, something we can only have when Sophie is not eating with us! It was a late pick-up and we took Daisy home but all the girls had had a great time and are now planning a trip to Rome in the Spring!
The weather the morning has been abysmal and as we were driving home the heavens opened and the wind really got up. We scuttled home, put all the shopping away and had lunch before going to pick up my Mum as we were off to Next at Riverside.
On the way to my Mum's house the skies cleared and the sun came out. However the temperature has dropped a lot today and the mild weather looks set to be a thing of the past. Before we went to Next to we called into the Weston Favell Centre and I bought a pot of white emulsion in Wilco's. It goes on pink so that'll make it easier to see where we've painted the ceiling. I'm dreading it!
Next was full of gorgeous things and Sophie and I spotted this which made us laugh...
 |
| Very apt! |
We had a good look at the furniture and the colour schemes as Sophie still thinks I've chosen the wrong combination of colours for the walls. Mum showed us the furniture she's ordered for the new house and the swatches of material for the sofa. She hasn't chosen yet as I think they need to be moved in first before they make a decision.
Upstairs in the men's section we looked at bags as Mike wanted to swap the tee-shirt my Mum had given him for Christmas for a new school bag. Sophie took a photo of the ones on offer and sent it to his Facebook page for him to look at when he got home from school.
In the meantime we sat and enjoyed a cup of tea and a cake which was lovely. They have some really delicious cakes on offer in Costa and I tried a Malteser cake which went down very well with my tea.
As soon as Mike arrived home from school he sent a message telling Sophie which one he liked. We duly went off to get it and exchanged the tee-shirt. As we were walking out we spotted some aftershaves so we had a go at trying them on...one of them, The Collection, I think it was called, smelt delicious - so fresh and clean. Would it be strange for a woman to wear Men's aftershave?!!
We dropped Mum off and then drove home through the dusk. As the skies were clear we were treated to a lovely sunset and we had a quick walk to the postbox to send a card out for my Mum. Monty started coming with us until he saw a neighbour's dogs so he backed off, even though in the past he's taken on dogs and won!
Sophie was off out in the evening with her friends Daisy and Laura so Keith and I dropped her off in town and went home to finish off the dinner of cottage pie, something we can only have when Sophie is not eating with us! It was a late pick-up and we took Daisy home but all the girls had had a great time and are now planning a trip to Rome in the Spring!
Wednesday 6 January 2016
Drowning in paperwork
Today Keith and I tackled the huge amount of old papers that have been stored in the cabinet in the front room. As I was getting rid of it I wanted to try and find room for all the stuff in our other cabinet.
We put the heating on in the conservatory and settled down to go through all the stuff. Keith found payroll slips and other papers going back to 1995! It was bin day today so we were able to get a lot of non-confidential papers out into the recycling boxes before they were collected. We now have a huge pile of paper that needs shredding so I'll be working through that over the next few days!
In the afternoon, just to get out of the house for five minutes, we drove over to Broughton to get a newspaper and to show Sophie my Mum and Dad's new house. There were a whole host of workmen beavering away inside so hopefully they may be in before planned. I know that would please them very much!
We put the heating on in the conservatory and settled down to go through all the stuff. Keith found payroll slips and other papers going back to 1995! It was bin day today so we were able to get a lot of non-confidential papers out into the recycling boxes before they were collected. We now have a huge pile of paper that needs shredding so I'll be working through that over the next few days!
In the afternoon, just to get out of the house for five minutes, we drove over to Broughton to get a newspaper and to show Sophie my Mum and Dad's new house. There were a whole host of workmen beavering away inside so hopefully they may be in before planned. I know that would please them very much!
Tuesday 5 January 2016
A little shopping...
This morning Keith and I spent far longer than we planned sanding down our windowsill in the living room as there were two suspicious bulges in the paintwork and I wanted to put things right before I glossed it.
The bulges were due to the wood swelling because of condensation so Keith used his electric sander on them and then left them to dry out a bit. I was annoyed to see that the windowsill was made of MDF and not solid wood as I'd imagined. Hopefully we can get a wood filler and make the surface all nice and smooth before I paint it! We also took the curtains down and the rail so the room now looks really bare!
At lunchtime Sophie and I went over to Milton Keynes for a bit of shopping. Sophie had a lovely little pyjama set to take back to River Island which Mum had bought for her for Christmas. The bottoms were too big and the top too small but sadly they didn't have any more in stock so she was offered a gift card which she used to buy a pair of jeans and some shoes.
We had a good look around and stopped for a coffee in Starbucks which was over-priced in our opinion. A Flat White was £2.60 and was served in a tiny cup! The shopping centre was very quiet and as well as River Island we had a look in Accessorize and New Look where Sophie bought three beautiful tops to wear with her new jeans.
From the shopping centre we went to Las Iguanas for a very late lunch and the restaurant was empty. At first we thought it was closed but we were shown to a table and enjoyed a bowl of nachos with chicken for a starter. Sophie treated herself to a cocktail (a Caiprinha) and received two as it was Happy Hour.
For our main course we ate delicious chicken burgers served with fries and coleslaw and finished the meal with Churros, two of which we saved to feed the crows that live in the multi-storey car park! We walked back to the car just as it was starting to get dark and when we arrived on our floor we called to the crows who swooped down to grab the bits of Churros! Word soon got round and as we left there were about ten to twelve crows all pecking about! It was like something from The Birds!
I decided to go home via Newport Pagnell this afternoon and I was glad I did because the motorway was a bit congested. Newport Pagnell still looked very festive with all the Christmas lights still twinkling in the streets. I turned off at Tyringham and as we drove through the impressive stone arch we saw a herd of deer drinking from the flooded field. Sophie was delighted to see them so we stopped to say hello and they all turned to look at us!
The journey home was lovely and much better than sitting on the crowded M1. We drove through the gorgeous town of Olney which also still had its Christmas lights shining and then rejoined the main route through Northampton. It was heaven to get home though and sit and relax for a while before it was time to take Mikey to Army Cadets!
The bulges were due to the wood swelling because of condensation so Keith used his electric sander on them and then left them to dry out a bit. I was annoyed to see that the windowsill was made of MDF and not solid wood as I'd imagined. Hopefully we can get a wood filler and make the surface all nice and smooth before I paint it! We also took the curtains down and the rail so the room now looks really bare!
At lunchtime Sophie and I went over to Milton Keynes for a bit of shopping. Sophie had a lovely little pyjama set to take back to River Island which Mum had bought for her for Christmas. The bottoms were too big and the top too small but sadly they didn't have any more in stock so she was offered a gift card which she used to buy a pair of jeans and some shoes.
We had a good look around and stopped for a coffee in Starbucks which was over-priced in our opinion. A Flat White was £2.60 and was served in a tiny cup! The shopping centre was very quiet and as well as River Island we had a look in Accessorize and New Look where Sophie bought three beautiful tops to wear with her new jeans.
From the shopping centre we went to Las Iguanas for a very late lunch and the restaurant was empty. At first we thought it was closed but we were shown to a table and enjoyed a bowl of nachos with chicken for a starter. Sophie treated herself to a cocktail (a Caiprinha) and received two as it was Happy Hour.
For our main course we ate delicious chicken burgers served with fries and coleslaw and finished the meal with Churros, two of which we saved to feed the crows that live in the multi-storey car park! We walked back to the car just as it was starting to get dark and when we arrived on our floor we called to the crows who swooped down to grab the bits of Churros! Word soon got round and as we left there were about ten to twelve crows all pecking about! It was like something from The Birds!
I decided to go home via Newport Pagnell this afternoon and I was glad I did because the motorway was a bit congested. Newport Pagnell still looked very festive with all the Christmas lights still twinkling in the streets. I turned off at Tyringham and as we drove through the impressive stone arch we saw a herd of deer drinking from the flooded field. Sophie was delighted to see them so we stopped to say hello and they all turned to look at us!
The journey home was lovely and much better than sitting on the crowded M1. We drove through the gorgeous town of Olney which also still had its Christmas lights shining and then rejoined the main route through Northampton. It was heaven to get home though and sit and relax for a while before it was time to take Mikey to Army Cadets!
Monday 4 January 2016
Making preparations
After taking Sophie to work this morning Keith and I went to Jones's to get some essential things, including masking tape and paint rollers as I'm determined to make a start on decorating the living room this weekend.
On the way home we called in to see Mum and Dad for a chat and a cup of coffee, and then we made a start on removing all the pictures from the walls and I took all the china out of the cabinet that is definitely not going back into the room when we've finished!
I have four decanters that sit on top of the cabinet and they were covered in dust and were really grimy! I gave them a good wash and put all our Lladro figures on the windowsills in the conservatory. Behind the cabinet was all dusty and cobwebby as well so the wall got a good clean!
Mike was off school today as he had a training day and Sophie was at work so it still felt like a Sunday. It was only when Keith went off to the pub that I remembered today was Monday!
On the way home we called in to see Mum and Dad for a chat and a cup of coffee, and then we made a start on removing all the pictures from the walls and I took all the china out of the cabinet that is definitely not going back into the room when we've finished!
I have four decanters that sit on top of the cabinet and they were covered in dust and were really grimy! I gave them a good wash and put all our Lladro figures on the windowsills in the conservatory. Behind the cabinet was all dusty and cobwebby as well so the wall got a good clean!
Mike was off school today as he had a training day and Sophie was at work so it still felt like a Sunday. It was only when Keith went off to the pub that I remembered today was Monday!
Sunday 3 January 2016
Saying goodbye to Christmas
Today has been an absolutely horrible day, weather-wise, and a really depressing background to taking the Christmas decorations down.
Sophie was at work at 9am as she had to help with the cleaning. She texted me to say that she hoovered and don't know how I did it for so long when we ran the place! Yes, it was hard work! Keith and I took both trees down this morning and I stored all the beautiful decorations safely in some gorgeous gift boxes that I have. It didn't take us long and felt like we'd only just put them up!
I hoovered all the downstairs and spent the afternoon doing very little. At about 3pm the sky went dark and the heavens opened to torrential rain. At this rate I think we'd better start planning an Ark!
After picking Sophie up it was lovely to get home and relax with a drink while Keith cooked dinner. We were in for a night's entertainment on TV as we wanted to see four programmes, all of them showing between 6pm and 10pm. Typical! There's nothing on that's any good and then four good programmes come along on the one night!
Sophie was at work at 9am as she had to help with the cleaning. She texted me to say that she hoovered and don't know how I did it for so long when we ran the place! Yes, it was hard work! Keith and I took both trees down this morning and I stored all the beautiful decorations safely in some gorgeous gift boxes that I have. It didn't take us long and felt like we'd only just put them up!
I hoovered all the downstairs and spent the afternoon doing very little. At about 3pm the sky went dark and the heavens opened to torrential rain. At this rate I think we'd better start planning an Ark!
After picking Sophie up it was lovely to get home and relax with a drink while Keith cooked dinner. We were in for a night's entertainment on TV as we wanted to see four programmes, all of them showing between 6pm and 10pm. Typical! There's nothing on that's any good and then four good programmes come along on the one night!
Saturday 2 January 2016
Pottering about
Today has been another wet and windy day - will we ever get some cold and frosty days?
Sophie was in at work as usual and Mike went off to see Heather at 11.30am. Keith ventured out to the supermarkets while I stayed at home and did some cleaning. Tomorrow we're going to take down the Christmas trees and the decorations. It's hard to believe it's all over!
In the afternoon I did some research on my family tree. One of the things I promised myself after I stopped working was to go down to the library in Maidstone to look at the original parish records that I couldn't access online.
This afternoon I didn't achieve much, unfortunately, and I'm just going to have to resign myself to the fact that I'm not going to be able to find out information on some of my ancestors, which is a huge shame. I've got to stop thinking that my relatives from over 100 years ago weren't as methodical with record keeping as we are today and that there will be some people I'll never find out more about.
In the evening we had a delicious dinner of roast gammon and pineapple and then we settled down to watch a film called "The Loft" which was enjoyable and had a few satisfying twists and turns!
Sophie was in at work as usual and Mike went off to see Heather at 11.30am. Keith ventured out to the supermarkets while I stayed at home and did some cleaning. Tomorrow we're going to take down the Christmas trees and the decorations. It's hard to believe it's all over!
In the afternoon I did some research on my family tree. One of the things I promised myself after I stopped working was to go down to the library in Maidstone to look at the original parish records that I couldn't access online.
This afternoon I didn't achieve much, unfortunately, and I'm just going to have to resign myself to the fact that I'm not going to be able to find out information on some of my ancestors, which is a huge shame. I've got to stop thinking that my relatives from over 100 years ago weren't as methodical with record keeping as we are today and that there will be some people I'll never find out more about.
In the evening we had a delicious dinner of roast gammon and pineapple and then we settled down to watch a film called "The Loft" which was enjoyable and had a few satisfying twists and turns!
Friday 1 January 2016
A "Hangover" breakfast
None of us were hungover this morning although I did have a slight headache, probably from mixing vodka with Champagne!
The first day of the new year dawned cloudy and grey, and noticeably colder. We all woke up a bit late but by 12.30pm we were ready to walk up to the pub. That decision didn't go down well with Mikey who thought we were going to drive!
It was lovely to get out and have some fresh air and a bit of exercise. The pub wasn't as busy as I thought it would be and we were taken to our table straight away. There were several breakfasts on offer and the children and I went for the big breakfast while Keith opted for a slightly smaller version. He does this because he knows that he'll get a few items rejected by the kids!
Neighbours of ours were sitting at an adjacent table so we said hello and wish each other a Happy New Year. I still find it hard to believe that Christmas is over! The food was lovely but it did feel a bit strange to be eating breakfast so late and accompanied by beer! We weren't in the pub long and it had emptied out by the time we left at 2pm.
Walking back we passed Sue and Paul and their dogs who were also bound for the pub. The wind had grown colder and it was lovely to get home and relax in the warm with the last episode of "And Then There Were None"!
The first day of the new year dawned cloudy and grey, and noticeably colder. We all woke up a bit late but by 12.30pm we were ready to walk up to the pub. That decision didn't go down well with Mikey who thought we were going to drive!
It was lovely to get out and have some fresh air and a bit of exercise. The pub wasn't as busy as I thought it would be and we were taken to our table straight away. There were several breakfasts on offer and the children and I went for the big breakfast while Keith opted for a slightly smaller version. He does this because he knows that he'll get a few items rejected by the kids!
Neighbours of ours were sitting at an adjacent table so we said hello and wish each other a Happy New Year. I still find it hard to believe that Christmas is over! The food was lovely but it did feel a bit strange to be eating breakfast so late and accompanied by beer! We weren't in the pub long and it had emptied out by the time we left at 2pm.
Walking back we passed Sue and Paul and their dogs who were also bound for the pub. The wind had grown colder and it was lovely to get home and relax in the warm with the last episode of "And Then There Were None"!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)