Sophie was in at work again at 9.30 while Mike spent the day shopping in Milton Keynes with Heather and some other friends.
Keith and I did our usual menu for the week and went shopping where it wasn't as busy as last week, probably because Easter is all over now!
After getting home and having some lunch Keith and I headed over to Mum and Dad's where we helped them do some little jobs. Keith put a new switch on a cabinet in their living room and then I helped him put up some coat hooks in their under-stairs cupboard. I also tried to sort out their Broadband but it defeated me so I think Dad will need to contact his provider to set it up. I hate it when I can't fix something!
It's been a lovely day today with more blue skies and sunshine and the weekend is looking to be dry and warmer. I really want to get out into the garden and potter about but there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day at the moment!
Back home I jumped into the bath and Sophie called to say she had to be picked up later than expected. As we'd tried to coordinate picking Mike up around the same time I hurriedly finished my bath and tried to get hold of my son who wasn't answering his mobile. Even contacting him on Messenger failed!
For some reason I thought I had to collect him from the library in Brixworth so I dashed over there to find no sign of him. I waited for about ten minutes and then drove into Northampton to get Sophie. On the way I remembered he'd been with Heather so was probably at her house, a mere two minutes from work!
As I was early to collect Sophie I went into work and was amazed at the changes that had taken place since I'd been in last. I was very impressed with what the new owners have done and the whole place looks really fresh and clean, and very modern! I had a chat with Georgie, Polly and Maureen and then we drove to Heather's house where Mike was waiting! Phew!
Thursday 31 March 2016
Wednesday 30 March 2016
Getting things done...
I had to finish my second counselling assignment today and email it off to my tutor so I did that after we'd taken Sophie to work at 9am this morning. Mike also wanted to go to Brixworth so we dropped him off there and then came back to get things done.
It's been a gorgeous day today with lots of blue skies and sunshine and I really felt in the mood to give the house a good clean. We have a surveyor coming from B&Q this evening so we gave the en-suite bathroom a good scrub and then I cleaned the rest of the house.
I had to go and pick up the kids on my own as Keith stayed in to see the surveyor. I picked Mike up first and he tried to persuade me to get him a moped so he would be more independent. I certainly have reservations about getting him one but I told him to wait until we could both speak to Keith about the matter!
Back home the surveyor had been and gone and said he might be able to get the shower tray lowered to floor level which would be good. He also said he might be able to get the work done quicker than we'd expected so that would be a bonus!
It's been a gorgeous day today with lots of blue skies and sunshine and I really felt in the mood to give the house a good clean. We have a surveyor coming from B&Q this evening so we gave the en-suite bathroom a good scrub and then I cleaned the rest of the house.
I had to go and pick up the kids on my own as Keith stayed in to see the surveyor. I picked Mike up first and he tried to persuade me to get him a moped so he would be more independent. I certainly have reservations about getting him one but I told him to wait until we could both speak to Keith about the matter!
Back home the surveyor had been and gone and said he might be able to get the shower tray lowered to floor level which would be good. He also said he might be able to get the work done quicker than we'd expected so that would be a bonus!
Tuesday 29 March 2016
Back to work!
This week has been fairly quiet with not much happening!
The weather improved after Monday's storm and we've had days of sunshine with a few showers dotted here and there. The early mornings and evenings have still been chilly though, but we've had some beautiful skies with lots of huge fluffy white clouds. So much better than a layer of stodgy grey!
Sophie went back to work today and became cross because she'd organised to share the assistant cook's job with another girl who promptly let her down and went home early. As soon as we'd dropped her off Keith, Mike and I drove over to Kettering as I was going to do a quick shop while my husband and son went for a hair cut. I dropped them off and headed into Tesco where I bought some bits for Sophie's birthday next week.
As they hadn't appeared when I'd finished shopping I treated myself to a coffee in Costa and then went to sit in the car to read the paper until I saw them walking over.
On the way home we called to see Mum and Dad as Mike had never been to the house before. They still had a lot of boxes to unpack but I think they're getting there...slowly!
The weather changed in the evening and we had heavy rain and winds. Mike decided not to go to Army Cadets tonight which was a relief so we were able to pick Sophie up and head home to relax!
The weather improved after Monday's storm and we've had days of sunshine with a few showers dotted here and there. The early mornings and evenings have still been chilly though, but we've had some beautiful skies with lots of huge fluffy white clouds. So much better than a layer of stodgy grey!
Sophie went back to work today and became cross because she'd organised to share the assistant cook's job with another girl who promptly let her down and went home early. As soon as we'd dropped her off Keith, Mike and I drove over to Kettering as I was going to do a quick shop while my husband and son went for a hair cut. I dropped them off and headed into Tesco where I bought some bits for Sophie's birthday next week.
As they hadn't appeared when I'd finished shopping I treated myself to a coffee in Costa and then went to sit in the car to read the paper until I saw them walking over.
On the way home we called to see Mum and Dad as Mike had never been to the house before. They still had a lot of boxes to unpack but I think they're getting there...slowly!
The weather changed in the evening and we had heavy rain and winds. Mike decided not to go to Army Cadets tonight which was a relief so we were able to pick Sophie up and head home to relax!
Monday 28 March 2016
Storm Katie
It was lovely to know that this morning we could all have a lie-in and a relaxed start to the day. I made a "big breakfast" this morning and we sat down to scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans and hash browns with toast. It's something I hardly do at the moment as we all have to rush off every morning normally!
Mike went to see Heather and back home I caught up with writing my blog and watched the birds in the garden. The weather today has been very stormy and overnight we had torrential rain but during the day it's been a mixture of sunshine and showers which made for very interesting skies!
In the afternoon we popped to Lidl in Rushden as we needed some bottled water and Sophie was going mad cooped up in the house! She hadn't really been out, apart from our meal last night, since Thursday so we said we'd go to Lidl and take a leisurely drive home.
Lidl was very quiet and after picking up some essentials we drove home via Kettering. The sky was a gorgeous blue with huge fluffy white clouds floating along. It was definitely a "Florida sky"!
Back home we walked Monty around the estate but the wind was still quite strong and cold. We walked down to the gate and looked out over the fields and of course, the little robin was there as well. Earlier in the day we'd looked at the farm buildings and apart from a couple of ugly corrugated iron sheds, there wasn't much left. Amazingly, the chickens were still pecking about!
Mike went to see Heather and back home I caught up with writing my blog and watched the birds in the garden. The weather today has been very stormy and overnight we had torrential rain but during the day it's been a mixture of sunshine and showers which made for very interesting skies!
In the afternoon we popped to Lidl in Rushden as we needed some bottled water and Sophie was going mad cooped up in the house! She hadn't really been out, apart from our meal last night, since Thursday so we said we'd go to Lidl and take a leisurely drive home.
Lidl was very quiet and after picking up some essentials we drove home via Kettering. The sky was a gorgeous blue with huge fluffy white clouds floating along. It was definitely a "Florida sky"!
Back home we walked Monty around the estate but the wind was still quite strong and cold. We walked down to the gate and looked out over the fields and of course, the little robin was there as well. Earlier in the day we'd looked at the farm buildings and apart from a couple of ugly corrugated iron sheds, there wasn't much left. Amazingly, the chickens were still pecking about!
Sunday 27 March 2016
A bit of excitement!
After our early-ish night last night, we were awake before 8am and looking out on blue skies and sunshine, although it was very windy. This wasn't supposed to be the weather for today!
We packed, had breakfast and were on on way by 9.30am. We had planned to go to the horse racing in Sedgefield but as the weather was supposed to be bad and the racing didn't start until the afternoon we decided to give it a miss and headed home to spend Easter Sunday with the children.
We had a great journey home and were back at midday, much to the delight of Sophie who had really missed us over the weekend. I unpacked and put a wash on and then it was great to sit and watch Masterchef with my daughter while Keith watched the sport upstairs.
Towards the late afternoon Keith came downstairs to watch the cricket and I was in the sunny conservatory. I could hear sirens and said to Keith were they on the television? He couldn't hear them so I went to our front window and saw smoke billowing up into the sky. I raced upstairs to get a better look and it seemed that some ramshackle farm buildings opposite our estate had gone up in flames. We could see at least three fire engines there already.
I saw our next door neighbour, Tom, go running along the road so we all followed him and when we got to the entrance of the estate there was a large fire engine blocking the road.
There was a rumour that there were gas cylinders stored at the farm so the fire brigade had decided to leave trying to put the fire out as there was a risk they might explode. At least it gave us a chance to catch up with Tom and congratulate him on the birth of his baby son last week!
The road remained blocked all evening and apart from some very black smoke and flames at one point, not much more happened. In the evening we went out to Frank's Hamburger House for dinner and we had a lovely evening with very good food. The restaurant was nearly empty so we had great service and a very relaxed time. We chose nachos with pulled pork to start as well as some chicken goujons which disappeared rapidly!
We all had burgers for our main course and mine, the Swashbuckler, was served with salad, cheese and dills. Delicious! On the way home we called into McDonald's for a McFlurry and enjoying the creamy dessert ended our evening perfectly!
We packed, had breakfast and were on on way by 9.30am. We had planned to go to the horse racing in Sedgefield but as the weather was supposed to be bad and the racing didn't start until the afternoon we decided to give it a miss and headed home to spend Easter Sunday with the children.
We had a great journey home and were back at midday, much to the delight of Sophie who had really missed us over the weekend. I unpacked and put a wash on and then it was great to sit and watch Masterchef with my daughter while Keith watched the sport upstairs.
Towards the late afternoon Keith came downstairs to watch the cricket and I was in the sunny conservatory. I could hear sirens and said to Keith were they on the television? He couldn't hear them so I went to our front window and saw smoke billowing up into the sky. I raced upstairs to get a better look and it seemed that some ramshackle farm buildings opposite our estate had gone up in flames. We could see at least three fire engines there already.
I saw our next door neighbour, Tom, go running along the road so we all followed him and when we got to the entrance of the estate there was a large fire engine blocking the road.
There was a rumour that there were gas cylinders stored at the farm so the fire brigade had decided to leave trying to put the fire out as there was a risk they might explode. At least it gave us a chance to catch up with Tom and congratulate him on the birth of his baby son last week!
The road remained blocked all evening and apart from some very black smoke and flames at one point, not much more happened. In the evening we went out to Frank's Hamburger House for dinner and we had a lovely evening with very good food. The restaurant was nearly empty so we had great service and a very relaxed time. We chose nachos with pulled pork to start as well as some chicken goujons which disappeared rapidly!
We all had burgers for our main course and mine, the Swashbuckler, was served with salad, cheese and dills. Delicious! On the way home we called into McDonald's for a McFlurry and enjoying the creamy dessert ended our evening perfectly!
Saturday 26 March 2016
Sight-seeing
We had a delicious breakfast this morning after a really good night's sleep. The Premier Inn beds are King size and are so comfortable. As our mattress at home is now well past it's best by date, I'm going to look at buying the Hypnos bed they use as we both found it lovely to sleep on.
We had cereal, fruit and the usual full English for breakfast accompanied by limitless tea and coffee so we were really set up for our day! We headed to Durham first and parked in the large multi-storey that brought us out onto the main shopping street leading to the Cathedral and the Castle.
Keith had seen an advertisement for an exhibition at the University Library about Durham County's involvement with the Battle of the Somme so we paid our entrance fee and spent a very enjoyable, and moving, couple of hours there.
The exhibition was mainly about the Durham Light Infantry who recruited from the area and there were lots of photos, films and artefacts about the First World War. It was beautifully presented and it was fascinating to see so many photographs and films from 100 years ago.
When we emerged from the exhibition we went into Durham Cathedral which is truly beautiful and dates from 1093 to house the shrine of St Cuthbert. By now the area around the Cathedral and Castle had become a lot busier, but it was still lovely to wander around the huge church and look at the stunning architecture and stained-glass windows.
Afterwards we wandered over to the Castle entrance but we decided to head to Newcastle instead. The weather was a bit dull and cloudy but thankfully, dry!
We found our way into the city quite easily and parked in the underground car-park of Newcastle United Football Club! As they weren't playing at home today the ground was shut but the bars and shop were open.
Keith has been a supporter of NUFC for most of his life but has a bit of a love-hate relationship with the club at the moment as they are not doing so well! We found our way down the very steep streets to the Bigg Market where a lot of Newcastle's nightlife is to be found. There were endless bars and restaurants and some people looked like they were starting their Saturday night revelries early!
We found the Crown Posada pub which is a very atmospheric, narrow pub. It was busy with people and we found a seat towards the back of the bar and enjoyed a couple of drinks. I tried a half pint of a very dark beer while Keith went for a lighter IPA.
From the pub we walked the short distance to the Quayside but as we'd visited a few years ago and time was getting on we had a quick look at the River Tyne and the bridge and returned to the car.
Getting back up the steep streets was a bit of an ordeal as we were now a little tired! It took us half an hour to get back to the car and before long we were driving over the river and back into County Durham.
We called into The Blue Bells pub in the village of Newton Bewley before going back to the hotel as we wanted to see whether it was worth booking a table there. The pub was very quiet and I'm sure that a long, long time ago Keith and I called there for Sunday lunch. They were able to fit us in at about 7.30pm so after a quick drink we left and returned to the hotel. I relaxed on the bed and could have stayed there all night but Keith wanted to go out a bit early and have a pre-dinner drink in the pub.
When we arrived it was pouring with rain and blowing a gale so it looked like the start of the stormy weather that was due to hit the UK over Easter. We ran into the pub to find it still very quiet and had a nice chat with the girls behind the bar who were very friendly. Looking at the extensive menu we chose garlic bread to start followed by a mixed grill for Keith and Surf and Turf for me. Although we'd booked the table for 7.30pm we were seated much earlier so by 7.45pm we were all done and the pub had emptied out! The garlic bread we'd had was perhaps the worst I'd ever tasted and I couldn't discern any garlic at all! Keith's mixed grill was huge and he enjoyed the various meats but I was slightly disappointed with the scallops on my plate as they were soft, flabby and tasteless.
Wondering what on earth we were going to do at such an early hour, we drove back to the hotel and went to The Toby for a nightcap again. Even here the pub had emptied out and by 9pm it was very quiet indeed! We put our clocks forward in readiness for the morning and went to bed to read!
We had cereal, fruit and the usual full English for breakfast accompanied by limitless tea and coffee so we were really set up for our day! We headed to Durham first and parked in the large multi-storey that brought us out onto the main shopping street leading to the Cathedral and the Castle.
Keith had seen an advertisement for an exhibition at the University Library about Durham County's involvement with the Battle of the Somme so we paid our entrance fee and spent a very enjoyable, and moving, couple of hours there.
The exhibition was mainly about the Durham Light Infantry who recruited from the area and there were lots of photos, films and artefacts about the First World War. It was beautifully presented and it was fascinating to see so many photographs and films from 100 years ago.
When we emerged from the exhibition we went into Durham Cathedral which is truly beautiful and dates from 1093 to house the shrine of St Cuthbert. By now the area around the Cathedral and Castle had become a lot busier, but it was still lovely to wander around the huge church and look at the stunning architecture and stained-glass windows.
Afterwards we wandered over to the Castle entrance but we decided to head to Newcastle instead. The weather was a bit dull and cloudy but thankfully, dry!
We found our way into the city quite easily and parked in the underground car-park of Newcastle United Football Club! As they weren't playing at home today the ground was shut but the bars and shop were open.
Keith has been a supporter of NUFC for most of his life but has a bit of a love-hate relationship with the club at the moment as they are not doing so well! We found our way down the very steep streets to the Bigg Market where a lot of Newcastle's nightlife is to be found. There were endless bars and restaurants and some people looked like they were starting their Saturday night revelries early!
We found the Crown Posada pub which is a very atmospheric, narrow pub. It was busy with people and we found a seat towards the back of the bar and enjoyed a couple of drinks. I tried a half pint of a very dark beer while Keith went for a lighter IPA.
From the pub we walked the short distance to the Quayside but as we'd visited a few years ago and time was getting on we had a quick look at the River Tyne and the bridge and returned to the car.
Getting back up the steep streets was a bit of an ordeal as we were now a little tired! It took us half an hour to get back to the car and before long we were driving over the river and back into County Durham.
We called into The Blue Bells pub in the village of Newton Bewley before going back to the hotel as we wanted to see whether it was worth booking a table there. The pub was very quiet and I'm sure that a long, long time ago Keith and I called there for Sunday lunch. They were able to fit us in at about 7.30pm so after a quick drink we left and returned to the hotel. I relaxed on the bed and could have stayed there all night but Keith wanted to go out a bit early and have a pre-dinner drink in the pub.
When we arrived it was pouring with rain and blowing a gale so it looked like the start of the stormy weather that was due to hit the UK over Easter. We ran into the pub to find it still very quiet and had a nice chat with the girls behind the bar who were very friendly. Looking at the extensive menu we chose garlic bread to start followed by a mixed grill for Keith and Surf and Turf for me. Although we'd booked the table for 7.30pm we were seated much earlier so by 7.45pm we were all done and the pub had emptied out! The garlic bread we'd had was perhaps the worst I'd ever tasted and I couldn't discern any garlic at all! Keith's mixed grill was huge and he enjoyed the various meats but I was slightly disappointed with the scallops on my plate as they were soft, flabby and tasteless.
Wondering what on earth we were going to do at such an early hour, we drove back to the hotel and went to The Toby for a nightcap again. Even here the pub had emptied out and by 9pm it was very quiet indeed! We put our clocks forward in readiness for the morning and went to bed to read!
Friday 25 March 2016
Moan-day Friday...
I seem unable to get my head around the fact that it's Easter as it really doesn't feel like it at all! Perhaps it's because it's early this year!
Keith and I set off at 8.30am this morning and we were doing really well until Leeds when we got stuck in a traffic jam where the M1 joins the A1/M. This held us up for about 45 minutes and we arrived at Keith's brother's Val's house at just past midday.
He looked far better than we'd expected, which was a nice surprise as he has been really quite ill, and he offered to make us a cup of coffee and said he had some chocolate cake. Now, I am never one to turn down chocolate cake, especially a Thornton's one so I said I'd love to have a slice. However, I think he bought the cake last Easter as it was as hard as a rock! I nibbled a few bites but I had to give up in the end and Keith very tactfully removed it to the kitchen and put it in the bin!
We had a good chat about the family tree and then he gave Keith his medals and a box of old coins for Mike. We were also given Desmond, his old stuffed toy dog (not a real one!) and a painting of his collie Robbie. Quite what we are going to do with them, I don't know!
We stayed for nearly two hours and Keith suggested we go to the coast for a walk before we checked into our hotel. On the way, Keith thought it would be a good idea to let me drive around one of the roughest areas of this part of the North-East as the layout of the roads had changed and he couldn't find the right way to go! I'm glad to say we survived!
Going to Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, turned out to be a big mistake. The weather forecast for the Easter weekend was for wind and rain from Saturday onwards so obviously the whole of the North-East of England decided to head for the seaside. We queued for ages to get into the town and eventually turned down a narrow side road where I miraculously found a tight parking space.
We walked along the broad promenade and gazed out to sea at an army of wind turbines situated just off the coast. Further along the headland was Seal Sands, which sounds idyllic but is actually an area of industry with what looked like an oil refinery, so not the best view I've ever seen!
By now I was dying for a cup of tea and a sandwich as we hadn't eaten since breakfast (not including the rock hard cake). We turned inland and went in search of a nice little cafe but there had obviously been a warning that all the fish and chip restaurants were on the point of running out of food as the pavements were crowded, and I mean crowded, with people queuing up for the meal of Good Friday, namely fish!
I have never seen so many people queuing up at the two restaurants in my life and walking back to the promenade it seemed that everyone was eating fish and chips out of the paper. I was not the happiest of people so I suggested we go back to the car, return to our hotel and have a cup of tea there.
We drove back to the A19 where our Premier Inn was situated and I wondered why on earth we had chosen this particular hotel. It was on a large service area shared with a KFC, a McDonalds and a filling station. Next door was a Toby Carvery and from our room we had a view over the car-park...
However, as with all Premier Inns, the staff were really friendly, the room was spotless, the bed was extremely comfortable and we had breakfast to look forward to in the morning! We nipped over to the filling station and bought a couple of sandwiches and some fresh milk for our tea and unpacked.
In the evening we drove to Durham, about ten miles away, and parked on the street outside The Victoria pub where we'd had a drink the last time we came here. The bar area was bustling with people but we retreated to a small snug where two groups of students were talking earnestly about assignments and exams.
We had a couple of drinks there and then walked the short distance to The Court Inn where we reserved a table for later in the evening. The pub was pleasantly busy and everyone seemed to be eating fish again! I know that it's tradition to eat fish on Good Friday but it seems to be taken to the extreme here in the north of the country. At least they weren't eating a whole roast squirrel which was also on the menu!
We had a very enjoyable evening having a couple of drinks and a lovely meal. We started with very hot chicken wings to share followed by fish and chips, of course! The fish was beautifully cooked and was served with home-made chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce. I loved everything except the chips which tasted a bit strange. We even had room for dessert and I enjoyed a strawberry pavlova while Keith chose the Durham cheese and biscuits which he found disappointing.
As we came out of the pub the gates of the police station opposite opened and two police cars came screaming out which certainly woke us up! We drove back to the hotel and had a nightcap in the Toby before eventually falling into the supremely comfortable bed, which apparently you can now buy!
Keith and I set off at 8.30am this morning and we were doing really well until Leeds when we got stuck in a traffic jam where the M1 joins the A1/M. This held us up for about 45 minutes and we arrived at Keith's brother's Val's house at just past midday.
He looked far better than we'd expected, which was a nice surprise as he has been really quite ill, and he offered to make us a cup of coffee and said he had some chocolate cake. Now, I am never one to turn down chocolate cake, especially a Thornton's one so I said I'd love to have a slice. However, I think he bought the cake last Easter as it was as hard as a rock! I nibbled a few bites but I had to give up in the end and Keith very tactfully removed it to the kitchen and put it in the bin!
We had a good chat about the family tree and then he gave Keith his medals and a box of old coins for Mike. We were also given Desmond, his old stuffed toy dog (not a real one!) and a painting of his collie Robbie. Quite what we are going to do with them, I don't know!
We stayed for nearly two hours and Keith suggested we go to the coast for a walk before we checked into our hotel. On the way, Keith thought it would be a good idea to let me drive around one of the roughest areas of this part of the North-East as the layout of the roads had changed and he couldn't find the right way to go! I'm glad to say we survived!
Going to Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, turned out to be a big mistake. The weather forecast for the Easter weekend was for wind and rain from Saturday onwards so obviously the whole of the North-East of England decided to head for the seaside. We queued for ages to get into the town and eventually turned down a narrow side road where I miraculously found a tight parking space.
We walked along the broad promenade and gazed out to sea at an army of wind turbines situated just off the coast. Further along the headland was Seal Sands, which sounds idyllic but is actually an area of industry with what looked like an oil refinery, so not the best view I've ever seen!
By now I was dying for a cup of tea and a sandwich as we hadn't eaten since breakfast (not including the rock hard cake). We turned inland and went in search of a nice little cafe but there had obviously been a warning that all the fish and chip restaurants were on the point of running out of food as the pavements were crowded, and I mean crowded, with people queuing up for the meal of Good Friday, namely fish!
I have never seen so many people queuing up at the two restaurants in my life and walking back to the promenade it seemed that everyone was eating fish and chips out of the paper. I was not the happiest of people so I suggested we go back to the car, return to our hotel and have a cup of tea there.
We drove back to the A19 where our Premier Inn was situated and I wondered why on earth we had chosen this particular hotel. It was on a large service area shared with a KFC, a McDonalds and a filling station. Next door was a Toby Carvery and from our room we had a view over the car-park...
However, as with all Premier Inns, the staff were really friendly, the room was spotless, the bed was extremely comfortable and we had breakfast to look forward to in the morning! We nipped over to the filling station and bought a couple of sandwiches and some fresh milk for our tea and unpacked.
In the evening we drove to Durham, about ten miles away, and parked on the street outside The Victoria pub where we'd had a drink the last time we came here. The bar area was bustling with people but we retreated to a small snug where two groups of students were talking earnestly about assignments and exams.
We had a couple of drinks there and then walked the short distance to The Court Inn where we reserved a table for later in the evening. The pub was pleasantly busy and everyone seemed to be eating fish again! I know that it's tradition to eat fish on Good Friday but it seems to be taken to the extreme here in the north of the country. At least they weren't eating a whole roast squirrel which was also on the menu!
We had a very enjoyable evening having a couple of drinks and a lovely meal. We started with very hot chicken wings to share followed by fish and chips, of course! The fish was beautifully cooked and was served with home-made chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce. I loved everything except the chips which tasted a bit strange. We even had room for dessert and I enjoyed a strawberry pavlova while Keith chose the Durham cheese and biscuits which he found disappointing.
As we came out of the pub the gates of the police station opposite opened and two police cars came screaming out which certainly woke us up! We drove back to the hotel and had a nightcap in the Toby before eventually falling into the supremely comfortable bed, which apparently you can now buy!
Thursday 24 March 2016
Almost Easter!
Keith had an appointment at the hospital this morning to see the consultant, so we left home at 8am and arrived in good time. The consultant has asked him to return for another scan in about two weeks and I'm just glad we're going to get it sorted out.
On the way home we called into the Weston Favell Centre and over a cup of tea and a pastry we looked at the afternoon racing in Chepstow and picked out some horses as we have a couple of free bets from Ladbroke's from last week.
Back home we quickly did the menu for the weekend as Keith and I are off tomorrow to the North-East for a few days. We just wanted to shop for food until Monday and after dropping Sophie off at uni we drove over to Kettering. On the way we called to see Mum and Dad who were busy sorting out the house and trying to figure out where to put things! Mum and Dad promised to call in and see the kids at some point over the weekend and said they were just minutes away if needed.
Shopping was a little stressful today as a few children seemed to be off school (Mike included) and it was much busier than normal. As we didn't have much to get it didn't take us too long, thank goodness!
On the way home we called into the Weston Favell Centre and over a cup of tea and a pastry we looked at the afternoon racing in Chepstow and picked out some horses as we have a couple of free bets from Ladbroke's from last week.
Back home we quickly did the menu for the weekend as Keith and I are off tomorrow to the North-East for a few days. We just wanted to shop for food until Monday and after dropping Sophie off at uni we drove over to Kettering. On the way we called to see Mum and Dad who were busy sorting out the house and trying to figure out where to put things! Mum and Dad promised to call in and see the kids at some point over the weekend and said they were just minutes away if needed.
Shopping was a little stressful today as a few children seemed to be off school (Mike included) and it was much busier than normal. As we didn't have much to get it didn't take us too long, thank goodness!
Wednesday 23 March 2016
Thwarted plans!
Keith and Ian were back at Mum and Dad's house today to finish the electrics in the garage and to put up some lights in the kitchen. Keith said their garage was full of furniture, a lot of which they'd forgotten they had as it had been in storage! The aim was for them to downsize so they will have to decide what to do with the stuff they no longer need in the next few weeks.
Sophie and I went to Market Harborough at lunchtime and she bought some new clothes in New Look for her trip to Rome which is coming up alarmingly fast! It's two weeks on Thursday!
We had lunch in Costa and I bought a new handbag in Monsoon as Sophie had a £10 voucher and they were also doing a 20% discount when you spent over £30. As the bag was £32 I finished up paying just £15 so I was very chuffed!
The weather today hasn't been as nice as previous days and it's definitely been on the chilly side. We had a short mooch in some other shops and then went home at 3pm as Sophie was supposed to be going out this evening for Tapas with two of her friends. Unfortunately, after a protracted conversation about who was going to drive and how they were going to get to the restaurant one of her friends cried off so they had to cancel going out. Sophie was understandably furious as it was such short notice!
To make up for her disappointment we went to the pub for a drink before we drove to Moulton to get Mike who was with Heather. He'd walked to her house from school so at least we didn't have to go and get him at 4.15pm again!
We had a lovely drink, sitting in the window and watching the comings and goings in the village and then left to pick him up at almost 7pm. We dropped Keith off at home so he could get on with cooking dinner and drove to Moulton before finally heading home for a glass of wine and a relaxed evening!
Tuesday 22 March 2016
Moving Day!
So, Mum and Dad's moving day has arrived and what gorgeous weather they had for it! We dropped the kids off at school and uni and went straight to their rented house to help. The removals van hadn't arrived yet so I put as much stuff as I could into my car and when the men arrived Keith and I headed over to Broughton to take it all.
We unloaded the car, put all the stuff out of the way and then went to get some diesel for my car. We returned home for half an hour and then went back to Broughton where the first load from the house had been unloaded. The men now needed to go to the Lok 'n' Store place in Northampton to collect all the furniture that had been stored since November.
As there wasn't really much we could do Keith and I went home and he put up a little butterfly house that Mum had given me for an Easter present. She'd also bought me a really sweet little nesting box which I hung in the garden so hopefully we may have some bird babies over the next few weeks.
As we were out in the garden I tidied up the messy gravel garden and emptied some scruffy pots. I picked up a load of leaves from the gravel and when I'd finished I was pleased with how much neater it looked. The little robin was with me all the time and the other birds seemed quite happy to peck away at the food while I was working.
We picked Sophie up from uni at 3pm and went to Jones's to kill an hour before collecting Mike from school. He'd been a bad lad and had been put into isolation for two days for getting into trouble which both Keith and I thought was a bit extreme. He was thoroughly fed up when we collected him but although he only had one more day it would be his last day before he broke up for the Easter holidays.
In the evening Sophie and I were going to go to The Lamplighter but I really didn't feel like going so after dropping Mike off at Army cadets we called into the new Fish and Chip takeaway in Moulton and ordered dinner there. With a bottle of Chilean Chardonnay we had a lovely night and caught up with Catfish! Keith picked Mike up so it was great not to have to go out again!
We unloaded the car, put all the stuff out of the way and then went to get some diesel for my car. We returned home for half an hour and then went back to Broughton where the first load from the house had been unloaded. The men now needed to go to the Lok 'n' Store place in Northampton to collect all the furniture that had been stored since November.
As there wasn't really much we could do Keith and I went home and he put up a little butterfly house that Mum had given me for an Easter present. She'd also bought me a really sweet little nesting box which I hung in the garden so hopefully we may have some bird babies over the next few weeks.
As we were out in the garden I tidied up the messy gravel garden and emptied some scruffy pots. I picked up a load of leaves from the gravel and when I'd finished I was pleased with how much neater it looked. The little robin was with me all the time and the other birds seemed quite happy to peck away at the food while I was working.
We picked Sophie up from uni at 3pm and went to Jones's to kill an hour before collecting Mike from school. He'd been a bad lad and had been put into isolation for two days for getting into trouble which both Keith and I thought was a bit extreme. He was thoroughly fed up when we collected him but although he only had one more day it would be his last day before he broke up for the Easter holidays.
In the evening Sophie and I were going to go to The Lamplighter but I really didn't feel like going so after dropping Mike off at Army cadets we called into the new Fish and Chip takeaway in Moulton and ordered dinner there. With a bottle of Chilean Chardonnay we had a lovely night and caught up with Catfish! Keith picked Mike up so it was great not to have to go out again!
Monday 21 March 2016
Getting ready
This morning Keith and I went to Mum and Dad's new house as Ian was also coming over to fix up the garage with electrical sockets. Dad wants to use the garage as his model aeroplane workshop and needed more sockets than was already there. Mum and Dad were still at their rented house and as there wasn't much for me to do I went home to do some housework before popping back over at midday.
Ian had to go home at 12pm so after having a quick lunch with Mum and Dad who had arrived just after me, Keith and I went home and pottered about until it was time to pick up Sophie. On our way home we called into Beckworth as I wanted to get a "New Home" card for my parents and a little treat to welcome them to their new house.
I picked out a lovely garden tub with pretty Spring flowers and Sophie bought herself a baguette and some garlic mayonnaise. We had a lovely morning today but then it clouded over in the afternoon and became quite chilly. It's certainly not Spring just yet!
In the evening I had to drive to Moulton to pick up Mike from Heather's and as soon as he appeared we drove home to make dinner of Macaroni Cheese. The last time I cooked the dish it wasn't up to Sophie's standard but she pronounced tonight's meal as the best ever! Phew!
Ian had to go home at 12pm so after having a quick lunch with Mum and Dad who had arrived just after me, Keith and I went home and pottered about until it was time to pick up Sophie. On our way home we called into Beckworth as I wanted to get a "New Home" card for my parents and a little treat to welcome them to their new house.
I picked out a lovely garden tub with pretty Spring flowers and Sophie bought herself a baguette and some garlic mayonnaise. We had a lovely morning today but then it clouded over in the afternoon and became quite chilly. It's certainly not Spring just yet!
In the evening I had to drive to Moulton to pick up Mike from Heather's and as soon as he appeared we drove home to make dinner of Macaroni Cheese. The last time I cooked the dish it wasn't up to Sophie's standard but she pronounced tonight's meal as the best ever! Phew!
Sunday 20 March 2016
Sunny Sunday!
After dropping Sophie off at work this morning we called to see Mum and Dad on the way home. They are gearing up for their move on Tuesday so the house was looking really bare. I took them some banana, walnut and chocolate muffins that I'd made and they went down really well with a cup of coffee.
Back home, as it was such a beautiful day, I washed my car and wiped away all the cat footprints from Jim. Just as I was putting my lunch in the oven (leftover Chinese take-away) Mike appeared and wanted me to take him to Heather's house. Typical! I ran him to Moulton, came back and had my lunch in peace!
On the way to collecting Sophie from work I called into the Co-op in Moulton and, as a treat, bought the ingredients for a Vodka Martini, a la James Bond. When we got home I made Sophie the drink but she wasn't that keen so she stuck to wine for the rest of the evening!
Back home, as it was such a beautiful day, I washed my car and wiped away all the cat footprints from Jim. Just as I was putting my lunch in the oven (leftover Chinese take-away) Mike appeared and wanted me to take him to Heather's house. Typical! I ran him to Moulton, came back and had my lunch in peace!
On the way to collecting Sophie from work I called into the Co-op in Moulton and, as a treat, bought the ingredients for a Vodka Martini, a la James Bond. When we got home I made Sophie the drink but she wasn't that keen so she stuck to wine for the rest of the evening!
Saturday 19 March 2016
Relaxing
After a terrible night's sleep (I think I finally got off at about 4am) I woke at 9am to the sound of machinery, which we later discovered was tree surgeons felling the trees in the fields opposite. They have left a weird looking gap, something that's a bit strange after seeing the view for the last fifteen years.
Sophie called me at 10am to ask me to collect her and Alice at midday and before we headed out we called over to the Weston Favell centre to pick up our winnings. We'd both had a great week and I'd really enjoyed being able to sit and watch the races rather than being at work.
Alice had left her car at the Park Campus as before going into town they'd been to a flat party there (I was under the impression the party had been in town) which is why they'd had to get a taxi in at midnight! Maybe the least I know, the better!
We picked them up, dropped Alice off and returned home where Sophie had a shower and a snooze. Keith and I went over to Mum's new house to put up some shelving in the garage for my Dad, which took us about an hour and which I enjoyed doing. I actually quite like doing DIY jobs with Keith!
Back home it was bliss to realise that we didn't have to go out any more to pick up kids and I could look forward to a Chinese take-away and a DVD of Spectre. Sophie and I sat in the conservatory in the afternoon and then we decided to make some muffins which were delicious and went very well with a cup of tea!
In the evening Keith and I went to order the take-away from the van but it looked really busy. I turned the car around while Keith queued up to give the order, but after waiting for five minutes he threw a wobbler and refused to wait any longer! This meant we had to order from the take-away service in Brixworth but at least it meant they delivered so that was a bonus! It meant Sophie and I could indulge in a couple of Cosmopolitans!
We had a lovely dinner and afterwards watched Spectre which I thoroughly enjoyed. Is it Daniel Craig's last Bond, I wonder?
Sophie called me at 10am to ask me to collect her and Alice at midday and before we headed out we called over to the Weston Favell centre to pick up our winnings. We'd both had a great week and I'd really enjoyed being able to sit and watch the races rather than being at work.
Alice had left her car at the Park Campus as before going into town they'd been to a flat party there (I was under the impression the party had been in town) which is why they'd had to get a taxi in at midnight! Maybe the least I know, the better!
We picked them up, dropped Alice off and returned home where Sophie had a shower and a snooze. Keith and I went over to Mum's new house to put up some shelving in the garage for my Dad, which took us about an hour and which I enjoyed doing. I actually quite like doing DIY jobs with Keith!
Back home it was bliss to realise that we didn't have to go out any more to pick up kids and I could look forward to a Chinese take-away and a DVD of Spectre. Sophie and I sat in the conservatory in the afternoon and then we decided to make some muffins which were delicious and went very well with a cup of tea!
In the evening Keith and I went to order the take-away from the van but it looked really busy. I turned the car around while Keith queued up to give the order, but after waiting for five minutes he threw a wobbler and refused to wait any longer! This meant we had to order from the take-away service in Brixworth but at least it meant they delivered so that was a bonus! It meant Sophie and I could indulge in a couple of Cosmopolitans!
We had a lovely dinner and afterwards watched Spectre which I thoroughly enjoyed. Is it Daniel Craig's last Bond, I wonder?
Friday 18 March 2016
An evening of music
Today dawned grey and overcast, just as the forecast predicted it would be!
Keith went for a walk in the morning and I took Sophie to uni as soon as he arrived back. I'd already picked my horses for today and decided to push the boat out as it was Gold Cup day and chose four...Footpad, Superb Story, Long Dog and Cue Card in the Gold Cup.
Keith picked his winners out and we drove over to the Weston Favell Centre to place our bets. When we returned home Sophie called to say that her friend Hannah was bringing her home so that was good news. We sat and enjoyed the racing and I had a third place with Footpad (Keith's horse Apples Jade came second) and we both won with Superb Story which had me dancing around the room in delight. Unfortunately my good run of luck came to an end with Long Dog who fell (and very sadly died as I later found out) and Cue Card also fell in the Gold Cup. Keith's horse in the main race, Don Cossack, won so he was very pleased.
At 4pm I took Sophie back to uni as she was going out with a crowd of her friends and was staying with Alice at her halls of residence in town. I wasn't looking forward to her going out, especially after the terrible murder of a young girl back in January, but she promised me she wouldn't have too much to drink, and even more importantly, not lose sight of her friends. What a worry youngsters can be!
Keith and I were out ourselves in the evening, as we had been given tickets by Sue to see a Simon and Garfunkel tribute duo who were performing in the village hall. We walked up, which was lovely, and arrived to find the hall already filling up. We sat on the same table as Sarah and Liam and their friends Richard and Sarah and I was very glad they were also attending as it would have been a bit of a tedious night if they hadn't gone!
We started the night with a plate of chilli and then the pair came on, accompanied by a slide show of various album covers and several interviews, mostly with Paul Simon. The two men singing bore no resemblance whatsoever to the famous duo and I did say it would have been great if the Art Garfunkel one had sported a wig! As they started singing my husband, who has a filthy mind, spotted that their shadows on the wall made extremely X-rated movements and when he pointed it out to us all, we were virtually helpless with laughter... not really the kind of reaction they were hoping for, I'm sure!
They did some very well-known songs such as Bridge Over Troubled Water, Scarborough Fair, America and Mrs Robinson, but they also did some very obscure ones as well, which I don't think went down that well with the audience. We all got into trouble in the second half as we were being a little rowdy and the two women at the top of our table (whom we didn't know) kept saying "Shhh!" Oh dear!
Keith and I both agreed that if it hadn't been for Sarah and Liam and their friends we would probably have left half way through, but the wine flowed (well, for me it did) and as Sue had very kindly bought numerous bottles of Keith's favourite beer, he was very merry.
Walking home was a bit harder than walking up as we were both a bit tiddly and when we got home we sat and drank several glasses of water to sober up! I went to bed but I knew I wouldn't sleep and at 3am I was swapping messages with Sophie who was calling into McDonald's before going back to Alice's flat!
Keith went for a walk in the morning and I took Sophie to uni as soon as he arrived back. I'd already picked my horses for today and decided to push the boat out as it was Gold Cup day and chose four...Footpad, Superb Story, Long Dog and Cue Card in the Gold Cup.
Keith picked his winners out and we drove over to the Weston Favell Centre to place our bets. When we returned home Sophie called to say that her friend Hannah was bringing her home so that was good news. We sat and enjoyed the racing and I had a third place with Footpad (Keith's horse Apples Jade came second) and we both won with Superb Story which had me dancing around the room in delight. Unfortunately my good run of luck came to an end with Long Dog who fell (and very sadly died as I later found out) and Cue Card also fell in the Gold Cup. Keith's horse in the main race, Don Cossack, won so he was very pleased.
At 4pm I took Sophie back to uni as she was going out with a crowd of her friends and was staying with Alice at her halls of residence in town. I wasn't looking forward to her going out, especially after the terrible murder of a young girl back in January, but she promised me she wouldn't have too much to drink, and even more importantly, not lose sight of her friends. What a worry youngsters can be!
Keith and I were out ourselves in the evening, as we had been given tickets by Sue to see a Simon and Garfunkel tribute duo who were performing in the village hall. We walked up, which was lovely, and arrived to find the hall already filling up. We sat on the same table as Sarah and Liam and their friends Richard and Sarah and I was very glad they were also attending as it would have been a bit of a tedious night if they hadn't gone!
We started the night with a plate of chilli and then the pair came on, accompanied by a slide show of various album covers and several interviews, mostly with Paul Simon. The two men singing bore no resemblance whatsoever to the famous duo and I did say it would have been great if the Art Garfunkel one had sported a wig! As they started singing my husband, who has a filthy mind, spotted that their shadows on the wall made extremely X-rated movements and when he pointed it out to us all, we were virtually helpless with laughter... not really the kind of reaction they were hoping for, I'm sure!
They did some very well-known songs such as Bridge Over Troubled Water, Scarborough Fair, America and Mrs Robinson, but they also did some very obscure ones as well, which I don't think went down that well with the audience. We all got into trouble in the second half as we were being a little rowdy and the two women at the top of our table (whom we didn't know) kept saying "Shhh!" Oh dear!
Keith and I both agreed that if it hadn't been for Sarah and Liam and their friends we would probably have left half way through, but the wine flowed (well, for me it did) and as Sue had very kindly bought numerous bottles of Keith's favourite beer, he was very merry.
Walking home was a bit harder than walking up as we were both a bit tiddly and when we got home we sat and drank several glasses of water to sober up! I went to bed but I knew I wouldn't sleep and at 3am I was swapping messages with Sophie who was calling into McDonald's before going back to Alice's flat!
Thursday 17 March 2016
More winners!
It's been a beautiful day today with gorgeous blue skies and huge fluffy white clouds. There was just the very slightest hint of Spring in the air but the forecast for the next three days is not brilliant. I wished we could have made the most of it but it's shopping day today and after Keith got back from a walk we sat down and did the weekly menu.
We also had another good day at Cheltenham with Keith having two winners while I had two horses coming in second, which was fine with me as I had them on an each way bet.
We had to record the races as we were out doing the weekly shop but we certainly enjoyed watching the racing when we returned! I said to Keith I would treat him to a couple of pints in the pub so after picking Sophie up from uni and dropping her off at home we went for a drink.
The pub was quiet and after moving seats twice we were able to get our normal window position. We had a good chat and watched the pub slowly fill up over a couple of drinks before heading home to finish cooking the curry that Keith had prepared in the afternoon.
After dinner we watched my favourite murder mystery of the moment - Death in Paradise on DVD. I love watching the programme and seeing the beautiful Caribbean sea and sky!
We also had another good day at Cheltenham with Keith having two winners while I had two horses coming in second, which was fine with me as I had them on an each way bet.
We had to record the races as we were out doing the weekly shop but we certainly enjoyed watching the racing when we returned! I said to Keith I would treat him to a couple of pints in the pub so after picking Sophie up from uni and dropping her off at home we went for a drink.
The pub was quiet and after moving seats twice we were able to get our normal window position. We had a good chat and watched the pub slowly fill up over a couple of drinks before heading home to finish cooking the curry that Keith had prepared in the afternoon.
After dinner we watched my favourite murder mystery of the moment - Death in Paradise on DVD. I love watching the programme and seeing the beautiful Caribbean sea and sky!
Wednesday 16 March 2016
The perfect murder?
I had another exciting day at Cheltenham as I backed a horse called Blaklion and we had given this horse as a tip to a friend of Sue's who was actually going to be there. Amazingly, the horse won so I was very pleased, as was Sue's friend! Unfortunately, our other tip, Augusta Kate in the last race of the day, didn't do so well, but at least I received some money back for Blaklion.
In the evening Sophie and I picked up Mum and Dad from their house as we were going to see The Perfect Murder at Derngate. It had been a bit of a rush as Sophie hadn't finished work until 5pm but we rushed home, hurriedly ate some dinner and picked Mum and Dad up at 6.30pm.
We had a good run into town and managed to find a parking space on one of the upper floors. Our tickets had been changed because the original seats we'd reserved had a restricted view so we were now in a stalls box. We managed to have a drink before the curtain went up and we were pleased with the view we had.
The sound was another matter, though, and Mum and Dad could hardly hear a word that was being said, which was a real shame. I had to listen carefully and missed the subtitles! The two main characters in the play were Jessie Wallace and Shane Ritchie, both of Eastenders fame and the play was very good. It was about a long-married couple who are fed up with each other and are secretly planning the perfect murder!
I'm not sure if it was being in a box (something we rarely do) but the noise from the audience was really intrusive, as there was a constant cacophony of coughs and rattling of sweet papers which sometimes made it very difficult to hear what was being said. I've never noticed this level of noise in the theatre in the past so I doubt we'll be booking a box again!
We had an ice-cream in the interval and the play ended at 10pm. As per usual, getting out of the car park was a long, slow process so Sophie and I didn't get home until almost 11pm. We'd had a good evening but it was lovely to sit and put my feet up and enjoy a little drink before bed!
In the evening Sophie and I picked up Mum and Dad from their house as we were going to see The Perfect Murder at Derngate. It had been a bit of a rush as Sophie hadn't finished work until 5pm but we rushed home, hurriedly ate some dinner and picked Mum and Dad up at 6.30pm.
We had a good run into town and managed to find a parking space on one of the upper floors. Our tickets had been changed because the original seats we'd reserved had a restricted view so we were now in a stalls box. We managed to have a drink before the curtain went up and we were pleased with the view we had.
The sound was another matter, though, and Mum and Dad could hardly hear a word that was being said, which was a real shame. I had to listen carefully and missed the subtitles! The two main characters in the play were Jessie Wallace and Shane Ritchie, both of Eastenders fame and the play was very good. It was about a long-married couple who are fed up with each other and are secretly planning the perfect murder!
I'm not sure if it was being in a box (something we rarely do) but the noise from the audience was really intrusive, as there was a constant cacophony of coughs and rattling of sweet papers which sometimes made it very difficult to hear what was being said. I've never noticed this level of noise in the theatre in the past so I doubt we'll be booking a box again!
We had an ice-cream in the interval and the play ended at 10pm. As per usual, getting out of the car park was a long, slow process so Sophie and I didn't get home until almost 11pm. We'd had a good evening but it was lovely to sit and put my feet up and enjoy a little drink before bed!
Old friends
This morning we took Sophie into work after dropping Mike off at school and we had the opportunity to have a good look at the refurbishments they've done to our old business. I was very impressed!
As we arrived, though, a crow appeared and sat on the building which I thought was lovely. As we went in the door he hopped along the roof so I asked Sophie to get me some bread and sausage from the kitchen. I hadn't the heart to ignore my old friends!
We put it on the grass and both birds swooped down to pick up the food, just like old times!
Here are some photos of how the business looks now. There's still more to be done but I was very pleased with the results.
New flooring has been put down, the large wall between the kitchen and reception has been demolished and the walls have been painted. There were several men working on the toilets while we were there and some other men sorting out the flooring. They've also replaced some of the play equipment and cleaned all the ceiling girders which look so much cleaner!
We had a good chat with Jeanette who told us all her news and then Maureen who came in at 9.30am. It was great to be able to look around but I still felt very relieved I'm no longer responsible for the place!
As we arrived, though, a crow appeared and sat on the building which I thought was lovely. As we went in the door he hopped along the roof so I asked Sophie to get me some bread and sausage from the kitchen. I hadn't the heart to ignore my old friends!
We put it on the grass and both birds swooped down to pick up the food, just like old times!
Here are some photos of how the business looks now. There's still more to be done but I was very pleased with the results.
New flooring has been put down, the large wall between the kitchen and reception has been demolished and the walls have been painted. There were several men working on the toilets while we were there and some other men sorting out the flooring. They've also replaced some of the play equipment and cleaned all the ceiling girders which look so much cleaner!
We had a good chat with Jeanette who told us all her news and then Maureen who came in at 9.30am. It was great to be able to look around but I still felt very relieved I'm no longer responsible for the place!
Tuesday 15 March 2016
Two winners!
It's the start of the Cheltenham Festival today and after dropping Keith off at Pitsford for his walk I went home, made myself a cup of coffee and perused The Racing Post. I picked out two horses - Altior and Annie Sparrow. I didn't think for one minute that Altior would win as the favourite in the race, Min, was almost guaranteed to win.
Keith came home, had a quick bath and we both went over to the Weston Favell Centre. He went to place the bets while I did a quick shop in Tesco (I'm not allowed to go into a bookies...I have no idea what would happen if I did!).
Back home I did some work on my Counselling course and then we settled down to watch the first race at 1.30pm. Keith had picked two horses in this race, the favourite Min and another horse called Tombstone. To my utter delight and amazement, Altior won and did it very well indeed!
I was pretty thrilled with that and I asked Keith to record the 3.30pm race where Annie Sparrow was running. I had to go and collect Sophie at 3pm and we popped to the bank before having a quick coffee in BB's. She had a nail appointment at 4pm so I dropped her off and sat and read in the car. Getting home was awful because of the rush hour traffic but as soon we set foot over the door Keith put the racing on for me.
We watched the 3.30 race and, again, I was thrilled to see Annie Sparrow win! Two winners on the first day! Keith also won with a horse in the 4.10 race called Vroum Vroum Mag so we had a very successful day!
Keith came home, had a quick bath and we both went over to the Weston Favell Centre. He went to place the bets while I did a quick shop in Tesco (I'm not allowed to go into a bookies...I have no idea what would happen if I did!).
Back home I did some work on my Counselling course and then we settled down to watch the first race at 1.30pm. Keith had picked two horses in this race, the favourite Min and another horse called Tombstone. To my utter delight and amazement, Altior won and did it very well indeed!
I was pretty thrilled with that and I asked Keith to record the 3.30pm race where Annie Sparrow was running. I had to go and collect Sophie at 3pm and we popped to the bank before having a quick coffee in BB's. She had a nail appointment at 4pm so I dropped her off and sat and read in the car. Getting home was awful because of the rush hour traffic but as soon we set foot over the door Keith put the racing on for me.
We watched the 3.30 race and, again, I was thrilled to see Annie Sparrow win! Two winners on the first day! Keith also won with a horse in the 4.10 race called Vroum Vroum Mag so we had a very successful day!
Monday 14 March 2016
More cleaning!
Keith and I had an appointment this morning with B&Q to look at having a new en-suite bathroom installed so it was a bit of a rush all of us having to get out of the house by 8.15am! Mike said he didn't have any school trousers and Sophie had to print off some notes for uni so it was a bit stressful!
We dropped the kids off and drove to B&Q where we had a look at mops...We wanted one that could extend as although the conservatory roof was a lot cleaner, we wanted to have another go when the weather improves and an extendable mop would be much more helpful!
We were a little early for our appointment but a very nice man showed us to the designer's office and brought me a cup of coffee, which was lovely. B&Q have a very good design process where you key in the measurements of the room and then pick out the bathroom fittings. At the end of the consultation you get to see the room in 3D. The price came in at just under our budget but when the installation man comes out in a couple of weeks the price will vary as we know for a fact that the floorboards in the room have rotted because of the shower leaking over the years. We were told there was a 12 week lead time for the work to be completed but there wasn't a lot we can do about that. We paid £50 for the survey to be done and thanked the man who helped us with the design. There isn't a great deal of changes but we have gone for Vistelle panelling in the shower enclosure rather than tiles and we both wanted more tiling to the walls and floor. I've also ordered a heated towel rail, something I've yearned for for ages!
After B&Q we popped to Jones's and bought an extendable mop there, and lots of other things before heading home where I cleaned the house. Yesterday, while Keith was leaning out of our bedroom window to clean the very top part of the conservatory, he made a bit of a mess on the carpet below the window, which was also dirty with dried water droplets. I cleaned the window and the windowsill and then just carried on with the rest of the house.
It's been a beautiful day today so I managed to get out in the garden for half an hour and I potted up my violas and the little purple plant I bought on Saturday. Roll on Spring!
We dropped the kids off and drove to B&Q where we had a look at mops...We wanted one that could extend as although the conservatory roof was a lot cleaner, we wanted to have another go when the weather improves and an extendable mop would be much more helpful!
We were a little early for our appointment but a very nice man showed us to the designer's office and brought me a cup of coffee, which was lovely. B&Q have a very good design process where you key in the measurements of the room and then pick out the bathroom fittings. At the end of the consultation you get to see the room in 3D. The price came in at just under our budget but when the installation man comes out in a couple of weeks the price will vary as we know for a fact that the floorboards in the room have rotted because of the shower leaking over the years. We were told there was a 12 week lead time for the work to be completed but there wasn't a lot we can do about that. We paid £50 for the survey to be done and thanked the man who helped us with the design. There isn't a great deal of changes but we have gone for Vistelle panelling in the shower enclosure rather than tiles and we both wanted more tiling to the walls and floor. I've also ordered a heated towel rail, something I've yearned for for ages!
After B&Q we popped to Jones's and bought an extendable mop there, and lots of other things before heading home where I cleaned the house. Yesterday, while Keith was leaning out of our bedroom window to clean the very top part of the conservatory, he made a bit of a mess on the carpet below the window, which was also dirty with dried water droplets. I cleaned the window and the windowsill and then just carried on with the rest of the house.
It's been a beautiful day today so I managed to get out in the garden for half an hour and I potted up my violas and the little purple plant I bought on Saturday. Roll on Spring!
Sunday 13 March 2016
Alarm bells ringing!
I felt a little groggy this morning although I didn't go mad with the wine last night, but I was awake at 7am which was maybe a bit too early for my liking seeing as we didn't get to bed until 1am last night!
We had the first of the power cuts at about 8am and although it was only off for a couple of seconds, it was long enough to knock all the clocks off and for the television to have to be initialised again. I was upstairs when it went off for a second time and on this occasion it tripped one of the switches so we had no power to the clocks again or the TV but the main lights still worked. Our alarm beeped but I reset it as normal and then Keith and I went to take Sophie to work.
She was in at 9.30am this morning and on the way home Mike called to say that there'd been another power cut and the alarm couldn't be turned off at all. We hurried home as fast as we could to discover the alarm bells ringing really loudly both outside and inside!
All attempts to stop the noise failed but we did manage to silence the outside alarm. The constant loud beeping in the house was intolerable! Keith and I rushed around - he trying to fix the problem while I searched in vain for the manual. I eventually found that but it didn't give us any help on how to stop the incessant wailing. By now it was ringing outside as well as inside the house and there was no way of stopping it. I looked up our alarm system on the internet and the main problem seemed to be the battery which we had never replaced in the 15 years of living here!
In the end I called out an alarm service company and the man I spoke to sounded very calm and wise. He said he had a battery and would be with us within the hour. I dread to think what would have happened if he hadn't been able to come out and fix the problem! We would have had to have sat up all night as it periodically rang loudly outside until we'd isolated the power, but then it would start up again five minutes later!
Thankfully by lunchtime it was all sorted and Keith and I were £110 poorer, but it was worth every penny! At least we now have a new battery which shouldn't play up if we have a power cut!
The plan had been to clean the conservatory roof today, and all the windows, and despite our stressful start to the day we decided to go ahead and do some cleaning as the glass was badly stained with a greenish mould. It was hard work especially as we seemed to spread the leaves and debris over the roof as we cleaned! In the end we just used our normal garden hose to rinse it all off and when we finished it looked so much better! I gave all the windows and windowsills a good scrub so by 4pm we were both shattered!
I had a bath and then prepared the dinner before taking Heather home (she'd been with us since 11am this morning) and picking up Sophie from work. Both Keith and I cooked dinner - the Cheat's Chicken Kiev that the children love - and I was very thankful when it was time to sit down and relax!
We had the first of the power cuts at about 8am and although it was only off for a couple of seconds, it was long enough to knock all the clocks off and for the television to have to be initialised again. I was upstairs when it went off for a second time and on this occasion it tripped one of the switches so we had no power to the clocks again or the TV but the main lights still worked. Our alarm beeped but I reset it as normal and then Keith and I went to take Sophie to work.
She was in at 9.30am this morning and on the way home Mike called to say that there'd been another power cut and the alarm couldn't be turned off at all. We hurried home as fast as we could to discover the alarm bells ringing really loudly both outside and inside!
All attempts to stop the noise failed but we did manage to silence the outside alarm. The constant loud beeping in the house was intolerable! Keith and I rushed around - he trying to fix the problem while I searched in vain for the manual. I eventually found that but it didn't give us any help on how to stop the incessant wailing. By now it was ringing outside as well as inside the house and there was no way of stopping it. I looked up our alarm system on the internet and the main problem seemed to be the battery which we had never replaced in the 15 years of living here!
In the end I called out an alarm service company and the man I spoke to sounded very calm and wise. He said he had a battery and would be with us within the hour. I dread to think what would have happened if he hadn't been able to come out and fix the problem! We would have had to have sat up all night as it periodically rang loudly outside until we'd isolated the power, but then it would start up again five minutes later!
Thankfully by lunchtime it was all sorted and Keith and I were £110 poorer, but it was worth every penny! At least we now have a new battery which shouldn't play up if we have a power cut!
The plan had been to clean the conservatory roof today, and all the windows, and despite our stressful start to the day we decided to go ahead and do some cleaning as the glass was badly stained with a greenish mould. It was hard work especially as we seemed to spread the leaves and debris over the roof as we cleaned! In the end we just used our normal garden hose to rinse it all off and when we finished it looked so much better! I gave all the windows and windowsills a good scrub so by 4pm we were both shattered!
I had a bath and then prepared the dinner before taking Heather home (she'd been with us since 11am this morning) and picking up Sophie from work. Both Keith and I cooked dinner - the Cheat's Chicken Kiev that the children love - and I was very thankful when it was time to sit down and relax!
Saturday 12 March 2016
To the rescue!
I was awake at 6.30am this morning, the only day we didn't have to be anywhere so that was a bit of a pain! Why I do this at the weekend, I have no idea!
It was a good job I was awake though as the phone rang at 7am, making me jump. I knew that it could only be bad news but when I answered the call, rather than my parents who I was expecting, it was Sue saying that the downstairs of their house was flooded with water and could we look after the dogs for a while until they sorted it all out.
I raced upstairs to get dressed, and Keith was already up and pulling on his jeans. He went over to Sue and Paul's house and I followed. When I got there the dogs were wet and there was about five inches of water in their hallway. They'd had the water turned off to do some work in their cloakroom but something had happened and water had gushed out of a pipe. Luckily the new flooring wasn't down and the builder was on his way to sort it out.
We took the dogs home with us and kept them in the conservatory and away from Monty who was having a snooze on his bed in the living room. After a while Keith went and fetched their breakfast and after they'd eaten that we took them out for a walk to the village. They were both a bit unsettled and were reluctant to walk with us but we went as far as one of the gates and turned back. They couldn't wait to get back to the estate!
It's been another foggy start to the day and it was quite eerie going for our early walk with the thick fog hanging over the fields. Back home we let them out into the garden (they ate the fat snax that I'd put down for the birds) and then we let them have the run of the conservatory and the garden.
Paul popped in for five minutes to update us on what was going on and I thought he'd come to collect Archie and Bailey so I let them see him, but he had a few more things to sort out before he was able to take them home. This sent Bailey in particular, into a panic and he spent the next half hour whining and pacing to and fro, no doubt missing his doggy dad!
Once they'd gone we set about having breakfast and we woke up the kids who'd missed it all, even Bailey's howling! The weather improved and Mike went off to Heather's house while Sophie and I decided to go out in the afternoon to the Gallone's ice-cream parlour for a treat. Keith was off to the football so we left at the same time and drove to Kingsthorpe. When we parked the car I realised, with a shock, that I'd left my handbag at home so Sophie had to pay! Not sure whether I can get away with that trick again!!
Gallone's was very busy with a few whining children in situ, which annoyed Sophie! We each chose a sundae and sat in the window enjoying them. I suggested to my daughter that we go home, collect my bag and go to Beckworth as I needed to get some chocolates for tonight as we had been invited over to Liam and Sarah's house for a get-together.
Beckworth was full of Spring flowers and Easter goods and we had a nice amble through the greenhouse looking at the new plants. I chose some violas and a pretty purple flowering shrub that should give colour all through the Spring and Summer. I bought a box of chocolates and some tonic water and we headed home.
Mum and Dad popped around for a cup of tea and when they'd gone I helped Sophie prepare her and Mike's dinner before going to get ready. Sophie very kindly did my hair and make-up and Sue and Paul drove which was very good of them,
Our old neighbours had also been invited - Gill and Tim - and we all arrived at the same time. We could see Sarah and Liam's Irish Wolfhound looking out of the window and he was huge! It's been nearly a year since we saw him and he's probably at his full height now! He was very excited to see us and he seemed to have a special connection to Paul who made a fuss of him all night!
We had a lovely evening sitting at the big table in the kitchen and enjoyed a delicious curry and chilli served with rice and jacket potatoes. As always, the wine flowed and it was past midnight before we left to go home!
It was a good job I was awake though as the phone rang at 7am, making me jump. I knew that it could only be bad news but when I answered the call, rather than my parents who I was expecting, it was Sue saying that the downstairs of their house was flooded with water and could we look after the dogs for a while until they sorted it all out.
I raced upstairs to get dressed, and Keith was already up and pulling on his jeans. He went over to Sue and Paul's house and I followed. When I got there the dogs were wet and there was about five inches of water in their hallway. They'd had the water turned off to do some work in their cloakroom but something had happened and water had gushed out of a pipe. Luckily the new flooring wasn't down and the builder was on his way to sort it out.
We took the dogs home with us and kept them in the conservatory and away from Monty who was having a snooze on his bed in the living room. After a while Keith went and fetched their breakfast and after they'd eaten that we took them out for a walk to the village. They were both a bit unsettled and were reluctant to walk with us but we went as far as one of the gates and turned back. They couldn't wait to get back to the estate!
It's been another foggy start to the day and it was quite eerie going for our early walk with the thick fog hanging over the fields. Back home we let them out into the garden (they ate the fat snax that I'd put down for the birds) and then we let them have the run of the conservatory and the garden.
Paul popped in for five minutes to update us on what was going on and I thought he'd come to collect Archie and Bailey so I let them see him, but he had a few more things to sort out before he was able to take them home. This sent Bailey in particular, into a panic and he spent the next half hour whining and pacing to and fro, no doubt missing his doggy dad!
Once they'd gone we set about having breakfast and we woke up the kids who'd missed it all, even Bailey's howling! The weather improved and Mike went off to Heather's house while Sophie and I decided to go out in the afternoon to the Gallone's ice-cream parlour for a treat. Keith was off to the football so we left at the same time and drove to Kingsthorpe. When we parked the car I realised, with a shock, that I'd left my handbag at home so Sophie had to pay! Not sure whether I can get away with that trick again!!
Gallone's was very busy with a few whining children in situ, which annoyed Sophie! We each chose a sundae and sat in the window enjoying them. I suggested to my daughter that we go home, collect my bag and go to Beckworth as I needed to get some chocolates for tonight as we had been invited over to Liam and Sarah's house for a get-together.
Beckworth was full of Spring flowers and Easter goods and we had a nice amble through the greenhouse looking at the new plants. I chose some violas and a pretty purple flowering shrub that should give colour all through the Spring and Summer. I bought a box of chocolates and some tonic water and we headed home.
Mum and Dad popped around for a cup of tea and when they'd gone I helped Sophie prepare her and Mike's dinner before going to get ready. Sophie very kindly did my hair and make-up and Sue and Paul drove which was very good of them,
Our old neighbours had also been invited - Gill and Tim - and we all arrived at the same time. We could see Sarah and Liam's Irish Wolfhound looking out of the window and he was huge! It's been nearly a year since we saw him and he's probably at his full height now! He was very excited to see us and he seemed to have a special connection to Paul who made a fuss of him all night!
We had a lovely evening sitting at the big table in the kitchen and enjoyed a delicious curry and chilli served with rice and jacket potatoes. As always, the wine flowed and it was past midnight before we left to go home!
Friday 11 March 2016
The fog!
It was very foggy this morning, thicker than I've seen it for a long while. Both Keith and I took Mike to school and then it was home for my husband to get ready for his doctor's appointment this morning in Guilsborough.
We were going to get the results of his scan last Sunday and it appears he has a small growth on his left kidney that needs investigating. He's been booked to see a Consultant in two week's time and we hope we can get it sorted.
Back home we collected Sophie and drove over to see my Mum and Dad in their new house. They'd had the carpets put down yesterday and the blinds and curtains fitted a couple of days ago and they were very pleased with the results. They'd chosen a lovely neutral cream colour for the carpets and the blinds and curtains matched the kitchen exactly.
We stayed for about half an hour and then returned home to have some lunch. The thick fog had given way to blue skies and sunshine so Sophie and I washed both cars and then we went for a little drive in Jim.
Sophie is still a bit nervous about driving and it didn't help that a UPS van came tearing around the corner on the estate, on her side of the road. She stalled the car, bless her, but we got going again and we drove to the village a couple of times and did a few more laps of the estate. When her exams are over in May we'll try and get her signed up with a driving school to restore some of her confidence as she really needs to drive.
After we got back I decided to make the most of the sunny weather and I tidied up the front garden, with Sophie and Monty keeping me company. It was a great way to say hello to our neighbours and we had a long chat with Sharon who lives nearby. It's amazing what a bit of sunshine can do for people!
In the evening Keith went off to the pub and I cooked chicken in a black bean sauce for dinner. When I'd returned from picking him up Sophie made me a Cosmopolitan...delicious!
We were going to get the results of his scan last Sunday and it appears he has a small growth on his left kidney that needs investigating. He's been booked to see a Consultant in two week's time and we hope we can get it sorted.
Back home we collected Sophie and drove over to see my Mum and Dad in their new house. They'd had the carpets put down yesterday and the blinds and curtains fitted a couple of days ago and they were very pleased with the results. They'd chosen a lovely neutral cream colour for the carpets and the blinds and curtains matched the kitchen exactly.
We stayed for about half an hour and then returned home to have some lunch. The thick fog had given way to blue skies and sunshine so Sophie and I washed both cars and then we went for a little drive in Jim.
Sophie is still a bit nervous about driving and it didn't help that a UPS van came tearing around the corner on the estate, on her side of the road. She stalled the car, bless her, but we got going again and we drove to the village a couple of times and did a few more laps of the estate. When her exams are over in May we'll try and get her signed up with a driving school to restore some of her confidence as she really needs to drive.
After we got back I decided to make the most of the sunny weather and I tidied up the front garden, with Sophie and Monty keeping me company. It was a great way to say hello to our neighbours and we had a long chat with Sharon who lives nearby. It's amazing what a bit of sunshine can do for people!
In the evening Keith went off to the pub and I cooked chicken in a black bean sauce for dinner. When I'd returned from picking him up Sophie made me a Cosmopolitan...delicious!
Thursday 10 March 2016
Stuck in a jam!
Sophie was due in at university at 10am today so we dropped Mike off at school and drove to Waitrose for a cup of coffee. There was no point going all the way home and then back out again. While we had our coffee we wrote down the menu for the week and as soon as we'd dropped Sophie off we went shopping.
My daughter sent me a message in the afternoon saying that she was going for something to eat with her friend Alice and could I pick her up between 4pm-5pm? I said that was fine as long as I was home for about 5.30pm as my friend Sue was coming over for a drink and some nibbles.
Later in the afternoon, just after I'd finished tidying up a bit, Sophie sent me a message to say could Keith pick her up from town at 5.30pm? As it was now almost 5pm I was very annoyed indeed as she hadn't said anything about going into town to eat! I called her and said we would be on our way to pick her up now as it would take me half an hour to get into Northampton. It was rush hour!
Sophie was most apologetic on the way home but I had to call Sue to ask her to come a bit later as the traffic was so bad! We arrived home and I quickly went to get changed before preparing the nibbles. Sue had brought a beautiful bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape with her and it went very well with the food I'd bought. We had a great chat and a laugh while Keith cooked pizza and wedges for the children and himself but my daughter wasn't hungry as she'd had a hearty meal at Prezzo!
My daughter sent me a message in the afternoon saying that she was going for something to eat with her friend Alice and could I pick her up between 4pm-5pm? I said that was fine as long as I was home for about 5.30pm as my friend Sue was coming over for a drink and some nibbles.
Later in the afternoon, just after I'd finished tidying up a bit, Sophie sent me a message to say could Keith pick her up from town at 5.30pm? As it was now almost 5pm I was very annoyed indeed as she hadn't said anything about going into town to eat! I called her and said we would be on our way to pick her up now as it would take me half an hour to get into Northampton. It was rush hour!
Sophie was most apologetic on the way home but I had to call Sue to ask her to come a bit later as the traffic was so bad! We arrived home and I quickly went to get changed before preparing the nibbles. Sue had brought a beautiful bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape with her and it went very well with the food I'd bought. We had a great chat and a laugh while Keith cooked pizza and wedges for the children and himself but my daughter wasn't hungry as she'd had a hearty meal at Prezzo!
Wednesday 9 March 2016
Flood!
We had weather warnings for today for heavy rain overnight into Wednesday and when we woke up it was raining, but not especially heavily.
Keith took Mike to school this morning and when he got back he said there was water all over the roads. When I logged onto Facebook several of the residents on our estate had said the nearby roads had flooded and one resident had water rising in his garden from the adjoining field! It must have really come down heavily in the night as this amount of water coming off the fields was very unusual.
We went out at 11am as we wanted to get an idea of how much a new en-suite bathroom would cost. We drove to Kettering first and, indeed, the country road leading to the A43 was flooded so we had to drive very carefully. We went to a place called The Bathroom Studio first and immediately knew that it was going to be expensive...
Inside we chatted to a man about what we wanted and the dimensions of our room. It's certainly not a large space but he quoted us £9,000-£12,000 which we thought was ridiculous! We beat a hasty retreat and drove to B&Q where it was like going from the sublime to the ridiculous! We saw nothing at all we liked (in fairness the Kettering branch is very small) so we decided to head back to Northampton.
We took our normal route towards the village of Pytchley but once in the village we discovered that the road we usually take was closed due to the flooding. We could see a car stuck in the water! We headed towards Mum and Dad's village and called in to see them on the way to Northampton. They were waiting for the curtain man to come and they were as amazed as us about the cost from The Bathroom Studio.
The rain continued to fall all the way to Northampton and we saw one other road that had been closed due to flooding. We visited Homebase and then went over to B&Q where we made an appointment for one of the design team to help us next week. Even the woman who helped us said it was going to cost in the region of £4000-£5000 which was more than I was expecting!
As a treat we had lunch at KFC and then it was home to look at the B&Q bathroom catalogue to get some inspiration! Mike's girlfriend Heather came for dinner in the evening and Keith cooked a delicious curry. I wasn't that hungry after our late lunch but it was very good indeed and I have to confess to having a small second helping!
Keith took Mike to school this morning and when he got back he said there was water all over the roads. When I logged onto Facebook several of the residents on our estate had said the nearby roads had flooded and one resident had water rising in his garden from the adjoining field! It must have really come down heavily in the night as this amount of water coming off the fields was very unusual.
We went out at 11am as we wanted to get an idea of how much a new en-suite bathroom would cost. We drove to Kettering first and, indeed, the country road leading to the A43 was flooded so we had to drive very carefully. We went to a place called The Bathroom Studio first and immediately knew that it was going to be expensive...
Inside we chatted to a man about what we wanted and the dimensions of our room. It's certainly not a large space but he quoted us £9,000-£12,000 which we thought was ridiculous! We beat a hasty retreat and drove to B&Q where it was like going from the sublime to the ridiculous! We saw nothing at all we liked (in fairness the Kettering branch is very small) so we decided to head back to Northampton.
We took our normal route towards the village of Pytchley but once in the village we discovered that the road we usually take was closed due to the flooding. We could see a car stuck in the water! We headed towards Mum and Dad's village and called in to see them on the way to Northampton. They were waiting for the curtain man to come and they were as amazed as us about the cost from The Bathroom Studio.
The rain continued to fall all the way to Northampton and we saw one other road that had been closed due to flooding. We visited Homebase and then went over to B&Q where we made an appointment for one of the design team to help us next week. Even the woman who helped us said it was going to cost in the region of £4000-£5000 which was more than I was expecting!
As a treat we had lunch at KFC and then it was home to look at the B&Q bathroom catalogue to get some inspiration! Mike's girlfriend Heather came for dinner in the evening and Keith cooked a delicious curry. I wasn't that hungry after our late lunch but it was very good indeed and I have to confess to having a small second helping!
Tuesday 8 March 2016
Girls' night-in!
This afternoon, after picking up Sophie from university, we drove over to Mum and Dad's new house with Ian to put up the new chandelier.
While Keith and Ian tackled that (and it looked very complicated) Sophie and I popped home again to get some bulbs for it, otherwise they wouldn't know whether it was working or not! The weather today has been dismal and grey with no sun whatsoever. When we got back to the house we stood and watched some workmen laying block paving and we were amazed at how quickly they put it down. It must have been very hard on their knees and backs!
In the evening Keith and Mike were both out and Sophie and I enjoyed a cocktail or two before making dinner...
We made nachos with cheese and chicken for dinner and very good it was as well! After eating we watched Maid In Manhattan which was a bit cheesy but perfect for a girls' night in!
While Keith and Ian tackled that (and it looked very complicated) Sophie and I popped home again to get some bulbs for it, otherwise they wouldn't know whether it was working or not! The weather today has been dismal and grey with no sun whatsoever. When we got back to the house we stood and watched some workmen laying block paving and we were amazed at how quickly they put it down. It must have been very hard on their knees and backs!
In the evening Keith and Mike were both out and Sophie and I enjoyed a cocktail or two before making dinner...
 |
| It's past 6pm...must be cocktail time! |
We made nachos with cheese and chicken for dinner and very good it was as well! After eating we watched Maid In Manhattan which was a bit cheesy but perfect for a girls' night in!
Monday 7 March 2016
Helping out
Keith went for a walk this morning after we'd deposited the kids at school and uni and after he'd arrived back and had some breakfast we went over to Mum and Dad's new house to help them with a couple of jobs.
My Mum had bought a beautiful chandelier for the living room but it had to be put together from scratch and my parents had lost patience with it. Keith set to and between him and me we assembled it completely. I will say one thing for my husband...when he sets his mind to something he gets it done. I was just afraid of it falling or me dropping as it was extremely fiddly to work on but we carefully put it all together and left it propped up on a box for when it'll be fitted.
He then put up a light fitting in the kitchen and helped my Dad construct some shelving for the garage. It was the early afternoon by the time we'd finished and before heading home we called to the Tesco garage to get some petrol. It's been a glorious day today with blue skies and sunshine but it is still cold. No sign of Spring yet!
After picking up Sophie and coming home I gave our garage door and the surrounding paintwork and guttering a good wash. The dusty exterior had been annoying me for some time so now it's all shiny and clean!
My Mum had bought a beautiful chandelier for the living room but it had to be put together from scratch and my parents had lost patience with it. Keith set to and between him and me we assembled it completely. I will say one thing for my husband...when he sets his mind to something he gets it done. I was just afraid of it falling or me dropping as it was extremely fiddly to work on but we carefully put it all together and left it propped up on a box for when it'll be fitted.
He then put up a light fitting in the kitchen and helped my Dad construct some shelving for the garage. It was the early afternoon by the time we'd finished and before heading home we called to the Tesco garage to get some petrol. It's been a glorious day today with blue skies and sunshine but it is still cold. No sign of Spring yet!
After picking up Sophie and coming home I gave our garage door and the surrounding paintwork and guttering a good wash. The dusty exterior had been annoying me for some time so now it's all shiny and clean!
Sunday 6 March 2016
Double celebration
Not only has it been Mother's Day today, but Keith and I are also celebrating 28 years together! Where have all the years gone?
I received some lovely gifts from my children this morning - the latest Adele album and chocolates from Sophie and a scented candle, flowers and chocolates from Mikey. It was the first year that Keith didn't have to go out and buy the gifts himself so I was very proud of my babies!
Sophie was working today and before I dropped her off I called to see my Mum to give her the Next voucher I'd bought, a box of chocolates and a card. After taking Sophie into work I headed home to make a Lemon Meringue Pie for our dessert and to tidy up the house in preparation for my parents coming for dinner in the evening. Keith had made a beef casserole and had peeled the vegetables. I asked him to put the hoover around, which he did, and then we had a spare hour before we had to go to the hospital where Keith was booked in for a scan.
He has been having a problem with his waterworks so the doctor arranged for a CT scan but he was in and out before his scheduled time which was a bonus! The hospital was very quiet and I'd been surprised that Keith had been called in on a Sunday but it didn't inconvenience us as much as I thought it would.
Back home I made a prawn cocktail for a starter (for four of us, the children chose garlic bread) and then it was time to go and collect Sophie.
My parents arrived promptly at 7pm and we had a lovely meal. I left Keith to supervise the beef casserole and dumplings and despite a couple of stressful moments it all went down very well. My dessert was delicious but Sophie didn't really enjoy it as much as she thought she would so maybe she's just not a Lemon Meringue Pie fan! We had a glass of Champagne before the meal to celebrate and after we'd eaten we showed my parents a recording of the big storm we'd witnessed in Florida back in 2014. Now that I can access YouTube on our TV it was so much more dramatic. We also watched a bit of the golf that is coming from Florida at the moment and I yearned to be there!
I received some lovely gifts from my children this morning - the latest Adele album and chocolates from Sophie and a scented candle, flowers and chocolates from Mikey. It was the first year that Keith didn't have to go out and buy the gifts himself so I was very proud of my babies!
Sophie was working today and before I dropped her off I called to see my Mum to give her the Next voucher I'd bought, a box of chocolates and a card. After taking Sophie into work I headed home to make a Lemon Meringue Pie for our dessert and to tidy up the house in preparation for my parents coming for dinner in the evening. Keith had made a beef casserole and had peeled the vegetables. I asked him to put the hoover around, which he did, and then we had a spare hour before we had to go to the hospital where Keith was booked in for a scan.
He has been having a problem with his waterworks so the doctor arranged for a CT scan but he was in and out before his scheduled time which was a bonus! The hospital was very quiet and I'd been surprised that Keith had been called in on a Sunday but it didn't inconvenience us as much as I thought it would.
Back home I made a prawn cocktail for a starter (for four of us, the children chose garlic bread) and then it was time to go and collect Sophie.
My parents arrived promptly at 7pm and we had a lovely meal. I left Keith to supervise the beef casserole and dumplings and despite a couple of stressful moments it all went down very well. My dessert was delicious but Sophie didn't really enjoy it as much as she thought she would so maybe she's just not a Lemon Meringue Pie fan! We had a glass of Champagne before the meal to celebrate and after we'd eaten we showed my parents a recording of the big storm we'd witnessed in Florida back in 2014. Now that I can access YouTube on our TV it was so much more dramatic. We also watched a bit of the golf that is coming from Florida at the moment and I yearned to be there!
Saturday 5 March 2016
Mother's Day madness!
Mike wanted to go to town this morning (I wonder why?!) so Sophie and I dropped him off before coming home and pottering about. Keith was off to a football match in the afternoon so Sophie and I arranged to pop to Tesco as we wanted to make a Cosmopolitan cocktail in the evening. I'd bought her a book for Christmas and there was no point in just reading it so we'd picked a Cosmo for our first attempt.
Just as we were about to leave Mike called and asked if someone could pick him up so Sophie and I had to go. He did tell me he was getting the bus home but he must have run out of money!
We drove into town and back home again in very heavy traffic, dropped him off and headed to Tesco which was heaving with people buying gifts for Mother's Day. I've never seen so many bunches of flowers in my life!
We bought two cocktail glasses, a small bottle of Vodka, a bottle of Triple Sec and some limes before heading home to make a start on dinner. I'd decided to make "Cheat's Chicken Kiev" from a BBC Good Food recipe and I was a bit nervous as I always am before trying something new.
The recipe involved making a slit in the chicken breast and stuffing it with a garlicky soft cheese. I then mixed breadcrumbs with chopped garlic and covered the chicken breasts with the mixture before baking them in the oven for half an hour. It was a bit fiddly but the end result was lovely and we all enjoyed dinner very much. Served with new potatoes, green beans and asparagus with a creamy garlic sauce (shop bought) the meal made a lovely change.
After dinner Keith and I watched the ever excellent Trapped which ends next week. I will certainly miss it on a Saturday night!
Just as we were about to leave Mike called and asked if someone could pick him up so Sophie and I had to go. He did tell me he was getting the bus home but he must have run out of money!
We drove into town and back home again in very heavy traffic, dropped him off and headed to Tesco which was heaving with people buying gifts for Mother's Day. I've never seen so many bunches of flowers in my life!
We bought two cocktail glasses, a small bottle of Vodka, a bottle of Triple Sec and some limes before heading home to make a start on dinner. I'd decided to make "Cheat's Chicken Kiev" from a BBC Good Food recipe and I was a bit nervous as I always am before trying something new.
The recipe involved making a slit in the chicken breast and stuffing it with a garlicky soft cheese. I then mixed breadcrumbs with chopped garlic and covered the chicken breasts with the mixture before baking them in the oven for half an hour. It was a bit fiddly but the end result was lovely and we all enjoyed dinner very much. Served with new potatoes, green beans and asparagus with a creamy garlic sauce (shop bought) the meal made a lovely change.
After dinner Keith and I watched the ever excellent Trapped which ends next week. I will certainly miss it on a Saturday night!
Friday 4 March 2016
Mrs Grumpy!
Today I have managed to fall out with all of my family except the cat!
I had a full-blown row with Mike on the way to school as, despite waking him up at 7am, he still wasn't ready to go by 8.30am and we had to really nag him to get him into the car. This drove me mad as he really should be getting the school bus that leaves at 8am but I can't see it happening!
I arrived back and took a call from my Mum who thought that she and my Dad had upset me as I hadn't seen much of them this week! I'd spoken to her on Wednesday evening so it wasn't as if we hadn't set eyes on one another for weeks on end!
I started cleaning the house, took Sophie to uni and then came home to carry on, but I hadn't done much before Sophie phoned to ask me to collect her as she has a horrible cold at the moment that seems to be dragging on for much longer than normal. I went out to get her and then came home to finish cleaning.
When I was all finished and just before we popped over to the Weston Favell Centre to pay Mike's piggy bank money in, I noticed that Keith had washed the fabric conditioner tray of the washing machine in the sink and he'd left all the scummy horrible water in rather than let it flow away. Of course, I went mad as I'd just cleaned the sink in the kitchen and it looked horrible! Men!
When we got back from the bank I set to and made some more walnut and banana muffins, helped by Sophie who slopped a load of the mixture all over the baking tray. This made me really mad because if we'd left it, it would have burnt and made it more difficult to clean so I had a go at her and she flounced off upstairs! Oh dear!
I did have some good news, though, as the feedback from my first assignment arrived from my tutor and I'd passed, which was great! I'd been a bit worried about what I'd written but he said I'd made some good comments so that has motivated me to work hard for the next assignment.
Things settled down in the evening as Mike went to Heather's house after school (probably to get away from his mad Mum) and had a lift home so I only had to make one trip to go and get Keith. Phew!
I had a full-blown row with Mike on the way to school as, despite waking him up at 7am, he still wasn't ready to go by 8.30am and we had to really nag him to get him into the car. This drove me mad as he really should be getting the school bus that leaves at 8am but I can't see it happening!
I arrived back and took a call from my Mum who thought that she and my Dad had upset me as I hadn't seen much of them this week! I'd spoken to her on Wednesday evening so it wasn't as if we hadn't set eyes on one another for weeks on end!
I started cleaning the house, took Sophie to uni and then came home to carry on, but I hadn't done much before Sophie phoned to ask me to collect her as she has a horrible cold at the moment that seems to be dragging on for much longer than normal. I went out to get her and then came home to finish cleaning.
When I was all finished and just before we popped over to the Weston Favell Centre to pay Mike's piggy bank money in, I noticed that Keith had washed the fabric conditioner tray of the washing machine in the sink and he'd left all the scummy horrible water in rather than let it flow away. Of course, I went mad as I'd just cleaned the sink in the kitchen and it looked horrible! Men!
When we got back from the bank I set to and made some more walnut and banana muffins, helped by Sophie who slopped a load of the mixture all over the baking tray. This made me really mad because if we'd left it, it would have burnt and made it more difficult to clean so I had a go at her and she flounced off upstairs! Oh dear!
I did have some good news, though, as the feedback from my first assignment arrived from my tutor and I'd passed, which was great! I'd been a bit worried about what I'd written but he said I'd made some good comments so that has motivated me to work hard for the next assignment.
Things settled down in the evening as Mike went to Heather's house after school (probably to get away from his mad Mum) and had a lift home so I only had to make one trip to go and get Keith. Phew!
Thursday 3 March 2016
Weird weather and a shocking theft!
The last few days of the week have been pretty quiet but on Wednesday, on the way back from popping to Tesco to buy ingredients for our dinner of Beef Stroganoff, the weather turned really nasty and we had a mixture of hail, sleet and snow! I had called into Next to buy a voucher for my Mum and when we came out it was raining hard. In the distance we could see a bank of black clouds and as we got into the car the rain turned into hail and then on the drive home it was properly snowing with big fat flakes!
Of course I was really excited by this sudden change but by the time we'd reached home we had blue skies again and no snow whatsoever! Typical! It was amazing to think that yesterday I'd been gardening in a tee-shirt! We do have weird weather in this country!
I didn't have a very good night's sleep on Wednesday night so on Thursday I woke up after Keith had taken Mike to school, which is very rare for me. By the time I'd had my quota of coffee and managed to wake up it was time to shower and do the weekly menu, something I really don't like doing at the moment, probably because it reminds me of the day that Archie died.
We dropped Sophie off at uni and went straight over to Kettering where we did the shopping. In Aldi we placed a big pack of loo rolls at the end of the aisle while the cashier frenetically scanned our purchases and when we came to leave the toilet rolls had disappeared! We think somebody had stolen them! All I can say is they must have been desperate!
We picked Sophie up earlier than usual and later in the afternoon Sue popped over to see if we wanted an update on her new kitchen. It's looking beautiful but it's the wonderful view that really makes it and when it's all finished it will look gorgeous. I am envious!
Of course I was really excited by this sudden change but by the time we'd reached home we had blue skies again and no snow whatsoever! Typical! It was amazing to think that yesterday I'd been gardening in a tee-shirt! We do have weird weather in this country!
I didn't have a very good night's sleep on Wednesday night so on Thursday I woke up after Keith had taken Mike to school, which is very rare for me. By the time I'd had my quota of coffee and managed to wake up it was time to shower and do the weekly menu, something I really don't like doing at the moment, probably because it reminds me of the day that Archie died.
We dropped Sophie off at uni and went straight over to Kettering where we did the shopping. In Aldi we placed a big pack of loo rolls at the end of the aisle while the cashier frenetically scanned our purchases and when we came to leave the toilet rolls had disappeared! We think somebody had stolen them! All I can say is they must have been desperate!
We picked Sophie up earlier than usual and later in the afternoon Sue popped over to see if we wanted an update on her new kitchen. It's looking beautiful but it's the wonderful view that really makes it and when it's all finished it will look gorgeous. I am envious!
Tuesday 1 March 2016
Changing weather
It's been a mixed bag of weather today with rain and wind in the morning and drier, milder conditions in the afternoon.
Keith went over to my Mum and Dad's new house with Ian this morning to look at the light fittings while I finished my first assignment for my counselling course. Sophie was out all day today and had planned on going for a meal in the evening with her friend Alice so it meant that I would have the evening to myself, something that doesn't happen very often!
Keith made cheese scones and I followed a new recipe for banana and walnut muffins which turned out to be delicious. As the weather had improved I went out into our gravel garden and was dismayed to see how many leaves were covering the ground. I worked for about an hour and managed to shift about 5-6 boxes of leaves and cuttings from the ivy which Keith had trimmed back last year.
Monty came out with me and my little robin was in the trees singing away, which was lovely. After I'd finished Monty and I had a little love-in on the garden seat and it was very pleasant to be sitting in the sun and gazing at the gorgeous blue sky! It was warm enough for me just to be wearing a tee-shirt!
We all ate dinner early and Keith took Mike to Army Cadets on the way to seeing his football match. This left me on my own and I'd planned a quiet evening but I was in and out with Monty who wouldn't settle and then hissed at me when I told him to go and lie down! What happened to the sweet little cat who'd been cuddling me this afternoon?
It was my job to go and collect Mike and then drive into town to pick up Sophie from the halls of residence near the theatre. Her friend Alice had moved there after being on the Park Campus and Sophie said the flats were beautiful and just like hotel rooms.
By the time I'd picked up Sophie and driven home it was 10.30pm so just time for a wee dram of whisky before bed!
Keith went over to my Mum and Dad's new house with Ian this morning to look at the light fittings while I finished my first assignment for my counselling course. Sophie was out all day today and had planned on going for a meal in the evening with her friend Alice so it meant that I would have the evening to myself, something that doesn't happen very often!
Keith made cheese scones and I followed a new recipe for banana and walnut muffins which turned out to be delicious. As the weather had improved I went out into our gravel garden and was dismayed to see how many leaves were covering the ground. I worked for about an hour and managed to shift about 5-6 boxes of leaves and cuttings from the ivy which Keith had trimmed back last year.
Monty came out with me and my little robin was in the trees singing away, which was lovely. After I'd finished Monty and I had a little love-in on the garden seat and it was very pleasant to be sitting in the sun and gazing at the gorgeous blue sky! It was warm enough for me just to be wearing a tee-shirt!
We all ate dinner early and Keith took Mike to Army Cadets on the way to seeing his football match. This left me on my own and I'd planned a quiet evening but I was in and out with Monty who wouldn't settle and then hissed at me when I told him to go and lie down! What happened to the sweet little cat who'd been cuddling me this afternoon?
It was my job to go and collect Mike and then drive into town to pick up Sophie from the halls of residence near the theatre. Her friend Alice had moved there after being on the Park Campus and Sophie said the flats were beautiful and just like hotel rooms.
By the time I'd picked up Sophie and driven home it was 10.30pm so just time for a wee dram of whisky before bed!
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