Although today started off foggy, it soon became a beautiful Autumnal day with sunshine and blue skies and temperatures of around 16c! Wonderful!
Keith and I took Sophie to uni and popped to Jones's to stock up on some essentials before heading to Tesco. We needed to get some more chicken for the Jerk dish I'm cooking tomorrow as the tray we bought in the shopping the other day went off rather spectacularly! We discovered the plastic surround had cracked, letting in the air and I'd noticed the smell on Saturday morning when I made myself a cup of coffee. It was horrible! I also needed to try and get the normal Jerk paste we use in the recipe, as we couldn't find it in the Tesco's in Kettering and I had been given dire warnings from Sophie that if we didn't obtain it, she would carry out all sorts of nasty things to me!
I'd bought a Levi Roots Jerk Chicken marinade but Sophie had discovered that the third ingredient in it was Cinnamon, something she cannot abide! Luckily, after a lot of searching we found the jar so that was a relief! Tomorrow night's dinner can go ahead!
I had a busy afternoon as I'd changed mine and Sophie's bed in the morning and Keith ironed all the bedding for me to put back. Mark, our window cleaner, arrived and suggested I leave the roof of the conservatory until the Spring as it would cost a lot to clean and within a week it would be covered in leaves again. I agreed, so he set to and cleaned all the windows of the house and the conservatory. It all looked so much better after he'd finished and definitely saved me a job! We had a good chat with him before he left, which was lovely, but as he's lost some weight recently, he's no longer a dead ringer for Ray Winstone!
As well as changing the beds, I swept up all the leaves from the front of the house and arranged our pumpkins on the front steps. I also put out our light-up skull and the little Halloween lantern. Some of the other houses really went for it with lots and lots of decorations (cobwebs, ghosts, skeletons, scary music) so the whole place looked really festive!
After picking Sophie up from uni we popped to the Co-op and I bought some crusty bread and a packet of cornflour for the recipe I was making tonight - Baked Pumpkin Fondue. Sophie was off out for the evening so bought herself a pizza...anything rather than have dinner with us! I also bought a pizza for Mike in case he hated the fondue!
The Halloween celebrations started quite late and the first Trick or Treaters didn't appear until about 6.30pm. I had my bowl of sweets and chocolate all ready and we had a good crowd throughout the evening. The one good thing about the children was that they were all so polite and friendly. Keith took Sophie to her friend Hannah's house while I stayed at home to welcome the children and make the Pumpkin fondue. I had to cut the top off, take out all the seeds and stringy bits and then bake the whole thing in the oven for about an hour and a half. I then grated Emmental, Gruyere and Cheddar cheese and layered them inside the pumpkin with creme fraiche, shallots and white wine. This was then baked for a further thirty minutes until it was hot.
I served the fondue with roasted new potatoes, crusty bread and frankfurter sausage and although we all enjoyed it (even Mike!) we agreed it was a bit too heavy for a starter. I was also a bit worried about the pumpkin itself as it sort of collapsed when I was baking it and I was convinced it was going to split when the cheese was inside!
So it's back to the drawing board to find a suitable starter for Saturday night and I have to practise before then! My money is on a Spiced Butternut Squash soup, a la Mary Berry!
Monday 31 October 2016
Sunday 30 October 2016
Pumpkin carving!
It's been a gloomy, grey day today with little sunshine and to be honest, we've seen hardly any sun all week.
I felt a bit tired this morning, with a headache - probably down to the alcohol I'd consumed last night and because we'd mixed drinks! I laid low while Keith and Sophie went for a walk! However, I did manage to carve our pumpkin after having a shower which made me feel a lot better.
In the afternoon, we picked Mum up at 2pm and drove to Castle Ashby as Sophie and I wanted to go back to the shop where we'd seen the lovely candle holder decorated with hearts. We had a cup of tea and a slice of cake at The Buttery restaurant first and a good chat and then we walked across the courtyard to a lovely little shop selling some really pretty trinkets and decorations. There were lots of hearts still for sale and Sophie also bought a new mug.
We spent a very pleasant half hour meandering around the shops and then headed off to Earls Barton as I wanted to buy another pumpkin. I missed the turn so we carried on into the village as we wanted to see how the housing development, that we'd been to see back in March last year, had turned out. It was a Redrow development and we'd been to look at a showhome there with maybe an intention for Mum and Dad to buy. By now it was all finished but it looked a bit cramped so Mum was glad they'd decided to live where they do now!
Luckily the farm shop selling pumpkins was still open as by now it was past 4pm...and getting dark. Losing an hour last night will make a difference this week! The shop had stacks of pumpkins for sale and inside I found a greyish one - a Crown Prince pumpkin that looked really ghostly!
I bought one and treated us all to some chocolate and then it was home to carve our new addition!
I felt a bit tired this morning, with a headache - probably down to the alcohol I'd consumed last night and because we'd mixed drinks! I laid low while Keith and Sophie went for a walk! However, I did manage to carve our pumpkin after having a shower which made me feel a lot better.
In the afternoon, we picked Mum up at 2pm and drove to Castle Ashby as Sophie and I wanted to go back to the shop where we'd seen the lovely candle holder decorated with hearts. We had a cup of tea and a slice of cake at The Buttery restaurant first and a good chat and then we walked across the courtyard to a lovely little shop selling some really pretty trinkets and decorations. There were lots of hearts still for sale and Sophie also bought a new mug.
We spent a very pleasant half hour meandering around the shops and then headed off to Earls Barton as I wanted to buy another pumpkin. I missed the turn so we carried on into the village as we wanted to see how the housing development, that we'd been to see back in March last year, had turned out. It was a Redrow development and we'd been to look at a showhome there with maybe an intention for Mum and Dad to buy. By now it was all finished but it looked a bit cramped so Mum was glad they'd decided to live where they do now!
Luckily the farm shop selling pumpkins was still open as by now it was past 4pm...and getting dark. Losing an hour last night will make a difference this week! The shop had stacks of pumpkins for sale and inside I found a greyish one - a Crown Prince pumpkin that looked really ghostly!
I bought one and treated us all to some chocolate and then it was home to carve our new addition!
Saturday 29 October 2016
Come Dine With Me!
This morning, while I was sitting in the conservatory doing the crossword, I thought I heard the sound of a burner firing up on a hot air balloon. Thinking it must be something else I didn't look around but when I heard it for a third time, I looked up to see an enormous balloon hovering over our house!
I called Keith and then I went outside to see it slowly drift away. It was completely silent until the burners were lit, and it looked lovely against the grey sky.
Apart from the morning excitement, not a lot has happened during the day. Mike came back from Brixworth and then went back again as he's at a party tonight. Sophie has been at work and Keith went to the football in the afternoon leaving me to relax on the sofa with a couple of recorded programmes.
Luckily, Sophie finished at 6pm as tonight was the first of the 2016 Come Dine With Me meals! Fiona was hosting and the theme was Spanish. I'd bought a new red top and a Spanish hat and I needed Sophie to help me put my hair into a low bun. On the way home from picking her up we called at the Chinese take-away van in the village so Sophie and Keith could order their dinner.
Once home I did my make-up, Sophie did my hair and I got dressed before heading off to Northampton. I had told Fiona I was going to be a little late as there was no way I could have made it for the 7pm start time!
Lynda and Andrea were already there and sipping Sangria...
They both looked fabulous! I loved Lynda's moustache which did come off pretty early! Andrea looked very glamourous in a Flamenco dress while Fiona also looked great in her outfit and her hat was the same as mine!
Fiona had worked very hard with the food and before sitting down to our starters we nibbled on peach and cured ham wrapped in Basil. For our starters we had a medley of mushrooms, ham, guacamole and olives served with crispy tortillas. Delicious!
For the main course, Fiona had literally slaved over the cooker to make us a huge Paella...it was beautiful!
The wine flowed (Cava, white Rioja and various reds) so by the end of the meal I definitely felt a bit squiffy! We enjoyed a Spanish cake and ice-cream for dessert and we all agreed that it was a lovely meal and a brilliant start to the year's round of dinners!
Keith and Sophie came to pick me up and we gave Lynda a lift home. It was great to realise that the clocks go back tonight, so even though we arrived after midnight, it was still Saturday really!
I called Keith and then I went outside to see it slowly drift away. It was completely silent until the burners were lit, and it looked lovely against the grey sky.
Apart from the morning excitement, not a lot has happened during the day. Mike came back from Brixworth and then went back again as he's at a party tonight. Sophie has been at work and Keith went to the football in the afternoon leaving me to relax on the sofa with a couple of recorded programmes.
Luckily, Sophie finished at 6pm as tonight was the first of the 2016 Come Dine With Me meals! Fiona was hosting and the theme was Spanish. I'd bought a new red top and a Spanish hat and I needed Sophie to help me put my hair into a low bun. On the way home from picking her up we called at the Chinese take-away van in the village so Sophie and Keith could order their dinner.
Once home I did my make-up, Sophie did my hair and I got dressed before heading off to Northampton. I had told Fiona I was going to be a little late as there was no way I could have made it for the 7pm start time!
Lynda and Andrea were already there and sipping Sangria...
They both looked fabulous! I loved Lynda's moustache which did come off pretty early! Andrea looked very glamourous in a Flamenco dress while Fiona also looked great in her outfit and her hat was the same as mine!
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| The 2016 Come Dine With Me challenge begins! |
For the main course, Fiona had literally slaved over the cooker to make us a huge Paella...it was beautiful!
The wine flowed (Cava, white Rioja and various reds) so by the end of the meal I definitely felt a bit squiffy! We enjoyed a Spanish cake and ice-cream for dessert and we all agreed that it was a lovely meal and a brilliant start to the year's round of dinners!
Keith and Sophie came to pick me up and we gave Lynda a lift home. It was great to realise that the clocks go back tonight, so even though we arrived after midnight, it was still Saturday really!
Friday 28 October 2016
Domestic chores...
Keith and I had to get down and do some housework today as we'd been putting it off all week, and with my studying, gardening and volunteering, spare time is quite limited!
We dropped Sophie off and came back to have breakfast before setting to. Keith cleaned the bathrooms, as I hate doing them, while I hoovered and dusted. Our landing was particularly bad with cobwebs everywhere and thick dust behind the bookshelf (the one that attacked Sophie's toe). I would love to do something to brighten this area of the house up as it's so gloomy and dark - a skylight would be great!
We worked until the early afternoon and by the time we'd finished the house looked much better. I even called our old window cleaner, Mark, to ask him to come and give us a quote for cleaning the windows and the conservatory as we just don't have the time to do a thorough job.
After picking Sophie up from uni, it was time to relax before I cooked one of my practise meals - The Hairy Bikers' sausage casserole. Mike had decided to stay out tonight (his loss!) so it was just the three of us eating dinner. Sophie helped me and we drank a moderate bottle of Californian Zinfandel while we cooked. It was our first glass of wine all week as Monday to Thursday we are supporting Keith who is now 28 days alcohol free!
(The sausage casserole was delicious, by the way and I will be doing it again on the 5th November!)
We dropped Sophie off and came back to have breakfast before setting to. Keith cleaned the bathrooms, as I hate doing them, while I hoovered and dusted. Our landing was particularly bad with cobwebs everywhere and thick dust behind the bookshelf (the one that attacked Sophie's toe). I would love to do something to brighten this area of the house up as it's so gloomy and dark - a skylight would be great!
We worked until the early afternoon and by the time we'd finished the house looked much better. I even called our old window cleaner, Mark, to ask him to come and give us a quote for cleaning the windows and the conservatory as we just don't have the time to do a thorough job.
After picking Sophie up from uni, it was time to relax before I cooked one of my practise meals - The Hairy Bikers' sausage casserole. Mike had decided to stay out tonight (his loss!) so it was just the three of us eating dinner. Sophie helped me and we drank a moderate bottle of Californian Zinfandel while we cooked. It was our first glass of wine all week as Monday to Thursday we are supporting Keith who is now 28 days alcohol free!
(The sausage casserole was delicious, by the way and I will be doing it again on the 5th November!)
Thursday 27 October 2016
Similar days!
Today seemed like an exact replica of last Thursday! We took Sophie to uni and then went straight to Kettering to do our shopping so I could be home in time to go gardening with Sue. I had to buy a fair amount of bits and pieces as I'm practising two of my meals for the Come Dine With Me - a sausage casserole and a pumpkin fondue. I also bought lots of sweets (and some fruit!) for Halloween night so the trolley was well and truly full!
It's been a real Autumnal day today and milder than recently, so although I took a fleece and a raincoat (last week I got soaked by a heavy shower) I didn't need either of them. My first job today was to rake up leaves and I think this will be the theme for the next few weeks! As fast as I was raking them up they were falling on my head! I learned that the little grey cat who keeps us company is called Bella - she's such a sweet little thing!
I was all finished by 4pm so Keith and I dashed to get Sophie and then it was home for a lovely cup of tea and a chat!
It's been a real Autumnal day today and milder than recently, so although I took a fleece and a raincoat (last week I got soaked by a heavy shower) I didn't need either of them. My first job today was to rake up leaves and I think this will be the theme for the next few weeks! As fast as I was raking them up they were falling on my head! I learned that the little grey cat who keeps us company is called Bella - she's such a sweet little thing!
I was all finished by 4pm so Keith and I dashed to get Sophie and then it was home for a lovely cup of tea and a chat!
Wednesday 26 October 2016
On my own...again!
I truly thought that Frank was going to be back working with me on Reception today at the CAB, but by 9.15am I knew that I was on my own again! I had been looking forward to a bit of support but when Gill and Priya arrived they said it looked like he would be absent next week as well! I'm so glad Keith made me a flask of tea!
We had a steady stream of clients, some of them with complicated issues, which meant that even after closing for lunch and turning people away, we had clients returning in the afternoon. There were also a lot of angry people about today, as well. I heard a lot of shouting and next thing, I saw a couple of police officers and the security guards milling about in the courtyard. It was a relief to get home, have a cup of tea and complete my final assessment, which I had left until last as it was about case recording and I wanted to sit in on a couple of interviews with the assessors. Without Frank there was no way I could do that, but luckily I passed the assessment so now I am finished!
We had a delicious chicken in a black bean sauce dish for dinner and then it was 90 Day Fiance, one of our favourite shows. Keith went to watch the football upstairs and before turning it on we managed to see ten minutes of the final of Great British Bake-off, something I decided not to watch this year because I thought some of the tasks were ridiculous!
We had a steady stream of clients, some of them with complicated issues, which meant that even after closing for lunch and turning people away, we had clients returning in the afternoon. There were also a lot of angry people about today, as well. I heard a lot of shouting and next thing, I saw a couple of police officers and the security guards milling about in the courtyard. It was a relief to get home, have a cup of tea and complete my final assessment, which I had left until last as it was about case recording and I wanted to sit in on a couple of interviews with the assessors. Without Frank there was no way I could do that, but luckily I passed the assessment so now I am finished!
We had a delicious chicken in a black bean sauce dish for dinner and then it was 90 Day Fiance, one of our favourite shows. Keith went to watch the football upstairs and before turning it on we managed to see ten minutes of the final of Great British Bake-off, something I decided not to watch this year because I thought some of the tasks were ridiculous!
Tuesday 25 October 2016
Christmas baking
Mike was doing a five mile walk today with 20kg of weight in a rucksack on his back to raise money for Oxfam. He told us he had to be at college for 9am so it was a bit of a scramble for us all to be out by 8.30am. At least the schools were off so the traffic was lighter!
When we got to the college he then said that his mates, who he was doing the walk with, were going to be late so could we drop Sophie off at uni first? Swearing a bit, we took Sophie and on the way we called in to get some diesel for my car. By the time we returned to the college he was OK to be dropped off, but I had expected that there would be some kind of send-off...maybe a teacher there to make sure the rules were followed correctly as there had been a fair amount of money raised by them!
On the way home I dropped Keith off at Pitsford and then it was time to make my Christmas cake. Keith said he wanted to walk through the door and be met by the smell of baking, but it took me a fair while to assemble all the ingredients and as I'd put more fruit and nuts in than the recipe called for, the mixture was up to monstrous proportions by the time I poured it into the cake tin!
The rest of the day was spent catching up with little jobs and there was a breakdown in communication as to what time to collect Sophie. She has been spending a lot of time at uni doing work and although she was due to be finish at 3pm, she hadn't actually confirmed she wanted to be picked up then. When we received an irate phone-call at just before 3pm, we knew we'd got it wrong!
Back home I checked my emails and found one from my training supervisor at the Citizen's Advice. I had answered four questions incorrectly and had to do the assessment again. I was really annoyed as I'd only had to do study for part of the module and when I checked three of the questions related to learning I didn't have to do! Mum and Dad came around when I was in the middle of ranting as they wanted me to help them out with compensation for their flight delay last month.
I sorted them out and then sent a email about the learning and received an apology, so that mollified me! I have done so much studying over the last couple of weeks and I'll be really pleased when I've finished!
When we got to the college he then said that his mates, who he was doing the walk with, were going to be late so could we drop Sophie off at uni first? Swearing a bit, we took Sophie and on the way we called in to get some diesel for my car. By the time we returned to the college he was OK to be dropped off, but I had expected that there would be some kind of send-off...maybe a teacher there to make sure the rules were followed correctly as there had been a fair amount of money raised by them!
On the way home I dropped Keith off at Pitsford and then it was time to make my Christmas cake. Keith said he wanted to walk through the door and be met by the smell of baking, but it took me a fair while to assemble all the ingredients and as I'd put more fruit and nuts in than the recipe called for, the mixture was up to monstrous proportions by the time I poured it into the cake tin!
The rest of the day was spent catching up with little jobs and there was a breakdown in communication as to what time to collect Sophie. She has been spending a lot of time at uni doing work and although she was due to be finish at 3pm, she hadn't actually confirmed she wanted to be picked up then. When we received an irate phone-call at just before 3pm, we knew we'd got it wrong!
Back home I checked my emails and found one from my training supervisor at the Citizen's Advice. I had answered four questions incorrectly and had to do the assessment again. I was really annoyed as I'd only had to do study for part of the module and when I checked three of the questions related to learning I didn't have to do! Mum and Dad came around when I was in the middle of ranting as they wanted me to help them out with compensation for their flight delay last month.
I sorted them out and then sent a email about the learning and received an apology, so that mollified me! I have done so much studying over the last couple of weeks and I'll be really pleased when I've finished!
Monday 24 October 2016
Quiet Monday
Mike is off this week but Sophie, who only started back at uni at the beginning of October, does not have this half-term week off at all. We dropped her off at 10.30am and picked Mike up from Brixworth on the way home as I had some stuff to send out at the post office.
Back home I had some more studying to do for the CAB training and I completed another online assessment. The last one I have to do will be done on Wednesday when I'm there as it's all about case recording and I need to speak to Gill and Priya and sit in on a couple of interviews.
Sophie was all finished at 3pm so we went to collect her and came home to relax in the conservatory. It seems to be getting dark so early now and next Sunday the clocks will go back making the evenings dark at 5pm. Just in time for Halloween!
Back home I had some more studying to do for the CAB training and I completed another online assessment. The last one I have to do will be done on Wednesday when I'm there as it's all about case recording and I need to speak to Gill and Priya and sit in on a couple of interviews.
Sophie was all finished at 3pm so we went to collect her and came home to relax in the conservatory. It seems to be getting dark so early now and next Sunday the clocks will go back making the evenings dark at 5pm. Just in time for Halloween!
Sunday 23 October 2016
A little find
This morning, at about 9.30am, Keith, Sophie and I went off for a walk. I didn't want to go too far as we were out in the afternoon with my Mum and had planned on going to an Antique Fair in Kettering. We walked through the open gate (for once) and down the brick path to the fields. It was shaping up to be a lovely morning and I keep forgetting that it's getting on for the end of October!
We walked over the fields and down to the nature reserve, looking out all the time for deer. Sophie did see a hare and of course we saw numerous squirrels and pheasants, but that was all.
We were out for about an hour and a half and then it was time for a breakfast of scrambled eggs and some coffee. Delicious!
In the afternoon we picked Mum up at 1pm and drove to Kettering, managing to get stuck in a traffic jam on the way. At one point I was worried it was queues for Wicksteed Park where the fair was, but it was just usual roadworks. It seems at the moment that so many roads are either closed or have works going on!
We were met with quite a rude man who took our money and validated my parking card. He didn't explain that it would be free and when I asked him what I needed to do with it he replied, "Just put it in the machine!" as if I was stupid! Hmmm!
There were quite a few stalls and lots of lovely antiques, although some were a bit pricey. Sophie spotted one of her lecturers who came over and sang her praises, so that was good and very nice to hear! I felt very proud of my daughter!
I bought a small Minton sugar bowl for £4 which was perfect for a candle. The seller said it dated from the Victorian period and it has their blue "delft" pattern. Mum saw some lovely china but it was £180 so she decided against buying it!
We weren't impressed with the tea and cake facilities at the fair so we drove over to Beckworth. The queue for the restaurant wasn't too bad and after about fifteen minutes we were seated and studying the menu. Sophie and I went for a slice of cake while Mum chose a scone with butter and jam. As usual, the place was packed and several tables were enjoying the vast afternoon tea that they serve.
After we'd eaten we had a look around the Christmas decorations and I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Normally Beckworth have a small marquee with some really lovely bits and pieces for Christmas, all in a slightly Scandinavian "home-made" style which we really like. However, this year, before the ice-skating rink has been installed, the decorations were housed in the large building where you can normally buy bedding plants and garden ornaments. Nearly every item was from a company called "Premier" who stock wholesalers. In fact, when we had the business, we bought a lot of stuff from this range but it's very commercial and mass-produced. Even the different colours of baubles and tinsel were arranged by colour scheme, something that I'm sure Beckworth never did before. They now seem to have taken on virtually all of Premier's stock and I think it's lost a bit of magic, which is a real shame. I'm hoping that when the skating rink is installed, they'll revert to what they've done before but with all the stuff they have, I'm doubtful.
I bought Keith some dates with cashew nuts and the children chocolate twizzlers to make hot chocolate and then we took Mum home. She mentioned that the tree we bought them for their anniversary was looking a bit sorry for itself so we went to have a look and it was fine! It's only a baby so hasn't grown much since July and obviously hasn't produced any little crab apples, but it looked very healthy to me!
Back home we discovered that Mike wanted to spend the night with a friend in Brixworth so it was back out again to drive him. Once we returned it was definitely wine time!
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| Sheeps - two of them (the black one and another) were having a little fight |
We were out for about an hour and a half and then it was time for a breakfast of scrambled eggs and some coffee. Delicious!
In the afternoon we picked Mum up at 1pm and drove to Kettering, managing to get stuck in a traffic jam on the way. At one point I was worried it was queues for Wicksteed Park where the fair was, but it was just usual roadworks. It seems at the moment that so many roads are either closed or have works going on!
We were met with quite a rude man who took our money and validated my parking card. He didn't explain that it would be free and when I asked him what I needed to do with it he replied, "Just put it in the machine!" as if I was stupid! Hmmm!
There were quite a few stalls and lots of lovely antiques, although some were a bit pricey. Sophie spotted one of her lecturers who came over and sang her praises, so that was good and very nice to hear! I felt very proud of my daughter!
I bought a small Minton sugar bowl for £4 which was perfect for a candle. The seller said it dated from the Victorian period and it has their blue "delft" pattern. Mum saw some lovely china but it was £180 so she decided against buying it!
We weren't impressed with the tea and cake facilities at the fair so we drove over to Beckworth. The queue for the restaurant wasn't too bad and after about fifteen minutes we were seated and studying the menu. Sophie and I went for a slice of cake while Mum chose a scone with butter and jam. As usual, the place was packed and several tables were enjoying the vast afternoon tea that they serve.
After we'd eaten we had a look around the Christmas decorations and I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Normally Beckworth have a small marquee with some really lovely bits and pieces for Christmas, all in a slightly Scandinavian "home-made" style which we really like. However, this year, before the ice-skating rink has been installed, the decorations were housed in the large building where you can normally buy bedding plants and garden ornaments. Nearly every item was from a company called "Premier" who stock wholesalers. In fact, when we had the business, we bought a lot of stuff from this range but it's very commercial and mass-produced. Even the different colours of baubles and tinsel were arranged by colour scheme, something that I'm sure Beckworth never did before. They now seem to have taken on virtually all of Premier's stock and I think it's lost a bit of magic, which is a real shame. I'm hoping that when the skating rink is installed, they'll revert to what they've done before but with all the stuff they have, I'm doubtful.
I bought Keith some dates with cashew nuts and the children chocolate twizzlers to make hot chocolate and then we took Mum home. She mentioned that the tree we bought them for their anniversary was looking a bit sorry for itself so we went to have a look and it was fine! It's only a baby so hasn't grown much since July and obviously hasn't produced any little crab apples, but it looked very healthy to me!
Back home we discovered that Mike wanted to spend the night with a friend in Brixworth so it was back out again to drive him. Once we returned it was definitely wine time!
Saturday 22 October 2016
Dining out!
Sophie, reluctantly, was back at work today but her foot is still giving her some pain. I dropped her off at 9.30am and came back to have breakfast with Keith. The weather was supposed to be lovely today but we did have a shower of rain at midday so all thoughts of mowing the lawn went out of the window.
Jerry, our heating engineer, came out in the afternoon, just before Keith went off to see Sileby play. He did a temporary fix of the leak and said he would sort it out properly when he comes back in November. When he had gone I settled down to watch a couple of programmes I'd recorded as I really didn't feel like doing housework today!
Keith called to say that there been an injury at the football so the game was either going to be delayed or called off. When he turned up half an hour later I was pleased to see him! This being on my own on a Saturday afternoon is starting to lose its appeal! It was great every once in a while but I sort of mooch about the house on my own and miss my family!
Mike had gone into town today as he wanted to buy some clothes and I stressed that he had to be home by six or be collected near then as Keith and I were out in the evening for a meal at Mum and Dad's house. Luckily I received a text to say he was getting the bus home so we went off to pick up Sophie at 6pm in order to be home and finish getting ready.
We had a lovely evening with my parents, and their friends Garry and Gloria, who they have known for years. We sat in their lovely cosy sitting room with drinks and nibbles and then went into the kitchen for the meal. Mum and Dad had prepared scallops in a cheesy, creamy sauce to start, followed by chicken in a red wine sauce with vegetables and roast potatoes and a choice of two puds to follow. We even had cheese and biscuits at the end of the meal so we were stuffed when we left to go home!
Keith drove, which was a bonus and we were home just after 11pm. Sophie and Mike had enjoyed a curry and hadn't argued once, apparently...miracles do happen!
Jerry, our heating engineer, came out in the afternoon, just before Keith went off to see Sileby play. He did a temporary fix of the leak and said he would sort it out properly when he comes back in November. When he had gone I settled down to watch a couple of programmes I'd recorded as I really didn't feel like doing housework today!
Keith called to say that there been an injury at the football so the game was either going to be delayed or called off. When he turned up half an hour later I was pleased to see him! This being on my own on a Saturday afternoon is starting to lose its appeal! It was great every once in a while but I sort of mooch about the house on my own and miss my family!
Mike had gone into town today as he wanted to buy some clothes and I stressed that he had to be home by six or be collected near then as Keith and I were out in the evening for a meal at Mum and Dad's house. Luckily I received a text to say he was getting the bus home so we went off to pick up Sophie at 6pm in order to be home and finish getting ready.
We had a lovely evening with my parents, and their friends Garry and Gloria, who they have known for years. We sat in their lovely cosy sitting room with drinks and nibbles and then went into the kitchen for the meal. Mum and Dad had prepared scallops in a cheesy, creamy sauce to start, followed by chicken in a red wine sauce with vegetables and roast potatoes and a choice of two puds to follow. We even had cheese and biscuits at the end of the meal so we were stuffed when we left to go home!
Keith drove, which was a bonus and we were home just after 11pm. Sophie and Mike had enjoyed a curry and hadn't argued once, apparently...miracles do happen!
Friday 21 October 2016
Out and about!
This morning we have been out and about, something Keith and I haven't done for ages. Mike wasn't at college as it was a Training Day (unbelievably, it's half-term next week!) so we took Sophie in to uni and then went to Wickes, as we're having a problem with a leak coming from our water tank at the moment. We'd taken photos of the part that was leaking and Keith was hoping to get a replacement at Wickes but there was nothing there that was suitable.
I called into Hobbycraft to pick up some candle wick holders and Sophie called me to say she'd forgotten her glasses and she already had a headache from squinting. I said we would go home and get them and drop them into her. Before we did that we went into a tiny corner shop selling plumbing and heating supplies but that was unsuccessful as well. We have our gas engineer coming out on Saturday, anyway, and hopefully he can temporarily fix it until he comes out to service our boiler in November.
We dashed home, picked up Sophie's glasses and drove to uni where we delivered them to our very grateful daughter. We had to go to the bank at the Weston Favell Centre so we headed there and arranged to meet my parents in BB's where they were having coffee. As Keith and I hadn't had any breakfast we enjoyed a cheese and onion toastie while we chatted to my parents.
Normally about this time I start preparations for making my Christmas cake so I popped into Tesco and bought the ingredients. When we got home I put all the dried fruit into a large bowl and poured most of a half-bottle of Brandy over it as well as about half a bottle of Port. It smelt delicious! I'll let it soak until early next week and then I'll make it!
I spent the afternoon doing more studying for the CAB training and completed two more end of unit assessments. I scored 60% on one where only part of the unit was relevant to my role and 80% on the Research and Campaigns unit so I was pleased. I'll be very glad when it's all finished!
All too soon, it was time to go and collect Sophie from uni and when we got back we were treated to the sight of Mike in a pirate outfit. He was off to a party in the evening so I took him at 7pm and then collected Keith from the pub. Sophie and I enjoyed a glass of wine with our dinner but Keith still drove to pick Mike up at 11pm as he is still not drinking and doing very well!
I called into Hobbycraft to pick up some candle wick holders and Sophie called me to say she'd forgotten her glasses and she already had a headache from squinting. I said we would go home and get them and drop them into her. Before we did that we went into a tiny corner shop selling plumbing and heating supplies but that was unsuccessful as well. We have our gas engineer coming out on Saturday, anyway, and hopefully he can temporarily fix it until he comes out to service our boiler in November.
We dashed home, picked up Sophie's glasses and drove to uni where we delivered them to our very grateful daughter. We had to go to the bank at the Weston Favell Centre so we headed there and arranged to meet my parents in BB's where they were having coffee. As Keith and I hadn't had any breakfast we enjoyed a cheese and onion toastie while we chatted to my parents.
Normally about this time I start preparations for making my Christmas cake so I popped into Tesco and bought the ingredients. When we got home I put all the dried fruit into a large bowl and poured most of a half-bottle of Brandy over it as well as about half a bottle of Port. It smelt delicious! I'll let it soak until early next week and then I'll make it!
I spent the afternoon doing more studying for the CAB training and completed two more end of unit assessments. I scored 60% on one where only part of the unit was relevant to my role and 80% on the Research and Campaigns unit so I was pleased. I'll be very glad when it's all finished!
All too soon, it was time to go and collect Sophie from uni and when we got back we were treated to the sight of Mike in a pirate outfit. He was off to a party in the evening so I took him at 7pm and then collected Keith from the pub. Sophie and I enjoyed a glass of wine with our dinner but Keith still drove to pick Mike up at 11pm as he is still not drinking and doing very well!
Thursday 20 October 2016
A bit weary...
Thursdays are rapidly becoming the busiest day of my week! Keith and I dropped both Mike and Sophie off at their respective learning establishments this morning and then we drove straight to Kettering to do our shopping. Neither of us were really in the mood and I, solely, was responsible for the meal plans and the list as I'd done them on my own when I got up this morning. It's not my favourite job!
We did the shopping and headed home for a quick lunch before it was time to go and do my gardening stint with Sue. On the way we saw Danni, our local dog walker, looking very upset. She'd had a run-in with a man who was mowing the grass verges outside our estate and he'd accused her of leaving dog muck in the grass. Understandably, she was furious as she would never do something like that. Despite signs everywhere and a threat of a fine, we still have a problem with this in our area. We don't know who is responsible but it's a horrible sight to see dog poo left on the side of the path.
Danni certainly gave back as good as she got and she said that she thinks she frightened him a little bit when she started shouting. Blimey! I'll make a note not to fall out with her, then! We headed to Brixworth first and I raked up all the leaves and weeded the driveway. I could hear the robin singing in the trees, and our little cat companion sat with us all the time we were there.
Sue wanted me to do another hour in our own village and just after we started, the heavens opened and we were caught in a heavy shower. Luckily, the rain cleared so we were able to carry on working but by now I was wet and muddy. Not a good look! As I was making a border for Sue and digging up the soft soil, another robin appeared for an instant and then flitted away. There were some lovely juicy worms in the soil so I hope he had a good meal after we'd gone!
Immediately after I'd finished Keith and I went to get Sophie and minutes after we'd sat down on our return, the phone rang and it was Mike asking to be picked up from Brixworth. Keith had only just dropped him off there on his way home from college!
I felt a bit tried this afternoon as the gardening was all about bending and kneeling today. I had a lovely hot bath and left Keith to cook our dinner of Chicken Fajitas. He made a very good job of it!
We did the shopping and headed home for a quick lunch before it was time to go and do my gardening stint with Sue. On the way we saw Danni, our local dog walker, looking very upset. She'd had a run-in with a man who was mowing the grass verges outside our estate and he'd accused her of leaving dog muck in the grass. Understandably, she was furious as she would never do something like that. Despite signs everywhere and a threat of a fine, we still have a problem with this in our area. We don't know who is responsible but it's a horrible sight to see dog poo left on the side of the path.
Danni certainly gave back as good as she got and she said that she thinks she frightened him a little bit when she started shouting. Blimey! I'll make a note not to fall out with her, then! We headed to Brixworth first and I raked up all the leaves and weeded the driveway. I could hear the robin singing in the trees, and our little cat companion sat with us all the time we were there.
Sue wanted me to do another hour in our own village and just after we started, the heavens opened and we were caught in a heavy shower. Luckily, the rain cleared so we were able to carry on working but by now I was wet and muddy. Not a good look! As I was making a border for Sue and digging up the soft soil, another robin appeared for an instant and then flitted away. There were some lovely juicy worms in the soil so I hope he had a good meal after we'd gone!
Immediately after I'd finished Keith and I went to get Sophie and minutes after we'd sat down on our return, the phone rang and it was Mike asking to be picked up from Brixworth. Keith had only just dropped him off there on his way home from college!
I felt a bit tried this afternoon as the gardening was all about bending and kneeling today. I had a lovely hot bath and left Keith to cook our dinner of Chicken Fajitas. He made a very good job of it!
Wednesday 19 October 2016
A quiet day.
Hopefully, today will be my last day alone on Reception at the Citizen's Advice Bureau as Frank returns from his holiday next week. Where have those six weeks gone?
It was quite quiet today and I had some spare time to do quite a bit of reading for my training. We did have a rush of clients at about 2.30pm and of course, they were quite complicated matters! One man wanted us to help him fill in a form and then I was told by Priya that we didn't do that. Luckily I managed to sort him out and we left by about 3.30pm. I walked back to the car park with Gill and we had a good chat. I feel very lucky that I get on well with the other volunteers on a Wednesday and I was told today that we'd all be invited to a Christmas lunch in December. Thankfully, it's not when we're in Berlin!
I collected Sophie from uni and we headed home to a delicious beef pie made by Keith and a cosy evening watching 90 Day Fiance in bed!
It was quite quiet today and I had some spare time to do quite a bit of reading for my training. We did have a rush of clients at about 2.30pm and of course, they were quite complicated matters! One man wanted us to help him fill in a form and then I was told by Priya that we didn't do that. Luckily I managed to sort him out and we left by about 3.30pm. I walked back to the car park with Gill and we had a good chat. I feel very lucky that I get on well with the other volunteers on a Wednesday and I was told today that we'd all be invited to a Christmas lunch in December. Thankfully, it's not when we're in Berlin!
I collected Sophie from uni and we headed home to a delicious beef pie made by Keith and a cosy evening watching 90 Day Fiance in bed!
Tuesday 18 October 2016
What a scream!
As Keith was off to the surgery this morning for a blood test I took Sophie into uni at 9am. Even though we'd left a bit later the traffic was abysmal! Sophie is now making the most of her free periods to really knuckle down and do some work as her second year at uni is much more important than her first.
I returned home and knuckled down myself as I had to complete all my training for the Citizen's Advice Bureau by next Wednesday. Keith came home and asked if I could go with him to Desborough as he was going over to the town to see Sileby play this evening. We drove along the extremely busy A14 and then took the new bypass past Rothwell. The football ground was on the outskirts of Desborough and after we'd scouted out where Keith would park we returned home via Orton. This seems to be a forlorn little village in the middle of nowhere and we ended up on a very narrow single track road with hardly any passing places. I did wonder at one point, just where we were!
Thankfully we soon came to familiar roads and found our way home where I carried on with my studying. The weather today has been very showery and cool and it was lovely sitting in the conservatory listening to the rain fall on the roof.
I did a unit on Law and was very proud that I attained 100% on this module. It wasn't that complicated but it was very interesting, nonetheless.
In the evening Keith went off to football while I cooked spaghetti bolognese for the children and me. After dinner I suggested to Sophie that we watch the film, Jagged Edge, starring Jeff Bridges and Glenn Close and it was great to see it again. I remember when it first came out I went to see it at the cinema with my Mum. Sophie was kept guessing about the murdered all the way and at the end, when there was a bit of a shock, she screamed out loud! Hilarious!
I returned home and knuckled down myself as I had to complete all my training for the Citizen's Advice Bureau by next Wednesday. Keith came home and asked if I could go with him to Desborough as he was going over to the town to see Sileby play this evening. We drove along the extremely busy A14 and then took the new bypass past Rothwell. The football ground was on the outskirts of Desborough and after we'd scouted out where Keith would park we returned home via Orton. This seems to be a forlorn little village in the middle of nowhere and we ended up on a very narrow single track road with hardly any passing places. I did wonder at one point, just where we were!
Thankfully we soon came to familiar roads and found our way home where I carried on with my studying. The weather today has been very showery and cool and it was lovely sitting in the conservatory listening to the rain fall on the roof.
I did a unit on Law and was very proud that I attained 100% on this module. It wasn't that complicated but it was very interesting, nonetheless.
In the evening Keith went off to football while I cooked spaghetti bolognese for the children and me. After dinner I suggested to Sophie that we watch the film, Jagged Edge, starring Jeff Bridges and Glenn Close and it was great to see it again. I remember when it first came out I went to see it at the cinema with my Mum. Sophie was kept guessing about the murdered all the way and at the end, when there was a bit of a shock, she screamed out loud! Hilarious!
Monday 17 October 2016
A short, Autumnal walk
So, another Monday has rolled around again! Mike had to be in town for about 8.30am as he was having an interview on local radio about some fund-raising he is doing with his college class. We woke him at 6.45am as we were planning to leave at 7.45am to get into town.
However, he assured us he knew where the place was so we didn't have to leave that early...but he didn't know about the traffic at that time of the morning! After a bit of an argument we finally left at ten past eight and, of course, hit all the school traffic. Luckily we made it with five minutes to spare and he stalked off without a backward glance!
Keith and I battled through the traffic again and I dropped him off at Pitsford as he was off for a walk. I returned home and took Sophie into uni at 10am. The roads were a lot quieter!
When Keith returned we went to Aldi and Tesco and bought groceries for the rest of the week. The weather today has been beautiful but in the afternoon it clouded over and when Mum and Dad popped in for a cup of tea we had a torrential downpour! It's more like April than October! Although I'm pleased that we're having a mild Autumn with plenty of sunshine I would like to see some stormy weather! The Met Office have a new set of names for our winter storms for 2016-2017. They are:
Angus
Barbara
Conor
Doris
Ewan
Fleur
Gabriel
Holly
Ivor
Jacqui
Kamil
Louise
Malcolm
Natalie
Oisin
Penelope
Robert
Susan
Thomas
Valerie
Wilbert
Somehow Storm Wilbert doesn't sound that fierce!!!
Keith and I went to collect Sophie from uni and the weather was so lovely we decided to take Monty for a walk to see the horses when we got back. As I had been stuck inside for most of the day it was lovely to get out into the fresh air, even for a short while. Although it was sunny, the wind was chilly and we didn't hang about at the field gate. The horses looked over at us but didn't come to see us so we walked around the estate with the cat who enjoyed himself immensely, as he always does.
Back home we sat in the sunny conservatory and enjoyed a cup of tea with the new Digestive Nibbles. Sadly, no fluffy kittens came out of the packet...oh well!
After dinner, as Sophie and I were trying to answer questions on University Challenge (I did answer a few!) Mike suddenly came home and opened the back door with his spare key. We nearly jumped out of our skins (Keith was upstairs watching football). He was supposed to have been staying out at a friend's but had decided to come home...I was glad and I think he was too!
However, he assured us he knew where the place was so we didn't have to leave that early...but he didn't know about the traffic at that time of the morning! After a bit of an argument we finally left at ten past eight and, of course, hit all the school traffic. Luckily we made it with five minutes to spare and he stalked off without a backward glance!
Keith and I battled through the traffic again and I dropped him off at Pitsford as he was off for a walk. I returned home and took Sophie into uni at 10am. The roads were a lot quieter!
When Keith returned we went to Aldi and Tesco and bought groceries for the rest of the week. The weather today has been beautiful but in the afternoon it clouded over and when Mum and Dad popped in for a cup of tea we had a torrential downpour! It's more like April than October! Although I'm pleased that we're having a mild Autumn with plenty of sunshine I would like to see some stormy weather! The Met Office have a new set of names for our winter storms for 2016-2017. They are:
Angus
Barbara
Conor
Doris
Ewan
Fleur
Gabriel
Holly
Ivor
Jacqui
Kamil
Louise
Malcolm
Natalie
Oisin
Penelope
Robert
Susan
Thomas
Valerie
Wilbert
Somehow Storm Wilbert doesn't sound that fierce!!!
Keith and I went to collect Sophie from uni and the weather was so lovely we decided to take Monty for a walk to see the horses when we got back. As I had been stuck inside for most of the day it was lovely to get out into the fresh air, even for a short while. Although it was sunny, the wind was chilly and we didn't hang about at the field gate. The horses looked over at us but didn't come to see us so we walked around the estate with the cat who enjoyed himself immensely, as he always does.
Back home we sat in the sunny conservatory and enjoyed a cup of tea with the new Digestive Nibbles. Sadly, no fluffy kittens came out of the packet...oh well!
After dinner, as Sophie and I were trying to answer questions on University Challenge (I did answer a few!) Mike suddenly came home and opened the back door with his spare key. We nearly jumped out of our skins (Keith was upstairs watching football). He was supposed to have been staying out at a friend's but had decided to come home...I was glad and I think he was too!
Sunday 16 October 2016
Getting little things sorted!
We awoke to a beautiful sunrise this morning but within half an hour the gorgeous deeps pinks and peaches had given way to a grey sky and heavy rainfall.
Keith abandoned his idea to go walking so it was a very lazy start to the day. By midday the skies had cleared again and we were treated to some sunshine. After going out to get the newspaper I decided to give my car a wash even though I knew that taking it out onto the wet roads would dirty it up again!
Sophie's foot was a little better so we decided to go to Riverside in the afternoon and we had a cup of tea and a coffee in Costa. As predicted, the retail park was very busy indeed and Costa was full of people getting their fix of caffeine. Afterwards, we ambled over to Boots and Sophie spotted an American make-up brand that she loves, so she was very happy!
Before heading home we called into Homebase as I needed some glue for my car - both a door protector and the "T" from my TDI badge had fallen off and I wanted Keith to stick them back on! Sophie also needed some fabric glue for the jeans she bought a while ago because all the little badges had come away as well.
Back home we relaxed for a while and then I decided to tackle a wax spill on the rug in the living room. Keith had knocked over one of my candles on Friday night and there was quite a large spot of hardened wax sticking to the tufts of the rug. I'd looked up a video on YouTube about how to deal with it and it worked! I lay an old cream towel over the wax and applied a hot iron to the towel which made the melted wax adhere to the surface of the towel. Success! Sophie was very impressed, I have to say! Thank goodness for YouTube!
We had a turkey for dinner tonight but I wasn't that keen...once upon a time a roast turkey dinner was my favourite meal but not any more. I'd prefer a nice rib of beef for Christmas dinner!
Keith abandoned his idea to go walking so it was a very lazy start to the day. By midday the skies had cleared again and we were treated to some sunshine. After going out to get the newspaper I decided to give my car a wash even though I knew that taking it out onto the wet roads would dirty it up again!
Sophie's foot was a little better so we decided to go to Riverside in the afternoon and we had a cup of tea and a coffee in Costa. As predicted, the retail park was very busy indeed and Costa was full of people getting their fix of caffeine. Afterwards, we ambled over to Boots and Sophie spotted an American make-up brand that she loves, so she was very happy!
Before heading home we called into Homebase as I needed some glue for my car - both a door protector and the "T" from my TDI badge had fallen off and I wanted Keith to stick them back on! Sophie also needed some fabric glue for the jeans she bought a while ago because all the little badges had come away as well.
Back home we relaxed for a while and then I decided to tackle a wax spill on the rug in the living room. Keith had knocked over one of my candles on Friday night and there was quite a large spot of hardened wax sticking to the tufts of the rug. I'd looked up a video on YouTube about how to deal with it and it worked! I lay an old cream towel over the wax and applied a hot iron to the towel which made the melted wax adhere to the surface of the towel. Success! Sophie was very impressed, I have to say! Thank goodness for YouTube!
We had a turkey for dinner tonight but I wasn't that keen...once upon a time a roast turkey dinner was my favourite meal but not any more. I'd prefer a nice rib of beef for Christmas dinner!
Saturday 15 October 2016
A lazy day!
Sophie didn't go to work today as there was no way she could have stood on her feet for nine hours. The bruise has now spread over the top half of her foot and it's still very painful.
This gave us an opportunity to have a lazy day, although I did make a batch of muffins in the morning. I also made a candle in the lovely little red Christmas bowl that I bought in Jones's and although we had a hairy moment when the wick wouldn't stick to the bottom of the bowl and it went a bit awry, it turned out very well! It's definitely a learning process and I think that if I look for bowls or vases to put the candle in, it would be better if they have a narrower neck.
Keith went to the football in the afternoon and went to Cogenhoe as Sileby were playing away. Mike also went out to see a friend so Sophie and I were able to watch some recorded programmes on the television. The weather, grey and overcast this morning, did turn out a bit better in the afternoon, but then we had heavy rain in the evening. Those warm and balmy days of summer seem a long time ago!
This gave us an opportunity to have a lazy day, although I did make a batch of muffins in the morning. I also made a candle in the lovely little red Christmas bowl that I bought in Jones's and although we had a hairy moment when the wick wouldn't stick to the bottom of the bowl and it went a bit awry, it turned out very well! It's definitely a learning process and I think that if I look for bowls or vases to put the candle in, it would be better if they have a narrower neck.
Keith went to the football in the afternoon and went to Cogenhoe as Sileby were playing away. Mike also went out to see a friend so Sophie and I were able to watch some recorded programmes on the television. The weather, grey and overcast this morning, did turn out a bit better in the afternoon, but then we had heavy rain in the evening. Those warm and balmy days of summer seem a long time ago!
Friday 14 October 2016
Broken toe?
Sophie badly stubbed her littlest toe on her right foot this morning on the bookcase on the landing, and looks like she may have broken it. She was in agony but still insisted on going to uni even though she was hobbling about, poor thing!
Keith and I drove Mike to college and came home to find her almost in tears with her toe looking very swollen. I advised her to take some painkillers but our plans to go to Market Harborough this afternoon look in jeopardy!
While Sophie was at uni for just an hour and a half this morning, Keith and I went to do the weekly shop in Aldi. First, though, we went to Costa Coffee next to Waitrose and had a very pleasant half hour drinking Flat Whites and chatting. Aldi was very busy but we were still all done with twenty minutes to spare. We sat and waited for Sophie who came limping along slowly but said she still wanted to go out.
After putting all the shopping away we drove to Market Harborough and we were surprised to see it so busy...then it dawned on me - Leicestershire schools break up for the October half-term a week before Northamptonshire and today must be a training day as there were lots of children about. I can't believe that half term is coming up so quickly and I think I'm in denial that it's actually October!
We decided to have a treat and went to Pizza Express for lunch. We chose the dough balls with dips to start followed by a Pepperoni pizza. We were very good as well and drank a bottle of sparkling water rather than wine!
We looked around the shops and Sophie bought a lovely hat and scarf in Accessorize which will be perfect for Berlin and New York. By the time we'd finished in there, she'd had enough of walking around and I could see that her toe was beginning to bruise, so we headed home. When she took her shoes off her toe looked like a little fat sausage and the bruise had spread to her foot. Ouch! I don't think she'll be going to work tomorrow!
Keith and I drove Mike to college and came home to find her almost in tears with her toe looking very swollen. I advised her to take some painkillers but our plans to go to Market Harborough this afternoon look in jeopardy!
While Sophie was at uni for just an hour and a half this morning, Keith and I went to do the weekly shop in Aldi. First, though, we went to Costa Coffee next to Waitrose and had a very pleasant half hour drinking Flat Whites and chatting. Aldi was very busy but we were still all done with twenty minutes to spare. We sat and waited for Sophie who came limping along slowly but said she still wanted to go out.
After putting all the shopping away we drove to Market Harborough and we were surprised to see it so busy...then it dawned on me - Leicestershire schools break up for the October half-term a week before Northamptonshire and today must be a training day as there were lots of children about. I can't believe that half term is coming up so quickly and I think I'm in denial that it's actually October!
We decided to have a treat and went to Pizza Express for lunch. We chose the dough balls with dips to start followed by a Pepperoni pizza. We were very good as well and drank a bottle of sparkling water rather than wine!
We looked around the shops and Sophie bought a lovely hat and scarf in Accessorize which will be perfect for Berlin and New York. By the time we'd finished in there, she'd had enough of walking around and I could see that her toe was beginning to bruise, so we headed home. When she took her shoes off her toe looked like a little fat sausage and the bruise had spread to her foot. Ouch! I don't think she'll be going to work tomorrow!
Thursday 13 October 2016
Making tracks...
Early this morning Keith and Sophie went for a walk while I dropped Mike off at college. I picked up my daughter and husband on the way home at Pitsford and both of them were quite sweaty! They'd had a good walk in a really quick time.
After taking Sophie to uni I came home and got ready to go gardening with Sue in the afternoon. We were at two houses in Brixworth today and as Sue had a load of gravel in her car I drove myself. We put a layer of sheeting and the gravel down over a small area that had been used as a kind of earthy path but the weeds had kept coming through all the time. When we finished it looked really good and seemed as if it had been there forever. Sue had bought the gravel from a local man for £1 a bag so that was a bargain!
The little cat stayed with us again all the time we were there and decided to sit on my kneeling mat! He really is very sweet and it was great having him with us. After we'd finished in the garden we went to another house, this time with a much smaller garden but with a lot to be done. It belonged to a friend of Sue's who wanted a large bush cutting down. My job was to gather all the branches and take them out to the front of the house and put them in a huge builder's bag, ready to go to the tip. It was hard work, let me tell you! When this had been done, Sue carried on with the choppers and her electric hedge cutter and made her way around the garden pruning everything in sight...I've renamed her Slasher Sue!
We filled the huge builder's bag, the garden wheelie bin and about four other bags and went to the tip after we'd finished. I helped Sue unload all the waste and then drove off to get Sophie from uni. Back home we sat in the conservatory and drank the tea I'd made to take with me but hadn't had time to drink!
After a delicious dinner of grilled pork chops and baked potatoes with a pepper sauce, we settled down to watch the last episode of the Hairy Bikers who were back in the UK and preparing some lovely dishes, including Jerk Chicken. I now have their cookbook from the series and can't wait to try out the recipes!
After taking Sophie to uni I came home and got ready to go gardening with Sue in the afternoon. We were at two houses in Brixworth today and as Sue had a load of gravel in her car I drove myself. We put a layer of sheeting and the gravel down over a small area that had been used as a kind of earthy path but the weeds had kept coming through all the time. When we finished it looked really good and seemed as if it had been there forever. Sue had bought the gravel from a local man for £1 a bag so that was a bargain!
The little cat stayed with us again all the time we were there and decided to sit on my kneeling mat! He really is very sweet and it was great having him with us. After we'd finished in the garden we went to another house, this time with a much smaller garden but with a lot to be done. It belonged to a friend of Sue's who wanted a large bush cutting down. My job was to gather all the branches and take them out to the front of the house and put them in a huge builder's bag, ready to go to the tip. It was hard work, let me tell you! When this had been done, Sue carried on with the choppers and her electric hedge cutter and made her way around the garden pruning everything in sight...I've renamed her Slasher Sue!
We filled the huge builder's bag, the garden wheelie bin and about four other bags and went to the tip after we'd finished. I helped Sue unload all the waste and then drove off to get Sophie from uni. Back home we sat in the conservatory and drank the tea I'd made to take with me but hadn't had time to drink!
After a delicious dinner of grilled pork chops and baked potatoes with a pepper sauce, we settled down to watch the last episode of the Hairy Bikers who were back in the UK and preparing some lovely dishes, including Jerk Chicken. I now have their cookbook from the series and can't wait to try out the recipes!
Wednesday 12 October 2016
Changes are afoot!
Unusually, Sophie was at uni today and was starting at 9am so, as Mike was also at college and starting at nine, I said I would drop her off on the way to my stint at the Citizen's Advice Bureau. We left at 7.45am and made very good time. I was parking a good fifteen minutes earlier than usual so I had time to sit in Caffe Nero with a coffee and a chocolate twist!
When my shift started I turned on the main computer to find it wouldn't work. As this tells us who we have waiting and for how long, this was a bit disconcerting! When Gill arrived she said that we were no longer going to be using this "Q-flow" system as we had no control over it and couldn't turn it off when we were really busy. From now on (or until the end of October) we were going to be giving the clients a number. This meant that we had to keep going out into the waiting room to ask if anybody was waiting to see us, which made things a bit difficult!
Hadeer came in to work with me today so at least I had some support and we worked together very well. It also meant she could cover for Gill and Priya when they took their lunch. It was a steady day today and didn't really get manic at all, which was a relief! We were finished at 3pm and I walked up to the car park with Gill and Priya and then drove to pick up Sophie from uni.
Mum and Dad came around for a glass of wine in the evening and went to have a look at the en-suite which they hadn't seen since it was finished. They were impressed but I do need some pictures on the walls now to completely finish it off. We had a good chat over a bottle of Chilean Merlot and discussed Christmas plans...it's only ten weeks away!
After they'd gone we realised we had no prawn crackers to go with our dinner of chicken in a black bean sauce so Keith had to drive us to the Brixworth Co-op to buy some. I hadn't high hopes they had any in the shop but they did...hooray!
When my shift started I turned on the main computer to find it wouldn't work. As this tells us who we have waiting and for how long, this was a bit disconcerting! When Gill arrived she said that we were no longer going to be using this "Q-flow" system as we had no control over it and couldn't turn it off when we were really busy. From now on (or until the end of October) we were going to be giving the clients a number. This meant that we had to keep going out into the waiting room to ask if anybody was waiting to see us, which made things a bit difficult!
Hadeer came in to work with me today so at least I had some support and we worked together very well. It also meant she could cover for Gill and Priya when they took their lunch. It was a steady day today and didn't really get manic at all, which was a relief! We were finished at 3pm and I walked up to the car park with Gill and Priya and then drove to pick up Sophie from uni.
Mum and Dad came around for a glass of wine in the evening and went to have a look at the en-suite which they hadn't seen since it was finished. They were impressed but I do need some pictures on the walls now to completely finish it off. We had a good chat over a bottle of Chilean Merlot and discussed Christmas plans...it's only ten weeks away!
After they'd gone we realised we had no prawn crackers to go with our dinner of chicken in a black bean sauce so Keith had to drive us to the Brixworth Co-op to buy some. I hadn't high hopes they had any in the shop but they did...hooray!
Tuesday 11 October 2016
Scary spiders!
This morning I caught a large spider climbing up the stairs - it was the same one from last night that had nearly climbed onto my shoulder when I was relaxing on the sofa! Sophie had thankfully spotted it and the look of horror on her face was a sight to see! I screamed and it scuttled off behind the sofa but it really unsettled me for the rest of the evening! I went to bed expecting to see it in the bedroom, so it was a relief to find it this morning and take it outside, well away from the house!
Keith, Mike and I went over to Mum's house this morning as she wanted the men to move a chair out of their study as they're decorating the room and having a carpet laid. Keith and Mike really struggled with the chair but eventually they managed to get it into Mum and Dad's bedroom. I'm not sure they'll ever get it out again!
In the evening we had a parents' evening at the college for Mike and he took us up to one of the classrooms which was full of Apple screens and keyboards. I was really impressed with the facilities at the college and everything was so modern and new. At the front of the class was a huge screen and when Mike's teacher came in she showed us a short film they'd all made when they went to the Sky studios a few weeks back. Mike was the cameraman so we didn't get to see him, but it was a good film and looked very professional!
After watching the film we had a good chat with his teacher, Hannah, who said he was doing well and that his first assignment was due this week. Each assignment goes towards his final grade so is very important!
We were finished at the college a lot earlier than we'd anticipated but we'd decided to have a fish and chip supper and called into Broughton on the way home. It was a gorgeous evening and the sun was just setting which made the sky a mix of blues, pinks and peaches. Beautiful!
Keith, Mike and I went over to Mum's house this morning as she wanted the men to move a chair out of their study as they're decorating the room and having a carpet laid. Keith and Mike really struggled with the chair but eventually they managed to get it into Mum and Dad's bedroom. I'm not sure they'll ever get it out again!
In the evening we had a parents' evening at the college for Mike and he took us up to one of the classrooms which was full of Apple screens and keyboards. I was really impressed with the facilities at the college and everything was so modern and new. At the front of the class was a huge screen and when Mike's teacher came in she showed us a short film they'd all made when they went to the Sky studios a few weeks back. Mike was the cameraman so we didn't get to see him, but it was a good film and looked very professional!
After watching the film we had a good chat with his teacher, Hannah, who said he was doing well and that his first assignment was due this week. Each assignment goes towards his final grade so is very important!
We were finished at the college a lot earlier than we'd anticipated but we'd decided to have a fish and chip supper and called into Broughton on the way home. It was a gorgeous evening and the sun was just setting which made the sky a mix of blues, pinks and peaches. Beautiful!
Monday 10 October 2016
Season of mists...
As it was such a beautiful day again, Sophie, Keith and I decided to go for a walk at 8am. The roads were full of people hurtling off to work but we walked into the village and down the stony track to the Nature Reserve. It was a gorgeous morning with a slight mist over the fields.
We walked for an hour and then it was home to a quick breakfast before I asked Keith to put up the new hooks on the en-suite bathroom door. He had a real job with them and there was a lot of cursing as he was doing it. I stayed with him in case he needed help but I managed to clear out my wardrobe of summer clothes and have a clear out of stuff I no longer wanted, which made me feel good!
I cleaned the rest of the upstairs and then it was time to take Sophie to uni. On the way we called in at the tip as we had a load of old cardboard boxes and some plastic tubs that we couldn't really put out for the weekly recycling. It does feel good to have a clear-out!
After dropping Sophie off at uni we popped into Aldi to do some more shopping and then headed to B&Q as we needed a new deadlock for the front door. I was fed up with having to manually lock the door as the deadlock had broken some weeks back. These little jobs all need doing! B&Q had sent us a voucher for all the hassle we'd had with the en-suite bathroom so we used some of it to buy the new lock.
Once back at home we just had time for lunch and for Keith to fit the lock before it was time to get Sophie again. Mike was busy doing his assignment so that was great. He even cleaned and hoovered his room! Wonders will never cease!
Sophie wanted to go to the bank so we drove over to our favourite place, the Weston Favell Centre, and Sophie transferred some money from her savings account to her current account as she had to pay the remainder of her balance for next January's trip to New York. She's very excited about going again!
The glorious weather of this morning disappeared this afternoon to be replaced by heavy rain. It was certainly much colder...Autumn is definitely here!
We walked for an hour and then it was home to a quick breakfast before I asked Keith to put up the new hooks on the en-suite bathroom door. He had a real job with them and there was a lot of cursing as he was doing it. I stayed with him in case he needed help but I managed to clear out my wardrobe of summer clothes and have a clear out of stuff I no longer wanted, which made me feel good!
I cleaned the rest of the upstairs and then it was time to take Sophie to uni. On the way we called in at the tip as we had a load of old cardboard boxes and some plastic tubs that we couldn't really put out for the weekly recycling. It does feel good to have a clear-out!
After dropping Sophie off at uni we popped into Aldi to do some more shopping and then headed to B&Q as we needed a new deadlock for the front door. I was fed up with having to manually lock the door as the deadlock had broken some weeks back. These little jobs all need doing! B&Q had sent us a voucher for all the hassle we'd had with the en-suite bathroom so we used some of it to buy the new lock.
Once back at home we just had time for lunch and for Keith to fit the lock before it was time to get Sophie again. Mike was busy doing his assignment so that was great. He even cleaned and hoovered his room! Wonders will never cease!
Sophie wanted to go to the bank so we drove over to our favourite place, the Weston Favell Centre, and Sophie transferred some money from her savings account to her current account as she had to pay the remainder of her balance for next January's trip to New York. She's very excited about going again!
The glorious weather of this morning disappeared this afternoon to be replaced by heavy rain. It was certainly much colder...Autumn is definitely here!
Sunday 9 October 2016
A great find!
We awoke to beautiful blue skies and sunshine this morning and Sophie and Keith decided to go for a long walk. I dropped them off at Pitsford and then headed home to clean the downstairs of the house and prepare the veggies for dinner tonight.
I felt a bit left out as everyone seemed to be out walking and enjoying the sunshine, but someone has to do the cleaning and I didn't fancy spending the rest of the day doing it after we'd been for a walk! I went and picked Keith and Sophie up and then it was time for a late breakfast in the conservatory.
Sophie and I went out in the afternoon to Olney but the small town isn't the place it used to be on a Sunday when there were lots of little antique shops to browse in. Admittedly, we arrived there quite late but the few shops that were still open were in the process of shutting up. We headed for a small cafe situated off a cobbled alley and enjoyed a cup of tea and a hot chocolate. I indulged in a warm blueberry muffin, which was delicious!
We did manage to browse in one shop and spotted some clothes for pets...none of them looked like they would fit Monty, though! I suggested to Sophie that we head to Castle Ashby on the way home and see if the shops there were still open and I'm glad we did as we bought our October candle! The courtyard was open until 5pm but there were very few people about and we were able to get parked right in front of the shops. We spotted the candle heart straight away and it was perfect!
We also had a quick look in the farm shop and I treated myself to some shortcake biscuits that I will enjoy with a cup of tea. We then saw another heart that would have been perfect - a rough wooden candle holder with a heart shaped cut-out on the side but the shop was temporarily closed for a couple of minutes. We hung about and waited and noticed how chilly it was...I think the end is nigh for wearing sandals now!
Unfortunately, the woman running the shop didn't return so we reluctantly left, but decided we would go back and get the heart another day. Once we got home we decided to try and sort Monty out with the cat nappies we'd ordered. They'd been delivered today (along with the Hairy Bikers' book, Chicken and Egg) and as it was getting colder, we thought that when Monty was in the house we could fit the nappies on him so he wouldn't be able to spray.
Needless to say, our efforts weren't that successful! When we did manage to fit the nappy onto him he hated it and kept cocking his leg up as if it was uncomfortable. Somehow, we managed to get Keith to agree to keeping him in, but if he sprays again, that's it!
I felt a bit left out as everyone seemed to be out walking and enjoying the sunshine, but someone has to do the cleaning and I didn't fancy spending the rest of the day doing it after we'd been for a walk! I went and picked Keith and Sophie up and then it was time for a late breakfast in the conservatory.
Sophie and I went out in the afternoon to Olney but the small town isn't the place it used to be on a Sunday when there were lots of little antique shops to browse in. Admittedly, we arrived there quite late but the few shops that were still open were in the process of shutting up. We headed for a small cafe situated off a cobbled alley and enjoyed a cup of tea and a hot chocolate. I indulged in a warm blueberry muffin, which was delicious!
We did manage to browse in one shop and spotted some clothes for pets...none of them looked like they would fit Monty, though! I suggested to Sophie that we head to Castle Ashby on the way home and see if the shops there were still open and I'm glad we did as we bought our October candle! The courtyard was open until 5pm but there were very few people about and we were able to get parked right in front of the shops. We spotted the candle heart straight away and it was perfect!
We also had a quick look in the farm shop and I treated myself to some shortcake biscuits that I will enjoy with a cup of tea. We then saw another heart that would have been perfect - a rough wooden candle holder with a heart shaped cut-out on the side but the shop was temporarily closed for a couple of minutes. We hung about and waited and noticed how chilly it was...I think the end is nigh for wearing sandals now!
Unfortunately, the woman running the shop didn't return so we reluctantly left, but decided we would go back and get the heart another day. Once we got home we decided to try and sort Monty out with the cat nappies we'd ordered. They'd been delivered today (along with the Hairy Bikers' book, Chicken and Egg) and as it was getting colder, we thought that when Monty was in the house we could fit the nappies on him so he wouldn't be able to spray.
Needless to say, our efforts weren't that successful! When we did manage to fit the nappy onto him he hated it and kept cocking his leg up as if it was uncomfortable. Somehow, we managed to get Keith to agree to keeping him in, but if he sprays again, that's it!
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| Not really a good look! |
Saturday 8 October 2016
It all ends well!
Sophie really didn't want to go into work today and it made matters worse when we arrived and Maureen's car wasn't in the car park...our fears were confirmed when Sophie called us as we drove home to say that she had called in sick which meant that Sophie was cooking alone.
I was really worried about her as I know what it's like on a Saturday in October, and no doubt they were fully booked with parties. It also started raining mid-morning, which I wasn't expecting, so I was even more worried that she'd been left to cope alone.
To cheer her up when she finished work I made a chocolate bread and butter pudding, but realised I didn't have enough cream! Keith and I had to trek out to Broughton to get it and the weather was appalling. I sent a text to Sophie and she replied by saying that another member of staff had been sent to help out and luckily it was someone who could cook!
Keith and Mike went out in afternoon - Keith to see another local football team play and Mike to a friend's house. I painted our en-suite bathroom door, a chore I'd been putting off for quite a while, but as we needed to put up our new hooks (J&K) it propelled me to do it!
When we collected Sophie from work she was in a better mood than I expected and we had a lovely evening to make up for her stressful day. I'd practised the meal I'm planning on doing for this year's Come Dine With Me, a sausage and caramelised red onion casserole. As soon as we got in from picking Sophie up I started making it as it needed a fair amount of preparation. Sophie kept me company in the kitchen and we opened a bottle of Californian red to drink while we cooked.
After dinner we enjoyed the delicious chocolate bread and butter pudding and watched an old film, Cliffhanger, starring Sylvester Stallone. A lovely end to a somewhat trying day!
I was really worried about her as I know what it's like on a Saturday in October, and no doubt they were fully booked with parties. It also started raining mid-morning, which I wasn't expecting, so I was even more worried that she'd been left to cope alone.
To cheer her up when she finished work I made a chocolate bread and butter pudding, but realised I didn't have enough cream! Keith and I had to trek out to Broughton to get it and the weather was appalling. I sent a text to Sophie and she replied by saying that another member of staff had been sent to help out and luckily it was someone who could cook!
Keith and Mike went out in afternoon - Keith to see another local football team play and Mike to a friend's house. I painted our en-suite bathroom door, a chore I'd been putting off for quite a while, but as we needed to put up our new hooks (J&K) it propelled me to do it!
When we collected Sophie from work she was in a better mood than I expected and we had a lovely evening to make up for her stressful day. I'd practised the meal I'm planning on doing for this year's Come Dine With Me, a sausage and caramelised red onion casserole. As soon as we got in from picking Sophie up I started making it as it needed a fair amount of preparation. Sophie kept me company in the kitchen and we opened a bottle of Californian red to drink while we cooked.
After dinner we enjoyed the delicious chocolate bread and butter pudding and watched an old film, Cliffhanger, starring Sylvester Stallone. A lovely end to a somewhat trying day!
Friday 7 October 2016
Another week flying by!
Sophie had a long day at uni today and was there from 9am until 5pm. This meant that Keith had to take Mike while I drove Sophie. The traffic was manic, as usual!
When we both arrived home Keith and I decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air and exercise. We went off into the village and down the track to the nature reserve. Today I saw a little deer running off into the woods, his little white tail bobbing! We also saw lots of noisy pheasants and the odd squirrel.
It was a lovely walk and very peaceful. We extended the walk a little by going into Walgrave and walking home that way so we were out for over an hour and a half. Back home we had breakfast and then I settled down to do some work on my counselling course which I'm finding quite difficult again.
We had two pick-ups in the afternoon - Mike at 3pm and Sophie at 5.30pm so it was great to get home and open a bottle of wine. Keith drove himself to the pub tonight as he's not drinking so Sophie and I were able to have a couple of glasses of wine before dinner. Bliss!
When we both arrived home Keith and I decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air and exercise. We went off into the village and down the track to the nature reserve. Today I saw a little deer running off into the woods, his little white tail bobbing! We also saw lots of noisy pheasants and the odd squirrel.
It was a lovely walk and very peaceful. We extended the walk a little by going into Walgrave and walking home that way so we were out for over an hour and a half. Back home we had breakfast and then I settled down to do some work on my counselling course which I'm finding quite difficult again.
We had two pick-ups in the afternoon - Mike at 3pm and Sophie at 5.30pm so it was great to get home and open a bottle of wine. Keith drove himself to the pub tonight as he's not drinking so Sophie and I were able to have a couple of glasses of wine before dinner. Bliss!
Thursday 6 October 2016
Two new little friends
Today has been a busy day with a lot of driving about! I think it's something we're going to have to get used to again!
We dropped Mike off at college and then sped over to Kettering to do our shopping before returning home where Sophie was getting ready for uni. She wanted to call into Nationwide before she started so we left almost immediately, went to the building society and dropped her off.
Back home it was time for a quick lunch and then I had a gardening stint with Sue at the lovely house in Brixworth. She picked me up and today I took my new rake attachment and a lethal looking tool for getting weeds out of cracks in paving slabs. She took one look and decided not to upset me!
I started off by raking all the leaves off the drive and I kept seeing a little creature flitting about near me. It turned out to be a beautiful little robin who seemed content to fly around me and watch what I was doing. He then sat in one of the trees singing to us for the rest of the time we were there! He was so sweet! As well as the robin we also had the house cat keep us company and follow us everywhere we went! He loved a scratch of his ears and a stroke and it was great to have him with us.
The two hours went by very quickly and when we finished I asked Sue in for a cup of tea. We had a good natter about neighbourly matters and Keith and Mike returned from college. At least I was spared that trip!
We collected Sophie from uni at 6pm as today is her late day and returned home to make Chicken Kiev for dinner. We watched the latest episode of the Hairy Bikers' Chicken and Egg and very good it was too! The chicken Kiev was great as well!
We dropped Mike off at college and then sped over to Kettering to do our shopping before returning home where Sophie was getting ready for uni. She wanted to call into Nationwide before she started so we left almost immediately, went to the building society and dropped her off.
Back home it was time for a quick lunch and then I had a gardening stint with Sue at the lovely house in Brixworth. She picked me up and today I took my new rake attachment and a lethal looking tool for getting weeds out of cracks in paving slabs. She took one look and decided not to upset me!
I started off by raking all the leaves off the drive and I kept seeing a little creature flitting about near me. It turned out to be a beautiful little robin who seemed content to fly around me and watch what I was doing. He then sat in one of the trees singing to us for the rest of the time we were there! He was so sweet! As well as the robin we also had the house cat keep us company and follow us everywhere we went! He loved a scratch of his ears and a stroke and it was great to have him with us.
The two hours went by very quickly and when we finished I asked Sue in for a cup of tea. We had a good natter about neighbourly matters and Keith and Mike returned from college. At least I was spared that trip!
We collected Sophie from uni at 6pm as today is her late day and returned home to make Chicken Kiev for dinner. We watched the latest episode of the Hairy Bikers' Chicken and Egg and very good it was too! The chicken Kiev was great as well!
Wednesday 5 October 2016
Success!
I was supposed to have someone else working with me at the Citizen's Advice Bureau today, a lady called Linda, but she never turned up, so I was on my own again. Not that I minded! I was able to collect my badge from the main office so at least the security guards let me in a little early today so I was ahead of the game!
We had a few hiccups to start with as Gill couldn't get onto her laptop and the internet went down, but by 10am everything was fine and we had a steady stream of clients. The new thing is that we shut for an hour from 12pm-1pm so it means we can have a break but I'm not sure I agree with this. After lunch Priya and Gill went to a meeting so I had two new advisors with me. We weren't that busy and I was able to leave at just after 3pm, which was a bonus!
Keith had already picked up Mike from college so it was straight home for me and a cup of tea in the conservatory with Sophie. We have had good news on the B&Q front today and they have repaid the money they owed us for the work that wasn't done. They have also promised us a £50 voucher which is great news. Success at long last!
I had an email from one of the managers of the One Stop shop in Mawsley but they trotted out the line about the law and weren't really that apologetic. I did reply and say that there was a difference between following the law and using common sense but as yet I haven't had a reply!
We had a few hiccups to start with as Gill couldn't get onto her laptop and the internet went down, but by 10am everything was fine and we had a steady stream of clients. The new thing is that we shut for an hour from 12pm-1pm so it means we can have a break but I'm not sure I agree with this. After lunch Priya and Gill went to a meeting so I had two new advisors with me. We weren't that busy and I was able to leave at just after 3pm, which was a bonus!
Keith had already picked up Mike from college so it was straight home for me and a cup of tea in the conservatory with Sophie. We have had good news on the B&Q front today and they have repaid the money they owed us for the work that wasn't done. They have also promised us a £50 voucher which is great news. Success at long last!
I had an email from one of the managers of the One Stop shop in Mawsley but they trotted out the line about the law and weren't really that apologetic. I did reply and say that there was a difference between following the law and using common sense but as yet I haven't had a reply!
Tuesday 4 October 2016
Absolutely seething!
We took Sophie to uni at 10am this morning and then I dropped Keith off at Pitsford so he could go for a walk. I drove on to Mum's as she had asked me to go around and help her with some computer stuff.
It's been another beautiful day today with plenty of sunshine and clear skies. I keep forgetting it's October as it feels more like early September! Mum made us a coffee and I helped her with her Microsoft account and various other little niggles. I was with her until 1pm and then it was off home for a quick sandwich before we took Mike over to Brixworth. I suppose we should have made him wait an hour as we had to go back and pick Sophie up at 3pm but he had made arrangements with his friends to meet. I thought that Monday and Tuesday were his study days?!
Sophie had a doctor's appointment at 3.30pm so we just had time to make it after picking her up. I met an old friend in the waiting room and we had a chat about old times. She was married to Keith's mate Dave who he sees in the pub on a Friday night so we caught up with our news and what some of our old friends have been up to. She couldn't believe how much Sophie had grown!
Driving home after the doctor's was lovely as the weather was really beautiful and we decided to sit in the garden with the cat. Although the breeze was a little chilly, when the sun was full on us it was gorgeous.
Keith went to pick Mike up from Brixworth at 6.30pm and I started thinking about our dinner of Jerk Chicken Pasta. Mike was an honorary member of the girls' night in club tonight as Keith was out to watch a game of football. Sophie had saved the last drops of Tequila for a cocktail and I was half-way through making it when I realised that the full carton of orange juice we'd bought yesterday had all gone! Sophie was furious and called Mike to ask him to buy some before they came home. He retorted that neither he nor Keith had any money on them so Sophie and I were forced to drive to the One Stop Shop in Mawsley, which was a total pain!
While we were in there, I thought how nice it would be to have a cocktail myself and spotted a half bottle of vodka behind the counter. I then saw a miniature bottle of Tequila and asked Sophie if she'd like it to top up her cocktail. She agreed so I asked the woman serving for both bottles. The woman then demanded to see Sophie's ID as she'd overheard me talking. As Sophie had had no intention of buying alcohol (and neither had I) she didn't have anything on her. I was speechless...I was clearly over 18 but because I'd made the mistake of asking Sophie whether she wanted the Tequila and my daughter (who does NOT look under 18) hadn't got her driving licence with her, the woman refused to sell me the alcohol.
I argued with her and said that I would just take the Vodka, but she still refused. I felt humiliated, especially as there was a long queue of people waiting and hearing every word that was said. I stormed out, absolutely seething with anger that the both of us, perfectly entitled to have a drink, were being denied that right.
Back home Mike had found some money to buy the orange juice so really the whole journey had been a waste of time! I wish he had let us know! We told him and Keith about what happened and my husband was astonished. Needless to say I left feedback on the One Stop's website asking for someone to contact me. I also left a Google review as well, just to make me feel a bit better! I won't ever be using that shop again and from now on I'll take my custom to the Co-ops in Brixworth and Broughton!
How dinner turned out to be OK, I'll never know because I stayed angry for most of the evening! I did calm down a bit later on when Sophie and I watched Sideways and enjoyed the last of the Californian red!
It's been another beautiful day today with plenty of sunshine and clear skies. I keep forgetting it's October as it feels more like early September! Mum made us a coffee and I helped her with her Microsoft account and various other little niggles. I was with her until 1pm and then it was off home for a quick sandwich before we took Mike over to Brixworth. I suppose we should have made him wait an hour as we had to go back and pick Sophie up at 3pm but he had made arrangements with his friends to meet. I thought that Monday and Tuesday were his study days?!
Sophie had a doctor's appointment at 3.30pm so we just had time to make it after picking her up. I met an old friend in the waiting room and we had a chat about old times. She was married to Keith's mate Dave who he sees in the pub on a Friday night so we caught up with our news and what some of our old friends have been up to. She couldn't believe how much Sophie had grown!
Driving home after the doctor's was lovely as the weather was really beautiful and we decided to sit in the garden with the cat. Although the breeze was a little chilly, when the sun was full on us it was gorgeous.
Keith went to pick Mike up from Brixworth at 6.30pm and I started thinking about our dinner of Jerk Chicken Pasta. Mike was an honorary member of the girls' night in club tonight as Keith was out to watch a game of football. Sophie had saved the last drops of Tequila for a cocktail and I was half-way through making it when I realised that the full carton of orange juice we'd bought yesterday had all gone! Sophie was furious and called Mike to ask him to buy some before they came home. He retorted that neither he nor Keith had any money on them so Sophie and I were forced to drive to the One Stop Shop in Mawsley, which was a total pain!
While we were in there, I thought how nice it would be to have a cocktail myself and spotted a half bottle of vodka behind the counter. I then saw a miniature bottle of Tequila and asked Sophie if she'd like it to top up her cocktail. She agreed so I asked the woman serving for both bottles. The woman then demanded to see Sophie's ID as she'd overheard me talking. As Sophie had had no intention of buying alcohol (and neither had I) she didn't have anything on her. I was speechless...I was clearly over 18 but because I'd made the mistake of asking Sophie whether she wanted the Tequila and my daughter (who does NOT look under 18) hadn't got her driving licence with her, the woman refused to sell me the alcohol.
I argued with her and said that I would just take the Vodka, but she still refused. I felt humiliated, especially as there was a long queue of people waiting and hearing every word that was said. I stormed out, absolutely seething with anger that the both of us, perfectly entitled to have a drink, were being denied that right.
Back home Mike had found some money to buy the orange juice so really the whole journey had been a waste of time! I wish he had let us know! We told him and Keith about what happened and my husband was astonished. Needless to say I left feedback on the One Stop's website asking for someone to contact me. I also left a Google review as well, just to make me feel a bit better! I won't ever be using that shop again and from now on I'll take my custom to the Co-ops in Brixworth and Broughton!
How dinner turned out to be OK, I'll never know because I stayed angry for most of the evening! I did calm down a bit later on when Sophie and I watched Sideways and enjoyed the last of the Californian red!
Monday 3 October 2016
A new term
There was a bit of a muck-up this morning and plans sent awry! Sophie was in at uni at 12.30pm today, but only for an hour and a half, so we had planned to drop her off and do the rest of the week's shopping in Aldi. However, the friend she was meeting early cried off at the last minute so she decided to brave the supermarket with us instead!
It didn't take us long to buy groceries for the next couple of days and it was far too early to take Sophie to uni so we all went home, which meant that I had to go back out again with her at midday with nothing to do for two hours!
I dropped her off and decided to go and get some diesel at the Tesco garage next to the Weston Favell Centre but the place was packed with no parking spaces at all. I needed to buy some pasta for Sophie's Jerk Chicken tomorrow but I had to give up on going to get diesel and going into Tesco because the place was so busy.
I eventually went to Waitrose at Kingsthorpe and bought myself a sandwich in there to eat in the car. It's been a gorgeous day today with lots of sunshine and blue skies so it was very pleasant sitting in the car, reading my Kindle and having lunch.
After Sophie had finished at uni we went down to Riverside as she needed to take a short back that she'd bought in Next yesterday. As she was now very hungry, she went to buy a McDonald's before we went in and I have to confess to nicking a couple of chips!
Keith didn't go to the pub in the evening as he is off alcohol for the whole of October, and possibly November as well. This didn't stop Sophie and I enjoying a delicious Californian red!
It didn't take us long to buy groceries for the next couple of days and it was far too early to take Sophie to uni so we all went home, which meant that I had to go back out again with her at midday with nothing to do for two hours!
I dropped her off and decided to go and get some diesel at the Tesco garage next to the Weston Favell Centre but the place was packed with no parking spaces at all. I needed to buy some pasta for Sophie's Jerk Chicken tomorrow but I had to give up on going to get diesel and going into Tesco because the place was so busy.
I eventually went to Waitrose at Kingsthorpe and bought myself a sandwich in there to eat in the car. It's been a gorgeous day today with lots of sunshine and blue skies so it was very pleasant sitting in the car, reading my Kindle and having lunch.
After Sophie had finished at uni we went down to Riverside as she needed to take a short back that she'd bought in Next yesterday. As she was now very hungry, she went to buy a McDonald's before we went in and I have to confess to nicking a couple of chips!
Keith didn't go to the pub in the evening as he is off alcohol for the whole of October, and possibly November as well. This didn't stop Sophie and I enjoying a delicious Californian red!
Sunday 2 October 2016
A beautiful, autumnal walk
We weren't up quite so early this morning but we did all manage (Keith, Sophie and me) to get out for a lovely refreshing walk at just after 9am. It was a gorgeous morning with a clear blue sky and lovely sunshine.
It was definitely chilly and I seriously wondered whether I should have taken a fleece! We walked into the village and then along the single track road. We didn't see any cows today but there was a field of bullocks who were just as inquisitive. I think their mums were in a barn and mooed at us as we went past!
Back home it was time for breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast, and after a shower Sophie and I went off to Riverside as we wanted to visit Next. We treated ourselves to a Flat White in Costa and I bought three hooks for the bathroom in chrome - J & K. I think they will look good on the bathroom door to hang our dressing gowns!
I took some photos of the en-suite today, after I gave it a good clean!
Sophie treated herself to some perfume and a little plate to hold her jewellery and then it home to bake a Pear Upside Down cake. We had a bowl of ripe pears that everybody was ignoring and I was determined not to throw them away!
Sophie was off out in the evening to her open-air cinema event at uni and her friend Hannah had said she would cook dinner - Shepherd's Pie! Sophie has never been a fan but it'll be interesting to see how she liked it!
It was definitely chilly and I seriously wondered whether I should have taken a fleece! We walked into the village and then along the single track road. We didn't see any cows today but there was a field of bullocks who were just as inquisitive. I think their mums were in a barn and mooed at us as we went past!
Back home it was time for breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast, and after a shower Sophie and I went off to Riverside as we wanted to visit Next. We treated ourselves to a Flat White in Costa and I bought three hooks for the bathroom in chrome - J & K. I think they will look good on the bathroom door to hang our dressing gowns!
I took some photos of the en-suite today, after I gave it a good clean!
Sophie treated herself to some perfume and a little plate to hold her jewellery and then it home to bake a Pear Upside Down cake. We had a bowl of ripe pears that everybody was ignoring and I was determined not to throw them away!
Sophie was off out in the evening to her open-air cinema event at uni and her friend Hannah had said she would cook dinner - Shepherd's Pie! Sophie has never been a fan but it'll be interesting to see how she liked it!
Saturday 1 October 2016
Season of spiders...
Today started off really beautifully with a mist over the fields and a promise of sunshine and blue skies. Keith and I were up at 6.30am for some reason so I was able to catch up on some recorded programmes with a cup of strong coffee. Perfect!
Sophie awoke at 7.30am as she has work today and by the time we left to take her, the lovely weather had disappeared to be replaced with grey skies. How quickly the weather can change in this country! Once we'd dropped her off we drove over to my Mum's house to have a coffee and to take her one of my home-made candles. I helped my parents with a couple of computer problems and then it was home to do some housework.
I reluctantly gave the kitchen a good clean while Keith ironed. Mike came home and then asked to go back out again this evening to stay with a friend. It was no problem as Keith was out this afternoon to see his team, Sileby, play and said he would drop him off on his way.
I finished the kitchen, hoovered the rest of downstairs and when Keith and Mike departed I settled down with a cup of tea to watch an old 70s film - Smokey and the Bandit. It was very enjoyable! Half way through I went and wallowed in the bath and when Keith came home he watched the ending with me.
We picked Sophie up at 6.30pm and the car park was packed with cars...it turns out that somebody had double-booked a private hire which was why there were so many people waiting to go in! At least that was one thing we never did when we were in charge!
After dinner, Sophie called Monty in for some treats and sat on the (clean) kitchen floor with him. I was standing at the sink when she gave a blood-curdling scream. There was a spider running across the floor towards her! Monty stood and looked at it and both Sophie and I ran for cover until it disappeared under the cupboard next to the cooker. It was huge!
Sophie awoke at 7.30am as she has work today and by the time we left to take her, the lovely weather had disappeared to be replaced with grey skies. How quickly the weather can change in this country! Once we'd dropped her off we drove over to my Mum's house to have a coffee and to take her one of my home-made candles. I helped my parents with a couple of computer problems and then it was home to do some housework.
I reluctantly gave the kitchen a good clean while Keith ironed. Mike came home and then asked to go back out again this evening to stay with a friend. It was no problem as Keith was out this afternoon to see his team, Sileby, play and said he would drop him off on his way.
I finished the kitchen, hoovered the rest of downstairs and when Keith and Mike departed I settled down with a cup of tea to watch an old 70s film - Smokey and the Bandit. It was very enjoyable! Half way through I went and wallowed in the bath and when Keith came home he watched the ending with me.
We picked Sophie up at 6.30pm and the car park was packed with cars...it turns out that somebody had double-booked a private hire which was why there were so many people waiting to go in! At least that was one thing we never did when we were in charge!
After dinner, Sophie called Monty in for some treats and sat on the (clean) kitchen floor with him. I was standing at the sink when she gave a blood-curdling scream. There was a spider running across the floor towards her! Monty stood and looked at it and both Sophie and I ran for cover until it disappeared under the cupboard next to the cooker. It was huge!
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