Domestic bliss!

I woke up at about 6am this morning but made myself go back to sleep for a couple of hours! I then woke up again at just before 8am after dreaming of meeting the devil in a water tower! Hmmm!

It was lovely to have a cup of coffee and ease myself into the day. I even managed to eat breakfast in the garden, although it was a bit chilly (I'd never admit that to Keith who said it was cold outside!).

Sophie was going out with Daisy and Laura today so that gave me the opportunity to give the downstairs of the house a good clean. I cleaned the living room windows and pulled all the furniture out and discovered spider city on the ceiling! I even took down the lampshades and gave them a good wash so when I finally finished everything  at about 3pm I felt very happy with what I'd achieved. It was long overdue!

I was also able to get the washing out on the line as today has been mostly dry, breezy and sunny. Everything smells so much better after it's been dried on the line in the sunshine! The poor plants in the garden had suffered, though, as it has been dry lately so I gave them a good drink.

After lounging in the bath and then watching The Father of the Bride for half an hour I had a nap downstairs and continued to potter about. Outside, it had become sunny again which was a bonus. Today is the last day of the meteorological summer so it's always good to have some sun and warm temperatures.

It's Autumn tomorrow!

It's Friday!

This week has really whizzed by again and I can't believe that the children go back to school next week!

Work was OK and the time passed very quickly. At 2pm I was able to go straight home as Mike was off to Abbie's house for the weekend so it was lovely to just drive home. It's been a warm day today with plenty of sunshine but it's due to become cooler over the weekend with the odd shower.

When I looked at the news I saw that Hurricane Dorian is heading for Florida which was a bit of a shock. I just hope it's not forecast to be as bad as Irma - I know for a fact that they are still in the process of re-building the city pier on Anna Maria Island after that catastrophe.

Keith didn't go to the pub tonight so we had a lovely relaxed evening with baked potatoes for dinner. A very easy dinner! Sophie and I are engrossed in Say Yes to the Dress at the moment which makes for fascinating viewing!

Summer draws to a close...

The annoying little light in Sophie's car was glowing again so after Keith dropped me at work, he drove down to the gym to have a look. He couldn't see anything wrong with her tyres but we said we go down to her place of work at 3pm and check them again.

Work was OK, and I did as many of the box office returns as I could. Sara wasn't in again but today wasn't as frantic as Tuesday. The summer holidays are drawing to a close - they have passed so quickly!

At 3pm we drove down to Sophie's car and Keith tested the air pressure which was fine. He then checked the oil and said it was a bit low so we drove to Halford's, picked up a container of engine oil and drove back. We don't think the two are related, but it all helps!

It's been a gorgeous day today but there is definitely a hint of Autumn in the air. Mike took today off sick as he has a cough so we were spared the journey of picking him up!

Body issues...

I had a mammogram appointment first thing this morning, so after Sophie woke me up when she was off to the gym, I sat and had a cup of coffee before getting ready.

The appointment was at Guilsborough and there was a breast screening van in the car park. I was asked a couple of questions before the examination, which didn't hurt as much as I'd thought it would, but my poor boobies were certainly mandhandled by the lady doing the examination! I know it has to be this way, but it was quite startling!

It was all over by 9am so Keith and I sped off to the Costa Coffee by Aldi in Kettering and we had breakfast. After doing a quick shop in Aldi for dinner we returned home and agreed to pick Sophie up at lunchtime as she wanted to go out for an hour. Now Laura has left she is at a bit of a loose end again at lunchtime so we were more than happy to take her out.

I needed to go to Boots anyway as I wanted to get my Mum some more heat patches and we also popped into Netx where I bought a bottle of the Eau Nude that I like to wear every day. Sophie bought some clothes and Keith looked at the trousers in there, but most of them were skinny or even super skinny fit and I had to suppress a giggle at the thought of him trying them on!

After we'd dropped Sophie back at work we went to Wyevale (now Dobbies!) and Keith spotted a pair of trousers in the Edinburgh Woollen Mill. We are off to the races at Southwell next week and neither of us can wear jeans in the enclosure we have tickets for, so he needed to get a pair even though I suspected he already had some at home in the wardrobe!

We had a sandwich for lunch in the Costa there and then went to get Mike who was ready early. I had booked a GP appointment for about 4.30pm as I wanted to speak to the doctor about my irritability lately. When I saw her she suggested anti-depressants, which I wasn't keen on but did say I could take St John's Wort as a natural alternative. She said it was just one of the joys of being in the menopause!

I don't like Tuesdays...

I am rapidly going off Tuesdays as today work was a bit stressful and very busy indeed! I walked into an empty office as Sara was at another one of our centres and struggled to get the wallboard working. Luckily, Sheila came in and helped out, which I was very relieved about!

I was working with another girl today as Joanne was in France and we had almost non-stop calls. By the time I left we'd taken over 200 phone calls and I'd given up trying to do the box office returns. I had fourteen films to do and had only managed to do three. I just hope Thursday is a lot quieter!

Keith picked me up at 2pm and I called into the post office on the way home to send out some parcels. Mike was off to see Abbie again so we didn't have to pick him up which was a bonus! On the way home it looked increasingly stormy and I prayed for a good thunderstorm to clear the heavy, sultry air. The temperature was back up to 31c again but thankfully it's set to become cooler over the next few days.

Sophie called me on the way home to say she was going to drive herself in the evening. She had arranged to go out for dinner with two of her friends and I'd been happy to drive her into town and back but she decided to drive. I made her promise to go careful but it's something she needs to do and she was looking forward to it, I think!

Keith and I were on our own and we sat in the garden for a while before cooking dinner. The house is so quiet when both Sophie and Mike are out!

Enjoying the sun!

It was a lovely feeling that I didn't have to get up today but I was still awake at 6.30am! Sophie went off to the gym and I managed to sit in the garden with a cup of coffee, which was utter bliss! The sky was a cloudless blue and the sun hadn't become too warm yet.

When Sophie returned we baked the pastries we bought yesterday at Beckworth and sat out in the garden again. It was lovely! I really feel like I've made the most of this gorgeous weather this weekend as we've sat out in the garden several times.

By mid-morning the heat was back in full force and we just drifted about the house feeling lethargic! Sophie and I went over to Market Harborough in the afternoon and managed to park on the road as all we wanted to do was go to Gallone's for an ice-cream sundae. The cafe was packed with people with a similar idea and we enjoyed two lovely ice-creams to cool us down!

We took the scenic route on the way home and a lot of the fields had been harvested already, with towering stacks of hay piled up and waiting to be transported to the barns. Although it's been hot, it hasn't been as dusty and dry as last year and our verges and lawns are still a lovely green.

When we got home Mike and Keith were nowhere to be seen and we could only guess that they'd called into the pub. Mike had been working overtime today again and had stayed at Abbie's all weekend. When they finally arrived back home I suggested we go to The Three Cranes at Cransley as it had just opened its doors again after being closed for a while. Mike opted to stay at home as he was shattered so just the three of us made the trip.

Looking at photos on Facebook, it appeared to be very similar to The White Horse and we later found out it has the same owners. First impressions weren't brilliant as the garden benches were in a state of disrepair and covered in bird mess. As the weekend had long been forecast to be warm and sunny, wouldn't you think it was a good idea to make sure they were fit for people to sit on?

We retreated back inside and watched as all three members of staff sat down to eat burgers and chips on the table next to us. It was then that we discovered the same people have our local! I am not keen on staff eating in front of the customers for some reason and I don't think we'll be in a hurry to go back. There were a few locals in the bar who were very pleased their pub had opened again but it wasn't tremendously busy for a Bank Holiday Monday evening.

Dinner tonight was the curry (Sophie had prepared it this morning) and it was delicious and full of veggies. It had been slowly cooking all day and had been well worth the wait!

Feeling hot, hot, hot!

The forecast was for another scorcher of a day today with the temperatures even higher than yesterday. This is so rare for the UK to have a hot Bank Holiday weekend! The seaside resorts must be rubbing their hands in glee!

As is now the custom on a Sunday, we took Sophie to the gym and went off in search of the papers. We also needed to buy some crumpets for breakfast so we went to Aldi on the Wellingborough road but even though it was several minutes past 10am, they weren't open. We went instead to the Aldi by B&Q and Keith popped in as I was dressed like a bag lady!

On the way back to get Sophie we drove around Brackmills and I said that Keith should really contact someone at Stanley Black and Decker who could show him around the new building, which is huge!

After picking Sophie up we headed home for a late breakfast of crumpets and then it was time for showers as we had decided to go to and look at the showhouses on the old university campus. Before we drove over we took the Sunday papers around to my Mum and Dad's house and my Mum said her knee was a lot better with the heat patches.

Sophie couldn't believe the amount of houses that had gone up on the old campus and there were already people living in some of them! The sales woman was showing people around a house so we wandered about until she was finished. A lot of the houses looked really small and they were crammed in very tightly!

We looked at a five bedroom house on the development and we were very surprised to see it had a separate, small dining room. The living room was also small but we did like the kitchen which had space for a table and four chairs as well as a sofa. Upstairs the bedrooms were quite small with the fifth converted into a study. When we looked out of the windows we were able to see into loads of other gardens, including the one right next to the showhome where the couple living there were sunbathing!

We had a chat with the sales woman and made up a story about my parents looking for a smaller house to live in! Luckily, she wasn't the regular sales woman so after having a chat, we headed back to the car and drove to Beckworth. It was very hot indeed and the temperature was about 32c.

There was no queue for the cafe and we were seated in the conservatory area, half of which was roped off as they were so quiet. We enjoyed a glass of Rose with a savoury cheese scone each and a bottle of sparkling water to quench our thirst!

Afterwards I half-heartedly looked around the plants but the thought of putting in winter flowering pansies now was not a good one - they are not keen on the heat!

Back home we sat in the garden and abandoned dinner. We were supposed to have had curry but as there was only three of us and none of fancied anything hot, we decided to have a snack instead!

Sunny Saturday!

Mike was working overtime today and started at 9am so Keith dropped him off before going shopping. Sophie also went to the gym and while they were both out I had a quick tidy up.

It's been very warm today with temperatures hovering around 30c! Normally, on a Bank Holiday weekend, we'd go to the local beer festival at The White Horse, but this year things have changed slightly with our friends so no-one has suggested it!

When Keith arrived home with the shopping I asked him if we could take the garden rubbish to the tip - we had three bags and a whole wheelie bin full of branches and prunings - and I'd been meaning to go for ages.

It was surprisingly quiet there and we were able to get rid of all the waste in one fell swoop! My car was covered in garden bits so I did a quick hoover when I got home before going to have a shower.

In the afternoon Sophie and I went to The Daily Bread Co-operative in town as I'd always wanted to go and I'd heard there was a nice cafe! We had a cup of tea and a substantial slice of coffee and walnut cake first before walking over to the cool and airy shop where they sold vegan, vegetarian and whole foods. We soon spotted some delicious foods and I also bought some biodegradable make-up remover wipes as I feel guilty for throwing so many away.

Sophie picked out some lovely foods and we also spotted some smoked garlic that instantly took me back to rural France. Bliss! There is also a garden centre on the complex but I decided to leave that until another time. The time is coming for winter pansies so we will be back!

From the Daily Bread Co-operative we went to Boots where I bought my Mum some heat patches for her sore knee. Sophie had an appointment at Virgin for a beauty treatment so I sat in the car and waited and then we popped to see Mum and Dad. We put the stocking on my Mum's knee and applied the heat patches while she rested her leg. It was lovely to sit and chat for a while with a cold Pimms and some snacks.

Back home Keith barbecued this evening but there was only the three of us as Mike had gone to stay with Abbie. We sat in the garden and it was heavenly - I really feel like I've made the most of our sunny day today!

So glad it's Friday...and a long weekend!

I slept much better last night and I don't think I woke up at all. Keith took me to work and then headed home to sort out my tyres. Work was very pleasant until about 1.30pm when one of the girls who was taking over at 2pm called in sick, which we all thought was very unfair on Sara, who then had to scramble around to try and get cover.

Keith picked me up and my car had two brand new front tyres! He had booked it in for a re-test at 4.30pm so that was a huge relief! We drove down to pick up Mike and he finished early which was a bonus. He was covered in white paint as he's been painting the goal posts at the parks ready for the new football season.

Today has been warm and sunny and for once it looks like we're going to have a good Bank Holiday weekend! The temperature was hovering around 27c and it's set to go up to 30c on Sunday and Monday.

At home I prepared the vegetables for the paella and then we popped over to Broughton to get the test done again. As everything had been done on Wednesday, all the mechanic had to do was inspect the tyres and re-issue the MOT paperwork.

Sophie made the paella in the evening but she couldn't fit the chicken into the pan so we had an almost veggie one (we included chorizo)! The four of us enjoyed the meal and had a lively discussion about which specie would take over if a catastrophe wiped out the human population! Mike said insects and I suspect he wouldn't be far wrong!

A long day...

I didn't sleep very well last night as I was worried about my Mum who has to go into hospital for a knee operation. I just hope it's not when we go to Mallorca! I was awake from about 4 am so by 5am I decided to get up and have a coffee!

I was facing a long shift today - 8am until 5pm - to help Sara as she was short-staffed. Thankfully, it was a much better day at work and the phones weren't that busy. I felt absolutely shattered though, and couldn't wait for Keith to pick me up at 5pm. The assessor had been out to look at Sophie's car and he had brought it with him as it wouldn't have been a good idea to drive mine until we can get two new front tyres.

We sped down to pick Sophie up and when we got home I had a lovely bath. Today has been muggy and overcast and we decided to go to The Royal Oak for dinner. Mike went off to stay with Abbie on Wednesday night and was still there so cooking paella for the three of us was a bit silly!

Sophie drove us and we had a drink while looking at the menu. Keith and I really fancied fish and chips and Sophie chose the burger as she had enjoyed it so much the last time we ate here. Mine and Keith's meals were delicious (the fish was beautifully cooked) but Sophie was disappointed with her burger and said the mustard sauce was too heavy and dominated the meal. She and Keith shared an apple crumble for dessert while I indulged in a Sherry trifle. It was delicious!

As soon as we got home I went to bed, as I was shattered! It had been a long day!

A bad day...

Today started off really well and we took Sophie to work at 8am before driving my car over to Broughton for its MOT test. We then headed straight for Kettering and I treated Keith to breakfast in the new Costa by Aldi.

We did some shopping and I bought a Brita filter in Aldi in an attempt to cut down on the amount of bottled water we buy every week. I really don't like the taste of tap water so I was hoping I could have this instead of taking bottled water to work. It fits neatly in the door of the fridge so it will be lovely and chilled.

We headed home where I decided to tidy up the gravel garden. A while ago (I can't remember when) we cut down a load of bushes and they'd been left lying on the ground. I cleared all that away and had a good tidy up before mowing the lawn and sorting out the borders. As soon as I started turning the soil over, the robin appeared!

Monty kept me company and I sat and had my lunch in the garden, which was lovely!

Contemplating life as a cat...

While I was out in the garden Keith had called Sophie's insurance company as they had left a message for her. It turned out that as she hadn't informed them that she was no longer a student and was working, they'd worked out her policy had gone up by £52...Keith had to pay over the phone, which was really annoying! How did they come to that figure? £30 of it was "admin" which is a rip-off!

Keith went to get Mike from work and while he was gone the garage phoned to say that my car had failed its MOT because one of the front tyres was faulty. We went over to collect it and as there was a queue of people waiting to collect their cars, I said to Keith I'd go and get Sophie in her car. The A43 was jammed up as there had been roadworks taking place all afternoon so I went the back road and almost witnessed an accident on the Pytchley crossroads. This seems to be a blackspot and a car coming from the direction of the A43 and turning right, nearly hit an oncoming car despite it being mere yards away. He then pulled out in front of me!

I made it down to Sophie's workplace in one piece and we headed home where I booked our car hire for Mallorca and the parking at Stansted for our car. We also checked in and printed off our boarding passes.

Unfortunately, over dinner we had a bit of a family argument and mealtimes are rapidly becoming warzones in our house at the moment. Perhaps it's because all of us have quite strong opinions and the children are no longer "children". Let's hope tomorrow is better!

A trying morning!

Sophie set off for the gym this morning but came back within a few minutes as one of the lights on her dashboard had come on again - we think it's the tyre air warning so I had to get Keith up to help her out. The tyres were at the right inflation so she went off again and we said we'd look at it again after work.

I suppose as yesterday was better than expected at work, today was worse! Sara wasn't in this morning so Joanne and I were answering the phones and it was very busy indeed! It didn't help that our wallboard went down half way through the shift so we were working blind, which is something I hate. Nobody bothered to help us sort it out even though there were two managers present and one of them was more interested in sitting her office and laughing...

Just before we were due to finish at 2pm, we had a customer call from our reception area wanting to sign her daughter up to be a member! I explained to one of the girls on reception that there was no way we could do it as we were just about to change the shift! It was the last straw of a morning full of niggling irritations!

I called into the carwash on the way home and washed my filthy car. Back home, as it was such a beautiful day, I titivated it a bit more so by the time I'd finished it looked a lot better. It's booked in for its MOT tomorrow so I hope it passes!

Better than expected!

Today, work was a lot easier as there were three of us manning the phones, so even though we still took nearly 200 calls by 2pm, they were spread out a bit evenly! It was a much more pleasant day that I was expecting!

We didn't have to collect Mike from work today so we decided to head over to Kettering to do our Monday shop and went to Aldi for a change. We chose chicken in a red wine sauce for dinner and as soon as we returned home, Keith and I did all the prep. It took ages as we chopped up loads of vegetables!

Sophie had heard from her insurance company today that an independent assessor was coming out on Thursday to inspect the damage to her car from the prang she had back in July. It will mean that her car has to be at home all day, which will cause a few problems!

Mike arrived home with his friend Charlie, who had picked Mike up from Abbie's house in his Mum's (almost) brand new car! I just couldn't imagine Mike driving mine! They disappeared off to Brixworth where Charlie was hosting a barbecue so that left just the three of us for dinner! There was loads left over, as usual!

After dinner Sophie and I watched Remarkable Places to Eat. I'm glad we watched it after dinner as the food featured made my mouth water!

A quick shop!

I woke up at a more reasonable time of 6.30am this morning and started off my day with two good cups of coffee! Keith and I then took Sophie to the gym and went to the Weston Favell Centre to do a bit of shopping. We went to Costa first and waited a good ten minutes to be served, but the coffee was worth it!

I had plans to take my car through the carwash but the heavens opened so I decided against it! We collected Sophie and went home to have a late breakfast of crumpets with Nutella, before heading off to Rushden Lakes in the afternoon.

We called in to see Mum and Dad on the way and my Mum's knee was very painful so she decided not to come with us. Before going out I'd tried to clean up the inside of my car which smelt of stale milk and I sponged the back seats as Mike had sloshed coffee all over them. My poor car looked awful and I was really annoyed that it was in that state.

Rushden Lakes was, predictably, very busy and we couldn't get anywhere near Decathlon where Sophie had to go to take a sports bra back that she had ordered online. I gave up trying to find a space and we joined the main drag of traffic again, ending up parking far away from the main shops! We walked to River Island where Sophie bought a lovely dress in the sale, and then onward to Decathlon. Sophie couldn't be bothered to wait ages to try another sports bra on, so we just paid and left.

Before heading home we called into M&S and I bought a bottle of Californian red with a voucher I had. We walked back to the car and before going home we drove up to the new part of the centre and explored the new leisure facilities that had opened since we'd last visited. There was a Cineworld cinema with 4D, a 360 Play Indoor Activity centre, crazy golf and lots of new restaurants. No wonder the place was so busy!

Back home we relaxed while Keith prepared roast pork for dinner. It felt like ages since we'd had a Sunday roast!

More celebrations!

I didn't wake up until almost 9am this morning! I must have needed the sleep but it gave me a headache and I felt really groggy!

The morning was spent gradually waking up and pottering about in the house. In fact, I didn't go out all day, which suited me just fine! Sophie went to Farndon Fields at lunchtime with Daisy and Laura and then went to Market Harborough afterwards.

I spent the day happily doing small chores and enjoying the lovely weather. Sophie returned from Market Harborough and brought some delicious Italian pastries with her. She'd had a great time and had even looked around show homes near Farndon Fields!

In the evening we rang up and ordered a Chinese takeaway (true luxury) and we popped open a bottle of Champagne that Sophie had bought for our anniversary. Mike joined us for the fizz and the meal and then went into town with Abbie and some friends.

We stayed up quite late (is it any wonder after the lie-in?) and Sophie and I watched a documentary on Woodstock - it's the 50th anniversary this weekend - and an interesting programme about Santana who performed at the festival. I've grown up with Santana and even went to see them in the late 80s so it was great to learn more about the band and Carlos Santana himself!

Another Friday...yippeee!

Again, I was very glad it was Friday when Sophie woke me up at 6am this morning! I really don't think that it's a good time for me to wake up and I always feel horrible for the first ten minutes!

I took Mike to work this morning and my shift was a quiet one. It meant that I was able to catch up with all my work and I checked the opening times for the centres for the upcoming Bank Holiday Monday.

At 2pm I left and popped into Lidl as they are selling re-usable vegetable and fruit bags. I bought two packs of two so that should save a little bit of plastic when Keith goes to the supermarket! I sat and waited for Mike and he came out of work at 3pm with Abbie who was spending the night with us and having dinner. As she's vegetarian, Sophie elected to make a big veggie curry!

The weather had worsened this afternoon and the rain started to pour down. We took Keith to the pub as it was really hammering down and then Sophie and I watched a very good episode of "Remarkable Places to Eat" with Fred Sirieix and Michel Roux. The food made our mouths water!

Sophie's curry was delicious and it felt very cosy sitting in the conservatory with the candles lit and listening to the rain lashing down outside. Abbie and Mike went out with some friends and Sophie and I watched a very good documentary on Woodstock, which I found fascinating!

Anniversary celebrations!

I was mightily glad when 3pm came today and I finished work. It had been a shift of niggly problems and I was glad to go straight home as Mike hadn't been at work again today.

I must confess to having a nap and when Sophie arrived home Keith and I opened our cards and we were delighted to receive a bottle of Champagne and chocolates! Wonderful! To celebrate we had a drink and a game of cards in the conservatory, which was a real treat as all four of us played.

We enjoyed a delicious chilli con carne for dinner and I suggested to Sophie that we walk around the estate with Monty and go and see the horses which are back in the field.

It was a beautiful evening and we dropped some loaf bags off at a neighbour's house - we have embraced recycling as a community and our bread bags, crisp and snack packets and lots of other items are being sent off to be recycled!

When we reached the gate we could see one horse in the distance and Monty slipped under the fence and went into the field. Within minutes all five horses had come over to say hello and didn't seem to mind that we hadn't got any carrots or apples with us. We had a pat and a chat to them and our local dog walker, Danni, appeared, with tiny poodly Brian! She was house-sitting while Brian's owners were on holiday so we had a good chat and then set off to walk around the rest of the estate and drop off a carrier bag full of crisp packets.

It was a really gorgeous evening but there was an undeniable nip in the air and you can tell that Autumn is not far away!

A delightful interlude!

Yesterday evening, in the car, I asked Sophie whether there was something going on in the heavens for me as everything I try and do at the moment is hard work. Even getting somewhere in the car is difficult! My life is blighted by little irritations, which are getting on my nerves!

She found something on the internet about Saturn being retrograde and as that's my planet, it might explain a lot of things! The good news is that it ends in September, just before we go on holiday!

The little irritations were alive and well this morning when we went to Tesco at Wellingborough. We'd visited B&Q to buy a box of the tiles we needed (we found them!) and after visiting the train station (I didn't know the town even had one) and going back to where Keith used to work, I suggested going to the store to have a bite to eat and to get something for dinner tonight. I was expecting a Costa but the cafe was operated by Tesco itself, a rare thing these days! I ordered two sausage sandwiches and a tea and coffee and we sat and waited. I found the store quite depressing and outside it was pouring with rain, so that didn't help!

Our breakfast arrived and I wouldn't have served the sandwiches to a dog. No thought or care had been taken with them, just two thin sausages slapped on some tasteless white bread. Horrible! We goomily ate them and then went to do some shopping, but we quickly discovered they didn't have a pharmacy, something we needed as we wanted to get Mike some medication for his bites.

In fact, they didn't have much of anything so we dumped our one purchase (the newspaper) back on the shelf and fled to Kettering instead! Even this was hard work as I'd chosen to drive through Wellingborough and there were roadworks going on!

In Kettering Keith took his watch strap into Timpson's to be replaced and we bought some jacket potatoes for dinner tonight. Keith and I are off to a friend's for drinks as a thank you for buying him the two shirts in Macy's in Monterey and we thought it would be an easy dinner for when we get back.

The man in Timpson's was having trouble with the watch strap so we had to wait a few minutes until he'd sorted it. We stood and watched the rain come down in sheets! Where has summer gone? On the way home we called into the garage at Broughton and I booked my car in for an MOT. We also popped to see Mum and Dad for half an hour and had a cup of tea. They were as fed up with the weather as we were!

In the evening Keith and I went for drinks with John and his wife, Sue. Keith drinks with John on a Friday night and he'd asked me to get him some shirts in California. As a thank you for getting them for him we were invited over and we were looking forward to a little relaxation! All thoughts of sitting in the garden and soaking up the sunshine disappeared as the weather was still horrible, grey and drizzly. Sophie gave us a lift so we didn't have to worry about driving!

We had a lovely time sitting in John and Sue's conservatory and had a good natter over wine and beer, with some delicious nibbles. Their dog, Tilly, took a liking to me and we had lovely cuddles! Sophie picked us up at 7.30pm and we drove home to a supper of jacket potatoes. Mike had been out all day at Abbie's house so we had a little lie-in to look forward to in the morning!

Film night

This evening all four of us had an early supper of soup and crusty bread and went off to the Northampton Filmhouse to see a 40th anniversary showing of Apocalypse Now.

We parked very easily by Derngate as I think the theatre is having some refurbishment work done. I'd looked at the available cinema seats before we left and discovered that it was almost full! Keith treated us to some drinks and we went in and took our seats.

I'm sure I'd seen the film before but didn't remember much of it and the version we watched this evening was the "Final Cut" and was three hours long! I wasn't sure how Sophie and Mike would react but as the film got going I think they both enjoyed it. It was very gory and violent and was given a rating of 15, but I'm sure when it first came out in 1979 it was an 18?

I liked a lot of the actors in it - Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Harrison Ford and, of course, Marlon Brando. Seeing the film on the big screen was great as we were treated to real close-ups of the actors' faces! They looked so young!

We emerged at 10.30pm and Mike was not in a good mood as his arm and hand had swollen up again because of an insect bite. I think the time has come for him to apply insect repellent when he goes to work to prevent a bite in the first place. He said he wasn't going to work tomorrow as he was in so much pain...

We drove home and then it was straight to bed as it was 11pm!

A calm start to the week!

Thankfully, work wasn't as busy as last Monday and I suspect a lot of people have gone away on holiday. We are now into week three of the summer break and we just have two more full weeks to go!

Keith collected me from work and we managed to waste two hours at the Weston Favell Centre. We popped into Tesco to buy food for tonight and tomorrow and had a coffee at Costa. Mike didn't want us to pick him up until 4pm and our suspicions that he had gone to see Abbie were proved correct! They really seem to be an item at the moment!

I predicted at the start of the summer that we weren't going to have a very good one, and I have been right. Today was unsettled and showery and this week is set to be the same with much cooler temperatures and a fair amount of rain. We have yet another weather warning out for Wednesday, which is great as it's my day off!

Birthday celebrations!

We had a lazy start to the day and when I got up Keith had washed up all the glasses, bless him! We took Sophie to the gym first thing and popped to Tesco to get another dessert to take around to my Mum and Dad's house at lunchtime. Mike wasn't home so we called him but he said he would make his own way back...

In Tesco Keith and I bought a Gu pudding and the papers and headed back to the gym to wait for Sophie. She came out all sweaty but had worked hard! We drove home to have a quick breakfast and then discovered that Mike was still in town and would be hard pushed to get home for 1pm. It meant that Sophie and I had to go and get him, which I was very annoyed about.

We made it to my parents just fifteen minutes late and had a lovely lunch of cold meats, salad, new potatoes and sausage rolls. Sophie drove and sipped a glass or two of the Freixenet 0% alcohol sparkling wine. We sat outside for a while but then the heavens opened and we had to run indoors! It stayed like this for the rest of the afternoon which was a real shame!

Back home we relaxed and did very little, and Mike's friend Abbie arrived. They disappeared off to the pub and the three of us had supper of leftover cheese and biscuits. Delicious!

Quiet days...

Thursday and Friday were quiet days with not a great deal happening, so not a lot to report! I somehow managed to hurt my left ankle when I was cleaning the windows on Wednesday so I hobbled about a bit, but sitting down at work helped! The bad weather arrived on Friday morning and it poured down when I took Mike into work but by the afternoon it had brightened up. However, tomorrow is forecast to be very windy!

On Saturday morning, Sophie and I went to Beckworth as I wanted to get some canapes for our dinner party tonight. We had a coffee and a pastry for breakfast before looking at all the different foods on offer. I wandered around not really sure what to get, but in the end settled for dips, crudites and some crisps. I didn't want a full starter as I wanted to do cheese and biscuits after dessert.

I also bought a lovely plant for a hanging basket and we made our way home with the goodies. It had started to get very windy and we were forecast speeds of between 40-50mph. I foolishly put the new plant into a hanging basket, but later noticed the wind had broken some of the fragile stems...drat!

Sophie and I cleaned the conservatory (it was dead fly city again) and she set the table for me. She also prepared all the vegetables while I gave the cloakroom a good clean. I then made a meringue for dessert and by about 2pm the bottom half of the house was looking lovely. I was able to sit and relax for a little while, which was a bonus! I'm so glad I did all that cleaning on Tuesday and Wednesday! Mike wanted a lift into town so we dropped him off at Abbie's house and returned home where I pottered about putting the finishing touches to the conservatory.

Outside it was very windy but it stayed dry. I had a lovely soak in the bath and Sophie painted my toenails and tonged my hair. Just before Sarah and Liam arrived I managed to get gravy or salsa all over my top but it was too late to change. The best laid plans!

Our friends arrived bearing wine and a beautiful plant in a terracotta pot, which I thought was lovely. We all sat in the conservatory and chatted before I brought out the dips and veggies. Keith had cooked the main course - the Hairy Bikers' beef in gravy and this went down very well with mashed potatoes, asparagus, carrots, green beans and broccoli.

Sophie assembled the dessert of Eton Mess - meringue, cream and strawberries and then we finished off with a cheeseboard, celery and grapes. We polished off two bottles of delicious Californian wine and Keith gave Liam an Irish whiskey to try at the end of the meal which went down very well! They left at just after midnight and we made the sensible decision to leave washing the glasses up until tomorrow. My wonderful daughter had washed up and stacked the dishwasher for me so there was very little to do!

More cleaning!

I have to confess to going back to sleep this morning as I felt really tired, especially after our early start yesterday! I saw Sophie off to the gym and Keith stayed in bed as well because Mike was out at a friend's house, so neither of us had to get up!

I had a lovely lie-in and felt ready to face more cleaning! I decided to clean the windows of the conservatory and Keith came out to help me. It was a lovely day with scudding clouds and a breeze and we worked until lunchtime, clearing away dead leaves, bird mess and general dirt. I can't remember the last time we cleaned the windows!

After having showers we drove into town and had a coffee and sausage roll at the Costa next to Waitrose. We then called into Jones's where I bought yet more fat snax, some new wine glasses and a few other bits. Whilst in there we saw the very beginnings of their Christmas displays...it's only the 7th August!

I was tempted by some of the Christmas cards as I love the Peter Pauper Press range. However, I wasn't moved by the designs so I might wait to see if they bring any more out nearer to Christmas. Phew! A close escape!

Before getting Mike from work we called into B&Q, and to our dismay learned that the tiles we have in our en-suite are no longer available in the store. We have two spare, but a third tile is now cracked and we were hoping to buy a box so we had replacements. We searched high and low but couldn't find them, which was a real blow.

We arrived minutes before Mike finished as there was a big play event going on in Abington Park and there wasn't a parking space to be had. As soon as we got home I went out and mowed the front verge and swept up all the leaves, a fruitless task I think, as we're forecast to have high winds at the weekend! I chatted to Lynn and she gave us loads of courgettes from her allotment. We just need to think up some recipes to use them!

After an early dinner Sophie and I went off to the cinema and saw Rory's Way, about a man travelling to San Francisco to see his son and grandson and to seek medical treatment. We didn't see as much of San Francisco as I hoped but we both enjoyed the film, even though it was a little sad at the end.

At 9.30pm when we emerged, it was dark. Autumn is on its way!

Dead Fly City...

Sophie had an early start this morning as she was off to London for a training course. She got up at about 4.30am and woke me at 5.15am so I could take her to Thrapston. We set off and the sun hadn't yet risen...it doesn't seem long ago that it was bright and sunny at 5am! Sunrise must be about 5.30am at the moment and it soon appeared looking like a big satsuma in the sky.

I dropped Sophie off and this time her manager answered promptly, thank goodness. I drove home, had a big mug of coffee and then showered before taking Mike to work. Work wasn't quite so bad today but we were still busy and there was lots to do.

I was able to go straight home at 2pm and what a lovely feeling that was! I decided to make use of the extra time and I gave the conservatory a really good clean. We have Sarah and Liam coming around for dinner on Saturday night so I wanted everything to look clean! It was very hot working under the glass and Keith and I decided to shift the furniture around and move the computer back into the "study" to give us some extra space. There were dead flies everywhere even though Sophie had given the place a good clean when Daisy and Laura came over a couple of weeks ago!

We had nearly finished when Sophie texted me to say she was at Huntingdon train station so we dropped everything to go and get her. Back home I tidied away and we had a simple supper of soup and crusty bread which was a relief as none of us felt like cooking anything! Afterwards we sampled some baklava that Sophie had bought in a shop in London. It was terribly sweet, but delicious!

A cat called Fridge!

I had 20 minutes extra sleep this morning as we didn't have to wake MIke up at 6am. It makes all the difference!

Keith took me to work and I had a very busy morning - the calls were non-stop again and I had to deal with numerous membership cancellations, so my desk was covered in paperwork! I nearly had to send the cancellations off to another department but curiously, we had a lull and I managed to get them all completed. It would have helped if we'd had a third member of staff to help but she called in sick...!

At 2pm Keith picked me up and we drove to Wickes to buy the tiles for our bathroom. We needed fourteen boxes and they weighed 20kg each so they were a big load for my poor car. We spread them out in the boot and put some on the back seat. I then gingerly drove to collect Mike from work and managed to park opposite. There was a lovely cat sitting on the pavement and he was very friendly indeed! A little while later a woman walked past and we got chatting - she told me his name was Fridge! Apparently, he loves lying under the cars parked on the street but I would have been worried about him straying across the road if he was my cat.

We collected Mike and I drove very carefully home - it felt like the car's nose was pointing up in the air. It was a relief to get home and store them all in the garage!

Then...and now!

Google occasionally plays around with my photos and they came up with this after I took the photo on the right on Saturday!

Where have the years gone?!

Porky pasta!

Keith and I went to Tesco this morning and called to see Mum and Dad on the way home. Sophie was busy doing a presentation for work and putting some more clothes on ebay. It would be great to have enough in the pot for some lovely treats when we go to Mallorca in September!

I bought some cheesy bread in Tesco and we enjoyed that with some smoked cheese for lunch. In the afternoon we went to see a 30th anniversary showing of When Harry Met Sally at the Northampton Filmhouse. We gave Mike a lift on the way as he was off to see his friend in the town. He was planning on staying at her house overnight so tomorrow we don't need to take him!

We parked easily in the car park by Derngate and we were surprised to find the main doors closed! We headed straight for the cinema and Sophie bought a glass of wine each before we settled into our lovely comfortable seats. Both of us had seen the film before but it's very enjoyable seeing it on the big screen and enjoying a glass of vino and popcorn! My friend Fiona had also gone to see it and we met up to say hello afterwards.

Sophie and I returned home and managed to relax for a little while before dinner. The sky clouded over and we had rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightening followed by torrential rain. It had been building all day and I hoped it would clear the air which was heavy and sultry.

Tonight we were cooking Gino D'Acampo's "porky pasta" and we had different coloured Orecchiette pasta. Sophie cooked it all by herself and it was delicious. I prepared the garlic bread, so that was my contribution! Rather than have the stringy tenderstem broccoli, we had small florets and it was much more enjoyable!

This weekend has whizzed by again. I can't believe it's Monday again tomorrow!

An Oxfordshire mooch...

As we've been so busy lately, I suggested we go out somewhere today and have a break. The weather was supposed to be a bit iffy, so we didn't really want to drive all the way to the coast and have to get up early! In the end, after a lot of discussion we decided on a pub mooch on the Northamptonshire/Oxfordshire borders instead.

Before we went, we picked out some promising pubs and set off at about 11am. The weather was fine and dry with a fair amount of cloud, but lots of sun too. We'd heard that today was a busy day on the roads as a lot of people were heading off on holiday and the A43 towards the M40 was indeed a bit frantic. It didn't help that there was an event on at Silverstone and a couple of old Bentleys were making their way there!

We became stuck in very slow moving traffic just before we got to the M40, which held us up, but as soon as we were on the B430 we speeded up again. We were now in Oxfordshire and the villages were very pretty, with lots of old stone buildings and scenic views.

Our first pub was The Chequers at Weston-on-the Green and Keith and Mike were hoping for Fullers ESB to be on the pumps. Sadly, it wasn't and this sort of set the tone for the day...

Sophie and I had soft drinks while the men enjoyed pints of another Fullers ale and we sat in the garden enjoying the views over open fields.

The pub was lovely and thatched with low beams, stone-flagged floors and little nooks for dining. It's a real shame that Keith was disappointed with the beer.

We had one drink there and Keith suggested we drive to the village of Wendlebury and a pub called The Lion. All first impressions were good when we parked the car and saw a fair few people sitting outside enjoying the summer weather.

Inside was beautiful - muted colours, stone floors, fireplaces, low beams and lovely comfortable furniture. Keith and Mike went to the bar and asked for two pints of Hooray Henley, which was the strongest beer available. Unfortunately, when the barman pulled the pints they looked like rather large samples of urine! They were horrible! Keith took one sip and said it was off. Not a great impression!

The barman agreed and after much debate, the men went for pints of an Italian lager called Peroni. Sophie and I had a soft drink each (sparkling water and lemonade) and the bill came to £16! We queried it, to be told the lager was over £5 a pint and the soft drinks were about £3! No wonder so many pubs are going under when they charge these prices! We were appalled!

We sat and muttered about the prices and had a good look at the drinks menu. There was no question of eating there!

From Wendlebury we drove past the very busy A34 to Bletchingdon and the Blacks Head Inn. It certainly took some finding and we made a detour to the church first, but luckily, after pushing through what we thought was the village, we arrived to find it on the central green.

A car had arrived in front of us and the occupants were certainly different! This gave us some idea of how the pub was - quirky, individual and a bit strange!

Keith on the lager again!

Hotch potch chairs in the quirky lounge bar!

The pub didn't have any beer that appealed to Keith and Mike so they chose lager again. Sophie and I stuck to soft drinks but at least the bar bill was a bit cheaper! We had two bags of crisps and discussed a late lunch, only to discover that the pubs we were heading to stopped serving food at about 2pm...I thought that on a Saturday they would be serving all day!

We had one drink and decided to call at The Ben Jonson on the way back to the A43. This was also in Weston-on-the-Green and when we arrived it looked empty. The pub is lovely - another thatched building with stone floors, muted colours and lovely decor. There was nobody about in the bar so we had to go and find the landlord who was in the process of leaving the pub. He found two bottles of beer for Keith and Mike in the fridge and then embarked on a long diatribe about how difficult it was to run a pub!

The pub was completely empty but there were people sitting outside with children. I found out that Ben Jonson was a 16th century playwright, hence the name.

By now we were all getting a bit hungry so we decided to call into The Green Man near Brackley (and Silverstone) which we hoped would be doing food all day. I think there was some sort of Ford event happening at the racetrack the next day as there were loads of souped-up Fords in the car park and a lot of people arriving to stay at the neighbouring Premier Inn.

Most customers were sitting in the garden area so the restaurant was very quiet. We were shown to a table on its own and we had a great view of the speeding cars on the busy A43! We chose from the menu and enjoyed chicken burgers, a vegan burger and a mixed grill. The food was OK and the bill, with drinks, came to a reasonable £65.

We made our way home and Mike disappeared out again to see his friends. We relaxed for the rest of the evening and had an early-ish night. It had been a busy day!

Phew! It's Friday!

I was really busy at work, but the phones were a bit quieter today, thank goodness. It meant I could put the crash courses on for the penultimate week of the school holidays so that was a relief!

I hadn't had to take Mike into work this morning as he'd stayed at his friend's house overnight and had walked in, but I had to go and collect him and I was amazed that he'd arrived on time this morning, without either of us nagging him! He finished a bit early so we scooted off home and Keith and I then went over to the post office at Brixworth to post out a parcel and get the newspaper.

Sophie drank a non-alcoholic Freixenet this evening while I stuck to my usual G&T. We'd decided on curry for dinner so Sophie did all the cooking, bless her while I caught up with Flipping San Diego! I'm hooked on that now! How I would love to have the money to be able to do up old unloved houses and sell them on. They make them look so beautiful!

A difficult morning!

I was supposed to be working with Sue this morning and she arrived at work, but another member of staff also arrived - they had swapped shifts! Poor Sue had to go home knowing she was coming back at 2pm!

We had quite a difficult shift today when I had to tell a parent that their child was too young to attend our playscheme. She was very calm at first but then rang back and refused to get off the phone until we had arranged alternative childcare for her. As that wasn't possible, we had a bit of a standoff! I had to put the phone down on her in the end, and she promptly just called back and spoke with Denise who I was working with! In the end we sorted something out but I was not happy to have been on the end of the phone with her!

I also received another rant down the phone just before my shift ended so I was mightily glad to get out at 3pm! Mike had gone to see a friend so we could go straight home...bliss!