Keith took me to work today as he felt a little better and was going to do our weekly shop. At 3pm he picked me up and we sped home where I arranged the pumpkins outside the front door and lit some candles on the windowsill.
Today has been a real Halloweeny sort of day with a stiff breeze that has loosened a lot of Autumnal leaves. I lit the candles in the pumpkins when it got dark and we awaited (hopefully) hordes of little witches and wizards.
We had four lots of trick or treaters so not as many as previous years and I do wonder whether next year we will carry on. A lot of houses around us were in darkness, which was a shame and this year's Halloween has certainly not been as busy as a few years ago when we had masses of children knock on the door. Maybe it's because it's been half-term here and people have gone away?
Keith cooked a delicious chicken pie for dinner and we had one last knock on the door, which Mike answered. They were older children so I was glad he went!
Thursday 31 October 2019
Wednesday 30 October 2019
Encounter with an Alien...
I was up early with Sophie and waved her off to the gym before having a lovely coffee and catching up with some jobs on the computer (paying car tax).
Keith was still feeling rough when he got up so I said I would decorate the bathroom on my own today. He insisted on coming upstairs with me but there was so much heavy breathing going on, it was like having Darth Vader in the bathroom with me! I told him to go downstairs and rest!
I turned the radio on (unfortunately Ken Bruce was away) and spent the best part of the day painting the walls and ceiling. I took my time and although I hate doing the ceiling, it all looked great when I'd finished. I just have to do the strip along the top of the wall and gloss the door and it's all done!
Just as I was finishing, Mike phoned to ask us to pick him up as he'd been at Abbie's house to stay the night. She is going back to university today and Mike won't be returning with her. We dashed off to get him and as soon as I arrived back home I had a shower as Sophie and I are out tonight to see Alien at the Northampton Filmhouse.
We left at just after 6pm and drove to the car park by Derngate to find it almost full! I managed to back into a space (driving Sophie's car helped!) and we walked to Buddies for a pre-film meal. I hadn't been to the original Buddies for years and Sophie had never been so it was a great experience. Buddies opened in 1981 and I remember going when I was a child. I wrote a letter saying how great it was and they put it up on the wall! I don't think it's still there but there were a lot of letters from children so the tradition lives on!
We shared starters of mozzarella sticks and breaded chicken before our mains of their classic beefburger and Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. The food was delicious as always and we were stuffed when we were finished!
We walked back to Derngate and had a drink in John Franklin's. Sophie had a Dark and Stormy cocktail while I made do with a bottle of sparkling water. Tomorrow I will have got through a month without alcohol and I'm planning on going a little further into November!
We settled into our seats for the film and we both enjoyed it immensely, even though it was gory and bloody at times. It's amazing to think it was made in 1979 and the actors all looked so young!
Keith was still feeling rough when he got up so I said I would decorate the bathroom on my own today. He insisted on coming upstairs with me but there was so much heavy breathing going on, it was like having Darth Vader in the bathroom with me! I told him to go downstairs and rest!
I turned the radio on (unfortunately Ken Bruce was away) and spent the best part of the day painting the walls and ceiling. I took my time and although I hate doing the ceiling, it all looked great when I'd finished. I just have to do the strip along the top of the wall and gloss the door and it's all done!
Just as I was finishing, Mike phoned to ask us to pick him up as he'd been at Abbie's house to stay the night. She is going back to university today and Mike won't be returning with her. We dashed off to get him and as soon as I arrived back home I had a shower as Sophie and I are out tonight to see Alien at the Northampton Filmhouse.
We left at just after 6pm and drove to the car park by Derngate to find it almost full! I managed to back into a space (driving Sophie's car helped!) and we walked to Buddies for a pre-film meal. I hadn't been to the original Buddies for years and Sophie had never been so it was a great experience. Buddies opened in 1981 and I remember going when I was a child. I wrote a letter saying how great it was and they put it up on the wall! I don't think it's still there but there were a lot of letters from children so the tradition lives on!
We shared starters of mozzarella sticks and breaded chicken before our mains of their classic beefburger and Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. The food was delicious as always and we were stuffed when we were finished!
We walked back to Derngate and had a drink in John Franklin's. Sophie had a Dark and Stormy cocktail while I made do with a bottle of sparkling water. Tomorrow I will have got through a month without alcohol and I'm planning on going a little further into November!
We settled into our seats for the film and we both enjoyed it immensely, even though it was gory and bloody at times. It's amazing to think it was made in 1979 and the actors all looked so young!
Tuesday 29 October 2019
Difficult customers!
Keith drove me into work again today as Mike had asked for a lift to Abbie's house later on. There was just Joanne and I working and first thing I had a difficult call from a taxi driver who had received a parking ticket whilst waiting for a fare in our car park. Although I was sympathetic and tried to help, he started to get argumentative on the phone and in the end I had to terminate the call, something I've only done a handful of times since working in the contact centre!
I had another argumentative call a little later so today has certainly been a difficult one! Keith picked me up at 2pm but said that Mike was still at home as he hadn't got ready to go with Keith when he left to collect me, which was very annoying.
Of course, as soon as we got home, he wanted to go! We took him to an address in Kingsthorpe and then drove over to see Mum and Dad who were having trouble with some DVLA forms. I managed to help them out and we had a cup of tea before returning home the scenic way. It's been another gorgeous day with cooler temperatures but lots of sunshine and blue skies. I fear it's all set to change later in the week which will coincide with Halloween and the firework display in the village.
Dinner tonight was bubble and squeak and leftover cold beef from Sunday which was delicious!
I had another argumentative call a little later so today has certainly been a difficult one! Keith picked me up at 2pm but said that Mike was still at home as he hadn't got ready to go with Keith when he left to collect me, which was very annoying.
Of course, as soon as we got home, he wanted to go! We took him to an address in Kingsthorpe and then drove over to see Mum and Dad who were having trouble with some DVLA forms. I managed to help them out and we had a cup of tea before returning home the scenic way. It's been another gorgeous day with cooler temperatures but lots of sunshine and blue skies. I fear it's all set to change later in the week which will coincide with Halloween and the firework display in the village.
Dinner tonight was bubble and squeak and leftover cold beef from Sunday which was delicious!
Monday 28 October 2019
A little Christmas shopping!
Keith drove me into work today as he had errands to run and at some point I knew we were going to get a call from Mike to ask us to pick him up.
Work was busy but thankfully there were three of us manning the phones so the load was a little lighter. I had warned Keith that the car park would be busy when he returned to pick me up as there was a Fun Day going on in the centre and he arrived as I was walking out. He wasn't keen to go home so he treated me to a coffee at the Costa in Next. This gave me a perfect excuse to go and have another look at the bathroom section and I picked out a grey wicker basket and a loo brush and holder! The basket can hold Sophie's lotions and potions that she puts on the window sill and we really don't need anything else in there for storage as all of the stuff we use goes into the cabinet we have in our bedroom.
Keith then suggested we go to Beckworth to see if they had the turkeys in yet, so off we went! We were delighted to find the turkeys rolled, stuffed and wrapped in bacon so we bought a 6lb joint for Christmas Day! A bit early I know, but get it while you can and the meat was so delicious last year!
I did draw the line at going into the Christmas Emporium part of the shop, though. We'll leave that until the end of November perhaps!
Back home I grabbed the opportunity to get out into the fresh air (the weather has been gorgeous today with clear blue skies and Autumnal sunshine) and tidied up the front garden. After the winds and rain we've had recently it was looking a bit sorry for itself and I swept up tons of leaves and turned over the soil. The grass was far too wet to be cut but it all looked a lot better. Just as I was finishing Mike called to ask us to pick him up so I had to drop everything and Keith and I drove into town.
On the way we came across a man who has lived in Moulton for as long as we can remember - he has a mass of tightly curled hair and drives an ancient Reliant Robin! We hadn't seen the car for quite a while and I was amazed it was still on the road! It looked so weird with just one wheel at the front but I wouldn't have wanted to travel behind him for too long as the car wasn't going very fast!
We picked Mike up from Abington Park and headed home where I prepared all the veggies for our curry tonight. Keith has a horrible cough and cold at the moment (he caught it from Mike) but he gamely cooked dinner despite feeling a bit rough!
Work was busy but thankfully there were three of us manning the phones so the load was a little lighter. I had warned Keith that the car park would be busy when he returned to pick me up as there was a Fun Day going on in the centre and he arrived as I was walking out. He wasn't keen to go home so he treated me to a coffee at the Costa in Next. This gave me a perfect excuse to go and have another look at the bathroom section and I picked out a grey wicker basket and a loo brush and holder! The basket can hold Sophie's lotions and potions that she puts on the window sill and we really don't need anything else in there for storage as all of the stuff we use goes into the cabinet we have in our bedroom.
Keith then suggested we go to Beckworth to see if they had the turkeys in yet, so off we went! We were delighted to find the turkeys rolled, stuffed and wrapped in bacon so we bought a 6lb joint for Christmas Day! A bit early I know, but get it while you can and the meat was so delicious last year!
I did draw the line at going into the Christmas Emporium part of the shop, though. We'll leave that until the end of November perhaps!
Back home I grabbed the opportunity to get out into the fresh air (the weather has been gorgeous today with clear blue skies and Autumnal sunshine) and tidied up the front garden. After the winds and rain we've had recently it was looking a bit sorry for itself and I swept up tons of leaves and turned over the soil. The grass was far too wet to be cut but it all looked a lot better. Just as I was finishing Mike called to ask us to pick him up so I had to drop everything and Keith and I drove into town.
On the way we came across a man who has lived in Moulton for as long as we can remember - he has a mass of tightly curled hair and drives an ancient Reliant Robin! We hadn't seen the car for quite a while and I was amazed it was still on the road! It looked so weird with just one wheel at the front but I wouldn't have wanted to travel behind him for too long as the car wasn't going very fast!
We picked Mike up from Abington Park and headed home where I prepared all the veggies for our curry tonight. Keith has a horrible cough and cold at the moment (he caught it from Mike) but he gamely cooked dinner despite feeling a bit rough!
Sunday 27 October 2019
A day at home
The horrible wet and nasty weather moved away overnight and we awoke to blue skies and sunshine. Sophie was meeting her friend Laura today for lunch and had booked a table at The Four Pears in Little Houghton.
I spent the day catching up with housework and I gave the hallway floor and skirting boards a good clean. Some of the white paintwork on the banisters needs touching up - a job for next Wednesday I think!
Keith fitted two doorstops for me - one on the kitchen door where we have already managed to punch a hole into the wall, and one in the bathroom to protect the tiles. I gave the bathroom a good clean and applied some of the grey bathroom paint on the walls to see what it looked like.
Mum and Dad popped around in the afternoon and had a look at our new room before enjoying a cup of tea and some biscuits. I am starting to feel a lot happier with how the house looks now, but the kitchen is up for decorating next, followed by our bedroom and then finally the study. Hopefully, by the Spring it will all be done!
After Mum and Dad had gone I finished the cleaning and then had a lovely bath. Sophie texted me to say she was at a pub in Olney and I started to get a bit worried as the clocks had gone back last night and it would be dark for her journey home. The road to Olney is quite dark and she had never driven it before so I asked her to be careful!
Keith cooked roast beef for just the two of us this evening which felt a bit strange! While he was doing the cooking I watched David Attenborough's latest programme - Seven Worlds, One Planet - with the first episode about life in Antarctica. To say it was brutal was a massive understatement and I'm just glad Sophie wasn't around to watch it. We learnt that Albatross parents don't recognise their young if they fall out of the nest and I watched as a little chick struggled to get back in with the completely indifferent parent looking on...it was horrible!
Sophie arrived home at about 7.30pm as we were clearing up so it was a very quiet evening! She'd had a great time with Laura and had ended up coming home on the Newport Pagnell road which I always find a bit spooky due to the dark Salcey Forest along the route!
I spent the day catching up with housework and I gave the hallway floor and skirting boards a good clean. Some of the white paintwork on the banisters needs touching up - a job for next Wednesday I think!
Keith fitted two doorstops for me - one on the kitchen door where we have already managed to punch a hole into the wall, and one in the bathroom to protect the tiles. I gave the bathroom a good clean and applied some of the grey bathroom paint on the walls to see what it looked like.
Mum and Dad popped around in the afternoon and had a look at our new room before enjoying a cup of tea and some biscuits. I am starting to feel a lot happier with how the house looks now, but the kitchen is up for decorating next, followed by our bedroom and then finally the study. Hopefully, by the Spring it will all be done!
After Mum and Dad had gone I finished the cleaning and then had a lovely bath. Sophie texted me to say she was at a pub in Olney and I started to get a bit worried as the clocks had gone back last night and it would be dark for her journey home. The road to Olney is quite dark and she had never driven it before so I asked her to be careful!
Keith cooked roast beef for just the two of us this evening which felt a bit strange! While he was doing the cooking I watched David Attenborough's latest programme - Seven Worlds, One Planet - with the first episode about life in Antarctica. To say it was brutal was a massive understatement and I'm just glad Sophie wasn't around to watch it. We learnt that Albatross parents don't recognise their young if they fall out of the nest and I watched as a little chick struggled to get back in with the completely indifferent parent looking on...it was horrible!
Sophie arrived home at about 7.30pm as we were clearing up so it was a very quiet evening! She'd had a great time with Laura and had ended up coming home on the Newport Pagnell road which I always find a bit spooky due to the dark Salcey Forest along the route!
Saturday 26 October 2019
Soaked!
We awoke to grey skies and heavy rain which was a shame as we'd planned on going to a Food Festival in Market Harborough today. It didn't put us off going but I felt really sorry for the people who'd organised it. I think the weather is going to be better tomorrow, thank goodness!
We had a lazy morning and I felt extremely proud when England beat New Zealand in the semi-final of the Rugby in Japan! What an outcome! After showering and getting ready we sloshed our way over to Market Harborough at about 11.30am. I had a feeling we'd have difficulty finding a space, but we located one in our usual car park and after paying for three hours (!) we set off for Starbucks to have a coffee.
Everyone was walking around in rain macs and carrying umbrellas and the weather didn't let up at all. The Food Festival was held in the main square and there were several stalls grouped around together with some dining tents set up in the middle. Predictably, nobody was sitting eating but the smells wafting about were delicious!
There was a sausage stall, one selling Asian street food, a tent with scarves and hats and a French cheese producer who gave us some to try. It was delicious! However, I was getting more and more soaked by the water dripping off the tent roofs and the umbrella Sophie was carrying and the moisture had seeped through to the top I was wearing underneath my raincoat. Sophie sampled a toffee vodka from one stall and bought a small bottle to enjoy later this evening. She was asked for ID before she could sample any!
As it was so cold and wet we decided not to have lunch in the Food Festival and I suggested Farndon Fields instead. After buying a newspaper we gave up with the weather as I was well and truly soaked and we returned to the car after only about an hour!
Market Harborough is prone to flooding because of the Welland river that runs through it and as we splashed our way over to the farm shop the roads were covered in water. As usual, Farndon Fields was busy but we finally managed to bag a space and ran into the building.
The queue was very long and stretched right out into the shopping area, but we patiently waited, ogling all the lovely foodstuffs while we inched forward. For the first time, we were seated upstairs and it was lovely and quiet. I deliberated for ages over the menu, choosing in the end, giant couscous with skewered chicken. Sophie went for her usual choice of chicken and bacon sandwich and the food was delicious, as always. It just brings it home to me how bad the service was last week at The Garden Barn!
After we'd eaten we mooched about the farm shop and bought lots of goodies - goat's cheese, oat biscuits, sourdough bread, veggies for the curry we were supposed to be having tonight, stuffed olives and a bottle of Ginger Ale to go with Sophie's toffee vodka. I marvelled at how beautiful the array of vegetables were:
The weather outside was still grey and horrible and we drove home through sodden fields to put the heating on and get cosy!
We all decided to abandon the idea of curry for dinner and instead, while watching Strictly, we munched on the grilled goat's cheese on crusty bread, olives, grapes and some smoked cheese that Sophie found in the fridge. Afterwards we returned to 1998 and watched Michael Douglas in A Perfect Murder. It was a perfect end to a lovely day, despite the weather!
We had a lazy morning and I felt extremely proud when England beat New Zealand in the semi-final of the Rugby in Japan! What an outcome! After showering and getting ready we sloshed our way over to Market Harborough at about 11.30am. I had a feeling we'd have difficulty finding a space, but we located one in our usual car park and after paying for three hours (!) we set off for Starbucks to have a coffee.
Everyone was walking around in rain macs and carrying umbrellas and the weather didn't let up at all. The Food Festival was held in the main square and there were several stalls grouped around together with some dining tents set up in the middle. Predictably, nobody was sitting eating but the smells wafting about were delicious!
There was a sausage stall, one selling Asian street food, a tent with scarves and hats and a French cheese producer who gave us some to try. It was delicious! However, I was getting more and more soaked by the water dripping off the tent roofs and the umbrella Sophie was carrying and the moisture had seeped through to the top I was wearing underneath my raincoat. Sophie sampled a toffee vodka from one stall and bought a small bottle to enjoy later this evening. She was asked for ID before she could sample any!
As it was so cold and wet we decided not to have lunch in the Food Festival and I suggested Farndon Fields instead. After buying a newspaper we gave up with the weather as I was well and truly soaked and we returned to the car after only about an hour!
Market Harborough is prone to flooding because of the Welland river that runs through it and as we splashed our way over to the farm shop the roads were covered in water. As usual, Farndon Fields was busy but we finally managed to bag a space and ran into the building.
The queue was very long and stretched right out into the shopping area, but we patiently waited, ogling all the lovely foodstuffs while we inched forward. For the first time, we were seated upstairs and it was lovely and quiet. I deliberated for ages over the menu, choosing in the end, giant couscous with skewered chicken. Sophie went for her usual choice of chicken and bacon sandwich and the food was delicious, as always. It just brings it home to me how bad the service was last week at The Garden Barn!
After we'd eaten we mooched about the farm shop and bought lots of goodies - goat's cheese, oat biscuits, sourdough bread, veggies for the curry we were supposed to be having tonight, stuffed olives and a bottle of Ginger Ale to go with Sophie's toffee vodka. I marvelled at how beautiful the array of vegetables were:
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| So many varieties of tomato! |
We all decided to abandon the idea of curry for dinner and instead, while watching Strictly, we munched on the grilled goat's cheese on crusty bread, olives, grapes and some smoked cheese that Sophie found in the fridge. Afterwards we returned to 1998 and watched Michael Douglas in A Perfect Murder. It was a perfect end to a lovely day, despite the weather!
Friday 25 October 2019
Autumnal days...
Today has been a real Autumnal day with winds and rain. The leaves are falling thick and fast now and the pervading colours of the countryside are oranges and browns.
Work was OK and we ended the week on a quiet note. I sped home at 2pm and immediately went out again with Keith and Mike as our son wanted his hair cut. We dropped him off and went to Costa in Tesco for a coffee and a slice of banana and pecan cake.
When he returned he wanted something to eat and as we went to pay we met Mum and Dad who were going through the self-checkout. We had a natter and then said goodbye, driving home through the rain and wind to get cosy in the house!
It was short-lived, though, as Mike wanted a lift into town as he was spending the weekend with Abbie. Driving into Northampton in the rush hour traffic was not pleasant, especially as it was raining and misty! We dropped him off and thankfully returned home to open a bottle of the "Nonsecco" and finish off the dinner that Keith had started before he went to the pub.
I love Friday nights - no work tomorrow and the weekend ahead of us!
Work was OK and we ended the week on a quiet note. I sped home at 2pm and immediately went out again with Keith and Mike as our son wanted his hair cut. We dropped him off and went to Costa in Tesco for a coffee and a slice of banana and pecan cake.
When he returned he wanted something to eat and as we went to pay we met Mum and Dad who were going through the self-checkout. We had a natter and then said goodbye, driving home through the rain and wind to get cosy in the house!
It was short-lived, though, as Mike wanted a lift into town as he was spending the weekend with Abbie. Driving into Northampton in the rush hour traffic was not pleasant, especially as it was raining and misty! We dropped him off and thankfully returned home to open a bottle of the "Nonsecco" and finish off the dinner that Keith had started before he went to the pub.
I love Friday nights - no work tomorrow and the weekend ahead of us!
Thursday 24 October 2019
Musings on abstention...
As usual for a Thursday, not much of note has happened today. Keith took me to work and we weren't too busy but I have a feeling that will change next week!
Last night I tried the "Gin and tonic" mix I'd also bought in Asda and it was OK, but nowhere near as good as the real thing! However, with ice and a slice of lemon it was acceptable and it was something different to drink from sparkling water!
Tonight we tried the Californian red which came from St Helena in Napa! Again, non-alcoholic wines are not a patch on the real things in terms of taste but it was great to try something different.
The red, Fre, was not bad at all, but would probably benefit from a spell in the fridge to take the edge off its sweetness.
I just wish, as I said to Keith, that I felt enormously different from having given up alcohol for almost a month. I am sleeping better but really, that's about it!
Last night I tried the "Gin and tonic" mix I'd also bought in Asda and it was OK, but nowhere near as good as the real thing! However, with ice and a slice of lemon it was acceptable and it was something different to drink from sparkling water!
Tonight we tried the Californian red which came from St Helena in Napa! Again, non-alcoholic wines are not a patch on the real things in terms of taste but it was great to try something different.
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| Two of the non-alcoholic wines on offer at Asda |
I just wish, as I said to Keith, that I felt enormously different from having given up alcohol for almost a month. I am sleeping better but really, that's about it!
Wednesday 23 October 2019
Shop til you drop...
Keith and I went to Ikea this morning as there were a lot of things we needed for the new bathroom. On the way we dropped off several bags of recycling at the house in Milton Keynes and as usual, the man who has organised it wasn't about. I would love to have a chat with him, as he's doing such good work and has raised £22,000 for his nominated charities, as well as removing tons of waste from landfill.
We found our way to the A5 and were soon parking in Ikea's mammoth car park. It looked very busy and when we went up to the restaurant, people were queuing for breakfast. We decided to join them! I enjoyed a delicious full English while Keith chose two bacon rolls. With coffee and tea the meal only came to £5!
After we'd eaten we had a quick whizz around the showroom and I had a look at the kitchens. One day! I picked up a grey bath mat and some ingenious little clips that come in so useful when you have opened bags of food. Keith put a tin of ginger biscuits into the trolley to accompany my bottle of Christmassy non-alcoholic mulled wine!
In the Market Hall we looked at blinds but there were none that we liked and some of them were very expensive indeed! In the bathroom section we didn't like any of the cabinets either so we felt a bit deflated. I had imagined buying lots of things we needed but our trolley was almost empty!
Downstairs, near to the checkouts, were all the Christmas decorations and I spotted some gonks -
These large ones were £17 but we spotted some smaller ones and this one came home with us -
All too soon he'll be joining his new friends!
After paying for our meagre purchases, we had a quick look in the food hall and I bought Mike some venison sausage as well as a bottle of Elderflower syrup that you dilute with water (or add to cocktails when you're allowed to drink alcohol!).
We then popped next door to Asda as we needed to get dinner for tonight and I wanted to see what non-alcoholic drinks they had. At first I couldn't see any, but then we found a shelf labelled "Lighter Styles" and they were all on there! There was quite an impressive range so I bought two bottles of still wine and a "Nosecco" for Friday night. Keith treated himself to a bottle of non-alcoholic cider to try.
Before heading home we drove to Dunelm and had a look at their range of bathroom ware. I was seriously unimpressed. I did take a pic of this to send to Sophie to wind her up:
They did have a great range of window blinds, though and after a lot of deliberation and sending various photos to Sophie, we picked out a solid grey one to go up at the window. As soon as we decorate the room it can be fitted.
Just to eke out the shopping a bit more, we called into Next on Riverside and had a look at their loo roll holders and brushes but again, I didn't see anything I liked. The ones I bought for the cloakroom back in February were no longer for sale so the hunt continues!
We were a bit tired by now so I treated Keith to a coffee and some mini muffins in the Costa inside the store, and after one last stop in Wilco's to buy bird food and white paint for the bathroom ceiling, we headed home. Phew!
Back home I tidied up a bit (Mike had been home all day but had ignored the cups and plates in the sink from early this morning) and prepared potato wedges for dinner. Sophie came home and was pleased with everything but she especially liked our new gonk!
We found our way to the A5 and were soon parking in Ikea's mammoth car park. It looked very busy and when we went up to the restaurant, people were queuing for breakfast. We decided to join them! I enjoyed a delicious full English while Keith chose two bacon rolls. With coffee and tea the meal only came to £5!
After we'd eaten we had a quick whizz around the showroom and I had a look at the kitchens. One day! I picked up a grey bath mat and some ingenious little clips that come in so useful when you have opened bags of food. Keith put a tin of ginger biscuits into the trolley to accompany my bottle of Christmassy non-alcoholic mulled wine!
In the Market Hall we looked at blinds but there were none that we liked and some of them were very expensive indeed! In the bathroom section we didn't like any of the cabinets either so we felt a bit deflated. I had imagined buying lots of things we needed but our trolley was almost empty!
Downstairs, near to the checkouts, were all the Christmas decorations and I spotted some gonks -
These large ones were £17 but we spotted some smaller ones and this one came home with us -
All too soon he'll be joining his new friends!
After paying for our meagre purchases, we had a quick look in the food hall and I bought Mike some venison sausage as well as a bottle of Elderflower syrup that you dilute with water (or add to cocktails when you're allowed to drink alcohol!).
We then popped next door to Asda as we needed to get dinner for tonight and I wanted to see what non-alcoholic drinks they had. At first I couldn't see any, but then we found a shelf labelled "Lighter Styles" and they were all on there! There was quite an impressive range so I bought two bottles of still wine and a "Nosecco" for Friday night. Keith treated himself to a bottle of non-alcoholic cider to try.
Before heading home we drove to Dunelm and had a look at their range of bathroom ware. I was seriously unimpressed. I did take a pic of this to send to Sophie to wind her up:
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| Yes? |
They did have a great range of window blinds, though and after a lot of deliberation and sending various photos to Sophie, we picked out a solid grey one to go up at the window. As soon as we decorate the room it can be fitted.
Just to eke out the shopping a bit more, we called into Next on Riverside and had a look at their loo roll holders and brushes but again, I didn't see anything I liked. The ones I bought for the cloakroom back in February were no longer for sale so the hunt continues!
We were a bit tired by now so I treated Keith to a coffee and some mini muffins in the Costa inside the store, and after one last stop in Wilco's to buy bird food and white paint for the bathroom ceiling, we headed home. Phew!
Back home I tidied up a bit (Mike had been home all day but had ignored the cups and plates in the sink from early this morning) and prepared potato wedges for dinner. Sophie came home and was pleased with everything but she especially liked our new gonk!
Tuesday 22 October 2019
Goodbye Summer!
Work was fine this morning and we haven't been as busy as I expected. As I said yesterday, the October half-term is rearing its ugly head and I suspect there are some schools off already as we had a few phone calls about swimming times - my favourite kind of call as they are so easy to answer!
At 2pm I sped home and decided to put a colour on my hair as I was looking badgerish! The time flies in between applying the colour and I do wonder how long I can go before I either go grey or start going to a hairdresser to have it done, but then it would cost a fortune!
While the colour was taking I sorted out my wardrobe and put all my summer clothes into the big drawers we have in our divan. Summer is really over now and this week is set to be very Autumnal.
When Sophie arrived home the first thing she said to me was "You've coloured your hair!" For some reason it is darker this time but I love the fact that the grey has gone...for a while at least!
I asked Keith to measure the window in the bathroom today as tomorrow we are going to Ikea and I want to buy a new blind for the window (the old one was the first thing to be hurled into the skip as I hated it!). He also measured the width of the hall as I want to buy a rug tomorrow as well!
At 2pm I sped home and decided to put a colour on my hair as I was looking badgerish! The time flies in between applying the colour and I do wonder how long I can go before I either go grey or start going to a hairdresser to have it done, but then it would cost a fortune!
While the colour was taking I sorted out my wardrobe and put all my summer clothes into the big drawers we have in our divan. Summer is really over now and this week is set to be very Autumnal.
When Sophie arrived home the first thing she said to me was "You've coloured your hair!" For some reason it is darker this time but I love the fact that the grey has gone...for a while at least!
I asked Keith to measure the window in the bathroom today as tomorrow we are going to Ikea and I want to buy a new blind for the window (the old one was the first thing to be hurled into the skip as I hated it!). He also measured the width of the hall as I want to buy a rug tomorrow as well!
Monday 21 October 2019
Mrs Grumpy!
Keith took me to work this morning as he had to go shopping in Tesco. Gone are the days when we'd do a big shop on the Thursday to last all week! It is a real effort to come up with different meals every day so we just limit it to Thursday, Friday and the weekend...phew!
There were three of us working this morning which was good as it's half term next week, so a lot of parents were booking holiday activities for their children. However, one of the women still managed to be late, not arriving until after 8am when the calls were coming thick and fast!
Mid-morning we all had to go to a meeting to find out how the company was going and this lasted until almost 12pm. Poor Sara was answering phones on her own but had done really well, with no abandoned ones! I think she was happy to see us back!
Keith picked me up at 2pm and confessed that he'd forgotten to buy a newspaper this morning when he went shopping...I suggested the small newsagent in the Weston Favell Centre but they had run out so we had to pop into Tesco...I was not happy as all I wanted to do was go home! I turned into Mrs Grumpy but then immediately felt guilty about being so worked up - there are far worse things going on in the world!
Back home we were met by Mike who has a bad cold (or lung inflation as he calls it). He moped around the house feeling sorry for himself but managing to eat everything in the fridge and cupboards...hmmm!
There were three of us working this morning which was good as it's half term next week, so a lot of parents were booking holiday activities for their children. However, one of the women still managed to be late, not arriving until after 8am when the calls were coming thick and fast!
Mid-morning we all had to go to a meeting to find out how the company was going and this lasted until almost 12pm. Poor Sara was answering phones on her own but had done really well, with no abandoned ones! I think she was happy to see us back!
Keith picked me up at 2pm and confessed that he'd forgotten to buy a newspaper this morning when he went shopping...I suggested the small newsagent in the Weston Favell Centre but they had run out so we had to pop into Tesco...I was not happy as all I wanted to do was go home! I turned into Mrs Grumpy but then immediately felt guilty about being so worked up - there are far worse things going on in the world!
Back home we were met by Mike who has a bad cold (or lung inflation as he calls it). He moped around the house feeling sorry for himself but managing to eat everything in the fridge and cupboards...hmmm!
Sunday 20 October 2019
Pumpkins!
Sophie decided to miss her gym session today to let her foot rest so we had a relaxed start to the day. We needed to get the Sunday newspaper, though, and I wanted to wash my car as we had a little window of dry weather today!
We also needed to get dinner for tonight and although we'd talked about making a Thai chicken soup, we decided on Paella, an old family favourite. I really didn't want to go to Tesco so before getting the car washed we went to the Co-op in Moulton which had everything we needed including a chorizo ring! OK, it's a bit more expensive but it was worth it not to have to trek over to Kettering or Weston Favell!
I put the car through the car wash and then went home to finish it off. Sophie prepped all the veggies for tonight as she was going to put in some leftover peppers, courgettes, broccoli and cauliflower.
During the week Sophie had been fantasising about a cake she once had at the Garden Barn in Cotesbach, so we'd made plans to take Mum there today. We picked her up at 1.30pm and drove over via the A14. The car park was busy and we made a beeline for the cafe as Sophie and I were a bit hungry and we were interested to see if they had the Guinness Chocolate cake that Sophie had been salivating over!
Ordering at the counter was a bit confusing and the seating areas seemed to be all over the place, but we found a table upstairs near to a window and parked Mum there while we went back downstairs to order. Sophie and I decided to share a ham and cheese toastie to start as we hadn't had any lunch and then we'd go back and choose some cake. We ordered three teas and a slab of chocolate cake for my mum and went back upstairs with a numbered spoon - how the staff ever find anyone is beyond me!
Unfortunately, there were lots of flies about and the staff obviously knew there were as there was a filthy fly swat lying nearby. We certainly used it! The Garden Barn is a lovely little place though, and full of quirky objects for sale. I would describe it as "shabby chic" and there were lots of things that caught my eye, including some Christmas decorations.
We waited a while for our food and then the sandwich turned up, looking like someone had run over it with a steam roller. I couldn't make out any cheese in it and asked the young girl serving it if it was our order! It came accompanied with tons of rocket (which Sophie hates) and slices of tomatoes which wasn't how it was described on the menu. Also, there were two thick carrot sticks, a pot of hummus and some pistachio nuts...bizarre!
Shortly afterwards, the pots of tea arrived as well as Mum's cake and we munched away happily. After we'd eaten Sophie went back downstairs to order two slices of cake - a vegan carrot cake for her and Victorian sponge for me. By now the tea was cold and as a fly had been crawling around in my cup I decided to abandon it!
We waited over half an hour for the cake and in the end Sophie went back downstairs to find out where it was, only to be told they'd lost the order! We were not amused!
By the time we'd eaten the cake, the time was getting on and they close at 4pm so we had a quick look around and I bought a Halloween door ornament as well as a terracotta pumpkin. We weren't going to do Halloween this year, but I can't resist!
We left in the drizzly rain and mist, which wasn't pleasant! My newly washed car was getting wet! Rather than re-trace our journey we drove home via Walcote and South Kilworth, a route that Keith and I used to take before the A14 was built. It was great to travel this road again and I pointed out various things that Keith and I used to look out for, including a house in South Kilworth that was called Montebello...rather than buy a small plaque with the name on, the words were plastered across the front of the house!
We dropped Mum off and returned home to relax for a while before Sophie made a delicious Paella for dinner. I can't believe that it's Sunday night already...work again tomorrow!
We also needed to get dinner for tonight and although we'd talked about making a Thai chicken soup, we decided on Paella, an old family favourite. I really didn't want to go to Tesco so before getting the car washed we went to the Co-op in Moulton which had everything we needed including a chorizo ring! OK, it's a bit more expensive but it was worth it not to have to trek over to Kettering or Weston Favell!
I put the car through the car wash and then went home to finish it off. Sophie prepped all the veggies for tonight as she was going to put in some leftover peppers, courgettes, broccoli and cauliflower.
During the week Sophie had been fantasising about a cake she once had at the Garden Barn in Cotesbach, so we'd made plans to take Mum there today. We picked her up at 1.30pm and drove over via the A14. The car park was busy and we made a beeline for the cafe as Sophie and I were a bit hungry and we were interested to see if they had the Guinness Chocolate cake that Sophie had been salivating over!
Ordering at the counter was a bit confusing and the seating areas seemed to be all over the place, but we found a table upstairs near to a window and parked Mum there while we went back downstairs to order. Sophie and I decided to share a ham and cheese toastie to start as we hadn't had any lunch and then we'd go back and choose some cake. We ordered three teas and a slab of chocolate cake for my mum and went back upstairs with a numbered spoon - how the staff ever find anyone is beyond me!
Unfortunately, there were lots of flies about and the staff obviously knew there were as there was a filthy fly swat lying nearby. We certainly used it! The Garden Barn is a lovely little place though, and full of quirky objects for sale. I would describe it as "shabby chic" and there were lots of things that caught my eye, including some Christmas decorations.
We waited a while for our food and then the sandwich turned up, looking like someone had run over it with a steam roller. I couldn't make out any cheese in it and asked the young girl serving it if it was our order! It came accompanied with tons of rocket (which Sophie hates) and slices of tomatoes which wasn't how it was described on the menu. Also, there were two thick carrot sticks, a pot of hummus and some pistachio nuts...bizarre!
Shortly afterwards, the pots of tea arrived as well as Mum's cake and we munched away happily. After we'd eaten Sophie went back downstairs to order two slices of cake - a vegan carrot cake for her and Victorian sponge for me. By now the tea was cold and as a fly had been crawling around in my cup I decided to abandon it!
We waited over half an hour for the cake and in the end Sophie went back downstairs to find out where it was, only to be told they'd lost the order! We were not amused!
By the time we'd eaten the cake, the time was getting on and they close at 4pm so we had a quick look around and I bought a Halloween door ornament as well as a terracotta pumpkin. We weren't going to do Halloween this year, but I can't resist!
We left in the drizzly rain and mist, which wasn't pleasant! My newly washed car was getting wet! Rather than re-trace our journey we drove home via Walcote and South Kilworth, a route that Keith and I used to take before the A14 was built. It was great to travel this road again and I pointed out various things that Keith and I used to look out for, including a house in South Kilworth that was called Montebello...rather than buy a small plaque with the name on, the words were plastered across the front of the house!
We dropped Mum off and returned home to relax for a while before Sophie made a delicious Paella for dinner. I can't believe that it's Sunday night already...work again tomorrow!
Saturday 19 October 2019
Calamity Jane!
I've been a bit of a calamity today as first thing this morning I managed to break off a key in the en-suite window! It doesn't really matter, though, as we don't lock the window, but it'll have to be sorted out at some point!
I was at work today and starting at 8.30am and, typically, the morning was beautiful with a gorgeous sunrise. As I neared the village a squirrel ran straight under the wheels of my car and there was nothing I could do about it, which was very sad. I felt terrible (especially on my return journey home when its little body was lying in the road...).
Work was fine and Sara and I had a great shift. I managed to spill hot coffee all over my hand in the reception area when one of the staff gave me a ginger biscuit, but apart from that, things were nice and easy. We weren't busy so I was able to catch up with some jobs I didn't have time to finish yesterday.
The time passed very quickly and at 2pm I dashed home as Sophie wanted a lift to Laura's house. This evening they were off to a wedding reception for a colleague at The Walnut Tree in Blisworth and they had decided to get ready together and feast on nibbles and Prosecco! Keith and I dropped them off and then popped to Wilco's on Riverside as I needed some more bird food. As usual, the place was heaving and it wouldn't have been my choice to go there on a busy weekend normally!
Back home it was time to relax and decide what to eat in the evening. The best choice was to have gone out for a meal (we have a voucher for one of the Miller and Carter restaurants), but Mike was in for the night and as Keith and I aren't drinking, we decided to leave it until December!
In the end we ordered a Chinese takeaway from Lee's Express in Brixworth but I was disappointed with my choice - for a change I went for the Sweet and Sour chicken balls with rice, but it was all tasteless and I felt guilty for not having any veggies! There was quite a bit left over so no doubt Keith will eat it for lunch tomorrow!
Sophie texted me at 10pm asking if we could give her and Laura a lift home. Originally they were going to come home with Sophie's manager at 10pm but there was live music in the pub and it seemed they were having a good time! We were only too happy to oblige and when we collected them at 11pm, they were quite merry!
I was at work today and starting at 8.30am and, typically, the morning was beautiful with a gorgeous sunrise. As I neared the village a squirrel ran straight under the wheels of my car and there was nothing I could do about it, which was very sad. I felt terrible (especially on my return journey home when its little body was lying in the road...).
Work was fine and Sara and I had a great shift. I managed to spill hot coffee all over my hand in the reception area when one of the staff gave me a ginger biscuit, but apart from that, things were nice and easy. We weren't busy so I was able to catch up with some jobs I didn't have time to finish yesterday.
The time passed very quickly and at 2pm I dashed home as Sophie wanted a lift to Laura's house. This evening they were off to a wedding reception for a colleague at The Walnut Tree in Blisworth and they had decided to get ready together and feast on nibbles and Prosecco! Keith and I dropped them off and then popped to Wilco's on Riverside as I needed some more bird food. As usual, the place was heaving and it wouldn't have been my choice to go there on a busy weekend normally!
Back home it was time to relax and decide what to eat in the evening. The best choice was to have gone out for a meal (we have a voucher for one of the Miller and Carter restaurants), but Mike was in for the night and as Keith and I aren't drinking, we decided to leave it until December!
In the end we ordered a Chinese takeaway from Lee's Express in Brixworth but I was disappointed with my choice - for a change I went for the Sweet and Sour chicken balls with rice, but it was all tasteless and I felt guilty for not having any veggies! There was quite a bit left over so no doubt Keith will eat it for lunch tomorrow!
Sophie texted me at 10pm asking if we could give her and Laura a lift home. Originally they were going to come home with Sophie's manager at 10pm but there was live music in the pub and it seemed they were having a good time! We were only too happy to oblige and when we collected them at 11pm, they were quite merry!
Friday 18 October 2019
He's home!
Mike called us yesterday to say that he was coming home tonight so I won the bet as I said he would be back after three weeks, and it is exactly that today!
We've had more heavy showers today and the ground is very wet indeed. We noticed that the nearby Pitsford reservoir is very full and the river that flows through Thrapston was very high when we passed through the town on Wednesday. My car badly needs a wash but there doesn't seem to be a dry weather window to do it!
After work I sped home (avoiding the roadworks) and suggested we go to the tip with some of the rubbish from the bathroom renovation. We had a few chopped up tiles left over and it seemed such a shame to throw them away, but we kept a few of the bigger ones and took the smaller ones which wouldn't have been any use to us anyway. We also had some cardboard and two bags of general rubbish that the men had collected after the skip had been taken away.
Unfortunately the weather turned horrible and we had to sit in the car at the tip for a few minutes until it abated!
Keith went to the pub this evening to enjoy a pint of lime and soda while Sophie and I enjoyed a bottle of the non-alcoholic Freixenet. At 9pm, in the pouring (and I mean pouring!) rain Keith sloshed off to get Mike and Abbie from the station while Soph and I sensibly stayed at home watching Gardeners World, a Friday night favourite. I can feel my blood pressure dropping just watching Monty Don and his lovely dogs!
Mike returned home in high spirits and said he was looking for jobs...hmmm!
We've had more heavy showers today and the ground is very wet indeed. We noticed that the nearby Pitsford reservoir is very full and the river that flows through Thrapston was very high when we passed through the town on Wednesday. My car badly needs a wash but there doesn't seem to be a dry weather window to do it!
After work I sped home (avoiding the roadworks) and suggested we go to the tip with some of the rubbish from the bathroom renovation. We had a few chopped up tiles left over and it seemed such a shame to throw them away, but we kept a few of the bigger ones and took the smaller ones which wouldn't have been any use to us anyway. We also had some cardboard and two bags of general rubbish that the men had collected after the skip had been taken away.
Unfortunately the weather turned horrible and we had to sit in the car at the tip for a few minutes until it abated!
Keith went to the pub this evening to enjoy a pint of lime and soda while Sophie and I enjoyed a bottle of the non-alcoholic Freixenet. At 9pm, in the pouring (and I mean pouring!) rain Keith sloshed off to get Mike and Abbie from the station while Soph and I sensibly stayed at home watching Gardeners World, a Friday night favourite. I can feel my blood pressure dropping just watching Monty Don and his lovely dogs!
Mike returned home in high spirits and said he was looking for jobs...hmmm!
Thursday 17 October 2019
Decisions, decisions!
After an uneventful shift at work, Keith picked me up at 3pm and we headed to Wickes to take back two boxes of the tiles we'd bought. They took them back without a fuss and we had a quick look around the store for bathroom cabinets, none of which I liked.
One of the things that the plumbers pointed out to us yesterday was the fact that the handle of the door could now bang against the new tiles as previously, this wall was just painted. They advised us to get a door stop as the handle hitting a tile could crack it and we didn't want that!
We bought a couple in Wickes and then headed to B&Q to look at cabinets. I spotted one I liked but there didn't seem to be any in stock.
I'm not sure if this would be OK though, as I want to paint the walls white in the bathroom and there wouldn't be much contrast with this...
We had a mooch about B&Q and went in search of Stanley knife blades as Keith's next job is to replace all the sealant in the en-suite...lovely job!
By now it was 4.30pm so we became embroiled in the rush hour traffic! We were just minutes in front of Sophie!
She made delicious veggie tacos for dinner and we didn't miss the meat at all!
One of the things that the plumbers pointed out to us yesterday was the fact that the handle of the door could now bang against the new tiles as previously, this wall was just painted. They advised us to get a door stop as the handle hitting a tile could crack it and we didn't want that!
We bought a couple in Wickes and then headed to B&Q to look at cabinets. I spotted one I liked but there didn't seem to be any in stock.
I'm not sure if this would be OK though, as I want to paint the walls white in the bathroom and there wouldn't be much contrast with this...
We had a mooch about B&Q and went in search of Stanley knife blades as Keith's next job is to replace all the sealant in the en-suite...lovely job!
By now it was 4.30pm so we became embroiled in the rush hour traffic! We were just minutes in front of Sophie!
She made delicious veggie tacos for dinner and we didn't miss the meat at all!
Wednesday 16 October 2019
Finished!
It was lovely to have a bit of a lie-in this morning as Sophie was off to a prison near Newmarket and didn't have to be at her manager's house in Thrapston until 10am! However, the men arrived at just after 7.30am to start work so I'm glad I was up and dressed!
I took Sophie to Thrapston and the weather was grey and gloomy so I didn't even have the option to do some gardening or wash the car! Back home I cleaned downstairs (except the hall where the men were in and out) and kept my fingers crossed that they would be finished early so Keith and I could go over to Ikea in the afternoon. I have so many expectations for a Wednesday but as usual, today was spent cooped up in the house!
Our shopping trip wasn't to be, though, and they finished at nearly 3pm. However, we were delighted with the results:
Now we just need to give the tiles a good clean and then decorate, but we'll wait a little while to do that! We also need a new bath mat, bathroom cabinet and lots of other little things to make it look great!
I'd parked Sophie's car across the road when I'd got back and I noticed Sue was there feeding the dogs so I popped over for a quick chat. By now the weather had brightened up but it was still too wet to go out and garden. Instead I hoovered upstairs and tried to tidy up our bedroom which has been the main dumping ground for all the stuff from the bathroom.
Sophie called to say she was on her way home and we picked her up from Thrapston at about 6.30pm. The sun was setting and the drivers heading west must have had the huge bright sun right in their eyes.
Dinner tonight was beef casserole with dumplings and very good it was, too!
I took Sophie to Thrapston and the weather was grey and gloomy so I didn't even have the option to do some gardening or wash the car! Back home I cleaned downstairs (except the hall where the men were in and out) and kept my fingers crossed that they would be finished early so Keith and I could go over to Ikea in the afternoon. I have so many expectations for a Wednesday but as usual, today was spent cooped up in the house!
Our shopping trip wasn't to be, though, and they finished at nearly 3pm. However, we were delighted with the results:
Now we just need to give the tiles a good clean and then decorate, but we'll wait a little while to do that! We also need a new bath mat, bathroom cabinet and lots of other little things to make it look great!
I'd parked Sophie's car across the road when I'd got back and I noticed Sue was there feeding the dogs so I popped over for a quick chat. By now the weather had brightened up but it was still too wet to go out and garden. Instead I hoovered upstairs and tried to tidy up our bedroom which has been the main dumping ground for all the stuff from the bathroom.
Sophie called to say she was on her way home and we picked her up from Thrapston at about 6.30pm. The sun was setting and the drivers heading west must have had the huge bright sun right in their eyes.
Dinner tonight was beef casserole with dumplings and very good it was, too!
Tuesday 15 October 2019
Getting close!
I was really busy at work today and had loads of admin jobs to keep me occupied. At 2pm I dashed home and became stuck in the roadworks at the Round Spinney roundabout...these are due to be on all over the winter, which is a total pain as it means I have to take a longer detour to get home. Grrr! They're on because the dual carriageway is being extended from the A43 to the roundabout which will make things easier in the future but it's a nuisance at the moment!
When I got home Keith was looking a bit fed up as he had been confined to the house all day and the constant banging and clattering had started to get to him. He was also chief tea boy and was a bit tired of listening to the loud music they were playing! It'll all be worth it in the end!
We went over to Tesco straight away as we needed food for tonight and tomorrow and he just wanted to get out of the house. We had a good mooch about in the supermarket and I was astonished to see so many vegan products on offer.
When we'd finished Keith suggested going to Costa for a quick coffee as he still didn't want to go home!
When we arrived back the men had gone so we went upstairs to have a look at what they'd done:
They told Keith they'd be finished tomorrow and the loo is in, in its new place! The room looked bigger! I can't wait to decorate and buy things for the bathroom! The skip has gone, thank goodness, so at least we can park our cars back on the driveway!
Dinner tonight was a delicious chicken in a sticky teriyaki sauce served with noodles and then we settled down to watch The Americas with Simon Reeve, which was very interesting, if a little sobering!
When I got home Keith was looking a bit fed up as he had been confined to the house all day and the constant banging and clattering had started to get to him. He was also chief tea boy and was a bit tired of listening to the loud music they were playing! It'll all be worth it in the end!
We went over to Tesco straight away as we needed food for tonight and tomorrow and he just wanted to get out of the house. We had a good mooch about in the supermarket and I was astonished to see so many vegan products on offer.
When we'd finished Keith suggested going to Costa for a quick coffee as he still didn't want to go home!
When we arrived back the men had gone so we went upstairs to have a look at what they'd done:
They told Keith they'd be finished tomorrow and the loo is in, in its new place! The room looked bigger! I can't wait to decorate and buy things for the bathroom! The skip has gone, thank goodness, so at least we can park our cars back on the driveway!
Dinner tonight was a delicious chicken in a sticky teriyaki sauce served with noodles and then we settled down to watch The Americas with Simon Reeve, which was very interesting, if a little sobering!
Monday 14 October 2019
Making progress!
Monday mornings come around far too quickly, in my opinion! It's so dark now at 6am when Sophie leaves and it's not much lighter when I go at about 7.30am! Horrible!
Work was busy today and the time flew by. At 2pm I dashed home to see what had been happening in the bathroom and was delighted with what had been accomplished today:
The bathroom appears bigger as the loo and the sink will be changed around so we can get rid of the pipes that used to run along the wall, behind them.
The weather has been horrible again today and after the men had gone Keith and I sloshed over to Brixworth to get some more milk and biscuits to keep our plumbers happy tomorrow!
This evening I felt a bit miserable as it was cold and I craved a deep hot bath. We put the heating on and I had a glass of aromatic tonic water but a whisky mac would have been far better! Oh well!
Work was busy today and the time flew by. At 2pm I dashed home to see what had been happening in the bathroom and was delighted with what had been accomplished today:
The bathroom appears bigger as the loo and the sink will be changed around so we can get rid of the pipes that used to run along the wall, behind them.
The weather has been horrible again today and after the men had gone Keith and I sloshed over to Brixworth to get some more milk and biscuits to keep our plumbers happy tomorrow!
This evening I felt a bit miserable as it was cold and I craved a deep hot bath. We put the heating on and I had a glass of aromatic tonic water but a whisky mac would have been far better! Oh well!
Sunday 13 October 2019
Wet Sunday!
Well, the rain that we didn't get yesterday we certainly got today! It bucketed it down all morning and our local roads started to flood with all the water coming off the fields.
Sophie texted me to say she was going to Woburn Safari park today and I wished her luck with the weather! Keith and I sloshed over to Tesco and then called in to see Mum and Dad on the way home. They were as disappointed with the weather as we were! No getting out into the garden today!
Back home we had no choice but to mooch about the house and I did some research on my family tree, something I haven't done for ages. There are still so many loose threads that I can't tidy up and trying to delve deeper just ends in frustration.
As well as doing a little research I did mounds of laundry and even ironed, which is normally Keith's job!
Sophie let me know in the afternoon that they were in Milton Keynes having a late lunch at Zizzi and she was home by the early evening. She'd had a great time and the bonnet of her car was covered in muddy monkey footprints where the little devils had clambered all over her car!
Dinner tonight was roast pork with fabulous crackling cooked by Keith. Delicious!
Sophie texted me to say she was going to Woburn Safari park today and I wished her luck with the weather! Keith and I sloshed over to Tesco and then called in to see Mum and Dad on the way home. They were as disappointed with the weather as we were! No getting out into the garden today!
Back home we had no choice but to mooch about the house and I did some research on my family tree, something I haven't done for ages. There are still so many loose threads that I can't tidy up and trying to delve deeper just ends in frustration.
As well as doing a little research I did mounds of laundry and even ironed, which is normally Keith's job!
Sophie let me know in the afternoon that they were in Milton Keynes having a late lunch at Zizzi and she was home by the early evening. She'd had a great time and the bonnet of her car was covered in muddy monkey footprints where the little devils had clambered all over her car!
Dinner tonight was roast pork with fabulous crackling cooked by Keith. Delicious!
Saturday 12 October 2019
A get-together
Sophie went off to Woburn today with Daisy and Laura while Keith and I drove over to Wickes to get three more boxes of tiles for the bathroom. We found them but after we'd loaded them into the car we realised one box had a different shade to the others so we had to swap it over! The boxes certainly weren't light!
On the way home we called into Waitrose for a coffee and then it was a day of pottering about and catching up with things. I hoovered up all the leaves on the driveway with our leaf blower and hoovered downstairs.Outside the weather was grey and dull but at least we didn't have any rain!
Keith went off to watch the football in the afternoon but I was unable to have a long soak in the bath as the room was full of equipment and it hadn't been plumbed in, anyway!
The house was so quiet without both Sophie and Mike about and it's not something I liked very much, to be honest! In the evening Keith and I went across the road to Paul's for a meal along with Richard and Michelle. I had wondered if Sharon was going to be cooking with him but it turned out she didn't! He had made vegetable soup and served sausage and mash for the main course accompanied by peas.
For dessert we enjoyed homemade chocolate brownie with his own ice-cream, followed by cheese and biscuits. It was a pleasant evening and as we hadn't seen each other for a while we had a lot to chat about! I drank my non-alcoholic white from Waitrose which was OK and Keith had a couple of alcohol free beers.
By 10.30pm Keith's feet, encased in shoes, were starting to irritate him so we bade everyone farewell and went home. I caught up with Sophie who'd been having a great time and had enjoyed monkfish for her dinner, lucky thing!
On the way home we called into Waitrose for a coffee and then it was a day of pottering about and catching up with things. I hoovered up all the leaves on the driveway with our leaf blower and hoovered downstairs.Outside the weather was grey and dull but at least we didn't have any rain!
Keith went off to watch the football in the afternoon but I was unable to have a long soak in the bath as the room was full of equipment and it hadn't been plumbed in, anyway!
The house was so quiet without both Sophie and Mike about and it's not something I liked very much, to be honest! In the evening Keith and I went across the road to Paul's for a meal along with Richard and Michelle. I had wondered if Sharon was going to be cooking with him but it turned out she didn't! He had made vegetable soup and served sausage and mash for the main course accompanied by peas.
For dessert we enjoyed homemade chocolate brownie with his own ice-cream, followed by cheese and biscuits. It was a pleasant evening and as we hadn't seen each other for a while we had a lot to chat about! I drank my non-alcoholic white from Waitrose which was OK and Keith had a couple of alcohol free beers.
By 10.30pm Keith's feet, encased in shoes, were starting to irritate him so we bade everyone farewell and went home. I caught up with Sophie who'd been having a great time and had enjoyed monkfish for her dinner, lucky thing!
Friday 11 October 2019
Over the moon!
I was very glad today was Friday and I was looking forward to a quiet weekend. Sophie is off to Woburn tomorrow with Daisy and Laura and I had plans to catch up with some housework and relax.
The weather today has been horrible with drizzly rain and nasty grey skies. After work I went to Waitrose to buy some non-alcoholic wine, as we are off to Paul's house tomorrow for a meal. I was delighted to see my old friend Ann, who works in the wine department, and we had a good chat about her recent trip to Australia where she went onto the Neighbours set. She steered me in the direction of the non-alcoholic wines, of which there were very few. I chose a German white to drink tomorrow night and bought some chocolates for Sharon who I assume will be hosting with Paul.
Back home, the men were just finishing up and I was over the moon with the tiling that had been done. They'd put a silver strip along the top to finish it off and already I could see how better they were than the men who had installed our en-suite...
They have tiled more than we asked them to and will do half of an additional wall so Keith and I have to go to Wickes tomorrow and buy three more boxes of tiles. They are now back at their original price so it will cost us £60 but it looked so lovely I didn't care.
They departed and tidied up after themselves so I am very pleased with their work. No wonder they came so highly recommended!
Keith drove himself to the pub tonight as he's not drinking and Sophie and I caught up with an episode of Celebrity Masterchef. We are three programmes behind and it's the final tonight!
The weather today has been horrible with drizzly rain and nasty grey skies. After work I went to Waitrose to buy some non-alcoholic wine, as we are off to Paul's house tomorrow for a meal. I was delighted to see my old friend Ann, who works in the wine department, and we had a good chat about her recent trip to Australia where she went onto the Neighbours set. She steered me in the direction of the non-alcoholic wines, of which there were very few. I chose a German white to drink tomorrow night and bought some chocolates for Sharon who I assume will be hosting with Paul.
Back home, the men were just finishing up and I was over the moon with the tiling that had been done. They'd put a silver strip along the top to finish it off and already I could see how better they were than the men who had installed our en-suite...
They have tiled more than we asked them to and will do half of an additional wall so Keith and I have to go to Wickes tomorrow and buy three more boxes of tiles. They are now back at their original price so it will cost us £60 but it looked so lovely I didn't care.
They departed and tidied up after themselves so I am very pleased with their work. No wonder they came so highly recommended!
Keith drove himself to the pub tonight as he's not drinking and Sophie and I caught up with an episode of Celebrity Masterchef. We are three programmes behind and it's the final tonight!
Thursday 10 October 2019
Making progress!
As soon as I'd finished work today I couldn't wait to get home and see what progress had been made in the bathroom. The men had gone for the day as they'd done all they could and the new loo that had been delivered had a crack in it...
The bath was already in and full of water to settle it.
The good thing was that the pipe running along the wall behind the sink and loo had been taken out so we will have a small amount of extra room.
I was pleased with everything and the skip was only a quarter full (they'd given us a larger one than we'd ordered at no extra charge).
Keith made a bread and butter pudding today for dessert and it was delicious, but this is going to have to stop! We don't normally have dessert and one of the reasons for giving up the evil alcohol was to lose some weight...not substitute naughty puddings for it!
The bath was already in and full of water to settle it.
The good thing was that the pipe running along the wall behind the sink and loo had been taken out so we will have a small amount of extra room.
I was pleased with everything and the skip was only a quarter full (they'd given us a larger one than we'd ordered at no extra charge).
Keith made a bread and butter pudding today for dessert and it was delicious, but this is going to have to stop! We don't normally have dessert and one of the reasons for giving up the evil alcohol was to lose some weight...not substitute naughty puddings for it!
Wednesday 9 October 2019
An early start...
I was up with Sophie this morning and as she was getting ready to go, we heard a loud vehicle go by outside. Our skip was due to be delivered today between 7am and 7pm so I thought at first it was the lorry bringing it! However, it was the tanker that collects all of our waste from the estate and he couldn't get into the huge tank as there was a car blocking the gates! Oh dear!
After Sophie had let me know she was at the gym, I went upstairs to go back to bed and woke Keith up as he had agreed that he would move our car off the driveway so the skip could go in its place. However, minutes after he'd moved the car (and before 7am) the skip driver arrived! He was a bit early! I gave up going back to sleep and made myself a coffee!
Last night my parents had called us at 11.30pm as they thought that someone had gained access to their bank account and taken money out... at first I thought one of them was ill, or had fallen over, but after calming my mum down I said they'd need to call the bank in the morning and it looked like they'd received a scam email from AOL, not the bank.
This morning I phoned them and Mum said she couldn't get onto the online banking so we agreed to meet them at 12pm and go into the bank to sort it out.
Before we did that, though, we drove to Market Harborough to pay the rest of the money for the bathroom suite - tomorrow it starts!
At 12pm we went into the bank with my parents and one of the staff printed off a statement for them which showed absolutely no sign of fraudulent activity. The reason they hadn't been able to go into the online banking was because they'd called the bank last night and everything had been frozen in case. This was a huge relief and they were very glad nothing had happened.
We drove off to see Sophie and take her to Costa for lunch and then we finally got to do our weekly shop in Kettering. By the time we arrived back home it was almost 4pm! I fiddled about with my phone some more and Tesco said that the changeover would be tomorrow. Sophie had very kindly copied all my contacts over (I don't have that many!) and had installed all my apps that I use on a daily basis.
We were supposed to have gone to a Parish council meeting tonight about our recycling bins (there's upROAR! about placing them on our community green for some reason - pettiness rules supreme) but I didn't have the energy to go. I've had a headache since yesterday and I'm not sure whether it's down to giving up the Gin! Sophie and I stayed at home and watched 90 Day Fiance instead. Much more enjoyable!
After Sophie had let me know she was at the gym, I went upstairs to go back to bed and woke Keith up as he had agreed that he would move our car off the driveway so the skip could go in its place. However, minutes after he'd moved the car (and before 7am) the skip driver arrived! He was a bit early! I gave up going back to sleep and made myself a coffee!
Last night my parents had called us at 11.30pm as they thought that someone had gained access to their bank account and taken money out... at first I thought one of them was ill, or had fallen over, but after calming my mum down I said they'd need to call the bank in the morning and it looked like they'd received a scam email from AOL, not the bank.
This morning I phoned them and Mum said she couldn't get onto the online banking so we agreed to meet them at 12pm and go into the bank to sort it out.
Before we did that, though, we drove to Market Harborough to pay the rest of the money for the bathroom suite - tomorrow it starts!
At 12pm we went into the bank with my parents and one of the staff printed off a statement for them which showed absolutely no sign of fraudulent activity. The reason they hadn't been able to go into the online banking was because they'd called the bank last night and everything had been frozen in case. This was a huge relief and they were very glad nothing had happened.
We drove off to see Sophie and take her to Costa for lunch and then we finally got to do our weekly shop in Kettering. By the time we arrived back home it was almost 4pm! I fiddled about with my phone some more and Tesco said that the changeover would be tomorrow. Sophie had very kindly copied all my contacts over (I don't have that many!) and had installed all my apps that I use on a daily basis.
We were supposed to have gone to a Parish council meeting tonight about our recycling bins (there's upROAR! about placing them on our community green for some reason - pettiness rules supreme) but I didn't have the energy to go. I've had a headache since yesterday and I'm not sure whether it's down to giving up the Gin! Sophie and I stayed at home and watched 90 Day Fiance instead. Much more enjoyable!
Tuesday 8 October 2019
Phone troubles...
I was working with Joanne again today which is great as we get on really well. Work passed uneventfully and at 2pm I dashed off home as my phone had been delivered! Before I could play with it, though, Keith and I went to Brixworth to post a parcel for Sophie and to get a paper. We also bought some apples and a crumble mix (yes, cheating I know!) to make dessert tonight.
Back home I had a good look at the phone, and I'm not sure whether it was because I was tired or what, but I managed to send off the wrong code to Tesco... This means I've lost the mobile phone number I've had for over 20 years... oh well! We also had a right old time getting the sim card into the new phone as it was miniscule!
I wish now that I'd waited for Sophie to get home as she has an iphone and would have been able to set it up easily for me! She would agree!
For dinner tonight we had the couscous with potato wedges and a slice of garlic bread. The meal was delicious and Keith had a bowl of soup which he'd made from some leftover cheese. I'd made the apple crumble earlier and we put it in the oven to cook while we ate dinner. With a helping of custard it was lovely and Sophie said it was better than the one she made the other day! I'm not sure I agree with her, but it was nice to hear all the same!
Back home I had a good look at the phone, and I'm not sure whether it was because I was tired or what, but I managed to send off the wrong code to Tesco... This means I've lost the mobile phone number I've had for over 20 years... oh well! We also had a right old time getting the sim card into the new phone as it was miniscule!
I wish now that I'd waited for Sophie to get home as she has an iphone and would have been able to set it up easily for me! She would agree!
For dinner tonight we had the couscous with potato wedges and a slice of garlic bread. The meal was delicious and Keith had a bowl of soup which he'd made from some leftover cheese. I'd made the apple crumble earlier and we put it in the oven to cook while we ate dinner. With a helping of custard it was lovely and Sophie said it was better than the one she made the other day! I'm not sure I agree with her, but it was nice to hear all the same!
Monday 7 October 2019
Thinking ahead!
Today has been fairly uneventful - work was OK and I had a good shift with Joanne who is now working on a Monday. There were three of us manning the phones so it was a lot easier!
At 2pm I sped home and Keith and I popped over to Tesco to get some shopping. I wanted to use the couscous I'd bought yesterday so I suggested stuffed peppers with potato wedges as a meal for tomorrow night.
Back home we started thinking about emptying the bathroom as the works are due to begin on Thursday!
I took some pics for posterity!
At 2pm I sped home and Keith and I popped over to Tesco to get some shopping. I wanted to use the couscous I'd bought yesterday so I suggested stuffed peppers with potato wedges as a meal for tomorrow night.
Back home we started thinking about emptying the bathroom as the works are due to begin on Thursday!
I took some pics for posterity!
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| Before |
Sunday 6 October 2019
Mooching about!
Rather than the horrible rain that had been forecast for today, we woke to blue skies and sunshine (although there were a fair few clouds about!).
After getting the papers we cooked scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast and had a leisurely morning. Sophie did lots of prep for dinner tonight - the Drunken Noodles from Chrissy Teigen's book. Very soon, lots of good smells were coming from the kitchen!
I decided, on the spur of the moment almost, to change my phone as I'm fed up with having so little memory. Sophie told me she has about 4000 photos on her phone and after having about 10 on mine it warns me I have no memory left! I changed from BT to Tesco and the new phone should arrive by the middle of the week!
At 2pm we collected my Mum and drove over to Weedon which is really quite a long way! We went via Harlestone and crossed over the M1 at junction 16. The new bypass is lovely and does take a fair bit off the journey but I do sometimes get a bit lost!
When we arrived at Weedon, there was a coach in the car park and we found the cafe full to bursting. We managed to take a table that had just been vacated but we did have a fair wait for our order to be taken. The staff were really busy so it was understandable.
Mum just had a cup of tea while I had a cream tea (scrumptious!) and Sophie indulged in a slice of apple pie with custard. After we'd eaten we wandered around the shops and had a good mooch in a Simply Salvaged Interiors that had some lovely pictures that caught Mum's eye. I liked that they had 40s music playing in the background that went perfectly with the items they were selling.
In another of the lovely little shops I bought a jar of piccalilli, some cheese biscuits and a pack of couscous that we will have for dinner one night. In another shop, Mum bought a lovely bangle so she was very pleased! It was great to wander about and look in the shops and we hadn't been to Weedon for ages so it was nice to go back!
We took a different route back and went via Long Buckby, Ravensthorpe, Spratton and Brixworth. The countryside was looking and lovely and definitely wearing its Autumn colours! We dropped Mum off and returned home to relax before making the dinner.
As Sophie had done all the prep, all we had to do was actually cook the chicken and noodles, but first we scrambled some eggs in the wok! The result was delicious and even Keith enjoyed it!
After getting the papers we cooked scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast and had a leisurely morning. Sophie did lots of prep for dinner tonight - the Drunken Noodles from Chrissy Teigen's book. Very soon, lots of good smells were coming from the kitchen!
I decided, on the spur of the moment almost, to change my phone as I'm fed up with having so little memory. Sophie told me she has about 4000 photos on her phone and after having about 10 on mine it warns me I have no memory left! I changed from BT to Tesco and the new phone should arrive by the middle of the week!
At 2pm we collected my Mum and drove over to Weedon which is really quite a long way! We went via Harlestone and crossed over the M1 at junction 16. The new bypass is lovely and does take a fair bit off the journey but I do sometimes get a bit lost!
When we arrived at Weedon, there was a coach in the car park and we found the cafe full to bursting. We managed to take a table that had just been vacated but we did have a fair wait for our order to be taken. The staff were really busy so it was understandable.
Mum just had a cup of tea while I had a cream tea (scrumptious!) and Sophie indulged in a slice of apple pie with custard. After we'd eaten we wandered around the shops and had a good mooch in a Simply Salvaged Interiors that had some lovely pictures that caught Mum's eye. I liked that they had 40s music playing in the background that went perfectly with the items they were selling.
In another of the lovely little shops I bought a jar of piccalilli, some cheese biscuits and a pack of couscous that we will have for dinner one night. In another shop, Mum bought a lovely bangle so she was very pleased! It was great to wander about and look in the shops and we hadn't been to Weedon for ages so it was nice to go back!
We took a different route back and went via Long Buckby, Ravensthorpe, Spratton and Brixworth. The countryside was looking and lovely and definitely wearing its Autumn colours! We dropped Mum off and returned home to relax before making the dinner.
As Sophie had done all the prep, all we had to do was actually cook the chicken and noodles, but first we scrambled some eggs in the wok! The result was delicious and even Keith enjoyed it!
Saturday 5 October 2019
A spot of shopping...and cake!
We had a very relaxed start to the weekend, which is just how I like it!
Sophie didn't go to the gym again because her foot is very sore so I really feel for her - she loves going and working out and this pain has put a stop to all that. I hope it doesn't last too long.
I prepared dinner of coq au vin in the morning and at midday (after a slight hiccup with our hot water - we have a problem which Keith and I prefer not to think about...) we drove over to Market Harborough. The town was very busy and we just about managed to get a space in the car park.
After browsing a couple of shops we headed for our favourite little tea shop and dribbled over the choice of cakes they had on offer. We decided on a slice of white chocolate and raspberry, accompanied by a big pot of English breakfast tea. Scrumptious!
It was so lovely to sit and relax and savour the cake which was delicious! The surroundings are very pretty here as well and it was a shame it wasn't busier. Market Harborough are trying to get people to spend a fiver in local independent shops today so we did our bit!
Afterwards, we browsed in an Oxfam shop and found a signed copy of the Hairy Bikers Ride Again book which was full of lovely recipes. It was £2.50! To add to this, next door in their other charity shop, Sophie found three tops for under a tenner! They were all beautiful and perfect for work!
Before going home we called into Aldi and Waitrose and bought the ingredients for tomorrow's dinner - Drunken Noodles. Waitrose had all the hard-to-find ingredients like oyster sauce, rice noodles and a hot sauce.
We had also bought some delicious wholemeal bread in Waitrose and a jar of garlic mayonnaise and we decided to try and recreate the bread, aioli and olives we had in Mallorca. The mayonnaise and bread were delicious but the olives were a little bitter. We sipped on a glass of non-alcoholic red but it wasn't the same! Outside, the weather was grey and overcast!
Dinner tonight was the coq au vin I'd prepared earlier and Sophie made us a "Sangria" with the alcohol free red wine, some orange juice and slices of fruit. A nice idea but it didn't quite hit the mark!
Before bed Sophie and I had a hilarious session with some face masks she'd bought. My daughter resembled an old, old woman because the mask was white and looked wrinkly!
Sophie didn't go to the gym again because her foot is very sore so I really feel for her - she loves going and working out and this pain has put a stop to all that. I hope it doesn't last too long.
I prepared dinner of coq au vin in the morning and at midday (after a slight hiccup with our hot water - we have a problem which Keith and I prefer not to think about...) we drove over to Market Harborough. The town was very busy and we just about managed to get a space in the car park.
After browsing a couple of shops we headed for our favourite little tea shop and dribbled over the choice of cakes they had on offer. We decided on a slice of white chocolate and raspberry, accompanied by a big pot of English breakfast tea. Scrumptious!
It was so lovely to sit and relax and savour the cake which was delicious! The surroundings are very pretty here as well and it was a shame it wasn't busier. Market Harborough are trying to get people to spend a fiver in local independent shops today so we did our bit!
Afterwards, we browsed in an Oxfam shop and found a signed copy of the Hairy Bikers Ride Again book which was full of lovely recipes. It was £2.50! To add to this, next door in their other charity shop, Sophie found three tops for under a tenner! They were all beautiful and perfect for work!
Before going home we called into Aldi and Waitrose and bought the ingredients for tomorrow's dinner - Drunken Noodles. Waitrose had all the hard-to-find ingredients like oyster sauce, rice noodles and a hot sauce.
We had also bought some delicious wholemeal bread in Waitrose and a jar of garlic mayonnaise and we decided to try and recreate the bread, aioli and olives we had in Mallorca. The mayonnaise and bread were delicious but the olives were a little bitter. We sipped on a glass of non-alcoholic red but it wasn't the same! Outside, the weather was grey and overcast!
Dinner tonight was the coq au vin I'd prepared earlier and Sophie made us a "Sangria" with the alcohol free red wine, some orange juice and slices of fruit. A nice idea but it didn't quite hit the mark!
Before bed Sophie and I had a hilarious session with some face masks she'd bought. My daughter resembled an old, old woman because the mask was white and looked wrinkly!
Friday 4 October 2019
The hunt for "wine"...
This morning dawned a little milder and for once Sophie didn't go to the gym as she has managed to hurt her foot, which means that going on the treadmill is a definite no-no.
It was strange having her around in the house and I left before her, for a change! Work was OK but I had lots of strange phone calls and quite a few where it was very difficult to understand the caller. It happens occasionally but we get there in the end!
At 2pm I popped over to Lidl to get some alcohol-free wine as Keith and I (and Sophie at home) are not drinking for October. I'm even going to extend it to November as well as I think my liver needs a rest. Is this why I feel a bit unwell? Alcohol withdrawal! We certainly enjoy a drink in this household so I think it's a good idea to have a rest and it was great doing it last November!
Lidl did two German wines that were acceptable but of course they didn't have any in the shop. Typical! I drove home and Keith suggested we go to the larger branch in Northampton, near to B&Q. Sophie and I have a lovely Spanish sparkling wine to drink tonight (Freixenet non-alcohol) but we wanted something to drink over the weekend. I even suggested to Sophie that she look up mocktails for us to make. It just brings it home to me that it's not the alcohol itself I need, but the "idea" of a special drink! The one bottle I WON'T be buying is that awful, horrendously expensive Seedlip drink which I think is a con.
We found the non-alcohol wine in Lidl so I bought two bottles as well as lemons and raspberries to go into a mocktail - Sophie had said we could use the red and make a Sangria.
Heading home the traffic was terrible - "Jane, what did you do with the extra hours you now have, because you don't have to collect Mike from work?"
Me - "I sit in horrendous rush hour traffic instead, all so I that can buy some fake wine." Hmmm!
Going out and getting the wine almost resulted in a bad accident...travelling towards Holcot, an absolute idiot in a white Mercedes overtook the car behind us and then us as well and just about managed to get in before he hit a line of oncoming cars. I wish so much that I'd got his number plate or had the footage on a dash cam as he could have caused a really bad accident. I was forced to brake hard so he could squeeze in. I speeded up to try and see what his number plate was but he tore off and overtook another car. What an absolute idiot, with no thought for anyone else on the road.
As Keith is not drinking he didn't go to the pub tonight so he was an honorary member of the Girls' Wine Night club. He had to go and sit on the computer, though, while Sophie and I watched Shirley Valentine, one of my all time favourite films. I love how sad it actually is, but funny too.
Sophie cooked a vegetable curry tonight and very good it was, too!
It was strange having her around in the house and I left before her, for a change! Work was OK but I had lots of strange phone calls and quite a few where it was very difficult to understand the caller. It happens occasionally but we get there in the end!
At 2pm I popped over to Lidl to get some alcohol-free wine as Keith and I (and Sophie at home) are not drinking for October. I'm even going to extend it to November as well as I think my liver needs a rest. Is this why I feel a bit unwell? Alcohol withdrawal! We certainly enjoy a drink in this household so I think it's a good idea to have a rest and it was great doing it last November!
Lidl did two German wines that were acceptable but of course they didn't have any in the shop. Typical! I drove home and Keith suggested we go to the larger branch in Northampton, near to B&Q. Sophie and I have a lovely Spanish sparkling wine to drink tonight (Freixenet non-alcohol) but we wanted something to drink over the weekend. I even suggested to Sophie that she look up mocktails for us to make. It just brings it home to me that it's not the alcohol itself I need, but the "idea" of a special drink! The one bottle I WON'T be buying is that awful, horrendously expensive Seedlip drink which I think is a con.
We found the non-alcohol wine in Lidl so I bought two bottles as well as lemons and raspberries to go into a mocktail - Sophie had said we could use the red and make a Sangria.
Heading home the traffic was terrible - "Jane, what did you do with the extra hours you now have, because you don't have to collect Mike from work?"
Me - "I sit in horrendous rush hour traffic instead, all so I that can buy some fake wine." Hmmm!
Going out and getting the wine almost resulted in a bad accident...travelling towards Holcot, an absolute idiot in a white Mercedes overtook the car behind us and then us as well and just about managed to get in before he hit a line of oncoming cars. I wish so much that I'd got his number plate or had the footage on a dash cam as he could have caused a really bad accident. I was forced to brake hard so he could squeeze in. I speeded up to try and see what his number plate was but he tore off and overtook another car. What an absolute idiot, with no thought for anyone else on the road.
As Keith is not drinking he didn't go to the pub tonight so he was an honorary member of the Girls' Wine Night club. He had to go and sit on the computer, though, while Sophie and I watched Shirley Valentine, one of my all time favourite films. I love how sad it actually is, but funny too.
Sophie cooked a vegetable curry tonight and very good it was, too!
Thursday 3 October 2019
Cold snap!
It was definitely colder this morning - Sophie told me it was 0c at 6am on the way to the gym! Brrr!
It had only risen to 2.5c when I went into work and I had an OK-ish shift at work, but I was very glad to leave at 3pm and head home.
Keith and I popped to Brixworth when I arrived home as he was going a bit stir crazy and we bought a newspaper at the Co-op.
The weather has been disappointing today - ex-Hurricane Lorenzo is affecting the west of the UK but we've just had cloud and rain, so nothing spectacular. We did have a beautiful sunset this morning though, which I captured on my phone...
We had mist over the fields and it was beautiful. Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, indeed!
In the evening I had an early night as I felt like I had a cold coming on...I hope not!
It had only risen to 2.5c when I went into work and I had an OK-ish shift at work, but I was very glad to leave at 3pm and head home.
Keith and I popped to Brixworth when I arrived home as he was going a bit stir crazy and we bought a newspaper at the Co-op.
The weather has been disappointing today - ex-Hurricane Lorenzo is affecting the west of the UK but we've just had cloud and rain, so nothing spectacular. We did have a beautiful sunset this morning though, which I captured on my phone...
We had mist over the fields and it was beautiful. Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, indeed!
In the evening I had an early night as I felt like I had a cold coming on...I hope not!
Wednesday 2 October 2019
October sunshine
I blearily got up with Sophie to see her off to the gym and then went back to bed until 8.30am. Bliss!
Sophie had asked me to try and get her and Mike tickets to see one of their favourite rappers, Aries, who is due to appear at a pub in Camden in January 2020. The tickets were being released at 10am so I made sure I was all ready with my credit card poised at 10am...I kept refreshing the screen and then it said there were no available tickets at all! Really?
I messaged Sophie who asked me to keep trying for a little while, which I did, on various ticket websites. There was nothing at all. Last time she had asked me to do this I had let her down (Catfish and the Bottlemen) so I was determined to redeem myself! However, by 10.30am it was obvious I wasn't going to have any luck so Keith and I went over to Kettering to have a coffee at Costa and then do our weekly shop.
It's been a gorgeous day today with lots of sunshine but it's definitely on the chilly side now. I suppose it is October, which I keep forgetting!
After doing the shopping we called to see Mum and Dad for a quick coffee and then it was home to potter about and do some chores. I wandered about in the garden and had a look at all the summer bedding plants which are still flourishing. I also sorted out masses of recycling to take to neighbours - we are doing a great job of saving lots of plastic from landfill!
Sophie messaged me to say that Aries was now appearing at the O2 in Islington (where we saw Charlie Simpson) and she had managed to secure tickets! Great news! He is also appearing in Berlin later that same week and that was plan B!!!
Sophie was home from work a little later than usual this evening and after enjoying a delicious cottage pie for dinner, it was time for 90 Day Fiance...no cream pies this week but some of the couples are hilarious. I suspect quite a few of the scenarios are set up but it makes for riveting viewing!
Sophie had asked me to try and get her and Mike tickets to see one of their favourite rappers, Aries, who is due to appear at a pub in Camden in January 2020. The tickets were being released at 10am so I made sure I was all ready with my credit card poised at 10am...I kept refreshing the screen and then it said there were no available tickets at all! Really?
I messaged Sophie who asked me to keep trying for a little while, which I did, on various ticket websites. There was nothing at all. Last time she had asked me to do this I had let her down (Catfish and the Bottlemen) so I was determined to redeem myself! However, by 10.30am it was obvious I wasn't going to have any luck so Keith and I went over to Kettering to have a coffee at Costa and then do our weekly shop.
It's been a gorgeous day today with lots of sunshine but it's definitely on the chilly side now. I suppose it is October, which I keep forgetting!
After doing the shopping we called to see Mum and Dad for a quick coffee and then it was home to potter about and do some chores. I wandered about in the garden and had a look at all the summer bedding plants which are still flourishing. I also sorted out masses of recycling to take to neighbours - we are doing a great job of saving lots of plastic from landfill!
Sophie messaged me to say that Aries was now appearing at the O2 in Islington (where we saw Charlie Simpson) and she had managed to secure tickets! Great news! He is also appearing in Berlin later that same week and that was plan B!!!
Sophie was home from work a little later than usual this evening and after enjoying a delicious cottage pie for dinner, it was time for 90 Day Fiance...no cream pies this week but some of the couples are hilarious. I suspect quite a few of the scenarios are set up but it makes for riveting viewing!
Tuesday 1 October 2019
Autumn weather!
The weather today has been horrible and it hasn't stopped raining, with flooding on roads near to where we live.
I drove myself to work today and it was great to finish at 2pm and go straight home. This is going to take some getting used to! At home Keith looked a bit fed up as he'd been stuck in the house since this morning so I suggested we drive over to Market Harborough to visit the bathroom showroom there. Amazingly, work is going to start next Thursday! The time has flown by but I can't wait for the old fittings to be ripped out!
We sloshed our way over and the weather was atrocious - misty. grey skies as well as wind and rain. How horrible! We eventually found the showroom (it's tucked away on a small industrial estate and we can never find it!) and saw the man we'd been dealing with since the start. He took a 25% deposit off us and said the fittings would all be delivered next Thursday.
Back home we ordered a skip to be placed on our driveway and that was it! We are all ready! We need to go back over next Wednesday and pay the balance and I'm really looking forward to having a new bathroom to enjoy!
I warned Sophie about the flooding near Holcot and asked her to take it easy on her way home from work. Dinner tonight was baked potatoes and they were perfect for the weather we're having!
I drove myself to work today and it was great to finish at 2pm and go straight home. This is going to take some getting used to! At home Keith looked a bit fed up as he'd been stuck in the house since this morning so I suggested we drive over to Market Harborough to visit the bathroom showroom there. Amazingly, work is going to start next Thursday! The time has flown by but I can't wait for the old fittings to be ripped out!
We sloshed our way over and the weather was atrocious - misty. grey skies as well as wind and rain. How horrible! We eventually found the showroom (it's tucked away on a small industrial estate and we can never find it!) and saw the man we'd been dealing with since the start. He took a 25% deposit off us and said the fittings would all be delivered next Thursday.
Back home we ordered a skip to be placed on our driveway and that was it! We are all ready! We need to go back over next Wednesday and pay the balance and I'm really looking forward to having a new bathroom to enjoy!
I warned Sophie about the flooding near Holcot and asked her to take it easy on her way home from work. Dinner tonight was baked potatoes and they were perfect for the weather we're having!
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