Last day of the decade!

Sophie took me to work this morning and I started at the later time of 9am, which meant I had a bit of a lie-in!

There were four of us in the office today and Sheila had brought in croissants, which was lovely of her! The shift passed a lot more pleasantly than yesterday and by lunchtime, Sara and Sheila had gone home, at 2pm Joanne left me and I was all on my tod until 4pm.

As I left, everyone was closing up and I sped into the car park to be met by Keith. We popped into the Co-op on the way home to get some bacon, sausages and bread for tomorrow's breakfast and I felt for the staff in there as they were open until 8pm!

We arrived home to find the house looking lovely and tonight's dinner all prepared by Keith and Sophie. Abbie and Laura were celebrating New Year's Eve with us and they arrived at about 6pm. We had a very relaxed evening with a delicious dinner of Coq au Vin and a chocolate bread and butter pudding, and enjoyed the film Spectre afterwards.

At midnight we opened a bottle of Cava and toasted not only the new year, but a new decade as well. What will these ten years bring? I hope for a lot of happiness but above all, good health!

Best TV of 2019!

I don't know whether it's a good idea to admit to loving TV! There's nothing I like better at night than to curl up on the sofa and watch a good series. I'm not a fan of some of the very popular programmes such as Eastenders, Coronation Street or Emmerdale (I did watch Eastenders years ago and was completely hooked), The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, et al, but I do like a good drama, something that keeps me riveted and that I can look forward to after a day at work! I hardly ever watch television during the day but if I do it's usually after I've come out of the shower, and I like to watch Homes Under the Hammer while I'm getting dressed! I sometimes even record the programme if I know I'm going to miss how the houses are transformed!

This year I gave up watching Neighbours after decades of following the show, primarily because I thought the storylines had become stupid and obsessed with sex, but I was also very upset about the death of Sonya, which I thought was horrible. There's enough bad news facing us every day and I loved that Neighbours was a cheery, happy show with plenty of sunshine and great characters!

Sophie and I are fans of lots of shows and the following are what we've loved this year:

Big Little Lies
90 Day Fiance - Before the 90 Days (guilty pleasure!)
Say Yes to the Dress
Deep Water
Grand Designs
The Affair
Two and a Half Men (Amazon Prime)
Chernobyl
Masterchef
Killing Eve
Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild
The Island with Bear Grylls
The Widow
Gold Digger
Delicious
Travel Man
Ugly House to Lovely House
Your Home Made Perfect
Fake or Fortune
Not Going Out

Plus, I love catching up with the old shows being shown on channels such as Dave - Butterflies, As Time Goes By and The Good Life. I never tire of seeing old re-runs.

This year I've had fun introducing Sophie to some old films and we've enjoyed Vertigo, North by Northwest and Rear Window, all directed by Alfred Hitchcock. We love trying to see his cameo appearance in each film! We also enjoyed Indiscreet starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman but Sophie said she prefers James Stewart to Cary Grant! We're going to try and watch more old films in 2020 and I'm looking forward to seeing To Catch a Thief, Marnie and Suspicion.

In the run-up to Christmas we have to watch Christmas with the Kranks (obligatory), The Holiday and any cheesy film that's being shown - Channel 5 had one on every afternoon this holiday season and although I said I was going to indulge in a couple while I was on holiday, I never did!

I've yet to watch It's A Wonderful Life with Sophie, mainly because I know I would embarrass her by crying all the way through, even though I have watched it so many times!

We also came up with the idea of watching all the James Bond films and then going to see the next one in the cinema - Daniel Craig's last outing as the spy hero!

I think we have fantastic television in the UK and now I have Amazon Prime (and the kids watch Netflix). I'm looking forward to many more evenings curled up on the sofa with a drink and some great TV!

And the award goes to!

Obviously, there have been some highs (and a few lows) over the last decade, but in this post I'm going to have a series of awards for the good, the funny, the strange and anything else I can think of, to celebrate another decade!


Best Year: 2019 - A lovely, lovely year - an overnight trip to France in April, a fantastic holiday in California, and then Mallorca in September. Mike had a great job which fitted in with my hours and everything was right with the world. A year to remember!

By contrast, I think 2015 was the worst year - we sold the business which was stressful, and the Scottish whale-watching trip wasn't the most successful holiday we've ever had!


Best Meal: 4 September 2014 - The Sandbar Restaurant, Anna Maria Island. A truly lovely evening with a visit to the City Pier followed by dinner at this fabulous restaurant right on the beach. The sunset was stunning and we almost predicted (to the second) the actual sunset time! Very happy memories!


Best Holiday: August 2017. Our three-week holiday to Orlando's theme parks and then a fortnight in Naples, taking in the Keys. The villa we stayed in in Naples, was probably the best we have ever experienced.

A very close runner-up (but not a family holiday) was mine and Sophie's trip to California this year. We enjoyed everything about our visit and it will remain in our memory for a very long time.


Funniest Moment: August 2012 - I'm not sure I actually wrote about this, but during a meal at The Wavendon Arms, Michael had a dessert with a large chocolate button as the decoration. He held it out to me asking if it was a 2p piece and I promptly ate it. For some reason, I found this hysterical and laughed until the tears ran down my face. Even now I still find it funny!

A runner-up was a drunken moment in Florida (8 April - see below) when I'd had one too many whiskies around the pool after a long day and I said to Keith - "My name is Sophie!" I still get ribbed about it to this day!


Best Christmas: Lanzarote 2011, for several reasons: the gorgeous weather and the longer days, the relaxed attitude to the festive season and the weirdness of it being Christmas but feeling like midsummer.


Best Day: 8 April 2013. We were in Florida and visited Anna Maria Island for the very first time. We loved the island, the City Pier (now being re-built after Hurricane Irma), lunch in Yoder's restaurant in Sarasota and the lovely journey home via Route 64. In the evening we relaxed with drinks around the pool - a perfect end to a perfect day!


Best Birthday: A personal one here - my birthday in January 2018 when we visited The Imperial War Museum in London, followed by a trip up The Shard. A really lovely day rounded off by a Shake Shack burger in Covent Garden.


Best Short Break: Berlin - December 2016. Although the start was marred by the terrorist attack at the Christmas market, we loved our short city break, the visit to the Olympic Stadium (hot chocolate!), and the weird bar we found. The markets were beautiful, especially Gendarmenmarkt.

A very close runner-up was our trip to Mallorca in September 2019.


Strangest Happening: The winner is the missing key in Florida, August 2017 - we still don't know what happened... was it found? We were never charged for the changing of the locks or a new key but the search delayed our journey to Naples by a good two hours. The key simply disappeared into thin air and I still don't know why I decided to take it off the fob the night before we left.

The runner-up is the member of staff at Alcatraz who randomly said he knew of a local restaurant in Northampton (the Mandarin Buffet), which was totally bizarre!


Best Drink: It has to be any drink we've enjoyed in Otello, in Berlin. Before we eat at Reinhard's a visit here is a must. Normally we're the only ones in the lovely, little, cosy bar and it's a real treat. Sadly Reinhard's is no longer and I can only assume that the bar isn't open either which is very sad. We haven't been back to Berlin since December 2016 and we hope that when we go back again, someone else will have taken over the restaurant and the bar. Here's hoping.

A close runner-up was cocktails in The Top of the Mark for Sophie and I in May 2019. The views, the ambience and the friendly staff were brilliant!


Let's hope the next decade brings more good times and lovely, happy memories!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Let's raise a glass and hope that a new year and a new decade bring us all health, wealth and above all, happiness!

Janie xx

The highs of 2019!

As usual, I document the best days of the year and several of them were during our holiday to California in May and Mallorca in September, so rather than pick out a day a month, I've changed it slightly for 2019. Here they are:

Tuesday 1 January - a trip to Cambridge and lunch at a lovely pub.

Sunday 13 January - a birthday outing to Stratford-upon-Avon and a lovely meal in the evening.

Friday 5 April - a trip to France for Sophie's birthday!

Saturday 4 May - We explored Haight Ashbury, Golden Gate park and Mrs Doubtfire's house!

Sunday 5 May -  A fantastic Bay cruise, a trip on the cable car and cocktails at Top of The Mark. A delicious dinner in Chinatown ended a fabulous day!

Wednesday 8 May - One of the best days of our lives - a beautiful wine visit to the stunning Napa Valley.

Saturday 11 May - 17 Mile Drive, which was absolutely beautiful, and the highlight of the day (holiday?) was a picnic on the Pacific Coast Highway

Saturday 6 July - A very pleasant visit to the Workhouse at Southwell and exploring the town afterwards.

Friday 20 September - a visit to the gorgeous Cathedral in Palma, followed by Pollenca. The start of our holiday!

Sunday 22 September - Market Day in Pollenca and it was fab to re-acquaint ourselves with the beautiful town.

Monday 23 September - Cala San Vicente and an afternoon of sun-bathing.

Friday 13 December - a lovely trip to Oxford to visit the Christmas market.


Let's hope 2020 has some equally fantastic days!

Photos from a decade

In this post, I'd like to pick the best photo from the decade. Here are the contenders from each year:


2010:

Sophie and Mike in Arras

2011:

Sophie and Mike with our waiters in Lanzarote

2012:

Sophie's Prom

2013:

Sophie and Mike at Gatorland

2014:

Keith, Sophie and Mike at Anna Maria island

2015:

Keith, Sophie and Mike in Whitby

Sophie with Herr Hair in Berlin

2016:

Keith, Sophie and Mike at the Olympic Stadium, Berlin

2017:

Keith, Sophie and Mike on Naples pier

Keith and Sophie - Captiva Island

2018:

Sophie and Mike at Soph's Graduation

2019:

Keith, Sophie and Mike, Cambridge New Year's Day

Sophie - Pacific Coast Highway picnic

Keith, Sophie and Mike Palma Cathedral

And the winner is...

Back to the grind...

Sophie dropped me off at work this morning and then went to the gym again. She really is so disciplined!

Work was busy with phone calls, even though there were two of us today. I had to do the Box Office returns again and I just about managed to email the figures over before I left at 2pm! As on Friday, a lot of our calls were for information that is readily available on the website!

Sophie picked me up at 2pm as she'd been in town seeing a friend and we returned home with the intention of going for a quick walk. However, before I'd even changed, Mike called to ask us to pick him up from town so we left again straight away!

The weather has been glorious today with clear blue skies and a lovely winter sunshine. As soon as we got home from collecting Mike three of us walked around the estate three times to get some fresh air and exercise. A lot of other people had the same idea so it was great to see residents out and about.

Back home it was time to relax on the sofa and I managed a short nap as I hadn't slept well last night (that lunchtime coffee yesterday played havoc with my sleep!). While dinner was cooking we listened to some music on Sophie's new Echo Dot which she loves, thank goodness!

A spot of shopping.

I certainly wasn't up early this morning - I woke up at 9.07am so I was quite annoyed that it was so late!

We mooched about this morning and although we'd planned on going to Milton Keynes, we decided to go to Rushden Lakes instead as it wasn't as far and there was a House of Fraser where I could return Keith's sweatshirt.

I used my dashcam for the first time and it was really weird to have it recording while I drove. Of course, nothing of any note happened! The traffic going into Rushden Lakes was busy but we parked easily and went for a coffee at Bewiched, somewhere we hadn't been before. My Flat White was OK, but I still prefer Costa! After we'd enjoyed our coffee and a pastry we called into the wildlife shop adjoining the cafe, and I bought a 2020 calendar for the kitchen.

We returned Keith's sweatshirt but they didn't have any suitable replacements so we popped into M&S where I bought him another one for £20. which left me £20 for a lovely blue checked shirt. After M&S we went to Next where I looked for a picture I'd seen a few weeks ago which would look lovely on the landing, but it was nowhere to be seen. Typical! I know I should have bought it when I saw it!

Sophie had a quick look at clothes in House of Fraser and then we decided to make our way home, calling to see Mum and Dad on the way. The weather today has been beautiful and a total contrast to yesterday. Back home we walked around the estate a couple of times but Monty refused to come with us, the little monkey, and just stayed on the driveway!

Dinner tonight was the curry that we should have had on Friday and it was delicious! We watched the second episode of Wisting and then enjoyed Top Gear in Nepal. I just had to watch it and was horrified to see how bad the traffic was on the road from Kathmandu to Pokhara, a road I had travelled on in 1987! The overtaking by cars and buses was horrendous but I don't remember it being like that when I journeyed on this route, thank goodness!

Sunset skies

A few photos from this evening's walk around our estate. The sky and clouds were beautiful and tinged with pinky peachy colours from the setting sun.

It was lovely and cold! I wonder if we'll get snow in January?

Out celebrating!

Predictably, I was awake this morning at 6am so I caught up with some recorded programmes and enjoyed a coffee or two to wake up properly!

It's been a grey day today with no sunshine or blue sky at all and after a morning spent doing very little, Sophie and I went to Market Harborough at lunchtime. Our first stop was the post office where we sent some parcels and then we made a beeline for Pizza Express where we enjoyed a delicious lunch. We started with dough balls and calamari and then shared a very spicy chicken pizza. When we first arrived the restaurant was empty but it quickly filled up with hungry diners!

After we'd eaten we went to Boots, Waterstones, Monsoon and a lovely cookshop where we bought Keith a huge (1.3 pint) mug for his morning cuppa! I'd worn the wrong boots today so my feet were hurting and we called it a day, heading home via the scenic route.

Back home it was time to relax and Sophie went to get ready for her night out with Daisy and Laura. Keith and I drove her into town and dropped her off at Revs where she was meeting her friends for cocktails before going to Sophia's for a meal.

Keith and I headed home for a cold dinner of prawn cocktail with crusty bread followed by Christmas pudding and cream. We watched a new Nordic Noir called Wisting which was very good indeed, and went back to pick Sophie up at 10.30pm. She was a little merry (as usual!) and her and Daisy talked non-stop all the way home!

Keith has another bloomin' cold so when we arrived back I made him a hot toddy and we sat and watched the end of the first episode of Wisting. It was great, if a little gruesome!

Hard work!

Sophie took me to work this morning and then went to the gym, bless her. I admired her for getting up and going on her day off!

Work has not been pleasant today. The woman I work with on a Friday was off and there was just Sheila and I in the office. I was expecting it to be quiet, but it was anything but! At times, Sheila had to help me out as there were loads of calls waiting and by the time I left, we'd had seven abandoned calls...

As well as answer the phones, I had to complete the Box Office returns and email them to the film companies so at times it was very stressful, especially as a lot of the calls I took could have been dealt with by people checking the website. I didn't have a clue what day it was, either, as some of the people I spoke to normally call on a Thursday to book classes!

I was very glad when it was 2pm and I could escape! Keith and Sophie picked me up and we returned home through more gloomy weather. The sky was a horrible grey colour with thick cloud and there was a nasty chilly wind.

The weather didn't stop Sophie and I from going out for our twenty minute walk, though, and I'm determined to try and do this every day. Back home I had a nap and Keith walked down to the pub. I was waiting for a call from my parents who were returning from Bath today as I was picking them up from Kettering.

Luckily it all worked out really well as I collected Mum and Dad at 7pm, took them home and then went to the pub to get Keith. He suggested that rather than go home and start cooking our turkey curry, we go and get fish and chips instead. Sophie and I agreed and we drove to Brixworth to get them. I just had a portion of chips and they were delicious!

After dinner we relaxed with a glass of wine and watched the end of Skyfall. Thank goodness tomorrow is the weekend!

Boxing Day film

By contrast, the weather today has been utterly abysmal, which was ironic as today I really felt like going out and doing something! Although it's been lovely to stay indoors over the last couple of days, I was more than ready to get out today!

Keith took Mike to Abbie's house very early as he was spending the day with her family. We mooched about in the morning and tidied away after yesterday, and at lunchtime I suggested to Sophie that we go to the Northampton Filmhouse and see Last Christmas, which was showing at about 5pm. Keith was enjoying all the sports that traditionally take place on Boxing Day and wasn't interested one bit in coming with us!

After getting ready we drove into town in the gloomiest of gloomy weather. It was horrible! Unfortunately, our visit had coincided with two pantos at both the Royal Theatre and Derngate and there wasn't a space to be had in our usual car park. However, as we drove out I noticed some people in their car and once we'd driven back in again, they were leaving. I was delighted to get a space!

We decided to have a drink and a snack at John Franklin's before the film, and minutes after arriving in the blissfully quiet bar and ordering drinks and nibbles, the pantomimes finished and the hordes arrived...

We tucked into a Scotch Egg, a delicious sausage roll and breads served with oil and Balsamic vinegar. Sophie ordered a Dark and Stormy cocktail while I made do with a bottle of sparkling water. It was lovely to be out and I thought back to when a pantomime visit on Boxing Day was a lovely tradition, enjoyed with my parents and the children. An actor playing one of the ugly sisters had come into the bar and was enjoying a drink with a friend, oblivious to the fact that he was made up like a Pantomime Dame!

After another drink and a mince pie, we made our way through crowds of people (the next performance of the panto was taking place at 5pm) to the cinema. Predictably, it was full and we took our seats (the last two together) a long way along the row, which was unusual for us! I prefer the aisle seats so we can make a quick getaway!

The film was good, if a little cheesy and the twist at the end was totally unexpected and something I definitely hadn't seen coming! I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet!

We emerged at 6.30pm, drove home in the dark gloom and enjoyed our traditional bubble and squeak with cold turkey. I am back at work tomorrow...ho hum!

Delicious Christmas!

I woke up later than I expected this morning to find Sophie already up! I told her to stay in her bedroom so I could fill the stockings before they came downstairs! The weather was beautiful with plenty of sunshine and blue skies - perfect, although snow would have been good!

By 9am everyone was in the lounge and we opened the presents. I was amazed to get a dash cam from Keith, something I've been meaning to get for ages! I think everyone was happy with their gifts - Sophie had suspected I'd bought her an Amazon Echo so she was pleased with that!

As usual, the table is awash with alcoholic gifts!

Mike wearing his new fleece from Sophie

Unfortunately, Keith's sweatshirt was just a bit too small, so we're planning on returning it on Sunday and we'll try and get a replacement. After all the presents had been opened, we enjoyed a glass of Champagne each and Sophie, Keith and I had some breakfast. Keith had been up early so he had prepared all of the vegetables and the chipolata sausages, which was great!

I drove Mike and Keith to the pub at 12pm and went back to collect them an hour later. It has been very relaxing today and I was able to enjoy a glass of Sherry while Keith and Sophie cooked a late lunch. For once, we watched the Queen's Speech at 3pm and by 4pm we were sitting down to eat an absolutely delicious dinner.

Sophie and Keith had cooked a lovely dinner and had prepared honey glazed parsnips and carrots, brussels sprouts cooked with bacon, stuffing, broccoli, cauliflower, roast potatoes, pigs in blankets  and Yorkshire puddings. The turkey was tender and moist and we drank a beautiful Sancerre with the meal.

After we'd eaten and cleared away, Keith retreated upstairs for a snooze and Sophie and I watched Father of the Bride. Mike went out to see some mates and we had a lovely evening doing very little. At about 8pm we enjoyed Christmas pudding with custard accompanied by a glass of Sherry!

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas!

Lots of love from my family to yours!

With all good wishes for the festive season 

Janie xxxx

Feeling festive

Sophie went to the gym this morning and I woke up to see her off, as per usual. She is working until 12.30pm today but I think they're having an office party so it won't be all hard work!

Christmas Eve dawned sunny and clear and remained that way all day, so at least that was some relief! I did some last minute wrapping and I hoovered downstairs and tidied up ready for tomorrow.

Sophie was home by 1pm and we all drove to The Royal Oak for a festive lunch. The pub was busy and there was a large crowd enjoying drinks in the main lounge. Our table was tucked around a corner so it was lovely and quiet. We studied the menu and Sophie, Mike and I went for the midday special (two courses) while Keith went for the extra large cod served with chips. Mike and I had starters of whitebait and Brixworth pate and then we had a fairly long wait for our main courses, which wasn't a problem as we had nowhere to go and lots of time to sit and enjoy the build-up to Christmas.

Keith's fish was the largest I had ever seen and he said it was delicious and cooked to perfection. Sophie enjoyed a mushroom risotto, Mike had steak and ale pie and I wolfed down a burger which was just what I'd fancied.

We were almost the last to leave at about 3.30pm and already the light was fading from the sky. Back home we all collapsed on the sofa or in an armchair (or a bed in Mike's case as he'd been out to see a band last night and was shattered).

I woke up from a nap at about 5.30pm to find the Carols from King's College, Cambridge on the TV. We'd never really seen it before but it was lovely to sit and listen to the beautiful music and the readings. It certainly felt like Christmas, especially as I had all the little tea-lights lit and the tree was twinkling! Gorgeous!

Keith and I answered as many questions as we could during University Challenge (and we knew quite a few!) and then we settled down to watch Elf and enjoyed a light supper of mini pork pies, cheese and biscuits and savoury eggs. After Elf we enjoyed the Not Going Out Christmas special (a bit silly but I liked it!) and a Vicar of Dibley episode.

It's been a lovely Christmas Eve and the big day is tomorrow!

Nearly Christmas!

Keith took me into work today and the roads were blissfully quiet! He then went to collect my parents who were picking up a coach at Kettering, before the poor thing had to brave Tesco again!

Work was fine but by the end of the shift I was more than ready to go home! At 2pm we sped off and decided to tackle the new router that we'd been sent from BT. Setting it up was a lot easier than I imagined so that was great! We just had to go around and put the new password into all of our internet-enabled devices, and there were a fair few!

As the weather was lovely and dry again, Keith and I did three laps of the estate in a minute less than I did them the other day. It certainly made the colour come into our cheeks as the wind was a little chilly!

We put the heating on and I curled up on the sofa to watch a lovely documentary about the wildlife of Florida. Seeing the animals, the Everglades and the Keys brought back some fantastic memories!

Sophie arrived home feeling really rough, bless her. She sneezed and coughed all evening so it looks like she has definitely got a cold. Dinner tonight was jacket potatoes and while they were baking in the oven, I looked up a pub I'd seen on a BBC Tudor Christmas programme called The Royal Standard of England. Apparently it's the oldest pub in England and I would love to go! Maybe we can visit in the new year, around the time of my birthday!

Exchanging pressies!

After a lovely relaxing start to the day, Keith and I went over to Tesco in Kettering and received a bit of a shock when we saw how busy it was! There was hardly a space in the car park and it was only 10.30am!

I managed to squeeze into a space after circling the car park for a while and we ventured inside which was rammed with people, most of them with panicky looks on their faces! It was unbelievable! I just had to get a couple of stocking fillers for Mike, a present for Abbie and a few other small bits, so we were out of there as soon as possible!

Sophie was back at home preparing her delicious nutty, Clementine cake ready for this afternoon when Mum and Dad were popping over to exchange Christmas presents. They are going to Bath tomorrow for the festive season so we won't be seeing them on the big day this year.

The weather today has been beautiful with blue skies and sunshine so that was a bonus after all the rain and winds we've had lately. I'm hoping Christmas Day will be sunny as well, but there's definitely no snow in the forecast for us!

Mum and Dad arrived at about 2pm and we enjoyed a glass of Cava and a slice of cake served with cream. It was delicious! After we'd eaten we opened our presents and I was delighted with mine - two beautiful pictures to go in the bathroom (or in the hall as the colour scheme is grey) and a fabulous hamper to share with Keith.

After Mum and Dad returned home Sophie and I went to and bought some chocolates for me to take into work tomorrow and we popped to McDonald's as Sophie was craving some hot, salty chips! She has the startings of a cold and I really hope it doesn't linger on for Christmas!

Back home, we had barely sat down when the phone rang and it was Mike asking us to pick him up from Abbie's house... We duly set off and also gave Abbie a lift to her Dad's house. Back home, finally, we were to sit and relax and look forward to a hearty beef pie that Keith had made!

Saturday working

I went to work at 8.30am this morning and did a day's shift on my own. Luckily it wasn't too busy and a lot of the calls were about whether swimming lessons were taking place over the weekend, a question that was easy to answer! My day was enlivened a bit by the various boxes of chocolates and biscuits lying around, so that was enjoyable!

Sophie went to Beckworth to have brunch with a man she'd been talking to on Tinder, so I hoped she would have a good time even though I wasn't sure he was really the one for her! I did get a bit perturbed, though, when she messaged me to say they were going for a walk around the Sywell Country Park after they'd eaten, even though she had confided in me that she didn't find him attractive... I said she was mad to go to the park as there was no path and she hadn't exactly been dressed for a muddy walk in the country!

I think she agreed with me as she then told me she had changed her mind and was heading home instead. I breathed a sigh of relief as the park they were planning to go to is quite remote and never really that busy. It would have been far better to go to Pitsford where there's a proper path!

The rest of my shift passed pleasantly and Sophie picked me up on her way home from going to the gym and popping to the Co-op to get ingredients for a cake she's making tomorrow. She wasn't really in the best of moods as she'd had a bit of a rough day (she'd tried to go to the Weston Favell Shopping centre, but there wasn't a parking space to be had, which didn't help matters) and I think she was a bit disappointed with her brunch date this morning.

However, after a shower, a piece of delicious brownie cake and a stiff drink, she felt a lot better and we settled down to watch The Perfect Man on DVD which was a bit ironic! Dinner tonight was prawn cocktail for Keith and I and a vegan dish for Sophie (Mike and Abbie had gone back to Northampton earlier today) and then we enjoyed Casino Royale whilst indulging in a slice of Black Forest gateau. I'm off tomorrow, back on Monday but then off for three days again! Roll on Christmas!

Difficult journeys!

I know I'm an over-protective mum so don't judge me for going with Sophie to Thrapston this morning to make sure she was OK driving in the pouring rain and mist. We followed Keith in my car but before we got to her manager's house we pulled into a pub car park and said goodbye to her! She drove very well on the busy A14 so I knew she would be fine. She wasn't keen on pulling out and overtaking the almost constant line of lorries, and she just took it steadily and safely.

On our way home there were pools of water in the outside lane when I went to overtake slower vehicles, and the driving conditions were terrible. I had a coffee and showered and Keith dropped me off at work as he needed to use the car today.

My first day back at work was fine and I didn't have as many emails as I anticipated! However, there were quite a few orders and invoices for me to process so I was kept busy until I finished at 2pm.

Keith came to pick me up and we headed home where I did very little. I hadn't slept well last night so I had a nap and just pottered about, looking forward to the evening when I could hopefully relax a bit!

Keith, Mike and Abbie went to the pub and as it was raining again I gave them a lift down. Back home I prepared dinner and set the table and by 7pm Sophie was home and also feeling very relieved that her day was over, even though she had enjoyed the prison visit and had had a good time.

I went back down to get Abbie and the men and we came home to enjoy chicken burgers with potato wedges and salad. After dinner all of us sat and watched a couple of episodes of Top of the Pops from 1988 so that brought back some memories for Keith and I!

A kitty scare!

Today was the last day of my holiday and I have to say I've really enjoyed being off work, pottering about, meeting family and friends for lunch and drinks, and just generally catching up with things I've been meaning to do!

The weather today has been horrible even though we saw the merest glimmer of sunshine this morning. However, it swiftly disappeared! The plan today was for me to go shopping with Keith as I had an order to pick up from the Kettering retail park, and then I was going to go and enjoy a coffee and a pastry in Costa while Keith went to Aldi and Tesco.

However, it didn't work out quite like that! We had arrived at Aldi at just past 8am and collecting my order was simple and straightforward. I went to Aldi to find Keith and ended up doing the rest of the shopping with him!

As it was busy in Tesco I helped him do the shop in there as well so I never did get the indulgent coffee that I'd been anticipating! We drove home and as soon as we'd unpacked I made a coffee and had breakfast.

A text from Sophie threw me into a foul mood as she told me that tomorrow she would have to drive to Thrapston to pick up her manager, and then get to the train station in Huntingdon to travel onwards to the Isle of Sheppey where they were visiting a prison. I was not at all happy as Sophie isn't covered for business travel on her insurance, but as her manager had damaged a tyre on her own car, she didn't have much choice.

Today was supposed to be mine and Keith's "Christmas outing" but we'd asked Mike if he wanted to come along, and we'd chosen to go to The Malt Shovel in Northampton. Before we went I prepared a Bolognese sauce for dinner tonight and we left for town at midday. The weather was grey and damp and the traffic heading into town was busy. On a whim I decided to park in the car park by the St Peter's Way roundabout but we had a problem with the ticket machine so we gave up and left the car in the Morrison's car park instead, even though we only had two hours.

The Malt Shovel was busy, but mainly with men drinking. I chose a half of a beer called Rosey Nosey which went flat after it was pulled. I should have stuck with a half of Leffe! Keith and Mike had pints and we shared a plate of nachos and chunky chips for lunch. To be honest, it wasn't what I'd really had in mind as I think we should have gone for a country pub mooch, but in the past Keith has been disappointed with the beers we've come across and in the Malt Shovel we were guaranteed some real ales at least!

When we came out of the pub it was chucking it down with rain and it was so dark, even though it was only about 2.30pm. We decided to have a last drink at The Royal Oak but when we walked in Ian greeted us by saying he was just about to close up for the day! We did have a last drink here though and then headed home in the pouring rain.

This morning, just before we left, Monty went out and I tried to get him back in before we went, but he was nowhere to be seen. I had suspected he was upstairs in Mike's room but when we arrived back home there was no sign of him. This was very worrying as he never goes far and is always about when we get back. I called and called him but he didn't appear and I started to get really worried. Before I'd even taken my boots off, Keith and I went back outside and drove around the estate and then a short way along the road to see if we could see him.

Back home I walked up and down outside the house and peered into the bushes to see if he was sheltering from the rain, although me shouting "Grub, Grubs" would have brought him running from the ends of the earth!

I couldn't believe that he wasn't around and I messaged a neighbour who regularly sees him about to find out whether she had seen him this morning. She said she would check the shed and garage but he wasn't there.

I didn't dare say anything to Sophie as I knew she would be distraught so all I could do was go outside at intervals and shout his name. I even started a missing cat account with a website that reunites lost pets with their owners! I did worry that he had gone off in a delivery van this morning or maybe had been frightened by one.

You can imagine my absolute relief when I heard him crying at the back door literally ten minutes before Sophie arrived home from work! I gathered him up and hugged him but he didn't know what all the fuss was about and wolfed down his dinner! He had given us such a scare and I think that he'd come back while we were out, found the garage door closed and wandered off to shelter from the weather as he wasn't completely soaked through.

So, today hasn't quite been the relaxing and indulgent day I'd hoped it would be, and tomorrow Sophie is off to Kent with her manager to visit a prison and I'm back at work... oh bliss! Mike's girlfriend Abbie arrived to stay with us this evening and Keith and I watched three episodes of a drama called Sticks and Stones back to back, which we both found enjoyable, although the ending was a little weak.

It was then an early night. I am not looking forward to tomorrow!

Drinks with friends.

Today I have mostly stayed at home! I saw Sophie off to the gym first thing and then enjoyed a leisurely start to the day with a coffee.

I had various jobs to get done today but before we started anything else, Keith and I defrosted the freezer in the kitchen, something we had planned on doing for ages. I managed to get some of the food into little freezer bags to make some more room and I cleaned the freezer drawers of ice. One of them actually broke in half as I was washing it so I went and ordered a new one from eSpares, to be delivered tomorrow.

It was a messy job and at times the kitchen floor was awash with water and bog chunks of ice, but when we'd finished it looked so much better and we didn't have to force the drawers in to close the door!

I spent the rest of the day wrapping presents and and generally pottering about. It was lovely to see the sun shine for a change in the afternoon! Keith went to the doctor's about his chest and I had a long soak in the bath. When he got home he said he needed to have a chest x-ray but that it wasn't urgent, so that was a relief. Later in the afternoon I did three laps of the estate which equates to a mile, and I'm going to try and do this on a regular basis! Monty came a little way with me and then ran back home and was stuffing his face when I arrived back! It was great to get out and have some fresh air and I felt really invigorated when I got back!

In the evening Sophie and I walked around to Michelle's for a glass of wine, some nibbles and a good gossip. The weather had turned rainy and windy again and we were soaked when we arrived, even though it was only a very short walk!

We sat in the living room and enjoyed delicious nibbles, Prosecco and a bottle of Cava in front of their log burning stove. It was wonderfully cosy and when the cats came in, they kept trying to nick the cheese on the table!

A very long day...

Sophie woke me up just  before 4.30am this morning and both Keith and I took her to Thrapston where her manager lives. The weather was truly horrible - we had thick fog on the way to the A43 and it was drizzly and dark. Not at all pleasant! I had planned on going straight back to bed but I was wide awake and worrying about her impending car insurance quote, so I stayed up and went onto one of the comparison sites.

Because she had a minor prang back in July her policy price has risen, and she was quoted just over £900 for a renewal with her current insurance company. I looked at Compare the Market and I was able to get it for just over £600 but it meant she had to have an app on her phone to monitor her driving, which she was not happy about!

Keith suggested that as we were both up we go shopping in Milton Keynes earlier than planned. I agreed so we had showers and were out of the house just after 8am. The weather had got worse, if that was possible, and it was misty, grey and damp. The very worst that winter could throw at us.

Although we left in the rush hour, we made Milton Keynes by about 9.30am and I dropped some recycling off at the Terracycle man's house. He had loads waiting to be sent off! Once we'd parked (on the top floor of the multi-storey where we were spoilt for choice) we had breakfast in M&S and then hit the shops, or rather I did while Keith sat outside on the seats with the newspaper!

I bought a present in House of Fraser which had a sale on as they were, sadly, closing down. Next up we went to John Lewis where I wandered around trying to find a gift for Keith but managed to get something in Next instead. The usual Christmas display was on in the area outside John Lewis but it looked exactly the same as last year!

The boots I was wearing weren't the most comfortable so after walking back to M&S we called it a day and returned to the car. I'd bought several gifts and had had ideas for a few more so hopefully, within the next few days I will be all done!

On the way home we called Mike who was at home and asked him if he wanted to go to Kettering to get his hair cut. He agreed so we popped home, picked him up and drove to Tesco. I bought some nibbles and a bottle of Cava for tomorrow night when Sophie and I go and see Michelle for a festive wine night.

Back home I tried to have a nap, but failed and then Sophie texted me to say they were leaving Stockton-on-Tees. It took them three hours to get home and Keith and I went to get her at about 6pm. Again, it was foggy and horrible and on the country roads on the way back I could hardly see a thing the mist was so thick. I was mightily glad to get home!

Keith made a start on dinner immediately while I sorted out Sophie's car insurance. I'd looked at another comparison market and they wanted just under £700 with no box having to be fitted or app on her phone. Sophie called her current insurance company and they brought the price down so it was almost the same so she has stayed with them, which I'm very relieved about!

Dinner was delicious and it was lovely to relax afterwards and do very little. An early night beckoned!

It's getting busy!

Keith and I went to Tesco first thing and I was amazed at how busy it was - it seemed more like a weekend day rather than a Monday morning! There was a slight air of panic although I have no idea why! It's just over a week until Christmas Day so people can't have been shopping for that, surely?

We bought food for Monday and Tuesday night and returned home where I got ready for lunch with my friend Lynda at Beckworth at 1pm. When I arrived she was waiting in her car so we walked in together and again, the place was heaving! We waited about half an hour for a table in the restaurant and there were loads of people enjoying the festive three course meals they were serving!

We had a good chat and a catch up as I hadn't been able to meet Lynda, Fiona and Andrea when they went out the previous weekend for dinner. She told me about the problems she was having with her father's estate and she seemed a little down, if I'm honest, which was sad.

We were finally seated and we chose a sandwich and a panini to eat along with a coffee and a bottle of sparkling water. I had to go and collect Mike from town after lunch so no wine for me today!

We carried on having a good chat and after we'd eaten we went and had a look around the rest of the store. I bought a box of chocolate orange segments, a couple of little stocking fillers for Soph and Mike and some mince pies and managed to avoid buying more food, although I was sorely tempted by the pork pies!

After we'd wished each other Happy Christmas and said goodbye, I went home to get Keith and we drove into town to pick up Mike from Abbie's house. Predictably, the traffic was terrible and the journey there and back took nearly one and a half hours!

When Sophie arrived home she'd had a bad day at work, so our planned walk around the estate to deliver cards was a little treat. We took Monty with us but he disappeared half way around and came home, lazy little thing! It was lovely to see almost every house lit up in some way or another and we really enjoyed walking around in the dark!

Back home I made us drinks and then we had an early dinner as Sophie has to be up at 3.30am tomorrow, for a work trip to Stockton-on-Tees...yawn!

Just pottering...

After a leisurely start to the day, Keith, Sophie and I called to see Mum and Dad this morning for a coffee and a catch up. As soon as I got home I looked at my filthy car and decided I would tackle it if the weather stayed dry!

Laura came to collect Sophie at 1pm as they were off to Beckworth Emporium for lunch. I checked the weather forecast and braced myself for tackling my car, which was the dirtiest I'd ever seen it. We've had so much rain lately and the roads are covered in thick mud coming off the fields. It's horrible!

It took me six buckets of hot soapy water to clean the car and another couple to rinse it off. I was going to tackle Sophie's car as well, but by now I was cold and very damp because I'd sloshed water all over my jeans!

I went inside and tried to get warm and then noticed the weather forecast stating it was going to rain later in the day! Pah!

Sophie and Laura came home at about 4pm and sat drinking non-alcoholic Cava in the conservatory. Monty was a total pain and kept wandering about, one minute asking to go out into the garden and then the next wanting to come back in. He just wouldn't settle and I think it was because Sophie was talking to Laura and not giving him her attention!

I curled up on the sofa and read and then fell asleep for half an hour! Laura stayed until about 7pm and Keith cooked roast lamb for dinner. We had thought Mike would be back this evening but he's staying with Abbie for another night.

The weather forecast was indeed accurate and it poured with rain overnight. Ho hum!

Burning up...

We had a very relaxed and leisurely start to the weekend this morning and it was lovely to mooch about and not do a lot.

At midday Sophie and I drove over to Market Harborough to try and get some Christmas shopping done. Parking was free today and although the traffic was quite heavy going into the town, we parked easily and made for our favourite little cafe for a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

Although I love Costa, we are trying to go to independent cafes whenever we can and this lovely little place, at the back of a card and gift shop, is always quiet. We ordered tea for me and a hot chocolate for Sophie accompanied by a cherry and almond cake.

Sophie matched the table decoration:

The cake was delicious and my tea came with a little egg-timer to let me know how long it had infused for. It was decaffeinated but still lovely!

We reluctantly left and explored the shops, including a beautiful homewares shop that was stuffed to the gunnels with paintings, ornaments, candles and hanging decorations. Another shop we used to visit for gifts had been turned into a CBD shop! Wonders will never cease!

After another half hour trawling around the shops, we visited a collection of lovely little Christmas stalls in the main square. Sophie was looking for a ring but none of them caught her eye. I did buy some gorgeous little candle holders, though, and a garland of fairy lights to replace the ones that had died over the year. They'll look lovely on our wine rack.

Before we went home we just had to make a visit to Duncan's where I bought gifts for the men in the family, and Sophie treated me to a bottle of Aviation Gin and wine for tonight. The shop was heaving with customers buying their Christmas drinks but we still managed to have a chat with Nick and caught up with what he and his family were up to. Duncan was rushing around dressed like an elf and I suspect he'll be mightily pleased when it's all over!

Our last stop before home was Waitrose where we bought raw king prawns for dinner tonight and some biscuits to go with the cheese that Sophie bought yesterday. There were so many goodies in there, and I could have spent a fortune!

We drove home in the dusk and found Keith at home, annoyed because the Sileby game had been postponed and he'd driven all the way there. We relaxed for a while and then Sophie spent over an hour preparing the dinner tonight - a prawn and noodle stir fry from a New York cookbook.

When it came to make dinner, we had to devein the prawns and wash them, always a fiddly, horrible job! We then stir-fried them until they turned a beautiful pink colour, cooked the vegetables and spices and put the noodles on to cook. Just before we assembled everything in the wok, Sophie went to drain the noodles, but somehow smashed a saucepan lid, burning her hand badly in the process.

We halted the cooking while Sophie kept her hand under cold running water, but thankfully, although very painful, it didn't blister. The dinner turned out to be delicious and one we will definitely cook again, but next time be careful with the noodles!

Christmas in Oxford

We were all a bit bleary this morning but I was almost euphoric with relief and amazement! I'm just hoping that now the Conservatives will live up to their promises and get this country back to being Great again. I know that a lot of the voters in the traditional Labour areas are just "lending" their support to Boris Johnson, but the feeling I had of being totally fed up with the stalemate we were living under seems to be shared by the rest of the country (or at least the majority of them!).

Anyway, no more on the subject!

Sophie and I drove over to Oxford today to visit the Christmas market in Broad Street and we used the excellent Park and Ride at the Pear Tree car park. We boarded a bus that took us straight to the city centre and headed to an independent coffee shop called Black Sheep for a quick drink.

The coffee - I had a Flat White - was lovely, but I would have liked mine a bit hotter! We also shared a slice of vegan banana bread which would keep us going until lunch!

The Christmas Market was in Broad Street, a short walk from the cafe. There were numerous stalls selling Christmas decorations, candles, cheese, Gluhwein, scarfs, jewellery and gifts. We sampled some Moonshine whisky, which was very sweet, and enjoyed a hot mulled wine each.

The market was pleasantly busy but it was very cold with a nasty wind. To warm up we headed for the German stall and Sophie ordered a smoked bratwurst for me and a currywurst for herself.

The food was delicious and after wandering around some more and buying a couple of decorations for our trees (including a lovely dried fruits one) we went into Debenhams to use their facilities. Whilst in there, I looked for a coat as I gave my winter one away last year, and although Mum lent me hers, it's quite posh for ordinary outings. I tried on a couple, but didn't feel the love so we looked around for a present for Keith and then made our way back to the market. We had heard a school group mention a covered market, so after asking for the directions in the Tourist Information office, we eventually found our way there.

As we walked we passed several restaurants and we both agreed that it would be great to return to Oxford, maybe in the Spring. The buildings around were beautiful and old and I'm sure there's much more to discover in the city.

We found the covered market which was a warren of narrow alleyways with all kinds of different shops and some tiny cafes. The market started in 1774 so it's been around for a fair amount of time! It was lovely to mooch about and look at all the varied things for sale, although when we rounded a corner and came upon a butcher's shop with venison hanging up outside, it was a bit of a shock for Sophie!

As we were now tiring a bit (and Sophie's foot was hurting) we decided to go and have a drink at The Alchemist. I had looked online at their menu and tried to book a table for 2pm today but they couldn't accommodate us until 4pm, which I thought was a bit late. Sophie was keen to try their amazing cocktails but when we found the restaurant on the upper floor of the Westgate shopping centre, it was packed with no seats available. We gave up and decided to head home and luckily found a bus stop for our car park nearby.

Within half an hour we were back at the car and heading out of the city on the A34. We'd had a lovely day and the good weather had definitely been a bonus! The journey home was fine until we reached Moulton and became stuck in a traffic jam on the A43. However, we made it home before Keith went to the pub and we said we'd order a Chinese from Brixworth.

It was bliss to cosy up on the sofa with the cat and watch Love Actually before we rang and ordered our meal!

Britain goes to the polls!

The weather today has been horrible, with almost constant rain and wind. Not really the sort of day to go out and cast a vote, but at least it wasn't raining!

I stayed at home in the morning and managed to get the rest of my 2010 blog into a word document. I had written almost 99,000 words! Over the ten years this means I've written approximately one million words!

Mike called us late morning to ask us to pick him up from town and bring him home so he could vote in the General Election. We duly drove into town through muddy and rain-lashed roads and picked him up. I voted with him but Keith said he'd wait until this evening to vote when Sophie returned from work.

To be honest, I was dreading today. I think all of us in Britain are totally fed up with the way things have been since 2016, and I was just hoping that we would finally get a party with a majority in Government so we could get things moving and stop being the laughing stock of Europe. I don't often mention politics in this blog (and apologies for any readers who have strong views on the subject and are fans of the opposition) but I was dreading Labour getting more seats than the Tories, but having to form a coalition with the SNP. In the afternoon, I even researched living abroad somewhere like Malta or Cyprus! And I'm not joking!

After Keith and I had dropped Mike back in town we popped to Riverside and I bought some more bird food in Wilco's. The weather was too horrible to hang about for long so we headed home and waited for Sophie to finish work. As soon as she arrived we drove to the village and her and Keith cast their votes. Sophie is feeling very disillusioned with all the parties at the moment and didn't want to vote for any of them so she spoiled her ballot paper. As a family we have had some extremely heated discussions about politics just lately (Mike is an avid Labour supporter) so I'm just hoping that now the election is here we can get over it!

It seemed silly to go out just to vote so we popped into the pub for a couple of drinks. It was busy with early evening drinkers and no doubt people who'd had the same idea as us! Back home Keith and I set about making dinner and by 7.45pm we were sitting down to sausages, crispy onions, mash and a load of veggies!

We all stayed up later than usual - Sophie is off work tomorrow as well - and I have to say we were all speechless when the results of the exit poll were announced at 10pm. It was unbelievable! I had understood that predictions said it was very close but the results were extraordinary! And of course the amazing news carried on through the night! I left Keith to it after midnight and woke up at 2am to check the news, but Keith stayed up until 4am. When he learnt that the old Tony Blair stronghold of Sedgefield had turned blue, then it really was an historic night for all of us!

Going back in time...

Mike had an appointment at the doctor's this morning so both Keith and I took him as he wanted a lift into Northampton afterwards. I had never been into our new surgery before and I was impressed with how spacious it was. The bonus is the much bigger car park, though, which makes parking a lot easier!

We saw an Advanced Practice Nurse who went over what had happened and had a look at the medication he was on. She also listened to his chest and made him blow into the meter to measure his air flow. He'll be seeing the nurse every year for an annual review but she did say that he may not need the inhaler as much during the Spring and Summer.

We dropped Mike off at Abbie's house and then drove straight to Kettering to collect my parents to take them out for lunch at the Blitz Cafe near the market square. I've been wanting to go for ages but they're not open on a Sunday so I suggested we take my parents while I was off work. We parked easily by the library and walked the short distance to the cafe where we were the first customers.

Keith and my Dad ordered tea while Mum and I chose sparkling water. For lunch we enjoyed jacket potatoes with a variety of fillings and Keith had a sandwich. The food was plentiful and delicious and the cafe gradually filled up with lunchtime diners. It was lovely inside the cafe with 1940s furniture, china and memorabilia, and the menu was designed like a ration card. The only thing I wished for was 1940s music to really add to the atmosphere, which I thought was a bit lacking.

After we'd eaten we drove to Tesco in Kettering as all of needed a few bits and then we took my parents home. I had plans to wash my car but after a cold and sunny morning, it started to rain again!

Keith and I had enjoyed our large lunch so in the evening we decided to just make do with soup and crusty bread!

Storm!

Well, the beautiful, cold but sunny weather ended today to be replaced with rain and strong winds. I had a bad night's sleep and was awake from about 5am and although I said I'd go back to bed after seeing Sophie off to the gym, I didn't. We had a lovely sunrise (red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning!) but at about 9am the rain started and it didn't stop all day.

We had no plans for today as Mum and Dad were popping around to see Mike and I was waiting for a parcel to be delivered from Amazon. I spent a good deal of the morning transferring my blog to a word document and I was amazed to find I had already written about 65,000 words - and I was only up to August 2010!

Mum and Dad arrived mid-morning with two Toblerones for Mike and we sat with a coffee and had a chat. Mike was a lot better but still has a cough. Hopefully, by the time he's finished his antibiotics this should go.

After my parents went, I hoovered upstairs, had a bath and generally tidied up. There was no point going outside but we did venture out to Mawsley to get a newspaper. I wanted to post a card at our little postbox at the entrance to our estate but there are some kind of gas works going on and there were vans parked everywhere! It was chaos!

Sophie was out having a Christmas jolly today - ten pin bowling and then lunch but she arrived home at 4pm which was lovely. As the afternoon turned into evening, we decided to watch The Holiday while Keith prepared a delicious and warming chilli for dinner. Outside, the weather had turned atrocious - very strong winds and almost horizontal rain!

He's home!

I got up with Sophie this morning but then went back to bed until 8.30am and had a lovely sleep! I awoke feeling really refreshed!

Keith and I were keeping our fingers crossed that Mike would be coming home today and he sent me a text saying he was just waiting for some test results and then he would know. I wrote out the rest of my cards and hoovered downstairs and at midday, Keith and I went over to Tesco at Kettering. On the way we popped to the post office in Broughton to send all the cards. I was pleased that that little job was done!

It's been another beautiful day today with plenty of sunshine but there's definitely a chilly wind! I contemplated having my car washed at Tesco but changed my mind. I think I'd rather try and do it myself if possible, as I have plenty of time on my hands over the next few days!

In Tesco we bought dinner for tonight and spent our Clubcard vouchers on some Christmas drinks - Champagne for Christmas morning, a lovely Sancerre to drink with our meal, Sherry, Port and a bottle of Bourbon, for a change. While we were browsing in the aisle, a young woman came rushing up to me and asked if I could recommend a dry white wine. I asked her what she wanted to spend and she explained it was a gift for her Mum. I suggested a Chablis at about £14 so she took that and thanked me! I said she couldn't have picked someone better, after having completed my wine exams and worked in the wine trade! Maybe I'll hang about some more in the aisle and see what I can do! It was really fun and I realised I missed working at Majestic and helping people to buy some good wine!

While we were in Tesco Mike texted to say he was ready to come home so we told him we'd just drop the shopping off and come and get him. When we arrived at the hospital, there was not a space to be had in the car park but that actually worked to our advantage, as he and Abbie were ready to be picked up and we collected them from opposite A&E. We dropped Abbie at her Dad's house and then called into our doctor's surgery on the way home to arrange an appointment for Wednesday for him.

Back home he unpacked everything, I bunged all his clothes into the washing machine and I suggested we go out for a drink at the pub to celebrate. As soon as Sophie arrived back we drove over to the pub in Walgrave and had a quiet drink. Both children were not happy about our choice of dinner tonight - soup and crusty bread, which we had decided on because we weren't sure what time Mike would be home. They managed to cajole Keith into taking us to India 2 Mawsley for a meal!

We had a delicious dinner and it was great to go out as a family again!

Making a start...

Today has been almost an exact repeat of yesterday as we went down to see Mike in hospital at about 12pm and sat with him and Abbie for an hour and a half. He seemed in very good spirits and was no longer being given his antibiotics intravenously. He was also off the oxygen so we are really hoping tomorrow he can come home.

Sophie had an appointment at the beauty salon in Virgin at 2pm so we dropped her off and went to Riverside for a coffee in Next. My Mum and Dad were also in there so we sat with them and had a good chat. The place was very busy indeed and it just brought it home to me that I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet - in fact I've done very little except put up our decorations!

We went back to collect Sophie and drove home to have a late lunch. Like yesterday, the weather has been lovely today, with interesting skies and sunny spells. I abandoned the idea of washing my car as I have almost two weeks to do it while I'm off work!

After lunch Sophie made some beautiful gift tags out of last year's cards and I made a start on writing this year's. I need to send one card off to the USA! It was lovely sitting in the conservatory as outside it started raining but it was only a shower and soon the sky had cleared again. Our little tree lights twinkled and I made good inroads into writing out the cards. Sophie's presents for Mike had arrived so I helped her wrap them - she's doing better than me!

At 4.30pm we went back down to see Mike again and Abbie was there as well, which was great as he's getting lots of visitors. The cannula was out of his arm and he looked a bit better than this morning when he'd first been taken off the oxygen.

We stayed until about 6pm and then drove home to open a bottle of red wine and relax while Keith cooked a delicious roast beef!

Hospital visiting.

We all went down to the hospital at about 11am this morning and I took Mike some of the chicken fajitas we'd eaten last night as he was moaning that he'd missed out. I also took him a flask of proper coffee, a pack of biscuits and some more clothes that he'd asked for. I'd been in his room and there was a wash on the go at home with some of the clothes that he'd asked for... one of his tee-shirts was screwed up and thrown in a corner so that went in the wash!

We sat with him for about two hours before returning home and mooching about. I didn't feel we could settle to anything so I suggested to Sophie we go and get my filthy car washed. However, when we arrived, the car wash wasn't working so I felt like it was a wasted journey. We returned home and at about 5pm went back down to the hospital, calling into McDonald's again on the way to get him two chicken mayos. He had eaten cottage pie and rice pudding at lunchtime while we were there but hadn't enjoyed the meals at all. I do think now, though, that the fast food is going to have to stop!

Just after we arrived two of his friends also turned up (with McDonald's,...would you believe it!) so we went off to get a hot drink from the hospital cafe. That was closing at 6pm (in ten minutes time) so we took our drinks back up to the ward and sat in a little room with a TV, which was showing Catchphrase. It felt really surreal, to be honest and I knew that all of us, Mike included, just wanted to be at home having a normal Saturday night. I was supposed to have been going out with Lynda, Fiona and Andrea but I'd cancelled so I could go and visit Mikey.

Mike's friends were still sitting with him so we went and said goodbye and left for home. Keith had planned on having pizza with the kids tonight as I was supposed to have  been out so we had that, although the pizzas were burnt a bit, probably because Keith was distracted watching Strictly!

A diagnosis...

On the way to work this morning, I called Mike and he told me he'd been moved to a ward at about 2am this morning and had had a bad night with lots of medical procedures. I literally couldn't wait to get out of work and go down to the hospital with Keith at 2pm, as I'd found out he was staying in until Monday and had been diagnosed with asthma.

He'd had asthma as a child and was given an inhaler but apart from a bad cough every Autumn, he had never shown any other symptoms. He normally paid a visit to the doctor's every October or November for antibiotics and never really had any problems during the Spring and Summer. We used to joke that he had lung "inflation" and I remember him having an x-ray about six years ago but nothing came of it and we thought he was being a bit over-dramatic...

At the hospital, we eventually found his ward and he looked fine (apart from the oxygen tube in his nose). He wolfed down a burger we'd bought for him on the way down and then Abbie's mum arrived with a huge McDonald's bag containing chicken nuggets! She said that Abbie was also ill in London but was hoping to come home on Saturday.

She sat and chatted for a while and it was nice to meet her, but I would have preferred another, happier, situation! Keith and I left at about 4.15pm and drove to where Sophie worked so we could go back to the hospital together and see him for another hour while Keith went home and prepared the dinner.

We battled our way back through the traffic and a very kind lady gave us her ticket so we didn't have to pay another £3! Mike was really pleased to see us and we chatted for an hour before it was time to go home again. Luckily, another of his friends turned up to see him a bit later so he wasn't short of company!

Mike is rushed to hospital...

This morning was very cold and frosty and I took Sophie to Broughton to meet her manager because they were off to Birmingham to a Women's prison for an employability event.

I returned home and enjoyed a coffee before getting ready for work. Mike came into the bedroom while I was dressing and said he felt terrible. He sounded really wheezy. I told him to see Keith and went off to work.

Mid-morning I received a text from Mike to say he had called 111 (the NHS helpline number) and they had advised he go to A&E but Keith managed to get him an appointment at the GP surgery for 1pm. However, at the surgery, Mike felt really breathless so after seeing a nurse, they said he needed to go to hospital straight away. Keith drove him home, as Mike refused to go to the hospital and try and walk from the car park to A&E so Keith called an ambulance.

He then called me on the work phone line and Sara and Nicola told me to go home straight away. Sophie was about two minutes from the village, so I sped home to get her and we both dashed off to the hospital. I had actually passed Mike's ambulance and Keith in my car following, on the way home.

When Sophie and I arrived at A&E we were let through into the main part and found Mike and Keith waiting in the corridor with the Paramedics. Mike looked fine but had an oxygen tube in his nose. He had been taking selfies in the ambulance so he couldn't have been that bad!

Luckily a room became available and he was seen by a doctor. He was given a nebuliser to use and kept on oxygen while we waited to see what would happen. I felt really guilty but Mike looked absolutely fine. He wasn't pale or wheezing and was joking about and constantly messaging all his mates.

We waited with him and a nurse came to do things to him before they took him off for an x-ray. When he returned, he was taken to a tiny cubicle and a nurse came to take blood. We said we'd go home and then return as there was no room for all of us in the cubicle and it could be a couple of hours before a doctor would come and look at the results.

Keith followed me home through heavy traffic (it was 5pm) and after being home for about half an hour, Mike called to say they were keeping him in overnight and could we bring him some things. Sophie sorted out his phone charger, which was urgent as we needed to be able to keep in touch with him. Keith and I went back down while Sophie stayed at home.

Mike was still in the cubicle and was attached to the nebuliser again. We didn't know which ward he would be taken to but we found out it would be one of the new wards in the Nye Bevan building opposite A&E. We stayed until almost 8pm but there was no point hanging about as it could take ages for a doctor to come and see him and A&E was very busy indeed.

I felt terrible going home but he kept in touch with us all evening, including sending several selfies!