A working Saturday.

I was at work today so Sophie gave me a lift and then went to the gym. After a busy first half-hour, the phones calmed down a bit and I was able to get lots of other jobs completed. I was working with Sue, so we had a very pleasant shift. 

At 2pm Sophie came to collect me and before going home I popped into Aldi to buy the ingredients for some little cakes that Sophie was planning to make, and to get something for our lunch. The supermarket was packed with people and the salad and deli aisles were the busiest! Today, the weather has been gorgeous with blue skies and sunshine which is typical seeing as I was working!

Back home we enjoyed a delicious Caesar salad and crusty bread for lunch and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Sophie had cleaned the house for me and had had a good workout at the gym, so she felt justified in lolling about on the bed and catching up with a recorded programme! Good for her!

In the evening we played Scrabble and enjoyed an Aldi Aperini and Prosecco cocktail. I had picked the Aperini up for about £7 so considerably less than a bottle of Aperol! Our game of Scrabble was very close - I think Sophie beat me by about 5 points!

Dinner tonight was minced beef and dumplings - not really what we'd had planned but the homemade fishcakes have been put on hold until tomorrow, seeing as we had fish last night!

A naughty supper

I couldn't even say I was glad today was Friday as I'm working tomorrow! There were only three of us in the office today so it was nice and calm. That was until our MD came in, and acted almost hyper, asking me lots of questions and bouncing about like an excited puppy...

It was great to escape at 4pm and go home to relax. Keith said he would drive himself to the pub tonight, which is always a bonus, and we decided (the three of us) to have a fish and chip supper again! We said we wouldn't but they're so delicious and convenient. It's a very good job we can't get Deliveroo here, or Uber Eats, and that we don't live close to restaurants!

Sophie and I had a very enjoyable evening watching the last episode of Stanley Tucci's gastronomic tour of Italy. It was agony as we were both hungry! We were able to track the fish and chip van and they arrived after Keith came home. Sophie went to fetch them and we dived in... they were hot and delicious! This is the last time, otherwise, they will cease to be a treat!

Car problems!

Before work, this morning, Keith and I took my car in for a service at the garage in Moulton. It was overdue a good service and we were both hoping it was going to be straightforward! He dropped me off at work a bit later than usual and went to do the weekly shop.

My shift passed very pleasantly, as I wasn't on the phones but doing lots of admin work. At 2.30pm Keith collected me and gave me some bad news - the cam belt needed replacing and they'd had to remove the front of the car to get to it...

The bill came to £470 which was far more than we were expecting, and then he said that the front two tyres needed replacing as well... Wonderful! We went home and I booked an appointment for the tyres for a week's time. Let's hope we win the lottery in the meantime!

Running errands...

I have to confess to going back to bed this morning after I saw Sophie off to the gym... only for a couple of hours! It is my day off!

We had arranged with our daughter to meet her for lunch today, and she wanted us to post a parcel to Zain for her, so after showering and getting ready we set off for the main delivery office in Crow Lane. The car park and all the surrounding roads were clogged with vehicles. I was so glad I didn't work somewhere with limited parking! Once that was sent off, we made our way down to Brackmills and met Sophie at work. We managed to get to Cafe 900 just in time as after we'd ordered, a huge queue formed! 

We enjoyed a lovely relaxed lunch and walked Sophie back at 1pm. I then wanted to go to B&Q to buy a shelf for the tiny laundry room we've created. It wasn't as easy as I'd imagined but we managed to find a dark grey wooden shelf and some wood to support it.

The weather today has been very disappointing with heavy clouds and a chilly wind. We returned home and pottered about doing jobs for the rest of the afternoon, and Keith prepared a lot of the ingredients for Sophie to help with our dinner this evening.

He went to the football again, and Sophie cooked a delicious chicken and tomato pasta dish which had vodka as an ingredient! With slices of garlic bread, it was a lovely meal! After we'd eaten we watched Masterchef and Keith came home a little early, freezing cold to the bone, bless him!

A quiet start to the week...

Monday

The first two days of the week have been uneventful, with not much going on. I managed to keep busy at work by putting on the summer playscheme places, and it really won't be long before parents will start to think about booking their children in! 

Before going home I popped to the post office at Whitehills to take an eBay parcel and became embroiled in heavy traffic. It was worth doing it, though, as we've sold a few more items to bump up the Paypal funds!

Before we had dinner, Keith and I played cards while the postponed baked potatoes and chilli from Friday cooked. The evening was then spent catching up with some recorded programmes!

Tuesday

Today was very much like yesterday - work was quieter than Monday so I was able to help Sara with the customer service emails and put more playscheme places onto the system. At 4pm I popped to the post office in Moulton to avoid the traffic of yesterday! Driving home was like an obstacle course as I went through the village and out onto the country roads!

Sophie and I sat and discussed train times for next Wednesday and plans for what we want to do. I've always wanted to go to St Pancras station so we decided we would visit and have something to eat at a restaurant nearby. I'm just hoping the weather will be lovely again!

Enjoying the sunshine!

I was determined to make the most of the good weather this morning and Keith and I went out to the front garden to cut down our hypericum bush that was very overgrown, and was well on its way to blocking the front windows!

Keith managed to cut it down to a more manageable level while I tidied up the rest of the garden. In between the daffodils I'd planted last Autumn was a blue flowery plant that I didn't recognise, but it had established itself all over the front of the garden. I tried to download a plant identifier app on my phone but they all wanted money! By a stroke of good luck, Sue arrived to drop the dogs off at Paul's and I sought her expert advice. It was forget-me-not:

I was glad we'd decided to tackle the garden but the wind was a constant nuisance and was very strong. Every time I swept up the branches into a heap, the wind blew them all away, and I saw them being taken off down the road! My hair was being blown about all over the place and when we'd finished I felt like I'd been in a wind tunnel for the last hour! 

Keith had done a very good job, though, and the front garden looked a lot tidier. He'd also pruned the bush by the driveway so that was a lot neater too. On Sue's advice I'd pulled up the forget-me-not but I'll have to wait a little while to take out the daffodil leaves.

Sophie went to have tea and cake with Laura in the afternoon and I went to get my Mum. I had said she could come over and go through some of the stuff in the garage and before coming back home I bought a chocolate cake and a bottle of Prosecco to have as a treat.

We sat in the conservatory where it was really warm - it's the blooming wind that's spoiling everything today! She went through a few things in the garage and took home a couple of books and photo albums, as well as some clothes I'd washed and ironed for her, and the rest of the chocolate cake!

We'd decided to barbecue this evening, and Sophie and I started playing Scrabble early so we had plenty of time. We had an Aperol Spritz each and then a Martini Rosso mixed with Prosecco. Lovely summery cocktails! We just need some warmth now!

Keith barbecued while Sophie and I cooked the new potatoes and onions, and made a salad. Keith dressed warmly to cook outside as it was really quite cold!

Chilling out...

We awoke to lovely blue skies and sunshine today, and had a lazy start to the weekend, with coffee, very hot pastries straight out of the oven, and Saturday Morning Kitchen. It was a real treat to sit and enjoy the show and try and eat the pastries! Next time we'll cook them earlier and let them cool down a bit!

During the morning I managed to catch up with some jobs, and Sophie did the prep for tonight's dinner, a delicious chicken rice dish. She pre-cooked the rice and assembled all the spices needed so that she could relax before doing the actual cooking. The smells wafting around the kitchen were heavenly!

In the afternoon Keith went to see Sileby play, while Sophie and I had a face pack and watched television downstairs for a change. We had the windows open but the wind was a bit chilly. Apparently, it was a northeast wind and it certainly lowered the temperature a fair bit! It was great to have the fresh air but as the day wore on, it became chiller and I do sometimes forget that it's still only April!

Sophie and I played Scrabble in the evening and enjoyed vodka martinis and lovely music. There wasn't a lot to do with dinner, but Sophie did it all by herself and the meal was absolutely delicious. We had planned on having some for lunch tomorrow but there wasn't a great deal left over!

After we'd eaten we decided to watch Stillwater, starring Matt Damon. It was a good film but it was so slooowwww...!

We're quizzed!

I was very glad today was Friday and after an uneventful shift, I sped home to relax for a while. Tonight, Sophie and I were out at a quiz in the village hall and we decided to take advantage of the fish and chip van again! We said we weren't going to use it every week, and we won't, but tonight it was very convenient!

Of course, this week there was no sign of them at about 6.30pm, so we set off in search of the distinctive blue and white van in Walgrave, and found them opposite the old leather factory in the village. Sophie ordered while I stayed in the car, and then we returned home to put Keith's meal in the oven to keep warm, while we shared a portion of fish and chips. Again, they were delicious with crispy batter and heavenly chips! Yum!

Keith arrived home from the pub just as we were due to leave and he was not happy with the beer tonight. I think it's time for him to find a new boozer! Luckily, our local in Old has been taken over by an experienced couple who already run pubs, so hopefully, things may be better there over the summer!

Sophie and I left just before 7.30pm and parked easily in the village hall car park. We had feared there was only going to be three of us but another couple joined us, Heather and Neil, who live just around the corner. So we had five in our team with Julie, another neighbour. We had to come up with a name for our team so we chose The Cheery Hillians! Sophie went to the bar and bought a bottle of Prosecco, so that started things off very well!

First up was a sheet of paper with sixteen ex-Prime Ministers and we had to give the names. We then had three categories of questions, followed by a break. We did OK with the names of the politicians (helped by one of the men who was serving at the bar... well there were only five of us, and the other teams all had six!). Our strongest round was geography with only one answer missed out!

During the break, people had bought raffle tickets and they took part in a game of "higher or lower" played with cards, with Ace being the top card. One lucky lady won £50!

The next round of questions weren't bad but we fell down badly with the music round, which consisted of ten one-hit wonders, and we had to guess who the singer or group was... we scored two which brought our overall score down considerably! We didn't come last, which was something, but we all said the music round was very hard indeed!

We bid goodbye to our new friends and trundled home in the car, before relaxing on the sofa with Keith and Monty to watch tonight's episode of Masterchef. It had been a very enjoyable evening!

A quiet day.

Sophie couldn't go to the gym this morning as exercise was forbidden for a couple of days so she had a lovely lie-in while I set off for work at 7.30am. I saw her before I left and she was in a little bit of pain, but not as much as last night.

My shift passed very pleasantly and I did a lot of admin work. Denise came in today and went onto the phones for most of the time, so that meant I didn't have to. Great! It was lovely to leave at 2pm and head home where I caught up with writing my blog and pootled about.

Dinner was a delicious meal of chicken in a white wine sauce with dumplings. A quiet day after all the excitement of yesterday!

A little procedure!

Today has been another lovely, and very enjoyable day in London, but there were a couple of times when Sophie wouldn't have perhaps agreed with me!

We were able to have a bit of a lie-in and left home at 8.30am to catch the 9.24 train from Northampton. We managed to have a coffee before getting on and grabbed seats around a table. There was a great atmosphere on the train and it appeared a lot of people were off to enjoy a day in the capital!

Once in Euston, we made our way to the Underground and I swear I saw Liam standing outside chatting to another man. I was just on my way to say hello to him when I realised that although he was Liam's double, it wasn't him! 

We took the tube to Tottenham Court Road and walked the short distance to the British Museum where there was already a short queue forming. We had our bags searched and then we were inside and admiring the gorgeous atrium which was flooded with light.

First up was something to eat and drink. I chose a tuna and cucumber sandwich with a bottle of water while Sophie decided to have a children's lunch box with a cheese bap, popcorn, orange juice and an apple. We took our seats at a long bench and eavesdropped on an American couple who were clearly upset about something!

I wanted to go to the Egyptian Mummies first so we made our way to the upper floor passing a lovely restaurant on the way. I've earmarked this for another visit!

The gorgeous glass roof, flooded with light

 

This part of the museum proved to be very popular and it was obvious that some schools were still on the Easter holidays as there were lots of children around. It was quite crowded and warm in the hall - a perfect breeding ground for covid, so we were quite glad we'd already succumbed!

From Egypt, we wandered around the other halls, looking at treasures from all over the world including India, Tibet, Japan and China.

I sent this pic to Mike - he used to do this with a towel!

Japanese Geisha and puppet

Kali trampling her husband, Shiva

It was lovely to wander about and look at all the exhibits, but we were conscious of the time, as Sophie had her appointment at 2pm. We had a last look around and decided that one day we would come back and spend longer here.

From the museum, we took an Uber to Marylebone Street and decided to have a drink at an Italian wine bar. We sat outside and looked at the menu which wasn't cheap! It was around £10 for a small glass of wine, so we opted for cocktails - an Aperol Spritz for Sophie and a Campari Spritz for me. With a small bowl of crisps, the bill came to £27! It was a good job Paypal was paying!

Sophie was starting to get a bit nervous and the cocktail helped! We set off for Harley Street and the Phi clinic and sat and waited in the lovely cool reception area again. It was just like last time with the tinkling music and sunshine streaming in through the windows.

Dr Bawa came out and we both went into his office. The chair was already set for Sophie and he took quite a few photos of her before smearing a numbing cream all over her nose. After preparing everything he injected botox into her chin and cheek and then took out the needle for the filler.

I watched as he removed the numbing cream and then inserted the whole needle into the tip of Sophie's nose! It was horrible to watch and although a couple of times she did look very uncomfortable, she wasn't in a lot of pain. I thought he was going to inject the filler at the top of her nose, but he really went for it with the needle at the tip, wiggling it this way and that to get the effect he wanted.

He then put some filler into her cheek and she was all done thank goodness! He kept asking me if I was OK, but apart from discomfort from seeing the long needle inserted into her nose, I was OK, but very thankful when she was done! He took a couple more photos and the small bump on her nose had completely gone, to be replaced with a smooth, straight profile. Fantastic! We had to wait ten minutes afterwards, then we went back into his office, he examined her closely, and we made an appointment to come back in two weeks.

We now had a late lunch to look forward to at Cote Brasserie and it didn't take us long to walk to the restaurant where we were seated in the window. I couldn't stop talking about Sophie's procedure and I was just glad she couldn't see what was happening to her!

Both of us decided to eat off the "prix fixe" menu but started with some Provencal garlic bread. We then chose steak with delicious French fries (I upgraded to Ribeye with a peppercorn sauce) followed by chocolate mousse. Our meal was accompanied by a bottle of light red French wine and it was perfect. A group of French women were enjoying a meal at a nearby table so, for a couple of hours, it felt like we were actually in France!

Looking at the time we realised we needed to be back at Euston, so Sophie called an Uber and we were whisked off (if you can use that term in the traffic in London!) to the train station. Our 17.49 train was delayed so we joined the huge throng of people all staring at the board waiting for the platform number to show. As soon as it did, more people than we imagined wanting to go to Northampton surged forward and hurried down to where the train was waiting. We managed to get seats and had a very relaxed journey back to Northampton where Keith was waiting for us.

He was going to the football at Sileby (they weren't playing - it was a final game for another league) so we dropped him off and were astonished to find a huge amount of people trying to get parked! It was a good job that our original plan of him taking us home first hadn't worked out!

Sophie and I went home where her face had started to hurt her, poor thing. The numbing cream had well and truly worn off so she took some paracetamol to help. We did the list for the shopping tomorrow and then it was time to go back and collect Keith. There were cars parked all along the dark road so I doubt very much Keith would have been able to park!

A cakey treat!

Both Sophie and I were back at work and up at 6am. At least we have tomorrow off, which is something to look forward to, and a bit of a lie-in!

I found out that Maureen, my lovely cook from our old business was shadowing me today as part of her new role at work. She had specifically asked to be with me and had made a delicious chocolate and orange cake, bless her! She stayed with me for the whole shift and was amazed at what we have to do in between phone calls. She was particularly amazed at the orders we have to process as she does them all for the children's play area, which used to be my job!

She was also surprised at how noisy it was in the office and how difficult it was to sometimes hear the customers or understand them. All part of the job!

At 4pm I sped home and pootled about with Keith. He had very kindly been to the post office today and had sent off our packages for us. He is a good bean!

Sophie cooked a Jalfrezi curry this evening with the last of the turkey and it was deliciously hot and spicy. Afterwards, we watched Masterchef and then a new show called The Simple Life about a group of diverse people who were living the way of the Amish for the summer. Of course, there were a couple of people doing it that really should have stayed at home, but we were expecting that. We both enjoyed the show, so it looks like that's another to add to the list!

Back to work!

After my lovely, peaceful and very relaxed weekend, it was back to work for me today, but a much shorter shift than I was used to, just 9am until 2pm.

Sophie gave me a lift to work and went to the gym and I discovered that the cinema hadn't been operating all weekend, and our wallboard in the office was down which meant we couldn't see any incoming calls. It felt like the gremlins were on the rampage!

I was working with Louiza and we had a very busy shift, with almost non-stop calls about swimming sessions. That was a little strange as outside it was warm, dry and sunny. Perfect Bank Holiday Monday weather!

The shift passed very quickly, and my lovely daughter came back to collect me. She had been busy cleaning the house, sorting out the washing and preparing dinner for tonight and tomorrow! On the way home, we went to the post office but it was closed, as I'd suspected it would be. Our eBay packages will just have to wait until tomorrow!

My Mum wanted me to pop over this afternoon to see them, so I called the care home, asked if I could visit and was there by 3pm. I went up to their room which looked lovely and cosy and sat with them for over an hour. My Mum was reading my 2014 blog book and it was quite painful looking at it and seeing the happy memories from eight years ago when we still had the business and everyone was fit and healthy.

I left at just after 4pm and went home to relax with Sophie before a game of Scrabble in the evening. We enjoyed leftovers and the turkey was still delicious!

Enjoying the sunshine!

I was determined to tackle the garden today, mow the lawn and tidy it all up. I'm sure I've mentioned our nocturnal visitor who we think is a hedgehog, and it poos all over the grass! After a lazy-ish start, I went out and picked up the uneaten bird food and then the hedgehog poo! I felt like we had a dog!

Once that was done I mowed the lawn and then strimmed the edges so it looked a lot neater. I hoed the soil and watered all the plants, as it's been a fair few days since we've had any rain. Our daffodils are dying down now, and I've made a note in my diary to cut the greenery down in about eight weeks' time so that they will flower again next year. Our gorgeous clematis is just about to flower and this year we seem to have a lot more flowers that will brighten up the garden.

It was a perfect Spring day - not too hot with a gentle breeze. After washing our twin chairs (covered in bird poo) we sat and enjoyed the sunshine, and when Sophie made me some lunch we both sat in the garden to enjoy our snack, watched by a blackbird who showed no fear at all!

In the afternoon Sophie made a delicious pistachio and almond loaf which went down very well with the Chai tea she makes. I have thoroughly enjoyed my Easter weekend, and it's been so lovely to potter about the house and garden and not go anywhere. The weather has certainly helped but we've had no inclination to go out to the coast or the parks!

I sat reading the newspapers in the kitchen in the afternoon while Keith prepared all the vegetables for dinner. We were all looking forward to the turkey this evening, and having chipolatas wrapped in bacon and stuffing!

Sophie and I played Scrabble, and afterwards, as I was reading some more of the newspaper, I noticed that The Cure was appearing at Wembley in December... I've always been a fan but Sophie is as well after one of their tracks was used for the end credits of a film, and she loves them. We decided, then and there, to book tickets to see the last show on the 13 December! The tickets were £70 each but we thought it was worth it! Something else to look forward to!

Dinner was just as delicious as we'd anticipated, and the turkey was moist and juicy. We had followed the advice of the Hairy Bikers and rubbed salt into the skin last night, before bringing it up to room temperature and slathering butter over it before cooking it this afternoon. There's plenty left to go with bubble and squeak tomorrow and curry on Tuesday!

Just pottering...

Today has been a repeat of yesterday, except neither Sophie nor I ventured anywhere! We had a very lazy start to the day which was already sunny and pleasantly warm.

Sophie had a list of jobs she wanted to get done today, and she achieved them all. They included washing both cars (mine had been done last week but was dirty again) and putting some items on eBay. She sloshed water over both cars and I finished mine off, giving the inside a good clean and spraying the seats with air freshener.

It was lovely to potter about and enjoy our free time. We had a late breakfast of mushrooms, scrambled eggs, bacon, veggie sausages and toast which kept us going until the evening. Keith went to see Sileby play in the afternoon while I tackled a small pile of ironing, did loads of laundry and got it out onto the line (it smelt lovely!) and Sophie did a yoga session in the living room.

Of course, as it was Saturday, it was Scrabble in the evening and we managed to play two games, winning one each! Dinner this evening was pate and toast with salad and after we'd eaten we watched Bend It Like Beckham, which is 20 years old! It was a great film and we thoroughly enjoyed watching it!

A Good Friday!

It was lovely to wake up this morning and look forward to three days off. And the weather was forecast to be beautiful as well! A perfect Easter bank holiday weekend!

Sophie was meeting Zain in Olney at lunchtime so she set off looking her summery best, with a gorgeous dress and lovely tanned legs. I saw her off and then Keith and I drove over to the care home to take my Mum some bits she needed. Yesterday my 2014 blog book had arrived and I'd promised her she could have it to read over the weekend.

Today has been spent pottering about which was perfect. Apart from going to Kettering, we didn't go anywhere and it was bliss to sit in the sunny conservatory and watch the birds. At some point, over the weekend, I'm going to mow the lawn and tidy up the garden, but there's plenty of time!

The weather continued to be beautiful today with temperatures in the high teens and unbroken blue skies and sunshine. Sophie returned home and had had a lovely time with Zain, as well as a delicious meal at one of the pubs in Olney.

Keith and I had decided to have fish and chips in the evening, from the new van that now visits the villages. Keith took himself off to the pub as he wasn't going to be long and Sophie and I settled down to watch Stanley Tucci. I can't fail to be happy when this lovely programme is on, and I love hearing the Italian language which is so melodic! The sights of Italy are gorgeous and everyone looks like they're having a wonderful time!

The van arrived about an hour earlier than they had posted on their Facebook page, and my lovely daughter walked down to the end of the road to collect our dinner. I'd phoned and ordered it earlier today and she returned with a full bag. As she was still full from her lunch she wasn't going to eat with us, and I called Keith to say that the food was in the oven keeping warm.

The meal was very good indeed, and the fish delicious and crispy. We won't be having it every week (£22 for the two of us) but it'll be great to be able to enjoy hot fish and chips every now and then delivered almost to our door!

A decision reversed!

I was at work at 8am this morning but facing an early finish, and then a break until next Monday! I had plenty of work to do, including putting a new tranche of films onto the system as well as the May playscheme places. Customers had already been enquiring about when they could book them!

At 2pm I sped home and Keith and I discussed the window situation. I felt like yesterday we had made a  big mistake and I hadn't even checked any reviews! Anglian Windows have been around since 1966 and are a large company which is why I trusted them.

However, when I Googled reviews about them, I was horrified. A lot of people had paid deposits and had been left waiting for months for the work to be done, others had been subjected to the same sales pitch as we had - an inflated first price and then reductions for "offers". Too many people said the work had been unacceptable with poor after-sales care, so we both decided to cancel. We had seven days to cancel so we emailed immediately, and informed them that we no longer wished to go ahead with the work. Keith called his bank and they said that if we hadn't received a refund within 14 days to open up a dispute with them.

I am still amazed that Keith and I decided to go ahead yesterday, without checking first or talking to Sophie. The salesman was very smooth and friendly, but there were several things that rang alarm bells and I ignored them! We think we'll go with a local, small company and make sure we check those reviews first in future!

It was lovely to relax this evening and look forward to three days off work. We had a simple dinner and then sat and enjoyed Masterchef. Bliss!

No room at the table...

Keith went to get his hair cut this morning but everywhere he went was busy so he gave up! I stayed at home, hoovered my car, and the downstairs of the house, and got ready to take my parents out.

The plan was to do some shopping first at Tesco and then have lunch at Glebe Farm on the A14. When I got to the care home only my Mum came down. My Dad had been to the dentist earlier and was still feeling a bit groggy and uncomfortable. Mum and I went to Tesco where she splurged on clothes, and then we headed, in a heavy shower of rain, to Glebe Farm.

Unfortunately, there was a long wait for lunch so we gave up and drove into Kettering with the idea of going to the 1940s cafe for something to eat. However, I couldn't even get parked, so we gave up on that idea and decided to go to Costa. On the way, we saw McDonald's so I suggested lunch there, which went down very well with my Mum!

I keep forgetting it's the Easter holidays and everyone seems desperate to get out and enjoy their free time! We enjoyed our lunch and it was a real treat for Mum - she even ate most of her meal! I dropped her back off and went home to await the arrival of an Anglian Windows representative. 

We need four of our windows replaced: the front living room bay window, our bedroom window which the winds howls through, and Sophie's bedroom window which we can't open at the moment, as well as a small window in our en-suite. The windows are 20 years old, so we can't really complain, but it's just another expense to face!

As I was pottering about, Sue came to say hello and it was great to stand and have a chat with her for a while. After she'd gone, the salesman from Anglian arrived, and I showed him what we wanted to replace. He was quite derogatory about our existing windows and said that our builders had installed the cheapest they could... I wasn't keen on this as they'd been fine for the last 18 years. It was just recently we'd begun to notice them failing.

After having a good look we sat in the kitchen and he began his sales spiel. Keith was with me in the kitchen but he seemed to be in a bad mood and wouldn't really say much! After a lot of faffing about with his two iPads and his phone, he showed us what the new windows would look like and then went through all the technical stuff about what the windows were made of, how secure they were, and how draught-free they would prove to be for the next 35 years.

Then came the quote. I was expecting him to go away, prepare the price and email it to us, but no, he was able to do it straight away. The initial price he quoted us was high, but with various "offers" such as us filling out a survey, having a board outside the house, and putting something on Facebook, the cost came down quite considerably...

I wanted to talk to Sophie about the windows and not make a decision there and then, but obviously, this man (who drove a big, shiny Mercedes), had the gift of selling and closing the deal, as we agreed there and then... We paid a deposit on Keith's credit card, I signed the forms and that was it... Had we done the right thing?

After he'd gone I began to regret being so hasty. There were two things I really didn't like about him - the fact that he thought it was acceptable to slag off our existing windows and say they were shoddy, and the way he kept dropping the price as if the initial cost was hugely inflated. This put me in a bad mood for the rest of the evening.

Sophie was surprised by our decision but accepted it. The work couldn't be done until August so she would have to face a hot summer of getting ready without the windows opening. We made dinner, which was a real pain as everything we cooked stuck to the pans, putting me in an even worse mood! It was not a good evening!

Oil crisis!

Work was far busier this morning, for some reason, and the phones went mad! It was great to finish at 4pm and look forward to a day off tomorrow!

When I finished, I had to go and find some diesel for my car. We are having problems with supplies at the moment because of protestors blocking oil refineries, and I'd had trouble getting any at the weekend. I went to the garage near Tesco but it looked like they had no diesel, so I went to the Shell garage on the A43. They had some, but the prices are so high these days! Diesel is about £1.76 a litre, so putting in about £40 as I regularly do, does not make much of an impact on my tank! We are living in a time of extremely high prices, and inflation has risen to its highest level in decades.

Whilst at the garage I decided to get my car washed so it was almost 5pm by the time I arrived home. Sophie left at 5pm and I told her there was petrol available at the Shell garage. She had called in on her way home yesterday to find the pumps empty!

A somewhat trying day...

Although we were busy first thing at work, it wasn't as bad as I feared, seeing as it was the Easter holidays. We had a mad rush of calls in the first hour and then it quietened down a bit. Unfortunately, I had an angry customer on the phone who was very rude, but I managed to stay calm and give him another number to call about his membership. It did unsettle me slightly, though, and I sincerely hoped he wouldn't call back! We often joke about having a kind of rogues' gallery with the names of the people who are rude, and I don't think it would be a bad idea!

After work, I popped to the post office in Whitehills to post an eBay item that we'd sold, and to send back a top for Sophie. I had to go into the convenience store next door to the post office and somehow print off a label, which took me quite a time to do, and left me feeling a little stressed!

On the journey home I managed to get behind a very slow driver who seemed blissfully unaware that anyone else was on the road, and that we might not like to drive at such slow speeds... She overtook a cyclist and took forever to pull back in, oblivious to the queue behind her who were also trying to get past the bike! I followed her all the way from Brixworth to our estate so she's a neighbour! Grrr!

It was lovely to finally relax and have a peaceful evening!

Dubious purchases!

It's been another gorgeous day today with sunshine and blue skies. Mike and Abbie were already up when I came down this morning and we stood and chatted in the kitchen. Mike's cough was no better, and we both said that he really should use his inhaler as we believe he has seasonal asthma. He's so stubborn, though! They left mid-morning after I washed his laundry for him - I do like to see him have lovely clean clothes!

After they'd gone we pottered about and caught up with lots of jobs. Sophie now seems to take over the housework duties on a Sunday morning and makes the house look beautiful! 

At 2pm Sophie and I collected Mum and popped to Tesco so she could get some shopping. I don't need to take a test anymore to see her, but I took one anyway, just in case, and it was negative. Keith still feels quite rough with the aftermath of Covid and I'm stuffed up with a cough, but I think we've been lucky!

In Tesco, Mum bought some toiletries, and then we headed to Bosworth's garden centre for a cup of tea and cake. Sophie wasn't keen for some reason, but it was better than the other place in Burton Latimer! We sat and enjoyed hot drinks and cakes and then had a good mooch about, smelling all the scented candles and wax melts and watching a video for a "squidgy thing" that I ended up buying for £2.99. It had various uses, such as being used as an oven glove and getting rid of pet hairs and fluff!

I didn't buy any plants today as I'd rather wait until I can get some summer bedding in later in the Spring. There's still a chance of frosts, but hopefully no snow! We took Mum back and returned home via the scenic route, which was lovely. The countryside is looking so beautiful at the moment.

Back home it was time for Scrabble and a delicious beef dinner! It's Monday tomorrow, but we're looking at a short week. Hooray!

Planning ahead...

Today has been mostly spent doing very little, which I do feel guilty about!

Mike came in at 4am this morning, apparently... I didn't hear him come in but we gave him the front door key to make it easier for him! The new back door has two locks and I had visions of him forgetting to lock it after him!

He was in and out of the house all day, catching up with friends and mooching about looking for food to eat! Some things just don't change! It's been sunny and dry today, but there was a chilly wind that cooled everything down. Next week is set to be a little warmer, thank goodness!

We had the remaining pastries for breakfast and watched Saturday Morning Kitchen in its entirety, something we don't do very often. The actress Amanda Abbington was on the show to promote a new play at a theatre in Chichester called The Unfriend, and it sounded so good I booked tickets for Sophie and me to go in June. We now have quite a few things to look forward to in the next few months - another trip to London on the 20 April, going to the theatre in June, and tickets to see the Tower of London in bloom on the 9 July. Sophie is also going to Wimbledon again this year with Zain, plus they're going to a cricket match as well!

Keith went to see Sileby play in the afternoon and Sophie painted my nails for me, which was lovely. He texted me to say that hardly anyone had turned up to watch the game, and when it went to 1-5 he came home early! Perhaps the other fans had had a premonition that Sileby would lose!

Sophie and I had our usual game of Scrabble in the evening, accompanied by glasses of Aperol Spritz. We were both astonished to discover that the Aperol was only 11%... weaker than most wine! Next time I think we'll buy a bottle of Campari!

Keith cooked a delicious chicken curry for dinner and Mike joined us, so we sat in the conservatory which was a pleasant change. Now that the evenings are lighter and it's getting warmer, we will sit in there more often.

Abbie came to stay the night and Keith and I started watching Saving Private Ryan, but we were both too tired to see it all the way through!

A new eaterie!

I  had expected to feel tired this morning, because of our late night and early start today. However, I felt a lot better and managed to write out the shopping list before getting a shower! This helped Keith as he was going over to Aldi and Tesco later this morning to do our weekly shop.

I left both men in bed and went to work, where I had a pleasant shift with Denise. She had had covid at the same time as me and, was still feeling out of sorts as well. The phones were busy, but not terribly so, and I managed to get a lot of things done in between calls. I was very glad it was Friday, though, and I was looking forward to Wine Night with Sophie and not having to drive Keith to the pub, as he had decided not to go.

With our glasses of wine, we watched Stanley Tucci's new food show, Searching for Italy. It was bliss to see Italy in all its glory and hear the gorgeous language. If we can't travel easily at the moment, this is the next best thing!

At about 7pm we heard that a new fish and chip van had arrived on our estate. Hopefully, it will be coming every Friday and touring the surrounding villages, stopping on our estate for about half an hour. What a lovely idea! It will be great to try it next Friday when it's Good Friday and we always have fish and chips.

We had forgotten it was coming so tonight's dinner was baked potatoes and salad. Mike had already eaten his lasagne and had gone out with some friends, so it was just the three of us as usual. Bring on the weekend!

Mediterranean dining

I had another busy day at work catching up with emails and outstanding invoices and helping Sara. I did answer the phones for the first hour to help out Kathy and Sue as we were very busy again.

I finished today at 2pm, though, and sped home to catch up with some housework chores. The weather has been mad today, with April showers, sunny spells and strong winds. Mike and Abbie were visiting from Southampton, and they had arranged for us to go to a restaurant in town called Chilli Village. Sophie was having a meal with Laura at the Rose and Crown in Yardley Hastings so I had offered her a lift over.

To be honest, Keith and I didn't really want to go out for a meal this evening. I still felt a bit rough, for some reason, and Keith felt the same. It's quite ironic that since testing negative for covid, we've both felt worse!

We dropped Sophie off at Yardley Hastings and Mike texted me to say that they were in Northampton but not to rush over as they were getting changed after their long journey. We drove to the restaurant to check out the parking and then went to collect Mike and Abbie.

Keith and I hadn't really known what to expect tonight and were slightly surprised that Mike wanted to go to Chilli Village. His favourite restaurant in Northampton was Akasaka, I always thought! The restaurant is quite bizarre and is supposedly modelled on a hacienda in South America (I think?), with lots of wood everywhere. It looks a bit out of place in the middle of Northampton!

We parked the car and walked across the road to find the restaurant almost empty. We sat at a huge wooden slab of a table and had a look at the extensive (and not cheap) menu which seemed to be based on  Mediterranean dishes. There were samovars everywhere and lots of wooden artefacts dotted about.

We chose our meals, deciding to skip starters. I chose the stuffed chicken, Keith and Mike had lamb chops while Abbie opted for duck. I was a bit alarmed by the prices as the main courses veered from £16 to well over £40 and Mike made it clear that he expected us to pay for everyone, which was annoying. It was his idea to go out this evening!

The food was good, though, as my chicken was delicious, and served with a fondant potato, cauliflower and broccoli, as well as some roasted tomatoes, and bizarrely, some orange slices! Three of us made from for desserts - cheesecake and creme brulee. The bill came to £108 and Keith gave the strange waitress some cash for a tip! We had a lovely evening and it was great to catch up with Mike and Abbie and hear all their news.

We dropped Abbie off at her house and then carried on to Yardley Hastings to collect Sophie. She came out of the pub carrying a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Laura, which was lovely!

Return to work.

So, it was back to work for me after being off for over a week. I still felt stuffed up and had a cough, but needs must! I had some time to catch up on!

I don't normally work on a Wednesday, so it was a bit strange going in today. I wasn't on the phones as there were three of my colleagues already manning them, so I was able to catch up with all the emails I'd received and do the cinema box office returns from the weekend and the early part of the week. I also had quite a few orders outstanding and Sara had said that there'd been a problem with our accounting software whilst I was off.

The phones were very busy, though, as the Easter holidays are in full swing and people were calling to book swimming sessions. Nothing new there then! The time flew by and at lunchtime, Sara and Sheila went to the funeral of an ex-employee so that left the four of us in the office on our own, a nice bonus!

We had a long chat at the end of the shift so I didn't get away until 4.30pm! It was great to have a good catch up, something we all find difficult to do during the day as the phones are constantly busy!

Muted birthday celebrations...

Today has been Sophie's birthday and for the third year in a row, our plans have been changed. We should have been waking up in Wimereux today, and looking forward to exploring the French countryside, but instead, we were still in Northamptonshire.

We've tried to make it as special as we could but she was a bit disheartened. After she'd opened her cards and her bag of goodies from us, we got ready and drove over to Newport Pagnell. I was glad it wasn't raining but the sky was a bit cloudy, and it was chilly. I knew the weather in France was forecast to be wet and windy, so any idea of sitting by the sea and indulging in a cold beer wouldn't have happened anyway!

We parked the car in Newport Pagnell, and walked into the small town, deciding to have a coffee first. There were lots of cafes but we opted for a Costa and a couple of mini muffins to keep us going until lunch.

After our coffee, we explored the town and found a lovely vintage shop selling lots of quirky items. Sophie bought two pairs of earrings, and it was lovely to wander about, smelling the scented candles and soaps, and browsing all the things available to buy.

My work colleague Sheila had told me there were lots of charity shops in the town and we found three, but they weren't that much different to the ones we visit in Market Harborough. We decided to head for Olney earlier than planned and look around the shops before having lunch at Teapots.

We drove via Tyringham and managed to park in the small car park in the centre of Olney. The place was very busy with people looking around the shops and the sun came out, which was a bonus! We mooched about for an hour in our favourite shops, and then made our way to the cafe where we'd booked a table for 1.30pm.

Sophie decided to try something different today and chose mushrooms in a creamy sauce on toast. I enjoyed a cheese and onion toastie, and we both had cake afterwards with a pot of tea. As always, it was lovely and the staff were very friendly.

As we'd already looked around the shops, we headed home after lunch and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. We had booked a table at The Lamplighter for a birthday meal so we set off at 6pm and drove into town. We had difficulty parking this evening but managed to find a space next to the pub with a time limit of two hours. 

The pub was pleasantly busy with most of the tables occupied, and we sat by the fireplace in the corner. The menu hadn't changed much from when we were last in, so Sophie chose a burger, I had chilli with chips and Keith tucked into fish and chips. The food was as good as ever, and Keith even enjoyed his pint of beer!

Before going home we decided to call into The Royal Oak in the village and have a last drink. When we arrived there were only three men standing at the bar, the rest of the pub was empty, which was a bit alarming! We sat down with our drinks and started chatting to the man behind the bar, telling him we'd been visiting the pub for over 30 years! Keith wasn't impressed with the beer at all, but we thought it best not to say anything!

After half an hour we left as well, leaving the pub completely empty at 9pm. Sophie had enjoyed her special day, but she was a bit quiet. Let's just hope 2023 will be better!

The hunt for coffee!

The weather today has been dull and rainy, and not what I was expecting for April. I think we've been spoiled over the last couple of years!

Sophie wanted to go to the gym today so Keith and I offered to take her and then go and do a little shopping and visit the bank. We popped into Aldi on the Wellingborough road (not my favourite) and bought the ingredients for dinner tonight - a Gino D'Acampo sausage and pasta meal that Sophie had offered to make for us.

From there we drove to the bank a bit further down the road and paid in a cheque from Keith's brother. Cheques are a rarity these days and neither of us could remember the last time we'd either written one out or paid one into our bank accounts! Val had sent Keith some money for "Easter eggs" which was lovely of him!

Before collecting Sophie we decided to get a coffee from Tim Horton's and joined the short queue for the drive-thru. However, that was a big mistake, as they were obviously having some problems, and we waited over twenty minutes to get to the window to place our order. In the end, we were late getting Sophie so we gave up! Never again!

We had to pop to another Hermes shop in Kingsthorpe to send a parcel, and on the way spotted a Bewiched coffee shop, which also had a drive-thru. We decided to stop and get a coffee each, but I really wish I'd gone to Costa - their flat whites are delicious!

With all our chores done this morning, it was home to relax. We had briefly thought about going somewhere this afternoon but there was no point going out just for the sake of it, and the weather continued to be horrible for the rest of the day. I finished making an ice-cream cake for Sophie's birthday and pootled about for the rest of the afternoon doing some research on my family tree. Keith had called Val to thank him for the cheque and they had started talking about their ancestors, which is always useful. Val is now in his 90s and once he is gone, a wealth of information with go with him.

In the evening Sophie opened the bottle of Taittinger Champagne we'd bought for her and we played Scrabble. She beat me, which was only fair as it is her birthday eve!

Getting things done!

Today has been quiet and uneventful, and seems to be following the theme of most Sundays! We had a lazy start to the day with pastries for breakfast and lots of coffee.

After breakfast, Sophie did a lot of prep for tonight's dinner of Korean fried chicken, Keith's favourite! She made two dipping sauces and put the chicken thighs into a brine solution, as well as making the vodka-infused batter.

She also decided to put some clothes onto eBay and hoovered the house for me, bless her. I sorted out some recycling and we popped to the care home to take Sophie's birthday card for Mum to sign. They are currently in lockdown again as there are residents and staff who have tested positive. We took two bags of Tassimo pods to the shop in Broughton and Sophie sent her Bose headphones back as they're faulty. It's amazing what these small shops can do these days! You can send things and collect things and they're so useful if the post offices are closed!

Back home we relaxed on the bed with a face mask, and then it was time for Scrabble and drinks. We managed one game before making the dinner, and had to send Keith into the living room as he was being very annoying, and hovering over us when we started to heat the oil!

He needn't have worried as we cooked the chicken to perfection and it was gorgeous and crispy! It was a lovely thought that tomorrow Sophie and I are both off work and there was no Sunday syndrome tonight!

Out for lunch

My covid test was clearly negative this morning so that's it... I survived, thank goodness, with really very mild symptoms. I am just so glad I was vaccinated and glad that Keith has been jabbed as well, as he seems to be on the mend.

It's been another day of sunshine and wintry showers with a chilly wind. Sophie and I ventured over to Market Harborough at lunchtime, and before having something to eat in Pizza Express, we collected my wedding and engagement rings from the jewellers opposite. They were all sparkly clean and looked lovely. It's great to have them back on my finger!

Lunch was great, and we used some money we have in Paypal to settle the bill. This money was intended for a slap-up dinner in Wimereux for Sophie's birthday. but we've decided to use it for enjoyable meals and outings over the next few months instead.

After we'd eaten we had a quick look in Waterstones and I took pics of some books I'd like to read. I also looked at a book on learning to draw as this is something I'd love to do. We popped into Tesco to buy a loaf of crusty bread to go with tonight's meal, and before going home, Sophie had a quick look in The Attic and picked out two lovely dresses, costing £15 for the two! A bargain!

We took the scenic route home and then relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. I managed a nap on my bed and at 6pm it was time for Prosecco and Scrabble. Even though it was Sophie's birthday weekend I beat her soundly!

Keith had prepared a big casserole dish of Pan Haggerty (corned beef, potatoes and onions) which was absolutely delicious served with some crusty bread to mop up the juices, and a glass of red!

Hello April!

Today has been spent doing household chores and not going out at all. Keith and I didn't bother to take a test today. It was likely mine would be very faint and Keith's positive, and now we need to keep the tests we have as the NHS is no longer supplying them for free.

The weather today has been a mixed bag of wintry showers and sunshine, with a cold wind. Welcome to April!

I finished transferring my blog over to a book, formatted it all and ordered it! So at least some good has come out of this week being at home! I shall look forward to receiving it in the post!

Sophie arrived home all ready for her birthday weekend to start! Keith obviously didn't go to the pub this evening so we had no taxi duties to undertake, which was a refreshing change. In between sorting out the dinner, we watched My Best Friend's Wedding, which was lovely. A perfect Friday evening rom-com!