A mooching-about kind of day...

The last couple of days have been chilly, and the sunshine has been replaced with heavy grey skies. I mooched about the house today, and felt like I'd achieved nothing! However, I did book an Airbnb in Auxerre (near where we stayed last year) and we booked the Eurotunnel (or Le Shuttle as it's now known) for our journey across the Channel, using our Tesco Clubcard vouchers, so we saved £120! That was a definite bonus!

We also tried, and failed, to update the VWs Satnav and I grappled with this for far longer than I should have, which was frustrating. I popped in to see Mum and Dad in the afternoon and took a box of cakes, and we chatted for an hour, but it wasn't the cheeriest of conversations. Later in June, they will have been in the care home for three years, something I can't quite believe, but they still haven't come to terms with what's happened, and I don't think they ever will.

Sophie and I watched another episode of Masterchef after a delicious dinner of paella, and the four contestants were reduced to three finalists. Half of the programme was set in a restaurant called Core, run by Clare Smyth, and the preparation of the dishes was daunting in the extreme! I looked at the website and the tasting menu is £205 per person... and if you want a wine pairing, it's another £135 each on top! I'm not sure we'll be booking that when we next venture to London!

After Masterchef, Keith and I watched an intriguing programme on BBCiPlayer called Trauma Zone, about the downfall of communism in Russia between 1985 and 1999. It was a series of clips found in the BBC archives office in Moscow, stitched together to form a seven-part series, and it was utterly fascinating!

Two visitors to the garden!

Although I've started hating Tuesdays at work, today wasn't so bad, but it was a lot busier and noisier than yesterday! We had far more phone calls to answer even though three of us were manning the lines, and we all had a bit of stress first thing as some of our crash courses were cancelled, which made some parents mad!

As always, it was a relief to speed home and relax. Keith had prepared a delicious curry which we enjoyed with mini poppadoms and naan breads, and there was enough left over for Sophie's lunch the next day.

Sophie and I went upstairs to watch the four remaining Masterchef contestants cook in Istanbul, which looked grey and chilly... we think it was filmed in the Autumn or Winter and everyone was well-wrapped up against the cold!

To our delight, we saw two hedgehogs this evening with their snouts in the food bowl! Both of them are big and healthy, and it's no wonder! We will have to think up something for when we go away in September and arrange for a neighbour to pop in and feed them every couple of days if I invest in an automatic feeder. It's like having another pet!

Bank Holiday working

I was allowed a small lie-in today as I started work at 9am, rather than 8am. I worked with Kathy and I have to say we had a very pleasant day! Yes, it was busy with swimming bookings, but I was able to do the box office returns and answer all the customer service emails between calls.

At 2pm I sped off home to sit with Sophie and Keith and have a cup of tea and a natter. She had been to Farndon Fields this morning for breakfast, so she had treated us to a sausage roll (which we shared) and some macarons.

Neither of us fancied going out so we had a good look at places to stay on the way home from Spain in September. We picked out a gorgeous hotel in the town of Carpentras, somewhere Keith and I had stayed BC (before children). I remember doing the journey from Northampton in one hit and almost falling asleep while having a pre-dinner drink, something I have no wish to do again!

We then looked at hotels or Airbnbs further north in Burgundy as I wanted to take Sophie to Rully and Mercurey, two lovely wine villages we stayed in years ago. We looked at lots of places but none of them seemed quite right, and although we saw a great hotel in the town of Dole (where I stayed with my parents years ago), it was too long a drive up to Calais.

There was no rush so we played a game of cards while Keith cooked dinner. After we'd eaten we started watching a silly film starring John Hamm called Confess, Fletch but Sophie and I gave up and went upstairs. We looked out of the bedroom window and saw Herbie the Hedgehog stuffing his face in the garden! Lovely!

A perfect drying day!

Today has been a perfect laundry day with a lovely breeze, plenty of sunshine and blue skies. I changed the beds and managed to get everything on the line to dry... for free! And the bedding smelt gorgeous after it had been dried in the beautiful sunshine!

As well as doing loads of washing Keith and I decided to move the sofa from the conservatory into the living room as it made sense to have it in there. We're planning on buying two new armchairs (one of the arms was ravaged by Monty's claws) but we don't want them to be too big. Moving the furniture was tricky but we managed in the end, and I gave both sofas a good clean and hoovered behind them.

In between doing this, I transferred some more of my 1985 diary onto the blog and traced the places we'd visited on Google Maps. I had made my Dad do a 200-mile round trip to visit a chateau in the village of La Chapelle d'Angillon, where the French author Alain Fournier was born, as I was reading this book, Le Grand Meaulnes, at the time. When we arrived, I was hugely disappointed with the chateau, which had been turned into a Country and Western-themed attraction! The chateau in his novel was mysterious and enchanted, and I loved the story of a peasant boy meeting the love of his life there. Happily, it seems to have now been restored to its former beauty - https://chateau-angillon.fr - so maybe worth visiting again if we're ever in the area!

Keith barbecued in the evening and it turned windy and chilly so I didn't sit out in the garden with him! It was way too cold!

A late Spring mooch!

Sophie went to the gym this morning for her Yoga class and while she was away I put a colour on my hair, as I was looking distinctly badger-like! When she returned, we had a very pleasant breakfast of pastries and coffee and sat and chatted. She was going away with Vikesh for the weekend, and staying in an Airbnb in Warwickshire, so we said goodbye to her at midday and went on our planned mooch in the stunning Northamptonshire countryside.

We decided to revisit some old haunts and headed for the village of Geddington first. I knew there was a pub there, but Keith spotted the sign as we drove past, and I couldn't be bothered to turn around, saying we'd go on the way home!

We carried along the A4300 towards Corby and saw a sign for the village of Stanion. I was pretty sure we'd been to a pub there before, so we turned off the main road and headed for the centre of the village. We came across the pub, The Lord Nelson, but it looked well and truly closed. 

From Stanion we drove to one of our favourite pubs, somewhere we used to go to frequently when it was a real ale pub, The Vane Arms at Sudborough. Sadly, this was also well and truly closed and the pub itself looked empty and forlorn. What a terrible shame. Both Keith and I have some wonderful memories of going there and having drinks and meals with friends, and Keith had his stag night there.

We were starting to feel a little worried by now... was this the end of the mooch as we knew it? We drove back towards Corby and decided to head for the village of Bulwick, and The Queen's Head. The last time we were here, we called in on a Sunday evening to find it closed, but today it was open, with people sitting in the sunny garden and enjoying drinks. 

I loved this pub as it used to be dark and cosy and felt very old, with an open fireplace and a lovely smell of woodsmoke. However, the present owners have mucked about with the lounge area and it felt cold, overly bright and formal. Keith chose a pint of March Hare at 4.2% while I had half a Guinness, and we took our drinks outside.

One of the customers had decided it was a good idea (according to him, anyway) to go shirtless, which is never an attractive look if you don't have the physique to carry it off... Hmmm! We sat at a large round table with our drinks and watched as the terrace gradually filled up with people wanting to enjoy the gorgeous sunshine.

It was lovely to sit and relax, and after we'd finished our drinks, we left to go to the village of Kings Cliffe about four miles away.

This was a delightful road, passing through the pub-less village of Blatherwycke where we saw a huge lake and signs for Apethorpe Palace... in the middle of nowhere! Apethorpe Palace was once owned by Elizabeth I who inherited it from her father. You can visit as part of a guided tour, and it looks beautiful!

We arrived in the large village of Kings Cliffe and found the pub, The Cross Keys Inn, on the main street, and parked around the corner. 

It was a lovely pub, built in 1732, with a delightful little snug, a bigger bar area and a garden. The staff were very friendly and told us there would be live music this evening. In fact, a couple came in who had booked to stay overnight and they were there to see the band! Groupies!

Mine was a half, although it looks bigger!

We spent a pleasant half hour with our drinks (Keith's beer was Summer Lightning and was 5%) and saw more and more people come in, some of whom looked as if they'd been out walking as they had backpacks and boots on. 

After our drinks, it was time to move on and the afternoon was flying by. We hoped that pubs would be open all day today as it was a Bank Holiday weekend so it was on to the next one!

From Kings Cliffe, we headed towards Fotheringhay, five miles away. Again, the road was lovely with high hedges, lots of trees and farmland stretching away to the horizon. We came to the village of Woodnewton and saw a pub! One we had never been into before!

Of course, we couldn't pass up this one and it looked beautiful. It was called The White Swan and it had a large, pretty, terraced garden and a modern, bright bar area. Keith chose a Timothy Taylor Landlord pint here and we took our drinks out to the garden where people were sitting eating, drinking and soaking up the gorgeous sunshine.

Keith intently studying the drinks menu!

I think we will definitely come back to this one as I know Sophie would love it! The two men in charge were very friendly and efficient, and it was great to find a new pub in a village we'd never visited before.

The time was about 3pm so we made the decision to go to one last pub in the historic village of Fotheringhay where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned in the castle there for committing treason. The castle no longer exists but was built around 1100. Henry VIII gave it to Catherine of Aragon as a gift and she lavished money on it and restored it to its former glory. Unfortunately, she fell out of favour and the castle was given to his successive wives but was mainly used as a prison. Mary, Queen of Scots died there in 1587.

We found The Falcon Inn easily and parked in the large car park. People were out enjoying the sunshine in the garden and the pub had an airy conservatory and cosy bar. Keith wasn't impressed with the beers here and drank a Birra Moretti rather than an ale. Again, we went to sit in the garden to soak up the rays.

We both agreed that, after a somewhat shaky start, we'd had a successful mooch with not bad beers! The countryside had been stunning and it was lovely and relaxing pootling along the lanes and finding pubs. What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon?

We left at about 4pm and trundled home the way we'd come. I saw the pub sign in Geddington but we decided to go home and relax. Keith watched the football while I went upstairs to watch an episode of the ITV drama, Maryland.

Dinner tonight was a Chinese takeaway, followed by The 1% Club. Amazingly, I deciphered the answer to the 1% question but I did pause the television while I worked it out!

Masterchef scores!

As readers of this blog will know, Sophie and I are avid watchers of Masterchef, and this year we compiled a list of culinary terms or words that crop up repeatedly. It's like playing bingo when a contestant uses them and we should have made it into a drinking game!

So far, these are the most popular terms and words:

The top place goes to:

Contestants who hail from different areas of the world (such as Thailand, India and Indonesia) and mention it as much as they can - 22 points. Not surprisingly, these contestants seem to do extremely well on Masterchef and produce some amazing food with terms and ingredients we've never ever heard of!

Followed by:

Contestants crying                    17 points

Crumb                                        15 points

Tuile                                            14 points

Asian                                           13 points

Mother                                        11 points

Grandmother                             11 points

Oil                                                 9 points

Home-made pasta                       7 points

Travelling                                     6 points

Other terms include: 

Fondant potato                                3 points

Samphire                                         3 points

Crisp                                                3 points

Velouté                                            3 points

Gel                                                   3 points

Soil                                                  3 points

Vegan, soufflé, chocolate fondant, poached pears, "de-constructed", sous vide, panna cotta, pomme purée all scored 2 points, while creme "pat", consommé and fusion all scored 1 point.

Massively out of fashion now must be an emulsion and foams, as they haven't been mentioned at all!

We have also noted mention of Harissa and contestants being on a "journey"!

Next week is Finals Week and four of the remaining contestants are off to Istanbul, so Sophie will be watching even more avidly than usual, seeing as she is going there in November!

Good luck to them all!    

It's Friday, yeah!

We had a lovely, very quiet shift today as Sara and Nicola were on holiday, and Sheila left at 12pm to go to another centre. It was bliss! I managed to get a lot done, including all the emails, another film input and some of the playscheme places for the summer.

Keith didn't go to the pub tonight, as his mate John was in Aldeburgh, so he cooked dinner while Sophie and I sampled a bottle of English wine and watched the last episode of the first series of Race Across the World. The English wine was fine (Keith had bought it by mistake and it was £10) and was very elderflowerish, and a bit tart for my liking. We asked him not to buy it again but it was drinkable. I am not  a fan of English wines, I'm afraid. We just don't get enough sunshine and warmth to fully ripen the grapes, but I know that our sparkling wines are very good and have even beaten Champagne! They are a bit expensive, though!

After dinner we watched Top of the Pops from 1982 and that certainly brought back some memories! Sophie envied me growing up in the 80s, and I have to say the music was very good!

Time flies!

I had a busy shift, helping Sara with emails, and then putting on some films until the end of June. This year is going by so fast, I can't believe it's June next week!

I stayed for an extra half an hour today, to make up for leaving early on Monday, and on the way home I popped to the post office to return an order to Amazon. I'd ordered some Nivea moisturiser and the pot was tiny (50ml) but I was charged £6.95 for it! It was my fault as I should have realised it was so small, but I was desperate as my normal order was out of stock. As soon as I got home I had an email from Amazon saying I'd been credited for the return which was great news!

I spent the rest of the afternoon preparing the dinner (meatballs in a tomato sauce with pasta) and doing porridges and lunches again so the bonus hours I had flew by!

A quick shopping trip

It's been another quiet Wednesday but at least Keith and I ventured out this morning to Riverside... exciting! We bought another tonne of bird food, which will probably last a couple of days, and I needed to get some toiletries in Boots.

It's been warm and sunny today, and the forthcoming Bank Holiday weekend forecast is looking good for once! Typical that I'm working, and the last three day weekend was cloudy and chilly! Oh well!

Back home we decided to make the most of the sunny weather and sat out in the garden for a while and chatted. It was quiet! Bliss! The birds were flitting about again and we filled the feeders with fat snax, but they were too timid to land on the grass to eat. We find that the bigger the bird, the more flighty they are, with the magpies and Rooky flapping off in a panic if we go anywhere near them!

Keith persuaded me to open one of the Alsace beers we'd bought back with us and it was delicious. I didn't get quite the same feeling as I had when I was sipping it in a sunny restaurant in Colmar, but it was lovely all the same!

Dinner this evening was pork steaks coated in breadcrumbs, served with broccoli and cauliflower cheese and roasted new potatoes. I cooked this evening, and although it was definitely not Masterchef standard, it was delicious all the same!

Feeling a bit frazzled!

I was thankful when work was over today as Tuesday is rapidly becoming my least favourite day of the week... At least I have tomorrow's day off to look forward to!

As soon as I got home I collected Keith again and we sped off to the care home, picked up the urine sample and drove to Woodlands. I somehow missed the turning and had to go to the next junction and cross over the A14. I was a bit frazzled when I finally arrived! The traffic was terrible again, and the road was full of lorries!

It was heaven to finally get home and relax after my somewhat stressful day! Sophie cooked again and she made spaghetti carbonara, but we really didn't have enough parmesan cheese and the sauce was a bit wet. It tasted delicious, though, and Sophie does make delicious garlic bread!

Stressful appointments!

I finished work at 3.30pm today as I had to take my Mum to an appointment at Woodlands Hospital at 5pm. Before I picked her up I collected Keith, in case I couldn't get parked, but of course, we arrived early and there were plenty of spaces!

Mum and I sat and waited and chatted, but it wasn't until almost 6pm before she was seen. She was asked to provide a urine sample, but, poor thing, she was unable to do one, so we took it back and she said she would do it tomorrow morning. I would then pick it up after work and drop it off. It wasn't ideal but what can you do?

The traffic was abysmal going back - the A14 around Kettering is always busy - and tonight was no exception! When we eventually arrived home, I definitely felt in need of a stiff drink! Sophie was already home and she prepared a very simple dinner of cold meats, quiche, new potatoes and salad.

Keith disappeared upstairs to watch Newcastle (he is very pleased with their progress at the moment!) and Sophie and I watched a documentary on the Johnny Depp v Amber Heard case (they're both as mad as a box of frogs), followed by a delightful Netflix programme about a couple who went on a third date to Costa Rica and then became stuck in the country because of covid! Happily, they are still together to this day!

A gorgeous May day!

Keith and I ventured into the garden this morning, mowed the lawn and trimmed all the edges. I did some weeding but it didn't take long to make it look lovely and neat again! It's been a gorgeous day with temperatures around 18c, a lovely breeze and blue skies. Perfect!

Vikesh came over with Reggie the dog, and he and Sophie went for a walk down the track to the nature reserve, followed by lunch at the pub. Reggie loved being in the garden and raced around sniffing everything and exploring!

While they were out I transcribed a few more pages of my holiday diary from 1985 onto the blog and traced our route on Google Maps. We weren't far from Auxerre where we stopped last September.

When Sophie and Vikesh returned I had a shower, and Sophie and I popped to the garage at Moulton as she needed some petrol. She treated me to an ice cream and bought a pack of Caesar salad for dinner this evening. On the way there and back, the countryside looked stunning with the trees in full leaf, a profusion of cow parsley along the verges and hedgerows, and May blossom everywhere. This month really is the most beautiful of the year when everything springs into life!

Sophie and I played Scrabble in the early evening and finished the game we'd started last night. We then went and sat in the garden for a little while before Keith barbecued some sausages, lamb chops and burgers. There was more than enough left over for lunch tomorrow!

A murder mystery...

I felt a bit fragile this morning after my late night, big meal and the wine, so I had a relaxed start to the weekend! Sophie, full of beans, went to the gym to take part in her two yoga classes, and I just pootled about the house and sorted out the laundry. 

It's been a glorious day with non-stop sunshine, blue skies and a lovely breeze. Once Sophie returned, she made herself some lunch and we spent the afternoon relaxing. I applied a face pack and we watched an episode of Masterchef, which was lovely.

Sophie and I were out this evening to a "Til Death Do Us Part" Murder Mystery dinner at the village hall, so I had a soak in the bath and we managed a game of Scrabble and a cocktail before we went at 7pm. I hadn't a clue what to expect but it was lovely to enter the village hall and see it set up for a wedding, with a top table, a huge (fake) cake and decorations everywhere. Everyone attending had dressed up and some women were wearing fascinators or hats!

Our friend from a few doors down, Lynn, had said we were on a table with our new neighbours next door, so I was quite looking forward to getting to know them properly after parcelgate! We were at a table with a couple from Old, another couple from our estate and the newbies.

We were given a glass of fizz on arrival and the menu for the evening was printed on a sheet of paper by each place setting. There was also a sheet about the evening, and we learnt the characters' names, their roles and a bit of background information. It looked great fun!

The bride - Jill Tidagain

The cook - Liza Lott

The "newbies" on our table were the last to arrive, only they weren't our neighbours at all... they were a couple I'd never seen before and didn't even live in the village! I knew there'd been some confusion previously with names but I was a little annoyed that there had been a complete mix-up! The man was the spitting image of our MD, and his partner (wife?) looked very high-maintenance and barely ate any of her meal. They didn't take their hands off each other all evening, though, so not a well-established relationship!

First up was a speech welcoming us to the wedding, but the groom was missing. He then stumbled in with a knife sticking out of his back and "died"! We had to work out who the murderer was!

The food was delicious and we started with four slices of bruschetta with different toppings, followed by a lovely chicken casserole served with rice. Sophie and I bought ourselves some wine and enjoyed the proceedings. The cast mingled with us all, and we had to guess who killed the bridegroom, with each member of the cast trying to convince us it wasn't them!

It was a great evening and we all had to write on a piece of paper who we thought the murderer was and why. We took a vote on our table but we got it wrong. Sophie guessed correctly, though!

It was all over at 10pm and although they cleared the floor for dancing, we called Keith to come and collect us. I think we'd had enough fun for one evening!

An evening out with friends.

Sara was off today, so I caught up with some very moany emails in between answering the phone. We weren't busy so I had plenty of time to deal with them, and a lot of them were about our swimming lessons again. I was so fed up that I did a Google search to find out how much other places charge and we're really reasonable, as our prices include so many other activities, not just lessons! Some swim schools were charging £12 just for one lesson!

At 4pm I sped home and gave the kitchen a good clean, hoovered downstairs and mopped the floor. By 6pm everything looked lovely and I went upstairs to have a shower and wash my hair. It was great tonight to put on some summery clothes as outside the sun was shining and it was quite warm! Has Spring arrived at last! It hasn't been a brilliant start to the season!

Lynda, Andrea and Fiona arrived at 7pm and we stood and had a glass of the delicious Loire fizz and enjoyed some nibbles while chatting. Keith then gave us a lift to the pub which was packed with people enjoying their Friday evening.

We were seated straightaway in the back room and ordered drinks - G&Ts for Andrea and Fiona, and white wine for Lynda and me. We eventually got around to ordering after chatting - baked goat's cheese for me, prawns in a spicy sauce for Andrea and Fiona, and pitta bread and hummus for Lynda. We all went for steak for a main, Lynda's served with a Greek salad, washed down with a very good bottle of  Argentinian Malbec. The girls ordered their steaks to be cooked medium rare while I went for medium, but when they were delivered to the table they were all on the side of well done! 

Matthew, who is the son of old friends of ours, seems to be the manager, and he was very apologetic, saying he would give us a free drink and take off the cost of a couple of desserts. My steak was delicious, though, and I had no complaints as it was far, far better than the rubbish we had in Compiègne last month!

After the meal, we ordered another bottle of wine and chose desserts - three of us enjoyed crème brulée, and Andrea and Fiona sipped a Bailey's. We had a lovely evening and didn't stop talking! We were the last in the pub and Keith came to pick us up at about 10.45pm. The girls ordered a taxi and I opened another bottle of wine while we waited.

Lynda's partner had offered to pick her up but she hadn't given him the right postcode and he ended up in the back of beyond! She eventually went at about midnight, bless her, after chasing him around the estate!

Keith gets jabbed!

My short shift passed incredibly quickly today, and I cleared all the customer service emails. Sara and Sheila went over to the Weston Favell Centre and brought back a load of cakes as it's Sara's birthday on Saturday. As you can imagine, our office was very popular this morning!

At 2pm I went home for about ten minutes as Keith was having his booster covid jab this afternoon at 3pm. He had to go to the Kettering Conference Centre, which used to be the site of the covid testing at the height of the pandemic, so I said I would go with him in case he felt unwell afterwards. There was hardly anyone about and he was in and out before his appointment time! What a difference to when he first went and the centres were busy with people!

Once this was done we drove to B&M and bought yet another box of fat snax - 150 of them! We can't keep up with the feeding at the moment and the bigger birds - Rooky, a couple of magpies and jackdaws - are trying to get the fat snax from the feeders and knocking them to the ground. I understand they are feeding their young but they're so violent!

I cooked dinner again tonight, a recipe that Sophie wasn't keen on as we were using chicken thighs. I marinated them for an hour in a mixture of honey, wholegrain mustard, lemon juice and garlic, before arranging them on an oven tray with new potatoes. After about twenty minutes I added asparagus and tender-stem broccoli to all cook together. The meal smelt lovely and even Sophie had to agree (she's not keen on mustard!).

We had decided to have wine night tonight as I'm out tomorrow, so we sipped a lovely Chardonnay and watched a film about Frida Kahlo starring Salma Hayek as Frida and Alfred Molina as Diego Rivera. It was a great film but we could hardly hear what the actors were saying! No subtitles!

Dinner was a great success! I stir-fried a bag of spinach, as there was no room in the oven pan, and I loved its delicate flavour! The marinade was delicious and even Sophie said she enjoyed it. 

Keith went upstairs after dinner and Sophie and I watched the end of the film. Just before we went to bed, at about 10pm we both went to get some washing in from the tumble dryer outside and saw the hedgehog enjoying his food! We were both delighted to see him and we'll definitely put the food out a little later in future so it doesn't get nicked by the birds!

Tyre shocks!

Other than seeing my Mum in the afternoon, I didn't have much planned for today, so it's been a quiet and uneventful day off. Maybe we should plan some days out to make the most of my Wednesdays!

Keith and I debated doing dome gardening, but we said we'd leave it until the weekend when we had more time. The grass has grown and because of the sunshine and rain we've been having, everything is thriving. Our clematis is looking beautiful but the flowering time is a little short. Already the grass around the plant is covered in delicate pink petals.

Keith had arranged for a mobile tyre company to come and repair my front, driver's side tyre which we think has a slow puncture. I was bombarded with texts and emails confirming the arrival of the mechanic in the afternoon but I was glad to get it sorted, to be honest. We only use my Audi to do short runs now as my Dad's car is much more reliable but the tyre's been a worry for a while.

I pootled about all morning and Keith prepared the vegetables for the spaghetti bolognese we were having for dinner. Sophie wanted me to make it from scratch without using a jar or packet, so Keith finely chopped carrots, an onion and a celery stick along with garlic to form the basis of the sauce.

The mechanic arrived at 2pm and did a lot of teeth-sucking and grimacing. He had a real job to get one of the wheel nuts loose and the result was a repaired front tyre and a replacement back tyre costing £200, so a bit more than we expected! If my car fails its MOT in August then that's it. It's a huge shame as it was a gorgeous car when I bought it back in 2013 and it still drives beautifully, but it's now showing its age and costing us money.

I went to collect Mum who was waiting for me, and we drove to Tesco to do some shopping and have a coffee. While Mum had a look around the store I bought a bottle of Cremant de Loire for Friday night when I have Lynda, Andrea and Fiona coming around for a glass of fizz before we have a meal at our local pub. I also bought some nibbles, a pack of knickers and some herbal tea! There's not much you can't get in our giant Tesco store!

I dropped Mum off, said hello to my Dad and returned home where I had a cup of my new herbal tea. It was delicious, and no caffeine!

I started cooking dinner at 6pm and cooked the vegetables first, adding the mince that Keith had already browned. I then added red wine, a tin of chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and beef stock and let it simmer for over an hour. It smelt delicious and we all knew exactly what was in it!

As it was simmering away Sophie and I sat and chatted at the kitchen island so it was a lovely relaxed evening. My daughter made some garlic bread for me and I cooked tagliatelle. Voila! All done!

Keith wanted to watch the football on BT Sport this evening so Sophie and I retired upstairs. Before we went, I put some hedgehog food down, but this proved to be a mistake as every rook, jackdaw and magpie in the vicinity was alerted, and the garden was soon full of birds nicking all the food and making a right racket! Tomorrow we'll put the food down a bit later when the birds have gone to bed!

Two different days!

Monday

I had a bad day at work on Monday, with a lot of people in the office making some very irritating noises, and I had several annoying callers, so I felt drained at the end of the day! I really hate it when we have lots of other people in the office as it impacts us when we're trying to hear people on the phone!. It was a huge relief to escape at 4pm and drive home in peace and quiet! 

Sophie cooked fajitas tonight with lots of vegetables and we both sprinkled some jalapeno peppers over the filling, and they were delicious!

Tuesday 

After yesterday I wasn't looking forward to work but it was totally different and was a very pleasant day, thank goodness! I helped Sara out with the customer service emails, managing to clear them all before I went home.

Keith told me, when I got home, that he'd tried to arrange a dentist appointment, but was told he was no longer on his old dentist's books. It had been four years since he'd been which is no surprise as we had covid from 2020 to 2022! I was annoyed on his behalf because they could have contacted him to ask if he still wanted to be with the dentist! I am certain the same has happened to me as well, as I think the last time I went was in 2019! I  had been with my dentist since I was a child and when he retired, the new one was horrible!

There seem to be hardly any options for NHS dentists in our area so we may have to go private, something I'm not very happy about!

Sophie cooked again tonight and we had chicken Kyivs with crushed new potatoes, green beans and broccoli. Lovely!

Sitting in the garden!

We talked about September this morning and took the plunge and booked the Airbnb near Pals. It's a new addition to the site, so it has no reviews, but the owner is a Super Host so we're hoping everything will be OK! We even booked La Troubadour Hotel in Rocamadour for one of the nights we'll spend travelling to Spain, so it'll be brilliant to explore more of the town this time. We're also hoping to spend a night in Amboise again and properly explore the town.

Keith and I took Sophie to Vikesh's house at 11am as she was going to London to visit Tate Modern and have lunch. I suggested to Keith that we have our barbecue at lunchtime rather than this evening, so that's what we did! I even managed to sit in the garden with Keith and sip a G&T! I can't remember the last time we did that; it was lovely! The sun was shining and the birds were flitting about in the bushes, and it was quiet! Heavenly!

We ate in the conservatory for a change as it was so sunny, and I relaxed in the afternoon, managing a nap!

Sophie returned at about 6.30pm after having a great day in London but said that all the upper levels of Tate Modern were closed. She'd seen some weird and wonderful art and had enjoyed a burger at Shake Shack.

Keith and I decided to watch a new BBC1 programme at 9pm called Ten Pound Poms but after half an hour we turned it off. Some of my family had gone over to Australia in the 1950s so I wanted to see it but we were disappointed!

Second from bottom!

I thought the weather was supposed to be sunny today, but it has remained grey all day, so not very pleasant at all!

Sophie went to the gym to participate in two yoga classes while I pootled about and did some chores. When she arrived home at midday, she had a list of things she wanted to do, and we also had dinner to prepare. I made the meringue for the pavlova while Sophie chopped vegetables for the stroganoff. Keith had already bashed the beef and cut it into thin strips.

Once that was done, Sophie ticked some items off her list, including cleaning two pairs of her trainers and sorting out her travel insurance for her trip to Turkey in November. I also searched for an Airbnb in Spain, near L'Escala for September, but to be honest there was a limited amount of choice. I even looked at southern France, and one beautiful place on Corsica, but we'd have to get another ferry there! Towards the evening, Sophie spotted a beautiful villa near the gorgeous town of Pals, a place we'd visited last September. We made an enquiry and the owner responded very quickly, which was reassuring! We decided to sleep on it and have a proper talk about it in the morning.

We played Scrabble before Sophie cooked dinner and cracked open the bottle of Champagne I'd bought for Sophie's birthday. I won this evening! Sophie's stroganoff was delicious and after we'd eaten we settled down to watch The Eurovision Song Contest. We'd recorded it but we managed to catch up halfway through the show and see Sweden win.

I think we were all a little disappointed we did so badly, but that's the Eurovision Song Contest for you! 

The nanny state!

Sophie had a doctor's appointment this morning to check her thyroid, so I had to set my own alarm for 6.30am. At least I had an extra half an hour!

She texted me while I was working to say she'd had an alarming visit and had seen a horrible female doctor, which wasn't good news. She wasn't able to see her regular GP who is lovely, and had booked an appointment with someone else. She experiences bad headaches before her period and the doctor said it could be down to increased sensitivity in her blood vessels, which could cause a stroke! What a nasty thing to say! She then berated Sophie for drinking half a bottle of wine on a Friday night with me, and enjoying a tipple over the weekend! Sophie was livid, and so was I! If we can't enjoy a couple of glasses of wine at the weekend after a week at work, then what's the point?

I know, as a family, we like a drink (anyone reading this blog would know that!), but Sophie eats very healthily, exercises five to six times a week at the gym and doesn't have a drink from Monday to Thursday. I thought the doctor's attitude was awful, and she didn't question Sophie on any other aspects of her life at all. As the day wore on I became more annoyed, and I suspected that the doctor was just ticking boxes, and was following some kind of Government directive to get us all to be like robots and not enjoy life at all! I am fed up with being told what to do all the time!

Anyway, rant over! Sophie and I will continue to enjoy a glass of good quality wine at the weekend! What would the doctor prefer? That she imbibes cans of disgusting fizzy drinks containing nothing but chemicals?

At work, I managed to finish all the cash-ups and I hope I did OK. If nothing else, I've recorded all of the figures so that should help Sheila on Monday. The phones weren't busy today but I had a couple of annoying calls, and I do wonder how long I can do this job. Some of our callers are just plain stupid! 

It was great to leave at 4pm and look forward to the weekend and Eurovision tomorrow which is everywhere at the moment. You can't escape it, but it's great we're hosting for Ukraine!

Keith went to the pub this evening and Sophie and I enjoyed a delicious Alsace Pinot Gris while catching up with Masterchef and Race Across The World. Bring on the weekend!

Rushing about!

I had a busy day ahead of me, as after my shift at work, I had to speed over to collect Mum and take her to have her nails done.

I caught up with the cash-ups for the majority of my shift, and I'll be very glad when Sheila returns next week! Some of them were in a complete mess, and it amazes me that such a simple job of scanning the sheets and till rolls over can be mucked up by some of the staff! The figures and accompanying paperwork are important as they are audited, and they should all be present and correct!

At 2pm I drove to Kettering in heavy rain, and the sky was full of towering storm clouds. I'd asked Mum to meet me in reception, but there was no sign of her and I discovered she'd fallen asleep! I hurried back out with her and on the way back we had bright sunshine. It's more like April than May!

Mum's nails looked lovely today, and after I'd seen her back I dashed home and relaxed. Sophie was out tonight, at The Rose and Crown in Yardley Hastings with Laura, so she came in and went straight upstairs to get ready.

Keith and I had a very disappointing dinner of fish and chips and I vowed never again to buy boxed fish from Tesco. My fish was grey and tasteless... what a difference to the lovely salmon I had last week in France!

Scrub a dub dub!

Today has been spent at home, cleaning the house and giving the bathrooms an extra scrub. I have to say, I wasn't happy about it, but it had to be done! To help, I downloaded the Greatest Hits radio app on my phone so I could listen to Ken Bruce while I worked, and it was great to hear his voice again. It wasn't the same, though. His show was interspersed with adverts, which were annoying!

I finished mid-afternoon and I was glad I'd spent the time cleaning, as the house looked lovely, and the bathrooms sparkled. I just wonder how long they'll stay that way! 

The weather this morning was lovely, but it clouded over in the afternoon with showers of rain, and it's been a disappointing Spring so far this year. I don't want it red hot, but some sunshine would be a bonus!

After dinner, Sophie and I watched Lost Horizon again, and I think she enjoyed the film! There were quite a few songs that we skipped through and she already had a feeling about what would happen at the end! I have to admit it was a bit cheesy but enjoyable nonetheless (and actually had a valuable message!).

Back to work

It was not pleasant being woken by Sophie at 5.55am this morning and knowing I had a full day of work ahead of me! Sheila is off this week so that means I had to do the daily cash-ups, the box office returns and answer the phones today! I am really not keen on the cash-ups as they're number based, and the spreadsheet is very confusing! I do as much as I can and hope for the best!

For some reason, a lot of callers irritated me today, especially as we'd had a flash Coronation sale over the weekend and existing members were annoyed as they were paying more. Several insisted on cancelling their memberships and taking out the new one, even though they then had to commit to being with us for twelve months!

I was very glad when it was 4pm and I could go home! On the journey, I heard thunder, and the skies were full of dark, angry storm clouds. We've had a lot of rain lately and everything is looking exceedingly green!

Keith made a delicious chicken and ham pie this evening with copious veg, and after we'd eaten Sophie and I went upstairs to watch television as Keith wanted to watch BT Sport downstairs. Without consulting Sophie I ordered the film, Lost Horizon, from Amazon Prime as I just knew she would enjoy it. It had a huge impact on me when I saw it as a child and inspired my trip to Nepal, but Sophie was not happy and flounced off to have a bath!

When she emerged a bit later she was contrite and we said we'd watch it properly tomorrow. We then tuned into the semi-finals of Eurovision and watched some of the loony acts taking part!

A poorly pigeon

We awoke this morning to grey skies and drizzle, so not much change from France!

Sophie went to Milton Keynes with Vikesh to do some shopping in Costco, and then to have lunch in a Turkish restaurant, while I tackled the laundry and wrote my blog. It was a very relaxed day, and I was convinced it was Sunday!

I went out into the grey and damp garden in the afternoon to feed the birds and noticed a pigeon who looked injured. His/her wing seemed to be hanging down. There was another pigeon there as well but they flew away as soon as I appeared. Keith and I don't think it's a homing pigeon, but I put some food down and hoped for the best. At least we have a lot of shelter in our garden and a plentiful supply of food.

By the time Sophie came home in the evening, all the washing had been done and everything unpacked. Time to start planning the next trip! Sophie had bought some beautiful wines in Costco, and one, a Chardonnay, was 14.5% I think we'll treat that one with caution!

As it was Monday (not Sunday) Masterchef was on in the evening and we had another round of newbies!

A Weekend in France - Day 2

Montreuil-sur-Mer

We didn't have a bad night's sleep, but I did wake up and rush out onto the landing when I thought that Sophie had fallen down the stairs! She had to almost slam her door to close it after popping to the loo downstairs, and it sounded like she'd fallen down! The wooden stairs were a bit steep so it had been a worry for me, but apart from that, I think we all managed to get some sleep!

I made coffee (there was a Tassimo machine) and we breakfasted on pains au chocolat again and decided what to do with our day. Outside, it was grey and dreary but it wasn't raining, so after toying with the idea of going to a war museum in Wimereux, or visiting Nausicaa (an aquarium), we opted instead to visit the delightful nearby town of Montreuil-sur-Mer.

I had just finished a book by Janine Marsh who moved to this area of France from the UK, and she had mentioned the town, saying how lovely it was. It wasn't far to drive and twice on the way we tried to get some petrol for the car, but for some reason, every time we entered Keith's card, it said we couldn't use it! Neither of the two garages we tried were staffed so we had to leave it. We had half a tank so there was no immediate problem!

When we reached Montreuil-sur-Mer, the road wound steeply upwards, reminding me first of all of Compiègne as we had to drive through the old town walls and the roads became cobbled. We came out onto a beautiful square with flower beds and a war memorial with a couple of restaurants and shops. We found a street to park in and walked towards the Citadel, passing by some lovely buildings on the way.

The citadel of Montreuil-sur-Mer is built on a fifty-metre hill which overlooks the Canche valley, on the site of a 13th-century castle. Building began in 1567 and has been extended over the years, and it houses a chapel, an arsenal, ramparts and several towers.

As it was the first Sunday in May, entrance was free, and we passed through a small gift shop on the way in, with a lovely, friendly lady who gave us a leaflet in English.

Gift shop and entrance

Chapel

The White Tower

We had a look in the chapel first and this contained old relics and statuary. We learnt that several American artists moved to Étaples and Montreuil-sur-Mer, and one of the paintings was on display in the chapel.

It was a huge shame today was so grey and misty as I'm sure the views are outstanding. Sophie and I climbed up onto the ramparts and looked down on agricultural fields of sheep and cows. On a clear day, it's possible to see the lighthouse at Le Touquet, the coast and the River Canche.  The stone steps were a bit slippery but the limited views were still worth the climb.

Before leaving, we visited the gift shop and Sophie bought some biscuits for Vikesh. It had been a lovely visit and we hope to come back again when the weather is better!

We walked slowly back to the car, having a good look at the war memorial on the way. 

Sophie noted that several of the dead shared the same surnames...

Beautiful shuttered house

I've since learnt that Victor Hugo stayed briefly in the town and was inspired to write Les Miserables by a couple of events he witnessed. One of his characters, Fantine, was born in the town.

We got back into the car and programmed Trish to take us to Wimereux where we planned to have lunch. However, as we reached the end of the street and turned left, we came across two huge churches and a café open! There was parking so we decided to stop and have a hot drink before leaving the town.

The café was lovely and we ordered two hot chocolates "Viennois" and a Grimbergen beer for Keith, which came in a gorgeous etched glass.

Again, the staff were friendly and I think they do appreciate us talking a little French! It was lovely to sit and enjoy our drinks and watch the comings and goings outside.

Afterwards, we were going to have a look inside one of the churches, but we think Mass was taking place so we left. Driving out of the town, we saw yet another square with shops and restaurants! What a lovely town and we'll definitely be back, maybe even to stay!

The road to the autoroute took us through several beautiful villages and we saw a number of cyclists on the way who were splattered with thick mud! Obviously, in these parts, taking your bike onto muddy paths is de rigeur! We didn't see any large birds of prey, but some of the houses were gorgeous.

No room at the inn...

We turned onto the autoroute, went through a toll and drove the short distance to Wimereux, taking the same narrow road we took a couple of weeks ago. The town looked as busy as it had yesterday, and we had real difficulty finding a parking space, luckily taking the very last one in a car park some distance away from Les Oyats, where we planned to eat.

It was very grey and muggy, and the promenade was packed with people strolling along. We couldn't spot anything out at sea at all as there was a thick wall of mist. All of the restaurants looked full with potential diners waiting outside, and Les Oyats was no exception. We enquired about a table but were told they were full. Sophie was very disappointed as she'd wanted to eat there again, but wasn't going to have a Welsh!

We decided it was better to walk inland a bit so we headed towards the maze of streets behind the town and came across Au Comptoir, which had outside seating on the street. They were able to accommodate us inside so we took a seat by the window and had a look at the menu.

Sophie and I both chose the chicken "galettes" which turned out to be crispy pancakes containing an assortment of chicken, onions and potatoes. Keith had fish and chips again, accompanied by a beer. Sophie sipped a glass of white wine (a Sauvignon Blanc) and I chose a Chimay Bleue to accompany my meal.

Sophie's "galette"

My "galette" and beer

I'm glad I tried this new dish but I don't think I'll have it again! We both managed to find some room for pud - I chose tarte tatin, while Sophie opted for delicious profiteroles. Keith treated himself to an Irish whiskey liqueur coffee.

The restaurant had definitely filled up as we were eating but things were easing slightly when we paid the bill and left. We walked back to the car looking at the sweet houses on the way. Sophie and I talked about buying an apartment here and renting it out! If only!

Interesting door

This house would suit me!

Back at the car, we decided to head for Cité Europe as I wanted to go to Carrefour to buy some chocolates and beer. We headed back onto the A16, stopped to fill up with petrol (no trouble at all) and headed for Calais. Trish wouldn't accept Cité Europe or Coquelles so we had to follow signs. I took the slip road towards what I thought was the shopping centre, only to find it was just for the Eurotunnel check-in, so I started to panic. Sophie woke up from her food coma to calm me down and we managed to find an exit sign, but before getting back out onto the road, we did a lap of the pet check-in area...

Cité Europe looked suspiciously quiet and there were hardly any cars in the huge car park... we parked and walked towards one of the entrances, but it was all shut up. We soon realised that the shopping centre was mostly closed and Carrefour had shut at 12.30pm... oh well!

We managed to find our way without too much mishap to the car ferry check-in and were told we could take the 5.20pm boat back to Dover, which was another bonus as our original time was 6.50pm! We took our place in line, visited the conveniences and, on the way back, stopped to watch our ferry coming in to dock. It was a slow process but accomplished with much precision.

Once the doors were open and the ramps lowered, the lorries, coaches and buses started streaming off, making their way to France right below us. As soon as everything was off, we began to board! It was a very quick turnaround!

Our ferry, The Pride of Canterbury, was quiet and after a quick shop in the Duty-Free to buy a pack of cards and a notebook, Sophie and I played our version of Rummy for the entire voyage. Outside, the thick mist was still with us and just before we reached Dover we came to a complete standstill for about twenty minutes.

We eventually disembarked at 6pm and took the M2, M25 and M1 home. The sun was low in the sky the whole way so making driving quite difficult. I was very glad to reach home at about 9pm, have a drink and relax for an hour before bed!