A few miles on the clock!

Work was a tad stressful this morning as Emma came back to work with us, and Sheila had difficulty logging her onto the new phone system, so I had to take calls until lunchtime. Luckily, I wasn't facing as many emails as yesterday, and by the end of the afternoon, I had cleared them all.

The temperature in the car was registering just over 23c when I drove home, but it cooled down a little throughout the journey. I looked down at my mileometer and realised I would reach 185,000 miles on the way! Wow! That's a lot of mileage! My Audi still drives well, but the electrics are playing up a bit at the moment and the radio kept turning itself off!

As the weather had been so much better today, Keith had mowed the lawn so that looked a lot neater. I pootled about and when Sophie came home we watched half of another episode of Masterchef before dinner. We also booked our Airbnb for December and we're staying in a lovely house right next to the Calvari steps in Pollenca. We started looking at restaurants but we'll have to find out what will be open nearer the time! I'm hoping that there will be a good selection in both the old town and the port to choose from. 

Keith wrapped himself up and went to see Sileby play, and Sophie and I binge-watched Masterchef, so that's it for this week. No more newbies and next week is Knock-out week, but I'll have to wait until Sophie returns from Marrakesh to see the next three episodes. Talking of which, she noted that the temperature there is set to 40c. Now, that is hot!

No newbies...

I didn't feel good this morning, and Sophie didn't go to the gym as she felt a little hungover as well. Aren't we silly! However, I took a couple of paracetamol, had two coffees and felt a little better! My shift was busy and I had over 70 emails to deal with! As soon as I  cleared a load, more arrived!

I was enormously pleased when I made it to 4pm and could head home! I pottered about and spent the evening trying to rehydrate myself by having a big mug of tea and tonic water with lemon instead of the demon drink!

Sophie and I settled down to watch Masterchef before dinner. I had breadcrumbed the pork fillets so all I needed to do was pop them in the oven, cook the veggies and fry some mushrooms. 

Instead of six newbies this evening, the contestants were previous entrants, which we both found a little strange. If they weren't good enough before, why were they being given a second chance? We felt a little cheated as we love seeing newbies!

Getting squiffy...

The weather today has been horrible with torrential rain and heavy, grey skies. Sophie and I went to Tesco at Kettering to do some shopping and the roads on the way over were flooded. When is this rain ever going to stop?

Before going home, we called to see Mum and Dad and tried to get Netflix up and running again. However, there was a long wait on the phone so we gave up and just had a chat. The next time I visit I'll have to try again. I'm so annoyed with myself for not remembering the email address I used and the password!

Back home, we had lunch and tackled some jobs. There's always so much to do! I hoovered and mopped the kitchen and conservatory floors, Sophie prepared our breakfasts and lunches for tomorrow, and Keith chopped up a load of vegetables for tonight's dinner and bashed some pork fillets ready to be breadcrumbed. I also made banana and chocolate muffins as we had four brown bananas languishing in the fruit bowl. 

Vikesh came over to see Sophie and, as the rain had stopped, they went out for a walk. I treated myself to a muffin and a small glass of Calvados, which started a bit of a drinking spree...

When they got back Sophie wanted a glass of Calvados with her muffin, and as the old bottle was finished, we opened another... I had to try it to compare, so I poured myself another glass...

I sat with Vikesh and Sophie in the kitchen and read the papers while they chatted. We had a laugh at some old photographs of Sophie and she made us a Bourbon cocktail, followed by another, they were so good! We declared we didn't want the dinner we'd planned so we munched on sesame breadsticks with hummus instead!

Vikesh went home and Sophie and I sat in the living room where we watched the final episode of the documentaries about Indian railways, and then I made her watch Little Buddha, one of my favourite films. She wasn't keen at all, so we switched off the film and watched some more Come Dine With Me episodes. We decided to have another drink each which, on reflection, wasn't a wise idea... 

By bedtime, we were both feeling more than a little squiffy and collapsing in laughter over silly things. This is all well and good but not on a Sunday night when we have to be up early for work the next day!

Two days in one...

Friday

I know I say it every Friday, but the time has truly flown by at an alarming rate this week! It was my last day doing the cash-ups, thank goodness, but Sara is off after today, so I'll be solely responsible for the emails!

It was great to escape at 4pm and go home. Keith wasn't at the pub this evening, so he cooked a delicious curry for dinner, and Sophie and I enjoyed nibbles and wine while we relaxed before dinner. We have been watching old episodes of Come Dine With Me lately; some are hilarious!

Saturday

After a relaxing morning watching Saturday Kitchen Live, drinking coffee, and eating hot cross buns with Nutella, Sophie and I went to Kingsley Beauty Salon for a facial. Sophie had booked the beauty treatments as a treat, and I was looking forward to being cosseted for an hour! The owner of the salon was on the reception desk, and while we waited for our appointment we had a good chat. In the past, she's been a bit of a dragon but I think she's mellowed! She's now 72 and she said her Mum had been in the day before to get her "whiskers" removed, and is 101 years of age! How wonderful!

At the start of my lovely Hydradermie facial, I was wrapped in towels and I tried hard to relax. I expect it's because a complete stranger is getting very close to me and massaging my face, neck and shoulders! The facial was wonderful and the therapist used two different kinds of machines on my face, no doubt to deep clean and gently exfoliate my skin. I felt wonderful afterwards and slightly woozy! I also booked an appointment to look into getting rid of troublesome hairs with electrolysis but I have a feeling that may be more painful!

On the way home, we were naughty and enjoyed a McDonalds treat for lunch... It was definitely an indulgent day! Keith had gone to see Sileby play at Burton Latimer so it was wonderful to relax on the sofa and cuddle the cats. Outside it was grey and drizzly, and we have more rain forecast tomorrow.

Sophie and I enjoyed bourbon cocktails again this evening with pureed raspberries and Sophie put the finishing touches to our dinner of chicken casserole. She put a packet of gnocchi in with the casserole, and we had lots of vegetables to accompany the meal.

I introduced Sophie to Ever Decreasing Circles this evening, much to the disgust of Keith who went upstairs to watch the snooker. I picked out three hilarious episodes which had us both in stitches!

Time flies!

My shift at work sped by again as I had so much to do. As soon as I clear the emails, another load appear! I drove home at 2pm and spent an enjoyable afternoon catching up with chores and writing. 

Keith was out again this evening to see Sileby play, this time at home but a match against Moulton for the second time this week. Sophie and I enjoyed nibbles with wine - a fruity and full-bodied red for me and a white for Sophie. It's so cold at the moment that we are having the heating on every night, but this hasn't stopped the cats, in particular Gomez, from going out for most of the day. He was out all last night and only appeared as I got into my car this morning!

Our dinner was a simple one this evening - new potatoes, salads and little cocktail sausages. The nibbles we'd eaten earlier had filled me up a bit!

Keith came home at about 10pm and looked as chilled as ever, but he was pleased that Sileby had won this evening. Perhaps Sophie and I are not good luck for the team!

Little annoyances...

Sophie went to the gym a little later this morning and I had a lie-in. I do love Wednesday mornings! Once up and showered Keith and I drove to Burton Latimer to find the football ground there because Keith wants to see Sileby play on Saturday. Three games in one week! You can tell it's the end of the season!

We found the ground and headed back to Kettering to have a sandwich at Costa Coffee before popping into Tesco to get something for dinner this evening. There was a strange, sad atmosphere in Tesco today which I wasn't keen on, and I was glad when we'd completed our shopping and had left!

Back home, I pootled about and then popped over to see my parents. My Dad had asked me to get a book for him about life in Rome in ancient times and it had been delivered this morning. When I arrived at the care home he was sitting in reception. Asking what he was up to, I was told he was off out in the "Party Bus" (the care home special car) which I had noticed staff decorating with balloons as I walked in. Why didn't my Mum want to go?

I went up to see her and she looked a bit sad as well. I was annoyed that she'd turned down the invitation to go out and have a break from the room, but she said she wanted to see me. I spent an hour trying to reconnect the television to Netflix for her, but I couldn't remember which email address I'd used, so I was forced to give up, something that I always find annoying! Grrrr!

I went back home and did some housework and started the shopping list. This is the bit about Wednesday that I hate! Trying to come up with meals for the next few days and make the dishes interesting and appealing to all of us, is never an easy task! My Dad called minutes after I had hit my still-poorly thumb on the sink so I was in a foul mood. Rather than saying thank you for the book, he asked me for more things that he needed!

When Sophie returned from work we each made a drink (red wine for me, a vodka and tonic for her) and we settled down to watch the last half hour of Masterchef, which was bliss!

A testosterone-fuelled evening...

I had another busy shift at work and managed to get all the emails answered before I left at 4pm. I sped home as tonight we were eating far earlier than normal... we were all going to see the Mighty Sileby play! They were playing another local team, the Moulton Magpies, in a cup match in, of all places, Newport Pagnell! I knew the ground had to be neutral but it seemed crazy that two teams, only about fifteen minutes from where we live, had to play in another county!

Keith had said he wanted to go but didn't fancy the drive on his own, so Sophie and I said we'd accompany him. I was looking forward to seeing Sileby play for the first time but Sophie was worried she would know some of the Moulton team as she'd gone to school in the village!

We had dinner early and set off at about 7pm, taking the B526 to Newport Pagnell. With the aid of Googly, we found the ground easily and managed to squeeze into one of the last car parking spaces. There were cars parked everywhere, which surprised all of us!

It cost £8 each for Sophie and me to get in (£4 for Keith) which I thought was quite expensive! We took seats in the stand and settled down to watch the match. I'm glad we had all wrapped up as it was cold!

Sileby in red and black, Moulton in blue

Sophie did indeed know two of the players! One from Sileby who she sees in the gym, and one of the Moulton players went to her school! She huddled down further inside her coat!

Moulton took the lead, scoring two goals and then Sileby equalised. Sophie and I were a bit surprised by how much shouting was going on, and how much swearing... it was testosterone-heavy! Although I have seen Newcastle play twice, there's nothing like standing very close to a football match to get the real atmosphere and I loved it! The players were very passionate, and the supporters did their bit as well! We had to watch out for the ball coming towards us, and I was glad that Mikey didn't take up the game as a lot of the players were constantly heading the ball, which made me wince!

At half-time, we had a hot chocolate and a shortbread biscuit served by a very jovial couple who obviously loved their job. 

Sophie's hot chocolate

When the game started up again we stood on the other side of the ground, and Keith chatted to a couple of fellow Sileby supporters. The team are playing Moulton again on Thursday but at their own ground this time.

Sadly, Sileby had had their goalkeeper sent off in the first half so they were down to ten men and Moulton scored another two goals. We left just before the end of the game and relied on Googly to get us back to Northampton. She took us home on the M1, which was busy with lorries, but it was a lot quicker!

We arrived home at about 10.30pm and managed to lure the cats inside before bed. It had been a brilliant evening and, who knows, we may be allowed to go again!

The highs and the lows

Sheila is off on annual leave all this week so I was facing the daily cash-ups today, made a little more complicated by the addition of our two new soft play centres. They don't use the same computerised system as us, and also take cash, so I knew that it would take me a little while to input all the figures! Once they were done, I concentrated on the emails, so today flew by!

I was delighted to find Masterchef on BBC iPlayer this evening and planned to watch it when Sophie returned from work. Keith and I had prepared the vegetables for dinner and all we needed to do was bung everything in the oven, as we had decided on a chicken traybake served with cous cous. 

When Sophie came home, we put Masterchef on and watched most of it before dinner. We've noticed some brand new trends, and once fashionable cooking terms have fallen out of favour.

Ascending:

Risky fondants (whether chocolate or potato) are still popular. So far...7

Home-made pasta (always a risk, especially in the first round)...13

Panna cotta...4

Oils feature heavily too...10

There have been 4 veloutés, 3 crisps and 4 tuiles.

14 contestants have cited parents or grandparents as the inspiration for their cooking, while 11 liked to brag about travel as their driving force.

We've noticed new terms - fennel snow, compressed tomatoes, a parmesan collar (!) and a beetroot blanket.

Greg constantly uses the word "cookery" rather than just plain cooking and I wish we'd started counting that as well!

Descending:

So far, we haven't had any soufflés, poached pears, soils, consommés, sous-vides emulsions or creme pats. Obviously fallen way out of favour!

We've had 4 contestants crying, 4 sob stories and a vegan contestant cutting off the top of her finger. Arrgggh!! We really didn't need to see the little bit of skin on the knife! Happy watching!

If only dreams come true!

This Sunday morning was an almost exact replica of last Sunday! We took Soph to the gym, sat and read the papers and then popped to Boots. Back home, we made a belated breakfast of leftover new potatoes, bacon, and bread and butter, washed down with mugs of coffee.

I'd planned on cutting the back lawn, but the weather was chilly and breezy, and I just didn't fancy going out in the cold! Should the weather be a bit warmer by now? The grass is also quite damp and I don't think we've had a day without rain for ages (I'm probably wrong but it feels like that!).

I'd changed our bed first thing, so I needed to remake it with fresh sheets, and I gave the en-suite bathroom a good clean. We really need someone to replace the floor tiles, which we learnt a while ago, shouldn't be on the floor... A lot of them are cracked but it would mean either replacing all the tiles, including the ones on the wall which are the same, or matching floor tiles with the existing wall tiles. We'll get around to it one of these days!

I spent some of the afternoon relaxing on the bed with Gomey-cat and Sophie and then pootled about downstairs. Sophie went over to see Vikesh at about 4pm before they met up with his family for a birthday celebration meal in Wellingborough.

I decided to read some of my earlier blog entries from 2017 when we went to Florida, and I remembered that the bigwigs from Universal are gathering views from local residents regarding the prospect of having a theme park near Bedford... it sounds like an April Fool's joke but it's real, and if the plans get the go-ahead, we will have my favourite theme park less than an hour away! Can you imagine? I would be beside myself with excitement! The only thing missing will be the glorious (and sometimes too hot) Florida weather!

It will mean a huge number of jobs and an incredible boost to the local economy. I hardly dare dream about it, but who knows? And how long will it take to build once it gets the go-ahead? It seems amazing that Universal has parks in Orlando, Hollywood, Beijing, Singapore and Japan. And now, maybe, Bedford!

Universal UK Project |

As Sophie was out, Keith and I had a quiet evening,  but our daughter wasn't late. They had booked the table at the restaurant for 5pm so she was home for 8.30pm and suffering a little bit of Sunday syndrome!

An indulgence or two!

After a relaxed start to the weekend with Nutella-smeared hot cross buns, coffee and Matt Tebbutt, Sophie and I popped over to Tesco at Kettering to buy a few treats. I bought a pair of rubber gloves to cover my thumb, a bottle of Bourbon and a pack of ginger ale. Sophie treated herself to some new clothes, a bottle of Triple Sec and Angostura Bitters. She was planning to make some delicious cocktails this evening and drink them while we played Scrabble, something we haven't done for ages!

When we arrived back home, I put on one glove to protect my thumb and went outside to strim the front verge and weed the border. Sophie came out with me and we chatted for ages with a neighbour who has one of the biggest dogs I've ever seen! He came rushing at us to be stroked and nearly bowled us over! This neighbour actually has two massive dogs, but can only walk them one at a time!

Sophie disappeared back inside and prepared tonight's dinner, a Chinese chicken and broccoli stir fry, and I finished outside, making it look so much better. I put grass seed down onto the bare patches and cut back the bushes a little more. I'm determined to keep on top of them now and let the grass grow back. 

Keith went off to see Sileby play, and Vikesh came around to see Sophie, bringing with him lots of treats. He can definitely come again! We spent a very pleasant hour and a half chatting in the kitchen and Sophie made two delicious cocktails containing Bourbon, raspberry purée, Triple Sec and whole raspberries. I voted the drink the best she'd ever made!

Once Vikesh had gone, Sophie made us Cosmopolitans and we played Scrabble while listening to music. 

Her dinner was lovely, and she'd even made a cucumber salad to accompany the meal. After we'd eaten, we watched the film, The Sixth Sense, starring a gorgeous and youthful Bruce Willis. The film was brilliant but creepy!

We then discovered that on BBC2 there was a programme celebrating 60 years of music with 60 songs from over the years. It was worth staying up for! Outside, there was a stand-off with our cats and a neighbour's two moggies, but we were able to get them in for the night and have a cuddle before bed!

It's Friday!

I had great difficulty getting ready for work this morning with my poor thumb! The plaster became wet in the shower (obviously) and fell off so I attempted to dress and brush my hair with a flap of skin hanging loose and blood oozing out of the cut. I was unable to put socks on, and I managed to run my hand through my hair and get a couple of strands caught in it, which was excruciating! And buttoning up my trousers really hurt! I managed to put another two plasters on and I just hoped that it would be on the mend over the next couple of days!

Sara was off today, so I concentrated on answering emails, sorting out any stray orders that had slipped through the net, putting on a couple of weeks of films, and finishing the moan report. The time flew by, and before I knew it, it was 4pm and time for the weekend!

This evening, Sophie and I watched a brilliant documentary about a Parisian burglar who was nick-named Spider-Man because he stole from apartment blocks by scaling the walls and literally jumping from one roof to another. He had pulled off a spectacular art theft from the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, stealing paintings worth over 100 million euros! It was riveting and the man himself, Vjeran Tomic, was mesmerising! Amazingly, the police respected him as he never used violence and stole only from the wealthiest people. They were a bit miffed about the art thefts, though, and I won't give away the ending, but it was intriguing!

Keith had gone to the pub and Sophie and I enjoyed a bottle of Pinot Gris and nibbles to celebrate. It's Friday!

This made me chuckle!

I stole this from a post on the Facebook group, Dull Men's Club, and it truly made me laugh out loud! It was a story by Douglas Adams who wrote The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

"This actually did happen to a real person, and the real person is me. I had gone to catch a train. This was April 1976, in Cambridge, U.K. I was a bit early for the train. I’d gotten the time of the train wrong. I went to get myself a newspaper to do the crossword, and a cup of coffee and a packet of cookies. I went and sat at a table. I want you to picture the scene. It’s very important that you get this very clear in your mind. Here’s the table, newspaper, cup of coffee, packet of cookies. There’s a guy sitting opposite me, perfectly ordinary-looking guy wearing a business suit, carrying a briefcase. It didn’t look like he was going to do anything weird. What he did was this: he suddenly leaned across, picked up the packet of cookies, tore it open, took one out, and ate it.

Now this, I have to say, is the sort of thing the British are very bad at dealing with. There’s nothing in our background, upbringing, or education that teaches you how to deal with someone who in broad daylight has just stolen your cookies. You know what would happen if this had been South Central Los Angeles. There would have very quickly been gunfire, helicopters coming in, CNN, you know… But in the end, I did what any red-blooded Englishman would do: I ignored it. And I stared at the newspaper, took a sip of coffee, tried to do a clue in the newspaper, couldn’t do anything, and thought, What am I going to do?

In the end I thought Nothing for it, I’ll just have to go for it, and I tried very hard not to notice the fact that the packet was already mysteriously opened. I took out a cookie for myself. I thought, That settled him. But it hadn’t because a moment or two later he did it again. He took another cookie. Having not mentioned it the first time, it was somehow even harder to raise the subject the second time around. “Excuse me, I couldn’t help but notice…” I mean, it doesn’t really work.

We went through the whole packet like this. When I say the whole packet, I mean there were only about eight cookies, but it felt like a lifetime. He took one, I took one, he took one, I took one. Finally, when we got to the end, he stood up and walked away. Well, we exchanged meaningful looks, then he walked away, and I breathed a sigh of relief and sat back.

A moment or two later the train was coming in, so I tossed back the rest of my coffee, stood up, picked up the newspaper, and underneath the newspaper were my cookies. The thing I like particularly about this story is the sensation that somewhere in England there has been wandering around for the last quarter-century a perfectly ordinary guy who’s had the same exact story, only he doesn’t have the punch line."

Hilarious!

Miscommunications...

I woke up this morning to a message from Francisco saying he would let us know about his house in December as it wasn't normally available. It was a lovely house, and convenient for the town and restaurants, so we were hoping it would work out.

At work, I noticed a text from Keith asking if we'd put anything on his credit card last night? I said no, but when I called him, he said there was a payment of £600 pending... This sent me into a complete tizzy and I could only think that Francisco had somehow charged us already! Sophie was not happy at all, and I said I would sort it out this afternoon when I got home. I was beginning to regret making the decision to go away at Christmas! 

After a busy shift, I sped home and Keith and I tried to call his bank. I had messaged Francisco but he hadn't replied. We tried in vain to get through to the bank, and it was only when I checked my emails that I realised what had happened... and felt terrible! Apparently, last night, when we'd sent the reservation request, Airbnb had temporarily put a pending payment on Keith's card to make sure there were funds available. The payment was for the house that had been declined and not Francisco at all. I'm just glad I didn't go in all guns blazing! If I'd checked my emails this morning, all this would have been avoided...

Francisco did reply and told us how payment works with Airbnb. The hosts don't get any money until two days after the guests arrive, to make sure everything is working out. They have no access at all to our methods of payment. I felt awful!

So, we still have nowhere to stay at Christmas, but there was another house we liked but in a much higher price bracket. Typical!

This evening I made dinner of savoury mince crumble and I mixed the flour and butter using my new food blender. When I wiped the knife blade I managed to slice my thumb open, which was painful and inconvenient! Keith had to help me put a couple of plasters right on the end of my thumb but I soon realised that the thumb is involved in virtually everything we do as humans! Arrgghhh!

A sociable breakfast!

I'd arranged to meet my friend Lynda for coffee this morning, and we decided to visit Beckworth Emporium. I hadn't been for ages, put off the last time by the forty-minute wait for a table, so I was keen to go back.

As we arrived between breakfast and lunch, we were seated immediately, and we both ordered scrambled eggs on toast (getting our order in before breakfast finished at 11am!) and hot drinks. Sitting in the conservatory was pleasant, and the sun was warm on our faces as we chatted.

We both had a lot to catch up on, and we lingered over the late breakfast before having a look in the food shop and the homewares section. New buyers had taken over the business, and the prices were still extortionate! Most of it was stuff that people don't really need, and I resisted the urge to open my purse!

After saying goodbye to Lynda, I returned home, and Keith and I popped over to the care home with some things Mum and Dad needed. On the way home, we briefly flirted with the idea of going to the pub, but we were sensible and went home instead!

For some reason, the scrambled eggs had made me feel a little queasy and I spent the afternoon regretting choosing them! I had two small cans of Fevertree Ginger Ale and felt much better, thank goodness! Keith had prepared a carrot, swede and onion for me earlier, as I was making Mulligatawny soup for dinner, served with naan bread.

I fried the onion, swede, bacon, carrot and apple and then added curry powder, beef stock and tomato puree. I was astonished to discover we didn't have any mango chutney, a real staple in our household, so I added a couple of tablespoons of tamarind chutney I found in the cupboard instead. However, when I tasted the soup it didn't have the same mango chutney flavour so Keith and I had to trek over to Mawsley to buy a jar there.

Back home, I put a couple of good dollops into the soup and gave it a stir. It now tasted a lot better! 

I needn't have worried about the soup as it was delicious, rich and spicy. I cooked rice, added it to the soup and cooked a couple of naan breads. Delicious and so simple. Luckily, there was enough left for lunch tomorrow for Sophie and me.

After dinner, we looked at Airbnb houses for Christmas. We had saved some to a favourites list and we went through them, picking out two that we particularly liked. With Keith's agreement, we picked one and sent a reservation request. Unfortunately, the host came back almost immediately and apologised that the house was showing as available in December; she'd forgotten to alter the dates! Sophie was furious but we contacted Francisco, who hosted a house we'd stayed at in Pollenca back in 2019, and we asked him if he was prepared to let us stay there over Christmas. Fingers crossed!

A chaotic morning!

Chaos reigned at work this morning and I had to move desks as I couldn't log onto my computer. Sheila had been in early, setting up the new phones, but what she didn't know (and nobody had told her) was that each phone had to be married to its new user, otherwise, it wouldn't work. She only found that out by trial and error!

By 10am everything was set up and things going smoothly. After half an hour I came off the phone and concentrated on emails, orders and cancellations. Getting used to the new system will take a little time, and at almost 4.00pm when I was helping out, I didn't log off properly and received another call! I will learn from that!

This evening, Keith was off to see Sileby play and Sophie and I cooked the meatballs and pasta we should have had the other week. We watched Masterchef and learnt two new terms: fennel snow and compressed tomatoes... whatever next!

Our own meal was delightfully simple and delicious washed down with a good bottle of red wine. After we'd eaten, we booked the flights to Palma in December, so now we just need to find a place to stay for ten days. A townhouse in Pollenca would be ideal!

Keith returned from the football looking frozen as always and helped himself to some roast chicken pieces I'd heated up for him. Tomorrow I'm off... yippee!

Feeling humble...

Today was the last day at work that we would be using our current phone system, affiliated with our local council for years and years. We'd finally be free! Sara wasn't in today, so I had a busy day answering emails and trying to get some of the moan report completed.

Sophie and I were hoping to watch Masterchef tonight,  but annoyingly, it wasn't on BBC iPlayer... The next episode wasn't showing until Tuesday so obviously no sneak preview for us this evening! After dinner, we watched a moving documentary about a train that used to run across the border of India into Nepal from Jayanagar to Janakpur. The poverty of the people in the area was astonishing, and one woman, bringing up her two sons on her own, and caring for her mother, would smuggle goods from India across the border into Nepal to earn her living. It was a daring thing to do as she could have been stopped by the police and charged duty. The sheer determination and pluck of the woman, who was married at the age of 12, made me feel very humble, and I realised that I have nothing to complain about. 

The railway was in trouble and barely made enough money to pay its workers, so it was a truly interesting and eye-opening documentary, still available on BBC iPlayer, and well worth watching!

A day of treats!

Sophie wanted to run on the treadmill at the gym this morning, and as I needed to go out and get a few things from Aldi, I volunteered to drive her, sit in the car with the newspapers and then go shopping afterwards. Keith was also tempted to come, so it was a real family outing!

It was a gorgeous morning with plenty of sunshine, but there was a chilly wind, so it was lovely to sit in the shelter of the car and soak up the rays while we perused the papers. Sophie wasn't long, and when she arrived back, we popped into Aldi to get what I needed. Yesterday, I had finally decided to shell the bowl of nuts that we'd bought for a Christmas treat, and I'd found a recipe for little chocolate nut clusters that I wanted to try.

We bought chocolate, and a few more nuts to add to the ones we'd shelled yesterday and returned home, glad that our journey was over as the cyclists were out in full force, and taking advantage of the good weather to go for a ride!

We had brunch, and I turned the leftover potatoes and sausages from last night's barbecue into a sort of Spanish omelette. With crusty bread and coffee, it was a lovely meal, taken in the sunny conservatory for a change!

Once cleared away and washed up, I chopped the nuts and spread them on an oiled baking tray to roast in the oven for about twenty minutes. I then melted the dark and milk chocolate (using some of the chocolate egg that Vikesh had bought us at Easter) and combined honey with fruit juice. I coated the nuts with the honey and juice combination and put them back in the oven for another thirty minutes, stirring them once.

After their time in the oven, I let them cool a bit and then mixed them with the melted chocolate before spooning them into cake cases and popping them in the fridge to set. They looked yummy! Sophie, meanwhile, had hoovered the house and cleaned the bathroom so we were both very industrious! It was bliss to relax later with a naughty drink and a couple of nuts clusters each. We all agreed that they were delicious and I'm so glad I made use of the Christmas nuts!

Later in the afternoon, we indulged in a spot of pampering, and Sophie painted my nails and we had a face pack (I also had a foot pack). Lovely! We do love a spot of pampering on a Sunday afternoon while watching A Place in the Sun!

We had talked about Christmas 2024 today and plans to go away somewhere. I'd been looking at villas in Lanzarote, but over dinner, Keith suddenly announced he wanted to go to Mallorca... why hadn't he told us before? We all knew it wouldn't be red hot but the last time we visited in December, the temperatures were lovely and we saw plenty of sunshine.

Sophie and I immediately looked at flights with BA (no extra luggage fees) and saw favourable ones going out on the 23rd of December from Gatwick. We held them for £5 per flight, so we have to make a decision in the next couple of days!

Dog meets cats...

We had been promised higher temperatures and a sunny weekend so I was looking forward to the absence of muddy paw prints!

It was bliss to have a relaxing start to the weekend and Sophie and I sat and chatted in the kitchen over a cup of coffee. My daughter was seeing Vikesh, his brother and his sister-in-law today, and going for a walk over the fields with lunch at the pub. Reggie the dog was going with them and Vikesh wanted him to meet the cats...

I set to and tackled the conservatory, working my way around from one end to the other. I armed myself with bleach and cotton wool buds and wiped a line of bleach over some of the grouting that had gone mouldy over the winter. Within minutes, it had disappeared. I also cleaned the windows, the windowsills and the floor. I was delighted with the results and it looked so much cleaner and fresher when I finished. It was so gorgeous with the sun shining and the cats loved being in and out all day and having the freedom to come and go as they wished.

Vikesh and his family arrived and brought Reggie into the house, which sent scaredy-cat Mooney running upstairs in a panic! I excused my appearance - I looked like a bag lady, but I had been working hard!

Keith went to see Sileby play this afternoon so I had an hour to myself. I finished the cleaning, hoovered the downstairs of the house and had a shower. At 4pm, much against my will, I watched the Grand National, even though I really didn't want to! I am so perverse! A horse was running called Coko Beach and I hadn't had time to put a bet on it, but it didn't win. I would have been mad if it had as we've been to the real Cocoa Beach in Florida! I Am Maximus won, the joint favourite, and the race looked a lot better than in previous years. I was thrilled that no horses were hurt in the race!

Sophie returned with Vikesh, Dhiren and Chandni and we chatted for about half an hour. The cats had done a runner again, spooked by the appearance of a doggy in the house!

Predictably, as the day wore on, the skies clouded over, just in time for our first barbecue of the year. Sophie made us French Martinis and we watched the end of the film we'd started last night. Keith barbecued on the driveway while we cooked new potatoes, made a salad and fried some onions. The meal was delicious!

Thank goodness! It's Friday!

This has been my first full week of working so I was glad today was Friday. Yippee! I had another busy shift at work and Sheila trained me on the new phone system. We will be working from a full screen which will show the telephone number, how long the call has lasted, and lots of other information. 

Apparently, our management will be able to download reports of how long we're on a call, what type of calls we're dealing with, and how long we're logged off... Big Brother is watching you! I'm not at all worried as I really only take calls when the lines are busy, or when I'm covering someone who is off, but it will be interesting to see if we still have a wallboard and whether we all show as being ready to take a call! It's set to go live next Tuesday. If it does, I will be amazed!

I sped home at 4pm and relaxed until Sophie came home. Tonight, we cracked open her bottle of Taittinger Nocturne Champagne, and by golly, it was delicious! It was toasty and full-bodied and I could see why it's over £40 a bottle!

Keith went to the pub and after dinner, we watched The Masters from Augusta. There is a little standing joke in our family that I have an affinity with Bryson de Chambeau... the first time I ever saw him play golf I commented on his posh French name, and ever since, whenever I walk into the room or even turn the television on and the golf is showing, he's on the screen. He's only 30, so still a baby, but maybe he's my long-lost son, the one I never knew I had!

A little dreaming!

I had a busy shift at work, catching up with emails and trying to do some more of the moan report. Before I knew it, it was 2pm and time to go home!

After a little time at home, I went over to see Mum and Dad and sat with them for an hour. I took them some lemonade and chocolates and we chatted about Sophie's birthday until I left to go home. Once back, I mopped the conservatory floor as the cats had left muddy footprints everywhere! I will be so glad when this rain stops! Looking around this space, I noticed how badly it needs a good clean, so that will be a job for this weekend... I feel we've neglected it lately, and the cats have taken over!

After dinner this evening (an easy breaded fish and mash) Sophie and I watched the new episode of Race Across The World. I am so tempted to apply for this - there are two mother-and-daughter teams - but I'm not sure I could face the reality of constantly being on the move! Or living on a tiny budget every day! But I have to admit it's so interesting being thrown into a strange country and having a goal to achieve. The language barrier looks to be a real challenge with this series and I can't wait to watch the rest!

Just pottering

Today, I have been mostly pottering about and doing jobs. I felt a lot better and had more energy, so I managed to do exciting things such as clean the fridge, tidy the cupboards and tackle the shopping list. It was great knowing I hadn't got to go anywhere! I'm sure the Covid era has made me a bit of a recluse!

So, although we didn't go anywhere, I kept busy, and by the time Sophie came home from work, the house was looking lovely, we had started thinking about the meals for the rest of the week, and we could relax before cooking dinner.

Sophie cooked fajitas, and I showed Keith how to wrap one up properly so the filling didn't ooze everywhere. He ignored my advice and put so much meat, rice, cheese and nachos inside that it collapsed into a heap on his plate!  I pride myself that nothing falls out and my plate stays clean!

After dinner, Sophie and I watched the last Masterchef of the week. The food critic was Jay Rayner who wanted the contestants to make a pie. Our favourite at the moment is Lee, a Brummie who can certainly cook well. My prediction is that he will be in the final three! Watch this space!

Feeling better

After a good night's sleep, I did feel a little better, but I wasn't completely back to my old self. I managed to clear all the emails today and make a start on the moan report. We are getting ready for a new phone system at work, which is due to go live next week. I expect it won't go smoothly so that will be fun!

Keith cooked this evening while Sophie and I watched an episode of Hunted. I didn't have a proper drink again tonight, so that was good. I felt better, and not so cold, so I'm hoping I'm on the mend. I'll just have to avoid spring rolls in the future!

Sophie and I went upstairs with the Gomes and watched Masterchef again. With the programme available on iPlayer, we can watch whenever we want! Gomes was so affectionate; I think he realises now that he can go upstairs in the evening, and as long as we close the spare room door, he behaves himself! We say "Gomes of the Gomezes" and he loves it! Mooney prefers to stay downstairs on the footstool and certainly doesn't cuddle up to anyone! He is very much like Monty in that respect, while Gomez is Archie all over again! We've noticed that they're not using the litter tray so much now, which is a relief. The one thing we're all waiting for is warmer and sunnier weather! Bring it on!

Feeling a little off colour!

Work was busy today and there were lots of emails awaiting my attention, and many of them were moany. Not a great start to a new week! I still felt rough and steered clear of any wheat today, just having a tin of tomato soup for lunch.

At 4pm I sped home and discovered that Keith hadn't taken some items to the care home that I'd asked him to... he'd completely forgotten! He said he would go on his own but I didn't have the heart to let him, so we both drove over. The traffic was awful and it was a relief to get home and relax.

Sophie sorted out the meal tonight so I could sit and feel miserable. We had leftovers from yesterday and Keith had the remains of the Chinese meal. I knew I didn't feel well when I abstained from alcohol this evening! 

We watched the Masterchef on BBC iPlayer and by 9pm I was more than ready for bed. All evening I hadn't been able to get warm and sat huddled in a throw on the sofa! I just hope I feel better tomorrow!

Yet more celebrations!

Sophie and I went to Aldi this morning to buy groceries for lunch, as Sophie's friend, Laura, was coming over. We bought salad, cold meats, cheeses and crackers and returned home to clean downstairs. I felt a little out of sorts today, for some reason, and all I really wanted to do was go and lie down somewhere quiet!

Laura arrived a little later than planned because of car troubles, and before lunch, we enjoyed a glass or two of Rosé Prosecco and nibbles. Laura had bought tulips so the house was looking beautifully Spring-like! She had also treated Sophie to "Tipples and Treats" at a restaurant in London called Cahoots, so Sophie was delighted!

We sat in the sunny conservatory and ate a lovely lunch whilst having a good chat. After we'd eaten, I left Sophie and Laura to gossip, cleared away, stacked the dishwasher and sat with Keith in the living room. He'd been watching Liverpool and Manchester United play football, and Sophie showed an interest in the result as she wanted Liverpool (the team Vikesh supports) to win!

We all enjoyed a slice of ice cream cake and Laura's Mum arrived at 6pm to give her a lift home. Wilbur, Laura's dog, was with her in the car and he pricked his ears up when he saw her looking through the front window!

We spent a quiet evening doing very little and I developed gripey tummy pains. I suspected that the spring rolls I'd enjoyed last night were the culprits and feared I'd have a couple of days of cramps... not really what I wanted!

More birthday celebrations!

Today has been relaxed and enjoyable, with Sophie going out for lunch with Vikesh to The Tollemache Arms in Harrington for more birthday celebrations! 

While Sophie was getting ready to go out, I made her ice cream cake, putting slices of chocolate Swiss roll on the bottom, followed by vanilla ice cream, another layer of cake and then mint choc chip ice cream. I added marshmallows, tiny chocolate "mini jazzies" and squirty cream. I was pleased with the result!

I wrapped it loosely in foil and popped it back into the freeze to have later, when Sophie and Vikesh returned from the pub.

Keith went to see Sileby play (it's been a beautiful day, but windy; Storm Kathleen is with us at the moment!) and just after he left, Sophie and Vikesh came home. I had been looking forward to a quiet afternoon to myself, but Sophie said that Vikesh couldn't wait to have the ice cream cake for dessert!

I went upstairs for a long shower, and when I came back down we enjoyed a slice of ice cream cake. It was delicious! 

Nothing had really been planned for dinner tonight, but there was nothing I fancied in the fridge, so we decided to have a Chinese takeaway. It was still Sophie's birthday weekend! The meal arrived and was delicious, especially the spring rolls I ordered, which were crispy and hot!

After eating, we watched a couple of episodes of a Netflix documentary about a series of murders in Berlin. It was great to see occasional glimpses of our favourite city!

A day of celebrations!

Having a little lie-in this morning to celebrate Sophie's birthday was lovely! As soon as she was up, she opened her cards and presents and was delighted with the gifts she received. She was surprised about the duvet cover and pillowcases, but loved the design! The Champagne went into the fridge for later, and she loved the long cocktail spoon we'd bought her the best!

I suggested a McDonald's breakfast as a treat, so we left a little earlier than planned and drove to Weston Favell. Rather than go through the drive-thru, we went into the restaurant and enjoyed the egg and sausage McMuffins, hash browns and orange juice.

We had a fairly good journey to Oxford until we reached the M40 and were held up for about fifteen minutes. We arrived at Peartree Park and Ride by lunchtime and were soon sat on the bus for the short journey into Oxford city centre.

We made straight for the Ashmolean Museum and enjoyed a hot drink in the busy café in the basement before having a look in the gift shop, which had several beautiful items for sale. I chose a new journal and a pen, and Sophie bought a little bag and a postcard. We then headed up to the top floor to look at the paintings, slowly making our way back down to the ground floor, taking in European art, beautiful artefacts from India and Nepal, and looking at fascinating maps of Europe and Asia.

At 2pm we left and made our way to Ship Street, popping into a gorgeous cheese shop to see if they had any Comté. The shop only specialised in British cheeses so they let us try two similar ones which were delicious. We picked out the Lincolnshire Poacher and bought a healthy chunk to nibble on at home this evening.

No 1 Ship Street was opposite and the restaurant was quiet. We took a seat by the window so I had a good view out onto the busy street.

Our waiter was friendly and attentive (I suspected he fancied Sophie!) and told us about the fishy specials on the board: whole lobster Thermidor at £45, and oysters. We chose the set lunchtime menu with mushroom croquettes to start followed by brisket on a bed of mashed polenta. We ordered a carafe of Portuguese red and settled back to enjoy Sophie's birthday meal.

The food and wine were very good and it was lovely to sit and chat. There was no loud music and the staff were very discreet. We almost had the place to ourselves! Some more diners did arrive so that allowed us to people-watch! 

We indulged in a dessert of Basque cheesecake (one of the staff added a birthday candle!) and Sophie enjoyed a Dirty Martini cocktail, made expertly by the Maitre D'. He was delighted when Sophie said it was one of the best she'd ever had!

Neither of us was in any hurry to leave as it had been such a lovely, enjoyable lunch. We paid the bill and walked the short distance back to the bus stop, which was mobbed with people all trying to get onto the bus back to the Park and Ride. We decided to wait for the next one, which arrived a couple of minutes after the previous bus had left. It meant we had seats!

There are a lot of roadworks going on around the Park and Ride, and when we exited the car park we had to turn left and go up to a very busy roundabout before getting back onto the A34. Unfortunately, our journey home was slow and we became snarled up in several traffic jams along the A34 and the M40.  

We arrived home at about 6.30pm, and Vikesh asked if he could come over and see Sophie and give her the gifts he'd bought for her. We rushed around tidying up, and he arrived just before Keith came home from the pub.

Sophie did extremely well! Vikesh had ordered wrapping paper with photos of her all over it, which was hilarious!

Before she opened her presents, she made us cocktails and used her new spoon!

Vikesh bought Sophie a pair of Birkenstock sandals for her birthday, as well as a little black furry cat keyring, a pack of black cat playing cards and a lovely Japanese cat tee-shirt. She was delighted!

Vikesh stayed all evening and it was lovely and relaxed. Keith watched the snooker on the television, and it was great to sit and chat and have a laugh. A perfect day!

Some photos, courtesy of Sophie, from today:

Sophie's favourite painting

Flooded roads

Sophie didn't go to the gym this morning because of having a bad headache, and when I left at 7.30am to go to work, I came across a huge puddle of water in Holcot, by the duck pond. It was deep and cars had to take turns going through. I called Sophie and warned her,.

Today has been busy with work emails, and when I finished at 2pm, I sped over to the care home to collect Mum to take her to have her nails done. I'd forgotten to get any cash out, so we had to pop to Mawsley to use the cashpoint and it made us late! I drove down the single-track road, Newlands, into the village, and it was like a cart track with huge potholes and puddles of water! The rain just pours off the fields and has nowhere to go!

It was lovely to sit and relax while Mum was attended to, and then it was full pelt back to Kettering before heading home. I was so looking forward to a day off tomorrow to celebrate Sophie's birthday! Keith was supposed to be going to watch Sileby, but the match was called off...again!

Cake hunting!

We awoke to another dull, dismal day with heavy grey skies and rain. We are so fed up with this now! I think this has been the wettest winter on record!

Sophie was working in the office today, and it'll be a while before she works from home again as she has some new staff starting over the next few weeks. Keith and I decided to visit the international supermarket in town to look for Eastern European cream cakes, but they didn't have any suitable ones. We even went into Iceland to look for ice cream cakes... what a depressing experience!

Before heading home, we popped into B&Q to look for tile adhesive, but they only had big tubs, and we only wanted a little tube to fix together the tiles we bought in Lisbon. What a waste of time!

We headed home, had something to eat, and I caught up with some jobs. I called my Mum and arranged to meet her a little earlier so I could return home and mop the floors where the cats had trodden mud everywhere! It has rained off and on all day, and has been totally miserable!

I collected Mum, and we tried to take back some of the clothes she'd bought the other week. We didn't have a lot of success, as I'd shredded the receipt, and she had taken a few of the tags off! We managed to swap a pair of trousers for one in a smaller size, but the pyjamas she bought will be suitable for Sophie if a little on the large size!

After a coffee, we did our shopping, and I bought the ingredients for an ice cream cake for Sophie's birthday. I also bought a new duvet cover for her and a birthday card from the cats. Mum treated her to the Taittinger champagne she wanted, so I think she's done very well! I had also ordered a bottle of cherry liqueur and a new stirrer and muddler from Amazon for her to use when she makes cocktails. 

I dropped Mum off and returned home to clean downstairs. Once the cats were in, we kept them in the house as I didn't want muddy pawprints everywhere again. We had a few miaows of protest, but Gomez was happy to go upstairs and sleep in our bedroom. While he was up there, Mooney went up, too, and I heard a few hisses and growls. I do think that Mooney bullies Gomey a bit, which I worry about when they're left on their own downstairs all night.

We discovered tonight that we could watch  Masterchef on BBC iPlayer ahead of the scheduled time! We have a couple of new terms to add to our list - granola and bonbons!

A rare sighting...

Work was a little stressful this morning and I had to jump on the phone to help Angela and Kathy as the Easter holidays have kicked in. We had no Sara or Nicola, and Sheila was busy herself so I knuckled down and did as much as I could, sending out another mass email to a group of parents who had been offered a month's free membership for their children.

It was lovely to get home and relax, but the rest of my week is going to be busy! I'm seeing Mum tomorrow and also taking her to have her nails down on Thursday, and of course, it's Soph's birthday on Friday!

There was no Masterchef tonight, and Keith watched Newcastle play Everton, so not really a scintillating evening! We had trouble getting the cats in again and had to give up with Gomez who refused to come in. Keith had told us this evening that he came face to face with a badger earlier today, which amazed us! He said at first he thought it was a cat but then realised it was a badger and it went under Vince's car. He was a bit worried about the cats coming upon it, but they must have kept well away!

Fresh meat!

I was working with Jo today, and we had a busy shift, answering many phone calls, mostly about swim times and whether customers needed to book, information that can be readily found on our website!

At 2pm, I sped home and sat with Sophie to chat about her weekend away. She had brought some goodies home with her, so we sat, had a cup of tea, and caught up. It was a gorgeous afternoon of sunshine, blue skies and white fluffy clouds. Why couldn't it have been like this yesterday?

I was pleased to get some jobs completed this afternoon: we sorted out the doors and windows in the conservatory by using WD40 on the locking mechanisms, and put up our two new pictures that we bought in Alfama, in Lisbon. They're at the bottom of the stairs so we'll be reminded of our break every time we go downstairs! I also sewed a button onto my work trousers so it felt good to get some little jobs done.

At 6.30pm we settled ourselves down to watch the new series of Masterchef, which is celebrating 20 years in its current format (before that Loyd Grossman was at the helm and the programme was very different). We love the first programmes with the newbies all trying to impress Greg and John! Fresh meat! We had our list of culinary terms ready and within the first hour, we'd had two contestants crying, a panna cotta, a tuille, a gel and a new term, granola! This, I think, replaces a crumb!

Our dinner tonight was a delicious beefy casserole that we should have had last night. Sophie and I opened a magnum of red wine to accompany the meal - we didn't drink it all!