A quieter day!

Amazingly, Sophie was able to drive through Holcot today as the water had subsided. It is properly dark in the mornings now, and we faced another unsettled day of rain and grey skies.

I was busy at work again but at least I had an uneventful journey home tonight, and it took me twenty minutes rather than an hour and a half like it did yesterday!

It was Keith's birthday and he didn't open his presents and cards until Sophie arrived home in the evening. We'd bought him a new winter shirt and a lightweight jacket, which I think he was pleased with! You can never tell with Keith!

We were playing cards in the kitchen when Vikesh popped around with a card and a gift - a big poster celebrating Newcastle United, which he'll frame and put on the wall. That was a lovely touch! We didn't hear from Mike but he's probably in the middle of Vietnam so we'll forgive him!

Sophie showed me a video before dinner of Keir Starmer saying "Return the sausages" rather than hostages, which I thought was hilarious! The way he speaks, with pauses for effect, drives me mad, so it was so funny to hear him make a real goof!

Flood!

For once, the weather warnings in place for today were accurate and we've had heavy rain all day. I was busy at work and the time flew by in a blur of emails! I was just walking out of the office to meet Keith when he called me to say that Holcot was flooded, with several cars stranded in the water, so he'd been held up.

I went back into the office to wait but went out again at 4.15pm to see him enter the car park. Abbie had sent me a couple of photographs from their evening out in Vietnam, and the array of Belgian beers they could choose from! How surreal! I told her the weather was atrocious and she'd already heard from her Mum who lives in town. We have flood warnings out for several areas of the county and as I looked out onto the sodden car park, I could understand why! 

Keith and I decided to drive home via Moulton Park and Brixworth rather than the busy A43, but it turned out to be the wrong decision! We managed to get through Moulton Park but the traffic ground to a halt on the outskirts of the estate, so we decided to head to Moulton instead.

The roads were crammed with cars and were very wet. We made our way to the outskirts of Moulton and turned left to go past the college. As we made our way past, we could see cars turning around and realised that a deep flood covered the road further on. We had no choice but to go into the car park (which brought back memories of taking Mike to Army Cadets!) and try and think of another way to get home!

We told Sophie to avoid Holcot at all costs and drove out of the village and onto the A43 which was at a standstill by the Shell garage. It did not bode well! However, once we were past a flooded stretch of the road where cars were having to crawl through, we made good time to the turn-off to Hannington and home. What a relief! The last thing we wanted this week was for something to go wrong with the car!

Sophie arrived home shortly after us, and did most of the evening chores, bless her! Keith and I played cards and we had a very simple dinner of fish and mashed potatoes. The rain continued to fall all evening and we doubted very much whether we'd be able to get through Holcot tomorrow!

Rain, rain go away!

Foolishly, I allowed Gomez to sleep on our bed last night because of the stormy weather. He repaid our kindness by doing a wee on the bed... I woke up and smelt something strange, and my fears were realised when I touched the quilt cover. It was 6.30am, and I hadn't gone to bed until 1am, so I was shattered. I stripped the bed, turned the quilt around, took Gomez downstairs, and fed both cats before returning upstairs. However, the thought of a lie-in in a piddly bed did not appeal!

Outside, it was still raining, and it was dark and gloomy. I washed up the glasses from last night, and Keith wandered in looking bleary. He helped me unload the dishwasher and put everything away, and we sat at the kitchen island chatting with our cups of tea and coffee. I now faced a mound of laundry and trying to wash my giant super-king duvet, something I  could well have done without! 

We had a warning for rain again today, so there was absolutely no chance of getting any of the laundry out on the line to dry. I was annoyed about the cat as he could easily have gone downstairs and used the litter tray.

When Sophie woke up she suggested putting the soiled part of the duvet into the bath and soaking it in hot soapy water, which is what we did, but it was so heavy! We then sorted out the laundry and freshened up as Isla, our neighbour's daughter from across the road who looks after the cats, was coming over for a chat. 

We explained that we had decided to keep them in for the week as it would be easier for her. We didn't want her to worry about trying to get Gomez in late at night! She seemed very happy and I told her about our other holiday dates next year. It's great to have someone close who is happy to care for Gomez and Mooney while we're away.

Once Isla had departed, Sophie and I sloshed our way over to Tesco in Kettering. Sophie was looking for a few bits and pieces for the holiday and we had a little shopping to get. After we'd finished, we drove over to see Mum and Dad but they were just about to have lunch so we dropped off some things for them, returned to the Timpson's outlet where Sophie had had a pair of shoes repaired and fled home through the rain. 

It has rained all day today and it was forecast to get heavier. Sophie prepared tonight's soup while I constantly filled and emptied the washing machine and tumble dryer. There was always something to be done! We had also squeezed as much water out of the wet part of the duvet as we could, and it was now hanging over the airing cupboard door. I attempted to dry it with a hair dryer but gave up!

We finally sat down with a glass of wine in the early evening, and I felt shattered! Plans to have a sneaky nap in the afternoon had fallen through and I was longing for a good night's sleep! Sophie's soup was delicious and she had put some soup pasta in the pan, along with tomatoes, onions and garlic. 

As the evening wore on, the rain became heavier and our Amber weather warning kicked in. It was heaven to relax in the living room after dinner and watch television and we saw the first episode of an adaptation of a Lianne Moriarty novel, Apples Never Fall. Bliss!

A huge clap!

Annoyingly, I was awake at 6.30am this morning so I decided to get up, have a coffee and make a start on the day! It meant I'd put a colour on my hair before 9am, which I was pleased about as it's one chore I hate! Sophie prepared tonight's dessert of Tiramisu while Keith bashed, then cut steak for the stroganoff.

We're looking forward to having Liam and Sarah around for a meal and a good catch-up! It's been a couple of years since we've seen them so there'll be plenty to chat about. I miss having them as neighbours!

At 10.30am, I drove Sophie into Northampton as she had an appointment at the beauty salon. The roads were busy with weekend traffic and it was great to be able to sit in the car and relax for twenty minutes! On the way home, we called into Waitrose and I topped up our white wine stock and bought some Elderflower Pressé for Sarah. Outside, it was lovely and sunny but we had a weather warning out for thunderstorms today, and heavy rain.

Back home, Sophie and I cleaned, set the table and made the house look beautiful. I also did a couple of loads of washing, but with the second one, I decided not to hang the laundry on the line... about half an hour after I'd put the clothes into the tumble dryer, the heavens opened! We then saw flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder close together. Sophie tried in vain to get the cats in, and she saw Mooney streak across the garden and dive under a bush. No amount of calling would get him to come out, and the storm then became a lot worse...

We were in the kitchen, saw a bright flash of lightning and then perhaps the loudest clap of thunder I'd ever heard! It brought me out in goosebumps! Sophie screamed and we realised it must have been right over us. It knocked out the electricity and our internet and Sky connections!

The storm rumbled on for most of the afternoon and we had torrential rain which turned the road outside the house into a river! When it abated slightly, Mooney came running into the house, soaking wet! Sophie gathered him up into a towel to dry him off and we gave him a cat yoghurt!

There was no sign of Gomez and we have no idea where he goes during the day. We can call and call him and he rarely appears before nightfall. As a treat, and because we'd finished all of our preparations, Sophie made us both an Americano - Campari, sweet vermouth and soda. Delicious!

My daughter also very kindly painted my toenails and fingernails, and we were able to relax for a while before the evening. I had another shower and washed my hair again, and by 6pm we were downstairs cooking the meal. I lit loads of candles and the house looked lovely and cosy. 

Sarah and Liam arrived at 7pm and it was great to see them again. We chatted and had a drink and then I gave Liam the gift I'd bought for his birthday back in July - a bottle of Canadian whisky called Bearface, as they had been in Canada earlier in the year and had seen lots of bears!

We stood in the kitchen, nibbling on crisps and dips while Sophie put the finishing touches to the meal. It was a great evening and there was a lot of laughter around the table! Sophie's individual Tiramisu went down well, and we managed to get through several bottles of red wine and an equal amount of beer! It was gone midnight by the time they left! The time flew!

We sat and relaxed for half an hour and watched more flashes of lightning through the window. Keith said it was harvest lightning which normally follows a spell of hot weather. We heard rumbles of thunder, but by now, both cats were safe in the house!

Phew! It's Friday!

Weird things are happening at the moment in our office and making our jobs a little bit harder! We thought the phones were going to go down at one point and then, for a brief moment, the computers froze! I managed to finish the moan report and I put another week of films onto the system. I also put on the first week of the Christmas playscheme places (they'll be here before we know it!) and cleared all the emails, so I was happy I'd managed to get such a lot achieved despite the tech niggles!

I drove home in the sunshine, and there was no trace of any storm clouds above. We had a weather warning for thunderstorms today, and I was looking forward to a good bout of thunder and lightning, but as usual, we had nothing.

I did some admin chores on our computer and then started watching All Creatures Great and Small on the television, but I kept nodding off! It's been a busy week! Sophie arrived home and we picked out our wine for the evening - a New Zealand Pinot Gris. This time next week, we'll be getting very excited!

Keith went to the pub and I popped potatoes into the oven to bake for dinner. Sophie and I watched the last episode of Race Across The World and I think we both felt a bit emotional at the end! I sometimes listen to Scott Mills on the way home from work on Thursday (I still miss Steve Wright, though) and he kept the news very quiet!

After our very simple supper, Sophie and I watched an old episode of Fake or Fortune, followed by Gardener's World, which sent Sophie to sleep! We both have a busy day tomorrow, so it was an early night! No dancing around the living room at midnight with the cats this evening!

Crime scene!

I had a busy shift at work and concentrated on trying to complete the moan report to cross it off my list of things to do. I always feel a sense of relief when it's finished!

Keith collected me at 2pm and I decided to clean the conservatory as soon as we arrived home. There was a dead shrew in the middle of the floor, which was a lovely gift for us, and multiple dead flies! I put several of the cushion covers in the washing machine to freshen them up and sponged the sofa to get rid of any traces of the cats.

When I pulled the sofa away from the wall to clean behind it, I discovered a crime scene of dead things and dried-up bodily fluids. It was horrible! What on earth do the cats get up to? I ran some very hot water into a bucket, hoovered and then mopped the floor. I also cleaned the window sills (again) and by the time I'd finished, it was looking so much better and cleaner!

Once finished, I hoovered the living room and mopped the kitchen floor. I felt like I'd made good use of my Thursday afternoon off! There's nothing like having people around for dinner to focus the mind on giving the house a good clean. Well, for me anyway!

An expensive day!

We were up and out of the house by 7.45am this morning to take the Golf for a pre-holiday service. Sophie drove me and was in the tetchiest of moods. I am the world's worst passenger and put my foot down on a non-existent brake several times, much to her intense annoyance. After we'd dropped the Golf off at the garage, she threw a wobbler and made me drive her to work. I don't think she was happy about us having to use her car today!

We dropped her off and went home on the scenic route because of the traffic on the A45. Back home, it was time for a coffee, a couple of pastries that I baked and then threw away as they tasted strange, and a few chores before we went to Tesco.

We were shopping for our holiday this morning, as well as some bits for Saturday night and my head was all over the place trying to remember what we needed, even though I'd written a list! I bought some delicious nibbles, a bottle of Cava and a bottle of Porta 6 red wine as our friends have just returned from Portugal. I just about managed to remember to get us something for lunch!

As we came out of Tesco, the garage called to say the Golf was ready... and it would be £450 as it needed new brake discs and pads and had had a full service. It was a bit more than we'd expected, but at least we have peace of mind before we go away!

We returned home, dropped off the shopping and went to collect the car. I was glad it was ready early as I didn't want to use Sophie's car this afternoon for more errands! We had lunch and a cup of tea and I did some more chores before we ventured out again, this time to have a sneaky peek at the Highfields office, and to go to Jones's. Highfields finally got back to us with a quote for four new panes of glass for the conservatory roof and a new pane of glass with a catflap for the door. We've accepted it and the work will hopefully be completed after our holiday.

We drove to where we thought they were but the building was up for let. I'd had a feeling they'd moved and I was proved right when I Googled their new address, which was near Jones's. We tried unsuccessfully to find the office, just to put our minds at rest that they were still operating as before, but we gave up as the road they were situated on was full of cars and forklift trucks!

At Jones's, I ignored all the Christmas decorations and we bought a couple of items for Saturday night - new placemats, a new corkscrew and a salt and pepper pot! From Jones's, we drove through heavy traffic into town where I dropped one of my summer dresses off at a repair shop. They said they'd have it back to me late next week... I hope so!

Our last place to go before picking Sophie up from work was Dobbies garden centre where Keith picked out a new pair of shoes for the holiday at the Pavers outlet. Phew! We have spent a few pennies today! We drove back to Brackmills to collect Sophie and I was amazed at how heavy the traffic was!

Back home, we relaxed and indulged in a Tesco family lasagne, garlic bread and salad. I had a much-needed G&T - I think I deserved it after my busy day!

I give a pint.

I had another hectic day at work and helped out with calls when I could as Sheila managed to get my phone working again. As is usual for a Tuesday, the office was noisy and it was a relief to get out at 4pm and head to Moulton where I had an appointment to give blood.

Sophie also left at 4pm and said there'd been a serious accident on the A45 so she was forced to go another way home. Keith had driven me today, as he'd been shopping, so he had to sit and wait for me to give blood. I hadn't realised it had been three years since I'd last donated so I was subjected to a Spanish Inquisition when I sat down with one of the staff for my initial discussion. She was quite a scary woman and asked me to give her details of all the operations and procedures I'd had since I was a child... what? Why? The questions are becoming ever more intrusive and one of them in the booklet you're handed when you arrive was unbelievable! I won't repeat it here but if you had indulged in this with a partner, you weren't able to give blood for three months! My eyes nearly popped out of my head!

I managed to remember the very few operations I'd had, including my tonsils out when I was about eight, but why that was so important, I didn't dare ask. I then had to see a burly nurse because of this, and then I was actually free to give blood. Hooray! Every now and again, the blood service cries out for donations, but it's no wonder that they're short if they're so particular about who can give!

This evening was my 45th pint, but I know I've donated more than that as I started when I was 17, but stopped after I went to Nepal when I was 19. The nurse was skilful at inserting the needle in my arm so all went smoothly, thank goodness!

After a glass of water and a Club biscuit, I re-joined Keith and we sped home. Sophie was already there but it had taken her an hour to get home as the A45 was closed and she'd travelled home via Cogenhoe, Earls Barton and Sywell. 

We sat and chatted and ate a delicious beef curry that Keith had prepared earlier. He watched football after dinner while Sophie and I went upstairs and relaxed with just the one cat!

Get a life!

Sophie had another headache this morning, so missed the gym, and this is starting to worry me now, as these migraines are now affecting the way she lives her life. She has spoken about acupuncture and said she would call a clinic today when she's at work. They're hormonal and she gets them at the same time every month, but it's still worrying.

My day was busy answering all the emails and making a start on the moan report. It has now dawned on me that I have two weeks to get as much done as I can before I'm away for a week, so every minute is precious! I also realised that the next two weeks are busy every day with things I need to do for the holiday, so I will appreciate our break hugely when it arrives! I may go AWOL in Provence!

Sophie arrived home and said she'd had a dramatic afternoon at work as there had been a man standing outside her office building filming them. The building has other companies occupying the offices, so she went and spoke to the other people to let them know. One man went out and confronted him and it transpired that he was some kind of idiot who goes around filming offices for no clear reason. One of Sophie's colleagues spotted someone similar on YouTube called DJ Audit. I still have no idea why people do this and can only imagine it's because they thrive on confrontation and staff getting annoyed that they're being filmed without their permission. Get a life! 

Keith cooked the chicken and mushroom pie we should have had last night and then it was time for some brainpower with Only Connect and University Challenge!

Birthday celebrations!

We had a busy Sunday morning catching up with housework before getting ready to celebrate my friend Lynda's birthday at lunchtime. She had originally booked a table at the vineyard in Earls Barton, but they couldn't guarantee to seat us undercover, and she was worried about the weather. Instead, she'd booked The White Hart in Hackleton and had ordered nibbles and Prosecco.

Keith drove Sophie and me over to the pub, and we met Lynda and some friends she used to work with. I knew one woman who was at her 60th, ten years ago! The time has flown by!

Gradually, Lynda's other friends arrived, including Andrea and Fiona. There were about twelve of us and the noise level increased as we all started chatting and the fizz flowed! Food was brought out at about 2pm and we all tucked in, enjoying sausage rolls, breaded calamari, scotch eggs, chips, halloumi fingers and chicken goujons. 

I felt a bit guilty about Sophie coming with me, even though Lynda had invited her, as she was very much the youngest woman there! However, she chatted away and seemed to be enjoying herself! She loves to people watch and there were rich opportunities as all the different personalities made themselves known!

After the savoury food, we enjoyed mini desserts and Lynda gave us all a gift bag to take home. We were delighted to discover a pair of socks, a scented candle and body spray. It was a lovely thought and a complete surprise!

Keith collected us at 3.30pm and we arrived home in time for him to see Newcastle play Wolves. Sophie and I retired upstairs for a snooze and to catch up on yesterday's Saturday Morning Kitchen.

Our evening was relaxed and Sophie and Keith ate last night's Chinese for supper. I was content with a slice of fruit cake I'd bought at Farndon Fields, a measure of my favourite malt whisky and Michael Palin travelling from Pole to Pole. The definite highlight of my weekend!

Cats, cats everywhere, but not a one to cuddle!

Some time ago I'd bought tickets for a Cat Show taking place at the NEC in Birmingham today, so Sophie and I set off at 10.30am. I was allowed to drive Olive and we made good time on the A14 and M6. I'd pre-booked and paid for the parking and we took the shuttle bus to the arena. It was the second time of visiting for Sophie this week, and she pointed out the hotel where she stayed on Wednesday night.

Before we went to the show, we had a coffee and pastry in Starbucks and chatted about what we wanted to see. There was a talk on the hidden language of cats later in the day and I was keen to attend that. Sophie wanted to see and cuddle a Sphinx cat so we eagerly set off for the show with high expectations!

When we first entered the exhibition space we saw lots of stands selling cat food, cat scratching posts and different kinds of litter. However, it looked like you couldn't actually buy anything at the show except little key rings or trinkets. We wanted to buy some cat toys to take home for the boys but it seemed that most of the stands weren't selling anything directly. We had a look at a cat adoption stand and chatted to a woman who confirmed our belief that people do not want black cats... well, we do! But two is quite enough, thank you!

It was busy with crowds of people and some questionable smells wafting about. Hmmm! We made our way over to the cat village to look at the different breeds of cats, but the majority of them were in their cages sleeping. The ones who were awake were surrounded by a crush of people but they weren't really available to hold and cuddle, so that was a disappointment. Sophie did see a Sphinx cat and the owner said that the cat's skin felt like velvet, but she didn't offer us the chance to have a little stroke and find out for ourselves!

I'd definitely worn the wrong clothes today and I was hot and uncomfortable. We had to constantly dodge people and most of the stands were trying to sell different kinds of food, but we weren't able to buy any as I think we had to take out a subscription. Not with our fussy cats!

I'd been surprised to see people leaving the exhibition as we went in but I think I understood why - only half of the space had been taken up with the show and it was all a bit underwhelming! We decided to leave and drive to Farndon Fields near Market Harborough for lunch!

We arrived at about 2pm and we were seated immediately. Both of us chose salads - Sophie opted for the chicken and bacon salad with croutons, and I decided to have the grilled halloumi with pickled red onion, sundried tomatoes and a garlic and herb dressing. The food was good, but my salad was drowned in the dressing and I couldn't finish it. 

After we'd eaten, we wandered around and bought some treats. It was too early for the display of pumpkins but there were some Halloween sweets and chocolates for sale. We paid for our purchases and drove home through the beautiful countryside, enjoying the sunshine and blue skies.

Back home, Keith had gone to see Sileby so we threw open all the windows and I changed out of my uncomfortable top and jeans. Bliss! Why had we gone to see a Cat Show when we had our own lovely cats to enjoy?!

Our evening was relaxed and enjoyable and we found room for a Chinese takeaway later, which was delicious. We started watching The Pink Panther starring Steve Martin, but it was a bit too silly for us, so we switched over to The Last Night of the Proms instead, where they were playing... you guessed it... The Pink Panther!

A hectic Friday!

Sara and Sheila suggested to me today to move desks so I will be at the other end of the office, next to the window and away from the radiator. In the winter we have the battle of the radiator where I turn it down and someone else (normally Jo) turns it up. It also means I would be away from Jo (who has a loud voice) and this would make it easier for me to concentrate on writing emails, some of which can be quite sensitive and require delicate handling. I said I would think about it as I'm used to sitting at the far end of the office, usually in the dark!

Today's shift passed at a hectic pace - I put another load of films onto the system, taking us up until the second week in October, and I answered all the emails, dealing with a few that had been difficult to answer.

Back at home, I relaxed and Keith got ready to go to the pub for the first time in a couple of weeks. Sophie and I opened a bottle of Chenin Blanc that my daughter wasn't keen on. She said it tasted like vanilla, and I agreed, so she went back to an opened bottle of Pinot Grigio instead!

We watched the highlights of The Proms this evening, but we didn't have a repeat of last Friday night! We were in bed at a sensible hour with no hangovers looming!

Rushing about!

Sophie texted me at 1am to say that she was back in her hotel room and as sober as a judge. Her hangover last week had made her wary of having too much to drink so she'd only indulged in a glass of Prosecco while helping with the dinner. A couple of years ago, she'd hit the bottle and had felt awful the next day while on the company's stand at the exhibition!

Keith took me to work and I met Sara in the car park. I hadn't seen her for over two weeks so it was great to catch up as we walked in. I spent the shift dealing with emails and Keith came to collect me at 2pm. I dropped him off at home and sped over to Kettering to pick up Mum for her nail appointment. Luckily, she was waiting for me in reception!

Natalia's daughter did Mum's nails first and she was lovely and chatty, a huge difference to her Mum who never says anything to us! She chatted about what she was planning to do and was really sweet! Natalia took over and silence descended!

On the way home, I popped into Waitrose to get Mum some toiletries and chocolate, and I won't be doing that again as the items were so expensive! I just didn't have the heart to go into Aldi! I dropped her off and returned home to do the usual evening jobs, before relaxing with a drink on the now-dry sofa with a drink and Michel Roux in Provence. He seems a nice enough chap but I wish he was a bit better looking!

Sophie arrived home at about 6.30pm and was shattered, bless her. She'd had to call into her office to drop off her colleague and unload all the equipment from the Gala Dinner, so her arms ached and she was longing for a glass of wine. We sat at the kitchen island and had a good chat with her, deciding against dinner this evening which was to have been scampi and home-made chips. It was too late to fiddle about with heating up the oil and cooking the chips twice!

Tripping the lights, not fantastic!

Sophie left home at the slightly later time of 7am this morning because she was attending her company's annual conference at the NEC in Birmingham for two days and helping with the Gala Dinner this evening. Instead of taking the train, as usual, she was driving Olive and taking a colleague with her.

Keith and I made a start on our list of jobs, and when we moved the doors from the conservatory, we were both dismayed to find that some of the white paint had peeled away... it set the tone for a frustrating day! We re-hung the doors and Keith touched up the areas that needed re-painting. I cleared away all the newspapers and tidied up, making it look much cleaner and neater again!

I vacuumed the living room floor and studied the instructions for our new Vax carpet shampoo machine. The first hassle was getting the clean water tank back on after we'd filled it. We both had to try and manoeuvre it into place and then I turned it on and made a start. I'd moved the furniture out of the way and tackled the worst area first, the patch of carpet in front of the sofa. 

We shampooed most of the carpet and I decided to empty the dirty water tank. By mistake, I undid the clips and the tank fell forward and emptied its contents all over the freshly shampooed carpet... I could have screamed! We had to try and suck it all up again, but by now, I was not happy!

I filled the clean tank again and stripped the cushions off the sofa. It was great to hoover underneath and know it was all clean! We tried to manipulate the cushions so the seams were at the side, but they were made of foam and wouldn't budge easily! Another frustration! I was going to take them out of the cushion covers but the thought of not getting them back in again, made me zip them up quickly! We used the special nozzle to clean the sofa and it was all going well, until a) the little lever didn't work, which meant that I was spraying water everywhere when I was supposed to be sucking it back into the machine, and b) using the machine tripped the electrics... Not once, but multiple times!

Keith was annoyed it was happening as he said there was obviously a fault with the machine. We turned it off for half an hour and had a cup of tea, but as soon as we turned it on again, it tripped the electrics again. I went onto the Amazon site and requested a return, which was quickly arranged, with a replacement machine due to be delivered later in the month. We then had to get it back into the box, which we had kept in the garage, thankfully!

We spent the rest of the day trying to avoid the damp carpet in the living room and we couldn't sit on the sofa as that was damp too. It was horrible! We'd decided to eat out this evening and I'd booked a table at the pub in our village.

We arrived a little earlier for our table to find the pub packed with people, so sat in the snug and studied the menu. Keith opted for the pork belly while I chose the fish and chips, and we enjoyed bread and olives before our main courses. 

The table behind us was occupied by a couple of our neighbours and a friend, and they were so close that I heard every word of their conversation! Keith was facing the public areas and was constantly people-watching, much to my annoyance because all I could see was him and the wall behind!

We were all done by about 8pm and back home by 8.30pm! I sat on the sofa and put a throw underneath me and I wasn't convinced that we'd done a great job with the carpet! I was hoping it would look better when it was fully dry!

Sweating it out!

After another busy and noisy day at work - the children being back at school has made no difference whatsoever! - I sped home and relaxed until Sophie returned. Keith was going to see Sileby play this evening so Sophie and I were having jerk chicken pasta for dinner. We'd frozen marinated chicken breasts that we were supposed to have had in May when Sophie was ill, and I'd taken them out of the freezer on Sunday night.

Before doing the preparations, we poured ourselves a glass of Viognier and watched an episode of Come Dine With Me, which featured Zimbabwean worms... yuk! I had a funny feeling in my ears this evening, and it had started during the day at work. They felt like I'd got water into them and I did wonder whether it was the sheer amount of noise in our office. There were times when I found it difficult to concentrate on writing the emails as I kept tuning into my colleagues' telephone calls. 

Keith bundled himself up to watch the football as this evening was wet and chilly. Even I felt a little cold so the temperatures must have fallen!

Sophie and I prepared dinner and it was hot and spicy. The meal warmed us up and I think Sophie had beads of sweat on her face! We carried on watching Come Dine With Me and tried to get the cats to come back in and keep us company. They'd run in earlier when it had been pouring and were both soaking wet, but they love being outdoors and we hadn't the heart to say no when they cried at the door! I forget that Monty and Archie were probably the same at their age (cat teenagers) and want to be out as much as they can!

A noisy office!

It was back to grey skies and noticeably cooler temperatures this morning on the first day of the week. We're now having to put the outside light on at 6am when Sophie leaves... horrible!

I tackled the customer service emails today and had a particularly difficult one to write, which required a great deal of concentration, and our office was noisy. Jo was back to sitting in front of me and has a loud voice which I seem to tune into. At times, it makes it hard to concentrate! 

My phone had decided to play up today, so when it came time to cover the lunch period, I had to move desks. Not really convenient! Luckily, when I logged in on the other computer, all the work I'd been doing came over with me so I could just carry on!

In the evening, we played cards while Keith's chilli con carne bubbled away in the slow cooker. Amazon delivered our headlight converters, and a map of Provence, which I eagerly looked at after dinner. I picked out the village we're staying in and it's close to both Gigondas and Vacqueyras, so we had better have some room in the boot to bring wine home! I am busily making space on our wine rack! 

We're on television!

I was up before anyone else this morning and started watching the television footage from the Tour of Britain yesterday, aiming to get to our little patch and see if we had been filmed! Seeing the riders set off from a dismal Northampton as the crowds cheered them on was great. Once out into the countryside, the lead car pulled away and the race was on!

I could fast forward until about 1.45pm of the race, and by that time Keith and Sophie had joined me and we were watching avidly as the cyclists flashed past Harrington and turned left towards Scaldwell. The footage kept switching from the Peloton to the leading three riders, and we would have been so disappointed if they'd just concentrated on the mass of cyclists, but they didn't! They followed the three riders down the hill and then we saw ourselves on TV, waving and clapping! It was brilliant! Last year's Tour of Britain is still available to watch so we can go back and see it again whenever we want!

Sophie and I spent the morning putting some unwanted clothes on eBay and pootling about. I re-painted the two living room doors, which Keith had taken down to make it easier for us to paint them. We'd put them on the table in the conservatory, which was a huge mess! There were paint pots and paint brushes lined up on the windowsill and the clothes we were selling hanging from the cross beams. In less than two weeks we have friends over for dinner, so it needs a major overhaul!

In the early afternoon, Sophie and I drove to Northampton and put Olive through the carwash. While we waited we munched on some lunch we'd bought in the M&S outlet. Today has been a much better day than yesterday, with sunshine and blue skies. Why couldn't it have been like this yesterday!

Back home, we titivated Olive (the carwash hadn't done a very good job), and Sophie plugged her in to charge. I had a long nap upstairs (I only wanted to snooze for half an hour and I was out for double that) and Sophie prepared the dinner. We used the leftover sauce from the sausage casserole and added chicken breasts to make a new meal! With vegetables and roast potatoes, it was a lovely meal!

Cycling excitement!

We awoke to grey skies and fog today, so very Autumnal, but not ideal for the Tour of Britain cycle event due to take place in Northamptonshire today!

I was looking forward to watching the cyclists flash past but had no idea whether the route near us would be busy or not! I found live coverage on ITVx and saw that only a few people were watching in the rural spots, but it was a lot busier in the villages.

We watched the Tour speed through the southern villages and then make its way nearer to us. Before we went, I prepared tonight's dinner of sausage casserole and accompanying vegetables, and sympathised with Sophie, who felt a little hungover after the cocktails and wine from last night!

We left the house at 1pm and drove towards Scaldwell. The Tour was due to flash past Harrington, skim the outskirts of Lamport and then travel down towards us, taking a particularly sharp bend to Scaldwell. As we approached the bend, we could see cars parked on the verges and a huddle of people gathered on the bend, some sitting on picnic chairs! We were a little dismayed, so we drove on and soon found a field entrance where we parked the car, halfway down a long winding hill. We were delighted to find this was the 25km to go sign!

We had about an hour to kill until the Tour sped past us, so Sophie and I went for a little walk into the fields and followed a by-way up to the top of a hill to look at the views. It was still misty and grey but humid.

Keith sat in the car reading the paper until it got nearer the time for the Tour to go past and then he joined us. Within half an hour of our arrival, the first security out-riders began to go past on motorbikes, and we waved at them. They were delighted to wave back! As well as the security motorbikes, we saw many, many police bikes, most of whom waved to us or sounded their sirens! I suppose these were going past to make sure there were no obstacles in the road. In the villages, nobody was allowed to park cars on the road to ensure the Tour had a smooth journey.

More and more vehicles drove past and one slowed down past the sign and we could hear a man commentating, which was exciting! The atmosphere was fantastic and nobody had joined us in our little spot so we had it all to ourselves! As the time grew near, we saw one of the support cars drive past laden with spare cycles and then, a little while later, the three leading riders zoomed past accompanied by a motorbike carrying a camera.

There was a short hiatus and then the peloton sped past, followed by a huge array of support vehicles, police cars, motorbikes and ambulances. It was a tremendous, and truly fantastic experience to see how well-organised everything was!

The Peloton in pursuit of the leading three!

I was so glad we'd decided to watch. To have the Tour of Britain pass so close to where we live was brilliant and I believe the turnout across the county was outstanding! It was so good to wave and cheer and to have all the drivers wave back, some sounding the sirens and adding to the atmosphere!

Once they had all streamed past, we were able to return home and we made our way slowly back to the village. A lot more people had arrived to watch the race, so the spot on the bend was obviously popular!

Back home we realised, to our delight, that the Tour De France starts in Lille next year, on the 5th of July, the day we will be travelling back to Calais. To watch this race would be amazing so we are planning on trying to catch it while we can!

The rest of the afternoon was spent quietly, and there was a bit of snoozing involved! We played cards in the evening and enjoyed the rich sausage casserole I'd prepared in the morning. Our viewing pleasure this evening was The Pink Panther, the original 1963 film starring Peter Sellers. We were a little disappointed, to be honest... it wasn't that funny and the ending seemed a little rushed!

A night of music!

We awoke to another gloomy day, but it was forecast to be sunnier later, and humid. I took myself off to work and had a busy shift, answering all the emails and catching up with admin. I had some difficult emails to write today, going back to people with queries about their memberships. I know I've said this before but why do people take out a gym membership for twelve months, then decide they can't afford it? We are very reasonably priced, and we offer fantastic value for money, but some people still get into a mess and then expect us to mop it up for them!

At 4pm, I sped home and sat with Keith in the kitchen. He had managed to slice his leg open by dropping a drill on it while he was fixing the new door handles into place... I dressed it again for him and told him to keep an eye on it. The door handles look great, but I'd rather he had waited for the weekend to do the job!

Sophie and I decided to watch a new drama series on Netflix called The Perfect Couple, and we settled down with a new Pinot Grigio and some nibbles to watch it. Ten minutes in, we turned it off as we were both overwhelmed with all the characters and what was going on! We put on Come Dine With Me instead!

Sophie didn't fancy tonight's dinner so she had cheese on toast, I had scrambled eggs on toast and Keith had a sandwich. After we'd eaten I happened to turn on BBC 4 and we were delighted to find The Proms on, with music from Henry Mancini and Bert Baccarach. What a treat! The very first piece of music was the theme tune to the wonderful film, Charade, starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Sophie jumped up and asked if I wanted a Martini as the music reminded us of sitting in a lovely bar overlooking the sea in a Mediterranean resort!

She made us both a vodka Martini and we had a fantastic evening watching The Proms (I was fascinated by the orchestra) and listening to truly beautiful music. It was hosted by Mel Giedroyc who was funny and came on initially with a Martini! How weird was that!

We indulged in another Martini (hmmm!) and stayed up until midnight watching two more programmes featuring themes from the movies. At one point Sophie was dancing around the living room with the cats, who were NOT amused!

A little relaxation...

We had a weather warning out for rain last night, with dire warnings of floods and calamity, but all we received here in Northamptonshire was a light shower. Sophie didn't go to the gym this morning as she had a bad headache last night and felt a bit fragile this morning. She's going through stress at work herself, which is beginning to take its toll.

We sat with a coffee and watched Come Dine With Me, and then my phone rang. It was my Mum saying she didn't feel well enough to attend her ear appointment after all. There was no point making her go so I cancelled the appointment for this afternoon. If she says she can't hear me on the phone again, I'll remind her that we could have solved the problem!

Keith dropped me off at work and went to book the VW for a pre-holiday service in two weeks. My shift passed quickly and I faced about seventy emails to tackle. There was a brief moment when I thought I'd be answering the phone as Sara's daughter took the day off because of her poorly son, but Sue saved the day by coming in, even though she'd booked today off, and delighted me by giving me cheese and biscuits at lunchtime!

Back home, it was great to relax and pootle about. We never received torrents of rain, but it has been windy today, and very Autumnal with leaves flying about like mad.

Keith and I played cards and Sophie cooked the pasta we should have had last night. It was delicious and packed with chicken, vegetables, pancetta and a rich tomato sauce. Sophie halved little crusty rolls and turned them into garlic bread. Scrumptious!

I had a frustrating phone call with my Mum after we'd eaten (she couldn't hear me) so to relax we watched an episode of Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting. It was mesmerising to watch him create a beautiful painting and was very relaxing because of the brush strokes on the canvas and his calming voice! He is the king of ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) where people experience lovely tingles through sounds or movements. I can guarantee watching him will lower your blood pressure!

A somewhat trying day...

I was determined to get some painting done today and started in the cloakroom at 9am. I can't say I enjoyed it; crawling around in a tiny space with my head too near the loo did not make for a pleasant experience!

For some reason, Keith kept hovering over me, which made me annoyed and frustrated. He developed a knack of pointing out bits I'd missed or where the paint was dripping, even though I used non-drip paint! I finished the cloakroom and ordered two sets of new handles for the cloakroom and cupboard doors, both in a satin nickel finish so they should be a better match for the colours we've used. Once that was done, I touched up the paint on the bannisters and turned the bottom wooden ball back to white again! Keith had removed the old, peeling paint so it was great to see it white and glossy again. It will need another coat, though.

I also painted the living room doors white, and using the new paint certainly showed how yellow they were! This seems to be the problem with white gloss paint, it turns yellow over time but you don't notice until you apply new paint!

Keith managed to point out bits of white paint that had splashed onto the blue part of the door (thanks!), so I went back and put it right. By now, I had had enough! Have I told you I loathe painting with a passion and think I may get someone else to do it from now on. I had paint all over my hands and my clothes and I was tired from crawling about on my hands and knees! Another chore I despise is cleaning the brushes afterwards...

After a shower, we went over to Brixworth to send Sophie's parcel, bought some ingredients for tonight's pasta dish, and then drove over to see my Mum and Dad. My Mum was asleep when I went into the room and didn't look her best. I sat with them for a while as Keith was waiting in the car, and asked her if she felt well enough to attend her ear appointment tomorrow. She was a bit hesitant, but I said it was important she went. The visit was a little upsetting if I'm honest. I couldn't get much sense out of either of them and they had lost Netflix again, due to no internet connection. It seems that no matter how much I try and help, it never works out. I felt like I wanted to scream!

On the way home I shed some tears as I told Keith that both of them are just sitting in that room, waiting to die. It makes me all the more determined to enjoy life while we can. 

Back home, I tackled the usual chores and we sat with a cup of tea and compiled the shopping list. I wasn't in the best of moods (if you wondered!) and then I had a rant about the cleaning! Poor Keith just retreated to the living room out of my way! I said that there's always something to do: the cat bowls need picking up and washing, the tumble dryer or the washing machine beeps at us, the kitchen floor needs sweeping and the carpet hoovering, we seem to attract flies and little black things to our white windowsills, which drive me crazy! Leaves gather around our back door and get blown in... I could go on, but even I'm getting fed up writing this!

When Sophie returned home she agreed with me and we discussed getting someone in to do a deep clean maybe once a week. I can't believe that there are just three of us living here and the house gets so dusty and cobwebby. Maybe it's living in the country and being surrounded by fields?

None of us fancied dinner this evening, so we had a lovely end to a trying day by sitting with a drink and having a good chat before enjoying a light supper of cheese on toast/cheese and biscuits/crumpets with Marmite. I think we all need a break from the daily grind and I really can't wait for this trip to Provence to come along!

At 9pm, Sophie and I watched Race Across The World cuddled up with Gomey and the Moon Bums. I'm looking forward to going back to work for a rest tomorrow!

Another busy day!

Sophie didn't go to the gym this morning because she'd been up in the night with itchy eyes. We think that she's allergic to a certain kind of pollen at this time of the year as the same thing happened last September. She applied a cream which soothed her eyes, but she was in a lot of discomfort, poor thing. We sat and sipped coffee and watched The Hotel Inspector lose her temper with a couple who were running a strange Thai Guesthouse and spa!

The weather has been dark and gloomy again today and we had another frenetic day at work with hundreds of phone calls. We suspected that a lot of children had two training days so hopefully, things may be a little quieter tomorrow!

It was great to get home, grab Mooney for a cuddle and potter about. I am planning to paint tomorrow and have set aside most of the day to do it, even though we have to return a parcel for Sophie at some point during the day. 

Dinner tonight was a very simple soup and crusty bread, and we played cards before we ate, which seems to be the routine in the early evening at the moment!

Frantic Monday!

This morning we awoke to murky, horrible weather - Autumn is well and truly upon us already! Keith took me to work in heavy traffic, as he had to go and do some shopping by himself, and he does seem a little better lately. He says that the exercises are doing him good, so that's a relief.

If I thought today was going to be quieter because the children have returned to school, I was sadly mistaken. It seems a lot of children were still off (a training day) and we were busy with swimming queries; the phones never stopped all day!

I came in to about 70 emails and they kept me busy for my whole shift. As soon as I cleared them, another load would appear! It was a relief to be picked up at 4pm and head home!

Keith told me that Paul from Highfields had popped over today to look at the glass panels we need replacing in the conservatory, and to chat about a new door with an integrated cat flap. We need a cat flap before we go away at the end of the month, and we can't face another winter of having the door open all the time. We never did this with Monty and Archie! We just used to rely on them crying at the door to come in!

Paul said that Brucie no longer worked for Highfields, which was a blow as he was a great asset to the company and seemed to keep Paul in order! From what Keith said, I did wonder if the company was operating on the same level as it was before? We'll just have to wait for the quote!

Dinner tonight was a success, even though Keith had added the wrong sauce to the chicken... we were supposed to have been having chicken in a red wine sauce but he added a white garlic and cream sauce intended for pasta instead! It turned out well, though, and we served the creamy chicken casserole with mashed potatoes and vegetables. A perfect meal for an Autumn evening!

A traditional Sunday!

Today has been a traditional Sunday, and it's been lovely! We decided to eat at lunchtime to avoid the dreaded "Sunday evening syndrome, " which was a good decision and meant we could relax in the afternoon.

Keith prepared the vegetables, and we popped our joint of beef into the oven to cook at 11am. He had an appointment at the GP surgery at 11.3am for a winter respiratory illness vaccination, and I drove him there in case he felt woozy afterwards! We also managed to squeeze in a quick trip to the tip as Sophie had spent the morning clearing out her wardrobe and had two bags of unwanted clothes. Some of them she's planning to sell on eBay

Keith and I both cooked lunch, and it was ready at about 1pm, perfect timing so Keith and Sophie could watch Newcastle play Spurs at 1.30pm. The meal was delicious, and as it had been a while since we cooked a roast, it made a change to have such a traditional lunch. I opened a bottle of Gigondas about half an hour before we were due to eat, one of the bottles we bought in Vacqueyras last year. I didn't think it was that good, but Sophie and Keith enjoyed it, and as the wine opened up a bit, it improved.

So, we had an indulgent, lazy afternoon watching football. Outside, it was sunny and dry, and I tried not to think of the garden that needed some attention! Or the painting that I still haven't done, for that matter! 

Sophie was concerned about Mooney as we hadn't seen him all day, which was unusual, but I managed to entice him in with the call of "Grubs!" It never fails!

Towards the evening, I decided to hunt for some photographs that were missing, and to my delight, I found an album from the holiday with my parents in Paros. There was one particular photo I wanted to find - one of the nuns whitewashing the church at the top of a mountain, and I found it!

I also loved these:

Don't we all look happy and healthy!