Saying goodbye

Typically, I was late leaving this morning and encountered the bin men in "cut-throat" alley in Holcot. Two vans in front of me reversed, so I did the same. I tried to make up time on the rest of the journey and arrived in the car park at work on the dot of 7:30am.

When Kathy arrived at work, I was given a lovely leaving card, a £50 voucher to spend at Beckworth, or any Blue Diamond garden centre, and a bottle of peach fizz. I tried very hard not to get emotional, and it was wonderful seeing all the kind messages people had written.

Unfortunately, the rest of the day was extremely quiet, and I had nothing, and I mean nothing, to do. It wasn't how I wanted my last day to be. I sent off the moan report and said how much I'd enjoyed working with everyone, and had some very kind messages in return. The rest of the time was spent tidying up my emails, and the time dragged. It was a huge relief when 4:00pm arrived, and we could leave. I bid a fond farewell to Nicola and Kathy and walked away for the last time. These are the things, for posterity, that I will not miss:

1. The horrible commute to work
2. The niggling worry that I won't find a parking space
3. Driving through the hospital grounds
4. The odour as I walk into the building. It's a kind of sewage smell
5. The horrible kitchen, which I can't ever see getting finished and being somewhere nice to sit and relax! The water from the tap is never cold!
6. Walking through the sports hall to get to our office and disturbing a class or people playing badminton
7. The heat we've suffered recently in the office and the lack of air conditioning
8. The dismal outlook
9. The wooden floor
10. The lack of drawers or cupboards to store our things. It was unbelievable that we weren't allowed to take our drawers with us
11. It took ages to fetch my lunch, and it was even worse if I had to heat it up in the microwave. Half of my fifteen minutes had gone by the time I sat back down at my desk!
12. No printer or shredder in the office
13. Nicola being so close behind me when she used to have her own office
14. No cleaner to empty our bins or keep the office clean
15. Getting off the hospital grounds to go home. On some occasions, it's taken me almost twenty minutes!
16. I hated going to the loo, as well!

I think the time has come for something different! 

I drove home and relaxed, and when Sophie arrived, we opened a bottle of English Pinot Noir rosé and munched on some lentil crisps with a salsa dip.

We watched Fake or Fortune again, and it was riveting! I'd like to see a whole series of fakers and forgers!

Dinner was a spicy chilli con carne, and after dinner we continued watching a Netflix documentary about the 2012 sinking of the Costa Concordia. I'll never look at cruise ships in the same way again!

Visiting old haunts

I offered to go shopping with Keith this morning, just for a change, and it was quite enjoyable! We went to Costa first and had a coffee (and an almond croissant for me), and then did some of the shopping in Aldi. There was an unpleasant aroma of "cows' bums" about this morning, so somewhere, a farmer was spreading manure over the fields!

We sped through Tesco and arrived home at midday. I pootled about for a while, and then drove over to Kettering to see Mum. She had been out at a garden centre on Monday, and I'd seen photos of her just with her Zimmer frame, so I felt a bit more confident taking her out. I decided we'd go for a drive as I really didn't fancy sitting in her stuffy room for an hour.

As usual, it was a gorgeous day; we'd seen some cloud this morning and the tiniest spots of rain, but it had come to nothing. We drove past her old house first, did a lap of our estate and then headed into Northampton via the Brixworth bypass. I wanted to go and see our old soft play business, and to be honest, I was shocked when I drove into the car park. The surface of the car park was still potholed, with one cone standing forlornly over one deep rut. The car park nearest the building, which used to have a lovely area of grass and trees (and where I used to feed the crows), had a huge amount of old dead wood and greenery piled up next to the fence... It looked awful. Were they trying to stop people from coming over from the area of wasteland behind the car park? It used to be so lovely here with the cut grass and trees!

There weren't many cars in the car park, but then, with the weather, I didn't expect anything else. It was a little worrying, I have to admit! We drove into Northampton and around the estate where we used to live. The houses and gardens looked a little scruffy, and when we stopped outside our old house, I couldn't believe how much the trees and bushes had grown. We used to be able to see the dual carriageway and the Weston Favell Centre from our garden, but not any more! I am amazed the little spinney opposite the house was still there! It was a perfect spot for new houses!

We left the estate and drove into the centre of Northampton and past Tricker's in St Michael's Road, where my Mum used to work. She was very happy there, and she wondered why she had left. It was great to see her recognising our old haunts and looking happy!

Before taking her back, I decided to call at the reservoir car park and buy an ice cream for us, but the van wasn't there! Typical! We had both thoroughly enjoyed our little trip, and we'll definitely do it more often!

Back home, I did some housework and then tried to cool down in the kitchen by having all the doors and windows open. It was an easy dinner tonight: chicken Kievs, asparagus, long-stem broccoli and crushed new potatoes.

After we'd eaten, we watched an episode of World War II with Tom Hanks. Tonight's episode was about the aerial bombardment of Germany, with Hamburg obliterated by bombs and fire. A million people were made homeless, and I hadn't realised that the city was so badly affected. I am learning a lot about the war by watching this and just wish I'd studied history at A-level!

Still a bit mopey...

I wasn't in the best of moods this morning because I was dreading a GP appointment this afternoon to see about a mole on my back, and I was facing a load of online training courses for my new job. I snapped at Keith, and then apologised, so it wasn't the best of mornings! 

I knuckled down and did as many courses as I could, so at least I've made inroads into them! Most of them were common sense, and the health and safety one was something I used to deal with when we ran our own business. I suppose the courses are aimed at young people starting work!

Keith offered to come to the surgery with me, which I appreciated. I was very anxious about the mole, and Sophie had wanted me to go after worrying about it for ages. I was seeing the lovely doctor I'd seen before, and he took a good look at the mole, which is on my left shoulder and under where my bra strap lies. He was able to put my mind at rest immediately, saying it was some kind of sebaceous wart (it would be, wouldn't it? So sexy...) and that it was common in people over 40. It was completely benign and nothing to worry about, but if it ever became a problem, one of the specialist doctors at the surgery could whip it off.

I felt a huge sense of relief, and then he went through the details of my abdominal scan on Saturday, which showed no problems at all with all my internal organs. Phew! This has been a year of poking, prodding and pricking, and I hope that I can stay away from the surgery for a while now, although I had to book a blood test in August to see how my liver is doing after my indulgences!

Keith suggested a drink at the village pub, and I readily agreed. I stuck to Guinness Zero, and we sat in the window and chatted. The pub was very quiet, and it was a lovely hour of relaxation. Maybe we should do this every Wednesday!

Back home, I pootled about, did another online course and tried to stay cool. The weather has been hot, dry and sunny again, but it's supposed to get a little cooler over the next few days.

Sophie cooked a delicious nachos and chicken dish, and Keith and I watched two episodes of Best Medicine after we'd eaten. In the second episode, Martin Clunes made an appearance as Doctor Best's father, with a silly American accent. I felt a bit confused, to be honest! Why wasn't he with Louisa?!

A bit mopey...

I took a box of chocolates and a box of biscuits into the office today as I would be saying goodbye to three of my colleagues. Yesterday, I froze two bottles of water and put them in a cool bag with the chocolate and biscuits, as our office has been so warm!

By 9:30am, I had run out of work to do, which was alarming. I had polished the moan report, sorted out the playscheme places and answered all the emails... if I wasn't leaving, how would I fill my time? I felt a bit emotional today, and it's started to dawn on me that next week I will be working for someone else. How could I have gone from being so busy at times that I didn't have a spare minute, to running out of things to do so early in the day?

Angela and Jo asked if our MD had said anything to me, and the answer was still no. I noticed that when he came into the office, he didn't make a beeline for the chocolates, as he normally would. I suppose taking one would have prompted him to say something!

At 4:00pm, I hugged Claire, Angela and Jo and said that we must try and stay in touch. I know it will take a while for me to shake off the loyalty I feel to my present company, especially when the soft play centres are such a personal issue for me.

I drove home feeling a bit mopey and pottered about until Sophie arrived. We all sat and watched a documentary about a foiled terror plot, which led to liquids being banned on flights. It was very interesting and terrifying to think what could have happened!

Dinner tonight was cold meats, frozen (it's a long story) salad and crispy potatoes. After dinner, we watched World War II with Tom Hanks, the D-Day Landings. It was terrible seeing so many young men going off to almost certain death.

I'm hoping tomorrow I will feel a bit more cheerful!

A challenging day...

Keith dropped me off at work today, and I was on my own in the office until Nicola came in at 9:00am. When Angela tried to log in, her computer started playing up, so she was forced to call IT to sort it out, leaving me to answer the phone.

We had more phone calls than I was expecting today, so the shift passed quickly. Unfortunately, Angela had another issue when she cashed up, which made me late leaving. Keith actually came looking for me!

We drove home, and the traffic was already bad on the A45. It was even worse when Sophie left, and she was held up by an accident. I started cooking the paella for tonight and did most of the preparations before Sophie took over. The meal was as lovely as always, with more than enough left for lunches!

The news is still full of the fires breaking out in France, with one of the worst near Bordeaux. I just hope the vineyards near the city haven't been affected... can you imagine? Apart from a tiny amount of rain here yesterday morning, which probably dried up the minute it hit the grass, there is no more for us in the forecast. And we have high temperatures forecast for Wednesday, when thankfully, I am not at work!

Badger tales!

I might have had enough excitement for one day last night, but Sophie obviously hadn't! When she woke up this morning, she was eager to tell me what happened yesterday evening when she went to get the cats in. Mooney was behaving strangely, and she heard a lot of rustling going on in the back garden. She took a look from the conservatory and was astonished to see a badger emerge from our bushes and then hoover up the cat biscuit we'd put down after Milo had been eating it yesterday morning. Sophie said he ambled about the garden, completely oblivious to her presence, snuffling about and making sure he had got every piece of cat biscuit on the lawn. He then shuffled off through the open gate, startling Mooney, who was wide-eyed with amazement!

We have seen badgers near the house before, and we now think this one was responsible for overturning our food bins the other week. We haven't seen any hedgehogs for ages, but we now seem to have a badger visit! We'll put some more cat biscuits down, plus water, and see what happens!

We did have some rain this morning, but it wasn't a lot, and certainly not enough to make any difference to our parched grass. Sophie and I sat in the garden with our coffees before having breakfast and making a start on our jobs. I had the Bolognese sauce to make, and Sophie blitzed her room. We were a busy household as I asked Keith to put up our "Place de L'Apero" plaque and I ordered some little hooks to display a couple of tiles that need fixing to the wall.

Although the sky clouded over at times, it was dry and breezy enough to get loads of laundry dry. We didn't see any rain at all. Sophie washed every single item on her bed, including the mattress protector and her throws. While this was going on, my Bolognese sauce simmered away on the hob.

We decided to eat a little earlier than normal, but watched the start of the Tour de France in Paris before I put the finishing touches to the meal. The Tour was doing three circuits of Montmartre, and we managed to see the hotel we stayed in!

Dinner was delicious (even I enjoyed it), and Sophie made a lovely batch of garlic bread to accompany the meal. After dinner, we relaxed and caught up with an episode of Best Medicine. It's Monday tomorrow, and my last week in my current job!

And... relax!

Sophie woke me at 7:00am this morning as she was off to do a 5k run at Brixworth Country Park, and I had to eat and drink something before 7:30am as I was having an abdominal ultrasound scan later in the day.

I waved her off and caught up with some jobs; it was lovely to potter about! Outside, the sun was shining, and it was breezy. We are due some rain tomorrow, but not much. This dry and sunny weather has been continuing for over three weeks now. I can't remember the last time we had any proper rain, and, of course, the situation is terrible in south-west France (near Bordeaux) and around Madrid with fires. We even have a fire in the Cairngorms, in Scotland.

Milo paid us a visit this morning! Keith heard what he thought was one of our cats eating biscuit in the conservatory, but it was Milo who had sneaked in through the open door! He then came right into the kitchen! He didn't seem at all worried about coming into the house and miaowed constantly! I don't think our two cats are keen, though!

Sophie arrived back home at 10:00am, looking a bit red and sweaty, but was pleased she'd done her run. We sat and chatted, and then we both got ready for my hospital appointment at 1:40pm. We parked outside my office and walked to the radiology department, where I was called in for the ultrasound soon after I'd sat down. The radiologist was lovely and did a thorough scan of my abdomen and liver. He said it was all fine, which was a relief!

Sophie and I bounded out of the hospital (I couldn't get out fast enough!), and we went up to my office so I could show Sophie where I sat three days a week! Sharon was just finishing her shift, so we said hello, paid for the parking, and went back to the car.

As a treat, we had decided to have a late lunch at Beckworth, and we were glad there was only a twenty-minute wait. While we waited for the buzzer to go off, we wandered around looking at all the stuff for sale; I know I've said this before, but I dread to think how much money is tied up in their stock, unless they have it on a sale or return basis!

We were both starving when we took our seats in the restaurant. I hadn't eaten since 7:30am, so we chose a pastrami and salad sandwich to share, an extra portion of chips and a small glass of wine each. There was a slight wait with the drinks, but when the food arrived, we fell on it like starving wolves!

As you can imagine, the food disappeared rapidly, and we ordered some more treats: a cream tea for Sophie and a slice of Victoria sponge cake for me, accompanied by a pot of tea. All the food was delicious!

My gorgeous slice of Victoria sponge!

It was heaven to relax after the hospital appointment and sit in the lovely restaurant. We hadn't been for a while, and we did miss going regularly, but the wait times have always been horrendous.

After we'd paid the bill, I bought a loaf of bread, some popcorn (for popping at home) and a packet of crisps from Jeremy Clarkson's farm. We were pleased to see that the plastic bag containing the crisps was compostable!

Back home, it was time to relax before Sophie and I played Scrabble with a G&T. The gin we bought on the ferry was delicious! No wonder John asked me to get it for him! I beat Sophie at Scrabble, and then we played cards, and I beat her again!

As soon as we sat down for our late lunch today, I knew we wouldn't be eating tonight! Sophie was going to cook paella, but we postponed this until Monday. My daughter asked if I would cook spaghetti Bolognese tomorrow, and I agreed even though it's not my favourite meal!

We all watched Argo tonight, a film that we all found thoroughly enjoyable, even though they stretched the truth a little. David McClosey and Gordon Corera had recorded a podcast about the Iranian hostages and how they were freed, and it was great to learn about what happened.

I was going to stay up and watch Gladiator, but decided against it! I'd had enough excitement for one day!