A Greek experience!

I drove myself to work today and arrived at 7:26am, to find no spaces again. This was seriously annoying. How early do I have to leave to get a space? I'm not leaving before 7:00am! The small car park opposite our office was also full, so I had to try the car park in front of the maternity unit. I managed to squeeze into a space, but I was worried that when I returned after work, I wouldn't be able to get back into the car.

When I arrived at the office, Sara said she had taken the last space in our usual car park and had arrived just before me. This is the first time since we moved to the new office that I've had such trouble parking, and I could understand it if it were about 9:00am, but 7:30am? 

This put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day, and I was so annoyed, I resolved to look for another job when we come back from Paris next week. I have never, in all my working life, had to look for a parking space!

In the afternoon, things were very quiet in our office, as only three of us were working. Sara had taken her usual half-day, and Nicola was on holiday. I decided to tidy up the box I'd brought with me from our other office, put some papers out for shredding, and start writing the answers for the FAQs for Bob. 

We had a late phone call asking whether the swimming lessons were on at one of our pools, and we all groaned as this school is notorious for cancelling lessons at the last minute. As it's (almost) on my way home, I said I would go and check. This was a big mistake, as the traffic going there was horrendous! I began to wish I hadn't bothered! The gates were open when I drove past, so it looked like everything was running as normal. I couldn't have done anything anyway!

The three of us were looking forward to going to our local pub this evening for a Greek Night, and our table was booked for 8:00pm, giving us a chance to relax at home before the meal. When Sophie arrived home, we sat in the garden with a small glass of wine and chatted about our days at work. It was lovely and warm in the early evening sunshine, and Mooney came out to accompany us. He amused himself by chasing bees, and then got caught on the fence when he heard some birds chirping. Just as we were about to rescue him, he jumped down, looking embarrassed.

 

7:45pm saw us at the pub, and feeling a bit shell-shocked by the loud Greek music! The bar staff couldn't hear what we were saying! Our table wasn't ready, so we stood at the bar with our drinks and tried to have a conversation... impossible!

We were eventually taken upstairs, where it was a little quieter, and we could chat! My former work colleague, Amanda, was at the next table with her partner, so I said hello and that we'd catch up later. The night's menu was on the table, and we were sharing starters of bread, hummus, tzatziki, stuffed vine leaves, and spanakopita. There was a choice of main courses; Keith and I chose the mixed (chicken and lamb) souvlaki, while Sophie opted for the chicken. 

The starters were delicious, and we fell on them as by now we were very hungry, ordering some more bread to go with the delicious dips! The main courses were good, but my salad had been sprinkled with thyme, I think, a herb I'm not that keen on!

At times, with the warm night air outside and the music, it did feel like we were in Greece! It was a hectic night, though, and we felt the atmosphere was a little lacking upstairs. Before our desserts arrived, I chatted with Amanda about what was happening with work. She had been automatically TUPEd over to Everyone Active but seemed to be enjoying her job role with them.

Our desserts were very sweet - baklava and kadaifi - but delicious. I would have loved a good dollop of vanilla ice cream to detract from the sweetness. I'd asked about a Greek wine to accompany our meal, but there was none, so Sophie and I had enjoyed a bottle of South African Chenin Blanc, which went well with the meal.

We paid the bill and returned home to watch an episode of Amanda and Alan in Sicily. It was a lovely end to a very busy day!

A busy afternoon!

My shorter shift passed quickly today, and I dealt with virtually all the emails. Macy, Nicola's daughter, was a bit upset when she arrived for work, as she had a small bump in the car park and her little Polo was quite badly damaged. Nicola had to rush off to help her, but she soon recovered and was ready for work at 10:00am.

At 2pm, Keith collected me, and we drove home via Screwfix on Moulton Park, where we collected our light fittings. Back at home, when we opened the box, we knew they were the right ones, so I ordered a single one from the Screwfix outlet near Kingsthorpe. We decided to go and pick it up this afternoon after I'd visited my Mum.

It's been a glorious day today, with warm temperatures and plentiful sunshine. Keith sat in the car while I saw Mum, who seemed a bit confused today, and was surrounded by photographs and one of her albums. Anna, one of the senior carers, came in and explained that she'd been a bit erratic with her belongings and to take home anything that was of value, sentimental or otherwise. I took home the photos, a picture, and my Dad's blood donor records, delighted to see that he'd donated fifty pints in 1987, and just before he was in a bad car accident and was therefore no longer allowed to donate. He also had quite a rare blood group, O negative, which meant his blood could be given to almost anyone and was especially useful as a donation in emergencies, when the blood type of the person needing it isn't known. It made me feel very proud, and I hope to donate my fiftieth pint later this year or early next.

Once back with Keith in the car, we drove over to Screwfix in very heavy traffic. The light fitting was ready to be collected, and before going home, we called into a small Morrison's shop in Kingsthorpe, where Keith treated us to a bottle of Aperol and a tub of hummus with breadsticks. We were then caught up in traffic on the way home via Brixworth due to roadworks, which held us up even more! By now, I was heartily fed up with being in the car!

 

We arrived home just before Sophie, and there was a mad scramble to do the usual evening chores before we could relax at 6:00pm. Sophie made Aperol spritzes, and we scoffed all the breadsticks and hummus, leaving no room for our planned supper of soup and crusty bread!

We decided to have cheese on toast instead (light cheddar, which doesn't melt, and looked like skin according to Sophie!). The snack was delicious with brown sauce, though, and a side helping of Masterchef!

A lunchtime treat!

Keith and I had two appointments at the surgery this morning; me for a follow-up blood test, and Keith for his spring covid jab. Mine was first, and the receptionist denied Keith's request to get his jab earlier, so he had to wait. The nurse had difficulty getting blood out of my right arm this morning, so she had to use my left arm. I still, after a fall in 1999 while eight months pregnant, can't fully straighten my left arm, and never use it for my blood donor sessions, but she managed to get a vial of blood for the test.

As we had an hour to wait, we popped to The Workhouse in Brixworth for a coffee. I also indulged in a pain au chocolat for breakfast. It was pleasantly busy, and we took our seats while the waitress served our drinks.

After enjoying our drinks, we drove back to the surgery, and I sat in the car and read the paper while Keith was being jabbed. From the surgery, we drove home, and I had a mad hour of changing the bed and putting together a box of donations ready for a collection tomorrow morning. We have been using Anglo Collections for unwanted clothes, books, CDs and DVDs, and some of the money raised goes to charity.

At midday, we set off down to Brackmills to pick up Sophie and went for a sandwich at the Costa outlet in Next. It was lovely to sit and enjoy lunch in the busy café, and afterwards we went down to the lighting department, and I picked out two lampshades for the living room, in a neutral colour. We had a look at the sofas and furniture and then returned Sophie to her office.

Before going home, we called back to Riverside and visited the new Wickes to look for the kitchen light fittings we need. They didn't have any, so I suggested we go to Screwfix and order them. We have managed to get an electrician to come out to install them at last... It's been a bit of a chore, to be honest! Similarly with our planned oven clean that desperately needs doing!

We managed to order a box of three (we need four), but they wouldn't be ready for collection until Thursday. We paid and drove home, glad that we had made some progress!

I spent the rest of the afternoon pootling about and doing all the jobs that need doing on a Wednesday. Dinner tonight was a chicken stir-fry, and I didn't realise that Sophie wanted to add loads more vegetables to the dish. I don't think she was too happy when she came home and discovered I hadn't cut up the asparagus, courgette or long-stem broccoli! 

Dinner was delicious, and after we'd eaten, we saw another episode of Masterchef. One contestant made a chocolate fondant, and Sophie and I screamed when she said what she was going to do! We both think she cheated a little because the inside was peanut butter, which did ooze, luckily for her!

Back to normal

Things were back to normal this morning; Sophie went to the gym, and Keith took me to work so I didn't have to worry about parking!

I walked into far fewer emails than we've been receiving recently, and by 4pm, the hundred cancellation ones were done (by Jaden and me), and we were down to just a handful in the normal inbox. The phone calls have also dried up, so that's a bit worrying... I'm thankful I still have jobs to do, but I think Sara will stop looking for cover on a Monday, and it will be just Kathy and me on the phones. Nicola asked if I wanted to take the minutes at a meeting in July when Sara is off, and I jumped at the chance. We're all hoping that our new gym on Brackmills will be up and running in early June and provide more work!

Keith and I pootled home via Overstone; anything to avoid the dreaded A43, which now bears a patchwork of repairs after it was closed at night over the weekend. It was my turn to cook tonight, and Keith had prepared the vegetables and the mince for me. I made a savoury crumble topping, and then it was time to relax for half an hour before cooking dinner.

Masterchef started tonight with Anna Haugh and Grace Dent, and Sophie and I were looking forward to it. We watched it on iPlayer before our dinner, and already we have a contestant crying, two saying their food is inspired by parents and grandparents, a couple of crumbs, a tuile and a gel!

An early morning shock!

As we hadn't eaten dinner last night, Keith didn't go shopping, so I took myself to work. I called into a Tesco store on the way to buy myself some lunch and didn't get to the car park until 7:30am. There was not a space to be had! I was shocked! Luckily, directly opposite our office is a small car park and I was able to leave the car there! Phew! That was a close call!

The rest of my working day passed uneventfully, and I took a different route home, via Kingsthorpe and Brixworth, for a change. It didn't take too much longer, and it was far more pleasant!

We had used up our eggs yesterday, and I needed one for tonight's meal, so I asked Sophie to get some on her way home from work. The small Waitrose in the fuel station didn't have any, so she bought three packs of chicken fillets in a sauce instead (for a small mortgage), and we decided to scrap the meal we were going to have altogether. Another day!

 

The chicken fillets were delicious (in some kind of barbecue sauce) and lovely served with new potatoes, asparagus and peas. By now, I was back to my old self, but Sophie still felt a little queasy.

After dinner, Keith and I watched the last episode of The Capture, and we were suitably satisfied with the ending. I think there may be a series four!

Feeling a little fragile!

We went to bed very late last night, but I had a terrible night's sleep, and felt nauseous for some reason. It definitely wasn't alcohol, as we'd stuck to wine, but I was wondering whether it was the heavy meal of lasagne, followed by the creamy dessert?

I woke up feeling out of sorts, so all plans to get a lot done today went out of the window! Sophie felt the same, so we drifted about the house, feeling a bit yukky and guilty for not doing anything! I ate beans on toast for breakfast, and the nausea came back, so we decided to skip dinner tonight and keep it light on our tummies. Keith said he also felt a bit fragile, and he didn't go to the evening, so perhaps we had had a bit of a run-in with a bug?

I spent the afternoon transcribing more of my Nepal diary and created a separate blog for it, so I can share it with the Encounter Overland Facebook page. I'm hoping that the people in the group will find it interesting! I also did several loads of laundry, so the day wasn't completely wasted.

Sophie had a lovely afternoon reading in the sunny conservatory with Mooney, and I felt a lot better after I'd had a nap and caught up on some of my lost sleep!

We had a very light supper - egg on toast - and had an early night. It's back to the routine tomorrow!

A sociable Saturday!

I had arranged to go out for breakfast with friends Andrea, Fiona and Lynda this morning, and had volunteered to drive to The Wavendon Arms, near Milton Keynes, where we had a 10:00am booking.

We all met at Lynda's house in Cogenhoe, and it only took about half an hour to get to the pub. It was a gorgeous day, but too chilly to sit outside! We took our seats inside and, while we waited for Andrea to arrive, ordered coffee and tea.

Once Andrea was seated and we had ordered more drinks (another flat white for me, as it was a tiny serving!), we had a good look at the breakfast menu. I chose the traditional full English, Lynda opted for the vegetarian version, and Andrea and Fiona ordered combinations of scrambled or poached eggs, toast, bacon, and smoked salmon.

We had a great chat, and it was lovely to see everyone again and hear their news. The food was good and plentiful, and the pub was pleasantly busy with early diners. We paid the bill, a reasonable £25 each, and said goodbye to Andrea before returning to Cogenhoe the same way. The weather was still glorious, and the countryside was looking beautiful.

I said goodbye to Lynda and Fiona and drove home. I couldn't believe my eyes when I turned left at the Holcot roundabout to head down to the village, as there was one long continuous line of cars and vans leaving the car boot sale. Anyone caught up in it would have been severely delayed!

Sophie was ready and waiting for me when I arrived home for our planned visit to Homesense in Northampton. I wanted to get two new lampshades for the living room, another bottle of white for tonight's wine do at Michelle's, and a small gift for her.

The traffic leading to the St James retail park was horrendous, so we decided to abandon our trip. It's much better if I can go on a Wednesday, and a lot quieter! Sophie hadn't had any lunch, so we drove to a Subway outlet on Brackmills, and she bought herself a chicken salad and some cookies to enjoy at home later. She had pre-ordered the meal, and while we sat and waited, we watched a crowd of boys on BMX bikes take over a large part of the car park with their bikes. They were all wearing big, bulky helmets, so they were being sensible, at least!

Sophie ate her salad while I drove to White's Farm Shop near Earls Barton, where I hoped to buy another bottle of white wine and some chocolates or flowers. I spotted a bottle of French Chardonnay with a pencil-drawn picture of rustic barns, which appealed, and also bought Michelle a set of three pretty candles. We'd spotted a homewares shop when we parked, so we had a quick look at the lovely, quirky shop, and I treated myself to a bar of honey soap. It smelled gorgeous!

Back home, we relaxed, and I had a nap before our evening out. We both freshened up, and I wrapped our two bottles of white wine in foil to disguise them. Keith was looking forward to his fish and chips and an evening of sport!

We walked to Michelle and Richard's house at 7:00pm, and were closely followed by Paul and Sharon. There was a flurry of greetings, and we congregated in the kitchen for a glass of fizz and Chambord with an added raspberry. The two cats, Hector and Lily, eyed us a bit warily!

We decided to start the wines with one of Paul and Sharon's rosés, followed by our two whites, then the second rosé and, lastly, Michelle and Richard's two reds. After nibbling on crisps, we sat down at the dining room table and enjoyed a chicken lasagne with salad and garlic bread.

The foil-wrapped rosé was brought to the table, and we all loved the delicate pink colour. Paul asked about how rosés were made, and I explained that you can make white wine from red grapes, but not red wine from white grapes! We all said the rosé was delicious, and it was revealed as Kylie Minogue's wine! Richard then kept score of both the label and the wine to see which would be the winner, which was noisy and hilarious as we all gave our scores and reasons.

Next up was the French Chardonnay that Sophie and I had bought today. I could hardly detect any aroma on the nose, and the taste wasn't much better, either! It cost £12.89, so I was very disappointed and said so. It certainly wasn't typical of a creamy Chardonnay. 

After the Chardonnay, we tried the Gary Barlow Sauvignon Blanc, and I began to think I had lost my sense of smell and taste, as this was bland as well! Everyone laughed when we revealed the label and Richard pointed out the piano keys on the label, which were G and B. A bit narcissistic! 

The least liked label - Gary Barlow - and the best

I was very disappointed with both wines, which amounted to £20... we should have just taken a Vouvray and a New Zealand Pinot Gris!

The second rosé was slightly dry and one I wouldn't rush to buy, but it was in a gorgeous bottle that we all loved handling. By now, Michelle had served a lemon cheesecake, which was delicious. 

We then poured the first of the reds, an Italian Montepulciano, which was too tannic and dry for me. Sharon wasn't keen either, and I had to persuade her to at least try the wine. B y now, it was noisy, and there was a lot of laughter around the table as we all chatted and enjoyed the evening. Lily had made an appearance and kept brushing against my legs, bless her, so Michelle picked her up, and we had a cuddle.

The last red was a Portuguese, and both Sophie and I loved it. Michelle and Richard said they hated the label, but we thought it was beautiful! It came from Aldi and was priced at about £6.50. This is one we will ask Keith to get the next time he's in the supermarket!

Richard added up the scores, and Gary Barlow's label was awarded the worst, with the Italian the best. Kylie's rosé was the most popular wine! I was astounded to see it was almost 1:00am, so we said our goodbyes and walked the very short distance home. Sophie then had a terrible job of getting Gomez in. He was out with Cora, Lynn's cat, and it took all of her powers of persuasion to finally entice him into the house for bed!