A little bicker

It's so much easier when Keith drives me to work, as we don't have to leave so early, and there's no worry about finding a space! I called into Tesco to buy myself a sandwich and arrived nice and early, ready to start another day!

I put my head down and dealt with all the Bob conversations, and then switched to normal emails. We're not behind in terms of age, just sheer volume! I didn't volunteer to go to work on Wednesday, as Keith and I need to go to the tip to get rid of all the garden rubbish. And I'm going to wear long sleeves and gloves!

When Sophie arrived home, we had a bit of a bicker about how much water I'd drunk during the day. I am notoriously bad about this, but I'd had three coffees, a bottle of orange juice (rare for me) and eaten fruit. She wouldn't join us in the kitchen when Keith and I played cards, and the atmosphere was a bit tense all night...

Apparently, Mercury is in retrograde again... I'm blaming it on that!

Who's in, and who's out...

Sara told me this morning that I would have to man the phones from 2:00pm until 4:00pm, as Shirley wasn't able to cover. It was a bit of a blow as we had so much work to do. However, I was resigned to it!

The shock I'd received on Friday was common knowledge today, when some of the staff discovered if they had been transferred to Everyone Active on the 1st of April. To my huge surprise, Sheila had been TUPE'd over... I'm not sure what she'll be doing, as she is a manager who looks after the banking and finance side of the business. She's due to retire in November, which was one of the main reasons behind the decision. So, there were a lot of meetings going on today, and hushed conversations. I already knew I was staying with the company, which was a huge relief!

Around midday, we had another fire alarm, so we all had to troop outside until it was safe to go back in. Luckily, it was a lovely day, and the sun was shining! Some poor people who'd been in the pool joined us, wrapped in towels! 

At the end of the day, we hadn't made much inroads into the emails, so tomorrow it will be more of the same old, same old!

Lazy Sunday

In complete contrast to yesterday, today has been very lazy, which is just what we planned! We did do laundry, and we washed up the last few glasses from yesterday evening, but it was lovely to potter about and relax. The house was clean, supper tonight was simple, and both Sophie and I would be busy back at work tomorrow. I had sneaked a peek at the work emails and was horrified to see so many coming in. I knew I'd be in for a busy week!

In the evening, Sophie and I played Scrabble, and she made us both Mexican Mule cocktails with the last of the Tequila and ginger beer. They were delicious! She beat me at the game, though!

Spring is finally here (the meteorological Spring, anyway!), and we said we'd have to use the conservatory more often. I have put my bed throw over the sofa, and it looked cosy and inviting. A perfect place to sit and read on a Sunday afternoon in the future!

Dinner was cold meats and cheeses, and then it was time for an episode of Shetland before an early night. The working week beckons!

A manic day!

We had Sarah and Liam coming over for dinner this evening, and Sophie and I were in charge of the cooking. The night was Italian-themed, and we had asked Keith to get the ingredients for panna cotta. We had planned on making this, and then going shopping for the meats and cheeses for a charcuterie board as a starter. However, when Sophie took the tub of cream out of the fridge, she realised she didn't have enough... 

We decided to go shopping at once and buy everything we needed, and then come home and prepare the dishes. It must have rained heavily in the night, as the roads were awash with water. We sloshed over to Kettering and braved the crowds in the busy supermarket. 

We bought everything we needed, and a box of chocolates for Mum. We called to see her on the way home, and she was up and dressed nicely, which was a relief. I'd dreaded going into her room and seeing her still in bed.

Back home, Sophie made a start on dessert while I chopped up the vegetables for the tagliatelle Bolognese. Sophie discovered that gelatine sheets she'd asked for were actually sachets of powder, so she had some calculations to make! 

She managed it, though, and decanted the panna cotta mixture into pretty glasses. She'd even found time to tie ribbon around the stems, bless her! I made the Bolognese sauce and let it simmer for the rest of the afternoon. 

I then cleaned the conservatory (a job I'd been planning to do last Wednesday), and Sophie made sure all the crockery, cutlery and glasses were gleaming. She ironed the tablecloth and set the table while I draped a throw over the sofa. This area is very much the domain of the cats, and it took a while to remove all traces of them!

After cleaning the kitchen, scrubbing the cloakroom and hoovering the living room, we were all done and could relax for a little while! I had a soak in the bath before applying a coat of clear varnish to my nails, and getting dressed. My allergic rash is still flaring up now and again, and I've had to remove my engagement and wedding rings as they make the irritation worse.

I joined Sophie in the kitchen as she was putting the finishing touches to the charcuterie board, and I lit all the candles and turned on the heater in the conservatory. We were all done!

Sarah and Liam arrived, and I was given a beautiful plant, Italian wine and chocolates. We stood and chatted in the kitchen before moving into the conservatory for the meal. The Italian meats, cheeses and olive bread went down well, and we served Prosecco with the starter. Sophie took care of the pasta and garlic bread, and the Italian wine Liam brought went beautifully with the main course. He was driving, so he only had one glass, but Sophie and I certainly enjoyed it!

We had a pause before the starters, and we were hugely relieved that the panna cotta had set and was delicious served with chopped up strawberries! We also had tiny glasses of Limoncello to accompany the dessert.

Sarah and Liam left at 11:00pm after a great night of chat and laughter, and we promised we'd see each other again soon and not leave it so long!

We did some washing up and then had a real job getting Moonbums in... we called and called, and eventually he emerged from where he'd been when Sophie walked up the road to call for him. We grabbed him, had a cuddle and then went, thankfully, to bed!

A morning shock...

Keith dropped me off at work this morning, and yet again, I faced a mountain of emails to deal with. I honestly didn't think we would have this many cancellations! The situation with the loss of our centres was on BBC Radio Northampton, and I managed to catch a small segment while on the journey to work. I have to say that Everyone Active wasn't coming across too well!

In the office, Sheila and Sara gave me some truly shocking news, which completely floored me. I then had to concentrate on the box office returns before spending the rest of my shift tackling emails. Even with five of us working on them, we still didn't make any inroads.

Keith collected me at 4:00pm, and we trundled home, where I went onto the computer and listened to the BBC Radio Northampton breakfast show. We, along with Everyone Active and the council, had issued a statement, but the main gist of the complaints was against the new company and what little information had been given out.

Keith went to the pub, and Sophie and I watched a Netflix documentary about the former Prince Andrew's interview with Emily Maitliss. The casting of the gorgeous Rufus Sewell as Andrew was a little bizarre!

We had dinner, watched the end of the programme, and then found the original interview on YouTube. It was amusing to see the Queen's favourite son squirming so much!

The normal routine

I spent my six hours at work today trying to answer as many emails as I could, but they just kept coming in a relentless stream. At least I was spared from going on the phone as Kathy came in at 10:00am, so that was a relief!

At 2:00pm, I sped home, quickly had a chat with Keith and then went to see Mum. One of the carers handed me a sheaf of letters that had arrived, so I looked at them before taking them home with me to sort out. I sat with Mum for an hour, and we chatted about this and that, but she is still very confused.

Back home, it was the usual chores and the added task of doing our shopping list as Keith is going tomorrow. We had a delicious dinner of chicken wraps with salad, and then it was time for Shetland again. Same old, same old!

A telling off!

Sophie didn't go to the gym this morning, but I woke up before it was time for her to leave. I sat and had a coffee and then waved her off to work.

I had a GP appointment at 9:30am to discuss the results of my blood tests. Everything was fine, including my cholesterol (perfect), but I was advised to cut down on alcohol... I had to agree with the lovely doctor I saw, and he's booked me in for another blood test in eight weeks. I will be the first to admit that I drink too much, and see a glass of wine or a vodka and tonic as a treat when I get home from work. The annoying thing is that I don't drink sugary or caffeinated beverages (I can't remember the last time I had a Coke) and prefer water to pop or fruit juices. However, I'm determined to cut down and will be researching alternatives to spirits! 

Keith had accompanied me, giving me a lift to work, and I was so glad he had, as the hospital car parks were rammed! I would never have found a space at 10:30am! As soon as I got into work, I made a start on the emails, and Sara and I also cleared out a load of older messages that needed answering.

I stayed on until 5:00pm, and Sophie picked me up from our rear car park. It's been another beautiful day today, and it was great to drive home with Sophie and chat.

Dinner tonight was a very easy meal of baked potatoes with lots of salad. Scrumptious!