Hooray! It's Friday!

I closed my office door this morning and worked on the payroll, but I still had people coming in and out. It's mainly because we have the photocopier in the office, and people need to get to it at all times. This Friday has flown by as I've been so busy, and it was 4:00pm before I knew it and the start of the weekend! Hooray!

Keith went to the pub to have a drink with John, while Sophie and I decided to watch a film called Cold Creek Manor starring Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone. It was a bit silly and quite predictable, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, and  it was interesting to see a very young Kristen Stewart (of Twilight fame) appearing as the young daughter.

Sophie and I couldn't find a wine we liked this evening, so we gave up on a Chenin Blanc and tried a Viognier instead. We found both a bit tart and acidic. Maybe it's time to concentrate on reds now that it's Autumn!

Here's a belated pic of Celine, nose to nose with Olive:

Getting to know you!

I drove to work on my own today, and felt a little nervous. We had charged up Celine last night, and it only took a couple of hours, as her battery is not as big as Olive's. However, I was delighted to discover that my entire journey was all electric, so I didn't use any petrol at all! 

I gave my order to Amanda for our Greggs breakfast and spoke with her about my manager, Dan, who is off ill at the moment. He had complained of a bad headache on Monday, so maybe it was connected.

I had a busy day, and Kally came in to see me so we could go over a few things. It's the start of the month, so the payroll run is looming, but I have decided to spend all day on it tomorrow. I made sure I checked every folder this morning!

When I arrived home, I put Celine on charge again and was hoping that, with my journeys to work and back, I would be able to run on electric only, thereby saving on petrol! Let's hope so!

A new addition to the family!

We took Sophie to work this morning in the usual heavy traffic, which was worse on the way home because of problems on the A45.

We just had time to get showered and then drive to Corby for our 11:00am appointment with Cinch. I had booked a slot to have a look at the Citroen and arrange a test drive, and we were shown to a comfortable seating area to wait for someone to show us the car. We had already seen it in the car park, and it was a lot bigger than I had expected!  

Just as we went out to have a proper look at the car, it began to rain! We sat inside, and I asked the man, who was known as JP, if he could drive, as I was a bit nervous about taking it out and driving! He agreed, and we went for a short drive towards Corby. It felt beautiful and smooth and seemed to be very responsive when he put his foot down! We explained about driving to France frequently, and I joked about buying a French car so I would please the French drivers! He showed me how the controls worked and explained the hybrid engine and how it switched from petrol to electric.

Back at the Cinch office, we sat down, went through all the paperwork and paid for the car. We then booked a slot to pick it up after we'd arranged the tax and insurance. JP said there was a café nearby, so we set off and found a large Tesco supermarket with a café. 

By now, we were both ready for lunch and had to order on large screens! It was all very high-tech! The wifi signal kept dropping while we were sitting in the café, so after eating and buying something for my lunch on Thursday, we sat in Olive, and I managed to contact my insurance company, pay a small amount to change the car, and then pay for a year's road tax.

The earlier rain had passed, and it was a glorious day. We had a call from JP at about 1:00 pm, and we went back to pick it up, which was a very easy process. When I got in, I realised that it was both empty of petrol and had no charge, so we had to call at the fuel station next door to fill it up with petrol. 

We set off for home, and Keith followed me in Olive. It was beautiful to drive, but I was a little concerned that at a higher speed, I could feel a slight vibration on the steering wheel, almost as if the tyres weren't aligned properly. I told Keith and said he would need to drive it today so he was familiar with it when he popped to Tesco.

We put Celine (as she is now known) on charge for a short while, before we went to see my Mum. I explained to her that I didn't have a lot of time to be with her today, as we were running short of time! The day was speeding past!

Once I said goodbye to Mum, Keith took Celine for a spin along the A14 and drove faster than I had on the way home, but said he couldn't detect any vibration at all. Perhaps it was the road surface? Anyway, I was hugely relieved as I am in love with the car and very pleased with it!

We had about half an hour at home before it was time to collect Sophie, and we took Celine, despite the heavy traffic. She was delighted to see us and came out with Becky and Grace, who admired Celine as well!

I was well and truly glad to get home and relax!

Bombarded!

To my delight, Sheila came to see me at work this morning after an early morning swim. We hugged, and I told her about my woes from yesterday. She sympathised with me, and we sat with a hot drink and a Northumberland biscuit while having a chat. She wanted to know what I'd put aside for her to do tomorrow, and I was grateful that she was in to take over for a day!

The rest of the shift went quickly, and it was great to go home at 4:00pm and catch up with Sophie, who had been working all day at home, but had managed to escape at lunchtime to take the cats for a walk! How lovely!

Sophie and a delighted Gomez

She told me all about them and how they had been at the house for most of the day, clearly happy that Sophie was at home! I think they missed us last weekend, even though they would never admit it!

The courtesy car had been picked up today, and I had been inundated with texts and calls from various companies (the repair people, Cinch), including the care home, which said that Mum had taken a tumble and hit her head. They called for an ambulance, and when the paramedics arrived, they decided to take her to A&E as her blood pressure was low. I was dismayed by this news, as I really don't want her to go to the hospital. They said they were going to do some tests and then hopefully take her straight back. This was just another thing to worry about, but at 11:00pm they rang to say she was home, which was a huge relief. I am planning on visiting her tomorrow after we have sorted the car out. I'm just hoping it will all turn out to be OK!

Work troubles!

Last night, I had a burst of inspiration and saw a car I liked on Cinch. It's a 23-registered Citroën C5 Aircross and is a petrol hybrid in a midnight metallic blue. I made an appointment to view it on Wednesday, as I just knew that the repair people would call today and ask for the courtesy car back, which they did. I asked if we could keep it for another day, but they refused. So that was that! I texted Sophie and asked if she could work from home tomorrow, and thankfully, she was able to, so that solved a problem!

Work hadn't been pleasant today; we all got paid last week, so I had quite a few queries from staff about their wages today, and I realised I had made a mistake last month, which I was mortified about. I felt like sitting and crying, to be honest. I still don't have access to the payroll software at work, and it's hugely frustrating. I needed to text Sheila again, poor thing, so she could give me access with her login. It's not ideal!

So, it was a bit of a subdued evening, but at least Monday is over, and I was glad Sophie was working from home tomorrow!

Birthday celebrations in Northumberland 25th - 27th September 2026

Homeward bound

We had toyed with the idea of going to Durham this morning, but with the charging issues, we decided to head home and stop for a late lunch at The Dovecote Inn in Laxton, Nottinghamshire. We'd stopped at this pub before, and it was a convenient place to have a bite to eat before continuing our journey.

I'd had a better night's sleep and felt a little more refreshed than yesterday! We showered (perhaps the worst shower we'd ever used, unfortunately), packed the car and made sure we left the cottage clean and tidy. Sophie had had an altercation last week with the owner of the Airbnb who had cancelled our April booking in Annecy, and we'd reported her in the end because of her offensive messages. We didn't want to annoy our lovely host in Northumberland! It had been a lovely, very comfortable stay in a gorgeous cottage that had everything we needed. We just didn't like the weak electric shower!

We set off at 9:00am and turned onto the A697 towards Morpeth. From here, we joined the A1 and headed for Washington Services, where we intended to charge up Olive to 100%. Even this would only get us to Nottinghamshire, though, where we'd identified another rapid charger at Blyth Services. 

The roads were good, and we had a great journey to Washington, passing Newcastle again and seeing The Angel of the North. At the services, we charged up Olive at a Gridserve charging point that was very rapid indeed. It gave us a chance to use the facilities and partake of a Greggs breakfast. We had a slight bickerfest in Greggs when I threatened to stuff a stottie cake in Keith's mouth as he kept wittering on about bringing Olive and that we should have taken the courtesy car. Sophie collapsed into giggles, making everyone in the queue turn around to see what was so funny!

Once Olive was charged, we set off, taking the A1(M) but deciding to follow the advice from Jeeves about avoiding Doncaster, where there were hold-ups. We briefly went onto the M62 towards Hull, then the M18, and then back onto the A1. All the way, we stared at cars on the road, trying to get some inspiration for our next vehicle. To me, a lot of cars look alike, especially the SUVs!

Our next stop was at Blyth Services and another Gridserve charger. We joined some hefty cars here, including a big Audi, Teslas and BMWs. It was nice to sit and relax for about forty-five minutes, giving us just enough time to get to the pub at Laxton, where we had a 2:30pm lunch booking.

We had stopped here a while ago, on our way back from the North-East, and I was keen to have a meal here again. There were already quite a few people eating, and we were taken to a table at the back of the pub.

We perused the menu, choosing roast chicken and lamb and Sophie and I shared a bottle of Portuguese Rosé, which was an agreeable 9.5% alcohol. The staff didn't appear to know what they were doing, and we eventually gave our orders and settled down to wait. We were all starving!

Sophie was looking forward to her lunch and had been craving a roast all weekend! However, when our roast chicken arrived, we were disappointed to see the promised crispy skin looking pale and anaemic... Keith had chosen a lamb shank, and our meals were accompanied by a Yorkshire pudding, runner beans, cabbage and leeks, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, heritage carrots (they looked like dead fingers), underdone parsnips, a wedge of rock-hard stuffing and extra portions of pigs in blankets and broccoli and cauliflower cheese. Sadly, the meal was disappointing, with the gravy tasteless and thin. We suspected most items had been frozen, especially the roast potatoes, which were dense and unappetising. When I think about how we turn out a roast at home, I could have cried...

We decided to forgo a pud, paid the bill and fled. We all wanted to get home now, see the cats and relax before work tomorrow. The unpacking and washing could wait!

We had a good journey home and turned off the A1 and onto the A43 at Stamford. Overhead, the skies were cloudy, and it looked like there had been rain. We made a brief stop at the Co-op at Kettering, and I bought another pack of sticky toffee pudding and custard.

Of course, there were no cats around, so we unpacked the car, put away as much as we could, and collapsed on the sofa. I had an indulgent hour watching All Creatures Great and Small, and we enjoyed our puds with lashings of creamy custard. Both cats came in eventually and were hugged and kissed!

Tomorrow it's back to reality!

Birthday celebrations in Northumberland 25th - 27th September 2026

Charge anxiety...

I did not have the best night's sleep, unfortunately. I found it difficult to drop off and then was awake several times; I have no idea why! We woke to a grey day, and before we set off, it started to rain. The poor cattle opposite were all huddled together trying to find some shelter, bless them!

View from the kitchen of the surrounding hills under a leaden sky!

We had decided to leave at about 9:30am and drive to Lindisfarne, where we were hoping to be able to charge Olive in a car park. We had about 100 miles of charge, and we were all starting to get worried about the lack of rapid chargers nearby. It had never been our intention to take Olive, and we hadn't rented accommodation with a charging point. The remote location didn't help!

Northumberland is very rural, with small towns and villages dotted about the fells, and it took us over an hour to get to Holy Island, as it's also called, along a series of narrow, winding roads. We had rain for the first part of the journey and then the skies cleared to brilliant sunshine. The scenery was staggeringly beautiful, but I had to concentrate on the challenging roads!

As we turned off the A1, we could see the island in the distance. We had looked up the tide times and knew that we had to be off the island by 1:15pm at the very latest. Getting caught halfway between the island and the mainland would be disastrous! It was amusing to see our satnav enter the sea as we drove along, passing the refuge point halfway. Sand covered the road, and there were pools of seawater everywhere. As we entered the island, we passed sand dunes covered in coarse grass. Some people had parked their cars and were no doubt hiking on the island.

This was our fifth (I think) visit to the island, and we were astonished at how busy it was. On previous visits, we had found the small village quiet and peaceful, and had even stayed overnight on two occasions, enjoying the feeling of being cut off from the mainland by the tide.

Sophie directed us to the car park where we found a small row of charging points. We had enormous difficulty hooking up to one, and had to use our own charging cable. In the end, Sophie had to download an app to use the charger, and became stressed about the whole experience. It certainly wasn't feeling like a holiday for her, poor thing.

Amid the crowds...

We could see a long line of people walking towards Lindisfarne Castle, but as we'd been there before (and there wasn't much to see), we walked into the village. I was determined to buy a bottle of the island's famous mead, and Sophie was desperate for a pint of Guinness. The streets were busy with people wandering about, with many carrying bags from Lindisfarne Mead.

We came to The Manor House Hotel, where Keith and I stayed on our first visit, and went into The Crown and Anchor pub, which was lovely and quiet. Sophie ordered a pint of Guinness, I had a half, and Keith chose a pint of real ale. We sat and chatted, and several people came in, including a couple with two dogs. It was their first visit, and they quizzed the young woman behind the bar, who said she had lived on Holy Island for eight years and loved it. I'm not sure how I'd feel about being cut off from the mainland twice a day! We were keeping a close eye on the time, as we didn't want to cross with hordes of cars!

They had a beautiful poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on the blackboard over the bar:

"The tide rises, the tide falls,

The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;

Along the sea-sands damp and brown

The traveller hastens toward the town,

And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Darkness settles on roofs and walls,

But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;

The little waves, with their soft, white hands,

Efface the footprints in the sands,

And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls

Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;

The day returns, but nevermore

Returns the traveller to the shore,

And the tide rises, the tide falls."

After our drink, we walked to Lindisfarne Mead, tried tiny samples of three versions, and bought some booze! I chose a bottle of normal Mead and a liqueur, while Sophie treated us to a bottle of ready-made Negroni. I also splashed out on a new glasses case and a Christmas decoration.

The Manor House, where Keith and I stayed in 1988

We had a slow amble back to the car, found it had charged up to about 100 miles, and managed to get the charger out once we'd locked and unlocked the car. These things are sent to try us! The journey back to the mainland went without mishap, and we stopped halfway to take some photos.

Our plan for lunch was to go to Bamburgh and have something to eat there. We had been before on numerous occasions and had enjoyed eating at the pubs there, as well as walking on the beach and gazing at the impressive castle which dominates the village. It was one of our favourite places to visit in Northumberland, and we were looking forward to showing Sophie the village now that she was older.

It was a lovely journey once we'd turned off the A1, and we followed the Northumberland Coastal Route. The sea looked beautifully blue, and cars were parked along the road with people on the beach. We reached Bamburgh, and I was astonished to see how many people were about, and how many cars were parked along the road. The place was rammed! We had never seen it like that before!

Bamburgh in 2007: empty!

Bamburgh 2007

We knew there was a charging point in the car park on the edge of the village, but unfortunately, there was no space. An ice cream van was occupying two of the charging points, so we gave up and returned to the village so Sophie could use the loo. We realised that even if we had managed to park, it would have been difficult to grab a table for lunch, judging by how many people were about!

We continued to Seahouses, but it was rammed with people there as well, all of them meandering about enjoying the sunshine and partaking of the many fish and chip outlets dotted about.

We gave up and decided to head for Rothbury, our nearest town, where we knew there was a charging point in the car park of the cottage hospital. The route we took was undeniably gorgeous and wound its way up and down, around and about, through remote villages and farmhouses, with stunning views and fields of sheep and cows.

It took us a while to get to Rothbury, and we had a short, sharp argument when we arrived at the hospital, as it was a fair walk from the town, and I suggested having lunch first before going back and charging up Olive.

I managed to park on the street, and we entered the first pub we came to, The Queen's Head. It was busy and lively, so we decided to have a drink and visit a nearby restaurant for something to eat. There was a very convivial atmosphere in the pub, and we sat and did a fair amount of people-watching!

It was a short walk to Bewick's restaurant, an eatery that was run by a London chef who used to have a Michelin star, no less! The restaurant was in a lovely old building overlooking the main street and had an outdoor eating area where people were enjoying the afternoon sunshine. We chose to sit indoors and had a good look at the menu. Sophie said it was different to the one she'd seen online, and we opted for three "small plates" consisting of a Scotch egg, pâté with toast and olives. Sophie ordered a glass of Rosé, Keith had an expensive bottle of beer (£7.95), while I stuck to fizzy water.

By now, we were all hungry, and the food was delicious, but there wasn't enough toast, and the pâté was served in a fiddly little jar. Keith kept vainly trying to get as much out as he could, but failed! He also ate all the salad! How dare he! We would have loved more bread to mop up the sauce from the egg and the olives!

It looks like a lot of bread, but it wasn't!

After we'd eaten and paid the bill, Keith walked back to the car while Sophie and I did some shopping in a nearby Co-op. We bought a pizza and quiche for dinner this evening, as well as wine and beer and salad.

Hanging about!

It was then time to go and park up for a while and charge the car so we could get to the services on the A1 tomorrow! The car park was quieter now, with another car using the second charging point. Sophie had already downloaded the app and put some money on her account, so we hooked Olive up and relaxed. Keith stayed in the car to read the newspaper, while Sophie and I wandered over to a wooden bench and table and scoffed a wrap each as we were still hungry! The views were beautiful, and we could see the surrounding hills and the town spread out below us. It was beautifully peaceful, apart from the happy sounds of children playing in a nearby playground. We could see signs of Autumn everywhere, with the trees changing colour.

We had to wait over an hour to charge Olive up to 150 miles. A rapid charger it was not! Once we had reached our goal, we drove to the cottage and, to our shock, found the front door open... Luckily, nothing had been taken, and we think that the lock was a little faulty and we hadn't closed the door properly this morning. It was a bit alarming, though!

We spent the evening relaxing. Sophie and I sat outside at the front with a glass of wine until the stiff breeze sent us back inside, and I watched a Netflix show about renovating houses in Mississippi. Sophie read while Keith played games on my laptop, and it was lovely and relaxed!

Keith and I watched Unabomber on Netflix over the course of the evening, while Sophie was engrossed in her book. We ate about 8:00pm and even enjoyed a portion of sticky toffee pudding afterwards! Well, we were on holiday!