The Year 2000 - a diary. August - September

August 2000

The first week of August was busy at work and the takings were great. We had a few complaints from people as we banned food from the main carpeted area and introduced session times but on the whole the response from the public was very good.

We did find, though, that our new office was stuffy, hot and noisy. I escaped several times just to get some fresh air. We were also at the mercy of the staff who seemed to be forever knocking (or not!) at the door. The phones were put in and on Wednesday we learnt that the surveyor's report on our house was favourable so it was all systems go. We made a start on sorting out the mortgage and on Friday the Wilcon sales woman phoned to hassle me about exchanging contracts.

On Saturday 5th August, after going into work to open up with Mum, we headed for breakfast at a Little Chef with the children and then spent the rest of the day shopping at Milton Keynes. I bought new outfits for the wee ones and some books for me.

On Saturday night we went to a restaurant called The Moon and Sixpence near Banbury for a celebration meal after all the work on the refurbishment. My friend Lynda arrived to babysit and Michael started crying. I tried not to worry too much and when we left he seemed a lot happier.

We'd last visited this restaurant a few years ago and we were shocked to find that it was no longer a beautiful Italian eaterie with a gorgeous dining room, big sofas and a sumptuous atmosphere, but was now a pub with blackboards and plastic menus...

Sadly, the food wasn't as memorable as before and the wine I ordered, a Chilean Merlot, was brought to us opened. I suspected it had been swapped with the house Merlot which was considerably cheaper and I should have sent it back.

I chose Tournedos Rossini and ordered it medium but when it arrived it nearly got up off the plate and walked off. The whole meal was a big disappointment. To make matters worse we got lost on the way home and ended up in the wilds of Oxfordshire!

The following week was uneventful and I managed to take Monday off work. We discovered that a new Children's Play area had opened in Kettering (Kids Kingdom, now known as Kids Play) so I went to take a look. It was sufficiently far away from us not to be a problem but it was always interesting to see what other people were doing.

August continued to be busy with lots of children coming to play and the house sale going smoothly. I took out life insurance and we chose a mortgage. At work, the new lease still had not been signed.

My Dad celebrated his birthday on the 11th August with a "busty boobs" cake and lots of balloons!

On Saturday 12th August Mum, Dad and I took the children to Woburn Safari Park for the day and we had a wonderful time. The weather was beautiful and we took a picnic. We saw lots of animals and had a ride on the little train.

I decided to study for the Diploma in Wines and Spirits but found out that the study pack was not available until December. I consoled myself with the thought of having fun tasting until then!

On the 15th August Keith and I celebrated eight years of marriage.

The school holidays continued and the Balloon Festival, held every year in Northampton, approached. After popping to Milton Keynes to buy Sophie her new school uniform we followed the balloons in the car and we watched as they landed in Brafield on the Green. Sophie was excited beyond words but Michael slept through it all!

On Sunday I went in to work with my parents and the children to sort out the area we were renting out. The new occupants, a gymnastics club, wanted to be in by the following weekend so we had a fair amount of cleaning to do and the hoovers had a bit of a shock with all the work we expected them to do!

We spent the next day in there again and I shifted loads of wood and scaffolding with Dad. We called in a welder to dismantle the old slide and hired two men from an agency to help clear all the rubbish.

I took Tuesday off work to do some much needed housework and called the estate agents who told me that we should be exchanging contracts at the end of August. As Keith and I were on holiday from the 28th we were pleased and hoped that it would all go ahead.

On Friday Mum and I went to Milton Keynes for the afternoon to do some shopping but I also needed to get the wine for the the evening's Australia themed tasting. We parked near Oddbins and had lunch at Fatty Arbuckles. The two men in Oddbins were very helpful and pleasant and we spent half an hour choosing wines, some of which were very high in alcohol!

Mum and I then went off to M&S and I bought some beautiful clothes for the children as well as a load of underwear for me. When we got back to work there was a message from our Solicitor to say that our buyers wanted to exchange contracts today but there was a slight delay so it will probably be done next week instead.

The Australia wine evening was held at John and Sarah's house but there were now only eight of us as Ann and Bruce had dropped out. That was no surprise! We had a great night with delicious wines and good company. I enjoyed all my choices, both reds and whites.

The next day, Saturday 26th August, dawned wet and horrible. We'd booked a table at one of our favourite restaurants, The Beetle and Wedge, in Moulsford and for some strange reason I decided to drive to the village with the children in the morning as a sort of "test run". As it was a Bank Holiday weekend the traffic was very heavy and we stopped at the services on the M40 for a little picnic. Unbelievably, both children behaved themselves impeccably.

In the evening, before we set off again, I drove off to pick up our babysitter, Angela, and then we set off once again, managing to miss the right junction on the M40, but getting there in good time nevertheless. The restaurant, situated on the banks of the Thames, looked beautiful in the gathering dusk.

As we sat and studied the menu the waitress brought out four glasses of chilled Champagne which was a perfect start to our meal. After studying the menu I chose Gravadlax with King Prawns and blinis to start, followed by veal. My dessert was a gooey chocolate pudding with almond ice-cream and we enjoyed bottles of Chablis and Moulin-a-Vent. The whole meal was absolutely delicious!

It was a wonderful evening; the tables were beautifully set and dressed with gorgeous flowers. Pre-dinner drinks were taken in the comfortable lounge stuffed with big sofas and antiques and we came back here for our after-dinner coffees and petits fours.

(It's such a shame that the Dining Room at the Beetle and Wedge is no longer available as the restaurant now offers meals in the Boathouse only, which was a much more informal style of dining. Keith and I went back when we visited Cheltenham many years ago and stayed in one of their sumptuous rooms, but the hotel has now changed considerably and we haven't been back since.)

www.beetleandwedge.co.uk

On Sunday we started packing up the house and from Monday onwards, as I was off work on holiday, we managed to get more areas emptied, including the loft which brought a lot of memories flooding back. Some of the things that turned up I thought I'd lost so it was great to see them all again, especially some old diaries and letters. I did throw a lot of things out but the really special stuff was packed away ready to go to the new house.

On Tuesday we emptied our two outhouses and went to the tip with a load of rotting wood.

On Wednesday we took the children down to the Kent coast to have a break. We had a bad journey and didn't arrive in Whitstable until midday. We ate our picnic overlooking the pebbly beach and then drove to Broadstairs where Sophie threw herself into the sea and then covered herself in sand! It was a good job that I'd brought a change of clothes with me! On the way home we called in to see my Nan and it was great to be able to get the children cleaned up and fed there rather than in the motorway services.We had a much better journey home and called to get fish and chips for supper.

My friend Lynda came around on Thursday evening and I cooked her garlic bread followed by Lasagne and a salad washed down with a bottle of Chilean Merlot. It was a great end to a busy month!

September 2000

On Friday 1st September Keith and I looked at two houses to rent with our friend Sarah who worked for an estate agents. Both were fine but we really wanted to stay within our village as Sophie was due to start school very soon. We carried on packing up the house, giving us much more room!

On Saturday we had the Open Day for the Nursery. Previously, we'd only accepted children aged 3-5 years but we were now taking babies and we were very busy with parents registering their offspring. We both left at 2pm and went shopping to get some clothes for a trip to Devon that Keith and I had planned.

There was very little progress with the exchanging of contracts and the house deal with Wilcon was also proving to be slow but we did receive our mortgage offer.

I spent Monday frantically washing and ironing for our trip to Devon and managed to leave Sophie with Mum so we could go and do some last minute shopping.

On Tuesday we dropped off the wee ones with Mum and set off to Devon. The weather was overcast and cloudy and we had a great journey down to the South-West, stopping only once for a sandwich. We arrived at The Old Church House Inn in Torbryan at 1pm and we were delighted with our room which looked over fields full of brown cows.

www.oldchurchhouseinn.co.uk

After quickly unpacking we headed to the pub that we'd seen on the way to the hotel and relaxed over a couple of drinks. Keith was delighted that they were serving Abbot Ale and it was wonderful to relax and not worry about the children. I mentioned to Keith that I wanted to re-visit Cockington and so after finding it on the map we headed towards Torquay and the coast.

I was delighted to find that Cockington hadn't changed a bit since I'd visited, about twenty years ago. It was a well-kept, almost too pretty village of thatched cottages including an ancient forge. We wandered about in the warm Autumnal sunshine admiring the beautiful gardens and had a cup of tea in the grounds of Rose Cottage.
There was a beautiful pond with enormous Koi carp and lots of ducks. Sophie would have loved it all.

After our toasted tea-cakes we walked to Torquay along a special path that meandered through ponds on the edge of the village. It was peaceful, tranquil and very relaxing. When we reached Torquay we briefly admired the view across the bay and then walked briskly back.

Back at the hotel we got ready for dinner and had a drink in the bar. The hotel was very olde worlde with oak panelling around the walls. The Inn dated from around 1400 and was built to accommodate the workers who were renovating the church opposite. Henry VIII was said to have visited and an important carriage route once passed the hotel although this was now little more than a track.

We had a lovely dinner accompanied by a cat who eyed Keith's sardines with a lot of interest!

Wednesday started off damp and drizzly and we headed off to Dartmoor. The grey weather was perfect for a trip across the moors but because it had started to rain in earnest, we didn't stop and headed back to Torquay where the weather improved. We walked around the shops and admired the harbour and then sat and had a coffee in the sun, overlooking the large marina. It was great just to be able to relax and, just the two of us!

Neither of us had slept well the night before so we decided to head back to the hotel for a snooze, but on the way we made a detour to Dartington and bought presents for my parents. I bought them two crystal wine goblets and the children some toys from a lovely shop in the same outlet. Back at the hotel we couldn't resist exploring the lovely old church and ended up staying there for ages and wandering around the graveyard in the late afternoon sunshine. It was beautifully peaceful and quiet.

As the pub didn't serve a very strong beer, we drove to Six Mile Oak for a quick drink before dinner. It was quiet and we enjoyed a couple of drinks and a good chat. The sun was still shining and the views over to Dartmoor were wonderful.

Back at the hotel we were promoted to the main dining room and chatted to a couple at the next table. The meal was very good again and we shared a delicious bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

Thursday dawned damp and dull again but we were refreshed from a better night's sleep. After breakfast we drove to Ipplepen and bought the newspapers. We returned to the hotel and had a very enjoyable couple of hours sitting in the bar area and studying the form for Newton Abbot, a racecourse that we were visiting in the afternoon.

We arrived at the course very early and went to one of the bars for a drink and further studying of the form! I had chosen all my horses, but as usual, changed my mind at the last minute! We both had a surprise when we saw Miriam Francome walk in, sit down and start writing her notes for her presentation on The Racing Channel! She looked a lot thinner in real life!

The bar soon began to fill up and Miriam was joined by friends who proceeded to ply her with red wine!

We had a great day's racing. I picked the winner of the first race but stupidly didn't back it! Duh! Keith won the second and we both chose the winner of the third. We had a couple more winners and looked forward to a bottle of Champagne with dinner!

We drove back in high spirits and had a quiet drink in the lovely lounge area of the hotel. It must be a wonderful place in the winter as there was a huge log fire and lots of comfortable squishy sofas to relax in. I enjoyed three Camparis and Keith chose whisky. With dinner we drank a bottle of Lanson Black Label Champagne and after eating dinner I rounded off the evening with a new cocktail which I named "Dampers", a blend of Champagne and Drambuie! Before going to bed we had a drink with the owners and I had a few more glasses of the liqueur! Hmmm!

All too soon our relaxing little break was over and after breakfast on Friday we headed home. The news was full of farmers and hauliers blockading fuel depots and refineries so we filled up with fuel before joining the M5.

We arrived home at 1pm and went to the pub for a lunch of cod and chips. The weather was dank and drizzly again and I couldn't wait to be reunited with my two babies! We drove to work after lunch and showed them their presents. Sophie couldn't wait to try on her new pink (pixie) dress while Michael "gummed" his toy blocks.

The weekend was spent cleaning the house and getting Sophie ready for her first day at school on Monday!

She started school on Monday 11th September and was amazingly good, even though she could be clingy at times. There was a huge lump in my throat when I said goodbye but I knew she'd be fine.

I thought about her all day and couldn't wait to go back and pick her up at 3.15pm. My worry was not getting there on time so I made sure my mobile phone was on and charged at all times! She'd had a good day but her packed lunch was hardly eaten and she proceeded to devour this on the way back to work!

The ongoing petrol crisis worsened that week and we just about managed to get Keith's car filled up with diesel. All the petrol stations closed and there was no fuel to be had anywhere in the country. There were pickets at all the fuel depots and soon rumours of food shortages made people start to panic buy bread and milk at the supermarkets. Even the NHS was affected and it was very bad news for the Labour party who were in power at the time. Gordon Brown refused to give in and just as it was reaching a state of emergency, with troops being brought in, the pickets stood down, but by then they had brought the country to its knees. They vowed to carry on unless taxes are lowered in the November budget.

So, my many (many) years of doing the school run began in September 2000 and I was aghast to think of how many times I'd be running both children to school and back (15 years later and I'm still doing it!). I never enjoyed waiting at the school gates in the beginning for Sophie as I didn't know any of the other mothers and was a bit shy of approaching the various little cliques dotted around.

Our completion date of the 15th September came and went without contracts being exchanged. On Saturday 16th we took the children to Gulliver's Land in Milton Keynes for a day out. It was cold and windy in the morning but we had a great time riding the Ferris Wheel, the Boots, the Ghost Train and the little cars. Sophie loved it all and we had a burger lunch in the dimly-lit restaurant. The sun came out in the afternoon and it felt like summer again. After Gulliver's Land we drove to Oddbins and I saw a good selection of Greek wines so I decided upon that as a theme for the next Wine Tasting event on the 29th.

Our Solicitor phoned us the following week and suggested a new completion date of the 6th October with exchange of contracts taking place on Wednesday 20th September. I went to see Sarah and asked her to hold a house that we'd seen in Kingsthorpe which wasn't as near as I wanted to be, but was suitable for us.

On Saturday 23rd September we drove to Milton Keynes to shop for Keith's birthday and to buy school shoes for Sophie and winter clothes for both children. It was very hot and sunny and not like Autumn at all!

We celebrated Keith's birthday on Sunday 24th with fruit cake and a night out while Mum and Dad babysat the children. We tried the Han in Market Harborough but that was closed, and The Fitzgerald Arms in Naseby but they were full. We ended up at The Overstone Arms in Pytchley with a drink beforehand in Orlingbury. I had developed a terrible cough and was suffering from some sort of virus that my Mum had the previous week. The pub was virtually empty so my hacking cough reverberated around the bar causing me acute embarrassment!

We ate a lovely meal at the pub but we were both so tired we could hardly keep our eyes open! When I arrived home I made my special cough relief concoction - hot water, cough medicine, sugar, lemon juice and a generous tot of whisky! It knocked me out!

In the morning I collected the children and Mum came to the school with us. Sophie insisted on showing us everything in her classroom so she had obviously settled in well and was making lots of new friends.

On Wednesday Mum, Dad, Polly and I went to the Leisure Industry Week trade fair at the NEC in Birmingham. We went to the SPI stand to say hello but another firm, Angus Firth, whom we'd contacted about designing the new frame, ignored us completely! We had a good look around and picked up some ideas plus we also ordered some snazzy new bins for the play area in the hope that our messy customers would use them!

On Friday I phoned our Solicitor to say that if we didn't exchange contracts that day then we wouldn't be in a position to do it until the end of October. By mid-afternoon he got back to me to say it had been done and we needed to be out of our house by Friday 6th October.

Dad and I went off to a Greek wine shop in Northampton called Enotika and it was like visiting a tiny part of Greece! We were looking forward to a Greek wine tasting in the evening and the owner picked out six wines for me as well as some stuffed vine leaves and spinach mixed with rice.

After we'd picked out the wine Keith took Michael shopping while I hurriedly cleaned the house and did some urgent jobs. Kathryn was babysitting for us and I went to pick her up with Michael who screamed the whole way there and back!

The Greek evening was a huge success and all the wines and food went down very well. The star of the evening was a Mavrodaphne of Patras red, which, at 15% alcohol, was very Port-like and loved by all of us.

On Saturday 30th September we started packing up the house again and went back to look at the house in Kingsthorpe. It looked better than when we'd last seen it so we agreed with Sarah to move in as soon as possible, with a date of Tuesday 3rd October being a suitable date. I took three days off work to start moving our things over...stressful or what?

The Year 2000 - a diary. July

July 2000

July started with heavy rain and on the 1st we went to MFI to look at units for the preparation room of the Nursery. I also bought Sophie three pairs of shoes at Gordon Scott and took out a mortgage to pay for them...

Keith cooked again on Saturday night and we had a feast - roast Quail served on a slice of fried bread with a large mushroom, Hungarian Goulash and a dessert of chocolate pie. It was wonderful. We also drank a Chenin Blanc/Colombard from South Africa. (Why doesn't he cook dishes like this now??!)

On Sunday, Mum and I spent the whole day cleaning the Nursery and printing off the end of year reports for the business. I arrived home at 5.30pm absolutely exhausted.

Life was very busy in July and I felt like I really needed a holiday but we had to sell the house first. We had two buyers who were interested but they also needed to sell their own houses before they could make an offer on ours. Keith and I were hoping that we'd be able to buy a house at a new development called Knight's Grange but we didn't have any information on prices yet.

We had one more week of being open before we closed down for the refurbishment and it was very busy with groups visiting and Birthday parties. Our cook took two weeks off for a holiday and things finally settled down with SPI. Nevertheless, the lease still hadn't been signed...

On Friday 7th July Mum and I took the day off to do housework as we were going to be working all weekend. On the way to Tesco's I called into Knight's Grange as the show office was open but the sales woman told me to come back on Saturday as she had no idea of the prices of the new houses yet.

Over the weekend we started dismantling the old framework but half an hour into the work, Polly cut her finger very badly and had to go to hospital for stitches. Mum went with her, taking Sophie and Michael as well and they were there for hours. The rest of us slowly took down the frame around the obstacle course and the tots area. It was dirty, hard work and there was dust everywhere. It was obvious that we were long overdue a revamp!

We put up a large banner informing customers that we were closed and after spotting a suspect van in the car park, we hurriedly shut the gates!

On Sunday morning we were all back in again and Polly returned, raring to go despite two stitches in her thumb.

Sophie mucking about. Polly's in the background

We took down more of the frame and dismantled the old Reception area. We planned to pull up the old carpet on Monday as SPI were due in on Tuesday 11th July.

Everybody was in on Monday - builders, plumbers, carpenters and electricians. The telephone rang non-stop and I had to cook lunch for the Nursery. The carpet was firmly stuck to the floor and in desperation we hired a pneumatic drill-like contraption that made lifting it slightly easier.

On Tuesday I stayed at home to wait for the Sky engineer to come and look at our jumpy picture while Keith took my place on the scaffolding. Everybody managed to get a lot of work done and SPI arrived, only to leave again to go in search of accommodation.

Work started early on Wednesday morning and SPI put down the underlay and the new carpet first. We decided to move our office today and chaos reigned! The wall dividing up the large play area was half-built and the builders started work on knocking through the old female toilets. As well as moving furniture down to the new office I had to cook the Nursery lunch again...arrggh!

While all this was going on our estate agent phoned to say that the couple who looked at the house a few weeks ago had made an offer at the full asking price!

In the evening, while Mum and Dad were at our house enjoying a glass of wine, the phone rang and it was one of the friends who'd cancelled the meal at the Huntshouse in Kilsby. He demanded to know why £51 had been taken out of his account by the restaurant. I tried my best to explain (probably because they'd cancelled at the last minute) but he was very rude and angry and my Dad was furious that he spoke to me like that.

On Thursday we finally managed to get the office straight and I went out to buy paint for the new sleep room in the Nursery, which had once been our office. Jill and Rachael, our two Nursery nurses choose lime and lemon.

Friday was spent painting the room and it was hard work! We finished at 6pm and I looked forward to having the Saturday off. Most of the dirty work had been done with the refurbishment now, with all the walls knocked through and the new stud wall almost built. SPI had erected a load of scaffolding and the toilets were being painted.

The two Michaels

Mum and Mike

Polly

On Saturday 15th July, after shopping, I drove to Knights Grange to find out the cost of a three-bedroom house. To my amazement, the price was just within our budget so I drove home, collected Keith and we returned to discuss the situation with the sales woman. Keith really wanted to wait until next year but I was frightened that we would miss out as only six were being built. After a brief, but heated, argument I went back yet again to put a reserve on Plot 39 for the sum of £250.00. We now just prayed that everything would go through with the sale of the cottage.

That same day Mum and Dad went to stay at The Feathers Hotel in Woodstock to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They phoned later to say that the place was shabby and expensive...

Work started up again on Monday 17th July and Mum and I tried to finish some decorating work in the Nursery but we were constantly interrupted by phone calls and whiny children. The weather turned hot  and Brenda, our cook, returned from her holiday. All the days seemed to blend into a blur of work and heat.

Polly and Brenda started painting the walls of the main area and choose a bright orange to complement the yellow above the border and the carpet. Mum and I seemed to be constantly shopping for paint and borders and we also started buying all the Nursery equipment from Toys R Us.

Our friend Pat came around on the Tuesday evening to discuss the forthcoming barbecue on the 29th July. We spent most of the time talking about the enraged phone call I had from our erstwhile friend and the monstrosity of a house being built on the patch of land behind us at home.

On Wednesday I went out for a meal with my friends Lynda, Claire and Paula to The Rice Bowl. We chose the Banquet option but changed virtually all the dishes to suit our tastes! We had a good laugh and it was wonderful to get out and relax for a while.

The weather turned really hot towards the end of the week and on Thursday we had to make preparations for the advertising stand we were having at the Northampton Show. Our stand was within the Herald and Post marquee and we had leaflets printed to give out on the day. We really didn't have time to do this as we had so much work to do but we wanted to promote both the play centre and the Nursery, especially as the business had now been closed for a couple of weeks.

On Saturday I met Mum at work before going down to the show at Abington Park. The tube slides had arrived and the men were making a start on them over the weekend. The weather was cold and dismal with a thin rain in the air making it really miserable. On the way to Abington Park we called into Ventolite, who sell blinds, to see if they have anything suitable for the Nursery windows. We weren't happy with the designs or the cost! We then drove over to Mamas and Papas and chose the nappy changing stations and a border for the sleep room.

Driving into the showground was great as we had car-park passes but it was very busy and we eventually arrived at the marquee at 1.30pm. There was a lot going on, with bingo to the right of us and face-painting to the left. We ate lunch and Sophie had her face painted like a cat. We were able to walk around the show and Sophie went on lots of rides and a bouncy castle. We were charged £1.00 for five minutes! The weather hadn't improved at all and it stayed cold and horrible.

On Sunday we all went into work - Dad, Mum, Polly, Brenda and me. I spent all day painting and Michael was very whiny. We had just four days to go before we re-opened but the place still resembled a building site. The slides weren't in and Mum was worried that we wouldn't be finished in time.

On Monday Polly and Brenda put up the border and I painted the remaining doors. Most of the decorating had now been done and on Tuesday Mum and I swept and tidied the car park which was one big mess. We worked really hard to get it all done and the skips were full of rubbish.

The men from SPI had trouble fitting the slides and there was still loads to be done. The inflatable obstacle course returned from its service and was inflated to show the men how much they had to net...and it was a lot!

On Wednesday one of the Nursery Nurses came to help with Michael so Mum and I could get some work done. He slept all morning and I managed to get the wages done and write to people who saw our stand at the show and requested more information. We spent the afternoon getting the party rooms straight and washed all the chairs.

We spent Thursday hoovering and cleaning and at 4pm Mum and I, along with Michael, drove down to Kent to pick up the Nans. The journey was horrible. There was a wide load on the M1 and then on the M25 there was a chemical spillage and an accident at Junction 27. We crawled along for hours and got to Nan French's house at 7.15pm. After having a quick supper of sandwiches and salad we went to pick up the other Nan and headed for home. Thankfully the journey was very fast and stress-free.

On the day of the opening we were still frantically cleaning and Mum and I went off to get more lengths of the wallpaper border. At 1.30, half an hour before re-opening, Brenda managed to get the rest of it stuck to the wall and at 2pm we opened the doors to the first invited customers. I have to say we were reluctant to let them in in case they dirtied the new carpets!

Some of my friends arrived and it was a hectic time setting out drinks and saying hello to friends and customers. At the end of the day I was absolutely exhausted. Sophie was also tired after playing on the new framework with her friends from Nursery and after I delivered the meat for the barbecue to Pat it was heaven to get home and collapse on the sofa!

Finally, the 29th July arrived and I was able to take the day off. Mum and Dad went into work to sort out the staff and Keith and I went shopping. I bought all the wine, mostly reds from Chile and South Africa. The weather was gorgeously warm and sunny.

As the afternoon wore on, it rained, but it was only a shower. However, by 7.30pm it had started raining again and after running along to Pat and David's house we had a glass of Pimm's in the kitchen. Poor David finished off cooking the steaks on the barbecue and John and Sarah arrived with the salads followed by Mum and Dad who had brought Bruce and a sour-faced Ann. Luckily, after half an hour the rain stopped and we could begin our barbecue properly.

The food was wonderful. We enjoyed Gazpacho soup with garlic bread followed by Cumberland sausages, pork ribs, steak and chicken stuffed with spinach and garlic. There were lots of salads and some really delicious potatoes. Pat and David's garden was truly magical with lots of little lights, candles and hanging lanterns everywhere leading down to the stream. The wines went down very well and complemented the barbecued food beautifully.

We had a very enjoyable evening, spoilt only slightly by the miserable look on Ann's face throughout the night. The next day was spent doing very little and relaxing after the hectic few week's we'd had.

The month ended with the start of the summer school holidays and Mum and I drove the Nans back home. It was a much better journey than the previous trip down to Kent!

The Year 2000 - a diary. April - June

April 2000


My diary entry for this month started with a confession that I'd almost abandoned keeping up to date with what was happening in my life so soon after starting and that I couldn't remember much of what happened at all! Michael seemed to have suffered with health during April: his rash hadn't disappeared and he developed a cough that had to be treated with antibiotics and an inhaler.

Sophie's birthday was celebrated on the 5th, and also on the Sunday before with the Big Nans. On her birthday I decorated a table in the party area with Barbie napkins, plates and cups and tied balloons to the chair. She had a lot of presents (a pushchair for her dolls from us) and loads of cards.

On the 12th April, Mum, Dad, Polly and I went to Wrexham to see a company called SPI who had designed a new playframe for work. The lease had been agreed at long last and we were able to go ahead with our plans. The trip to Wrexham was very good, despite an unsettling telephone call to Keith when I could hear Michael screaming in the background.

Our little cottage was put on the market on the 16th April with Jackson Grundy and we hoped that it would sell quickly!

Easter was late that year, at the end of April, and we were very busy at work. It was our busiest Easter yet as the weather was horrible.

After Easter we had a spate of viewings on the house, but no offers. The house had never been so clean!

The month ended on a good note at a friend's house where we drank Italian wines and we also took possession of  a new company car - a Peugeot 406 Rapier - which was lovely.

May 2000

Our plans continued with the refurbishment at work and we decided to close from the 7th to the 28th July to install the new play area.

In the middle of May relations from Canada arrived to stay with Mum and Dad. They spent two nights with my parents and we all went to the Huntshouse restaurant in Kilsby on the 12th May. We had a delicious meal with lots of gossip and laughter. Kathryn, a Nursery Nurse from our Nursery, came to baby-sit and Michael looked at her like she was a vampire!

On the 19th May I had to go a friend's Hen Night in town, despite not wanting to go at all. Hen Nights were never my thing! During the day Mum and I drove down to Kent to pick up the Nans as she and Dad were off to a villa in Mallorca on the 20th May.

My Hen Night experience was not a pleasant one so at 9.30pm I disappeared to the loos and asked Keith to call me to say I had to go home. What a naughty thing to do! Lynda and I went to the Rice Bowl for a Chinese meal instead!

I started Michael on solid food in May. He enjoyed some yoghurt and baby rice with fruit. At first he screwed up his face but then started to kick his legs madly whenever he saw the pot of food!

I made a note of his achievements so far:

He could - smile, laugh, coo, kick his legs like a footballer, roll onto his side, hold his head up completely. hold onto his toes ("If all else fails, at least I've got my toes"), follow you with his eyes around the room, hold tightly onto a rattle or his dummy, sleep all night until about 6am, bite his bib, say "hello" and "Mummy".

He loved to - kick his covers off, have his nappy changed, kick you, headbutt you, play with his musical piano and his toys, play "Rockets!" with Grandad, watch television, kick his legs in the bath and grab Mummy's hair.

He absolutely adored Sophie, but that was no surprise!

He hated - being dressed, having his nose wiped, being put in his car-seat and waiting for a bottle to be warmed up even though he refused to drink it cold.


My parents were away so I had a busy week. Keith helped out and the Nans were a great support team. My parents returned on the 27th May and we had a busy Bank Holiday weekend with two potential buyers looking at the house. One woman was very interested and made an offer of the full asking price. We accepted!

Later that week Keith and I went to see Gwen and John (his sister and brother-in-law) in the North-East. Gwen wasn't very well and her children, Neville and Janet, also come around to see us. We stopped at a hotel in Piercebridge on the way home and were entertained by the owners who were very much like the couple from Fawlty Towers!


June 2000

I started the month by viewing a bungalow in Hannington with my mum but it was horrible. It was small and dark and the woman selling it obviously hadn't ever watched "The House Doctor" (my source of inspiration at the time). The estate agent never showed up either, which made things worse.

Michael was now adept at putting his toes in his mouth (I bet he wishes he could do that now!).

On Sunday 4th June we were burgled at work. I had to go and sort it out on my own (I don't say why here, perhaps Mum and Dad were away again?). Thankfully, Polly came in and sat with  me while I waited for the door to be boarded up otherwise I would have been terrified.

The week of the 5th-9th June was not a good one. We had problems with not only customers at work, but financial woes as well and the sale of our house fell through.

On the Tuesday we were forced to call the police at work as a woman was threatening to come and smash the premises up...

With the rest of the Wine Club members, we'd booked a table at The Huntshouse restaurant but one couple called and cancelled, saying that one of them was ill after a disastrous holiday in Italy.

At work, we had meetings with both our Bank Manager and our Accountant and the figures looked good with a profit expected the following year. We kept our fingers crossed that we would get the loan for the refurbishment.

On the 13 June we drove to Birmingham to see Santana in concert at the NEC. We left home early as we'd booked a table in the Hospitality suite and were delighted to find we had a special parking place reserved as well!

We had a wonderful meal with wine and enjoyed seeing everyone arrive for the concert. I decided to call Keith to make sure everyone was fine at home and he told me that another couple phoned and cancelled for the meal at the restaurant as one of them had the flu...

This bad news made us very angry and worried that we'd done something to upset them. Dad recalled an incident with one of the couples' grandsons but it was such a minor disagreement that we refused to believe that was the cause of the cancellations.

We tried to forget about the problems with the meal and we thoroughly enjoyed the concert. They played a lot of songs from their new album but they did include Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va. The NEC was full and the atmosphere was great.

During this month Sophie became naughtier and naughtier - crying at the slightest thing and giving me lots of cheek. It reached a point on a Friday morning when I felt I was going mad with her so Mum took me to Milton Keynes for some shopping and I was able to relax for a bit.

Our neighbours in Walgrave, Pat and David, were mystified by the other couples' cancellations as much as us but we were all still looking forward to going out and enjoying a meal. Keith took delivery of our transport for the evening - an ancient minibus - and we discovered that it needed a good clean and smelled a bit...

On the night of the meal, Kathryn arrived to take care of the children, but Michael howled when she held him, which caused me to have a major stress about leaving my little baby, even though she was a great baby-sitter and a qualified Nursery Nurse.

We had a great night at The Huntshouse restaurant. We arrived a little late but they'd reserved a table for us by the window for our pre-dinner drinks and didn't mind our reduced numbers. It was a beautiful summer's evening and there were lots of other people eating and drinking. We chose the wine and Dad talked about his theory of why the two other couples had cancelled.

The meal was delicious. I enjoyed Parmesan Choux rings with chicken livers followed by broccoli soup and then a pork tenderloin stuffed with pancetta and spinach. We had a Semillon Chardonnay from Australia to start followed by a Beaune Villages and an Australian Merlot. The wines complemented the food beautifully.

The conversation never flagged but Ian (the owner) didn't go through the menu like he normally used to...maybe he was a bit overwhelmed by us all (there were eight of us!).

Dessert was gorgeous - a Tiramisu tart followed by coffee and mints at the table. We were the last party to leave and John and Sarah and Pat and David came back to our house for more coffee, which woke the children who did their own bit of entertaining!

On Sunday morning I awoke with a hangover, we had a viewing scheduled for 11am and the mini-bus had to be returned...

The viewing turned out to be a waste of time and in the afternoon it grew very hot, reaching 34c. Mum and I went to the garden centre but Sophie fell asleep in the car so we returned home. She ended up staying with my mum in the afternoon while I had a relaxing time watching television with Michael.

In the evening we went to the pub for a drink and then I cooked steak for dinner as it was Father's Day. Sophie stayed the night at Mum's house.

On Monday 19th June the builders started at work and our new office began to take shape. The bank had agreed our loan but this only made us worry more! During the course of the morning someone managed to steal a whole freezer-full of ice-creams. We still don't know how it happened. It was very hot at work and we started contacting air-conditioning firms for quotes.

On Tuesday work began on the male toilets as they were going to be split into two, with one half being converted into the ladies' loos.

On Wednesday we had yet another viewing so I had to go home and clean the house again. 

We had a small crisis at the end of the week when the bank refused to release the funds for the loan until we'd signed the new lease. This should have been done months ago and our Solicitor had been sitting on the paperwork since the 29th March. Understandably my Dad was not happy as this meant that SPI wouldn't start actual manufacture of the play equipment until the bank had guaranteed the money. Angry letters were sent back and forth until we received an assurance that everything would be completed.

As well as the building works to the interior, we also had a team of gardeners rip out all the bushes in front of the Nursery to make way for a small outdoor play area. The intense heat dissipated by the end of the week and it turned cooler and showery.

On Saturday 24th June Mum and I took the kiddies strawberry picking near Geddington. It was cold and windy but we had a great time and picked three punnets full of fruit. We then drove over to Podington garden centre where I bought some geraniums for my window boxes. It was much cooler today - 14c - and we had a lovely relaxing afternoon with no stress or hassle.

In the evening Mum and Dad came around for dinner and Keith insisted on cooking. He made celery and Stilton soup, Normandy pork with vegetables and rhubarb and ginger Fool. It was all delicious and much appreciated by all of us. I served a South African Semillon and a Pinot Noir from Chile (Cono Sur). We enjoyed a lovely evening and both children behaved impeccably!

Sunday was perfect for barbecuing and I finished off the Pinot Noir.

Back at work, the tension increased with more financial problems and SPI demanding payment by the 3rd July. More angry letters were sent between us and them but thankfully all was resolved and a sensible schedule of payment was arranged. The lease still hadn't been signed though...

Work continued slowly with new party rooms being built and the refurbished toilets finished. We're pleased with the progress but the problem with the lease still hung over us like a grey cloud.

The Year 2000 - a diary. January - March

January 2000

After a very enjoyable Millennium Eve spent at friend's houses (Mum and Dad, Sarah and John and Pat and David, finishing with Champagne at our house while Keith nursed his flu bug) I awaited the arrival of baby Michael, due on the 18th January, with increasing anticipation.

However, as expected, the day came and went with no sign of labour pains. A helpful lady sales representative from the Yellow Pages recommended Clary Sage, an aromatherapy oil, which I duly added to my bath water on the 25th. Mum and I were going to London on the 26th January to buy some tablets from a homeopathic shop as I did not want to be induced like I was last time, with Sophie!

I had some pains in the early hours of the 26th but this didn't put me off going to London. However, after buying the tablets and walking around the capital for a while we decided to return home as the pains were getting worse and coming every thirty minutes.

To cut a long story short, I phoned the hospital at 9.30pm and they told me to come in, just in case. When I arrived and was examined I was told that I was not in labour so Keith was sent home and I was taken up to the Maternity ward where the pains just kept on coming and growing increasingly worse.

The midwife wouldn't give me anything and the TENS machine I'd hired was barely effective. When my waters broke (and what a feeling that was!) I felt an enormous urge to push and they finally realised I might just be in labour after all! With a sudden panic, they wheeled me up to the delivery room and Michael was born just thirty minutes later, weighing 9lbs, 2oz! His shoulders had become stuck but after a short spell in a special cot with a supply of oxygen he was fine. Keith had come rushing back and arrived just as they were putting our son into his special trolley.

I was out of hospital the next day and in the pub the day after!

Luckily, despite a few tears in the evening following the birth I was not as depressed as I was after Sophie and Mum and Keith helped out enormously.

February 2000

Keith and I registered Michael's birth on the 1st February and I went back to work soon afterwards.

Michael met the "Big Nans" for the first time on Sunday 6th February when we took him down for Nan Lamb's birthday. We had a lovely day and Michael was adored by all, of course!

The following Saturday, February 12th, we went to a Children's Activity Centre in Epping. The place was brand new and built by Hope Adventure who we are looking to take on to re-build our own indoor play area. The owner was an ex-builder who spoke his mind and told us we weren't using the space we have effectively enough. He dismissed our idea of putting in a gym and told us instead to rent out 8,000 square feet of space. This would then give us instant income (if we found a tenant). We had a great day in Essex and Michael was an angel.

Half-term started on Friday 18 February and it was a very busy week. Dad and I helped out in the kitchen and we did great business every day. This gave us the confidence to go ahead with our plans as the play frame hasn't altered that much over the last couple of years. We hope to see increased business with a new, improved play area.

All our hopes and plans are centred on the new lease which is going ahead with all the speed of a drunken snail. Our Solicitor is doing a great job dealing with the Landlords in London and we are gradually inching our way to an agreement.

Friday 25th February was the first Wine Evening of the new Millennium and we sampled wines from North America. They turned out to be delicious and we all had a great evening. Sophie stayed at home with Keith and Michael came with me to Mum and Dad's house where he slept the evening away.

March 2000

Mum and I took Michael and Sophie to see the Big Nans again on Friday 3 March and we went to Bluewater in the afternoon. Michael loved all the colours and noises and fell asleep in his pushchair. He's only 5 weeks old and he's been all over the country!

Monday 6th March was mine and Keith's 12 year "First Date" anniversary. The time has gone so quickly! We celebrated with a bottle of sparkling Vouvray and went to the pub while Mum looked after the children.

Michael had his six week review on the 9th March and all was well. He smiled on cue at the lady doctor and held his head up well. The rash on his face is still there and she told me to make an appointment with my GP to get some cream.

The next day we duly went to the doctor's surgery and I had to park what seemed like miles away! Michael now weighs 12lbs 8oz so he's rather heavy to carry! We were given some cream for his face but I've found that E45 ointment works just as well.

Early on Saturday the 11th March Sophie was very hot and when I checked her for the dreaded meningitis I found a small spot on her tummy. A few hours later she had more and I realised that she had chickenpox, which is doing the rounds of the Nursery.

The next day we went into work to open up and then headed down to London as planned. Sophie was still spotty but they weren't too bad so we decided to risk it! We drove in a new Honda Accord that we had on loan until April, parked in Hyde Park and strolled along the Serpentine feeding the ducks and, literally, watching the world go by.

There were people on roller-skates, skateboards, joggers, cyclists and horse-riders, all out and enjoying the Spring sunshine. Michael had a feed overlooking the water and it was wonderful to be out in the fresh air.

From Hyde Park we strolled down Exhibition Road to the Victoria and Albert Musuem where we soon learned that the building wasn't suitable for pushchairs! We heaved both of them up and down stairs and paid a small fortune (£13.45 for two rolls, two coffees and an orange juice) for lunch! Sophie enjoyed the dresses, especially Sophie Rhys Jones's wedding dress that was part of an exhibition. I love the V&A and could quite happily spend the entire day there, just wandering around the magnificent rooms and admiring all the exhibits. The top floors are full of china and glass and always seem to be empty. On a rainy Sunday afternoon, you can't beat it.

Unfortunately, when I took Sophie to the loo I found she was covered in spots. We decided to call it a day and headed for home, accompanied by screams from the back as Michael needed feeding and wouldn't accept lukewarm milk!

Because of Sophie's chickenpox I stayed home for a week and at the beginning I quite enjoyed spending time with both children. Keith came home in the afternoons on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so relieved the boredom a bit. The Cheltenham Festival was on which gave us a bit of interest but by the end of the week I was climbing the walls with both of them under my feet and couldn't wait to get back to work!