End of my week!

Today the weather has been the exact opposite of yesterday. No wonder in this country we're all so obsessed with our climate and what nature throws at us! This afternoon has been beautiful, warm and sunny but as the morning started out damp and chilly, we weren't too worried!

This week has dragged and I've no idea why. It feels like it's taken me an age to get to this evening and the prospect of the day off tomorrow. It's a lovely feeling, I have to admit, to know that the weekend has started early!

I'm off out tonight with some girly friends to a Vietnamese restaurant, which I'm looking forward to. I've never eaten Vietnamese food before, but looking at the website menu, it looks very similar to Thai. I love trying new food and I'm in the mood for something fishy tonight!

At the mercy of the weather...

Yesterday proved without a doubt how reliant we are on the weather for our business. Tuesday was very quiet indeed as it was sunny and dry, but yesterday, with the rain coming at lunchtime, our sales almost trebled. I suppose with the British weather so changeable, this is good for us, but it does mean that we tend to prefer rainy days to sunny ones, which is a real shame as I like warm and pleasant days as much as everyone else. How I would love to run a business where the weather doesn't make a difference!

Because it was quiet in the morning at work yesterday (before the rain lashed down) Keith and I went off to the bank and on the way drove through the park to see if there were hordes of children there, such is my paranoia about where our customers go to! Surprisingly it was empty. We also checked out the competition but they didn't look any busier than us!

Of course, when we got back our place was pleasantly busy and stayed that way for the rest of the afternoon and evening!

Cool mornings...

Yesterday morning, thinking it was still mild, I came out of the house without a coat and received a bit of a shock in the freezing temperature! The last two days have been sunny but there's been a mist hanging over the fields and it was a shame that I didn't have the time to go out and take some photographs.

Monday was busy with cleaning and it was lovely to get home in the evening and relax. Today has been equally busy, but with paperwork and trying to find lots of things for our work experience girl to do, to make sure she is kept busy and not bored. She's the same age as Sophie and I would hate to think that she dreads coming into work with us but I'm hoping that over the next couple of days she'll get to have a better understanding of how we do our day-to-day business.

I was the last person out tonight at work, and although I don't mind being in the building in the morning on my own, being there in the evening tends to creep me out a bit. I said goodbye to Jenny who covers Reception for us on a Tuesday and heard a noise. I stood still and listened and couldn't make out where it was coming from. It sounded like a bird and I was just on the point of running out of the building when I realised it was coming from a V-Tech toy in one of the party rooms...Phew! I turned it off (the battery was obviously running low) and went thankfully home!

Sunday 27 March - census day

The clocks went forward on Sunday which meant when I woke up at 7.45am it was really 6.45am. No lie-in then! Mum, Sophie and me went off to Milton Keynes at 11am and had lunch at Caffe Italia which was delicious. Breakfast would just have been far too early!

For me, it wasn't the most successful day of shopping, but Sophie managed to get some new clothes, most notably a lovely all-in-one jumpsuit from H&M which looked gorgeous on her, lucky thing! We stayed until 3pm and then drove home in brilliant sunshine.

The rest of the day was pretty lazy. I submitted our census on-line so that's us done. I wonder if anyone will take an interest in 100 years!

Swooning at the cinema...

The film "Unknown" was brilliant - a real suspense thriller that had us guessing what was going to happen right until the end. Liam Neeson was fabulous in it and the whole film was set in Berlin - what more could I want! We both really enjoyed it and as soon as it's out on DVD, I'm ordering it. I think Keith would really have enjoyed it as well so if he suggests going to see it, I'd gladly watch it all over again.

Mum and Dad came round for a drink on their way home from Milton Keynes where dad had been buying a new plane - he smashed one of his the other day which made him a bit sad, so now he has a new one to build!

Funny mood...

I feel very guilty I haven't updated the blog since Wednesday, especially as I was off work yesterday and had ample opportunity to write something. Thursday was just a normal day when nothing happened out of the ordinary, apart from Sophie feeling unwell first thing and missing school. So as well as having Keith in at work with me, Sophie came too, although by mid-morning it was clear that she could have gone to school! The weather was gorgeous on Thursday and I treated myself to a guide book to Florida as we're planning to go to the Gulf Coast while we're there and I needed information on which resort to head to. At the moment, Clearwater Beach is looking the best bet for a day at the seaside.

On Friday both Keith and I felt pretty tired and a little under the weather. We did a few household chores but not much else which has made me feel guilty. The weather was sunny again, but a wee bit chilly and all I wanted to do was curl up on the sofa and do very little. I suppose we'd both had a busy week so I just gave into it and made the most of a free day. I did do a fair bit of research on my family tree!

This morning dawned grey and misty and I felt very restless! Perhaps a day spent doing very little worked. I mentioned to Sophie I'd like to go and do something, but trying to please two children of different ages and interests was a bit difficult. With the holiday nearing, expense was a consideration so going by train to the Sea Life centre in Birmingham was a definite no-no, as was a cinema visit to the O2 (both Sophie's suggestions!). I would have gone for a treasure hunt in Northampton town (boring, mum!) but in the end we settled on a film in Kettering - Unknown starring Liam Neeson (swoon!) with just Soph and I venturing out. If the weather had been a bit better we could have gone somewhere outdoors but looking out of the window, it's very gloomy. Typical!

A long day

It was Keith's sister's funeral today so it's been a long day, but for Keith, despite the sadness of his sister passing, it was enjoyable. Gwen was 84 and had had a very good life, so the funeral was more like a celebration of the person she was and it was great that Keith met up with lots of family and old friends.

We set off after dropping Mikey off at his school bus and we had a brilliant journey up to Bishop Auckland where Keith's brother lives. The weather has been stunning today - truly the first day of Spring with temperatures of 17-18 degrees and blue sky and sunshine. We stopped at Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire for a coffee and a chicken bap and made the North-East by noon. The funeral was at 2pm so after buying the local newspaper (something Keith always does when he goes "home") we headed to his brother's house and then onto Gwen's house where the funeral procession would start.

Gwen's husband (deceased) started a business when his two sons were young and that business has grown and grown and become very successful. When we arrived it was a bit like meeting the cast of Dynasty as the women were all very well heeled and the driveway of Gwen's house was stuffed with Mercedes and BMWs. My poor little Passat looked a little out of place amongst all the gleaming machines, but Keith's nephews were very friendly and we were welcomed warmly. 

Both the church and the crematorium services were lovely and then we all met up at the pub in the village where Gwen lived, for a buffet and a good catch-up. One of the men who had attended the services was a very good friend of Keith's and they hadn't seen each other for a while so they had a good natter. He even produced some old photographs which brought back a lot of memories!



We stayed at the pub until 5pm and then left for the long journey home, which was as good as the morning's trip. We were in our own local at 8pm for a quick drink before going home and relieving my parents of their baby-sitting duties!

Spring is in the air!

Today I didn't need to wear a coat as it was so mild! It's been lovely!

Despite the warmer temperatures, we were still busy at work. I popped off to Booker and when I got back the didicars had been delivered, which was good news. We also had a visit from a friend who manufactures bouncy castles. He'd come in to talk to us about extending our tots area and putting in some new equipment. As he is serious eye-candy we spent a very pleasant hour discussing what we could do to add new things over a cup of coffee. I have no idea what it will cost (too much probably) but we can dream!

I set off the fire alarms...again!

Yesterday was not really a very good day. As part of our agreement with the new people who are moving into the space next door, we had to test the fire alarms. Dad turned the control panel to "test" while I stood in the space and listened. They went off, but I still wasn't satisfied so I went to get our long broom and did what I did a few months ago with the smoke alarm - waved it underneath the sensor to make it seem like smoke. It duly went off, frightened my parents out of their wits...and then wouldn't turn off. Ooops!

I raced back to Dad and it stopped, only to start again within the minute, and it did this for the next hour...Dad was marooned next to the control panel because he couldn't stop it. I went and tried to clear out whatever was causing the alarm to go off in the smoke alarm but nothing would stop it. To make it worse, the people who were renting out the space were also in seeing some builders, so it was even more embarrassing! In the end we called Chubb to arrange for an engineer to come out and by some miracle, the noise stopped. I felt terrible and I'm beginning to feel as if I'm jinxed!

Needless to say, the engineer came out, charged an exorbitant price to put things right so I'm not the most popular person at the moment. Maybe I should give myself a final written warning!

The first cut is the hardest...

Today has, I suppose, almost been the perfect day (well, one spent at home anyway!). We had a decent lie-in, a relaxed start to the day, a bit of shopping (Mikey needed new shoes), coffee with mum and a very pleasant few hours in the garden. This was then followed by a snooze on the sofa, a deep, warm bath and the prospect of a lovely dinner and a glass of wine.

The weather has been beautiful again today and although there was more cloud around, it was mild and sunny. Perfect for giving the lawn the first cut of the year. Except there was one problem...the lawnmower broke! It sounded a bit rattly when I started it up and made more strange noises as I steered it around the garden. I had a feeling I should have just kept going with it but I had to stop to move the lead and then it wouldn't start again. I left it a while but it was, as I said, deader than a dead dodo. So that's one more thing to add to the long list of things that are giving up on us lately...

I finished off the lawn with the strimmer (hard work and noisy) and tidied up all the borders. A lot of my pots were empty so I scattered the compost that was in them all over the soil to give it a bit of oomph and did some pruning. I was pretty pleased with how it looked when I finished even though the lawn really needs some attention. Keith made me a ham roll for lunch and we ate sitting in the garden with the lovely warm sun on our faces. It was bliss!

The way we were...

I spent a few more hours grappling with Thomson again yesterday, this time (reluctantly) reserving our seats so that Keith can be comfortable on the flight and have an aisle seat to stretch out his leg. I think it's outrageous that we have to spend even more money to ensure that we all sit together and it's all down to pressure and the fear that when you turn up at the airport for a long flight, you find that you're scattered all over the plane. I'd hate for the children to be sitting with strangers and, no doubt they would probably do something to sit us together, but there's no guarantee and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

It all used to be so simple years ago when we went on holiday. I flew abroad for the first time in 1986, with Dan Air to Mykonos in Greece. We turned up at the airport, checked our luggage in, were allocated our seats and that was it. No looooong queues at Security, no baggage restrictions and just one price - no numerous add-ons! No charges for adding baggage, or having a meal (always included), no charges for paying by credit card or - horror of horrors! - daring to actually check-in and deal with a real live person rather than doing it on a computer. I should imagine if we'd been told back then we'd have to pay an extra charge for reserving our seats we would never have believed it. The internet was in its infancy in those days so we did everything in a travel agent or on the phone. We had no idea if the hotel we were going to was any good (no TripAdvisor) but we had no other option.

The host of add-ons are part of daily life now. It seems every company has the right to charge for different things which just bumps up the cost. When we upgraded our rental car the other day the man I spoke to gave me a run down of the costs included - Airport operating fees, Florida surcharges, various different types of insurance...it went on and on. No doubt when we actually get to Florida there will be a whole host of different charges to bump up the price of our holiday. The last time we went we were given the option of paying an extra $50 as an added insurance for the netting around the pool in the villa. If it was damaged we would be liable to pay to have the whole section repaired, at a huge cost. Understandably terrified of causing damage and being liable, we coughed up the $50 without a murmur. At the parks, Seaworld in particular, there was a long list of "extras" such as Shamu preferred parking, Shamu preferred seating, dine with Shamu, etc, etc. Universal charge extra for a "Fast Pass" to bypass all the queues. I'm not sure of the actual price but I think it's about $50 per person!

In a lot of cases these extra costs are optional so you can decide whether you really want to have them, but in some cases they're not. Are these price breakdowns a good idea? Do we really need to know how much we're paying for fuel surcharges, local tourist tax, airport operating fees, etc etc? I think I would just prefer one price and be ignorant of what I was being ripped off for!

Anyway...rant over. Yesterday was a beautiful Spring day and in the afternoon Mum, Soph and me went off to Market Harborough to see Duncan and buy some wine. The tasting was officially over but we still managed a sip or two of three wines - a French white, a French Rose and a Spanish red. I had come to buy some more Romanian Chardonnay so along with a couple of bottles of that (a bargain at £5) I also bought a bottle of Romanian Pinot Noir and a white in a lovely blue bottle which had been a favourite of mine when I worked at the shop. After choosing the wine we wandered around the town in the Spring sunshine and had a good look in the shops before heading for home.

It was great to see all the children out playing when we got home - is our gloomy winter over at last?

End of the week relaxation.

I seem to be running a day behind with the blog at the moment! Friday was very relaxed and enjoyable. Keith and I went out in the morning to go to Tesco and the Post office. I sent off my letter to Hewlett Packard by registered post so we'll see what happens next. We had a cup of coffee in Costa Coffee while studying the form and I went for two runners in the 1.30 race - Unaccompanied and Sam Winner. I placed an each way bet on them and kept my fingers crossed I'd have more luck!

Back home we waited for the dishwasher repair man to come and I pottered about doing little odd jobs and just enjoyed being at home. The weather was lovely, but still on the chilly side, so I washed my car and opened up the conservatory to tidy up after Sophie's sleepover of a few weeks ago. I'd asked her to take all her stuff back upstairs, but in the way of teenagers everywhere, she'd left a quilt and various hair products behind!

The repair man came and found the problem - a piece of broken glass that had managed to work its way into the pump and stop it from working. The bill was £80 which was a lot better than having to get a new dishwasher! Sadly, my winnings didn't cover the bill. My two horses came 2nd and 4th so I think we won £1! Keith did have a winner, Bobs Worth, but it didn't make us rich beyond our wildest dreams, unfortunately!


In the evening Sue came over bearing a bottle of delicious Vouvray and we had a good natter with some lovely nibbles. It made a great ending to the week!

Money, money, money...it's not funny...

Yesterday was all about money and not in a good way! Keith was in at work with me and I said I'd have a bet on one of the Cheltenham races. I picked a horse called Buena Vista purely because there is a Lake Buena Vista in Florida. Keith moaned and said that he had a horse in the same race and I should pick another. Being the dutiful wife (!) I chose Poquelin in another race and placed a £5 bet for the horse to win.

Over lunchtime I happened to be browsing on the TripAdvisor forum and noticed that someone had mentioned they'd had a free rental car with their package with First Choice but that it hadn't included insurance... We have the same package with Thomson so I started to worry. Keith suggested I give Thomson a call, which I did and found out that we, too, have a car but no insurance. I was quoted £294 for two weeks and both of us were understandably not very happy. This was another cost we hadn't budgeted for. In the past we've always hired cars separately and they, of course, came with full insurance. The last time I went to Florida with my parents we were stung at the car hire desk for an upgrade and I certainly don't want it happening again!

I then spent the next half hour scouring the net for car hire rates but they were all coming out at the same price, about £270. We could have told Thomson to stuff their free car but for the extra £20 we phoned them back and upgraded our "free" car to one with full insurance. Nowhere had this been mentioned on booking so we'd have got a nasty shock on arrival in Florida. The Thomson man assured me that I had everything I needed because I told him that if we got to the desk and they informed me we needed to spend more money I'd probably explode!

While I was finishing my call to Thomson, Keith came back into the office looking a bit shell-shocked. He'd been watching his race (the one where I'd wanted to back Buena Vista) and I asked how he did.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said, not looking at me.

"Why?" I said, thinking that he'd won and was winding me up.

"I don't want to talk about it," he repeated.

A sudden thought dawned on me. "Buena Vista won, didn't it?" I asked.

Poor Keith looked really sheepish. "It did," he said. "At 20/1"

Then followed a good impression of me doing a Victor Meldrew scene as I would have won £100 which would have come in bloomin' handy!!!

Needless to say Poquelin, ridden by the excellent Ruby Walsh, lost. Oh well!

I managed to forgive Keith and when I got home later, very tired and looking forward to a glass of wine, he had some more bad news. The dishwasher was behaving strangely. We both took a look and there was a puddle of water in the bottom.Keith suggested we try and empty it so for the next hour we both grappled with pipes and tubes and huge puddles of water on our kitchen floor. I was soaked up to the knees but we managed to drain the water out, mopped the floor, put everything back in the cupboard under the sink (a nasty place) and switched it back on. After a few moments it stirred into life and we did a little dance of happiness...which was shortlived. Fifteen minutes later it ground to a halt and when we opened it the whole bottom was covered in water...

So that was our day. We've no idea how much it will cost to fix it...£100 maybe...Grrrrr! Compared to the poor people in Japan we have nothing to moan about and at least we have a nice clean kitchen floor!

Doing some research!

It was great to get out today and visit the INPAS trade show at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire to see what's new, meet up with people we know in the industry and buy some new things for our business. The show was a lot smaller than I expected, but as it was geared more towards what we do, we were able to find lots of interesting things. We ordered some new little ride on cars called didicars at a very good price and I'm sure they'll go down really well with the children who come to play.

We also saw some lovely little bouncing toys called HappyHopperz which we'll be ordering soon. They are in the process of putting in a new sort of valve to make it more difficult for people to...ahem...deflate them and then walk off with them, so as soon as that is done we'll be buying some - a couple to put out and some to sell.

The weather has remained gloomy all day with the early fog lingering and making everything look dull and grey. We got back to work to find we were quite busy which was a very pleasant surprise as we've been a little quiet during the week over the last few days so it's always a worry. Maybe all my Facebook posts and special offers are beginning to work!

A little flutter!

Well, half my working week is over and I've managed to get a lot done today. We had a meeting with the people who want to rent out the gym space from us (it's the Church people again) so hopefully by April things should all be sorted and we can breathe a sigh of relief that it's been sub-let. Being in business at the moment is hard work, I must admit. Nothing comes easily and we have to be constantly thinking up new ways to get people through the door.

Tomorrow we're off to a Trade Show in Warwickshire, one that is specifically aimed at our industry so it should be better that Leisure Industry Week in September which normally covers the whole range of leisure including gyms, swimming pools and farms. I'm looking forward to getting out and meeting people we know from the business.

Sophie and her friend Elise walked over to work after school and stayed with me until it was time to leave. The weather today has been foggy and overcast and the promised sun never really materialised. At home I sat down with a glass of wine and watched the racing at Cheltenham. Keith had three bets and one of his chosen horses, Hurricane Fly, won the Champion Hurdle which meant that he'd covered his money today! My horse, Khyber Kim, came nowhere so I'm glad I only had a £5 each way bet on him!

Wiped out!

I was shattered when I got home last night. We'd had a busy day cleaning at work but the previous night I'd slept really badly, so after taking Keith to the pub I went and had a long soak in the bath. He'd booked a table for us for dinner, and on reflection it was the worst thing I could have done as it just made me even more sleepy!

Dinner was lovely, though, and we had a good meal. It was heaven to get home, get ready for bed and have an early night!

Girlie day!

We had a very pleasant day at Milton Keynes with no stress about parking or crowds, a delicious breakfast and some headway made on the holiday shopping. The girls went off after we had something to eat and we later bumped into them in John Lewis where they'd been winding up the sales assistants by trying on hats and "pretending we were going to the Royal Wedding," the little monkeys. Sophie had spent all her money and managed to get some more out of me for something to drink.

We left early-ish, took Susie home and then headed back in much better weather than we set out in this morning. The grey, lumpy sky had given way to fluffy white clouds and sunshine which was a treat. I suggested to Sophie we go and try and catch the sunset on our cameras, but by 6pm we were both settled at home so we stayed put.

It's been a real relaxing three days and I think this new working week will definitely be here to stay!

Saturday 12 March

Yesterday was pleasantly busy. After a relaxed start and a family breakfast (for once we all sat around the table together) Sophie and I did some cooking. Following a new recipe always sends me into a panic, but our sticky toffee pudding worked out really well and was moist and light. We also made a chocolate mousse a la Raymond Blanc for dessert on Sunday night. While Sophie went to get ready for her sleepover at Susie's house, I tidied up the front garden which was full of dead leaves. I strimmed the grass verge and it gave me a nice opportunity to chat with Sarah and Liam who shocked me with the price of their son's car insurance. He passed his driving test last week and one quote was for £9000! Ye Gods!!! I'd better start saving now!

Mum and I dropped Sophie off at Susie's house and went to a nearby garden centre for a cup of tea. We managed to resist buying baskets of primroses and pansies and wicker baskets full of daffodils that will probably only last a couple more days. It's still too early to think of spring bedding plants - that will have to wait until late April after we come back from our hols!

Hewlett Packard - their Customer Service sucks!

Following on from the problems I've been having with Sophie's laptop, I called HP's Head Office today to see if I could get any help from them. The laptop was just 14 months old and even though I'd bought it in November 2009 for a Christmas present, the warranty ended in June 2010, which was the first problem.

After being sent around and around in circles I ended up speaking to a very nice woman called Alexa who listened to my story and put me through to the Complaints Department. On hearing that the laptop was out of warranty (I didn't really stand a chance with that, did I?) she told me there was nothing she could do. I calmly explained that I wanted it repaired free of charge, which by law I was entitled to as it was not of satisfactory quality. Nothing would budge her. When I asked if I could speak to her supervisor she said the person wasn't available and wouldn't take calls. We then had a long conversation with me asking why no-one else could take my call (even in Head Office) and her droning on like a robot that as the machine was out of warranty there was nothing she could do. I promised her that I would be taking it further and then called the Citizens Advice Bureau who put me in touch with a very helpful man from Consumer Direct.

The main thing to remember is that even if you've bought something and it's out of warranty you have up to six years to either have it repaired or replaced or get a refund if what you've bought is not of "satisfactory quality". (Sale of Goods Act 1979) I'm also covered by my credit card company as well, so that's another thing to remember. I reasonably asked HP for a repair, they wouldn't hear of it and wouldn't help me at all which I find is unacceptable for a company of their size.

So, my next step on Monday is to write to their Head Office, tell them I have rights and ask for them to repair it. If they can't do that then I'll ask for a replacement or, failing that, a refund taking into account we've had just one year's use. I've already spent £90 on a repair and I certainly can't afford to replace it at the moment. Why should Sophie suffer? Grrrrrr!

Oh dear!

Hmmm...I haven't updated this since Tuesday which is a bit naughty of me! I did sit down to write something last night but inspiration wouldn't come and I would hate to write something that was boring so I left it and went to bed. The main reason that nothing has really happened is that I've been busy working, cramming my hours into four days so I can have Friday off. I must admit it was great to wake up this morning knowing I had the day off, although I have been busy with housework!

Sadly, we heard last night that Keith's sister was taken ill yesterday and this morning she passed away. Although she hadn't been well for some time, it was still a shock for Keith and his brother that she's gone. I expect the funeral will be some time next week, and again, it only seems that we meet up with our families at sad occasions now. It will be a long day for us as all Keith's family live near Durham in the North East of England but we will go and support Keith's brother and his nephews and niece.

So, today has been spent catching up with housework - changing all the beds and giving the bedrooms a really good clean so I don't have so much to do over the weekend. Sophie wants to do some cooking tomorrow and then she is off to a friend's house for a sleepover. On Sunday we're planning on going to Milton Keynes for breakfast and some shopping as this holiday is looming ever nearer! Mikey needs some new clothes and shoes but I think I'll have to take him with me as he is growing so fast I daren't buy clothes without him there. I can see my bank balance getting a bashing over the next few weeks! Let's just hope I win the Euromillions Lottery tonight!

New hours

This week I've started my new hours at work - four long days and then Friday off. I'm hoping it will give me more time at home to do things. I suppose you could call it more work/life balance!

We've had beautiful weather today, but it's been cold and everything was frosty on the way to work this morning. It just reminds me that Spring is not really here yet although a lot of daffodils and tulips are starting to flower and things are looking much brighter. Another month and things really will be different!

Census 2011

Our census form arrived in the post today, all ready to be filled in (on paper or online) on the 27 March. Over the last few months, with my family tree research, I've taken a special interest in the census as I've been heavily reliant on them from 1841 to 1911 to gather information about my family. The 1841 census was really basic, just listing address, names, age, whether the occupants were male or female and their occupation. The census asked whether the person was born in the same county but that was it and it gave no clues as to where the person was actually born.

The 2011 census, though, is huge! It asks lots of questions about occupation, how many hours you work, where you work, how you get to work, religion, ethnicity and what sort of qualifications you have. The content will remain secret for 100 years but it should give our descendants a fascinating insight into our lives and what we did for a living, in the future. I'm sure there will be people who resent having to write down such information and I'm sure a few will suspect that the contents will somehow be used in ways that are not to the public good, but by law we will all have to complete the census or face a fine. I'm in two minds, to be honest. I'm not sure that I like giving such personal details out and do worry that the information can be used to spy on us, but having made such use of the censuses in the past, and not wanting to fall foul of the law, I'll be doing my duty and filling it all in on the 27th!

Sunday 6 March and more domestic bliss!

Well, all was pretty quiet last night even with two more children in the house! After breakfast Keith and I went off to get the Sunday papers and called in to see mum and dad on the way home. Jakey-lad was his usual affectionate self (wish our cats were!) and I made extra fuss of him as he's just been diagnosed with having an over-active thyroid gland, poor thing. Mum and Dad are having to fork out a fortune in vet's fees but he's worth it and he'll be on tablets for the rest of his life.

Back home I tackled Keith's car which was a disgrace, it was so filthy. By the time I finished and looked at my own mud-splashed vehicle I was running out of energy so took it through the carwash! I then cleaned it inside and removed about a tonne of sweet papers, drink bottles and other rubbish! Grrr!  No doubt the cats will walk all over both of them tonight and decorate the paintwork with their muddy footprints!

Tidying up

Today dawned dry but cloudy so without further ado we ventured out into the back garden for some heavy pruning. Keith took charge with the clippers and I just watched as he cut down all the bushes that grow against our back fence. One of them was in a really sorry state so we made the decision to cut it right down to the ground, to see what would happen. Last year we did the same with one of our bushes in the gravel garden and the difference in it is amazing - it really seemed to benefit from having all the dead wood cut away.

We were left with an enormous mound of clippings so we made two trips to the local recycling centre (as tips are now called), plus another trip with a load of rubbish that was languising at the back of the garage, such as old plant pots, disgusting old plates and bowls that I thought I might find a use for and some old wood that used to be a little bench that Keith built for me a few years ago. One of the bits I threw out was an old wooden wine box that I used for summer bedding plants but which has since rotted away. They were lovely when they were new but time has taken its toll and they had to go. It all looked so much neater!

After the trips to the tip (sorry...recycling centre, which was amazingly clean and well-ordered by the way!) I raked all the leaves and bits off the lawn, swept and tidied the garage and hoovered Keith's car which resembled a shrub itself! I had my lunch in the garden watching two robins flit about on the branches, no doubt curious as to what we'd been doing all morning in their garden!

In the afternoon, Sophie and two friends walked to our (almost) local village shop but the fine weather had turned and we had a fine drizzle that soaked everything. To their due they made it in an hour but called on me to pick them up, which I was glad to do. The three of them are having a sleepover tonight in the conservatory so no doubt there'll be shrieks and giggles until well past midnight!

Not the best of days...!

Well, I think I paid dearly today for having yesterday off! The last day of the working week has not been pleasant - we've been hectically busy all day, which wouldn't normally be a problem, but we were short-staffed so it's been hard work, especially as we were all in early to do the cleaning. I had an argument with my dad and then I slipped over on a patch of wet floor and landed face down in front of loads of people. Talk about embarrassing and painful! The noise and chaos has been incredible - just like half-term last week but it's not school holidays!

Sophie was supposed to have caught the bus home but I phoned her and asked if she could work for an hour after school as we really needed an extra pair of hands. We have no idea why we were so busy today - don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining (OK...maybe I am...) but it does help to know in advance we're going to be manic so we can plan for it!

We eventually escaped at 5.30pm out into the remains of a beautiful day and a gorgeous sunset. I'm just hoping that the weekend will be dry so that Keith and I can get out into the garden and do some tidying up. It would be great to spend a few hours in the open air and chase all these horrible winter cobwebs away!

Catching up...

Well, a lot has happened since I last wrote this blog! On Wednesday evening, and carrying on with the "out and about" theme, Keith and I went off on a mooch to three different pubs. The children were more than happy to stay at home so we seized the opportunity and went back to a small area where there are some good pubs.

The first was The Vane Arms at Sudborough which used to be the place to go for real ales in Northamptonshire. It's undergone a few changes over the years but now it seems to have bounced back and was lovely and welcoming when we visited. It's a traditional village pub with low beams, log fires and stoneflagged floors and Keith was quite impressed with the beers on offer. The food looked good and smelt good, too! We stayed for a couple of drinks and chatted to a man who used to frequent our local but had moved to Sudborough, so there was a lot of reminiscing about people we used to know.

From The Vane Arms we drove the short distance to The Snooty Fox at Lowick, a pub well-known for its food, and the fish in particular. We've been visiting The Snooty Fox for many years and it's a lovely pub with, again, lots of exposed wooden beams, stone-flagged floors and big log fires. The menu looked extremely tempting and I intend to return for a meal in the near future!

Our third and last pub of the evening was The Samuel Pepys at Slipton which had undergone a refurbishment since we visited last. I wasn't too sure I liked it, as I felt it had made this lovely old pub too bland and hotel-like. There were lots of cosy tables with little candles and the lighting was very subtle but I hated the venetian blinds at the windows! Just me, but some nice thick curtains would have looked more authentic for a pub of this age!

So, we had an enjoyable evening but on Thursday morning I felt terrible. My throat was raw and I had a horrible hacking cough and no energy whatsoever. The best thing, I decided, was to succumb to the inevitable and stay at home. I took some night-time cough medicine and slept soundly from 9am until 2pm! I was amazed but I did feel slightly better when I woke up. The rest of the day was spent doing very little and another good night's sleep followed!

Out and about...

Today I have spent more time out of the office than in it, which has been enjoyable! One of the tyres on my car had a slow puncture so on the way to work this morning, Keith and I dropped the car into a local tyre repair business who would fix it for me. Once that was done we headed into work and spent the next hour in a flurry of activity opening up. We then went off to Booker to get some essential stuff for the kitchen and called into Halfords on the way to buy a new bulb for one of my headlights...there's not a week goes by when I don't have to do something to my car!

When we returned to work, the car was ready so we sped off to collect it and take Keith's car back home and then popped into the bank and Tesco...phew!! I must admit it's made a change to be out and about because the last week or so I haven't left work except to do the banking run so it was lovely in the afternoon to see the sun come out and blue sky appear. It's still a bit chilly though so I don't think Spring is here just yet!

Tuesday 1 March

Today I've been in a pretty crabby mood which probably wasn't fair on the people I spent my day with. My cold has made a comeback and I have a sore throat that feels like I've swallowed a bag of knives. I contemplated having a sickie, but went into work anyway, although on reflection it might have been better if I'd stayed at home.

Self-pity is a horrible thing and it wasn't until I got home and read an article in one of the Sunday supplements that I realised what a blessed life I actually have. The article was about a woman whose husband had committed suicide and then four years later, her only daughter had died in a accident. Reading her terrible story made me realise I have nothing to moan about - I'm sure that woman would do anything to be in my place with a healthy family all around her. My crabbiness was banished and I vowed to stop feeling so sorry for myself when I have nothing to be miserable about.

I still have a sore throat, though!