I've loved Halloween since I was a small child. In fact tonight when I got home from work and arranged all our little skulls, pumpkins and lanterns on the front steps, I did wonder who was the biggest child, me or the children!
We opened at work today as a lot of children were still on half term holidays and we would have been silly not to have taken advantage of the opportunity. We were pleasantly busy so it was definitely worth opening!
Mikey went off around the houses with a friend to trick or treat while Sophie and I stayed at home to welcome the (hopefully) hordes of children to come and take our sweets!
Monday, 31 October 2011
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Highgate Cemetery
I've wanted to visit Highgate Cemetery for ages and when we were driving through Highgate the other day on the way to Islington, I mentioned my idea and thought it would be a good idea to go today, seeing as it was Halloween the next day!
I had a good look at the cemetery website before going and was a bit worried about parking as there wasn't any at all and then Keith mentioned that Tottenham were playing at home today, even though it was in the afternoon. Undeterred we went ahead, though, putting the postcode in Gladys and setting off at about 10am, making full use of the extra hour!
Again, we had a great journey down and were soon driving past the cemetery gates. Further up the hill were lots of parking spaces and it was free all day at weekends! We made our way back down the very steep hill (Highgate, as its name suggests, is one of the highest points in London at 375 feet above sea level) and joined the queue waiting for the next tour of the West Cemetery at 12pm. We were the last to get in as each tour only takes about 15 people.
Our tour guide was called Angie and she was obviously passionate about the cemetery and very knowledgable about the graves. She told us that the West Cemetery was opened in 1839 to alleviate the terrible lack of burial grounds in London at the time. She told us how bodies were piling up and there were four of five bodies buried in one grave, on top of each other! You can just imagine the smell and how horrible it must have been for people living then. Highgate was one of seven "garden cemeteries" opened to house the dead, all of them situated on the then outskirts of London which at the time were very rural.
The tour lasted about an hour and we were told stories about different graves and the people they contained. One of them was a man called George Wombwell who ran a Menagerie in Victorian times and made a lot of money exhibiting animals all over Great Britain when it was rare to see lions and tigers. He has a statue of his tame lion called Nero sitting on top of his grave:
The tour was very interesting and we saw the Egyptian Avenue with vaults on either side, the terraced catcombs and the Lebanon Circle, all of them family vaults that must have cost thousands. You can still be buried in Highgate Cemetery - there are 30 plots available in the West side - for about £20,000!
One very sad story was about a man called Julius Beer who had a daughter, Ada, who died when she was 8 years old from smallpox. He had a huge and enormously ornate mausoleum built to house her coffin and a beautiful statue commisioned which shows her being taken up to heaven by an angel. Unbelievably the mausoleum was vandalised in the late 60s, early 70s but has since been restored to its former glory.
Not all of the inhabitants are Victorian, though. We saw the grave of Alexander Litvinenko who was buried in Highgate after dying in 2006 from being poisoned in a very famous Russian spy case.
He lived in Highgate and so wanted to be buried in the cemetery. He's buried 12 feet deep and in a lead lined coffin, though!
The West Cemetery is beautiful - very overgrown with lots of statues of angels, crosses and ivy-covered graves. I can only imagine how gorgeous it must be in winter when everything is covered in snow (think of the scene in the recent film of Phantom of the Opera when the main character is wandering around a graveyard!).
We all enjoyed the tour but I wished we were able to wander around on our own and take as many photos as we wanted. The tour guide kept telling us to all keep together so it was a bit annoying to be treated like naughty children if we dared to linger and take another photo of a statue. I know the graves have been vandalised in the past, but after paying £20 for the family to take the tour it would be nice if we were left alone for a while to wander about and just soak up the atmosphere as we're hardly likely to do any damage!
After the tour we took a walk through beautiful Waterlow Park in search of coffee and loos before heading back to the East Cemetery and paying another £6 to get in. They do ask for a voluntary donation for the children but as we'd already paid £20 we decided they'd had enough money out of us for one day!
The East Cemetery is much less atmpospheric than the West but it does have the grave of Karl Marx which is the main draw for people visiting.
And Jeremy Beadle!
There were also lots of Polish and Chinese people buried there with some beautifully ornate graves.
So, all in all, it was a fascinating day and I'm so glad I've been to see both cemeteries. They're definitely worth a visit and I'm already planning to go back when the winter snow is on the ground!
Highgate Cemetery
I had a good look at the cemetery website before going and was a bit worried about parking as there wasn't any at all and then Keith mentioned that Tottenham were playing at home today, even though it was in the afternoon. Undeterred we went ahead, though, putting the postcode in Gladys and setting off at about 10am, making full use of the extra hour!
Again, we had a great journey down and were soon driving past the cemetery gates. Further up the hill were lots of parking spaces and it was free all day at weekends! We made our way back down the very steep hill (Highgate, as its name suggests, is one of the highest points in London at 375 feet above sea level) and joined the queue waiting for the next tour of the West Cemetery at 12pm. We were the last to get in as each tour only takes about 15 people.
Our tour guide was called Angie and she was obviously passionate about the cemetery and very knowledgable about the graves. She told us that the West Cemetery was opened in 1839 to alleviate the terrible lack of burial grounds in London at the time. She told us how bodies were piling up and there were four of five bodies buried in one grave, on top of each other! You can just imagine the smell and how horrible it must have been for people living then. Highgate was one of seven "garden cemeteries" opened to house the dead, all of them situated on the then outskirts of London which at the time were very rural.
The tour lasted about an hour and we were told stories about different graves and the people they contained. One of them was a man called George Wombwell who ran a Menagerie in Victorian times and made a lot of money exhibiting animals all over Great Britain when it was rare to see lions and tigers. He has a statue of his tame lion called Nero sitting on top of his grave:
The tour was very interesting and we saw the Egyptian Avenue with vaults on either side, the terraced catcombs and the Lebanon Circle, all of them family vaults that must have cost thousands. You can still be buried in Highgate Cemetery - there are 30 plots available in the West side - for about £20,000!
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| Entrance to the Egyptian Avenue |
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| Looking back towards the entrance |
One very sad story was about a man called Julius Beer who had a daughter, Ada, who died when she was 8 years old from smallpox. He had a huge and enormously ornate mausoleum built to house her coffin and a beautiful statue commisioned which shows her being taken up to heaven by an angel. Unbelievably the mausoleum was vandalised in the late 60s, early 70s but has since been restored to its former glory.
Not all of the inhabitants are Victorian, though. We saw the grave of Alexander Litvinenko who was buried in Highgate after dying in 2006 from being poisoned in a very famous Russian spy case.
He lived in Highgate and so wanted to be buried in the cemetery. He's buried 12 feet deep and in a lead lined coffin, though!
The West Cemetery is beautiful - very overgrown with lots of statues of angels, crosses and ivy-covered graves. I can only imagine how gorgeous it must be in winter when everything is covered in snow (think of the scene in the recent film of Phantom of the Opera when the main character is wandering around a graveyard!).
We all enjoyed the tour but I wished we were able to wander around on our own and take as many photos as we wanted. The tour guide kept telling us to all keep together so it was a bit annoying to be treated like naughty children if we dared to linger and take another photo of a statue. I know the graves have been vandalised in the past, but after paying £20 for the family to take the tour it would be nice if we were left alone for a while to wander about and just soak up the atmosphere as we're hardly likely to do any damage!
After the tour we took a walk through beautiful Waterlow Park in search of coffee and loos before heading back to the East Cemetery and paying another £6 to get in. They do ask for a voluntary donation for the children but as we'd already paid £20 we decided they'd had enough money out of us for one day!
The East Cemetery is much less atmpospheric than the West but it does have the grave of Karl Marx which is the main draw for people visiting.
And Jeremy Beadle!
So, all in all, it was a fascinating day and I'm so glad I've been to see both cemeteries. They're definitely worth a visit and I'm already planning to go back when the winter snow is on the ground!
Highgate Cemetery
Saturday 29 October
Today was lovely and leisurely, perfect for an end to a busy week! The weather wasn't as sunny as I thought it would be, but it was milder and at the end of October we can't really complain!
My day was spent catching up with chores and wading through paperwork that the children had brought home from school plus sorting out bills that needed paying (Keith's department!). The school stuff had been hanging around all week including letters about Sophie's Prom - next July! - and a leavers' sweatshirt which they wanted the money for already!
We didn't even cook in the evening and had a takeaway from the Chinese van in the village before Keith and I watched The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, which he really enjoyed as did I even though I'd seen it before. As it was an 18 (and justifiably so) we watched it on our own!
My day was spent catching up with chores and wading through paperwork that the children had brought home from school plus sorting out bills that needed paying (Keith's department!). The school stuff had been hanging around all week including letters about Sophie's Prom - next July! - and a leavers' sweatshirt which they wanted the money for already!
We didn't even cook in the evening and had a takeaway from the Chinese van in the village before Keith and I watched The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, which he really enjoyed as did I even though I'd seen it before. As it was an 18 (and justifiably so) we watched it on our own!
Friday, 28 October 2011
Thursday 27 October - Sophie's first gig!
There was much excitement about today as Sophie and two of her friends were off to Islington to see Charlie Simpson. We all had a very strict timetable to adhere to, to make sure the whole afternoon and evening was a great success!
I went off to work as normal and as it was pouring with rain, we were very, very busy. Keith dropped Sophie, Susie and Elise off at the Mandarin Buffet to have their lunch ("we can stuff ourselves") and then brought Mikey into work as he was going home with mum and dad. At the height of the lunchtime rush, our new chiller cabinet was delivered. Well, of course it would be, wouldn't it? I mean 8am in the morning would have been far too easy!
I left the madhouse at 1.30pm and went to pick up the girls, fill up with diesel and then go home to have a shower. I wanted to leave at 3pm to make sure we had plenty of time to get to London and park the car.
Despite the rain and the traffic we had a marvellous journey down to Islington and arrived at 5pm. Parking was a breeze as there were loads of spaces so we had two hours on our hands and although there was already a queue forming outside the O2 Academy, we decided to take the girls over the road to The York pub to have a drink.
The place was packed out with people having a drink on their way home from work and the noise level was tremendous! We found a seat by the window and the girls amused themselves by taking lots of photos of each other while Keith and I enjoyed a drink.
At 6.30pm we strolled across the road and the girls joined the queue which hadn't grown much while we were away. We left them to it and had a bit of banter with a ticket tout who helpfully told us what time the concert would end. He wanted me to buy his ticket and I was very tempted!
After leaving the girls Keith and I walked up to the Vue cinema and bought tickets to see the film "Drive" starring Ryan Gosling. It fitted in nicely with our plan to then go and have something to eat before collecting the girls.
The film was great, if a little violent, but with the 18 rating we both expected that. The plot was a little complicated - Ryan Gosling plays a stunt driver who moonlights as a get-away driver and gets into a bit of trouble - and I would recommend seeing it when it comes out on DVD!
After the film we walked the short distance to a Wetherspoons pub and had a quick meal before collecting the girls from the O2 Academy downstairs. The whole N1 centre is a great place with lots of shops, restaurants and bars and the perfect venue if your young ones are at a concert!
It was almost 11pm by the time the girls eventually emerged, on a real high after seeing their hero! We walked the short distance to the car park and then we were on our way home, the car full of girly chatter about their evening! We'd all had a wonderful evening and I'm looking forward to the next time Sophie wants to go and see one of her bands at the O2!
I went off to work as normal and as it was pouring with rain, we were very, very busy. Keith dropped Sophie, Susie and Elise off at the Mandarin Buffet to have their lunch ("we can stuff ourselves") and then brought Mikey into work as he was going home with mum and dad. At the height of the lunchtime rush, our new chiller cabinet was delivered. Well, of course it would be, wouldn't it? I mean 8am in the morning would have been far too easy!
I left the madhouse at 1.30pm and went to pick up the girls, fill up with diesel and then go home to have a shower. I wanted to leave at 3pm to make sure we had plenty of time to get to London and park the car.
Despite the rain and the traffic we had a marvellous journey down to Islington and arrived at 5pm. Parking was a breeze as there were loads of spaces so we had two hours on our hands and although there was already a queue forming outside the O2 Academy, we decided to take the girls over the road to The York pub to have a drink.
The place was packed out with people having a drink on their way home from work and the noise level was tremendous! We found a seat by the window and the girls amused themselves by taking lots of photos of each other while Keith and I enjoyed a drink.
At 6.30pm we strolled across the road and the girls joined the queue which hadn't grown much while we were away. We left them to it and had a bit of banter with a ticket tout who helpfully told us what time the concert would end. He wanted me to buy his ticket and I was very tempted!
After leaving the girls Keith and I walked up to the Vue cinema and bought tickets to see the film "Drive" starring Ryan Gosling. It fitted in nicely with our plan to then go and have something to eat before collecting the girls.
The film was great, if a little violent, but with the 18 rating we both expected that. The plot was a little complicated - Ryan Gosling plays a stunt driver who moonlights as a get-away driver and gets into a bit of trouble - and I would recommend seeing it when it comes out on DVD!
After the film we walked the short distance to a Wetherspoons pub and had a quick meal before collecting the girls from the O2 Academy downstairs. The whole N1 centre is a great place with lots of shops, restaurants and bars and the perfect venue if your young ones are at a concert!
It was almost 11pm by the time the girls eventually emerged, on a real high after seeing their hero! We walked the short distance to the car park and then we were on our way home, the car full of girly chatter about their evening! We'd all had a wonderful evening and I'm looking forward to the next time Sophie wants to go and see one of her bands at the O2!
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| The Gorgeous Girlies! |
Wednesday 26 October - time is running out...
The afternoons are getting shorter and shorter now and by the time Sophie and I got home from work and changed it was 5pm. We still wanted to go out for a walk, though but we knew that the last part would probably be done in the dusk!
As it was such a beautiful evening a lot of people had the same idea and it was great to say hello to people we knew. The sun was sinking slowly over the horizon so we took lots of photos of the gorgeous sky and turning leaves.
By the time we were walking towards home it was almost dark and we knew that this time next week it would be an hour earlier as the clocks go back on Saturday night. There'll only be a few weeks left of being able to do this lovely walk after work!
As it was such a beautiful evening a lot of people had the same idea and it was great to say hello to people we knew. The sun was sinking slowly over the horizon so we took lots of photos of the gorgeous sky and turning leaves.
By the time we were walking towards home it was almost dark and we knew that this time next week it would be an hour earlier as the clocks go back on Saturday night. There'll only be a few weeks left of being able to do this lovely walk after work!
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Tuesday 25 October - the machines are turning on us again!
Yesterday our big chill cabinet stopped working which was a real pain as we keep all of our drinks in there. No amount of tinkering would get it working again so we had no option but to order a new one. Today our PA system stopped working as well which meant that we couldn't tell customers when their food was ready! Trying to find someone with their order is a nightmare so we had to tell the customers to hang around the kitchen until their food was cooked and then we looked into getting a new one! I don't suppose it's done too badly as we've had it for about 15 years so it was bound to go wrong one day, but why did it have to choose a busy day in half-term?!
It was sheer heaven to get home and escape the noise and screaming children! I'm finding it harder and harder to switch off now, which I suppose is down to the fact that my own children are getting older!
It was sheer heaven to get home and escape the noise and screaming children! I'm finding it harder and harder to switch off now, which I suppose is down to the fact that my own children are getting older!
Monday 24 October - the chaos begins!
So we've arrived at another half-term and the weather forecast is for rain, something that is badly needed, not only for the business but for the gardens as well as ours is still bone dry.
It wasn't too bad a day at work and we had plenty of staff in to keep things ticking over nicely. Monday tends to be the quietest day of the week as I'm sure a lot of customers think we're closed so it's a nice introduction to the rest of the week when it gradually gets busier and busier.
It was heaven to get home, jump in the bath and then have a quiet evening doing very little!
It wasn't too bad a day at work and we had plenty of staff in to keep things ticking over nicely. Monday tends to be the quietest day of the week as I'm sure a lot of customers think we're closed so it's a nice introduction to the rest of the week when it gradually gets busier and busier.
It was heaven to get home, jump in the bath and then have a quiet evening doing very little!
Sunday 23 October
After all the excitement of yesterday, today was a much quieter day. Susie came over in the afternoon and both girls went off to the cinema to scare themselves silly with the film "Paranormal Activity 3". Keith and I dropped them off and then went shopping with Mikey in tow, always a risky business!
Back home we spent a very pleasant afternoon doing very little!
Back home we spent a very pleasant afternoon doing very little!
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Saturday 22 October - Kissing cousins
I was up at 6am this morning, getting lots of food ready for our big Family Reunion in Kent. Keith and I had bought it all yesterday so I just needed to cut up the quiches and pop the sausage rolls in the oven. By 10am we were all ready to go with the food packed tightly into the boot, which was a big temptation for Mikey who was eyeing the sausage rolls with interest...
We drove down to Kent via Islington as we needed to see where we were going for Sophie's Charlie Simpson concert on Thursday at the O2 Academy. We had a good drive down the M1 but then the traffic in London slowed us down considerably and I was beginning to wonder whether I'd made the right decision. I'd organised the reunion with my aunt and I was terrified that I'd be late and be unable to help her with the tables and chairs in the hall.
We crawled slowly through London with Gladys telling us we were always about six minutes away from the O2 Academy and the time was creeping on. I needed to be at the Church Hall by at least 1.30pm and I began to seriously doubt we were going to make it.
Luckily for us, though, the traffic cleared a bit and after spotting the car park by the O2 Academy we put the postcode of the church hall into Gladys's system and off we went via East London and the Blackwall Tunnel.
We ended up being so early I was able to treat the long-suffering children to a snack, have a coffee myself, buy the newspaper for Keith and put my dirty car through the carwash.
The afternoon was a great success, even if it was a bit chaotic when everyone arrived and we were all putting our food out onto the tables. Several family members had gone to a lot of trouble with fresh flowers arrangements for the tables, gifts for a free raffle and a quiz! We had a bank of old photos and a large family tree which was brilliant, especially as I'd been researching this side of the family over the last few days. The family stemmed from my paternal grandmother's side so it was mainly cousins, some of whom I'd never met before. My grandmother had 11 brothers and sisters and the family we met were descended from the siblings with the oldest man present being 83, although there were lots of much younger members there as well. Mikey found himself two new friends who were probably his third cousins!
We had a great time eating, drinking and chatting away and then my Dad went around all the tables and we all introduced ourselves and how we fitted into the family. Then we had the raffle (we won two boxes of chocolates) and thank you speeches, so it was a lovely day, with the intention of doing it as a regular event every year.
By 6pm we had all pitched in together to tidy up, wash all the cups and saucers and sweep the floor before setting off for the long journey home, which on the motorway, was a lot quicker than the journey down!
We drove down to Kent via Islington as we needed to see where we were going for Sophie's Charlie Simpson concert on Thursday at the O2 Academy. We had a good drive down the M1 but then the traffic in London slowed us down considerably and I was beginning to wonder whether I'd made the right decision. I'd organised the reunion with my aunt and I was terrified that I'd be late and be unable to help her with the tables and chairs in the hall.
We crawled slowly through London with Gladys telling us we were always about six minutes away from the O2 Academy and the time was creeping on. I needed to be at the Church Hall by at least 1.30pm and I began to seriously doubt we were going to make it.
Luckily for us, though, the traffic cleared a bit and after spotting the car park by the O2 Academy we put the postcode of the church hall into Gladys's system and off we went via East London and the Blackwall Tunnel.
We ended up being so early I was able to treat the long-suffering children to a snack, have a coffee myself, buy the newspaper for Keith and put my dirty car through the carwash.
The afternoon was a great success, even if it was a bit chaotic when everyone arrived and we were all putting our food out onto the tables. Several family members had gone to a lot of trouble with fresh flowers arrangements for the tables, gifts for a free raffle and a quiz! We had a bank of old photos and a large family tree which was brilliant, especially as I'd been researching this side of the family over the last few days. The family stemmed from my paternal grandmother's side so it was mainly cousins, some of whom I'd never met before. My grandmother had 11 brothers and sisters and the family we met were descended from the siblings with the oldest man present being 83, although there were lots of much younger members there as well. Mikey found himself two new friends who were probably his third cousins!
We had a great time eating, drinking and chatting away and then my Dad went around all the tables and we all introduced ourselves and how we fitted into the family. Then we had the raffle (we won two boxes of chocolates) and thank you speeches, so it was a lovely day, with the intention of doing it as a regular event every year.
By 6pm we had all pitched in together to tidy up, wash all the cups and saucers and sweep the floor before setting off for the long journey home, which on the motorway, was a lot quicker than the journey down!
Friday 21 October - more taxi duties!
Our cook wasn't at work today so we asked another member of staff to come in to cover, but she told me she needed to do two school runs to pick up her sons, so I volunteered to take her. It was either that or she would have to take the bus and be gone for at least an hour.
She doesn't drive, bless her, so she took me to the school the only way she knew, by the bus route. The school was about a five minute drive away from work, but the route she took me was much longer. I told her that there was no way I could ever rely on public transport to get about, as living in the country we're really isolated. It would take me a good hour to get into work in the morning and probably as long to get home at night. It does worry me about the amount of vehicles on the roads - driving into work in the mornings is a nightmare - but persuading those of us who love our cars to give them up and take public transport would be a difficult task. I love the comfort of my own car, the privacy, the ability to play my own music and sing along at the top of my voice with no-one around to listen to the caterwauling!
So, off we went at lunchtime to pick up her youngest son, and then again at 3.15pm and after that it was home-time for me and the start of the weekend!
She doesn't drive, bless her, so she took me to the school the only way she knew, by the bus route. The school was about a five minute drive away from work, but the route she took me was much longer. I told her that there was no way I could ever rely on public transport to get about, as living in the country we're really isolated. It would take me a good hour to get into work in the morning and probably as long to get home at night. It does worry me about the amount of vehicles on the roads - driving into work in the mornings is a nightmare - but persuading those of us who love our cars to give them up and take public transport would be a difficult task. I love the comfort of my own car, the privacy, the ability to play my own music and sing along at the top of my voice with no-one around to listen to the caterwauling!
So, off we went at lunchtime to pick up her youngest son, and then again at 3.15pm and after that it was home-time for me and the start of the weekend!
Thursday 20 October
I felt like I was a taxi service today! First thing, before I went to work, I dropped Keith at the garage as his car was due its annual MOT. We battled our way through the heavy traffic with the added problem of a bright winter sun, which was positively dangerous as driving into the village in the glare, I didn't see a huge lorry until it was on top of me (not literally!). Keith hadn't seen it either and said that if I hadn't been in front of him he would have driven into it!
On the way back home to drop Keith off we picked up mum as Dad wasn't working, preferring instead to go and fly his model aeroplanes, lucky thing. He's trying to take more days off now which is only right as he should be retired!
After work I picked Sophie up from school as she was working for us, then rushed home to pick Keith up to take him back to pick up his car! My last taxi service of the day was then to drive back into work to take Sophie home! It was a relief to hang my car keys up and have a glass of wine!
On the way back home to drop Keith off we picked up mum as Dad wasn't working, preferring instead to go and fly his model aeroplanes, lucky thing. He's trying to take more days off now which is only right as he should be retired!
After work I picked Sophie up from school as she was working for us, then rushed home to pick Keith up to take him back to pick up his car! My last taxi service of the day was then to drive back into work to take Sophie home! It was a relief to hang my car keys up and have a glass of wine!
Wednesday 19 October
I had to go back into work this evening as we had a local magazine coming in to take some photos of children playing in their pyjamas! We do sleepovers at work and the magazine we regularly advertise in wanted to run a feature on these parties in their next edition, which was very useful advertising for us and fun for them!
It was great to see all the children arriving in their pyjamas clutching their teddies and they all had a great time playing on the equipment while Teresa, who runs the magazine, tooks lots of photos. They were with us for about an hour and went a bit mad with the excitement of it all as children do in a new environment. Thankfully we got them all packed off (to real bed) at 7pm and then it was time for home and a well-earned glass of wine!
It was great to see all the children arriving in their pyjamas clutching their teddies and they all had a great time playing on the equipment while Teresa, who runs the magazine, tooks lots of photos. They were with us for about an hour and went a bit mad with the excitement of it all as children do in a new environment. Thankfully we got them all packed off (to real bed) at 7pm and then it was time for home and a well-earned glass of wine!
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Tuesday 18 October
After work Sophie and I managed to get out for a walk, despite it being bitterly cold and very windy. I took some carrots with me to feed the horses, but typically, they were nowhere to be seen and there was a new heap of carrots by the gate.
We pushed on over the fields but saw absolutely nothing of any interest. The wind was freezing and I wore a long sleeved shirt and my fleece which is unusual for me as I normally get very hot when I walk. The thought of just wearing a tee-shirt doesn't bear thinking about!
Back home, Keith put the fire on in the living room and with a glass of wine and a good programme on the television I was very cosy indeed!
We pushed on over the fields but saw absolutely nothing of any interest. The wind was freezing and I wore a long sleeved shirt and my fleece which is unusual for me as I normally get very hot when I walk. The thought of just wearing a tee-shirt doesn't bear thinking about!
Back home, Keith put the fire on in the living room and with a glass of wine and a good programme on the television I was very cosy indeed!
Monday 17 October
We had a very ordinary Monday at work - more cleaning and getting the place ready for the rest of the week and we had someone in to shampoo our carpets which was long overdue!
My evening was spent doing some more research on the family tree which is turning into a bit of an obsession at the moment! It's a perfect hobby for the long winter evenings which are just around the corner!
My evening was spent doing some more research on the family tree which is turning into a bit of an obsession at the moment! It's a perfect hobby for the long winter evenings which are just around the corner!
Sunday 16 October
Today has been another beautiful day with lots of lovely sunshine and blue skies. All four of us went off to Booker in the morning as Mikey has a new business venture - selling sweeties at school to make a bit of profit. Apparently all the kids are doing it! Never heard of in my day!
Well, he's lucky he has a mum who has a wholesale card so we went and bought three tubs of sweets and lollies and he paid Keith for them. Whatever money he makes is his own! Apart from the small amount of money he's hoping to make it'll teach him some valuable business lessons when he decides how much to charge and what he'll do with the profits. Keith has forbidden him from eating them himself, but I told Keith to leave him alone otherwise he'll never learn!
When we got home Keith and I ventured out into the garden to do some more tidying up and leaf-raking. We pruned various bushes and cut one right back to the ground in the hope that, like the others, it'll give it a new lease of life...that or it'll die! Here's hoping!
Well, he's lucky he has a mum who has a wholesale card so we went and bought three tubs of sweets and lollies and he paid Keith for them. Whatever money he makes is his own! Apart from the small amount of money he's hoping to make it'll teach him some valuable business lessons when he decides how much to charge and what he'll do with the profits. Keith has forbidden him from eating them himself, but I told Keith to leave him alone otherwise he'll never learn!
When we got home Keith and I ventured out into the garden to do some more tidying up and leaf-raking. We pruned various bushes and cut one right back to the ground in the hope that, like the others, it'll give it a new lease of life...that or it'll die! Here's hoping!
Saturday, 15 October 2011
Glorious Autumn!
After a pleasant afternoon shopping in Market Harborough Sophie and I ventured over the fields for a walk before meeting Keith and Mikey at the pub. I was really hoping to see a hot air balloon again as the weather was perfect for a flight - warm, sunny and calm. We did see two, but they were fairly high up and off in the distance so no chance of taking any photos.
It really was a beautiful late afternoon with clear blue skies and sunshine and it felt wonderful to be out in the fresh air. We saw the horses but all the carrots had gone so we couldn't feed them but the big bay horse was unusually affectionate, standing still while we patted him and stroked his nose. He really seemed to enjoy our attentions!
As we neared the village we saw the little cat again and he let Sophie pick him up and pet him! We saw the boys driving through the village and within a few minutes we were joining Keith at the bar, Mikey having gone off to visit a friend who lived nearby. It was a very pleasant hour spent in the pub watching the staff prepare for a busy night ahead!
Some photos of the walk - when the weather's like this I feel I have to record it!
It really was a beautiful late afternoon with clear blue skies and sunshine and it felt wonderful to be out in the fresh air. We saw the horses but all the carrots had gone so we couldn't feed them but the big bay horse was unusually affectionate, standing still while we patted him and stroked his nose. He really seemed to enjoy our attentions!
As we neared the village we saw the little cat again and he let Sophie pick him up and pet him! We saw the boys driving through the village and within a few minutes we were joining Keith at the bar, Mikey having gone off to visit a friend who lived nearby. It was a very pleasant hour spent in the pub watching the staff prepare for a busy night ahead!
Some photos of the walk - when the weather's like this I feel I have to record it!
Friday, 14 October 2011
"Elf 'n' safety"
We had a couple of teachers visit us at work on Thursday who came in to do a Risk Assessment so they could bring a group of children in to play. We'd already sent them our own Risk Assessments but the rules stated that they had to come in and have a look around for themselves. How much it cost the school in terms of coming out to us and their time, I have no idea!
It made me think of when I was at school and I went on a trip to Wales with the rest of my class. We stayed in a Youth Hostel near the small village of Llanbedr and had a fantastic time. One day we were split into two groups to do different activities. One group went off to play on the beach while we went off to climb a mountain. We parked the mini bus a far distance from the mountain itself and as we walked along the country roads, a thick fog descended. It soon became clear that our teacher (who was the only one with us - unthinkable today!) had no compass or any essential equipment of any kind! We blundered up the mountain and he put a very tall girl called Andrea right at the back of the straggling group as she was wearing a bright orange anorak! We kept on climbing when really we should have headed back to the Youth Hostel and at one point nearly wandered over a steep black cliff. With the fog and the absence of any landmarks, it was a foolhardy excursion, but I have so many fond memories of that afternoon!
The camaraderie amongst us was brilliant and the teacher ceased to be the person in charge and became "one of us". Of course, we all got back down safely and had a great time telling the others about our experience, feeling very smug that we'd braved dangers while they'd been merely playing games on the beach! These days I don't think we'd ever have been allowed to climb the mountain without a local guide, masses of equipment and helicopters at the ready in case the worst happened. The rules of Health and Safety are taking away the fun that children can have and while I'm not advocating schools go off and ignore the risks, it seems such a shame that they don't seem to have as much fun any more, as teachers are terrified if something should go wrong.
That trip will always stay in my memory and I just wonder if my teacher is still working and what he would think of all the new rules now!
It made me think of when I was at school and I went on a trip to Wales with the rest of my class. We stayed in a Youth Hostel near the small village of Llanbedr and had a fantastic time. One day we were split into two groups to do different activities. One group went off to play on the beach while we went off to climb a mountain. We parked the mini bus a far distance from the mountain itself and as we walked along the country roads, a thick fog descended. It soon became clear that our teacher (who was the only one with us - unthinkable today!) had no compass or any essential equipment of any kind! We blundered up the mountain and he put a very tall girl called Andrea right at the back of the straggling group as she was wearing a bright orange anorak! We kept on climbing when really we should have headed back to the Youth Hostel and at one point nearly wandered over a steep black cliff. With the fog and the absence of any landmarks, it was a foolhardy excursion, but I have so many fond memories of that afternoon!
The camaraderie amongst us was brilliant and the teacher ceased to be the person in charge and became "one of us". Of course, we all got back down safely and had a great time telling the others about our experience, feeling very smug that we'd braved dangers while they'd been merely playing games on the beach! These days I don't think we'd ever have been allowed to climb the mountain without a local guide, masses of equipment and helicopters at the ready in case the worst happened. The rules of Health and Safety are taking away the fun that children can have and while I'm not advocating schools go off and ignore the risks, it seems such a shame that they don't seem to have as much fun any more, as teachers are terrified if something should go wrong.
That trip will always stay in my memory and I just wonder if my teacher is still working and what he would think of all the new rules now!
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Balloon spotting!
As tonight was the first night this week we didn't have anything on, Sophie and I went for a walk over the fields when I got in from work. I didn't take my camera with me as the sky was dull and grey, but I soon wished I'd had when we saw a huge hot air balloon in the distance. By the time we'd reached the village it was right over our heads and not very high so I could have taken some great pictures! Typical!
We stopped to have a good look and Sophie saw the little Burmese cat that is often over the fields, so she was delighted as we haven't seen him for a while. As we were talking to him, the balloon floated slowly over us and back the way we'd come so instead of walking through the busy village we returned home over the fields.
By now the clouds had cleared and the sun had come out, bathing all the fields and the balloon in a beautiful warm golden light. The bright red (Virgin) balloon dominated the horizon, its huge shadow falling across the green fields and I could have kicked myself for not bringing my camera! Oh well! I'll just have to hope that we see it again!
As we ambled home I had hopes of it coming down near to us, but it rose higher in the air and then gradually disappeared. Lucky people having such a gorgeous evening for their flight.
Back home Keith and I relaxed in the conservatory and admired the pinky sunset...what a lovely end to a dull, grey day!
We stopped to have a good look and Sophie saw the little Burmese cat that is often over the fields, so she was delighted as we haven't seen him for a while. As we were talking to him, the balloon floated slowly over us and back the way we'd come so instead of walking through the busy village we returned home over the fields.
By now the clouds had cleared and the sun had come out, bathing all the fields and the balloon in a beautiful warm golden light. The bright red (Virgin) balloon dominated the horizon, its huge shadow falling across the green fields and I could have kicked myself for not bringing my camera! Oh well! I'll just have to hope that we see it again!
As we ambled home I had hopes of it coming down near to us, but it rose higher in the air and then gradually disappeared. Lucky people having such a gorgeous evening for their flight.
Back home Keith and I relaxed in the conservatory and admired the pinky sunset...what a lovely end to a dull, grey day!
Wednesday 12 October
Well, Keith and I managed to get a lot done today at work, which was great. He gave the grass its final cut before winter descends and then we went off to one of the wholesalers we use and bought some stuff that was needed at work. As Christmas is looming ever nearer, the place was full of people doing their seasonal shopping and it was chaos! Having said that I did buy some Christmas stickers for our party room windows as I couldn't resist them!
I had another busy evening ferrying the family around and getting my hair cut - it badly needed it as I hadn't been near the hairdresser's since June!
I had another busy evening ferrying the family around and getting my hair cut - it badly needed it as I hadn't been near the hairdresser's since June!
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Tuesday 11 October - Decisions, decisions!
I'm not sure if it's getting older, but I'm finding it very hard just lately to make a decision. I've never seen myself as a dithery sort of person but just lately I've been telling myself to "just make a decision, woman!" and get on with it!
Sometimes, you can certainly think too much about a situation and I think this clouds my judgement. The best thing, I find, is to stop thinking about the problem (or whatever it is) and think about something else. When you eventually turn your mind back to making a decision, the thought process should be clearer! Well, hopefully anyway!
At work we really need to replace one of our inflatables so I spent the morning studying a brochure from one of the big bouncy castle suppliers and I saw two that looked promising. One was another Gladiator game (what we have at the moment) and the other was an inflatable version of the game "Twister" where people get tangled up! The Twister looked very appealing as it was a low flat-bed type of inflatable and looked low-risk. However, when we all thought about it, we weren't sure whether the children (and adults) would "get" the idea without having the game to hand.
We dismissed the idea of another Gladiator and then I saw something else that looked very promising - an inflatable activity centre for children up to the age of 5 with lots of things for them to do. A few months ago we'd approached one of our suppliers to design a new tots area and he'd come up with a price of £10,000 which was a bit shocking so this new inflatable, at a much lower price, would do a great job of enhancing the area without the huge price tag.
Of course, we spoke to Polly about our ideas and she came up with another set of problems so now we're more confused than ever! Decisions, decisions...we're going to have make some soon!
Sometimes, you can certainly think too much about a situation and I think this clouds my judgement. The best thing, I find, is to stop thinking about the problem (or whatever it is) and think about something else. When you eventually turn your mind back to making a decision, the thought process should be clearer! Well, hopefully anyway!
At work we really need to replace one of our inflatables so I spent the morning studying a brochure from one of the big bouncy castle suppliers and I saw two that looked promising. One was another Gladiator game (what we have at the moment) and the other was an inflatable version of the game "Twister" where people get tangled up! The Twister looked very appealing as it was a low flat-bed type of inflatable and looked low-risk. However, when we all thought about it, we weren't sure whether the children (and adults) would "get" the idea without having the game to hand.
We dismissed the idea of another Gladiator and then I saw something else that looked very promising - an inflatable activity centre for children up to the age of 5 with lots of things for them to do. A few months ago we'd approached one of our suppliers to design a new tots area and he'd come up with a price of £10,000 which was a bit shocking so this new inflatable, at a much lower price, would do a great job of enhancing the area without the huge price tag.
Of course, we spoke to Polly about our ideas and she came up with another set of problems so now we're more confused than ever! Decisions, decisions...we're going to have make some soon!
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Monday 10 October
It's been another day of painting and cleaning at work but it was great to see everything looking so much better when we left for home.
Sue came around for a glass of wine in the evening and we had a good gossip as usual. The evenings are really getting dark now and it was very cosy sitting in the conservatory with a glass of Vouvray, some nibbles and hearing the wind blowing outside. It's turned mild again but the forecast is for very cold temperatures on the way. Hmmm!
Sue came around for a glass of wine in the evening and we had a good gossip as usual. The evenings are really getting dark now and it was very cosy sitting in the conservatory with a glass of Vouvray, some nibbles and hearing the wind blowing outside. It's turned mild again but the forecast is for very cold temperatures on the way. Hmmm!
Sunday 9 October
After another lazy morning, Sophie and I went off to the Wood Green Animal Shelter in the afternoon with mum and dad as they wanted to look for a cat to replace dear old Jake. It took about half an hour to drive over to Godmanchester (whoever thought up that name?!) and when we arrived we went straight to the "Cat Village".
As the name suggests, there were lots of cabins with little cat runs in them with a notice beside each one with a description of the cat inside. The kittens were all reserved but mum and dad were looking for a male cat of about 2-3 years old and they didn't see any that made them stop and want to give the animal a new home. This was further reinforced when they say the prices for giving a cat a new home - £70! We all thought this was a bit on the steep side - is it there to deter owners who aren't really that committed?
We couldn't leave without going to see the dogs which was a bit risky for us as I've yearned for a dog for ages. Again, the cute ones were all reserved but there were a lot of Staffordshire Bull terriers looking for a new home, and despite all the signs saying how loving, faithful and friendly they are, I'm just not sure. Most of them definitely couldn't be re-homed with cats or children under about 10 years so that tells you something, in my opinion.
Back in Northamptonshire we had a cup of tea and cake at mum's house and then it was home to watch Groundhog Day (again!) followed by a delicious roast!
As the name suggests, there were lots of cabins with little cat runs in them with a notice beside each one with a description of the cat inside. The kittens were all reserved but mum and dad were looking for a male cat of about 2-3 years old and they didn't see any that made them stop and want to give the animal a new home. This was further reinforced when they say the prices for giving a cat a new home - £70! We all thought this was a bit on the steep side - is it there to deter owners who aren't really that committed?
We couldn't leave without going to see the dogs which was a bit risky for us as I've yearned for a dog for ages. Again, the cute ones were all reserved but there were a lot of Staffordshire Bull terriers looking for a new home, and despite all the signs saying how loving, faithful and friendly they are, I'm just not sure. Most of them definitely couldn't be re-homed with cats or children under about 10 years so that tells you something, in my opinion.
Back in Northamptonshire we had a cup of tea and cake at mum's house and then it was home to watch Groundhog Day (again!) followed by a delicious roast!
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Self-indulgence!
Today has been a totally lazy day even though I was up early at 6.30am. I sat and watched some programmes I'd recorded with a large cup of coffee and eased myself slowly into a grey and very Autumnal day.
As England were playing France in the rugby, I volunteered to go and get the newspaper and make breakfast and then spent the rest of the day doing very little. Keith watched sport all day so I surfed the net and caught up with my DVD of Victorian Farm. There's been a lot of very good history programmes on and I find it amazing that so many things from centuries ago are relevant still today. I've learnt the following over the last few days:
When people say "Sleep tight" when tucking children in, it's because in Tudor times there used to be a network of strings under the mattress. They had to be tightened to make for a comfortable night's sleep otherwise the mattress would sag!
The word "Gossip" comes from the women who attended a mother as she was giving birth. They were close friends and family and were originally called "God's Siblings" or "God sibs".
When someone "Gets the wrong end of the stick" it relates to printing and the stick used for loading the blocks of letters before printing.
I'm sure I'll remember more but I have to admit I find it all fascinating!
As England were playing France in the rugby, I volunteered to go and get the newspaper and make breakfast and then spent the rest of the day doing very little. Keith watched sport all day so I surfed the net and caught up with my DVD of Victorian Farm. There's been a lot of very good history programmes on and I find it amazing that so many things from centuries ago are relevant still today. I've learnt the following over the last few days:
When people say "Sleep tight" when tucking children in, it's because in Tudor times there used to be a network of strings under the mattress. They had to be tightened to make for a comfortable night's sleep otherwise the mattress would sag!
The word "Gossip" comes from the women who attended a mother as she was giving birth. They were close friends and family and were originally called "God's Siblings" or "God sibs".
When someone "Gets the wrong end of the stick" it relates to printing and the stick used for loading the blocks of letters before printing.
I'm sure I'll remember more but I have to admit I find it all fascinating!
Friday, 7 October 2011
Hmmm!
This week has been a little bit hard writing this blog! Some weeks go by and fairly interesting things happen but just lately it's been very quiet, a bit dull, I suppose, and there hasn't been much to report! Maybe I should make myself go out and do things or take a photo every day and say something about it!
So, it's the end of another week, one which has flown by as usual. Mum and I did recruit a new member of staff yesterday (now I remember) and I'm sure she'll do very well...she's a three foot high witch, dressed in a beautiful purple dress and cackles with glee whenever you go near her. I'm sure she'll be a hit with the children when we put her in Reception around Halloween!
So, it's the end of another week, one which has flown by as usual. Mum and I did recruit a new member of staff yesterday (now I remember) and I'm sure she'll do very well...she's a three foot high witch, dressed in a beautiful purple dress and cackles with glee whenever you go near her. I'm sure she'll be a hit with the children when we put her in Reception around Halloween!
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Being lazy...
I really should have gone for a walk with Sophie this afternoon after work, but the weather was a bit mizzly and chilly and my heart just wasn't in it! We haven't been for a walk all week and I do miss the hour's exercise and fresh air, especially as the time to do the walks is becoming more and more limited as the weeks go by.
It's been an uneventful week at work although we have managed to get some things sorted out. We just need a few busy days now to compensate for the very quiet period we had last week!
It's been an uneventful week at work although we have managed to get some things sorted out. We just need a few busy days now to compensate for the very quiet period we had last week!
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Gloomy evenings!
Today was a long day at work as Sophie was helping out again after school. I stayed with her until she finished at 6pm and then it was home and a quick game of cards with Keith in the conservatory before dinner. It's certainly getting noticeably darker now in the evening and despite having all the lamps on I found it difficult to complete my daily crossword in the gloom! Either we need better lighting or I need to take a trip to the Optician!
Tuesday 4 October
The temperatures are starting to drop now, but the last few days of fine weather have been a real bonus, although not for our business which certainly suffered last week with the summery climate! The weekend is forecast to be wet and windy with colder weather on the way and to be honest, I think it's about time. I like Autumn to be cold and crisp!
Tuesday was a busy day for me at work and I managed to get a lot of onerous little chores out of the way. I'd woken up early in the morning worrying about them (submitting our VAT returns was one little niggle) so I felt very relieved when I accomplished everything on my list. Sophie was working for us after school but I went off home to put our bedding back after it had been washed as I really didn't fancy doing it after I'd picked her up at 6.30pm. A glass of wine and dinner was all I had in mind at that time!
Tuesday was a busy day for me at work and I managed to get a lot of onerous little chores out of the way. I'd woken up early in the morning worrying about them (submitting our VAT returns was one little niggle) so I felt very relieved when I accomplished everything on my list. Sophie was working for us after school but I went off home to put our bedding back after it had been washed as I really didn't fancy doing it after I'd picked her up at 6.30pm. A glass of wine and dinner was all I had in mind at that time!
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Monday 3 October - a nightmare journey!
I made a big mistake this morning...I wanted Keith to come into work with me, but he had to go to the doctor's to pick up his prescription so we decided to go there on the way into work. Unfortunately, when we got there the pharmacy was closed so we headed off to work and got embroiled into the most horrific traffic jam! I had never seen the traffic so bad and no matter which way we went there was no escape. It took us an hour to get to work, a journey that normally takes me about 12-15 minutes!
Once actually at work, Keith and I painted our party rooms to freshen them up. With his help I managed to get two of them done which was great!
Once actually at work, Keith and I painted our party rooms to freshen them up. With his help I managed to get two of them done which was great!
Sunday 2 October
We were due another trip down to Kent to see Nan so off we went - Mum, Sophie and I. It was another glorious day with high temperatures and lots of sun and I'd planned to visit an area of Kent where my great great great Grandfather lived, in a village called Ightham. I'd found out there was a lovely pub in the village so after a quick cup of coffee, we set the SatNav to find it. I knew the village was near Sevenoaks, but Gladys took us a completely different way and it was only my faith in her that kept me from turning around!
The route to the village was beautiful, though, through avenues of trees with gorgeous views of the farmland and gently rolling downs. The village itself was very pretty but we couldn't find the pub I'd looked up so we went to The George and Dragon instead which was lovely. It's a very old pub and apparently Guy Fawkes was supposed to have hatched his plot to bring down Parliament there (despite a pub in Ashby St Ledgers in Northamptonshire having the same claim to fame!) as well as being visited by Queen Elizabeth I. The staff were extremely friendly and it was busy with lots of lunchtime diners sitting outside in the sun.
We had a delicious lunch - very generously filled sandwiches for Mum, Sophie and me and a chicken salad for Nan which she thoroughly enjoyed. We didn't get much of a chance to look around the village itself (I'll save that for another time) but we did drive to the hamlet of Oldbury where my ancestor worked as a Blacksmith. There were some beautifully renovated Oast Houses there and I'm sure that at one time the whole area was covered in hopfields.
From Oldbury we drove into the village of Seal very briefly, where another of my family once lived and then headed back to Nan's flat along some very narrow roads! I was just glad I didn't meet another car!
We had a very good journey home, which was a bonus, and then I sat down with a much needed glass of wine!
The route to the village was beautiful, though, through avenues of trees with gorgeous views of the farmland and gently rolling downs. The village itself was very pretty but we couldn't find the pub I'd looked up so we went to The George and Dragon instead which was lovely. It's a very old pub and apparently Guy Fawkes was supposed to have hatched his plot to bring down Parliament there (despite a pub in Ashby St Ledgers in Northamptonshire having the same claim to fame!) as well as being visited by Queen Elizabeth I. The staff were extremely friendly and it was busy with lots of lunchtime diners sitting outside in the sun.
We had a delicious lunch - very generously filled sandwiches for Mum, Sophie and me and a chicken salad for Nan which she thoroughly enjoyed. We didn't get much of a chance to look around the village itself (I'll save that for another time) but we did drive to the hamlet of Oldbury where my ancestor worked as a Blacksmith. There were some beautifully renovated Oast Houses there and I'm sure that at one time the whole area was covered in hopfields.
From Oldbury we drove into the village of Seal very briefly, where another of my family once lived and then headed back to Nan's flat along some very narrow roads! I was just glad I didn't meet another car!
We had a very good journey home, which was a bonus, and then I sat down with a much needed glass of wine!
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Hot, hot, hot!
It seems incredible that as I was raking up fallen Autumn leaves I was dripping with sweat in temperatures of almost 30 degrees centigrade! I think today will go down in history as one of the hottest days in October! Keith and I spent the morning tidying up the garden and throwing out some of our summer bedding plants. A lot of my geraniums are still fine, though, so I gave them a good watering and left them to continue flowering. At this rate they'll still be in bloom for Halloween!
In the afternoon mum, Sophie and I went off to Market Harborough for a little shopping and coffee and cake in Caffe Nero. Everybody was dressed in skimpy summer clothes and it was very pleasant wandering around the shops in the sunshine. The weird thing was that there were stacks of winter clothes for sale, not something I could bring myself to look at with the high temperatures outside!
Back home, Keith and I sat out in the garden and then lit our barbecue. I don't ever recall barbecuing in October before but we had a lovely evening cooking and then sitting out afterwards until it became cooler. It's getting dark at around 7pm at the moment so I lit some lanterns to hang in the trees, the first time I've done that since last summer!
In the afternoon mum, Sophie and I went off to Market Harborough for a little shopping and coffee and cake in Caffe Nero. Everybody was dressed in skimpy summer clothes and it was very pleasant wandering around the shops in the sunshine. The weird thing was that there were stacks of winter clothes for sale, not something I could bring myself to look at with the high temperatures outside!
Back home, Keith and I sat out in the garden and then lit our barbecue. I don't ever recall barbecuing in October before but we had a lovely evening cooking and then sitting out afterwards until it became cooler. It's getting dark at around 7pm at the moment so I lit some lanterns to hang in the trees, the first time I've done that since last summer!
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