Another week over!

Another Friday, another week! Time is flying by so fast, before we know it, it'll be 2013!

Sophie and I went to the gym after work, via home first as Sophie's friend had somehow managed to take her iPod home and Soph just couldn't go to the gym without it! However, we waited for about twenty minutes for her friend to bring it around but went without it in the end, otherwise it wouldn't have been worth going!

Sophie really wasn't in the mood so we cut it short and had a dip in the jacuzzi before heading home in the frosty evening. The weekend is set to be cold with even a hint that we might get some snow!

Granny visiting

It's been a beautifully cold day today with a frost this morning and lovely blue skies. Just how I like winter to be!

I put some food down for the crows who were a bit confused this morning as I was in a different car and wearing different clothes. However, when I called out to them they were soon pecking away at the food I'd left! This is a photo of one of the crows and the squirrel from the other day:

 

Not a brilliant picture as I couldn't get very close!

Mum and I went off down to Kent today to see Nan and had a great journey, both ways. While we were there we popped into Dartford to do some shopping for her and I called into the library to see if they had any old maps of the town as I needed to do some research for my family tree. I was delighted to find they had a whole section of old maps and lots of books on local history so in the New Year I'll come down with mum and we'll spend a few hours having a look at the books and seeing if we can glean any more information from them!

My son...the scruffbag!

We told Mikey this morning that he was to meet us after school rather than go on the bus as the need for new school shoes for him had now reached the desperate stage.

Because of this we only took one car to work as Sophie had asked whether we could go to the gym later in the evening as she said she "had mounds of homework to do". It was actually good to give my poor little car the day off as the amount of miles I've been doing is far more than I anticipated. I've had the Audi for a year now and I've driven almost 14,000 miles in it so about 2,000 more than the average and 4,000 more than the allowed amount if I'd leased it!

At 3.15pm we went off to the school to pick up the kids but only one turned up. When they were younger and at Primary School together, one would always come out early while the other would be the last to emerge, a bit like waiting for luggage to arrive after a flight! We waited another five minutes for Mikey but he was nowhere to be seen so we had no choice but to drive up to the school and do battle with the buses and the other parents picking up their children.

Sophie went off to find him and they eventually emerged with Mike protesting that "I have a lot on my mind" which was basically just an excuse for forgetting we were picking him up...

We dropped Sophie off at work, as I just couldn't handle two of them in Brantano's, both clamouring for the latest fashions. When we got out of the car and went into the shop I was ashamed to see the real state of my son's shoes...the left one was flapping about as the upper had come away from the sole, while the right shoe was all torn. His school trousers were covered in mud and he looked like a complete scruffbag!

We quickly found him a pair of new shoes and I didn't even bother putting them in the box as there was no way I was going to let him wear his old ones again. Keith swears that the shoes weren't in that state when he left for school so I can only imagine what Mike had been up to during the day to get them like that.

As we were looking at the other shoes, Mikey spotted a pair of trainer -type shoes (high-tops?) that he desperately wanted so I bought them for him on the understanding that he paid me back from his savings! (They weren't cheap!)

Back at work Keith, Mikey and I mended a rivet in one of our slides that had come loose. It sounds an easy job but it involved Mikey crawling into the slide and putting the screw through the hole so Keith could then screw it into place from the other side. Keith had already attempted it in the morning and had decided that coming down the slide was a good idea...only it wasn't as he got stuck and couldn't get out!  Our slides aren't designed for burly men! With Mikey helping we managed to do it so that's one less thing to worry about!

When we got home I disappeared upstairs for a soak in the bath and when I came back downstairs half an hour later I found Sophie watching TV. "What about your homework?" I asked, to be told it was all done!

I was pretty mad as it meant we could really have gone to the gym at about 4.30pm, which is the time we usually go. I'd had a bath, was all warm and sleepy and the thought of going out into the cold and doing a workout at 8pm no longer appealed. We ended up having a short, sharp argument with me refusing to go out again and the rest of the evening was spent curled up on the sofa watching "I'm A Celebrity"...bliss!

It's all go!

Today has been another busy day, doing lots of driving about (no wonder my fuel bill is so high!). I dropped Sophie off at school this morning at 7.15am as she was off to Birmingham for a conference. It was all to do with prisons and ex-prisoners as part of her Psychology A Level and she was really looking forward to it.

I left her outside the school (in the dark, horrible!) with several of her fellow pupils, went off to get some diesel and managed to resist buying a pastry and a Costa Coffee Latte in the shop, which was quite a feat!

Keith and I had to go back and pick her up at 5.30pm and what an ordeal that was...there must have been 20 coaches picking up students from the nearby college and the traffic in the village was horrendous. Keith and I had a furious row about driving so I flounced out of the car and threw the keys at him so he could battle through the traffic on the way home!

We managed to have dinner and clear away by 7pm and then it was time to take Mikey to the Army Cadets for his first meeting. He'd been wanting to go for a while so I'd called them and found out the nearest centre which wasn't too far away. It was a huge surprise when we got there to find that a close neighbour of ours was in charge! We had no idea!

So, it was off home for a couple of hours and then back at 9.30pm to pick Mikey up. He'd had a great time and we really hope that he gets accepted into the Army Cadets as I think it will do him a lot of good. There's so much to do and get involved with and I think it will be great for him to have an interest and get out and do different things!

Watching wildlife!

Keith and I were amused today at work when we watched one of our crows and a squirrel eye each other up over some food I'd put down. I try and feed our family of crows every day as they now appear when I drive into the car park and one of them makes a right row by calling to the other birds to "Come and get it!". I know that crows are very intelligent indeed, and I'm sure they recognise my voice when I call to them!

The squirrel was sniffing around at the food and it was obvious that the crow wasn't too happy about it, but even though he kept getting ready to fly away, he stood his ground! We also have a very persistent robin, several magpies and a family of rabbits who also live on the rough ground that borders our car park. I love that this area is left as a wilderness for birds and animals to make their home in and just hope this never changes. We have a very large roundabout near us and the land adjoining it, full of beautiful trees and bushes, is up for sale, for commerical development. I just wish I had the money to buy it and leave it as it is.

Apart from standing and watching the birds and squirrels, we've had a busy day today, cleaning all of our tube slides as they were rather dusty! After work it was back to the gym for a good workout and a short swim. I think I may sleep well tonight!

The hunt for a swimsuit...Part 2!

I slept rather badly last night as the wind raged and the rain lashed down outside, probably due to the amount of alcohol and food I'd consumed! It's definitely back on the diet and back to the gym on Monday!

Today, though, I felt a bit tired and a bit hungover and I really just wanted to curl up on the sofa all day but Sophie, after all her friends had gone home, wanted to go shopping in Milton Keynes...Ugh! I needed to go as well because my swimsuit had now malfunctioned as well - the underwire in the bust had come loose and had lodged itself under the drum of our washing machine, so although I'm getting away with it for now, I really need another costume!

We left at lunchtime and the driving was made difficult by the bright sunshine, such a contrast to yesterday! We found a parking space relatively easily and were soon on the hunt for new clothes but there were no swimsuits to be had at all! The shops are just full to the rafters with Christmas booty and winter clothes and even though I did find a rack of swimsuits in John Lewis, they were £55 each!
Sophie spent all her money within about 30 minutes and deciding that it really was a bit too busy we headed for home, although I did buy some Christmas cards so I'm slowly getting in the mood!

Back home I fell asleep on the sofa and then watched Miracle on 34th Street (the original) with a couple of glasses of Cloudy Bay that Sue and Paul foisted on me. After a night's breathing it was still fairly intense, but I drank it nonetheless!

Was it worth it?

Today has been busy! It was the Wine Evening at Sue and Paul's house tonight and Sophie had asked if she could have some friends over to stay so we made sure that the house was all clean - especially the conservatory where they were going to sleep - and Keith and I had to go and get more drinks for them which meant a long trek over to Kettering, as the small Tesco store near work (Sophie still had to go in today) had no choice whatsoever.

The weather has been foul with grey mist and damp in the morning and heavy rain and winds in the afternoon which stretched into the evening. I ran over to Sue and Paul's house with the wine glasses and two decanters, plus all the tasting sheets and got soaked!

The Wine Evening was a much smaller affair than normal tonight. Three of the members were otherwise engaged and the fourth didn't turn up at all so there were just six of us which was a bit disappointing as I was really looking forward to putting the wines to the test and seeing whether it's worth paying quite a bit extra for a more expensive wine.

I think the resounding agreement was no, it's not! My wine, a New Zealand Cloudy Bay at a smidgen under £20 from Waitrose was way too intense for my taste with a pronounced cat's pee smell and a tart acidity. As it was a 2012 vintage, maybe it was a bit too young. The exact equivalent from Aldi at £5.49 was much more subtle which made me think this was the more expensive wine! My Dad brought a £20 bottle of Rioja, also from Waitrose, but his cheaper bottle of Tempranillo was just as good and none of us thought we could justify the extra expense. Sue and Paul's Merlots were both delicious, but the £2.99 version was very good indeed!

It was a great night, though, with lots of beautifully presented, delicious food, but I couldn't help feeling guilty that I hadn't decided to postpone the evening as Sue and Paul had put on an impressive spread and there's only so much that six of us can eat! Keith broke his no alcohol rule and enjoyed several beers and rather a lot of wine so he might have a headache tomorrow!

New ideas!

Guy from Justinflatables came in to see us today to discuss ideas for some new equipment that is long overdue. He's always welcome (being rather handsome!) and it was great to see him and his design for a new slide, padded soft play area and a small bouncer for the tots. We loved his design so we've decided to go ahead and hopefully, the new equipment should be delivered in the New Year. Our Tots area is long overdue an overhaul but it means that Keith and Ian will need to completely dismantle the existing framework to make room for the new bits! I'm really looking forward to seeing it installed.

Sophie and I went off to the gym after work and worked hard, ending our session in the spa as usual. I'm just glad it's now officially the weekend!

Technology!

I spent all evening playing with my new phone that arrived on Tuesday, and transferring some music onto it so I can play it at the gym. I had all our gadgets lined up in a row as they all had Bluetooth and I was hoping to be able to send music from my old phone (and Sophie's old iPod that she gave to me) seamlessly to the new phone...but no! They all seemed to be aware of each other but they refused to share the music, so I had to connect the phone to my laptop and do it that way instead!

Outside the wind raged and the rain fell down in torrents so there'll be more flooding no doubt!

Wild and woolly!

Today has been rather wet! It's rained constantly all day and when I went to pick up Sophie from school, I had to drive through some pretty huge puddles! The area around her school had standing water and it was gushing onto the roads from the fields.

Before we left the gym to come home (after being there for almost 3 hours!) Keith called to tell us not to go our usual way as there was a flood right across the road. We carried on along the main road and came to a tree that had almost been blown over! It was right across one lane so we all had to gingerly avoid it and then we had to edge our way around two lorries that had either broken down or had incurred some damage, so it was a bit of an obstacle course! I should have gone home my normal way!

In for the long haul...

Today we gave poor Polly the day off as she has certainly put in some hours just lately at work, so it meant that Mum, Dad, Sophie and me were there until we closed at 6.30pm. We had a party in the evening which Sophie looked after and it was great to finally get home at 7pm and jump into the bath to relax before dinner.

Dad was rather desperate to get home (I don't blame him!) and turned all the lights off while the party parents were still packing the presents away! However, it's not often we have to stay late so it wasn't a problem and just makes us appreciate Polly all the more!

Mistaken identity!

I am known in my family for making an idiot of myself on a regular basis and today I did it again! I went to the gym alone this evening as Sophie wimped out on me for a second time. Actually, she has a really bad cold and wasn't feeling like working out so I sent her home with Mum and Dad while I went off on my own.

To be honest, I didn't feel like going, either, but that's a dangerous thought as it's so easy to make excuses and before you know it, you can get out of the habit! I did pretty well, though so I was feeling very satisfied with myself when I made my way down to the spa and saw a man who I was convinced was the son of my Dad's old boss, from about 30 years back. I'd spotted him every time I'd been just lately and I was 99% sure that it was him. If it was, we'd worked together very briefly when we were teenagers in the factory, doing a wonderful job of putting bacon on racks before it went into the ovens. My Dad used to work for one of the biggest food factories in Northampton so I was able to get a job for a couple of weeks before I went off trekking in Nepal when I was 19.

Anyway, this man looked so much like his father I plucked up the courage to ask if his Dad had worked for Telfer's and he said no! I hurriedly said sorry and fled into the darkness of the spa, feeling a bit of an idiot. I just hope he didn't think it was an innovative chat-up line!

Resisting the urge!

Today has been busy, but enjoyable! Keith and I went out for a walk in the morning as the weather was truly beautiful - gorgeous blue skies and bright sunshine with a frost lightly covering the ground. We just did our normal walk over the fields and it was so good to get out into the fresh air and feel the sun on our faces!

After our walk, Sophie and I went off to the gym and had a swim and a session in the spa - supremely relaxing - followed by lunch and a look at the cafe's new menu. They have listed the calories next to every choice...not sure if that's a good idea, but it does stop us ordering very naughty meals!

From the gym we drove to Beckworth Emporium as we needed some more incense sticks and we can only seem to get them there. The place was bustling as the ice-rink had been installed for the run-up to Christmas (and beyond) and the whole place was looking very festive indeed. We browsed the racks of decorations and really, you could go mad if you wanted to, as there were hundreds to choose from, with hefty price tags attached. I particularly liked the Scandanavian themed decorations and the white wooden stars that would look great on the doors, but then I thought, is it really necessary? Would our Christmas be so much better if I had wooden stars on all the doors?! I told Sophie she could pick one decoration to add to our collection but she decided on some chocolate instead!

I treated myself to a bottle of Southern French Grenache Noir red wine and with some nougat for Keith, we headed home before I could go on a made (and regrettable) spending spree!

As it was still a beautiful late afternoon I washed my car and then settled down on the sofa with Keith to read the papers. The wine I bought turned out to be delicious and I might even take a bottle to the Wine Evening with me to see what the others think!

Leaves!

I woke up rather late this morning as I just couldn't get to sleep last night (I ended up coming to bed at 2am) so it was a bit of a groggy start to the day. I hate waking up so late at the weekend because then I feel as if I've missed out on valuable time!

Sophie was back at work today so after I dropped her off I came home, did a few household chores and then swept up all the leaves that had gathered under the bushes in the front garden. As we only have one very small tree that sheds its leaves, I did wonder where the huge mass of leaves had come from! There was enough to half-fill our wheelie bin! It was good, though, to get out in the fresh air and it wasn't too cold. I wonder if we're going to get the severe winter that's been forecast?

Before I knew it, it was time to pick up Sophie from work and head to the gym for a swim. To my delight Sophie found a book in her locker that had been left behind by someone who has joined Book Crossing, where you register a book on the site, read it and then leave it for someone else to read. You can track the book's travels on the site. Sounds a great idea to me and I'm definitely up for a free read!

Friday...again!

Yet again, we've reached another Friday and luckily it's been a quiet, uneventful end to the week. I picked Sophie up from school and she asked if we could give the gym a miss tonight as she was tired. Hmmm! I said that she could go home with my mum but that I was going as I was looking forward to a workout followed by a dip in the jacuzzi.

Nothing I said could persuade her so we parted amicably and she left with my mum while I went off to the gym to work hard! In a way I was glad she went home as it meant I didn't have to rush and I did indeed have a lovely relaxing time in the spa!

Wine talk!

Sophie was working for us again this evening and as I really didn't fancy staying behind at work I decided to go out and buy my wine for the forthcoming Wine Evening. I needed to buy a cheaper wine and a more expensive one so I first went to Aldi and managed, by sheer luck, to get a wine very comparable to my more expensive wine, which I bought in Waitrose.

Whilst I was in the shop I recognised a voice and saw my friend Ann who has been working as the Wine Specialist for 30 years! We did our wine exams together years ago so it was great to see her again, as although I visit this branch on a regular basis, I hadn't seen her for ages! We had a really good chat about all things wine related and she sold me a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau which arrived on the shelves today. I'd forgotten all about it, to be honest, but I'll certainly look forward to drinking it over the weekend!

A very indulgent evening!

After work I headed off to the gym leaving a very grumpy Sophie behind! She was not too pleased that I was going for a workout while she had to look after two parties! Before I headed upstairs to the changing rooms I popped into the Beauty Salon to see if I could book myself in for an eyebrow shape but they were able to fit me in there and then, which was a bonus!

The therapist who did the treatment was excellent and I was there for about half an hour while she waxed, then tweezered my unruly eyebrows! Afterwards they looked a bit red but I did my workout and then went down to the pool for a quick swim. I got back to work five minutes late, much to the disapproval of Sophie!

Back home I hurriedly changed and put on some make-up as I was off out for a meal with Sue, Laura and Lynda. We'd booked a table at The Stuffed Olive in Northampton and Keith had very kindly offered to drive us there so we could all have a glass or two of wine.

We had a lovely meal, with beautifully cooked food, and for a change I went all fishy, starting with a seafood basket (prawns, mussels, calamari) and then I tried Monkfish for the first time which was delicious. We had two bottles of a very fruity red wine from Southern France, desserts of Key Lime Pie, Baklava and cheese and biscuits, so all in all, a great evening with lots of gossip!

While we were waiting for Keith to arrive we popped into a Polish supermarket and had a great time amusing ourselves by comparing huge Polish sausages...hmmm!

A rant about Christmas...

Well, it's happening already, isn't it? On Sunday night we watched the first episode of I'm A Celebrity on ITV and we were just bombarded with adverts about Christmas! To me, it almost verged on hysteria as all the big shops lined up to hit us with their idealised versions of the festive season, showing "happy" families preparing for the big day and stuffing as much food and drink into their mouths as possible. And as for the new John Lewis Christmas advert...call me a cynic but it's Bah Humbug from me...!

I wish with all my heart that we were escaping this country again in December - Christmas was heaven last year and so low-key in Lanzarote! I am dreading all the build-up to what is, essentially, one single day, when lots of families just can't afford to provide loads of presents for their children and tables groaning with food. The stress to have the perfect Christmas is ridiculous!

I think there should be a law introduced that bans all mention of Christmas until early December. My two have already written out their lists of what they want with Michael asking for some truly strange presents, including a Ken (as in Ken and Barbie) doll...huh? Is he having me on? And some Meme (???) bed covers? What's all that about?

To be honest, I don't want anything, other than all of this hysteria to die down and for us to have a magical and peaceful Christmas where the emphasis is placed on celebrating with family and friends and just being thankful for what we have already. I would like snow, long walks in the country, a cosy pub with a log fire and an endless loop of It's A Wonderful Life playing in the background...with no adverts to ruin the dream!

Snuffling my way through the day!

We were closed to the public today so it was great to get a lot of things done and have a bit of breathing space before we open again tomorrow. I spent most of the morning with our Health and Safety consultant who was very pleased with the progress we'd made with a couple of things since his last visit. He said he was definitely not worried about our business which was reassuring to hear!

The weather in the afternoon was horrible and I picked Sophie up from school in the pouring rain. It wasn't until we got back to work that we realised her gym bag was still in Keith's car...who was at home! It would have been so easy to leave going to the gym tonight, but we decided to drive home, pick up her bag and then go and it only made us about half an hour later than normal.

I'm glad we did go, though, as we had a lovely time and I did all my exercises despite my yukky cold! We even managed a blissful swim afterwards and on the way back up to the changing rooms I met my fellow Wine Club member Liam and we chatted about the forthcoming evening. I'm really looking forward to it as we're comparing a standard wine and a more expensive wine so I'm hoping it will be very interesting indeed!

We hurriedly showered and dressed and sped home, getting back to start the dinner just before Keith returned from the pub! Ooops!

Sunny Sunday...at last!

Today dawned sunny and cold - perfect for getting outside for some fresh air! I washed my filthy car in the morning which gave me the opportunity to have another long chat, this time with Sue who lives over the road. I haven't seen her for a while so we had a catch up and finalised plans for our meal out next week.

At lunchtime Soph and I headed off to the gym for a swim and it was very quiet indeed. Not only because there weren't many people about, but also because the music system was not working so the whole place had a hushed atmosphere which was certainly different to normal! We swam up and down for about 20 minutes but the cold that was brewing yesterday has taken hold and my energy levels were a bit on the low side! I sat in the steam room again, soaking up the lovely warmth and then it was time for a shower and lunch in the cafe.

Mum and I went off to an Antiques Fair in a nearby village in the afternoon and she bought a beautiful "Masons" bowl as she collects this type of pottery. There weren't that many stalls and my cold worsened while we were there so we called it a day earlier than normal and I went home to sneeze all over my poor family and sit on the sofa feeling sorry for myself!

Backwards and forwards...

Sophie took today as a holiday from work as she is off to see Russell Kane at Derngate tonight and wanted plenty of time to get ready for her evening out and to have a meal at Pizza Hut with her friend Susie before the show started.

We went off to the gym in the morning and had a workout, and we were just about to go down for a swim when my mobile rang. It was my Mum saying we had problems with staff at work and could we go in for a couple of hours to help out? Another five minutes and she wouldn't have been able to get hold of us for another hour! We didn't have time to have a shower so we just flung our clothes on and dashed off!

Neither of us was very pleased about the situation, but we went in to find that one of the party girls had gone home sick and another member of staff was on holiday as well, but had forgotten to put her name down in the diary as having the day off! Within half an hour of us being there, things had calmed down as Dad was already in and Mum came in to help as well, so we actually had double the amount of staff we needed!

Sophie and I stayed until 3pm and then we headed home so she could get herself ready. I was planning to go back to the gym as it's next to Pizza Hut and have a swim while Sophie and Susie had their meal, and then take them into Northampton.

While Sophie was titivating herself I swept up all the leaves on the driveway and had a lovely long chat with Gill next door which was great as usually we only say a quick hello as we're putting rubbish out or going to the garage. Her husband had been hard at work for most of the day jet washing the driveway and had put ours to shame!

I had a very relaxing time in the pool while Sophie and Susie were having their pizza and swam for half an hour before sitting in the steam room in an effort to ward off a cold that I can feel coming. When I emerged into the chilly night air to take the girls into Northampton I felt great and full of energy but I have a feeling this cold will get to me tomorrow!

Pure indulgence!

As it was Mum's birthday today, I went into work early to decorate her desk with balloons and banners, which she was delighted with! She opened her present from me, a gift voucher for a local Beauty Salon, so she can go and have a pamper and treat herself without feeling guilty!

All three of us went to Booker this morning to do the weekly shop as we have another sleepover at work tonight - this is the second one in a week and I just feel for Polly who has to bed down on the floor of the office! We had to get so much stuff we couldn't fit it all in Dad's car so my little A1 was roped in to help!

It hasn't all been hard work, though, as we went off to lunch at The Windhover to celebrate Mum's Birthday and we had a very good meal of beer battered cod which was cooked to perfection. It's been ages since we went out to lunch from work as generally we now have to help out, so it was a lovely treat to escape for a couple of hours.

I picked up both children from school and took them back to work so they could wish Mum a Happy Birthday, we had some gooey chocolate cake and then Keith dropped Sophie off at a friend's house while I went to the gym on my own as I really didn't want to miss another session.

Well, I had a really lovely time - I did all my weights, did 20 minutes on the crosstrainer and the treadmill and a 5 minute cool down on the bike and watched Come Dine With Me which certainly helped pass the time! The pool was a bit busy with no Slow Lane open so I had a very indulgent 10 minutes in the jacuzzi followed by a lovely shower! Bliss!

I am NOT going to get old!

Today Mum and I drove down to Kent to see Nan as she's now home from hospital and she was due to go and have her eyes checked at the Optician's.

However, when we arrived she said she didn't want to go as it was too much bother to get ready! Hmmm! She now has carers coming in morning and night to help her get dressed and it just made me all the more determined not to get old and dependent! If it comes to it, I will make my exit in a dramatic way - such as driving off a short pier in a very fast car, preferably with some good Scotch inside me!

We stayed until the usual time and made it through the tunnel quicker than I expected despite the huge jams that now seem to be a feature of the journey home. By 7pm I was sipping a glass of very good red Bordeaux and looking forward to beef casserole!

Not a good day!

Today hasn't been one of the most enjoyable days so the least said about it, really, the better!

I managed to track down a swimsuit for Sophie in Next but the assistant had to go into the back of beyond to get it as all their swimwear stock had been put away for the winter! It was a pink polka dot costume with a padded bust and ruched sides and was very pretty, Well, I thought so anyway!

As it's Mum's birthday on Friday I spent the afternoon rushing around buying her cards and presents as tomorrow we're both down in Kent and I won't have any time. It's typical of me to leave everything until the last minute!

When I picked Sophie up from school I told her I had a swimsuit, but I didn't quite get the reaction I hoped for when she saw it and was then adamant that she didn't like it. That just worsened the already bad mood I was in, so instead of staying at work with her (she was doing a party for us) I flounced off home and had a long soak in the bath.

Our plan had been to go to the gym later in the evening but even this was cancelled as Sophie had so much homework to do but didn't tell me this until I'd picked her up from work at 6pm. Grrrrr!!!

Hunting high and low!

I made it my mission to get Sophie a new swimsuit today...and failed!

As the schools have now gone back and we were a little quieter Mum and I managed to get out of work and do some shopping (mostly for myself!). We went to three shops to look for the elusive swimsuit and in each one the sales assistants looked at us as if we were mad...swimming, in winter? Er, yes, people do go swimming and they even - gasp! - go on holiday to warmer climes!

After work I dashed home as I had an appointment for my hair to be coloured with Amy, our new mobile hairdresser. She took a lot of time getting it right and now I have shiny auburn locks with no more grey!

Swimsuit malfunction!

We had a busy day at work today as we had 100 children in from a school based in Leicestershire and it was my job to make sure they were playing safely and not doing anything silly! I actually enjoyed it very much as they were all very well-behaved and had a lovely time enjoying themselves and letting off some steam. It was great to see their smiley faces as they sped down our big slide!

Once they'd gone we did all the cleaning and then Sophie and I went off to the gym. I have to admit I felt a wee bit weary, but amazingly, I did far more this evening than I do normally and burned off about 400 calories on the cross-trainer and the treadmill.

We were all set to go downstairs for a swim and I'd just got into my bathing suit (not an easy task when I'm all sweaty!) when Sophie said she had two holes in her swimsuit! She showed me where they were (right on the bum) so we had to cancel our dip in the pool and settle for a shower instead!

Even more cold November rain!

Today the weather has been atrocious! Keith and I went out to get the papers and the roads were covered in large puddles of water and millions of fallen leaves. It was the sort of day to stay at home and be cosy, so that's what we did!

I couldn't face the gym this morning so we had the day off, vowing to work hard tomorrow. Sophie transferred all the photos she took yesterday to my kaptop, edited them and then sent them to a USB memory stick and did some homework while Keith and I prepared dinner and then relaxed. Well, I say relax, but I decided to try and do some research into my family tree but I found it extremely frustrating! Why do certain members of my family remain so elusive?!! I felt like throwing my laptop out of the window by the end of the afternoon!

I found staying off the alcohol very difficult this evening as I love a glass of red wine with the Sunday roast, so I had a couple of glasses, content in the knowledge that I'd been good all week!

Cold November Rain...

I'm pretty sure the forecast for today was for a sunny, dry day but on the way to get the newspapers this morning the sky became cloudy and we had heavy rain. At one point I did think we were going to have a few flakes of snow as it was certainly cold enough! Sophie wasn't working today (she worked every day of the half-term holidays) so we went off to Lyveden New Bield so she could take some photographs for her homework.

Lyveden New Bield is an intriguing house started in 1595 by Sir Thomas Tresham but it was never finished and stands on its own, surrounded by farmland, unchanged since work stopped in 1605, when Sir Thomas Tresham died. His son, Francis Tresham, was involved with the Gunpowder Plot, which I thought was nicely topical!

We wandered around the house and grounds taking lots of photos and as there were very few visitors we almost had the place to ourselves. There were some remanants of Halloween lying around, perfect for children!

Someone obviously has a sense of humour!

In the summer the grounds are beautiful, but we were still able to take some good photographs as the sun came out and the rain cleared.

There was no cafe but we enjoyed a hot chocolate and a flapjack from the little office and shop which certainly warmed us up as we were freezing cold! The house is quite exposed and the wind was vicious so after a lovely chat with the two women who look after the place we drove home.

On the way we saw a huge bird hovering over some road kill. It may have been a buzzard but whatever it was, it was big! We spent a couple of leisurely hours at home before heading off to the gym to meet mum and dad. I was dismayed to find that the pool was closed yet again as this time somebody had been sick in it! It was a good job we hadn't decided to just go for a swim as we normally do on a Saturday afternoon as it would have been a complete waste of a journey.

We did half a workout and then joined mum and dad in the spa before heading home to get ready for the firework display in the village. I must admit to having second thoughts about going but it is a tradition for us so we all walked up just in time to see the bonfire being lit. As Keith and I are still not touching alcohol we couldn't even warm ourselves up with a glass of mulled wine and standing waiting for the fireworks to be lit was freezing! The it started to rain so we watched the display for a little while and then headed home to chilli and rice, perfect for warming us up. It was good that we left when we did as minutes after we arrived home, the heavens opened and the rain became torrential!

Hooray! It's Friday!

Having said that, this week has sped by at the speed of light so I can't complain! It's been a good week despite it being half term and the noise only really started getting to me this afternoon, so that's not bad!

It's been a beautiful day today so I was surprised we were as busy as we were, but we managed to get away at 4pm and go to the gym for a workout and a swim. My hair has been like straw recently, with all the swimming and the chlorine in the pool, so I went straight home and applied a deep conditioning treatment and left it on for two hours. Tomorrow Sophie and I are having our hair cut at home so I'm going to have a couple of inches lopped off to neaten the rather straggly ends!

I haven't touched a drop of alcohol since last Sunday evening so I'm feeling rather smug...whether I can be good over the weekend is another matter, though!

Skyfall

After work this evening we all went to the cinema to see the new James Bond film, Skyfall. I'm a big fan of the James Bond films so I was really looking forward to seeing the new one, after all the hype and adverts about it.

I enjoyed the film very much, but I still think Casino Royale is the best. For me, Skyfall didn't seem like a Bond film with not much glamour, hardly any Bond women and not that much action, although I thought the ending was very good. I wasn't keen on Javier Bardem's blond hair either! Rather than him being a menacing baddie, I thought he came over as a bit ridiculous!

There were also very few glamourous locations with a lot of the action taking place on our own British soil. I did think, though, that the opening credits were some of the best I've ever seen and Adele's voice was beautiful. I also liked the fact that the Aston Martin from Goldfinger made an appearance but I wasn't that happy with what happened to it at the end! I just hope it was a model!

After the film we all went off to Pizza Hut for a meal and the restaurant was very quiet indeed, despite it only being 8.30pm. We shared two large pizzas and indulged in the ice-cream factory...it's back to the gym tomorrow!