More meetings!

This morning we went to see our Accountant as our year end figures had to be approved. It was a great opportunity to talk to him about the new competition opening and once we had told him what was happening and gave him a few figures, he said that, yes, we would see some of our customers going to see the new place at first. However, he said that the amount of customers they would need a week to just cover their costs could never be accommodated by the parking they had and if they encouraged visitors to come by bus (as they said they want to) there would simply not be enough buses to cope!

Talking to him made us all feel a bit better and it will be very interesting over the next few months to see how it all works out, plus we have a bit of breathing space to introduce some of their ideas into our own play centre!

I was at work until late with Sophie (and her friend Abi) so we didn't get home until 7pm. Although today hasn't been physically hard, my brain hurt with all the thinking we'd been doing and having two extremely giggly girls in the house for later than I expected became a bit wearing! I arranged for Abi to go home at just after 10pm and sat and savoured the peace and quiet! Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday again!

Ganging up!

I had a meeting for coffee this morning with Ginny and Phil who run a very similar play centre to ours in Northampton. We discussed the new place opening and I gave them some more information on the couple and the Facebook page they have set up for their new venture.

We're all a bit worried about it, I must admit, as it's been a while since we have had any real competition in the town. The new place is promising to be such a wonderful venue for children to visit so it's natural we're apprehensive about what will happen if they manage to get planning permission. The only sticking point they have is parking so we will just have to wait and see. It was great to chat with Ginny and Phil, though, and I really like the fact that although we run similar places we do get on very well and we all understand how hard the play centre industry is, and that there is absolutely no guarantee that you can make a huge success of it. To me, the new operators sound very naive about their expectations for the business.

I got back to work at lunchtime but we were nowhere near as busy as last week. Keith and I had a look around the Nursery which has now been cleared out by the woman who started running it last year as it just wasn't doing well at all. We now have to find a new tenant and hopefully we already have one lined up - a group of women interested in opening up a pre-school setting, so fingers crossed! It was a bit sad wandering around and thinking back to the years we have spent in the building, when the space was our offices and we were a little bit apart from the play area. Now it all needs a good clean!

I was at work late with Sophie and after dinner we managed to get to the gym for a late swim and a quick session in the spa! Bliss!

Day off?

Yes, it was supposed to be but it wasn't restful!

Keith and I toddled off to Tesco first thing to get dinner for tonight and I managed to resist a Costa Coffee and a pastry, opting instead to have bacon baps at home. I decided to sit and wallow in some daytime TV after our late breakfast, but guilt drove me upstairs to change our bedding and before I knew it I was sorting all our clothes out for the holiday! The bedroom was awash with shorts and trousers and tops and I decided to try on some clothes that were, ahem, a little on the tight side a few months ago...

To my delight, the things that were tight before now fitted perfectly! I was very pleased so the (almost) non drinking must be paying off! Fired up with enthusiasm I changed our bed and Mikey's bed and cleaned his room before hoovering the rest of the upstairs rooms and downstairs. Phew!

All too soon it was time to pick Sophie up from school and I returned with not one, but four giggly girls as Soph had invited her friends around to help her do some photography homework. Keith and I then returned to the school an hour later to pick up Mikey who had been in an after school detention as he had missed a lunchtime one! Naughty...!

My day of driving wasn't yet over as later in the evening it was time to get my son to Army Cadets, so today hasn't been one of the most relaxing, but I certainly feel like I've achieved a lot!

Back into the routine!

After a day of catching up with chores at work and bringing Mum and Dad up to speed with what's been happening while they were away, Sophie and I went to the gym and did a full workout for the first time in a couple of weeks. It was great to get back into our routine and the plan is to try and lose some weight before our holiday which is looming largely!

After our hard work we swam a few lengths then relaxed in the spa. I have tomorrow off work so it was great to plan what I was going to do with my free day...housework probably!

Family visit

Keith's daughter from his previous marriage visited today with her husband Neil and their five year old daughter who was a real bundle of energy!

Faye hadn't seen us for quite a while so she was very shy at first, but she soon came out of her shell and played with the cats (who weren't at all sure about her!) and really hit it off with her Aunt Sophie. Neil used to be in the Army so he showed Mikey how to shape his cap a bit more, gave him tips for lacing his boots and then went out into the conservatory with him to see him lift his weights.

It was a great afternoon and really lovely to catch up with the side of the family we don't see that often!

Not so relaxing Saturday

As Keith hadn't been able to get to Tesco's yesterday both of us went early this morning and I quite enjoyed wandering around looking at things while Keith did the hard work of the actual shopping! Luckily we'd found ten minutes to sit down and plan out the meals for the week so we knew what we had to buy!

After getting back I had a call from Dad who said that work had called him as Maureen had phoned in sick...drat! Luckily Martha came in to save the day but Laura also told me we had run out of change already! Keith and I sped into work to get the money and then went to the bank before heading home to get Sophie. As we drove back to work we had a frantic call from Mikey to say that he was supposed to be meeting his friends in town and could I take him?

Muttering a few swear words under my breath I turned the car around and went back to get him. It was a good thing I filled my car with diesel this morning!

In town Mikey couldn't find his mates (no wonder, as he was almost an hour late) so we decided to go back home, calling into Booker on the way as Sophie had called me to tell me that one of the fryers in the kitchen had stopped working!

Back at home I finally managed to have a bit of a relax with a long bath and a pampering session which included a face pack. I really have neglected myself lately and my skin looked tired and blotchy.

I picked Soph up at 6pm so a visit to the gym was out of the question and on the way home we popped into a local shop to get a DVD and a tipple for the evening. I was battling with myself as I really fancied a glass of red wine to go with the delicious casserole that Keith had prepared so I bought a bottle of Lambrini...yuk!

Sophie drank the Italian fizz and I opened my last bottle of Redwood Creek Merlot. If I was going to have a drink, it had to be a good one...and it was!

Yippee! It's Friday!

I had fondly imagined that I would be able to take this afternoon off and then go straight to the gym with Sophie after school, but no...we were very busy again and today has simply flown by! We didn't manage to get to the bank until 2.30pm and then it was back to work for a quick sandwich before collecting Soph from school.

Neither of us felt like doing a full workout (or anything at all really!) so we just lazed about in the spa which was bliss!

I arrived home to find a bunch of roses sitting on the windowsill and assumed (as you would) that they were from Keith, but when he got in after going to the pub, I discovered they were from Sue...hmmm. Strange!

Return of winter?

Today has been freezing here and we have more snow forecast for Friday and the weekend. It's hard to believe that last Sunday Sophie and I sat outside in the sun and didn't feel cold at all!

It's been another busy day but we did have an extra member of staff in during the afternoon to ease the load! Both Maureen and Martha have been absolutely brilliant and there's been a great atmosphere at work. Keith said today how much he's enjoyed being in at work with me and I've loved having him there to help.

This evening he brought Mikey back to work so it was a real family affair. We locked up and then Mikey and I headed to school as there was an information evening taking place for children going into Year 9 in September. The children have to decide what subjects they want to take next year in addition to the compulsory lessons such as English and Maths. Mikey is keen to take Design, Art and Drama for another year and then he will have to make more choices about what subjects to take at GCSE. I thought it was a bit confusing, but that's our system these days! Our politicians seem to keep changing their minds!

It was sheer heaven to get home (eventually) and enjoy dinner. I still have not had any alcohol although tonight I would have loved to have had a glass of wine (or two!).

A wee bit weary!

Today has been a bit of a long day! I was in at work at just after 8am and driving away at just before 7pm so I will be very glad when Polly returns on Friday!

Luckily, Keith is very supportive and is doing a lot at work for me, which is great. We went off to the bank this morning and then we popped into Tesco to get some bits for work and just as we were about to go through the checkouts, the Fire Alarms started ringing. At first, nobody moved so we carried on towards the tills, but then we saw people walking towards the exits and before long the whole shopping centre was evacuated.

We had no idea what the problem was but there was no panic so we calmly walked back to the car (we'd abandoned the trolley) and drove to Lidl next door where we started all over again! I have to say we were impressed with the prices in there, though, and Keith said that the stuff we bought was a lot cheaper than Tesco...maybe we'll be in again, especially as the curry sauce we bought for our dinner was exactly the same brand as we buy in Tesco!

Sophie and I had planned to go to the gym straight after work for a swim, but I was shattered so we just went home and I had a soak in the bath. Roll on Friday!

And I thought I'd be in for a quiet week!

If I thought I was going to be in for an easy week, I was wrong! We were busy again today and then Polly reminded me that she is off tomorrow and Thursday which means that yours truly will have to be at work until we close to lock up! And there I was hoping for a few hours off!

Mikey wore his Army Cadet uniform for the first time tonight and very smart he looked, too! He came out after his session with camouflage all over his face and had had a great time! I must admit that looking at him in his uniform gave me a bit of a pang...if he does decide to make a career in the Army, I just hope that we're not involved in any wars!

Disgusting lowlife!

Last night Mum called me at around 7pm to say that my 93 year old Nan had been burgled. She was the victim of two conmen who told her they were from the police and that they were chasing two men who'd gained access to her flat by her bedroom window. Confused and frightened she let them in via the secure outside door and then in through her front door. They spun her a tale of wanting to know where she kept her money so they could keep it "safe" and then they made off with her purse and a substantial amount of money, that really shouldn't have been in her flat in the first place.

Naturally she was shaken up and devastated that she'd been taken in by these despicable lowlifes and very angry at herself for showing the bogus police where she kept her money. My mum was beside herself with worry as today they were flying out to Budapest and it really couldn't have come at a worse time.

Keith and I assured her that we would drive down to Kent today to sort her out and that we would have to leave being at work for one day. I arranged for Sophie to go to a friend's house after school and gave Mikey the house keys so he could let himself in when he got off the bus.

We went down and sorted her out with some more money to tide her over for a few days and bought her a new purse. While we were there the police came and said that these type of distraction burglaries are all too common and that they were confident that in the end these horrible men would be caught and locked up. She kept saying how angry she was at herself for being taken in but I think anyone in that situation would have been confused about what was happening.

We had to leave at 2pm to get back for the children and I felt terrible about leaving her. She's a tough cookie though and the one good thing about this is that she wasn't harmed at all. It's horrible to think about what could have happened.

Sophie and I put off the gym tonight and I went for a walk with Keith instead, which gave us a chance to stretch our legs and get some fresh air. It's been another beautiful day but a tad chilly!

Coton Manor snowdrops

So, today I fulfilled another goal on my Bucket List - a trip to Coton Manor Gardens, set in the heart of rural Northamptonshire (so hidden, we lost our way!).

The gardens open officially at the end of March but for the next week or so, they're open for a beautiful display of snowdrops. The place is stunning - a 17th century Manor house surrounded by gorgeous gardens which cascade down to woodlands, and full of little streams, fountains and lots of birds!

 

I can only imagine the sheer beauty of the gardens in the middle of summer and we'll definitely be back. There were very few people about and we spent a couple of very pleasant and peaceful hours wandering around, taking photos and talking to a very animated parrot who loved to say "hello" and "goodbye"! There were lots of plants for sale, a lovely little tearoom and a shop selling local produce. The peace and serenity were a real balm to my soul after the noise and chaos of last week and it was wonderful to sit in the stable yard with a hot chocolate and a slice of cake and feel the warmth of the sun after all the cold and grey weather we've been having recently.

So, that's two under my belt! On with the rest!

1. Visit Saltaire near Bradford - a Victorian model village built by Sir Titus Salt for his mill workers. 
2. Drive to Berlin (maybe a bit dodgy this one but I'm going to persevere).
3. Visit a UK Christmas Market.
4. Walk through Dovedale in the Peak District.
5. Make a Christmas cake.
6. Write a short story - it's about time I got back into my writing.
7. Visit Coton Manor Gardens.
8. Climb at least one of the highest mountains in the UK - either Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis or Snowdon (hmmm...got to get that treadmill at the gym on a higher incline...)
9. Visit Portmeirion in Wales.
10. Ride one of the scarier roller coasters when we visit Florida, but NOT the Hulk!
11. Visit the National Gallery.
12. Read Wuthering Heights.
13. Grow a Sunflower from seed.

Back to work!

Well, I thought my working week was over, but Sophie called me at 3pm to say that we'd run out of drinks and could I go to Booker? I'd had a busy morning thoroughly washing my car inside and out, but I preferred going this afternoon rather than in the morning so I dashed into work, picked Soph up and we drove down to Booker.

As the boot of my car is not that big, I had to be careful what I bought, but I managed to get everything in and we headed back to the madhouse! As a treat, we went to Boots where I treated myself to some new make-up and a pot of lovely moisturiser and then we popped into Costa Coffee for a Creamy Cooler (Sophie) and a tea for me, accompanied by a slice of cake. I think we deserved it!

Our evening meal was a not a roaring success. Keith and I are almost at our wits end at the moment, trying to come up with meals that all four of us will like, and I'd decided to cook a beef, courgette and potato bake, which didn't go down very well with the kids! They looked at the courgettes as if they were poison and I don't think Sophie ate much at all. Oh well...we will keep on trying!

Yippeeee! It's Friday!

I have to confess to being glad (very glad) that today is Friday. It's been good being busy, especially with a threat looming on the horizon of a new business opening, but there have been times when it's been overwhelmingly busy, which hasn't been pleasant for anyone.

We weren't quite as packed today, mainly because the weather was decent for a change, but we still had to help out by clearing tables and doing some washing up. After work, Sophie and I headed off to the gym and had a very relaxing swim and a session in the Spa. It was needed very much after the week we've had!

It was good ol' fish and chips for dinner...can't beat them on a Friday night!

The end is in sight!

Today has been somewhat stressful so it was lovely to get home with my two (both of them were working for me) and relax, although it did take me an hour to shake off the day! I really wanted to go to the pub for a drink but then I remembered it was Valentine's Day so I rapidly changed my mind and had a bottle of sparkling water instead!

After dinner Keith watched the football so I had great fun with the children looking at photos and video of past holidays. It was a blissful end to a very trying day!

We object!

I went to Booker this morning and I'm glad I did because I met a lady who runs an Indoor Activity similar to ours who was shopping there as well. We have had a good relationship with her and her husband over the ten years she's been running her business and the first thing she said to me was that she was worried about the new play centre opening as she'd had a good look at the planning application. Up until today I wasn't too worried, but when I too had a look at the plans as soon as I got back to work, the alarm bells started ringing very loudly indeed.

One line they had written really worried me - the fact that making a profit doesn't seem to matter to them, or even recouping the investment they will be making in the business. The woman who is planning to open it seems to want to act as a wonderful benefactor to the children of Northamptonshire and beyond!

We felt we had no choice to object to the planning application, as the other indoor play centre had done, on two grounds: lack of parking - for a business twice the size of ours they have just 60 spaces (we have 100) and for the fact we feel they will not encourage healthy competition as they do not seem worried about charging prices that reflect the level of investment. There is no way we would be able to compete as we need to charge a certain amount to cover all our overheads.

To a background of extremely noisy children I somehow managed to come up with our objections and emailed it to the Borough Council. We can only wait and hope now!

So busy!

Today has been one of the busiest days we've experienced and we had three ladies cooking in the kitchen, a lovely girl called Paige serving and Mum, Dad and me dashing around clearing tables and dealing with mounds and mounds of washing up! This on top of doing the cleaning first thing (I lost my cool again!) and a trip to Booker with Dad to get a trolley-load of shopping.

The weather had been grey and cold all day, although at one point I did glimpse the tiniest hint of blue sky, but I didn't get to see much daylight at all! I eventually left at 5pm and went home to a warm bath. The plan was to go out for a meal tonight, but in the end we decided to have an Indian meal delivered and for me this was washed down with some lovely Tonic Water...not quite what I fancied but it had to do!

I lose my cool...

Well, we awoke to a fair covering of snow this morning, but again, not enough to stop me from getting into work. We fully expected a quiet day as it was both a Monday and a snowy day but how wrong we were!

Unfortunately I lost my cool with three customers who parked their cars outside two of our Fire Exits. I called out the registration plates of the cars on our tannoy, and although two were very apologetic (one look at my face said it all) the third never did move their car which made it very difficult for people with pushchairs to get in and out of the building. Huh!

After work I dashed off to pick Sophie up from the cinema and then it was off to the gym for a very quiet swim. Swimming lessons are off all this week and Soph and I almost had the pool to ourselves! I arrived home to find my husband still in residence as his evening at the pub with Dave had been cancelled. Both of us are trying to give up alcohol until our holiday at the end of March and tonight was hard! After my busy day at work I really did fancy a lovely glass of wine, but I settled for a few glasses of sparkling water instead!

Washout weekend

This weekend has been horrible. We've experienced the very worst of the British weather with snow on Saturday morning and rain all day on Sunday. Not only has it been wet, but it's been windy and cold as well, so no chance whatsoever of getting out for a walk or doing things in the garden.

I've lumped both days together, purely because I didn't do anything interesting or exciting! On Saturday morning we all went over to Thrapston to get Mikey's Army boots that he needs for cadets. Luckily we took Gladys with us (our SatNav) and she took us straight there as it was tucked away in the town, and as we don't know Thrapston that well, we would never have found it!

The man running the shop was obivously ex-Army and a real hard nut, but he was certainly a character! We got Mikey kitted out with his boots and then headed home in the sleety rain.

Sophie worked both days over the weekend and we were very busy indeed! We did manage two trips to the gym for a swim, which was good, but other than that, it was stay at home, do some research on the family tree (frustrating!) and keep warm.

On Sunday evening it snowed, just as we were coming home from the gym, and it looked to be settling. Just what we need on a Monday morning!

Another Friday rolls around!

This week has passed in a blur of busyness and I can't believe that it's Friday yet again, and next week is half-term!

Although we were busy at work again, Sophie and I managed to get away to the gym at just after 4pm but we didn't have the most successful of sessions! I did just over ten minutes on the cross-trainer and ten minutes on the treadmill before we decided to go down to the pool. On the way we met Liam and had a long chat about holidays, wine and our teenagers driving! Gulp!

In the changing rooms Sophie discovered that she'd left her swimsuit at home...no swimming or jacuzzi for us then! I didn't even bother getting changed - we just braved the rush hour traffic and went home where I had a lovely long bath. Oh well!

Down to Kent

It was time for our regular visit to Kent today, even though really, Mum and I should have been at work preparing for next week's half-term holiday. However, Nan was delighted to see us and we really cheered her up by showing her some photos that Sophie had taken for her A-level exam. It was a shame I couldn't connect to the internet because then I could have showed her the work I'd been doing on my family tree.

I did show her some of her old photographs that I'd scanned onto my laptop and she was amazed! To be honest, I find it pretty amazing at times as well!

We went and did some shopping for her and all too soon it was time to head for home. The weather turned increasingly wintry on the M1 and for one moment I thought we were going to be for some real snow again! No more...please!

Purely for pleasure...

I've been to the gym twice today and each time was just for enjoyment. Having said that, I don't think having an eyebrow shape was that enjoyable, what with all the waxing, plucking and tweezering that goes on! But I was able to sit and read a magazine for a short while before I went in to be gently tortured and I was very pleased with the results!

The plan was for Sophie and I to go back later for a swim, but it has been freezing today and when we got to the pool the slow lane was busy and I just couldn't face getting into the water. What a wimp! I headed straight for the sauna and sat in there for far longer than I ever have, just to soak up the delicious heat! We then ventured into the slightly cooler sanarium, finishing up in the jacuzzi and then I had a wonderfully hot shower. Bliss!

When we got back to the car, the lovely warmth of the gym enveloped us and kept the evil wind at bay. Sophie made me go and get her a McFlurry again, but I managed to resist...I really don't feel like I deserved it!

More clothes for Mikey!

It's been a busy day today at work, and a baptism of fire for our new cook, Maureen. The poor woman must wonder what she's let herself in for! Typically, whenever we get busy, things kept going wrong...the coffee machine decided to go into meltdown during the lunchtime rush and the credit card machine suddenly started to take ages to go through! I'm sure there are gremlins about at times!

I spent almost three hours in the kitchen helping out so it was a real scramble to get some of my jobs done before I left for the day. We are seriously going to have to get an extra member of staff if this continues. It was sheer bliss to get home and have a long soak in the bath as the weather has turned much colder again today, with a snow shower this afternoon. I really don't think we want any more snow!

This evening, at Army Cadets, Mikey received his uniform! He was so pleased and never stopped talking all the way home! He has so much stuff to wear and now really looks the part!

Stressed? Me?

The school run, always a pain, has become even more stressful as there are roadworks going on in the middle of a village on our route to school, and this morning Sophie and I were stuck in the traffic for over 20 minutes. Keith stayed at home as Mikey, exhausted by his shopping trip yesterday, couldn't face leaving the house and spent all day lolling about on the sofa and making demands on his Dad.

Mum and Dad were stuck in the traffic as well, and we all arrived at work within minutes of each other which made me feel a bit better as I was convinced I was going to be way behind them!

Most of the morning was spent reading comments about our business on the local newspaper's website as the story was posted about the new Play Centre due to open. Of course, there was the usual nasty comment left anonymously, but overall people were as surprised as we were that the woman who was planning to open the new place had said there was nowhere for her children to play. I had a feeling that this would happen, and I even posted a message on our business Facebook page which prompted lots more supportive comments. It does annoy me, though, that people don't have the guts to come and tell us if they have a problem with the service we offer. It's so cowardly to run somewhere down without even having to put your real name.

All of us spent the afternoon cleaning (as usual) and then it was off to the gym where we didn't have the happiest of experiences! The place was busy (New Year's Resolutions) and three men were fooling about in the spa, making real nuisances of themselves! We did manage to have a swim, though, and I enjoyed a lovely hot shower afterwards.

Back home, Mikey was feeling a bit better so it's definitely off to school tomorrow...and it's Keith's turn!

Arrrggh! Shopping with Mikey!

Today was the day when we took Mikey to Milton Keynes to get him some new clothes, and was it long overdue! To make matters worse, the poor boy had a terrible cough and cold and wasn't really in the mood to go traipsing around the shops!

However, the need for new clothes was urgent, and there was no way I was going to attempt to buy him some things without him being with me! It would probably have meant another trip back to Milton Keynes to take them all back!

To get our strength up for the expedition we had lunch first at Caffe Italia which was delicious...Caesar ciabattas with a side portion of scrumptious French fries. Then it was off to M&S for new school trousers and shirts which wasn't the easiest of tasks as Mikey kept wanting to sit down and rest! Eventually I parked him in the cafe and queued up for fifteen minutes for a drink and a cookie for him but he wouldn't stay while I went to fetch my mum and followed me back down to the ground floor!

From M&S we popped into Boots to buy him some cold and flu relief tablets and then we spent an hour in River Island, kitting him out with tee-shirts, a couple of shirts, a new hoodie, jeans and shorts! Oh, and Mum bought him some shoes as well! Lucky Mikey!

By this time we were all gasping for a drink so it was off to John Lewis's new Espresso Bar where we had a welcome sit-down and a drink, except Sophie who had a sublime Banana cheesecake. This has undergone a major change from when it was The Place To Eat, and although I'm not a fan of the rest of the changes in the store, I did like the calm and restful atmosphere as we looked out over the large space in front of the shop, currently hosting a wedding exhibition.

We dragged poor Mikey all the way back to the multi-storey car park and then it was home to show off his new clothes to his Dad who'd had a very relaxing day on his own!

Flowers, flowers everywhere!

Yesterday my friend Lynda sent me a bouquet of flowers as on Thursday night she realised she'd forgotten my Birthday. I love getting flowers delivered, especially when they are unexpected! I still have some flowers from the bouquet that Mum sent me and I also have two bunches of daffodils so the house is full of flowers! For me, daffodils are the most cheeriest of flowers as they signal that Spring is not too far off and at this time of year I have vases full of them to try and chase the grey winter away.

Having said that, the weather today has been gorgeous - clear blue skies and abundant sunshine, but the wind has been cold. I took Sophie to work then called into the Optician's for a contact lens check which was a bit of a nuisance. It has to be done, but I really didn't like being incarcerated in a small room with the Optician who had obviously had garlic for dinner the night before!

On the way home I called into the garage to get my car washed (I just didn't feel like doing it myself with the wind so cold) and witnessed what could have been a nasty motorbike accident. A young lad had just left the roundabout and turned onto the A43 when his bike skidded across the road and he came off. If I had decided to go home I would have been right on top of him. Luckily the poor man was unhurt as he picked himself up and righted his bike. A lorry driver did stop to ask if he was OK, but when I came out of the garage he had gone so hopefully it was just a case of bruised ego.

I spent the afternoon doing some research on my family tree and discovered that in 1771 my 5th Great Grandfather, John Lamb, married an Elizabeth Gammon! I found that really funny and I wonder if they did, too! This was actually a bit of a breakthrough for me and it was all down to the Family Search website, run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, an invaluable resource for people researching their family tree, and all of it for free! I've found the research really frustrating lately, but when I get a little gem like this it makes it all worth it!

After picking Sophie up from work, we headed off to the gym for a swim, but the pool resembled human soup. There were seven, yes seven! of us in the Slow Lane at one point so Sophie and I stomped off to the spa in a huff and enjoyed the jacuzzi and sauna for a little while. When we looked back out at the pool, there was only one lady in the lane so we got back in and swam happily for half an hour! Our patience was rewarded in the end!

The birds!

Just after I arrived at work this morning I went to put out some food for the birds and saw our little robin sitting on the fence watching me. He was so close I could have touched him! They are certainly brave and fearless little birds and he happily pecked away at some bread as I stood and watched him!

Later, as Keith and I went off to Booker, we noticed loads of birds (crows or rooks?) sitting up in the trees overlooking the car park...hmmm! It's getting too much like an Alfred Hitchcock film for my liking! How do they know that there'll be food available? Spooky!

Work was extremely busy again, more like a school holiday rather than a normal term-time day, so our popularity remains undimmed...for the time being anyway!

I really did not feel like going to the gym after work as I'd been on my feet all day, but we went and once there I didn't feel tired any more. Slipping into the warm waters of the jacuzzi was wonderful, though, and I felt all my aches disappear!

I popped into the pub early to pick up Keith and had a drink with him and Dave, which made a relaxing end to the day. I was even prepared to buy them both a pint but as I walked through the door Keith had just paid for the drinks, so too late...maybe another day! Haha!

Last night I finished Wuthering Heights so I have done one thing on my Bucket List!

1. Visit Saltaire near Bradford - a Victorian model village built by Sir Titus Salt for his mill workers. 
2. Drive to Berlin (maybe a bit dodgy this one but I'm going to persevere).
3. Visit a UK Christmas Market.
4. Walk through Dovedale in the Peak District.
5. Make a Christmas cake.
6. Write a short story - it's about time I got back into my writing.
7. Visit Coton Manor Gardens.
8. Climb at least one of the highest mountains in the UK - either Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis or Snowdon (hmmm...got to get that treadmill at the gym on a higher incline...)
9. Visit Portmeirion in Wales.
10. Ride one of the scarier roller coasters when we visit Florida, but NOT the Hulk!
11. Visit the National Gallery.
12. Read Wuthering Heights.
13. Grow a Sunflower from seed.

It's February already!