The end of the week!

It's felt like a long week this week, and it hasn't helped that this cold we all have (even Mum and Dad) has really taken its toll on all of us.

I was under the impression that we had extra staff in today to help over lunchtime, but that wasn't the case, so I was a bit miffed! Fridays are really shaping up to be a busy day now and today was no exception as we were swamped with customers. Luckily, after ringing around, one of our new girls came in and helped out on the till which meant that Mum and I could go off to the bank and get Polly a Birthday present as she will be 60 next week and today was her last day before taking a short break from work.

Maureen (the angel) had baked a beautiful cake and had arranged a collection for some pressies, so just before we all went home we had a little celebration. Polly has worked for us for 20 years which means she was younger than I am now when she started with us! Amazing!

It was heaven to get home and do very little. Next week we really must get back into the gym routine!

Paying the price...

I'm sure I've said this before but I sometimes think that if you get away with doing something that is out of the ordinary (when you really should be doing something else) then you end up paying for it. There's a very good scene in the film, The Slipper and The Rose, where the Fairy Godmother steals a bit of magic to enable Cinderella to go to the Ball, and I'm sure this is true of real life, too, where you borrow a few hours of pleasure, only to repay them back at a later date.

Yesterday Sophie and I took off for an hour and went to Beckworth where we enjoyed an hour of sitting in the sun and meandering around looking at delicious foods, so today I just knew I would pay the price. We had an appointment at 3pm at Kettering General Hospital's eye clinic to try and discover what had happened to Sophie's eyesight on Sunday night. I really didn't want to have to drive all the way back to Northampton to go back to work, but I just knew that I would end up doing just that as Polly was unable to get anyone else in to help with the two parties we had...

Luckily, I picked Sophie up at 2pm and we drove over to Kettering with lots of time to spare as the queues for the car park were horrendous. We waited ten minutes to park before making our way to the eye clinic which we'd spotted from the road. We didn't have to wait long to see the doctor who gave Sophie a thorough eye examination. She then put some drops into Sophie's eyes to make her pupils dilate followed by another examination. She even asked the senior doctor to have a look but they both found nothing wrong at all, which was a huge relief. She said that sometimes the "jelly" in the eyes can move about but there was nothing to worry about at all and her eyesight would return to normal.

Sophie's eyesight was a bit blurred after the drops so I called Polly to see if we were really needed at work, and unfortunately we were...there's no way of getting out of paying for the little bit of fun we had yesterday, and it was significant that we were driving over the Holcot roundabout at the same time today to go back to work, as we were doing it yesterday to go home!

I spent two hours at work washing up and clearing up after customers and by 6.30pm I was shattered. It's not often I'll admit to feeling tired, but with this cold hanging on I'd had enough. We went home, had a quick drink and after dinner I went straight to bed. I couldn't keep my eyes open, not even to watch the latest episode of How I Met Your Mother!

A wee indulgence

Although Keith came into work with me first thing this morning, he left at just after 10am as he was feeling rotten. To be honest I didn't mind as Mikey was at home ill as well and I was relieved that he wouldn't be on his own for too long.

I picked Sophie up from school early and as there was very little going on at work we decided to call it a day at 3pm and pop into Beckworth Emporium on the way home. It was a beautiful afternoon - has Spring arrived? - and there were lots of people enjoying the warmth in the conservatory and indulging in afternoon tea. We didn't go that far (I had hot chocolate while Sophie had ice-cream) but it was sheer bliss to sit and soak up the sun for a little while and gaze at the gorgeous blue sky.

Afterwards we wandered around looking at the plants and some very strange garden ornaments that I can only describe as hideous. Why people would part with good money for them, I don't know!

I think Sophie's appetite has returned with a vengeance as she said she really fancied some crusty bread with garlic mayonnaise and no sooner had she said it than we found some! I bought a bag of chocolate buttons for Mikey and we made our way home, only slightly later than we would have if we'd stayed at work.

Keith had popped out when we arrived home so I swept the driveway and hoovered downstairs - the lovely weather always makes me want to make the house look fresh and with all the illness about it was great to tidy up and hoover away all the snotty tissues everywhere! Mikey had brightened up considerably and was very appreciative of the chocolate. A cold never affects his appetite!

Keith arrived home with some treats (he was obviously thinking on the same lines as me!) so the indulgences continued into the evening!

Difficult conversations

It was back to work for me today although to be honest, I felt more like staying at home and trying to shake off this heavy cold we are all now afflicted with.

Yesterday we discovered a problem with a double booking of one of our exclusive hire parties for next month. We'd managed, somehow, to double book the same date so it was left to me to call the woman who'd made the second booking to tell her she could no longer have her party on that date. As these parties are so popular there wasn't another Saturday night free for a month, so I was steeling myself to be having a very difficult conversation with her. We'd already decided to offer another date free of charge and when I eventually spoke to her she was more than happy to accept, which was a huge relief! We refunded the deposit she'd paid and sent her a load of invites to make it easier for her to contact all the people that had been invited. Phew!

The other difficult conversation was with a member of staff that we had to let go, as things just weren't working out. I asked her to come in and see us as I felt it was better to see her face to face and explain rather than send a letter to her. Predictably she started crying which made Dad and I feel awful, but there was no going back. She even admitted herself that she wasn't enjoying her job.

I was looking forward very much, therefore, to going out in the evening to The Lamplighter pub as Mikey was having his Army Cadet meeting in town. However, as he'd had today off school with this pesky cold, he said there was no way he could go as he felt so poorly...This meant that Keith and I had to then drive to Brixworth to buy something for dinner for the three of us (I'd already bought Mikey a chicken dish), not really the evening I was hoping for!

Frustrations!

This morning, Keith took Mikey to school and then went into work while I stayed at home with Sophie who felt better but was still having problems with her sight. I called the eye clinic at 9am and was told that someone would call me back with an appointment but it would most likely be this afternoon.

Because we both felt a lot better we went into work so I could do a couple of jobs that had to be done today. Sophie looked pale and tired still, so after doing what I had to we went home and I did all the ironing while she lolled on the sofa.

The call I was expecting came through at midday and we were told we had an appointment on Thursday at 3pm! I spoke to the on-call doctor who said it could be an "occular" migraine which means that the patient gets an "aura" but no headache with it. Sophie said things had improved slightly but I was disappointed that we couldn't be seen until later in the week.

Keith came home mid afternoon and he said he felt rough now, with a sore throat, bad head and cough! I don't believe it! What is wrong with all of us this year! I could easily just get on a plane and fly away to a warm sunny country at the moment!

Alarming symptoms, Part two...

Today it was my turn to feel horrible! I woke with a chesty, dry cough and a sore throat and after waking up we all did very little, except watch the four man bob sleigh at the Winter Olympics. Not wanting to waste the day completely I did some research on my family tree but half way through the afternoon I succumbed to feeling horrible and went to bed, something I only do when I feel really terrible.

Sophie had complained, alarmingly, of not being able to see properly. She said that she had a blank spot in her vision, very much like when you look at a bright light, look away but the spot is still there. I suggested that she may have a migraine so I gave her some Ibuprofen and told her to rest. We both huddled up in bed (I couldn't get warm) and watched endless repeats of Keeping up with the Kardashians. I think I could probably go on Mastermind now and have the family as my specialist subject!

By 6pm Sophie was complaining that her eyesight was worse and although she didn't have a headache, stiff neck or nausea I was still very worried. I called my Mum who sounded worried as well so I went back on the phone to NHS Direct again! I put the operator through to Sophie and she answered some questions for him before he told me to take her to A&E as soon as possible.

This sent us both into a total panic even though Keith thought we were over-reacting completely. I looked my very worse, having not had a shower or washed my hair at all. I hastily brushed my hair and dressed in something suitable and we sped back over to Kettering to the A&E department. I was very worried now about Sophie's symptoms and wondered what on earth it could be.

When we arrived at the Reception desk the woman manning the computer completely ignored me. I was so wound up with nerves that I felt like throttling her and she didn't even explain that she was booking the next shift of paramedics onto the system! Eventually she gave me her full attention and then spent ages trying to find our GP surgery...I mean, is it totally necessary?

We went to wait and were called to see someone pretty quickly. The nurse took her blood pressure and connected her to a heart monitor but everything looked fine, although he did say that her pupils were a bit dilated.

We were sent back out to wait again and it's something that I really do not want to experience again in a hurry. The worse thing is that no-one tells you how long the wait is going to be and basically you're at the mercy of other people, something I really hate.

After about an hour we were called through to a small room and a lady who didn't have English as her first language examined Sophie and asked her lots of questions. She didn't seem to understand what Sophie was saying when she tried to describe her eye problems but after a look into her eyes she said that it was nothing serious and we'd need to make an appointment with the eye clinic tomorrow.

Sophie didn't seem any worse and hadn't developed a headache so it was a huge relief to finally get home at 9.30pm and grab a sandwich for dinner. Keith had been cooking roast pork but this has been put off until tomorrow!

Alarming symptoms, Part One

Today started off OK, despite the fact that I awoke at 5am. Still, it was lovely to watch the sun rise and it looked to be a beautiful day. I did want to go somewhere to get away from the house and have some fun with the children (they've both worked really hard over the last week) but my plans were definitely thwarted!

Sophie woke up and said she didn't feel very well. She still had a terrible back ache which was accompanied by a bad headache, stiff neck and a temperature. During the morning she didn't seem too bad so Keith and I went out to get my car valeted and to buy some descaling solution for my coffee machine (I don't know how I contained my excitement!). While we were out she felt sufficiently better to call and ask us to get her something to eat so we treated both children to a KFC lunch, which went down extremely well!

Over the afternoon, Sophie felt worse and her temperature rocketed to almost 40 degrees so I was a little alarmed. I decided to call NHS Direct as she was still complaining of a stiff neck, terrible headache and a sensitivity to light, all the symptoms of the dreaded meningitis.

Eventually we had someone call us from NHS Direct who advised us to go to the Out of Hours GP surgery in Kettering. She mad an appointment for us for 5pm and we drove over there at once. We'd never used this service before but it was easy to find and had plenty of parking so I was impressed!

We didn't have to wait too long and over the last hour Sophie had felt better. When the nurse took her temperature it was back to normal and after a thorough check-up it was decided that she had a viral infection, probably picked up from one of the hundreds of customers she served last week. We talked about meningitis but the nurse said that her symptoms would have worsened, not improved so at least my mind was put at rest!

Back home I was at last able to relax and have a much needed glass of wine!

Hooray! It's Friday at last!

I think the noise, the mess and the chaos have got to all of us this week as the last day of half-term was a blessed relief.

Sophie woke up with a very achey back, probably because she spent the whole night sleeping on the floor while her two friends occupied her bed. She wasn't in the best of moods and although the weather was lovely today, we were still very busy.

All plans to go to the gym have been put aside this week and it was sheer heaven to finish work and go home. Sophie's back still hurt so we did very little and just lounged about, relishing the peace and quiet of the house!

A busy household!

After work today (and it was a very busy one!) Sue came around for a drink and some nibbles. Sophie also had three friends coming over as well so it was a bit manic in our household this evening!

Sue brought a beautiful New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc called The Ned with her which was delicious. I've since found out it's available from Waitrose so I'll definitely be going to get some! We had veggies and dips to eat, plus crisps so I certainly didn't need any dinner after all that. Keith took Mikey to KFC as a treat and I cooked the girls Sophie's favourite meatball and pasta dish.

After The Ned I opened a bottle of The Liberator Chenin Blanc but I have to say I preferred Sue's choice of wine - very drinkable, fresh and flowery.

After Sue had gone the girls took our place in the conservatory while Keith and I relaxed in the living room. We were turfed out of there at 10.30pm, though, so the girls could watch some films. As two of them are due into work tomorrow I hoped they weren't going to have a late night!

A blur of days...

This week is proving to be very busy indeed, which is great, and the new place opening do not seem to be having an effect on us at all!

Tuesday was uneventful - Mikey came into work for us again and manned the dishwasher. He's hoping to earn enough money to buy some new clothes.It makes a change from him buying games!

On Wednesday Sophie went out with some friends to Pizza Hut. Her friend Laura was dropped off at our house at 6pm and then a male friend, Jack, arrived at 7pm to give them a lift to the restaurant. There are six of them who have booked to go to Barcelona in July so they were all meeting up to talk about their holiday. I was slightly nervous about Jack driving the girls but I needn't have worried as Sophie said he was very sensible and has a "Black box" so his driving is being constantly monitored.

She got back at 11pm and I suppose this will be the pattern now for the next few years!

Moany Mum day...

So, the busiest week of our working year started today and with it came some real moany mums! It always amuses me when people come to visit us this week and then complain about how busy we are! They should really come in on a June afternoon when it's warm and sunny outside and see how we are then!

The noise level and the mess continued all day and it was a relief to leave at 4pm and go home to some peace and quiet! We decided to give the gym a miss today and when we got home I put an "ombre" colour on Sophie's hair and then had a lovely relaxing bath before taking Keith to the pub.

While he was out socialising with his mates, Sophie and I watched Notting Hill and had a very relaxing time! Bliss!

What a relief!

Today dawned bright and sunny and it's been so lovely to see blue skies and sunshine after the storms of the last few days. Was there even the merest hint of Spring as well, or am I being too optimistic?

I went with Mum to Beckworth Emporium in the afternoon for a cup of tea and we had a very enjoyable time looking at the plants and all the food they have to offer. I couldn't resist two little pots of daffodils and a primrose that I popped into a little watering can. Anything to brighten up the days before Spring starts properly!

I treated Keith to a bottle of beer, the children to some chocolate twizzle sticks and myself to a bottle of Californian Zinfandel, which goes by the name of Unruly Zin! It should be perfect with our roast beef tonight!

Driving home the sun was sinking lower in the sky but it was almost 5pm and still light! Bliss!

Lazy Saturday

Today has been relaxed and enjoyable, I'm glad to report! I even managed a lie-in this morning which was a bonus!

I spent the morning cleaning the downstairs of the house before having a quick bath and going to Jones's with Sophie as we needed quite a bit of shopping. The weather hasn't been too bad today, with the storms dying down and only a handful of squally showers making their presence felt.

The afternoon was spent lolling about and Keith and I decided to go to the pub in the evening for a long-overdue drink. The pub was busy with people eating and drinking and there was a great atmosphere in there. I was lucky enough to bag a seat at the bar where we were able to chat but people watch at the same time. There was a large group of people sitting opposite the bar all having a great time and I commented to Keith that that used to be us twenty years ago, when we enjoyed the company of a large group of friends, on a Friday night in particular, when the pub would host a quiz night. Sadly, some of our lovely friends are with us no longer and others have moved away, but I really have some fond memories of when the pub used to be our haunt!

As Keith didn't feel like cooking we had a take-away from the van and very good it was, too! We spent the evening watching After Earth starring Will Smith and his son, but it didn't live up to expectations at all!

Flood!

Britain was due to be battered by another storm today but the weather for us was pretty quiet up until the evening. We were busy at work but luckily we'd arranged for some extra staff to come in to help so it wasn't too bad. Next week is half-term, the busiest week of the year for us, so I called a catering hire company and ordered 50 extra chairs and five more tables to be delivered on Monday. Customers get very annoyed when they can't find anywhere to sit so I'm hoping that will help.

After work Sophie and I went off to the gym but neither of us were really in the mood so we did our weights and then went down to the spa. I was just relaxing when Sophie came back from the showers and said that the kitchen at work was flooded. I called my parents but arranged to go in and see what was happening on the way home. While we were lolling about in the spa there had been a huge rain storm and our drains at work had just been unable to cope.

Luckily, by the time I dressed and drove to work through unbelievably heavy traffic, Polly had managed to clear up all the water using our wet and dry machine. We just hoped that we wouldn't get another heavy burst of rain through the night!

Appointments!

Today was full of appointments - I went off to see the doctor again at 10am and she took my blood pressure because of the dizziness I'd been experiencing over the last couple of weeks. My blood pressure had always been on the low side (even when I was pregnant) but a couple of years ago a nurse made a strange comment about my arm just as I was about to have it taken and it shot up, so now I seem to have developed a phobia about having it taken. I could feel my heart pounding as the band tightened on my arm and predictably it was higher that it should have been.

The doctor took it three times and by the third time it had come down considerably. However, I'm going to wear a monitor for 24 hours and have some blood taken to test for a whole host of things. I went back to work, saw a new member of staff for an induction and then went back to the doctors in the afternoon for my three year smear test...not a nice thing to have to do but essential.

My busy day continued with a Parents' Evening for Mikey at 6pm. The school was packed with cars and Keith found it really difficult to park which meant that we were late for our first appointment, but on the whole we were delighted with what the teachers said about our son. He seems to have improved with his schoolwork and they said he was a pleasure to teach, and very polite!

Back home I quickly got ready as I was meeting my friends Lynda and Claire at The Oriental Paradise in Billing for a meal. The restaurant was very busy and Lynda hadn't booked a table so we were lucky to bag one right at the back, next to a huge table who were very noisy!

We had a lovely meal and a great chat and as Keith was driving me I was able to enjoy a couple of vodka and tonics! Before we left Lynda gave me a bunch of flowers for a belated Birthday present and a card for Mikey as she hadn't seen me a couple of weeks ago when I'd cancelled because of Keith's hospital stay.

Keith picked me up and when I got home I drank a whole bottle of water - why do Chinese meals make me so thirsty?!

Early morning stress!

I was at work alone today as Keith had a bad cold and decided that to get rid of it, he would stay at home. Of course, within minutes of getting to work we had a big frozen food delivery come in! Typical! I rushed around putting it all away and making sure that everything was opened up ready for our customers at 9.30am and wishing that Keith was in to help!

Once the Booker delivery was in as well, my day quietened considerably and I managed to escape over to the bank mid-morning. Mum and Dad were having a coffee with their friends so I joined them for a cup of green tea (Yuk!) before buying a few bits in Tesco.

In the afternoon I had a doctor's appointment at 1.30pm and drove over to Brixworth in strong winds and driving rain. The weather was horrendous! I waited for about half an hour with another man before the Receptionist appeared to say that the doctor had been delayed and wouldn't be able to make our appointment...great! I re-booked for tomorrow but I was a bit annoyed that I'd wasted an hour for nothing. Back at work the weather worsened and we had an almighty hailstorm that turned the car park white. It looked like it had snowed!

Sophie and I went off to the gym after work and tonight I tried a couple of new machines - a stepper that sent my heart rate rocketing (I'm going to conquer that one!) and a machine that was a bit like skiing which I enjoyed. One of the Personal Trainers caught me as I was going back to the changing rooms and I've booked an appointment with him on Monday to try and change my routine.

I spent a lovely half hour in the spa and then it was home to a hot curry, which was much-needed!

My car is really a taxi...

Tuesdays are normally spent catching up with paperwork and today was no exception so it was good to get home and finish off cleaning my car (I'd put it through the carwash on the way home) in the fresh air. No doubt it will rain all night now!

Sophie was meeting two of her friends for dinner tonight so I dropped her off at the Oriental Paradise restaurant in Billing while Keith took Mikey to Army cadets...will this taxi-driving ever come to an end?

We arrived home at the same time and had a very casual dinner as the children were out. At 9pm we both went to collect Mikey and then we drove over to pick up Sophie who'd had a great time and was stuffed. She said she had a "food baby" and they certainly made the most of the "All you can eat" menu! I am also going to this restaurant on Thursday evening with friends but I won't be making such a piggie of myself! Food baby indeed!!!

No rest for the wicked!

Today I felt a lot better than yesterday so I spent the afternoon helping Mum and Dad clear out the storage area we have behind our climbing wall at work. It was full of heavy scaffolding poles that Keith and Ian had dismantled a year ago. There were also about three million balls, a load of old netting and a large plastic slide that had to be removed and taken over to one of our storage units in the car park.

It was a good job I'd had a hearty (but not too hearty!) lunch as this gave me the energy to carry (or drag) all the heavy poles over and store them safely away. I noticed some bags of salt in the unit and casually remarked to Dad that we hadn't had to use them at all this winter...he said that if it snowed this week, then I'd be to blame!

Despite a busy day Sophie and I headed off to the gym after work and while my daughter did her routine with her friend Laura, I sweated it out on the cross-trainer and the bike, followed by a lovely swim. It was sheer bliss to sink into the warm water of the jacuzzi and relax after my busy day!

Not a good day!

I had so much planned for today and it's all gone a bit wrong!

I listened to the weather forecast which said that today would be dry and bright so I planned on getting out into the garden, washing both cars and making one more trip to the tip. However, the weather wasn't brilliant and there was still a nasty, cold wind blowing...not an ideal day to be sweeping up leaves!

I did venture out though and managed to collect all the leaves and branches that had gathered in front of the house. After about half an hour I started to feel dizzy again (this is becoming a problem) so I went inside and had a cup of coffee before going out again.

However, the dizziness persisted which forced me to go back inside and lie down, something I really didn't want to do. I took some Ibuprofen as I suspect I have arthritis in my neck but today they didn't work at all and the light-headedness lasted the rest of the day forcing me to abandon my plans and stay inside.

I called Mum as we had planned on going to Beckworth Emporium in the afternoon and cancelled as I was frightened of driving because I felt so dizzy. Foolishly, I had a bath and then felt even worse!

Thankfully, by the evening I felt better and tomorrow I'll make an appointment to see the doctor. I suspect that my intake of caffeine this morning may have also had something to do with my head feeling so strange so I may lay off the Espressos in the future!

Filling every minute!

I really feel like I've made the most of today. After an early start I hoovered the house and tried to do some cleaning which was a bit difficult as we had extremely low water pressure due to a burst water pipe in a nearby village.

It was a beautiful morning, although very windy. I hadn't intended to sort out the garage but I went out to sort out the cat bedding and before I knew it, the back of my car was full of stuff to go to the tip! Keith and I made one trip and then Sophie and I made another on the way to Market Harborough. I was really pleased with the result and being out in the garage meant we at last said hello to the female half of our new neighbours. She seems very quiet and didn't get out of her car until Tom was right next to her and we certainly didn't have a long conversation, but at least the ice is broken.

As planned, Sophie and I went to Market Harborough in the afternoon and had lunch in Caffe Nero. The town was blustery so we felt like we'd been dragged through a hedge backwards when we arrived in Duncan's shop for a wee vodka and gin tasting. A local company, Two Birds, were showcasing their drinks - gin, vodka and Absinthe - and very nice they were too! I had a small sample of each with Fever Tree (what else?) tonic and bought a mini bottle of each, plus a bottle of white wine, a beer for Keith and Fresita for Sophie.

From Market Harborough we drove to the gym for a swim as it's been such a long time since I've had a good swim and I miss going on a Saturday afternoon. The pool was a bit like human soup but I persevered (Sophie was working out upstairs) and then relaxed in the spa and the sauna. Bliss!

Friday again!

Another week has flown past and Friday has rolled over again. Mum and I popped to Booker and saw the owner of our rival play centre there! That's twice in two days! I know he knew who I was as he gave me a wry look as he passed by, as if to say "This is not really what I want to be doing today". He had a trolley piled high with shopping whereas we only had a few bits...so glad that we get our order delivered now!

We were busy at work but we had extra help so I was able to focus on office jobs and get everything finished for the weekend. After I'd picked Sophie up from school we left early to take a dress back to New Look and to look for the DVD of season 2 of How I Met Your Mother as she was getting withdrawal symptoms already!

It meant we were early for the gym which was quiet. We added a new exercise to our regime - a hand cycle which was fun, but hard going! Our session ended in the spa with a relaxing time as usual before it was time to head home, prepare the dinner and pick Keith up from the pub.

In the evening we watched the last two episodes of The Bridge and I was slightly disappointed with the finish...I know there's going to be a third series so I'll be looking forward to seeing what happens next!

Out to play

This morning Mum and I headed off to 360 Play in Leicester for a meeting with other members of BALPPA (British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions). We are part of a sub-group - the Family Entertainment Centre Association - so it was an opportunity to meet other operators and have a free lunch!

360 Play is a lovely, very modern play centre and this particular branch of the chain had only been open a year so it was all shiny and new. We had a coffee and then listened to a presentation on Marketing by perhaps the most boring speaker I've ever had the misfortune to listen to... We said hello to Phillip and his manager, Ben, who run another play centre in Northampton and who we are friends with, having formed an informal alliance to try and fight off the new, much bigger venue that opened last August.

Talking of which...the owners were sitting on the same row as us which was very interesting! We recognised them from their Facebook page but I'm not sure, at first, whether they knew who we were. Phillip said he was going to go and have a chat with them, which was admirable! I didn't dare!

After a very good lunch we had a wander around the play area trying to pick up tips for our own place. They have a large outdoor area which must be great in summer, but I still don't think it's enough to bring people in when the weather is good.

The afternoon session kicked off with an open forum and the owners of the new place certainly had a lot to say. For the new kids on the block they were brimming with self-confidence, which I suppose you need in this difficult industry. We all had a lot to say about Facebook (both positive and negative) and some of the points discussed were very interesting. At least it was a good opportunity to all come together and have a collective moan!

Phillip did indeed talk to one half of the couple but he didn't go into too much detail about what was said when I spoke to him. Perhaps I should have plucked up the courage to have a chat but I think Mum would have wanted to start an argument so maybe it was better to have maintained a dignified silence!

We drove back to Northampton in the pouring rain and rather than go all the way back to work we called it a day and went home. The evening was spent relaxing and listening to the rain pounding against the windows. More is expected over the weekend so flood warnings are being given...I really am behind with building that Ark!

Normal service resumed...

Things were back to normal today, thank goodness! Keith came into work with me as he usually does on a Wednesday and then it was off to the gym afterwards for a much-needed workout! I did all my usual weights plus thirty minutes of exercise on the cross-trainer, treadmill and bike.

Afterwards I went off to the spa and had a blissful half hour of wallowing in warm water and sweating it out in the steam room. Sophie was with her friend Laura so I had a very relaxing (and peaceful!) time!

Back at home Keith had cooked a roast dinner and it was heaven to sit down all together and have a meal. We were watching a recorded programme of The Bridge when the phone rang...it was the alarm people.

The alarm was going off and even though they had called our security company who were first on the list, we had to go in and check that everything was OK. It was a very windy night and we discovered that the alarm had gone off because of an interior door moving in the draught.

I hated being in the building - the noises from the roof were horrible and I really did think that someone was still in there. Thank goodness Keith was with me! I would never have gone in on my own!

By the time we got home it was almost 10pm so we decided to leave The Bridge until another time and just watch the news until it was time for bed!

Home!

At last Keith is back home and he doesn't have anything wrong with his lungs either, so we still don't know what is causing the pain in his chest. I suspect it may be a tear in his muscle as he's had a bad cough and he does really let rip! Hopefully all will return to normal now!

I went home at 3pm and as the weather was so nice I did a couple of jobs outside which gave me the opportunity to finally meet one half of the couple who have moved in next door. Tom was parking his car on the drive and we chatted for quite a while about the move and pubs in the local area (anyone would think I am a frequent habitue of pubs!). He was very friendly and chatty so now I just need to meet Emma, his wife (or maybe partner? I don't know).

Just as I sat down after preparing dinner the phone rang and it was Keith to say he could come home...now! I hurriedly drove to the hospital and he dressed in his outdoor clothes to go home. He was mightily relieved to be out with nothing wrong!

My evening was still busy, though, as I had to take Mikey to Army Cadets and finish off the dinner of stir-fried chicken and vegetables!

Relief!

Today we were supposed to have been going to the North-east for Keith's niece's funeral but obviously this was out of the question. I spent the day at work doing various jobs, none of which involved cleaning, thank goodness! At 3pm I went to collect Sophie from school and then it was home in time for Mikey who takes the bus.

Keith had had his angiogram and the results were very good - no problems with his heart at all - but they will keep him in until tomorrow to have a look at his lungs in case a blood clot is causing the pain in his chest. This was a huge relief for us and Keith was very pleased indeed that all looked well with his heart as he was convinced this was the problem.

I went to see him in the evening and he was looking great - very well and rested! I wish the same could be said for me!

Busy weekend, part 2!

Today has been very busy indeed as before I dropped Sophie off at work we went to Booker to get some stuff for work and then as soon as I'd delivered it all I had to rush off to Boots for a contact lens check, something I could really have done without today!

Everything was fine (I've been given a new lens to help me with reading small print) so I dashed home and did all the ironing before going in to see Keith at 3pm. The plan was to see him and then pick Sophie up from work on the way home as I really didn't fancy going all the way home and then back to collect my daughter! I dread to think how many miles I'm doing at the moment!

At 6pm we all went to see Keith for an hour and it was great for the children to see him. The ward was busy with visitors and there was actually quite a nice atmosphere which was a relief. I'd hate to think that Keith was unhappy or fed up.

We left at about 7pm and went to the Pizza Hut on Riverside for dinner as there was no way I was going to attempt to cook dinner so late and all we had in the house was a joint of pork as I really did imagine that Keith would be home!

Pizza Hut was almost empty when we arrived but we had a lovely meal and helped ourselves liberally to the salad bar, always a favourite for me! Sophie and I shared a barbecue pizza while Mikey demolished a Meat Feast - nothing wrong with his appetite!

Busy weekend, part one!

I was awake at 5.45am this morning but I read for a while and went back to sleep so it was almost 9am when I got up, feeling a bit groggy from falling back into slumber.

I had a Tesco delivery due at 10am as there was no time yesterday for me to go shopping. I had been hoping that Keith would be home today but when I called him he said it was unlikely, which meant that he will probably be in all over the weekend.

After putting the shopping away and having breakfast, Sophie and I drove to Jones's as I had a few bits to get for work and I wanted to get Keith a small radio to listen to while he was in hospital. I had miscalculated the time, because driving back I realised I would have to get home, drop Sophie off and then immediately drive back into Northampton to visit Keith!

Today has been beautiful as well, the sort of day that would have been perfect for getting out into the garden and doing some tidying up and clearing out, but that will all have to wait for another sunny Saturday!

When I got to the hospital, Keith was just about to be moved to a Cardiology ward. I went with him and helped him to settle into a bed by the window - but he didn't have much of a view, poor thing! Just an opposite building!

I stayed with him for an hour and then went home to prepare dinner and relax until it was time to go back and see him in the evening. Sophie had ironed and hoovered for me, which was a real treat!

After giving Sophie instructions about dinner I drove back to Northampton to visit Keith who seemed very cheerful. We both now knew that he wouldn't be home until at least Monday when he will hopefully have his angiogram. At least he'll be having a rest while he's in hospital!