A Spring break in Wales - Day Two

We awoke to grey skies and mist over the mountains but it didn't deter us from setting off for the Snowdonia National Park after a lovely breakfast. I'm very glad we hadn't pre-booked a train ride to the summit as it took us a lot longer to get to Llanberis than I'd imagined.

We relied completely on Gladys and although she does have a fetish for the narrowest of roads leading to obscure places, she was spot on this time as there was no direct main road to the village. We followed a very windey route with hundreds of bends, at least two mountain passes and some sheer drops to get to Llanberis at around 11am.

Keith had warned me that if we were unable to get on a train he would do something very nasty to me but luckily (phew!) we obtained tickets for the 1.30pm departure so we had about two hours to kill. We walked into the village itself and it was in a shop while I was buying the newspaper and a bottle of water that I heard the first Welsh accents of the weekend. Up until now everyone we had come into contact with had very English accents!

Llanberis looked a bit sad and forlorn. All the action was taking place at the edge of the village with the Snowdonia Mountain Railway, the lake train and various museums all vying for the visitors' attention. A lot of the shops were closed down in the village and some of the buildings were painted in extremely bright colours for some unknown reason.

We walked slowly back to the train station along the shores of Lake Padarn and admired the stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

Although it was still a bit cloudy, the sun was still very much in evidence and it looked like the summit of Snowdon would be clear. I'm not sure I would have paid £54 to go up on a misty day!

Back at the train station we had a cup of coffee and sat in the sun watching the various passengers coming and going. No doubt a lot of people milling about were also walking up the mountain as some of them wore very serious looking climbing boots and carried heavy rucksacks.

At about 1.15pm people started queuing for our train. Keith had told me not to worry about getting to the front as all the passengers spread out along the platform before boarding. We were in Carriage E and when the train arrived we could see people squashed in like sardines. There are ten people to each carriage and we had a family party in with us, one of whom had to go and sit in another carriage, which was a bit strange. There was a woman travelling on her own (who wasn't on the train on the way down) so she must have been in the wrong carriage, but this certainly upset the rest of his party who did a fair bit of grumbling!

It takes the train an hour to ascend the mountain which is 1085 metres high (3560 ft). The views were stupendous all the way up but I did feel a bit of a fraud sitting in the train as we watched literally hundreds of people climbing up. The rail line stays very close to one of the routes up - the Llanberis Path - so we could see the walkers along most of the route. For the most part it looked like a gradual incline, until nearer the top where it became much steeper.

Many years ago I did part of the mountain with my parents but we took the Pyg Track which is less used. I don't remember much about it (it was in 1989, the weekend of the Hillsborough disaster) but I do remember how steep the path was!

When we arrived at the summit, it was packed with people! We left the platform via the cafe and shop and walked out the other side to access the summit itself. There were broad steps leading up to the summit cairn and a crowd of people on top.

Keith on top of Wales and England

Summit views

I am not keen on heights so I climbed up to where I felt comfortable and then sat down to admire the views. It was stunning and I felt a pang of envy for the climbers who had made it to the top the hard way.

We had thirty minutes at the summit before the train left to go back down. When we got back to the carriage there was just two spaces left for us as the rest of the family party had beaten us back and included the old man who had travelled in a different carriage on the way up. I was not looking forward to the squashed conditions on the way down!

Our carriage

On the way down we passed a steam engine. To go on one of these is even more expensive (£35 for an adult) but it looked like the passengers had more room. After it had passed we noticed that the grass next to the track was on fire - probably caused by some burning coal escaping from the engine. It was a bit dramatic and I did wonder whether anyone would go up to put the fires out?

It was a relief to get back to the station and stretch our legs a bit before we got back into the car for the journey back to our hotel. By now the weather was absolutely gorgeous and we had a lovely trip back. The scenery is simply beautiful and I have to mention the huge bushes of purple rhododendrons that grow in abundance. One mountain was covered in them...

We never saw red or pink flowers, just the deep purple ones and they were everywhere, growing wild and in gardens.

On the way we drove through the village of Beddgelert, somewhere I've always wanted to go. According to legend the village is the resting place of a faithful dog called Gelert who belonged to Llewelyn Prince of North Wales. He'd been out hunting without the dog and when he returned Gelert greeted him covered in blood. The Prince naturally became alarmed as he had a baby son. In the nursery he saw the cot overturned and without thinking immediately killed the dog. However, as Gelert died, he heard his baby son's cry and saw the body of a huge wolf that Gelert had killed to protect the baby. Filled with remorse and grief he built a memorial to the dead dog, and apparently never smiled again.

It's a lovely story but I'm not sure how much of it is true! We tried to stop and find the tombstone, but the village was busy and there wasn't a lot of parking (plus Keith was not that interested and wanted to get back) so we drove on.

Back at the hotel we had a quick shower and then drove to the Min-y-Mor hotel for a drink before dinner. Keith was overjoyed to sample his favourite beer but I wasn't keen on the pub and I definitely preferred The Last Inn.

We had another delicious meal back at the Ty'r Graig Castle - mushrooms in a tarragon sauce inside a pastry shell for me, potted prawns for Keith. For my main course I had Cassoulet with smoky mash while Keith couldn't resist the fish and chips again. Both dishes were beautifully cooked and we had a bottle of Argentinian Chardonnay to go. We found room for pud - cheese and biscuits for Keith and "Curly Wirly" sundae for me. After the meal we had a tot of whisky in the lounge and watched the sun sink behind the mountains again. It had been another very enjoyable day!

A Spring break in Wales - Day One

Keith and I set off very early this morning (6.45am to be precise) for our weekend break in Wales. Mum and Dad had very kindly bought us a voucher for a night away and I chose  the Ty'r Graig Castle Hotel in Barmouth as it had received great reviews on Trip Advisor. We had extended our stay to two nights and I was really looking forward to having a break from work!

We sped through Birmingham despite it being rush hour which was a real bonus and we were soon on the M54 and heading towards the Welsh border. The plan was to stop for breakfast but we realised that good cafes were increasingly becoming a rarity! We did spot a place serving all day breakfasts but I'm very glad we carried on as we came across the Dyffryn cafe near the village of Foel and it was perfect and just what we were looking for. When we arrived the cafe was empty but within an hour more cars and families had arrived and were taking advantage of their delicious full breakfasts (I didn't ask for a full English as we were now firmly in Wales!).

After filling up with good food and lots of coffee we were back on the road and it was great to see the sun breaking through the clouds and a lot of blue sky appearing. I'd been dreading a weekend of rain but although the forecast said it was going to be dry, we had a beautiful weather throughout our stay.

We were relying on our SatNav (Gladys) to get us to the hotel and despite one instruction telling us to go off down what looked like a farm track, and which we ignored, she did very well. We arrived in Barmouth at about 11am and drove along the front, admiring the sandy beach and the views over to the headland beyond. We went off to find our hotel first, set up high over the town, and then returned to Barmouth to park near to the beach.

By now the sun had come out and it was becoming warmer by the minute. We strolled along the promenade and I felt we could have almost been abroad!

We noticed a couple of hotels along the way and had a quick look in the bars to see what beers they were offering. One, the Min-y-Mor had Abbot on which pleased Keith very much!

We walked right along the promenade until we could go no farther as the train line carried on around the headland. There was an unmanned crossing here and we noticed several people, including children, crossing the line. We could see our hotel in the distance and nearer, a large caravan and camping area. Little did we know but this was to be our view from our hotel room!

We walked back to the car park and then further on to the harbour which was very busy with people on holiday and enjoying the sun. We noticed some children playing with the largest jelly fish I've ever seen - luckily it appeared to be dead!

The harbour was lovely and lined with seafood restaurants, cafes and pubs. We were undecided about where we were going to eat tonight but we did spot a lovely pub called The Last Inn which looked promising.

Strolling around the harbour in the sunshine was perfect...I certainly wasn't expecting such lovely weather in Wales!

After exploring Barmouth we returned to the car and drove along the coast to Harlech, passing the village of Llanbedr on the way, where I'd stayed with my school a very long time ago! We noticed the Victoria pub so we turned around outside of Harlech (bustling with very narrow streets and the remains of an ancient castle) and drove back for a quick drink.

It was a big pub with a huge garden but not that friendly. It certainly didn't appeal as somewhere to go for a drink before dinner so Keith had just the one pint and we left to go and check into the hotel.

By now we were a wee bit tired as both of us had been up since about 4.30am and with all the driving and walking we were looking forward a to a nap. We were met by the owner of the hotel who was very friendly and chatty and gave us a guided tour before showing us to our room. The hotel was built in 1892 by a man called W.W.Greener who made guns and the house was set out to "resemble an opened double-barrelled shotgun when viewed from above." The hotel has fantastic sea views and a very comfortable lounge with sofas and armchairs. There was a also a conservatory bar and restaurant so we decided to eat at the hotel tonight and return to Barmouth for a drink.

Our room overlooked the sea (and the campsite) and had a balcony which was lovely. It was on the small side, though, and the en-suite shower room was tiny but it was spotlessly clean and the bed was very comfortable!

We unpacked, had a quick snooze (I managed about twenty minutes) before we showered and dressed. It was still very warm so we were glad of the french doors that opened out onto the balcony.

View from our room

We drove into Barmouth and managed to park opposite the Last Inn. The pub was very busy and we noticed that virtually every table had a reserved sign on it...good job we hadn't planned on eating here! And in fact, we never did as Saturday night was also fully booked! A popular place!

We sat at the bar and watched the place fill up with families and couples. It's a lovely, very quirky pub, with lots of nooks and crannies, low beams, candles and soft cushions everywhere. There was even a fish pond in a dim corner and the front of the pub was open to the street so the beautiful weather attracted a lot of people.

I loved sitting at the bar watching the staff cope with the rush, something they did very well. Several people were turned away and the staff never stopped serving drinks or taking orders for food. We had a couple of drinks (Keith had three pints of Hobgoblin) and then returned to the hotel for dinner.

We were seated right by the window so we had gorgeous views of the sun setting over the sea. The food and service were very good with the owner of the hotel overseeing everything. We chose fish and chips for our main course, with prawn tails as a starter for me, and potted crab for Keith. The wine list was very reasonable and I chose a Viognier to accompany our fishy dishes. For dessert we shared a plate of Welsh cheeses and then went out into the grounds to see the sun slowly sink behind the mountains in the distance. A beautiful end to a great day!

From winter to summer.

Ironically enough, we were busier this morning than we've been all week, yet today has been the best weather!

It's been a morning of good and bad news at work, so emotions were running a little high. Mum and Dad came in and they were staggered by how busy we were yesterday and how busy we were first thing. Our cook, Maureen, is off work sick at the moment which has been a blow this week and has made things a little difficult! I just hope she makes a return next Tuesday as Mum and Dad are off for a break and I really don't fancy manning Reception all day!

As the day went on, the weather improved and by the afternoon we'd made a return to summer as the temperatures hovered around 20c and the sun came out. I had both children in with me and I have to say Mikey looked a bit bored as he lolled against the dishwasher in the kitchen. I know he would far rather be at home but at least he was earning some pennies!

Back at home there's still no sign of Monty and we're all worried as it's so unlike him to wander off. Sophie is quite upset and both of us hate not knowing what's happened to him. He could be annoying at times, especially as he sprayed in the house and hated being picked up and cuddled, but we still miss him.

As we were home early from work I busied myself with hoovering my car out as the inside resembled a field. Not only that, but there were empty crisp packets and bottles of half drunk water all over the place so it felt good to have a clear out. I left the outside of the car as I have a feeling we may have more rain overnight!

I am rejected...again!

It's been grey and miserable again today - will the sun ever shine again?

This morning was a wee bit stressful as Mum and Dad decided to take today off and Keith had an appointment at the hospital for his research thingy. I took Sophie in with me and arrived just before a man came to repair a huge rip in our inflatable slide. Polly had done a really good job of patching it up until we could get it fixed properly but the man with the machine mended it so it looked like new.

He's a great man and very friendly, but he can go on a bit! Luckily, as he was starting to explain to me about another repair he had planned, the phone rang and I was able to escape! I whizzed about unlocking and doing the tills (Sophie did "help" but it took me longer to explain to her how to do things than it would have taken me to do it myself!), hoping that Booker wouldn't deliver before Keith arrived.

By a stroke of good fortune, they arrived just after he did so he was able to offload it all for me and take it to the kitchen. It was then that we realised they'd left off all our drinks, a considerable part of the order! We both rushed outside to stop the driver from leaving! Phew!

When all the staff were in, Keith and I popped to the bank but on the way his phone rang and it was the hospital again. Keith had to go in for a blood test this morning and then he had to go back in for a cholesterol busting injection and it was ready to go. Rather than go to the bank and then all the way back to work to get his car and try and park, I dropped him off at the hospital and went to the bank on my own.

Needless to say the rain hasn't stopped all day and it's been a fine drizzle that soaks everything. At one time the weather resembled a November late afternoon and it was only the green fuzz on the trees that stopped it looking like a winter's day. Horrible!

After work Sophie and I went off to give blood at her school. It's been a year since Sophie donated and about seven months for me, so I was looking forward to getting my 30th donation in. However, when they did the health check and found out that my doctor had prescribed me Vitamin D tablets, they said that they wouldn't be able to take any blood from me on this occasion. I was quite upset with their decision but I was glad that Sophie was able to give a pint of blood and I've made an appointment for August.

When we got home we were a little worried as Monty has not appeared all day, even though he rarely ventures far from the house. Keith handed me a glass of wine and we sat and played cards in the conservatory while dinner cooked. It was a real antidote to all the noise I'd been experiencing at work!

After dinner Sophie and I walked around the estate calling Monty's name, in the hope he'd been trapped in a garage or shed, but we heard nothing. We know he has various cat "friends" dotted around the estate so at the moment we're just hoping he's found a new mate to hang out with for a while!

Grey, miserable and damp...and the weather wasn't much better!

I awoke from strange dreams about getting on buses and taking part in a car rally with a heavy heart this morning and saw that the weather was exactly the same as yesterday! My lovely daughter woke me up as she came into our room to use our en-suite shower - I'd asked her to help us this morning because we had the cleaning to do first thing...does it get any better than that?

We sloshed our way into work and started the cleaning before Mum and Dad arrived. The only good thing was that the crows were waiting for us and eagerly gobbled up the offerings from the weekend, including a couple of rejected sausages from last night's non-barbecue. They looked drenched as well, poor things, and kept constantly trying to shake the rain off their feathers!

Predictably, we were busy but I did manage to escape for most of the morning by going to Booker with Keith and Mikey and then popping over to the bank and into Tesco...not sure what was worse, staying at work with all the noise or experiencing the crowds in the supermarket!

By 4pm we'd had enough and we sloshed our way back home. The rain has been unrelenting all day with more forecast tomorrow... The weather didn't stop me from planting up my geraniums though, even though I became thoroughly wet and muddy while I was doing it! A long soak in the bath afterwards made me feel much better!

The non-barbecue barbecue...

The beautiful warm and sunny weather of last week was a distant memory when I got up this morning and looked out on grey skies. I had really wanted today to be sunny and dry but the weather obviously had other ideas as the rain has fallen almost constantly all day.

It irks me very much as we are closed at work today and I just know that we would have been busy! Never mind...we decide in advance to close on Bank Holiday Mondays so it's a decision we have to live with, whether it rains or not! We were smug last time so it's all a question of balance!

Keith and I were up later than we wanted to be, but we didn't really have a lot to do, except tackle the huge pile of ironing and change the bedding on the children's beds. We did get the map of Florida out and have a look at it, but our grey skies and drizzle put a dampener on looking at hotels and planning the holiday. I'd much rather do that when the sun is shining!

In the afternoon, Sophie, Mum and I went over to Beckworth Emporium. I was looking forward to a late lunch and some shopping, but when we saw the queues for the restaurant we decided to leave. I've never seen it so busy!

We drove through the pouring rain to a Nursery between Holcot and Brixworth that I've wanted to try ever since it opened, but it was closed. Before we went over to the garden centre near Harlestone Firs we tried Covey Plant Nurseries as they advertised a cafe. Sophie wasn't at all keen and tried to persuade me to drive on, but it was now almost 3.30pm, I was low on diesel and the other garden centre was another ten minutes away.

We didn't have the best of experiences, I'm afraid. It was chucking it down with rain, and the man in the cafe seemed reluctant to make us anything to eat so Sophie shot me looks of pure venom as she said she was famished. We settled on a slice of cake each and a cup of tea, but the place was very quiet and with the grey skies and rainfall outside it wasn't the most cheery of places!

After we'd had our cake we ventured out into the rain and I bought some geraniums and a lavender plant. By the time we'd chosen and bought them, we all resembled drowned rats!

Back home we abandoned all plans to barbecue and Keith cooked the meats in the oven and on our George Foreman grill. Not exactly what we had in mind, but it had to do. It was so chilly we even lit the fire in the living room...brrrr!

Lazy Sunday...

Today has been very lazy, so I do feel a bit guilty! Keith took Sophie to work this morning and Mikey to a party so we had the day to ourselves. We decided to walk up to the pub in the next village and have a drink before coming home and devouring the leftovers from our dinner last night (chicken and chorizo bake).

It was a lovely day but still very windy. We walked to the pub and managed to grab some chairs in the window where we were able to see all the comings and goings in the village. We had a very pleasant couple of hours lingering over our drinks and then walked home to the lovely aromas of lunch.

I fell asleep on the sofa and then Sophie called me to pick her up at 4.30pm. She'd had a quiet day but told me that yesterday was very busy indeed. More rain is forecast for next week so it looks like it'll be all hands on deck. The Whitsun break is always a funny week for us as the weather is traditionally warm and sunny, but it looks like we may have hordes of customers coming in to see us!

Mikey had phoned to say that he was going to sleep over at his friend's house, but in the end we picked him up at 6pm. Keith and I were still full from our lunch so we abandoned the idea of a barbecue and put some potatoes in the oven to bake instead. We'll barbecue tomorrow, no doubt when it's raining!

Clean up!

Today has been horrible, weather-wise, so I tackled something I should have done last Saturday when the sun shone - our kitchen!

Keith had already cleaned the oven, a job I hate, but he helped me clean all the beer glasses that we have on display on top of the cupboards and gave the canopy of the cooker a good scrub.

The room was long overdue a good clean and I was a bit ashamed of how things had become, to be honest! However, by 4pm everything gleamed and I felt very satisfied with all our hard work.

Neither of us set foot outside the door today and even though Keith suggested a drink at the pub, we decided in the end to stay at home and relax instead.

Our wine rack is looking a bit depleted! Time to stock up I think!

The end of an era

It was Sophie's last ever day at school today - where have all the years gone?

She went off early to a friend's house as they were going in dressed as hippies. I took Mikey in a bit later and he was relieved that it was the last day of term as well!

Sophie was unsure of what she was actually doing today so I just awaited a call or a text. The idea was to stay at school until the afternoon and then go to one of the pubs near the school to celebrate their freedom!

She called me mid-afternoon to say that she wanted to go to a party in Brixworth later in the day and would I mind picking her up tonight...I wasn't happy, to be honest as I just imagined I'd pick her up from one of the pubs at about 6pm and go home... However, I said it would be fine and waved goodbye to a relaxing Friday evening!

I left work early, went home and with Keith, amused ourselves by looking at hotels in Key West. Outside the rain fell steadily out of a grey sky so it was the perfect antidote to look at tropical beaches and gorgeous scenery! Sophie called me to say that she was on her way home with Laura to get ready and could I take them both to Brixworth? Oh, and was it OK for Laura to stay overnight?!

The weather cleared up slightly in the evening and the sun came out which was a good thing as Sophie and Laura were both wearing very flimsy summer dresses even though the temperatures had dropped rapidly as the week went on!

I dropped them off, went home to get the dinner and then awaited a call to do my taxi duties again. The call came and we picked them both up at 11.30pm, so not too bad!

Cloud burst!

We awoke to heavy rain this morning and a real change in the weather! Of course, this was typical as I'd asked my Dad to come in today (he's been trying to work fewer hours) to try and get some really important jobs done.

I'd also forgotten that it was Polling Day so a few schools in the area were closed for voting. It was great to see the car park fill up first thing as we had a pre-school group in who use a local village hall, which had been given over to the elections.

Mum, Dad and I struggled on with the things we needed to do (they both filled out a really long-winded form for the Valuation Office which carried a fine if we didn't do it!) and we managed to get everything done, despite keeping an eye on Reception and answering the phone. We were very busy indeed - what a difference to yesterday!

Mid-afternoon we had a storm and the rain lashed down. We saw flashes of lightening and heavy booms of thunder which was a bit dramatic! This unsettled weather is set to continue over the weekend so at least I won't have to water the garden!

We had hoped that the weather would improve in the evening as we were planning to barbecue but after sitting in the conservatory with a glass of Jacktone Ranch Petit Syrah (delicious!) and playing cards in the sunshine, the rain bucketed down when Keith went out to cook the steaks!

All change!

It's a good job we were quiet at work today as I had loads of paperwork to get sorted, including buying travel insurance for our forthcoming holiday and letting the Child Benefit office know that Sophie will no longer be in full-time education from this Friday. That's such a frightening thought as I can remember her first day at school so clearly and it only seems like a couple of years ago!

After our Booker order had been delivered Keith and I went off to find a metal recycling plant that Phillip had told me about yesterday. He said it was near the Saints Rugby ground, but we did a full traverse of the St James area before we finally found it. It was opposite a place where I worked ages ago (I'm talking 27 years here!) but back then the road stopped just beyond my offices. Now, a whole new area has opened up so after seeing someone at the recycling plant and asking him what we needed to do with all the scrap metal we have at work, we drove along the road to see where it led to. It came out (as I thought) onto Sixfields, which, when I first moved to Northampton, used to just be countryside. Now the whole area is barely recognisable.

Back at work, we had one customer in as the weather was gorgeous again today. After lunch I did all my important jobs and sorted our travel insurance out. This means that our holiday is getting closer! I also applied for a new bank account for Sophie and checked that everything had gone smoothly with the switch for my new one! I'd been with my old bank for over 40 years so it did feel a bit strange!

Laura came to the gym with us again tonight which was good as it was the sort of night that we would have gone home and done nothing! I did a good workout followed by my usual spell in the spa. They were playing very relaxing music in there tonight and it was almost empty, so very soothing after my busy day!

Chewing the fat!

It's been another lovely day, but thankfully not as hot as yesterday!

In the morning I went to see Ginny and Phillip who run a very similar play centre to ours, for a cup of coffee and a catch up. It's always great to see them as we can sit and moan about the state of the industry and they understand what we sometimes go through at work, especially when the weather's so nice! We all suffer!

We didn't talk much about the new place opening - soon it won't be the "new" place as they will have been open a year. Hard to believe! We talked about Groupon and whether it's a good idea for getting customers through the door, but I don't think it is. To me, it smacks of desperation!

After I'd seen Ginny and Philip, I rushed back to work for the lunchtime "rush" but there wasn't one so I went off to the bank to pay Mikey's piggy bank money into his account and went into Tesco to buy dinner for tonight. The sky was looking very stormy when I drove back to work and I was hoping for a nice violent thunderstorm to clear the air!

After work I managed to get out into the front garden for an hour and tidy it all up. Despite the heavy shower we'd had this morning, the soil was bone dry and I gave up trying to turn it over, pulling out the weeds by hand instead. It all looked a lot  better when I'd finished, but I managed to disturb a nest with hundreds of tiny spiders in as I cleaned the windowsills. I thought it was some kind of plant but it was a bunch of baby? spiders all huddled together! Yuk!

Hot, hot, hot!

We all had an early start this morning as we had an appointment with Mikey's Head of Year at school at 8am. This meant we were all up at 6am, including a very grumpy Sophie who resented the fact that we woke her up before she wanted so she could get in the shower first. She took a great deal of pleasure in being ready far quicker than she normally is so she could keep reminding us of how early she got up!

The school was very quiet when we arrived and the Head of Year sent Mikey off to another classroom while we had a quick chat with her. We were worried that Mikey's not happy at school as his behaviour is erratic to say the least. When he came back in he said that he was worried about studying for his GCSEs but that he wasn't being bullied or anything like that, which was a relief. One of the things we mentioned was his tendency to stay in his room a lot, but over the weekend he'd actually ventured out of his "man cave" and had spent a lot of time with us in the garden so hopefully this will continue!

After feeling a bit happier about Mikey's state of mind, I drove to work and had another meeting with a man from the company who looks after all our health and safety. I really wasn't in the mood for it, to be honest and I was mightily relieved when he left at lunchtime, three hours after he arrived!

We spent the afternoon scrubbing the new floor as it was looking a bit grubby, but by now the temperature inside the building was registering 33c! I know the sensor is located near the ceiling but it was very warm all the same! Not really the ideal time to be scrubbing and mopping floors!

Sophie's friend Laura came to the gym with us which is always good as it makes us go! The girls concentrated on their workout while I did my usual stuff on the treadmill and bike. In the spa afterwards I nearly, very nearly, fell asleep I felt so relaxed!

Remembering...

Today Mum and I made another trip down to Kent as on this day last year my Nan died and we wanted to go to the Crematorium and lay some flowers on the spot where her ashes were scattered.

Again, it was a glorious day with blue skies and only small, white puffy clouds. We had a brilliant journey down to Kent and called into an M&S garage to buy some flowers before meeting my Uncle at the Crematorium.

We put our bouquets in vases and then took just one flower over the area where Nan's ashes were. The whole crematorium was looking beautiful with lovely trees and shrubs and a huge pond with Koi carp. It was very peaceful and the perfect place to remember loved ones.

We went for lunch to Hall Place which I imagined would be busy but was surprisingly quiet for such a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We chose a dish from the "nibbles" menu and had a good chat. My Uncle is planning to emigrate to Cyprus as he has lots of friends there and Mum and I thought it was a great idea.

We didn't hang around in Kent and as soon as we'd finished lunch we headed home. We had another brilliant journey and I was home by 4pm, which was a bonus. I managed to fall asleep on the sofa before dinner...it must be the heat!

The smells of summer...

I was horrified to look at the bedside clock this morning when I woke up to see that it was almost 10am! Half the day had gone! In my defence, though, we didn't go to bed until about 1am so I obviously needed the sleep!

Today we did very little as the weather was warm and sunny with nearly cloudless blue skies. I didn't drive anywhere and my car only went to the nearest shop when Keith went to get the newspaper. We had breakfast and then I spent most of today sitting in the garden, soaking up the sun and reading. First thing, Keith, Mikey and I took part in a shooting competition and it was great fun. We set up the target on a large soap powder box and spent about two hours shooting which was good practice for Mikey. I loved it and managed to get very close to the centre target!

In the afternoon, Keith handed me a large glass of white wine so that was it for me for the rest of the day. The boys decided to light the chiminea and burned all the old wood that we'd gathered over the winter. They had a brilliant time keeping the fire going and making lots of smoke and smells.

After a quick tidy-up of the house and a lovely soak in the bath to get rid of the smoky smells, we lit the barbecue and created more summery aromas. I'm surprised there wasn't a huge smoky haze over the whole of the UK today!

Charlie!

I took Mikey to school this morning, popped into work for an hour and then went home to get ready for my treat - seeing Charlie Simpson at the O2 Academy in Islington!

Sophie and I left at 12pm and a previously clear blue sky had turned cloudy with what looked like storm clouds. We drove to Milton Keynes first where we'd planned on having lunch at Las Iguanas. However, I had a real difficult time finding somewhere to park as The Hub is surrounded by office blocks.

We eventually found a space a fair distance away and I realised I had no change with me, even though I thought I had loads! What change we did manage to find gave us just over an hour so we hurtled off to the restaurant to be told that it would be easier if we sat in the bar or outside as we would get served more quickly!

We ordered nachos with chicken to start, a burger for me, for my main course and Sophie's favourite Tostas. My daughter wanted a cocktail (!) but they had no crushed ice so I ordered her a large glass of Rose, which had the effect of making her very sleepy. I settled on a non-alcoholic Raspberry cooler and was given two as it was "Happy Hour"!

Our nachos arrived very quickly but the main courses took a fair bit longer and I had visions of me having to walk back to the car to get another ticket. Luckily, they arrived, we ate them quickly and then sped back to the car with five minutes to spare.

I programmed the SatNav (Gladys) for the N1 Centre in Islington and off we went, stopping just once more at the services for a loo visit (I should have gone in Las Iguanas but I was too worried about the time!).

We made Islington by 4pm and parked the car easily a two minute walk from the O2 Academy. First stop was a Frappucino in a nearby Starbucks and we were delighted to discover they were doing them for half-price between 3pm and 5pm!

After our drink we wandered around the shops and then started queuing up for the gig at 6pm. There were already a fair amount of fans waiting and one of the O2 staff came up to us and said that it would be nice for us to go up to the mezzanine level where we could sit down and relax. There was a bar there, and loos as well. I was delighted but I did wonder whether I'd be the oldest there!

We had a great view of the stage and I managed to bag a very comfy armchair right next to the balcony. Sophie stood the whole time and we saw three warm-up acts before Charlie Simpson came on at 8.45pm. All three bands were great and one was actually Charlie's brother! The similarity was striking!

Charlie was great and did a mix of old and new songs - his new album is due out in July and we both thoroughly enjoyed the show. The mezzanine had become a little bit busier as the evening wore on, but it was still very relaxed up there and we had a great view of the stage. I was amazed at all the equipment they used and there were cables everywhere!

It was so great to hear all our favourite songs being sung and we sang along and clapped our hands ecstatically! By 9.45pm it was all over and we went off to retrieve the car from the car park. This is where the evening went a bit pear-shaped as the machine wouldn't accept my credit or debit card and would only take the exact change, which we didn't have! To cut a long story short, we finally managed to get some change from a pub on the High Street and thankfully managed to get back on the road home. At one point I thought we were going to have to make use of the nearby Premier Inn!

The journey home was OK, but I left the M1 at Junction 14 as they had closed two lanes of the motorway. We went via Newport Pagnell and arrived home at midnight. Keith told us he'd taken Mikey for pizza and it had cost him £34 for two pizzas! Almost as much as our lunch! We were delighted to find there was some left over and with a glass of wine, I was able to relax before bed!

Strangers at the funeral

Today Mum and I went off to Kent to the funeral of my cousin Tracy who very sadly died a couple of weeks ago. She was only 47, so just a year older than me and she'd been battling with cancer over the last year.

We had an excellent journey down to Kent and stopped at the Thurrock services near the Dartford Bridge, for coffee. It was a gorgeous day and really sunny and warm.

We managed to find the church in the village of Swanscombe quite easily. We'd been here before as we both have several relatives buried in the churchyard and in the cemetery opposite. Surprisingly, Tracy was being buried here rather than cremated which has been the norm for quite a while in our family.

When we arrived at the church there was already a large crowd of people waiting outside. We parked up the road and walked down where we saw a couple we knew - Pat and Den used to work at the flats where my Nan lived and they're a really lovely couple. It was great to see them and have a chat.

The service started and we stood on our own in a pew. My Uncle came in with the funeral cortege and a lot of people were crying, in particular, Tracy's two children Jody and Adam who were both barely out of their teens.

It was a lovely service (the vicar was a bit of a hippy!) but when he was talking about Tracy it felt like he was talking about a stranger as both Mum and I had had nothing really to do with her over the last twenty years. Unfortunately we've never really got on very well with my Uncle's side of the family and we did actually wonder whether we would be welcome at the funeral!

After the church service there was a "private" committal in the cemetery but we didn't know whether we would be welcome to go to that, even though a lot of Tracy's friends went along. My Mum spoke to my Uncle but he certainly didn't give the impression that he wanted us to go so we  stayed at the church and spoke to Pat and Den.

Afterwards we went to the local sports club for a drink and something to eat and I marvelled at the side of my family I see very little (maybe in some ways I was thankful!). We left as soon as it was decent and embarked on the long journey home. When we got to the Tunnel we discovered that some things never change...

There were horrendous queues to get through the toll booths and we were held up for quite a while despite it only being 4pm. After we'd cleared the tunnel we had a moderately good journey and it was bliss to find Keith cooking dinner when I eventually got home!

Spring Walk

I have to say that today has been a lovely day. The weather has been beautiful and Sophie and I left work early to go home and have a walk with Keith over the fields, rather than go to the gym.

We tried to persuade Mikey to come with us, but he refused so the three of us set off in the afternoon sunshine. There were just enough clouds about to make the sky interesting:

We had a lovely walk and the fields were ablaze with the yellow rape flower.

My favourite Oak tree

Sophie kept us entertained throughout the walk as she normally does, grabbing my camera to take a few "selfies"!

When we arrived back on the road, we went to see two horses that live in the field opposite. Sophie called them over and they loved having a pat and some grass to eat.

As we neared home we met Sue with Bailey and her new dog, Archie, who is also a Cockerpoo. We made a huge fuss of both of them but Sue said that Archie was proving to be a bit difficult and the dogs weren't really getting on all that well. Sue was a bit worried but I think it'll take a little time for the dogs to get on and I'm sure it'll all work out well in the end.

While we were walking we were fantasising about what we'd like to drink and I fancied an ice-cold San Miguel so when we got home we all went over to the nearest shop to get some supplies. Mikey came with us this time as he wanted a magazine called "Kerrang"!

I bought some Singha lager (I changed my mind!) and although we didn't sit out in the garden, we sat in our lovely sunny conservatory and enjoyed a drink or two!

Stormy skies

When I picked Mikey up from school today he was a bit quiet and subdued after spending his whole day in detention. I took both children to the local shop and bought them a little treat to eat on the way home and forget the one thing I needed to buy - some milk!

Mikey didn't go to Army Cadets tonight which was a bit of a relief as it meant I didn't have to cook dinner as early as I'd anticipated. It meant Keith and I could relax in the conservatory with a drink and play a couple of games of cards. The sky outside was looking very stormy and after dinner, when we were sitting in the living room watching all three episodes of "Prey" that had been shown recently, we heard growlings of thunder and the clouds turned a very funny colour indeed!

Getting dirty!

It was back to cleaning today and I managed to dust one of our big tube slides in the afternoon after I'd made lunch for everyone! The slide was especially dusty and I became covered in dirt, not the best of looks when I was headed to the gym later! However, it did look a lot better when I'd finished so I was pleased with the result.

Sophie brought her friend Laura back to work with her and together they booked their pre-departure hotel at Gatwick. It only ocurred to them last week that the drive down to Gatwick on a busy Monday morning was going to be a problem and I suggested they start their holiday early and stay overnight, something they were only to glad to do!

We all went to the gym and while the girls went off and did their own thing, I exercised on the treadmill, the bike and the cross-trainer for half an hour and then relaxed in the spa. I certainly needed the relaxation as things were a bit fraught at home as Mikey has been in trouble at school and is facing a day of detention tomorrow. We had a long and serious chat and I only hope that he does his time for his crime (mucking about in class and talking too much)!

Wild May

This morning, after dropping Sophie off at work, Keith, Mikey and I drove over to where Mum and Dad's caravan is stored to take the weather-cover off. Mum and Dad have made the decision to sell their caravan as they're just not using it as much as they hoped so we went over to help them get it ready to be picked up by the company who have agreed to buy it.

It was a horrible day - wet, windy and cold - so not the ideal conditions to do what we'd planned! However, getting the cover off was a lot easier than putting it on and after having a quick coffee and a biscuit we returned home.

The rest of the day (up until 4pm anyway) was spent doing the housework which I just couldn't leave any longer. It felt great when I'd finished though, as the house gleamed. I wonder how long it will stay like that!

After collecting Sophie from work, we spent a very pleasant couple of hours sipping white wine and watching Desperate Housewives which we've become addicted to!

Backing Britain

Today has been quite busy with very little time to sit and relax! Keith and I went for a walk first thing and narrowly escaped being soaked to the skin as we've had a day of sunshine and showers. It was also very windy which made walking a tad unpleasant!

While we were out Sophie made banana and chocolate chip muffins and they were gorgeous! Keith and I went out again to get the newspaper and we had a bit of a trip down memory lane as I took him to some places I used to go to when I was a child, to see if they still existed. Amazingly, they did!

In the afternoon Sophie and I went to Riverside as I needed to get a new gym bag. Mine is in danger of coming apart and I had visions of everything falling out as I walked through the gym floor, which would be highly embarrassing! I found a pink one in Sports Direct and was amazed at how busy the shop was and how high the merchandise was stacked! The poor staff were climbing extremely high ladders to get things down for customers!

From Sports Direct we called into Boots and then I treated Sophie to her usual favourite in Costa Coffee. This place was packed out as well and I'd been appalled at how difficult it was to get parked when we'd arrived! And they say there's no money about!

We had a lovely evening as Keith and I went to the pub for a drink after ordering a take-away from the van in the village. We had a couple of drinks, collected our meal and went home to watch the Eurovision Song Contest. Some of the acts were hilarious, especially Austria's entry - a transvestite with a beard who wore a full length evening gown with a beautiful wig and long nails. He/she won! Sophie absolutely loves the Eurovision Song Contest so we all had to sit and watch every minute. Half way through the evening, Sue popped over with some dessert for us as she was having friends over for dinner so that was an unexpected treat!

Just good friends...

This evening Sue and I went over to the Good Friends Bistro in Grafton Underwood to experience their evening menu. Sue very kindly drove again but we became embroiled in a bad traffic jam on the way due to roadworks which made us later than we'd intended. However, it wasn't a problem at all and we had a very enjoyable evening with some superb food and very friendly hosts.

The restaurant wasn't busy when we arrived and it was great to peruse the menu while nibbling on little breadsticks and olives. I was invited to try a red wine which I thought was a Cabernet Sauvignon, but Sue correctly guessed as a Rioja! I was impressed!

For starters Sue had gravalax and I chose the Chorizo, Morcilla & Halloumi Skewers which were served on a bed of leaves and were delicious. Sue stated that her starter was sublime. For mains, I opted for Sea Bass on a bed of mushrooms and potatoes while Sue chose the Navarin of Lamb, which was like a hearty stew full of spring vegetables.

We couldn't resist dessert which was Tiramisu and was one of the best I've ever had. It was so creamy and delicious and we both agreed we could have eaten it again! With coffees to end the meal the bill came to just over £61 which I thought was very good value for the standard of food and service.

When I arrived home the kids were still up so we watched the night's episode of Masterchef - a great way to end a foodie evening!

Rain, rain, rain...

It hasn't stopped raining today but we still weren't as busy at work as I hoped we'd be. Work has been slightly stressful just lately as we are currently wrangling with one of our tenants over a rates bill so I will be mightily glad when it's all sorted out. People can be so difficult at times!

Sophie and I went home a bit early as we had an appointment for a hair cut. The hairdressers were very quiet as well, which was a bit worrying. We were in there barely half an hour as we didn't bother with a blow-dry each. To have had that luxury would have cost me almost £80 for the two of us and as it was pouring outside and we were just heading home, I couldn't justify that amount! It was bliss though to have someone wash my hair and she gave me a gentle scalp massage as well which had me swooning! I would have paid more for her to have done that for an hour and soothe all the daily stresses away!

Rushing about!

I spent most of the morning printing out photos for Sophie for her final exam at the end of the week. As I also had a lot of my own work to do, it was a bit of a stressful start to the day! However, by lunchtime I was finished and pleased that it hadn't taken as long as I'd thought.

Keith and I met Mum and Dad after we'd been to the bank and had a cup of coffee with them. My Dad had an operation on his shoulder last week and is still in a fair bit of pain and discomfort. He won't be in at work at all this week so Keith will be coming in a bit more to help out.

I picked Sophie up from school early and we headed off to Staples in town to get her A3 photos printed. It took us a fair while to get served but the actual printing was a lot quicker than the shop we've been to before. Sophie was really pleased with the results.

From Staples we headed to the gym and just did an hour's workout before going home. Mikey and Keith were at a meeting at the school for the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme as my son is keen on finding out more about it. When he came home he said that he has to learn new skills, one of which is dancing! Now, I can't see him doing that!

Our beautiful countryside...

Today has been an absolutely gorgeous day - warm and sunny, but with just the right amount of billowy white clouds to make the sky interesting. I went out to feed the birds mid-morning and just stood there looking at the beautiful sky and feeling glad to be alive!

We did get some rain in the afternoon but the clouds changed into different shades of grey and the colours of all the trees and blossom seemed especially vivid (sounds like I've been experimenting with drugs, but I haven't!!). When I took Mikey to Army Cadets the countryside was looking glorious as we have so many fields of yellow here at the moment (like my photo) and all I wanted to do was stop the car and take some pics!

After dinner Sophie tried some more fruits (pineapple, plum and peach) but I'm sure as a child we gave her them and she would definitely have eaten them at Nursery. She hated the plum and the peach but loved pineapple and said she wanted to take fruit salad into school tomorrow. To be honest, we're not a family of big fruit eaters which is probably why Sophie wasn't overly familiar with the fruits she tasted tonight!

We also had an avocado pear for her to try but she hated the texture - said it looked like clay - and wasn't keen on the taste. I said it was better mixed with prawns and a Marie Rose sauce! However, after we cleared up after dinner we mashed the rest of it up and made it into a facepack!

Very lazy Monday!

I was awake at 6am this morning which was not the best of ideas for a Bank Holiday Monday! I made a lovely (Gordon Ramsay) porridge and by 10am I was ready for a long lie-down!

However, Keith and I pottered about in the garden for a while and stopped to chat to a new cat that had showed up, out of the blue. Monty didn't seem to mind him being about and the new cat even ventured inside for a minute and showed no fear at all.

We went off for a walk over the fields and the whole estate was very quiet indeed. Perhaps everyone was having a lazy day! When we came back we did what we very rarely do...watch a recorded TV programme during the day! It felt very decadent!

There's not much else to report about today. It was great to not leave the house (except one trip to the local shop) and to just potter about and do a few jobs that I couldn't leave. The weather has been gorgeous again, warm and sunny with some very high wispy cloud. I'm just very glad we weren't open at work today!

Lazy Sunday!

Needless to say I felt a bit tired this morning as I never sleep well after I've had a lot to drink, but I was still up early despite my late night.

We took Sophie to work at 11am but she wasn't needed so we called to see Mum and Dad on the way home to deliver their Sunday newspaper and had a coffee in their sunny conservatory. Again, it was the most beautiful of days - suuny and warm and perfect May weather.

Back home we sat in the garden for a while, soaking up the sun and then Sophie and I went off to the garden centre as I needed some new sandals (yes, I know it's a funny place to buy shoes, but they have an outlet there!).

I didn't see any I liked so I treated Sophie to a Creamy Cooler in the Costa Coffee there (once upon a time garden centres just sold plants!) and then we had a look around and I bought some carrot and spring onion seeds to plant.

Right next door to the garden centre is a brand new Waitrose so we strolled over to have a look around. Sophie has been telling me that there are several fruits she hasn't tried so we bought a Kiwi fruit and an Avocado for her to try when we got home. I also buoght some baking ingredients and we were very impressed with the new store.

Back home it was lovely to relax before a gorgeous roast turkey dinner!

A wee bit tipsy!

It was lovely last night to look forward to a three day weekend, as well as a barbecue tonight at Sarah and Liam's house next door.

Keith and I went for a walk first thing and did the usual loop over the fields. It was a gorgeous day and perfect for a walk, especially as both of us needed the exercise! When I got back and while waiting for Sophie to get ready for a shopping trip to Market Harborough, I made banana muffins, something I've never made before.

Sophie and I went shopping and we were able to park right outside Duncan's shop. We had a tasting of two Italian wines, a white from Sicily and a red from Piedmont that is made by prisoners, apparently! I liked the white but I wasn't keen on the red at all and changed my mind about buying it for tonight. We had a good mooch about the shop and I bought a Chilean Carmenere which I hoped Liam would enjoy.

After a quick lunch and an even quicker look around the shops, we sped back home so I could get ready. Sophie very kindly did my hair and make-up again and by 4pm we were all ready to go next door with Sue and Paul and their dog, Bailey, who had also been invited!

We had a really lovely evening and although the outside temperature was a bit chilly, we sat outside until almost 9pm and enjoyed lovely food and some beautiful wines. It was just the six of us which was very relaxed even though Sarah and Liam's grown-up children wandered in and out and the dogs had a great time together (except when a burger fell off the barbecue and both of them went for it and there was a fair bit of snarling and growling!).

Later in the evening we moved indoors and sat in the living room and chatted until 11pm. I had had a lot of wine to drink but I felt fine when we staggered home!

Breakdown in communication!

Mikey was at a party tonight at a rival play centre (!) so I took him at 7pm and asked when it would be finished. He said 9pm but that he would call or text me when it was time to pick him up. At first I didn't think he was actually going to go to the party as he couldn't see anyone he knew going in, but then a friend arrived and off he went!

At home, it got to almost 9pm and I hadn't heard from him so I sent him a text but got no answer. I had to resort to calling him and over all the hubbub, he shouted for us to go and pick him up straight away.

Well, when we arrived, twenty minutes later, he was the only one left and the party girl's mum was waiting with him. It made us look like neglectful parents which was a bit embarrassing! Boys!