Can't see the wood for the trees...

After a busy day at work, it was great to go off for a walk with Sophie and Keith, especially as it was a perfect Autumnal late afternoon. It was still warm as well - 21c - which is saying something as it's October tomorrow!

We had a lovely walk - a much better one than Sunday, thank goodness!

Near to the village we spotted a Horse Chestnut tree and managed to get some conkers- they're so beautiful when you open the outer casings and discover the nutty brown seed inside.

Keith always carries a long stick with him (to beat down nettles) and he threw his stick up into the tree but it became caught in the upper branches! We looked and looked for it but we couldn't see it! Maybe when all the leaves have fallen later in the year we'll be able to find it again!

Monday again!

Today I haven't done any cleaning at work, which is a good thing! Mum hasn't been very well (she's had a bad back) so she stayed at home and Keith and Sophie came in with me to keep me company.

In the afternoon we helped Sophie write a CV but she really didn't take it that seriously...at the moment I just can't see her going to interviews and working somewhere else, but if things work out and the business is sold, she'll have no choice!

Before we left for the day I hoovered my car out and cleaned it inside and then we went off to the gym. However, neither of us were really in the mood so we wallowed in the jacuzzi and then went home to watch an episode of "Desperate Housewives". Yes, I know we're naughty and we're not doing what we should be doing at the gym but it was very enjoyable!

Lazy Sunday? No way!

Today has been hectic to say the least! After calling to get the Sunday papers and having a coffee with Mum and Dad I cooked breakfast for the three of us with the leftover new potatoes, mushrooms, bacon and haggis. I then had no choice but to hoover downstairs as my living room carpet resembled a field. I'm sure most of it is brought in on the cats' little muddy paws or falls off their fur...at times Archie looks like a mobile meadow!

Just as I finished hoovering (and I was all sweaty and horrible) it was time to take Sophie to work. Keith and I then drove to Pitsford where we left his car and walked through the Nature Reserve back home. It was a very warm and muggy day and before long both of us were sweating again...horrible! Also, we hadn't brought any water with us and my breakfast bacon was making me very thirsty indeed! Not a good feeling! I don't mind being hungry but I really can't bear being thirsty!

We plodded on, neither of us really in the mood despite the beautiful day. There were carpets of leaves everywhere and I'm really looking forward to doing this walk again but when it's a bit cooler! This summer is going on and on!

We decided to cut short the walk around the Nature Reserve and headed back to our village by a dusty track. We could see our estate in the distance but we were still a fair way away and my throat was parched! As soon as we arrived home I grabbed a bottle of water and drank and drank! Damn bacon!

There was no rest for us, though, as we had to go and retrieve Keith's car and then when I arrived home I had a text from Sophie asking me to pick her up from work. When I arrived Sophie said that Mikey had called as well and could we go and collect him?

Finally, when we arrived home I spent an hour grating limes and whisking eggs and condensed milk to make another Key Lime pie. It was then time to have a bath before I prepared all the veggies for dinner. Phew!!

At least I had a relaxing evening as Keith did most of the dinner and I fell asleep on the sofa while watching the latest Nordic Noir thriller "Crimes of Passion" that we are steadily working through!

More taxi duties!

Today I have been mostly driving my daughter about and waiting for her!

She had an appointment to have her nails done this morning so rather than go anywhere else, I sat and waited for her while she had the false nails removed to reveal her natural nails underneath. It gave me an excuse to sit and read my Kindle for an hour which was nice!

After that she treated me to a coffee in Costa and then I dropped her off at Pizza Hut as she was meeting some friends from school. While she was having lunch I went to the gym and did a workout followed by a short swim. Just as I settled into my seat in the cafe for another read, she texted me to ask me to collect her!

We went off home to an empty house as Keith was out watching football. It's been a beautiful day today but rather than go and cut the lawn (which I should have done!) I prepared the veg for dinner and then sat and watched an episode of "Who Do You Think You Are?" which was very relaxing! Keith normally has the football on the TV so it's quite a novelty when he's out to watch something I want to watch for a change!

I did dinner tonight - a recipe for Balmoral chicken in preparation for my Scottish evening next month. I'd prepared the chicken first thing in the morning and just needed to cook it through and make a sauce to go with it. The chicken turned out to be very good (Sophie wouldn't touch any Haggis!) but my mushroom sauce was a bit thin so I definitely need to work on that!

Friday afternoon blues...

I was very glad when today arrived as it's the last day (for a while at least) that Sophie and I have to stay late. We were at work until 5.30pm and then it was off to rush home and collect Mikey who was going to be away all weekend at an Army Cadet camp.

He heaved his huge rucksack into the back of my car and we set off into town. He looked a bit nervous but when we arrived at the Barracks he met some of his mates so he looked a lot more cheerful!

Sophie and I dashed back home to get the dinner started and then it was time to collect Keith from the pub! Roll on the weekend!

Time drags...

Today has dragged a bit as we weren't particularly busy at work and Mum and Dad left early at lunchtime to go home. I shall certainly be glad when this week is over and Polly is back!

Poor Sophie kept coming into the office to say she was bored but there wasn't a lot I could do about it! When 6pm came it was a relief to go home and sit with Keith in the conservatory with a glass of wine and discuss what we were going to be cooking for dinner over the next week. This helps him so much when he goes to do the shopping and he doesn't have to wander around trying to come up with ideas!

I'm trying a new recipe out on Saturday night in preparation for a Scottish evening I'm hosting in October. The children have also asked me to make my Key Lime pie again, which I'm more than happy to do! Especially as I have lots of limes left over from last week!

Tonight we cooked liver and bacon, and very good it was too! Much better than last night's meal I'm glad to say!

Birthday celebrations?

So, it's Keith's birthday today and before we all left for work and school he opened his pressies and cards and was very pleased with them (hopefully!).

It was also a good day to get his new car!

Our little Honda Jazz

It's been another beautiful day today, despite the early rain first thing this morning. I spent most of the day shredding loads of old paperwork and making a real mess in my office! When it was time to go and pick up Keith's car I went with him and then followed him home so we could return the Mini to Mum and Dad.

On my way back to work I took my dirty car through the car wash as the bonnet was covered in muddy cat footprints. They'd better not make a mess on Keith's car otherwise there will be trouble!

Sophie and I managed to get away at 6pm and drove home to get ready for Keith's Birthday meal. He wanted to go to The Lamplighter in town and as we'd had such a nice evening there last month we all thought it was a great choice.

We left at 7pm with a grumbling Sophie asking why we had to leave so early...as it turned out it was a good thing! I'd found out there was a quiz night on, but we didn't think it would matter as it didn't start until almost 9pm and we would be gone by then anyway. We queued at the bar for our drinks and then received a bit of a shock when the barmaid told us that Mikey wasn't allowed in after 7pm as under 18s weren't welcome! We could have gone and sat in the "snug" on the understanding that we would have to leave immediately after we'd eaten!

With that attitude we decided to have our drinks and leave, which was a huge shame as Keith and I love this pub and were really looking forward to having a nice meal there. The beer that Keith chose was great, he said, so it was a pain to have to think about where we could go as an alternative. We briefly thought about The Britannia but in the end we chose the Queen's Arms in Orlingbury and Sophie called them on the way to make sure they had a table free!

Unfortunately, it wasn't the most successful of evenings...It looked like there was a Farmer Giles convention going on and not a single other person was eating. We sat at the back of the pub and chilled out...but not in a good way! Brrr!

We chose from the menu with the children deciding on cheesy garlic bread, Keith opting for whitebait and the pate of the day for me. I was then told that the pate "didn't look right" so I went for the creamy mushrooms instead. My main course of a selection of sausages with mustard mash was tasteless, except for the very last banger which tasted very strange indeed. I think it's the first time in my life I've ever left a sausage on my plate...yuk!

By the time we finished our meal at just after 9pm we were the only ones left in the pub so I paid the bill (my Birthday treat) and left to go to the local shop to buy a tub of ice-cream for the wee ones' dessert.

Back home Keith and I indulged in a slice of my fruit cake (so relieved it hadn't dried out!), a glass of whiskey for me and a tot of Brandy for Keith. Cheers!

Working late...

For the rest of this week Sophie and I will be at work late so there'll be no time for the gym or a walk over the fields which is a bit of a pain! Polly is off all week and Sophie is covering Reception so we won't be getting home until well after 6pm.

Tonight, I virtually shoved some customers out of the door at 6pm as Keith was cooking an early dinner before taking Mikey to Army Cadets and then going off to watch a local football match. Just as we arrived home he was putting the finishing touches to chicken fajitas so we sat down straight away, something I really hate doing!

After the men had gone off Sophie and I settled down to watch Desperate Housewives...I have no idea what we're going to do when we've watched the whole series! Maybe Sex in the City will be a good substitute! Ben Howard was on Radio 1 so we recorded that to listen to later. He was playing all his songs from his new album, which was a treat and will get us ready for his concert in Berlin in November!

A day of activity...

Today has been yet another beautiful day and this dry and sunny weather is set to continue for a while yet.

We had to do the cleaning at work today as Jeanette was off on holiday (her son was married on Saturday) but as we had all day to do it, there was no rush. After work I drove home to collect Sophie and we went off to the gym. I managed about 40 minutes of exercise but I'm going to have to increase my time on the cross-trainer as I love being able to do this for a good 20 minutes!

After our workout we headed for the spa to relax, which was bliss. Liam popped in to go to the sauna and on the way he said hello. He told me he wanted to go back to Florida so it sounds like he's missing the place as much as I am!

A domestic day

We awoke to sunshine and blue skies this morning which was a relief after the unremitting grey of yesterday!

My plan was to make a cake for Keith today but before I started I changed all my bedding and cleaned the downstairs of the house. Now that Sophie is at home maybe she could be doing this in the week!

While Keith took our daughter to work, I started the cake and then discovered that I needed a metal sieve to sift the two flours together...we'd thrown ours out the other week! I called my Mum who said I could borrow hers, so I sped off to see her, taking a large slice of my Key Lime Pie with me.

By the time Keith returned his cake was in the oven and sending out delicious smells!

After an afternoon of pottering about and relaxing both Keith and I turned taxi-driver - him to go and get Sophie and me to pick up Mikey from Brixworth where he'd been spending time with his mates. It's so good to see him get out in the fresh air and when I picked him up he mentioned that there were various clubs he wanted to join, such as the local football team and a rugby club that meets in Northampton, which was great news.

While Keith cooked dinner I researched recipes on the internet for my Come Dine With Me evening...it gave me a great excuse to look at all things Florida!

Key West memories...

This morning, before Sophie and I went to get our hair cut, I started making a Key Lime pie. For my Come Dine With Me evening I'm going to do a Florida Keys theme and I wanted to make the famous dessert for pud.

Tesco now do a range of American foods and I was able to buy Graham Crackers to make the base. I weighed them out, beat the living daylights out of them and then mixed them with melted butter before pressing them into a flan case.

I then baked it in the oven for ten minutes before letting it cool while we went to the Hairdresser's. My hair was very badly in need of a cut and it felt great to have my long and unruly fringe neatened up! Now I can see again!

When we got home, Sophie went off to get ready to go shopping in Market Harborough while I whipped up three eggs, the juice and zest of three limes and a tin of condensed milk. I then poured the mixture onto the flan base and popped it back into the oven for fifteen minutes.

Just before we left to go shopping I put the baked pie into the fridge to chill and hoped it would taste good! We had a pleasant afternoon shopping in Market Harborough (or Mo'ket Harborough!) culminating in a tasting of Portugese wines in Duncan's shop. The man himself was off in Sicily so we chatted to Nick about holidays and I treated myself to a bottle of the white and a French red. Our wine rack is looking a bit depleted again, despite the bottles we bought back from the US!

In the evening we ordered a Chinese takeaway but then went to the White Horse in Old for a drink. We sat in the window and watched the smoke from a nearby bonfire fill the already grey sky. It's been a bit dismal today with no sign of the sun at all and the smell of the fire made it seem very Autumnal.

We weren't the only escapees from our normal pub: we saw three couples arrive who are die-hard regulars so there's obviously something wrong at our local for us all to defect to another pub...

We enjoyed our dinner and then, after a decent interval, I whipped some cream and poured it over the top of the Key Lime pie. Sophie has been arguing with me that an authentic Key Lime pie has a meringue topping but I'm not keen...for me it's far too sweet. However, we all thoroughly enjoyed my attempt, even Mikey who hadn't tasted it on holiday at all!

All fixed up!

This evening I met my friends Lynda, Andrea and Fiona at the Brampton Halt pub. Keith very kindly drove me there and treated me to a glass of wine while I waited for the girls to arrive. It was packed full of people enjoying their Friday evening and I was delighted to see Key Lime Pie on the dessert menu!

Fiona and Andrea had arranged a cake for Lynda (we're still celebrating that special birthday!) and were glad they'd arrived before she did. As soon as they came into the pub, Keith left me and the three of us caught up with what we'd done since we'd seen each other last.

Lynda arrived last and we made our way to our table which was in a little niche, so nice and cosy. Before we'd even looked at the menu we sorted out our "Come Dine With Me" evenings which will take us up to Christmas. Andrea will go first with a Greek theme, followed by me with an evening in the Keys. Fiona will be hosting at the end of November with a theme she has yet to decide while Lynda will be welcoming us near Christmas. I'm looking forward to it! We also talked about a planned trip to London in October when we'll be having afternoon tea on the Thames! Very civilised!

We eventually looked at the menu and decided on a sharing platter to start, which consisted of olives, halloumi cheese, pate, breaded mushrooms and chorizo. For my main I chose a sirloin steak with chunky chips, mushrooms and onion rings. We drank two bottles of Rioja and at the end of the meal, the waitress produced Lynda's cake and we all sang Happy Birthday to her!

Summer continues...

After a foggy start, it turned out to be a beautiful, and very warm, day, with temperatures reaching 25c...we're having an Indian Summer!

After work Keith and I went off to Tesco at Kettering to buy some ingredients for a Key Lime Pie I plan to make, but I also bought foodstuffs for a Birthday cake I want to make for Keith. It'll also be a trial run for another Christmas cake as I really enjoyed making it last year.

Tesco was very quiet but when we left it took us half an hour to get out of the car park as there was a problem on one of the surrounding roads. I'd bought Sophie a creamy cooler from Costa and it was rapidly melting!

When we eventually got home we dumped all of our shopping in the kitchen for Sophie to put away and went to the pub!

Decisions!

Today has been what I would call a good day and for that I'm very thankful!

Both Sophie and Keith came into work with me today but as the weather was lovely again, we didn't need my daughter to help out at lunchtime. She amused herself by looking at Ben Howard's website and was dismayed to find that his UK concert dates were all sold out. But...he was appearing in Berlin on the 27 November! As it was an occasion too good to miss, we booked up there and then to see him and spend two nights in Berlin! Keith was a bit shocked as that's something I don't tend to do on impulse like that, but as he's not a fan and he also needed to be at home to look after Mikey, he was OK with our decision to go!

Once the Booker order was delivered it was time to go and sort the new car out. Honda had called me first thing in the morning to say that the car was in the showroom so we went off to see it and have a test drive. When we saw the car we were all impressed. It was in lovely condition and was bigger than I'd imagined. Inside, it was very roomy so it would fit all four of us, if necessary, in comfort. We took it for a short test drive and Keith liked the way it drove so that was good news. The only problem was that it came without a spare wheel, something Keith was not very happy about. He asked whether they could move on the price, but the saleswoman came back and said that they would supply a spare wheel for free if we made a decision on the car today.

We decided to go for it so now we just have to wait for that to be fitted and hopefully we can pick up the car next Wednesday, which is Keith's birthday.

After work, Sophie, Keith and I went for a walk over the (very smelly!) fields and then it was home to get showered before Keith and I drove over to Wadenhoe to The King's Head, a pub we've been trying to find for years! We used Gladys who took us straight there and I think that without her, we'd still be looking for it now!

It's a lovely little pub, right on the banks of the River Nene and had a very welcoming and friendly atmosphere. I loved the smell - I'm sure there were Lilies somewhere as I could detect their gorgeous fragrance. We had a couple of drinks and very pleasant it was too! There weren't many people in the pub so it was very peaceful sitting at the bar. By 7pm it was time to head for home and prepare dinner for our hungry children!

Back to the gym!

We haven't been to the gym for ages, mainly because of the nice weather, but as today has been drizzly and grey, it was the perfect time to head back and get into our routine.

Sophie was at home all day and by 4pm she was mightily bored. We were supposed to have gone down to see the little Honda Jazz today but the saleswoman never phoned us, so it looks like the car has either been sold or is no longer available. Back to the drawing board!

I drove home, picked her up and we headed back down to Riverside. We both did the treadmill and the bike and Sophie went onto the cross-trainer for a while. By the time we headed back to the changing rooms, we were both very sweaty indeed!

We managed a quick swim and then it was off to relax in the spa. Bliss!

Changing times...

Today I awoke early and caught up with some of my recorded programmes, including Great British Bake Off...not a good thing to watch before breakfast as it made me extremely hungry!

While Keith went off for a walk, I gave the conservatory, both inside and outside, a good clean. I actually had to hoover the windowsills as they were covered in tiny little brown flakes of something that were everywhere. I hoovered them all up and then washed everything down and when I finished I was very pleased I'd done it, although they will all be back by the end of the week, I'm sure!

In the afternoon Mum, Sophie and I went off to Beckworth Emporium for a cup of tea and to have a mooch about. I wasn't really in the mood to buy plants but I chose a tray of black and orange pansies which will look good in the hanging basket at the front of the house. Beckworth are advertising for seasonal jobs at the moment and I'm trying to persuade Sophie to apply for a job, but she is strongly resisting... She has no idea what she wants to do and at the moment a lot of her friends are heading off to University. I understand it's a worrying time for her, with a lot of changes happening, but she needs to earn money, and if we do sell the business, then she won't be able to rely on working for us!

New car?

Yesterday, on the way to the gym to sort out Sophie's membership, we called into the Vauxhall dealership on Riverside to take a letter in for Mum and Dad who have recently swapped their big Ford Mondeo for a zippy Astra.

While we were there, we had a quick look around the forecourt as the plan to buy a car for Keith and Sophie to share is quickly becoming a reality. The salesman we'd given the letter to followed us out and asked if he could help. Sophie was adamant she didn't want a Corsa so I enquired if there was anything smaller, which there was - the Vauxhall Adam.

Now, I wasn't keen on the name at all but the car looked very good, a bit like the Fiat 500. Sophie sat in it and the salesman tried to pin us down to make an appointment for Saturday but I refused, knowing Keith would not be very happy!

Anyway, I did a bit of research on the Adam and the reviews weren't that glowing. Before we left to go and look for cars I typed in "Top Ten Most Reliable Cars" and the Honda Jazz came out on top, as well as appearing in the Best Used Car list.

I treated Sophie to a McDonald's breakfast and then we went straight to the Honda dealership to see what they had to offer. All that was suitable was a "56" plate that none of us were really keen on. Of course, as we were walking around, a saleswoman approached us and we chatted about what we were looking for. She took us into the showroom and we all sat in a brand new Jazz, that was surprisingly roomy!

When we followed her to her desk, she had details of a car coming in that was four years old and had only around 21,000 miles on the clock. It looked very promising so Keith decided to put a small, refundable,  deposit down on it and we would come down again on Monday to have a test drive to see whether it was for us. To be honest, the whole procedure was quite straightforward, although she did try to sell us an extended warranty and paint protection that Keith said he did not want! The good thing was that Sophie liked the car so no arguments there then!

In the afternoon I washed my car and tidied up the front garden which was a bit overgrown and messy. The grass had this annoying habit of growing while we were away!

Quiet days...

Thursday and Friday have been busy days for me at work but as the weather has been fine and dry, we haven't been busy with customers at all. On Thursday evening, Keith and I sat in the conservatory and played a few games of cards, something we haven't done for a long while. I've noticed the evenings are certainly drawing in now and by 8pm it's dark. I hate having to put lamps on in the evening but there's not a lot I can do about it!

On Friday, Sophie came into work with us as I was hoping we would be busy enough to need her over lunchtime. However, we were still quiet so we went over to the bank and then popped down to the gym to try and sort out her membership as her monthly Direct Debit hadn't been taken out of my account. To add to the mystery, Virgin said that the money had been paid and everything was OK, so I have no idea where the money has gone! It certainly hasn't been debited from my account!

We really need to get back into our gym routine, but while the weather stays sunny and dry it makes more sense to go for an hour's walk over the fields, which we did after we got home from work. Walking up the steep hill certainly gets the blood going!

At 7pm I took Mikey to a party in Moulton and then we whiled away the evening by watching Desperate Housewives. We're up to Season Four now and both Sophie and I are finding it quite addictive!

Who ate all the pies?

I had a busy day at work today, wading through mounds of paperwork and catching up with all the things that had happened while I was on holiday. It was great, therefore, to go out for a walk over the fields and then have a lovely soak in the bath before we all went out in the evening to the local pub.

We'd arranged to meet my parents in the pub for a meal but we arrived a little early and had a drink while sitting in the window seats. I ordered a bottle of Chenin Blanc as I knew Mum would want a glass of wine and I'm sure it worked out cheaper by doing it like that!

Tonight was Pie Night in the pub and they had three different variations on offer - chicken with stuffing, steak and ale, and a veggie choice, that I can't remember! Keith and the children all went for the steak and ale pie while Mum and I went for the Hunter's Chicken and Dad chose the Calves Liver. The pies came with veggies and mashed potatoes or chips and a pint of beer, a small glass of wine or a soft drink, which for £9.95 was good value.

All the meals were delicious but the pies did look a bit on the small side and my two couldn't wait to choose a dessert to finish their meal...American portions they were not! We had a lovely evening chatting about our holiday and I don't know why we don't meet up there more often. It's great as we can all walk so we don't have to worry about driving home after a couple of drinks and the pub is very friendly. The perfct local!

Tackling the mess!

It's been another beautiful day today! It certainly makes it easier coming home from holidays when the weather is this gorgeous!

After work I decided to get out into the fresh air and sort out the mess in our gravel garden. There were dead leaves everywhere and a huge toadstool type fungus that looked positively evil growing by the conservatory doors!

Sophie came out with me but soon grew bored so she went back in and sent Keith out, much to his annoyance! I said I was fine on my own but he went and fetched the secateurs and cut back two Alpines that had become really overgrown. There was a lot of dead stuff underneath the new growth so hopefully they'll come back looking a lot healthier...either that or they'll perish!

Back to work!

I am failing miserably when it comes to my Bucket List for 2014...


1.  Visit Boughton House near Kettering.

2.  Watch Mad Men from the very beginning

3.  Go somewhere I haven't been before, once a month, right up until December. The Florida Keys!

4.  Write a story!

5.  Grow a vegetable from seed. My spring onions are looking a bit sorry for themselves...

6.  Go fishing We were planning to do this on Anna Maria Island but never managed it. This will be a definite fail!

7.  Cook something different, once a month, right up until December. Not managed in August...

8.  Try my hand at making my own wine.



Going back to work today wasn't too bad. It helped that the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day, giving me an excuse to go out into the car park and do some litter picking!

After work Sophie, Keith and I went for a walk over the fields. It was too nice a day to go to the gym!

Day of rest?

I woke up this morning thinking it was about 6am, but when I looked at the clock it was half past nine! I'd slept for a solid ten hours! Bliss!

I left Keith asleep and went downstairs to make myself a cup of coffee and with Archie, I sat and watched Neighbours for half an hour until I thought it was time to make a big breakfast with the bacon, sausages and eggs that my Mum had kindly left for us in the fridge. Keith came downstairs looking a bit dazed and confused as he'd slept for far longer than he'd intended! Just as it was all coming together, I went to wake the children but I hadn't the heart to rouse them from their slumbers so I left them in bed and Keith and I breakfasted alone.

After we'd eaten Keith showered and disappeared off to do a shop at Tesco while I tackled the ironing. Overnight, the laundry monster had been at work and when I opened our dirty linen basket I found it was full! I had three loads of washing (where did it all come from?) and a pile of ironing that would have taken an experienced mountaineer to climb!

At midday I woke the kids as I was worried that Mikey, especially, would get into a strange sleep pattern that would have him awake all night and asleep during the day...not a good thing when he's back at school tomorrow! They feasted on the breakfast food I'd left to keep warm in the oven and when Keith arrived home with the shopping I helped him unpack it all before peeling the veggies for dinner and then mowing the lawn.

I finally finished at 4pm but I was pleased we'd done everything that had to be done. My parents were due around for a drink at 5pm so I had a quick shower and made myself presentable as I would have been a good candidate for a bag lady! My feet were covered in grass stains and there was soil under my fingernails where I'd been pulling up plants that were a bit past their best!

We had a great drink with my parents and they were delighted with their pressies. It was lovely to catch up and share our holiday stories and I think I'm prepared for going back to work tomorrow!

Dinner was traditional roast beef and all the trimmings and very good it was, too!

We're home!

Last night was a long night and not one of the most pleasant flights I've ever had! We did have an enjoyable wait at the airport, though, as I treated myself and my Dad at the Duty Free and then we all sat at a bar near our gate and had a couple of drinks.

Just before we took off, we had the inevitable thunderstorm and took off into very dark skies, but from then on, I couldn't see anything as they closed the blind on the very back window. We all had seats in the middle, on row 65, which was the last from the back and I will never choose these seats again! As soon as we took off and the seatbelt light went out, everyone started gathering to visit the loos which were directly behind us. It carried on like that for much of the journey, even when the lights went out and we were all supposed to be asleep! Also, the area behind us was the spot chosen by two sets of parents with babies to try and lull their little charges to sleep so we had screams and cries for most of the night too, as the parents walked up and down rocking their children!

We eventually landed in Gatwick at 8am and faced the long walk to Passport control and baggage reclaim. It was horrendously busy. When we retrieved our cases I noticed a stain on the top of our largest bag and feared the worst as this contained three bottles of wine. When we opened the suitcase my white trousers which were lying on the top were wet and stained a light pink...

Further investigation revealed that all three bottles were OK so I think it was the heavy rain at Orlando airport that had caused the stain and the wet had made the fabric hangers I'd put in one of the top pockets stain the clothes beneath. Phew! I really didn't fancy smashed bottles and red wine stains all over my clothes!

We took the shuttle to the North Terminal and luckily a bus for the Summer Special parking came straight away. The weather was misty, grey and very gloomy. Not a nice welcome back at all!

Retrieving the car was very simple and straightforward and by 9.30am we were on the M23. I suppose, in retrospect, it hadn't been too bad! The children decided they were hungry so we stopped at the next services on the M25 to get some proper breakfast (the Virgin offering had been terrible) but just as we arrived several coaches disgorged what seemed like hundreds of people...the place was chaotic, crowded and noisy and after our eight hour flight with virtually no sleep, it wasn't the best place to be!

Abandoning McDonald's we headed to Greggs, where the children chose a pastry each and I had a much needed Latte. Back at the car, Keith took over as I felt like a zombie and he drove the rest of the way home. I stayed awake but the children were asleep within minutes.

Getting home after being away for two weeks always feels strange to me! The kids went straight to bed and I unpacked mine and Keith's cases and put a wash in the machine. I was missing the huge American washer and dryer already! The weather had stayed gloomy but at least it was warmish! Last year we arrived home to wet and misty weather and it was cold!

The rest of the day was spent doing very little. I had half an hour's nap, a long soak in the bath and caught up with some recorded episodes of Neighbours. Mikey slept until 5.30pm and Sophie kept napping on the sofa. Keith slept all afternoon while pretending to watch the cricket!

In the evening Keith and I went to order a Chinese from the van in the village and popped into the pub for an hour. The annual "Groove on the Green" was in full swing and the pub was quite busy. A group of men sitting next to the bar and laughing and chatting in very loud voices drove us to go into the back room - I think we were both shattered and longing for some sleep by now but, for me anyway, staying awake and then going to bed at the normal time does help to re-adjust.

We had an enjoyable Chinese take-away and just as we were settling down to watch a film, Mikey came downstairs and asked if he could run down to the village for the Groove on the Green and see his friends. By now, I was really tired and I said no, as I didn't want to have to go and pick him up or wait until he got home. Anyway, it transpired that he'd already told his mates he could go, so I was subjected to five minutes pleading, and then threatening, if we didn't let him go.

Worn out by the arguing Keith and I agreed he could go on the condition he was back on the dot of 11pm. We watched the film (The Call starring Halle Berry and very good!) and then we both stayed up until Mikey arrived home, which he did, five minutes before his time was up! As soon as he was through the door I was off to bed...thank goodness!

Time to say goodbye...

We were all up early this morning and one of my first jobs was to strip our bed and put it onto wash. Not something I enjoy doing first thing when I wake up, but it helps the cleaner, apparently!

We spent the next hour shoving last bits into the cases, showering and making sure that nothing lurked behind in wardrobes and drawers. We'd planned to set off at 8am as we were travelling back on Route 64 and then meeting up with Route 27, as we'd done last year when we drove home from visiting this part of Florida.

The traffic, predictably, was busy, but once onto the single lane road it thinned out and for most of the journey we saw very few other vehicles. The road is very rural and runs through farmland with only the odd town along the way. We saw lots of grazing cattle and fruit trees before reaching the town of Avon Park where we turned onto Route 27.

It was very strange driving past Highlands Reserve where we stayed last year. There were a lot of roadworks going on so in a way I'm glad we weren't there this year. Once past Highlands Reserve we turned onto the 192 and stopped at a Super Target for Sophie to finally buy some pressies for her friends.

At 11am we headed to Bahama Breeze for an early lunch and we were their first customers of the day. We enjoyed a great meal, although in retrospect it wasn't a brilliant idea to have a big pasta dish followed by a wedge of Key Lime pie (that was not as good as the Hogfish Grill!!).

We waddled out of the, by now, busy restaurant and headed up the I-4 to Orlando airport. We found the Alamo drop-off point easily and it was so sad to say goodbye to our lovely car that we'd done over 1000 miles in!

Checking in was easy and quick and we're now all sitting in the departure lounge awaiting our flight. It's been a fantastic holiday and I have so many great memories of this trip. I'm definitely coming back to the Keys one day...I just hope it's sooner rather than later!

Sandbar sunset

Most of the morning was spent packing and getting ready for our departure tomorrow. I even did a bit of hoovering and mopped the floor!

By lunchtime we were mostly finished what needed to be done so a few hours were spent lazily in the pool or beside it. By 3pm dark clouds had gathered overhead so I went in and had a long soak in the bath. While I was languishing in the hot water a storm raged outside but it was nowhere near as violent as yesterday evening, thank goodness!

By 5pm we were all ready to go out and our first stop was Publix as Sophie wanted to buy some treats for her friends back home. However, she didn't see anything suitable so we left and drove to Anna Maria Island in the evening rush hour. It wasn't raining but the sky was full of clouds and I really hoped that we would see a beautiful sunset tonight.

While Keith went off to the pier for a drink, Sophie, Mikey and me headed for a shop opposite to see if they had anything worth buying but although we saw lots of lovely tee-shirts and knick-knacks, there was nothing to buy for Soph's friends.

We joined Keith and had a drink while gazing at the gorgeous views for the last time.

The plan was to eat at the Sandbar restaurant about five minutes away and sit on the beach watching the sunset. I wanted a memorable evening for our last meal in Florida!

There was a bit of confusion about where to park for the restaurant but Keith went ahead and saw the attendant who pointed out a space for us, which was great as I think it was the last one!

We walked in and were seated straight away, almost on the beach itself. The restaurant was already busy and everyone was gearing up to see the sunset.

I had a couple of glasses of Chardonnay and we had a look at the menu which specialises in fish and seafood.

Delicious glass of icy Chardonnay!

Although it was lovely to sit outside, for the first time since the Keys, it was very hot! The temperatures were still in the 90s! We all had different starters and the children decided to be a bit adventurous: Sophie had salmon pate, Mikey had Swordfish ribs, Keith had a crab salad while I enjoyed a dish of Mussels Provencale. They were beautiful.

We didn't order our main courses until we'd finished our starters so the meal was lovely and relaxed. In between courses, Sophie and I went out onto the sand to photograph the setting sun.

Our waiter came around asking us to guess the exact time of the sunset. I knew that in Key West it had been 7.51pm so we said 7.48 and, when prompted by him, 18 seconds. Whoever won would receive a bottle of champagne!

For our mains we ordered steak (Keith) Bison burger for Mikey, Chicken Anna Maria for Sophie and I went for the Stuffed shrimp which were absolutely delicious but too much!

It was fantastic when the sun went down at...7.48 and 13 seconds!! So close!

The children found room for dessert but there was no way I could have even a spoonful of Sophie's pudding! She was on her own tonight!

We'd had a fabulous meal and a perfect evening sitting by a beautiful beach to see the sunset. The drive back to the villa was without mishap and we spent a pleasant half hour sitting by the pool, marvelling at how hot and sultry it was!

Mother of all storms!

This morning we set off for the Ellenton Shopping Outlet, a short way north on the I-75. I'm not a huge fan of shopping whilst on holiday but the kids were desperate for some clothes and shoes, of the right brand, you understand! Me...I couldn't care less!

I'd been put off a bit by the outlets in Orlando but Ellenton was a lot different. For a start it seemed smaller and it was very quiet indeed. We only saw a handful of people the whole time we were there. First up was a coffee from Starbucks as I'd been drinking instant for almost two weeks and was really missing a Latte! I treated the family to whatever they wanted and when we eventually emerged with our drinks, Keith wondered where on earth we'd been! Good coffee takes time! My Latte was delicious!

While Keith and Mikey disappeared off to Levi's, Sophie and I had a wander around Bath and Bodyworks and I treated my car...yes, my car! to a smelly air freshener in the shape of a green owl. Hopefully the fragrance will remind me of Florida! Sophie also bought some delicious smelling body spray that made her skin sparkle.

On the way to Levi's we called into Guess and Sophie treated herself to a small red handbag that was somehow $20 less when she took it to the checkout! Bargain!

We found the men in Levi's and Keith had treated himself to two pairs of jeans and had bought Mikey a bag for school. We also discovered that Mikey had chosen three tee-shirts from a shop called Hot Topic so he was very pleased!

All in all, the kids did very well today and both of them got exactly what they wanted. I even bought a couple of tee-shirts from Converse that will be perfect at the gym!

From Ellenton we drove down the 301 to Yoders Amish restaurant. They were celebrating 39 years in business so had balloons and banners everywhere. We were seated straight away and this time I chose the fried chicken fingers with french fries and coleslaw. Sophie had the same as me while the boys went for the half chicken (or emu) with mashed potatoes and green beans. All of us, including Keith, sipped pink lemonade...

As predicted, the portions were huge and two of my chicken fingers, as well as two pieces of Keith's chicken, went into a box to take home for supper. Mikey, incredibly, finished his emu but took his apple crumble pie home. He still had spaghetti from last night's Olive Garden to have for supper!

Rather than dawdle on the busy 301 back to the villa, we sped back on the I-75 and before too long we were all cooling off in the pool. It's been another day of 90+ temperatures.

It was great knowing we hadn't got to go out again so we could laze by the pool and relax. At about 6pm the sky clouded over a bit and by 6.30pm the approaching clouds were really dark. Then the wind got up and a few branches from the oak tree next door came flying over the fence into our garden. The rain started and Mikey decided to take a dip into the pool.

Next thing, the thunder and lightening started and I've never, in all my life, experienced such ferocity from a storm. At one point the thunder was all around us and the flashes of lightening seemed to come in at us as we were sheltering under the roof of the terrace. It really seemed malevolent and I did feel very scared, for the first time in my life!

I videoed it for about five minutes but after one particularly loud clap of thunder that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, we fled indoors and then noticed that the road outside the house was flooded and bottles from a recycling box that had overturned up the road were floating down the street as if they were in a river!

Our recycling boxes are out but luckily we took in all the paper and cardboard!

We could also smell burning and we still don't know where it was coming from. Miraculously we had no interruption of power...I'm sure in the UK a storm of this size would have had us all without electricity!

The storm lasted most of the evening. Even when things had calmed down a bit, we still saw flashes of lightening in the sky and the odd rumble of thunder. We had a beautiful sunset though!

We had a very pleasant evening hoovering up all the leftovers and trying to finish off a bottle of Teacher's whisky. Home time is beginning to figure largely now and the packing for the return journey has started. We have to find room for two bottles of Rex Goliath, two bottles of Dreaming Tree and a magnum of Rex Goliath, plus any others we decide to buy tomorrow!

On the Beach

We all felt we couldn't come to this part of Florida without visiting at least one of the Gulf beaches and as Siesta Beach was voted No.1 in the US (back in 2011, I think), then this was the one!

We had a good journey down to Siesta Key and as we got nearer to the coast, the landscape became more beautiful and the houses bigger and bigger. We followed signs to beach parking and it was right next door to a lot of construction work going on. We didn't know what they were building - a new hotel or apartments, probably.

Parking was free and it was a short walk to the huge expanse of white sand. Now, I'll be honest right from the start...I'm not a fan of the beach...I quite like sitting at a bar and looking at the beach and the sea, but I hate sand getting everywhere and I would much rather be by the pool than sitting on an exposed beach under the glaring sun, especially as it was very hot today!

You can get an idea of how white the sand was from this pic

We arrived on the beach and at first I couldn't see any umbrellas or beds for rent, but in the far distance we spotted what looked like a stand near to the back of the expanse of sand so leaving the beach bags with the children we walked over to investigate.

A very kind man walked past and told us that we needed to go to a small office and pay there. We would then be given a slip of paper to get whatever we wanted and we'd have to pay a deposit in case we felt like nicking the umbrellas and beds. Keith trudged off again and I called the children over.

Next thing, the most tanned and lithe woman I'd ever seen in my life bounded over and I guessed she was the beach attendant. When Keith returned with his slip of paper she took the umbrellas that we wanted and followed us to the spot on the beach that we liked the look of.

She then drilled a hole with an ingenious contraption and positioned our umbrellas for us. I just stood and gazed at her tan in awe (I've never seen anyone so brown in all my life!).

We put our towels down on the sand and then went running in to the sea. It was very warm and we noticed long eel-type fishes swimming about. The very friendly beach attendant had told us that it was a safe beach and that there was a sand bar a little way out where the water was only waist high. Keith and I didn't venture that far out but we did stay for quite a while in the billowing waves, being lazily thrown about by the swell.

The beach was certainly not crowded, but I dread to think what it was like over the weekend! We stayed for a couple of hours and then went up to the most soul-less, ugly and horrible beach bar where we had a very mediocre lunch. Most of the things we ordered weren't written down by the woman taking the order so I had to go back twice to get what we wanted. There was concrete everywhere and I thought longingly of the beaches on Anna Maria Island and couldn't imagine why they hadn't built a beautiful "Tiki" bar and restaurant that would have fitted in so well with the surroundings.

After lunch the clouds which had been gathering all morning had massed a lot more ominously so we decided to call it a day and head back to the villa. On the way, in the middle of Sarasota, the heavens opened and we had a violent storm with torrential rain. By the time we reached our villa, though, the sky was a beautiful blue again!

We had a quick shower and then Keith, Mikey and me headed over to Publix to get some essentials. I treated myself to a bottle of Hess Chardonnay and enjoyed a glass by the pool when we got back. Bliss!

In the evening we set out for The Olive Garden, about fifteen minutes drive away. Back in 2009 when I'd visited Florida for the first time with my parents we'd eaten at this lovely Italian restaurant but it was forever blacklisted by Sophie as, at 13 years of age, she'd been handed a children's menu where characters like Tommy Tomato and Percy Potato featured large. As she was all dressed up and felt very grown-up she was horrified to think that she qualified for the children's menu in the first place. Consequently, she's had a downer on this particular eaterie ever since and all attempts to eat there in the past have been banned.

However, it's a lovely restaurant and I wanted Keith to try it for the first time. We were shown to our table by a very efficient front of house woman and then our dizzy waitress arrived to take our drinks order. Luckily, this time, we were all given very grown-up menus!

We chose three starters to share and then we were given a basket of delicious garlic bread and a huge bowl of salad. More garlic bread followed and I thoroughly enjoyed my main course of Chicken Parmagiana served with a side of spaghetti...phew! Bizarrely, Mikey ordered spaghetti bolognese and was told he could have another for free, to take home! That'll do for lunch tomorrow, then!

Sophie grumbled throughout her meal of Chicken Marsala so she's obviously still not made peace with the restaurant! Her dessert of Panna Cotta did cheer her up a bit though!

When we left we noticed it had been raining hard again and in the distance the sky was lit up by flashes of lightening. We sat on the terrace back at the villa with a glass of wine and enjoyed Nature's free show...I'm going to miss these fantastic storms!

We go Mexican!

Today has been a very lazy day spent by the pool as it's Labor Day here and we weren't sure how busy places would be. We thought it would be best to lie low today and stay at the villa!

The house opposite after the storm

Towering thunder clouds

In the evening, just after the inevitable thunderstorm, we drove to a nearby Mexican restaurant called Poblanos. The other night when we went to see if we could get a table, it was full but this evening the place was much quieter and we were seated right away.

Our waitress was the best we've had this holiday so far - she was very friendly and helpful and as it was our first visit to the restaurant she brought out three free dishes as samplers. We tried Pollo Picoso (a delicious chicken dish), Carne Asada (steak) and Carnitas Verdes which was pork in a salsa verde sauce.

As well as this we had a bowl of tortilla chips and a salsa dip on the table which was replenished whenever we emptied it! Sophie chose Fajitas Nachos to start and they were delicious. Sophie and I had an argument as I said they were far better than Las Iguanas...

For mains, I chose the Pollo Picoso, Keith had the Carne Asada, Mikey went for the meaty Fajitas while Sophie opted for the Pollo Loco, which she had to admit was better than Las Iguanas! Praise indeed! All the dishes had three flour tortillas with them!

My daughter couldn't finish her main course but she insisted on having dessert - a delicious flan that I had a spoonful of. The diet will definitely start when I get home!

The restaurant closed at 9pm so it was an early night for us. We drove the very short distance back to the house and then had a quick wine tasting to finish off our evening. We bought two wines the other day - Irony Pinot Noir and Menage a Trois Merlot, but I wasn't keen on either of them. I don't think they're worth taking home. We have two Rex Goliath wines to put in the suitcase and we're definitely taking home a bottle or two of the Dreaming Tree, but time is running out now to try any more!