Another week over...

So, Friday has arrived again and still there's no sign of us completing on the sale. Today was supposed to have been my last day at work before I had two weeks off, but Sophie and I will have to go in on Monday to do the cleaning and a host of other jobs that need to be done. Mum will be in hospital so I have to sort things out before we leave on Tuesday.

After a quick trip to Booker, Sophie and I did manage to leave just after lunchtime and I went home to tidy up the garden and mow the lawn (hoover up leaves). I'm glad I did this today as I'm facing a busy weekend and it's one less thing to do!

Keith and I took Mike to the doctors in the afternoon as he was complaining about stomach pains. Heaven help us if he can't go on Sunday. That really would put the cat amongst the pigeons! Luckily he was given some anti-acid tablets and he felt better so he stayed in Brixworth to see his mates. Phew!

July photos

July has whizzed by...here are a few photos from this month:

The garden at the pub, overlooking the church

Sue and Bailey

Sophie at work, all ready to start cooking!

Our sunflowers (note the new grass in the background)

Container gardening

Monty selfie

A little treat...

It's been a busy day at work which was surprising seeing as the weather today has been fine and dry. We did have a lunchtime party, though, which helped as well as a group eating so that might have had something to do with it!

I gav eSophie the day off today so it was just Mum and me in the office. We were called down to the kitchen at midday to help with the washing up and there was mounds of it! Once we'd cleared it all it was time for our lunch and then I finished work at 3pm to go home and wash the car.

In the early evening Keith and I went to the pub and sat in the window watching the world go by. Keith treated me to a glass of Chardonnay for once, and very nice it was too! We chatted about the holiday and I said that I couldn't believe it was going to be August soon. This year has passed so quickly - maybe more quickly than any other year I've known and all we seem to have done is wait around for the business to be sold.

Once back at home I cooked Jerk chicken pasta for dinner, so beloved by Sophie. It was quite hot and very tasty and there was enough left for lunch tomorrow!

Memories

I bought myself a "Video Capture Adaptor" from Amazon a few days ago as I wanted to convert some old camcorder tapes to DVD. As I'm so quiet at work at the moment I took everything in with me and managed to get it all to work.

It was great seeing footage of a visit we made to France back in 1994, before we'd even started the business or before we'd had Sophie and Michael! I think it's amazing that you can capture moments in time like that!

We stayed in a small hotel near Carpentras and explored the wine villages of Chateauneuf-du Pape and Gigondas, which is now a renowned wine although back then we'd never heard of it. We also visited Nuits St Georges in Burgundy and stayed in a hotel in the village of Mercurey when it was very hot. When we headed back to the UK the boot of our Rover was packed full of cases of wine! Oh, to be able to go and do that again! One day, perhaps!

My little reveries were interrupted by a call from one of the buyers who sounded very frustrated that nothing had happened again this week. He blamed our solicitors and asked (almost demanded) that we get onto them to find out what was happening. My Dad duly called them and was told that everything had been done and that they certainly weren't ignoring the buyer's solicitors as had been suggested.

I have a feeling that someone is delaying this sale for whatever reason and telling little porky pies. We are all so fed up with it dragging on and my planned two weeks holiday is being cut short drastically as I'll have to come in next Monday and then return to work on the 10th to look after things if my Mum is still out of action after her operation.

We went home and relaxed after the stressful half an hour of phone calls and we're just hoping that something will get done within the next few days, but I'm not holding my breath!

Escaping!

Keith and Mikey arrived at work at lunchtime as I'd washed all the tea-towels and cloths and then forgotten to bring them in!

Mike took the opportunity to have some lunch and then we managed to escape in the afternoon, firstly by going to Booker and then to Jones's where we bought Mike a load of stuff for his upcoming Army camp next week. He needed new socks and underpants and an array of toiletries and he loved being the centre of attention!

We drove back to work via Blacks as he was also looking for a knife but the ones they had weren't suitable so we agreed to drive over to Home Guard in Thrapston. We left Sophie at home and went over to the shop which is a treasure trove of Army stuff. The man in charge knew all about the camp next week and showed him suitable knives to take with him. Mike was really pleased with the one he picked out but it looked very scary to me!

Back home our son went off to a party at the Army cadets meeting while Keith made a soup we'd never tried before - Thai style chicken and broccoli. We served it with crusty bread and we all enjoyed it despite Sophie discovering that she preferred coconut milk as a moisturiser rather than an ingredient in soup!

Another Monday goes by...

The grey weather continued today so we were quite busy at work. We were supposed to completing on the sale today, but of course it didn't happen.

Sophie's new Polaroid camera arrived today so when we got home we had a good look at it and charged up the battery. It was a shame the photo paper didn't arrive at the same time otherwise she could have taken some photos with it!

For dinner tonight we cooked home-made pizzas and we each chose our own toppings. It was a squeeze to fit them all into the oven (Keith had chosen stuffed crust bases) but we managed and they were delicious, especially served with my own potato wedges!

Where has summer gone?

It has rained all day today and been chilly and miserable! Where has our summer gone?

Keith and I called in to see Mum and Dad for a coffee and then we took Sophie to work. Unfortunately we had to go to Booker as well and that was a sore trial...the nearby sewage treatment works smelled terrible this morning (I had to cover my nose it was so bad) and when we emerged after doing our shopping it was tipping it down so we got wet loading the stuff into the car. What a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning!

From work we went to Tesco as Keith had changed his mind about what we were having for dinner and fancied a joint of beef. It was certainly the weather for a roast - definitely not a barbecue day!

We didn't do much in the afternoon but I did have to take Mike to Brixworth as he was meeting friends and had said he was going to a party...could I pick him up at 11pm? Well, no I couldn't, actually, as I'd had enough of taxiing him around all over the county so I called him at 5pm and said he had to come home. He resembled a drowned rat when we collected him and didn't put up much of an objection. Enough is enough!

An interesting evening!

We had a very relaxed start to the weekend and didn't really do anything until the mid afternoon. I found my old video camera and we looked at some ancient footage from 1994 when Keith and I were in France on holiday. We both looked so young and Keith's accent was much more pronounced than it is now!

Sophie and I also managed to get rid of some big knots in Archie's fur which made him a lot happier, although he has a bit of a bald patch on his back. It will soon grow back!

Mike had been out since yesterday afternoon with some friends and I went and picked him up at 2pm, just before Soph and I went down to Majestic in Northampton as I wanted to buy a few bottles of wine. We picked out some Californian reds and a couple of Loire whites and then had a quick tasting of some Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand which I wasn't keen on at all! It's too much like cats' pee!

From Majestic we drove to the Gallone's ice-cream parlour in Kingsthorpe and I treated us both to a Nutcracker sundae. The place was very busy as usual and we just about managed to grab a table! While we were out Keith had taken Mike to a Garden Party in Guilsborough in his role as an army cadet and he had told us that he would be able to eat from the open buffet so not to worry about his dinner. Keith had made a fruity curry but I had a feeling that when Mike returned home he would still want some...I do know my son!

We decided to go and have a drink at the pub in Guilsborough which had been re-named, for some strange reason, as The Witch and Sow. It used to be called The Ward Arms and the last time we'd visited had been quite a few years ago. The place had undergone a transformation and the lounge bar was now quite sparsely furnished in the latest fashionable style with mis-matched chairs and tables, a piano and bare wood everywhere. We were the only ones in the lounge so we took a seat by the window with our drinks where we had a good view onto the small car park.

One by one, single people had started to arrive, including a man who kept wandering about the car park and moving his car. He must have been out there for at least fifteen minutes, looking at the available spaces and then walking up and down before getting back into his car and manoeuvring it into a different position. Another lady arrived in a white Audi TT and a woman drove up dressed in a very strange outfit indeed. We sat goggle-eyed at all the comings and goings and wondering what was going on!

We soon realised that all these people were meeting each other and we suspected that it was a singles group gathering for drinks and a meal. Without being really nasty, some of them did look a bit strange including one man who Sophie was convinced was a murderer! However they all seemed to be getting on really well but it was fascinating seeing them all arrive and start chatting with each other!

At 8pm we went to collect Mike from his posh garden party but he hadn't really had the kind of evening he'd been expecting! His role was to stand at the entrance to a very grand house in his cadet uniform and direct people into the car park. Of the buffet, he'd seen no sign! Therefore he was starving hungry (and tired) and moaned vociferously all the way home about how rude some of the people attending the party had been!

Luckily, although Keith had catered for just three of us there was more than enough curry to go around so Mikey didn't go hungry!

Pennies from Heaven...

It's been a manic, and not very pleasant, day at work as the weather has been truly horrible. The forecast rain arrived as we were driving into work and didn't let up all day, making hordes of customers arrive on our doorstep!

I'm not complaining, but we did have several issues that we could have done without! One little boy somehow banged his nose and then bled everywhere. The blood was in one of our ballponds so poor Polly had to get in there with her emergency container and try and clean as many as she could. While she was doing that I was on Reception and Sophie had to sit at the top of the slides to stop children going down into the ballpond.

While all this was going on (and customers were asking stupid questions) the frozen food order arrived. I knew I should have kept Keith on after we'd made an early trip to Booker! We also had to clear up piddle in the Tots area (Polly had to do this again) and we received complaints about the toilets...does it ever end? And there was us wanting to delay the completion so we could take advantage of the unsettled weather forecast for next week! We must be mad!

Doggy drinkies!

This evening Sue and I went to the pub in Old for a drink as she was treating me for looking after her garden while they were away.

She had both of her dogs with her - Bailey and Archie - so I took charge of Archie for her as the two dogs can be a bit of a handful. It had been a while since I'd walked a dog (Max was the last) and Archie, as a Cockapoo, was a lot lighter than the big Pointer!

We walked up to the pub and decided to sit outside despite the leaden sky. It was still quite warm though and it was lovely to share a bottle of red wine, some paprika covered fries and olives. We had a good natter and Sue very kindly agreed to water my garden while we were away so that's a relief.

We sat and chatted for longer than I thought and when I glanced at my phone I saw it was almost 8pm! I told Keith I'd be home for 7.30! We hurriedly left and walked quickly back home, not letting the dogs have their fill of all the delicious scents that were to be found on the path and on the verges!

Back home I was in the doghouse a bit as the others were waiting to have dinner and all the food was sitting in the oven!

A little rain must fall...

It's been a mixed bag of weather today with some torrential downpours in the afternoon that were quite exciting! This summer is not like last year's at all and is how I actually want it to be - some sunny days, some rainy days. It's good for business!

I've resigned myself to the fact that we are going to be here for the foreseeable future - it's not worth worrying about and at least I have an income! We had a pleasantly busy day at work and then I went home with Soph to tidy up the front garden and get a little fresh air and exercise. I swept up loads of leaves, did a bit of hoeing and generally made the front garden look a little neater. Keith, Sophie and the cats came out with me to keep me company which was nice, and I had a chat with Jenny who lives down the road so it was quite a sociable occasion!

At 5.30pm Mum and Dad came around for a drink again. The intention was to not talk about work but invariably we did. We all agreed that we would just carry on as normal and if it happened, it happened. It does put a strain on my holiday, though, as my Mum is going into hospital on the 1 August for a knee operation and we're away all the following week when she will be out of action. The staff at work will just have to rally around and help us, something I know they will do. It does, however, make a bit of a joke of all the leaving presents and cards we received, but never mind!

Sophie and I had a Tesco Finest Paella for dinner - another recipe on my growing list of things I want to make myself. Some day!

A little treat

The last normal day at work before the school holidays arrived and we had three parties, which was good news! I can't quite get my head around the fact that the children break up today (Mike broke up last Friday!) but the summer holidays have arrived and we're still here!

Sophie worked over lunchtime and we were able to get away at 4pm. I went out and "mowed" the lawn but there was hardly any grass to cut, it all seemed to be leaves. It came over a bit cloudy but I was still able to sit and relax after I'd finished and see a little bird who appears to have broken its wing come hopping out of the bushes to peck at some food.

Keith and I had to pick up Mike who'd been in town all day and as soon as we got him home it was time to take him to Army Cadets. As a treat Keith, Sophie and I went to The Lamplighter and had a meal and a couple of drinks. There was some sort of clothes swapping evening in progress so it was busier than normal but there was nice atmosphere and we had a lovely couple of hours talking about our forthcoming trip to Scotland and what we're planning to do when we're there!

Feeling poorly

I woke up in the night with a really bad headache that stretched down the back of my head and into my neck. I got up, took some painkillers and watched television for half an hour before going back to bed and having strange dreams about working in a clothes shop in Market Harborough...hmmm!

When I woke up again at 7am the headache was still with me, so I asked Keith to take Sophie into work for me as we had a school visit in. I said to Keith I was going to go back to bed and try and shake the feeling off as it was making me feel sick.

By 11am I was feeling a little better so I had a shower, dressed and drove to a nearby garage where I bought some Nurofen Express. At work I arrived to find the school group eating their lunch and Sophie in control of things, so that was a relief.

Mum and Dad had some unsettling news for me, though. They'd had an email from the company that provides our buildings insurance and as the policy was going to end early they wanted almost £4,000 from us. This was the last straw and I burst into tears...

Dad reassured me that we would sort it out (i.e. ignore their demands) and then went to get lunch from McDonalds. I didn't have much of an appetite but at least my headache had eased a bit.

The school were in until 2pm and then we cleared up and went over to the bank before going home. I still felt a bit yukky so I sat and relaxed which was difficult seeing as we'd had a horrible day!

A little planning...

Although the forecast was for rain today, the weather has been gorgeous - a perfect summer's day with beautiful blue skies and an array of fluffy white clouds to add interest to the view.

We had a busy morning as after we dropped Sophie off at work we had to go to Booker. I am definitely doing an online order on Monday! From work Keith and I drove straight to the village of Wadenhoe as we fancied a drink there and we also needed to sit and talk about our forthcoming trip to Scotland.

As the pub sits right on the river it was beginning to get busy with people arriving for Sunday lunch. We sat at the bar and had a look at the atlas, trying to decide where was the best place to stop on the way to our B&B in Strontian, on the Ardmurchan peninusla.

I do love planning holidays and it was great to sit and chat about what we were going to do over a couple of drinks. The pub became busier and busier but the staff coped very well with the sudden rush, even turning away a party of people who hadn't thought to book a table!

We left at 2pm, went home and prepared the veggies for dinner before having lunch. I ate mine in the garden watched by a couple of birds who were pecking around on the ground looking for crumbs. It felt very hot and the sky was a gorgeous shade of blue. Perfect!

I picked Sophie up from work at 4pm and then we went home to try and book two hotels - one for on the journey up, near Glasgow and one for Skye as I thought it would be a good idea to spend the weekend after our boat trip on the island that we have loved for years. Sophie has never been to Skye and we wanted to show her around the island and where we used to stay.

After a good look we booked a chalet at a country club in the town of Bishopton near Glasgow. It has two bedrooms so that will be a treat for Sophie! We also researched pubs in the area and saw a potentially good one in Port Glasgow that serves fajitas!

We had much more of a problem finding somewhere to stay in Scotland over the weekend. There were no hotels available on Skye at all so we widened our search to the Highlands in general but there were no family rooms and booking a double and a single room proved very expensive indeed! Some places were quoting £300-£700 for one night!

We kept on looking, searching further and further away from Skye until we realised that there were no places available in our budget range. I suggested we visit Skye on Friday the 7 August and spend all day there and then travel down to the Lake District on Saturday and spend the weekend exploring as Sophie has never been to this beautiful part of the country either.

To our amusement we found a lovely South American themed B&B in Penrith called The Llama's Pajamas and as it had excellent reviews, we booked a family room with breakfast! No doubt Sophie will be out with the llamas and will want to bring one home to keep in the garden!

We all felt a little more excited after all the planning and I just hope that by the time the holiday comes I will be a free agent!

A tale of three pubs!

I awoke early this morning and caught up with some recorded programmes over a cup of coffee. Always my favourite way to start the weekend!

In the afternoon Sophie and I headed off to Homesense as my daughter wanted more storage for her growing collection of make-up! We wandered around the store and she bought quite a few bits while I just looked. Nothing really caught my eye and I wasn't going to part with my money for no reason!

After Homesense we drove to Weedon where we had a lovely relaxed lunch. It was quite breezy so we opted to sit in the airy conservatory where we both tucked into sandwiches - cheese for Sophie and turkey salad for me.

After eating we had a good look around the shops and Sophie bought a new mug for herself in Abraxas while I chose a recipe book for easy family dinners. It was great to just mooch about looking at all the lovely things for sale.

We had a leisurely drive home through our stunningly beautiful countryside. I do think we're so lucky to live where we do. We stopped off for an ice-cream in Brixworth and then went home to relax before it was time to take Mike to a party in the evening.

As our son was off out, Keith, Sophie and I decided to have a Chinese take-away so we went to the village to order it and then popped into the pub for a quick drink before giving Mike a lift to Brixworth. The pub wasn't very busy and I did think that it was time for a refurbishment. Other pubs in the area have undergone a transformation but our local seems stuck in a time warp!

After we dropped Mike off we drove over to Boughton to visit the Whyte Melville, which was very popular indeed! People were sitting enjoying the evening sun in the lovely garden and the pub itself was busy with people drinking and eating. We sat outside with one drink and then decided to call in to The Griffin at Pitsford. I imagined I would have trouble parking as the car park isn't very large but we were astonished to see just one car there. At first we thought the pub was closed but the landlord rushed out and opened another door, explaining he had a wasps nest!

The place was extremely quiet and there was a sign saying there was no food available. We were very surprised at how quiet the pub was and after one drink we left to go and pick up our dinner. It had been an enjoyable outing and I just hoped that I wouldn't get any calls from Mike in the middle of the night asking to be picked up!

Friday comes around...

I gave Keith the day off today and just Sophie and I went into work. Mum and Dad popped in to say hello at lunchtime but then went off to do their shopping. We had one of the staff members from the new buyers in today which I found a little annoying, especially as he was sitting doing very little. I had a nasty suspicion they were spying on us!

After lunch Sophie and I went off to Boots and then I treated her to an iced coffee in Costa. It was very pleasant to sit for half an hour and chat away from work.

When we got back, Georgie was in and brought a load of files and stuff in that he's going to store in our office until he comes back from his holiday. We were expecting an influx of Eid celebrants but by 4pm it was still pretty quiet so we returned home, wishing Georgie a great holiday. I was fervently hoping that the next time I saw him he would be in charge rather than me!

Escaping for a little while...

Keith and I made another trip to Booker today and this time Sophie came with us to help. We had to buy a load of stuff for a sleepover we have taking place at work on Friday night, something I didn't think we'd still be here for!

Keith went home after we got back and Sophie and I escaped to Jones's before heading home as well. On the way we passed Mike and Keith, on their way, no doubt, to Brixworth.

Keith and I escaped to the pub for an hour at 5pm and sat in the garden. The skies had turned a bit cloudy but it was still warm with a lovely light breeze. Perfect conditions! We had a good chat but three people, sitting near us, were holding a very loud conversation, so we couldn't help overhearing. I do love listening in to what other people are saying but when we were sitting in silence it looked a bit suspect!

We picked up Mikey after leaving the pub and then went home where Keith made dinner before settling down to watch the rest of the golf. I am truly a sports widow at the moment as we have The Ashes on, The Open Golf Championships in Scotland and the Tour de France. I think Sophie and I will arrange to do something on Saturday!

And the days pass...

Nothing much has happened on Tuesday and Wednesday again - although the weather has been horrible and driving Mikey to Army Cadets on Tuesday was like being in Autumn already, with grey misty skies and a constant drizzle.

Keith came into work with me on Wednesday and we had to do the first of our Booker trips. I wish I'd known that the sale wasn't going to take place as I would have booked a delivery from them. It was hard work loading up the trolley, loading it all into the car and then putting it all away at work! I won't miss doing that!

Mum and Dad came around for a drink on Wednesday evening and the sun came out while we sat in the conservatory. Sophie and my mum shared a bottle of white while dad and I enjoyed a beautiful Californian Cabernet Sauvignon. I'd also bought some Indian type snacks in Tesco which went down very well!

It was great to sit and have a chat and Mike amused himself by shooting at targets in the garden with his air rifle, much to the annoyance of Sophie who hates him using it!

No end in sight...

Today hasn't been the best of days as we failed to complete on the sale and the weather has been wet and dreary from morning until night.

Keith and Sophie stayed at home while I went in as normal and Mum, Dad and I did our normal jobs. And then we waited...and waited until an email came through in the afternoon with some questions from the buyer's solicitors that were ridiculous...did we have planning permission, for instance? After 21 years of being in business I bloomin' well hope so!

Naturally this has held things up as after we answered the questions (all of which had already been dealt with months ago) our solicitor then had to revert back to the other solicitors to progress things forward. It was very frustrating and worrying and we left at 4.30pm knowing that we wouldn't be completing today.

Keith and I went to The Hare in Loddington for a drink this evening and I was able to relax for a while!

Computer problems

Did I say I'd made my last trip to Booker on Friday? Wrong!

Maureen wanted us to get some bits for work so after popping to see Mum and Dad for coffee and hearing about their less-than-pleasant villa holiday in Nerja, we dropped Sophie off at work and went to Booker, hopefully for the very last time!

After dropping the stuff off we returned home and had breakfast. It was just the two of us as Keith had been up early this morning to take Mike to the Barracks again for another day of training, poor thing! It was too much like school he said!

I hoovered the downstairs of the house and then we settled down to watch the tennis final between Djokovic and Federer. While it was on I attempted to catch up with my blog as this last week I have fallen badly behind, but the computer was being an absolute pain and I couldn't type properly as the cursor kept jumping all over the place. I think my laptop is on its way out!

I wasn't totally enthralled by the match so I went upstairs to put a colour on my hair (badger be gone!) and Sophie called to ask me to pick her up at 5pm. I'd already arranged with my parents to take them in so they could say goodbye to rest of the staff and I phoned them to tell them I'd pick them up at 4.30pm.

Typically, Mike called early today and wanted to be picked up so Keith dashed off to get him while I showered and dressed, ready to go into work.

We had a lovely time at work and my parents received a bottle of Talisker and a garden voucher. We had a great chat with Maureen and then it was home to relax with a glass of wine before dinner. A much better end to a weekend that started off quite badly!

A wobbly start to the weekend...

I didn't have the best of starts today when, after dropping Mikey off at the Barracks for a weekend Army course, I nearly backed into another car... I was honked at very loudly which upset me as I wasn't in the best of moods to start with!

On the way home I burst into tears as it's still not absolutely certain that we'll complete on Monday as the solicitors still have a few questions...what on earth could they possibly still want to know? By now I would have thought they'd know what colour knickers we wear, they've asked so many questions!

Back home I had a quick shower and then we dashed off to Mum and Dad's house for a 10am viewing. I swept the decking, opened all the doors and some windows and generally made the place look inviting. I needn't have bothered as the couple who came were really quite obnoxious and walked around talking loudly about the house's shortcomings...even though it wasn't my house their comments still hurt. I'm just glad my parents weren't there to hear them.

After they'd gone, we shut everything up and went home and I was very thankful that my parents were on their way back this morning!

In the afternoon Sophie and I went over to Market Harborough where we had a bite to eat in Caffe Nero before wandering around our favourite shops. Sophie bought a beautiful ring at a craft stall and I treated myself to two bottles of white wine and a bottle of whisky in Duncan's shop. Duncan and Nick were on top form and started making jokes about Australian crocodiles which just made them laugh more and more. They're mad!

We waited to hear from Mike about what time to pick him up and planned on going to the pub for a drink if it was a reasonable time. Mum called to say they were home and we agreed that we'd pop around in the morning for a catch up over a cup of coffee. They certainly seemed happy to be home and hinted that their holiday hadn't been the best of weeks...

We eventually picked Mike up at 6.30pm so no time for a visit to the pub after all. Instead we sat and had a glass of wine and played cards in the conservatory before dinner of chicken en croute.

After dinner we settled down to watch "Sliding Doors" starring Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah and Sophie and I had a couple of shots of Honey Bourbon. It certainly livened up our evening!

Last day?

Mum and Dad's house is still up for sale, but their contract with the estate agent is due to expire next week. However, today I had a call from the agents asking whether I could show potential buyers around this afternoon and tomorrow morning. I was a bit sceptical, to be honest as they've had twenty weeks to arrange viewings, but I agreed as I didn't want Mum and Dad to lose out on a sale!

It's been very hot today at work and we closed up at three. I emptied all the filing cabinets and stacked them all in boxes. Keith and I also went to Booker...for the last time?

Just before I was due to leave to go to Mum's house the phone rang and it was the estate agents saying that my 4pm viewing had cancelled. Sophie and I went anyway as we needed to feed the fish and water the plants. Keith was waiting for us and helped out with the watering, which was a bonus!

Back home I gave Mike a lift to Brixworth and listened to a CD I'd found at work - Jane's Blast from the Past! It was great and Sophie really enjoyed listening to the Santana tracks!

The days blur into one...

Tuesday and Wednesday have been wet this week which meant that we were busier than expected due to the rain.

My life this week has been a blur of feeding the fish, watering the gardens (thankfully our neighbours returned on Wednesday) and having Georgie in at work to learn how we run the business. We haven't had any time for a trip to the pub and I'll be mightily thankful when this week is over, I can tell you!

On Thursday it was our 21st birthday at work and although it was warm and sunny we were quite busy in the morning. I wonder if people thought we were going to be giving away free things!

I bought a bottle of Cava and Maureen baked a beautiful birthday cake which we enjoyed in the afternoon. I also received some lovely leaving presents from Maureen and the staff so that was an unexpected surprise!

Important meeting...

I had a busy day at work sorting all the weekend takings and Georgie came in to see what we do on a Monday. He spent a lot of time with Sophie while I got on with my jobs and then went back to his normal job at lunchtime which enabled us to go to the bank and get lunch.

At 4pm Georgie came back with another man on the management team and all our staff arrived for a meeting about the changes that will take place with regards to their jobs. It was a short meeting and all of our staff except Maureen said nothing at all which was a bit disappointing. I don't think much will change in the near future but I have a feeling that once the summer school holidays are over, there may be a few ruffled feathers!

Sophie and I left work at 5pm, went to feed the fish and then it was home to relax after our busy day!

All this driving!

After dropping Sophie off at work this morning Keith and I went to Jones's where I managed to spend a lot of money on some pretty boring things! I'd also meant to buy some compost to use with the plants I bought yesterday but forgot!

Cursing slightly we drove to the garden centre at Harlestone and chose a huge bag from the wide selection there. We also had a quick look at the water features as Keith said it would be nice to have a little fountain or something in the garden.

When we eventually arrived back home, Mike wanted a lift to Brixworth so Keith took him while I potted up all my plants and made a start on the housework. I cleaned the house and drove Keith to a football match at 3pm as his team, Sileby Rangers, were playing Northampton Town and he knew that it would be busy with people going to see the two teams play.

Once back at home I finished the housework and had a relaxing half hour before it was time to go back and collect Keith, then Sophie, then Mikey! By 6pm I'd had enough of driving people about and it was utter bliss to sit with a cold glass of wine and relax!

Keeping busy

We were woken at 2am this morning by a loud thunderstorm and flashes of lightening that lit up the whole bedroom. It seemed like it was right over our heads!

The morning dawned grey and sullen, like the weather was having a hangover from the night before!

I was facing a day of driving our kids about - Sophie was off to her friend Daisy's house for American Independence Day celebrations while Mike was off to two parties: one at 3pm and one at 7pm. Luckily he was going to walk to the later one otherwise I think it would have been better to have just taken up residence in Moulton!

We dropped Sophie off at her party and then I washed both cars and changed the bedding on our bed. Luckily, by lunchtime, the sun had made an appearance and I could get everything dried on the washing line.

After we dropped Mikey off in Moulton we went to Beckworth Emporium where I treated Keith to a cup of tea and a scone. The place was surprisingly quiet and it was lovely to sit in the sun and relax for half an hour. After our snack we had a quick look around the plants and I bought some more geraniums, fuchsias and petunias for the empty tubs I have in the garden.

From Beckworth we went to feed Mum and Dad's fish and after making sure they were happy I dropped Keith off at the playing fields in the village so he could watch a cricket match taking place. I drove home alone and had an hour to myself. Bliss! It was great to catch up with one of my recorded programmes in a beautifully quiet house! Sophie called me to ask me to go and pick her up and as I was driving out of the estate Keith was walking down the path so he came with me, which was a bonus!

There was no chance of going to the pub tonight as we were picking Mike up later so it was home to watch some tennis and have dinner. Sophie had eaten her fill of American food all day so Keith and I shared a delicious home-made curry and then sat and waited to go and pick our son up. I dreaded to think what he would be like after two parties but he was absolutely fine, which was a huge relief! We drove home and enjoyed a bowl of Keith's bread and butter pudding with a wee dram of whisky!

Bunking off early...

Today has been another warm and sunny day and after we went to Booker in the morning, we decided to head for home as there was little to do at work.

I did feel a bit guilty going home to sit in the garden but after half an hour of soaking up the sunshine I mowed the lawn to at least say I'd done something! I think I collected more Eucalyptus leaves rather than grass but when I finished the lawn did look a little better!

I'd brought all the laundry home with me as I'd forgotten to take all our tea-towels and cloths to the launderette and Maureen called me to day I'd left our change bag in the office. This was all the excuse I needed to head in to sort it out and take in the freshly washed and dried laundry. It was till very quiet at work so I'd made the right decision!

Cooling off...

Thankfully, today has been a lot cooler, especially during the evening, but the forecast thunderstorms and rain didn't arrive.

I had a busy day, with Georgie coming in in the afternoon to work with Paula who was covering for Polly. She was delighted to learn that he is planning to come in on Saturday to see how the business works over the weekend so she had a big smile on her face when Sophie and I left at 4pm to go home.

Keith and I watered our neighbour's garden and sat and enjoyed the view again. Overhead big grey clouds gathered but despite the wind getting up and a faint smattering of rain we didn't have a storm. We sat in the conservatory for a while to plan our meals for next week and had a drink to cool off before preparing dinner of roast chicken and salad.

Everything is looking really dusty and dry at the moment. A big downpour of rain would be wonderful!

Hot, hot hot!

I think today has been one of the hottest days ever as the temperature outside registered 36c this afternoon and I personally have never seen it get that high before. Yesterday, while Andy Murray was playing at Wimbledon, the thermometer said it was 41c!

Everyone thinks we enjoy the summer heat but I know a lot of people don't...we're just not geared up for it in this country! The same as we can't cope with heavy snowfalls and plunging temperatures in the winter!

I met Georgie at 8.30am this morning and he spent a few hours with Maureen and Sophie learning all about the restaurant and how Reception works. He went at midday and Keith and I drove over to Tesco to buy salad stuffs and cold meats for dinner. It was just too hot to cook anything else!

Back at home I had a long cool shower and in the early evening Keith, Sophie and I went to The White Horse to sit in the garden with a cold drink. Mike had fallen asleep so we left him to it and had an hour chatting with like-minded people who were also enjoying the slightly cooler evening temperatures. When we got home, though, the house felt like a furnace and going to bed was not an enjoyable prospect! Phew!