Misjudging time...

Keith tackled a huge pile of ironing this morning while I prepared tonight's dinner of sausage casserole. We were going to the cinema this afternoon so I wouldn't have had time to get it all ready when we returned this evening, as it's Halloween!

After I'd cooked the sausages, pancetta and vegetables I left everything to cool and sorted out the pumpkins for this evening:

Jeff is looking a bit bleurgh, while Caroline looks on in horror!

I put them outside, cut back some of the bushes and swept up. Mike appeared and asked if he could have a lift to Brixworth and I told him we were leaving at 12pm as we were taking Sophie to Riverside before going on to the cinema to see Peter Jackson's They Shall Not Grow Old.

I faffed around a bit more, went upstairs and then noticed with horror that the time was 11.46 and I needed to have a shower, wash my hair, get dressed and put some make-up on...all by 12pm! There was no way I was going to do it and I had seriously misjudged the time!

I had the quickest shower of my life and asked Keith if he could drive so I could put some make-up on in the car! We dropped Mike off and dashed off to Brackmills but I knew we were going to be late as we caught every red light and had the slowest of all drivers in front of us, a woman in a Mercedes who kept braking at everything!

We finally got to Sophie's office at 12.45 and sped off to Riverside where I bought a candle and some batteries in Wilco's. I needed a sandwich and a coffee so we went to Costa where we had a sit-down for twenty minutes, and before leaving Sophie tried on a couple of coats that were more like dressing gowns!

We dropped her off and braved the traffic into town, hoping we could park in the small car park near the theatre, but although there were a couple of spaces,  manoeuvring into them was impossible. We abandoned that idea and tried Morrison's car park instead but you were only allowed to park there for two hours, so in the end we decided to try St John's which declared it was full. We drove up and up and finally, on the eighth floor we found a space.

Despite all the driving around trying to find a space we were still early for the film but at 2pm we went in and took our seats. It was a popular showing and the cinema was full. I'd been really looking forward to seeing the film and it started off with images of young men enlisting (some as young as 15) and training before they were shipped off to France and Belgium. At this point the black and white jerky images were replaced by the colourised version and the footage had been smoothed out and slowed down so it made a real impact.

However, despite the harrowing scenes (some of them really horrific) the film left both Keith and I emotionally cold. The film never really told us where the film footage was taken, at what stage of the war and which battalions were shown. It was just a continuous stream of scenes of men, horses and fighting but we never really got to know who was on the screen and the men narrating were disembodied voices whose faces we never got to see.

I had expected to feel very emotional whilst watching it, and some scenes depicted fallen men and horses, but at the end we looked at each other as if to say, "Is that it?"

We left the cinema and drove to The Britannia pub about two minutes from where Sophie works and had a quick drink. I had a glass of wine and the price was astonishing - £6.79 for a small Shiraz! As soon as Sophie was finished we sped home to prepare for - hopefully! - hordes of children coming around to trick or treat. I found our little light-up skull and our lantern and Keith put the batteries in for me. I lit the tealights in the pumpkins, emptied all of our sweets into a bowl and we were ready!

However, tonight was a bit of a damp squib as we had far fewer children visit than in previous years and the crowds we used to have simply never materialised. I was hoping to see some of my after-school club children but apart from a handful, they never showed up. We were left with loads of sweets!

However, the sausage casserole I'd prepared earlier was delicious and went really well with the baked potatoes which had been cooking slowly in the oven since we'd arrived home. Lovely!

After dinner Sophie and I watched the original Nightmare on Elm Street which was very silly but very bloody!

A day of cleaning!

Sophie drove into work this morning and we had a few words on the way as I felt she was going too fast, especially as there was mud on the road and the bend near Holcot felt a bit slippery yesterday! She's a good driver and I feel safe with her, but Keith and I are both bad passengers, probably because both of us, combined, have been driving for around 88 years and know only too well the dangers of driving on country roads!

We dropped her off and headed home for breakfast and coffee before we made a start on cleaning the house. We tackled Mike's bedroom first as he was away but returning in the evening. His room was a tip (I have to be honest) so we stripped his bed and spent ages cleaning everything. Keith spent more time in there than me as I carried on with the rest of the upstairs before putting fresh bedding on and giving his room a thorough hoover. No doubt it will be back to as it was within the week!

After a quick cup of tea I cleaned downstairs and Keith sorted out a load of old paperwork that we no longer needed. It felt really good to see the house so clean and tidy! I don't know how long it will last, though!

I went to get Sophie from work this evening and made the mistake of going through the town for a change. It took me ages and I was late picking her up! She drove home again and tonight was much more restrained!

When we arrived home I went and soaked in a hot bath for half an hour while my daughter made a start on the two pumpkins we bought on Sunday. We've decided that Jeff (the orange one) will be sick, while Caroline (the ghost one) will look on in horror! Sophie made a brilliant job of carving them and they looked great. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow and hope we get lots of trick or treaters!

Mike arrived home with Georgia and had had a good time, even trying out a Salsa class while he was away! We asked her to stay for dinner but she went to see her Dad so just the four of us enjoying a delicious minced beef stew with carrots and onions accompanied by crispy Yorkshire puddings. Yum!

A challenging day!

We didn't really have any plans for today, but somehow the time flew past!

As the clocks have now gone back by an hour, we suggested to Sophie that we take her to work today and then bring her car back so she could drive home in the dark with us. She hasn't really driven in the dark since she passed her test and of course, she's never experienced the evening rush hour either when the nights have drawn in!

When we arrived home Georgia and Mike were up and about and we waved them off mid-morning for their trip to Doncaster. It was a bit nerve-wracking seeing Mike go off with his girlfriend as it's a fair distance to the town, but he assured me she's a good driver and as she has a black box, she has to abide by the driving rules!

Keith and I went over to the Weston Favell Centre to post off some parcels, buy dinner for Tuesday and Wednesday nights and to get a button...we sold a quilt cover on eBay and I noticed that a button was missing from the end but I thought it would be easy to find a replacement! Not so!

We looked in Tesco and Wilco's, and even Poundland, but with no luck. Keith said he'd treat me to a coffee so we decided to go to the newly refurbished Coffee Lounge that my parents rave about. The place was packed with people and after queuing up at the counter I was told I could take a seat and someone would serve us. I picked up a packet of biscuits and joined Keith at a table, but we waited and waited and no-one even came near! I was a bit annoyed and in the end, after waiting for about fifteen minutes we headed to my beloved Costa where we had a Flat White each.

Luckily, I was able to Google nearby haberdashery shops and there was one on the Wellingborough Road in town. We parked opposite and we dashed across the busy road and into the shop where we found jars of every type of button you could think of...except the one we needed! I picked a couple out and Keith said they were too big but I bought three anyway. They weren't an exact match but I have a feeling that people are buying the quilts on eBay for the material...

We headed home and I sewed the button onto the quilt. It was a bit too big but it still fitted through the hole so I packaged it all up and suggested we send it off on the way to get Sophie in the late afternoon.

We had lunch of very messy chilli chicken thighs (but they were delicious) and all too soon it was time to go and get our daughter from work. We called into the Weston Favell Centre (again!) and bought some stuff we'd forgotten this morning!

We were a bit early for Sophie but already the day was growing dark. The sun had set at about 4.45pm and it will get earlier and earlier until the 21st December. I do wonder why we continue with this practice!

Sophie drove home but I think she found it a bit of a challenge, and I don't blame her. With all the lights of the oncoming cars and then the lack of streetlights along the A43 and onto our own country roads, it can be very daunting!

A blast from the past!

Our clocks went back last night so I was looking forward to an extra hour in bed but I was wide awake at 5am! I tried to go back to sleep but at 5.30am I got up, made myself a cup of coffee and watched Grand Designs. Mike had gone out after all last night and at 5.50am he arrived home, looking a bit tipsy! I'm just glad he got a taxi back!

At 7am two women riding horses went past the house and woke Sophie up so she was, quite rightly, furious! Why they feel the need to walk around our estate I'll never know! She went off to the gym at 9.30am and Keith and I went to get the papers. I was going to wash the car or tidy up the front garden but it was really cold. The forecasters said we'd get a shock this weekend!

At 2pm Sophie and I went to pick up my Mum as we were going to Castle Ashby for a cup of tea and some cake. Today has been beautiful with clear blue skies and plenty of sunshine which is just how I like it! It is almost winter after all!

We parked the car and headed for The Buttery where we sat down and looked at the menu. I was hoping for more of a choice with the food on offer but I settled for a lemon and elderflower cake while Sophie chose a banana version. Unfortunately, this wasn't available so that made her a bit angry! Mum chose a fruit scone with jam and cream and we all decided on big pots of tea to go with the food.

Our experience in the teashop wasn't a brilliant one, I have to say. The level of noise was incredible for such a small place and my cake was dry and too sweet. Oh dear! I don't think we'll bother going back any time soon!

After we'd eaten we went to have a look in the shops and came across a lovely place called The Little Geranium. The woman behind the till greeted us and then she looked curiously at my Mum and said, "I think I know you!" It turned out she was an old friend and they hadn't seen each other for years so we spent about half an hour having a catch-up, which was great!

At the time was getting on we had a look around another couple of shops and then returned to the car. The sun was just setting and we took a couple of photos. This one is of the corner of Castle Ashby house itself:

Before heading home we went to Whites Nursery and bought two pumpkins - a ghost one and a normal orange one. Sophie immediately named them Jeff and Caroline!

Back home we enjoyed whisky and ginger ale to drink (Sophie is too much like me!) and Keith cooked dinner, the chicken in pastry we should have had last night. Georgia came to stay the night later in the evening as her and Mike are off to Doncaster tomorrow to see her grandparents. I'm just hoping for a longer lie-in!

An unexpected treat!

Keith took me to work this morning  and I had a very pleasant shift working with Sue until 2pm, when she left. We were quite busy and the time passed agreeably quickly! Half way through my working day we were amazed to see a big fox nosing around in the grassed area behind our office!

Not the best of photos!

Sophie went to the gym in the afternoon and picked me up from work on her way back. By now it had started to rain and the earlier blue skies and sunshine had given way to a heavy downfall and much colder temperatures. It was only 4c on the way home!

Keith had gone to see Sileby play in Thrapston so we settled down in front of the television to watch the last half hour of 90 Day Fiance until he came home. Mike was also out and we thought he was going to a party but after calling him to see if he was coming home for dinner, he said he would be back in time. This gave us a bit of a dilemma as we'd decided not to cook the chicken en croute we had planned and we were going to go to the van in the village instead. Keith said to go anyway so our Saturday evening turned out to be rather an expensive night!

We ordered the takeaway and went to the pub while it cooked and had a couple of drinks. The pub was decked out in Halloween decorations and it was lovely and cosy with the curtains drawn. We sat at the bar and chatted to Ian and then went to get our food and headed home in the drizzle. Mike was already there so we tucked into our meals and then relaxed for the rest of the evening. It was great to know I was now finished work for a week!

Nearly done!

This morning started off well at work but gradually became worse as we had non-stop phone calls and some very annoyed customers that we had to try and pacify! I went out mid-morning and saw my parents who were down in the main hall doing an aerobics class. They really enjoy their session on a Friday morning and are planning to go into the pool next week to have a swim!

I emerged into sunshine again at 2pm and headed home to find Mike getting ready to go out. I just had time to eat my sandwich (I didn't get a chance at work) and have a cup of tea before we gave him a lift to Brixworth.

Back home I didn't do an awful lot and went and had a bath after Sophie came home. It was lovely to wallow in the hot water as the temperatures are definitely plunging outside! Keith went off to the pub and Sophie and I settled down to watch 90 Day Fiance before we prepared dinner.

Mike came home and actually ate with us this evening! Wonders will never cease! I just have one more day at work and then I am off for a week. Hooray!

Back to the tip!

Keith took me into work this morning and my shift was quite pleasant, despite the rise in the level of noise when a couple of the managers thought it was great to carry on loud conversations nearby, making it very difficult for Sue who was talking to a customer!

I left at 3pm and after getting home and changing, Keith and I went to the tip with our garden waste bin and two black bags full of dead leaves. We taped the bin shut and hoisted it into the back of my car and somehow managed to empty it into one of the huge skips at the recycling centre. I was pleased we hadn't had to empty it before now as we haven't had a garden waste collection at home since June. A lot of our garden rubbish has been put on the compost heap so that's been good!

We then returned home and picked up the two conifers that we'd removed from the garden and went back again. This time it was a lot busier with quite a few people doing the same as us! It felt very good to get rid of it all and if we have to only make two trips a year to the tip with our garden waste, that's brilliant!

Back home we relaxed a bit and Keith cooked burgers and new potatoes for dinner. Mike was out with Georgia and they both returned at about 9pm. We had a great chat and then it was an early night. Work again tomorrow!

Tidying up!

It was great to have a day off today and while Keith went to get his hair cut, I stayed at home to do some tedious chores (car tax, car insurance, blah, blah). As soon as they were all out of the way I went out into the garden to "put it to bed" for the winter.

I cut back the dead shoots from the geraniums and tidied them up before giving them a good water and putting them next to a sheltered wall. They are all still doing fine and flowering but we've been forecast a cold snap this weekend and I would hate to lose them even though it's nearly November!

It felt great to tidy up the garden and get rid of some of the plants that were less than healthy. Once that was all done I mowed the lawn and raked the leaves out of the borders before mowing them as well and adding it all to the compost heap. The robin made an appearance (he loves it when I dig over the soil) and by midday I was finished and very pleased with how the garden looked. Keith had come out to help me and he'd pruned a couple of bushes and taken out a dead conifer that hadn't made it through our hot and dry summer this year. It was a glorious morning with beautiful blue skies but there was a nip in the air!

I went to have a shower and then Keith and I drove down to pick up Sophie from work and take her to Costa on Riverside. While Sophie and I enjoyed a cup of coffee Keith went off to look for slippers and after we'd had our drinks we had a look around the store. Of course, all the Christmas displays were out in full force but we didn't buy anything...it's still too early!

After dropping Sophie back off at work we went to get Mike and Keith fell asleep in the car! I don't blame him! Mike isn't going in the rest of the week (he's a bad lad) so today was our last day to pick him up. The hunt is now on to get another job!

I had planned on washing the car when I got home but it still felt a bit chilly so I spent an hour doing some training for work instead, on my computer. It was about Safeguarding children and wasn't that pleasant!

An early start!

All of us were up and about early today as Sophie was meeting her manager at Mum and Dad's house at 6am. I drove her over as I wanted to use her car and we didn't go into the house, we just sat outside. Sophie was off to another prison near Birmingham so I waved her off and returned home to have a coffee before getting ready for work. I was amazed at how busy the roads were at 6am, though!

Today was slightly better at work as we weren't so busy and Fran, who I work with, was in a more sociable mood! The office was busy, though, as there was a meeting on and people were constantly in and out. It was great to escape at 2pm and go and wait for Mike. As I turned off the engine of the car a crow landed on the rear windscreen wiper and started making loud noises and pecking on the glass! It looked like he wanted to get into the car! He then jumped up onto the roof and strutted about! I opened my door to see what he was doing and he flew off. He looked quite a young bird and I have no idea what he was doing with the car and why!

Mike came by with a colleague as they were litter picking and I asked whether he'd handed his notice in yet. He hadn't and was going to do it just before he left!

Back home I spent a dreary afternoon doing boring jobs administration jobs and trying to contact HMRC, to no avail! I really hate being an adult sometimes! Sophie was home much earlier than I had anticipated and had had a good day. I went up to have a bath as I was cold and soaked for a good half an hour! Bliss!

Difficult conversations.

It's half-term this week and we were very busy at work with almost non-stop phone calls from people booking their children onto the holiday activities and asking about swimming times. I would say a good 25% of our phone calls are about things that can be found out from our website so it can be a bit annoying to endlessly repeat our swimming timetables and opening times. I know I would rather look at a website that hang on the phone for a while! Obviously, there are some things that must be booked with us, such as the holiday club and activities, but I find it amazing how late some people leave it to book and then get annoyed when they can't get their children into a class!

I think I had the hardest phone call of this job today, though, when I took a call from a Romanian man who wanted to sign his daughter and her cousin up to be members. The process takes quite a while for one member, let alone three as he wanted to take out a second membership for his daughter so she could do two weekly clubs! I was on the phone for over half an hour and was nearly crying with frustration at the end as his accent was very heavy and I found it hard to hear him!

It was utter bliss to escape at 2pm and go and wait for Mike at the golf club. Unfortunately, the lovely half hour wait (in which I read Liane Moriarty's latest novel) will come to an end after this week as Mike has fallen out with his boss and is giving a week's notice. He hasn't got anything else lined up so Keith and I are a bit worried, especially as he has just taken out a phone contract for two years.

On the way home we popped to the post office in Brixworth to send out some parcels and then it was home to catch up with chores and check my online tax code as I believe I'm paying too much tax!

Sophie arrived home early from work and we walked Monty around the estate twice. It felt a lot chillier despite the sunny weather. It's set to get much colder at the end of this week as we get a blast of icy winds from the north!

A big clear out!

Keith took me to work this morning as Sophie was going to pick me up at 12.30 and we were going to go and get the ingredients for dinner tonight. I'd let Sophie decide what we were going to have!

Work was very pleasant and I worked with Sheila for four hours. The time passed by extremely quickly! When I emerged Sophie was waiting for me and we headed to Tesco where we bought the ingredients for Chicken Pad Thai, something we definitely have never cooked before!

Tesco was busy so it was great to get everything we needed and head home for lunch, eaten in the sunny conservatory with the Sunday papers. Bliss!

I then made a start on clearing out the garage and I filled my car up with rubbish that we no longer needed. It's amazing how much stuff we still accumulate! The garage was filled with leaves so I swept them all up and tidied everything, making it look so much better! I also chatted with Vince and Sue, our new next-door neighbours who are very friendly and sociable.

Sophie came with me for the first trip to the tip and we managed to recycle as much as we could. We returned home and I filled the car again and the second time when we went back it was a lot busier. One man next to us was shovelling rubble out of a trailer and it was going everywhere! I felt very grubby!

Back home I hoovered the rugs in the garage and then vacuumed my car which was filthy! The dust from the rubble man was all over the back and in the boot! I did one last thing before I went in and had a bath, and that was clean the carpet shampoo machine that we keep in the garage. I've been meaning to do it for years and I'm not even sure if it still works! It did look a lot better when I'd finished! Perhaps I'll use it to clean the carpets now!

Before we prepared dinner I had a wallow in the bath and a sit down for half an hour. At 7pm Sophie and I went and made a start on the dinner, but Sophie had already spent an hour earlier in the day preparing all the ingredients and chopping up mushrooms, broccoli and an onion.

We "cooked" the very thin rice noodles by immersing them in boiling water and Sophie cooked the onion and garlic before we added the chicken and stir-fried it until it was cooked through. We then kept it warm in the oven before stir-frying the vegetables and noodles. At the end we mixed everything all together (there was a lot of food!) and added soy sauce. We even used a little bit of fish sauce today but it didn't seem as strong as it did before.

The meal was delicious and it's something we'll definitely have again!

Endless summer?

It's been another beautiful day today with highs in the afternoon of 17c! Our summer is just going on and on!

Sophie went to the gym this morning and Mike called me just after she left to ask if I could pick him up from Moulton. He'd been to town last night and had stayed over at a friend's house. I duly went off to get him, leaving Keith to sort out our headboard on our bed. I'd tried to move it out the other day to hoover behind it and I'd split one of the wooden prongs that holds it in place.

I met Mike at the newsagent in Moulton and we headed home. Just as I rounded a bend going out of the village, a woman jogger ran straight out into the road in front of me! It was a good job I wasn't going too fast and I slammed my brakes on. The woman, in absolute shock, at first just stopped dead in front of me before running on! I was astounded! She obviously hadn't heard me coming around the corner as she'd had headphones on! To say Mike and I were shocked was an understatement and it just brings home to me how dangerous it can to run without being able to hear approaching traffic.

At lunchtime Sophie and I headed over to Farndon Fields and had lunch at the farm shop's restaurant. Predictably, it was very busy and we had to queue for quite some time before we were seated at a sunny window table. I chose a jacket potato with coronation chicken while Sophie went for her usual chicken and bacon sandwich served with french fries.

It was a delicious lunch and it was lovely to sit in the sun and contemplate a shopping trip to Market Harborough. After we'd eaten we wandered around the outside of the farm shop and I couldn't believe how many pumpkins they had for sale!

Squashes

Not sure what this was meant to be? A grinning face?

I love the Ghost pumpkins!

 They also had a Christmas display going on which I thought was a bit early! It reminded me very much of Beckworth!

We left to go to Market Harborough and had a mooch about the shops, taking in Waterstones where we looked for an Asian cookery book. We still hadn't decided what to do on Sunday night and had thought about preparing a Ramen soup but we couldn't find anything that was suitable. I bought a bottle of dry Vermouth in Tesco as we planned on having Vodka Martinis tonight as a treat before dinner! The shops were very busy so after an hour we decided to head for home and went the scenic route.

Back home we walked Monty around the estate and went to see the horses, but as we hadn't got any food with us, they showed no interest whatsoever! When we got home I made a Vodka Martini for Sophie and a Gin version for myself. I preferred mine as the Vodka cocktail seemed much, much stronger and I think I prefer my drinks a bit sweeter!

Dinner tonight was a delicious beef casserole served with dumplings for Keith and I and giant Yorkshire puddings for the children. I had an early-ish night - work for me tomorrow!

Thank heavens it's Friday at last!

It wasn't freezing this morning but there was patchy fog and mist around, making driving a little difficult!

I took my car and Sophie went on her way so Keith had a day off driving us about (with the exception of Mike) so he did lots of housework, which was great! It was truly lovely to come home to a clean and tidy house, and the bathrooms looked fab!

Mike was in a sober mood as he'd had a row with one of the men at work and was threatening to give his notice in. To be honest, it would be somewhat of a relief after all the early mornings we have to contend with! Keith and I managed to persuade him to sleep on his decision and at least try and get another job before he leaves. It's great that he's earning money!

Sophie and I had sold some Levi's 501s so Keith and I went to Brixworth to send them off but I saw one of our horrible neighbours waiting in the post office (him of the parking argument) so I turned around and got back into the car, much to Keith's amusement. I just didn't want the embarrassment of confrontation, especially as there was quite a long queue!

When Sophie arrived home it was bliss to relax with a glass of wine and 90 Day Fiance for an hour. Sophie then cooked dinner of curry while I went to collect Keith and Mike from the pub. Phew! Thank goodness I am off tomorrow!

A late night!

I took Sophie's car again today as she was going straight into town from work and meeting Alice at the new university campus.

Work was busy so the time flew, even though I was there until 3pm today. Keith had picked up Mike and I went to get Sophie as there was no point in me going home because she had been allowed to finish at 4pm today. I had half an hour to kill before she finished and I watched a family of crows looking for food around the car park. I wished I'd had some crumbs with me but I'd eaten all my lunch!

At 4pm we drove straight to the campus and we were relieved to see that the barrier had been raised. We pulled up outside the main student office and Alice met us there so that was easy! Sophie had had visions of trying to find her on the sprawling university grounds!

I waved goodbye to them and went home to collect Keith as my Mum had said she'd wanted to see me. She gave me some chocolates and a card and had a bottle of beer for Keith as a thank you for us taking them into town and picking them up last weekend when they'd gone to Bournemouth. We stayed for a cup of tea and then went home via the scenic route, watching the sun setting over the fields. We saw a gaggle of young pheasants by the side of the road and remembered that it's now shooting season for them. They looked very skinny, though!

Back home Keith prepared steak pie and vegetables for dinner (not homemade) and we settled down to wait for a call from Sophie. She was going to see her old lecturers for a presentation and at long last she was able to deliver the Champagne she'd bought for them earlier in the year!

At 9pm she texted to say they were on their way into town for a meal (on the bus) but that they wouldn't be too late. We eventually went down to get her and Alice at 10pm and the frost warning came on in the car. The temperature dropped rapidly from 8c to 3c so we might have a frosty start in the morning!

A frustrating day!

As usual, I was first into the office today but it seemed like the machines were ganging up on us! The wallboard, that shows all of our calls, refused to work and I couldn't log onto my phone system as the last person who worked last night hadn't logged off!

Luckily, one of our colleagues helped but the annoying little events carried on all morning, as the email I'd sent off before I left yesterday bounced back and there was no way of re-sending it. Sue, who also works on a Wednesday, had to go to a meeting so I was manning the phones on my own for two hours. Thankfully, Aly stepped in and helped when I had six calls waiting!

I was mightily glad to finish at 2pm and go and collect Mike! Once again I read my book in the car and relaxed a bit!

Keith had taken Sophie to work this morning as my car had had two near rear tyres fitted, so we drove down to get her at 4.30pm and heard, with a bit of alarm, that there'd been an accident in Old, near the pub! The road was blocked by the accident and to this day we don't really know what happened, but it can't have been that serious otherwise we would have heard about it on the village Facebook page.

When Sophie and I arrived home we decided to go for a walk around the estate with Monty and we went down to the field to see the horses, but they were nowhere in sight. It was a gorgeous evening with streaks of pink and purple in the sky and it was still quite mild for the time of year. When we got home I sat on my computer for a little while and the sunset was stunning - the sky was a bright, almost neon pink. Beautiful!

Dinner tonight was breaded pork escalopes and all three of us went out to the kitchen and prepared the meal. It was delicious!

The mist and murk...

It was a misty, murky morning to wake up to and the fog was patchy, hanging around in the lower lying areas and making everything look mysterious.

I was very busy at work today as I had the box office returns to do and Friday's, Saturday's, Sunday's and Monday's films took me all morning to complete. I had forgotten how to do them, to be honest, but as I worked through my notes it all came back to me, thank goodness! At five minutes to 2pm, Sheila said that an email had come through from one of the companies asking us to send the figures so that made me ten minutes late!

It didn't matter, though, as I wasn't picking Mike up until 3pm and after getting to the golf club, I relaxed by reading Nine Strangers in the car. Bliss! I was also amused by watching the local squirrels jumping about all over the place!

After I got home, Keith and I went over to Tesco to get some diesel and to post a parcel to Hungary at the post office in Broughton. In the evening, Sophie and I cooked sesame beef stir fry and very good it was, too!

Miserable Monday...

I have not enjoyed today, I'm afraid. It will definitely not be a contender for the best day of October!

I woke up feeling bleurgh and it didn't help that I had only fifteen minutes to have a coffee as I had forgotten to set my alarm and Sophie woke me up getting into the shower. The weather was awful again - it was dark and raining and nasty. I'm really missing those beautiful summer mornings!

Work was challenging today and the phone calls seemed relentless. I was supposed to be doing the box office returns as Stella is on holiday but I just didn't get the chance to do them. We had some difficult phone calls and I was really glad to escape at 2pm!

Keith picked me up as he'd had to go to Tesco and we popped over to the supermarket again to visit the post office and get some fajita seasoning for dinner tonight.

We then went to get Mike who started later this morning - he now does 6.30am until 3pm which is a bit of a pain as it was so convenient to pick him up when I had finished work. From November he will be starting at 7am so an even later finish!

My Mum and Dad were coming home from Bournemouth today and I was hoping they would arrive back in Northampton at about 4pm, but Mum called me to say they were still at the services just outside London!

We then had to play the waiting game until they finally called at 7pm to say they were at Junction 15 of the M1. Sophie had to cook dinner while Keith and I sped off to pick them up in the drizzly gloom and take them home.

By 8pm we were back and sitting down for dinner which was delicious! Thank goodness for a daughter who can cook!

What a grey day!

I had a bit of a lie-in this morning but there were no beautiful sunrises, just dreary rain falling steadily out of a grey sky.

We discovered that Georgia had stayed overnight (something we hadn't really discussed) and after popping out to get the Sunday papers and buying some sausages we made a big breakfast, which also included scrambled eggs, baked beans and lots of toast.

Mike and Georgia disappeared for the rest of the day and Sophie and I mooched about until I decided to colour my hair as it was way overdue! After it was all done, Sophie went to the gym while I had a nap as, despite my modest lie-in (7.30am), I felt really tired!

The weather has been as horrible today as it was beautiful yesterday. What a difference! All plans to tidy the garage and tackle the Virginia Creeper have been put on hold again and the weather looks set to be murky for the rest of the week. I suppose we have been lucky!

Sophie and I had a night off cooking today and Keith did the Sunday roast - a lovely chicken with all the trimmings. Sophie and I sorted out our eBay sales so it'll be off to the post office again for me tomorrow!

A delightful afternoon!

This morning started off rainy and grey but the weather dramatically improved and the rest of Saturday was glorious with way above average temperatures!

I was up at 6.30am and I caught up with Grand Designs before Keith and I went out to get the newspaper. Sophie went off to the gym while I cleaned the downstairs of the house and swept up lots of leaves from around the back door. Today it's been windy again and Storm Callum has been creating havoc in the west of the UK with floods and torrential rain.

At 2pm Sophie and I set off for Henley-on-Thames as we were going to see Liane Moriarty at the River and Rowing Museum. It was part of the Henley Literary Festival and I had my copy of Nine Perfect Strangers with me.

The temperature climbed to 25c on the way to Henley and it was an absolutely gorgeous day with blue skies, fluffy clouds and a warm wind. Once off the M40 the countryside was beautiful and the colours of Autumn were stunning. We arrived in the town and found the museum but we discovered we'd parked in the council car park rather than the museum car park which was free. We asked if it was OK to leave the car there while we ventured into the town to eat, which was a bonus!

It was lovely to walk along the river into town and see lots of people enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures. Henley-on-Thames is a beautiful town and I'd gladly visit again.

Sophie and I had had a look at restaurants while we were at home and we'd picked out a Thai eatery called The Giggling Squid which looked promising. We found it easily and were given two menus, a lunchtime and an evening version. Apparently, we could order off the lunchtime menu before 5pm which was great as it was a lot cheaper!

We ordered the two dish combo and Sophie ordered pork dumplings to start while I had chicken wings. We both opted for the Thai red curry for a main course and we ordered some prawn crackers to munch on, which were the best I've ever eaten. With a big bottle of sparkling water to quench our thirst (did I mention it was warm?) and two glasses of wine we were all set!

The food was delicious and very spicy! My chicken wings were lovely and came covered in chillis! The curry was also very good and we had soon polished off the food with still two hours to kill! We ordered a dessert to share and after lingering over our wine, we paid the bill (£48 including service) and meandered back along the river to the museum.

On the way we passed lots of boats that had been moored up and came upon a small, but very feisty Bengal cat who was affectionate one minute and a bit aggressive the next! We sat on a bench for a while and looked over at a small island that was crammed with houses. We couldn't make out whether they were just summerhouses or full time residences!

As the time was getting on we walked over to the River and Rowing Museum and I collected my book from the car. We made our way upstairs and took our seats opposite a small stage, discovering canvas bags on each chair, which contained a magazine ( bit disappointed!). The audience was overwhelmingly female and there were some very rude women there (a group of whom had been in The Giggling Squid earlier) which annoyed my daughter very much!

Liane Moriarty appeared at 7pm with a local writer called Amanda Jennings who seemed a bit over-awed with the author! They chatted for an hour which was very entertaining and at the end the audience was encouraged to ask questions. Half way through, Sophie realised that Liane Moriarty's sister, Jaclyn, was one of her favourite authors when she was a teenager, which made us both a bit amazed!

Before we left we queued up to get our books signed and I recognised Liane Moriarty's husband who had emerged from the loos when we were going in earlier. He looked a bit like Nigel Farage!

We had a chat with the author and we mentioned her sister so that was lovely. We had thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and evening and we had a good journey home, arriving back at 10pm. I had just enough time for a G&T before hitting the sheets!

Sorting things out...

My Mum and Dad were going away for the weekend to Bournemouth this morning and had to be in town for 7.30am to meet the coach that was taking them there. I got up with Keith at 5am and helped him "encourage" Mike to get ready for work and while they were gone I showered as I was going straight to work after we'd dropped them off.

They were all ready when we arrived so we put their luggage in the back of my car and set off for Northampton in the dark. I still can't get used to these pitch-black mornings! We waited with them until almost 7.30am but I was worried about getting to work on time so we had to leave them there, but there were quite a few other people also waiting for the coach, so that made me feel a bit better!

As it turned out, I was early for work and Mum called me at 7.50am to say the coach still hadn't arrived! As she was talking to me it turned up but it rather set the tone for the weekend...

Work was busy as Kathy and I tried to sort out the bookings I'd been looking at the day before. I'd had to list all the various "outdoor" bookings we take care of and sorting it out took up most of the shift!

Keith picked me up at 2pm and we collected Mike from work. Back home the phone rang and it was my Mum to say that she hated the hotel room as it was poky, smelly and dingy. I told her to go down to Reception and complain and ask for another room, which she did, with little success. She called back in tears so I phoned the telephone number of the hotel chain and managed to get through to a woman who was in charge. I explained that my parents weren't happy and that they'd been looking forward to their break after all the health problems they'd been having and that I wasn't having my Mum phone me in tears.

I think she put the phone down on me, but when I called my Mum back I could hear the telephone in the room ringing and after half an hour it was all sorted out and they were in a better room. My Mum seemed a lot happier but she said that they'd never go back to that hotel! I did ask whether she'd looked at the reviews on Trip Advisor (as I had) and she hadn't...!

My Friday evening was relaxing and the three of us (Mike was out) enjoyed a Tesco Chinese which certainly wasn't as good as I'd been expecting. It did mean that we didn't have to cook, though!

Barbecuing...in the dark!

Sara gave me a job today at work that kept me busy for the whole shift and the time positively flew by. Keith picked me up at 3pm and had a grumpy Mike with him who was not happy that they had come to pick me up. He wanted to be home!

It's been another beautiful day today and after getting home we went back out again to post another parcel (thankfully not fragile this time!). Just as we pulled onto our drive we saw Sue and we had a long chat about the Parish Council meeting on Tuesday evening. She had stood up to speak but said she felt like a little schoolgirl and had to put her hand up to be given the chance to say her piece!  I remembered having to do this when we went a few years back and I got the feeling they didn't actually like members of the public present!

We 'd planned on barbecuing this evening but I had forgotten how early it gets dark these days! I had imagined sitting in the garden at about 7pm in the dying light of the day and sipping a G&T but it was pitch black! We set the barbecue up on the driveway and trained one of our lights on it so Keith could see what he was doing! Sophie thought we were utterly mad!

However, we had a delicious meal and we cooked Aldi's Aberdeen Angus burgers along with some marinated chilli chicken (also from Aldi) as well as roasted veggies and potatoes wedges. Yum!

Disappointments...

I had been really looking forward to today but, despite the gorgeous weather, it was a little bit disappointing...

Keith and I ventured over to Kettering after he'd been to the doctor for a blood test. He seems to be slightly anaemic and maybe even lacking in Vitamin D (aren't we all?) so he had to go to the surgery first thing. I changed our bedding with a view to getting everything dried outside and as soon as he was back we went and did some shopping for tonight and tomorrow. It's supposed to stay warm and dry so we decided to barbecue on Thursday evening! Well, why not?!

Once we were home I checked Facebook as Sophie had said that one of our neighbours had posted a long rant on the residents' page after the Parish Council meeting last night. This particular neighbour is a bit of a bully and judging by his post, it looks like he lost his temper yesterday! This is the same man who accused me of deleting one of his posts the other week and sometimes I wish I could just ban him outright, but I quite like his wife! I wish I'd gone to the meeting now! Anyway, it left a bad taste in my mouth, especially as I think some of his post was aimed at Mike...

We had an early lunch and drove down to see Sophie to take her for a drink at the pub opposite to where she works. It was a perfect opportunity to sit outside and soak up some Autumnal sunshine! Unfortunately, Sophie wasn't that happy as she doesn't have a great deal to do at the moment so we urged her to have a word with her manager and try and get some more work. I know only too well what it's like to be in a job with very little to do and the time drags horribly.

After dropping her back off at work, we picked up Mike and went home where I fully intended to sit in the garden and enjoy the weather. However, on checking my emails I discovered that one of the crystal items I'd sent off on Monday had been damaged in the post so I spent the next hour sorting that out, refunding the man who'd bought it and submitting a claim to the Royal Mail. I felt really sad as the crystal bowl had been a wedding present and although it had been stored in a box for the last ten years, I felt bad that it had been cracked. I had been hoping it was going somewhere that it would be cherished.

We ate early this evening as Sophie and I were going to the cinema to see American Animals, which was utterly brilliant! It was a story about four students at a university in Kentucky who, as a kind of silly prank, decided to steal some very valuable and extremely rare books from the campus library. It was a kind of docu-drama, as the students and their parents (and a lecturer) all featured in the film being interviewed about the events. It's well worth seeing as the students all felt a huge amount of remorse about what they did to the middle-aged female librarian and she has her moment to speak at the end of the film. It was funny but also moving and will rate as one of my favourite films of the year!

Hot...or not!

Last night Keith marinated our chicken in the new Levi Roots paste and it smelt very much like the Tesco brand, so we'll just have to wait and see!

It's been a gorgeous day today with sunny skies and lovely warm temperatures for this time of year. Our lovely summer is continuing! Work was a bit challenging this morning as my colleague, Fran, didn't seem to be too well and at one point I thought she was in tears! Both Sara and I tried to help but she brushed off our attempts to find out what was wrong. There was a lot of sniffing which I found irritating so I was mightily glad at 2pm to be heading home. I was supposed to have been working tomorrow but I now have the day off and although I'll miss a day's wages, it'll be great to have some time off!

I pootled about in the afternoon and enjoyed the sunshine and Sophie and I went for a walk to see the horses when she came home from work. We gave them some apple and carrot and they let us give them a pat. On the way around the estate we met a lovely little black cat but this time Monty was happy to walk past him or her!

Keith went out this evening to see Sileby play and I took the marinated chicken and cooked it in the oven for 45 minutes. It smelt very good and we used some of the remaining marinade in the sauce, along with garlic, white wine, chicken stock and cream.

We all enjoyed the meal but we felt it wasn't anywhere near as hot as the Tesco paste, so we've agreed that next time we'll make our own!

A bit of a blur!

I must confess, I've become a bit behind this week with writing my blog and the days have all sort of merged into one blob!

This morning Mike called into work sick, but didn't tell Keith until about 5.30am which, as you can imagine, drove my poor husband mad. We're having some problems getting him up in the mornings at the moment and I don't know whether it's the darker mornings or whether he's just really tired, but it's hard work!

Keith took Sophie to work this morning as he needed my car and when I finished work at 2pm I went over to the Weston Favell Centre to post a whole load of parcels, most of which were fragile! When I arrived home Georgia was there and Mike looked remarkably well for someone who had called in sick!

On the way to picking Sophie up from work, Keith and I went back to the Weston Favell Centre to try and get some Jerk paste that we have used in the past. Keith is out tomorrow night so it's a chance for us to enjoy Jerk Chicken Pasta but although we hunted high and low for the Tesco own brand, we couldn't find it anywhere. In the end we had to settle for a Levi Roots paste and I just hope it'll be OK!

I'm staying off the Gin/Vodka this week so I was a bit subdued this evening. I do like a nightly tipple (!) and I was wondering whether the non-alcoholic Seedlip Gin-type drink was worth splashing out £24 for? Maybe I'll treat myself when I get paid soon!

A hunt for ingredients!

After last night's jollies I slept in late and didn't wake up until almost 9am! Unheard of!

Keith and I went to Tesco at 10am and bought the ingredients for tonight's dinner - Chicken and Spelt Risotto - plus meals for Monday and Tuesday. The Hairy Bikers' recipe called for Pearled Spelt, but we hunted high and low and had to make do with Pearl Barley instead. We also had to look for dried Shitake mushrooms again (at £2.99 for a 40g pot they are not cheap!) and some herbs such as parsley and sage, as well as Chestnut mushrooms and an Oloroso Sherry!

Keith is out on Tuesday night to see Sileby play so we are planning on cooking Jerk Chicken pasta but again, we couldn't find out usual Jerk paste in Tesco. The bill came to an astonishing £50 for just three meals (plus some beer) but the good thing is that Keith returned an ink cartridge that he'd bought by mistake (we needed black and he bought a colour one) so at least that was £18 credited back to his account!

Back home I discovered that we'd sold some more crystal and of course, I hadn't brought a box home with me! We raided my Christmas decorations stash and put a beautiful fruit bowl into a gift box before wrapping it well! I hate sending fragile items out by mail!

At 2pm Sophie and I drove to Mum's as we had planned on going to Weedon for a cup of tea and a mooch about the shops. I made the mistake of setting the satnav on my phone but she had us heading for the A14 so I turned around and went a better way. The last time we went must have been before Mum and Dad moved house! (I think it was October 2015) We saw that the roadworks by Junction 16 of the M1 still hadn't been finished (A45 link road) and I remember them from last year when I did deliveries for Majestic.

We arrived at about 3pm and headed straight for Darlington's where we ordered pots of tea, slices of cake and a scone for me. Today the weather has been absolutely gorgeous and the conservatory where we were seated was sunny and warm. Long may it continue!

After having something to eat we had a lovely mooch about the shops and noticed that there had been many changes. One shop which used to sell antiques now had other quirky things for sale alongside the older items and it had all been set out beautifully. We eyed up some Christmas decorations, but we bought two in Abraxas which will look perfect on our Scandinavian tree.

We spent a very pleasant hour looking around some other shops before we decided to call it a day. We dropped Mum off and went home via the scenic route, noticing how the Autumn colours are now out in full force.

After relaxing for a while Sophie and I made a start on dinner and I was mightily glad we'd boiled the pearl barley for a while before adding it to the chicken and mushrooms in the pan. It took a long while to cook and become tender! We finally sat down to eat at 8pm and we all agreed it was delicious - the risotto had an earthy flavour due to the mushrooms and the barley and was certainly filling!

A busy day!

Weather-wise, today has been truly horrible, with a steady rainfall and cold temperatures. I'm sure it wasn't supposed to be like this and all plans to go out into the garden and cut back our Virginia Creeper were put on hold!

We had a lazyish morning and at midday Sophie and I went to Jones's to get some bits and bobs we needed. We've had an idea to sell "Mystery" boxes on eBay and we wanted to do a Girls' Night In with some DVDs we no longer wanted as well as some little items we were going to sell along with brand new things that would be perfect for a cosy night in.

We bought some little things that didn't cost a lot and were dismayed to find the wholesaler busy with people Christmas shopping! I just can't look at anything until at least the middle of November...let's get Halloween and Bonfire Night out of the way first!

After Jones's we went to Costa and had a light lunch before popping to Boots. Before we went home we called into Virgin as Sophie wanted to join again, despite her being able to use the gym for free because she's on my staff card at work! I don't blame her, though...the gym is lovely and she can call in on the way home from work.

As she's under 25 she was able to get a discounted membership with just a six month commitment, which I was pleased about. She signed all the paperwork, we declined the show-around as we'd both been members before, and we left to go home.

We discovered, to our delight, that we'd had sensible offers for some of our stuff on eBay so we spent the new hour and a half packaging it all up and buying our postage! I then got ready to go out as we were due at Richard and Michelle's house at 7pm, along with Paul and Sue for our Wine Night.

We had a really lovely evening with delicious food and some wonderful wines. We also laughed a lot, which was great, and did a lot of gossiping, which was naughty! We left at midnight to find Sophie curled up on the sofa with a sleepy Monty. I had eaten too much of Michelle's pasta, salad and crumble dessert so after a quick chat it was definitely time for bed!

A little spat!

Work was very pleasant this morning, right up until about 1.30pm when I was given a job to do by Sara and it all went a little wrong! Why it was given to me and not to Sadie who was at work right up until 8pm, I'll never know. It meant I left without seeing the problem through, which I hate!

I went and collected Mike and as soon as we got home I went out again with Keith to get his prescription from the doc's. There was a big funeral going on in the village and everyone had walked from the church to the cemetery to pay their last respects. I should imagine the pub will be busy tonight!

Back home I caught up with some jobs and awaited Sophie's arrival from work. When she gets home the weekend can begin!

Keith walked down to the pub and Sophie and I enjoyed a glass of wine and 90 Day Fiance, as per our usual Friday evening. However, when I was finishing off the dinner, we had a little spat about politics and I flounced off to get Keith in a huff...not the best way to spend our precious Friday night! We'd made up by bedtime, though, so that was a relief!

Traffic nightmares!

It was horrible, misty and grey this morning and the traffic on the way to work was heavy, with a kind of panic about the way people were driving. I listen to the traffic news on the way in and an accident was mentioned in Moulton which is near to my route. As soon as I got to work I texted Sophie to warn her about the amount of vehicles on the road and I later found out that her and Keith had had a nightmare journey in because of problems everywhere. It set the tone for the day...

Keith took Sophie in as she was going out this evening with her friend Alice who she had met at university. Alice had been on a placement and had returned to Northampton to do her final year at the brand new campus.

Work was OK, but it was busier than Wednesday and people kept annoying me! When I finished at 3pm I went to the post office in the Weston Favell Centre and sent out some items we'd sold on eBay. I then bought ink for the printer and put some petrol in Sophie's car as I'd been using it all week.

It had turned out to be a gorgeous afternoon but I just wanted to get home! I met all the school run traffic so that annoyed me even further! I arrived back at 4pm, just minutes before Keith and I went out again to take Mike to Brixworth and to go and get Sophie and take her into town to meet Alice.

Because the traffic was heavy we were late so when we left, the roads around Sophie's office were gridlocked. I decided (in a moment of madness) to go away from the town to avoid the queues, but we still got stuck near the village of Brafield-on-the Green, which maddened Sophie!

We eventually arrived at Alice's flat at about 5.45pm and headed home. However, we decided to head through Moulton to avoid a problem on the A43 and half way home we discovered the road had been closed, for no apparent reason! We had to double back and go through Overstone because of the problems on the A43. It was a nightmare! We eventually arrived home over two hours later than when we'd started out and we were in no mood to cook liver and bacon which is what we'd planned for tonight!

We had a drink and relaxed for half an hour before eating a corned beef and potato pie that Keith had made earlier in the day. Mike arrived home with Georgia and I don't know whether they were expecting to have dinner with us, but they were disappointed! I felt a bit guilty afterwards but we're going to have to speak to Mike about springing guests on us, especially after such a busy day (and week!).

We went back out to get Sophie at 10.30pm and picked her up in the middle of town. They'd had dinner and been to a Comedy night at a local club that was full of Freshers! I think it's made her even more nostalgic for uni life!

A bit of a tidy up!

Keith took Sophie to work this morning as he had a flu jab booked for 2pm and I needed a car to get Mike. Work for me was very pleasant and we had a young lad training with us so it was good to be able to help him as he answered the calls throughout the morning. There was a great atmosphere today which was a bonus!

After I got back with Mike I decided to tidy up the front garden which was a complete mess. The grass was overgrown, there were dead leaves everywhere and the weeds had taken hold. Keith came out to keep me company and I asked him to try and dig up a shrub that looked messy and horrible. He duly obliged and we discovered the roots were really short. Now we have a nice gap and I'm going to try and re-seed the front verge so the grass looks better. I mowed the verge and swept up all the leaves and weeds and it looked so much better when I'd finished!

I finished at 4.30pm and we dashed off to get Sophie in the rush hour traffic. She was late coming out so we got really stuck and I decided to go home a different way. We still came upon some queues but at least we kept moving!

An early start!

All of us had a very early start this morning as Mike was at work at 6am and Sophie had to be at her manager's house at the same time as they were catching a train from Huntingdon down to Rochester. Gone are the beautiful mornings and the gorgeous sunrises...it's now pitch black at 6am!

I took Sophie to Thrapston while Keith took Mike to work and I was back at home first. I made myself a cup of coffee and got ready for another day of work!

When I picked Mike up we headed to Brixworth as he wanted to go to the Co-op and get himself a sandwich. In the queue he spotted the scratchcards and suggested buying one. I told him to get one with lots of sevens on it and when he asked to buy it, the card cost £5!

I'm not a fan of scratchcards but every now and again (maybe once a year?) it's fun to buy one. There were loads of little games to play and instantly we had won £5 so at least we received our investment back! Mike then carried on and with the last game he thought he'd won £700,000! He nearly collapsed with shock! However, as he scratched away we realised he hadn't so we had to make do with the £5 which he owed to me anyway!

Sophie kept me informed as to where she was and she arrived back in Huntingdon at 6pm. We drove over and picked her up and then headed back for a relaxing dinner and a drink. Phew!

Monday rolls around...

It was back to work today and Keith dropped me off as he had a doc's appointment at 9am. Work was OK and I was kept busy doing a job for Sheila so the time passed very quickly.

At 2pm Keith picked me up and we went to collect Mike. It's been a breezy day today and the leaves are falling fast! After dropping Mike off at home Keith and I went to Tesco to get some shopping for the rest of the week. We hadn't planned what we were having for dinner so we wandered around the supermarket hoping for some inspiration to hit us! Eventually we settled on pork chops for dinner, something that will not go down well with the children, I fear!

After shopping we called to see Mum and Dad for a cup of tea and some delicious biscuits and they were looking really well. Dad pointed out an advert in the paper for a cruise to the Caribbean and San Francisco, which I think they should book. It would do them the world of good and they deserve to get away for a good holiday after all the health troubles they've been experiencing lately!

I cooked dinner tonight, and I have to say it was lovely. We cut up the potatoes into cubes and roasted them in the oven with the chops and I stir-fried some shredded cabbage and spring onions. I'd bought a lemon butter sauce to go with the meal and it all disappeared. It can't have been that bad!