A mellow evening

It was heaven to have a lazy start to the day and not have to rush off anywhere! Keith and I went to get the newspaper from the garage in Moulton as we needed to put some air into one of my front tyres. I have another slow puncture that will need to be sorted out next week! Where am I picking up these nails?

When we returned we had breakfast and Sophie and I did some housework to make things a bit tidier. I am off next Wednesday and intend to blitz the house then. After a shower Sophie and I went to Riverside and enjoyed a hot chocolate at Starbucks. It was packed with people and I just about managed to get a seat. This is because, traditionally, we don't venture out on a Saturday so we're not used to the crowds!

The weather today has been grey and miserable, and very cold! More snow is forecast next week but we'll have to wait and see if we get any, it's so hit and miss in this area!

After Starbucks we ventured into a furniture/carpet store and had a quick look at the carpets. We're hoping to replace the study, living room, hallway, stair and landing carpets this year and I want to be sure of getting the right one. The one we have in the living room has been a disaster from the start as the areas where we walk have worn down horribly. We were accosted by one of the sales staff who told us that if we spent £250 on furniture (which we don't really need) we'll get big discounts on the carpet. I think we'll go somewhere else!

Homesense was busy and we picked out some foodie treats to buy and I spotted a bottle of wine that we'd enjoyed in Florida - a Pinot Grigio that came in a long straight bottle with a black cap. I think we bought it in Naples and it was lovely. It had better be - it was £12!

We staggered down to the checkouts with our purchases (I also bought some bird food) and returned home in the dusky gloom. Tonight Sophie and I cooked paella for dinner and while we did all the prep we enjoyed a drink and Sophie played some lovely mellow jazz on her phone. We both agreed that it would be great to go somewhere in San Francisco where we could listen to some jazz and sip on cocktails.

Our paella was a monster this evening as we added a lot of vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli and green beans) that Keith and I should have had on Thursday evening. I didn't want to waste them so we chopped them up and put them in the pan along with an onion, chorizo slices, chicken thighs and the rice.

We also added peas and served the dish with lemon wedges and it was delicious!

After we'd eaten and cleared away we watched The Commuter, a thriller starring Liam Neeson. It was a great film and made a lovely end to a very enjoyable day!