Another month...gone!

I had a very pleasant shift at work today and was busy so the time passed very quickly. The phone calls have quietened down a bit now that half-term is over, so at least we can get work done in between talking to our customers!

I sped home at 3pm and picked up Keith before going to the post office at Brixworth. I had to wait ages in the queue as a woman in front of me was posting loads of boxes, while a man was sending seemingly endless envelopes! I do sometimes wonder how much of my life will have been spent in queues or waiting around!

Back home I checked my emails as I sent off messages to two local window companies about the repair we need doing on our double doors. It's just a good job they lead out to the conservatory as we're unable to lock them and we really need to get them sorted out. I hadn't had any response which was annoying!

As today is the last day of February, we decided to end the month on a veggie theme. We all failed at the vegan challenge but Sophie is still keen on eating less meat every week, so we cooked vegetable fajitas for dinner. I chopped up an onion, pepper, baby sweetcorn and loads of mushrooms and mixed fajita spices with oil before coating the veg and letting it all combine until it was time to cook.

Sophie and I cooked the meal and we tried out a new red wine from Aldi - GSM, which was a bit dry but very drinkable!

Sausage disappointment!

Even though it was my day off, I was still awake at 6am this morning! I had a lovely, lazy start to the day until Keith decided he wanted to go and do our shopping early, so hassled me out of the door before 9am!

We went to Aldi and Tesco and shopped up until Friday when we'll go again. As soon as we got home, we unpacked and then went straight back out again as we needed some things at Jones's. I had a craving for a sausage or bacon bap so I managed to persuade Keith to let me get a light breakfast. I chose the new Workhouse cafe in Brixworth as I kept saying I wanted to go ever since it had opened a while ago.

The cafe, as the name suggests, is situated in the old workhouse and is definitely a magnet for the contractors who are working on yet another housing estate in this already crowded and sprawling village. We went to the counter and ordered two Flat Whites and two sausage baps, which the very friendly server said she'd bring over.

As the place is so new it was lovely, clean, bright and welcoming with shades of grey on the walls and floors and scrubbed wooden tables. We didn't have to wait long but I was a bit disappointed with the food. The sausages were tasteless and I suspected they were of the cheap variety, not the meaty and herby kind that we like. The bap was also bland so not really the experience I was expecting. The coffee, at £2.50, was not cheap but came in a small cup (half the size of Costa) and wasn't a patch on their taste. Hmmm! I'm not sure if I'll venture back as although we pop to the shops opposite to use the post office and Co-op, for afternoon tea we tend to head elsewhere.

We drove to Jones's where Keith bought a new shredder and a new iron while I spent quite a few pounds on things for Saturday night and bird food. Back home we put everything away and Keith put up the new curtains in the study (not really sure what to call this room now as the old computer has gone and it's just a walkway between the rest of the house and the conservatory!).

I had changed my bed first thing so I put the sheet pillowcases out on the line to dry in the beautiful sunshine! Heaven!

After helping Keith I cleaned the house (except for the bathrooms) and then collapsed in a heap. My early start had caught up with me!

Sitting in the sun!

Sophie was visiting two prisons today so Keith drove her to my Mum's house where she was meeting her manager. I took myself off to work and had a much better day, thank goodness!

When I drove home the temperature registered 18c so I decided to enjoy the gorgeous weather and sit in the garden with a cup of tea! Bliss! Monty and Keith joined me and it was truly lovely to be able to sit out and soak up the sun in February. Wouldn't it be wonderful if this continued throughout the year?

Monty was loving being outside and I found a long thin branch and played with him, pretending the stick was a snake. He loved it! I have a lot of work to do in the garden but it'll have to wait for a while until we've finished inside!

Sophie arrived home at 5pm, which was great going, and told us some hairy tales about her day. It was the first time she'd visited a women's prison so that was challenging for her, but she still loves her job and going out with her manager.

Dinner tonight was Jerk Chicken Pasta as Keith was out for the evening watching Sileby play. We are unable to get the same Jerk paste in Tesco that we used to use so we had to make do with some sachets of Jerk powder, which I'd mixed with some oil and used as a marinade yesterday for the chicken.

We cooked this in the oven for about half an hour and made the sauce from the usual ingredients of chopped up garlic, chicken stock, white wine, cream and lime juice. When we'd mixed the chicken with the bow-tie pasta and poured the sauce over, it tasted lovely, but it wasn't the same. It was nice and spicy, though, and we made our own garlic bread from a sourdough baguette.

After dinner, Sophie and I watched the film Zodiac, about the Zodiac killer in San Francisco in the late 60s/early 70s. It scared us silly!

A somewhat trying day!

Today has definitely been one of those days, both for Keith and myself! Work was busy, as it always is on a Monday, and I was working with Robyn who seemed to be forever on an outbound call, leaving me to answer the phone almost continuously. By 2pm I felt truly drained with all the queries we had and although I get on well with her, I had to ask her to answer the phone on a couple of occasions as she didn't seem to realise we had several calls in the queue.

We sometimes have work to do regarding the calls (like emailing messages to other staff) and I just didn't have the chance to catch up so it was a challenging shift! I drove home to find Keith in an equally bad mood as he'd taken the living room door off to sand down again (it keeps sticking on the longer pile carpet) but it hadn't made a difference and he'd had an annoying morning trying to sort things out in the house. Also, at 1.30pm he'd gone to wake Mike up only to find our son wasn't even at home and had been out all night! I told him off and said he really should have let us know where he was...I was under the impression that he'd been in all night as he was in his bedroom when we went to bed!

Sophie and I had sold a top on eBay yesterday (is it really worth it?) so I had to package that up and as Mike wanted a lift to Brixworth, we took it to the post office there. I was just glad we hadn't sold a load of stuff as I was in no mood to sort it all out and we'd only remembered we had items to sell on the site this morning!

After dropping Mike off we drove to Aldi and Tesco in Kettering and did some shopping for the next two days. It's been another glorious day and the temperatures reached about 17c this afternoon. It is colder in the mornings and evenings though, so it's wise not to be complacent!

We returned home from the shopping at almost 5pm and my Mum phoned to say she'd been invited to stay with my Uncle in Cyprus and celebrate his birthday. She had been looking at flights and couldn't find anything reasonable which was disappointing. I said I could take her to the airport, but I was constrained by work these days which always comes as a bit of a shock. In the old days it wouldn't have mattered at all!

Sunday sun.

Despite her early start yesterday, Sophie was up at 8am and drove to the gym while I stayed at home and put a colour on my hair. It was way overdue!

At 11am Keith, Sophie and I went into Northampton, took the bag of unwanted items to the charity shop and drove to B&Q which was busy with Sunday shoppers. We bought a new loo seat for the cloakroom, a doormat, a blind for the same room and a towel holder.

By now we were all peckish so we headed for Starbucks where I treated Keith and Sophie to a light lunch and a coffee. Their Flat White is still nowhere near as good as Costa's! Next up was Homesense which was packed with people and the theme was definitely Spring!

Sophie found some light curtains for the study and a curtain pole that will hopefully finish off the room, and we also bought some foodie treats and a bottle of the Pinot Gris that we enjoy and discovered in Florida.

Keith was itching to get home as he wanted to watch a "crucial" footie game but he did manage to put up the blind and fix the loo seat in between watching the television! I decided that, as it was another beautiful day, I would make the most of it and varnish the front door. It was definitely in need of a lick of paint and I was horrified to really scrutinise it and see how bad it had got!

Sophie and Monty kept me company while I varnished the front door and I also managed to clean the front windows and smarten up the window sills with a good PVC cleaner I found. It removed all the annoying little marks so I was very pleased with my efforts.

Inside, I was a bit disappointed with the blind as it had some marks on it, one side was slightly frayed and the bottom of the blind was creased. I wanted to replace it but Keith refused so we compromised and he said that tomorrow he would turn it the other way...

Sophie had prepped all the dinner ingredients again so we decided to walk around the estate and enjoy the late afternoon sunshine. A lot of people were out and doing work on their houses and we had a chat with Lynn again who was doing more communal gardening on the green, accompanied by her own little robin!

Dinner tonight was Hainanese Chicken with Jasmine rice and it was delicious! This weekend has certainly been a busy one so it's back to work tomorrow for a rest!

Back to normal!

We didn't have the greatest start to the weekend when Mike called us this morning at about 7.30am to ask us to pick him up from Moulton. I didn't even know he'd gone out! I was trying to have a lie-in and ignored what I thought was a Facebook notification on my phone but it was Mike sending me a message! Eventually he rang on the house phone which woke Sophie up, who was not very happy!

We went to get him through the fog and he was in a vile mood, probably because he'd had no sleep and said he'd been abandoned in town by his mates...Once home he disappeared into his bedroom, which was probably the best place for him, and out of our sight!

The fog lifted to reveal an absolutely gorgeous day with the most wonderful clear blue skies and warm sunshine. We were treated to a real taste of how beautiful Spring can be in this country. After breakfast Sophie and I went to the tip to get rid of some stuff we no longer wanted and I also filled a large bag with items destined for the charity shop.

Back home I tackled my filthy car and it took three washes to get it clean. We've been so busy with decorating that I haven't had time to do it and the attempts to take it through a car wash have been very unsuccessful!

The rest of the morning was spent decluttering the conservatory and putting all of our glasses back into the cabinet. There was still some stuff we didn't know what to do with (blank CDs and DVDs) but I'm sure we'll find a home for them! I put down a Turkish rug we bought decades ago and we were thrilled with how tidy everything was! We're back to normal!

Sophie prepped all the vegetables for dinner and then it was time to finally sit down and relax! We watched Masterchef and an episode of Modern Family and I went upstairs to have a soak in the bath. Keith had gone to see Sileby play and Mike had finally made an appearance and apologised for his bad behaviour. I should think so, too!

Dinner tonight was Quorn spaghetti bolognese and I've come to realise I don't like Quorn at all. The texture is flabby, there was no taste to it and I heartily missed a good beef mince!

Job disappointment...

This week has sped by again and today is the last day of the half-term. I was busy at work with phone calls and price changes but it was a huge relief when the clock showed 2pm! Keith had sent me a sneaky text to say that Mike had a second interview at 4pm and when he came to meet me I fully expected him to have our son with him, but he was still at home. I had an order to collect from Next on Riverside so we said we'd drop Mike off in town and then pop down to the retail park.

When we arrived home, Mike appeared looking so smart! He had his Prom suit on and looked lovely but was a bit nervous! We drove into town and before dropping him off near the office we pulled up at the traffic lights by the train station and witnessed a man being arrested! Two men came around the corner, dressed in jeans and sweatshirts, and one of them flashed his ID at a man behind our car and he was promptly handcuffed! They were obviously plain clothes policemen and it was all very exciting! I wanted to stay and watch what would happen next but the lights changed to green!

We took a small road I never knew existed and dropped Mike off after wishing him good luck. I drove to Riverside and I collected my parcels from Next - a new toilet brush, a loo roll holder and a lamp for the table on the landing. I popped into Boots briefly and then we went back to get Mike who was waiting for us with the news he'd got the job!

In the car on the way home I asked him lots of questions, but he was very vague about what the company actually did and what his job role was, other than that it was in sales... Alarm bells started to ring when he said he didn't exactly have a job description and that there had been no mention of pay. His hours were horrible - 11.30am until 8.30pm which meant one of us would have to go out and get him after dinner unless he found a bus route... not something I was very happy about! I was hoping he'd get a 9-5 job like Sophie!

Back home I did what I should have done before he even went for an interview - checked reviews of the company on Indeed and Glassdoor. Some were glowing but quite a few said stay away from the company - the staff are all self-employed and only earn money by selling Direct Debits for charities to people. One review said the hours were extremely long and that some days he didn't earn any money at all. He was expected to go door-to-door selling and basically coercing people into taking out monthly payments to different charities.

I told him and we all felt really disappointed with how it had turned out. I have to say I'd been surprised that Mike was taken on so quickly for a (supposedly) well-earning job and I suppose the old adage is right, "If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is!"

In the evening I was off to The World's End with Lynda, Fiona and Andrea. Sophie and I picked up Keith and Mike from our local and then we drove over to the pub, which was much quieter than I'd been expecting. Lynda and Fiona were already there and had ordered me a glass of Pinot Gris. We had a chat and after Andrea arrived and we talked some more, we went down to the restaurant to our table.

I'd already looked at the menu online so I knew what I was going to order! I chose the tempura battered vegetables followed by the oven baked chicken breast. We asked for a bottle of white Rioja to accompany the meal and the others nibbled on bread and a Balsamic vinegar dip with their starters.

The food was very good and my chicken breast arrived with a delicious sauce, asparagus and a fondant potato (Masterchef!). Three of us managed desserts (Fiona had an Irish coffee) but the pub was very quiet for a Friday night and we were the last to leave at 11pm. We'd had a lovely evening and we've arranged to go out again in May after I return from my holiday. Sophie and Keith came back to get me and once home it was straight to bed!

Ignoring the mess!

I was back at work today and feeling a little weary! I had a busy shift but not as bad as Monday because the half term holiday is drawing to a close.

Mike had an interview for a job at 1pm and I fully expected them to have to wait around to pick me up, but Keith texted me at 2.30pm to say he was still waiting! By 3pm he was finished so I stood in the sun in the car park while they drove from town to collect me. The weather today has been beautiful and it's set to stay that way for the rest of the week and the weekend! I'm not getting complacent, but is Spring here to stay?

Keith looked a bit weary as he'd had to hang around for two hours but Mike seemed optimistic about the job and said he would hear within 24 hours. We're keeping our fingers crossed!

Back at home I didn't feel like doing more tidying up so I pottered about and tried to ignore the stuff on the table in the conservatory that I haven't a clue what to do with! At the weekend I will make a decision and some stuff will probably end up in the loft!

Well worth the wait!

I was awake at 5.30am this morning...heaven knows why when it's my day off! After trying (and failing) to get back to sleep I got up and made myself a coffee. Keith came downstairs with me and we caught up on an episode of Neighbours!

Sophie went off to the gym and we made a start on clearing the living room at about 7.30am. I hoovered the stairs as Keith had taken up the last remaining bits of underlay and I cleaned the downstairs so that everything was clear of fluff and dust.

The carpet fitter called us at about 9am and said he was half an hour away. We were all ready and had dismantled the television and the Sky box so I had another coffee and we waited. While he was working there wasn't much we could do but I did do a load of shredding (and managed to break the machine) as well as sorting out some recycling we've been storing (pet food pouches, Tassimo pods and crisp packets that we'll take to Milton Keynes) and I hoovered the boot of my car, which was full of fluff from the carpet we took to the tip on Sunday. My car is now seriously dirty and you can hardly see the rear registration plate so I must try and find time to clean it!

I did have a read of the newspapers but as soon as the carpet fitter had finished, we set to and tried to get the house tidy again! I was over the moon with how everything looked and the rooms are so clean and bright now! In fact, it's a bit like being in a new house!

Mum and Dad called around for a cup of tea in the afternoon and they were both impressed at how different the house looked. My Mum loved the colour of the carpet and how soft it was!

Before the furniture went back

When Sophie got back from work she was over the moon as well! The house looks so different! Keith and I were shattered but we had moved most of the stuff back and our conservatory was starting to look a lot better again!

Marooned!

Work was slightly quieter today but I was still busy with lots of admin jobs so the time passed very nicely. Keith sent me a sneaky text to say that the carpet man had been and had put down the levelling substance in the study, hallway and cloakroom and that it would take at least six hours to dry.

When I arrived home it was still wet so Keith and I were marooned in the conservatory! Mike was upstairs but managed to come down and swing around the banisters like a large monkey. He asked for a lift to Brixworth and we were only too happy to oblige as it meant we could get out of the house for a while!

When we arrived back I stayed in the conservatory while Keith managed to get upstairs and went and had a soak in the bath. By about 5.30pm the study had dried so we were able to escape into the living room and half of the hallway was OK so I was able to run upstairs and use the loo!

My parents had very kindly invited us over for a meal so we all picked Mike up at 6.30pm from Brixworth and headed over to their house. My Dad had prepared a lovely chilli with rice and as Sophie had offered to drive home I was able to have a couple of glasses of wine with my dinner. We had a great evening and left at about 8.30pm to take Mike back to Brixworth where he was meeting friends. It was then home to relax and watch an alarming programme about giant sinkholes in Florida!

Such a busy day!

I felt very achy this morning and could easily have stayed in bed! Sophie went off to the gym and we have noticed the mornings are definitely lighter now. It's daylight when I drive in at 7.30am, which is lovely.

I left Keith in bed this morning and had an extremely busy shift at work. A lot of the queries were about pool opening times and the time sped by. We had answered over 200 calls by the time I left at 2pm and I'd had to try and do the cinema box office returns in between them!

As soon as I was home, Keith and I went over to Kettering to get some shopping. I was dying for a cup of tea and some chocolate so after buying some food in Aldi, we went to the Costa in Tesco and I treated us both to tea and a snack. I enjoyed a delicious chocolate slice that satisfied my craving very well!

We did the rest of our shopping and I found some veggie beefburgers that Sophie has wanted for a long time. They're not beetroot, thank goodness, but it'll be interesting to see what they taste like, and at £5.50 for two, they'd better be good!

We arrived home, had a great chat with Sue and put all the shopping away. It was 5pm! The time has flown by today!

Sophie arrived home shortly after us and we spent a very pleasant hour relaxing with a drink and watching James Martin on the television. It was then time to cook a curry for the evening meal and I'd prepared lots of vegetables to go with it, as well as chicken breasts. It was delicious!

Before going to bed Sophie and I were very organised and made our lunches and breakfasts for the next day. It's great to mix our cereal with milk and let it stand overnight. I cut up half an apple to go in mine. Yum!

More of the same!

Today dawned beautiful and sunny again and after a lazyish start I glossed the cloakroom door and touched up some areas on the banisters. Sophie made a lovely breakfast of potato waffles, spaghetti hoops and toast that kept us going until lunchtime and it was lovely to sit in the conservatory and soak up the winter sunshine. The forecast for next week - half-term - is set to be sunny, dry and mild with highs of about 15c on Friday. Has Spring arrived at last?

Keith and Mike took up the carpet in the living room and piled it all into the car to take to the tip. They then went over to Tesco at Kettering to get some more supplies while Sophie painted our other small mirror and then made a start on selling some of her clothes on eBay.

To have a break from painting, I emptied the study and put as much as I could into the conservatory. This once lovely and spacious room is now full of furniture, books and the stuff from our cabinet. We now have to weave a narrow path to get to the computer and it reminds me of a hoarder's home where everything is piled up and in danger of toppling over... it is driving us all mad!

I managed to empty the study completely and gain back some order out of the chaos. I hoovered the floor and washed the walls which needed a good dusting. Some of the furniture had to be stored in the garage because we've run out of room in the house! Quite a bit of stuff won't be going back, I can tell you!

I painted another door and then called it a day. After a lovely hot bath Sophie and I had a walk around the estate but Monty refused to accompany us again. We had a chat with Lynn who was doing a "Slasher Keith" with the bushes on the top green. It was a beautiful evening and the sky was a gorgeous mix of blues, pinks and peaches. We did two circuits and then it was home to relax while Keith cooked a delicious roast beef dinner. Sophie enjoyed all the trimmings but didn't have any beef...she is made of much sterner stuff!

Cooped up!

I have spent all day cooped up in our small cloakroom, putting two coats of paint on the walls and trying to make the area behind the loo look nice and tidy! I also tidied up the top of the wall where it meets the ceiling and it has been hard work!

To make matters worse, it was lovely first thing in the morning and the sun was shining out of a blue sky. I did have the window open, though, so I did get some fresh air!

Sophie painted our large mirror and we've chosen a dark grey to contrast against the lighter grey of the walls. The paint we have on the walls is a bluey-grey and I'm looking forward to choosing a new blind for the cloakroom, as well as a new towel rail and loo roll holder as the others were a bit scruffy! This is the problem with having new paint and carpets - it makes everything else look tatty! As I was nearing the end of the painting I played some music on my phone to help pass the time and I was pretty pleased with how it looked. I just can't wait to get the new flooring down and have everything nice and comfortable again!

Sophie went out in the evening with her friends from uni so we dropped her off in town at about 4pm! A tad early, I thought! We picked up one of her friends and took them to a bar on Bridge Street for a cocktail and I told her not to drink too much!

On the way home we called into the M&S garage and bought some delicious seafood sauce to have with our prawn cocktail this evening. It was then home to have a long soak in the bath before relaxing and enjoying dinner. Mike ate with us and after we'd eaten we caught up with an episode of Death in Paradise. By 10pm I was flagging but thankfully we were called to pick Sophie up at 11.30pm and she said she would be in McDonald's! They had eaten so early, they had a second wind!

The town was busy when we went to collect her and it was bliss to finally get home and head for bed. It's been a tiring day!

An hour wasted!

Work was a little less stressful today, thank goodness but the time still sped by very quickly and it was great to get out at 2pm and head home to the mess that is our house at the moment! On the way I tried to get my filthy car washed but the machines weren't working at the two garages I went to. It's been another gorgeous day today and I won't have time over the weekend to get out and clean it, but it'll have to stay dirty! I became caught up in a traffic jam on the way home so didn't arrive until 3pm and felt like I'd really wasted an hour!

Keith had finished emulsioning the walls and had made a start on the cloakroom but I said I would do it tomorrow. It's a very cramped space and his back is hurting him at the moment, probably because of all the stretching he's been doing! I think we are all heartily fed up with the carpet-less floors now and having to come down the stairs very carefully so we don't step on the gripper rods! Next week can't come soon enough!

Dinner tonight was quiche - a vegetarian one (broccoli) and a ham and cheese one, served with roasted potatoes and vegetables. It was great to relax after dinner, but tomorrow the decorating starts again!

Spending a little...

It was back to work for Sophie and I this morning and we both felt like we needed another day off to recover from yesterday!

We were busy with calls throughout my shift and I also had to change all the prices in between talking to customers. Keith picked me up at 3pm and we went down to Riverside where we bought some more emulsion paint for the walls. I also bought two lampshades in Wilco's for the hall and the landing - one was very pretty and was silver and glass and when the light's on it makes lovely patterns on the walls and ceilings. The one for the hallway was a mother-of-pearl shade, which I thought would go well with the new flooring.

It was a gorgeous day and the sun was out in full force. We had a cup of tea and a cake in Costa and returned home to relax for a while before preparing dinner. Sophie arrived home and while she liked the hallway shade, she wasn't that keen on the one on the landing...OK, it is a bit like a Disco ball, but I like it!

Dinner tonight was chicken pie, but Sophie enjoyed a vegetarian one instead. We have all agreed to try and cut down on our meat intake and we think that Quorn is a great substitute for mince!

A day off?

Today has been hard work and there were times this morning, first thing, when I wanted to curl up into a ball and cry!

We made a start on the painting and Keith insisted on applying the first coat right at the top of the wall, over the stairs. He balanced on a ladder to do this and we all seriously thought he was going to fall off! My palms were drenched with sweat and I was utterly relieved when he finished. It was so hard getting the paint in a straight line at the very top of the wall where it meets the ceiling and he did a good job under very hard conditions. He'd already painted the ceiling white the day before so to give him a break I took over and did all the edges while Sophie started to apply the emulsion by roller.

The first coat always looks a complete mess and today was no exception - it looked dreadful and I felt very miserable looking at it and I just hoped it would get better after we'd applied the second coat!

Of course, today has been beautiful - probably the loveliest day of the year so far and we were all cooped up indoors! It did give us the chance to open the windows, though, and get some fresh air into the house!

We applied the first coat of emulsion and once the second coat was on, it looked a lot better. I loved the grey we used - it goes beautifully with the white banisters, doors and skirting boards. There's only one problem: the pictures we had on the landing and hallway won't go as they are much more creamy so we'll have to find them homes elsewhere.

Sophie and I stopped for lunch at 2.30pm and ate the leftovers from our veggie chilli of last night. We used Quorn again and we enjoyed it very much. We've all agreed that if we have spaghetti or chilli from now on we'll use that rather than minced beef.

Some pictures of what we've been doing so far:

Applying the first coat of primer over the dark wood

Our bare stairs!

Hallway without carpet!

Getting down to it in the study!

Finding room for everything before they lay the carpet will be difficult!

Mike taking up the carpet and removing the gripper rods

What a flippin' mess!

We finished painting at about 4pm and I had a lovely soak in the bath. Keith suggested going out for a meal in the evening as none of us felt like cooking so we went to The Lamplighter. I had a very sore and itchy eye (a stye?) so I felt a bit yukky, but we had a great evening nonetheless and Sophie enjoyed a beefburger as they are so delicious. I had a chicken burger with bacon and sweetcorn relish and we all shared nachos and garlic bread to start. We couldn't face dessert and went home to collapse on the sofa. It's back to "work" tomorrow!

A longer day...

I did three extra hours today as I was given the job of changing all of our prices, which comes into effect on the 1 March. I sat at another desk and thankfully didn't have to answer the phones, which was a good thing! I have a feeling that on Thursday I'll have to do both, though, as Sara wants them all done by Friday!

It was a long day and I treated myself to a Kitkat and a cup of tea at about 4pm! Luckily, it hadn't been as busy as yesterday, but it was still lovely to go and wait for Sophie in our car park at 5pm. Keith had dropped me off this morning and it seemed the sensible thing to ask Sophie to pick me up. It's still light now at 5pm and getting lighter every day. How I long for the Spring and the longer days!

Both Sophie and I are off work tomorrow and although we'd planned on having a day out, we need to get the decorating done by next Tuesday when the first work starts on the floors - they're putting down a levelling substance which can't be walked on for six hours...I just hope they come early and do it otherwise we'll be in trouble!

Frantic Monday!

As if the weekend hadn't been busy enough, today was frantic at work with relentless phone calls and lots of admin work. It's half-term here next week so people were calling to book their children onto our holiday activities and playscheme. I was working with Joanne who is very new so she was thrown into the deep end, somewhat!

At 2pm I escaped home and after popping to Brixworth to get the newspaper, I did some glossing of the banisters. Keith had painted all the skirting boards in the hallway and cloakroom so that had helped enormously. It's becoming to come together now! Sophie has a day's holiday on Wednesday and although we had planned to have a day out and maybe a nice lunch, we're now going to emulsion the walls and try and get as much finished as we can.

Sophie came home from work and after relaxing for a while, we had dinner - veggie sausages with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Keith is going to Tesco tomorrow to get yet more food and we've decided to abandon the veganism as it's so difficult finding things to eat for Mike and I'm fed up with it!

More painting!

This morning we woke up to some truly horrible weather - it was cold (about 3.5c) and it rained relentlessly. We drove down to Riverside to visit Homebase and it was deeply unpleasant in the nasty conditions. The roads were even beginning to flood in places.

At Homebase we bought a big tin of silk emulsion - Polished Pebble - as well as some gloss paint, a smaller tin of emulsion for the ceiling, a paint set and more primer. That little lot came to nearly £90!

Afterwards we visited a hectically busy Weston Favell Centre and bought ingredients for our meal tonight and tomorrow night. All we seem to do is buy food at the moment! I couldn't wait go get out of Tesco as it was packed with people!

As soon as we were back home we made a start on the painting again and I was able to get another coat of primer on, as well as the first coat of gloss. It was beginning to look great and much lighter and cleaner.

Mum and Dad popped around for a cup of tea and said they'd been to an antique fair in Woburn. My Dad said that driving on the M1 had been terrible and I was surprised they'd even attempted it today. I really think that driving on the busy motorways is now beyond my Dad as I know he drives slowly. They looked a little shocked at how our house is at the moment but agreed when I said it would all be worth it in a couple of weeks time!

As we were so busy we didn't even have time to go for our lovely walk on a Sunday afternoon but we did have a little cocktail! A Brandy and Ginger Wine concoction that went down very well!

Sophie and I cooked dinner in the evening - the Gino D'Acampo pasta dish we tried a few weeks ago. In Tesco we'd bought Quorn mince to put in it and it was lovely. The Quorn seemed to swell and soak up the lovely flavours and there was more than enough for Sophie to take to work tomorrow!

House in uproar!

I wasn't keen on my job today (putting a couple of coats of primer on the banisters) but I knew it had to be done before the new carpet was put down so I just gritted my teeth and got on with it!

Chaos reigned this morning as Keith and Mike took up the carpet in the study and moved a lot of the furniture into the conservatory. Sophie took everything out of the cabinet and the drawers and kept asking why we kept so much stuff! Taking up the carpet and the gripper rods was hard work and Keith had to go around and fill in the holes again afterwards.

I started on the banisters with the undercoat and quickly grew to hate painting the wood! It was laborious and fiddly and my knees ached from the position I had to adopt to get it done!

Now the downstairs of the house is very bare indeed, with only carpet in the living room, but that's on borrowed time! Luckily, we can keep the sofa and the chairs in there as the carpet layers will work around them! Thank goodness for that! The rest of the furniture will have to be moved out the morning when they visit.

Sophie helped me with the painting and before long we'd run out of the primer. They look better already though and I can't wait until they're finished!

We didn't move out of the house at all today, not even to go and get a newspaper, and dinner this evening was a veggie paella, cooked by Sophie. It was definitely missing something...chorizo and plump, juicy chicken breasts!

Getting ready!

I had another busy shift at work today and it was great to escape at 2pm and know that the week was over. Keith had been hard at work in the house taking up the carpets in the hall, stairs and landing and removing the gripper rods where we were going to have vinyl put down. He'd had to fill in holes after he'd chiselled the gripper rods out and had spent most of the day on his hands and knees. He'd also been to the tip to get rid of it all and was worn out, poor thing!

The house now has a bare empty feel but at least I can paint the stair banisters and skirting boards at the weekend and not have to worry about getting it all on the carpet!

I looked up the people mentioned on the baptism cards and messaged one of their ancestors who was very pleased to have the information. I know there's more in the Bible that Mum and Dad have so I said I will look it up and send it on. I wish someone would do the same for me with certain members of my family!

Tonight's dinner was soup and crusty bread so not much could go wrong there, but I am getting a bit fed up with the relentless veggies now. How I yearn for a nice bit of steak or a roast chicken!

Fake burgers!

I drove myself to work today and had a very busy shift as the phone calls seemed relentless and I had so much other stuff to do! The time flew by!

At 3pm I sped home and Keith and I popped over to see Mum and Dad for a cup of tea. I bought some flapjacks in the Co-op to take with me but both my parents weren't impressed! My Mum loves chocolatey biscuits which I can't really have at the moment!

We had a good chat and they gave me some Baptism and Holy Communion cards from the Bible they bought ages ago at an auction. I said I would try and look up the people on Ancestry and I can't think why I haven't done this before! It would be nice to contact the family and perhaps give them some information they didn't already have.

Tonight's dinner was beetroot burgers and I wasn't looking forward to eating them, to be honest! Both Sophie and Mike love real, meaty burgers so I was interested to see how they would take them! We cooked some oven chips in our air-fryer (in small batches, so they were crispy) and baked the "burgers" in the oven.

We served them in buns (which turned out to contain egg and milk...oops!) with a salad that looked past its best (even though it was in date), the oven chips and some onion rings. Mike took one bite and spat it out so that was that and Sophie said she really didn't like the taste or the texture. I gamely ate mine, as did Keith, but we certainly won't be buying them again!

I craved a bowl of creamy dessert after our disappointing meal but we had nothing in the house...good thing!

Bathroom hunting!

We had an early start this morning as Sophie had to be at her manager's house in Thrapston at 6.15am. I was going to go back to bed when I got home, but I didn't feel tired so I had a leisurely start to the day with a coffee and a hot cross bun!

After Keith got up I tried out our new hoover upstairs and was amazed at how much fluff and dust it picked up! As I was finishing, the carpet man arrived to measure up and check the figures we'd given him. It wasn't long before he was all done and, with Mike, we drove over to Kettering: Keith and I to do our shopping and Mike to have his hair cut.

After we'd got home and packed everything away, we had a quick lunch and then Keith and I decided to pop down to B&Q to look at bathrooms. Unfortunately, they didn't have anything on show which was a bit disappointing! I bought some testers for paint and a primer/undercoat as I am going to tackle the tackle the banisters at the weekend. I'm dreading it!

I Googled bathroom showrooms in Northampton and discovered there were two nearby - one almost next to Majestic and another a bit further along the road. We went to the furthest one first and we were totally ignored by the staff - whether they were aware we were on the premises or not, I have no idea. We picked up a brochure and left to go to the one next to Majestic and I had a look to see if I could spot any more of my former colleagues. The place looked deserted and I couldn't see any of the staff's cars in the car park so it might be that James has left (I know Jonathan has). As we have loads of wine at the moment, and time was short, I wasn't tempted to go in so I'll have to leave it to another day.

The bathroom showroom was lovely, but looked very expensive! We had a chat with one of the staff who said they offer free bathroom design, but I think the prices are out of our range at the moment. We left and went straight to Thrapston to collect Sophie as she had texted me to say they weren't far away.

This evening I felt just the slightest hint of Spring in the air...the temperature was about 10c and the evening felt lighter...is it just around the corner?

Mushrooms are the new chicken...

I had difficulty getting up today when Sophie woke me at about 6.15am but I staggered downstairs to make some porridge for both of us and gradually came around!

I drove myself to work this morning and had a busy shift, so the time flew by again. Joanne was training with us and confessed to feeling nervous about taking calls. I urged her to ask for help as I didn't mind at all and remembered what it was like when I first joined! I have to confess to having a Latte this morning as I was dying for a proper coffee, so that's the end of my veganism! I find it surprising that it's been easier for me to give up meat and it's the lack of dairy that's been the hardest.

At 2pm I sped home and Keith and I went to the Co-op in Brixworth where I bought some proper milk for my coffee and tea! I cut up a load of vegetables (mushrooms, peppers, courgettes, onion) for dinner as tonight it's fajitas. I mixed the seasoning with some oil and covered the veg before letting them marinate.

Keith suggested we all go out for a drink tonight so as soon as Sophie arrived home we drove over to The Althorp Coaching Inn in Great Brington again and had a very pleasant hour and a half sitting by the log fire and chatting. Things have been a bit fraught in the house over the last couple of days so it was lovely to sit and chat as a family. We even tentatively talked about a trip back to Naples (Florida) in 2021 to celebrate Mike's 21st Birthday. How fabulous would that be?

We didn't get home until 8pm so it was all hands on deck to get the dinner finished. I stir-fried the vegetables and put on some rice to cook while Sophie made her lunch for the next day. We were eating by 8.30pm and Sophie had asked me to add some more mushrooms to bulk out the meal. There wasn't a mushroom left by the time we'd finished and as they resemble chicken and have some substance, we joked about them being so popular! Dinner tonight was lovely and I think that we've got it right when we keep the veggies quite big and have them in a spicy sauce, like we did with the curry last week.

It was an early night for us tonight as Sophie has to be at Thrapston at 6.15am tomorrow! Yawn!

Monday morning blues...

Sophie woke me up this morning and it was a really horrible feeling knowing I had to go to work and it was the start of the week...I made her some porridge to take to work and made myself a bowl as well. To add to the gloom, Monty was sick on the rug in the living room so we've thrown it out! Hopefully, with the new carpet we won't need it!

Keith took me this morning as I had an eye test at Boots in the afternoon and we planned on going shopping to get food for tonight and tomorrow. It seems to be all we do! Work was very busy as I had the box office returns to do for the weekend films, as well as a few invoices to process, so the time flew. Oh, and answer the phone as well!

Keith picked me up at 2pm and we went over to the Weston Favell Centre. We bought veggies, fajita seasoning, more margarine and two bottles of non-alcoholic fizz to try. The Freixenet seems to be out of stock at the moment which is a shame as it's lovely and ideal for a night off the alcohol!

Coming out of Tesco we spotted my parents so we had a chat and then I had fifteen minutes to kill before my appointment. It was just nice to sit and watch people passing by! In Boots my eyes were given a really thorough examination - a photo was taken, something was puffed into them and my peripheral vision was checked. When I saw the optician he said everything was really healthy and my blood pressure was good, which was great news. Perhaps all this clean eating is having an effect already!

My eyesight has also improved so my prescription has changed and the optician gave me two new contact lenses to try out. I drove home to test them out!

Back home we relaxed and as soon as Sophie was home we tried the new non-alcoholic fizz. It was lovely, but I still prefer the real stuff! Dinner tonight was jacket potatoes and baked beans served with salad. We had some vegan cheese to go with it, which smelt funny again!

Hectic Sunday!

We have had a very busy day today and started off by going down to Tapi this morning to look at carpets. The quote from Whilton Locks was ridiculous so it's back to the drawing board!

St James Retail Park was very busy and there were quite a few people in the carpet showroom. I wandered around feeling more confused than ever, and looked at the 80% wool, 20% polyester mix but I didn't like them - they felt rough and the colours were horrible.

We picked out some vinyl we liked and then eventually we decided on a carpet. We took a sample over to the vinyl and the colours went well together. It was then a case of sitting down with one of the staff and getting a quote, based on our measurements.

He came up with a figure that was over our budget so he disappeared off to see someone more senior, who lowered the price to something that we were happy with. It was still slightly more than we wanted to pay but as we're putting down new flooring on almost the whole of the downstairs, it wasn't bad.

We have a man coming out on Wednesday to check our measurements and then they're aiming to fit the carpet and vinyl on the 19th and 20th February. As we've chosen a silvery grey for the carpet, we've decided to re-paint the hall, stairs and landing and put a white gloss on the stair rails to match. There will be a lot of work to do!

We crossed over the road and popped into Lidl where we discovered lots of veggie goodies, including some Linda McCartney sausages for breakfast. We also bought veggie pies and burgers to have for meals later in the week.

Back home, and while the sausages were grilling, Sophie and I prepared yet more vegetables for dinner while Keith unpacked our new vacuum cleaner that had arrived while we were out. He used it on the study and living room carpets and we were astonished at how much fluff it picked up!

After lunch we drove over to collect my Mum and we went to Rushden Lakes where Sophe needed to go to M&S to take back a sports bra. First up, was something to eat and drink and I made the mistake of going into Bill's as I thought they had a vegan menu for afternoon tea items. All around us people were eating lunch so we felt a bit fraudulent!

Sophie stated she was going to have a glass of wine, but Mum and I stuck to sparkling water. Unfortunately, they had virtually nothing on the menu for vegans (cake-wise) so Sophie and I shared a chocolate fondant dessert and Mum had apple crumble and custard. We really should have left and the bill came to an eye-watering £26 for the two desserts and the three drinks. It wasn't really what I had in mind and I felt very guilty.

In M&S Sophie exchanged her bra for another one and we had a look at the vegan foods. I get the feeling we're becoming a bit boring on the subject as we have to scrutinise every packet! Heaven knows how people do it full-time!

We made a stop in Next for Sophie to get some work tops and then it was time to head home where a car on its side in a ditch held us up for a while. How on earth did that happen!

Dinner tonight was not a success and I don't think we'll be using the vegan cookbook I bought any more. It was supposed to be a veggie Shepherd's pie but for me, it had an aroma I really didn't like. I have a feeling it was either Thyme or Rosemary as we had used both herbs in the dish. I ate it but I didn't enjoy it one bit, which caused a bit of ill-feeling. This vegan eating, far from bringing us together as a family, is causing dissension amongst us!

Lazy Saturday!

We had a lovely, lazy start to the day and Sophie went off to the gym for a quick workout. It was a cold and frosty morning with the very slightest dusting of snow on the ground.

While she was out I prepared the vegetables for the evening's dinner and pottered about doing chores. Keith has refused to use our hoover so I went online and looked on Amazon for a new one. I have always used cylinder hoovers at home but this time we've gone for a Shark upright vacuum and it doesn't have a bag! We are moving with the times! It had great reviews so I ordered it and it should hopefully be with us by early next week.

None of us felt like going anywhere today so it was lovely to stay indoors. I briefly toyed with the idea of washing the car but it was freezing cold outside so I thought I would leave it to a warmer day!

Sophie and I did go for a walk around the estate, though, and did three laps which equates (apparently) to a mile. Monty refused to accompany us, which was a shame, but we had a good natter and made sure we wrapped up warm against the biting wind.

When we came back in I made us a small Whisky Mac (it's becoming a naughty tradition to have a wee cocktail) and we relaxed until it was time to cook dinner. Tonight it was spaghetti bolognese and it was very similar to how we make a meaty one - I put all the veggies into a casserole dish and cooked them before adding lentils and tinned tomatoes, herbs and stock.

I thought the dish was delicious but Keith was not impressed at all. I think he is finding this whole vegan idea very hard but I don't think the "cheese" we used helped very much as it had a strange smell!

Work niggles...

Well, we had snow overnight, but not as much as expected. I was worried about Sophie driving this morning as she's never driven in the snow, but when I went to work the main roads were clear and the temperature was about 2c, so at least it wasn't icy.

I walked in to find one of the new staff sitting at my desk, so I used the very back workstation which suited me better! I think Sara asked the new Sara to work in case I didn't turn up because of the snow! We did have a lot of queries about whether classes were still going ahead but most of the roads were clear and not causing any problems. It snowed for a while in the morning but not enough to send everyone into a panic!

I learnt this morning that I didn't get the extra hours I was hoping for (Fran leaves next week) and these have been given to two other members of staff. I have a niggling feeling that Sara is annoyed with me for not taking the 2pm-8pm shift on a Wednesday that she asked me to do, but I don't want to have to work until 8pm with another member of staff who is, quite frankly, very irritating. Plus, it would mean that on Wednesday morning I would constantly be looking at the clock and thinking about work.

I have decided that I really don't want to work weekends and evenings - I did enough of that when we had our own business for 21 years - and if it doesn't go down well with Sara, then it's tough. I love being at home in the evenings, cooking, having a drink and relaxing and I'm certainly not going to give up my weekends to work. I don't mind helping out with the odd shift here and there, but that's it! Maybe it's time to look for something else!

I jumped into the bath in the evening and afterwards, Sophie and I enjoyed a drink and watched 90 Day Fiance. Dinner this evening was vegetable soup served with crusty bread and croutons and it was delicious. I'm not sure Keith was impressed, though! It's the first day of our vegan adventure and I enjoyed my hummus and cracker lunch much more than my usual sandwich!

It's been very cold today so it was great to cosy up on the sofa and while Keith disappeared upstairs to watch the rugby, Sophie and I enjoyed Jaws! It still is very scary!