Keith and I were woken at 3.30am this morning by Mike who'd been bitten on his arms and they were driving him mad. I think it was horsefly bites and last night he'd asked us to change his bed, which we agreed to as long as he stripped it first and brought it downstairs.
Well, he hadn't bothered, so this morning he came into our room complaining of being bitten by something in his bed. After a lot of yelling and shouting, I got up and put fresh bedding on for him but I was really angry, especially as he hadn't apologised for waking us up and had been totally useless when it came to helping me. I went back to bed but it took me an hour to get back to sleep!
Sophie has friends coming over tonight so it was a good excuse to give downstairs a thorough clean. We had a cooked breakfast and then made a start. Outside the weather was atrocious with wind and rain - what a difference to the other day! We did loads of washing and gave the rooms a good clean before popping over to Tesco where we bought the ingredients for tomorrow's dinner and some wine for the girls tonight.
On the way home Keith called to say that my Mum had fallen over in her house and could I go over to see her? I dropped Sophie off and together we drove over to Broughton to find my Dad on the phone to the NHS helpline. They asked loads of questions, and although my Mum had a bump on her head and a slight headache she seemed fine. The last thing she wanted was to go down to A&E and sit there for hours!
We stayed for an hour and I said that if she started feeling sick or light-headed she should go to the out-of-hours centre. Keith and I went home where I managed to relax for a while with a G&T and a film on my Kindle!
In the evening I was meeting Lynda, Fiona and Andrea at Cafe Marseille for dinner. They were holding a "Wine and Jazz" evening so I was really looking forward to an evening of chat, good food and wine, and relaxation! Keith drove me so I could indulge in a tipple or two, and the girls were there when I arrived. The awful weather hadn't let up at all which was a bit disappointing!
We all had a glass of Prosecco on arrival and then we looked at the menu, which as per the name of the restaurant, has a French theme. I decided on French onion soup while the girls chose the melted Camembert. For mains Lynda and I chose the duck (something I don't normally go for), Fiona had chicken and Andrea the steak. The wine choice was hard with the different meats so we opted for a Rose first which was a bit pricey at £22. I hoped it was worth it!
Because we'd ordered a bottle of wine we were given an array of nibbles to try and I was so hungry I dived in! We had a vol-au-vent, as well as pate and cheese on crackers. I have to say there wasn't much taste to any of them! Very soon after, our starters arrived and my French onion soup had no crouton nor any cheese. It was very creamy and sweet.
Our main courses arrived and I had about four hard nuggets of duck which were difficult to cut with the knife I'd been given. They sat atop a bed of red cabbage with a thick block of dauphinoise potatoes. I think all the cream that should have accompanied them went into my soup!
I was very disappointed to be honest. The food was tasteless and dry and not at all what I'd been expecting from a restaurant that professes to be French. We took a break between courses and for dessert I thought I'd really test the chef's skills by ordering one of my favourite dishes - Chocolate Fondant. Fiona opted for cheese while Lynda and Andrea chose the very orangey Crepes Suzette.
When my fondant arrived I cut into it but only a little thick dribble of chocolate appeared. The Masterchef test had failed! We'd ordered another two bottles of Malbec to go with the rest of the meal and the total bill came to a breathtaking £207, the highest we'd ever paid when going out for a meal. I felt cheated and really resented parting with my share of the bill.
Keith arrived and we gave Andrea a lift home. Sophie's friends, Laura and Daisy were still at home, but went shortly afterwards. We sat with our feet up for a little while and then it was time for bed!
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