Catching up with friends.

It was lovely to wake up this morning with the weekend stretching ahead of us. The trouble is, it goes too fast!

After a breakfast of a veggie sausage sandwich and a second cup of coffee, I spent the morning sorting out some of the books we were storing in boxes in my Dad's car. Some of them were very interesting but it was also heartbreaking to come across his books on mountain walks and climbing. He was a very keen walker, and did several mountain skills courses when he was younger, even spending a night on Ben Nevis when it was covered in snow! He had to build an igloo type shelter out of snow blocks and use crampons, so I couldn't face giving the books away. They now have pride of place on our bookshelf. 

To make room for them I put all our paperbacks on a separate, smaller bookshelf so now there's a lot more room. Keith wanted to keep a lot of the books as well, and it showed what a varied taste my Dad had as there were books about the war, motor-racing, Fred Dibnah and Marilyn Monroe! When I see him on Wednesday I'll ask whether he wants me to bring any in for him.

At about 1pm, Sophie and I drove over to Market Harborough, and before we embarked on our shopping, we had a coffee in the tiny little cafe we'd visited before, tucked down an almost hidden, narrow alleyway. The two girls working in the cafe were lovely but they took an age to produce our drinks! Both of us walked in and forgot to don our masks! Oops!

Suitably fortified by the caffeine, we had a good look around the charity shops and Sophie bought a dress, a skirt and two tops in Oxfam, which cost just £21! A bargain! We then decided to enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of cake at the Polka Dot cafe and bagged the last table. A lot of the cakes had disappeared but we chose the apple and cherry concoction with a topping of almonds, which was moist and delicious.

Sophie made another visit to a charity shop but didn't see anything she liked. We decided to head for Farndon Fields before going home as I wanted to buy a bottle of wine and some chocolates. Keith and I have been invited for dinner at Sarah and Liam's house tonight, which we were both looking forward to. As we queued we spotted Sarah coming out with bags so we said hello and laughed about meeting! I'd had a feeling she would be there!

When we eventually entered the farm shop Sophie begged me not to let her buy too much food. However, she still spent about £20 on some treats and a few gifts for Zain. I bought a bottle of Argentinian Malbec and a box of chocolates, a bottle of beer for Keith and some stuffing for our chicken tomorrow.

We staggered out with our purchases, and headed home in the grey gloom, taking the scenic route where I met a huge tractor. Thankfully I was able to pull in out of his way! Back home it was time to relax and have a bath before getting ready to go out. It was such a shame that Sophie couldn't invite Zain over, but she made do with video-chatting with him all night!

Keith and I drove over to Sarah and Liam's house in Sophie's car and I just about remembered the way! It was so much easier when they lived next door! We were met by their huge Irish Wolfhound, Gatsby, who was a real gentle giant, thank goodness! Dinner was lamb shanks served with mash and peas followed by Farndon Fields cheesecakes and then a selection of cheeses and biscuits. Now I know why Sarah was there! We had a good chat and it was lovely to catch up!