A quiet New Year's Eve...

I was at work at 10am this morning, after having weird dreams in which I was late and said to Sara I could come in, but I was wearing jeans! Very strange!

It was great to catch up with Sara and Sheila, and Sara is a new Nan again, after her daughter Vicky gave birth yesterday, to a little boy. The very short shift passed quickly, and I was driving out at 1.30pm.

Sophie had been texting me to say they were on their way to London to complete their festivities, and after an hour at home, I went to collect Mum from the care home to take her out for a cup of tea. We went to Dobbies Garden Centre at Harlestone, but as we walked into the cafe, one of the staff said they were closed... just about right for this month! Everything is closed!

I bought a box of small cakes and we went home to have a cup of tea there instead. Mum needed to be back by tea-time as there were obviously celebrations going on, so after half an hour I drove her back and wished her a happy New Year. She said they were having a firework display, which sounded great!

Back home, Keith and I were sitting relaxing when my mobile rang. It was the doctor's surgery, which was a bit worrying as Keith had been this morning and had had some blood taken because of the stomach pain. The GP said he would call Keith next Wednesday if there were any problems, and now he was on the phone... He said that the inflammation indicators were high and could we get over to the surgery within the next twenty minutes to pick up some antibiotics?

We sped over as fast as we dared and picked them up, but both of us were a bit worried about the diagnosis, to be honest. The GP said he would see Keith again next Friday, and we both hoped that the antibiotics would kick in soon.

We had a very quiet, but enjoyable New Year's Eve. It was the first time in decades that we spent it alone. but we had pate and toast at about 8pm while watching Dad's Army, and prawn cocktail later in the evening. We watched the final of University Challenge and between us, we scored 90 points, 5 less than the losing team from Oxford!

After watching Graham Norton and then half an hour of Jools Annual Hootenanny, we turned over to the BBC and watch the fireworks, which looked like they were coming from Greenwich. We toasted the New Year with Prosecco and I had some Christmas pudding and brandy cream! After a flurry of texts and WhatsApp messages, it was time for bed at 1am. Happy New Year!

The Year 2021 - in review.

I think the general belief was that 2021 was going to be a lot better than 2020. Er, no. It seems that nothing has really changed, plus we now have a new variant to contend with - Omicron - which almost ruined our break in Mallorca! The good news for the UK, though, was the rollout of the vaccines and booster jabs, which definitely saw a drop in hospitalisations and death rates. 

For me, personally, we had a major change when Mike left home to live with Abbie in September, giving in his notice at Kettering Golf Club in August. They found a one-bedroom flat in Southampton and started a new life!

The first three months of 2021 were spent in lockdown, so no opportunity to travel anywhere (even travelling to another county was forbidden - hard to believe, but true!) so very little happened from January to March!

We took the plunge and booked to go to Mallorca in December, unaware that our break would be affected by the new variant, which forced us to take a test whilst on the island and then book PCR tests on our return. The holiday was enjoyable and I particularly loved Pollenca in the winter. Of the four of us who went, I think I enjoyed it the most!

Looking back it appears we didn't really go anywhere in 2021! We seemed to have spent a lot, and I mean, a lot of time at home. The kitchen renovation, despite being stressful at times, was another highlight of the year, and we are delighted with how the new kitchen has turned out. It was better than we'd anticipated and has definitely changed the way we live our lives.

We have played an awful lot of Scrabble this year, drunk many, many cocktails, bought lots of bargains in charity shops, and had some memorable lunches out!

Things were easier with Mum and Dad, and I was able to take them out every week, which was a lot better than in 2020. They are still not entirely accepting of living in a care home (frankly, neither am I), but at least they are warm and safe and have plenty of company. 

Overall, 2021 hasn't been a bad year, but it certainly won't be one of the great years. We are looking forward to travelling more in 2022, but who can tell? I didn't realise just how much I missed travelling until we went this year, and in a way, it was like seeing it all again for the first time.

Anyway... here are the days that stood out for me in 2021:

Saturday 2 January - A beautiful day, a wintry walk, the promise of snow and gorgeous countryside.

Saturday 24 April - Lunch at The Falcon, Castle Ashby, and a shopping trip to Olney.

Saturday 22 May - Lunch at Pizza Express in Market Harborough, a shopping spree, and Eurovision in the evening!

Saturday 5 June - Lunch in Olney, at Teapots, mooching around the shops, and Scrabble and cocktails before dinner. A perfect Saturday!

Sunday 12 September - A pub mooch in Oxfordshire, and a visit to the village of Hook Norton, somewhere I'd always wanted to go!

Thursday 16 September - A visit to London, the National Gallery and Buckingham Palace gardens!

Sunday 3 October - A trip to Southampton to see Mike and Abbie, and lunch out. It was great to see them in their new home!

Saturday 9 October - A beautiful day in Henley-on-Thames, drinks and a meal out, and Grace Dent at the Literary Festival.

Wednesday 3 November - A day spent shopping and having lunch in Market Harborough. A really lovely, relaxed day!

Wednesday 24 November - Antique hunting in Weedon, lunch at Darlington's and a Winter Light Trail to round off a lovely day.

Sunday 5 December - Despite a shaky start (being shouted at by Dragon Lady at breakfast) we enjoyed a lovely, and very interesting, tour of the Palace in Palma, a drink sitting in the sun, and a walk along the promenade at Ca'n Pastilla.

Monday 6 December - A trip on the train to Soller, while we were holidaying in Mallorca. A lovely lunch and a wander about the pretty streets made for a great day!

Here's to a great 2022, and let's hope things improve and life returns to what we once knew as normality!

Meal indulgence!

Sophie was off to Birmingham today to meet Zain and celebrate New Year with him. We dropped her off at the station at midday and then popped home to pick up my phone, which I'd forgotten! Before heading to Kettering we called into the small shop in Broughton to drop off the Tassimo pods, which was a very easy and straightforward process, and a lot quicker than going to Milton Keynes!

I didn't think it was a good idea to go shopping so late in the day but surprisingly, the supermarkets weren't busy. We shopped for today and tomorrow, but we're out Saturday night, and on Sunday Keith and I are supposed to be going to the Rugby at the Saints, but Keith has a bad stomach ache at the moment, so this is in doubt.

We did our shopping and then it was home to relax for the rest of the day. The weather continues to be damp and mild with forecasts for a warm New Year's Eve and Day.

As Sophie was out this evening, Keith and I indulged in one of our "naughty" meals - sausage, fried eggs and chips. It's not something we enjoy very often, but every once in a while it's lovely to have a change! Keith cooked the homemade chips outside while I took care of the sausages. The meal was delicious, but as I said to Keith, I couldn't eat like that every night!

More shopping...

We had another lazy start to the day and at lunchtime. Sophie and I drove over to Market Harborough. The skies were still grey and cloudy, but the temperatures had risen so I was able to open the windows at home and get some much-needed fresh air into the house.

A lot of shops were still closed in Market Harborough, including Sophie's favourite, The Attic. We parked the car and headed for Miller's coffee house, but there were no seats at all. That's the problem with this lovely little cafe, there are only three tables inside and we certainly didn't fancy sitting outside!

We made the decision to have lunch at Pizza Express and we almost didn't get a table there, either, as we were asked if we'd booked, and of course, we hadn't! After some deliberation, we were shown to a table and given menus. The place certainly wasn't packed but maybe they were short-staffed?

We didn't have a long wait, as we'd feared, and we were soon sipping a glass of Chardonnay and eating some delicious dough balls. Both of us were hungry but we shared a pizza, which was delicious and just what we fancied after Christmas.

After we'd eaten we had a look around the shops and Sophie bought a lovely jumper in one of the charity shops. She also bought Zain a charity voucher in Oxfam and some scratch cards and numbers for the lottery. He's so difficult to buy for!

Before going home we called into Farndon Fields, and Sophie bought him some more foodie gifts. I also did a bit of shopping and treated Keith to a sausage roll for his lunch. As we drove home, we actually saw a rare glimpse of the sun! 

Back home I amused myself by doing some chores and bagging up all of our Tassimo pods to take them to a collection point. I'd ordered some Pod back bags before Christmas, and I had enough pods to fill two bags. Sophie went and started packing for her New Year's trip with Zain but we still managed to play a game of Scrabble and tonight I truly thrashed my daughter by over 100 points. It was about time and it did help that I had some high scoring tiles to use!

Sophie cooked our dinner of stir-fried pork in a peanut sauce, and then it was time to relax with Only Connect and University Challenge. We scored 50 points which wasn't bad for just the two of us, and also seeing it was the second round!

Trawling around...

It was lovely to wake up this morning facing three days off work! After a leisurely morning, and bacon sandwiches all round for breakfast, Sophie and I dropped Mike off at Abbie's as they were returning to Southampton today. Our birthdays are on the 15th and 26th so we've made a plan to go down on the 22nd to celebrate.

After we'd dropped Mike off, Sophie and I drove down to Riverside to visit Boots, but there were queues of cars to get in, so we turned around and headed to Smith's Farm Shop instead. We were amazed to find it closed! What a surprise! Today is still counted as a Bank Holiday so maybe they decided to have a long weekend? Sophie was not happy, as she needed to get some foodie gifts for Zain, so we decided to return to Boots and try our luck again.

Things hadn't improved much but this time we managed to park and walk over to Boots. Sophie bought some gifts for Zain and then we popped to Next to look in there. By now, I think she was getting fed up with trawling around the shops, and she was annoyed that she was still having to look for presents! She picked out a fleece quilt cover, pillowcases and sheet, but Zain said he didn't want them!

Before going home we decided to go to Beckworth, but the place was packed and they were giving out buzzers for the cafe, with a wait time of an hour... Er, no thanks! The world has gone mad! It's getting to the point now where we just won't bother with Beckworth because of the long wait times!

We had a quick look around, but decided to go to Farndon Fields tomorrow, and combine it with lunch and shopping in Market Harborough. A much better idea!

I'd promised Mum I would take their Christmas presents over today, so we put them all in a big bag and drove over. They met us in Reception, but my Dad seemed really off with both of us for some unknown reason! We handed them their presents and left, popping into the Costa near the A14 for a hot chocolate before taking the scenic route home.

The weather improved slightly this afternoon but there wasn't much sign of the sun, just a golden sliver on the horizon where it was beginning to set. The white Christmas they were hinting at certainly never happened and we're due to get really mild temperatures at New Year. There's been talk of about 15-16c!

In the evening Sophie and I played Scrabble and we enjoyed beef casserole for dinner. As usual, she thrashed me!

The unrelenting grey...

Boxing Day

I was up at 6am this morning and enjoyed a coffee in peace and quiet. Bliss! Mike and Abbie left at about 8.30am, as they were off to her Dad's for more celebrations.

Today has been spent doing very little, and the weather has been truly awful, with grey, leaden skies in the morning, and fog in the afternoon. A perfect day for staying in and keeping warm... and maybe eating some chocolate!

Sophie and I enjoyed a face pack in the afternoon, and I had a long soak in the bath. Dinner this evening was the usual Boxing Day fare of leftover turkey and bubble and squeak. Sophie cooked while Keith and I made a list for the shopping tomorrow, and the meal was delicious! She can cook again!

After dinner, we watched the Christmas episode of Death in Paradise, which even Sophie enjoyed! We all loved the twist at the end!

Monday

I was at work at 9am this morning and the roads were very quiet. Today and tomorrow are classed as Bank Holidays in lieu of the weekend. To be honest, I didn't mind going back to work today as I have Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday off. With the weather being so horrible, there's not much you can do!

I was working with Millie today, and she was very quiet. The phones weren't that busy and we had a lot of calls asking what our opening times were, something I had expected. I managed to clear all the customer service emails, and I did a job for Sheila which kept me busy.

When I emerged at 4pm it was obvious we'd had a lot of rain today. Will this weather ever improve? Back at home Mike had returned for the night and was feeling hungover! I had no sympathy!

Keith cooked a delicious turkey (and chicken, to pad it out) curry for the evening meal. That is it now for the turkey - we have no leftovers at all. The Tiramisu disappeared yesterday evening so we've had no waste at all except the scrapings from the plates!

Merry Christmas!

I had a rather disturbed night's sleep as I was waiting for Mike to come home, not realising that he was already home, and had returned when I'd nodded off for a while!

At about 12.30am I gave up trying to go back to sleep, and went downstairs, much to the delight of the cat. I started watching a good film called Lost At Christmas and decided to record the rest to watch on Boxing Day!

Normally, we would all wake up and open presents first thing in the morning with a glass of Champagne but this year we decided to open our gifts when Mum and Dad were here. I was amazed that I was still allowed to have them over for dinner, considering how the Omicron variant is spreading, but we all took lateral flow tests during the morning so we knew we were safe.

The turkey went into the oven at 10am, and Keith prepared all the vegetables while I set the table and hoovered downstairs. At 12pm Sophie and I went over to collect my Mum and Dad and the care home was very busy with people arriving to see relatives or take them out for the day.

We got Dad home with ease and settled him in the chair by the window before all sitting down and opening presents. There was rather a lot of alcohol about... I wonder why? I received two bottles of Japanese whisky from the children, as well as bottles of Dalwhinnie and Johnny Walker from Keith!

Keith and Sophie cooked Christmas lunch while I sat and chatted to Mum and Dad. The meal was delicious, and the wine I'd chosen, a Pouilly Fume, went very well with the turkey. We put all the dishes of food on the bench seat worktop to make it easier. Obviously, this was the first time we'd cooked such an important meal in the new kitchen but having the extra worktop space was a huge bonus! Sophie cleared away and washed up, so she was a huge help today. I don't know what we would have done without her.

Abbie arrived at about 4pm and brought their two cats - Hugo and Trixie - with her. Mike had insisted on them coming, even though Sophie was not at all happy. Monty has had a lot of upheaval lately, and having two kittens in the house might well have been upsetting for him. We took him up to Sophie's room while the kittens were downstairs. They skittered about and took a great interest in the Christmas tree!

Sophie and I took Mum and Dad back at 5pm, and I think they were ready to go. Back at home, we sat and watched the Christmas episode of Strictly and relaxed. Sophie's Tiramisu and Marsala went down extremely well over the course of the evening!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve?

I am finding it hard to get into the Christmas spirit at the moment. It feels like it should be November rather than December, and today certainly hasn't felt like Christmas Eve!

Sophie went to the gym this morning, and at 11am we drove to Weedon. The fog was thick as we drove over, and I was hoping that the sun would burn through, but although it cleared a bit, the weather has remained grey all day. We were going to go to the antique centre first, but we'd booked a table at Darlington's for 12.45, and knew we wouldn't have enough time to have a good look around.

We went straight to the Shires Shopping Village, and Sophie went on the hunt for presents for Mike. Rather than give him more alcohol, she picked out some sweets that she knew he liked and said she'd make up a gift bag. One of the selections was a kind of Russian roulette of jelly beans - good or horrible!

We were both ready for lunch and chose our usual - a shared club sandwich, a couple of glasses of wine as it was Christmas, and delicious desserts. I chose cherry pie with custard while Sophie went for chocolate cake and ice cream. The restaurant was pleasantly busy but not packed, and it was lovely to sit and relax for an hour. 

Sophie had an appointment at the beauty salon at 3pm, and we were astonished to find it was 2pm when we finished our lunch, so she called them and pushed it back to 4pm. We wanted to go to the antique place, but when we got there it was all closed up! Typical! I keep forgetting it's Christmas Eve! As we both have days off next week, we'll probably drive over and have a good look around then.

We were now early for the appointment so Sophie called the beauty salon again, and a rather disgruntled woman said she could have an appointment at just after 3pm. The weather had got worse while we were having lunch and it had started raining. What a horrible day!

Back home we finished all of our present wrapping and relaxed. Yesterday felt like Friday, but today definitely did when I took Keith and Mike to the pub. Keith had prepared a sausage casserole which was simmering in the oven, so dinner tonight was very easy.

We sat and ate in the conservatory for the first time in ages, and had a lovely meal. After dinner, Mike disappeared out to Brixworth with friends and I had an early night. I had been awake at about 7.30am this morning and wanted to feel my best for the big day tomorrow!

A work therapy session!

I was back in at work today, to make up for one of the days I was off last week. I was annoyed about having to go in, but the day was actually very pleasant indeed. I was working with just Sara and Denise and although the phones were quiet, I still had plenty to do. It gave us all a chance to have a good chat and I think Denise used the shift as a therapy session as she regaled us with stories of her childhood!

When I got home I was surprised to find Mike back home! He was supposed to have been arriving on Christmas Eve but had come home early as Abbie's grandfather wasn't well. We had a catch-up and we told him all about our holiday in Mallorca!

He didn't eat with us in the evening as he'd already had a pizza, but he missed out, as Keith had made a delicious dish called Pan Haggerty (a Hairy Bikers' recipe), but had tweaked it a bit to include corned beef. It was delicious!

A marathon shopping trip!

Today has been extremely busy as it was the only day I could do the rest of my Christmas shopping, and there was a lot to be done!

Sophie has been collecting food for the foodbank in Kettering, and as well as the shopping we did on Sunday, she'd also received a lot of donations at work. These were all piled up in the conservatory, and I'd said to Sophie that Keith and I would take them over today, first thing this morning when they opened. 

Before we went I wanted a cup of coffee but the Costa outlet at the retail park in Kettering was only doing drive-thru... We decided to drop off the shopping at the food bank first, and then have a coffee. I called ahead and they were delighted that we had lots of items for them:

We had so much stuff it filled the boot of my car, and there was some on the back seat!

We managed to park right outside and took everything in. I told the woman on the front desk it all came from CIWM (the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management) so she made a note in her ledger. 

Once that was dropped off we made our way to the Costa near the A14. There was already a queue of people waiting, and just two staff on duty, one manning the drive-thru, and one on the counter. We all waited patiently, but I could feel the annoyance radiating off the young woman on the counter. She had a face like a slapped bum.

When it was my turn I handed her two bacon baps and asked for two Flat Whites. She apologised for the wait, and as I could see they were very busy, I said it was fine. However, halfway through heating up the baps and making my coffees, I think she had a meltdown and disappeared! I never saw her again! Thankfully, another member of staff emerged from an office and finished my order! This is a perfect example of problems facing a lot of companies at the moment - a lack of staff, probably due to sickness.

As soon as we'd finished our coffees we drove to Jones's. The weather today has been lovely, with blue skies and sunshine, such a rare sight these days! I wanted to get a lot of presents in Jones's so we grabbed a big trolley and off we went. I had been expecting the place to be busy, but there was hardly anyone in there. Well, they have been selling Christmas things since August!

We were mooching about when Sophie texted me to say she had a bad headache (from her booster yesterday?) and could we take some tablets to her at work? I bought a multipack of Ibuprofen, and we went through the checkouts with the stuff we had in the trolley. I hadn't finished so we planned on coming back!

After we'd taken her the tablets we drove to Tesco at Mereway to get her some flowers and Prosecco for Laura, with whom she was having dinner in the evening. Laura has a new job so Sophie wanted to buy her a gift to celebrate. In Tesco, we managed to buy some more presents and a bottle of Pouilly Fume for Christmas Day. It was manic in there (as I'd imagined it would be) so we were very glad to get out!

Before going back to Jones's I called into Homesense for stocking fillers, but after a good look about I only found a couple of things for Sophie! What a waste of time! Back at Jones's, I completed my shopping and we headed to Tesco at Kettering for one last shop. I still hadn't bought anything for Keith! This store was also very busy and I had a long wait at the checkout while the staff tried to prise off a security tag for the shopper in front. I switched to another checkout but ended up being worse off as the woman in front of me had problems with paying. Grrr!!

It was about 4.30pm when we finally arrived back home, so we'd been out for seven hours! Monty must have wondered where on earth we were! Now, all I have to do is wrap everything!

Sophie was out with Laura in the evening and Keith and I offered to give her a lift. She had booked a table at The Rose and Crown in Yardley Hastings, so we drove over with her, and I was glad we did because on the way home the dry weather we'd enjoyed today turned rainy. It was 2c so we were both surprised it wasn't snowing!

A boost for Sophie!

I didn't sleep well last night and I woke up this morning feeling really tired! At work, I was taken off the phones again (yippee!) and did a job for Sheila, inputting virtual spin classes onto the system right up until December 2022.

Although I enjoy this kind of job, it can be a bit monotonous and added to my feeling of sleepiness! We had one of the accounts staff in today with us and she livened things up in the afternoon by giving me some tips about the system we use, which I sometimes find a bit baffling!

Sophie was booked in for her booster jab this evening at Guilsborough, and I offered to drive her over. It was a misty night but the roads were thankfully empty of traffic. It was lovely driving along and seeing all the Christmas lights everywhere. Is it me or have people put a lot of effort into the decorations this year?

Sophie was in and out with remarkable speed - in fact, she was out before her actual appointment time, which was brilliant. She had Moderna, the same as me, and I did warn her about having a sore arm!

Back home, Keith had put some potatoes in the oven to bake so it was a lovely simple supper!

Back to work

As predicted, Keith and Sophie received their results today and were obviously both negative! At least that's now sorted!

I went into work to find lots of cards on my desk, as well as a little piece of Christmas cake in a pretty wrapper and presents from Sheila and Sara. If only every Monday morning was like this! Sara was fine about my absence last week, and we had a good chat about the holiday.

I was taken off the phones today as I had another tranche of films to put onto the system, and the spreadsheets to update. There was a moment of panic mid-morning when one of the film staff came in to say that we hadn't yet received the film Cry Macho which was due to be shown tomorrow evening. It's a Warner Bros film so no reason why they hadn't sent it to us. I emailed several people and tried to get hold of somebody at Warner Bros (very difficult) and in the end, it was all sorted. To be honest, the reviews that have come out about Cry Macho weren't promising, so if we hadn't been successful, it wouldn't have mattered! I think there was just one person booked to see the film anyway!

As I was so busy the time flew by, and at 4pm I sped home. Keith had managed to get hold of another plumbing and heating engineer who had promised to come out tomorrow to look at the system. The house is so cold at the moment, and although we have heating in the living room and kitchen, upstairs is like a freezer!

I made a fish pie this evening (I'd forgotten about it and groaned when I realised) but Keith and Sophie always enjoy it, so I feel compelled to make it once in a while! It wasn't bad and we served it with roasted asparagus, baby sweetcorn and tender stem broccoli - delicious!

Result!

I finally received the result of my PCR test today - on day 10! As predicted, it was negative, but that was hardly any surprise! We're still waiting for Keith and Sophie's results, but I have a feeling they will arrive tomorrow. Mine was the first to be delivered, even though all three were posted at the same time.

Results or not, we were going out today and we'd decided to visit a monthly food market in Woburn. It was still foggy and cold, but that didn't deter us from driving over to Buckinghamshire. When we arrived, there was some kind of running event on, with people dressed up as elves or Santas. They all ran into the car park in Woburn and the place was packed! We did a couple of laps of the car park and eventually pulled into a space left by one of the runners.

The food market was held near the busy junction and an old building where there used to be monthly antique auctions. This building is now an interior design shop and worth a browse around if you're feeling flush!

We ambled over to the market and we were astounded by what was on offer - there was an Italian stall, cheeses, olives and Greek foods, coffees, mulled wine and different ciders, an Indian stall selling flatbreads and samosas... lots to see and eat!

We had a hot chocolate each first, to warm us up as we wandered around, and Sophie bought some flatbreads for work tomorrow, and some samosas to go with our meal this evening.

It was lovely to browse the stalls and look at all the different foods on offer. Particularly popular were the brussels sprouts stalks and people were wandering around with them, no doubt destined for Christmas Day!

As we hadn't had breakfast we decided to try the turkey and stuffing tacos on offer from a food truck. Mr & Mrs Fitz were doing a roaring trade, even though there was just Mr Fitz today, and we joined the queue. The man cooking was obviously a character as he had a bit of banter with everyone who was waiting. When it was our turn, we had a chat, but when I offered my card to pay, he said he didn't accept plastic... in these times? He said not to worry, we could pay later when we got home via Paypal! How trusting was that!

Sophie raved about the tacos but I wasn't so keen. There was a lot of them, with fillings that were overflowing, and I just knew I'd end up wearing them! I picked out some of the turkey and stuffing but threw the rest away as they were just a little too spicy for my stomach first thing in the morning!

Before we left the food market we had a mulled wine, and then we had a look around some of the shops that were open, including Zoohause and Minchin and May but we didn't buy anything. I was saving my money for this afternoon when I was hoping to complete my Christmas shopping! 

We'd had enough of wandering around so we decided to head home and have an hour there before collecting my Mum at 2pm. The fog had become even denser, and it was bitterly cold. Not great at home with our heating woes!

We collected Mum at 2pm and drove to Tesco in Kettering. Sophie had been asking for donations at work for the Food Bank and had about £120 to spend. Mum went off and did some shopping while we filled a trolley with baby items, personal care items and lots of food. We filled the trolley just like we did last year!

Sophie took it all back to the car while I tried to get into the festive spirit, but it was so busy I couldn't concentrate! The aisles were full of people, and there was an atmosphere of panic everywhere! I still find it hard to believe that it's Christmas next weekend!

Sophie and I gave up trying to get anything and I suggested a coffee at Costa near the A14 before we took Mum back. The cafe was busy and I have to admit I felt a bit uneasy at being so close to crowds of strangers in a warm area. We had a coffee and chatted and then took Mum back. I felt guilty as both Sophie and I had been so stressed, but is it any wonder at this time of the year?

Back at home, Sophie put the finishing touches to a Chicken Tikka Masala she started preparing yesterday. She had marinated the chicken in a homemade mix of spices and yoghurt, and she cooked the entire meal by herself this evening. It was delicious!

It's back to work tomorrow - it's going to come as a bit of a shock!

A foggy walk.

Keith went shopping this morning and bought enough to last us the weekend. He went very early to avoid the crowds, and also to try and keep safe from the new variant that is rampaging through the country. The figures are getting higher every day (around 90,000 infections) and are the highest of the pandemic so far.

We managed to watch Saturday Morning Kitchen for the first time in ages, and it was lovely to see the travelogue pieces. I've definitely been bitten by the bug again after our Mallorca trip, but our choices are dwindling - France has now banned us from going, which is great! And we're supposed to be neighbours! We are due to go to France in April (re-booked from April 2020) but who knows? There's no entente cordiale between the two countries at the moment, and I think M. Macron doesn't like us very much!

As Sophie and I were so heartily fed up with being in the house, we ventured out for a walk in the afternoon. It was still very foggy, grey and cold. We walked up to the village and annoyed a small terrier that went mad when we walked past its house. It continued barking while we went to the triangle and turned around, and went loopy when we passed it again. It must drive the neighbours mad!

Back at home we lit the fire in the living room and watched a programme about the Christmas markets in Copenhagen, presented by Greg Wallace. We weren't sure when it was filmed as we didn't spot anyone wearing masks (in future years you'll be able to date programmes by whether people are wearing face coverings!), but I do wonder if they're on at the moment, considering Covid?

In the evening, before dinner, we enjoyed Vodka Martinis (I had a potato one and a rhubarb one from my Gin Advent Calendar), and Sophie beat me at Scrabble, which she seems to do every time now. After a delicious dinner of beefburgers and roasted veggies, Keith and I watched No Country For Old Men, starring Xavier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones. Sophie wasn't keen on the violence, but Keith and I enjoyed it. It had rather an abrupt ending though!

Our heating woes continue...

Our isolation is now nearing ten days, and this morning I noticed that my test had arrived at its destination yesterday. So, the Royal Mail must take some of the blame for the delay. It's probably the worst time of the year to post anything important!

Sophie worked from home again and had a meeting with the other staff online. She was supposed to be dressed up in a Christmas costume, but I don't think her heart was in it. bless her. I sat with her at the kitchen island and read the papers, and was told to keep quiet! We made Monty go out, although he did make a cameo appearance in the meeting a bit later!

We actually saw some sun this morning, but then at lunchtime, a thick fog descended which felt quite creepy! It also became very cold. I went and had a long soak in the bath in the afternoon but I could hear a rumbling noise as if an old diesel truck was idling outside the house. I even got out of the bath to investigate!

When Keith came upstairs I told him about the noise and he opened the airing cupboard door to find we had a leak again... we couldn't believe it! Another Friday evening, another leak in exactly the same place! We had no choice but to turn the heating and water off in case it became any worse.

This means that the only source of heating we have now is the fire in the living room, a hot air system in the kitchen and a warm air heater. I just hope it doesn't get any colder! At least we can turn the immersion heater on for hot water!

Sophie and I had a glass of red wine before our dinner of chilli con Carne, which Keith cooked. It was hot and spicy and certainly warmed us up!

Missing out on fun...

Sophie was particularly upset today as she had to miss her company's Christmas lunch. I hardly need say we are still awaiting the results, but I have a horrible feeling that the tests haven't even been delivered yet!

Keith and I did another Morrison's order today, but it said delivery wouldn't be until about 6pm. Again, we cobbled together a meal - chicken cooked in a mushroom soup "sauce" (with added stock), lots of vegetables and dumplings.

For fun, we cleaned the oven, and I dusted the pendant lights in the kitchen, one of which had a cobweb hanging from it... I'm sure there are better ways to spend our time, but at least the oven was sparkling clean afterwards!

We have been able to order some Christmas presents, but there are still a few things I need to get in the shops. On Sunday, results or not, we are taking my Mum out and going to Tesco. Sophie has arranged for the people where she works to send her money, so we can go and buy essentials for the Kettering foodbank again like we did last year. At the moment she has over £100 so that will fill the trolley again!

I put the finishing touches to my window and coloured in the letter "S". I hung a stocking in the window, added some fairy lights, and sat one of our Santas there as well. Tomorrow I can add the letter, and I do hope some people come by to have a look!

In the evening Sophie and I played Scrabble, drank cocktails and listened out for our food delivery. It came just in time to peel some more potatoes to add to the two forlorn ones we had. I cooked again and the meal was delicious. It's definitely Keith's turn tomorrow!

Confined again!

Another day, another confinement... We still haven't heard from the company organising our tests and I'm beginning to think we never will. To my horror, I found some reviews on Trustpilot that were appalling. How this company - Covid Travel Clinics - can be endorsed by the Government is beyond me. When I initially found them, the reviews were good. They were obviously fake!

I called Sara this morning to say that we hadn't had the results back and that it was looking unlikely that I would get them before tomorrow. I suggested taking a lateral flow test tomorrow and on Friday, and she said that she would check and get back to me. When she called a few minutes later, the answer was no, because of the Government guidelines. This now means I will have to use some of the holiday I have booked before the New Year, which is a complete pain.

Sophie and I were supposed to be going to the Oxford Christmas market today, but her leave has been cancelled, and we wouldn't have been able to go anyway. I could scream with frustration!

Keith and I kept ourselves busy by doing some exciting things - we did a load of shredding, sorted out some laundry that needed doing, and hoovered downstairs. The plumber arrived about lunchtime and fixed the problem with the heating. We were very glad as it was cold last night! This means that we have now spent over £700 on getting the problems fixed. Please let that be an end to it now!

Keith and I did venture out in the afternoon, to take some recycling to the ROAR! bins and to deliver Christmas cards to our neighbours. The weather continues to be grey, overcast and miserable. It would be, wouldn't it? The gorgeous blue skies of Mallorca and the warm sunshine are a distant memory!

Dinner tonight was another success. Keith bashed some pork loins and then we coated them in homemade breadcrumbs. I made a cheese sauce using some leftover hard Italian cheese from the fridge and, for a change, made cubed roasted potatoes. The meal was lovely! If nothing else, we're eating well!

More heating woes...

I was up at a more reasonable hour this morning, which was great and I didn't feel like I'd wasted half the day! We were all hoping our test results would arrive today as Sophie faced another day working from home. At least she's working, though! For me, today was a booked holiday but I'm unable to do anything!

This morning, I made a start on decorating one of our front windows. I had foolishly agreed to take part in the decorated window event again this year and had to display the letter S. It's aimed at children who can walk around the area and spot the letters, which they then make into a word. I'm supposed to be all sorted by the 17th December, so I made a start by cutting out old Christmas cards featuring snowmen, sheep (yes we had one with sheep on!) and Santa Claus... you get the idea.

I also asked Keith to sort out our outside lights, which haven't worked at all. He went out and took them off the tree, and discovered that they had been cut, probably when one of us was cutting back the shrubs at the front of the house. This would explain why they weren't working! Keith managed to splice them together, and then we unravelled them and put them back on the tree. It took some effort but the result was lovely!

I also swept up tons of leaves from the front of the house so it all looks a lot tidier now, and had socially distanced chats with a couple of neighbours!

Unfortunately, in the afternoon we suddenly heard a terrible noise coming from the heating system in the airing cupboard. We all went rushing upstairs and it sounded like it was going to explode! The water was heating up so we turned it off and the noise stopped. However, when we turned it back on, the noise started up again. Keith called the plumber who said he would come out again tomorrow, but it'll be another bill that we don't need at the moment!

It meant that we had no heating or hot water, but Keith will turn the immersion heater on in the morning so we can have a shower. We put the fire on in the living room and used the hot air system in the kitchen so at least we were warm!

Dinner tonight was a cobbled-together meal of chicken stuffed with some soft cheese and wrapped in parma ham. It was declared delicious, so that was some consolation at least!

I feel such a fool...

The atmosphere in the house today has not been good... I woke up really late, so I was annoyed with myself. This will have to stop otherwise I'm going to find it very difficult to get back to normal waking times later in the week!

I went downstairs to find Sophie had set up her laptop on the kitchen island, and she wasn't in a good mood at all. Her manager hasn't been as understanding as she'd hoped about Sophie working from home and had sent her niggly email, almost blaming her for the amount of work that needed to be done in the office. We all agreed that if we'd known for one minute about having to take PCR tests on our return and then having to self-isolate, we'd never have booked the holiday.

We had arranged for the tests to be picked up today but when it got to 1pm and the postman still hadn't called, we started to worry. The time was ticking away and ideally, we needed the results back on Tuesday to allow us to carry on with normal life.

I then went onto the Royal Mail website, and to my horror discovered that they don't collect test kits! You have to take them to a specially designated postbox, and there was one in Mawsley, barely two miles away. This meant we could have dropped them off on Saturday! We had received six long complicated emails from the company we'd used for the testing and I just hadn't seen the bit about the postboxes. I felt like an absolute fool and was so angry about it.

Keith and I sped over to Mawsley and dropped them off, and shortly after we got back, the postman knocked on the door to collect them. He knew nothing about the special postboxes and would have happily taken them for us. It's a good job I only paid 60p each to get them collected!

Later in the afternoon, I had a text from my friend Lynda asking how we all were. I mentioned we were cooped up in the house awaiting the test results, and she said she hoped we'd have better luck than Fiona who had waited over a week for hers, after a short cruise she'd taken, with just one day spent in France! 

I immediately texted Fiona who confirmed that she was still waiting and this was now well over two weeks since she'd returned! I was horrified! She had used a company called Rainbow (ironically chosen by Which? as one of the best) and was trying to get her money back. They'd had to give up on the self-isolation and were doing lateral flow tests every day.

This was not good news at all and I think it will be a miracle if we get the results back within the next couple of days. I am going into work on Thursday no matter what and will take lateral flow tests every day.

So, today has been somewhat trying and we are facing at least one more day at home. At least I wrote all my Christmas cards out today, so that was something! I now need to post them! And I ordered my Mum's Christmas present!

After dinner this evening (toad-in-the-hole) we watched a Danish film called Another Round, starring the gorgeous Mads Mikkelsen. When it was showing at the cinema I wanted to see it, but I'm quite glad I didn't pay to go and see it... it was a bit slow!

Escape!

The days are starting to all morph into one, and it feels very strange that we aren't allowed to go anywhere or see anyone. I want to give some gifts to Michelle and Richard, who looked after Monty for us, but I daren't go near, just in case. 

I spent the morning writing my blog and doing various jobs, including the last of the laundry. All three of us are now finding it tedious being cooped up in the house! We did have a socially distanced chat with Vince and Sue next door so at least we had some human contact!

In the afternoon Sophie and I ventured out to Milton Keynes to take the last of the Tassimo pods for recycling. George, who runs the scheme, was closing it today, and I had a large bag in the garage that I wanted to recycle. Obviously, we didn't go anywhere else or speak to anyone, but it was lovely to get out for a drive and see that there was a world outside our front door! We didn't go until 3pm and the sun was beginning to get low in the sky, giving the clouds a range of beautiful colours of blue and grey.

We returned to Northampton via Newport Pagnell to look at the Christmas lights, and then took the long lonely road out to Wootton. The amount of new development there was astonishing!

Dinner tonight was cottage pie - beggars can't be choosers - and we had to do a thorough inventory of the fridge to decide what we're going to eat for the next few days!

Testing times...

I had a fabulous night's sleep and woke feeling very refreshed. To my surprise, I received a text saying that our tests would be with us today, at about 11.30am. That was great as we were supposed to take them today, it being Day 2 after our arrival back in the UK.

I still had washing to do and writing my blog, of course. It was like re-living the holiday all over again! We have had the heating on non-stop since we returned home (the house was like a freezer on Thursday night) and the washing machine and tumble dryer have been in constant use!

The tests arrived at 11.30am and we had to click on the link in the email to activate them. Swabbing our noses and throats wasn't pleasant, but we managed it, and sealed up the cardboard envelopes, ready to be sent back. I had to arrange a collection from the Royal Mail but the earliest time was Monday morning.

In the afternoon I was able to order some groceries from Morrison's via Amazon, and they were scheduled for delivery between 4pm and 6pm. I thought the service was fantastic and will enable us to relax a bit more until we can get out to the shops next week.

I also did a huge pile of ironing and listened to Phil Collins' Face Value album while I did it. I actually enjoyed doing it!

Sophie and I played Scrabble again and we ordered a Chinese takeaway for dinner. We enjoyed drinks with the game and a glass of wine I'd ordered with the meal, which was delicious. After we'd eaten we settled down to watch Love Actually, definitely a family favourite at this time of year!

Living in a bubble...

The new rules meant that the three of us had to self-isolate until we received a negative PCR test. I was expecting the tests to be at the house ready for us, but nothing had arrived. I checked my emails to find a message from the company saying that they would be delivered on Monday... not really what we wanted!

Sophie was not happy, as she needed to get back to work as soon as possible. She had arranged to work from home on Monday but it was looking like she'd be doing that on Tuesday as well. I had swapped shifts so I had Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off, but I really needed to be back at work on Thursday as planned. I took a lateral flow test today, just to be sure, and it was negative. Looking back on the holiday, we really only came into contact with a lot of people on the train to Soller, so I was hoping we'd all be fine.

Most of today was spent washing all of our dirty laundry and getting it dry. The house resembled a professional laundry at times! We unpacked and all of the paperwork we'd printed out went straight into the bin for shredding at a later date. There was so much of it!

Luckily the weather today was sunny and dry, but it was cold. I felt like we were in a bubble as we weren't allowed to go anywhere or see anyone until we got the results. The omicron variant is now causing a lot of problems in the UK and is spreading fast. Who would have thought this would still be going on this year?

Sophie and I played Scrabble in the evening and dissected the holiday. She was a bit sad she hadn't spent more time with us and had missed seeing Puerto Pollensa and Cala San Vicente, but there's always next time. And I sincerely hope there will be a next time, although I don't think it will be any time soon with the way things are with travel. 

Dinner this evening was gammon steaks and homemade chips. I certainly didn't miss cooking and washing up on holiday!

A Mallorcan Winter Break - Day 6

Goodbye to Pollenca.

Breakfast was a little more relaxed this morning and we sat at two separate tables in the dining room. We spotted the three men from the restaurant last night and they looked a bit bleary! No jokes this morning!

Both Sophie and I wanted to go shopping, and more places were open today, thank goodness. Keith, Sophie and I headed for a beautiful shop selling ceramics and housewares, and I bought a bowl and a mug. Both were made in Mallorca, which was very important! I could have spent a fortune on all the plates, bowls and dishes in there, and if we'd been driving, I probably would have!

From there we found a delightful shop selling Mallorcan produce right next to La Font del Gall restaurant. It was a kind of grocer shop/wine store and I bought another bottle of wine and some chocolates. The owner popped some little chocolates into the bag for us as a small gift. What a lovely touch!

On one of the streets near the Calvari steps, we spotted a shop called Panaderia selling knives and little knick-knacks. I spotted a herb cutter that was absolutely beautiful in its design and I asked how much... I must have good taste as it was over 400 euros. I was severely tempted to throw caution to the wind and buy it, but I was persuaded not to by Keith and Sophie!

We decided to have a coffee in Ca'n Butxaca again and I imagined what it would be like to live in Pollenca and be able to visit every morning, while you catch up with the newspapers. Heaven!

After our coffee, we went back up to the shop on the Calvari steps and Sophie had another look around. Keith and I stayed outside and I took some last photographs of the town.

Keith posing...

We made one last stop to a little shop selling mainly Nepalese artefacts where Sophie had bought a ring the last time we were here, but nothing caught her eye, so it was back to the hotel and check-out. Sophie and I went to get the car and I managed to park just around the corner. 

Homeward Bound.

We had a lot of time to kill - our flight wasn't until 9.30pm - and I suggested stopping off at Binissalem on the way to the airport to see if there was anything open there, and maybe have lunch. We set off at 12pm and it only took us about half an hour to get to Binissalem, which is known for its vineyards. We parked in a small and extremely scruffy car park and strolled towards the centre of the town but there was hardly anything worth seeing. We came across a large square but no bars were open so we reluctantly retraced our steps and went back to the car. On the outskirts, we spotted Jose Ferrer's vineyard but we already had as much wine as we could carry back, and I didn't fancy doing a wine-tasting and then driving to Palma!

Therefore, we found ourselves at the Hiper rental offices three hours earlier than planned, and very soon we were on our way to the airport and a long wait. Maybe it would have been better to do what we've done in the past and take a drive to the Costa de Los Pinos, but we were so disheartened with everything being closed, we decided to just accept defeat and go to the airport.

We had thought about going into one of the lounges, but we had to check our bags before that, and the EasyJet bag drop wasn't open and didn't open until about 7pm. It had been a long wait, reading, playing cards and watching James May in Japan on Amazon Prime. His programme got me through it!

We checked our luggage without any problems and made our way through to Departures to have something to eat. As per the rest of our holiday, hardly anything was open so we chose a McDonald's meal, and even this restaurant closed shortly afterwards!

The flight home was extremely quiet - I would say the plane was a third full - and I was able to stretch out on three seats and watch another couple of episodes of James May in Japan. We arrived at 11pm to a wet and cold Luton, and not one of our documents was checked by anyone. The check-in man at Palma had given the digital forms a cursory glance and that was it... all that trouble we'd had for nothing!

We bid goodbye to Zain and set off for home. The M1 was quiet but roadworks were being carried out as per usual for the time of night. Back home everything was fine, and Monty was very pleased to see us. We dumped everything in the living room, checked the wine in the cases and had one last drink to relax before bed!

A Mallorcan Winter Break - Day 5

Holiday hospital visit.

Keith and I didn't have the best night's sleep. Maybe it was the coffee in the Tia Maria? Is there actual coffee in it? Anyway, we awoke this morning feeling a bit bleary and facing a trip to the hospital in Alcudia. Zain had managed to book appointments for us at about 11am, so we decided to meet for breakfast at 9am, so we could leave at 10am, giving ourselves plenty of time.

We went down to the breakfast room to find nobody about. The owner had told us yesterday that she would set us up on a table for four, but all the tables were just for two. I was desperate for a coffee, and the Lavazza machine was saying it needed pods, so I couldn't get one. There were various jars of cereal, bread for toasting, and yoghurts lined up on shelves and in a fridge, but we didn't know whether to help ourselves or sit and wait.

Eventually, she appeared and said she'd put us in the other dining room. She then brought us a bowl of different slices of bread and some pastries, along with a plate of cheeses, hams and butter. I asked about the coffee machine and she showed me where the pods were, so I could at least get my fix!

Sophie said I was such an ogre in the morning (I'll admit I am until I've had at least two coffees) and to my annoyance, the water ran out after my first cup, so I had to trek next door to the other machine and get one there! Hmph!

Sophie said that on Tripadvisor someone had described the breakfast as "exceptional" and it was good, but I didn't think it was outstanding! We were also given a bowl of scrambled eggs but I would have preferred to choose the bread and pastries myself!

At 10am we set off for Alcudia and took a very narrow road from Pollenca. Keith and I thought this road was the one we had to use when we rented a villa in the countryside back in 2006, and it was a real ordeal to drive into the town every night for a meal!

We arrived at the hospital with plenty of time to spare and saw the sign for the Covid testing department. But it didn't say where it was! We queued at reception, and it took ages for us to be seen. There was a respiratory department nearby, and a couple of children in the queue were coughing non-stop. Just what we needed!

We started to get worried we would miss our appointment as the woman on reception kept pushing us back until she'd seen other people. When we were eventually seen, she said our appointments were in Palma, not Alcudia...

Luckily, we were able to make new appointments there and then, and at about 11am the first of our little party was called in to be swabbed. The nurse carrying out the test was wearing the full hazard outfit with mask and visor, and she asked me to sit down and put my head against the wall before she stuck the swab far, far up my nose! She then rotated it for five seconds and that was it. We would get an email with the results later in the day.

Sophie reacted badly to the swab as her nose is very sensitive, and when we got back into the car she started sneezing uncontrollably poor thing. I was surprised at how far it was stuck up our noses!

Back in Pollenca, Keith and I dropped Sophie and Zain off at the hotel and we parked the car. We then walked up to the square with the intention of having a drink at Ca'n Moixet. Today, it was open and we sat right outside the bar and waited. While we were there I managed to complete my Passenger Locator form... that tells you how long we waited to be served!

In the end, we gave up and decided to drive to Puerto Pollenca for lunch. Today was another public holiday, and more people were out and about in the resort. We chose El Casinet, which was right on the front with views over the sea. A few other people were already seated and they were mostly Spanish, so that was a good sign. We took a seat under the awning, hoping that it wouldn't rain!

Keith chose rabbit while I opted for a Caesar salad and the food was very good. My salad had loads of vegetables in it, with crispy chicken and bacon.

It was bliss to sit and have a long leisurely lunch and watch people coming and going, some of them with dogs who yapped at everything! One lady arrived with a dachshund and a little chihuahua in her bag and ordered a pizza to take away. While she waited she sipped on a glass of wine. What a lovely idea!

After we'd eaten and paid the bill (about 40 euros) we headed back to Pollenca. Sophie came into our room and said she'd been grappling with Keith's Passenger Locator form for the last couple of hours. She was having difficulty uploading his Covid passport. We tried everything we could but in the end, we had to admit defeat. I started a new one and stated that we couldn't upload it but this was accepted and I soon had the form on my phone to show when we arrived in the UK. The good news was that the results came in from our test this morning and they were all negative!

A little shopping trip.

Sophie wanted to go shopping for a new ring, so I suggested we go and relax for an hour. Keith had found a book to read so we set off and headed towards the square. I think that because it was a public holiday a lot of places were still closed, but we found a gorgeous little shop on the Calvari steps that was open.

I envied the owner of the shop so much... It was a gorgeous little place selling jewellery, clothes and pretty little knick-knacks, and her cat was curled up on a chair in the corner. Heaven!

Sophie bought some earrings and we continued wandering around. It was so peaceful, and the sun was beginning to set, giving the town a magical feel. It was also deserted...

Not a soul about...

We decided to have a hot chocolate in Ca'n Butxaca, which is right on the square. People were dropping in for coffee and hot chocolate, and there was a lovely atmosphere. This little shopping trip was, for me, the highlight of the holiday.

Back at the hotel, Keith and I decided to have a drink in our room before going out. Sophie and I had booked a table in U Placa for 8pm, and I was looking forward to trying somewhere new. Before coming out we'd worried about which restaurant to choose for a meal, but the reality was that hardly anywhere was open. Respira was closed this evening, and that was going to be the choice for tonight so we were glad U Placa was open!

Keith and I went along to the restaurant and we were seated upstairs. Keith ordered a Gin and Tonic while I had my favourite, Campari and lemonade.

Sophie and Zain soon arrived and we had a good look at the menu. Our waiter was great and very friendly and helpful. Sophie and I shared a starter of chicken croquettes, and then a mixed paella, Keith opted for Padron peppers followed by a chicken curry, and Zain contented himself with the bread and olives to start followed by seafood tagliatelle.

Mixed Paella

Three British men came to sit at the table behind us, and seemed determined to have as good a time as possible, with one telling naughty stories that raised our eyebrows and prompted an apology from him... we didn't mind though, as the atmosphere was so good!

Sophie and Zain shared a dessert of apple tart and ice cream and I had chocolate cake, which I thought was going to be a chocolate tart. The food was very good and the restaurant is definitely one we'll return to when we come back to Pollenca!

With a lovely bottle of red wine, drinks beforehand and liqueurs of Drambuie and Limoncello afterwards, the bill came to about 170 euros.

We had an eerie walk back to the hotel along dark and deserted streets and I kept expecting to see that little figure in red dart around the corner!

A Mallorcan Winter Break - Day 4

Return to Pollenca

I had thought, for ease and convenience, that it would be a good idea to have a rental car delivered to the hotel. It seemed quite decadent, to be honest, but it was a plan that backfired on me!

When Keith and I pulled back the curtains of our room this morning, we were astonished to see a market setting up! And a market with a lot of vans now parked on all the surrounding streets... only I could have organised a car to be delivered, and then have nowhere to park the damn thing!

After breakfast, we went back up to our room to stand on the balcony, and we soon spotted the Hiper rental car driver with his colourful yellow shirt. He left the car a little distance from the hotel and we met him in reception. He took payment from me, and 70 euros for a full tank of petrol. To get it back we had to return the car full.

He then accompanied me over to the car, showed me how to actually start it and that was that! A black Renault Clio was all mine! He said I needed to move the car quickly otherwise the police would be along with all sorts of punishments, so I messaged Sophie asking her to come down as soon as she could. I thought the car was smaller than we'd ordered and I had been hoping for a Skoda Octavia estate that we'd had before.

The rental man went off to chat to someone in the market but he kept looking over at me and said again that I needed to move it. Rather than ignore him I foolishly decided to look for a parking space elsewhere, so off I went. However, in the area around the hotel, there was nothing, and I had to contend with cars parked on both sides of the narrow streets. I must have done about five laps of the hotel and surrounding roads when Sophie told me to park it back where it originally was, as everyone was ready to check out. 

Luckily, Zain came with me and he managed to get all of the suitcases into the boot, as well as our coats, so that was a huge relief. Within ten minutes we were driving out of Palma and onto the motorway towards Pollenca, a half-hour's drive away.

It was a beautiful morning with not a cloud in the sky. The mountains to our left looked gorgeous in the sunlight, and I was looking forward to going back to a place Keith and I loved. We were soon turning off the motorway and travelling down the long road that leads to Pollenca and Puerto Pollenca. On each side of the road were thick woods and little lanes leading to villas or farmhouses. When we came to the golf club, I knew we were very near!

Our hotel for the next few days was the Hotel Son Sant Jordi, and we were hoping it would be a bit more luxurious than the Hotel Balear we had just left! It's situated not far from the main square in Pollenca but has no parking. We arrived, and we were able to offload all of our luggage outside the hotel. Sophie and Zain went to check in while Keith and I managed to park the car a little distance away on the street.

The hotel was an interesting choice for us because we had eaten in their restaurant back in 2008 and the meal had been a disaster. We were hoping that maybe the owners had changed since then, but first impressions were very good.

The Hotel Son Sant Jordi

The woman in charge checked us in and took us to our rooms through the beautiful gardens. They have a pool but it wasn't open (and I doubt I would have gone in anyway...brrr!). Our room, called Las Aguilas (the eagles), had two windows overlooking the gardens and the mountains beyond.

View from our window

Sophie and Zain's room was at the front of the hotel overlooking the small church square and was just down the hall from us. We unpacked and then decided to have a walk around Pollenca as the weather was so beautiful... and warm! Heaven!

We soon got our bearings and remembered that one of our favourite all-time restaurants, Ca'n Costa, was a short walk away. This was near the cockerel fountain square, which in turn led to the main square, overlooked by an imposing church.

The last time we visited, Ca'n Costa had been called Fogoneu, but now it looked like that had closed down as well and was maybe a private house? I envied the owner if that was the case! We had heard that La Font del Gall was open so we called in and made a dinner reservation for tonight, for the four of us. We were very much looking forward to going back and dining there again.

A lovely new shop next to La Font del Gall - sells wine!

Keith in his favourite place!

Ca'n Moixet - House of the little cat

The streets of Pollenca are pretty perfect to me!

We roamed around the town and discovered that the small shops and bars at the bottom of the Calvari steps were closed, which was a shame as this was my favourite part. It still has the same views over to the Puig de Maria, but the service was always better than at Cafe Espanyol (Ca'n Moixet).

Eventually, we ended up at the main square to find even Ca'n Moixet closed. There was a notice on the door saying that they were closed but it looked like it was only on a Tuesday, so that was a relief! Next door was a restaurant called U Placa, and as they were the only bar and restaurant open, they were doing a roaring trade!

We spotted Sophie and Zain at a table and went to join them, but we got the feeling they really wanted to be on their own to soak up the romantic atmosphere! We had a quick beer and then left to visit Puerto Pollenca as I wanted to see the sea in the sunshine.

On the beach

Keith and I drove to Puerto Pollenca and parked in the town. Again, it seemed very quiet with some roadworks going on near the front. Our first view of the sea and the wide bay was spectacular, especially as it was so sunny.

I have never seen Puerto Pollenca so quiet, though! There was hardly anyone about at all, and most of the seafront bars and restaurants were shut. It looked like a lot of the hotels were closed as well. I went in search of sunglasses but couldn't find any supermarkets, so we gave up and had an unscheduled drink at a bar called (I think) Tecun on one of the alleys leading to the main square. It wasn't my ideal choice as there wasn't much of a view but at least there were people having a drink outside, so it had a nice atmosphere!

Main square Puerto Pollenca

We had heard from the owner of the hotel, that the clinic in Puerto Pollensa was closed and we wouldn't be able to take the lateral flow tests there. The only other place was the hospital in Alcudia, so after our drink, we decided to try and find it and make it easier for tomorrow when we'd have to go.

We took the coast road to Alcudia, which is stunning, passing another good restaurant, Ca'n Cuarassa on the way (it was closed). The views over the bay and mountains were spectacular, especially with the background of cloudless blue skies.

I had put the directions for the hospital into my phone and we found it very easily. It wasn't a large hospital and was situated on what looked like a residential estate. We re-traced our route back and I couldn't help stopping and taking some photos.

Our Renault Clio

Before heading back to Pollenca, we drove to Cala San Vicente in the vain hope that the Bar Mallorca would be open. This is another of our favourite bars with views over the beach and the towering cliffs beyond. I love driving around the road and seeing the small bay open up before us, but we couldn't do that as the road was closed!

We found our way down to Cala Molins through the town and parked in the small car park. The place was deserted except for a couple of people on the beach. One of them, a very brave, or foolhardy, man was attempting to swim in the sea! Brrrr! No thanks! Naturally, the Bar Mallorca was firmly closed, and work was still ongoing on the hotel next door. It had been two years since we visited and not much had changed!

After standing for a while and admiring the view, we got back into the car and drove out of Cala San Vicente saying hello, as we always do, to a villa we rented back when Sophie was two. Happy memories!

Back in Pollenca, we parked in the scruffy car park on the outskirts of the town and walked the short distance back to the hotel. We sat for a while outside as I really wanted to make the most of the good weather. 

Dining at La Font del Gall.

Keith and I showered and changed, and went to have a drink in the square before dinner. The only bar serving drinks was U Placa so we sat there and soaked up the atmosphere. The town was festooned with Christmas decorations, and various festive songs were being transmitted from loudspeakers dotted about the streets. There was a gorgeous smell of woodsmoke in the air and I was utterly entranced by it all. It was just how I imagined Pollenca to be in the winter. The town takes on a mysterious atmosphere at night, with lots of narrow dimly-lit streets radiating out from the centre and I often think about the film, Don't Look Now, and the horrible little dwarf!

We sat and enjoyed our drinks but it did feel quite chilly! There were a couple of heaters dotted about, but the one nearest to us was the wrong way around so we didn't benefit from the warmth!

We had arranged to meet Sophie and Zain at the restaurant,  and they were seated when we arrived, after having a short walk to see if any other places were open. Another couple was also in the restaurant so there really had been no need to book, but we wanted to be sure! We took our seats and had a good look at the menu. Sophie and I had talked about sharing a bottle of wine, and we picked out a Mallorcan red wine called A Punt, which we'd had before.

We were given bread and aioli and Sophie and I opted for the mussels in a tomato sauce. Both men had salads to start and for our main courses, we chose duck (Sophie), lamb (me), suckling pig (Keith) and sea bream (Zain).

The man who was waiting on us was very friendly and chatty, and we had a lovely meal. Keith declared his suckling pig as delicious and everything he imagined it would be! Another British family came in, and one other couple, so it was great to have more company. It did feel a bit strange, though, sitting inside with the heating on!

I didn't have a dessert as I was full from the lamb (it beat me!), but Sophie and Zain indulged in puds of lemon meringue pie and creme brulee. I suggested a liqueur but they didn't have any Drambuie, so I ordered Tia Maria for Sophie and me instead. She hated it, and I wasn't keen, to be honest. It had been so long since I'd drunk it, and I think I got it confused with Cointreau!

We were given shots of Limoncello on the house, while Keith had his second whisky. The bill came to 181 euros which we thought wasn't bad considering all the alcohol that was consumed!