Bank Holiday washout!

Today dawned cloudy and grey, and although the sun poked its head through the clouds at times, it was mostly dull and dreary!

I made banana porridge for breakfast, using some very ripe fruit that was delicious when cooked - it's really the only way I can eat it! We mooched about all morning and the rain started at midday. This afternoon we were forecast 40mph winds, so typical Bank Holiday weather! I am working on the 31st, the next one we have, and you can bet it'll be gorgeous!

Sophie and I decided to venture down to Homesense in the afternoon as I'm starting to look for kitchen items, and they have a lovely eclectic mix. We took my Dad's car again and joined the queue of traffic heading for the town centre. When we reached St James Retail Park, we couldn't even gain access to the car park because of people queuing for the Starbucks drive-thru! We were in a filter lane, controlled by traffic lights, and three times the lights changed to red without us even moving! We gave up!

We drove to Brackmills, as I wanted to see where Sophie is now working. Her building looked lovely and modern, and I was impressed that she had a cafe opposite! We called into the local Costa a two-minute drive away and enjoyed coffee and sandwiches sitting in the car park. Not really what I had in mind for a Bank Holiday Monday, but at least it was quiet!

We spotted a Topps Tile outlet opposite, so we called in to have a look. Some of the tiles were gorgeous but very pricey!

I loved the range of colours in this mosaic tile

There was so much choice available, and although I'd originally wanted to go for white subway tiles, I don't think they'll provide enough of a contrast with the worktops. There's plenty of time to come to a decision though, and more places to visit before we decide!

From Brackmills we drove to Moulton in search of a new garage that we're going to take the car to. It was at the back of a new residential estate and looked a bit run-down, but if they're good, who cares?

After doing a little more exploring we headed home as by now it was starting to get windy and very wet. It was great to sit in the conservatory with a glass of wine and play Scrabble, while outside it grew very stormy. I had put away anything that could potentially blow away but I'm sure the wind wasn't as bad as it was supposed to be!

Dinner tonight was bubble and squeak, leftover chicken and veggie sausages. I can't believe that the extended weekend is over... it's back to work tomorrow!