Keith and I pottered about in the morning and then went to meet Sophie for lunch at the cafe opposite where she works. On the way, we called into Aldi in Kingsthorpe to get some shopping and made it to Brackmills dead on time.
Sophie is extremely lucky to have such a wonderful eaterie opposite! The place is called Cafe 900 (it's number 900 on the road) and although it has some outdoor seating (no umbrellas, though) inside was delightful. The cafe is linked to offices behind, so there was a steady stream of workers visiting for their lunch, or a snack and coffee. The range of food was impressive - salads, sandwiches, hot dishes, pastries, cakes and a variety of hot and cold drinks.
Keith took a table in the large, airy and bright dining space while Sophie and I chose a pesto pasta salad each, and a BLT sandwich for Keith. I wasn't expecting such a large and airy room inside, and we spent an exceedingly pleasant hour enjoying our lunch and having a chat in the cool surroundings. I sampled a slice of flapjack after my salad, and it was divine! I don't think any of us wanted to leave, to be honest! We will definitely be back and perhaps make it a regular lunchtime arrangement! As a bonus, we met some of Sophie's co-workers, so at least we can put faces to names now!
Back at home, I made a start on preparations for tonight's meal - chicken and parmesan soup with pappardelle. I put a whole chicken to poach on the hob with onions and a head of garlic, and while it was simmering I chopped up celery, carrots, plum tomatoes and garlic. Sophie had ordered a gift for Keith for Father's Day and had originally said it was arriving between 3pm and 4pm but it was delivered early which meant I could go with Keith to collect Mike from work.
By now it was very warm, about 29c, and the sky was starting to cloud over slightly. We sat and waited for Mike who appeared at the car window and said he had a bit of a dilemma... he had found four baby rabbits almost buried in soil on the golf course, and couldn't see their mother. They'd been there for at least four hours (that he knew of) and the mother was nowhere in sight. He wanted to save them and bring them home...
He was obviously concerned, but Keith and I were worried about the fact that maybe they weren't abandoned, and also, what would we do with four baby rabbits? Especially if they weren't weaned? At the end of his shift, he texted me to say he was going to go and look for them, and Keith went off after him leaving me in a very hot car.
By 4pm I was getting a bit worried, but thankfully Mike texted me again and asked me to drive the car next to the shed where the men work from. I drove over, and Mike and Keith emerged from the bushes with a bucket containing three very tiny bunnies. Sadly, a fourth one hadn't made it so Mike was convinced the mother was either hurt or dead herself.
We drove home and put them in the garage where Mike and Keith tried to revive them a bit with water. I got onto the phone straight away and called the RSPCA, but I was number 15 in the queue, and the calls were taking about 40 minutes to answer.
Luckily, they had a list of wildlife shelters, one of which was at Wellingborough, so I called them and they asked us to bring them over. I honestly didn't think they would survive the journey, but after about half an hour, we arrived to find all three still breathing.
I was very thankful that the shelter was taking them in, and we drove home feeling very relieved. Whether they will survive or not, we won't know, but at least we felt like we did the right thing.
I hadn't factored a mercy ride to Wellingborough into my busy day, so when we eventually got home at almost 6pm I still had dinner to sort out. Keith and Mike disappeared off to the pub leaving Sophie and me to sort everything out and finish the dinner preparations. Mike had stripped his bed so that had to be washed and I put the hoover around because it badly needed it!
Before finishing the dinner I collapsed onto the sofa with Sophie and enjoyed a drink - with the heat and all the running about and stress, I felt shattered!
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