The last day of the month!

I can't quite believe that it's the last day of February...where have the last two months gone? It's now so much lighter both in the morning, and in the afternoon when I drive home, but the weather of the weekend turned today, and we had rain for most of the day. 

Work was fine with not a lot to report, and the phones have quietened down considerably thank goodness! Before dinner this evening we watched the news at 6pm and we were all so shocked by what's happening in Ukraine. It seems unbelievable that people are fleeing for their lives, and now Putin has introduced the threat of nuclear weapons. Sophie doesn't understand what Keith and I went through years ago when the Cold War had us all terrified of the four-minute warning. She believes that we should wage war on Russia, but that would be unthinkable. I still can't comprehend how this has happened, just when we thought that 2022 was going to perhaps be a better year.

After dinner, Keith and I had a very intellectual evening watching Mastermind at 8pm (how can Clive Myrie be in so much danger in Kyiv? Come home!) followed by University Challenge, and then the BBC2 documentary about Hitler's invasion of Russia, which was quite apt. He failed... will Putin fail, too? Let's pray he somehow sees sense, but I doubt it!

A taste of Canada!

It was lovely to look forward to a day when we had nothing planned! A proper, lazy Sunday!

The weather was gorgeous again, and it was bliss to sit in the conservatory for a change and read the newspapers. Sophie did a lot of work on her CV today as she's looking to change her job, and while she worked on that I sat with her and soaked up the sun coming through the windows.

Late morning, I went and put a colour on my hair to stave off the grey! Sophie helped me put the second application on, and then I had a lovely hot shower. Sophie had suggested going to the new Tim Horton's outlet on Riverside to see what the coffee was like, and to have a snack, and I was only too ready to agree! 

Sophie drove into Northampton so I could gaze at the beautiful sunshine and blue sky. What a treat in February! Before it had arrived in Northampton I had never heard of Tim Horton's which originates in Canada and was started by, funnily enough, a professional ice-hockey player called...um...Tim Horton!  Looking at the menu it was very similar to McDonald's so we now have three fast food outlets (including KFC) in one small area! 

Predictably, there was a queue for the drive-thru, and the next door McDonald's was as busy as ever, so they're obviously not suffering from the new competition! We ordered some chicken tenders, a chicken wrap, a flat white coffee, and a bottle of water. Sophie really wanted a frozen lemonade but they had run out.

The cost of the food and drinks was just under £15 so not cheap! My Flat White was over £3 but I have to say it was good, and comparable to Costa. We sat and ate our food in the large Riverside car park and it was OK, but certainly nothing special, and I doubt we'll go back. A lot of their offerings seemed to be sweet doughnuts and "Timbits", which were mini doughnuts.

Before heading home we put some petrol in Sophie's car. Unfortunately, this awful war in Ukraine shows no sign of ending, and gas and oil prices are going through the roof.

Back home, we discovered that Keith had prepared most of the dinner for tonight - lovely beef steaks with gravy, so we were able to play Scrabble and sip wine before eating. I thrashed Sophie this evening! I think I was just lucky with my tiles!

Spring has sprung?

The weather today has been gorgeous, and very Spring-like, but it's never a good idea to get complacent! Remember the old adage - March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb! However, it was lovely to see the sun and the blue skies. It was still a little cold, but who cares when the sun is out!

I took Mum to Woodlands hospital this morning for an appointment, and as usual, we were met by a little Hitler on the reception desk. We were made to swap our own, perfectly good facemasks for surgical ones, and I was questioned as to whether I needed to accompany my Mum... I was adamant that she needed me with her and I think the look on my face deterred any further questioning!

We had to wait a while but we were out by 12pm and went to collect Sophie from home. We had planned on going to Market Harborough today but time was short, as Sophie was hoping to meet Zain for dinner later in the afternoon.

We headed to Smith's Farm Shop and ordered some lunch in their new cafe. Things looked a bit chaotic behind the counter, but we had delicious sandwiches and coffee, and then enjoyed a slice of cake afterwards.

Before going home we had a good mooch about the shop and picked out some treats. My Mum couldn't believe how many choices there were! One last stop before home was the petrol station, as the threat of queues and panic-buying had reared its ugly head yesterday on social media because of the rise in oil prices... I went to the garage at Moulton and there were no queues at all and everything was calm thank goodness! I would hate to go back to those days again!

After taking Mum back, we came home and relaxed and Sophie received news from Zain that his Mum had been taken ill and he had to return to London with her. They'd been at a wedding in Leicester and he'd been hoping to leave for a few hours to see Sophie. She was upset, naturally, but we had a game of Scrabble and a cocktail made with the Warners Raspberry Gin and she felt a little better, bless her.

We had left the decision about dinner until late (if Sophie had eaten out, Keith and I would have had a takeaway) so we hurriedly prepared dinner of creamy chicken with dumplings and some veggies to go with it. The meal was delicious and Sophie and I went upstairs after we'd eaten to watch Fleetwood Mac in concert in Boston. 

When that was over, we caught up with the news about Ukraine which was very sad. I wish someone would do something about Putin!

So glad it's Friday!

I was heartily glad it was Friday and we could look forward to the weekend! 

Work was frustrating today and we had never-ending swim bookings for the weekend, despite the weather forecast being very good indeed, and completely different to the storms we had last week! By the end of the shift, I was fed up with the bookings and suggested to one woman that she try and use our website instead! 

So, it was bliss to drive home and look forward to two days off. When I got home the news was full of the terrible atrocities in Ukraine and Sophie and I watched the news this evening rather than a film. Like me, she is very upset about what's happening but I can't see an end to it any time soon.

I went to collect Keith from the pub and stayed to talk to John for a couple of minutes. There's no doubting the place is very busy but the light in the back room was harsh and bright. The Royal Oak can be a lovely cosy pub, and this room, with the fire, should be lovely and snug!

After the plague, war...

Sophie told me first thing this morning that Putin had invaded Ukraine, so that was a good start to the day... Just when we thought things were getting better with the pandemic, this comes along. I saw Sophie off to the gym and then watched the news for half an hour. I dread to think what this will mean for us all, and I feel so sorry for the people of Ukraine who must be terrified.

I have to confess to going back to bed for an hour, and I woke up to a text from my son, which was lovely. Last night Sophie had seen a social media post from Abbie about being back in Northampton, but there was no word from Mike that he was back as well. He texted me to say he wasn't able to get time off from work, which was a shame as it would have been great to see him.

Today was my last Thursday off for three months, and I wanted to make the most of it. I had suggested to Keith last night that we go out for a lunchtime mooch, but I changed my mind this morning and said I'd rather go shopping and then do some laundry while pootling about the house! There was snow forecast for this afternoon but the weather has remained sunny all day, albeit with the odd hail shower thrown in for good measure!

To mix things up a bit, Keith and I went to the Aldi at Overstone, rather than the one in Kettering. It was only a week old and everything looked shiny and new! It was very similar to the layout of the Kettering branch but the chill cabinets were behind doors, so much more streamlined. I doubt we will carry on doing our weekly shop here, but it's convenient for me on my way home from work to pick up anything we need!

Before doing the rest of our shopping at Tesco we had lunch at the Costa opposite Aldi in Kettering and enjoyed toasted sandwiches and coffee. Outside, it was bitterly cold with an icy wind that cut us in half! Brrr! Perhaps it was sent by Putin!

We listened to the radio in the car on the way home and we both felt very disturbed. Already, oil and gas prices have risen, and stock markets around the world have fallen. There's been fighting and reports of soldier and civilian deaths. It's horrible. I do sometimes feel like we're at the end of days... so many horrible things have happened in the last two years - widespread fires, volcanic eruptions, the pandemic, floods, storms, and now war.

Back home we put the shopping away and I washed my coat (I'd noticed black marks on the sleeve yesterday), my long cardigan, dressing gown and other laundry that needed doing. I do love an afternoon of getting clothes clean! 

Sophie came home early today as she was going out to the Northampton Filmhouse with Laura this evening. Keith had prepared his own version of pan haggerty (corned beef, potatoes and onion) and this was simmering away in the slow cooker. We had a very relaxed evening sitting at the kitchen island and then enjoyed dinner.

Sophie arrived home at about 11pm after having drinks and nibbles in John Franklin's and seeing the film Death on the Nile. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday!

No room at the inn...

I woke up this morning to the unusual sensation of light flooding the bedroom... Sophie hadn't gone to the gym at 6am as usual, as she had a horrible headache. It was almost 8am so she was still getting ready for work, bless her.

She set off at just after 8am, and I had a coffee before showering. I had an appointment at the optician's at Weston Favell for 11.30am, and I'd arranged to pick up my parents to take them with me. While I was in having my contact lens check, I thought it would be nice for my parents to sit and chat with their old friends, Garry and Gloria, so Mum had called them to arrange to meet them at The Lounge.

They were there already so, after a quick hello, I went to Boots. My contact lens check went very well and my prescription was changed slightly because I'm having more trouble with reading small print! Oh, the joys of getting old! I was thoroughly checked and all done within half an hour, which was great. Back with my parents and Garry and Gloria, I suggested we have lunch at The Lounge, but because Keith had made me a late breakfast before I'd left, I made do with a slice of Baklava and a coffee while the others enjoyed some sandwiches.

It was great to chat to Garry and Gloria who I've known since I was a child, and catch up with their news. They told me that their DJ son, Paul, is now living in London with a Russian Oligarch's daughter (hmmm!) and had just bought himself a Lamborghini... good luck with getting that out of first gear driving in our capital!

After lunch, we did some shopping in Tesco and then I drove my parents back. I returned home to Keith and pottered about for the rest of the afternoon, feeling glad I was off work tomorrow as well!

In the evening, Keith had suggested a meal at The Lamplighter in town, as a thank you to Sophie for taxiing us about on Saturday. We drove into town and parked opposite, but the pub was fully booked with every table taken downstairs. We really didn't fancy eating upstairs so we decided to go elsewhere, and Sophie suggested The Royal Oak in Cogenhoe.

Keith had never been but I'd eaten there with friends, and Sophie had also been a couple of times. They were able to fit us in and we sat and had a drink in the cosy bar first. The place was busy with locals drinking, and a row of cronies sitting at the bar having a good natter. We chose from the menu and sat in the lovely dining room that reminded us of being in a French bistro. We even spotted a bottle of the Mallorcan liqueur, Tunel!

We chose a nibble board to start, consisting of whitebait, breaded mushrooms and scampi and some crispy, cheese-filled morsels. For our mains, we chose a burger, fish and chips, and steak and kidney pie. My fish arrived and Keith eyed it appreciatively, so I swapped with him, eating his delicious pie served with new potatoes and vegetables.

None of us could face a dessert and we really just wanted to go home and relax! Sophie applied a sheet mask which made her look like Hannibal Lecter and watched television upstairs, while Keith and I caught up with the Good Karma Hospital. I sipped a whisky - a lovely end to a great evening!

Bonus wine night!

I felt very tired this morning after Sophie had gone to the gym and I longed to crawl back into bed and sleep for another couple of hours. I'm not sleeping that well at the moment so I'm looking forward to a few more hours of snooze on Wednesday and Thursday!

At work, Sara asked if I wanted some extra hours every week on a Thursday. We're having a new computer system installed over the next few months, and Sara wants me to cover the customer service emails while she concentrates on that. It would mean I'd only have a Wednesday off, but it was something I couldn't turn down. The extra bunce will come in very handy!

We were slightly busier today, and my shift ended with an angry phone call from a woman ringing on behalf of her daughter. I kept very calm while she ranted and shouted down the phone at me, and I do wonder whether these people feel guilty afterwards for taking out their anger on someone who is not to blame for their predicament? I remember once calling Hewlett Packard about a laptop we had bought for Sophie, which had malfunctioned, and I do feel guilty that I lost my temper!

Keith was out tonight watching Sileby play so Sophie and I had a bonus wine night. We watched a heart-rending documentary about a British woman who had been killed by her husband in Athens, and how he had tried to cover up the murder by claiming they were robbed. The sight of this beautiful young girl holding her baby in happier times was terrible and certainly moved me to tears.

Sophie and I enjoyed a lovely bottle of Dark Horse Pinot Gris and ate garlicky chicken with roasted vegetables. Delicious! After the meal, we watched a programme about the Lanesborough Hotel, the most expensive in London, with eye-watering prices! It's about £5000 for a junior suite!

Keith arrived home at about 10pm to some oven chips we'd cooked for him, and he looked frozen! Winter is not over yet!

Making plans...

The wind was just as bad as yesterday this morning when Sophie went to the gym, and I urged her to be careful on the roads, in case there were fallen branches or twigs.

My shift was a lot quieter than last week, thank goodness, and we didn't have so many swimming bookings, which was an utter relief! I was so glad half-term was over, but it won't be long before the Easter holidays are here, and at least I'll be on holiday for the first week!

Talking of which, this evening before we had dinner, we booked our ferry to France. Sophie had a voucher for £90 from our first aborted booking so that went some way to the £175 it cost for a P&O ferry between Dover and Calais. It would be wonderful if they scrapped us having to take a lateral flow test before we enter France, but we can always hope! I just have to look up rules and regulations for taking the car, now we have left the EU!

After dinner, Keith and I watched a delightful film called Dream Horse, which took us nicely to bedtime!

Snoozy Sunday!

Today has been very quiet after the activities of yesterday! Thankfully neither of us had sore heads but it was lovely to spend the day at home and not go anywhere, except for a brief visit to the care home to drop off some washing for Mum.

The weather today has been extremely windy and wet, and far worse, in my opinion than on Friday when we had an Amber warning for wind! At times we had some very strong gusts of wind and I did wonder if any more trees had fallen!

In the afternoon Sophie and I enjoyed a face mask and a lie on the bed watching A Place in the Sun, something we haven't done for ages. After a brief nap, I had a long soak in the bath and listened to the torrential rain hammering on the windows!

Sophie was taking care of dinner today and had already completed an enormous amount of preparation for the meal, a Hairy Bikers recipe of Butter Chicken. The house was smelling delicious from all the spices she'd used, and we managed to get a game of Scrabble in before she finished off the meal. I didn't fancy a cocktail tonight so we sipped a glass of wine instead, which was more than enough after the indulgences of yesterday afternoon!

A raucous afternoon...

Keith and I were off to the rugby this afternoon, courtesy of Highfields (who did our kitchen), and we were both looking forward to going despite the horrible weather! The last time we were invited, we had to cancel because of Keith not feeling well and Sophie getting Covid, so we were delighted we'd been invited again.

Sophie very kindly gave us a lift into Northampton, and the rain was horrible. In fact, I even think it was sleeting at one point and the temperature was only 3c! Brrr! As usual, we were early, but we were shown up to the Warners Experience private box where we would be spending the afternoon.

We were mightily impressed! The room was quite small but had two wooden tables with benches lining one wall and barstools on the other side. Cushions and cosy blankets made the room feel very warm and inviting, and there was a large window looking out over the ground with outdoor seating so we could go out and watch the match if we wanted.

We were the first to arrive and our host, Lee, introduced himself. Throughout the afternoon he did a splendid job keeping us fed and very well watered!

We each had a small bottle of Raspberry Gin, chocolates, a scarf and a programme to take home with us at the end of the afternoon which delighted us even more!

Lee manned the bar which was stocked with several varieties of the Warners Gins - Sloe, Raspberry, Rhubarb and Ginger and the classic London Dry Gin. We were given a glass of Sloe Gin and Prosecco while we waited for everyone else to arrive. The men all seemed to stick to bottles of Peroni and pints of Guinness which had to come from another bar.

Anthony and Paul from Highfields arrived later than they wanted as Paul's car had had a flat battery, but by 1pm everyone was in residence. There were only 12 of us, so a much smaller group than I'd imagined! This suited us fine, to be honest.

We were given little dishes of tapas to eat, and there were breads and olives on the tables. The first dish was a chicken and leek terrine with "leek ash, red pepper puree and a sourdough croute".

I hadn't eaten much as I was looking forward to lunch and I hoped the food would be a bit more substantial given the amount we were expected to drink over the course of the afternoon! The second course was slightly bizarre:

This was described as "Yeasted cauliflower, raisins, capers and mint." Hmmm! 

I'd had a couple of Gin and tonics by now and was very glad that we had a main course of pan-fried chicken, smoked sweetcorn puree with a red wine jus served with fondant potato and baby vegetables. I could have done with some bread to mop up the juices (and the alcohol!).

Before the match started at 3pm, we enjoyed a lemon meringue tart which was lovely, if a little sweet. It was then time to venture outside and watch the match. Thankfully, the horrible driving rain had stopped and the sun was attempting to appear behind the clouds. This was my first time at a rugby match and although I enjoyed the experience, there was a lot of downtime, and every time the game was stopped a whole load of people wearing orange high-vis jackets rushed on.

Sale took the lead early on, but the Saints came back and went into the lead. I loved the atmosphere when they had the ball! At halftime, we had cheese, biscuits and grapes to enjoy and Keith and I stayed inside for the second half and chatted to Anthony and Paul who were well on their way to being very merry! They hadn't eaten anything at all!

Sadly, the Saints lost by one point 21-22, but it had been great watching the action. Keith and I hadn't realised that there was another game on after the Saints-Sale match - the womens' teams of Loughborough Lightning versus Exeter Chiefs, so we texted Sophie to ask her to pick us up later than we had intended.

By now, everyone was well-oiled and the noise level had risen to very loud! I think we would have been given anything if we asked for it... Paul switched to red wine with the cheese while Millie, a lovely girl who was getting married in April and was with her Dad Barry, asked for a glass of white wine. We got on extremely well with everyone and the atmosphere was lovely. The only problem was the heavy-handed security staff who kept coming in and telling us off for being behind the bar. Paul's company pays £6000 per game to use the Warners' box and he has it for every home match, as well as having other corporate boxes at the ground, spending over £100,000 every year. Paul isn't your typical smooth businessman and has worked hard to develop his company but he has a heart of gold, and the generosity he displayed and the whole ambience this afternoon was outstanding.

Just before halftime of the second match, we were given mini "piglet" pies, half of which were vegetarian. Mervyn, who was Paul's uncle (and honorary dad) described them as "something and something else" which was hilarious (I suppose you had to have been there to truly appreciate all the comments!).

By now I had lost count of the number of Gins I'd drank, and Keith was also on his umpteenth bottle of Peroni. I didn't feel drunk, thank goodness, but the room was by now very dishevelled:

Anthony and Mervyn behind the bar where they weren't supposed to go!

Lee, our excellent, totally unflappable, host

Anthony looking totally wrecked!

Sophie came to pick us up at 6.30pm at which time we were both ready to go home. The security people had been in again and things had got a bit heated, so we thought it was time to say our goodbyes. Sophie was waiting for us in the small car park and we showed her our booty, given to us by Paul:

Two bottles of Gin (worth £70) and a small bottle to enjoy.

It had been a fantastic afternoon and one that will stay with us for a long time. We just felt so pleased to be invited and we know that whenever we need work doing on the house (our windows need replacing and the en-suite) we wouldn't think about using any other company.

The evening was spent quietly and I sat with Sophie while she ate her dinner, bless her!

Storm Eunice

Sophie was starting work later today, so she left the house at the same time as me to go to the gym and I followed her on my way to work. The weather was horrendous with driving rain and wind, and it was so dark at 7.30am! There were several large puddles of water on the country roads, so driving was particularly hazardous. I was very glad when I arrived at work and Sophie texted me to say she was at the gym! I did ask her to go very careful later on in the morning when she went to work, as the winds were predicted to be about 70mph!

We had an Amber weather warning out for wind here in Northamptonshire, but further south there was a rare Red warning and I think the southwest and London definitely were the hardest hit, with planes having difficulty landing, widespread destruction, and sadly three deaths. Eunice was certainly a deadly storm.

We had several phone calls from people cancelling swim sessions, as they were reluctant to go out in the weather, and a lot of calls asking whether we were still open! All of the country parks in the area were closed, which was understandable, but why people thought we were closed when everything is indoors, was mystifying!

There were only three of us in the office, so it was quite a pleasant shift once the initial madness subsided! Although it's been windy today, I don't think it was as bad as it could have been, and certainly nowhere near as bad as Halloween last year when Sophie and I were forced to turn back from going to Kent because of the wind. Then, we didn't even have a warning!

Sophie arrived home much earlier this evening, so I was very relieved! We have so many trees lining our roads around here and it's always a worry about them coming down! I took Keith to the pub and returned home to watch the end of Bridget Jones' Diary and sip a glass of wine with Sophie. Dinner this evening was very simple - chilli with baked potatoes. Hooray! It's Friday!

The calm before the storm?

I was up early with Sophie this morning but didn't go back to bed. She called me minutes after she left to say there was a tree down on the road to Walgrave. It was covering half of the road, but was passable, thank goodness!

Keith left to go shopping at 8am, and I decided to have a walk for half an hour to go and have a look at the fallen tree. I'd already put a message on our local Facebook page to warn people venturing out to work.

It was a blustery morning with scudding clouds and sunshine, and I walked down to where the tree had fallen:

The road was busy with people going to work and they had to gingerly manoeuvre around it! At least it slowed them all down!

Back home after my refreshing walk, I had breakfast, showered and went to work for a 10am start. We weren't as busy today, which was a relief! After Monday and Tuesday, I wasn't really looking forward to going in today!

Unfortunately, poor Sophie was very late home this evening. There had been two accidents on the dual carriageway near where she works and this had caused blockages on all the surrounding roads. She had to take some post to a box on the other side of the industrial estate, which held her up even more. She eventually arrived home at almost 7pm!

Keith and I had done as much preparation for our evening meal as we could, a Gino D'Campo recipe of linguine with asparagus and pine nuts. It was OK, but I don't think we'll be repeating it again soon!

Storm Dudley

I have to confess to going back to bed this morning after I'd seen Sophie off! I woke up at about 8.30am and enjoyed a relaxed coffee with Keith before tackling some outstanding jobs.

The weather this morning was blustery but dry and very mild. We have Storm Dudley with us today and on Friday, Storm Eunice is going to make an appearance! It's quite unusual to have two storms so close together and I think, in this case, the female will be more deadly than the male!

It was great to be able to open the windows and get some fresh air into the house to blow the cobwebs away! I cleaned downstairs, and at 2pm went to collect Mum from the care home for a visit back at ours. 

After popping to the Co-op in Broughton for a cake to take back with us, I made us a cup of tea and we sat and chatted in the conservatory, Outside, the clear blue skies and sunshine of this morning had given way to ominous clouds and a very fresh breeze!

Keith and I both took Mum home and returned via the scenic route. Just after we got back, the heavens opened and we had some very heavy rain which, combined with the gusty winds, made for some interesting weather! I was very glad when Sophie arrived home!

Keith and I played cards and he beat me soundly! Sophie made a delicious dinner of chicken tacos and we chatted about the meals for the rest of the week... sometimes it can be such a bore choosing meals, but the thought of going shopping without a list would be a nightmare!

Another busy day!

I wasn't looking forward to today, as you can imagine, and it was a repeat of yesterday, although Denise did help in the first hour. After that, Jo and I were on our own! We didn't get a break at all, not even ten minutes to eat some lunch, so I felt thoroughly fed up! I'm just glad that this school holiday is only one week!

I sped home at 4pm and relaxed with Keith, which was lovely. Before dinner, we played cards and chatted with Sophie about her day. Keith had prepared Pan Haggerty, and it was delicious served with some crusty bread to mop up the lovely juices!

After we'd eaten, Sophie and I went upstairs and I watched the end of The Power of the Dog (never again!). I am looking forward to a day off tomorrow and the chance to see my Mum now that the care home has re-opened after the omicron outbreak!

Not the best of days!

Ugh! Monday again and I was facing a half-term week at work, which is always busy! How did I find myself in a job that's still affected by the school holidays?!

I busied myself for the first two hours by completing the box office returns from the weekend and was pleasantly surprised at how busy we were! The weather had obviously played a part!

When the phone lines opened at 10am there was just Jo, Kathy and I taking calls and it was horrendous. At one point we had almost 20 calls waiting and in the first half-hour, we lost 21 calls. Sara didn't get Louiza to help, which was surprising, and very annoying. Surely the most important thing is to answer the calls and try and help as many people as we can? I would say 90% of the calls were to book swimming sessions, and by the end of the shift, we had all had enough! Kathy agreed with me that it was silly to have Louiza making outbound calls in the first hour when we were so busy! The worst is yet to come, though, as tomorrow there will only be Jo and I on the phones...

I drove home feeling very dispirited and told Keith all about our horrible day. I can't even look forward to a quieter day tomorrow and I'm working on Thursday this week, as well. I must be mad!

A tale of two pubs...

The weather today has been truly awful, with constant rain and a cold wind. Keith went to Tesco this morning to do some shopping, and when he returned we took Sophie to the train station. Her ticket to Milton Keynes was only about £7 so much cheaper than driving! 

We dropped our daughter off and drove into town as we had decided to visit The Malt Shovel for a lunchtime drink. The place wasn't busy at all and we took our drinks to a quiet corner. Both of us were hungry so we ordered sausage baps and chips and sipped our beers - a Ratliffe's stout for me and a beer called Bishop's Farewell for Keith.

Outside it was pouring with rain but the pub was warm thank goodness! We only had two hours as the car was parked in Morrison's car park over the road, and after a couple of drinks and our lunch we left. Before going home, though, we decided to call into a pub I had always wanted to visit a short drive away. It used to be part of the Phipps brewery and I hadn't realised it was The Old White Hart! I had thought this was the pub opposite, called The Pomfret Arms!

We splashed our way inside and found the interior much more modern than I'd been expecting! It reminded me of a nightclub, rather than a pub and seemed soulless! There was a large dining area where people were having lunch and a curtained off area behind the bar where there was some sort of function happening. I think it was a baby or wedding shower as it was a constant stream of women arriving.

Keith was very disappointed there was no draught beer and he ordered a pint of Carlsberg Export, which he had difficulty getting through! We sat with our coats on as it was chilly and I found it quite a depressing experience, to be honest! We definitely won't be returning, but at least I can say we've been in there now!

After our drink, we returned home, and within half an hour Sophie called to ask me to pick her up. It was still raining and continued like this for the rest of the day. Horrible! The very worst kind of Sunday weather! 

Back home, we didn't feel like playing Scrabble so we stayed in the living room where it was lovely and warm and relaxed. As we had all eaten at lunchtime, we didn't cook in the evening. The planned beef casserole will do for tomorrow!

Valentine's treats!

We all had a lovely lazy start to the day and pottered about, managing to watch some of Saturday Morning Kitchen. As usual, I caught up with some things I hadn't been able to do while I was at work, and Sophie hoovered the house, bless her!

The weather in the morning was sunny and dry, and I've noticed all the bulbs I planted in the Autumn starting to really poke their way through the soil. Hopefully, it won't be long before we have a riot of Spring colour!

For lunch, we enjoyed the leftover pasta dish I'd made on Thursday and after we'd eaten and cleared away, we decided to pop to Beckworth so Sophie could get some foodie treats for Zain and Laura as Valentine's gifts. 

The restaurant looked busy, and I was glad we'd eaten lunch at home! We pottered about and I bought two beautiful iced muffins and a bottle of Prosecco for my Mum and Dad from each other as a surprise. Sophie bought cards and some sweets. There were red hearts and Easter goodies everywhere!

We drove down to Riverside and I treated Sophie to a coffee in the Costa outlet in Next. Afterwards, we had a look around the housewares part of the shop and I was astounded to see some strange things for sale, at ridiculous prices!

£44 - I mean, why?

Why would anyone part with good money for this tat? There was also a sheep with a bear doing a piggyback over it... the mind boggles! The most bizarre one, for me though, was an umbrella stand made of fake wood with a bear on a swing priced at an astonishing £72!

Maybe I'm missing the point, and there were a lot of good reviews, but I can think of better ways to spend my money!

After Next we briefly called into Boots and then made our way to Laura's house to drop off her card and sweets. The traffic was horrendous as the A45 from the large Queen Eleanor roundabout to junction 15 of the M1 had been closed and would remain that way all weekend for roadworks. Sophie was due to drive to Milton Keynes tomorrow to meet Zain so she decided, very sensibly, to take the train instead, and Zain could pick her up from the station.

Laura was delighted with her gifts, and we made our way home through the town which was a bit of pain as the traffic was heavy again. We got home after Keith, who'd been to see Sileby play, and enjoyed a drink and a game of Scrabble. We had decided to cook pork steaks in homemade breadcrumbs with a cheese sauce, and to be honest, I don't think any of us wanted to do this so late in the day, but we prepared everything before we sat down to relax.

After dinner (which was delicious) we watched an Oscar-nominated film, The Power of the Dog. Halfway through, I could see Keith wasn't enjoying it so we turned it off. No doubt it will probably win, but it was a bit strange!

Today was murder!

Sara was off today so I took care of the customer service emails and put a tranche of new films onto the system. Kathy came in a bit later than normal as she had a painful shoulder, and our first hour was very busy indeed with non-stop phone calls until well past 11am. Thankfully, it then quietened down a bit so we were able to get some other jobs done!

Kathy's shoulder carried on being painful so she went home a bit early. The pain had spread down her left arm which was slightly alarming, so Sheila urged her to phone the NHS helpline for advice. It was heaven to reach 4pm and log off! Here comes the weekend!

Keith stayed at home this evening again, but broke his no-drink rule and had a beer. Sophie and I shared a bottle of Pinot Gris and watched Flightplan starring Jodie Foster. We love the opening scenes in Berlin, and especially the bit where she's sitting at Alexanderplatz station. We have sat there, too!

Dinner was breaded fish, crispy potatoes and roasted veggies. After we'd eaten we were transported to the Caribbean for a murder! A great way to end a quiet week!

Making plans

I was back at work today but I didn't have to be in until 10am, so I had a bit of a lie-in until 7am. It's amazing what a difference it makes!

Work was fine, and Sara said that yesterday had been horrendous - noisy and busy with some long complicated calls. I was just hoping today would be different, and it was! My shift seemed very short compared to normal, and it was lovely to drive home in the sunshine.

I cooked a delicious pasta, chicken and bacon dish this evening and before we ate, we sat around the kitchen island and discussed France. We will need to get a move on soon and book the ferry. We are there for five days, including Sophie's birthday, so it was lovely to sit and discuss what we'd like to do. We even dug out some maps of France and talked about going a  bit further afield while we're there. France is such a huge country, but we did reminisce about St Omer and Arras. It would be great if even more restrictions were eased by the time we go!

The dinner was delicious, and we made some garlic bread to go with the meal and served it with a salad, which cut through the creaminess a bit!

Peering into the past!

Keith and I haven't ventured anywhere today, so it's been a day spent at home pottering about and getting various jobs done. I am back at work tomorrow as cover, so today was a precious day off!

I really didn't feel like doing any housework but I did change our bed and put lovely fresh bedding on. I can't wait for the days when I can get it out onto the line to dry. I have a feeling our new tumble dryer is shrinking everything, so it will be great to have that sunshine dried smell to our laundry and clothes!

I spent the afternoon doing some more research on my family tree and splashed out £6 to look at my grandmother's family's entry in the 1921 census. At the moment the census is only available on Find My Past which is a bit annoying, but it was fascinating to see their entries and see that my grandmother was only 1! I also corrected her name which had been transcribed in error. She was living with extended family, one of which, James Griggs, is even more elusive than my great grandfather on my Dad's side! I come to a complete brick wall with him as I can't find a birth or baptism record, and no census from 1871 which is when he would have been about 10 years old. This would then have given me any siblings and the name of his mother. Sometimes it's so frustrating!

The daily grind...

Today, as expected, has been a repeat of yesterday! Up with Sophie, coffee and the news, get showered and go to work! I managed to put on some after school clubs and under 5 activities up until the summer holidays, and I always wonder what I'll be doing when I click onto future dates? Will it be more of the same or will I magically find myself living a different life? More of the same, probably!

I think it's the time of year, but I feel like I need to do some different things or try something new! Perhaps when the days lengthen we can go for walks in the evening as we used to, or maybe go and see a new film every week. I am aware that this blog is quite boring at the moment!

After dinner Keith watched Newcastle play downstairs while Sophie and I lounged on the bed and watched two new dramas - Chloe (which was quite dark) and This Is Going to Hurt, which I found funny but quite disturbing... I just hope I don't need to go to hospital any time soon!

Same old, same old!

Mondays roll around far too quickly for my liking and it was cold and dark when Sophie set off for the gym at 6am.

I really didn't want to be at work today - there were loads of people in the office, and our MD was present for the whole shift so I felt like he was listening to our conversations on the phone! I took my leftover risotto to heat up in the microwave, but I don't think I'll be doing it again as the food went cold while I answered the phone! I really do believe that we should get a fifteen-minute break to eat something as several of us work eight hours without a break!

It was great to escape at 4pm, and on the way home I dropped off our eBay packages at the small post office in Whitehills. Back home I didn't do a lot (it was almost 5pm) and Keith and I played cards in the kitchen before dinner. I am really looking forward to the evenings being a lot lighter when I feel like I could do more when I get in from work! Hopefully, it won't be long!

Caught in the storm!

Thankfully, I wasn't up as late as yesterday and Sophie and I settled down to watch our recorded episode of Saturday Morning Kitchen after breakfast. The star on the show was Ralf Little from Death in Paradise and he was very similar to the character he plays in the crime drama, and came over as lovely! Phew!

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent mooching about, and Sophie did a lot of preparation for dinner this evening - a pork and chestnut risotto. I attempted to do some research on my family tree but just wound up going in frustrating circles as usual! There are several other people researching my ancestors as well, and they have added some dubious links which I find hard to believe! 

Sophie and I had some items on eBay which were ending today, and we'd done really well with selling most of it. We made sure everything was packaged up ready to send tomorrow and we made about £40 on clothes and a pair of boots that Sophie no longer wants! More savings in our Paypal account for treats!

The weather today has been a mixed bag of sunshine and showers with gusty winds, and at about 4pm I suggested we go for a short walk to the village, just to get out of the house as we haven't left it all weekend! We wrapped up warmly in coats, scarves and gloves and set out, just as a huge black cloud appeared! We pushed on nonetheless, but within minutes we had light rain falling, and then we heard several burglar alarms start going off on the estate, so I guessed we'd had a power cut. The rain didn't deter us and we crossed over the road to say hello to a flock of sheep who were huddled together under a hedge, poor things. There was no sign of any lambs, but I don't think it'll be long!

Just as we decided to carry on a bit further I could see the rain coming over the fields like a white mist and then suddenly we were being pelted with hail. We immediately turned back and almost ran towards home, getting more and more soaked by the second! Luckily, Keith had seen the weather and he met us at the entrance to the estate but we were wet through!

Back home he had lit candles and the power cut lasted almost an hour. Sophie went to have a hot shower while Keith and I played cards in the kitchen by candlelight. I do love a power cut! The electricity came back on, so I re-set all the clocks and then it went off again! Arggh!

Sophie cooked the meal entirely on her own tonight and it was delicious. The rice was lovely and creamy and there was enough left over for lunch tomorrow! Perfect!

More entertaining!

I had the mother of all lie-ins this morning, and I wasn't happy! Why am I waking up so late? Anyway, Sophie and I had planned to watch Saturday Morning Kitchen, but we decided to record it instead as Sophie needed to get ready for Daisy and Laura's lunchtime visit.

I hoovered the house, did some cleaning and helped Sophie get everything ready, and by 12pm the house was looking lovely. Sophie had set the table on the island in the kitchen and had prepared all the food. They both arrived on the dot and they stayed in the kitchen until almost 7pm.

In the meantime, I looked up ferry prices for our trip to France in April and looked at the Covid rules for entering the country. We need to take lateral flow tests before we travel and we can't use the NHS ones we have at home. So, that's another £60 added to the cost of the short break! We have a voucher for £90 for the P&O ferry and the price was about £175, which I didn't think was too bad for a five-day break. When we'd postponed it last year I had no idea that we'd be going in the first week of the Easter school holidays, so that was a pain! We are still not 100% sure if we will go, but it would be great if the rules are loosened a bit between now and April!

The weather today has been dry and sunny, but in the evening it started to rain and the wind became stronger. Once Daisy and Laura had departed, Sophie and I played Scrabble, and Keith sat at the island with us. We ate the leftovers from lunch (lots of cheese biscuits, grapes, celery and dips) and enjoyed a bottle of Rose Prosecco that one of the girls had brought around.

After eating we watched Death In Paradise and then stumbled upon a programme showing one of the Fleetwood Mac concerts from 1998, which we enjoyed until almost midnight. It was the Dance Tour and both Sophie and I immediately took a shine to Lindsey Buckingham (as he was then!). As he's now 72, I think Sophie went off the idea a bit!

A strange request...

Sophie woke me at 5.50am this morning... ugh! To make things worse it was a horrible morning with cold temperatures and sleety rain falling. On the way to the gym, Sophie used her hands-free to call me to say there was a puddle of water stretching over the entire road leading up to the roundabout on the  A43 and to avoid it. I now go through Moulton in the morning as that particular roundabout is like the Wacky Races and I hate it! I think it's because it's so small and the drivers literally lunge at you!

I made myself a cup of coffee and watched half an hour of Escape to the Country before showering and leaving for work. Today wasn't as bad as the hell that was last Friday, but we were still busy and I had plenty to do - orders, emails and answering plenty of phone calls!

I was very much looking forward to Wine Night, and we drank the rest of a bottle of Pinot Gris and then a white Rioja that I'd forgotten we had! Keith didn't go to the pub this evening so he cooked dinner for us - what a Friday night treat!

Sophie and I decided to watch a new series on Netflix - The Woman Who Lives Across The Street From The Girl In The Window... it was a bit strange and I learnt it was a parody of several other, very similar films. We watched three episodes, but that was enough!

After dinner, I had a Facebook friend request from Mikey. It was a bit strange, but I accepted it as I thought that maybe he'd lost access to his usual Facebook account. I immediately received a message from him, which was weird, as we'd been talking about him at dinner and how we hadn't spoken since Fleagate.

He sounded his usual self and I was glad we were talking again. However, after the initial small talk, he asked if I knew I was on some kind of winners' prize list. This is when I knew I was definitely not speaking to my son... I called his number and he didn't know what I was talking about! Really, I should have been suspicious when I received the friend request as we normally speak via text.

After egging the scammer on for a little while, and receiving a link to click onto where I could access my "prize" I told him exactly what I thought of him and where he could go, and reported the whole conversation to Facebook, before blocking him. It just shows how easy it is to be duped (I believed it was Mike at first) and how scum of the earth can deceive people out of money and/or personal information.

At least one good thing came out of it, though... I'm talking to Mike again!

A little shopping...

I was so pleased I'd asked Sophie to take today off work as we were all tired after our late night. The thought of getting up at 6am after going to bed at 1am didn't bear thinking about!

We had a lazy morning and at lunchtime, Sophie and I drove over to Weedon. We went to the antique centre first, and I spotted a beautiful Mason urn with the fruit basket pattern:

My Mum has been collecting Mason's pottery for years, but I'd never seen this pattern before and it was perfect to go in our kitchen! It was £10 so I bought it!

We had a good look around and said hello to a sweet little chihuahua who was wearing a little coat that said "Security"! She was gorgeous and very sweet, and most definitely not a guard dog!

After having a look in the vintage shop next door we drove to the Shires Shopping Village and had lunch in Darlington's. We shared a ham and cheese sandwich and then indulged in a coconut and raspberry slice with a dollop of ice cream. As ever the food was lovely and it felt great to be able to sit and have lunch together on a weekday!

Sophie was looking for presents for Daisy and Laura, and she bought some lovely trinkets in the vintage shop. I found another beautiful, hand-painted urn for £22 and just had to have it! Again, it was perfect for the kitchen, but I think that's it for now! I don't want to clutter up the kitchen! I think I'm turning into my Mum!

From Weedon, we drove to a Tesco in Daventry to get some food for when the girls come over on Saturday. Sophie decided to use a self-scan so she could keep an eye on how much she was spending, which was a great idea. She bought some delicious nibbles and the ingredients to make a non-alcoholic Sangria as both girls will probably drive over.

Back at home Sophie and I celebrated the end of our day off by playing Scrabble and having a drink. Dinner was very easy this evening - jacket potatoes and salad!

A lively catch up!

After Sophie went to the gym this morning I sneaked back to bed, as I had a long day ahead of me! I woke at 8.30am, and by 10am Keith and I were heading for Kettering to shop for what I needed tonight.

I had changed my mind about what to cook this evening and in the end decided on asparagus wrapped in Serrano ham, paella and a fruity Eton Mess. We shopped first in Aldi, and along with the food, I bought some red and white Rioja. I finished my shopping in Tesco and we headed home to have something to eat.

The rest of the afternoon was spent giving the conservatory a good clean, doing the same in the kitchen, preparing all the vegetables and meat for the Paella, wrapping the asparagus in the ham, making the meringue and setting the table. Sophie arrived home and asked what I wanted her to do, but everything was prepared. I needed her to make the paella later in the evening!

I had a shower at about 6pm and spent fifteen minutes relaxing on my bed before getting dressed, putting some make-up on and lighting all the candles and tealights dotted about. The house looked and smelled lovely!

Lynda arrived first at 7.30pm and minutes afterwards, Andrea and Fiona rang the doorbell. It felt like it had been ages since we'd seen each other so there was a lot to catch up on, and they were all impressed with the new kitchen! We sat in the conservatory with a glass of Cava and some nibbles and had a good chat.

The meal went very well and the asparagus starter was delicious. Sophie had managed to get the vegetables beautifully tender and with some Hollandaise sauce, our plates were wiped clean!

We had an interval between the starter and main course and again, Sophie did full justice to the paella. Keith was content to sit in the living room and nibble on leftovers, and Sophie joined us when we had dessert, which was lovely. She amused us all by talking about our sun signs and did Andrea's birth chart so there was a lot of hilarity around the table!

Just before midnight, while I made coffees, Andrea called for a taxi. but she never received a text confirming it. After forty minutes of waiting she had to call again to discover that the previous booking had been forgotten! They left an hour later, and Sophie and I left whatever needed washing until tomorrow and sat with Keith in the living room for half an hour. It was a very late night and I was so glad we could have a lie-in tomorrow!

Planning ahead

The phones were slightly busier today but I still managed to input all of the playscheme places for Easter, so that pleased me. We have been getting lots of bookings for the February half-term which is approaching fast!

I gave Sara my holiday dates for Easter as well. As far as I know, we are still set to go to Wimereux in April for Sophie's birthday. When we re-booked it last year I wasn't aware that the dates were the first week of the Easter holidays, but there's not much I can do. Sophie's birthday regularly falls at Easter (she was born on Good Friday) and that's the main reason we're going!

It was lovely this evening to look forward to two days off. I am having Lynda, Fiona and Andrea over for dinner tomorrow and I asked if Sophie could take Thursday off so we didn't have to get up early! Bliss!