Mrs Forgetful!

My covid test was still positive this morning but the line was extremely faint, and I could just about see it. Keith's, on the other hand, was strong so he's probably right in the middle of it now.

I went back to bed after I saw Sophie off to the gym and had a lie-in. After getting up, having a coffee and showering, I gathered up our shopping bags and set off for Kettering. I had an extensive list with me and wanted to get some treats for Sophie as well. I phoned my Mum, who didn't sound well at all either and asked about her gift to Sophie, which I said I would sort out.

I did pretty well in Aldi and managed to get everything I needed. When I emerged from the store the sky had gone very dark and before I made it to Tesco, it started to snow! Well, the forecast was certainly right!

I bought some treats (not saying what, as Sophie reads this blog every day!) and the rest of the shopping. The bill was a bit higher than I'd expected and then I realised I'd forgotten to use my Clubcard... what an idiot! I am obviously not cut out for shopping! Keith would never do that! Luckily, the very kind member of staff on the customer service desk sorted it all out for me and refunded me some money!

I was going to try and get some diesel before going home but Tesco didn't have any. This was a bit worrying because they didn't have any on Monday when Keith went, and Sophie said the Shell garage at Moulton didn't have any yesterday... I do hope we're not facing another fuel shortage?

Back home Keith helped me put everything away and then asked where the paella rice was for tonight's meal? And the flour? And tissues? I had forgotten them all, even though they were on the list! Duh! I had a quick sandwich and decided to pop to Jones's, and then Waitrose on the way home.

The afternoon has been very wintry with sleet and snow showers lasting well into the evening. It's also been bitterly cold. Were Sophie and I really sitting out in the sunshine last week in London?

Keith came with me, to get out of the house, and I managed to buy some more treats in Jones's to make Sophie's birthday special. Her last two birthdays have been in lockdown, so I'm determined for her to have a good 26th celebration this year!

I found the paella rice in Waitrose as well as a bag of flour, and we headed home, one minute in brilliant sunshine, the other under dark skies and swirling snow! I hoovered the house and between us, Keith and I prepared the meat and vegetables for this evening's paella, cooked by Sophie. Just before she started she realised I hadn't bought the dry paella mix that we normally use, so that was something else I'd forgotten! However, we didn't need it! Sophie made up a mix of chicken stock, paprika and tomato puree and the meal was the best ever!

Getting through...

The days are beginning to blur into each other at the moment as Keith and I make our way through covid! His test was far more positive this morning, whereas mine is beginning to fade. I think I have got away with it very well, having had no more than a stuffed up nose and an occasional cough. I haven't regained my sense of smell or taste yet, though, but it's not as bad as it was earlier in the week!

I did a lot of laundry and housework today and made sure Keith was drinking plenty of fluids and keeping warm. His oxygen levels have been fine, but he is suffering from a very sore throat and painful ears. I think it's weird how this virus affects people in different ways... how some people didn't even have any symptoms, whereas others have been seriously ill and died of it. If someone gets the flu, the symptoms are fairly common, so why is covid so different?

I finished my 2014 blog today and added the title pages and the chapter page. It runs to over 110,000 words and more than 200 pages! Obviously, 2014 was a busy year!

The weather has been horrible again today and we have snow forecast for Thursday. I am facing the prospect of doing the weekly shop on my own tomorrow, which I am not looking forward to, but needs must! It's an opportunity to sort out some gifts for Sophie as her birthday is next week. We had been hoping so much for a good time in France, but looking at the weather forecast, I don't think we would have been sitting at a beachfront cafe with a beer in the sunshine! It's looking cold and rainy in France next week, so maybe it's a good thing we're not going!

Keith gets it!

Keith woke up this morning feeling terrible and, as I'd guessed, tested positive for covid. He had a faint line, but it was there nonetheless. This meant I could call the doctor's surgery and ask for some help for him. We arranged a telephone appointment for late morning, and the GP has arranged for an oxygen monitor for him, as well as a course of antibiotics if the cough goes onto his chest, which it has always done in the past. 

I felt fine again today but had a strong, red wine coloured line on my own test. It's looking likely I will be off all week as I need two negative tests to return. However, I am worried about Keith and would rather be at home to make sure he's OK. Although the loan of the oxygen monitor is a good thing, I would be very worried if his levels were lower than they should be.

The weather turned today and the blue skies and sunshine of the last few days have been replaced with grey skies and much cooler temperatures. Neither of us ventured out at all, and I spent the afternoon transferring more of my 2014 blog onto a word document. At least something good may come out of this!

Sophie left work a little early and called into Brixworth on her way home to pick up the oxygen monitor and the antibiotics. She had been very worried as well, and I'm so thankful all of us have had our vaccinations and the booster jab. It's such a shame as Keith was due to get his fourth booster in just over a week's time, but now he will have to wait another four weeks.

Before preparing dinner, we all sat at the kitchen island and took Keith's oxygen readings. They hovered between 97% and 98% which was excellent. One less thing to worry about!

Keeping busy!

I got up with Sophie today and felt fine, and had lots of energy, which was great! I obviously couldn't go to work, which was a bit frustrating, so I busied myself doing jobs around the house. Keith went to do some shopping at Tesco even though he wasn't feeling 100% this morning. He did a test and it was negative.

Luckily, it's been a gorgeous day today with sunshine aplenty and blue skies. I tidied two of our tall cupboards in the kitchen, and cleaned the fridge which made me feel very virtuous! I also went outside into the sunshine and mowed the front verge. A lot of little daffodils had flowered but it wasn't really the display I'd been hoping for! Some of them hadn't flowered at all but I'll have to wait about six weeks after they've died down to sort out this area of the garden. I couldn't remember what I'd planted and I didn't know if some of the greenery were weeds or flowers!

It did look a lot better when I'd finished, though, and much neater! It was great to be out in the sunshine and it was warm! However, later this week we have been forecast snow showers! Yes, snow showers! As I said, never trust March weather, it can be so changeable!

After a tasteless lunch of leftovers from the Chinese last night, I sat at the computer and resumed my 2014 blog book, that I had started in the lockdown last year. I transferred August and September 2014, which brought back many happy memories of Florida! Ah, those were the days!

I cooked dinner tonight, and by all accounts it was lovely - I couldn't taste a thing!

Celebrating Mums!

Mothering Sunday dawned grey and misty and a lot chillier, and the sun never really showed its face until the late afternoon. I had called my Mum yesterday to say I couldn't see her today, but she was feeling a bit unwell herself, so I doubt we would have had a good day anyway.

I still needed to get her a card so Keith and I went over to Tesco first thing and he went in to get one for me, as well as a gift bag. In the car, we had the window open and he wore two masks! A bit like bolting the door after the horse had escaped!

I wrote out the card and he took the gifts into the care home for me. It was then home, to potter about and wait for Sophie to text me to say she was on her way back from London.

My sense of smell and taste disappeared today, which was a pain, but probably because I was so stuffed up! Sophie caught the train home but we had to collect her from Milton Keynes as there were no trains running to Northampton. Keith came with me but he has developed a dry cough as well, so I think it's only a matter of time. When I recorded my positive results, I was offered anti-viral drugs as I'm over 50, so if he does get it, I'm going to make sure he gets them. I'm so glad he had his pneumonia jab recently!

Sophie had had a great time in London and had enjoyed the boat trip even though it was only for about half an hour. She had bought me a lovely bunch of daffodils, and Zain had given her some beautiful toiletries from his stint at Unilever so that was wonderful! Her card was also lovely and featured us on the front and a game of Scrabble!

Neither of us felt like playing the game this evening and there was no point in Sophie making us lovely cocktails as I couldn't taste anything. We sat and watched the Grand Prix and I took another test. I think the results speak for themselves...

The line was a lot stronger than yesterday so there's no chance of me going to work tomorrow, even though, legally, I don't have to isolate. However, Kathy, who I work with, has asthma and I'd never forgive myself if I gave it to her knowing I was contagious. So, I've done over four years at work with no sickness days to having multiple ones this month... And I thought that 2022 was going to be a better year...

We had planned on having a light supper tonight of pate, toast and salad, but Sophie was hungry (we thought she was having lunch out today) so we ordered a Chinese takeaway. I couldn't taste any of it, sadly!

"Never going to get to France"...

I woke this morning feeling better strangely enough, but definitely with a cold and an odd taste in my mouth... I took a test and for the first time since this whole pandemic began, I tested positive. I wasn't really surprised, to be honest, but I just hoped that Keith wouldn't get it. Having said that, this new strain is highly virulent, so it's likely. I think I picked it up at work, but who knows? It seems all of us who escaped it over the past couple of years have contracted it this month, including our friends, Richard and Michelle, and lots of people at work.

This meant that this morning we had some tough decisions to make. This time next week we were due to sail to France with P&O, which we weren't very happy about considering the company's behaviour in the last few weeks, but we would need to fill in a French declaration form that stated we hadn't had any contact with infected people in the last 14 days. Well, that would obviously be a lie!

We had until 3pm today to cancel the Airbnb booking and get a 50% refund, which is what we did. We're also going to try and get a refund from P&O on the grounds that we weren't happy with their service, and worries about the safety of the ships, as one had just been impounded in Northern Ireland as it wasn't fit to sail.

Sophie was understandably very upset as she had been looking forward to the trip and visiting Wimereux again. There was no point in postponing it again and re-booking, so that was that. I promised I would do everything I could to make her birthday special, as the last two years she hadn't been able to celebrate at all.

I think that we weren't meant to go to France - this was the third booking we'd had to make because of the pandemic, and then the trouble with P&O came along. Me getting covid was the final straw!

Sophie went to London today to see Zain, and she was looking forward to a boat trip she had booked for this evening. It was the illuminated bridges trip she'd seen advertised at Waddesdon and I really hoped she'd go and have a lovely time, bless her. 

Keith went to the football this afternoon (he tested negative) so I had the house to myself, which was bliss. I felt a lot better than I did yesterday, thank goodness, and just felt stuffed up with a tickly cough. The weather was gorgeous with warm temperatures and sunshine and we had all the windows open in the house!

In the evening Keith and I had prawn cocktail for dinner and then I made myself a hot toddy before bed. Hot whisky and honey certainly does the trick!

Not feeling 100%!

I woke up this morning feeling pretty horrible and with a definite cough. It was a shock to receive a WhatsApp message from Denise, who I worked with yesterday, to say she'd tested positive this morning...

I immediately took a test, that was negative, so I went to work even though I really didn't feel well. However, I dosed myself up with paracetamol and managed to get through my eight-hour shift. I was so glad when it was 4pm and I could go home!

I drove Keith to the pub and between us, Sophie and I cooked dinner, but I still felt unwell, like I was developing a full-blown cold. I hadn't had much contact with Denise yesterday but Sue had said her husband was also unwell, and his test showed a faint line, which I said was positive! Oh blimey!

Thank goodness it's the weekend! 

A wasted trip...

I was back at work today, working from 8am until 2pm and looking after the customer service emails for Sara. The shift passed by very quickly, and in the afternoon Keith and I ventured over to Market Harborough as I wanted to collect my wedding and engagement rings that had been re-sized for me. 

On the way over I did wonder whether I should have called ahead to make sure they were open, but it was a Thursday afternoon and about 3pm so why wouldn't they be? We parked in the car park near the market and walked into town, but imagine my annoyance to find that the shop was closed, with no reason why just an apology taped onto the door! What a wasted trip!

I wanted to get my Mum a gift for Mother's Day so we drove the short distance to Farndon Fields and I bought her a lovely flowering pot and some chocolate, as well as a box of macarons for Sophie to say thank you for yesterday.

It's been another gorgeous day today with warm temperatures and sunny skies. I could get used to this! Back home I pottered about and was a bit worried about a dry cough I'd developed... had I picked up something in London yesterday?

By the time it was evening, I was also stuffed up and definitely feeling like I was coming down with a cold... uh oh!

Summer comes to the city...

For a little while now, Sophie has been contemplating having a little work done on her nose and had been thinking of filler to smooth out the smallest of bumps. She had some issues with her smile as well, and after lots of research and watching Ten Years Younger in Ten Days, she booked a consultation at the Phi clinic on Harley Street in London.

She wanted me to go with her, so we'd booked train tickets for today, and had arranged a lunchtime booking at an Italian restaurant, Circolo Popolare. It was gorgeous weather and it was lovely to be out for the day!

The train we'd booked was busy but we found two seats at a table and settled down for the quick journey down to London. Once at Euston, we took an Uber to Marylebone High Street and had a coffee and muffin at Le Pain Quotidien. I remembered visiting this street when I was pregnant with Mike (I'd gone to London to get some herbal supplements to avoid being induced) and I'd bought Sophie a pair of princess slippers at a charity shop!

As the weather was so beautiful, there were lots of people sitting outside and enjoying the warm Spring sunshine. How lovely it was to see people out enjoying themselves, and hardly a mask in sight! Two years ago today, the first lockdown was instigated, and it seems incredible that covid is still with us today! We sat inside the cafe and enjoyed our coffee and muffin, before making our way to Harley Street, a short walk away. The streets were stuffed with expensive motors, most of which were electric. I'd never seen so many electric vehicles in my life purring silently along the London roads! 

We found the Phi clinic and waited in the very cool, totally white, reception area where soft tinkly music was playing. Sophie had booked a consultation with Dr Manav Bawa who was extremely polite, helpful and knowledgeable. He asked Sophie a lot of questions and then examined her face and took a couple of photographs. He went into great detail about the anatomy of her face, and the muscles surrounding her nose, and suggested filler and a little bit of botox. The treatment would last about two years.

Sophie was very happy with everything he said and she booked the treatment for a date in April. We had a lot to talk about, so we decided to have a glass of wine and some nibbles at Cote  Brasserie just around the corner from Marylebone High Street. Again, the place was full of people eating, drinking and enjoying the sunshine. Heaven! 

There were some seriously good smells wafting about and it felt like we were abroad! We ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc for Sophie and a Negroni for me, as well as some bread and olives. It was lovely to sit at a pavement table and watch London drift by. I adore people watching and I was fascinated by the couple next to us. They were obviously well-off and of a certain age, but she went from stroking his arm and gazing adoringly into his eyes, to having a real go at him about something! I was transfixed!

After our pre-lunch drink, we took another Uber to Circolo Popolare, a very busy and buzzing Italian eaterie in Rathbone Place. We had to queue to get in and I was amazed at the number of bottles of alcohol lining every wall!

We were seated on a long table but assured that no-one else would be put right next to us. Lining the walls were white stone booths with colourful cushions. It looked very exotic with the lamps and the shelves stuffed full of bottles of alcohol. 

We chose mussels in a tomato sauce served in a bread bun and prosciutto to share as a starter and then a fennel pork sausage pizza for our main course. Washed down with a lovely aromatic wine from Sicily, it was all delicious!

We managed to find room for a dish of Tiramisu each which was creamy and delightful - the best restaurant  Tiramisu I've ever had (Sophie makes the best home-made dessert!).

Sophie paid for lunch as an early Mother's Day gift for me, and we went outside to find an Uber. We stood outside a Peruvian restaurant that, sadly, hadn't succeeded and it was horrible to see the stacked up chairs and tables inside. Someone's dream gone horribly wrong.

The Oxo Tower in the distance

Our Uber arrived and we were whisked off to Euston where our train was already on the platform. We had a very pleasant journey back to Northampton where we were met by Keith who drove us home. It had been a fantastic day and we sat and relaxed for the rest of the evening!

Some pampering...

It's been another gorgeous day today with sunshine, warm temperatures and blue skies. I never get complacent, though... March can have a habit of turning nasty just when you think it's sweet and gentle!

I went a different way to work this morning and it didn't take me any longer but it was much less stressful! I hate the A43 with a vengeance at the best of times, and at 7.30am in the morning it is too much like the wacky races for my liking!

Sara gave Louiza and I a new job today - some housekeeping for the new system. We had to make sure that old members had definitely been cancelled so that when we have the new software in place, we don't carry them over with us. Some people have had multiple memberships so it can be quite annoying trying to find their current, live one with us. I had suggested a few years back that we put an asterisk beside their surname if the membership had expired which does help a lot, especially with our younger members!

After work I went to collect Sophie from her office as we both had appointments at the beauty salon. It had been ages since I'd had an eyebrow shape so I was treating myself to one this evening! It was very relaxing and I nearly fell asleep! I picked up a brochure before I left as it would be great to have a facial in the next few months.

Keith went out to see Sileby play this evening so Sophie and I prepared meatballs in a tomato sauce with pasta, accompanied by doughballs and a hearty bottle of red wine. After we'd eaten we watched a quirky film called The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. It was a bit odd at times, but enjoyable nonetheless!

Deep thoughts!

We had the most beautiful sunrise this morning - it's such a treat to be driving into work with the sun coming up!

I had a moment of deep thinking as I drove in this morning... I was surrounded by cars at a busy roundabout, and I realised that everyone around me had survived covid and had come out of the pandemic alive...  That got me thinking about our origins and something I always find deeply miraculous, that all the way down the ages, from the very beginning of time, our ancestors survived so we would be born and walking around on the planet today!

I had started watching a programme on Saturday about some of the catastrophic events that had happened over the last few thousand years, and how if one of my ancestors hadn't survived or had children I wouldn't exist today. They had a lot to contend with - plague, famine, wars, natural disasters, dying in childbirth, the list goes on... Just one tiny break in that great long chain, and that would have been it!

Anyway, it does make me try and appreciate each day, and try and make the most of it!

Work was fine today, and things have definitely been quieter than of late. This may change next week when we start taking bookings for the Easter holidays, but let's make the most of it while we can!

Sunny Sunday

It has been another gorgeous day today with sunshine and blue skies, although it has been slightly cooler. Sophie had arranged to go to Woburn today to visit the food market and have lunch with Daisy and Laura, so I drove her over to Daisy's house as her friend had offered to drive.

I went home and pottered about, catching up with jobs until it was time for me to go and collect my Mum. It feels like it's been ages since I've been allowed to take her out, as they've had a bug going around that has stopped all visits.

I had originally planned on going to Dobbie's garden centre at Wootton but the time has come to start thinking about every journey we take in the car, now that the prices of petrol and diesel have rocketed. I knew there were a couple of garden centres in Kettering so I googled them and we set off.

Google had picked out Bosworth's garden centre but we came upon Season's first in the large village of Burton Latimer. It was a funny little place with an odd smell in the cafe that was slightly off-putting, to be honest! I ordered tea and we enjoyed some cake, but everything felt a bit grubby... As we sat and chatted we could hear a bird squawking very loudly, and when we'd finished we went to investigate. There were two parrots loose, perched on top of their cages, and they were very vocal!

Jojo

After a little chat with them, we had a look at the plants and I bought a couple to go in the pots we have in the garden. I hesitated to buy pansies or violas as they will be finished soon, and the summer bedding plants will take over.

I managed to stop my Mum from buying some ugly tat, and we decided to seek out Bosworth's which was a short drive away. I did a couple of unnecessary tours of Burton Latimer before finally finding it, and I wished we'd headed there first! There were lots and lots of plants and some beautiful displays of Spring flowers and pots for Mother's day which is next Sunday. The cafe looked a lot better too!

We had a good look around, and Mum bought me a shrub for one of the pots, plus I bought some violas for our hanging baskets and a bottle of beer for Keith. We headed back to the care home and I said to Mum that next Sunday she could come to us for afternoon tea and some fizz to celebrate.

I took the scenic route home, as it was such a gorgeous late afternoon. I had a feeling I'd see a hot air balloon over the fields near the village and I did! I think it was going away from us, but it was great to see it hovering in the late afternoon sunshine.

Back at home, I planted my new plants and just after I finished, Sophie called me to ask for a lift home. As I drove over I was treated to a beautiful sunset and I arrived at her house at the exact same time as they did - what great timing!

It was lovely to get home, have a look at the goodies Sophie had bought and enjoy a game of Scrabble with a couple of glasses of red wine. Keith cooked a delicious roast beef dinner but Sophie was still stuffed from her Italian lunch to dine with us!

Spring has definitely sprung!

Today has been glorious, with cloudless blue skies and plenty of sunshine. It has been a bit breezy, but that was perfect for drying all of our washing on the line outside. What a heavenly smell of sunshine-dried laundry!

Keith and I went out into the garden at about 10am and managed to get rid of all the branches from the pruning we'd done. We filled the garden bin but put some of the thicker branches onto a pile for the little insects to use as a home. Buoyed up by the beautiful weather, we then went to the tip with Mike's old mattress and some other rubbish, but only put two small items into the landfill skip, which I was very pleased about!

Back home we decided to cut the lawn and what a difference it made! I love this time of the year when everything is so new and all the daffodil bulbs I planted last year are now gorgeous flowers, and really cheer up the garden!

There was not much in the house we fancied for lunch, so Sophie and I decided to have a treat and go to McDonald's in Kettering. We took a bag of Tassimo pods to the shop in Broughton on the way and queued up at the drive-thru as neither of us was in any fit state to get out of the car! We enjoyed our lunch in the car park and then headed home - thankfully, the road has now re-opened!

In the afternoon I decided to make a little walkway through our small gravel garden and Keith and I moved the bench seat to another place in the garden. It will make it much easier for us to walk through as the Jasmine does tend to get hold of you as you walk past!

Beautiful Spring flowers

I can't wait to fill the tubs with flowers and get some colour into the garden!

After all the work in the garden, Sophie and I had a face mask and then I had a long soak in the bath. We met in the kitchen at 6pm for Scrabble and Prosecco, and this evening I thrashed Sophie. In fairness, she did have some terrible tiles which were mostly vowels, so she did well to get 350 points!

After a very simple but delicious dinner of Piri Piri chicken, we watched a film called Don't Look Up about a comet on track to wipe out Earth. It was a bit silly, but enjoyable nonetheless!

Road rage!

I was hoping for a quiet end to the week and this is what I received! Hooray! There were only three of us in the office today so it was lovely and calm, and the phones weren't too busy, so I managed to get the job done that Sara had given me. If only all Fridays were like this!

I had been hoping that the road would re-open today but I was disappointed. I had to go along Newlands, closely followed by a large Range Rover, and halfway along we met an oncoming car. I pulled over as best as I could considering the state of the verges - deep potholes and very muddy - but the Range Rover behind me just stayed in the middle of the road! The man in the car approaching looked really angry and as he drew up alongside me, he said I was fine, it was the idiot behind that was the problem! They had no choice but to back up so he could get through and I said, almost tearfully, that I was fed up with the road being closed. and he wished me a lovely weekend! It seems mad now that I was so upset, but the thought of getting stuck in the mud or doing damage was very real! This road should really only be used by walkers, cyclists or people riding horses, it's so narrow.

When I got home, shortly before Sophie who had also finished at 4pm, I refused to take Keith to the pub. The thought of traversing the road four times after this afternoon was too much! He walked to the entrance of the estate to see if the road signs had been taken away, but they were still there so he had to drive himself!

Sophie and I poured a glass of wine each and settled down to watch a new documentary on Netflix called Bad Vegan about a woman who had been running a successful vegan restaurant in New York until she met a man online... it was very good and kept us glued to the screen!

Keith came home earlier than normal and was not happy. The choice of beers in the pub has lessened and his favourite tipple, Abbot, has been replaced with a much weaker beer. He used to love a couple of pints of beer but is now considering going elsewhere on a Friday night!

Disturbing news...

Sara wanted me to spend all day on the spreadsheet job, so after doing a couple of essential tasks, I knuckled down! However, we had a bit of a hiccup mid-morning when we managed to delete the spreadsheet I was working on... Oh, blimey! Luckily, our IT men managed to get it back again, but minus any of the work I'd already done, so that put me back a good hour! I said to Sara I'd work until 4pm to put things right, and by the time I'd finished, I was two-thirds of the way completed.

I called Keith to say I'd be later home than expected and he mentioned that there was some kind of news about P&O Ferries... Sophie also texted me to say that all the P&O sailings over the next few days had been cancelled so obviously something very worrying was going on. We're using them in just over two weeks!

On the way home I listened to the news and discovered that they had made 800 workers redundant without any notice, and over a Zoom call! How terrible... We checked the website and they were asking customers to still turn up on the Dover-Calais route as it looked like they were using DFDS.

I feel like we're jinxed with this France trip. This is a break we postponed originally from April 2020 because of the pandemic and re-booked again from April 2021because we were still in lockdown. We had to use P&O because we'd originally booked with them and had a voucher to use. I just hope that things get resolved before we go, but I felt terribly sorry for their loyal employees.

Over dinner, we discussed what we could do but all of us wanted to go to France and tomorrow the balance of our payment to Airbnb is being taken. Great timing!

Day off?

The weather today has been atrocious with constant, never-ending rain and grey skies. Where has Spring gone?

I have to confess to going back to bed after I saw Sophie off to the gym, and woke up at 8.30am feeling refreshed and ready for the day. I had to go to a meeting at work this morning and Keith kindly offered to drive me in case there was no parking. The meeting was about how the Trust was doing and the fact that we are now a "well-being" organisation, rather than a leisure organisation...

The meeting went on until 11.30am with all of our top management giving a speech and Sara asked me to stay back for a few minutes as there was a new job that needed doing. I was going to share it with Louiza, and we had to transfer all of our employees' names and the job roles they did onto a spreadsheet so we could create WhatsApp groups. Sara wanted me to do the job tomorrow when I was in for six hours which was fine with me!

Before going home Keith and I popped to the garage in Moulton to book my car in for a service, in readiness for our trip to France in a couple of weeks. We booked it in, I called into the Shell garage to get something for lunch and we went home, sloshing our way through the rain-soaked roads!

I had been hoping to get out into the garden today to clear up the branches we'd cut down, but there was no question of that with the weather. I spent the afternoon doing some research on my family tree and prepared the dinner, while Keith watched the Cheltenham Festival and tried to have a couple of winners!

The road is still closed so Sophie gave in and came home via Newlands. I dread to think what the road was like with all the rain we've had today!

A busy day!

It was a gorgeous morning with sunlight and mist over the fields, and it's now light when Sophie sets off for the gym at 6am. I left for work ten minutes earlier than normal, because of the dratted road closure, and arrived well before 8am.

I had a busy day and managed to put all the crash courses onto the system, as well as the Easter holiday activities. This was because the phones weren't that busy, thank goodness!

On the way home, travelling along Newlands again, another car and I became stuck behind a bike the whole way. We were doing 15mph... I'm not sure whether the cyclist knew he had a convoy behind him (we'd been joined by another car by now) but nobody could overtake as we have to leave a certain gap between us and the bike... it's now in the Highway Code!

Sophie arrived home very late, fuming as well. She'd hated the journey on the A43 yesterday (it truly can be the road to hell) so she'd diverted through Moulton Park and then along the A508 towards Brixworth, but didn't know there were roadworks which held her up for ages...

Keith and I were sitting in the kitchen when she arrived home and had made all the preparations for dinner - chicken with cannellini beans, which was delicious! She poured herself a glass of wine, and I really didn't blame her!

Little annoyances!

We had seen signs saying the road between our estate and Walgrave was closed, but I'd forgotten about it today. I was able to go to work the normal way, but on my return, I had to make a detour, which made me mad. I arrived home in a foul mood much to the amusement of Keith!

To make things worse, there were barriers across the lefthand side of the road at the crossroads in Walgrave, and as I attempted to turn left, there were two cars coming down the road so there was nowhere for me to go. I turned around and tried again, and after driving up to the roadblock, I was forced to drive down Newlands road where the potholes were so deep you could lose a car in them! Of course, I met two cars coming the other way, and as it's a single lane narrow track, it was a real balancing act not to drive into one of the potholes to avoid them!

I texted Sophie when I got home and warned her about the closure. She decided to head straight along the A43 to the Mawsley turn and come in that way, which is a long diversion! This closure is on all week, so it will be a real pain! Apparently, it's for repairs to the narrow bridge just outside Walgrave so let's hope there's an improvement when it re-opens!

Keith and I cooked liver and bacon for dinner tonight, and we had the top half of our back door open to eliminate the cooking smells. I honestly can't wait until the temperatures rise and we can have the door open the whole time. I have found my clothes smell of cooking a bit now that we sit in there before dinner, so any fresh air will be a bonus!

Lazy Sunday!

Today we have not moved from the house, which has been lovely, and very relaxing. It was bliss to have a lie-in and a lazy start to the day.

The weather has been lovely and although we were tempted to go for a walk, I wanted to avoid anything strenuous as my stomach has started to feel better. I'm itching to go out and tidy the garden, mow the lawn and trim the front verge, but the chores will have to wait for a while.

I did some research on my family tree and Sophie busied herself with cleaning the house, bless her! Where would I be without her? She hoovered all through the house, cleaned the bathrooms, changed her bedding and was generally an angel. The house looked beautiful when she finished.

We had the Chinese leftovers for lunch, and for our evening meal, Keith cooked the beef steaks while Sophie and I played Scrabble. We were a bit later than normal as we'd enjoyed a face pack, but it was heavenly to sip a good glass of red and look forward to dinner!

I can't believe the weekend is over... back to work again tomorrow!

Change of plan...

Sophie was going to London to see Zain today, so Keith dropped me at work at 8.30am and they carried on to the station to catch the train.

Sue came in and warned me that it could get very busy, but although we did have a fair few calls, I wouldn't say it was manic at all. I was able to empty the customer service inbox again and deal with all my own emails!

Outside the weather was beautiful - blue skies and plenty of sunshine - so that may have been why we weren't too busy with swimming bookings. It was great to leave at 2pm and go home where I pootled about until Sophie called me to collect her from the station at about 4pm.

Once back at home, she had a long conversation with Laura (she'd just put down an offer on a house) and then we enjoyed a drink at the island. Keith and I had changed our meal for this evening and we were supposed to have eaten liver and onions, but neither of us fancied cooking it, so we did a very naughty thing and ordered a Chinese takeaway! That's two takeaways in one week!

The food was lovely, though and after we'd eaten we watched a film called The Postcard Killings, which was enjoyable, if a bit macabre!

Wine Night and Bingo!

I managed to get a lot done at work today, which I was pleased about! Keith drove me in again and I was facing a nice, long eight-hour shift! I put a load of new films onto the system, and managed to clear the customer service email box, as well as do some orders, so the time flew by! We were busy with phone calls as well, but it didn't seem as bad as last week. The weather forecast for this weekend isn't bad, so that might have had something to do with it.

Tonight, Sophie and I had bought tickets to a Chilli and Bingo evening at the village hall. Neither of us really fancied it, and the weather just before we left was horrendous, but we went anyway, and I'm so glad we did as we had a brilliant time!

Keith had to make his own way to the pub tonight, and Sophie drove us to the village, managing to find the last parking space in the small car park. People had already arrived and when we went in Lynn and Sonal were there welcoming everyone and handing out books of eight bingo games. Lynn wanted us to sit at her table which was lovely. I had wanted to arrive early so we didn't have to try and find seats on our own, so this was a bonus!

We found our table and Sophie went to buy a bottle of wine. I discovered I hadn't got one single pen in my bag so I bought two dabbers for us to use. Sophie bought back a bottle of Tempranillo which was deliciously fruity and very easy to drink!

The bingo started at 7.30pm and we had a few games before the chilli was served at 8pm. We also bought some raffle tickets from the Silver Fox (a man I've known for ages who has quite the reputation in the village! However, he does raise a lot of money for Homestart, our local charity, so he's forgiven!).

Sophie and I didn't have any luck with the bingo but two people on our table did and won Prosecco, chocolates and white wine! One of them very kindly gave us a bottle of fizz as he'd won two! We had no luck with the raffle but at least we all raised a lot of money and had a fantastic time in the process!

Back to work!

I now have ten hours to make up so today I worked for nothing... hmmm! Keith drove me to work and then went to do the shopping. I was covering for Sara today so I spent my six-hour shift dealing with emails and being very busy indeed! My tummy was OK but it did hurt when I had to get up. Tracie was working today and asked me quite a few questions about various things, which really she should know about by now! I had noticed on Monday that she was constantly asking Sheila for help!

I suppose I could have worked until 4pm today, but I left at 2pm as I am in tomorrow and Saturday as well this week. It was just like old times going home at 2pm and I pottered about doing some housework and catching up with some jobs. There always seems to be something to do!

Spring jobs.

I woke up and felt a little better today, enough to have a long, hot shower and make the bed! It has been glorious today - real Spring weather with blue skies and a gentle breeze.

Keith went out into the garden to prune the trees, which was long overdue. As he was balancing on a stepladder, I felt I had to be out there with him, but picking up all the branches and cutting them up to put in the garden bin was out of the question. The last thing I wanted to do was keep on bending down!

When he had finished, they looked so much better. He pruned the apple tree as well, so it all looks a lot neater. Now, we just have to get rid of the prunings, but we can leave that for another time. It won't be long before the grass will need cutting as well!

The rest of the afternoon was spent pottering about and not doing much at all. I hate feeling like this and yearn to be back to normal!

The lost day...

I woke up this morning feeling absolutely horrible, so took my first sick day from work since I started there. My stomach ached horribly and I had no energy at all. I saw Sophie off to the gym and went back to bed for a couple of hours. It was horrible.

I just about managed to get dressed and went downstairs to sit on the sofa. Keith was feeling much better and busied himself preparing dinner and making a stilton and celery soup which smelt revolting! Just the thought of food was awful!

So, I didn't do anything today except nap and watch the television. Outside, the weather was glorious and I felt really sorry for myself. I hate being ill!

I did manage to eat a little bit of dinner in the evening but I was so glad that tomorrow is a day off. I'm just hoping I'll feel better for Thursday!

A bit under the weather...

I had an atrocious night's sleep and woke this morning with a tummy ache... I think the indulgences over the weekend caught up with me! I am going to have to stop drinking Gin on a work night as it keeps me awake!

Keith was also under the weather and said he felt sick. I had taken the remainder of my steak home on Saturday night and he'd had it in a sandwich on Sunday, so I wonder if that had caused him to feel ill? I went back to bed and texted Sheila to say I would be in at 10am rather than 8am as I felt so bleary. Not a great start to the week!

When I woke later I felt a bit better and had a bowl of porridge before showering. Keith still looked pale and I advised him to stay at home and not move from the sofa! I went to work where I felt a bit fragile, but I wish now I hadn't gone in as Tracie was in to replace Jo (on holiday) and in the afternoon, after speaking to Sara, Sheila took me off the phones as the calls were hard work!

Back home (I was so glad to finish my shift) Keith was feeling slightly better but he hadn't been shopping. Sophie offered to get something for dinner on the way home, but we said we'd order a takeaway from the fish shop in Broughton. Maybe this was a mistake, as I felt quite queasy afterwards... perhaps I should have just had a boiled egg!

34 years together!

After the excesses of yesterday, today was quiet, but it also marked 34 years of Keith and I being together! We had debated about going somewhere, but in the end, decided to just spend the day at home.

We had a lazyish day but I did do some laundry, and I sorted all the recycling in the garage, ready to be taken to Tesco the next time that Keith visits. Sophie hoovered throughout and in the afternoon we popped to the care home with some jumpers that I'd washed for Mum. Before going home we took a bagful of Tassimo discs to the local drop-off point where they're collected and recycled, so we have been quite good!

In the late afternoon, I had a long hot bath, and Sophie and I had a chocolate face pack while we relaxed on the bed. Bliss! We hadn't been able to play Scrabble yesterday so we made up for it tonight with two games and a drink apiece.

Dinner tonight was just cheese, biscuits, pate and toast and Keith and I indulged in a glass of Port with the cheese. Delicious!

A foodie day!

After a lie-in and a lazy morning, Sophie and I went to Market Harborough at midday. We'd booked a table at Pizza Express for lunch, so today was going to be very indulgent food-wise, as I was also going out this evening for a meal with Linda, Fiona and Andrea to celebrate Fiona's 60th birthday!

Before heading to the restaurant we popped into The Attic where Sophie bought a lovely skirt. It was a mixture of metallic colours and will look fabulous teamed with black tights and a top. She always manages to find some great bargains!

We were among the first at Pizza Express and took a table by the window.

The restaurant gradually filled up and became quite lively. We ordered our usual dishes of doppio doughballs, breaded halloumi bites, a large pizza to share and a couple of glasses of wine. We even ordered a dessert today, to round off the meal!

After we'd eaten we went into the jeweller's opposite where I asked about getting my rings re-sized. My fingers have indeed become bigger (it has been 30 years!), and we selected the right ring size and I handed mine over. Hopefully, I will get an estimate in a couple of weeks! We had a good look around the town and Sophie bought two more tops in a charity shop so she was very pleased. That's her work outfits sorted!

We decided to call it a day, but before going home we called into the Co-op at Brixworth to buy a bottle of Gin for Fiona. It was then home to relax and get ready for my evening out with the girls.

Fiona had booked a table at Miller and Carter but she'd asked us to go to her house first for a glass of fizz. Keith dropped me off while Sophie took care of the dinner at home. It was pouring with rain and cold, so not the best of nights to be out and about! Andrea was already there, and once Lynda had arrived we all went upstairs to Fiona's beautiful sitting room where there was a log fire burning. Fiona opened a bottle of Champagne and we sat around chatting. I managed to spill half my glass all over me and the carpet after missing the edge of the table (in my defence, it did slope downwards!).

Fiona's husband kindly gave us a lift to the restaurant and we passed through her new kitchen to get to the garage. Her kitchen looked beautiful and they'd had double doors and windows put into the very end so it was like a conservatory.

The restaurant was very busy and we were led to a table straight away. Fiona had received an email offering a glass of fizz to each of us, but at first, the waiter said we couldn't use it as it had expired the day before... another hopeless case of bad customer service! The girls ordered Porn Star Martinis while I stuck to a glass of wine!

Andrea and cocktail!

Fiona and Lynda

The withdrawal of the offer of fizz had annoyed us all, so when the waiter reappeared, Lynda asked him to re-consider as the meal this evening was not going to be cheap! The management obliged so we all received a glass of Prosecco after our aperitifs!

It took us a little while to choose our meals - I started with the Chipotle chicken and then had a black Aberdeen Sirloin steak for my main course.

We all chose steaks and even found room for a mini-pud afterwards with cocktails! I had a panna cotta served with a Strawberry Daiquiri. With the drinks beforehand, the meals, desserts and a bottle of Malbec, the bill was a hefty £267, but Fiona paid £100 towards her meal and the drinks as it was her birthday treat. This was more expensive than last time!

Keith and Sophie arrived to take me home and we sat with Lynda for a couple of minutes until her taxi arrived. When we got home we relaxed for a short while before bed! What an indulgent day!

Disturbing news...

As usual, I was glad it was Friday and the last morning for getting up early! The news this morning was full of how Russia had decided it would be a good idea to hit the largest nuclear power plant in Europe... wonderful! As if we had learned nothing from Chernobyl!

Work was ok today, but we were very busy for the first hour on the phones, and our MD was lurking in the office all day, which was a pain! I managed to answer a lot of the customer service emails in between calls, and process several orders, so the time sped by! At five minutes to 4pm, we still had five calls waiting and Kathy gamely carried on while I finished some jobs I had to do. I think people now try and call us before 4pm as the calls ratchet right up at about 3.30pm!

It was heaven to go home and relax. Keith didn't go to the pub tonight and cooked dinner, which was a bonus. After watching the news headlines (Russia have taken control of the nuclear power plant) Sophie and I decided to put on Runaway Bride, which was fine with me. Richard Gere is the most gorgeous man!

Hooray! It's the weekend!

Another one bites the dust!

Today was my first day covering the customer service emails properly, by which I mean I had to deal with them all, although Sara was on hand for anything particularly tricky! It was lovely to be off the phones for the day, but they were pretty quiet, so not much consolation! I think if it had been extremely busy I would have felt guilty!

The time sped by and I managed to get a lot of emails sorted. Sara was coughing and sneezing a lot today, and later, when I got home, she messaged to say she had tested positive for Covid, even though for the past week when she was sniffly, the tests had been negative. I  really wasn't surprised, to be honest. The common cold at the moment has seemed to transform itself into Covid!

I spent the afternoon catching up with small jobs and before I knew it, Sophie was home. We watched the news for a bit and then turned it off as it's so upsetting. How Putin can sit by and watch this tragedy unfold, with children being killed and made homeless, is beyond me. How I wish someone would do away with him!

A bit of shopping...

I had to take Mum to her GP surgery today for blood tests and an ECG. The weather has been truly horrible all day with lashing rain and a cold wind. What a difference from last weekend!

I had to park near Lidl and we dashed over in the rain to the surgery. We were all done and out by 11am so we drove to Tesco to return some clothes that she'd bought, and then enjoyed a coffee in Costa. After a little bit of shopping, I dropped her back and returned home where Keith was waiting for me. This afternoon, we'd decided to go and buy a mattress for the spare bed, and I was hoping we'd get it without any fuss!

We drove to the St James retail park and popped into an empty Dreams store. One of the salesmen approached and after a bit of information about the different mattresses available, and trying them out, we bought one! It will be delivered next Tuesday which I thought was great, as sometimes there's a delay in actually getting it as they never seem to have anything in stock. 

From Dreams, we crossed the road and popped into B&Q to get some white matt paint for the kitchen. I had noticed that it had flaked off on the corner of the wall so I bought a tester pot to touch it up. I wasn't going to spend a fortune on a big tin when I only needed a tiny bit!

On the way home I fantasised about going to the chip shop and buying a bag of hot, salty chips, but we sensibly went home and I had the paella from yesterday's meal for lunch. A much better choice, but one Wednesday I'm going to call and get them!

The afternoon was spent cleaning downstairs and then I had a short nap. Sophie had woken me a bit later this morning as she was starting work at 10am but I still felt sleepy! I really feel like I could lay around a pool and sleep for two weeks solid, at the moment!

Sophie was late home tonight and I warned about a monster pothole that's on the side of the road leading from the A43 down to Holcot. It was so bad it had even made it to our neighbourhood Facebook page and I reported it this morning before I took Mum out. When Keith and I returned home this afternoon there was a car having its tyre changed just past the pothole, and Sophie told me she saw three cars by the side of the road. It's lethal! 

First day of spring

So, the winter is over and it's the first day of meteorological spring! We've managed to get through another winter! Although I'm not complacent, as I've seen some truly awful weather in March and April!

As is usual on a Tuesday, work was noisy but it was soon over and I was heading home, looking forward to a day off tomorrow. It's a lovely feeling knowing I can do what I want on a Wednesday! Sophie cooked paella this evening and it was delicious. There was more than enough left over for lunches tomorrow.

Keith watched the football this evening downstairs, and I went upstairs with Sophie to watch a new drama called The Holiday. I have read the book and it has a very dramatic ending, but I don't remember that much about it, which is good as I enjoyed the first episode. It's set in Malta and I read in the newspaper at the weekend that it was filmed in April and the actors were frozen! No wonder they were all wearing woollies, but it was lovely to see the landscape of the country, and I'm sure I spotted a hotel that Keith and I stayed in years ago, before we had the children!