A wet Halloween.

I really didn't want to get up this morning and face another working week, but needs must! Work was surprisingly better than I had expected and after a manic first half hour, the phones calmed down.

At 4pm, I drove home and quizzed Keith about my car. It had developed another ominous droning noise from the left-hand side last week and we thought it was a wheel bearing again. He had taken it to the garage this morning and had booked it in for Wednesday. I can't believe there's something else wrong with it!

For the first time in a while, we didn't do anything for Halloween this evening. It was pouring with rain and although we had one group knock on the door, we didn't have anything to give them so we had to ignore it! We drew the curtains against the terrible weather and gathered in the kitchen to chat and prepare dinner, a beefy pasta bake. Sophie feels like she's coming down with Keith's cough and cold which show no signs of getting better... I hope it doesn't get me as well!

After we'd eaten, we watched Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, which was suitably scary for Halloween! 

We gain an extra hour!

I'd forgotten about the clocks going back last night, so when I woke up at 7.45am it was really 8.45am! It was lovely to have an extra hour, and Keith had managed to change most of the clocks in the house. Sophie went to the gym to participate in her two yoga classes while Keith and I pottered about and did some laundry. I even managed to get some of it on the line outside to dry in the wind.

When she arrived home at lunchtime, I heated up the leftover sausage casserole from last night and we enjoyed that for lunch. It's been a very relaxing day today, and I managed to put some more of an old travel diary onto the blog. It was lovely not having to go anywhere and just potter about at home.

After lunch, Sophie prepared our dinner - a chicken filo strudel. I helped her cut up the chicken and the vegetables and we cooked these before adding cream and then let it cool. Later in the afternoon, I had a long soak in the bath and watched an episode of my guilty pleasure - a programme about hoarders. It doesn't make me feel so bad if I don't hoover every day!

Sophie put the finishing touches to the meal - layering sheets of filo pastry with ground almonds and then putting the mixture on top before rolling it into a long strudel. It looked great!

We played Scrabble in the evening and had some more cubes of Comté cheese which were delicious. Sophie put the filo strudels into the oven and they came out looking lovely! They tasted lovely as well!

I get jabbed again!

After a late-ish night, I had a lie-in this morning, but I had an appointment at 11am to receive my flu jab so we had to be out of the house by 10.30am. Sophie's eyes looked terrible this morning, and the phone appointment she'd had yesterday wasn't very helpful. The GP (one she'd never seen before) had advised moisturiser or a 1% steroid cream. 

After the flu jab for both of us oldies, which took minutes, we drove to the small parade of shops, and while I popped into the chemist, Keith went into the Co-op to get ingredients for tonight's dinner. We had planned on going out for Sunday lunch tomorrow but shelved the idea as neither Keith nor Sophie were keen. Sophie had offered to make the Hairy Bikers' sausage casserole this evening for dinner, a real Autumnal treat!

In the chemist, I picked up a large moisturiser bottle on the doctor's list, but the pharmacist wouldn't let me buy it, saying Sophie needed an aqueous cream and antihistamine tablets. I texted her and she was almost in tears as the itching and dryness were driving her mad.

Keith had finished his shopping but I went back into the shop to buy some pastries and bread for breakfast and spotted some French Comté cheese which was featured on Monica Galetti's programme I'd watched yesterday.

Back home Sophie took an antihistamine tablet and I realised I'd bought some aqueous cream a few weeks ago to take on holiday, so she applied that to her eyelids and under her eye. Within half an hour, they looked and felt better!

Today has been lovely and relaxing, and Sophie spent a long time preparing tonight's dinner, as well as hoovering the house and cutting my hair! She did a brilliant job! Keith went to see Sileby play in the afternoon so we had a couple of hours of peace from his hacking cough!

The weather today has been uncharacteristically warm and I managed to get a load of washing dry outside. The temperature in the kitchen in the evening was about 70f and that was without any heating on. Apart from a few hours when we returned from the holiday, we haven't had the heating on at all, which has been a bonus!

Sophie and I played Scrabble this evening and sipped Manhattans. Our snacks were cubes of the delicious Comté and some crisps and we had two great games before Sophie finished off the preparations for dinner. It was delicious and perfect for an Autumnal evening.

Monty wanted to be in on the action!

After we'd eaten we watched a Netflix film called The Good Nurse starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain, which was based on a true story. It was riveting, if sometimes uncomfortable, viewing!

Dining out.

Today was the last day of the half-term holiday and I think we were all thankful! I kept busy all day and it was great to leave at 4pm and look forward to the weekend.

I was out tonight with Lynda and Fiona and we'd booked a table at The Royal Oak in Cogenhoe. I had a bath and then watched an episode of Monica Galetti's A Cook Abroad. She was in the Jura, and the countryside looked beautiful. In the past I've driven though this region, but have never stopped. It was gorgeous!

I decided to drive myself tonight. Keith's cold is terrible and I didn't want to have to drag both him and Sophie out later in the evening. We had arranged to meet at Lynda's house for a drink and Fiona was there when I arrived, looking very pained because of a bad back.

It was the first time I'd met Lynda's partner, Al, and he was certainly an acquired taste! He didn't hold back and had some very forthright opinions! We left to go to the pub just before 8pm and walked into a busy lounge bar with locals having a drink.

We were taken through to the dining room and we all ordered the same thing! A sharing platter of bread and olives, as well as a slate board of "East Meets West" - Spanish ham, spring rolls, samosas, lived and delicious dips

Our starter

For our main course we chose the Fritto Misto di Mare - a platter of whitebait, prawns, cod goujons, crab cakes and croquettes, served with chips. I ordered a bottle of Chenin Blanc to drink. The food was good but I think we would have all appreciated a salad to go with it.

It was great to catch up as the last time we'd all been together was February. I gave Lynda and Fiona a lift back to the house and headed home. It was only just after 10pm so a nice, early night!

Back home I sat with Sophie and Keith and enjoyed a glass of wine before bed. Yippee! It's the weekend!

An early finish.

My whole shift was spent dealing with customer service emails and processing orders. Sara was away today, looking after her grandson so I did as many as I could before I left at 2pm. It had been a frustrating shift, though, as our printer/photocopier is playing up, and mid-morning we had a false fire alarm so we all had to stand in reception. Luckily, the fire stewards didn't make us go outside as it was raining!

Sophie finished work early today and was home by 3pm. We headed back down to Riverside and had a hot chocolate in Next. It was pure indulgence as I had a warm mince pie with my drink. This will have to stop!

We had a look around afterwards, and Sophie was struck by how expensive the clothes were. Now she's used to buying from charity shops, she baulks at paying £35 for a pair of trousers! We left without buying anything and headed home where we relaxed for an hour.

Keith had developed a cough and cold over the last few days and I wonder if he contracted it last weekend when he went to the football? Or did Mike bring it home with him? We did a test for covid tonight, but it came back negative. Sophie is also suffering from dry, itchy skin on her eyelids and under her eyes, and a planned phone consultation with her GP had to be cancelled and moved to tomorrow. I'm the only one OK!

Dinner tonight was a delicious chicken stir-fry with loads of vegetables, in a black bean sauce with rice. Sophie cooked and it was gorgeous!

A peaceful browse.

After a lazy start to the day, Keith and I prepared tonight's meal - Mulligatawny soup. He prepared the vegetables while I simmered everything in a casserole dish along with some curry spices, mango chutney and paste. It smelt delicious!

It's been a beautiful day today with sunshine, blue skies and mild temperatures - perfect for drying the washing outside! In the afternoon I collected Mum and we drove to Bosworth's garden centre in Burton Latimer. The car park already looked busy and we tried to make straight for the café but the store was absolutely rammed with Christmas decorations! I have never seen so many crammed into a small space in my life. I even saw some giant gonks!

The amount of merchandise for sale was huge! Literally, every surface was covered with stuff! We finally made it to the café without mishap, as Mum was using her new trolley to help with her stability, and I had visions of displays toppling as she banged into them! 

There was a queue of people waiting for a table and a sign saying there was a fifteen-minute wait... after a little while we decided to abandon the idea as we were both gasping for a cup of tea, so we re-traced our route through Burton Latimer and went to Seasons garden centre instead.

It was much quieter and more peaceful than big, busy Bosworth's, and there was no wait for the cafe. Soon we were seated with a big pot of tea and a slice of cake for me. Mum happily munched on a chocolate bar. After we'd eaten we had a lovely wander around and I bought three cookbooks, one of which was a Spanish recipe book, which I knew Sophie would love. It was lovely and peaceful and even the two parrots were a bit subdued this afternoon!

I took Mum back and she said she'd had a lovely afternoon, which it was. Just how we like it! I took the scenic route home as today has been so beautiful and Autumnal. I would say it's the height of the season now, with the trees changing colour and fallen leaves everywhere.

When Sophie came home she was delighted with the books and we looked at all the different recipes. We're going to try a chicken filo recipe over the weekend but we have lots of ideas for future meals to try.

Before I made the final preparations for the soup, we sketched out an itinerary for Berlin and decided to take Sophie to the Reichstag, as she hasn't been there before. Other plans involve a return to the Olympic Park and KaDeWe.

I blended the soup, brought it to the boil and then added rice, before letting it cook slowly for twenty minutes. Served with naan breads it was delicious and perfect for an Autumn day! 

Making plans.

Today was noisy at work and we had too many people in the office for my liking! Fortunately, our centre manager's office was empty so we managed to turf someone out to there to work, but it was still a hectic shift. I have asked about noise-cancelling earphones and have even said I'd pay for a pair, as sometimes I can hardly hear the customers!

It was a relief to escape at 4pm and head home. Sophie had messaged me earlier about going somewhere between Christmas and New Year, and I was very tempted. Now we've been away, I want more! Before dinner, we talked about either going to Pollensa for a few days, or Berlin, where we haven't been since December 2016. We are way overdue a visit, and we wanted to see what changes had been made since we went last.

After dinner, Sophie and I sat and looked at both options and we eventually booked a trip to Berlin. We booked the flights and have made reservations at the Grosser Kurfurst Hotel where we've stayed before. I just hope that the flights don't get cancelled!

We were all very excited as it's been so long since we went to Berlin!  

Half-term begins.

I knew it was going to be busy this week, and it was, but the phones were manic for the first hour, that's all, and then it calmed down a bit, thank goodness. I tried to tackle a massive pile of box office returns that needed to be scanned onto the computer. Stella used to keep them as hard copies but they took up a lot of space so the best thing is to scan them. Unfortunately, our printer was playing up today and causing a lot of problems, so I just organised them into each film and decided to leave scanning them for another day!

At home, I tidied up and we watched the news at 6pm because we have another Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak! That's three Prime Ministers this year, which is unbelievable! Let's just hope now that things settle down and we can get some sort of stability for the country!

After dinner this evening, Sophie and I went upstairs to watch an episode of Stanley Tucci's series on Italy. He was visiting different places in London that had connections to Italy and it was very interesting. Sophie had been to one of the places featured, so that brought back some lovely memories for her!

Thunderstorm!

We awoke to heavy rain this morning and it continued all morning. Sophie went to the gym to do two yoga classes and I decided, madly, to change the beds even though I knew we'd have to use the tumble dryer!

The weather did improve in the afternoon, though, just after my Mum called to postpone our trip to the garden centre because of the rain, bless her. We decided to go next Wednesday instead, so I carried on tackling the laundry pile that had grown to enormous proportions!

I managed to get one set of bedding out on the line and it was lovely to see the sun shining after the atrocious weather of this morning. Sophie came home, had some lunch, and then we drove to the garage in Moulton to put some petrol in her car. She bought some posh crisps and hummus in the garage for a snack with Scrabble this evening, and we also took a bag of clothes to be recycled. We went to my old business and I was expecting to see the car park rammed, but it wasn't too bad!

Back home, we all enjoyed a hot chocolate and read the Sunday papers. Bliss! 

Mug from Spain

After the hot chocolate, I indulged in a long soak in the bath and then it was Scrabble time! We opened a bottle of red wine from Emporda as Keith was cooking beef casserole, and it was delicious. We'll have to go back to get some more!

While we were playing Scrabble, we had the mother of all thunderstorms! Keith saw the first huge flash of lightning, followed by thunder and it carried on for about an hour with torrential rain. It was brilliant to see and was real entertainment. At one point I thought we were going to lose the power! It's been ages since we've had a really good storm at home (I'm not counting the couple we had in Spain!) so it was lovely to see Nature raging all around us, with the sky constantly being lit by the lightning!

I thrashed Sophie this evening, and dinner was delicious. A good end to an enjoyable day!

An unexpected arrival!

Keith and I were out early this morning as I'd booked my Autumn covid booster at 9.50am. He dropped me off and I was in and out very quickly. It was such a smooth process and very straightforward. My last booster was in December 2021 so I was glad I was able to have another jab.

From Moulton Park, we took a parcel to a local shop to be returned and then headed to Beckworth to buy our Christmas turkey. Keith told me to pick one out while he went to the loo, but when he returned, he said the one I'd picked out was too small! He went and chose another that was a monster! We definitely have five on Christmas Day, but there may be 6 of us, although I think Abbie will spend the day with her Mum. There will be plenty for leftovers on Boxing Day and turkey curry!

Back home we were just preparing brunch of ham, bread and eggs when I saw a familiar car outside... it was Abbie and Mike! She dropped him off and I just stood and stared at my son who hadn't said a word about coming up to see us even though we had visited them last week! We were all totally shocked!

He shared our breakfast and I made him a coffee as he looked extremely hungover! He had been out with friends in Northampton last night and had partied a bit too hard, by all accounts! He mooched about for a while and then asked us to take him to Brixworth to see some more friends.

Sophie prepared the dinner - an intriguing dish called Jok Moo, which is a Thai pork and rice porridge! As she was preparing it, the food smelled delicious, and that was before it was cooked! She marinated the minced pork in various spices and soy sauce and it looked lovely.

Keith went to watch the football this afternoon, and because Sileby were playing away, he went to Moulton. Sophie and I relaxed, and just before 5pm, Mike called us to pick him up. I did think he'd be out for the night, but he came home and cooked himself a pizza, even though we said we'd have more than enough dinner for him!

Sophie and I played Scrabble, enjoyed a Martini, and then she cooked dinner which was indeed, very porridge-like. It resembled a thick rice broth and Sophie rolled up the mince into small dumplings and popped them into the "porridge" to cook. It was a lovely, hearty and very warming meal. We had contemplated the idea of eating in the conservatory as there were four of us, but in the end, we made do around the kitchen island. Mike said he wasn't staying overnight and after our delicious meal, Abbie came to collect him. I think he had been planning on going out with friends but maybe his impromptu arrival meant that they were all busy!

Stormy weather

Friday has rolled around quickly again, and it was lovely to escape work at 4pm and head home. The phones have been a lot quieter today, but it's half-term next week and the weather is set to be rainy. Today has been very wet with some heavy and prolonged downpours, which reminds me... here are the storm names for the 22/23 season:

Antoni

Betty

Cillian

Daisy    

Elliot

Fleur

Glen

Hendrika

Ide

Johanna

Khalid

Loes

Mark

Nelly

Owain

Priya

Ruadhan

Sam

Tobias

Val

Wouter

Hmmm! Some very different names there, and I can't see Nelly or Daisy as storms! The most innocuous names are always the worst storms, though! Doris was a bad one here a few years ago, and Ian has just wreaked havoc in the US!

Keith didn't go to the pub this evening so he was an honorary member of the Girls' Wine Night. Sophie and I watched Eat Pray Love starring Julia Roberts, and sipped a delicious Mallorcan wine called Mortitx. Bring on the weekend!

Weird weather!

This morning, the weather was bizarre. I was sitting in the living room before I went to get ready for work, and watching an episode of All Creatures Great and Small when I heard thunder. I opened the curtains and saw the sky lit up with lightning! Then I heard another rumble of thunder! It didn't appear to be raining hard and it was foggy, a combination I'd never seen before!

All the way to work I saw lightning and heard distant thunder, and we had a lot of rain. The journey was not pleasant and I'm loathing the route I take to work. I can't ever remember it being so horrible before the pandemic, but I used to cut through Overstone to avoid the nasty A43.

At work, I was solely responsible for the customer service emails and managed to clear them all before going home at 2pm. I dashed out again at 3pm to collect Mum from the care home, and thankfully, the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared. We popped to Tesco, had a coffee and a natter, and then we went and did some clothes shopping, and she bought my Dad a bottle of whisky.

I dropped her off and headed home in the late afternoon sunlight. The A14 had been flooded earlier because of the rain and more is expected tomorrow. I have a feeling this winter will be wet and mild!

Turkey hunting

Keith and I went to Beckworth this morning to see if we could get our turkey for Christmas. There have been news reports of avian flu affecting poultry farmers and Keith wanted to be sure of getting our turkey before they ran out...!

We asked at the meat counter and the butcher said they were due to be on sale later today or tomorrow. We thought about coming back later but I said it would be better to leave it until the weekend. I've booked my Autumn covid booster for Saturday morning and we could combine it with going to Moulton Park.

We had a quick look around Beckworth, but I prefer to go with my Mum and Sophie when we can have a good look at all the Christmas decorations, which have now appeared. I honestly can't believe that it's that time already! We've only just had our summer holiday!

From Beckworth, we went to Tesco at Kettering and bought two ingredients for dinner this evening, and enjoyed a cup of coffee. Back home it was time for lunch and then I did a quick tidy-up before Sophie came home at 2.30pm. She had banked some hours and finished work early, which was lovely!

We had decided to go and have a cup of tea and a slice of cake at Farndon Fields so we took Dad's car over. Keith and I have decided that we'd like to buy my Dad's car next year and get rid of mine - we have some very happy memories of driving the VW abroad and would love to do it again next year if we can.

We arrived at Farndon Fields at just after 3pm but we were turned away from the restaurant as a brusque woman said they were no longer serving. No apology or anything, just a refusal without even asking what we wanted! We were most miffed!

We went into Market Harborough instead and had a lovely pot of tea and cakes at Louisa's Place. Even they weren't doing meals anymore, and half the town's shops were closed. What is happening at the moment? No wonder our economy is in such a state! 

After the tea and cake, we wandered about and I bought a new jar in the lovely cookshop, as well as a new 2023 diary in Waterstones. It's very smart and I will enjoy writing in it. It was a gorgeous Autumnal afternoon, very mild with plenty of sunshine and blue skies.

Back at home, we toyed with the idea of a game of Scrabble, but it was a bit too late. Sophie cooked paella this evening and we enjoyed a delicious white wine from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, on offer in Aldi for about £8. I don't think I have ever had a white C-de-P and we've asked Keith to get some more tomorrow when he goes shopping.

After we'd eaten we watched an episode of Holiday Homes in the Sun, featuring the Costa Brava town of Begur. One of the houses featured was in Pals and was above the lovely ceramic shop we visited. The views were outstanding! We are seriously considering returning next year!

An evening of feeling envious!

Today has been another busy day and I tackled some of the cancellation emails from yesterday. The time flew again and it was great to go home at 4pm and look forward to having a day off tomorrow.

The trees are looking beautiful at the moment and we have a really smoky aroma in the air. I don't know whether a neighbour had a log fire burning but it's very Autumnal!

Sophie and I indulged in an evening of food and travel programmes and watched an episode of Stanley Tucci in Italy hunting for white truffles and Bettany Hughes in France. Is it me or are these programmes just really indulgent for their presenters?! What a job to have!

Keith cooked a delicious Northern dish - Pan Haggerty - with corned beef, lots of potatoes and onions and served with crusty bread and vegetables. A lovely hearty dish for an Autumn night!

Busy Monday.

Kathy was off sick again today, so I had to help out with the phones for the first hour and the last hour. Sara was off today and babysitting her grandson so I dealt with as many emails as I could in the time I wasn't on the phone. Unfortunately, most of them were moany ones and the swim school situation, far from getting better, has actually got worse! Next week is half-term (unbelievable - it only feels like they've just broken up from the summer holidays), so I should imagine we will be busy next week booking swim sessions.

As I was so busy the time sped by, and at 4pm I dashed home and did a little bit of housework until Sophie came home from work. We sat at the island and chatted about our days and she said she was going to book some Wednesdays off work so we could go off and visit London and other places. I'm looking forward to going to some Christmas markets!

After dinner (roast chicken and all the trimmings) I watched University Challenge with Keith and then I went upstairs to watch Stanley Tucci in Italy. The holiday blues are getting worse... how I would love to be able to explore Europe and travel about having a good time! 

A bit shaken up.

I had booked for Sophie and me to go to the Northampton Filmhouse today to see Ticket To Paradise starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts, and we decided to go to Zapato Lounge for brunch first. I managed to park in Albion Place and we walked to the market square in lovely sunshine. I was dismayed at the state of the town, to be honest. The once modern and upmarket Peacock Place shopping arcade was closed up, and in front of the doors were sleeping bags and piles of litter. A lot of shops were closed down and For Let signs adorned the front of the buildings. The town looked a bit sad and rundown.

As we neared Zapato Lounge, we could see two men standing outside. We could see through the windows that it was busy and we could also hear a screaming baby... Rather than wait and see if they had a table we decided to leave it and visit St Giles Street where we hoped there'd be some cafés open for coffee.

St Giles street was always a lovely street lined with independent coffee shops, and small businesses, however, today it looked as seedy as the rest of the town. We managed to find one place open and ordered two flat whites, deciding to have an early lunch at Pizza Express at the other end of the street.

Sophie ordered the drinks and while I waited I saw a cycling accident outside where an elderly man was knocked off his bike by another cyclist. At one point I didn't think the older man was going to get up but he was helped to his feet and seemed OK after a little while.

We drank our coffee and the café filled up which was no surprise as it was the only place that seemed to be open! At 11.30am we strolled down to Pizza Express and were their first customers. We ordered a pizza to share and some halloumi bites. The coffee we'd enjoyed had filled us up slightly so our appetites were muted!

We didn't have time to linger in Pizza Express and left to walk the short distance to the cinema. While we were walking we could hear a man shouting loudly but we couldn't see where he was. It was frightening as we couldn't see him and had no idea what he was shouting about or why. The man seemed to get nearer so we stood behind a large coach parked outside the theatre and waited until the noise lessened a bit, then walked quickly to the cinema. One of the staff came out to see what was going on and I was a bit shaken up. You hear so many stories of people on the street that have mental health problems and commit crimes, but he was probably harmless. We didn't want to wait about to find out, though!

We had a glass of wine and an ice cream while we watched the film, and there were only six of us in the whole cinema! The film was very enjoyable and the scenery was spectacular. It was a few hours of escapism that we both loved!

Back home, it was time to relax and then have a game of Scrabble with another glass of wine. Sophie made a minced beef and potato curry for dinner. It was delicious and spicy!

Southampton calls!

We bought some gifts for Mike and Abbie while we were on holiday so it was a great excuse to go and see them and take them their presents. We left at 9.30am, called to get some petrol and had a smooth journey down, punctuated now and again by heavy rainfall.

We arrived at 12pm, had a cuddle with the cats, and then drove to a shopping area nearby where we'd booked a table at a Brewdog  pub. Before we ate, though, we went to a couple of pubs for a drink. First up was Beards and Boards which was a very different place to one we'd usually choose, but had a great choice of beers, with each tap mounted on a skateboard! Sophie and I drank a delicious stout here while the men stuck to IPAs and Abbie had a lager. We chatted about our holiday, and gave Abbie and Mike some tips for their forthcoming trip to Berlin in December, lucky things!

From Beards and Boards, we walked around the corner to another peculiar pub called The Black Phoenix, but the music was terrible and nobody came out to serve us, so we left! Next up was Shenanigans, an Irish sports bar where we were the only customers. The two girls behind the bar struggled to fill mine and Sophie's half pints with Guinness, and the men's beers looked awful. Poor Abbie had to have a bottle of Magner's cider as her choice was off! I think they were having a problem with the gas but in the end, we were settled and it suited Keith as he could watch the football!

By now it was nearing 2pm so we walked the short distance to Brewdog and had a look at the huge choice of beers, lager, stouts and ciders on offer. Mike chose a very strong - 10% - stout that is only served in 1/3 pints, Keith had an IPA, Sophie and Abbie had a lager and I had a delicious milk stout called Jet Black Heart.

We ordered from the menu - a platter of starters to share, followed by burgers and chicken wings with French fries. The food was plentiful and delicious and there was a great atmosphere. Strangely, several people brought in dogs and looking at the website afterwards, I see they do parties for them... Brewdog!

Before taking Mike and Abbie back we called into one of my favourite real ale pubs, The Witch's Bew, and sat for an hour chatting as well as cuddling the landlady's smelly dog, who was incredibly friendly and loved a tummy rub!

I wasn't so envious of the picture on the wall now, as I have one of my own!

Not the big mural, the little one in the left top corner!

It was 5pm before we took Abbie and Mike back and we left straightaway for the trip home. Keith fell asleep as soon as he was in the car and I was glad Sophie was in the front with me! We had another good journey home and Monty was delighted to see us. We'd left him in the conservatory with the door open and plenty of food and water and we all wondered whether he thought we'd left him again!

Supper was a slice of Keith's apple pie with ice cream and a holiday home show featuring Catalonia, and near to where we'd been staying. Ah! Happy memories!

We are quizzed!

My work colleague, Kathy, called in sick today so I worked with Denise even though she was at home! Very strange! I'm glad it wasn't busy so I could get some work done between calls, including the October half-term crash courses that hadn't been input into the system and were bookable from Sunday... Sheila had put them onto the spreadsheet and thought she'd put them on properly, so it was a good job I'd checked!

At 4pm I called into a local shop to take back some shoes I'd ordered before the holiday and didn't want. They were supposed to have been returned on Tuesday via a courier, but he hadn't turned up with no explanation at all, so I was most annoyed! I know I left it a bit late to order them two days before the holiday, but they hadn't been delivered until Friday even though I'd booked a next-day delivery. This is the delivery firm Evri, which seems to have gone downhill badly lately.

At home, I had a lovely wallow in the bath as Sophie and I were out later for a quiz night at the village hall. We'd decided to have fish and chips so went and found the van in Walgrave. We put Keith's portion in the oven to keep warm, ate ours and left at about 7.15pm so we could get parked.

We needn't have worried and there were loads of spaces. We were in a team with Lynn, Neil and Lynn's granddaughter, Elise so just five of us again. The quiz was very good, and we did quite well on some sections of the questions but fell down badly on the music round. We came fifth out of ten teams with 87 points so we didn't do badly!

Back home we relaxed and chatted to Keith for half an hour, and then it was time for bed. We're off to Southampton to see Mike and Abbie tomorrow!

A bit of pampering!

I spent today finishing the moan report and it's been a long one this month! At 2pm I sped off to collect Mum and took her to get her nails done. She had already had her hair done in the morning so she was certainly having a pampering day!

How I didn't fall asleep I'll never know while she was being seen to, but I managed to avoid making a fool of myself, and Mum had her nails painted a beautiful crimson. They looked gorgeous!

Sophie was out this evening seeing Laura for dinner so Keith and I were on our own. He cooked a lovely meal and we caught up with a recorded television programme about Maxine Carr after we'd eaten. I still have vivid memories of the two girls in Soham going missing, and wondered what it would be like for their parents to see this three-part dramatisation of the events? I'm not sure I'd want to watch it.

Sophie arrived home at about 10.30pm and then it was straight to bed. Hooray, tomorrow is Friday and it has come along very quickly!

Just pottering

I went back to bed this morning after seeing Sophie off to the gym and had a little lie-in, which was a bonus! Once I was up I managed to catch up with the writing of this blog (I was so behind!) and had breakfast with Keith.

The rest of the morning was spent pootling about and not really doing much! At midday, Keith and I went over to Tesco at Kettering and I bought Sophie some flowers and a card for Laura who she's seeing tomorrow night for dinner. Laura's house purchase has finally gone through so Sophie wanted a little housewarming gift. We then dropped some things into the care home for Mum and returned home. 

The weather has been lovely again today but it really is very autumnal now. I love October and the trees are changing colour and looking beautiful. Sue popped around in the afternoon and we had a chat over a cup of tea about her recent wedding which came out of the blue for me and was a bit of a shock!

Quiet Tuesday.

I woke up horribly early today so felt a bit bleary! It's been an uneventful day, with not much to report. At work, I concentrated on the "moan" report which took longer than usual to complete as we've had problems with our swim school and a lack of instructors. It's created quite a few problems for us in the contact centre and we'll all be glad when we've recruited new teachers and things settle down!

After work, I prepared some vegetables for dinner and Sophie cooked a delicious chicken stir-fry. I was glad I have tomorrow off as I can finally get caught up with everything after the holiday. Sophie and I went upstairs to watch My Lottery Dream Home after dinner - I could certainly do with a lottery win at the moment! I'd definitely buy a house near Rocamadour!

A lunchtime treat!

Sophie woke me at 6am this morning, which was not pleasant! Keith and I drove to Moulton and I dropped him off near the garage so he could pick up my car, which had been having the flywheel replaced (at great expense). 

I walked into work to find Sheila talking to Amanda on reception, and she regaled me with a tale of woe about what had been happening while I was away as we walked into the office... Sara had been incredibly stressed and overwhelmed with work so it just goes to show how much I help her out! I sat at my desk and willed myself not to get stressed as well! Luckily, Sheila had been dealing with some of my emails while I was away, and with the invoices and orders, I'd left so I didn't have that much to do.

The chocolates I'd bought back went down well, but I don't think my colleagues were that interested in what we'd been up to, which was understandable. I'm just glad I have this blog to share our experiences!

I'd forgotten that I'd been invited back to our old soft play business for the opening of a new under 5s area so Sheila and I drove over at midday to see Polly who was going to be cutting the ribbon. The place was heaving because they'd advertised free entry for under 4s so the car park was rammed with cars!

We stood around chatting and most of our senior management team were there. Polly cut the ribbon, I took a video to show my parents and then we enjoyed the buffet. I spoke at length with our managing director and asked him if there were any further plans to buy soft play centres. We are having so many people cancel their gym membership at the moment, because of the cost of living rise, and I thought it would be a good route to take. He agreed, so we'll see what happens in the future.

Sheila and I headed back after the buffet and resumed work. Sara seemed a lot happier, mainly because I was there to help with all the customer service queries!

Back home in the evening, I tried to do more catching up and Keith made a delicious cottage pie for dinner, with a huge assortment of vegetables we'd missed such as the green bean and broccoli! After dinner, it was University Challenge and then an early night. We're definitely back into the routine!

Back to reality!

I was up at about 7.30am and tackling the first load of washing. We had piles of it, and I think it was because I'd stopped washing on Tuesday at the villa, and we'd been travelling for three days. I was glad to see the sun shining!

While the washing machine did its job, I unpacked and Sophie emerged from her room looking a bit bleary. The next few hours were spent sorting everything out, reacquainting ourselves with the things we'd bought in Spain, and contacting our catsitters to arrange to see them later in the day.

Keith went shopping to get something for dinner this evening and I pootled about dealing with the laundry. It was a bit chilly outside despite the sun, so we had to tumble-dry a lot of the washing, which was a shame. I did hang some clothes up in the conservatory, though, but we're going to have to find another way to get our clothes dry over the winter if the bills go up!

At lunchtime, Sophie and I drove to the Co-op at Brixworth to buy some flowers for Michelle, and a pack of Guinness for Paul, and then we walked up to Richard and Michelle's house to say thank you. Monty came along as well! Michelle is having an operation this week so she stood at the door with a mask on as she was self-isolating before the procedure. We had a great chat and thanked them very much for looking after the cat who looked very healthy under their care!

In the afternoon we went to see Mum and Dad and spent an hour with them, having a good chat. They loved their presents and they were pleased to see us. Once home, we popped across the road to see Paul and thank him and that was it!

I tried to catch up with writing the blog but at 6pm it was time for a glass of Spanish red and Scrabble. We sat and discussed the holiday and we all agreed we'd had a fantastic time. For me, it was definitely in the top three best holidays I've had. Praise indeed!

Keith cooked chilli and rice for dinner and then it was an early night. Back to work tomorrow!

Holiday in L'Escala, Spain - 24th September - 8th October

Day 15 - The long slog home

Last night was not a good night for sleeping! I ended up on the sofa bed upstairs (it was an upside-down house), as I just couldn't sleep with Keith in the small double bed we were squeezed into. I felt like we were on top of each other! I managed to disturb Sophie when I climbed the stairs to the living room, and it took me ages to get to sleep!

Keith and Sophie were up at 6am and had showered and dressed before they woke me at 6.30am. Groan! It was still pitch black outside and as soon as I woke up I got into the shower and then dressed. Keith and Sophie had done a brilliant job of packing up everything and by 7am we were ready to go.

Getting out of Amboise in the dark was not pleasant, and I relied on Keith's map reading skills to get me to the autoroute via Tours. As we drove, the sun came up and it looked like it was going to be another lovely day.

We stopped at the first aire we came to with a café, and ate pains au chocolat with coffee. None of us liked the aire at all. While Sophie and I were in the toilets, one of the male staff came in to clean, something that I didn't like one bit!

We set Trish for Le Mans first, and then Le Havre, otherwise she would have taken us via Paris or Rouen. At one point she wanted us to come off the autoroute but we ignored her and she soon settled down! Like yesterday, the countryside was stunning with the colour of the trees, the rolling hills, the occasional mist-covered valleys, and the birds of prey back on the fences lining the motorway. 

Soon, we were nearing Le Havre, and we came to a toll that was opposite a steep bridge. It looked very scary but I kept my eyes on the road and we were soon up and over! After Le Havre, we stopped at an aire and Sophie and I shared a sandwich sitting in the sun outside.

From the town of Abbeville, the autoroute was parallel to the coast, and as we neared Calais we could see the Channel and Dover beyond. It was a beautifully clear day and it was lovely to see the white cliffs shining in the sunshine! We were very early for our 5.20pm ferry and we were able to get onto the 3.05pm one instead, which was a bonus! We had a quick look around the large Duty-Free shop and then boarded The Pride of Canterbury.

We had a somewhat different voyage back home as we hadn't booked the Club Lounge. We ate sandwiches in the café and then sat in the bar for the rest of the crossing. There was a big group of men on board all dressed in green who I think had been on a French fishing trip and some of the smells were not good! We missed the peace and quiet of the Club Lounge but it was £24 each and we felt we'd already spent enough on the holiday! The adding-up will be done tomorrow!

Before long, we were in Dover and waiting to get off. As we were driving out, the police pulled over a French bus and everyone had to get out, while the coach was driven into a covered area. It looked like somebody had been naughty!

The M20 was closed so we were all funnelled onto the A2 and then the M2. The amount of traffic was a shock to my system as the last few days had been spent on very quiet roads! The M25 was horrendous, with nose-to-tail traffic, and I didn't enjoy it at all. We took the M11 and the A14 as this seemed to be the quickest route and I was very glad when we were home! It had been a long day!

Monty was pleased to see us, and the house looked great if a little cold! We dumped our suitcases upstairs to deal with tomorrow, and Sophie phoned our local Chinese who delivered at about 8pm.

It was bliss to go to bed and be back with my lovely quilt! 

Holiday in L'Escala, Spain - 24th September - 8th October

Day 14 - Rocamadour to Amboise

None of us had a brilliant night's sleep, unfortunately, but we were up and getting ready to have breakfast in the hotel by 8am. I went outside to look at the gorgeous view and the fields were covered in mist. It's definitely the "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness."

We walked over to the hotel for breakfast and Mathieu put us in a separate room from the others. I was tempted to have a joke about Brexit, but decided not to! The other guests were a mixture of French, German and Spanish but there was an American couple as well, and I recognised a few of the guests from the restaurant last night.

Breakfast was wonderful, and certainly not the typical French breakfasts I've had in the past where you get a croissant, a slice of baguette and some jam! We had a choice of breads, pastries, cereals, hams and cheeses and hot items such as sausages and scrambled eggs. The coffee was lovely and I had several cups! I would love to come back and stay here for longer and thoroughly explore this area again.

Our table overlooked the pool area and the fields beyond and the meal set us up for the day. After we'd eaten we finished packing and then reluctantly said goodbye. Mathieu had been great and he was an excellent host.

Our goal today was the Loire town of Amboise and I needed both Trish and Keith to get us there. We set off and although I'd seen a sign for the A20 in L'Hospitalet, Trish had other ideas... we set off onto a beautiful wooded and hilly road, the D673, glad to see the sun shining and the sky blue.

There was not another car about and the road was lovely with fabulous views. Trish was giving me instructions and Keith was checking on our map, but it was so large he couldn't see the tiny roads she was directing me onto! We blindly put our faith in her, but at one point, when we were in the middle of nowhere and the roads were just a single track, I did stop the car and demand to see where we were! I had a fear of meeting a huge tractor and having to back up. Although the road wasn't as hilly as the one we were on in Spain, there were some drops into the fields on one side of me and going off the road would have been enough to give us a lot of problems!

Keith and Sophie thought I was being dramatic, and I wish now I'd been able to relax as the road itself was stunning. At one point we came around a corner and saw a huge bird of prey sitting on a pile of logs. I slowed down and he flew off, but it was wonderful to see. The countryside was so beautiful, I could easily have moved here to live permanently!

Luckily, I never met another vehicle and soon we were joining the A20 up to Limoges. The traffic was still light and every now and again we'd round the bend in the road and see the gorgeous countryside filled with delicate mist, the Autumn trees glowing in the morning sun. 

Once past Limoges (which was busy), we headed for Chateauroux and then turned off the autoroute onto the D943 towards Tours. We had no choice but to go on this road and I was dreading meeting something slow. At first, all was OK, and then a convoy of us met a car driving very slowly, so we all had to overtake. The road was lovely and straight and I got past, but I did panic a bit, so in future, I will need to put the automatic gear into manual and accelerate like that! Phew!

For the rest of the journey, the traffic was almost non-existent, and after about an hour we could see signs for Amboise. Our Airbnb was supposedly a few minutes' walk from the centre of Amboise, and we drove past first before realising. I turned around and followed the instructions of where to park and how to get in.

Once inside we dumped our overnight bags, put the food and drinks we'd brought with us into the fridge, and set off for the town centre. We all fancied a bite to eat and a cold beer!

It was a lovely, warm afternoon and the sun was shining. After taking a wrong turn we found our way to the centre of the town and the shops, bars and restaurants near the chateau. We recognised this area from our visit in 2009 and we were soon seated at a bar and awaiting three cold beers! Lovely!

Making the most of it while we could!

The main street, lined with bars and restaurants

It was heavenly to sit in the sun and enjoy people-watching. Very soon, back in the UK, it will be too cold to sit outdoors! We enjoyed a couple of beers - Sophie and I had Leffe, Keith had Jupila - and then went in search of a restaurant for dinner this evening. Previously, we had eaten at a restaurant called Le Parvis which grilled meats over an open fire. We found it easily and had a look at the menu, but I had a niggling feeling it was closed.

We hadn't had anything to eat at the bar as we didn't want to ruin our appetites, so we walked to an express branch of Carrefour and bought a sandwich to share, as well as bottles of Vouvray and Montlouis, a sparkling wine we'd had at our wedding. All plans to visit a vineyard and the village of Vouvray went out of the window as we just didn't have enough time.

Back at the house, we ate our sandwiches and some crisps, and Keith and I started planning the route for tomorrow. We had to go via Rouen and when I put the directions into Google maps it flashed up a warning about the crit'air sticker we would need as the road went through the centre of the city. This was not good news as we didn't have one so we had to look at an alternative route, and we eventually decided to go up to Le Havre and then take the coastal motorway to Calais. 

We all changed and got ready to go out and walked back to the bar we'd had a drink in earlier. People were now wrapped up warmly and wearing boots, coats and scarves and the temperature had definitely dropped. It was very Autumnal and I envied the locals and their warm clothes! I hadn't even bought a coat with me!

We sat in the bar and Sophie had an Aperol Spritz, Keith had a large beer (expensive at 6 euros) while I had a glass of sparkling Vouvray. Overhead we saw many vapour trails in the blue sky so this area must be on one of the flight paths to the south. Some of the planes were very high up in the sky and I wondered where they were going.

After our drinks, we went in search of sustenance! Unfortunately, Le Parvis was indeed closed and there was no sign of life indoors, even though it was a Friday night. Instead, we tried La Terrasse and were warmly welcomed into the lovely restaurant and given menus. The staff didn't speak much English, which was fine, but we all muddled through and our choices were: goats' cheese clafoutis for me to start, followed by pork belly. Keith chose Bruschetta to start and then lamb, while Sophie enjoyed beef pastrami and beef cheeks. The food was very good, we were given plenty of bread and Sophie and I drank a pitcher of local red wine to accompany our meal.

Sophie and I found room for puds - a moist strawberry cake for me and a chocolate mousse. Keith sat and savoured a Cognac. It was the most expensive meal of the holiday at 143 euros,  but the food, staff and ambience were lovely and we had no complaints. The restaurant had gradually filled up while we were eating and some people were dining in the area upstairs which looked lovely and cosy.

It was a five-minute walk back to the house (we found a shortcut) and then it was time to relax for half an hour before bed. Sophie and I watched the French equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing, followed by a property show featuring first-time buyers purchasing apartments in some of France's biggest cities. One single woman had 800,000 euros to spend on an apartment in Paris!

At about 10pm we retired for the night. Homeward bound tomorrow!

Holiday in L'Escala, Spain - 24th September - 8th October

Day 13 - L'Escala to Rocamadour

We were all up early this morning, and by 8am we were on the road. The weather looked cloudy and dull with an ominous sky! We were soon (after one diversion!) onto the Autopista and heading towards the French border. The traffic was busier than I was expecting with a lot of lorries going north. Some of the mountains we saw from the motorway looked enormous and I was just glad we weren't driving over them!

Once in France we stopped for coffee and pastries and sat in the car eating them. There were a lot of bleary people about, just like us!

We followed the autoroute up to Narbonne, and then turned left towards Toulouse, passing Carcassone on the way. We stayed in this area back in 2009 and had a lovely holiday exploring the gorgeous countryside. The weather was lovely and sunny, and as we drove further north, the trees started to change colour, providing a beautiful display of Autumnal hues. Toulouse was busy, but we followed Trish's directions and we were soon through. We stopped a couple of times to use the aires and to top up with petrol, and by about 1.30pm we were turning off the autoroute and following signs for Rocamadour.

The road became narrower and steeper, and very rural, with just the odd village tucked away. At one point we saw a group of people having a picnic in a lovely field just outside a village. I was quickly falling in love with this area, called the Lot, as it was beautiful, wooded and very hilly. We were getting nearer to Rocamadour and soon the road started descending. As we rounded a bend we could see the town in front of us, seemingly suspended against a rockface above a tributary of the river Dordogne. It was stunning!

View from L'Hospitalet

Rocamadour has its origins in the 12th century when there was a first mention of worshipping the Virgin Mary, and the town has been welcoming pilgrims ever since.

We could see people eating in restaurants, and all of us yearned for something to eat as it had been a long time since the pastries early this morning! The road going past Rocamadour was quite scary, winding up and up, and through a dark tunnel. Once past the town, we came to L'Hospitalet, where there had once been a reception centre for pilgrims who were treated for any injuries or illness in a hospital. This was a lovely place, full of shops selling local produce, and restaurants and cafés.

We drove through, out of the village and down a narrow track to the middle of nowhere! The hotel Le Troubadour was reached via a gravelled track and consisted of the main building, and several outbuildings/stables/barns that had been converted into accommodation. It was surrounded by fields and woods and looked utterly peaceful.

There was no one about and we did suspect we were a bit early, but we went into the main building which was empty of any staff. We wandered about and rang the bell, and eventually, a man appeared. He looked astonished to see us and said that reception wasn't open until 3.30pm. We explained we'd driven from Spain and he softened a little, asking us to come back later and perhaps visit Rocamadour until we were able to check-in.

We drove back out and decided to visit the cité, as it was known. We drove back down the hairpin bends but there was very limited parking and the only place we could find was right at the bottom of the gorge, which meant there would have been a steep climb up (unbeknown to us there's a lift).

We drove back up to L'Hospitalet and managed to find a car park on the outskirts of the village. We walked in, desperate for a drink and something to eat as it was now about 2.30pm but most of the restaurants had stopped serving at 2pm... only in France!

Luckily, we found a delightful little café called Petites Faims where the owner prepared us toasted croissants filled with ham and cheese, served with a cold beer and a dessert. We sat outside in the gorgeous sunshine (the weather had improved drastically) and relaxed for half an hour chatting and people-watching. We were hoping that we could eat in the hotel restaurant this evening, but if not there were plenty of places available in L'Hospitalet.

Enjoying the sun

After we'd eaten we strolled around the pretty village, visiting the church and some of the shops, where I bought a booklet all about Rocamadour.

The big thing here is the walnut. It's put into cakes and, more importantly, used as an ingredient for a liqueur, which was for sale everywhere. Foie gras and duck were other foods also widely available.

It was lovely to stroll around in the sunshine, but at about 4pm we headed back to the hotel to check-in. Mathieu was very welcoming and showed us to our two-bedroom apartment in a converted stable block. We had a small kitchen, living room, spacious bathroom, two double bedrooms and a lovely outside terrace overlooking the surrounding farmland. It was a haven of peace and tranquillity!

I spent an exceedingly pleasant couple of hours sitting on the terrace, enjoying the peace, and listening to birdsong and the sound of the breeze through the trees. It was a wonderful place and a highlight of my holiday!

After showering and changing, we ventured back to L'Hospitalet. Mathieu had told us the hotel restaurant was only open for breakfast so we had various options to choose from. I didn't fancy driving back down to the cité so we parked in the centre of L'Hospitalet and went to look at menus. 

Unfortunately, the first two restaurants were full. One of them had fantastic views over to Rocamadour, but they were expecting a large party. The restaurant opposite was also full, so we began to get a bit worried!

Thankfully, Au Panorama had a table and we were soon seated and looking at another place-mat menu. Sophie and I enjoyed the beef carpaccio, while Keith chose the house terrine. For our main courses, Sophie pushed the boat out and opted for the Tournedos Rossini, while Keith and I had two different cuts of steak. Mine came with a delicious shallot sauce. There was no chicken on the menu at all, but a lot of beef and duck!

I chose a moderate Bergerac red to go with the meal, but it wasn't the best wine we've ever tasted! The restaurant was busy and the young male waiter was a real character! He was determined to practise his English with us, even though I did order in French!

By about 9.30pm the restaurant had emptied out, so we paid the bill and returned to the hotel. There was only French television available so it was an early night. Tomorrow, we're off to the Loire!