A very merry day!

Sophie had booked a table at Casa Nostra in Market Harborough for lunch, and we intended to do some shopping afterwards, so I was looking forward to today!

I was awake later than I wanted (after first surfacing at 5.30am), and I ensured I caught up with my blog as I needed to catch up! Sophie came down for a coffee but went back upstairs to completely strip her bedding and hoover and dust her room, as per the nurse's advice the other day. We're hoping the antihistamines kick in soon!

We left home at midday and were glad the heavy rain had stopped. However, there was a lot of water on the road up to Lamport, and it was running off the fields in rivers. The surrounding farmland was sodden, with standing water making impromptu lakes!

Parking was free in Market Harborough today, which was a bonus! We walked to the restaurant and were seated in the window again, allowing us to watch the comings and goings outside and catch the occasional glimpse of Duncan in his wine shop. He looked very busy!

We had a wonderful meal, and we both said that the food was better than Pizza Express. We started with chicken strips with a spicy dip and meatballs in tomato sauce with lovely bread. We were so hungry that we ordered a pizza each, but I struggled to finish it! Sophie helped out, but we could have taken some home in a box if we'd wanted.

We made room for pudding - tiramisu for Sophie and Smores Sundae for me. With a glass of wine apiece, a bottle of water and the three-course meal, the bill was a reasonable £73.

We waddled out of the restaurant and crossed the road to The Attic. Sophie is having her work Christmas do on Friday and was looking for a new skirt and some boots today. She found a pleated skirt and a jumper in The Attic, and then we made our way around the rest of the charity shops in Market Harborough, where she bought three dresses and a brand-new pair of black court shoes that had never been worn! One outfit (dress and shoes) only cost her £5!

I spotted a new lampshade for the light in the conservatory and splashed out on some more Christmas lights. I looked for a new gonk but didn't see one that I liked. They have to have some meaning to us!

By 3pm we were flagging so it was home via the scenic route (more flooded roads) to relax. Sophie tried her clothes on and she was delighted with them all, except one dress which didn't flatter her figure at all.

She had done so well, though, and had found some great bargains today!

I hadn't opened my whisky advent calendar for a while, so it was a great opportunity for us to congregate around the island and try three of them! First up was the Peaky Blinder Irish Whiskey at 40%. I detected dried fruits and almonds. It reminded me of a Bakewell tart and was delicious.

Next was the Hinch Small Batch Bourbon Cask Irish Whiskey at 43%. It was very light in colour and had a peaty nose. Sophie wasn't keen, saying it reminded her of cigarettes in Spain! Hmmm! Both Keith and I liked this one.

The third was an old favourite, Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey at 46%. I bought a bottle of this from Duncan's shop funnily enough some years ago and loved it. Sophie wasn't keen again, saying it tasted sour but Keith and I liked it and it reminded me of Christmas pudding and raisins soaked in Brandy.

As we were enjoying ourselves, we tried a couple of the beers from Vikesh's beer box! Both were stouts and were chocolatey and coffee-ish.

We didn't try all of these - we left some for another day!

After enjoying the beers, we played cards and afterwards, Sophie and I watched a Channel 5 show about the top 30 Christmas films of all time. We didn't see the end, but I was hoping that my favourite, It's A Wonderful Life, was number 1!