Saturday 22 June 2024
A fabulous day!
Friday 21 June 2024
Fresh meat!
Thursday 20 June 2024
Looking back
Wednesday 19 June 2024
A little different...
Tuesday 18 June 2024
Hunter Mooney
Monday 17 June 2024
Cup calamity!
Sunday 16 June 2024
Off to the coast!
Saturday 15 June 2024
April showers... in June!
Friday 14 June 2024
A summer of sport
Thursday 13 June 2024
Not the best of meals!
Wednesday 12 June 2024
A spot of gardening
Tuesday 11 June 2024
Two days in one
Monday
The first two working days of the week have been uneventful, so not a lot to report. I was busy with emails, and we had a new woman in to see how we worked, with the expectation that she'll take on a couple of shifts to help out. At first, she was a bit bemused and didn't realise how much goes on behind the scenes of running a gym and leisure company!
After a dinner of cottage pie this evening, Sophie took us through her Summer Solstice quiz to see how we did. It was fascinating to try and answer the questions, most of which I guessed! There doesn't seem to be much sign of the summer this year, though, and it's forecast to be chilly and wet for the next few days.
Tuesday
Our office was noisy today, which it often seems to be on a Tuesday. I dealt with all the emails and tried to do some more work on the moan report. As soon as it's done I will be so relieved!
The cats joined us in the living room early this evening, as outside it was pouring with rain. Gomez came in and was soaked to the skin and I managed to dry him carefully with an old tea towel. I realise he doesn't like anything thrown over his head and I suspect that he was caught like this once, before he came to live with us. As soon as they'd had their dinner, both cats indulged in a long grooming fest to dry their fur.
Keith and I watched Springwatch after dinner, and the cats were fascinated by the birds on the screen, especially the webcams where there were close-ups of the baby birds! Thankfully, they were on the screen so safe from our hunter cats!
Sunday 9 June 2024
Missed meetings...
Saturday 8 June 2024
"Catman!"
Friday 7 June 2024
Friday at last!
Thursday 6 June 2024
An evening of laughter
Wednesday 5 June 2024
A little spark!
Tuesday 4 June 2024
Getting organised!
Monday 3 June 2024
Grey Monday
It was back to grey this morning and work was busy with emails. Nicola was clearly suffering from hay fever today and her sniffing was unbelievable! I'd never heard anything like it in my life! Why not use a tissue?
The office was noisy all day today so it was a relief to get out at 4pm and head home in the silence of my car! I pootled about and when Sophie returned we sat and watched Come Dine With Me. As usual, the episodes we watched were highly enjoyable, made even better by Dave Lamb's narration!
Keith disappeared upstairs to watch football - I thought the season was over... oh no! The Euros are coming up soon!
Above is a photo of my soap collection. I've used the one Sophie bought home from Istanbul last year, and am cleansing with the Spanish one at the moment - Jabon Vegetal - which is lovely and creamy. I bought the Labre's Hope Blood Orange on Marylebone High Street and the Toasted Crumpet one in Weedon on Saturday. Happy suds!
Sunday 2 June 2024
Sun, glorious sun!
In complete contrast to yesterday, today has been beautifully warm and sunny, and we managed to get out into the garden and do some pottering about.
I planted the geraniums I'd bought and Keith pruned the bushes at the back of the garden. I also moved a rose bush against the wall and we tried to train the clematis along the back of the garage. Venturing into the gravel garden we noticed the clematis there had also flowered, which was great to see! We did some weeding and cut back some of the bushes and it looked a lot better!
Sophie went to Castle Ashby with Vikesh for lunch but was home far earlier than I'd anticipated. She'd had a disappointing lunch as Vikesh was worried about his forthcoming trip to Florida next Sunday. I wish I was going instead of him! How wonderful to visit the Sunshine State at this time of the year!
When Sophie returned we sat and enjoyed a cup of tea and an Indian coconut shortbread in the kitchen over a chat and then moved out to the conservatory where we all played cards. It was gorgeous to sit there and soak up the lovely sunshine! A blackbird was going mad in the garden as I think the cats were near to its nest. I had seen a baby up in the rafters of the garage this morning and I think an opportunistic mum had decided to build a nest there. The alarm call was loud and went on for ages as she attempted to distract the cats? away from her babies!
We barbecued this evening and Keith cooked steaks, along with a couple of sausages that had been hanging about, and onion rings. Sophie hadn't planned on eating with us, but had to make do with the leftover baked potato from Friday and the roasted vegetables!
After eating, we watched a D-Day 80th-anniversary episode of the Antiques Roadshow from both Portsmouth and Normandy and saw Fiona Bruce visit the British-Normandy Memorial! We were there in January!
Saturday 1 June 2024
Out for lunch
Today has been disappointingly grey and overcast; I'm sure the forecast was originally for sunshine and warm temperatures!
We all had a relaxed start to the day with Wordle Off over coffee as usual! At 11am, Sophie and I drove to Weedon to visit the Antiques Emporium. First of all, we popped upstairs and had a coffee and a shortbread biscuit at a delightful second-hand bookstore. Sophie is now into books (hooray!) and is devouring Douglas Kennedy novels, just like me! I love to see her curled up on the armchair in the living room absorbed in a good book!
We wandered around the books, and I looked for an old collection of children's stories I used to have as a child (A Treasury of Children's Stories by Hilda Boswell), but I had no luck. I've loved reading all my life, and my favourite authors were C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and, of course, Enid Blyton when I was growing up.
We looked around the Antique Emporium as I was set on finding an antique cocktail trolley and drinks-related objects, but nothing was suitable. Next door, I found a lovely metal plaque stating "Wine Diva... Life's too short to drink cheap wine," which sums us up totally!
Sophie bought gifts for her friends, Laura and Daisy, and we made our way to The Heart of the Shires Shopping Village and did a little more browsing. We'd booked a table at The 1861 restaurant for lunch at 1.30pm and took our seats in the airy dining room. We waited a far while to have our order taken and Sophie looked annoyed that it had taken so long. The restaurant is under new management and we miss the old Darlington's!
Sophie chose a Coronation chicken wrap while I opted for the quiche. Both our meals were served with salad and crisps. We indulged in a glass of wine to accompany our food, which could have done with a bit more chilling. I'm not a fan of warmish white wine!
Sophie was happy with her choice, but my Quiche Lorraine lacked flavour and the filling was a bit watery, with the ham languishing at the bottom. I was disappointed, I have to admit. We decided to skip cake and made our way to Abraxas where I treated myself to a rotary grater, another bar of soap and some fondant baking pots.
Before going home, Sophie popped into Boots new Sixfields, and the whole area was busy with people shopping. It was still better than Riverside, though! We sped home and relaxed on the sofa, enjoying nibbles with wine later in the evening. A lovely end to a great day!