Houdini cats!

I had hoped to have a lie-in this morning and had asked Sophie to wake me at 8am, giving myself plenty of time to get ready, have a coffee and leave to get to the vet surgery by 10am. She woke me at 6.45am and I knew, by the look on her face, that something was wrong.

The cats had escaped again, going out by the window in the kitchen that we had forgotten to close last night. The blind had been pulled right down so it was touching the window sill, but they must have nudged it up and escaped... we couldn't believe it! I was surprised they didn't break the various little urns we have on the window sill, but they had dislodged an old Gin bottle that we use as a little lantern in the winter.

Sophie was angry again even though Keith had asked her last night if all the windows were closed. It was nobody's fault, but it was just more bad luck. We sat in the kitchen drinking coffee but by 9am, it was obvious Gomez wasn't coming home. Mooney was about and readily returned when we called him, especially if we used the word "grubs" to lure him in! How can two cats from the same litter be so different?

I called the vet surgery and tentatively made another appointment for 4pm this afternoon, even though I knew deep down we wouldn't see him. I suggested going over to the Weston Favell Centre, getting Sophie's car washed, having breakfast and popping to Boots Opticians as I wanted to get a pair of glasses for driving. I also had a cheque to pay into my bank account for the Audi car tax... a huge amount of £8.75!

We trundled over and deposited ET at the carwash station where we were told it would be £22 for an interior and exterior clean. After doing our chores and arranging another eye test at Boots, we had coffee and toasted sandwiches at Costa.

Over our drinks, we talked about Sophie's next car and she decided to go to the VW dealership on Riverside. As a family, we have had three VW Passats, and now we drive the VW Golf SUV and they have always been good, reliable cars. We had a look at some of the used cars in the car park and then went into the lion's den to enquire...

I hate buying cars and have had some bad experiences in my time. We saw a young man who was very pleasant and chatty, and he suggested an electric car as Sophie really only goes to work, the gym and then home, and rarely drives any long distances. He had several ID3 cars available and they were in her price range and budget.

He showed us a Polo and then the ID3 which she much preferred. It was three years old and was in excellent condition. After a lot of chatting, he took us for a test drive and both of us were impressed. The dashboard looked like it was a NASA spaceship, and there was no gear stick - the settings were on the right-hand side of the steering wheel!

When we got back, the hard sell began. Sophie had a monthly budget in mind but when he went to see the manager about the trade-in price for ET and how much she would have to pay, the amount had jumped by over £60 a month. They had added £2000 worth of "extras" which were euphemisms for insurance, including Diamondbrite which I think is a con. They offered a fair price for ET, which was £500 below what we were hoping for, but this didn't really matter.

We politely told him to go back and see his manager and take off the extras. He duly went off and returned with £1500 of "extras". Again, we told him politely to go away, and the next time he returned he had just the monthly price and nothing else. He was lucky; another attempt and we would have walked out! I think he was trying to scare us as Sophie is buying the car on PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) and she would need to return the car in excellent condition, but there are good bodywork specialists we could use if needed! I'm not sure if he thought we were pushovers, but he soon found out we weren't!

The deal was done, she signed the agreement and Sophie gets the car on Monday! We drove down to Sophie's office to see if there were charging points in her car park,  but there weren't any. We will need to get someone to install a charging point on our driveway, but Sophie will save by not having to buy petrol every week!

Back home, there was no sign of Gomez, but Mooney met us. We spent the afternoon catching up with jobs and I paid a 40% deposit towards a trip back to Normandy next January to celebrate my birthday. In a moment of madness on Saturday night, we had enquired about booking the house we'd stayed in again and the owner had contacted me to book with her directly. We can't wait!

I had to call the vet surgery again to cancel the afternoon appointment and I booked another for next Wednesday. I also contacted a tradesman to fit a catflap into the back door to let the cats in and out whenever they want!

It's been another hot day but tomorrow we have a weather warning for thunderstorms. Bring it on!

Attacked by a fan!

Sophie didn't go to the gym this morning and stayed at home to give Gomez his medicine. At least she could drive herself to work today!

I had another busy day at work and helped out with the phones when the calls mounted up. Macy was working again and was still unsure about a lot of things so Sara had to help out. I did manage to answer most of the emails, so the time flew by.

When I arrived home at 4.30pm, the house was hot and stuffy. It was 84f in the kitchen so Keith and I opened the windows but pulled the blinds right down. Gomez spent a lot of time on the living room window sill staring at the world outside (and trying to nudge the window open more with his nose), and I hoped that after Wednesday he would be allowed to go out again. Keeping them both inside has been hard work and a most unpleasant experience!

We had the fan going full blast in the living room and both cats eyed it warily, as if it was a monster! I think Gomez became used to it after a while and perhaps relished the breeze it was creating!

Dinner tonight was cold meats, salad and new potatoes. It was too hot to eat anything else! We watched the Olympics but at 9pm I went upstairs with Sophie and the cats to relax. On the way, the top part of the fan broke and came away from the main pedestal hitting Keith on the shoulder as I went past him. Not something we really needed!

Sophie brought up a roll of tape and we managed to repair it, slightly haphazardly! However, as I was drifting off to sleep, it fell off again and almost banged me on the head! I managed to prop it up on the bedside table, but it did it again, this time breaking one of the blades... oh dear! 

Sophie lent me her fan, bless her, so at least I had a bit of breeze wafting over me! Roll on the cooler weather!

Car success!

Keith had to take Sophie and me to work today as, although the jump leads had arrived yesterday, her car was facing the wrong way and it would have been difficult to get it off the drive to jump-start it from the VW. He was going to drop Sophie at work and call to see Glen in Moulton and ask his advice.

Jo was back from her holiday today and looked tanned and relaxed. The relaxation disappeared as the phone calls started to come in, though! The phones were busy today and almost non-stop. I helped out when they mounted up and managed to put on another week's swim camps as well as dealing with as many emails as I could.

Keith texted me in the morning to say that Gomez had returned home, which was nothing short of a miracle! I had imagined him staying away for days again! Sophie was tremendously relieved, so all we need to do now is keep him in until Wednesday when we're due to go to the vet surgery at Potterspury.

At 4pm, we drove down to Brackmills and sat in a hot car until 4.30pm when Sophie finished. Her manager had very kindly given her Wednesday off as a "well-being" day, which was most appreciated! I think, at the moment with all that's going on with work, her car and the cats, it's needed!

When we arrived home, Keith took Sophie outside and started the car! Glen had given him a battery booster, and Keith had driven ET to Moulton for it to be fitted with a new battery. Success!

I get into big trouble...

Sophie was going to London with Laura today and we dropped her at the station at 9am. Keith and I returned home to have breakfast (fried eggs on cheesy bread) and pootle about. It was warm and sunny with temperatures expected to rise to 27c. A heatwave was upon us!

Gomez stayed in Sophie's room all day, tucked up behind her curtains, but in the afternoon Mooney kept crying and yowling to go out. I felt awful for him as it wasn't his fault that he was being kept in, so I sneakily let him out to enjoy the sunshine! Gomez was none the wiser as he was upstairs asleep!

I put a colour on my hair in the afternoon and relaxed on our bed with the fan full on me! I kept thinking I should be sorting Gomez out with his cream and the collar but I really didn't want to disturb him as he seemed so content...

Back downstairs, Mooney had returned but wanted to go out again, and this time he wouldn't let up with the yowling. In the end, I gave in to him and he went back outside. I asked Keith to keep the double conservatory doors closed and went over to Kettering to see my parents.

I stayed an hour and we looked at the holiday book and a couple of photograph albums with my Mum. My Dad was asleep for the whole time I was there!

Getting back into the car to go home was lovely as I could turn on the air conditioning! It was wonderful to be blasted by cool air! At home, Mooney was still out and Gomez was still upstairs. I was beginning to wonder if the medicine he was having made him drowsy? Or was he just totally fed up?

I texted Sophie to ask when she was coming home as I'd seen a post on Facebook about a problem at Northampton train station. The surrounding roads had been closed and it was reported that "a member of the public had put themselves into a position of danger." She said they were having one last drink and would get the train home at 6pm. I  could already see disruption for Northampton trains on my Trainline app, and I was wondering how I was going to pick the girls up if all the roads were closed!

At 6pm, Sophie texted me to say their train had been cancelled so I said they'd need to get one to Milton Keynes and we'd pick them up. She texted back minutes later to say the train would get into Milton Keynes at 6.30pm...

We then had panic stations as I knew I couldn't get to MK in half an hour! I managed to close the front windows and the conservatory doors, but we forgot to close the kitchen window, the one above the worktop...

We rushed off and made it to the station by 6.35pm. Sophie and Laura were walking out and collapsed into the cool car with relief! We had a great journey back, dropped Laura off at her Mum's house and decided to pick up a KFC meal for dinner - our planned steak barbecue and Dauphinoise potatoes had to be postponed!

At KFC, we picked a boneless meal bucket and went back to the car. As we left the restaurant, I held the door open for a woman who burped and didn't even look at me or thank me for holding the door... Wonderful! It just about sums up some people at the moment!

When we arrived home, Mooney still wasn't back and there was no sign of Gomez. I rushed upstairs and he had gone from behind the curtains. We searched everywhere, and in all the usual hiding places but there was no Gomey. He had obviously managed to escape through the open window in the kitchen...

Sophie was already in a bad mood with me because I'd confessed to not putting cream on him or making him wear the collar, and had accused her of being tipsy, but now her anger reached new heights as she discovered he had absconded. I don't think she could even bring herself to talk to me so we ate our fast food dinner in silence. The food was horrible and none of us enjoyed it. We thought things couldn't get worse, but they had.

I was amazed at the tenacity of the cats to get out of the house. There's a scene in Jurassic Park where the main characters go to the enclosure which houses the Tyrannosaurus Rex (a female) and the keeper says that she had been systematically testing all the weak points of the enclosure to find a way to escape. We had T-Rex cats!

So, our Sunday evening was subdued and although Sophie eventually came around and spoke to me to tell me about her day, I kept hoping upon hope that Gomez would return. He didn't but, of course, Mooney did!

A dinosaur in cat's clothing

Car troubles!

First thing this morning, we trooped down to Brackmills to try and start Sophie's car. We had to go to the security hut first to ask them to unlock the gates. There was a van parked outside waiting to go in and this turned out to be very fortuitous...

Keith tried to start the car and it was as dead as a dead thing. The man in the van, who was doing maintenance work in the grounds, said he had a set of jump leads, and with the help of the security man, we managed to get little ET going. They must have been our guardian angels!

Keith drove the Hyundai home, and then we went back out to get a jerry can of petrol for ET as Sophie was very low on fuel. We didn't want to risk getting petrol on the way home as we were worried it wouldn't start again! Each time we went out, we became embroiled in the Holcot car-boot traffic, which was somewhat wearying. We couldn't believe the line of traffic stretching up to the A43 as people left!

Our third outing was down to Brackmills to drop off a couple of boxes of chocolates for the security guard and the maintenance man, and we popped into Pets At Home on the way back to get a larger litter tray, litter and treats for the cats. Keeping them in is challenging, especially with the weather set to get hotter over the next few days! 

Back at home, Keith decided to try and start the car again, but it was dead with not a hint of life. We were beginning to think it was the battery so we ordered a set of jump leads from Amazon. We'll have to try and get it going somehow to take it to the garage next week! 

We decided to go to the pub for lunch and relax, which was very pleasant. We sat in splendid isolation in the back room and enjoyed sandwiches and a bowl of chips accompanied by a couple of drinks. Outside it was warm and humid with clouds gathering.

We spent the afternoon relaxing and managed to get the soft collar onto Gomez. He wasn't happy but he wasn't as stressed as he was when we put the cone on him!

None of us fancied dinner in the evening and we watched the Olympic swimming all evening. With all the windows and doors closed, the house felt warm and stuffy. Normally I have as many windows and doors open as I can! The swimming pool water looked very cool and inviting!

Photos of Mooney taken today:

To the rescue... again!

Sophie didn't go to the gym this morning, and she stayed at home to give Gomez his medicine and bathe his lesions in saltwater.

Her car started this morning, which was a relief! I had already gone to work and now that we just have two cars, I feel like we're in a bit of a precarious position. If anything goes wrong with the VW, we're done for! I might rethink my decision not to get another car!

Today has been somewhat challenging as I was working with newbies, Macy and Sharon, so I had no choice but to help with answering the phone, especially first thing when it was busy. Having said that, the phone lines weren't as busy as earlier in the week but we had some long complicated queries to deal with. Nicola's daughter was working with us and she's only 16, which I think is far too young to be dealing with some of the problems we encounter on the phone. It's not all about swim times and prices; we sometimes have complicated membership questions to sort out.

I finished the moan report, though, and put two more weeks' worth of films onto the system, so I was pleased I'd be able to do that. 

At 4pm, I left work and became embroiled in a traffic jam on the A43. I soon realised that it was down to roadworks or an accident, as we kept getting a line of oncoming vehicles and then nothing before we could move. It was very tiresome!

As I neared the Sywell roundabout, my phone rang and, as we were stationary, I answered it. Sophie's car wouldn't start... I said I would come down and get her and prayed the traffic would move so I could get to the roundabout and take the road through Overstone. A van had broken down but I managed to get through the jam and head back towards Northampton. Sophie called again but I couldn't answer as I was driving so I was forced to pull into the Aldi supermarket car park and call her back. I also phoned Keith to let him know what had happened.

I arrived at 5pm, the time she should have been leaving anyway, and I tried the car again, but it was dead. She had already told security the car would be left there all night and we said we'd come back down in the morning and try and get it going.

I drove home, avoiding the A43 and we went upstairs to get ready for an evening out with our friend Sue, who used to live across the road. Keith was taking us to The Pig and Waffle in Grafton Underwood where Sue had booked a table for 7pm. It was a gorgeous evening and the pub/restaurant was busy with people enjoying the sunshine and warm weather.

We took our table inside and ordered nine tapas dishes to share, as well as a bottle of Tempranillo.

As the evening wore on, it became even busier with all the tables full. There was a great atmosphere and the food was delicious. It was lovely to sit and chat and enjoy a relaxed evening after our hectic and stressful week!

We managed to find room for dessert - an almond cake and ice cream for Sophie and me, and sticky toffee pudding for Sue. I had a decaffeinated coffee and after paying the bill, we went outside to wait for the taxi that Sue had very kindly arranged.

It was blissfully cool outside as we waited for the taxi which arrived on the dot at 10pm and whisked us all home!

Incarcerated!

The cats were not amused about having to stay in this morning - I wish we could have explained why - and they kept looking at us as if they couldn't believe we wouldn't let them out. We gave Gomey his tablets and left them watching a bird video on YouTube!

We took Sophie to work this morning because I didn't trust her car after the drama of last night. I woke up at about 3.30am this morning worrying that it would burst into flames...

We dropped her off, and I started work half an hour later. Being off the phones today was a relief, so I could get a lot done. I virtually finished the moan report and answered as many emails as I could before Keith picked me up at 2.30pm.

We went home, and I couldn't find Gomez... Keith was adamant he hadn't managed to escape, but he was nowhere to be seen. I looked behind the sofas, the armchairs, under tables and on the dining room chairs, in cupboards and all the bedrooms. Sophie had texted me to ask how they were and I had to say we couldn't find Gomez. Imagine my relief when I finally found him curled up behind the curtain in Sophie's room! Phew! 

Leaving him in peace, I dealt with some paperwork before we collected Sophie at 5pm. We decided that she would drive to work tomorrow, and we would look to get rid of her car as soon as possible, preferably looking this weekend for a new vehicle.

The cats looked thoroughly miserable evening and I wondered how people kept cats inside all the time? Our two have now been used to having the freedom to roam wherever they want so it must be hard for them to stay put, poor things!

An emergency dash!

I was working from 10am until 4pm today so I was able to call the vets before I left for work. I made an appointment for next Wednesday, so we'll have to make sure Gomez is in the night before!

Keith dropped me off at work and I had a busy shift. It's the first day of the school summer holidays! The time flew as I answered calls and dealt with emails. I was working with Sharon and Kathy again, and Sharon did have some complicated calls to deal with!

When Sophie arrived home this evening, she looked at Gomey's chin and was worried that it looked sore and painful. He also had another wound on his face which was bleeding. She wanted to go to the vet surgery in Moulton, so she gave them a call and managed to book him in as an emergency. I dashed downstairs to find the cat carrier and we gingerly put him inside, poor little thing. 

We asked Keith to move Sophie's car which was parked behind the VW, and her little Hyundai wouldn't start! Keith tried again and again, and in the end, he had to try and freewheel it down the drive, managing to park it across the road so we could back out. Not really the easiest thing to do in an automatic car! We really didn't need that drama as well!

Sophie and I drove to Moulton and sat and waited in the surgery with a couple of owners and their dogs. Gomez was wondering what we were going to do with him and kept emitting little miaows! The vet saw us after about half an hour's wait and examined his face and the sores. She suggested antibiotics and steroids to start with, as well as a cream to apply to the sores. She thought he may be allergic to fleas and ticks. If none of the tablets or creams worked, we might have to do a skin test to investigate further.

She gave us the tablets and cream and a plastic cone for him to wear. Obviously, he wouldn't be allowed out, poor thing. I think we're going to have a very unhappy cat on our hands! Sophie paid the bill of £230 (gulp!) and we drove home to have a drink and try and relax before we had dinner.

After dinner, we managed to get two of the tablets into Gomez by crushing them into chicken yoghurt, which they both love. Mooney goes mad for the tube of savoury yoghurt and tries to bite the end off!

Once the tablets had been ingested we tried the cone with Gomez and it was a very traumatic experience for all of us. He looked absolutely terrified and went into a kind of paralysed trance in Sophie's arms. He had an absolute look of terror on his face so we couldn't bear it any longer. We took it off and I ordered a soft one from Amazon instead.

It was not the relaxing night we usually have and we have two very unhappy cats!

Worried about the Gomes...

Kathy came back today and helped out, and we had newbie Sharon working with us. I have to say, though, that she spent a lot of time off the phone! I was forced to take calls as it's really ramping up now and we're getting panicky parents calling us to book childcare spaces! It happens before every holiday!

Back home, Sophie was worried about Gomey's chin which looked crusty and sore. He keeps coming home with lesions on his face or ears and we're getting a little concerned. Sophie asked me to call the vet in the morning to make an appointment to try and find out what the problem is.

Keith barbecued this evening and we enjoyed Tesco Finest Wagyu burgers. They were delicious eaten with salad and new potatoes, and we can see now why they scored so highly at a blind taste test!

Gomez seems quite happy to come home at about 5pm and have his grubs before retiring upstairs for a snooze. Mooney is always nearby so it's great to have both cats keeping us company in the evening for a change!

A busy day!

As I predicted, Kathy wasn't at work today but we did have some cover until 3pm so I (mainly) stayed off the phones. We booked a lot of swim camps today and playscheme places so it's getting busy!

Sheila was back today and was fine about the new centres I'd missed from the cash-ups last week. She knew how busy we were, so understood!

Keith ran me to work today and had delivered the Holiday book to my parents. I called them when I got home, and my Mum was thrilled to read all the diaries and look at the photos I'd included!

I'm at work all week, so there may not be a lot to write about over the next few days!

Reminiscing

After another lie-in and coffee, I decided to blitz the kitchen. I pulled everything off the worktops and windowsills and gave it all a good clean. It's been a little cooler today, so that was a relief.

We also booked our 2025 summer holiday and we're returning to L'Escala! We booked the house close to where we were before, so that's something to look forward to in eleven months! Now we just need to decide our route there and back, and our overnight stops. We want to stay at Le Troubadour in Rocamadour again and maybe Saint-Remy-de-Provence, as I've been watching Marcus Wareing's series on French food. It looks like a gorgeous place.

My "Holiday" book arrived yesterday and I had a good look at my copy, keeping the other one safe for Mum and Dad. I was dreading any typos or problems with the formatting but everything looked great. It's only taken me two years!

Sophie and I carried on doing some housework and did mounds of laundry, but by 2pm we were finished and made a sneaky trip to McDonald's in Kettering for a late lunch. We both enjoyed chicken salad wraps and took some chicken tenders home for Keith.

Dinner tonight was supposed to have been a barbecue but with our late lunch, and nibbles and drinks, we decided to skip dinner and barbecue another night. Sophie and I played Scrabble and cards and we all sat at the island and looked at old videos. Mike used to record everything, especially at dinner, and some of the footage had us in stitches! It was lovely to sit and chat and remember old times!

We enjoyed an egg sandwich which Sophie made but that did us perfectly!

The end of the road...

I had an appointment with the We Buy Any Car branch at Kettering at 12pm today, so I steeled myself to sell my beloved Audi A4. I had debated with myself time and time again about keeping it and spending money on it, but it needs a lot of work - the air conditioning is kaput, the volume switch no longer works, I can't connect my phone, it has two scrapes on the front wheel arches, the driver's side carpet is torn and ominous bubbles have started to appear on the bodywork. It's completed 185,500 miles and I've had it since 2013, so the time has come to say goodbye. The impetus which finally made me sell was the appearance of the airbag icon on the dashboard, so there's obviously a fault there, which is serious. Also, there's the nuisance of squeezing three cars onto the driveway, which means we're unable to close the garage door!

I'd had it washed on Wednesday and this morning, I emptied it out and assembled the logbook, the service history and all the paperwork I'd received when I bought it from Audi in Northampton eleven years ago. Sophie came with me while Keith drove the VW, as she wanted to pop into Tesco afterwards to get some shopping.

I had difficulty finding the tiny cabin but eventually, we found the branch and parked outside. The man running the place had nipped off for a loo break and was very apologetic when he returned. I had visions of driving the car back home! 

Sophie sat in the VW while we went through all the paperwork and the man inspected the car. I knew it wouldn't be worth a lot, and the scrapes, rust bubbles and airbag problem all contributed to the lower cost of the vehicle. Frankly, I was pleased to get anything! He explained that the car would go to an auction which We Buy Any Car is affiliated with, and would be sold as seen. I just hope a little dealer buys it, tarts it up a bit and re-sells it. I'll keep an eye on it by looking at the gov.uk page so it'll be great to see it re-taxed with a renewed MOT after August.

We agreed on a price and the branch manager said the money would be in my account this afternoon. They would deal with the DVLA and the change of ownership and I was impressed with how easy and straightforward it all was!

I tried not to look at my car as we drove off as I knew I would start to cry, so I kept my eyes averted and we made our way, in heavy traffic, to Tesco. Sophie was going to Laura's house this evening and was taking some nibbles, so she did her shopping, I bought some toiletries and treats for my Mum and Dad and we drove over to the care home to drop them off.

My Mum said she had a sore throat which sounded ominous, but at least I kept away when I had covid. It seems to be rife at the moment! We didn't stay long as we needed to get home and have lunch but I said I'd take my Mum out on Thursday.

Back home, we had cheese on toast for lunch and pootled about. I went upstairs and watched The Tour de France before falling asleep! Sophie got ready to go out and Keith and I gave her a lift to Laura's house.

Back home, Keith watched the golf while I looked at Airbnb places in L'Escala for next year. I spotted a beautiful house not far from where we were before so added it to my wishlist!

We had smoked mackerel, salad and brown bread for dinner and watched Gone Fishing with Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse. The programmes were so relaxing!

At 10pm we headed back to collect Sophie and then it was home to relax and have a good chat! Sophie loved the house in Spain, so we'll have a proper look tomorrow!

Yippee! It's Friday!

Today wasn't as bad as I feared and Sara did help out with answering the phone. There were only three of us in the office, and the afternoon quietened down a bit so I was able to get the second week's swim camps onto the system, which was a huge bonus.

I was mightily relieved when it was 4pm and I whizzed off home. The temperature was about 29c today, so a hot one but it's set to get cooler on Sunday, thank goodness! When Sophie arrived home we cracked open a bottle of Rosé and watched Come Dine With Me. Keith didn't go to the pub this evening so he was an honorary member of the Girls's Wine Night Club and prepared dinner for us. We'd chosen to have Tesco curries but Keith and I were not impressed at all, and eating them made us all so hot! Sophie was glowing and we thought that maybe a hot curry wasn't the best choice of meal! It was registering 82f (about 28c) in the kitchen!

After we'd eaten, we sat in the garden and chatted. Keith wanted to see the bats come out as dusk fell, so he sat out for a little while longer. Both cats had been out in the garden with us, which was unusual! Normally, Gomez is nowhere to be seen!

It was lovely to look forward to a lie-in tomorrow! Hooray!

Unwelcome news...

I had a chat with Sara today about the amount of work there is to do, and she agreed that it was all becoming a bit too much. I spent a good part of the morning doing the cash-ups, but I still haven't recorded the figures from our new centres as I just didn't have the time. I worked until 3pm (to make up my hours) and then went home to relax with Keith and catch up with some housework.

It's been hot today, and I took my car, which meant I was sweltering on the way home! Keith and I prepared breaded pork escalopes for dinner, and I was in a foul mood, although I didn't know why! Maybe it was the heat? Our house soaks up the warmth and doesn't let it go and it was stuffy upstairs even though the windows were open.

My mood became even worse later in the evening when Sara texted me to say that Kathy was ill and wasn't going to be at work tomorrow, which meant I would be trying to do all my own stuff and answer the phone. I was furious! What was so ironic was that I stayed away from seeing Kathy on Monday so she wouldn't get ill, and she was!

Nothing Keith or Sophie could do or say put me in a better mood, even though we sat in the garden with a drink and had a chat. I was glad it was Friday tomorrow and then I was off over the weekend. Sara said she would help out with answering the phone, which was something at least!

Out for lunch

Sophie woke with a headache this morning so gave the gym a miss. We arranged to meet her for lunch at midday, after taking my car to be washed and doing some shopping at Tesco. 

I dropped my car off at Waves in Tesco's car park and we had a cup of coffee before doing our shopping for tonight's dinner. The car wasn't ready when we finished so we sat in the sun and chatted to an old friend who was heading back to her car. We hadn't seen her for ages, so it was great to catch up with her news.

As soon as the car was finished (and it looked beautiful), we drove home, dumped the chilled food in the fridge and drove down to see Sophie. We walked over to Café 900 and enjoyed a leisurely hour having lunch and chatting. I picked a pulled pork and crispy onion wrap and it was delicious.

After saying goodbye to Soph, we drove home and I made a start on the chores, before having a nap as I felt shattered. I'd done a test earlier in the day and a faint line had appeared so I was still positive. 

The weather today has been sunny and dry and it's set to get hotter towards the end of the week with temperatures of about 29-30c predicted. Phew!  

We cooked a hot and spicy chilli con Carne for dinner and that made us sweat even more!

Drowning in work!

I was back at work this morning and couldn't believe how many emails were waiting to be dealt with. I felt like I was drowning! Before I could look at them, though, I had to do the cash-ups from Friday, the weekend and yesterday! It took me most of the day to do this and Sara was also busy, so the emails mounted up, and mounted up...

I stayed until 5pm today and answered as many emails as I could in the last hour. I was going to suggest going to work on Wednesday to make up for Monday but I had a feeling I'd still be testing positive! 

I arrived home slightly before Sophie and we relaxed in the kitchen with a drink and a chat. Keith cooked toad in the hole in the hole for dinner and after we'd eaten we tried the new drama, The Jetty, but I lost interest. Why are so many dramas gloomy and miserable at the moment? We also tried The Night Caller and gave up on that as well as it was so depressing!

My Mum and Dad celebrated 58 years of marriage today, but I could only call them to wish them a happy day. They had been spoilt by the staff at the care home, which I was delighted about.

I am heartily glad I am not at work tomorrow! I have lots to do!

Facing a dilemma...

I'd decided yesterday that if I tested positive for covid this morning, I wouldn't go to work as Kathy is back today after two weeks' annual leave. Sophie woke me up at 6am and before I had a coffee I swabbed my snotty nose and did the test. Keith was still feeling rough, but there was no point wasting a test on him as we knew he'd still be positive.

At first, there was hardly a line, but then it appeared and, although not as dark as Saturday's test, there was still a good mark showing. After some deliberation, I texted Sara again and decided to stay away today, but return tomorrow. If a test is negative on Wednesday, I'll go in then to make up for today. I was seriously annoyed, but I'd never forgive myself if I made Kathy, who has asthma, ill. I still felt bad for going in last week, and saw myself as "unclean and germy". Sara texted me to say she knew of several people who had a cold or covid, so it's definitely doing the rounds.

I took Sophie to work to get out of the house for an hour and returned to have another coffee. I think my taste and smell are slowly returning and I'm not as stuffed up as I was yesterday. 

I felt full of energy (probably due to not doing much over the weekend) so I decided to potter about in the back garden, check out the ants' nest and tackle the front garden, which looked messy and unkempt. The ants' hill seemed to have disappeared, so I poured water over both flattened mounds - they hate a wet environment, apparently - and cut back some bushes. The cats came out to join me as I pottered about but I'm not loving the back garden at the moment. It seems to have been taken over by creepy crawlies, which give me the shudders!

I trimmed the front verge, and to my dismay, found more evidence of ants all along the edge of the verge. I do see Paul over the road regularly putting ant powder down on his driveway, so I think we'll have to follow suit. They damage grass and plants and I don't want them in the garden!

It was warm in the sun and I weeded the soil and swept. I also noticed that the cover on next door's water meter had been broken, probably caused by various vans driving over it. I put one of our large stones over it to stop someone from tripping on it and planned on letting Anglian Water know.

Being out in the hot sun made me feel a little jittery, so I went indoors and sat down for a while. Perhaps covid was affecting me more than I thought? I hadn't really had any breakfast, so I made an appointment to sell my car at the weekend, and let Anglian Water know about the broken meter cover.

When I felt better I went back outside and cleared up the sweeping before going back inside and taking it easy!

We drove to pick Sophie up in heavy rain and it was grey and gloomy. However, I think the weather is due to improve later in the week. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Someone else came home!

I woke up this morning feeling no different and still stuffed up to the gunnels as if someone had poured concrete into all my sinus cavities. I was determined to wean myself off the Sinex and get through the day, but it was very difficult. I literally could not breathe through my nose! Keith took a test and, although it took a while, a line appeared so he has covid now as well. 

Sophie was an absolute angel this morning, cleaning downstairs and preparing a delicious lunch. The weather was slightly better than yesterday, and we saw some sunshine and blue skies. There was still no sign of Gomez so I put a post on our residents' Facebook page asking people to check sheds and garages.

At 12pm, Sophie prepared a jug of Pimms and Fevertree lemonade, and cut up oranges, strawberries and a cucumber to go in the drink along with sprigs of mint. We sat in the kitchen with our drinks and some nibbles, but sadly, I  couldn't taste anything.

We sat down to lunch at 1pm and Sophie had prepared everything, bless her. We ate cold meats, mini pork pies and cocktail sausages, new potatoes and a lovely salad. I couldn't taste any of it. Plans to drink the Champagne were put on hold until I can fully appreciate it!

By 2pm, we were washed up and cleared away and we settled down to watch the Men's Singles Final between the Spanish Alcaraz and the Serbian Djokovic. I had a bet with Sophie that the young Spaniard would win in three straight sets, and to our astonishment, this is what happened. I have never seen Djokovic play so poorly; it seemed like he just wasn't into it! At one point, Alcaraz had the Championship in the palm of his hand but he kept serving faults and it went to a tie-break!

It was a muted match and one of the most boring (apart from the tension when Alcaraz was serving to win) finals I have ever seen. We will no longer see the likes of Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe or Ivan Lendl any more, and I miss those heady days of tennis in the 1980s when it was a real treat to see them play. They all had character and personality and there were fireworks on the court on a regular basis. Nowadays, the players seem bland and boring.  

Sophie served up her banoffee pie which was sweet and delicious (or so I was told) and then we walked around the estate calling for Gomes. Mooney refused to come with us, so it was just the two of us and we stopped and chatted to another wanderer, Kinks, who was at a neighbour's house. The owners appeared as we were talking to him and said that they sometimes found him on one of their beds, the little devil!

Back home, we decided to sit in the garden with a glass of wine, and Keith came out to join us. He noticed two mounds of earth on the lawn and said he thought they were molehills. On closer inspection, I discovered, much to my disgust, that they were ant hills! When I prodded at them with a hoe, the ants went mad, as I suppose you would if your home was suddenly disrupted!

Sophie, who had been sitting on the grass, stood up rapidly and we decided to go inside and play cards. I gave my glass of wine to Sophie as I couldn't taste it and felt miserable!

7pm found us watching the build-up to the game and seeing the Olympic Stadium in Berlin! We have been there, on two separate occasions when it was bitterly cold with very few people about! Now it looked fantastic as people waited for the game and the atmosphere must have been tremendous!

It was great to see England reach the final, but sadly, they lost 2-1 to Spain and we were all utterly disappointed. However, it was great to see them reach the final! Maybe next time?

Just as the game finished, Sophie went outside to call Gomez and he appeared! He came home!

A litany of woe...

I have to admit to feeling thoroughly miserable today, and it now looks like Keith has the virus as well, as he was coughing and spluttering and saying he had a sore throat... wonderful. Also, Gomez has been missing and didn't come home last night, so that's an added worry we don't need at the moment.

I spent the morning ordering gifts for my parents' 58th wedding anniversary next week. I was going to go to Tesco today, but I've ordered a mini-hamper from M&S and some gifts from Moonpig instead. All plans to go and look for a new car for Sophie have gone out of the window, although she is feeling better today, and still tested negative!

To add to the woes (sorry) the weather has been horrible, with a chilly wind and heavy grey skies. Where has our summer gone? We should be out in the sunshine enjoying the season!

I drifted around the house, soaked in the bath and watched The Tour de France in the afternoon. Vikesh came over but didn't come into the house, and he and Sophie walked around the estate and called for Gomez. 

My sense of taste and smell has disappeared completely, which is a huge nuisance as Sophie has a special day planned for tomorrow to celebrate the Men's Singles Final at Wimbledon. We have Champagne, Pimms, cold meats, salad and banoffee pie to enjoy. I hope I'll be able to taste things tomorrow!

We then, of course, have the Euros final in the evening between England and Spain. Who will win? Is football, finally, coming home?!

So glad it's Friday!

I was so glad today was Friday and the end of a busy week. Time flew as I dealt with emails, put another two weeks' worth of films onto the system and processed orders. Emma was helping out today and tackled all of the cancellation emails, bless her, which really helped.

Sophie and I watched Wimbledon this evening, with a glass of white wine, while Keith went to the pub. He was home at just after 7pm, complaining about the state of the Abbot which had gone off and didn't make a return, much to his disgust. There's an event going on in the village over the weekend and most of the experienced bar staff were probably at the village hall!

Unfortunately, my bout of covid isn't getting any better and the wine tasted strange tonight, so I didn't have a lot. If nothing else, it's making me cut down on my alcohol intake!

A positive shock!

Sophie woke me this morning to say she had a sore throat and was going to take a covid test. We sat down on the sofa and I said I'd take one as well, just in case. Imagine my shock when it was definitely positive with a red line showing... I must have had it all week! No wonder I felt stuffed up and tired! Sophie's test was negative but that means nothing after the experience I had on Sunday! 

I was now facing a dilemma as to whether to go to work or not? If I hadn't taken the test, I would never have known, and I'd been in all week. Our only vulnerable colleague is Kathy who has asthma, and she's away on holiday, so I decided to go in and let Sara know before I left the house. I sit right down at the far end of the office anyway, and I decided to keep using hand sanitiser and keep away from everyone! I was probably more contagious at the start of the week!

Two new variants are doing the rounds at the moment, and with all the sporting events and music festivals going on, plus people travelling, it's no wonder it's spreading. I'm convinced I contracted it last Wednesday, as the woman who treated me had just returned from Florida.

At least I had a shorter shift today and could escape home at 2pm. I have to confess to doing very little and I sat and read the papers in the kitchen with a cup of tea!

This summer is turning out to be a washout and there's been hardly any sunshine this week. At the moment, I yearn for sunny skies and warmth!

A deadly embrace!

I was starting work at 10am this morning, so at least I could have a lie-in! I slept until 8am and then woke for a coffee before getting ready for work.

Sharon was working with us today but I'm not sure what she actually did! It took her ages to log onto our systems which aren't that complicated, or is it because I've got so used to them? She helped out now and again with calls, but the phone lines weren't as busy as the previous two days, thank goodness, and I did clear a lot of general emails, leaving the cancellations for tomorrow.

Keith picked me up again (I was worried I wouldn't get parked at 10am) and we headed home. However, the traffic was at a standstill on the A43, which isn't unusual, but then we saw a police car go past, an ambulance, a paramedic and a fire engine! What on earth had happened?

Keith made me turn around and drive through the hellhole that's Moulton at this time of the day, and we very nearly became embroiled in a "deadly embrace" as three cars behind followed me blindly even though there was no space for oncoming cars to pass. I was stressed out by the journey and vowed never to go this way again! When we finally arrived home, I texted Sophie to warn her and she said she'd go via Moulton Park and Brixworth! On Google Maps, it was showing three accidents between the new roundabout on the A43, and the Holcot/Sywell roundabout but we never did find out what happened!

We had a simple dinner of homecooked fish and oven chips tonight and I found it horrible. We'd said previously not to buy frozen fish and oven chips, and the meal was dire! 

Of course, tonight was England's game against The Netherlands and after the first half, I lost interest. Sophie and I went upstairs and I fell asleep, waking at 10pm to learn that England had won! Woohoo!! We now face Spain on Sunday!

Feeling a little weary!

This cold is lingering and I can't breathe unless I squirt Sinex up my nose! Sophie woke me up at 6am and didn't go to the gym, but I just snuggled back under the covers for an hour as I felt shattered. I felt guilty as she was sitting downstairs with the Gomes and having a love-in!

Sara was back today and facing an avalanche of work from Nicola. She had something for me to do as well, and I looked at her in horror as it's taking me all day to clear the backlog of emails we're receiving! She must have realised and said she'd delegate the job to someone else to do! It's getting silly now with all the things that are being heaped on us!

I worked flat out all day but at least I can try and do some tomorrow when I'm in, although I will be answering the phones... Hmmm! Why did I volunteer for the shift?!

Keith picked me up from work as he'd been shopping today rather than yesterday. I'm not sure how long this will work with us going in together, but we'll have to see. Sophie wants to go to the Audi dealership on Saturday to look at cars, so that will be interesting! It'll probably be me that comes away with a car!

It was an overcast evening with a chill wind blowing, but Sophie and I walked Mooney around the estate after dinner. Keith was glued to the television as France and Spain were playing, and he's convinced that Spain is going to win the Euros. Our big game is tomorrow when England play The Netherlands!

A strange ingredient!

I'm facing five days at work this week, not ideal when I'm so stuffed up and croaky! Sara was off today, but her daughter, Vicki, came in with her little boy, Jack, so Sara could look after him while she worked. I was busy at work all day and the time flew by with numerous emails and helping out with calls now and again.

I've been using Sinex to allow me to breathe as this cold is nasty! Where it sprang from, I'll never know, but I have a feeling it has something to do with my visit to the beauty salon last Wednesday and the damp, chilly weather we endured afterwards.

I lost my senses of smell and taste this evening and we discovered that Keith had put a little bag of mulled wine spices into the coq au vin, rather than the bouquet garni we'd asked him to use! Sophie kept saying she could smell cinnamon and this was confirmed when she gave the little sodden bag a good sniff! Even I could detect it when we sat down to eat! I'm not sure we'll do it again!

We started watching a new series tonight, The Turkish Detective, set in Istanbul much to Sophie's delight. There were cats everywhere!

Testing, testing!

I had a disturbed night, as I woke with a horrible headache at 4am and went downstairs to take some tablets, much to the bemusement of the cats. 

I woke again at about 8.30am and took some more painkillers. I felt stuffed up and achy so I planned on getting a covid test at Tesco this morning. Sophie's new glasses were ready to be collected, so after a cup of coffee and Wordle Off, we drove over to Kettering. 

Sophie picked up her glasses and joined me for some shopping. I had a list from my parents but before we went to see them I wanted to make sure I just had a bad cold. We couldn't find the covid tests and in the end, we had to get a member of staff to show us where they were. They were £9 for a pack of five! Long gone are the days when you could get them for free, delivered to your door!

We did our shopping and in the car, I did the test. After doing so many of them in the past, I didn't need the instructions and soon we were waiting for the result, as the liquid slowly made its way up the little window. I said to Sophie that I would never forget my positive result when the line was as red as a good bottle of wine!

Fortunately today, it was negative, so I just have a pesky cold. Thank goodness!

We dropped off Mum and Dad's shopping, had a chat and then returned home for lunch as we were both hungry. We enjoyed leftover Chinese takeaway sitting in the sunny conservatory, which was lovely. The weather was supposed to be a mixed bag of sunshine and showers today, and of course, it's the British Grand Prix today at nearby Silverstone.

We'd bought treats for the cats in Tesco and Mooney loved the tubes of chicken "yoghurt". He really loves his food and dislikes having to climb up the gate to get out of the garden as he has a bit of a tum, bless him! We now leave the gate open as well so he can come and go!

We decided to eat in the conservatory again this evening as it's more comfortable for Keith and lovely out there at this time of year. Our planned meal of coq au vin was postponed until tomorrow and we gave Keith strict instructions on how to prepare it! Tonight, we enjoyed Chicken Kyiv and it was delicious!

Victory!

I woke up with a full-blown cold this morning and really didn't fancy going to work, but needs must... Sophie took me in and went to do two Yoga classes at her gym. I was working with the lovely Sue today, and she very kindly offered to take the calls while I concentrated on the emails. I had 30 waiting for me in the cancellation box and another 20 normal ones, so I was only too glad to sort them out. By the end of the short shift, they had all been sorted. I helped Sue with calls as well, as we were busier than normal for a Saturday. The weather outside was horrible, so we took a lot of cinema bookings and swim enquiries.

Sophie picked me up at 2pm and we went home where I had lunch while reading the papers at the kitchen island. Bliss! The weather had improved and we saw a lot of blue skies and huge white clouds. Vikesh came around at 3.30pm and he and Sophie walked up to the pub for a drink before the England match at 5pm. I sat on the sofa with Keith and fell asleep for almost an hour. I was horribly stuffed up and I did wonder whether I had covid?

We all watched the football this evening and I thought it was dull in the extreme. With just ten minutes to go, England was losing to Switzerland, so we ordered our Chinese takeaway as we all thought it wouldn't go to extra time. And then England scored to equalise!

Just as the game went into the half-hour extra time, our meals arrived, so we had to pause the game while we ate! All mobile phones went onto mute and we weren't allowed to touch them, just in case we discovered the result!

At the end of the extra time, it was still 1-1 so the game went to penalties, something that Sophie loves! Switzerland missed with their first attempt and England never missed... we're through to the semi-finals and will play the Netherlands who beat Turkey.

After the game we watched Wimbledon and I hung on to see Djokovic win in a tense four-set match. He is the last of what we call The Great Four - Nadal, Federer, Murray and Djokovic - so I hope he makes it to the final next Sunday!

A new era..

So, we awoke to a new Government this morning, and in a way, I was glad because it will be interesting to see how Labour get on with running the country, and they will be under immense pressure to make changes. On a personal note, I hope they make a complete balls-up of it,  but we'll have to wait and see! If they do, they'll no doubt blame the Tories!

I tried to find out who had won in our local constituency, but the votes were still being counted. Daventry is normally a staunch Conservative area so it would be interesting to see what happened. The massive majority that Boris had in the 2019 election has been wiped out, but there were a lot more Lib Dem seats won, and the Greens now have four seats in Parliament! The turnout was disappointing, though, and just under 60% of the population bothered to vote, which is terrible. It was reflected in the women I work with, most of whom said they wouldn't go and vote as they couldn't see the point...

I drove to work and decided to tackle the swim camps and holiday activities this morning while Angela covered for me. It meant I had to leave the emails, but as I'm working tomorrow, I can sort them then. When Angela arrived, she cleaned her keyboard and desk as she was concerned about the rise of covid infections at the moment. I don't know whether her comments were a coincidence, but in the afternoon I felt like I had a cold coming on! 

I left work a lot happier than yesterday, as I'd managed to put on the first week of the swim camps and a lot of the holiday activities. Our MD had been sitting in our office all day, which was a bit off-putting, but thankfully he was out of the office when I took a call from a particularly nasty woman just before I left. She demanded that I go through all the swim stages on the Swim England website to try and ascertain which stage her daughter would be in so she could enlist her in our lessons. I refused, saying she knew how her daughter swam better than me, and to go and look with her daughter to work it out. She became nasty and abusive with me and demanded to know my name, which I was only too happy to give! If she emails in to complain, I'll be the one to see it first! Ha!

I went home and relaxed and when Sophie came home we cracked open a bottle of red wine and watched The Hotel Inspector. Alex Polizzi is my heroine and she wouldn't take any abuse!

P.S. The Conservatives held onto their Daventry seat, but Labour was snapping at their heels!

An avalanche of emails...

I arrived to find 90 emails waiting for me, and yet more in the cancellation box. I was starting to feel panicky, as I had so much to do and not enough time. It's taking me all day just to deal with emails, let alone do anything else, and I know Sara will be busy next week, as Nicola joked about giving her loads to do...

Keith picked me up at 2pm and we went home. I was going to go and see my Mum and Dad this afternoon, but I felt tired and stressed so I called and made my excuses. I felt miserable, probably because of the election looming and a predicted Labour win...

When Sophie arrived home from work we drove to the village, so she and Keith could vote. I'd already voted and sent off my postal vote a week ago. I sat outside the pub to wait for them, and when they emerged they said the two people manning the polling station were lovely... the old cow who was so rude to me at the last election wasn't there this time... typical!

We went to the pub for a drink and sat by the fireplace. The pub was full of men with dogs, who sniffed each others' bums (the dogs, not the men) and started playfights with each other. There was a great atmosphere, and we knew the majority of the people who came in over the hour and a half we were there. Dave's son, Josh, came in and it was great to see him and have a chat as well.

Our dinner tonight was supposed to have been a savoury crumble, and I'd made the crumble topping already, but Sophie was angling for a meal out. We decided to have fish and chips as it was almost 7.30pm by the time we left but on the way we called into the pub at Walgrave to see if they had a table. Obviously, other people had the same intention as us this evening - to vote and then support their local - as the place was heaving! We rapidly backtracked and drove to the fish and chip shop in Broughton where our dinner was freshly cooked for us.

Back home, we watched some of the news but I went to bed before the official News at Ten on BBC1. Keith came up and said a landslide victory for Labour had been predicted, which wasn't a surprise. Normally, I like to stay up and see the first votes come in but tonight I wasn't in the mood!

A little torture...

I had booked an appointment at the beauty salon for an upper lip electrolysis session and an eyebrow shape this morning, so no long lie-in for me today! Keith came with me and sat in the car outside while I was being tortured (the electrolysis session hurt), but it was all over by about 10.15am, thank goodness! 

We drove to Riverside to get the new (old) plates for my Audi, which cost me £36... this business of replacing number plates is not cheap! The weather had turned horrible, with a grey drizzle drenching everything, so we decided to have a coffee at the Costa café in Next before popping into Homebase, which was closing down and advertising big discounts on everything, except, curiously enough, white emulsion paint?!

We sat and enjoyed a coffee in Next, and then walked the short distance to Homebase. I was looking for a bargain garden table and chairs, but the only set I liked was still very expensive! It was sad in there as Homebase has been a presence on Riverside for decades, and I had no idea until today that they were closing down. With Wilko's next door also empty, it's a bit worrying.

Keith splashed out on a tube of glue and we returned to the car, getting soaked in the process. Back home, we pootled about doing jobs, and Keith put the number plates on the car, I also tried to get an online valuation for it, but the DVLA hadn't updated their records yet, so officially, it didn't exist! They should be sending me the new logbook this week and I'll look into selling it then. I will be very sad.

In the afternoon I made tonight's dinner - a potato soup which I gently simmered to cook the onions and potatoes. It smelt lovely as it gently cooked.

Dinner was a success. I shallow fried slices of frankfurter sausage and added them to the soup and we enjoyed a cheese flatbread as an accompaniment. It was simple, but filling and delicious!

Tense Tuesday!

Yesterday, Keith took me to work, which is how it'll be from now on. He'll give me a lift on Monday and Thursday and then trek over to Kettering to do the shopping. I'm in two minds about whether to get another car as it will put a lot of pressure on the VW, but it'll be better to just have two cars on the driveway, rather than squeezing three on!

Work was busy and stressful, as we had identified a problem with the direct debit payments of some customers and I was given the job to call them. This meant that I didn't have time to tackle a lot of emails or put on the swim camps. I also received six weeks' worth of holiday activities to put on! It's a good job I can stagger them!

At 4pm I drove home and relaxed. Sophie cooked dinner entirely as Keith and I hadn't done anything. It was a chicken pasta bake so I just thought we'd cook off the meat, add a sauce and the pasta and bung it in the oven. Sophie had other ideas, though, and chopped up a load of onions, peppers and carrots and then made a salad! Keith and I sat and played cards while she cooked but I said it was my turn tomorrow when I try and re-create a German sausage and potato soup!

We watched a mixture of tennis and football this evening and saw two British players go through at Wimbledon!

A painful decision

Sara is off all this week so I am in charge of emails, and it took me all day to deal with them. We also had lots of cancellation emails, and it's the time of year when we get a fair few as people decide to exercise outdoors or travel. Many of our students also return home, making my day very busy as I deal with the enquiries.

Yesterday I made the painful decision to sell my  Audi, so I had to take my private registration plate off the car and pay £80 for the privilege! On Wednesday, Keith and I will go and buy new plates (it reverted back to the registration that was on the car when I bought it) and I felt really sad. However, the car has done over 185,000 miles and I'm a little worried about a seatbelt or airbag light that's come on the instrument panel. I don't know why I get so attached to cars, but I do, and I've owned my A4 since 2013, so a long time. Nothing lasts forever!

Wimbledon started today and the Tour de France kicked off yesterday so plenty is going on this week as the football continues. I won't mention the election looming on Thursday... this is a politics-free zone!