Rain, rain go away!

Foolishly, I allowed Gomez to sleep on our bed last night because of the stormy weather. He repaid our kindness by doing a wee on the bed... I woke up and smelt something strange, and my fears were realised when I touched the quilt cover. It was 6.30am, and I hadn't gone to bed until 1am, so I was shattered. I stripped the bed, turned the quilt around, took Gomez downstairs, and fed both cats before returning upstairs. However, the thought of a lie-in in a piddly bed did not appeal!

Outside, it was still raining, and it was dark and gloomy. I washed up the glasses from last night, and Keith wandered in looking bleary. He helped me unload the dishwasher and put everything away, and we sat at the kitchen island chatting with our cups of tea and coffee. I now faced a mound of laundry and trying to wash my giant super-king duvet, something I  could well have done without! 

We had a warning for rain again today, so there was absolutely no chance of getting any of the laundry out on the line to dry. I was annoyed about the cat as he could easily have gone downstairs and used the litter tray.

When Sophie woke up she suggested putting the soiled part of the duvet into the bath and soaking it in hot soapy water, which is what we did, but it was so heavy! We then sorted out the laundry and freshened up as Isla, our neighbour's daughter from across the road who looks after the cats, was coming over for a chat. 

We explained that we had decided to keep them in for the week as it would be easier for her. We didn't want her to worry about trying to get Gomez in late at night! She seemed very happy and I told her about our other holiday dates next year. It's great to have someone close who is happy to care for Gomez and Mooney while we're away.

Once Isla had departed, Sophie and I sloshed our way over to Tesco in Kettering. Sophie was looking for a few bits and pieces for the holiday and we had a little shopping to get. After we'd finished, we drove over to see Mum and Dad but they were just about to have lunch so we dropped off some things for them, returned to the Timpson's outlet where Sophie had had a pair of shoes repaired and fled home through the rain. 

It has rained all day today and it was forecast to get heavier. Sophie prepared tonight's soup while I constantly filled and emptied the washing machine and tumble dryer. There was always something to be done! We had also squeezed as much water out of the wet part of the duvet as we could, and it was now hanging over the airing cupboard door. I attempted to dry it with a hair dryer but gave up!

We finally sat down with a glass of wine in the early evening, and I felt shattered! Plans to have a sneaky nap in the afternoon had fallen through and I was longing for a good night's sleep! Sophie's soup was delicious and she had put some soup pasta in the pan, along with tomatoes, onions and garlic. 

As the evening wore on, the rain became heavier and our Amber weather warning kicked in. It was heaven to relax in the living room after dinner and watch television and we saw the first episode of an adaptation of a Lianne Moriarty novel, Apples Never Fall. Bliss!