Back to reality!

It was back to work and reality today... we need to pay for these extravagant days out!

Keith took me to work and then drove to the hospital for his pre-op appointment. He hasn't been given a date yet, but we armed him with a list of days to avoid if he was asked when he could have his hernia operation.

At work, I tackled the emails and ploughed my way through them until I finished at 2pm. Keith collected me and I dropped him off at home before going over to Kettering to pick up my Mum for her nail appointment. I said I wouldn't do this again, but the evenings are getting lighter which helps! We made it back to Northampton in good time and today she chose a beautiful shade of blue.

Rather than call on Keith again, I took Mum straight back and was home just after 5pm. It does make such a difference when the evenings are a little lighter, but it's been another bitterly cold day today with temperatures hardly getting above freezing.

Sophie had fantastic news for us this evening and she'd called into Waitrose on her way home to buy a bottle of Prosecco to celebrate. She's been given a pay rise and has a new role, one that doesn't involve managing people which she is delighted about. It's just what she wanted! Both Keith and I were delighted for her.

Keith had prepared a spicy curry this evening but I wasn't in the mood for it at all and barely ate any. I do hope that the Indian meal we had in Mallorca hasn't put me off this kind of cuisine! There was nothing wrong with the food in Mallorca, but I just felt queasy for a couple of days afterwards!

First trip of the year to London.

Sophie and I were off to London today. We left at 8.30 a.m. for our planned train, which was leaving just after 9.15 a.m. However, the traffic heading towards Northampton was terrible, and we missed it! It was a bitterly cold morning with frosty patches on the road, and we hoped that the wintry weather wouldn't affect the train departures today.

Being late meant we could have a coffee and pastry, and we managed to grab seats on the next train, already on the platform. We sat next to four men, one of whom loved the sound of his own voice! He never stopped talking for the whole journey!

We hailed a black cab at Euston and made the short journey to Marylebone High Street, where we popped into Daunt's Books for a good look. Sophie picked out one book while I noted the title and author of another! It was then across the road to Bayley and Sage where I was sorely tempted by a round of creamy white goat's cheese. It was leaking a bit, so I left it, but the lure was too strong and I bought a round with a box of crackers! I did ask the girl on the till to wrap it up for me! Sophie treated us to a wedge of comté.

We then visited a charity shop where Sophie bought two tops before we decided to go to 31 Below for a glass of Prosecco each, and a bowl of green olives. Perfect!

For the first time, we were seated right at the back of the café and the surroundings were beautiful. We had about forty minutes before Sophie's appointment with Dr Bawa so it was great to relax and chat.

Sophie wasn't looking forward to her appointment today and was dreading the filler being inserted into her nose. We waited in the reception area, our eyes widening at one of the procedures being offered at the clinic! I'm sure there is a treatment (or tweakment) for every body issue!

When Dr Bawa came out to greet us, he seemed more cheerful than last time and he chatted to us about what we'd done at Christmas. He said that Sophie didn't really need filler at this appointment but she'd need to come back towards the summer as it had been two years since she'd had it on the bridge of her nose. He gave her Botox in the usual places and also added some to the frown lines on her forehead, as they had been bothering her. Dr Bawa chatted to us and let slip that he treats celebrities! He wouldn't say which ones, though!

He arranged a video meeting with Sophie in two weeks and another appointment for May and that was it for today. Our lunch booking at Cote Brasserie wasn't until 2pm so we called into Inn 1888 for another drink and a plate of arancini balls, which were delicious. The fire was alight and it was lovely and cosy, with hardly anyone in there.

At just before 2pm we strolled the short distance to the restaurant and were seated in the window, as we had requested. It's only because we're both so nosy! We ordered a bottle of fizzy water, and both chose our meals from the set lunch menu. We opted for the chicken liver paté to start followed by a breast of chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce. For wine, we chose a carafe of Sauvignon Blanc.

The meal was delicious and the service was efficient and friendly. We both found room for puds - chocolate mousse for me, and crepes served with bananas for Soph. It was great to sit in the window and people-watch and outside it grew darker as the afternoon wore on.

After we'd paid the bill, we managed to grab a black cab outside and asked him to drop us off at St Pancras station. Sophie wanted to go to the Mac make-up store on the ground floor of the station and buy make-up that had originally been launched in the 1990s. She made straight for the stand and one of the sales staff gave her a lot of help. Another woman also turned up, looking for the same make-up and she and Sophie chatted about a woman on TikTok who had been promoting the range. Amazing!

Once Sophie had bought what she wanted we made our way upstairs to The Booking Office. This place is now like a magnet for us! We arrived at about 4.15pm and were shown to seats on the long wooden bench again. I ordered a Negroni and Sophie asked if the barman could make her a French Martini. Neither of the cocktails were on the list, but with the huge range of drinks behind the bar, it wasn't a problem.

The barman making our drinks

This place is truly beautiful, and so romantic. It felt like we'd been transported back in time to 1920s Morocco, Istanbul or Egypt. Our drinks were delicious and served with mini crackers. One of the waiters appeared and started to get the Rum punch ready for 5.05pm, the magic time!

We did a fair bit of people watching and a woman arrived and sat at the bar, ordering two glasses of red wine. We speculated that she was meeting her beau, but another woman arrived. Still could have been! You never know these days! Another woman was shown to a seat opposite us and ordered herself a glass of champagne. It was evident that she was doing OK for herself with her designer suit and handbag, but she spent about fifteen minutes on the phone to a garage about her car's number plate. Laptops aren't allowed in The Booking Office and I think that people should be forbidden from making loud phone calls as well! It just spoils the ambience!

At 5.05pm, the head waiter gave a speech about the rum punch and the history of the hotel - it started in 1873 and the booking office for the station opened in 1869. He added the drinks to a large punchbowl and set it alight. This brought oohs and ahhs from the gathered crowd!

We were all given a small glass of punch and applauded the waiter! Such a lovely custom!

Sophie and I ordered another round of drinks and had a chat with Rosario, the waiter who'd served us previously. Thankfully, we didn't feel as tipsy as we did last time! Reluctantly, we finished our drinks, paid the bill and went outside to grab a taxi back to Euston. It'll be the last time we do this, though, as the traffic was horrendous and it would have been quicker to have walked back!

We were lucky to get a train that was already waiting on the platform and stopping at just Milton Keynes and Northampton. By 7.20pm, we were back and Keith was waiting for us. It was still cold and the temperature was hovering around -1c. Brrrr! 

We arrived home, and did very little for the rest of the evening!

Car troubles again!

It was back to normal this morning, but after charging up Olive all night, Sophie couldn't get the charging cable out of the car... She tried everything, including the mechanism in the boot, but it wouldn't budge. I went to get dressed to help her, but by the time I'd got back downstairs, she'd managed to remove it. If she hadn't I don't know what we would have done as we wouldn't have been able to get either car off the driveway!

I took myself off to work and carried on with emails, helping out with phone calls when it was busy. It certainly is busier at the moment but at least the time goes quickly!

Back home, I didn't have to make the porridge this morning as Sophie and I are in London tomorrow which we're both looking forward to! Keith and I played cards while Sophie cooked a delicious pasta bake. We enjoyed the meal served with garlic bread and salad and then watched a couple of University Challenge programmes after we'd eaten. At Christmas, the alumni take part and we have a much better chance of answering the questions!

Back to work!

Sophie had to come with us this morning as VW still have her car. We are hoping I'll be able to collect it for her when I finish work at 4pm today. It was horribly dark when we drove into Northampton at 7.30am. Memories of Mallorca are disappearing fast!

So, it was back to work and I faced about 70 emails when I walked in. Sheila said that it had been busy with phone calls over the last few days, and it's the time of year when people make resolutions to get fit and join the gym! Unfortunately, most people give up by the end of February! Going to the gym, in my opinion, is something you have to make time for. There are days when I know Sophie doesn't want to go but she makes herself, bless her!

I was busy with the box office returns first thing, and then I tackled the emails. Sara was a bit quiet this morning and hardly spoke to me. It could be the case of the Monday morning blues! I just put my head down and got on with work and my first day back was more pleasant than I expected!

Keith collected me at 4pm and we went straight down to Riverside to collect Sophie's car. The repair was carried out under warranty, otherwise, it would have cost almost £200! I carried on to Brackmills where I sat in the car and read until Sophie finished at 5pm.

Back home, we did the usual chores and then relaxed. I decided to try two more of my whiskies... I'm certainly eking them out!

December 22nd: Paul John Bold Single Malt at 46%. This was from India and was beautifully peaty. How did they manage that? I loved this whisky - it was smoky, peaty and smooth. Sophie said she could detect marshmallows. 5/5

December 23rd: Bulleit Frontier Whiskey 10-year-old Kentucky Bourbon at 45.6%. This reminded me of Biscoff biscuits, with notes of caramel and honey, cream and vanilla. Sophie liked this one but said she could detect a hint of plastic but also salted caramel and vanilla. She wasn't keen, but I liked this. 5/5

I have two more to go! 

Snow!

Just before we went to bed last night, it started snowing, and we awoke to a light covering this morning. It certainly wasn't worthy of an amber warning, though!

We spent the morning taking down the Christmas decorations, which was sad. I've loved having our little Scandi tree in the kitchen, but I'm sure that before we know it, the time will come to put both trees up again! We boxed up the decorations carefully and I stored them in our wardrobe until December comes around again!

Before lunch, Sophie and I drove over to Kettering to see my Mum and Dad. The roads were slushy and it was obvious the road through the village hadn't been gritted. I took the bottle of Mallorcan liqueur with us and poured them both a small measure which they seemed to enjoy! I'd chosen the sweet version of the liqueur, which reminded me of cough syrup! We chatted with them, but my Mum is not right at the moment. She seems very confused and had lost the pair of trousers I'd bought her from my Dad for Christmas. I spoke to one of the carers who said that a change in her medication was causing the problem and that it may take a few weeks to see an improvement.

We said goodbye and sloshed our way home through the thawing snow. It rained in the afternoon and now there are flood warnings in place! This weather is horrendous, but then I suppose, it is winter!

We returned home and enjoyed leftover Chinese for lunch before spending the afternoon pootling about. I was pleased we'd tackled the decorations this morning. It certainly doesn't take as long to take them down!

I had another long soak in the bath and Sophie and I played Scrabble in the evening. We'd taken the game with us to Mallorca but because the dining area of the house was so cold, we never played it at all! It was lovely to sit and play and listen to music with a G&T!

Dinner this evening was cold turkey with bubble and squeak. We had the usual argument about the best way to cook the leftover vegetables - I like to make them into a cake and cook them until they're crispy but Sophie and Keith prefer them just cooked through. We compromised on both methods and the meal was delicious with the turkey a lot better than yesterday!

Christmas... again!

I was facing more piles of laundry today (where did it all come from?), so I was up early, along with Keith, who went to Tesco before 8 am. Between us, we shopped, prepared the vegetables for lunch, loaded the washing machine, and started tackling the ironing before 10 am. I don't normally iron—it's Keith's domain while he watches sports—but I helped out this morning. I don't mind doing it once in a while!

Sophie made toast and coffee for breakfast, and we watched Saturday Morning Kitchen. I now know what day it is! It felt like Sunday!

We had a discussion about our "Christmas" lunch today and Sophie made a list of timings. Thankfully, the turkey breast had thawed and we popped this into the oven at 12pm, with the plan to eat at 3pm. My job was to prepare the roast potatoes, and I was looking forward to enjoying a full turkey dinner.

Outside it was grey and cold with snow forecast for tonight. We have an Amber warning in place for snow and ice which starts at 6pm tonight, but I remain sceptical...

The preparations for lunch went smoothly and we all helped out. By 3pm everything was cooked and we were ready. I had carved the turkey crown, which was covered in bacon but I didn't do a very good job of it, I'll be the first to admit. Sophie said the meal was lovely, and it was, but the gravy wasn't that tasty and I was a little disappointed with the turkey itself. We'll slice it up properly tomorrow and have leftovers and bubble and squeak for dinner. 

As soon as we'd loaded the dishwasher and cleared away, Sophie and Keith settled down to watch Newcastle v Spurs which they'd recorded. I already knew the score (I was being sneaky) but they were both thrilled when Newcastle won 1-2.

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and digesting our lunchtime meal. Sophie wanted to watch the fifth Bourne film, Jason Bourne, so we enjoyed that and then I turned on the New Year's Eve fireworks which we'd missed this year. Sadly, it wasn't the same, though! Because we hadn't seen the new year in properly, like we normally do, I'm in denial that it's 2025!

The comforts of home

Despite our late night, we had to be up at 7am this morning to take Sophie's car to the VW garage on Riverside so they could replace the charging flap. I felt like I'd hardly slept, but we were all up and out by 7.30am.

Outside, the world was frigidly cold, with ice on the untreated roads, so we took it carefully. The VW garage was still closed when we arrived so we sat in the gym car park for five minutes until they opened the gates. Sophie then deposited her car keys in a lock box and we returned home, calling into Waitrose for milk and pastries on the way.

Our house was blissfully warm, and for someone who complains of being hot all the time, I revelled in the warmth and comfort for once! We had a much-needed coffee and popped the pastries in the oven to warm up.

Once breakfast was over, we unloaded the car (no way was I doing it last night!) and made a start on the unpacking and laundry. We seemed to have multiple, huge piles of washing that needed doing! We only did three washes while in Mallorca because of the difficulty of getting everything dry, so I think my whole weekend will be taken up with laundry and ironing!

Keith called his dentist and managed to get an appointment today at 12.30pm, which was lucky. He suffered the whole time we were on holiday and wanted to get it sorted, if possible, today. He said he would also talk to the receptionist about Sophie and me joining the practice as well.

Outside, it was cold, but sunny, so that was a bonus. We have snow forecast for the weekend, but I won't hold my breath! 

So, today has been spent washing and getting clothes dry in any way we can. The heating has been on for much of the day which has helped! We took Keith to the dentist at 12pm and dropped him off before popping to a small Tesco Express to buy bread, cold meat and salad for lunch. When he came out he'd had his tooth taken out and had it with him in a little bag! Ugh! He's not allowed to drink alcohol so a visit to see John at the pub this evening has been ruled out!

I had a long soak in the bath later in the afternoon and Sophie snoozed on my bed with an affectionate Mooney who only left the house once today! I think he really missed us while we were away which makes me feel guilty we're off again in a couple of weeks! Both Sophie and I wish we could take both cats with us!

As Keith didn't go shopping today, we ordered a Chinese takeaway for dinner. Sophie and I opened a bottle of white wine and settled down to watch It Ends With Us, an adaptation of a book by Colleen Hoover that we had both read. It was a good film and we had a very pleasant evening!

Christmas in Mallorca 23rd of December - 2nd of January

Homeward bound

Today dawned sunny and bright, with gorgeous blue skies. The clouds had disappeared overnight and it looked set to be a beautiful day. We were all up at a reasonable time, and I made a start on the rest of the packing. By 11am, everything was packed, we were showered, the dishwasher was on, and the house tidy (not that we made it untidy in the first place!).

The plan was to go and have breakfast in the square, collect the car, make one final drive up to the house and load it with our luggage before setting off for Palma. Café Espanyol was busy with no tables free, so we settled for U Placa. Sophie and I ordered the English breakfast each while Keith chose scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. It was pleasant sitting in the sunshine and I knew that at home it was set to be cold, with temperatures down to a possible -3c! Brrr!

My stomach still felt a little queasy from the meal we had on New Year's Eve and I wasn't happy to be served chips with my breakfast rather than the hash browns listed on the menu! I tucked in, though, but said I was a bit "overwhelmed" with it, giving away most of the chips and bacon!

After eating and paying the bill, we walked to the car and then made the tortuous ascent to the house along the narrow streets. Thankfully, we didn't meet anyone and I parked opposite our street. Keith and Sophie went to collect the luggage, and I gave the house a once-over to make sure we hadn't left anything behind and emptied the dishwasher. We had one last call of "Watch the poo!" as this street has been littered with little deposits since we arrived! I will not miss the treacherous stairs and the thought of one of us falling down them, which kept me awake at night! They were so steep and hard that I doubt we would have survived a bad fall.

On a funny note, Keith had hung two bags of recycling with the stuff from a neighbouring house first thing this morning, in the hope that they would be collected (a note on the fridge told us the days) but he was handed them back by the woman who lived there! I'd already told him off for doing it, and she seemed good-natured about it, but she certainly didn't want our stuff adding to hers!

We drove back down the narrow streets, disposed of our rubbish and recycling on the edge of the town, and set the map for the rental car return address. The journey to Palma passed without mishap and we found the return address after putting half a tank of petrol into the car. The woman behind the desk went out to inspect the car and Sophie showed her photos of the dent along one of the rear passenger doors. We were so glad we'd taken photos when we collected the car! 

As soon as we'd arrived, a shuttle bus turned up and within minutes we were on our way to the airport. We were early for our flight, but what else could we do? Luckily, we found a table at a bar serving snacks and drinks and played cards for a couple of hours! Sophie finished her current book, and bought another at a WHSmith outlet!

We were finally able to check in our bags at about 4.30pm. We'd checked in yesterday but we weren't able to print our boarding cards, and the friendly check-in woman did that for us. Security was easy and straightforward apart from one little boy who was misbehaving badly and had run through the barrier without his parents! He was a little demon!

Once through security, we walked to the main departure area and saw a couple of planes taking off into the sunset. The views of the mountains were spectacular and the sky was slowly turning from blue to multiple shades of pink and purple.

After a visit to McDonald's, (this seems to be the tradition now when we fly home) we sat and watched the planes some more, then trekked to our gate. This part of the airport was empty and we passed through passport control to get our passports stamped.

Unfortunately, our flight was delayed and our time of departure moved from 6.30pm to 8pm. This had a knock-on effect on our journey home, meaning we wouldn't get back until well past midnight. I had messaged Isla this morning, asking her to put our heating and water on when she fed the cats this evening. The thought of getting home to a cold house did not appeal one bit!

We finally boarded at just after 8pm (for some reason it took ages to get us all onto the plane) and we took off at about 8.20pm. The flight passed quickly and soon we were thrust into the hustle and bustle of Gatwick. I called the car parking people who told us which bus stop to go to to get the shuttle. One was waiting for us, and we boarded for the interminable (it seemed) journey back to the car.

It was freezing and the VW was coated in a layer of frost! After defrosting it, we made our way to the M23 (where I nearly took the wrong turning off a roundabout and a screaming match ensued). By now, the three of us had been together for twelve days and tensions were running high!

The journey home was fine and I actually think it would have been harder if we'd landed at rush hour on the M25. We made it home at about 12.45am, with the temperature dipping down to -3c at one point. Mooney was curled up on the sofa in the conservatory and seemed delighted to see us, purring and giving us multiple kisses. Sophie managed to spot Gomez outside and grabbed him so she was ecstatic they were both in for the night. She had missed them so much!

Phew! We're home!

Christmas in Mallorca 23rd of December - 2nd of January

Happy New Year!

I didn't sleep well at all last night and felt that the dinner we'd eaten at the Indian restaurant lay heavily in my stomach! We all seemed a bit glum this morning. I hope this doesn't set the tone for the rest of 2025!

The Mallorcan skies were cloudy today and we haven't moved from the house. I think we'd all like to be home now and I can't wait to be back in our house, with the cats and be warm! I am not looking forward to tomorrow as it will be a long day, and our flight isn't until the evening. We contacted Maria, who owns the house, and asked if we could have a late check-out which she agreed to. We won't leave until about 1pm so it will give us a chance to finish our packing and do some shopping, if we have time. Nothing has been open today here so it wasn't worth going out and the weather has been cloudy all day, with rain in the afternoon. We can't complain about it, though!

So, we mooched about, read, played cards, and wrapped ourselves in blankets to keep warm! It actually feels warmer outside than inside, which is what the house is designed for!

In the evening, we ventured out for a drink but both Café Espanyol and U Placa were closed. Fortunately, the ever-reliable Pollenca Club was open so we went in for the first time ever. Some hardy people were sitting outside but it was cosy, dimly lit and warm inside. It was obviously a place for local people to visit as there were some family groups sitting and chatting. It took us a while to attract the attention of the waiter but we weren't in any hurry and we were warm!

Sophie and I enjoyed a glass of white wine while Keith had two beers. The bill was a reasonable 12 euros for four drinks. Try that at home! We walked the short distance along wet, deserted streets to La Placeta where we'd booked a table for 8pm. We were glad we did! I suspect this was the only restaurant open in Pollensa and the place filled up while we were there.

We visited La Placeta in 2008 and had a disappointing meal so I hoped things would be better tonight. We also stayed in the hotel, the Son Sant Jordi, back in 2021, but didn't eat in the restaurant. I have a suspicion the hotel and restaurant have changed hands since 2008, so we had high hopes.

The staff were friendly and attentive and we ordered suckling pig as mains for Sophie and me, and lamb chops for Keith. None of the starters appealed, and they were quite expensive, so we settled for the bread, olives and aioli as an appetiser.

For a change, Sophie suggested a rosé to drink and the waiter guided us to a local wine, made in Binissalem. It tasted pleasantly of cream soda and strawberry shortbread and disappeared quite rapidly! There hadn't been any prices for the suckling pig, and I had a feeling that tonight would be the most expensive meal of the holiday. Our main courses arrived and Sophie and I were given two "knuckles" of pork covered with crackling. We gamely set to, but it wasn't what I was expecting, to be honest. I thought we would have a fillet of pork with crackling and we had to dig about to find the meat. It was tasty, though, and served with Padron peppers and roast potatoes. Keith's lamb chops looked good and he had a great time gnawing at the bones with much relish!

For dessert, we all chose the house special Almond cake served with chocolate ice cream, which was delicious. The bill came to around 160 euros (the suckling pig was priced at 32 euros) and we were given little shot glasses of liqueur to round off the meal. It was certainly a better experience than 2008, thank goodness!

We took a slow walk home along quiet streets and spent the last half hour before bed watching El Gran Dictat (as we discovered) with the quirky Oscar Dalmau presenting. Riveting!