Never-ending emails!

I had another busy day at work, and the time flew by. The emails never seemed to stop coming into the customer service inbox, and by 4pm, I'd had enough! It didn't help that Kathy felt cold today so I turned up the radiator and closed the window which had the effect of making us all sleepy! Not what you want at work!

It was lovely to emerge into the sunshine (yes, the last two days have been lovely again!) and feel the fresh air on our faces! I sped home and did very little. It was Friday, yippeee!

Tonight was an easy dinner - pizza, quiche, chicken -  but I had to fit all the food into the oven along with roasted new potatoes. Sophie and I drank a lovely bottle of Macon Villages and watched the rest of the Come Dine With Mes.

After dinner, we went outside to see if we could see the alignment of the planets. We think we saw Venus, and there was another very bright star but neither of us really knew what we were looking for. The night sky was beautiful, though, and sprinkled with stars, which we both found amazing (and I don't use that word lightly). Our streetlamps hindered us slightly as the one opposite our house was too bright, something that was supposed to have been dealt with by the parish council.

We went back in, chilled to the bone, and languished on the bed with the cats. Bliss!

A dead phone...

Sophie had another headache this morning, so she missed the gym and we sat with a coffee and watched Come Dine With Me instead. This week's contestants are, in my opinion, mismatched but we'll have to see how they get on!

I had a busy shift, walking into 90 emails as Sara was also off work yesterday. I gamely plugged away at them and Sue helped me with a few, so that was a bonus! Keith collected me at 2pm and we returned home, where I had a quick cuddle with Mooney, before going over to the care home. He loves to sit on one of the bar stools with his paws over the edge and I would have loved to have stayed with him all afternoon!

My Mum's hair looked lovely today and she had her phone plugged into a charger, but it wasn't the one I'd bought for them. It looked completely dead. I found another one, but still not the one I'd bought and the phone refused to turn on.

I stayed with them for about an hour before going home and tackling the usual evening jobs. When Sophie arrived home, she tried to put Olive on to charge but it wouldn't work. She is becoming increasingly worried about this as there always seems to be some problem and the car is only charging up to 80%, which is fine normally, but not if we want to go on a long journey. We are taking Olive down to Heathrow next month when we go to Vienna, and it needs to be able to have enough charge to get us there and back!

A quiet day

I was dismayed to wake up to grey skies and rain this morning after the lovely two days we've just had... while I was at work! All plans to get out into the garden were put on hold and I spent the day pootling about, doing indoor jobs.

I couldn't reach my parents on the phone, so it looks like they have lost the charger I bought for them a couple of weeks ago. My worry is that if I buy them a new phone, will they lose that as well?

So, today I didn't venture out of the house and I kept myself busy with the usual Wednesday chores. I cleaned out the fridge, wrote the shopping list and hoovered so when Sophie arrived home in the evening, the house was warm and cosy. Keith and I decided to put the heating on at around midday because it was so cold!

I also managed to get another month of my 2015 blog transferred over to a Word document, so I just have October, November and December to do now. Hopefully, this weekend, I can get it finished!

We had beef tacos tonight, using the beef that we'd bought for the casserole on Sunday. We put the chopped-up meat into our blender until it was minced, and the meal was delicious!

Feisty cats!

I saw Sophie off to the gym this morning before having a coffee and getting ready for work. I drove myself and had another pleasant shift, despite it being Tuesday and normally the noisiest day of the week!

After dealing with most of the emails, I set up the Easter playscheme places on the spreadsheet ready to input on Thursday or Friday. We have already been getting enquiries from organised parents!

It was wonderful to emerge into a sunny late afternoon, but I think my plans to get outside tomorrow will fall through as it looks to be wet. I have so much I want to do in the garden and the garage but I'll have to be patient!

We sat and played cards again this evening, and had another easy supper of fish with mashed potatoes. The cats were in a feisty mood this evening and chased each other up and down the stairs until Sophie separated them. She feels like a real cat mother at the moment and they're trying her patience! It's best to feed them apart, and even keep them apart! They'll be two next month, so about 24 years of age in human time!

Itchy fingers...

Sophie woke this morning with her hands on fire - they were red and itchy and she was feeling a bit low as she hadn't slept well at all. She didn't go to the gym but sat in the living room with a coffee and her hands in a bowl of cold water. Luckily, she was able to sort out an appointment for later today to get the varnish removed. We watched a recorded episode of Saturday Morning Kitchen which, on reflection, wasn't a good idea first thing on a Monday!

Keith took me to work and I had a pleasant shift. It was a lot quieter, but I named today Moany Monday as we had a few annoying emails in the inbox to deal with! However, I dealt with them all and finished the Moan Report. I'll be writing it again next week when it's March!

Sophie left work at 3pm, went to Boots on Riverside and then to her appointment in Moulton to get her nails sorted out. She was very unhappy when she arrived home, having spent £50 for nothing. She'd bought two bottles of nail polish in Boots and sat with us at the island painting her nails while Keith and I played cards.

Dinner tonight was a very easy cold meats, new potatoes and salad meal. The weather today has been lovely and Spring-like and I'm hoping this will last into Wednesday as I desperately want to get into the garage and garden and tidy up!

Keith and I watched Only Connect and University Challenge this evening and I was blown away by how hard the questions were! We only answered three or four, which was a bit humbling!

A day of wind and rain

The weather turned today and we had the forecast rain and wind, which was unpleasant. It does give us an excuse to stay indoors and keep warm, though!

I had volunteered to make dinner tonight - a beef casserole topped with cheesy potatoes. Sophie helped me prepare the vegetables and I cut up a joint of beef. There was too much for the three of us so I reserved half for a meal later in the week. I browned the meat, added onions and mushrooms and poured in beef stock and Worcestershire sauce - it smelt delicious!

It was lovely to pootle about, and in the afternoon, I caught up with transferring my 2015 blog to a Word document, ready to be made into another book. I transferred July and August, right when we were about to sell the business, and I can't say it brought back happy memories. It's strange to think I now work for the company that bought our business! I am still very proud of the legacy and how the name has carried on.

Sophie spent the afternoon upstairs with Gomez and sorted my nails for me, tidying them up so they were all one length and varnishing them. She suspects that she is allergic to the nail polish applied to her own nails yesterday, which is a real shame as it means she doesn't have to keep painting them every couple of days. One of her fingers was itchy and red, so it didn't bode well.

With the dinner prepared, it was nice to soak in the bath and have a little snooze on the bed. Keith watched Newcastle play Nottingham Forest and we heard a lot of shouting downstairs, despite Newcastle winning 4-3!

At about 5pm, I started to cook the casserole on a low heat on the hob. Sophie sat at the kitchen island and read her book while I found a fascinating page on Facebook with old photographs that had been colourised. Some of them dated back to the late 19th century and were a fantastic glimpse of life in a different age. I couldn't stop looking at them!

Dinner was delicious, but I have to say some of the potato slices were a little underdone! It was a balance of not cooking them too much so they fell apart, but making sure they were still intact to cover the top of the beef!

Has Spring sprung?

It was lovely to wake up to blue skies and sunshine today and the forecast was for mild, Spring-like conditions! We were told not to get complacent, though, as tomorrow is set to be wet and windy...

Sophie had two appointments this morning, for Reiki and to have her nails done, (not at the same place as my Mum, I hasten to add!) so we arranged to go out for lunch when she was all finished. We decided to go to Beckworth Emporium and risk having to wait.

When we arrived, the car park was heaving and upon arrival at the restaurant we were told there was indeed a forty-minute wait. This gave us the chance to mooch about and have a good look at the tremendous range of goods they had for sale, from greetings cards and wrapping paper to furniture, and everything in between. And that wasn't including the food and drink! I wondered whether they have the goods on sale or return? Surely, they can't carry such a huge amount in stock? There is even a large shop selling clothes as well... it's almost like a department store with plants!

I treated myself to three soaps and a tube of hand cream and we had a look at the plants outside. The weather was beautiful with blue skies and plenty of sunshine. What a tonic! As we were meandering among the plants, the buzzer started vibrating so we hot-footed it back to the restaurant to be seated.

We were hungry but we ordered sandwiches - a Club Sandwich for Sophie, and a cheese and spring onion one for me, both accompanied by chunky chips and salad. We also ordered an Aperol Spritz each. Delicious!

We lingered over lunch, mainly because nobody came to ask if we wanted anything else, or to ask if we wanted to pay. In the end, Sophie had to go over to a cash desk and pay there.

Before heading home, we had a look at the food side of the store and I bought two slices of cake to have at home with a cup of tea. Keith had gone to see Sileby play, and Sophie wanted to walk to the field gate and see the horses that were being kept in the large field next to our estate so we set off, hoping Mooney wouldn't follow us.

Just a little muddy!

We could see the horses in the distance but they were intent on munching a big stack of hay and weren't going to come over to us! A robin alighted on the fence but then flew off, and Sophie remembered when Monty used to accompany us on our walk to the gate, bless him!

We walked back and chatted to Lynn who had set up a garden group to tackle our two greens. We have taken back control of the maintenance of the trees and bushes, and I was delighted to see daffodils, crocuses and snowdrops flowering in the front green. Lynn said she wanted to rope people in to help and I had no problem with that!

At home, I made a cup of tea and we settled down to enjoy our slice of cake. I had chosen an apple and almond cake but when I cut into it, it was frozen solid! I was not happy!

We spent the afternoon relaxing in the kitchen and Keith arrived home and said it had turned colder outside. He watched England play Scotland in the rugby while Sophie and I enjoyed a game of Scrabble. Predictably, Sophie beat me but I thrashed her at cards!

As we'd had a substantial lunch, we skipped dinner and watched two episodes of Gone Fishing where the scenery looked gorgeous. I then watched ten minutes of The Banshees of Inisherin which was on Channel 4 to see if it was worth recording. At the first advert break, I decided it was but headed to bed!

Soap!

And... relax!

Sophie and I were glad today was Friday - we'd had a busy week! My daughter went to the gym this morning and I took myself off to work, giving Keith the day off.

It was also the last day of the week and the last day of the February half-term, but we were still busy with soft play enquiries. Some customers had made mistakes with their bookings and wanted us to sort it out for them. How can something so simple be so complicated? Arrggghh!

I was kept busy all day and the time flew. At 4pm I headed out into the windy, wet afternoon and drove home where I pottered about until Sophie arrived. Both cats came in and I fed Gomez on his own in the conservatory again as he felt less pressured by Mooney. They both went out into the horrible night again and I lit the fire in the living room and put on the heating. It has been milder today but the wind has made it feel colder.

Keith went to the pub while Sophie and I opened a bottle of Viognier and watched three Come Dine With Me shows back to back! What a great end to a busy week! 

A long day

Sophie woke me slightly later than normal because of our late night, and we sat and had a coffee while watching Come Dine With Me. Keith took me to work and did the shopping, and I had a busy shift helping out with the phones for half an hour and clearing all the emails.

At 2pm, Keith collected me and I dropped him at home before going to get my Mum to take her back to Northampton for her nail appointment. I would loved to have just gone home and vegetated for the afternoon, but at least I could sit and read my book while she was being seen to.

We had a quick stop at the Co-op in Moulton to get her a couple of essentials, and then I took her back to the care home. I was mightily relieved when I arrived home myself and could tackle the usual evening jobs before relaxing with Keith and playing cards.

Keith and I had decided on nachos served with chicken for dinner and Sophie said she would take charge. The result was delicious!

Absolutely amazing!

I saw Sophie off to work this morning (she didn't go to the gym) and Keith and I tried to get all our Wednesday chores out of the way before she came home at 1pm. Sophie had booked tickets to see James Martin in Leicester this evening, and the plan was to go to Market Harborough for lunch and then continue on to Leicester.

I spent the morning doing housework, writing the shopping list and being busy. As soon as Sophie arrived home and had changed and freshened up, we left for Market Harborough. I'd booked a table at Pizza Express for 2pm and we walked to the restaurant under dreary skies.

Pizza Express wasn't as busy as I'd imagined it would be in the middle of a half-term holiday, and we took our seats in the window. I had a voucher towards the bill so we ordered three starters to share, a glass of wine each and a pizza between us, with a side of polenta fries.

The food was good but, for me, the pizzas at Casa Nostra are better! The doppio dough balls were lovely with the dips, and we ordered chicken goujons and halloumi fries before the pizza arrived. I wasn't so sure about the polenta chips; they didn't really taste of much!

We both found room for desserts (we weren't going to be eating again today) of tiramisu and a honeycomb cream slice and paid the bill. The voucher came in very handy! We had loads of time so we waddled over to Waterstones where Sophie bought two books, and then we did a quick tour of the charity shops. Having a large meal with wine wasn't conducive to wandering about so I suggested we pop home for an hour and leave to go to Leicester at about 5.30pm.

It was a good idea and we relaxed for a while at home with Keith and the cats. I felt much more refreshed when we set out again at 5.30pm, and we took the A6 to Leicester rather than drive through Market Harborough again.

I hadn't managed to book parking in the on-site car park but there were plenty of spaces in the large area near Victoria Park. We could see people already queuing to get into De Montfort Hall and we joined the end. Both of us weren't really sure what to expect of the evening but we hoped there'd be some cooking!

As we went in there was a merchandise stall and we were both surprised to see condoms for sale, for £5... not really what we were expecting! There were also aprons and tea towels emblazoned with a butcher's shop called Well Hung... hmmm! 

We went to the bar and ordered drinks before going into the auditorium. The stage setting looked great and there was a big screen advertising all of the merchandise for sale, including those condoms!

The show started and we saw James in bed, getting up and heading into the shower where we had close-ups of him soaping himself and then dressing! This sent the women in the crowd wild and was very funny, if a little tongue-in-cheek! There was also an interesting video of the famous onion sellers from Roscoff who would travel over to the UK and sell their onions to the British public. They were known as "Onion Johnnies". James Martin then appeared on the stage on an authentic Onion Johnnie bicycle!

I can honestly say that the show was one of the best I've ever seen and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening. The first half was devoted to James's trips around the world, starting off with France, moving to the USA, then Spain and finally the UK. He cooked dishes from each of the shows, starting off with the classic French (Roscoff) onion soup and steak, a huge hot dog from the USA, tapas from Spain and fish and chips from the UK. For the last clip, he showed photos of when he was a little boy on holiday in Whitby, saying the town serves the best fish and chips in the country (I would agree). He asked for a volunteer to go up on the stage and chose a woman who didn't know what she was letting herself in for!

After trying to get her to make mayonnaise, he sent her off the stage and she came back wearing a bright yellow mackintosh and goggles! He then gave her the fish and chips to eat while blowing a fan at her and spraying her with water, i.e. the typical weather you'd get in Whitby! It was hilarious!

On the stage at all times, was a cameraman so we could see James putting the finishing touches to the meals. It was then placed on a table at the front of the stage so nothing was actually eaten. A woman called Sam was constantly clearing away dirty dishes and bringing him anything he needed, before setting out the next lot of ingredients. She never stopped, and we wondered whether she accompanied him on his gastronomic tours?

The second half of the show was food from different decades and he covered the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. This brought back lots of memories from the audience, most of whom were in their 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s! He prepared a "Bendy" burger from the fast-food burger chain, Wimpy and then the piece de resistance, a "Candle Salad" that really ought to have been in a blue movie:

This was a real dish, invented back in the 1920s! It consisted of a bed of lettuce with an upright banana inserted into a pineapple ring and topped with cream and a cherry. Poor Sam had terrible trouble keeping the banana upright and the cherry disappeared somewhere, never to be seen again!

The whole show was hilarious, with James ranting on about air-fryers (he hates them), people eating Yakult and wearing sandals with socks and other diatribes that he would never get away with on his Saturday Morning show! Some of the food he prepared was like a heart attack on a plate, including one dish liberally covered in pork scratchings. If you were easily offended or had signed up to the "Woke" brigade, it definitely wasn't for you!

The show ended with two songs and James playing guitar with another man, which was fantastic. We had to stand up, turn on the torches on our phones and sing and dance along with him. 

It was well past 10pm and he had worked non-stop to make the show entertaining and funny. It was, in  his words, "Absolutely Amazing!"

We had trouble exiting the car park, which was a nuisance, but we arrived home at about 11.15pm and it was straight to bed after trying to convey how good the show was to Keith!

A trying day...

Today has been hard work with many difficult emails to deal with and, at times, customers who made little sense when they called us! Whenever we have a half-term holiday we do deal with people that don't normally contact us and some of the questions they ask are bizarre! I also dealt with repeat emails from customers arguing about different matters, which can be a bit draining! It annoys me that some people think they can question how we run the business if it doesn't suit them!

The office was also noisy today and I was hugely relieved when it was 4pm. I said to Sara that it had felt like "tw..ish" Tuesday today, so heaven knows what tomorrow will be like!

Keith collected me as he'd had a dentist appointment today. It was great to head home when it was so light; Spring must be on the way soon, surely? It feels like it's been a long, cold winter despite our dose of sun at Christmas!

Sophie cooked a delicious beef stroganoff this evening and we enjoyed a gorgeous bottle of Australian Merlot with the meal. After we'd eaten I made Keith sit through a new programme starring Hugh Dennis and David Baddiel as they cycled from the Atlantic coast of France to the Mediterranean. Although they are friends, it felt stilted at times and wasn't funny at all. The scenery more than made up for the dialogue, though!

A near miss!

It was great to see the sun this morning as we drove to work - it was like a big orb of orange in the sky! I'm not sure if it was a factor in the near miss I had, though, just as I approached work. The roads were quieter this morning because of the half-term school holiday, and as I came up to a junction opposite where I work I didn't see anything on the road. It was a good job Keith was sitting next to me, though, as I nearly hit a van approaching from my right! Keith shouted out, so I slammed the brakes on and managed to avoid hitting the van. What a lucky escape! He must have been hidden in the pillar running down the side of the windscreen, but that's no excuse. I felt a little shaken up, especially after the near misses we'd had on Saturday, none of which were my fault.

After my morning shock, we faced a busy day with busy phone lines and lots of enquiries about swimming and soft play. Keith picked me up at 4pm and we drove home in peace and quiet. It's been quite loud at work today and tomorrow will be even worse!

After dinner tonight, Keith and I watched Death in Paradise. Although we've seen some sun today, it's still been bitterly cold. Watching the series set in the beautiful Caribbean was like a dose of happiness!

Just relaxing!

After our long day yesterday, it was lovely to have a little lie-in and a lazy start to Sunday. Sophie had a very indulgent morning lying on the bed with a cuddly Gomez and watching a documentary about O.J. Simpson. It was great to see her properly relaxing for once,  and not rushing about ticking things off her to-do list!

The weather outside was cold and grey and we had the heating on all day. I dread to think what our gas bill will be like this winter! We did several loads of washing, the shopping list and the usual Sunday chores, while Keith prepared chilli con carne for dinner this evening.

So, it's been a chilled-out Sunday and we never moved from the house. Mike popped around in the evening and asked if he could take his two air rifles back with him to Northampton. We couldn't say no as they belonged to him, and he mentioned something about vermin control in his new job as a groundskeeper at the golf club. I really didn't want to hear any more!

Mike didn't stay for long and Sophie and I played Scrabble with a glass of red wine. My daughter beat me narrowly right at the very end of the game!

Northward bound!

We were up, coffeed, showered and dressed by 7am this morning and I was glad to see it was light(ish). The weather was horrible, though, with a constant drizzle and mist. Keith and I had argued about the best way to get to Bishop Auckland to see his brother, Val, and I was adamant I didn't want to continue on the M1 to Leeds. When we used to travel up regularly, we would take the M18 from the M1 to the A1, and I preferred this route which always seemed quieter than going around busy Leeds.

We took a flask of coffee with us, and a pack of pains au chocolat and intended to stop about halfway to have breakfast. Sophie read her book in the back and Keith and I chatted as we ate up the miles. It was about 190 miles to Bishop Auckland and I commented to Keith that that was nothing compared to our European road trips!

We stopped to use the facilities at Woodall Services on the M1 and drank our coffee with the pastries. It was bitterly cold outside and the mist and drizzle made for difficult driving. Luckily, the road had been quiet up until now.

We continued on our way, taking the M18 (Googly had recommended this route) and then the A1(M). We were held up by roadworks for a while and the two lanes of the A1 were reduced to one. However, once past this, and onto the three lanes, we made good progress and after one more stop, made it to the care home by 10.45am.

There was a little confusion when we arrived as Keith called his brother Val, not Valentine, and the lovely member of staff who welcomed us didn't know who he was talking about! It was only when Keith said Valentine that the penny dropped! Val was in bed when we arrived and talking to his son, Jeffery. Jeffery left and the three of us sat down and chatted to Val who, although pale and thin, seemed to be in good spirits.

The lovely staff gave us tea and biscuits and we stayed for almost two hours. At times, the conversation was a little emotional, but with Val at almost 95 years of age, we didn't expect anything different. There is a big age gap between Keith and his three siblings and it was great for Val to reminisce with us and talk about old times. Before we left, he asked when we'd be up to see him again, bless him. We have no idea what will happen to him over the next few weeks and don't know whether he'll be able to go home, or will be moved into a different care home. Although all the staff we met were lovely, there was a startling difference between this home and the one my parents are in. Val has the savings to go to somewhere that's more comfortable and luxurious, so we'll have to wait and see.

Sophie had wanted to see the home of Newcastle United, so we set the satnav for a car park near the ground and set off back onto the A1(M). Sophie's satnav on her phone took us off the A1(M) because of traffic and we nearly had an accident at a roundabout, when a car cut me up badly. Luckily, I'd had a feeling they wanted to be in my lane so I braked but it was annoying nonetheless!

The weather was still misty, grey and cold and we made good time to Newcastle, managing to find plenty of parking spaces in the car park right next to Newcastle's ground. We walked around the arena and found the statutes of Alan Shearer and Bobby Robson.

Newcastle were playing away at Manchester City today (the less said about that, the better!) so the stadium was quiet. Keith wanted to show Sophie one of his favourite pubs, The Crown Posada, so we headed into the city centre which was bustling with shoppers, groups of women wearing very little, and tourists.

Sophie was disappointed that she hadn't heard more Geordie accents and had been expecting to see groups of people wearing Newcastle shirts gathering to watch the match. We found The Crown Posada pub near the Quayside and went into the narrow, crowded tavern for a drink.

The pub is really just a narrow corridor with a snug at one end, so if you stand at the bar, you're constantly in the way of people trying to get past. We ordered a strong IPA for Keith while Sophie and I settled for a half pint of Guinness each. Keith had found a tiny table and we sat down with a couple of packets of crisps as we were hungry by now!

The pub reminded me a little of Inn 1888 in Marylebone, but it was much busier, with not a Geordie accent to be heard anywhere, which Sophie was not happy about!

She was then jostled by a group who arrived and plonked themselves down next to her, all with very English cut-glass accents! Oh dear!

We had one drink and left, deciding to get a taxi back to the stadium as the route back was very steep indeed and the paths slippery with rain. The taxi driver prattled on constantly to Keith and ignored both Sophie and me, and I think my daughter was glad to get back to the car and the thought of the drive back south!

Before we went, though, Sophie and Keith posed for photos near the memorial garden:

The route out of Newcastle was simple and straightforward and once over the Tyne we were back on the A1(M) and passing The Angel of the North. We decided to book a table at our local pub as Trish stated we'd be home at 7pm. The thought of stopping at a pub a couple of hours from home and then driving on did not fill me with joy!

The journey home was not pleasant and amazingly we saw the car that had cut me up this morning on the road! I recognised it because of the stickers on the rear of the car and saw that it was a woman driving! We then had another scare when a car pulled onto the motorway and pulled straight into the middle lane, making me swerve into the outside lane! I don't think he even realised I was there!

From the M18, the traffic grew heavier, it rained constantly and the mist made things worse. I had to use all my concentration and amazingly, was cut up again, this time by a van! Have drivers stopped using their mirrors these days?! I was hugely relieved when we turned off the busy M1 onto the A14 and home was in sight.

The roadworks on the journey had held us up, delaying our arrival time by twenty minutes but we were still in good time for our table. I indulged in a whisky and ginger and we had a good look at the menu. I chose a Scotch Egg served with silverskin onions, Sophie opted for Arancini balls, while Keith picked out the chicken wings. For mains, we enjoyed gammon (Keith), a steak burger (Sophie) and a Supreme of chicken with crushed new potatoes and wilted greens (me). The pub was pleasantly busy, warm and welcoming and just what we needed after such a long day on the road!

We were too full for puds and Sophie was itching to get home to see the cats. The house was freezing and the little monkeys were nowhere to be seen, but condescended to see us about twenty minutes after we arrived back. They then had a mad half-hour chasing balls in the living room and racing up and down the stairs!

It goes without saying that we weren't late to bed tonight. I was exhausted!

Phew! It's Friday!

We did the dreaded shopping list last night, but really only had to find inspiration for tonight and Sunday as we're going up north on Saturday. Keith took me to work and I had a good shift, answering all the emails and writing most of the moan report.

Keith picked me up and said Mike had called in for a shower before heading up to Nottingham to see Abbie, but he'd gone when we arrived home. I was sorry I'd missed him, but he's going to pop in on Sunday night to say hello.

Keith didn't go to the pub tonight and stayed out of the way in the kitchen while Sophie and I opened a bottle of Rousanne wine from Chile that I'd chosen in Lidl. It was delicious and disappeared in a trice! We watched three episodes of Come Dine With Me and the contestants were certainly a wacky bunch this week!

Dinner tonight was an easy supper of baked potatoes, salad and cheesy beans, while Keith feasted on the leftovers from last night - roast potatoes, stuffing and pork steaks.

We had an early night as the alarm is set for 5.30am tomorrow!

Confusing conversations!

I felt shattered when Sophie woke me this morning and hadn't had a good night's sleep. I took myself to work and had a busy shift, clearing the emails and writing some of the moan report.

At 2pm, I sped home and was relieved to see that the charger I'd ordered for my Mum's phone had arrived from Amazon. She hadn't been able to speak to me with her phone for over a week and had lost the charger. Before we went down the route of buying her a new phone, I'd ordered the charger.

I went straight over to the care home and plugged her phone into the mains, but it had been dead for such a long time it took ages to revive it! I stayed for a while and had a confusing conversation with my parents as to what date it was. My Dad had demanded that we go out and buy Mum clothes for a Valentine's party tomorrow but I refused, the thought of going to Tesco and picking out clothes filling me with horror. I haven't yet seen them wearing the clothes I picked out for them for Christmas!

What didn't help was the weekly planner they had in their room saying it was week commencing the 16th of December! I wished heartily that it was, as I'd be facing a Christmas in Mallorca again! 

I made my excuses and left and drove home in the gloom. Back home I decided to give in to the inevitable and have a nap, so I fetched my gorgeous throw downstairs and curled up on a chair with an ASMR video playing. I slept for an hour and felt much more refreshed!

I definitely needed the sleep as I rushed about preparing the porridge and my lunch and then cooked the dinner tonight. Sophie turned her nose up at the pork steaks and had the second half of her lasagne instead! She managed to eat the carrots and my roast potatoes, though!

The road to nowhere...

Sophie had another headache this morning so she didn't go to the gym. I woke up at 7am, and before I even looked at the time I knew she hadn't gone. This is slightly worrying that she had an acupuncture session to try and relieve the headaches and they've come back with a vengeance ever since.

I waved her off to work and had a coffee before showering and getting ready for my day. Keith and I had nothing planned apart from doing a quick shop, and I suggested we drive along the new Northampton North-West Relief Road as I thought it had opened. I was wrong! We drove to Boughton Mill where I was hoping to pick it up, but it was closed, even though I could see the new road stretching into the distance! I'm still not sure where it leads, but it must bypass the Bramptons and link up to the stretch of road leading to Junction 16 of the M1. Apparently, there are plans to link up with the A43 near Moulton. 

Our roads in Northamptonshire are in a dire state, with potholes littering our highways and traffic congestion a daily problem. At some point in the future, the A43 between Northampton and Kettering will be a dual carriageway, but until then we have to put up with the road from hell!

Anyway, Keith and I drove out to near Junction 16 and decided to shop at the Lidl near Harlestone. We wandered about, not having a clue what to get for dinner but I suggested a scratch meal for tonight (there was a tub of stir fry left) so Keith bought himself a roast chicken, and we put a lasagne in the trolley for Sophie.

For tomorrow night's meal, we chose pork chops served with cauliflower cheese and roast potatoes, something I knew wouldn't be popular with our daughter! We finished the shopping (it was good to mooch about and look in the middle aisle!) and drove to Sophie's office as we had decided to meet for lunch.

It's been another grey and miserable day today. We have thick cloud over the UK that's refusing to budge! But it's also been bitterly cold lately with a nasty wind coming from the East! Brrrr!

We had a very pleasant lunch and I enjoyed a heart-shaped biscuit with a cup of tea after I'd eaten my ham, egg and salad wrap. We sat for an hour and chatted, then said goodbye to Sophie and returned home to do the usual Wednesday chores, although today we were relieved of writing out the hated shopping list! That's been delayed until tomorrow!

Gloomy days

I was in a deep sleep when Sophie woke me this morning and she nearly wrenched my leg off! I saw her off to the gym and the temptation to go back to bed for half an hour was strong, but I resisted! After a cup of coffee, I felt more awake!

Work passed swiftly as always, and Jo was in a moany mood, complaining about customers and being generally negative. I asked if she had any plans about giving up now she has a grandchild... she seems so miserable, it can't be good for her, surely?

I zoomed home and it was grey and misty. It was also cold again and it was great to light the fire and warm the living room and kitchen. I lit some candles and both cats were in for a change. Sophie arrived home feeling tired and grouchy, so we had a subdued early evening. I thrashed Keith completely at cards which put him in a bad mood! It must be the time of year! We're longing for Spring now and an end to these grey, miserable days. I have seen daffodils poking their heads through the soil, and clumps of snowdrops, so it won't be long!

Dinner tonight was a very easy, very garlicky Chicken Kyiv served with mashed potatoes and Keith's mushy peas. We discussed our forthcoming trip to the Northeast on Saturday when we're going to see Val, Keith's brother, who has been moved into a care home. Sophie wants to go to Newcastle afterwards and see St James's Park. She's determined to wear her Newcastle shirt and worship at the altar of "The Toon!"

A shock diagnosis!

Ugh! Monday morning comes around far too quickly and the weekend flew by. It didn't help that I worked on Saturday! Sophie didn't go to the gym today as she had an appointment at the GP surgery in Guilsborough for an asthma test. We sat and enjoyed a coffee before we had to get ready so that was a lovely start to the working week.

Keith took me to work and then went to do the shopping for tonight and tomorrow. We'll sort out the rest of the week on Wednesday! It's getting so hard to choose meals these days! 

Even though I'd been in on Saturday, there were still a lot of emails to deal with and we were busy on the phones when the lines opened because next week is half-term! Oh yippee! I predict we will be busy with soft play enquiries - why did I choose a job where the school holidays still affect me! I must be mad!

I tried out my new Loops today and they made no difference at all to the noise levels, so I'm going to return them. My other pair of Loops were much better so I'll use them if it gets too loud. I'm very disappointed as I'd hoped they'd let me be able to concentrate more when I have to write difficult emails.

Keith collected me at 4pm and we drove home to get the house warm and cosy. It's cold at the moment, with a nasty wind that makes it feel worse. Sophie had texted me today to say she had asthma and had been given an inhaler to use twice a day. Although she was shocked at first (as was I) she now feels relieved it's been diagnosed. Unfortunately, it's the cats who have caused it, but there's no question of us re-homing them. Hopefully, her new inhalers will help.

Keith and I played cards this evening and Sophie cooked a delicious stir-fry chicken dish with sticky rice and lots of vegetables. There was enough leftover for lunch for me on Wednesday!

Foodie treats!

Today, I was determined not to make the same mistakes as last week, i.e. getting up far too late, and not having a proper meal! Sophie and I watched yesterday's Saturday Morning Kitchen and enjoyed a coffee. I then prepared the vegetables for our spaghetti Bolognese, which I was making from scratch for a late lunch. Sophie had made a chocolate bread and butter pudding yesterday while I was at work so I was looking forward to both dishes!

Keith popped to the local shop to get the Sunday newspaper and a bag of carrots for me, and I blitzed the veggies in our blender - I used carrots, celery, two peppers onion and garlic. After adding the meat, tomatoes, red wine, beef stock and mixed herbs, I let it all simmer slowly for almost three hours.

As well as preparing the meal, we did several loads of laundry so we had a busy morning! By 3pm we were ready to eat because the aromas coming from the Bolognese sauce were enticing! Cooking it slowly definitely makes a difference and the sauce was rich and delicious. Sophie made garlic bread, I cooked a pan of tagliatelle and we were good to go! As a special treat, we 'd chosen a bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape to go with the meal. One of our bottles was 15.5%! I thought that yeast died off at 15%?!

The bottle we chose was gorgeous and we really appreciated the wine, trying to make it last until the early evening. After we'd eaten and cleared away, Sophie sat in living room with Keith while I transcribed a few more months of my blog from 2015 onto a word document.

By 6pm we were ready to eat Sophie's rich bread and butter pudding served with cream. Phew! A very indulgent foodie day today, and definitely better than last Sunday!

Saturday working

Sophie gave me a lift to work today and went to the gym to use the treadmill. I arrived in the office to find Shirley already at her desk and the wallboard on, which was a bonus!

I was hoping for a quiet shift so I could concentrate on emails, but we took over 100 calls in our five-hour session. Most of the calls were asking about making a booking for our soft play centre, and enquiries about swimming. Outside, the weather was horrible - grey, cold and drizzly. Typical February weather! If the half-term holiday is the same, we'll be busy then as well!

Sophie picked me up at 2pm and we went home to have a delicious lunch that my daughter had prepared. Soft granary bread stuffed with chicken, sundried tomatoes and mozzarella, served with Mediterranean couscous. We even had a small glass of wine with lunch as we had no plans to go anywhere else today! Bliss!

I sat and read the paper and had a nap at about 4pm as I haven't been sleeping well lately. I put my new Loop earplugs in and I was a little disappointed with them as the noise reduction was hardly noticeable.

At about 6pm, Sophie and I played cards while Keith sat at the kitchen island with us and watched Newcastle play Birmingham in the FA Cup. It was a bad-tempered game with some atrocious tackles from Birmingham, but Newcastle won 2-3, so they're through to the next round.

Sophie was still full from lunch so she didn't have any dinner. She was supposed to have been going out with a couple of work colleagues this evening, but had declined because of her headache, so Keith and I shared a Tesco Finest meal which was perfect. We opened a bottle of Rully, and after it had aired a little, it was delicious. We just wish we'd had another bottle to open! We will have to go back! A Rully red wine used to be notoriously difficult to find in the UK and we enjoyed it years ago at a restaurant in Brixworth called The Post House, which is long gone. The owner would never tell us where he bought it from! I can now see it available in Waitrose for £31.00 or Majestic for £24.99. Thankfully, we paid less than that in the village!

After dinner, we enjoyed a couple of hours of music on BBC2 - Heartbreakers and then Love Songs! A perfect end to an enjoyable day!

A freezing Friday!

I couldn't say today, "Ahh, it's Friday!" as I'm covering a shift at work tomorrow! Sophie returned to the gym this morning as she felt better, and I drove myself to work in the gloom. The weather has turned nasty again after two days of sunshine and it's set to be cold over the weekend and all next week.

My Friday shift passed very quickly and I dealt with all the emails, tested the swim camps, which go live on Sunday, and finished the price comparison spreadsheet. I keep getting calls from a leisure centre as I submitted a form asking about memberships, but I have no intention of signing up with them! 

At 4pm, I sped home and the A43 was empty, which was nothing short of a miracle! However, the traffic in Walgrave was terrible with cars queuing to get to the crossroads. I suspect there are roadworks on the A43, with some drivers travelling through Walgrave instead. The village just can't cope if this happens, though, and I told Keith to leave a bit earlier when he went to the pub.

It turned sleety and the wind was freezing this evening (it was supposed to feel like -6 with the windchill) so we lit the fire in the living room and cranked up the heating. The cats love it when the fire is on and lie on our footstool with their furry bellies exposed to the warmth!

Sophie and I opened a bottle of Macon Villages white wine and watched the last two episodes of Come Dine With Me. Two women have been bickering about fish all week, which has been hilarious! We had fish ourselves for dinner - fishcakes and mashed potatoes with Keith's own mushy peas! Lovely!

A busy shift!

Sophie didn't go to the gym this morning as she had a headache. This was her first bad headache for a while and it's worrying that she had resumed her acupuncture sessions last Saturday. Is there a link?  We sat and watched Come Dine With Me with a coffee so at least we had a pleasant start to our Thursday.

My shift whizzed past today and Sara told me when she arrived that yesterday at work had been horrible, and very stressful. Sheila was off sick, and the phones were busy with Jo and Shirley working. Wednesdays in our office are commonly known as "W***er Wednesdays", so yesterday was no exception! Quite a few emails were waiting to be dealt with so I set to and tried to get as many done as I could in my shorter shift.

At 2pm Keith collected me and we sped home. I then went to see my Mum and Dad and sat with them for over an hour to chat. While I was there one of the carers came in and we chatted with her, which was great. There always seems to be someone about to chat with and the staff are lovely.

Back home, I did an hour of chores before Sophie arrived home. She still had a headache, poor thing, and has cancelled her next acupuncture appointment on Saturday. We were both worried that the therapist was going to suggest one a week again but at £50 a pop, that would prove to be expensive! Maybe she can leave it for a while and see what happens.

Dinner tonight was a very easy pizza, leftover crushed new potatoes from yesterday and salad. Not really a meal for the depths of winter, but it was delicious nonetheless!

Crime scene!

After a little lie-in and a coffee, I made a start on cleaning the conservatory. Keith helped me pull out the sofa and what we found underneath was disgusting. There were three dead (and mangled) shrews, blood, body bits and other things that I didn't want to look at too closely. It was like a gruesome crime scene! This was exactly the reason why I wouldn't let the cats go into the rest of the house while we were away!

I ran some boiling hot water into a bucket and once Keith had cleared away the debris, I mopped the floor thoroughly with an anti-bacterial cleaner. We sprayed the window sills and frames with a bleach cleaner and I made my way around the conservatory to clean the windows and frames. 

I also descaled my coffee machine, cleaned and tidied the pantry cupboard and started writing the shopping list. Luckily, it was a gorgeous day with blue skies and sunshine so I opened the windows in the conservatory to let in some much-needed fresh air.

I finished all my chores at about 4pm and the conservatory looked and smelled beautiful. I can't wait for Spring to arrive when we can have the windows open more during the day. As well as working away in the house, I also changed my phone to a newer version and watched a video to see how to put on the case!

Before Sophie came home, I hoovered downstairs, mopped the kitchen, and then lit a couple of candles. We put the fire on, and the house was lovely, cosy, and clean—perfect! 

Another busy day!

Sophie was working from home today and we sat and watched a new episode of Come Dine With Me and enjoyed a coffee before I had a shower. The cats love having her at home and both of them kept her company all day! Gomez never left her side!

I had another busy day at work so the time flew by. I concentrated on emails today and caught up with some of my own work. Halfway through the morning, we welcomed a regular member into our office to help her use the app to make bookings. It was so lovely to meet her and put a face to a name! Sometimes, we do go above and beyond for our customers!

Keith picked me up at 4pm and we drove home through the gloom. Sophie made me a cup of tea when we arrived home, and I sat in the conservatory with her to read the newspaper. As we sat and chatted, the sky suddenly darkened and the rain came down in torrents!

Before I played cards with Keith, Sophie and I watched the end of a travel show with Alison Hammond who was exploring Florida "on a budget". She was in the Everglades, on an airboat, so that brought back happy memories of our trip... when it rained!

Dinner tonight was a delicious sausage pasta bake served with homemade garlic bread. Tomorrow is the day when we sit down and decide the meals for the rest of the week and I loathe doing it! I don't seem to fancy anything at the moment and the dreaded broccoli and cauliflower are still banned from the menu!

Mooney and Gomez were in a playful mood tonight, but I think Mooney was a bit jealous when we played with Gomez. Afterwards, he attacked Gomez and made him cry out. He's definitely the dominant cat and I'm wondering whether it's worth buying a plug-in pheromone cat soother. We had this trouble with Archie and Monty who used to have vicious fights. I think Gomez loved being at home with Sophie today as she is his protector!

It's Monday again!

The weekend has whizzed past in a flash and it was Monday morning again! Yawn! Keith wasn't shopping today, so I drove myself to work and had a very busy day. In fact, it was hectic! I had to help out a couple of times with the phones as we were inundated with calls. 

I spent most of the day comparing prices with other leisure centres and answered emails for the last hour. Driving home I was forced to go via Hannington as our little cut-throat alley is closed. This tiny road makes such a big difference as turning right at the crossroads in Holcot is a nightmare!

I cooked dinner tonight (well, I heated up Sophie's casserole and cooked the veg) and made roast potatoes. Sophie didn't seem that happy with the meal and my roasties were a bit overdone, but never mind!

We relaxed after dinner and watched a couple of episodes of Gone Fishing. Sophie, to her horror, had left her latest novel at work so was forced to watch television with us!

A sleepy start!

Sophie and I woke up way too late this morning, and I was angry with myself for not setting the alarm on my phone - this is the last time! This set the tone for the day as I felt I'd wasted valuable time.

We drove into Northampton to get the VW washed. It was a gorgeous day with sunshine and blue skies, perfect for cleaning the filthy car! I drove straight into the carwash as I had already paid, and we called into the Waitrose outlet on the way home to buy pains au chocolat for a very late breakfast.

Sophie spent the rest of the morning preparing tonight's chicken casserole and I pootled about doing some jobs. Gomez has been in most of the day and was hiding behind the sofa for some unknown reason. We think it may have been because there was shooting going on but he's a funny little thing so it could have been down to anything!

In the early afternoon, Sophie was hungry so she made us nachos with chilli. This would prove to be a mistake as I didn't feel hungry later in the evening and we postponed dinner. Again, this is the last time we do this as all three of us hadn't a clue what to have to eat and there was nothing in the fridge or cupboards! In the end, Sophie and I settled for a breakfast bar each. Not ideal!

So, not the Sunday I really wanted, to be honest. I have a million and one things to do and didn't do any of them!

A cosy afternoon

I didn't have the best night's sleep and felt a bit groggy first thing! Sophie had two appointments this morning - one at the beauty salon in town and an acupuncture session - so I said I'd go with her and then we'd have an early lunch at the café in Castle Ashby afterwards.

Mike and Keith were going to cut down the trees in the garden but both would be leaving afterwards - Mike to go out with friends and Keith to see Sileby play. I took the VW as I wanted to try and get it washed but we had to be home for 2.30pm. Keith still hasn't driven Olive properly, even though she is easy to drive (if a bit bossy!).

I think I fell asleep while Sophie was having her acupuncture session! She came out and said that the therapist wanted her to come back again next Saturday. We were a little alarmed as this would mean she'd be spending £200 a month on acupuncture, something I think is highly unnecessary. We vowed to look into it a little more when we got home later in the day!

We drove to Castle Ashby and took a seat at the back of the café. I chose a "cutting pie" with salad and chutney, while Sophie opted for an open chicken sandwich and a bowl of French fries to share. I decided to have a rhubarb cider to drink with my lunch and Sophie sipped a glass of Rosé.

The café gradually filled up with a couple of larger groups arriving. Our food was served and I was disappointed with my pork pie as it had very little taste. Sophie's sandwich was huge and she had to give me some chicken! This will be the last time we eat here as I was also disappointed on a previous visit and Sophie agreed. We'll drive the extra miles and have lunch in Olney where the food doesn't disappoint.

After we'd eaten, we popped into the deli next door and I bought two slices of Guinness cake to enjoy at home. We arrived in plenty of time for Keith to have the car for the football and tidied up before lighting the candles and the fire in the living room. I also put the heating on. Outside it was cold and grey and I told Keith to wrap up warm to watch his football match!

Once he had gone, we watched another adaptation of a Douglas Kennedy novel - The Woman in the Fifth. It was a bit dreamy, with weird scenes of the woods and an owl... Why aren't these films faithful to the original books?

After the film, I had a nap with Mooney and slept for almost an hour! It was so cosy in the living room and the house was lovely and warm when Keith arrived back, chilled to the bone! We decided not to have a Chinese takeaway tonight (our usual restaurant was closed for the Lunar New Year) and spent the evening relaxing and reading. I did catch some of Gone Fishing and Keith and I also watched last night's episode of Death in Paradise. Before bed, we turned on BBC2 and watched a little of a documentary about Bob Marley. I then had one of his songs running through my head for the rest of the evening!