Deck the halls!

I was awake at 6.30am this morning and ready for a hectic day. Outside, the sun was about to rise, and it looked like it was going to be a gorgeous day. Cold, but sunny, and just how I like it!

Once coffee and Wordle were out of the way, we made a start and brought the trees in from the garage. We hadn't bothered to put them up on the eaves, and it felt like we'd only just packed them away. Who knew that when we packed them up last year, we'd lose two members of our family?

Sophie did an absolutely fantastic job of putting up the trees and decorating them. We moved one of the armchairs into the window, and I cleaned and dusted. My job was to arrange the gonks, and I had trouble getting them all onto the little set of shelves! I also put up our Santa Claus wreath on the front door and replaced the batteries in the lights.

The house was in uproar as we cleaned and decorated, but by 2.30pm, we were all done. Sophie and I ordered food, beer and paper plates, etc, from the Tesco grocery website for delivery on the 10th of December, so that was sorted and for a fraction of the price that the pub was going to charge. 

We also picked out photos and music for the service, which made me a bit tearful. We had to feel that the music was right and the lyrics suitable. I had twenty-six photos to find that portrayed my Dad's life, and I was pleased with the ones we chose.

At about 2.45pm, we drove to the tip to take the boxes and old planes of my Dad's as they were cluttering up the garage. Why I didn't get rid of them five years ago, I'll never know. We had to book our slot, and the tip was quiet with only another couple of cars there. Most of the stuff we managed to recycle, which was good news as I would have hated to see his things go into general waste.

Once we were done at the tip, we drove into Brixworth and visited the Co-op for squirty cream, marshmallows and hot chocolate. Unfortunately, I could only find hot chocolate and the Sunday newspaper, so we drove to Mawsley instead, where I was able to find what we wanted for a hearty drink when we got home!

We took the scenic route and stopped to take photos of the sunset and the gorgeous sky:

Sophie made the hot chocolates when we arrived home, and I scanned the photos we'd picked onto the computer and made a folder. I was shocked when I opened up the folder after adding a couple of photos to see one entitled "Man in the clouds" and the outline of a face... I have no idea where it came from, and then it disappeared a little while later. I can't explain it at all.

We made a unanimous decision to skip dinner tonight (beef stroganoff) and have sandwiches instead! We settled down to watch Christmas With The Kranks, lit the candles and made sure the heating was turned up! It was a lovely end to a hectic day!

Making decisions

We awoke to truly awful weather this morning, but at least we were warned about it! We had a lazyish start to the day before contacting the florist who had been recommended by the funeral directors. I liked the idea of a flower aeroplane for Dad, but they suggested we take over one of the model planes and see if they could incorporate it into the flowers. We went out to the garage, and Keith managed to get my Dad's planes down from the eaves where we'd stored them five years ago. Most of them were without wings, and just the fuselage, but we found one which was intact. It was filthy, but I cleaned it up, and we said we'd take it to the florist this afternoon. 

Outside, the weather grew worse with torrential rain, and Mooney came in soaked to the skin! He loves it when we dry him with a towel! Sophie and I had showers, and just before 12pm, we drove to Walgrave to the pub to see if we could hold the wake there. Unfortunately, they couldn't do the 11th as they were so busy with Christmas lunches, so we provisionally booked the 18th, which meant we'd have to change the funeral date at the crematorium. The landlord gave us two buffet menu options, and Sophie and I had half a Guinness each. 

We sat down, and we were all a bit surprised at the cost of the buffet. The cheaper of the two was £15.50 a head, while the other was £19.50...  We have no idea who will come, but with thirty people, the total will be quite hefty! I was glad we hadn't booked the room properly! While we were sitting, we discussed what to do, and we decided to hold the wake at home. The only issue will be the parking, but it will be a weekday afternoon, and I'm sure we won't inconvenience too many people.

We returned home for a lunch of cold meats and potatoes, and then drove to the florist in Kettering. Magnolia was a gorgeous shop selling flowers, arrangements, candles and knick-knacks. On the way over, I realised that maybe the woman in the florist's thought the plane was going to be small, so I wasn't surprised to see her face when we walked in with a huge model aeroplane! She said she would do her best, but I  have a feeling we'll resort to Plan A! 

From Kettering, we drove to Market Harborough and visited Majestic for wine and the hire of glasses. We picked out six bottles of red Porta 6 from Portugal and six bottles of a white South African Viognier. They will deliver on the 10th, which was a bonus!

We called to see Mum, and she was asleep when we arrived. Sophie sorted out some photos from her albums, and it was lovely to reminisce about their holidays and their lives together. 

As we drove home, the rain had cleared away, leaving the sky a beautiful shade of indigo blue. The trees looked gorgeous, outlined against the sky. Back at home, we played Scrabble and Sophie made us cocktails with raspberry syrup, vodka, lime and cranberry juice and egg whites. Our game was neck and neck, and I narrowly won!

Sophie made a delicious pasta bake for dinner, and we enjoyed a bottle of Duncan's Merlot du Donjon with the meal and afterwards while we relaxed. Our viewing choice tonight was A Haunting in Venice, which Keith and Sophie didn't care for, but I loved!

A photo of Moon Bums:

Black Friday indeed!

I had a much better night's sleep and woke feeling more refreshed this morning. Although I am sad about my Dad's passing, I feel he didn't have much quality of life, and he would have hated to linger for ages and suffer. I am determined to remember him as he was, and the comments I've received on Facebook have been lovely, saying what a great man he was, which was true. This is one of my favourite photos of him, taken in 2006 with his Mum, Winnie. My parents had renewed their wedding vows, and it was a lovely day.

Sophie went back to work this morning, Keith went shopping, and I pottered about doing housework until he came home and I helped him put everything away.

At 12.30pm, we drove to Kettering to the funeral directors. I was dreading the appointment, but I was pleasantly surprised. We saw Lloyd, who reminded me of one of our Landlords at the pub, Peter (also since passed away but a great character), and he was exceptionally friendly and helpful, without being sappy. I couldn't have borne it if he'd been mawkish!

We were shown to a pleasant boardroom-style office, and he took all of our details. We chatted for about an hour, and provisionally booked a date for the funeral on the 11th of December. The funeral directors handled everything, even the flowers, the notices in two local newspapers, and the buffet for the wake. We said we wanted the pub in Walgrave for the wake, but Keith would have to check this evening when he went.

We chose a coffin, decided the hearse would go straight to the crematorium, and a limousine to take Mum, Sophie and me from the care home. By 2pm, we were all done, and I was mightily relieved! We emerged into a different afternoon than when we'd gone in, as the earlier sunshine had been replaced by dark clouds. I said to Keith when we drove off that I should have asked if the funeral directors had any Black Friday deals, as we also need to sort out a pre-paid funeral plan for my Mum ... only joking! I'm sure humour helps in this situation!

Before going to see Mum again, we popped to Tesco as I was desperate for a cup of tea! (We had been offered tea or coffee in the office and declined.) I bought some things we'd left off the shopping list and a Lindor Advent calendar for Sophie. When we emerged, it was pouring with rain! What a difference to the sunny morning!

We went to the care home, and Keith sat in the lounge next to Mum's living room and read the paper while I sat and chatted with her. Naturally, she was sad and quiet, and I think it's going to take a long while for her to adjust to life without my Dad.

Keith and I returned home, and I hadn't a clue what day it was! It felt like Wednesday, so it was great to realise it was Friday and the weekend was ahead of us. Keith went to the pub tonight, with strict instructions to find out whether we could have the wake, and Sophie and I finished off an open bottle of wine and watched a documentary on Netflix about a man accused of killing both his grandfather and his mother for the inheritance money. 

Keith came home far earlier than expected because a Christmas tree lights switch-on was taking place in front of the pub, and he said the place was rammed with people. Worryingly, the pub didn't seem to be able to accommodate us on the 11th, and Keith said we'd pop in tomorrow to check with the landlord. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Getting things sorted... slowly!

As was only to be expected, I didn't sleep well last night and woke up feeling miserable and drained. Sophie took today off work as a well-being day, which was great. I just felt lucky I had both her and Keith with me.

My main mission today was letting friends and family know, something that Facebook is excellent for. I also contacted my Dad's two private pension companies to let them know online, but I have a feeling they will need a copy of the death certificate when we can get it. The funeral company also called me, and I made an appointment to see them tomorrow with Keith. 

Sophie and I made a list of things we need to do, and a tentative list of who we thought would be coming to the funeral. We all went over to Tesco at Kettering to buy Mum a couple of pairs of comfy leggings and a pot of face cream that she'd asked for. On the way, Dad's GP called and said he would call me back when I wasn't driving. 

We sat in the car park at Tesco and waited for him to call back, which he did, confirming that he had given Parkinson's disease as the main cause of death, with dementia as the second. Because of the infamous Harold Shipman murder case in the early 2000s, my Dad's death certificate had to be sent to the Medical Examiner, who might contact me over the next day or two to make sure I was happy with the verdict.

We entered the fray in Tesco to buy what we needed and then headed to the care home to see Mum. She was looking a bit frail and lost, but the carers had been keeping a good eye on her and sitting with her. She said she would miss my Dad, and I can only imagine how she felt. For the last five years, they had been inseparable. I told her about the Facebook post, but I'm not sure how much of it she took in, to be honest. I tried to talk to her about the funeral, but she didn't say whether my Dad had left any instructions. This is where I wish we'd talked about this years ago!

On the way home, we popped into the pub for a drink as I felt we all deserved one! The pub was very quiet, and we sat with our drinks at a table because Sophie and I fancied a quick bite to eat. We ordered pigs in blankets, halloumi fries and Turkish bread with a hummus dip, which was just what we needed. It was lovely to sit and relax after the events of the day and chat about what had happened and the coming weeks. I'm hoping that tomorrow we can fix a date for the funeral and start to let people know.

Back home, I called Sara to say I was taking tomorrow off, and she let me know I had five bereavement days. I'm hoping I won't need them all, as I can do a lot on Wednesday when I'm off and Thursday afternoon.

Keith prepared a spicy and delicious chilli con Carne for dinner, and after we'd eaten, we caught up with another episode of Shetland. It was great to take my mind off things!

Saying goodbye...

I waved Sophie off to work a 8am and made myself a coffee. The morning was spent pottering about, doing the usual jobs. Outside, it was cold, and the house felt chilly, so I had a soak in the bath! That always works and warms me up!

By 12.30pm, I was back downstairs and watching The Budget on television. I am always amazed when I see Parliament in progress, and how all the parties indulge in slanging matches with each other. The Deputy Speaker kept telling people off, which was quite amusing! There was major embarrassment for Labour as the details of the Budget had been leaked before Rachel Thieves had even started... I wonder who was responsible for that!

At 1.30pm, I left to go and see Mum and Dad, popping into Mawsley on the way to pick up some chocolates. When I arrived, the door to their bedroom was closed, and Mum was sitting in the living room. She looked very sad today, and she was far more morose than last week when I visited.

We couldn't see Dad as the carers were turning him, but when they'd finished, we went in, and the room was lovely. The curtains were drawn, and a soft lamp was on, with classical music playing on the CD player. My Dad was on his side and looked very much as he did when I went to see him in hospital in early November. I could tell straightaway that he hadn't got long, so we sat and chatted and listened to the music. It was very peaceful, and my Dad looked comfortable.

I left at about 3.30pm and went home, where I sat and wrote this in the kitchen. At about 4.30pm, my mobile rang, and it was one of the carers saying that Dad was deteriorating fast, and that it might be hours until the end. Even though I was expecting it, I still felt shocked.

Ten minutes later, my mobile phone rang again, and it was Alan, one of the senior carers, who said it was just a matter of minutes, so it wasn't worth my driving over. Five minutes later, my Dad passed away, just before 5pm.

I spoke to my Mum, who seemed calm, and I said I would see her tomorrow. I was just glad that she has such a great support network at the home who will look after her in the coming weeks. I felt a bit numb, but I did shed some tears when Anna called me about what happens next, and she recommended a funeral company in Kettering.

I spoke to my Mum again a little later, and again, she seemed calm and accepting of what had happened. I made a broccoli and almond soup, and we sat and chatted at the kitchen island, reminiscing about the past and talking about the next few weeks, which will require a lot of paperwork. My main concern is Mum, and the fact that she will miss him terribly, after more than sixty years together.

My Dad in Paros, 2002

Happy days

Worrying news

We had a pleasant start to the day watching The Vicar of Dibley with a coffee as Sophie's tum was still not right, and she didn't fancy a trip to the gym! The comedy series never fails to make me laugh or cheer me up!

Work was busy but not as noisy as usual. I managed to get a lot done, but it was great to escape at 4pm and head home with Keith. Not so good was a phone call from the care home to say that my Dad was declining fast and the carers had asked for a Marie Curie nurse to come in and see him. This was a shock, even though we have been preparing for the worst for a couple of weeks now.

I didn't fancy playing cards with Keith this evening, so we sat in the living room, and I caught an episode of Come Dine With Me. Sophie sat with me and finished her latest novel, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, which she's recommended to me. I'm so pleased that Sophie has discovered a passion for reading, and she tends to like novels that I wouldn't think of reading, so she can then talk about them to me.

We had a lovely dinner of chicken Kyiv with couscous and salad for dinner and then it was an evening of football, with Newcastle playing Marseille!

Jippy tummies!

I drove myself to work this morning and called into the Tesco garage opposite where I work to buy myself a sandwich as I hadn't made myself anything last night. We were still full when we arrived home, and thinking about lunch was the last thing on my mind!

Work was mostly uneventful today, and I helped out with the phones at 2pm for two hours. We are short-staffed at the moment, and we've been told to use up our holiday before December 31st. We've also been stopped from buying extra holiday for next year, which was a blow as it was great to be able to buy another week or two. Nicola bought four!

Sophie texted me in the afternoon to say she'd gone home and was working there, as she had an upset tummy. Not good news, especially as Keith felt a bit jippy yesterday!

I drove home in the gloom and sat with my daughter while she worked her last half hour. Supper was very simple, and we ate some more cheese and biscuits from Saturday night, while Sophie had another pasta dish from the freezer.

Our viewing choice for this evening was a great Channel 5 programme about Christmas in the 1970s. It brought back some happy memories!

Sunday roast by the river

We were looking forward to lunch out today, and set off for The Beetle and Wedge in Moulsford at 11.30am. Our first hurdle was the Queen Eleanor Interchange, a huge roundabout which is undergoing a major new layout. Dire warnings were posted all over the town about avoiding the area, but we had no choice but to use it, and I hoped there wouldn't be long queues. Luckily, there wasn't, and we were soon onto the A43, but our traffic problems were far from over, as major roadworks were going on near Towcester as well! 

The queues on the other side of the carriageway were horrendous, so we decided to avoid the A43 coming home! We had a frustrating journey to the restaurant, with stop/start traffic on the M40 and the A34. Jeeves gave me directions all the way, and I was glad when we finally arrived! However, the small car park was full, so we had to park nearby, close to some lovely houses. I wonder if the inhabitants get fed up with random cars parked outside?

We walked in, and I said to Sophie that years ago, we were regular visitors to the main house and ate in the gorgeous dining room. Keith and I had also stayed the night and combined our visit with a trip to Cheltenham. There were always two restaurants at The Beetle and Wedge: the formal Dining Room with views over the River Thames, and the more rustic and laid-back Boathouse. The Dining Room stopped serving meals several years ago, so we were booked into the Boathouse, and we were looking forward to a delicious Sunday roast.

Before going in, Sophie took some photos of the beautiful setting, right on the river. The house is famous for its connection to Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome and The Wind in the Willows.

Although we were a little early, our table was ready, and we sat and perused the menu. It was quite noisy in the restaurant, and the party behind us had a baby, but luckily it didn't start screaming! I chose a bottle of Chenin Blanc to share with Sophie, as well as some fizzy water, while Keith opted for a beer called Bad Old Boy, which was quite apt!

We chose our meals: pork and nduja Scotch egg for Sophie and me, while Keith opted for the chicken wings. We all chose a different roast - chicken for Sophie, beef for Keith and pork belly with crackling for me.

Our starters were delicious, and the Scotch egg came with a spicy red pepper piperade. Keith's chicken wings were liberally covered with sesame seeds that he managed to wear as a chin decoration! Thankfully, there was a decent interval between the starter and main course, because the portions were huge! It was obvious that the chef was trying to get rid of the carrots as we had a load on our plates, as well as red cabbage, roast potatoes and green cabbage. Keith had an enormous Yorkshire pudding, and Sophie had stuffing. I had a delicious piece of crackling that was incredibly noisy to eat, but the level of conversation going on was so high, nobody commented!

We enjoyed our roasts, but we still think ours at home is better, especially my potatoes! We found room for pudding, which in Sophie's case was a mistake. She had eaten everything on her main course plate, but Keith and I had left most of the carrots and some cabbage. Sophie and I both chose Black Forest cheesecake with cherry meringues and praline ice cream, and the dessert was the best part of the meal for me. Sophie gamely plugged away but had to admit defeat in the end! Keith contented himself with an Irish coffee.

By now, the restaurant had emptied out, and we called for the bill. It was then time to stagger out and return to the car for the long journey home.

We consulted Jeeves and travelled via Wallingford, but we didn't choose the M40 due to problems, and Sophie could see areas of red on Google Maps. It was getting dark, but the day had been beautiful so far, and we were lucky that it was sunny and dry.

From the M40, we passed Raymond Blanc's restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons. Then we wound our way through the Oxfordshire countryside, passing beautiful little villages with welcoming-looking pubs and into Buckinghamshire.

I asked Sophie for directions towards Buckingham, and then Roade to pick up the A508. We arrived home at 6pm, and after making the porridge for tomorrow, it was time to relax for the rest of the evening!

Foul weather!

I came downstairs this morning to find Sophie watching Friends and drinking coffee, before getting ready for a yoga class at the gym. I made myself a coffee and enjoyed a relaxing start to the weekend.

Once Sophie had gone to the gym, I showered and made myself toast and another coffee. We were planning on going to Market Harborough this afternoon, so Sophie could have a skin test at the hairdressing salon and have lunch at Two Old Goats. Keith was also planning to go and see Sileby play. 

However, the weather stopped us all from going out, and even the cats stayed in! It was truly horrible outside wth driving rain, wind and low temperatures. Sophie arrived home from the gym and said there was no way she wanted to walk about the town in such awful weather, and I wholeheartedly agreed with her!

Keith thought that the football match would be off because of the weather, and in the past it would have been, but a new man has taken over, and the game went ahead! In this weather! It was too cold for my husband, though, and he stayed firmly inside!

We pootled about, keeping warm and relaxing. Sometimes, it's lovely to stay in and do very little! I managed the laundry, and Sophie hoovered and cleaned the bathroom, so we weren't that lazy! By the late afternoon, Mooney was wandering around looking bored, so I put on some cat videos for him!

Sophie had made us bagels stuffed with egg and bacon for lunch, and these kept us full until the evening. Keith and I shared cheese and biscuits while Sophie heated up a pasta dish from the freezer. With a lovely bottle of red, this did us for dinner!

Our viewing choice this evening was Death on the Nile with a huge starry cast, including French and Saunders, Kenneth Branagh and Russell Brand. It was a lot better than Murder on the Orient Express, but then neither of us had read the original!

An early frost

Sophie didn't fancy the gym this morning as she had a headache, but this has been the first time she's had one for a while, which is good news. We sat and watched Race Across The World, and we both wished we were in Central America! The scenery in El Salvador and Honduras was stunning! Outside, it was bitterly cold with a frost, so it was wonderful to see the sunshine on the television screen!

I took myself to work and drove carefully as the roads up to the A43 weren't gritted. The sun had just risen, and the sky looked beautiful, but cold! Work was a little challenging today, and I had a long conversation by email with a woman who was having trouble with our app. As I don't use it much, I found it quite difficult to resolve her queries, and in the end, after helping her get logged on, I advised her to seek help from the gym staff at her local centre.

Sheila and Nicola left at 3pm to go to our Awards Ceremony, but I wasn't interested as it was being held at one of our centres on the other side of Northampton, and would have been over by the time I got there! I left at 4pm and drove home to relax before Sophie joined me.

Keith didn't go to the pub tonight and cooked a very simple supper of fish and chips with mushy peas. Sophie and I opened a bottle of German Riesling and watched a new drama on Netflix, The Beast in Me, starring Welsh Matthew Rhys, who did quite a convincing American accent!

Just hanging about...

I had an uneventful shift at work and left at 2pm to go home with Keith, who'd been using the car. He told me that the road from Holcot up to the A43 was closed and he'd had to go through Moulton. That didn't sound like good news, and when we reached the roundabout, a closed sign stopped any traffic from going to Holcot.

We were forced to go along the A43 and were held up in traffic for the next half hour because of roadworks. I said to Keith I was going to start checking the travel before I left, because if I'd known, we would have driven home via Brixworth. We had no choice but to sit in traffic and stare out at the sodden countryside. Large areas next to the road looked scruffy and unkempt, and we wondered who was responsible for the trees and bushes. Luckily, we were able to turn off at Hannington and we arrived home just before 3pm, an hour to do a twenty-minute journey!

As soon as we got home, we went back out again to see my parents. Dad was lying in bed with Mum sitting next to him, and he didn't look good, I have to admit. We went next door to the living room, and I was delighted to see that my Mum (or one of the carers) had put her new throw over the sofa and arranged the cushions on it, so it looked lovely. We sat and chatted for an hour, reminiscing about the old days, and I tentatively asked her about a funeral, if the worst should happen.

Before I left, we went to see Dad again, and two carers were giving him sips of tea. He knew I was there and tried to say something, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. I kissed both my parents goodbye and went to rejoin Keith, who had been sitting in the car waiting for me.

Tonight, Keith was in charge of dinner, a meaty cottage pie, and Sophie and I sat in the living room with a bottle of Californian Pinot Noir and The Vicar of Dibley. Bliss!

Helping out

The weather was atrocious this morning, and Sophie almost didn't go to the gym, preferring to stay at home with the cats, who refused to go out. In the end, she did go, leaving Gomez and Mooney in the house, with the living room door open. I heard them stampeding up and down the stairs, so I went down and let them both out. Before going back up to bed, I looked out of the living room window to see if it was snowing, and heard a miaow... it was Mooney who had come straight back in, bless him!

As a treat, I took him up to bed with me, where he climbed all over me, purring and head-butting me! In the end, he settled down and started to wash himself, but then jumped off, letting me have a little lie-in!

Sophie had asked me if I could collect her from work and take her to Northampton to pick up a cake for their CEO. I was more than happy to oblige and picked her up at about 10.30am. We called into Bewiched Coffee on Moulton Park first and enjoyed a coffee and chocolate twist. The earlier rain had given way to a beautiful day, but it was bitterly cold, with the wind coming straight from the Arctic. We picked up the cake and headed back to Sophie's office. I went up to her new floor and said hello to her colleagues before returning home. 

I had a long list of things I had to do, one of them being to change my bed, and I arrived home to see that Keith had stripped it completely, even removing the pillow protectors! It made for a lot of washing, and although I was very grateful, it made for a lot of work later in the day when I had to put it all back!

I also prepared tonight's dinner of salmon stir-fry, a recipe we'd found in one of Mary Berry's books. I had to skin the salmon (nasty) and prepare a marinade and a sauce. The marinade was soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and Chinese Five Spice, and I coated the salmon and covered it with cling film before chilling. The sauce consisted of soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, chilli and ginger, and it smelled delicious! Finally, I cut up an onion, a pepper and carrots into thin strips to stir fry later.

I had called my Mum earlier in the day to discover my Dad had come home from the hospital again in the night, which I was relieved about. I said I would go and see them both tomorrow when I finished work.

Along with the usual Wednesday chores, I was kept busy until Sophie came home from work. I made a start on dinner at about 7pm, and it was an easy meal to make. It was a lovely change to have salmon rather than chicken or beef, and the meal was delicious. It's one we'll definitely try again!

The technical issues continue!

Sophie still felt a little queasy this morning, so she gave the gym a miss. We sat with a coffee and watched The Vicar of Dibley, which was a good start to our day.

I drove myself to work, and the office was blissfully quiet for the first couple of hours! Sheila used my work instruction to enrol her cat and the neighbour's dog on the playscheme, and found it quite easy, thank goodness! Midway through the morning, our website went down, so Mercury is still causing glitches!

Sheila also trained Jo on the new system in the afternoon, and she then went on to take a proper booking, so that was good! We're aiming for parents to do this themselves within the next couple of weeks.

At 4pm, I drove home and relaxed, and looked forward to having tomorrow off. I have a long list of things that need doing, though!

Sophie cooked fajitas for dinner, and just after we'd eaten, the care home called to say that my Dad had gone back to the hospital as he wasn't eating and drinking again. Another thing to worry about!

Mercury in retrograde...

Ugh! It was horrible getting up this morning, and Sophie woke me up from a dream. I felt so groggy! After a coffee and a shower, I felt a lot better, and Keith drove me to work so he could go shopping.

Sara is off all week, and I have had some asks to complete for her, which kept me busy, along with dealing with emails. We had a couple of replies from emails I'd sent last week, and rather than accepting what we'd said, both people argued with us again. That was annoying!

We also had problems with our app and online bookings, so the phones were busier than normal. I could certainly tell that Mercury was in retrograde! Nicola went on the rampage in the office, taking papers off the walls and asking if we really needed them! She said she doesn't want papers littering up our desks when we move! The other staff members rely on them for information, and Kathy looked very annoyed! Nicola also started taking off papers from Sara's noticeboard, which I thought was unacceptable. She should wait until Sara returns next week!

I was mightily glad to escape at 4pm and go home! We drove home via Hannington tonight, as the chicane going into Holcot is always busy. I love driving from Hannington to Walgrave, and the trees looked beautiful silhouetted against the late afternoon sky.

It was certainly colder today, and Keith had put the heating on before he'd left to pick me up from work. We let Sophie prepare the traybake/bubble and squeak, and the meal was lovely. However, Sophie felt a bit queasy after she'd eaten, which was unlike her.

Keith and I watched last night's I'm A Celebrity, and saw the contestants cope with some truly horrible challenges!

It smells a lot like Christmas!

I was awake at 7.30am this morning and decided to watch Last Christmas with a cup of coffee. Sophie and I had seen it at the cinema back in 2019 and hadn't twigged there would be a twist at all! I enjoyed it and noticed the complete absence of scooters in the street scenes!

The morning was spent cleaning the house and preparing our lunch of roast chicken. Keith prepared the vegetables and peeled the potatoes we'd bought at Farndon Fields yesterday. We normally buy Maris Piper potatoes, so I was interested to see how they'd compare.

Before we ate lunch, Sophie and I tried to do our Advanced Passenger Information for our flight to Vienna next May, but we couldn't find the booking reference or the email from BA. In the end, Sophie called them and realised she'd given the wrong email address, so when they sent it through again, it was a huge relief. However, we couldn't do it anyway, as my passport needs to be renewed in January after our trip to Normandy!

Keith and Sophie cooked the lunch while I sat and chatted to them and sipped a glass of sparkling Loire wine. The smells were delicious, and it was like Christmas! By 3pm, we were sitting down to eat, and the meal was lovely. I'm not sure I'd use the Orla potatoes again as they didn't have a lot of colour and not much taste! Rather than the usual vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage), we heated up a pack of red cabbage, and stir-fried the Brussels Sprouts with bacon. There was enough left to make a chicken traybake for tomorrow's dinner.

The afternoon was spent lolling on the sofa, reading and having a sneaky nap! Keith watched the England-Albania game, and Sophie and I opened the bottle of white we'd bought in Duncan's shop yesterday. It was like drinking light peach syrup and was delicious!

Before bed, we caught ten minutes of I'm A Celebrity, but we decided to record it, so we could avoid the adverts. We only recognised about half of the celebrities taking part!

After the storm

We awoke to a grey, misty day, as if the weather were suffering from a hangover after yesterday's raucous storm. Sophie went to the gym to take a yoga class, and I enjoyed a couple of coffees while writing the blog.

At midday, we set off for Market Harborough, parked and walked into the town, visiting Waterstones first to look at books. Sophie picked out three, thinking she was eligible for one free, but the woman at the till said she'd need to wait twenty-four hours for the free book offer to show on her membership card. Sophie was not happy as she hadn't intended to spend £30! 

After Waterstones, we walked across the road and went for lunch at the Little Thai restaurant. We were both hungry, so we chose main courses of chicken Massaman for Sophie and pork and cashew nut stir fry for me. We chose sides of fish cakes, dumplings and spring rolls. To go with the meal, I picked out a Thai wine made from the Colombard grape, as well as a bottle of water. To begin with, we munched on delicious prawn crackers with a fiery dip. The food was delicious!

The restaurant was quiet with only another table of four eating, and then a couple came in and sat behind us. We were seated in the window, and outside it remained cold and grey. We were still a little peckish, so we ordered more spring rolls and fishcakes!

Although we hadn't intended to, we shared a dessert of sticky mango rice, and this too was delicious.

After paying the bill, we walked to hairdresser's, Toni & Guy, as Sophie wanted to strip the box colour from her hair and go back to her natural colour again. They quizzed her and said that because she'd taken an antihistamine tablet, they couldn't do a patch test.

She said she'd have to leave it and maybe come back on a day when she could take the tablet later in the day. We weren't interested in the charity shops today, so we made our way to Duncan's, where I wanted to buy a white Burgundy for our roast chicken lunch tomorrow. The man himself was conducting a jovial tasting with some customers, but his wife, Megan, came out and suggested the French wine that was on tasting. 

She brought us a small sample in two glasses, and we both loved the aromatic, peachy wine, deciding it would be perfect with the chicken. I had a chat with Duncan and told him about the book I'd just finished by Kermit Lynch, which I'd thoroughly enjoyed. He told me that Kermit Lynch was the inspiration behind Kermit the Frog, as he knew Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets!

It was great to chat with Duncan and Nick and catch up. Sophie spotted a bottle of Banyuls red and said she would buy it as a treat, along with a bottle of Riesling. I bought the white, a gorgeous Merlot that I'd always liked when I worked for Duncan, and a bottle of beer for Keith. 

We staggered back to the car, laden with our purchases, and drove to Farndon Fields to buy potatoes. They had a sack of "Orla" potatoes, so we bought them, along with some chocolate bars and chocolate almonds to go with the Banyuls wine.

I decided to drive home via Clipston for a change, and when we drove into the village, Sophie suggested a drink at The Bull. I braked suddenly and reversed so I could drive into the small car park, which was almost full. I backed into a space, and we went to walk in, only Sophie said the pub was packed to the rafters, and it looked like there was some kind of party taking place. She said the bar area was full of people, so we decided to leave and make our way home. I took the scenic route, and the countryside was misty and mysterious. Sophie chose November Rain by Guns and Roses to listen to, perfect for such a damp November day!

Back home, Sophie tidied the kitchen, and we decided to play Scrabble with a glass of red wine from Spain. I took the lead in the last moments and beat Sophie, much to her disgust. I think it was the word "equip" on double and triple spaces that did it!

Keith cooked himself a pie for his dinner while Sophie and I watched Race Across the World and then Grand Designs. We also became engrossed in a documentary about Hitler's DNA on Channel 4 at 9pm. It was fascinating!

Storm Claudia

Well, Storm Claudia (originating in Spain, not one of our named storms) certainly hit us today! We awoke to heavy rain, and it never let up all day, becoming windy in the afternoon and evening. Sophie was attending her speed awareness course today, so she set off into the gloom half an hour before me. Keith took me to work, and our car park was already full of large puddles! 

I had an uneventful shift, working with Sue and Sharon, and managed to get a lot done. At lunchtime, I opened the soup I'd bought in Lidl on Wednesday, and it was horrible! Lovely Sue gave me half her sandwich to eat, bless her, and then a packet of crisps!

Yesterday, we were talking about our new office, and Nicola stated she didn't want us to eat at our desks. I wholeheartedly agree! The new office is a lot smaller, but we'll have a small area to prepare our lunches and sit while we eat. There are a lot of changes ahead!

The atrocious weather continued all afternoon, and driving home at 4pm wasn't pleasant at all. Keith said the cats had been in the house in the afternoon, but they had both gone out. Mooney was back in and behind the armchair in the living room when we arrived home, but Gomez was nowhere to be seen. The weather was horrible; sheets of rain and a fierce wind made for terrible conditions. Where on earth does Gomez go? Sophie came home, and we tried to get him in, with success on our fourth or fifth attempt! He wasn't as wet as I thought he'd be, and he revelled in the attention that Sophie gave him!

Keith sloshed his way to the pub, while Sophie and I opened a bottle of Portuguese red and watched Moonstruck starring Cher and Nicholas Cage. It was a lovely film!

Sorting things out

It was back to the normal routine this morning with Sophie off to the gym as usual. I took myself to work, and the day was looking to be sunny and dry for a change! The calm before the storm?

I had a pleasant shift and left at 1pm as I'd worked an extra hour on Monday. On the way home, a tyre pressure warning light came on, but when Keith looked at the tyre, he said it was fine. He came with me to the care home and sat in the car with the paper while I went to see Mum and Dad. 

Dad was sitting in a chair when I arrived, and although he looked a bit brighter, he wasn't making a lot of sense. I went to find Mum, who was having her hair done, and we had a quick chat as she was under one of the dryers.

From the care home, I went to our dentist to try and sort out mine and Sophie's appointments. I'd received a text from them with a change of time, which wasn't suitable and found out our dentist now only works two days a week - Thursday and Friday! Luckily, I managed to sort out two new appointments for each of us at a more convenient time. I'm not looking forward to that visit!

We drove home under sunny skies, and I pootled about doing the usual chores. It was lovely to sit and play cards in the kitchen in the evening before enjoying our beef curry and rice. Keith had made it deliciously hot and spicy!

After we'd eaten, Keith settled down to watch England play Serbia while Sophie and I read. She has lent me one of her books called My Husband by Maud Ventura. It's very quirky!

A tale of two pubs

I woke up at 7am this morning and realised that Sophie hadn't gone to the gym. She was sitting downstairs with Mooney and said she didn't fancy a workout today. Fair enough!

I sat and enjoyed a coffee, and saw her off to work at 8am. It was lovely not to rush about getting ready for work, and I suggested to Keith that we do what we should have done last Wednesday: visit The Chequers in Ravensthorpe and The Plough in Everdon. He agreed!

We set out into the rain-sodden countryside at midday and sloshed our way over to Ravensthorpe. We had visited this pub years ago, and I was interested to see how it was faring. First impressions weren't great as the small car park had rubbish stacked up in one corner. We thought at first that we had gone into the village shop and backed out again, but the entrance was the right one, and stuffed with things to buy. The pub must double up as the village shop as well!

The Chequers was a very homely, cosy pub, with a few locals gathered by the bar, a group of men eating and a couple of women having a good natter. Rows upon rows of beer mugs hung from the ceiling, and there were board games available to play.

Keith chose a pint of Pot Belly Best at 3.8%, and I had half a lager, as they didn't have Guinness on draught. We took a seat and chatted, and I liked the friendly atmosphere. The woman serving behind the bar was the double of Sara's daughter, Vicki!

When we finished our drinks, we left to drive to the village of Everdon, near Daventry. I had fond memories of this village from when I visited with the school, aged about nine or ten. Trish, for some reason, sent us onto a tiny single-track road through Dodford and then across the busy A45 to Everdon. 

We missed the pub tucked away on the left of the road, so I had to turn around and go past the Outdoor Learning Centre where we'd stayed. It didn't look any different!

We parked on the road and walked over to the pub; I was looking forward to a bite to eat! The young man behind the bar was friendly and we ordered our drinks - a pint of Walter Tull from the Great Oakley Brewery, and a half of Guinness for me. We also ordered two rounds of BLT sandwiches and some chips to share.

We took our seats in a small, empty lounge area and had a chat about Keith's big birthday next year. I suggested a week on Skye and a meal at The Three Chimneys restaurant. We went to Skye for his 50th, so it seemed quite fitting!

We had a lovely lunch and the food was very good. More people came in, and again, there was a lovely atmosphere. The pub has reopened after a period of being shut, and I can definitely see us visiting again and exploring the beautiful countryside in this part of Northamptonshire.

We drove home and popped into Lidl near Harlestone to get Sophie something for her dinner tonight. We were supposed to have had a beef curry, but neither of us fancied preparing it when we got home and having a big evening meal. I picked our some chicken chunks for Sophie with a salad and a spicy sauce, as well as a few other goodies. Keith had a sudden yearning for Christmas pudding, so we bought one as well!

Back home, I pootled about and did the usual chores. When Sophie arrived home, we sat in the living room for a change and did a spread of tarot cards while sipping a drink. We put a YouTube video on of a lovely house with a big fire burning, so that made it very cosy! We have another storm brewing at the end of this week, with warnings out for heavy rain.

Sophie enjoyed her chicken chunks, and Keith and I ate cheese and biscuits. He then didn't fancy the Christmas pudding. Typical!

The Plough, Everdon

A bit disappointing...

I had an even worse night's sleep last night and felt exhausted this morning. Last night, we couldn't get Gomez in at all. I said to Sophie that we need to start calling for the cats earlier in the evening, as Sophie finds it a real chore spending the evening calling for them. I remember back to when we had Archie and Monty, and we would let them out every evening, for the whole night!

She managed to get the little rascal in before she went to work, and then he wanted to go out again, minutes later! Outside, the weather was horrible with rain and wind. Madness!

I took myself off to work this morning and faced the noisiest day of the week, with several other people in the office adding to the overall volume! Nicola was back from a week's cruise, so it was great to chat to her about her holiday, when she visited Rotterdam, Bruges, Amsterdam and Hamburg. 

We marked Armistice Day at 11am with a two-minute silence, and the rest of the day was uneventful. It was great to escape at 4pm and head home in the gloom. Keith was going to watch Sileby tonight, and Sophie and I had planned a remake of the meal we had on our first night in Provence last year - a ravioli bake topped with cheese and served with a garlic flatbread.

I had asked Keith to get me a bottle of red Burgundy in Tesco, and he had picked one out for £15, which had been reduced to £13. I was almost finished reading my excellent wine book by Kermit Lynch, and he was praising the (very expensive) wines of the region. I thought we could start off with a basic red and try to work our way up!

Unfortunately, the wine was horrible and both Sophie and I hated it. It was thin and tannic, so we had one glass each and decided to use it for cooking. What a waste of money!

After a lovely dinner, we continued watching our film choice of the evening - A Perfect Stranger starring Bruce Willis and Halle Berry. Mooney had been in when I got home, so we kept him in, and we managed to entice Gomez in early. Hooray! 

Staying late

I hadn't had the best night's sleep and felt weary this morning. Mooney was extra loving, as if he realised he'd caused us worry last night by being trapped in the garage!

Keith took me to work before going to have a hair cut and doing the shopping. I had a pleasant day at work, answering all the emails and helping out with the phone calls when Vicki left just before 3pm. Our MD walked in late, carrying three large ring binders and said he had a job for us... to photocopy the contents of the folders, which were survey reports for three of our buildings. 

Sara didn't seem at all happy, especially when he joked that he wanted them done by 4pm! She put them to one side and said we'd sort them out tomorrow,  but I had the feeling he wanted them done more quickly than that, especially when he asked again if someone could tackle the job.

As I hadn't a lot to do, I volunteered! It meant being off the phones (always a bonus) and I made a start. It was a mammoth job, especially as some of the original pages were dark anyway and didn't photocopy too well! Plus there were several A3 pages to copy as well. By 3.30pm, I realised I was never going to get it done by 4pm, so I asked if it was OK to stay until 5pm when Sophie could pick me up on her way home from work. I managed to get hold of Keith to stop him from picking me up, and carried on with the job.

By 5pm, I was done with the photocopying and was checking to make sure everything was present and correct. We had decided to send off some of the original pages, rather than the photocopied ones as they were so dark and I warned our MD that the pages were loose in the ring binder. He hunted down some elastic bands and we chatted about our respective parents before I left to join Sophie in the car park. As it was over an hour later than I normally leave, I was surprised at how dark it was!

We drove home and I set about doing the usual chores. I would not like to be this late home every night, and understand how Sophie feels now when she's held up on the way home from work!

My daughter cooked a delicious meal this evening - a chicken and vegetable traybake with the rice from yesterday's Chinese mixed in. It was gorgeous!

Birthday celebrations

To make up for the sloth of yesterday, I cleaned the house this morning... on my own, I hasten to add, as Sophie was out with friends! She met two of her work friends in Northampton to have breakfast, and then went to have another part of her ears pierced.

I gave the upstairs of the house a thorough clean and hoovered up many a cobweb dangling from the ceiling. I also made the porridges and helped Keith with the list so it was a busy morning. Sophie returned at about 1pm with a new diamond stud and we went over to the care home to see Mum and Dad and celebrate my mother's 81st birthday.

My Dad had returned home yesterday and I'd been expecting him to be sitting in his chair as normal, but he was in bed asleep. We took Mum into the lovely lounge next to her room and we sat in there with a cup of Champagne, a gooey chocolate cake and chatted for over an hour. She was delighted with her gifts - lots of chocolate and a beautiful soft, grey throw that she can either put on her bed or use on the sofa.

I really don't know why my parents don't sit in this lounge more often as I found it fascinating to watch the comings and goings of people outside! I'd be in there every day!

We left Mum, popped to a shop in Broughton to get Sophie some soup and tinned ravioli for her lunches and drove home via the scenic route. Back home, it was definitely time to relax and we didn't have to worry about preparing dinner as we were going to order a Chinese takeaway as a treat. Sophie made us a Halloween cocktail and we played cards for a change, which was exceedingly pleasant!

We ordered a Chinese, which was delicious as always, and there was enough left for my lunch tomorrow. After eating, we watched Gone Fishing and then had a difficult job getting Mooney in. Sophie called and called and eventually realised he was in the garage! He's a little monkey!

Getting quizzed

I have to confess to being very lazy today and not doing much at all (apart from writing this and dealing with laundry). Sophie was going to Woburn with friends and left to pick them up at 10.30am. I pootled about, made myself scrambled eggs for brunch, and generally lazed about! And I didn't feel guilty after the week I'd just had!

Mooney has been in for most of the day, lying behind one of the armchairs, and we're a bit worried as to why he's doing this all of a sudden. I can only think it's because we have shooting going on here over the fields, and we can clearly hear the gunshots. Last night, both Gomez and Mooney reacted badly to nearby fireworks, and they hid behind the sofa. Gomez spent the whole time growling, which was unexpected! We were so glad we were able to get them in before the fireworks started!

Keith went to see Sileby play, and I started watching Jane Austen's Persuasion on Netflix. However, I became so annoyed with the drama that I switched it off and went upstairs to have a long soak in the bath.

Sophie and Keith arrived back, and we sat in the kitchen with a glass of wine and had a good chat about our respective afternoons. Sophie and I then got ready as we were going to the village hall for a quiz night in aid of the Homestart charity. Keith kindly gave us a lift and we arrived to find everyone taking their seats at the tables. We were in a team with lovely Sonal and her husband, and Paul and Sharon, who live opposite. I sat at one table while Sophie went to buy a bottle of wine and was moved on by our local silver fox, who imagines himself as a bit of a lady's man. There's always one!

We named ourselves "Old Enough To Know Better" and munched on delicious tortilla chips placed on the table, accompanied by our bottle of Errazuriz Merlot. We had a list of holiday destinations to work out with cryptic clues, and then the quiz started. The first round was "Winners," and it was mostly sports, which we struggled with! At least they asked who won Wimbledon this year, and that was easy for us to answer!

Halfway through, we stopped for a chilli supper and a game of "Higher or Lower". During the second half, we lost Sonal and her husband as they were busy washing up after the meal. Sonal had warned me that they were short of volunteers and we might be reduced to a team of four instead!

The very last round was the music round, and thankfully, Paul and Sharon knew their stuff, and we did well. Overall, we scored 95, and the winning team (our erstwhile teammates from a cricket quiz) won with 99 points. We didn't do badly!

Keith collected us, and we went home to sit and relax with the cats before bed!

A good day... at last!

Sophie didn't go to the gym this morning, and we sat and watched Celebrity Race Across The World. I had had a much better night's sleep and felt far more perky and optimistic.

My work shift passed very pleasantly, and I managed to get a lot done: I input two weeks' worth of films, which would take us up to 2026, I answered all the emails and managed to write instructions for the other staff to book children onto the playscheme. Kathy and I were annoyed with Sharon, though, who was on one call for thirty-five minutes, half of which was a chat about cars! Because of this, the calls ramped up, and I had to jump on to help Kathy. When she finished the call, I said that we should never be on the phone that long, even if the customer seemed inclined to chat. I have had regular customers in the past who I chat with for a couple of minutes, but never as long as that! I just wish our MD had been in to listen, but of course, he was at a different centre!

Unbelievably, he did walk in an hour before we were due to leave! He kindly asked how my Dad was, and I told him about my annoyance with the hospital staff who seemed to be doing very little in terms of care. I know for a fact we'd never get away with working like that!

Keith collected me from work, and we went home, where I called the hospital. I was overjoyed to be told that Dad was eating and drinking normally and could go home tomorrow! What great news! I had called our family on Wednesday night to let them know what had happened, so I'll have to contact them again and let them know he'd made a brilliant recovery!

Sophie and I cracked open a lovely bottle of red tonight as I'd been reading my wine book and the chapter on red Burgundies. Our bottle wasn't a Burgundy, but it was delicious and slipped down very easily! We watched The Witches of Eastwick, a comedy-horror that made us both laugh! Jack Nicholson was perfect in it!

Fresh hell indeed...

I had a terrible night's sleep and woke this morning feeling drained and exhausted. Sophie went to the gym, and I made myself a much-needed cup of coffee before getting ready to go back to work.

I explained to Sara and Sheila about what had happened and how my break from work hadn't been the best of times... I had a meeting first thing about the new system for our playscheme and showed two other members of staff how to input the places and enrol children. As we were working through the process, we realised there was still a lot to iron out!

There weren't as many emails to deal with as I expected, but I had a lot of cinema work to do, and Sara also asked me to proofread an annual report that was about to be published. At 2pm, I really didn't want to leave, I'll be honest. Sara wished me luck, and I also told our MD, who had arrived mid-morning, what had happened with Dad. He had obviously had a lot to do with my parents when we were selling the business, and he wished me luck as well.

I drove home, collected Keith, and we went to the care home. My Dad's wheelchair had been requisitioned by the staff, so I had to get it back to take Mum, as she would never have been able to walk the long distance to the ward. We managed to get both her and the wheelchair into the car and set off for the hospital, where the car parks were full again. Keith had no choice but to drop me right by the entrance and then go and wait for us.

I pushed Mum to the ward, and she was amazed at how far we had to go as well. The last bit was difficult as the doors opened outwards and I struggled to get us through. On the ward, I took Mum over to Dad's bed and then went to see the staff about a ReSPECT form, which meant that if Dad worsened, he could end his days at the care home rather than in hospital.

To my utter amazement, Dad seemed like his old self today, and was awake and aware, asking for a cup of coffee and demanding to know when he could go home! He was still pale, but what a difference from yesterday! My parents didn't say a lot to each other, and I sat with them, which allowed me to have a good look at what was happening on the ward... which wasn't a lot. 

The staff seemed to drift about, not doing much, with one male nurse watching cricket on the television with a patient! Others were engrossed in computers or laptops, and there was much chatter, but not a lot of care going on. I approached the desk again to ask about Dad going home, and was told to put a mask on! What for? I hadn't worn one yesterday or earlier! What a waste of resources, as I was there for all of twenty seconds!

I went back to the bed and waited for someone to come over and let me know if Dad could go home soon, but of course, nobody came. I needed to get Mum back for 4pm, so we set off, but I couldn't get out! In the end, I had to ask the man watching cricket to let me out, and then there was another door barring my way. I understood that patients may try to escape (I bloody well would), but I had to press the buzzer about four times to alert anyone to come and help. By now, I was furious and totally fed up. Keith had texted me to say he was sitting in Costa Coffee, so after a bloomin' long walk, and negotiating three lifts, and another long corridor leading to the café, I arrived to find he wasn't there...

I called him to ask where he was, and he said he was at Costa. What he should have said was the café, not the Costa, by the entrance! This made me even madder, and then I discovered he'd parked in the small car park and there was now a ramp to negotiate to get back to the car...

We packed Mum back in, folded up the wheelchair, and I went to pay while Keith just milled about, rather than driving over to meet me. To say I was not in a good mood was the understatement of the year!

Mum invited us to stay for a cup of tea, but I just wanted to get home, as I still had the usual late-afternoon chores to do, and it was now well past 4pm. Thankfully, tonight's dinner was a simple one, and I calmed down and relaxed a bit! The one thing I was sure of was that I wasn't going back to the hospital, and I hoped my Dad would be back at the care home soon!

Worrying news

This morning was a replica of yesterday, and it was great to have the last lie-in of my short break from work. However, my enjoyment was short-lived when I received a call from a hospital doctor to say that my Dad was very ill indeed and that he might not recover from the chest infection. He had been moved from the assessment ward to a geriatric ward, but I wasn't expecting a phone call like that.

Keith and I had been planning to go on a mooch to a couple of pubs and have a light lunch, but there was no way we could do that now. I said to Keith we'd pop to Tesco to buy Mum her birthday cards, get something for dinner tonight and then go to the hospital to see my Dad. We hoped to get there early and try to get a parking space.

We both showered, and just before 1pm, we set off for Tesco. On the way, the hospital called me again and asked when I was going in. At least this time, I was able to tell them this afternoon. In the supermarket, I bought a gift bag, cards and more chocolates for Mum. I had no idea what to do about gifts from my Dad... It's not a situation I've ever been in before, and I was at a loss about what to do.

We left Tesco and went straight to the hospital, shocked and dismayed to see that both car parks were already full, even though it was only 1.30pm and visiting generally started at 2pm. We did a couple of circuits of the multi-storey and then gave up, driving back towards the hospital and joining the long queue for the small car park near the entrance.

We queued for an hour for a space, by which time I was a bundle of nerves. I hate hospitals, and going to see my Dad, at death's door, was not a pleasant prospect. We walked in and had difficulty locating the ward he was on, in the end getting help from a passerby who told us where to go. Dad's ward was about as far as you can go in the hospital, down endless corridors and up and down stairs.

When we arrived on the ward, I went straight to the desk to speak to one of the doctors, but they looked at me as if they didn't know about the messages I'd received. I asked where my Dad was, and they pointed to a bed by a window. I was absolutely shocked when I saw my Dad, and burst into tears, as he looked like he was minutes from passing away. He didn't know I was there, didn't open his eyes, and he looked very frail and ill.

Keith and I sat with him for a while, and a doctor came over and explained that he was very ill and to prepare for the worst. She said that he was on antibiotics for the chest infection and they'd done some tests and were awaiting the results. 

We sat for a little while longer, and I couldn't stop crying. I knew I'd have to say something to my Mum, so we left and walked back to the car. The visit ranked as one of my worst experiences in life so far, and I knew that there was probably worse to come.

At the care home, we spoke to one of the senior carers, who was shocked as well. I then went to see Mum and gently explained that Dad wasn't well and that there was a chance he might not make it. She seemed to take it calmly, and I said that he was on medication and maybe this would work, but we shouldn't expect too much.

We stayed for a while and went home, where I sat in the conservatory with Moon Bums and had a cup of tea and a mince pie. While I was reading the newspaper, my mobile rang and it was the care home to say that my Mum had been upset after we'd left and was insisting she go and see my Dad. I had no choice but to call her and say I'd take her tomorrow, after work. The quote "What fresh hell is this?" sprang to mind after I'd rung off...

Our evening was spent in the usual way, but I was dreading the phone ringing, and I felt jumpy and restless. Sophie kindly prepared dinner of beefburgers (oh yes, I'd forgotten it was Bonfire Night!), and after we'd eaten, Keith and Sophie watched Newcastle play Athletic Bilbao. At least they won tonight, so that was one bit of good news!

A new toy

Keith and I were thinking of going racing today at Warwick, but with the news of my Dad, we decided to put it off. I had a lie-in after seeing Sophie off to the gym, and then had a slow start to the day. Keith went shopping while I stayed at home and did the usual morning chores!

I could see myself just drifting about if I wasn't careful, and wasting precious time, so I sorted out the soft plastics recycling in the garage and suggested to Keith that we take it all to Tesco along with the Tassimo pods. At least I'd been meaning to sort the recycling out for ages, as there's only so much you can stuff into a swing bin!

We drove to Kettering,  got rid of everything and then popped to B&Q to look at garden vacuums. With the recent wind, our driveway was carpeted with leaves, and every time we opened the back door, they all blew in, which was annoying. I had a look at the back garden to see if we still had our wasps' nest, and I could see the little blighters flying backwards and forwards. It has been unseasonably mild today with temperatures set to rise to 17c tomorrow! They probably won't die off until it gets colder.

We saw a Bosch garden vacuum for £75, so we bought it. We bought one a fair while ago and I managed to kill it by trying to suck up too many wet leaves, so I was determined not to make that mistake again!

Before going home, we called into the care home to drop off some items for Mum, and I chatted to her about Dad. She looked quite forlorn sitting by herself, but one of the carers mentioned the hospital had called and said my Dad was looking better than he was on Monday.

Back home, I had a late lunch, and while I was enjoying a few biscuits with cheese, Keith put the vacuum together, which wasn't an easy job! In the end, we had to resort to a YouTube video! Between us, we cleared all the leaves from the driveway and a mound of them next to the steps by the front door. I also vacuumed the garage, which had leaves everywhere as well. I couldn't believe there were so many! The vacuum coped admirably and wasn't as loud as our previous model. By the time we finished, it was 4pm and getting dark.

I had a Mulligatawny soup to make, and Keith had kindly chopped up the vegetables for me earlier. I cooked the bacon first, added the vegetables and let them soften before adding beef stock, curry paste, mango chutney, herbs, tomato pureé, and seasoning. When Sophie arrived home, she said it smelled delicious, and we kept tasting it to make sure we got the flavour right. We all like a bit of spice and curry warmth!

We ate a little earlier tonight, after sitting and talking at the kitchen island. The soup was delicious, with enough left for lunches. After dinner, we watched the last episode of Hunted and saw the Eurotunnel terminal. That brought back happy memories!

Car troubles... again!

I had a bad night's sleep, expecting the hospital to call me at any time. What made it worse was when one of the doctors called before I went to bed to say that they thought my Dad had a chest infection, and started asking questions about being resuscitated and Lasting Power of Attorney...

Sophie was off work with me today and had planned on going to the gym to do a yoga class at 9.15am. However, when she went outside to get in her car, it wouldn't open. We had replaced the key battery in September, so we didn't think it could be that. Eventually, Keith managed to get the car open for her, and she called VW on Riverside. They said she could come down between 10am and 3pm, so we both hurriedly had showers and drove down. 

We'd planned on going to Market Harborough today to do some shopping and have lunch, but we needed to get the car fixed first. We left the keys with a lovely young woman who said she would get one of the mechanics to look at Olive. She made me a great cup of coffee, and we sat and waited.

After about twenty minutes, she reappeared and confirmed it was the key battery, which they'd replaced for us. Apparently, the key tries to communicate with the car at all times, and the battery can run down. She advised keeping the keys in a pouch to stop this, and Sophie said she'd order one on Amazon.

We called Keith to let him know and drove to Market Harborough through the countryside that was shades of grey and brown. First up was a coffee in Two Old Goats, and as it was a bit chilly, we sat inside. The sunshine of yesterday had been replaced with heavy grey skies and a brisk wind! 

We enjoyed our coffees with a sausage roll apiece and chatted, watching people walk by wrapped up against the wind. Sophie wanted to visit the charity shops, so we did them all! She had another great haul of clothes, and I bought a vegetarian cookery book in Oxfam.

By 1pm, we were all shopped out and returned to the car. We'd decided to have lunch at Farndon Fields, which was busy with people eating and drinking. We were taken upstairs for the first time in ages and had a look at the menu. We weren't ravenously hungry, but Sophie ordered the chicken parmo, and I chose a baked potato with tuna mayonnaise.

Both of us admitted to feeling a little glum today, and I put it down to the phone call about my Dad last night. Things are not going to get any better with my parents, and I have a horrible feeling this is the beginning of the end. The carers can't be with them 24 hours a day, and both my parents have ignored all advice about not getting up on their own and waiting for help. I had called the hospital earlier, and my Dad was still in A&E waiting for a bed on a ward. It sounds like the stories of people being kept on trolleys in corridors were true.

 

We had a lovely lunch, did a bit of shopping and drove home, taking the scenic route through Draughton and across wide-open fields. We saw a fair few pheasants! At home, we relaxed, and I watched a couple of episodes of Help! We Bought a Village! as I wanted to see how Paul and Yip were getting on in Normandy. We would love to go and stay when they renovate more of the cottages!

When I went back downstairs, the hospital had called to say my Dad was on an assessment ward, so I'll visit tomorrow with Mum, if he's still in. The best thing would be for him to go home, but I can't see that happening.

Sophie and I consulted the Tarot cards again and enjoyed a bottle of Vacqueyras. Neither of us was hungry at all!

A couple of horrors!

Today has been spent at home, with Sophie and me cleaning the house in the morning and preparing the ingredients for tonight's dinner, a Mary Berry recipe of haddock gratin.

Keith went to get the Sunday newspaper, then watched a couple of football games before returning home in time to see Newcastle play this afternoon. And the less said about that, the better! After lunch, Sophie and I went upstairs to watch the end of The Shining from Friday night. We'd hoped one of the cats would keep us company, but there's been no sign of either. The weather has been pleasant today with sunshine and a breeze. Maybe we should have gone for a walk in Salcey Forest as I'd originally suggested!

Before I prepared dinner, Sophie and I relaxed with a cocktail, and we looked at her new Tarot cards that I'd ordered from Amazon. They're beautifully designed with a cat theme, and we plan to consult them every evening!

We very nearly didn't have our planned dinner tonight, but I insisted. What's the point of writing a plan for meals and then ignoring it? I cooked potatoes and cauliflower, and skinned the haddock. I was shocked at the price for two packs of fillets, which weighed just over 500g - almost £12!

Once the potatoes and cauliflower had softened, we put them in the base of an oven dish, sprinkled Red Leicester cheese over them and arranged the fish on top. I had mixed cream with cornflour earlier, and I poured this over the fish, topped with the remaining cheese and put the dish in the oven to bake.

With a side dish of asparagus, the meal was delicious, and I was pleasantly surprised at how it turned out! We'll definitely do this again as it was so easy to make.

After dinner, we settled down to watch The Silence of the Lambs, another scary film starring the brilliant Anthony Hopkins and a youthful Jodie Foster. It was quite disturbing, to be honest!

Halfway through the film, my phone rang, and the care home said they'd called an ambulance for my Dad as he was unresponsive and hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day. That was worrying, and this has been the second time in a few weeks that the home has had to call the ambulance for my parents. At the moment I feel like running off and not coming back!

Pleased to meet moooooo!

After a lovely, relaxed start to the day, Sophie and I drove to Olney to do a little shopping and have lunch. It was very Autumnal driving over and because of the wind, the leaves were coming down thick and fast. We took a very scenic route via Cogenhoe, Whiston, Castle Ashby and Yardley Hastings.

We had difficulty parking on the main road and also in the market square, so we were forced to drive back the way we came. I spotted a sign for long term parking and we found a lovely free car park next to a leisure centre. It was a short walk into the town and we called into a little vintage shop first where Sophie found some beautiful old glasses.

Sophie spotted more glasses in the charity shop next door; where on earth is she going to display them all? Our last stop before lunch was in the Willen Hospice shop and Sophie bought a lovely dress and a pretty, blue jumper that will look great with her Levi's. We strolled over to the Oxfam bookshop, noticing that a previous favourite, Teapots, had been taken over and was now called Simona's. We might have to try it again! The bookshop was closed for lunch but now it was about 1pm and we were both hungry. The Courtyard Brasserie was busy and we took the last table by the window. We both ordered the special Club sandwiches, and shared a bowl of chips and a portion of coleslaw.

As ever, the food was delicious and the staff friendly and attentive. It was lovely to sit and relax and chat. When our plates were cleared away, we asked for the menu and picked something sweet to eat. I chose the coffee and walnut cake, while Sophie indulged her craving for a fruit scone with jam and cream. We also shared a pot of tea. By the time we'd finished, we were stuffed!

Before heading back to the car, we called into The Nest at No 7 (used to be The Nest at No 9) and the place was packed out. I offered to buy a set of Tarot cards for Sophie but she said we'd look on Amazon. There were loads of pretty items in there, but they weren't cheap! We also called into another charity shop, Mercy in Action, and I bought two books and two boxes of Christmas cards! I've started early!

We retraced our route back home and Sophie asked me to pull over so she could take some photos of the Autumnal trees in Castle Ashby.

A little further along the road, we came across a field of black bullocks, and two were standing by the fence, so we stopped the car and went over to say hello!

They seemed as interested in us as we did with them, and stood staring at us, and every now having a sniff of our hands. The others in the herd soon followed and all but two came over to inspect us! One delighted in twanging the metal wire strung along next to the fence and kept rubbing his chin on it! He also licked my hand, and his tongue was rough and raspy! They were all black, scruffy and covered in bits of grass, but they were lovely and it was great to stand and talk to them for a little while! 

We reluctantly said goodbye and headed home where we relaxed and sat with Keith in the kitchen. We stayed sitting at the island until 8pm when we had some cheese and biscuits, accompanied by a glass of Port. It took us a while to get the cats in again tonight, the little monkeys, but by 10pm, both of them were in.

Keith and I watched a great Liam Neeson film on Channel 4 later in the evening, called Honest Thief. It was a little far-fetched, but enjoyable nonetheless!