Bank Holiday working

I was at work from 9:00am until 2:00pm today, but I couldn't really complain, as I'd been off over Easter and last week, of course.

Sophie dropped me off at work, and the car parks were empty. Kathy followed me in, and we were the only people in the suite of offices, so I locked the door between us and the sports hall. The shift passed very pleasantly, and we took about 80 calls over the five hours. It has definitely quietened down now, and even the emails are far less. Outside, it was cloudy, cool and grey (typical Bank Holiday weather), and I asked Sophie to bring my cardigan with her when she picked me up, as we were going to Olney for lunch.

She picked me up, and we headed over to Olney. Mike and Abbie had visited this morning on their way back to Nottingham, so I had missed seeing them. Mike has a new job, but it's not what he really wants and involves spraying sports grounds with weedkiller. I just hope he finds something a bit better!

We were able to grab the last parking space in the middle car park in Olney and went straight to The Courtyard Brasserie, as I was hungry after delaying my lunch. We took our seats, and I ordered scampi with French fries, while Sophie couldn't resist the lasagne. The restaurant was very quiet, and we had noticed how quiet the small town was. The cloudy weather didn't help!

We lingered over lunch, then paid the bill and went to the Willen Hospice charity shop and The Snug, a small bookshop opposite the car park. We noticed that many shops were closed, including the Oxfam bookshop, which could have explained why it was so quiet.

We walked to The Nest further along the road, but it had just closed as well! Typical! Deciding to call it a day, we popped into the small Tesco, bought a chocolate trifle for later, and headed in the direction of home. On the way, Sophie said she fancied a proper ice-cream from a van, so we drove to Pitsford in the hope of a Mr Whippy being there. We spotted a Mario's ice cream van in the reservoir car park, and each had an ice cream with a flake while watching a woman hand-feed a flock of swans. I didn't think it was a good idea to feed bread to birds these days. They were gobbling up the bread, though! She had two loaves with her!

We both felt a little subdued today, and we couldn't quite put our finger on why. The cloudy weather was a disappointment, and Sophie was facing going back to work tomorrow after a long weekend. I thought back to last Monday when we were having a lovely time in Paris...

We had a quiet evening, and Sophie and I watched two episodes of MasterChef. Sophie opened her bottle of Mallorcan wine, but we both felt it needed food, so we put a stopper in it for later. Even the Dao that we finished didn't taste right! Ho hum!

Getting things done!

Sophie and I had a list of jobs we wanted to get done today, and I think we managed to get them all completed by the end of the day!

The weather has been a little cloudier and cooler today, and the heavy rain of yesterday has helped our dry gardens. Keith and I went to the tip at Brixworth at 11:00am with a big bag of garden waste, and the rest of the morning was spent pottering about, dealing with jobs such as booking airport parking for forthcoming trips (I can't quite believe we're going to Vienna next week, and then Berlin two weeks after that!).

In the early afternoon, Sophie and I ventured outside and tidied up the very messy front garden. I strimmed the verge and weeded, and Sophie helped me to sweep up all the leaves and garden debris. She was surprised at how much hard work it was! I had been putting the job off for ages, so that had made it much harder, and the weeds had really taken over the border. It looked so much neater when we finished, and I wasn't embarrassed anymore!

 It was then time to put a colour on my hair, another job ticked off the list! Sophie lolled on the bed while I was applying the colour, and I have to admit to taking a nap after I'd showered. Phew! It had been a busy day! Sophie and I played cards in the kitchen before a very simple dinner of breaded chicken and salad wraps. The meal was delicious, and I loved building my own wrap with all the salad ingredients

After dinner, Keith and I started watching the great French series, Panda, again. A new series started last week, so we decided to watch the old series first. It's hilarious, and very pleasing on the eye (and ears!).

An indulgent day!

Sophie had a hair appointment in Market Harborough booked at 11:00am today, so we decided to leave a little early and enjoy a coffee in Just So Italian. The town was busy when we arrived, and we had to park in the overflow car park for a change. This was actually more convenient, so we'll use it again!

Just So Italian was quiet, and we were able to get a seat opposite the counter. Sophie ordered us coffees and almond croissants, and it was bliss to sit and soak up the lovely atmosphere and chat to the owner, who is a real character and very funny!

Before heading to the hair salon, we popped into Waterstones and a charity shop, but I don't think Sophie was in the mood to buy clothes today. She treated herself to a book, and I browsed the tomes upstairs. We then walked to the salon where I was able to sit and read while Sophie had her hair cut.

I had a feeling that she was going to have a fringe created today, and that's exactly what she did! It really suited her, and her hair looked gorgeous when the hairdresser was finished. Even her hair colour looked lovely, despite not having anything done!

We were hungry by now, so we walked the short distance to The Little Thai and took a seat in the window. We were the only diners at first, so we could munch on our prawn crackers without disturbing anyone! We ordered little chicken money bags and corn fritters to start, and then we each had a Thai yellow curry served with rice and a glass of wine. A bottle of sparkling water completed our lunch, and the food was as delicious as ever.

We decided to share the mango sticky rice for pudding and then paid the bill. We were now stuffed! We waddled off to visit Duncan and his merry man (Nick was conducting a wine course), and had a tasting of a Burgundy Chardonnay from near Chablis, and an Italian red. I liked the Chardonnay, so I bought a bottle, but we both thought the red was a bit dry. Instead, Sophie picked out a Mallorcan red. I used to say to Duncan he ought to import wines from the island as they're so good, so it looks like he has acted on my opinion!

After Sophie had a quick look in The Attic, we headed to The Wine Shed and sat at a table outside. I ordered a glass of Romanian rosé, while Sophie asked if she could have a Negroni Sbagliato. When our drinks arrived, my wine was not really a rosé but a light red... Looking at the menu, I deduced that I'd been given a German Pinot Noir, which turned out to be correct when Sophie paid the bill. I should have said something at the time, but the wine was very good!

We sat and enjoyed our drinks and then made our way home. It was then time to relax for a while, and Sophie sat in the garden with Mooney, who is never far from home! It poured with rain in the evening, the first we have had for a while, and the gardens certainly need it!

Our viewing choice this evening was The Little Drummer Girl, originally screened back in 2018. Keith and I had seen it before, but couldn't remember much about it!

A little tension...

Keith dropped me off at work this morning, so at least I didn't have to worry about parking today. I'm hoping that the other week was an anomaly and that things have returned to normal!

Tensions rose in the office this morning when Kathy became annoyed with Sharon over a customer phone call. Kathy flounced out in the end, leaving me to answer the calls as there were three in the queue. Sara didn't seem to notice, leaving me to be the peacekeeper! It wasn't ideal!

Luckily, things calmed down a bit, and in the afternoon, the three of us were the only people occupying the offices. I could tell it was a Friday and the start of a Bank Holiday weekend!

In the evening, Keith went to the pub and Sophie and I enjoyed a bottle of Viognier and watched the last episode of this week's MasterChef, with William Sitwell as the critic. He asked the contestants to make a soup, so the results were very varied!

After dinner, we then watched Race Across The World, and the destinations are becoming more remote and interesting!