Out for lunch

Before it became too hot, I gave the kitchen a good clean, while Sophie hoovered upstairs. She then hoovered downstairs and cleaned the living room. We're a clean family with two cats that are more often out than in, so why does the house get so dirty? I wiped down all the surfaces in the kitchen, including the fronts of the cupboards, and gave my orchid and the cacti a good watering. The cacti need repotting, but the little family of four seem very happy altogether, so I'm hesitant to separate them!

We had booked a table at the pub for 2:00pm, so we made our way there a little earlier to have a drink. It wasn't as busy as I imagined, and many people were taking advantage of the beautiful weather by sitting in the garden. When we went to the bar, I was amazed to see Izzy serving, one of the children I'd looked after when I worked at the after-school club back in 2017-2018. She was nineteen! Blimey! She told me she was at university in Bristol, and I said I always knew she'd do well, as she was very intelligent when I looked after her, and she was in Year 6. It was great to see her again!

Sophie and I ordered a bottle of Provencal rosé to drink, while Keith chose a lager to quench his thirst. We sat and looked at the menu, and Sophie found it difficult to choose. She thought she wanted a roast, but opted for a burger in the end. Keith did go with a roast - the beef - while I chose the halloumi burger for a change. I am trying to cut down on meat, and it was the ideal chance to go veggie for today! Sophie and I shared halloumi fries to start, and the meal was delicious. We even found room for chocolate brownies for dessert! They were sublime!

We paid the bill and returned to the car to drive home. It was very warm now, but the weather forecast said it was due to get even hotter tomorrow, the Bank Holiday Monday! Phew! We lolled about for the rest of the afternoon, feeling sleepy after the wine and heavy meal. Keith had been itching to get home to watch Newcastle play, but he was asleep ten minutes after the game started!

In the evening, it was too hot to play Scrabble, so we enjoyed a documentary about the CIA instead. It was very interesting and was about the US departure from Afghanistan, and the way that the Americans were trying to get the people who had helped them out of the country. I said it was a shame that Afghanistan was now a no-go area, as it used to be on the hippie trail to India in the 60s, and I would love to have gone there. I can't ever see it being open to tourism again in my lifetime! This then made us discuss all the countries today that are on the FCDO no-go list, including Syria, Iran, Russia and Israel. Let's hope that one day, we're able to visit again!