Another late night!

I felt a little fragile and tired this morning so I was really glad I hadn't planned much for today! Keith drove Sophie to work as I was worried I'd still be over the limit and we went and put more diesel in the car on the way home. I'm hoping that's it now until after Christmas!

Despite not having much planned I still managed to fill my day by wrapping the presents I bought on Thursday and finishing off my cake. I glazed the top with warmed apricot jam and then covered it with almonds before wrapping a red ribbon around the sides. It felt very moist - so it should be with the amount of port and brandy I'd poured over it! - and I'm looking forward to trying some!

Before going to pick Sophie up from work I had a lovely hot bath as tonight we are out at Sue and Paul's house for Christmas drinks and nibbles. I'm just glad it wasn't me having to prepare lots more food!

Sophie very kindly did my hair and make-up and at just after 7pm Keith and I braved the high winds and rain to walk the very short distance to Sue and Paul's house. Their living room looked beautiful and it was great to sink into their sofa and relax! Within a couple of minutes Liam and Sarah arrived, swiftly followed by Graham and Nancy who live a few doors down and have a gorgeous dog called Dennis. I'd never really spoken to Nancy before but we got on really well and it was great to chat to her.

Gill and Tim arrived last and the noise of chatter increased as we all sipped our drinks and nibbled on snacks. Sue and Paul always put a huge spread on and tonight was no exception! There was enough food to feed an army!

We had a great night and were the last to leave (first to arrive as well!) so it was almost 1am when we got home to find both children still up. I think that we'll be taking things quietly now for the next few days!

Come Dine With Me!

I was very pleased that I'd decided to take the whole day off work today as I had so much to do to prepare for the Come Dine With Me evening. Originally I was just going to have the afternoon off!

My first task of the day was to take the kids to school and then it was back home to prepare the beef stroganoff. I was still a bit worried about this dish as I hadn't got the flavour completely right the last time I'd made it. Keith cut the rump steak into strips for me, I fried the onions in butter and then browned the meat. After cooking the mushrooms I made a beef stock and then let the whole dish marinate in the fridge, to be cooked later.

After a very quick breakfast I cleaned the conservatory and set the table and I was really pleased with the finished result. Keith sprayed stars onto the windows and put up some fake icicles while I sorted all the crockery and cutlery out. We moved a table into the conservatory as I wanted us to have our pre-dinner drinks in there rather than the chaotic living room!

The rest of the day was spent cooking and cleaning and at 2pm I had to go and pick Sophie up from school as she was finishing early today. From the school we popped over to Tesco's where I bought some fresh fruit and nibbles and then it was home to make my Blinis. My meringue for my Pavlova hadn't turned out very well so I threw it away and started all over again. This time I made sure the egg whites were really well whipped!

The Blinis turned out fine so I set them aside and put the beef Stroganoff into the oven to cook slowly. By the time I concentrated on myself I was shattered! The girls arrived at 7.30pm and by now the weather had turned really stormy. They thought the conservatory looked beautiful (it did) so we had a couple of cocktails -a choice of either a Moscow Mule or a Black Russian - and then it was down to the meal. I was really pleased with how everything had turned out, especially as I do get very nervous cooking for friends! The beef Stroganoff had a lot more flavour (I added French mustard) and my Pavlova was a huge success. I'm definitely making that again!

It was a very late evening and the girls didn't go until 1am as they had to wait an hour for a taxi so I was dead on my feet when I eventually made it to bed!

The last of the Christmas shopping...I hope!

After work this evening Sophie and I drove off to Milton Keynes to do the last of our Christmas shopping. It was busier than the last time we went but I still managed to park quite easily and we were soon in the vast shopping centre.

Sustenance was needed first so we made for Marks and Spencer and we each had a coffee and a bite to eat (a warmed mince pie for me!). I then went and bought Keith some clothes, a bottle of English whisky for my Dad and a Port and cheese set for Lynda.

Sophie wanted to go to River Island to get some gifts for her friends so I headed for Boots and bought the children a few stocking fillers. We met up outside the store and then walked over to Waterstones on the way back to the car. I bought Mum a Sharon Osbourne autobiography and two football books for Keith, who is notoriously difficult to buy for!

We were both a wee bit weary by now and we were laden down with heavy bags so we decided to call it a day and headed back to the car. It seemed that everyone else had had the same idea as getting out of the multi storey car park was very difficult. It took us almost half an hour from getting back to the car to making it onto the surrounding roads so that was something I hadn't bargained for!

We had a good journey home and then it was baked potatoes for dinner. Perfect for a cold and rainy winter's evening!

Such busy days!

Yesterday and today have been very busy indeed. On Tuesday we carried on with sorting things out with regards to the burglary and trying to find out more from the CCTV pictures. Sophie worked in the evening but rather than stay at work I went home and made loads of lists to prepare for my dinner party on Friday night.

Even though Mikey had taken today off with an upset tum, he still managed to make it to his Army Cadet night. I think that the thought of a small Christmas party may have helped as it was the last evening before they finished for the holidays!

Wednesday was spent literally rushing about like a mad thing! We had to stay at work until 1pm and I'd planned on buying all the food but I just ran out of time and all I ended up getting was the beef and the salmon. Keith has promised he will buy the veggies for me on Friday so that was a bit of a bonus!

Sophie and I were due to go to the gym after work but we were both shattered and I just couldn't face the thought of an hour's exercise. Even a session in the spa didn't appeal so we went home and relaxed - tomorrow we're off to Milton Keynes to do the last of our shopping so maybe one night without doing anything was a good idea!

A bit of a shock...

I had a feeling that today wouldn't be a good day on the way to work this morning when the traffic ground to a halt in one of the villages, for no apparent reason. It turned out to be because someone had been hurt badly - either he'd been run over or had collapsed - as when I drove past, the man was lying on the ground covered by blankets.

It was pretty sobering, especially as the accident had happened opposite a bus stop used by local children. I drove into work and was surprised to get a call from Sophie saying that my Dad had called to say that the alarm was going off at work. Thinking it was the Nursery girls arriving, I wasn't too worried until I got into work to discover that it was very serious indeed.

The alarm had gone off at 8am which was very surprising seeing as we normally have staff in at that time and for one minute we were a bit alarmed thinking that the burglars were still in the building. The safe had been unlocked and all the weekend takings had been stolen...

Whoever it was knew exactly where we kept the key which was very worrying. Other things bothered me as well, because two doors hadn't been secured properly and our security light was still on. The police came out and I looked at the CCTV to see if I could spot anyone in the building at 8am, but there was nothing.

We later discovered that the alarm had gone off at just before 3am and we were able to see two men running through the play area en route to our office. The alarm goes through to a central station who then ring our security company who are supposed to come out to investigate but we don't know what happened as nothing had been reported to us at that early hour, only the 8am alarm which still remains a mystery.

To make matters worse, our cleaner had taken today off, so after sorting out everything, we had all the cleaning to do! I'd already decided to give the gym a miss tonight so Sophie and I went off home and she suggested that Keith and I go out for a drink to try and relax after the stressful day. We walked up to the pub in the village only to remember half way there that it closes on a Monday! Typical! Retracing our steps we got into the car and drove over to The Hare at Loddington where we had a very pleasant couple of drinks and ended up chatting to a man at the bar who had just moved into the village. At least the end of the day was a lot better than the start!

No rest for the wicked!

If I thought I was going to have a relaxing day after my hectic trip, I was wrong! I had loads of things planned and I did manage to achieve most of them!

Keith and I took Sophie to work this morning and luckily the Tesco delivery man was waiting up the road for 11am so he could come along and give me all the goodies I'd ordered for Mum and Dad's hamper. That meant I didn't have to hang around at work for an hour, which was a bonus!

On the way home I put some more diesel in the car, gave it a good wash and treated myself to a Costa Coffee Latte. I had a feeling I needed the caffeine! Back at home I helped Keith prepare the veggies for dinner and then I had to put on hold the plans I had to hoover the car out as it started to rain heavily. So much for my car wash! Instead I started on my Blinis by mixing my two flours (Buckwheat and strong white plain flour) adding yeast and two egg yolks. I left them to rise for an hour and then added two whisked egg whites to the bubbly mixture and waited another hour for it to rise some more.

Keith was hanging about wanting me to cook the Blinis for lunch so I duly obliged, adding the batter to hot melted butter and cooking them like pancakes. We both agreed they tasted good, but it's the topping that really counts so I've decided on soft cheese with smoked salmon on the top.

After I made the Blinis I made another loaf of bread - white this week - as I had loads of flour left from the Blinis. I was really pleased with the results and I'll take the loaf into work tomorrow to make sandwiches for us all.

Before I left to pick Sophie up from work I put a colour on my hair (badger, be gone!) and then spent the rest of the evening eating Keith's lovely roast and watching a bit more of Dr Zhivago...I think I'm just about ready for my Come Dine With Me evening!

Arras Christmas Market

After a so-so night's sleep (I never sleep well in a strange bed, although the Premier Inn beds are wonderful) we were up at 6am and getting ready. Our ferry was leaving at 8.25am so we had to be in the port 45 minutes beforehand. I managed to set the smoke alarm off in our room when I was blow-drying my hair as I caught some hairs in the motor inside and they sizzled a bit! Ouch! Mum and Dad heard the noise from their room a bit further along the hall and wondered what on earth was going on!

It was looking to be a gorgeous day and we made it to the port within five minutes. However, we were selected for an extra security check so I had to drive into a huge shed and open the bonnet and boot while an official quizzed me about where I was going and had anyone given me anything to take abroad? That completed we checked in and within a very short time we were boarding the P&O Pride of Canterbury for the 90 minute crossing.

It wasn't the most pleasant of journeys I've had! The boat was very busy indeed (Duty Free was rammed!) and we found it difficult to find a place to sit once we'd left the restaurant where we'd had breakfast. There was also a strange smell pervading the ship (unwashed bodies, I'm afraid) that was really off-putting! For once, I wished I'd decided to take the Shuttle!

However, we docked at Calais and the sun was shining, so that was great. I'd dreaded the weather being wet and horrible! It took us an hour to make the very easy trip down to Arras on the A26. The autoroute was almost empty - just a handful of cars and lorries using the road - so it was a very pleasant trip. The countryside along the way was very rural with occasional small villages dotted about, lots of woods and, in the distance, slag heaps, as this area of Northern France used to be an important area for mining.

We arrived in Arras at midday and followed signs for "Le Village de Noel" parking, which was free. It meant we had a short walk to the main marketplace but seeing all the cars streaming towards the centre made me realise we'd done the right thing!

The Christmas Market was taking place in the main square but radiating out from it was the busy Saturday market which finishes at 2pm. We grabbed a quick, very creamy and sweet, hot chocolate before having a look around the market stalls.

There seemed to be many more cabins here than the last time we visited a few years back. There was even a carousel and a big wheel! It wasn't too busy so we were able to walk around and have a good look at the cabins and all the goodies on offer, which included local produce, hot wine, beer and cider, jewellery, leather goods and Christmas decorations.

Mum bought some baubles for her tree while I bought a little soft Father Christmas to sit on the table in the living room along with two others I have.

As expected Sophie bought some jewellery and Dad treated himself to a glass of hot red wine with spices. While Sophie was buying some earrings, she managed to drop the lens cap of her camera, that she'd borrowed from school, and lose it under one of the cabins. We tried to retrieve it but it had completely disappeared so she was a bit upset as she feared her teacher would be angry with her. Luckily, while we were waiting for our table to be ready at Le Petit Rat Porteur restaurant, we found a photographic shop and I bought a replacement for 8 euros!

Before lunch at 2pm we walked around the other market square in Arras. The market was being packed up and street cleaners were whizzing around washing the cobblestones.

I'd booked a table at Le Petit Rat Porteur by email so they were ready for us and I'm glad we did because the restaurant was packed with people eating. We were seated in the cellar part of the restaurant which was lovely.

The waiters were very friendly even though it was busy and appreciated the few words of French I spoke! Sophie and I had Flemish beef stewed in beer while Mum went for the house special of Beef Bourgignon. Dad chose different types of fish served in a creamy sauce with boiled potatoes. The food was lovely and very plentiful! Us girls made room for dessert - creme brulee for Sophie and I while Mum couldn't resist Fondant au Chocolat! Delicious!

By the time we'd finished our meal the place had emptied out completely and they'd finished cooking. We paid the bill (93 euros) and left to wander around the Christmas market again. This time the place was completely packed with people who must have arrived while we were eating lunch! Mum and Dad took a slow walk back to the car while Sophie and I bought a few more bits and I chose four beers for Keith as I wasn't sure we would have time to get to Cite Europe as planned.

By now it was almost 4pm French time so we headed back to the car (the traffic was horrendous) and managed to get out of the town very easily. However, we somehow missed the turn for the A26 so we had a trip along country roads to the nearby town of Lens! Luckily, from there we were able to pick up the autoroute for Calais and I stopped at one of the very handy "aires" to affix the headlight convertors as it was now getting dark (one of them fell off en route to Calais!).

We arrived in Calais at 5pm and it was really too late to try and find Cite Europe as we had to be back at the port by 6pm to get our ferry. We were able to get an earlier ferry, The Pride of Burgundy (the same one we came back from Berlin on) and by 5.30pm we were boarding. We found some comfortable seats straight away and I did some shopping in Duty Free - whisky and vodka for me, chocs for Mikey - and then had a much needed coffee to keep me awake for the long journey home. In my absence a trio of drunks had taken up residence nearby and were steadily working their way through a case of St Omer beer. I just hoped they weren't taking charge of a vehicle after the voyage!

We had a fast and uneventful journey home and it was heaven to jump in the shower, put my dressing gown on and relax before bed!