My car is really a taxi...

Tuesdays are normally spent catching up with paperwork and today was no exception so it was good to get home and finish off cleaning my car (I'd put it through the carwash on the way home) in the fresh air. No doubt it will rain all night now!

Sophie was meeting two of her friends for dinner tonight so I dropped her off at the Oriental Paradise restaurant in Billing while Keith took Mikey to Army cadets...will this taxi-driving ever come to an end?

We arrived home at the same time and had a very casual dinner as the children were out. At 9pm we both went to collect Mikey and then we drove over to pick up Sophie who'd had a great time and was stuffed. She said she had a "food baby" and they certainly made the most of the "All you can eat" menu! I am also going to this restaurant on Thursday evening with friends but I won't be making such a piggie of myself! Food baby indeed!!!

No rest for the wicked!

Today I felt a lot better than yesterday so I spent the afternoon helping Mum and Dad clear out the storage area we have behind our climbing wall at work. It was full of heavy scaffolding poles that Keith and Ian had dismantled a year ago. There were also about three million balls, a load of old netting and a large plastic slide that had to be removed and taken over to one of our storage units in the car park.

It was a good job I'd had a hearty (but not too hearty!) lunch as this gave me the energy to carry (or drag) all the heavy poles over and store them safely away. I noticed some bags of salt in the unit and casually remarked to Dad that we hadn't had to use them at all this winter...he said that if it snowed this week, then I'd be to blame!

Despite a busy day Sophie and I headed off to the gym after work and while my daughter did her routine with her friend Laura, I sweated it out on the cross-trainer and the bike, followed by a lovely swim. It was sheer bliss to sink into the warm water of the jacuzzi and relax after my busy day!

Not a good day!

I had so much planned for today and it's all gone a bit wrong!

I listened to the weather forecast which said that today would be dry and bright so I planned on getting out into the garden, washing both cars and making one more trip to the tip. However, the weather wasn't brilliant and there was still a nasty, cold wind blowing...not an ideal day to be sweeping up leaves!

I did venture out though and managed to collect all the leaves and branches that had gathered in front of the house. After about half an hour I started to feel dizzy again (this is becoming a problem) so I went inside and had a cup of coffee before going out again.

However, the dizziness persisted which forced me to go back inside and lie down, something I really didn't want to do. I took some Ibuprofen as I suspect I have arthritis in my neck but today they didn't work at all and the light-headedness lasted the rest of the day forcing me to abandon my plans and stay inside.

I called Mum as we had planned on going to Beckworth Emporium in the afternoon and cancelled as I was frightened of driving because I felt so dizzy. Foolishly, I had a bath and then felt even worse!

Thankfully, by the evening I felt better and tomorrow I'll make an appointment to see the doctor. I suspect that my intake of caffeine this morning may have also had something to do with my head feeling so strange so I may lay off the Espressos in the future!

Filling every minute!

I really feel like I've made the most of today. After an early start I hoovered the house and tried to do some cleaning which was a bit difficult as we had extremely low water pressure due to a burst water pipe in a nearby village.

It was a beautiful morning, although very windy. I hadn't intended to sort out the garage but I went out to sort out the cat bedding and before I knew it, the back of my car was full of stuff to go to the tip! Keith and I made one trip and then Sophie and I made another on the way to Market Harborough. I was really pleased with the result and being out in the garage meant we at last said hello to the female half of our new neighbours. She seems very quiet and didn't get out of her car until Tom was right next to her and we certainly didn't have a long conversation, but at least the ice is broken.

As planned, Sophie and I went to Market Harborough in the afternoon and had lunch in Caffe Nero. The town was blustery so we felt like we'd been dragged through a hedge backwards when we arrived in Duncan's shop for a wee vodka and gin tasting. A local company, Two Birds, were showcasing their drinks - gin, vodka and Absinthe - and very nice they were too! I had a small sample of each with Fever Tree (what else?) tonic and bought a mini bottle of each, plus a bottle of white wine, a beer for Keith and Fresita for Sophie.

From Market Harborough we drove to the gym for a swim as it's been such a long time since I've had a good swim and I miss going on a Saturday afternoon. The pool was a bit like human soup but I persevered (Sophie was working out upstairs) and then relaxed in the spa and the sauna. Bliss!

Friday again!

Another week has flown past and Friday has rolled over again. Mum and I popped to Booker and saw the owner of our rival play centre there! That's twice in two days! I know he knew who I was as he gave me a wry look as he passed by, as if to say "This is not really what I want to be doing today". He had a trolley piled high with shopping whereas we only had a few bits...so glad that we get our order delivered now!

We were busy at work but we had extra help so I was able to focus on office jobs and get everything finished for the weekend. After I'd picked Sophie up from school we left early to take a dress back to New Look and to look for the DVD of season 2 of How I Met Your Mother as she was getting withdrawal symptoms already!

It meant we were early for the gym which was quiet. We added a new exercise to our regime - a hand cycle which was fun, but hard going! Our session ended in the spa with a relaxing time as usual before it was time to head home, prepare the dinner and pick Keith up from the pub.

In the evening we watched the last two episodes of The Bridge and I was slightly disappointed with the finish...I know there's going to be a third series so I'll be looking forward to seeing what happens next!

Out to play

This morning Mum and I headed off to 360 Play in Leicester for a meeting with other members of BALPPA (British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions). We are part of a sub-group - the Family Entertainment Centre Association - so it was an opportunity to meet other operators and have a free lunch!

360 Play is a lovely, very modern play centre and this particular branch of the chain had only been open a year so it was all shiny and new. We had a coffee and then listened to a presentation on Marketing by perhaps the most boring speaker I've ever had the misfortune to listen to... We said hello to Phillip and his manager, Ben, who run another play centre in Northampton and who we are friends with, having formed an informal alliance to try and fight off the new, much bigger venue that opened last August.

Talking of which...the owners were sitting on the same row as us which was very interesting! We recognised them from their Facebook page but I'm not sure, at first, whether they knew who we were. Phillip said he was going to go and have a chat with them, which was admirable! I didn't dare!

After a very good lunch we had a wander around the play area trying to pick up tips for our own place. They have a large outdoor area which must be great in summer, but I still don't think it's enough to bring people in when the weather is good.

The afternoon session kicked off with an open forum and the owners of the new place certainly had a lot to say. For the new kids on the block they were brimming with self-confidence, which I suppose you need in this difficult industry. We all had a lot to say about Facebook (both positive and negative) and some of the points discussed were very interesting. At least it was a good opportunity to all come together and have a collective moan!

Phillip did indeed talk to one half of the couple but he didn't go into too much detail about what was said when I spoke to him. Perhaps I should have plucked up the courage to have a chat but I think Mum would have wanted to start an argument so maybe it was better to have maintained a dignified silence!

We drove back to Northampton in the pouring rain and rather than go all the way back to work we called it a day and went home. The evening was spent relaxing and listening to the rain pounding against the windows. More is expected over the weekend so flood warnings are being given...I really am behind with building that Ark!

Normal service resumed...

Things were back to normal today, thank goodness! Keith came into work with me as he usually does on a Wednesday and then it was off to the gym afterwards for a much-needed workout! I did all my usual weights plus thirty minutes of exercise on the cross-trainer, treadmill and bike.

Afterwards I went off to the spa and had a blissful half hour of wallowing in warm water and sweating it out in the steam room. Sophie was with her friend Laura so I had a very relaxing (and peaceful!) time!

Back at home Keith had cooked a roast dinner and it was heaven to sit down all together and have a meal. We were watching a recorded programme of The Bridge when the phone rang...it was the alarm people.

The alarm was going off and even though they had called our security company who were first on the list, we had to go in and check that everything was OK. It was a very windy night and we discovered that the alarm had gone off because of an interior door moving in the draught.

I hated being in the building - the noises from the roof were horrible and I really did think that someone was still in there. Thank goodness Keith was with me! I would never have gone in on my own!

By the time we got home it was almost 10pm so we decided to leave The Bridge until another time and just watch the news until it was time for bed!