Once we'd dropped Mike off at school Keith and I went into work to see Georgie about the heaters which were playing up. Every year, when they kick in as the temperatures drop, they set off the fire alarms so Georgie had turned them off completely and now one of them wouldn't work.
Ever since we've had them installed it's always been a bit hit and miss with getting them going and today was no exception! In the end Keith had to get up onto the ladder and press one of the buttons inside the heater and luckily this had the desired effect! We briefly saw Paula and Polly who'd come in for a staff meeting and then it was home to put off something that we'd been avoiding for weeks...replacing the sealant in our en-suite bathroom!
Keith set to work while I gave our bedroom a thorough clean...and did it need it! I took our curtains down, noticed that they were dry clean only and I was tempted to put them in the washing machine anyway, but in the end I just sponged them down and hung them up to dry. I didn't want to risk damaging them!
We spent most of the day cleaning and it felt great to see everything all nice and shiny again. I'm intending to spend the rest of the week giving the upstairs of the house a deep clean as it's long overdue!
Sophie had an appointment to have her nails done in the afternoon so I took her and sat outside in the car reading until she'd finished. The weather turned very stormy and I heard thunder in the distance while the rain lashed down. Later I discovered that there'd been a tornado in the town at around lunchtime!
Monday, 14 September 2015
Sunday, 13 September 2015
Enjoying the last of the summer sun
After dropping Sophie off at work today I called to see Mum and Dad and have a cup of coffee with them. We chatted about how different we were finding our lives now that we no longer ran our business and I think we're all a little sad that things have changed so much, even though it was a change we all wanted.
I helped them sort out the printer for their computer and then it was home to hoover the house and make a start on the garden. I mowed the front verge which took me all of two minutes and then spent the rest of the afternoon giving the back garden a really good tidy up. It all looked so much better when I finished!
At intervals I sat on our little seat with Monty and watched the birds flit about, and in particular the robin who kept appearing and looking at me intently! It's been a beautiful day today with lots of sunshine and blue skies, perfect for getting out into the garden and doing some much-needed work!
I helped them sort out the printer for their computer and then it was home to hoover the house and make a start on the garden. I mowed the front verge which took me all of two minutes and then spent the rest of the afternoon giving the back garden a really good tidy up. It all looked so much better when I finished!
At intervals I sat on our little seat with Monty and watched the birds flit about, and in particular the robin who kept appearing and looking at me intently! It's been a beautiful day today with lots of sunshine and blue skies, perfect for getting out into the garden and doing some much-needed work!
Saturday, 12 September 2015
Shopping around
After a morning spent doing very little Sophie, Mike and I went out in the afternoon to look at laptops in Currys PC World. On the way we drove around the university campus but access to the part that Sophie will be mostly using was blocked by a barrier so we couldn't go any further. We did see signs for the building though so she'll know where to go next week when she takes part in Welcome Week.
We drove to Riverside and had a look at the iPods for Mike as his has died completely. The store was very busy but we did manage to speak to a member of staff who pointed out some laptops that would suit Sophie. The one thing we did find annoying was that she would have to buy Microsoft Office separately and it cost just over £100, which certainly added to the price of the laptop. PC World quoted Sophie £165 to add the word processing package, anti-virus security and to put everything to the machine which I thought was a bit steep!
Mike wanted to get his iPod (he's paying for it) so after some difficulty and confusion, we managed to buy a 32GB blue model and he was very happy. I treated them both to a drink and a snack in Costa Coffee which was also heaving with people. In fact, the whole shopping area was very busy and I did always say I was going to avoid Riverside at the weekends!
Back home we had a few hours to relax before I had to take Mike to a party in the nearby village of Boughton. Sophie and I watched two episodes of A Place in The Sun: Winter Sun set on the islands of Antigua and St Lucia. The houses were beautiful and made me very envious!
Mike was going to a Hawaiian themed party so he wore a flowery shirt, shorts and flip flops. Luckily he was staying overnight so when we got back from taking him I could indulge in a glass of wine!
We drove to Riverside and had a look at the iPods for Mike as his has died completely. The store was very busy but we did manage to speak to a member of staff who pointed out some laptops that would suit Sophie. The one thing we did find annoying was that she would have to buy Microsoft Office separately and it cost just over £100, which certainly added to the price of the laptop. PC World quoted Sophie £165 to add the word processing package, anti-virus security and to put everything to the machine which I thought was a bit steep!
Mike wanted to get his iPod (he's paying for it) so after some difficulty and confusion, we managed to buy a 32GB blue model and he was very happy. I treated them both to a drink and a snack in Costa Coffee which was also heaving with people. In fact, the whole shopping area was very busy and I did always say I was going to avoid Riverside at the weekends!
Back home we had a few hours to relax before I had to take Mike to a party in the nearby village of Boughton. Sophie and I watched two episodes of A Place in The Sun: Winter Sun set on the islands of Antigua and St Lucia. The houses were beautiful and made me very envious!
Mike was going to a Hawaiian themed party so he wore a flowery shirt, shorts and flip flops. Luckily he was staying overnight so when we got back from taking him I could indulge in a glass of wine!
Friday, 11 September 2015
Rushing about!
Sophie had an appointment with the doctor this morning and I urged her to ask about a meningitis jab that's available to all students starting university this year. Suddenly mixing with lots of people from different backgrounds puts the youngsters at a higher risk of contracting the disease so I was glad that she booked the injection for next Friday before she starts. This month is flying by!
When we got home my daughter rushed to get ready as she was going to a barbecue at Brixworth country park where all her old school mates were meeting. Her friend Daisy collected her so Keith and I were able to get out for another walk. It was a beautiful day again with blue skies, lots of fluffy white clouds and sunshine. We reversed the walk we did the other day and went into the nature reserve hoping to see some wildlife.
We didn't have any luck today though, but we were out for almost two hours and it felt great to get some exercise and fresh air. I certainly felt a lot better when I arrived home!
Mike went to Brixworth in the afternoon and I arranged to pick both him and Sophie up at 7pm. At the moment we've been using Keith's little Honda a lot so at least my car has had a bit of a rest this week! I picked both of them up then sped home to finish off the fish pie we were having for dinner. By the time I'd collected Keith from the pub and served up dinner I was more than ready for my glass of wine!
When we got home my daughter rushed to get ready as she was going to a barbecue at Brixworth country park where all her old school mates were meeting. Her friend Daisy collected her so Keith and I were able to get out for another walk. It was a beautiful day again with blue skies, lots of fluffy white clouds and sunshine. We reversed the walk we did the other day and went into the nature reserve hoping to see some wildlife.
We didn't have any luck today though, but we were out for almost two hours and it felt great to get some exercise and fresh air. I certainly felt a lot better when I arrived home!
Mike went to Brixworth in the afternoon and I arranged to pick both him and Sophie up at 7pm. At the moment we've been using Keith's little Honda a lot so at least my car has had a bit of a rest this week! I picked both of them up then sped home to finish off the fish pie we were having for dinner. By the time I'd collected Keith from the pub and served up dinner I was more than ready for my glass of wine!
Thursday, 10 September 2015
Just pottering...
The morning was spent pottering about the house and doing very little. It feels so strange to be at home all the time now as I can't kid myself that I'm still on holiday from work! Thankfully today has been glorious with plenty of sunshine and blue skies so we sat out in the garden for a little while and just enjoyed the good weather.
In the afternoon Keith and I made out a meal plan for the rest of the week and decided to go and do the shopping today rather than try and squeeze it in tomorrow morning. We went at 3pm so Tesco was very quiet indeed and it was lovely to wander along the empty aisles and not be pressurised by anyone.
We did the whole week's shopping (we could barely get it all in the trolley!) and then went home to pack it all away. Sophie's been at home all day today having a rest from work so it's been great to spend some time with her before her university course starts at the end of September.
After we'd packed everything away Keith and I went to the pub for a quick drink and sat in the window watching all the comings and goings in the village. The pub was quiet and it was lovely to sit and relax and have a chat!
In the afternoon Keith and I made out a meal plan for the rest of the week and decided to go and do the shopping today rather than try and squeeze it in tomorrow morning. We went at 3pm so Tesco was very quiet indeed and it was lovely to wander along the empty aisles and not be pressurised by anyone.
We did the whole week's shopping (we could barely get it all in the trolley!) and then went home to pack it all away. Sophie's been at home all day today having a rest from work so it's been great to spend some time with her before her university course starts at the end of September.
After we'd packed everything away Keith and I went to the pub for a quick drink and sat in the window watching all the comings and goings in the village. The pub was quiet and it was lovely to sit and relax and have a chat!
Wednesday, 9 September 2015
Delving into the past...
This morning we went to meet my parents to look at a house in Kingsthorpe. It was a new-build and was situated not far from all the shops and restaurants in the Northampton suburb. I thought it would be ideal for my parents as they could walk to the supermarkets and other shops and not have to use their car all the time, as they do now.
The house was really just a shell but it had four bedrooms, a decent garden and a garage. Mum and Dad will need to make a decision soon as, although they've had two offers on their house, the people interested haven't sold their own houses yet.
We were there for about half an hour and then we went off to Jones's as Sophie needed stuff for university which is looming alarmingly on the horizon. From there we popped into Homebase where we looked at paint colour (we still haven't decorated the living room) and then Keith treated us to a coffee in the Costa Coffee within Next.
After this Sophie went to meet her friends Daisy and Laura as they were having lunch at Pizza Hut. Keith and I went home and I spent the afternoon doing some research on Keith's family tree as his mother's birth certificate had arrived in the post. The circumstances around his mother's early life is a mystery as she was listed as living with another family as a boarder when she was about eight years old, so I'm hoping we can do some detective work and find out what happened!
The house was really just a shell but it had four bedrooms, a decent garden and a garage. Mum and Dad will need to make a decision soon as, although they've had two offers on their house, the people interested haven't sold their own houses yet.
We were there for about half an hour and then we went off to Jones's as Sophie needed stuff for university which is looming alarmingly on the horizon. From there we popped into Homebase where we looked at paint colour (we still haven't decorated the living room) and then Keith treated us to a coffee in the Costa Coffee within Next.
After this Sophie went to meet her friends Daisy and Laura as they were having lunch at Pizza Hut. Keith and I went home and I spent the afternoon doing some research on Keith's family tree as his mother's birth certificate had arrived in the post. The circumstances around his mother's early life is a mystery as she was listed as living with another family as a boarder when she was about eight years old, so I'm hoping we can do some detective work and find out what happened!
Tuesday, 8 September 2015
A walk in the woods
Today was supposed to have been lovely and sunny but we've had thick grey cloud all day which hasn't been pleasant!
After a slowish start Keith and I went for a walk at lunchtime to get out, get some fresh air and have some exercise. I really want to get back into a daily walk and there's no excuse now!
We went over the fields and then headed down to the nature reserve to walk along the perimeter fence. It was very quiet in the woods and although we saw a squirrel and a pheasant, there was not much else about. I thought of all the people at work and felt very lucky to be able to get out and have a walk in the middle of the day.
We went back along a track that leads up to our village and then it was home for a bath and a late lunch. Mum and Dad popped around in the afternoon and we talked about their weekend away in Wales and what they'd got up to.
Mike was at Army cadets in the evening and we dropped him off at a different place to normal. He was going to be out in some fields and was planning on wearing camouflage paint all over his face! When it was time to pick him up, naturally we went back to where we'd dropped him off but as the time went on and they didn't appear we grew a little worried. There were three other cars waiting and after fifteen minutes I got out of the car to peer over the gate leading into the field. They were nowhere to be seen and I stopped and chatted to another mum who was also waiting. We agreed that they were finishing their session later and later but it really looked like we'd all come to the wrong place this evening.
This was confirmed two minutes later when the woman knocked on the window of the car and said we had to go to the usual place to pick them up! Typical! Talk about miscommunication! Mike was covered in "camo" when we collected him but told us he'd been promoted to shooter for the cadets and had a couple more badges to be sewn onto his uniform!
After a slowish start Keith and I went for a walk at lunchtime to get out, get some fresh air and have some exercise. I really want to get back into a daily walk and there's no excuse now!
We went over the fields and then headed down to the nature reserve to walk along the perimeter fence. It was very quiet in the woods and although we saw a squirrel and a pheasant, there was not much else about. I thought of all the people at work and felt very lucky to be able to get out and have a walk in the middle of the day.
We went back along a track that leads up to our village and then it was home for a bath and a late lunch. Mum and Dad popped around in the afternoon and we talked about their weekend away in Wales and what they'd got up to.
Mike was at Army cadets in the evening and we dropped him off at a different place to normal. He was going to be out in some fields and was planning on wearing camouflage paint all over his face! When it was time to pick him up, naturally we went back to where we'd dropped him off but as the time went on and they didn't appear we grew a little worried. There were three other cars waiting and after fifteen minutes I got out of the car to peer over the gate leading into the field. They were nowhere to be seen and I stopped and chatted to another mum who was also waiting. We agreed that they were finishing their session later and later but it really looked like we'd all come to the wrong place this evening.
This was confirmed two minutes later when the woman knocked on the window of the car and said we had to go to the usual place to pick them up! Typical! Talk about miscommunication! Mike was covered in "camo" when we collected him but told us he'd been promoted to shooter for the cadets and had a couple more badges to be sewn onto his uniform!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)