Today was Mike's last exam and maybe even his last school day, unless he heads back to Sixth Form in September, which we are hoping he will do. It was typical that when we took him to school for 9am the traffic was horrendous and at one point we thought he would have to get out and walk as the jam was so bad!
Sophie was working today as well, from 10.30am until 2.30pm so we dropped her off and then went back to collect Mike. From school we headed into town as I had an application form for being a volunteer at our local Citizen's Advice Bureau and I wanted to drop it off and see where the office was. Volunteering would be a way of helping with my counselling course and it's something I'm really interested in doing.
After we arrived back home Keith and I went out again and did some shopping for the rest of the week. After going out to collect Sophie again I made the most of the fine dry weather and cut our back lawn as it was covered in daisies again!
In the evening Sophie's friend Daisy came around for dinner and the plan was for the girls to order pizza. However, the only restaurant that would deliver to us was in the middle of Northampton and it would take an hour! It's very annoying that we have so much trouble having takeaways delivered...it's not like we live half way up a mountain in the Scottish Highlands!
Keith and I timed our dinner to the girls' delivery and when the pizza arrived the man bringing it was very odd indeed and said that they wouldn't normally come so far out and asked for a bit more on the cost! Bizarrely he had brought four pizzas and not just the two they'd ordered!
Tuesday, 21 June 2016
Monday, 20 June 2016
A spot of shopping
We've had another morning of heavy rain and grey skies - not exactly what I envisaged for my first summer off!
At lunchtime we drove over to Milton Keynes as we needed to buy Mike a shirt and some shoes for his Prom on Friday. That seems to have come around very quickly! Sophie bought some cream in the MAC outlet in Debenhams and then we joined Keith and Mikey in Top Man where we picked out a lovely white shirt and some great shoes.
Sophie and Mike headed off to River Island while Keith and I went to a specialist watch and clock shop to try and get a valuation on a very different Seiko watch that Keith was given years ago. The man in the shop wasn't that helpful but said it was probably worth about £100.
We re-joined the children and walked over to the Xscape building as we'd decided to have lunch at Ask Italian. I'd found a voucher online for 30% off main courses so we thought we'd give it a go. I'd never eaten there before but Sophie was a fan and said the pizzas were very good.
The restaurant was almost empty so we were seated quickly and ordered drinks. Keith and I decided to go for the Pollo Milanese for our main courses, Sophie went for Linguine Carbonara while Mike had the Stromboli Pizza. We all munched on cheesy garlic bread to start.
My meal was OK, but nothing to rave about and the mushroom sauce that covered my breaded chicken breast had a slightly weird flavour. There was also a lot of green stuff on my plate that got stuck in my teeth! Still, we saved just over £14 with our voucher, although the drinks were on the hefty side with Keith's bottle of beer costing nearly £7!
After lunch we walked slowly back to the car and Sophie resisted buying any more make-up! She is being good! We drove home and spent the rest of the day relaxing in the conservatory with a game or two of cards over a drink. Keith went upstairs to watch the football in the evening while Sophie and I indulged in a film - Fatal Attraction. It was great to see it again and wonderful to witness Sophie's reaction to a couple of iconic moments in the film!
At lunchtime we drove over to Milton Keynes as we needed to buy Mike a shirt and some shoes for his Prom on Friday. That seems to have come around very quickly! Sophie bought some cream in the MAC outlet in Debenhams and then we joined Keith and Mikey in Top Man where we picked out a lovely white shirt and some great shoes.
Sophie and Mike headed off to River Island while Keith and I went to a specialist watch and clock shop to try and get a valuation on a very different Seiko watch that Keith was given years ago. The man in the shop wasn't that helpful but said it was probably worth about £100.
We re-joined the children and walked over to the Xscape building as we'd decided to have lunch at Ask Italian. I'd found a voucher online for 30% off main courses so we thought we'd give it a go. I'd never eaten there before but Sophie was a fan and said the pizzas were very good.
The restaurant was almost empty so we were seated quickly and ordered drinks. Keith and I decided to go for the Pollo Milanese for our main courses, Sophie went for Linguine Carbonara while Mike had the Stromboli Pizza. We all munched on cheesy garlic bread to start.
My meal was OK, but nothing to rave about and the mushroom sauce that covered my breaded chicken breast had a slightly weird flavour. There was also a lot of green stuff on my plate that got stuck in my teeth! Still, we saved just over £14 with our voucher, although the drinks were on the hefty side with Keith's bottle of beer costing nearly £7!
After lunch we walked slowly back to the car and Sophie resisted buying any more make-up! She is being good! We drove home and spent the rest of the day relaxing in the conservatory with a game or two of cards over a drink. Keith went upstairs to watch the football in the evening while Sophie and I indulged in a film - Fatal Attraction. It was great to see it again and wonderful to witness Sophie's reaction to a couple of iconic moments in the film!
Sunday, 19 June 2016
Celebrating Dads!
I woke up feeling a little groggy this morning and slightly under the weather. Not a good thing when I had so much to do! After we took Sophie to work I had some breakfast and then prepared the Coq au Vin I was making for tonight's dinner, when my parents were due around for a meal. I also prepared all the vegetables and made a Key Lime Pie.
By the early afternoon I felt better but I did have a lovely nap just as the Grand Prix started and when I woke up I felt a lot better. I hoovered downstairs and set the table and after having a soak in the bath I was able to relax for half an hour while watching Insane Pools!
Keith and I picked Sophie up at 6pm and I put the finishing touches to the dinner before Mum and Dad arrived at 7.30pm. My Dad had had a great day of doing very little and loved his present of wine. In the past I've bought him whisky but I get the feeling he now prefers a good bottle of red!
We had a lovely meal and a good chat over dinner. Outside it began to rain heavily and I did wonder whether we are in for a bad summer this year. Tomorrow is the Summer Solstice and the weather is supposed to be unsettled for the rest of the week. Not good!
By the early afternoon I felt better but I did have a lovely nap just as the Grand Prix started and when I woke up I felt a lot better. I hoovered downstairs and set the table and after having a soak in the bath I was able to relax for half an hour while watching Insane Pools!
Keith and I picked Sophie up at 6pm and I put the finishing touches to the dinner before Mum and Dad arrived at 7.30pm. My Dad had had a great day of doing very little and loved his present of wine. In the past I've bought him whisky but I get the feeling he now prefers a good bottle of red!
We had a lovely meal and a good chat over dinner. Outside it began to rain heavily and I did wonder whether we are in for a bad summer this year. Tomorrow is the Summer Solstice and the weather is supposed to be unsettled for the rest of the week. Not good!
Saturday, 18 June 2016
An evening out
Today dawned overcast and grey which seems to be the norm at the moment! Sophie and I went off to Majestic in Northampton as I needed to buy some wine for my Dad for Father's Day. I chose three bottles of his favourite Rioja, Marques de Caceres, and bought a Gran Reserva, a Reserva and a Crianza. It was slightly more than I was intending to spend but I know he'll love the present so it was worth it.
On the way home we collected Mike from Brixworth, had some lunch and then headed off to Guilsborough to go to a flea market that I had seen advertised when we were going to the surgery. It was being held in the village hall and wasn't very large but we did have some lovely cake and a cup of tea and a chat with a couple of the stall-holders. People kept giving us funny looks, probably because we're not village natives and they wondered who we were! We had a couple of looks around the tables and although I saw some nice plants, nothing else really caught my eye.
In the evening we walked across the road to Sue and Paul's house for dinner. Unfortunately their garden is still not finished so my hope of sitting on their new terrace, gazing at the view with a chilled glass of bubbly did not materialise! We had the bubbly and the view but even if the garden had been finished we wouldn't have sat outside as it was still grey and gloomy.
Richard and Michelle, our new neighbours, were also invited and Sue had asked that each couple bring two bottles of wine so we could do a "Is It Worth It?" evening. Sue and Paul supplied a bottle of Prosecco and some Champagne, Richard and Michelle brought two Verdicchio wines from Italy while I went for an old stand-by, Chateauneuf-du-Pape and a bottle of Cotes du Rhone Villages. I'm very pleased to say that we all predicted which bottle was the more expensive!
We had a nice meal of lasagne, fried potatoes and salad followed by two delicious puds of lemon trifle or meringues. Bailey and Archie were very much in attendance and more than once I had a cold nose pushed onto my lap! The conversation, like the wine, flowed and it was midnight before we left!
On the way home we collected Mike from Brixworth, had some lunch and then headed off to Guilsborough to go to a flea market that I had seen advertised when we were going to the surgery. It was being held in the village hall and wasn't very large but we did have some lovely cake and a cup of tea and a chat with a couple of the stall-holders. People kept giving us funny looks, probably because we're not village natives and they wondered who we were! We had a couple of looks around the tables and although I saw some nice plants, nothing else really caught my eye.
In the evening we walked across the road to Sue and Paul's house for dinner. Unfortunately their garden is still not finished so my hope of sitting on their new terrace, gazing at the view with a chilled glass of bubbly did not materialise! We had the bubbly and the view but even if the garden had been finished we wouldn't have sat outside as it was still grey and gloomy.
Richard and Michelle, our new neighbours, were also invited and Sue had asked that each couple bring two bottles of wine so we could do a "Is It Worth It?" evening. Sue and Paul supplied a bottle of Prosecco and some Champagne, Richard and Michelle brought two Verdicchio wines from Italy while I went for an old stand-by, Chateauneuf-du-Pape and a bottle of Cotes du Rhone Villages. I'm very pleased to say that we all predicted which bottle was the more expensive!
We had a nice meal of lasagne, fried potatoes and salad followed by two delicious puds of lemon trifle or meringues. Bailey and Archie were very much in attendance and more than once I had a cold nose pushed onto my lap! The conversation, like the wine, flowed and it was midnight before we left!
Friday, 17 June 2016
Idiots on the road!
This morning I seem to have spent all my time driving about...and going nowhere!
I took Mike to school at 9am which was a bit of a shock to the system as he has got used to afternoon exams or not having to go in at all. After today he only has one exam left and then it's all over!
When I arrived back home I had just enough time to make myself a cup of coffee and some toast before it was time to take Keith to the doctor's and Sophie to work. I will be really glad when Keith is able to drive again! We left at 9.30am and headed off to Guilsborough via Brixworth. It was in the village that a man, coming around a bend, nearly hit me as he was on my side of the road. It was in the middle of the village and none of us could believe how bad his driving was! Instead of apologising to me, he just drove on and wouldn't look at us...he knew he was in the wrong!
I dropped Keith off at the surgery and then drove back to Northampton to take Sophie to work for 10.30am. The new company have imposed quite strict rules now and it meant that Sophie couldn't start work earlier than her allotted time. It would have been ideal in the old days to have dropped her at work after I'd taken Mike to school but it would have meant her sitting waiting for two hours...madness!
I left her at work and then decided to collect Mike from school on the way back to picking Keith up. However, I became embroiled in the mother of all jams in Moulton as a bus driver decided she couldn't fit through a gap between a van and a car and so made us all wait until the van moved. We were at a standstill for a good ten minutes and I was well and truly stuck! People were getting out of their vehicles and shouting at both the bus driver and the van driver but they wouldn't budge!
I got to the school at 10.20am but there was nowhere to park at all and there was building work going on in the grounds. I have a horror of getting in someone's way and them shouting at me so I made the (wrong) decision to go back to Guilsborough and pick Keith up as I was sure he would have finished seeing the doctor by the time I got there.
At the moment there seem to be roadworks everywhere and I had to negotiate four sets of temporary traffic lights on my way back to Guilsborough! When I got there I called Keith and he said he hadn't even been seen by the doctor yet! I knew I should have waited at the school!
Eventually Keith emerged from the surgery and we went to collect Mike who had been waiting almost an hour, poor thing! The doctor thinks Keith has a haematoma, a build-up of blood and other fluids that should disperse naturally. We were very relieved!
We went to get a newspaper and rewarded Mikey with a bar of chocolate which cheered him up so we were forgiven! My driving woes hadn't ended, though...on the way home we came across a Fiesta driven by someone who obviously didn't like to go fast. Once in the village, just before a crossroads, she came to a sudden halt and I nearly went into the back of her. There was no indication of where she was going, so in a fury I sounded my horn at her and managed to get past. It was a relief to get home, have a cup of tea and calm down!
I took Mike to school at 9am which was a bit of a shock to the system as he has got used to afternoon exams or not having to go in at all. After today he only has one exam left and then it's all over!
When I arrived back home I had just enough time to make myself a cup of coffee and some toast before it was time to take Keith to the doctor's and Sophie to work. I will be really glad when Keith is able to drive again! We left at 9.30am and headed off to Guilsborough via Brixworth. It was in the village that a man, coming around a bend, nearly hit me as he was on my side of the road. It was in the middle of the village and none of us could believe how bad his driving was! Instead of apologising to me, he just drove on and wouldn't look at us...he knew he was in the wrong!
I dropped Keith off at the surgery and then drove back to Northampton to take Sophie to work for 10.30am. The new company have imposed quite strict rules now and it meant that Sophie couldn't start work earlier than her allotted time. It would have been ideal in the old days to have dropped her at work after I'd taken Mike to school but it would have meant her sitting waiting for two hours...madness!
I left her at work and then decided to collect Mike from school on the way back to picking Keith up. However, I became embroiled in the mother of all jams in Moulton as a bus driver decided she couldn't fit through a gap between a van and a car and so made us all wait until the van moved. We were at a standstill for a good ten minutes and I was well and truly stuck! People were getting out of their vehicles and shouting at both the bus driver and the van driver but they wouldn't budge!
I got to the school at 10.20am but there was nowhere to park at all and there was building work going on in the grounds. I have a horror of getting in someone's way and them shouting at me so I made the (wrong) decision to go back to Guilsborough and pick Keith up as I was sure he would have finished seeing the doctor by the time I got there.
At the moment there seem to be roadworks everywhere and I had to negotiate four sets of temporary traffic lights on my way back to Guilsborough! When I got there I called Keith and he said he hadn't even been seen by the doctor yet! I knew I should have waited at the school!
Eventually Keith emerged from the surgery and we went to collect Mike who had been waiting almost an hour, poor thing! The doctor thinks Keith has a haematoma, a build-up of blood and other fluids that should disperse naturally. We were very relieved!
We went to get a newspaper and rewarded Mikey with a bar of chocolate which cheered him up so we were forgiven! My driving woes hadn't ended, though...on the way home we came across a Fiesta driven by someone who obviously didn't like to go fast. Once in the village, just before a crossroads, she came to a sudden halt and I nearly went into the back of her. There was no indication of where she was going, so in a fury I sounded my horn at her and managed to get past. It was a relief to get home, have a cup of tea and calm down!
Thursday, 16 June 2016
Lunchtime gossip
We had a bit of a manic morning today as we had to do the shopping, drop off Keith's samples at the doctor's and tidy the house as my friend Lynda was coming for lunch.
Mike didn't have any exams today so we left him in bed, rushed over to the surgery in Guilsborough and then took the busy A14 to Kettering. Shopping was a stressful experience as both Tesco and Aldi were busy - whether it was because we were earlier than normal I don't know, but next week we'll stick to our usual time!
Once we'd bought enough food to last us until Sunday (we just didn't have time for a full shop) we dashed home, put it all away and then cleaned downstairs in readiness for Lynda who arrived at midday. She looked a bit tired and worried as she is having problems with her job at the moment and has been signed off sick for a month. She is adamant she doesn't want to go back at all. We had a great chat over lunch of dips, pork pies, pizza and chicken goujons and the children joined us so Lynda could see her God children! By the end of the meal she looked a lot happier and said it had been great to talk to me about her future. She is seriously considering taking retirement as she has a couple of pensions and we also talked about my plans to start a business or do counselling full-time.
The weather today has been another mix of sunshine and showers and we've had weather warnings for heavy and prolonged rain although we haven't had any thunder, which is a shame! I was all set to sit in the garden after Lynda left but Mike wanted a lift to Brixworth and by the time we came back the sun had disappeared behind some thick clouds.
I had a soak in the bath later in the afternoon and then a snooze on our bed while watching Pointless. It seems ages since we've done that! After collecting Mike from Brixworth we all sat and played cards in the conservatory and had a very simple supper of cheese and biscuits. I was still full from lunch!
Mike didn't have any exams today so we left him in bed, rushed over to the surgery in Guilsborough and then took the busy A14 to Kettering. Shopping was a stressful experience as both Tesco and Aldi were busy - whether it was because we were earlier than normal I don't know, but next week we'll stick to our usual time!
Once we'd bought enough food to last us until Sunday (we just didn't have time for a full shop) we dashed home, put it all away and then cleaned downstairs in readiness for Lynda who arrived at midday. She looked a bit tired and worried as she is having problems with her job at the moment and has been signed off sick for a month. She is adamant she doesn't want to go back at all. We had a great chat over lunch of dips, pork pies, pizza and chicken goujons and the children joined us so Lynda could see her God children! By the end of the meal she looked a lot happier and said it had been great to talk to me about her future. She is seriously considering taking retirement as she has a couple of pensions and we also talked about my plans to start a business or do counselling full-time.
The weather today has been another mix of sunshine and showers and we've had weather warnings for heavy and prolonged rain although we haven't had any thunder, which is a shame! I was all set to sit in the garden after Lynda left but Mike wanted a lift to Brixworth and by the time we came back the sun had disappeared behind some thick clouds.
I had a soak in the bath later in the afternoon and then a snooze on our bed while watching Pointless. It seems ages since we've done that! After collecting Mike from Brixworth we all sat and played cards in the conservatory and had a very simple supper of cheese and biscuits. I was still full from lunch!
Wednesday, 15 June 2016
More health worries...
I made an appointment for Keith to see the doctor this morning as he has a swelling near his operation wound that looks a bit suspect. He doesn't seem to have an infection, but it doesn't look right to me and we wanted to get it checked out.
We went over to the Guilsborough surgery and he went in on his own while I waited. When he came out he said he needed to have another blood test on Friday and to give in some samples to be on the safe side. I wasn't really expecting that so it's just more things to worry about!
We went home and I managed to do some more work on my assignment before it was time to take Mike to school for another afternoon exam. After we dropped him off we headed to Tesco at Kettering to buy dinner for the evening and to look at Father's Day cards and presents. I have no idea what to buy my Dad this year!
The weather today has been a mixture of sun and showers again and it feels quite humid. Needless to say it's ideal growing weather and our once neat lawn is looking a bit overgrown again!
In the evening we found an hour to go to the pub and we sat in the window with Sophie and had a good chat before heading home for dinner. We are both now worried that Keith's swelling is a hernia which means he would have to have another operation and a stay in hospital. I'm keeping my fingers (and toes!) crossed that it's not!
We went over to the Guilsborough surgery and he went in on his own while I waited. When he came out he said he needed to have another blood test on Friday and to give in some samples to be on the safe side. I wasn't really expecting that so it's just more things to worry about!
We went home and I managed to do some more work on my assignment before it was time to take Mike to school for another afternoon exam. After we dropped him off we headed to Tesco at Kettering to buy dinner for the evening and to look at Father's Day cards and presents. I have no idea what to buy my Dad this year!
The weather today has been a mixture of sun and showers again and it feels quite humid. Needless to say it's ideal growing weather and our once neat lawn is looking a bit overgrown again!
In the evening we found an hour to go to the pub and we sat in the window with Sophie and had a good chat before heading home for dinner. We are both now worried that Keith's swelling is a hernia which means he would have to have another operation and a stay in hospital. I'm keeping my fingers (and toes!) crossed that it's not!
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