Getting there...

Our en-suite is coming along nicely -  a lot of the tiles have been put on the wall and floor:

It's been a warm day today with not a great deal happening!

Summer bliss?

I sometimes do wonder if I actually like the summer as it can be very annoying! The heat we've had over the last couple of days has been horrible and we are not geared up for it at all in this country. It's fine if you're on holiday and have a lovely pool to swim in and an air-conditioned house but our homes, with their thick carpets and soft furnishings seem to soak up the heat and make the house sweltering!

As we've had the windows and doors open over the last couple of days, and yesterday was quite breezy in the evening, the outside has come inside. This morning I let Keith go and do the shopping as the house was in a complete mess and I had to do a big clean-up! The conservatory was full of tiny brown leaves which come from a nearby tree and they were everywhere! All over the sofas, the cushions, the books and the floor. Flies had become stuck in cobwebs along the top of the conservatory and other ones were buzzing constantly when they had found their way indoors.

Our back lawn is covered in leaves and bark from the Eucalyptus tree and it looks a complete mess! Argh! I know I shouldn't be such a moaning minny as I would be the first to complain if the weather was cool and rainy, but there is a price to pay for hot and sunny weather!

Anyway, enough complaining...at least it's been a bit cooler today so I was able to clean the downstairs of the house while Keith shopped. There was no point doing upstairs as the workmen were up and down and in and out so I did what I could and was pleased that when I finished the house looked a bit more acceptable!

The en-suite is coming along nicely...I'm very relieved the tiles and the shower panels match!

Sophie was at work as usual and Mike went off to Brixworth so Keith and I managed to get a fair bit done, including changing the beds and ironing. I'm just glad it was a bit cooler! When it was time to collect Sophie from work I called into the Co-op at Moulton and bought Maureen some flowers to thank her for baking Mum and Dad's cake, which went down very well with her. We had a lovely hug and I know she still misses us working there.

The schools seem to have broken up now for the summer break but as Mike's been off since early June there was none of that "end of term" feeling that I normally get! I just hope that he is able to stay on into the Sixth form!

Keith and I went to the pub in the evening for just a couple of drinks and sat in our usual spot in the window. The village was very busy with cars coming and going and it was very pleasant indeed to sit there and watch the world go by!

Things go a bit awry...

I was back at the Citizen's Advice Bureau today and had agreed to meet Frank, the other Reception member of staff at 9am so he could show me how to unlock the offices and set them up.

I left home at 8am and the traffic was very light so I was parking at 8.30am. I bought myself some lunch in a little convenience shop and walked up to the Guildhall in the morning sunshine. It's due to be another hot day today with temperatures hovering around 30c again. The good news is it's due to be a bit cooler for the next few days but still nice and sunny.

I sat in the courtyard and texted Sophie and then saw Frank arrive. I followed him in and he went to the main Reception to get the keys but they weren't there. It turned out that someone had taken them to the other offices last night so a member of the CAB had to bring them over. Of course, this meant we were a bit late and people were already queuing up to see us, including one quite rude man!

It was one of those days today as the computers kept stopping, the fan we had wouldn't work (and the office was hot) and we had some difficult clients in, including one poor homeless young man who kept hanging about and did worry me a bit towards the end of the day when he was still sitting outside our office.

We had a steady stream of people in until midday when I managed to get over to the other CAB office to take some paperwork. I then sat and munched my lunch in the hot courtyard before going back. When I was in the other CAB office an elderly couple came in and had a very heated argument about making appointments. The man stalked off in the end but not before being very rude to the poor volunteer on Reception! Perhaps the heat was making us all a bit cranky!

It was great to get off at 3pm and drive to pick up Sophie from work. I went to see Maureen to thank her for the lovely cake and Sophie had a bite to eat before we went home. Work had started in the en-suite bathroom and it was now completely stripped of everything!

The floorboards have been completely removed!

Shower unit all gone!

I was annoyed with myself because Mike was at Heather's house and I had forgotten to call him to arrange to pick him up on the way home from getting Sophie. This meant we had to go out again at 5.30pm to get him and the sky had turned very cloudy with thunder in the distance. I was yearning for a really good thunderstorm to clear the air! However, although the towering white clouds were very impressive it didn't rain at all, which was a disappointment.

It came over stormy again before we went to bed but nothing happened. It did feel a bit cooler than last night though!

Sweltering!

When I got back from taking Sophie to work this morning I was a bit annoyed as we still hadn't heard from the workmen about our en-suite. Luckily, while I'd been gone the man in charge had been to the house and had apologised for the delay. It was a good thing he came today as he wasn't aware of how bad our floor was so at least he's prepared now!

Mike wanted to go out of course, so we took him to Brixworth to see his mates and then drove to the supermarket as we had changed our plans for tomorrow's dinner. Somehow I don't think that a steak pie is a good idea in this heat! Keith went off to get his hair cut while I shopped for salad, summer vegetables and pizzas for dinner for tomorrow. Aldi's chiller cabinets were completely empty and had apparently broken down in the heat! It was 31c when I went to meet Keith in Tesco and just like being abroad!

We called to see Mum and Dad on the way home and sat in the garden with a cool drink. Mum cut me some cake and we took it home to share with the children. It looked delicious! Keith suggested a drink at the pub so we took the opportunity and went. The pub was virtually empty and we sat in the beautifully quiet and shady garden and enjoyed a couple of drinks. Perfect!

At the back of the pub garden they now have an area fenced off for chickens which were really sweet and spent their time pecking about in the undergrowth. Overhead we saw the Red Kite a couple of times which was a bonus. Back home it was swelteringly hot so a great excuse to laze about and do very little!

We had a very late dinner in the evening as after we'd collected Sophie from work we sat in the garden and Keith barbecued some gammon and pork chops. The barbecue seemed to cook the meat a lot slower than Sunday so we didn't actually sit down to eat until after 8.30pm! It cooled down a little in the garden and the breeze at the front of the house was wonderful but I think sleeping may be a problem tonight!

The heat is on!

We were all up early this morning as we were expecting the men to arrive to start work on our en-suite bathroom. However, by 9.30am it was obvious they weren't going to arrive so we relaxed a bit! I then got a call on my mobile saying they were still at a job they'd been doing last week and the more likely arrival time would be tomorrow morning.

Sophie had a meeting with Georgie at Costa Coffee at Weston Favell at 11am and we all agreed that it would be best for Keith to accompany her. I went and sorted some chores at the bank and the post office and did some shopping for tonight's dinner. By the time I'd finished and packed the stuff away into the car they were almost finished and Sophie was a little happier. She's been having problems with another member of staff lately and her wages have been mucked about with so she was really unhappy yesterday. I just hope it's now all sorted.

From the Weston Favell centre we made a fruitless trip to B&Q to look at floor panels (I have no idea why Keith wanted to look at them but we couldn't see any) and then made our way home as Mike was waiting to go to Brixworth for some Pokemon hunting! Sophie and I took him while Keith made toasted sandwiches for lunch and we ate them sitting in the garden.

Sophie had an appointment at the nail salon at 4pm but before we went we drove to Boots to see if Sophie could get a replacement nasal spray as the one the doctor had prescribed has all gone and she's back to sniffing and sneezing! On the way to the salon the temperature hit 31c very briefly and I wasn't looking forward to sitting in a hot car to wait for Sophie! Luckily the salon was quiet so I was able to sit next to her and watch the process, which was a relief!

Back home we arrived just in time to get a phone call from Mike to ask us to pick him so it was off out again. I didn't mind as the air conditioning in the car is heavenly! We got back just in time to say goodbye to Keith who walked to the pub. He called me on the way to say that the planter box outside our estate was looking very dry and neglected so Sophie and I walked down with two full watering cans to give the plants a bit of a drink! It was very hot and needless to say Monty declined to accompany us!

It's getting hotter!

As Sophie wasn't in at work until 11am this morning we could all have a bit of a lie-in. Keith and I had a busy day ahead of us as we needed to get our en-suite bathroom cleared and cleaned in readiness for tomorrow. It was typical that today and the next few days were forecast to be hot!

Before we took Sophie to work we'd cleared the shower room so when we got back I cleaned the basin and the loo and washed the walls. Keith took up the vinyl flooring and we were horrified to see how far the damp had spread. The flooring had broken up in one place, right by the sink, which is what we'd suspected. I'm just amazed we didn't fall through into the kitchen below!

As well as cleaning the en-suite and upstairs I changed our bedding and it was a perfect drying day as it was warm and breezy. Temperatures got up to 27c in the afternoon but that didn't stop me hoovering (mowing) the lawn as we were going to barbecue in the evening and there was no way I could sit out and enjoy the garden with the state it was in!

After picking up a very hot and upset Sophie from work (she'd had a problem with her wages which can't be resolved until next month) we sat out in the garden with a chilled glass of wine and relaxed while Keith sorted out the barbecue. Tomorrow it's supposed to be even hotter...phew!

Anniversary celebrations!

After a very lazy start to the day Sophie and I went over to Beckworth Emporium in the afternoon to get Mum and Dad a present from the children. I also wanted to get some olives to go with our sparking wine later in the day.

Beckworth was predictably busy with a lot of people queuing up for afternoon tea. As I'd made some raspberry and chocolate muffins I steered Sophie away from the cafe and we concentrated on finding something for my parents. As the present was from Sophie and Mikey, my daughter chose the gift and we settled on a beautiful, wooden, heart-shaped mirror for their garden.

The food at Beckworth was a bit on the pricey side so after choosing a Hydrangea to fill an empty garden pot we drove to the Co-op in Moulton and I bought some olives and a couple of snacks for lunch. We went home and all four of us sat in the garden as it was a warm, yet overcast day.  I was hoping the sun would make an appearance but although we saw occasional glimpses of blue sky, the sun remained hidden behind the thick cloud. It was very humid and I wasn't looking forward to getting ready in the evening!

Sophie and I drove over to pick my parents up at 6pm and before bringing them home for glasses of bubbly and nibbles we admired their new tree standing proudly in the middle of their lawn. The sky was looking very ominous by now and I was surprised we didn't have a storm.

The taxi arrived at just after 7pm and we trundled off to Northampton accompanied by some oldies on the radio! A great choice for a 50th Wedding Anniversary! My parents had booked a table at Sophia's restaurant for 8pm and the place was already bustling with diners. Our table had been decorated with balloons and streamers which was a lovely touch.

We sat and perused the menu and I chose the chicken liver pate to start followed by Sophie's recommendation of the escalope with spaghetti. I also chose to have some vegetables as well, which were extra. Various other meals included pizza, lamb cutlets, garlic bread, and Sea Bass which my Dad enjoyed very much. We had a couple of bottles of Italian wine to accompany the meal and all of us except Dad had dessert.

As it was a warm evening it was also very warm in the restaurant as the place was packed and it's not a large seating area to start with. After we'd had our main courses the waiter came over and, to the delight of my parents, produced a beautiful cake that Maureen had made. She had mentioned a couple of weeks ago and I was thrilled that she had visited the restaurant earlier to deliver it!

We had a lovely evening with excellent service and hospitality and it was great to be driven home by a taxi. He had more old songs playing and this time everyone sang along so it was a much rowdier ride home than on the way there!

50 years together!!

Back home it was heaven to get changed into our lounge-about clothes and sit in the garden for a little while. We lit a garden torch and admired the stars...bliss!