We were able to have a lie-in this morning after our late night, and a lazy-ish morning before Sophie and I went to Milton Keynes with my Mum at lunchtime. It was a lovely day with sunshine and blue skies but a bit chilly.
We went to John Lewis first for lunch as we were all hungry and had a good chat over bowls of soup served with crusty bread. A perfect winter warmer! We had a good look around the store as all the sales were on and I spotted some pillows in the sale. However, the British goose down king size pillows at £180 each certainly weren't included!
Sophie took her pyjamas back to River Island and bought a cute playsuit for Florida instead, but shopping today was dominated by the racks and racks of sale items, especially in M&S where they had loads of coats that had been reduced. I tried a couple on but didn't find one I liked so I'll stick to the one I have! We also went up to the lingerie section and had a funny chat with one of the assistants about boob sizes...we are never happy with the figure we have!
By 4pm were all shopped out so we headed home on the M1 rather than go the very long way home via Olney. We dropped Mum off at her house and then headed home in the gloom for a welcome glass of wine before a roast chicken dinner!
Sunday, 8 January 2017
Saturday, 7 January 2017
Back down to London
Sophie and Mike were off to see The Impractical Jokers at the O2 today so Keith and I had planned on going to see the film "Passengers" and then having a meal afterwards. I'd booked parking with Just Park again, this time at a private address a short walk from the venue.
We had a very relaxed morning with a leisurely breakfast before we all got ready to leave at 2pm. The weather was grey and a bit misty and I hoped that we wouldn't see any fog like we did last time. It looks very much like I hadn't been done for speeding on the last trip which was a relief. I really didn't fancy a £100 fine and three points on my licence!
We had a great journey down to London and arrived on the Greenwich Peninsula a few minutes before our parking time. We had to call Andrew, who owned the space, and he would arrive to give us a fob to get into the covered parking space and a permit to display in the car.
We had tried to put the address into Gladys but as the apartments were so new, she couldn't find them. We knew the vague area the address was in so we headed for that but then got a bit lost. The streets were extremely narrow with parking bays on each side and there were numerous dead ends as construction was still going on. We called Andrew and asked if he could direct us to his address but he very kindly came down and met us when we pulled up by the river. We were only around the corner so he walked back and we followed slowly.
The idea was to let us into the parking under the apartments and then direct us to his space. However, the fob he had wouldn't open the gates...The poor man looked a bit embarrassed and after trying and trying he went to get his spare fob. I parked a bit further up the street and watched another man having difficulty with the gates as well.
Andrew re-appeared and said he'd asked the concierge to open the gates for us. He then showed us into our space and we all walked back down to the main foyer where we spoke to the concierge. He was leaving at 7pm and we just hoped that by the time we left the O2 later in the evening the problem would be sorted. I didn't fancy spending a night in London!
We had a short walk to the O2 and by now it had begun to drizzle and was misty again. The walk by the Thames was a quiet one with hardly anyone about and the apartments on our left were still in the process of being built. I did wonder what it would be like to live so near to so much going on and all the excellent transport links this area of London has. Living in the country as we do, we have to drive everywhere. We have no choice!
The O2 was beginning to fill up with people and we accompanied Sophie and Mike to Las Iguanas where they were going to have something to eat. We had a drink with them, which filled in the time nicely before our film started at 6pm, and watched them eat hot chicken wings and nachos to start, followed by beefburgers.
Keith and I hadn't eaten since our late breakfast so we bought some popcorn (too much in hindsight!) and a bottle of water to take into the film. I really enjoyed Passengers and could quite easily sit through it again. The film was about a spaceship travelling for 120 years to a distant planet that was being inhabited by humans who had left Earth. There were 5000 passengers on the ship and around 200 crew and Chris Pratt played a passenger who was woken in error 90 years too early.
I loved the visual effects and the storyline and as we were so near to the screen I really felt like I was there with them! Keith wasn't so sure about the film but I enjoyed it very much. I think seeing it at the cinema made it more real, somehow.
When we came out we had planned on eating at The Slug and Lettuce but we stood at the bar for a while and were ignored by the bartenders so we left and went to a Chinese buffet restaurant instead. I think this was a bit of a mistake as the place was shabby, noisy and packed. I have to admit that I wasn't really that hungry as I'd scoffed a load of popcorn and managed just three small plates of food. Keith ate a bit more than me but I'm not sure we really got value for money!
After we'd eaten it was almost 10pm so we went to the main entrance to wait for the kids who eventually emerged at about 10.30pm. The trickle of people coming out early turned to an almighty flood and we had difficulty spotting them in the crowd! The'd both enjoyed the show and had found it very funny.
We walked back to the apartment block and managed to get into the building easily as a resident was going in at the same time. We also managed to open the gates to get out and Keith and Mike went back inside the foyer to return the permit and fobs.
We then headed back towards the main road and became stuck in terrible traffic as there was a constant stream of cars coming from the O2 car parks. Getting onto the roundabout was extremely difficult and I had to literally push my way on, but once back onto the A102 we made good progress. Thankfully, there were no lane closures or variable speed limits! We made it home by 1am and headed straight for bed!
We had a very relaxed morning with a leisurely breakfast before we all got ready to leave at 2pm. The weather was grey and a bit misty and I hoped that we wouldn't see any fog like we did last time. It looks very much like I hadn't been done for speeding on the last trip which was a relief. I really didn't fancy a £100 fine and three points on my licence!
We had a great journey down to London and arrived on the Greenwich Peninsula a few minutes before our parking time. We had to call Andrew, who owned the space, and he would arrive to give us a fob to get into the covered parking space and a permit to display in the car.
We had tried to put the address into Gladys but as the apartments were so new, she couldn't find them. We knew the vague area the address was in so we headed for that but then got a bit lost. The streets were extremely narrow with parking bays on each side and there were numerous dead ends as construction was still going on. We called Andrew and asked if he could direct us to his address but he very kindly came down and met us when we pulled up by the river. We were only around the corner so he walked back and we followed slowly.
The idea was to let us into the parking under the apartments and then direct us to his space. However, the fob he had wouldn't open the gates...The poor man looked a bit embarrassed and after trying and trying he went to get his spare fob. I parked a bit further up the street and watched another man having difficulty with the gates as well.
Andrew re-appeared and said he'd asked the concierge to open the gates for us. He then showed us into our space and we all walked back down to the main foyer where we spoke to the concierge. He was leaving at 7pm and we just hoped that by the time we left the O2 later in the evening the problem would be sorted. I didn't fancy spending a night in London!
We had a short walk to the O2 and by now it had begun to drizzle and was misty again. The walk by the Thames was a quiet one with hardly anyone about and the apartments on our left were still in the process of being built. I did wonder what it would be like to live so near to so much going on and all the excellent transport links this area of London has. Living in the country as we do, we have to drive everywhere. We have no choice!
The O2 was beginning to fill up with people and we accompanied Sophie and Mike to Las Iguanas where they were going to have something to eat. We had a drink with them, which filled in the time nicely before our film started at 6pm, and watched them eat hot chicken wings and nachos to start, followed by beefburgers.
Keith and I hadn't eaten since our late breakfast so we bought some popcorn (too much in hindsight!) and a bottle of water to take into the film. I really enjoyed Passengers and could quite easily sit through it again. The film was about a spaceship travelling for 120 years to a distant planet that was being inhabited by humans who had left Earth. There were 5000 passengers on the ship and around 200 crew and Chris Pratt played a passenger who was woken in error 90 years too early.
I loved the visual effects and the storyline and as we were so near to the screen I really felt like I was there with them! Keith wasn't so sure about the film but I enjoyed it very much. I think seeing it at the cinema made it more real, somehow.
When we came out we had planned on eating at The Slug and Lettuce but we stood at the bar for a while and were ignored by the bartenders so we left and went to a Chinese buffet restaurant instead. I think this was a bit of a mistake as the place was shabby, noisy and packed. I have to admit that I wasn't really that hungry as I'd scoffed a load of popcorn and managed just three small plates of food. Keith ate a bit more than me but I'm not sure we really got value for money!
After we'd eaten it was almost 10pm so we went to the main entrance to wait for the kids who eventually emerged at about 10.30pm. The trickle of people coming out early turned to an almighty flood and we had difficulty spotting them in the crowd! The'd both enjoyed the show and had found it very funny.
We walked back to the apartment block and managed to get into the building easily as a resident was going in at the same time. We also managed to open the gates to get out and Keith and Mike went back inside the foyer to return the permit and fobs.
We then headed back towards the main road and became stuck in terrible traffic as there was a constant stream of cars coming from the O2 car parks. Getting onto the roundabout was extremely difficult and I had to literally push my way on, but once back onto the A102 we made good progress. Thankfully, there were no lane closures or variable speed limits! We made it home by 1am and headed straight for bed!
Friday, 6 January 2017
Making plans...
Today has been another fairly uneventful day but at least we have a busy weekend to look forward to! We dropped Sophie and Mike off at college and work and Keith went for a walk while I returned home to do some essential housework! I would have liked to have accompanied Keith on his walk but I had to do some cleaning as we are out most of the weekend.
When Keith arrived home we had breakfast and I spent the afternoon grappling with my assignment again. I also called the National Careers Service and booked an appointment to see an adviser on Tuesday afternoon. I need help in compiling a CV which hopefully will be my first step in finding a job!
Sophie finished work a bit earlier today and was almost ready to go by the time we'd collected Mike from college. We went in to have a cup of tea and chatted to Maureen who said they'd been very busy again even though a lot of children had returned to school.
When we went outside to go home the weather was terrible - really cold and rainy and not very nice at all! It was great to go home, have a bath and watch Pointless!
Sophie's friend Danni came over in the evening and the two girls enjoyed pizza and wedges in the conservatory with a glass of wine. Keith, Mike and I enjoyed the same supper and while we were eating we asked Mike what he wanted to do for his birthday which is coming up soon. He mentioned a meal out with family which suits me fine...I was dreading him saying he wanted a party!
When Keith arrived home we had breakfast and I spent the afternoon grappling with my assignment again. I also called the National Careers Service and booked an appointment to see an adviser on Tuesday afternoon. I need help in compiling a CV which hopefully will be my first step in finding a job!
Sophie finished work a bit earlier today and was almost ready to go by the time we'd collected Mike from college. We went in to have a cup of tea and chatted to Maureen who said they'd been very busy again even though a lot of children had returned to school.
When we went outside to go home the weather was terrible - really cold and rainy and not very nice at all! It was great to go home, have a bath and watch Pointless!
Sophie's friend Danni came over in the evening and the two girls enjoyed pizza and wedges in the conservatory with a glass of wine. Keith, Mike and I enjoyed the same supper and while we were eating we asked Mike what he wanted to do for his birthday which is coming up soon. He mentioned a meal out with family which suits me fine...I was dreading him saying he wanted a party!
Thursday, 5 January 2017
A few nerves!
Mike, Sophie and I had a dentist appointment this afternoon and it was our first visit to the new man as our regular dentist had retired last year. I had been with him for over thirty years so I was a bit nervous and also wary that the new man might try and say things were wrong with our teeth and that we needed a lot of treatment!
Mike went first and was told he needed a filling - not a great start! Sophie was in the chair next and after giving her a quick check-up he said he wanted to take an x-ray of her teeth! We all had to go out of the room while it was done, but thankfully everything was fine. I had started to get a bit jittery as I suspected I would be x-rayed as well...and I was! It felt a bit uncomfortable as I'm not keen on having plastic things in my mouth, but again all was fine.
After a check-up and a scale and polish - and he was a lot gentler than my previous dentist - we were all done and making appointments for July...gulp! I was very relieved!
We had another busy evening as Sophie was out again tonight, this time with Daisy and Laura. Just before she went she had been told by a friend that the results for one of her assignments was available to see and as it was a piece of work she'd put a lot of effort into, she logged onto the internet straight away. It was an assignment on Amazon and she was really hoping to get a good mark so she was very nervous when she went onto the web page to get her mark...which was an A- so she was delighted with that!
In all the excitement she forgot to take the girls' presents so when I arrived home I put them into the car straight away for when I went back to get her later in the evening!
Mike went first and was told he needed a filling - not a great start! Sophie was in the chair next and after giving her a quick check-up he said he wanted to take an x-ray of her teeth! We all had to go out of the room while it was done, but thankfully everything was fine. I had started to get a bit jittery as I suspected I would be x-rayed as well...and I was! It felt a bit uncomfortable as I'm not keen on having plastic things in my mouth, but again all was fine.
After a check-up and a scale and polish - and he was a lot gentler than my previous dentist - we were all done and making appointments for July...gulp! I was very relieved!
We had another busy evening as Sophie was out again tonight, this time with Daisy and Laura. Just before she went she had been told by a friend that the results for one of her assignments was available to see and as it was a piece of work she'd put a lot of effort into, she logged onto the internet straight away. It was an assignment on Amazon and she was really hoping to get a good mark so she was very nervous when she went onto the web page to get her mark...which was an A- so she was delighted with that!
In all the excitement she forgot to take the girls' presents so when I arrived home I put them into the car straight away for when I went back to get her later in the evening!
Wednesday, 4 January 2017
Quiet days...
There's not much point going into great detail about Tuesday as not a lot happened, I'm afraid to say! Sophie was back at work and she was very busy, bless her. I think she'll be glad to get back to university next Monday! Keith and I dropped her off and went and bought some groceries before going home and sadly, taking all of the Christmas decorations down. The house looks so bare and empty now!
On Wednesday I was in at the Citizen's Advice Bureau and I was expecting it to be busy with post-Christmas worries, but it was a steady day with a regular stream of clients coming in. The only thing was I found the office stuffy today and it was great to get back out into the fresh air when I left. Of course, as with most Wednesdays I've been volunteering, the weather was lovely!
On Wednesday I was in at the Citizen's Advice Bureau and I was expecting it to be busy with post-Christmas worries, but it was a steady day with a regular stream of clients coming in. The only thing was I found the office stuffy today and it was great to get back out into the fresh air when I left. Of course, as with most Wednesdays I've been volunteering, the weather was lovely!
Monday, 2 January 2017
Half and half...
Today, by contrast to yesterday, dawned beautiful and cold, with clear blue skies and abundant sunshine. Keith, Sophie and I had planned on going for a walk and by 10am we were ready.
We left the car in the Brixworth Country car park and headed home! At some point this year I want to do the whole of Pitsford reservoir, both the nature reserve side and the public side, from home (we reckon it's about 16 miles) so today we did half of each (although I think the halves we did are shorter than the other sides if you know what I mean!).
It was very cold with a chill wind that cut right through us. However, down by the water we were full on with the sun so we warmed up quite a bit.
Amazingly, on our walk up towards the causeway, we saw three robins! Each of them made sure we knew they were there by hopping about on the ground and then watching us from the branches of the trees.
It wasn't as busy with people as we thought it would be but it was still quite early in the day. There were numerous joggers, cyclists and walkers out enjoying the fresh air. When we reached the car park it was nearly full. No doubt the beautiful weather had brought everyone out to blow away their cobwebs!
We crossed over the road and entered the much quieter nature reserve side. We only saw four other people the whole way.
Although it's far quieter, the going is slightly harder because you walk on grassy paths which can sometimes be quite muddy. We walked on and stopped briefly for a bite to eat and a drink of water. Once in the woods it was really quiet with only the sounds of the birds to be heard.
Before long we'd reached the track that leads up to our village and we decided to take this rather than push on and walk further along the nature reserve. In the distance we could see something red in a tree and on closer inspection it turned out to be a deflated red star balloon! What it was doing there, we'll never know! Sophie took it down and carried it with her so we could throw it away in our bin at home.
It was great to get home and check our mileage on the app on my phone - we'd done 6.47 miles in two hours and twenty three minutes. We had a shower to warm up and I made breakfast of eggy bread and spaghetti hoops for Sophie and myself. After we'd eaten we returned to get my car and by now the car park was very busy indeed!
Sophie and I headed into work as she needed to put down her hours before the cut-off date and the place was heaving! It felt very good to be able to walk away from it without any worries!
Before going home we called to see Mum and Dad for a cup of tea and my Mum tried on two dresses to show us as it's my Dad's model aeroplane club dinner and dance next weekend. She looked great in both of them but we preferred the newer one which was very glamourous!
We headed home by the scenic route and the sun had just set, making the sky a mixture of deep yellows and blues. The trees outlined against the sky looked stunning - it was a real visual treat for us as we drove home.
We had a busy evening as Sophie was out with her friend Hannah. We picked Hannah up at 7pm and headed into town as the girls were going to a restaurant on the market square called Zapato Lounge. It was situated in the old Church's China shop and looked lovely from the outside.
We drove home and on the way almost had an accident. I was driving along the A43 minding my own business when a car came out of a side road and nearly didn't stop. I swerved to avoid them (good job there was nothing coming the other way) and he stopped, but he was half way out into the road. I was really quite shaken up and had braced myself to hit him so it was a scary incident. There was a car behind me turning left so whether he'd seen the indicators going and thought it was me, I don't know.
Back home we rushed about preparing dinner of cottage pie with the beef from last night, and bubble and squeak. We then just about had time to wash up and watch the last episode of Humans (the best of the entire series) before it was time to go and pick Sophie and Hannah up again!
We left the car in the Brixworth Country car park and headed home! At some point this year I want to do the whole of Pitsford reservoir, both the nature reserve side and the public side, from home (we reckon it's about 16 miles) so today we did half of each (although I think the halves we did are shorter than the other sides if you know what I mean!).
It was very cold with a chill wind that cut right through us. However, down by the water we were full on with the sun so we warmed up quite a bit.
Amazingly, on our walk up towards the causeway, we saw three robins! Each of them made sure we knew they were there by hopping about on the ground and then watching us from the branches of the trees.
It wasn't as busy with people as we thought it would be but it was still quite early in the day. There were numerous joggers, cyclists and walkers out enjoying the fresh air. When we reached the car park it was nearly full. No doubt the beautiful weather had brought everyone out to blow away their cobwebs!
We crossed over the road and entered the much quieter nature reserve side. We only saw four other people the whole way.
Although it's far quieter, the going is slightly harder because you walk on grassy paths which can sometimes be quite muddy. We walked on and stopped briefly for a bite to eat and a drink of water. Once in the woods it was really quiet with only the sounds of the birds to be heard.
Before long we'd reached the track that leads up to our village and we decided to take this rather than push on and walk further along the nature reserve. In the distance we could see something red in a tree and on closer inspection it turned out to be a deflated red star balloon! What it was doing there, we'll never know! Sophie took it down and carried it with her so we could throw it away in our bin at home.
It was great to get home and check our mileage on the app on my phone - we'd done 6.47 miles in two hours and twenty three minutes. We had a shower to warm up and I made breakfast of eggy bread and spaghetti hoops for Sophie and myself. After we'd eaten we returned to get my car and by now the car park was very busy indeed!
Sophie and I headed into work as she needed to put down her hours before the cut-off date and the place was heaving! It felt very good to be able to walk away from it without any worries!
Before going home we called to see Mum and Dad for a cup of tea and my Mum tried on two dresses to show us as it's my Dad's model aeroplane club dinner and dance next weekend. She looked great in both of them but we preferred the newer one which was very glamourous!
We headed home by the scenic route and the sun had just set, making the sky a mixture of deep yellows and blues. The trees outlined against the sky looked stunning - it was a real visual treat for us as we drove home.
We had a busy evening as Sophie was out with her friend Hannah. We picked Hannah up at 7pm and headed into town as the girls were going to a restaurant on the market square called Zapato Lounge. It was situated in the old Church's China shop and looked lovely from the outside.
We drove home and on the way almost had an accident. I was driving along the A43 minding my own business when a car came out of a side road and nearly didn't stop. I swerved to avoid them (good job there was nothing coming the other way) and he stopped, but he was half way out into the road. I was really quite shaken up and had braced myself to hit him so it was a scary incident. There was a car behind me turning left so whether he'd seen the indicators going and thought it was me, I don't know.
Back home we rushed about preparing dinner of cottage pie with the beef from last night, and bubble and squeak. We then just about had time to wash up and watch the last episode of Humans (the best of the entire series) before it was time to go and pick Sophie and Hannah up again!
Sunday, 1 January 2017
A wee bit of a depressing day!
The first day of 2017 dawned grey and miserable...not the best of starts!
We were all up very late (well, I was downstairs by 8.30am) but the kids were still asleep at 10.30am! As the weather was so horrible - and it had been forecast, so it was no surprise - we lazed about all morning. However, Sophie needed to go and exchange a pair of pyjamas that my Mum had bought her so we were forced to go into Northampton in the afternoon.
It rained all the way there and at times it looked a little sleety. As the temperature was only about 4c I was hoping it would turn into snow, but no such luck. We parked in the Mayhold car park and walked the short distance to the Grosvenor Centre where I went into Boots to get something for my back. I've been suffering for a while now and it's worse when I get up in the morning. Sophie suggested Tiger Balm to rub into the muscles so I bought that along with a Tangle Teezer comb for my hair as it's a nightmare when it's wet. Anything to make my life easier!
Sophie returned some knickers that were too large for her in Next and the assistant had terrible trouble doing the transaction. We had to wait ages while she fiddled about and I could sense Sophie getting madder and madder by the minute! We then had a similar problem in River Island as the pyjamas were no longer in stock and as we hadn't got a receipt the assistant would only give us the sale price. I knew my Mum had bought the garments way before they were in the sale so we said we'd get the receipt and try again later. What a carry on!
To soothe our frayed tempers, we had a coffee in Costa along with a chocolate twist and then headed home. Sophie had bought her friends, Daisy and Laura, presents in Primark, which used to be the beautiful Beatties store in Northampton and is now, sadly, no longer. I'm not a huge fan of Primark, to be honest but it was certainly the busiest of all the stores we visited in the town. We also popped into Accessorize where my daughter bought some jewellery and an evening bag for herself.
The town was pretty quiet and so very depressing. Only half the shops were open and with the weather it wasn't the most enjoyable of afternoons! We gladly went home and relaxed with a drink while Keith cooked a very delicious roast beef and all the trimmings. A good end to the first day of 2017!
We were all up very late (well, I was downstairs by 8.30am) but the kids were still asleep at 10.30am! As the weather was so horrible - and it had been forecast, so it was no surprise - we lazed about all morning. However, Sophie needed to go and exchange a pair of pyjamas that my Mum had bought her so we were forced to go into Northampton in the afternoon.
It rained all the way there and at times it looked a little sleety. As the temperature was only about 4c I was hoping it would turn into snow, but no such luck. We parked in the Mayhold car park and walked the short distance to the Grosvenor Centre where I went into Boots to get something for my back. I've been suffering for a while now and it's worse when I get up in the morning. Sophie suggested Tiger Balm to rub into the muscles so I bought that along with a Tangle Teezer comb for my hair as it's a nightmare when it's wet. Anything to make my life easier!
Sophie returned some knickers that were too large for her in Next and the assistant had terrible trouble doing the transaction. We had to wait ages while she fiddled about and I could sense Sophie getting madder and madder by the minute! We then had a similar problem in River Island as the pyjamas were no longer in stock and as we hadn't got a receipt the assistant would only give us the sale price. I knew my Mum had bought the garments way before they were in the sale so we said we'd get the receipt and try again later. What a carry on!
To soothe our frayed tempers, we had a coffee in Costa along with a chocolate twist and then headed home. Sophie had bought her friends, Daisy and Laura, presents in Primark, which used to be the beautiful Beatties store in Northampton and is now, sadly, no longer. I'm not a huge fan of Primark, to be honest but it was certainly the busiest of all the stores we visited in the town. We also popped into Accessorize where my daughter bought some jewellery and an evening bag for herself.
The town was pretty quiet and so very depressing. Only half the shops were open and with the weather it wasn't the most enjoyable of afternoons! We gladly went home and relaxed with a drink while Keith cooked a very delicious roast beef and all the trimmings. A good end to the first day of 2017!
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