I was back at the Citizen's Advice Bureau again today and thankfully, the morning session got off to a much better start than it did last week!
We had two advisers in so that was easier and although we were busy it was much more relaxed. It still felt funny closing up and going at 12pm though! I drove home and was glad to see that the horrible grey and misty weather had given way to blue skies and sunshine. It was great to see the sun!
Mike had a dental appointment at 3.30pm so we went to collect Sophie from uni and drove straight there. I left Keith and Sophie in the car and went in with Mike who looked a little nervous as he was having a filling! When he came out he said one side of his mouth had gone numb and he looked really funny!
We played cards and drank wine in the evening before dinner - perfect after a busy day!
Tuesday, 7 February 2017
Monday, 6 February 2017
Looking back
We had a relaxed Monday morning as Sophie wasn't at uni until midday and Mike wasn't in at all. I spent a couple of hours reading my very last Counselling module while Sophie also worked on her uni projects.
We dropped her off at lunchtime and drove over to the Weston Favell centre to do a bit of shopping and have some lunch before it was time to go back and collect her. As we were walking to the car my phone rang and it was a very angry Mike ranting down the phone at me that we should have picked him up at 1pm to take him to Brixworth!
I had no recollection of this and when I looked at my phone I'd had fifteen missed calls as well as various texts and messages! My phone had been in my bag the whole time which is why I'd never heard it ring! In the car it rang and it was my mum worried about us as Mike had even called her!
We picked Sophie up and went home to a mad Mike who insisted he had told us last night at dinner of his plans... Sophie and I dropped him off in Brixworth and then carried on into Northampton as my daughter needed to call into work to put down the hours she'd worked. I had a good chat with Polly and then we popped to Morrison's so Sophie could buy some wine and thank you cards for the tutors who had organised the New York trip.
The weather, so pleasant and sunny this morning had turned horrible, grey and misty and when we got home I realised that 8 years ago this week we had quite a bit of snow fall. Here are some photos!
We dropped her off at lunchtime and drove over to the Weston Favell centre to do a bit of shopping and have some lunch before it was time to go back and collect her. As we were walking to the car my phone rang and it was a very angry Mike ranting down the phone at me that we should have picked him up at 1pm to take him to Brixworth!
I had no recollection of this and when I looked at my phone I'd had fifteen missed calls as well as various texts and messages! My phone had been in my bag the whole time which is why I'd never heard it ring! In the car it rang and it was my mum worried about us as Mike had even called her!
We picked Sophie up and went home to a mad Mike who insisted he had told us last night at dinner of his plans... Sophie and I dropped him off in Brixworth and then carried on into Northampton as my daughter needed to call into work to put down the hours she'd worked. I had a good chat with Polly and then we popped to Morrison's so Sophie could buy some wine and thank you cards for the tutors who had organised the New York trip.
The weather, so pleasant and sunny this morning had turned horrible, grey and misty and when we got home I realised that 8 years ago this week we had quite a bit of snow fall. Here are some photos!
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| Beautiful sunset |
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| The White Horse, Old |
Sunday, 5 February 2017
Fresh air and sunshine!
I woke up this morning with a terrible sore throat and a stuffy head although I didn't feel like I had an actual cold. As it was a beautiful morning I decided to make the most of the sunshine by tidying up some pots in the garden that had dead summer bedding plants in them (the frost had finally got to the geraniums) and then wash my car.
Before I did that Keith and I went to the tip with our old dining room chairs and we managed to get all six, plus some other rubbish in the back of my car. When we got to the tip we were told to put the chairs into landfill which was a real shame as I thought maybe they could be recycled.
Back home I tidied up the garage and hoovered the floor as it was covered with dead leaves and fluff from the tumble drier! I then gave my filthy car a wash and it was hard work! It looked like it had been driven through a field and there was thick mud all around the wheel arches.
It was great to get out and have some fresh air and it wasn't too cold. I managed to get away with just wearing a tee-shirt! As well as being out and getting some sun it was also nice to chat to various neighbours who walked or drove by.
In the afternoon Sophie and I called for my Mum and after showing her photos of New York, we went to Beckworth for a cup of tea. As usual, the place was packed and we had to queue for a table. Sophie and I shared a sandwich while Mum had an extremely expensive slice of cake which she was charged £4.95 for! Blimey! When I queried the price as the cake she'd ordered was only £2.95 I was told she'd been given the gluten-free wholefood slice...Hmmm!
We mooched about looking at all the pretty, but useless things after our refreshments but we drove home empty-handed, even though I was tempted by some wine. Mum invited us in for a glass of wine and we sat and chatted about Sophie's trip to New York, which was very pleasant indeed!
Before I did that Keith and I went to the tip with our old dining room chairs and we managed to get all six, plus some other rubbish in the back of my car. When we got to the tip we were told to put the chairs into landfill which was a real shame as I thought maybe they could be recycled.
Back home I tidied up the garage and hoovered the floor as it was covered with dead leaves and fluff from the tumble drier! I then gave my filthy car a wash and it was hard work! It looked like it had been driven through a field and there was thick mud all around the wheel arches.
It was great to get out and have some fresh air and it wasn't too cold. I managed to get away with just wearing a tee-shirt! As well as being out and getting some sun it was also nice to chat to various neighbours who walked or drove by.
In the afternoon Sophie and I called for my Mum and after showing her photos of New York, we went to Beckworth for a cup of tea. As usual, the place was packed and we had to queue for a table. Sophie and I shared a sandwich while Mum had an extremely expensive slice of cake which she was charged £4.95 for! Blimey! When I queried the price as the cake she'd ordered was only £2.95 I was told she'd been given the gluten-free wholefood slice...Hmmm!
We mooched about looking at all the pretty, but useless things after our refreshments but we drove home empty-handed, even though I was tempted by some wine. Mum invited us in for a glass of wine and we sat and chatted about Sophie's trip to New York, which was very pleasant indeed!
Saturday, 4 February 2017
A welcome return!
As soon as I was awake this morning I checked Sophie's flight on the Heathrow arrivals web page. She was due to land at about 7.45am and as soon as she was on the ground she sent me a text. It was great to hear from her!
We went to pick her up from uni at 10.30am and she looked very tired and dishevelled after her long flight. She said she'd enjoyed the trip but that it hadn't been as good as last year and she'd had another frightening encounter with a crazy man in a make-up store who had smashed loads of bottles of perfume and generally caused havoc. I have a feeling her intense love affair with New York may have waned a bit.
She emptied the contents of her case over the living room floor and showed us the presents she'd brought back with her - a really sweet make-up bag for me, chocolates, a mug for Keith, sweets for Mike and also a basketball (New York Nets) tee-shirt for him.
I made a cooked breakfast and we all sat and ate together before she went upstairs to unpack and get showered. I sorted out all her washing and put the first of many loads on!
It's been a gorgeous day today with clear blue skies and sunshine but Sophie and I stayed inside and although we'd planned to watch some of our favourite television shows in the afternoon while Keith was at football, Sophie kept falling asleep, bless her! I made a batch of muffins and generally did very little which is what I had planned today after a busy week!
Sophie woke up and was a bit more lively in the evening and we had a game of cards with a new pack that she'd bought, accompanied by a glass of wine. I'd missed my wine buddy! As a treat we had a Chinese takeaway from the van and Keith, Sophie and I were all in bed early tonight while Mike went to Walgrave to see his mates!
We went to pick her up from uni at 10.30am and she looked very tired and dishevelled after her long flight. She said she'd enjoyed the trip but that it hadn't been as good as last year and she'd had another frightening encounter with a crazy man in a make-up store who had smashed loads of bottles of perfume and generally caused havoc. I have a feeling her intense love affair with New York may have waned a bit.
She emptied the contents of her case over the living room floor and showed us the presents she'd brought back with her - a really sweet make-up bag for me, chocolates, a mug for Keith, sweets for Mike and also a basketball (New York Nets) tee-shirt for him.
I made a cooked breakfast and we all sat and ate together before she went upstairs to unpack and get showered. I sorted out all her washing and put the first of many loads on!
It's been a gorgeous day today with clear blue skies and sunshine but Sophie and I stayed inside and although we'd planned to watch some of our favourite television shows in the afternoon while Keith was at football, Sophie kept falling asleep, bless her! I made a batch of muffins and generally did very little which is what I had planned today after a busy week!
Sophie woke up and was a bit more lively in the evening and we had a game of cards with a new pack that she'd bought, accompanied by a glass of wine. I'd missed my wine buddy! As a treat we had a Chinese takeaway from the van and Keith, Sophie and I were all in bed early tonight while Mike went to Walgrave to see his mates!
Friday, 3 February 2017
Tackling the jobs...
Today I had a lot of jobs I needed to do, so after dropping Mike off at college and popping to Jones's to get some lightbulbs, Keith and I came home to tackle the chores. I had even made a list of things I needed to do, something I used to do every day at work!
Keith decided to tackle Mike's bedroom as it really needed a deep clean and we were also looking for his glasses that he had somehow managed to lose. I got my jobs out of the way, changed Sophie's bedding in readiness for her return tomorrow (yippee!) and then joined him. We toiled away for another two hours and were very happy with our efforts. We washed the walls and the skirting boards and pulled out the bed to clean behind it as well as throwing away a lot of rubbish and drinks bottles that were strewn all over the floor!
I then went on to clean the rest of the house and by 4pm I was finished. It was great to look forward to a quiet evening as both Keith and Mike were heading down to Walgrave. They had planned on walking but then they saw that it was raining hard... I said to forget a lift as I had just got out of the bath and was all warm and lying happily on the bed watching the end of Pointless! We have two large umbrellas!
In between sorting dinner out I watched the last of the current run of The Affair and very good it was as well. I really hope there'll be a fourth series! Sophie contacted me from the airport and said her flight was on time, which was a relief. We were supposed to have had very stormy weather here today and although it has been wet and windy this evening, it hasn't been bad enough to disrupt flights, thank goodness!
Keith decided to tackle Mike's bedroom as it really needed a deep clean and we were also looking for his glasses that he had somehow managed to lose. I got my jobs out of the way, changed Sophie's bedding in readiness for her return tomorrow (yippee!) and then joined him. We toiled away for another two hours and were very happy with our efforts. We washed the walls and the skirting boards and pulled out the bed to clean behind it as well as throwing away a lot of rubbish and drinks bottles that were strewn all over the floor!
I then went on to clean the rest of the house and by 4pm I was finished. It was great to look forward to a quiet evening as both Keith and Mike were heading down to Walgrave. They had planned on walking but then they saw that it was raining hard... I said to forget a lift as I had just got out of the bath and was all warm and lying happily on the bed watching the end of Pointless! We have two large umbrellas!
In between sorting dinner out I watched the last of the current run of The Affair and very good it was as well. I really hope there'll be a fourth series! Sophie contacted me from the airport and said her flight was on time, which was a relief. We were supposed to have had very stormy weather here today and although it has been wet and windy this evening, it hasn't been bad enough to disrupt flights, thank goodness!
Thursday, 2 February 2017
A belated Christmas "Do"
Mike had an orthodontist appointment this morning and was a bit scared of going because he hadn't been wearing his retainers as he should have done...I dropped him and Keith off at the surgery and went to park the car. When I joined them, Mike was already seeing the orthodontist, a new woman he'd never seen before. He came out and said she'd been brutal!
As a treat we bought him a McDonald's breakfast and dropped him off at the college well before his starting time of 9am. I did think we were going to be late, so that was a bonus. Before doing our shopping in Tesco I treated Keith to a bacon roll in Costa. The smell of Mike's breakfast had made me hungry as well!
On the way home we called to see my parents to have a coffee and a chat. Mum and I were supposed to have been going to Woburn today, to an antiques auction, but we found out (thankfully) that it was being held on the 25th February, not today. We used to go ages ago and I always thought it was on the first Thursday of the month but either I'm mistaken or they've changed the dates!
Anyway, not going meant that Keith and I had our long-awaited "Christmas Shopping Do." We put all of the stuff we'd bought away and went to the pub for a very pleasant couple of drinks. Ian wasn't in today so Laurie was behind the bar and it's always a pleasure to see him. He had a room full of farmers' wives who were busy ordering soft drinks so in between serving them we had a good chat.
Keith became so mellow that he booked a table for the three of us in the evening. I can't remember the last time we ate at The Royal Oak so I was looking forward to a relaxed evening without having to cook and clear away!
The afternoon was spent quietly and after we'd picked Mike up I had a lovely bath and got ready to go out. There was a great atmosphere in the pub as there weren't many people in and Ian was still away. It felt very relaxed. We enjoyed a delicious meal with garlic bread to start followed by steak in a pepper sauce for me, fish and chips for Keith and Piri Piri chicken for Mike.
Afterwards, Mike stayed in the village to see his mates while Keith and I returned home and watched an episode of Death in Paradise. A great ending to a really lovely evening!
As a treat we bought him a McDonald's breakfast and dropped him off at the college well before his starting time of 9am. I did think we were going to be late, so that was a bonus. Before doing our shopping in Tesco I treated Keith to a bacon roll in Costa. The smell of Mike's breakfast had made me hungry as well!
On the way home we called to see my parents to have a coffee and a chat. Mum and I were supposed to have been going to Woburn today, to an antiques auction, but we found out (thankfully) that it was being held on the 25th February, not today. We used to go ages ago and I always thought it was on the first Thursday of the month but either I'm mistaken or they've changed the dates!
Anyway, not going meant that Keith and I had our long-awaited "Christmas Shopping Do." We put all of the stuff we'd bought away and went to the pub for a very pleasant couple of drinks. Ian wasn't in today so Laurie was behind the bar and it's always a pleasure to see him. He had a room full of farmers' wives who were busy ordering soft drinks so in between serving them we had a good chat.
Keith became so mellow that he booked a table for the three of us in the evening. I can't remember the last time we ate at The Royal Oak so I was looking forward to a relaxed evening without having to cook and clear away!
The afternoon was spent quietly and after we'd picked Mike up I had a lovely bath and got ready to go out. There was a great atmosphere in the pub as there weren't many people in and Ian was still away. It felt very relaxed. We enjoyed a delicious meal with garlic bread to start followed by steak in a pepper sauce for me, fish and chips for Keith and Piri Piri chicken for Mike.
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| Father and son sharing music! |
Wednesday, 1 February 2017
A better session!
So, I was back at the Citizen's Advice Bureau again this morning and was very early because of the light traffic. I decided to treat myself to a Flat White at Costa before starting and hoped that today wouldn't be as stressful as yesterday!
Frank was already there so we set up the laptops and then Gill arrived! It was great to see her again after such a long absence! However, for some reason, there was no Priya today so we called the office and they sent Jon over to work with Gill. He was definitely needed as we were busy throughout the morning and into the afternoon.
I left a little early today and drove home in readiness to take a phone call from one of the franchisees. We had a great chat and it was good to hear so many positive comments about the company.
The previously horrible grey and misty weather gave way to sunshine and blue skies in the afternoon which was a welcome relief!
Frank was already there so we set up the laptops and then Gill arrived! It was great to see her again after such a long absence! However, for some reason, there was no Priya today so we called the office and they sent Jon over to work with Gill. He was definitely needed as we were busy throughout the morning and into the afternoon.
I left a little early today and drove home in readiness to take a phone call from one of the franchisees. We had a great chat and it was good to hear so many positive comments about the company.
The previously horrible grey and misty weather gave way to sunshine and blue skies in the afternoon which was a welcome relief!
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