I was working with Sue today and we drove into Northampton first to tidy up the garden of a house that was about to be put on the market. It was a gorgeous morning with lots of sunshine and blue skies so a real treat to be working outside.
Sue cut the edges of the grass with some shears while I weeded the driveway and front border. We also planted some Spring flowers to brighten the garden up. It looked lovely and a lot neater when we finished. The only thing that needed doing was the grass cutting to make it look perfect!
From there we drove to Tesco and Sue bought four big pots as the next house we were going to had a rose that needed re-potting. It belonged to the owner of the house who had inherited it from her grandfather so I think it had a lot of sentimental value. The builders who were working on her house had accidentally broken the pot it was in, but when we arrived we found that they had put it into a half barrel, as a way of redeeming themselves!
Sue had a good look at it and said that it looked fine but it needed pruning. The owner wasn't at all keen on that so after putting some more soil into the pot, giving it a good water and having a chat we went on our way.
Sue very kindly made me a sandwich for lunch and we ate in the garden with the dogs. After we'd eaten we went to a house on our estate to finish off the front garden which was looking beautiful. Sue had made a border under the front window and it was full of lovely Spring plants and daffodils. I weeded the driveway and helped her to do some planting before weeding a narrow gravel strip at the side of the house and then sweeping the road. The woman who lives in the house was very friendly and kept offering to make us tea or coffee and having a chat. It was all very sociable!
In the evening Sophie went out with some friends to a pub in town and we picked up Danni on the way to uni where they were meeting the others. I returned home to a delicious cottage pie and before we knew it, Sophie was calling us asking to be picked up again. Another day over!
Monday, 13 March 2017
Sunday, 12 March 2017
A very lazy day...
Today I put off glossing the doors and skirting boards until next weekend as I was a little weary and also suffering from quite a bit of stomach pain, which made me reluctant to do anything strenuous!
Sophie and I sat and watched two episodes of Levinson Wood's "Walking the Nile" (my daughter had missed the first series, and very enjoyable it was as well. Outside the weather was dull and gloomy so perfect for staying in and doing very little!
Normally I would feel guilty for "wasting" a day but I didn't feel any regret in the slightest - I have a busy week coming up, so for once I was determined to laze about!
Sue popped around in the afternoon with the form for the garage sale which is taking place in the village again in May. We're looking forward to selling some unwanted stuff and hope to make enough to pay for a good meal in Florida! We're going to have a really good clear out in April!
Sophie and I sat and watched two episodes of Levinson Wood's "Walking the Nile" (my daughter had missed the first series, and very enjoyable it was as well. Outside the weather was dull and gloomy so perfect for staying in and doing very little!
Normally I would feel guilty for "wasting" a day but I didn't feel any regret in the slightest - I have a busy week coming up, so for once I was determined to laze about!
Sue popped around in the afternoon with the form for the garage sale which is taking place in the village again in May. We're looking forward to selling some unwanted stuff and hope to make enough to pay for a good meal in Florida! We're going to have a really good clear out in April!
Saturday, 11 March 2017
Slasher Keith strikes again!
This morning, as I was sitting in the conservatory, I heard a hedge-trimmer close by and realised that Keith had sneaked outside and was wielding the machine against the bushes at the front. He hadn't mentioned that he was going to do this, which was a bit annoying!
Of course, I went out to help him clear up all the branches and we soon realised that we weren't going to get everything into our wheelie bin. We decided that when we took Mike to Brixworth, we would call into the tip and get rid of one wheelie bin load there.
After we dropped Mike at the library, we drove to the tip to find chaos...everyone and his mother had decided today was the day to tackle their gardens and there was a long queue to dispose of waste. It didn't help that one particular van was wedged into a space and was blocking the exit! We managed to park close to the garden waste skips and with some effort, emptied our bin. My poor car was covered in leaves and dirt, though!
Back home we swept up the rest of the mess and I strimmed the front verge. After I'd done that I hoovered out my car and then decided it was time for a break! Today I was supposed to be doing the gloss paint on the doors and skirting boards in the hall and landing!
In the evening Sophie and I went into town as we had tickets booked for An Audience with Levison Wood, he of mammoth walks fame. He was appearing at Derngate and it was only because I'd recorded Saturday Kitchen where he was a guest star that I realised he was coming to Northampton!
We parked easily and as we were a bit early (!) we enjoyed a glass of wine in one of the bars before taking our seats. We had a good view of the stage and we thoroughly enjoyed the show. Levison Wood talked about his three epic walks - Walking the Nile, Walking the Himalayas and his most recent programme, Walking the Americas. He spoke really well and was very entertaining and the show was interspersed with clips of all three of his walks, some of which were very funny. At the end he did a question and answer session with audience members and some of the questions were hilarious. Of course, when someone asked where he was going next, he wouldn't say!
The show finished at almost 10pm and we drove home anticipating a late Chinese take-away. Keith had ordered meals for Mike and himself but had also ordered Sophie and I some dishes to eat when we got home. With a glass of white wine it was a lovely end to a brilliant evening!
Of course, I went out to help him clear up all the branches and we soon realised that we weren't going to get everything into our wheelie bin. We decided that when we took Mike to Brixworth, we would call into the tip and get rid of one wheelie bin load there.
After we dropped Mike at the library, we drove to the tip to find chaos...everyone and his mother had decided today was the day to tackle their gardens and there was a long queue to dispose of waste. It didn't help that one particular van was wedged into a space and was blocking the exit! We managed to park close to the garden waste skips and with some effort, emptied our bin. My poor car was covered in leaves and dirt, though!
Back home we swept up the rest of the mess and I strimmed the front verge. After I'd done that I hoovered out my car and then decided it was time for a break! Today I was supposed to be doing the gloss paint on the doors and skirting boards in the hall and landing!
In the evening Sophie and I went into town as we had tickets booked for An Audience with Levison Wood, he of mammoth walks fame. He was appearing at Derngate and it was only because I'd recorded Saturday Kitchen where he was a guest star that I realised he was coming to Northampton!
We parked easily and as we were a bit early (!) we enjoyed a glass of wine in one of the bars before taking our seats. We had a good view of the stage and we thoroughly enjoyed the show. Levison Wood talked about his three epic walks - Walking the Nile, Walking the Himalayas and his most recent programme, Walking the Americas. He spoke really well and was very entertaining and the show was interspersed with clips of all three of his walks, some of which were very funny. At the end he did a question and answer session with audience members and some of the questions were hilarious. Of course, when someone asked where he was going next, he wouldn't say!
The show finished at almost 10pm and we drove home anticipating a late Chinese take-away. Keith had ordered meals for Mike and himself but had also ordered Sophie and I some dishes to eat when we got home. With a glass of white wine it was a lovely end to a brilliant evening!
2017 Bucket List
I can cross off something from my list for this year!
Walk around both sides of Pitsford Reservoir, from home.
Ride the Mummy rollercoaster in Florida in August. (I will do it next year!)
Visit Boughton House.
See a film at the Errol Flynn cinema next to Derngate in Northampton.
Eat caviar with Champagne
Visit a Latin bar and Salsa dance
Enjoy a night at a casino
Drive an Aston Martin (maybe an early 50th Birthday present?)
Walk the breadth of England
Walk around both sides of Pitsford Reservoir, from home.
Ride the Mummy rollercoaster in Florida in August. (I will do it next year!)
Visit Boughton House.
Eat caviar with Champagne
Visit a Latin bar and Salsa dance
Enjoy a night at a casino
Drive an Aston Martin (maybe an early 50th Birthday present?)
Walk the breadth of England
Friday, 10 March 2017
More hard work!
Today was supposed to stay dry but as I was gardening first thing, we had some very fine drizzle that made me a bit damp! I'd dropped Keith off at Pitsford on the way back from taking the kids to college and uni and when he returned he walked around to me with a flask of tea and a cheese sandwich, both of which were very welcome!
I laboured in the front garden of a neighbour's house for four and a half hours and was very ready for a hot bath when I'd finished! The grey morning gave way to an equally grey afternoon so a totally different day to yesterday! How can that be?! I knew not to get excited!
Keith went to get Mike from college and I languished in the suds, feeling a lot better. When they returned Keith and I went over to Mum and Dad's house as they had a form to fill in and sign about their flight delay last September. We had a cup of tea and some biscuits and then dashed home where I had missed a call from Sophie asking us to pick her up a bit earlier than normal! We dashed off again and it was bliss to finally get home and relax. I had fondly imagined I'd have all afternoon to catch up with stuff, but there hasn't been a spare minute today!
I laboured in the front garden of a neighbour's house for four and a half hours and was very ready for a hot bath when I'd finished! The grey morning gave way to an equally grey afternoon so a totally different day to yesterday! How can that be?! I knew not to get excited!
Keith went to get Mike from college and I languished in the suds, feeling a lot better. When they returned Keith and I went over to Mum and Dad's house as they had a form to fill in and sign about their flight delay last September. We had a cup of tea and some biscuits and then dashed home where I had missed a call from Sophie asking us to pick her up a bit earlier than normal! We dashed off again and it was bliss to finally get home and relax. I had fondly imagined I'd have all afternoon to catch up with stuff, but there hasn't been a spare minute today!
Thursday, 9 March 2017
A hint of Spring?
We had another busy day ahead of us as Keith had an appointment at the hospital in the afternoon to see a nurse about having a colonoscopy. As a matter of routine he is screened for bowel cancer every two years and he had had an abnormal result.
It was a bit of a shock when we received the letter but as he'd had a scan less than a year ago due to his kidney and had been told after his operation that no cancer had spread, we weren't seriously alarmed. He, of course, also had a CT scan on Monday.
We went to do our shopping in the morning and came home for a quick lunch before leaving for the hospital. Sophie had taken the day off as she has a terrible cold at the moment but felt better so decided to come with us. It's been another absolutely beautiful day with warm temperatures - 17c at one point! - and lots of sunshine. A real hint of Spring but I'm not getting excited yet!
The nurse we saw about the colonoscopy was very good and explained the procedure to us. Keith has been booked in for the 20 March but for two days before he will be unable to eat anything with any fibre in it, such as fruit and vegetables, brown bread or pasta. This could be tricky as we are going over to Sue and Paul's on the Saturday night for the next Wine Tasting...
We were in with the nurse for about an hour and when we came out we decided to go for a quick drink, as Mike needed to be collected at 4pm and it wasn't worth going home to go all the way back into town. Any normal family would have headed for the shops or had a coffee, but we went to The Spinney Hill pub!
It was a bit of a shock when we received the letter but as he'd had a scan less than a year ago due to his kidney and had been told after his operation that no cancer had spread, we weren't seriously alarmed. He, of course, also had a CT scan on Monday.
We went to do our shopping in the morning and came home for a quick lunch before leaving for the hospital. Sophie had taken the day off as she has a terrible cold at the moment but felt better so decided to come with us. It's been another absolutely beautiful day with warm temperatures - 17c at one point! - and lots of sunshine. A real hint of Spring but I'm not getting excited yet!
The nurse we saw about the colonoscopy was very good and explained the procedure to us. Keith has been booked in for the 20 March but for two days before he will be unable to eat anything with any fibre in it, such as fruit and vegetables, brown bread or pasta. This could be tricky as we are going over to Sue and Paul's on the Saturday night for the next Wine Tasting...
We were in with the nurse for about an hour and when we came out we decided to go for a quick drink, as Mike needed to be collected at 4pm and it wasn't worth going home to go all the way back into town. Any normal family would have headed for the shops or had a coffee, but we went to The Spinney Hill pub!
Wednesday, 8 March 2017
I wish I was in La La Land!
Today was very busy at the Citizens Advice Bureau and we had some difficult clients coming in as well, which added to the stress levels! I arrived early and set up and Frank came in just after me. Priya had taken today off so Hadeer came in to cover her. We had the usual rush of clients before 9.30am and as well as our usual reception duties, we also had to call clients who had booked appointments with our pro-bono solicitor in the evening.
The morning whizzed past and we had to turn away quite a few people as it neared lunchtime as we were so busy. Hadeer returned to the other office at 1pm and we had another adviser, Ann, come over to cover. She seemed very flustered and unsure of what to do but I made sure that Gill showed her the ropes and for the rest of the afternoon they coped well with the post-lunchtime rush.
I left a little early as this evening Mum, Sophie and I were off to the Errol Flynn cinema in Derngate to see La La Land. I picked my Mum up at 4.45pm which, on reflection, was far too early but I was worried about the traffic and getting parked. I needn't have worried as we were inside Derngate by 5.30pm so we decided to have a glass of wine in the pub next door called John Franklin's. I have a feeling this was formerly Bar Hygge, somewhere I wanted to go to this year, as I can't believe there are two, very similar, bars within such a short distance from the theatre.
We enjoyed our glass of wine and then we made it over to the Errol Flynn, which is attached to the side of Derngate. It only has 100 seats but what seats they are! Very comfortable with little tables on the arms for you to put your drinks. Sophie bought a bottle of Pinot Grigio and they gave us an ice bucket to take in with three proper glasses! Lovely!
There were no endless trailers of adverts and the film came on promptly. I have to be honest and say I wasn't really looking forward to La La Land as there had been so much hype and I'm not keen on musicals, but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie from start to finish and it's definitely what I would call a "feel good" film. Overall, it was a lovely experience and I will definitely book to see a film here again!
We went to Pizza Express after the film as I had a 25% voucher off food (!) and we had a very pleasant meal of dough balls and garlic bread to start followed by pizzas. Sophie and I shared a cheesecake for dessert while Mum tucked into a chocolate brownie with ice-cream. We drank a bottle of sparkling water and saved almost £14 on the bill, which was great.
Unfortunately, we chose the worst moment to leave as our departure coincided with an exodus from the Derngate so it was a real scrum to get through the, very well-heeled and genteel, crowd (I think they had been to see La Boheme). However, we managed to get out of the car-park pretty quickly considering the amount of people leaving so it wasn't all bad!
The morning whizzed past and we had to turn away quite a few people as it neared lunchtime as we were so busy. Hadeer returned to the other office at 1pm and we had another adviser, Ann, come over to cover. She seemed very flustered and unsure of what to do but I made sure that Gill showed her the ropes and for the rest of the afternoon they coped well with the post-lunchtime rush.
I left a little early as this evening Mum, Sophie and I were off to the Errol Flynn cinema in Derngate to see La La Land. I picked my Mum up at 4.45pm which, on reflection, was far too early but I was worried about the traffic and getting parked. I needn't have worried as we were inside Derngate by 5.30pm so we decided to have a glass of wine in the pub next door called John Franklin's. I have a feeling this was formerly Bar Hygge, somewhere I wanted to go to this year, as I can't believe there are two, very similar, bars within such a short distance from the theatre.
We enjoyed our glass of wine and then we made it over to the Errol Flynn, which is attached to the side of Derngate. It only has 100 seats but what seats they are! Very comfortable with little tables on the arms for you to put your drinks. Sophie bought a bottle of Pinot Grigio and they gave us an ice bucket to take in with three proper glasses! Lovely!
There were no endless trailers of adverts and the film came on promptly. I have to be honest and say I wasn't really looking forward to La La Land as there had been so much hype and I'm not keen on musicals, but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie from start to finish and it's definitely what I would call a "feel good" film. Overall, it was a lovely experience and I will definitely book to see a film here again!
We went to Pizza Express after the film as I had a 25% voucher off food (!) and we had a very pleasant meal of dough balls and garlic bread to start followed by pizzas. Sophie and I shared a cheesecake for dessert while Mum tucked into a chocolate brownie with ice-cream. We drank a bottle of sparkling water and saved almost £14 on the bill, which was great.
Unfortunately, we chose the worst moment to leave as our departure coincided with an exodus from the Derngate so it was a real scrum to get through the, very well-heeled and genteel, crowd (I think they had been to see La Boheme). However, we managed to get out of the car-park pretty quickly considering the amount of people leaving so it wasn't all bad!
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