It was great to have a free day today as I had a lot of catching up to do! I had to post some letters, pop to the post office and try and get a new monitor for my computer as my current one refuses to turn on in the morning! We'd swapped Keith's monitor for mine and it worked then, so I was really relieved it wasn't the computer itself.
We all went out mid-morning as Mike wanted to go to Brixworth so we dropped him off there and headed to the Weston Favell Centre. Tesco didn't have any computer monitors so we drove down to Riverside to Currys PC World...Keith asked if Dixons were still in business...er no!
I'd already looked online for a monitor but of course the one I wanted wasn't in stock! We left and went to the branch at St James retail park but they didn't have any either, although they did have a Dell monitor in stock for £140 which was more than we wanted to pay. I decided to head home and look online again and by now we were all ready for some lunch!
The cloudy skies turned blue in the afternoon and after lunch I found a monitor on Amazon for a more reasonable price and it included in-built speakers so I was pleased I hadn't ordered anything while we were out. It seems incredible that these huge stores have no stock of anything these days!
I spent the afternoon doing some study for the Citizens Advice (something I'd been putting off for a while!) and then I hoovered upstairs and Sophie and I sorted out our clothes for the holiday. I was ruthless and had a cull of garments that were way past their best and watched as Sophie tried on all her beautiful summer dresses. Our holiday is getting very close now and we're starting to get a bit excited!
Friday, 7 April 2017
Thursday, 6 April 2017
Another busy day!
Today dawned beautifully sunny again and I went to work on a neighbour's garden for three hours. Sue was cleaning the house and before she went in she told me what needed to be done, which involved a lot of weeding and putting in some flowering plants to brighten up the space.
It was very pleasant to be out gardening in the sunshine and Monty kept me company. Sophie also popped along for a chat and brought me a cup of tea. The woman who owns the house was lovely and we had a chat about what I'd been doing before. She wasn't aware that I only lived a couple of doors down!
I finished at 12pm and after having a very quick shower, we went off to do our weekly shop. Thankfully we didn't have to get as much stuff today as we did last week and by 2pm we were home and eating leftover picnic foods from yesterday.
I met up with Sarah in the late afternoon as next door is being rented out and the garden was in a terrible state. I had offered to do it and she took me on a quick tour of the house. The previous tenants hadn't looked after it as well as they should have done and it was sad to see it looking a bit neglected and forlorn.
Before we had dinner, Maureen from work popped around to give Sophie her birthday present. She was full of the news about the play centre being in the news due to a staff member supposedly telling a disabled child that he could no longer play as he was whizzing about in his motorised wheelchair. A storm had erupted on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon and the complaints were still being posted onto the company's page. Some of the comments were horrible but I have to say the apology from the owners was pathetic and had angered people even more. I was just extremely glad we were no longer in charge, although I am sure we would have handled the situation in a different way!
It was very pleasant to be out gardening in the sunshine and Monty kept me company. Sophie also popped along for a chat and brought me a cup of tea. The woman who owns the house was lovely and we had a chat about what I'd been doing before. She wasn't aware that I only lived a couple of doors down!
I finished at 12pm and after having a very quick shower, we went off to do our weekly shop. Thankfully we didn't have to get as much stuff today as we did last week and by 2pm we were home and eating leftover picnic foods from yesterday.
I met up with Sarah in the late afternoon as next door is being rented out and the garden was in a terrible state. I had offered to do it and she took me on a quick tour of the house. The previous tenants hadn't looked after it as well as they should have done and it was sad to see it looking a bit neglected and forlorn.
Before we had dinner, Maureen from work popped around to give Sophie her birthday present. She was full of the news about the play centre being in the news due to a staff member supposedly telling a disabled child that he could no longer play as he was whizzing about in his motorised wheelchair. A storm had erupted on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon and the complaints were still being posted onto the company's page. Some of the comments were horrible but I have to say the apology from the owners was pathetic and had angered people even more. I was just extremely glad we were no longer in charge, although I am sure we would have handled the situation in a different way!
Wednesday, 5 April 2017
London in the Spring sunshine
We were all up early this morning so that Sophie could open her presents before we left for London. She was delighted with our gifts and very happy with what Mike had bought her - a DVD boxset of the highlights of the first two seasons of Drake and Josh. She also received some delicious Cider from Sue and some beautiful earrings from Lynda. My parents had given her birthday money last night so I think she did very well!
We made up a picnic and left home at 9.30am. Just as we were about to drive onto the M1, we heard there'd been an accident and the traffic was stationary on the motorway. We decided to take the A508 instead and head to Milton Keynes where we could pick up the A5 which would take us all the way to Junction 9 of the M1. Not a brilliant start to the journey!
Once in London we became caught up in traffic again but we were soon through and heading towards Hyde Park. We'd done our homework this time and knew to turn onto Queen's Gate so we could drive straight into the park! There were numerous spaces available but we could only park for four hours, which was a bit of a pain.
We ate our picnic and were delighted to see that the weather was fine, dry and sunny. Just what we'd hoped for! Keith paid for four hours' parking and we set off into the park to walk next to the Serpentine. There were lots of people about enjoying the gorgeous sunshine.
Once out of the park we walked through the Wellington Arch and down Constitution Hill which was closed to traffic. We could hear bagpipes in the distance and there was a large gathering of people by the Canada Memorial opposite Buckingham Palace with the Canadian flag flying. We think it was some kind of war commemoration and there was a large police presence in the area.
Buckingham Palace was looking lovely in the sunshine and there were the usual crowds of tourists, as well as more police vans and armed guards on the gate.
It felt very strange with no traffic going past and we didn't know whether that was because of the recent terror attack or whether it was due to the gathering of people by the Memorial. The Mall was also devoid of traffic but we did see the occasional important looking car speed through the barriers! I would love to have known who was inside!
Trafalgar Square was packed with people and the waters by the fountains looked very inviting as it was quite warm in the sun.
There were lots of street entertainers, and crowds had gathered to watch them. We headed for the National Portrait Gallery and spent a good hour and a half looking at all the treasures on display, including Monet, Manet, Rubens, Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Constable. I even managed to find my favourite painting of Susanna At Her Bath which had been moved to another location within the building.
From Trafalgar Square we walked through St James's Park and Sophie treated us all to an ice-cream. The flowers in the park were gorgeous but unfortunately my mobile died as I'd been using it to take photos and also to chart our walk! Luckily Sophie took some beautiful pictures and will send them to me over the next few days so I can post them here.
Keith realised that we didn't have a lot of time to get back to the car before our ticket ran out so we had to walk very quickly! I didn't think it was that far but it was! We had to power back up Constitution Hill and then do a route march through Hyde Park to make it in time. We arrived back at the car at the exact time our ticket ran out!
Getting back onto the right road was a breeze and very soon we were heading towards Chiswick and the pub we'd chosen for Sophie's birthday meal, the George and Devonshire. Keith had been a bit worried that the pubs would be full as both Arsenal and Chelsea were playing at home, but the place had only a couple of men in and we took a seat by the window with our drinks.
It was lovely to sit and relax after our busy day and we were welcomed by the pub dog, Rosie who took an instant liking to Mike! We ordered food - garlic bread to start (although it arrived as a side order), burgers for Sophie and me, fish and chips for Keith and a chicken and ham pie for Mike.
The food was good but Rosie managed to finish off our burgers! The pub never became busier and the television screen stayed off so that was good. However, we were back on the road before the football had even started and we decided to head home via the M40 for a change.
Keith listened to the football in the car and after what seemed like a very short time we were turning off the M40 and onto the A43. We saw a few signs that the road was closed up ahead but we didn't take them seriously... It was only after we reached Silverstone that we realised that the northbound lane of the A43 was indeed closed so we had to find an alternative route through the dark countryside!
We finally arrived home at 9.30pm and Sophie said she'd had a fantastic day. What a relief!
We made up a picnic and left home at 9.30am. Just as we were about to drive onto the M1, we heard there'd been an accident and the traffic was stationary on the motorway. We decided to take the A508 instead and head to Milton Keynes where we could pick up the A5 which would take us all the way to Junction 9 of the M1. Not a brilliant start to the journey!
Once in London we became caught up in traffic again but we were soon through and heading towards Hyde Park. We'd done our homework this time and knew to turn onto Queen's Gate so we could drive straight into the park! There were numerous spaces available but we could only park for four hours, which was a bit of a pain.
We ate our picnic and were delighted to see that the weather was fine, dry and sunny. Just what we'd hoped for! Keith paid for four hours' parking and we set off into the park to walk next to the Serpentine. There were lots of people about enjoying the gorgeous sunshine.
Once out of the park we walked through the Wellington Arch and down Constitution Hill which was closed to traffic. We could hear bagpipes in the distance and there was a large gathering of people by the Canada Memorial opposite Buckingham Palace with the Canadian flag flying. We think it was some kind of war commemoration and there was a large police presence in the area.
Buckingham Palace was looking lovely in the sunshine and there were the usual crowds of tourists, as well as more police vans and armed guards on the gate.
It felt very strange with no traffic going past and we didn't know whether that was because of the recent terror attack or whether it was due to the gathering of people by the Memorial. The Mall was also devoid of traffic but we did see the occasional important looking car speed through the barriers! I would love to have known who was inside!
Trafalgar Square was packed with people and the waters by the fountains looked very inviting as it was quite warm in the sun.
There were lots of street entertainers, and crowds had gathered to watch them. We headed for the National Portrait Gallery and spent a good hour and a half looking at all the treasures on display, including Monet, Manet, Rubens, Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Constable. I even managed to find my favourite painting of Susanna At Her Bath which had been moved to another location within the building.
From Trafalgar Square we walked through St James's Park and Sophie treated us all to an ice-cream. The flowers in the park were gorgeous but unfortunately my mobile died as I'd been using it to take photos and also to chart our walk! Luckily Sophie took some beautiful pictures and will send them to me over the next few days so I can post them here.
Keith realised that we didn't have a lot of time to get back to the car before our ticket ran out so we had to walk very quickly! I didn't think it was that far but it was! We had to power back up Constitution Hill and then do a route march through Hyde Park to make it in time. We arrived back at the car at the exact time our ticket ran out!
Getting back onto the right road was a breeze and very soon we were heading towards Chiswick and the pub we'd chosen for Sophie's birthday meal, the George and Devonshire. Keith had been a bit worried that the pubs would be full as both Arsenal and Chelsea were playing at home, but the place had only a couple of men in and we took a seat by the window with our drinks.
It was lovely to sit and relax after our busy day and we were welcomed by the pub dog, Rosie who took an instant liking to Mike! We ordered food - garlic bread to start (although it arrived as a side order), burgers for Sophie and me, fish and chips for Keith and a chicken and ham pie for Mike.
The food was good but Rosie managed to finish off our burgers! The pub never became busier and the television screen stayed off so that was good. However, we were back on the road before the football had even started and we decided to head home via the M40 for a change.
Keith listened to the football in the car and after what seemed like a very short time we were turning off the M40 and onto the A43. We saw a few signs that the road was closed up ahead but we didn't take them seriously... It was only after we reached Silverstone that we realised that the northbound lane of the A43 was indeed closed so we had to find an alternative route through the dark countryside!
We finally arrived home at 9.30pm and Sophie said she'd had a fantastic day. What a relief!
Tuesday, 4 April 2017
Pre-Birthday celebrations!
I had to make a mercy dash to Sue's husband's work this morning to deliver his work and personal mobiles and then I drove to Brixworth to meet Sue who had started work on the garden of a beautiful house we're looking after. I swept the drive and weeded the path while Sue weeded the border and then we moved to the back of the house to do more weeding in the extensive gardens.
We were there for three hours and it was bliss to get home, drink a very large mug of tea and see my friend Lynda who had popped around to give Sophie her birthday present. We had a chat and after she'd left Sophie and I ran Mike into town and stopped at McDonald's for a treat on the way home. I think after my hard work of this morning that I deserved it!
When we arrived back Keith asked if we'd bought today's paper and of course, I'd forgotten! We went out again and by the time we eventually returned home I was more than ready for a hot soak in the bath and a change of clothes!
Keith suggested we go to the pub for a quick drink in the evening but it had to be quick as my parents were due around at 7.30pm for Sophie's celebration Birthday dinner! We went to the pub in Old and had a couple of drinks sitting at the bar (our favourite place was already taken) and chatted to some regulars. Mike contacted us and we told him we were at the pub so he took the bus and joined us for the last fifteen minutes.
Back home it was a mad rush to get the table set and do last minute tidying before Mum and Dad arrived. I felt shattered and it was great to finally sit down and eat our meal of cottage pie with veggies followed by Sophie's ice-cream cake!
We were there for three hours and it was bliss to get home, drink a very large mug of tea and see my friend Lynda who had popped around to give Sophie her birthday present. We had a chat and after she'd left Sophie and I ran Mike into town and stopped at McDonald's for a treat on the way home. I think after my hard work of this morning that I deserved it!
When we arrived back Keith asked if we'd bought today's paper and of course, I'd forgotten! We went out again and by the time we eventually returned home I was more than ready for a hot soak in the bath and a change of clothes!
Keith suggested we go to the pub for a quick drink in the evening but it had to be quick as my parents were due around at 7.30pm for Sophie's celebration Birthday dinner! We went to the pub in Old and had a couple of drinks sitting at the bar (our favourite place was already taken) and chatted to some regulars. Mike contacted us and we told him we were at the pub so he took the bus and joined us for the last fifteen minutes.
Back home it was a mad rush to get the table set and do last minute tidying before Mum and Dad arrived. I felt shattered and it was great to finally sit down and eat our meal of cottage pie with veggies followed by Sophie's ice-cream cake!
Monday, 3 April 2017
A very busy day!
Sophie went into uni today to see a woman about her options when she finishes her degree next year. She wants to do a Law Conversion course and needed to find more out about it and what she had to do. We dropped her off and went to Jones's to get some bits and bobs, which included a mug for her Birthday with "Crazy Cat Lady" printed on the side. Very apt!
From Jones's we went to Boots and I bought her three Soap and Glory shower products and then we scooted off to Tesco where I did the rest of my Birthday shopping - a bottle of Tequila, one of Triple Sec, Champagne and a DVD of "Girl on the Train." As it was £20 for two bottles of spirits in the supermarket I treated myself to a bottle of Vodka as well!
We returned home and I put all her presents into a pretty bag and a box. Mike wanted to get his hair cut so we trooped off to Kettering and dropped him off at the barber's. Keith and I went to Costa Coffee and had a tea and a Flat White and just as we were finishing Mike arrived with much shorter, and neater, hair!
We headed home and on the way called to see Mum and Dad who were still sorting through hundreds of photographs. I took home a really cute one of me when I was toddling and smelling the roses in our garden!
We drove home and headed out again half an hour later to get Sophie from uni. It's certainly been a busy day!
From Jones's we went to Boots and I bought her three Soap and Glory shower products and then we scooted off to Tesco where I did the rest of my Birthday shopping - a bottle of Tequila, one of Triple Sec, Champagne and a DVD of "Girl on the Train." As it was £20 for two bottles of spirits in the supermarket I treated myself to a bottle of Vodka as well!
We returned home and I put all her presents into a pretty bag and a box. Mike wanted to get his hair cut so we trooped off to Kettering and dropped him off at the barber's. Keith and I went to Costa Coffee and had a tea and a Flat White and just as we were finishing Mike arrived with much shorter, and neater, hair!
We headed home and on the way called to see Mum and Dad who were still sorting through hundreds of photographs. I took home a really cute one of me when I was toddling and smelling the roses in our garden!
We drove home and headed out again half an hour later to get Sophie from uni. It's certainly been a busy day!
Sunday, 2 April 2017
Working in my own garden!
Keith went for a long walk this morning so Sophie and I went to fetch the Sunday papers and made breakfast when he returned. I also made Sophie's ice-cream birthday cake and decorated it with tiny marshmallows, popping candy and chocolate stars. I'm hoping she will love it!
The weather today has been overcast but dry and I was able to get out into the garden, mow the grass and generally have a tidy up. The robin was never far away and loved it when I started to hoe the border as he could have a good look for worms!
Next week is going to be very busy indeed and I have a feeling it will fly by as we have something on every day. We did manage to sit in the garden for a short while in the afternoon and relax a bit! When it became a bit too chilly to sit out I went inside and ordered a Birthday card for Sophie with Funky Pigeon and tried my hardest to make a video for her 21st on Wednesday. The actual putting together of the video was fine, it was adding music to it that I had difficulty with!
The weather today has been overcast but dry and I was able to get out into the garden, mow the grass and generally have a tidy up. The robin was never far away and loved it when I started to hoe the border as he could have a good look for worms!
Next week is going to be very busy indeed and I have a feeling it will fly by as we have something on every day. We did manage to sit in the garden for a short while in the afternoon and relax a bit! When it became a bit too chilly to sit out I went inside and ordered a Birthday card for Sophie with Funky Pigeon and tried my hardest to make a video for her 21st on Wednesday. The actual putting together of the video was fine, it was adding music to it that I had difficulty with!
Saturday, 1 April 2017
An unexpected slog!
After dropping Sophie off at work this morning, we walked up with Mike to the neighbour's garden that he was working on. He didn't want us to stick around so we left him to it and returned home for coffee and breakfast.
After about an hour we went back to check on him and I realised straight away that he was never going to finish within the next hour. Sue wanted Keith and Mike to lop three big branches off a tree in the garden so the boys did that and then Keith and I had no choice but to help Mike start cutting up all the branches so we could get them into the skip bags. It was hard work! Keith and I cut the branches up into manageable lengths and I also raked up all the twigs and leaves on the ground so we would leave it tidy after we'd finished. I estimated that between us we did around five hours.
Sue was obviously aware of this and Elizabeth, who owns the house, came out to say she would pop around later with some more money for Mike, which was very decent of her. We finished up and thankfully left three huge skip bags for the owners to take to the tip!
Keith and Mike went out in the afternoon and I pottered about enjoying the sunshine and blue skies. I had planned on doing my own garden but after the morning's efforts I think I'll leave that until tomorrow!
After about an hour we went back to check on him and I realised straight away that he was never going to finish within the next hour. Sue wanted Keith and Mike to lop three big branches off a tree in the garden so the boys did that and then Keith and I had no choice but to help Mike start cutting up all the branches so we could get them into the skip bags. It was hard work! Keith and I cut the branches up into manageable lengths and I also raked up all the twigs and leaves on the ground so we would leave it tidy after we'd finished. I estimated that between us we did around five hours.
Sue was obviously aware of this and Elizabeth, who owns the house, came out to say she would pop around later with some more money for Mike, which was very decent of her. We finished up and thankfully left three huge skip bags for the owners to take to the tip!
Keith and Mike went out in the afternoon and I pottered about enjoying the sunshine and blue skies. I had planned on doing my own garden but after the morning's efforts I think I'll leave that until tomorrow!
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