It was bliss to wake up this morning and know that we hadn't got to go anywhere and that I could relax and enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee. Keith and Sophie went for a walk while I did some ironing and generally tidied up. It was also lovely that my stomach didn't hurt at all! The beautiful sunny weather was also a huge bonus!
We took Mike to work and then called to get the Sunday newspapers before going to see Mum and Dad. Dad was watching the Grand Prix from Barcelona and we stayed to watch all the cars start, which Keith says is the most interesting part of the race!
Back home Sophie put two small pizzas in the oven to cook and we ate them sitting in the garden with Monty who was delighted that we were sitting outside with him. The pizzas were lovely and we had a glass of wine to accompany them! The sun was out and there was a real Florida sky going on...that was until it started to rain and we had to run indoors!
It wasn't a long spell of rain, though, and it came out sunny again. We spent the afternoon pottering about and at 5pm went for a drink at the pub where Mike is working. I had visions of us sitting out in the garden sipping our drinks, but it was a bit windy so we retreated indoors where we took a window seat and watched our son dash about. He looked quite happy to be working, which was a relief!
For dinner in the evening we had the free lamb I'd collected from M&S and it was delicious served with saute potatoes, green beans, broccoli and asparagus. Yum!
Sunday, 14 May 2017
Saturday, 13 May 2017
Bored stiff...
If I'm brutally honest I wasn't that happy about working on a Saturday but I figured that Sophie was at work all day and Mike was working in the afternoon so I would just get on and do it. I was hoping it would be busy, but how wrong was I...
There was a big Food and Drink Fair going on in Northampton and that could have been the reason we were quieter than a normal Saturday. I arrived early and had a taste of Champagne as it was on special offer over the weekend and I needed to know how it tasted (delicious!).
Although we had customers in and some of them spent a lot of money, it was very quiet and I was bored for most of the day, unfortunately. If there is one thing I can't stand it's being bored and clock watching! I have done this in past jobs and the time goes so slowly. I tried to stop thinking of all the things I could be doing at home instead and just concentrated on getting through the day and going home to a delicious dinner, the Eurovision Song Contest and a glass of wine.
I did try and see if there was anything I could do and walked up and down the aisles familiarising myself with all the different wines on offer. I even dusted some of the bottles of spirits behind the counter! On the plus side I did have some great chats with customers who were obviously enjoying their experience although a couple of people did look like they were about to have their teeth pulled out. If I was spending a small fortune on wine I'd be looking deliriously happy!
I finished just after 5pm as, predictably, we had a rush of customers come in. I didn't mind as I was going to go and wait for Sophie to finish anyway as there was no point in going all the way home to leave again half an hour later. I had a welcome cup of tea and chatted to Maureen whilst waiting for Sophie to finish her shift at 6.30pm.
We then drove home, poured some wine from a bottle I'd bought and enjoyed a delicious beef stroganoff for dinner. Afterwards, it was the Eurovision Song Contest and for once we weren't disgraced!
There was a big Food and Drink Fair going on in Northampton and that could have been the reason we were quieter than a normal Saturday. I arrived early and had a taste of Champagne as it was on special offer over the weekend and I needed to know how it tasted (delicious!).
Although we had customers in and some of them spent a lot of money, it was very quiet and I was bored for most of the day, unfortunately. If there is one thing I can't stand it's being bored and clock watching! I have done this in past jobs and the time goes so slowly. I tried to stop thinking of all the things I could be doing at home instead and just concentrated on getting through the day and going home to a delicious dinner, the Eurovision Song Contest and a glass of wine.
I did try and see if there was anything I could do and walked up and down the aisles familiarising myself with all the different wines on offer. I even dusted some of the bottles of spirits behind the counter! On the plus side I did have some great chats with customers who were obviously enjoying their experience although a couple of people did look like they were about to have their teeth pulled out. If I was spending a small fortune on wine I'd be looking deliriously happy!
I finished just after 5pm as, predictably, we had a rush of customers come in. I didn't mind as I was going to go and wait for Sophie to finish anyway as there was no point in going all the way home to leave again half an hour later. I had a welcome cup of tea and chatted to Maureen whilst waiting for Sophie to finish her shift at 6.30pm.
We then drove home, poured some wine from a bottle I'd bought and enjoyed a delicious beef stroganoff for dinner. Afterwards, it was the Eurovision Song Contest and for once we weren't disgraced!
Friday, 12 May 2017
Watching the dodgies!
I was due in at work at 10am this morning but Keith and I took Mike in first and then I came home. Going to Starbucks every morning and drinking expensive coffee is not really an option!
James the manager was off for the weekend so I met Shereen who is a graduate trainee. She was lovely and very friendly and we both had a quick tasting of some wines "to make sure they weren't corked." We tried a Merlot and a gorgeous Californian Zinfandel so that was very pleasant.
Today has been quite busy and I managed to put through quite a few transactions on the till. I really loved welcoming customers to the shop and chatting to them about wine, which is my favourite part of the job. At lunchtime Shereen went to get some bread and chicken as on a Friday each employee gets £4 towards lunch. Jonathan was out delivering wine to customers and we had a few dodgy characters wandering about outside...it was a bit unnerving!
I finished at 4.30pm and sped home to see the family. Keith wasn't going to the pub tonight, but Mike was off to Moulton to stay over with a friend so we dropped him off and then came home to relax and drink wine!
I'm back in work tomorrow, which will be a shock to the system!
James the manager was off for the weekend so I met Shereen who is a graduate trainee. She was lovely and very friendly and we both had a quick tasting of some wines "to make sure they weren't corked." We tried a Merlot and a gorgeous Californian Zinfandel so that was very pleasant.
Today has been quite busy and I managed to put through quite a few transactions on the till. I really loved welcoming customers to the shop and chatting to them about wine, which is my favourite part of the job. At lunchtime Shereen went to get some bread and chicken as on a Friday each employee gets £4 towards lunch. Jonathan was out delivering wine to customers and we had a few dodgy characters wandering about outside...it was a bit unnerving!
I finished at 4.30pm and sped home to see the family. Keith wasn't going to the pub tonight, but Mike was off to Moulton to stay over with a friend so we dropped him off and then came home to relax and drink wine!
I'm back in work tomorrow, which will be a shock to the system!
Thursday, 11 May 2017
A bit of stress!
Today has been a little bit stressful as I was due to do my first day at the wine shop and Sophie had an exam she'd been dreading for months. I took her to uni and then dropped Mike off at college before driving down to the St James retail park and having a coffee and a cookie in Starbucks. There was no point in dropping Mike off, going all the way home and then driving back into town again.
Keith went to do the shopping on his own (a prospect he was pleased about!) and I have to confess to missing our boring Thursday routine! I was early at work and arrived at the same time as my new colleagues. I was told to move my car as they wanted to leave some room for customers (in hindsight the car park was never full!) and then I was introduced to James who was the assistant manager and Jonathan who was a trainee manager.
We covered a lot of health and safety throughout the morning and I never confessed to James the manager that I'd been responsible for all the health and safety when I ran my business! I didn't say anything and read through all the information on their laptop and completed the quizzes afterwards. It was important that I had to do it and prove I'd read it, but a lot of it was common sense, as always.
There is a lot to learn and the tills were quite complicated but I think I did OK and after a tour of the shop and a couple of transactions I left at 2.30pm. James had neglected to tell me I needed to bring my passport in with me, so they wanted me to go home and scan a copy to the shop so that I would get paid on time this month.
I sped home and ate the sandwich I'd taken with Sophie and then it was time to go and pick Mike up from college, as per our normal routine! I'd enjoyed my day but when I returned from picking up Mike the payroll department had emailed me a load of paperwork about contracts and staff handbooks, which was a bit daunting. They also emailed me a P46 and I have to confess to feeling a bit wistful as these were the forms I used to hand out whenever we had a new starter who didn't supply a P45...
My contract stated that my last day with the company was the 1st July...so no career progression for me then!
Keith went to do the shopping on his own (a prospect he was pleased about!) and I have to confess to missing our boring Thursday routine! I was early at work and arrived at the same time as my new colleagues. I was told to move my car as they wanted to leave some room for customers (in hindsight the car park was never full!) and then I was introduced to James who was the assistant manager and Jonathan who was a trainee manager.
We covered a lot of health and safety throughout the morning and I never confessed to James the manager that I'd been responsible for all the health and safety when I ran my business! I didn't say anything and read through all the information on their laptop and completed the quizzes afterwards. It was important that I had to do it and prove I'd read it, but a lot of it was common sense, as always.
There is a lot to learn and the tills were quite complicated but I think I did OK and after a tour of the shop and a couple of transactions I left at 2.30pm. James had neglected to tell me I needed to bring my passport in with me, so they wanted me to go home and scan a copy to the shop so that I would get paid on time this month.
I sped home and ate the sandwich I'd taken with Sophie and then it was time to go and pick Mike up from college, as per our normal routine! I'd enjoyed my day but when I returned from picking up Mike the payroll department had emailed me a load of paperwork about contracts and staff handbooks, which was a bit daunting. They also emailed me a P46 and I have to confess to feeling a bit wistful as these were the forms I used to hand out whenever we had a new starter who didn't supply a P45...
My contract stated that my last day with the company was the 1st July...so no career progression for me then!
Wednesday, 10 May 2017
I get the lamb!
I was on my own at CAB today as Frank is away but I had a good run in after dropping Mike off at college. I even had time to buy a bacon roll and a coffee from Greggs!
Soon after I arrived Gill came over and we had a good chat about her holiday. She looked very tanned and relaxed and seemed delighted when I told her about my new job. We had a quiet day today with not much of any interest and I was locking up and leaving at just after 3pm. I walked to M&S where I wanted to get the half leg of lamb and was told by the woman on the Click and Collect desk that the Daily Mail had sent out the emails a week early. However, she let me have a joint which was priced at £16.00! That's Sunday's dinner sorted then!
I returned home to find everyone in a grumpy mood, for some unknown reason. Keith and I decided to head off to the pub to escape and we enjoyed a couple of drinks sitting in the window and watching the heavy traffic negotiate the T-junction. I'm sure there were far more cars than usual!
We only stayed for an hour and we were home by 6pm to find our son and daughter in a slightly better mood. It's a stressful time at the moment...Mike has assignments due in, Sophie has an exam tomorrow and I start a new job...arrggghhh!
Soon after I arrived Gill came over and we had a good chat about her holiday. She looked very tanned and relaxed and seemed delighted when I told her about my new job. We had a quiet day today with not much of any interest and I was locking up and leaving at just after 3pm. I walked to M&S where I wanted to get the half leg of lamb and was told by the woman on the Click and Collect desk that the Daily Mail had sent out the emails a week early. However, she let me have a joint which was priced at £16.00! That's Sunday's dinner sorted then!
I returned home to find everyone in a grumpy mood, for some unknown reason. Keith and I decided to head off to the pub to escape and we enjoyed a couple of drinks sitting in the window and watching the heavy traffic negotiate the T-junction. I'm sure there were far more cars than usual!
We only stayed for an hour and we were home by 6pm to find our son and daughter in a slightly better mood. It's a stressful time at the moment...Mike has assignments due in, Sophie has an exam tomorrow and I start a new job...arrggghhh!
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
I hear news!
This morning, Sophie and Keith did one of their long walks, only I thought they were just going for an hour...a breakdown in communication, I think, as they said they'd discussed it last night in the pub!
While they were gone I changed our bedding and did a pile of ironing and when they returned I made breakfast - cheese on toast for Sophie and Beans on toast for Keith and I. My stomach feels a lot better today, thank goodness!
We pottered about the house until the early afternoon and then went to see Mum and Dad, but as they were on their way to the bank, we didn't stay for long. Before going home we popped to Tesco to buy dinner for tonight and Wednesday and I bought a pack of chocolate doughnuts as a treat to go with a cup of tea.
Although it's been grey and cloudy today we still haven't had any substantial rain and there's talk of it being an official drought. Our garden is really dry and the front verge is like a dust bowl!
In the early evening I received a telephone call from the wine shop to ask if I could start work with them on Thursday! Yippee!
While they were gone I changed our bedding and did a pile of ironing and when they returned I made breakfast - cheese on toast for Sophie and Beans on toast for Keith and I. My stomach feels a lot better today, thank goodness!
We pottered about the house until the early afternoon and then went to see Mum and Dad, but as they were on their way to the bank, we didn't stay for long. Before going home we popped to Tesco to buy dinner for tonight and Wednesday and I bought a pack of chocolate doughnuts as a treat to go with a cup of tea.
Although it's been grey and cloudy today we still haven't had any substantial rain and there's talk of it being an official drought. Our garden is really dry and the front verge is like a dust bowl!
In the early evening I received a telephone call from the wine shop to ask if I could start work with them on Thursday! Yippee!
Monday, 8 May 2017
Dining out on the proceeds!
This morning my stomach really hurt so I called the doctor to be told there were no appointments this week and to call back tomorrow at 8am to see if I could get in as an emergency. I took some painkillers and showered and felt a little better.
Sophie had an exam today so we dropped her off at uni mid-morning and then went over to the Weston Favell Centre to post a parcel and do some shopping. I bought a bottle of peppermint oil tablets in Holland and Barrett as I'd heard they were good for the digestion.
Keith and I had a quick breakfast in the Tesco cafe (sausage baps - very good!) and then returned home where I took two of the tablets with water. As we didn't have to pick Sophie up until 5pm I cleaned all of downstairs and tidied up the conservatory. We'd taken the stuff we hadn't sold to the charity shop this morning and it was lovely to get the room back to how it should be - a place for relaxing not a dumping ground for stuff we didn't want!
My stomach seemed much better and doing the housework and all that that involves didn't seem to make it worse, which was good news. Mike went to Brixworth in the early afternoon and just as I got into the bath later in the day, the phone rang and it was my parents to say they'd picked up their new car and could they come around and show it to us?
I hurriedly finished my bath and dressed and they arrived in their 2016 registered Nissan Qashqai which was a lovely dark grey colour. They were both very pleased with it and it looked a lovely car. Mum had been having difficulty with the phone so we said we'd pop over tomorrow and try and sort it out for them.
Once they had gone Keith and I hurriedly got ready as we were picking the kids up and then heading into Northampton for a drink and a meal with the proceeds of the sale yesterday. We parked opposite The Princess Alexandra which was very quiet...but then it was only 5.30pm!
Sophie treated us all to a drink and I had half a pint of a delicious stout while the men had bitter and Sophie enjoyed a Pilsner. We had a couple of drinks at The Princess Alexandra and then walked the short distance to The Lamplighter for dinner. This pub was also very quiet and we took a table by the window overlooking the beer garden. Unfortunately today has seen a return to the grey, chilly weather so I feel we were very lucky yesterday with the sunshine and blue skies!
We had a lovely meal as always (beefburger, steak and ale pie, nachos and a chicken burger) followed by chocolate brownie with ice-cream for dessert. And all paid for by our garage sale!
Sophie had an exam today so we dropped her off at uni mid-morning and then went over to the Weston Favell Centre to post a parcel and do some shopping. I bought a bottle of peppermint oil tablets in Holland and Barrett as I'd heard they were good for the digestion.
Keith and I had a quick breakfast in the Tesco cafe (sausage baps - very good!) and then returned home where I took two of the tablets with water. As we didn't have to pick Sophie up until 5pm I cleaned all of downstairs and tidied up the conservatory. We'd taken the stuff we hadn't sold to the charity shop this morning and it was lovely to get the room back to how it should be - a place for relaxing not a dumping ground for stuff we didn't want!
My stomach seemed much better and doing the housework and all that that involves didn't seem to make it worse, which was good news. Mike went to Brixworth in the early afternoon and just as I got into the bath later in the day, the phone rang and it was my parents to say they'd picked up their new car and could they come around and show it to us?
I hurriedly finished my bath and dressed and they arrived in their 2016 registered Nissan Qashqai which was a lovely dark grey colour. They were both very pleased with it and it looked a lovely car. Mum had been having difficulty with the phone so we said we'd pop over tomorrow and try and sort it out for them.
Once they had gone Keith and I hurriedly got ready as we were picking the kids up and then heading into Northampton for a drink and a meal with the proceeds of the sale yesterday. We parked opposite The Princess Alexandra which was very quiet...but then it was only 5.30pm!
Sophie treated us all to a drink and I had half a pint of a delicious stout while the men had bitter and Sophie enjoyed a Pilsner. We had a couple of drinks at The Princess Alexandra and then walked the short distance to The Lamplighter for dinner. This pub was also very quiet and we took a table by the window overlooking the beer garden. Unfortunately today has seen a return to the grey, chilly weather so I feel we were very lucky yesterday with the sunshine and blue skies!
We had a lovely meal as always (beefburger, steak and ale pie, nachos and a chicken burger) followed by chocolate brownie with ice-cream for dessert. And all paid for by our garage sale!
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