A trip through the Mediterranean.

After dropping Sophie off at work, and then taking Mike (he's doing an extra shift today) I knuckled down to some housework! I stripped my bed completely (I even took the valance off) and while it was all washing, I tackled the kitchen drawers which badly needed some TLC!

It felt good to do something that would last longer than a few hours, which is what happens when I do normal housework! I washed all the cutlery and the tray (filthy) and carried on with the rest of the drawers, including the dreaded bottom one which holds everything we don't know what to do with including curtain hooks, safety pins, batteries, shoe laces and a host of other bits and bobs. Now it's all tidy, an immensely satisfying feeling!

Before putting all the bedding back Keith and I pulled our big heavy bed away from the wall and I gasped in shock at all the dust and cobwebs that had gathered behind it! I am so slovenly! I hoovered the bed itself and the carpet and put fresh bedding on...wonderful! It smelt lovely! I then hoovered all through the house before rewarding myself with a bath as we are out tonight at Sue and Paul's for the wine night - a trip through the Mediterranean.

I went to get Mike and Sophie and the threatened rain arrived. Before picking up Soph I bought Sue some flowers and chocolates and while I was out Keith drove to the village to pick up a takeaway from the van for the kids.

As soon as we were home I dashed off to get ready while Soph and Mike ate their dinner, which smelt delicious! I have to say I was a bit envious but I was looking forward to going out for the evening.

We were the first to arrive although I had told Sue we might be late as Sophie doesn't usually finish work until 6.30pm. The dogs were in a boisterous mood and Sue and Paul chuckled about the "beer for dogs"! Richard and Michelle arrived and we were given glasses of Prosecco to drink before our starter of cold meats, prawn cocktail and olives served with rustic bread.

We started on our whites and we all preferred the more expensive Viognier although I couldn't really tell the difference between the two. Our main course was lasagne, served with salad and roasted potatoes and we drank two bottles of Italian Rose wine that Sue and Paul had chosen. One was a deeper colour than the other but other than that there really wasn't much difference!

We finished with the Riojas that Richard and Michelle had brought with them and we all definitely preferred the wine from Waitrose rather than the Aldi offering. It was a lovely evening with lots of chat and laughter and our meal ended with a choice of either lemon torte or profiteroles served with cream. I didn't want to have too much to drink as Sophie and I are off to Althorp tomorrow for the Literary Festival and I certainly didn't want to have a sore head!

A wine search!

We had an hour to kill between dropping Mike off at college and taking Sophie to work so we had a coffee at Costa and then popped into Waitrose to look at wine. We need to buy two wines from a Mediterranean country with a price difference between them of least £5 for an upcoming evening at Sue and Paul's house.

We were going to go with a different country - one out of the ordinary - but in the end we decided to choose a French, Spanish or Italian wine. After dropping Sophie off at work we headed to Majestic and had a great chat with James who helped us choose. We settled on two Viogniers from France but we had briefly considered a Sancerre and a lesser Sauvignon Blanc from another region of the country.

While we were in the shop it would have been rude not to have taken advantage of their mix six discount so we bought three bottles of the Ned Pinot Grigio and a bottle of Californian Zinfandel which was on tasting!

Before heading home we drove around Brackmills and we were astonished at how big the new Stanley Black and Decker warehouse was. Back in 2012 the original warehouse was demolished and for ages the land stood empty. Now, however, it has a brand new building standing on it and I urged Keith to contact someone who still works there that he knows, so he can have a tour.

It's been a gorgeous day today with sunny skies and fluffy white clouds - a Florida sky, which is a bonus so late in the year. Our film at work this afternoon was Homeward Bound 2 and I set it up for Lisa as there was a presentation going on in the playground to name the new pirate ship that the children love playing on. It was given the name "The Treasure Hunter" and there were cake stalls where the parents and children could buy cakes. Every single child that came to film night (and there were only six of them) came in with a little cake!

After the film finished we all went out into the playground but the weather had taken a turn for the worse and the sky was shrouded in thick cloud. There was a chilly little wind blowing as well! I got away at 6pm and dashed off to get Sophie from work. Keith had driven me today because of the presentation so he drove down in my car and left it in the pub car park. I popped in to get the keys and then sped off to collect my daughter.

Dinner tonight was very simple - jacket potatoes for Keith and I and Tesco curries for the children. It made my job a lot easier when I got home!

Traffic hold-ups!

Keith and I took Sophie to uni this morning and then went to do our shopping. It's been a bright but very breezy day with some areas of the UK having a warning for high winds.

We did all our shopping and then returned to find Mike ready to go out to Brixworth. Maybe we should start him with driving lessons as well, but I dread to think what the insurance would be!

As today has been so lovely the children spent a lot of time in the playground and they even had their snack outside as well. It's great to make the most of the dry and sunny weather when we can! After work I sped off to get Sophie from uni while Keith went to collect Mike from Brixworth. The traffic was terrible and I kept being held up by parked cars on my side of the road. I never had any of this while we were in the US! To be honest, driving today has been a pain, as this morning we had tractors, cyclists, walkers and even horse-riders sharing the road, all of whom managed to delay my journey! In Moulton we were all held up by a giant lorry that was obviously lost. How he managed to negotiate the narrow streets I'll never know!

Imagine my shock when Sophie and I encountered him on the way home as well, this time trying to reverse into a narrow field gateway! Every time he tried to reverse he ended up on the verge and he must have made about ten attempts before getting out of his cab. Behind me a long queue of cars had built up and no doubt there were lots coming the other way as well! Eventually he managed to manoeuvre the huge lorry into the gateway so we could all move again. My glass of wine was very welcome when we eventually arrived home!

Plastic cup pyramids!

Overnight I changed my mind about going for the interview at the estate agents and I emailed the manager as soon as I got up to let him know. As it's been almost a month since I applied for the job I think he understood!

Keith took Mike for a hair cut this morning while I ran Sophie to uni. When I returned there was a message on the answer phone from my friend Lynda and this sort of set the tone for the day because we had loads of phone calls, when we really don't get that many! We had more calls today than we normally do in a week!

Keith didn't get home until almost midday as he went straight from the barber shop in Kettering to take Mike into Northampton, so I pottered about and did some jobs and then we had an early lunch. Sophie had asked me to pick her up from uni at 2pm and an hour before this, Keith's friend Dave called to ask Keith for a lift to the garage to pick up his car. I knew he would never make it home in time so luckily he went to collect Mike from town while I went to get Sophie. Phew! I will be mightily glad when Sophie has passed her test and she can drive herself. What will I do with all my spare time?

The afternoon at the after-school club was a bit chaotic as the older girls wanted to build pyramids out of plastic cups. Lisa had to go and find some more and then there were the usual fights as all the children wanted to have a go so there were cups everywhere as one by one they all collapsed, whether by accident or deliberately! Today the weather hasn't been that nice, with dull, overcast skies and a cold wind so we spent most of the afternoon inside. The mess in the hall was a sight to behold at the end of the session and it always amazes me that we can get it cleared up quickly by about 5.30pm when the children start to leave!

Keith and Sophie walked up to meet me again but tonight we didn't go to the pub...it mustn't turn into a nightly habit!

Two job offers!

I checked my emails this morning and was astonished to find a message from an estate agents in Northampton regarding a job I'd applied for almost a month ago! They wanted me to contact them about the position so I can only assume that they took someone on and it didn't work out! I didn't have time to call them as I was just on my way out to pick up my Mum as Sophie and I were taking her shopping to Rushden Lakes again. I needed some new jeans and was hoping to buy some in M&S. The weather today has been beautiful but it's still a bit blustery. The warm weather has certainly disappeared!

We decided to have coffee in M&S and I ordered their Flat White, which I have to say is not a patch on Costa's! When we finished we had a great mooch about in the store but I didn't see any jeans I liked. I did buy a pair of black trousers, though! They might come in useful for an interview!

We looked around House of Fraser, New Look and River Island but Sophie wasn't really in the mood to do any shopping so at 12pm we called it a day and returned home. Although we all like Rushden Lakes we've decided it will never replace Milton Keynes in our affections! There's just so much choice and the shops have a far bigger range. Perhaps this is why John Lewis pulled out of Rushden Lakes, although I think the store would have been a huge draw.

We popped into the Co-op and Sophie bought some food for lunch. After we'd eaten I called the estate agents and spoke to the manager and we arranged to have a chat tomorrow morning. Although I was flattered they'd considered me I started to have a few doubts about the job. It's in the middle of town for a start so there's the problem of parking and the telephone job is still on the cards, as I'd had a text this morning to say that all my paperwork was with their HR department and someone would be in touch about a starting date.

There was a nice atmosphere at the after-school club this afternoon and after playing some games with the children they went outside to run about as it was dry and sunny. I was a little late leaving this evening and had to rush off and get Sophie from uni. We enjoyed dinner before settling down to watch the last two episodes of Doctor Foster. They were riveting!

Rude noises!

Keith took Mike to college this morning as he had to pick up one of his mates from a garage where his car had gone for some repairs. Sophie had a driving lesson at 10am and as soon as she returned home we left to take her to uni. She was more than ready to go back after being off since May!

Keith and I dropped her off and went to the Weston Favell Centre to get the rest of the week's shopping. I also bought two more pots of the "Parp putty" for the children at the after school club. There were just the two pots left so I wonder if some of the parents had bought it for their offspring over the weekend!

I gave the pots to the two girls in the afternoon and they were thrilled with it, making lots of rude noises throughout the session! We left on time and I met up with Sophie and Keith in the pub car park. Keith suggested a drink...of course! We spent a very pleasant hour sitting at the bar and having a chat before we returned home and cooked dinner of a beef casserole. It was delicious and perfect for the windy, Autumnal day we'd had!

Somewhere a bit different!

As Sundays have been designated "Fundays" Sophie and I had a discussion about what we were going to do today. She is back at uni tomorrow so she deliberately kept today free to do something fun.

After a bit of wrangling we decided to go to the interesting bar we'd spotted in Derngate in Northampton and then head off to Homesense as I needed a new bedsheet and I wanted to look at storage boxes.

First of all, though, I asked her to help me put the colour on my hair and while that was doing its work I tried out a new facepack I'd bought in Boots. I looked like Hannibal Lecter with it on, as it was a white face mask that was supposed to "smooth away tiny lines and hydrate the skin"...hmmm! I went around the house jumping out on Mike and Keith who were not impressed!

Once I'd showered and dried my hair (no grey!) I took Mike to work with Keith and then returned home to find Sophie all ready as well. We drove into Northampton and parked in St John's before walking the short distance to Foodies Rocks, a cocktail bar/restaurant specialising in street food from around the world.

We were the only ones in there at first and we were seated by a very pretty waitress who told us to order 2-3 dishes, write our choices down on a little card and then go to the bar to pay. We chose two portions of the Korean Sriracha double fried chicken served with mooli, the Edamame Hummus and the Pork Gyoza. We also enjoyed a small glass of wine each and although it was a bit expensive - about £6 for each dish - the food was out of this world! The chicken, in particular, was delicious and perhaps the best I've ever tasted as it was sticky and moist and served with a "mooli" which turned out to be white radish, almost like a coleslaw and utterly gorgeous!

I chose the hummus which was served with small slices of fried bread and covered with chilli flakes, wakame seaweed and sesame seeds. Sophie's other dish consisted of pork dumplings served with a delicious soy dip. We found room for dessert and ordered Portuguese custard tarts served with berries and sublime churros accompanied by a hazelnut and chocolate sauce.

The bill came to just over £40 for the two of us which I didn't think was bad for lunch with a glass of wine, and we were certainly full when we left. Other people had come in as we ate so I was glad to see the place a bit busier. Downstairs they have an art gallery and table football and they put on lots of live events. We will definitely be back!

We returned to the car and drove to Homesense which was busier than I expected! Maybe it was because of the large Halloween display and the Christmas stuff creeping in as well? There's no escaping either celebration! I found a sheet for our bed and looked at the storage boxes but I really wanted a file where we could store important papers. Sophie bought a badge for her denim jacket and I also put a loaf tin in our basket as the one we currently have is very manky!

Sophie and I have decided that instead of pushing on with collecting hearts for the conservatory, we will collect naff sayings to put on the walls of the cloakroom. We have four hearts for this year but we haven't been able to decide on where to display them and we didn't want it to start looking tacky. There was nothing we liked at Homesense so we drove to the garden centre at Harlestone and had a look there. We visited the fish area first and I became a little too interested in a sad-looking puffer fish that kept staring at me. His eyes followed me and I was almost on the brink of buying an aquarium just for him! However, I don't like any animals, birds or fish kept in a confined environment so I said goodbye and tore myself away from his sad little face.

We had a quick look in the pets' section and spotted this:

Beer and wine for dogs and cats! Is there no end to the madness? However, I couldn't resist buying a bottle of the beer for Sue and Paul's dogs, Bailey and Archie, as we are around there for dinner soon and it might cause a giggle.

Unfortunately we didn't see any naff sayings (Live.Love.Laugh or whatever will have to be the first!) so we headed home and relaxed in the conservatory while Keith watched Newcastle play.

When we went to pick up Mike the weather had taken a turn for the worse and it had become very windy. Apparently ex-Hurricane Maria is going to pay us a visit over the next couple of days!