It was back to work for me today, the first full Monday I've worked since the 3 December! We were busy on the phones and the time went quickly, which was a bonus.
I dashed home at 2pm and on the way I put £10 of petrol in Jim and bought myself some lunch at the garage. I didn't fancy a sandwich so I chose a "Chicken on a stick" and some savoury eggs. When I unwrapped the chicken it looked disgusting! It was covered in a red slime (a Chinese sauce, which I had failed to notice) but it tasted OK. I'm not sure I'll ever buy it again, though! Unfortunately the savoury eggs were mouldy so they went out into the garden for the birds! Not the best of choices!
Sophie was out having lunch with friends at Bella Italia (lucky thing) so I had a quick chat with Keith before going to school. We had eleven children and we stayed inside and entertained them until 6pm as it was too cold and horrible to go outside.
Dinner tonight was chicken soup with some added potatoes. My tummy still feels sore and tender and it was all I fancied!
Monday, 8 January 2018
Sunday, 7 January 2018
Sunny skies
This morning I felt a little better and after a lazy start to the day Sophie, Keith and I went to see Mum and Dad and had a coffee.
The weather has been lovely with lots of sunshine and clear blue skies but it has been cold and there's been a very chilly wind blowing.
Once we got back from seeing Mum and Dad we took Mike to work and then it was home to have lunch (leftover Chinese take-away) and sit in the conservatory and relax. The birds have been out in abundance today and we have been seeing lots of sparrows, blackbirds, starlings, Blue Tits, our robin and some new visitors - a flock of Long-tailed Tits who arrive in a group and hang from the feeders. Sophie thinks we have an injured sparrow in the garden but I haven't seen him. We named him Spud and I've been looking out for him all day. We haven't seen Cheryl for ages, either.
I'm taking part in the Big Garden Watch in a few weeks time so I'm hoping to get lots of birds in the garden then!
The weather has been lovely with lots of sunshine and clear blue skies but it has been cold and there's been a very chilly wind blowing.
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| The Silver Birch outside the conservatory window. We do sometimes get blue skies in the winter! |
I'm taking part in the Big Garden Watch in a few weeks time so I'm hoping to get lots of birds in the garden then!
Saturday, 6 January 2018
The lost day...
I have to confess to feeling lousy today - I'm so glad it's not next week: my Birthday weekend!
Sophie woke me up at 8.30am and I'd had a terrible night's sleep - gripey tummy pains and the return of the ache that laid me low last May. We took Sophie to work and came home to have some breakfast but I felt horrible so I spent the day doing very little. Keith took Mike to work and then went to see Sileby play in the afternoon. I had a long, hot bath as I just couldn't get warm.
When I went back downstairs I watched an old 1940s film starring Bette Davis called The Letter, which was very good. I recorded it as I fell asleep after the first ten minutes and slept for almost an hour!
Mike phoned at 5pm to say he was waiting to be picked up, so as soon as Keith returned we went to get him. However, we learnt that he had left work at 2pm and he was waiting for us at the library in Brixworth...a big argument ensued between him and me with him accusing me of not listening to what he had said on the phone!
No sooner had we got home than it was time to collect Sophie from work so off we went again. Maybe this time next week she'll be driving herself?! On the way home we stopped off at the Chinese takeaway in Brixworth to order our dinner. For the four of us the meal came to £32, about £7 more than the van. The food was OK... I chose a fried rice dish and pancake rolls and only ate half of the meal as I didn't want to risk upsetting my stomach again!
No photo today again...felt too yucky to take one and there was very little of note, anyway!
Sophie woke me up at 8.30am and I'd had a terrible night's sleep - gripey tummy pains and the return of the ache that laid me low last May. We took Sophie to work and came home to have some breakfast but I felt horrible so I spent the day doing very little. Keith took Mike to work and then went to see Sileby play in the afternoon. I had a long, hot bath as I just couldn't get warm.
When I went back downstairs I watched an old 1940s film starring Bette Davis called The Letter, which was very good. I recorded it as I fell asleep after the first ten minutes and slept for almost an hour!
Mike phoned at 5pm to say he was waiting to be picked up, so as soon as Keith returned we went to get him. However, we learnt that he had left work at 2pm and he was waiting for us at the library in Brixworth...a big argument ensued between him and me with him accusing me of not listening to what he had said on the phone!
No sooner had we got home than it was time to collect Sophie from work so off we went again. Maybe this time next week she'll be driving herself?! On the way home we stopped off at the Chinese takeaway in Brixworth to order our dinner. For the four of us the meal came to £32, about £7 more than the van. The food was OK... I chose a fried rice dish and pancake rolls and only ate half of the meal as I didn't want to risk upsetting my stomach again!
No photo today again...felt too yucky to take one and there was very little of note, anyway!
Friday, 5 January 2018
Two days...almost exactly the same!
It was really not pleasant getting up on Thursday morning to go to work. I drove myself and the weather was truly horrible - misty, rainy and dark even though the sun officially rises at just after 8am.
When I walked into the office Sara said that the phones had been really busy since Tuesday so I steeled myself for a hard few hours. We were busy, but not tremendously so, and the time did pass very quickly.
At 2pm I dashed off home and managed a quick cup of tea before going into school. I caught Sophie writing out the menu for the next few days as Keith had been grocery shopping today:
The after-school club wasn't that busy and for half an hour we took the children outside to play. The strong winds have died down now but it was still cold!
On Friday, I felt like I was having deja vu - up at 6.30am, off to work, another busy day, speeding home at 2pm to have a quick break before working at the after school club again. Sophie and Keith had taken down all of the Christmas decorations so the living room, study and conservatory looked really bare. I will certainly miss the lights in our tree outside! I think there should be a law introduced that makes people hang lights outside for the whole of January and February, two of the darkest months of the year!
We didn't have film night tonight because the projector still needs a new bulb and we only had five children attend anyway. It was great to finish at 5.30pm and go home to enjoy a drink with Sophie. Keith and Mike both went to the pub and we picked them up at 7.30pm. No photo today. First fail of the New Year! Oh dear!
When I walked into the office Sara said that the phones had been really busy since Tuesday so I steeled myself for a hard few hours. We were busy, but not tremendously so, and the time did pass very quickly.
At 2pm I dashed off home and managed a quick cup of tea before going into school. I caught Sophie writing out the menu for the next few days as Keith had been grocery shopping today:
The after-school club wasn't that busy and for half an hour we took the children outside to play. The strong winds have died down now but it was still cold!
On Friday, I felt like I was having deja vu - up at 6.30am, off to work, another busy day, speeding home at 2pm to have a quick break before working at the after school club again. Sophie and Keith had taken down all of the Christmas decorations so the living room, study and conservatory looked really bare. I will certainly miss the lights in our tree outside! I think there should be a law introduced that makes people hang lights outside for the whole of January and February, two of the darkest months of the year!
We didn't have film night tonight because the projector still needs a new bulb and we only had five children attend anyway. It was great to finish at 5.30pm and go home to enjoy a drink with Sophie. Keith and Mike both went to the pub and we picked them up at 7.30pm. No photo today. First fail of the New Year! Oh dear!
Wednesday, 3 January 2018
Back to school!
This morning was very windy and Keith and Sophie both said that the storm in the night had been terrible. This, the fifth storm of the season called Eleanor, had woken them both up and when I went downstairs this morning Monty had been brought in by Sophie during the night!
I had to go into school at midday for a three hour training session on "Emotion Coaching." We had to sit on teeny tiny chairs that were very uncomfortable so it wasn't the most enjoyable of experiences!
A lot of what was said was good and I agreed with, but I do think that these sort of things work in theory, but not so easily in practice. We had to do various activities and role play and it was a relief to be let out after the session and go home!
Mike was off to Brixworth so we dropped him off and drove to Tesco's in Kettering via the A14 for a change. Once there, we did some shopping to tide us over for a few days and then it was home to relax before going back to pick Mike up.
After dinner we watched our usual shows - it's back to work for me tomorrow after the New Year break!
I had to go into school at midday for a three hour training session on "Emotion Coaching." We had to sit on teeny tiny chairs that were very uncomfortable so it wasn't the most enjoyable of experiences!
A lot of what was said was good and I agreed with, but I do think that these sort of things work in theory, but not so easily in practice. We had to do various activities and role play and it was a relief to be let out after the session and go home!
Mike was off to Brixworth so we dropped him off and drove to Tesco's in Kettering via the A14 for a change. Once there, we did some shopping to tide us over for a few days and then it was home to relax before going back to pick Mike up.
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| Sophie and Monty on the sofa watching 90 Day Fiance. |
After dinner we watched our usual shows - it's back to work for me tomorrow after the New Year break!
Tuesday, 2 January 2018
Proud Mum!
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| First donation! |
Sophie and I had an appointment to give blood at midday and Mike wanted to come along as well. We'd all had a lazy start to the day and so it was good to get out at 1pm and donate a pint each!
Everything went very well and Sophie gave her 10th pint of blood. Mike enjoyed the experience and luckily felt fine. We sat and enjoyed a drink and a biscuit afterwards and then drove over to Rushden Lakes as Mike needed to take some clothes back to River Island.
The shopping centre was busy but we parked easily enough and went to change the clothes first. Mike picked out a faux suede jacket, a hoodie and some socks and had to pay just £2. The jacket had been reduced from £85 to £40. I would have cried if I'd bought it for him for Christmas!
We went for a coffee at Costa and then had a mooch about in House of Fraser but we didn't see anything else we liked so we called it a day and drove home in the gloom. I dropped Mike off in the village so he could see one of his mates but warned him to be home in time for dinner as it was Paella (we didn't have it in the end, on New Year's Eve).
Sophie prepared all the vegetables and I really enjoyed cooking the dish. Mike arrived home about ten minutes before we were due to eat and we all agreed that it was delicious. In the past the rice has still been a bit gritty but we cooked it slowly and it was lovely. This year we're going to try and be a bit more adventurous with our cooking and Sophie and I love creating dishes together in the kitchen!
Monday, 1 January 2018
No room at the Inn...
Even though Keith was reluctant (and the children too, probably) I wanted to go to Broadway in the Cotswolds today to celebrate New Year's Day as the last few years, when we didn't go, weren't the best! I am very superstitious!
We didn't leave until midday as Mike had stayed out overnight at a friend's house and Sophie and I went to pick him up at 10am. He was very bleary! I have to admit to all of us being a bit tired as we didn't get to bed until 2am (we'd gone over to Sue and Paul's and seen the New Year in with them and Richard and Michelle, with a bottle of Champagne) and a nuisance phone call had woken us all at 7.30am. It was one of these automated messages and Keith had bounded downstairs to answer it thinking it was Mike!
We set off in the rain even though the New Year had dawned sunny and bright. Google maps on my phone told us which way to go and as we made our way over towards Stratford-upon-Avon, the sun came out, which was great. It was a bit cold, though - 5c.
We parked easily in Broadway and walked into the village to find a shop to get some change as Keith only had £1 to put into the meter. Hardly any shops were open and in my opinion, they certainly missed a trick as there were loads of people walking about and taking advantage of the blue skies and sunshine.
We went into the Edinburgh Woollen Mill and amused ourselves by looking at the clothes and we picked up a box of orange chocolate straws which cost £1 to change a £20 note. The woman at the till was not amused and asked in a demanding tone whether we had anything smaller! Well, of course not, otherwise we would have used coins!
Sophie and I went to feed the meter while the boys went to a nearby pub as the intention was to have lunch. However, when we met them walking down the High Street we knew that the pub was full. This set the tone for the rest of our visit as every pub, even one tucked away down a side street, was packed to the gunnels with people eating and drinking. I hate it when you walk in somewhere and there's no tables to be had and the people already there look very smug. Ho hum!
We made the decision to go somewhere else as there was no point staying and waiting for a table as in one place there was already a queue! As very few shops were open we went back to the car (£4 wasted) and drove to Evesham, thinking that as it was a bigger place, there would bound to be somewhere open for food.
We weren't impressed at all with Evesham. Driving in, the town looked a bit run down and tired so we drove straight through and decided to head back to Stratford. There were a couple of pubs on the way and off the busy A46 we saw a sign for the Blue Boar.
The car park was almost full and inside it was rammed with people and a group of Morris Men who were very jolly indeed. We found it very difficult to actually walk through the pub and I'm sure I stood on a poor dog's toes as we made our way to the crowded bar. With all the people and the noise of locals having a wonderful time, we made the decision to leave and push on into Stratford itself. The day was not shaping up to be a good one!
Keith regularly meets his old friend Malcolm at The Swan's Nest hotel right on the river so we headed there and parked nearby. The pub attached to the hotel, The Bear, was very busy (where wasn't?) and we ordered some drinks at the bar hoping they were still doing food. They weren't. The kitchen was closed.
By now it was almost 3pm and we had hardly eaten anything. Next to the pub was a bistro with empty tables and as they were advertising pre-theatre meals, we hoped they would be serving into the evening. But, no...the kitchen was closed.
We drank our drinks and decided to have one last attempt at finding a meal by walking into Stratford. A lot of people were out milling about by the river and feeding the swans so we walked past the grand Shakespeare theatre (they still had tickets available!) and into the town. There was a fish and chip restaurant on the corner, but a few feet away was a branch of Zizzi, an Italian restaurant so we went in...and they had a table!
The first thing that struck me was the price of a bottle of beer - £4.85 for a 330ml serving! How they get away with it, I'll never know! Anyway, we had no choice but to settle down and look at the menu and we chose various garlicky breads to start followed by pizzas for Mike and Sophie, a shoulder of lamb for Keith and a chicken and vegetable skewer for me, served with herby potatoes and green beans.
Mike and Keith had an expensive beer each while Sophie had a glass of Pinot Grigio. Poor old me sipped a glass of sparkling water! The breads were lovely and served with a salsa-like dip and a garlic one but I was a little disappointed with my main course, as there wasn't much of it and as the kebab was served "hanging" the hook kept getting in my way!
Mike's pizza was wrong, unfortunately, as he had asked for an extra topping of chicken and this had been forgotten. Keith brought it to the attention of the waiter (after Mike had eaten a slice) so we got another one for free. That was great as I ate most of the original one!
We skipped desserts and returned to the car thinking it was much later than it was (5pm). The restaurant was still going strong when we left but I'm not sure I would rush to go back. Our journey home was fine until I almost reached the M6 and saw that it was signposted for the north so I carried on and ended up on the M69 instead, heading for Leicester! This meant that we had gone quite a way off our route but we were still home for 6.30pm and it was lovely to change into comfortable clothes and relax for the rest of the evening!
In 2018 I'm going to try and post a photo that sums up my day. Here is today's...the theatre in Stratford at dusk.
We didn't leave until midday as Mike had stayed out overnight at a friend's house and Sophie and I went to pick him up at 10am. He was very bleary! I have to admit to all of us being a bit tired as we didn't get to bed until 2am (we'd gone over to Sue and Paul's and seen the New Year in with them and Richard and Michelle, with a bottle of Champagne) and a nuisance phone call had woken us all at 7.30am. It was one of these automated messages and Keith had bounded downstairs to answer it thinking it was Mike!
We set off in the rain even though the New Year had dawned sunny and bright. Google maps on my phone told us which way to go and as we made our way over towards Stratford-upon-Avon, the sun came out, which was great. It was a bit cold, though - 5c.
We parked easily in Broadway and walked into the village to find a shop to get some change as Keith only had £1 to put into the meter. Hardly any shops were open and in my opinion, they certainly missed a trick as there were loads of people walking about and taking advantage of the blue skies and sunshine.
We went into the Edinburgh Woollen Mill and amused ourselves by looking at the clothes and we picked up a box of orange chocolate straws which cost £1 to change a £20 note. The woman at the till was not amused and asked in a demanding tone whether we had anything smaller! Well, of course not, otherwise we would have used coins!
Sophie and I went to feed the meter while the boys went to a nearby pub as the intention was to have lunch. However, when we met them walking down the High Street we knew that the pub was full. This set the tone for the rest of our visit as every pub, even one tucked away down a side street, was packed to the gunnels with people eating and drinking. I hate it when you walk in somewhere and there's no tables to be had and the people already there look very smug. Ho hum!
We made the decision to go somewhere else as there was no point staying and waiting for a table as in one place there was already a queue! As very few shops were open we went back to the car (£4 wasted) and drove to Evesham, thinking that as it was a bigger place, there would bound to be somewhere open for food.
We weren't impressed at all with Evesham. Driving in, the town looked a bit run down and tired so we drove straight through and decided to head back to Stratford. There were a couple of pubs on the way and off the busy A46 we saw a sign for the Blue Boar.
The car park was almost full and inside it was rammed with people and a group of Morris Men who were very jolly indeed. We found it very difficult to actually walk through the pub and I'm sure I stood on a poor dog's toes as we made our way to the crowded bar. With all the people and the noise of locals having a wonderful time, we made the decision to leave and push on into Stratford itself. The day was not shaping up to be a good one!
Keith regularly meets his old friend Malcolm at The Swan's Nest hotel right on the river so we headed there and parked nearby. The pub attached to the hotel, The Bear, was very busy (where wasn't?) and we ordered some drinks at the bar hoping they were still doing food. They weren't. The kitchen was closed.
By now it was almost 3pm and we had hardly eaten anything. Next to the pub was a bistro with empty tables and as they were advertising pre-theatre meals, we hoped they would be serving into the evening. But, no...the kitchen was closed.
We drank our drinks and decided to have one last attempt at finding a meal by walking into Stratford. A lot of people were out milling about by the river and feeding the swans so we walked past the grand Shakespeare theatre (they still had tickets available!) and into the town. There was a fish and chip restaurant on the corner, but a few feet away was a branch of Zizzi, an Italian restaurant so we went in...and they had a table!
The first thing that struck me was the price of a bottle of beer - £4.85 for a 330ml serving! How they get away with it, I'll never know! Anyway, we had no choice but to settle down and look at the menu and we chose various garlicky breads to start followed by pizzas for Mike and Sophie, a shoulder of lamb for Keith and a chicken and vegetable skewer for me, served with herby potatoes and green beans.
Mike and Keith had an expensive beer each while Sophie had a glass of Pinot Grigio. Poor old me sipped a glass of sparkling water! The breads were lovely and served with a salsa-like dip and a garlic one but I was a little disappointed with my main course, as there wasn't much of it and as the kebab was served "hanging" the hook kept getting in my way!
Mike's pizza was wrong, unfortunately, as he had asked for an extra topping of chicken and this had been forgotten. Keith brought it to the attention of the waiter (after Mike had eaten a slice) so we got another one for free. That was great as I ate most of the original one!
We skipped desserts and returned to the car thinking it was much later than it was (5pm). The restaurant was still going strong when we left but I'm not sure I would rush to go back. Our journey home was fine until I almost reached the M6 and saw that it was signposted for the north so I carried on and ended up on the M69 instead, heading for Leicester! This meant that we had gone quite a way off our route but we were still home for 6.30pm and it was lovely to change into comfortable clothes and relax for the rest of the evening!
In 2018 I'm going to try and post a photo that sums up my day. Here is today's...the theatre in Stratford at dusk.
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