In hindsight, I really should have taken today as holiday but I figured that I would still be at school so I may as well go in. I left earlier than usual (leaving the rest of my family in bed...so depressing) and called into a shop on my way to work to buy some biscuits to share with the others in the office. I also treated myself to a Birthday Latte and a pastry!
My session at work was not a very pleasant one...we had an angry phone call first thing and this dragged on during the morning with Sara having to call the customer back just before I left with him ranting and raving. He'd already been rude to me and a woman who handles all the direct debits! I also took some calls that were difficult to understand and then, right before I had to dash off, one of the other women was given the task of teaching me about orders! I really feared I would be late!
To make things even worse I nearly had an accident in Sophie's car on the way home which really shook me up! I was going down a short slip road onto the busy dual carriageway but because of a car pootling along and not either slowing down or speeding up to let me in, I found myself at the end of the slip road with nowhere to go. Just as I saw a space to merge into the traffic, an idiot in a huge car nearly hit me. I don't know whether he hadn't seen me or what, but how he avoided hitting the back of the car I'll never know.
I bought some sweets for the children on the way home, had a very hasty lunch and then went off to the after-school club. The children had all signed a card and gave me some chocolates so that certainly cheered me up! We were there until almost 6pm and then I sped home to open my cards and presents. While I was at work, a big box had been delivered and it contained a rose plant, Champagne and chocolates from Fiona, Andrea and Lynda. I also received another bottle of Champagne from Sue, a Mary Berry cookery book from Keith, a furry hot water bottle from Sophie and a bottle of wine from Mike, so I did extremely well! I had some beautiful cards and felt very lucky.
After a lovely soak in the bath we all made our way to India 2 Mawsley for our celebration meal. Sophie drove us so I was able to have a large glass of wine while we looked at the menu and waited for my Mum and Dad to arrive.
When they turned up I had more cards and a £50 M&S voucher. I also received a beautiful necklace from my Mum - a little gem encrusted cross set in a silver heart. I was really touched.
We had a fabulous meal with poppadoms, starters and a selection of curries and rice served with naan breads. I took half of my Chicken Balti curry home as I couldn't finish it! It was a great end to a somewhat mixed day!
Monday, 15 January 2018
Sunday, 14 January 2018
A visit to The Shard
We had an early start this morning and were on our way by 8.15am. Luckily the weather was dry, but a little cloudy and we hoped that it would brighten up in the afternoon.
We stopped at the London Gateway services and bought a newspaper before entering our Just Park address into my phone. Google maps got us to the driveway at about 10.15 which was great timing! It didn't take us long to walk to the Imperial War Museum and we were delighted to see a slab of the Berlin Wall in the grounds!
First up was a cup of coffee and we also enjoyed a slice of cake or a muffin. While Mike and Sophie were looking at things in the gift shop I called my parents who were in Woburn for an Antiques Fair. I said my Dad would love the museum was there was a Spitfire dangling from the ceiling!
We had a look at the WW1 exhibition first and then made our way to The Holocaust floor, which was very sad. I could see why children under the age of 14 weren't supposed to be admitted as there were several very disturbing photographs on display and the collection of shoes and objects left behind at the concentration camps was heart rending. It made for a very sobering experience.
Our next visit was to the WW2 section where we learned about a family's experiences in the war and saw a mock-up of their house. By now it was around 1pm so we decided to call it a day and as we could see The Shard in the distance we walked there rather than take the underground.
It was a very pleasant half hour's walk and the weather had brightened up considerably with glimpses of blue sky through the clouds.
We arrived at The Shard at about 2pm so we were far too early to go in. We decided to look at the prices for the underground to Covent Garden and were horrified to discover that a return price would cost about £40 while a day travelcard (so we could go to another station on our return trip) would set us back over £50! If we took the return option it would mean we would need to walk back to the car which none of us fancied doing.
Taxis, of course, were another option and then Sophie set upon the idea of taking an Uber instead. She downloaded the app onto her phone and looked at prices, which were about £8-£10 for the trip to Covent Garden from The Shard. A much better prospect!
While we were waiting for our time slot we called into The Bunch of Grapes for a drink. It was a lovely pub with white tiles on the wall and scrubbed wooden tables. We enjoyed a very pleasant hour there, soaking up the atmosphere and having a chat.
At about 3.15pm we made our way the short distance to The Shard and had to go through airport-like security which was very reassuring. We then took a lift up to the 33rd floor where we transferred to another elevator which took us up to the 68th floor. The staff member who accompanied us was very chatty and friendly.
From the ground the building doesn't look that high, but when you're at the top you realise it's a very long way down! I felt slightly wobbly as there is glass all around and the views were spectacular.
It was very busy with people but we all managed to get close to the glass to have a good look at London spread out below us. We even saw a plane taking off and at one point it was level with us!
We went up a bit higher where it was quite open and exposed to the elements. The sun was trying to make an appearance but we knew it was going to soon sink behind a thick band of cloud. We decided to descend to street level and Sophie called up an Uber on her phone. We were given the registration plate of the car and told to expect it within ten minutes, which was great. It arrived very quickly and met us outside the Shangri-La hotel. He drove us to Covent Garden and dropped us right in the middle of all the shops and restaurants. The cost? £8! Brilliant!
We found Shake Shack easily and we ordered our burgers and fries. We found a place to sit outside and although it was chilly, it wasn't freezing. I don't think Keith was too impressed with my choice of eaterie but it was great to be able to go back to a place we enjoyed in Florida. I just wish it was a bit warmer! That searing hot day we visited is a distant memory!
The burgers were delicious and after eating we wandered around and visited a very weird public loo set up which cost us £1 to enter. There were only two small cubicles for women and urinals for men but it was all very chaotic with people having difficulty getting in and out!
By now we were all feeling a bit tired so we made the decision to return to the car and head home. We called up another Uber who took us to where we'd parked the car (cost £10) and we programmed Google maps to get us back to the M1. By 7.45pm we were home, cosied up in our pyjamas and relaxing with the Sunday papers. It had been a really lovely day!
We stopped at the London Gateway services and bought a newspaper before entering our Just Park address into my phone. Google maps got us to the driveway at about 10.15 which was great timing! It didn't take us long to walk to the Imperial War Museum and we were delighted to see a slab of the Berlin Wall in the grounds!
 |
| The Shard in the distance. |
First up was a cup of coffee and we also enjoyed a slice of cake or a muffin. While Mike and Sophie were looking at things in the gift shop I called my parents who were in Woburn for an Antiques Fair. I said my Dad would love the museum was there was a Spitfire dangling from the ceiling!
We had a look at the WW1 exhibition first and then made our way to The Holocaust floor, which was very sad. I could see why children under the age of 14 weren't supposed to be admitted as there were several very disturbing photographs on display and the collection of shoes and objects left behind at the concentration camps was heart rending. It made for a very sobering experience.
Our next visit was to the WW2 section where we learned about a family's experiences in the war and saw a mock-up of their house. By now it was around 1pm so we decided to call it a day and as we could see The Shard in the distance we walked there rather than take the underground.
It was a very pleasant half hour's walk and the weather had brightened up considerably with glimpses of blue sky through the clouds.
We arrived at The Shard at about 2pm so we were far too early to go in. We decided to look at the prices for the underground to Covent Garden and were horrified to discover that a return price would cost about £40 while a day travelcard (so we could go to another station on our return trip) would set us back over £50! If we took the return option it would mean we would need to walk back to the car which none of us fancied doing.
Taxis, of course, were another option and then Sophie set upon the idea of taking an Uber instead. She downloaded the app onto her phone and looked at prices, which were about £8-£10 for the trip to Covent Garden from The Shard. A much better prospect!
While we were waiting for our time slot we called into The Bunch of Grapes for a drink. It was a lovely pub with white tiles on the wall and scrubbed wooden tables. We enjoyed a very pleasant hour there, soaking up the atmosphere and having a chat.
At about 3.15pm we made our way the short distance to The Shard and had to go through airport-like security which was very reassuring. We then took a lift up to the 33rd floor where we transferred to another elevator which took us up to the 68th floor. The staff member who accompanied us was very chatty and friendly.
From the ground the building doesn't look that high, but when you're at the top you realise it's a very long way down! I felt slightly wobbly as there is glass all around and the views were spectacular.
It was very busy with people but we all managed to get close to the glass to have a good look at London spread out below us. We even saw a plane taking off and at one point it was level with us!
We went up a bit higher where it was quite open and exposed to the elements. The sun was trying to make an appearance but we knew it was going to soon sink behind a thick band of cloud. We decided to descend to street level and Sophie called up an Uber on her phone. We were given the registration plate of the car and told to expect it within ten minutes, which was great. It arrived very quickly and met us outside the Shangri-La hotel. He drove us to Covent Garden and dropped us right in the middle of all the shops and restaurants. The cost? £8! Brilliant!
We found Shake Shack easily and we ordered our burgers and fries. We found a place to sit outside and although it was chilly, it wasn't freezing. I don't think Keith was too impressed with my choice of eaterie but it was great to be able to go back to a place we enjoyed in Florida. I just wish it was a bit warmer! That searing hot day we visited is a distant memory!
The burgers were delicious and after eating we wandered around and visited a very weird public loo set up which cost us £1 to enter. There were only two small cubicles for women and urinals for men but it was all very chaotic with people having difficulty getting in and out!
By now we were all feeling a bit tired so we made the decision to return to the car and head home. We called up another Uber who took us to where we'd parked the car (cost £10) and we programmed Google maps to get us back to the M1. By 7.45pm we were home, cosied up in our pyjamas and relaxing with the Sunday papers. It had been a really lovely day!
Saturday, 13 January 2018
Out for lunch!
We had a bit of a shock today when we discovered the identity of ET's first owner. We received the V5 logbook through the post yesterday and this morning Keith asked me to Google the name of the owner, a company called ERAC Ltd. We found out that this was Enterprise Rent-a-Car which would explain the slightly higher mileage for a year old car.
We were both furious as this should have been explained to us by the dealership when we were looking to buy the car. There is some argument that ex-rental cars have been maintained well but little ET could have had many, many different drivers and we might have changed our minds had we known the truth.
I looked on the internet and discovered that a dealership in Middlesbrough had been fined £4000 for not telling a prospective buyer the truth about a car's first owner, i.e. that it was an ex-rental car. I called the Hyundai dealership and the man I spoke to sounded very sheepish. I was put through to the manager who gave us three options: two years' free servicing or £300 in lieu of that, or a complete refund, which is something we didn't want as the car matched Sophie's wish list perfectly and what a hassle that would be, to take it back!
To be honest, the manager sounded very arrogant so I informed him that we would be talking to Citizens' Advice on Monday with a view to contacting Trading Standards. We were all very angry but we still love the car and it's already part of our family.
Sophie and I went to Market Harborough at lunchtime and my daughter drove, which was great because I had a glass of wine in Pizza Express! We chose the doughballs to start along with 'Nduja Arancini, little risotto balls with 'Nduja sausage. They were delicious! We each had a pizza for our main course and by the time we were finished we were stuffed!
We had a wander around the shops but it was very cold and we didn't see anything we liked so we went home. It was lovely to curl up on the sofa in our warm living room and relax before it was time to go and pick Mike up from work.
For dinner in the evening we had Beef Stroganoff and afterwards we watched a film called Berlin Syndrome, which was very good, if a little long!
We were both furious as this should have been explained to us by the dealership when we were looking to buy the car. There is some argument that ex-rental cars have been maintained well but little ET could have had many, many different drivers and we might have changed our minds had we known the truth.
I looked on the internet and discovered that a dealership in Middlesbrough had been fined £4000 for not telling a prospective buyer the truth about a car's first owner, i.e. that it was an ex-rental car. I called the Hyundai dealership and the man I spoke to sounded very sheepish. I was put through to the manager who gave us three options: two years' free servicing or £300 in lieu of that, or a complete refund, which is something we didn't want as the car matched Sophie's wish list perfectly and what a hassle that would be, to take it back!
To be honest, the manager sounded very arrogant so I informed him that we would be talking to Citizens' Advice on Monday with a view to contacting Trading Standards. We were all very angry but we still love the car and it's already part of our family.
Sophie and I went to Market Harborough at lunchtime and my daughter drove, which was great because I had a glass of wine in Pizza Express! We chose the doughballs to start along with 'Nduja Arancini, little risotto balls with 'Nduja sausage. They were delicious! We each had a pizza for our main course and by the time we were finished we were stuffed!
We had a wander around the shops but it was very cold and we didn't see anything we liked so we went home. It was lovely to curl up on the sofa in our warm living room and relax before it was time to go and pick Mike up from work.
For dinner in the evening we had Beef Stroganoff and afterwards we watched a film called Berlin Syndrome, which was very good, if a little long!
Friday, 12 January 2018
Friday! Phew!
Keith drove me to work this morning and it was horrible - dark, misty and rainy. I will be so glad when I can drive in the daylight!
This morning was quite challenging with some complicated phone calls and I was mightily glad to finish my shift at 2pm and go home. Sophie and Keith picked me up and we drove home in ET - Sophie is getting a lot of driving in at the moment which is great!
After-school club was very quiet - we only had four children and two of them were Lisa's but we had a lovely afternoon, managing to get out for half an hour and then the children made their own pizzas. Afterwards we let them use the iPads while I mopped the hall floor. They were all very well behaved so it was a great afternoon.
Sophie and Keith collected me but when we went to take Keith to the pub he thought better of it as there had been a funeral going on since the early afternoon and the place was still packed. He said he was going to go to The White Horse, so we dropped him off but after ten minutes, just as I was sitting down to relax, he called us to pick him up! I knew he should have just gone home in the first place! I went to collect him and then it was time for a glass of wine while he cooked the dinner. I don't think he was that amused!
This morning was quite challenging with some complicated phone calls and I was mightily glad to finish my shift at 2pm and go home. Sophie and Keith picked me up and we drove home in ET - Sophie is getting a lot of driving in at the moment which is great!
After-school club was very quiet - we only had four children and two of them were Lisa's but we had a lovely afternoon, managing to get out for half an hour and then the children made their own pizzas. Afterwards we let them use the iPads while I mopped the hall floor. They were all very well behaved so it was a great afternoon.
Sophie and Keith collected me but when we went to take Keith to the pub he thought better of it as there had been a funeral going on since the early afternoon and the place was still packed. He said he was going to go to The White Horse, so we dropped him off but after ten minutes, just as I was sitting down to relax, he called us to pick him up! I knew he should have just gone home in the first place! I went to collect him and then it was time for a glass of wine while he cooked the dinner. I don't think he was that amused!
Thursday, 11 January 2018
Parents' evening
I was at work today and took ET for the first time. It really is a lovely car to drive. The morning passed pleasantly enough and it was quite busy so the time went quickly. I sped home at 2pm, managed to have some lunch and then it was off to the school.
We didn't have many children this afternoon and they had all been picked up by 5.30pm which was a bonus as Keith and I were due to go to a Parents' Evening at college. I arrived home at the same time as Keith and Sophie who had driven in the dark from uni, her first time of driving at night. She wasn't impressed!
Keith and I picked up Mike from Brixworth and then carried on into town to the college. We didn't have to wait long to see Mike's teacher who said he was doing OK, but he could do better! The story of his life!
We weren't as late as we thought we'd be so it was home to spaghetti bolognese and a relaxing evening in front of the box!
We didn't have many children this afternoon and they had all been picked up by 5.30pm which was a bonus as Keith and I were due to go to a Parents' Evening at college. I arrived home at the same time as Keith and Sophie who had driven in the dark from uni, her first time of driving at night. She wasn't impressed!
Keith and I picked up Mike from Brixworth and then carried on into town to the college. We didn't have to wait long to see Mike's teacher who said he was doing OK, but he could do better! The story of his life!
We weren't as late as we thought we'd be so it was home to spaghetti bolognese and a relaxing evening in front of the box!
Wednesday, 10 January 2018
Getting things done!
We all woke up a little late this morning and unfortunately the weather hadn't improved much!
Sophie drove to uni at about 10am but until she picks up a parking permit, she can't park in the car park. Hopefully, she'll get it by the end of the week, although at the moment she is only in on a Wednesday and a Thursday.
We came home and I set about completing some chores that had been on my "To Do" list. I felt very satisfied when I'd worked my way through most of them by the time it came to collect Sophie again! I booked a spa retreat day in February which was a gift for Sophie and I from my Mum. I'm really looking forward to a bit of pampering and a facial!
The weather brightened up a bit at midday and we actually saw the sun and some blue sky. It was lovely. Sophie drove home and then it was time for me to go to school. We were able to go outside for a while but the sun and blue skies soon disappeared to be replaced with grey skies and a heavy fog. Not very pleasant!
We were at work until 5.30pm and then it was back home until 6pm when we had to venture out into the horrible night to pick up Mike from Brixworth. The fog was really thick and visibility was very poor. I didn't think it would be fair for Sophie to drive so I took my car and it was a great relief when we finally got back home!
Sophie drove to uni at about 10am but until she picks up a parking permit, she can't park in the car park. Hopefully, she'll get it by the end of the week, although at the moment she is only in on a Wednesday and a Thursday.
We came home and I set about completing some chores that had been on my "To Do" list. I felt very satisfied when I'd worked my way through most of them by the time it came to collect Sophie again! I booked a spa retreat day in February which was a gift for Sophie and I from my Mum. I'm really looking forward to a bit of pampering and a facial!
The weather brightened up a bit at midday and we actually saw the sun and some blue sky. It was lovely. Sophie drove home and then it was time for me to go to school. We were able to go outside for a while but the sun and blue skies soon disappeared to be replaced with grey skies and a heavy fog. Not very pleasant!
We were at work until 5.30pm and then it was back home until 6pm when we had to venture out into the horrible night to pick up Mike from Brixworth. The fog was really thick and visibility was very poor. I didn't think it would be fair for Sophie to drive so I took my car and it was a great relief when we finally got back home!
Tuesday, 9 January 2018
ET comes home!
We awoke to a really dreary, grey and misty day. Horrible!
After dropping Mike off at college at 9am we drove to Milton Keynes to the Hyundai dealership. Little ET wasn't there as apparently some of the cars are stored at Wolverton but when the salesman returned, the handover took about an hour. They tried to sell us "gap" insurance which we refused and as you can imagine that didn't go down well! If Sophie really feels she needs it we can shop for it competitively online! They were trying to sell it for about £350 but I know you can buy it for under £100 with a reputable insurance company. It really annoys me when they make up some excuse about the finances having to go through the Business Manager...what they really mean is they're going to try and do a hard sell. At least they didn't try and sell us paint or damage cover!
Once everything was complete and a small forest had been cut down to provide the paperwork, we were handed the keys and I drove back to Northampton. We called in at the Weston Favell Centre to get dinner for tonight and Wednesday and on the way home I stopped so Sophie could take over. She drove really well considering she'd never driven the car before and said she loved it! It's a lovely little thing with part of the registration plate being ET so that's what we're calling it!
I went off to work and we had a very pleasant session sitting around the table with a couple of the older children and having a good chat. They can be a lot of fun sometimes!
Keith drove to get Mike from college and he put £30 of petrol in ET - they had given us a quarter of a tank of petrol which got us back to Northampton and back home again but that was it. Thankfully, the £30 almost filled the tank!
After dropping Mike off at college at 9am we drove to Milton Keynes to the Hyundai dealership. Little ET wasn't there as apparently some of the cars are stored at Wolverton but when the salesman returned, the handover took about an hour. They tried to sell us "gap" insurance which we refused and as you can imagine that didn't go down well! If Sophie really feels she needs it we can shop for it competitively online! They were trying to sell it for about £350 but I know you can buy it for under £100 with a reputable insurance company. It really annoys me when they make up some excuse about the finances having to go through the Business Manager...what they really mean is they're going to try and do a hard sell. At least they didn't try and sell us paint or damage cover!
Once everything was complete and a small forest had been cut down to provide the paperwork, we were handed the keys and I drove back to Northampton. We called in at the Weston Favell Centre to get dinner for tonight and Wednesday and on the way home I stopped so Sophie could take over. She drove really well considering she'd never driven the car before and said she loved it! It's a lovely little thing with part of the registration plate being ET so that's what we're calling it!
I went off to work and we had a very pleasant session sitting around the table with a couple of the older children and having a good chat. They can be a lot of fun sometimes!
Keith drove to get Mike from college and he put £30 of petrol in ET - they had given us a quarter of a tank of petrol which got us back to Northampton and back home again but that was it. Thankfully, the £30 almost filled the tank!
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