I could hardly believe it was Monday again! Where did the weekend go?
Work was very busy first thing as parents booked their children onto the forthcoming holiday swimming crash courses. My first call was from a Mum who didn't know what the courses were called, only that they started at 8.30am. As we had several that started at that time, it wasn't a lot of help!
I picked Mike up on the way home and he sat and stuffed a very hot meat pie. It was nice to have his company for a while, though, as lately he's spending far more time out of the house than in! Once home, I quickly changed and sent an email to the company that's vetting me for my new job. I'm having problems obtaining a reference from the Citizens Advice Bureau so I hope they can get an alternative!
We had a quiet afternoon at the school but we had three extra children booked in at the last minute. Our usual lot all went by 5pm but the three extras were still around an hour later! This drove Lisa mad as she was due to go to a cricket match with her sons and it started at 6.15pm, and was half an hour's drive away! Typical! The last child was picked up and then she was off, her husband revving the engine of his car as he sat and waited!
Monday, 21 May 2018
Sunday, 20 May 2018
Sitting in the sun!
It was wonderful to wake up to another glorious day and after popping to Tesco we called to see Mum and Dad on the way home and had a look at their new lawnmower. Mum had been finding it difficult to mow the lawn with their petrol model and had ordered a Flymo online. Keith took it out of the box and we adjusted the blade so it cut the grass a bit shorter. I think he would have carried on and mowed the whole lawn if I'd let him!
We drove home and had an early lunch of leftovers from yesterday's dinner. I then tackled some jobs that needed doing - washing Sophie's black furry throw (a.k.a. Jeremy - don't ask) which was a mammoth job as it's quite big and I hand washed it in our kitchen sink! I also hoovered the top of the conservatory from our bedroom window and cleaned the windows from all the washing we did yesterday as they were covered in water droplet marks.
Sophie and I went to Beckworth in the afternoon and enjoyed a snack in the restaurant. I enjoyed their delicious "Spaghetti" ice-cream while Sophie chose the pulled pork sandwich. We sat outside in the sun and it was gorgeous!
After we'd eaten I bought some geraniums and a cheerful Sunflower and as soon as we arrived home I potted them all up. Keith came out with me and we sat in the sun for a while before going in and playing cards.
This evening Sophie and I had chosen Chicken Almondine as our recipe of the week and we'd decided to have Dauphinoise potatoes with the meal. I peeled and thinly sliced the potatoes and we layered them in a dish with garlic and cream. I then butterflied the chicken and we coated the breasts in a mixture of flour and almonds after dipping them in buttermilk.
We then shallow fried them in a mixture of butter and oil and kept them warm in the oven. To make the almond sauce we mixed flaked almonds with capers, parsley and lemon juice and heated the sauce up in the frying pan.
It wasn't one of our best meals - I think I had the gas turned up too high to cook the chicken and the coating was a bit overcooked! I don't really like shallow frying chicken and prefer to let it cook in the oven. The almondy sauce was OK but the capers and lemon juice made it very sharp. We heated up the mushroom sauce we'd bought yesterday and Sophie and Mike had that instead of the sauce we'd made. The potatoes were lovely but could have done with another ten minutes in the oven! I don't think we will try this recipe again...perhaps we should steer clear of nutty recipes!
We drove home and had an early lunch of leftovers from yesterday's dinner. I then tackled some jobs that needed doing - washing Sophie's black furry throw (a.k.a. Jeremy - don't ask) which was a mammoth job as it's quite big and I hand washed it in our kitchen sink! I also hoovered the top of the conservatory from our bedroom window and cleaned the windows from all the washing we did yesterday as they were covered in water droplet marks.
Sophie and I went to Beckworth in the afternoon and enjoyed a snack in the restaurant. I enjoyed their delicious "Spaghetti" ice-cream while Sophie chose the pulled pork sandwich. We sat outside in the sun and it was gorgeous!
After we'd eaten I bought some geraniums and a cheerful Sunflower and as soon as we arrived home I potted them all up. Keith came out with me and we sat in the sun for a while before going in and playing cards.
This evening Sophie and I had chosen Chicken Almondine as our recipe of the week and we'd decided to have Dauphinoise potatoes with the meal. I peeled and thinly sliced the potatoes and we layered them in a dish with garlic and cream. I then butterflied the chicken and we coated the breasts in a mixture of flour and almonds after dipping them in buttermilk.
We then shallow fried them in a mixture of butter and oil and kept them warm in the oven. To make the almond sauce we mixed flaked almonds with capers, parsley and lemon juice and heated the sauce up in the frying pan.
It wasn't one of our best meals - I think I had the gas turned up too high to cook the chicken and the coating was a bit overcooked! I don't really like shallow frying chicken and prefer to let it cook in the oven. The almondy sauce was OK but the capers and lemon juice made it very sharp. We heated up the mushroom sauce we'd bought yesterday and Sophie and Mike had that instead of the sauce we'd made. The potatoes were lovely but could have done with another ten minutes in the oven! I don't think we will try this recipe again...perhaps we should steer clear of nutty recipes!
Saturday, 19 May 2018
Hard work!
We dropped Sophie off at work this morning and then popped to the Weston Favell Centre as we needed a sauce for tomorrow night's dinner and the Tesco there stocks the Finest Mushroom and Marsala version we all like.
Once home, Keith made bacon baps for breakfast and then I tackled Sophie's car while the men made a start on our filthy conservatory. I was hoping to finish in time to see Meghan Markle arrive at the church for her wedding, but being outside meant I had a chat with every neighbour that passed by! I did make it inside to see her arrive, though, but felt sad that she walked the first part on her own. It would have been lovely, in my opinion, for her to have arrived with her mum and then meet Prince Charles half way.
I watched a little bit of the ceremony and then went back outside to finish the car. I applied some polish to the scratches on the bumper and it looked way better than it did when we first noticed the damage on Thursday evening.
When it was all finished and gleaming, I helped Keith with the conservatory. He had decided to use our jet washer which just dislodged all the dead leaves and muck from one side to the other. When we thought we'd finished one side it became all dirty again. It was a thankless task and very hard work, especially as the weather today has been beautiful, warm and sunny. I started from the double doors leading onto the gravel garden and worked my way around, following Keith as he manually cleaned the glass roof as far up as he could. I washed the windows and the window sills and all the surrounds and when we eventually finished it did look a lot better! At least we cleaned off the bird muck and removed the small trees that were growing in the guttering!
I tidied up the garden and swept the paths and we relaxed for a little while. My mum called to say that her feet were swollen so I advised her to try and put them up or soak them in a cool bowl. The last thing I need at the moment is her being ill and not able to look after my Dad!
I took Sophie's car when I picked her up and she was delighted with how much better the bumper looked. It will do until we get it repaired properly. We arrived home and watched some more of the Royal Wedding as Sophie had asked me to record it. I'm glad I did as it was great to see the ceremony and the crowds of people who had turned out in the sunshine to see them get married!
Once home, Keith made bacon baps for breakfast and then I tackled Sophie's car while the men made a start on our filthy conservatory. I was hoping to finish in time to see Meghan Markle arrive at the church for her wedding, but being outside meant I had a chat with every neighbour that passed by! I did make it inside to see her arrive, though, but felt sad that she walked the first part on her own. It would have been lovely, in my opinion, for her to have arrived with her mum and then meet Prince Charles half way.
I watched a little bit of the ceremony and then went back outside to finish the car. I applied some polish to the scratches on the bumper and it looked way better than it did when we first noticed the damage on Thursday evening.
When it was all finished and gleaming, I helped Keith with the conservatory. He had decided to use our jet washer which just dislodged all the dead leaves and muck from one side to the other. When we thought we'd finished one side it became all dirty again. It was a thankless task and very hard work, especially as the weather today has been beautiful, warm and sunny. I started from the double doors leading onto the gravel garden and worked my way around, following Keith as he manually cleaned the glass roof as far up as he could. I washed the windows and the window sills and all the surrounds and when we eventually finished it did look a lot better! At least we cleaned off the bird muck and removed the small trees that were growing in the guttering!
I tidied up the garden and swept the paths and we relaxed for a little while. My mum called to say that her feet were swollen so I advised her to try and put them up or soak them in a cool bowl. The last thing I need at the moment is her being ill and not able to look after my Dad!
I took Sophie's car when I picked her up and she was delighted with how much better the bumper looked. It will do until we get it repaired properly. We arrived home and watched some more of the Royal Wedding as Sophie had asked me to record it. I'm glad I did as it was great to see the ceremony and the crowds of people who had turned out in the sunshine to see them get married!
Friday, 18 May 2018
Some fantastic news...at last!
Last night I'd had a very disturbed night's sleep as I woke up at 1am worrying about Sophie's car and then realised, when I went downstairs, that Mike wasn't home. He'd gone out again after we'd got in from the pub and as he was at college this morning, I wondered where on earth he was. I made myself some hot milk and watched twenty minutes of Neighbours and just as I was writing a text to him, I heard a car draw up outside. I waited for him in the kitchen and as I hadn't turned the lights on, I scared the living daylights out of him! I was very relieved to see him home!
Before I went to work today (and Keith dropped me off!) we had another good look at the damage to ET and we were able to push the dent out so it didn't look so bad. Keith took me to work and when he'd dropped Mike off at college, him and Sophie went into town to a body repair specialist a friend had recommended. I still have scratches on my car that need to be fixed but Sophie's car is a priority and we were amazed to get a quote of just £160 to fix it. Keith was worried they'd have to replace the whole bumper so that was a huge relief.
Work was a little noisier today as everyone was in, but the time went quickly and Sophie and Keith came to meet me to take me home. We only had two children at the after-school club today and Lisa was not amused! We took them out into the playground and Lisa's daughter and I tidied up the very messy and dirty toy shed. We pulled everything out and put it all back neatly and with everything arranged by type of toy. I don't think it will last the week but it kept us busy for an hour!
Luckily, both our children were picked up early and we were gone by 5.30pm. I sped home and relaxed with Sophie while Keith walked down to the pub. We watched a recorded programme, sipped a glass of wine and I finished off the curry that Keith had started. It was delicious!
After dinner, Sophie looked to see if her result was in for her dissertation. It was a huge piece of work for her and she been labouring over it for months. She was overjoyed to discover she'd been awarded an A overall and an A for every section of the work. We were so pleased for her but she deserved the mark as she'd put so much effort in and had worked really hard. It was a lovely end to a somewhat stressful week!
Before I went to work today (and Keith dropped me off!) we had another good look at the damage to ET and we were able to push the dent out so it didn't look so bad. Keith took me to work and when he'd dropped Mike off at college, him and Sophie went into town to a body repair specialist a friend had recommended. I still have scratches on my car that need to be fixed but Sophie's car is a priority and we were amazed to get a quote of just £160 to fix it. Keith was worried they'd have to replace the whole bumper so that was a huge relief.
Work was a little noisier today as everyone was in, but the time went quickly and Sophie and Keith came to meet me to take me home. We only had two children at the after-school club today and Lisa was not amused! We took them out into the playground and Lisa's daughter and I tidied up the very messy and dirty toy shed. We pulled everything out and put it all back neatly and with everything arranged by type of toy. I don't think it will last the week but it kept us busy for an hour!
Luckily, both our children were picked up early and we were gone by 5.30pm. I sped home and relaxed with Sophie while Keith walked down to the pub. We watched a recorded programme, sipped a glass of wine and I finished off the curry that Keith had started. It was delicious!
After dinner, Sophie looked to see if her result was in for her dissertation. It was a huge piece of work for her and she been labouring over it for months. She was overjoyed to discover she'd been awarded an A overall and an A for every section of the work. We were so pleased for her but she deserved the mark as she'd put so much effort in and had worked really hard. It was a lovely end to a somewhat stressful week!
Thursday, 17 May 2018
A horrible shock...
We had a very quiet session at work today as there was only Sue, Sheila and myself in the office. There had been an overturned lorry on the A45 so that had held up a couple of managerial staff who decided to go to another centre. I didn't mind...the peace and quiet was lovely!
The weather has gone back to being sunny and bright and at the school we were outside for the whole session. It is still a bit chilly, though, but it was lovely looking up at the sky and seeing the gorgeous clouds. We were at school right up until 6pm today which was typical as we were all going out in the evening to celebrate Sophie's exam being over. She had popped in to see me at the school and had said it had gone better than expected so that was a relief!
As soon as I got home we sped off into town and managed to find a space opposite The Lamplighter. It was quiet so we grabbed a table in the corner and had a good look at the menu. We were all pretty hungry so we ordered a round of garlic bread and chilli nachos to start. Keith had fish and chips, the children had burgers while I had a chicken burger which was huge! I had to give some of it away to Sophie and Mike in the end! The food was delicious and we definitely didn't have any room for pud so we drove home and received a bit of a shock...Sophie's car had been bumped on the back right hand side and there was a sizeable dent and several scratches. I was totally shocked as I'd driven the car today and hadn't noticed any damage when I drove home from work on both occasions.
Keith said that the damage must have been caused while the car was parked on the street in the village, and that someone had obviously pulled in to wait for a car coming the other way and had clipped the back of ET when they pulled out to go around it. Sophie was so upset and was crying and shouting about it, which made me feel terrible as the car had been my responsibility today. Little ET is her pride and joy and she was furious that someone could damage it and not even say anything.
It was a subdued end to our evening which was a real shame. Hopefully, we can get a quote from a car bodywork repair business and they can sort it out for us. I just hope it doesn't cost a fortune!
The weather has gone back to being sunny and bright and at the school we were outside for the whole session. It is still a bit chilly, though, but it was lovely looking up at the sky and seeing the gorgeous clouds. We were at school right up until 6pm today which was typical as we were all going out in the evening to celebrate Sophie's exam being over. She had popped in to see me at the school and had said it had gone better than expected so that was a relief!
As soon as I got home we sped off into town and managed to find a space opposite The Lamplighter. It was quiet so we grabbed a table in the corner and had a good look at the menu. We were all pretty hungry so we ordered a round of garlic bread and chilli nachos to start. Keith had fish and chips, the children had burgers while I had a chicken burger which was huge! I had to give some of it away to Sophie and Mike in the end! The food was delicious and we definitely didn't have any room for pud so we drove home and received a bit of a shock...Sophie's car had been bumped on the back right hand side and there was a sizeable dent and several scratches. I was totally shocked as I'd driven the car today and hadn't noticed any damage when I drove home from work on both occasions.
Keith said that the damage must have been caused while the car was parked on the street in the village, and that someone had obviously pulled in to wait for a car coming the other way and had clipped the back of ET when they pulled out to go around it. Sophie was so upset and was crying and shouting about it, which made me feel terrible as the car had been my responsibility today. Little ET is her pride and joy and she was furious that someone could damage it and not even say anything.
It was a subdued end to our evening which was a real shame. Hopefully, we can get a quote from a car bodywork repair business and they can sort it out for us. I just hope it doesn't cost a fortune!
Wednesday, 16 May 2018
A new little friend!
We woke up to grey skies today, which was a bit of a shock! We've got so used to blue skies and sunshine lately!
Sophie and I picked Mum up at 9.30am so she could go and get her nails done. She wasn't in the best frame of mind this morning and I think that looking after my Dad is tiring her out. Sophie drove us and we headed to a dodgy part of town where the nail technician lives. We dropped her off and went to get some petrol before parking at the Weston Favell Centre and walking over to the pharmacy to pick up my Mum's prescription.
We had to wait a while so rather than go for coffee while Mum was having her nails done, we went back and idled away half an hour in the car outside the house, deciding to treat Mum when she was finished. We made friends with a little cat who'd been lying on a mat in the road and he/she was really friendly, jumping into the car and kneading my chest! Sophie talked me through her topics for her exam tomorrow so the time went by quite quickly.
When Mum emerged we headed off to the Costa in Next at Riverside, but it was packed so we walked over to their other branch instead. Sophie and I had an early lunch and coffee and we chatted with Mum about how she felt. I think she's taking it quite hard that she can't go out for a while but I said it wouldn't be forever. A close friend of theirs has just suffered a stroke and can't walk but at least Dad should be up and back to normal soon.
On the way home we popped into the Co-op in the village so Mum could get some groceries and then it was home for a cup of tea and a muffin before I went to the school.
We stayed out in the playground for a while today but it was very chilly so we headed in and put on a DVD for the children. When the session was over it was home to play cards and enjoy a drink in the conservatory. The weather brightened up a bit, which was a bonus!
Sophie and I picked Mum up at 9.30am so she could go and get her nails done. She wasn't in the best frame of mind this morning and I think that looking after my Dad is tiring her out. Sophie drove us and we headed to a dodgy part of town where the nail technician lives. We dropped her off and went to get some petrol before parking at the Weston Favell Centre and walking over to the pharmacy to pick up my Mum's prescription.
We had to wait a while so rather than go for coffee while Mum was having her nails done, we went back and idled away half an hour in the car outside the house, deciding to treat Mum when she was finished. We made friends with a little cat who'd been lying on a mat in the road and he/she was really friendly, jumping into the car and kneading my chest! Sophie talked me through her topics for her exam tomorrow so the time went by quite quickly.
When Mum emerged we headed off to the Costa in Next at Riverside, but it was packed so we walked over to their other branch instead. Sophie and I had an early lunch and coffee and we chatted with Mum about how she felt. I think she's taking it quite hard that she can't go out for a while but I said it wouldn't be forever. A close friend of theirs has just suffered a stroke and can't walk but at least Dad should be up and back to normal soon.
On the way home we popped into the Co-op in the village so Mum could get some groceries and then it was home for a cup of tea and a muffin before I went to the school.
We stayed out in the playground for a while today but it was very chilly so we headed in and put on a DVD for the children. When the session was over it was home to play cards and enjoy a drink in the conservatory. The weather brightened up a bit, which was a bonus!
Tuesday, 15 May 2018
Ripped off?
Keith and I dropped Mike off at college this morning and then went to the Weston Favell Centre to buy groceries for tonight and tomorrow night's dinners. As usual, I headed for the international foods aisle after we'd decided what we were having and then Keith suggested we look at the American section to see if they had any Root Beer for Mike. On the way I noticed shelves stocked with spices so I took a look...and was amazed to see how different the prices were.
In the normal herbs and spices aisle, where they stocked Schwarz products and Tesco-own varieties the price was around 50p per 10g. In the international food section, i.e. Indian, the spices were selling for around 10p per 10g. Why is there such a difference in price? OK, the Schwarz spices were in little glass jars and the others were in plastic, resealable bags, but that's a big price difference! From now on, whenever we need different spices for a recipe we're making, we're going to head straight for the international foods aisle! It was the same with a bag of walnuts we bought. We have three bananas at home that are way over-ripe so we looked at walnuts to make some muffins. The price varied enormously between the nuts section in the fresh food aisles and the baking aisle where they were half the price!
I would have thought the prices were the same throughout the store but that doesn't seem to be the case!
On the way home we called to see Mum and Dad as they had asked for dishwasher tablets (don't get me started on them...Aldi's are absolutely fine and are half the price!) and we had a look at their shower head in the en-suite as the water was coming out in a dribble. We managed to sort out the shower in the main bathroom so Mum could use that but I think they need to call a plumber out to fix the other shower. They seem to have one problem after another in their house!
Back home I made banana, walnut and chocolate muffins and as soon as they were out of the oven Keith and I enjoyed them with big mugs of tea! Delicious!
We spent the session at the school in the playground and it was really warm! As I was driving home I met Keith and Sophie who had walked down to meet me so we went for a drink at the pub. We sat in the garden and enjoyed a couple of drinks while chatting about our holidays in Florida. It was lovely to sit there and reminisce in the sunshine!
For dinner we ate roast chicken served with crushed new potatoes and salad, and afterwards we watched the film Dunkirk. A great end to a busy day!
In the normal herbs and spices aisle, where they stocked Schwarz products and Tesco-own varieties the price was around 50p per 10g. In the international food section, i.e. Indian, the spices were selling for around 10p per 10g. Why is there such a difference in price? OK, the Schwarz spices were in little glass jars and the others were in plastic, resealable bags, but that's a big price difference! From now on, whenever we need different spices for a recipe we're making, we're going to head straight for the international foods aisle! It was the same with a bag of walnuts we bought. We have three bananas at home that are way over-ripe so we looked at walnuts to make some muffins. The price varied enormously between the nuts section in the fresh food aisles and the baking aisle where they were half the price!
I would have thought the prices were the same throughout the store but that doesn't seem to be the case!
On the way home we called to see Mum and Dad as they had asked for dishwasher tablets (don't get me started on them...Aldi's are absolutely fine and are half the price!) and we had a look at their shower head in the en-suite as the water was coming out in a dribble. We managed to sort out the shower in the main bathroom so Mum could use that but I think they need to call a plumber out to fix the other shower. They seem to have one problem after another in their house!
Back home I made banana, walnut and chocolate muffins and as soon as they were out of the oven Keith and I enjoyed them with big mugs of tea! Delicious!
We spent the session at the school in the playground and it was really warm! As I was driving home I met Keith and Sophie who had walked down to meet me so we went for a drink at the pub. We sat in the garden and enjoyed a couple of drinks while chatting about our holidays in Florida. It was lovely to sit there and reminisce in the sunshine!
For dinner we ate roast chicken served with crushed new potatoes and salad, and afterwards we watched the film Dunkirk. A great end to a busy day!
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