I had a bad night's sleep and woke up feeling I'd been hit over the head with something heavy! I was also really hot and I'm getting a bit fed up with these temperatures now! Thank goodness it's set to get a bit cooler in the middle of next week!
Sophie and I went to get Mike from work again and today we had a clear run both ways...no arguments with horse riders, thankfully! I changed our bedding and did mounds of washing before popping to Tesco to get some beer for Keith and calling to see Mum and Dad who were enjoying the cool breeze in the garden.
After putting all the bedding back on (it smelt lovely) I spent the rest of the afternoon doing very little. I napped for quite a while and at 6pm Sophie woke me up to see if I wanted a drink. I had one G&T but that was it for me this evening! I felt absolutely wiped out for some reason and had no energy at all.
Sophie and Keith had made paella for dinner and I ate a bit but had no appetite either. I just wanted to go to sleep! While Soph and Mike washed up I watered the garden and was pleased to see my strawberry plant producing lots of little green fruit. I can't wait for them to ripen, hopefully by next Sunday when it's the Wimbledon final!
Needless to say, after dinner I decided to have an early night and I was in bed by 9pm!
Sunday, 8 July 2018
Saturday, 7 July 2018
Is it coming home?
Mike was working overtime today and started at 5am! Keith took him and then came straight back and went to bed. I really didn't blame him! I woke up at around 7am and was downstairs when Mike phoned at just after 8am to say he'd finished work for the day!
Sophie came with me to get him and on the way back home we came across three horses being ridden on the road. They had created an enormous tailback in both directions and a car a little way ahead had pulled out to overtake them and I think an argument had ensued. As he pulled back in, the riders of the three horses surrounded him so he couldn't drive off and I saw a lot of arm waving from one of the women riders. This meant the cars were held up in both directions until the riders let the car go!
We then had no choice but to follow the three horses as the oncoming traffic must have numbered over twenty cars. There was also a long line of cars behind us. Along the way there were several field entrances where the riders could have pulled in to let us all pass, but they just kept ambling on. Eventually, they crossed the road and the lead woman rider stood in the middle of the road until her two companions had crossed. As we passed I wound my window down and said to her that although I respected her right to ride her horse on the road, she could have at least pulled in to let the traffic pass. I was very polite but I was furious that they had disrupted the traffic on such a busy and fast road. Surely, it wasn't in the best interests of the horses? She went to say something, "Actually..." and I drove off but not before Sophie and Mike had made rude gestures as they were totally fed up with the whole situation! As we came to the junction at the end of the road we saw a police car pulling up so I'm not sure if someone had called them because of the hold-ups!
Back home we had breakfast and then I tackled some nasty little jobs that needed doing, namely washing out our food bins, which were full of maggots the other day and stank to high heaven! I washed them both out with boiling water and bleach and then lined them with newspaper. I'm just glad these bins are emptied every week! From now on, while it's so warm, we've decided to freeze the leftovers rather than put them in the bins in the heat!
At 3pm, just as England started their quarter-final match with Sweden, we left to pick up Sophie's friends, Daisy and Laura, as they were off to the theatre in Milton Keynes to see Love From A Stranger, the play we'd seen a few months ago at the Derngate. They wanted to have a meal at Bella Italia first so we drove to Milton Keynes and dropped them off in the theatre district. All the pubs were full of people watching the football and really they couldn't have chosen a worse day to see the play! Not that they knew that when they booked the tickets, and it is a miracle that England have done so well in the World Cup!
Keith and I decided to do some shopping before we had something to eat and we parked near John Lewis. There was some building work going on near the centre but we weren't sure what it was. I don't think, in the current economic climate, it will be more shops!
Keith wanted some shoes for Sophie's graduation so we had a look in Clark's as they had a sale on. Almost immediately I found a pair of black shoes with a velcro strap that could accommodate his feet if they swell a bit in the heat. They had been reduced to about £30 so they were a real bargain!
We wandered about for a while and had a coffee in Starbucks and a look around Waterstones before returning to the car. We'd booked to see the film Swimming With Men at about 7.30pm so we drove back over to Xscape and parked the car near the entrance. Keith suggested a quick drink before having a meal so we went into a pub called The Moon Under Water. By now, we knew that England had beaten Sweden 2-0 so the place was full of very happy English fans who were all singing and dancing., some of them wearing stupid curly red and white wigs!
We had a drink and then left to go to The Coal Grill and Bar next to the cinema. It was quieter than we expected and we sat by the "window" with a view of the escalators up to Cineworld! I ordered a glass of Chenin Blanc while Keith had a lager and I was disappointed to find my wine was warm when it arrived. I should have sent it back!
The food was OK and the experience was OK - it's not somewhere I'll eagerly head back to, but it was pleasant enough. I enjoyed a breaded chicken burger with salad, fries and coleslaw and Keith had the barbecue plate of pulled pork and beef brisket served with fries, flatbread and coleslaw. It was very hot, though and I thought longingly of the air-conditioned restaurants in Florida!
We headed upstairs to the cinema and we were the first to take our seats in the theatre. Although the film was new, not many people turned up to see it (no more than 25 I would have said) but as usual the bag crinklers all sat near us! How I yearn for a silent screening when no noisy bags of food or sweets are allowed!
The film was funny in places, and we did laugh several times, but it won't rate as one of my favourite films of all time! Afterwards we texted Sophie to let her know we were all done, and half an hour later the girls emerged from the theatre. We sped home, dropped them both off and returned to relax for half an hour before bed. It was still damn hot!
Sophie came with me to get him and on the way back home we came across three horses being ridden on the road. They had created an enormous tailback in both directions and a car a little way ahead had pulled out to overtake them and I think an argument had ensued. As he pulled back in, the riders of the three horses surrounded him so he couldn't drive off and I saw a lot of arm waving from one of the women riders. This meant the cars were held up in both directions until the riders let the car go!
We then had no choice but to follow the three horses as the oncoming traffic must have numbered over twenty cars. There was also a long line of cars behind us. Along the way there were several field entrances where the riders could have pulled in to let us all pass, but they just kept ambling on. Eventually, they crossed the road and the lead woman rider stood in the middle of the road until her two companions had crossed. As we passed I wound my window down and said to her that although I respected her right to ride her horse on the road, she could have at least pulled in to let the traffic pass. I was very polite but I was furious that they had disrupted the traffic on such a busy and fast road. Surely, it wasn't in the best interests of the horses? She went to say something, "Actually..." and I drove off but not before Sophie and Mike had made rude gestures as they were totally fed up with the whole situation! As we came to the junction at the end of the road we saw a police car pulling up so I'm not sure if someone had called them because of the hold-ups!
Back home we had breakfast and then I tackled some nasty little jobs that needed doing, namely washing out our food bins, which were full of maggots the other day and stank to high heaven! I washed them both out with boiling water and bleach and then lined them with newspaper. I'm just glad these bins are emptied every week! From now on, while it's so warm, we've decided to freeze the leftovers rather than put them in the bins in the heat!
At 3pm, just as England started their quarter-final match with Sweden, we left to pick up Sophie's friends, Daisy and Laura, as they were off to the theatre in Milton Keynes to see Love From A Stranger, the play we'd seen a few months ago at the Derngate. They wanted to have a meal at Bella Italia first so we drove to Milton Keynes and dropped them off in the theatre district. All the pubs were full of people watching the football and really they couldn't have chosen a worse day to see the play! Not that they knew that when they booked the tickets, and it is a miracle that England have done so well in the World Cup!
Keith and I decided to do some shopping before we had something to eat and we parked near John Lewis. There was some building work going on near the centre but we weren't sure what it was. I don't think, in the current economic climate, it will be more shops!
Keith wanted some shoes for Sophie's graduation so we had a look in Clark's as they had a sale on. Almost immediately I found a pair of black shoes with a velcro strap that could accommodate his feet if they swell a bit in the heat. They had been reduced to about £30 so they were a real bargain!
We wandered about for a while and had a coffee in Starbucks and a look around Waterstones before returning to the car. We'd booked to see the film Swimming With Men at about 7.30pm so we drove back over to Xscape and parked the car near the entrance. Keith suggested a quick drink before having a meal so we went into a pub called The Moon Under Water. By now, we knew that England had beaten Sweden 2-0 so the place was full of very happy English fans who were all singing and dancing., some of them wearing stupid curly red and white wigs!
We had a drink and then left to go to The Coal Grill and Bar next to the cinema. It was quieter than we expected and we sat by the "window" with a view of the escalators up to Cineworld! I ordered a glass of Chenin Blanc while Keith had a lager and I was disappointed to find my wine was warm when it arrived. I should have sent it back!
The food was OK and the experience was OK - it's not somewhere I'll eagerly head back to, but it was pleasant enough. I enjoyed a breaded chicken burger with salad, fries and coleslaw and Keith had the barbecue plate of pulled pork and beef brisket served with fries, flatbread and coleslaw. It was very hot, though and I thought longingly of the air-conditioned restaurants in Florida!
We headed upstairs to the cinema and we were the first to take our seats in the theatre. Although the film was new, not many people turned up to see it (no more than 25 I would have said) but as usual the bag crinklers all sat near us! How I yearn for a silent screening when no noisy bags of food or sweets are allowed!
The film was funny in places, and we did laugh several times, but it won't rate as one of my favourite films of all time! Afterwards we texted Sophie to let her know we were all done, and half an hour later the girls emerged from the theatre. We sped home, dropped them both off and returned to relax for half an hour before bed. It was still damn hot!
Friday, 6 July 2018
The sun shines down!
Thursday and Friday have been virtually identical so I'm blending them into one post! Work was busy on both mornings as I had extra work to do which made the time fly by. We spent Thursday afternoon out in the playground but it really was very hot and I don't know how our little group played cricket in the heat! Lisa and I stayed in the shade!
There is no end to this heatwave in sight and I said it would be really ironic if the weather broke at the end of term on the 20th July! I do sometimes think that the school holidays should be the last two weeks of June and the whole of July as August can be a tricky month, weatherwise, and it always feels a bit Autumnal to me. The children no longer help out with harvesting so surely it would make sense to have the holidays during the months with the best weather?
On Friday we stayed in the hall for an hour as it was really too warm to venture out, although we did go out for the end of the session. We were there right until the bitter end as one parent was running late and when I walked down to the pub Keith wasn't there, which was strange. Sophie called to ask where I was and said that Keith had decided to stay at home this evening. Bonus! When I got home Sophie and I popped over to Sue and Paul's house to put their bins back and had a long chat with a neighbour who was walking her dog, Lucy. She said she didn't like the heat but I think I've started to adapt!
Keith cooked a curry for dinner and then we retired to the lounge to sit in front of the fan and the open window. Sleeping has been a bit difficult at the moment as the upstairs of the house is really hot!
There is no end to this heatwave in sight and I said it would be really ironic if the weather broke at the end of term on the 20th July! I do sometimes think that the school holidays should be the last two weeks of June and the whole of July as August can be a tricky month, weatherwise, and it always feels a bit Autumnal to me. The children no longer help out with harvesting so surely it would make sense to have the holidays during the months with the best weather?
On Friday we stayed in the hall for an hour as it was really too warm to venture out, although we did go out for the end of the session. We were there right until the bitter end as one parent was running late and when I walked down to the pub Keith wasn't there, which was strange. Sophie called to ask where I was and said that Keith had decided to stay at home this evening. Bonus! When I got home Sophie and I popped over to Sue and Paul's house to put their bins back and had a long chat with a neighbour who was walking her dog, Lucy. She said she didn't like the heat but I think I've started to adapt!
Keith cooked a curry for dinner and then we retired to the lounge to sit in front of the fan and the open window. Sleeping has been a bit difficult at the moment as the upstairs of the house is really hot!
Wednesday, 4 July 2018
Time for a chop!
Sophie and I had a hairdresser's appointment at 10am this morning and it was great to sit and relax for a while and be pampered! I love having my hair washed and the girl who did it for me did a very good job!
I was told off for wearing my hair up in a ponytail, but the hairdresser made my hair look lovely when he'd finished. It was all shiny and the fringe was straight!
Before we went home we called into the Co-op and bought some foods for lunch as my parents were coming over. I can't remember the last time they'd been to the house and I wanted them to see Sophie's new bedroom and her graduation dress.
Back home we prepared lunch and I gave the downstairs rooms a quick hoover. We had a nice lunch and Mum and Dad loved Sophie's dress. She looked stunning and wore her new belt and shoes. I'm now just praying that on the day the weather will be beautiful. It would be so ironic if we have bad weather after the heatwave we're going through at the moment!
I had about half an hour to sit down after Mum and Dad had gone and it had become a lot hotter than this morning! We stayed outside in the playground for the whole of the after-school club session and today was the first day I felt uncomfortably hot. There was hardly any breeze and no clouds to soften the glare of the sun! Phew! It was lovely to get home and relax with a cold beer and the fan blowing on us!
I was told off for wearing my hair up in a ponytail, but the hairdresser made my hair look lovely when he'd finished. It was all shiny and the fringe was straight!
Before we went home we called into the Co-op and bought some foods for lunch as my parents were coming over. I can't remember the last time they'd been to the house and I wanted them to see Sophie's new bedroom and her graduation dress.
Back home we prepared lunch and I gave the downstairs rooms a quick hoover. We had a nice lunch and Mum and Dad loved Sophie's dress. She looked stunning and wore her new belt and shoes. I'm now just praying that on the day the weather will be beautiful. It would be so ironic if we have bad weather after the heatwave we're going through at the moment!
I had about half an hour to sit down after Mum and Dad had gone and it had become a lot hotter than this morning! We stayed outside in the playground for the whole of the after-school club session and today was the first day I felt uncomfortably hot. There was hardly any breeze and no clouds to soften the glare of the sun! Phew! It was lovely to get home and relax with a cold beer and the fan blowing on us!
Tuesday, 3 July 2018
An idyllic morning!
We discovered the source of the noise from last night this morning - the light fitting fell off in our bathroom and ended up in the bath! As the bath was directly over where I sit on the sofa, no wonder it made such a noise!
Sophie and I went to Rushden Lakes at 9am and had a quick coffee in M&S first. She needed to get some presents for her friends who she's seeing this Saturday. We went into Boots first and she bought some Soap and Glory toiletries, before venturing into Primark for some other little gifts.
In Accessorize she bought some jewellery and I treated myself to a new handbag! It had been reduced from £40 down to £20 so I was really pleased. My current bag is covered in pen marks for some reason and looks very scruffy!
We decided to eat lunch early and made our way to Wildwood as we were going to share a pizza. On the way we admired the view of the lake.
As you can see from the photos it's been another beautiful day and people were enjoying the sunshine, strolling by the water and eating outside. The temperature was alleviated a bit by a lovely breeze.
We were a bit too early for Wildwood so we took our bags back to the car and on the way back we were tempted into Wagamama. There was a chicken katsu curry on the menu and we decided to go there instead.
The restaurant was lovely and airy with views over the lake. We took a seat in a booth and had a good look at the menu, choosing the curry for our mains, accompanied by chicken gyoza and some fluffy beef buns as side orders.
The food was very good but we both said we preferred Akasaka for the curry. After finishing off a bottle of sparkling water and declining dessert (we were stuffed) we waddled off back to the car and drove over to Kettering.
Keith had trusted us to get dinner for tonight and tomorrow but we decided to have just a sandwich at home this evening after our large lunch. Keith was going to see Sileby play Northampton Town so wasn't eating. We bought Mike a Tesco Finest cottage pie and fish and veggies for tomorrow. In this heat we're finding it difficult to choose something to eat that's not too hot!
Work in the afternoon was OK and as usual we stayed outside for the whole of the session. The school has advertised both of our jobs now and they're paying more than we're on! How rude! They're even charging if the new people have children and giving a 50% discount! Even so, if the new staff have to take their child (or children) every day, it would still be a hefty amount!
In the evening Keith went to see his football match and Sophie and I watched a film - Call Me By Your Name. It was sooo slow!
Sophie and I went to Rushden Lakes at 9am and had a quick coffee in M&S first. She needed to get some presents for her friends who she's seeing this Saturday. We went into Boots first and she bought some Soap and Glory toiletries, before venturing into Primark for some other little gifts.
In Accessorize she bought some jewellery and I treated myself to a new handbag! It had been reduced from £40 down to £20 so I was really pleased. My current bag is covered in pen marks for some reason and looks very scruffy!
We decided to eat lunch early and made our way to Wildwood as we were going to share a pizza. On the way we admired the view of the lake.
As you can see from the photos it's been another beautiful day and people were enjoying the sunshine, strolling by the water and eating outside. The temperature was alleviated a bit by a lovely breeze.
We were a bit too early for Wildwood so we took our bags back to the car and on the way back we were tempted into Wagamama. There was a chicken katsu curry on the menu and we decided to go there instead.
The restaurant was lovely and airy with views over the lake. We took a seat in a booth and had a good look at the menu, choosing the curry for our mains, accompanied by chicken gyoza and some fluffy beef buns as side orders.
The food was very good but we both said we preferred Akasaka for the curry. After finishing off a bottle of sparkling water and declining dessert (we were stuffed) we waddled off back to the car and drove over to Kettering.
Keith had trusted us to get dinner for tonight and tomorrow but we decided to have just a sandwich at home this evening after our large lunch. Keith was going to see Sileby play Northampton Town so wasn't eating. We bought Mike a Tesco Finest cottage pie and fish and veggies for tomorrow. In this heat we're finding it difficult to choose something to eat that's not too hot!
Work in the afternoon was OK and as usual we stayed outside for the whole of the session. The school has advertised both of our jobs now and they're paying more than we're on! How rude! They're even charging if the new people have children and giving a 50% discount! Even so, if the new staff have to take their child (or children) every day, it would still be a hefty amount!
In the evening Keith went to see his football match and Sophie and I watched a film - Call Me By Your Name. It was sooo slow!
Monday, 2 July 2018
An idyllic afternoon!
Work was OK this morning and Sheila gave me another job to do which made the time go by very quickly. I headed home at 2pm and had a chat with Sophie before dashing off to school where we decided to take the children to the park for a change.
We only had three with us today so it was an ideal time to go. We took some tortilla chips, a jar of salsa and a bag of apples with us as well as a bottle of orange squash. It didn't take us long to walk to the playing fields and I was amazed at how much equipment had been installed since I took Sophie and Mike there years ago! There were swings and monkey bars and a zip wire, which the children loved.
There were other children playing there as well and it was great to see families out enjoying the beautiful weather. I took a look at the area where an old manor house used to stand and the grass resembled straw!
We sat in the shade while the children ate their snack, played a bit more and then headed back to the shut-up school. One Mum was waiting for us but we had to wait almost another hour before a Dad arrived to pick up his two children.
I met Keith and Sophie near the pub and we all went home to relax and watch a little bit of Wimbledon, which started today. After dinner we sat in the cool garden for a while and then I enjoyed True Lies at 9pm which was a real treat!
However, at about 10pm I heard a crashing sound and wondered what on earth it was! Keith and Sophie hadn't heard anything, and I think Mike was wearing his headphones so hadn't heard the noise either. It was so worrying we went out of the estate and onto the road to see if there'd been an accident! It was very strange!
We only had three with us today so it was an ideal time to go. We took some tortilla chips, a jar of salsa and a bag of apples with us as well as a bottle of orange squash. It didn't take us long to walk to the playing fields and I was amazed at how much equipment had been installed since I took Sophie and Mike there years ago! There were swings and monkey bars and a zip wire, which the children loved.
There were other children playing there as well and it was great to see families out enjoying the beautiful weather. I took a look at the area where an old manor house used to stand and the grass resembled straw!
We sat in the shade while the children ate their snack, played a bit more and then headed back to the shut-up school. One Mum was waiting for us but we had to wait almost another hour before a Dad arrived to pick up his two children.
I met Keith and Sophie near the pub and we all went home to relax and watch a little bit of Wimbledon, which started today. After dinner we sat in the cool garden for a while and then I enjoyed True Lies at 9pm which was a real treat!
However, at about 10pm I heard a crashing sound and wondered what on earth it was! Keith and Sophie hadn't heard anything, and I think Mike was wearing his headphones so hadn't heard the noise either. It was so worrying we went out of the estate and onto the road to see if there'd been an accident! It was very strange!
Sunday, 1 July 2018
A little splurge on the garden!
After breakfast, Keith and I decided to tackle the outside of the conservatory (again) as the panes of glass looked filthy and dusty. I used a soft broom and hot soapy water while Keith used the mop. We rinsed the glass with the hose pipe and we were both really pleased with the results. At least they looked cleaner and the bird muck had all been removed!
The manic feeding by the birds seems to have slowed down a bit now, thank goodness but they love the water baths we put out for them! There's no sign of any rain on the horizon for at least another couple of weeks and the drought is really starting to affect some of the country now. There's a hosepipe ban in force in Northern Ireland and there have been wildfires on Saddleworth Moor in Lancashire which are still burning, probably due to the dry grass and vegetation in the area. The temperature today has hovered around the 30c mark, but we've enjoyed a nice breeze so it hasn't been too bad!
In the afternoon Sophie and I took my Mum to Beckworth for a cup of tea and a slice of cake (or a scone) and we were surprised to find there wasn't a queue. We sat outside in their conservatory and after we'd eaten we bought some plants for the garden. I bought some summer bedding plus a trailing strawberry plant and a cherry tomato so hopefully they will flourish in the warm weather. I also bought a couple of little glass lanterns for the gravel garden so we can see them when we eat at night.
As soon as we arrived home I potted up all the plants and then relaxed with Keith and Sophie by watching the last episode of Dale Winton's Florida Fly Drive. We briefly saw the sign for Yoder's but he didn't go there to eat, which was a shame!
For dinner this evening Sophie and I made chicken fajitas, from scratch. Sophie had already marinated the chicken this morning and had made salsa. We fried the vegetables and added the marinated chicken before rustling up a bowl of guacamole. It was all delicious and we'll never need to buy a jar or packet again!
The manic feeding by the birds seems to have slowed down a bit now, thank goodness but they love the water baths we put out for them! There's no sign of any rain on the horizon for at least another couple of weeks and the drought is really starting to affect some of the country now. There's a hosepipe ban in force in Northern Ireland and there have been wildfires on Saddleworth Moor in Lancashire which are still burning, probably due to the dry grass and vegetation in the area. The temperature today has hovered around the 30c mark, but we've enjoyed a nice breeze so it hasn't been too bad!
In the afternoon Sophie and I took my Mum to Beckworth for a cup of tea and a slice of cake (or a scone) and we were surprised to find there wasn't a queue. We sat outside in their conservatory and after we'd eaten we bought some plants for the garden. I bought some summer bedding plus a trailing strawberry plant and a cherry tomato so hopefully they will flourish in the warm weather. I also bought a couple of little glass lanterns for the gravel garden so we can see them when we eat at night.
 |
| New strawberry plant |
As soon as we arrived home I potted up all the plants and then relaxed with Keith and Sophie by watching the last episode of Dale Winton's Florida Fly Drive. We briefly saw the sign for Yoder's but he didn't go there to eat, which was a shame!
For dinner this evening Sophie and I made chicken fajitas, from scratch. Sophie had already marinated the chicken this morning and had made salsa. We fried the vegetables and added the marinated chicken before rustling up a bowl of guacamole. It was all delicious and we'll never need to buy a jar or packet again!
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