I drove myself to work today and had a very busy shift as the phone calls seemed relentless and I had so much other stuff to do! The time flew by!
At 3pm I sped home and Keith and I popped over to see Mum and Dad for a cup of tea. I bought some flapjacks in the Co-op to take with me but both my parents weren't impressed! My Mum loves chocolatey biscuits which I can't really have at the moment!
We had a good chat and they gave me some Baptism and Holy Communion cards from the Bible they bought ages ago at an auction. I said I would try and look up the people on Ancestry and I can't think why I haven't done this before! It would be nice to contact the family and perhaps give them some information they didn't already have.
Tonight's dinner was beetroot burgers and I wasn't looking forward to eating them, to be honest! Both Sophie and Mike love real, meaty burgers so I was interested to see how they would take them! We cooked some oven chips in our air-fryer (in small batches, so they were crispy) and baked the "burgers" in the oven.
We served them in buns (which turned out to contain egg and milk...oops!) with a salad that looked past its best (even though it was in date), the oven chips and some onion rings. Mike took one bite and spat it out so that was that and Sophie said she really didn't like the taste or the texture. I gamely ate mine, as did Keith, but we certainly won't be buying them again!
I craved a bowl of creamy dessert after our disappointing meal but we had nothing in the house...good thing!
Thursday, 7 February 2019
Wednesday, 6 February 2019
Bathroom hunting!
We had an early start this morning as Sophie had to be at her manager's house in Thrapston at 6.15am. I was going to go back to bed when I got home, but I didn't feel tired so I had a leisurely start to the day with a coffee and a hot cross bun!
After Keith got up I tried out our new hoover upstairs and was amazed at how much fluff and dust it picked up! As I was finishing, the carpet man arrived to measure up and check the figures we'd given him. It wasn't long before he was all done and, with Mike, we drove over to Kettering: Keith and I to do our shopping and Mike to have his hair cut.
After we'd got home and packed everything away, we had a quick lunch and then Keith and I decided to pop down to B&Q to look at bathrooms. Unfortunately, they didn't have anything on show which was a bit disappointing! I bought some testers for paint and a primer/undercoat as I am going to tackle the tackle the banisters at the weekend. I'm dreading it!
I Googled bathroom showrooms in Northampton and discovered there were two nearby - one almost next to Majestic and another a bit further along the road. We went to the furthest one first and we were totally ignored by the staff - whether they were aware we were on the premises or not, I have no idea. We picked up a brochure and left to go to the one next to Majestic and I had a look to see if I could spot any more of my former colleagues. The place looked deserted and I couldn't see any of the staff's cars in the car park so it might be that James has left (I know Jonathan has). As we have loads of wine at the moment, and time was short, I wasn't tempted to go in so I'll have to leave it to another day.
The bathroom showroom was lovely, but looked very expensive! We had a chat with one of the staff who said they offer free bathroom design, but I think the prices are out of our range at the moment. We left and went straight to Thrapston to collect Sophie as she had texted me to say they weren't far away.
This evening I felt just the slightest hint of Spring in the air...the temperature was about 10c and the evening felt lighter...is it just around the corner?
After Keith got up I tried out our new hoover upstairs and was amazed at how much fluff and dust it picked up! As I was finishing, the carpet man arrived to measure up and check the figures we'd given him. It wasn't long before he was all done and, with Mike, we drove over to Kettering: Keith and I to do our shopping and Mike to have his hair cut.
After we'd got home and packed everything away, we had a quick lunch and then Keith and I decided to pop down to B&Q to look at bathrooms. Unfortunately, they didn't have anything on show which was a bit disappointing! I bought some testers for paint and a primer/undercoat as I am going to tackle the tackle the banisters at the weekend. I'm dreading it!
I Googled bathroom showrooms in Northampton and discovered there were two nearby - one almost next to Majestic and another a bit further along the road. We went to the furthest one first and we were totally ignored by the staff - whether they were aware we were on the premises or not, I have no idea. We picked up a brochure and left to go to the one next to Majestic and I had a look to see if I could spot any more of my former colleagues. The place looked deserted and I couldn't see any of the staff's cars in the car park so it might be that James has left (I know Jonathan has). As we have loads of wine at the moment, and time was short, I wasn't tempted to go in so I'll have to leave it to another day.
The bathroom showroom was lovely, but looked very expensive! We had a chat with one of the staff who said they offer free bathroom design, but I think the prices are out of our range at the moment. We left and went straight to Thrapston to collect Sophie as she had texted me to say they weren't far away.
This evening I felt just the slightest hint of Spring in the air...the temperature was about 10c and the evening felt lighter...is it just around the corner?
Tuesday, 5 February 2019
Mushrooms are the new chicken...
I had difficulty getting up today when Sophie woke me at about 6.15am but I staggered downstairs to make some porridge for both of us and gradually came around!
I drove myself to work this morning and had a busy shift, so the time flew by again. Joanne was training with us and confessed to feeling nervous about taking calls. I urged her to ask for help as I didn't mind at all and remembered what it was like when I first joined! I have to confess to having a Latte this morning as I was dying for a proper coffee, so that's the end of my veganism! I find it surprising that it's been easier for me to give up meat and it's the lack of dairy that's been the hardest.
At 2pm I sped home and Keith and I went to the Co-op in Brixworth where I bought some proper milk for my coffee and tea! I cut up a load of vegetables (mushrooms, peppers, courgettes, onion) for dinner as tonight it's fajitas. I mixed the seasoning with some oil and covered the veg before letting them marinate.
Keith suggested we all go out for a drink tonight so as soon as Sophie arrived home we drove over to The Althorp Coaching Inn in Great Brington again and had a very pleasant hour and a half sitting by the log fire and chatting. Things have been a bit fraught in the house over the last couple of days so it was lovely to sit and chat as a family. We even tentatively talked about a trip back to Naples (Florida) in 2021 to celebrate Mike's 21st Birthday. How fabulous would that be?
We didn't get home until 8pm so it was all hands on deck to get the dinner finished. I stir-fried the vegetables and put on some rice to cook while Sophie made her lunch for the next day. We were eating by 8.30pm and Sophie had asked me to add some more mushrooms to bulk out the meal. There wasn't a mushroom left by the time we'd finished and as they resemble chicken and have some substance, we joked about them being so popular! Dinner tonight was lovely and I think that we've got it right when we keep the veggies quite big and have them in a spicy sauce, like we did with the curry last week.
It was an early night for us tonight as Sophie has to be at Thrapston at 6.15am tomorrow! Yawn!
Monday, 4 February 2019
Monday morning blues...
Sophie woke me up this morning and it was a really horrible feeling knowing I had to go to work and it was the start of the week...I made her some porridge to take to work and made myself a bowl as well. To add to the gloom, Monty was sick on the rug in the living room so we've thrown it out! Hopefully, with the new carpet we won't need it!
Keith took me this morning as I had an eye test at Boots in the afternoon and we planned on going shopping to get food for tonight and tomorrow. It seems to be all we do! Work was very busy as I had the box office returns to do for the weekend films, as well as a few invoices to process, so the time flew. Oh, and answer the phone as well!
Keith picked me up at 2pm and we went over to the Weston Favell Centre. We bought veggies, fajita seasoning, more margarine and two bottles of non-alcoholic fizz to try. The Freixenet seems to be out of stock at the moment which is a shame as it's lovely and ideal for a night off the alcohol!
Coming out of Tesco we spotted my parents so we had a chat and then I had fifteen minutes to kill before my appointment. It was just nice to sit and watch people passing by! In Boots my eyes were given a really thorough examination - a photo was taken, something was puffed into them and my peripheral vision was checked. When I saw the optician he said everything was really healthy and my blood pressure was good, which was great news. Perhaps all this clean eating is having an effect already!
My eyesight has also improved so my prescription has changed and the optician gave me two new contact lenses to try out. I drove home to test them out!
Back home we relaxed and as soon as Sophie was home we tried the new non-alcoholic fizz. It was lovely, but I still prefer the real stuff! Dinner tonight was jacket potatoes and baked beans served with salad. We had some vegan cheese to go with it, which smelt funny again!
Keith took me this morning as I had an eye test at Boots in the afternoon and we planned on going shopping to get food for tonight and tomorrow. It seems to be all we do! Work was very busy as I had the box office returns to do for the weekend films, as well as a few invoices to process, so the time flew. Oh, and answer the phone as well!
Keith picked me up at 2pm and we went over to the Weston Favell Centre. We bought veggies, fajita seasoning, more margarine and two bottles of non-alcoholic fizz to try. The Freixenet seems to be out of stock at the moment which is a shame as it's lovely and ideal for a night off the alcohol!
Coming out of Tesco we spotted my parents so we had a chat and then I had fifteen minutes to kill before my appointment. It was just nice to sit and watch people passing by! In Boots my eyes were given a really thorough examination - a photo was taken, something was puffed into them and my peripheral vision was checked. When I saw the optician he said everything was really healthy and my blood pressure was good, which was great news. Perhaps all this clean eating is having an effect already!
My eyesight has also improved so my prescription has changed and the optician gave me two new contact lenses to try out. I drove home to test them out!
Back home we relaxed and as soon as Sophie was home we tried the new non-alcoholic fizz. It was lovely, but I still prefer the real stuff! Dinner tonight was jacket potatoes and baked beans served with salad. We had some vegan cheese to go with it, which smelt funny again!
Sunday, 3 February 2019
Hectic Sunday!
We have had a very busy day today and started off by going down to Tapi this morning to look at carpets. The quote from Whilton Locks was ridiculous so it's back to the drawing board!
St James Retail Park was very busy and there were quite a few people in the carpet showroom. I wandered around feeling more confused than ever, and looked at the 80% wool, 20% polyester mix but I didn't like them - they felt rough and the colours were horrible.
We picked out some vinyl we liked and then eventually we decided on a carpet. We took a sample over to the vinyl and the colours went well together. It was then a case of sitting down with one of the staff and getting a quote, based on our measurements.
He came up with a figure that was over our budget so he disappeared off to see someone more senior, who lowered the price to something that we were happy with. It was still slightly more than we wanted to pay but as we're putting down new flooring on almost the whole of the downstairs, it wasn't bad.
We have a man coming out on Wednesday to check our measurements and then they're aiming to fit the carpet and vinyl on the 19th and 20th February. As we've chosen a silvery grey for the carpet, we've decided to re-paint the hall, stairs and landing and put a white gloss on the stair rails to match. There will be a lot of work to do!
We crossed over the road and popped into Lidl where we discovered lots of veggie goodies, including some Linda McCartney sausages for breakfast. We also bought veggie pies and burgers to have for meals later in the week.
Back home, and while the sausages were grilling, Sophie and I prepared yet more vegetables for dinner while Keith unpacked our new vacuum cleaner that had arrived while we were out. He used it on the study and living room carpets and we were astonished at how much fluff it picked up!
After lunch we drove over to collect my Mum and we went to Rushden Lakes where Sophe needed to go to M&S to take back a sports bra. First up, was something to eat and drink and I made the mistake of going into Bill's as I thought they had a vegan menu for afternoon tea items. All around us people were eating lunch so we felt a bit fraudulent!
Sophie stated she was going to have a glass of wine, but Mum and I stuck to sparkling water. Unfortunately, they had virtually nothing on the menu for vegans (cake-wise) so Sophie and I shared a chocolate fondant dessert and Mum had apple crumble and custard. We really should have left and the bill came to an eye-watering £26 for the two desserts and the three drinks. It wasn't really what I had in mind and I felt very guilty.
In M&S Sophie exchanged her bra for another one and we had a look at the vegan foods. I get the feeling we're becoming a bit boring on the subject as we have to scrutinise every packet! Heaven knows how people do it full-time!
We made a stop in Next for Sophie to get some work tops and then it was time to head home where a car on its side in a ditch held us up for a while. How on earth did that happen!
Dinner tonight was not a success and I don't think we'll be using the vegan cookbook I bought any more. It was supposed to be a veggie Shepherd's pie but for me, it had an aroma I really didn't like. I have a feeling it was either Thyme or Rosemary as we had used both herbs in the dish. I ate it but I didn't enjoy it one bit, which caused a bit of ill-feeling. This vegan eating, far from bringing us together as a family, is causing dissension amongst us!
St James Retail Park was very busy and there were quite a few people in the carpet showroom. I wandered around feeling more confused than ever, and looked at the 80% wool, 20% polyester mix but I didn't like them - they felt rough and the colours were horrible.
We picked out some vinyl we liked and then eventually we decided on a carpet. We took a sample over to the vinyl and the colours went well together. It was then a case of sitting down with one of the staff and getting a quote, based on our measurements.
He came up with a figure that was over our budget so he disappeared off to see someone more senior, who lowered the price to something that we were happy with. It was still slightly more than we wanted to pay but as we're putting down new flooring on almost the whole of the downstairs, it wasn't bad.
We have a man coming out on Wednesday to check our measurements and then they're aiming to fit the carpet and vinyl on the 19th and 20th February. As we've chosen a silvery grey for the carpet, we've decided to re-paint the hall, stairs and landing and put a white gloss on the stair rails to match. There will be a lot of work to do!
We crossed over the road and popped into Lidl where we discovered lots of veggie goodies, including some Linda McCartney sausages for breakfast. We also bought veggie pies and burgers to have for meals later in the week.
Back home, and while the sausages were grilling, Sophie and I prepared yet more vegetables for dinner while Keith unpacked our new vacuum cleaner that had arrived while we were out. He used it on the study and living room carpets and we were astonished at how much fluff it picked up!
After lunch we drove over to collect my Mum and we went to Rushden Lakes where Sophe needed to go to M&S to take back a sports bra. First up, was something to eat and drink and I made the mistake of going into Bill's as I thought they had a vegan menu for afternoon tea items. All around us people were eating lunch so we felt a bit fraudulent!
Sophie stated she was going to have a glass of wine, but Mum and I stuck to sparkling water. Unfortunately, they had virtually nothing on the menu for vegans (cake-wise) so Sophie and I shared a chocolate fondant dessert and Mum had apple crumble and custard. We really should have left and the bill came to an eye-watering £26 for the two desserts and the three drinks. It wasn't really what I had in mind and I felt very guilty.
In M&S Sophie exchanged her bra for another one and we had a look at the vegan foods. I get the feeling we're becoming a bit boring on the subject as we have to scrutinise every packet! Heaven knows how people do it full-time!
We made a stop in Next for Sophie to get some work tops and then it was time to head home where a car on its side in a ditch held us up for a while. How on earth did that happen!
Dinner tonight was not a success and I don't think we'll be using the vegan cookbook I bought any more. It was supposed to be a veggie Shepherd's pie but for me, it had an aroma I really didn't like. I have a feeling it was either Thyme or Rosemary as we had used both herbs in the dish. I ate it but I didn't enjoy it one bit, which caused a bit of ill-feeling. This vegan eating, far from bringing us together as a family, is causing dissension amongst us!
Saturday, 2 February 2019
Lazy Saturday!
We had a lovely, lazy start to the day and Sophie went off to the gym for a quick workout. It was a cold and frosty morning with the very slightest dusting of snow on the ground.
While she was out I prepared the vegetables for the evening's dinner and pottered about doing chores. Keith has refused to use our hoover so I went online and looked on Amazon for a new one. I have always used cylinder hoovers at home but this time we've gone for a Shark upright vacuum and it doesn't have a bag! We are moving with the times! It had great reviews so I ordered it and it should hopefully be with us by early next week.
None of us felt like going anywhere today so it was lovely to stay indoors. I briefly toyed with the idea of washing the car but it was freezing cold outside so I thought I would leave it to a warmer day!
Sophie and I did go for a walk around the estate, though, and did three laps which equates (apparently) to a mile. Monty refused to accompany us, which was a shame, but we had a good natter and made sure we wrapped up warm against the biting wind.
When we came back in I made us a small Whisky Mac (it's becoming a naughty tradition to have a wee cocktail) and we relaxed until it was time to cook dinner. Tonight it was spaghetti bolognese and it was very similar to how we make a meaty one - I put all the veggies into a casserole dish and cooked them before adding lentils and tinned tomatoes, herbs and stock.
I thought the dish was delicious but Keith was not impressed at all. I think he is finding this whole vegan idea very hard but I don't think the "cheese" we used helped very much as it had a strange smell!
While she was out I prepared the vegetables for the evening's dinner and pottered about doing chores. Keith has refused to use our hoover so I went online and looked on Amazon for a new one. I have always used cylinder hoovers at home but this time we've gone for a Shark upright vacuum and it doesn't have a bag! We are moving with the times! It had great reviews so I ordered it and it should hopefully be with us by early next week.
None of us felt like going anywhere today so it was lovely to stay indoors. I briefly toyed with the idea of washing the car but it was freezing cold outside so I thought I would leave it to a warmer day!
Sophie and I did go for a walk around the estate, though, and did three laps which equates (apparently) to a mile. Monty refused to accompany us, which was a shame, but we had a good natter and made sure we wrapped up warm against the biting wind.
When we came back in I made us a small Whisky Mac (it's becoming a naughty tradition to have a wee cocktail) and we relaxed until it was time to cook dinner. Tonight it was spaghetti bolognese and it was very similar to how we make a meaty one - I put all the veggies into a casserole dish and cooked them before adding lentils and tinned tomatoes, herbs and stock.
I thought the dish was delicious but Keith was not impressed at all. I think he is finding this whole vegan idea very hard but I don't think the "cheese" we used helped very much as it had a strange smell!
Friday, 1 February 2019
Work niggles...
Well, we had snow overnight, but not as much as expected. I was worried about Sophie driving this morning as she's never driven in the snow, but when I went to work the main roads were clear and the temperature was about 2c, so at least it wasn't icy.
I walked in to find one of the new staff sitting at my desk, so I used the very back workstation which suited me better! I think Sara asked the new Sara to work in case I didn't turn up because of the snow! We did have a lot of queries about whether classes were still going ahead but most of the roads were clear and not causing any problems. It snowed for a while in the morning but not enough to send everyone into a panic!
I learnt this morning that I didn't get the extra hours I was hoping for (Fran leaves next week) and these have been given to two other members of staff. I have a niggling feeling that Sara is annoyed with me for not taking the 2pm-8pm shift on a Wednesday that she asked me to do, but I don't want to have to work until 8pm with another member of staff who is, quite frankly, very irritating. Plus, it would mean that on Wednesday morning I would constantly be looking at the clock and thinking about work.
I have decided that I really don't want to work weekends and evenings - I did enough of that when we had our own business for 21 years - and if it doesn't go down well with Sara, then it's tough. I love being at home in the evenings, cooking, having a drink and relaxing and I'm certainly not going to give up my weekends to work. I don't mind helping out with the odd shift here and there, but that's it! Maybe it's time to look for something else!
I jumped into the bath in the evening and afterwards, Sophie and I enjoyed a drink and watched 90 Day Fiance. Dinner this evening was vegetable soup served with crusty bread and croutons and it was delicious. I'm not sure Keith was impressed, though! It's the first day of our vegan adventure and I enjoyed my hummus and cracker lunch much more than my usual sandwich!
It's been very cold today so it was great to cosy up on the sofa and while Keith disappeared upstairs to watch the rugby, Sophie and I enjoyed Jaws! It still is very scary!
I walked in to find one of the new staff sitting at my desk, so I used the very back workstation which suited me better! I think Sara asked the new Sara to work in case I didn't turn up because of the snow! We did have a lot of queries about whether classes were still going ahead but most of the roads were clear and not causing any problems. It snowed for a while in the morning but not enough to send everyone into a panic!
I learnt this morning that I didn't get the extra hours I was hoping for (Fran leaves next week) and these have been given to two other members of staff. I have a niggling feeling that Sara is annoyed with me for not taking the 2pm-8pm shift on a Wednesday that she asked me to do, but I don't want to have to work until 8pm with another member of staff who is, quite frankly, very irritating. Plus, it would mean that on Wednesday morning I would constantly be looking at the clock and thinking about work.
I have decided that I really don't want to work weekends and evenings - I did enough of that when we had our own business for 21 years - and if it doesn't go down well with Sara, then it's tough. I love being at home in the evenings, cooking, having a drink and relaxing and I'm certainly not going to give up my weekends to work. I don't mind helping out with the odd shift here and there, but that's it! Maybe it's time to look for something else!
I jumped into the bath in the evening and afterwards, Sophie and I enjoyed a drink and watched 90 Day Fiance. Dinner this evening was vegetable soup served with crusty bread and croutons and it was delicious. I'm not sure Keith was impressed, though! It's the first day of our vegan adventure and I enjoyed my hummus and cracker lunch much more than my usual sandwich!
It's been very cold today so it was great to cosy up on the sofa and while Keith disappeared upstairs to watch the rugby, Sophie and I enjoyed Jaws! It still is very scary!
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