Mike was working overtime today so Keith dropped him in town for 9am. Sophie went to the gym and when she returned we had a late breakfast of scrambled eggs, veggie sausages, toast and beans. We sat in the sunny conservatory and it's been a really gorgeous day today with blue skies and fluffy clouds. It was lovely to have no plans and be able to pootle about the house doing what we wanted.
Sophie put quite a few clothes on eBay and I did a mound of ironing and prepped dinner which we had decided was to be Spicy Korean Chicken. It meant we had to deep fry the meat which I was slightly nervous about! Luckily I found a thermometer that I used to use when I made candles and after a good clean up I felt a bit better about controlling the temperature, which had to be 160c at first.
We made a soy sauce and a sweet chilli sauce and I prepared the batter and the flour for dusting them. At 4.30pm we went to get Mike from work and he was dirty and tired. When he got home he confessed to us that he'd cut his leg very badly the other night (Friday) and he'd had to go to A&E to get it stitched. His lower right leg was cut to pieces and as well as the stitches some of the cuts had tape on them. We were horrified that it had happened and he hadn't told us straight away or on Saturday morning! He said he'd been playing badminton in a friend's garden and had missed the shot and put his leg through a greenhouse pane of glass...
Dinner was a success and we managed to keep the oil from boiling over and setting the house on fire - my dread! We cooked the chicken in two batches while Sophie prepared some Jasmine rice to accompany the meal. We then had to fry the chicken at a higher temperature to brown the batter and it was delicious. As we now have some confidence in deep-frying this way, maybe we could experiment with fish?
So, it's Sunday evening again and the weekend has whizzed by. Monday tomorrow!
Sunday, 7 July 2019
Saturday, 6 July 2019
A trip to the Workhouse
When I got up this morning, the first thing I did was go and check on the little bee. He was still on the lawn and was alive so I gave him some more nectar and left him to it. Hopefully, he will fly off soon!
Sophie and I picked my Mum up at 10.30am and we were a little dismayed by the grey weather. However, as the Workhouse was mostly inside, it didn't matter that much! We set Google maps to give us directions and drove along the A14 and M1 to junction 21a where we joined the A46. It started to rain and became quite heavy but by the time we reached the delightful little town of Southwell, it had dried up a bit.
The Workhouse at Southwell was built in 1821 and is the most intact example of a workhouse in Britain today. It opens at 12pm and we arrived a few minutes afterwards so after paying we made straight for the cafe for a quick sandwich and a coffee.
The infirmary had also just opened but to be honest there wasn't that much to see and Sophie was spooked by a couple of the rooms upstairs as she said the door tried to shut on her! When we saw one of the old bathrooms I commented on how much they had changed over the years (thank goodness!).
The Workhouse itself was more interesting and there were stories you could listen to from people who had lived there right up until the 1970s when the place was used as a shelter for the homeless or families in need. Originally, the workhouse system was introduced to cut down on the money paid to the needy in their own homes and came out of the charitable donations of the local community.
The workhouse was not designed to be a place where people would want to go. Life was harsh and men and women were segregated and the able-bodied put to work in often meaningless tasks.
My Mum thoroughly enjoyed the visit, pointing out things that she had seen when she was a child, especially the mangle in the laundry. The kitchen looked like a place of hard work and Sophie tried out the forerunner of our modern washing machine!
There was even an outside barn that housed the dead which was a bit macabre, as they had a "corpse" in there! We visited the cellars which were cool and dark and were the only ones down there, so that was a bit spooky!
We stayed for about two and a half hours and the place was filling up rapidly when we left. Happily, the weather had improved and the sun was peeking out from the clouds!
As we loved the look of Southwell, we drove the short distance and parked in a small car park near the town. It was free for two hours which was a lovely touch, I thought, and certainly encouraged us to visit.
We walked up the lovely high street and came across an upmarket wine shop where we spent a very pleasant time perusing the shelves. There were wines you could taste using a pre-loaded payment card and we were very tempted!
Mum bought my Dad a bottle of Montepulciano wine and Sophie treated us to two bottles as well. As we all fancied an ice-cream, we went in search of a shop and found the whole area really lovely, with loads of independent shops and cafes with people sitting outside in the sunshine.
After our ice-creams, Sophie and I went into a tiny deli and bought cheese, crackers and some chocolates. Laden down with our delicious purchases, we returned to the car and set the directions to get us back home.
On the way, the clouds darkened and it looked like the weather back at home was still grey and rainy. We dropped Mum off at home and then returned to find Keith still out at the football and Mike lounging in his room.
Dinner tonight was a lovely beef curry and afterwards we watched Speed. A great end to a very interesting and enjoyable day!
Sophie and I picked my Mum up at 10.30am and we were a little dismayed by the grey weather. However, as the Workhouse was mostly inside, it didn't matter that much! We set Google maps to give us directions and drove along the A14 and M1 to junction 21a where we joined the A46. It started to rain and became quite heavy but by the time we reached the delightful little town of Southwell, it had dried up a bit.
The Workhouse at Southwell was built in 1821 and is the most intact example of a workhouse in Britain today. It opens at 12pm and we arrived a few minutes afterwards so after paying we made straight for the cafe for a quick sandwich and a coffee.
The infirmary had also just opened but to be honest there wasn't that much to see and Sophie was spooked by a couple of the rooms upstairs as she said the door tried to shut on her! When we saw one of the old bathrooms I commented on how much they had changed over the years (thank goodness!).
The Workhouse itself was more interesting and there were stories you could listen to from people who had lived there right up until the 1970s when the place was used as a shelter for the homeless or families in need. Originally, the workhouse system was introduced to cut down on the money paid to the needy in their own homes and came out of the charitable donations of the local community.
The workhouse was not designed to be a place where people would want to go. Life was harsh and men and women were segregated and the able-bodied put to work in often meaningless tasks.
 |
| The blankets were hard and scratchy! |
My Mum thoroughly enjoyed the visit, pointing out things that she had seen when she was a child, especially the mangle in the laundry. The kitchen looked like a place of hard work and Sophie tried out the forerunner of our modern washing machine!
There was even an outside barn that housed the dead which was a bit macabre, as they had a "corpse" in there! We visited the cellars which were cool and dark and were the only ones down there, so that was a bit spooky!
We stayed for about two and a half hours and the place was filling up rapidly when we left. Happily, the weather had improved and the sun was peeking out from the clouds!
 |
| Rhubarb in the extensive gardens. |
We walked up the lovely high street and came across an upmarket wine shop where we spent a very pleasant time perusing the shelves. There were wines you could taste using a pre-loaded payment card and we were very tempted!
Mum bought my Dad a bottle of Montepulciano wine and Sophie treated us to two bottles as well. As we all fancied an ice-cream, we went in search of a shop and found the whole area really lovely, with loads of independent shops and cafes with people sitting outside in the sunshine.
After our ice-creams, Sophie and I went into a tiny deli and bought cheese, crackers and some chocolates. Laden down with our delicious purchases, we returned to the car and set the directions to get us back home.
On the way, the clouds darkened and it looked like the weather back at home was still grey and rainy. We dropped Mum off at home and then returned to find Keith still out at the football and Mike lounging in his room.
Dinner tonight was a lovely beef curry and afterwards we watched Speed. A great end to a very interesting and enjoyable day!
Friday, 5 July 2019
Saving a bee!
After work I went to Riverside and visited Wilco's to buy some bird food. Everything we put out, including kitchen scraps, is gobbled up quickly by our hungry birds who are probably still feeding their young. As usual, the starlings descend in flocks and hoover up everything! I'm glad to see we still have sparrows, blackbirds and pigeons, but I haven't see the robin for a while.
I also bought some more gloss paint in Wilco's as the one I used to paint one of the kitchen doors on Wednesday was full of fluff. With a new bed sheet for Mike a bottle of white spirit and some new brushes, I only spent £20 which was a bargain. I returned it all to my car and then popped into Homebase to look at the summer bedding plants. I still wanted a tray of geraniums but they only had ones in individual pots so after having a good look around (and stopping in the tile aisle) I went to get Mike.
The weather today has been beautiful - sunny and warm with lovely blue skies, but alas! that is all set to change tomorrow. Typical! When I got home I noticed a poor bee lying on the window sill so I managed to get it outside and fed it some agave nectar. Throughout the evening I went to check on it and it was still alive, but I'm not sure it'll last the night.
Keith drove himself to the pub again which was great as Sophie and I could enjoy our wine night. We watched the tennis again but it wasn't as thrilling or argumentative as yesterday! Dinner tonight was pizza, wedges and salad and Mike went off to spend the evening with friends.
We didn't have as late a night tonight as we did last Friday as tomorrow we are off to the Workhouse in Southwell!
I also bought some more gloss paint in Wilco's as the one I used to paint one of the kitchen doors on Wednesday was full of fluff. With a new bed sheet for Mike a bottle of white spirit and some new brushes, I only spent £20 which was a bargain. I returned it all to my car and then popped into Homebase to look at the summer bedding plants. I still wanted a tray of geraniums but they only had ones in individual pots so after having a good look around (and stopping in the tile aisle) I went to get Mike.
The weather today has been beautiful - sunny and warm with lovely blue skies, but alas! that is all set to change tomorrow. Typical! When I got home I noticed a poor bee lying on the window sill so I managed to get it outside and fed it some agave nectar. Throughout the evening I went to check on it and it was still alive, but I'm not sure it'll last the night.
Keith drove himself to the pub again which was great as Sophie and I could enjoy our wine night. We watched the tennis again but it wasn't as thrilling or argumentative as yesterday! Dinner tonight was pizza, wedges and salad and Mike went off to spend the evening with friends.
We didn't have as late a night tonight as we did last Friday as tomorrow we are off to the Workhouse in Southwell!
Thursday, 4 July 2019
Tempers fray!
As usual, on a Thursday, Keith took me to work and then went and did our weekly shop. Luckily, work was a lot quieter and Sue had brought in some veggie wraps which were delicious!
At 3pm, Keith collected me, we went to get Mike and returned home to pootle about. By the time I get home, get changed and tidy things away, it's almost time for Sophie to leave work!
In the evening we sat and watched Wimbledon and saw the game between Nick Kyrgios who seemed a thoroughly horrible man! He argued with the umpire and was very scathing and then apparently he tried to hit Nadal in the chest with the ball! The game was thrilling and we paused it while we had dinner, we were enjoying it so much!
Luckily, Nadal won and we noticed that his various little "tics" are getting worse, bless him. He always tucks his hair behind his ears, pulls his pants out of his bottom and fiddles about with his face. Apparently he has others, like adjusting his socks and never stepping on the lines on the court! We'll have to watch out for them in future!
At 3pm, Keith collected me, we went to get Mike and returned home to pootle about. By the time I get home, get changed and tidy things away, it's almost time for Sophie to leave work!
In the evening we sat and watched Wimbledon and saw the game between Nick Kyrgios who seemed a thoroughly horrible man! He argued with the umpire and was very scathing and then apparently he tried to hit Nadal in the chest with the ball! The game was thrilling and we paused it while we had dinner, we were enjoying it so much!
Luckily, Nadal won and we noticed that his various little "tics" are getting worse, bless him. He always tucks his hair behind his ears, pulls his pants out of his bottom and fiddles about with his face. Apparently he has others, like adjusting his socks and never stepping on the lines on the court! We'll have to watch out for them in future!
Wednesday, 3 July 2019
Getting things done!
I had a bit of a lie-in this morning as Keith got up to take Mike to work. We had no plans for today so I seized the opportunity to do something I've been putting off for ages - touching up the paintwork on the banisters and the skirting boards from when we painted them earlier in the year.
I put some gloss paint in an old mug and very carefully worked my way around covering up little knocks and scratches in the paintwork. We then did some recovery work in the cloakroom after the leak from the bathroom and then I carried on cleaning upstairs.
As I had time on my hands today I sorted out my underwear drawer and the bottom drawer of our chest which contains both travel stuff and winter woollies. I did throw quite a bit of stuff out, mainly old clothes that I wear in the house while I'm painting or doing housework and which wouldn't be suitable for giving to charity.
After hoovering upstairs I did downstairs and vacuumed Sophie's car. By about 3pm I'd had enough! Outside the weather was gorgeous but I was really pleased that we'd done so much in the house and ticked a few chores off the "To Do" list!
Yesterday I'd taken the plunge and ordered a new Kindle Fire as my Hudl has given up the ghost so I waited in for it to be delivered while Keith went to get Mike from work. The delivery man called at 3.15 so just after Keith left. I left it to charge before playing with it, but I wanted it to play films on or watch series like The Grand Tour, as I've joined Amazon Prime. It has Alexa on it which Keith said will spy on us and listen to what we say!
I put some gloss paint in an old mug and very carefully worked my way around covering up little knocks and scratches in the paintwork. We then did some recovery work in the cloakroom after the leak from the bathroom and then I carried on cleaning upstairs.
As I had time on my hands today I sorted out my underwear drawer and the bottom drawer of our chest which contains both travel stuff and winter woollies. I did throw quite a bit of stuff out, mainly old clothes that I wear in the house while I'm painting or doing housework and which wouldn't be suitable for giving to charity.
After hoovering upstairs I did downstairs and vacuumed Sophie's car. By about 3pm I'd had enough! Outside the weather was gorgeous but I was really pleased that we'd done so much in the house and ticked a few chores off the "To Do" list!
Yesterday I'd taken the plunge and ordered a new Kindle Fire as my Hudl has given up the ghost so I waited in for it to be delivered while Keith went to get Mike from work. The delivery man called at 3.15 so just after Keith left. I left it to charge before playing with it, but I wanted it to play films on or watch series like The Grand Tour, as I've joined Amazon Prime. It has Alexa on it which Keith said will spy on us and listen to what we say!
Tuesday, 2 July 2019
A frantic morning...
Sophie was up at 4am this morning as she was going to Preston for a training session with her manager, and would be staying overnight. Luckily, she was being picked up from home so we didn't have to drive her to Thrapston, but I still got up with her to see her off.
I took Mike to work this morning and Joanne and I had a very busy shift with loads of cancellations to do. At one point I had paperwork all over my desk and didn't know whether I was coming or going! I just wonder what will happen in the summer holidays (which are coming up fast) and we have almost non-stop calls to deal with!
At 2pm I headed home and mooched about with Keith for half an hour before going into town and picking Mike up from work. When we got home Sophie called me and said she was going to the hotel gym to work out for a while, which I thought was admirable seeing as she had been up so early this morning!
Keith and I played cards in the conservatory this evening and Sophie joined us on a video call! I still find it amazing that we can do this (especially when we were in San Francisco!) and it was great to have her with us while we played!
After dinner, while Keith watched the Women's football, I researched restaurants in Pollensa for when we go in September. I read some of my old restaurant reviews which definitely brought all the memories flooding back!
I took Mike to work this morning and Joanne and I had a very busy shift with loads of cancellations to do. At one point I had paperwork all over my desk and didn't know whether I was coming or going! I just wonder what will happen in the summer holidays (which are coming up fast) and we have almost non-stop calls to deal with!
At 2pm I headed home and mooched about with Keith for half an hour before going into town and picking Mike up from work. When we got home Sophie called me and said she was going to the hotel gym to work out for a while, which I thought was admirable seeing as she had been up so early this morning!
Keith and I played cards in the conservatory this evening and Sophie joined us on a video call! I still find it amazing that we can do this (especially when we were in San Francisco!) and it was great to have her with us while we played!
After dinner, while Keith watched the Women's football, I researched restaurants in Pollensa for when we go in September. I read some of my old restaurant reviews which definitely brought all the memories flooding back!
Monday, 1 July 2019
Busy, busy!
Work was very busy today as the online bookings system was down so we were inundated with calls from people trying to book classes. By the time I left at 3pm (I helped out by staying an hour extra) we'd had over 200 calls! Sara hinted that we may get even more work in the near future and I do wonder how much we can take on before we all explode! Doing the cancellations takes quite a while and has to be correct as it affects members' money!
After collecting Mike Keith and I went to Broughton to the garage as my car is still making a loud knocking noise. We thought we'd fixed it when the shock absorbers were seen to but the problem still exists. It seems much worse when the weather is dry and also when we've been driving it a lot. we spoke to one of the mechanics and I've booked it in for next Wednesday. I just hope it's not a costly job!
Sophie is off to Preston tomorrow and is staying overnight so she had her bags to pack when she got home. She's being picked up by her manager at 5.30am in the morning and I'm just very glad we don't have to take her!
After collecting Mike Keith and I went to Broughton to the garage as my car is still making a loud knocking noise. We thought we'd fixed it when the shock absorbers were seen to but the problem still exists. It seems much worse when the weather is dry and also when we've been driving it a lot. we spoke to one of the mechanics and I've booked it in for next Wednesday. I just hope it's not a costly job!
Sophie is off to Preston tomorrow and is staying overnight so she had her bags to pack when she got home. She's being picked up by her manager at 5.30am in the morning and I'm just very glad we don't have to take her!
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