Another lazy Sunday!

Day 41

It was supposed to be milder today, but it still felt very cold! The weather has unfortunately been grey and damp, but the wind has not been as ferocious or bitter, which was a relief!

Sophie and I enjoyed veggie sausage sandwiches for breakfast and we've spent the day relaxing - perfect for a Sunday, if not a little boring! Of course, we applied a face mask at around lunchtime, and today's choice was lettuce!

Sophie and I did venture out though - don't get too excited - we went to get petrol, because next week my daughter is abandoning me and going into work every day, due to a colleague being off sick. I am going to miss her sitting in the conservatory, but I'm glad she'll have a change of scene, and it'll be great for her to see her workmates for a while. After next week she might be going in for two days a week.

Her car needed a run, and also needed some fuel, so we went and did that, and on her return, she face-timed her friends Laura and Daisy for an hour. I caught up with a recorded programme upstairs, and also managed to see the news which mentioned next Monday the 22 February as the date that Boris is supposed to be letting us know when this current lockdown will end. It's looking likely that if all over 50s are vaccinated by May then an easing of the lockdown rules may be allowed.

After Sophie said goodbye to her friends, we played another game of Scrabble in the conservatory with a G&T. We also enjoyed a game of cards with Keith, and then made a start on tonight's dinner, a Delia Smith recipe for beef stir-fry. Sophie had prepped everything earlier so all we needed to do was cook, and it took just half an hour from the start to putting the meal on the table. The food was delicious and a recipe we'll cook again, without a doubt!

After we'd eaten, Keith and I resumed our viewing of the James Bond films, The ones I'd recorded had all gone when our Sky box was replaced, but ITV very kindly put on Goldeneye on Saturday night, and it was the next one we had to watch. It was Pierce Brosnan's first outing as Bond and he was gorgeous in it!

Valentine's goodies!

Day 40

I made banana porridge for breakfast again today, but the fruit was just a bit too raw for my liking! The other day the bananas had ripened a lot and were lovely and sweet, but today they were a bit harder, so next time I'll wait! The dish was lovely, though, but I am very funny with bananas - I can eat them cooked or turned into yoghurt or - delicious! - Angel Delight or milkshakes, but I can't eat them straight out of their skins!

It's been another raw day with the wind cold enough to cut you into two! We pottered about in the morning and then Sophie and I went to Boots for some essential supplies, followed by a visit to Smith's Farm Shop. We bought some goodies, including a bottle of Prosecco for tonight, as well as some bread flour for me to make another loaf next week.

Before we left, we enjoyed a hot chocolate from the coffee stall in the car park and watched the comings and goings of the customers. It's a busy place and lovely to stock up on a whole variety of food and drinks.

Back home, we had toasties for lunch sitting in the conservatory. The previously sunny weather had given way to thick cloud, and with the low temperatures, I thought we could have seen some snow. In fact, the weather forecast said we might get a heavy downfall later in the day, but we never saw any at all.

Towards the evening, we popped over to the Care Home to take a bottle of whisky for my Dad. I had ordered some Valentine's flowers for my Mum from Dad, to cheer her up a bit, and they had been delivered earlier in the day, and I had also bought some whisky as a gift from Mum. Sophie had been the ecstatic recipient of her own beautiful bouquet, chocolates and a balloon this morning!

We stopped outside their window and called them in vain. I think the phone was being charged so in the end, we had to drive home, taking the scenic route for a change. There was no marvellous sunset tonight, just thick cloud, which was a shame.

Our usual Saturday evening followed: Martinis, Scrabble and a Youtube video on the television showing snowy scenes. If we couldn't have them for real, we could pretend!

We ordered a takeaway from the Chinese in Broughton again tonight, but ordered it very early, just in case! The food arrived at 6.30pm, so we put the tubs into the oven to keep warm while we finished our game. Unfortunately, when we opened the Prosecco to enjoy with our meal, I suspected it was corked. It smelt a bit musty (like an old cellar) so I put a stopper in the bottle and said I would return it for another. At £10 I couldn't just pour it down the sink, and it was definitely not right!

Our evening viewing was the fourth Jason Bourne film, even though he wasn't actually in it! Keith and I enjoyed The Bourne Legacy, but Sophie went upstairs to watch Love Island instead. Each to their own!

An Arctic blast!

Day 39

I woke up at almost 9am, after having some bizarre dreams involving tsunamis, and shopping for pork joints in an empty Tesco... strange!

Keith had taken Mike to work and returned, so I had a coffee (kindly made by Sophie) and eased myself into Friday. It's been another bitterly cold day, with a ferocious east wind that has made it feel like stepping out into the Arctic every time we've ventured out!

I spent the morning transferring the first few months of my 2014 blog onto a word document. Looking back we suffered some illnesses in February and March, and fingers crossed, we have been OK so far this year with no colds (or worse!). Let's pray it stays that way!

Sophie suggested a walk at lunchtime but it was so cold I begged a day off. Our driveway is always breezy, but stepping out to go to the garage in just a tee-shirt is not the best idea at the moment!

In the evening Sophie and I opened a bottle of wine and watched Houseboat on Amazon Prime. It cost £3.49 (goodness knows why when it came out in 1958) but it was well worth it. Cary Grant was as gorgeous as ever, matched by the completely alluring Sophia Loren. Dazzling!

Iced up!

Day 38

Mike is now starting at 8.30am in the morning, so Keith went to do the shopping at his usual time, and I took Mike to work. I used Sophie's car which had been sat on the driveway for a good two weeks, and although not frozen on the outside, the freezing cold temperatures had definitely affected the windscreen washer reservoir on the inside!

Stupidly, I didn't give it a chance to warm up a bit and just jumped in to drive to Kettering. This meant that the windscreen was covered in a thin layer of salt that I just couldn't shift... As the sun was shining, at times I couldn't see! Slapped wrists for me!

It was hovering between -3 and -4 on the way in, so colder than we had really seen before this winter. At the golf club, Mike sloshed some warm water over the windscreen which cleared the smears of salt!

Back home I awaited Keith's return from shopping and helped put it all away. This morning I resumed my cleaning and tackled the downstairs of the house, but having the heating on at the same time made me sweat a bit! 

The rest of the day has been spent mooching about and I am getting a little concerned that I am going to find it very hard to go back to work when the time comes. During the first lockdown, I couldn't wait to get back to work, but I feel differently now, for some reason. Maybe because it now feels like the norm? I am in regular contact with my work colleagues through WhatsApp, and we receive emails from our new head honcho letting us know what's happening, but it feels very unreal at the moment! I am not bored at all, and I'm enjoying transferring my blog onto a word document so I can make them into a family book.

Our evening's viewing was a programme on the world's most amazing hotels, this time The Jade Mountain hotel in St Lucia. It was pure escapism to see the stunning scenery and marvel at how luxurious the hotel was. How wonderful to be there at the moment, without a care in the world!

A cold, cold day!

Day 37

Keith took Mike to work this morning and then called into Tesco to get some shopping. Just after he went it started snowing heavily! I wasn't expecting that this morning!

I spent the morning giving the upstairs of the house a good clean, including the bathroom which was in dire need of a scrub! At lunchtime, Sophie and I walked down to the bridge with our litter picker. The snow had stopped but it was still bitterly cold, and the wind was especially biting as it blew across the open fields.

After Keith and I had collected Mike from work, I had a soak in the bath. This cold weather is set to end on Sunday which is a relief as Sophie is planning to go back to work two days a week, on a Tuesday and a Thursday. I'm so glad she didn't have to drive in the icy cold temperatures and snow we've had lately!

Dinner this evening was a hearty beef stew with dumplings and after we'd eaten, Keith and I settled down to watch the film Under Suspicion starring Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman. I fell asleep halfway through but woke up at the end and felt very confused!

A morning of cooking!

Day 36

The cold weather continues with snow forecast for today and tomorrow. This year we have certainly had what I would call a "proper" winter and as a result, all the geraniums I kept from the summer have perished. They did well, though, lasting last summer, last winter, and the summer before that. Last winter was wet and mild and I don't think we had any snowfall at all.

I spent the morning marinating chicken breasts in a spicy Jerk paste. Keith suggested we have one of our favourite meals, and he would use up some frozen bits for his dinner. He refuses to eat Jerk chicken and says he hates the taste of it!

After marinating the chicken I chopped up two onions, celery, spring onions, leeks, and potatoes to make soup. When that was done I brought the radio into the kitchen and listened to Ken Bruce, while I made a loaf of seeded bread.

Once it was kneaded and resting in our airing cupboard, I made the soup by softening all the vegetables and adding stock. I let it simmer on the hob, checked on the bread which hadn't risen much, and relaxed for a while.

The bread did rise a bit, and we ate it for lunch with the blended soup. I added some sprigs of coriander just before serving and it was delicious. Making soup and bread is hard work though! I now know why people just bung a couple of cans into their trolley! However, it's great to know exactly what ingredients have gone into the soup and it's lovely when my family appreciate my cooking!

Keith and I went to get Mike from work and it started snowing again. As we waited I watched as the little snowflakes hit the windscreen and immediately thawed. It's wonderful when you think that a decent covering is made up of these tiny little flakes!

Dinner this evening was lovely, as always, but very spicy! Sophie said she thought the sauce needed an extra spoonful of the jerk paste, and it sent it over the top! Phew!

Having a smashing time!

Day 35

I had a sense of deja vu this morning when we awoke to a light covering of snow, and had to take Mike to work before going to Tesco. I had offered to go with Keith and we set off at 8am, but today the roads were much better than they were two weeks ago. The main roads were clear, although a little icy going out towards Mawsley, so I took it carefully.

We dropped Mike off and headed to Aldi, and when we arrived, Keith realised that he had forgotten his wallet and his glasses, so it was a good job that I was with him! Aldi was very quiet, thank goodness, and we did our shopping with ease. There was one problem, though... as I reached to get a bottle of red from the shelf, I somehow dislodged another and it went crashing to the floor, smashing into several pieces, with red wine everywhere... I felt so embarrassed! The staff were very good, though, and told me not to worry, but I scuttled off in shame! I still don't know how it happened!

From Aldi, we went to an equally quiet Tesco and bought the remainder of our shopping. Back home I spent almost an hour in the kitchen descaling my coffee machine so I could give a desperate Sophie her morning shot of caffeine. I was desperate for one as well!

We have had snow flurries all day, and it's been bitterly cold again. Sophie and I walked around to get the newspaper, and the wind coming off the fields was freezing. This wind is coming directly from Russia, so that's why it's so cold! Brrr!

In the afternoon I sorted out the kitchen cupboards as every time we put something in them, the rest of the contents threaten to fall out. I emptied them, threw away anything that was out of date and arranged them all neatly. They won't stay like that for long, but at least I was pleased with the result!

The highlight of my day now is going to get Mike from work. He got into the car and stank of lighter fluid/petrol and woodsmoke. They had all been cutting down trees on the golf course, and then they'd had a huge bonfire. He casually told us he nearly caught fire himself, as he was carrying the can of petrol when the wind blew the flames in his direction. Great... just what I needed to know!