Breakfast out!

I treated Keith to breakfast this morning at Beckworth, and luckily there was no queue! Before going to the restaurant we looked for turkeys but there were none. It is a bit early!

The breakfast was delicious - egg, bacon, sausage, hash brown, tomato, beans and mushrooms served with toast - but the price of the coffee was extortionate. £2.95 for a cup of black coffee served with milk. Having worked in catering I know that the profit margin on that must be huge. I realise that companies have to try and get back some money after the lockdowns we endured, but this felt like daylight robbery!

Once we'd eaten we had a wander around and I noticed that there was a lot of Christmas stuff available. I find it hard to believe that this year has gone by so quickly! After Beckworth, we popped to Tesco and bought a couple of things that Keith had forgotten yesterday. I looked at quilt covers for the spare room but we decided that we'll probably buy them in Jones's. Their quilts are lovely and fluffy! We also put some more diesel in my car in readiness for my and Sophie's trip to Henley-on-Thames on Saturday.

The rest of the day was spent pottering about - I cleaned the windows in the kitchen, and the cloakroom window, and ventured out into the garden to clear up the leaves and prune back the bushes. The grey weather of this morning had given way to the occasional spell of sunshine in the afternoon and it was a lovely Autumnal day.

We also prepared tonight's dinner of fajitas but Keith said he didn't fancy it at all! Sophie cooked the meal in the evening and we all sat in the kitchen to eat. If the energy prices go through the roof this winter, we may do this all the time and shut up the conservatory!

Frustrated!

I had an appointment to pick up Mum and Dad this morning in an attempt to sort out the Nationwide fiasco. We drove to the Weston Favell Centre and headed for the building society first. Frustratedly, we were still unable to resolve anything and had to wait for a phone call next week to sort it out. To say I was annoyed was a huge understatement!

We had lunch at Burger King and then did some shopping in Tesco. Mum and Dad's friend Gloria was having a coffee in The Lounge so we said hello and she promised she would visit them next week. 

I dropped Mum and Dad back off and headed home to see Keith who had been doing our weekly shop while I was out. It's been a glorious day today, all the more annoying that I had to spend almost three hours in the Weston Favell Centre. Not my favourite place!

After a cup of tea, I cleaned the kitchen and hoovered. No one tells you that when you have a new kitchen you clean it obsessively, in a vain attempt to keep it looking as pristine as the day it was installed. We have noticed white marks on our black composite sink so I emailed the manufacturer this afternoon to ask for their advice. As it's black, the marks show up and they annoy me!

Dinner this evening was gammon again and I managed to burn my arm in two places getting it out of the oven!

Getting things done!

I spent eight hours today doing admin work, including putting the films on until November (No Time To Die is on in early November, so I had a legitimate excuse to have Daniel Craig on my computer screen!), putting all of our October half-term crash courses on the system, sorting out loads of invoices and orders and updating the cinema spreadsheets.

Half an hour was also taken up saying goodbye to Julia, who used to work in the DD department, and who has been furloughed since the start of the pandemic last March. She decided to retire so we had a little presentation for her in the bar area upstairs and enjoyed fizz and cake. I had spoken to her hundreds of times on the phone but had never met her so it was great to put a face to a name!

I was so busy I barely glanced out of the window so couldn't say anything about the weather today! We did have torrential rain and winds in the evening though, as we were sitting down to dinner. It is chilly at the moment, and I think Autumn is definitely here to stay!

Brushing up!

As usual, I was up with Sophie at 6am this morning, and heading off to work at 7.30am. I did an hour's admin work and then had an hour's refresher training on using a defibrillator, which was better than I had been expecting. We covered CPR and the use of the machines so I feel confident should I ever need to use the equipment (but I hope I don't!).

At 10am I was back on the phones and we had a busy day. I was still trying to catch up with the orders and invoices from Friday, and there just didn't seem enough hours to get everything done! Luckily, tomorrow, I will be off the phones all the time and able to do lots of other work. Hooray!

Back home I sat at the island in the kitchen and read the papers from the weekend with a glass of the stout that Mike had bought me yesterday.

 As soon as Sophie arrived home from work she started preparing dinner - Gino's sausage orecchiette. She made a very good job of it, and it was delicious, with enough leftovers for lunches tomorrow!

Sophie's masterpiece!

Heading south!

Today we drove down to Southampton to visit Mike and Abbie. We left home at 9am, called to get them a house-warming gift at an M&S outlet, and took the A43, M40 and A34.

It was a very pleasant journey, and the scenery as we got past Oxford was beautiful. The weather was, too! What a difference to the rain and wind of yesterday! We arrived at about 11.30am and met their two new kittens, Trixie and Hugo, who were little bundles of fluff!

We'd booked a pub for 2pm but Mike suggested a drink at one of their haunts before we ate. Their flat is conveniently situated near a high street where there are lots of shops, restaurants and pubs. A bit different to us!

We had a drink at The Pig and Whistle on the high street, which was empty, and chatted about Mike and Abbie's move to Southampton. They had stayed with friends at first, which hadn't worked out well! From there we went to the Brewhouse and Kitchen about two miles away. The sign at the entrance wasn't promising - they could only cater for people who had booked - so I was glad I'd reserved a table!

We had been to a Brewhouse and Kitchen in Islington two years ago when Sophie and Mike went to a gig at the O2, and although we hadn't eaten there, Keith and Mike loved the range of beers on offer. This was the same, and they were both soon sitting with pints of beer, while Sophie had a Pilsner, Abbie enjoyed a Shandy and I sipped a delicious Stout.

We were given menus, but told a lot of the choices weren't available. Hmmm! Three of us went for the roast while Sophie and Keith had the beer can chicken. We also ordered starters - nachos and burnt bits of pork, which sounded horrible, but looked delicious!

Ahhh! Father and son!

Sophie and I weren't impressed with our nachos as they were dry and tasted a little stale. Unfortunately, my main course wasn't that much better. I had some thick slices of beef, but the roast potatoes tasted strange and sweet, and the rest of the vegetables and gravy were tasteless. My meal was also barely hot, so very disappointing.

We left at 3pm and the pub had emptied out completely. I really do fear for the future of our pubs at the moment - they don't seem to have recovered from the lockdowns we've suffered at all.

Before going back to the flat we went to another of Mike and Abbie's favourite haunts, the aptly named Witch's Brew. This was a funny little place on the high street and looked like an old shop, rather than a pub. The bar was right at the back, and the range of beers and ciders was astonishing! Mike bought the round and treated me to a 9% stout to take home! There was no way I could have drank it and then driven back!

I really liked the quirky pub which was full of witchy stuff and books about spells.

The resident dog appeared and we made a fuss of her, which was lovely. She seemed to like Mike especially!

Back at Mike and Abbie's flat we loaded the car up with some things they didn't need (including our suitcases!) and said goodbye. It had been great to visit and we promised to go down again soon and help them with some DIY. Mike had been particularly lovely today, so I think the separation has been good for all of us.

The journey home was smooth and trouble-free, and we arrived back at about 7pm. Supper was cheese and biscuits, and Sophie had the leftover pie from last night. It had been a long day so we had an early night. I am back to work at 8am tomorrow... arrgghh!

Wash-out!

The weather today has been atrocious, and perfect for staying in the house! Keith had his flu jab booked for 11am, so Sophie and I had breakfast alone - a not very good eggy bread! Most of mine went into the bin! We then made a start on sorting out Mike's old room, moving the bed into the centre of the room, and washing all the bedding.

I had changed my bed as well today, so the house resembled a laundry! When Keith returned from the surgery, he took the bookcase out of the cupboard we'd made in the hallway. It just wasn't working in there, as every time we opened the door the whole thing wobbled alarmingly! 

We then had a great time trying to manhandle the thing upstairs to Mike's room! Sophie helped and there was a fair amount of swearing and shouting, but we got it in the room and then replaced all the books. It's a much better home for it! I had cleaned the room and we took an old beer barrel and a police cone (don't ask!) down to the garage. The plan is to decorate the room, maybe put down a new carpet and then replace the mattress and headboard to make a pretty spare room or a chill-out room where Sophie can watch the television if she wants.

I then hoovered the house and sorted out more mounds of washing. Thank goodness we have a tumble dryer as outside the rain didn't let up at all. Keith went to see Sileby play this afternoon, and I thought he was mad as it was chilly as well as wet. I had a long hot bath before lying on the bed with Sophie, indulging in a face pack and watching Gordon, Gino and Fred in Greece. The footage looked heavenly! 

Tonight's dinner was one of our favourites - the chicken and ham tangle pie. Luckily Sophie had done most of the preparation earlier in the day so we were able to play Scrabble with a glass of wine and relax. This meal this evening, whether it was because we'd assembled the pie earlier, was even more delicious, and we'll definitely prepare it this way again. The flavours had all mixed together and it swiftly disappeared!

After dinner, Sophie and I watched Fatal Attraction, always one of my favourite films. Keith refused to watch it and went upstairs!

A film treat!

Today was the last day I'd be working 10am until 4pm. Next week, as furlough has ended, I'll be doing my extra six hours tagged onto my three days, so will be coming in at 8am and doing two hours of admin before I go on the phones. I'll get up as usual with Sophie, and then get ready and go to work. I feel it's going to be a bit of a shock!

Work was busy again today, and I was swamped with things that needed to be done, including a whole load of orders. The time passed very quickly, but I felt very frustrated that I hadn't done everything that I should have done! It was lovely to leave at 4pm with the weekend to look forward to!

After I'd dropped Keith off at the pub, Sophie and I had a glass of wine - a white Malbec I'd bought in Aldi. It was delicious and one we'll certainly buy again. We watched an hour of "Play Misty For Me", starring a youthful Clint Eastwood and set in Carmel. We enjoyed it immensely! I'd seen it before, a very long time ago, and it's hardly ever shown on the television, so it was a real treat. A colleague of Sophie's had lent her "Play Misty For Me" and "Fatal Attraction", another very enjoyable film!

Dinner tonight was a simple baked potato and salad supper, and after we'd eaten, we watched the rest of the film. Both Sophie and I were tired but it was great to have a lie-in tomorrow to look forward to!