Shopping hell...

My idea of hell is a busy crammed shopping centre, and today I had to endure just that! Dad wanted us to take my Mum out to get her some birthday gifts, and today was the day. I remember, in my youth, when all the shops were closed on a Sunday, and the roads were lovely and quiet. Now, Sunday is no different to Saturday, and I sometimes yearn for the old times when you were guaranteed a bit of peace and quiet!

We collected Mum at 11am and drove over to Rushden Lakes, which was already packed with cars and queues waiting to go in. We parked some way from M&S and the main shops because the car park was so full!

Neither Sophie nor I wanted a big lunch and we decided on M&S so Mum could enjoy a baked potato. There was a long queue in the cafe, and we must have waited about twenty minutes before we got to the counter. Sophie had taken Mum to sit down and the place certainly wasn't busy.

Sophie chose a small sandwich while I enjoyed a turkey and cranberry one. Mum ate about half of her baked potato so I was glad we hadn't gone for a big lunch in Bill's or Pizza Express! After we'd eaten we bought the birthday gifts - underwear, a new dressing gown and chocolates. Perfect!

From M&S we popped into Next and I bought Mum some perfume and jewellery from my Dad. She was getting tired now, and the jostling crowds were getting us all down! It was hot in the shops as well, and my heavy coat was making me perspire!

We left Mum sitting on a bench outside Next, and I wrapped her up in my coat to keep her warm while we fetched the car. Although it was sunny today, the wind was bitingly cold. We sped back to the car, collected Mum and returned her to the care home, getting caught in a traffic jam on the way at the new Chowns Mill roundabout, that held us up for almost half an hour.

We took the scenic route (another lovely sunset), and back at home, we relaxed with the Sunday papers. In M&S I'd bought a bottle of white wine, and some accompaniments - prawn toasts, spring rolls and other little prawny things, so we were looking forward to our meal.

Sophie and I sorted the dinner out by decanting the food into oven-proof bowls and heating it all up. There was still a lot of food and tonight's planned dinner - cassoulet - will do for tomorrow!

Lazy Saturday!

Today has been a very quiet day, and Sophie and I haven't moved from the house at all! I had a real craving for pancakes this morning so Keith made me a couple and they were delicious. Sophie and I even managed to watch Saturday Morning Kitchen, which was great!

It was bliss to mooch about the house and not feel we had to be anywhere. Just like a proper weekend should be! Sophie did a workout and we did do lots of laundry so it wasn't all lazy! In the afternoon I went out to the garage and hoovered up all the leaves that had blown in (we keep the door ajar at night in case the hedgehog goes in there), and I sorted out the recycling ready to take to Tesco next week. Our recycling programme is winding down now, and it will be easier for me to take the pet food pouches to the supermarket.

Keith went to see Sileby play, Sophie hoovered, and by 4pm the house was warm and cosy. I had a long soak in the bath and relaxed. What made today even better was that dinner was a Chinese takeaway, and it was being delivered! Pure decadence!

Keith returned home from the football looking cold, so it was definitely time to put the heating on, make a Vodka martini and play Scrabble. We had a bit of a bicker about the meal - I wanted to have the set menu for three for a change, as we always have the same old thing, and after a bit of debate, Keith and Sophie agreed with me. 

When the food arrived at 7.30pm there was loads of it, so we're going to have it again for dinner tomorrow! We are taking Mum to Rushden Lakes tomorrow and we'll pop into the food hall in M&S and buy some accompaniments to pad it out. There was no way we were going to waste it!

In stitches!

I was awake at about 5am this morning, so I felt a bit sleepy first thing! Work was stressful, to begin with, as I struggled with an excel spreadsheet for the box office returns, and then my phone wouldn't work. I learned that another member of staff had sat at my desk and had been fiddling with the headphone lead but Sheila managed to sort it out for me while I temporarily sat somewhere else. I'm so used to my own computer and phone now, it's hard to believe I used to sit at different desks when I first started there!

After the hiccups, we had a pleasant shift and Nicola came out to have a chat. We started talking about beds and sleeping with our partners and we were soon in stitches! I used to get annoyed when I first joined, and Nicola would laugh loudly, but we all turned into cackleheads this morning!

At 4pm I sped home and relaxed. Sophie took a different route home this evening, to avoid some roadworks, so arrived back a lot more quickly! I took Keith to the pub, and then we returned home to have a glass of wine (my November abstinence has gone by the wayside, but it was my first drink this week!) and watch The Wedding Planner starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Lopez. Both of us agreed it was very cheesy indeed!

Getting things done!

We had another lie-in this morning - what bliss! Keith went to do the weekly shop while Sophie and I started on some things that we needed to do. First up was a new bank account for her. The one she has is just a basic account that she's had ever since she did a weekend job, so she felt it was time to upgrade a bit! The bank I use is fantastic and very easy to use, so she has switched to mine, and this will happen later in the month.

She also paid off the rest of her car as the agreement is coming to an end in a couple of months. This pleased her enormously - how quickly the years have gone by since she bought her little Hyundai! She wants to get herself a credit card for emergencies, but we decided to wait until her new bank account was opened.

We couldn't check in for our flights to Palma until later in the afternoon, so we helped Keith put the shopping away, had a late breakfast and did some housework. Keith had painted Mike's small chest of drawers so we put that in the spare bedroom and took an old television down from the loft to go in there as well. Sophie can then watch Netflix in there when the room is all decorated and cosy!

After a lunch of cheese and biscuits, we all went to the tip in Brixworth to take the old quilt and the bedding we no longer wanted. I was accosted by one of the staff who asked me to fill out a survey. He was very jokey and a real character!

From Brixworth, we took some toiletries to my Mum in the care home and then went to Tesco at Kettering. Sophie took two watches to Timpson's to have a battery fitted and some links taken out. While that was being done we had a drink in Costa and a slice of cake. We are eating out a lot just lately!

Back home we were able to check in for our flights and start to fill in the Spanish Health form. We put our details in but we can't submit it until 2 days before we fly. We are getting there, and all we need to do now is arrange for our lateral flow tests, two days after we arrive back in the UK.

At 6pm Sophie and I went back over to the care home to watch a firework display in the grounds. There were more people there than I thought there'd be, and although the display was shorter than the one in the village, it was still lovely to see fireworks! We missed them last year!

We returned home to baked potatoes and chilli - perfect for a cold night like tonight!

Lovely bargains!

It was lovely to have a lie-in this morning, as Sophie has taken today and tomorrow off work. She went to the gym at about 9am to do a class, but it was so full she went and did a workout instead. 

We'd decided to go to Market Harborough so we left at midday with the intention of having a light lunch there. On the way, it rained and started to get windy again, with flying leaves everywhere, but in the town, it stopped thank goodness! I didn't fancy battling the rain and the wind again!

The lovely and cosy Polka Dot cafe is now well and truly closed, which is a huge shame as it was one of our favourite places to go. Instead, we went to Miller's cafe which is even cosier and just has four small tables inside. It's run by two young girls who are friendly and hospitable, and we ordered sandwiches - toasted chicken, mozzarella and pesto for Sophie, and tuna and sweetcorn for me - as well as hot drinks. After our sandwiches, we couldn't resist a small slice of cake!

Reluctantly venturing back outside, we noticed a new dress agency called Ginger Kate, which looked to be in direct competition with The Attic. We went inside but quickly realised that the prices were far higher than The Attic. Sophie didn't see any item of clothing for less than £50! There was no one in there at all, so we do wonder how long it will last. Everything was very artfully displayed and was described as "pre-loved" but it's no good if all the clothes are horrendously expensive!

We then had a good mooch in the charity shops and Sophie bought some gorgeous old glasses and a pair of black strappy shoes in the Age UK outlet. She was thrilled with the glasses as they will be used at Christmas for tiramisu.

Sophie went to The Attic while I stood outside and chatted to Nick, an ex-colleague of mine when I worked at Duncan's. We had a great chat, and I learnt that his wife was trying to break into writing novels for a living. Sophie emerged with two items of clothing - the prices in The Attic are much more reasonable... and the shop was packed!

We visited a couple more shops, then headed home as it was getting late. We took the scenic route and marvelled at the colours of the distant sunset:

Sophie was out this evening, dining at The Rose and Crown again in Yardley Hastings with Laura. Keith and I cooked gammon and homemade chips for dinner, and the food was lovely. After we'd eaten I swept and mopped the floor, and then settled down with my Kindle Fire to watch a film called Made In Italy starring Liam Neeson and his son, Micheal Richardson. The story dealt with the death of the mother, which I think made for uncomfortable viewing, seeing as Liam Neeson's wife and the mother of his son, Micheal, had died some years earlier...

Sophie arrived home at about 11pm, after getting caught in roadworks on her way home... You'd have thought that at that time she would have breezed through!

Job perks!

The weather today has been glorious, with plentiful sunshine and blue skies. It has been chillier, though, but I don't mind that! I had today off as I'd originally taken it to help Mum and Dad move to Avery Park, but that is now off. As I have a lot of holiday still to take, I kept it.

Keith and I went to Jones's first thing and bought a new quilt and cover for the spare bed, as well as lots of other things we needed. The Christmas decorations were out in full force, and I bought some more Peter Pauper cards that are truly beautiful. I'd already ordered some on Amazon so I definitely have enough now!

From there we drove to Brackmills to meet Sophie for lunch. Tonight we're all going to see No Time To Die so we wouldn't be able to eat this evening. It seemed a good idea to go out for lunch at the nearby Cafe 900, and we were joined by Luca, Sophie's work colleague. Keith ordered chicken wings with chips, I had a Scotch egg and Sophie had a jacket potato with cheese and beans. The food was OK, but not sure I'd order a hot Scotch egg again! 

At 1pm we returned home, I did a lateral flow test and picked Mum and Dad up at 2.30pm. We went to Nationwide in Moulton Park to again try and sort out their bank account. We were all heartily fed up and had agreed beforehand that if they didn't help we were going to start the process of closing the bank account and making a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman.

Luckily, we spoke to a lovely woman and she told us that the bank account was now open again and she would order a card. I said that if we didn't have one within seven days we would make good on our threats! I think she understood!

Before taking Mum and Dad back we had a coffee in the Costa at Tesco Kettering and the woman serving was delighted to see my Dad again, She remembered him from before he broke his leg as he used to call in often for coffee and bacon rolls!

Driving back home at 5pm, the sunset was gorgeous, the sky a glorious mix of greys, peaches and pinks. There was a huge looming cloud over our house and I was surprised we didn't get any rain! 

We set off to see the film at 6.30pm and parked, with some difficulty, at my place of work. The car park was jammed as people arrived to see the film or use the gym. Before going into the cinema, I showed Keith where I worked!

We all enjoyed the film immensely, even though it was very long. The ending was a bit sad and we speculated as to who the next 007 will be! Driving home the temperature plummeted to 0c, the coldest we've known since last winter! Brrr!

Monday again!

Although it was horrible getting up this morning, at least I had three days off to look forward to. Sara at work gave me my remaining holiday hours on Friday, and I have another 26.5 to take before 2022! I might take a few Tuesdays to make a really short week!

Luckily, the trees that had fallen on mine and Sophie's route to work had been cleared away, so no problems on the commute this morning. Work was fine and after a mad rush of calls first thing, it quietened down. I was expecting far more people to have attended the cinema over the weekend as we were showing No Time To Die, but I was a little disappointed. However, the figures for October were slightly better than September, so that's some consolation!

At 4pm it was already starting to get dark and in the west, the sun was retiring for the day in a blaze of smoky clouds. Beautiful! At home,  I tidied up and hoovered before lighting the candles and making the house cosy.

Keith and I have decided to abstain from alcohol for November in readiness for Mallorca so tonight our tipples were sparkling water and elderflower tonic served with lemon and ice. Hmmm!