Mediterranean dining

I had another busy day at work catching up with emails and outstanding invoices and helping Sara. I did answer the phones for the first hour to help out Kathy and Sue as we were very busy again.

I finished today at 2pm, though, and sped home to catch up with some housework chores. The weather has been mad today, with April showers, sunny spells and strong winds. Mike and Abbie were visiting from Southampton, and they had arranged for us to go to a restaurant in town called Chilli Village. Sophie was having a meal with Laura at the Rose and Crown in Yardley Hastings so I had offered her a lift over.

To be honest, Keith and I didn't really want to go out for a meal this evening. I still felt a bit rough, for some reason, and Keith felt the same. It's quite ironic that since testing negative for covid, we've both felt worse!

We dropped Sophie off at Yardley Hastings and Mike texted me to say that they were in Northampton but not to rush over as they were getting changed after their long journey. We drove to the restaurant to check out the parking and then went to collect Mike and Abbie.

Keith and I hadn't really known what to expect tonight and were slightly surprised that Mike wanted to go to Chilli Village. His favourite restaurant in Northampton was Akasaka, I always thought! The restaurant is quite bizarre and is supposedly modelled on a hacienda in South America (I think?), with lots of wood everywhere. It looks a bit out of place in the middle of Northampton!

We parked the car and walked across the road to find the restaurant almost empty. We sat at a huge wooden slab of a table and had a look at the extensive (and not cheap) menu which seemed to be based on  Mediterranean dishes. There were samovars everywhere and lots of wooden artefacts dotted about.

We chose our meals, deciding to skip starters. I chose the stuffed chicken, Keith and Mike had lamb chops while Abbie opted for duck. I was a bit alarmed by the prices as the main courses veered from £16 to well over £40 and Mike made it clear that he expected us to pay for everyone, which was annoying. It was his idea to go out this evening!

The food was good, though, as my chicken was delicious, and served with a fondant potato, cauliflower and broccoli, as well as some roasted tomatoes, and bizarrely, some orange slices! Three of us made from for desserts - cheesecake and creme brulee. The bill came to £108 and Keith gave the strange waitress some cash for a tip! We had a lovely evening and it was great to catch up with Mike and Abbie and hear all their news.

We dropped Abbie off at her house and then carried on to Yardley Hastings to collect Sophie. She came out of the pub carrying a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Laura, which was lovely!

Return to work.

So, it was back to work for me after being off for over a week. I still felt stuffed up and had a cough, but needs must! I had some time to catch up on!

I don't normally work on a Wednesday, so it was a bit strange going in today. I wasn't on the phones as there were three of my colleagues already manning them, so I was able to catch up with all the emails I'd received and do the cinema box office returns from the weekend and the early part of the week. I also had quite a few orders outstanding and Sara had said that there'd been a problem with our accounting software whilst I was off.

The phones were very busy, though, as the Easter holidays are in full swing and people were calling to book swimming sessions. Nothing new there then! The time flew by and at lunchtime, Sara and Sheila went to the funeral of an ex-employee so that left the four of us in the office on our own, a nice bonus!

We had a long chat at the end of the shift so I didn't get away until 4.30pm! It was great to have a good catch up, something we all find difficult to do during the day as the phones are constantly busy!

Muted birthday celebrations...

Today has been Sophie's birthday and for the third year in a row, our plans have been changed. We should have been waking up in Wimereux today, and looking forward to exploring the French countryside, but instead, we were still in Northamptonshire.

We've tried to make it as special as we could but she was a bit disheartened. After she'd opened her cards and her bag of goodies from us, we got ready and drove over to Newport Pagnell. I was glad it wasn't raining but the sky was a bit cloudy, and it was chilly. I knew the weather in France was forecast to be wet and windy, so any idea of sitting by the sea and indulging in a cold beer wouldn't have happened anyway!

We parked the car in Newport Pagnell, and walked into the small town, deciding to have a coffee first. There were lots of cafes but we opted for a Costa and a couple of mini muffins to keep us going until lunch.

After our coffee, we explored the town and found a lovely vintage shop selling lots of quirky items. Sophie bought two pairs of earrings, and it was lovely to wander about, smelling the scented candles and soaps, and browsing all the things available to buy.

My work colleague Sheila had told me there were lots of charity shops in the town and we found three, but they weren't that much different to the ones we visit in Market Harborough. We decided to head for Olney earlier than planned and look around the shops before having lunch at Teapots.

We drove via Tyringham and managed to park in the small car park in the centre of Olney. The place was very busy with people looking around the shops and the sun came out, which was a bonus! We mooched about for an hour in our favourite shops, and then made our way to the cafe where we'd booked a table for 1.30pm.

Sophie decided to try something different today and chose mushrooms in a creamy sauce on toast. I enjoyed a cheese and onion toastie, and we both had cake afterwards with a pot of tea. As always, it was lovely and the staff were very friendly.

As we'd already looked around the shops, we headed home after lunch and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. We had booked a table at The Lamplighter for a birthday meal so we set off at 6pm and drove into town. We had difficulty parking this evening but managed to find a space next to the pub with a time limit of two hours. 

The pub was pleasantly busy with most of the tables occupied, and we sat by the fireplace in the corner. The menu hadn't changed much from when we were last in, so Sophie chose a burger, I had chilli with chips and Keith tucked into fish and chips. The food was as good as ever, and Keith even enjoyed his pint of beer!

Before going home we decided to call into The Royal Oak in the village and have a last drink. When we arrived there were only three men standing at the bar, the rest of the pub was empty, which was a bit alarming! We sat down with our drinks and started chatting to the man behind the bar, telling him we'd been visiting the pub for over 30 years! Keith wasn't impressed with the beer at all, but we thought it best not to say anything!

After half an hour we left as well, leaving the pub completely empty at 9pm. Sophie had enjoyed her special day, but she was a bit quiet. Let's just hope 2023 will be better!

The hunt for coffee!

The weather today has been dull and rainy, and not what I was expecting for April. I think we've been spoiled over the last couple of years!

Sophie wanted to go to the gym today so Keith and I offered to take her and then go and do a little shopping and visit the bank. We popped into Aldi on the Wellingborough road (not my favourite) and bought the ingredients for dinner tonight - a Gino D'Acampo sausage and pasta meal that Sophie had offered to make for us.

From there we drove to the bank a bit further down the road and paid in a cheque from Keith's brother. Cheques are a rarity these days and neither of us could remember the last time we'd either written one out or paid one into our bank accounts! Val had sent Keith some money for "Easter eggs" which was lovely of him!

Before collecting Sophie we decided to get a coffee from Tim Horton's and joined the short queue for the drive-thru. However, that was a big mistake, as they were obviously having some problems, and we waited over twenty minutes to get to the window to place our order. In the end, we were late getting Sophie so we gave up! Never again!

We had to pop to another Hermes shop in Kingsthorpe to send a parcel, and on the way spotted a Bewiched coffee shop, which also had a drive-thru. We decided to stop and get a coffee each, but I really wish I'd gone to Costa - their flat whites are delicious!

With all our chores done this morning, it was home to relax. We had briefly thought about going somewhere this afternoon but there was no point going out just for the sake of it, and the weather continued to be horrible for the rest of the day. I finished making an ice-cream cake for Sophie's birthday and pootled about for the rest of the afternoon doing some research on my family tree. Keith had called Val to thank him for the cheque and they had started talking about their ancestors, which is always useful. Val is now in his 90s and once he is gone, a wealth of information with go with him.

In the evening Sophie opened the bottle of Taittinger Champagne we'd bought for her and we played Scrabble. She beat me, which was only fair as it is her birthday eve!

Getting things done!

Today has been quiet and uneventful, and seems to be following the theme of most Sundays! We had a lazy start to the day with pastries for breakfast and lots of coffee.

After breakfast, Sophie did a lot of prep for tonight's dinner of Korean fried chicken, Keith's favourite! She made two dipping sauces and put the chicken thighs into a brine solution, as well as making the vodka-infused batter.

She also decided to put some clothes onto eBay and hoovered the house for me, bless her. I sorted out some recycling and we popped to the care home to take Sophie's birthday card for Mum to sign. They are currently in lockdown again as there are residents and staff who have tested positive. We took two bags of Tassimo pods to the shop in Broughton and Sophie sent her Bose headphones back as they're faulty. It's amazing what these small shops can do these days! You can send things and collect things and they're so useful if the post offices are closed!

Back home we relaxed on the bed with a face mask, and then it was time for Scrabble and drinks. We managed one game before making the dinner, and had to send Keith into the living room as he was being very annoying, and hovering over us when we started to heat the oil!

He needn't have worried as we cooked the chicken to perfection and it was gorgeous and crispy! It was a lovely thought that tomorrow Sophie and I are both off work and there was no Sunday syndrome tonight!

Out for lunch

My covid test was clearly negative this morning so that's it... I survived, thank goodness, with really very mild symptoms. I am just so glad I was vaccinated and glad that Keith has been jabbed as well, as he seems to be on the mend.

It's been another day of sunshine and wintry showers with a chilly wind. Sophie and I ventured over to Market Harborough at lunchtime, and before having something to eat in Pizza Express, we collected my wedding and engagement rings from the jewellers opposite. They were all sparkly clean and looked lovely. It's great to have them back on my finger!

Lunch was great, and we used some money we have in Paypal to settle the bill. This money was intended for a slap-up dinner in Wimereux for Sophie's birthday. but we've decided to use it for enjoyable meals and outings over the next few months instead.

After we'd eaten we had a quick look in Waterstones and I took pics of some books I'd like to read. I also looked at a book on learning to draw as this is something I'd love to do. We popped into Tesco to buy a loaf of crusty bread to go with tonight's meal, and before going home, Sophie had a quick look in The Attic and picked out two lovely dresses, costing £15 for the two! A bargain!

We took the scenic route home and then relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. I managed a nap on my bed and at 6pm it was time for Prosecco and Scrabble. Even though it was Sophie's birthday weekend I beat her soundly!

Keith had prepared a big casserole dish of Pan Haggerty (corned beef, potatoes and onions) which was absolutely delicious served with some crusty bread to mop up the juices, and a glass of red!

Hello April!

Today has been spent doing household chores and not going out at all. Keith and I didn't bother to take a test today. It was likely mine would be very faint and Keith's positive, and now we need to keep the tests we have as the NHS is no longer supplying them for free.

The weather today has been a mixed bag of wintry showers and sunshine, with a cold wind. Welcome to April!

I finished transferring my blog over to a book, formatted it all and ordered it! So at least some good has come out of this week being at home! I shall look forward to receiving it in the post!

Sophie arrived home all ready for her birthday weekend to start! Keith obviously didn't go to the pub this evening so we had no taxi duties to undertake, which was a refreshing change. In between sorting out the dinner, we watched My Best Friend's Wedding, which was lovely. A perfect Friday evening rom-com!