A little festive shopping.

After a relaxing morning catching up with things that needed doing, I went to collect Mum at 11.30am to take her over to Rushden Lakes. I wasn't looking forward to going as I imagined it would be busy with people shopping, but I wanted her to spend her voucher and she needed to get gifts for Dad. I took over a large box of Mum's Christmas decorations that we'd stored in the garage, as we'd planned on buying her a tree today.

We managed to park easily and walked over to M&S. It was a beautiful, but cold day with frost still coating the hedgerows and trees so we took it carefully on the paths! I did not want her falling over so near to Christmas!

We decided to have lunch first and there was a long queue for the café. It moved quite quickly though, and Mum chose a festive sandwich with turkey and bacon while I opted for a crispy chicken bap with garlic mayonnaise. Mum managed to grab a seat so that was one hurdle out of the way!

After we'd eaten we bought a lovely jumper and jogging bottoms for Dad and I even sneaked a little stocking filler for Sophie into the basket. That was all the shopping I did in M&S, and I tried to get my free hand cream from the advent calendar, but they were sold out, and they didn't even have any alternatives!

We went into the food shop to see if they were selling hampers, but they only had them online. I was beginning to feel like we weren't doing that well! We popped over to Next and I managed to buy Mum a new dressing gown, so success at last! 

By now we were both flagging a bit and needed a cup of tea. We drove to Tesco at Kettering, had a welcome drink and a small piece of cake and started again! I bought cards for my parents from us and the children, and Mum selected a little three-foot Christmas tree for their lounge. I bought a box of crackers for Christmas Day and some bird food for our hungry little feathered friends. They need all the help they can get at this time of year!

It was about 3.30pm now, so I drove Mum back and headed home in the gloom. The sun was going down and the sky was a deep orange. I will never tire of seeing the beautiful outlines of the trees silhouetted against the sky. I just wished I could have stopped and taken photographs!

Christmas preparations.

We now have new neighbours - they moved in yesterday - so I asked Keith to drop a card around to say hello and give them details of our residents' Facebook page. I wrote out some of my Christmas cards on Sunday using some leftover from last year but I need to get some more this week. I know I've missed the last posting date for the USA so I'll send my friend Julia an e-card from Jacquie Lawson instead. Talking of which, I downloaded her gorgeous Advent calendar and it's a real treat to look at every day.

We had a meeting at work today so poor Sheila was left alone to answer the phones for nearly two hours. She looked very frazzled when we returned! It was great to get home and look forward to a day off tomorrow, although I'm taking Mum shopping to Rushden Lakes so it might not be as relaxing as I imagine!

Keith went to see Sileby play this evening and he wrapped up well against the chill. We are facing a cold snap for the next few days with the "Troll from Trondheim" blasting us with an icy freeze! Sophie and I enjoyed a delicious meatball pasta dish with cheesy flatbread. Yum! We also indulged in Christmas with the Kranks, always a seasonal favourite! I then decided to watch Trading Places afterwards, with a much more youthful Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Ackroyd!

Keith returned from the football to a plate of oven chips... we had them in the freezer this time!

Cold season...

Ugh! I hate Monday mornings with a vengeance, but I only have one more after this and then I'm off for two weeks!

Work was fine today and I made a start on the November moan report. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as October! The winter cold season has started and we had a lot of sniffles and coughs in the office. I just hope I don't come down with a cold!

Dinner tonight was bubble and squeak (or squeaky bubble as Sophie calls it!) which she insisted on cooking herself. I always prefer the leftovers and tonight was no exception!

Deck the halls!

Today was the day for putting up Christmas trees and decorations - we always try and do this on the first Sunday of December. Keith and Sophie took them down from the rafters of the garage and I found the decorations. I was banned from doing anything (I did put up our green Scandinavian tree) so I moved our wine rack from the corner of the kitchen to the worktop and did a lot of cleaning! It wasn't worth putting our lovely tree in the conservatory as we wouldn't see it!

The downstairs of the house was in an uproar for most of the morning until everything had been sorted out! It looked gorgeous when Sophie finished, though, and I wound lights around the wine rack to make it look more festive. I may keep them!

Gathering of the gonks - we need a new one for 2022!

I really love the lights at Christmas and I'd have them up all year round if I could! They're so cheerful and beautiful!

We worked hard and it was lovely to relax in the afternoon. Keith had prepared all the vegetables for dinner tonight and Sophie and I had elected to cook a roast - a turkey! We'll be eating it again in three weeks' time!

The weather today has been grey and dismal so it was lovely to see all the lights twinkling as it became darker in the afternoon. Sophie and I played Scrabble at 5pm with a glass of Spanish white, and I felt incredibly lucky that we had a lovely warm house, with a delicious dinner waiting to be cooked. I receive an email every Sunday night from a charity called 52 Lives, which aims to help someone in need every week by inspiring kindness in people. This week was a heartbreaking story of a young girl looking after her baby who literally had nothing. Already, the amount of donated money had exceeded the target, which was great news.

Our dinner was delicious and Sophie and I cooked it between us. It was a great trial run for the big day and the only change I'd make would be to cut the parsnips a bit bigger! They turned out to be a bit crispy!

A busy Saturday.

After our busy week and couple of late nights, it was heaven to have a lie-in this morning and I woke up just before 9am. Sophie was going on a second date with her new beau, and he was picking her up to take her for lunch in Northampton.

I pottered about, changed my bedding and caught up with some jobs that needed doing. We have set aside tomorrow for putting up the Christmas trees so I'm looking forward to that. We always try and do this on the first Sunday of December, and I'm still shocked that it's rolled around so quickly!

At 1pm I went to collect Mum as she had an appointment at Woodlands hospital for an out-patient procedure. I had no idea what it involved and hoped that we wouldn't be there all afternoon! We parked easily (which surprised me) and were early for our appointment, but it was good not to have to panic.

Mum was called through and the procedure explained to me. I went back and sat in the waiting room and within half an hour she was all done. The doctor said she had a bladder infection and prescribed a course of antibiotics, which we were able to get at a pharmacy in Kettering.

I took her back and made sure their carer was aware of the medication. We have agreed to go shopping next Wednesday to Rushden Lakes so she can buy some presents. Dad is being taken out on Monday to do his, bless him!

I returned home and pootled about until Keith came back from seeing Sileby play at 5pm, and Sophie returned from her date at 6pm. It was then time for a drink and Scrabble, and we won a game each.

Keith and I had a light supper of pâté and toast and after we'd eaten, we caught up with the latest episode of The White Lotus. As we'd eaten very little for dinner, we treated ourselves to a slice of cheesecake. More indulgence!

An Indian treat!

This week is turning out to be very busy and full of lovely treats! Both Sophie and I were tired this morning after our late night, and we were very glad it was Friday!

I had a pleasant shift at work. Halfway through the morning, Nicola made us all (Sheila, Kathy and me) download the Sparks app from M&S to see what we'd get in their 12 days of Christmas advent calendar. I bagged a free hand cream and Kathy was given a bag of chocolate coins. Nicola was especially full of glee today, for some reason, and disappeared at lunchtime to see our MD, so the afternoon was lovely and relaxed.

The phones were quiet today, and I got a lot done between calls. At 4pm I sped home and relaxed with Sophie who had also finished work at the same time. We sat in the kitchen with a glass of wine and then got ready to go to our village community centre for a night of Indian food, hosted by our friend Sonal and her family. She had first proposed the idea some time ago and wondered whether we'd be interested in paying £25 each for a five-course meal. We had accepted immediately, and we were looking forward to tonight and some authentic Indian grub!

As usual, we were early and there was only one other couple there. We said hello to Sonal and her family and took a seat at the same table. I immediately took a dislike to the couple already seated and I was 99% sure the woman had been one of the volunteers at the last election when I'd been shouted at. I was so sure it was her and my hackles went up! She questioned us about the community centre and whether we used it regularly, and did we work? I didn't want to talk to her, to be honest, and I was glad when Paul and Sharon arrived, and she latched onto them!

The room gradually filled up and the noise level increased. The community centre was lovely and cosy with a huge tree dominating the room. On the table were some Indian snacks and I especially loved the peas, which were deliciously spicy! We had brought our own wine to drink, our favourite New Zealand Pinot Gris.

Our menu for the evening:

Looking at the menu I thought we'd get a choice of one of the starters, the main course, and desserts but we had everything! The food was absolutely delicious and the whole family helped by plating the dishes and serving them. Just before we ate, Lynn and her husband, Tony, arrived so they took the last two seats at our table. There were about 26 of us dining and the atmosphere was lovely.

This dish was particularly delicious and full of different flavours

The evening was immensely enjoyable, and we had great conversation around the table with Lynn who we get on very well with. The night finished at about 11pm and we had to walk up to the top of the road to call Keith to come and pick us up as there was no mobile coverage!

A lovely catch-up with friends.

We had thick fog again today, and a weather warning saying it would last until mid-morning. Unfortunately, it went on for much longer than that! I had a busy shift at work, sorting out emails and numerous orders so the time flew by. 

At 2pm, I sped off to the care home as I had a meeting with the manager about Mum and Dad's finances. They are getting very close to the minimum amount each and I needed to know what happened next. The manager, Sharmaine, was late because of an unexpectedly ill resident so I went up to see Mum and Dad for half an hour, something I'd been planning to do anyway. My Dad seemed slightly better after his course of antibiotics and we held a normal conversation if I don't include his comments on how much a drone would cost... nothing because you're not having one! He only wanted to fly it up and down the corridor!

In the meeting, Sharmaine assured me that Mum and Dad wouldn't have to leave the care home and that they would have a financial and a care assessment carried out. We sat and chatted for a while and she seemed genuinely interested in them and the lives they had before they moved into the care home.

Back home, I had a bath as tonight we were meeting Sarah and Liam at The Bulls Head at Clipston for a meal. Sophie came home and had a shower and then we set out in the thick fog into Leicestershire. The journey was a bit hairy as the last part of the road had no white lines until we got into the village! We arrived first and Sophie and I, after much discussion, chose a bottle of Malbec to share. Keith was happy with the choice of beers and we sat by the lovely log fire to enjoy our drinks.

When Sarah and Liam arrived we all moved to our table in the restaurant. The last time I'd been in here was when we went to a fabulous whisky tasting with Sarah and Liam, and my Mum and Dad years ago when the landlord stocked over 300 hundred whiskies! The pub was lovely and cosy and decked out with beautiful Christmas decorations.

We chose our main courses - pork in a delicious sauce for Liam, Sophie and me, and pies for Keith and Sarah. The food was lovely, the company excellent and we had a fantastic evening catching up and having a good laugh. It was much needed! Sarah, Sophie and me had desserts and another bottle of red wine was ordered by Liam (I didn't partake very much!). It was almost 11pm by the time we left, hugged our friends and headed off into the foggy gloom!