Altered plans

Yesterday's gorgeous weather disappeared and we were back to heavy rain and wind this morning. My shift at work passed very quickly, and I left at 2pm intending to take Mum to Tesco at Kettering this afternoon, so she could buy a little Christmas tree for their room.

I called her before I left home and she said she still wanted to go, so I set off in absolutely horrible weather to pick her up. New houses are being built right next to the care home, so the access road was full of thick mud. It was horrible! I had to leave the car in the hatched area outside as there were no spaces, and I ran in to collect Mum, who wasn't in her room... I spoke to my Dad who wanted me to get £100 in cash for him (not a good idea) and as usual, didn't ask how I was or how the rest of the family was!

Mum had gone down to reception in the other lift which is why I missed her, and when we met up she said she didn't think it was a good idea to venture out in such nasty weather! I agreed with her, but why hadn't she said that when I called her fifteen minutes ago?! I arranged for her to come over to the house on Sunday afternoon instead, and left to go home.

My afternoon was rapidly disappearing, and I ordered two new pairs of shoes for Mum as the ones she was wearing were only suitable for a summer's day, and I looked for some new boots for myself. I also emailed a man at an auction company in Leicester who thinks we should be able to sell most of Mum and Dad's furniture, which was great news.

Keith had prepared a beef curry for tonight's dinner and the aroma was delicious. I hoovered and cleaned up the kitchen again but it wasn't as bad as the other night, thank goodness! Even Gomez hesitates before going out in this weather!

Sophie and I watched Love Actually this evening and it was a real treat. It was great seeing some of our brilliant actors looking so young as the film is about 20 years old! I had a peek at tonight's whisky but I didn't open it... I'm saving it for the weekend! It's Peaky Blinder Irish Whiskey and 40%. Tasting notes will follow!

Christmas shopping

Sophie didn't go to the gym today, which meant I could have a lovely lie-in! Bliss! She had made an appointment to see a senior nurse practitioner at the surgery today about being constantly stuffed up and having to use her inhaler. She wanted me to go with her, so I had a quick coffee and then jumped into the shower so we could leave at 9.30am.

The horrible weather of the past few days had disappeared to leave a beautiful day with clear, cold, blue skies and a heavy frost. I was glad Sophie hadn't set out early to go to the gym as the roads were icy. We arrived at the surgery and had a short wait before going to see the nurse. She was lovely and after a chat about Sophie's symptoms and a listen to her chest, she concluded the same as me... Sophie could be allergic to the cats. I said she had started sneezing on the way back from Buckingham when we first met them and hadn't really been very well ever since. As soon as she gets home, she becomes stuffed up and sneezes constantly. She did have a chest infection before which had now cleared up, but it looked likely the cats were the culprits when it came to her sniffles.

The nurse prescribed a daily antihistamine, and we returned home where Sophie carried on working. I treated myself to a pain au chocolat and a coffee, and then Keith and I set out for the Weston Favell Centre. I needed to go to the post office and Keith wanted to buy some new serving dishes in Tesco.

It was so lovely to see the sun shining out of a gorgeous blue sky this morning and the countryside was looking crisp and frosty. Predictably, by now the Weston Favell Centre was busy but we parked easily and made our way to the post office where I joined the queue. It cost me almost £15 for 2nd class stamps and the cost of postage for a card to the US!

We selected four glass Pyrex dishes and did some shopping. I made use of our visit and bought two jars of our favourite Jerk paste! I also bought Christmas cards for my parents and remembered back to when I used to buy huge, lavish cards for all the family and it cost me a fortune! Thank goodness I don't do that anymore!

From the Weston Favell Centre, we popped to a pet store nearby and bought the cats a collar each. They are reflective and different colours - blue for Mooney and red for Gomez. They will help us to tell them apart (!) and also help at night if they're out.

Back home, Sophie and I had the leftover paella for lunch and I pootled about, preparing the dinner for tonight (home chicken Kyivs) and writing my blog. Gomez came to help me with the blog but as I couldn't write with him draped over me, I put a cat video on for him to watch! He loved it!

Tonight's dinner was delicious and as most of the garlic butter had leaked out of the chickens we basted the breasts while they were cooking so they were deliciously moist.

Tonight, I enjoyed The Irishman - 

I enjoyed the most out of all the whiskies so far - it was smooth and fruity with hints of vanilla!

Muddy paws!

I made sure I left earlier today and arrived at work in good time. I think part of the problem is the traffic lights on the huge Round Spinney roundabout - they turn green but only let a few cars out, so the traffic builds up!

I dealt with the emails today and put on the Christmas activities for our junior members. The school holidays are very "bitty" this year, with two days the first week, three the next, and then a final two days. Before we know it, they will be here!

I drove home a different way this evening to avoid the busy A43 and it was pleasant for a change! I went via Overstone and passed the squash club where Keith and I used to go when we first started going out together. Ahhh! Happy memories!

When I arrived home I was dismayed to find the kitchen resembling a field... the cats had been in and out all day and there were muddy paw prints everywhere! The conservatory, when I opened the door and peered in, was even worse with dirt on the floor and the windowsills as Gomez likes to stand there while someone opens the door for him.

I wasn't very happy, to be honest, and while Keith went for a bath, I hoovered downstairs and then mopped the floors and wiped down all the surfaces. It took me an hour to bring everything back to how it should be and I lit all the candles before Sophie arrived home to make the house look cosy.

Sophie cooked paella for dinner and it was delicious as always. Tonight's whisky was Glen Dronach, a 12-year-old malt at 43%. I detected butterscotch and toffee and it was very drinkable. I can see a pattern emerging here... I seem to prefer the Scotch whiskies!

Exploring!

The horrible wet weather continued today, and my commute to work took ages, which meant I arrived at exactly 8am, so I'm either going to have to leave earlier or find a different route! The traffic was horrendous!

Sara was off today so I was in charge of emails. Jo had returned after her Mum's funeral and said it had been a great send-off. She was more cheerful than I'd imagined she'd be, bless her.

Sheila and I went to a meeting at another of our centres this afternoon, which was a good opportunity for me to have a look around! The meeting was about how the company is doing and future plans, and we had to do a couple of group activities, which was a bit tedious. However, it's always good to meet staff from the other centres and say hello!

After the meeting, Sheila showed me around the centre so it'll make it a bit easier for me to answer questions in the future. We drove back to work and only had about an hour to go until the shift ended. I was glad I'd decided to go today as the other meeting was due to be held on Wednesday and I didn't want to give up the morning of my day off!

I stood and chatted with Jo and Kathy after the shift, so I was a little later leaving. Driving back home, the weather hadn't improved at all, and it was so dark! I hate the winter when I drive to work in the dark and then it's still gloomy at 4pm! 

It was bliss to get home and relax. Tonight's whisky was Stauning from Denmark:

It was a whopping 48% and had a caramel sweetness. I've learned to add a drop of mineral water to the whisky to open up the flavours, and it was definitely smoother!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

The weather has been horrible again today with almost constant rain. And it was still cold! We pootled about in the morning, and I wrote my Christmas cards ready to post next week. I haven't been able to find any Peter Pauper cards this year, which is a shame as they were so beautiful. 

Halfway through the morning, Sophie and I ventured to the Co-op in Moulton, and the rain was lashing down from a dark grey sky. I wanted to buy another pack of cards and something for lunch. I spent ages trying to find the Christmas cards and then choosing something to eat, and the previously empty shop had filled up by the time I arrived at the tills! Typical! I sent off the Tassimo pods as well (that's three out of five bags gone!), and when I returned to the car Sophie wondered what I'd been doing as I was so long!

We sloshed our way home and had lunch, and I continued writing out my cards. I have one to send to the USA as usual (I missed the last posting day in 2022), and this year I didn't want to miss the posting date of the 11th of December. 

Vikesh came over at 3pm, bearing a "12 days box of beer", mince pies and brandy cream. He had made up the box of beer especially for us, which I thought was lovely! We'd had two bottles of mulled wine languishing in the cupboard for the last two years so it was great to be able to finally enjoy them with slices of orange, cinnamon sticks and cloves, and I served them in our Berlin Christmas market mugs.

While we sipped the hot wine we enjoyed mince pies with the brandy cream. Now, it does feel like Christmas! We played a game of Scrabble and then cards and Keith came into the kitchen to prepare tonight's beef pie for dinner. There were some delicious smells wafting about!

Tonight's whisky came from the Kyro Distillery Co in Finland and was 47.2%. I found it had hints of smoke and caramel!

"Deck the halls"

The weather has been truly awful today with bitterly cold temperatures and heavy cloud cover. I was expecting it to snow at any minute! I think it stayed between -2c and 0c all day!

Sophie took charge of the Christmas decorations, and Keith and I were the background workers, taking the decorations down from the wardrobes, putting away the boxes and generally trying not to get in the way. Gomez went out so he wasn't present to see our first white tree go up and be decorated. Mooney was very curious, though, but didn't run off and hide as I expected him to. We had Christmas music playing on Alexa, so it was all very festive, with just the odd little bout of bickering here and there.

Both trees looked gorgeous as always, and Sophie did an excellent job of making them look beautiful. The gonks were out as usual, and my little array of tea light holders, although Keith wouldn't let me have them on the windowsill in the kitchen as he said they would set fire to the blind... he is obsessive about candles, having almost burnt his house down with a candle when he was a child!

Gomez made an appearance later and tried to climb up into the white tree but Sophie chased him away. He then tried to grab a few of the decorations near the bottom of the tree, but was reprimanded with a firm "No!". Weirdly, Mooney developed a fixation with a branch-like star decoration, grabbed it and ran off with it! Despite this, though, they were very good and their interest soon waned once we'd warned them off!

In the afternoon I managed to do some more research on my family tree. My DNA, in Texas, is now being extracted and the estimated time for the results will be from the 20th to the 27th of December. Right as Christmas falls!

I have a free month's trial of My Heritage, and they have a wonderful facility where you can upload old family photographs and get them enhanced and colourised. They also animate them and this was the creepiest thing I have ever seen in my life! I uploaded a photograph of two of my great-grandparents and when you focus on the faces, they move! It was so weird! I'm going to get Mum to come around and have a look next week!

In the early evening, Sophie and I settled down to watch Christmas with the Kranks, as we always do after we've decorated the trees. It's a great film and has some very funny moments!

Dinner tonight was barbecued chicken wings and salad for Keith and me, and the leftover Chilli for Sophie, who had turned her nose up at our choice of Saturday night dinner! I have to say that the wings were delicious and had been marinating in the sauce since yesterday!

After dinner, we decided to book a weekend break in France for my birthday! We're going to Normandy, to an  Airbnb near Bayeux and the Normandy beaches. That's something to look forward to in the New Year!

Keith and Sophie watched the football this evening... yes, you read that right! Sophie is quite happy to watch Newcastle play!

Tonight's whisky was "Darkness", a malt at a whopping 47.8%! We found it a little harsh, with a touch of antiseptic! 3/5!

First Day of Winter!

Today has been a much better day than yesterday, and I was no longer Mrs Angry! We awoke to clear blue skies and a heavy frost, and it was bitterly cold! I do prefer the weather this way, though!

I was determined to put a coat of paint on the kitchen doors, so I busied myself with that while Keith prepared the Chilli con Carne for dinner and then shredded a tonne of old paperwork. The kitchen was a hive of activity this morning!

I soon discovered that painting and kittens do not mix, and told Mooney off when he tried to stick his head into my pot of blue paint! I was also worried that the kitts would brush up against the wet paint and then try and lick it off their fur, so every time they came too near I chased them away. It was a good job the paint was water-based and dried quickly. Tomorrow we're putting up the Christmas trees, so I dread to think how they'll react! Gomez did spend most of his time outdoors, while Mooney took one look at the frosty garden and decided he wanted to stay on the sofa, or on the windowsill looking out for birds!

Mooney on the sofa - he's no fool!

As well as painting the doors, I put a coat of white satin on the skirting boards which had been a little scuffed over time. It all looked so much cleaner and brighter. I'm going to paint the other side of the doors (the living room side) with white paint next Wednesday, and I've ordered two sets of new door handles in chrome.

Keith put a picture up for me, and I hoovered the downstairs of the house in readiness for tomorrow's decorating. For my lunch, I enjoyed last night's leftovers from the pub and the meal filled me up again!

I was very glad when Sophie was home and we could relax and enjoy Wine Night. I jumped into the bath when she was driving home and managed to sink deep into its warm, soapy depths! Bliss! 

Keith wrapped up to go to the pub, and Sophie and I decided to watch another excellent Netflix documentary about an Italian surgeon who had pioneered a new plastic windpipe, which was quite literally, killing the people he operated on. As well as this, he was a conman and embarked on an affair with a female journalist, so it made for interesting viewing! Even Keith was riveted when we watched the second and third episodes after dinner!

I opened the first day of my Whisky Advent calendar tonight, and have decided to write a report each day. I opened the little window to find a tiny bottle of "That Boutique-y Whisky Company" which was a blended Scotch:

I found it smooth and delicious, with sweet undertones. It was very drinkable! 4.5/5!