Today the weather has been the exact opposite of yesterday. No wonder in this country we're all so obsessed with our climate and what nature throws at us! This afternoon has been beautiful, warm and sunny but as the morning started out damp and chilly, we weren't too worried!
This week has dragged and I've no idea why. It feels like it's taken me an age to get to this evening and the prospect of the day off tomorrow. It's a lovely feeling, I have to admit, to know that the weekend has started early!
I'm off out tonight with some girly friends to a Vietnamese restaurant, which I'm looking forward to. I've never eaten Vietnamese food before, but looking at the website menu, it looks very similar to Thai. I love trying new food and I'm in the mood for something fishy tonight!
Thursday, 31 March 2011
At the mercy of the weather...
Yesterday proved without a doubt how reliant we are on the weather for our business. Tuesday was very quiet indeed as it was sunny and dry, but yesterday, with the rain coming at lunchtime, our sales almost trebled. I suppose with the British weather so changeable, this is good for us, but it does mean that we tend to prefer rainy days to sunny ones, which is a real shame as I like warm and pleasant days as much as everyone else. How I would love to run a business where the weather doesn't make a difference!
Because it was quiet in the morning at work yesterday (before the rain lashed down) Keith and I went off to the bank and on the way drove through the park to see if there were hordes of children there, such is my paranoia about where our customers go to! Surprisingly it was empty. We also checked out the competition but they didn't look any busier than us!
Of course, when we got back our place was pleasantly busy and stayed that way for the rest of the afternoon and evening!
Because it was quiet in the morning at work yesterday (before the rain lashed down) Keith and I went off to the bank and on the way drove through the park to see if there were hordes of children there, such is my paranoia about where our customers go to! Surprisingly it was empty. We also checked out the competition but they didn't look any busier than us!
Of course, when we got back our place was pleasantly busy and stayed that way for the rest of the afternoon and evening!
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Cool mornings...
Yesterday morning, thinking it was still mild, I came out of the house without a coat and received a bit of a shock in the freezing temperature! The last two days have been sunny but there's been a mist hanging over the fields and it was a shame that I didn't have the time to go out and take some photographs.
Monday was busy with cleaning and it was lovely to get home in the evening and relax. Today has been equally busy, but with paperwork and trying to find lots of things for our work experience girl to do, to make sure she is kept busy and not bored. She's the same age as Sophie and I would hate to think that she dreads coming into work with us but I'm hoping that over the next couple of days she'll get to have a better understanding of how we do our day-to-day business.
I was the last person out tonight at work, and although I don't mind being in the building in the morning on my own, being there in the evening tends to creep me out a bit. I said goodbye to Jenny who covers Reception for us on a Tuesday and heard a noise. I stood still and listened and couldn't make out where it was coming from. It sounded like a bird and I was just on the point of running out of the building when I realised it was coming from a V-Tech toy in one of the party rooms...Phew! I turned it off (the battery was obviously running low) and went thankfully home!
Monday was busy with cleaning and it was lovely to get home in the evening and relax. Today has been equally busy, but with paperwork and trying to find lots of things for our work experience girl to do, to make sure she is kept busy and not bored. She's the same age as Sophie and I would hate to think that she dreads coming into work with us but I'm hoping that over the next couple of days she'll get to have a better understanding of how we do our day-to-day business.
I was the last person out tonight at work, and although I don't mind being in the building in the morning on my own, being there in the evening tends to creep me out a bit. I said goodbye to Jenny who covers Reception for us on a Tuesday and heard a noise. I stood still and listened and couldn't make out where it was coming from. It sounded like a bird and I was just on the point of running out of the building when I realised it was coming from a V-Tech toy in one of the party rooms...Phew! I turned it off (the battery was obviously running low) and went thankfully home!
Monday, 28 March 2011
Sunday 27 March - census day
The clocks went forward on Sunday which meant when I woke up at 7.45am it was really 6.45am. No lie-in then! Mum, Sophie and me went off to Milton Keynes at 11am and had lunch at Caffe Italia which was delicious. Breakfast would just have been far too early!
For me, it wasn't the most successful day of shopping, but Sophie managed to get some new clothes, most notably a lovely all-in-one jumpsuit from H&M which looked gorgeous on her, lucky thing! We stayed until 3pm and then drove home in brilliant sunshine.
The rest of the day was pretty lazy. I submitted our census on-line so that's us done. I wonder if anyone will take an interest in 100 years!
For me, it wasn't the most successful day of shopping, but Sophie managed to get some new clothes, most notably a lovely all-in-one jumpsuit from H&M which looked gorgeous on her, lucky thing! We stayed until 3pm and then drove home in brilliant sunshine.
The rest of the day was pretty lazy. I submitted our census on-line so that's us done. I wonder if anyone will take an interest in 100 years!
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Swooning at the cinema...
The film "Unknown" was brilliant - a real suspense thriller that had us guessing what was going to happen right until the end. Liam Neeson was fabulous in it and the whole film was set in Berlin - what more could I want! We both really enjoyed it and as soon as it's out on DVD, I'm ordering it. I think Keith would really have enjoyed it as well so if he suggests going to see it, I'd gladly watch it all over again.
Mum and Dad came round for a drink on their way home from Milton Keynes where dad had been buying a new plane - he smashed one of his the other day which made him a bit sad, so now he has a new one to build!
Mum and Dad came round for a drink on their way home from Milton Keynes where dad had been buying a new plane - he smashed one of his the other day which made him a bit sad, so now he has a new one to build!
Saturday, 26 March 2011
Funny mood...
I feel very guilty I haven't updated the blog since Wednesday, especially as I was off work yesterday and had ample opportunity to write something. Thursday was just a normal day when nothing happened out of the ordinary, apart from Sophie feeling unwell first thing and missing school. So as well as having Keith in at work with me, Sophie came too, although by mid-morning it was clear that she could have gone to school! The weather was gorgeous on Thursday and I treated myself to a guide book to Florida as we're planning to go to the Gulf Coast while we're there and I needed information on which resort to head to. At the moment, Clearwater Beach is looking the best bet for a day at the seaside.
On Friday both Keith and I felt pretty tired and a little under the weather. We did a few household chores but not much else which has made me feel guilty. The weather was sunny again, but a wee bit chilly and all I wanted to do was curl up on the sofa and do very little. I suppose we'd both had a busy week so I just gave into it and made the most of a free day. I did do a fair bit of research on my family tree!
This morning dawned grey and misty and I felt very restless! Perhaps a day spent doing very little worked. I mentioned to Sophie I'd like to go and do something, but trying to please two children of different ages and interests was a bit difficult. With the holiday nearing, expense was a consideration so going by train to the Sea Life centre in Birmingham was a definite no-no, as was a cinema visit to the O2 (both Sophie's suggestions!). I would have gone for a treasure hunt in Northampton town (boring, mum!) but in the end we settled on a film in Kettering - Unknown starring Liam Neeson (swoon!) with just Soph and I venturing out. If the weather had been a bit better we could have gone somewhere outdoors but looking out of the window, it's very gloomy. Typical!
On Friday both Keith and I felt pretty tired and a little under the weather. We did a few household chores but not much else which has made me feel guilty. The weather was sunny again, but a wee bit chilly and all I wanted to do was curl up on the sofa and do very little. I suppose we'd both had a busy week so I just gave into it and made the most of a free day. I did do a fair bit of research on my family tree!
This morning dawned grey and misty and I felt very restless! Perhaps a day spent doing very little worked. I mentioned to Sophie I'd like to go and do something, but trying to please two children of different ages and interests was a bit difficult. With the holiday nearing, expense was a consideration so going by train to the Sea Life centre in Birmingham was a definite no-no, as was a cinema visit to the O2 (both Sophie's suggestions!). I would have gone for a treasure hunt in Northampton town (boring, mum!) but in the end we settled on a film in Kettering - Unknown starring Liam Neeson (swoon!) with just Soph and I venturing out. If the weather had been a bit better we could have gone somewhere outdoors but looking out of the window, it's very gloomy. Typical!
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
A long day
It was Keith's sister's funeral today so it's been a long day, but for Keith, despite the sadness of his sister passing, it was enjoyable. Gwen was 84 and had had a very good life, so the funeral was more like a celebration of the person she was and it was great that Keith met up with lots of family and old friends.
We set off after dropping Mikey off at his school bus and we had a brilliant journey up to Bishop Auckland where Keith's brother lives. The weather has been stunning today - truly the first day of Spring with temperatures of 17-18 degrees and blue sky and sunshine. We stopped at Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire for a coffee and a chicken bap and made the North-East by noon. The funeral was at 2pm so after buying the local newspaper (something Keith always does when he goes "home") we headed to his brother's house and then onto Gwen's house where the funeral procession would start.
Gwen's husband (deceased) started a business when his two sons were young and that business has grown and grown and become very successful. When we arrived it was a bit like meeting the cast of Dynasty as the women were all very well heeled and the driveway of Gwen's house was stuffed with Mercedes and BMWs. My poor little Passat looked a little out of place amongst all the gleaming machines, but Keith's nephews were very friendly and we were welcomed warmly.
Both the church and the crematorium services were lovely and then we all met up at the pub in the village where Gwen lived, for a buffet and a good catch-up. One of the men who had attended the services was a very good friend of Keith's and they hadn't seen each other for a while so they had a good natter. He even produced some old photographs which brought back a lot of memories!
We stayed at the pub until 5pm and then left for the long journey home, which was as good as the morning's trip. We were in our own local at 8pm for a quick drink before going home and relieving my parents of their baby-sitting duties!
We set off after dropping Mikey off at his school bus and we had a brilliant journey up to Bishop Auckland where Keith's brother lives. The weather has been stunning today - truly the first day of Spring with temperatures of 17-18 degrees and blue sky and sunshine. We stopped at Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire for a coffee and a chicken bap and made the North-East by noon. The funeral was at 2pm so after buying the local newspaper (something Keith always does when he goes "home") we headed to his brother's house and then onto Gwen's house where the funeral procession would start.
Gwen's husband (deceased) started a business when his two sons were young and that business has grown and grown and become very successful. When we arrived it was a bit like meeting the cast of Dynasty as the women were all very well heeled and the driveway of Gwen's house was stuffed with Mercedes and BMWs. My poor little Passat looked a little out of place amongst all the gleaming machines, but Keith's nephews were very friendly and we were welcomed warmly.
Both the church and the crematorium services were lovely and then we all met up at the pub in the village where Gwen lived, for a buffet and a good catch-up. One of the men who had attended the services was a very good friend of Keith's and they hadn't seen each other for a while so they had a good natter. He even produced some old photographs which brought back a lot of memories!
We stayed at the pub until 5pm and then left for the long journey home, which was as good as the morning's trip. We were in our own local at 8pm for a quick drink before going home and relieving my parents of their baby-sitting duties!
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