Another month gone!

I can't believe it's June tomorrow...where did May go?

Well, as per usual, today has been sunny and dry and it was back to work for me. The day didn't get off to a very good start as we had to do the cleaning at work and the hoover nearly caught fire. I had to use the back-up vacuum which was pergatory so I swiftly put that right and kitted it out with new bits and bobs which made a huge difference. When our normal cleaner returns tomorrow I hope she appreciates it!

In the evening we went to the pub for a meal as a treat and a very pleasant evening it was as well. It definitely made up for all the little stresses of the day!

Bank Holiday Monday

What a washout the Bank Holiday was! It was the perfect day to do very little, which is what we all did! At least the garden has benefited, though, as it rained all day and the ground soaked up the water very thankfully.

I did a fair amount of research on my family tree, marvelling at how many people have my relatives in their trees seeing as I have sixteen Great great grandparents!

Sunday 29 May - a day out in London

Our plan had originally been to go to the Lake District for the day (a long way, I know!) but the weather was looking a bit iffy so we plumped for London instead. No problems with the car this time, thank goodness, and the journey down was smooth and trouble-free.

We parked on the road running through Hyde Park, had some of our picnic and then embarked on a very long walk! We visited the Princess Diana Memorial fountain first where a lot of children were having fun splashing in the water running down to the pool at the bottom (including my two who seem to get younger whenever water is around).

A rose in the Rose Garden, Hyde Park

We ambled off to Hyde Park corner and down to Buckingham Palace where all the roads were closed in advance of a 10km run on Monday. The place was heaving with tourists, and lots of Barcelona fans in particular who'd been at Wembly the night before for the Championship final with Manchester United. We followed the Mall up to Trafalgar Square and then down to Downing Street passing Horseguards Parade on the way and two very patient and long-suffering guards.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of this taxi!

We continued past the Cenotaph to Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and then the Thames itself which we crossed via Lambeth Bridge which gave us fantastic views of some of the most iconic buildings in London. As our feet were aching a bit by now, we stopped for coffee and cake on The Embankment and then made our way back to Westminster tube station where we were going to get the underground to Hyde Park Corner. However, when we found it would cost us £16 for two or three stops, we rapidly changed our minds and walked back, this time going through St James's Park which was ablaze with spring flowers.

Anti-war demonstration following Obama's visit to London last week.

Back in Hyde Park the children begged us to take a pedalo out onto the Serpentine but our feet were well and truly aching now and as they wanted £20 for 30 minutes it gave us the perfect excuse to say no...aren't we stingy!!

We thankfully collapsed into our car, had a good long drink and something to eat before heading home. Again, the journey was very good and within two hours we were home which is a miracle seeing how London roads are so busy!

Saturday 28 May

Saturday was a very quiet day - the weather was not pleasant so there was no point going out into the garden as it was windy and drizzly. Not sure what happened to the forecasted heatwave we were supposed to have! Sophie worked again for us today which she wasn't happy about, but it was only until 3pm. I went out and did some shopping and then picked her up on the way home.

I'm trying to find inspiration to decorate at home - the whole house needs a makeover and I'm going to try and get it all done by next year. Our bedroom is the main priority, though, and I picked up a lovely cushion to get colour ideas from. It's a beautiful turquoise blue with goldy-green leaves so the next time I go to Homebase I'll take it with me and see if I can match a paint colour.

The evening was spent watching the football and it was no surprise that Barcelona won!

Friday 27 May

We had Mikey at home with us today as he had a training day at school but poor Sophie had to go in, which she wasn't very happy about! We made the brave decision to take Mikey shopping with us but to be honest he wasn't too bad and not many things crept into the trolley without us knowing!

Back home I pottered about in the garden making sure the plants had been well watered by the rain the previous day. The soil was still a bit dry so I think we'll need lots more to really make a difference.

To add to Sophie's woes, she was asked to go into work in the evening as one of our staff had called in sick. Mum and Dad were still in so I dropped her off and went in for a chat. The day had been busy which was good news for us and I just hope it carries on being busy next week over half-term!

Thursday 26 May - Rain!

Yes, we had proper rain today which I hope has done the garden some good. It was a mixture of sunshine and heavy showers, so perfect growing weather!

I was at work until fairly late as Sophie was in and helping out with a party so when I got home it was straight into the bath as I was going out to dinner with three friends to The Four Pears pub in Little Houghton. My friend Lynda had heard good things and when we arrived the street around the pub was crowded with cars, so it looked very popular. The pub used to be called The Red Lion and like a lot of village pubs had suffered during the recession and had been put up for sale in 2010. Four local couples (or pairs) decided to take it on, refurbish it and it's now a very swish pub indeed, more restaurant really than anything else, but the surroundings are beautiful and the lounge very comfortable. We perused the menu over a drink and soaked up the busy atmosphere. I did like the opportunity to look at the menu and have our order taken before we were shown through to the restaurant.

The menu wasn't extensive which to me means that the food is freshly prepared and not frozen or microwaved. All four of us had mussels in a white wine sauce to start, served with crusty bread, and they were delicious. Not a huge portion but then sometimes with mussels, you can have too many! Our mains were pork belly on a bed of wilted spinach with herb mash (the three girls chose this) and sirloin steak and chunky chips for me, served with a delicious salad of rocket and roasted tomatoes. Side portions of vegetables, my only gripe, were £2.50 each. My steak was tender, but there were some chewy bits and I have to admit to Keith preparing a better one on our griddle at home.

We all had room for pud although the three girls chose cheese and biscuits and I went for Lemon Posset served with raspberries and shortbread which was sublime. With two bottles of Argentinian red, the bill was £140, not cheap but for the ambience and the excellent service, I didn't mind paying my share.

I'm not sure Keith would like it (he's more of a real country pub afficionado) but it will certainly be a place I'll recommend!

Wednesday 25 May

Keith and I worked very hard on Wednesday! We had a lot of things that needed doing and I only came unstuck when I went to scrub one of the party room floors and the buffer pad jammed on again, just like it did before... This time there were no men around (Keith had gone home) but I phoned him, explained what a dumbo I was and he offered to help. I had to go and get him and when we got back we had no customers at all so we closed up early and managed to sort the problem out by sheer brute force and some WD40 which is amazing stuff!

We gave Polly a lift home and then collapsed in the conservatory with a drink as we were both shattered. We'd done gardening, put up new signs, mended a piece of the play equipment, shopped in Tesco for work and we deserved a wee tipple!