Another Friday, another week! Time is flying by so fast, before we know it, it'll be 2013!
Sophie and I went to the gym after work, via home first as Sophie's friend had somehow managed to take her iPod home and Soph just couldn't go to the gym without it! However, we waited for about twenty minutes for her friend to bring it around but went without it in the end, otherwise it wouldn't have been worth going!
Sophie really wasn't in the mood so we cut it short and had a dip in the jacuzzi before heading home in the frosty evening. The weekend is set to be cold with even a hint that we might get some snow!
Friday, 30 November 2012
Thursday, 29 November 2012
Granny visiting
It's been a beautifully cold day today with a frost this morning and lovely blue skies. Just how I like winter to be!
I put some food down for the crows who were a bit confused this morning as I was in a different car and wearing different clothes. However, when I called out to them they were soon pecking away at the food I'd left! This is a photo of one of the crows and the squirrel from the other day:
I put some food down for the crows who were a bit confused this morning as I was in a different car and wearing different clothes. However, when I called out to them they were soon pecking away at the food I'd left! This is a photo of one of the crows and the squirrel from the other day:
Not a brilliant picture as I couldn't get very close!
Mum and I went off down to Kent today to see Nan and had a great journey, both ways. While we were there we popped into Dartford to do some shopping for her and I called into the library to see if they had any old maps of the town as I needed to do some research for my family tree. I was delighted to find they had a whole section of old maps and lots of books on local history so in the New Year I'll come down with mum and we'll spend a few hours having a look at the books and seeing if we can glean any more information from them!
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
My son...the scruffbag!
We told Mikey this morning that he was to meet us after school rather than go on the bus as the need for new school shoes for him had now reached the desperate stage.
Because of this we only took one car to work as Sophie had asked whether we could go to the gym later in the evening as she said she "had mounds of homework to do". It was actually good to give my poor little car the day off as the amount of miles I've been doing is far more than I anticipated. I've had the Audi for a year now and I've driven almost 14,000 miles in it so about 2,000 more than the average and 4,000 more than the allowed amount if I'd leased it!
At 3.15pm we went off to the school to pick up the kids but only one turned up. When they were younger and at Primary School together, one would always come out early while the other would be the last to emerge, a bit like waiting for luggage to arrive after a flight! We waited another five minutes for Mikey but he was nowhere to be seen so we had no choice but to drive up to the school and do battle with the buses and the other parents picking up their children.
Sophie went off to find him and they eventually emerged with Mike protesting that "I have a lot on my mind" which was basically just an excuse for forgetting we were picking him up...
We dropped Sophie off at work, as I just couldn't handle two of them in Brantano's, both clamouring for the latest fashions. When we got out of the car and went into the shop I was ashamed to see the real state of my son's shoes...the left one was flapping about as the upper had come away from the sole, while the right shoe was all torn. His school trousers were covered in mud and he looked like a complete scruffbag!
We quickly found him a pair of new shoes and I didn't even bother putting them in the box as there was no way I was going to let him wear his old ones again. Keith swears that the shoes weren't in that state when he left for school so I can only imagine what Mike had been up to during the day to get them like that.
As we were looking at the other shoes, Mikey spotted a pair of trainer -type shoes (high-tops?) that he desperately wanted so I bought them for him on the understanding that he paid me back from his savings! (They weren't cheap!)
Back at work Keith, Mikey and I mended a rivet in one of our slides that had come loose. It sounds an easy job but it involved Mikey crawling into the slide and putting the screw through the hole so Keith could then screw it into place from the other side. Keith had already attempted it in the morning and had decided that coming down the slide was a good idea...only it wasn't as he got stuck and couldn't get out! Our slides aren't designed for burly men! With Mikey helping we managed to do it so that's one less thing to worry about!
When we got home I disappeared upstairs for a soak in the bath and when I came back downstairs half an hour later I found Sophie watching TV. "What about your homework?" I asked, to be told it was all done!
I was pretty mad as it meant we could really have gone to the gym at about 4.30pm, which is the time we usually go. I'd had a bath, was all warm and sleepy and the thought of going out into the cold and doing a workout at 8pm no longer appealed. We ended up having a short, sharp argument with me refusing to go out again and the rest of the evening was spent curled up on the sofa watching "I'm A Celebrity"...bliss!
Because of this we only took one car to work as Sophie had asked whether we could go to the gym later in the evening as she said she "had mounds of homework to do". It was actually good to give my poor little car the day off as the amount of miles I've been doing is far more than I anticipated. I've had the Audi for a year now and I've driven almost 14,000 miles in it so about 2,000 more than the average and 4,000 more than the allowed amount if I'd leased it!
At 3.15pm we went off to the school to pick up the kids but only one turned up. When they were younger and at Primary School together, one would always come out early while the other would be the last to emerge, a bit like waiting for luggage to arrive after a flight! We waited another five minutes for Mikey but he was nowhere to be seen so we had no choice but to drive up to the school and do battle with the buses and the other parents picking up their children.
Sophie went off to find him and they eventually emerged with Mike protesting that "I have a lot on my mind" which was basically just an excuse for forgetting we were picking him up...
We dropped Sophie off at work, as I just couldn't handle two of them in Brantano's, both clamouring for the latest fashions. When we got out of the car and went into the shop I was ashamed to see the real state of my son's shoes...the left one was flapping about as the upper had come away from the sole, while the right shoe was all torn. His school trousers were covered in mud and he looked like a complete scruffbag!
We quickly found him a pair of new shoes and I didn't even bother putting them in the box as there was no way I was going to let him wear his old ones again. Keith swears that the shoes weren't in that state when he left for school so I can only imagine what Mike had been up to during the day to get them like that.
As we were looking at the other shoes, Mikey spotted a pair of trainer -type shoes (high-tops?) that he desperately wanted so I bought them for him on the understanding that he paid me back from his savings! (They weren't cheap!)
Back at work Keith, Mikey and I mended a rivet in one of our slides that had come loose. It sounds an easy job but it involved Mikey crawling into the slide and putting the screw through the hole so Keith could then screw it into place from the other side. Keith had already attempted it in the morning and had decided that coming down the slide was a good idea...only it wasn't as he got stuck and couldn't get out! Our slides aren't designed for burly men! With Mikey helping we managed to do it so that's one less thing to worry about!
When we got home I disappeared upstairs for a soak in the bath and when I came back downstairs half an hour later I found Sophie watching TV. "What about your homework?" I asked, to be told it was all done!
I was pretty mad as it meant we could really have gone to the gym at about 4.30pm, which is the time we usually go. I'd had a bath, was all warm and sleepy and the thought of going out into the cold and doing a workout at 8pm no longer appealed. We ended up having a short, sharp argument with me refusing to go out again and the rest of the evening was spent curled up on the sofa watching "I'm A Celebrity"...bliss!
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
It's all go!
Today has been another busy day, doing lots of driving about (no wonder my fuel bill is so high!). I dropped Sophie off at school this morning at 7.15am as she was off to Birmingham for a conference. It was all to do with prisons and ex-prisoners as part of her Psychology A Level and she was really looking forward to it.
I left her outside the school (in the dark, horrible!) with several of her fellow pupils, went off to get some diesel and managed to resist buying a pastry and a Costa Coffee Latte in the shop, which was quite a feat!
Keith and I had to go back and pick her up at 5.30pm and what an ordeal that was...there must have been 20 coaches picking up students from the nearby college and the traffic in the village was horrendous. Keith and I had a furious row about driving so I flounced out of the car and threw the keys at him so he could battle through the traffic on the way home!
We managed to have dinner and clear away by 7pm and then it was time to take Mikey to the Army Cadets for his first meeting. He'd been wanting to go for a while so I'd called them and found out the nearest centre which wasn't too far away. It was a huge surprise when we got there to find that a close neighbour of ours was in charge! We had no idea!
So, it was off home for a couple of hours and then back at 9.30pm to pick Mikey up. He'd had a great time and we really hope that he gets accepted into the Army Cadets as I think it will do him a lot of good. There's so much to do and get involved with and I think it will be great for him to have an interest and get out and do different things!
I left her outside the school (in the dark, horrible!) with several of her fellow pupils, went off to get some diesel and managed to resist buying a pastry and a Costa Coffee Latte in the shop, which was quite a feat!
Keith and I had to go back and pick her up at 5.30pm and what an ordeal that was...there must have been 20 coaches picking up students from the nearby college and the traffic in the village was horrendous. Keith and I had a furious row about driving so I flounced out of the car and threw the keys at him so he could battle through the traffic on the way home!
We managed to have dinner and clear away by 7pm and then it was time to take Mikey to the Army Cadets for his first meeting. He'd been wanting to go for a while so I'd called them and found out the nearest centre which wasn't too far away. It was a huge surprise when we got there to find that a close neighbour of ours was in charge! We had no idea!
So, it was off home for a couple of hours and then back at 9.30pm to pick Mikey up. He'd had a great time and we really hope that he gets accepted into the Army Cadets as I think it will do him a lot of good. There's so much to do and get involved with and I think it will be great for him to have an interest and get out and do different things!
Monday, 26 November 2012
Watching wildlife!
Keith and I were amused today at work when we watched one of our crows and a squirrel eye each other up over some food I'd put down. I try and feed our family of crows every day as they now appear when I drive into the car park and one of them makes a right row by calling to the other birds to "Come and get it!". I know that crows are very intelligent indeed, and I'm sure they recognise my voice when I call to them!
The squirrel was sniffing around at the food and it was obvious that the crow wasn't too happy about it, but even though he kept getting ready to fly away, he stood his ground! We also have a very persistent robin, several magpies and a family of rabbits who also live on the rough ground that borders our car park. I love that this area is left as a wilderness for birds and animals to make their home in and just hope this never changes. We have a very large roundabout near us and the land adjoining it, full of beautiful trees and bushes, is up for sale, for commerical development. I just wish I had the money to buy it and leave it as it is.
Apart from standing and watching the birds and squirrels, we've had a busy day today, cleaning all of our tube slides as they were rather dusty! After work it was back to the gym for a good workout and a short swim. I think I may sleep well tonight!
The squirrel was sniffing around at the food and it was obvious that the crow wasn't too happy about it, but even though he kept getting ready to fly away, he stood his ground! We also have a very persistent robin, several magpies and a family of rabbits who also live on the rough ground that borders our car park. I love that this area is left as a wilderness for birds and animals to make their home in and just hope this never changes. We have a very large roundabout near us and the land adjoining it, full of beautiful trees and bushes, is up for sale, for commerical development. I just wish I had the money to buy it and leave it as it is.
Apart from standing and watching the birds and squirrels, we've had a busy day today, cleaning all of our tube slides as they were rather dusty! After work it was back to the gym for a good workout and a short swim. I think I may sleep well tonight!
Sunday, 25 November 2012
The hunt for a swimsuit...Part 2!
I slept rather badly last night as the wind raged and the rain lashed down outside, probably due to the amount of alcohol and food I'd consumed! It's definitely back on the diet and back to the gym on Monday!
Today, though, I felt a bit tired and a bit hungover and I really just wanted to curl up on the sofa all day but Sophie, after all her friends had gone home, wanted to go shopping in Milton Keynes...Ugh! I needed to go as well because my swimsuit had now malfunctioned as well - the underwire in the bust had come loose and had lodged itself under the drum of our washing machine, so although I'm getting away with it for now, I really need another costume!
We left at lunchtime and the driving was made difficult by the bright sunshine, such a contrast to yesterday! We found a parking space relatively easily and were soon on the hunt for new clothes but there were no swimsuits to be had at all! The shops are just full to the rafters with Christmas booty and winter clothes and even though I did find a rack of swimsuits in John Lewis, they were £55 each!
Sophie spent all her money within about 30 minutes and deciding that it really was a bit too busy we headed for home, although I did buy some Christmas cards so I'm slowly getting in the mood!
Back home I fell asleep on the sofa and then watched Miracle on 34th Street (the original) with a couple of glasses of Cloudy Bay that Sue and Paul foisted on me. After a night's breathing it was still fairly intense, but I drank it nonetheless!
Today, though, I felt a bit tired and a bit hungover and I really just wanted to curl up on the sofa all day but Sophie, after all her friends had gone home, wanted to go shopping in Milton Keynes...Ugh! I needed to go as well because my swimsuit had now malfunctioned as well - the underwire in the bust had come loose and had lodged itself under the drum of our washing machine, so although I'm getting away with it for now, I really need another costume!
We left at lunchtime and the driving was made difficult by the bright sunshine, such a contrast to yesterday! We found a parking space relatively easily and were soon on the hunt for new clothes but there were no swimsuits to be had at all! The shops are just full to the rafters with Christmas booty and winter clothes and even though I did find a rack of swimsuits in John Lewis, they were £55 each!
Sophie spent all her money within about 30 minutes and deciding that it really was a bit too busy we headed for home, although I did buy some Christmas cards so I'm slowly getting in the mood!
Back home I fell asleep on the sofa and then watched Miracle on 34th Street (the original) with a couple of glasses of Cloudy Bay that Sue and Paul foisted on me. After a night's breathing it was still fairly intense, but I drank it nonetheless!
Saturday, 24 November 2012
Was it worth it?
Today has been busy! It was the Wine Evening at Sue and Paul's house tonight and Sophie had asked if she could have some friends over to stay so we made sure that the house was all clean - especially the conservatory where they were going to sleep - and Keith and I had to go and get more drinks for them which meant a long trek over to Kettering, as the small Tesco store near work (Sophie still had to go in today) had no choice whatsoever.
The weather has been foul with grey mist and damp in the morning and heavy rain and winds in the afternoon which stretched into the evening. I ran over to Sue and Paul's house with the wine glasses and two decanters, plus all the tasting sheets and got soaked!
The Wine Evening was a much smaller affair than normal tonight. Three of the members were otherwise engaged and the fourth didn't turn up at all so there were just six of us which was a bit disappointing as I was really looking forward to putting the wines to the test and seeing whether it's worth paying quite a bit extra for a more expensive wine.
I think the resounding agreement was no, it's not! My wine, a New Zealand Cloudy Bay at a smidgen under £20 from Waitrose was way too intense for my taste with a pronounced cat's pee smell and a tart acidity. As it was a 2012 vintage, maybe it was a bit too young. The exact equivalent from Aldi at £5.49 was much more subtle which made me think this was the more expensive wine! My Dad brought a £20 bottle of Rioja, also from Waitrose, but his cheaper bottle of Tempranillo was just as good and none of us thought we could justify the extra expense. Sue and Paul's Merlots were both delicious, but the £2.99 version was very good indeed!
It was a great night, though, with lots of beautifully presented, delicious food, but I couldn't help feeling guilty that I hadn't decided to postpone the evening as Sue and Paul had put on an impressive spread and there's only so much that six of us can eat! Keith broke his no alcohol rule and enjoyed several beers and rather a lot of wine so he might have a headache tomorrow!
The weather has been foul with grey mist and damp in the morning and heavy rain and winds in the afternoon which stretched into the evening. I ran over to Sue and Paul's house with the wine glasses and two decanters, plus all the tasting sheets and got soaked!
The Wine Evening was a much smaller affair than normal tonight. Three of the members were otherwise engaged and the fourth didn't turn up at all so there were just six of us which was a bit disappointing as I was really looking forward to putting the wines to the test and seeing whether it's worth paying quite a bit extra for a more expensive wine.
I think the resounding agreement was no, it's not! My wine, a New Zealand Cloudy Bay at a smidgen under £20 from Waitrose was way too intense for my taste with a pronounced cat's pee smell and a tart acidity. As it was a 2012 vintage, maybe it was a bit too young. The exact equivalent from Aldi at £5.49 was much more subtle which made me think this was the more expensive wine! My Dad brought a £20 bottle of Rioja, also from Waitrose, but his cheaper bottle of Tempranillo was just as good and none of us thought we could justify the extra expense. Sue and Paul's Merlots were both delicious, but the £2.99 version was very good indeed!
It was a great night, though, with lots of beautifully presented, delicious food, but I couldn't help feeling guilty that I hadn't decided to postpone the evening as Sue and Paul had put on an impressive spread and there's only so much that six of us can eat! Keith broke his no alcohol rule and enjoyed several beers and rather a lot of wine so he might have a headache tomorrow!
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