Happy New Year!

It's getting close! Whatever you're doing this New Year's Eve, I hope you're enjoying yourselves!

Here's to a Happy, Healthy and Successful 2013!

Cheers!

Celebrations.

Today has been another busy day starting with a hairdresser appointment with Amy for her to colour Sophie's hair and to do my roots, which badly needed doing!

When she left at lunchtime, Sophie and I popped down to Boots at Riverside to get some girly gifts for one of Sophie's friends and then it was back to go and see Sue for her Birthday drinks. It was a very small gathering but it was lovely to sit and relax with a glass of wine and have a chat with Sue and Paul and their friends and family.

Although today has been better, weather-wise, we just didn't find the time to go out for a walk which I would have liked. Roll on Wednesday when things return to normal and we can get back to the gym!

Shopping in Milton Keynes on a Saturday?

Sophie wanted to go to Milton Keynes today to do some shopping with her friends so I was chief taxi driver. It wouldn't normally be my choice to go on a Saturday but it was the only day she could go before her Winter Ball takes place next week and there was an urgent need for new shoes, a new bag and yet more make-up!

I was dreading it, to be honest, as I had a feeling it would be really busy with people going to the sales but it wasn't too bad and we managed to get parked pretty easily. I bought myself a newspaper and sat in Caffe Italia as I'd arranged to meet my parents there for lunch.

Unfortunately we were having some problems with staff at work but Mum and Dad dealt with it and met me just a few minutes later than planned. Despite it being busy, we had an enjoyable afternoon browsing in the shops and I tried on a couple of coats, the best being in M&S. However, it wouldn't have been very practical so I resisted the temptation...and the hefty price tag!

By 3.30pm I'd had enough but I'd arranged to meet Sophie and the girls at 4. Mum and I went to Tea Monkey, which was a first, and I ordered a pot of tea for the two of us. It arrived in a cafetiere and when I poured it out, there were loads of tea grounds in the bottom of the cup! Yuk! I took it back and one of the assistants kindly gave me a tea strainer as I said I couldn't drink it with bits of tea floating in it. The thought makes me shudder! What's wrong with a good old fashioned pot of tea??

I resumed taxi duties again and dropped all the girls off at their respective homes and then it was back to my own home and a relaxing session on the sofa with a glass of wine!

An unexpected journey...

My Nan had to go into hospital yesterday as she has an infection in her legs so Mum and I drove down to Kent to see her today. I was really not looking forward to going as the weather was grim and miserable again and hospitals are not my favourite places!

We had a great journey down until we were about six miles from the bridge and everything slowed down, with no apparent reason why, so we didn't arrive at the hospital until about 1.30pm. After a quick sandwich we went into see Nan an hour earlier than normal visiting hours and sat with her until about 4.30pm. She was in her own room and was very moany so we quickly told her to stop with that as there wasn't anything seriously wrong with her.

Both Mum and I were under the impression that she was really not very well, so we were preparing for the worst but I can honestly see her getting her telegram from the Queen!

The journey home was fast and uneventful and I popped into the pub to say a quick hello to Keith and Dave and to pick up my car. Keith suggested I come back to pick him up a bit earlier and have a drink with them both, which I did! A very relaxing way to end a tedious day!

Mmmm...leftovers!

Last night we couldn't have leftovers from Christmas Day as we would normally do because I don't think my parents would have appreciated eating them! So tonight we had cold turkey and bubble and squeak, with me trying to do something different with the cold vegetables...maybe not a good idea after a couple of whisky and lemonades!

I decided to make breadcrumbs from some leftover bread we had but I think I added too much egg to the finely chopped brussels, broccoli, cabbage and mashed potato as it went a bit gloopy. I made balls out of the mixture, coated them in flour and then rolled them in the breadcrumbs and fried them. They acutally turned out quite good and the breadcrumbs added a lovely crunchy texture!

With the rest of the veggies I just made them into a fat pancake and fried it...

It was delicious!

Every day feels like Sunday!

Well, Christmas has been great - very relaxed and quiet which is just how I like it! Keith and I went to the pub yesterday at around 12pm and although it was quiet at first, within half an hour the place was packed with people having a drink before their Christmas lunch.

We didn't eat until about 6pm and our meal was delicious. It was a bit heated when I dished up as we'd cooked so many different vegetables, but we all had a great time and even played a game of charades after eating which amused the children!

Today dawned bright and sunny, but we didn't get time to go out for a walk as I hoovered downstairs, gave the conservatory a good clean and set the table for dinner while Keith popped to Tesco to get some more vegetables for tonight. Unfortunately, I have managed to catch Keith's cold so I went and had a long bath in the afternoon, followed by a nap, in an effort to feel better for our meal in the evening.

Mum and Dad came around for dinner and told us all about their Christmas down in Kent. They said they'd enjoyed it but said the meal they had definitely wasn't worth the price they paid. It never ceases to amaze me what restaurants charge for a normal roast on Christmas Day, especially as their meal was a carvery!

We cooked a beef casserole and that went down very well, especially with the beautiful Pasquiers Grenache Noir wine I served with it. I'm going to go and get some more of that from Beckworth! We had Christmas pudding for dessert and we all had a glass of the Honey Bourbon with it - delicious!

Mum and Dad had brought around a Roulette game with them and we had great fun playing it after the meal with Mikey accumulating a considerable amount of winnings...he put it all on black at the end of the game and lost the lot!

So it's back to reality tomorrow when I return to work after six days off. It's been great to have a break but I am ready to get back into the normal routine. It feels like it's been a continuous run of Sundays since Christmas Eve!

Happy Christmas!

Well, it's been perfect so far! Last night, after watching Lady and the Tramp and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, I had a sudden urge to get out and have some fresh air so we walked the cats around the estate three times. It never fails to amaze me that they follow us, even on the third lap when I'm sure they would rather have been snuggled up on their beds!

This morning dawned grey and rainy instead of white and frosty, but never mind. At least we turned our heating off! The children had a great time opening up their presents and I was over the moon with mine - a beautiful bottle of Chanel Sensuelle and some Malt Whisky, Auchentosan, from Keith, Redwood Creek Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the wee ones and a bottle of Port from my friend Lynda...is there a theme here?!!!

Mum and Dad popped in on their way to Kent and Keith and I were thrilled to get a voucher for a night in a hotel from them! Wonderful! They were both very pleased with their presents and the children were delighted with theirs.

After all the excitement, it's time to do the veg for dinner and then we're off to the pub for a lunchtime drink to say Happy Christmas to Ian.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!