All glammed up!

I spent yet another day cleaning as Sophie's friend Hannah was staying overnight tonight and I wanted to make sure that the bathroom was clean and Sophie's bedroom in a reasonable state! Keith went off to collect Mike as he'd been at a revision session at school and while he was gone and I was busy hoovering upstairs, Pete the Pest Control man arrived.

It was bucketing it down with rain but we both went out into the garden and he's put down four more boxes to see if we can entice our rat to take the bait. He even put one down by the bird feeder and said he would contact us in about a month's time to see if the food had been taken.

I went to collect Sophie from work at 3pm and it was still pouring with rain. Sophie said that they had been very busy at work and the car park was full when I arrived. I'm so glad it's not me in charge any more!

We went off to Riverside and Sophie treated me to a cup of tea and a cornflake crunch cake at Costa. It was lovely to sit for half an hour and relax after my busy days of cleaning! Afterwards we went to Boots as Sophie needed some insoles for her high heels as she's off to her university Prom tonight at the Derngate Theatre in town.

Before Hannah arrived Keith and I decided to try and get Jim into the garage. We moved our waste bins and pushed back the furniture we have along the sides of the garage to make room and we managed to get Jim almost all the way in with just the bonnet sticking out! If we decided to go the whole hog and empty the garage completely we'd definitely be able to fit a small car in there. It might solve the problem if we ever have three cars!

Hannah arrived and then there was much banging about upstairs as both girls got ready for their big night out. They were having a meal and cocktails first as their tickets were for the dancing only which didn't start until 10pm. When they were ready they both looked stunning:

I drive them into town (it was still raining and it was so cold we put our heating back on) and agreed to pick them up at 12.30am. A late one!

No rest for the wicked!

Needless to say I woke up rather late this morning and was glad that it was a Bank Holiday Monday, although Sophie had to be in at work for 10.30am.

After we dropped her off and took Mike to Brixworth we decided to tackle the guttering of the conservatory, a job we've been putting off for ages. It's horrible, dirty work but Keith did really well and by the time we'd finished, about four hours later, we were both very pleased with how it looked. No more wet, slimy leaves and dirty splashes on the windows! I followed Keith and washed the windows...again!

The weather today has been perfect for the job as it's been dry, breezy and cloudy although the sun did peep its head out now and again.  I had a great chat with Sue as she was outside gardening and it seemed that all our neighbours were also busy mowing, washing cars and generally being busy!

After picking the kids up from their respective places we had a turkey curry for dinner and I felt much better than I did last night!

A tipsy dinner!

I had looked forward to a day off today but I ended up doing yet more cleaning! It's all I ever do at the moment!

I gave the downstairs of the house a clean and then after lunch I tackled as much of the inside of the conservatory as I could. After a greyish start this morning, the sun came out and it was a much better afternoon. I hadn't realised that the conservatory needed cleaning so badly. Since getting rid of the cabinet in the living room we've kept some of the ornaments on the windowsill and it's made it difficult to clean with all the clutter. Today I had a de-cluttering session and found room for our Lladro ornaments elsewhere!

Sophie contacted me to say they were getting the 4pm train home from London so half an hour before they were due to arrive Keith and I set off. It meant that we missed the ending of my Mum and Dad's Ebay sale but it looked like they'd sold everything except the solid wood coffee table (I had my eye on it!) and a green armchair. They did much better than I expected!

After dropping Daisy off we returned home and I made some cocktails. I'd really been looking forward to this evening as Sophie was at home and we had turkey for dinner but it all went a bit wrong! I'm not sure whether it was because I hadn't eaten a lot during the day or whether I drank my cocktails a bit too quickly, but I felt very drunk indeed through dinner and was quite ill! Now in the past I've had some very boozy dinners at friends' houses and have been fine so tonight was rather strange, to say the least! I went off to bed very early and managed to sleep it off. Thank goodness!

A spot of gardening

I saw the blasted rat again this morning so obviously my shot was not on target the other day. He really is a huge animal - I don't think I've ever seen a rat so big so we are going to have to think up a new tactic. The last straw is a glue trap but this has the disadvantage of also trapping other animals and birds although you can release them with vegetable oil. It would mean that the rat would be alive when we caught him so it's something we're going to have to think carefully about!

Sophie was off to London this morning so I took her and Daisy down to the station and made sure she was able to get her ticket easily. I said goodbye and called into Aldi on the way home to buy the newspaper and some rolls for breakfast. I called Keith to say I was on my way home and to start cooking the sausages when the traffic all ground to a halt. I wasn't sure what was happening but after about fifteen minutes of crawling along I realised it was a Steam Engine probably making its way to a nearby show and it was holding us all up!

It must have been going about 0.0001 miles an hour and had a vehicle with it warning us all it was going slow...duh! I really don't think a vehicle that slow should be allowed on the roads and I dread to think what the traffic was like behind me as the road I was on was quite a busy route! Luckily it pulled onto the path and we were all able to get past and speed away. I was hungry!

After breakfast I took Mike to Brixworth and when I arrived home Keith had sold the bike! I was a bit worried that the woman was either a) not going to turn up at all or b) say it wasn't suitable so I was overjoyed to discover that it had all gone very smoothly. Job done!

To celebrate we went and did some gardening and I have to say that when I finished I was very happy with how the garden looked. I dug a load of earth into the rat run at the back of the border and put a big stick in the opening. It probably won't stop our furry friend but it may slow him down a bit!

Monty came out with us and had a mad moment in one of the bushes. I have no idea what he was up to but he seemed to be enjoying himself!

The border which I filled with some of our potted plants

Monty in the bush

Last day...

I had planned on working on my assignment today but other things got in the way! After Keith had been for a walk and came home to shower we all went to the Weston Favell Centre as Sophie needed to take out some money for her forthcoming trip to London to see Busted at the O2.

We also needed to go into Tesco to get some things Keith had forgotten (he lost the list yesterday in Aldi and had to call me to jog his memory!).  From there we returned home but on the way Keith suggested a quick drink in the Royal Oak so we went! We are getting naughty!

We had a couple of drinks and went home to sit in the garden for half an hour. It's been another warm and sunny day and very pleasant indeed. I just hope it stays like this for the Bank Holiday weekend!

Before Mike arrived home Sophie and I left to go to my Mum's and I'm glad Keith stayed at home as Mike missed the bus. Today has been his last day of compulsory schooling so a bit of an emotional time for him. I can't believe it's come around so quickly! His time at secondary school has flown by! Now we have the rest of his GCSEs to look forward to!

Mum made us a cup of tea and we munched on some lovely biscuits before admiring their garden which they've filled with plants so it's looking much better than when they moved in. Their garden is a real sun trap and it was very warm in the sun. Hopefully Mum and Dad will get a great tan this year and enjoy the weather!

We returned home and walked Monty around the estate before Keith walked down to the pub. After he had gone Sophie and I sat and watched TV and when I heard a car door slam I peeped out of the window to see three very glamourous girls emerge from a car. They looked dressed to the nines and I watched them walk off down the street. With Sophie, I dashed upstairs and saw that more and more cars were disgorging equally dazzling girls...then it dawned on us! It's Prom season so obviously they were all congregating at a nearby house before going off to their party. They looked far older than 16 and one girl was even carrying a bottle of Vodka and a bottle of Coke!

Mike was also off to a party in Northampton so Sophie and I took him and then drove back to get Keith from the pub. We then dashed home as I had to make Macaroni Cheese and luckily it didn't take too long. When we arrived home all the cars had gone so obviously the glamour pusses had been picked up - probably by Limousine!

We had a late night tonight as we went to pick Mike up at midnight and when we arrived there was a little gaggle of teens hanging around outside. Mike didn't appear too inebriated, which was a huge relief!

Shopping...of a different kind!

Sophie and I went off to Milton Keynes today, leaving Keith to do the weekly food shop on his own. He was looking forward to it!

We had a lovely journey over and parked in the multi-storey before going to Waterstones for a cup of coffee. Sadly, the Costa Coffee outlet there has been replaced by their own cafe and Sophie said she would treat me while I found a seat.

After what seemed like ages she arrived at the table with two coffees and two packets of biscuits which she said cost £1.40 a packet! Blimey! Unfortunately my Flat White was tepid, bordering on cold, so I took it back to the counter and asked if they could heat it up for me. To his credit, the man serving said he would make me a fresh cup which was much better, and hot!

The coffee was good but I doubt we'll be back, especially when M&S do lovely coffee and there's a Costa next to John Lewis. The biscuits were equally delicious but I would hesitate to pay £1.40 again!

After our refreshments we went to M&S and I bought two pretty tops and some new leggings to wear around the house as mine are virtually falling apart and look very tatty! Sophie also bought two tops and one of them was really gorgeous - an off the shoulder blue summery top that looked incredible on her.

From M&S we went to River Island and Sophie tried on a black trouser suit that fitted her like a glove. She looked stunning in it so she was very happy indeed that she had found an outfit at last for her Prom next week. We popped into Accessorize on the way to John Lewis and Sophie bought some glitzy earrings which go beautifully with her outfit. I knew she would find something beautiful to wear!

We had lunch in John Lewis and chose their delicious Moroccan Chicken Soup served with crusty bread. The restaurant was very quiet indeed and it was lovely to sit and relax knowing we had achieved our mission! Outside John Lewis they were installing an exhibition for the Titanic which runs until the 12 June so we will definitely be going back to see that as Sophie loves anything about the doomed liner!

I managed to buy some more tee-shirts which is what I was after and Sophie tried on some shoes in New Look but they didn't have her size which was a shame as they were gorgeous and just what she was after. The assistant tried to order them online for her but they weren't available so why were they displayed in a prominent place then? Huh!

By now we were both flagging so it was back to the car and a slow and leisurely drive home via Newport Pagnell, Olney and Earls Barton. The weather has been beautiful today with lots of sunshine and fluffy white clouds, perfect for driving in the countryside which is looking at its best at the moment.

When we got home Keith suggested a drink in the pub before dinner so we accepted with alacrity! Mike stayed at home so the three of us went and sat in the window to watch rush hour in the village. I've never seen so many cars coming through! We had a couple of drinks, returned home to start the dinner and then all of played a game of cards while it cooked. A perfect end to a really lovely day!

Animal antics!

Unusually, when I came downstairs this morning, Monty wasn't on his bed. Keith said he was still outside on his bed in the garage, which was completely out of character for him! He hadn't even eaten his breakfast!

I went out to get him and noticed how cold and windy it was. The weather has certainly taken a turn for the worse and the sunshine has well and truly disappeared to be replaced with grey skies and drizzle. Horrible!

I picked Monty up and brought him in to have his breakfast but he just looked at it and hobbled off to the living room looking like an old, tired man. I put him in his bed but he was obviously in pain as he growled at me. However, once he'd settled he went to sleep but I was a bit worried about him. Sophie would be devastated if anything happened to our remaining cat.

When I went to wake Sophie up she said there'd been an almighty fight at about 2am this morning between Monty and another cat. A neighbouring cat, who we thought was Monty's little buddy, sat watching the scrap as if he was a spectator at a boxing match! I told her that Monty didn't seem well so we both agreed to let him sleep in peace and not disturb him. I just hope he feels better later on!

While I was having my coffee we saw the rat. Keith and I ran upstairs and asked Mike for his air rifle. He set it up in the en-suite bathroom as there's a great vantage point there from which to take a shot. I heard the rifle go off and saw the rat run back into the bushes but I don't think Mike hit him. He was a  bit grumpy as he has two exams today, bless him, and said it was too much stress to be dealing with so early in the morning!

A bit later on, after Keith had got back from taking Mike to school, we saw the little blighter again and I'm not sure but I think this time I may have hit it. I stood, like a sniper, at the window and lined him up in my sights. Only time will tell if we got him, but I left some more food out in the hope of enticing him and saw nothing. Is it over and out for the rat?!