Today I thought I would have plenty of time to have a good look at all the paperwork I was given by Penny from the Citizens Advice Bureau and maybe even do some more of my counselling course, but life has just got in the way!
It's been a cloudy and dull day so no Florida skies at all. I hate it when the weather is like this! We took Sophie to work and on the way there we dropped Keith off at Pitsford so he could walk home. Mike was up when I got back and showed me the bite on his arm which was quite swollen. I put some antiseptic cream on it and told him to keep an eye on it. He's just like me when it comes to bites!
Keith had barely arrived home when B&Q phoned to say they were fifteen minutes away. They were delivering our new en-suite bathroom as installation is due to start on Monday. It is long overdue! Keith just had time for a quick shower and a bite to eat and they arrived. I'd cleared the cars off the driveway and within twenty minutes everything had been delivered. The only problem was that they had delivered the wrong shower tray! We wanted a square one and they had sent us a "quadrant", which has curves on two sides. It was lovely, just not what we wanted!
I did manage to do quite a bit of paperwork and printed off some stuff for Keith so that was good. Mike wanted a lift to Brixworth and as soon as we arrived back it was time to go and pick up Sophie. When we all got back home again we found the power was out. At first we thought it was something to do with the en-suite leaking again (when Mike took a shower we had water coming through our extractor fan over the cooker) but when we popped over the road to see Paul, the power was off there as well. We admired their new shelter which had been built over the new patio and it was huge! You could hold a barn dance underneath it!
We left Paul to it and went home to make a cup of tea by boiling some water on our, luckily, gas hob and Keith suggested he teach me how to play poker. Sophie was already a fan so we sat with our tea and he tried to explain. It was OK, but I do prefer the game we play normally, a version of Rummy.
Thankfully, at 4pm, the power came back on! Sophie was meeting her friend Hannah at Frank's Hamburger House in Billing and needed to blow-dry and straighten her hair so she was very relieved! I took her at 5.30pm and then drove straight to Brixworth to collect Mike who is now very obsessed with this Pokemon Go game (not Now as I said yesterday!!). He had bought me a bar of chocolate for being a "great" mum so that pleased me!
I rushed home and prepared dinner before going to get Keith from the pub. No sooner had we sat down to eat then the phone rang and it was Sophie asking me to collect her! Ho hum! At least when I got back I could finish my dinner with a glass of very good red!
Friday, 15 July 2016
Thursday, 14 July 2016
Same old, same old!
I awoke to lovely weather again today, but of course it's shopping day!
We had a busy morning taking Sophie to work, popping to the bank and then renewing Keith's nature reserve permit. The sky was a glorious blue with little fluffy white clouds - a real Florida sky! We did our shopping as quickly as we could and headed home for some lunch before I caught up with the usual chores.
In the afternoon we watched the Tour de France and the riders were climbing Mont Ventoux. I had to watch as many years ago Keith and I were staying in the area and drove up the mountain. Well, I say I drove up, but half-way I chickened out and Keith took over as I was very scared! The Tour finished half way up as it was too windy on the summit for them to end there!
Heater has been over today and her and Mike went off for a picnic in the afternoon. He is now obsessed with this Pokemon Now game (I think it's that) so wants a new phone on which he can get unlimited wifi...After dinner he was outside with Sophie and pointed to the bush in our front garden to say that one of the Pokemon things was hiding in it...huh?!
We had a busy morning taking Sophie to work, popping to the bank and then renewing Keith's nature reserve permit. The sky was a glorious blue with little fluffy white clouds - a real Florida sky! We did our shopping as quickly as we could and headed home for some lunch before I caught up with the usual chores.
In the afternoon we watched the Tour de France and the riders were climbing Mont Ventoux. I had to watch as many years ago Keith and I were staying in the area and drove up the mountain. Well, I say I drove up, but half-way I chickened out and Keith took over as I was very scared! The Tour finished half way up as it was too windy on the summit for them to end there!
Heater has been over today and her and Mike went off for a picnic in the afternoon. He is now obsessed with this Pokemon Now game (I think it's that) so wants a new phone on which he can get unlimited wifi...After dinner he was outside with Sophie and pointed to the bush in our front garden to say that one of the Pokemon things was hiding in it...huh?!
Wednesday, 13 July 2016
Back to work
I was very nervous this morning and set off at 8.15am as I didn't know how bad the traffic was going to be or how easy it would be to get parked. Even though the woman I'd spoken to in the CAB office had said about parking in Mayorhold in Northampton, I decided to leave the car in the St John's car park which was much closer to the offices and the Guildhall.
I breezed into town and was parking the car by 9am so I had half an hour to kill. I called my parents to let them know I was going to be away from home all day and texted Sophie before walking into town and calling into McDonald's for a quick cup of coffee.
It was a gorgeous morning (it would be, wouldn't it!) so it was great to sit in the window for five minutes sipping my coffee and watching the good people of Northampton walk by! I was slightly early again but Penny was busy so I amused myself by looking at all the advice leaflets on offer and tried not to feel so nervous!
First of all we had a sort of induction where she gave me to hefty booklets packed with information and things to learn. We then went over to the beautiful Guildhall which has a "One Stop Shop" of lots of council services. I wasn't aware all this existed there so I was very surprised!
I was introduced to Frank and Hilary who were working on Reception and to two ladies who were the advisors. People needing advice came into the main council reception and headed for a machine that gave them a numbered ticket for the CAB. We then gave them a form to fill in and they waited to see an advisor. We then had to input their details onto the system...and that was about it!
I picked up the computer bit quite quickly and it was very straightforward. It wasn't that busy but we did have a little flurry of people coming in mid-morning. It was a very pleasant working environment and the people I was working with were very friendly and helpful so all in all, a good experience. Next week I'll bring my own lunch and there was a small kitchen and seating area where you could have a break. The offices at the Guildhall are much nicer than the main office in the town and I'm very glad I'll be working there!
Back home it was great to catch up with everyone and Keith told me he'd had a busy day sorting out a faulty element in our oven. I get the feeling he missed me a little bit!
I breezed into town and was parking the car by 9am so I had half an hour to kill. I called my parents to let them know I was going to be away from home all day and texted Sophie before walking into town and calling into McDonald's for a quick cup of coffee.
It was a gorgeous morning (it would be, wouldn't it!) so it was great to sit in the window for five minutes sipping my coffee and watching the good people of Northampton walk by! I was slightly early again but Penny was busy so I amused myself by looking at all the advice leaflets on offer and tried not to feel so nervous!
First of all we had a sort of induction where she gave me to hefty booklets packed with information and things to learn. We then went over to the beautiful Guildhall which has a "One Stop Shop" of lots of council services. I wasn't aware all this existed there so I was very surprised!
I was introduced to Frank and Hilary who were working on Reception and to two ladies who were the advisors. People needing advice came into the main council reception and headed for a machine that gave them a numbered ticket for the CAB. We then gave them a form to fill in and they waited to see an advisor. We then had to input their details onto the system...and that was about it!
I picked up the computer bit quite quickly and it was very straightforward. It wasn't that busy but we did have a little flurry of people coming in mid-morning. It was a very pleasant working environment and the people I was working with were very friendly and helpful so all in all, a good experience. Next week I'll bring my own lunch and there was a small kitchen and seating area where you could have a break. The offices at the Guildhall are much nicer than the main office in the town and I'm very glad I'll be working there!
Back home it was great to catch up with everyone and Keith told me he'd had a busy day sorting out a faulty element in our oven. I get the feeling he missed me a little bit!
Tuesday, 12 July 2016
Pootling about!
Today has been another very quiet day with not a lot happening. I'm getting a little nervous about my volunteering work tomorrow with the Citizens Advice Bureau and I'm more worried about getting parked than anything else. The easy option would be for Keith to take me and pick me up but that's a hassle for him!
Sophie was back at work today and after we'd taken her in I dropped Keith off at Pitsford so he could walk home. I drove back and ironed for an hour before hoovering the garage (yes, I know I'm mad!) and sweeping up all the leaves from the front of the house. Over the weekend it was really windy and as usual all the neighbourhood leaves have gathered at ours!
Keith returned home and I made lunch from leftover potatoes, along with the colds meats we'd had last night. I went back out into the garden and picked up yet more leaves while chatting to Monty. Our little robin has well and truly disappeared which is such a shame. The garden just isn't the same without him.
Mike disappeared off in the afternoon and stayed over at a friend's house which meant that there was lots of macaroni cheese left over from dinner. Typical!
Sophie was back at work today and after we'd taken her in I dropped Keith off at Pitsford so he could walk home. I drove back and ironed for an hour before hoovering the garage (yes, I know I'm mad!) and sweeping up all the leaves from the front of the house. Over the weekend it was really windy and as usual all the neighbourhood leaves have gathered at ours!
Keith returned home and I made lunch from leftover potatoes, along with the colds meats we'd had last night. I went back out into the garden and picked up yet more leaves while chatting to Monty. Our little robin has well and truly disappeared which is such a shame. The garden just isn't the same without him.
Mike disappeared off in the afternoon and stayed over at a friend's house which meant that there was lots of macaroni cheese left over from dinner. Typical!
Monday, 11 July 2016
Manic Monday!
Today has been as busy as yesterday was quiet! Sophie and I had planned on going to Market Harborough in the afternoon and before we went I managed to cut the grass in the back garden, although "mowing" it would have been a better description! It was covered with leaves from our Eucalyptus tree and looked really messy and horrible. I just had time to cut the grass and get rid of some of the plants that weren't doing so well, namely the violas which are really Autumn and Winter flowers.
When I'd finished outside I went in to package up some stuff I'd sold on ebay before having a quick shower. Just as we were leaving Keith arrived home from Tesco so came with us which was a pleasant surprise!
We parked in the car park just before you get into the town and walked to the Post Office so I could send my parcels off. Keith then treated us to a coffee in Starbucks where we sat in the window and watched the world go by. A very relaxing half hour in a busy day!
Sophie wanted to buy her friend Laura a Birthday present so we shopped in Monsoon and she picked out a lovely bag and some jewellery. She also decided to print off a photo taken in Rome so we went to Wilco's where I bought some ink for the printer (just in case!) and Sophie found a lovely frame.
Mum and Dad popped around in the evening and bought me some wine and flowers for looking after the house while they were away and for taking them to meet the coach. We sat and had a quick drink before they had to dash off as Dad was going to a meeting of his model aeroplane club.
Keith went off to the pub while Sophie and I relaxed - it was a moment of calm before the girls arrived, bringing pizza with them for dinner. I collected Keith from the pub and when it was time for us to have our meal we swapped places with the girls so we could eat in the conservatory.
Laura and Daisy stayed until 10pm so Keith and I were able to watch another couple of episodes of "The Glades"...we have to watch them when we can!
When I'd finished outside I went in to package up some stuff I'd sold on ebay before having a quick shower. Just as we were leaving Keith arrived home from Tesco so came with us which was a pleasant surprise!
We parked in the car park just before you get into the town and walked to the Post Office so I could send my parcels off. Keith then treated us to a coffee in Starbucks where we sat in the window and watched the world go by. A very relaxing half hour in a busy day!
Sophie wanted to buy her friend Laura a Birthday present so we shopped in Monsoon and she picked out a lovely bag and some jewellery. She also decided to print off a photo taken in Rome so we went to Wilco's where I bought some ink for the printer (just in case!) and Sophie found a lovely frame.
Mum and Dad popped around in the evening and bought me some wine and flowers for looking after the house while they were away and for taking them to meet the coach. We sat and had a quick drink before they had to dash off as Dad was going to a meeting of his model aeroplane club.
Keith went off to the pub while Sophie and I relaxed - it was a moment of calm before the girls arrived, bringing pizza with them for dinner. I collected Keith from the pub and when it was time for us to have our meal we swapped places with the girls so we could eat in the conservatory.
Laura and Daisy stayed until 10pm so Keith and I were able to watch another couple of episodes of "The Glades"...we have to watch them when we can!
Sunday, 10 July 2016
Sporty Sunday
After all the excitement of yesterday today has been a very quiet and lazy Sunday. We took Sophie to work at an earlier time as Maureen had called in sick, so Sophie was cook. She wasn't very pleased!
I spent the morning catching up with things I hadn't been able to do yesterday and although I'd planned on cutting the grass I fell asleep instead, watching the Tour de France! It's certainly been a sporty day today as we have the Grand Prix coming from our very own county, the Wimbledon Final and the final of the football this evening. I was delighted to see Andy Murray win the tennis and Lewis Hamilton win the F1 so it's been a great day for the British!
I spent the morning catching up with things I hadn't been able to do yesterday and although I'd planned on cutting the grass I fell asleep instead, watching the Tour de France! It's certainly been a sporty day today as we have the Grand Prix coming from our very own county, the Wimbledon Final and the final of the football this evening. I was delighted to see Andy Murray win the tennis and Lewis Hamilton win the F1 so it's been a great day for the British!
 |
| A summer pic of Monty |
Saturday, 9 July 2016
Bletchley Park and a very posh afternoon tea!
I had another, quite early start today, as I was going to Bletchley Park with my friends Lynda, Fiona and Andrea. I had offered to drive so I collected Andrea first and then headed off to get Fiona from her home in the middle of the town. We finished up at Lynda's and I decided to take the M1 as I had directions from Junction 14.
The weather was a bit disappointing as it was grey and drizzly but the forecasters had promised it would clear up. I had, of course, lent my mac to my Mum as her concert was an outdoor one, but I had faith in the forecast so didn't take an umbrella with me!
The directions I'd printed out proved useless so we had to rely on Google Maps on Andrea's phone. This took us straight to the door which was great. Bletchley Park opens at 9.30am and we arrived just after opening time so we had no problems parking at all. First up was a coffee and then we plunged straight in.
The set-up is very good and there were lots of interactive games where you could try your hand at deciphering codes. I put headphones on and listed to radio static before I could detect morse code. This was then broken down into letters before being de-coded by the army of workers. At one point 9000 people worked at Bletchley Park covering three eight-hour shifts.
We had a good look at the first exhibition and then moved outside to the grounds of the house. Most of the work was done in pre-fabricated huts known only by their number. As you can imagine it was all top secret.
Luckily the rain had stopped but it was still cloudy and overcast. We wandered by the lake and went into the house itself which housed a couple of offices and a film-set from the movie "The Imitation Game" starring Keira Knightley and Benedict Cumberbatch and which was about Alan Turing who was one of the people to invent the "Bombe" a mechanical machine for breaking down the enemy codes.
The house itself is beautiful and has some gorgeous wood-panelling and decorative ceilings. It was bought in 1938 by Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair who was head of the Secret Intelligence Service.
From the house we visited several huts and saw rooms set up to look how they would have done when the code-breakers were working there. They were very dimly lit and all had black-out blinds at the windows. Later, one of the guides said this was nonsense as the people working there would have needed very good lighting to see what they were doing!
In some of the huts were several games where you could try your hand at breaking the codes. It was all very complicated to me although I did have some success with the "Bombe" which was operated continually by an army of Wrens. The room would have been noisy and hot and working through the night must have been horrible!
We finished up in a building housing the Bombe rebuild where a helpful guide attempted to explain what the machine was doing. By now I was a little hot and tired and becoming quite hungry! I sat outside with Lynda and called Sophie who was also bored stuck at home. I urged her to make some muffins, which she did!
Andrea and Fiona eventually emerged from the building and we took our little information headsets back and drove over to Woburn for our afternoon tea. It didn't take us long to get there and we were able to park in the large car park on the outskirts of the village. Needless to say, the place was busy and we strolled along the high street which seems to have been taken over by tea-rooms and posh pubs.
The girls wanted a drink so we trooped into The Old Ale House where they ordered a glass of wine each and I settled for a bottle of sparkling water. The bill came to an astounding £24! At the table we sat and watched Serena Williams and sorted out the money for the forthcoming afternoon tea. The girls also gave me a fiver each for my diesel so that was a help!
At 3.30pm we set off for the Woburn Coffee House for our "Celebration" afternoon tea. We were seated in the Orangery but on reflection I would have preferred to have sat right at the front of the restaurant where it was cosier and quieter. Behind us was a Hen Party and the chattering from the 100% female diners was tremendous!
We started off with a bottle of Prosecco (what else?) and then we were treated to some delicious savouries. This was followed by the tea stand on which were more savoury dishes and then scones and cakes.
This is what we enjoyed:
Chicken and chorizo skewer in a cornet of rocket
with a roasted garlic and paprika aioli
Maple glazed pan fried halloumi with red pepper on a bed of mango salsa
Potted crab infused with spring onion and lime with a saffron butter
~
Summer festival arancini with passata
Quails Scotch egg on a bed of pea purée nestled in a dainty Yorkshire pudding
Tomato and basil muffin tricolore finished with a salsa verde
Hot smoked salmon salad with candy beetroot dressed
in a horseradish crème fraîche
~
White chocolate scones infused with lavender
Served with strawberry preserve and clotted cream
~
Lemon and poppy seed Opera Cake topped with a dark chocolate mirror glaze
Pistachio rose meringue with raspberry and rose crème chantilly
~
Vanilla cheesecake finished with a balsamic strawberry glaze
Mango and satsuma filo tart with vanilla Cointreau crème pâtissière
~
Mojito lime mousse with mint genoise sponge
Peach melba marshmallow semi coated in white chocolate and sprinkled
with freeze dried raspberries
It certainly wasn't the usual afternoon tea of sandwiches, cakes and scones and the attention to detail was tremendous. Everything was delicious and it was a visual feast for the eye. We ordered tea (Earl Grey and English Breakfast) which kept on coming and we could have ordered as much as we wanted.
It was lovely but I'm not sure I'll be back. £34.95 is a lot for a tea and of course, the bottle of Prosecco was extra so it cost us £45 each. For that we could have had a three course meal, drinks and several bottles of wine. It was obviously a very popular place and is only open at weekends with booking essential. The rooms are decorated beautifully with the emphasis on very feminine touches such as flowers, crystal, silver and china. We only saw one man the whole time we were there and it's definitely the place to go for baby showers and hen parties. We had a lovely time and had a good chat and were there for about two hours and it was a nice way to spend the afternoon after visiting Bletchley Park.
We left Woburn at about 6pm and took the M1 home. Unfortunately there was a jam at Junction 15 and I ended up going through Grange Park, a large housing estate, and I got completely lost! Luckily Google Maps helped us out again and soon I was bidding farewell to my friends and heading home, much to Sophie's relief. She met me at the door and was delighted with her little chocolate.
We all caught up around the table in the conservatory and rather than watch television, we played cards until 11pm which was great!
The weather was a bit disappointing as it was grey and drizzly but the forecasters had promised it would clear up. I had, of course, lent my mac to my Mum as her concert was an outdoor one, but I had faith in the forecast so didn't take an umbrella with me!
The directions I'd printed out proved useless so we had to rely on Google Maps on Andrea's phone. This took us straight to the door which was great. Bletchley Park opens at 9.30am and we arrived just after opening time so we had no problems parking at all. First up was a coffee and then we plunged straight in.
The set-up is very good and there were lots of interactive games where you could try your hand at deciphering codes. I put headphones on and listed to radio static before I could detect morse code. This was then broken down into letters before being de-coded by the army of workers. At one point 9000 people worked at Bletchley Park covering three eight-hour shifts.
We had a good look at the first exhibition and then moved outside to the grounds of the house. Most of the work was done in pre-fabricated huts known only by their number. As you can imagine it was all top secret.
Luckily the rain had stopped but it was still cloudy and overcast. We wandered by the lake and went into the house itself which housed a couple of offices and a film-set from the movie "The Imitation Game" starring Keira Knightley and Benedict Cumberbatch and which was about Alan Turing who was one of the people to invent the "Bombe" a mechanical machine for breaking down the enemy codes.
The house itself is beautiful and has some gorgeous wood-panelling and decorative ceilings. It was bought in 1938 by Admiral Sir Hugh Sinclair who was head of the Secret Intelligence Service.
From the house we visited several huts and saw rooms set up to look how they would have done when the code-breakers were working there. They were very dimly lit and all had black-out blinds at the windows. Later, one of the guides said this was nonsense as the people working there would have needed very good lighting to see what they were doing!
In some of the huts were several games where you could try your hand at breaking the codes. It was all very complicated to me although I did have some success with the "Bombe" which was operated continually by an army of Wrens. The room would have been noisy and hot and working through the night must have been horrible!
We finished up in a building housing the Bombe rebuild where a helpful guide attempted to explain what the machine was doing. By now I was a little hot and tired and becoming quite hungry! I sat outside with Lynda and called Sophie who was also bored stuck at home. I urged her to make some muffins, which she did!
Andrea and Fiona eventually emerged from the building and we took our little information headsets back and drove over to Woburn for our afternoon tea. It didn't take us long to get there and we were able to park in the large car park on the outskirts of the village. Needless to say, the place was busy and we strolled along the high street which seems to have been taken over by tea-rooms and posh pubs.
The girls wanted a drink so we trooped into The Old Ale House where they ordered a glass of wine each and I settled for a bottle of sparkling water. The bill came to an astounding £24! At the table we sat and watched Serena Williams and sorted out the money for the forthcoming afternoon tea. The girls also gave me a fiver each for my diesel so that was a help!
At 3.30pm we set off for the Woburn Coffee House for our "Celebration" afternoon tea. We were seated in the Orangery but on reflection I would have preferred to have sat right at the front of the restaurant where it was cosier and quieter. Behind us was a Hen Party and the chattering from the 100% female diners was tremendous!
We started off with a bottle of Prosecco (what else?) and then we were treated to some delicious savouries. This was followed by the tea stand on which were more savoury dishes and then scones and cakes.
This is what we enjoyed:
Chicken and chorizo skewer in a cornet of rocket
with a roasted garlic and paprika aioli
Maple glazed pan fried halloumi with red pepper on a bed of mango salsa
Potted crab infused with spring onion and lime with a saffron butter
~
Summer festival arancini with passata
Quails Scotch egg on a bed of pea purée nestled in a dainty Yorkshire pudding
Tomato and basil muffin tricolore finished with a salsa verde
Hot smoked salmon salad with candy beetroot dressed
in a horseradish crème fraîche
~
White chocolate scones infused with lavender
Served with strawberry preserve and clotted cream
~
Lemon and poppy seed Opera Cake topped with a dark chocolate mirror glaze
Pistachio rose meringue with raspberry and rose crème chantilly
~
Vanilla cheesecake finished with a balsamic strawberry glaze
Mango and satsuma filo tart with vanilla Cointreau crème pâtissière
~
Mojito lime mousse with mint genoise sponge
Peach melba marshmallow semi coated in white chocolate and sprinkled
with freeze dried raspberries
 |
| Mojito Mousses |
It certainly wasn't the usual afternoon tea of sandwiches, cakes and scones and the attention to detail was tremendous. Everything was delicious and it was a visual feast for the eye. We ordered tea (Earl Grey and English Breakfast) which kept on coming and we could have ordered as much as we wanted.
It was lovely but I'm not sure I'll be back. £34.95 is a lot for a tea and of course, the bottle of Prosecco was extra so it cost us £45 each. For that we could have had a three course meal, drinks and several bottles of wine. It was obviously a very popular place and is only open at weekends with booking essential. The rooms are decorated beautifully with the emphasis on very feminine touches such as flowers, crystal, silver and china. We only saw one man the whole time we were there and it's definitely the place to go for baby showers and hen parties. We had a lovely time and had a good chat and were there for about two hours and it was a nice way to spend the afternoon after visiting Bletchley Park.
 |
| It was soon all gone! |
 |
| Lynda and Fiona |
 |
| A little treat I took home for Sophie |
We all caught up around the table in the conservatory and rather than watch television, we played cards until 11pm which was great!
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