So today is the last day of the meteorological Autumn and forecasters have said we might get snow this afternoon! It was -1c at 8am so not as cold as we'd been led to believe it would be!
Work was quite busy so the time passed quickly. I didn't have a chat with Sara about the form as it was her first day back and she looked pretty stressed. I decided to leave it as I'm working an extra day on Saturday, and with the travel expenses, I will get back almost as much as I've lost.
When I arrived home I found Keith leaving with Mike who wanted to go to Brixworth. I was annoyed because he's been out somewhere almost every day this week (it's the work experience week at college and he's exempt due to being a second year student) and Keith is sick of driving about all day. Our petrol and diesel usage has gone through the roof!
Keith had made me a sandwich so I gobbled that down and then noticed that none of our lights were working and the washing machine had stopped. I realised our electrics had tripped so I sorted it out and left a note for Keith. Just as I was leaving it happened again...
The afternoon at school was busy and there was mass excitement when it started to snow! It was only light but it sent all the children mad and they ran out into the playground to play! At the end of the session I rushed home as Sue was coming around at 6.30pm. She bought a lovely bottle of red wine with her and some cheese which went well with all the nibbles I'd bought.
We had a great chat and outside the freezing wind strengthened and we had a yellow weather warning for snow (jinxes it!). After Sue went home Keith and the children ate chilli con carne but I was too full of nibbles to join them!
Thursday, 30 November 2017
Wednesday, 29 November 2017
A bit of training.
We had a lazy start to the day and Keith tackled the grouting in the en-suite while I mooched about in a bad mood. I'd called ACAS about the jury service form and they had advised me to see my supervisor. As she's back at work tomorrow I might do that. I also messaged Gill to see if she was at CAB today as I was going to go in and see her, but she wasn't in so I left it, feeling even more annoyed as the day wore on.
At 12.30pm I went to school as a group of us were doing training on Safeguarding Children. The session was at our school's twin in another village so I followed Lisa in her car as I wasn't really sure of where it was. The other school is tiny but very sweet and cosy and after having a cup of tea in the minute staff room we started the session.
A lot of it was common sense and I can say with 100% certainty that all of us were committed to keeping the children in our care safe. As I used to run a Day Nursery I had already undergone some training but it was good to have a refresher. We had to dash off at 2.45pm to get back to open the After School Club and I gave a lift to one of the other staff.
We had 17 children this afternoon so we were very busy and it was quite chaotic. However, when there's that many they tend to entertain themselves so the time went by very quickly. I took some of them out to play as although it was cold, it was dry. I was amazed at how dark it became and how quickly!
When I got home Keith said Mike was in Brixworth, so we went to get him and I bought some nibbles and wine in the Co-op as Sue is coming over tomorrow. I managed to spend nearly £20 but there were some bottles of beer in the basket for Keith as well!
After dinner, Sophie and I did the shopping list for Keith for tomorrow (always a fun job) and then it was a double bill of 90 Day Fiance!
At 12.30pm I went to school as a group of us were doing training on Safeguarding Children. The session was at our school's twin in another village so I followed Lisa in her car as I wasn't really sure of where it was. The other school is tiny but very sweet and cosy and after having a cup of tea in the minute staff room we started the session.
A lot of it was common sense and I can say with 100% certainty that all of us were committed to keeping the children in our care safe. As I used to run a Day Nursery I had already undergone some training but it was good to have a refresher. We had to dash off at 2.45pm to get back to open the After School Club and I gave a lift to one of the other staff.
We had 17 children this afternoon so we were very busy and it was quite chaotic. However, when there's that many they tend to entertain themselves so the time went by very quickly. I took some of them out to play as although it was cold, it was dry. I was amazed at how dark it became and how quickly!
When I got home Keith said Mike was in Brixworth, so we went to get him and I bought some nibbles and wine in the Co-op as Sue is coming over tomorrow. I managed to spend nearly £20 but there were some bottles of beer in the basket for Keith as well!
After dinner, Sophie and I did the shopping list for Keith for tomorrow (always a fun job) and then it was a double bill of 90 Day Fiance!
Tuesday, 28 November 2017
A night out!
We had a busy day today as I wanted to go and get some more Christmas cards and pop into Wilco's to get some bird food for my hungry feathered friends. The winter is set to bite this week with snow forecast for some parts of the country on Thursday.
We shopped in Tesco for Tuesday and Wednesday and when Keith went to return the bags to the car, Sophie and I went into Wilco's and I treated us all to Advent calendars. I also bought some fat snax, mealworms and other foodie treats. That should keep them going for a few weeks!
We had a coffee in Costa and then drove to Screwfix where Keith bought some sealant for our shower. These products are billed as mould-resistant but it's a big fat lie! Our shower unit needs new sealant urgently and Keith hates doing it but it looks horrible!
While we were in the area we also called into Chips Away to see if they could give me a quote for repairing the scratches on my front bumper and the small one on the back of the car. I thought it would come to about £350 but I was monumentally shocked when he quoted me just over £1000! I thought that's what a re-spray would come to!
We beat a hasty retreat home and had lunch before I left to go to school. As it was such a nice afternoon (but cold) we went outside for a while and I played a game of football with one of the girls! We were finished at 6pm and I dashed home to change as Keith and I were going out...on our own! We drove to the King's Head at Wadenhoe and even though I'd said to Keith to ring up and book, he refused. When we arrived two women were getting out of a taxi which looked bad news... as predicted there was a table set for ten and another one for four, for an 18th Birthday.
The woman behind the bar said she could fit us in if we ordered straight away, so we did even though this is something Keith hates doing. However, he was able to sink two pints before we ate! I chose chicken liver pate to start while Keith went for whitebait. I tried some - they were lovely and crunchy!
We both chose fish and chips for our main course and the cod resembled a whale! The portion was huge but we gamely pushed on, regretting our starters a bit! The fish was very good and it was a lovely meal, if a little rushed.
We decided to head nearer home to finish the evening and we went to our local, The White Horse. Amazingly, standing at the bar, were our neighbours from about 25 years ago, so we had a lovely chat and caught up with what we were all doing. They're still fairly local and pop into the pub once a week so that was great.
We didn't get home until about 10pm so we more than enjoyed our night out!
We shopped in Tesco for Tuesday and Wednesday and when Keith went to return the bags to the car, Sophie and I went into Wilco's and I treated us all to Advent calendars. I also bought some fat snax, mealworms and other foodie treats. That should keep them going for a few weeks!
We had a coffee in Costa and then drove to Screwfix where Keith bought some sealant for our shower. These products are billed as mould-resistant but it's a big fat lie! Our shower unit needs new sealant urgently and Keith hates doing it but it looks horrible!
While we were in the area we also called into Chips Away to see if they could give me a quote for repairing the scratches on my front bumper and the small one on the back of the car. I thought it would come to about £350 but I was monumentally shocked when he quoted me just over £1000! I thought that's what a re-spray would come to!
We beat a hasty retreat home and had lunch before I left to go to school. As it was such a nice afternoon (but cold) we went outside for a while and I played a game of football with one of the girls! We were finished at 6pm and I dashed home to change as Keith and I were going out...on our own! We drove to the King's Head at Wadenhoe and even though I'd said to Keith to ring up and book, he refused. When we arrived two women were getting out of a taxi which looked bad news... as predicted there was a table set for ten and another one for four, for an 18th Birthday.
The woman behind the bar said she could fit us in if we ordered straight away, so we did even though this is something Keith hates doing. However, he was able to sink two pints before we ate! I chose chicken liver pate to start while Keith went for whitebait. I tried some - they were lovely and crunchy!
We both chose fish and chips for our main course and the cod resembled a whale! The portion was huge but we gamely pushed on, regretting our starters a bit! The fish was very good and it was a lovely meal, if a little rushed.
We decided to head nearer home to finish the evening and we went to our local, The White Horse. Amazingly, standing at the bar, were our neighbours from about 25 years ago, so we had a lovely chat and caught up with what we were all doing. They're still fairly local and pop into the pub once a week so that was great.
We didn't get home until about 10pm so we more than enjoyed our night out!
Monday, 27 November 2017
Very disgruntled!
I was at work at 8am this morning and discovered an email that had been sent last week regarding my Loss of Earnings certificate. The HR department were adamant they weren't going to sign the form which made me really angry and frustrated. It was all down to me being a casual employee with no guaranteed hours even though I'd been asked by Sara to do every Monday, Thursday and Friday up until Christmas. It made me reluctant to do any more work, to be honest and I was tempted to walk out!
However, I made it through the morning and went to get Sophie from uni before dropping her off at work. I then had barely ten minutes at home before I was back out again to the school for my three hour stint there.
We had very few children and we were all finished by 5.15pm. I went home and spent half an hour watching Pointless before going to pick Sophie up at 6.30pm. It was great to finally get home and relax!
However, I made it through the morning and went to get Sophie from uni before dropping her off at work. I then had barely ten minutes at home before I was back out again to the school for my three hour stint there.
We had very few children and we were all finished by 5.15pm. I went home and spent half an hour watching Pointless before going to pick Sophie up at 6.30pm. It was great to finally get home and relax!
Sunday, 26 November 2017
Getting ahead of myself!
We went to see my parents this morning for a coffee (Dad was playing about with his machine) and I bought them some fancy biscuits as we're always eating theirs!
We stayed until 11am and then returned home where Sophie put a colour on my hair. Keith took Mike to work as I was half-way through the procedure! It did look so much better when Sophie finished and all the grey bits have gone! Hooray!
Today the morning has been lovely and sunny but it clouded over in the afternoon. I swept up all the leaves from the front garden and managed to fill the wheelie bin. It was great to be out in the fresh air and just before the sun set Keith, Sophie and I went for a walk to see the horses with Monty. As soon as they saw us the horses came over and ate some carrots that we'd taken with us.
We walked around the estate with a very frisky Monty and then it was home to write out some Christmas cards. I keep the previous year's cards for reference so I ended up bringing down all the decorations to keep in the conservatory, Next Sunday we will be putting them all up!
We stayed until 11am and then returned home where Sophie put a colour on my hair. Keith took Mike to work as I was half-way through the procedure! It did look so much better when Sophie finished and all the grey bits have gone! Hooray!
Today the morning has been lovely and sunny but it clouded over in the afternoon. I swept up all the leaves from the front garden and managed to fill the wheelie bin. It was great to be out in the fresh air and just before the sun set Keith, Sophie and I went for a walk to see the horses with Monty. As soon as they saw us the horses came over and ate some carrots that we'd taken with us.
We walked around the estate with a very frisky Monty and then it was home to write out some Christmas cards. I keep the previous year's cards for reference so I ended up bringing down all the decorations to keep in the conservatory, Next Sunday we will be putting them all up!
Saturday, 25 November 2017
Snow!
Amazingly, at about 8.30am this morning we had a very light snow flurry that lasted about half an hour! Is this a sign of a hard winter to come?
We dropped Sophie off at work and then went on a hunt for Fajita sauce. We had got a spicy powder to marinate the chicken with, but Sophie likes her fajitas a bit "wet" so we drove to Aldi but they hadn't any at all. We tried Waitrose but they had everything but! As a last resort we walked to Asda and had a choice of two jars! Bingo!
Back home we had toast for breakfast and I caught up with some jobs that had been waiting for me all week. Next week I'll be glad to have Tuesday and Wednesday off again! I dropped Mike off in town at midday and came home to wash my car. Keith went off to the football and after hoovering downstairs I managed to sit out in the garden for a little while with a mug of hot chocolate. The sky was blue with some big fluffy clouds and it was great to get some fresh air for a little while. The sun sets here at about 4pm now and it was really low in the sky but it was still great to sit outside for just a few minutes.
I settled down to watch Scrooged on the television and Keith returned from the football looking frozen! We caught a very old cookery programme with Nigel Slater and an astonishingly young Nigella Lawson (she looked about 12) before Keith turned over to watch the football.
Mike had gone from town to Sophie's work so we were able to pick him up from there which was a lot easier! It was home to relax before dinner of fajitas, and the sauce was very good indeed!
We dropped Sophie off at work and then went on a hunt for Fajita sauce. We had got a spicy powder to marinate the chicken with, but Sophie likes her fajitas a bit "wet" so we drove to Aldi but they hadn't any at all. We tried Waitrose but they had everything but! As a last resort we walked to Asda and had a choice of two jars! Bingo!
Back home we had toast for breakfast and I caught up with some jobs that had been waiting for me all week. Next week I'll be glad to have Tuesday and Wednesday off again! I dropped Mike off in town at midday and came home to wash my car. Keith went off to the football and after hoovering downstairs I managed to sit out in the garden for a little while with a mug of hot chocolate. The sky was blue with some big fluffy clouds and it was great to get some fresh air for a little while. The sun sets here at about 4pm now and it was really low in the sky but it was still great to sit outside for just a few minutes.
I settled down to watch Scrooged on the television and Keith returned from the football looking frozen! We caught a very old cookery programme with Nigel Slater and an astonishingly young Nigella Lawson (she looked about 12) before Keith turned over to watch the football.
Mike had gone from town to Sophie's work so we were able to pick him up from there which was a lot easier! It was home to relax before dinner of fajitas, and the sauce was very good indeed!
Friday, 24 November 2017
She passed!
It was a very cold and frosty morning and Keith and I were up and out by 7.30am. He was determined to get my tyre sorted out today but had to use the Honda to take Mike to college. He was on a trip down to London and the coach left college at 9.30am so we woke him before we left with dire warnings if he didn't get into the shower straight away!
I still didn't manage to resolve the problem with my loss of earnings today and the office was very noisy as the one of the managers was in and spent almost the whole time cackling like a witch and talking very loudly despite us trying to hear customers on the phone. I have really got to hate this job at the moment and I'm actively looking for something else!
Sophie had her driving test today and was very nervous so I kept her spirits up by texting her and when Keith and I were driving home at 2pm she called to say she'd passed! We were so proud of her because both Keith and I failed our driving tests the first time! Now we just need to sort out an automatic car for her and Keith to share!
Keith had managed to get the puncture in my tyre fixed but unfortunately, somehow, had managed to scrape my front bumper so now I have two deep scratches, which I was really unhappy about. I will definitely have to get it sorted out.
We had film night at the after school club but as it was a lovely afternoon, we took the children out for half an hour before putting on the movie. This meant that the film finished just as the parents were arriving to pick up their children so it worked out very well.
It was great to go home and relax with Sophie but Mike had called to say that he wouldn't be back at college until about 8pm. Sophie had heard of a suspected terror attack in London but it turned out to be a false alarm, thank goodness, but this had held the college trip up as a couple of students had been caught up in it all. He eventually arrived back at about 8.30pm so Sophie and I went to collect him before finally getting home and relaxing!
I still didn't manage to resolve the problem with my loss of earnings today and the office was very noisy as the one of the managers was in and spent almost the whole time cackling like a witch and talking very loudly despite us trying to hear customers on the phone. I have really got to hate this job at the moment and I'm actively looking for something else!
Sophie had her driving test today and was very nervous so I kept her spirits up by texting her and when Keith and I were driving home at 2pm she called to say she'd passed! We were so proud of her because both Keith and I failed our driving tests the first time! Now we just need to sort out an automatic car for her and Keith to share!
Keith had managed to get the puncture in my tyre fixed but unfortunately, somehow, had managed to scrape my front bumper so now I have two deep scratches, which I was really unhappy about. I will definitely have to get it sorted out.
We had film night at the after school club but as it was a lovely afternoon, we took the children out for half an hour before putting on the movie. This meant that the film finished just as the parents were arriving to pick up their children so it worked out very well.
It was great to go home and relax with Sophie but Mike had called to say that he wouldn't be back at college until about 8pm. Sophie had heard of a suspected terror attack in London but it turned out to be a false alarm, thank goodness, but this had held the college trip up as a couple of students had been caught up in it all. He eventually arrived back at about 8.30pm so Sophie and I went to collect him before finally getting home and relaxing!
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