Keith took me to work today as he felt a little better and was going to do our weekly shop. At 3pm he picked me up and we sped home where I arranged the pumpkins outside the front door and lit some candles on the windowsill.
Today has been a real Halloweeny sort of day with a stiff breeze that has loosened a lot of Autumnal leaves. I lit the candles in the pumpkins when it got dark and we awaited (hopefully) hordes of little witches and wizards.
We had four lots of trick or treaters so not as many as previous years and I do wonder whether next year we will carry on. A lot of houses around us were in darkness, which was a shame and this year's Halloween has certainly not been as busy as a few years ago when we had masses of children knock on the door. Maybe it's because it's been half-term here and people have gone away?
Keith cooked a delicious chicken pie for dinner and we had one last knock on the door, which Mike answered. They were older children so I was glad he went!
Thursday, 31 October 2019
Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Encounter with an Alien...
I was up early with Sophie and waved her off to the gym before having a lovely coffee and catching up with some jobs on the computer (paying car tax).
Keith was still feeling rough when he got up so I said I would decorate the bathroom on my own today. He insisted on coming upstairs with me but there was so much heavy breathing going on, it was like having Darth Vader in the bathroom with me! I told him to go downstairs and rest!
I turned the radio on (unfortunately Ken Bruce was away) and spent the best part of the day painting the walls and ceiling. I took my time and although I hate doing the ceiling, it all looked great when I'd finished. I just have to do the strip along the top of the wall and gloss the door and it's all done!
Just as I was finishing, Mike phoned to ask us to pick him up as he'd been at Abbie's house to stay the night. She is going back to university today and Mike won't be returning with her. We dashed off to get him and as soon as I arrived back home I had a shower as Sophie and I are out tonight to see Alien at the Northampton Filmhouse.
We left at just after 6pm and drove to the car park by Derngate to find it almost full! I managed to back into a space (driving Sophie's car helped!) and we walked to Buddies for a pre-film meal. I hadn't been to the original Buddies for years and Sophie had never been so it was a great experience. Buddies opened in 1981 and I remember going when I was a child. I wrote a letter saying how great it was and they put it up on the wall! I don't think it's still there but there were a lot of letters from children so the tradition lives on!
We shared starters of mozzarella sticks and breaded chicken before our mains of their classic beefburger and Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. The food was delicious as always and we were stuffed when we were finished!
We walked back to Derngate and had a drink in John Franklin's. Sophie had a Dark and Stormy cocktail while I made do with a bottle of sparkling water. Tomorrow I will have got through a month without alcohol and I'm planning on going a little further into November!
We settled into our seats for the film and we both enjoyed it immensely, even though it was gory and bloody at times. It's amazing to think it was made in 1979 and the actors all looked so young!
Keith was still feeling rough when he got up so I said I would decorate the bathroom on my own today. He insisted on coming upstairs with me but there was so much heavy breathing going on, it was like having Darth Vader in the bathroom with me! I told him to go downstairs and rest!
I turned the radio on (unfortunately Ken Bruce was away) and spent the best part of the day painting the walls and ceiling. I took my time and although I hate doing the ceiling, it all looked great when I'd finished. I just have to do the strip along the top of the wall and gloss the door and it's all done!
Just as I was finishing, Mike phoned to ask us to pick him up as he'd been at Abbie's house to stay the night. She is going back to university today and Mike won't be returning with her. We dashed off to get him and as soon as I arrived back home I had a shower as Sophie and I are out tonight to see Alien at the Northampton Filmhouse.
We left at just after 6pm and drove to the car park by Derngate to find it almost full! I managed to back into a space (driving Sophie's car helped!) and we walked to Buddies for a pre-film meal. I hadn't been to the original Buddies for years and Sophie had never been so it was a great experience. Buddies opened in 1981 and I remember going when I was a child. I wrote a letter saying how great it was and they put it up on the wall! I don't think it's still there but there were a lot of letters from children so the tradition lives on!
We shared starters of mozzarella sticks and breaded chicken before our mains of their classic beefburger and Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. The food was delicious as always and we were stuffed when we were finished!
We walked back to Derngate and had a drink in John Franklin's. Sophie had a Dark and Stormy cocktail while I made do with a bottle of sparkling water. Tomorrow I will have got through a month without alcohol and I'm planning on going a little further into November!
We settled into our seats for the film and we both enjoyed it immensely, even though it was gory and bloody at times. It's amazing to think it was made in 1979 and the actors all looked so young!
Tuesday, 29 October 2019
Difficult customers!
Keith drove me into work again today as Mike had asked for a lift to Abbie's house later on. There was just Joanne and I working and first thing I had a difficult call from a taxi driver who had received a parking ticket whilst waiting for a fare in our car park. Although I was sympathetic and tried to help, he started to get argumentative on the phone and in the end I had to terminate the call, something I've only done a handful of times since working in the contact centre!
I had another argumentative call a little later so today has certainly been a difficult one! Keith picked me up at 2pm but said that Mike was still at home as he hadn't got ready to go with Keith when he left to collect me, which was very annoying.
Of course, as soon as we got home, he wanted to go! We took him to an address in Kingsthorpe and then drove over to see Mum and Dad who were having trouble with some DVLA forms. I managed to help them out and we had a cup of tea before returning home the scenic way. It's been another gorgeous day with cooler temperatures but lots of sunshine and blue skies. I fear it's all set to change later in the week which will coincide with Halloween and the firework display in the village.
Dinner tonight was bubble and squeak and leftover cold beef from Sunday which was delicious!
I had another argumentative call a little later so today has certainly been a difficult one! Keith picked me up at 2pm but said that Mike was still at home as he hadn't got ready to go with Keith when he left to collect me, which was very annoying.
Of course, as soon as we got home, he wanted to go! We took him to an address in Kingsthorpe and then drove over to see Mum and Dad who were having trouble with some DVLA forms. I managed to help them out and we had a cup of tea before returning home the scenic way. It's been another gorgeous day with cooler temperatures but lots of sunshine and blue skies. I fear it's all set to change later in the week which will coincide with Halloween and the firework display in the village.
Dinner tonight was bubble and squeak and leftover cold beef from Sunday which was delicious!
Monday, 28 October 2019
A little Christmas shopping!
Keith drove me into work today as he had errands to run and at some point I knew we were going to get a call from Mike to ask us to pick him up.
Work was busy but thankfully there were three of us manning the phones so the load was a little lighter. I had warned Keith that the car park would be busy when he returned to pick me up as there was a Fun Day going on in the centre and he arrived as I was walking out. He wasn't keen to go home so he treated me to a coffee at the Costa in Next. This gave me a perfect excuse to go and have another look at the bathroom section and I picked out a grey wicker basket and a loo brush and holder! The basket can hold Sophie's lotions and potions that she puts on the window sill and we really don't need anything else in there for storage as all of the stuff we use goes into the cabinet we have in our bedroom.
Keith then suggested we go to Beckworth to see if they had the turkeys in yet, so off we went! We were delighted to find the turkeys rolled, stuffed and wrapped in bacon so we bought a 6lb joint for Christmas Day! A bit early I know, but get it while you can and the meat was so delicious last year!
I did draw the line at going into the Christmas Emporium part of the shop, though. We'll leave that until the end of November perhaps!
Back home I grabbed the opportunity to get out into the fresh air (the weather has been gorgeous today with clear blue skies and Autumnal sunshine) and tidied up the front garden. After the winds and rain we've had recently it was looking a bit sorry for itself and I swept up tons of leaves and turned over the soil. The grass was far too wet to be cut but it all looked a lot better. Just as I was finishing Mike called to ask us to pick him up so I had to drop everything and Keith and I drove into town.
On the way we came across a man who has lived in Moulton for as long as we can remember - he has a mass of tightly curled hair and drives an ancient Reliant Robin! We hadn't seen the car for quite a while and I was amazed it was still on the road! It looked so weird with just one wheel at the front but I wouldn't have wanted to travel behind him for too long as the car wasn't going very fast!
We picked Mike up from Abington Park and headed home where I prepared all the veggies for our curry tonight. Keith has a horrible cough and cold at the moment (he caught it from Mike) but he gamely cooked dinner despite feeling a bit rough!
Work was busy but thankfully there were three of us manning the phones so the load was a little lighter. I had warned Keith that the car park would be busy when he returned to pick me up as there was a Fun Day going on in the centre and he arrived as I was walking out. He wasn't keen to go home so he treated me to a coffee at the Costa in Next. This gave me a perfect excuse to go and have another look at the bathroom section and I picked out a grey wicker basket and a loo brush and holder! The basket can hold Sophie's lotions and potions that she puts on the window sill and we really don't need anything else in there for storage as all of the stuff we use goes into the cabinet we have in our bedroom.
Keith then suggested we go to Beckworth to see if they had the turkeys in yet, so off we went! We were delighted to find the turkeys rolled, stuffed and wrapped in bacon so we bought a 6lb joint for Christmas Day! A bit early I know, but get it while you can and the meat was so delicious last year!
I did draw the line at going into the Christmas Emporium part of the shop, though. We'll leave that until the end of November perhaps!
Back home I grabbed the opportunity to get out into the fresh air (the weather has been gorgeous today with clear blue skies and Autumnal sunshine) and tidied up the front garden. After the winds and rain we've had recently it was looking a bit sorry for itself and I swept up tons of leaves and turned over the soil. The grass was far too wet to be cut but it all looked a lot better. Just as I was finishing Mike called to ask us to pick him up so I had to drop everything and Keith and I drove into town.
On the way we came across a man who has lived in Moulton for as long as we can remember - he has a mass of tightly curled hair and drives an ancient Reliant Robin! We hadn't seen the car for quite a while and I was amazed it was still on the road! It looked so weird with just one wheel at the front but I wouldn't have wanted to travel behind him for too long as the car wasn't going very fast!
We picked Mike up from Abington Park and headed home where I prepared all the veggies for our curry tonight. Keith has a horrible cough and cold at the moment (he caught it from Mike) but he gamely cooked dinner despite feeling a bit rough!
Sunday, 27 October 2019
A day at home
The horrible wet and nasty weather moved away overnight and we awoke to blue skies and sunshine. Sophie was meeting her friend Laura today for lunch and had booked a table at The Four Pears in Little Houghton.
I spent the day catching up with housework and I gave the hallway floor and skirting boards a good clean. Some of the white paintwork on the banisters needs touching up - a job for next Wednesday I think!
Keith fitted two doorstops for me - one on the kitchen door where we have already managed to punch a hole into the wall, and one in the bathroom to protect the tiles. I gave the bathroom a good clean and applied some of the grey bathroom paint on the walls to see what it looked like.
Mum and Dad popped around in the afternoon and had a look at our new room before enjoying a cup of tea and some biscuits. I am starting to feel a lot happier with how the house looks now, but the kitchen is up for decorating next, followed by our bedroom and then finally the study. Hopefully, by the Spring it will all be done!
After Mum and Dad had gone I finished the cleaning and then had a lovely bath. Sophie texted me to say she was at a pub in Olney and I started to get a bit worried as the clocks had gone back last night and it would be dark for her journey home. The road to Olney is quite dark and she had never driven it before so I asked her to be careful!
Keith cooked roast beef for just the two of us this evening which felt a bit strange! While he was doing the cooking I watched David Attenborough's latest programme - Seven Worlds, One Planet - with the first episode about life in Antarctica. To say it was brutal was a massive understatement and I'm just glad Sophie wasn't around to watch it. We learnt that Albatross parents don't recognise their young if they fall out of the nest and I watched as a little chick struggled to get back in with the completely indifferent parent looking on...it was horrible!
Sophie arrived home at about 7.30pm as we were clearing up so it was a very quiet evening! She'd had a great time with Laura and had ended up coming home on the Newport Pagnell road which I always find a bit spooky due to the dark Salcey Forest along the route!
I spent the day catching up with housework and I gave the hallway floor and skirting boards a good clean. Some of the white paintwork on the banisters needs touching up - a job for next Wednesday I think!
Keith fitted two doorstops for me - one on the kitchen door where we have already managed to punch a hole into the wall, and one in the bathroom to protect the tiles. I gave the bathroom a good clean and applied some of the grey bathroom paint on the walls to see what it looked like.
Mum and Dad popped around in the afternoon and had a look at our new room before enjoying a cup of tea and some biscuits. I am starting to feel a lot happier with how the house looks now, but the kitchen is up for decorating next, followed by our bedroom and then finally the study. Hopefully, by the Spring it will all be done!
After Mum and Dad had gone I finished the cleaning and then had a lovely bath. Sophie texted me to say she was at a pub in Olney and I started to get a bit worried as the clocks had gone back last night and it would be dark for her journey home. The road to Olney is quite dark and she had never driven it before so I asked her to be careful!
Keith cooked roast beef for just the two of us this evening which felt a bit strange! While he was doing the cooking I watched David Attenborough's latest programme - Seven Worlds, One Planet - with the first episode about life in Antarctica. To say it was brutal was a massive understatement and I'm just glad Sophie wasn't around to watch it. We learnt that Albatross parents don't recognise their young if they fall out of the nest and I watched as a little chick struggled to get back in with the completely indifferent parent looking on...it was horrible!
Sophie arrived home at about 7.30pm as we were clearing up so it was a very quiet evening! She'd had a great time with Laura and had ended up coming home on the Newport Pagnell road which I always find a bit spooky due to the dark Salcey Forest along the route!
Saturday, 26 October 2019
Soaked!
We awoke to grey skies and heavy rain which was a shame as we'd planned on going to a Food Festival in Market Harborough today. It didn't put us off going but I felt really sorry for the people who'd organised it. I think the weather is going to be better tomorrow, thank goodness!
We had a lazy morning and I felt extremely proud when England beat New Zealand in the semi-final of the Rugby in Japan! What an outcome! After showering and getting ready we sloshed our way over to Market Harborough at about 11.30am. I had a feeling we'd have difficulty finding a space, but we located one in our usual car park and after paying for three hours (!) we set off for Starbucks to have a coffee.
Everyone was walking around in rain macs and carrying umbrellas and the weather didn't let up at all. The Food Festival was held in the main square and there were several stalls grouped around together with some dining tents set up in the middle. Predictably, nobody was sitting eating but the smells wafting about were delicious!
There was a sausage stall, one selling Asian street food, a tent with scarves and hats and a French cheese producer who gave us some to try. It was delicious! However, I was getting more and more soaked by the water dripping off the tent roofs and the umbrella Sophie was carrying and the moisture had seeped through to the top I was wearing underneath my raincoat. Sophie sampled a toffee vodka from one stall and bought a small bottle to enjoy later this evening. She was asked for ID before she could sample any!
As it was so cold and wet we decided not to have lunch in the Food Festival and I suggested Farndon Fields instead. After buying a newspaper we gave up with the weather as I was well and truly soaked and we returned to the car after only about an hour!
Market Harborough is prone to flooding because of the Welland river that runs through it and as we splashed our way over to the farm shop the roads were covered in water. As usual, Farndon Fields was busy but we finally managed to bag a space and ran into the building.
The queue was very long and stretched right out into the shopping area, but we patiently waited, ogling all the lovely foodstuffs while we inched forward. For the first time, we were seated upstairs and it was lovely and quiet. I deliberated for ages over the menu, choosing in the end, giant couscous with skewered chicken. Sophie went for her usual choice of chicken and bacon sandwich and the food was delicious, as always. It just brings it home to me how bad the service was last week at The Garden Barn!
After we'd eaten we mooched about the farm shop and bought lots of goodies - goat's cheese, oat biscuits, sourdough bread, veggies for the curry we were supposed to be having tonight, stuffed olives and a bottle of Ginger Ale to go with Sophie's toffee vodka. I marvelled at how beautiful the array of vegetables were:
The weather outside was still grey and horrible and we drove home through sodden fields to put the heating on and get cosy!
We all decided to abandon the idea of curry for dinner and instead, while watching Strictly, we munched on the grilled goat's cheese on crusty bread, olives, grapes and some smoked cheese that Sophie found in the fridge. Afterwards we returned to 1998 and watched Michael Douglas in A Perfect Murder. It was a perfect end to a lovely day, despite the weather!
We had a lazy morning and I felt extremely proud when England beat New Zealand in the semi-final of the Rugby in Japan! What an outcome! After showering and getting ready we sloshed our way over to Market Harborough at about 11.30am. I had a feeling we'd have difficulty finding a space, but we located one in our usual car park and after paying for three hours (!) we set off for Starbucks to have a coffee.
Everyone was walking around in rain macs and carrying umbrellas and the weather didn't let up at all. The Food Festival was held in the main square and there were several stalls grouped around together with some dining tents set up in the middle. Predictably, nobody was sitting eating but the smells wafting about were delicious!
There was a sausage stall, one selling Asian street food, a tent with scarves and hats and a French cheese producer who gave us some to try. It was delicious! However, I was getting more and more soaked by the water dripping off the tent roofs and the umbrella Sophie was carrying and the moisture had seeped through to the top I was wearing underneath my raincoat. Sophie sampled a toffee vodka from one stall and bought a small bottle to enjoy later this evening. She was asked for ID before she could sample any!
As it was so cold and wet we decided not to have lunch in the Food Festival and I suggested Farndon Fields instead. After buying a newspaper we gave up with the weather as I was well and truly soaked and we returned to the car after only about an hour!
Market Harborough is prone to flooding because of the Welland river that runs through it and as we splashed our way over to the farm shop the roads were covered in water. As usual, Farndon Fields was busy but we finally managed to bag a space and ran into the building.
The queue was very long and stretched right out into the shopping area, but we patiently waited, ogling all the lovely foodstuffs while we inched forward. For the first time, we were seated upstairs and it was lovely and quiet. I deliberated for ages over the menu, choosing in the end, giant couscous with skewered chicken. Sophie went for her usual choice of chicken and bacon sandwich and the food was delicious, as always. It just brings it home to me how bad the service was last week at The Garden Barn!
After we'd eaten we mooched about the farm shop and bought lots of goodies - goat's cheese, oat biscuits, sourdough bread, veggies for the curry we were supposed to be having tonight, stuffed olives and a bottle of Ginger Ale to go with Sophie's toffee vodka. I marvelled at how beautiful the array of vegetables were:
 |
| So many varieties of tomato! |
We all decided to abandon the idea of curry for dinner and instead, while watching Strictly, we munched on the grilled goat's cheese on crusty bread, olives, grapes and some smoked cheese that Sophie found in the fridge. Afterwards we returned to 1998 and watched Michael Douglas in A Perfect Murder. It was a perfect end to a lovely day, despite the weather!
Friday, 25 October 2019
Autumnal days...
Today has been a real Autumnal day with winds and rain. The leaves are falling thick and fast now and the pervading colours of the countryside are oranges and browns.
Work was OK and we ended the week on a quiet note. I sped home at 2pm and immediately went out again with Keith and Mike as our son wanted his hair cut. We dropped him off and went to Costa in Tesco for a coffee and a slice of banana and pecan cake.
When he returned he wanted something to eat and as we went to pay we met Mum and Dad who were going through the self-checkout. We had a natter and then said goodbye, driving home through the rain and wind to get cosy in the house!
It was short-lived, though, as Mike wanted a lift into town as he was spending the weekend with Abbie. Driving into Northampton in the rush hour traffic was not pleasant, especially as it was raining and misty! We dropped him off and thankfully returned home to open a bottle of the "Nonsecco" and finish off the dinner that Keith had started before he went to the pub.
I love Friday nights - no work tomorrow and the weekend ahead of us!
Work was OK and we ended the week on a quiet note. I sped home at 2pm and immediately went out again with Keith and Mike as our son wanted his hair cut. We dropped him off and went to Costa in Tesco for a coffee and a slice of banana and pecan cake.
When he returned he wanted something to eat and as we went to pay we met Mum and Dad who were going through the self-checkout. We had a natter and then said goodbye, driving home through the rain and wind to get cosy in the house!
It was short-lived, though, as Mike wanted a lift into town as he was spending the weekend with Abbie. Driving into Northampton in the rush hour traffic was not pleasant, especially as it was raining and misty! We dropped him off and thankfully returned home to open a bottle of the "Nonsecco" and finish off the dinner that Keith had started before he went to the pub.
I love Friday nights - no work tomorrow and the weekend ahead of us!
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