The last day of the month!

I can't quite believe that it's the last day of February...where have the last two months gone? It's now so much lighter both in the morning, and in the afternoon when I drive home, but the weather of the weekend turned today, and we had rain for most of the day. 

Work was fine with not a lot to report, and the phones have quietened down considerably thank goodness! Before dinner this evening we watched the news at 6pm and we were all so shocked by what's happening in Ukraine. It seems unbelievable that people are fleeing for their lives, and now Putin has introduced the threat of nuclear weapons. Sophie doesn't understand what Keith and I went through years ago when the Cold War had us all terrified of the four-minute warning. She believes that we should wage war on Russia, but that would be unthinkable. I still can't comprehend how this has happened, just when we thought that 2022 was going to perhaps be a better year.

After dinner, Keith and I had a very intellectual evening watching Mastermind at 8pm (how can Clive Myrie be in so much danger in Kyiv? Come home!) followed by University Challenge, and then the BBC2 documentary about Hitler's invasion of Russia, which was quite apt. He failed... will Putin fail, too? Let's pray he somehow sees sense, but I doubt it!

A taste of Canada!

It was lovely to look forward to a day when we had nothing planned! A proper, lazy Sunday!

The weather was gorgeous again, and it was bliss to sit in the conservatory for a change and read the newspapers. Sophie did a lot of work on her CV today as she's looking to change her job, and while she worked on that I sat with her and soaked up the sun coming through the windows.

Late morning, I went and put a colour on my hair to stave off the grey! Sophie helped me put the second application on, and then I had a lovely hot shower. Sophie had suggested going to the new Tim Horton's outlet on Riverside to see what the coffee was like, and to have a snack, and I was only too ready to agree! 

Sophie drove into Northampton so I could gaze at the beautiful sunshine and blue sky. What a treat in February! Before it had arrived in Northampton I had never heard of Tim Horton's which originates in Canada and was started by, funnily enough, a professional ice-hockey player called...um...Tim Horton!  Looking at the menu it was very similar to McDonald's so we now have three fast food outlets (including KFC) in one small area! 

Predictably, there was a queue for the drive-thru, and the next door McDonald's was as busy as ever, so they're obviously not suffering from the new competition! We ordered some chicken tenders, a chicken wrap, a flat white coffee, and a bottle of water. Sophie really wanted a frozen lemonade but they had run out.

The cost of the food and drinks was just under £15 so not cheap! My Flat White was over £3 but I have to say it was good, and comparable to Costa. We sat and ate our food in the large Riverside car park and it was OK, but certainly nothing special, and I doubt we'll go back. A lot of their offerings seemed to be sweet doughnuts and "Timbits", which were mini doughnuts.

Before heading home we put some petrol in Sophie's car. Unfortunately, this awful war in Ukraine shows no sign of ending, and gas and oil prices are going through the roof.

Back home, we discovered that Keith had prepared most of the dinner for tonight - lovely beef steaks with gravy, so we were able to play Scrabble and sip wine before eating. I thrashed Sophie this evening! I think I was just lucky with my tiles!

Spring has sprung?

The weather today has been gorgeous, and very Spring-like, but it's never a good idea to get complacent! Remember the old adage - March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb! However, it was lovely to see the sun and the blue skies. It was still a little cold, but who cares when the sun is out!

I took Mum to Woodlands hospital this morning for an appointment, and as usual, we were met by a little Hitler on the reception desk. We were made to swap our own, perfectly good facemasks for surgical ones, and I was questioned as to whether I needed to accompany my Mum... I was adamant that she needed me with her and I think the look on my face deterred any further questioning!

We had to wait a while but we were out by 12pm and went to collect Sophie from home. We had planned on going to Market Harborough today but time was short, as Sophie was hoping to meet Zain for dinner later in the afternoon.

We headed to Smith's Farm Shop and ordered some lunch in their new cafe. Things looked a bit chaotic behind the counter, but we had delicious sandwiches and coffee, and then enjoyed a slice of cake afterwards.

Before going home we had a good mooch about the shop and picked out some treats. My Mum couldn't believe how many choices there were! One last stop before home was the petrol station, as the threat of queues and panic-buying had reared its ugly head yesterday on social media because of the rise in oil prices... I went to the garage at Moulton and there were no queues at all and everything was calm thank goodness! I would hate to go back to those days again!

After taking Mum back, we came home and relaxed and Sophie received news from Zain that his Mum had been taken ill and he had to return to London with her. They'd been at a wedding in Leicester and he'd been hoping to leave for a few hours to see Sophie. She was upset, naturally, but we had a game of Scrabble and a cocktail made with the Warners Raspberry Gin and she felt a little better, bless her.

We had left the decision about dinner until late (if Sophie had eaten out, Keith and I would have had a takeaway) so we hurriedly prepared dinner of creamy chicken with dumplings and some veggies to go with it. The meal was delicious and Sophie and I went upstairs after we'd eaten to watch Fleetwood Mac in concert in Boston. 

When that was over, we caught up with the news about Ukraine which was very sad. I wish someone would do something about Putin!

So glad it's Friday!

I was heartily glad it was Friday and we could look forward to the weekend! 

Work was frustrating today and we had never-ending swim bookings for the weekend, despite the weather forecast being very good indeed, and completely different to the storms we had last week! By the end of the shift, I was fed up with the bookings and suggested to one woman that she try and use our website instead! 

So, it was bliss to drive home and look forward to two days off. When I got home the news was full of the terrible atrocities in Ukraine and Sophie and I watched the news this evening rather than a film. Like me, she is very upset about what's happening but I can't see an end to it any time soon.

I went to collect Keith from the pub and stayed to talk to John for a couple of minutes. There's no doubting the place is very busy but the light in the back room was harsh and bright. The Royal Oak can be a lovely cosy pub, and this room, with the fire, should be lovely and snug!

After the plague, war...

Sophie told me first thing this morning that Putin had invaded Ukraine, so that was a good start to the day... Just when we thought things were getting better with the pandemic, this comes along. I saw Sophie off to the gym and then watched the news for half an hour. I dread to think what this will mean for us all, and I feel so sorry for the people of Ukraine who must be terrified.

I have to confess to going back to bed for an hour, and I woke up to a text from my son, which was lovely. Last night Sophie had seen a social media post from Abbie about being back in Northampton, but there was no word from Mike that he was back as well. He texted me to say he wasn't able to get time off from work, which was a shame as it would have been great to see him.

Today was my last Thursday off for three months, and I wanted to make the most of it. I had suggested to Keith last night that we go out for a lunchtime mooch, but I changed my mind this morning and said I'd rather go shopping and then do some laundry while pootling about the house! There was snow forecast for this afternoon but the weather has remained sunny all day, albeit with the odd hail shower thrown in for good measure!

To mix things up a bit, Keith and I went to the Aldi at Overstone, rather than the one in Kettering. It was only a week old and everything looked shiny and new! It was very similar to the layout of the Kettering branch but the chill cabinets were behind doors, so much more streamlined. I doubt we will carry on doing our weekly shop here, but it's convenient for me on my way home from work to pick up anything we need!

Before doing the rest of our shopping at Tesco we had lunch at the Costa opposite Aldi in Kettering and enjoyed toasted sandwiches and coffee. Outside, it was bitterly cold with an icy wind that cut us in half! Brrr! Perhaps it was sent by Putin!

We listened to the radio in the car on the way home and we both felt very disturbed. Already, oil and gas prices have risen, and stock markets around the world have fallen. There's been fighting and reports of soldier and civilian deaths. It's horrible. I do sometimes feel like we're at the end of days... so many horrible things have happened in the last two years - widespread fires, volcanic eruptions, the pandemic, floods, storms, and now war.

Back home we put the shopping away and I washed my coat (I'd noticed black marks on the sleeve yesterday), my long cardigan, dressing gown and other laundry that needed doing. I do love an afternoon of getting clothes clean! 

Sophie came home early today as she was going out to the Northampton Filmhouse with Laura this evening. Keith had prepared his own version of pan haggerty (corned beef, potatoes and onion) and this was simmering away in the slow cooker. We had a very relaxed evening sitting at the kitchen island and then enjoyed dinner.

Sophie arrived home at about 11pm after having drinks and nibbles in John Franklin's and seeing the film Death on the Nile. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday!

No room at the inn...

I woke up this morning to the unusual sensation of light flooding the bedroom... Sophie hadn't gone to the gym at 6am as usual, as she had a horrible headache. It was almost 8am so she was still getting ready for work, bless her.

She set off at just after 8am, and I had a coffee before showering. I had an appointment at the optician's at Weston Favell for 11.30am, and I'd arranged to pick up my parents to take them with me. While I was in having my contact lens check, I thought it would be nice for my parents to sit and chat with their old friends, Garry and Gloria, so Mum had called them to arrange to meet them at The Lounge.

They were there already so, after a quick hello, I went to Boots. My contact lens check went very well and my prescription was changed slightly because I'm having more trouble with reading small print! Oh, the joys of getting old! I was thoroughly checked and all done within half an hour, which was great. Back with my parents and Garry and Gloria, I suggested we have lunch at The Lounge, but because Keith had made me a late breakfast before I'd left, I made do with a slice of Baklava and a coffee while the others enjoyed some sandwiches.

It was great to chat to Garry and Gloria who I've known since I was a child, and catch up with their news. They told me that their DJ son, Paul, is now living in London with a Russian Oligarch's daughter (hmmm!) and had just bought himself a Lamborghini... good luck with getting that out of first gear driving in our capital!

After lunch, we did some shopping in Tesco and then I drove my parents back. I returned home to Keith and pottered about for the rest of the afternoon, feeling glad I was off work tomorrow as well!

In the evening, Keith had suggested a meal at The Lamplighter in town, as a thank you to Sophie for taxiing us about on Saturday. We drove into town and parked opposite, but the pub was fully booked with every table taken downstairs. We really didn't fancy eating upstairs so we decided to go elsewhere, and Sophie suggested The Royal Oak in Cogenhoe.

Keith had never been but I'd eaten there with friends, and Sophie had also been a couple of times. They were able to fit us in and we sat and had a drink in the cosy bar first. The place was busy with locals drinking, and a row of cronies sitting at the bar having a good natter. We chose from the menu and sat in the lovely dining room that reminded us of being in a French bistro. We even spotted a bottle of the Mallorcan liqueur, Tunel!

We chose a nibble board to start, consisting of whitebait, breaded mushrooms and scampi and some crispy, cheese-filled morsels. For our mains, we chose a burger, fish and chips, and steak and kidney pie. My fish arrived and Keith eyed it appreciatively, so I swapped with him, eating his delicious pie served with new potatoes and vegetables.

None of us could face a dessert and we really just wanted to go home and relax! Sophie applied a sheet mask which made her look like Hannibal Lecter and watched television upstairs, while Keith and I caught up with the Good Karma Hospital. I sipped a whisky - a lovely end to a great evening!

Bonus wine night!

I felt very tired this morning after Sophie had gone to the gym and I longed to crawl back into bed and sleep for another couple of hours. I'm not sleeping that well at the moment so I'm looking forward to a few more hours of snooze on Wednesday and Thursday!

At work, Sara asked if I wanted some extra hours every week on a Thursday. We're having a new computer system installed over the next few months, and Sara wants me to cover the customer service emails while she concentrates on that. It would mean I'd only have a Wednesday off, but it was something I couldn't turn down. The extra bunce will come in very handy!

We were slightly busier today, and my shift ended with an angry phone call from a woman ringing on behalf of her daughter. I kept very calm while she ranted and shouted down the phone at me, and I do wonder whether these people feel guilty afterwards for taking out their anger on someone who is not to blame for their predicament? I remember once calling Hewlett Packard about a laptop we had bought for Sophie, which had malfunctioned, and I do feel guilty that I lost my temper!

Keith was out tonight watching Sileby play so Sophie and I had a bonus wine night. We watched a heart-rending documentary about a British woman who had been killed by her husband in Athens, and how he had tried to cover up the murder by claiming they were robbed. The sight of this beautiful young girl holding her baby in happier times was terrible and certainly moved me to tears.

Sophie and I enjoyed a lovely bottle of Dark Horse Pinot Gris and ate garlicky chicken with roasted vegetables. Delicious! After the meal, we watched a programme about the Lanesborough Hotel, the most expensive in London, with eye-watering prices! It's about £5000 for a junior suite!

Keith arrived home at about 10pm to some oven chips we'd cooked for him, and he looked frozen! Winter is not over yet!