Last day of February..

Gosh this month has gone quickly..Been typically cold with a mixture of snowy weather and rain and just cold days. February isn't a memorable month really, nothing to commend it at all. Looking forward to the Spring weather coming in March now.
Had a quiet day today..we had a lie in this morning due to our early rise yesterday, so we didn't rush to get up. Did the bedding, it is much easier now I have two sets of the Egyptian cotton bedding because there isn't the rush to iron it all in the same day. We have the red bedding on the bed and the plum in the wash drying. VT nipped out quickly this morning as much to get some fresh air than anything, and was back for coffee. He said it was too quiet and nothing doing. Crosby is a dire place really, llike some Eastern European town. deadl;y with nothing to make you stay and wander. Probably why we like going to Bath and Wells etc.
We did our usual crosswords this afternoon, which proved to be fairly easy although s couple of tricky ones. Keeps the brain active anyway.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza homemade, with
Roasted vegetables. andd mushroom,
Mozzarella
Salad with avocado pear,
Potato salad and Pasta salad for VT.

The Visit...

The reason for all the cleaning this week was a visit from a long time ago neighbour of mine, who is now a Professor in the Texas A&M University. He was in England on business and sent me an email to say he could visit today.
It was really lovely to see him, he hasn't changed a bit, but older of course. It was really nice to chat and talk over old times, and catch up on some of the people he remembered.
The village has of course changed a huge amount since he left,but there still are people around he remembered.
We have been all week cleaning up so the house looked at its best, and at least he had a look in the kitchen which is a big change from what he would have remembered. We had a big extension about 14 years ago now which effectively gave us another room and made a huge difference to the house.
VT showed him a number of books about Hightown and surrounding areas which had family connections, and will send a pack of some off to him when they have been copied.
Since he was visiting early we had to get up early, and it does make a lonmg day though.
Tonight we are having:
Chinese..spring rolls,
Fried rice 1/2 a pack
Stir fry vegetables
Sauce of some sort.

What a Grey day!

A really nasty grey and rainy day today. The little cats go out for a few minutes then come back into the warmth pretty quickly. They know which side their bread is buttered on.
We nipped out to Waitrose in Formby this morning for ourweekend things, expecting the car park to be busy, but in actual fact it was quite quiet and we were able to park near the front. The shop however was quite busy, but it is a nice shop with plenty of room to move around. In terms of shopping experiencces Waitrose do score quite highly..pity the same can't be said for their prices!
You know you are paying top whack for everything, and your shopping bill is going to be much higher than if you went to Asda. Does make a change though.
Little Bobby, or should I say big Bobby was walking all over me last night, or early this morning..properly woke me up. She curled herself up round my head somehow, and was purring in my ear. Now I am as deaf as a post, but it is surprising how noisy a cat's purr can be when it is going like anenginge in my good ear. Never mind though, I haven't the heart to move her, and she was so comfy.
The big Spring Clean goes on apace.. the house looks lovely, at least tidy and clean, with a smell of polish and Flash cleaner everywhere. Not a good idea to open any cupboards though it all might fall out. I said to VT where have you put all your things, and he said" I have a list!!!" That means by Monday it will all be back again. We generally have a big clean up just before we go on holiday, and I think the cats are getting worried, the only thing is we aren't getting suitcases out.
VT is presently dusting my black and white wall. he says I keep missing bits. This is a wall on our landing which is a whole wall of black and white pictures and photographs which we collected over a few years till we got it the size we wanted. Now we don't need any more so we don't bother. I can remember where most of them came from, and it was a lovely thing to do at the time. All the frames are either black or the clear postcard type ones, and everything fits together beautifully. Of all the things in the house it is the one feature I most like.
I think most everywhere is done now, and at least it will all be nice and clean for Spring. I've even put my L'Occitane soaps in the bathroom for show!!
Tonight we are having:
Pasties from Waitrose..hand made vegetable ones. Nice and simple so we can finish off.
And...a Clotted cream rice pudding as a little treat to ourselves. Now we very rarely have puddings so this is a treat!

Vegetarianism and Different Viewpoints...

We have been watching episodes of Come Dine With Me on Channel 4 this week, and it is set in Liverpool. They are repeats, but we had forgotten them, and since it was set in our home area we watched them again,
There is a contestant on called Ray Parry who is a vegetarian, with a very "gobby" mouth for want of a better word. He is setting the cause of vegetarianism back about thirty years. He insists on pushing his ideas onto everyone, refuses to take the food till the host has explained in detail what is in it, and how it is made. I hate people like that, we expect a certain amount of questioning when out to dinner..much along the lines of "What do you have for Christmas?" I usually say..nothing with a face, but I would never dream of inflicting my food choices on anyone. He is getting everyones back up and is so unpopular I think most of them would like to thump him.Including us!
VT ws going through our vouchers last night while tidying up, and found a Tesco one for £5.50..so off we went this morning to ohe one in Freshfield. Hate going there now, we almost never go to Tesco any more, just don't like their ethos and the Tescopoly thing. Having said that it was very busy, so someone must like them! There were a few things we needed, I wanted some flowers for the middle room, and some ice-cream for the freezer. They actually had an offer on Green and Blacks Vanilla for £1.99 so we got that. Anyway we came out having spent £36!!! so they got our money in the end. Bought a lot of Quorn things three for £5 which isn't bad.
Still tidying up, the accumulated clutter of 36 years of marriage, and a husband who hates throwing things away! He has what I call flat surfaceitis, that is, if there is a flat surface anywhere he will put things on it!!!
But who cares..he is a lovely man.
He is practically living in the recycling centre with all the paper and plastic we are recycling these days.
Tonight we are having:
Quorn fillet in a jar of M&S sauce with mushrooms, and a
Stir fry.

Hive of Activity..

What a busy day...we didn't get up too early either! After our breakfast we started on the big clean up..one thing leading to another. I did the shelf in the kitchen which has a lot of bits and bobs on it that need washing, and VT then did the window and the tile shelf for me. Then he said the outside looked mucky so he did those too, then he did the big window at the end that Rusty sticks her nose up against. That led to doing shelves and cupboards. After our coffee, I started to do a bit of baking. Haven't done any for ages and ages, but wanted to make some home made biscuits for Saturday.
Made some Viennese fingers..a recipe I have had since I was very young and the recipe is barely readable in my handwritten recipe book.
(Swiss Fingers)
8oz butter or marg
2oz of Icing Sugar
2oz of Cornflour
2oz Plain Flour,
1 tsp of vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp of salt.
Cream the butter and icing sugar together till light. Add the other ingredients till a soft mix is formed. Put the mix into a piping bag and pipe out fingers or whirls onto a baking sheet on baking paper. Cook at Gas mark 5 till golden brown about 10-15 mins. Leave for a while then transfer to a tray. Careful, they are delicate.
When cold sandwich together with a little buttercream and dip the ends in chocolate if you like.
VT spent ages in the front room tidying up in there. A lot of winter dust..he said there were Cobwebs in the co5rners!!! one thing about not having good eyesight is that you can't see things like cobwebs! It must be lovely to have a cleaner to keep on top of it all.
VT is sneezing now..He says it is the dust!!!! Bless..
After lunch he went to finish off, and I made some Oaty Biscuits.. A Rachel Allen recipe I got off the Internet.
Oaty Biscuits
5oz Oats I used Jumbo ones it was all I had,
2 1/2 oz caster sugar
4oz butter
2oz Plain Flour.
1/2 tsp salt
Whizz the oats in a food processor till quite fine, then add all the other ingredients and process till the mix comes together. Simple as that. Then roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/2 in thick and cut into rounds or squares whatever. |I did rounds.
Bake at gas mark 5 about 10-15 mins. Absolutely delicious. I will get VT to take a photo sometime of my baking endeavours.
Must admit I really enjoyed the baking, I haven't done any in so long.. trouble is what you make is terribly moreish!! then there are the calories. But what the heck..it was nice while it lasted.
VT has done a stellar job on the front room, what a star!
Tonight we are having:
Pie maybe?
Mashed potato with leek,
Cauliflower gratin and mushrooms.

A Cool Clean

Still cold today, and we stayed in to get some Spring cleaning done. We are expecting a visit from a one time neighbour from years ago on Saturday, so are sprucing the place up a bit. Getting rid of the vcestages of Winter clutter. Actually, it is amazing how much you accumulate in a house after 36 years of marriage. I was saying to VT at lunch time that you change over the years, and so your belongings change. We tend to keep things in a cupboard and there they stay for ever, till you decide that is long enough.
VT spent quite a lot of time this morning clearing out the extension which has been dusted and polished. It is surprising how much dust accumulates on brickwork, which we have in there. We did the lamp, and the vase and the wine rack, and the shelf in the middle room with the ornaments on, so all is looking lovely now.
As I type this it is snowing again, but very lightly, and it won't stick I don't think. VT has been over recycling again, and says it is very cold.
I used to know the visitor when I was young, he was two years older than me, and went to the Grammar school. From teacher training college he went on eventually to become a Professor in Texas University, and a well known academic in his field. I don't think we have ever had a Professor in the house before! it will be nice to catch up.
VT had some quorn sausage rolls for his lunch, but I had an egg salad! absolutely freezing..can't think why I fancied that! I do love salads, but not really in the middle of Winter!
Tonight we are having:
Goats cheese and cranberry escalope.
Mashed potato,
Mushrooms with hollandaise sauce,
Green beans and broccoli.

Poor Gordon...

All over the newspapers again this weekend and today, accused of bullying his staff. The man has had no let up since he took on the role two years ago. One thing after another...
Nice bright Monday, but very cold, we went into Crosby for the weeks veggies. VT took my prescription to the Dr's, and some things to the charity shop, and I started to go round Sainsbury's. Quite quiet today, considering it is one of their smaller shops. Not much bigger than a Metro shop really! Could do with being three times as big.
Anyway got a nice mix of veggies to do things with during the week, and some other things we had run out of. Took about half an hour so the parking is free and home in time for coffee so saved a fiver too!
Tonight we are having:
Moussaka..our veggie version with Quorn mince,
Potatoes, carrots leek and tomatoes.
Then I put a cheese sauce on top with egg beaten into it.

Snowy and Cold

Yet more snow arrived today, it carpeted the back garden and the top of the shed, but didn't stick around all day. Went mid morning and left a wet looking garden behind.
VT didn't go out today as he usually does on a Sunday, and stayed in. He lit the fire early and we spent the afternoon doing our crosswords. These proved to be fairly easy t5oday, with only a few to look up on the new little computer and the crossword machines.
Last night we had Tacos for tea, with Quorn mince and the usual accompaniments. Very tasty.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza with iour tomato sauce,
Salad
Mushroom and Mozzarella.
Forgot to get potato salad and pasta salad!

Out in the Cold..

Still cold here and the forecast is for more cold weather to come. Lovely bright sunshine though very deceptive.
We went in the Southport direction today for a change, VT had to get some petrol from the Shell garage because he had a £7 cash back on his card and the only one is in Ainsdale. There don't seem to be so many Shell garages around these days, they used to be everywhere, but thinking about it, a lot of garages have closed down or gone.
We went to the Asda store in Southport then, the long way round. Got our weekend things and a few things extra that we usually get from there. They do have good offers actually, one of them was for toiletries for 4 for £3 so we stocked up on Radox bath foam. pesto at £1 a jar and it is a low fat one. VT put coffee things in the car because the coffee shop in Asda is terrible..needs a big update, we wouldn't dream of having coffee there. like the shop though. So when we had done our shopping we went to a quiet part of the car park and had a lovely coffee..saved about a fiver too. Good thinking VT !
Came home just in time to hear the telephone ring..it was the sulky daughter who hasn't rung us up for over a week. the last time she rang I told her off for swearing at her Dad! I told her she hadn't been brought up to do that, and she rang off and hasn't spoken since. What a little madam. Anyway VT was telling me about predictive text this morning, and had put Greetings 2U on his phone to show me, and i said send her a text. So he left that, and put.."Are you still sulking? Mummy says..Love rusty" I knew that would get a result. And it did.
Tonight we are having:
Fishless fingers
Mushy peas for VT and green beans for me,
Chips..200grms
tartare sauce.

Supermarket Variety...

We tend to spread ourselves around since we have most of the well known "brands" within easy travelling distance. The one that is the nearest is Tesco, but we tend to avoid them. We seem to have completely gone off tescaw..don't really like their ethics and their tescopoly. We have a Sainsbury, Waitrose and Asda fairly close by and a newish Aldi about ten minutes away. We went there this morning, mainly because I had seen a post on "Delia" about shopping there, and also last night we ran out of parmesan cheese. We weren't doing much today so it was a good opportunity.
I wouldn't use them for my big shop at the weekend, but they are good for the odd item. Their baking paper is excellent, and they are good for bags of the little chocolate bars that we use for treats like Toblerones and Bounty lookalikes.We did gety a big wedge of Parmesan for £2.49 which is excellent. i cut that up into small pieces and put it in the freezer and it lasts forever. VT was quite pleased he got some Welsh cakes, made in Wales too, he loves those, and some cat food for the babies. Hope they don't turn their noses up at it!
Not a bad shop, clean and bright, but they don't have the variety of goods that the main players have.
Nice programme on Channel Four each day at 2.55 from Eric Lanlard, called Glamour Puds. Beautifully done, and what he does with desserts is amazing. He made some Macaroons yesterday which looked fabulous, and he is pretty gorgeous too, apart from his beard.
A lot of men on screen these days particularly the young ones have these unshaven looks about them..don't like it at all.
Tonight we are having:
Bramley apple sausages done with an apple,
Mashed potatoes,
Cabbage and leek mix stir fried, with mushrooms

Cyber Space..Beats me!!

Yesterday I spent ages typing out the blog, and pressed the publish post button and nothing!! not a thing! where on earth does it all go. is the post sweeping around somewhere in cyber space. Didn't have time to redo it so had to leave a gap in my entries. Can't remember what I had written, but I'm sure it was prize winning..Not.
Went over to Aintree this morning to get a few things, and had a look round M&S, and of course had an Americano..a small pack of biscuits £5.05! Nice coffee though and a decent biscuit.
Bouaght some new pillows for our bed. the ones underneath our main ones are getting hard and lumpy, so decided to replace them. They had some nice duck feather ones at two for £9 which i thought was quite reasonable so got those.
VT was looking for a light jacket for Spring, and thought he had seen one, but when he tried it on it was too heavy. He used to get jackets from Littlewoods, but they have disappeared of course, and he finds it hard to get what he wants. maybe if we go tyo The Cheshire Oaks next week he will find something. Not much hope though the shops tyhere tend to be the designer trend ones. Sometimes the M&S have some good end of lines though.
I bought a new ring..only cheap but silver to go with the rings on my right hand. I have had to swap rings round, because the ones I used to wear have got too big, and I have to put them on the middle finger so the third finger feels very bare. They do have nice jewellery actually M&S, some lovely necklaces.
Home for a lovely toastie and a bit of a go on the websites.
Tonight we are having:
Not altogether sure.
Something with rice I think, maybe a goulash with quorn "meatballs"
Green beans and broccoli.

Half term Already..

Seems only the other day that the kids were going back after Christmas. there was the big freeze hold up though when a lot of schools were closed for quite a while. So half term has come round all to quickly!
Consequently the shops are so much busier, with Sainsbury's full of kids running round and being a nuisance to their grandparents, and other shoppers. We shall stop in for much of this week, and venture out next week when it is quieter!
We went out very quickly this morning to Crosby to get our veggies for the week. I do like to vary the supermarkets where we go to, and then you get a different mix of veggies. I usually buy the basics..a small bag of potatoes, carrots, mushrooms..then anything else that catches my eye.
Today I saw a nice little bag of cabbage and leek so got that. I can do a peppered beef Quorn style meal with yorkshires and mash or squashed potatoes. I also got a stir fry pack so will use that mid week for a meal with rice and quorn pieces. I don't set out to buy with a list really, it depends what there is in, or what catches the eye as I'm going round. We have a list in mind for the basics and things we run out of, otherwise it is a matter of choice. The meals do tend to come together though.
I was watching the programme with Gordon Brown being interviewed by Piers Morgan last night. VT was totally uninterested and kept going off to do other things, but I thought it was quite interesting. I have always had a soft spot for Gordon actually, and think he is much maligned.It was a good interview for him I think, made him look more human, especially when he was talking about the death of his first baby Jennifer Jane nine years ago.
Tonight we are having:
Escalope with goats cheese and cranberry,
Squashed potatoes,
Carrots and beans with mushrooms and a little sauce.

Washday...

Saturday is our washday, and we generally do the bedding. I now have two sets of Egyptian cotton 300count bedding which we can alternate. One is a fetching shade of plum, and the other is a ruby red colour..sort of a cross between a burgundy and a ruby colour. The only problem is that they need ironing, which is something I haven't done with bedding for years..but that is the price of luxury.
I was really pleased in last weeks episode of Desperate Housewives to see Bree one of the main characters looking at Egyptian cotton sheets in a superstore! Made me laugh that..
VT went over to Maghull this morning, said it was very busy with the card shops doing a roaring trade. I think it is a shame how commercial it all is. I told him not to buy flowers or a card and I haven't bought him one this year. Save some money. The roses will all be reduced on Monday..how cynical is that!
Tonight we are having:
Chinese spring rolls,
Egg fried rice,
lemon sauce.

Weekend Love-In

It seemed that the world and his wife was out today. We went posh today..out to Waitrose for our weekend things. We don't often do that mainly because they are so expensive, but we wnted to be quick today. The car park was choked, but we were lucvky to get a space.
Did a fairly quick run round the store and got the things on our list, and as always some extras..well there are things you can't resist. I said to VT last night "What shall we have for tea tomorrow night?" and mentioned a pasty from Waitrose, and he was off. I think they are his favourite meal, he'd eat them every night I think!
The plan was to get round quickly and come home for our coffee. I like the coffee in Waitrose but it is so expensive, and it was really busy today. There were queues at the checkouts which is not like them, suppose it is people buying their Valentines food!
Still cold today, but very bright this morning, you almost needed sun glasses. Overcast this afternoon, has looked like snow but nothing has materialised. This Valentines malarkey is getting a bit too commercial now..everywhere you look there are cards and roses, and chocolates and special meal deals. It's all a bit to omuch I think. Getting cynical in my old age!
Tonight we are having:
Off the diet plan..Well you have to have a treat sometimes..
Cornish pasty with thanks to Waitrose.. Nice and simple.

It must be Spring..

VT is doing some cleaning up. He has turfed out a load of redundant television aerials from a cupboard..come across two Family Circle magazines from 1985!! and a number of other items. I'm not even sure why the magazines were kept, or whether it is still being published. Must have a look next time I'm in the supermarket.
Stayed in today to do bits and pieces, it is still cold with a frost this morning but sunny. It's that which is waking us up in the mornings now, I think we need thicker curtains in the bedroom, the ones we have let the light in too much in the summer and get the cats going. They walk all over us and wake us up. Better than an alarm clock actually.
Bobby tends to jump very heavily on the bed then proceeds to crawl up around my head and purr in my ear. This is quite pleasant really, till she starts the picking and the whisker torture! She is good company though. Rusty is very much VT's cat, and follows him everywhere. She sits on him at night when he is trying to read his book, and he has the patience of a saint with her.
One thing I have noticed about the Internet, is its power. I started this blog about two years ago purely as a record of a healthy eating plan that me and VT were beginning. It was meant to be quite a private record of our lives and how we were getting on with the plan. It seems to me though that it is open to many linkings and has appeared on sites I knew nothing about till I come across it. Just recently it has cropped up on a site to do with Emmerdale..the soap..merely because I mentioned the word briefly in passing. Good grief! I shall have to start writing in code soon. If it of any interest, Emmerdale is one of the series we used to watch very regularly, but have fallen out with. Holby City is another..too much emphasis on inter relationships and "Suck facing" and too many celebrity "names" drafted in to boost the ratings. For me it doesn't work. Corrie though is different.. the characters are wonderful, and not too many young ones which tend to spoil a series.
Tonight we are having:
Pasta bake with tomato and mascarpone sauce,
A bit of garlic bread
Some carrots to go with and stretch it out a bit.

I'm in Love...

With my new electric kettle.. we went out last week to get a new one because the old one was very scruffy and worn. We went to Comet where they had a vast array of them, and eventuslly chose this one. mainly because it looks different, has a good opening at the top, and fills our requirements for what we wanted. It boils beautifully, and lights up a gorgeous blue colour when working. I do have to say it is totally different from any kettle that we have had before and looks great in the kitchen. So, yes i love my kettle. I need to get out more!
Today we went out to Dobbies for a nice coffee, and bought some really pretty primroses and two blue pots that were half price in the sale.We get the coffees free because VT is in their garden club, and we take our own biscuits because they don't sell them..they used to but don't any more..can't think why!
VT has just come up to say he has planted the primroses, and it is snowing lightly. Don't think it will stick though, it seems to have stopped now, so that was short and sweet.
Got a letter at lunchtime which is the first post round here! with all my appointments in it for this year so far. Still don't know what happened to the one on monday, and i don't suppose we ever will.
Tonight we are having:
potatoes, maybe mashed or squashed,
Quorn pie..chicken style,
Baby Chanterey carrots.

Phone Doings...

Both of us have had to deal with phone calls today. VT had to sort out his remote control for his car, one of which had gone faulty. He contacted the firm and they sent him a replacement but that doesn't work. Typical..cars are so complicated these days, it's no wonder that Toyota are having huge big problems, not that VT has one of those cars. I remember the days of the old Morris Minor when everything was simple, and even I knew how to do things. Anyway he is going to have to send it back again.
I had to deal with the Call Centre that had made my appointment for yesterday. No joy there really as I expected. The only record they have is for the 8th of march not the 8th of February. Funny the times were both different, the feb for 11.40 and the March apparently for 9.O'clock. Somebody has cocked up something there and it wasn't me. I suspect it was the person who originally made the Feb appointment Andrew Somebody. Anyway they are going to send me a letter for the march appointment, since we didn't have a letter for either.
We didn't do much today, just bits and pieces, maybe we will go somewhere tomorrow. it is getting brighter in the morning these days, and definitely lighter in the evenings. As I type this it is still very light outside at nearly five o'clock.
Little Rusty has had another Anniversary. On the 6th it was four years since she went missing for a month. That was an awful time, we thought she had gone, but thankfully we got her back, and she hasn't strayed far from home since.

This is the little madam herself..who rules the roost in our house. Totally has VT wrapped round her little paws. I can still remember when he brought her back from over the line, we couldn't believe it, and we are very grateful to the people of the village who kept an eye out for her.
Tonight we are having:
Mixed vegetable gratin,
With maybe a garlic kiev or a quorn escalope.

What a Day!

Had an appointment at Walton this morning at the renal clinic., 11-30. Last night I looked for my appointment letter and couldn't find it. In fact I didn't remember getting a follow up letter to the appointment made over the phone. Didn't matter, we got there on time and at the reception desk the girl said we haven't got an appointment for you!!I showed her the letter with the date on it, and she said the only one we have for you is at 9O'clock on the 8th of March! This is the NHS call phone service cock up. Because I had been ill in November I hadn't noticed that I did not get the follow up letter until I looked for it last night. I always keep my hospital letters in a special folder so they don't get lost so I knew I didn't get one. The girl said the clinic is full, and we haven't got your case notes,so you will have to ring the call centre. Great!! Total waste of time, and a waste of parking fee too, and a waste of petrol. Poor VT.
The weekend was as normal, foggy on Saturday, and VT went out to get a few bits, said it was quite bad over in Maghull. The nights are drawing out quite a bit now though, and it isn't getting dark till around 5-15is and getting later. Very cold today though, and forecast for snow again.
Saturday night we had the Delia Madras Egg curry with a packet of rice, and accompaniments. Banana, tomato and red onion, poppadums and mango chutney. That is a lovely recipe we haven't had for a bit so we both enjoyed that a lot.
Sunday, much the same. Did our crosswords, but no Birthday Quiz in the Express magazine. I missed doing that.
Sunday night we had a Pizza made in the bread machine, and our tomato sauce. We used a veggie pepperoni and pineapple and a light Mozzarella. Salad to go with, and a potato salad and a spinach and pasta salad. The leftovers do for our lunch Monday.

After our disasterous trip to Walton we went to Sainsbury's, had a coffee , and the machine ran out of milk, so I had a decaff regular and sacxhets of milk. Opened one and it went...everywhere!!! Said it was one of those days.
Had a coupon for £1.50 off four Quorn products, and they had some reduced so a good offer there.
Tonight we are having:
Spinach and Ricotta tarts..reduced to 60p each
Tin of Spaghetti mostly for the sauce,
Sauteed little potatoes.
Will ring the call centre tomorrow to complain!!

Outing for a Change..

We needed to get our weekend things so we went over to Ormskirk for a change. It is actually quite a while since we have been there, and a few changes obvious. First the old Woolies store is being refurbished as an Iceoland store, so that will make the centre a bit better. Our little cafe where we always go for a cup of coffee has been done over too..it now has tidier tables and a redone bar, and the coffee comes in big mugs instead of the smaller cups. Very good value if you want a big cup of coffee but it is a bit much for me. VT is quite happy though. No biscuits any more only KitKats.But that is fine.
I did a bit of shopping, got some stuff at Superdrug with my %10 off voucher, bits and bobs I had run out of. Also had a look in the Bon Marche shop. i really like that shop, always get something there. Saw a lovely top, a zipped front velvety jacket with a few sequins on that will be good when the weather gets better. It had been priced at £16, reduced to 13 reduced to 10 so I thought that was good value. Then when i got to the desk the girl said £8 please..oh say I , i thought it was 10, but I'm not moaning. I love a bargain! It's a really good shop actually, I always get something there and very good value.
We went to M&S because we wanted salads, in particular their egg and potato salad, but the sell by date was for today, and we wanted it for Sunday to go with the pizza. I've noticed that about M&S, their products have a very short shelf life. We got a few things and then went over to Morrisons to get the rest of our weekend things. They are really good for fruit and veg, got a big bunch of bananas for 80p, and some nice avocadoes. I love Morrisons, we really miss the one in Formby which became Waitrose, which is a very nice shop, but extremely expensive.
Tonight we are having:
Fishless fingers,
Mushy peas for VT and green beans for moi.
Chips..our once a fortnight treat.
Tartare sauce.

Bit of a Do..

nice couple in the end terrace house of our block. Him her and two lovely children. VT went out last night to post his letters as he normally does, and came back after a while to say that some girls had been giving them trouble. The door had accidently been left ajar, and the girls had tried to enter the house. He (the chap in the end house) shouted and they ran off. He chased them and then one of them came back and was kicking the door. Don't know what is happening to the village these days, there was a case iof a girl being followed off the train one night before Christmas and attacked and had her shoes stolen. Never any Police around, you never see a police presence or a police car. They use the village for police training though and we are inundated with the baby police newbies, and that is it. Once every Preston Guild as they say. The girl at the end house was quite upset VT said, and it didn't help that her father had died the day before. What a shame, they are such a nice friendly couple and the children are lovely girls.
VT is a happy bunny today, he has won 4X £25 this month on the premium bonds. He won one last month, so is doing quite well this year. Be good if we could win one of the hundreds of competitions we do though. We did win £1000 a few years ago but nothing since..surely it must be our turn some time soon. Still £100 is not to be sneezed at. Wonder why we say that?
Still cold today but not snowy or frosty. VT went for a quick trip to Crosby, I gave him some money for his top up phone, so he could get a Superdrug survey form. This gives you %10 off purchases which I will use tomorrow when we go to Ormskirk. Hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.Its a terrible place in the rain.
Tonight we are having:
Cheese and leek escalope,
Sliced and sauteed potatoes,
Carrots broccoli and cauliflower. Maybe a bit of bread sauce?

Library Visits..

The only good thing about going to the library today was that it was much warmer inside than outside. Couldn't find the Cookery Books, despite walking round four times! Gave up in the end, then VT came in and went off to find them for me. He came back and said they were in the front, totally not where they used to be! I wish they would leave things alone..this is refurbishment I suppose.
The reason we went to the library was that VT had his annual appointment at the dentist, so he leaves me in the library and walks down a few yards to his dentist. He was back quite quickly really and had a scale and polish and nothing more till next year. He got his Penny in the Pound form done and posted immediately, he doesn't hang around!
I got a couple of reading books i haven't had before so not a bad day actually. It is really cold today, frosty everywhere this morning, and a very grey looking sky. VT said he thought it was likely to snowand at lunchtime it started to snow, but it hasn't stuck.
We then went to Sainsbury's to get a few veggies for the rest of the week, and a few things we had run out of. Then home for one of VT's delicious coffees.
Tonight we are having:
Pasta 4oz
Creamy sauce with petit pois, asparagus,
Mushrooms and asparagus,
Chanterey Carrots,
Maybe a little bit of garlic bread.

Change of Plans...

We had decided last night that we would go out to ormskirk today. What happened in the end was that we awoke this morning to a very grey sky, full of drizzly rain, and a fair breeze blowing. So VT went down and got our coffee and biscuit and we had a bit longer in bed! In fact the rain got steadily worse and we would have got quite wet I think.
The trouble with Ormskirk is it is a quite exposed place with some very chilly areas, and not pleasant in the rain. We can go again, maybe Friday for the shopping,and we can have a good look round then. The weather is forecast for mucky weather all week though so not hopeful.
VT has just come up and said there were floods in Florida! I was quite surprised by this. I shouldn't think the houses there would stand up to much flooding, they are very lightly built, mostly of wood so would be destroyed.
So, we stayed in today, cleared out the fridge and sorted a big pile of magazines and bits and pieces. Had a lovely cup of VT's coffee so saved £5 and didn't spend anything.
Happy birthday John by the way..my brother in Perth Australia , my big brother. Haven't seen them since 1966 when they emigrated for the second time, this time for good. they will be sweltering in 35+ degree temperatures there. Probably having a barbecue?
Tonight we are having:
Quorn beef and Ale pudding,
potato Croquettes
Peas and Sweetcorn?
Gravy

Hares and Rabbits

The first of February already. Seems only the other day we were taking the Christmas decorations down..Not that we want to remember that really this year.
We seem to be getting back into our nice comfortable routine again now. Not that we are getting up early, our bed is too warm and comfortable to get out of! one of the pleasures of being retired is that you don't have to get up at some ungodly hour in the morning..in the dark..to go out to work. It's lovely . It is cold today too, the forecast was for sleety showers which we haven't had, but it has rained, and VT said it was very cold when he went out. In some ways February can be a colder month than January, but the little snowdrops are poking their heads above the soil for a little touch of Spring. VT says a lot of the plant pots have been frost damaged this year, so some will have to go. Mind you we have too many really.

Tonight we are having:
Escalope or a garlic kiev,
Potatoes to use up from the fridge,
Carrots and green beans