Bank Holiday Monday..

Funny thing no-one is barbecuing! Mind you it is a bit cloudy and not looking too hot.
We started off doing the kitchen floor, which was badly in need of doing, also the front porch and the bathroom floor. So all are nice and clean now. Left that to dry while we had a bit of a mooch, then VT heard Mr ken next door doing his hedge with the electric shears, so he nipped out and asked if he could do our side. Funny thing just as he started doing this a record came on the radio of "Two little boys with two little toyus" and there they were one on either side of the fence with the electric cutters.
Still tghe hedge looks nice and straight now.
I decided to give my tootsies a makeover this morning, so got the old nail varnish off, which was a rather fetching shade of wine/purple. Did that, then VT got his chiropody hat on and did the rest. He said he should have been a farrier..cheeky sod! he actually did a great job on them, it's a shame he didn't go in for something like that, he would have had a good living. He should have gone to Grammar school really, it's a shame. Anyway, two coats of OPI Nail Envy which is a terrific product, and a nice coat of light purple nail varnish later.Just got some new colours from OPI in a set so have plenty to choose from.
Tonight we are having:
The remainder of our Pizza from last night,
Egg and potato salad
potato salad for moi and celery fruit and nut for VT.

Sunshine..Well a Little Bit..

A mixed day today really, a bit of cloud and some sunshine, but I wouldn't exactly call it warm, and it is the first of June next Tuesday. VT went out for a while this morning, and came back in for his coat, said it was too cold, and he has just taken his tea outside and said it was bitter out there. Next doors had a load of washing out on their line, and he had to keep going out to peg it on again, it was trying to blow away.
Poor bobby was out in the garden this morning and came running back in the house about eighty miles again. The dog from the houses in an adjoining road which back on to ours had got under our back door, and must have frightened her. She loves her little garden and spends quite a lot of time out there. Current favourite spot is on top of a plant pot! i think it is lovely the way she comes running in to safety out of the way. It took ages for her to come downstairs again too.

The crosswords were fairly easy today, and we only had to use the computer a little bit to get the last few answers. VT does his general knowledge one in the Sunday Express really quickly today. He beat me again today, I was a bit behind him. He shouts "finished" in a big triumphant voice, just to wind me up.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza with our tomato sauce,
Sausage (meatfree pepperoni) portobello mushrooms and goat's cheese.
Salad with egg and new potato,Avocado
potato salad for moi and Pasta salad for VT

Flipping freezing!

And it is nearly June for goodness sake. We had a couple of very nice warm days in May, and the rest has not been too clever. today it has been raining on and off, and we have discovered a small leak in the window of the extension. this is the one in the ceiling, and is over the table, so there is presently a jug to catch any drips...very elegant. The rain is doing some good though, and everywhere is greening up nicely. No wonder the british spend so much time talking about the weather.
VT went out this morning for his usual mooch about, and rang up to say he had found a book that I had been looking for in the Roy Castle shop. it is called "The Return" by victoria hislop. I read her last book, which was wonderful, and this looks very good. It's a big thick book, and will give me a lot of reading. A bargain for £1.30. He has been looking for that for me for ages, and finally found a copy.
My OPI things came this afternoon via the courier woman who usually brings the QVC parcels that dn't come by post. It is a little box of treasures, and contains loads of items in the baby sizes which are great for travel. Some lovely shades of varnishes. I can feel a manicure coming on. Certainly my toes need doing...purple I think.
Tonight we are having :
Delia Smiths egg and Spinach curry
rice 1/2 a packet,
Stir fry vegetables.

Bank Holiday weekend..

Quite quiet actually. Plenty of adverts around encouraging us to buy beer and lager etc for the weekend coming, and the football in the coming weeks. The supermarkets have England stuff everywhere. yet another commercial enterprise, in between Easter and Christmas.
We took my money to ASDA this morning for a change, we haven't been there for a while now. We were expecting it to be busy, but it wasn't too bad, no kids around yet, that will be next week, when it is half term. Had a look at the clothing, and the home and wear, but nothing appeals at the moment. We didn't actually spend a lot today, we did a lot of stocking up last week in Sainsbury's so just got the things we needed. Took our coffee with us today, their coffee is horrible, and served in those revoklting plastic cups, so we find a 2quiet spot in the car park and have our coffee there. I had a look at books, but nothing sprung out at me, and no clothing either. Nothing to spend my money on today.
Home for lunch, and started to vacuum around the stool where Bobby sleeps. VT heard the noise and came up to investigate, then he takes over. I was astounded at the amount of white hairs around the chair in Janes room. He moved the radiator, and it was almost a carpet of white hair. She moults so much, she leaves hairs everywhere..not her fault though she can't help it.

The culprit..clouds of white hair everytime she jumps up and down on things. Never mind..
Tonight we are having:
Fishless fingers,
Chips 200grms
Mushy peas for VT and green beans for moi.
Tartare sauce.

Garden Centres..

Gosh how they have changed! VT has joined two this year..one over the bypass from us, about five minutes away across a busy main road from Liverpool to Southport, and the other nearer to Southport, and about twenty minutes away.
Garden Centres used to be just that, a place where you bought plants, compoct, soil and everything of a gardening nature. Now they are shopping experiences in themselves. We went to the one in Ince Blundell this morning to get our free coffee for may, before the month ran out. Had a bit of a look round the gift shop first, then went for the coffee. It was absolutely heaving..mostly couples, a lot of older people, and pairs of friends or sisters etc. I certainly wouldn't mind shares in that business!
I bought a nice photo frame to put a picture of Jane that we have. It is one of the few where she is actually smiling. She hates having her photo taken and usually makes a face or hides, but this one is lovely. I also bought a blue bottle for the bathroom, where there is a very small display of blue glass on the shelf in front of the window.
Post arrived early today..that is quite newsworthy, since it normally comes at about lunchtime or after. Brought me a purchase from QVC, which VT made a comment about. Blow him, if I want to buy myself something I will. It is a nice pair of small gold hoop earrings I got to go with my gold chain that he bought me and is my favourite. I got them on Gold Day, so everything was on easy pay, and the cost is spread out over three months. Great company.
VT cleared out a cupboard in Janes room this afternoon, and found a jac ket of mine, which was really nice but vast. I had bought it from the Liz Claiborne shop when it was in the Cheshire Oaks, and they closed down many moons ago. So that will go to a Charity Shop. probably the Roy Castle one, they have good things in there. Shame though.
Tonight we are having:
lemon and Black Pepper Escalopes,
Little baked potatoes,
Carrots chanterey,
A bit of bread sauce.

Definitely Cooler..

Woke up this morning to a much greyer day. i asked VT if it was raining, but it wasn't, it was just dull. We went over to Ormskirk for a bit of a mooch, and to get a few things, and it was actually quite cool there. Mind it is fairly hilly and gets the breeze..no-one sitting outside Costa Coffee this morning anyway. Went up to my bank, then into Holland and Barratt for our fishless fingers and pepperami sausage..meatfree.. Then to Bon Marche to see what they had. Bought a new nightdress very inexpensive, in purple, and another top for wearing round the house..in purple..half price in the sale..Everything I buy lately seems to be purple,I am going through a purple period. Had a problem at the till, the woman in front of me was causing the girls a problem and I was kept waiting for about ten minutes..Then went into Superdrug for a browse, bought another few items and had a problem with their till too. Seem to attract till problems everywhere today. Then went for a coffee at our cafe, and found that the Bon Marche hadn't given me a receipt or a bonus card, so went over there to get those. I swear they thought I was cheating them.
Up to M&S to get VT his brioches which he has taken to for his breakfasts, and down to Morrisons. Surprise..they have fitted a new entrance door with automatic doors, all in the two weeks since we were last there. Got a beautiful spelt and rye bread..chicken for the cats and other bits. Raining when we came out..not surprised, it felt like rain all day.
As I type this though, the weather has cleared up, and it is sunny. Strange country.No wonder British people are always talking about the weather.
Tonight we are having:
Almost Cheeseless pasta Casserole
Maybe a bit of garlic bread.

Doings

Spent the morning ironing. There was a pile nearly as high as the ceiling on the chair in the extension, and we seem to end up doing it on a Tuesday. Mostly it is the bedding, nice Egyptian cotton bedding but, it does get so creased. Irons beautifully though.
VT has cleared out the "cupboard under the stairs"..which is a euphanism for junk hole! He has turfed out bag after bag of carrier bags, and bubble wrap! God knows why we keep them. He also came across an old suitcase which had a lot of papers, old photos and bits and pieces, some of which were quite interesting. Pity there weren't names on some of them, because if they were of my grandparents I wouldn't know them at all. Found a good one of John in Australia in his RAF uniform looking very handsome. Must get a print of that and send it off. Also lots of Poly photos of me in various stages of baby and childhood. Everyone got them done. I remember going up London Road in Liverpool to get ours done. Really interesting old stuff. Need to go through it properly. One book was a handbook given to special constables during the was, belonging to my dad. All the dos and donts of who should be arrested.
Tonight we are having:
Quorn Pasty,
Mushroom gravy,
Squashed potatoes,
veggies of some sort.

Another hot One..

We are in danger of having Summery weather here. Although there is a bit of a breeze today, it is still lovely and sunny. VT is presently in the garden watering some of the plants which have become dry.
It was very warm last night, and with a cat on top of us very early this morning it was quite warm indeed. We are going to have to look at a lighter quilt for when the weather gets any hotter, otherwise we will be too uncomfortable.
VT's car was absolutely covered this morning in those horrible sticky..very sticky things that drop at this time of the year from Sycamore trees. He had brushed them off once, so decided to get a car wash on the way to the shops this morning. We went to the BP garage but it was not working so ended up in Tescaw..unfortunately, i hate giving my money to tescaw. Got a good car wash though. Then went to Waitrose for the veggies. At least it was quiet as it usually is. I miss the Morrisons that used to be there, I really like Morrisons, but the nearest is too far, for a quick trip. Too many poncey shops in Formby actually, they need a middle of the road store like Sainsbury's.
Home for a nice lunch of our remaining pizza,and a salad to go with.
Very bright sunshine at the back of the house this afternoon, and it is getting quite hot in the back. You need all the blinds down in this weather. Seems funny, only a week orso ago we were complaining about the cold. Never happy in this country.
Tonight we are having:
Gruyere cheese escalope,
Tender stem broccoli and green beans,
Squashed new jersey royals,
Mushrooms in a bit of sauce.

Big Sunshine day

Today..the sun is blazing down, and the plants are drying almost as you loook at them. Up latish as usual on a Sunday, and then got the bedding on. it has dried beautifully in the garden today. VT has done a sterling hjob this weekend of washing and drying the loose covers for the two sofas in our middle room. They have dried very well in the fresh air, and smell lovely now. Thankfully we have two sets of bedding so there isn't the rush to get everything washed dried and ironed to put back on the bed, we can leave them for a while. We have just made the bed, and I think we have decided to get another duvet for the summer. If the weather is going to heat up, our goose down duvet is going to be too hot, and we could do with a lighter one, maybe M&S or Dunelm Mill..see what they have.
The cats have been out quite a lot this morning, but now the sun has come round, they have come inside for a bit of a shade. Rusty was in their little hut this morning, must have been cooler in there. All you could see was two little ginger paws in the doorway. Bobby has now taken over my chair with its nice cushion..typical.

VT decided he wanted a nice cup of coffee, so he came inside, got a tray and put all the green Apilco things on it, lovely cups and saucers, coffee pot and little milk jug, and we had a freshly brewed coffee outside on the patio under out gorgeous green umbrella. Bliss. it wasn't too hot either because there was the faintest of breezes and the sun hadn't come round.
Crosswords this afternoon, and did them quite quickly. VT can do most of the big MOS one with his small encylopaedia machine and just looks up the more difficult ones on his netbook. That by the way has proved to be really useful.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza with our own base, tomato sauce,mushrooms meatfree pepperoni sausage, and
goats cheese,
Potato salad for moi and pasta salad for VT
Green salad to go with, and avocado.

What a Change..

In the weather. It is absolutely boiling hot today, the sun is blazing down and actually everywhere is looking dry.
On the wayto the shopping we drove through the local country and all the fields of Rape seed that is growing. It is still bright yellow, but is ripening, so you get the sweet almost sickly smell wafting through the car window.Very strong scent.
We went over to the Walton Sainsbury's this morning, mainly because we had a coupon for five pounds off if you spend fifty. Of course you spend the time going round thinking have we got enough, then when you get to the checkout, you find that you have overspent by about thirty. Bought quite a lot of stock up items though so shouldn't need as much next week. We needed some white wine to stock up the shelves, and the ordinary drinks like Pepsi and diet lemonade.also cordials. We had a coffee before we started shopping, not the best coffee in the world, the cup is too big for me, and it is extremely strong too.
There was a product recall today from Nescafe, about their Posh range..Alta Rica, Cap Colombie etc. You have to telephone with the batch number and the product code and they will send a full refund. VT did that this morning, he had to wait quite a while but it was a freephone number. I think we will use the coffee though and go through it very carefully before it is put into the cup. It seems awful to wast a whole jar of lovely coffee just for a few problems. Noticed on Sainsbury's shelves they had removed all of the coffees in this range and there were big gaps.
Home for lunch of a Quorn deli beef sandwich and a really nice seeded bread loaf from the Sainsbury's bakery. Cats seem quite tired today, ;ittle Rusty is on the bed, looks tired out, and Bobby is in the garden with VT. She is a real little sun baby and loves being outside.
Last night VT had two goes at getting the ginger girl in the house. The first time she wasn't there but the second she was on the Dentist's path and went in right away. She is a lovely little cat, and likes mooching around during the day.
Tonight we are having:
Pasties from Waitrose..Vegetable
and
Clotted cream rice puddings!! for a treat.

Excitement....

Up a bit late this morning. My fault really. Last night, just before we were due to put the light out, I said to VT "Where is Rusty"? She is usually perched on his front while he reads his book, and only moves off when we put the lights out. She hadn't been there all the time he was reading which was most unusual. He said she is probably in the other room, but she wasn't and she was nowhere to be seen, and he went outside too. Anyway after a long bit, he came back and said he had found her, behind the door in our front roon underneath the coat stand all curled up. So that was quite late and I felt guilty, but he said that he would only have worried if he hadn't gone to look.

The cause of the trouble....
So we were late moving this morning, and we nipped out to Maghull. I wanted to have a look in Bon Marche because they had a sale of 20% off everything. Had a look round and bought a beautiful David Emmanuel very light jacket/cardigan in blacck that I can wear over tops and blouses etc. Really nice, and I got a fiver off it.
When we arrived in The Square, there was a commotion at the end of it, and crime scene tape all over the place. It turned out that there had been an armed robbery there a few minutes earlier, and the square is right opposite the Police Station too.
VT went and had a nosey and heard a woman say in the shop that she had seen a man with a gun running away. it was quite busy too.
Went from there to Morrisons for some Jersey royals. Theirs were £1 !!! half the price of Waitrose, and little tiny ones too.
Absolutely gorgeous day today, the sun is shining and a lot of people out without coats on today. Very warm in the car, we will need to get the summer things out soon.
Tonight we are having:
Toad in the hole with quorn sausages,
Jersey Royals boiled
Roasted butternut squash.
Little drop of gravy.

The Makeover...

VT decided this morning he was going to do the sofas in the middle room. We have two of them from Kirkdale Ltd., and they have had burgundy/wine coloured covers. We also have two in the front room which currently have green covers on those. Anyway, we got a refund from the electric company we were with because we had overpaid, and we used that to get replacement covers for the middle room ones which get more wear. To be honest, the ones in the front room are hardly sat on at all, but the middle room ones are used all the time of course.
So he stripped off all of the covers and replaced them.They look terrific actually, make the room look completely different, and lighten it up a lot. I said we are going to have to be careful with the cats, then as soon as he put the cushions back on my sofa, little Rusty jumped up and settled down. I went into the kitchen and came back with a tea towel and VT lifted her up and settled her down again on that. Poor little thing, I suppose it was a nice new surface for her to explore.
Jane rang up just now, and said that Rachel was off sick as well. She has come down with a chest infection, so they are both miserable on the sofas together. Jane was playing some game on her playstation though and sounded OK.
Funny thing today, I keep thinking it is Thursday all day today. You get days like that sometimes, I think it was because we had pasta last night and we normally have that on a Wednesday night as a change.
Next doors are going away for a few days to London tonight, and have asked VT to feed their cat. This is ginger girl, and he is really fond of this cat. If he goes down to the post box to post letters at night, it comes out of its hiding place and follows him tugging at his pants. If it hears our car drive up, it comes out to greet us, and waits in our path for her biscuits. Our two quite like her too, and if she is in the back, they tend to leave her alone. The one they don't like is ginger "Bollocks" from next door the other side. Neither of our two like that one and will hiss and spit if that one comes near. Funny thing cats..they all have such dofferent personalitits.Like people I suppose.
Tonight we are having:
Garlic Kievs
Sliced and sauteed new potatoes
Sweetcorn for VT and green beans for moi.
Bread sauce.Maybe.

Gorgeous..

Well the weather is warming up with a vengeance. it is an absolutely beautiful day today, the sun is shining, and the birds are singing and it is all growing green.
We went out to Dobbies this morning. VT had a coupon through the post that gave him 20% off plants etc., and then he had the ten per cent off as well, so he was looking for some plants to replace the bulbs. Plus we got a free coffee voucher in the free newspaper and that was an offer too good to miss. The daffodils now have totally finished. Some didn't come up at all this year due to the harsh frosts and the long winter.
We bought two nice geranium plants for the two pots that had beautiful primroses in..

These now look totally different but the foliage is a good colour which goes with the pots.VT has planted them already.
Jane rang up at lunchtime again to say she has a viral infection, and has been signed off till Friday. She started to give me all the gory details until I said we were just about to have our lunch, and she was off to play mushroom wars!!

This is Jane and her friend and house share rachel..who must have the patience of a saint putting up with Jane.
Tonight we are having:
little Quorn meatless balls,
Tomato and Maqscarpone sauce
4oz of pasta
A little bit of garlic bread
Carrots on the side.

Touch of Sunshine..

At long last. It was really nice today, the sun was shining and it was quite warm, well in the car it was.
We nipped out to Waitrose this morning.We wanted to go somewhere quick, but not Tesco, and we went to Sainsburys on Friday, so went into Formby. It was quite quiet actually,and it is a very pleasant store to go round, but, and it is a big but, it is very expensive. We tend to go there just for a change rather than a big shop. I think I have more of a Morrisons mentality really..we came home for a coffee, the Waitrose coffee is very nice, but again so expensive, you can't help but think of the money you could be saving. Or is that being a tightwad..No.
Bought enough veggies to see us through the week with a bit of a top up, and a bag of Jersey Royals, far more expensive than anyone else too. VT even bought himself a Rhubarb yoghurt!!!! this from a man who says he hates rhubarb. I have told him the rhubarb he probably had as a child was the tough sour stringy type, and it is much better now. My..he is getting adventurous.
Jane rang up..just as we were having our lunch, to say she is off with an upset stomach!! lovely, just what we wanted to hear..not. Didn't put us off our pizza though. VT made a lovely pizza last night, really tasty. We make it do two days so it is a good evening meal, then a nice lunch the next day. keeps really well and with a salad both days makes a good meal.
Tonight we are having:
Gruyere cheese escalopes,
Little jersey new potatoes with butter buds and parsley,
Veggies...mushroom medley and carrots and beans.

The Weekend..

Didn't do my little account yesterday because I had a bit of a lost day. After lunch I started shivering as we were watching a recorded programme on the television. I think it was one of those very off days, no idea what caused it maybe caught something in the eye clinic on friday. Anyway went to bed in the afternoon and slept it off. Ok today.So just a 24hr thing then.
Last night VT made himself his Chinese with some Quorn and the stirfry, some rice and a packet of lemon sauce. I had a Horlicks and a biscuit.
Today, he went out earlyish for the papers so we had a leisurely read of those with a nice slice of fruit bread toasted. Normal lunch and did the crosswords in the afternoon. Mine was on the theme of piers, two "famous" ones I have never heard of..Ryde and Worthing. All too far South for us I think. The big MOS one proved to be easy today, VT nearly finished that on his own, and we only had to look up a few on the Netbook.
That has proved to be a really good little buy, especially for the crosswords, and VT often uses it in the evenings.
Lovely sunny day today, but again a bit cold. VT went into Crosby for a few things this morning, and came back with a free Kellogs Special K bar from the newspaper. It is a little bar, and it was 45p!!!!! I said to him if you think of that in the old money that would have been 9old shillings!!!! Terrible when you think of it, in terms of old money.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza with our tomato sauce,
Portobello mushrooms,
Pepper, Goats cheese, and a meatfree sausage.
Salad and potato salad for moi and pasta salad for VT

Eye Eye!

Up with the larks this morning, even before the cats! the reason was that I had an appointment at the eye clinic in Walton Hospital. Since my appointment was for 9.10 we had to leave the house about eight o'clock in case the traffic was a problem. We have been held up in some awful queues before now, but funnily enough today was really quiet, you would have thought it was half term. We got to the hospital by twenty to nine, and VT said shall we wait a bit, I said it's first come first served in there so we went in. The reception wasn't even open, but there were people sitting waiting. Got my name called within a few minutes, and went for the eye test, then sat down again, then had my name called again to have the dreaded drops put in. They used to do this at the same time, why they have changed this..no idea. Sat outside again for a while then the Dr called my name. She had a good look in both of my eyes,said they were ok this time nad go back in about four to six months. There was a notice outside the hospital which said that the department will be moving in August, I said to the Dr will you have moved by then, she said about October, so we shall have to see where the next appointment will be by then.
We went from there over the road to Sainsbury's, and did the weekend shop. Had a nice reviving cup of coffee first though! Poor VT had to guide me round the store, and tell me what all the prices were because the drops make your pupils dilate, and the glare is terrible. This lasts until about lunchtime and is a real nuisance. Some good offers today actually, my Dairylea cheese spread were two for a pound instead of £1.11 each, and the Quorn range was three for three pounds, so got a few of those. Frozen meatfree range were two for £3 so got some meatballs, and some garlic kievs. Freezer is now well stocked up. Bonus was that the bill came to over £50 so we got a coupon for 5p off a litre, this saved £1.50 on the petrol bill.
We were home by 11.30, so unpacked, did all the scanning, then had another reviving cup of coffee.
We will sleep well tonight!
Tonight we are having:
fishless fingers,
Mushy peas for VT and green beans for moi,
Chips 200grms.
Tartare sauce.

In Today..

Stayed in today and did a few jobs that I have been meaning to do for ages. I washed a load of things this morning like delicate jumpers. good bras etc that I didn't want to put in with a general wash. So that was useful. Then did the top of the cooker, and the door of the fridge which meant clearing out some of the items that had become out of date, like a bottle of balsamic vinegar that was well out of date by years. It is surprising how long you keep things for till you look at the sell by date.At least the sell by dates give you an idea of just how long you have been keeping things for, it is easy to forget things like chutneys and sauces and leave them too long.
VT did a lot of recycling today too so we are doing our bit for the environment. He did bits of paper work and sorted out his stugg. He also sent Jane her revision books for subjects like Math, Chemistry and Physics. That cost about £8 but there were a number of books in the packet.

Gordon has Gone..

Poor Gordon..I wish him well in whatever he does. His sppech outside Downing Street last night was beautifully done, and he went with dignity. He brought his family out at the end and he and his wife and two little boys left the street. Cute little kids.
We were looking for somewhere to go this morning and couldn't think of anywhere last minute. We were tired of Ormskirk, and didn't want to go to Crosby or formby so ended up going to the M&S in Aintree.0 Again another nice day but cold..the store is full of summery clothes, little thin tops and summer colours. I suppose when the weather is finally hot, they will have all the Autumn and Wintry clothes on display. I ended up buying a ring, which I tried on when upstairs in the cafe. On reflection I thought it was too big being a M/L and took it back for another which is a S/M, and fits perfectly.That was all we bought really except for some tea lights and a new slotted stirring spoon.
Came home to a news coverage of the new Coalition government with all the new ministers being named. The Lib Dems have done very well for themselves really considering they only have 57 seats. Clegg and Cameron were pictured walking into the Rose Garden at Downing Street, and they looked like a pair of bookends, I fully expected them to hold hands.
Tonight we are having:
Pasta Bake with butternut squash and sweet potato.
Garlic Bread...
Or
Quorn Garlic Kievs with vegetables and sliced fried potatoes.

Well He is Going!

Wednesday, 27 June 2007
I began my blog, and Gordon brown had just become Prime Minister. It has been a roller coaster ride for him and it seems it is now at an end. He has stepped down to make way for possibly a Lib Dem pact..but it is still unsure what is really going to happen in the end. The last Election has been a shambles with the hung parliament, and I fear poor Gordon has been forced to go by what has happened.
It is a beautiful sunny day today, but very cold. I sat out a bit this morning and there was quite a chilly breeze. Jane rang up and said it was raining in Manchester,and was very cold there too. She has just come back from the Drs and has had her tablets changed so she has something else to try.Her shoulder still hasn't been sorted from the accident, and the dealings with her solicitor have been going on for years now.
The doorbell went this morning and VT went to answer it, no one there..it was the radio! However a little later it really did go and VT came back with one enormous parcel. It had been delivered by courier and had cost £20 to post! Anyway, he said it's very whiffy..wonder what it is..what have you been ordering now? So we opened it,and we have won a prize. There was a note inside which read..Congratulations you have won a recent cheese and wine competition in Full House Magazine!
Inside was..a basket, one of those wickjer ones..I said you can use that for your shopping to VT...3 very decent bottles of wine from Brown Brothers. A cool bag containing 6 packs of Couer de Lion cheeses..2 brie, 2 Camambert in boxes and the whiffy culprit..2 others in smaller boxes. Not a bad prize really. better than nothing.
Anyway, we had a very nice Brie and Cranberry sandwich for lunch with a Rustic Pain bread VT had bought from Morrisons.Very tasty, thankyou Full House.
VT is in the garden this afternoon trying to cut the hedge back a bit and get on top of the weeds. A lot of our problems come from things that creep over from next door, like the hedge, and some ivy that is getting away with itself on our fence. Bit of a pain those. Why is it always the things you don't want to grow that grow the most?
Sent a parcel off to Australia this morning with birthday presents for Ann, whose birthday is later in the month. That cost £8, isn't postage dear, and they weren't heavy either.And, VT used a recycled padded bag too. I got her a card, a book to write things in and a very pretty necklace. I hope she likes them.
Tonight we are having:
Lamb grill Quorn
redcurrant jelly,
Gravy with mushrooms,
Mashed potatoes,
Peas and green beans.

Brrr

It is still quite cold today. We went for a quick visit to Waitrose today, to get the weeks veggies. It felt like a March day actually, not like nice Spring weather at all. Maybe it is the Volcanic ash after all.
We bought a really good variety, so will have plenty to use diring the week. There was a girl walking round in a sleeveless top in there, she must have been frozen..don't they feel the cold these kids.
Came home quickly for our coffee, and there was a parcel on the doorstep which is a bit naughty. Good job it is Hightown, anywhere else it would have well gone. Anyway it is a nice necklace for Ann for her birthday, I hope she likes it. I spent ages this afternoon typing a letter to them, but the darn thing wouldn't print off so I had to get VT to come and put it straight, which he loves doing..making me feel useless.
Will get them posted tomorrow.
Tonight we are having:
Lemon and black pepper escalopes
Bread sauce
Carrots and broccoli
Mushrooms.

Still in Turmoil..

The Election that is..there are some talks between the Lib Dems and the Conservatieves, but they must have much to talk about. The Lib dems are very keen on Proportional representation, not sure the others are. Saw somewhere the new pact being referred to as the Condem, which I thought was really good.
The Sunday papers are full of the usual vitriol against poor Gordon, I do feel sorry for him and his family, it must be dreadful to read those headlines day after day, week after week. it is like a form of bullying. I suppose he will go eventually. Shame.
VT went into formby this morning, and said it was quite busy, with a lot of people sitting in the sun outside Costa Coffee..he swore he didn't join them! He had a bill to hand in at M&S instead of posting it, which saved 36p. He thought that the charity bookshop was open, to look for revision guides for Jane, but it wasn't. He said there wasn't anything open actually, apart from the M&S and Waitrose.
Had some nice cheese and biscuits again for lunch, and then settled down to do the crosswords. Mine was a bit of a pain because it was all different types of poisons as the theme. VT finished his..the Sunday Express one in record time. Then we did the big MOS one which was fairly awkward with one or two clues that proved to be a problem. The Answerbank got them in the end though.
Bedding done today, it is a real advantage having two sets, it saves a load of ironing all in the one day. I was saying that if I won a fortune on the Lottery i would pay someone to change all the bedding a couple of times a week.True luxury.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza..well what else!


Home made tomato sauce, Portobello mushrooms, meatfree pepperoni sausage etc.
Salad and potato salad for moi and pasta salad for VT.
Jane rang up yesterday and said they had had a ciabatta with pesto and tomato and mozzarella. She said that Asda do one with basil already in it. I shall have to look out for that one.

Still in Turmoil..

New Prime Minister..New Blog..

This was my very first entry on the 27th June 2007. I started my blog inititally to plan our healthy eating programme. it just so happened that Gordon Brown became prime Minister on that day too. Just under two years later and it looks like63 he will be making way for a new one. Since there is a hung parliament there is doubt about just who it will be, and the Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg seems to hold the key to it all. i suppose it will all unfold within the next week or so.
VT went on a mooch today, and came back witha Revision guide in Chemistry for Jane. She is doing a course in September, prior to going to do a radiography course. She is doing Physics Chemistry and Biology and was looking for revision books in those subjects, so I said her Dad would look out for them in the Charity shops. They had a couple in Oxfam he said so he got her that one. Should be the right one, we will post it on Monday.
VT is in the garden messing with his solar lights. He has bought some new batteries so they should work again. It is like mission Mars in our back garden with little solar lights all over, but they do look nice at night.
Tonight we are having:
Quorn tikka fillets in a curry sauce,
Stir fry vegetables,
1/2 packet of white rice.
poppadums and banana.

Election Fiasco...

What a fiasco.. Hung Parliament with no party in overall majority.so all sorts of wheeling and dealing in the background I would imagine. At least the Tory woman didn't gety in here the Labour man won with Lib Dem coming third. So that is good news. She appeared on our doorstep last night at about 7ish, and VT went to the door. She said Hello I'm debi Jones and VT said I know! but Sorry I didn't vote for you. I think they think that Hightown is a big Conservative stronghold which it was years ago but it has changed with the new building etc.
We went over to Ormskirk again ths morning to get our weekend things. It was quite quiet but with a cool wind and cold in the shade. had a bit of a look round and a coffee in ur little cafe. Got salads in M&S and then went to Morrisons for the weekend stuff. Very pleasant drive back and home for lunch.
Tonight we are having:
Fishless fingers
Sliced sauteed new potatoes,
Mushy peas for VT and green beans for moi.
Tartare sauce.

Election Day...

Quite an important day today. One where the future of the country is decided for the next five years at least. i am expecting the Conservatives to win, but not by many seats.
Poor Gordon, I think he has been wonderful actually, as a person anyway, he will have gone down fighting.He was treated dreadfully by the
tabloids like the Daily Mail etc. I hope that their Cameron will live up to their expectations, but somehow I don't think so.
Weather is quite cool again today, and drizzly. We went to Dobbies this morning,and had a good look round. Didbn't look at the plants really, it is a bit too cool to plant any yet, and the weather is unpredictable. I bought a gift bag, and sheet of wrapping paper, a little candle and a birthday card. VT bought some batteries for his outdoor lights to make them last a bit longer. We enjoyed our cups of free coffee and took our own biscuits, because they don't sell any decent ones. There were some young kids wandering around, probably from the local school on work experience. Bit keen, removing the tray and cups etc almost as soon as we had put the cups down. Bless!
Called in at Tescaw on the way back, mainly because the cats needed their chicken.
Got some asparagus for our pasta bake for tea,and a few mushrooms. Fancy having to call in at a supermarket for cats chicken!
Also bought a lovely loaf from Dobbies,half price for some reason, and a Hungarian loaf. So, we had a lovely cheese toastie for our lunch with some left over edam cheese and tomato. Delicious sort of caraway flavour to the bread.
Tonight we are having:
Pasta bake with tomato sauce and asparagus.
A bit of garlic bread.

Brrr...

Really quite cold today for May. After the lovely Spring sunshine of yesterday it is drizzly and chilly today. Delia Online members are discussing the fact that they are putting the heat on again. We have had peat fires for the last few weeks, not as hot as the smokeless fuel, but you get a nice glow and warmth with them, and, they are lovely to look at.
Voting and Election frenzy today,polls saying this or that, and each party saying they are the right ones for stability.I don't think Hightown exists on the parliamentary scene, we haven't seen sight or sound of anyone here at all.Quite a lot of leaflets, most of which have ended up in the recycling bin. I do read them, but can yu blieve what you read..No..I think not. I only know in all honestly I am not voting Conservative. I do have a liking for Gordon Brown though, vcan't be doing with the young Eton educated brigade. We shall see tomorrow.
VT went out today to the bank in Maghull, and came back with a bag of Jersey Royals from Morrisons, it takes a man to
go into a supermarket and come out with one item!!!
Jane rang up before, they were on their way to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in Manchester. She had got good tickets for £20 which she said was good. Wouldn't mind seeing that, sounds really fun.
Tonight we are having:
Cheese and Leek escalopes
Baby new Jersey Royals
Carrots and Broccoli
Mushroon sauce.

Gorgeous Day..

Beautiful day today, a really lovely Spring day with the trees in blossom and and the shrubs and hedges greening up a treat. It was a pleasure to be out actually. Since we didn't go out for our veggies yesterday with it being a Bank Holiday, we had to go somewhere today. I thought we were going to ormskirk, but VT turned off to go on the Maghull road. I thought he was avoiding the roadworks, but when we got to Maghull he turned into the Morrisons carpark. I said Oh I thought we were going to Ormskirk. he looked at me as if I had jumped off another planet, then said No problem we can go there I'll just turn round.
Anyway we ended up in Ormskirk. I wanted to go to Holland and Barratt and there isn't one in Maghull. We had a good look round and I got another jumper from Bon Marche. £16 reduced to 13 then reduced to 12 then I had a bonus card with a five pounds off too so in the end it was £7. lovely jumper too in a fetching shade of pink..dead girly!!
Got our fishless fingers and meatfree pepperoni from Holland and Barratt,and went over to Superdrug to stock up on my anti wrinkle cream (That would be a miracle).
Went to our little cafe for our coffee, and there was a couple of older ladies on the next table with two plates of full English and a plate of really really big thick toast. talk about appetising! It was just shouting at me, but we stuck with our blue riband biscuits.
Morrisons for veggies, I love Morrisons, no pretention just good value. VT picked up another of their magazines for the coupon. there is a coupon in this months for a cup of coffee or tea and a cream scone for £1, so we have two now. I feel another trip to Morrisons cafe coming on. Actually their coffee is very good and served in proper cups and saucers not like Asda in plastic cups..hate that.
Tonight we are having:
Garlic Kiev
Cauliflower Cheese..I do that with a half packet of cheese sauce,
8oz of jersey Royals with butter buds.

May Bank Holiday..

Beautiful sunny day and lovely and warm..Not. It is really cold today, but it is sunny out. VT nipped out for a short while to get a couple of things and he said the traffic was quite busy, but is was cold. Not a day for sitting on the beach then, or sitting in the farden with a barbie.
I finished the Mail on Sunday crossword this morning, and a few awkward ones, but got there in the end. VT helped me do my roots this afternoon, he is good at that, gets to the places I can't reach! I have bought a new cape thing for when you do hair dyeing etc., and it is excellent, you don't get drips on your clothes with that. While it was brewing, I started a banana cake. We had three very very manky bananas in the fruit bowl to use up so I dug out an old recipe that I had.VT took over and finished it off. he is turning into an extremely good cook. Watch out Delia!
Recipe:
4oz Marg
4ozSugar
1 Egg
3 Bananas mashed
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tablespns Milk
8oz s.r. flour
method
Cream the marg and the sugar till soft and fluffy
Add the egg and the mashed banana
Dissolve the bicarb in the milk and add that
Fold in the flour and salt.
Spread mix into a base lined 8in sandwich tin..or two smaller ones and bake in
Gas oven mark 4/5 for about 30-40 mins depending on what size tin..till golden brown.
Can be eaten plain, or cut in half and spread with a little lemony butter cream.
At the time of typing this the whole house smells deliciously of a banana sponge cake. Just been down to take it out of the oven and it looks good. Well done VT.
Tonight we are having:
Vegetable Pasty from Waitrose..delicious.
A rice pudding from there too.
Tonight is a Waitrose Fest!

Isn't it Odd

How someone can just annoy you. I have retreated upstairs away from listening to Tony Robinson who does Time Team. VT likes this programme and finds it interesting. To me it is like watching paint dry, but then I suppose there are many programmes that I watch that he can't stand either. It is the voice of Tony Robinson that gets me..it is horrible and sets my teeth on edge.
Bank holiday weekend this weekend but not doing anything in particular. Did the usual yesterday and VT went off to get a few things from Maghull.Stuff about the Election on everything, but I must say we haven't had any home visits or phone calls just a few leaflets, not really any more than we usually get in a council election.
This is the last weekend before the election, so all the leaders are out in full force.
Last night we had:
Chinese spring rolls
Half a pack of rice
Stir fry vegetables and hoisin and plum sauce.
Sunday, VT went for the papers and we had a leisurely read of those in bed this morning. Very nice too. Then he went into Crosby and back for coffee. Crosswords this afternoon, but he says he is getting tired of doing them and has decided to leave the Big Mail Crossword tomorrow. Give us somethi g to do on bank holiday monday.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza with our tomato sauce
Sausage,pepper for Vt
portobello mushrooms
Mozzarella
potato salad and pasta and pest salad.
Egg and potato salad.