Mingy With The Maple Syrup!!!

Today..friday we thought we would go to Waitrose in Formby since we didn't need a lot of things, and it is quite near. Plus it is a nasty day again, drizzly rain and grey.
Parked right outside the front door which is always a bonus,thought it was going to be busy with the new Year approaching, but it wasn't. Another bonus. Got our groceries and everything on the list, then mooched around for anything reduced in the sales. I did get a box of crackers (the pull kind!) which were half price, and a really nice box of very posh chocolates again at half price. Since we didn't have that many treats for christmas i thought I'd get us those. Bought some Covent garden soup for our lunch one which we hadn't had before..carrot and maple, and a tomato and basil because they were on offer. 2 for £3.00
Home for coffee so Vin was a happy bunny.
Lunch then was soup, Vin had a toasted Marmite bageland i had some of my bread. When i served it up, i took the jar of maple syrup out of the fridge and put some on the top of the soup bowls. vin got a bit tetchy at this, and said Whoa..it doesn't float you know!!!!! Uh yes..i did know. can't believe he was being so mingy with the maple syrup..which incidentally I buy!! and he pours liberally over pancakes, and crumpets and the like.So..I had a mega sulk, and he tried to pass it off as a "joke".
Terrible television at the moment on daytime. After lunch we usually sit down and have a small espresso and watch Doctors that we have recorded, but it isn't on at the moment.Be glad when everything gets back to normal again. can't be doing with all the repeats.
we did enjoy the "Great expectations" that has been on for the last three nights. Very atmospheric and good acting, apart from Pip who was a bit effeminate for the part really. ray Winstone was excellent as Magwitch. Didn't Charles Dickens have fantastic character names. Enjoyed the series about Living with the Amish as well and it was the last of those last night. Not as good as the others though. The first one was my favourite, they were a lovely couple and he had the most wonderful narrative voice. i could listen to him for hours.
We had a very interesting chat with our coffee this morning..well it was more of a monologue really. Amongs other things we talked about jet engines, motor bikesand fossil fuels. he has a butterfly brain my husband, and is actually very clever. i wonder why his brain wasn't channelled in the right direction at school. Shame.
Tonight we are having:
Cheese and onion pasties from Waitrose, been in the freezer,
Rice puddings from Waitrose also from the freezer.

One of Those Dark Days...

Very very wet dark and miserable here today. raining pretty much all day, and really raining too with it lashing down the windows and looks like some sleet with it too. So, needless to say we didn't go anywhere today, we stopped in and did bits of things. Vin has spent the morning going through papers so he has a pile now that he has read, and another that he hasn't gone through yet.
Next door came to the door this morning, they are off to Scotland, and they are welcome, driving up there in all this rain too. it's horrible driving on motorways in the rain with the spray, and the traffic , must be worth it though. She is Scottish, so I judge it must be to relatives.
At least Vin doesn't have a little cat to look after, he has looked after the little ginger one from next door for years, and he still misses it. I hope it had a lovely Christmas over on the Wirral.


Sad day on the Delia site today, it is the funeral of one of the really well known and lovely members, down in London. She will be sadly missed on the site. She wasn't old either, and it was all quite sudden really. It's odd how you get attached to someone you have never met or spoken to, but she was a popular member of the site. Always had a sense of humour and sharp wit, and we shared a love of cats, which she adored. R.I.P. "Squeaky"

Tonight we are having:
Cheese and leek escalope
Potatoes gratin
baby carrots.

Back to Manchester...

Took the prodigal daughter home today back to Manchester. We left at around 10-15 and got there at around 1135 which was good timing. Traffic was quite light, and Vin cruised along and made good time. We had a bit of a breather when we got there, and Vin put some light bulbs up for them in the overhead lights. Doesn't appear that jane has forgotten anything, in fact she seems to have taken quite a bit of stuff from our store cupboard and fridge, but that's ok. It was too early for our lunch so we had a good coffee and a biscuit to put us on, then left at about 12.30. Traffic along the motorways was quite light for us on our side, but it was really building up on the other side, Loads of lorries and cars going in the Manchester direction, and some slow moving stuff. Good job we left this morning when we did or we would have been caught up in that.
Left on a good note..Vin gave Jane a coat he had bought from the Claire House Hospice Shop, which is a Nike brand, weatherproof and never been worn..a bargain at £3.50!!! Jane was thrilled with that, which is good because she is very finiky over her clothes.So that will be great for her when she is coming home late at night in the bad weather.
We got home at 2 30 with the best travelled sandwiches known. All the way to Manchester and back again, we enjoyed them when we got home, and the little cats hadn't moved I don't think, but they both got up for their chicken though!!
So...it has been an odd Christmas with her here.. Not too bad all things considered, and at least she was pleasant.
Tonight we are having:
Pea and courgette quiche,
Something tomatoey spaghetti hoops maybe..
A few chips to go with..well it is still Christmas!

happy Christmas...

Well it's all over for another year!
daughter came home and well..slept a lot! She did have a Christmas meal with us though. We had quite a nice Christmas actually,Vin bought me a little book to put books in, and i bought him a book of The kings Carols with a DVD to go with I think.
Funny thing was, he bought me a voucher fror Superdrug..and i bought him one!! great minds eh!!
We had a nice christmas meal with Chicken style Roast from Holland and Barratt, Roast potatoes, sweetcorn, baby carrots and cranberries and Roast parsnips. gravy, bread sauce and cranberry sauce.
My traditional Christmas Pudding is my Hazelnut gateau which Vin helped make this year.

Well it's all over for another year!

daughter came home and well..slept a lot! She did have a Christmas meal with us though. We had quite a nice Christmas actually,Vin bought me a little book to put books in, and i bought him a book of The kings Carols with a DVD to go with I think.
Funny thing was..I bought him a voucher from Superdrug for £10 and he bought me..a voucher for Superdrug for £10!! We had a laugh about that.
our Christmas meal was:
Chicken style Roast from Holland and Barratt with gravy,
Roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings because Jane wanted them..
Sweetcorn, baby carrots with cranberries and Roast parsnips,
Bread sauce and cranberry sauce.
We had our traditional Christmas pudding which is a Hazelnut gateau

Jane is going back to manchester tomorrow, the little cats have been very good really. I thought they would have been more timid, but even Rusty who is normally very timid and wary has been good with her.
Good Christmas television over the period, especially christmas night with the Downton Abbey episode which was really excellent, and a Poirot last night wghich is always worth watching. ITV definitely had the best of the bunch this Christmas.
Tonight..(Tuesday) we are having:
Quorn broccoli and cheese escalopes,
mushroom sauce
Potato croquettes
mixed vegetables.

Christmas cards...

This morning whuile we were having our coffee before getting up we had a bit of a discussion about Christmas Cards. We now have quite a few and more arrive each day. You cn tell a lot from a card..sometimes they have a bit of a noite in about the family or circumstance, sometimes nothing but the names. I get one every year which has a sort of "Newsletter in it, and it is always the usual perfect family. Vin and I have a laugh about it and swear that one year we will do a spoof one. The one we get is where they have a perfect family, the children all get top marks in their exams, top First class degrees and top jobs. Then they get maarried and have the perfect babies so perfect grandchildren... They are now retired and have been just about everywhere this year. Just makes you tired reading it.
One card we got this year is from a friend who has two children and last year the partners name was on the card, this year it isn't..wonder what happened there. Then there are the missing cards, the ones you send but don't get a reply to..where have they gone? mysteries.
Jane continues to do her sleeping course..if there was a degree in sleeping she would have a first with distinction! The poor little cats have been displaced from their room so are wandering round looking for somewhere to set up home.
We went to Waitrose this morning to get our vegetables for Sunday, and a few other bits and pieces. Luckily for us, as soon as we pulled into their car park a car was backing out so we got a space. The car park was heaving with cars going round and round, not pleasant in the pouring rain either.
Waitrose was absolutely heaving..I have never seen it like that. You couldn't move with people filling trolley's like they were laying in for a seige. Mad really isn't it. We just got the things on Vin's always useful list then made our way home. Guess who hasn't moved a muscle!! got it in one!
Vin made me really laugh this morning..i saw a post it note on the bedroom door, and said "What's that?" He said it says..Keep out, Aged parents asleep!!! he's a scream that husband of mine. I love him!!
Tonight we are having:
Fishless fingers,
Chips 200 grms
Mushy peas for Vin and green beans for moi.

The Prodigal Daughter...

Home for Christmas...weleft home at 1037 precisely, and Vin negotiated all the motorways over to manchester. Got a tiny bit lost when we got there, but he sorted it out. we ended up in Mill Lane cemetry which was a bit up the road from Janes, so he looked at his map and worked out where to go. Got to her house at about twelvish which wasn't bad considering the traffic. No hold ups though.
Her house is quite nice in a little estate, and she has a room with its own bathroom and bedroom so all en suite which is good. After we had some lunch and Vin had a bit of a breather we left at around 1'OClok to come home. never seems as long coming home as it does going. Arrived home at 2'15 so made good time.
The whirlwind has thrown all her stuff in her bedroom, fed herself, cheese on toast, and is now lying on her bed watching a video.
The cats seem unfazed really, I did think little Rusty would have run off because she is normally timid where strangers are concerned, but she didn't. good for her. Bobby wasn't bothered at all as long as she gets her chicken she is ok!.
Seems strange to have the bedroom occupied once again. Plus point was that it was good weather today, in fact it was quite mild and sunny,I had to use my sunglasses today which was the first for a bit.
Tonight we are having:
pasta bake with a tomato and basil sauce,
garlic bread to share
A bit of parmesan to go with.

Getting Ready..

For the visit tmorrow. This morning we went off to Homebase first to see if we could get a rug for jane's room. The one that is in there is very drab, and I wanted to get something a bit brighter, but to no avail. They really only had one type and that was brown, coffee and mushroom oblongs, not very bright at all. So what we have done in the end is to swap the rug from our room and put that in there.
Then we went to Tesco's which is just over the road. Vin had a coupon for £2 off £20 so that was an incentive. Armed with his list, and some idea of what she wanted us to get her, we fought our way round a very busy store. I hate that Tesco's it's so cramped and people everywhere, but we seemed to get most of what we wanted, in fact everything we wanted. About half way round we bumped into an old school colleague, who I taught with at All Saints, and had moved to be in the Art Dept., of the school that our Jane went to. She is lovely and we had a good chat, catching up on her family. She has a daughter who is a senior registrar in London at the moment for a while, and another who is working for AQA in Manchester, so they'v e done well. She is retiring in July after 20 years at that school, I couldn't believe it was that long since she left my school. Doesn't time fly!
By the time we left her still shopping, it was getting on so we had to whizz round and get the other things, but we were all right in the end. At least it wasn't raining like the other day!!!
Vin vacuumed Jane's room this afernoon, so at least it is nice and clean now ready for Madam..
Tonight we are having:
Something from the freezer, quick and easy,
Maybe a flan and something tomatoey to go with.

Preparations...

For the Royal Visit..Jane is coming home on Thursday as far as we can tell anyway. She has just rung up to ask if we had a spare timer switch so they can rig it up to one of their lamps because there will be a couple of days when there is no-one there. At least she is thinking of security. That is a good thing anyway.
Didn't go out today we stopped in to try and get her room sorted a bit. Did all the bedding so that will be nice and fresh, and the quilt, because the cats unfortunately treat that as their private bedding too, so that is all fresh and nice. She has just rung up actually on her way to work, then she is off for about ten days which will be a lovely break for her. I only hope her and her Dad don't start arguing, they are terrible when they get together, similar personalities I think. And..Stubborn!
She wants a Physics text book for christmas..How sad is that! but it is about £30 and she says she usus it all the time. She has a copy from the library which she keeps renewing, but if someone requests it she is snookered, and she says she will use it next year on the radiography course.I've also saved some pound coins for her in little pots so that will help a bit too I think.
Vin was going to vacuum her room, but the cats are in there so that couldn't be done, he can see the cat hairs, I can't, and miss them. I just did all the ironing, at least I can see that!
Tonight we are having:
leek and cheese escalope
Mushroom sauce,
Baby baked potatoes
Mixed vegetables.

Tipping Down..

What a horrible miserable day it was today! really manky and wet. We had decided to go over to Ormskirk to get some of our Christmas things and it was just light rain when we left, then when we got there the Heavens opened and it was tipping down. i suggested we park in the little park behind M&S because we were going there anyway, and after going round once a bloke pointed to a space so we were lucky there. Poor Vin got soaked just going for the ticket.
Anyway we got there in the end..there was a market in the middle of Ormskirk today too which we weren't expecting it's usually Thursday or Saturday, but they were all there today. Didn't bother with that though it was too wet. Got Jane a card from tesco with some money on it so that will help with her shopping for a bit, and we got our chicken style roast from Holland and Barratt plus our fishless fingers. Ended up in M&S and got some Christmas stuff there, so we did really well today. Got back to the car and went down to Morrisons. Vin went for the ticket and came back to say that the machine hadn't given out tickets but had taken the money..that didn't please him..anyway there was no sign of the parking man but a woman uinside said go to the customer services and he got his money back there..so fair enough. Well done Morrisons. Had a really nice and welcoming cup of good coffee and a shortbread, only £2.75 for all that..2 big mugs of coffee and a packet of biscuits..best value in town actually. Proper mugs too.
Then we started to go round there. We got loads of things for Christmas, including a really nice carton of "Merry Christmas" Soup..Covent garden which is mushroom, stilton and pearl barley and some of the proceeds goto the sally Army too. We had that for our lunch when we got home and it was lovely. Got a trolley full of stuff, especially some things that Jane had said she wants, and paid with our saver card which has £49 on it, and if you spend it in December you get another pound so it was £50..I only had to pay eight pounds for all our shopping!
Still tipping down and we were late getting home, but the soup was lovely.
A few Christmas card on the mat,they are coming in quite slowly this year.
Tonight we are having:
Our leftover pizza from last night,
Salad with egg and potato,
All the remaining salads from last night.

The Weekend Again...

Iwoke up this morning at five O'Clock with a little cat balanced precariously on my hip. bit early that is rusty!! Got up at six O'Clock to go to the bathroom, and then got back into my nice warm bed. Could I get back to sleep..Could I thuimp! All sorts of things going round my brain,mainly the state of the middle room where Jane will be sleeping wnhen she comes home. There are quite a lot of boxes etc in there because it's become something of a storage room since she left home. Vin says he has it all in hand and it will all be sorted. I believe him.
Yesterday was a bit rainy and cold, Vin went out to Maghull to get some stuff, but was back as usual for his coffee! he wouldn't miss that!
Today he went off to Crosby because we had forgotten to get the cats some chicken which would never do would it! They line up in the kitchen every day at around half past one so how could you tell them there isn't any? Mind you when Jane comes home they are going to have to find new spots to sleep on because they both are quite often to be found on her bed in their baskets.
Vin said Crosby was quite vusy with a lot of the shops that aren't normally open, trading today..Boots for example and the jewellery shop etc., Very unexciting place to go though it really wants bringing into this century with a vengeance.
Spent a pleasant evening last night watching the final of Strictly..What a good series this has been this year! I voted for Jason but he was voted off as third despite a wonderful show dance. Harry and Chelsee were left with Harry eventually winning and deservedly so.Very polite and nice young man too. Thought Brucie was going to blow a gasket at the announcement because all of McFly surged onto the stage to surround him, and he was batting them off with his cue cards..hilarious.
We then watched a film on Sky called "Black Swan"..not the sort of film we would normally watch, but my word it was a cracking film. I can see why natalie Portman won the best actress Oscar award last year for her portrayal of the main ballerina. Excellent film.
Jane rang up just before on her way to work, and she said it was freezing and the pavements were lice glass. They seem to be colder in Manchester than we are here, and she was a bit iffy about leaving work tonight and driving home. Hope she's careful.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza with our tomato sauce,
Portobello mushrooms pineapple, pepper and courgette.
Egg and potato salad with avocado and baby yellow tomatoes.
Potato salad for moi and pasta salad for Vin..

See Amid The Winter's Snow!

Woke up this morning to a very dark, grey day. Looked like it was going to do something, then it started to rain. We had decided to go over to Ormskirk to do our shopping, and I got my slap on ready to go. Now I have a back tooth that has beenfilled so many times I have lost count, and last night some of the filling came out, leaving a hole where my tongue kept finding..you know the way your tongue finds the hole. Since the Dentist is only two doors down, I nipped in before we left for Ormskirk, and the girl said they had a cancellation at 12O'Clock, but i said we were just going out, so she gave me an appointment for next Thursday. Went back to the car, and Vin said you'd be better taking the cancellation and he would go to Waitrose instead to do the shopping. So that's what we did. I went back in the house, Vin made a list, and went off to Formby. He rang up after about ten minutes to say that it was snowing there, and was coming down quite hard.In the end it was a good job we didn't go over to ormskirk because it is quite high up there and no doubt it would have been quite snowy.
I was about twenty minutes in the dentists and Vin came home soon after me with two big bags of shopping.
What a good litttle shopper he is, he had everything on the list and some more useful Christmas things as well. Not long after he came in it started to snow here, sort of sleety at first, then a spate of those lovely big fat snow flakes, looked really pretty for a while, but it's gone now, and everywhere just looks grey again!Vin has just come in and said that he had been down to the coal bin for lighting the fire, and everywhere is quite icy. He says that there has been a drop in temperature since lunchtime and it has gone really cold now.
Jane has just rung up on her way to work, she says it's freezing cold but not really snowing there, just wet. At least she has her new shoes, so her feet won't get wet!!
Tonight we are having:
Cheese and onion pasties from Waitrose, Vin's favourite..I think that's all he went for!
baked tomatoes to go with,
Rice puddings from Waitrose..so Vin is a very happy bunny..

"Gathering more Winter Fuel"...

We were going over to Maghull this morning because I wanted to have a look at the Bon Marche shop..they have a %30 reduction today. But...decided that I have enough stuff from there so we went out tto Dobbies instead, to finish our free coffees for the month. Vin wanted to get some more of their bags of logs which have proved to be excellent, they don't splutter and burn really beautifully. They are specially seasoned in a kiln so are totally dry and safe for use in the chimney. So he got two bags of those.We now have..coal..peat bricks and wood logs. So if we have a cold Christmas wer'e ok!
Had a bit of a look round there too, Vin saw a book that he wantedso I got him that for Christmas, and we chose some nice treats from the food hall, like pickled walnut chutney that he likes, and little thin cheese wafers that I like and go well with a drink. The box upstairs is now overflowing with goodies, gleaned over the past few months.
Had our coffees and a good chat in the spacious restraunt areathen home for lunch.
We did most of our Christmas cards last night, didn't do a newsletter this year, mainly because we get some terribly naff ones that we laugh about, but..my writing is getting very shaky these days so will possibly do one next year, simply because it is easier.
Watched the Royal Variety performance from the Lowry theatre in Salford last night which was a really good show we thought. lovely to see Tony Bennet singing his heart out..what a voice. And Leona Lewis who was a big find from the X factor but we didn't like her new song though.
Bit mournful.
Funny weather today, it was really wet on the way to Dobbies driving through Woodvale there were huge puddles at the side of the road, but dry here where we live a few miles away. Odd country this.
Tonight we are going to haveQuorn chicken style pie,
sweet potato and butternut squash
A few boiled squashed potatoes
Gravy to go with.

When a poor man came in sight..Gathering Winter Fuel...

Fuel that is..you would be poor if you were paying for fuel these days. Coal delivery this morning £100 for five bags of smokeless fuel, mind you Vin says that has filled the bunker andwill last about six weeksish. Then there was a delivery of Peat from Hortex, two bales at £10..So the "Old man of Good King Wenceslas would need a deep pocket indeed. Mind you he would have his Winter fuel Allowance of £200 between us, it was £250 but this government took £50 off it!! I blame David Cameron..I bet he doesn't have to worry about the heating in his flat or houses!
Vin nipped out to Crosby this morning to get the cats their chicken because they had run out.
Jane has just rung up..a much happier bunny, because she has a new pair of trainers, she got them from the sports shop..Adidas and they were only £25. so at least she hasn't got a hole in her shoe tonight!
Quick note tonight because I was late starting..
Tonight we are having:
Pasta with a pour over spinach and ricotta sauce
Vegetables to go with it,
A bit of garlic bread.

Miscellany..

Of things happening today. we had thought of going over to Ormskirk to get some stuff from Holland and Barratt, including our fishless fingers, but Vin rang them up to see if they had any in stock, and they didn't so that stopped that idea. Added to that, it is a fair journey over there, and it is very blowy and cold today, so saved us a wasted journey really.
So, in the end we stopped in. Vin mended the ceiling outside the bathroom door which has been letting draughts through.Now it doesn't. Mr Fixit rides again. i cleared out the fridge, and washed that down, loads of jars with well gone sell by dates..and half jars of jellies or things that were decidedly dodgy looking. They get shoved to the back of the fridge shelf and forgotten. So now we have a lot more room. We were going to do the bedding but little Bobby was asleep on my pillow and we didn't have the heart to move her, so left that. by lunchtime she had moved though so we did in the end.Just after lunch we cleared out the freezer too, got rid of lots of bits of things that have been put in there and never used, and some stuff that was freezer burnt or out of date. So that has cleared a lot more room for Christmas things now.
Oh what an exciting life we do lead!!!All sorts of gale warnings today on the weather forecast, and the trees outside are really blowing. Vin's draughtproofing will be tested tonight I think.
Jane has just rung up a bit happier because the biology assignment that she had handed in with a page missing, she got a merit for. She thought she would have failed that,so she was good about that. She is on her way to work still with a hole in her shoe, and hoping it wouldn't rain tonight!!
Tonight we are having:
Quorn chicken and mushroom style pie.
Potato croquettes
Carrots, and beans.

And Another Week Starts...

two weeks to Christmas isn't December flying by, and I haven't started my Christmas cards yet either. Must get them on the go asap.We have all the decorations up though so not too bad.
Went into Formby this morning to get our weekly veggie fix. So Waitrose it was this morning. The thing is..you come out of our village, and you turn right and you get to Crosby and Sainsburys, or you turn left and you get to formby which is Tesco or Waitrose. Since we never go to Tesco it is Waitrose this morning.Nice store but so expensive, and you are tempted by things that you see all round the aisles, so that encourages you to spend more. Spent £45 this morning and didn't get that much either. Did get a few bits for Christmas though, so not too bad. I do miss the Morrisons that used to be there.
Vin has ordered some coal this afternoon which will come on Wednesday, 5 bags I think it was, and he ordered some peat last week but that hasn't come yet, seems to be delayed.
Jane rang up yesterday, very annoyed because she had left one page of her biology assignment in her bag, and not handed it in. She reckons that the tutor is a bit of a split personality and won't accept it. kids..there's always something.I certainly didn't think that at 28 she would still be doing assignments like a college kid.Funny thing as I was typing this she rang up. On her way to work, and she said it was freezing, but she has layers of clothes on and a hole in her trainers! Oh dear, she sounds like a bag lady!!!No money for new ones till she gets paid again. She had to pay her rent and the bills first.
Must say i don't envy her going out in this weather in the dark and the cold.
Tonight we are having:
Mozzarella and pesto escalope,
Small baked potatoes
Carrots beans and broccoli with a mushroom sauce.

Christmassy!

just had our first Carol Singers at the door..afraid we din't answer the door to kids who tend to stand there sing one awful verse of "We wish you a merry Christmas" then go....straight to the sweet shop up the road! Cynical in my old age!
The new neighbours next door have a Christmas tree in their conservatory which snows!!!!! I can't see it , but Vin says he spotted it this morning snowing. Well that's a new one on me. Don't think we will be getting ne of those somehow.
Quiet weekend really,must think about doing the Christmas cards since time is getting on now. Vin was saying this morning that it is only two weeks till Christmas Day, then it will be all over. thankfully we don't have many presents to buy, not having any family, it must be a terrible time of the year for those who are in debt or don't have nmuch money.
Vin went to Formby yesterday to get a few things that we had forgotten then over to Maghull. just about dodged the rain which was very patchy yesterday. The bag of logs that he bought from Dobbies has proved to be excellent, they are hard seasoned wood and burn beautifully.
Watched the Strictly last night and voted for jason again, but fear that he may be one of the ones to go tonight. We shall have to see. Also watched the X Factor, but not impressed at all this year, and it is the first year we haven't voted for anyone. Goodness knows who will win that.
Today he went to crosby for a few things,said it was quite quiet,but he likes a wander round and a mooch. Did our crosswords this afternoon, which weren't bad. mine had a theme of "Just a minute" the radio show, which I haven't listened to ffor years. Ah well we got there in the end.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza with our tomato sauce
portobello mushrooms pineapple, pepper for Vin and courgette for me.
egg and potato salad with avocado pear
Potato salad for moi and sweet noodle salad for Vin.

Gales a Blowin...

scotland has had it bad over the last few days, the Forth road bridge closed which is a bad sign. the pictures on the news last night were aawful with great big lories being blown over on their sides. seems to have calmed down today, but the weather forecast for this region is icy patches tomorrow. well, it is December!
jane rang up at lunchtime just as we came in from the supermarket, she is shattered but told us that she has fot distinctions in all of her exams, so that will keep her going. Good for her!
We went over to Walton Sainsburys this morning for our weekend things, very blowy there too. i had a quick look in the Next shop two doors down while Vin went into Poundstretchers to look for cheap fairy lights. I don't know whuy i go into Next..the clothing is just terrible. Thin and flimsy with no quality to it.I used to quite like their jewellery but even that is dreadful these days, and the Home ware section is tacky these days. What has happened to Next/ it used to be such a good store, but a lot of stores have gone like that now, cheap imported stuff from...China!!
Got quite a lot of stuff from Sainsburys. They seemed to have a few offers that we use today. No ripe pears and no potato salad..what are they playing at? The pears are all like turnips and need about a week to ripen, not like the pears you see them using on cookery programmes when they are lovely juicy things.
We went to our usual spot in their car park for our lovely coffees..it's a huge car park, and very few cars use the back of it, be a good place to learn to drive.
Tonight we are having:
Pasties from waitrose, vins favourite and the ones he went out of his way to get yesterday!
Rice pudding from Waitrose.

Imagine!!

Picture the scene..A school Nativity Play..then two parents have an argument, ond one man ended up biting the finger off another! poor little kids, i nly hope that it wasn't in full view of them.Vin was telling me this as we were going to sleep last night, apparently it was on the news on his in the ear radio. Somewhere in middlesboro i think, at least it wasn't liverpool!!!
Absolutely horrible day here today, very cold and miserable and wet and blowy. vin dodged the showers and went to Homebase to get some foam to draughtproof the extension. he says there is a draught where the ceiling meets the brickwork, so he is fixing that. Mr Fixit is off again Bless him.

The bit he is doing is the top of the bricks where they join the ceiling. these are my Clarice Cliffe plates (reproduction) which I love.
of course on the way back he went into Waitrose to get two of his favourite pasties for tomorrow night!!They didn't have any yesterday when we went and he saw that as a tragedy. he does love his pasties...vegetarian of course.
Jane rang up this morning too, she was on her way home to do her biology assignment which is due in, and she said that she had got %86 on her Physics exam which was a Distinction and the one she was really worried that she had failed. So although she was tired she was a happier bunny.
Posted john and Anns parcel yesterday and it was £16 to post! We sent a card and letter, a calendar Thomas Kinkade one.. a DVD of Downton Abbey the second series, and the latest Susan Boyle CD. A little christmas ornament and two Hamish McBeth books. So, quite a haul. i wonder how hot it is over there/ probably in the nineties. can't imagine Christmas in all that heat somehow, but I suppose it's what you are used to.
Tonight we are having:
Something out of the freezer
A pack of nmixed vegetables
8oz of potatoes between us squashed.

Blown Away...

nearly..wewent out for a run this morning to get a bit of fresh air. very breezy here, you have to be extra careful with the car doorsWent over to Dobbies to get our coffees, and have a bit of a look round. Did spot some lovely crackers for the Christmas table which were all red and gold, very pretty and only £6 which I thought was very good so bought those.Vin was more down to earth and bought a bag of hardwood logs for the fire, and two pots of fruits for cheese from their food hall. I got a jar of peaches in brandy, we always have those at Christmas as a treat.We have a box upstairs in the middle room which we keep treats in and it is getting quite full now. Enough there till Easter I think.
had our coffees and Vin decided he wanted to go in the corner again! I said it feels like the naughty corner! i think it is because he doesn't want anyone to see us eating our own biscuits really!
Very sad news on the Delia website that I am a member of yesterday. One of the members of the site has passed away early yesterday morning suddenly in hospital. The thing about the site is that you do get to kniow people on it really quite well and they do become friends if you can call it that. She was a lovely witty kind woman who has gone too soon, only in her early fifties i think. She leaves a sister who will be devastated and a mother who is in a nursing home and has dementia, and who she looked after for years. everyone on the site is thoroughl7y shocked and saddened at the news. Always seems worse at this time of the year too. RIP Squeaky which was the name she used on site. Very sadkly missed.
Tonight we are having:
Pasta with a pea asparagus and green bean sauce
A bit of garlic bread and a bit of parmesan
A pack of mixed green vegetables to go with.

Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree!

Today we have spent the best part of the day putting the Christmas decorations up in the house. Vin does all the heavy work getting the trees down and hanging stuff up. and I do the fiddly things like decorating the trees. We have three altogether. one in the extension, one in the middle room and one in the front room in the bay window which can be seen from outside, and looks really nice with the candle arch in the upstairs window.I think we have put them up earlier than last year so we will get longer out of them. We have collected decorations over the years, and have some really nice ones now. i love the trees when they are up.
Jane has just rung up on her way to work, she says it is raining and freezing cold there and she is shattered. She's been doing an assignment, has had a full day at college, then is doing a full shift at Ticketmaster. Good news though ...she has passed her Physics exam which she was really worried aboutso that is good. her next lot of exams are in January so she has a bit of leeway now, but she has two assignments to do over Christmas which is a shame. never mind, like she says it isn't long now.
Parcel arrived from Australia this morning, so we need to get theirs posted soon, probably tomorrow.I hope they like what we have got them I think they wuill enjoy the Downton Abbey DVD series two that we got. There is a two hour special on Christmas day of that..wonderful. And, a Poirot on Boxing day so that's good viewing. looking forward to those. Vin got the big Christmas TV mag this morning when he went for the paper..costs a fortune too.
Tonight we are having:
Lamb style grills done in the oven in a gravy,
Little boiled potatoes or maybe mashed ones
Carrot batons

What a day..

hailing as I type this. jane has just rung up on her way to work and said it was freezing there.She has had to walk further to another car park because the one she usually goes in was full and the next one was £4 instead of £2..so she walked to a cheaper one.Hope she doesn't get wet on her way home poor little kid.
We went into Crosby this morning and just about dodged the rain etc., went to the bank and paid some money in for her at least that will help a bit.
Sainsburys was quite busy actually, but the car park wasn't. Odd that, must be a lot of people from buses use it. there's always a lot outside waiting for taxis at that one.
got our stuff for the week, so sorted out for evenings. Home in time for his coffee and Vin to do a bit of draught proofing. his latest project which is to go round doors and windows to put strips on so they will be draught proof.
Short and sweet today..ran out of time because Jane rang up..but I don't mind that.
Tonight we are having:
Escalope with a mushroom sauce
baby baked potatoes
Carrots and beans

Weekend Wotsits..

All sorts of bits and pieces this weekend. Vin went off to maghull yesterday to get his bits and bobs that he wanted, said it was fairly busy, but the parking wasn't a problem. jane rang up in the afternoon sounding really fed up with her exams and money worries. She was on her way to work for a five O'Clock shift, horrible night and really cold..don't suppose that helps. She said the Chemistry and Biology was fine but she was very concerned about her Physics. they are having a lot of trouble with the Physics teacher who isn't teaching them properly, so the exam questions were very hard.Hope she passes that one. She is also poverty stricken not having any money and asked me for a loan.Vin and I discussed it and decided that wasn't the answer, what she needs is a drip of money going in to help with the rent etc. her outgoings are more than her incomings at the moment and that is what is causing the problem. We'll try and get her sorted a bit.
Enjoyed watching the Strictly last night and voted for jason since Anita has gone. Thought his singing in the rain the best dance of the evening. terrific.Last night we had:
Chinese Quorn dippers with a plum and ginger sauce,
stir fry vegetables
1/2 a packet of fried rice.

Today (Sunday) is a horrible day here. cold and rainy with the odd hail shower too. vin went to crosby to get some things and came back with a beautiful new bed for the cats. he said it was for Rusty but it is big enough for bobby who is a big cat. he put it on the sofa but it is a bit big there so he has put it on the bed upstairs and Bobby has gone straight in it. She looks really lovely and we must take a photo of her. He said he was dodging the hail in Crosby which he says is a horrible place..like an Eastern european town..bare and lifeless.he passed three cyclists on the way back from there and said they were getting soaked in the hailstorm. can't for the life of me imagine what fun there is in cycling in this weather. hailstones hurt too they sting like mad.
Did our crosswords quite easily today, Vin's had one or two he had to look up on the netbook. That has proved to be a really good little machine, and means we don't have to trawl upstairs to use the one in the bedroomisn't technology clever these days. Don't like all these phones that do everything though, i've seen people using them and looking mindless, touching the screens and working away like they were toys.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza with our tomato sauce,
portobello mushrooms, pineapple, pepper for Vin and courgette for me,
Egg and potato salad with avocado..I hope they are ripe!
Potato salad for moi and a rice salad for Vin.

out and About...

This morning we were up and at em quite early. I had an appointment at the Hearing Aid centre in Southport at 10-15 so we had to leave the house fairly early.Even so, we are always still in a rush on the last minute, there always appears to be last minute things to do. Left the house at 9-45 and were in Southport byabout 10-07 which was good going. Went along the Coast Road which is traffic light free and you get a clear run there.
Steve, the hearing aid man tweaked the sounds somewhat because I had noticed that the tone on the higher frequencies was very crackly and a bit tinny..the sound of clapping on Strictly for example sounded like someone rustling crisps in my ears. We shall have to wait till tomorrow night to see if that has improved.I hope so.Next appointment is in June which is six months off.
We had parked in the Sainsbury's car park which is just opposite the centre (shop) so we had to spend a fiver to get the parking free. We wanted a couple of things anyway that we couldn't get in ASDA so that is ok. Got some egg salads for the weekend and a stirfry and their magazine then came out.
Off to ASDA which is only five minutes up the road. Quite busy but parked near the ffront, when we got out of the car we could hear the dulcet sounds of....Christmas Carols..already and it's only the 2nd of december. The Southport Rotary Club had a float in the entrance with a Father Christmas waving to everyone. very jolly. Put some money in their box anyway, and then had "Little Donkey" ringing in my ears all round ASDA.Not my most favourite carol, but never mind it's for a good cause.
Vin went off down to the Range shop and I had a mooch round ASDA on my own, didn't spot any books that I fancied or any clothes..don't like their clothes anyway..very badly made
Thought my blood sugar was getting a bit low so went off to the Pharmacy to get some glucose tablets. Chewed two of those and was caught up by Vin who said "What are you eating?" told him and he said I can't leave you for two minutes!! What a fusspot..nice though.
Completed our shopping, then went to a quieter part of the carpark for our coffees. Spotted a car park attendant looking round a red car nearby , looked all round taking photos of it as well. Then wrote a ticket out and put it behind the wiper blade.So someone isn't going to be a happy bunny when they come back to their car. Silly really because you get two hours, and you get the money back in the store, they could have come back and got another ticket too. Vin said it is a £70 fine if you go over the time. makes a very expensive day that.
Last night in the end we had:
A crustless cheese and onion quiche from Morrisons in the freezer,
Two potato croquettes each
A small tin of spaghetti rings.

Tonight we are having:
Fishless fingers with tartare sauce
Chips 200grms between us
Green beans for moi and mushy peas for Vin.

Hare4s and Rabbits...

I wonder who else sys this on the first day of the month for good luck.We always do, there is a race in the morning to say it first in our house. Vin usually wins because I don't come round quickly enough to think what day it is never mind the date and month!
Stopped in today, I wanted to get a bit more of John and Anns letter done so we can send off their parcel, and Vin was mooching about outside. he got his long ladders out and was painting the bathroom window giving it the last coat. he said this morning while we were having our chat.."Guess where the paint came from?" then he said Woolworths! it's a tin of gloss paint he has had inside for a while. Poor Woolworths, it is still a shock that they went, and so many shops as well.Most of the Woolworths round here are now either Iceland freezer centres or Poundland type shops, which seem to have taken over the High Streets. Those and the charity shops, in Formby village centre there are about six assorted charity shops now, supporting all sorts of causes. We do tend to go to the animal rescue ones, but the Roy Castle one has some nice things. Haven't seen any Clarice Cliffe or moorcroft yet though!
Wonder how Jane got on with her exams this week, she hasn't rung up yet so maybe they went well. She'll get in touch before long.
Tonight we are having:
Something from the freezer, haven't a clue what.
Maybe an escalope, we haven't had one this week yet.
Or maybe a quiche and something tomatoey.

Oh I Love a barain!!

We decided if the weather was ok that we would go over to Ormskirk today, and when we woke up it was nice and sunny so we did.
I decided to take back a pair of slippers that I had bought from bon Marche because the soles had come loose. browsing round the shop I spotted a really nice jumper reduced from £16 to £10 so i thought I would exchange the slippers for that. When I got to the till I was told I only had to pay £2 so I was well pleased. Then leaving the shop I spotted another really nice jumper also in...Purple...reduced from £18 to £10 so i tried it on and it fitted perfectly so I took that to the till The girl then said it is 40% off today if you buy two items. i said that I had got enough then she pointedout that if I bought their magazine for 45p reduced that my jumper would be 40% off. So i ended up paying £6 for my jumper.What a bargain..£8 for two lovely jumpers in my favourite colour too.
Vin did his bits of shopping and then we went to Morrisons for our coffee. their coffee is really good. proper yellow cups or mugs and decent biscuits and £2.75 the cheapest coffee around actually. Got some bits and pieces of shopping including chicken for the cats and made our way home. lots of kids around, the result of the strike I suppose, kids with Mums. Parenmts and Grandparents.. and a real touch of Christmas everywhere too. Morrisons even had Christmas trees outside..real ones too. A bit early i think for that.Might put ours up next week i think. I love the house decorated for Christmas.
Got home to find the post had been. i got a little envelope from Horlicks. This was a responnse to an email that I had received about a horlick website and I had sent them an email enquiring about their little blue scoops that they used to give away with their packs. i have had mine for years and it is just about giving up, I think the handle is about to give up the ghost any time now, so i was wondering if they had any spares. that was a few days ago, and lo and behold I got a letter with two replacement scoops in it today. made my day actually..that was so lovely.I do love my Horlicks, have a small mug every night to get to sleep with..the light one made with water..a girl does watch the calories you know. So, thankyou little Michelle from horlicks customer services for my new scoops. Must remember where I have put them now.
Tonight we are having:
Pasta bake with tomato and mascarpone sauce,
A bit of garlic bread and parmesan,
Some veggies to go with.

What a Day!!

Good job we didn't go anywhere today. We had planned to stop in though, i had the ironing to do and Vin had a few bits and pieces to do so we did that this morning. he got the ladders out and painted the bathroom window, he said it was a bit blowy and looked like rain, then came in for his coffee a bit later and the Heavens opened. A real storm too it's now mid afternoon and as black as night with the wind blowing the trees outside. Quite a horrible night actually.Feel sorry for anyone out in it. one of the joys of being retired is that you don't have to go out in nasty weather if you don't want to.
When I had finished doing the pile of ironing I went upstairs to do the changeover on my debit card. Since my card was cloned I had to cut my old one up and I got another within a few days. that meant that I had to re-enter my number into the exsisting accounts that I use for card payments. Fortunately there are only a couple of main ones..QVC of course, and Amazon. the QVC site is so user friendly we did the entries in a matter of minutes, problably less than five. Amazon however, was very different. We entered all the details then couldn't find a submit or confirm button so assumed that it had gone through. No ! tried again and got the same result, went on to step two this time and still no submit button to click on to. Lunchtime by now so gave up in a bit of frustration. Vin said he would have a go on his little netbook, which is a smashing little machine I do have to say, Typed in all the same details then he discovered that you have to click the EDIT button when you have done that, then Hey presto it completes the procedure. Why don't they just put a line underneath where the details go telling you to click the edit button when you have entered them? Vin is really good on computers and even he took a bit to work it out.I have just checked it now and it is right. well done Vin.
Sent off the Secret Santa bauble swap this morning too. i have had mine for a few days now so thought i should get mine off. It was supposed to go to a lady in South Africa, but she is coming to the UK for Christmas, so have sent it to the relatives address, which has saved a bit of money too. Some of the overseas ones can be a terrible postage price these days.
Tonight we are having:
Not a clue!! One of those days when we look in the freezer and then decide.
Maybe a pie with gravy
Small potatoes and mixed veggies. I'll see what Vin fancies tonight. Sometimes you just run out of ideas.

The Signs...

of Christmas are appearing. Slowly but surely. There is a big Christmas tree in the entrance of Waitrose now..one of those tacky plastic ones covered in fake snow with red baubles attached. looks horrible actually. I lke tasteful Christmas things, our house has decorations all over the place but they have been collected over the years before the Chinese tat started appearing in the shops. We seem to have been flooded with Chinese stuff in recent years, no wonder the bentley's are flying out of the showrooms in China, there must be an awful lot of money going into their factories there.
Just listening to the radio as I do this and they were discussing "Strictly" vs X Factor and apparently "Strictly" is doing better than X at the moment. Doesn't surprise me at all, the X factor this year is dire..terrible judges and even more terrible contestants. i was really sorry that Anita Dobson left on Sunday, i really liked her enthusiasm and obvious enjoyment. I suspect that Harry Judd is going to win it, but would like to see Jason Donovan there at the end as well. Don't think I'll vote any more after Anita, not really bothered about the rest.
Went to Waitrose this morning for our veggies. I do like that shop, but you do need a deep pocket to go there really,their products are far more expensive that the other stores. Good quality though. I tend to get a number of different veggies then mix and match them for our evening meals. Got a couple of nice bunches of asparagus today so that will go with a pasta dish later in the week. They were on offer so not too bad. Home for coffee at midday so got round there very quickly.
Vin has been doing the fire and then off recycling which he does most days. Most off it is plastic packaging, tins or papers and magazines . I wonder what we did before the advent of recycling bins? our bins must have been full to overflowing. Luckily the recycling bins are over the road by the station so handy for him, bless his heart.


Vin made a fantastic pizza last night. he used pesto instead of tomato as the base then mostly mushroom courgette and yellow pepper for him. We have half on a Sunday night between us and the rest on a Monday for our lunch. very tasty this one was too. Well done Vin..I taught you so well!!
Tonight we are having:
Escalope or a Kievv
Baby baked potatoes 8 oz between us
Chanterelle carrots and fine green beans,
Mushroom sauce.

Another Weekend...

I notice that the new neighbours next door have their Christmas tree up in theiur Conservatory. Bit early for me I think, maybe start thinking about it in early december. Funny thing is that it is a tree with blue lights all over, and jan next door, the lady who had to move from that house used to hang blue twinkly lights up in the window of the conservatory as well.
Not a lot happening this weekend,Vin wentt to his usual haunts yesterday and today, and said they were fairly busybut the parking was ok. i was trying to get a bit of a letter going to John and Ann to go with their Christmas post parcel.
We did our crosswords this afternoon quite quickly today and for a change there weren't any difficult ones that are hard to find.
Last night we were going to have:
Thai curry with stirfry vegetables and rice, but we forgot to take the coconut milk out of the freezer so in the end we had:
Chinese diuppers
plum and ginger sauce
stir fry vegetables and 1/2 a paxck of fried rice.

Tonight we are having:
Pizza with pesto for a change, mushroom, pineapple and courgette
Egg and potato salad
potato salad for moi and sweet chilli noodle salad for Vin

What Day is It?

Woke up this morning convinced that it was Saturday. Might have something to do with the fact that Rusty was jumping up and down on the bed and on my hip at about five thirty!! I don't know what she expects me to do because we don't move till much..much..later. Got up to go to the bathroom at around six thirty and fell over a chair coming back into the bedroom. Well it was pitch black! Didn't seem to wake Vin up though. He got up later made coffee and came back to bed. Didn't have much of a chat this morning either because i was still dozy..no change there then!
We had planned to go over to the Aintree Sainsburys this morning,and I was quite surprised how blowy it was this morning. Still very Autumnal though, with a few showers and sunny patches. The ditches in the fields were quite full this morning too, it must have been raining quite heavily overnight.
Did our usual shopping and got a few extra things for the storecupboard,had to use another debit card because I am still waiting for a replacement. However...when we got home it was on the doormat in the post. That's quick work from the NatWest. I can use the same PIN number so no problems. The only thing that I will have to do is change the numjbers on a couple of my accounts where I use it. I'll do that tomorrow when I have a bit more time and can concentrate.
As usual we took our coffee with us and had it in the really quiet part of their carpark. Very pleasant sitting there in the sunshine with a good cup of coffee and a shortbread. Beats teaching anyway!!
jane has just rung up on her way to work. She could talk for England that one! but I love her chatter. She says she has a sore ear at the moment so is dosed up on ibuprofen, hope she takes care of it. She said it was a miserable night and raining now as well. She's having trouble with a Physics teacher at the college she is at, who isn't teaching them properly. Won't answer their questions because she doesn't know the answers, so they have a little Physics group that go to the library and teach themselves. I hope she gets there in the end though.

Tonight we are having:
Pasties from Waitrose..Vins favourite
Rice pudding from Waitrose as a treat.

Quick trip...

We had to make a quick trip out somewhere to get the cats some chicken or they would have lined up in the kitchen as they do every day at around half past one and they would have been chickieless!! that woulodn't do would it.
So, it was one way or the other, could have been Crosby or Formby, both are around the same distance and time to get there. Vin decided Tesco would do, but I think that had more to do with the fact that Waitrose is about five minutes from there and we could go in and get his favourite pasties for tea tomorrow night!! So that is where we ended up.
From there we went along the bypass to the garden Centre at Ince so we could get our free coffees for the month. had a good look round, they have an excellent gift shop, one of the best in the area actually, and I wanted to get Bauble for my Santa bauble swap. mine arrived yesterday, so I need to get a move on I think. Very hard to choose from their selection, I had a look round Dobbies last week, but theirs were really tacky, however, the ones over the way are really nice. It must take the poor assistants absolutely for ever to put them all out and take them down again..What a job..don't envy them that. I ended up with a really cute little robin in pottery, flat with a painted face, and a very pretty lady fairy with a material skirt and a belt if you can call it that of red beads. Couldn't make up my mind so got them both.
All we need to do now is pack them and address them, should go in a jiffy bag nicely.
Went for our free coffees then and the restraunt was absolutely heaving, people everywhere scoffing lunches..it must make a fortune that place. Found a table which was quite noisy, then i spotted one over by the window which was being cleared so we moved there. much better for the noise point of view, and at least we could have a concersation. Home for lunch and l;ittle cats waiting for their chicken!
Gosh the nights are drawing in as i type this it is 4.15 and it is all but pitch black out there.

This is jane and her Dad, Jane needs a hair cut here. She rang up yesterday and wanted her Dad to solve a Physics calculation for her, so he got some paper and pen and was kneeling on the floor working it out. Maths is all Greek to me, i feel quite happy if I can work out the numbers on Countdown!! Vin is very good at Maths though for a seconday Modern school kid he's good at most things! Wasted talent there if you ask me!!
Tonight we are having:
Toad in the hole with quorn sausages
butternut squash and sweet potato
gravy.

Funeral of a Neighbour...

Today we went to the local church ( C of E ) to the funeral of ur neighbour Mrs lambert.
Vin dug his dark suit out and I ironed his good white shirt, and very smart he looked too. he said he couldn't remember when he last wore a suit!
The funeral was at half past two which i thought was a bit late, but apparently it was something to do with the Vicar and the times she could offer. Very jolly woman but I couldn't hear a word she was saying. She had a microphone on but the sound was terrible for me anyway. I must check if these aids have a hearing loop. Heard the organ though that was loud enough. There was a little old man hunched over the keyboard and I thought he had gone to sleep till he woke up and started playing to the hymn.
There weren't any extra readings, i thought someone would have spoken about her, but the vicar just gave a resume about her life. She was born in france which i didn't know, quite exotic. i will remember her for her love of cats and her garden which was a lovely cottagey garden at the front. It's a good age 99 isn't it and a long time in the village. there were a lot of locals there, of the "old" village,in fact someone came up to me afterwards and started talking and I hadn't a clue who they were!!! I think I know, but not certain, and she didn't give me any clues either. Mystery!
The other thing that happened today was that I had a phone call from my bank the NatWest to ring them back about my debit card. Apparently there had been a transaction made in japan TODAY for an amount of £500 in local currency!! So their first question after they had gone through all the security measures was to ask me if I was in japan! Then she asked me about recent transactions that I had made Like ASDA and Sainsburys and the one I made yesterday for £47 to the dentist. So clearly my card has been cloned..and I have had to cut up my present card and wait for a new one. What a pain!! The only trouble is that I have no idea where it was done. most of my shopping is in supermarkets, a few shops on the high street that I use and Internet ones like Amazon and the Book People and QVC. Vin has looked it up on the Internet and apparently petrol stations are a common one. We use one in Formby which isn't a main chain..it is a BP one but an independent one. Wonder if it was there? I am always careful how I type in my pin number and cover up my hand,so we will be extra careful in petrol stations in future.
Tonight we are having:
pasta with a pea green bean and asparagus sauce.
A bit of garlic bread
A bit of grated parmesan
A few mixed veg to go with.

Numb Gumb....

Biggest thing today was tghe dentist this morning, so we couldn't go anywhere today really. The dentist is two doors down from our house and whatever I do it's still always a rush to get there on time! Odd that, when I go to appointments at the hospital we are always really early, but going to the dentist I'm in a rush!! Filling at the back so a numb gum, lip and tongue, that is only just wearing off as I type this at a quarter past four, and it was done at twelve twenty.
Vin went to the garden centre while i was in there, he wanted to get some small plants to fill up some pots that are empty and he came back with some pretty little violas. It's gone really dark now at half past four, so he came in a while back. Jane rang up from Manchester, she has been in college all morning and was just going to do a shift at Ticketmaster till ten O'clock. it's an awful long day for her, she's a real grafter is jane. Taken a while to get where she wants to get to but I think she'll get there this time. She is having a problem with the physics teacher, who she says isn't teaching them. So, they have a little physics club and they go into the library and work things out amongst themselves. Seems a shame when someone is getting paid to tutor them.
Got my weekly copy of Best magazine this morning and it is a double Christmas issue!!!! seems a tad early to me..and the television magazine that we get had two pages of up and coming Christmas things too. Apparently there is a new Poitot which we really enjoy, A Christmas special of Downton Abbey..Hooray!! a BBC new adaptation of Great Expectations which I'm sure will be good. So looking a bit better this year.
It does all appear to be starting earlier and earlier each year though, there were things in the shops well before Halloween. The Christmas tree is on the village green and the lights on it, but it isn't lit yet, they generally do that about the first week of December. Plenty early enough.
Tonight we are having:
Minced beef style pie
Mushroom gravy
Potato croquettes
Mixed vegetables.

Season of Mists...Etc..

!Quite misty today, a real Novemberish day. the sort of day that you remember when you were a kid after firework night and the smell of smoke was in the air. You don't really get that these days though, the mist is a sort of clear mist.
We went to crosby this morning to Sainsburys to get our weekly stuff, and the road through Little Crosby was quite misty..not fog though, it all looked very pleasant on the field.
Got our usual selection of veggies for the rest of the week, hurried round there since we hav half an hour free parking then you have to pay.Vin went off to get a few things he wanted so I had free rein..not that there is a huge amount to choose from, it isn't exactly a big store.
Jane has just rung up from the middle of Manchester, she was on her way to work, and about to go into Boots to get a meal deal for her lunch/dinner. She says you get a sandwich, a drink and a bag of crisps for £3 which isn't bad actually, and she gets a veggie wrap with beans and cheese in it instead of a sandwich. One of the troubles with being Vegetarian is that there isn't a big choice of sandwich selections, unless you like egg and cress or the cheese ploughmans you don't have a lot of choice. It was nice having a chat with her, she has her exams next week so is revising for those.She seems to be ok for this year touch wood! and at least there is light at the end of the tunnel for her.
As I type this the cats are both in the room with me. Doesn't matter what noise there is, I have the radio on or the small television sometimes and they just get settled and curled up and stay there. What a life. Bobby is on the bed all curled up in the middle and Rusty is curled up in her basket in front of the window................. Very calming and peaceful. In fact when the telephone went it made me jump!!

Didn't bother the cats though!
Tonight we are having:
Escalope with broccoli and cheese,
Mixed vegetables with a mushroom sauce
Small baby potatoes baked ans squashed.

Weekend Witterings...

Very quiet weekend this Saturday and Sunday. We both did the crosswords fairly quickly this afternoon so it left me a bit more time than usual to get this done. i usually have a mad scramble to get it done before we go and get the Pizza done. So it's nice not to have to hurry. Not that I can think of much to say today relly.
Everywhere seems to be quiet at the moment too, very little news on the television or in the papers for that matter, there seems to be a lot of fillers in the papers this weekend, nothing to get yur teeth into.
Yesterday Vin went over to Maghull and he said there was plenty of parking for a change, maybe people are doing their Christmas shopping early. Not having a family to speak of we don't really have to do any shopping as such, it must be terrible for some people these days especially those who are strapped for cash. Thus us such a material world too, it is hard to cope without money, and people spend so much at this time of year. I notice the CD adverts beginning to appear on the television , and then of coursse there are the furniture adverts..buy now for delivery at Christmas rubbish..and "Hurry sale must end Monday"..
Watched strictly last night..and voted for the first time for Anita Dobson. I like her and felt really sorry last week when she was in the last two. Beginning to be tired of Russell grant and his antics, time he went I think.
The cats have been in mostly this weekend, haven't been out much at all.Bobby id upstairs on the bed in Janes room, she is in a basket which is much too small for her, and is spilling out of it, but she looks so comfortable. Must take a photo of her.
Last night we had:
Chinese Dippers Quorn, with a Plum and ginger sauce
1/2 a packet of fried rice
Stir fried vegetables.

This is our pizza, one of Vin's works of art...
Tonight we are having:
Pizza with our tomato sauce Portobello mushrooms pineapple red pepper for Vin and courgette for moi.
Egg and potato salad with baby yellow tomatoes avocado
Rice salad for Vin and potato saladf for moi.

Gutted!

No not really, well not yet anyway. Vin heard some banging outside this morning quite early so got up to look. it was the man who had come to fix next doors gutter, well replace it actually, so he went down to have a word.He said that once he had done one he would have more of an idea of the lengths of guttering he woulod need, so would give us an estimate then. (He rang later at lunchtime to say he would put an estimate through the door)More house improvement on the way.
We went off to ASDA this morning, haven't been there for a few weeks, and they are good for topping up. I am always surprised when we come out of there how little the bill is compared to some of the others. Got loads of stuff as well, including a big bunch of flowers for £4 with %50 free, I really like ASDA, but it's just that bit too far away to go more often. Don't like their coffee shop though, horrible little plastic beakers, so we usually end up taking our own . real tightwads we are!! Not that much Christmas stuff out yet however, but I did get some nice wrapping paper, because we shall have to send John and Ann's parcel off soon.

I would love a house overlooking water, as long as there was no danger of flooding!! and a house with a wrap around porch so you could have a rocking chair on it..Lovely..
Children in Need day today, and this afternoon as I am doing this on the computer, they are playing some excellent music. just played Peggy lee's "!Every time you say Goodbye"..beautiful.
Tonight we are having:
Fishless fingers
Mushy peas for Vin and green beans for moi,
Chips..treat for the week..200grms between us,
tartare sauce.

Little Mooch...

We went over to the M&S store in Aintree this morning for a little look round. it is quite a big store on the industrial estate by Aintree racecourse. parked very easily today not far from the entrance. I had a look round while Vin walked down to the tile store and the pet store. he is looking for some new cat baskets but they were a bit dear there he said.
i wandered round the clothes..nothing caught my eye, and the gifts and cards etc and nothing caught my eye there either. I was actually looking for a nice bauble for a bauble swap, but I thought the ones they had in Marks were very tacky, and nothing at all that I would want to send to anyone. I did see some nice cards though, and they were on a three for two offer which was good, so bought 2 boxes of cards and a magnifying glass with a light that was in effect free.
Had a nice coffee upstairs, Vin had a medium and I had a small which was still large. There was a woman sitting at a table with sofas just opposite us and we both couldn't help but smile. It was a real "Does my bum look big in this" moment, except it wasn't trousers it was her top. it was a sort of beige and very very clingy, and she was a biggish woman. if she could have seen herself from the back she would have died, it was a real muffin top garment. Now I'm not small but no way would I have worn that top.Aaaah!
Went round the food then, but had to get a move on as it was getting near to One O'Clock.. Got a few things to store foor Christmas, We have a box upstairs that we put nice things in, sort of treats for Christmas. Building up quite nicely now.We have stuff like nice cheese biscuits, Christmas coffee , decent shortbread biscuits jars of good cranberry sauce, chutneys etc. most of it will still be there at Easter!!!
Very quiet party next door last night. Didn't hear anything and didn't disturb us at all. great big poster on their window..Happy 50th Birthday Tommy. Vin would go beserk if I did that!
Home to little Rusty waiting at the door..for her chicken probably, and Vin's other two premium bonds. he won 4 X £25 ones this month which was quite good.

Still some Autumn about so here's another picture from the new new england photos.

Tonight we are having:
Cheesey kiev
Small potatoes sliced and sauteed
mixed vegetables.

Bits and Pieces...

We stayed in today, mainly because there was supposed to be a man coming to see about an estimate for doing the guttering at the front of the house. Up to now he hasn't been yet. Typical. Time yet though, but it is going dark already.He should be doing next doors and ours and an estimate for the next two houses along, so effectively doing the row of the terrace. nice little job for someone that actually.
Vin went out to Formby mainly to get the cat's chicken from tesco, but also to get some fire cement. i stayed in to do the ironing which has been in a pile looking at me since Sunday. I spent the morning doing that and was just about finishing when he came back. He had also gone to the Post office there to get my parcel which could not be delivered yesterday because we were out. It was the Downton Abbey DVD series two which I am going to send to John and Ann for their Christmas present. While i was in the Susan Boyle CD also arrived of her latest CD, so am sending that also. I have heard some of the songs on the radio, and she is truly blessed with a wonderful voice. her version of Lilac Wine is gorgeous.
Vin arrived back in time for coffee..typical.. and then he did the fire cement, mending a hole which apparently will help the fire to draw better. He said it is a company that has been going since 1893 !!fancy that, all that time making fire cement!!It is sold in plastic tubs now, I bet it came in lovely tin boxes years ago.
This afternoon we have done our own things, he has done his finances etc and I have fiddled about up here.

This is off some of the later New England photos that I haven't put on here yet.Some gorgeous scenery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzgpeLFf4z4&sns=fb
This is a video that Jane sent to me via email. It is just the most lovely cat and kitten video you have ever seen.

Tonight we are having:
Pasta bake with tomato and basil sauce
A bit of garlic bread
A small pack of mixed vegetables to go with.

The embers are Glowing..

Oh yes last night, one beautiful fire with glowing coals heating up all the radiators. Yes the brush did come out of the top of the chimney, Vin had to dash out to see if it was there. He said he was quite surprised that there was as much soot as there was. It is a different colour to the old coal soot and bearing in mind that we burn smokeless fuel, we weren't expecting much really, but there was.
Mrs Lambert's funeral next Wednesday in the local church, we shall have to go to that and pay our respects to a really nice lady.
Next door neighbours are partying tomorrow night. He is 50 so they are having a do, and asked us to go. vin explained that we are not really party animals and declined gracefully. Well it's true, we don't "Do" parties, I used to hate social things at school, it's so difficult when you are deaf, you can't hear anything in the way of conversation, plus we don't know their friends and relatives. Nice of them to ask though.
We went out to Formby this morning to get our veggies for the week at Waitrose. Vin wanted to go to the TSB bank so that fitted in fine. He went there and I started round Waitrose. Oooh let loose on my own in Waitrose...What a treat.HaHa... He soon caught up with me though, just in case I forgot anything. The only thing we didn't get was the cat's chicken which would have been too expensive from there anyway. Waitrose was quite quiet actually although the car park was busy. They don't charge for going in there so it tends to fill up with people going to the village rather than the store. Beginning to get the Christmas stuff in now, and the decorations are out. very tasteful snowflakes on the windows.

I do love pumpkins!! and they seem to have disappeared now. Wonder what happens to them all?

Tonight we are having:
Escalope with baby baked potatoes
Carrots and green beans
Mushroom sauce or bread sauce not sure which.

Sooty and ?????

Sweep of course. We had the chimney sweep this morning, well afternoon really at 2 O'Clock, and he came on time too. We had recommended him to someone we know down the road, so decided we'd get him as well. Cleared everything out of the way, and covered the furniture with dust covers and plastic sheets, but there was no dust at all. There was soot, and in actual fact it is four yearssince we last had the chimney swept which is a bit naughty really, you should get them every year apparently. Actually you would hardly know he had been, apart from a smell of soot in the house, but that will go off with a Yankee candle or two. £40 for 1/2 hours work..not bad.
we did the floors this morning, bound to rain now and the cats will come in with little paw prints, is what usually happens. They stayed out of the way when the sweep was here, normally they come and have a nosey to see what is going on, but they are fast asleep on the bed at the moment. What a life!
Quick sandwich for lunch, instead of our leftover pizza, so we'll have that tonight.
Beginning to go dark quite early these days, it's 4.15 as I type this and it is going dark now the lights are on everywhere.
Autumn is fast going, but it is a very mild November though.


A little Autumn picture to keep us going..
Tonight we are having:
leftover pizza with
Egg and potato salad, avocado and baby plum tomatoes
Potato salad for moi and sweet noodle salad for Vin and a Nutty rice salad for us both.

Rememberance Weekend...

Poppy day today with the ceremonies in london. Always quite emotional to watch, and it seems to get more popular if that is the right word every year.
Saturday brought some sad news. mrs lambert who lived in the road about four doors down from us had died at two O'clock early on Saturday morning. She was 99 years old, which is such a good age, and she lived in her house until the last few months really. A couple of months ago she went into hospital because she wasn't well, and then was transferred to a nursing home where she was for a very short while until her death. She was a lovely woman, and i can remember herfor ever, doing her garden and chatting with anyone who went by. her husband was a sea captain, and he died a long time ago. End of an era..R.I.P. Mrs Lambert.
Didn't do much over the weekend actually. Vin did the cold water tank in the loft today, and went to Formby to get our salads etc., because the chimney sweep is coming tomorrow.
Last night we had:
tacos, and very tasty they were too. Quorn mince to make a chilli, and then the toppings...
Salsa, soured cream, lettuce, and grated cheese. All in the taco trays.

Tonight we are having:
pizza with our tomato sauce, portobello mushrooms,pineapple and emmenthal cheese
potato and egg salad
potato salad for moi and sweet chilli noodle salad for vin

What an Odd Day...

Started ok, blustery and grey but not too bad. Vin rang up a credit card before we went out to see why his card had expired and he hadn't received a new one. He said the bloke on the end of the line, went into a spiel about extra financial services that Vin could get as a valued customer. Then he had a look at the account and found that it had been closed because it hadn't been used!!!Hang on..if he is such a valued customer why did they close the account? He thought that was very funny...
We went over to Aintree way this morning to the Sainsburys. Vin wanted to go to the Wickes store to get the tank cover for the loft. because the insulation means that it will be colder up there, he wanted to get a tank cover to keep the new cold water tank warm. So we went there first,I sat in the car and listened to the radio whiloe he went and got that. He must have found it quickly because he came out sharpish.
We then went to sainsburys to get our weekend things. Odd when we came out because it was really really dark and black, you would have said that we were in for a snowstorm or blizzard, it was like five at night. But...nothing happened and it went a bit brighter. We went over to the back of their car park and had our coffee...very nice too. Home for lunch and the cats waiting for their chicken.
So all in all it has been an odd day, and quite cold too
Tonight we are having:
Cheese and onion pasties from waitrose,
And
Rice Puddings from Waitrose.
Better than a take-away.

Ear Ear...

Since I had an earlyish appointment at the hearing aid centre this morning we got up fairly early.We were in Southport for a quarter past ten, my appointment was for half past, so arked in Sainsburys car park. I wanted a couple of things from there anyway, so in effect you get free parking.Went in quite quickly, and Steve took my hearing aids for checking. He carries on talking to Vin about what is going on on the screen, and I am left in my silent little world wondering what they are talking about. So they were both checked, and he tweaked them slightly to compensate for the noise when for example there is clapping from an audience. i have found this quite difficult when for wexample we are watching "Strictly" Glad Lulu has gone, I'm not a Lulu fan at all and her partner brendan Cole is so full of himself. Not sure who I want to win..I think Anita Dobson is doing very well..good for her. Sorry Anton Du Beck went out, maybe one day he will get a decent partner..
Called in at the Sainsburys, outside it was like the revenge of the wheelchair scooters..four of them all in a row! Then went from there to Dobbies to get our coffees and do a bit of browsing. i wanted a really nice Christmas Bauble, but didn't see anything at all. The decorations are so TAQCKY..allmade in China and it shows!Nothing that I would want to send for a Santa bauble swap. I shall have a look at the one over the road and see what they have their things tend to be better. I wish we had been to America, their things are beautiful, a lot of hand made things and really pretty and unusual. i have some lovely decorations from there.
Vin bought two lovely Yankee Christmas candles one white and the other a beautiful deep red colour. He got those at %20 pff so a good saving. i didn't get much today just a few biscuits and a fruit for cheese which Vin likes.
Back in time for lunch and meithering cats looking for their chicken!

Another Autumn picture because I like em!

Tonight we are having:Cheesey Kievs
Sliced and sauteed potatoes
Mixed green medley of vegetables
Maybe a bit of sauce to go with.

Bits And Bobs..

A bit of everything today. We had to stay in because we were having a delivery of smokeless fuel today sometime. We didn't know when and in the event it came at about three O'Clock. 5 Bags at £90. We shall have to see how long that lasts, but Vin says that it has filled the coal bunker anyway.
He had planned to do further work in the loft, and he did the weedworm treatment, and got the two enormous rolls of top up insulation up there. In between that just before lunch he put the touch up colouring on my hair on the roots, where itis beginning to go grey. i am now a lovely dark brown all over my hair again! Isn't he a talented boy..is there no end to his talents..
I just did mundane things, cleaned the cooker, and did the brasses at the front of the house which have been neglected and needed a good polish. I have a brass keyhole fob, and letter box and a brass name plate for the house, and when they are all done they look really smart. it's one of those things, you come in with shopping and think.."I must do the brasses" then you shut the door behind you and don't do them, not until you get ashamed of looking at them.
Gorgeous bath this afternoon with my book, and all the candles on and Crabtree and Evelyn Patchouli bath foam which smells fantastic, but I don't think they make it any more..Deep Sigh!!
So we are all smart. Hair is done, all bathed and the house is presentable with a spanking renovated loft..
Tonight we are having:
Pasta with a spinach and ricotta sauce,
Vegetables and a few sautted mushrooms,
A bit of garlic bread and a bit of grated parmesan.

"Deja Vu"

Well, a misty morning and damp out with a real feel of Autumn..season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness...
I wanted to go to a Bon Marche shop today because they were offering %30 off everything and I had seen some nice long sleeved nightdresses..like a shirt in a blue tartan warm for the winter. Spotted them last week in Ormskirk but didn't want to go that far, so went to the one in Maghull instead. it's only a quarter of an hour away, so went mid morning. Got my nightshirt, and a pair of slippers. Vin got a few things in Home and Bargain and we came home. When I got home I found that I hadn't got my %30 off !!!! What a pain! Vin of course finds it very amusing and will no doubt remind me of it for months to come.. kept looking at me through lunch and smirking..
Anyway since we wanted to stay in tomorrow he offered to run me back to maghull this afternoon to get my money back, well it was worth eight pounds saving!So can't complain. That is where the Deja Vu comes in..the return journey. Quite misty and manky too this afternoon, trees very Autumnal colours, a real misty and going dark very quickly afternoon. Got my refund, was apologised to very profusely, twice, and came home again. Cats still asleep where we left them! What a life.


A nice Autumn picture..I like Autumn pictures. Another from New England.
Tonight we are having:
Moussaka made with assorted vegetables..Quorn mince in the middle, and a lovely cheese sauce on the top.

A Touch Of...

Something in the air today. definitely colder, and Vin had the heater on in the car today as well, for the first time in ages. he rang the chimney sweep this morning and they are coming next monday at 2 O'Clock. At the moment he is lighting a small fire which is the first one of the Autumn/Winter. first of many I suspect. Up till now we have exsisted on small electric heaters, but the fire is nice and does make a difference because it heats the radiators that we have.We use smokeless fuel these days since we had quite a bad chimney fire a few years ago, so Vin reckons there shouldn't be much soot. He has ordered some more coal this morning too so we will be set for the Winter. The cats love the fire anyway.
We went off to Waitrose this morning to get our weekly things,mostly a selection of veggies and a few other things that we had run out of. Didn't go to Crosby because there are roadworks on the road that we use, so we wanted to avoid those.Makes a change to go the other way anyway. Big new garage opened up in Formby on the main road. That's unusual these days, with so many closing down. This one is a Texaco and has quite a big Spar shop with a Greggs and a Costa shop as well. Maybe try it next time we buy petrol.
Meant to put in yesterdays entry that Vin found a bigt rocket in the garden yesterday, must have come from the Hotel's firework display. just shows how far they travel. Seems like the firework display from Taunton Rugby Club is somewhat responsible for the huge crash on the motorway at the weekend. Lot's of investigations going on and some sad stories coming from the names of the people who were killed. I suppose they are looking for the cfauses now.
Tonight we are having:
Escalope since the freezer is full of things that need eating up!
Small potatoes sliced and sauteed,
Carrots and green beans
mushroom sauce.