What a Change !!

What a change indeed ! from being lovely and sunny today it has gone drizzly and blowy. Vin was just looking out of the bedroom window and saw a woman getting out of her car with a wintry coat on. Don't blame her either, I've got my hoodie top on again.
We were in again today and Vin was clearing up things, going through his paperwork he says. Daren't say anything because he gets grumpy, and accuses me of making little comments. Since we have had thirty nine years of this it's water off a duck's back really !!
Nothing much doing today. Only one nuisance phone call so far, from an Indial person who couldn't pronounce my name properly and got my name totally wrong. i said I do think you could get the name right and the phone went dead. Charming!
Tonight we are having:
Pasta with a cheese sauce
veggies, maybe carrot strips or asparagus or both.
Garlic bread for Vin.

In which we shop for...

Veggies! and other things. The aim was to go to a Holland and Barratt to spend Vin's three pound vouchers before the end of the month which is tomorrow. So Formby it was. He didn't fancy going to Ormskirk because it's a bit far, and there isn't a Bon Marche any more so it ended up in Waitrose .
Parking quite busy but there were spaces, so we walked to the village and he went over to H&B while I went into Superdrug. There were some things I needed in there light anti-wrinkle night cream (that doesn't work) and other bits and bobs.So that was done then we wentinto Waitrose. Got our veggies, and had a look round for other things that we get from there especially. Why oh why are the chilloer cabinets so cold? it is freezing walking round without a coat. Can't think it's healthy for the workers.
Before we knew it there was a trolley full so it was home for our coffees. We haven't had a coffee in Waitrose for an age, they are VERY expensive for coffee and it isn't very nice in there either, not like a proper coffee shop. Now we have the tassimo it would be a waste of money. So, it was home for a nice Cafe Hag today.
Comi9ng home we passed a cyclist, Vin had waited behind him while we went round a bend, then pulled out to overtake him. All of a sudden we heard this almighty yell coming in the car window, why? no reason at all. We weren't anywhere near him and hadn't done anything. Some cyclists are just mad !
Tonight we are having:
Escalope with goats cheese and cranberry
baby new potatoes squashed,
Carrots, baby ones and green beans.

Deep Clean...

If it doesn't move clean it.Wipe down and wash plates and ornaments. it is surprising how much dust collects in a house with two people and two cats in it. if I won the lottery one of the first things I would do is get a cleaner, it's such a tedious task. Always did hate dusting but used to keep on top of it but since the eyes have been bad it isn't so easy to see, so it tends to get left.
The weather is funny today, started off dullish with a bit of rain but it has cleared up nicely now with a breeze to cool things down a bit. We didn't sit out with our coffee this morning the bench was a tad damp. We had macchiatos this morning..really lovely coffees, my favourite I think.
Quiet today..no phone calls and no post to speak of either. Could be on a desert island!
Tonight we are having:
Pizza from last night,
green salad with avocado and baby yellow plum tomatoes
Potato salad for moi and mexican rice salad for Vin.

Dithering...

well we were dithering about going out today, but vin had said yesterday that he wanted to do things round the house, so we decided in the end to stay at home.
He set about painting the right hand side fence of the garden a fetching shade of Forest green, looks really nice too. He takes the panels out one at a time and paints them in the entry, but....he ran out of paint with one panel to go. That was a shame.
i did the shelf in the kitchen behind the sink. It is a bit of a faff to do because it is covered with ornaments and glass bits ond piecess, which all have to be washed and dried. Left the window and Vin did that later after lunch so that's all clean now.  Good job done.
Nice day today, not too hot for the fence painting and we sat outside with our coffees today with the little cats. Lovely... Two things have been the hit of the summer this year. 1. The Tassimo machine, which is fantastic. today i had an Americano and Vin had a Latte.
And 2. has been the jack and Jill bench that we bought from Dobbies with our winnings. That has been terrific to use, it's a real pleasure to sit outside there on that.
Tonight we are having:
Cheese and onion pasties from waitrose
Butternut squash for Vin and green beans for moi
Rice pudding for a treat.

ironing and Doing...

A shed load of bedding to iron this morning..only trouble was I did half of it then went to iron the sheets and they didn't smell washed. We both hadn't a clue what had happened but they ended up being washed again. Wonder if they had been taken out of the washing maching thinking that they were done when in fact they weren't. Where are you Miss Marple.
Weather changeable today, looked a bit overcast especially when we got our Americanos ready so we thought we'd stay inside, then the sun came out so we went outside. Turned out nice actually. both the cats outside with us, all sat on the patio with an Americano and a nice shortbread. beats teaching..howver the summer holidays are here now so the teachers will be off on their long summer break.
Vin is vacuuming this afternoon mostly the bedroom..terrible lot of cat hairs in there. Bobby moults everywhere, white fur so its very noticeable. he went and let the little Persian cat out this morning so it's been out most of the afternoon. i wonder if it is lonely. poor little thing it's just gorgeous.A total bundle of  fluffy fur.
Tonight we are having:
leek and potato tart
Small boiled potatoes
carrots and beans.

Tele be Gone!!

2 Teles to be exact. Vin decided to take a redundant one from the bedroom, and a bigger redundant one from the front room  to the tip this nmorning. the televisions were not needed any more since we went digital. terrible waste since there was nothing wrong with them but they just don't work any mre. So o0ff to the tip we went with them. He said there were better tellies than ours in the container!! and one of them was all packaged with the instructions and remote controls..Aaaah Bless !!
 Then we were in Formby for that so we nipped into Waitrose very quickly to see if they had the rice puddings that we have on Friday with the pasties. They did so that saved us going there agian.
Back along the bypass to the Ladygreen garden centre to get our free coffees for the july month. Very busy but people were spread out and we had a lovely table outside, in a nice breeze and very comfortable.  Extremely pleasant actually. just sitting with our coffees and people watching. Surprising how many people have big plate fuls of food for their lunches and big glasses of wine too.
Did a bit of browsing after in the gift shop, and I got a new plant pot for the kitchen window sill (purple of course) and a white side plate to go with the new cappuccino cups and saucers, nd a pack of biscuits.
Home then and Vin said he would go and let the cat out that he is looking after, so I went in with him. Oooh it is GORGEOUS sweetie by name and sweetie by nature.  It's a persian we think and a sort of milky colour with very long fur and a big bushy tail. So sweet, it rolled over for a tickle and loves being stroked. Didn't nip or anything. I think I'm in love with it. I know Vin is. XXX
Tonight we are havng:
Pasta with a cheese sauce
garlic bread fr Vin
Butternut squash and carrots
mushroms

It's a Boy !

Yesterday at 4.24 in the afternoon, while I was typing my blog the Duchess of Cambridge was giving birth to theuir first born son. As yet unnamed prince of Cambridge.  A healthy 8lbs 6oz. So glad they didn't give the weight in metric..can't be doing with that. I bet princess Diana would have been a proud granny today if she had lived. What a shame. Glad for them it was a healthy delivery.
Still warm today but not as sunny and a bit clammy and muggy today. Vin put the washing out on the line and it was bowing in the breeze and drying quite nicely. he said there was terrible thunder last night, but I didn't hear it. One advantage of being deaf, I take my hearing aids out and that's it I'm dead to the world.
Vin is looking after the cat at the end house, a long haired Persian, he thinks is called sweetie, since there was a note on their board..take sweetie to the vet. So mystery solved..a loely name. he said it's very friendly and doesn't mind him being there at all. Aaah.
Tonight we are having:
Escalope with broccoli and cheese
cranberry sauce,
Baby potatoes  boied and squashed
Mixed vegetables
White sauce.

A Pleasant day..

Very nice today..a bit sunny with a pleasant breeze.Haven't gone out today, vin has been doing some clearing up, loads of papers and moving cardboard boxes. Ironed a very slippy gold curtain that a cat had weed on and had to be washed. 
lovely coffee outside in the warm, extremely pleasant sat out there with the bees and butterflies and the cats to keep us company.
Got a birthday card from an ex colleague this morning who has just retired last year and is thoroughly enjoying herself. i'll bet she is too, it beats teaching. got the Teacher magazine this morning with a photo of a woman on the front carrying a placard saying  i am striking for better pay, pensions and working conditions !!!! Made me really angry. teaching pay pensions and working conditions are extremely good thankyou very much. I think they are just greedy.
Vin is looking after the cat belonging to the girl who lives in the end house for a few days. it is a long haired persian type..and he doesn't know what its name is !!! i told him to go and find out, but they had gone.. Why don't men ask the right questions?
Tonight we are having:
pizza with mushrooms and mozzarella
Green salad with baby plum tomatoes and avocado
Potato salad for moi and sweet chilli noodle salad for Vin.

Outing Today...

Since we haven't been out  for some days we thought we would go to Dobbies this morning. By gosh the car was hot! Sun blazing down on it but cooled down once the windows were opened.
Surprisingly quite busy actually, lots of couples with children running around. Where do they get their energy from?
had a bit of a look round and they had some sale items. Spotted a pair of nice white cups and saucers for cappuchinos so pleased with them, and a box of shortbreads at half price.
lovely coffee Vin had a flat white and I had a filter black one, and we took ur own biscuits so it only cost the price of one coffee. nice just sitting there people watching actually. there was a couple on another table eating...SOUP !!! couldn't believe it really. bearing in mind that it was very warm indeed.
The NW is on a heatwave alert at the moment but it is supposed to be cooler at the wekend..Hmmm we shall see.  There is a tiny breeze coming through the window, which is noce, but very sunny at the back of the house.
Tonight we are having:
Something from the freezer,
Remaining veggies
Mushroom sauce
potato croquettes.

Happy Birthday to Me !!

And it is a hot one too. really hot today.The sun is blazing through the window as i type, and not a lot of breeze today either. Always moaning in this country though we are.
Didn't go out today because Vin said we wouldn't want to go and sit in a hot sweaty Dobbies when we could have a nice coffee at home instead. knew that would be the case !
Nelson mandelas birthday today as well, who would have thought he would he would still be here, it seemed he was on his last legs a couple of weeks ago. Richard bransons birthday today too wouldn't mind a bit of his dosh. Wonder what he is douing for his.
Well i got a lovely card from Vin and a beautiful plant of fresh roses which are a lovely shade of pinky red. very pretty with a bit of a smell too which is quite rare these days. Nothing from Jane though or anyone else for that matter.
The cats are in the shade today, I think it's a bit warm for poor little Rusty but she has the darker fur, Bobby is mainly white so maybe not so bad.
Tonight we are having:
Amy's kitchen macaroni cheese for me and a veggie lasagne for Vin
butternut squash and maybe asparagus.
he has bought a pudding from Morrisons but won't tell me what it is. Surprise..

It's a Scorcher!

Apparently the temperatures down South are over the thirties today. Not too bad up here we have a bit of a breeze coming in off the sea so it's cooled down a bit. very pleasant here I think.  Vin is out painting his fence again this afternoon and morning, trying to get it finished in one go really. it looks very good too, makes quite a difference to the garden and smartens it up a lot.
he went off to do some shopping on his own this mrning. Could be something to do with my birthday tomorrow.
Coffees today were Americanos in the garden. I'm so glad I bought that bench, it has proved to be wonderful this summer, and we have already been out there a lot using it. Must take a photo sometime.
Tonight we are having:
Escalope of some sort with a mushroom sauce
potato croquettes
carrots and french beans.

In Which Vin does a Huckleberry Finn...

By huckleberry Finn I mean he is outside painting the fence on the left  hand side of the back garden. The paint is called dark oak, but actually looks more reddy brown in colour. The paint was from B&M bargains so maybe they got the colours wrong. Looks lovely though.
He took himself off to Tesco this morning I was going to go with him, but i got the impression that if I went I'd slow him down and he wanted to go quickly so left him to get the veggies on his own. he did really well actually, got everything on his list, and a couple of extra things as well. he's learned a lot since last year when I was pretty much housebound and couldn't get out. he was forced to get our stuff on his own. Well done Mr. Mc.
Little Bobby's eye is coming on a treat, really looking better, and she is much livlier in herself too. Done a good job n her all round.

just heard on the radio that Shakespeare invented the word..Assasination...I didn't know that. You learn something every day don't you.
Tonight we are having:

Crustless cheese and onin flan
green salad with avocado and plum tomatoes on the vine
Potato salad for moi and sweet chilli noodle salad for Vin.

If it's Monday it's Garden Day!!

Monday seems to be fast becoming a stay in the garden day. Today he is painting the older cast iron chairs and doing a good job of them too. They are looking quite fresh and a lot better now, and I was considering throwing some of them away. Just shows what a lick of green paint wil do.
Funny day today, started off ok, sat utside with our coffees but it wasn't too warm just right. Then it went cloudy then it went sunny again. Presently it is noce an sunny. No doubt Vin will come in and say it is too warm. He's back outside again doing a picasso jobby on the fence I think.
Little Bobby's eye seems to be recovering. It is a bit of a two handed job to get her tablet in and she struggles like mad so it's a bit hit and miss, but something must be working.She is certainly a bit more lively and up and down a bit more.  We were quite worried about her eye because it looked really bad, but it seems to have gone back to normal now more or less. Well done mr. Dixon.
Tonight we are having:
remaining pizza with mushrooms and extra cheese
green salad with avocado and baby plum tomatoes
Potato salad for Moi and cous cous salad for Vin

Boiling Today!

Very warm indeed today, the sun is blazing through the windows in Jane's room where the computer is, , and there isn't a breeze today to cool things down a bit.
we were going to go to Dobbies to get a coffee, but got up a tad ate, and then Vin said it was Orange Lodge day so decided against it in the end. The traffic would be extremely busy along the bypass into Southport. They have a very big gathering there each year on the twelfth of July so not a place to go near on that day.
In the end we decided to go to Waitrose to get our rice puddings for tonight, and ended up spending £43, and having a spat in the shop..well a tiny one anyway. I had the trolley and was looking at biscuits, and Vin got my arm and guided me out of the way. He has a terrible habit of doing that, drives me mad! Anyway this time he says get your bum out of the way !!!!! implying that I have a big bum!!!! he said he didn't say it like that and he didn't mean it..but damage done by then. Cheek !!!
Got some very delicious biscuits from there.. called "Seriously delicious butter shortbreads with ground coffee" so when we got home we had our late coffee in the garden with one of those. very yummy. Beats teaching in a sweaty classroom anyway !
Tonight we are having:
Cheese and onion pasties from Waitrose
Green beans for Moi and sweetcorn? for vin.
Rice puddings from Waitrose.

Cats and Congratulations...

Poor Vin had a terrible night last night. We normally go to sleep at around quarter past oneish  then he was woken up at twoish by a cat upchucking on the landing. Bobby. Don't know what upset her maybe it was the antibiotics, but he cleared that up then it was again at about threeish then again at around five thirtyish.  So he has had a real night of it, poor boy.
We had a clean up in the kitchen this morning, did the floor etc., and put a door curtain in the wash. Lovely day for washing actually, sunny with a bit of a breeze, gone warmer now, and the sun is at the back of the house so is streaming through the windows as I type. Bobby has gone out, she is probably tired out too.  Hope they sleep well tonight.
Jane rang up at lunchtime to say that she had got her exam results. She kidded me by saying that she hadn't done very well, then she said that she got %82 for the exam and 64 for the assignment. So the naughty girl did do a lot better than she thought. She needs more self confidence in herself. She usually does better than she thinks she will. So, well done jane XXX
Tonight we are having:
Pasta with a cheese sauce and mushrooms
Any remaining vegetables
garlic bread for Vin.

OK I Give Up !

Yes I give in..I have just spent the last thirty five minutes of my life and afternoon waiting for the blessed computer to stop playing games with me and load up. So, this is going to be a very short blog today indeed. I haven't a clue what is going on, it just keeps cutting out and then updating for some reason.
Yet another hot day today. Spent the morning doing the ironing so at least that is all done for the next week.
Vin has been in the garden sorting out the cat's hut that he was going to throw out but has refurbished. So the little cats now have one hut each! Little cats of two residences now!!! If David Cameron gets to hear about it he will be taxing us!!!
Tonight we are having:
Escalope with gruyere cheese
Cranberry sauce
Mixed vegetables
Potato croquettes
Mushroom sauce

Another Scorcher today...getting to be a habit!!

Still warm today, the temp must be quite high in the twenties. I hope Jane isn't getting too hot in Manchester. She is on placement today for three weeks so will probably be worn out. Oh dear !
We went off to Tesco's in Formby this morning to get our veggies for the week. They are in the process of re-organising the store, so that means...you can't find anything. Everything has been moved..the coffees they have put right at the back of the store, and even the chiller cabinets have had all the contents changed round. So, nothing is where you expect it to be. Good job we aren't paying for parking! Actually you could have parked anywhere today, there were loads of spaces all over the place. vin reckons all the lder ones are stopping in because of the heat.
We had run out of a couple of the Tassimo discs so wanted to top them up. I bought the Americano ones and the espresso ones too, so Vin can make his own lattes with the fat free milk. When we came home we unpacked the stuff then i had a macchiato and Vin had a Chai Latte. He enjoyed that and I do have to say the scent was lovely, very cinnamony with the same sort of layers that a coffee latte has but it is tea. I hate tea but could be persuaded to drink one of these. We had them outside on the new bench under the garden umbrella. Very pleasant.
Tonight we are having:
broccoli and tomato quiche
Green salad with avocado
Potato salad for moi and cous cous for Vin.

It's a Hot one!

Bit of a scorcher today. the sun is blazing down and it is very warm indeed. It's knocked the cats out and they are currently looking for somewhere in the shade.
Today was another visit to the vets for Bobby with the sore eye. We took her on Thursday and she was given some antibiotic tablets and steroids and eye drops. vin has religiously given her all of the except this morning he had a job giving her the antibio which is a bigger tablet. So mr dixon checked her all over, and decided to give her a long lasting antibiotic by injection, the same as the ones Rusty has had for her nose problem.  We have got some more eye drops, and he wants to see her again in about ten days. It does look a lot better though, it did improve quite a lot almost immediately.

Aaah at least she is out in the garden again. Poor little thing was quite sick when she got home. vin said she must have been stressed, which is probably true. And, poor Vin had to clean it up. Oh dear! What you take on when you get cats !
Nice coffee in the garden this morning, out in the sunshine, on our new bench with the new cushions and umbrella up. very pleasant.
Big news of the weekend was the winning of the men's singles title by Andy Murray. I aint a particular fan of his but he did play a cracking match which was very exciting to watch. terrific game. Well done Andy.
 Got an email from janet my brothers oldest daughter in Perth to say they are coming to England in August and are planning to come and visit. Wow it sounds like they are having quite an adventure. Should be an exciting trip for them.
Tonight we are having:
Remaining pizza from last night with mushroom and pepper for Vin
green salad with bby tomatoes and avocado
Potato salad for moi and couscous salad for Vin.

The Big Plant Hunt..

The plants that were bought for the barrel in the front garden look very wilted and sorry for themselves, so Vin suggested that we go to Dobbies this morning to get something else.  We have a nice little conifer, a swarf one in the middle so wanted something to go round the edges of that.
So, off we went there. It is actually a lovely day with sunshine and a bit of a breeze.  We had a bit of a look round then decided on some violas in a mixed tray that weren't too big and pretty colours. I think they will look nice in the barrel. just hope they don't get too leggy.  I had a bit of a look in the food hall, because I am looking for some cappuchino cups that look like the ones you get in Costa, but they didn't have any. Got another box of after dinner mints, two boxes of strawberry and cream shortbread, and a bag of olive oil dipping crackers.
By the way we did get our free coffees for the July month. vin had a flat white and I had a filter coffee. We took our own biscuits so a good deal.
Tescos on the way back just really quickly to get some chippies and a pizza.
Bobby's eye is looking better, and she seems much livlier today too.
Tonight we are having:
Fishless fingers
Chips 200 grms
Mushy peas for Vin and green beans for moi
tartare sauce.

Off to the vets..

We have been a bit concerned about Bobbie's left eye for the past couple of days, so Vin rang up the vets last night and we got an 11o'clock appointment this morning. So early start, and off we went. It's a bit of a trek nearly into Ormskirk but  she was really good all the way there, didn't miaow or anything.  Mr Dixon (the heasd honcho)  gave her a really good examination and checked her all over, took her off to the dark room to look at her eyes, and said it was ureitis (I think that is how it is spelt)
he has given us some eye drops..4 times a day, some steroid tablets, and some antibiotics. One lot of tablets says you shouldn't drive a car, and the other lot says you shouldn't operate machinery. Poor Vin has to play nursie again. What with Rusty's tablets twice a day, putting plasters on my toes where new shoes have rubbed, and now Bobby with her eye drops and tablets..he is being kept busy.
Jane has just rung up too, she had been to the dentist and had two teeth out, one at opposite ends of the mouth, so she says she looks like a hamster!
So, it's been a sort of medical day. He has managed to give Bobby one of her tablets which is no easy task as she can be very strong, but she was very good really.
Tonight we are having:
Something from the freezer,
Jersey royals sliced and sauteed
A little sauce
Carrots and broccoli.

Hair Dos !

Vin took himself off to the Barbers in Formby this morning to get a haircut. he said before he went that he wouldn't wait in a queue because he didn't like sitting watching some old skanky men having their hair cut. I said you are an old skanky man! he wasn't too pleased about that!  Anyway the first one he went to had some bklonde girl cutting hair and a scruffy lad waiting around so he went to his other one wherre a woman did it for him straight away. Fussy he is.
I did mine this morning too..not cut but washed, conditioned and moussed..all supposed to add volume. It doesn't !! i have spent a fortune on hair products trying to get my hair looking thicker. it's gone so thin after the op..driving me nuts.  Vin says he has looked it up on the net and it is a well known thing after an operation. Would happen to me !!
Little Bobby has a sore eye Vin says. He says her right eye is looking inflamed and he has bathed it but is going to ring the vets to take her in. Aaah..poor little thing. It's probably conjunctivitis which is nasty. makes yur eye very sore. I used to get it when I wore contact lenses. Don't know what they give cats though.
Tonight we are having:
Pasta with a tomato and mascarpone sauce
Asparagus and mushrooms
Butternut squash to go with
Garlic bread for Vin.

More like April!!!!

2nd of July is it? It is more like the beginning of April. We went off to Waitrose this morning and I had my purple padded coat on that I have worn all Autumn and Winter. When I went out that is!!  Looked around at the people going into Waitrose and  I wasn't alone by any means. Lots on with coats or dresses and cardigans.. Wimbledon is rained off but playing again now.
We only went to Waitrose because we had a 10% card off purchases so we had our veggie shopping and other things that we needed to stock up on from there for a change.
 Vin bumped into one of his past colleagues from work there too, he actually comes a long way to shop there so it is a real co-incidence that they met today.
 He nipped over to the little hardware shop that sells everything, to see if they had toastie bags for me, and they had just come in this morning! so he got me a pack, and a brush for his shed and fence.  It's a smashing shop, crammed with stock, and sells absolutely everything. Then Vin rushed me home for our coffee. Today we had a petit dejuner, and very nice it was too.
toastie for moi for lunch and beans on a toasted muffin for Vin. And, no we won't be having our afternoon coffee outside on the patio like yesterday!!
Tonight we are having:
Goats cheese and cranberry escalope
cranberry sauce,
baby jersey royals..I think they are getting to the end now Boo Hoo,
Mixed vegetables and a mushroom sauce.

Hares and Rabbits!

 First of July already ! Gosh this year is going quickly...
Rapidly becoming a stay in Monday these days. Doesn't matter though..we have the time to do what we want to. Vin has spent the day in the garden , it started out very dull, a bit drizzly and wet butthen brightened up.and it is quite nice now.
He has repaired the tops of the fence panels on the left hand side of the garden today. He got the topping wood from a timber place on Saturday, and he's nailed them in place today. Looks really good too.
Last night (Sunday) was a bit odd, because we caught up with the Christmas Day episode of Downton Abbey. Very good it was too. It wasn't exactly hugely Christmassy so it didn't actually matter, but it was odd seeing all the furniture sales for Boxing Day !!  We just had never got round to watching it, since I was in the Hospital over Christmas, and Vin and Jane were visiting, then afterwards there seemed to be so many new and watchable series like Broadhurst that we didn't see it. Nothing on last night so we did.  Poor Matthew! oh dear. ! Looking forward to the next series now.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza from last night
Salad with little gem lettuce and avocado and baby plum tomatoes
Potato salad for moi and a pasta salad for Vin.