Brrrr....

Quite dark this morning when we got up which is not usually a good sign. The trees were blowing and there was a definite touch of rain in them there clouds.
We went off to Formby which is our nearest shopping area actually, but Vin wanted to get some petrol so went to the BP garage first. Quite a scruffy garage nowadays, it needs a spruce up. They will have to watch it because there is a new one being built on the main road in Formby and they will be losing business. Surprising how much difference the appearance of a building makes, even if you are only getting petrol.
Went from there to Waitrose. Parked right outside, and everyone was saying on the way in.."Isn't it cold for this time of the year...and..Isn't it nippy?"Really got people talking. That shop is cool at the best of times, and the aisles where the chilled foods are were like walking into a fridge. People were hugging themselves and clapping their hands against their arms. We didn't linger long there. Vin was keen to get back for his morning fix of coffee, if he doesn't get that he isn't a happy bunny at all.
it's cleared up this afternoon actually, the sun is shining and Vin is in the garden doing a sterling job of clearing up the flags. He bought the paint for our wall yesterday, he got Sandtex in the end in a clotted cream colour. He took the lid off to have a look, and it is a beautiful cream ice cream colour, should look really nice on the wall.That will smarten up the yard area quite considerably.The present colour is a sort of very patchy drab white with bits of the old pink on it, so it will be a big improvement.

he's done some lovely hanging baskets this year, this is the one outside the front door, and the two at the back are really nice. A well painted wall should help a lot.
Jane rang up mid afternoon, on her way to work. She is beginning to move some of her stuff to her new room in her new house. So glad she has got that sorted.
Tonight we are having:
Lemon and black pepper escalopes
Carrots beans and peas
little baked potatoes.
Bread sauce.

C\tch Up...

Missed yesterday's entry, don't know why, just didn't get round to it. Pretty ordinary day anyway with Vin going out to get his things yesterday morning while I stayed in and had a go on the computer. Everywhere very quiet must be the holidays making a difference. it is a big holiday fortnight after all. Still activity both sides iof our house. She who is always having something done was showing off her new pepperpot chimney top to Vin on friday, thrilled to bits..till he said "Hang on,,you can't have a fire and that sort of chimney pot you won't get a draught", so the chimney pot came down yesterday and a new one with a proper hole in it replaced.The other side were fiddling about in their house and went off leaving a landing light on last night. Quite strange, an empty house with a light on..a bit creepy really.
Did all the bedding today, so I know what I shall be doing next week. Didn't hang it out because it has looked like rain all morning today, but it has actually cleared up now and Vin has gone out to have a cup of tea outside. He's welcome..I hate tea..don't know how people can drink it. The last time I had a cup of tea was 28 years ago when I had Jane because there wasn't anything else and I was parched. Goodness knows how I drank it..must have been very thirsty.
She rang up today to tell me about an offer that tesco are doing..if you order on line and are a first customer you get £15 off your order. Trouble is we don't go to |Tesco unless absolutely necessary and we don't buy online. She is going to use it to get some stocks in for her new house so she will have the basics to begin with. She seems to be quite excited about the move.
This is a family photo, one of the few we have together, it was taken on the way back from the States, and very very early in the morning when we have been flying all night and worn out. Nice pic though.

Tonight we are having:
Pizza with our tomato sauce, portobello mushrooms and pineapple,
Potato and egg salad
Potato salad for moi and sweet chilli noodle salad for Vin..

Sharp Eyes...

Went over to Walton this morning to their Sainsburys. It is about a half hour journey but it is a pleasant one on the whole and the traffic was light today. We quite like going there because it is a big store and you can move around easily, a bonus in the school holidays.
Vin wanted a look in the "Cheap shop" next door, because he is trying to find a cheapo pair of sunglasses he can canibalise to mend a pair of wrap around ones that he loves. The arms have snapped off for some reason, which is a shame because they are really good glasses, polarised for the glare, and go over your normal glasses really well.
I had a look in the big Next Clearance shop next door and spotted some good topwels for the kitchen. Couldn't see a price on them so took them to the counter and the woman said £6,. She said these are a set you know? Oh says I but there are only two! Anyway she said £6 so i bought them both..great for the kitchen.
Went into Sainsburys then to do our shopping, always get quite a lot of stock up items in there and came out for our coffee in their car park. I was telling Vin about the towels being a set and he went round the back oof the car to have a look. Lo and behold he finds a label on the towels..neither I nor the assistant spotted that..and the label said Egyptian Cotton Towels £5 !! Cou5rse Vin is thrilled to bits to find a discrepancy, and by the fact that I had overpaid! So I went back in the store, andreturned them.and got the money put back on my card. Sharp eyed Vin saved me £2 there. Well done VT...
Home in time for lunch.. a lovely egg salad for me, which Vin won't have, so he has some small Quorn sausage rolls and some beans.. Yuk, I hate baked beans. Give me a salad any day.
Lovely warm day today,sun is shining and there is a nice breeze to keep everyone cool. The cats seem to be quite quiet today, Rusty is having a sleepy day it seems, but she does run around a lot in the evening. I like this idea of cat naps..lovely idea.


Tonight we are having:
Fishless fingers
Chips! 200 grms between us
Mushy peas for VT and green beans for moi,
Tartare sauce.

New project...I Wonder...

We went out to Dobbies this morning because Vin wanted to get some gravel for the soak-away under the back door, and I wanted a look at their sale which started today. i was interested in a new outdoor seatone of those for two with a table in between. However, the only one they had was sold so was a bit disappointed with that. Might have a look at the garden centre over the Bypass which has a better stock.
Had a good look round at the sale stock but didn't see anything that took my fancy, and Vin had a look outdoors. We met up for coffee and he had some brochures with him..Hmmm..they were brochures of sheds, and well outdoor rooms. Big variety in price ranging from a couple of hundred to many thousands. Some absolutely gorgeous and fit for lottery winners with acres of gardens. I think he has a new project looming and a fancy for a storage shed with an area in front that he can sit in. He is measuring up as we speak..
I had a good look at a new jewellery stand that I hadn't seen before and Vin quickly said "You've got enough!" Cheek..he can talk, he is the one who hoards things..at least I wear mine.
On the way back Vin noticed a new sign on the Formby Bypass..Pause for Hitchcock type stabbing in the shower in Psycho screech... CHRISTMAS TREES COMING 25th November !!!!! Talk about early warnings. Good grief.Mind you it won't be long before the Christmas stuff is in the shops..
She who is always having something done next door..has british Telecom today..but at least they aren't banging. She can't stand still that woman.
Jane rang up last night, she has her new house sorted..paid the landlord his money and put the money I lent her in my account and paid her friend back so she is back at square one. She has a good sum left over so has given that to us as well to keep for University when she starts her radiography course, So, she seems quite happy at the moment. I think I will keep the money she has given back to me in the same account and that will be a bit of a boost for Uni for her. We'll see.

Tonight we are having:
Maybe Pasta with a tomato sauce and mushrooms and asparagus.
A little bit of garlic bread to go with.

Banks!!!

We were expecting Jane to ring up at lunchtime about her appointment at the bank. Which she did and she was very upset that apparently her cheque hadn't cleared, the money was in her accounts but it wasn't cleared for taking out. No, I don't understand it either.. This meant that she would have a problem when she met the new landlord this evening. She has a deposit to pay and a first months rent etc which came to a fair bit. She said there was a block on her account for some reason which was being dealt with so we couldn't put money in for her either. Complicated lives there kids lead! Anyway, she rang up some time later to say that she had been in another branch of NatWest and got her money out without any trouble! So what on earth is that about? Poor Vin got a real earful..every little detail..but that's Jane Bless Her!
Vin has been in the garden all day today scratching away at the paving flags trying to deal with the moss. One of the troubles of having plants in pots is that they do get weeds round their bases, it is by no means maintenance free gardening as he has found out.
Dobbies has a sale tomorrow so we will probably go there to see if they have any wooden seats reduced.They might do..
Banging everywhere today..the neighbour who is always having something done is having something done to her chimney stack..the one the other side is is tiling his bathroom, very nice for the landlord..mind you he was complaining that his wife had bought cheap tiles and they were proving hard to cut..you get what you pay for obviously. And, the dentist two doors down, not to be outdone is having a brand new upstairs bay window fitted. What is it with all these alterations!!

Vin's little patch of Heaven..

Tonight we are having:
escalope
Squashed potatoes
carrots and beans
Mushroom sauce

Sunshine and Showers...

What a funny day today, very warm this morning with bright sunshine. I'm not keen on that it's quite difficult to see in the sunlight, Went to Sainsburys to get our veggies for the rest of the week, but there seemed to be a fridge malfunction with their fridges. Their veggies had quite a lot missing and they didn't have a good choice. The thing is, you get used to supermarkets having a wide range and when they haven't you feel let down, So got some boring carrots and beans, a tray of asparagus and a pack of frozen peas which I never buy. The milk fridges were empty too, definitely something going on.
Came home and the Heavens opened big showers with the rain running down the wiindows. No sign of that now as I type this, bright sunlight again. What a country.
QVC parcel sitting on the doorstep when we got home in full view..good job we live in an honest area. Nice necklace I had ordered that I am pleased with. I think Vin thinks I am mad ordering jewellery from them, but I don't care..I like my bling, and I only buy tasteful things..and it's my m,oney that I worked hard for all my life.
There was an item on one of the sites I use about Michael Douglas seen with a cigarette smoking on holiday. What an idiot..he is just about recovering from throat cancer!! wouldn't you think he would know better. Apparently Catherine Zeta jones smokes too..feel sorry for their kids, they look like lovely children..Stupid people.
I notice that our new neighbours are both smokers..when I was at school I used to notice that it was the girls who were increasingly the problem with smoking. More and more they used to come in after breaks smel;ling of smoke. Horrible, all over their hair and their breath, you would say have you been smoking and they would say "No Miss"..don't know why they bothered.

Tonight we are having:
Cheese flan with tomatoey sauce
A few sliced fried potatoes.

Hares and Rabbits..Again!

Another month starting today.. Can't believe it is August already!
Not exactly a hectic day today..both still a bit dodgy from the disturbed night the other night. it's a bit like jet lag..takes a bit to catch up. Vin went out to Waitrose to get our few things and we will go somewhere tomorrow properly. He said it was really quiet, which is unusual for Waitrose, and there were loads of parking spaces right in front.
Vin posted the parcel off to Judy this morning. We had an envelope that already had some usused stamps on it so he handed it in for weighing and we only had to pay another £1. Cheap for three good books. So they have gone on their way.We shall see how long they take to get there.
Very changeable day today, a bit drizzly and a bit sunny, Bobby was out in the garden in her usual spot on top of the hut, but went in when it started drizzling. I love that word drizzle..it is just right for the type of rain that it is.
Jane rang up at lunchtime, she was on her way to work, she has her appointment at the bank on Wednesday to clear up her debts etc and get herself straight. She is quite excited about her new house, I think it will do her good and give ner a new start. She has a year at college to get her science A Level then she has a place in Salford the fokllowing year ro do Radiography. So she has a four year plan really. Hope it all goes well for her this time round.
Vin has just come in and said it has gone dark again, we have blinds at the back of the house because we get the sun in the afternoon, and the rooms get quite dark when the sun goes in, you have to go round pulling them up again.
Tonight we are having:
The remainder of the pizza that Vin makes,
Egg and potato salad with an avocado
Potato salad for moi and couscous for Vin.
And the pudding that we didn't have on Saturday.. Lemon Cheesecake slice.