Out Again!!

two days on the run..getting to be a habit! Today we went over to the M&S in Aintree to get some things that we wanted for Christmas. We wanted to get some of the accompaniments for the Christmas dinner and theirs are quite good. Also there were one or two things that i wanted to look at.
Got there quite reasonably, clever Vin spotted a car coming out of a space that we were going along, so he pulled in quick. just in front of the store too. Walked aalong to the Boots because I was looking for some of the perfume that I wear..the ginger Origins one, but they don'e sell it. Only liverpookl or Speke the girl said! So I walked back to the M&S and he went to the Halfords next door. I had a good mooch round and spotted a pair of slippers in my size. I have terrible trouble with slippers, they rub my toes, or are too big..or something! got a nice pair though straight away for a change. Then i was looking for a nail varnish but they werre upstairs by which time Vin had found me so we went up there. They were on offer for three for two, so I got that, and Vin got some of his Wood Spice which is lovely. He had a voucher off that so used that up.
Coffee Time!!! And guess what..he had a card for a free coffee, so I had an Americano and he had a flat white.Took our own biscuits so was a nice cheap do!!
Round the food hall then. Got some stuff for treats,Plus some essentials. Then home for lunch. Really enjoyed the trip actually. This time last year I wasn't going anywhere. Mind you saved a ton of money though :).
Tonight we are having:
Escalope of some sort,
baby potatoes baked in the oven
Vegetable mixture
Sauce of some sort..not sure what yet.

Thank Goodness!!

Indeed, thank goodness. My blog appears to be working properly these last few days. For some weeks now I have had terrible trouble with it. Couldn't get signed on and couldn't get rid of the Malwear that was on it. Then Vin looked it up online and someone suggested that you get rid of the calendar that was a gadget on the site. That was easier said than done however, because I couldn't get on to the settings. Then one day last week I found another way to access the blog and lo and behold the settings were accessible, so I deleted the calendar and  Hey Presto the site was going again!Saves such a long time.

Today was a going out day. We went to Homebase first to get some outside Christmas Lights. he had seen some on Saturday for half price so we went to get them today. he bought them on the Nectar points so didn't cost anything, except you can't buy on them for less than ten pounds. The lights were £9.99 ! so he picked up a [packet of gold coins for Jane's stocking as well !! We then went to Tesco to get the veg shopping for the week which we usually do on a Tuesday, but we were nearby so that was it. Went round there quite quickly, and the it was up the bypass to the Ladygreen garden centre. The idea was to get our free coffees for the month but the place was so busy that we couldn't see a table so we turned round and came home. We did go via the littler garden centre next door, and got a wreath for the front door which looks lovely.

It is all beginning to look lovely and Christmassy now.
Home for our coffee.. in the peace and quiet of the house, and a lovely Americano from the Tassimo machine !!
Tonight we are having:
Pizza with mushrooms and extra cheese and pepper on Vins one
Potato salad for moi and cheese and nut salad for Vin
green salad with avocadoes and baby plum tomatoes.

It's beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!!

Well in our house it is. We have spent the day putting the trees up and the decorations, so everywhere is looking lovely and festive now.  Vin has the trees and the decorations very carefully packed away upstairs, and it is quite a job for him to get them down. He knows where everything goes though and it's a case of everything in its place.

This is the ne he hates putting up the most, he always swears when this one goes up because it's a tiny little hook and it takes a while to hang it up there above the fireplace.
He said we put them up on the same day last year, so we will get the month out of them given that we take them down on the 6th of Jan.
The news today everywhere is of Nelson Mandela's death yesterday. Endless news reports, and the world and his wife are cropping up to say what his death means and when they met him etc.,The Beeb have probably had programmes prepared for months given his precarious state of health.
We did share the same birthday..but not the year!
Tonight we are having:
Crustless cheese and onion flan,
Spaghetti in tomato sauce
A few chips..200grms between us.

Best Laid Plans!!

Of mice and men and retired couples!!. The plan was to go over to maghull and I could have a look at the Bon Marche shop which had a tempting %20 off everything offer, and Vin would have a mooch about, then we'd have a coffee at Costa.
However, we woke up this morning, lateish because it was dark, looked out of the window and the trees were blowing about like crazy, plus it was raining, so we decided against that idea and stopped in.
Vin did some clearing up af the places where the Christmas trees were going, and then just beat the hailstones and got the one out of the shed that goes in the extension.; Plus the one that goes in the middle room as well. So he did well!!
Very dark and wintry looking today, horrible outside and lots of trouble on the news. bridges closed all over especially in the North, a lorry blown over and the driver killed, a man blown off his mobility scooter and killed, and flooding all over too. Looks very bad, particularly in Scotland.
I did a bit of ordering online so that I got the discount from the Bon Marche,so I'm a happy bunny. The little cats are indoors today too they know which side of their bread is buttered.
Tonight we are having:
Escalope with gruyere cheese,
Mixed vegetables with a sauce
Baby potatoes sliced and sauteed.

Hooray!! At Last!!

At long last, after about three weeks or more of trouble with getting on the blog , it finally seems clear. Fingers and toes crossed at this point. I went on my blog via another website yesterday, and found the settings. So, deleted the calendar gadget that someone had said to remove. Did that and hey presto I was back on. Great.
Stayed in this morning , had to really because we were expecting a coal delivery. That came at about a quarter past one and three bags for £59. !! not a cheap fuel these days is it. We have the winter fuel allowance which helps with some deliveries, so that's good.
I did a pile of ironing all of the bedding that was washed yesterday. Vin was up and down doing some clearing up, going through papers etc., so getting a bit ready for Christmas. he did put some lights up outside too and we'll put the trees etc., up soon.
First Christmas card arrived this morning so must get going on mine.
Tonight we are having:
Pasta with a cheese sauce
Asparagus and butternut squash
A bit of garlic bread for Vin.

Is It Once A Year??

You can tell Christmas is coming round because the brasses get done. Not the ones at the front of the house because they get done when they tarnish, but the ones round the fireplace. They have been there for donkey's years, my mum used to do them weekly, but we don't I'm afraid.  They do look good when they are done though, especially with the Christmas decorations done.

Some of them are just viewable here but the picture is a bit yellow for some reason. no matter. So that was the job this morning, Vin puts the Brasso on and I do the rubbing off. It doesn't take that long actually, you just keep putting it off.

bedding done as well this morning, so all changed and new. lovely. The reason we stayed in today was because I had a delivery expected..well two actually. One from the Aranesp injections people and the other from bullen's healthcare with the colo stuff. 

just heard Johnny mathis on the Steve Wright show, talking about his new Christmas album and his up coming tour of the country starting in April. What a good voice he still has, a proper legend not like some of the one day wonders you hear these days.

Tonight we are having:

Chicken and mushroom style pies

baby roasted/baked potatoes

Carrots and beans

Mushroom gravy.

Well It's a Nightmare!!

Trying to get on my blog is a nightmare..that's what. !
I haven't a clue what is going on these days, just don't seem to be able to get rid of the "Buddyhost" block that comes up every time I sign on. Proper pain in the neck, and I mean a REAL pain in the neck! it used to be so easy, now I have to find circuitous routes to get on my blog. Ah well. All down to sonmething called Malware that affects what you are doing.
Odd weekend. Vin broke our toaster yesterday, so that meant we had to get another one today. It is used a lot so is an essential piece of electrical.  We have vouchers from tesco who are doing a five pound converts to ten on electrical items so that was a good choice. he went to the one in Formby yesterday but they only had four slice ones which are too big for us, or a couple of very cheap own make ones which we didn't want. Went from there to Homebase and they were the same. So the plan was to go to the big one at kew today to see what they had. Success found the last Russell Hobbs one in the store, £19.50. Vin took the vouchers to the customer service desk, and the lady gave us two ten pound conversion vouchers. She shouldn't have, because we should only have used one, and paid £9.50 remaining. But, he took the item to the self scanning till and put one in and the girl came over to say that we shouldn't have two! oh dear..she goes off to consult her team leader and comes back to say because it was their fault we coyuld put it through. Goody..we got a toaster for our vouchers with nothing to pay.
From there to ARGOS to get a One for All for the new television and sound box from Bose. Mainly it is to work the sound because the one I use now doesn't work the new sound box from Bose..Grrr. We still have some vouchers from the Shopping monitor so used those. Vin chose the most suitable one so he bought that. Didn't cost anything either.
Called in at Waitrose on the way back. got free coffees on our cards, very nice too. Vin had a Latte I had a black like an Americano. He got a free newspaper too..good going. Did our veggie shopping for the week, and got a few extra things we had run out of.
So all in all a really good free day eh!
Tonight we are having:
Pizza with mushroom and extra cheese
green salad with avocado and baby plum tomatoes
potato salad for moi and celery fruit and nut for Vin.