Sunday Roast.

Thank you very much for your lovely comments from yesterday's post.

Today has been an odd day. My plan to catch up on some work from home was scuppered by the fact I left my computer cable at work. !!! more work for me in the week.

I cant actually say what I have done.... LSP cleaned the bathroom, I cleaned the fire. I cooked dinner....thats about it. I pottered. LSP did the books. I had a bath.

This morning instead of my hop in hop out shower, I choose to have a bath. LSP was having a lie in, YD had gone to work. So I lay in the bath and listened to the Sunday Service on radio 4. Bliss. As we have an old house we have to bath and shower with the window open. So I lay in the bath with an icy chill coming though the window. It was like being in a spa...(well that's what I was telling myself)

Breakfast was our lovely special Sunday breakfast of Bacon, Mushroom and Spinach served with toast.
The morning was pottering to The Archer's. I love the Archer's. I have only been listening for the past couple of years. Radio 4 is the soundtrack to our Sunday's at home.

This afternoon I have been cooking a roast dinner, mmm. Older daughter and Older daughter's boyfriend came round for dinner.

I may look like a jumble but boy it tasted good. We had lamb. We don't have it often.

I seasoned it and shoved loads of fresh rosemary and garlic into it and poured some red wine into the pot.

Served with roast potato's, roast parsnips and yorkshire pudding.

Veggies were carrot, swede, peas, sweetcorn and butter braised leeks. 

As well as Apricot stuffing and lots of gravy. Yum. 

Tomorrow we will have the leftover's in a hot pot/hotchpotch. 

I love Sunday roasts, there is something very special about having the family around the table for Sunday. It is special as the food takes more preparation and is a more expensive meal. 

There is that great moment as well when you have done and the other family member's are going the washing up. That is all done now. 

LSP, OD and ODBF are on the sofa playing with lego (yes I am serious) YD and I are on the other Sofa she reading me writing this blog. 

The fire is lit, and the dogs are on the rug. 2 hours of TV before bed. 

Hope you all have a good week. 

my past 2 weeks...

phew! anyone who read my blog last week (its been a bad week) will have seen that we have been going through a tough time the past 2 weeks.

Well. I am not writing this from Vietnam which is where we planned to be today our challenge . I am sat at home on the sofa writing my blog.

They operated on YD to discover that she has been walking around with a rupture in her appendix. which had made her insides a bit nasty! well she is now minus an appendix and has had her insides jet washed and is feeling better. Just sore and hobbely. (walking like an old lady). the strain of up and downing to the hospital and back each day has left LSP and I Shattered. So on the day we were due to fly to the other side of the world we were bringing her home from hospital.

BS. big sister has gall stones, they are not planing to operate until January so she has been sent home with a very low fat diet plan. She has gone to stay with her partner's family in Wales for a few days to recuperate.

Nan, well Nan is on the mend and hoping to come out of hospital next week. the is regaining her mobility!
The sad thing about Nan is that Today is her 85th Birthday. It was not in her plan to be spending it in Hospital and this makes her a bit sad. At least she will still get to see us all as we pop in and see her through the day.

It has been a very tough couple of weeks.

However we are lucky. In hospital we met people who's relatives have also been in for some time. Each day they make the journey in to see their loved ones. for some the prognosis is not so good. They are making the most of the time they have left. We are lucky, 3 of family have gone in and 3 are coming out.


When my Nan was feeling down and talking about dying, I told her quite firmly that I am not ready for her to die just yet so she had better stick around for a few more years as I need her. (yes I am selfish.)

LSP's family have been very supportive and our friends have been great. Here's hoping for a calmer week ahead.

Here are some photo highlights!

Well the soup is now ready (LSP's Tattie soup) so its a quick bowl of soup then off to the hospital I go.

I love my Nan.

Well, owing to my Bs being in hospital, our whole weekend has been turned around and the routine has gone out of the window. We had originally planned to go to the lovely coast on Saturday to spend the day with friend's. This could not happen but we have managed to rearrange it for 2 week's time. 


BS has a stone in her kidney, This is very painful (apparently) and she is quite unwell. She is going to be operated on tomorrow and will be home on Tuesday (hopefully). So we have been going back and forth to the hospital and I need to jiggle my week a bit next week to support her. 


Anyway, Today LSP and I Went to visit my Nan to tell her about my sister being in hospital and why. I did not want to tell her over the phone as at 84 she worries,  and it is better to tell her face to face. 

  

My Nan as a child! 

After updating her about my BS we got to talk in general. what had been going on in the village, who had died, etc. Normal grandmother to grand daughter conversation's. 


We got round to talking about YD wanting to get a motorbike. My Grandmother had 4 son's no daughter's. My father was her eldest son, He had a motorbike when he was young......right up till the time he wrapped it around a lamp post. 


Her next Son, bought a moped, he and a friend used to bike to a nearby town on a friday night this town had a bit of a reputation for being a bit rough. Now where my nan lived was half way up a hill and you could hear for miles. On a Friday night, her and my granddad would sit on the step and listen for my uncle and his friend's moped's. As soon as they could hear them (about  2 miles away) she and my granddad would rush up to bed and would be all tucked in by the time he got home they new that he was home safe and well and they did not have to worry. This  continued until he came off his bike then traded up to get a car. 


Her third Son (who always has been careful) had a motorbike, with no incident's however it did not stop her worrying and fretting each time he went out. 


When her youngest son was old enough he was asked if he was going to get a bike or a car. 


He chose the car! my nan was happy. 


We talked about the new's, we talked about the weather and we talked about her health. Now I have started to get heartburn, and my nan has had heartburn for years and she was describing way's of alleviating it. Now my nan had her heartburn checked out just in case it was a symptom of something more sinister. 


My Nan described that after she had been checked out that the doctor told her there was nothing to worry about and the indigestion she was experiencing was a result of all of the adjectives in the food nowadays. My Nan went on to tell me more about adjectives in food. 


I was listening and nodding whilst biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing whilst LSP was practically eating the i-phone for the same reason. Now you may be thinking, why did I not correct my Nan, well she is 84 years old and confusing 2 similar word's is no big deal, but correcting her may have made her feel silly.


 On the way home I thought about an article I had seen on the new's this morning about the menu for a dinner that Prince William had attended. 


Tom Parker Bowles criticised the over pretentious menu. one example was a main course of:

Pacific Ocean black Cod Fillet, Hand Glazed with a Japanese tamari and mankuna honey reduction. 

Delicately balanced on a sumptuous organic pearl barley risotto,  hand in hand with a delightful English courgette flower beignet, teriyaki jus

hmm I think all of those adjectives would give me indigestion! 

How I nearly missed the Royal wedding!

Well, as you all know! OD (Older daughter) was moving out today. The idea was that we would get all of the moving done in time for me to sit down and watch the wedding. 


Did not go to plan! 


OD did not arrive! YD (youngest Daughter) was no where to be seen (she had stayed at a friends house) so LSP and I moved the contents of her room into the car and then to her flat ourselves. This has been a planned move and she has been packing for more than a week. So we had cardboard city in the dinning room as well as bits and pieces still in her room. 


I don't know how many trips to and from the car we made. 


LSP has a large car and boy did we fill it. 

Half full...

Every girl needs to remember her Numchucks! 

The boot is nearly full. 

I was really rushing by the end. More haste Less speed should have been the order of the day! At one point I had out moving trolley in one hand, A bag in the other with a computer monitor tucked under my arm....I stopped and put the monitor down. 

We had packed a few house warming gifts as well. 

(this fell off the trolley) 

There were a few minor disaster's while we were going back and forth...

This was what happened to the stamp box which lives in the hallway! 

Here are half of the boxes in the sitting room.

(I have no idea where she is going to put it all) 

I also have no idea where it all came from! i am now convinced that her room is a Tardis. We did build in a lot of storage but still to fill the back of an estate car. We have another trip later as we did not include any of her furniture... Desk, storage unit etc...

I remember once when I moved house at the age of 20 when all my worldly Good's fitted into the boot of a Ford Sierra..... However, 

We eventually made it back home... I raced to the TV just in time for the Does any one know any lawful reason why ....... 

So then I was hooked and I am still watching it now. 

I would have loved a wedding like that, trumpets and all. Catherine's dress was amazing so serene and beautiful. I am a fan of lace on wedding dresses, so much I had one myself. 

(I had a look to see if Catherine has a tattoo as well but I could not spot one.)

Babies and Butterfly's.

So the original plan for my day today was to be helping my friend celebrate her 30th Birthday. It was due to be an afternoon of go-karting then an evening of cocktails!   However, my migraine put paid to that.

 Instead. I have spent a day with the family. Both Older and Younger daughter's were working today so it was me, LSP, my younger sister, her mother, her partner and their daughter.

We went for Lunch at a nearby butterfly park.

After we had been fed, we went to see the animal's get fed. 

The otter's and meerkat's went down well with the adults. However, for our Niece the star attraction was Amy the Goat.

Every time she ate out of someones hand our niece would laugh hysterically! Amy was not a shy goat and would push herself to the front, we would have to have 1 person distracting Amy while someone else gave the other Goats some treats!

Once we had walked round the animal's we went for a walk around the butterfly house. 

 Butterfly's are fast!!!,
Also the butterfly house is hot!!! So we went for a cup of tea before home!

Tonight, older daughter is treat us to a meal in the local pub, for  mother's day treat! 

Shopping day!

Today we managed to get out of bed. Which was a good start on yesterday, Although I feel the benefit of having a beddles day.

The plan for this weekend was to go shopping with our girls, we have a wedding to attend soon and wanted to get their outfits sorted early. (avoids last minute panics).

We took a drive to Bicester outlet village.

As well as the shopping I love the sculpture...

Having lunch at Pret.... Always the Italian chicken Salad....

But the best thing is the CK shop...

I was only allowed to go after the girls bought their dress's, which they did and they both look amazing !! Its great to spend the day with our girls especially as they are both so busy, its hard to get a day when we are all together.

I went in for a bag but they had none I wanted today :( however, you cannot leave CK empty handed, can you?

2 tea towels and a yard of fabric.

Happy Sunday everyone.

Here's to nice weekends....

I am sat here on my settee, with a glass of Jack Daniels and coke (rock and roll) having had a very nice weekend. Yesterday was such a fab day as my sister along with her partner brought our niece down to see us. The original plan was for us to go to them (and to have a trip to ikea on the way) but the plans changed and they came down to us.

I cant believe how quick this year has gone, well the baby is now 1 and we gave her her birthday pressie from us.

She did play with it, but was more interested in the kitchen step, which she crawled up and down repeatedly!

She has discovered the Camera and smiles a big beaming smile when ever its pointed on her,



Just look at those teeth!! (yes that's a smile)

Happy Birthday.......

After the excitement of yesterday, today was a lot more practical,

We had to finish sorting out the books.

After much sorting we have identified about 60 books to be sold and the ones that are left fit in our book cases, hurrah.....

We have 1 bookcase in the hall, which has lots of normal (ish) books.

Then the dinning room is dominated by Academic and Hobby books, (and the occasional dog).

So after a busy but nice weekend, its time for a nice glass of drink and some candle light.

Here's to a good week everyone.........