Muffins!

Yet another very quick update as I've been so busy today. 

Hairdressers this morning, then the usual grocery shopping. I then decided to make some muffins. I've made cupcakes the last few times I've done some baking, but it was back to my old muffin recipe today - blueberry muffins and chocolate chip muffins. 

I tried one of the blueberry ones when they were still warm - yummy! I used to make them nearly every week and I've forgotten just how nice they are. 

And then I had a trip to the vets tonight with Titch, my youngest cat. Poor thing has been behaving like he's got a cold - runny nose, sneezing, wheezing. So just as I'd had a few weeks off from going to the vets (I was having roughly weekly trips to the vets last year for about 9 months with one of my other cats which stopped in December when we sadly lost her) I ended up there again. And good or bad, the girl on reception recognised me and commented on me being back again!! Anyway, an anti-inflammatory injection and a course of tablets later, hopefully he'll be ok. Fingers crossed. 

I'm now on holiday for a week - yay!! Off work until 11th March. 

Time to chill ......

Sir Tom Finney

Today was the funeral for the late Sir Tom Finney, a football legend, former Preston North End and England player. I don't follow football, and have little interest in the sport usually, but this is one day when people came together to honour a great man and show their respect for him not just as a great player, but as a true gentleman.

As I work in the town where the funeral was to take place it was amazing, and extremely moving to see just how many people turned out to show their respect for this great man. Hundreds lined the streets to watch the funeral cortege drive slowly to Preston Minster. As the hearse went passed you could see the word "grandad' on the side. I'm sure I wasn't the only person to feel like crying.

As I watched the cortege pass the end of the street where I work I all I could hear were people clapping at they watched, no other noise, just clapping for this great man. What a show of respect! And this for the whole of the route, from Preston North End Football Stadium, right through to the city centre. Born in Preston he only ever played for Preston North End. Apparently he never won a championship medal or even and FA cup winner's medal. But given the number of people who turned out on the streets of Preston today, he won the hearts of the people.

RIP Sir Tom Finney.

Mike + The Mechanics!!

Just a quick update to say how amazing Mike + The Mechanics have been tonight. We've just got back from Warrington after a fantastic concert - even DD enjoyed it!! 

Shame we couldn't all sit together - I sat with DD and DH had to sit on his own (more fool me for only booking two tickets before checking with DD if she wanted to come too...). I'll remember for next time - do not buy concert tickets before checking with everybody concerned!! 

So, after seeing Peter Gabriel in Manchester and Steve Hackett in Liverpool last year, it was only right and fair that we gave Mike Rutherford a chance to shine too - and he did it with style. Brilliant! 

Not sure how the photo will come out of the stage, but here it is anyway.....

Sent from my iPhone

More cupcakes, another walk and another book review!

It's been a bit of a busy week this week.

After a lovely evening with DD and my mum on Wednesday, having tea made for me (which is always lovely), it was a bit of a rushed evening getting all the jobs done before work on Thursday. That's always the case though when the normal routine gets changed, even if it's for something nice. The good news is that this might become a regular thing now, going to my mum's for tea on a Wednesday. We used to go every Thursday until DD stopped going dancing, so it will be really nice to start going on a regular basis again.

Then yesterday I decided it was time to try out another cupcake recipe. After getting the usual Friday morning shopping trip out of the way it was time to try out the chocolate and peanut butter cupcake recipe. I wasn't quite sure about the combination initially, but they are really tasty!

I also finished reading yet another book yesterday. It was one of those quite predictable books, but a good read all the same. Another one to add to my books page.

And despite the fact that the weather has been pretty rubbish again this week, we took the chance on it this morning and set out while the sun was shining, just for short walk. There's more about this on my walks page.

Time to relax now and get an early night tonight…..

Another book review

Just a quick update to say that I've put yet another book review on my books page. I seem to have been reading some really good books recently so have been whizzing through them.

Back to the normal weekly routine this week, almost. Looks like I'm off to my mum's for tea tomorrow,  after DD suggested it and organised it! Not quite sure if I'll take the dogs yet but it would at least give Oscar chance to see my mum's house again before he goes there for a week later this year while we go on holiday. As he's such a nervous dog he doesn't really settle anywhere other than our home - the outside world seems to frighten him which is such a shame. Molly on the other hand doesn't mind where she is as long as there's a comfy bed so she can sleep!

Cupcakes!

So, once again the weekend seems to have gone by far too quickly and it's Monday again. I seem to have got quite a bit done though - food shopping (as per normal), upgraded my phone to one which works a lot faster (at last), tidied the garden up a bit, sorted out lots of empty plant pots in the greenhouse so it's ready to be power washed in a few weeks, and had time to do some baking.

I normally only make standard fairy cakes these days as they're easy to do and easy to ice. But, having bought a magazine with lots of nice cupcake recipes, I asked DD which ones she liked and ended up making almond and chocolate cupcakes with pink icing. Very nice if I say so myself.

DH made tea on Saturday which was lovely - I do most of the cooking so it's really nice when I get a night off, even if I end up either supervising or sorting out DD's meal as she doesn't always have the same as us. A lovely meal though, so thank you DH.

I've also managed to find time to read more of my next book ,which is so good I might finish it tonight, so there'll be another book review going up shortly.

And I've also been looking at different courses to do online to see about having a change of career, if I ever get any spare time to sit down and start one!

Sometimes there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done…...

Valentine's Day and more book reviews!

Happy Valentine's Day wherever you are today.

I know there will be some people who are doing some really romantic things today, or this weekend, and there will also be those who won't be doing anything different.

Me? I'm at home after doing the usual shopping trips and sorting out the washing. Why does there always seem to be so much washing after a holiday?! Unfortunately it also means there'll be loads of ironing to do too.

Who said romance was dead?!

While I'm waiting for all the clothes to dry I've managed to write some more book reviews - these are the books I read while I was on holiday, all easy reading, feel good factor books, nothing too in-depth or complicated., but all good books.

At some point today we should also get some new fence panels delivered to replace the ones we lost the other night during the gales. It was pretty horrendous the other night, although I know we're pretty lucky as it's only fence panels we've lost, and not any more damage, not like other people in the country who are dealing with more floods after not recovering from the first floods a few weeks ago. With more rain and wind forecast I dread to think what other damage there'll be.

As we aren't doing anything wildly romantic tonight (well, not that I know of) I might have to start reading another book ………….

Quick Update

Though I'd better just give a quick update as I've not had chance for nearly a week due to being on holiday. I'd hate to think my blog is getting behind already, but I've so much to put on now that it will take a few days to catch up!

I'll put some info about the holiday with DD as soon as I get chance, but basically we had 5 nights in Portugal and spent most of the time not doing much at all - bliss! Swimming every day with nobody else in the indoor pool, using the jacuzzi, reading books (I have at least two more book reviews to go on when I get some spare time) and generally taking it easy, it was lovely to spend time just the two of us.

Back to reality yesterday though when we got back to England to find it had been snowing, raining and  so windy that it looks like yet another fence panel has collapsed in our back garden (it's not quite gone yet, but is about to and will probably not be there in the morning, so it will mean taking Oscar out in the garden on his lead again as otherwise he'll probably run off). Not a good thing to come home to.

Plus I was back at work today as I couldn't afford to take any more time off just yet. So it really is back to the usual routine straight away for me.

I'll put a few photo's of the holiday up in the next few days, along with the book reviews, but for now I just wanted to say I'm still here!

Mid-week update and another book review

Where does the time go? February already and holiday packing to do.

Having now finished work until next Wednesday, I can concentrate on the fact that I'm going on holiday with DD. Just the two of us, which will be lovely. I hope. We haven't been away on our own for quite a while so it will be interesting to see how it goes for 5 days. DH, sadly, is staying behind to look after the animals for me. For which I am extremely grateful.

I've finished yet another book, The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, a brilliantly written book which I've had my eye on for a while and am very glad I've read, so I've put a short review on my books page. I'm not quite sure what to read next, but will be taking one or two books on holiday with me as there's a good chance that we won't be doing too much while we're away.

I hope the rest of the fence panels survive the night as it's getting quite windy here tonight,  and after losing 4 fence panels a few weeks back I don't think we have any means of filling the gaps in temporarily until the whole fence is replaced in a few weeks. Fingers crossed that everything survives for a bit longer!

There may not be any updates for a few days, but I'll see what I can do. Hopefully I'll have lots of photos to put on when we get back (I always take loads of photos while I'm away so hopefully there'll be plenty of choice).

So, time to get in to Holiday Mode ......

A Weekend Walk and another Book Review

Where did the weekend go again? And how did we manage to cram so much in to two days?

Yesterday started off with what was supposed to be a quick trip to town to get some Euro's for my upcoming holiday with DD, and then some food shopping on the way home. What actually happened was just a bit different. DH drove us to town and we decided to go and get some breakfast first. Rather than go in your usual coffee shops we opted to go in Brucciano's cafe, a delightful traditional cafe, serving fantastic food without charging over the top prices. It's a real step back in time when you go in, and I can remember going in this cafe quite a number of years ago with both my mother and grandmother, and it doesn't look like it's changed much inside over the last 30 years or so. So, two sausage barm cakes and two coffee's later we went shopping for my Euro's. As we didn't really want anything else, and as the weather was quite nice at that point, I suggested that we wander down to the park for a bit of a stroll while the sun was out, especially as the weather forecast for the weekend wasn't very good. 

It was lovely just wandering in the park, spotting signs of spring (but very cold due to the wind), and we ended up in the cafe there for another drink before heading back to the car.

The rest of the day can only be described as a bit of a wash-out, as right on time as forecast, the rain came at lunch-time. That was it really for the rest of the day, so time for housework and more book reading (I've added another book review to the Books page).

And today? Well, today has been really good. I put both the chicken and some lamb in the oven and set it to be ready for tea, made some chilli hot chocolate and packed the sandwiches and snacks, and then off we went out walking with both dogs. We headed up to Winter Hill and had a fabulous walk in the sunshine (more details of this has been added to my walks page). One of the best bits of going for a walk is getting home to smell of the chicken (and lamb this week) cooking in the oven. De-li-cious.

Unfortunately this week, because the ground had been so muddy, both dogs needed bathing when we got back, and neither of them are too thrilled about having baths, so that was fun. But we now have two much cleaner dogs, have eaten some delicious food for tea, and now it's nearly time for bed before it all starts again on Monday morning..........