Sunday 28th March

Another slow day today, we got up, had coffee went online, i spoke to mum, and then to Mandy, then we took the dogs out for a walk, which was nice. When we got home the weather was looking grim still so we did not get out into the garden as planned but spent all day on our respective computers, a bit of a waste of a day. I roasted a chicken for dinner and ant put a salad together, we watched a bit of sunday evening tv, spoke to gran on the phone and went to bed, very uneventful and we need to break the habit. We have decided to quit the smokes again on monday as we have run out and have been looking for a time to stop so this seems ideal, just hope it does not interfere with my weightloss programme.

Saturday 27th March

We got up about eight thirty and came down for coffee and spent time online, after our morning ritual we took the dogs out for a good long walk. We had lunch and were going to work on the garden but the weather was not great so ant read and i played on the computer. David and Usha called round for a coffee in the late afternoon and stayed for a couple of hours. When they left i put dinner together, liver, griddled, with an onion, lardon and mushroom gravy accompanied by chips, to my amazement ant enjoyed it.
We watched a film in the evening, ant had a good old nap in the middle of it, then we went up to bed and i read for a while before going to sleep, another hectic saturday!

Friday 27th March

We came down for about eight thirty, had coffee and did some bits online, ant is a bit obsessed with the strike, as you would imagine. We decided to take the dogs a good long walk, so walked them down to Willeman and back. We had decided to work on the garden in the afternoon so went down to Hesdin, i had hoped to buy a little plastic green house so we could grow salad stuff but i could not find one. I got some petrol for the lawn mower then we had a little look at Aldi and found some mini garden tunnels, which we bought, then a look in Lidl found seeds and troughs and soil.
We had lunch when we got home then ant started clearing and digging over the veg patch whilst i mowed the lawn. I put together the tunnels, they were a bit flimsy but not to bed for a fiver, then put them in the veg patch, i then seeded the seeds and put the troughs under the tunnels. ant had done a good job on the veg patch but there is more to do. When it got to the point when he had had enough we stopped, i had put together a turkey stew for dinner which was cooking away in the slow cooker. Ant had a bit of a nap whilst i had a game of civilisation for a couple of hours. At seven i put the dinner together and we ate, ant had some wine and i had some morgans spiced and coke. I had downloaded some Roseanne episodes so we watched those and had an enoyable evening before heading to bed.

Thursday 25th March

We woke at about half eight, came down had coffee and i did some bits online while ant looked at ba stuff on his computer. At about ten thirty we headed in to Hesdin, had a mooch around the market, saw Maggie and Marion then went and did a show at Carrefore and Lidl. We got back and i tried to burn one of the films i had downloaded, this took quite some time and did not go well so i was not best pleased, i ended up dragging ant back to Carrefore to buy a lead from the laptop to the tv.
We took the dogs out for a walk and then settled down to watch a bit of tv. We had a nice dinner of Crepinette with salad, back on the healty eating after grans. We watched a couple of films then watched a couple of tv programmes, went up to bed at eleven and watched Fast Food Nation before going to sleep.

Wednesday 24th March

We got up at sixish, went down and had coffee and got ourselves sorted for the trip home, waved good bye to gran and hit the road, the journey up was easy and we arrived at Prestwick in plenty of time for the flight. We had something to eat at the airport then went through security, ant got his bag riffled as usual. The flight was half empty and very easy and we arrived back in Belgium at about three in the afternoon. After a little upset over the free shuttle we got back to the car and headed home, the drive was ok and we were back by six. We dropped our stuff and headed down to pick up the dogs, they were particularly excited to see us.
We decamped in the house and had a bit of a got home time, phoned gran to let her know we were back, she had been to the doctors who were very pleased with her progress. We had a simple dinner of burgers beans and eggs then decided we would go and spend the evening in bed watching a bit of tv. Ant was asleep within about thirty mins but i enjoyed an evenings viewing, a program about a medieval woman and one about the history of bread a very interesting evening. We went to sleep at around eleven, happy to be back in our own bed.

Tuesday 23rd Feb

We woke about seven in the morning, grans curtains are a bit on the thin side and it was broad daylight in the room. I went down and gran was already up, i made a coffee and we sat and chatted for a little bit, ant came down a little later. Gran opened her presents and was very taken with the pearls, though we couldn't do the clasp very easily, she then opened her cards. Ant phoned in to scheduling to see what was happening but found out he had not been given a trip until monday. When grans friend Alwyn arrived i asked if we could borrow her internet so we went to her house and booked a ticket on ryan air for ant to come home with me the next day. When we got back we had to wait until gran got ready, Mandy's flowers arrived and then we set off in to town, we said hello to Wendy then went to several shops, gran was very pleased she had managed it, she said last week she could hardly walk to the front door, so it is a great improvement. We got new catches put on the pearls and had a mooch round a card shop, a chemists, a book shop and gran went in to the bank, during which time i saw Diane walking past so we had a chat to her.
All the shopping done we headed out to a pub for lunch, we drove over scouts scar into the lythe valley, the first pub we came to was shut so we carried on to Crosthwaite and went to the punchbowl there, the food was very good if a little pricey, ant had Devon Crab rarebit with twice cooked chips, gran had a twice baked cheese souffle and tempura prawns and i had the twice baked souffle and smoked venison. Gran was pleased with her meal and her and ant wittered on about for a bit. After lunch we headed to Morrisons the supermarket and did a bit of shopping before heading back to grans in time for aunty Ruth to arrive.
When Ruth arrived we set to preparing the food for the evenings party, we did a nice spread, then ant and i went up to get changed, then we all sat and waited. Mandy phoned to say she was not coming which was a bit of a shame. The first to arrive were Barry and Shiela, then Brian and Ruth and then the rest, Kendall arrived a little later as he was pricing up a job. The evening went very smoothly and we all enjoyed ourselves. Everyone had gone by ten in the evening so we sat and chatted for a little while and the got off to bed.

Monday 22nd March

I woke about seven, got up had a shower and got dressed, no coffee but i did have a bit of time online. I took the free shuttle to the airport, a five min journey, had a little look around and then went through to airside. I bought some smokes in duty free as directed then settled down with my book and ipod to wait for the flight. As i was sitting there a rather loud Scottish woman and her two pals walked to the front of the queuing area and settled down to wait, this was then followed by a huge serge of people, Ryan air does not designate seats so the closer to the head of the que you are the better choice of a seat, i didn't bother, everyone gets on. The boarding did not happen for another fifty mins so the standing people were stood for all that time, i waited until the last min and got on, had a whole row to myself.
The flight was easy, one and half hours, headphones on a reading my book it went really quickly and at five euros each way it was cheaper than getting the bus. When i got to Prestwick i picked up the car, a Ford Mondeo, very nice, spacious, drives really well, cruise control, automatic wipers and headlights, i hardly had to do anything. I got to grans about two and half hours later and was met with a great deal of enthusiasm by ant as he had arrived the day before. The strike took up a lot of conversation and we didn't know what they would do with ant the next day. Gran made a meal which we all enjoyed and then we sat and chatted for the rest of the evening. Gran was looking much better and seemed her usual self. We headed up to bed around ten and went off to sleep.

Sun 21st March

I woke at a decent hour on Sunday and came down , had coffee and did some bits online, did the washing up and sorted the dogs out ready for their trip to the kennels. I took the dogs to the kennels at about ten then came back and packed, i phoned Janine to let her know i was off and then set off for Charleroi. The drive was ok, pretty uneventful and i found the hotel easily, i checked in and sorted out the free shuttle to the airport for the next day then went up to the room. I could not get the window to shut so went back down and spoke to the receptionist who said he would get it fixed. I decided to go out and have a look round, i went in to the centre of Charleroi but found it very disappointing, and with it being Sunday everything was shut.
I drove around for a good half hour looking for somewhere to eat, eventually finding a Quick, which was down to it's usual standard, then drove back to the hotel. I had a little drive round the hotel to see if there was an eatery, there was not. I went back to my room and the window still didn't work so went back to reception who gave me a different room, the key didn't work on this so i had to go back again, eventually i got a room where everything worked. I settled in for the evening, spoke to ant and gran on skype and messed about online, joined a film downloading site and downloaded a couple of films as there was only one English channel, the news.
I went down to order a pizza at about seven, it came about an hour and a half later, rather tepid and uncut so i had to tear it apart. This done i got in to bed, watched a film and then headed off to sleep.

Sat 20th March

I got up and had coffee, went online, not sure what happened with yesterdays blog but i didnt do much anyway. Did my usual bits, called Tony and we arranged to go to Le Touquet for the day to watch a bit of the rally. I headed up to collect him then we drove down to the coast, we watched a few cars doing the circuit in the town, had some lunch at McDo's and had a little explore of Etaple. I drove Tony home then came home and started to get sorted for the evening, cleaned out the car and had a shower and shave and got something nice to wear sorted. Spoke to ant for a bit, he passed his sep so that was good news. Got dressed and sat for abit then at seven thirty i headed out. I met up with Marté, Jackie, her husband, and her friend and we all headed over to her brothers house. We had a very pleasant time there though the rugby was on and France beat England, much to the joy of the host. At eleven we all headed out to the nightclub, a very strange affair, like a social club for the aged with a few young people scattered about. I danced for a little while with Marté but the music was not very good. Eventually we decided we had had enogh and left. I drove home, chatted to ant for a bit then went to bed.

Thursday 18th March

Up at eight thirty again, had the usual morning, coffee and internet, did some bits of housework and got ready for my walk with Marté. We took the dogs with us and walked in the direction of Willeman, the walk took an hour and a half and we chatted on throughout. When i got back i had some lunch and watched a film, then spent a bit more time online before heading out to Hesdin to get a couple of bits and peices. I got back and spent some more time online before watching the simpsons and having dinner, chicken with garlic mushrooms and assorted veg.
I had a bitty evening, spoke to ant a couple of times, watched a bit of tv but there was not much on, messed about online for most of it before going to bed at eleven and reading for a while.

Wed 17th March

I woke about eight thirty and left ant in bed, had the usual morning with coffee and internet, i seem to be getting back in to facebook applications but it passes a bit of time. Ant came down and had coffee with me then he started to get himself sorted, had a bath, packed his case, i put some credit on his skype account for him and sorted a train ticket to grans in case the strike goes ahead. we set off for Calais at eleven and he was there by twelve thirty, he booked himself on the next available ferry and i headed home. I decided to drive back a more scenic route than the usual way and enjoyed seeing something a little different. I got back by two and spent a little more time online.
I eventually took the dogs out for a walk, and settled down in front of the tv for the simpsons, i made a thai chicken stir fry with noodles for dinner, which i enjoyed and then settled in for a night in front of the tv. I could not find anything i wanted to watch so played about on line for a while. Ant phoned a couple of times, he had arrived and was settled in ready for the course tomorrow. I went up to bed at eleven and read for an hour before going to sleep.

Tuesday 16th March

Came down as usual for coffee and internet, got a phone call from Marté, we arranged to go for a walk at eleven. I got ready and took the dogs out for their walk, came back had a quick coffee and then went over to Janine's and said good morning to her and Marté, Janine invited us for an apero in the evening. Martè and i had a good hour and a halfs walk and talked about all sorts of things, she has invited me out to a disco on saturday evening, with an eighties theme, so that will be interesting. I had a real feeling that winter is over for the first time, the weather was pleasant and nowhere near as cold as it has been.
When i got home i had some lunch with ant, i finished off the meatloaf from the night before, then we headed down to Hesdin, checked the bank, the refund from EDF has gone in so that was good. Stopped in at the office and had a chat with Maggie, went to Carrefore bought a box of chocs to take to Janine's and filled the car for the trip to Calais on wednesday. When we got back ant went upstairs in a sulk and i got the bike out and pumped up the tyres and went for a ride, it was a bit exhausting.
Made some meatballs for dinner and then we headed over to Janine's for a very pleasant evening, she had done a spread of soup, quiche and salad, cheese and a tiramisu, so it was a good job we had a light dinner. We all sat and chatted on for a good few hours before heading home. We put the tv on upstairs and wacthed Shameless in bed before heading off to sleep.

Monday 15th March

Got up about nine and had coffee and internet time, left ant in bed, then i took the dogs on a walk. When i came back ant was up and reminded me of the radio thing so i sat ready to receive the call, spoke to Peter on the radio for about eight mins, i couldn't hear myself as ant was listening in in the kitchen but he reassured me it was ok. Spoke to mum for a little bit afterward then we headed out. We sat in the suntrap in David's garden having coffee and the sun was wonderful. We did a quick shop in Hesdin before heading up to Tony's. Tony listened to the car and confirmed my fears, the brake pad had gone, so he told me to park up near their garage and proceeded to take the front wheel off, the pad on the drivers side was completely gone. We headed back to Hesdin and bought some new pads then back to Tony's where he put the new ones on, saving me a fortune at the garage, thank god for friends.
We got home about six and i made a start on the dinner, a meat loaf with veg puree, not too bad but i can't get the loaf to say together, the texture was better this time though. After dinner we had a drink, ant phoned his mum and was on with her for some time, he put me on at the end, she is planning to visit us from the 11th to the 18th august, so that will be nice. We settled down to monday nights TV, Glee, which we enjoyed, then a couple of cartoons. we got to bed before twelve and headed to sleep.

Sunday 14th March

Got up and had coffee and time online, spoke to mum, wished her a happy mothers day, spoke to Mandy for ages then started to get the housework done, had a real good sweep through of the house in readiness for ant coming home. After the house work i ironed something nice to wear and showered, got dressed and thought i had visually lost some weight so felt a little better about myself. Ant phoned to let me know all was running to plan, i had a little lunch and watched a bit of tv. Took the dogs out for a walk and vowed i would walk them day morning and afternoon now the weather is getting better. I spent the afternoon and evening in a mix of tv and internet before setting off to pick up ant at 8;45. The journey was easy, though the brakes are making an awful noise, he arrived a couple of mins after i did and we set off home. Naturally the conversation was all about the strike and we arranged what ant would do if the strike goes ahead, fingers crossed they sort something out before hand. We got home had a cup of tea, ant showed me the gift he had bought for grans birthday, a nice set of grey pearls, so that was ideal. We headed to bed and i read for a very short while before going to sleep.

Sat 13th March

Up at nine and down for coffee, my weight has leveled for the last few days so i am a bit pissed off by that. Had the usual first hour online, it was a bit of a grey day outside so i wasn't too sure what i would do with myself. I had a round of phone calls, spoke to Anne, William and Andrew, ironically it was Williams birthday so that was good timing. Had some lunch and watched a bit of tv before spending more time on the computer, had a chat to aunty m on skype. I spoke to ant a couple of times on skype and then watched a bit more tv. All in all it was a tv and internet day, had a sausgage stew again for dinner, watched crufts, which is still more about the presenters than the dogs, had an evening in front of the tv before going to bed at eleven and reading for an hour.

Friday 12th March

Well it looks as though it is going to happen, Walsh has turned down the offer of the union and a strike seems inevitable, i have to wonder if some higher being is taking the piss as it is due to happen when i am in the uk and ant will be stuck in heathrow. So God knows what situation we will be in by the end of the month and poor ant is in a hotel in Phoenix worrying himself sick about it all. I can't really describe the feeling of helplessness i have about this situation, there is nothing i can do to protect him from what is going on, we are locked in this property unable to move until it sells, there is no chance of finding a job here and i have nothing in reserve. I don't mean to rant but the minutia of what i did yesterday pails into insignificance in comparison to what will be happening in a weeks time.

Thursday 11th March

Ant got himself ready and i had a coffee whilst i waited, we left for Lille at five thirty, stopped at Arras for some petrol on the way. I dropped ant off in plenty of time and headed home, getting back just before eight. I settled down for a bit of a hap on the sofa as i was now a little tired, i slept for about two hours. I went online and did some bits, started a new app on fb, my diet, it is quite interesting, then had a bit of lunch. I took the dogs for a walk then got on with the washing up and gave the kitchen a bit of a tidy. I peeled some veg and made set them to steam ready to make a puree to go with my dinner. I did my bouncing, didn't manage the full thirty mins and ants suggestion of listening to gaydar radio whilst i was doing was not successful.
I had a bit more time on the computer in the afternoon before settling down to some tv, had dinner, a nice beef stew with pureed carrot, parsnip, swede and sweet potato, whilst watching the Simpsons. Crufts was on but i was a bit disapointed to see more of the presenters than the dogs or the show, two legs less interesting. At around ten i went up to bed, took the dogs with me, and read for an hour before falling asleep.

Wed 10th March

We woke quite late, came down and did our morning bits and spent quite a long time on line, i discovered a new application on facebook that i got a little engrossed in. We had lunch after twelve, the usual tuna salad for me, ant had some ravioli, out of a tin! but he enjoyed it. We took the dogs a walk and i did my bouncing for half an hour. Spent a little more time online until it was time for tv, ant watched come dine with me, it just isnt the same. We had chilli for dinner, there was so much i didnt bother with rice, and scoffed it down, very good.
We had a bitty night in front of the tv, ant spoke to his mum, her relationship has just come to an abrupt end but i think she was more annoyed at not being the one to end it than hurt. We went up to bed just after ten and i lay there for an hour or so before getting up and leaving ant to it, it is important he gets a good nights sleep. I spent some more time on the computer then watched a bit of tv until he came down at four thirty to get ready to go to work.

Tuesday 09th March

Ant got up first today and made coffee, i followed, feeling a lot better, went online and checked stuff, gave mum a call and we chatted about the upcoming visit and our trip to the Languedoc. Had an email from the peter goers show inquiring whether i would be interviewed on Thursday but replied in the negative as i have to take ant to Lille and might not be around. We headed off in to Hesdin, dropping in on David on the way, sat and chatted to him for a bit then carried on. Checked the bank, dropped in on Maggie and chatted for a bit then headed to her place to see Mike and borrow his books for ants tests this month. We went and bought some fuel at Cultivert then came home, took the dogs out for a walk and then i did my thirty mins on the trampette, it is starting to pay off, just three more pounds and i will have lost a stone!
Ant made dinner, steak and salad, very nice, the steak was just perfectly rare and the salad most enjoyable, then we had an evening in front of the tv, for a change, culminating in Shameless, one of our favorite shows, so that was good, we headed up to bed after this and ant wanted to watch My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, so we did, and we enjoyed that immensly too, then off to sleep.

Sunday & Monday 08th March

Had a relatively lazy day on sunday, they are rarely packed with fun, spoke to a few people on the phone, took the dogs out walking and did some exercise. In the evening i watched the usual tv, had roast turkey for dinner with sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots. Went to bed relatively early and read for a bit and the went to sleep. I woke at two thirty in the morning with quite bad stomach pains and a bit of nausia, went to the loo and made a bit of space then went back to bed but could not get ot sleep, a few mins later the worst happened and i had to sprint to the bathroom clamping my hands over my mouth, i just about made it. After playing the white trumpet i went back to bed and managed to get back to sleep.
When i woke on Monday i was still feeling under the weather but i got up and had coffee then got on with the housework in readines for his lordship getting home, i rang him and told him i wasnt to well. I set off to pick him up and collected him just before two, we came home and i sorted out the tv in the bedroom and we made camp in there for the rest of the day, apart from going to the loo i did not have to get out of bed all day, which was good. He made me a simple dinner and we watched tv until going to sleep.

Sat 06th March

The alarm went at five and ant jumped out of bed and started to ready himself for work, i came down and made coffee for us both and then sat and watched the news for a while, i hadn't slept too well so was feeling a little tired. Ant came down ready for the off, so we drank up and headed out. I made a quick stop at Hesdin to put some petrol in the car and then we high tailed it up to the Eurotunnel and made the train in plenty of time.
The traffic on the uk side was nice and quiet so i dropped ant off about an hour before his report time then headed back towards Ashford. I stopped at Tesco and got some bits and pieces, including two new books, then headed down to the Eurotunnel, tried to check in but i was too early, the next available free one was in an hour thirty so i accepted that and went to the terminal. I had a mooch around the WHSmiths, then the duty free and the cheap electrical shop then went back to the car, ate the chicken drumsticks i had bought from Tesco and read. The crossing was ok, there was a screaming baby in the car behind me but i put the windows up and got on with my book and it didn't bother me.
When I got back to France I sped down the motorway and was back within one hour, I got in and let the dogs out, much to their relief and sorted the shopping out. As i was feeling a little tired the dog walking and exercises were put on a back burner and I settled down to some Futurama dvds, which I enjoyed. I finished off the cake from the day before and made a bit of a pig of myself but today was spoil myself day due to the early start and the unexpected loss of ant for the day.
I had a nice meal a bit later on, chicken in bacon and cheese with sweet potato, and carried on watching Futurama till I had watched the three features I own. I put the dogs out quite early, went online to see if ant was about, to no avail, then went up to bed with my book and the dogs, read till half eleven then went to sleep.

Friday 05th March

We woke and had coffee together, i did the usual internet stuff and ant busied himself with bits and pieces around the house, i phoned a couple of people and invited Janine round for tea in the afternoon. We headed down to Hesdin to do a bit of shopping, got some more of the steaks ant enjoyed the night before and some bits to make a cake.
When we got home we took the girls out for a walk, had lunch when we got in, i did my half hour on the trampette then made the cake, it turned out ok and i did some chocolate swirl things to make it look a bit fancier. Janine called round at three and we all sat and chatted, enjoyed the cake and the tea, she left three hours later and we had a look at ants rosta, he had been given a trip on saturday morning, much to his annoyance, but i sorted everything out and arranged a eurotunnel so i could drop him off at heathrow in time. We settled down to dinner in front of the tv, watched a couple of programmes then had an early night for our early morning.

Thursday 4th March

We got up with all the intention of doing something today, the sun was out and we thought perhaps a day at the coast, so we had the usual morning, spoke to gran, then spoke to mum, i thought ant and i might have a week in the lakes in June, until i realized it was half term, nearly everything is booked up and the price of what is left is unreasonable, this is the problem with British holidays, they charge the earth for so very little, and i hate being ripped off.
Ant and i had a bit of lunch then discussed what we would do with the day, we were unaware that the temp outside was so low and the wind was blowing a gale so we had a day at the house instead, he read and snoozed for the afternoon and i looked further into accommodation in June. Ant woke from his snooze at five thirty, we set the fire going and then watched a bit of tv, after the Simpsons i made dinner, steak marinaded in a shallot sauce with salad, topped off with poached egg, ant thought these steaks were the best we had had so far from the supermarket so we may make a little trip down tomorrow to see if there are any left.
While we were eating I asked ant for his thoughts about the first week in June, after all it is his holiday, he thought he might like to go for a week in the Languedoc again, take the dogs with us and stay in a nice character property, rather than be ripped off for a week in kendal, so i looked in to this for a bit whilst ant watched tv. I joined ant on the sofa for a bit of tv, then went up to bed around eleven for a read, ant came up a few moments later, we read for an hour and then went to sleep.

Thursday 3rd March

Up at the usual sort of time, and to my amazement ant got up with me, we came down and did the usual, then got ready and headed down to Hesdin, checked the bank, the money was in, finally. We stopped in to the office and had a bit of a chat with Marion then bought a euro millions ticket for Friday at a tabac. We came home and i put the beef stew together for dinner, then we had lunch, the usual for me but ant had kippers on bread, a very unpleasant looking repas.
After lunch we took the dogs out on a brisk walk, came back, i did half an hour on the trampette then we both had a bath. Ant read for the rest of the afternoon and i played Sims, it has been a long time since i have played it but it passed a few hours. We watched the simpsons at seven then had dinner, not bad and again plenty left over for another day. We watched a number of things on the tv, there was an interesting thing on about Petra and its discovery. Anne phoned so ant was on the phone for a good while, then he phoned gran and they chatted for a bit before he put her on to me. We ended the evening with Come Dine With Me, it wasnt quite the same, and we had a couple of whiskys to round off the evening.

Tuesday 02 March

I woke about nine thirty and came down, had a bit of a fuzzy head from the wine the night before, checked my weight and was pleased to note i had not put anything on but had shed another two pounds, just another four pounds and i will have shed a whole stone, just another three stone to go!! I went online and did some bits before waking ant.
We had coffee together and then got ready to go out, i put the old manual lawn mower in the boot for David and ant picked up all the empty bottles for the bottle bank and we headed out. We stopped for a short while at David's, Mark was getting ready to go to the hospital for checks, we dropped off the lawn mower and headed in to Hesdin. Checked the bank, the transfer still hasn't come through, starting to get a bit worried now, it is normally quite good but it is five days now, ah well. We went and did food shopping, a weeks food for under fifty euro's, not bad, filled the car with petrol and still had thirty euros left in the budget, i will have to nip down tomorrow and check the bank again.
When we got back we had some lunch, a tuna salad thing for me and a bowl of soup with bread for ant, then we got ready to go out with the dogs, the day was shockingly pleasant with sun and warmth. We headed out and walked down to Willeman, then on to Fillievres, a very nice village with a shop, where ant bought some diet coke, and a little river where the dogs had a drink, we sat by the river for a while before heading back. When we got home we worked out we had been walking for three hours, my feet were killing me but it was a nice afternoon. Ant had a read and a snooze for a bit and i went back online, did the cafe and looked at holidays, i had no idea the Algarve was so cheap.
I made dinner after the Simpsons a chicken and bacon pasta thing, not to bad and a fair bit left over for another day with my new portion control. We watched a mixture of bits on the tv, Shogun, an animal thing and the Shameless, ant went off to phone his mum for forty five mins and missed a fair bit of Shameless, but i enjoyed it. We watched a couple of episodes of Family Guy before heading off to bed, nearly one in the morning!, but as i said we dont have any pressing engagements in the morning so it doesnt matter.

Mon 01 March

The alarm got me up at eight, i came down and watched the news for a little and then got on with cleaning the kitchen, then the living room, the hall, put the washing away, tidied the bedroom then dug out an outfit, had a shower and got dressed. I came down and had another coffee, then went online and did some bits and pieces, ant phoned to say he was at St. Pancras waiting for the train. I set off to pick him up at eleven, making a quick stop to check the bank, i got to Lille with about five mins to spare, only to see his train was delayed by ten mins, so i sat and people watched for fifteen mins.
We got back on the road and headed home as soon as he arrived, he talked on for a bit in the car, as per, and we both had a good chat, he intimated he fancied a drink this evening, another trip to Hesdin. When we got home he unloaded, put the flowers he had bought for me into a vase, nice variegated pink roses, and i opened his just to say i love you card. I went online and checked the electricity bill, it was still saying i could not open the bill so i got a bit fed up and phoned them. They told me because the refund was so large they had stopped it and couldn't tell me when it would be paid, i hit the roof a little, we are talking about nearly 1500 euro's we have over paid, and demanded to speak to a manager, this got something done as the operator then told me she had refunded the money and it will be in our account in a fortnight.
Ant went up to bed and i went in to Hesdin, the bank was shut so i couldn't nip in and top up the account, our transfer still hadn't hit the account, a bit of a pain. I headed up to Lidl and bought three bottles of wine and a couple of bags of rice cracker snacks and bits for the chili. When i got back i took the dogs on a fast walk for half an hour then got the trampette out and did half an hour on that. I put the chili together and left it to simmer for a good while then got ant up. We sat and chatted for a while then had some wine and tucked in to the chili, not bad considering it is something i never make, then followed the usual evening of wine and chat followed by Glee, which i don't really remember now, then tumbling upstairs to bed.

Sunday 28th Feb

Another Sunday boring Sunday, i got up at nine and went down to a rainy grey day, put the dogs out and had coffee whilst doing the online stuff. I had a real quandary what to do today, i had fancied going out for a drive and an explore but the rain was putting me off slightly, i hung about online hoping to catch ant but eventually i gave up. I gave David a call and he suggested i pop round to them for an hour or so. I made an omlette for lunch, with mushrooms and ham, very nice, then set off in to Hesdin to check the bank, they have taken the mortgage out a day early, which was a bit annoying but nothing i could do about it. I headed up to David's and had a coffee with them, i borrowed Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Querelle, a strange french film.
When i got back it was still raining so the dog walk was canceled, i made up the fire and got a pile of wood in for the afternoon then caught ant on skype, he was unsure of whether he would get home tomorrow, which was a bit annoying so we arranged i would phone back in two hours when he would know more. I settled down to Priscilla, i had forgotten how good a film it was, there were plenty of laughs and a couple of tears, and i got to see a little of Broken Hill and Alice. It is a little funny but i feel quite an affection for Alice, even though i have never been there, i think it was the way it was glowingly described in A Town Like Alice, one day we will see it. I must get a copy of Priscilla on amazon, and Muriel's Wedding, the classics of Australian cinema!
I phoned ant on skype and he was positioning back, unable to work due to his tummy bug, Anne messaged me on facebook to check he was ok, i said he was fine, he seemed a lot better. I had a chat with gran on the phone, very little info this week, and i have done very little, so it was uncharacteristically short, i will phone in the week when ant is home, she enjoys a good chat to him. I butterflied a chicken breast, caked it in curry pasted and then pan fried it and had it with a huge pile of veg, most enjoyable, then hunted about for something worth watching, Big Fish, not bad, then the Antiques Roadshow followed by Larkrise, which just seems to get on my nerves now.
I watched some of Querelle, a most disturbing film, very homoerotic but also full of dark images and murder, so i didn't manage to get to the end. I went up to bed by eleven and set an alarm to get me up in time to give the house the once over before going to pick up ant, read for about an hour and then went off to sleep.