wednesday 07th Oct

It was yet another rainy morning when i came down so the dogs lost out on another walk and had to content themselves with running around the garden and barking at every little thing they could. I went online and did some bits and ant finally surfaced. Ant gave Ian a call to wish him good luck with his interview, and i chatted to him for a while. Ant had read yesterdays blog so decreed that tonight we would have a games night, something to look forward to. We then both had baths and got ourselves ready properly.
We decided to get the cake iced and decorated, it didn't end up looking as good as i had imagined but it was ok, i bought some cute sugar animals to give it a quasi farmville look but now it looks more like a cake for a baby than for a thirty six year old man. At midday the postwonam arrived with a package and a birthday card, Feral Future by Tim Low was in the package, which i look forward to reading, and a card from Harry and Debbie.
After lunch we decided to head in to town to check the bank and get some little bits to make up the buffet on Friday night, we stopped in to say hello to Marion and had a mooch round Lidl and Aldi, where i found an automatic tin opener that i knew David and Mark were looking for so i got that and we headed up to their house to present them with it, we stayed for some time and chatted over coffee.
When we got home we realized the chicken we were going to make curry with still hadn't defrosted so that went in the fridge for another day and we had a quandary about what we would do for dinner, i was not really hungry so could not be bothered deciding so we left it. We had about an hour reading before the Simpsons, in the middle of which the phone rang, we left it to go to answering machine, it was Maggie. Once the Simpsons were over i listened to the message, Maggie was saying the bowling alley we had hoped to go to on Thursday night was closed for refurbishment so we would not be able to go unless she found another one. I phoned her back to the joyous news she had located another one in Abbeville and everything was organized and we would be picked up just after six thirty.
Finally we made a start on games night, i dug several of our large stash of board games out of the cupboard and set them up on the table, ant decided he wanted to start with Monopoly, so that is what we did, we had a couple of bottles of wine and had a great night, Pizzas, originally destined for the buffet, were cooked. I won at Monopoly, after a bit of a financial crisis early in the game which gave ant an air of superiority until i bankrupted him. We then played Masterquiz, similar to Trivial Pursuits but very hard questions, ant won the first game and then went on to win the second, just goes to show who has the brains in this house, even if they are hidden under a bushel!! After several hours of game play and three bottles of wine between us we decided to call it a night, we brought the dogs up with us went to sleep en famile.

Tuesday 6th Oct

I woke to another grey rainy day, so i put the dogs out and went online, the new walking the dogs regime is not really taking off. Ant came down about an hour later and we sat and chatted over coffee, not quite sure what we would do with the day. We both spent some time on line then had some lunch. After lunch we made the cake, it went very well and smelt lovely before it went in the oven, four and a half hours of cooking time, quite an expensive cake to make. In the afternoon we put a fire on and decided to watch an afternoon movie, ant was asleep with in a little while so i went back on my computer and whiled away a couple of hours.
When the cake was done we took it out and it looks perfect, perhaps not as deep as it could be but that should make it easier to ice, we left it to cool on the rack and will look at decorating it tomorrow. We had a chat with gran on the phone, BA has stated they are looking to loose 1700 cabin crew, mainly through voluntary redundancy, so we wanted to reassure her we are ok, naturally it set off quite a flurry of discussion here, if we could just get a buyer for this place we could put in for redundancy and fill up our pot a little.
Another evening in front of the tv, i really should make an effort to do something more constructive, i know ant loves games nights but we don't seem to have done anything like that for an age. The tv was quite good, our 'Tales from the green valley' about a reconstructed 17th century farm, then the History of Scotland, which seemed to glide over the stupidity of Mary Queen of Scots and paint Elisabeth as a bit of a monster, then a design program, a family living in the age of the 1980's, plenty for ant and i to reminisce about, quite good stuff. We had sausage chips and beans for dinner, all it needed was a cup of tea and some slices of white bread with cheap margarine and we could have been on the Royale Family. We got off to bed and i finished a Short History of Australia, the end is a little disappointing as it only goes as far as the mid sixties, and i had not realised Australia had had it's fingers in the Vietnam war, well you live and learn. I am in a bit of a funk as i only have a couple of pages of Fatal Shore left, but then i have the illustrated history of Adelaide to get through and a couple of others expected any min through the post.

Monday 5th Oct

I woke about nine and left ant in bed, came down to a wet and grey day, so the dog walking was out, i went on line and did some bits. At eleven i went up and woke ant to say i was heading out to pick up my birthday pressie from mum, i headed down to Auchy Les Hesdin only to be told they didn't deal with western union so i had to go to Hesdin. The post office was not very busy and the woman was very nice and helpful, we sorted everything out and she wished me a happy birthday, which was nice. When i got back home i gave mum a call to thank her for her pressie, very extravagant, but very welcome, we chatted for a bit, then ant chatted.
I helped ant make a start on the birthday cake, but realized we were missing quite a few ingredients so we headed off to Carrefore and did some extra shopping. I had discussed with ant what i should do with the money from mum, it was too much to fritter away so i wanted to do something special with it. Half of me wanted us to go on a holiday with it, the other half wanted a nintendo wii, so when we got to Carrefore i looked at them but then thought it is a lot of money for something that will get less and less use so i decided not to buy one.
When we got home we realized the fruit for the cake should have been steeping in brandy over night, so that kicked our plans for making a cake in to touch, we smothered the fruit in brandy and left it to sit overnight. In the afternoon ant had his usual nap and i started a search for a place for a little holiday for us. Ant is on holiday for a week from the eighteenth so it is an ideal time. After an exhaustive search i settled on a place in the Loire, a converted watermill which accepts dogs and was within my price range, so it is all booked and ready for us to arrive a week on Saturday. The holiday will be something to look forward to, plenty to see and do in the area and it has central heating, which will be a luxury for us, so we may take a load of books and a few bottles of wine and settle in for a comfy week.
Ant had just woken when Tony arrived, he brought the details of a house they are very interested in and stayed for a good while chatting, once he had gone ant made a start on the dinner, meat balls and chips, quite an unusual mix but very nice none the less. After dinner we both had a good long chat to gran on the phone and then settled in to a bottle of wine and the tv, another design show on BBC4 and then Ross Noble again, he seemed to think that small town Australia would find it hilariously funny if he just insulted their towns, which they may well have done, but it did nothing for me. And so to bed, quite merry and all chatted out.

Sunday 4th Oct

I woke about eight, went down and made coffee and put the dogs out, i had to be out for ten to drive to the uk to pick up ant so went online and did bits. I had a good long chat to Harry and Debbie, who i haven't spoken to in a while, Harry used to be my head of department when i was teaching and we have been good friends ever since. I headed out at ten to ten and went into Hesdin to put some petrol in the car then drove over to the eurotunnel to cross the channel. Once in England i headed to Tesco in Ashford to get stuff for the party and the cake i am going to help ant make. I arrived at Heathrow a little too early so drove around a little then decided to park up and find ant, he was there in plenty of time and we headed back, after paying a rediculous price for parking all of ten minutes. We had a nice journey home and were back before eight, the poor dogs were desperate to get out when we arrived but the did not mess the hall so that was a blessing. After a bath each we settled down to some wine and pizza, this used to be a friday night staple for me, a little treat for the end of the working week, and we enjoyed it. We watched the antiques road show and some other bits before finally heading off to bed.

Friday 2nd Sept

a very early morning, up at four, but we did sleep so i was not too tired, after a quick get ready and coffee we headed over to David and Mark's as Mark had asked if he could take ant to work. I left them and came back but it was still pitch black outside so i went online and spent some time on the computer until daylight arrived. Once it was light enough i took the dogs out on a nice walk, the weather is turning a little now so it was less pleasant than the day before, but the girls enjoyed it. When i got home i did the farm and blog, ant phoned to say he had arrived safely, i messed around for a little longer on the computer then put the radio on and read for a while. At lunch time the post person brought one of my new books, Adelaide a Pictorial History, and i had a skim through that then fell asleep on the sofa. I woke about two hours later and watched a film, then spent a little more time down on the farm. At seven thirty, after the simpsons, i made myself a chicken stir fry with satay sauce and noodles, quite nice, then watched some tv, i got a bit bored with it and decided i would read some more. At ten i watched the first of the new season of Benidorm, it was quite good but did not seem to have the same appeal as the first two series, isn't it always the way, but ant will be keen to watch it when he is home. Off to bed by eleven and an hour with Fatal Shore, then off to sleep.

Thursday 01 Oct

Woke about eight thirty and left ant sleeping in bed, i came down, watched the news again and then headed out with the dogs, we had quite a nice walk but Banjo is getting more and more troublesome and needs to be put back on the leash. When i got back ant was up, i went online and did my bits, then we decided we would have a hunt through our wardrobes for things to get rid of, about an hour later we had a huge bag of things ready to go for donation, so we headed off towards Hesdin with them. We stopped in at David and Mark's and had a coffee with them, we were there for quite a long while, looking at old photos and chatting. When we got home ant went off for a nap and i sat and read, i am coming to the end of Fatal Shore now, but i have ordered some new books to take its place.
Just before seven ant came down, i made a quiche for dinner and we sat and watched the simpsons, ant had a bath a little later and we both chatted to gran on the phone. I sat and read for a good while longer and then we decided we would head up to bed by ten as we had an early morning again the next day, we sat and read in bed for about an hour and then tried to get some sleep, i slept much better this time, though was woken at one point by ant muttering and grinding his teeth.

Wednesday 30th Sept

I woke just before nine and came down, made coffee and sat and watched the news for half an hour, then in a change to the usual took the dogs out for a good long walk, which we all enjoyed. When i got home i did the online stuff by which time ant had come down. Once he was dressed and ready we headed out to David and Mark's, sat with them for a coffee and a chat then went up to Tony and Jackie's and sat out in their courtyard and had a chat with them. We headed back to Hesdin and did the shopping, it is the season of cheap wine deals at the moment so we bought two cases of red to stock our empty cave. We had decided i would be having a birthday bash so when we got home i rang round inviting folks, now i will need to sort out food and all that, ant was going to take charge of it but i will help him out a little. I sorted out the sky box so it is now downstairs and we don't have to bounce the signal any more, which is a bit of a blessing, and ant made dinner, cottage pie.
After i had cleared away my working equipment we put the radio on and read for a bit, then ant had a nap. Just before the simpsons i had a nice relaxing bath, then settled in to an evening in front of the tv, not quite so good as it was the previous evening, but you can't always win, ant decided to crack open a bottle of wine and we sat and chatted throughout the evening.
After a nice relaxing evening we headed off to bed, quite tired but i am glad i have broken my morning regime and hope to keep it that way;