NO WE DON'T...

... need to make our own sign - we've had one made up. Don't ask me how or where from, but it suddenly arrived last week and is just waiting to be put up.

Today is going okay so far. Christina is calm and fairly relaxed, and consequently, so are we.

ANNOYED NOW!!

Just had phone call from estate agent Sanderson Young, asking if we could move our viewing to tomorrow at 4.30. Apparently the original 9.30 appointment is going to be inconvenient when people are getting ready for work. What? Should have thought of that when we made the booking.

Anyway this means trekking into Jesmond with the morning delivery and then returning a few hours later, clocking up around 100 miles all told. Is it really worth it?

BIT ANXIOUS...

... this morning. Hoping the overnight stay goes okay.

I'm going to pick Christina up at lunchtime. We'll probably go shopping for a while and then it'll be back home where she can help me organise the delivery for tomorrow and get a meal ready for this evening.

She's coming with us in the morning when we go to look at the house in Jesmond and then we'll return her to hospital.

May not get much of a chance to blog before then, so keep fingers crossed that all goes well!!

NO DANNYMATT...

... you won't find it yet. We've only just approved the photos etc. We ARE doing it ourselves in a way, ie without an estate agent, but it WILL appear on Rightmove, hopefully within the next couple of days.

Going to look at this one on Thursday: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-20290788.html

CHRISTINA...

... is coming home for an overnight stay tomorrow.

Hope all goes well.

CHORES DONE!

Chocolate cake in oven.

Beautiful warm sunny day. Off out with the girls!

(Very unsettled Xtina today)

HAD A BRIEF VISIT...

,,, last night from the community nurse who we will be seeing a lot of during the coming months. She is coming back on Friday when no doubt we'll be bombarding her with questions! It was a relief to finally meet someone who is going to be able to support us through what is going to be a difficult time.

Feel quite down today, a bit teary for no reason. Don't like feeling like this.

BUT, there's plenty to do to take my mind off things. I'm taking the delivery to the coffee shop in a while, then need to call into Morpeth for supplies, so that will take up most of the morning.

This afternoon I'm not so sure what to do, but no doubt something will crop up.

(Must remember to stop for fuel on the way this morning, or I won't reach Jesmond!!)

NOT ENOUGH TIME...

... in the day to do everything!!

It's been pretty full-on, frantic today one way and another. Baking has taken up most of the time, the phone's never stopped ringing, the couple over the road who go everywhere together have come to look round the house (together of course) even though they cant afford it!! (They said they would happily move in tomorrow! Not on your life, if you haven't got the dosh!!)

Now Charles has rung to say he's on his way home and I can't believe it's that time already.

The diary is beginning to fill up for the rest of the week with house viewings and hospital meetings.

Busy, busy, busy!

WHY AM I...

... so incredibly tired?

It was such a struggle to get up this morning, and it was only because I could hear the girls whining that I managed to force my eyelids open. If it wasn't for them I'd still be in the Land of Nod!! (I wish)

Charles is up and out. Going to have three long days this week with after school meetings as far away as Berwick.

I'll be having a quieter week than last week, with no celebration cakes due out for a fortnight, so I can just concentrate on the coffee shop goodies.

Adding soup and quiche to the product list has been a good move I think. Both have gone down really well, with one customer declaring the quiche "the best she's ever tasted." In fact it was rather nice to hear some of the comments on Saturday when we called into Radcliffes for lunch. It's always good to know that your efforts are appreciated!

WE HAVE HAD...

... a really lovely day.

It began with breakfast with Paul who set off for home just after 10.30.

A quick tidy up followed, then we went into Morpeth where I went food shopping and Charles picked Christina up.

Back home to cook the biggest rib of beef we've had in years. Yum!!! Absolutely stuffed!

Christina and Charles went for a walk with the girls, then we went down to Morpeth to meet James for coffee. It was quite an emotional reunion for brother and sister.

We all took Christina back to the ward so that James is able to visualise her surroundings.

Now we're back home and I'm baking batches of brownies ready for next week. James declared that he thinks he's fallen in love with my brownies. Watch out Claire!!

NUFC

AAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

GREAT MEAL...

... at Franco's last night, washed down with muchos red wine, including a rather special Pommard 2003 when we got home. Watched the NUFC/Man Utd match AGAIN!! Paul really enjoyed it and it got us all in the mood for today.

So, we've had breakfast and are sitting around chatting, then setting off to Racliffes for about 12.30 where we are meeting James and Claire. 3pm kick off, hopefully get something out of the game, then home for an Indian this evening.

Great!

PAUL'S COMING TODAY!

Probably won't be here until mid-afternoon as it's quite a drive up from Northants, but it'll be good to see him when he DOES arrive.

Spent last night scouring Rightmove for possible properties and have decided not to limit ourselves to the Victorian terrace type house we had originally decided on. So long as it's within easy walking distance of Gosforth high street we'll consider anything really.

Oh, and yes dannymatt, once we've made our minds up about something, there's no stopping us!!

Okay, I'm off to the kitchen where I clearly belong...

EVENTUALLY...

... managed to get to Christina around lunchtime. Had a lovely time with her, although it wasn't for as long as we'd hoped.

Had a light(ish) lunch at Bar Luga, then coffee at Central Bean. Really good to see our girl looking relaxed and glowing.

The not so good news today is that we've lost the house on Rothwell Road to a buyer who is able to proceed immediately. Sad - but there'll be plenty more to choose from I'm sure.

CRIKEY!!

How long does it take to take some photos and take a few measurements?

We've been at it for hours now.

Christina is getting all agitated because she's been up since the small hours waiting for us.

Can see this going on a fair bit longer I'm afraid.

Might have to set the girls on him!!

JUST WAITING...

... for the guy who's going to photograph our house in readiness for launching it onto an unsuspecting market. Get ready folks!!

Have a little quandry though. We've got so much stuff around the place, that I think I'm going to have to do a scoop up as we go, so it looks a bit less cluttered!! Those of you who know me may be surprised at this as we tend to go for a pretty minimalist look overall, but there's quite a bit of stuff in the kitchen and bathroom that needs to be hidden away.

Oh, sounds like he's here now!

AWASH...

... in a sea of soup!!

Have now got so much of the wretched stuff on the go that I've had to utilise the spare (and sterilised) cake-mixing washing up bowl to contain it. Please note the washing up bowl has never actually been used for washing up and is only ever used when mixing enormous quantities of cake mix that won't fit into conventional mixing bowls.

I think I've tried to do too much again today. I had a large order from Kevin, but was late getting started because I spent longer with Christina than I'd originally planned. In fact we went into Morpeth and had lunch and a walk round the shops. She was great today - really good company.

Anyway, the upshot was, that it was mid-afternoon before I started work. I completed the order and then immediately started work on replacing everything, so chocolate cake, carrot cake, brownies etc could go in the freezer.

James arrived earlier than I'd anticipated, but that was okay, he just had to amuse the girls while I finished up in the kitchen.

We relaxed a little after our meal by watching the NUFC/Man Utd match - again. Always raises the spirits!!

Talking of NUFC - it looks like Cinderella WILL be going to the match after all. Thanks to Matthew who has agreed to let me have his seat, while he treks up into the Gods which is the only space where we could find a spare seat. I really appreciate it Matty!

WET AND MISERABLE THIS MORNING!

Yuk. Not at all pleasant out there, although it IS very mild, so that's something I suppose.

I'm going to visit Christina this morning. Hopefully I'll be able to have a chat with some of the staff too. We're both planning on taking her out for coffee tomorrow afternoon as well.

James is coming round for "Parents Evening" tonight. It'll be good to have a bit of a catch up with him and Lily and Rose will be delighted to see him.

I've got some coffee shop prep to do this afternoon and the finishing touches to put to a 21st birthday cake. Talking of birthdays - Happy Birthday Helen, hope it's a good one! xxx

IN THE END...

... we went for the American option.

Yum yum - and all those blueberries have GOT to be good for us!

Right, time to relax I think. I've spent the time since getting back from Gosforth replenishing the freezer and making pastry cases for the quiches that Kevin SHOULD have ordered today, but didn't!

Sore feet now!

PANCAKE DAY!

And the question of the moment is...

...Do we go for the traditional rolled up pancake with sugar and lemon?

...Or do we go for the American-style blueberry pancake with maple syrup and bacon?

Aaaaargh - what a decision!!

OFF TO JESMOND...

... this morning, loaded up with goodies for Kevin.

On the way back I'll stop off in Morpeth which will take about three times the time it usually takes due to the roadworks and one-way system. But, it has to be done.

I MAY call in on Christina while I'm there.

LOOKS LIKE...

... we've got a weekend visitor coming up from the deep south on Friday. Paul is coming to see us - AND the girls - and no doubt there's going to be a bit of a fight on for who's going to the football! (Poor guy - since he started coming up here to see us he's started supporting the Toon!) I REALLY want to go as Tiote and Cabaye should both be playing, but I suspect I'll be the one who ends up saying, "There you go Paul, you can have my ticket. No problem!" (Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr)

Just had a thought - James, if you're reading this, it would be a good idea for you and Claire to try and join us at some point while he's here.

IS THIS GETTING...

... to be a habit?

Blogging doesn't start till afternoon?

No, I don't think so - I've just had a second manic day in the kitchen that began at 8.00 with assembling a three tier birthday cake and then morphed seamlessly into baking for the coffee shop.

Am now sampling a leftover cheese scone with cup of coffee and I really think that if I was a customer at Radcliffes I'd pay good money for one of these little beauties!!

MAY HAVE BEEN...

... a little tardy on the blog today, but that's only because I've been rushing around manically, trying to do too many things at once - and consequently not doing any of them well.

I started on a birthday cake at 9am, covered the whole thing, decided I didn't like it, so took the whole lot off and started again. Managed to get it finished about an hour ago!!

Tried to take a short cut by mixing two batches of cake mix for a stacked cake, only to find it was far too much even for my trusty Kenwood and had to enlist the help of Charles to mix the whole lot by hand.

Went to see Christina, but it wasn't too good today, so came home feeling a bit down.

WELL...

... the drive round Gosforth only confirmed that the house we viewed on Thursday is THE ONE!!

However, much to my dismay, consternation and sheer horror, Charles, in his drive to avoid paying massive estate agent fees, has decided to market our property HIMSELF. I'll leave you to imaging the response THAT suggestion got from me. Needless to say, it's remarkably quiet in our house at the moment!!

LATE START!!

Very nice to have a slightly later start to the day, but now we're playing catch up. We're off to Jesmond, responding to Kevin's text request for a "corrupt choc quiche"! On clarification it turned out that this in fact meant carrot cake, chocolate cake and a quiche, but it gave us a bit of a chuckle when it came through yesterday!

Going to have a drive round Gosforth to check out other possible properties including a fab 4 bed house on Percy Terrace. Probably a bit out of our price range but looks absolutely fabulous.

Food shopping follows that, then it's back home to replace the big cakes and to start work on two birthday cakes that go out next week.


Had another lengthy meeting at the hospital last night. We tend to come home with everything buzzing around our heads and find it difficult to switch off. Hopefully today will be a little more relaxed on that front.


Back soon!

YOU'RE RIGHT DANNYMATT YOU PROPERTY EXPERT YOU!!

In fact, re-evaluation, it's a bit better than that. Mind you, we are all too aware of how slow the housing market is at present, so not holding out any hopes for a quick sale!!

FRIDAY ALREADY!

Where has the week gone?

And for all the teachers out there - it is now halfway through the school year - how scary is that?

We're staying around the house this morning as we have a valuation at 12.30. Not holding out much hope about this to be honest.

I'm kind of on hold as far as Kevin is concerned today. He may or may not need a delivery tomorrow, so I'll give him till lunchtime to let me know. Sounds as if the quiche disappeared pretty quickly yesterday and he wants to try soup so I suppose I could make a batch and freeze it until he lets me know when he wants it. (Just thinking out loud here.)

UNFORTUNATELY...

... having had a good look round the property in Gosforth...


...we've BOTH decided...


...WE LOVE IT!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

OFF TO...

... Jesmond to do the delivery, Gosforth to view the house, Tesco to get some fruit and bits for Christina, then back home before going to the hospital for a meeting with the doctor.

Feeling shattered actually. I had a really restless night and when I DID manage to sleep the girls made sure it didn't last long by waking at 3.00, 5.00 and finally 6.00 when they decided the day had begun. Yawn.

HERE IT IS DANNYMATT!!

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-30330700.html

AND TODAY...

... Kevin decided he wants to try quiches in the coffee shop. Bit of a faff, but I've made him some individual ones and a large cutting quiche so he can see which goes best. The rest of the order is pretty much done now, just waiting for things to cool and then we can crate up.

And I'm delighted to say that we can combine tomorrow's delivery with a house viewing. Yay!! (Mind you, I think Charles is terrified that I'm going to fall head over heels for this house!!)

YOU'RE RIGHT DANNYMATT!

It is indeed my duty to report on the humdrum and mundane - which is exactly how I would describe my life just now.

So - here we go! Have just washed my hair and now have to try to recreate the styling that the hairdresser finds so easy. Never seem to get it right!!

Talking of hair - it really is about time the girls went back to Woofcuts as their coats are now totally dishevelled and we could almost plait them! Admittedly, when they went before Christmas, we didn't have too much taken off so this next cut has come round pretty quickly, but they are looking extremely scruffy, so we need to sort that out.

Charles suggested we go to see "Warhorse" today. I'm not so sure as I suspect it will be something of a tear-jerker and I don't want to risk opening the floodgates.

On the other hand I would like to go and look at a property in Gosforth that James found for us yesterday. (He must have been having a quiet day at work!!) It's probably a fool's errand, as we haven't even got our on the market, but we could always LOOK!

Anyway, I'm not going to mention it today. I'll wait and see if Charles says anything...

NOT MUCH...

... worth reporting today.

Have restocked the freezer - again!!

Saw Christina briefly this morning. Popped into Morpeth. Nothing exciting.

Having Indian takeaway for dinner, so don't need to think about getting food organised.

AAAAARGH!!

Had a lie in this morning - and still managed to be a grump when I got up. What's the matter with me?

Charles had got up with the girls and kept them quiet so I could catch up on my sleep and all I could do was whinge on about how late it was. Feel bad now.

Sorry Charles!

GOOD JOB...

... we decided to drop Kevin's delivery off this afternoon, as opposed to tomorrow morning as requested, because when we got to the coffee shop they'd just about run out of everything. Perfect timing on our part!!

Drove over the Tyne into Mackem territory - how brave was that? We picked up a load of craft materials for Christina from Consett then drove back through Rowlands Gill, decided we could see ourselves living there and then remembered it was the wrong side of the river, gave ourselves a shake and recovered from that thought.

James came round this evening. Actually I felt sorry for him as all we seemed to do was to pour out our worries - and he really didn't need that after a day at work. Sorry son.

WHERE TO START?

Trying to write about stuff without going into detail or saying too much.

It's difficult.

Had a long meeting at the hospital last night. Reassuring in some ways, but so sad in others.

I think we're beginning to feel the effects of the unpredictable nature of the condition.

Quite tearful.

NOT A GOOD DAY.

Christina had to go home early.

Mind you we did manage to sort out everything we needed to do. For a while the house resembled the aftermath of a bomb blast, but we finally got everything sorted.

Went out to the Village Inn for lunch, but Christina was struggling a bit, so we took her back at about 3.00.

Since then I've been busy in the kitchen, while Charles has tried to relax a bit watching the AV/Man City match. Much less stressful than the fiasco last night.

Got to go out again this evening for a meeting at the hospital. What sort of a time is 8.30 on a Sunday evening for such a meeting?

AND THE REASON...

... we're sorting the wardrobes is because we're expecting Christina to be coming to stay with us for a while and she needs loads of space for her stuff!!

Looks like a day spent between the loft, the bedrooms and the tip. Oh joy!

GOING TO SORT...

... the wardrobes out today! Not looking forward to this at all.

HAIR DONE!

And yes - I have now gone brown(ish)

Actually loving it but still getting used to it. Quite a change after being blonde for so long.

OH GOD!!

Seven minutes in and we're 2 down already!!

LIGHT OR DARK?

Blonde or brunette?

Haven't got a clue!

Have a feeling it will only be decided when I'm sitting in the hairdresser's chair with the colour charts in my hands!!

I've asked the family - and they've been no help whatsoever. Thanks guys!!

Anyway, my appointment isn't until 1.00, so I've got a few more hours left to agonise.

While I'm in there, Charles is going to pick Christina up and take her for coffee. She's coming to spend the day with us again tomorrow, so I'll be able to see more of her then which will be good.

Just remembered we've got a match today - AND it's on telly. Hmm, could be hide behind the sofa time I think.

TUNA MELT!

Okay, so a tuna melt is just a tuna melt, but the one I consumed at the deli in Darras today was probably the best tuna melt I've ever eaten. PLUS, the slice of billionaire shortbread (of which I only let myself eat half, generously passing the remainder over to Charles and then feeling a trifle miffed when he actually ate it) was out of this world in terms of yumminess!

ALL I CAN SAY...

... to you dannymatt, is if you keep waking up with a face like something hideously indescribable...

... for goodness sake stop looking in the mirror!

AND TODAY...

... we're meeting up with James at lunchtime - just for an hour, but it will be nice to see him again. (Mind you, I'm going to have to call time on all these lunches if I'm still going to fit into the dress I've got for the wedding!) I also need to pop into the bank and do a bit of boring, mundane shopping, but we'll do that in Gosforth.

Other than that, we've little planned for today.

Confession time now: I'm abandoning SAKs and having my hair done at a different salon tomorrow. I'm totally undecided about what to do with the colour of my hair. Do I stay blonde or should I revert to my natural dark brown. Obviously when I say natural I mean as it used to be before the grey started appearing. Haven't got a clue what to do!

SO FAR...

... we've had a lovely day.

Christina arrived at about 9.30 and after coffee and cakes we assembled the order for Kevin and went over to Jesmond, via Ulgham where we picked up Sean who came to join us for lunch at Franco's.

Lunch was really nice, not only was the food good, but the company was lovely too.

We dropped the goodies off at the coffee shop. One of the customers informed me that my "cakes are delicious" Good! That's what I need to hear!!

Dropped Sean off, returned home, Ian popped in for a cuppa and a chat - and now we're just planning to chill for the rest of the evening.

All good so far!

TAKE CARE...

...this morning. This freezing rain is NOT funny. The roads are lethal and the pavements aren't any better.

Charles is going out in a while (in the jeep!) to pick Christina up. She's going to spend the day with us and, instead of taking the dogs for a run on the beach and going for lunch at the Ship as we'd planned, I think we'll stay at home and have a baking day. I thought she might like to help me make some Valentine biscuits.

It was lovely to see James and Claire yesterday. Their wedding plans are progressing apace and it's really exciting to listen to them talking about it.

Ah - here comes the local news and weather - better pay attention to this.

LOOKING FORWARD TO...

... seeing James and Claire in a little while.

And the request for food tonight is for an all-day breakfast followed by Victoria sponge cake!!

Charles has just arrived home and is happily telling the girls that he's at home for the next week and a half. Obviously, they're thrilled at this news!!

FEELING A BIT...

.... down today.

Obviously there are all sorts of contributing factors to this, but I really feel fed up and miserable this morning - the sort of feeling where tears are not too far away.

However, I have things to do to keep me occupied. I've got a cake going out today. James and Claire are coming this evening. And there's always more baking to be done. I might squeeze another visit to Morpeth in too.

Take care on these icy roads everyone!

xxx

ENDED UP...

... being out much longer than I'd intended this morning, as when I went to see Christina we decided to go for lunch at Bar Luga. This was an unexpected treat. Very enjoyable!

GOING OUT THIS MORNING!

Only to Jesmond to do the delivery and then Morpeth to see Christina, but at least I'll be out of the kitchen for a while.

Loving the lighter mornings!

ACHING FEET!!

Time for a sit down I think - although the girls would beg to differ I suspect, as it's about time for the afternoon walk!

Had a productive day so far. Finished the birthday cake, made up the order for Kevin, baked a couple of tiny cakes ready to decorate as Valentine samples and have a huge pot of bolognese sauce simmering away on the stove.

But definitely ready for a cuppa now.

Sorry girls!!

MONDAY!

Charles has two more get ups before half term!

Hope everyone takes care on the roads this morning. Sounds as if conditions are treacherous.

I'm spending the morning all snug and warm in the kitchen, putting finishing touches to a birthday cake, so I'll enjoy that.

Right, I'd better go and get breakfast for the girls, otherwise they'll think they're starving!!

JUST WATCHED...

... the match again, on telly. The score doesn't change!!

That goal from Cisse was a pearler. Great to score on his debut.

Can't wait for Tiote to get back and for Cabaye to be playing again.

Looking good!!

FOUR LAYERS...

... on top, with a coat waiting to put on "so I feel the benefit!" two pairs of tights, each 120 denier, furry boots, fur hat, scarf and gloves. Will I be warm enough? Will I indeed be able to move at all?

Going through to Newcastle at about 11.30, picking James up on the way. Quick stop for coffee and we should be good to get to the ground by 1.00ish ready for the build up.

Might take a flask of hot chocolate for half-time.

C'mon the Toon.

TIRED NOW!

Been a long day, but a very positive one.

Early night for me I think.

Nearly time to start worrying about the match tomorrow - I REALLY want us to beat Villa. Wonder if our new Number 9 will make an appearance?

HAVING A VERY GOOD DAY!

Lots of good things abut today - apart from the weather of course.

Christina has just had her hair done and looks amazing. James and Claire are happy with the plans for their cake. I've managed to find some fab accessories for my next cake project. There's a lovely piece of sirloin roasting in the oven. Watching "The King's Speech."

Pretty perfect.

TODAY...

... we're having a day with Christina. She's coming to spend a while with us and we are delighted. It's going to be pretty hectic though as we have to whizz into Newcastle for a quick meeting with the florist who's doing the flowers for James and Claire's wedding. (I need to be there because of the cake!)

Then we're going into Morpeth so Christina can have her hair done. It'll also give me an opportunity to visit "The Sewing Box" to buy some ribbons and feathers for the rather elaborate Goth cake that's coming up shortly.

After those two appointments though, we should be able to come home and relax for a while before Christina returns this evening.

Hope it's a good day for everyone!

DO I REALLY NEED TO ANSWER THAT...

... DANNYMATT!!

So, obviously, I'm off to Stannington now, then into Morpeth, then home for some baking...

... and round and round it goes!

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Am I stupid or what!?

Thought we'd got the day nicely sorted. Even went to the coffee shop on our way to the RVI to double check that there would be no order until Saturday. This was at 2.30.

Got to the hospital where I was expecting to have new lenses prescribed, only to be told that the ones I have already are absolutely fine and that my vision wouldn't be any better with new ones. So, in a way that's a good thing and saves me some money.

Got home and started mixing a chocolate cake ready for next week's birthday cake order, only to be interrupted by a text from Kevin pleading for more cakes for tomorrow morning. Apparently there'd been a bit of a run on cakes after we left!

So, there ensued some frantic conversations with Wor Kev, who was eager to take whatever I'd got in stock and who suggested we meet at the Ridley Arms, thus saving him paying his delivery charge. Canny, eh?

As I was planning to spend the morning in Morpeth anyway, I suppose it's not too far out of my way, BUT yet again, I find myself playing catch up with stock and, instead of spending the day decorating the birthday cake, I now need to replenish the freezer again.

I suppose I shouldn't be complaining and I really need to learn to be a little more relaxed about my plans, but I just can't understand how, in the middle of the afternoon there was plenty of stuff left in the shop and two hours later there was nothing. Must have been some very hungry people in Jesmond today.

BUSY DAY AHEAD!

Charles, who should be having his day off, left the house at 7.30 for a Head's meeting in Bedlington - so no lie in for him.

We're going to see Christina at 1.00 and from there going to the RVI where I'm finally going to see the optician for a contact lens fitting.

In between, I'm doing all the household chores, but having a day off from baking. Mind you, I've got a couple of birthday cakes coming up in the next fortnight, so I really need to start putting my mind to preparing bits and pieces for those, but that can wait till tomorrow.

I think we're recovering from the stress of watching the match last night. I really do worry about Charles's blood pressure during matches like that!!

NOT MUCH TO REPORT TODAY!

Did the coffee shop drop, stopped and had a bit of a chat. Called into Morpeth and had a quick(ish) run around Morrisons. Called to see Christina but she was busy, so just dropped off some bits and pieces for her. Had a lovely phone call from her later though, so that made up for it.

Came home and made a start on filling the freezer again.

No change there then!!

The girls are very excited because James is coming round this evening. I mentioned it to them earlier and they've been looking out for him ever since!!

OKAY - THAT'S JANUARY...

... and the transfer window out of the way. Feel as if I lost a day of my life to NUFC yesterday, all in vain of course. Time to move on...

Off to do the coffee shop delivery this morning, but will need to call into Morpwth on the way home for a few bits and pieces. We've got James coming round this evening - mince and dumplings on the menu - ultimate comfort food I think!

Had a good time with Christina yesterday. Came away smiling!