THAT'S BETTER!

Blogger's been off line for maintenance for ages today, but it appears we're back to normal now. I've had a lovely day today. After the Radcliffe's delivery (during which two of the regular customers were waxing lyrical about the cakes and quiche and stuff that I bake!) Charles and I went to the dress/hat/ accessory shop in Jesmond that I as telling you about the other day. I picked up the two outfits that had been set aside and added another two dresses AND a casual two piece. Wow - how very naughty! But so nice. One of the dresses is an amazing gold ruffle creation that sounds hideous but looks and feels fab, so the decision as to what to wear for the wedding may very well come down to what I feel like on the day!! I might even surprise myself! Been to have my hair done so that I look reasonably tidy when I see my sister and my Mum tomorrow. I'm so looking forward to a couple of days off. Haven't decided about Saturday yet. I will be driving home at some point, but whether I make the effort to get home in time to go to the match remains to be seen. It'll be interesting to see how they play tonight against Man City! I may not be able to blog while I'm at Helen's, so will catch up again on Saturday at some point.

TRYING TO...

... get ahead of myself, so that I can enjoy a couple of days in Yorkshire, without worrying about having to do masses of baking when I get back. Typically though, I ended up with orders from all three coffee shops yesterday, so it's taken a bit of doing to make sure they were all completed AND the freezers restocked, but it's pretty much done now I'm glad to say. Now need to whizz down to the shops...

JUST GOES TO SHOW...

... How gutted I was by yesterday's derby result... ... I couldn't even bring myself to blog about it - or anything else for that matter. Tut tut - not good enough! Seriously though - I hardly slept the night before, was nervous with sickly anticipation and couldn't think about anything other than the game. I'd bet my right arm most members of our squad had none of those symptoms. Where's the passion gone? And what's all this about the club banning the local press because they had the audacity to cover the Ashley Out campaign. It is a complete joke and sadly, we, the fans, are the butt of it.

BACK HOME!

had a really lovely day with the girls. Seemed to be gone in a flash. Everyone got on so well together and it all bodes brilliantly for a lovely wedding day. Now need to get some sleep - have eaten and drunk far too much!

RACHEL'S HEN DO!!

Yep - that would be today!! Christina and I are dressed up to the nines! All the bling has come out of hiding today. The dogs are sneezing frantically because of all the perfume they've inhaled and are clearly wondering what on earth is gong on. I'm going for the rock chic look - apparently. Christina is wearing Bohemian eclectic - and looks amazing - of course! May not be in any fit state to blog when we get home so might have to leave it till the morning to catch up again!! Off we go - cluck cluck cluck!

FAR TOO BUSY TODAY!!

Up early for a hair appointment. Had to dodge the rain mind - not the best weather when you're having a hairdo! Bit of shopping, then back home to make a start on Christmas designs. Want to keep it really simple this year, with everything else that's going on in December! back into Morpeth with Christina this afternoon, more shopping and home to complete the cakes. Christina has had a lovely day and has found the most amazing outfit for the wedding in december. She looks a million dollars as they say! Going to have a quiet evening and might even do my nails as I'm not going to be baking tomorrow but AM going to be out with a load of girlies!! So, why the devil not!

SO, SOME SMALL MINDED...

... person in our village has complained to the council about us parking our car on the grass verge at the front of our house. The bit the council are supposed to maintain, but which we actually do ourselves, including having it lawn treated when the guys come to treat the rest of the grass. So apparently we're messing it up by parking on it and we've got to stop. Well let me tell you, it's going to be a lot more annoying for our lovely neighbours when they have to negotiate their way around the parked car that will always be on the roadside from now on. What sort of saddo complains about people parking on the grass OUTSIDE THEIR OWN HOUSE?

INTERESTINGLY DANNYMATT...

... your suggestions for Hen Do attire is not that far off what I've decided on. Jeans, red shirt, oversize jumper - check. Only difference - trainers may just be replaced with Uggs. I'll see what the weather's like on Saturday morning. It'll be fascinating to see how the youngsters will be dressed at the start of the day considering they're going out clubbing later!!

BIT OF A WARDROBE PREDICAMENT!!

Actually that applies in two cases today. 1) I noticed last night, that the back of Christina's wardrobe is literally bulging out of it's nails due to being so crammed full of clothes. Might this be an opportunity to replace it, or will Charles want to fix it??? Hope it's the first! 2) The real predicament - What on earth does one wear to one's niece's hen do? I don't want to look like I'm trying to get down with the young un's, but I don't want to look like an aged aunt either. It's an all day event and will involve champagne breakfast at Browns, a treasure hunt around the Toon (should be interesting) and a meal at Fujiyamas. Lots of drinking will be done no doubt. Help please!!

SO, CHARLES IS OFF TO...

... Leeds, via Preston, for the Graham Parker gig. He's leaving shortly and doing the Radcliffes delivery en route. Just as well one of the mates he's meeting up with let him know that the gig is tonight and not tomorrow. I can't understand how he came to that conclusion in the first lace. It so clearly says "Tuesday" on the gig schedule!

MISERABLE DAY!

Only so far as the weather's concerned. I'm not miserable at all. In fact I'm perfectly content, baking away in a warm and cosy kitchen. It's probably the best thing to be doing on an afternoon like this actually! It's my little brother's birthday today. He's 53 - so not that little! We don't have the easiest of relationships, but things seem okay at the moment and I'm looking forward to seeing him at Rachel's wedding in December. Haven't got a clue what to do for our meal this evening. Sometimes, when I've been baking all day for everybody else, the last thing I want to have to think about is what WE are going to eat! Hint hint Charles if you're reading this!!

LOOKED FORWARD TO...

... watching MOTD last night. Second game on, good match, had to be worth a watch. But thank you BBC for excusing Liverpool's first half performance because of international duty, only focusing on Gerrad's goal, glossing over Cbaye's brilliant shot, never mentioning Cheik Tiote's excellent shift as captain and to top the lot, just in case anyone had missed it last season, showing everyone one more time just how crap we were in the same fixture last season. Yeah, thanks a bunch.

JUST GOES TO SHOW...

... how wrong you can be. Or how wrong I can be! The match this afternoon was hugely enjoyable, extremely tense at times, but brilliant effort from our lads. Loved Tiote's performance today, especially in his role as captain. Great to see him controlling the midfield again AND organising the team. Not sure where all the added time came from, but really loved the whole afternoon. (I especially enjoyed the bit AFTER the match when, instead of rushing to the metro, we (plus James) went shopping for an hour, although I find the fact that the Christmas department in Fenwicks was rammed full of people slightly worrying!

NOT REALLY LOOKING FORWARD...

... to the match today, certainly if there's likely to be a repeat of last season's 0 - 6 drubbing, which is certainly on the cards as our captain is out apparently. Brilliant. I've just looked at our fixture list through to Christmas and it doesn't look promising - even WITH Collo! Early kick off today, so we're going through to town shortly. Annoyingly, I've got a load of shopping to do and Charles wants to go on the Metro. Not terrible practical on a match day really. Christina has just got up. We've not had a good week, but there are slight signs that things might be a little better this morning. Fingers crossed.

AM SO THRILLED...

... with the way the living room looks now. I keep just looking at it!! However, just when I thought we'd done everything, Christina pointed out that our coffee table could be painted to match the TV cabinet (because I explained to her that the matching one is too expensive) and this has now caused me to think, "Yeah, it really would look better, so I'd better rush out and buy paint..." Aaaaargh. #neversatisfied

SORRY!!

It's been so hectic here today that I've only just sat down, hence my absence from the blog today. New furniture arriving, getting rid of old stuff, making up the order for Radcliffes, getting a meal ready for James and Claire - busy, busy, busy! I actually LOVE our sitting room - and so does Charles thank goodness. Everything just seems to complement everything else. Very happy. Good to see James and Claire this evening. We enjoyed a meal together and then spent the next couple of hours dismantling the TV, Skybox, DVD player (!) and all the other gizmos and gadgets that are currently housed in the IKEA media cabinet that Charles has now advertised on facebook. I hadn't realised what an upheaval this would be, but I'm glad we did it while James was here as he helped to keep things calm! Can't wait to get to bed now. I am absolutely shattered.

BEEN UP SINCE 6.20...

.. so that I'm showered, dressed and half-human before the John Lewis delivery... ... and, of course, there's no sign of it yet. So predictable. Still, it'll be here by 2.00. Hopefully the ceiling lights will be fitted during the morning. We need to start sorting the 'media unit' (ha ha) before the new one arrives tomorrow... So there's plenty to be doing. Oh and I have a delivery to do to Applebys, another to get ready for Radcliffes, a hair appointment this morning and need to go shopping, so should be pretty busy really. Back soon...

IT'S VERY QUIET IN THIS HOUSE...

... this afternoon. Charles is out so the telly is off and there's no music blaring out. The girls are fast asleep in the lounge, enjoying, unbeknown to them, their last afternoon on these settees. I've finished a bit of a bakeathon and am just killing time before I go for my annual asthma review at the surgery. Oh - have just thought what I could do - I'll give my Mum a ring. I haven't spoken to her for a while.

JUST GOT BACK...

... into the lounge!! The carpet has finally dried out and looks amazing - just like new. The settee looks fab as well, so worth the money I'd say. Charles would say it was extortionate - but he'd say that about anything really, so not to worry. Been busy with the centurion order today. They seem to be gradually increasing the quantities they require which is good to see. Clearly the quiche fly off the shelves, as do bakewells and brownies. Looking forward to our new furniture arriving. Actually can't wait to sort out all the DVDs and old CDs that we've not watched for years. I can feel another trip to the loft coming on - or maybe a trip to the charity shops as it is just about impossible to squeeze another item into the roof space. We had planned to have a weekly throw out from the loft - nothing too strenuous, just enough to begin clearing the space a bit, but that hasn't happened yet. I might suggest again it once things have settled down here a bit.

HAVE JUST HAD THE CARPET CLEANED...

... in the lounge. Also the settee in the sunroom where the girls lie during the afternoon! It's a bit damp at the moment, but smells lovely and fresh and I'm sure it will be beautiful when it's dried out. Some of our John Lewis purchases arrived this morning. I wasn't sure what n earth they were when they were delivered because the cartons that they are in are huge!! I did have a bit of a panic about this, but on closer inspection the shades themselves, whilst still pretty large, are nowhere near the size of the boxes!! So, I'm currently perched on a stool in the kitchen as the lounge is out of bounds. It's far too hot in here actually as the oven's been on for hours. Have just broken the news to Charles that I've ordered a new TV cabinet. Dont think he's too happy, but hopefully he'll be okay when he sees it!

CHARLES IS GOING...

... to Preston again this afternoon and will be staying overnight so that he can attend a multi-disciplinary meeting about his Mum's care tomorrow morning. Christina is at Eshott hall today, but isn't very happy, so I hope I can jolly her along this evening. She had a very poor day yesterday, although she pulled around a bit during the evening (Thank you Strictly!!) and it is extremely stressful for us when she is going through one of these bad times. Keep fingers crossed that tonight goes okay. I don't know if I've got to do a delivery to Kevin tomorrow or not. We had quite a fall out on Friday over yet another late payment, culminating in me asking him to decide whether or not he really wants me to continue supplying him. So, I await developments!!

MET UP WITH...

... James this morning in Morpeth for coffee and a chat and a look around the shops. Lots of Christmas ideas whizzing round - aaaargh!! Actually have to confess to having made a start on the Christmas shopping already. Have done most of the Rellys, have got all the wrapping up stuff and just need to sort out the immediate family next. To organised for my own good!!

HAVE REALLY ENJOYED...

... School's Out today. Good mix of music and chat. Charles seems more relaxed on the show as well and that helps. Well done. Good show! In fact, the afternoon has been pretty pleasant, unlike this morning which was extremely unpleasant and stressful, thanks, yet again, to Radcliffes and a small matter of not being paid. All sorted now, but has left a bitter taste to be honest. Had another little (!) spend in town. Added new lighting, a rug and a number of cushions and throws to the lounge improvement plan! All being delivered next Thursday along with the settee and chair we ordered yesterday. Should look lovely when it's all sorted out. Just waiting for Charles to finish on the radio and for him and Christina to get back then we can eat. There's a lasagne in the oven, smelling wonderful, and I'm getting extremely hungry.

PHEW!!

Where has today gone? Its just whizzed past, from early this morning when we waved Christina off on her way to Preston to see her Grandma. We took the merc over to Amble for it's MOT, then went straight into town, to John lewis, where we chose two new settees, only to discover when we got home that one wouldn't fit so we ended up ordering a settee and an armchair. I'm thrilled with the choice. Quite traditional in style - but that's the word - 'stylish'!! We've booked a company to come out and clean the carpets AND the settee in the sunroom on Monday. We're going back to town tomorrow to pick up throws and cushions and possibly some new lighting. Oh - and the settee and chair will be delivered next Thursday. Hey - we don't hang about!!

HAVING A LOVELY DAY!!

I've spent the morning at Saks having my colour done, had a little mooch around the shops after that, then came home to find that Radcliffes don't need a delivery tomorrow, so have now got a very pleasant afternoon planned, reading the four cake decorating magazines that I purchased earlier today!! The only baking I'm doing is a practise ginger spice cake in readiness for one tier of the wedding cake. I want to be sure I get the right amount of spiciness in the sponge and the buttercream, so it unfortunately means that some of us who are trying very hard to be good, will have to actually EAT cake today.

WAITING FOR JAMES TO ARRIVE!!

And we're having an Indian for dinner!! haven't had one for ages, so it feels like a bit of a treat. Am now starving - and it'll be another half hour before it's ready and twenty minutes after that before it arrives here. Aaaaargh!!

JUST SO YOU KNOW...

... I'm ridiculously busy today. Too busy to blog in fact. But obviously nowhere near as busy as Charles.

BY 10.00 AM...

... we were up and running with the range. I've spent all day baking (there's a change) and getting used to the new ovens. It's weird how it's exactly the same model, spec etc, but still operates slightly differently from the old one - well it WORKS for one thing! - but you know what I mean. Ovens have their own distinctive characteristics just like we have personalities! Now, I'm looking forward to an evening in front of the telly and an early night, as we need to be up early again tomorrow to get the delivery done before going to the RVI to have my hand checked after the operation.

BEEN UP SINCE 6.00!

Yawn!! Had notification last night that the cooker will be delivered between 7.00 and 9.00 this morning, so needed to get up a bit earlier to get the old one disconnected. Charles said he would sort out someone to install it, but at the moment we haven't got a clue who that is going to be. I just hope it happens today, because I've got work to do and need to be cooking.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!!

Busy weekend, but we've managed to get everything that we set out to do, done. Helen will be setting off for home shortly, but we've had a really lovely weekend and I can't wait to go down to hers later in the month for more girly time. Looking forward to an evening of Strictly and Downton. Bliss!!

HAVE HAD A LOVELY DAY!!

Been really busy making a hundred each of roses, ivy leaves and rose leaves. Just need to paint the ivy tomorrow and then that job can be crossed off the list. Have slumped in front of the telly this evening, semi-comatose most of the time, but DID manage to be awake to watch NUFC on MOTD. Good to see us win!!

WE WON!

Cardiff 1 - NUFC 2 That's all!!

WHAT A NIGHTMARE!

Yet again, the cooker has blown up, so I'm laying out a mere £800 for a new one. I could have really done without this right now, but on the other hand, at least I should have a reliable appliance for a while.

PRETTY CHILLED TODAY!!

I think the fact that a long-standing family dispute was resolved last night has probably helped me to feel quite relaxed this morning. I had been really anxious about how things were going to be when we all met up at the wedding in December, but, I am relieved to say, that things are going to be a lot more pleasant now. I've had a lovely time this morning making pine cones and ivy leaves. I know - its far too early, but the more I get made now the better it will be in the run up to Christmas. Christina and I are going into Morpeth shortly for a bit of retail therapy and a hairdo! And then we've got Helen coming tomorrow. Yippee!!

HOW GOOD DOES IT FEEL...

... when the person responsible for some really bad feeling within the family, makes a full and heartfelt apology. Lets just hope it never happens again.

SO, PLAN 'A'...

... didn't work. No room available on the Saturday. Or at least, not one in which we could have the girls! However, the very helpful Sharon has said that , if I set up early on the Sunday, we can have access to our suite from about 10.30, so at least we will have somewhere to shower and change. I'm happy with that. James and Claire will be able to come over early and can use our room for freshening up and as a storage area until theirs is ready. I know this sound ridiculously OCD but I just had to get it clear in my head, so that I can work all the other stuff around it, ie planning for Christmas, what to do about the coffee shops, when Christina and I need our hair appointments etc!! Anyway - for now I'm happy and pretty chilled!!

I DON'T KNOW WHY I'VE JUST REALISED THIS, BUT...

... no matter how carefully I set out the draft on the blog, inserting paragraph breaks where appropriate, it always ends up being published as one long blur. I'm sorry about that. I was having a quick look over yesterday's entry and it would appear that I'm not used to Charles being out and James and Claire coming round - that's not the case! It was the wet and windy weather I was referring to!! (Just so you know - I've inserted three breaks in here already!)

LOOKING FORWARD TO...

... a weekend with my sister. She's coming on Saturday morning and we're going to spend a couple of days making the floral decorations for the wedding favours for Rachel's wedding in December. Charles, James and Claire are going across to Preston to see Grandma, so it will just be Helen and me here, with Christina of course. I think we need to set up a bit of a factory if we're going to get this done efficiently. Hopefully though, by the end of the weekend we should have everything complete - and well ahead of schedule!! I'm also hoping that Langley Castle can accommodate us for an extra night. We're booked in for the night of the wedding, but I've suggested to Charles that we really need to be there the previous night, so that I have bags of time to set up the cake before guests start arriving. PLUS, we'll be able to get ready in our own suite, instead of having to gatecrash someone else's room. I don't think Charles really appreciates how much better this will be than the alternative which is either to drive to Langley Castle the day before, set up the cake, drive home again and return the next day, or set off early on the morning of the wedding, set up the cake and then hope we can find somewhere to get changed because we probably won't have access to our room until after the ceremony. This may all sound like a fuss about nothing, but it actually kept me awake last night - and that is really worrying when a) it's three months away and b) it's not even our wedding to be worrying about!! Right - time for bed I think!!

WET AND WINDY THIS MORNING.

Not really used to this!! Charles has gone out to do the Appleby's delivery, leaving me at home to stock up the freezers. James and Claire are coming round this evening for a roast chicken dinner (their request) so I've been getting that prepared and making a couple of desserts to follow. We've got a meeting with the mental health team this afternoon, just Charles and I, so I'm a little anxious about that. Oh here's Charles now with the shopping... ... better go and sort it out!

BIT MISERABLE THIS MORNING!

Was going to say that was just about the weather, not me, and then I remembered that I AM in fact thoroughly miserable after the pathetic showing by our team last night. I honestly expected to wake up to the news that our 'manager' had gone, but that doesn't appear to be the case. To me, Pardew looked a beaten man when he was interviewed after the match. He must know his days are numbered. Sadly, and even more worryingly I suppose, there's no guarantee that any replacement would be better. In fact, knowing Mike Ashley, it almost certainly wouldn't!