Hands up if you forgot to put the clocks back ! I went to get the roast potatoes out of the oven this lunchtime then realised it was only half past eleven - oops ! I was convinced it was next week we changed ! Oh well ... This week, we've been on holiday so it's been bliss. No rushing around, plenty of time to do everything, slowly ticking things off the never-ending to-do list. Basically lots of much needed rest and recuperation for everyone - and we still have a week to go. Aaahhh ! :)
Sunday - A stress-free day. All the usual must-do jobs for the weekend (laundry, cleaning, dealing with paperwork, lesson planning/marking, shopping, ...) have been put back to next week when I'm on holiday. After tucking into a laid-back Sunday lunch out of the slow cooker, I had a video call with Sophie and my mum and dad, walked the dog and that was it for the day ! I settled down to read A Perfect Storm, sent to me by the author all the way from Canada. You may have read some of my reviews of the previous Sgt Windflower books - this one will be up on the blog next week.
Monday - I've had no time for blogging lately so I gave myself a day (or two or three !) to catch up on replying to emails and sorting out blog posts. Walking the dog was as energetic as it got today ! I tried a new recipe for Chicken & Bacon Ranch Casserole today - not bad, especially in the colder weather. It's the first time I've made a casserole with rice in it.
Wednesday - After a lazy morning, I started on my list of jobs. First, I had a big tidy-up in the kitchen and cleared some space on the table (which gets used as a general dumping zone !) then I cleared out all the bags of rubbish that were in front of the car so that it can be accessed easily for the battery charging/changing. The dustmen come once a week so I've been trying to siphon off the excess bags (from the big clear-out over the summer in the kids' rooms) in the bin whenever there's room. The neighbour came around and did (in minutes !) all those jobs I couldn't figure out, like sorting out the cupboard door that wouldn't stay on its hinges or changing the shower head (the water tube had a hole but it was stuck on with limescale and I couldn't get it off). I'll have to get the other neighbour on to sorting out the car though, as they couldn't manage ! A quick pop to the supermarket revealed this selection of pumpkins and gourds - they're finally branching out and stocking parsnips regularly too. Woohoo !
Thursday - My new phone arrived, as my old one had totally stopped working - it looks very posh but it wasn't that expensive. I love the back which is blue fading into white and kind of reflective so you get pink flashes too if you tilt it. I also went into town and dropped off the paperwork for getting €80 back for buying a new bike for Pierre (a measure brought in at the end of confinement - presumably to help reduce the numbers of people on the (free) bus network?) and also enquired about the money you can claim back on changing your boiler.
Friday - We decided to bring our trip to town forward a day, to hopefully avoid the crowds. After a visit to McDonald's (definitely less busy than at the weekend), we headed to the shops. Juliette got a jumper and pointed out lots of things she likes as ideas for Christmas presents, then we bought a necklace that she fell in love with (that has been put aside for Christmas). I even bought some pyjamas and underwear for myself. I never normally start Christmas shopping this early but who knows what will happen with confinement. I need to head back to Le Furet du Nord (the equivalent of Virgin/HMV) as they had lots of bits that would be good as stocking filler-type presents for the kids. We finished off with a drink in a smoothie bar and Juliette sent a photo to Sophie to annoy her - kids !
Saturday - A total lazy day ! I played Gardenscape for far too long (as I changed phones, I lost my account so I was back to level 1 - oh well !), went food shopping and popped to see the neighbour so he can sort out the car before its MOT. Nothing to show today besides a picture from our dog walk along the canal !
Glad to hear you've had some down time and finally got all those jobs around the house sorted, what lovely neighbours you have. I've done all my christmas shopping, handing the last wrapped gifts out tomorrow before I return to Dubai
ReplyDeleteI would love to be so organised ! That said, nothing really arrives in the shops until the start of November here usually :)
DeleteSounds like you got lots done. I've only got a couple of Christmas gifts so far, but need to sort out stocking gifts. Hard when I'm going to have to do it online as not really going out shopping. My phone's a similar colour.
ReplyDeleteThe good thing is, the kids are older so they can give me gift ideas themselves !
DeleteLove your blog - especially the photo diary. Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks Maya xx
DeleteBusy busy week - nice to have tlc
ReplyDeleteGlad you have help to do some of the jobs you cant manage. Nice when they can choose something they want for their Christmas, makes it much easier. Clocks put themselves back in this house, all either on phones or electronic.
ReplyDeleteJust as well the clocks put themselves back in out house or we'd still be on old time now ! lol
DeleteGlad to hear all those small jobs have been sorted for you. I was also thinking that perhaps I should start buying Christmas gifts, just in case the shops will be closed. I only got the advent calendars for Eddie and myself, nothing else. Great that the author sent you the next book in the series. Is the ranch casserole inspired by the food Sgt Windflower eats in the story?
ReplyDeleteRanch casserole wasn't inspired by Sgt Windflower actually, but it definitely sounds like the kind of food he'd enjoy ! :)
Deletehahaha! My eldest girls girlfriend's dad forgot about the clocks changing and picked her up a hour earlier than planned. Oops. We're on day 1 of half term and it's been lovely.
ReplyDeleteThat casserole looks so good. It sounds perfect for this time of year.
Good on Juliette for settling in well at school and making new friends.
That is lovely of your neighbour to help you out with the jobs. x
It is - it's a weight off my mind getting the big jobs sorted out :)
DeleteGlad you got to chill out at lst. We remembered the clock change because we had timed tickets for Sunday, otherwise I'm sure I'd have forgotten too.I think a lot of us will be doing all of our shopping early this year just to know it's done #366
ReplyDeleteChilling out was much appreciated ! Not looking forward to going back to work now though ! :/
DeleteThat chicken and bacon ranch casserole looks amazing. How lovely of your neighbour to come over and help you out with all those jobs. Sounds like you’ve been having a nice break so far and enjoying time to relax. #project366
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely to have someone to call on when needed - especially as my other neighbour, who is also pitching in, has worked as a plumber, a car mechanic and all sorts. Very handy ! lol
DeleteLove the look of the new phone, I want the new iphone but not sure I can justify it at the moment
ReplyDeleteYeah, they're so expensive !
DeleteGood to hear you are having a relaxed time of it over the holidays, you deserve it! Shame you didn't see the full benefit of the extra hour though, how did you miss that one?! That Chicken & Bacon casserole looks amazing and super comforting, perfect for this weather! Rice though? Weird, but it bet it was super yummy!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear Juliette has made some good friends at college - never easy going into a new place not knowing anyone but good friends are hard to find and sounds like she has settled in nicely! :)
How exciting you can now pick up parsnips! Super lovely drenched in honey and mustard... you go wild! Nom nom nom! Hope you are all well and having a lovely week! Sim x
Ooh honey and mustard parsnips, now that sounds nice. Yeah, I know, I'm a total numpty for missing the clocks changing ! lol
DeleteI had to sneak around in the dark trying to change clocks as we only remembered once they'd gone to bed. A few days later I got a shock when I drove and panicked about the time as we'd missed changing it #project366
ReplyDeleteLOL Glad I wasn't the only one ! lol
DeleteSo nice of your neighbour to come round and do all those jobs for you, I am also trying to get rid of things in our dustbin but they only come every other week so it tricky. Our kitchen table is also a dumping zone!
ReplyDeleteYou have to have a dumping zone somewhere ... but they definitely need clearing out once in a while ! lol
DeleteI quite like the sound of your casserole, love chicken and bacon together. Nice comfort food by the looks of it. Glad the half term break gave you a chance to catch up on jobs and have a bit of a rest x
ReplyDeleteIt was much needed ... although I could do with another one about now ! lol
DeleteInteresting book. Casserole looks delicious. Great that Juliette's making friends and having fun. So kind of your neighbor's dad to help. The sky looks like it's preparing for revenge, as compared to that of last week where the clouds looked like they were about to take revenge. Cool phone. I suppose shopping for Christmas now is good as the situation is unpredictable nowadays. Oh no, I hate it when you have to start the game all the way from the start.
ReplyDeleteLuckily I've got back up to a semi-decent level now ! lol
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