Another Sleepover!

True to our word sis and I took mom out for a meal on Friday night. 

We went back to Da Vinci’s and lo and behold they had not only changed the menu but also changed the chef. Our hearts sank slightly as we thought ‘typical’.  You recommend a restaurant and it changes overnight (okay, slight exaggeration it was three nights, but who’s counting?).

After we had interrogated, sorry asked the waiter, it turns out the new menu had only come out that day.  As for the chef, the one who had been cooking on Tuesday was a filler until this new one had arrived.  As they had been waiting specifically for this new one, that kind of raised our hopes a little.  After all we’d thought the first one was great.

We decided to stick with the bruschetta again, to give mom a taste.  Handily it came in 3 portions on the plate.  and like with any chefs you could immediately tell it was prepared by someone different.  It was in a different shape for a start, bigger (always good) but still as yummy.

For main course mom and I had variations on a theme with chicken dishes.  Can’t remember the italian names for them, but both were absolutely gorgeous and looked really colourful on the plate.

My sister had, what she termed, the most expensive piece of steak ever -  £20 for a piece of fillet steak in a peppercorn sauce.  However it was also scrummy.

We didn’t really want big puddings so we opted for a slice of amoretti gateaux between us.  This turned out to be a good choice.  Not least for it’s lovely flavour but also for the fact it was a big piece of cake!

Besides which my sister and mom were harbouring a huge bar of Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut at home.

After the meal our aim was to go back to moms and watch the film of the same name - The Da Vinci Code with good old Tom Hanks.

Before we settled down for the film, I took my overnight bag upstairs and to my surprise mom and sis had another treat for me.

They’d told me at dinner that they had bought me a little present each which was exciting enough but I had rather a shock when I went into my bedroom.  On the bed neatly laid out were:

• a pack of new pretty pants
• four pretty coloured singlet tops
• a set of pink notebooks
• a wash bag filled with the Boots Botanics range and hanging on the door,
• a gorgeous dress from Per Una

I was absolutely stunned and felt very choked.

They had decided I was in great need of some cheering up and had gone out of their way to treat me. 

So a very big thank you to mom and sis for that, it was greatly appreciated and did indeed cheer me up. And I just want to say - when can I come back?

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Social Sinner - Beware!

I have committed a very big social sin.  I know I’ve done it and although I’m feeling a bit guilty about it (which is a normal response to this situation) I am sticking with it.

I have not reciprocated.  There said it.

What is she on you may be asking?  It’s the social reciprocity thing.  I’ll put some details under the articles section later when I get my hands on the book, to explain in better detail.

However, for now, it’s that thing where you do something because someone has done something for you.  Be it buy you a present, taken you out for a meal, paid for something.

It’s that thing where if someone has done that for you, you feel duty bound to do it back somehow or you are an outcast.

My social sin this weekend has been to NOT buy someone a present because they did it for me.  Here’s what happened.

Every year I have a friend who buys me a wedding anniversary card and present.  So duty bound every year I do the same for her.

This year I thought no.  I bought a card but not a present.  Skinflint you may say, mean you may think.  But let me explain.

I asked myself a question.  Do I buy a present because I want to or because I think I should?  The answer, if you haven’t already guessed is the second one.

I don’t buy presents for people wanting them to do it back to me.  I buy presents for people because I want to -  pure and simple.  For example, flowers for a friend who may be unhappy, a little present to remind a friend that she is loved. 

It’s something I’ve always done in work and in my personal life.  Hopefully my friends would testify to that. And I have friends who do things out of the blue for me too.  But never to get something back for it.  See You’ve Got A Friend in Me

I suddenly felt as though I was on this treadmill and I wanted to get off.  I did have a couple of standby presents in the house and I almost gave way until I had a telephone conversation with her.

The anniversary was yesterday and today our children were going to the same Birthday party.  As all my children had been invited, I offered to take her child with us too. 

Her response was yes, her son would like to come with us, and that she was going to go up to the party at some point as she had to see someone who had just come back off holiday and wanted to see her about an anniversary present.

This was the subtle reminder.  Maybe I should have said something.  I  have obviously rattled her cage and I didn’t mean for that to happen.  But at the same time I don’t like the idea that the present she bought us earlier in the year was as a tool to get one back.  Well at least that’s how it feels.

So, yes I do feel guilty about it.  But this year my heart just wasn’t in it.  And maybe I should have just done it and then said shall we forget it from now on.

What do you think?

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For You Mate

This is a special blog entry for one of my bestest friends.

She’s recently had quite a major operation (tummy tuck) after losing over 4 stone in weight.  So big congratulations for that.

While she is only on her 3rd week of recovery she has invited her (almost) 90 year old Grandma to stay.  I know it must be trying because I’ve spoken to her today and trying to stay polite, entertain someone and look after them while you’re still not well yourself demands a medal.

So my darling, here is a little something for you.  Click here. 

Oh yes and keep smiling!

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Oh Yes, The Food

As Misslionheart pointed out, what did we eat on our night out?     

Sis and I shared a bruschetta to start.  It was topped with chopped tomatoes, garlic, onion and herbs.  Very tasty. 

We were also served with a bowl of bread, pitta I think, that had been cooked with some additional spices and a combo of olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip it in.

For our main course I had a margherita pizza which filled a dinner plate.  It was light and fluffy with a lovely pitta bread type base.  Sis had chicken apollo (not sure if that’s right), which came with a gorgeous sauce, mushrooms and a side order of vegetables. 

We had half of each other’s dinner so we could try two types of dish.

We didn’t have room for pudding this time (too full of vodka to be honest).  So we headed off down the road to try out another bar in the area.

A Twilight Note

Today is the anniversary of my dad passing away, some 13 years ago.  It’s one of those moments life can never prepare you for, the loss of a parent.

Dad had been ill with a brain tumour and had only been given 4 months to live from the day they told us about it. The doctor was scarily accurate with his prediction.  Sis was over here at the time and sadly she and mom witnessed dad passing away.  I had gone home from moms no more than 2 hours before it had happened.

I’ve never really had the chance to say thanks to my big sis for being there at that time.  For taking the brunt of looking after dad along with mom while I was working.

So THANK YOU.  And thanks for being here now.  Love you.  And mom too.

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Just One More Then

I’m not going out with my sister again!  Well okay that’s a lie as we’ve already arranged to go out Friday with our mum.

We went for a lovely meal last night at a place called Da Vincis.  It only opened 3 weeks ago, so not even the web site is up properly yet. 

It was within walking distance from mom’s house so we could both have a drink and leave the cars behind.  Oh yes and I was sleeping over too!

It started when we just sat down and being the younger sister and alway listening to my respected sibling, I drank the double vodka, lime and lemonade she made me order.

I then had four more (not doubles btw!) during the evening.  Now that’s probably not a lot for some people. 

But for a lightweight such as myself (who never normally drinks because I’m lazy and like taking the car) it was quite a lot of drink for me. 

I have only suffered a tiny bit today though as I wasn’t really drunk, just very smiley and chatty. 

However, it was still enough for me to vow not to consume that amount again in the near future, especially as we serenaded mom outside her bedroom window.  I can’t remember the first song, but the second was Good King Wenceslas - as you do!

Anyway we so enjoyed our meal that before we’d even finished our food we had booked a table for Friday night to take mom out. 

Another sleepover may be in order!

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When Did Life Get So Serious?

Had a nostalgic look back at our family photos tonight.  These pictures were taken May 2004 and somewhere between then and now I seem to have lost my va va voom!

At what point did life get so serious that I find it really difficult to enjoy myself.  Sure I will smile appropriately and have a laugh but I never really get into the moment, the here and now.  My brain is always one step ahead or checking me to make sure I behave in the right way - whatever that is.

There was another photo to accompany this one with my son and his face was just a picture of happiness.

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Irony of Life

The irony of life is that, by the time you’re old enough to know your way around, you’re not going anywhere. 

Anon

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37

"Love thy neighbour - and  if he happens to be tall, debonair and devastating, it will be that much easier."

Mae West

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Are You Mad?

Well probably the answer to that is yes - most of the time actually.

But what I was referring to was those times when the old grey cells seem to leave the building. 

My sister and I have been discussing having a night out and one of the suggestions was to walk to a local pub.  That way we could leave the car at home and have a drink.

We were thinking about tonight, but I said "the local one has an act on every Monday called ‘Bill the Till’, but when I went to take a look with a friend of mine a couple of weeks ago, the pub looked empty"

It was then that my sister explained that Bill the Till was not an act but that everyone’s bills (ie money they have spent on food or drink that night) get raffled off and someone has their money reimbursed each Monday evening!

Aha!!

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Things That Go Bump . . .

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a very light sleeper. 

Last night I ended up falling asleep on the bed with one of the children. 

Waking up past midnight I popped downstairs to help hubby finish locking up (he’d also fallen asleep!).

By the time I got back to bed half an hour or so later you can imagine I wasn’t that sleepy, but tried.

I lay down and after tossing and turning a while and drifting in and out of sleep I heard a noise on the patio.  It sounded like a snail crunching hedgehog so I looked out of the window.  Not being able to see anything, I went to open the bathroom window as this sets the patio light off.

As I stepped on to the landing I was aware of floorboards creaking elsewhere upstairs.  As everyone was asleep I thought ‘mmmm’. 

I walked towards my daughters bedroom (who wasn’t in there) and heard footsteps running away.

I put the light on and walked through to a little box room off hers that leads to the roof of our utility.  I remembered that we had left the window wide open to get a through draft during the day.

There was the culprit, a neighbouring cat who had decided to take shelter in the bedroom rather than be out all night.  I leaned out of the window (in all my glory) said hello (as you do) and stroked him so as not to frighten him.

I then closed the window.

I walked back to the bathroom to continue my initial mission of checking out what was on the patio.  I set the light off, went into my bedroom and leaned out of the window.

I didn’t see the hedgehog or whatever had been making the noise but as I looked across to our utility roof, the cat was sitting there rolling around all happy-like on the edge of the utility roof.  I really held my breath as his bum was literally hanging over the edge.

I could imagine the conversation with his owner.

"Oh hi, it’s your neighbour two doors down.  It’s about your cat.  I found him in our house last night, stroked him, sent him so doolally so that he rolled off our utility in a happy stupor.  Sorry about that."

Anyway, he went off on his merry way, I settled down only to hear more noise outside.  This time it was the pitter patter of rain.

I shot out of bed and ran downstairs (this time with my dressing gown on) to fetch in a load of childrens toys that we’d left on the patio.  I remember going to bed thinking ‘it won’t rain tonight, I’ll leave them there’. 

I won’t listen to myself again - and I’ll make sure I shut the window tonight!

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