A Chilly Weekend

Oh my goodness, it has been chilly this weekend. I have to confess that on not one, but two occasions I have resorted to putting the heating on, not for long, but it has been on all the same. I have just used it to take the chill out of the air before turning it off again and snuggling on the sofa with Max curled up on my feet (which is where he is currently sat, as I type).



As well as getting a lot colder, I've also noticed how Autumnal everything is looking. The leaves are turning and some have already fallen. Whilst out on our dog walk today we met a fellow dog walker; very interesting old gentleman, who makes sloe gin with the sloes he finds on the country park where we walk our dogs, he also makes his own sausages, not I hasten to add, with things he finds on the country park. However, today he was picking the chestnuts. I suspect he had plenty to take home as the trees are heavily laden with them at the moment.

I do love walking Max on the country park at this time of year as it's so pretty, but with his little short legs and his Cavalier feathers, he gets so wet and muddy that we don't go over as often as we do in the warmer weather.

Anyway, enough about dog walking, we have a birthday coming up this week. Yes, Miss. L will be 11 years old this week, and I took full advantage of a child free weekend to purchase presents and get them wrapped ready for the big day!

You would think that buying for an 11 year old wouldn't be too difficult. Unfortunately, all Miss. L has asked for this year is New Look vouchers, Game vouchers and a doughnut cushion. That last one seems a little random to me. The only place I've seen doughnut cushions is at Chessington World of Adventures and I wasn't going back there to try and win her one! I know, I'm a terrible mother, not to drive miles and spend hideous amounts of money to get my child what she wants, but I'm sure she'll survive. That aside, I did manage to get her some other bits which I'm sure she'll be happy with and I know that one of her presents is really going to please her as she has been badgering me about it for at least the past year...before you ask, no it is not a mobile phone. I will reveal all after the birthday.

I decided that rather than sit indoors on my child free weekend, I would accept the invitation to lunch with some lovely friends of mine. I was in town anyway, so it would have been rude to refuse. We had a lovely catch up, and just for a change I was the youngest person in the group. It doesn't happen often, I am usually the oldest, as was pointed out in church today, when a certain fellow blogger (he knows who he is) pointed out that I was a teen in the 80's. So you see, being the youngest was a bit of a treat for me. Lunch was very nice too, sausage and mash, just what the doctor ordered on a cold autumn day.

I'd not been home long when I got a text from Dr. BD asking if I eat peas? My response, do you mean the little green things? Now I didn't think this was an unreasonable or odd question, because it seemed a bit of a random comment so I assumed it was a typo, but no it was a serious question.

As it happens, I do eat peas, but I do not like them. I eat them because they are good for me. I know I am a grown up and if I don't like something, I don't have to eat it, but I do because they are good for me, as I've already said. I'm sure Dr. BD now thinks I'm even crazier than he did before. However, when he turned up on the doorstep, all became clear, as my wonderful man was laden with shopping bags and was cooking me a yummy dinner that evening. I am a very lucky girl. Obviously, we didn't eat until quite late, I'd had bangers and mash, remember, but he did cook an amazing chicken and mushroom risotto, followed by little pavlovas.

Yes, it really did taste as good as it looks! I'm not entirely sure how good his cooking is for my waistline though, as I had second helpings of both courses. I am such a piggy!

We had planned to go to the cinema after dinner, but the film didn't start until 9pm and we both decided that we'd probably fall asleep after all that food, so we snuggled up on the sofa instead. Well I say snuggled. Max was actually snuggled up between us. Cheeky little chap.

Today has been a nice relaxing day, preparing for the week ahead. It's going to be a busy one. We have a birthday, 11+ results and a parents evening. Roll on next weekend!