22nd January 2014

Since our grand escapade to the USA, I’ve spent some quality time on my blogs, editing out the typos that snuck in while I was desperately trying to reach the land of nod. Writing each entry just before collapsing into bed might not have been my best idea, but then again, our days are so full, it is very easy to forget some vital detail of memory. Besides, who doesn’t love a good midnight typing session?

Yesterday, Nan graciously whisked Sue, Sarah, Charlotte, Ellis, and me off to the Langton Inn for a delightful and much-needed chatty lunch. I indulged in the classic English staple: bangers and mash, because nothing says “welcome back” quite like a plate full of sausages and creamy mashed potatoes! After our culinary adventure, we returned home for coffee, where we exchanged the delightful trinkets we’d brought back from the good old USA. I suspect Nan was just eager to hear the tales of our travels, but really, who could resist a good present-opening session?

When Nan, Charlotte, and Ellis finally made their exit from Willow Bank, I made a beeline for bed to have a heart-to-heart with Mr Old-Pillow. Later in the afternoon, I gave Jamie a ring, eager to catch a glimpse of his shiny new car. Unfortunately, he was busy playing soccer and promised to call in tomorrow instead. That evening, we settled in for some British TV where a gun didn’t appear within the first five minutes and called it an early night.

I was the early bird the next morning, and after a quick coffee, I hopped on my bike for a much-needed exercise session and a bit of spare tyre reduction. Upon my return, I found Sue well into her second load of laundry. After a quick shower, I headed up to the garage roof to tackle the repair job I had attempted just before our holiday. Wouldn’t you know it? The minute I finished spreading the asphalt to fix a leaky gully, the heavens opened up and washed it all away, sooo frustrating!

Determined not to let Mother Nature win, I cleaned out the gully again, dried it with a heated paint stripper gun (a rather ingenious tool, if I do say so myself), and re-applied the asphalt. Fingers crossed this time! I was hoping to wrap things up quickly, as we had plans to head to the cinema to see the film ‘Philomena’. But, of course, as luck would have it, I was still smoothing out the asphalt layer when Sue and Sarah dashed off without me. I suppose a film about a lost child would have to wait while I played handyman!