Weekly Update!

Family, Friends & 2012 Begins!

This week has been very pleasant, as I am still housesitting so could fit my chores around all my other plans, so I didn't miss out on anything.

On Monday (Boxing Day) it was my mum's birthday, and so we went for a nice walk in Dunham during the day, followed by a meal at a family friend's house with cheese, wine and games. My sister came back to Millington with me for the night afterwards which was good, and then in the morning we got ready for our Christmas Day!

We drove back home, where my grandparents had just arrived, and Chris came shortly afterwards, followed my my auntie, uncle and two young cousins, Adam and Hannah. We opened our presents, ate a full Christmas dinner, and then played some games before Chris and I caught a taxi back to Millington.

The following day we had a lie-in, and then went sale shopping in Stockport with the remainder of the family. I got a lovely teal coat with a red fur trim from Primark, for just £15. Apart from that and a couple of little bits though I didn't get much, as all the good stuff appeared to have gone. That evening I went for a meal at Croma in Manchester with my girlfriends (see previous post).

On Friday I had my hair dyed with the silvery toner I have used before, and then actually got some work done. I went back home later on to stay over ready for an early start yesterday to go to London for New Year (see previous post). Happy 2012!

Weekly Update!

Christmas Preparation & The Big Day!

Now firmly settled in the house I'm staying in for three weeks, this week flew by as I attempted to keep on top of all my Christmas preparation, housekeeping jobs and petcare!

On Tuesday I babysat for the little boy I was a temporary nanny for, and he had a friend round to play. We went to see Happy Feet 2 (see previous post) in the afternoon as well as playing on his Wii, and in the morning we baked and iced some shortbread cookies. They didn't come out very well, as I didn't have time to chill the dough before cooking it, but they were fine to ice anyway. The two of them were very creative, even if the biscuits didn't look too great afterwards!

On Wednesday Chris came for the evening after work and we made baked enchilada that was lovely, and just watched some TV. On Thursday we went back to Timperley as I had a nail appointment, and in the afternoon we went to see Sherlock Holmes (see previous post) before I went back to the house after dropping him off.

On Friday I decided last minute to go to Crewe to see Chris, after plans to have a meetup with the girls fell through. We went to his friends house with a few others, and although we intended driving back to Chris' that evening, we ended up staying over so that I could have a drink. It was a very early start the following day so that he could get to work for 9am, and I had to drive home to get to the pub for my shift at 11.30am. In the evening my mum picked me up from the pub and we both went back to Millington for Christmas Eve, as my sister was out, and Dad was working. We cooked stuffed portobello mushrooms with veg, and then had red wine and mince pies while watching some Christmassy TV. We had a slight dilemma when the hamster escaped, but luckily she crawled back into her cage once she had had enough!

Christmas day dawned, and I randomly spent the beginning of it dying my hair! We then got dressed and headed back to Timperley, where Dad and Jasmine were waiting for us. We got the rabbit out to begin with, check out the cute picture!

We opened our stocking presents first, and apart from a few bits and bobs, I got an awful lot of chocolate, which will keep me going for the next few weeks at least! We then had an interval to eat Eggs Benedict with salmon for breakfast, and a glass of Bucks fizz, before opening our main presents. Once we had finished we watched A Muppets Christmas Carol, and then ate Christmas dinner, which was gorge as usual. We had duck this year, and luckily there were only four of us, as there wasn't a great deal of meat on it! Afterwards we watched the standard Christmas TV (Morecambe and Wise, Tommy Cooper etc) and gorged on chocolate before I rolled off to bed at about 1am. Quite a quiet one this year, but we have the family coming on 27th, so that will definitely make up for it!

Weekly Update!

New York Plans, Skirts & Pint-pulling!

This week didn't involve a great deal yet again, except for something very exciting - I booked flights to New York! I can't wait until April now. I'm going with two of my friends to visit my friend Abi who is living there for this year, so we should get a proper insider's view of the city, as she knows lots of cool places to go.

On my day off on Thursday I went for a coffee and some gorgeous chocolate cake with my friend Charlotte, and we mooched around Altrincham for a while. I stumbled across an amazing crinoline in a charity shop for just £4 so snapped that up! On Friday I worked in the morning and evening so had a very rushed meeting in the middle with Lydia, who was back from York for a few days.

On Saturday I did my first mini-shift at the new pub that I work at - The Greyhound in Ashley. It was fairly quiet, which was good for me to practise pulling pints and getting accustomed to a different till. After I had finished at 2pm, I rushed home and went to Stockport with my mum for a little wander. I have never been before and was pleasantly surprised at the range of shops, especially as there was a Primark! I bought a nice pleated silk skirt from Topshop's sale using a voucher that I got for my birthday in June. I love using old vouchers, it feels like free clothes!

We drove home, and shortly afterwards I headed to Millington to babysit. Charlotte came with me, and we had a fun night making candyfloss with the kids, before watching The Other Boleyn Girl once they were asleep. We were home by 1am so it wasn't too bad, and with the clocks going back, even getting up at 9am felt like a lie-in.

I went to the gym for a much needed workout, and then worked my last ever shift at Spar in the evening. It was bizarre to think I'll never have to work there again, but though I'll miss a few of the customers, I am well and truly glad I'll never break another nail stacking shelves, or have to deal with smelly stale beer!

Weekly Update!

Working Life & Roadtrips

This week I started a new job as a housekeeper and occasional nanny for a family who live in Millington near Knutsford. It is hard work, but keeps me busy and makes the time go quickly, so I am enjoying it so far, though they do have two sphyx cats that are quite unnerving! It is just in the mornings, and I get Thursday off, so it is a nice little earner that still leaves me time to do my writing.

On Monday it was Chris' birthday, so after my first day I went to his house and we went out for a meal at a local pub. I had fish and chips, which I had been craving for ages, and they definitely hit the spot. We had some of the cake I made (see previous post) when we got home, which turned out nice and moist, and he opened the presents that my parents and I had got him (they got him wine, I got him a trip to Dublin and a Where's Wally? mug!).

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent chilling out, catching up with some errands I had to run, and on Thursday I wrote my latest magazine article and then met up with a few friends in the evening for a chinwag and some sweeties!

On Friday I went to the gym and then babysat until the early hours, which left me with little sleep before I headed to Lancaster early on Saturday morning. I went with my mum to hand over the house keys to the new students that are moving in, and then we had a wander around the shops. I bought a lovely leather and sheepskin jacket from a little vintage boutique, and then we stopped for a sandwich and cream tea in The Novel Cafe, a really cute little place that is filled to the brim with books, and has a coffee menu that puts everywhere else to shame.

We drove home in a bit of a rush as I was at work at 5pm, but made it just in time. On Sunday we had another day trip together, this time to visit Jasmine at university in Leeds. She seems to have enjoyed her Fresher's week, and we even got tea and cake there, so it appears she is growing up! I drove home in the evening, and spent the night watching television and relaxing before a crazy week begins this week. I have another job nannying a little boy in the mornings and after school, which with my housekeeping job means I am working 12 hour days. I'll let you know how it is going next weekend!