A week has flown by but not much has happened

Monty Dog taking a dip in Elmdon Park

Two more nights out followed, Saturday at Diwans for a curry with Helen and Ian, and ‘Sunday Tea Club’ with H&I, Manu and Crystal and Pete and Hilary. OK so it was a Bank Holiday so the premise of ‘work tomorrow’ so we’ll have a gentle meal out in Chinatown, selected by Crystal and drinking Chinese tea, wasn’t quite there, but we drank tea, after a couple of pre-dinner pints and Crystal excelled herself (ordering and conversing with the staff in Chinese), in a restaurant she’d never been in before, when half the things on the menu seemed to be off, eight of us had a fantastic meal. 

Tea and cake in the garden with Jackie, Helen, Monty Dog and Ian

I couldn’t pick for everyone, for all the tea in China, but it doesn’t seem to phase Crystal! So a slightly over indulgent weekend, and we hadn’t even really made up for it walking Monty dog – the weather wasn’t that good, so we’d brought them over to Elmdon Park, just on the edge of B’s old stomping ground, but a lovely park, which we all enjoyed, and it meant we could pop in and fuss and feed Maggy, and promise to be back tonight! Having read the papers and before tea and cake!

In Elmdon Park. It was at this very old tree that our friends Mike and Jo got engaged a few weeks back. Apparently he took her there for a walk, then got down on one knee and produced a ring! He'd even already asked her mum and dad, who live in Perth Australia! Proof that romance is not dead!

St Marys church Warwick town centre

Tuesday I went to visit Sarah and John and had a lovely chat, coming home to B announcing there was a mouse under/behind the freezer, and that Maggy was exhausted as she had been keeping watch all morning rather than sleeping most of it! Fortified by lunch and a pair of gloves, B moved the freezer and I went in for the pounce, little cute thing ran round me, but decided the dash across the kitchen floor was too open, so decided to nip into this dark space here. This happened to be up the leg of my jeans, so sealing round the ankle with my hands I hobbled outside in the strangest manner before shaking my leg and watching it scamper and hop off as fast as it could go. Not the most obvious manner of mouse removal but it seemed to work!

The much photographed view of Warwick Castle, arguably the best preserved Medieval castle in England

Castle Street, Warwick

Wednesday dawned much brighter than forecast so we thought we’d take advantage of a voucher from the local paper and go to Warwick Castle. However by the time we’d joined the mammoth queue and ascertained that yes, one of us got in free to the castle we then both had to pay for the dungeon, so the overall saving when compared to the online price was only £2, so we decided to come back when it wasn’t half term! Warwick is a lovely town, so spending the day there was no hardship enjoying an interesting chat with a guy doing upkeep on his black and white Elizabethan house, lunch in the sunshine and a visit to St Mary’s church.

Warwick Castle from the end of Mill Street

Thursday and Friday mornings were spent visiting banks looking at new current and savings accounts to try and make the most of our money, not the most exciting way to spend your time, but it has to be done occasionally and will hopefully make us some money in the coming year!

The afternoons were better, Thursday we went to a tea dance in Shirley which was good fun and very friendly, though it’s never a good sign when they say we do ballroom and sequence dancing as Latin is too fast for us! 

Mill Street, Warwick. The man in blue tends to his original Elizabethan house

No jive then, the only one I’m really any good at! Still he managed to drag me round the floor without me embarrassing myself too much, I think! “Keep talking to me” I say, so I get the odd command of whisk, telemark, heel turn, when what I actually want is every step, back left, side close side – words that actually make sense! Who would believe I actually fooled a class of 70 people for six months for two consecutive years, who were paying us good money, that I actually knew what I was doing!

Eastgate, one of the original entries to the walled town

Yesterday we had a lovely afternoon with Steph and Rory, and Denise and Paul. The plan had been that we’d hold the baby for a couple of hours, in or out while Steph either slept, did good things round the house or went for a run. So a surprise to find D&P there, but the cat had had to go to the vets, so taking Rory to the vets and the cat in its basket all on her own would have been a huge stress, so Mum and Dad to the rescue. Steph did get to do some stuff in the garden with Paul, but didn’t manage a run as it went from raining stair rods to being too hot! 

The 14th Century Lord Leycester Hospital next to Westgate

I didn’t mind I had a little sleepy baby, he is getting better about sleeping at night, but still doesn’t sleep as much during the day as would be nice! Either I’m really boring, or it was beginners luck, but he slept on me for two hours, in some very strange positions, before having a cuddle with great uncle Brian and sleeping for another half hour or so! Now in theory sleep breeds sleep, but I’m sure a routine has to be established, so I hope he did sleep last night! Bit scared to ask!

Iced caramel coffees in Warwick Market Square

In amongst all the other stuff we have been doing two worthwhile things: learning Spanish via an online course (which is proving quite hard for Brian! So far we can greet people, ask their name, tell them our name, say goodbye, thank you and a few other basic words. This in preparation for a possible trip to South America in late 2016, plus a visit to Spain in November this year), we’ve also been running, yes, even Jackie! She hasn’t done the Park Run yet, but is getting faster running round the lake in Elmdon Park from the house, so a good start! Brian’s Park Run today: 21min19sec for 5km – slowly getting better, but our friend Bill Voisey came sprinting past Brian on the final 100m to finish about 10 seconds ahead – sneaky and I didn’t even know he was there!

The Elizabethan Sheldon Tapestry, made in 1588

And look... Alvechurch and Moseley are marked (East is up)

Steph wanted a few pictures of Maggy, to see the short legs which mean her tummy gets tickled by the long grass, poor little thing, plus I think her diet has worked so she needs a tummy tuck to get rid of the belly. I think after the botched face lift leaving her with one round eye and one slanty eye it’s the least the vet could do, though I think he’d complain that the lumpectomy she had a couple of months ago on her head was medical not cosmetic and that tummy tucks for cats aren’t done, but what is she meant to do? How do you explain press ups and the plank to a cat?

Inside the splendid St Marys Church, Warwick

 

The original 11th century crypt under St Marys Church. A huge fire engulfed a big part of Warwick town centre in 1594, the church was extensively damaged but the crypt survived

 

Look, Great Uncle Brian cuddling a sleepy Rory and Twinks the cat

 

Unconventional Rory sleeping position, but Jackie seems to have the knack!

 

Maggy cat chills out while we watch TV

 

Maggy cat has short legs and a saggy tummy that touches the grass when she walks. Her 'face job' doesn't help her either, but she is a very cute cat!

 

Hiding in the grass, thinks: 'no-one can see me!'

No, the grass isn't that long, she's lying down!

 

Stand-off! Maggie cat, left eyes pretty ginger and white cat, right!