Nice to see them... to see them nice

We went over to babysit at PARKs at the weekend. It was Amanda's works do and they were staying over at the venue. We drove over on Saturday morning and had some lunch with them all. We then took the children to see Uncle Derek for the afternoon. Derek and I have managed to avoid each other pretty well this year. He has a pretty busy work and social life but we arranged this a few weeks back. It was nice just to catch up. Rowan and Kirsten were pleased to see Duncan. He is finally taller than me! He is still good with the kids though. Charlotte, the new lady in Derek's life, was there and her daughter came round later with a friend. They brought their pet hamsters which gave us a laugh.
Kirsten was getting restless and telling us she was hungry by 5pm so we bade farewell and took them to Pizza Hut. The place was mobbed but we got served pretty quickly. Not quickly enough for Rowan who wanted his food immediately. Still we cured his hunger pangs as he couldn't finish his ice cream. When we looked around at the behaviour of the other children there, we realised that we were lucky with our two.
We got them home and ready for bed and then let them watch a bit of TV. Kirsten was soon ready to go to bed but Rowan watched Family Fortunes so we had to too!
On Sunday morning, we had leisurely breakfast and awaited their parentals. Phil rang and said they were doing a call for coffee and would be a while longer. So I gave Mum a ring and found she hadn't gone out so we popped round there for a visit. It's what we said we'd have to start doing but just haven't had the time to do. It was only a flying visit for a cup of tea and a biscuit but we all enjoyed it. We even got to see Paul who called in.
By the time we got back, Phil and Amanda were back. Amanda made some lunch while we called to see their next door neighbours. Barbara hasn't seen the baby for a while. Not a baby anymore really. We watched a video/helped with homework/chatted/played for the rest of the afternoon. Amanda made tea which everyone ate except for her. The weekend had finally caught up with her. She was beginning to recover as we left.
On Monday, I went into the shoeboxes warehouse. I went up to York and collected the remaining cartons from their depot. I had a good run there and back. Saw one piece of lunacy going up Market Weighton when a car decided to pull out into the down lane because the overtaking lane wasn't going fast enough! He had to pull in pretty quickly because their were a few cars coming down. Prat.
When I got back, the warehouse was pretty clear. Dave the other driver came in after me and brought some boxes to be processed the next day so I went in. There was also a truck coming to take some cartons to Romania. The students came along and got the truck loaded by noon. Barbara had come and we stayed and cleared up and cleaned up. I decided that it wasn't worth going in again so we bade our farewells until next year.
We went up to the Toby Carvery for the RSPB Christmas Meal on Monday. It was a nice meal and very nice to see some of the members we have been out with this year in a social setting. Mind you, it was the regular meeting on Tuesday. A really interesting talk about Flamborough. However, you don't get the same opportunity to chat that the meal and the walks gave us.
The last couple of days, post-shoeboxes, I have been crossing things off my list. Stuff that has taken a back seat while I have been at the boxes. Not completely caught up as I forgot that the hairdressers is closed on a Thursday. Will just have to be unkempt for a while.

Shoebox stuff

That's all I am doing this week. I went on Tuesday after I'd blogged and spent the day waiting for a truck to come. It was to take some cartons to Kiev in the Ukraine. By the time it came at 2pm, people had given up and gone home. There had been some students but most of them had gone, the Hull Daily Mail reporter and photographer had been and gone and Cathy the co-ordinator had to do some ringing around to get some more students to help out. Some came and we got the job done but they have no sense of urgency. It's as if they don't want to go home! I was trying to speed things up and was told that it was alright for me because I got paid for doing it!!! I had to put them right and explain I was a volunteer. That really threw them. It just didn't compute.
The truck was eventually loaded and the students on their way but there was still a van from York to unload. Barbara took a look at the lady who was there with her husband and recognised her as one of our neighbour's daughter's friends from 25 years ago. I'd never have seen that. We eventually got away after 5pm. I'd suggested we ate out but we were too knackered so I knocked up a chilli con carne. Not a patch of Heston Blumenthal's recipe that was on TV that evening but it filled a gap.
I'd come home in the van and was off the next morning bright and early to get to Doncaster. I had 5 pick ups. I'd worked out the route and it all went well with just a couple of missed turnings. I was back at the depot by 1pm. I had my lunch then unloaded before going out and making three local calls. The last one was up our end of town, a lady had 130 boxes in her front room, so I called in and said I'd bring them in first thing this morning. I was home for 4pm beating Barbara back from the shops. We managed to stay awake and watch the final episode of Heroes last night.
Once more, I was up and out early. I needn't have bothered as I'd reckoned without the traffic. Thank goodness I don't have to do that every day. Once more we were waiting for a truck and once more it didn't come until 2pm when it should have been there by 11am. By the time it came, we'd had enough so we left them to it and came home after a quick call at the shops for some stuff. Three days off now.

Another busy weekend

As we had been busy with the shoeboxes, we went shopping on Friday morning. There was chaos at Morrisons. It had been reported to us that the whole arrangement of the shop had been changed while we were in Rotterdam. It was while we were looking for the beetroot and asked the assistant that we realised that it was pretty bad as she didn't know where it was either. She did get us a map but that was none specific. It is normally pretty crowded around the vegetables but was even worse as people milled about searching for items. It got worse as we went down the aisle. I can see the logic of having all the food on one side and other items on the other side of the main aisle but what inspired them to do it just before Christmas when everyone shops until they drop anyhow?
After Brave's Guild, we came home and had some dinner and then went out to Church to set up the Hall for the Coffee Morning. Barbara and I had our usual discussions but got it set up okay. When we went back next morning bright and early, people had already arrived and started setting up. Luckily, we had put labels on the tables. In the event, everything went very smoothly. There were lots of people there and we made over £300 for Church funds. Once we started clearing away, there were plenty of willing hands available and we were home well before 1pm.
Just as well because we were due at Willersley at 2pm for the Christmas Fair. We were just a little late but no one noticed! I paid the "turn", the Society of M.I.C.E. (Men In Charitable Endeavours). Everyone seemed to enjoy them. We bought a cake, raffle and tombola tickets and had a cup of tea and generally did our bit. I went up yesterday morning and collected the money for banking and found that they had made £414 which is gratefully received by the treasurer as funds seem to go very quickly!
Our evening out had been cancelled. We were going with Pauline and Alan and Pauline had had a procedure on Friday afternoon that meant she had to rest. So I went down to Sainsburys and bought a Chinese "takeaway" which we had instead. I am always disappointed with both the shop bought kits and the proper takeaways as I feel I can do better.
Sunday was early communion and prayer breakfast at Church. Rev'd Christopher did a "formal" communion from the book this time. There were ten of us for breakfast and we had a good gossip and then a very good prayer session. As were washing up, someone came and told us that Joan S had fallen in front of the Church and the ambulance was on the way. There was a large congregation as there was a child's blessing in the service. They all had to walk past poor Joan. There was a discussion about her relatives and informing them. Ann S, her sister-in-law and Barbara went with her to the hospital. Our car was blocked in so I stayed for the service which also contained two thank yous to Val H our Guide leader who retires soon. It was her final Church parade. Lisa came as Val had been leader when she was a guide. Barbara was upset to miss it.
I finally got out of Church and came home. Barbara rang to say there was no news so I got on with some emails I'd been meaning to send. As I was doing that, one came from Rev'd Christopher. He'd got through to the doctor and found out that Joan should be leaving in an hour. I rang Barbara who still knew nothing. Anyhow, she summoned me shortly afterwards and I went and picked them up. I took them to Joan's home then took Ann to her daughter's house. Joan had asked her sister to stay with her so I went back to wait for her to arrive which she did shortly afterwards. Rev'd Christopher was there when I arrived and Val W came a little later. We left once her sister had got sorted out. Barbara went yesterday morning and took her to the fracture clinic but wasn't required to stay. When she rang later, nothing had been added to the treatment already prescribed.
Yesterday, I went up to Willersley to get the money. I counted it there with the intention of taking it to the bank but time was pressing and Barbara needed the car so I came home. I took it with me and banked it it town on my way to the shoeboxes. Barbara caught up with the housework and went visiting in the afternoon. It finally caught up with us last night and we were in bed by 10.30pm and asleep shortly afterwards!