It’s been a long day.

Hubby woke up this morning cold because there was a lot of space between him, the edge of the bed and the duvet. It was 6am, so normal get up time for him and the dog was ready to go out and accompany him to the shower block.
I got up too, made the bed (checking duvet to make sure there was plenty for him tonight), and swept through the boat.
I had decided to go and see my Mum today as Hubby wanted to get on with the curtains, however, as we were unsure of the distance and time it would take, he decided he would come too so we have had a day out.

I had to have a blood test at the surgery first thing (finally got round to booking a diabetes appointment) so we left here around 9.30.
We stopped off in Bathampton to visit a new ‘boat friend’ we got chatting to a little while ago. Sadly, she was out, but the Cafe Barge was in so we had a coffee and the most delicious sticky chocolate fudge cake imaginable.
We arrived at my sister’s just after 12.45, just in time to take Mum for lunch as promised. It seems there has been some speculation as to our new abode, so the direct question was asked and honestly answered in the affirmative.

Instead of the expected tantrum and accusations of irresponsibility, the comments were quite positive, so perhaps I have done Sis an injustice. In fact, she seemed quite bemused by it all, if not a little wistful, as apparently her late husband wanted to buy a boat and fish to his heart’s content.
Once again, we went to The Carvery, but the sun came out and it would have been like an oven in the car, so Hubby dropped us off and took the dog for a walk (and lunch) elsewhere so that I could have some quality time with Mum. He’s considerate like that, and I know how lucky I am.
The Carvery is excellent value at £5.99 a head with a choice of 4 meats, pork, beef, gammon and turkey, so Mum opted for pork and turkey, but said sadly that the yorkshire puds were too big for her.
The lovely man behind the counter went out into the kitchen and came back with a tray of smaller ones, fishing out the smallest so that she wouldn’t go without.
She then piled her plate with stuffing, green beans, brocolli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, roast spuds and roast pumpkin, adding a dab of horseradish and apple sauce, and full ladle of gravy.
It’s good to know she still has a good appetite.
Little Piggy here (ie Me) had all four meats, making sure I got my quota from the latest expert suggestions, a big yorkshire pud, and everything else except peas. It’s not that I dislike peas, it’s just that having them out, they always fall off my fork onto the floor rather than into my mouth.

We chatted, munched and chewed, had a few instances of repeated questions and statements, but Mum was obviously having a good day as she was as bright as a button, and we laughed a lot.
I told her about us taking the boat out and Maggie sitting on the bow taking it all in, the fun we had getting the boat back into the berth, the wildlife here, the new friends we’re making, and how we’re beginning to make the boat comfortable ‘chez nous’ with little modifications here and there, like turning the shower into a cupboard and making curtains.

Hubby picked us up 90 minutes later and we took Mum home to have a cup of tea with the rest of the family. Sir Barkalot is still barking at strangers, but I ignored him and he eventually got the message that he couldn’t intimidate me. One of my great nieces was there, she is now 14 and I haven’t seen her for 4 years. She is the spitting image of her mum (now 34 and a granny who arrived later) at that age. I felt old.
I was somewhat amused though by Sis having the ends of her hair dyed to match her trousers, ie bright pink. Her head looked a little like a raspberry ripple on speed as she is otherwise white. She also has a rather snazzy pair of sneakers in a similar colour, but was refusing to wear the bright yellow laces that came with them as an alternative to the pink ones.  I told her she should wear one of each colour to complete her fashion statement.
It’s her 63rd birthday on Thursday. She was also chatty and we had a really pleasant few hours before saying our goodbyes and a big cuddle with Mum.
Coming through Warminster, we decided to ring our friend to see if he was doing anything and fancied a game of dominoes. He was really keen so we spent a couple of hours with him, the end scores being the men three games each and yours truly one.
At least it wasn’t a whitewash!

We got home just before 10pm,  to discover Mum’s little jacket having hitched a lift on the back seat. We were too charged up from the drive to go straight to bed, so I made a cuppa and we decided to write our blogs and check emails, sending one to Sis to let her know where Mum’s jacket was and if she wanted us to post it on.
The dog has done her final business and is totally flaked out on the seat beside me.
We should all sleep well (and warm) tonight.
It’s been a good day. 🙂

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