Hay fever hell and heaven in Hathersage

The sunny weather we had a few weeks ago, was straight away followed by autumn weather. It does, however, finally seem that summer has arrived, the sun has been shining all week long!
On Monday DL went to work, and I pottered about in the house, tidying up, doing ironing and reading. I had a night shift that evening, and so on Tuesday I was like a walking zombie for most of the day. I went to bed for a couple of hours in the morning, but couldn’t wake myself up and so dozed on and off throughout the rest of the day. DL was an absolute star though, she took care of me, feeding me and snuggling with me when I was sleepy. On Wednesday evening we had dinner with one of our ex house mates and her boyfriend, at the lovely Italian where we went for my birthday. The weather was scortching hot, so we went for a drink in the open air before we met them, and I actually wore a skirt for once, that I’d bought the week previously. They came back to ours afterwards, and Sarah had her guide dog with her, so we opened up the doors and sat on the patio with drinks, while the dogs played in the garden. It was lovely, really warm and still, and we didn’t go in until around eleven. It’s the first time this year we’ve been able to sit out so late without getting cold, which was bliss.
On Thursday we decided to be a bit adventurous and explore some of the towns and villages that surround the city, so we drove for about an hour south to the tiny village of Bakewell. We always see signs for it on our way to visiting my parents, but have never stopped there before. For anyone outside the UK, Bakewell is famous for its Bakewell Tarts, and, well, that’s about it really. There wasn’t a lot there, some houses, a few shops and a pub, but again the weather was gorgeous so we bought lunch and sat outside the pub for ages just soaking up the sun. We then bought cakes, and, not quite ready to go home, decided to head to Chesterfield, a town outside Sheffield, as we’d never been there either. Chesterfield was busier, with more shops, and we browsed around for a bit before heading back home. In the evening we went out for a drink, and then came back to watch a film, which we didn’t end up watching much of because DL seduced me and all was lost.
Yesterday DL headed out for a job interview in the morning, and Sean AKA Nite Owl came round for coffee and cake. We spent a lovely couple of hours just catching up and chatting about random things, while he fussed the dog, or more to the point, the dog fussed him. DL returned with a Frapaccino for me, bless her, and Sean departed to let us go food shopping. In the evening we met up with Dooffus and Nick for drinks, although we couldn’t get in the beer garden because it was so packed, which was a shame.
Anyway, I wanted to talk about the prospect of DL getting this new job, because if she decides to take it it’ll change our future plans quite a lot. The original plan, is that DL do her PGCE this year, and to then work for a year, while I finished my degree and do my TEFL course. We then want to head south, probably having to rent for a while, while we look for property to buy, and so we’ll settle down there. If she takes this job however, she’ll be in it for four years minimum, as while she is being trained, she’ll also study one day a week as part of the job for a second degree in chemical physiology. So, that means us being here for longer than we planned to, which obviously puts buying a house etc on hold for a while. We talked about it however, and we both agree that it’s too good an opportunity to pass up on. The money is good, she’ll get a second degree, and she’ll be able to walk in to another job no problems after that, added to the training she’ll get in the field. It’s all up in the air at the moment, because she hasn’t been accepted yet, but if she is, we’ll be up north for longer now.
Today has also been bliss, as we made the discovery of an outdoor ppool in Hathersage, about half an hour away from here. The temperature was peeking 30 degrees, so we packed up a picnic and headed to the pool. It was really busy, and for a while I didn’t think we’d get in, but we did, and settled on the grass to catch the rays, and occasionally swim in the water. It’s all great preparation for our holiday next week, yay, only seven sleeps to go!!! I can’t wait! Tonight we’re off to Helen’s 21st birthday party, so I’m going to read for a while before I have to get ready.
I’m also suffering greatly with hey fever, I can’t breath through my nose, I’m constantly sneezing, and my eyes are itching. Work damn tablets, work!
Apologies for the long entry, I haven’t been able to access Blogger for some reason. I get the feeling another email will have to be sent to our ISP yet again.