Late May Bank Holiday 2023

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Well, the weather certainly is improving! It’s a Bank Holiday too! Surely that’s a mistake!!! πŸ˜‰πŸ˜Žβ˜€οΈπŸŒž

Friday (26th)

Outdoor Cinema at Boughton House

It got off to a good start trotting off to nearby Boughton House for an outdoor showing of Top Gun: Maverick.

Saturday (27th)

A lazy start to the day but with some last-minute preparation ready for great friends Ralph & Karen who are spending the weekend with us.

A gorgeous day!

R&K arrived just before 11.45 and we were soon exchanging notes on what we’d all been up to since we last saw each other.

Beautiful Wicksteed Park

After a quick salad for lunch, we continued to take advantage of the fine weather and headed for nearby Wicksteed Park.

A busy boating lake!

Not surprisingly, it was busy! Even Wicky’s Boating Lake, where I’ve never seen more than a few people showing off their models, was busier than I ever remember it – yachts, submarines, old galleons, and steamships were all fighting for position with… the resident swans who were also more used to a quieter environment! πŸ˜‰

Chuff (chuffed) to be here! πŸ˜‰

We’re so lucky to have this on our doorstep! When Covid was rife, our daily walks here helped to keep us sane! πŸ₯΄

Phew! It was warm out there!

We didn’t get home until just before 5. It had been VERY warm walk, but so nice to enjoy a Bank Holiday in the sun! (a rare experience!). It was then back into the garden, with a cold drink to discuss our next joint holiday together – Jordan. After evaluating several options, we now had a broad plan and Ann is going to take it all to the next level of detail.

In the evening, we headed off to nearby (ish) Braybrooke and The Swan for dinner. This is a bit of a hidden gem that we discovered a few years ago back in January, 2019.

Ralph acted as ‘designated driver’ and we were soon at the Pub – but as usual, finding to space to park was our first challenge.

Initially, the area immediately outside the entrance was full, forcing us to park on the (very narrow) adjacent road. But, just a few moments later, a departing local freed up a space! Perfect!πŸ‘

Just after 7pm, we were soon seated and looking through the Menu. There were plenty of imaginative offerings to tempt us, and although we sat inside, their patio doors had been opened giving us a cool breeze and the last of the evening sun.

The portion sizes were generous and so Ann opted for two Starters whilst Karen skipped the first course altogether. Meanwhile, Ralph and I dived in. I almost chose their mega-burger, but Ralph took on the challenge! (the biggest, widest and tallest I’ve seen in a while) – and made a valiant effort to clear his plate, but it narrowly beat him! All-in-all, it was a good experience, although the dessert (above right) that Ralph and I opted for whilst the girls looked on was heavy going – but still delicious. Heading home, the roads were almost deserted, and we were soon indoors, catching up with today’s news and sipping hot chocolate!

Phew! It was now 10.30 and time to crash out. Nighty night! πŸ’€πŸ’€. It’s a(nother) lazy day tomorrow. A (very) light breakfast is planned, followed by a full-on Sunday lunch where Nick & Celina are joining us.

Sunday (28th)

Well, the weather is holding and it looks like a gorgeous day ahead. Nick & Celina are heading our way for 12.30, so that’s six hungry mouths to feed later. Roast Chicken is on the menu and we’re planning to eat outside.

Nick & Celina arrived just after 12.30. We were expecting them to arrive in Nick’s Porsche – ‘Waspey‘. Instead, a slightly more sedate mode of transport…

‘Margot Magenta’

What a machine! Fondly known as Margot Magenta and it oozed character! With a four-speed manual box and retro-fitted seatbelts, they don’t make them like that anymore!

After a quick catch-up, we tucked into Lunch, where by now, it was turning into another gorgeous day!

Desserts consisted of homemade Profiteroles and Summer Fruit BrulΓ© with everything washed down with copious amounts of ‘grape and hop’ in all its various guises! πŸ˜‰.

‘Whoosh’ went the afternoon! The next time we looked at the time it was just after 5! Surely a sign of a good time? We said our goodbyes a little later to the sound of Margot Magenta’s 1098cc engine and single SU carb working overtime! After a bit of a clear-up in the kitchen we settled down for the evening. No need to think about food as Lunch had done its job!

With the kitchen under control and in the safe hands of the dishwasher, we fired up the DVD player and watched Tina Turner – Live in Amsterdam (from 1996). Some cracking tunes… Private Dancer, Theme from GoldenEye, River Deep, Mountain High, Thunderdome and pretty much all of her many other big hits. I’d quite forgotten what a powerful voice she had, and the music scene is a far emptier place without her in it.

Our chosen movie was Dead Shot a ‘Sky Original’ that turned out to be quite good. It starred Mark Strong and Colin Morgan (aka ‘Merlin’ in the long-running 2008-2012 BBC series), the latter in a much, MUCH grittier role as an IRA member out for revenge for the murder of his partner. Plenty of tension, and being set in the 1970s, it was good to see London faithfully recreated for that era – all those Routemaster buses!!!

We turned in just after 10pm.

Bank Holiday Monday (29th)

Ralph & Karen slept over, and we enjoyed a late, later breakfast this morning. The weather ‘returned to form’ for a Bank Holiday – although it was dry, everywhere was very overcast and nowhere near as warm as we’d seen it over the previous few days. Our friends said their goodbyes just before 11, Ann went swimming and I washed-up!

It had been a great Bank Holiday and good to catch up with friends – the weather (mostly) made it even more enjoyable! πŸ‘


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