06.00am: G’day Cobbers!! We were up early (again!) – Ann slept well, but I didn’t! 😫 Actually, Monday’s early start was to work in our favour for what we had in mind… Weather – The Gold Coast & Surfer’s Paradise Day 6 – Where are we? (Monday, 4th November) Missed any of the previous Posts?Scroll …
Read More
Author:Steve Palmer
I got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 - well into my 40s! My lifelong love of technology and communication (in all its forms), together with a fondness for the art of writing seemed to be the perfect combination to contribute a few words to the online community. But I'm no Samuel Pepys! If you're looking for deep and meaningful comments on a variety of subjects, then you've arrived at the wrong site! I only pen for pleasure! On average, my posts appear about twice per month, covering family & friends, cinema visits, eating out, holiday experiences and techy stuff. Oh, and as this is my hobby, there are no sponsored links nor adverts here – it's all done with love!
I hope you find it enjoyable, interesting and occasionally, even helpful!
Holiday: Day 5 – Bank Cobbers!
06.00am: G’day Readers! We were both up at ‘silly o’clock’, having not slept very well! I guess that’ll be the jet-lag then!? 🤪 Missed a Post? Scroll to the foot of this page Still, Oz waits for no-one – especially us, and so it’s another day of exploration around Brisbane – specifically, we’re going to …
Read More
Holiday: Day 4 – Walkies!
07.03am: Good morning Bruce, good morning Sheila! Guess where we are? 🦘🦘😉. No, it’s not New Zealand, just yet… read on… Missed a Post..?Day 1 – TravelDay 2 – Singapore SleepoverDay 3 – Brisbane Bound …or scroll to foot of this Post Day 4 – Where are we? (Saturday, 2nd November) We arrived last night …
Read More
Holiday: Day 3 – Brisbane Bound!
Good morning all! 👍😉. After our recent long-distance travel from home, plus a sleepover at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Changi Airport in Singapore, we’re now both a bit more ‘with it’. Missed a Post?Day 1 – HEREDay 2 – HERE or scroll to the foot of this Post Day 3 – Where are we? …
Read More
Holiday: Day 2 – Singapore Sleepover
Evening all! 😵💫😵💫 Day 2 – Where are we? (Thursday, 31st October) This is the briefest of stopovers in Singapore before we grab the plane tomorrow taking us to Australia. We’re also returning to Singapore at the other end of this holiday – Day 31 – where we’ll have a few days to properly soak …
Read More
Holiday: Day 1 – The Journey Begins
Today, the news in the UK was dominated by the ‘doom, doom and even more doom’ of the Labour Government’s first budget since April 2010. With all the negativity, this could be a great opportunity to leave the country for a big holiday! So we did! 😉. Let’s hope they don’t end up taxing ‘number …
Read More
First Visit: The Watermill Tearoom
It was our quarterly catchup with Bev & Jools where we headed east to The Watermill Tearoom in nearby Woodford. Nestled on the banks of the River Nene, this was the first visit for us two. The eatery has been around for a long time, but since January 2023, it has welcomed new management (more …
Read More
Beg your Parton!
Off to the Lighthouse Theatre in town tonight with Jo, Janet, Helen and Carol to see Dolly Parton and her Country Superstar friends. 😉 I don’t think any of us were completely sure what this evening would be like – all we knew what that it was a group of tribute acts. But by the …
Read More
Zimmer Fame
It was early evening, as we headed in the direction of Northampton and the town’s Cathedral – aka The Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate & St Thomas of Canterbury to listen to the London Film Music Orchestra. Jo and Janet arrived at ours just before 4.30 and with Janet acting as chauffeur, we began …
Read More
Wollaton Hall with Dennis and Sandra
Here we are again – another of our cultural days out with Dennis & Sandra! Today, it’s Wollaton Hall in Nottingham. 9.02am: We left home just after 9am and for once, the traffic on the M1 behaved itself and we were there in good time. Well, apart from me initially putting the wrong post-code into …
Read More
What a Pheast!
Another day, another Birthday! 😉 After my celebrations yesterday, tonight, it was our turn to act as a taxi service, picking up neighbours David & Valerie, and heading off to The Pheasant in Keyston (a 25-minute drive away, halfway between here and Huntingdon). It was David’s ‘special day’, and where I used to think it …
Read More
Birthday Boy (2024)
Yes, it’s that time again – my Birthday!! 👍😁. We usually try and get away somewhere to celebrate, but this year is a little different! Last year, we were in Greece, whilst the year before it was Switzerland – but in 2024, we’re celebrating here at home! It’s a full 12 years since we last …
Read More
EXCELlent!
Today, Chris A and I took the train from Northampton and headed for the Excel International Exhibition & Convention Centre in the Docklands for the F1 Exhibition. Actually, this was the very first time I’ve visited Excel! Getting there was easy by taking the Elizabeth Line and getting off at Customs House and then taking …
Read More
Figarodeon
It’s not unusual for us to go to the local Odeon, but tonight was for TWO very different reasons. Reason 1: This is the LAST TIME we’ll ever visit this Odeon. Why? It’s being bulldozed, together with the nearby Pub – Hobson’s Choice, to make way for (ahem!) ‘a new development’. Most of us locals …
Read More
Buckden Bound!
These days, The George Hotel at Buckden is fast becoming one of our go-to Restaurants (that and Hitchen’s Barn in Oakham) for a guaranteed quality meal and excellent service. Today, we met up with Steve & Helen for a catch-up and to hear all the news about their recent house move. We were last all …
Read More
Greenwich and Beyond!
We travelled down to Greenwich today for our annual cultural day out, courtesy of The Old Croydonians’ Association – the ex-pupil association of my old School. Last year, in October, the OCA organised a behind the scenes at the Royal Opera House, and it was great day out. This time, we’re looking ‘beyond the obvious’ …
Read More
Return to The Falcon Inn
Off to the Falcon Inn in Fotheringhay to meet up with long-time pals, Mick and Jane to celebrate their 41st Wedding Anniversary. The last time we were there was pre-Covid back in 2017. Before then, this was our go-to Pub/Restaurant when we lived in nearby Peterborough. Since then, we’ve developed other allegiances and, in that …
Read More
First Visit: Cromwell Museum
We drove over to Huntingdon today for our first visit to the Cromwell Museum. Neither of us could remember when we last visited Huntingdon, so we weren’t sure what to expect from the town. Parking was certainly challenging and it wasn’t helped by EVie’s Sat-Nav having a complete fit in mis-identifying the road that SHOULD …
Read More
Bank Holiday Street Party 2024
A Bank Holiday Street Party in nearby Berwick Way for no other reason than ‘because we could’! 👍👍 Well, the weather wasn’t exactly ‘glorious’ – a cool and breezy 17°C – but that didn’t prevent around 20 of us from getting together at the foot of Berwick Way. With Mick, the Burger King on BBQ …
Read More
Closed for good!
Well, that was a surprise! Nearby Hobson’s Choice announced it was closing its doors permanently! OK, it was never going to be awarded a Michelin Star, but it was on our doorstep and offered a ‘basic’ menu (read ‘cheap’) and the staff there were always super-friendly. Every time I visited, it was always doing a …
Read More
Theatre: Tolethorpe Hall 2024 – The Recruiting Officer
We’re at Tolethorpe Hall for Stamford Shakespeare Company’s production of ‘The Recruiting Officer‘. Those with an HR background (and like me, unfamiliar with this title) will be disappointed to learn that it’s nothing to do with employment best practice! 🙄 According to Tolethorpe’s website, it’s a tale of… “plot twists, cross-dressing, forged letters, mistaken identities, …
Read More
Movie Night: The Imitation Game
It’s fair to say we love a good pie and a pud! We also like a great movie and an evening with friends. So, why not combine all three!? 👍👍👍 Tonight, inspired by our recent visit with John & Trish to Bletchley Park and then our first visit to PieFest a few weeks ago – …
Read More
Cousins Catchup 2024 – Windsor Castle
It’s that time of year again! It’s our annual get-together with our cousins (from Ann’s side of the family). We try and meet as a family group at least once a year around this time, where for 2024, we’ve picked the iconic Windsor Castle as the destination. Last time we were here was way back …
Read More
More Pie!
This was a first for us! We headed for Melton Mowbray and their annual PieFest. Melton Mowbray is, of course, famous for its home-grown Pork Pie where the town is considered to be the UK’s ‘Capital of Pies’ and the ‘Rural Capital of Food‘! 😋😋 No prizes then, for guessing what the Festival was all …
Read More
Arrow Time!
It’s our three-monthly catchup with long-time friends and ex-business colleagues, Ian & Ann and Alan & Mags. Today, our eatery of choice is the Arrow Mill in Alcester – we were last here in October, 2022. It was almost deserted inside when we arrived just after 12 noon, but this place has a large area …
Read More
Film: Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Crikey! A movie from Marvel! It’s been a while! 👍👍 I’m off to the local Odeon with Jo & Janet to see their latest – Deadpool & Wolverine – the 34th (yes, really, see later) in Marvel’s super-hero movie franchise. And this isn’t just ANOTHER one from the Marvel Film Factory… this one is supposed …
Read More
Theatre: Fawlty Towers
For me, the most eagerly anticipated theatre trip in a long, long time – “Fawlty Towers – The Play”. The ‘Famous Five’ aka Jo, Janet, Carol, Ann and yours truly jumped on board the 10.28 out of Kettering, heading for the capital. The train was busy, and I think we got the last seats. Noisy …
Read More
Return to Bletchley Park
The past week-or-so has had a recurring theme – ‘return to…’. Last Saturday, it was a return to my old school for their annual reunion, whilst on Monday, I made my second visit to Silverstone Museum. Tough life, ehh?!?!? 😉 Today, we’re with mates, John & Trish heading for the famous ‘Bletchley Park‘. We were …
Read More
Return to Silverstone!
A return to Silverstone Museum for me, this time with super-techy-mate, Chris A. The reason? Well, nothing specific, we just fancied going there, and it’s only a short drive away! 👍 I was last here back in December, last year with John C for exactly the same reason! 😀 With today’s weather looking and feeling …
Read More
School Reunion 2024
Yes, it’s that time of year again! My annual School Reunion! 👍 Unlike last year’s event, where a) I travelled by car and b) Roger H travelled with me, for 2024, a couple of changes were made. First off, the journey by car last year was full of stops and starts (mostly ‘stops’) making it …
Read More