First, there were five of us (Philip, Angela, Antoinette, Carey and me) – the ‘5ive’… then we welcomed both Rick and June to the group, screwing the Maths and demanding a rebrand. After a bit of head-scratching, we became ‘The Magnificent 7even‘. Oh! Such originality! .

For those new here, we’re a group of like-minded ex-business-buddies now enjoying a deep personal friendship. It began in 1999 when we all met and collaborated on a massive project for the (then) ‘World’s Favourite Airline’.

Since ’99, we’ve got together regularly for a meal (usually in London) at least twice a year, which morphed into our first weekend away over ten years ago in Stratford-upon-Avon. It worked really well with no casualties and no arguments! Surely a good sign! .

Regular annual getaways followed until, like for many, Covid got in the way, and we lost our rhythm for a while!

The 5ive do Stratford-upon-Avon
(October 2012)

The 5ive do Bath
(October 2013)

The 5ive do Birmingham
(October 2014)

The 5ive do Liverpool
(September 2015)

The 5ive do Bristol
(I missed that one in 2016!)

The 7even and Turkish Delight
(November 2022)

The 7seven hit the Gym
(June 2023)

That all changed earlier this year when we met in London – The Gymnasium Restaurant, near Kings Cross/St Pancras – to get back into the groove. The result? A weekend in Cambridge planned for November! .

Day 1 – Hello Cambridge!

Sadly, as we got closer to the date, Angela, Carey and Rick couldn’t make it, leaving Antoinette, June, Philip and yours truly to take in the sights and sounds of this fine city. What we lacked in numbers, we hoped would be partly made up by us cramming in as much as we could during our stay. The most important thing, of course, was that ‘the band’ was (mostly) back together again, and we were feeling adventurous, despite the lack-lustre weather forecast

So, here we are, all staying at the Premier Inn for the next few days. Philip and June arrived yesterday, followed by Antoinette and lastly, me. As a group, we attempted to ‘go with the flow’ and not over-organise ourselves, but we did have a list of Cambridge attractions to consider (in no particular order)…

Kettles Yard – modern art!
Mill Road – full of independent shops
Great St Mary’s Church
Fitzwilliam Museum
Jesus College
Stem and Glory Restaurant
Varsity Hotel for a rooftop drink
Botanical Gardens
University Arms Hotel
Magdalene College and Pepys Library
The River Cam

And of course, it was Bonfire Night too, so maybe there was a chance of fireworks too! One location from our list that was already booked was the Stem and Glory restaurant – a Vegan eatery in the city – and this would be my very first experience of eating in a completely meat-free environment! . More about that later, when I fully plan to immerse myself in the whole ‘Vegan Thing‘ (well, at least for tonight!).

2.05pm: With Ann dropping me off, the next task was to track down my friends who were all ahead of me (some say: in every sense). After dropping my bags and making the call, we agreed to meet up at the Fitzwilliam Museum.

2.45pm: It only took me around 20/25 minutes to walk to the Museum. Light rain was in the air, but it was still quite mild for November. Perfect timing too, as I arrived – the others had only been there for around 10 minutes. . After initially spending some time in the Museum’s shop, exchanging greetings and catching-up, we discussed our plans for the weekend before chatting to one of the helpful Museum staff for an idea of what to look at in the Museum.

There’s a lot here from ‘pop-up’ exhibitions to furniture, paintings, sculptures – you know, the usual Museum stuff sensibly spread across multiple floors. We started with their temporary exhibition ‘The Family’ celebrating – you guessed it -the family unit in all its shapes and sizes. I think we all thought it was a good job it was temporary! It didn’t do anything for us at all, even though the paintings of family members were sometimes startling (and I now can’t UNsee the one of the young guy in his underpants!!). There were a few memorable displays though (see below) – I guess it’s all in the eye of the beholder!

We ended our visit looking around their ‘Black Atlantic‘ exhibition. Its purpose? “…exploring some new stories from history – stories that help us to separate fact from fiction and history from myth”. Some very powerful images and testimonials, that somehow felt quite depressing!

Impressions? I’m sure a lot of work has gone into selecting and displaying the exhibits, but I actually think I preferred the architecture of the actual Museum itself! OK, there were a couple of ‘Wow!’ exhibits (such as those two above), but otherwise, it all felt a bit ordinary.

All-in-all, we spent just over an hour there and as we left, it began to rain. Next stop? The nearby University Arms Hotel for a sit-down, a much longer chat and maybe a glass of fizz too!

Maybe????

4.35pm: Gosh! I hadn’t sat here in the Library here since the 80s (when I was running management courses here as part of my day job for Sainsbury’s). Although in recent months it had completed its mega-makeover, the Hotel felt as familiar as ever. It was popular too and we managed to get the last remaining table!

We enjoyed catching up on old times and reflecting on how we first met each other. The two bottles of fizz went down a treat, and we stayed until just before 7pm.

Steve, the Vegan!

7.15pm: For tonight only, I went fully Vegan at the Stem and Glory restaurant in Station Road. Being a confirmed Carnivore, this was a challenge in every sense! Imightbeen a partial Veggie for a while, but tonight meant going the ‘whole hog hyacinth‘.

We arrived at the Restaurant pretty much bang on our booked time of 7.15, but it was an unassuming entrance, and we nearly missed it. Already about half full when we arrived, it got very busy, and it was clear this was a popular destination for eating. Our Server was very helpful and we were soon working our way through the varied (and in my case VERY unfamiliar) menu.

Being my first time, I wasn’t really sure what was a good choice and what wasn’t, but in the end, Philip and I settled for the Patatas Bravas with the Kimchi Pancakes (small plate) followed by the Royal Hyderabadi Dum Biryani (mains). Meanwhile, June and Antoinette tucked into their Traffic Light Curry. What a mouthful (and that was just ordering mine!) but what a meal!

Packed with flavour from beginning to end! And nicely presented too!

None of us could really manage a Dessert but we all liked the look of one of the desserts – Black Forest Torte (containing avocado!). We shared one between four as a compromise, and it went down a treat!

For my first time in a Vegan restaurant, it had been a fantastic experience! Thanks, Antoinette, for finding this one!

9.25pm: We called it a night, paid the bill (very reasonable at just over £30 per head – especially for Cambridge!) and took the short walk to the bus stop. Having waited for 40 minutes, it wasn’t to be, despite the arrival time being clearly displayed on the shelter’s LED panel. At arrival time, the bus time simply disappeared – and no bus either!! . We headed back to the station and grabbed a cab, and we were soon back at the Premier Inn.

What a fantastic day, in every sense. More of the same tomorrow, I hope!

Tomorrow…

St Mary’s Church
Varsity Hotel (for a rooftop drink)
Magdalene and Pepys Library
Evensong
…and possibly more! or less… or different!

Nighty Night!

Day 2

Morning all! Good grief! A dry day ahead – that’ll be welcome.

We all met up at 9.30 for what would turn out be a really busy one (for all the right reasons!) . Ready? Set? We were off!

9.36am: Walk along the River (Cam)

It was a chilly one, but a lot of people (some in shorts! Eeek!!!) were doing the same as us – just taking the air and soaking up the sights! One of those ‘good to be alive’ mornings!

Along the way, we took in so many sights including (just past Jesus Green) Cambridge’s famous Lido. It was enjoying a lot of mad fools enthusiastic swimmers taking advantage of the crisp outdoor temperature and the luxury of an early morning swim.

All that activity was giving me quite an appetite (I’d ‘gone with the flow’ and not had breakfast), so our next stop was perfectly timed!

10.46am: Fitzbillies

A Cambridge institution, Fitzbillies is famous for its Chelsea Buns and its many variations on a theme! It was established in 1920 and those well-known buns are created right here in the city. They have two outlets here – the other is in Bridge Street.

12.12pm: Cambridge Market

Cambridge’s famous Market was buzzing! (as it is, every time I visit here. From street food to clothing to jewellery to cheese to, well, pretty much everything in between! It was great to see a Street Market in 2023 doing so well!

12.33pm: The Varsity Hotel and Spa

The rather posh 4 star Varsity Hotel was next on our list. We weren’t particularly fussed about the Hotel nor the Spa, we were simply there to take advantage of their rooftop Bar and enjoy the views across Cambridge.

It wasn’t to be, as the roof-space was temporarily closed, but we did manage the next best thing, albeit one floor lower. The Cocktails tasted just as good and we grabbed ourselves a comfy table in the corner, offering the promised views across the City, chatting away for almost two hours!

1.52pm: The Pepy’s Library/Magdalene College

The Pepy’s Library is a well-respected building from an architectural perspective and an example of a private library. It dates back to 1792. It is open to the public for guided visits on Friday mornings so it was a pity that today was a Sunday! It was good to see something so old, looking in such good shape, but it will undergo major renovation from 2024.

We then looked a little further into Magdalene College itself… Some impressive sights awaited us here too!

Impressive stuff!

2.10pm: Kettles Yard

These days, Kettle’s Yard is primarily an Art Gallery plus a House (and the obligatory cafe and gift shop|). Purely because our desire to climb the steps at our NEXT venue (and where those opportunities were limited ‘by the clock’, we declined the House Tour here and instead just browsed their shop. One for next time maybe??

2.25pm: Great St Mary’s Church

We had originally intended doing this earlier in the day, but one of their Services over-ran and without any signage to explain what and why, we temporarily abandoned the mission. But here we were, albeit a little later (it didn’t matter, but if you’re following in our footsteps, check your timings for this experience as they’re limited). After paying our fee (£6) Instructions for the climb were short but clear. ‘Mind your head’ (obviously), ‘stay off your phones until you get to the top’, and ‘at the summit, enjoy the view, but wait to be called down’. Simples! Well, for most of our fellow travellers – but not all!

For me, this was the highlight of the day! An opportunity to climb the (123!) spiral steps of Great St Mary’s and enjoy some (more) spectacular views across the City.

Wow! It was worth the climb (but the ascent did have me pausing for breath on the way. There was even the opportunity to look at the Bell Tower around halfway up. For Bell fans, four of them were installed as early as 1515 with the remainder, during the 17th century. So glad we did this as the views are unrivalled!

3.15pm: St Michael’s Church/Michael House Café

After our climb, it was back down to earth (literally) and a quick cuppa and a nibble at St Michael’s Church in their Café. Again, this was another establishment that was ‘buzzing’ with business. As I sat there, enjoying the conversation and surroundings (that date back to the 11th century) I had a feeling I’d been here before. I couldn’t remember when though. Nothing in my Blog, since I began writing it in 2024, and so I put it down to one of those ‘spooky’ experiences!

4.05pm: The Eagle Pub

This looked, felt and sounded like a good ol’ fashioned English boozer. It was! The beer went down a treat, but the noise… not so much! . The nearby table were clearly enjoying themselves, but in the end, we left for somewhere quieter. We took a slow leisurely stroll around the local shops before arriving at Jesus College for Evensong.

5.25pm: Evensong – Jesus College

We arrived just before 5.30 and that gave us plenty of time to look around the College before phones were switched off for Evensong.

What a lovely place, especially now that it was almost dark. The combination of the shadows and the lighting in general, gave Jesus College an ‘other worldly’ feel (or was that just the after-effects of my earlier beer?) .

We took our seats for Evensong (my second – or first, I can’t quite remember) together with a sizeable group of others as we nestled amongst the Choir. It was a full-on affair with hymns, chants, readings and a guest speaker – Professor Tina Beattie – who enlightened us (sorta!) on the subject of ‘Adam’s Curse? Androcentrism and Ecology’. I must admit, I got lost in the middle somewhere and never found my way out, but she was clearly very knowledgeable, and I’m sorry that I didn’t get more from it. I enjoyed the singing though (although, my closest neighbours may NOT have enjoyed mine!) .

All-in-all a great experience, but I’d be the first to admit it was a serious affair and it was a good job the leaflet was very clear who said what and when, when we stood, when we sat and when we kneeled! As they say: “Intense!”. Yes, a very moving experience, but I think we all deserved some light relief.

7.30pm: Aromi Pizza

Our final stop for the day – and that light relief mentioned earlier – was lovely little Sicilian Pizza restaurant in Benedict Street called Aromi.

The service was quick and friendly (just what we needed) but more importantly, the food was delicious – such a pleasant change from the big pizza chains. At the end of the meal, they even called us a taxi and we were soon back at the Premier Inn. It had been another GREAT day exploring Cambridge, where the weather turned out to be perfect all day.

9.05pm: Phew! Back in the room and reflecting on my step-count for the day – a bit of a record for me for a single day! – and the mileage I walked. A great day! We’re all meeting up tomorrow morning at Breakfast to say goodbye and head off in different directions – until the next time!

10.15pm: Knackered! See you tomorrow!

Day 3

Good morning! I slept VERY well (maybe it was simply pure exhaustion and all that fresh air?)

So, what of this latest get-together by The Magnificent 7even? Again, it goes without saying that we continued to enjoy each other’s company (we always do!). Location-wise, I certainly feel that we got beneath the surface of Cambridge and I, for one, now know it even better now than I did before. The weather, especially for this time of year, served us well (mostly!) making our walks even more enjoyable. Looking back at our original list of intended visits, we didn’t get around to see the Botanical Gardens, wander along Mill Road.

Any standout moments? Two for me – the views from the top of Great St Mary’s Church and (for completely different reasons) last night’s Evensong – a powerful experience (even if I wasn’t always sure ‘where it was going’).

We’ve already given some thought about NEXT year’s get-together, and it’ll be good to see everyone again once we’ve set the date. Roll on 2024!

9.50am: Time to say our final goodbyes and head in the direction of our preferred transport. For me, it was easy! Ann picked me up in EVie whilst my three co-explorers headed for the railway station.

See you on the other side!

All our Cambridge photos
HERE

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!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post 7even in Cambridge (Almost!) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Off to the Capital today – one of my less frequent trips into London these days! To think, I used to do this pretty much on a daily basis when I was working!!! . What a difference, 10 years in retirement makes!!! But ME in the GYM??? Surely some mistake! Read on!

The reason for the trip? An overdue get-together with a group of like-minded ex-business-buddies. This is a deep friendship formed back in 1999 when we all met and collaborated on a massive project for the (then) ‘World’s Favourite Airline’. Initially, there were five of us, and we christened ourselves ‘The 5ive’ (how creative is that?!) – and Carey, Angela, Antoinette, Philip and yours truly have stayed in touch ever since. It’s been that sort of friendship where we’ve spent a few weekends away together – and not managed to kill each other!

The 5ive do Stratford-upon-Avon (October 2012)
The 5ive do Bath (October 2013)
The 5ive do Birmingham (October 2014)
The 5ive do Liverpool (September 2015)
The 5ive do Bristol (I missed that one in 2016!)

In later years, a few other business colleagues from the same project joined us – June and then Rick – and in the fastest rebranding exercise going, we briefly became The 7even eventually evolving into The Magnificent Seven!

The last time we all got together like this was back in November 2022 when we visited one of our more familiar haunts – ‘EVs‘ (Yummy Turkish cuisine) – near Southwark Tube. On this occasion, we agreed to make the venue a little easier for me to get to – and so we settled for The Gymnasium, sandwiched between King’s Cross and St Pancras International. I’ve eaten there before and it was great! Tasty food, good service and (for London) agreeable prices!

With my return ticket for just £25.80 and the table booked for 12.30, all that was needed was my friends… Check!

…and a menu! . Check!

Sadly, Rick nor Philip couldn’t make this one, leaving me to enjoy the company of four women. Tough job!! (Not!) .

Probably the toughest decision was whether to eat inside or (as it was a gorgeously hot day) outside, under one of their massive umbrellas. We opted for outside! What could possibly go wrong?

Although the food on offer was good, the service was less so! Incorrect advice from our Waiter about cooking the burger, forgotten orders and sluggish service tainted the whole experience – even though the food itself (when it arrived) was yummy!

…and then it started to rain!

…and then it REALLY started to rain!

This resulted in a mass evacuation indoors whilst the waiting staff broadened their CVs by arming themselves with buckets, mops, and squeegees!

Meanwhile, they found us a table inside where we gave into temptation and scanned the Dessert menu.

We WERE all tempted… but some of us shared (not me though!)

As usual, I cut short my get-together in order to use my timed-ticket. The girls agreed to take care of the bill and work out my contribution. But as if things couldn’t get even more chaotic, I learned later that all their card machines had packed up! . Not really their fault but talk about ‘bad timing’!!! . In fact, they had to let my friends go, on the promise of paying over the phone tomorrow!

All-in-all then, it had been great to catch up with my friends (and we even had a chance to discuss our next weekend away – possibly Cambridge) but The Gymnasium was a real disappointment – I can’t think I’ll be recommending ‘the gym’ any time soon!

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!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Steve visits the Gym! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

In what felt like years in the planning, ‘The 5ive’ met in London today. Guess how we got our name?

Guess no more! Back to the ‘dawn of the time’ (1999 actually!) when a number of us in our day jobs as self-employed Management Trainers first met during a very large project for a then ‘favourite airline’.

We got on really well – there were dozens of us Trainers, all with slightly different skill sets, but with two things in common – we loved what we did, and we knew our stuff! And even though our audiences (probably totalling thousands over the length of the project) were sometimes a ‘tough crowd’, all of us enjoyed the challenge and where, eventually, a few of us became lifelong friends.

Thus, ‘The 5ive’ were born! We’re a small group of like-minded individuals with a love of London, food and the occasional tipple!

Then things got slightly complicated when we welcomed some new members – and, as a result, we evolved into ‘The 7even’, aka The Magnificent Seven’. Since then, over the past 20 years and so, we’ve met very often as a group for meals and even spent weekends away together!

The 5ive do Stratford-upon-Avon (October 2012)
The 5ive do Bath (October 2013)
The 5ive do Birmingham (October 2014)
The 5ive do Liverpool (September 2015)
The 5ive do Bristol (I missed that one!)

Today was one of those get-togethers but PhilipP and RickA unfortunately weren’t able to make it this time. So, it was left to the five of us to sample the Anatolian and Mediterranean delights of the oft-visited (by us) EV Restaurant located off The Cut in London.

I was last to arrive for our 12.15 booking (due to a sluggish underground journey from St Pancras). Kisses and hugs all around as we hadn’t seen each other as a group for almost a year (actually, after a bit of head-scratching, at our 10th Wedding Anniversary party, last December!).

It was great to see everyone and the food was excellent – and just how we remember it. Sadly, the service was NOT – and definitely on the relaxed side (polite version!). Still, it didn’t spoil our reunion, and 2½ hours went by in a flash!

The portion sizes seemed to have grown somewhat since our last visit here and as a result, we probably ordered too much food (but it’s what you do isn’t it!?!?

But there’s always room for Dessert isn’t there? And whilst the majority of us exercised constraint, I certainly didn’t, and shared the Sun-dried Apricots with Angela.

It was now 3pm and after paying our dues, we headed off (initially anyway) each in our own direction. Whilst Antoinette, Carey and June headed for Waterloo, Angela and I took the short walk to Southwark Tube. But, just to keep us on our toes, we found the Tube Station closed – with no explanation! Shutters were down and a few other potential passengers were scurrying around outside trying to make sense of it all (as were we!). I can’t recall ever finding a Tube Station closed without any form of notice!

‘Tick tock’ as they say, so we didn’t hang around. A short walk to Waterloo where Angela headed for her train whilst I aimed for the Tube. It was all a bit of a rush and I eventually got my timed Train from St Pancras with just 3 minutes to spare! All a bit too close for comfort in my book and I need to rethink timings for future visits to the smoke.

No such hassle at the Kettering end of my journey, as Ann was there to pick me up!

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!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post 5ive go to London appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Well, here we are, I’m in my favourite city – London – and meeting with ‘The 5ive’ for Lunch.

We’re ‘The 5ive’ because there are 7 of us (I know! Don’t ask, it’s complicated!) who met and collaborated on a training project back in 1999. We’ve met semi-regularly ever since – and just to keep our mental arithmetic sharp, today, there’s just four if us!

Our Restaurant of choice was ‘EV‘, a thoroughly reliable and enjoyable member of the TAS family of Restaurants – and one we’ve been to a gazillion times before. It’s a Turkish affair and located a short walk from Southwark Tube.

Our get-together was a perfect excuse for a belated birthday celebration for Angela too!

The food and service was as good as ever!

…and Mains!

I was first to depart around 3.10, in order to get across London and catch my Train – I made it with about 15 minutes to spare!

All-in-all a really good get-together and a chance to catch up with everyone’s news!

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!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post ‘The 5ive’ do Lunch appeared first on Steve's Blog.

It’s that time of year again where a group of us Trainers (‘the 5ive’, because there’s 7 of us – don’t ask!) who worked together on the BA Project back in 1999 get together for a weekend of celebration. This year, there’s five of us – Antoinette, Angela, Philip and me – with June joining us on the Saturday.

We try and choose a different venue each year. After Stratford-upon-Avon (2012), Bath (2013), Birmingham (2014),  Liverpool (2015), London, for my 60th (2016) and nothing in 2017, this year we’re in Southsea!

The majority of us are staying at The Best Western, Royal Beach Hotel for a couple of nights, beginning on the Friday.

So, first stop was over to Northampton to pick up the two studio photographs, then it was onto Chertsey Station to pickup Angela. Her train was on time, and we were soon on the last leg of the journey.

90 minutes later, after negotiating the very tight car-park, we met Antoinette and Philip who were soaking up the Sun outside the hotel followed by a swift(ish) check-in.

My room was ready but they were still working on Angela’s. Room 411 certainly had a sea view – and it was initially a little ‘toasty’ in there (until I found the electric fan!)

…not a bad view though!

Friday

By 2.45, Angela was checked-in and after a quick planning session by the four of us, we headed off to Gunwharf Quays by Bus. It only took around 15 minutes and we were soon wandering around, soaking-up the sun.

Wow! It was also as BUSY as I remember it! I think I assumed that being a Friday, it wouldn’t be too manic… how wrong can you be??? People, people everywhere.

First stop was the Emirates Spinnaker Tower – an opportunity too good to miss with this glorious weather. Last time Ann and I were here was back in July, 2009 – and it was a fine day then too! In the intervening years, it’s acquired sponsorship by Emirates – and their branding was hard to miss – red, red and err, more red!

Age had its advantage as I got my ticket for a whole pound less than younger visitors!!

As expected, the views were spectacular! In addition to the spectacular views on the main observation area (that also included a small glass floor area, so visitors could enjoy the view vertically downwards) there’s an extra floor. This involved a short stair-climb where a small area had been converted to look like a garden – astro-turf and a few deckchairs! The unique feature, in addition to even more stunning views, was that it was roofless! What I thought was a really efficient AC unit working its socks off, was in fact the ‘breeze’ from the roof!


Overall, it was a great experience and good to see the views across the Harbour and beyond.

We were now in need of some refreshment, and as Philip and Antoinette had arrived ahead of me, they’d already sussed a suitable watering-hole.

The watering-hole in question was The Canteen – a deli style café – a unique eatery that because of its location – in the Barracks of the ‘Hotwalls’ area in the old town. It was so close to the water that it advertised the times for high-tide so that patrons could avoid getting wet/get wet/watch others get wet!!!
 

We enjoyed some small nibbles and a bottle of Champagne whilst occasionally watching other unintentionally dampens their socks from the safety of a ‘just-inside’ location.

Philip and Antoinette walked back to the Hotel whilst Angela and I tried out the bus-service. Confession time: I redacted. We waited longer than expected but eventually the ‘No. 1’ arrived. After a quick change of clothes and then helping Angela determine her journey home (because of engineering works on Sunday), we were back out – after a quick drink in the Bar – and heading out for our evening meal.

Our restaurant of choice (there were so many to choose from!) was Bodrum as we’re all a fan of Turkish food. A £3 taxi fare followed, and we were soon seated and looking through the (massive) menu…

..and the food and service didn’t disappoint. It was all delicious. We learned that it’s a family-owned-and-run business. Dad cooking the meat (uniquely on show actually in the restaurant), Mum, back-of-house, whilst Sons made up the waiting-staff. It all worked very well and a friendlier team of waiters would be hard to find!

We wined, we dined and we wined some more! By 10.37pm it was over. And whilst Philip and Antoinette headed for their next venue. Angela and I called it a night.

Our plans for tomorrow are to have brekky around 8.30 and then head into the Old Town for a Harbour Tour and then do our own thing in the shape of the other attractions on offer.

Nighty-night!

Saturday

June joined us today after breakfast (she travelled down last night and is staying at another Hotel up the road). Our plan today was to do the Historic Dockyard ‘to death’ – history will show that we succeeded!

First activity (after queuing for a bit) was another queue – for the Harbour Tour. This was clearly a very popular option and although we got in the queue by 10.35, we didn’t actually start boarding until just before 11am. The trip lasted just over 45 minutes and took in a comprehensive listing or more or less everything that was moored in the Harbour. Pity then that the Captain’s live commentary was being mostly ignored by most passengers under the age of 20 – more interested in stuffing their faces and taking selfies #GrumpyOldMan.

Our Boat stopped briefly at Gunwharf Quays before returning to where we boarded. It was brilliant!

This was a steam-powered and sail-powered ship. I don’t recall it all last time we were here, but apparently, it’s been in dry-dock here for 30+ years. Although a good example of ‘best technology in its day’, the overall experience was marred by a distinct lack of background information and hardly any volunteer exhibits. Worth wandering around it though!

Then it was off to The Victory. That’s more like it! Plenty of Volunteers around and a unique audio guide that filled all our knowledge gaps.

A spot of Lunch followed and then it was more exploring around Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard before retiring and reflecting on the day in a cool shady spot in the Old Customs House Pub. This was nice! We chilled for a bit before heading back to the Hotel

Whilst Angela took the Bus, the rest of us (partly) followed the Millennium Walk

It was a windy walk, but the great weather made it very pleasurable!

Somehow, we ended up back at The Canteen – and another bottle of Champagne! This time, we sat outside and watched the Ship pass by – a unique location with a unique view. Perfect!

Our final meal was booked for 7.30 at Samphire – a Cocktail Bar and Brasserie…

A couple of us had assumed it was an Indian restaurant (me included), and now I’m not sure why! Still, the food was excellent – and we dined like Kings!

Smoked Haddock Fishcake, served with Hollandaise Sauce & Baby Spinach

Ballotine of Chicken stuffed with a Chorizo and Herb Mousse served with Parmesan Mash and a Herb Cream Sauce


Banana and Baileys Bread and Butter Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream

We finished the meal just before 11pm and decided t walk back together to our respective Hotels. Antoinette’s estimation of a “10-15 minute walk” was a little wide of the mark,  but it didn’t matter, it was nice warm evening – and just perfect for a walk.

Thirty-five minutes later, as we approached the Hotel, I said my goodbyes (as I was travelling home tomorrow at the ‘crack of dawn’), headed back to my room, as did Angela. The others made even more of an evening of it, by heading off to a Wine Bar.

Sunday

I woke at 3.30am and it didn’t seem worth going back to sleep. So, after a quick shower, at 4.15, I was checking out and soon on the road. It was fast journey home and I was indoors – 150 miles later – by 6.45am!

It was a great break, and Southsea exceeded my expectations, as did the Hotel. I’d happily stay in Southsea again and the Hotel too!

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!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Trainers’ Weekend Away (2018) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Tonight was the annual Christmas get-together of ‘The 5ive’ – the group of us ex-self-employed Trainers who all worked together on a massive BA project back in 1999!

We’ve managed to keep up these get-togethers for over 15 years now – and we haven’t changed a bit! We weren’t up to full strength tonight in terms of numbers – with Angela, Carey and Antoinette to keep me company, whilst Philip and June were elsewhere. We tried face-timing Philip, but the mobile signal was pretty poor so we reverted to a text instead!

After a quick drive to Bedford and then the Tube to Euston Square followed by a fifteen-minute walk, I ended up at tonight’s restaurant of choice – Côte Brasserie in Charlotte Street but before all that, Angela and I settled down at Cafe Nero opposite for a spot of techy troubleshooting with her Laptop, Tablet and Camera.

After put two-hours of successful ‘teching’, at around 6.25 we wandered across the road into the toasty-warm (and very busy) restaurant. We were shown to our Table where Antoinette and Carey had just arrived. Menus were soon being perused and we quickly made up our minds. They seated us upstairs (it was packed downstairs), which initially was deserted and lacked a bit of atmosphere, but a little later, another party of four were seated on the opposite side to us which helped make the place feel more welcoming.

The food was tasty but the service was a bit mediocre. The language barrier between us and our Waiter also presented a few challenges along the way.

Our evening ended after coffee and we headed our separate ways – the girls to Tottenham Court Road Tube and me back towards Euston Square. By now, it was getting really cold, and on my short walk back to the Tube, I felt a light dusting of snowy-rain to encourage my walking pace!

It was great see the girls again, and as usual, we’d put the world right – and had a few laughs along the way. My connections were good – a Tube train almost immediately and just a five minute wait for my Train at St Pancras. By 10pm I was back at Bedford and by 11, I was under the duvet!

Great days with great friends!

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!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Côte Tales appeared first on Steve's Blog.

A bit of a rush today as I finished the Class at 3pm, drove over to Bedford and headed for the Capital.

The reason? The semi-regular get-together members of ‘The 5ive’ – our informal gathering for those of us who worked with BA ‘back in the day’ on their SMA project. Tonight, we were a little thin on the ground, with only three of us – June, Antoinette and yours truly – but that didn’t stop us having a good time.

First stop was The Euston Flyer in the Euston Road accompanied by a glass of London Pride before moving on to Pizza Express in Euston Road a few doors away for 7pm.

 

…and the place was really busy! I think we got the one of the last few tables available. A few hours of catching-up followed, helped along by very good service, superb food – and the obligatory 30%-off voucher!

Ooo! that was spicy!

One of my ‘5-a-day’!

We managed three-courses, a bottle of vino and a tea/coffee, all for a very reasonable £25 each (and that included the tip). Not bad for this part of London! We even got to set a date for a pre-Christmas get-together AND weekend date for 5ive’s collective get-away in 2018!

We called it a night around 9 and wandered back in the direction of St Pancras. The girls took the Tube and I headed for the Bedford train. Perfect timing for me as I only had to wait about five-minutes. By 10.20, I was unlocking the car at Bedford station, and by 11 I’d hit the pillow!

A great night out!

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!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Three 5ives appeared first on Steve's Blog.

It’s that time again when us Trainers (‘the 5ive’, because there’s 7 of us – don’t ask!) all assemble for our regular catch-up.

Venue of choice tonight was Strada in Great Queens Street, close to Holborn Tube. 

Before the get-together I met up with Angela outside the London Palladium beforehand (Scooby-Doo? Boy, this place has gone down a bit!) as she’d found out about a FREE wine-tasting event courtesy of Mr Tesco, just down the road in Wardour Street.

I’m in!

Like many, I tend to associate Tesco with wonky trolley wheels and supermarkets, so this was almost surreal. It was a pop-up type venue, with security guards on the outside and reception staff beautified within an inch of their life. We got there around 5.15 and the place was already packed. After a short wait, we were led down (an almost vertical staircase) to immaculate seating area with four wines laid-out ready for our tasting-pleasure.

It was even more surreal when I remembered that it wasn’t just a Wine-Bar, Tesco was also presenting an invite-only wine-tasting evening run by two of their wine-buyers (I still found it difficult to believe this was a supermarket-driven affair). But what an affair! We were educated and entertained in equal measure and the whole thing was 101% professionally presented -we even got to (try and) take notes. In just thirty minutes, we were better informed about the wines-of-choice – and slightly p***** too. A perfect combo then.

And in a flash, it was over! and as Angela and I attempted to climb the (what now seemed even more vertical) staircase, we then jumped on a bus and headed for the restaurant – what a great start to the evening!!

We were slightly down on numbers this time around – just June, Antoinette, Angela and me, but it didn’t matter and we were soon catching-up with everyone’s news. The food and service were excellent – and the Waiter did well to cope with our (now legendary and regular) confusion at the end trying to sort out who-was-paying-what! For a group of so-called communication experts, it’s always a giggle seeing how crap we are at sorting out this simple task!

Time flew as it always does, and I left around 8.45 to give me enough time to get to St Pancras International  and my timed train at 9.30. On arrival at St Pancras, it looked like there must have been a cancellation before mine – the waiting area was packed! and the train staff gave up managing the crowd when the platforms were announced – and simply opened all the barriers.

Luckily, I got a seat, and the hour-long journey soon passed. By 10.45 I was indoors catching-up with the latest Olympic results (aren’t we doing well!!)

It’s been another great evening with ‘the gang’, but I’m still trying to get my head round the whole Tesco Wine Tasting Evening!

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!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Strada Various appeared first on Steve's Blog.

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!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post 5ive do Pizza appeared first on Steve's Blog.

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!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post 5ive go to… Liverpool appeared first on Steve's Blog.

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!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post 5ive’s Indian Summer appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Although it was a few weeks ago, some of ‘the old team’ met up in London today to celebrate Angela’s Birthday.

We all planned to meet at the Thistle Hotel, Lancaster Gate for a few drinks before heading off for Halepi’s, the Greek restaurant opposite. We used to frequent this restaurant quite often when we were working on the BA project together, way back in 1999.

I set off from home just after 11.30, caught the 12-noon train and arrived at St Pancras on time at just before 1pm. It was a warmer day in London and that was very welcome after all the recent snow. In fact, the journey down to Marylebone Road was very pleasant indeed – it could have been a Summer’s day (an English one though!)

Angela and I agreed to meet-up at 3pm, have a few drinks and then wait for everyone else to arrive. I grabbed a taxi from St Pancras at around 1.30 and headed for the hotel – only to learn that it had closed down in 2006 and was now a building site! (but destined to become luxury apartments). Time for a quick rethink and I headed instead to the sister hotel just round the corner Thistle Hotel Hyde Park and waited for Angela.

(It’s just coming up to 3pm – Ann will be having her second official ‘one-to-one’ with her bossabout now. This is when she’ll be officially told that she’s being made redundant. The three-month countdown clock therefore starts from today…)

As soon as Angela arrived, we sampled the Bar! We chatted for ages and before we knew it, it was 5 o’clock. We had a quick walk back along Marylebone Road up to Queensway tube and then back again. Not long after, Philip arrived followed by Rick who called to say he was nearby and was heading for the Restaurant.

We headed for the restaurant ourselves, arriving there by about 6.45pm (which was slightly earlier than planned, but we were hungry!!). Antoinette and June, who had driven from work at BA, arrived not long after.

We enjoyed a great meal and the service was spot-on even though they were packed (they were literally turning them away at the door!)

Once again, the time flew and after starters, mains and just coffee & tea it was 9pm. Rick offered to drop me at St Pancras but I narrowly missed the 9.30 train for Kettering by a whisker! I jumped on the 10pm and was indoors by 11.15pm.

It’s been a great day catching-up with everyone. Can it be almost 10 years since we all began work on the BA project and first sampled the delights of Halepi’s?

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!

StevePalmerTheBlogger.com

The post Angela’s 60th appeared first on Steve's Blog.