Day 1 – Sunday, 23rd

Last year, it was (only) Olney, this year, we’re further afield, heading for Stoke-on-Trent.

We left around 9.15 for the straightforward journey to our destination: A14 > M1 > A50.

We arrived just before 10.45, so we grabbed a quick coffee, making the best use of the time before the Gladstone Pottery Museum opened at 11. The Museum is of course home to the popular Channel 4 Programme: ‘The Great British Throwdown’, and the success of the show has certainly put Stoke back on the map as well as the Museum itself (judging by how many people arrived at the same time as us!).

After paying our entry fee of £8.50 (for younger peeps) and £6.95 (for the old ‘un) we were soon throwing ourselves into it (see what I did there?). I think the location all felt a little smaller than when seeing it on TV, but there is certainly a lot packed in here. The Pottery closed in 1970 and re-opened as the Museum just four years later. The Grant they received in 2000 from the Lottery had been put to good use, making it possible to display a lot more of their proud history than would have otherwise been possible.

We both felt they’d re-created the look and feel of the Pottery really well through the numerous exhibits, information boards and various facts and figures from when Gladstone was at the top of their game.

They had also blended ‘new’ with ‘old’ and there were various exhibits featuring works from the latest series of TGPT.

And if pottery itself isn’t your thing, then the old machines (seen running today!) that powered it all was a must-see!

Want more? There were plenty of ‘facts and figures’ boards to remind you of how much it was all worth – including the wage costs!

With the Pottery itself leaving a lasting impression, our final visit was to the on-site exhibition of… toilets!! Imaginatively named: ‘Flushed with Pride” (arf, arf!) this turned out to be the last word in WC evolution. Pretty much the A to Z of everything you wanted to know about managing crap (but in a very good way!) – and maybe some detail you didn’t!! . Luckily, no stools to sit on, but there was an interactive quiz. It appealed to our slightly warped sense of humour and featured the sound of a flushing loo if you got the answer correct, plus a rather loud ‘breaking wind’ effect, if you got it wrong! ‘Tasteful’ doesn’t begin to describe it… . Young kids loved it (and so did the older ones!).

It was strangely entertaining! Neither of us realised there was so much history associated with something that we very much take for granted these days! A suitable end to our visit here. Gladstone had been very enjoyable and even as just a day-trip, we felt that the experience was worth it. Even us, who normally cover these things in record time, took us just over 90 minutes. The signage suggested two hours for a visit, and that seems about right.

No, not thunder – our stomachs were rumbling….

Sunday Lunch

Next stop was a short drive to The Black Lake Inn for Sunday Lunch. We arrived just after 12.30 and considering it only opened at noon, we took one of the last spaces in the car-park. Once inside, we were soon shown to our table and presented with the menus. It seemed that the rest of the citizens of Stoke had got a head start on us, where most of the covers were already tucking into their main courses.

Service was swift and we had soon placed our orders.

We could see why the place was so busy. The food was delicious and the portions enormous! Even I couldn’t finish all of mine! No room even for Desserts (really???)

After topping up OUR energy supplies, it was time to do the same for EVie and we took the short three-mile drive to a new(ish) BP Pulse Charging Station located behind the Costa Coffee just off the Baths Road. These were the newer 350kW monsters, and we’d topped up an additional 100 miles in no time at all (costing us around £18).

Sad Spode

Our final stop for the day was The Spode Factory. Just like the Gladstone Pottery this was also now a Museum – its glory days also sadly past. In fact it was all a tad depressing. The whole factory area that was once ALL part of the Spode empire had gradually been reduced over the years and sold off for Bars and small businesses leaving the smallish Museum run by Volunteers.

The Museum was interesting but not on the same size and scale as Gladstone. The three staff on duty were very positive about the outlook, but the upper floor featuring some Spode’s past creations were being sold off at a fraction of the original price. To add a further insult, to fill the space, they displayed some of their competitors’ products too!

We learned that one of the larger contributors to the demise of their highly decorated products was, of all things, the dishwasher! Apparently, the shift to simpler, dishwasher-proof designs, sealed its fate (well, that and the high price point!).

An enjoyable visit, but there wasn’t much to see, and it all felt as if in a few more years, this will have all disappeared too! Ahh, the march of progress!!!

Our Accommodation: Premier Inn

Here we are for two-night sleepover at the Premier Inn, Stoke-on-Trent.

This is a newly built Premier Inn – and it showed! Everything was shiny and well-appointed. The only disappointment – their ‘Ultimate WiFi’ – proved to be an additional challenge, but the friendly and helpful staff were soon scratching their head (as was I) before, without any input by any of us, began to behave as advertised! . Technology, ehh!?!?

All-in-all, it was a very enjoyable day, but tinged with some sadness – here’s why… It was my first visit to Stoke and even though the weather was brighter than expected (no rain!), the city centre itself had a very ‘grey’ and downbeat feel about it (sorry, Stoke!). Was it the roadworks that seemed to be everywhere, or the fact that there was no-one about (except in McDonald’s or in their cars)? One thing was for certain – this clearly IS the training ground for would-be F1 drivers! Everyone was tearing around at about twice the speed limit and also showing zero respect for other drivers. No, I think the ‘grey’ effect was down to the aftermath of the old pottery industry that, for so many years, had made this city famous. Now, these proud businesses just looked like they were ‘hanging on by their fingernails’. Worse still, everywhere else seemed to have caught the disease. Overall, it felt like the city had lost its mojo with a lot of boarded-up premises that all desperately needed some TLC. Well, at least our accommodation was spot on, even if the view wasn’t!!

We ended our first day watching some TV and planning our second day here. Hopefully, a brighter day tomorrow, when we’re going full-on Pottery visiting! Living the dream, ehh?!?!

Day 2 – Monday, 24th

Morning all! Looks like a brighter day ahead as we switched into FPM (that’s Full Pottery Mode!) with the Emma Bridgewater Factory, the Dudson Centre and Museum plus the famous Wedgwood Factory on the list.

After a hearty breakfast – Premier Inn style – we took the short drive to the Emma Bridgewater Factory, just 0.9 miles away. So close in fact, we could have walked it… but we didn’t! . This Pottery is one of the few still going and has recently celebrated 40 years of throwing!

Parking was easy and just opposite the Factory. However, it was clearly the same space for staff too, so it was already 99% full when we arrived. We’d pre-booked the 10am tour as we parted with £10 each.

After a quick look around the gift shop, we joined the queue of TWO outside waiting for the Tour to start. A minute before 10am, we realised that we should have been assembling inside and we joined the dozen-or-so already waiting. After allocating our security lanyards, we were all set! Neil, our Guide, introduced himself and the Tour began!

Neil was excellent throughout the 60-minute experience! A scouser with an infectious sense of humour, he managed to bring the whole thing alive. Photography was limited as we had to avoid photographs of the staff AND any product that might (or might not) be a new product, yet to be launched. Tricky, but not impossible!

It certainly was an educational experience. EB bought up a derelict factory, kicked much of the machinery into life and re-recruited many of the staff who’d lost their jobs when the factory closed. In short, There’s a lot of love for this company in the city as it brought back (in part) the Pottery industry back to Stoke! What makes them different and desirable? Their colourful designs are less fussy than the traditional tableware that had graced the table of the UK in bygone times. Their prices seem to be more affordable too.

In a word: ‘Superb’!

Dudson Museum

Our next stop was the Dudson Centre and Museum, just over a mile away. Huzzah! It was FREE admission! .

Named after Richard Dudson who opened his first factory here in 1800. By the early 1980s, the Hope Street site was no longer viable for modern production, and it was shifted to the newly expanded, state-of-the-art J.E. Heath and Duraline factories.

In 1994 the original factory site was donated by the Dudson family to the voluntary sector, and an ambitious renovation project began in 1996 with donations from The Dudson Group and Stoke-on-Trent City Council. This has resulted in new housing being built right alongside the Museum and a small business centre inside the Dudson Centre. Note that parking is NOT free (£1.20 at the time of writing – and in spite of all the machines suggesting you can only pay by using an App, cash worked just as well!)

In spite of it feeling rather cramped inside, they’d packed a lot in across two floors. A short visit – in and out in under half an hour.

World of Wedgwood

Next? Another world… the World of Wedgwood – a mighty 7 miles away!!! As we got close to this Barlaston-based business, I felt myself wanting to take back everything I said yesterday about Stoke. We’d only driven from an ST1 to an ST12 postcode, but what a difference in the houses, the roads and the green open spaces – this was like we were in a different country, and it felt very upmarket.

Just £12 each for admission, where on arrival at World of Wedgwood’s entrance, the feeling of wealth continued and we found ourselves forced to do a double-take on what was before us…

How so? Well, given that so far it had been a somewhat SAD backstory to the Pottery Industry here in Stoke with 32000 jobs lost in the 70s – this one bucked the trend!

The site was absolutely massive (it took us over five minutes just to get to the car-park!) and looked VERY upmarket. How could it be that (based on yesterday) with the local Pottery Industry really struggling, this one seemed to be in rude health. They were obviously doing something very right – but what was it? A secret way of making tableware that gave an enormous margin? A way to mass-produce at minimal cost? A touch of AI? Nope, nothing quite so dramatic! – read on!

Step forward ‘Fiskars‘ – an old Finnish Company famous for making garden tools and scissors! Apparently, in 2009, Wedgwood finally threw in the towel after 250 years, and that included their other brands such Royal Doulton and Waterford Crystal going under too! Fiskards to the rescue, taking on the brand names and giving this dying industry the necessary shot in the bank statement! And so, here we are, some 15 years later, and it looked like Wedgwood (at least) had risen from the ashes – and some!

Financial assistance from the Heritage Fund and Art Fund also helped their cause. First impressions once we got inside? ‘No expense spared’ Second impressions? Perfectly pitched for the tourist market.

We had around 30 minutes to spare before our Tour began at 1.15, so we dropped into their cafeteria. Posh or what????

Gold-plated cutlery and ‘best’ china was everywhere! A good cuppa though and the savoury scones went down a treat!

We joined around a dozen others for the Tour and Pete introduced himself, where the instruction (again) not to take photographs that included product nor people was reinforced. They seemed to be a little more paranoid about it here compared with Emma Bridgewater – and so we complied! As we watched the staff in action, one thing became very clear – irrespective of brand – and that was how solitary some of the roles are. The Decorators who paint on/transfer the designs work at a frantic pace. Most of them had ear-buds in, and silently got on with their work. If you don’t like precision, nor repetition, this ISN’T the job for you.

The Tour went by in a flash and it soon became obvious that Wedgwood’s target market was so very different to Emma Bridgewater’s. Here, it was high volume, high price and high margin – very high! How about £8000 per plate that included 22-carat-gold edging! I’ll take 100… Any discount for cash? Err, no, I thought not! . Whilst EB aimed itself squarely at the ‘everyday’ customer, Wedgwood was all about attracting the wealthy – wherever they lived. And, in contrast to yesterday’s visit to Spode, at least Wedgwood had continued to produce new and more modern designs to keep pace with the changes in taste and fashion.

After the tour, we took a look around the V&A-sponsored Museum. Another jaw-dropping experience showing off its 165000 objects!

This had been another very worthwhile visit, just like all the others today – but for very different reasons. Fiskar has clearly seen the potential in the Wedgwood brand and has ‘splashed the cash’ with its eye on continuing to pitch the Wedgwood as a high value/highly sought after brand – even if it’s mostly for the overseas market. It’s no coincidence that all the signage explaining how the business operates was not only in English, but yes, you guessed it: Chinese and Japanese too!

Tomorrow, we check out after breakfast and head for Fosse Park in Leicester for some retail therapy and maybe even a birthday treat! . See you then!

Day 3 – Tuesday, 25th

Happy Birthday, Mrs P!

We checked out of the Hotel and headed for Fosse Park, Leicester. Fosse Park is one of Britain’s biggest out-of-town shopping areas, and we haven’t been there for about 10 years!

Boy, it’s certainly grown, and we confined ourselves to the ‘central’ part today as we’d probably need another two days to absorb the increase in the number of shops.

And it was busy too, judging by how full our first stop was – the M&S Coffee Shop! Suitably refreshed, it was time to seek out a suitable birthday gift for Mrs P, where Chanel fitted the bill perfectly!

Having clocked-up just over 100 miles, it wasn’t our longest trip we’ve driven for a birthday celebration, but it was a mighty interesting few days away. We headed home, skillfully avoiding a massive tailback on the A14 at Capthorpe. We were back indoors just after 1.30 to continue the celebration.

We ended the day with a celebratory Curry at home.

Happy Birthday, Mrs P!

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 Birthday Girl 2025! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Celebrations began early this year for Ann’s birthday!

Yesterday, it was down to Ann’s brother for a celebratory Birthday Lunch – and it didn’t disappoint! Roast Lamb, cooked to perfection and bags of opportunities to catch up with all Roger, Jane and Oli’s news!

Today, just before 9.30, we headed over to MK for a generous slice of retail therapy to follow-up on some online searching for a pair of suitable suitcases! Living the dream, ehh?!?! . Actually, I had plans to offer to buy Ann some jewellery …or some clothes …or some shoes, but we didn’t really see anything that jumped out at us, and we left MK feeling slightly underwhelmed.

Next stop, was the quaint town of Olney…

Olney is on the route back from MK to ours and I think we’ve spent most of our lives driving THROUGH it over the years! It’s a lovely place, full of lots of independent shops – some with prices to match!

We hadn’t booked, but we took a chance of grabbing a table at Olney’s famous Cherry Tree Bistro. It was a first visit for us, but it had a good reputation, so we were looking forward to the experience.

Well, given it was a Monday, we weren’t expecting it to be very busy, but it soon filled up (mainly with ‘ladies who lunch’) – and that was surely a good sign! Actually, it was!! Friendly service with food freshly cooked meant we were soon tucking-in to our respective choices. Sausages and Mash for me, whilst Ann opted for the Bolognese Pizza.

We were home just after 3 where all that was left to do was for Ann to open her pressies and cards – and there were plenty of each! Lucky girl!!

Happy Birthday Mrs P!

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 Olney another Birthday! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Another year and another Birthday – as Ann celebrated her special day today! It was a day with friends, food, cards and gift!

8.35am: After a quick ‘Birthday Bacon Sarny’, Ann began opening her presents and cards. Soon after, the ritual was briefly interrupted (in a good way) by a surprise video call from Nicki and Richard wishing her ‘happy birthday’. Then, just before 9, Sean (with little Athena) stopped by to wish Ann well and drop off another birthday gift.

11.02am: Then, at just after 11 it was off to nearby Oakham for more celebrations with a planned return to Hitchen’s Barn for Ann’s Birthday lunch. On arrival in the town, the weather was atrocious, but there was just time to look around and grab some fresh flowers for Ann from the Saturday Market. It was now blowing a gale, and so we abandoned any further plans to wander round the town and headed back to the car to lose the flowers. Next stop? The Pub!

12.31pm: Nick and Celina met us at the nearby Lord Nelson for a ‘swift pre-lunch half’. Initially, this ‘old fashioned’ boozer was deserted, but it soon filled up! After a quick catch-up, it was on to the main event.

12.55pm: Over the past few years, Hitchen’s Barn has quickly become our ‘go to’ eatery for high quality food complemented by imaginative menus, together with excellent service and well-trained staff! Last time we were here was back in December 2022 for our 38th Anniversary, and we were all looking forward to returning! We decided to arrive slightly earlier than our 1.15 slot mainly down to the remaining minutes left on our ticket in the car-park. They took our coats and we were soon seated and perusing their mouthwatering menus!

As usual, there were two menus on offer where it was easy to mix-and-match. Ann chose the Creamy Lincolnshire Poacher & Red Leicester Souffle followed by Breast of Chicken with Fondant Potato, Creamed Leaks & Morel Mushrooms. I opted for the Cauliflower Soup & (rather ginormous) Welsh Rarebit Crouton and then the Fillet of Cod with Herb Crust, Crushed New Potatoes and Mustard Sauce. As has become the norm, the food was packed with flavour and attractively presented. It really WAS good to be back – what a real treat for our tastebuds!

The restaurant was super-busy and somewhat noisier than we remember, but it didn’t stop us enjoying every mouthful. We were all stuffed by the time they tempted us with Desserts. All-in-all Hitchen’s Barn had done us proud and ticked all the boxes making it a great birthday celebration for Ann.

2.35pm: We walked back to the car-park (in the pouring rain!) and then said our goodbyes to Nick & Celina. It’s not too long before we see them again, as they’ll be round at ours in late May for a meal with Ralph & Karen.

3.17pm: It was a straightforward drive home, where the weather shifted from a cold wind with torrential rain to bright sunshine, by the time we pulled up on the drive.

3.55pm: Trish dropped in with presents for Ann, and we spent an hour-or-so catching up on her news.

It had been a great day (in spite of the ‘variable’ weather!) and Ann had received some great cards and presents. A relaxed evening followed (not forgetting to put the clocks forward!)

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 Birthday Girl 2023 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

I can’t remember the last time I WASN’T around for Ann’s Birthday – in fact, it’s never happened before. I’m not sure how I ended up scheduling myself to work today!

Still, Nicki has been with us for the past two days and they’ve had great fun doing ‘girly-stuff’ in my absence.

Pressy-wise, I bought Ann, ‘The Duchess‘ on Blu-ray DVD and ‘The Devil’s Whore‘ on DVD (which we only caught one episode of on Channel 4 recently, but it looked good)

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 Ann’s Birthday appeared first on Steve's Blog.

We ate an Indian last night. ‘Punjab’ – it was packed!! Not a patch on ‘Mazzas’ though, and it was strange to experience a French man looking and sounding Indian!

Ann’s Birthday today! Lots of nice cards. I bought her three DVDs ‘Casino Royale’, ‘Elizabeth I’ and ‘The Queen’. I also bought her a subscription to ‘At Home’ magazine (a sort of mix between a cookery and travel magazine).

We both had a lie in but that was mainly because the clocks obviously went forward here by an hour as well…so we were TWO hours out of sync when we woke up.

We took the train to Arcachon (on the west coast). Rain, rain and more rain – the weather was horrible. It’s a seaside town that in the Summer (or when the sun is shining) would have been a lovely place to be! Not today!

So, we jumped back on the train and headed back to Bordeaux. After getting off the train, it was just a short tram-ride and we were then within walking distance of our hotel. We stopped off for lunch at ‘Les Provinces’, (next to the Indian restaurant we ate at last night). We enjoyed a full three courses for 12 Euros Ann tucked into steak, and I chose the duck (and chips!). Half a bottle of wine and two apéritifs only brought the bill to a tad under 39 Euros – excellent value and lightning fast service too!!!

A short stagger round the shops and then back to the hotel for a siesta – and a catch-up with all the reading material from home that we’ve accrued over the last few months.

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 Holiday Blog Day 2 – Bordeaux (Birthday Girl!) appeared first on Steve's Blog.