Today was a (very) belated catch-up with friends, Nick & Celina (originally pencilled in for the 22nd of December, last year!). As regular readers will already know, this was postponed because I was in hospital being treated for a severe slicing to my left pinkie brought about by an ‘argument’ on the day with a broken piece of cereal bowl!!!

But before all the food today, we met at the nearby Lord Nelson in Oakham for a ‘swift half’…

…before heading off to one of our favourite eateries – Hitchen’s Barn – just around the corner for our 12.45 table.

The Menu was as imaginative as ever, and they were already busy by the time we arrived.

I’m not a fan of asparagus and fish and they would never be my first choice from any menu, so just look at me and my choices today! . Truth is, everything they’ve ever served me here has always been delicious – even my non-favourites! Yes, my choices turned out to be delicious!

But what about Dessert? Well, being a fan of Guinness, it was a bit of a no-brainer – so it had to be the ‘Dark Chocolate Guinness Cake’. No surprises – it was absolutely yummy! .

I’m not sure where the time went, but by the time asked for the bill, it was just before 3pm! It had been great to catch up with N&C’s news – and the food had been as good as it always is!

All that was left was to say our goodbyes. Ann drove home, where we had just one thing on our mind – a late afternoon snooze!

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 Catchup: Nick & Celina appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Off to catch up with a long-time friend (and ex-Trainer colleague from our British Airways project), Angela C.

We normally do this once a year, and it’s a great opportunity to combine a ‘social’ plus offering a bit of 1-to-1 ‘technical support’ for Angela too! Our venue of choice? Bistro Twenty Four that’s located in Toddington, about halfway between us.

In spite of the name, the Bistro isn’t open 24 hours a day (but it does trade seven days a week). Parking was a bit of a challenge, with a few spaces along the high street (but limited to two hours) or nearby side-streets (for free).

We had a great opportunity to catch up with each other’s news and sort out all the techy queries, leaving us free to enjoy some long chats over some tasty food.

The menu was fuss-free (but we’d missed the breakfast option by about 10 minutes!) The staff were spot-on with their service, where it was good to see them smiling and looking like they were enjoying what they were doing. The food came quickly (and with even more smiles) and we were soon tucking in!

Today ticked a lot of boxes for us both, and I’m pretty sure we’ll make this our ‘go-to’ meeting place for future get-togethers (even though we’d both encountered some congestion at each end of our journey). This is definitely worth a visit if you’re this way and looking for some light bites!

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 Toddington Trip appeared first on Steve's Blog.