Having left Christmas behind at ours on the 27th (after a great day with Nicki), we headed off in the XKR, to spend a couple of very nice days with Roger, Jane and Oliver. We arrived just after 4.30 and spent the rest of the evening chilling-out – the big day was tomorrow, the 28th, …
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Category:Days-out
Pre-Christmas Get-together with the Neighbours
Sometimes, all the signs are that it’s probably best to stay under the duvet. This morning was one of those times! We retrieved the Polo from five-days of ‘intensive care’ at the garage, only to find that after taking it for a spin, the exhaust system fault light re-appeared. Then, just as we were heading …
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Duxford Day, Neighbours’ Night
We were up with the lark this morning as it’s a packed programme! Duxford DayFirst stop: Duxford, where we were lucky enough to get a private tour of the exhibits, courtesy of a fellow OCA member, John Kershaw, who is a volunteer there. It was a freezing cold day (and at Duxford, it always feels …
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Holiday in Northumberland – Day 2 (of 7): iPlayer, Gym, Rothbury and Cragside
A very lazy day for us today! We didn’t get up until around 8am and that was followed by a very unhurried breakfast round the kitchen table. Then it was a question of priorities – I downloaded and watched last night’s episode of Doctor Who whilst Ann got ready for the Gym (there’s a free …
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Birthday Weekend 2015 – Corby/Harrogate/York
Saturday Celebrations began with a lie-in until the ridiculously late hour of 7.45! Then, we headed out for a bit of retail therapy, descending on the rejuvenated Corby assisted by a greasy-spoon breakfast. After a short walk around the shops, we headed home. Tom and Julie had left a pressy for me, and not long …
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Shard Day
Down to London today, courtesy of that other smooth operator (see what I did there!), East Midland Trains, for my second visit to The Shard. I took on the Tower back in April 2013 when I met up with Peter J – we were both fascinated by, at the time, this ground-breaking construction (that had …
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5ive go to… Liverpool
It’s that time of year, when a few of us Trainers get together for a weekend of culture, food, drink and whatever else comes our way! In previous years we’d been to Stratford-upon-Avon (2012), Bath (2013) and Birmingham (2014). This year it’s Liverpool and a ‘Staycity Serviced Apartment’. Coming along for the experience this time around …
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How English!
We tottered off to Cranford Hall this afternoon, where they hosted local Craft Fair. Only £.50 each to get in – how very English! There was plenty of stalls plying their wares – Ann ended up with a scarf, and I bought some special cream called Sparklebright that you put onto glass and it stops …
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Eastbourne or Rust!
After the torrential rain on the south coast last week, it was good to learn that we wouldn’t end up rusting this weekend as the weather forecast predicted a heatwave! So, we left home just before 9am, in the direction of Eastbourne, with a plan to stop of along the way, somewhere, and enjoy a …
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Planned Spontaneity!
Those that know us, know that we don’t ‘do’ last minute – but this week was an exception! The original plan was that Ann was due to attend her five-day Prince2 Course in Northampton beginning on Monday (yesterday) through until Friday, but 3 hours later she was back home! The reason? they’d cancelled the Course, …
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Life’s a Breach
Lee, Ann and I travelled up to Tolethorpe Hall today and met Jo, Janet and Carol there. Nothing like a bit of Shakespeare to send you to sleep stir the soul, and the ‘band of sisters’ bought tickets for a solid dose of culture – an ‘outdoor’ production of The Life of Henry V. Perfect …
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Rutland Walkabout
What better way to spend the 1 year anniversary of acquiring the XKR, than by taking it on a slow drive round the county of Rutland? – more specifically, we planned to almost circum-navigate Rutland Water clockwise, and take in as many of the sights as time allowed. It was a gorgeous day – just …
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Goodwood – Festival of Speed 2015
So, here I am on Friday at the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed with Ian H and Paul S. It’s my first visit here to the acknowledged mecca for petrol-heads! Ian and Paul are here Saturday and Sunday too, but my diary hasn’t been quite that generous this year – so maybe next time! It’s a …
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Downtown with Newton
What a lovely day! The sun is, at last, shining for more than a few hours – so it was time to make the most of it! With the dust blown off the picnic cutlery (and the XKR!), we assembled the essentials and headed off in the direction of NT’s Woolsthorpe Manor.Woolsthorpe Manor As every …
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Early May Bank Holiday 2015
The forecast suggests that the weather is all over the place this weekend, but we’re hopeful it’ll be good for our trip to Roger, Jane and Oliver later today (Sunday) and our postponed visit (from last year) to Eltham Palace on Monday. SUNDAYWe left home around 11am and arrived just after noon. True to form, …
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Sun, Seagulls and Castanets
Ahhh, a rather late start of us two – 7.30am – and it was off to Eastbourne (to check out a Hotel) then Worthing (for a birthday party) and then finally to our overnight stay in Arundel (a return to the aptly named Comfort Inn). This was possibly our longest trip so far in the …
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Mega-Social
‘The Weekend…’ as they say, ‘starts here!’ This weekend was one of the busiest ‘socials’ for, us for a long while (ohh, the stress!). So, not a great time, to be trying to stick to my Lent regime – but I managed it! FridayThe weekend started early on Friday night, where we met up with …
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Lent Boy 2015
Yes, it’s that time of year again where I frustrate the hell out of those around me, and try to stick my self-enforced ‘Lent diet’. Depending on what you read, and where you read it, Lent seems to FINISH on different days. I’m working with the Ash-Wednesday-to-Holy-Saturday version, and although technically, I can give myself …
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Weekend with Roger and Jane
With Oliver away on a skiing trip in France, it was the perfect weekend for Roger and Jane to spend the weekend with us. In fact, it was the first time they’d been away – just the two of them – for around 11 years! First port of call was Stamford. It was a trouble-free …
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Bicester Act
After last night’s takeaway, we kept the Chinese theme going by heading off first thing to Bicester, with David and Valerie – apparently, Bicester is the third most visited UK location by Chinese tourists, after Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. I’m not sure if I believe this factoid, but looking at the gazillions …
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And the Beet Goes On!
We travelled to Heckington today to see Denis – probably our last visit before we see him again on Christmas Day. We took a slightly different route via the nearby villages to try and locate a suitable nearby Pub for lunch. We decided we wouldn’t go to the Fortescue Arms in Billingborough (our normal haunt …
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Car Roots
The rather odd-looking XJR – not sure about the colour either! That’s more like it! – a rather sexy looking XFRSNeil stayed over last night, as today, we’re heading for the spiritual home of many Jaguars – Castle Bromwich, home the XE, the XJ and of course my fave, the XK. The Spitfire and Lancaster …
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5ive Go To… Birmingham
So, here we are again – it’s that time of year, when a few of us Trainers get together for a long weekend of drink, food, drink, drink and culture. We started this now regular event, two years ago in Stratford-upon-Avon, and last year, we visited Bath. It’s the ‘usual suspects’ of Philip P, Antoinette …
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Sister! Horse is the Word!!
Our busiest weekend of the year so far – in a good way! FRIDAYFirst stop was our return visit to the hidden gem of outdoor theatrical productions – Kilworth House Theatre Group in err, Kilworth – and their production of Sister Act. Jo, Janet, Carol, Nick and Celina joined us for an evening of superb …
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Boats, Blow-outs and Biryanis
It was off to Buckden Marina today with David and Val for a day-out on the boat – Osprey One! The weather looked a bit rubbish, but as the day wore on, it got warmer and warmer! All Aboard Osprey One We took the hour-and-a-half punt up to Godmanchester and had lunch on-board before taking …
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Messing About in Boats (Part 942)
It was perfect weather today, for David and I to take the short drive to Buckden Marina. Armed with a wide range of cleaning materials, the objective was to get David’s boat super-shiny! Mission accomplished by 11.45, all finished with a bacon sandwich for lunch! Steve PalmerI got into blogging quite late in life, not …
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Lazy Day
A lazy (ish) day today! – which is very unusual for us, even though it is a Saturday! I took Ann’s car to Richards in for its ‘A’ Service – it only took just over the hour, but they did spot a balding back tyre and front brakes that will need replacing in a few …
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Bank Holiday Break – Ipswich (Day 2)
It’s our last full day here and we’re heading off to Southwold (as no doubt many other locals will be doing). The weather forecast indicates that it’ll be a heatwave of 13C rising to 14C – not exactly sunbathing weather, but we plan to make the most of it! Actually, as the day rolled on, …
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The Pillage People and a BBQ
We headed off to London today, and the British Museum. Originally, Lee was planning to join us, but she hasn’t been feeling too well, so she stayed home. The train was very busy (with seating arrangements not helped by the automatic seat reservation system having a ‘day off’!), but at least we arrived on time …
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Meal with the Girls
And so it was off to London today to meet up with ‘the gang’ – June, Angela and Antoinette – for our regular three-monthly evening meal/get-together. Originally, I’d also planned to catch up with Peter J earlier in the afternoon, but he had to cancel at the last minute. First stop was meeting Angela at …
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