For me, as a BIG Marvel fan (since the very first in 2008), I can’t quite recall why I didn’t see this at the cinema when it was released back in July of this year. Maybe it was simply that the highly infectious ailment called ‘super-hero fatigue’ had finally caught up with me too, after previously infecting most fans of this genre! Simply put: there were just too many Marvel Films being released, and it was difficult to keep up. Oh, and the quality suffered too!

In this fan’s eyes, some of the past batch of Marvel so-called ‘blockbusters’ just weren’t busting ANY blocks at all!

Yes, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels and finally, the woeful Thor: Love and Thunder, I’m looking at you lot! . Having said that, the more recent: Thunderbolts, Deadpool & Wolverine and finally Captain America, Brand New World have all been marked improvements

So, this is THE Marvel movie that is supposed to put Marvel Productions back on track, and judging by most of the reviews at the time, it seems that everyone was satisfied after just a few weeks in the cinema – including the professional critics! . Since then, ordinary punters seem to agree, as it has taken over $519m at the Box Office to date – which is perfectly respectable!

Tonight, therefore, was going to be the perfect combo of a great film (hopefully!) and a yummy meal (definitely!) as we invited Jo and Janet around for another of our Movie Nights/TV Dinners with Friends. Well, even if the movie turns out to be a disaster, we know the food and company is going to tick all the boxes!

Previous TV Dinners/Movie Nights
Paddington in Peru – March 2025
Avatar, The Way of Water – February 2025
Grease – January 2025
The Imitation Game – August 2024
Mexican Possible 3 – March 2024
Top Gun: Maverick (again!) – August 2023
Spider-man – Into the Spiderverse – June 2023
The Banshees of Inisherin – March 2023
Top Gun: Maverick – February 2023
The King’s Man – October 2022
Dune (the original) – November 2021
Black Panther – June 2018

With Ann in the kitchen, you can’t go wrong! On tonight’s menu…

• Ox Cheek Casserole (a low and slow 4 hours of cooking)
• Mashed Potato
• Roasted Squash
• Cabbage, followed by
• Apple & Raspberry Crumble
• REAL Custard

With the food doing its usual magic, it was time to settle down for the Film…

7.50pm: We’re going in! See you in 114 minutes!

Synopsis

On an parallel-Earth in 1964, the world celebrates the fourth anniversary of astronauts Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm becoming the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four after they gained superhuman abilities from exposure to cosmic rays during a previous space mission. The team struggle against the world-devouring Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer. After the Surfer reveals Earth’s doom, the Fantastic Four attempt to negotiate, but are forced into a difficult choice.

Any good?

Well, that was all very watchable and good to have a variation on the usual ‘good vs evil’ trope. The SFX, as you might imagine, were top notch and in spite of the almost two-hour runtime, it didn’t feel that long. Given that Fantastic Four has seen a number of on-screen interpretations over the years (1994, 2005, 2007 and 2015) this, for me, was by far the best, not just because of the generous budget ($200-250m) but for the non-standard storyline and great cinematography. If you’re not a fan of the genre, this one won’t change your mind, but it was a good bit of escapist fun – AND, more crucially, more like Marvel Productions used to be. It seems that the deliberate reduction in the number of films Marvel is turning out has had a knock-on effect regarding quality – great news!

Don’t forget to stick with the credits, as halfway through, there’s a sneak-peek of a character (possibly) from a future Marvel movie – Avengers: Doomsday – scheduled for Christmas NEXT year

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 Winner, Winner! TV Dinner! – Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

It’s another of our ‘Winner Winner, TV Dinner’ Nights. Jo & Janet joined us for 2024’s ‘Paddington in Peru‘. On the ‘Dinner, Dinner’ front, a rare evening off (pretty much) for Ann as J&J supplied the Mains and the Dessert – all we needed to do was prepare the veg and the custard!!

When we originally arranged this one, the movie was free on Amazon Prime, but by the time we fixed the date, it was charging for it – and unusually, all the other streaming platforms were too! Not a free showing ANYWHERE – unless we ventured into the dubious world of illegal streaming (and we don’t do that here!). So, £4 later and courtesy of Amazon Prime rental, we were ready – and so was the veg and custard!!!

Synopsis

Paddington returns to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.

Any good?

Although it probably wasn’t quite as good as the two ‘Paddingtons’ that preceded this one – Paddington (2014) and Paddington 2 (2017), it was still a great watch! The animation was as good as it gets and the story/script kept things moving at a comfortable pace. Although the plot is of the ‘wafer thin’ variety, it’s perfect for a relaxing evening where your brain can function at just 50% and still follow what’s going on. Stick around at the end for a cameo appearance from a previously ‘loved’ character – it’s worth it! And talking of characters, no, you’re not going mad – the actress playing ‘Mrs Brown’ has changed from Sally Hawkins to Emily Mortimer.

Dinner, Dinner!

On the menu tonight: Salmon and Cranberry Wellington followed by Orange & Cointreau Steamed Pudding

Well, that all went down a treat! Now for Dessert!

A perfect evening in!

Here’s to our next TV Dinner!

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 Winner, Winner! TV Dinner! – Paddington in Peru appeared first on Steve's Blog.

We haven’t done one of these for a while – it’s another of our ‘Winner Winner, TV Dinner’ Nights. Jo & Janet joined us and with Ann on cooking duties and me in charge of the DVD remote control tonight – on the menu was a fish dish, a couple of puds and 2022’s ‘Avatar – The Way of Water‘.

The DVD had been on my watchlist since my birthday in September last year, so it was about time we ticked that one off!

Any good?

First off, this is a LONG one! Coming in at a mighty 3 hours 12 minutes, so long in fact, that it could have easily been a Marvel Production . If you recall the original Avatar movie from 2009, this is more of the same and part of a series of connected films for the boys (and girls) in blue! James Cameron Director takes on Directoral duties (again) where we’re promised at least another two, maybe three, further films in future years to complete the story-arc.

It was a slow start but I guess that was to get everyone up to speed with the backstory – and there are quite a few characters (and their motives) to wrap your head around too. I guess with so many years between the first Avatar story and this one, there’s a need to recap in detail. The pace improved and the story unfolded. Things cranked up enormously during the last 45 minutes, where the climactic ‘good v evil’ showdown had us all on the edge of our seats. That aside, I think if there had been a camera on us four, it would have captured dropped jaws pretty much throughout. Why? The visuals were probably the best we’ve ever seen in a film! Rumour has it that James Cameron delayed the release of this one because he wanted to ensure that the technology used for creating the worlds was up to the job – seems it was worth the wait! Absolutely stunning!

For that reason, even if Sci-Fi/Fantasy isn’t your thing, this is worth a watch for the sheer spectacle of it all. OK, the story/plot is quite predictable, but it’s all lifted by the totally convincing ‘other-worldliness’ of the production. The imagination used in creating the world of the Na’vi – the environment, the creatures and pretty much everything else was nothing like we’d ever seen before. Everything looked so ‘real’, where even the ‘human’ characters with their characteristic blue skins and pointy ears were totally convincing!

Yes, as I’ve said, it was a long one, and they probably could have shaved off 30 minutes – for that reason alone, I’ve dropped ‘half a star’. Having said that, ultimately, it was all worth it simply because of the outstanding realisation of Cameron’s vision. In a word… WOW!

No surprise perhaps to learn afterwards that this is (at the time of writing) the third most-watched movie in the world (based on box-office takings). With James Cameron’s original Avatar at number 1, and Marvel’s ‘Avengers Endgame’ at number 2. It will be interesting to see how long these positions are maintained – especially as Marvel is on the cusp of rebooting the franchise and there are more Avatar stories to tell!

Details of the most successful films are HERE.

Dinner, Dinner!

It’s hard to eat when, because of the film, your jaw is on the floor – but we managed it. A yummy Fish & Gnocchi Crumble followed by Trifle and/or individual Apple Crumbles. It was all absolutely delicious!

Here’s to the next TV D|inner!

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 Winner, Winner! TV Dinner! – Avatar, The Way of Water appeared first on Steve's Blog.

It was another of our ‘Dinner-on-a-tray-with-a-movie-night! We invited Jo round (Janet’s away in Kos) to watch Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse on DVD.

Released in 2018, and with a respectable runtime of just under two hours (1h 56m), it was worth a rewatch as it’s the indirect prequel to: Spider-man – ACROSS the Spider-verse that’s just out across cinemas in the UK (I’m planning to see it with Jo next Tuesday).

Official Poster

What’s the Story?

Bitten by a radioactive spider in the subway, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales suddenly develops mysterious powers that transform him into the one and only Spider-Man. When he meets Peter Parker, he soon realises that there are many others who share his special, high-flying talents. Miles must now use his newfound skills to battle the evil Kingpin, a hulking madman who can open portals to other universes and pull different versions of Spider-Man into our world.

Cast & Creatives

Directed by – Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman

Story by – Phil Lord

Screenplay by – Phil Lord, Rodney Rothman

Music by – Daniel Pemberton

Editing by – Robert Fisher Jr.

Casting by – Mary Hidalgo

Special Effects – Colin Nicholson

Full list HERE

Any good?

Ann served up Chicken Casserole – so that was an immediate five-star affair, but what about the DVD??

Well, the first thing to remind any potential viewers is that it’s computer animation – not your usual film. If that’s not your thing, then stop reading now! However, if you didn’t see it when it first came out (somehow, I missed it in 2018) AND you’re not averse to a grown-up ‘cartoon for kids and adults alike’, then stick around! Not sure why it got a PG rating though????

First of all, let me say that it’s a complex story – ‘the Multiverse’ – but delivered in a very accessible way. In my view, this one is much more easily grasped, compared with say, the ultra-complex (and rather messy) Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022).

Clever and witty dialogue, a decent soundtrack and the clever use of screen space make this worth a watch for just those reasons alone. In short, it’s a treat in every sense! But above all, it’s the animation that stands out and is probably like nothing like you’ve seen before! At times, it looked almost ‘real’ in spite of the characters deliberately designed to look cartoonish. In fact, I’d say it’s this realism alone (rather than the storyline – as intriguing as it is) that will stick with you after the credits.

Although the now-famous Marvel Studios were part of this production, it was Sony who, at the time, had the rights to the Spider-man catalogue and therefore bagged the lead credits at the start. Maybe because of that, there are no Marvel-esque mid-credit (or post-credit) scenes to stick around for.

Wow! A great watch, where even Ann (who’s not moved much by all this super-hero nonsense) remarked on the quality of the animation! Praise indeed!!!

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 Winner, Winner! TV Dinner! – Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Well, the weather certainly is improving! It’s a Bank Holiday too! Surely that’s a mistake!!!

Friday (26th)

It got off to a good start trotting off to nearby Boughton House for an outdoor showing of Top Gun: Maverick.

Saturday (27th)

A lazy start to the day but with some last-minute preparation ready for great friends Ralph & Karen who are spending the weekend with us.

R&K arrived just before 11.45 and we were soon exchanging notes on what we’d all been up to since we last saw each other.

After a quick salad for lunch, we continued to take advantage of the fine weather and headed for nearby Wicksteed Park.

Not surprisingly, it was busy! Even Wicky’s Boating Lake, where I’ve never seen more than a few people showing off their models, was busier than I ever remember it – yachts, submarines, old galleons, and steamships were all fighting for position with… the resident swans who were also more used to a quieter environment!

We’re so lucky to have this on our doorstep! When Covid was rife, our daily walks here helped to keep us sane!

We didn’t get home until just before 5. It had been VERY warm walk, but so nice to enjoy a Bank Holiday in the sun! (a rare experience!). It was then back into the garden, with a cold drink to discuss our next joint holiday together – Jordan. After evaluating several options, we now had a broad plan and Ann is going to take it all to the next level of detail.

In the evening, we headed off to nearby (ish) Braybrooke and The Swan for dinner. This is a bit of a hidden gem that we discovered a few years ago back in January, 2019.

Ralph acted as ‘designated driver’ and we were soon at the Pub – but as usual, finding to space to park was our first challenge.

Initially, the area immediately outside the entrance was full, forcing us to park on the (very narrow) adjacent road. But, just a few moments later, a departing local freed up a space! Perfect!

Just after 7pm, we were soon seated and looking through the Menu. There were plenty of imaginative offerings to tempt us, and although we sat inside, their patio doors had been opened giving us a cool breeze and the last of the evening sun.

The portion sizes were generous and so Ann opted for two Starters whilst Karen skipped the first course altogether. Meanwhile, Ralph and I dived in. I almost chose their mega-burger, but Ralph took on the challenge! (the biggest, widest and tallest I’ve seen in a while) – and made a valiant effort to clear his plate, but it narrowly beat him! All-in-all, it was a good experience, although the dessert (above right) that Ralph and I opted for whilst the girls looked on was heavy going – but still delicious. Heading home, the roads were almost deserted, and we were soon indoors, catching up with today’s news and sipping hot chocolate!

Phew! It was now 10.30 and time to crash out. Nighty night! . It’s a(nother) lazy day tomorrow. A (very) light breakfast is planned, followed by a full-on Sunday lunch where Nick & Celina are joining us.

Sunday (28th)

Well, the weather is holding and it looks like a gorgeous day ahead. Nick & Celina are heading our way for 12.30, so that’s six hungry mouths to feed later. Roast Chicken is on the menu and we’re planning to eat outside.

Nick & Celina arrived just after 12.30. We were expecting them to arrive in Nick’s Porsche – ‘Waspey‘. Instead, a slightly more sedate mode of transport…

What a machine! Fondly known as Margot Magenta and it oozed character! With a four-speed manual box and retro-fitted seatbelts, they don’t make them like that anymore!

After a quick catch-up, we tucked into Lunch, where by now, it was turning into another gorgeous day!

Desserts consisted of homemade Profiteroles and Summer Fruit Brulé with everything washed down with copious amounts of ‘grape and hop’ in all its various guises! .

‘Whoosh’ went the afternoon! The next time we looked at the time it was just after 5! Surely a sign of a good time? We said our goodbyes a little later to the sound of Margot Magenta’s 1098cc engine and single SU carb working overtime! After a bit of a clear-up in the kitchen we settled down for the evening. No need to think about food as Lunch had done its job!

With the kitchen under control and in the safe hands of the dishwasher, we fired up the DVD player and watched Tina Turner – Live in Amsterdam (from 1996). Some cracking tunes… Private Dancer, Theme from GoldenEye, River Deep, Mountain High, Thunderdome and pretty much all of her many other big hits. I’d quite forgotten what a powerful voice she had, and the music scene is a far emptier place without her in it.

Our chosen movie was Dead Shot a ‘Sky Original’ that turned out to be quite good. It starred Mark Strong and Colin Morgan (aka ‘Merlin’ in the long-running 2008-2012 BBC series), the latter in a much, MUCH grittier role as an IRA member out for revenge for the murder of his partner. Plenty of tension, and being set in the 1970s, it was good to see London faithfully recreated for that era – all those Routemaster buses!!!

We turned in just after 10pm.

Bank Holiday Monday (29th)

Ralph & Karen slept over, and we enjoyed a late, later breakfast this morning. The weather ‘returned to form’ for a Bank Holiday – although it was dry, everywhere was very overcast and nowhere near as warm as we’d seen it over the previous few days. Our friends said their goodbyes just before 11, Ann went swimming and I washed-up!

It had been a great Bank Holiday and good to catch up with friends – the weather (mostly) made it even more enjoyable!

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 Late May Bank Holiday 2023 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Towards the end of last year, we decided that in the new year, every so often, we’d invite friends round, cook something and enjoy a film together! – We’re calling them…

“Winner, Winner! TV Dinner!”

So, for 2023, our first of these get-togethers was having David & Valerie here with Top Gun – Maverick ready to play. We saw the film last June (see my review HERE) and loved it! Even Ann, who’s not usually a fan of this kind of movie, commented it was her fave film of the year!

Praise indeed, where I’m sure Tom will be pleased to hear the news!

Anyway, back to the food..! . As usual, Ann had been busy in the kitchen where, on the menu tonight, we were about to enjoy…

Cottage Pie with a Kick (the ‘kick’ being a generous splash of Port in the mix)

Strawberry Jam Sponge & Custard

Well, that seemed to go down very well (literally!) and where the sponge that was so light, it almost floated away (that’ll be down to the two-hour steaming then!)

Roll on the next one!

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 Winner, Winner! TV Dinner! – Top Gun: Maverick appeared first on Steve's Blog.

For the umpteenth time, I’ve tidied-up my DVD collection. It should have been one of those jobs that was completed during the early days of ‘lockdown’, but you know what they say about that Round Tuit???

We now have ‘classics’ on the left (far too many to fit in the cabinet!) and Blu-rays, front and centre, with my growing 4k collection on the top-shelf.

PS Apart from me, does anyone watch DVDs anymore?

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 DVDs sorted appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Jo and Janet joined us for a night of munchies and a movie… Oh, and some G & Ts! Whilst I prepared the DVD player, the lemons and the limes, Ann got busy in the kitchen.

Our movie of choice tonight – Avengers:Endgame. There isn’t much that hasn’t already been written about the final film (for now) in this franchise – especially on a certain blog – so instead, I’ll concentrate on the food and drink!

On the menu tonight was homemade Lasagne and that was followed by homemade Fruit Strudel. I think we all enjoyed it so much, none of us took any photos!

The movie turned out to be as excellent as we remember it (and with its fairly complex narrative, probably benefited from a second opportunity to watch it again!)

At just over 3 hours long, the movie was a test of stamina, if nothing else! And as a result, we didn’t say our goodbyes until just after 11pm – very late for us two!

A great night – and good to see Janet and Jo again!

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 Avengers: Assemble Lasagne! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Roger, Jane and Oliver joined us for the weekend!

Saturday

The main event for today was a picnic at Belton House and then a walk around the historic Mansion and Gardens. I think it’s our most oft-visited stately home having been there recently (ish) with with Dennis and Sandra back in May, 2018 and Chris and Gill in July, 2017.

On arrival, the weather was disappointing to say the least (Summer’s not quite over surely???) Oliver was sporting shorts and I was in a short-sleeved shirt. Consequently, both of us were woefully ill-dressed for the conditions – a plummeting temperature followed by rain!

1.00pm: However, It didn’t stop us enjoying our picnic though, as we sandwiched ourselves between ‘Robert‘ and the car next door to act as a wind-break! Brrrrr!

1.55pm: I think the c*** weather made us eat more quickly, and we soon made a significant dent in Ann’s extensive picnic.

As soon as we’d cleared up our bits, we headed straight for the House. Word to the wise: Since our previous visit, there’s been one major change here! ALL VISITS ARE NOW TIMED, so it’s not just a case of turning-up and hoping to get in straight away. But, as it happened, it was perfect timing on our part, as there were five slots on the very next admission – the 2.15!

2.10pm: We’re in!

Given our previous visits, from a photo point-of-view, I decided to concentrate on the less well-known/seen pieces on show inside, together with less obvious views of the property and surroundings.

3.05pm: Time for a cuppa, especially as the damp weather from earlier had returned, but this time it was torrential!

A quick, but determined sprint to the nearby tea-shop got us more-or-less to the front of the queue (followed by the rest of mankind) and we were soon seated in the Stables enjoying our cuppa and cake!

3.35pm: Next stop was the Gardens where the weather, perfectly on cue turned from rain to warm sunshine! At last!

4.00pm: Our final stop was St Peter & St Paul Church aka Belton Church.

4.20pm: A great visit! (again!). Even the weather didn’t really spoil our visit (even though it looked like it would!). We wandered back to the car and headed south.

All of today’s photos at Belton House (with none of my chat) are HERE

6.15pm: It was a good journey home and we were indoors by 5.45. By 6.15, Ann had laid the table for a yummy table-buffet. All that was left to do was to choose a movie for the evening…

Bohemian Rhapsody (courtesy of Sky Store): Even better than I remember it the first time around in the cinema

11.05pm: That’s it! Nighty-night!

Sunday

A lie-in for me until the unearthly late hour of 7.15 whilst the others slept-on.

9.10am: A little bit of Queen, courtesy of Spotify to get the day started!

9.45am: Breakfast is served – Porridge with Strawberries followed by a Bacon Butty!

10.30am: Jane, Oliver and I watched the rest of Thor: Raganarok, Roger caught up with the Daily Telegraph, whilst Ann put the finishing touches to lunch – this was a real family-foodie weekend, and just how we like it!

12.15pm: Pre-lunch drinkies!

1.00pm: Lunch is served. Roast Chicken with all the bits!

2.30pm: Lunch over! A bit of clearing up followed by a long natter.

whilst listening to something a little more relaxing!

3.45pm: Well, where did that weekend go? It passed really quickly – a great sign of a great time!

Bye all, it’s been great to catch-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 Family Weekend appeared first on Steve's Blog.

With almost all our preparation done for our forthcoming holiday, I took a breather and watched Skyscraper (one of the 4K DVDs that Ann bought me for Christmas). Starring Dwayne ‘The Rock‘ Johnson it turned out to be a cross between Die Hard (1988) and Towering Inferno (1974).

In my book, that’s a good pedigree!

How was it? Well, it certainly wasn’t Shakespeare and the critics hadn’t been too kind to it when it was first released in 2018 (awarding it a lacklustre three-out-of-five).

Still, for a Saturday night, and with my brain set to ‘low’, it was an enjoyable romp, with some very convincing special-effects that probably out-shone the storyline (and maybe the actors too!)

Perfect Saturday-night-in fodder then!

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 DVD: Skyscraper appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Day 0 – Arrival (Saturday, 29th)

4.10pm: So, here we are at ‘2 Dix Cottages’, courtesy of Norfolk Hideaways in the village of Thornham. It took us around two hours to get here (10 minutes of that was the last 20 yards trying to find the place) and we’re staying here until the 2nd, seeing-in the New Year.

Jo, Janet and Carol arrived just ahead of us and were in the process of unpacking when we arrived.

First impressions were good: a spacious cottage with everything we needed, although parking was a bit, ahem, tight!

With the priorities sorted – drinks, cake and wifi password – and bedrooms allocated, we were all soon settled in.

8.00pm: We had booked our table literally next door at The Orange Tree, Norfolk’s Dining Pub of the year for five years running! Sadly, Jo wasn’t feeling 100% and opted to remain back at base.

We arrived early at the Bar for our 8.30 Table – and found ourselves competing for attention with two other customers and a dog (yes, really!). The latter had two paws on the Bar and seemed to be doing a better job than us in getting served!! We learned that the Pub actually specialises in Menus for our four-legged friends (yes, really!)

We became a close second to the Pooch and a quick word by Janet with the Restaurant staff saw us shown to our table ahead of of our scheduled time.

It was a varied Menu and the variety didn’t disappoint. We all fancied a Dessert, so we skipped the Starters. Whilst Janet and Carol opted for the Fish & Chips and Ann for the Halibut, I chose the Thai Chicken Curry. The Service was appropriately attentive and we waited just long enough to feel assured that the food was being created rather then simply re-assembled or (even worse) thawed-out. Desserts followed – and they were equally yummy!

9.55pm: We skipped beverages, preferring instead to make a dent in our alcohol stash back at the House. A short stagger across the road and up the kerb back to Base and we were soon slurping our fave night-cap.

We spent the rest of the evening round the TV watching/enjoying/suffering one of the Fast & Furious films on ITV2 – pure escapism and not a bit of it based on anything approaching reality!!

11.15pm: That’s it! Another Saturday night, another fine meal with friends!

Tomorrow, weather permitting, we’ll probably explore the local area on foot.

Day 1 (Sunday, 30th)

In bed until 8.45? Surely some mistake?

After a lazy breakfast, we decided to keep it local today. We’re on a mission to locate some wood for the wood-burner (as the central heating is on a go-slow).

11.05am: Out and about heading for Thornham Beach and Holme Nature Reserve. It looked like a lot of other people had the same idea too! It’s obviously a popular pastime on Sundays round these parts.

The weather got warmer…and so did we. After a brief stop for the loo, we headed along the Beach and slowly headed back towards the Cottage. All-in-all we reckon we walked almost 5 miles!

But all that walking had made us a bit peckish! Thank heavens for Thornham Deli that just happened to be on our way back.

It seemed that the whole of Norfolk had the same idea and consequently, the place was packed, the car-park was full too! There was no chance of us getting a table INSIDE so we braved the elements outside and grabbed one of the tables around the perimeter of the Deli itself.

1.15pm: Their prompt service meant we were soon tucking into teas and coffees helped along with their own homemade Sausage Rolls!

2.45pm: The temperature in the Cottage had been a little on the cool side before we left this morning, so luckily the Deli also sold kindling and wood. I say ‘luckily’, but once we were back inside, even with Jo and I exercising our best fire-lighting skills, the wood-burner was having none of it!

3.00pm: So, whilst Carol and Janet prepared drinkies, Ann prepared the Veg, Jo and I gave up temporarily and watched the ground-breaking Bandersnatch on Netflix. Well, at least the heat from the oven heated up the room!

4.05pm: Movie time! We’ve got plenty to choose from here and after a bit of techy-bashing by Jo and me, we hooked up her PlayStation to the TV and we were all set for the film Christopher Robin on DVD…

A cute film and just right for this time of year! It was also an opportunity to try out Ann’s homemade Apple & Blueberry Crumble, BEFORE the main meal!

6.00pm: At last, after Jo had another go, the fire ‘took’

..a cosy evening ahead promised!

7.00pm: The main meal of the day! A full roast! Janet had slow-cooked a beef joint, for about 8 hours. Keeping it company, a vast array of Veg all washed down with a bottle of Red!

7.50pm: A fab meal… with minimal washing-up too! (thanks to the Dishwasher!)

All that was left to do was catch a bit of TV – ‘Antiques Roadshow’ and the non-singing version of Les Misérables from the BBC – and top-up our glasses!

Hunstanton tomorrow (weather permitting) followed by our new year’s eve meal at The Lifeboat Inn.

Day 2 (Monday, 31st)

8.25am: Another lie-in? This is becoming a habit!

10.05am: Breakfast (including a political discussion)

11.05am: Off to Hunstanton…, that sophisticated and refined resort on The Wash, marginally more up market than Clacton sur Mer…

11.25am: It was only a ten-minute-or-so drive and we were soon manoeuvering into position for our first stop: Le Strange Old Barns (after me over-shooting the limited parking right outside!). It was great inside – a real variety of ‘this-and-that’ shops with plenty of locally-produced creations from paintings to pretty jewellery.

12.15pm: Next stop was just half-a-mile away along the Cromer Road for some free-parking that put us in an ideal place to walk down to the beach.

As expected (perhaps for a cold-but-dry new-year’s-eve) it was pretty busy – plenty of locals and visitors braving the biting wind! You could tell the locals as they were ones in t-shirts!

After a bit more wandering, we agreed on a pit-stop…

…a quaint looking tea-shoppe of the ‘old school’ type: no fancy coffees, just proper table-cloths and a big smile! Unfortunately, there was no cake either, as their delivery was late – and the slices we saw on show were ‘reserved’. It wasn’t a great start, but 15 minutes later, all was forgiven as the delivery had arrived. We now had a hot beverage AND a slice of cake each – perfect!



2.05pm: After a wander round some more of the gift-shoppes, we took a last look at the views of the town before taking the drive back to the Cottage – but not before picking up a few essentials to help with the celebrations tonight from the local Sainsbury’s!

3.15pm: Movie time again! Whilst Ann took a nap to recharge her batteries for tonight, we dived into the stash we’d brought with us…

…and chose The Hitman’s Bodyguard

5.00pm: Film over, it was time to get prepared for the main event for today: The Lifeboat Inn’s New Year’s Eve Meal…

6.50pm:Time to brave the elements and head for our destination…

7.05pm: We’re here! And it’s certainly well supported. We were shown to our table and once we’d got rid of our coats, we chased-down the canapés! Yummy!

Well, six courses later, what did we think of the meal? Well, the seaweed was an acquired taste – and I really wish that someone else had acquired it! Yuk, it tasted just like err… seaweed! The Cucumber lollipop didn’t taste much of cucumber and it was minus the statutory stick that’s a feature of all the lollipops I’ve seen! Other than that, the rest was actually quite delicious! we couldn’t fault the service either – in fact, I thought our Waitress was going to take me home!

10.15pm: With the meal over and the DJ springing into life, the girls took to the dancefloor, whilst I, err, looked after the table! A few tracks later, it was getting progressively noisier on the nearby tables as the alcohol began to ‘do its thing’.

10.30pm: We decided to see the new year in back at the Cottage, so we took the ten-minute return walk back along the pitch-black lane with only our phones as torches.

11.15pm: To fill the time until the chimes of Big-Ben, we chose our next DVD from the batch…

2013’s Now You See Me. Janet and Jo sorted out drinks for everyone, and we were all set!

11.55pm: We paused the DVD to see in 2019! The Fireworks in London looked amazing! (as they always do!)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21EJMIdK1_g&w=425&h=240]

…and Janet surprised us all with gifts!

Mine was a bottle of sloe-gin.

We lasted until just after 1.30am (that’s VERY late for us two!) and then decided to call it a night!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We may go to Holkham Beach tomorrow, depending on how we’re all feeling.

Nighty-night!

Day 3 (Tuesday, 1st)

10.30am: After a relaxed start to the day with a late breakfast, and after checking the weather, we decided we would visit Holkham Beach.

11.30am: And in keeping with all the Beaches round these parts, it was popular destination! So much so, we were discouraged from turning into the official parking area and had to park a short five-minute walk away (using Janet’s local knowledge) from the official car-park.

If you’ve not been to Holkham Beach, its a longish walk (a mile/20-30 minutes) from the parking area to the sea, but worth it. It has the largest expanse of sandy Beach I’ve ever seen in this country! Amazing!!!

..and once we were there, as is the law round these parts, an obligatory selfie followed…

After getting as close to the water as we could get, it was ‘about turn’ and the walk back to the car. However, that didn’t stop other visitors actually take a dip in the water – it must have been freezing!

We took a short pitstop at The Lookout – a sophisticated water-hole for humans and pets alike… yes, by now we had every shade of wet Labrador and yappy-snappy terriers galore, overlaid by the fragrant top notes of gently ripening pooh bags and fractious two-legged offspring.  

…and then it was back to where we’d parked…

…and we reflected on our travels!

2.00pm: After discovering that the Adnams Shop near where we parked was closed over the Christmas break, it was back to the car and time to head back to the Cottage. Twenty-minutes later, we were ‘home’ and whilst Ann weaved her magic in the kitchen adding more life to yesterday’s Apple & Blueberry Crumble, the rest of us played to our strengths and headed for The Orange Tree across the road for a ‘swift one’!

2.50pm: Predictably, given its reputation locally, and farther afield, it was packed inside. The service levels weren’t helped either by the Pub’s card machines being unable to connect to the outside world. The result was a temporary ‘cash only’ situation, sending post-Diners scrambling for alternative forms of payment.

Our needs were simpler – just liquids!
But it was cold, very cold! – we survived until our glasses were empty (just 45 minutes) and then it was straight back to the Cottage for the Crumble-fest! It didn’t disappoint and Jo even managed to master the Wood-burner that was now doing what it should!

Post-Crumble, it was TV into the evening…

• Planet Earth II
• The Jungle Book (1967 version)

…followed by one of the few remaining un-watched DVDs we’d brought with us.

• The International (2009) starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts
• Doctor Who – 2018 New Year Special

7.00pm: Ann did a fab job of creating a help-yourself buffet for the majority of the left-overs, and we all tucked in… Seconds too!

8.15pm: With all the left-overs dealt with in the only way we knew, the girls then made very short work of the clearing up.

9.00pm: All that was left to finish our day was back to the TV and BBC’s much-hyped…

• Luther

Today has been our last full day here and we have to vacate the property by 10am tomorrow. That’s going to necessitate us getting up a lot earlier than we have been during this special break. We’ve eaten (and drunk) well – we’ve also travelled around quite a bit and visited places that (Ann and I) haven’t seen for a good many years!

This seemed appropriate…

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 New Year 2019 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

If you like your super-hero movies – and also cats – this then was the perfect combo! Tonight was movie-night at ours with the recent release of Black Panther (on 4K UHD* of course!)

Joining us: Jo and Janet with a few nibbles and some drinkies too!! – another perfect combo! Janet brought up a rather new Gin – Seville Orange!

It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway!), the FOOD and DRINK was top-notch, but what about the Film?

For me, the origin-story movies of the plethora of these Marvel’s super-hero outings, always seem to enjoy a better narrative – less full-on battles/violence/SFX – instead, more emphasis on a straightforward back-story. So, if you’re new to all of this peeps-in-tights stuff, before Black Panther, maybe try whetting your appetite on Captain America – The First Avenger and/or the more recent Wonder Woman – I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

Back to tonight’s presentation then, this was the origin story for Black Panther, Marvel’s first black super-hero, and here’s a short summary of the plot.

After the death of his father, T’Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as King. When a known enemy suddenly reappears, T’Challa  – as King and as Black Panther – gets tested to the full, and where the future of the whole Wakanda nation is threatened…

A good old-fashioned ‘good-v-evil’ yarn then! – and it turned out to be a really good story! Great acting, stunning cinematography, a well-crafted soundtrack that made the best use of our multi-speaker set-up and finally, just the right amount of SFX to make it all believable. The deliberate NOT-by-the-numbers plot development kept us guessing, and as normal for Marvel’s movies, it was worth fast-forwarding to just after the credits to snatch a sneak-peak of what looks to be good signs for a Black Panther II

*Super techy explanation HERE, with a more understandable version here and finally, the wiki entry HERE. And don’t even get me started on how HDR fits into all of this!

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 Film Night: Black Panther appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Jo and Janet popped-up for a spot of nosebag and to watch Wonder Woman with us on Sky digital download in the fourth of DC Comic’s Extended Universe movies. Starring ex-Miss Israel and Model, Gil Gadot, she did a great job in the starring role as Diana Prince.

It’s also been one of the only films in recent years where Total Film magazine gave it a full five-stars-out-of-five – so definitely worth a watch! As it turned out, it was very good, and didn’t feel over-long at 2 hours 15 minutes. These days, all the super-hero franchise movies tend to be full of special effects (they are SUPER hero movies after all!) but thankfully, this was quite restrained. Additionally, some great acting, a solid script and, as a bonus, I think Gil Gadot did many of her own stunts!

Perhaps, for me, it wasn’t quite up to the equivalent origin story for Marvel’s Captain America – the First Avenger, but it was pretty close!

Needless to say, the food went down a treat and we were more-than-full by the time the credits rolled!

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 Wonder Full appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Biggles? More like Giggles! as I took control of a real aeroplane courtesy of last year’s birthday pressy from  Ian and Mags – a 45 minute flight over the skies of Northamptonshire!

Ian & Ann, Ralph and Karen and my Ann were there to witness my performance as just after 11am, I ‘took the stick’ after some calm but expert tuition from my Instructor, Phil.

First impressions? Wow and more wow! I was warned that the take-off would be quite quick and the rate of ascent very steep – and Phil wasn’t wrong, as we were in the air, looking at the beautiful countryside of Northamptonshire within seconds rather than minutes.

Maybe more surprisingly, once we’d levelled-out, it actually felt very calm and tranquil high above the airfield as we slowly headed off towards Kettering and then onwards to Pitsford Reservoir.

That’ll be Kettering ahead (apparently!)

I learned that rather grabbing the stick like my life depended on it, it was better to gently tweak it using just my finger and thumb – and it certainly worked, as the plane ascended, descended and banked with very little action from me in a rather graceful way. In fact, it all felt very unhurried, precise and just simply glorious taking in the whole of Northamptonshire – in less than an hour! For me, the most memorable part was when Phil demonstrated how the plane behaved if the engine stalled – BY TURNING OFF THE (SINGLE) PROPELLOR! My initial reaction was ‘Oh Dear’, as I could now see the single prop in all its detail, and it’s fair to say, l briefly, I had a ‘moment’. I shouldn’t have been worried though, as the laws of physics prevailed, and rather than a fateful plummet to earth, the plane continued on its trajectory – and for about 90 seconds we became a GLIDER! (and a perfectly manoeuvrable one at that! – Amazing!!!) 

And then, in what seemed like an instant, my 45 minutes was up, and we headed back to base. Phil took the controls for landing (I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be expected to try and land the plane on my first lesson!) and we soon were shaking hands and saying our goodbyes.

Captain Biggles Giggles

Fantastic! It had been an experience of a lifetime and I enjoyed every second of it – even the ‘glider moment’. Safe to say, I haven’t found a second career as a test-pilot – but if any of you get a chance to do this for yourself, I’d thoroughly recommend it! It’s like nothing else
    

We then headed back to ours where Ann had laid on a salad lunch followed by her Sunken (deliberately) Chocolate Soufflé with a Prune and Armagnac sauce. Ralph showed off the videos he’d taken of my inaugural flight and then we watched a bit of snooker on the TV before Ian and Ann said their goodbyes.

With the dishwasher on overtime, we four dug out the garden seat cushions from the garage and soaked-up a few rays before it came over a very grey. We finished the evening, watching my first 4K UHD movie: Sicario – an ultra tense political thriller set in Mexico – all washed down with a few G and Ts!

This was a good movie, with some especially ultra-tense moments in it – I don’t think I’ll ever look at queuing at the Dartford Tunnel in the same way again!

Ralph and Karen are staying over and heading home after breakfast tomorrow.

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 Biggles Flies Again appeared first on Steve's Blog.

It’s been a Sunday/Monday sleepover at Roger, Jane and Oliver’s as part of Denis’s 87th birthday celebrations and we picked up Bev on the way through from Stevenage station on Sunday.

We certainly had the weather for a celebration, and mostly ate outside! That makes a pleasant change!! There was even time to soak up a few rays!

Denis was on top form and it was good to have the Gambles family all in one place. It was also an opportunity to try out Ann’s new camera for the obligatory ‘family foto’.

We also managed to squeeze in a DVD – the rather excellent Bridge of Spies starring Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance and Alan Alda – a thoroughly engaging story which kept us all glued to our seats right up until the end.

Roger dropped Bev back to the station on Sunday and after breakfast on Monday, it was back home for us two.

A great celebration for a top man!

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 87 Not Out! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Jo and Janet popped round for a Lent-friendly fish-supper whilst we all watched The Martian on blu-ray DVD.

Ann went l fishy’ and prepared Crab Cakes, Mackerel Pate, Salmon poached in coconut milk and Spicy Prawns. We nattered the evening away and in the case of Jo and I, this was helped with assistance from Jo’s extensive stock of gin! Ann and Janet ‘slummed it’ with Champagne!

Left-to-right:

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 Fish Natter! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

This is what it’s all about! Having time to spend lots of quality time with friends! This weekend we played host to Nick & Celina and Ralph & Karen.

Everyone arrived together and after a fab lunch (seafood risotto followed by lemon trifle) courtesy of Ann, we boys (together with Celina) disappeared to play with Ralph’s new toy  – his Tesla P85D. and what a toy (see my separate blog).

With our jaws collectively dropped, we headed back towards home and met up with Karen and Ann at Wicksteed Park for a leisurely stroll.

Then it was home to get ready for more food (Ann in the kitchen again!). In between, we found time to rewatch the DVD Rush. A couple of hours, after too much food and too much drink, we chied out for a bit before calling it a night.

Sunday arrived (as it always does), and after a lay-in, it was a lazy breakfast (and a busy washing-up session) before we said our goodbyes to Nick & Celina. And then, as if we hadn’t consumed enough food this weekend, it was off to our fave local(ish) pub/restaurant The Pheasant at Keyston.

It didn’t disappoint, with an imaginative menu (again!), superb service – and of course, delicious food! The Banana Marshmallow dessert got my vote, as the best dish this year!

We were all now totally stuffed, and we waddled back to the Tesla, headed home, passed on some the weekend leftovers to Ralph & Karen before saying our goodbyes.

What a fab weekend! Superb food at home and away, great friends, a chance for a walk, and a large lump of technology to enjoy getting my head round – a perfect weekend then!

Back to reality with 16 tea towels and two lots of bedding to wash and iron! Ahh, the life of the DoDO!

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 Friends for the Weekend appeared first on Steve's Blog.

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.

SUNDAY
We left home around 11am and arrived just after noon. True to form, the weather kept its promise, and rained all the way there – and got progressively worse once we’d arrived. The only consolation was that the weather forced me to drive more sedately in the XKR, resulting in 23.1mpg!!!

By the time we finished lunch, (homemade watercress soup then superb roast beef with all the trimmings all finished off with a homemade apple crumble and butterscotch sauce) things were brightening up outside, allowing us to grab a generous stroll around Hanbury Manor and the surrounding countryside, before settling down for a night in and a catch-up with everyone’s news. We also found time to get about half-way through the DVD: Captain America, the First Avenger. 

MONDAY
Well, someone is smiling on us! The weather forecast for today is beautiful! And what’s more, there was no rain forecast at all!
Is this really a Bank Holiday?

So, we were up at 7, brekky at 8, left just after 9 and arrived at Eltham Palace just before 10.30. Back in the day, when I worked in this area, I never realised that this place existed, and it seemed weird that something so old and so beautiful was nestled in amongst this part of south London.

We got a parking space fairly easily, the temperature now was just right and the place wasn’t too busy – the perfect ingredients for a cultural day out! And what a place! It’s probably the newest ‘old’ building we’ve ever visited it, and it just oozed wealth – as they say ‘no expense spared’, and it certainly wasn’t! A telephone in each room plus enough bedroom and bathrooms (12) for ALL the guests. Think ‘rich’ and then some!!!!

What a fab day! Helped of course, by the sunshine!! We had a trouble-free journey back to R, J & O’s where said our goodbyes and headed for home. For a Bank Holiday, the traffic was pretty light, so we were home in just over the hour – a perfect end to a perfect weekend!

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 Early May Bank Holiday 2015 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

David and I decided to collaborate on cooking a meal for our respective other halves tonight – today being Valentine’s Day!

We kept it mostly a secret, having planned the nitty-gritty earlier in the week. The plan was to offer three courses plus a cheese-board, and then finish with a movie to round off the evening.

After a quick visit to Sainsbury’s in the week, we secured al the raw ingredients and on Saturday afternoon at 3pm, the hard work really started. We tried to strike the balance between complexity and variety – and take advantage of cooking from scratch, whilst using what kitchen equipment was on hand to speed-up the process.

And the result looked something like this…

Click on the pic for a larger version

So, it was round to David and Valerie’s for Starters and the Main

 
I think the plates said it all!

…and then back to ours for Dessert, Cheese Board and the chosen film for the evening. Well, although the Dessert and Cheese Board went down well, that’s more that I can say for our chosen film: Trance, on Blu-ray, starring James McAvoy, and directed by Danny Boyle. It started well – a heist at an Art Auction – but then rapidly turned into one of those films that demands 150% attention, no leaving the room or blinking (for fear of missing something important), and complete concentration! Having said that, the acting was very good, it’s just that my poor little brain just couldn’t keep up!

    For the acting

     For the plot

In spite of the disappointing film, it was a great evening, and the food went down well!!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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 Lock up your Saucepans! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

A packed day of activities today!

We picked-up David and Valerie and headed off in the direction of the Oxford’s Peartree Park and Ride for a day out in – you guessed it – Oxford.

First stop was the Ashmolean Museum – a place we just can’t seem to get enough of,  having been there in November 2011, March 2012 and September 2013!

Then, after a quick pit-stop in the Ashmolean Cafe, (Lea & Perrin’s flavoured popcorn anyone?), it was off for a mooch around the town whilst the weather stayed dry before heading back to Peartree and home.

We got in around 4pm and started to get things ready for the evening meal – David and Valerie joined us at 7, and we tucked into a rather tasty Chicken Casserole followed by Lemon Tart and/or Apple Crumble (Lent List alert! – I had the Apple Crumble!) courtesy of David and Val with a little help form Mr Waitrose!

After the meal, with the dishwasher at full-tilt, we settled down to watch one of the DVDs I got for Christmas – Now You See Me – In a complex plot that demanded that loo-breaks were always accompanied by a judicial press of the pause button, the story unfolded – and there were a lot of folds! Overall it was a very entertaining film and we all enjoyed it, although I did feel that Michael Caine could have done with more more to do. It’s a whodunit – and even a HOWdunit – but neither in the traditional sense. I won’t spoil the ending here, save to say: it’s worth a watch, to see if you can stay one-step-ahead of the stars, staying one-step-ahead of the cops!

Magic!!!

It’s been an action-packed day! Thanks D and V, we had a great time – and now we’re exhausted! Nothing new there then!!!!

Another fun-filled event tomorrow, as I whisk Ann up to the Fortescue Arms in Billingborough to meet the rest of the family for a surprise pre-birthday lunch.

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 Day Out in Oxford appeared first on Steve's Blog.