It’s Easter Saturday, and we’re off to the Salvation Army’s Citadel in Kettering to see the 7pm performance of Handel’s Messiah. Composed in 1741, there had also been a TV programme on recently featuring Gareth Malone coaching eight amateur singers to take on this monumental piece. Yes, it’s definitely Easter, and the TV programme reminded …
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Category:Easter
Return to ‘The Old Bridge’
Since I suffered my hand injury on 22nd December, we’re still playing ‘catch-up’ with my social diary! Today was another of those days as we met Steve & Helen at The Old Bridge in Huntingdon! We were last here as a foursome back in October, 2023 where we were so impressed, a planned return was …
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Lent Boy 2017: How Did I Do?
WARNING! Please read responsibly. This Blog contains large amounts of smugness!So, that’s my ‘Lent event’ over for 2017. What began in 2010 as a small challenge, has now grown into a much bigger test of will-power! Some of you have asked how I got on, so here’s a short summary. Thanks to all my friends …
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Caesar and Salad
A puntastic mix! We set off for Gill and Chris’ today and then onto Stratford-upon-Avon to see the matinee performance of – you guessed it – Julius Salad Caesar. In spite of it being the day before Good Friday (where we were expecting a lot of traffic) we had a good journey there and soon …
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The Canterbury Rails
Wednesday, 23rd: ArrivalIt’s Ann’s birthday on the 25th, so we thought we’d slip away for a few days. The destination of choice this time was Canterbury – and we did it all by train! (me, on a train, what, for ALL of the journey? – some mistake surely!). Actually it was a bit of no-brainer. …
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Easter 2015
For us, Easter this year was about getting together with friends and family – and eating! After a mammoth shop in Thursday night (unfortunately, ASDA was out of mammoths!) and a follow-up on shop Friday morning, we were all set for the feeding of the five thousand (well, not quite, but it felt like it!!) …
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Family Lunch
The Calm before the Starter! Who’s Who! Ann, together with Lee’s help pulled together a superb Easter Lunch for the family today. Even though Mum wouldn’t travel such a distance for these things, it did still feel a little odd that she wasn’t ‘around’.Let Battle Commence… Italian Meats & Fruit Bev’s TrifleGuess who’s washing up? …
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Easter Sunday – Mum’s
Together with Lee, we drove down to Mum’s to take her out for Lunch. It was a return to the now familiar Toby Carvery at Bromley Common, where we’d taken her a few months back. Being Easter Sunday, and the fact that they don’t take bookings, meant we had to time it just right if …
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Lincoln for Lunch/The Ritual of ‘The Garage’
We drove up to Denis’ today for lunch. Bev was sorting out the main course whilst Ann took the raw ingredients for dessert. Neither disappointed and a few hours later we felt a lot heavier and very sleepy! A great meal girls – cheers!! As is traditional this time of year, we take on The …
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Great Grouting, Shiny Knobs and Sky Anytime+!
A very productive and satisfying day here today! First stop was ASDA for a few shopping essentials and then to Wickes the necessary DiY bits. Next, the big task of the day was to tidy up the grouting in the kitchen – a job we’ve been planning for ages, but we just needed a period …
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Easter Sunday (2011)
It’s a gorgeous day here again today – not quite as warm as yesterday but just right for doing stuff around the garden! …and more stuff! …and more stuff!! …and more stuff!!! Of we go then – I pressure-washed the back-garden patio, then I did the same to the front pathway, then I removed the …
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Easter Day (2011)
After dropping into Central Garage to have the locking wheel nuts changed on Ann’s Fiesta, we headed up to Denis’ for lunch. It was another fine day here and even hotter there – 27 degrees – another scorcher! After a full-scale roast chicken lunch followed by Ann’s ‘plums cooked in red wine and served with …
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Doctor Who – New Series
I’ve heard that the new series begins on Easter Saturday. Full length trailer started to appear this week – up until then, there had been a short 5 second teaser. Steve PalmerI got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong love of …
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Smug Bugger! Lent Dented!
However you choose to measure it, Lent in now over and I can return to a diet of occasional junk-food and generally stuff that tastes nice, but isn’t good for you! This year, I managed to stick* to my list for 40 days and nights and avoid the following: *Well, when I say ‘stick’, I …
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Long Weekend in Harrogate – Sunday
Fuelled by the ‘Full-English’ breakfast, we set off in the direction of York. On the way there, we dropped into RHS’s property, Harlow Carr. This was disappointing, but perhaps that was down to the time of year and Spring being a bit late this year. Still, it gave us the perfect excuse to pop into …
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Long Weekend in Harrogate – Saturday
Looking out of the Band B window, it’s another rainy-day ahead! So, a lazy breakfast followed by the short walk into town armed with our big umbrella. The plan today is to buy Ann a new fountain-pen as a belated birthday present. It’s not as cold as yesterday, but it’s still raining!!! Success, we saw …
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Long Weekend in Harrogate – Friday
We’re going to John and Delyth’s Wedding tomorrow in Leeds, so that’s a perfect excuse to make a weekend of it. We set off just before 10 and had a trouble-free journey until we got to Doncaster, where the traffic just stopped just a mile or so before junction 36. We decided to make a …
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TV: Doctor Who Series 5 premieres in Cardiff
Episode 1 of series 5 (or series 31 if you’re a purist!) premiered last night in Cardiff, with the main stars in attendance and available for interview afterwards. For the rest of us mere mortals, we’ll get the opportunity to see the episode on Easter Saturday, in the evening – I think it’s going out …
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Easter with Karen and Ralph – Monday
I got up around 7ish after Karen delivered us a cup of tea – I’ll miss that when I get home! 🙂 Ralph was already up preparing a breakfast of their bacon and our homemade loaf – a perfect combination! The sandwiches were superb!! After a couple of cuppas, we got packed and said our …
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Easter with Karen and Ralph – Sunday
I didn’t sleep too well – I think it’s called a ‘hang-over’! In turn that meant Ann didn’t either, so I expect a slightly less-than-cheery Ann this morning when she gets up! 🙂 Good news! Ann was fine. We exchanged Easter presents – I bought Ann a chrome case for her personal business cards and …
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Easter with Ralph and Karen – Saturday
We slept well and woke up about 6. A little later Karen brought us both a very welcome cup of tea each! The weather outside looks a bit grey and unsettled – but maybe it’ll brighten up later. We had a a light breakfast of cereal, yoghurt and fruit and then, just after 10 we …
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Easter with Ralph and Karen – Friday
We set off just after noon. and arrived at Rockside around 2.15. It wasn’t a bad journey, but we did run into some road-works on the M1 an hour or so into the journey and Matlock high street was totally congested! Weather-wise, it was slightly overcast and a bit misty The sat-nav in the car …
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Chinese ‘blow-out’ with Jo and Janet
In preparation for giving-up something for the period of Lent, we were invited to Jo and Janet’s for a mega-Chinese meal! I’m aiming to give up chips and ice-cream (and possibly chocolate too) for forty days! (Cue soundtrack from Mission: Impossible!) Ann is giving up wine and chocolate! The Chinese-food was probably the best …
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Easter Holiday – Day 3
Ann’s birthday today! ..when we woke up around 7am, it was snowing. I co-ordinated the family and we all clubbed together to her the top-of-the-range Tom-Tom portable sat-nav. Separately, I bought her a leather case and a docking station, so it can be charged outsde the car. Nicki C bought her a beautiful necklace. So …
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Easter Holiday – Day 2
Wow! We both had a really good night’s sleep. We woke late – 7am. There had been a light dusting of snow overnight, but nothing too serious. We headed down for breakfast. I went for the ‘full-English’ (or should that be full-Welsh?). The weather forecast is ‘sunny’, so we took a drive to Llandudno along …
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Easter Holiday – Day 1
After heavy snow, we decided to hang on and not rush out. The snow started to melt, and by the time we left, it had begun to melt. So, we packed up the car and left just after 10.30. Once we got on the road, the weather improved dramatically – in fact, it was a …
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