We’re in full tourist mode today! So it was up at 6.15, breakfast at 7 and meet our tour-guide Michael, at 8, in the hotel-lobby! 👍 On today’s itinerary… Tiananmen Square Monument to the People’s Heroes Tiananmen Gate Mao’s Mausoleum Great Hall of the People The Forbidden City Tea tasting session! Beer tasting session …although …
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Category:Friends
Holiday – China (Day 2): Arrival in Beijing
We’ve landed! It’s Tuesday morning here in Beijing! ..and the weather is just perfect for a gentle stroll… And when I say ‘gentle stroll’, I mean an accompanied two-hour walking tour of Beijing’s local neighbourhood – the ‘old town’. It was delightful! We checked in to the Hotel around 2pm and were soon unpacking! As …
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Holiday – China (Day 2): Extra
An extra Post showing-off some of the architecture in our first hotel – The Grand Millennium Hotel, Beijing. Boy, they certainly know how to impress! Click on any of the miniatures for a larger view! Wow! Steve PalmerI got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into …
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Holiday – China (Day 1): Travel Day
We’re off! From home, we took the train (1 hour) into St Pancras International and then the tube to Heathrow T5 (65 minutes and 25 stops!). It was all a bit of a challenge with four suitcases, two carry-on bags, two handbags, a back-pack and a laptop case – but at least they saw us …
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The Great (Fire)Wall of China!
It’s our big holiday-of-the year soon – to China – with our long-time travel companions, Ralph and Karen. But this trip is going to be a little different from our previous adventures together in terms of how we keep you up to date. Why? In China, most western-based social media activity is completely blocked or …
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First Visit: The Old Pheasant, Glaston
Our first visit tonight to The Old Pheasant in Glaston where where we met up with long-time friends, Mick and Jane for one of our regular catch-ups. We last got together at The Fox back in April, so it’s been a while, and there was plenty of news to catch up with! Tonight, our location-of-choice …
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Noshing with the Neighbours
Well, we haven’t done this in a while! – a mega-neighbours’ get-together! Whereas last year, during the World Cup, we were in each other’s homes for most of the matches, enjoying endless food and drink – in 2019, not so much! Still, Ann and I soon remedied that with an open invitation to 16 of …
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A Touch of the Exotic
Gosh! It’s been a while since we were last here! – November 2016 actually! We journeyed to the centre of Kettering town with Julie and Bev for a Curry at the excitingly-named (and once oft-visited) The Exotic Dining. The food has always been excellent here and I’m not sure why we’ve been away so long …
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Best Nest!
Ann and I drove over to Stratford-upon Avon for our regular(ish) get-together with good friends: Alan, Mags, Ian and Ann. Our eatery of choice this time was The Swan’s Nest Hotel opposite the River. It was the in-house eatery Bistrot Pierre that was our ultimate destination and I thought we’d never been to it before, …
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£1-a-Day (2019) – How Did We Do?
£1-a-Day 2019
How Did We Do?
Six Go Swinging!
A short drive to Rushden tonight with David, Valerie, Jo and Janet for the Rushden & District RAFA’s “Swing’s the Thing” Concert. We’d been invited to this fund-raising event by good friends Richard and Pauline, and being local, it didn’t take us long to get there. However, our unfamiliarity with the immediate area meant that …
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£1-a-Day (2019)
Well, here we go! David and I are doing our charity ‘thing’ again this year – starting today – and living on just £1 a day for food and drink for the next seven days! 😊 This year, we also have new recruit ‘Helen’ joining us in lieu of her hubby Paul, (who’s taking the …
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Queen’s Greatest Bits II
It’s another day-out with friends – this time, we’re heading for Buckingham Palace, meeting Roy and Susan. So, we headed off to London (via Huntingdon Station) by train, for the 12.30 Palace Tour. We’re choosing Huntingdon these days over Bedford and Kettering simply because: there’s more trains; the tickets are cheaper and the parking is …
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First Visit: The National Memorial Arboretum
Today, a planned day out with David and Valerie to the National Memorial Arboretum. It was a return visit for David and Valerie, but it was our first! Thank goodness then, that the rain has stopped, as a month’s worth fell in a day yesterday over the UK! (although it did belt it down briefly …
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First Visit: Farnborough Hall
Another one our of cultural days out, meeting up with Ian and Ann along the way, heading for National Trust’s Farnborough Hall. Located off the M40 between Banbury and Gaydon, the Grade I listed property (and its gardens) has been owned by the National Trust since 1960, when the Holbech family endowed it to them. …
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Kilworth Cats!
Off to Kilworth Theatre today with Ann, Janet, Jo and Carol to see the theatre’s production of ‘Cats‘. Am I the only person to have never a ‘Cats’ production before? Quite possibly! Last time we were here was back in June, to see Joseph – and today was just as busy! West End quality without …
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♪♪ Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening! ♪♪
With both A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody (planned for LunaFlix’s outdoor cinema this weekend at Boughton House) postponed because of the weather forecast, we needed a ‘Plan B’! That’s the first time that the weather has disrupted this annual event – totally unexpected in AUGUST! 😮 The replacement dates didn’t work for any …
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The Vast and the Curious
Off to the vastness of an iMax screen this evening (courtesy of Cineworld, Rushden Lakes) with Jo and Janet. I’m curious to see if the ‘love-child’ of the mighty Fast and Furious franchise is any good. Step forward then, the imaginatively titled: Fast and Furious: Hobbs & Shaw. Petrol-heads Rejoice… When the first Fast and …
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Glove Story!
Where do I begin..? Both Ann and I are getting serious about our Friday-night Archery Classes, and it was therefore time to start investing in some kit of our own. So, earlier in the week, after some recommendations, we took the short drive to the local Archery Shop in Burton Latimer – TargetCraft – to …
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The Palace and the Pub
Off to visit Apethorpe Palace today with Chris and Gill! The Palace We last visited here back in August 2011 with Nicki, when it was known simply as Apethorpe Hall. Since that time, it’s been sold-off by English Heritage (December 2014) to one Baron von Pfetten, a French anglophile. English Heritage are still responsible for …
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Long(bow) Story Short!
So, with Friday here again, it’s time for our weekly Archery Lessons courtesy of Kettering Archers. For me, tonight is extra special as I’ve traded-up to a proper English Longbow! – and it came with some expert coaching from one of KA’s experienced Bowmen, Dave. Although it’s perfectly possible to use the Longbow for target …
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Silverstone Classic 2019 – The Cars are the Stars
We headed over to Chris and Gill’s today, and then to this year’s Silverstone Classic. Obviously, it’s all about the cars and so I’ll minimise the word-count in this Post and let the pictures tell the story! The weather was spot-on today. After the mega-heatwave of the past few days, it was just perfect! – …
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Film: The Lion King
We headed over to Cineworld at Rushden Lakes this evening to catch the latest cinematic incarnation of ‘The Lion King‘. Featuring the voice-talents of Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (as well as James Earl Jones reprising his role from the original film) the …
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The Black Country Living Museum
Our very first visit to The Black Country Living Museum! 9.30am: We picked-up David and Valerie and headed by car for ‘the smoke’. Located in Dudley, the journey took us a lot longer than we planned, (due to some serious congestion on the A14 in the direction of the M6). So, after some inspired diversionary …
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A Long Time with a Longbow!
Friday is with us again and that means it’s our weekly lessons, courtesy of Kettering Archers! For me this time, there was a deliberate change of equipment! After spending last week and the week before dabbling with the Longbow, tonight, I decided to spend the whole evening with this more authentic Bow. Remember, it has …
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Film: Spiderman: Far from Home
We travelled not far from home today, returning to Cineworld at Rushden Lakes.This time, to catch the latest Marvel Super-hero Movie: Spiderman: Far from Home. And not just any old film presentation! We chose the iMax version (and in 3D too!). What a feast for the senses! What is ‘iMax’ anyway? An iMax presentation is …
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Guilty as Charged!
It’s been a week of experimentation whilst we tried out various Public Chargers for the first time. First stop (on Tuesday) was Rushden Lakes where there are 7 chargers (5 x 7.2w + 2 x 22w, all shiny new) – and better still, they’re all free! Pity then, that I was guilty of not RTFM, …
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Joseph – And the Pub of Many Burgers
We headed for Kilworth Theatre today to see their latest outdoor production… Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Joseph… Running from 26th May until 5th July 2019, this production was back by popular demand. Given the track record here, we knew we were in for a treat! Starring Jacob Fisher in the titular role; Carole …
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Da Da Daaaa..!
Just imagine being part of Jeff Wayne’s 1978 Album “Musical Version of The War of the Worlds”… …Well, imagine no longer! 1.30pm: We’re off… Jo and I left Kettering in plenty of time heading for this unique experience in London. Our expectations were high, as we’d both read (and heard) some excellent reviews. Our destination …
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Saxon Mill – The Return
Today was a welcome return to The Saxon Mill Gastropub in nearby Warwick. Last time we were here (back in July last year) was for the same reason – Lunch with friends! Steve PalmerI got into blogging quite late in life, not publishing my first post until 2004 – well into my 40s! My lifelong …
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