It was John C’s 65th Birthday last Monday – a perfect excuse for a belated neighbourly get-together tonight!

We picked up Paul & Karen and arrived just before 6.30. Everyone else was already there by the time we arrived – and we were all soon in a party mood!

Yes, pretty much a full house round at Trish’s, with our usual friendly collective of neighbours, starring Paul & Karen, David & Rosi, Tom & Julie together with Richard & Mandy joining us (who we haven’t seen for quite a few years!).

Trish has a real knack of being able to cater for lots of people without issue, and tonight didn’t disappoint! (It never does!). She had prepared the Starter – Smoked Salmon and the Mains – Chicken in Red Wine with enough vegetables for the whole of the county! Delicious!!

And with Ann sorting out the Desserts, tempting us with TWO kinds of pies, it was all very yummy!! - Lemon Meringue plus Chocolate & Toffee Banoffee (Damn! Forgot to get a photo of the Banoffee!)

…and Rosie had brought along a mini-birthday cake collection!

In between the Main and Dessert, we turned our attention to the Quiz (which is fast becoming a staple at these events!). This time, I wrote it, based around John’s year of birth…

…creating a five-round-four-questions-per-round-multi-choice challenge and arranging our friends in teams of two. With each group armed with a novelty buzzer and the rules clearly spelt out at the start by Mrs P, what could possibly go wrong!?!?

Well, apart from the fact that some of the buzzers couldn’t be heard above the (ahem!) ‘enthusiasm’ of the groups and the concept of ‘don’t answer until you’ve heard ALL the options’ not being fully grasped, it all went down very well. In fact, the somewhat chaotic nature of what followed made it an even more memorable event! University Challenge this WASN’T but what a laugh!

Anyone who thinks it’s the ‘taking part’ NOT the ‘winning’ should see us lot competing with each other . I think we might need to adopt the ‘red card’ system (plus VAR) next time to avoid a riot!! . Copy of the quiz is HERE.

Scores on the doors…

With the Quiz completed, if we hadn’t had enough food, we tempted our tummies once last time with not one, but two, large cheeseboards thanks to Julie and Mandy. So, not a great time for my phone to die just as I was about to take a photo of the ‘cheese mountain’!

We all had a great time, but at just after midnight, we called it a night (our partying days until the wee small hours are, I think, well and truly over!). We said our goodbyes and headed home and were tucked-up in bed just before 1am. Thanks Trish, you did a FANTASTIC job in pulling the event together!!

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 65, not out! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Those that know us, already know that we’re partial to a curry (or 10!) on a Saturday night.

Tonight, we invited long-time friends and neighbours: Paul & Karen and Dave & Rosi round to put the poppadums through their paces! We also tried something new tonight, where amongst the usual spicy staples – Curried Cod on Skewers made its first appearance here as part of the menu. Plucked from the Curry Guy Bible (by Dan Toombs) bought for me for my birthday last year by Paul & Karen we had ‘test-driven’ the recipe earlier in the week (tough job ehh?!?!) to ensure that it was perfect for tonight – and in our view, it was!

And us being us, meant that in spite of only being six of us, we cooked enough food to feed about 100 (so guess what we’ll be eating for the rest of the week?!)

Some of the preparation began the day before, on Friday afternoon – and so we got ourselves very organised!

It turned out to be a great night. Plenty of chat, plenty of giggles – and of course, as we planned, plenty of food! In addition to the first-time fish dish of Curried Cod Skewers, we squeezed in…

Poppadums, Bhajis and Samosas

Lamb and Butternut Squash Rogan Josh

Chicken and Apricot Tikka Masala

Bombay Potato

Muttrah Cottage Pie (v)

followed by a refreshing Lemon Soufflé with Ice-cream Sorbet, with it washed down with some G&Ts, Guinness, 0% Freixenet and a couple of bottles of Red! Oh! and Teas and Coffees

Wow! What a great evening! It had been fab to catch up for our first big ‘food event’ since Christmas.

After saying our goodbyes, we woke up the dishwasher for its first load of 2023 (with another to follow, looking at its workload). Ann dropped Dave & Rosi home whilst Paul & Karen took their short walk. Midnight came (and went!) by the time we’d tidied up.

And, in spite of healthy appetites all round, there were still enough leftovers to keep us TWO going for quite some time.

We were full, we were tired, but it was so good to catchup with you all! . We must do this again soon, but give it a month so we can clear the leftovers!

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 Thank Cod – it’s Curry Night! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Yes, it’s that time of year again! We headed round to John & Trish’s to enjoy our first official Christmas Lunch of 2022 together with our closest neighbours. And, for the first time in a few years, the gang was all here – Tom & Julie (who, in recent years, are normally in Tenerife at this time of year), David & Rosi, Paul & Karen, us two – and of course, our hosts John & Trish!

Proceedings were scheduled to start at 6.30, so, at just after 6.20, we picked up Paul & Karen, braving the wintry temperatures that have hit the UK this week. Bbrrrr! with thermometers nudging -2/-3°C this week, it looked as if tonight would turn out the same. Our car hadn’t moved all day – and nor had the frost on it! Luckily, previously pre-warming it from the comfort of an App whilst we kept warm in the lounge brought a little smugness to the occasion!

Arriving at John & Trish’s, we were soon amongst our friends and exchanging festive greetings (and cards – have you seen the price of stamps these days?).

After the Christmassy welcome, we were all soon sipping our favourite tipple. Speaking selfishly for a moment, one of the benefits of this very cold weather was that it was easy to enjoy a really cold pint of Guinness – simply by just leaving it outside. Meanwhile, whatever was cooking, smelt delicious – and there was plenty of it with the cooker working full-time! Catering for 10 isn’t easy, especially when it’s a full roast, but Trish did a great job.

The table looked fantastic too! This year, the only slight distraction from the festivity of our celebration was England playing France in the World Cup. Still, it’s only football, and I must admit, for this World Cup, individually and collectively, we’ve not been following it with such a passion compared with previous years. Having said that, for the national side to screw it up over a missed penalty was not good for the national soccer psyche.

Back to the food! . Ann created her now legendary ‘Cranberry Sauce’ (with the obligatory mega-slug of Port in it) for the occasion, together with the neighbours bringing various other yummy bits and pieces to make this a real festive affair.

There’s always plenty of food at these celebrations, and as always, we all do our very best to minimise the leftovers. .

The traditional Roast Turkey with all the festive trimmings went down a treat – and we fulfilled our promise of not filling the fridge with spare veg!

And to follow? Well, for us all, it was the ever-popular Christmas Pudding with the added (but obligatory) Brandy Sauce AND Bailey’s Irish Cream-infused double cream.

These annual celebrations always end with a ginormous cheeseboard – and tonight was no exception. In fact, we had so much cheese, we needed TWO!

We’ve been having this annual celebration for quite a few years now, and I swear the cheeseboard gets bigger every year! For the majority of us, that was no problem at all, as we’re all confirmed ‘cheese monsters’ meaning that just like the main course and dessert, there wasn’t much left by the end.

And to wash it all down, there was plenty of the ever-popular 0% Freixenet (for the drivers and TTs) whilst for the pseudo-sozzled, red wine and of course, Port!

Another tradition, once all the food and drink had been digested, was the obligatory Christmas Quiz. A great way to end the evening, bring out the competitive spirit in us all, and have a few laughs along the way. Or was it just mass confusion?

The writing of the Quiz seems to have fallen on my shoulders again, this year – and it was good fun pulling it all together. This time, we had five rounds (all multi-choice except for the ‘Christmas Music’ round) with four questions in each awarding five points for a correct answer. In-between each round, I fired some humorous ‘cracker-type’ questions that I’d lifted from The Guardian. Not surprisingly, they had a left-wing bias.

Q: “Why has Kate Bush got to keep her eye on her electricity bill?”

A: “Because she’s ‘Running up that Bill'”

I split the group into teams…

• Trish and Julie
• John & Tom
• Rosi & Karen
• Paul and Dave

Yes, it certainly brought out the competitive spirit! with Rosi & Karen emerging victorious!

It was now getting close to midnight and with taxis ordered, and cars warming-up, there was just one final thing to do – the annual mass selfie!

Well, that has certainly put us all in the mood for Christmas! Well done the Costellos, in pulling it all together. I think it’s fair to say we’re ready for the Big Day now!

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 Our First Christmas Dinner of 2022 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

On possibly the hottest day of the year, we set off to David and Rosi’s for their Ruby Celebration Garden Party.

As expected – and forecast – it was another scorcher of a day with temperatures heading into the low-30s. We picked up neighbours Paul and Karen (fresh back from their holiday in Italy) and drove the sub-one-miler to the celebration.

Yes, it sure was hot, with Ann and I seeking out the shady parts of their Garden as soon as we got there!

You can’t go wrong when dining at Rosi’s – and today was no exception. A bit like our picnic yesterday, we had enough food for a small country! And there was dessert too, including our Strawberry Gin-infused Eton Mess which seemed to be very popular too! . Not bad, given it was very much a ‘Plan B’ after our intended Victoria Sponge had self-destructed earlier!!! (you had to be there – it wasn’t for the faint-hearted!)

It was good to catch up with familiar (as well as less familiar faces) and we stayed until about 5.35. We then headed-off to the cinema for Marvel’s latest flick Thor: Love and Thunder (that unlike the ‘Ruby Do’ turned out to be a bit of a disappointment!)

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 Ruby Do! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Increasingly, we’re both a little bit more conscious of what and how much we eat these days – so today was going to be a challenge! Not so much quaLITY but quanTITY. Potentially, there was a big chance we could easily over-eat – and, no doubt, pay the price the following day!

First stop

First stop today was The Lord Nelson in Oakham for a swift appetite-whetting half-pint (honest!). A first visit for us and a very pleasant one with all the feel of a ‘good old English country Pub’. The weather was so good, we sat outside. Oakham itself was buzzing – including some obligatory Morris Dancers!

Second stop

Now for the main event… Lunch! – at Hitchen’s Barn in Oakham. Just a three-minute walk away. We were soon seated and browsing the very extensive and innovative menu. Under normal circumstances, I’d jump straight in, meaning it would have been Starters, a Main and Dessert for me, but today I was attempting to exercise a bit of restraint…

…but I failed miserably! . It all looked SO good!

The food was excellent and so was the service. Great to see the waiting staff properly trained and bursting with knowledge about the products on offer. We all agreed that the overall experience was even better than The George Hotel in nearby Stamford (where we’ve all eaten many times in the past – and our benchmark). Hey! I think we’ve just found our new favourite restaurant in these parts!

What an experience! . We slowly wandered back to the car just after 3pm, making the most of the ever-improving weather. It was now 23℃, one of the best days we’d had in a while. We said goodbye to Nick and Celina and headed home with enough time to digest our food before the final push… . Yes, I know, it’s a tough life!!!

Final stop

Our final food-fest venue today began next door with neighbour’s Paul and Karen with friends Dave and Rosi for a few pre-dinner drinks. Then we headed off to nearby Burton Latimer and the new(ish) restaurant called Passionie. It’s an Italian tucked around the back of the high street. There have been at least THREE other Italian restaurants on this site, and it’s fair to say that not a single one here has EVER enjoyed a long life (well, apart from the legendary Palmichael just up the road that’s been in situ since the early 80s). I’m not sure why because whatever the name has been above the door, we’ve always enjoyed good meals there. So, maybe it’s just that old adage: location, location, location and NOT being on the High Street with all the other eateries means they lose out???

EDIT: September 4th, 2022 – Just read that it’s closing down!

The celebration tonight was a belated Birthday meal for Karen. Things didn’t begin well with the taxi service pinging us to say he’d be 5 minutes late. Fifteen minutes later he turned up but after a bone-shaker of a journey, we were soon at our destination.

Boy! Was it noisy! And then they put the music on! . Still, it didn’t matter much as we had chance for a good long natter (even if we did have to raise our voices).

If people are supposedly tightening their belts because of the economic climate, no-one had told those already seated! It was close to capacity, and we were the last group to be squeezed in. We all commented that we were hungry and that was understandable, as most had existed on light rations today;

I had no excuse! Weird!!! How could I STILL be hungry??

Being determined to eat light tonight was Ann and my grand plan – and we’d set our sights on a simple Pizza. So, it was a real shame that their Pizza Oven was broken! . Still, at least the wine flowed liberally!

Ann demonstrated superb willpower by opting for fish, whilst I let the side down by having a Starter, followed by Mains and then a Dessert.

Yep! A complete absence of willpower tonight I’m ashamed to say! . Still, when they announced they were ‘out of mince’ and offered to cook me an off-menu, one-off ‘pasta & sausage with a special spicy sauce’, I couldn’t resist! The evening’s conversation, yummy food and excellent service though, made me feel slightly less guilty about my accumulated food intake today!

The taxi service redeemed themselves by being on time, and we were home just before 11.30. In earlier years, we would have continued the celebrations with generous portions of some ‘grape-based nightcap’, probably back at Paul & Karen’s, but actually, I think we were all too knackered!

All-in-all, it had been a fantastic night in every respect! Happy Birthday, Karen!

Last job before hitting the pillow was to hide the scales in the bathroom! Good-night ‘Porker Palmers’!

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 Food and more food! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

What with our 10th Anniversary Party still ringing in our ears from last Saturday, tonight we headed off to John & Trish’s for their annual Christmas meal! As usual, most of our close neighbourly friends were invited – and we all had a great time!

Sean & Kellie and Conor were also able to join us too!

Not surprisingly, the food and the company went down a treat!

Merry Christmas everybody!

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 The Costello Christmas Meal (2021) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

We headed off to Rosi’s tonight to help her celebrate her 60th Birthday.

We arrived for 6.30 (Paul and Karen gave us a lift after the weather deteriorated in the afternoon, meaning we didn’t fancy the walk).

The gang was all there – Tom, Julie, Trish, John, Paul, Karen with Dave on Bar Duties!

What made tonight truly unique was that Rosi took a well-deserved break from her normal excellent culinary preparations! Instead, she’d hired Stephanie and Samira to do all the cooking!

And what a feast it was! We’ve spent the past 20+ years visiting each other homes for really excellent dinner parties – but tonight was in a different league! In turn, it gave Rosi a ‘night off’ (and Dave too, from washing-up duties’).

The menu was Sushi-based and it certainly didn’t disappoint! Restaurant quality in the comfort of your own home (well, Rosi and Dave’s anyway)

Course after course followed where, collectively and individually, our jaws dropped as each course arrived – lovingly prepared from scratch and mouth-wateringly delicious too!

Just like the wine, the conversation flowed (as it always does when us lot together) and midnight came and went!

What a fantastic evening – one we’ll never forget! Rosi’s always been very creative and tonight had ticked all the boxes for imagination. Fantastic!

We walked home with Paul and Karen and finally ‘hit the sheets’ just before 2am!

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 Rosi’s 60th Birthday Celebrations appeared first on Steve's Blog.

It was a drive into unchartered territory for us two today as we headed with neighbours David & Valerie for the village of Peatling Parva (population 181) and The Shires Inn and Restaurant.

The occasion? A belated birthday lunch for David and me! It was Ann and my first visit, but our dining companions knew it well.

If the success of a Pub/Restaurant is measured by how full it is at 1pm on a Thursday, then they were doing very well indeed! The car-park was packed whilst inside, it was almost full in the area where we were seated! – around 50 covers.

I guess Peatling Parva is a typical village in the depths of Northamptonshire Leicestershire – rural, scenic, and no mobile signal! As a result, our plan to take a photo of the Specials Board and then WhatsApp it to the rest so we could study it at our leisure failed. ‘Ahh‘, I hear you cry, ‘what about the Wi-Fi?’. We were told that it didn’t reach as far as our table!

Luckily, the food did… and we were soon tucking in!

Very large portions too, which might have put Dessert in doubt, but it was a birthday celebration after all, so we finished with their Eton Mess.

The menu was varied and the Specials Board even more so. The Special Price menu – 3 courses for just £15.95 each, and a £1 reduction for ‘senior citizens’ looked like exceptional value. It was!!!

All-in-all, a very enjoyable experience and consequently, it was a very long lunch! Additionally, three courses with drinks and change out of £50 brought a smile to our face!

We just need to sit nearer the router next time!!

We’ll be back!

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 First Visit: Shires Inn appeared first on Steve's Blog.

This was ambitious, even by our standards! Ten of our neighbours here for a full-blown three-course Sunday long lunch!

In addition to Ann’s legendary skills in the kitchen, I had a go at ‘something’ (always worrying when I’ve got a whisk in my hand!). Motivated by my mantra: chocolate in everything, I created a ‘mystery Pudding’ to be revealed at the time of serving.

We’d managed a lot of the prep yesterday – mostly peeling, slicing and beating – and that certainly took the pressure off today! So, what was left to do before our guests arrived? A bit more food prep, some pre-cooking, a tidy up, some dusting, a quick floor wash., a swift vacuum and finally, arranging the therapy sessions for the dishwasher!

Phew! We were now ready to enjoy the important bit – the food and the company!

Pretty much all of the gang were invited: Jo, Janet, Tom, Julie, John, Trish, Paul and Karen. Unfortunately, David & Rosi couldn’t make it, but we aimed to save them some dessert!

Given the numbers, we took a chance by planning to eat outside where the weather, luckily, turned out to be kind to us with no sign of rain and a pleasant 17℃ – although it did cool down significantly, into the evening. For once, the Bank Holiday forecast was accurate!

Kick-off was 2pm for drinks with everyone sitting down for 2.30.

We’re off!

After a few nibbles, next came the main event; and with enough food – especially the roast potatoes – to feed the whole of Northamptonshire, we were all soon settling into a well-worn routine. The routine of course was; chat, eat, drink… then repeat! In other words, perfect!

And of course, after the main course came dessert! Plenty of choices today – three in fact – where Ann had created a rather humungous Pavlova…

…together with the perfect complement in the shape of an equally impressive Apricot Crumble…

…whilst I’d been a bit handy in the dessert department by finally revealing my ‘mystery Pudding’ that turned out to be… (drum-roll)

…a rather gooier-than-I-expected ‘Twix Cheesecake’ (mk1). This was my first attempt, hence the ‘mk1’ moniker – and it’s back to the Galley later, for some minor next-time tweaks.

What to choose ehh? Fortunately, in this house, seconds and thirds are actively encouraged, so no pressure for a decision (just pressure for the sequence!)

Well done then, to the few who managed to resist the temptation of triple visits! (it wasn’t many!) As you might expect, in spite of the slight experimental nature of MY contribution, everything went down a treat!

We ate, we drank, and we chatted in a generous fashion! As the afternoon continued, the temperature dropped, and we were all thankful that we’d dressed in layers!

The afternoon passed in a flash – it was five o’clock before we knew it! Jo and Janet had to leave a little ahead of the teas and coffees because they were hosting a Gin Evening at theirs (you’d be forgiven in thinking that it’s 24/7 partying ’round these parts), meanwhile, the rest of us ‘struggled on’ as best we could!

It had been great to get together at possibly our final eat-outside-en-masse this Summer. The food and the wine helped to keep the conversations going, as did the OK(ish) weather, We certainly had enjoyed plenty of time chatting – so that was a big bonus!

A couple of hours later, as the temperature dropped even further, and with the dishwasher hitting its third (and final) job for the day, the rest of our guests called it a night! We eventually said our goodbyes just after 8pm.

It really was lovely to see everyone – now that’s what I call a proper long lunch!

And talking of goodbyes, as we cleared up and returned the kitchen and dining room to a state of temporary idleness, it felt like ‘bye-bye Summer’ too!

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 Ten for a Bank Holiday Lunch! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

David and Val joined us for our normal monthly dining get-together. This time it was our turn to cook and Ann rustled-up a rather tasty leg-of-lamb and really good selection of vegetables. It was excellent! Ann had tried a new way of cooking it – a cross between roasting and steaming and it certainly paid-off – it was so moist. In her own words: “probably the tastiest lamb we’ve ever cooked.”

After the meal, Val popped back and picked up her MAC lap-top and took us through their holiday pics and I did the same with my NetBook. David and Ann commented that we both looked a bit geeky – surely not!

Before we knew it, it was 10.30. David and Val made the long trek home and we attempted to rescue the kitchen from the bomb that had hit it it!

…thanks heavens for a dish-washer!

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 David and Val here for Lamb! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Biscuit and Bon-Bon
We took Biscuit and Bon-Bon for their routine ‘bath-dry-groom’ and ‘maim-the-handlers’ today. Apparently, Bon-Bon is the aggressive one whilst Biscuit takes in all in her stride!

Meal with Karen, Paul, Julie and TomWe went out for a meal for our great neighbours to celebrate Julie and Paul’s birthday (both next week). We popped in to ‘The Bar’ which strangely is a bar. A very weird place – half finished, very loud music (grumpy ol’ man!) and too small (just five or six tables). We then took a short (cold) walk to the ‘Old Victoria’ pub – it’s very nice there and a massive contrast to ‘The Bar’.

So, time to eat. We tried out ‘Shaad’ – the new Indian & Bangladeshi restaurant that’s replaced the Coach House restaurant in Burton Latimer.

The food was great, prices very reasonable and the staff, very friendly

They also gave us a free bottle of champagne!

Then it was back to ours for a night-cap or three and a chance to try out Ann’s freshly made banana cake – delicious!!!!

Got to bed around 1am…

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

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