How popular are we? Well, I don’t know about that, but today, we had the unusual situation where we were invited to two events pretty much at the same time! Both included great food and great friends – and the weather looked promising too!

Party 1

Beginning at the very sociable time of 1.30pm, we joined our friends at the ‘Lower-Berwick-Way-Slightly-Delayed-VE-Party‘.

It was a great turnout based on how many were invited. At its height, there were 20 of us, including – Jo, Janet, Helen, Bev, Jools, Kevin, Sarah, Dan, Jodie, Steve, Juliet, Sam and us two – tucking into some yummy food and catching up with each other’s news!

Being tucked away in the corner of Berwick Way, kept us safe from passing traffic, but it’s generally pretty quiet anyway, traffic-wise. Apart from a hasty rearrangements of the seating to let a nearby couple onto their drive, it was an interruption-free and very enjoyable get-together! .

Jo and Janet did the heavy lifting (sometimes literally), getting the invites out, arranging the furniture and of course, organising the food. It was all for a good cause too! We didn’t just sit there, filling our faces (well, we did actually!), but J&J added a little to the admission price, meaning we raised some extra money (£65) – all donated to Cransley Hospice.

Bev and Sam also created some mouth-watering sweet treats to help with the calorie count, and it all went down a treat! The most striking temptation was surely Janet’s VE Trifle (note those cleverly positioned chocolate buttons!) – and not surprisingly, it didn’t last long at all! .

It was good to get together, and even the Sun came out (but like us, didn’t stay for the duration!). We toddled back up the road just after 3.15 – to Paul & Karen’s.

Party 2

It’s a tough life! We’d (I’d already eaten enough to keep me going for a week!) as we joined Roger & Debbie and Bobby & Stella for one of Karen’s legendary slow-cooked BBQed meat joints and Debbie’s melt-in-the-mouth Pavlovas!

The weather held, but as we moved from the lower part of the garden to the top – to chase the Sun – the temperature did drop, quite dramatically, as the afternoon turned to early evening. We had a great laugh whilst enjoying even more food, and when eventually left at around 7pm, I for one, was beginning to feel that I might have overdone things on the calorie front! Surely not!

Thanks everyone! We had a great time today AND did something for charity too! . Tomorrow won’t be a day to jump on the scales!

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 Party, Party! (Literally) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

A Bank Holiday Street Party in nearby Berwick Way for no other reason than ‘because we could’!

Well, the weather wasn’t exactly ‘glorious’ – a cool and breezy 17°C – but that didn’t prevent around 20 of us from getting together at the foot of Berwick Way.

With Mick, the Burger King on BBQ duties serving up some excellent burgers and sausages, Janet and Ann on Mains and Jo and Sam on Desserts, we forgot the weather (for a while anyway!) and tucked into some excellent food. By popular request, Ann’s home-made Cheese Straws made an appearance!

If burgers and sausages weren’t enough, collectively, we’d assembled a massive list of additional junk food that included all the usual suspects – pizzas, peanuts, sausage rolls and crisps. The variety of processed food was only outdone by the array of alcohol on offer – we even had an ice-bucket! Let’s not say we don’t do these things half-heartedly!!!

Jo reproduced her Coronation Trifle from June 2022, which was supported by individual Lemon Drizzle Cakes and a Cheesecake, in case we were bored! (err, we weren’t!)

And, in a rare display of ‘healthy options’ (sort of!) we enjoyed Sam’s ‘double-decker’ part-of-our-five-a-day Fruit Meringue!

Momentarily, we were guilt-free!

Wow! What a great turnout, especially given that the weather didn’t really co-operate! Still, it could have been worse, at least it wasn’t raining. Afterwards, it was easy to see that we all did the food (and drink) justice! The sound of popping corks was only interrupted by the obligatory Amazon delivery driver’s reversing beepers, doing his best to get to his destinations without running us over!

If there was a single thing that was a (slight) disappointment, it was, as expected, the weather. It began breezy (as we frequently ‘rescued’ paper plates, cups, tablecloths and hats all heading in the direction of the next county!) and turned increasingly cloudy and cool. By around 3.30 it was just bordering on ‘yuk’ but that may have been because we ran out of food and drink!

We all agreed that overall, it had been a very worthwhile get-together and there was even talk of making it a regular event! Sounds like a plan!

Best news of all was that after taking the cost of the food and drink into account, we had money left over in the shape of £60. We donated that to Cransley Hospice. .

Same time next year 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 Bank Holiday Street Party 2024 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Even at the tender age of (almost) 66, I’m still up for trying new things. And today was one of those days! Ann and I were invited to our first Baby Shower. From what I’d read it was another of those celebratory imports from across the pond designed to mark the imminent arrival of a new screaming bundle of flesh. I’d also read that it tended to be for girls only – so, what would I be doing there?

Well, nothing actually! It was really good fun! More than 20 girls and just a few of us guys . Trish had done most of the organising and that involved a mega-display of balloons whilst Kellie organised some ‘Baby Shower Games’. These included Baby Bingo; Pin the Dummy in the Baby’s Mouth (blindfolded!); telling the difference between a beer gut and a baby bulge and finally, guessing the price of baby items. Kellie’s Mum, Diane, supplied the food including a rather handsome quadruple-decker ‘Baby’ cake.

A really enjoyable event!

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 What a Shower! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Beginning on Thursday. 2nd June and ending on Sunday, 5th June, this was a celebration of HM Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne.

Thursday, the 2nd

Spent the morning catching up with ‘bits and bobs’ as we only got back from our Scottish holiday yesterday afternoon.

Top Trooping

First of the formal stuff – Trooping of the Colour on TV.

…then the flypast featuring 70 flying machines…

Top Gunning

We then caught up with Jo and Janet in the afternoon and went to Odeon, Kettering to see Top Gun – Maverick.

Wow! What a film!!! Easily the best we’ve seen all year!!! A fast-paced action yarn that redefines ‘action movies’! If we could have given it SIX stars, we would!

Top TV

Cheesey-Beans-on-Crumpets for tea and we’re all set to watch EastEnders starring Prince Charles and Camilla!

Top Tree

…followed by the Lighting of the Beacons around the UK and the Commonwealth – 3000 of them! This included the ‘Tree of Trees’ near Buckingham Palace. A very comprehensive guide to the whole Beacon thing is here.

A great day, where even the weather behaved itself!

Friday, the 3rd

The highlight of the day was the Street Party in (lower) Berwick Way – but before all that… food preparation! We were both up early and by 9.30, my Raspberry Cheesecake was chilling in the fridge. Ann followed that with a ginormous Victoria Sponge.

The rest of the morning was pretty ordinary – I caught up with a few TV programmes that I’d recorded whilst we were away last week and we dipped in and out of the Royal Thanksgiving Service from Westminster Abbey. I then mowed the lawn and finally, prepared the ‘countdown’ social media posts for The Rowell Fair – yes, all very ordinary!

Jo dropped in to leave her car on our drive, whilst she and the Lower Berwick Way crowd began preparing the street. I expect to be helping out later.

4pm! With Desserts prepared, we walked down to J and J’s for the Lower Berwick Way Street Party!

By 8.30, the temperature dropped quite significantly, and that was the cue to begin the great clear-up. It had all been great fun – we even sang the National Anthem and Sweet Caroline!

Saturday, the 4th

Plenty of jobs to do around the house before the main event tonight – The Platinum Party at the Palace live, outside Buckingham Palace. Her Majesty had already announced that she wouldn’t be attending (which disappointed some although at 96 years old, it wasn’t a total surprise to anyone).

At 6 o’clock, we took a walk to the other end of Berwick Way, they were doing their own Street Party – and Ann and I were invited by Debbie/Roger and Stella and we were chuffed to be have been asked I think we caught the tail end of it, but it was still a great atmosphere and the cluster of neighbours had done a fine job in decorating the local space. Paul and Karen were delayed because of the imminent arrival of another grandchild!

Platinum Party at the Palace

At 8 o’clock, it was the televised Platinum Party.

But before all that – a big surprise (including HM’s children who were equally surprised as apparently HM had kept it a secret from them too!!) as the Queen appeared with Paddington Bear. A production masterpiece and it probably even upstaged her appearance at the Olympics 2012 Opening Ceremony when she parachuted out of a helicopter!

The Mall was certainly packed, and again, the weather played ball!

Let the party begin! Lee Mack introduced the evening and got the audience onside immediately with a gag about ‘Party’ and ‘Gate’! . Musically speaking, Queen with Alan Lambert opened the set with their anthem: “We Will Rock You” (fantastic!) and as the two-and-a-half hour event unfolded where a wide range of musical talent followed, spanning the generations. I’d heard of most of them (but not all of them!) and it was all very, very entertaining. Duran Duran, Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, Craig David, Alicia Keys, Ashley Banjo & Diversity, Elton John, Andrew Lloyd Webber, George Ezra, Elbow, Sam Rider, Nile Rodgers, Andrea Bocelli, Hans Zimmer, Celeste and Mica Paris plus for the yoof: Jax Jones, Mabel, Stefflon Don, Mimi Webb, Sigala & Ella Eyre. We also had some excerpts from the West End Musicals: Phantom of the Opera, Joseph, Lion King, Six and Hamilton. Rod Stewart was another superstar that struggled to hit the notes, with his rendition of Sweet Caroline, but nobody minded.

As darkness fell, the performers were about to be outdone by the fantastic lighting show, that beamed on the front of Buckingham Palace!

Not only lights but video and slide montages too! Absolutely fantastic and as a one-time organiser of conferences, I can easily imagine the amount of preparation that went into getting it all together.

And if that wasn’t enough, then it was the (700!) drone show above the Palace – and just added to the overall impact of the evening.

The evening concluded with presentations by the Duke of Cambridge and a very heartfelt speech by Prince Charles flanked by Camilla. The whole evening was topped-off with Diana Ross topping the bill with a few of her greatest hits. Some rumour of her miming it all, but it was still good stuff!

That was some concert! Pop, Pomp and Pageantry – we Brits certainly know who to put on a good great show!

Sunday, the 5th

The official day for Street Parties, although the weather (judging by the amount of rain overnight) returned to form – that’s also not a good sign for the massive Street Pageant up the Mall scheduled for the afternoon.

Jo and Janet dropped in for a cuppa – and a slice of the leftover cake from the Street Party!

The Pageant

The Finalé

The finale began with Ed Sheeran – doing what he does best! A man, a guitar and a great song!

And then, pretty much what everyone had been hoping for – The Queen made an appearance on the balcony!

That sure was some celebration! An event that’s unlikely ever to be repeated – glad I was around for it! .

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 Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration appeared first on Steve's Blog.

It was one of those fantastic weekends where we spent 99% of the time eating, drinking and enjoying the company of good friends! It’s a tough life!!!

Saturday

The morning was spent preparing stuff and having a final tidy-up in readiness for our guests.

Just after midday, Ralph and Karen joined us, and after a quick natter (and a pizza or two) we all went out for a short walk showing our guests the new development that is Seagrave Manor. Weather-wise, it began OK, but about halfway round, the heavens opened, and we were thoroughly soaked! Karen probably escaped the worst of it as she had a hood!

Once we were home and dry, we nattered away the afternoon combined with getting the evening meal prepared (Cottage Pie with a Sweet Potato & Cheese Topping).

With pretty much everything then sorted for the meal (and with a bit of time on our hands) we settled down to watch a movie – courtesy of Netflix.

Our choice? The remake of The Magnificent 7 (2016), that Ann and I last saw on my 60th birthday celebrations back in 2016. We’d completely forgotten how good the movie was (and in Ann’s case, unusually, she’d forgotten seeing the film at all!

Just before 6pm, Jo and Janet arrived, and after an alcohol-fuelled catch-up we sat down for the meal.

As usual, Ann had performed miracles in the kitchen – and so had I for Dessert! I created a ‘Kit-Kat’ cheesecake, which, at least visually, got a lot of attention.

Judging by the empty plates, it seemed to taste as good as it looked…

…although if I being picky (me?) next time, I’m going to make the base a bit thinner (a bugger to cut through), sweeten it up a bit and cut down on the amount of dark chocolate content and replace it with milk chocolate! Oh, and maybe add some choc-based liqueur! It did taste good though, but you wouldn’t have managed a second slice!

Jo and Janet called it a night just after 11pm and we stayed up to see the end of the film. We hit the pillows just before midnight!!!

SUNDAY

We were all up before 8. It had been a warm night (surprisingly!) and none of us slept particularly well. Still, time waits for no-one – even if we were suffering from lack of sleep!

We had Nick and Celina (plus their new toy – Nick’s Porsche) arriving at lunchtime, so it was all hands in the kitchen for the Sunday Roast.

On today’s menu? Roast Chicken with all the trimmings followed by Fruit Pavlova, Fresh Raspberry Bakewell Tart... plus a final appearance of yesterday’s Kit-Kat Cheesecake!

…all washed down with a couple of bottles of Red and a selection of Ales (no, we didn’t drink ALL of them!)

After Lunch, our collective minds turned to some initial planning for our Party in December. By 5pm, with some really good ideas in place, we said our goodbyes.

It had been a really good weekend catching up with some of our closest friends – now all we had to do was clear 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 Super Sociable Saturday and Sunday! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Ahhh, a rather late start of us two – 7.30am – and it was off to Eastbourne (to check out a Hotel) then Worthing (for a birthday party) and then finally to our overnight stay in Arundel (a return to the aptly named Comfort Inn).

This was possibly our longest trip so far in the XKR – about a 325 mile round trip. As we set off from Kettering, it was a beautiful day, but by the time we got closer to Eastbourne, it was hammering it down. On a more positive note, the car returned 28.4mpg before dropping back to a more characteristic 24mpg once we started poodling around the towns.

First stop was the Hydro Hotel in Eastbourne. It’s the venue for OCA Members’ informal get together in August, and as we were in the general area, it was worth checking out. What a lovely surprise – a quaint olde-worlde type establishment that I feel is going to be just right as the meeting venue. After grabbing a table that overlooked the lawn and the coast (although we couldn’t see the latter because of the weather) a coffee, toast and slice of cake before we were back on the road heading for Worthing.

Ooo, what a grey day!

By now, the weather was brightening up, and by the time we got to the outskirts of Worthing, it had turned into a very pleasant, warm day. We mooched around in Worthing for a bit, with Ann bagging a few bargains.

What is with seagulls and my car?!?! There are thousands of cars to choose from in Worthing, and these flying feathered fiends choose mine by deciding to relieve the total contents of their bottom all over the back window and boot. Having got caught out with just a few wet-wipes last time this happened, on this occasion I was well prepared with spray cleaner and a ginormous cloth. And whilst Ann grappled with Worthing’s latest car-parking ticketing technology, I ‘pooper-scooped’ in no time!

Then it was off to Philomena’s surprise party. And what an event it was. You can always rely on Sharon and Ian to organise a great event – and this afternoon was no exception! Professional ballroom dancers were followed by a Flamenco demonstration – Mum, son and daughter – who simply danced their hearts out, accompanied by the noisiest shoes and the loudest castanets, I think I’ve ever seen (heard?). Add to that, great food and a chance to catch up with old acquaintances – Pete, Diana, Julia and Paul S – and I’d say that was pretty fine event!!!

Philomena (left) enjoying every moment of her surprise Party

Then, it was back in the car, that by now, was down to a quarter tank. Luckily, we found a petro station on our way to Arundel, and after relieving myself of £53, we were ‘running on full’ (for a while anyway1).

Fifteen minutes later, we were parking outside the Comfort Inn, Arundel. We stayed here for the first time last May, and its sensibly priced rooms, hearty breakfast, free wi-fi and convenient location, meant it was the obvious choice this time around. Parking was challenging, but we managed to squeeze it into a space not far from the entrance.

The evening finished with feet-up in front of the TV (the ill-fated series, Atlantis), before calling it a night.

We’re heading home tomorrow after breakfast.

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 Sun, Seagulls and Castanets appeared first on Steve's Blog.

A great way to start the evening…

Those that know us well, know that our two fave things are being with friends and eating out –  if we can combine the two, then it’s the makings of a great night out!

So, tonight was a simply the perfect evening, just waiting to happen. Trish and John had prepared a Guinness and Prosecco Party – and it really hit the spot!!! All the usual suspects were there (minus just 2 – Karen was away sailing and Paul had an early call the following morning, so they missed-out) – Tom, Julie, Rosi, David plus Rosi’s friend Penny.

John was good enough to pick me up around 7, together with Tom and Julie, whilst Ann made her way back form a strenuous day at Ragdale Hall!

The gossip was great – and so as the food: Onion Soup, Irish Stew, Fruit Pie, Bread & Butter Pudding and finally a Cheeseboard with enough cheese to feed the whole of Northamptonshire!!

Ann’s busy week caught up with her towards the end, so we left about 11.30 – my guess is that the party carried-on for a few hours more!

Thanks for a GREAT evening Trish (and John for his onion-peeling skills), you were the perfect hosts!

The Perfectly Poured Guinness?

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 Guinness and Prosecco Party appeared first on Steve's Blog.

We started the day by driving over to Oxford to meet up with Nicki C. We did the smart thing and took the Park-and-Ride, both arriving there at about the same time.

Oxford was fab. The weather turned out to be better than forecast – hot! and we had a great meal in the roof-top garden at the Ashmolean Museum – just a pity that part of the museum was closed for some reason! We later found out that a man had injured himself the day before, and somehow the injury had involved numerous police cars and an unmarked car. Where’s Inspector Morse and Lewis when you need them, ehh?!?!

In the evening, it was off to Trish and John’s Silver Wedding Anniversary party. Luckily, it was walkable – the Ise Lodge Community Hall. Unluckily, just before leaving, there the mother of all rain-storms! so we jumped in the car!!! We left in such a rush, to dodge the flood, that I left my phone and my camera behind – bugger!

The was loads of people there, most family, and friends of family, and the DJ tried his hardest to fill the dance-floor, but I think guests were more in a chatting/eating/drinking mood, leaving the floor mostly empty except for a few die-hard disco divas – and Tom – and occasionally us two!

We had a great time, and managed to get some quality gossip time in with Paul (Karen’s away), Tom and Julie – brilliant! Trish had organised a great food spread – enough for the whole of Kettering lasting probably for the rest of the week!!!

Ann’s very busy week caught up with her, and by 11pm, she was flagging, so and we headed for home!

Trish/John – Congrats on your 25th, we had a fab time, thanks for the invite. See you both again soon!!!

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 Oxford/Silver Party appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Together with Lee, we travelled up to Lincoln FC’s VIP suite in err, Lincoln to celebrate Bev’s 40th.

On a positive note, it was a great event – yummy buffet, good range of music and a spacious venue. There must have been over 50 people there, and everyone had a good time.

   
On the negative side, my duties as the ‘resident photographer’ came to an abrupt halt after the SD card in my camera failed and I lost all the evening’s photos.

   
Don’t you just love technology!!!????

(in spite of this, I do – but you know that already!!!)

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 Bev’s 40th appeared first on Steve's Blog.

A busy, but very enjoyable day socialising today!

We picked up Nick and Celina at around 11.30 and headed off to The Olive Branch in Clipsham for lunch. it was our first visit there, although Nick and Celina had been before. Wow! what a treat!!!! The menu was varied (including fish finger sandwiches!) whilst the professional waiters (who didn’t put a foot wrong) and the food quality and presentation were probably the best we’ve experienced in a long, long while! Excellent stuff!

We went back to Nick and Celina’s afterwards and over coffee, took a look at their photographs of their Dubai and their recent canal holiday – then it was back to ours before getting ready for John and Trish’s party in the evening.

Thanks both – it’s been great to see you and hopefully, we can catch-up again before Christmas.

7.15pm: Party time! Armed with Ann’s cheeseboard creation, we picked up Tom and Julie on the way there. David and Rosi were there when we arrived, so we all got into party-mode pretty quickly. The food was terrific – Julie had organised Starters, Trish the Mains, finishing off with Ann’s cheeseboard – oh, and everyone brought quite a lot of alcohol!
 

It was a riotous time and we haven’t laughed so much in ages. We were all in top form and no doubt Facebook will reflect that later today!!

We talked and talked – from ‘bedroom intruders with cameras(!)’, ‘School Exam Timetables’, ‘Rosi’s legendary photography skills’ and the ‘true meaning of friendship’ – we covered it all!

I’m not sure which is more scary – Ann or my shirt!!

Midnight: I was flagging fast, and Tom was right in predicting that I’d be first to give-in to the temptation of a snuggly duvet. In fact, as often happens, it became the cue for the rest of the gang to call it a night. We said our goodbyes and headed home.

1.15am: I’d forgotten that this time existed – we are well and truly trashed!

Thanks for hosting it all Trish, thanks everyone for your good humour and good food!

Phew! What a night!!!

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 Saturday is for… socialising appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Gosh, we haven’t been to Oxford for ages!

We left around 8.30, had a good run, and caught the park-and-ride into the city centre (that’s me on a bus TWICE this year!!!!). A quick look round the shops (where I got my dress shoes for the wedding and a couple of pairs of jeans) and then it was off to meet Lynn at the Ashmolean Museum.

Lynn had managed to bag some tickets for the hour-long tour and it was brilliant! I hadn’t realised this museum had such amazing stuff! – the lantern used by Guy Fawkes (how appropriate for today!); the first and last pound note and plenty of other curious exhibits. We definitely need to go back there again and do the place in more detail!

Lynn treated us to lunch at the Museum and we got home around 4pm. Just in time a for a chill-out before Rosi’s Birthday bash tonight.

Rosi’s birthday party was at the Red Lion in Cranford. The neighbours were there too (Paul, Karen, Tom, Julie, Stefan, Debbi, John and Trish) and with the rest of Rosi’s family and friends, we filled the place nicely. A live Band – just the two of them (think they were called ‘Liaison’ – a female lead and a male guitarist were excellent – especially the guitar breaks on Hotel California and Another Brick in the Wall) kept the evening going and the dance-floor busy. Chilli on demand went down well in the packed room, although queuing at the Bar for drinks was a bit of a challenge because of the number of people. There was even a firework display too – brilliant!

Fun was had by all, including Tom, who slipped into a Dick van Dyke black-and-white number and entertained the audience in the final hour – how does he do those falls without squashing his goolies????

It was a great evening, but when the music switched to ‘90’s Techno’, we saw it as our cue to leave! Where’s the Ovaltine :)))

We got home around midnight – thanks Rosi, we had a great time!

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 Oxford/Rosi’s Party appeared first on Steve's Blog.

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 Now, that’s a shame appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Lee laid on afternoon tea for Jo, Janet, David, Val, Ann and me this err, afternoon. She did a great job – it was a scrummy spread – sausage rolls, quiche, sandwiches, cake, cake, cake, Bakewell tarts, caramel thingies and the largest Victoria Sponge I’ve ever seen. It was also the perfect opportunity to try out her new all-singing-all-dancing Panasonic microwave for the hot food – a very clever piece of kit with its convection oven option.

Scrummy food and clever technology – a perfect afternoon for me then!!!

We stayed for a couple of hours, and I think what surprised us all was that it didn’t feel at all cramped given that there was seven of us in her front room – just cosy – probably the most she’s had there all-at-once since she moved in.

Well, this has certainly been a weekend of great food – restaurant Friday and Saturday night – and now tea with Lee! Brilliant!  Not sure it’s helping my diet though! Ahh well, bread-and-dripping every night next week!!!!

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 Lee’s Housewarming appeared first on Steve's Blog.

 
So, here we are, the day of the party has finally arrived. It’s a Mexican theme this time and we’ve laid on quite a spread – and invited most of our neighbours. We’re praying for good weather, but the signs aren’t good – rain, rain and more rain punctuated by short bursts of sun!

Only Jules & Bev, David & Rosi and John & Trish couldn’t make it on the night, so that left us with (just!) 16 mouths to feed and water – hey, no problem!!! Lee acted as sous-chef, washer-upper and ‘GDB’ in the kitchen – later joined by Nikki – and that was a great help!

I’d created a couple of chilli-con-carnés – a mild one and super-spicy one, whilst Ann concentrated on the complicated stuff like the pavlova (hardly Mexican in origin, but then the title of the party wouldn’t have worked!). The result was a pretty full-on-feast!

We also wrote a short quiz to test everyone’s knowledge of the recent World Cup and soccer in general.

As we got closer to 7.15, the weather remained unpredictable – just like it had done all day, so we abandoned the idea of eating outside.

Everyone arrived on time and we were soon tucking into he tasty starters. Once we got all the food laid out, it became obvious that we’d slightly over-done things in terms of quantity! I reckon here was probably enough to feed around 30 people, rather than 16!! – looks like it’s going to be Mexican week for me, this week coming in terms of breakfast, lunch and dinner – enchilada and corn-flakes anyone!!!!

Lee and Nicki kept on top of the washing-up (thank goodness!), in fact, everyone lent a hand, and by the time we’d moved onto tea and coffees, we were up-to-date with everything washed and dried – the result being that there wasn’t a horizontal surface left in the kitchen and surrounding area (still, better to have that, than coming down on Sunday morning to a shed load of wreckage!!!)

Phew! What a great evening – just too much delicious food and drink for us all to handle! I think we got to bed around 00.30 – stuffed and shattered in equal measure!

Party Animals:

• David and Val
• Jo and Janet
• Lee
• Nicki
• Paul and Karen
• Stefan and Debbie
• Tom and Julie
• Trevor and Fiona

Thanks to everyone for coming – It was great to see you all and we glad you enjoyed the food! Please drop in anytime you like next week for more of the same – I think there’s enough to get us through until October!!!

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 Party, Party..! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

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 Mexican Rave! appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Ann’s away on business for a few days.

Riotous parties, excessive drinking, late nights then..? Well, maybe not –  I’ll leave that until the Party on Saturday!!!!

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 Cat’s away… appeared first on Steve's Blog.

After yesterday’s technological fiasco, things are more-or-less back to normal with the PCs – Phew!

The rest of the day turned out to be much more enjoyable – full of ‘little things’ getting sorted:

• Drove down to Camera-Box in town to trade in my trusty Canon 20D for a Panasonic Lumix G2. The G2 should be in stock tomorrow
• Posted most of the party invites
• Spoke with an old friend from my JS days over the phone to determine if we might do some business together in the future
• Lee returned to her place after her ‘wobble’ at ours over the weekend
• Five minutes later, I was back at hers trying to determine why her TV had a picture but no sound. Turns out that the sky-box needed a reboot
• The rock-salt was delivered (how’s that for planning ahead!)
• The annual Gas central heating service happened (at last!)
• Picked up David from the Woodland Hospital 
• Started to catch-up with all my reading tasks
• Updated my web-site

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 Little things appeared first on Steve's Blog.

We drove over to beautiful Stratford-upon-Avon today to spend the day with Ian and Ann. We arrived around 12 and had a light lunch before heading off for the National Trust property – Upton House.

Wow! What a gorgeous place – can’t think how Ann and I haven’t been there before. The terraced gardens especially, were beautiful, and the inside of the House, was so interesting. The place originally belonged to Lord and Lady Bearsted who haned it over to the NT in the 40s. Our visit started off by us watching the introductory film there that was made to look and sound like a piece of undiscovered film-footage about a weekend house-party there in the 1930s.

There was a garden shop (Ann bought a strawberry plant) and a really spacious tea-shop – both of which got our attention! Ian and I discovered an outdoor chess-set and we couldn’t resist a game. I wish I hadn’t! 1-nil to Ian! After wandering around the gardens we had a return match – err, 2-0 to Ian!
 
We had a great time at Upton House, it really was one of the best properties we’ve been to (they’re all pretty good though!). But perhaps the best was yet to come!

On Ian’s suggestion, we drove a few miles to a village called Oxhill. A typically English village until we noticed the scarecrow outside someone’s house – then another – then another!

It’s called the Oxhill Scarecrow Festival – an annual event, where the villagers create scarecrows in various ‘situations’ and display them outside their houses for the weekend. We saw scarecrows in kayaks; scarecrows sitting on gates even a scarecrow driving vintage car – they just got better and better as we drove around the village. What a laugh!!!

If the day had been slightly warmer, we probably would have walked around the village and studied them more closely, but there was a nip in the air, so we did all our scarecrow-watching from the car.

After lifting our jaw from the floor (the scarecrows were just amazing!!) we headed back to Ian and Ann’s for a quick read of the papers and then sat down to the evening meal. An hour later, we were all fed and watered and we’d also put right the world-to-rights in between

The evening passed really quickly and it was soon time to say our good-byes. Strangely, there was nothing on the road and we were indoors by about 10.15.

What a great day – the best bit for me was the scarecrows – and the less said about my chess-playing skills, the better!!!

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 with Ian and Ann appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Saturday
We started the weekend heading off to Roger, Jane and Oliver‘s. – and popped into see Anthony, one of Ann’s ex-JS colleagues on the way – he lives in Letchworth with his wife, Sue.

We got to theirs about 2.45 after a couple of trips up-and-down their road trying to find the house. What a lovely place – a 1920s building with an extensive garden. We had a long chat and tucked into tea and cake. We also saw their chickens! (brilliant beasts..they eat crumpets and mice!!!). Roger phoned to see where we were and that prompted us to get on our way. I’m sure we’ll be seeing Anthony and Sue (and their chickens!) again. 

Arriving at R, J and O’s around 4.45, after a short delay, the security gates opened!!! (Roger loves his gates!!). We unpacked the pressies from the car and quickly headed inside – it was freezing! They all looked well, and Oliver was as energetic as ever!

The evening meal was excellent – a beef casserole with a gorgeous sauce made from port and cranberry sauce.

Oliver was packed off to bed around 7.30 and by 9.30 we followed! We’re such party animals!!!

Sunday
We both slept well, and I slept through until 7 – very unusual for me…

I grabbed a shower and on my return found that Oliver had taken my place in the bed – as lively and as noisy as ever!!!

Oliver continued to contribute to Ann getting ready by pretending to be a hairdresser and arming himself with Jane’s curling tongs. I’m pretty sure Roger wouldn’t be too chuffed if Oliver chose that as a serious profession!

We had a quick breakfast, sorted out the DVD player we’d given them and showed Jane how to move some documents to Roger’s account on their PC..and then it was time to go – busy busy!

We’d taken the precaution of avoiding the major roadworks on the M25 near Waltham Cross and travelled via Harlow. It turned out to be a good journey and we got Mum’s just before 12. A quick natter and then we drove to The Spinning Wheel at Westerham, just down the road – Mum had booked it ages ago for our Christmas get together.
Mum’s looking and sounding a lot, lot better. The ‘patches’ that the doctor prescribed to ease her aches and pains seem to be doing the trick and it was good to see her more like her old self again.

I didn’t remember The Spinning Wheel at all, but both Mum and Ann said I’d been there before (old age creeping on maybe?). We quickly chose from the menu – Mum had steak and chips; Ann had Fish and chips and I tried the sausage and mash. Being the generous sort, I helped out Mum and Ann with her chips! I guess all-in-all the food was ‘OK’ rather than something better. What was memorable however, was how cold the place was, and how the service deteriorated the longer we were there. By 2pm we had just got our dessert (we’d got there at 12.25) and I took the executive decision to ask for the bill at the same time. Luckily (and maybe predictably), that arrived very quickly!!

We dropped Mum back at her flat, said our good-byes and headed home. Leaving at 2.30, it was trouble-free journey until we got closer to home, where a four-mile queue near the A14 turning slowed our progress. After stopping off at Kettering station to pick up a ticket for next week, were indoors by 5.15.

It’s been a full-on weekend, and it’s been good fun!!

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.

The party weekend continues!

We popped round to Paul and Karen’s just after 3pm where Karen had prepared lashings of great food including some very tasty meatballs – my favourite – and a rather potent sherry and brandy trifle – probably the best trifle I’ve tasted in years!

I guess there must have been around 50 people there – a mix of us regulars – including Tom, Julie, David, Rosi, Stefan, Debbie, Bobby and Stella plus a lot of P and K’s family.

It was a great atmosphere and conversation, food and drink flowed smoothly and in large quantities!

Jeff, Paul’s Dad made a touching speech after Paul had blown out his candles that was really touching and Paul responded in kind.

Before we knew it, it was 8.30 and time for us to leave and get ready for work tomorrow.

It’s been a great day and a pretty full-on weekend – drinking, eating, drinking, eating, drinking, eating, but one of those repetitive tasks that’s always enjoyable! Happy Birthday Paul!!

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 Paul’s ’50th Birthday’ get-together appeared first on Steve's Blog.