It’s pretty much on our doorstep, but 30 years after we moved to Northamptonshire, we finally got around to visiting Althorp House. Good mates and neighbours, Jo & Janet, joined us, in place of David & Valerie (who sadly, couldn’t make it today) heading for Althorp House.

Althorp is a Grade I-listed stately home and estate in the civil parish of Althorp, in West Northamptonshire, England covering about 13,000 acres. Althorp became one of the prominent stately homes in England where it dates back to 1688, replacing an earlier house that was once visited by Charles I. Inside and out, there have been some significant architectural changes , but on the whole, you’d never know and the House is one of the more attractive ones that we’ve visited over the years.

The estate was first opened to the public in 1953 by Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer (1892–1975), to mitigate against taxation, where Althorp even had its own railway station called Althorp Park on the Northampton Loop Line until 1960. After his death, Albert passed Althorp to his son Edward John, 8th Earl Spencer, who had served as Equerry to King George VI (1950–52) and to Queen Elizabeth II (1952–54). Edward was a wine connoisseur and had an extensive wine cellar at Althorp. He made his own wine and attracted fellow connoisseurs from around the world to Althorp, although he did not sell much of it. During Edward’s ownership of Althorp, approximately 20% of the furnishings of Althorp were sold off. The divestment included eleven Van Dykes and nearly every religious painting in the collection, as well as estate housing, and drew severe public criticism, including from the heir. Edward left the estate to his son, the current owner Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, after his death in 1992. As a teenager, Charles served as a tour guide at the house and acquired a deep knowledge of Althorp, where he grew up with his sister – Diana, Princess of Wales.

We began the day with some coffee and cake at their café, taking advantage of the spacious courtyard.

It certainly was a lovely day for it! The perfect temperature for just wandering about, and soaking up the scenery and the good weather!

I was looking forward to snapping pictures of the interior as I’d heard they were ‘quite something’. But, it wasn’t to be, as we were reminded on entry that ‘no photography was allowed’.

That was a real shame! So, take my word for it, as about an hour later, with both floors covered, we had now seen the inside of the House for ourselves – and it was simply jaw-dropping! Not only was the decor stunning, but there were also so many paintings, it could have easily doubled as an Art Gallery. Plenty of well-trained staff on duty too, who only too eager to assist our understanding of this impressive pile of stone! Paintings aside, it had an impressive Library with over 100000 books!

I suppose if I was being unkind, it was simply ‘conspicuous wealth’ at its most, err, conspicuous and where for some, therefore, all of this would be almost obscene – but they’re probably not the type who would have visited anyway! For us four though, we loved it! It was just how you might imagine a country pile to be! . Even the Gardener’s House here is listed as a Grade II*

Reflecting on what we’d just seen, we took a wander with the ducks around the Oval Lake, where Diana, Princess of Wales is buried. The whole area was very tranquil and felt like the perfect resting place for this once-troubled Royal. Now, at last, at peace.

At one end was her Memorial where clearly the loss is still felt by some based on the fresh flowers that had been left there.

All that was left to do was have a final wander around, taking the Stable Block (now an exhibition hall) and the surrounding landscape.

We then headed back to the car for the straightforward journey home – or, it would have been if I’d dialled in the correct address on the Sat-Nav!

Instead, EVie took the more scenic route back taking us through Northampton (with all its customary congestion!). Usually, the Sat-Nav is pretty good at diagnosing the traffic flow and always picks the best route – but not today! How so? It turned out that I’d hit the wrong ‘previous destination’ and EVie returned from whence it came – the local Kia Dealer in Northampton!

How we laughed!

In spite of the more scenic route home, it had been a great way to spend a Friday!

The post First Visit: Althorp House appeared first on Steve's Blog.

21st June 2026

Welcome back to all my dedicated readers! This is our last full day here in Lancaster. The weather forecast is the best since we arrived, so we hope it’s accurate!

If you’ve just joined the conversation, here’s a quick recap… We arrived in Lancaster on Thursday – our first visit ever – and part of our UK-centric holidays for 2026.

Why Lancaster? It’s a town we knew nothing about, and in a part of the UK that we’ve always tended to pass through when travelling north. Ann tracked down a great little Pub/Hotel – The Borough Lancaster Hotel – so that was our accommodation sorted!

The Hotel has been great in every respect, and because of its location in the city, has allowed us to walk everywhere we’ve needed to go. We haven’t needed the car at all! Technologically speaking, it’s also provided the best WiFi we’ve ever seen in a UK Hotel – 95 up and 95 down – Perfect! – so, it’s certainly made my blogging easier!

For us, it’s a cultural holiday, where we’re learning about the city and its people, plus the wider area and its rich history. We’d done our homework before we left Kettering and created a shortlist of everywhere we wanted to see.

We’ve pretty much completed the list. The only places we didn’t get to was the Town Hall (closed on weekends), Williamson Park (we ran out of time) and although we wandered down to the Canal on our first night here, it didn’t really turn into a proper ‘walk’. Instead, as a bonus, we discovered the Lancaster Maritime Museum, which wasn’t originally on our list – but what a find that was!! (see yesterday’s Post)

Missed a Post?

Saturday’s – Day 3
Friday’s – Day 2
Thursday’s – Day 1

Today…

We strayed a little today and took the short train journey to Morecambe – and its glorious sandy beaches. We’ve got Lunch booked at the famous Midland Hotel in all its Art Deco glory, and we’re also heading to the Promenade to find the statue of Eric Morecambe.

Tough life, ehh!?!?

The Train

From Lancaster it was only a short journey – just two stops – and where we took the rather leisurely 10.30 (they run every hour on a Sunday). Great value too, costing us just over a fiver return, in total.

It turned out that we caught the last train out of Lancaster to Morecambe today, due to track maintenance – and it’ll be a bus coming back!

Morecambe Station looked very sleepy when we arrived. There wasn’t a soul in sight (and that’s how it would stay for the rest of the day).

Welcome to Morecambe Bay! Did you know that the Bay is in the Guinness Book of Records for “the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom” – some 120 sq. miles! Just imagine me at parties!!

The Eric Morecambe Statue

The statue, sculpted from bronze, was made by Graham Ibbeson and unveiled by the Queen in July 1999. It shows one of the UK’s best-loved comedians in full ‘Bring me Sunshine’ mode – and that seemed wholly appropriate for today!

A Look out to Sea (1)

Itvwas turning into a beautiful day with the temperature already in the mid-20s. We wondered why there were a lot of ‘big boy’ lenses out today!

It’s Armed Forces Day today with a flypast by a solitary Hurricane!

Is that the time? It’s ice-cream o’clock of course! . Thanks for asking… it’s Strawberry and Chocolate plus the obligatory flake!

A Look out to Sea (2)

The deep blue sky and golden beaches continued to impress us!

The Midland Hotel

We’d only ever seen this Hotel on TV. It’s served as a filming location for several prominent productions, including the classic 1960 film The Entertainer and the 1990 Agatha Christie’s Poirot episode “Double Sin“. 

It’s been around a while and certainly has a striking appearance – even from a distance!

History of the Hotel in 100 Words!

Well, 115!

It was opened on 5 September 1903 at a cost of £1m (about £115m in 2026 money) and was built by the Midland Railway to serve Manchester Central station for its rail services to London St Pancras.

One of the lesser-known facts is that Hitler took a shine to it as a possible Nazi HQ for Britain! It was bought by the Paramount Hotel Group in 2004, and upgraded in a £12m renovation and then transferred to Hotels, Paramount’s sister company.

The hotel was sold in 2018 to a partnership between the Swedish firm Pandox and the Israeli firm Fattal Hotels, which undertook a second £14 million renovation. From 2023, the Midland Hotel has operated as a Leonardo Royal Hotel.

Inside…

Outside…

Lunch

Shall we say, Lunch was an interesting experience! I think we both had an image in our minds of what the four-star dining experience would be like – Sadly, today wasn’t it!

First and foremost, this is a four-star establishment and so NOT to have any Waiters at all to take your food order was a bit of a surprise. Instead, the once majestic Midland Hotel now required us to choose from the menu, walk to the Bar, queue with the rest of mankind, place and pay for our order – this was no better than your below-average Pub!

Desserts demanded an identical process requiring us to queue again! Err, no thanks! Any offer of mustard or horseradish with the Beef? Nope! A similar shortfall with the Turkey and the absence of Cranberry Sauce too. Well, at least they’re consistent. A filthy wine glass completed the lacklustre experience. This was going downhill fast.

The signs of cost-cutting were everywhere. No water for the table, paper napkins, and ‘help yourself’ cutlery because they can’t be asked to lay the table! So, no chance of a tip then! In fact, by having to pay up front at the Bar, before the meal began, completely removed any opportunity for tipping! A missed opportunity!

Conclusion? The Midland has become a pale shadow of its former self, and one venue that we’ll never see the inside of again! Thankfully!

We headed back to the Station on the lookout for the replacement bus service – hoping that it hadn’t been organised by the Midland Hotel!

Fortunately, it hadn’t! A shiny luxury coach arrived just up the road from the station, and we climbed aboard.

That didn’t take long! Within 40 minutes, we were sipping tea back at the Hotel.

Tomorrow

After four nights here, we head home after Breakfast. Lancaster began as a complete mystery to us, but ended up being in our ‘top five’ of ‘Cities to explore’. What a great few days away!

The post Lazy Days in Lancaster – Day 4 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

21st June 2026

Morning, loyal readers, and thanks for reading my Blog! It’s our second full day here in Lancaster, where we’re spending a few days exploring the local area. Yesterday, we dodged the showers and picked off a few destinations that were on our list (see below), including the Castle, the Gaol, the Courtroom, the Police Museum and the Judges Lodgings’ Museum. Phew!

Missed a Post?

Thursday’s is HERE
Friday’s is HERE

Currently, we’re staying in The Borough Lancaster Hotel, which puts us within walking distance of everywhere we’ve wanted to go. It’s quite a compact area anyway, and we’ve not missed the car at all.

Today looked like a kinder day weather-wise (thankfully!). But just in case, for our first adventure, we’re inside, with a backstage tour around Lancaster’s Grand Theatre – a ten-minute walk away.

Originally, we also had plans to visit the Town Hall to look around. They’re always much more interesting on the INSIDE than their exterior suggests. However, a bit of local knowledge is a great thing, and we discovered that they’re not open to the public on weekends! . Oh well, we’ve got the City Museum (located in the OLD City Hall) on our list and from there, we’ll see how it goes. So, we’ve got a plan – sort of – but before all that, it’s…

Breakast!

What’s that acronym? ‘KISS’ – Keep it Simple, Sausage! and we certainly did! It was a much lighter affair than yesterday’s humongous ‘Breakfast Burrito’ that almost needed a table to itself! .

The Grand Theatre

As planned, our first cultural stop of the day was at the Grand Theatre where we’d booked ourselves on the 10.30 Tour.

The Grand Theatre is one of the oldest theatres in England and the third-oldest in Britain, having been in near-continuous use since 1782 . We were one of the first to arrive, but it soon filled up. With fifteen minutes to go, there were almost 30 of us waiting for kick-off.

Adrian, one of our Guides, was taking his role very seriously and came dressed as one of the original Victorian owners – Charles Whitlock. He clearly knew his stuff and kept our attention throughout.

Because of the large numbers today, we were split into two groups. Hats off (see what I did there!?) to the staff here, as they’re all unpaid volunteers and these tours run across the week on most days. Irena, another volunteer, was also on hand to look after the other half of the group.

Adrian took us through the chronological timeline of the Theatre’s history, where it became clear it certainly had experienced a few ups and downs – and a few fires too!

The Theatre receives no grants at all and relies wholly on the few productions it puts on through the year, plus the income generated from ticket sales from well-known comedians who use the venue as a type of ‘test bed’ for their performances before hitting the bigger Theatres around the UK.

Whilst Adrian entertained and educated half of us on stage (literally) Irena (above) showed us the area below the stage, including the dressing rooms.

Looking at the photographs hanging on the walls, there were more than a few famous faces (and there were at least three more walls like the two above!).

Twenty minutes later, we swapped around, giving our group an opportunity to experience the view seen by performers, where Adrian continued to explain how the Theatre grew in popularity, plus age-old theatre conventions including not wishing a Production: ‘Good Luck’ and not mentioning the name of ‘that Scottish Play’ .

…and what a view! Although we learned later that, because of theatre lighting, generally, the actor cannot usually see anything past the first two rows! Who knew!

We ended the Tour on the technical side of a production, where Adrian explained the increasing use of technology here in the 21st century.

Just before we said goodbye to the Theatre, there was just one final opportunity to experience the more usual view of the Stage! . A free cup of coffee also awaited us where we had an opportunity to chat with the staff. All in all, even if you’re not a theatre fan, this was a fascinating insight into their world and delivered with enthusiasm and energy by the volunteers.

What made this experience even more extraordinary was that it was completely free of charge! Thanks, everyone!

The City Museum

The Old Town Hall building in which the Museum is housed is of Georgian design and was recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II-listed building. It was designed by Major Thomas Jarrett and built between 1781 and 1783.

Inside, they had packed a lot into the two floors. Just £4 each for admission – great value!

Immediately past the admissions area were numerous exhibits that were part of the ‘Hidden Hoards and Fascinating Finds’ series – Lancaster’s summer exhibition. Wow! if you’re into coins, especially, there are some amazing collections on show here.

A real Roman milestone!

As we headed upstairs, we were in for a real treat!

The above ‘Memorial to Insus‘ (unearthed in 2005 and read more HERE) was probably the most valuable piece on display here (because of its rarity) and dates back to around c80AD – it looked brand new!

Similarly, the Burrow Carvings, a collection of 3rd-century Roman stone carvings discovered in 1794 near the Roman road into Lancaster and just as rare!

As we continued around the First Floor, we discovered a wide range of exhibits depicting the Lancashire Life…

But the best was yet to come in the shape of a museum-within-a-museum covering the King’s own Royal Regiment.

Covering 1680 to the present day.

The photos only show a fraction of what was on display here today. For those with only a passing interest in military history, this very comprehensive exhibition makes it all worthwhile. Read more about it HERE (but be prepared to put in a significant amount of time to do it justice!).

Wow! That was seriously well done!

We ended our visit with a trip to the museum Shop (actually, it was the only way through to the exit! ) where it punched well above its weight in terms of range and quality – keyring or fridge magnet anyone???

I think we were now all cultured out and it was turning into a very warm day out there. There was only one thing for it – ‘Elevenses’ – at a very relaxed 1.30pm!!! where we stopped off at nearby Diggles.

Pitstop

Another GREAT coffee (this is becoming a regular ‘thing’) with a scrummy slice of Lemon Drizzle Cake with superb service as well. Just leave us here!

Maritime Museum

After the pitstop, we decided to walk further to the Maritime Museum.

xx

It was a very pleasant walk as we headed for the old Custom House that is now the home of the Maritime Museum. Again, just a paltry £4 each to get in where the Museum is split into two halves. It occupies two historic buildings on St. George’s Quay, the heart of the city’s 18th-century harbour. Opened in 1985, it was designed in 1764 by Richard Gillow (Yes, he of the famous ‘Gillow’s cabinet-maker empire). It also incorporates the upper floor of the neighbouring warehouse, where goods were stored after being shipped into the port from all over the world.

We were advised to visit the Warehouse first, which put the town of Lancaster into a maritime context (who knew that the town used to be the fourth largest slave-trade port in England – and 29000 African slaves were traded here.

The Museums up here have all been excellent, and the Maritime Museum was no exception. It comprehensively covered everything – in a maritime sense – from slavery to offshore drilling for Gas in Morecambe (who knew? ).

The above boat is called a ‘Nobby’ and is used in the cockle-boat business in Morecambe Bay.

Another great experience, and we now understand the significance of Lancaster in the broader context of the rise and fall of a town’s maritime success.

At this point, lesser mortals would have grabbed a cab back to the Hotel. Not us! We decided to (ahem!) ‘experiment’ by turning LEFT out of the Museum and locate the Railway Station so that it’s more straightforward tomorrow when we take the train to Morecambe. Well, safe to say, it did all work out, but the walk was a lot further than either of us imagined – and it was now the hottest it had been all day . On a positive note, it’s upped our step-count, plus, we’ve now discovered parts of the town that most people don’t get to see!

So, all good then!

Phew! The afternoon was a real scorcher (when we did most of our walking! ), but in total, we covered about 3-4 miles on foot.

Tomorrow…

We’re taking the train to Morecambe, where we’re having lunch at the famous Art Deco Midland Hotel.

We’re also going to locate the statue of Eric Morecambe – “Bring Me Sunshine” springs to mind! – see you then!

The post Lazy Days in Lancaster – Day 3 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

19th June 2026

Morning all! It’s our first full day here in Lancaster, having arrived late yesterday afternoon.

We both slept well but were awake at just before 6 to hear the melodic tones of two ‘gobby’ women immediately outside in the street, accusing the other of ‘gaslighting’ them! . Yikes! They were really vocal!! . Luckily, they were only within earshot for about five minutes as we enjoyed their ‘deeply philosophical’ debate gradually fade into the distance!

Sunbathing today? I think not!

The weather forecast was nothing special, but at least it looked better than when we arrived yesterday afternoon! .

If you’re catching up, we’re staying in the rather quaint, but popular, Borough Pub Restaurant & Hotel that is just a short walk from where we plan to spend a lot of our time. Missed yesterday’s Post (why? ) – it’s HERE.

As we’re only in the area until Monday, we want to make the most of our time exploring the local area, and so, as you might have guessed, if you know us, we’ve got a little list

The highlight for us, culturally speaking, is going to be the Castle, the tour around the local Theatre and finally, the trip to see Eric Morecambe’s famous statue!

But first…

Breakfast at the Hotel!

We had the place almost all to ourselves!

Today…

The plan, after Breakfast, was to visit the Castle, just a 10-minute walk away.

Lancaster Castle

The Castle is a Grade I-listed building that occupies a hilltop location (really!?) on the site of three successive Roman forts and has been described by English Heritage as…

“Not only the North-West’s most important historic and archaeological monument but also of international importance”

It’s also known as John O’Gaunt’s Castle and is currently owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, aka His Majesty, King Charles III. Read more about the Castle HERE.

If you’re wondering how John of Gaunt fits into the picture, he was the Duke of Lancaster (1340 – 1399), an English prince, military leader and statesman. It probably helped that he was also the fourth son of King Edward III and the father of King Henry IV. Because of his royal roots, advantageous marriages and numerous land acquisitions, he was one of the richest men of his time – yes, it’s not WHAT you know etc…

What an improvement in the weather too! We walked around in short-sleeves and no coat! As we passed through the Keep, we noticed something unexpected…

In fact, from overheard conversations by the staff, it seemed to be a surprise to them too – apparently, the ‘advanced party’ were going about their business, assembling chairs and large stage BUT expected TOMORROW! Still, they weren’t going to let a few hundred chairs, miles of wiring and testing the sound system (with the volume set to 11!) get in the way of the tranquility of the Castle on a Friday, were they!?

Judging by the frantic conversations between roadies and Castle staff – err, yes, they were! Cue some tension between both parties

Yes, it’s all about the Comedy Festival – Comedy at the Castle – coming soon and it looked like they were expecting quite a few!

We grabbed a seat and waited for our Guide and the 10.45 Tour.

Gotta have standards!!!

The following numbers are probably worth a Post all of their own (but I’ll spare you that!)

The Tour took around an hour and a quarter and for just £9 each, great value. Gregory brought the history of the Castle to life with his delivery style. He certainly knew his stuff, but if you came here expecting an uplifting story of knights, their battles and other castle-related stuff, this was the wrong place!

This was a place of punishment in all its various shades. From the Pendle Witch Trials (1612) to the last man hanged (Thomas Rawcliffe) in 1910, plus the home of two working Courts and a Prison until February 2012. The ex-Prison is now the home to Lancashire’s Police Museum.

The above was the final photo of the Tour as we headed for the working Courts (including the holding cells), where the instruction was clear: NO PHOTOGRAPHS AT ALL – or risk a fine and possibly imprisonment. ‘Nuf said! The next 30 minutes was fascinating as we got up close and personal with the inner workings of the judicial system including a wall of shields depicting monarchy and High Sheriffs!

As a Category 3 establishment, Norman Stanley Fletcher and Del Boy would feel right at home here! but as the Tour ended on stories of the most recent hangings and how the dead bodies were, ahem! ‘maintained’, it all felt very depressing!

Coffee!

As recommended by our friend and neighbour, Janet, to cheer ourselves up, we headed for (late) elevenses nearby.

Another great coffee from Atkinson’s Coffee Roasters.

We’d planned to visit the Police Museum next, but they were closed for Lunch, so we filled in the time by exploring some of the other attractions here – The Priory and the nearby Roman Baths.

The Priory

Tucked behind the Castle is The Priory or to give its full name: Lancaster Priory Church of Saint Mary. It has been a place of worship here since the 2nd century, and inside, there was plenty to read about its history as well as marvel at the architecture.

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Roman Baths

Fancy a bath?

In truth, there’s not much to see here, but it killed fifteen minutes or so.

The Police Museum

Note this is only open on Thursday and Fridays from 10.30 and closed between 12.30 and 1.30 for Lunch. It closes at 4.00pm – criminal!!

Where once Prisoners resided has now been converted to a Museum to reflect the Lancashire Police’s fascinating past and present.

This was probably one of the most comprehensive and content-rich Prison Museums we’ve ever visited (and we’ve done quite a few!). Well worth an hour of your time – and better still, it’s free to get in (and out!)

Well, it made me giggle – Oh, the irony!!

The Judges’ Lodgings Museum

Our final stop today was here – The Judges’ Lodgings Museum, just a few minutes’ walk from the Castle.

This was a perfect example of how the rich and powerful of the judiciary were rewarded for their work. A house full of ‘no-expense-spared’ furniture (by the world famous Gillows) and other comforts. For younger readers, Gillows was THE cabinet maker and the byword for quality furniture in the same vein as Chippendale (not to be confused with Chip ‘n’ Dale, the chipmunks).

Yes, if you fancied a bit of posh cabinet-making, Gillows was your man – and there was plenty on show here across the first two floors.

Tools of the trade…

On the top floor, it was full of childrens’ toys – The Museum of Childhood – a fascinating trip in time back to the Victorian era complemented by more modern toys. A real treat for kids aged 9 to 90!

Back to school!

Wow! What an impressive place! Just £5 each to get too!

Our final stop for the day was a more down-to-earth visit to Marks and Spencer’s for tonight’s carpet picnic. With rain forecast, we didn’t fancy venuring out again and as we stepped through the door to our room, it started to rain – perfect timing then!

With about 2½ miles walked today, we even managed to up our step-count! . Smug or what!!!

Tomorrow…

A conducted tour around the nearby Grand Theatre, the City Museum and then the Town Hall. Weather permitting, we might grab a boat trip too!

The post Lazy Days in Lancaster – Day 2 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

18th June 2026

It’s holiday time, and in 2026, we’re sticking closer to home, favouring UK-based holidays over anything that involves a lot of travel! No airports (so no killing time in airport lounges), no cruising on the high seas (with all that excessive food and drink) – and for this break, no driving either, as it’s all being done by train using the UK railway network. We’re heading for Lancaster and we’re there for four nights exploring the local area.

Yes, you read that correctly. Usually, we’d travel by car without further thought, but actually, there wasn’t a lot of difference in the journey times – car vs train. By car, we calculated it would take 3 hours 26 minutes, whilst by train, in theory, just 3 hours 45 minutes. So, if you factor in a wee break for a wee, then there wasn’t much in it timewise. OK, if you look at the travel costs, it was just shy of £150 return in total for both of us by train, and it would have only cost about half that for charging the car, plus the cost of parking, plus the ‘fun’ of finding parking in the first place! Conclusion? Yes, more expensive, but it made perfect sense to let the train take the strain – it’s not always about the cost, is it?

It was a pretty direct route too! Kettering – Leicester – Birmingham – Lancaster. It started well! David and Valerie acted as Chauffeur and Deputy Chauffeur dropping us at Kettering Station in good time for the first leg. As things turned out, we actually caught an earlier (delayed) train, meaning, just 20 minutes later, we were at Leicester, all set for our next hop to Birmingham. Thankfully, that train was on time, and in less than an hour we were ready for our final leg – the longest at around 2 hours – to Lancaster.

That’s when our luck ran out! . Here at Birmingham New Street, our next train was running late. Ok, it was only 7 minutes behind – but things were to deteriorate further as we boarded and got closer to our destination. By the time we approached Lancaster, not only had the weather had turned nasty – it was pouring down – the train, for various reasons, eventually pulled in around 30 minutes later than planned, at just before 3.40pm.

It wasn’t quite the textbook journey we’d planned, but with the horrendous weather, I had a feeling that the journey, by car, would have also had its ‘moments’.

Once we were off the Train, we considered walking from the Station to the Hotel, but it was still absolutely hammering it down, and so we jumped in a cab instead for the short drive to our bed for the next four nights.

Ann had tracked down a great little Pub/Hotel that would be our home until Monday – The Borough Lancaster Hotel – located south-east of Morecambe Bay.

The warm welcome helped to compensate for the cold and wet weather, and we were soon taking the short walk to Room 10..

It wasn’t the biggest room we’ve ever stayed in, but it had a certain charm about it with two TVs, a massive shower, a coffee machine, plus a bed about half the size of Kettering! . Oh, and it had its own little patio area (not that we’d be using it much today! ). Well, as they say: ‘the garden needs it’ – except our patio featured astroturf, so it didn’t!

Whilst I set up the technology, Ann played to her strengths and got us unpacked. Maybe not surprisingly, we ate in the Hotel tonight.

We ate early too! At 6.30 it wasn’t particularly busy, but that meant the service was swift and attentive – and that suited us!

No sign of a Michelin Star, but it did the job!

Around the Town

After our meal, we decided to get our bearings by taking a wander around the Town’s nearby retail area. The shops and restaurants were plentiful with ‘big names’ nestled amongst the now-obligatory vape shops, kebab shops and a wide range of eateries. There were a few shops that were vacant (surprising to see the mighty Greggs had closed down!), but proportionally not quite as many as we’ve seen elsewhere.

It’s an old Town with an old feel, full of buildings deserving more than a cursory glance, but there’s a good mix of newer outlets too. Just as we began to think the experience was like a lot of modern towns, along came a couple of police constables – ON HORSES!

A mile-and-a-half later, our bearings were ‘got’ and we headed back to base to think about the rest of our days here. As you might expect, for our short stay here, we’ve got a list!

The List!

The big one is Lancaster Castle and the surrounding area, and we plan to cover that tomorrow. Best of all, it’s literally on our doorstep. There’s a bit of rain forecast for tomorrow, but not as much as today – and at least, we’ll be mostly inside. Sounds like a plan!

The post Lazy Days in Lancaster – Day 1 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

It was a welcome return to The Saxon Mill in Warwick today for one of our regular three-monthly get-togethers with Ian & Ann and Alan & Mags. The six of us were last here back in February, this year after giving it a break for a year or two.

We set off just after 11.30, and that meant plenty of time to get there. Well, that was the theory! Friday + late morning + A14/M6/A46, what could possibly go wrong? It began well, but a lorry shredding a tyre just before the exit to the A46 meant a substantial tailback, adding nearly 20 minutes to our journey. We eventually arrived just after 12.45 (table booked for 12.30) after negotiating an incredibly busy Saxon Mill car park.

Consequently, we were last to arrive, but it wasn’t long before we were catching up with our friends and all their news.

Given that there’s a feeling, nationally, that everyone is hard up and watching the pennies, someone forgot to tell this lot! – I don’t think I’ve ever seen Saxon Mill so busy! Good to know, and we were soon perusing their Menu that sported a 2 or 3 course menu (great value at just £21.95 or £25.95 respectively plus the usual à la carte option). This all meant there was a fair amount of choice in front of us. Decisions made, we now had to get someone’s attention. Maybe due to how busy they were, service was a bit sluggish, but it came (eventually) with a smile from our Server, who was clearly enjoying his job!

It all went down a treat with my choice offering some of the tastiest bangers I’ve eaten in a long time!

It was (just as it should be) a very relaxed Lunch as we spent nearly two hours chatting over this and that including UK Passport Control, Thunderbirds, Second Thoughts productions and Ian & Ann’s impending arrival of half of Australia! (well, not quite!).

After paying the bill (just under £67 per couple) we headed to the car park, said our goodbyes and contemplated what our journey might be like in reverse on a Friday afternoon. Actually, it was hassle-free, and we were home in just under an hour.

Next time, we’re meeting at Ascoughs Bistro in Market Harborough as part of my forthcoming 70-70-70 celebrations.

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Another organised day out thanks to my old School – Selhurst Grammar School for Boys and The Old Croydonians’ Association. Today, it was a behind-the-scenes tour of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

We set off from home just before 10am, heading for Huntingdon Station. It’s become our ‘go to’ station-of-travel in recent years when heading for the capital due to better parking, cheaper rail ticket prices and generally much more ticket flexibility. OK, we first needed to drive there, but it’s only 30-or-so minutes and (touch wood) we’ve never had a bad run yet!

I wouldn’t say we’re ‘theatre luvvies’, but we’ve been to quite a few Theatres in the capital over the years – but never this one.

These OCA events are always worth looking forward to – not just because it’s an opportunity to meet up with old school chums but to ‘dig deeper’ into places that wouldn’t usually be on our radar. So far, thanks to the good work of the OCA looking after us old boys – and girls! – in recent years, we’ve enjoyed visits to:-

St Bride’s Church (February 2026)
Fulham Palace (September 2025)
Hidden Greenwich (September 2024)
Backstage at the National Theatre (February 2024) – we missed that one!
Behind the Scenes at the Royal Opera House (October 2023)

We’re now building up quite a list! , and as usual at these events, there’s always time for pre-meet over an informal meal beforehand. Today was no exception as we took the short walk from Covent Garden Tube to the nearby Prince of Wales Pub in Drury Lane.

Prince of Wales

We arrived just before 12.15 where OCAer John Wade introduced himself and set the scene for this special day.

We’d been here before on the previous OCA trip to the Royal Opera House, and it was good to be back in a Pub that typifies ‘old London’.

The food punched well above its weight, and despite the hostelry’s size, there was plenty of seating. It was popular too for that time of day (but thankfully, not too popular!). For us, it was perfect! Meanwhile, elsewhere, because of the expected numbers and differing food tastes, there was also a second gathering of ex-pupils at nearby La Ballerina in Bow Lane. As always, it was good to see some very familiar faces – Cortland, Valerie, Roger, John, John, Caroline, and many other faces from previous events and my school days – can it be 50 years since I left? (err, yes, ‘fraid so! )

After the perfect antidote to WeightWatchers (yes, we did have a pud too!) and the opportunity to have a longer natter with those assembled, we decided to stretch our legs in the vain attempt to burn off the meal (really!?!?)

Twenty minutes later, and now at least an ounce lighter than when we left the Prince of Wales, we arrived at the Theatre. Just from the outside, it looked impressive, but the very best was yet to come – the interior.

Theatre Royal Drury Lane

First, the shortest of history lessons: The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane was opened in 1812, and is the most recent of four theatres that have stood at the location since 1663, making it the oldest theatre site in London still in use. It recently underwent a massive refurbishment at a personal cost to the owner of £60m.

And as we were about to discover, this was no ordinary London Theatre

In total, there were around 20 of us eager to learn about the inner workings of this famous establishment. Sensibly, we were split into two roughly equal-sized groups, where Ann and I were put in the ‘first’ group, meaning we finish sooner, making it easier for our train connections. In many respects, getting in and out of London these days by train is a breeze compared with when I worked in the capital, but timing is everything!

Alan introduced himself as our Tour Guide. He turned out to be the perfect host, and we sensed an actor fighting to get out (or get in!).

In fact, his delivery, for us, was so engaging, I was caught up in the drama of it all instead of taking photographs. So, the photo stock may have come up short for today’s outing, but our appreciation of this wonderful building more than made up for it!

Here are some of the takeaways for us:-

Recently refurbished in 2021 WITHOUT the need for any grants or loans
Thank you, Lord Webber for the £60m! (the owner)
The restoration returned the Theatre to its 19th-century look
Immaculate from top to bottom, it looked like it opened yesterday!
Luxurious Ladies Loos (no, I didn’t check personally!)
A very haunted Theatre and a place full of ghosts
The Stage that was a technological marvel – and very large!
Proper legroom for the audience

If the interior that the public usually sees was jaw-droppingly gorgeous, there was more to enjoy – behind (and under) the scenes. Alan first took us into the Theatre seating and explained the layout changes during the refurb: first, seats with proper legroom, next, no ‘restricted view’ seats and best of all, the upper seating had been moved closer to the stage. The result? The Theatre now offers just under 2000 (1981?) ‘proper’ seats!

Then it was down, down and down further as we headed beneath the stage and into the oldest parts of the building. Complete with a slightly spooky flickering overhead light to set the mood, we learned more about the resident ghosts! . The Theatre is generally considered to be the most haunted theatre in the UK, and whether that’s all part of the clever branding or a genuine part of its 350-year history, it made for an (even more) engaging experience! . I’ll spare you the spooky details here, but the Theatre has more than its fair share of occasional apparitions, including: Dan Leno (Panto Dame) and the ‘Man in Grey’. Oh! and the smell of Lavender. Even our Guide mentioned he’d seen one of the spooky residents!

On the slightly more surreal side, we got to see a very special chair – a gift to the Theatre – that belonged to Adolph Hitler taken from the Reichstag! How very strange! . We also took a look inside a restored Dressing Room with the helpful advice from Alan about NOT leaving your makeup out overnight (yes, one of the resident ghosts again! )

Typically, as with all enjoyable events, the 90 minutes passed in a flash. As we said our goodbyes to the group, we reflected on today’s experience. The OCA events have always been well-organised and interesting (thanks Bob, I’m sure you’re looking down on us, with an approving smile ), but today was probably the best so far, for us. We were impressed with the Theatre from start to finish – and Alan had really brought the building alive (except for the ghosts, of course! ).

Thanks to everyone at the OCA who made today possible – and to Alan who entertained and educated us in equal measure. We won’t forget this Theatre in a hurry, and we’re even tempted to get onto their mailing list for future productions.

Now all we needed to do was to hope that all our train connections worked! They did, and we arrived home just before 6pm. Here’s to the next one! (Note to self: Take more photos!!!).

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I suspect this might be the first of many! Ann and I travelled up to Blackfriars in London today for our first HQ Reunion of ‘The Firm’.

Ann was eligible to go too, as she was part of the Store Development in her final years. So we agreed to give it a go and see if we could recognise all those people from years ago.

First, a bit of ancient history. Just after the Romans exited Britannia, I joined Sainsbury’s as a ‘trolley boy’. The clue is in the job-title, and I spent most Friday nights at the tender age of 16-and-a-bit retrieving customer trolleys from the multi-storey car park next to the then-flagship Sainsbury store in Croydon. Sadly, it was closed down in 2023, but at least a couple of us revisited it back in August of that year, for one final ‘goodbye’ before they shut the doors for good!

It would NOT be an understatement to say that JS had a massive impact on my life in terms of how I saw the world of work. It was my first ‘proper job’, and over the years the firm gave me a gold-standard training and development programme; taught me a lot about the importance of a ‘work ethic’; how to build and develop work relationships; mostly though, how to work hard without the constant need to be told I was ‘amazing’.

Fast-forward a few years (and a few different jobs that included Weekend Student, Butchery Boy, Checkout Operator, Warehouseman, Tradesman, Trainee Manager, Junior Manager, Training Specialist, Area Training Manager and finally, Head of Special Training Projects at HQ in London), I got itchy feet – which was unusual for the time and the culture (many workers at JS stayed for a lifetime). These days, it’s not considered healthy to remain with a single organisation for long, but back then, ‘loyalty’ was a thing!

So, some 17 years later, my time with Sainsbury’s had reached its natural endpoint, and on Friday, 3rd March 1989, I said my goodbyes . Tough decision? You bet! But the firm had given me enough knowledge, skills and confidence to start my own business! The rest is ancient history, and I owe Sainsbury’s an awful lot.

Today, was an opportunity to reconnect with some of those who had played a part in all of this where the venue was helpfully also one of my favourite ‘watering holes’ too (it saw an awful lot of me in the late 80s! ) – The Doggett’s perched on Blackfriars Bridge and just a short walk from Sainsbury’s HQ in Stamford Street. Well, it would have been if they hadn’t demolished ‘Stamford House’ back in 2017!

We arrived just after 11.30 where the two floors allocated in the Pub were already filling up with faces from the past.

We met up with Nicki and Julian and were soon drinking our coffees and scanning the room for familiar faces from our past.

Howard Bentley (the first Sainsbury Management Trainer I ever met) and I recognised each other immediately, and we were soon catching up with many, many (many) years since we last saw each other and reflecting on the legend that was Robin Handley (RIP).

I also caught sight of Dave Washington, who, in my early days, was a junior manager – and a popular one too. I also spotted Phil Thomas who was the ADM (Area Display Manager) at around the same time (early 80s) that I was ATM (Area Training Manager) at the Area Office based in Romford. Bill Williams, who is now in charge of this event, was pretty active today, circulating and pressing plenty of flesh. I last remember Bill as the tough very tough Store Manager of the new flagship store at Nine Elms that opened in 1982.

Then, another two of my personal heroes: the evergreen Ken Barden (who recruited us both into JS) accompanied by the well-respected David Clapham, who, back in the day, was a senior manager. Both now in their ‘golden years’ to me, they looked much the same as they did all those years ago. Seems like 70-hour work weeks and 24/7 stress hasn’t affected some of us! . I remember them both as true ‘people persons’ where I had the privilege of working for Ken as my first boss and being David’s PA for a short while over Christmas in the late 70s.

Of course, there was one person I really wanted to chat with, who I knew was attending. Step forward, Andrew McMillan. Andrew was probably the first person I met when I began my career as a Trainee Manager at Sainsbury’s ‘747’ Orpington store in 1976. We became instant friends – and we’ve kept up the friendship ever since! A brief moment of joint mental arithmetic today revealed that we’ve now known each other for 50 years! . Sounds impossible!

I also finally met Julian Durden, who had been a name that I was sure I knew from the past. Other friends of ours who also knew him were convinced that he and I must have known each other. Today was the day when we finally worked it all out! It seemed that by coincidence, we’d both worked at the same stores at about the same time, and so, we had been aware of each other, and probably out of courtesy, politely acknowledged each other day-to-day. Today, we made up for that and spent a fair bit of time chatting and comparing notes of days long gone.

Ann managed to spot some faces she recognised, but they were few and far between.

It was a full-on experience, but in spite of seeing several familiar faces, I was quite surprised at the number of faces I didn’t know. I spent about two years at HQ, where my role required a fair amount of time spent with NON-Training functions – where were all those people today? It was certainly a ‘blokey’ affair too, with very few women attending (maybe reflecting JS and businesses in general at that time?).

Today was certainly well-supported, and through today’s raffle, raised a significant amount of money for the Sainsbury Veterans.

Elsewhere, the Pensions Department was in attendance, handling queries, and the JS Archive team were busy snapping memories for the records.

If there’s such a thing as ‘too well-supported’, then today may have been one of those times. Ken confirmed that there were around 150 people here today – and that’s quite a turnout! The low ceilings in the Pub, combined with the sheer volume of the collective conversations, made it a real challenge just to chat. As I write this, the day after, I can feel that my throat is a little scratchy from having to constantly raise my voice. Both floors were packed, making it feel a little claustrophobic, and where it was almost impossible to take any small group photos due to the lack of space. At its height, it was ‘shoulder to shoulder’.

When the Buffet arrived, I think we were all ready for some nourishment. As we filled our plates, we noticed that the weather outside had improved, and so, with our over-full plates, proper cutlery and serviettes, we headed for the deserted terrace (before anyone else did!). Outside wasn’t the warmest of days, but at least it was quiet and with a great view of the city across Blackfriars Bridge.

Then it began to rain!

Luckily, the rain was light – but the food was delicious! (Well done, Doggett’s – some things don’t change!) and as our empty plates were scooped up by the very efficient staff, we headed back inside to escape the damp, in favour of more nostalgic nattering.

In closing, and on a very personal note, it was, for me, slightly sad to see some of my heroes now looking much older and somewhat frailer. What’s that saying? “Never meet your heroes! ”

Overall, it was a very enjoyable event. These days, ‘The Firm’ is nothing like it was during the era represented here today, but it was good to relive those heady days of a business that for many was paternalistic, standards-centric, tough, regimented and top-of-its-game! It was often fun too, and good to be part of the success!

Today was well organised by the volunteers, but its popularity meant that it was literally ‘standing room only’, making it feel somewhat cramped at times. Because of the noise levels, it’s not an event we’d attend every year, although I’m really glad I attended today. Maybe it’s time for a larger venue to reflect its popularity?

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We haven’t been to Audley End House & Gardens for quite a few years, and today, we’re taking Nicki and joining Jo, Janet and Carol there. Given the gap between today and our previous visit, I was hoping to find a previous reference here in my Blog, but nothing… nada..! So that means we must have last been here BEFORE I first began blogging – that’s pre-May 2004! .

If the weather forecast is to be trusted, we had a fine day ahead with 15℃ predicted. As we were spending a lot of our time inside the House, a scorching hot day wasn’t that important, but it was good to know the weather was on our side.

10.05am: As Nicki, Ann and I left home just after 10, quite by coincidence, Jo, Janet and Carol appeared just behind us – what are the chances, ehh?!?!?

11.10am: About an hour (ish) later, after a trouble-free journey, we arrived at our destination. Finding the parking area was pretty straightforward, though at first it was a tad confusing since the main public car park was (much) farther up the road – not right by the entrance on our left. On the other hand, disabled parking was way more convenient, located via the main entrance. Temporarily, we went our separate ways!

After parking the car, the three of us took the short walk down the gentle slope towards the House and we were soon through the entrance and looking for our friends.

Our first task was to track down Jo, Janet and Carol who were now slightly ahead of us. ‘If in doubt, I thought, ‘try the Tearoom’ and sure enough, they had secured a table in the corner. The Café was already quite busy as we joined the queue for some initial sustenance but we were served quickly and were soon catching up with everyone’s news over a cuppa and some light nibbles.

Time for a group selfie, testing out my (usually appalling) selfie-taking skills!

Although I’m not bad with a phone camera, selfies have always turned out poor by comparison. Thankfully, after what seems like 30 years or so, I’m finally getting the hang of it (helped along by a tech-tip from Nicki of engaging a countdown timer in order to frame the shot in good time. Every day a school day, ehh?! . Cheers, Nicki!

Midday: There is lots to see here – it’s not just the House. The Estate included the 1880’s Service Wing, the Stable Yard, the Coach House, the Temple of Concord, the Polish War Memorial, the Organic Kitchen Garden, the Pond Garden, the Vine House and yet another garden – ‘The Elysian’.

Twenty minutes later, with beaming smiles captured, we were ready to explore the House… and Audley End is a big one!

First impressions? From the outside, the House already looked fantastic and was in excellent condition – and once inside, it continued to impress.

Clearly, a lot of time and money had been spent on restoring everything here so it looked like new. It’s one of EH’s most popular properties, so it’s money well spent!

Case in point: The massive Tudor Screen had been restored to its original appearance — having been painted white at some point in the past!

Helpfully, one of the Volunteers carried out a short history lesson about the House and the families who lived there. Another sign of (very) visible wealth? Oh yes! In fact, as every schoolboy knows: a Library in a house was always the sign of wealth – and Audley End House has TWO!

In spite of all of this money, the irony was that in the 1940s, the House (now occupied by just one person) was eventually handed over to the Government. In 1983, it became the responsibility of English Heritage.

12.50pm: Another fascination of the time was collecting stuffed dead things. It’s not to everyone’s taste – I’m more used to just stuffed peppers – and the above photos capture just a small proportion of the collection on display here.

1.05pm: One of the many great things about this House was that very little of the House seemed to be off limits. With the ground floor explored, we now headed upstairs, where even the Attic (that included ‘The Coal Gallery’) was put to good use. Another ‘first’ in that it’s the only country pile that I’ve been to where they used ‘upstairs’ as a store for piles of coal! A great idea when you think about it, but certainly very unusual!

Upstairs also housed the Nursery for their growing collection of kids – eight in total. Looking at the beds and the general decor, they certainly wanted for nothing.

1.15pm: An opportunity of silliness followed (and why not!) where the sight of period costumes (including hats) were ‘wasting away’ just sitting in the corner of the room. Yes, it would have been rude not to, so we slipped into something more elegant (well, the girls did!). Me? I’m not sure what I ‘came as’, but it looked – and felt – very disturbing!

Next stop was all the way back downstairs to the Kitchens.

1.25pm: With the kitchens now conquered, we dropped into the nearby Laundry Room. Tucked away in the corner was this…

None of us had a clue what it was. It looked like it was something to do with a door… maybe some form of repair tool. After a lot of head-scratching we deduced it was maybe something to do with pressing laundry. Maybe?

And it was – as the diagram above shows. Another first, as I’ve never seen one before.

1.40pm: Lunch was now calling – quite loudly! We headed back to where we’d met when we arrived. Boy, was it busy!! Whilst the girls queued, I secured us a table (as they were being taken in double-quick time).

Whilst the House may have been on the grand side, you couldn’t say the same for the food selection! It was all delicious, but the range was very limited. It therefore didn’t take us long to empty our plates, and we were soon on the final stretch, looking for the Gardens.

1.55pm: In spite of the six sharpest minds on the case AND with the map, finding the Gardens took us in some ‘interesting’ directions. On the way, the views were spectacular, and we eventually found the most direct route, but not before taking a short diversion to the Stables.

For those who have watched me ride a horse, I know some of you are still having therapy! Whilst others still haven’t stopped laughing! . So, for me, today, a much safer option was on offer…

3.00pm: Eventually, we discovered the Kitchen Garden.

In truth, there wasn’t an awful lot to see, but what was obvious, just looking around, was that this was a BIG space! It would have therefore needed quite a lot of labour to keep on top of all the gardening tasks. What DID make a lasting memory was the Gardeners’ Bothy (a refuge for the hard-working staff). It was also large, full of tools – and included an office too! It was also clear that it was the domain of a VERY tidy person (I could easily have moved in tomorrow!)

3.20pm: We finished our day near the Polish War Memorial then slowly headed around the back of the House.

Phew! . According to my walking monitor, it told me I’d covered just over 48 miles today. It certainly felt like a LONG walk around the Estate, but it clearly wasn’t that far! Then I realised that somehow my sedate driving style (yeah, right!) on the way there had confused the software and it thought I had walked – from Northamptonshire to North Essex!

3.35pm: We said our goodbyes and headed back in slightly different directions to our cars. It had been a FANTASTIC day, where we realised that this was our first day out together, and ALL of us are now retired! . The weather had delivered a beautifully warm day that was at least 2-3 degrees warmer than the forecast had suggested – perfect! .

5.02pm: We had a trouble-free journey home and indoors, sipping a cuppa just after 5.

More days like this, please!!

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…Knot! (read on)…

We couldn’t decide whether to go to this event today (Sunday) or tomorrow. A quick check of the Bank Holiday weather forecast helped us make up our! Dry today, raining tomorrow. So that was an easy decision. Ann sorted out all the ingredients for a picnic yesterday, and we woke to an accurate forecast (for once!)

We drove to to nearby Deene Park (the seat of the Brudenell family’s country manor about 5 miles north-east of Corby) to witness Deene Park Plundered! – a Civil War Re-Enactment Society by the well-known The Sealed Knot. The last time we were here to witness the Sealed Knot do what they do best was in May 2019 where we sat in the pouring rain, being typically British, and pretended we were enjoying the spectacle!

The Sealed Knot is the oldest re-enactment society in the UK, a registered educational charity, and the single biggest re-enactment society in Europe. They bring history to life by staging events throughout the country all year round, offering a chance to experience at first hand, the horrors of a nation at war with itself, as well as providing a glimpse of everyday life in those days.

As we arrived, we could see that the car-park was already busy, so surely that was a good sign, even if the weather was now cooling down. Would it rain like the last time we were here? . With our hands duly stamped by a young and enthusiastic ‘knotter’, we passed through the entrance and found the perfect spot for a great view of the main arena.

The Sealed Knot take these events very seriously, and you can’t knock their pursuit of perfection in everything they do. From the accuracy of their clothing to carefully choreographed battle scenes, ‘winging it’ is just NOT an option. Safety is paramount, obviously, as no-one wants a sprog hit by a cannonball, ehh?! .

In spite of the number of cars in the car-park, it didn’t seem to equate with the number of people actually at the event itself. And as the weather got cooler (but still dry!), the members of the Sealed Knot tried their hardest to keep us all engaged with first, their Drum Display followed by the Cavalry, who drilled, charged and sliced vegetables using their swords whilst on horseback.

Some were more successful than others, and it became immediately obvious that slicing a melon whilst riding a horse takes a bit more skill than mowing the lawn on a Sunday afternoon! . Some of their horses appeared to have been given Red Bull before the show and were proving to be more than a handful in their riders’ experienced hands. Some missed the veg completely, whilst others were frighteningly accurate. One horse in particular (and clearly a vegetarian) took the opportunity to scare its rider by going from a canter to a full-on gallop in about two seconds – where rider and horse were last seen landing in Leicestershire! .

Overall, it was all very professional and well put together, but the lack of visitor numbers and an increasingly cool day robbed the event of its ‘buzz’. After a quick look around and watching the fashion show, after a couple of hours or so, we retreated.

Today therefore, wasn’t one of our best decisions – but at least it didn’t rain! We’ve come to the conclusion that for us, at least, the weather has to be a scorcher to make this worthwhile, and we’ll think even more carefully, next time the Sealed Knot come to Deene Park.

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Well, more of an afternoon really! Here we are at our new home for enjoying Opera – The Savoy Cinema, Corby.

Beamed live to the cinema, from none other than the famous Royal Opera House, in our book, this is the smart way to enjoy Opera!

Last time we were here was to see La traviata back in January – and it didn’t disappoint. This time, it’s David McVicar’s production of Mozart’s famous ‘Magic Flute‘ (aka Die Zauberflöte). It’s easily our favourite Opera and we always look forward to the latest production.

As an extra bonus, parking was free here on a Sunday, so we were already 20p up on the deal! . And with tickets costing only £33 in total, as I’ve said before, this beats a journey to/from London.

Official Synopsis

Princess Pamina has been captured. Her mother, the Queen of the Night, tasks the young Prince Tamino with her daughter’s rescue. But when Tamino and his friendly sidekick, Papageno, embark on their adventure, they soon learn that when it comes to the quest for love, nothing is as it really seems. Guided by a magic flute, they encounter monsters, villains, and a mysterious brotherhood of men – but help, it turns out, comes when you least expect it

Did you know?

The Magic Flute was Mozart’s last opera before his death at the age of 35. The premiere took place on September 30, 1791, not in a royal theatre, but the popular Vienna Theatre Auf der Wieden. The actor Emanuel Schikaneder wrote the libretto and played the role of Papageno. It was a huge success from the outset – although some of Mozart’s masonic colleagues were offended by the opera’s references to their customs: a closely guarded secret. In fact, in some productions we’ve seen, it has been much more obvious that the story involves the Maisons. In contrast, this one avoided it completely! ‍

Curtain up!

With a relaxed 2pm start, it was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon! After a short on-screen preamble, it was ‘curtain up’, and we were enjoying the performance with an 80% full house at The Savoy. It’s sung in German (thankfully with English subtitles), and we learned that this performance wasn’t actually a live stream but a recording from earlier in the run. I’m not sure why it wasn’t live, but it still looked and sounded good .

It’s a serious story (as most Operas are, but with a bit of light comedy thrown in) and one of the few where a major character doesn’t peg it by the end! . In short, it’s a familiar tale of good vs evil, light vs dark and where true love wins in the end. The tale moves along at some pace, and although it’s not ‘a cast of thousands’, there are some points where there are a lot of people on stage – and that’s where seeing it in the cinema scores over craning your head attempting to see everyone.

It was certainly a memorable performance, where Act 2 contained the earworm! The tune is probably one of the most difficult arias in Opera to sing and is delivered by the ‘Queen of the Night’ character. I reckon it’s worth going, just to hear this single piece. The vocal skills required have to be at their best due to the range required, and also the ability to change speed very quickly. Ultimately, it was an exercise in breath control as much as singing ability. Kathryn Lewek, delivered it with passion! Apparently, she holds the record for performing it the most number of times in the USA. Wow, it certainly showed!

Elsewhere, the Orchestra, conducted by Marie Jacquot, was superb, and she received a rousing cheer at the end. The sets were a bit drab, but that was more than made up for by the acting, singing, music and lighting.

Overall, it felt like a long production, even though it was only two Acts (Act 1 = 65 minutes, Act 2 = 85 minutes) separated by a 20-minute interval. In fact, there were some scenes in Act 2, that neither of us recalls ever seeing before in previous productions – one example being a scene featuring animals of the forest.

In spite of the length (and the ‘new’ bits), it was a great afternoon, and still remains our favourite Opera!

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Hot on the heels of Wednesday’s get-together with Jo & Janet, watching Superman, it’s another of our TV Dinners with mates! And it’s our second ‘away match’ as we’re at Trish & John’s.

We’ve enjoyed a growing number of ‘TV Dinners’ in the past few years (see the foot of this Post). For us, they’re the perfect combo of the three Fs – good friends, good food and a good film! This was our 11th, and Trish has been scouring the cookbooks in the past few days to serve up something special

Yum Yum!

You can’t go wrong with Trish in the kitchen – and tonight was certainly no exception. Trish had created ‘Middle-Eastern Braised Beef’: a spicy concoction of guess what? Beef with courgettes, celery and tomatoes and the fragrance of fresh orange. But to start, err, Starters…

Yes, that all went down a treat! For me, the sauce was amazing!

Waiting for us on-screen is the recently released: Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. We watched it on Netflix (where, unusually, it was also on at many cinemas at the same time too!).

Official Cinema Poster

Official Trailer

Synopsis

“Amid the chaos of World War II, Tommy Shelby returns from a self-imposed exile to face his most destructive reckoning yet. With the future of his family and country at stake, Shelby must face his demons and choose whether to confront his legacy or burn it to the ground“.

Rated 15 and running for 1 hour 52 minutes, this big-screen outing had received mixed reviews from professional critics and fans. This short review is completely spoiler-free, so read away!

Either way, as all four of us were already BIG fans of the series, and it was good to see the character of Thomas Shelby back in the spotlight. It was appropriate too, as the TV series and its 36 episodes left a few narrative strands unresolved when the final episode was shown on TV in April, 2022 (Can it be 6 years ago?)

Visually, it was a treat. It was a dark tale, both figuratively and literally. The subdued hues of the first couple of acts complemented the bleak storyline and the haunted figure of a man, who appeared to be a shadow of his former self. The way they’d lit the scenes brought out the moodiness of the unfolding tale of love, death, revenge and ultimately, peace (but maybe not in the way fans might expect). It didn’t take long to work out where the story was heading – and in doing so, the tension (already on at least ‘5’ from the beginning) was threatening to settle in at ’11’ for rest of the film! Yikes! . Somewhere in amongst all that bleakness, back in Kettering, Dessert was served (thank heavens for the pause button!) – in the shape of Tiramisu – dark too! . I see what you did there, Trish!

Main Cast

The cast all did a great job in portraying their characters and more widely, the world of a Peaky Blinder. I wasn’t sure whether the character of Duke Shelby had inherited all of his Dad’s traits – charisma, menacing persona, steely stare and most of all, impossible cheekbones, but he made a fair fist of it (see what I did there?) No? Just me then!

As all good stories do, the plot built to a suitably climactic finish, and when the curtain came down, we all took a breath! Phew! It has been an exhausting watch – but in a good way. All in all, for us, a very worthwhile and watchable experience. Prepare for a reasonably high body count (but not on the scale of a typical John Wick yarn); a clear line between the bad guys and the very bad guys, plus a brief glimpse of the (already famous and local to us) Kelmarsh Tunnel. Memorable and moody lighting was a real standout for me, and I’d watch it again, just for that experience!

We all loved it! It may not have given us the ending we were expecting, but it did serve as an appropriate final curtain to the Peaky Blinders saga. Or, did it?

We finished the evening with a suitably-sized cheeseboard (we’re all self-confessed ‘cheese monsters’!), listening to music courtesy of YouTube.

10.45pm: A late one for us and another great evening with T&J – here’s to the next one!

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It’s another of our TV Dinners with good friends! On this occasion, it’s an ‘away fixture’ as we’re down at Jo & Janet’s watching the 2025 version of Superman on 4K DVD. It forms part of my growing 4K DVD collection, where this latest addition was a gift from Nicki a few months back for helping her out setting up her shiny new laptop – cheers, Nicki!

We’ve enjoyed a growing number of ‘TV Dinners’ in the past few years (see the foot of this Post). For us, they’re the perfect combo of the three Fs – good friends, good food and a good film! This was our tenth, and with Janet as Chef tonight, we knew we were in for some yummy food too!

I’m not sure how I missed this one last year when it hit the cinema circuit, but this evening, we definitely had the ‘best seats in the house’.

And with G & Ts immediately on arrival, the evening was off to a great start! This was followed by a really delicious home-cooked Lamb Tagine with an unseasonal (and generous) slice of Christmas Pudding, helped along by lashings of custard! . Is it me, or does Christmas Pudding taste even better when eaten outside of the Christmas period?

NOT just me then!!!

Well, the food certainly didn’t disappoint – thanks Janet, but how about the DVD?

Synopsis
When Superman gets drawn into conflicts at home and abroad, his actions are questioned, allowing tech billionaire Lex Luthor to get the Man of Steel out of the way for good. Will intrepid reporter Lois Lane and Superman’s four-legged companion, Krypto, be able to help him before it’s too late?

I’m just old enough to have seen quite a few Superman adventures on the big screen over the years. The first (for me): the iconic Christopher Reeve outings between 1978 and 1987 probably started my love for superheroes on the big screen. In later years, Henry Cavill donned the cape and left me with even more positive impressions of the Man of Steel.

So, this latest interpretation starring David Corenswetis (nope, me neither!) in the titular role and starring, largely, a cast of unknowns, it was directed by Superhero supremo, James Gunn, who has form for directing Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy outings before being poached to become head of DC Studios – Marvel’s rival!

All the publicity at the time of release focused on a retelling of the Superman story. As the opening scenes unfolded, it was immediately clear that this was going to be an interpretation like no other! So, if you came here to experience the familiar backstory – Kal-El being evacuated to Earth/growing up as a foster child/his initial awkwardness fitting in at work, etc., etc. – forget it!

This was all assumed knowledge, and we were soon into a familiar good vs evil battle between our hero and Superman’s nemesis: Lex Luther (played convincingly by Nicholas Hoult). Oh, good, I’d heard of him! . Whilst we’re on the subject of characters, I think it’s fair to say that an unexpected cast member eventually stole the whole film! I won’t reveal who it is here, but this film is worth a watch, just for those scenes! (and there’s a lot of them!). Yes, he wears a cape too!

For me, acting aside, the storyline was a bit all over the place, but by the third act, it was clear where it was all heading. The script was similarly afflicted, but good to hear the familiar tones of the familiar Superman Theme from earlier productions.

As expected, the SFX were outstanding (as they always are these days!) and the story ended with the obligatory – for those on the other side of the pond – sugary-sweet happy ending. Aww, God Bless America!

Would I watch it again? . Probably not, but for those who haven’t, and want to – it’s worth it.

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Those who know me, know that I like love my tech!

If it’s also groundbreaking, then that always gets my attention. If it’s a good price too, that’s a bonus, but I’m not averse to paying over the odds for a shiny new piece of kit, if ‘it does the job well’.

So, in my research for looking for a travel router (after the c*** hotel speeds during our recent visit to Fuerteventura). I eventually came across the ‘Globlinker‘. Apart from the slightly weird name, was it worth a second look? After all, all travel routers are pretty much the same, aren’t they? (the speeds, the battery life, and not forgetting the ongoing cost of data usage!).

Well, apparently, this gizmo IS a lot different from its competitors! OK, it DOESN’T support 5G, (4G will still ‘do the job’). but beyond that, it ticks a lot of boxes – even boxes that you didn’t think existed!

Let’s get into the detail of this very special piece of technology – and whether it’s worth a place in my travel bag?

Firstly, the price. Normally selling for over £200, at the time of writing, it was being offered for a smidge over £100 – but actually, that’s NOT what grabbed my attention.

First off, it works out of the box in 130 countries. Next (and here’s the clever bit) in any location, as it looks for the provider with the strongest signal and locks onto it. If the signal deteriorates, it moves providers, rather than being tied to a single mobile operator such as (for the UK) Vodafone, Three, EE or O2. So far, so clever…. but there’s more!

Once it’s paid for, there are NO ongoing costs – the connection is always free, and they even offer a regular 2Gb data allowance each month – so there’s no data to buy. Could it get any better? Apparently so! The data rolls over, so if it’s not used, it stacks onto next month’s 2Gb.

Back to the technology on offer, and increasingly for me, every day’s a school day as I learned that this router uses something called CloudSIM technology (nope, I’ve never heard of that!) negating the need for a fiddly SIM card or even the more modern eSIM. I definitely don’t understand the ‘CloudSIM part, but I guess time will reveal all – and I’m a quick learner

Stop salivating at the back (Oh, just ME then!)

Should you need more data, it’s easily purchased from their website and is available on the device immediately.

Should I or shouldn’t I?

To be honest, online, I felt, like many others who were doing what I was doing, this must all be a scam! (simply because there’s nothing else like it on the market). Yes, there are faster routers out there, but free monthly data? and the ability to switch providers for the best signal? Just those two features alone makes it the perfect solution if your hotel wi-fi is patchy or you are in a place where wi-fi isn’t provided at all. And the roll-over feature is very welcome!

Well, as I write this, and after a LOT of indecision, I’ve taken the risk and just placed my order. Whether anything turns up, having parted with my money, is another question. Having carried out some very thorough research online, though, it does all look legitimate. But how does Globlink make any money out of it (especially as, unlike most portable routers, there’s NO ongoing cost for the DATA, unless you need more than 2Gb?) Nope,I’ve absolutely NO IDEA! Perhaps they’ll just rely on the revenue from selling the routers, and that’ll be enough – but that doesn’t sound like a good business model to me.

Could the deal get any better? Oh yes! . For early UK adopters, like me, they’ll throw in an extra 10Gb of data for 30 days to get you started. 10Gb? That’s probably enough to feed even my habit of taking gazillions of photos when I’m abroad and uploading them in real time.

Is this the 2026 equivalent of ‘snake oil’? There are plenty of 4 and 5-star reviews online, where the only negative comment is from a (very) small number of people who have said that the upload and download speeds are disappointingly slow – although there are also plenty of others who find the speeds perfectly acceptable for 4G.

By this time next week, it should have arrived, and I’ll be putting it through its paces. I’ll update this Post with my findings. If it delivers on its promises, then this is MOST DEFINITELY the bargain of the century!

Update: 20 April 2026

Well, today, the device arrived – finally! .

It was well-packaged and fitted through the letterbox. I followed the simple setup instructions – and it FAILED! It just wouldn’t connect, constantly displaying registering on the screen. No amount of reboots seem to sort it out, so it was time to test the emailed-based support team

Their response times were fantastic . One took just 2 minutes to send me an email reply, whilst another took them just under the hour. This was impressive! Then it all went a bit ‘wobbly’. I’m not sure if it was a language issue (despite the very English-sounding names of the Support Team), or something else, but I found myself having to repeat information that they must surely have already known – order number and email address! Anyway, some 10 emails later, after emails pinging emails back and forth, the 2GB monthly allowance was initiated, followed by the 10Gb welcome gift. Initially, a reboot of the router, which should have worked perfectly, did nothing of the sort – and the screen showed the familiar ‘registering’ message.

Then, after a few minutes, the router sprang into life. I rebooted it again just to be sure, and after a bit of a wait whilst it found the strongest network, we were ‘good to go’. Speed tests indicated that (here, on the Vodafone 4G network) I was getting 20 down and 10 up. It was less than I was expecting, but even at that disappointing speed, it gives me another connectivity option if we’re abroad and the local service is poor.

Best news of all? After moaning at them because it wasn’t delivered over the weekend as they had suggested, they gave me ALL my money back AND said I could keep the Router. So, it’s cost me nothing at all! You can’t get better than that, ehh?!?!

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Off to The Fox Inn in nearby Thorpe Waterville. It’s our regular catch-up with (very) long-time friends, Mick & Jane

The Fox Inn has been receiving good reviews of late, and we thought we’d give it a go, having not been there (I think) since April 2019! The Pub gets a lot of passing traffic but has seen quite a few owners over the years. In the latest round of ‘Pass the Pub’, it had remained closed for over a year and finally re-opened in October 2025, having been bought from the Brewery.

It was already fairly busy when we arrived just before 1pm. We were soon shown to our table for four by the window and ordered our drinks whilst we perused their menus. For us, it ALL looked yummy, and it therefore didn’t take us long to make up our minds.

Our friends arrived shortly afterwards, and with our choices now made, we spent some quality time catching up with everyone’s news.

Well, that all went down a treat! The food had always been very good here, but today’s was exceptional! If they keep serving food of this quality, then they deserve to be a success! . We were all too full for a Dessert… or even teas and coffees, so we chatted for a while, then settled the bill – and said our goodbyes until the next time.

It was a straightforward journey home for us, but we chose the back-roads having spotted a potential jam on the opposite carriageway on the A14 on our way to the Pub. Mick decided to cycle home whilst Jane took the wheel of their Beemer.

Home by 3!

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Off to the cinema – The Savoy in Corby – with Jo & Janet (Ann sat this one out!)

We’re here to see ‘Project Hail Mary‘ – a sci-fi adventure that I actually hadn’t read much about.

Official Synopsis

“Science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory slowly returns, he soon discovers he must solve the riddle behind a mysterious substance that’s causing the sun to die out. As details of the mission unravel, he calls on his scientific training and sheer ingenuity – but he may not have to do it alone”.

Run time: 2 hours and 36 minutes

Cast & Creatives

Full details are here, courtesy of IMDB.com

Official Trailer

Any Good?

Where to start with this one? I’m still not sure whether it’s up there with 2001 – A Space Odyssey, Star Wars and Close Encounters, or it’s just another sci-fi piece of nonsense where all the spaceship’s crew are dead except for one (American*, of course!) and he saves the world! It’s based on the book of the same name by author, Andy Weir (who also penned The Martian, amongst others).

*Yes, I know, Ryan Gosling is CANADIAN!

After a sluggish first 45 minutes, it was all a bit superficial, where it couldn’t seem to make up its mind whether it was a light-hearted riff on a global problem or deliberately wrong-footing the audience as to its intentions. Thankfully, it eventually found its feet, but initially, I wasn’t ‘feeling it’. Having read the official synopsis, that had convinced me that I knew where this was all heading, I settled down to a good old space yarn!

Clearly, I knew nothing!

MILD SPOILER ALERT! DON’T READ ANY FURTHER
IF YOU’RE PLANNING ON SEEING THIS!

Yes, it was all a bit silly and unbelievable, but it definitely grew on me in spite of it starring Ryan Gosling who I last saw in that car crash of a film: ‘Barbie’ (so bad, I didn’t even blog about it!!). This one was a long film and sometimes it felt it, but at the 90-minute point, I was hooked! Ironically, some scenes felt rushed and I guess that’s where the book would be a better medium, whereas the film’s soundtrack was choral-based and suited the story perfectly.

In many ways, it was good to see a sci-fi adventure that didn’t over-rely on lasers/war/fancy spaceships and a planet full of special effects. I think if sci-fi isn’t your thing, this won’t change your mind, but it was certainly quite a few notches up from a lot of recent output from the same genre.

I mentioned earlier that the synopsis didn’t tell the whole story – and I do believe that was a deliberate marketing ploy to mostly wrong-foot the audience as to the ‘thrust’ of the movie. In short, it’s simply a ‘First Contact’ theme with a convincing love story that also includes the strongest of emotions on its journey: loss, betrayal, hoplessness, sacrifice and ultimately, happiness. Well, that’s a reason to see it, surely?

The final scene is super-silly and in my view, diminished the seriousness of the movie’s main theme. They could have easily left that out, and it wouldn’t have matttered – what is it with American films where there HAS to be a happy ending! However, on a more positive note, and in spite of Ryan Gosling’s woeful performance in Barbie, he’s has gone up in my estimations. To pull off this film where the whole story pretty much relies on the main star being in 98% of the scenes, is no mean feat – and he did this with ease and was totally convincing throughout.

All in all, an entertaining piece of cinema that’s either ‘genius’ or ‘nonsense’, depending on your interpretation. Cleverly filmed with CGI thankfully, set to ‘restrained’. Slightly long but well-scripted, with a great choral soundtrack. It looks its best on the big screen, but the 4K DVD, when released, will certainly have its fans.

Worth a punt!

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A bit of culture for Easter Saturday as we headed to The Citadel in town for this year’s Salvation Army Easter Concert. It was all part of their fundraising to refurbish the facilities here.

Tonight, for our listening pleasure, we had ‘Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem’, ‘John Rutter’s Gloria’ and Kettering SA’s very own Richard Phillips’ composition: ‘Jesus Victorious’. The local Salvation Army here in Kettering has a great track record with their musical presentations, and last year’s performance of part of Handel’s Messiah here was fantastic! . We weren’t familiar with the majority of the content on offer tonight (well, Ann certainly knew more than me!), but it was all in a good cause, and for many, it was good to be reminded of the significance of Easter.

Supported by a small orchestra (trumpets, violins, violas, cellos, double bass, trombones (including a BASS trombone), tuba, timpani, percussion, keyboard, harp – and a gong, they provided a big sound to accompany the Choristers. All-in-all, this was serious stuff to befit the Easter occasion. Fellow audience members would have been pleased delighted that unlike last year, I didn’t hum my way through it all (mainly down to my unfamiliarity with the ‘tunes’).

It was a full house for this, ‘tonight only’ performance, with close to 140 240 (Thanks, David, for spotting that. I did get A-Level Maths, honest!! ) of us in the audience! – including the Kettering Mayor, Cllr Ben James (at what must be one of his final official duties before he steps down after the usual year in the role). Meanwhile, ‘behind’ the orchestra, I’d never seen so many Choristers, aka Kettering Community Choir – I counted close on 70. No wonder Kettering Town seemed deserted! .

Strangely though, no-one was taking photographs, and even though I planned to, I followed their lead.

Holding it all together in his role as Conductor was the very talented Richard Phillips, who, as I mentioned earlier, was responsible for the third piece tonight. Richard has been an integral part of the music output here for as long as we’ve been coming to these kinds of events, including over 20 years leading the Kettering Citadel Band.

Completing the musical talents tonight was Mark Norwood – from my old stomping ground of Bromley – a baritone with a voice so deep, dark and thick, you could have probably made gravy from it – the Bisto of Baritones! Superb!!!

6.58pm: At just before 7pm, to enthusiastic applause, the evening officially began. The first piece, Requiem, was in four parts – and sung in Latin! Yikes! Not exactly one you could (thankfully) sing along to! Whatever the Choir was on, can I have some, please? . They were thoroughly enjoying themselves and giving it any mathematician’s nightmare of 110%! For me? Not so much. The combination of unfamiliarity with the tune and the revisiting of Latin (last ‘enjoyed’ by me at school in around 1970!) made it a difficult listen, but you couldn’t fault the performance itself, being demonstrated here tonight. Extra brownie points for soloist Cheryl Stone, who lit up the room during the final part Pie Jesu – what a voice! Angels beware!!. By the time Requiem came to the end, some of the singers looked exhausted, but we weren’t surprised, given the amount of energy that had been on show.

A short interlude followed, where the Choir and the Orchestra, together with Richard, all left the stage for presumably some more of the magic potion that had served them so well for their first piece – or maybe even an Easter Egg? Almost certainly, the queue for the ladies’ loos was going to be a long one!

The potion/the chocolate/the loo break had clearly done the trick, and some 20 minutes later, the dream team were back on stage for their second piece – Gloria. Shorter in length, but still on a mission to test my Latin, the performance also included some stunning solo work from Cheryl Stone, Ruth Humphrey and Alison Chapman. I enjoyed Gloria more, in spite of the lashings of Latin.

For many, I’m sure Richard‘s piece – the final part of tonight’s performance – Jesus Victorious – was eagerly awaited – simply because it was all his own musical work using the words of Stephen Pearson (no, not the former Scottish professional footballer, but the Managing Editor of the Salvation Army). And what a collaboration! . I don’t think ANYONE saw that coming, and those hoping to ‘rest their eyelids’ during this one were going to be very disappointed. As the title suggests, this was very upbeat with plenty of orchestral surprises. The official Programme described it as ‘raw, turbulent and emotionally charged’ and we wouldn’t argue with that! Sleeping is for wimps anyway!! Best news of all? It was in English. If the Choristers had given ‘110%’ up until now, then by this point, their enthusiasm was off the scale.

8.25pm: Almost 90-minutes later, it was all over. It had been a great evening (even if the unfamiliarity of the music took the shine off it for me, a little). If there are marks for enthusiasm and professionalism, though, tonight was unbeatable. Well done, Salvation Army, Kettering!

Quam praeclara vespera! (It’s OK, I looked it up!)

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Today, we’re off to meet Dennis & Sandra at Hardwick Hall (south of Bolsover, east of Matlock). The eagle-eyed amongst you will spot that we four have done this before!

And you’re correct – back in August 2020. This time, however, we’re heading inside the Hall itself (last time we only explored the grounds due to Covid restrictions).

We set off just before 9.15am planning to meet up at 11am. It was a smooth and straightforward journey covering the near-90 mile journey, where again, we’d forgotten how busy the roads can get during a weekday. Still, it moved at pace but it was not a great surprise to see that some drivers still relied on telepathy alone to let others know their intentions when changing lanes! (‘BMW for sale with indicator stalk in perfect un-used condition’ ). We arrived around 10.45 with Dennis and Sandra just a few minutes behind us – a perfect start to the day.

Considering the Hall didn’t open until 11am, we were amazed at how busy the car-park was. It’s a sizeable parking area, but I reckon it was 90% full already! . Surely Hardwick Hall isn’t THAT popular???

11.25am: After the obligatory elevenses, we approached the Hall, it suddenly all felt quite familiar (although this time, Covid-free, there were a lot more people!). The crowds seemed to be mostly families (the sprogs are on holiday for Easter at the moment) with the younger members sporting rabbit ears where it seemed there was some sort of ‘Egg Hunt’ going on. Maybe that explained why the car-park was so busy?

It was good to be out in the fresh air, but my optimism in wearing my sunglasses was somewhat misplaced as there was a nip in the air. But we don’t let the weather get in the way of our adventures, this being our 20th cultural day out together with our friends since we started them back in February, 2017.

So far…

Lincoln Castle and Prison (October 2025)
Nottingham Castle (June 2025)
Wollaton Hall (October 2024)
Nottingham City (May 2024)
Doddington Hall (December 2023)
International Bomber Command (September 2023)
Southwell (March 2023)
Chatsworth House (November 2022)
Belvoir Castle (August 2022)
Kedlestone Hall (May 2021)
Hardwick Hall (August 2020)
Castle Howard (December 2019)
The Royal Armouries Museum (March 2019)
Bolsover Castle (October 2018)
Belton House (May 2018)
York (February 2018)
Burghley House (October 2017)
Hull (May 2017)
Leeds (February 2017)

Inside Hardwick Hall

The property was built towards the end of the 1590s and is an Elizabethan-era country house. The owner, Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury, but better known as simply ‘Bess of Hardwick’ became one of the richest woman in the England at the time (second only to Queen Elizabeth) – where some reports suggest she was actually richer than the Queen!

Yes, Bess managed to work her way through FOUR Husbands – Robert Barlow (married 1543, d. 1544), Sir William Cavendish (m. 1547, d. 1557), Sir William St Loe (m. 1559, d. 1565), and George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury (m. 1568, d. 1590) – Phew!! . History records that her wealth was mainly down to these careful marriages, where she rose to the highest levels of English nobility.

And it showed! If windows were a sign of wealth (they were!), then this proved that Bess was loaded! The House is a window cleaner’s nightmare (or salvation!) and oozes ‘money no object’. Having seen off FOUR husbands, the Hall represented a conspicuous sign of wealth of the time. But wait, there’s more! More in the shape of ANOTHER Hardwick Hall, helpfully named ‘Hardwick Old Hall’ next door (more about that later!).

In the safe hands of the National Trust, the building has been tastefully conserved/restored without going overboard. The tapestries are faded, and there are plenty of layers of dust in places. It felt like it had been frozen in time, and the dimly lit rooms gave a real sense of ‘how it was’.

Best let the photos do the talking…

Yes, there was plenty to see here! Plenty of Volunteers on duty too!

All in all, then it was all very impressive, but as I mentioned earlier, we weren’t done yet – there was ‘old’ Hardwick Hall literally next door.

Hardwick Old Hall

A short walk away, the National Trust look after this one too, but unusually ‘on behalf’ of English Heritage. By comparison, the old Harwick Hall looked like the ‘poor relation’ to its much larger neighbour, looking somewhat unloved and forgotten. Thanks to Volunteer, Chris, we learned more…

Initially, we thought this building must have been the original Hall, but according to Chris, it was actually constructed around the same time. Hmm, why did it look like the poor relation? Apparently, the building just wasn’t impressive enough for the family and they ‘started again’, only bigger, better – and with more windows! . But what about the fact that it looked like a ruin? Was it simply neglect? Nothing so dramatic!! The answer was simply, practicalities – they needed the stonework for the other constructions. Who knew? Not me, for sure!

Good old NT and English Heritage! They weren’t going to let the larger next-door neighbour steal all the limelight and serious money is being spent on further conservation here. Sadly we couldn’t get up close, as the perimeter was roped off whilst a survey was in progress assessing the safety of the remaining stonework. Holy flying mammals, apparently, bats are resident here too, so there’s even MORE to be concerned about!

A suitable end to our visit here today, where we saw (and learned) much more than we imagined. Time for Lunch!

Lunch

1.35pm: A short walk away was The Hardwick Inn. It was easily spotted as it looked like most of Derbyshire was already ahead of us, judging by the number of cars outside. Surely a good sign, given it was ‘only’ a murky Wednesday? It’s a well-known destination for the locals (as we spotted!), dating back to the 15th century and built of locally quarried sandstone, situated on the south gate of Hardwick Park,

Inside, it soon became obvious that most of Derbyshire was here! It was packed! The eatery sprawled in all directions, and it was clear that it had been extended many times

It all felt very welcoming inside. The staff were friendly, and the menu was extensive. Steak & Guinness Pie for me, all helped along with a pint of Old Peculiar (surely one of the best ales around?). Yes, it was all very enjoyable and the perfect end to our get-together. Almost two hours later, we said our goodbyes and headed for the M1.

5.15pm: After dropping into Dunelm (domestic crisis – the ironing board had self-destructed just before we left this morning! ) and the Post Office (goodbye Three’s 5G Router – one of my better tech decisions back in 2022), we were now home.

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We Palmers don’t live in each other’s pockets, and so we don’t get together like this all that often. When we do, it’s always an extra special occasion meaning there’s plenty of news to catch up with!

Living on opposite sides of the capital doesn’t help much in choosing a convenient location, especially for us, where previous journey times by car over the years has gone from a fairly pleasant 100 minutes-or-so to more like 150 minutes! So, in a blinding attack of the ‘bleeding obvious’ we’ve decided to try and meet halfway BY TRAIN for this one. A route into London that works out to be about an hour for both parties. Happy days then, and I can’t figure out why it’s taken us this long to arrive at this solution

So, here we are in St Pancras International Station – and one of the few remaining Carluccio restaurants.

Having caught the Train just after 11am, it turned out to be very busy going down to the capital meaning we had to stand all the way. Thankfully, it was ‘first stop, St Pancras’ and we arrived inside the hour including the obligatory ‘issue’ (a ‘track inspection’) that added a further 10 minutes to our journey.

Still, it wasn’t as if we had to walk far! Five minutes later, we were negotiating with the Duty Manager of Carluccio’s for the best position for our table of six. Neil, Debbie, Alfie and Frankie arrived shortly after, and we were soon seated and catching up with all that had been going on in our respective worlds since we last did this three years ago!

That long period didn’t matter, and we were soon ‘gassing away’ testing the waiter’s patience, who just wanted to take our order!

There was plenty of choice on the menu, although I was quite surprised that it wasn’t busier. Last time I was here, about five years ago, it was heaving (but that was a weekday).

Actually, I’m surprised that we had any time for the food, as the conversation was in full flow most of the time – where the chewing just got in the way!! . I’d say the food was ‘OK’ rather than anything further up the ratings scale, but it was delivered with a mile and the service was efficient.

The time flew! One minute we were giving each other welcome hugs and next, we were checking the bill. It had been a great catch-up, and we tentatively agreed to do it all again later this year, with the excuse of my significant birthday as the reason – not that we needed one! .

We said our goodbyes and headed off to our respective platforms. For us, it was a better and faster journey north to Kettering on one of EMR’s newer rolling stock. Unlike our journey in, it was a hassle-free trip out, and we were soon arriving into ‘first-stop’ Kettering Station, meaning we were home by 4.45pm. On reflection, the travel arrangements (by train) had proved to be a smart decision for both parties, and this could well be the solution that makes it easier to see more of each other – if that’s the case, “Happy Days”

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Day 8 – Monday 16th March

Welcome back, everyone! I appreciate your readership over the past week – there’s been plenty going on! Today’s a short one as we’re heading back to the Airport this afternoon – and home! . The last Post for this holiday!

As I’m sure you know by now, we’ve been staying here in Fuerteventura with great mates, Paul & Sue for the past week. Last time we were all together was in Corralejo, back in January, 2024, and we had a great time (in spite of my left hand being in a cast! . This year, we timed the break to coincide with the annual Corralejo Carnival that ran from the 5th until the 15th March. For 2026, where the headline celebrations included: the Grand Parade (Cabalgata) last Saturday, March 14th, with other major events including the Drag Queen Gala, Adult Queen Gala, and yesterday’s Burning of the Sardine (yes, really!). 

Our home for the week has been the Las Marismas Hotel in Corralejo and we’ve bagged a one-bedroom apartment each with bed (obviously!) & breakfast for the duration of our stay. We had also hired a car on arrival at the airport to give us the flexibility to explore more of the area.

10.55am: After checking out, we took the drive to Castillo Caleta de Fuste on the east coast. It’s a holiday resort developed in the 80s and ‘loved by the Brits’. In my book that’s either welcome news or ‘something else!’ . In spite of the very precise sat-nav directions, the route was ‘interesting’, mainly down to the construction/extension of the FV-2.

12.24pm: It took a while to find the area’s famous beach, but when we did, parking was easy AND free.

Actually, as we attempted to finish our journey ,it was all quite confusing as to exactly where we were. We deduced that although the beach was in our intended location, we were actually slightly off-kilter, in nearby, Puerto Castillo.

Nothing wrong with that, of course, wherever we were, it was all very nice! Warm? Just bordering on too warm as we settled down for a well-deserved beer!.

1.05pm: We grabbed a seat in the nearby Barcelo Resort called The Show Factory and attempted to order some drinks and a light snack. Barcelo seemed to own the whole area around here, and it showed in the shocking service. Yikes! A challenging task in itself just to order drinks and nachos! And we weren’t the only ones, as the table next door was getting increasingly agitated playing ‘spot the waiter’! Whilst we waited, we people-watched! We eventually got our drinks and snacks, but it was easily the WORST service we’d experienced since being out here.

Still, the Sun had definitely got its hat on – and that eased the frustration. Just! .

2.40pm: We decided to head back to the hire-car that by now had been roasting for the past few hours. Ann and I concluded that it wasn’t our kind of area at all – it all felt a bit ‘false’ and ‘manufactured’. It had all the right ingredients – plenty of places to eat/drink, wall-to-wall sunshine and a constant parade of people to observe going about their business, just not very ‘natural’. After a final wander around the nearby Souvenir Shop, we said our goodbyes.

Back in the car, I drove us on the short journey back to the airport. Thankfully, the sprint was short and jam-free.

3.15pm: We returned the hire-car without any fuss, and once we found the Departures area. We easily found four seats whilst we waited for the departure desks to open.

4.22pm: In fact, for once, things got BETTER. After a fairly swift piece of ‘extreme queuing’, our bags were all checked in, and then we noticed they had called the flight early.

7.01pm: We were soon boarded and on our way home! The flight was pretty full – and pretty full of people who had clearly forgotten their suntan lotion. Ouch! Pink is the new mahogany! . Those easyJet seats were uncomfortable enough without needing any extra help from super-sensitive skin!

10.28pm: Less than four hours later, the early departure and the wind in our direction meant we made good time, and we were soon retrieving our bags and queuing with the rest of mankind to get through Immigration. Good to see that the eGates at Brum were as reliable as ever – but selfishly, at least I got through without incident (and that makes a change!)

00.07am: After picking up Sue’s car, we were soon negotiating the national collection of bollards as we exited Birmingham Airport (what are they doing here? HS2? ). A clear run meant we were on familiar roads until the overhead gantry announced that J2&3 were closed on the A14. A swift detour by Sue around the back roads near Kelmarsh saw us avoiding cats and badgers who were also out late, and we arrived back on the Farm at just after midnight. Quick hugs all around, and after transferring our bags to our car, we were on our way home.

00.47am: Unpack tonight? Nope! Put on the first (of many) washing loads? Absolutely not! A quick check of the post? Not a chance! Wonder why DPD threw a package over the back gate even though we put a big notice on the door to place anything in the porch or deliver to a neighbour? That conundrum is for tomorrow!

Back to reality then!!?? . See you on our next adventure!

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