The ‘big one’ finally arrived today – 70 years old! Who’d have thought I’d make it this far!

Actually, the weather was to turn out MUCH hotter. What a glorious day it turned out to be topping out at around 25°C. Lovely!

We didn’t fancy bringing an extra suitcase with us during our weekend away, so the rest of my cards and gifts (you generous people!) are still sitting at home, and I’ll enjoy ploughing through those when we get back tomorrow. Seriously, thanks for remembering – I feel the love! . I did bring a couple of important cards though! (brownie points for me, then!)

Ann had been busy planning a memorable day – one of culture, comedy and another cracking good meal out! Tomorrow, is the final get-together of my 70-70-70 ‘thing’. For new readers, that’s where I planned to meet up with 70 familiar faces across 70 days, prior to my 70th Birthday Weekend. How did I do? There’ll be a separate Post about that coming soon! I know, it’s difficult, but try to contain your excitement!!!

But with breakfast rolled into the great deal Ann got here at Sea Containers House (our ‘home’ since yesterday/checking out tomorrow), it would be rude not to!

Breakfast at the Hotel

So many choices… So little time! . Not surprisingly, the Breakfast Room was a popular destination, but they found us a table near the window looking across the Thames to the north bank.

Yes, a great experience! Very efficient service (they replaced Ann’s dropped napkin, before it hit the ground!) . After breakfast we headed across Blackfriars Bridge, giving us the opportunity to see the Hotel from a distance.

We then wandered towards Hyde Park

Apsley House

Opening at 11am, we’ve always known about this place, but didn’t appreciate it was managed by English Heritage. Apsley House is the London townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington. It stands all alone at Hyde Park Corner, on the south-east corner of Hyde Park, facing towards the traffic roundabout in the centre of which stands the Wellington Arch. It’s a Grade I-listed building too. So, another good use of our English Heritage cards!

It’s not open seven days a week, so worth checking their website for their latest opening hours!

The exhibition begins in the basement (hot!) with a series of information boards cataloguing the life of the 1st Duke.

The Museum was next.

The House was impressive and well worth the visit. It wasn’t the largest of interiors, but across the two floors (plus the basement), pretty much every square inch was populated with the Duke’s acquisitions and possessions – mostly the alternative currency of the day – paintings!

There’s a lot to see and the House provides a helpful audio-guide to keep you abreast of this massive collection. Most impressive of all? Probably the mini Museum where gifts sent to the Duke were on display from grateful supporters (probably most of the nation!) for the Duke’s military prowess against our old friends, the French and Spanish.

For non-members, it’s £15 each for admission.

With Apsley House ticked off, we had a couple of hours to kill before the theatre, so we headed in the general direction of Covent Garden (Yikes! On a Saturday!!! What were we thinking?)

Covent Garden

Yes, Covent Garden was buzzing! (as it always is). The crowds were being entertained by the usual mix of entertainers – a juggler on stilts, a guy doing clever things on a unicycle, plus a handcuffed woman escaping from a sack. The latter reminded us of a Saturday night in Corby!

Theatre: The Comedy about Spies

Here we are at the Adelphi Theatre. From the team that brought you The Play That Goes Wrong, we’re here for the ‘Comedy about Spies’.

This wasn’t the sort of comedy that was subtle by any means – were promised unashamedly ‘laugh out loud’ funny.

Forty minutes before curtain up, and there was already a queue of around 30 people outside! Maybe it’s because it was the last day of performance? Maybe it’s because it’s so popular? Whatever the reason, queuing outside in the London heat wasn’t our idea of fun!

The frustration continued once we’d got through the intense security and climbed the stairs to be told the toilets weren’t yet open (a real 70-something issue) and we couldn’t take our seats yet either. Very frustrating!

The trend of not serving soft drinks in glasses and with ice continues. First at The Doggett’s some weeks ago at one of my previous 70-70-70 get-togethers, and now here! What’s all that about? A Diet Coke is, it seems here, a self-assembly job with an optional drinking glass, and ice – but no lemon slice! Welcome to London! “That’ll be £5, please, Sir”. “Oh, you want a glass and ice too? My colleague will help you with that”.

With no lemon slices, we didn’t dare ask for oxygen as we took our seats in the Upper Circle – only the Everest team has been higher!

But enough of whingeing (must be my (new) age!) how was the Play?

Actually, exceptionally good and a real crowd-pleaser. Typical of the production team behind the ‘ …Go Wrong’ series – full of puns, tons of scripted confusion, fast-paced humour and a VERY physical comedic style. If you like your performances at lightning speed, this is it! Oh, and they made an imaginative use of the performance space – a real hallmark of this production group (I won’t reveal the details here – go see!). The result? A family show that it physically exhausting for the players, but worth every moment of the performance.

Birthday Dinner – Le Garrick

A short walk later and we arrived at Le Garrick restaurant. Yes, it’s very French! It was busy when we arrived, but downstairs (where they seated us) revealed a labyrinth of extra space, although it was a bit of a squeeze.

Just TWO courses for us tonight (it’s not a Cruise!) and it didn’t disappoint – full of flavour and presented well. Another really good celebratory meal!

We had a little time to spare before our Uber arrived, so we had a final look around Covent Garden – now less busy and quieter. Our Uber was (again!) on time and we travelled back in style in a rather luxurious Mercedes EV.

Rooftop Bar

Back at the Hotel, we headed for 12th Knot, the Hotel’s Rooftop Cocktail Bar. We haven’t had to be subject to a Bouncer for many years, but he let us through without issue and we instantly upped the average age of those already there by about 40 years! I was the only person there using reading glasses, but I was the highest I’d been for my birthday in years! (about 10 floors higher!)

Yes, this was full of the ‘yoof of London’ having a great time, gradually getting off their faces before err, getting off their faces elsewhere. Ahh, I recall those days with some clarity, but as we queued at the Bar to order our cocktails and then sat outside enjoying fantastic views across the City (and wondering how long before our eardrums burst), we did feel old.

Great views though!!

We lasted about half an hour before we couldn’t hear each other – time for a swift exit!!

It’s been a FANTASTIC day, celebrating my significant Birthday. We’ve seen a lot, done a lot and enjoyed some really good food. We’ve travelled in style too! (Thanks, Uber!). For us, you can’t go wrong with a trip to the Capital. Hats off to Ann for pulling it all together leaving me to just, well, ENJOY my special day!

Tomorrow

In a fitting end to my three months (70 days) of pre-celebrations, we’re meeting my brother and family at Carluccio’s in St Pancras International Station.

The post 70-70-70: Birthday Boy (2026) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Today, as part of my celebrations, we’re heading for our favourite City – London! It’s my final day in my 60s, and I’m going out in style!

It’s all part of my BIG Birthday plans that began back in July! The challenge? Meeting (at least) 70 people, over the 70 days prior to my 70th Birthday Weekend. Phew! This is the final week…and weekend and we’re rounding things off by getting together with my brother and his family.

We’re off!

It was an uneventful journey but unique in many ways! We got a seat, the wifi was working, and so was the AC. Yes, all THREE on the same journey… it must be my birthday! (almost!).

A quick Thameslink connection took us to Blackfriars where we walked the short distance to our hotel – the not-very-glamorously-titled…

Sea Containers House

Sea Containers House, despite its less-than-evocative name, is located in Blackfriars, one of our most favourite parts of the capital. Maybe it’s because we both worked in the area for some time back in the day, but it’s certainly to get around from here whether by Uber, Tube, by rail, Black Cab or Water taxi

We entered by their waterside entrance – a small and insignificant set of automatic double doors awaited us and we were soon attempting to find Reception in the deliberately subdued lighting. For a more impactful frontage, try the other entrance located in Upper Ground.

On arrival, it had a boutiquey feel to the place, with plenty of staff on duty – all dressed in their sailor-like uniforms (yes, really!). We were too early to check in, so we dumped our bags with Reception, exited the Hotel, and soaked up some of the views along the South Bank. We then wandered to the Waterloo Tube, which took us to Wood Green Station, and our first visit of the day, Alexandra Palace.

By now the day was warming up. Looking around, we spotted that pretty much everyone else was in shorts and short sleeves and it made us realise we might have over-dressed for our short stay here. Well, it certainly became obvious once we boarded the tube train! It was now about 22/23 degrees as we passed through the Tube barriers and about twice that once we got on the Tube . The situation wasn’t helped by a hold-up with the carriages themselves due to an unwell passenger, resulting in all transport being ‘held’. In the end we got off and switched lines, but it was still a ‘boil in the bag-like experience all the way to Wood Green and ‘Ally Pally’.

It was then just a shortish journey by Bus – the W3 – from the opposite side of the road. It was now even warmer, and so we hurriedly headed for their Café and a cool drink.

Alexandra Palace

Most of you have probably heard of Alexandra Palace (aka ‘Ally Pally’).

Ally Pally was built in 1873 and destined to be ‘The People’s Palace’ but fate got involved, and it burned down 16 days later! It was completely rebuilt by the original team of Kelk and Lucas where, in 1935, the Trustees leased part of the Palace to the BBC for use as the production and transmission centre for their new-fangled television service.

In 1936, it became the home of the world’s first regular public (then) “high-definition” television service. The broadcasting system was 405-line B&W TV – the first fully electronic television system to be used in regular broadcasting. Although other facilities soon superseded it after the Second World War, Alexandra Palace continued to be used by the BBC for many years, AND at the time of writing, its radio and television mast is still in use.

Much more history HERE, courtesy of Wikipedia.

For me, the attraction to this iconic location was that I must have seen it in the distance whilst on the train to London (sporting its massive aerial) about a gazillion times over the years. Given my love of ‘TV tech’, somehow, I’dnever actually seen it close up!

On entering the main area, it gave a whole new meaning to the term: ‘open plan’. It was simply massive! What was also on the cards, was that they’d recently created a rooftop walk (known as Summit) promising some fantastic views across London. Sadly, with the temperatures now so high outside, we thought that wandering across this iconic building’s rooftop with no sun protection, we might simply fry! Maybe another time when the weather is a little cooler

Instead, I’d heard they’d got a ‘TV Museum’ here, and that was something I was looking forward to. But maybe it was because the space inside was so large that when we found it, the Museum looked and felt so small and insignificant. What was on show (old cameras, mixing consoles, microphones and the like) was really good to see, but there wasn’t a lot of it!

Sadly, after about 20 minutes, we’d seen it all. We took a look around the rest of the building (they’d even got an ice rink! and an area for full-blown concerts (Queen sang here in the 70s), but it all looked a little empty today. I guess on a sell-out evening, it’s really got some atmosphere.

We headed back to the bus stop and to avoid a repeat performance of our journey there, we decided to head for Finsbury Park and come back on the Thameslink to Blackfriars. That turned out to be a good decision – it was much cooler and felt quicker too!

Checking in

We arrived back at Sea Containers House around 3.30 and were soon checking in. It’s a posh, well-appointed room with everything we need for our 2 days here!

They put us on the top floor – the 14th – with unrivalled views across London.

Birthday Dinner – Yaatra Indian Restaurant

With our table booked for 7pm, we were ready for this!

Yaatra Indian Restaurant is located on the site of the old Fire Station in Westminster and is the brainchild of Michelin award-winning Chef and Patron Krishnapal Negi.

What!? An Indian Restaurant based in a Fire Station!!! . Oh, just me then!!!

Click HERE for the details

Click HERE for more

Tasty!

Well, that was all very yummy indeed!

By the time we left at 8.20, it was at capacity and at one point they’d begun to queue outside too! Obviously, a local favourite!!!

Tomorrow

It’s THE day tomorrow – 70 years young – slightly grumpier, perhaps a little wiser, definitely slower is so many way – but somehow always ‘busier’ .

See you Saturday!! Nighty-night!

The post 70-70-70: London (2026) – Day 1 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Monday 21 September 2026

Morning all! It’s our final day on the Bolette, the flagship of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.

Thanks to all of you who found time to read my daily Posts – just under 500 reads so far and still climbing! . We’re currently heading for disembarkation in Liverpool and should be there by ‘early doors’ tomorrow, Tuesday.

As promised, today, I’ll spare you the usual photos of food, food and more food and instead offer a summary of our experiences over the past 10 days at sea. Whether you’ve never cruised or you’re already a salty ol’ seadog, I hope these few words are helpful!

Ten Days aboard the ‘Bolette‘

Read more about the Bolette
HERE.

Overall
In short – a fantastic experience!

We’ve been fortunate enough to travel with most of the Cruise lines over the years – P&O, Cunard, Holland America, Celebrity, Oceania, Windsurf and Royal Caribbean – and even the mighty (expensive) Azamara, so we think we’re in a good position to know what a good cruise looks and feels like. For us, this was definitely one of them! In spite of that, this one may not be one for you based on the age demographic.

The Company
Fred. Olsen Lines is somewhat unusual in that it’s a small player in a big pond. It’s also unusual in that it’s a family-owned and run business.

Fred. Olsen Cruises knows its market and doesn’t attempt to be ‘all things to all guests’. This is not a cruise for youngsters by any means. There were none on board at all, and the daily programme did not cater for them. If there were any, they were locked away somewhere, or I think they probably would have jumped overboard within the first couple of hours having spotted so many mobility scooters and walking sticks!

The Crew
From the moment we stepped on board, it felt different – and in a good way. All cruise lines employ staff who are friendly and helpful, but it was extra special here on our planned 10-day journey around the UK.

Literally, every one smiled and spoke to us, from the Deck Scrubber Orderly to the Officers – and all those in between. It always felt natural, never forced or enforced. Everyone looked genuinely happy with their lot, and there was a real sense of family. This was even more evident on Day 8’s ‘Crew Night’ entertainment, where the staff got to perform on stage.

The Destinations
For us, it was a mix of the destinations and the overall feel of the Cruise that attracted us. However, unlike Britannia, Mother Nature rules the waves, meaning some changes in the itinerary are always inevitable.

This happens on many cruises, but it’s how they deal with the change that matters. Bolette managed the switch, firstly, with profuse apologies followed by instant credits to our accounts (and it was instant!).

They also created a completely new programme for the affected days in double quick time and offered organised tours for the short-notice ‘new’ destinations for those who needed organising.

The Food
The food is always a big part of the overall cruise experience – and Bolette punched well above its weight.

Not only was it presented in a way that would rival top restaurants, the meals were also always mouth-wateringly delicious – even the sausage baps! The Buffet, so often the ‘troughery’ of the ‘onboard food offer’, was well above the standard that we’ve experienced elsewhere – on par with Azamara, I’d say – and more tempting than, say, the modern ‘mass catering feel’ of P&O.

The service levels were one of the best we’ve ever experienced. As a result, we didn’t feel the need to visit any of the speciality restaurants on board.

The Accommodation
The Cabin (or stateroom as they’re often known) is also a critical factor in whether the overall experience is a success. We’ve seen a few over the years… some big, some small, some enormous. Unless you have money to burn, they’re always a compromise!

Fred was an exception. We deliberately went for the most basic of Cabins, as in the course of any cruise, you don’t spend a lot of time in them. Amazingly, even though ours lacked a porthole (which can often make them feel claustrophobic), ours felt airy and spacious.

There was plenty of room for all our bits plus my tech bag that’s increasingly approaching the capability of launching a Space Shuttle (just as well as things turned out due to a major web incident back home where I was needed).

Ask me about ‘Beryl’ next time we see you – it’ll revolutionise your connectivity options, saving you a fortune on internet costs when aboard.

The Tech
In our 30+ years of cruising, some things don’t change; generally speaking, connectivity aboard any Cruise is a lottery (aka a pain!), especially if you plan to do more than post the occasional social media post or check your emails.

The connectivity on our ship, although mostly stable, relied on the latest Elon Musk’s low-orbit satellites. In theory, that should have given us a much faster speed than we’ve seen aboard other Ships. It didn’t, and therefore any serious online activity was a big challenge (but you know me, I do like those!). The Ship said 10 mbps, we mostly maxed out at 2.

The Entertainment
We’re very fussy about our onboard evening entertainment. The in-house ‘song and dance’ entertainment teams – the main staple of the performances on so many cruises – rarely ‘does it’ for us (with a few minor exceptions).

It was no different here on the Bollette. I’m not sure what it is (or isn’t) about them, but they always feel ‘cheesy’ and have increasingly become more Americanised – and therefore louder and more ‘shouty’. Instead, give us an old-fashioned, down-to-earth comedian any time! (and they did!). He was spot on! He read the room, he did his thing, and as a result, had us laughing until our teeth hurt! Oh, and he had a great singing voice too!

The Creature Comforts
I think we spotted more comfy chairs here on board than at your largest DFS, and there were also separate parking spaces for walkers and walking frames in the Restaurants. The beeping of mobility scooters therefore became a familiar sound during our 10-day trip! Fred certainly knows his market, where the Ship had a higher proportion of public rooms than we’ve seen anywhere else on a Cruise Ship!

This was most definitely the equivalent of an ’80-130′ holiday where most mornings, after breakfast, the majority of guests could be found on their 47th coffee, doing the daily crossword, reading their newspaper or simply staring out to sea.

Oh, one more thing! The Ship is happily free of slot machines – and there’s no Casino either!

The Challenges
Part of the fun when cruising is finding your way around! I’d say that in spite of the effective signage, we always found someone – even by day 10 – looking like a lost sheep wondering whether they were on the right deck… or even the right ship. Yikes! The only other major challenge was deciding what to eat each evening – yes, it’s a tough life at sea!

And so…
If you’re looking for a Cruise where you can party ’til 4am, and sit around the Pools all day, this ISN’T it, but if you’re after a very relaxed, ‘feet up’, gentle affair, with far too much food, you’d do well to consider Fred! This smaller-sized ship means it can get to places that the bigger ships just can’t – and that means a more varied itinerary. We’re pretty sure we’ll be back (after I’ve mastered the mobility scooter).

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Sunday 20 September 2026

Morning Shipmates! As you surely know by now, we’re aboard the Cruise Ship – Bolette – the flagship of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. It’s the penultimate day of our 10-day sail around the UK – and we’re not where the brochure says we should be!

According to the itinerary, we should be looking at Lochs sailing down the waters between Scotland and Ireland. Oh no: the sailing/weather conditions yesterday dictated otherwise and we’re actually now in the south of Ireland – docking in Cobh (pronounced ‘Cove’).

Ann had made a plan! After a quick breakfast, we took the train to Cork for a look around and then headed back to Cobh to do the same. That was easy as the station was literally a few paces from where we docked!

The train fare was only €6.90 return in total for both of us. It was 9am and the next train due at 9.30 – Perfect!

Twenty-five minutes later, we arrived in Cork.

Cork

Cork is the second-largest city in the Republic of Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the province of Munster and the third-largest on the island of Ireland. At the 2022 census, it had a population of 224,004.

Today was a first visit for both of us and we were looking forward to experiencing more of ‘all things Irish’.

As we wandered through the Town, although we done some research, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. Clearly some money had been spent here tidying up the paths and roads,although there didn’t seem to be many what we’d calll ‘old (old)’ buildings. It was just after 9.45am and there certainly weren’t that many people about either, but I guess we were quite early and it was a Sunday (over here, many shops don’t trade on the Sabbath).

We followed signs to City Centre until they stopped showing them (thanks!). Cue Google Maps and Mrs P’s legendary sense of direction! . We could feel our step count ‘on a roll’ already! .

It was now a few degrees warmer than the forecast suggested and our ‘triple layer’ of clothing was turning out to be overkill.

The go-to destination was the English Market, first opened in 1788, but sadly, not open on Sundays!

Yes, there was plenty to see, but apart from St Fin Barres Cathedral (completed 1879) in the far distance, nothing really stood out.

In fact, the more we wandered, the more Cork became just another town – and worse still, no hint of Irishness anywhere!

Those expecting to see liberal shades of orange and green, the familiar Guinness logos and other staples of Irish culture would, like us, have been disappointed. It all felt strangely, err, without identity.

The more we walked, the more Turkish Barbers and Vape Shops we saw – there was even a 24/7 Casino! Where were the Irish Bars?

Sadly, by the time we got back to the Railway Station, and in a moment of reflection, we realised that in 2026, Cork is not the Irish City we imagined AT ALL. Today, we felt no sense of ANY Irishness apart from the road signs and their gaelic dual signing! Even listening to the everyday voices on the street as we soaked up the ‘Cork vibe’ confirmed a ‘world of tongues’.

In retrospect, I guess Cork is like so many other cities these days where their individuality has given way to a mix of cultures. For reasons unknown, we thought Cork might be immune! BeJesus!

Phew! We arrived back at Cork Station with just time for a quick coffee – where at least the post boxes are patriotically green!

Trains were on the hour coming back and we caught the midday one back to where we docked in Cobh. The train was packed! Think St Pancras heading north during the evening rush-hour! .

Cobh

Cobh is a town in Ireland, on an island in Cork City’s harbour. It’s known for being the Titanic’s last port of call in 1912. From 1849 until 1920 it was known as Queenstown and in the 2022 Census, it recorded a population of 14,148.

After our Cork experience, we were hoping for a more traditional Irish feel to this harbour town.

For younger readers here who may not be aware of the significance of Cobh, here’s a quick history lesson. Originally called Queenstown (after Queen Victoria) with its famous pier (that used to be called ‘Victoria Pier’) the Town has had a significant transformation over the years. Historically, what made it famous was that it was the last Port that the ill-fated Titanic ever sailed from. In a slightly dark and morbid marketing approach, the whole Town’s marketing has been oriented towards that fateful fact! (more about that later).

In a more tenuous link, gone are the links to the British (Victoria Pier is now Kennedy Pier and the Bandstand is called the Kennedy Bandstand) all based on the fact that JFK and his father, Joseph, once passed through this Port.

In spite of airbrushing out England’s connection, first impressions were positive with the brightly coloured buildings and the general ‘hum’ of the Town. This all looked, sounded and felt like we were in Ireland, although the selection of flags flying in the Harbour were a curious mix! . The above Hotel, ‘The Commodore’ has a claim to fame. It was where survivors of the torpedoed ship, ‘Lusitania‘ were accommodated in 1915 after being looked after in the Cunard Building further down the street (see later).

We sat awhile, people-watching, whilst contemplating why certain national flags were displayed, and others were not. We then wandered further on along the main drag. It was certainly attractive and full of a variety of independent shops doing their best to entice visitors to part with their Euros – and they weren’t having to try too hard, people seemed to be loving the experience!

As I mentioned earlier, a big draw to the Town was the ‘Titanic Experience‘ judging by the sheer number of people queuing to get in. We didn’t attempt to join them, but I’m assuming they didn’t mean ‘experience’ at all in its literal sense? Thankfully (???) it was simply a Museum about the Titanic.

We didn’t attempt the steep climb to the St Colman’s Cathedral, but its imposing Gothic design watching over travellers certainly had the photographers snapping!

By now, we were flagging. That three-miler (plus at least another 1-2 here) had us looking for a Bar. Preferably one with seating outside! Step forward Rob Roy’s!

Yes, this was more like where we had in mind! Irish music coming from the Bar, filtering out into the street, a pint of Guinness within reach and the sound of Irish voices (albeit amongst some Portuguese tones!). Absolutely no doubt which country we were in now!

Our final look around Cobh uncovered some old offices of the Cunard Line…

…as well as the famous statue of Annie Moore (holding her brother’s hand) symbolising the 2.5 million who emigrated through Cobh to make a new life in America. She was the first immigrant to be processed at the Ellis Island Immigration Station in New York City on 1st January 1892.

Then it was back to the Bolette for a short, 1 hour siesta (preceded, in my case by Sherry Trifle!)

6pm – Yes, it’s that time again – more food!!!

Evening Meal – Sunday

The menu finally beat me. I had to wimp out on the pudding choices and go for ice-cream and I also skipped the suggested Starter Course.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a sea-day as we head back to Liverpool and disembarkation.. That means packing (not my speciality) and summarising the Cruise for those who might follow in our footsteps (yes, that sounds like mine).

See you Monday!

The post Cruising around the UK – Day 9 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Saturday 19 September 2026

Hello Readers! Here we are aboard the Cruise Ship – Bolette – the flagship of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. It’s Day 8 of our 10-day sail around the UK and there’s been a change of itinerary (again!)

Today, we should have been docking in Kirkwall in the Orkneys. Instead, because of the conditions at sea, and for our safety, the Captain decided that it was best to avoid that area completely. Instead, we’re now heading for Cobh (pronounced ‘Cove’), meaning that, because of the distance, it’s a sea day today, and we arrive tomorrow, Sunday.

Therefore, just a short Post today as today’s onboard Programme has been hurriedly rewritten, part of which now includes the Film: ‘Mission Impossible’ in the Ship’s cinema (oh, the irony!)

We weren’t expecting this view through the window on our way to Breakfast! Hello Ailsa Craig (aka ‘Paddy’s Milestone’)! It’s an uninhabited island that was formed from a long-extinct volcano. These days, it’s an RSPB Reserve and home to a very large gannet colony (50,000!), who share the space with guillemots, razorbills, and kittiwakes. The island’s other claim to fame is that it produces ‘blue-hone granite’ that’s been used for making curling stones over the past 100 years or so, seen at the Olympics and Paralympics.

After breakfast, we braved the elements outside (rough seas and bitingly cold wind), and walked around the Prom Deck four times, covering our daily mile .

Next stop was the Neptune Lounge and an informational talk about Cobh and Cork by Jenny from the Tours Department. To say a Jenny was enthusiastic is like saying: ‘The Pope is quite religious’! A useful presentation with some practical tips for tomorrow.

After dropping into the Botanical Room for a super-comfy chair and some reading, just after midday, we grabbed a light bite from the Buffet. Super soup – Roasted Cream of Aubergine!

Another mile around the Prom Deck! It’s no warmer, either! – and that sea looks rough!

Time to feed our BRAINS. Guest presenter Morag Peers, a professional genealogist entertained us all, retelling the story of Burke & Hare (the entrepreneurial pair in Edinburgh who helped supply certain surgeons with dead bodies back in the 1800s).

During the 45 minutes, it was a fairly gruesome story, but justice was served (mostly) in the end, with William Burke suffering not just being hanged, but being dissected afterwards by the very same medical students he’d been helping to supply the bodies for! I’m sure there were a few travellers in the audience that might have considered turning vegetarian after this!

It’s Formal!

Another change to today’s programme was that tonight was now a formal affair supplemented with the Captain’s Farewell Party (slightly ahead of schedule – we’ve still got another two days!). Not that he was going anywhere (we only said hello to him a week ago!). An opportunity then, to say a brief ‘hello’ to the Officers and help our fellow travellers devour all those nibbles!

A nice touch by Fred. Olsen followed, where the Captain got to introduce key members of the staff – a surprisingly emotional affair!

Tomorrow: Cobh not Kirkwall

More detail about Cobh in tomorrow’s Post. Meanwhile, the Ship’s team had hurriedly pulled together some organised Tours for those that wanted to keep it simple.

Us two? We’ve decided to do our own thing, as Ann had spent time today studying connections and locations to make the most of this unplanned addition to our holiday. We’re beginning local and the travelling by train to Cork.

Evening Meal – Saturday

Super yummy! Again!! . After the meal, there was just time to pop back to the Cabin and freshen up before what was promised is THE entertainment event of the Cruise!

Crews from the Cruise!

Tonight was an opportunity to see many of the Staff as you’ve never seen them before. In an increasing trend on many Cruises these days, the staff are encouraged to show off their skills. Think ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ but with no Brits and at sea. Bags of talent, though!

All I can say is ‘Fantastic!’. Such stagecraft that certainly blurred the lines between ‘amateurs’ and ‘professionals’ . They all seemed fearless on stage and thoroughly enjoying themselves too! We’re so glad we decided to see this!

Phew! A surprisingly eventful day considering 24 hours ago we thought we’d be travelling somewhere completely different. Hats off to all those behind the scenes who reshaped today into something so memorable. See you all tomorrow!

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Friday 18 September 2026

Hi everyone! Thanks for reading my latest Post. We’re aboard the Cruise Ship – Bolette – courtesy of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. We’re now on Day 7 of our 10-day sail around the UK.

Last night’s overnight sail was an uncomfortable one for many, and we suspect a few ‘no-shows’ today! . How so? Just as we retired for the night around 10pm, the Ship began to ‘rock and roll’ (literally) after upping-anchor and sailing north out of Belfast, heading for Tobermory. OK, so far, fairly normal, for the some cruise experiences, but it didn’t let up. In fact, it turned out it was a Force 8! Yikes!

Me, aka ‘Mr Sensitive’ slept through most of it, and when I woke briefly, at just after 3am – we were still ‘on a roll’.

Happily, by 5am, things had returned to a more stable situation, and we had now docked in this small picturesque town of Tobermory. However, after yesterday’s cancellation of Killybegs due to the weather/sailing conditions, at one point it looked like this one might be another casualty.

By 6.45 this morning, the Ship was eerily quiet, possibly as the majority of passengers attempted to catch up on about 8 hours of lost sleep! Breakfast was no doubt a ‘no-no’ for some, but we ‘took one for the team’ and showed our faces in the Buffet.

Normally, a busy affair, the Buffet was quiet, and we then headed for the Neptune Lounge awaiting the call for ‘T6’ – that’s our group! We’re ‘doing our own thing’, rather than an organised event because we weren’t confident that the weather would hold.

Tobermory

Tobermory is a charming, colourful village on Scotland’s Isle of Mull, known for its brightly painted buildings lining the harbour as well as the BBC Children’s series ‘Balamory about 30 years ago. The surrounding hills and bays offer incredible views and peaceful walks, making it a haven for nature lovers during the Summer. The Mull Museum on the main street – and on our list – celebrates the island’s history with artefacts that include working tools used by local craftsmen. Legend has it that the village’s sheltered bay is where one of the Spanish Armada ships sank in 1588 carrying gold bullion. Watch out for eagles too!

Full marks to Mrs P for scheduling our Tender departure whilst the weather was ‘OK’ (yes, just ‘OK’ – not warm, but breeze-free and at least it wasn’t raining!)

The Town was quiet when we arrived around 9.45 after the short 10-minute Tender trip. It seemed that many places weren’t open until 10am, so, in theory, there wasn’t long to wait for this little town to come alive.

I say ‘in theory’ because on our list was the island’s Mull Museum, where we’d checked online before we left last week about its opening times for today – yes, 10am! But by 10.30, there was no sign of anyone, and the door was firmly shut. A quick revisit to the website after we got back revealed that they’d revised their opening hours – it was now an 11am opening! (insert appropriate words of frustration here!) .

Instead, we compromised by stopping nearby for a coffee and a pastry. Perfect timing again, as there was now rain in the air as we sought shelter inside. We enjoyed fast service and a great couple of cappuccinos with a shared pastry (I’m watching my waistline, before others do!) . We also got nattering with a couple of fellow ‘Fred Cruisers’ (they’d seen 20!) and compared notes on our experiences so far. We’re all ‘happy bunnies’, it seems!

We decided to head back to the Ship before the rain got worse, after grabbing the last few shots of Tobermory. It did get worse! and by the time the Tender was in sight, it was chucking it down in a way that only rain in Scotland can! When we eventually were back onboard the Bolette and looked through the window of The Observatory, we knew we’d made the right decision!

It was a pity about today with the wet weather. I’m sure in the sunshine, Tobermory looks very appealing, especially against the backdrop of those brightly painted buildings (and they sure are bright – nothing subtle about them at all! ). Today, overall, left us disappointed, where it became REALLY easy to imagine the town when the weather turns nasty. Not being able to get into the Mull Museum after travelling all this way, was also a real downer. If it had been located anywhere else in the UK, we might have thought: “maybe next time” but realistically, I don’t think we’ll be back .

Enjoying the comfort of the Ship and after a quick relaxing read, we dropped by the Buffet for a quick Lunch. Another lazy afternoon followed! More reading, some relaxing, plus me dealing with some technical challenges from back home.

Evening Meal – Friday

What can I say? Another superb meal, and great service from our Waiters!

Just before we went to the Restaurant, Captain ‘Courageous’ came on the in-room tannoy and announced another cancellation to the planned itinerary.

Kirkwall is OFF, and instead, we have a whole day at sea tomorrow, now taking us to Cobh (pronounced ‘Cove’) on the southern tip of Ireland.

In order to make everything fit, the ‘Cruise by’ event, originally scheduled for Day 10, was rescheduled for tonight with the promise of live commentary. The only challenge was that for many, the commentary wasn’t piped through to the restaurant or the cabins, leaving the only option as actually being outside on deck… at 7.30pm… where it was cold… and more crucially, dusk and misty too! I’m not sure they thought that one through, but you’ve got to feel sorry for those trying to organise these things at such short notice!

Entertainment

Another implication of the ‘cruise switcheroo’ was that they brought forward Berni Flint – singer/songwriter/comedian and genuinely nice bloke to tonight (I bet that messed with his rehearsal schedule!). Well, at least there is some positive news from all this chaos!

It was no surprise to all of us there that he was simply fantastic! What a talent! singing, playing and joking his way through the next 50 minutes.

Tomorrow

On Saturday, we head for Kirkwall in the Orkney Isles. Note to self: Sometimes it doesn’t pay to plan ahead!

Missed a previous Post? Check out the list below

Nighty-night! . Oh, and we’re promised another mighty Force 8 ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ event tonight!

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Thursday 17 September 2026

Welcome back, readers! Here we are aboard the Cruise Ship – Bolette – the flagship of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. It’s Day 6 of our 10-day sail around the UK.

The eagle-eyes amongst you will have spotted that although this IS ‘Day 6’, we’re not in Killybegs . The news came yesterday that the weather conditions weren’t in our favour, and the Ship headed, instead, for Belfast.

Yikes! . Welcome to Ireland. Time to wrap up!

We docked around 6.30am to a very grey looking City. First task of the day? Get a seat in the restaurant for breakfast as we guessed it might be busy.

Actually, it was deserted!

Belfast

Belfast is the capital and largest city and main port of Northern Ireland. It stands on the banks of the River Lagan, and is connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel. The city is the most populous in Northern Ireland and the second-largest, after Dublin. The recorded population in 2021 was just over 345,000.

We were last here almost 17 years ago, and came by car, so it’ll be interesting to see if we can spot any obvious changes. We’re off to the Titanic Museum later – it was being built last time we were here!

Fred had laid on a free Shuttle Bus and we were soon in the City and outside the famous City Hall. There was rain in the air, but nothing serious.

Last time we were here, we recall it being congested with traffic and where a lot of the shops looked somewhat ‘tired’. Not today, in 2026, though! Although we only spent a short while looking around, it was long enough to see that the City had been transformed. There were a lot more modern skyscrapers, a greater area had now been pedestrianised, there seemed to be less traffic, and it all felt a lot cleaner and shinier. The shops also seemed to be a lot more ‘up-market’.

In short, for us, a complete transformation.

After popping into the local tourist centre (that looked like a set from Star Trek with its multiple screens, plenty of ‘crew’ and was about the same size as the Enterprise!) we enquired about the shortest/cheapest route to the Titanic Museum. Apparently the ‘Glider’ – G2 was the Bus we needed, and it stopped almost outside. Impressive!

The only challenge was working out how to use the ticket machine located in the shelter. Tickets are required BEFORE you board the bus, and it took us a few attempts to master it. We weren’t the only ones, though, and Ann came to the rescue of others during our time today, struggling in the same way!

The Titanic Museum

Wow! What an exterior! If it reminds you of the bow of a ship, you’d be correct – that was the intention. Titanic Belfast – to give it its official name) was opened in 2012 in the now-named (in 2001) ‘Titanic Quarter’ of the City. It covers some 12000 square feet across multiple floors, covering the same space, where the shipbuilders Harland & Wolff once built their Ships (including Titanic, Olympic and Britannic).

Today’s top tip: It’s best to buy your tickets online beforehand as that’ll save about a fiver each on the tickets. Ours cost £21.95 each, but there are a range of ‘bolt-ons’ and special prices for youngsters/oldsters and others.

Initial impressions were favourable, VERY favourable indeed. It was well lit and the use of a variety of media (static, video, actors overlayed on exhibits and audio) kept things interesting throughout.

To say the displays were very comprehensive would be a massive understatement. The level of detail they’d gone to was amazing and it was good to see actual parts of the Harland and Wolff Factory.

I thought I’d seen most of the stock photographs relating to the Titanic and its construction, but I’d say a good 70% here today, I’d NEVER seen anywhere else!

Jumping on the reconstructed lift, we were taken to the next floor, where a real surprise awaited. Think ‘Cable Car’ but not one that takes you on a journey ABOVE the ground but instead, AROUND. We were taken on a journey showing the construction of the Titanic’s hull. What an innovation this ‘Car’ was! The journey may have only lasted under 10 minutes, but it gave a very realistic feel of the working conditions all those years ago, incorporating sound, heat and light, plus recreated commentary from the time. We were completely immersed in this perilous, everyday task of shipbuilding!

In the next section was an incredibly detailed account of shipbuilding from scratch – and in particular, the extra challenges constructing Ships as large as the Titanic and its sisters.

Launch Day – May 31st, 1911 – covered in great detail, including the specifics of how they managed the crowds on the day. Apparently, around 100,000 turned up for the launch, with a special section cordoned off for VIPs that included J Bruce Ismay (Chair of White Star), J Pierpont Morgan (American Financier) and a host of White Star senior management plus selected guests! It was clearly a BIG occasion where they employed a number of staff carrying sticks to prevent trespassers on the day!

It was good to see that they have retained the actual launch area, and it helped to visualise how big these craft were

Next, everything you need to know about the maiden voyage – 2nd April, 2012.

For obvious reasons, the sinking of Titanic was covered in great detail. This caused the mood of us visitors to switch to something more quietly reflective. It was very noticeable, especially as we moved into the next area that displayed another very comprehensive account – the Official Enquiry and the lessons learned. It seems amazing that up until the loss of the Titanic it wasn’t mandatory to have enough lifeboats to accommodate EVERY passenger!

The display that showed the ship’s complement – and who survived and who didn’t – was being studied at length by a lot of people and was comfortably, the busiest part of the Museum. Around 1500 out of 2200 passengers perished, whilst the crew made up the largest percentage of losses (685/700).

In a fitting conclusion to the whole Titanic story, visitors were brought right up to date with the various expeditions to locate the wreck of the Titanic. It wasn’t until September 1, 1985, when a joint American-French expedition led by Robert Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Jean-Louis Michel of IFREMER (the French National Institute of Oceanography) was the Ship eventually found. There was plenty of information here surrounding this eventual success, but it wasn’t without some false starts in previous years.

It was good to see a few of the items from the Ship on-show, including the violin played by Wallace Hartley, the Ship’s Bandleader and one of the Ship’s deckchairs

It took us around two hours to get around, but I can see why some publications suggest it could take 3 to 4! As we headed for the exit, the final display (a rotating scale model of the Titanic accompanied by an ethereal bespoke musical theme) provided a great opportunity for a final reflection of this sea tragedy that just won’t go away in people’s minds.

Worth the trip? Most definitely!! I think without doubt, that was the most comprehensive and engaging Museum we’ve ever been to. The final part that included what was learned from the tragedy was especially moving.

We weren’t done yet! After a quick bite in the Museum’s Café, we remembered there was another Ship to see nearby.

SS Nomadic

The SS Nomadic, launched in April, 1911, is the last surviving Ship of the White Star Line -and it was right outside! It was used as a Tender for passengers destined for the Titanic and the Olympic because those Ships were too big to dock in Cherbourg Harbour. Nomadic accommodated 1000 passengers (surprising, given its small size) and prided itself on doing its job with the same levels of luxury as White Star’s more famous sister Ships.

The Ship was saved from the wrecker’s yard and was now in ‘better than new’ condition, having lived past its working life in various locations around the globe. Inside, it felt very small and cramped – just how they fitted up to 1000 people in it, we’re not sure!

Because of the deteriorating weather, they had closed off the deck area (for safety reasons), and we were therefore limited to just the interior. There wasn’t that much to see, but as the last remaining White Star Ship, it was worth visiting.

Just as we left the Ship, right on cue, the downpour began. Luckily, the bus stop for the G2 was just a two-minute walk away. At just £1.80 each back to City Hall, they were great value. We’d just missed one, but just 10 minutes later another arrived (and we’d dried out by then!)

By 2pm we were back on the Bolette enjoying a cuppa

Tonight’s Meal – Thursday

Here we go again!

Oh no, I think we’re beginning to suffer from ‘Four-Course Fatigue’. This is the first time (after 6 days) that the volume of continuous food has finally beaten us! (I know, ‘poor loves!’) . We both avoided the advertised Desserts and opted for (just!) a portion of ice-cream! . Lightweights, ehh! Hardly!!!

Entertainment

Tonight’s entertainment was Berni Flint, an Irish comedian and singer who famously appeared on Opportunity Knocks back in the 70s and won for a record number of consecutive weeks. Apparently, he’s in the Guinness Book of World Records. We liked his style. very relaxed and chatty – a natural raconteur with a good, clean sense of humour (no swearing and no smuttiness) – and he sang and played guitar too!!!

Tomorrow

Friday means we’re back on schedule and arriving in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, Scotland – approximately 120 miles northwest of Edinburgh, 76 miles northwest of Glasgow, and 91 miles west-southwest of Inverness. Population? Just over 1000 and famous for the BBC series from the 2000s called ‘Balamory’.

And just to keep us on our toes, the Captain has just announced that due to ‘prevailing weather conditions’, we MAY not head to Kirkwall on Saturday!

See you here on Friday! Sleep tight! . It feels like a rocky night ahead…

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Wednesday, 16th September

Welcome back, and where it’s a shorter story today. Here we are aboard the Cruise Ship – Bolette – the flagship of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. It’s Day 5 of our 10-day sail around the UK – and there’s a major change to our itinerary!

It affects today (Day 5), another ‘at sea’ day, where we were hoping to enjoy The Skelligs, Inishabro, Tearaght and the Cliffs of Moher as a ‘sail by’. Nope! Tomorrow (Day 6), we were due to visit Killybegs (where’s that?) – but that’s off too! . Apparently, it’s all down to the weather conditions and judging by how rocky the Ship was last night – I believe them! .

In short, instead of the WEST coast of Ireland, we’re now sailing up the EAST coast – and heading for Belfast.

All at Sea (but not as you know it!)

And so, we’re still on a sea day, it’s just the view is different! . I suspect there are going to be a lot of unhappy Cruisers today (including us!) where it’ll be time to make best use of the onboard facilities. Damn! The ‘Knit and Natter’ class was full! and ‘no’, I’m not going to the crochet class!! I’m more of a ‘Tips for Fixing a Broken Website’ kind of guy! (but you knew that!)

We therefore spent a lazy morning in one of the coffee lounges, catching up with our reading and sampling the ‘local produce’ .

We followed this with MORE to eat and drink – and a visit to the Buffet (well, we did skip breakfast!!)

Then it was our customary ‘four times around the Prom Deck’. Oh, just us then. En-route, we discovered they’d re-opened the Forecastle Viewing area (up at the pointy bit!)

You’ll be pleased to know that we resisted the temptation to re-enact the Leonard Di Caprio/Kate Winslett scene from Titanic and made do with a photo featuring the Ship’s Bell and a Belle, instead!

Evening Meal – Wednesday

No more food! Please! Oh, go on then!!!

Entertainment

Tonight, we made our own entertainment! (stop tittering at the back!). Cue the final episode of BBC’s Ludwig, courtesy of iPlayer, a few weeks ahead of the TV broadcast.

I won’t spoil things by revealing the ending here, but if you’re a fan, it’s worth a watch.

Tomorrow…

We’re in Belfast. We haven’t been here for a good many years (17, I think). In fact, the Titanic Exhibition wasn’t built then, so we’re saving a few beans there!

See you tomorrow!

The post Cruising around the UK – Day 5 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Tuesday 15 September 2026

Hi everyone! Welcome back! Here we are aboard the Cruise Ship – Bolette – the flagship of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.

It’s Day 4 of our 10-day sail around the UK, and today we head for the Isles of Scilly. Buckle up! It’s a long one!

It’s all been great so far. The staff, the food and the facilities have been superb – the onboard wifi, not so much! (but that’s cruising for you!). So, apologies for the connection issues yesterday evening when it came to posting Monday’s adventure – it was patchy all day .

Missed a Post?

Day 1 (Saturday)

Day 2 (Sunday)

Day 3 (Monday)

Today’s Adventure

An early start this morning! . I was up at 5.30am closely followed by Ann. It was then breakfast in the room, just after 7, before heading ashore.

Today, we have two island destinations planned: ‘St Mary’s’ and, this afternoon, Tresco, and ‘Tresco Abbey Gardens’.

Looks like we have OK weather for it too (just!)!

St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly

The largest of the Isles of Scilly, St. Mary’s is a peaceful gem off the coast of Cornwall, known for its warmth and beauty. The six square miles of island is a charming blend of picturesque beaches, rolling hills, and rugged coastal paths, perfect for peaceful walks and sea views, and the capital of Hugh Town has narrow streets lined with boutiques and cafés, ripe for browsing or sampling locally caught seafood.

After a ‘spirited’ twenty-minute sea journey, the ‘Seahorse’ landed all 53 of us, like the perfect Martini slightly shaken and stirred on St Mary’s – and not a used sick bag in sight! The beauty of the island was immediate, and right on cue out came the Sun. If you’re into nature, there is lots to enjoy – Sun, Sea and plenty of sand …and absolutely no sign of any seagulls!

We only had a few hours here and headed for the old Garrison, part of the Garrison Walls, that we’d read about a while ago. This required a steep walk, and I think we achieved our daily step count in the first 10 minutes!

Sadly, the Garrison is now a Hotel, so not what we expected at all. We engaged reverse and descended down the now familiar sleep incline, and into the very picturesque town, grabbing a coffee along the way. Side note: The Scilly Isles are known to be expensive (as they have to import pretty much everything) but our two coffees only came to £7.50

…and the view out to sea wasn’t bad either!

By 10.15, we were all ‘St Mary-ed out’ and headed back to the quayside.

We only had to wait for about 15 minutes for our water-taxi back and helpfully, Fred had laid on refreshments whilst we queued.

Twenty minutes later we ended our mini high sea adventure (and some of that sea was VERY high!) and we were safely back aboard the more stable Bolette!

A curious techno-fact that whilst I’ve been grappling with the lacklustre WiFi connection (2-10 Mbps) back on the Bolette, here we are on the small boat in the Atlantic and the data connection is unbelievable – see below…

Yes, that’s right… 630 down and almost 100 up. How? And maybe more importantly, Why?

Time for a quick bite before it was back to the Neptune Lounge awaiting the nod for our journey to Tresco (the Scilly’s second largest island).

Tresco Abbey Gardens

Tresco is a family-owned island at the heart of the Isles of Scilly. Featuring white-sandy beaches, subtropical gardens, car-free lanes and plenty of sea, it’s just two and a half miles long and a mile wide at its broadest point,

But wait there’s more! How about The Valhalla Figurehead Collection?

Wow! What a Garden! Even the blue sky returned for our visit! Well worth the journey and the price – we paid £65 each, including the boat there and back.

One of the special features of Tresco is that no vehicles are allowed on the island (it’s only around 2 miles x 1 mile, so even I could walk that!). The only way in or out is by boat, plane or helicopter! – and we’d seen all three today!

We were soon on our way back, where the 15-minute return journey passed in a flash!

Back on board the Bolette, there was just time to spruce ourselves up and head for the Restaurant.

Evening Meal – Tuesday

Tomorrow…

Hold the front page! Weather conditions dictate that we’re NOT going to be sailing up the west coast of Ireland (The Skelligs, Inishnabro, Tearaght and the Cliffs of Moher). Instead, we’re sailing up the EAST Coast, heading for Belfast. Time for a Plan B… tomorrow!

Sleep well!

The post Cruising around the UK – Day 4 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Monday 14 September 2026

Morning all! Here we are aboard the Cruise Ship – Bolette – the flagship of the Fred. Olsen Cruise Line. It’s Day 3 of our 10-day sail around the UK.

Missed a Post?

Day 1 – All Aboard the MS Bolette
Day 2 – Sea Day

Our Itinerary

What’s on?

Breakfast – Day 3

Another very relaxed breakfast this morning in the half-empty ‘Bloomsbury’.

After breakfast, we took our customary one-mile walk around the Prom Deck. Well, almost! As we entered our third lap, we were obstructed by a ‘no entry’ sign. Looks like they’re doing something serious with/to the Prom Deck today! Ah, never mind!

Looking out across the Port, we could see the free shuttle service, a weird vehicle that looked like it came straight out of a scene from Thunderbirds, plus a strange-looking vessel named ‘TideForce’ (A139) that appeared to be very military-like, but then again, no sign of any guns! .

Cue some research using Wiki and Google! They suggested the following:-
RFA Tideforce is one of four ‘tide-class’ replenishment tankers belonging to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). These vessels provide fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Naval vessels around the world. This one has a range of around 18000 nautical miles and weighs in at around 39000 tonnes. RFA Tidespring (A136), RFA Tiderace (A137) RFA Tidesurge (A138) complete the UK family.

Another ‘school day’! – who knew?

Right! Time to get ready to explore…

Port of Portland

We’re docked in the Port of Portland where the weather is, at least, dry for our day ashore.

Portland is a ruggedly beautiful island connected to the mainland by the renowned Chesil Beach and is known for its striking cliffs and wild landscapes. Forming part of the Jurassic Coast, the island is rich in history, with important landmarks like Portland Castle and the distinctive red and white tower of Portland Bill Lighthouse.

Fred Olsen has made it easy for us to get around. There was a shuttle-bus to get us to Portland Castle (on our list) and then on to nearby Weymouth. I think we might be the last two on earth NOT to have been to Weymouth before, and we’ve heard good things about it!

We’re off! . What made the whole boarding process a little odd was the number of on-site Police taking an interest in us all. In fact, as we looked around, there was a disproportionate number of uniformed PCs watching our every move! We’d noticed them earlier, but didn’t think any more of it at the time. In fact, it turns out that this was no ordinary Port. Manned barriers and a double-check of our Ship’s passes were also part of the arrival/departure process. Weird! Oh, and no-one was allowed to leave the Port ON FOOT and/or simply wander around the Port area! Lightbulb moment . I guess it’s something to do with part of the Port being used by the UK Military .

Portland Castle

Portland Castle is one of Henry VIII’s coastal artillery forts, built to defend Portland Harbour. Its squat rounded seaward form was designed to deflect an incoming cannon shot.

In truth, there’s not an awful lot to see here, but it was good that English Heritage had shown it some love over the years and helped conserve it. They promoted its history and relevance to the area too and had done a great job. It’s worth a look, especially for the views out across the harbour. A quicky for us – we were in and out inside an hour.

D-Day Museum

The Museum is located in nearby Castletown, east of Portland Castle. Opening dates and times are a bit random, so do read the website for the latest information.

We gave up trying to get to this one! Plenty of advertising for it though, so it should have been very straightforward! . I blame the Police!! If we had been allowed to simply WALK from the Ship to it, that would have taken no time at all. However, with the increased Police activity where all passengers had to be on the Shuttle to get anywhere – and the Shuttle wasn’t scheduled to stop at the Museum – it was simply impossible.

Actually, it wasn’t! We eventually worked out that providing you took the Shuttle to the Castle and then walked to the Museum from there, it was all doable (providing you then walked back to the Shuttle stop outside the Castle afterwards, in the opposite direction to the Bolette). Far too complicated for these two usually razor-sharp minds. Ah well, maybe next time??

Weymouth

Weymouth is a seaside resort, where its economy depends on tourism. Visitors are attracted by its harbour and position, approximately halfway along the Jurassic Coast, important for its geology and landforms. Once a port for cross-channel ferries, Weymouth Harbour is now home to a commercial fishing fleet, pleasure boats and private yachts, while nearby Portland Harbour is remembered for the sailing events of the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

It was just 4.2 miles to Weymouth and initially, we weren’t sure what the town would be like – but it turned out to really pretty and had a real buzz about it too. Even though it wasn’t a particularly hot day (and a touch of rain in the air), all the eateries, pubs and shops were seeing a lot of footfall. After a short walk from where the Shuttle dropped us, we were in amongst the locals sharing some gorgeous views around this seaside town.

It seemed that we were in for an extra treat too! – the sight of the town bridge elevating (no doubt to allow a large vessel to pass underneath!). I bet you don’t get to see that too often!!

With the bridge fully raised, we waited for the vessel to make an appearance… and waited… and waited some more. The bridge then went down! Err, it turned out that there was no large vessel due AT ALL, the bridge does this at regular times every day (12 noon, in our case). Spot the Weymouth tourist, ehh?!! .

Elsewhere, there was even more stunning views around the water, and it was easy to see why holidaymakers flock here every year. It was easy to imagine how busy the area would be during the recent (very) hot Summer.

We stopped for a coffee and cake break at Coffee#1 and then explored the retail scene. The shops seemed to go on for miles – and in all directions! It was good to see so many that were small independent businesses rather than just the big names normally associated with many ‘high streets’.

When we finally got to the end of the run of shops, the area began to look more like a typical seaside resort – three-and-a-half miles of sandy beaches, a long run of deck-chairs and even a Punch & Judy show ready for a performance!

After enjoying the sights and sounds of the beach area, we crossed the road to look at the famous tribute statue of King George III (installed in 1809) kitted out in his coronation robes, looking over Weymouth Bay.

Weymouth turned out to be a really pleasant surprise, and I’m sure we’ll be back as part of a future break. We headed back to the Shuttle and were soon back on board.

Sail Away

At just after 6pm, we officially left Weymouth. On many Cruises, departures from Ports have become a ‘thing’ that’s not simply about raising the anchor and leaving. It seems that Fred Olsen has joined the craze, and this evening we had not only the Weymouth Ukeleleans entertaining us, but it was followed later by a three-shot cannon salute by a local re-enactment society .

Dinner

Another cracking meal in the Restaurant tonight!

Entertainment

Against our better judgment, we headed for the Neptune Lounge to see the performance of Legacy – the story behind the history of the Fred. Olsen family set against the music of the times. Yikes! Sounded risky, just reading about it on paper, but watching it live was worse! What a disappointment!! Let’s leave it there, shall we!!

Talk about ‘murder on the dancefloor’!

Tomorrow…

We’re sailing for St Mary’s, the largest island on the Isles of Scilly where we plan to dock by 6.30am. We’re going ashore first, and later in the day, Ann has booked a trip to Tresco Abbey Gardens.

See you tomorrow!

The post Cruising around the UK – Day 3 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Sunday 13 September 2026

Morning all! Here we are aboard the Cruise Ship – Bolette – the flagship of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. We boarded yesterday afternoon – all the details are HERE .

It’s Day 2 of our 10-day sail around parts of the UK.

I’ll keep this one brief today as the wifi is pretty much non-existent and it’s a sea day anyway, as we head for Portland, arriving tomorrow.

Sunday’s Events

There was plenty to keep us occupied today!

Rather than tackle the self-serve Buffet, we headed for the Bloomsbury Restaurant where it was strangely quiet – mind you, it was Sunday!!

Out to sea, it was very misty, helping give the start to our day a very ethereal and unhurried feel.

After breakfast, we began our morning ritual of ‘a mile around the deck’ . That’s 3½ laps, but hey, we rounded it up to 4!

That was all very pleasant (honest!), and we even saw dolphins, briefly, off the port bow! We then spent the morning trying out some of the facilities.

Ann visited the Gym and tried out the free ‘Getting the Best from your Binoculars class, whilst I ‘tested’* one of the many coffee stops around the Ship.       *Passed

It was the Captain’s Welcoming Party this evening – and consequently, a formal night. Out went the t-shirts and walking sticks, and in came the suits, jackets, ties and sparkly dresses.

Cue lots of alcohol and lots of hero worship! It’s not really my thing, but if there’s free fizz and nibbles, I’m its greatest supporter!

An hour later, we left the free champagne and nibbles behind to, err, make room for even more of it in the Bloomsbury Restaurant.

Sunday’s Dinner

Here we go again… we’re going. If we’re not out in two hours, DON’T come looking for us!

Even if the food quality is ‘average’ (it isn’t!), you can’t fault the food presentation – we’ve been lucky enough to cruise with many of the big and small players over the years – and so far, Fred Olsen is punching well above its weight!

After a quick ‘feet up’ back in our Cabin, we then headed for the Neptune Lounge for tonight’s performance by one, Angie Grace Brown. We’d not heard of her, but we’ll certainly remember her, for all the right reasons! . Originally, she was a weekend busker on the streets of Glasgow, and her day job was with British Gas. To say she had a powerful voice was a massive understatement. She had a wide repertoire and covered songs from Fleetwood Mac, Shania Twain, Boyzone, Amie Whitehouse, Dolly Parton – and many more! Her voice had a terrific range where it sounded like she chewed gravel and gargled with sandpaper as part of her warm-up routine! And it had power too! A single note from her, would probably have cut through concrete!

Wow! What a performance!! Easily the best female vocalist I’d heard for years! Her rendition of ‘Hallelujah’ was especially beautiful and haunting in equal measure.

Tomorrow…

We dock in Portland, first thing and then it’s ‘all ashore’ to look around the island. We’re there for around 8 hours before it’s ‘up anchor’ and we head for the Isles of Scilly.

Sleep well – catch you tomorrow!

The post Cruising around the UK – Day 2 appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Saturday, 12th September

Morning all! Here we are aboard the Cruise Ship – Bolette – the flagship, err, Ship, of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. We said goodbye to Liverpool earlier, after a two-day stay in the city.

Missed a Post?

Day 1 in Liverpool
Day 2 in Liverpool

Today is Day 1 of our 10-day sea route around the UK. It’s a little unusual for us to be taking a cruise around our home territory, but we decided earlier in the year to make 2026 the year that we discovered (and rediscovered) more of what our islands have to offer.

Our Uber was early (thanks Neil) and we were soon unloading our cases and heading for Fred’s Correction Collection Facility, aka ‘Club 80-130’ .

Boy, I know most Cruisers tend to be on the mature side, but we’re clearly the youngest here by a good few years! It’s not true that Ann was asked if she was looking for the onboard Creche – as a participant!

Ahoy ship-mates, tannoy announcement: “Cabins ready by 1.30!” – that’s a great start!

As seasoned Cruisers will know, one of the first tasks is one of orientation – which way to the front/back/where are the loos and most important of all: ‘how do I find my way back to our Cabin? 

No? Just me then!!

We got ahead of the game and downloaded the deck plan beforehand and studied it at length. Then, after a quick nibble on Deck 8, we tested our navigation skills and headed for our Cabin (3414) on Deck 3 – ‘The Prom Deck’ – conveniently sandwiched between the lifts and the ship’s propeller and rudder.

Success! . No doubt, helped by our bright yellow suitcases, patiently parked outside our Cabin.

We set sail this evening at around 4.30pm, so plenty of time to learn about the itinerary – our next stop? Well, the open sea (obviously) and then arriving in Portland on Monday.

But before we actually sail anywhere, let’s talk about the Ship itself. Built in 2000 as Holland America Line’s MS Amsterdam, the vessel was acquired by Fred Olsen in 2020 and modernised into a classic, mid-sized cruiser. It’s a little ‘old school’ (nothing wrong with that), so there are no water slides/observation lifts nor Disney characters – this is about relaxed sea travel at its most obvious.

For number junkies, here are her vital statistics…

• 690 cabins
• 1,338 guests
• 690 Cabins
• 642 crew
• 62,735 gross tonnes
• 24.5 knots max speed

Why name the ship: Bolette? It’s named after the Norwegian great-great-grandmother of company chairman Fred. Olsen Jr.

To accompany the Ship’s stats, here are some quick photos taken around the Bolette as we continued to work out which way to the ‘front’ and which way was ‘behind’ (a natural mariner, me!)

We were in our Cabin in record time. Sharmain introduced herself to us as our Cabin Steward and will therefore be looking after us for the duration.

Our Cabin is just fine. It feels wider than the usual layout and therefore it gave a feeling of more space.

Time to check out the action for tonight! We obviously need to get used to the name ‘Cosmic Lemon’ – they’re the resident Band!

As part of our orientation, 3½ laps of the Prom Deck is a mile (we almost tested it!) and we could see our Hotel in the distance. We followed the instructions to confirm we’d watched the evacuation video and sat awhile on the Lido Deck only to be accosted by a rather assertive member of the waiting staff, eager to sell us Champagne & Strawberries, the Fred Afternoon Tea and pretty much anything/everything else!

Cue a sharp exit!

Sail Away

Just after 4.30, the Captain signalled our sail away and Bolette began its manoeuvring (a 180° turn, no less), signalling our departure from Liverpool. Thanks for seeing us off, Oli!

Evening Meal

There are two main eateries onboard towards the back end of Bolette plus two speciality restaurants towards the front. Tonight, we ‘slummed it’ and headed for the Bloomsbury Restaurant at the rear! For the really ‘can’t be asked’ there’s the ever-reliable Buffet on Deck 8.

We headed for our reserved Table, where our Waiter, ‘Sri’ introduced himself and took our order. “Sundar” was our Assistant Waiter, who in reality was i/c Bread Rolls and Desserts.

The dress code was ‘smart casual’ tonight meaning no need for a suit/tie/dickie bow – but shorts were definitely a no-no, as were baseball caps! (thank goodness!!) . Tomorrow will separate the ‘sheep from the goats’ – it’s a formal night!

75 minutes later, it was all over (until tomorrow!), and we both felt it had been a great start! If all the food is this good for the rest of the trip, we’ll a) be the same size as the Ship and b) not be getting off!

We spent the rest of the evening chilling out in one of the lounge areas. We skipped the Show too (something about ‘Swingers’, but sadly, we hadn’t brought our car keys!). Oh, those sort of Swingers..!

Sunday is our first full day at sea as we head towards Portland. Depending on the wi-fi connection (and it’s been a bit flaky since we got on board!), there MAY be a ‘Day 2’ Post, but if not, see you when we get to Portland on Monday.

Nighty-night!

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Friday, September 11 2026

Morning all! We’re on our second day in Liverpool (‘Day Minus 1’ if you like). Arriving yesterday, we’re exploring parts of Liverpool, that we’ve not seen before. Tomorrow, around lunchtime, we pick up our Cruise Ship for a 10-day adventure around the UK.

Well, at least the weather looked a little kinder today!

With our cultural heads on (well, we weren’t here for the sunshine!), top of our list today is the nearby Western Approaches Museum. It’s an old WWII secret bunker that has been frozen in time around 1945, where visitors in later years once had to sign the Official Secrets Act to get in and look around! These days, it’s all a lot more relaxed, and has reinvented itself as a Museum and time capsule of the era, where the self-guided tour takes between 1 and 2 hours.

But before all that WWII history, there’s BREAKFAST here in the Hotel – and we’ve heard that it’s good!

Yes, that ticked all the boxes, apart from the ‘vegetarian sausage’ (that we tried, by way of experimentation). It tasted like the lovechild of a potato croquette and a bowl of porridge . What a creation!!!

Western Approaches Museum

With our VSE* still leaving a bad taste in the mouth – literally, we headed out into the couldn’t-make-its-mind-up weather and the Western Approaches Museum, just a short ten-minute walk away. This was the highlight of the day for us, as we’ve had it on our list since the last time we were here.

*Vegetarian Sausage Experiment

The rather unassuming frontage betrayed what was behind the scenes (but, given its historical function, maybe that was the idea!) . Reasonably priced for admission, the passes tickets also had the facility to apply embossed ‘stamps’ to them during our visit. I’m not quite sure what the reward was for doing this. but it ensured you paid attention as you wandered around, attempting to find the embossing device!

Our tickets were a copy of the original passes required to get into and around the bunker.

After an initial steep staircase down, we were immediately immersed in WWII memorabilia. And there was plenty of it, with each room clearly labelled as to its function. Impressive stuff that ‘kept on giving’, room after room and reconstructed to a very high level of detail.

If you’re as interested in WWII history as much as we are, this is a real find! Some of the rooms were so realistic, it was like travelling back in time (or visiting a film set!)

Probably the most unusual exhibit was Churchill’s PERSONAL projector. These days, it would fit in your pocket, but back then, it (almost) needed its own room!

The whole Museum was more than impressive, but if one area stood out, it was the multiple exhibits dedicated to WRNS (the ‘Wrens’) aka The Women’s Royal Naval Service. Display after display recounted their tremendous contribution to the war effort – and some! Unveiled in 2023, by Princess Anne, this was surely the definitive history of the service. Better still, it was brought right up to date and explained how, gradually, the role has expanded and has become part of the Royal Navy.

We tend to ‘do’ these places at pace, and we’d covered it all in an hour-or-so, and therefore the advertised a 1 to 2 hour estimate for seeing everything is probably realistic. There’s no coffee shop, but if you’re into the obligatory fridge magnets and more, there’s a tasteful gift shop adjacent to the admissions desk.

After a quick look around the main shopping area – Liverpool One – picking up a few bits and bobs, we took the slow 20-minute meander back to the Hotel – just as we felt some light rain beginning to fall. Perfect timing then, as we headed for our room and began to think about packing and the much more important decision about… what cocktail to have tonight!

Cocktail Hour

It would have been rude not to! (especially as we had vouchers!

For Madam, sporting a burgundy colour exterior: ‘The Bramble’ – Tanqueray Gin, Briottet Crème de Mure Liqueur, Lemon and Blackberry Juice.

For Sir, in the orange corner: ‘The Rhubarb Triangle’ – Rhubarb & Bramley Apple Gin, Briottet Liqueur de Rhubarbe, Lemon, Honey, Apple, Bitters, Rosemary and Mediterranean Tonic.

Both delicious and both went down far too quickly! . As we supped the last sip, our Uber arrived bang on time.

Catch up with Oli

With nephew Oli, now joining the world of work for his very first time here in Liverpool, this was the perfect opportunity for a catch-up. We’d pre-booked a table at Papillon in Hope Street where we last ate in May 2025 with Roger, Jane… and Oli!

This is becoming a familiar haunt of ours during our all-too-brief visits here in Liverpool. It was already busy when we arrived just after 7.15 and enjoying a buzzy atmosphere

They seated us on the opposite side of the buzz (did they know something we didn’t) and we were soon chatting away, comparing notes about ‘first time employers’ and how it had felt during our first week at work. It sounded like Oli had settled in really quickly and the induction week had been busy, but most of all, helpful in orientating him towards a bright future in his role.

Papillon’s service was as swift and friendly as ever, and we were soon tucking into our respective choices. No surprises at all as I opted for their House Cheeseburger (a mega-meaty – and cheesy – affair that came with its own carving knife). Oli pursued the pasta option whilst Ann cracked on with their Curry!

The obligatory Cappuccinos ended the evening, and we then headed for Oli’s place.

For a first-time place, Oli has done really well. It was a well-equipped, modern, secure and spacious apartment! And being located in a quieter part of the city was an added bonus. Impressed? Oh, yes! Well done Oli!! With the guided tour over, we grabbed an Uber back to the Hotel, arriving just after 10pm. Yes, I know: “Dirty Stop-outs!”. Friday night/10pm/knackered – we’re living the dream!!

Bye-bye Liverpool

Wow! It has been a busy day for this couple of retirees, where we seem to have spent most of our time today learning, wandering, eating and drinking (then, rinsing and repeating!) . We shall be very sorry to be leaving Liverpool tomorrow as it’s been a great stay (again!), and with our cultural heads on, we’re still finding new places to enjoy. The city has a buzz about it and the natives are VERY friendly! (Apart from our ‘ex-Monk’ taxi driver yesterday! ). It’s been good to see that there is still plenty of building expansion going on here, with the city skyline in a constant state of change, as shiny new, gleaming towers rub along nicely with some of the more traditional, older architecture. City breaks aren’t everyone’s idea of a good time, but it has ticked all the boxes for us. The standout feature (maybe slightly surprisingly) has been how clean and litter-free the city is – how do they achieve that???

Tomorrow…

It’s a relaxed morning tomorrow, before we take the short walk to the Cruise Terminal and stepping aboard the good ship ‘Bolette’ around lunchtime.

Night night ship-mates! See you tomorrow, on board at eight bells!

The post ALMOST Cruising around the UK – Day ‘Minus 1’ appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Morning all! We’re on our way to Liverpool. We’ve got two days to kill, before we pick up our Cruise Ship for a 10-day sailing adventure around the UK.

It’s another holiday where we’re NOT taking the car (it doesn’t float too well at sea!) but spending two days beforehand exploring even more of Liverpool (we were last here back in May, 2025).

But first we had to get there! That involved getting the train from Kettering to Nottingham, then onto Liverpool, Lime Street – just four hours door-to-door! (although we could have driven it in just over three).

All our connections seemed to be as advertised, and it was actually a beautifully warm day as we waved goodbye to sunny Kettering and settled down for the 46-minute hop to Nottingham.

Onwards to Lime Street

So far, so good! Although the signage on the platform was crystal clear, once we’d taken our seats, an error in the onboard announcement system suggested a different destination – Skegness! – and we’d therefore picked the wrong train (together with about 100 others!)

We held our nerve (some didn’t) and after a series of repeated WRONG announcements, the train eventually switched to the correct stations along our route. How we laughed!

Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful journey – all 174 minutes of it – but it passed pretty quickly, although we did arrive 10 minutes late. Next stop? Our Hotel, a short, 10-minute taxi ride away. It was a good job we chose to take a taxi! as, right on cue, the heavens opened and it absolutely hammered it down.

Clearly, our taxi driver, Joe, had been a Monk in a previous life. No, it wasn’t the suspiciously concentric bald patch – instead, he had clearly chosen to continue his ‘vow of silence’ in his new career and didn’t utter a word for the whole journey – even when we attempted to charm him. And let’s face it, who could resist my charms, let alone Mrs P’s?! . No ‘hellos’, ‘where are you from?’ or ‘how long are you here for?’ – nothing vaguely approaching the warm, welcoming banter we’d enjoyed last time we were here. Actually, that’s not quite true… as soon as he saw me reach for my phone to settle the bill, he mumbled it was cash only! . Yes, he did speak perfect English! Who knew? Probably no-one!

Malmaison Hotel

Our temporary home is the rather well-appointed Malmaison Hotel, near the Albert Dock in Liverpool (You can just see the iconic Liver Building in the background). Inside, this turned out to be a very modern-looking hotel with modern decor to match. Its strapline?

“Decadence on the Docks”

…that all sounded a bit sleazy to me, but maybe that’s my slightly warped mind!!! . Perhaps! Not only is it well known for its funky decor, but they also found a dead body in one of their rooms back in January 2026 (yes, really!). No suspicious circumstances, though!

We arrived bang on time for the 3pm (earliest) check-in, and after a series of ‘upselling opportunities’ explained by the very courteous Receptionist, we succumbed to the temptation of a Full English Breakfast for our two days here, whilst side-stepping the ‘all our steaks are half price’ ‘opportunity’. To sweeten the deal, they threw in a voucher for a free cocktail for each of for each night we’re here!

Room 309 beckoned, and we were soon in our new home for the next few days. No dead bodies so far, so that’s a bonus!

This was all very tasteful, with everything we need and, unusually, as you can see, we got a bath AND a separate shower too! Nice!

Plans?

Any plans we had for exploring the local area this evening were immediately scuppered by the deteriorating weather – and it was actually turning colder too (remember ‘cold weather’? – it was a grey 14℃ here!).

We thought, therefore, this would be the perfect opportunity to cash in one of our free signature cocktail vouchers! Oh yes!

Is 6pm too early for a cocktail? Probably!

Well, they were both super-strength and super-delicious – and slipped down a treat!

To complete our first evening here, we grabbed a bite to eat in their rather impressive Restaurant. There was even a Christmas Party in full swing (that’s early, even by our standards!)

Whilst Ann tried the Chicken Breasts in a Butter-Bean cream sauce, I fancied some pheasant. Both dishes were impressive and packed with flavour. The service was well above what we expected for ‘just’ a hotel restaurant, and they looked after us like royalty.

…and to finish..?

Neither of us could manage a Dessert, so it was either a night on the town, soaking up the buzz that is Liverpool, or an evening around the TV watching Ludwig. Decisions, decisions!

Tomorrow..?

It looks like an inside job tomorrow, just in case the weather turns. We’ve pencilled in the nearby Western Approaches Museum. It’s an old WWII secret bunker that has been frozen in time around 1945, where visitors in later years once had to sign the Official Secrets Act to get in! These days, it’s all a lot more relaxed, and the self-guided tour takes between 1 and 2 hours.

We’re also catching up with nephew, Oli, after his very first week at work!

See you tomorrow! Nighty Night!

The post ALMOST Cruising around the UK – Day ‘Minus 2’ appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Today was another of the always-interesting cultural days out, thanks to my old School – Selhurst Grammar School for Boys and the Old Croydonians’ Association – and their organised events for Members. This time, it was a conducted tour around the famous Croydon Minster.

We set off from home just before 9.20 and took the short drive over the Huntingdon Station. The benefit of using Huntingdon over Kettering used to be the cheaper parking, cheaper rail tickets, and a more direct journey. These days, not so much, as the off-peak parking option has now disappeared; the prices are not quite as competitive, but at least we can still complete the journey without having to change trains! It’s also still quicker than attempting to take the car!

It was a straightforward journey, and we rolled into East Croydon Station in good time, just before midday. Finding the appropriate exit, however, continued to prove challenging for me (this is the third time I’ve ended up leaving by the ‘wrong’ exit, all requiring some extra unnecessary walking!) I know, tough life, ehh?

We were especially looking forward to this one, where, on arrival, our Tour Guide, David Morgan, made us all feel very welcome!

These cultural days out are turning out to be very enjoyable, and we’re building up quite a list, thanks to the late Bob Smith and now John Wade‘s hard work in planning them in advance.

Backstage at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane (May 2026)
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)

Back in the day, Croydon Minster was simply known as Croydon Parish Church and was a frequent venue for a range of school-related events. These days, although Croydon has never quite made it to city status, it hasn’t stopped them from rebranding it – and the name has stuck ever since! The last time I was around this area was when I made an emotional visit to the closing of the first Sainsbury’s I worked at, just up the road in the Whitgift Centre, and it was good to see some significant ‘sprucing up’ of the area around the Minster itself. Apparently, they are going to uplight the Minster – that will surely look amazing!

Just another ‘Church’? Maybe, but there are SIX Archbishops of Canterbury buried here! . Who knew!?

Given the number of times that I’d been there, I was surprised how much I didn’t know (or more likely ‘forgotten’) based on the information that David shared with us all today.

It was one of those tours where there was an ‘oo, I didn’t know that’ at every turn, and the 60 minutes was over far too soon.

From ‘Chilled out Archbishops’, ‘Eagles with a secret function’ and the sight of ‘two soldiers in an important location’, the term ‘every day a school day’ took on extra significance today!

It was also beautiful inside, but if I have one criticism, it’s that it could have done with being better lit, as some of the interesting and important items on display were difficult to study.

By 3.30, it was all over. I eventually managed to get the shot I was aiming for of Cortland, Roger, Valerie and me – all in one place at the same time – and that’s a rare treat these days!

After saying our goodbyes, Ann and I took the slightly soggy walk to the closest tram stop. Someone was smiling on us, and we were soon onboard, heading for East Croydon, where the Tram came into its own, avoiding the cars (and buses!) already stuck in the traffic jam from West Croydon right through to East Croydon.

Platform 2 at East Croydon beckoned, where just a few minutes later, we were soon seated and Huntingdon-bound! We were indoors just after 6pm, reflecting on what had been another fascinating day!

Thanks, Old Croydonians! Roll on the next one!

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We’re at the Theatre later with Jo, Janet & Carol, but before that – Lunch! Janet knows pretty much ALL the Farm Cafés and small eateries in Northamptonshire so we were in reliable hands!

Today’s choice? ‘New Lodge Farm‘ in Bulwick (pop. 171), about 20 minutes north-east of Kettering. This one has even got a spa (but that’s for another day! – maybe?!)

What a very pleasant surprise this place was! We’ve driven past it gazillion times since we moved here and had never visited! Our loss!!! The area is also a parking area for Camper-Vans/Caravans etc so there was plenty of room for everything (and anything, so that’s probably why they have a spa too!

We ate in their rather airy ‘Lockdown Café’ that was enjoying a busy lunch period (good for them!). It not only served tasty tasty food (cakes too!), it was all delivered quickly and with a smile!

We were all tempted by the CAKE selection, where Ann and I shared the oddly named ‘Banana Split’ Cake – yum yum! . Thirty minutes later, we were all ‘caked out’, and we just had enough time to look around their Farm Shop – and that was impressive too! Wow! That certainly scratched our individual and collective retail therapy itch! I think New Lodge Farm will be somewhere that we are definitely going to return to in the future!

With the clock ticking, we headed for the famous Tolethorpe Hall, home of the Stamford Shakespeare Company to see the well-known Play, One Man, Two Guvnors. Last time we saw this was at The Derngate, on my Birthday, in 2014.

Tolethorpe Hall’s Synopsis

It’s Brighton in 1963, where Francis Henshall, freshly fired from his job, is now a man in search of his destiny – as long as his destiny includes fish, chips, mushy peas, and a pint or two. But with no money and a rumbling in his belly, Francis accepts not just one job, but two. And there’s more to both his new bosses than meets the eye. Guvnor one, gangster on the run, Roscoe Crabbe, is actually his own sister, Rachel Crabbe, in disguise. Guvnor number two is Stanley Stubbers, a public school toff who may have “accidentally” murdered the real Roscoe to win Rachel’s hand. To prevent discovery, Francis must keep his two guvnors apart long enough to earn some money to buy some food. He should be fine, but he can’t stop thinking about chips, and it’s hard to concentrate when you’re hungry and you’ve got two guvnors!
Based on Carlo Goldoni’s classic Italian comedy The Servant of Two Masters, this smash hit comedy is packed with laughs for all to enjoy!

How was it?

With a running time of three hours (including the interval) it was longer than I remember it back in 2014. It’s one of those performances that is ‘laugh-out-loud’ funny – and we certainly did plenty of that!! I’d actually forgotten most of the big punchlines, so that made it even more enjoyable (one of the ‘benefits’ of getting older!) . It was a full house for this afternoon’s matinee and no doubt, it’ll be the same for tonight’s performance – I’ve never seen Tolethorpe so busy!

Scene changes were imaginatively handled with the help of a supporting trio of singers called The Serviettes performing their own take on classics from the 60s.

Sadly (but as expected) no photography was allowed once the performance began, but that was OK as I don’t think I could have handled a camera-phone as well as my giggling!

All in all, then, a really REALLY enjoyable performance. The ‘fruity’ language in places and the main character breaking the fourth wall all added to the enjoyment. It’s not particularly ‘PC’, but if you’re looking for an easy performance to enjoy, where the humour is very physical – this is for you! Go see!

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There have been quite a few Spider-Man films over the years, but in recent times, they’ve officially become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) where these have included:-

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

These all star Tom Holland in the titular role and are all interlinked in some way. However, you can see this latest one without knowing much about what went before as it’s all explained in the opening ten minutes. Prior to being integrated into the MCU, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield donned the scarlet spandex!

For the complete history and summary of Spider-Man on the big screen, there’s a great article HERE, courtesy of Odeon Cinemas.

Official Synopsis

Peter Parker fights crime full-time as a street-level Spider-Man in a world that completely forgot his civilian identity following the events of the previous film: No Way Home. Four years after his sacrifice, the immense pressure of isolation and watching his old friends Ned and MJ move on with their lives triggers an unexpected, terrifying physical metamorphosis within him.

RUNTIME = 2 hours 25 minutes

Official Trailer

Main Cast

For more details on each cast member, click HERE to visit IMDB.com

See the remaining cast and the creative team behind this one HERE at IMDB.com

We headed for an early one with Janet, with Jo picking us up at 5.45 for the 6.15pm performance at our now, go-to Cinema. In spite of the short distance, the Sat-Nav went all ‘AI’ and took us on another variant on this well-worn journey! We got there with minutes to spare and just in time for the now-mandatory pre-film promotions. Looks like there are plenty of sci-fi yarns coming our way, including Dune Part 3 and, of course, Marvel’s much-hyped Avengers: Doomsday (both coming in December)

The first thing to note when we joined Screen 2 was that it was already almost three-quarters full! We haven’t seen attendance like that since the Bond era, and it certainly explained why we couldn’t book our favourite seats. We headed for the next favourite position — the back row — but even then we were ‘relegated’ to the left side rather than our preferred more central position. And they kept coming! By the time the lights eventually went down, it looked pretty much 100% full . Yikes! This looks like it’s going to be a noisy affair!

Not so! No noisy sprogs and even better, no-one appeared to be faffing around with their phones or having loud conversations! . That’s a first for a long while: it looked like the audience were simply here to watch the latest Marvel Film production – how refreshing!

Marvel Productions?

It’s been a while, but this was the 38th Film in the Marvel’s Cinematic Universe series – 38th!! Yes, really!

The quality had dipped just a few years back (2022’s Thor – Love and Thunder, anyone? Nope, didn’t think so! ). This was mainly due to Marvel attempting too many productions in any year, but the aforementioned was a real disappointment!

As a result, Box office numbers had dwindled as we all suffered from what became known as ‘super-hero fatigue’ where even Marvel finally admitted that they’d prioritised quanTITY over quaLITY. Subsequently, they chose to restrict their blockbusters to maybe one or two per year, going forward. In the past few years, QUALITY has thankfully returned (Fantastic Four – First Steps being a great example!)

If you’re feeling brave and have staying power, check out the full list below that stretches back as far as 2011.

Any Good?

‘SPOILER LITE’
Don’t read any further if you’ve booked tickets and want to be genuinely surprised

Gosh! We haven’t seen a Marvel Blockbuster on the big screen since March 2025 – Captain America – Brave New World – so Jo and I were especially looking forward to this one!

Just before the Film began, Tom Holland appeared in a short piece-to-camera, thanking us all for coming and praising the team that pulled it all together. I’m not sure if I’m a fan of this approach, but having seen it before in previous Marvel Movies, it’s clearly part of the overall marketing strategy to help us fall in love with what’s to come

So, did anyone have to be familiar with the previous Marvel productions, and more especially, the Spider-Man series to make sense of this one? Happily no! As a standalone offering, Spider-Man: Brand New Day held its own really well and was a great introduction to the superhero genre. As a sequel to Spider-Man: No Way Home, it continued the narrative seamlessly, whilst as part of the wider MCU, it positioned the lead character as a pivotal player in the superhero series.

As you might expect, in 2026, and anything of this genre, there’s plenty of action (right from the ‘off’), where the stunt work was some of the best we’ve seen. The fight scenes were expertly choreographed and introduced some sequences that I’ve never seen in any other film. There’s a fair bit of violence, but it’s all done very tastefully (if that were possible), avoiding the blood and gore often seen elsewhere.

Tom Holland, as Spider-Man, is in pretty much ALL the scenes, and he carried the part very well, even if, in reality, when ‘suited-up’, it was probably one of the stunt team. There are a number of flashback scenes to earlier Spider-Man outings, for context, and it was interesting to see how the character (and the actor) has grown into the part from naive schoolboy, first seen in 2016’s film Captain America: Civil War, to a fully fleshed-out mature superhero. For MCU and Spider-Man addicts, there are cameo appearances by some VERY well-known characters plus one you won’t have expected — their first on the big screen — and better known in Marvel circles on the Disney+ Channel. Intrigued? Click HERE for the reveal! .

Actor Zendaya is also in the film and happens to be Mrs H too! She’s in a lot of big-screen adventures at the moment, but what is her real name? Oh, I didn’t know that! – I expected her to be ‘Doris’ or ‘Pauline’ or something similarly ‘ordinary’!

Back to the Film! It’s not the most complicated of plots, although there’s a lot going on. Those new to the whole MCU ‘thing’ won’t feel disadvantaged, but it’s a fast-paced affair, and so it’s probably not a good idea to pop to the loo or grab a trough of chilli partway through! .

The production features a multi-layered storyline too! At one level, you have the expected ‘good vs evil’ trope, whilst simmering in the background is a heartfelt tale of lost love and friendship. Add to that a broader and bigger storyline revealing that some characters aren’t who they appear to be, and some organisations aren’t as ‘white’ as their business card suggests (does anyone carry business cards anymore?) . There’s also the not-so-small matter of Spidey having a personal crisis of his own that impacts the whole story as it unfolds.

Criticisms? Well, not many. For me, the film structure didn’t follow the tried-and-tested ‘three-act’ convention, which fooled me slightly! Just as I thought the film was concluding, up sprang a twist… and it was a significant one!

The runtime (unlike The Odyssey) felt a little long, and maybe slicing 15 minutes off the 2-hour 25-minute runtime might have helped.

Marvel pioneered the ‘mid-credit’ and ‘end-credit’ scenes. It was first used by Marvel in 2008’s Iron Man. On the positive side, it’s a clever way to ensure we watch the (always long these days, but thoroughly deserved) credits! . Cleverly though, it’s used to present a short scene of ‘what’s to come’ and get everyone talking. Sadly, this one was, to be honest, a massive let-down! It was short in length and detail, leaving those of us left (whilst the Savoy cleaning crew, armed with black bin bags, attempted to do their job) feeling massively underwhelmed!

Having said all that, we ALL enjoyed the visit. Jo gave it a full 10/10, Janet and I, a solid 9, whilst Ann scored it 7/10 for the ‘weak plot’ and preferred The Odyssey. So, if you fancy an introduction to the Super-hero genre or just want to see a great, well-acted production that requires no prior knowledge of what went before, this is a great place to start – just don’t stay for the end-credit scene!

The post Film: Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) appeared first on Steve's Blog.

Today, we met Dennis & Sandra at Brodsworth Hall and Gardens (North of Sheffield, East of Manchester). It’s an English Heritage country house conserved as it was found after the death of its last owner in 1988. Along with restored gardens full of surprises and family-friendly features, it offers a grand Yorkshire day out!

We decided to drive all the way – almost two hours by car, totalling almost 100 miles. It all started well until we got onto the A43 near Deene (population c100). Chockablock (oh, joy!) where the mapping in the car showed a solid red line for quite a way ahead. We turned around in an attempt to find another route. It took a while, with our frequent ‘twisting and turning’ into some of the local back roads, taking us through some interesting places – including Nassington (c800) and then Wansford (c500). Eventually, we finally joined the A1.

That’s all we needed, and we were soon heading in the right direction! Phew! . The roads were busy, but the traffic kept moving, and the recently resurfaced A1 made the journey feel even smoother! The result? We arrived just 10 minutes later than we planned at just after 11.10am (having diverted for about 25!). We met Dennis and Sandra in the car-park where it was now already ferociously hot, but they’d saved us a space under a tree to keep the car cool!

Journeys well travelled!

There were two reasons for today’s get-together. First, as part of our regular twice-yearly get-togethers, where we’re building up quite an impressive list of cultural visits (although we are running out of suitable options located between our respective homes!). Hard to believe that this one is our 21st cultural day out together!

Return to Hardwick Hall (April 2026)
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)

and second: Making it part of my continuing ’70-70-70′ pre-birthday celebrations, where today was my THIRD get-together.

Inside the Hall

After a well-earned pitstop in their Café, we headed for the Hall. Inside, ‘Shabby Chic‘ or just shabby? Actually, the latter! The decision to freeze the house in time was no doubt a difficult decision for English Heritage and I’m slightly conflicted on whether seeing these places ‘as-was’ is the right move. However, it does help to accentuate how much work goes into other English Heritage assets when they choose the ‘restore’ option.

Here the reality was a somewhat drab interior, with all its cracks and wrinkles! Yes, it was as expected, but the word ‘Wow!’ wasn’t the most obvious of descriptions – it simply ‘was as it was’ and there was a temptation to whip out the Mr Sheen (Oh! Just me then!!!). Talking of wrinkles, after some head scratching, us two had apparently been here over 25 years ago, but apart from the exterior, inside felt completely new to me, although Ann’s razor-sharp memory found it more familiar!

The house was quite busy, and there were plenty of English Heritage Volunteers on duty, all anxious to impart their extensive knowledge of the Hall

Spread across two floors, there were plenty of rooms to look at. The ‘au natural look’ meant that some were tidier and more attractive than others!

All in all, an interesting visit to the Hall (especially as NOTHING looked familiar to me!) . Next stop were the Gardens that neither of us could recall at all.

The Gardens

Sunglasses at the ready!! Nothing could prepare us for this. After the drabness of the Hall, we were amazed at the vivid colours on display here. Now this WAS time to use the Wow! – many times! Those Marigolds and Begonias, especially, were a feast for the eyes – the whole ‘colour explosion’ was jaw-dropping!

The lawns may have looked like pretty much all of the UK’s at the moment with the succession of heatwaves here reducing the lush green ‘carpet’ to nothing more than ‘crispy straw’, but the immaculate planting and lush foliage more than made up for it. In short, stunning! (especially given the continuing hot weather at the moment).

Lunch

At just after 1pm, we were ‘all done’ and the baking Sun made us quicken our step towards the car park. Lunch was a short drive away – about 5 miles. Sandra had looked through the reviews and booked us a table at the unusually named: ‘1903‘ in sleepy Hooton Pagnell (population c200) In fact, as we drove through the village, we could have been in parts of France based on the look of the houses in this beautiful spot. Beautiful!

We weren’t sure what to expect, but we needn’t have worried, as this was to turn out to be a really good experience, overall. Good choice, Sandra! Again!

The pub/restaurant itself was already doing a really good trade when we arrived just before 1.30pm. They gave us a table near the (wide open) window, and that helped a lot with ventilation on this scorcher of a day.

There was a wide range of food on offer – and for the indecisive, multiple menus ensuring something for everyone, including a variety of ‘small plate’ offerings.

Whilst Ann picked the Lasagne, Sandra, the Caesar Salad and Dennis, the Haddock, I tempted fate and opted for the ‘1903 Demon Burger’. The ‘Demon’ referred to the spiciness level, where our Server confirmed that on a scale of 0 to 10, the burger was a 6/7. The food didn’t disappoint, but it was a little sluggish getting it to us. Clearly the popularity of the place had put the Kitchen under extra pressure. The food didn’t disappoint, although I’d rate my burger as more of an 8/9 (lovely!! )

The meal was a great end to our day together. The food and the decor ticked all the boxes, and although the service was initially quite slow, the staff were at the top of their game with their hospitality skills – such happy staff too! A bit of a rarity these days in my experience. The slightly more ‘relaxed’ (ahem!) gave us time for a good long natter ranging from ‘cranky websites’ to ‘the perfect politician’ (and pretty much, everything in between!)

Where did the time go? As the clock approached 4pm, we said our goodbyes (until the next time) and headed in our respective directions. Ann took the wheel, and we had another very smooth and trouble-free journey on the A1M/A1. We were home inside two hours and didn’t encounter any congestion at all

What a great day! It’s always good to spend time with Dennis and Sandra. The Hall, Gardens, and Sandra’s choice for Lunch turned out to be the perfect combination. Until the next time!

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Given all the hype, this one was the must-see Film for us in 2026. I like the majority of Christopher Nolan‘s work; he has a knack for producing movies with a BIG ‘feel’ about them – and this one promised to be more of the same.

Christopher Nolan Filmography 2000 –>

Memento (2000)
Insomnia (2002)
Batman Begins (2005)
The Prestige (2006)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Inception (2010)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Man of Steel (2013)
Interstellar (2014)
Dunkirk (2017)
Tenet (2020) –Yikes! That was a struggle!
Oppenheimer (2023)
The Odyssey (2026)

For Christopher Nolan’s latest venture, all the familiar film critics seemed to love it, whilst online, youngsters were revolting!

I’d seen a large backlash by these ‘enlightened yoofs’ citing historical inaccuracies including: (“their armour wouldn’t have looked like that“), colour-blind casting (“Helen of Troy wasn’t a woman of colour”/“Why are there no real Greeks in it?”) and also, unrealistic modernised dialogue (“Let’s go!” / “OK Dad” etc).

I guess they were hoping to grow their online followers by being controversial! . Err, it’s entertainment, kids, NOT a history lesson!

Tech Alert!

Technically speaking, what makes this one special is that it’s the first ever to be shot entirely using IMAX cameras, meaning, amongst other things, a bigger, more detailed picture – ideal for this sort of epic production. If you want the precise details of why IMAX is so special, have a look here at this very informative video, but be warned it gets nerdy, very quickly! (lovely!!)

Official Synopsis

Based on the poem attributed to Homer, ‘The Odyssey’ follows the legendary King of Ithaca, Odysseus (Matt Damon), who is trapped on a gruelling ten-year journey home after winning the Trojan War. While he braves mythical creatures and perilous seas, his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland) fight to protect their home from greedy suitors vying for the throne.

Official Trailer

Main Cast

For more details on each cast member, click HERE to visit IMDB.com

See the creative team behind this one HERE at IMDB.com

After a super lunch at nearby Sondes Arms in celebration of Janet’s Birthday, we four headed for The Savoy in Corby – and our favourite seats – to see what all the fuss was about.

OK, it did fill up about 10 minutes later!

Any Good?

SPOILER FREE!

My first comment would be to say: it’s a long one, coming in at just under three hours (2 hours 53 minutes). Mind you, we all recently survived Avatar – Fire and Ash totalling a mighty 3 hours, 17 minutes, so we were already ‘battle-hardened’

There are blockbusters, and then there are Christopher Nolan blockbusters. Consequently, this was a great piece of storytelling that moved along at some pace (except for the opening 45 minutes that ‘plodded’ somewhat, whilst the storyline was established, and the scene was set for what was to come). Personally, I was expecting more action to grab my attention in those early scenes. My advice? Stick with it, and you won’t be disappointed!

If you’re familiar with Homer’s Odyssey, then you’ll appreciate that to cram as much as they did in less than three hours was a miracle in itself! Ten years of ‘odysseying’ in under 180 minutes is a feat in itself! Did it feel long? Hmm, not really, as we spent most of the time on the edge of our seats (and that’s not easy here at the Savoy because the seats recline!!! ). Yes, an energetic movie (once it got going) with Matt Damon in pretty much ALL of the scenes, acting his socks off. The rest of the cast gave it their all and must have been exhausted when the film finally wrapped on August 5, 2025, ahead of schedule.

Director Christopher Nolan is well known for minimising the amount of CGI he employs. If you want to put a load of soldiers in a boat and ask them to cope with rough seas and row like their lives depended on it – then why not do exactly that? This made every action scene really impressive (and believable too)

Was this absence of excessive CGI noticeable? Yes, it was (but in a good way!), and we all commented independently on how gritty the production felt.

Throughout, it was packed with ‘wow!’ moments and maybe just one scene where I simply thought ‘yuk!’ . If you’re like me, you’ll never look at sausages in the same way again. Gross!! . Sausages aside, overall, it was all very watchable.

Our screen presented the film in ‘Dolby 7.1‘ and this was really noticeable with sounds coming from behind, left, right and even above (I think?!). Despite some reports, the dialogue was crisp and clear throughout.

The final 30 minutes-or-so is where it all comes together and brings everything to a very satisfactory conclusion. In many ways, it’s also an exhausting experience for the audience (again, in a good way).

Go see!

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It’s late July, and that can only mean one thing! My annual School Reunion & AGM!

Yikes! When the train system works here in Kettering – it really works well! Sadly, today, wasn’t that day!

Getting there!

Last year, heading for the Reunion by train, I stood all the way to London – ON A SATURDAY! . That wasn’t a great start!!! Surely, it would be better today?

Well, things were certainly more varied. Short story long: Recently, at minimal notice, East Midlands Railway announced that their newly introduced advanced train fleet was being withdrawn with immediate effect. Something to do with ‘unreliability’ (really?) but not the propulsion part, this time it was much more personal – toilets and air conditioning. After the removal of all the affected trains, they ‘sealed the deal’ with the inevitable restricted timetable to/from the capital. Thanks, EMR!

And, just to keep things interesting, they also reduced the number of carriages on some of the remaining fleet!

So, as expected, I stood (again!) all the way to London, where even on this ‘working’ train, the AC was struggling (I didn’t dare try the toilets!). Carriages were packed, as were the areas in between (where I was sardined!). Not the most pleasant of trips, especially as I was flanked by two groups of cackling women who had the volume set to 12! I haven’t heard noise like that since the “Great Macbeth Train Reunion” back in May 2022! Luckily, there was no sign of that other modern travel irritation – a hard-of-hearing ‘yoof’ watching TikTok, feeling it was appropriate to share his tastes with the whole world!

Oh wait! Surely not!! “Come the revolution, young man, you’re first!”

And if that wasn’t bad enough, for reasons unknown, the train managed to arrive late into St Pancras International by about 10 minutes.

A spirited dash down the escalators towards Thameslink was now required, but first I had to get through EMR’s exit barriers. Cue (for no reason at all) the mother of all queues! Where did all these people come from???

I made my next connection (with minutes to spare) heading for East Croydon! Thankfully, this was much more relaxed, mainly due to far fewer people – and no sign of any Witches either (or the TikTok twat!). Thirty minutes later, I was at East Croydon Station (now about 100 times the size than I remember back in my school days). I then grabbed a Cab and was soon at my destination.

The Venue

The venue as usual, for this year’s event, was the famous BRIT School! It’s better known these days for ex-pupils such as Adele, Amy Whitehouse, Raye and even actor Tom Holland, (amongst others!), but back in the day, it was simply ‘Selhurst Grammar School for Girls’.

Compared with how it used to look, today’s School is ‘shinier’ and feels more open and airy!

By the time I eventually arrived, it meant that there wasn’t much left to help with in terms of setting up. The Committee are a ‘well-oiled’ machine and it was good to be able to have time for a leisurely chat with John C, Valerie, Caroline, Richard, John W and, of course, Cortland (Chair). Bob‘s recent passing was felt by us all

The 2026 Reunion

The main event was about to officially begin! With tables and chairs in position and various AGM-related paperwork distributed, 2026’s event was in rude health.

With plenty of time for meeting new friends and catching up with familiar faces, we were all here for the same reason – to relive and reflect on the education that Selhurst gave us! Happy days (well mostly, apart from the Latin homework and the ‘joys’ of being ‘just’ a first-former almost 60 years ago!)

As usual, Lesley was on catering duties (ably assisted, for the first time by Alex) and had created a varied and delicious spread (so much so, we were too busy consuming it to photograph it!)

Sadly, Ashley and Keith, whom I’d got to know quite well at last year’s event (we all hailed from ‘Stalag’ New Addington) were not here this year, but a few other familiar faces from the past were. Roy W, who was in the same class as me in later years, Mike C (who spent a short time assisting me on the Centenary Celebrations Sub Committee). It was good to see ever-reliable Tony T and his wife, Hazel too – Tony had been a great supporter of the Magazine when I was Editor.

However, the face that really surprised me (and probably the Committee too) was Ian H. Ian briefly served as my replacement as ‘Chair’ before Roger and Valerie took over to stabilise the ship in 2017 after Ian’s sudden departure. Ian hadn’t been seen at one of these events until today!

These days, attendance is a smaller affair where today being in the low 30s. However, in spite of this, it was more than made up for with its positive atmosphere. Fewer people means it’s become a more intimate affair, more relaxed and informal. In short, we’re a happy bunch! It seems that the somewhat formal atmosphere of my era in the Chair has happily given way to a much more relaxed event – and in my book, that’s a good thing!

…and it was good to see so much memorabilia being brought along too! It certainly brought back some memories of days now long gone.

Guest Speaker

The highlight of the annual Reunion is often the guest speaker – and this year was no exception!

Will Noble, author of Croydonopolis entertained and educated us about the rise, fall and potential rise of Croydon. What a great history lesson about the town that aspired to be a city (but never quite got there!).

Heading Home

Sadly, due to my patchy connections going home, I had to leave early and miss the AGM. Cortland has streamlined this part of the Reunion into something much more efficient and productive, compared with my day leaving much more time for people to actually ‘reunite’! . A pity I couldn’t be more a part of that today.

Expecting to meet my pre-booked Uber outside the BRIT School was just fanciful! The allotted slot came and went (unlike my Uber!). I booked another, and it arrived in double-quick time where the price turned out to be half of the pre-booked one! I think that’s called dynamic pricing. Whatever!! I arrived back at East Croydon Station, having only lost about 20 minutes. Luckily, I’d allowed for a bit of wriggle room. Fully wriggled and with the previous Kettering train being cancelled at the last minute, meant that a significant proportion of those passengers were now transferring to mine at 4.45. Oh, the joy of travel!!

An hour or so later and with Ann acting as an unpaid Uber, I was home just after 6pm, saying hello to a doughnut.

What a day! What a great Reunion! Thanks to all for another successful event. See you in 2027!

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