Our Anniversary – Thursday, 14th December It’s our 12th… or 39th (if you count the date we first met – as many of you know, it was the same date!). We always try and ‘get away’ and do something a little different on our special day! This year, it was London, having arrived yesterday (read …
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Anniversary Break – London (Day 1)
We headed for London today, as part of our Anniversary celebration (tomorrow). We’re in the capital for three days, taking in some shows and catching up with my brother and his family. Busy Busy!!! 😁👍. So, it was all aboard the 9.48 out of Kettering made much easier by neighbour, Valerie, acting as our taxi …
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Christmas TV Listings (2023)
We’ve all got different ‘triggers’ for when ‘Christmas’ officially begins. For many, it’s probably when the Supermarkets start displaying their Christmas lines! But that’s obscenely early isn’t it? So how about… …that first Christmas meal? (this year, I was up to FOUR, two weeks before the big day! 😋😃) …or when the John Lewis Christmas …
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Doctor Who Returns – Special 3: The Giggle
It’s back! Everything is new (apart from the lead characters) and these 60th Anniversary Specials are a big huge deal – even if you don’t usually watch it. Why such a fuss? Well, for the background and lead up to these 60th Anniversary ‘Specials’ and the NEW (15th) Doctor, take a look at my detailed …
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Christmas Catchup – Steve and Helen
Unbelievable! It’s only the 10th of December and this is already our FOURTH Christmas meal! Tough life, ehh?!? 😁 At this rate, I’m sure there must be a real danger that we’ll both turn into Turkeys before the 25th! Gobble, gobble! 🦃🍗 Today’s venue of choice? The very popular (and very nicely appointed) The George …
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Our Third Christmas Meal of 2023
We headed round to John and Trish’s tonight for their legendary Christmas Meal. It’s usually our first of the festive period, but this year, we’d had the Northants Nutters round at ours last Sunday for an early Christmas get-together, and then met up with Dennis & Sandra on Thursday for more festive fare – so …
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Christmas Catchup – Ralph & Karen
Here we are at the Quorndon Fox in Loughborough. We were last here on New Year’s day in 2021 with Jo, Janet and Carol. Today, more of the same – ‘a get together with mates’ – with a long overdue catchup with Ralph and Karen. Getting there was another frustrating experience, where the M1 came …
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Doddington Hall with Dennis and Sandra
It’s another of our cultural days out with mates, Dennis & Sandra. We’ve built up quite a list over the years… 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 …
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Nut Roast?
Not quite, this is a Nutters’ Roast! Good to see our fellow Nutters again – Geoff & Rhonda, Rich & Nicki and Paul & Sue – all together again in one place. The last time was on our Cruise back in August. Today was also our first official festive lunch of 2023 – and what …
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Doctor Who Returns – Special 2: Wild Blue Yonder
It’s back! This is the second ‘Special’ of three. I gave last week’s – The Star Beast – four stars (in keeping with most of the critics), so let’s see how this one: ‘Wild Blue Yonder’, turns out. The final Special is next week. Before I get into Wild Blue Yonder, a short aside to …
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Silverstone Museum
Off to Silverstone Museum with John C today to look around. It’s a first visit for both of us and John had kindly invited me along to help spend his birthday voucher! Our first impressions were good ones! The museum building is partially interactive and there is plenty of variety displayed in a very large, …
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Doctor Who Returns – Special 1: The Star Beast
It’s back! Everything is new (apart from the lead characters) and this is a huge deal, even if you don’t usually watch it. First seen at 6.30pm on BBC1HD and iPlayer, the BBC was pinning a lot on tonight’s return. Why such a fuss? Well, for the background and lead-up to this, take a look …
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Return to Colchester – Day 2
Day 2 – Saturday, November 25th 7.20am: Morning all! Here we are in Colchester, feeling somewhat nostalgic, re-treading old ground from our working days in and around the area. 9.10am: It might be freezing cold outside, but at least it’s dry! And, after yesterday’s ‘going nowhere fast’ adventure, today, we’re doing everything on foot! On …
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Return to Colchester – Day 1
We’re off to Colchester for a few days. Gosh! We haven’t visited here for quite a few years! 👍😁 Day 1 – Friday, November 24th (Arrival) We’re off! We set off just after 9.45 this morning, heading for the A14/M11. 11.10am: Our first planned stop along the way was Gridserve Charging Station in Great Notley. …
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The Pheasant – Revisited
David, Valerie, Ann and I returned to The Pheasant in Keyston today for Sunday Lunch. Since we moved to our current home in 1996, The Pheasant had been our ‘go-to’ quality eatery around these parts. In the intervening years though, we’d discovered plenty of alternatives (Northamptonshire’s well served!) and for no other reason apart from …
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Film: The Marvels (2023)
It’s been a while since I last went to the cinema – and being a Marvel Studio addict, today was the perfect excuse with the release of their latest blockbuster, The Marvels. Official Trailer It’s fair to say that Marvel’s output hasn’t been quite so marvellous of late! Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3 (May …
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The George for Lunch (again!)
This is fast becoming one of our top five ‘go-to’ hostelries for a high-quality Lunch. We were last here back in January, making today our sixth visit in just a couple of years – they’ve never put a foot wrong, and it was good to be back!👍 Today, we met up with Alan, Mags, Ian …
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John Lewis Christmas Advert (2023)
In spite of me being a bit of a fan of these, I nearly missed this one when it was launched today at 7.30am UK time. Good job my friend Geoff was on the ball and let me know (and he was in Cyprus!) 👍😁. Cheers, Geoff! This year, John Lewis has gone more light-hearted …
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7even in Cambridge (Almost!)
First, there were five of us (Philip, Angela, Antoinette, Carey and me) – the ‘5ive’… then we welcomed both Rick and June to the group, screwing the Maths and demanding a rebrand. After a bit of head-scratching, we became ‘The Magnificent 7even‘. Oh! Such originality! 😉. For those new here, we’re a group of like-minded …
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Curry Night
Well, we haven’t done this in a while! A Curry Night at ours, plus an opportunity to catch up with Tom & Julie and John & Trish. We had an extra benefit tonight because the clocks went back an hour! 😊👍 Tom & Julie were just back from their holiday in Greece, so there was …
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School Trip
A trip to London today! My old school’s ex-pupil Association had arranged a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of the Royal Opera House! 😁. Our train connections were good and we even had time to drop into Fortnum & Masons beforehand for a few Christmas gifts! It was a well-supported event with around 20+ ex-pupils, partners …
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Return to The Old Bridge Hotel
It’s been a really long while, since I was last here at The Old Bridge Hotel & Restaurant in Huntingdon. A conservative estimate would suggest that it was the early 90s when I was working with one of my first clients – Nokia. Thirty-or-so years on, and we were here to catch up with Steve …
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Supper for Six – Again!
Not content with ‘Supper for Six‘ last Saturday, tonight we were planning something similar, this time for Bev, Jules, Jo and Janet. Unfortunately, Janet went down with the dreaded Covid a few days before, and sadly, quickly followed by Jo! 😒😒 So, we ended up with just ‘Food for Four!’ 🤔 And there was obviously …
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Supper for Six
We invited Paul, Karen, David and Rosi to ours tonight for a catch-up and some good food! Ann, as usual, had played to her strengths, and created a mouthwatering menu! The Mains… The Desserts… …and of course, Cheese! All helped along with a couple of these, although we’ve all known each other long enough now …
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Return to The George & Dragon
Today was a return visit for us to the George & Dragon in Seaton for Lunch – this time, with good friends, David and Valerie. The reason? A post-birthday celebratory meal for David and me! 😊 With David acting as chauffeur, we set off just before 11. We first came here back in August on …
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Lunch at The Olde Victoria
We haven’t done this in a while! Off to our ‘local’ for Lunch! We picked up Helen along the way by way of a treat, and were soon at our table for 12.45. The food and service was, as always, ‘top-notch’ where the generous main course meant that none of us could squeeze in a …
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Holiday: Day 8 – Thessaloniki, Greece (2023)
Friday, 29thDay 8 (of 8) Why Thessaloniki? (click for more) We’re in Thessaloniki, Greece for a week that incorporated my Birthday celebrations a few days ago! 👍. The location is also known as Thessalonica and is the second-largest city in Greece, with just over one million inhabitants. It is Greece’s second major economic, industrial, commercial …
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Holiday: Day 7 – Thessaloniki, Greece (2023)
Thursday, 28thDay 7 (of 8) Why Thessaloniki? (read more…) We’re in Thessaloniki, Greece for a week, incorporating my Birthday celebrations (a couple of days ago)! 👍. The location is also known as Thessalonica and is the second-largest city in Greece, with just over one million inhabitants. It is Greece’s second major economic, industrial, commercial and …
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Holiday: Day 6 – Thessaloniki, Greece (2023)
Wednesday, 27thDay 6 (of 8) Why Thessaloniki? (click here for more) We’re in Thessaloniki, Greece for a week (incorporating my Birthday celebrations, yesterday) 👍. The location is also known as Thessalonica and is the second-largest city in Greece, with just over one million inhabitants. It is Greece’s second major economic, industrial, commercial and political centre, …
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Holiday: Day 5 – Thessaloniki, Greece (2023) “Birthday Boy”
Tuesday, 26thDay 5 (of 8) Why Thessaloniki? (Click toread more…) We’re in Thessaloniki, Greece for a week, in part to celebrate my Birthday today! 👍. The location is also known as Thessalonica and is the second-largest city in Greece, with just over one million inhabitants. It is Greece’s second major economic, industrial, commercial and political …
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