It’s another of our ‘Winner Winner, TV Dinner’ Nights. Jo & Janet joined us for 2024’s ‘Paddington in Peru‘. On the ‘Dinner, Dinner’ front, a rare evening off (pretty much) for Ann as J&J supplied the Mains and the Dessert – all we needed to do was prepare the veg and the custard!! 😀 When …
Read More
The Olde Victoria
Today, a welcome return to the Olde Victoria – our local – to meet up for lunch with long-time friends, Richard & Pauline. The last time we four got together was June last year (also at the Olde Vic!), and it was good to catch up. For the first time EVER (20+ years!) we couldn’t …
Read More
Birthday Girl 2025!
Day 1 – Sunday, 23rd Last year, it was (only) Olney, this year, we’re further afield, heading for Stoke-on-Trent. 👍 We left around 9.15 for the straightforward journey to our destination: A14 > M1 > A50. We arrived just before 10.45, so we grabbed a quick coffee, making the best use of the time before …
Read More
Film: Black Bag (2025)
This afternoon we joined Jo & Janet on a trip to the Corby’s Savoy Cinema (our new ‘go-to’ picture house) to see the new film: Black Bag for its early evening performance. It was only our third visit here since our local Odeon closed down – and it’s been worth the extra miles, in every …
Read More
The Countryman, Staverton
Today, we caught up with long-time friends Ian & Ann and Alan & Margaret. Our eatery of choice today? The Countryman in Staverton Village. Last time we were here was in November, 2022 with Ian & Ann, celebrating their Golden Wedding. After a slightly mystifying route to the Pub (Sat Nav took us the LONG …
Read More
Film: Captain America – Brave New World (2025)
I’m back into my ‘Marvel Movie Phase’. 👍 Actually, I never went away, but I think Marvel Films itself (who are desperate to rekindle their past box-office successes) have drastically reduced their output of late – so there hasn’t been much to go and see! 🤔 Our destination? My second visit to the Savoy Cinema …
Read More
Winner, Winner! TV Dinner! – Avatar, The Way of Water
We haven’t done one of these for a while – it’s another of our ‘Winner Winner, TV Dinner’ Nights. Jo & Janet joined us and with Ann on cooking duties and me in charge of the DVD remote control tonight – on the menu was a fish dish, a couple of puds and 2022’s ‘Avatar …
Read More
Film: Bridget Jones – Mad About The Boy (2025)
This wouldn’t usually be my first choice of film — I’m more into ones in ‘spandex’! However, we had an ulterior motive! With the local Odeon recently closing its doors for good, we wanted to see what ‘The Savoy’ was like in nearby Corby. Apart from CineWorld at Rushden Lakes, this one is now probably …
Read More
Valentine’s Day (2025)
14th February Well actually, a TWO-day celebration, this year, as we headed for Buckingham and the White Hart Hotel for a romantic day and sleepover. 💑💑. It’s 10.30 and we’re off! But before all that, an opportunity to explore the town of Buckingham. We arrived just before 11.45 and although the town seemed quite quiet, …
Read More
Odeon Kettering – The Final Visit
This was a milestone event – our final visit to the local Odeon. The building is due for demolition next week (Tuesday, the 28th), leaving the town with no cinema at all. Apparently, the town has had a cinema, somewhere in the town, for the past 100 years! And now it doesn’t – and the …
Read More
Return to the Wheatsheaf
We met up with Mick & Jane at The Wheatsheaf in Titchmarsh for Lunch today. We were last here (again, with Mick & Jane) in April 2022 and it was good to be back. This used to be our go-to Pub/Restaurant when we first moved here (we must have visited close on 50 times!), but …
Read More
Movie Night: Grease
We got together with John & Trish round at ours for our first Movie Night of 2025. Our Film of choice was the iconic Grease, from 1978. Ann laid on some food too! We even squeezed in a Cheeseboard!! It was great to see Grease again. I think we knew all the tunes and all …
Read More
Ohme, Sweet Ohme!
Technology waits for no man – but I do try and keep up! 😯 Way back in June 2019, we took the plunge and bought our first BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle). At the time, one of the attractions was a sizeable financial subsidy from the State to buy the car AND a Grant to have …
Read More
A Very Pheasant New Year’s Day
Happy New Year! We began the new year with David & Valerie – and lunch at The Pheasant in Keyston! Wow! It was the best meal of the year! 😀. Seriously though, the food was excellent! Really good value too, at just £47 per head for three courses and tea/coffee (and chocs!). We were given …
Read More
Pantomime – Peter Pan
Yes, it’s that time of year again (‘Oh no, it isn’t!), it was off to Milton Keynes for our annual Panto visit! Going to MK at this time of year for our Panto-fix has become quite a tradition, having seen Cinderella in late 2023, Snow White in early 2023 and Jack and the Beanstalk in …
Read More
Christmas 2024
Merry Christmas! After last year’s aborted efforts to celebrate due to me seriously lacerating my left hand on the Friday before Christmas (and subsequent operation on Christmas Day, 2023) we’re looking forward to this Christmas, even more so than usual! 👍😀 As the week leading up to Cbig day began (Christmas Day was on a …
Read More
Doctor Who Christmas Special (2024): Joy to the World
It’s Christmas Day and there’s a Doctor Who Special on TV again this year. Written by ex-Showrunner, Steven Moffat, we’re promised a proper festive-themed episode. The Christmas Day Special was revived last year when Russell T Davies took over from Chris Chibnall as Showrunner (who always preferred New Year’s Day to showcase the latest episode). …
Read More
Carol Concert 2024
Merry Christmas! This year, we had a bit of a dilemma for our annual Christmas Carol Concert! 🤔 Usually, we go to TWO with Jo & Janet – the local Church and the Salvation Army’s in town. But this year, it was one OR the other, simply because they were both on the same day …
Read More
Doctor Who – Something special for Christmas!
Doctor Who fans get an extra gift from Santa this year! …and I’m not talking about the forthcoming 2024 Christmas Special starring the current Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa! If Patrick Troughton was your Doctor (he was mine!) this was to be pure nostalgia combined with TV technology at its best! 👍 In 1969, the BBC showed …
Read More
Nutters Reunited for Christmas!
It had been a busy day already – and it was only 7am! Ralph & Karen had slept over after helping us celebrate our Anniversary, yesterday. After a rather hurried breakfast at 9.30 and having said goodbye to them both, it was straight into final prep for today’s gathering! Paul & Sue, Geoff & Rhonda, …
Read More
Our Anniversary (13/40)
Hi everyone! It’s our Anniversary – thanks for all your good wishes! 👍 😁 😁. As many of you know, we met and married on the same date – 14 December – so it’s our ’13th’ today or ’40th’, depending on when you begin counting! Having somewhat prematurely celebrated with a mega-holiday to Australia, Singapore …
Read More
First Visit: Hilltop Farm & Café, Leamington Spa
We met up with Ian & Ann and Alan and Mags today, part of our three-monthly catchup. Today’s venue-of-choice was Hilltop Farm in Leamington Spa – a first visit for us! It was a grotty day weather-wise (typical December) – mizzle! – but on arrival, looking at how packed the car-park was, suggested this was …
Read More
Christmas TV Listings (2024)
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, our first one was last Saturday 😋😃) …or when the John Lewis Christmas TV Ad first appears? (an …
Read More
First Christmas Meal of 2024!
We’re already in December, and very unusually, we’ve not had a single Christmas meal yet! That’s so unusual for us, but we only arrived back from New Zealand last Sunday! At this point in 2023, we were on our third! It’s a tough life, ehh?? 😀 We picked up Paul & Karen in time for …
Read More
Holiday: Day 33 – Heading Home/New Zealand Summary
6.05am: Morning all! 👍 As promised, here is the summary of our holiday in New Zealand during November 2024, where we visited both the North and South Islands. We used most forms of transport, but mainly travelled around using an Avis hire car. We can’t claim to have seen all of New Zealand, but having …
Read More
Holiday: Day 32 – Singapore (Final Day)
5.30am: Morning all! 😎. It’s our last full day here in Singapore, and I was awake from about 3am. Missed one of my Daily Posts?Click HERE Our Photo-Reel of Australia, New Zealand and Singapore (and no chat!)Click HERE Day 32 – Where are we? (Saturday, 30th November) We’re staying in the Holiday Inn Express in …
Read More
Holiday: Day 31 – Singapore Thing!
7.25pm: Morning all! It’s our penultimate day of our holiday and a VERY wet one here in Singapore! ⛈️⛈️☔☔ ⌛ 9am UK time/5pm Singapore time: There’s a major outage affecting my Blog on this side of the world. If you can read this Post, but there are no images showing, that’s the issue! I suggest …
Read More
Holiday: Day 30 – Farewell New Zealand
6.45am: Morning all!. Phew! 😉. After more than a 1000 photographs and almost 2900 kilometres (c1800 miles) of driving, today, we say goodbye to New Zealand! We’ve packed/unpacked 13 times, stayed in 5 motels, 5 apartments, 2 B&Bs plus 1 hotel – and written daily about our 27-day adventure! Do you know what? I think …
Read More
Holiday: Day 29 – Arrowtown Revisited!
6.30am: Hi everyone! 😉. Hard to believe, but we’re coming to the end of our New Zealand adventure! ☹️☹️☹️☹️. Thanks for all your questions, comments, and suggestions during our travels – every single one of them, very much appreciated! 👍😍 For those of you with a similar trip in mind, I’ll post a summary of …
Read More
Holiday: Day 28 – Aiming for Arrowtown!
xx.xx: Hello-ee! 😀. Welcome to Tuesday – it’s another travel day for us. Day 28 – Where are we? (Tuesday, 26th November) 8.36am: With just a few days left in New Zealand, today, we said goodbye to Te Anau and drove south-eastwards and then north to Arrowtown, around 200km (121 miles) away. It’s an old …
Read More