Sophie and I left at 12pm and a previously clear blue sky had turned cloudy with what looked like storm clouds. We drove to Milton Keynes first where we'd planned on having lunch at Las Iguanas. However, I had a real difficult time finding somewhere to park as The Hub is surrounded by office blocks.
We eventually found a space a fair distance away and I realised I had no change with me, even though I thought I had loads! What change we did manage to find gave us just over an hour so we hurtled off to the restaurant to be told that it would be easier if we sat in the bar or outside as we would get served more quickly!
We ordered nachos with chicken to start, a burger for me, for my main course and Sophie's favourite Tostas. My daughter wanted a cocktail (!) but they had no crushed ice so I ordered her a large glass of Rose, which had the effect of making her very sleepy. I settled on a non-alcoholic Raspberry cooler and was given two as it was "Happy Hour"!
Our nachos arrived very quickly but the main courses took a fair bit longer and I had visions of me having to walk back to the car to get another ticket. Luckily, they arrived, we ate them quickly and then sped back to the car with five minutes to spare.
I programmed the SatNav (Gladys) for the N1 Centre in Islington and off we went, stopping just once more at the services for a loo visit (I should have gone in Las Iguanas but I was too worried about the time!).
We made Islington by 4pm and parked the car easily a two minute walk from the O2 Academy. First stop was a Frappucino in a nearby Starbucks and we were delighted to discover they were doing them for half-price between 3pm and 5pm!
After our drink we wandered around the shops and then started queuing up for the gig at 6pm. There were already a fair amount of fans waiting and one of the O2 staff came up to us and said that it would be nice for us to go up to the mezzanine level where we could sit down and relax. There was a bar there, and loos as well. I was delighted but I did wonder whether I'd be the oldest there!
We had a great view of the stage and I managed to bag a very comfy armchair right next to the balcony. Sophie stood the whole time and we saw three warm-up acts before Charlie Simpson came on at 8.45pm. All three bands were great and one was actually Charlie's brother! The similarity was striking!
Charlie was great and did a mix of old and new songs - his new album is due out in July and we both thoroughly enjoyed the show. The mezzanine had become a little bit busier as the evening wore on, but it was still very relaxed up there and we had a great view of the stage. I was amazed at all the equipment they used and there were cables everywhere!
It was so great to hear all our favourite songs being sung and we sang along and clapped our hands ecstatically! By 9.45pm it was all over and we went off to retrieve the car from the car park. This is where the evening went a bit pear-shaped as the machine wouldn't accept my credit or debit card and would only take the exact change, which we didn't have! To cut a long story short, we finally managed to get some change from a pub on the High Street and thankfully managed to get back on the road home. At one point I thought we were going to have to make use of the nearby Premier Inn!
The journey home was OK, but I left the M1 at Junction 14 as they had closed two lanes of the motorway. We went via Newport Pagnell and arrived home at midnight. Keith told us he'd taken Mikey for pizza and it had cost him £34 for two pizzas! Almost as much as our lunch! We were delighted to find there was some left over and with a glass of wine, I was able to relax before bed!
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