Mike was working overtime today and started at 5am! Keith took him and then came straight back and went to bed. I really didn't blame him! I woke up at around 7am and was downstairs when Mike phoned at just after 8am to say he'd finished work for the day!
Sophie came with me to get him and on the way back home we came across three horses being ridden on the road. They had created an enormous tailback in both directions and a car a little way ahead had pulled out to overtake them and I think an argument had ensued. As he pulled back in, the riders of the three horses surrounded him so he couldn't drive off and I saw a lot of arm waving from one of the women riders. This meant the cars were held up in both directions until the riders let the car go!
We then had no choice but to follow the three horses as the oncoming traffic must have numbered over twenty cars. There was also a long line of cars behind us. Along the way there were several field entrances where the riders could have pulled in to let us all pass, but they just kept ambling on. Eventually, they crossed the road and the lead woman rider stood in the middle of the road until her two companions had crossed. As we passed I wound my window down and said to her that although I respected her right to ride her horse on the road, she could have at least pulled in to let the traffic pass. I was very polite but I was furious that they had disrupted the traffic on such a busy and fast road. Surely, it wasn't in the best interests of the horses? She went to say something, "Actually..." and I drove off but not before Sophie and Mike had made rude gestures as they were totally fed up with the whole situation! As we came to the junction at the end of the road we saw a police car pulling up so I'm not sure if someone had called them because of the hold-ups!
Back home we had breakfast and then I tackled some nasty little jobs that needed doing, namely washing out our food bins, which were full of maggots the other day and stank to high heaven! I washed them both out with boiling water and bleach and then lined them with newspaper. I'm just glad these bins are emptied every week! From now on, while it's so warm, we've decided to freeze the leftovers rather than put them in the bins in the heat!
At 3pm, just as England started their quarter-final match with Sweden, we left to pick up Sophie's friends, Daisy and Laura, as they were off to the theatre in Milton Keynes to see Love From A Stranger, the play we'd seen a few months ago at the Derngate. They wanted to have a meal at Bella Italia first so we drove to Milton Keynes and dropped them off in the theatre district. All the pubs were full of people watching the football and really they couldn't have chosen a worse day to see the play! Not that they knew that when they booked the tickets, and it is a miracle that England have done so well in the World Cup!
Keith and I decided to do some shopping before we had something to eat and we parked near John Lewis. There was some building work going on near the centre but we weren't sure what it was. I don't think, in the current economic climate, it will be more shops!
Keith wanted some shoes for Sophie's graduation so we had a look in Clark's as they had a sale on. Almost immediately I found a pair of black shoes with a velcro strap that could accommodate his feet if they swell a bit in the heat. They had been reduced to about £30 so they were a real bargain!
We wandered about for a while and had a coffee in Starbucks and a look around Waterstones before returning to the car. We'd booked to see the film Swimming With Men at about 7.30pm so we drove back over to Xscape and parked the car near the entrance. Keith suggested a quick drink before having a meal so we went into a pub called The Moon Under Water. By now, we knew that England had beaten Sweden 2-0 so the place was full of very happy English fans who were all singing and dancing., some of them wearing stupid curly red and white wigs!
We had a drink and then left to go to The Coal Grill and Bar next to the cinema. It was quieter than we expected and we sat by the "window" with a view of the escalators up to Cineworld! I ordered a glass of Chenin Blanc while Keith had a lager and I was disappointed to find my wine was warm when it arrived. I should have sent it back!
The food was OK and the experience was OK - it's not somewhere I'll eagerly head back to, but it was pleasant enough. I enjoyed a breaded chicken burger with salad, fries and coleslaw and Keith had the barbecue plate of pulled pork and beef brisket served with fries, flatbread and coleslaw. It was very hot, though and I thought longingly of the air-conditioned restaurants in Florida!
We headed upstairs to the cinema and we were the first to take our seats in the theatre. Although the film was new, not many people turned up to see it (no more than 25 I would have said) but as usual the bag crinklers all sat near us! How I yearn for a silent screening when no noisy bags of food or sweets are allowed!
The film was funny in places, and we did laugh several times, but it won't rate as one of my favourite films of all time! Afterwards we texted Sophie to let her know we were all done, and half an hour later the girls emerged from the theatre. We sped home, dropped them both off and returned to relax for half an hour before bed. It was still damn hot!
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