We've tried to make it as special as we could but she was a bit disheartened. After she'd opened her cards and her bag of goodies from us, we got ready and drove over to Newport Pagnell. I was glad it wasn't raining but the sky was a bit cloudy, and it was chilly. I knew the weather in France was forecast to be wet and windy, so any idea of sitting by the sea and indulging in a cold beer wouldn't have happened anyway!
We parked the car in Newport Pagnell, and walked into the small town, deciding to have a coffee first. There were lots of cafes but we opted for a Costa and a couple of mini muffins to keep us going until lunch.
After our coffee, we explored the town and found a lovely vintage shop selling lots of quirky items. Sophie bought two pairs of earrings, and it was lovely to wander about, smelling the scented candles and soaps, and browsing all the things available to buy.
My work colleague Sheila had told me there were lots of charity shops in the town and we found three, but they weren't that much different to the ones we visit in Market Harborough. We decided to head for Olney earlier than planned and look around the shops before having lunch at Teapots.
We drove via Tyringham and managed to park in the small car park in the centre of Olney. The place was very busy with people looking around the shops and the sun came out, which was a bonus! We mooched about for an hour in our favourite shops, and then made our way to the cafe where we'd booked a table for 1.30pm.
Sophie decided to try something different today and chose mushrooms in a creamy sauce on toast. I enjoyed a cheese and onion toastie, and we both had cake afterwards with a pot of tea. As always, it was lovely and the staff were very friendly.
As we'd already looked around the shops, we headed home after lunch and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. We had booked a table at The Lamplighter for a birthday meal so we set off at 6pm and drove into town. We had difficulty parking this evening but managed to find a space next to the pub with a time limit of two hours.
The pub was pleasantly busy with most of the tables occupied, and we sat by the fireplace in the corner. The menu hadn't changed much from when we were last in, so Sophie chose a burger, I had chilli with chips and Keith tucked into fish and chips. The food was as good as ever, and Keith even enjoyed his pint of beer!
Before going home we decided to call into The Royal Oak in the village and have a last drink. When we arrived there were only three men standing at the bar, the rest of the pub was empty, which was a bit alarming! We sat down with our drinks and started chatting to the man behind the bar, telling him we'd been visiting the pub for over 30 years! Keith wasn't impressed with the beer at all, but we thought it best not to say anything!
After half an hour we left as well, leaving the pub completely empty at 9pm. Sophie had enjoyed her special day, but she was a bit quiet. Let's just hope 2023 will be better!
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