Celebrity sightings!

Sophie and I were back in London again today, but as the event we were going to see wasn't on until 4:00pm, we had a relaxed morning at home and didn't get a train until midday. The timing of this had to coincide with a Newcastle game, which started at 12:30pm, so we asked Keith to drop us off at about 11:45am. 

It was a gorgeous day with balmy temperatures and a blue sky studded with white fluffy clouds. Our train was a fast one, with no stops until St Pancras, and we had a lovely journey. We'd treated ourselves to canned cocktails for the ride to London and, on the way, booked our tickets for Kettering to St Pancras in November. The tickets were extremely reasonable considering it was a commuter train!

At St Pancras, we went outside and hailed a taxi in a very busy taxi rank. Ahead of us in the queue was a weirdly dressed man, and I wished I were able to take a photo of him. He had some sort of black headdress on, a shirt that was open at the back and the weirdest clothes I've ever seen. How brave to go out in public like that, knowing you were going to draw stares from everyone!

Sophie looking very becoming, unlike some in the queue!

We had a very pleasant taxi journey to the South Bank Centre, where we were going to The Rest is Fest, twenty-two shows featuring The Rest is... podcasts. Ours, of course, was The Rest is Classified versus Scaramucci. Other shows were The Rest is History, The Rest is Football (with Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer), and The Rest is Science.

The South Bank Centre was busy when we arrived, and we went inside to explore. There was a shop, merchandise stalls selling books and tee-shirts, and a couple of bars. Outside, there were glorious views of the river, and people were enjoying the beautiful weather, which was so different to the rain and grey skies we had last week!

We decided to have something to eat and drink and explored an open-air food market, but it was hectically busy, and the choice of food was overwhelming! There was nowhere to sit, so we walked to a  nearby Pizza Express instead. We chose peach cocktails, a big bottle of water, chicken goujons to start, and we shared a pizza. The food and service were great, and it was lovely to sit and chat and look forward to seeing David McCloskey and Gordon Corera again!

We managed to find room for puds - a cheesecake for me and a white chocolate blondie for Sophie. We had a table booked at The Booking Office for 6:00pm, but we were planning on having nibbles with a drink.

Once we'd paid the bill, we walked over the road and went back into The South Bank Centre, this time going up to the second floor for a drink before the show. I ordered a medium glass of white wine, while Sophie chose an Aperol Spritz. £22 for the two!

We sat with our drinks and did some great people-watching. There were groups of teenagers acting very excitedly, and I did wonder if they had come to see the show we had booked. They didn't seem to be the demographic for fans of The Rest is Classified!

Just before 4:00pm, we walked over to the entrance of the auditorium, but we weren't allowed in, so we took two seats at a table. Here, there were even more groups of teenagers all gabbling excitedly and carrying bags with Sherlock & Co on them... We then realised there was another event taking place in another hall, so that made sense! I had never heard of the podcast Sherlock & Co!

Imagine our delight when we saw Gary Lineker walk past! The woman who was sitting at our table was also excited, and even more so when she saw a woman walk past who does a podcast with Anthony Scaramucci, Katty Kay.

When the doors opened, we took our seats in the front row and had a fantastic view of the stage. It was great to see David McCloskey and Gordon Corera again, but this was a much different event than Bletchley Park, which was far more intimate. I then did a double-take when I saw Tracey Ullman walk down to the front and look about for a friend she was joining. She had long grey hair, but it was unquestionably her!

The three men came onto the stage, and it was to be a debate between David McCloskey and Anthony Scaramucci, mediated by Gordon Corera. The question was: Was the CIA a force for good in protecting the US?

The first topic was about Watergate, and it moved on to Trump and Venezuela. They lightly touched on the subject of 9/11, and David McCloskey became a little agitated with Scaramucci! The last part was a question-and-answer session, and we were asked to vote about the CIA.

The show was only on for an hour, and there was no chance of meeting the three men afterwards, so it was very different from Bletchley Park, where we were able to mingle with them and chat. We left, managed to grab a taxi parked outside, and were whisked off to The Booking Office. It was a gorgeous late afternoon, and the sun sparkled on the River Thames, with the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament in the distance. On the way, we came across a filming unit, but we didn't recognise anyone!

Scenes from a black cab

Although we were early for our table, we were able to take our seats and have a look at the menu. We chose a bottle of sparkling water and a carafe of Balfour English rosé. We sat and relaxed for a short time before ordering from the nibbles menu: a charcuterie plate, hummus and crackers, chicken goujons, and French fries.

Lots of other tables were occupied, and the bar was full of people sitting and drinking, although the bar stools didn't look very comfortable! We could see the manager working really hard, and when he came over to us to top up our glasses, we had a chat. He said that three staff members had called in sick, and he sounded very fed up. We chatted for a while, and I said I sympathised!

We had a delightful meal and treated ourselves to a White Russian cocktail instead of a pud. When we ordered, we made the manager laugh; he said he hadn't heard anyone ask for this cocktail for ages! The drinks were so good, we ordered another and then paid the bill, which nearly made us fall off our seats. It was worth it, though!

We were able to catch the 8:05pm train, which should have got us to Kettering at about 8:55pm. We called Keith to let him know and settled back in our seats for the journey. However, minutes after leaving St Pancras, the train slowed because of a slower engine in front of us, and we were about twenty-five minutes late.

Keith had been waiting patiently and whisked us back home, where we were able to relax and chat about our day!

What day is it?

It felt weird having today off, but lovely at the same time! After an early blood test at the GP surgery, I pootled about while Keith went to Tesco to do our weekly shopping. When he got back and had eaten some lunch, we drove to Northampton to visit Homesense. We needed a new container for the wine corks we keep, and I knew they would have a good choice.

We were, indeed, spoiled for choice, and we picked out a huge wine/sundae glass that should accommodate them, with room for more! I also bought some new white cotton pillowcases, two pillow protectors, a candle and some white bowls, as we are badly in need of them!

We drove home; I left Keith there and went over to see my Mum for an hour. The carers were glad to see me, as apparently, my  Mum had been asking and asking where I was and had refused to get out of bed this morning. She seemed fine when I sat with her and chatted, but I was still worried about how thin she was. Jessica, one of her carers, said she only wanted to eat sweet things, which, nutritionally, weren't that good for her.

I showed her a picture I'd taken of her on her 80th birthday, and I was shocked at the change in her, to be honest. I'm honestly not sure how much more weight she can lose.

Back at home, I looked forward to a relaxing evening; perhaps I should have Friday off instead of Wednesday! Keith went to the pub while Sophie and I opened a bottle of red Sablet and watched a Netflix documentary called The Pastor's Wife. Sophie had said one of her friends had enjoyed it, but it left me cold. We started to watch episode two, but I lost interest!

Keith had prepared a spicy chilli for dinner, and afterwards we watched Top of the Pops from 1985. I swooned over Morten Harket, as he was then. He was definitely my teen pin-up! He is now 66! Sophie went outside to try to get the cats in and bumped into Lynn and Daphne the dog. She had been in the garden eating the cocktail sausages that Sophie had put down for Barry the badger! Daphne is the sweetest dog! She came over for lots of cuddles and strokes, and we chatted to Lynn until the chill of the evening air drove us back inside. It's definitely Autumn now!

A better day!

I woke up at 5:00am and was thinking about work, which was silly. I left early to get Sheila some flowers, chocolates and a card, as today was my last official day working with her.

Thankfully, I had a much better day, made even nicer by the scones, cream and jam that Sheila had made. There was a steady stream of people wishing her good luck in her retirement (even though she's working one day a week on a Wednesday) and tucking into the cakes!

We submitted the payroll sheets, and I tackled some of my emails and input a few contracts. I am going to have to get tough with the staff who continually make mistakes, as I won't have time to keep correcting them. They will soon learn! It was lovely to drive home and look forward to another three-day weekend. I am lucky, although I don't realise it at times!

We sat in the kitchen this evening, chatted, and enjoyed a very simple supper of pizza/quiche and roasted vegetables. The cats have been very good this week, as the weather has been changeable and there's been a lot more rain, so it's been easy to get them in! This makes Sophie's life so much better, and she loves getting them in early and taking them upstairs for a furry love-in!

Feeling overwhelmed!

Today has been another crazy day, and our regional manager came in to talk to us about the prospect of accepting cash payments at our sites in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure that today was the best day to talk about it, as both Sheila and I felt a little overwhelmed. One of the things that our manager hinted to me when Sheila was out of the office was that my colleague tends to overcomplicate things, and I agreed. Some of the processes can be more streamlined, and I was reminded that we were there to record the data, not investigate!

Keith came to pick me up, and I said that I wasn't sure if I'd made the right decision, as there was so much to do and Dan, our manager, had asked Sheila to do a last-minute job at 4:00pm. I don't mind staying later, but I will need to have notice, as I can't have Keith sitting and waiting for me for half an hour.

Keith was out tonight watching Sileby play, so Sophie and I had planned jerk chicken pasta for dinner. The chicken had been marinating since yesterday, and I prepared the rest of the ingredients when I got home from work.

We enjoyed a bottle of Chardonnay with the meal, which was a lovely balance of heat and creaminess. It was delicious! We watched two episodes of A Place in the Sun, followed by a deeply moving and saddening documentary about babies that were forcibly given away for adoption in the 60s and 70s.

Keith came home from the match, all bundled up in a coat and a scarf. Is summer finally over?

Back to reality!

After a lovely three-day Bank Holiday weekend, it was back down to earth with a bump today and payroll week! Sheila let me do everything by myself today, and I managed to get two lots of timesheets onto the system before we finished at 4:00pm. It had been very busy indeed, and the time had whizzed past!

It was lovely to go home and relax, but unusually, I'm back in tomorrow and having Friday off instead. 

As is the tradition, here are the 2026 storm names:

Austen

Boelo

Chloe

Dano

Evelyn

Finn

Gwendolyn

Heather

Ivy

Jade

Kilian

Laoise

Miriam

Nicola

Olaf

Phelim

Ruban

Shaun

Theo

Vesna

Wende

Apparently, according to the news, we're in for a stormy winter because of the Super El Niño. We shall see!

Bank Holiday freedom!

It felt lovely to not have to work today, as normally I used to go in on most of the Bank Holidays! We had talked about going on a mooch today, but in the end, Sophie and I decided to go over to Weedon, with Keith preferring to stay at home and watch the cricket.

Over a coffee, we booked our Eurostar to Brussels and Antwerp for November, and a ferry for Christmas in France. It's wonderful to have something to look forward to, and I just hope we'll be taking the VW with us! No doubt, I will hear about the repairs next week, and I'm praying the car won't be written off.

Sophie and I set off in Olive at about 11am, and Jeeves took us on a tortuous route to get to Weedon as one of the roads was closed. We ended up on a narrow road, full of potholes, and I was dreading damaging one of Olive's tyres. The accident last week has really shaken me up, and although I know it won't knock my confidence, I am driving a little more nervously, which isn't a good idea!

When we arrived at Weedon Bec, we were surprised to see so many cars parked. This hub of independent retail outlets has obviously become more popular! We parked a little distance from the antique and vintage shop and made for the bookshop and café on the first floor.

The place was busy, and there were stacks and piles of books everywhere! Sophie ordered us two teas, and we shared a Biscoff brownie. Even our table had a pile of books on it, and we could hardly move for the tomes everywhere!

I had the feeling that the shop had become very popular and the staff were unable to cope. Our cups of tea were almost forgotten, and the two young girls behind the counter looked a bit stressed! As we sat and enjoyed our drinks and the brownie, we suddenly smelt a horrible odour. I only hope it was the dog opposite and not the man sitting behind us, but it was awful. It then happened again, so we hurriedly finished our drinks and went to look at the books. 

Sophie and I are definitely in the minority at the moment in that we don't take a dog with us. Virtually everyone had some sort of mutt in tow, whether they were just browsing or having a drink and snack in the café. Can't these dogs be left alone for a couple of hours? I'm really not keen on having them everywhere we go!

We had a look at the books, but they were just piled up everywhere, haphazardly and without any organisation. I itched to put them in order!

I think maybe it's time to stop accepting donations and sell the books you have before taking on any more!

We felt so overwhelmed by the books that we left and went downstairs to look at the antiques. However, even here it was chaotic, and there was a horrible, suffocating smell in the shop. We've never experienced this before during our visits, and we've always had an enjoyable time. I don't think the vibes were right, and apologies for the moaning! It may be a while before we venture back!

From Weedon Bec, we drove to the Heart of the Shires shopping village and had a look around before our lunch booking at 1:30pm. We noticed a new garden centre, another little courtyard of shops and some changes to the existing retail outlets. Neither of us was tempted by anything, even though I was on the lookout for a new Gin class.

What had once been Darlington's and then The 1867 was now simply The Tea Room, and we were shown to a table off the main rooms. We chose a chicken, bacon and cheese toastie (me) and a Club Sandwich (Sophie) with a glass of white wine. At first, we didn't think we'd be served quickly, but that proved wrong, and we were soon tucking into our sandwiches and wine. Even the two tables in the small ante-room had dogs with them!

Outside, the previously good weather turned, and rain began to pelt down! We paid the bill (our wine was on the house as it had arrived after we started eating... we didn't argue!) and ran to the car, getting soaked in the process!

Before heading home, we called into an Asda Express shop to buy some wine for tonight. We have lots of bottles of red but none of white (well, ones that are suitable for weekday drinking!), so I bought a bottle of white Burgundy and my lunch for tomorrow.

Back home, it was time to relax and read before Sophie put the finishing touches to a Mulligatawny soup she'd made. I enjoyed a Russian film called Compartment No. 6, which was lovely and was a collaboration between Russia, Finland, Estonia and Europe. It was a moving and wonderful film, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Trying something new

Sophie drove to Daventry this morning to do a run with her work buddy, Becky, while I did some housework. On her way home, she called at The Workhouse in Brixworth to get a matcha and a pastry for us. We sat and chatted at the kitchen island and enjoyed our impromptu lunch!

First thing this morning, I had covered almost a pound of cherries with caster sugar and cherry liqueur as the first stage of making a cherry clafoutis. Once Sophie came home, we did the rest of the preparations together, making the batter and a buerre noisette (a brown butter). I was frightened it would burn, but it didn't, thank goodness! We added the cherries and juice to the batter mixture and popped the dessert into the oven to cook for about forty minutes.

Once it had cooked, we let it cool down a little before serving it with cream. I didn't want to have it after our curry tonight as we rarely eat dessert late in the evening, so it was an afternoon treat!

The afternoon was spent relaxing, and Sophie and I watched an episode of Escape to the Sun about a couple wanting to move to Costa Rica to live, even though they had never visited before. Predictably, they didn't buy anything, and when we Googled them, they're still living in the UK!

Before our dinner of Keith's curry, we played Scrabble and Sophie beat me. This is becoming the norm! Our meal was delicious, and we followed this up with an episode of Carpe Diem, which is rapidly becoming one of our favourites!