A relaxing Saturday

I woke this morning feeling a little fragile after not sleeping very well! I can't do late nights and red wine as well as I used to! Isla's mum had sent me a message saying that one of the cats had caught a live mouse and was heading home with it. In the conservatory, there was a standoff between them with the (now) dead mouse lying on the floor. Gomez was growling at Mooney, even though I think it was Mooney who had caught the creature in the first place! The next time I looked out there, the mouse was gone. I swept the floor and mopped it as there were smears of blood, grass and little mouse organs. It was like a murder scene!

After tidying up the conservatory, it was lovely to pootle about and not do much today! Sophie prepared tonight's dinner, a Malaysian coconut chicken curry, and when she was mixing the spices, it smelt divine!

I made bacon sandwiches for Keith and me and caught up with the newspapers from the previous week. We've given up on the regular delivery now and buy them whenever we're out. Some of the bills were approaching £100 as the newsagent delayed invoicing us!

I contemplated cleaning the oven but decided to invest in a proper kit from Amazon to do it properly. Any other cleaning was put off until tomorrow when we'll put up the Christmas trees, and I'll blitz the house. So, it was great to relax and unwind after a busy week at work.

In the evening, Sophie and I played Scrabble and she made Martinis with the juice from a jar of ginger. They tasted delicious, a kind of dirty ginger Martini! I beat Sophie at Scrabble so I seem to be on a run at the moment, much to her disgust! She then finished cooking the curry while I boiled the rice. It was delicious and there was enough left for our lunches on Monday.

After dinner, we argued about what film to watch, and gave up in the end, choosing to see Never Mind The Buzzcocks instead. To my and Sophie's delight, Charlie Simpson (late of Busted) was on one of the shows! We have fond memories of going to see him at the O2 in Islington and we were great fans about ten years ago!

A sleepy Gomez

Scrabble and cocktails

A sociable evening!

I was back answering the phone today as Kathy had taken a day's leave. We had visitors in the office from our Derbyshire leisure centre today and it was great to put faces to names! As well as answering calls, I waded through the emails and put the films onto the system. Sheila also gave me details of the Christmas holiday activities and a new swim teacher course, so I'll be busy next week!

Despite not looking forward to today, it was a pleasant shift and the time flew by. At 4pm, I drove home and had a bath. Sophie arrived home at 5.30pm and after she'd showered and changed, she straightened my hair so it wasn't so fluffy!

We left for Sarah and Liam's house and I said on the way that I wished they still lived next door and we could walk around! We were met by their enormous Irish Wolfhound, Bram, who wasn't sure of us at all and ran away! It was the first time we'd seen their gorgeous new sunroom and it looked beautiful. They had the table set and a fire alight in the log-burning stove so it was lovely and cosy!

Liam was an excellent host and kept our glasses filled, although Sophie just sipped a small glass as she was driving us home, bless her. We sat at their kitchen table and chatted before enjoying samosas and salad, followed by a butter chicken curry and naan bread. 

Bram kept coming in and wandering about but he was still hesitant about having a cuddle. Max, he was definitely not! I still miss that dog and the walks we used to have!

With mince pies for pud and lots more red wine, we stayed and chatted until almost midnight before making our way home. It was a pitch-black night and Sophie got us home safely. When we arrived back, we discovered that Mooney had managed to open the conservatory door and escape through the catflap! Gomez was waiting for us in the conservatory and Mooney came back in a little later, the monkey!

A touch of Morse...

Sara was back today, and Sheila also returned from her break, so we were able to catch up with things before the others arrived for work. I managed to finish the moan report and tackled all the emails. Another list of films also arrived, so I'll put them on tomorrow which should take us over the Christmas/New Year period. Phew! Time is flying!

My shorter shift passed quickly and Keith collected me at 2pm. I dropped him off at home and drove straight over to pick up my Mum to take her to Tesco so she could do a little shopping. I will have to help her with her Christmas purchases as well, but I can tackle that once it's December!

I queued for a coffee at the Costa outlet, but the man behind the counter was working on his own, so I gave up. I treated Mum to a lovely soft and comfortable pyjama/loungewear outfit to replace the dressing gown I'd bought her, as well as a box of chocolates. I also selected a bottle of Ravenswood Californian wine to take to Sarah and Liam's house tomorrow night when we've been invited around for dinner.

After we'd finished shopping, I dropped Mum back off (managing to avoid seeing my Dad) and drove home. The sky was gorgeous this evening, a mixture of indigo blue, pink and purple, and the bare trees looked beautiful. It felt chilly, though!

Back home, I busied myself with the usual evening chores and lit the candles to make the house cosy. Sophie came home and was shattered as she is having to work on her own at the moment. Her working day must have been bad as she refused to talk about it!

After dinner this evening Keith and I waded through the first-ever episode of Inspector Morse, inspired by my visit to Oxford yesterday. The episode came out in 1987 and the cars seemed so old!

A day out in Oxford

After a decent lie-in, Sophie and I set off for Oxford at 10am. My daughter wanted to pop into the café opposite where she works first, as she owed them money for her lunch yesterday. Their card machine had broken down, and she hadn't any cash, so she wanted to settle her bill. Unfortunately, it still wasn't working so she promised to go back in tomorrow.

We had a good trip to the Pear Tree Park and Ride, but a long queue awaited the bus. We joined the end and didn't think we'd get on, but we did, although we had to stand for the journey into the city centre. We were both dying for a coffee, so we went to Waterstones and enjoyed a flat white and a cake each. Afterwards, it was great to wander about and look at the books. I was tempted by a wonderful French/English version of Flaubert's Madame Bovary, and a pretty edition of Jane Austen's Persuasion. Sophie also bought two books; one of them, Love In The Time of Cholera, is a tome I've always wanted to read.

Posters advertising events - so many things to see!

From Waterstones, we went to the Christmas market, but we were a little disappointed this year. There weren't many cabins and one of my favourites, the stall selling Christmas decorations made from fruit, wasn't there.

We had lunch booked for 2pm, so we didn't want anything to eat. We wandered about for a little while but as we had over an hour to kill before our table was ready, Sophie suggested going for a drink at The Randolph Hotel, opposite The Ashmolean Museum.

I readily agreed, so we walked the short distance and went into the hotel by a side entrance. We found ourselves in Alice's restaurant with a beautiful bar area.

There were a couple of tables occupied and a staff member came over to see us. Sophie asked if we could just have a drink and he took us to the gorgeous Morse bar where a fire was burning in the grate, and it was beautifully cosy.

We sat at a table and perused the drinks menu, choosing The Secret for me, and a French Martini for Sophie. The barman made our drinks and it was wonderful to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the busy city.

I loved the ceiling!

Photos of John Thaw's Morse on the walls

Not everyone was drinking cocktails; two women opposite made themselves content with coffee, but it was lovely to sip our drinks and soak up the heavenly atmosphere for an hour. This is definitely a new favourite place to visit!

Reluctantly, we finished our drinks, paid the bill and had a quick look at the elegant drawing room where you can take afternoon tea.

Back outside, we experienced a dose of reality, with shoppers queuing for buses and people selling The Big Issue. Before going to the restaurant, we paid a quick visit to a lovely cheese shop, where Sophie bought chunks of Lincolnshire Poacher and a strong Cheddar. I bought a box of cheese biscuits and a jar of piccalilli.

We crossed the road to No.1 Ship Street and took our seats in the cosy, dimly-lit restaurant. We both chose from the set lunch menu - a celeriac velouté for Sophie and fried baby squid with aioli for me as starters, and cottage pie for our main courses. We chose a bottle of Portuguese red wine and munched on delicious bread and butter before our food arrived. 

There was a lovely atmosphere in the restaurant, and two Spanish women came to sit next to us, sharing a glass of beer!

Our starters

The wine was delicious and we lingered over the meal, enjoying our cottage pie main course (although I have to say Keith's is better!) and choosing desserts of chocolate fondant and creme brulée. As the afternoon wore on, the staff dimmed the lights even more, and it was heavenly to sit and chat.

By 4.30pm we'd finished, so we paid the bill and emerged into the dusky evening. It was still cold and people were huddled against the elements. We walked back to the bus stop, taking some photos on the way.

Hat shop

"Please do not park bicycles against these railings as they may be removed!"

I saw an electronic sign saying that the next bus for our Pear Tree Park and Ride was due in eight minutes, which was perfect. We joined the long queue and I was sure I overheard someone say the bus was delayed. In the end, we waited almost half an hour and managed to grab two seats on the very back row of the bus. An older couple were already seated by the window, and two women came and sat opposite. 

The bus journey back to the car park took almost an hour, and we were constantly held up by traffic. This gave us a chance to all have a good moan and find out where we were headed once back at our cars. Sophie and I said Northampton and a man who had just joined the throng of people now standing in the aisle said he was driving to Kettering. This started a conversation about the recent floods and how bad the weather had been. The journey passed pleasantly because of the conversation, but I felt a little sorry for the wife of the couple as her husband was entirely engrossed in his phone for the whole time we were on the bus! The standing man kept trying to butt into our conversation, saying he'd been made aware of problems on the A43, but he wasn't really part of our little group, so we ignored him...! Only joking! It was great to sit and actually talk to strangers and find out a little about them!

Back at the car, we made our way onto the busy A34, then the M40 and finally the A43. It was a dark and hectic journey, and we made it home by 7.15pm. We were still full from lunch so we didn't touch the cheese or biscuits, but we had to make the porridge and lunches... back to reality with a bump!

The name lives on!

Keith took me to work this morning as he had a hospital appointment at 9am. We went in earlier than usual, and I was on my own until 9am. Our MD came in, and we had a lovely chat about our old soft play business - the two centres we bought earlier in the year now carry the same name, which made me feel very pleased and proud! It's lovely that the name my Mum chose so many years ago will live on!

Work passed quickly today, and I tackled all the emails before I left at 4pm. I was looking forward to a relaxing evening and seeing Sophie after her trip away yesterday.

When she returned, she was shattered and glad that she'd booked tomorrow off. The plan is to go to Oxford, pootle about the Christmas market and have lunch in Ship Street. We sat in the kitchen with a drink, and she told us about her trip to Leicester. She'd bought goodies home with her: pens, a lovely notebook, chocolates and some little phone holders. She can go again!

Storm Bert - the aftermath!

High on our shopping list today were candles! The last of the power cuts yesterday was at about 7pm, plunging our estate into total darkness, and I was glad we had candles lit in the living room. If we are going to have regular power cuts then we will need an ample stock of candles!

Sophie was driving to Leicester today to attend a conference and awards ceremony, and her route to the  A14 was affected by the flooding. I suggested she go up to the A43 via Walgrave as there were no reports of flooding along this stretch of the road. Keith and I set out at 7.30am and I learned that the caravans at Billing had been evacuated, and we were due to have some of the residents taking shelter with us at work.

They started arriving mid-morning, and we not only had people, but cats, dogs and a rabbit! There would be nothing on this earth that you could offer me to do what they were doing - bedding down in our squash courts with total strangers for the night!

It has certainly been a trying day at work! Sara was working from home and when I spoke to her on the phone she still sounded ill. Jo was late in, as her daughter had given birth to a baby boy in the early hours of the morning, so I was answering calls with Kathy, trying to file the box office returns, scan the cash sheets to help Sheila and deal with the customer service emails. Phew! 

When Keith collected me at 4pm, the car park was full and it was great to head home and relax. Sophie was looking forward to a good dinner, but later told me they were serving goat's cheese for a starter and lamb for a main course, two of the foodstuffs she loathes!

Keith and I dined on leftover chicken and vegetables and managed to get the cats in nice and early. We've had no rain today, but there is more due on Wednesday, the day Sophie and I are planning to go to Oxford!

Storm Bert, Part 2... It gets worse!

Our weather has been worse today, with stronger winds and far more rain than we had yesterday. It was a day for not going out and staying in the house. It hasn't been cold - the temperature was about 15c - but the wind and rain have been terrible!

A tree down outside our estate - (photo courtesy of a local resident)

We had a lazy start to the day before doing housework and washing several loads of laundry. The cats didn't stray far and kept coming in, soaked to the skin. I mopped the floor in the conservatory, but little muddy footprints soon appeared again!

We planned to have a later roast chicken lunch today, but still earlier than our normal evening time, which is around 7.30pm. Sophie prepared the vegetables, and there was a veritable feast of them, including Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, swede and parsnip. We popped the chicken in the oven after smothering it with butter and placing a lemon in the cavity. The meal was delicious and Sophie and I drank one of the Rieslings we bought yesterday, which was gorgeous and worth the price tag!

In total, we endured three power cuts today, and our electrics also tripped. After eating, we relaxed and kept up to date with local happenings on Facebook. Local residents were reporting flooding between our village and the road over to Lamport - water was gushing over the road from the fields and it was impassable. The road to Mawsley was also flooded, and by the duck pond in Holcot. We also heard of problems on the A508 towards Market Harborough and on the A14. We had a yellow weather warning today but looking at all the issues I think it should have been an amber warning! There have been serious problems in Wales as well, so Storm Bert has certainly made his presence known!

The rain continued all day and I indulged in two episodes of Michael Palin's Around The World in 80 Days, which was lovely. It was hard to believe it was filmed in 1988. Oh, what a different place the world was then!

Storm Bert, Part 1

After Sophie's acupuncture session, her last until February, we drove over to Olney. The UK has been lashed today by the innocuous-sounding Storm Bert, which affected the west side of the country the worst. We have had high winds and rain and it was a thoroughly miserable day!

After a couple of laps of the small car park, we found a space and made our way over to the Willen Hospice charity shop. I found a pair of black trousers that were perfect for work and Sophie bought a dress and a top. She was looking for a more formal dress for an awards event she's going to on Monday night, but didn't have a lot of luck, bless her!

We sloshed our way over to the High Street where we looked in two other shops. I found a lonely Christmas gonk, so he came home with us, and Sophie found another top for work. It's been the wind that has affected us most today, sending our hair all over the place and leaves flying everywhere. The rain has been patchy but it was horrible to be out in the nasty weather!

At 1pm, we'd had enough and walked to the lovely brasserie tucked away in a courtyard. Both of us were hungry, ordering a burger for me, and a club sandwich for Sophie, both accompanied by French fries. I enjoyed a glass of Merlot, while Sophie chose a Pinot Grigio. The staff were lovely and friendly and the restaurant was buzzing pleasantly with people enjoying their lunches. This has rapidly become one of our favourite places to eat, as the food is good, the prices are reasonable and the staff are welcoming.

We lingered over the meal but neither of us had room for a pud, so we paid the bill and left. Sophie had mentioned we had hardly any bottles of white wine at home, so we popped into a slightly posh wine shop on the main square. 

The woman running the shop welcomed us and asked if we needed help, but we both wanted to browse and take our time. Upstairs, I could hear loud voices and laughter, so I asked if they had a restaurant or wine bar. The woman explained it was a private party enjoying wines but said we were welcome to sit on the sofa downstairs and enjoy a bottle if we wanted.

We had a good look at the wines, which weren't cheap, and the party from upstairs all came down and mingled in the shop. The shop owner asked if they wanted to try a Riesling, and apologised about it... I have no idea why as Riesling can produce beautiful wine. One of the men, a real pretentious prat, refused, saying he would never drink Riesling! What an idiot! Was he perhaps put off by Blue Nun from Germany?

I was actually looking at a Riesling from Australia while he made his pompous speech, and the woman offered us a taste of Canadian Riesling. Sophie immediately said it tasted of apples, which it did, and quite tart ones at that! It wasn't for us, but I bought the bottle of Australian Riesling and Sophie picked out an Austrian wine made from the same grape.

I love the name on this!

We made our way home through the wind-blown, sodden countryside and noticed that The Falcon at Castle Ashby was closed up. I'd received an email from them last week saying they were closing the hotel and restaurant and turning the place into a "Wellness" retreat by the Spring of next year. We weren't surprised, as the prices were astronomical and the once lovely welcoming and hospitable coaching inn had been turned into a place that locals certainly didn't go to.

Back home, we put the heating on, lit the candles and kept the cats in, much to their disgust, but what on earth was the point in going out? Keith was watching Sileby play (I was amazed the game still went ahead) and came home looking frazzled by the wind.

We spent a pleasant evening reading and watching football and Keith and Sophie presented me with a whisky advent calendar again! I was delighted with the present and can't wait to try out the different whiskies throughout December!

We watched Love, Actually this evening and it was wonderfully warm and entertaining. Outside, the rain came down even harder, and the wind gusts were forecast to be 50mph! Phew!

Friday... Ahhh!

Sophie was taking part in a First Aid training course today but still went to the gym at 6am. It was freezing again and there was a layer of frost on her car. 

My shift at work passed very pleasantly and I was alone for the first hour as Sara was still off and Sheila was on holiday. I managed to clear all the emails and I almost finished the moan report, so that was a bonus.

Sophie finished at the same time as me and said she was very glad the day was over. She'd found the course a bit overwhelming and especially hated the part about choking. I'd done this course years ago when we had our business and I agreed with her! It's been a big fear of mine!

Keith went to the pub this evening and Sophie and I opened a bottle of French white wine made from Grenache and Viognier. It was delicious! We watched a documentary about a rogue football player who had made a side career out of conning people, including a Love Island star and the ex-wife of Thierry Henry. It was riveting, as most of the Netflix documentaries are!

Dinner tonight was an intensely spicy Madras curry, that brought us all out in a sweat!

Not the best of days!

I went into over 100 emails this morning at work, one of the highest amounts I've ever dealt with, not counting the first days of covid when we had thousands! Sara is still ill and Sheila was training yesterday, so she certainly didn't have time to deal with them.

By 2pm, I had managed to get them down to single figures and knew that, by tomorrow, they'd be more manageable! It was a pleasant shift, and Keith collected me as he'd been shopping. It was a lovely day outside, with blue skies and sunshine, but it was still cold.

I dropped Keith off at home and went over to see Mum and Dad. As soon as I entered the room, my Dad mumbled something about the CD player again, asking how to use it. I showed him again and then plugged the headphones in so he could use them if he wanted to listen to music and Mum wanted to watch the television.

I then looked at Mum's phone which was cluttered with numerous old messages, deleted them all and put the phone onto charge as the battery was dead. When I finished, Mum asked me about the dates we're going to Mallorca for Christmas and my Dad suddenly launched into a nasty speech, saying he hoped it would rain every day and that we'd have a terrible time! I couldn't believe what he was saying, to be honest, and asked him to repeat it, which he did, this time saying it was disgusting that we were going away and leaving them...

I immediately got to my feet, kissed my Mum goodbye and left. She hurried out after me and one of the carers became concerned that she was rushing, so she called the senior carer. We had a discussion in the library where Jessica, the senior carer, said that they'd discussed our decision - really? - and that we were quite entitled to go away if we wanted! I dread to think what has been said about us!

This is it with my Dad now. I doubt I'll be able to speak to him again after this outburst. It's obvious there is a deep dislike for me and the rest of my family, and this isn't the first time he's been nasty. He never says thank you for the things I do, and just seems to treat me like a skivvy, asking for things as soon as I enter the room, and never asking after the children or Keith. I understand that his life hasn't turned out how he hoped it would after he retired, but he seems to be increasingly bitter and resentful. I don't think he realises that Keith is getting on as well, and how long will I be able to go on holiday with him? I want to try and make the best of it while we can.

I drove home feeling sad and angry. We have had fabulous Christmases in the past with both my parents, and my grandmothers, and this is only the second time, ever, that we have gone away at Christmas. The last time was in 2012 when we dared to go to Lanzarote, and I remember my Dad being angry about that then! I seem to remember both of them going to a hotel in 2019 but was I upset and angry? No, of course not!

Sophie and Keith were shocked by what my Dad had said and were very supportive. It did make me feel very sad, though, and I was upset that they couldn't be happy for us to go away and have a winter holiday. I haven't been off work for two weeks since September 2023 and the thought of some winter sunshine is keeping all of us cheerful!

Mooney goes AWOL!

Keith and I went to Beckworth this morning to buy a small turkey crown for when we return from Mallorca. The car park was almost full, and I was astounded to see the place so busy! It was 11am on a Wednesday morning in November and the huge shop was heaving with people buying food, Christmas decorations and gifts.

We bought a turkey crown for £32, a fair amount of money, but we feel it's worth it. Hopefully, there will be enough left from the lunch to make another meal! I doubt very much we will be eating turkey in Mallorca! Maybe barbecued chicken?

I bought some treats and a box of chocolates for my Mum and we left. The amount of choice and the number of people were overwhelming! Back at home, I pootled about doing jobs and we wrote the shopping list, but decided to leave choosing the meals until Sophie returned home.

Later in the afternoon, I prepared a Bolognese sauce for our meal tonight and let it simmer slowly on the hob. It smelt delicious! When Sophie came home I asked her to taste it and she said it was lovely! I'd put a load of vegetables into the sauce - two peppers, celery, an onion, carrots and tomatoes - so they should give us a winter boost!

We haven't had any more snow, but it's been cold again, with Storm Bert on the horizon over the weekend when we're due wintry weather and winds. Brrr!

After dinner this evening, Keith and I decided to watch the film, Lee, starring Kate Winslet. Sophie curled up in the living room with us, but she was distracted by the disappearance of Mooney-cat who had eaten earlier and gone out.

As the evening wore on, and there was no sign of him, she became increasingly worried, which made me worried too. I gave up watching the film (I thought Kate Winslet was over-acting anyway) and we kept going outside to call him. Gomez was in, which was a surprise, but no amount of calling and cajoling brought Mooney in.

In the end, we decided to walk around the estate to call him and we met Paul and Sharon with Bailey and Archie who hadn't seen any cats. We walked back home and Sophie was now really worried as he never goes far away.

Imagine our delight then, when the little monkey strolled over from the bushes opposite where I suspect he had been all along. Sophie was almost crying with relief when he came in and he was subjected to cuddles and kisses. Honestly, the pair of them are little devils at times!

Snow!

Sophie woke me at 6am this morning and said it was snowing! I hadn't expected it in our part of the country, thinking it would only be farther north and Scotland, so it was a shock to look out and see the whirling flakes. Sophie's car looked like a little igloo, and I urged her to be careful on the way to the gym. When Keith and I set out an hour later, it had lessened a little but the roads up to the A43 were slushy. It was strange to see some of the trees in full leaf still, and snow!

I had another frustrating day at work with the emails. The slowness was affecting everyone and it took me twice as long to do anything, which was an utter pain. Sara wasn't in again and I doubt she'll be back tomorrow as she feels very poorly.

I did as much as I could but I still left far too many emails unanswered. I had been hoping to finish the moan report today, but that was out of the question!

Keith picked me up at 4pm and we drove home through the gloom. It's dark now at about 4.15pm and I feel sorry for schoolchildren walking home in the murky conditions. I lit the candles at home to make the house feel a little cosier, and Keith had made sure the heating was on before he left to pick me up.

Dinner tonight was Keith's north-east speciality - a stew of corned beef, bacon and potatoes served with crusty bread. Both cats had come home earlier in the evening and we're hoping this will be the pattern from now on as it's so cold outside!

Back to work

I walked into work with Sheila this morning and learnt that Sara had called in sick. She sounded quite ill, so I hope she makes a full recovery. I had a quick look at the emails, and did the box office returns, before I went into a training course at 10am this morning, with three of my colleagues. The course was about customer retention and included quite a bit of waffle and annoying catchphrases... as I've worked in customer service since I was 22 years old, I do think I know a little bit about keeping customers happy!

The course finished at 1.30pm, and I tried to clear as many emails as I could. Outlook was slow, though, and at times it felt like I was wading through glue! As quickly as I cleared a few emails, more would appear!

It was great to escape at 4pm and head home. On the way, I called Keith to ask him to put the heating on as the weather was awful. It was raining, it was dark and it was cold. Winter is here, there is no doubt! I realised today, though, that in five weeks we will be in Mallorca. I do hope it'll be warmer! I've had no luck booking a Christmas lunch for us, so I think we'll be cooking something in the house we're renting!

A sad afternoon...

Sophie spent the morning preparing today's Sunday lunch, a chicken casserole with dumplings. We decided to eat at midday again as it meant we could relax for the rest of the day and enjoy a leisurely afternoon and evening.

Lunch was a real collaborative effort today as Keith prepared the vegetables and cut up the chicken, Sophie put it all together, and I took care of the roast potatoes and dumplings! We ate at 2pm and the meal was delicious. As there was a lot left over, we decided to have it for dinner again tomorrow night, with bubble and squeak and another helping of my crunchy roast potatoes.

We settled in the living room in the afternoon, and I watched the horse racing from Cheltenham with Keith. In one of the races, I was struck by a beautiful horse called Abuffalosoldier. He was gorgeous with a plaited tail and a lovely shiny coat. He wasn't the favourite, but he maintained a lead all the way around the course and jumped like he was enjoying himself immensely. He kept the lead and won and Sophie asked if I'd put a bet on him. I hadn't but it was great to see him win.

Imagine the horror then, as his jockey was being interviewed, Abuffalosoldier collapsed live on television. As the programme carried on we learned that, despite the best efforts of the vets, he had died. It was heartbreaking for everyone involved and it affected the whole of my day. I didn't watch any more, and it's one of the reasons I've stopped watching The Grand National. I know the horses are looked after like the athletes they are, and receive the very best of care and attention, but when something like this happens it affects everyone. I've been horse racing with Keith and everyone goes quiet when a horse falls on the course, even the burly hardened bookies.

Later in the afternoon, we had another slice of Sophie's cake, which meant we didn't need to eat anything else for the rest of the day. Sophie is reading a Douglas Kennedy book about Berlin before the wall came down and was asking questions about the period, so we watched a BBC documentary about the fall of the wall in 1989. It was great to see all the familiar sights on television!

A day of pootling.

Sophie had another acupuncture session this morning and feels the treatment has helped her with her migraines. She has another two treatments after the one this morning, and then her practitioner will be away for two months. It has cost her a fair amount of money, but it's been worth it!

We've spent the day pootling about and catching up with jobs after our trip last week, which now seems a distant memory! The weather has been grey and chilly again, and we're due a cold snap next week. It's not even proper winter yet!

Sophie made her Guinness cake today, and as it baked in the oven, it smelt divine! We enjoyed a slice in the afternoon with a sneaky glass of Marsala wine, and the cake was moist and delicious.

I went upstairs to watch an old black and white film from 1945 called I Know Where I'm Going! but couldn't resist the lure of Four Weddings and a Funeral, which I'd recorded last night. It was filmed in 1994, and some of the wedding dresses were remarkably similar to mine - big and bouffant! 

Back downstairs, Sophie and I read our books in the living room while Keith watched football. This seems to be the favourite thing to do on a Saturday evening now, especially when it's chilly outside, but we're definitely going to put the Scrabble box in one of the suitcases to play while we're in Mallorca!

We ordered a Chinese takeaway tonight and afterwards watched the third instalment of the Bourne films, The Bourne Ultimatum. It made for great viewing!

Back home

I had a wonderful night's sleep and awoke at 8am feeling much refreshed. Sophie went to work and I started on the first of our laundry loads. Keith had written a shopping list and disappeared to Tesco before 9am.

The weather today has been grey and overcast again. I've almost forgotten what it's like to see the sun and blue skies! My day was taken up with being a slave to the washing machine and tumble dryer, writing my blog and unpacking the cases. 

Before Sophie returned from work, I hoovered downstairs and lit the candles, making the house cosy and warm. We opened a bottle of Rioja tonight and watched a four-part documentary about Ted Bundy, one of America's worst serial killers who was active in the 1970s. It was chilling to watch, especially as I thought he looked like a cross between Roger Federer and  Robert Downey Jnr!

Keith wasn't at the pub this evening and made a delicious chilli con carne. It was spicy and warming on a cold Autumn night and just what we fancied!

Ben Howard in Berlin - The 10 Year "I Forget Where We Were" Anniversary Tour - 12th-14th of November

An attack of the dismals...

I had another patchy night's sleep and woke a bit bleary this morning, but at least I didn't have a sore throat! After a coffee with lovely fresh milk (for a room that could sleep three, we were given two miserly cartons of UHT milk) I felt a lot better and joined Keith in some people-watching again! 

We showered and packed and were ready for the off at about 10am. The hotel stored our suitcases for us and we still had about three hours on our 24-hour train tickets from yesterday. There was a small bicker-fest about the best way to get to Hackescher Markt, and I suggested the bus which we could catch just up the road from the hotel.

Outside, it was drizzling and grey again and people were scurrying past holding umbrellas. We walked to the bus stop to find it wasn't in use with all the roadworks going on, so we had to walk back to the U-Bahn station and take the U2 to Alexanderplatz again! No matter how hard we try and avoid this station, we're lured back time and time again!

The train was packed and when we alighted at Alexanderplatz, we took a lift up to the surface. This brought us out by a tram station and I suggested taking one rather than walking, which takes about twenty minutes. We caught the next one, which dropped us off in the heart of the bustling area and only minutes from the restaurant where we'd wanted to have breakfast.

We took a table by the window and perused the menu, only wanting something light because of our plan to have lunch at Zum Nussbaum later. We were feeling a bit dismal this morning, and the weather certainly wasn't helping! As we sat and waited for our breakfast, the rain started to become heavy and we looked at each other in dismay!

Sophie chose a croissant with a hot chocolate for breakfast, while Keith and I opted for the "French" breakfast - a croissant and a stodgy, warm raisin cake. I ordered a large coffee, and of course, it came without milk so I nicked most of Keith's that came with his tea! I should have known to have asked for it "mit milch"!

We didn't fancy wandering around Hackescher Markt, and it was way too early to visit our weird little bar, so we made the decision to return to the Nikolaiviertal and have a look in the shops again before an early lunch. 

Walking back to the tram, I noticed that Berlin on this trip looked a lot scruffier than it had on previous visits. Maybe it was the time of year and the weather, but leaves and litter were lining the roads, the people looked hunched and unhappy, and everything looked grey and dirty. I know Berlin can be a very "gritty" city,  but on this trip, I seemed to notice it a lot more. Has our love affair with Berlin ended? Dare I say it, but if this had been our first visit to the city, I doubt I'd return. Maybe it's time for a visit in the Spring or late summer when the weather is better and things look more cheerful!

More sausage!

We caught the tram back to Alexanderplatz and then rode the U5 line to Rotes Rathaus, a brand-new station. Emerging into the daylight, we could see the construction of the large Christmas market taking place, which is usually one of our favourites, with a Ferris wheel and skating rink. 

We made our way to the Nikolai Quarter and Zum Nussbaum:

It looks authentically old, but this whole area was flattened in the Second World War and has been rebuilt faithfully. Inside is dimly lit and cosy and full of dark wooden furniture. We took a seat by the window (not shrouded in scaffolding like last time) and ordered dark beers and a light lunch.

Sophie's smoked sausage with sauerkraut and potato salad

Sitting and chatting, we agreed that we didn't have a lot of time left as our flight was scheduled to leave at 5.30pm, and we had to be at the airport a couple of hours before that. Plans to take the train back to the airport were abandoned and we decided to use an Uber instead.

We had a lovely lunch in the old pub and the staff were friendly and hospitable. In fact, everyone we met on this trip has been lovely, from chatty Uber drivers to warm and welcoming waiters. We paid the bill, left our last few euros as a tip and made our way back to the hotel. 

Homeward bound

Sophie ordered an Uber and we had a great driver take us back to the airport. His driving was smooth and efficient and I'm sure I nodded off at one point! British Airways had sent Sophie an email asking if we could volunteer our cabin cases to go in the hold, so we dropped them off and went through security, which was quick and efficient.

We didn't have enough time to justify going into the lounge so we sat by Duty Free and whiled away a couple of hours reading or people-watching. When our gate was called, we made our way over and discovered that we were going to be delayed by about half an hour. 

Our flight was only half full so as soon as the seatbelt signs went off, Keith moved to a row all by himself. I treated us all to a drink and a snack and we had a very enjoyable, smooth flight.

After another huge trek, we made it to passport control and we went through smoothly and without any hassle. We had a long walk to our bus stop and after a short wait, we were boarding the shuttle back to the car park.

It was about 7.30pm, but the M25 was manic, and the M1 wasn't much better! We made it home at 9pm, after stopping to buy some sandwiches at the Waitrose garage in Moulton. Isla had sent us a message this morning to say that the cats had somehow worked out how to use the locked catflap and had disappeared when she went around to feed them this morning. Mooney was waiting for us in the garden and gave us many kisses, and Gomez appeared before we went to bed a little later. The house was freezing cold, as usual!

Sophie is back to work tomorrow but I'm off, thank goodness! I think I will be busy!

Ben Howard in Berlin - The 10 Year "I Forget Where We Were" Anniversary Tour - 12th-14th of November

A sobering visit.

I never sleep well in hotels (it's one of the reasons we always rent an Airbnb house) and last night was no exception. I awoke after a patchy night's sleep with a sore throat and a stuffed-up nose, and didn't dare look in the mirror at my reflection! I don't think the constant dry heat in the room helped. We never have the heating on all night at home and in the end, we had to resort to using a fan and opening both windows to cool down the room a little!

I made myself a coffee and joined Keith at the window to watch the comings and goings of Berliners as they went about their business. We were intrigued by one woman who was washing her car down with a little cloth while holding a shopping bag! She was very thorough and went all over the car, cleaning the windows and even the wheels with the little cloth! When she finally finished, she crossed the road and disappeared into an apartment block!

After showers, we took the train on the U2 line to Potsdamer Platz. The 24-hour tickets we bought yesterday were still valid and it was a short trip to the busy station. We emerged into Potsdamer Platz, and, as always, it took us a few minutes to get our bearings. Work was going on constructing the Christmas market here, and we saw a large winter slide that Mike went down once, years ago. We wanted somewhere for breakfast and coffee and soon spotted a sign that looked promising.

We were annoyed that our hotel was charging 24 euros for breakfast - in fact, this was just one of the issues we had with the hotel this time! Three breakfasts at 24 euros over the two days would work out to be 144 euros! For a buffet breakfast! It was outrageous!

We walked to the lovely Maxim's where a friendly waitress took our orders for coffee and croissants. Gentle piano music was playing in the background and the café was cosy and inviting. Just what we wanted, without the price tag! Outside, the weather was grey and overcast again with a slight drizzle in the air. We sat and enjoyed our croissants and coffee - my flat white was on par with Costa's! 

As I said yesterday, the itinerary had taken a bit of a bashing, but we decided to visit The Topography of Terrors this morning as Sophie had never been and it was a short walk away. We paid the bill (less than the price of one breakfast at the hotel) and walked towards the exhibition, housed in the old headquarters of the Berlin Secret Police.

It was free to enter, and is mostly outdoors so we hoped that it wouldn't rain! The Topography of Terrors recounts the events in Berlin from 1933 to 1945, the rise of the Nazi Party and the Third Reich, and includes lots of photographs and documents from the period.

Behind the exhibition screens is a section of the Berlin Wall, looking even uglier and more menacing in the grey weather we were experiencing!

We walked slowly along, reading the information boards and trying to imagine what it was like living at the time. Parties of schoolchildren and older students arrived but they took little interest in the boards, preferring to muck about and be typical teenagers!

New to us was an indoor centre where you could visit the library, see a film about the period, and have a look at some interior information boards. We were just interested in a hot drink from the charming little café and a sit down at one of the tables! Sophie and I enjoyed a hot chocolate each and shared a small piece of lemon cake.

The building was very new (I don't remember it being there years ago when Keith and I first visited) and very modern with marble floors and sharp lines.

Not 100 beers!

Once we'd used the facilities, we made our way back outside, intending to have lunch at The House of 100 Beers on Kurfurstendamm. There used to be a branch at Potsdamer Platz but that has since closed down, which was a shame as it was a lovely restaurant and close to the shopping mall.

We walked back to the station and saw some kind of protest taking place outside the State Parliament building opposite. We hadn't a clue what was going on, or why they were protesting, but we think it had something to do with a budget cut for the Arts? There were several police cars there, but it was very peaceful!

Back at Potsdamer Platz, we took the U2 line, and then the U7 line to the main shopping street in Berlin, Kurfurstendamm, which is just over 2 miles long. It was a short walk to the restaurant - Das Haus der 100 Biere and we took a seat in the window overlooking a Woolworth's on the other side of the street. I thought they had all gone?

I wanted a dark beer and looked in vain for Kostritzer on the beer menu but it wasn't listed. The first two beers I asked for weren't available (Ha! So there weren't one hundred available then!) and the waiter recommended Lucky Lup which was an IPA made in Berlin at 6.5%. Sophie chose the same as me, and Keith opted for a beer called Drunken Sailor at 6.4%.

The beer was great but it wasn't the dark one I was hankering for! Normally, I think IPAs smell of cats' pee but the Lucky Lup was sweet and refreshing.

We had a look at the menu and Keith and I chose the Hunter's veal escalope, while Sophie went for the normal version. Ours arrived with a chunky mushroom sauce, while Sophie had a cold potato and gherkin salad instead of our fried potatoes mixed with bacon and onions. The food was very good but we each had two big escalopes! Phew!

Next to us was a couple who enjoyed a glass of wine each (and made it last for hours) and we wondered about their relationship. We thought brother and sister, but it was fun to do a little people-watching and also to gaze out of the window and see all the comings and goings on the busy street.

The plan was to get a train back to the Nikolaiviertal and have a mulled wine in one of the cafés there, but Keith was feeling weary, so we ordered an Uber instead. It took a fair while to arrive as the surrounding roads were busy and we waited by a hectic intersection that was crammed with vehicles of all kinds. Our driver was lovely and chatted with us the whole way back, complaining lightheartedly about Berlin drivers and how bad they are! On the way we spotted the street featured in the television programme we've been watching about two houses in London and Berlin, so that was a bonus!

A little exploring.

Back at the hotel, we relaxed for a little while before Sophie and I decided to do a little exploring. I'd always wanted to see what was along the Spreekanal opposite so we put on our coats and boots and set off. We took a muddy path and walked along the quiet canal. To our left were apartments with small gardens and bicycles propped up outside. It was starting to get dark and I loved peering in and seeing how people lived.

Another U-Bahn Station near the hotel, Spittelmarkt

Further along the path we found ourselves on Wallstrasse and saw several restaurants that we had never discovered before! The whole area was busy with people and we saw lots of Mums and small children walking along, so maybe there was a school or nursery nearby.

We decided to head back to the hotel along the busy main road and pop into the supermarket to get Keith a sandwich for later, and a carton of milk for our morning coffee tomorrow.

Busy traffic

Ben in Berlin!

At 6pm, we walked over to the Wall Street Park Plaza for cocktails. This time I chose a "Horse's Neck", which was Bourbon, ginger beer and bitters, while Sophie carried on with the theme and enjoyed a Moscow Mule. Keith settled for beer!

My first drink was lovely, but I switched to an Old Fashioned afterwards, which really hit the spot with a kick of alcohol. Delicious! It was great to sit and chat at the bar, and nibble on salted peanuts, and at 7.30pm Sophie ordered an Uber to take us to the Uber Eats Music Hall. Keith returned to the hotel (he was going to watch Darts on the television). I don't think Sophie was that comfortable with our Uber driver, who was a bit mad, managing to get his Toyota Corolla up to 70 miles an hour at one point on the Berlin city roads. We were both glad when we arrived safe and sound!

There was another venue - the Uber Eats Arena - but I think the Music Hall was slightly smaller. We found our way to the entrance and joined the throngs of people going in. Sophie had a brief panic when she noticed that the tickets had to be printed, but they were scanned successfully on her phone so in we went!

Our seats were on the third floor and we had complimentary wardrobe tickets, which was a bonus. We dropped off our coats and went to get a drink. Sophie chose an Aperol Spritz but I stuck to water as I didn't want to mix my grains and the only mixer they had with whisky was Coke. We sat and had our drinks at tall tables and then, at about 8.45pm, we went in. We were delighted to find our seats on the front row of the gallery and we had a fantastic view of the stage!

Below us was a mass of people who had bought standing tickets and I was so glad we had comfortable seats after all the walking we'd done over the last two days!

Ben came on at just after 9pm and started the show with my favourite song, End of the Affair, my favourite. The lights and scenery were brilliant, and I wondered about the imagery which included photos of flowers, Ben on an escalator and pruning olive? bushes!

Sophie and I couldn't believe that it had been ten years since we'd seen him in Berlin! I estimated that quite a few of the people at the concert tonight probably would have been too young to have seen him last time as they were in their early 20s!

Ben performed all of our favourites, as well as some new tracks that we hadn't heard before and a couple from previous albums. At the end, he chatted away to us, and touched on current subjects which drew a roar from the crowd! The very last song was obviously "I Forgot Where We Were" and right at the end the whole band appeared on the stage with him and bowed to the audience. It was very emotional!

We don't know when we'll get a chance to see him again, but we both hoped it wouldn't be another ten years!

We joined the masses leaving and collected our coats. I took our plastic cups back and obtained a refund for the deposit, and we made our way outside. Our next aim was to get an Uber quickly and we walked to the main thoroughfare, noticing with surprise, that we were opposite The East Side Gallery, a long stretch of the Berlin Wall covered with art. I was certain the entertainment hub wasn't there the last time we visited this area.

There were several taxis lined up but Sophie ordered an Uber and he arrived within about ten minutes. The journey back was smooth and silent, and although both of us felt a bit peckish, it was almost midnight so too late to have anything substantial to eat.

Keith was asleep so we tiptoed about and got ready for bed. It had been a long day but at least we could have a little lie-in in the morning!