Carnival!

Sophie had an appointment for a haircut this morning in Market Harborough, but she received a text saying the carnival was taking place today and to allow extra time. I looked at the Market Harborough page on the internet and noticed that the town centre roads would be closed from 9am. I suggested Sophie postpone the booking, as I was worried about parking, but she was adamant that she was going. We had a brief but heated argument and decided to leave as soon as possible.

I drove over to the town via Desborough and the A6, and as we neared the town, the traffic grew heavier. Using Google Maps, we navigated our way to a car park on the edge of the town, skirting around a couple of "Road Closed" signs! The car park was empty, so I was forced to eat humble pie!

We walked into town and decided to have a coffee and pastry at Two Old Goats. We sat outside in the sunshine and watched people milling about and enjoying the beautiful weather, dressed in shorts, t-shirts and summer dresses. Our pastries came with a little dish of chutney, and the food was delicious!

After we'd eaten, we watched a long line of runners coming through the town. They looked hot as by now, with the sun out, it was a warm day.

When there was a gap, we crossed the road to the Oxfam charity shop, which was empty, giving us the ideal opportunity to have a look around. Sophie picked out a dress and a gorgeous summery outfit while I chatted to the woman at the till. As Sophie was paying, I looked outside at the runners and noticed some very hot and weary-looking runners passing by. Everyone clapped them, and I admired their willingness to compete on such a warm day!

We mooched about some more shops, buying Father's Day gifts in Waterstones, where Sophie also treated herself to some books. At 11am, we arrived at the hairdressing salon and I was able to relax in a comfortable chair while Sophie was seen to. It was lovely to sit and watch hordes of people pass by.

When she was done (her hair looked lovely), we did a little more shopping before going to Casa Nostra an hour and a half earlier than expected. We could hear floats going past on the main road running through the town, and I could hear heavy steam engines trundling along. There was a lovely atmosphere!

We chose mac and cheese bites and chicken strips to start, followed by a pizza for Sophie and a chicken and goat's cheese salad for me. We both ordered an Aperol Spritz, which was perfect for such a beautiful day.

We chatted and tried to ignore the woman behind us who was relishing her meal and eating with her mouth wide open and smacking her lips... we both had the feeling she was with her carer as she looked a little eccentric and had a great conversation with herself when the other woman went to pay. Hmmm!

Our meal was delicious and we were both too stuffed for pudding, so we left and walked slowly back to the car, calling in at The Attic on the way where Sophie bought a new bag. She'd had a good day!

On the way home, we tried twice to get some things we needed in the shops, but had no luck, so we were forced to go to Tesco at Kettering, something neither of us really wanted to do! I bought a bottle of Aperol and a bottle of Prosecco to make drinks at home later in the evening, and chatted to one of the staff about the newly installed security devices on the shelves. I asked how it deterred thieves, but the woman told me that because of the delay, they can't grab the bottles and run. 

Back home, it was heaven to relax and play cards after we'd both had a little nap - both Sophie and I were up very early this morning, so we didn't feel guilty one bit! Our viewing pleasure this evening was an excellent Netflix documentary about the Oceangate submersible that imploded, killing all the occupants, including the arrogant CEO.

Before bed, we got both cats in, had a cuddle and let them sleep overnight together. Sophie needed a good night's sleep!