I sat and enjoyed a coffee, and saw her off to work at 8am. It was lovely not to rush about getting ready for work, and I suggested to Keith that we do what we should have done last Wednesday: visit The Chequers in Ravensthorpe and The Plough in Everdon. He agreed!
We set out into the rain-sodden countryside at midday and sloshed our way over to Ravensthorpe. We had visited this pub years ago, and I was interested to see how it was faring. First impressions weren't great as the small car park had rubbish stacked up in one corner. We thought at first that we had gone into the village shop and backed out again, but the entrance was the right one, and stuffed with things to buy. The pub must double up as the village shop as well!
The Chequers was a very homely, cosy pub, with a few locals gathered by the bar, a group of men eating and a couple of women having a good natter. Rows upon rows of beer mugs hung from the ceiling, and there were board games available to play.
Keith chose a pint of Pot Belly Best at 3.8%, and I had half a lager, as they didn't have Guinness on draught. We took a seat and chatted, and I liked the friendly atmosphere. The woman serving behind the bar was the double of Sara's daughter, Vicki!
When we finished our drinks, we left to drive to the village of Everdon, near Daventry. I had fond memories of this village from when I visited with the school, aged about nine or ten. Trish, for some reason, sent us onto a tiny single-track road through Dodford and then across the busy A45 to Everdon.
We missed the pub tucked away on the left of the road, so I had to turn around and go past the Outdoor Learning Centre where we'd stayed. It didn't look any different!
We parked on the road and walked over to the pub; I was looking forward to a bite to eat! The young man behind the bar was friendly and we ordered our drinks - a pint of Walter Tull from the Great Oakley Brewery, and a half of Guinness for me. We also ordered two rounds of BLT sandwiches and some chips to share.
We took our seats in a small, empty lounge area and had a chat about Keith's big birthday next year. I suggested a week on Skye and a meal at The Three Chimneys restaurant. We went to Skye for his 50th, so it seemed quite fitting!
We had a lovely lunch and the food was very good. More people came in, and again, there was a lovely atmosphere. The pub has reopened after a period of being shut, and I can definitely see us visiting again and exploring the beautiful countryside in this part of Northamptonshire.
We drove home and popped into Lidl near Harlestone to get Sophie something for her dinner tonight. We were supposed to have had a beef curry, but neither of us fancied preparing it when we got home and having a big evening meal. I picked our some chicken chunks for Sophie with a salad and a spicy sauce, as well as a few other goodies. Keith had a sudden yearning for Christmas pudding, so we bought one as well!
Back home, I pootled about and did the usual chores. When Sophie arrived home, we sat in the living room for a change and did a spread of tarot cards while sipping a drink. We put a YouTube video on of a lovely house with a big fire burning, so that made it very cosy! We have another storm brewing at the end of this week, with warnings out for heavy rain.
Sophie enjoyed her chicken chunks, and Keith and I ate cheese and biscuits. He then didn't fancy the Christmas pudding. Typical!
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