Back to reality!

I waved Sophie off to the gym this morning, and after a quick coffee, got ready and left for work at 7:00am. It was just Sara and me in the office until Jo and Angela came in, and we set to work and tackled all the emails that had arrived over the last four days.

Predictably, the phones went mad at 10:00am, and I would estimate 75% of them were about swimming at one of the centres we no longer run. All I kept hearing Angela and Jo say was, "I'm sorry, we don't run those centres anymore." Customers had been Googling the number and coming up with ours, as Everyone Active doesn't have a central contact centre.

At 4:00pm, we walked out of the building into bright sunshine, and when I got to the car, I couldn't find my phone... What is wrong with me at the moment? I knew I'd put it in the pocket of my cardigan, but I couldn't find it. I went all the way back to the office to see if I'd left it on my desk, but it wasn't there either! Back at the car, I found it in one of the pockets of my cardigan after all. This comes hot on the heels of a) losing my purse on Friday, b) losing two chargers for my phone and laptop on Sunday, only to find they were in one of the overnight bags, which I'd searched twice, and c) leaving my handbag behind yesterday. I am a little worried!

I had a frustrating journey home, bit Keith's head off when he asked for help with something, and then felt guilty! Oh dear! I need to go back to France!

We had an easy supper of cold meats, salad and new potatoes and watched two episodes of The Capture. Let's hope tomorrow is more pleasant!

Bagless and footsore in Oxford - the celebrations continue!

I was up at 6:45am, enjoying a coffee and putting the first wash into the machine. I also tidied the kitchen and put some more stuff away. We took so much baggage with us for just three days!

The rest of the family gradually woke up, and I unpacked the small suitcases we'd taken with us and sorted out yet more washing. This was to be Keith's job today, as Sophie and I were going to Oxford and having afternoon tea at The Randolph Hotel as a birthday treat.

We left at about 10:30am and took Olive to give the poor VW a rest today! The traffic was heavy around the Towcester roadworks, and we queued to get onto the A34 going into Oxford. It was a beautiful day, and we were looking forward to a coffee at Gail's, cocktails in The Morse Bar, and then afternoon tea in the Drawing Room.  

We parked at the usual Park and Ride car park, and when I leaned in to get my handbag from the back seat, it wasn't there... I realised that I'd left it in the VW when I'd moved the car out of the way. I was shocked I'd left it at home, and then worried that someone would see it when Keith went to Tesco to do a shop. We couldn't get hold of Keith, so I just had to hope it was in the car! It felt weird and horrible to have no bag, no purse and no phone (unsually, I'd put my phone into my bag rather than keep it between the two front seats). It meant Sophie had to pay for everything, which I felt terrible about.

We jumped straight onto a bus and alighted one stop earlier than usual to walk to Gail's, which is tucked down a quiet side street. The enticing array of delicious foods made our mouths water, and we chose a ham and cheese croissant, two different baked custard tarts, an iced matcha and a flat white.

We sat outside in the sun, and it was lovely. I'd worn a short-sleeved dress, but I'd donned a pair of heeled boots to wear with it, and they weren't that comfortable! The decision proved to be a real problem today! Sophie disappeared inside to get us more drinks, and I emptied a plate of crumbs from the croissant onto the pavement for the pigeons who were pecking about. They ate everything, and a couple more arrived, which was a bit alarming as I had visions of flocks of pigeons descending! However, they pecked away and cleared up all the crumbs, and then one flew onto my shoulder! I jumped and brushed it off and was then worried it had pooed on me! That would just about have made my day! Sophie wasn't around to witness it, but I did feel as if the pigeon was saying thank you!

After our drinks, we bought a block of cheese in a branch of the Jericho Cheese Company, and then had a good look around a wine shop. The owner asked if we needed any help, but we just wanted to look, which I think annoyed him. What is it with men running wine shops? (apart from Duncan, of course!) I complimented him on the range of wines and spirits he offered, but he just grunted at me!

We ended up buying two bottles of wine - a Vouvray and a German Pinot Noir - and walked up to the main thoroughfare to visit an Oxfam bookshop and another that was selling brand new books for as little as £5. Of course, Sophie bought two!

We made the decision to go to the Morse bar for a drink as I didn't fancy walking all the way to Waterstones, or even visiting the Ashmolean with my sore feet! We took our usual seats in the bar, and I had a good look at the menu. I chose a Gin-based cocktail while Sophie opted for a French Martini. We sat and sipped our drinks and did a fair amount of people watching! At one point, a huge crowd of people arrived to check in but they were dealt with efficiently and quickly by the receptionists.

It was heaven to sit and relax and chat, and at 3:30pm, we walked to The Drawing Room for our afternoon tea booking. We sat by the window at a table that soon proved to be too small for the amount of crockery and food it needed to accommodate!

Sophie chose Earl Grey tea, while I went for classic English Breakfast. We were served:

Sandwiches:

Smoked salmon and creme fraiche 

Cucumber, cream cheese, cumin and mint 

Curried egg and rocket

Savouries: 

Apple and sage sausage roll 

Mushroom quiche tart with pickled onion

Plain and fruit scones with clotted cream and jam

Carrot, spelt and cinnamon cake

Cherry Bakewell tart

Raspberry eclair

The pots of tea were huge and made with leaves rather than bags. We opted for a glass each of Nyetimber sparkling wine, and it was delicious!

I had mentioned on the booking that it was Sophie's birthday, and they brought her out another eclair on a decorated plate. What a lovely touch!

When I first saw the array of food, it didn't look like a lot, but boy, did it fill us up! We had to have a couple of rests to digest the food, but we ended up taking home the two scones and the carrot cake in a beautiful, dark blue box. Phew!

The Drawing Room was a lovely place to indulge in the afternoon tea, and apart from a few minutes of a crying baby, it was peaceful and quiet. We could have stayed forever!

However, the time was getting on, so Sophie paid the bill (she had no choice), and we reluctantly went out into the crowds. We waited along with queues of people for the bus and had to sit upstairs. Our bus driver drove extremely slowly back to The Pear Tree park and ride, and stopped many, many times on the way. I felt like we were driving through glue!

Back at the car, we headed back the way we had travelled this morning, and the traffic around Towcester wasn't too bad. We arrived home at about 7:00pm, and I was finally reunited with my bag and phone. No messages, of course, but that was a good thing!

We spent the evening chatting at the kitchen island, and then it was ten minutes of University Challenge before an early night. Back to work tomorrow!

Celebrating Sophie's 30th Birthday at "The Whispering Pines" 3rd to the 5th of April

Happy 30th, Sophie!

After another good night's sleep, we wished Sophie a very happy 30th birthday! She had enjoyed herself immensely so far, and we were hoping for another great day, visiting Ypres for lunch and a wander about. She had left her cards and gifts at home to open this evening, rather than bring everything with us.

Our checkout time was 10:00am this morning, but we were up, showered, dressed and packed well before that. We did a final sweep, followed the departure instructions left by Margot, who had popped in to say a brief hello last night, and we were off. The weather was looking promising, and we hoped for a little sun and blue sky!

Hopefully, we will be back!

The long, straight roads of Belgium

We took the A16 towards Calais and the traffic was lighter than normal. We kept forgetting it was Easter Sunday! Soon, we had passed Calais and the ugly, industrial outskirts of Dunkirk, and we were in Belgium. The road signs were Flemish with lots of double letters, Oostende, for example! Ypres became Ieper, and we turned off onto the N8, a road that was undergoing construction work.

We had been travelling for nearly an hour, and I needed a coffee, so we found an area of wasteland next to a petrol station and pulled in. I parked overlooking flat, arable farmland with ugly concrete barns dotted about. Sophie had made a flask of coffee and had packed the remaining pains with a couple of breakfast bars. We sat and enjoyed our coffee while staring at the flat countryside. It had become grey again, but thankfully, it remained dry!

Restored by coffee, we set off towards Ieper. The road was long, very straight, but uneven and uncomfortable to drive on. The smooth, pothole-free roads of France were a distant memory! Every so often, we came to a village strung out along the road, and we marvelled at the difference between Belgium and France, which was so close. Some of the houses were beautiful, though, and they were all neat and orderly.

It didn't take us long to get to Ieper, and we followed signs for parking near the Menin Gate. The town was quiet, and we were able to park for free in a residential area next to a river. Sophie found a bar on her maps app, so we crossed the river on a wooden bridge and walked along a path that led to a stone tower. We climbed a steep flight of steps and found ourselves overlooking the river, with trails leading off in different directions. Several families were out walking, and a couple of them said hello. What a lovely, friendly place!

The bar that Sophie had found turned out to be firmly closed, so we walked towards the main square in search of a drink before lunch. Ahead of us was the large, imposing Menin Gate, a war memorial dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who had died in the First World War. It was beautiful and something I've always wanted to see. Sophie had first visited with her school when she was about 14, and had experienced what it was like in the trenches on a freezing day in February. I just wished we had longer to explore.

Leading away from the gate was a main road with numerous shops, bars and restaurants. We entered the first bar we came to, called St Arnoldus, which was advertising twenty-five beers on draught! It was a long, dimly-lit bar and we took a seat near the entrance. We all chose different beers - a whisky-infused beer for Keith, a beer brewed in Bruges for Sophie, and I had a local dark beer called Wipers Times Dubbel.

Just after we sat down, a British couple arrived, and we got talking to them. It was Keith's accent that prompted the conversation, as they were from Middlesbrough. It was lovely to sit and chat, nibble tiny balls of Wotsits-type puffs and relax.

However, the time was getting on, so we paid our bill and set off along the street towards the huge main square. This was also used as a car park and was surrounded by beautiful Flemish buildings.

Ieper was a gorgeous town, and one I hope we'll return to. Sophie and I both fancy a break in Belgium, visiting Ieper again, Ghent, Bruges and Dinant. The Belgian specialities - beer and chocolate - are right up our street! We went into a shop selling chocolates, beer and gifts, and I bought Keith a new Le Chouffe glass as his other two had been broken.

We found a restaurant right on the square, and although the prices were a little steep, we didn't have the luxury of time to wander about and look for somewhere else. The restaurant was called Vivaldi, and we took a table right at the end of the dining area.

Sophie wanted to go home and have a Chinese takeaway this evening, so we didn't need a huge meal. I opted for a salad with cheese croquettes, and both Keith and Sophie chose croque madame toasted sandwiches with an egg and a side order of fries and salad. We all drank the dark local beer I'd enjoyed in the bar.

The food was delicious, and my dish had every type of salad vegetable I could think of, as well as some I wouldn't have expected, such as asparagus and green beans! I helped out by eating some of the crunchy, hot chips, and we agreed that it had been a great meal with a friendly ambience.

Back to France

After paying the bill, we wandered around the gorgeous square and admired the buildings. I just wish we could have stayed longer and explored more. Walking back to the car, the streets reminded me of Bruges, with a similar architecture and atmosphere.

We recrossed the river and walked past a large group of people enjoying a picnic in the sunshine. By now it was warm! Back at the car (which I noticed was filthy and covered in a large dollop of bird poo), we put directions for Calais into Jeeves and set off.

Our journey back to the motorway was a lot different. We drove through Ieper and out into the Belgian countryside, passing through a large industrial area with a dual carriageway that reminded me of roads in the US! We then turned off onto a road through arable fields and farmhouses, and suddenly, we were in France again!

We spotted a petrol station and decided to stop and fill up, but as usual, I took the wrong turning, and we ended up in a part that had been closed down! As I drove out behind the station, we briefly went into Belgium again (the car lets you know when you cross a border!).

We gave up on the petrol, both here and at an aire we came to on the motorway, where signs said we had to pre-pay before filling up. We certainly had enough to get home, and it was cheaper than in France. Very soon, we were near Calais and the Shuttle terminal. We were a little early and were offered the 3:54pm train, which we accepted. I think we should have gone straight through to passport control, but we all needed the loo, and I wanted to buy some chocolates for work.

I had them in my hand, about to go and pay, when Keith said there was a last call for our train! I dropped the chocs back onto the shelf, and we dashed back to the car! We then had a queue to get through both passport controls, and the UK official was lovely, asking Sophie why she was travelling on her birthday. Indeed! We should have stayed another night!

Homeward bound

Amazingly, we were the last but one car on the train, and we settled back in our seats for a snooze during the crossing. Back in the UK, the roads weren't busy, and we made good time home, taking the same route as Friday. 

Just after we arrived home, I saw Isla, who was about to feed the cats. They had behaved for her, and Mooney was in the conservatory when we went into the house, much to Sophie's delight! No sign of Gomez, though!

We unpacked the car, put some stuff away and ordered a Chinese takeaway. Sophie then opened her cards and gifts, and we sat and relaxed. We all agreed it had been a lovely break, and we would love to go back to The Whispering Pines again one day!

Sophie was delighted to get Gomez in later in the evening, and he cuddled up to her as a welcome. I think both cats had missed us while we were away and the creature comforts of the rest of the house!

Celebrating Sophie's 30th Birthday at "The Whispering Pines" 3rd to the 5th of April

A return to St Valery-sur-Somme

We awoke after a great night's sleep (beautifully quiet and dark), and after breakfast of pains au chocolat and coffee, we were ready to leave by 9:45am. Our house is in a very rural setting, and before we could reach the main road, we had to wait for a herd of cows to cross! They all trundled across the road, and the very last one hobbled after the rest of the herd. She was a bit thin, but she seemed happy enough, bless her! The farmer waved his thanks as we edged forward, and we waved back. It was lovely to see!

Jeeves provided the directions to St Valery-sur-Somme, and we passed through the centre of Boulogne, which we didn't realise had so many steep roads! No wonder the Tour de France was held here last year!

From Boulogne, we headed out into the countryside on the D940, driving through flat farmland interspersed with little villages. We crisscrossed a railway line all the way to St Valery-sur-Somme but never saw a train, much to Keith's disappointment.

Soon, we reached Étaples, where a "coquilles" or shellfish festival was taking place. It was hectically busy, and we drove along the street we visited back in 2023, where we had a meal overlooking the River Canche. We drove across the river and left the mayhem behind us as we continued through the lovely, quiet countryside. The weather had deteriorated a little, and the earlier sunshine had been replaced with grey cloud and drizzle.

We came across a supermarket petrol station and topped up. Before we'd left for France, I'd heard stories of fuel shortages, but we didn't have any problem finding petrol, despite the prices being higher than in the UK.

We continued on our way and soon saw signs for the town. We approached St Valery-sur-Somme across very flat marshland, grazed by sheep and cows on long, straight roads bordered by trees. As we neared the town, the traffic grew heavier, and it soon became apparent that a lot of people had had the same idea as us!

We had planned on parking in the centre of St Valery-sur-Somme, but soon realised that was a foolish dream! We drove along a cobbled street right next to the river, then turned left into the car park. I drove in but soon realised there was no way out. A French car had followed me, so we both had to reverse. By now, I was mightily fed up!

I made the mistake of turning left again, so I had to repeat the circuit along the river. There were a couple of spaces, but I had a driver right behind me, making it difficult to back in and parallel park. Back at the car park, there were still no spaces, so we decided to drive out of the town and park on the outskirts. However, as I drove along the Quai du Romerel, I spotted a space! It was right next to a parking meter, and I nearly took out a whole crowd of people and children on bikes as I manoeuvred into the space. Phew! Mission accomplished!

We donned coats and walked towards the centre of town. Both Keith and Sophie needed the loo, so we stopped at the first bar we came to for a drink. The tables inside were set up for lunch, so we had to sit outside on wooden decking. The chairs were a little dirty (bird poo), but we eventually found three that were clean, and a waitress gave us the drinks menu. Sophie chose a rosé, I ordered a glass of Chardonnay, and Keith had a beer. As we sat and waited for our drinks to arrive, it started to drizzle... it was fine at first, but then it grew heavier, so we were forced to descend to another area of the garden and sit under an umbrella. 

We sat with our drinks, but we didn't touch the small bowl of olives that the waitress had brought with the drinks. Normally, we would have dived in, but we noticed olive stones in the bowl that had clearly been nibbled by someone else... Ewww! No thanks!

NOT nibbled by us!

Despite the drizzle and the loud cawing of rooks in nearby trees, we enjoyed our drinks sitting in the garden. I admired the beautiful houses nearby, and it was great to sit and relax and look forward to lunch.

A black bun

We finished our drinks, paid the bill inside, where the restaurant had filled up considerably, and walked into the town via the promenade. We were mindful of the time and picked almost the first restaurant we came to, as the ones we passed looked very busy indeed.

The moody River Somme

The menu at Le Bistro de St Val looked good, they had a table free, and the place was packed with locals and tourists alike. We sat at a table by the window and had a good look at the menu, choosing a terrine (me), cheese on toast (Keith) and salmon (Sophie). Keith had another beer, while Sophie and I shared a pichet of rosé. For our main courses, I opted for a beef burger (quite daring in France!), Sophie ordered more salmon, while Keith was tempted by the pork ribs and barbecue sauce.

As the restaurant was so busy, we did have a little wait for our starters, but we didn't mind. It was great to chat, people-watch and soak up the cheerful ambience of the place as large family groups enjoyed their lunches.

When our starters arrived, I immediately regretted ordering mine, as I had two thick slabs of terrine, gherkins and a heap of salad, covered in a delicious dressing. We'd already devoured a basket of bread, and I hoped I'd be able to do justice to my burger! My starter was delicious, and Keith and Sophie were equally satisfied with their choices.

Thankfully, there was a decent interval between the starters and main courses, and by now, the restaurant had emptied out. People were still coming in, though, so obviously they weren't sticking to the 12pm-2pm rule. 

My burger arrived inside a black, seeded bun, something I'd never seen before! I had a mound of freshly cooked French fries, and yet more salad. Sophie's salmon was in a parsley sauce and served with two yellow potatoes and a wedge of vegetable flan. Predictably, Keith's pork ribs were substantial and also served with crispy fries.

The food was very good, and my burger was most definitely beef, not another variety of meat! We made our way through the meals, but we all confessed defeat when it came to dessert. Sophie and Keith had digestifs - a glass each of Cointreau and Cognac - to round off the meal.

As we were finishing, the man who had played his guitar at another restaurant we visited last September attempted to come in, but was briskly turned away by the owner! No argument, go! I watched as he crossed the road, head down and morose, and unlocked a scooter to ride home on!

We drool over property!

We paid the bill, used the loos and waved Keith off back to the car so he could digest his lunch. The sun had come out, and it was lovely and warm, so Sophie and I walked into the town and along the main high street.

We wandered along, looking in the shops and taking pics of the lovely old buildings.

We then cut through to the promenade by using a narrow alleyway, and walked along the river. It was gorgeous, and I took my coat off as I was so warm! Crowds of people were out enjoying the sunshine, and the outdoor tables were heaving. 

We strolled back to the car and, on the way, noticed a house for sale. It looked empty, and the garden was overgrown and needed attention. It was beautiful, though, and we both fell in love with it!

The office of the estate agents handling the sale was opposite, but we couldn't find out the price. I should imagine it would be well over 400,000 euros, though, as the town is a popular place and attracts a lot of tourists.

Sitting in the sun

Reluctantly, we returned to the car and set the satnav for Offrethun. We drove through beautiful countryside and pretty villages for about 15 kms and then turned onto the A16, which was a lot quicker! The traffic was light, and it only cost us about 6 euros for the toll.

Back at the house, we relaxed, and as it was sunny, we wrapped ourselves up in our throws and sat outside with our books to read. Perfect!

As we were reading, a car arrived, and we discovered we had new neighbours! We said hello, and later found out they were Belgian. It grew a little chillier, so we retreated indoors to play Scrabble and finally had something to eat at about 8:30pm, a repeat of the lovely salad we'd enjoyed yesterday, with chicken.

Before bed, we watched a French show about traffic police near Paris. We used subtitles to try to understand what it was all about! It was a good way of improving our French!

Sunset and pines

Celebrating Sophie's 30th Birthday at "The Whispering Pines" 3rd to the 5th of April

Shuttle mayhem...

We were all up, showered and dressed by 3:00am this morning and took the A14, M11, M25 and M20 to Folkestone. Sophie was glad she'd been able to have a cuddle with Mooney before we left, and only wished she could have taken both cats with her!

We have been a little worried about the fuel situation at the moment, so Keith suggested we pull off the M20 and fill up with petrol at Maidstone Services. I had an ominous feeling about it, as once past the junction for the services, the lane was closed...

We filled up, bought a paper and used the loo, but when we tried to return to the M20, the road was indeed closed. We had no choice but to take the A20 towards Lenham and try to get back onto the M20 at Ashford. The road was dark, and I had no idea where we were going!

Sophie's map on her phone kept saying we wouldn't be at Folkestone until 6:30am, which was ludicrous as we'd stopped about 12 miles from the terminal with an hour to spare! Boarding closed at 6:24am, so we became increasingly worried about why we had been given such a late arrival time!

Luckily, we were able to get back onto the M20 at Ashford and sped towards the terminal, making much better time and arriving shortly after 6:00am. Sophie said that the approach to the terminal was showing red on the map, and we soon found out why... the queues to get through the check-in gates were horrendous!

It became obvious that our experience today was going to be vastly different to when we were here in January! It was also clear that there was some kind of car event going on in France, as there were lots of BMWs, Porsches and other high-performance cars arriving and revving up their engines. It was like being at Silverstone!

We eventually got through the check-in gates and drove extremely slowly to the car park, a journey that normally takes about 30 seconds, but took us about half an hour. We had learnt that our scheduled train at 7:24am was delayed by 30 minutes, so we had time to use the loos again, and buy two bottles of Vodka in Duty Free.

In fact, the terminal itself was quiet; everyone was queuing to get through passport control, with the time estimated at an hour. We drank our coffee, ate some delicious sausage rolls that Keith had made specially for the journey and kept looking at the information board, which twice changed our time of departure.

When the boards said we would be called in 15 minutes, we joined the long, snaking queue, making sure other drivers were displaying our letter and number! A couple of drivers up ahead were made to park and wait as they'd obviously tried to sneak in!

It took us about an hour to get through both passport controls and onto the train. We left at about 9:00am, so 90 minutes later than we should have. It was a frustrating start to the weekend!

Back in love with a Welsh

To be honest, maybe it was a good thing we had been delayed, as the weather was atrocious in France! I had a nap on the train and felt much more refreshed when we arrived in Calais. We turned off the A16 and drove towards Sangatte, before taking the coastal road to Wimereux. All plans to visit the beaches were cancelled as it was cold and misty with a nasty wind blowing in from the Channel.

We couldn't see the sea at all, and the rolling hills and Caps were covered in thick mist. We stopped in Audinghen at our usual café/restaurant and ordered a coffee, a hot chocolate, and a beer. It was cosy inside, with a lovely ambience, made even better when the local postman arrived for an espresso and resembled a younger John Mayer!

We paid the bill, said goodbye to the locals sitting drinking coffee and made our way back outside into the wind and rain. A poor woman was packing up a market stall where she'd been trying to sell vegetables!

It cleared up a little as we neared Wimereux, and we found a parking space on the street. It was a short walk to the front, and we turned right to see the lights of Les Oyats twinkling in the distance. All thoughts of sitting outside to eat were banished, and even in the covered outside area, it looked chilly, so we sat inside where it was warm and cosy.

Sophie was overjoyed to get a table (the restaurant wasn't busy at all) and she didn't even bother looking at the menu... she wanted a Welsh complet! I chose turkey in a creamy sauce with French fries, and Keith opted for the fish and chips. Sophie and I shared a pichet of Rosé while Keith enjoyed two beers.

We had a delightful lunch, and Sophie's faith in a Welsh was restored after her disastrous meal at Wimereux in January! A family arrived just after us with three very young children, but they were well-behaved. We couldn't tell if they were Belgian or Dutch, but the little ones were blonde and rosy-cheeked and didn't play up, scream or cry!

Sophie and I indulged in desserts - mousse au chocolat and a Chocolat Liegois. Both desserts were delicious!

Outside, the tide was coming in, and the sea was rough with huge waves crashing onto the sea wall. We paid the bill and ventured outside. Not many people were out walking along the promenade today!

We were amazed to see the young family that had sat next to us getting very close to the sea, with one of the children standing on the sea wall. With the spray coming off the waves, he could easily have been swept over.

A mercy dash!

It was as we were walking back to the car that I looked in my bag and couldn't find my purse... I panicked, and Sophie ran back to the car to see if it had fallen out. I went back to our table in the restaurant, but there was nothing there. Back outside, I checked again and found the blooming thing lurking right at the bottom of my bag! I tried to get in touch with Sophie, and we side-stepped a man who asked us if we spoke English. Er, no, go away!

Sophie had run all the way back to the car with a full, cheesy stomach, so she shouted at me when we caught up with her. She had evaded the mystery man as well, and I hoped he wasn't in dire need of help!

"Les Pins qui Chuchotent"

On the way to the Airbnb, we called in at the Carrefour at Wimille and bought some items to tide us over for the next few days, including salad, milk, water, beer and wine. The supermarket was empty; can you imagine what Tesco would be like on Good Friday?

It was a very short journey to Offrethun, and we turned onto a tiny track that wound up between fields. At first, we arrived at the wrong house, and I managed to annoy a local who had followed me when I pulled in! We carried on, and the road became more overgrown and narrow. I dreaded meeting a huge tractor!

As we neared the village, we saw signs for the house and turned in. There was a large private house first, and then two more houses further on, with parking. Ours was "L'Elegant" and stood opposite a row of tall pine trees, the "Whispering Pines" that the houses take their name from.

We accessed the key via a lockbox and explored before bringing our luggage in from the car. The house had a large open-plan kitchen/dining area/living room and three bedrooms (two upstairs with an en-suite). It was beautiful and modern and had everything we needed. There was a professional brochure from the owner with lots of information about the local area.

We unpacked and put everything away, and then collapsed on the comfortable sofa! We were all shattered from the journey and the early start, so we all managed a nap and woke feeling refreshed! 

Sophie and I played Scrabble, and we opened a bottle of Champagne to sip while we played. I beat Sophie, and we then played cards. Towards 8:00pm, we enjoyed salad and watched bad French television - the television doesn't have Netflix, our only little niggle!

Salut!

Packing up

Before leaving for work this morning, I stripped the bed and put on a fresh sheet and pillowcases. The rest I would do this afternoon after work and seeing Mum. It felt strange to be just Sara and me in the office until Nicola came in! In fact, there was nobody else in at all; the Easter holidays must have started early!

I did the last set of box office returns and the cinema reports, and then worked on the emails steadily all morning. We still have over five hundred cancellation emails to work on, and Sara and I have a little bet that when we return next Tuesday, there will be even more!

At 2pm, I wished everyone a Happy Easter and drove straight over to Kettering to see my Mum. I'd bought her an Easter egg and card and aimed to have a quick chat before going home and packing for the weekend.

When I arrived, I couldn't call the lift, so I went to use the other one, situated near the ground-floor dining room. I saw a lot of the residents in there, my Mum among them. The doors were closed, and I could tell they were watching a musical show. I didn't feel comfortable going in and disturbing them, so I went up to Mum's room and left her chocolate and card.

Before going, I spoke to one of the carers, who didn't seem at all happy that I was leaving without seeing Mum. She said she would be very upset, cry, and pace up and down the corridor, putting herself at risk of a fall. Not really what I wanted to hear! This was in complete contrast to what one of the carers told me the other week, that Mum was fine when I wasn't there! Who am I to believe then? 

I left feeling upset and guilty, even though I had nothing to feel guilty about! I had seen Mum last Sunday, and we were only going to France for a few days! It made me feel a bit subdued for the rest of the day, but I perked up when Sophie arrived home, and we sat and chatted in the kitchen.

Keith and I had packed, I'd hoovered, and Sophie put everything in the car before we had beefburgers and salad for dinner. She'd had a wonderful day at work and had been thoroughly spoiled by her colleagues with flowers, Champagne, Gin and lots of little gifts.

After dinner, Keith and I watched Beyond Paradise, and then it was time for bed at 8:30pm! We have to be up at 2:00am tomorrow... yuck!

April Fools pranks!

Keith disappeared to Mawsley this morning for a haircut, and when he returned, we went over to Tesco at Kettering. I treated him to a coffee and a toasted sandwich in Costa, and then we did a little shopping. I managed to get Sophie today with an April Fool's joke... I texted her to say the shelves were empty of loo rolls and pasta, and she told the whole office before I could say it was just a prank! 

Not so funny were the out-of-order pumps in the filling station, though. There was no diesel at all, and only half the forecourt was open. We topped up, checked the air in the tyres and returned home. The rest of the day was spent pootling about, writing the blog and preparing tonight's dinner of chicken stroganoff.

I was a victim of an April Fool's joke as well, when I read an article on the internet that said Jessie Buckley was going to be the new female James Bond! I was horrified until I twigged!

Dinner was lovely tonight, and we simmered the stroganoff slowly before cooking rice and garlic bread. After we'd eaten, Keith and I watched the first couple of episodes of The Capture. We are well and truly hooked!

Saying goodbye

We had another manic day at work, and our office was incredibly noisy, for some reason. Nicola behaved as if someone had wound her up and let her go, and she was shrieky, screamy and loud all day, until she thankfully left late in the afternoon.

It was our last day of running our three centres, so there was a certain poignancy about taking calls from people interested in visiting them. From tomorrow, our business will be greatly reduced, and it will be interesting to see how the rest of the Easter holidays pan out. My worry is that once this madness subsides, will there be enough work for us all?

Just as we were leaving, our MD arrived and was going to visit the three centres this evening to say goodbye to the staff who will be transferred to Everyone Active. We will miss them all very much, especially colleagues with whom we've had close working relationships.

We all said goodbye to Sheila at 4:00pm and had a hug. She will still be classed as a casual worker for us, and we have signed her up for a Sunday shift in a couple of weeks!

It was a beautiful, mild and sunny late afternoon, and it was great to drive home and look forward to a day off tomorrow. I still have a present to buy for Sophie, and her birthday is rushing up on us like a speeding train!

More cake!

I walked into our kitchen at work this morning to find more cake in the chiller cabinet! This was a cream-filled Victoria sponge cake, brought in by Sheila, whose last day is tomorrow. Where on earth has this month gone? 

It was the first day of the Easter school holidays, and I expected the phones to be busy, which they were. I stepped in and helped, but we're all wondering what Wednesday will be like when we no longer have any leisure pools. We're still getting cancellation emails; how many more are we going to get before this is all over?

Our office was a lure for the cake lovers in the afternoon as people started to enjoy Sheila's cakes (she'd brought in a lemon drizzle cake as well) and biscuits. She has definitely been a "feeder" along with Sue, who has also left. They'll be mean pickings after Wednesday, let me tell you!

Talking of things lacking, there are rumours of fuel shortages at petrol stations, which is worrying. Keith regularly tops up the VW's tank, but we will need a full one for Friday when we travel to France for the weekend.

And talking of news, we learnt today that Scott Mills has been sacked from the BBC. I'd been listening to his breakfast show this morning and noticed that Gary Davies was presenting, but I thought that Scott Mills was on holiday. Well, he's been sacked because of "personal conduct." I hope it's not a repeat of the Huw Edwards debacle...

Keith cooked a spicy chilli con carne for dinner, and we watched another episode of The Capture. We have stopped watching Silent Witness as I found it too gory. The last two episodes featured horrible dead bodies, and it's not my cup of tea just before bed!

Making plans

The clocks went forward last night, so we lost an hour of our weekend today. However, I tried to forget about it, and not get annoyed like I have in past years! Why we still do this, I'll never know!

Sophie and I spent the morning doing housework, and I prepared tonight's dinner of stuffed chicken breasts. I cut a slit in each breast, stuffed it with sausage meat, a basil leaf and a couple of slices of sundried tomatoes, wrapped each breast in Parma ham, and then a layer of foil to chill until tonight.

Around lunchtime, Sophie and I enjoyed fish finger sandwiches, and we booked a trip to Paris at the end of April. Sophie has bought tickets to see a band called Not For Radio, with the lead singer being one of The Marias. We thought it was a niche band and certainly not well-known, but it seems they have quite a following as they've had to put on an extra night in London and Paris!

We had difficulty getting normal train tickets for the 26th of April, and our experiences last week have made us a little wary! We booked Eurostar tickets from St Pancras and managed, at last, to get compatible train tickets from Kettering. We also booked a hotel through the Eurostar website, so we're all set to have two nights in Paris, in Spring! April and May are set to be two very busy months!

Sophie and I went to see my Mum in the afternoon, and she was a bit morose again, despite us turning up with chocolate for her. We stayed for a while and decided, when we left, to go to our local pub for a quick drink. However, from the cars parked nearby, it was obvious that it was busy, so we changed our minds and went to Beckworth instead. 

The place was full of Easter goodies, but we managed to get through the Food Hall without being tempted and made straight for the restaurant, where we ordered a cream tea each. The scones were beautiful and served with clotted cream and jam. My only gripe was the weird-tasting decaffeinated tea!

After paying the bill, we wandered about, marvelling at the sheer amount of merchandise available! We were very good, though, and didn't buy anything! Back home, we relaxed, and Sophie and I played cards with a vodka cocktail. 

I cooked tonight, and popped the chicken breasts in the oven along with new potatoes to roast and asparagus. I was very pleased with how the meal turned out, so this is something else we'll cook again!

Home alone

Today has been very relaxed, and I was looking forward to a couple of hours of "me time" this afternoon, when both Sophie and Keith were elsewhere enjoying themselves!

It's been lovely and sunny today, but the wind was cold and reminded us that it's still only March! Sophie took herself off to Market Harborough at 11am to meet her work buddy, Becky, where they were going to shop until they dropped, have lunch and then a drink at The Wine Shed. I pootled about and did some jobs, but it was a very relaxed start to the weekend!

Keith went to see Sileby play at 2.30pm and I carried on transcribing my Nepal diary, which is progressing very slowly! I'd like to add it to a travel Facebook group I belong to, but it will have to be finished first!

Sophie came home at about 5:00pm, and we went out again almost immediately to her friend Daisy's house, where there was a small gathering to celebrate Daisy's 30th birthday. I clearly remember 12 years ago when Sophie and all of her friends were turning 18 and venturing into Northampton's hotspots for the first time! I'm glad that's all over now!

Before going to the house, we called into Aldi, where Sophie bought a bottle of Champagne and flowers. When we arrived, Daisy came out to meet us, very glammed up in heels and a long skirt, as most of the guests were going to a Karaoke bar later. Sophie asked me to collect her at about 7:00pm as she was definitely not keen on that activity!

I trundled home, relaxed for a couple of hours, and then went back to pick her up. She'd had a couple of cocktails so was a bit merry, but said that Daisy had definitely been the star of the show, with drinks named after her, photos of her over the years and a long speech from her mum... Sophie won't be getting anything like that for her 30th next week!

Back home, the three of us sat around the kitchen table and dissected the events of the day over a bottle of red wine, cheese and biscuits. After we'd eaten, we started watching the first series of The Capture on BBC iPlayer. It certainly kept us hooked!

Cake!

I was hoping fervently that nobody would be off sick today, so I could get on with the emails! Luckily, everyone was present and correct, and my morning shift passed quickly.

When I went to make myself toast in the kitchen at lunchtime, I had a long chat with our MD about the business, and some of the figures he quoted were mind-boggling! I'm just glad we sold the business when we did!

We had a treat in the afternoon, when we were invited into the boardroom for a slice of creamy cake, to say goodbye to our Finance Director, who was his normal grumpy self. I won't be sorry to say goodbye! The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, and I was soon driving home and looking forward to the weekend! Just before we'd left, it had rained heavily, and the sky was an angry dark grey. I don't think Spring is properly here just yet!

Keith went to the pub, and Sophie and I settled down with a glass of wine to watch the 2017 film adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel. Cue lots of shouting at the film as the screenwriter had changed the most important part of the novel - the ending! It bore no resemblance to the book at all! I knew how Sophie felt when we watched Rebecca!

When the film was finished, Sophie and I went upstairs to watch the first series of Amanda Holden and Alan Carr's renovation of an Italian house they'd bought for one euro. It was as entertaining as ever!

Remembrance of things past...

I was looking forward to working today, as I expected I wouldn't need to be on the phone, and I could focus on reducing the number of emails languishing in our inboxes. Keith took me to work, and things started to go wrong when I couldn't get through the barrier we have at the entrance to our building. I tried and tried, but my card wouldn't work. I even asked a member of staff for help, but to no avail. Finally, our lovely cleaner swiped her card to let me in!

When I got up to the office, I mentioned my difficulty, and Sheila said she'd changed the number on my card so she could have access to a class she does at the gym every week... Well, I wish she'd told me, but it wouldn't work as I need to get in every morning! Madness! I immediately changed it back to my membership number!

Next up, we found out that Macy, Nicola's daughter, had phoned in sick... I said I would help out with the phones (grrrr!), but I couldn't stay until 4pm as I had afternoon plans. In the end, I did two hours, Sara did two hours, and Sheila ended the shift. She won't be here next week, and I keep thinking we have another week to go before the changes. Where on earth has March gone?

I did as much as I could before I went on the phones, but thankfully, the lines were quiet today. Thursday seems to be the quietest day of the week. At 2pm, I dashed off, and Keith met me in the car park. We drove to my old building at Lings, to see Amanda, one of the receptionists, and take her a box of chocolates for all of her help in the past. 

Walking in felt very poignant (I remembered the door code!), and we had a chat for a little while. The gym was completely empty as all the equipment had been moved out last week, and there were no vending machines in reception. I went into my old office and had a chat with the Dans, who were sitting in Nicola's old office. I hugged Dan F, who is lovely, and we always bought each other coffees in the good old days! I miss the lovely coffees from the machine! I had another chat with Amanda, and another hug, and I left. If I ever go again, it will be run by the enemy!

I dropped Keith off at home, hastily ate a sandwich I'd bought at Waitrose, and drove over to Kettering to see my Mum. Thankfully, we had a better visit than last Thursday, and I promised to see her on Sunday and take my laptop so we could look at photos.

It was Sophie's turn to cook tonight, and she made a delicious creamy baked pasta dish, while Keith and I chatted in the kitchen. After we'd eaten, we watched the first episode of Katya Adler's documentary about Europe, which we all found very interesting. I was then determined to finish the novel, My Cousin Rachel, so we can watch the film tomorrow night!

Sunshine and showers

I had no plans at all today, so it was lovely to have a little lie-in and then potter about. Outside, the rain had gone, but we were left with the wind. It was a blue sky and sun morning, but as the day wore on, we had intermittent showers. I suppose it is nearly April!

I did a lot of stuff for Sophie's birthday first thing, and then wrote my blog and pottered about for the rest of the day. We'd have bright sunshine one minute and then dark grey skies the next. It certainly made for interesting weather!

Keith cooked a delicious curry for dinner, and after we'd eaten, we watched the Huw Edwards drama that we'd recorded last night. It made for very uncomfortable viewing, and Sophie could hardly bring herself to watch. I was truly shocked when the truth came out, as I'd always viewed Huw Edwards as a thoroughly respectable man and the stalwart of the BBC. How are the mighty fallen!

A change in the weather

Keith took me to work this morning, which always makes the start of my day a little easier. I tried to get as much done as I could before 10:00am, when I would be on the phones again. I had three hours until Shirley came in to relieve me at 1:00pm.

It was manic first thing with about ten calls waiting, so Sara had to jump on as well. Some people seem to think that we have answers to their queries about the new company taking over and what they will be offering! I think we will get a lot of calls next week in the Easter holidays about our general swims that take place at one of the centres we're losing. The Everyone Active website is not the easiest to use, and I learnt that you have to register for an account to see bookings and timetables.

All day, it gradually grew darker, and we were forced to put the lights on in the office, as I couldn't see the keyboard to type! On a sunny day, the light from outside is enough, but we were in for a spell of wind and rain, and we needed the lights on as we neared 4:00pm.

Sophie was going out for a Turkish meal with her work buddies this evening, so it was just Keith and me for dinner. I nodded off on the sofa and then read my book until dinner. Outside, the wind was blowing, and it started to pour with rain. Sophie arrived home at 8:00pm, which was earlier than I had expected, so that was a bonus!

As we were getting ready for bed, the wind was so strong that it made us rush to the window to look out. I was fully expecting some damage to have taken place, but it was just very windy and wet!

Back to the grind...

I knew there would be many emails waiting for us today, and I wasn't wrong. We had about 600 to deal with, and we just can't make any inroads into them. We are now into the last week of our contract with the council, and next week it will be very different. Sara is organising a collection for Sheila, who will be working for the new company as of next Wednesday. When we first heard the news, it was ages ago; how the time has flown by. I have also heard that our grumpy Finance Director is retiring, so that was good news! No more awkward meetings in the kitchen!

I had to answer calls from 2:00pm until we finished, which put a stop to my answering as many emails as I wanted. It was great to escape at 4:00pm and drive home. Tonight, I had no excuse for not cooking one of my favourite meals, liver and bacon, and I consulted a Hairy Bikers' recipe to see if I could get any tips. They recommended rinsing the liver first, which I have never done, or even soaking it in milk to get rid of the strong taste (probably works better with pigs' liver).

I duly rinsed the offal, then coated it in seasoned flour. Keith had prepared the vegetables for me, so all I had to do was lightly fry the liver, bacon and onions and cook the potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots and swede.

Sophie refused to eat the liver, so she had lasagne with vegetables. When we sat down to eat, the meal was delicious, and I think the best I've ever cooked!

After the meal, we continued watching Silent Witness, which is very gory. Hmmm! Below is a much nicer image!

A spot of gardening

It was lovely to pootle about today and not have any plans, other than an appointment at the tip to take the rest of our garden waste. Sophie was meeting Laura and her dog, Wilbur, at lunchtime for a walk to the pub in the village, so she would be out for most of the afternoon.

Keith and I brought our appointment forward as we were ready to go by 10:30am. We heaved the huge bag of garden material into the back of the car and managed to get it all in one of the big skips, which was already almost full. The council are charging £69 to empty the garden bin every other week (but not over Christmas and New Year), which I think is expensive. Normally, we would have very little in our bin, so it would be a waste of money! The garden waste skip now seems to be the most popular one at the site! I wonder why!

Back at home, I hoovered the back of the VW and then, when the sun had come out, and it had warmed up a little, I ventured out into the garden to cut the grass. It was very long and lush, so it took me a fair while to get it done, with many empties of cuttings into a big box. As well as mowing the lawn, I strimmed the edges and picked up more branches. I can't decide whether to grass over the whole area, including the former border, or try to plant some shrubs. However, this area is shaded by trees, so I might just put some pots down to add colour. When I finished, the garden looked a lot neater, and the big box was full, but there was still much to do. One job at a time!

Sophie was out the whole afternoon, and she arrived back as I was having a long soak in the bath. Afterwards, I just fancied curling up on the sofa with my book, which I am enjoying immensely. I have never read any of Daphne du Maurier's novels, and had no idea she was such a brilliant writer. I love the original film of Rebecca and have seen The Birds and Don't Look Now, but I'm definitely going to be reading many more of her works.

We were planning on having liver and bacon tonight for dinner, but I pleaded weariness, so Keith reluctantly agreed to have the meal tomorrow instead, but that was the last time we would postpone it! We cooked fish (for Keith) and chicken escalopes for Sophie and me, and I have to say the meal was tasteless. Serves me right!

From the sublime to the ridiculous...

Bird strike...

Sophie and I had been looking forward to our trip to London ever since I booked tickets to see a Georges Seurat exhibition at The Courtauld Institute. Sophie had also booked a table at one of the restaurants she'd always wanted to go to - Roka, on Charlotte Street.

We booked a train from Wellingborough at 9:30am, and Keith dropped us off. We just had time for a coffee and a pastry in Bewiched before our train left for St Pancras. The train was lovely and quiet, and we had good seats.

Just after stopping at Bedford, the train came to a halt. We thought it was to let a faster train come through, but then we heard an announcement that a bird (a seagull, we found out later) had hit the train's windscreen and cracked it. A maintenance team would have to be called out. Sophie groaned because she knew what was coming. We might not make it to London...

Finally, we got moving again, but very slowly, and we limped our way into Flitwick station, where we were told to stay on the platform as a train following us would take us to St Pancras. We all disembarked and stood on the platform. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, and we started talking to a woman who was going to see her daughter. We could also have taken a Thames Link train, but we decided to stay with the EMR one following us. 

As we stood in the sunshine, the crowd began to move forward, and people told us the train we needed to be on was arriving at platform 3. We all surged ahead, up and over a bridge, and down to the platform. As we had guessed, the train was already full, so we were all packed in like sardines...

We stood all the way to St Pancras, and it was an uncomfortable journey. It was heaven to get off the train and emerge into the sunshine outside of The Renaissance Hotel and catch a black cab. There were a lot of police vans about, and our driver said there were protests taking place today, and some of the roads were closed. He dropped us off close to Somerset House, and we walked the short distance in lovely sunshine.

The sublime...

It was so warm and sunny that we decided to sit outside in the courtyard and enjoy a drink. Sophie bought us both an upmarket ginger drink and a pastel de nata, which we enjoyed while people-watching and soaking up the rays. Perfect!

At 12:00pm, we went into the building and up to the 3rd floor. Another member of staff checked our tickets, and we went into the two rooms holding the Seascapes exhibition by Georges Seurat. It was very busy, but we managed to have a good look at the paintings, some of which were of Honfleur. Georges Seurat employed the practice of "pointillism", the painting made up of tiny dots of colour.

I particularly liked the way he'd caught the light in his paintings and learned that he'd spent summers in Normandy and also further up the coast at a town called Gravelines.

After seeing Seurat's paintings, we wandered into the main rooms and admired works by Monet, Manet, Gauguin, Modigliani, Cézanne and Renoir. The paintings were stunning.

Cézanne

Cézanne

Renoir

Renoir

Deauville

Tourist central

Before we retrieved our bags from our locker, we visited the shop, and Sophie bought a postcard. She suggested we walk down to the river and find somewhere to have a drink before catching a cab to Charlotte Street.

We walked down to The Embankment, and marvelled at the vista in front of us - we could see Big Ben, the London Eye, Cleopatra's Needle and the Shard. People were out, and the pretty gardens, full of tulips and spring flowers, were packed with people enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures.

We spotted a boat on the river, which had been converted into a pub and had a look, but the place was noisy and crammed with people drinking. It wasn't our sort of thing at all!

From the river, we walked past the Ministry of Defence building to Horseguards Parade, which was heaving with crowds of tourists, and then towards Trafalgar Square. There were several pubs here, but they were all busy, and we both agreed that this was a part of London that we rarely visit. We hailed a black cab and asked the driver to take us to Charlotte Street, where we hoped it would be quieter!

Our journey took us through packed streets where we gazed at the crowds of people out enjoying the sunshine, shopping and looking at the sights. Luckily, Charlotte Street was a lot quieter, and we passed Roka as we ambled down the street. There were a lot of very attractive women sitting by the windows, who Sophie said were probably influencers. Long blonde hair, false nails and thick eyelashes seemed to be the fashion...

The wine bar that Sophie wanted to try was closed, but we found another quirky one called Vagabond. The only visible member of staff showed us how to go about sampling the wines and explained about ordering food. We found a table near the window and ordered a plate of Padron peppers, a bowl of French fries and vegan aioli. There were two rows of wines, all behind glass, where you could choose 25ml (a tasting sample), 125ml or 175 ml. Some of the prices were astronomical: over £20 for the 175ml sample!

We found a Portuguese Alvarinho for about £11 and paid on the pad next to the wine. It was all very high-tech! Our food was delivered to our table by Sophie using the QR code and was very good. The small pastries we'd had earlier seemed a long time ago! It was lovely to sit and chat over the food and wine, and look forward to our late lunch (or brunch).

Maybe one to try if we can find it!

The ridiculous...

Just before 3pm, we walked the short distance to Roka, and we were shown to a table downstairs in the Shochu Lounge, which was a very dark space with tables closely packed together and boughs of artificial trees loaded with blossom above us. I sat facing the restaurant while Sophie could only see me and the wall behind me. To my right was a large party of drunk girls, who were on the point of leaving (thank goodness), and to my left was a table of two young girls who must have arrived shortly before us.

It was like being on the set of Love Island. Never have I seen so many pouty lips, hair extensions, false eyelashes and phones being brandished about. Virtually every table was full of young women, preening, pouting and posing. 

We had two menus on our table, and I didn't realise they were different. I had the standard brunch menu at £58 per person, with an additional £20 for wine to accompany the dishes, whereas Sophie had the more expensive version. We decided to go with the standard set menu. 

There was an array of starters, and then we each needed to choose a main course. We were given a Bellini, and our food started to arrive. First up was a mixed lettuce salad with caramelised onion dressing. We were so close to the two girls next to us that we could hear every word of their conversation (some of which I wouldn't like to repeat). More starters arrived:

Steamed edamame with sea salt 

Cucumber maki with umeboshi and roasted sesame seeds 

Fermented chilli cabbage

Crispy prawn and avocado maki

Selection of spicy sashimi and cucumber maki

Japanese potato croquettes with sweet den miso mayo (v)

Japanese fried chicken with chilli mayo

Prawn dumplings with yuzu truffle dressing

The food was good, but we forgot what we were eating as the waiter had taken our menu away with him! He kept foisting sparkling wine on us, which was fine to start with, but Sophie was under the impression that we were going to get a wine pairing with each course. I had noticed a disclaimer on the menu which said, "The Management reserve the right to stop serving alcohol at their discretion." To me, that meant they regularly had groups of drunken women rampaging around the restaurant! I don't think the waiters were going to recommend a wine with each course!

We made our way through the starters, the cold sushi dishes first, followed by the potato croquettes, fried chicken and dumplings, and Sophie looked increasingly uncomfortable. She had been wanting to dine here for about six years and regularly chatted to her Dr Bawa about the experience. She looked very glum.

We had ordered the sirloin steak and pork ribs for a main course to share, so while Sophie disappeared to the bathroom, I ordered a glass of white and one of red. When she came back, my daughter looked shell-shocked and told me not to go there. Later, she told me it was just a mass of preening women taking selfies in front of a large mirror...

Our main courses arrived and, again, the food was good, but certainly not in the same league as Inko Nito in Soho, where we have been twice. I would have liked a bowl of rice to accompany the meat and soak up the juices.

Our glasses of wine were fine (Portuguese), and I was determined to get our £20 worth, so we each ordered another glass. I had noticed a man of about my age come in with his companion and sit at the bar until their table was ready. When they sat down, they seemed to be a very mismatched couple! He was scruffy in jeans and a creased top, while she trout-pouted and posed in knee-length cowboy boots, a short skirt and a vest top with a plunging neckline. I had been feeling ancient and very country-bumpkinish since arriving, but at least there was one other person my age, even if his partner wasn't!

Our dessert platter arrived, and it was beautiful to look at, but mainly consisted of fruit, half a mochi each (why not a whole one?) and a scoop of cheesecake, which was delicious.

By now, Sophie was itching to pay the bill and leave, so we left half a glass of wine each, paid the bill (with a 14.5% service charge added) and fled back up the stairs to the street. Sophie was bitterly disappointed by the experience and the fact that the restaurant had been taken over by influencers. She told me that some of the words used by the two girls at the next table were awful, and the fact that we were crammed in so closely was obviously a way of making as much money as possible.

Not what we know and love...

We hailed a black cab, and Sophie asked the driver to take us to The Renaissance Hotel, where we could at least have a civilised cocktail before catching our 6:45pm train home. On the journey, we mulled over our meal at Roka and decided to put it down to experience! "It's for the blog!"

At the hotel, Sophie chatted to the doorman as he opened the taxi door for us, and we made our way to The Booking Office. It looked packed... Sophie joined the queue and asked about a table, but we were advised to wait as there weren't any available. A mass of people surrounded the central table where the 5:05pm cocktail ritual was about to start. We had never seen The Booking Office like this, visiting on a weekday as we normally do. It was a different beast on a Saturday evening, and one we weren't sure we liked!

As we waited, I was fascinated by another couple, sitting at the bar. They were in their late 50s, and he kept touching her arm while she gazed adoringly into his eyes. They were totally captivated by each other, in what I would presume was the first stages of a newborn romance. 

We waited for about five minutes, and I suggested gently to Sophie that we give it up and head home. She argued and said we could try The Hansom Bar instead, but they were full as well. We used the beautiful facilities of the hotel, and then decided to cut our losses and leave. As we walked to our platform, we passed a couple having a drink, both engrossed in their phones, and not each other... the other extreme to what I'd witnessed in The Booking Office!

It was very, very lucky that we caught an earlier train, as we later found out that our 6:45pm train had been cancelled. Even the one we were on was delayed due to problems further along the line, and we arrived back at Wellingborough at 6.30pm, much to Keith's annoyance as he'd had to wait twenty minutes for us. Our train had emptied out at Bedford, and we struck up a conversation with a woman who lived in Scaldwell, the next village to ours. Small world, eh?

The rest of our evening was spent discussing the day and relaxing with a drink. Definitely a day of experiences!