A new addition to the family!

We took Sophie to work this morning in the usual heavy traffic, which was worse on the way home because of problems on the A45.

We just had time to get showered and then drive to Corby for our 11:00am appointment with Cinch. I had booked a slot to have a look at the Citroen and arrange a test drive, and we were shown to a comfortable seating area to wait for someone to show us the car. We had already seen it in the car park, and it was a lot bigger than I had expected!  

Just as we went out to have a proper look at the car, it began to rain! We sat inside, and I asked the man, who was known as JP, if he could drive, as I was a bit nervous about taking it out and driving! He agreed, and we went for a short drive towards Corby. It felt beautiful and smooth and seemed to be very responsive when he put his foot down! We explained about driving to France frequently, and I joked about buying a French car so I would please the French drivers! He showed me how the controls worked and explained the hybrid engine and how it switched from petrol to electric.

Back at the Cinch office, we sat down, went through all the paperwork and paid for the car. We then booked a slot to pick it up after we'd arranged the tax and insurance. JP said there was a café nearby, so we set off and found a large Tesco supermarket with a café. 

By now, we were both ready for lunch and had to order on large screens! It was all very high-tech! The wifi signal kept dropping while we were sitting in the café, so after eating and buying something for my lunch on Thursday, we sat in Olive, and I managed to contact my insurance company, pay a small amount to change the car, and then pay for a year's road tax.

The earlier rain had passed, and it was a glorious day. We had a call from JP at about 1:00 pm, and we went back to pick it up, which was a very easy process. When I got in, I realised that it was both empty of petrol and had no charge, so we had to call at the fuel station next door to fill it up with petrol. 

We set off for home, and Keith followed me in Olive. It was beautiful to drive, but I was a little concerned that at a higher speed, I could feel a slight vibration on the steering wheel, almost as if the tyres weren't aligned properly. I told Keith and said he would need to drive it today so he was familiar with it when he popped to Tesco.

We put Celine (as she is now known) on charge for a short while, before we went to see my Mum. I explained to her that I didn't have a lot of time to be with her today, as we were running short of time! The day was speeding past!

Once I said goodbye to Mum, Keith took Celine for a spin along the A14 and drove faster than I had on the way home, but said he couldn't detect any vibration at all. Perhaps it was the road surface? Anyway, I was hugely relieved as I am in love with the car and very pleased with it!

We had about half an hour at home before it was time to collect Sophie, and we took Celine, despite the heavy traffic. She was delighted to see us and came out with Becky and Grace, who admired Celine as well!

I was well and truly glad to get home and relax!

Bombarded!

To my delight, Sheila came to see me at work this morning after an early morning swim. We hugged, and I told her about my woes from yesterday. She sympathised with me, and we sat with a hot drink and a Northumberland biscuit while having a chat. She wanted to know what I'd put aside for her to do tomorrow, and I was grateful that she was in to take over for a day!

The rest of the shift went quickly, and it was great to go home at 4:00pm and catch up with Sophie, who had been working all day at home, but had managed to escape at lunchtime to take the cats for a walk! How lovely!

Sophie and a delighted Gomez

She told me all about them and how they had been at the house for most of the day, clearly happy that Sophie was at home! I think they missed us last weekend, even though they would never admit it!

The courtesy car had been picked up today, and I had been inundated with texts and calls from various companies (the repair people, Cinch), including the care home, which said that Mum had taken a tumble and hit her head. They called for an ambulance, and when the paramedics arrived, they decided to take her to A&E as her blood pressure was low. I was dismayed by this news, as I really don't want her to go to the hospital. They said they were going to do some tests and then hopefully take her straight back. This was just another thing to worry about, but at 11:00pm they rang to say she was home, which was a huge relief. I am planning on visiting her tomorrow after we have sorted the car out. I'm just hoping it will all turn out to be OK!

Work troubles!

Last night, I had a burst of inspiration and saw a car I liked on Cinch. It's a 23-registered Citroën C5 Aircross and is a petrol hybrid in a midnight metallic blue. I made an appointment to view it on Wednesday, as I just knew that the repair people would call today and ask for the courtesy car back, which they did. I asked if we could keep it for another day, but they refused. So that was that! I texted Sophie and asked if she could work from home tomorrow, and thankfully, she was able to, so that solved a problem!

Work hadn't been pleasant today; we all got paid last week, so I had quite a few queries from staff about their wages today, and I realised I had made a mistake last month, which I was mortified about. I felt like sitting and crying, to be honest. I still don't have access to the payroll software at work, and it's hugely frustrating. I needed to text Sheila again, poor thing, so she could give me access with her login. It's not ideal!

So, it was a bit of a subdued evening, but at least Monday is over, and I was glad Sophie was working from home tomorrow!

Birthday celebrations in Northumberland 25th - 27th September 2026

Homeward bound

We had toyed with the idea of going to Durham this morning, but with the charging issues, we decided to head home and stop for a late lunch at The Dovecote Inn in Laxton, Nottinghamshire. We'd stopped at this pub before, and it was a convenient place to have a bite to eat before continuing our journey.

I'd had a better night's sleep and felt a little more refreshed than yesterday! We showered (perhaps the worst shower we'd ever used, unfortunately), packed the car and made sure we left the cottage clean and tidy. Sophie had had an altercation last week with the owner of the Airbnb who had cancelled our April booking in Annecy, and we'd reported her in the end because of her offensive messages. We didn't want to annoy our lovely host in Northumberland! It had been a lovely, very comfortable stay in a gorgeous cottage that had everything we needed. We just didn't like the weak electric shower!

We set off at 9:00am and turned onto the A697 towards Morpeth. From here, we joined the A1 and headed for Washington Services, where we intended to charge up Olive to 100%. Even this would only get us to Nottinghamshire, though, where we'd identified another rapid charger at Blyth Services. 

The roads were good, and we had a great journey to Washington, passing Newcastle again and seeing The Angel of the North. At the services, we charged up Olive at a Gridserve charging point that was very rapid indeed. It gave us a chance to use the facilities and partake of a Greggs breakfast. We had a slight bickerfest in Greggs when I threatened to stuff a stottie cake in Keith's mouth as he kept wittering on about bringing Olive and that we should have taken the courtesy car. Sophie collapsed into giggles, making everyone in the queue turn around to see what was so funny!

Once Olive was charged, we set off, taking the A1(M) but deciding to follow the advice from Jeeves about avoiding Doncaster, where there were hold-ups. We briefly went onto the M62 towards Hull, then the M18, and then back onto the A1. All the way, we stared at cars on the road, trying to get some inspiration for our next vehicle. To me, a lot of cars look alike, especially the SUVs!

Our next stop was at Blyth Services and another Gridserve charger. We joined some hefty cars here, including a big Audi, Teslas and BMWs. It was nice to sit and relax for about forty-five minutes, giving us just enough time to get to the pub at Laxton, where we had a 2:30pm lunch booking.

We had stopped here a while ago, on our way back from the North-East, and I was keen to have a meal here again. There were already quite a few people eating, and we were taken to a table at the back of the pub.

We perused the menu, choosing roast chicken and lamb and Sophie and I shared a bottle of Portuguese Rosé, which was an agreeable 9.5% alcohol. The staff didn't appear to know what they were doing, and we eventually gave our orders and settled down to wait. We were all starving!

Sophie was looking forward to her lunch and had been craving a roast all weekend! However, when our roast chicken arrived, we were disappointed to see the promised crispy skin looking pale and anaemic... Keith had chosen a lamb shank, and our meals were accompanied by a Yorkshire pudding, runner beans, cabbage and leeks, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, heritage carrots (they looked like dead fingers), underdone parsnips, a wedge of rock-hard stuffing and extra portions of pigs in blankets and broccoli and cauliflower cheese. Sadly, the meal was disappointing, with the gravy tasteless and thin. We suspected most items had been frozen, especially the roast potatoes, which were dense and unappetising. When I think about how we turn out a roast at home, I could have cried...

We decided to forgo a pud, paid the bill and fled. We all wanted to get home now, see the cats and relax before work tomorrow. The unpacking and washing could wait!

We had a good journey home and turned off the A1 and onto the A43 at Stamford. Overhead, the skies were cloudy, and it looked like there had been rain. We made a brief stop at the Co-op at Kettering, and I bought another pack of sticky toffee pudding and custard.

Of course, there were no cats around, so we unpacked the car, put away as much as we could, and collapsed on the sofa. I had an indulgent hour watching All Creatures Great and Small, and we enjoyed our puds with lashings of creamy custard. Both cats came in eventually and were hugged and kissed!

Tomorrow it's back to reality!

Birthday celebrations in Northumberland 25th - 27th September 2026

Charge anxiety...

I did not have the best night's sleep, unfortunately. I found it difficult to drop off and then was awake several times; I have no idea why! We woke to a grey day, and before we set off, it started to rain. The poor cattle opposite were all huddled together trying to find some shelter, bless them!

View from the kitchen of the surrounding hills under a leaden sky!

We had decided to leave at about 9:30am and drive to Lindisfarne, where we were hoping to be able to charge Olive in a car park. We had about 100 miles of charge, and we were all starting to get worried about the lack of rapid chargers nearby. It had never been our intention to take Olive, and we hadn't rented accommodation with a charging point. The remote location didn't help!

Northumberland is very rural, with small towns and villages dotted about the fells, and it took us over an hour to get to Holy Island, as it's also called, along a series of narrow, winding roads. We had rain for the first part of the journey and then the skies cleared to brilliant sunshine. The scenery was staggeringly beautiful, but I had to concentrate on the challenging roads!

As we turned off the A1, we could see the island in the distance. We had looked up the tide times and knew that we had to be off the island by 1:15pm at the very latest. Getting caught halfway between the island and the mainland would be disastrous! It was amusing to see our satnav enter the sea as we drove along, passing the refuge point halfway. Sand covered the road, and there were pools of seawater everywhere. As we entered the island, we passed sand dunes covered in coarse grass. Some people had parked their cars and were no doubt hiking on the island.

This was our fifth (I think) visit to the island, and we were astonished at how busy it was. On previous visits, we had found the small village quiet and peaceful, and had even stayed overnight on two occasions, enjoying the feeling of being cut off from the mainland by the tide.

Sophie directed us to the car park where we found a small row of charging points. We had enormous difficulty hooking up to one, and had to use our own charging cable. In the end, Sophie had to download an app to use the charger, and became stressed about the whole experience. It certainly wasn't feeling like a holiday for her, poor thing.

Amid the crowds...

We could see a long line of people walking towards Lindisfarne Castle, but as we'd been there before (and there wasn't much to see), we walked into the village. I was determined to buy a bottle of the island's famous mead, and Sophie was desperate for a pint of Guinness. The streets were busy with people wandering about, with many carrying bags from Lindisfarne Mead.

We came to The Manor House Hotel, where Keith and I stayed on our first visit, and went into The Crown and Anchor pub, which was lovely and quiet. Sophie ordered a pint of Guinness, I had a half, and Keith chose a pint of real ale. We sat and chatted, and several people came in, including a couple with two dogs. It was their first visit, and they quizzed the young woman behind the bar, who said she had lived on Holy Island for eight years and loved it. I'm not sure how I'd feel about being cut off from the mainland twice a day! We were keeping a close eye on the time, as we didn't want to cross with hordes of cars!

They had a beautiful poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on the blackboard over the bar:

"The tide rises, the tide falls,

The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;

Along the sea-sands damp and brown

The traveller hastens toward the town,

And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Darkness settles on roofs and walls,

But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;

The little waves, with their soft, white hands,

Efface the footprints in the sands,

And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls

Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;

The day returns, but nevermore

Returns the traveller to the shore,

And the tide rises, the tide falls."

After our drink, we walked to Lindisfarne Mead, tried tiny samples of three versions, and bought some booze! I chose a bottle of normal Mead and a liqueur, while Sophie treated us to a bottle of ready-made Negroni. I also splashed out on a new glasses case and a Christmas decoration.

The Manor House, where Keith and I stayed in 1988

We had a slow amble back to the car, found it had charged up to about 100 miles, and managed to get the charger out once we'd locked and unlocked the car. These things are sent to try us! The journey back to the mainland went without mishap, and we stopped halfway to take some photos.

Our plan for lunch was to go to Bamburgh and have something to eat there. We had been before on numerous occasions and had enjoyed eating at the pubs there, as well as walking on the beach and gazing at the impressive castle which dominates the village. It was one of our favourite places to visit in Northumberland, and we were looking forward to showing Sophie the village now that she was older.

It was a lovely journey once we'd turned off the A1, and we followed the Northumberland Coastal Route. The sea looked beautifully blue, and cars were parked along the road with people on the beach. We reached Bamburgh, and I was astonished to see how many people were about, and how many cars were parked along the road. The place was rammed! We had never seen it like that before!

Bamburgh in 2007: empty!

Bamburgh 2007

We knew there was a charging point in the car park on the edge of the village, but unfortunately, there was no space. An ice cream van was occupying two of the charging points, so we gave up and returned to the village so Sophie could use the loo. We realised that even if we had managed to park, it would have been difficult to grab a table for lunch, judging by how many people were about!

We continued to Seahouses, but it was rammed with people there as well, all of them meandering about enjoying the sunshine and partaking of the many fish and chip outlets dotted about.

We gave up and decided to head for Rothbury, our nearest town, where we knew there was a charging point in the car park of the cottage hospital. The route we took was undeniably gorgeous and wound its way up and down, around and about, through remote villages and farmhouses, with stunning views and fields of sheep and cows.

It took us a while to get to Rothbury, and we had a short, sharp argument when we arrived at the hospital, as it was a fair walk from the town, and I suggested having lunch first before going back and charging up Olive.

I managed to park on the street, and we entered the first pub we came to, The Queen's Head. It was busy and lively, so we decided to have a drink and visit a nearby restaurant for something to eat. There was a very convivial atmosphere in the pub, and we sat and did a fair amount of people-watching!

It was a short walk to Bewick's restaurant, an eatery that was run by a London chef who used to have a Michelin star, no less! The restaurant was in a lovely old building overlooking the main street and had an outdoor eating area where people were enjoying the afternoon sunshine. We chose to sit indoors and had a good look at the menu. Sophie said it was different to the one she'd seen online, and we opted for three "small plates" consisting of a Scotch egg, pâté with toast and olives. Sophie ordered a glass of Rosé, Keith had an expensive bottle of beer (£7.95), while I stuck to fizzy water.

By now, we were all hungry, and the food was delicious, but there wasn't enough toast, and the pâté was served in a fiddly little jar. Keith kept vainly trying to get as much out as he could, but failed! He also ate all the salad! How dare he! We would have loved more bread to mop up the sauce from the egg and the olives!

It looks like a lot of bread, but it wasn't!

After we'd eaten and paid the bill, Keith walked back to the car while Sophie and I did some shopping in a nearby Co-op. We bought a pizza and quiche for dinner this evening, as well as wine and beer and salad.

Hanging about!

It was then time to go and park up for a while and charge the car so we could get to the services on the A1 tomorrow! The car park was quieter now, with another car using the second charging point. Sophie had already downloaded the app and put some money on her account, so we hooked Olive up and relaxed. Keith stayed in the car to read the newspaper, while Sophie and I wandered over to a wooden bench and table and scoffed a wrap each as we were still hungry! The views were beautiful, and we could see the surrounding hills and the town spread out below us. It was beautifully peaceful, apart from the happy sounds of children playing in a nearby playground. We could see signs of Autumn everywhere, with the trees changing colour.

We had to wait over an hour to charge Olive up to 150 miles. A rapid charger it was not! Once we had reached our goal, we drove to the cottage and, to our shock, found the front door open... Luckily, nothing had been taken, and we think that the lock was a little faulty and we hadn't closed the door properly this morning. It was a bit alarming, though!

We spent the evening relaxing. Sophie and I sat outside at the front with a glass of wine until the stiff breeze sent us back inside, and I watched a Netflix show about renovating houses in Mississippi. Sophie read while Keith played games on my laptop, and it was lovely and relaxed!

Keith and I watched Unabomber on Netflix over the course of the evening, while Sophie was engrossed in her book. We ate about 8:00pm and even enjoyed a portion of sticky toffee pudding afterwards! Well, we were on holiday!

Birthday celebrations in Northumberland 25th - 27th September 2026

The long, hard slog...

We were up, showered, dressed, and packed by 8:15am this morning, and Sophie did most of the work, putting everything in the car and making a flask of coffee to drink on the journey. We had no choice but to take Olive, as I certainly didn't want to take our courtesy car with "Crash Repairs" emblazoned all over it! This meant we had to research charging stations along the way, and we planned to stop near Wetherby.

The sun was shining when we left, but we encountered cloud and a bit of fog on the A14 and M1. The traffic was heavy and stayed that way for the whole journey. I know I shouldn't compare the roads in the UK to France, but I thought fondly of the empty autoroutes in my favourite country, and the congestion made for unpleasant driving. I had to keep my wits about me the whole time! 

As we made our slow progress north, the weather worsened, and we had rain when we reached the huge services at Wetherby. We were able to grab a rapid charging station and went into the services to use the facilities, buy a newspaper and some food from Greggs. On the journey, we've been on the lookout for inspiration for my next car, and we admired a new Renault Scenic but then found out the new versions are electric only...

It took almost an hour to recharge Olive to 99%, and we set off again on the A1(M), passing Scotch Corner, Durham and then weaving our way through heavy traffic in Newcastle. Sophie had planned on taking us through the Tyne Tunnel, but Jeeves must have had a change of plan, and he took us through the city on the motorway.

Once through Newcastle, we were on a two-lane highway, and the traffic did calm down a bit. Sophie directed me to the coastal town of Amble, where we planned on having lunch at a seafood restaurant called The Fish Shack. Since Wetherby, the charge had dropped again, and we realised that when Sophie charged her phone in the car, this gobbled up electricity as well!

We found a small car park with a charging point where we had planned on powering up Olive while we had lunch, but the time limit was just one hour... We gave up on that, found another car park, but the Pay and Display machines didn't accept cards. We were starting to feel extremely fed up, but the car park next door did take cards. Strange!

We walked the short distance to The Fish Shack to find out they were full and wouldn't be able to seat us for lunch. Arrghhh! One of the staff then told us about their sister restaurant, The Boat House, which might have free tables. It was a short walk away, across a grey expanse of tarmac bordered by an inlet of the sea where rusty fishing boats were moored. It was obvious that Amble was very much a working fishing town.

I was wearing totally the wrong clothes for the weather today, and had on a short-sleeved dress. Other, more sensible people were warmly clothed in jeans, jumpers and coats. Luckily, the restaurant had a table free, and we took our seats before perusing the huge menus. Chalkboards also advertised daily specials, and the dishes were not cheap! Our choice of fish and chips was £22.95.

The service was slow, and the waiter kept apologising, even though his colleague was more interested in clearing tables rather than taking our order. Eventually, our order was taken, and Sophie and I chose a 500ml carafe of French Sauvignon Blanc to drink with our meal, while Keith stuck to lager.

The food was very good, the portions large and the batter wonderfully crispy, with succulent haddock cooked to perfection. Keith was impressed! Sophie and I shared a creme brulée for pud, and we paid the bill.

"I'm not crossing the A1!"

Before heading to our Airbnb in the village of Netherton, we popped into a Morrisons supermarket on the outskirts of Amble and charged up Olive. We bought milk and pastries for tomorrow's breakfast and then sat in the car until we had 150 miles on the clock, watching people arrive to do their weekly shopping or collect their groceries. The experience today has made me determined not to buy an electric car until the range increases and the availability of rapid chargers increases. Travelling abroad with an electric car would make for a very long journey!

We followed Jeeves's directions to get to the house, but he wanted me to turn right over the hectically busy, two-lane A1, and I refused. Cars were travelling at speeds of 70 mph, and the thought of doing this broke me out in a cold sweat. When I was learning to drive, my instructor once wanted me to turn right across a dual carriageway near my house in rush hour, and she had to use her dual controls to get me across. It has been a problem for me ever since, and I look at cars waiting to cross on the busy A43 or A14 with horror!

Instead, I turned left, and when the road narrowed to one lane, I made a right turn. We then followed a very windey, up-and-downy road to the house. It was like being on a roller coaster! I pulled over twice to let locals whizz past me.

When we arrived at the group of holiday cottages, we found someone had taken our space, so we nicked another space and unpacked the car. We were delighted with the cottage, a four-bedroom barn conversion all on one level with a beautiful kitchen, living room with log burner and views across the Northumberland fells.

Once we'd unpacked, we sat on the terrace with glasses of wine and a beer, and chatted. We took blankets out with us as it was quite chilly! In the distance was a herd of cattle (male, I think), and we saw lots more people arriving to stay for the weekend.

The sun came out and bathed the distant hills in a golden light, and we all hoped the weather would be fine for the rest of the weekend! Those hot and sunny days are a distant memory!

Our evening was spent watching BBC1 and we had no inclination at all to eat anything else!

Frustrating issues!

Today has been frustrating at work, mainly due to computer issues and I wrote down a list of things that we've had problems with this week! I asked Sophie if Mercury was retrograde, but it wasn't! I finally managed, with the help of someone from payroll, to get onto one of our systems that I need for my job, but there were still glitches that affected the whole company.

Thankfully, the day passed swiftly, and it was great to be driving home and looking forward to a three-day weekend! We are going away to an Airbnb in Northumberland tomorrow, but I haven't even packed yet or thought about what clothes to take. The weather forecast is mixed for the weekend, so it's difficult to choose what to take!

As it was Keith's birthday today, we toasted him with Champagne, and he opened his cards and my gift of aftershave (Sophie bought dinner and the wine), and he FaceTimed with Mike. We ordered a Chinese takeaway for three people, which was delicious, with a couple of dishes we hadn't tried before.  

We made plans to leave at 8:00am in the morning, slightly later than originally planned, but at least we could have a little lie-in!                                                                                                                                                                                        

Happy Birthday, Keith!!

80 years young today!

Feeling annoyed!

I drove Olive to work today, and managed to call the insurance company at 9:00am to sort out the payment. I now need to find another car quickly, but this is not the ideal week to do it! I want to actually look at another car, drive it and make sure it's OK, rather than buy it online and then take delivery.

Sophie and Keith were expecting a new tumble dryer that I'd ordered today, and I received multiple text messages, emails and phone calls from AO to say the machine was on its way. The driver seemed to text or call me every five minutes, and it was a bit over the top! I also had texts from the insurance company, so I felt frazzled! To make things worse, the owner of our Airbnb in Annecy in April texted Sophie to say she couldn't accommodate our booking any longer, as she had a long-term let. Sophie was furious and extremely upset and refused to cancel the booking, as it wasn't our fault. This was all going on while we were at work, but thankfully it happened during Sophie's lunch hour!

When I finished at 4:00pm, I took Olive to the car wash in Kingsthorpe and sprayed the front of the car with insect remover, as there were little creepy crawlies squashed on the bonnet. Back at home, I wasn't pleased with the result and had to go around with a cloth to finish it off!

Sophie was still looking frazzled with the delivery of the tumble dryer and trying to work with texts flying back and forth, so we relaxed with a drink before dinner. We looked at Airbnbs and found another one that we both loved and submitted a request to book. This one had fantastic views but was more expensive...

Dinner tonight was delicious: we enjoyed chicken burgers with salad and decided to forgo the potato wedges for once. "What? You have no potato products?!"

Hunting high and low!

Today has been fine, and I swing from enjoying this new job to disliking it! I think a lot of employees who worked for the old company feel the same! I know many people who left and bounced right back, so it's not a surprise. We are still getting used to the procedures and the way the company is managed.

My insurance company called me today to discuss the value of the car. I was expecting a battle with them, but they offered me more than I was expecting, so I readily agreed. They wanted details of the logbook, which I didn't have on me, so I would call them back after work. Before I left, I called Keith to ask him to find it so it would be ready when I got home.

When I arrived, he had the wrong one out, as I'd transferred the car into my name last January, with the blessing of my Dad. We hunted everywhere for the proper one, and I even called the repair company to check that I hadn't left it in the VW. She told me off for leaving it in the car, but I hadn't anyway, and she couldn't find it. By now, it was too late to call the insurance company back, and then Keith had a brainwave and checked the little plastic folders we take on holiday. We found it, along with the breakdown cover and the headlamp converters! Phew! One of the French laws is that you need to take your logbook with you when you drive abroad, but I have never been asked for it! I put it in my bag to take to work tomorrow, and I'll call them there.

In the evening, Keith went to see Sileby play and Sophie and I made jerk chicken pasta again. We are watching A Place in the Sun avidly at the moment and focusing on people looking for houses in France, particularly in the Charente region. We are both astounded at the prices! Just over £100,000 for a three-bedroom house with land!

Sophie went upstairs with Mooney at 9:00pm while I settled down to watch another episode of Britain's Lost Masterpieces. Keith arrived home slightly earlier this evening, so we had a quick chat about the game, and then it was time for bed. I am back at work tomorrow, as I've swapped my day off for Friday this week. It was a bit of a shock knowing I was back at work in the morning, while Sophie was working from home, lucky thing!

A quiet start to the week

Monday was quiet and uneventful, with not a lot to report. I felt a bit upset when I got into work and found four timesheets on my desk that hadn't been included on the payroll run, and I feared I'd made a mistake. It wasn't a good start to the day! However, I learnt that the staff had put the timesheets in the wrong folders, so it was an error on their part. Next month, just in case, I will check, though! We can do advances on pay, so it wasn't a disaster, but 

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and when I arrived home, Lynn came around to pick up the car shampoo I was giving away. We had a moan about the tip, both of us disappointed that they don't seem to be recycling as much as previously. I honestly thought that most items could be recycled these days!

The evening passed in the usual manner, but we watched a new French crime drama called Coastal Unit, which is a worthy successor to both Panda and Carpe Diem!

Annoying the spiders!

I was up quite early, and by 9:00am, after a cup of coffee, I was in the garage and starting a mammoth clear-out! I decided to tackle the garage methodically, commencing with the shelves near the door, which were full of paint tins, old plant pots, decorating implements... You get the picture!

Keith came out to join me and went through the drawers where he keeps all of his "man" stuff - boxes and boxes of screws, nails, hammers, tools, etc. Within a couple of hours, Sophie's car was full, and she had booked a slot at the tip.

In the process, I swept up leaves that get blown in and upset many, many little creatures, most notably spiders! Ugh! While we were clearing out the garage, Sophie stayed in the house, preparing breakfast and lunch for work tomorrow, hoovering, sorting out the laundry and making us mugs of tea.

Keith and I went for the first booking, and I was disappointed that the tip is no longer accepting hard plastic to be recycled. It now goes into landfill, which was a huge shame. We try to recycle everything we dispose of, but today quite a bit went into the unrecyclable skip. 

As well as taking stuff to the tip, I advertised some items on Facebook to give away for free. Sophie had brought home a load of paper, staplers and hole punchers, so they found a new home and Lynn, our neighbour, said she would have some car shampoo bottles! I also ordered a box from Vintage Cash Cow and enquired about a cabin at the antique emporium at Weedon Bec. Any money we make will go towards a holiday!

We had ham and cheese baguettes for lunch, and then carried on all afternoon, going to the tip one more time. Predictably, it was busy both times with people making use of the gorgeous weather to tackle their gardens, sheds and garages, just like us!

By about 4:00pm, we'd had enough, and I had a long soak in the bath. I was so glad that Sophie was cooking dinner and most of it had been done. Our dinner was delicious and well-deserved, as we had all worked very hard! Isn't today supposed to be a day of rest?!

Cars galore!

We had planned a weekend of staying home, with only a trip to the recycling centre to get us out of the house, but it didn't work out that way!

We spent the morning looking at cars on online selling platforms like Cinch and Carwow, and I almost bought two! One was an Audi Q3, but it was more than we wanted to pay and would have used a lot of our savings. The other was a white Peugeot 3008, and I called to see if I could arrange a test drive. It wasn't possible, but as I looked at it, it disappeared and said it was sold!

We looked at so many cars that we began to feel a bit shell-shocked, and they all began to blur into one mass! In the end, we started to be ruthless with our choices, such as discounting any without a spare wheel, but in the end I decided I wanted to see the car, drive it and make sure it's OK before I take the leap.

Sophie prepared tonight's dinner of chicken casserole while I took all the hearts down in the conservatory to do some cleaning. They were all festooned with cobwebs, and some of them were well past their best, so we decided not to put them back up. I gazed with dismay at the roof of the conservatory that needed cleaning, and submitted an enquiry to a local company.

We pottered about for another couple of hours, and went to see my Mum in the afternoon. She seemed a bit confused again, but then said as clearly as anything to one of the carers, "Did you have a good couple of days off?" We were speechless, as when speaking to us she wasn't making a lot of sense and seemed to have no idea what day it was! Hmmm! We stayed for an hour and tried to get the television working, as she had lost all of the terrestrial channels, such as BBC1, etc. 

Before heading home, we popped to the pub for a drink and a bite to eat. We hadn't eaten much at all during the day, so we ordered a bucket of chips (a very small bucket!), some tzatziki with Greek flatbread, and chicken satay. The food was delicious, and it was lovely to sit, relax and look forward to our Saturday evening.

We got home after Keith, who had been to see Sileby, told him we'd been to the pub and didn't want dinner... thankfully, he didn't mind! Sophie and I played Scrabble with a Vesper each, and almost had a bickerfest about the scores. I'd been leading, and then Sophie went way ahead! I ended up winning, but I think my daughter was annoyed with me!

We finally watched What Lies Beneath, and Sophie spent most of the time screaming. It was a good, scary film, and Harrison Ford looked very handsome in it! Swoon!

Feeling a little sad...

My heart sank when Liam arrived at 8:00am this morning, but he was very well-behaved and quiet all day! We had a chat about cars, so it was good to have some company. I do miss my former colleagues and the little chats we used to have!

At lunchtime, just as I was about to have something to eat, I had a Teams meeting with Kally, who looks after all the managers in the area. She wanted to show me about taking cash, but most of it went over my head! I learn by doing, not by looking, so I felt a bit deflated in the afternoon. I go from one day enjoying the job to the next wishing I was doing something else, which is very tiring for my family, and this impacted our Friday evening and set the tone for the weekend, unfortunately.

I realised, almost like an epiphany, that I haven't really enjoyed any job I've done, even when I was working with my parents! I was happy for the most part when I worked at the same location with my old company, but there were still days when I walked out, determined to look for something else! It's definitely me! I envy people who love their job and don't see it as work!

So, Friday evening was a bit subdued and the plan to watch What Lies Beneath, starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer, was put on hold. We plonked a tray of Tesco curries into the oven and drank a Picpoul de Pinet. After dinner, we caught a couple of episodes of Top of the Pops from the 80s, so that made us smile!

Annoying noises!

We decided to make do and use ingredients in the cupboard for our dinner this evening, so Keith didn't have to go shopping. I dropped Sophie at the station and carried on to work, arriving just in time. It was my turn to buy the breakfasts today, and I used the new Greggs app on my phone. I have to say it was very easy to do!

Dan left at lunchtime, and Liam came into the office with me. He spent the afternoon making an annoying noise with his pen, which drove me crazy, so I was in a foul mood when I drove home. I ranted to Keith, so he must have thought I was a madwoman! I had to agree with him!

We went to pick up Sophie again, and she was in a much better mood than yesterday, so that was good. She had the leftovers from her lasagne for dinner, while Keith had made a delicious corned beef, onion and potato stew for us, served with crusty bread. Sophie and I enjoyed a delicious French red wine to go with our meals; it was a wine from Vaison-la-Romaine, and it brought back happy memories!

Bad news...

Sophie was off to Birmingham this morning to attend her yearly trade show, so Keith and I dropped her at the station before heading home to tackle the usual Wednesday chores. I was determined to find out what was happening with the car today, as it's now been three weeks since the accident, and I've had no news from either the insurance company or the garage about the repair.

I wish now I hadn't bothered. When I finally got through to the claims department, I was told the car was a "total loss" and that the garage had been sent the information on the 7th of September, over a week ago! I was very upset, as I honestly thought we would get the VW back. I now have to look for a new car, with all the hassle that comes with it. I was going to replace the car in the new year, but now I've been forced to do it!

The man I spoke to said that the specialist department dealing with a total loss would contact me next week, but in the meantime to look at valuations myself for the car, so I was prepared. My morning was therefore taken up with dealing with this and cleaning the conservatory, as Kym was due to come and see to our feet just after lunchtime. The hoover was making a strange noise, and when I looked at the brush, I could see it was jammed with hair! I then spent half an hour cutting it all out. In the end, there was enough for a new wig for Sophie or me! What a delightful morning!

Kym arrived at about 1:30pm and showed me photos of her wedding, which had taken place the day Sophie and I drove to Bergerac. She looked stunning in the photos, and it was lovely to chat about her day.

So, Keith and I have some big decisions to make in the next few months. We need a new car, and the en-suite bathroom is still awaiting a renovation as well. I feel we're in a bit of a slump at the moment, to be honest. Sophie is still hobbling about on her swollen ankle, and although our problems are little niggles, and nothing major, it feels like there is a steady drip, drip of issues happening that we could definitely do without!

Sophie's train arrived back in Northampton at just past 6:00pm, so we drove to collect her, and she'd had an exhausting day and was not in the best of moods! We bustled about doing the dinner as soon as we got home, and she had a drink to relax! I did too!

A busy start to the week!

Monday

I drove myself to work this morning and spent a frustrating day trying to get our outstanding invoices paid. I was busy all day, but I didn't achieve much! I also had a Teams meeting with other colleagues and a woman from the Independent Cinema Office regarding the opening of the cinema soon. I'm looking forward to this!

Back home, I pottered about, and we had the beef burgers that we should have had last night for dinner. Keith was looking forward to watching Newcastle play Leeds tonight, but the outcome was disappointing. Sophie and I went upstairs to watch Help! We Bought A Village, a much more relaxing choice!

Tuesday

I had another busy day at work, and I think I'm keeping my head above the water! I'm determined not to have over three hundred emails in my inbox like Sheila had, and I try to tackle them when they come in!

Keith and I went home at 4:00pm, and I hoovered and did some housework before Sophie arrived. Her ankle is a little better, but over the next two days she'll be at a trade show in Birmingham, so it'll be tough on her feet!

We enjoyed meatballs and pasta for dinner, and Keith went to see Sileby play. We watched the last episode of a documentary about a woman who pretended her son was seriously ill, and when the cats came in, Sophie went upstairs for some cuddles while I watched a programme about Britain's lost masterpieces. Keith came home at 10:00pm, happy to report that Sileby had won!

A muddy run!

We woke up to rain steadily falling out of a grey sky this morning, which wasn't good news for Sophie as she was taking part in a 10K run at Holdenby House. She set off at 8:00am while I relaxed with a coffee in the dry!

We had arranged to meet her at 10:45am at The Red Barn Café near Spratton for breakfast. I kept in touch with her throughout her run, and she said she'd twisted her ankle as the ground she was running on was uneven and slippery in places because of the rain.

She collected her medal at the end and enjoyed a free bottle of apple juice to celebrate! We drove over to Spratton to meet her, and arrived at the café a few minutes before her. We were seated by one of the pleasant staff who changed our table because of an influx of flies! I certainly didn't want them bothering us as we ate our breakfast!

Sophie arrived looking wet, muddy and sweaty, and we congratulated her on her achievement. Before long, she'll be doing the London Marathon! We had a good look at the menu, choosing sausage and bacon rolls, and a bowl of granola and compote for Sophie. She and Keith had tea while I opted for a flat white, one of the smallest I've ever had!

We enjoyed our breakfast, but I'm not sure we'll venture back. Keith said his bap was greasy, and I did feel queasy myself after eating. The café was noisy and felt just a little grubby to me. It had good reviews and it was great to try somewhere new, and I didn't even know it existed!

Back home, we pottered about, and Sophie put her trainers into the washing machine to wash. Her ankle had swelled up, so she wasn't happy about that, especially as next week she's at a trade show in Birmingham and will be on her feet for two days. I put some grass seed down on the back lawn, but it's so bald I used it all up and had to order some more! With the sunshine and rain showers today, it should do well!

Sophie had a lovely hot shower, and we went to see my Mum for an hour. We took her down to the lounge for a change and chatted to her, as well as showing her some photos on our phones. Sophie's foot began to hurt, so we returned home to relax, and after Keith had watched the football, I switched on Saturday Morning Kitchen, not really the best of programmes to watch on a Sunday evening when the weekend was over!

Surrounded by art!

Sophie and I were up early this morning and on our way to Market Harborough at 8:45am, as my daughter had a hair appointment at 10:00am. We found a parking space easily and walked to Just So Italian for a coffee and an almond croissant. This is definitely our favourite place to go to now in Market Harborough, and I'm sure we've tried everywhere! We used to hang out at Café Nero years ago, but no longer!

After we'd enjoyed our breakfast, we popped to Boots and then crossed the street to the hairdressing salon. There were no seats free, so I went to Costa and had another flat white there! Once I finished my coffee, I went back and waited for Sophie while reading my book. It was very relaxing!

We avoided the charity shops today (apart from the Oxfam bookshop) and browsed in Waterstones, where Sophie bought three books. She is such a passionate reader, and I love seeing her curled up with a book in her nook! We also popped into the new art gallery and admired some very modern, brightly coloured art!

We walked up the main street and noticed more artwork in the shop windows. The art exhibition is on again at Lamport, and they were also showing off works around town. We ventured down a small alleyway to explore a couple more shops, and met a woman with a tiny Pomeranian dog in her bag. The dog was called Pom, and she was gorgeously fluffy and friendly!

We walked further up the street and went to a new store called Neptune, which specialised in kitchens and homewares. This is now the third shop in the town selling overpriced tat, and I noticed candles for £45. We beat a hasty retreat!

By now, we were a bit peckish, so we decided to have a light lunch at The Wine Shed. We sat outside (the sky looked a bit ominous, though!), ordered a glass of wine each, and had paté and bread, and a sourdough roll filled with cheese and salami, with a hot honey dressing.

It was breezy sitting outside, and guests who were attending a wedding at the nearby church arrived in flowery dresses and ordered a bottle of wine. A couple asked for blankets to keep warm; it was that kind of day! Sophie and I chatted about our dream of buying a property in northern France, and she texted her ex-manager, who has an apartment not far from Boulogne. We wanted to pick her brains, so we arranged to take her out for lunch and ask lots of questions! We then saw a lovely flat in Deauville, which would be great to rent out in the Spring and Summer! We have to have dreams!

By the time we'd eaten our lunch and Sophie had enjoyed a Negroni, we decided to call it a day and head to Lamport to check out this year's artworks. The sky had clouded over, and we had dodged a few droplets of rain over lunch. We parked behind the hall and went for a cup of tea and cake first. Sophie chose a slice of red velvet cake, while I went for my favourite, Victoria Sponge. We sat at a wobbly table in the old stables, and I was bemused to see that the café was using packets of wooden cutlery. Why not just put out normal knives, forks and spoons and wash them?

We then spent a pleasant hour wandering about, looking at the different forms of art, from photography, painting, jewellery, textiles and sculpture. There wasn't much that caught my eye apart from a gorgeous wooden bench that had already been sold.

Inspired by Tina Turner...why?

By 4:00pm we had had enough, so it was time to head home, relax and look forward to a Chinese takeaway and a game of Scrabble. Need I say that Sophie beat me? She always does!

After enjoying our meal, we started watching Charlie Wilson's War, but it left all of us cold, so we switched on Carpe Diem instead. A much better choice!

Remembering 25 years ago...

I was looking forward to a day on my own in the office as Dan was working from home, but I was joined by Liam, who used to work for my old company as well. We worked well together and had a little reminisce every now and again!

Time flew again today, and before I knew it, it was 4:00pm and Keith was waiting. We drove home, and I relaxed before Sophie arrived. Our viewing choice tonight was A Place in the Sun, with a very chirpy couple looking for a house in Soller, on Mallorca. The woman was very annoying, and in the end, they didn't find anything they liked, which didn't surprise us! Why not rent for a few months instead of buying? Their £300,000 did not get them a lot!

We were late having dinner tonight, as Keith didn't get home until 7:45pm last week, and the dinner was waiting around for his return. Of course, he was early tonight, so he had to wait!

After dinner, we watched a sobering account of the 9/11 terrorist attack, with moving accounts from people affected, including one woman who had over 80% burns on her body. It was a very sad and tragic documentary and also included footage of the plane which hit the Pentagon and the one which crashed in a field. I can remember exactly where I was on the 11th of September, 2001, and I was on my way to pick up Sophie from school when I turned on the radio and heard the terrible news. It seems incredible that it was 25 years ago. Where have the years gone?

Something different!

I was back at work this morning, and my workday flew by! I am now enjoying working on my own and organising things my way. Kally, one of the managers, came in again, and we had a great chat before we walked to the nursery, who rent space from us, and spoke with the woman who runs it. I wanted to introduce myself, and I have to admit that both of us were surprised she was there!

We then had a tour of the new gym, I showed Kally where I used to sit (our old office is now a beautiful, new gym with air-conditioning) and went downstairs to the Reformer Pilates room, where the equipment looked like instruments of torture!

After work, Keith and I sped over to Kettering to take Mum a bag of toiletries, and she was sitting in the dining room, so I didn't stay. I said I would pop back over the weekend to see her and bring Sophie with me.

Sophie was going running with Becky after work this evening, and they ran around Brackmills, doing a 5k run in preparation for a 10k event on Sunday. She became embroiled in traffic on the way home, caused by two separate incidents on the awful A45. 

Dinner tonight was simple: fish fillets, wedges and mushy peas served with a curry sauce! Definitely different for us, and the curry sauce was delicious! 

We are noticing how early it now gets dark. Autumn is well and truly here now!

Garden toil!

Sophie was working from home today, and it was lovely to have her in the house while I was off. We sat and had a coffee in the kitchen before I started work in the garden. I wanted to rake up all the leaves that had fallen, clear the small area by the fence in preparation for putting some gravel down and a bench, and just tidy up everything.

Keith came out to join me, and together we worked hard. I raked up loads of leaves, took some more ivy down from the fence and asked Keith to cut down a bush that had clearly suffered in the drought we had. He managed to cut it all away, and we put all the prunings into our big sack and made an appointment for the tip.

While we were sitting having a coffee that Sophie had made for us, we were joined by a young robin who certainly knew that we were clearing the soil so he could find worms! When Mooney came out, he eyed the bird with lots of interest and kept "chirruping". I warned him not to touch the bird! He had already caught one earlier today that had got into the living room!

Ready for gravel and a bench to enjoy the sunshine!

Toiling away!

Some plants never made it over our hot and dry summer

Remarkably, the grass has sprung back after the lack of rain, but I will need to put the grass seed down next week after we've had more showers.

Crouching jaguar watching the birdies!

Keith and I went to the tip, heaved the huge bag into the garden waste skip and returned home to have sandwiches for lunch. We then hoovered out Sophie's car, I hoovered downstairs and peeled some more vegetables for dinner. It had been a busy morning and early afternoon!

I called the care home to let them know I'd go and see my Mum tomorrow, as I had run out of time this afternoon. I wanted to get the garden tidied, and we were pleased it looked so much better!

Eureka!

I felt a little depressed this morning on the way to work, and felt that there was surely more to life than this. It was raining and grey, so that didn't help! I had another busy day, and I'll certainly never be bored in this job! On the way home, Keith and I called into Waitrose to ask if a ring had been handed in, but it hadn't. I even scoured the car park!

When I got home, I watched an episode of the new series of Help! We Bought a Village and felt a slight pang of envy for those who had bought derelict or rundown properties abroad and were doing them up. One couple had bought a hamlet of buildings in France and were facing a mammoth task to clear away all the overgrown bushes and trees, so they had called in help. I would as well!

As I was watching, my phone rang, and it was Sophie to say she'd found her ring. She had gone out to her car to drive home, and the ring was sitting in the middle of the passenger seat. Now, this was very weird, as she had checked several times, and I had even knelt on the seat last night to check under the driver's seat! Surely I would have felt it or seen it? She was ecstatic, and so was I! I hated seeing her so unhappy.

I cooked dinner tonight, and we had loads of vegetables as we hadn't been eating too well over the last few days (yesterday was leftover chilli from Friday with nachos). We enjoyed meaty sausages, mashed potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and green beans! It was good not having them for a while, as we all appreciated them more!

Our evening viewing was Carpe Diem, a series we're enjoying very much. It was a lovely feeling that I'm not at work tomorrow and was planning a day in the garden! 

The lost ring

Today was my first day at work without Sheila, so I was a little nervous. Our Fitness Manager, Charlie, came into the office to do some printing, and she looked a little fed up, saying she used to work at another leisure centre and it was totally different to how it was with us. She said, like me, she felt overwhelmed with the workload. I think the problem is that the staff are still getting the hang of things and have either been moved over from my old company or are brand new, like me. We are all in the same boat!

I was very busy all day but felt like I'd done OK without Sheila. I have to say that I do miss my old colleagues, though, and the chats we used to have!

When Sophie came home, she went up to get changed, and I heard her exclaim loudly that she'd lost the ring on her little finger. It was the one she'd bought in L'Escala, and she was devastated. We looked everywhere: in her bedroom, throughout the house, in her car and on the driveway, but her ring was nowhere to be found. She'd had a bad day at work, and this was the final straw. She was worried she'd lost it in Waitrose when she popped in on her way home.

It made for a despondent evening. After dinner, we watched a Panorama documentary on 9/11 (surely I don't need to remind anyone it's the 25th Anniversary of the atrocity this Friday) and the connection between Saudi Arabia and the attack. How can it have been 25 years ago? I remember exactly where I was when it happened - on my way to collect Sophie from school - and we all watched with horror the events that unfolded.

Before going to bed, I reassured Sophie that the ring would turn up... watch this space!

An evening of silliness!

Sophie was running around Pitsford Reservoir this morning and met her friend, Becky, there at 10:00am. I tackled the housework and laundry, and when she got home, she brought goodies again! I enjoyed a matcha and shared a decadent croissant with Keith.

It's been another gorgeous day today, with warm sunshine and a gentle breeze, so perfect for getting the laundry dry outside. Sophie and I sat outside for a while, and I despaired at the state of the garden. There is so much to do in the house at the moment that I don't know where to start! When I'm off next Wednesday, I will try to get everything tidied up! At least the grass has perked up after the drought!

We had tickets for a show tonight: Sam Campbell's Kid Giblet Tour at Milton Keynes Theatre. We set off at 6:00pm and took Olive on the M1, as it was the fastest route. We parked easily near the theatre and went up to the Circle Bar for a drink and a tub of popcorn. I hadn't eaten much today, so I was hungry, but I wasn't sure that popcorn was the best thing to eat, as it was full of air! 

We sat and watched the theatre fill up with people and enjoyed a spot of people-watching. Just before 7:30pm, we went back down to the stalls entrance and found our seats right in the middle of a row. We had a good view, though, and there were various props on the stage, some of which made no sense and weren't even used in the show!

Sophie and I had enjoyed the last show we saw in Leicester, but unfortunately, tonight was not so enjoyable and was very silly. Some bits were funny, and we laughed, but we didn't find Sam Campbell as hilarious as last time. He had a bearded man on stage with him, who was supposed to be his IT support, but he wasn't funny, either. In the interval, we were able to order a bottle of water and ice creams and have them delivered to our seats! How decadent!

In the second half, a woman who had pretended to be an usher appeared and was on stage for a while telling jokes. When Sam Campbell reappeared, he asked everyone to add up their phone number, and anyone who scored over 59 had to go onto the stage! I didn't add mine up, but even if it had been over that number, there was no way I would have appeared on the stage! He spoke to everyone, and there were lots of people, with two winners who scored the highest. I'm not really sure what the point of it was, to be honest. Then they all threw yellow rubber gloves at the audience. Yes, it was that kind of show...

At the end, when we all thought the show was over, he came back on with two of the people who had appeared with him, and they wore weird hats with what looked like sausages sticking out of them, and pranced about the stage. It was a relief when it was actually over, and we could go home!

Celebrity sightings!

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

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

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

Sophie looking very becoming, unlike some in the queue!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scenes from a black cab

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

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

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

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

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