Day 92 - "All that Jazz"

Before anyone says I'm drunk.....I'm not, just tired!!!

So, yes you have guessed - tonight will be brief!

Our first Jazz evening of the summer season, and actually the way my August calender is looking....the last!!!

 

Riley, what a star of the evening, my highlight me and him playing the table drums.....but Chloe and Natalie is the photo of the day!  

Yep, still not a fan of Jazz but another eventful evening in the Pantiles!

Day 91 - The results are in.....

......the votes have been counted and verified!

In last place and going home first is Purple Lady with Nil Points!  

In joint second with five points each are Smokin' Cow and Flip Flops!

And our cheery chappy "namaste" wins the photo-off with seven votes.

Thanks for participating guys!

So today I am fasting and tonight is the only window of opportunity to make my tea loaf and crumble for Sarah and Emma's BBQ on Saturday....I am in some kind of kitchen, food, rumbling stomach nightmare!!  And my banana tea loaf with cranberry and cardamom smells soooooo good!

Actually can't stand it no more and the crumble will have to made on Saturday morning or Friday night after the pub (that could be interesting) - the temptation is too strong.....I have to be honest and admit I did lick the spoon!  Outrageous, I know....

Kitchen is closed!

Day 90 - Your vote counts!!!!

As it's day 90 of the Instagram Journey I thought I would do something a little different today!!

3 months ago I was in India and over the last few days I have been sorting out my photos....so today followers, you decide the photo of the day!

This montage of four photos are some that I really like - so let me know your favourite!

So in the comment field add:

1. Smokin' Cow

2. Namaste

3. Purple Lady

4. Flip Flops

Make sure your voice is heard, your favourite is not safe!!!!

Day 89 - Sunday in Southborough

Firstly I must apologise for my lack of blog content yesterday....but under the influence of coffee cocktails and Prosecco I couldn't function that well.....

I blame the bad influences that live in Southborough :-)

....sorry Auntie!  I did enjoy our Wadhurst wander and the tasty carrot and coriander tart, thank you!  And I liked the hair!!

So I started my Southborough Sunday at the King/Tuvalu residence and we had drinks in the garden while Reggie, in his fetching harness explored and tried to catch insects!

I then picked up Prosecco and wandered along the road to the Punter-Stones, where my second garden party commenced!  I was served "Pasta Puttanesca", a Sarah special which was delicious....however eating pasta with the stench of weed wafting over from the neighbours garden was unexpected!!

So the picture today is of the Southborough kitties....Reg & Joey!

Day 88 - Photographic......

Shouldn't be tiddly on a Sunday.....I apologise for my lack of blog ......

But my photographic Auntie.....is a star!

Goodnight!

Day 87 - She's Every Woman!!

Today I had my London adventure with my very own Rachel Marron! Mum loves London but I did feel a bit like Frank Farmer - guiding her across roads, keeping her out of the way of speeding taxis and monitoring her wine consumption!

We arrived in London at 4 and headed straight to Covent Garden...I should rewrite that and say we headed straight for Prosecco! What a pair of lushes, yep!!!

We had a fab dinner at Cucina Asellina, a trendy Italian restaurant on the Strand. Great decor, nice staff and delicious food....and tasty wine :-)

And so then the reason for our visit - The Bodyguard.

I saw the show last year and for mums birthday present I bought her a ticket as I knew she would enjoy it...in 1992 I took her to see the film at the cinema. 22 years ago, doesn't seem possible!!!

The leading lady when I went last year was (to me) an unknown name, so when I heard Alexandra Burke was playing Rachel I was keen to go again. 

Alex was great - her acting was good, the vocals pitch perfect and she nailed the money note on "I will always love you"......phew!!!!

Ma Tree or my very own "Queen of the night" loved the London adventure .... She is getting quite adventurous!

Day 86 - FNC

No! FNC doesn't stand for Fruit & Nut Combo....

But sometimes it should!!!  The "Friday Night Crew" is always such a laugh and tonight we had Fun, News and a lot of Commotion!

Tonight's blog is brief as I can hear the midnight chimes already pressurising me.....haven't missed a blog for over 80 days, not going to fail now....

Meakins congrats on the job, Mount Edge a grand seafood platter and ***#%]\\$$$¥¥!!! :-)

Goodnight from the FNC......and me!

Day 85 - Brownlee brothers beware!

The Commonwealth Games got underway today and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the triathlons! Congratulations to the Brownlee brothers, Jodie Stimpson and Vicky Holland for their medal wins!

On arrival home I picked up a flyer in our post box advertising the Hospice in the Weald 10k race in September and I got a horrible shock.....

I'm on the bloody flyer and what a god awful angle.....thank you Hospice!  

But look I'm winning and that focus is impressive, also you can see Dan and Natalie's heads in the middle of the group.  Dan is towering above the pack...

Me in full flow would scare the Brownlees....maybe I should train for the 2018 games in Australia's Gold Coast......I fancy heading back to Oz!

Day 84 - Lunchtime Stroll

Today was a warm one, not as ridiculously sweaty as Friday but hot enough!  So I decided to take a wander at lunchtime rather than catch up with True Blood. 

No Costa to grab a Coffee Cooler at or shops to browse - but who needs that when this beautiful scenery is on the doorstep!

I was just about to depart when a little chap followed me to the door, so with Zigi I set off for a walk down to the river!

Was a little worried he might run off so I kept his lead on for half the time, on the way back I bravely let him loose....apparently if you blow his whistle he stops!  And off he went.....

Ummmm, or maybe not - he turned round when I blew the whistle but kept trotting on....but sweetly he was obeying my whistle but wanted to find a shady spot before stopping!  Bless him....

I am enjoying the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, but John Barrowman and that awful Proclaimers song.....however they brought it back with good old Rod Stewart!  

Day 83 - Chunk & Trunk

By popular demand here is the return of Chunk!

This entry is entitled Chunk & Trunk and shows that me and Jeff (aka Chunk) have quite a bit in common!

Well not a lot really apart from weight issues and born in the same year!

Chunk's Bio:

Jeff Cohen was born Jeffrey Bertan McMahon in Los Angeles on June 25th 1974 and took his stage name from the maiden name of his mother, Elaine Cohen.  Since the part of "Chunk" entailed a lot of mockery at Cohen's considerable girth, he took up high school football and has since lost a great deal of weight as an adult. Jeff was the only Goonie who realised he had achieved artistic perfection in 1985 and turned his back on acting. He's now a lawyer in Los Angeles.

Trunk's Bio:

Born Gary Michael Tree on October 25th 1974, thankfully he decided not to take his mum's maiden name of Pronger for his "professional" career!!  Throughout his life Trunk's weight has fluctuated and after retiring from his tennis career in the summer of 2013 he has lost some weight with the help of the 5:2 diet! He's now an Indian Tour Operator in Horsmonden. 

Day 82 - Sunday saunter!

So Saturday was the Hellingly Pipers and tonight was the Penine Walk Pipers....

Lovely Monday night with Ad, Nicola and Samuel - alfresco dining and a good catch up!

Today's photo is from yesterdays dog walk with Dick and Natalie.  We wandered Southborough, Dick with Ava the Labrador,  Natalie with Hilda the Chihuahua and me with Ronnie....Hilda's son and my little mate!

After a walk through Southborough's wood Ava found a puddle and thought she would plunge head first into it - Dick weren't too pleased. 

A walk deserves a beer and we stopped off at the Imperial, they actually have a nice garden....Sarah and Emma were summoned and like a pair of whippets emerged pretty sharpish :-)

Today I paid the balance of my 40th America trip and did my Visa.....oh no, my thirties are running out too fast!!!  Make it stop........ 

Day 81 - Books, Bexhill and Besties!

I am now an expert in children's books!  Some are great, some are entertaining and others just baffle me....

Last night I read a goodnight story to Harry, and this morning I enthusiastically read several more!  You can't beat a bit of a Peppa Pig, but Dr Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham" is straight out of the loony bin!!

"I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am.” 

But I must say I did enjoy "The smartest giant in town".......

"My tie is a scarf for a cold giraffe, 

My shirt's on a boat as a sail for a goat,

But look me up and down - 

I'm the smartest giant in town."

It was lovely spending time with the Hellingly crew, always great catching up with my oldest friend, the Pilates Princess, delightful Harry and "it's raining men" Kath!

Before our evening of Chinese, G+T's, Bridesmaids and good old banter we headed to Bexhill for a bit of beach time!

Bexhill is usually a quiet area but we were suddenly launched into a 1920's shindig....with a fun fair (which Harry loved), a fly over from some vintage planes and an open air dance floor.....Kath, nearly had me donned in sequins and lycra and whizzing her round to the Jive!  

Here is a Bexhill montage.....

Day 80 - The night the aliens arrived!

Today is all about time with the Pipers - so I am going to be brief....

Here are some shots of last nights freaky storm.....

The aliens are coming....

Right back to Bridesmaids, an interesting conversation :-) and a glass of Rioja!

Day 79 - Flying Ants, Acrobatic Punter and clouds of Doom!

So the day after the night before, talking storm people.....it's me - no juicy gossip for you!!!

Work, it was so hot and sticky that I wanna forget it sharpish!!

Tonight was such good fun - started with me and Sarah on the lower cricket ground catching up with drinks and a buffet of crisps and a swarm of flying ants!

Those buggers always choose one night of the year to leave their nests and descend on us.....so why not choose FNC on the blankets night!  Thanks Ants!!!!

We were joined by a lushious trio - Caroline, Claire and Lindsey and then the "M" man with the badminton rackets :-)

Photo of the day - seriously fast track Ms Punter into the Commonwealth Games, the determination in that face is scary! 

The night on the common came to an abrupt end due to claps of thunder and flashes of lightning (nothing to do with the low levels of booze, honestly)  But what were those clouds about, a tad freaky!?  On the very quick walk back to the flat Claire and I were thinking that the thunder cloud of doom was hovering above Jackwood and awaiting us to return......to get us!!! 

But we made it and thank you Ms Waters for Pizza, wedges and good company up in the Jackwood Penthouse :-)

I have so many photos from tonight that I may use them next week..... #spoiler

Day 78 - As Cool As A Colin!

Today's blog is to highlight how trendy and cool my Dad has become.

He loves his Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and he is always on it checking the web, weather and sport. But today as well as taking a photo he actually texted it to me....not a huge achievement in the big scheme of things but it impressed me!

The photo shows Bosham, where I spent a few days this week. At high tide the sea comes right into the old village, flooding the lower road and several car parking spaces......this person must have been a tourist and didn't realise this!  Whoops, they can't have heard that in 750AD this area was called Bosa's water meadow!

Day 77 - Time for a 99!

Back in Sunny Tunny after a lovely few days in Bosham, or as Natalie keeps calling it Bosum!!

Since when has a 99 with a flake been £2.50!!?  Outrageous, but I really wanted one in humid London....

This morning left the folks behind in Bosham and caught the train to London Victoria. 

I met my work friend Sharon for lunch near Victoria - in a good old local pub.  Scampi & San Miguel on a sun drenched bench was lovely.

Had many plans today - art gallery, museum, wander by the Thames but after a look around Westminster I had to head home as I was drained.....the heat and the Tree holiday had taken their toll.  

Signing off, short and sweet today but I'm dun in!

Day 76 - Eton Mess

Yep, I am sunburnt from yesterday - lobster red.....but by the time you see me hopefully I would have tanned up!

So today's adventure was Chichester!

My room in the cottage last night was sauna-like and I slept really badly....but as I'm on the Tree Tour I was up early and on the Bosham to Chichester bus at 9:30.....out of the 10 people that got on I was the only one that had to pay, the rest waved their bus passes!

Chichester was nice, a cathedral town with good shopping and good eateries....

In our four hours there I had coffee at Bills, bought trendy jogging pants in Jack Wills, lunch at Amelie's and purchased a new t-shirt and boxers in Joules! A productive day for my waistline, wallet and wardrobe....

Photo of the day is again of Ma Tree, enjoying her Eton Mess at Marwick's Restaurant....we should ban Prosecco, she is safer on lime and soda!  Thai Tuesday at Marwick's was really enjoyable, alfresco dinning with great Thai cuisine and a tasty Merlot :-)

Let's rewind, once back from Chichetser we went for a two hour stroll around Bosham's waterfront - rewarded by Cava and crisps back at the cottage in the sun drenched garden.....you will be pleased to hear Mum wore her walking boots today and there was hardly any moaning!  

I don't wanna go home tomorrow.....

Here is the Chichester mash-up:

Day 75 - That will teach ya!

So some of you may know that I am having a few days in Bosham with Ma & Pa Tree, they had a two bedroom cottage - I had three days holiday, so makes perfect sense....

They love an early start so I was waiting outside the flat at 7:30......not really sure why such an early departure was needed when we couldn't get into the cottage until 2pm?  It is only a few hours drive, but they had it all planned - fry up at The Orchard, coffee at the Crown & Anchor in Dell Quay and once in Bosham a pint in The Anchor Bleu.....yep, now you know where I get it from.....!!!

Checked in at the cottage and booked a table at the Mill Stream for tomorrow - it's Thai Tuesday, sounds good!

After half hour at the cottage we decided to go for a walk and as Mum and Dad are the Bosham experts - I took their advice and put on my walking boots.....after 10 minutes I noticed Mum was in her flip flops!  Jesus, did she moan and whinge (another family trait I inherited)...."oh, they are rubbing" "oh, the seaweed is too deep"  Help me........

Anyway we survived and had a fab walk in glorious sunshine and stunning scenery! 

Back at the cottage we popped open some Prosecco and had a lovely few hours in the sunny garden. I am now about to get ready for dinner at the local pub, but feel a bit sunburnt....I have that tight face feeling...

Day 74 - Cause your love makes me feel like.......

Do, do, do, do, do, do

Do, do, do, do, do

Du, do, do, do, do

Just in from a delightful Sunday afternoon rendezvous at the Trading Post and I bopped my way down the road to shirtswingers new song....not many artists could get Michael Tyson and MC Hammer into a song and pull it off.......Do, do, do, do, do, do!!

Right now I'm in let's do the footie thing, on both BBC1 and ITV aren't we lucky.....ummmm, just spotted Titanic on Channel 4!!!!   No Tree, let's cheer on Germany....but I will have to crack open a beer!

Right back to yesterday's post photographic meal.....

So myself, the Grinhams and the Horrills headed for trendy Soho to have a meal at Carom at Meza, a restaurant that I have wanted to try for quite a while. 

We started with a cocktail, us guys went for a Ginger Chilli Triple....a combo of spices, red chilli and gin...brilliantly presented and a different taste experience but bring on the wine!

The deal we had was £15 for two courses and a glass of wine!  I went for the chicken tikka to start and the paneer dumplings for main, both were delicious and ample sizes for an offer.  What I appreciated too was that the inclusive glass of wine wasn't house but a quite expensive Malbec!

Our waiter was brilliant and the whole ambience of the place was most enjoyable....."I will be back" in the words of Arnie!

Ooooh 30 mins in and Argentina have scored.....oh no they haven't and a wobbly looking German has been taken off and more exciting than that my sweet and sour chicken is ready. 

Day 73 - Depth & Death!!!

Just in from a great day of photography, food and fun in London!  Knackered, but still a smidgen of energy left to do my blog!

Woke up and pulled back the curtains to see a grey morning, not ideal for our photo day in London. Do I pack my anorak, or risk it....?  Feeling brave I opted for my jumper and cap and with my newly acquired bag (hand me down from the departed boys) I headed off to High Brooms station!   Thankfully got to London, clouds dispersed and we had a corker of a day!

I met the crew at the station and off we went to the big city.  On arrival in London, we wandered with a very welcome coffee to Freemason's Hall to meet our photographer, historian and all round good guy Simon. 

This is our fourth (I think!?) walk with Simon, and they are so enjoyable - as well as being knowledgeable on photography and history he is very importantly great company and appreciates that we are a tad loopy!  So anyone out there wanting a fun walk/photo day in London book a day with Simon.  http://www.simongregorphoto.com. 

So our morning session's theme was depth....so photographs with an interesting depth of field - these were taken in the Holburn and Bloomsbury area. We nearly lost a few of the ladies (actually all of them) as we passed some inviting Italian cake shops....but they resisted temptation!

Just before lunch we walked past a great vintage shop, and I wondered if I would look good in this type of Great Gatsby attire???

We had lunch at the Plough near the British Museum and after that interval the afternoon session began.....Death!

Don't panic, we are all back in one piece but we headed for Kensal Green Cemetary for a photographic experience amongst the headstones and impressive crypts (one below).  It was so interesting, we had a brief talk by one of the volunteers and then we wandered in this fascinating place for a few hours....finishing with tea and biscuits in the chapel.

The day ended with a meal in Soho.....details tomorrow as eyelids getting heavy! Night....

Day 72 - "Hit the road Jack.....

.....and don't you come back no more, no more, no more, no more."

Oh please do! 

So Daz & Dicky have gone and today I had my own roving photographer out in the field getting the departure shot, Ms Harris did a stellar job!

As promised part 2 of the Jackwood memories!

Darren

His moment was a night when we were waiting for our friends from Wakefield to arrive (Rachel & Jamie, aka the Northern Monkeys).  If I remember rightly they got caught up in horrendous traffic and while we waited for them we just had to uncork the wine....for some reason that night we got trollied very quickly!!  There are so many photos from that night, unfortunately - many that should be deleted from every device.....me with tights over my head like a dodgy bank robber and scarily me looking like I'm giving birth to Darren....please don't ask as we have no idea!!  When the Northern Monkeys finally arrived they must have just wanted to get in their car and head back up the M1. 

Roxette is Darren's musical choice!  Pre-Tree/Chavis, Darren didn't know the group very well - but after a few nights with us we changed that and introduced him to some classics - some of Darren's favourites are "It must have been love" "fading like a flower" and of course the Roxette Megamix!  "Don't bore us get to the chorus".....

Richard

Xmas Day 2012 was Dickys favourite memory. He shone in the culinary department that day, and dished up a first fabulous Christmas dinner for Darren and their Christmas Tree (that's me, by the way).  The day and night then just got funnier and more epic...helped along the way by Cava and Disaranno. We were joined by Natalie, Carl and Marcin and played games (Cranium and willy hoopla, again don't ask), danced and laughed until the early hours of Boxing Day. I remember a photo taken of the empty bottles in their kitchen......very worrying!  But an Xmas that will never be forgotten.....

Cheryl Cole's "Fight for this love" is his song of choice.  The reason for Chezza's song is that he remembers a Sunday X-factor night when both Cheryl and Whitney performed live on the result show....it was an hour of high emotions, not for who was being evicted from the show but could Cheryl perform live and most importantly how would Darren's Diva do....Whit did well apart from a wardrobe malfunction and Cheryl was......Cheryl!!!!  But then we got a bit carried away for a Sunday night....I believe there was dancing in the kitchen.....

Better go as I promised the boys I would help unpack their cutlery!

Day 71 - NO! I'm not part of a triplet!

Ok!  Prosecco, Stella and Gin is not a combination I would recommend and certainly a mixture I am not going to repeat, especially on a school night. #fool #hungover

But last night was fun and our mid week jolly was a nice way to say a Jackwood Auf Wiedersehen (my World Cup link) to the boys....

My vintage photos on Facebook seemed popular the other evening and resulted in some comments and comparisons.......

NO I AM NOT PART OF A TRIPLET!!!!

How rude, I may have been rotund when I was a nipper but a cabbage patch doll and Chunk from the Goonies, please.....but hey, Chunk was cool....

Chunk: "Everything. OK! I'll talk! In third grade, I cheated on my history exam. In fourth grade, I stole my uncle Max's toupee and I glued it on my face when I was Moses in my Hebrew School play. In fifth grade, I knocked my sister Edie down the stairs and I blamed it on the dog... When my mom sent me to the summer camp for fat kids and then they served lunch I got nuts and I pigged out and they kicked me out... But the worst thing I ever done - I mixed a pot of fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa - and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. I never felt so bad in my entire life."

Day 70 - The Last Supper!

Oh it's a night of mixed emotions, happy that my boys are going to their dream house on Friday but sad that they are leavin the flats, my boys are flying the Jackwood nest!!!

The boys at number 9 are all boxed up and ready to begin their new adventure away from Jackwood....

So tonight we are having one last Jackwood night with the Pope-Treloars - pigging out on Pizza, munching on breaded mushrooms and popping a few bottles of Prosecco!

My questions to the boys and Nat (and me) - what is your favourite Jackwood memory and a song that reminds you of a Jackwood event or time!?

Gary's moments. 

So I got the ball rolling and I have to say my favourite moment was my 35th birthday when we headed up to Sankies for lunch. After a roast and wine I was given a few Jagerbombs and that's when I ended up in a Tesco trolley being pushed home - and the trolley almost went out of control down Goods Station Road....but luckily I survived the ride!  It was also the same night that Kylie arrived at the flat, my very own life size cardboard Ms Minogue, a present from the boys :-)  Darren also reminded me that I was hitting him with my birthday balloon as Miss Frank got kicked out of X-Factor that night......they were good OK!!!

My song is Shakira's "She Wolf" - a tune that reminds me of the early days of Jackwood when us flats were first bonding....like a halls of residence!  Happy times. 

"There's a she wolf in the closet, 

Open up and set it free (wolf sound)."

Natalie's moments. 

Natalie loved the Royal Wedding Day.  We celebrated Kate & Will's wedding with bacon sandwiches and cava (class)...then we moved to the garden for a BBQ and our specially designed cocktail for the day "The Jackwood Royal"....oh lord it was purple, stained our teeth and was extremely toxic, but it was an alcoholic hit!  Natalie is still amazed how we survived it!!!!

Natalie's song is Carrie Underwood's "Good Girl" - it is reminder of her 30th birthday night. After her party at the Last Post, we partyed at the flat until the early hours and this song was being played on a video that ended up on Facebook which was so funny....it involved a foam roller and a bucket!! Don't ask....

.....have to go as I am being unsociable!  Getting grief, so the Pope-Treloar's answers will appear on the Jackwood departure part2 on Friday!

Day 69 - Blame Broadchurch!

I'm tired.....and it's all Broadchurch's fault!  My mum raved about this whodunit series and I found it on ITV's encore and downloaded all eight episodes!

Bloomin' heck it was good - last night I had 3.5 episodes to go and got a bit carried away and ended up watching them all until the early hours!

Work is still in its summer slumber mode and I kept feeling my eyelids getting heavy, but with music pumping in my left ear, regular caffeine intake and a bit of True Blood at lunchtime I powered through.

FYI not a good idea to watch True Blood at work especially with the builders who are knocking down the conservatory popping in and out the house - tad embarrassing as it was quite a racey episode!  Those naughty vampires....

God only knows her I got through tonight's gym epic of rowing machine, TRX torture, spin bike and the new Body Balance class.....when I finally got in I started scanning my Nan's slides and today's picture is of Nan, I think at Hastings. 

Bless her, I chose this slide as it has a beach theme.......like Broadchurch, but that is where the similarity ends thankfully. 

Day 68 - Wimbledon Blues

I'm miserable, bored and a tad grouchy, yep it's official I have the Wimbledon blues. I always feel flat the week after Wimbledon...so best give me a wide berth!

You get four weeks of grass court tennis - Queens, Eastbourne and the pinnacle of the tennis calender Wimbledon!  I look forward to it all year and in the blink of an eye the last point on Centre Court is played....

So my picture today is prolonging my Wimbledon by another day - photos I took in 2011, when I was lucky enough to have wicked seats close to the front for Federer v Tsonga!  It looked like a straight forward win for Federer but then it all changed and it ended with a classic Tsonga win - 36 67 64 64 64! 

I can always remember that day as after this match I stood up to stretch my legs and Natalie phoned me to say I was on TV - so I waved at the camera and apparently her whole office waved back at me..... 

Bring on Wimbledon2015!!!

Day 67 - "Coyote Ugly"

Wow, what a final at SW19! Was willing RF to win but I had a feeling that Novak would have a chance and sneak it! Congrats Djokovic, well deserved....but I still don't like you!

So last night was Mark's (aka Joyful) pub crawl, and we had drinks in the Cross Keys, Trading Post and Fuggles. 

I do like the Trading Post, nice vibe and the garden is a pleasant area to savour your Morretti!  

Was expecting Fuggles to be rammed but it was really quiet, which actually for an ageing pub goer is nice as you can get a seat and hear what people are saying - how ancient am I sounding!?

At 1130ish we had to move on due to last orders being called and can you believe we couldn't get into weatherspoons - reluctantly I headed with the gang to Coyotes!! I have been in some vile shitholes but this place is just minging - unappealing at its most grimy! One quick look round and I bid my farewells....

I staggered back in a downpour and had only gone out in shorts and shirt, well at 6:30 it was warm - drenched and exhausted I finally made it back to the flat....a good night was had with King & Co!

Day 66 - My name is not Mark....

Woke up with a bit of a glaze this morning.  I knew opening that third bottle of red last night was a mistake....James, you bad influence :-)

A lovely evening with James and Fhei, but I did feel I was being watched......

On my way up Goods Station Road this morning enroute for my breakfast at Cote with ma and pa, I bumped into a lady I knew from the tennis club - her name eludes me! She was sitting waiting for yoga and told me she was texting her teenage daughter on holiday in Benidorm, telling her not to take anything or give any blow jobs!  Oh, ok - nice to share, I suppose.  As we said goodbye she said nice to see you Mark!!?

Petra woke up on the right side of the bed today, wow - faultless and powerful tennis.  Poor Genie had no chance, no answers to the Kvitova game. Shame it wasn't a closer contest but you have to applaude Petra....breathtaking tennis!

My tomato and peppa (get it, good link!!) soup is made and now better get ready for Mark's birthday pub crawl....an actual, real Mark!

Day 65 - Scone & Semis!!!

So Dorothy phoned this morning, the culinary goddess who lives next door to work - and offered a whole range of jellys and jams she had made.....black currant jelly for me please! That will be fab on my Sunday morning croissant!

At 1pm the mens singles semi finals at Wimbledon began, all my hopes riding on a double underdog win.....five and a half hours later and disappointed - especially that Dimitrov held three set points to take Djokovic to a deciding set!  Oh well look on the bright side Gary, at least you won't have to be glued to thd TV on Sunday afternoon.

At tea time (always 4pm) Di appeared with a scone, which went very well with my recently acquired 2014 vintage Blackcurrent Jelly.  Blooming nice it was.....

Just sipping a chilled Staropramen and having a few cashews before I head out to dinner at James & Fhei's.....lasagne I believe and a bottle of red, or two :-)

Happy Friday everybody!

Day 64 - Throwback Thursday

Bit of old and new....

Today at work the demolition of my bosses conservatory began, and when that is down the construction of their kitchen extension will commence!  Let the carnage begin, we have already had smashing glass and the arrival of the skip.....bring on the drilling!!

The ladies final at Wimbledon has been decided, and an intriguing centre court clash will happen on Saturday.  The former champion Petra Kvitova versus the new starlet of the tennis scene Eugenie Bouchard!  Good to see Petra finding form again but I think Eugenie's fearless and confident tennis will win the day!

Tomorrow I will be cheering for the underdogs Dimitrov and Raonic.....would love to see new blood in Sundays final rather than the old guard!  

This evening I'm on the sofa scanning slides, so I thought photo of the day will be a throwback to the mid 70's....me and my buddy Steve Piper aka Pips!

Steve loving the glove and hat set......how trendy were we!!!?

Day 63 - No point crying over spilt balsamic!

A night with my bestie should not have any dramas but thankfully for my blog it did :-)

Fuggles - no trauma, just good priced beer and chat....

Then we got to Palio and after I had returned from breaking my seal I asked the maître de - with a TasteCard are there any meals we can't order.....well, that was when the atmosphere turned sour!

"We don't take the TasteCard anymore"......

Ummmm, well I emailed you to book a table and no-one responded - so last night (Tuesday) I phoned and booked a table and said I have TasteCard....and the response was "yes, that is fine". 

Politely I asked is there anything you can do, seeing I told you I had a TasteCard - the answer "no!!!"

We decided to leave and as I stood up I bumped the table making the balsamic vinegar fly - splattering Sarah, splashing up the window and leaking over the floor....whoops, goodnight and farewell.....

So with an urgency for red wine and fodder we headed to our old faithful Cote - no offer, but hey - when service and food is that good who cares....Palio, listen and learn!

We chatted, we ate and we got merry.....love you Punter! She loves her calamari.....

Day 62 - More boarding!

So on Friday, we soon discovered that skateboarding was too dangerous for the FNC and should be left to the Hilbert Rec youths....and Martin!

But as these pictures show drinking booze in the park and whizzing down the paths on our bottoms is more our style. 

Get well soon Freddie.