So first day after the Easter break, it was date night for Tricia and me. We were off to see Classic FM live at the Royal Albert Hall. We dined in the Coda restaurant in the RAH, and then enjoyed a show of classical music, including some readings from Mr Titchmarsh. A very pleasant evening.

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful, I had rehearsals for Trolls, Tricia had a girly evening at Angela’s on Wednesday, and on Saturday morning Tricia and me went to Leamington Spa in the hope of finding me some new walking boots. There was a particular outdoor shop that stocked Altberg boots that come up narrow – which I need. Unfortunately they didn’t, but a pair of Zamberlan boots did :-). That and a new backpack and I was a happy chap. We walked down into the main town centre, which was a lovely place, had a good gluten free meal, and a walk around the park before returning. In the evening we went to Pat and Clive’s for supper, and to plan the forthcoming Isle of Man trip.

The following week we had our niece Sarah staying for a few days. Tricia, Ellie and Sarah had a day out in London.  Tricia made an interesting ‘unicorn’ cake for Tam during the week. Saturday in the evening  Tricia and myself went to see our friends Juliet & John, catching up on their South American adventure. Sunday we had the family over for lunch.

Monday the 16^th it was back to school for Ellie… her final term. In the evening, it was West ham v Stoke… crunch game in the battle to avoid relegation. Bob and I were both a little nervous, but confident we could get a result. Instead of going full on the gas for a win, but we were a bit cautious. 0-0 at half time…. Midpoint in the second half and Joe Hart spills a shot and Peter Couch puts Stoke ahead. On came Andy Carroll… and he scored with a beautiful strike to save the game and give us a point. Not as much as we needed, but enough to keep us above the bottom 3.

On Friday 20^th, Tricia, me Pat and Clive and Norman the Gnome all set off for the Isle of Man. We flew out from Luton and arrived in Isle of Man mid-afternoon. We picked up the hire car, and did a lap of the TT circuit. We checked into the B&B which was excellent. In the evening we ate at Macfarlane’s Restaurant, in Douglas.

Saturday morning we had a unique trip out on Segways. Great fun. Tricia fell off at one point, but no major damage! It didn’t take much to master, and we were doing laps in and around a forest. After the Segway fun and games we went on a little tour of the south of the island, beautiful little stretches of coast we enjoyed. Peel in particular. We visited the German cathedral, sat on the front with some ice cream in the lovely weather, and then walked up around Peel Castle. On the way back we stopped at the Creg Ny Baa pub, which is situated on the TT circuit for our evening meal.

Sunday and the weather was a little cloudy, and a hint of rain in the air, so we went off to the steam railway. We caught the train from Douglas down to a very quiet Port Erin. We mooched about, had a coffee… the place was barely awake … walked on the beach, then caught the train back. We then went on to see the Laxey Wheel… allegedly the largest working waterwheel in the world. We got in free courtesy of our NT cards. After a walk round here, we then went and got on a tram / train going up Snaefell. This was excellent… another coffee at the top J. Then back down, a drive around the north of the island before going back to the Creg Ny Baa for the evening meal. A packed day.

Monday, and we packed, paid and left the B&B and headed for Douglas. Tricia and Clive were booked on a trip to go round the TT course on a motor trike. They absolutely loved it, the driver taking them up over a 100mph! Pat and me meandered around Douglas and had a coffee. When the dynamic duo returned we ventured across to Castletown before reluctantly heading for the airport and coming home. A terrific weekend.

The week back was relatively quiet. Tuesday night was the local pub quiz, then I had a visit to the opticians on Wednesday – the good news was that my prescription hadn’t changed, and I ordered up some new glasses. Friday, during the day Tricia was looking after Isobelle, then in the evening, courtesy of connections at the local Rotary, we were able to get tickets to see a musician called Callaghan in Buckingham. She is from Boston in Lincs originally but now spends most of her time in LA. She had a fantastic voice, and it was a very pleasant evening.

Saturday morning was Spin class followed by a haircut. Sunday Bob and me were off to see West Ham against Man City. Whilst I tried to be upbeat and optimistic, I have to say Man City deserved their 4-1 win.