Trying to get booked into the Pilates class I like is always a bit of a challenge. The ‘app’ that lets you book brings the class online for booking a week ahead, and such is the demand that at 7:30am the previous week the class was already full. But, stroke of luck, I managed to get a cancellation space, and so did Pilates for the first time in about 8 weeks. I really enjoyed it, but was somewhat sore on Tuesday :-). In fact, when I coughed it hurt.

Ellie was full of cough and cold on Monday, but she managed to get into school for some one on one tutoring in Business Studies. This week was ‘mock A level’ week for Ellie. She managed to do all her exams, but she was far from a 100%. She wasn’t helped much by a little prang in the car in Winslow on Tuesday.

Tricia had a nice day out in Brackley with Nikki on Tuesday, and got a good amount of exercise in over the week, spin, boxercise and pilates, so is feeling more herself again. Friday evening Tricia was out for a belated Christmas meal with the Water Colour group. Saturday she spent a good deal of time sorting out more stuff in the loft…. Meanwhile I was at West Ham with Bob to watch a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth.

Sunday, Ellie and Tricia went off to London for a 18th tea, meeting up with Deb (who was treating Ellie for her 18th), Charlotte, Jan, Nikki, Wendy and Claire. Seems they had a good time. Me, I spent far too long in Kwik Fit having the front tyres changed, and then all afternoon in a rehearsal. Some pics of Ellie’s day out.

I finished my first book of the year this week…. The Strangers Child by Alan Hollinghurst. The Saturday Times had listed it as one of the best novels of the last 50 years. I can see why… very well constructed, and explored a number of themes, the most prominent one being attitudes towards homosexuals lover the course of the 20th century, but I did find it heavy going at times.

So on Monday morning, after a night of coughing, spluttering and spent in the spare room, Tricia declared I needed to go to the doctors. So a phone call and an appointment at 11. I was told I had a chest infection and was given a set of antibiotics and told to rest. So I did. I camped in ‘my chair’ in the living room, and watched a series off BBC1 called Hard Sun… 6 episodes, back to back.  Initially it seemed ok, but then became somewhat far fetched, and by the end near ridiculous. But I kept with it. Tricia had a busy day, off to the gym for Body Pump and Pilates, then some shopping… then later in the day Brownies. Ellie was back at school after having had a few days out with the cough and cold, and was at work in the evening.

Tuesday was another sick day for me, Ellie went to rehearsal in the evening … I didn’t. Tricia went to Watercolour class for the first time in a number of weeks. Wednesday I was well enough to take Ellie to Lincoln Uni. We set off just before 8am and got there for 10:30… a cup of coffee at a Costa first, then a look around the city centre before going into the uni. Ellie has an unconditional offer, and really liked it… We set off just before 4pm, and got home for about 6:30pm. Shattered. Lincoln was a strange mix of old and new…

Thursday, and Tricia was recovered enough from the gym on Monday to go and do spin and pilates. I was back at work – working from home, but online. Too many emails :-(. In the evening Tricia was at the pub, Ellie and myself at rehearsals. Friday I was at the school for admissions meetings in the morning. Ellie was at a friends overnight, Tricia and me met up with Juliet and John at the Bell at Hardwick. I actually had a gluten free beer that was ok… ‘Celia’. It was a pleasant evening, J&J are due off on a 6 week holiday soon in South America, we will be looking forward to catching up with them when they returned.

Saturday…. was very quiet. Mainly because Ellie wasn’t here clonking around :-). Tricia and me had a slow start, and then did some jobs outstanding for a while. I cleared some old stuff out of the loft, Tricia sorted out a load of old bed linen and her sewing box… and, wait for it… her button box. Took her ages :-). But she was happy with the outcome, and very pleased that whilst tidying she came across the pattern she used for her wedding dress.

In the evening Pat & Clive came round for the evening – this was a rearranged meal, which we were due to have between Christmas and the New Year, but rescheduled due to coughs and colds. hence, we had Christmas Crackers and I put some tinsel up :-). Today Gran and Gramps, Rob and Amy came over for lunch. Nikki and Matt didn’t make it as they had colds… And so a quiet weekend came to a close. Saturday evening Tricia made some ‘penguins’ from olives and cheese. Different.

By the way… West Ham beat Huddersfield 4-1. Another 3 points towards safety.

Tricia and me spent most of the last week in December coughing and spluttering and not feeling very well. Well, I seem to have continued that this week, and in fact the longer the week has been, the worse I have been feeling, today, Sunday I have been coughing up some nasty stuff. Not good. Add to that, Ellie went down with it during the week. She missed going back to school on Thursday and Friday. She recovered enough to get back to work on Saturday.

West Ham were playing West Brom on Tuesday evening in a relegation 6 pointer. So, it was ibuprofen then off to the game with Bob to cheer the team on. A deflected shot and we were 0-1, and we had been playing poorly. The skipper, Mark Noble came on at half time. He had missed a few games with injury, and was just back, and made the difference. All of a sudden we had some control in the game…. and Andy Carroll header made it 1-1, and then in the final moments of the game he scored from a tight angle on his right foot (he is left footed) and we had secured the points. A happy trip home. Thursday night – and don’t ask me why we had two Premier League fixtures in 48 hours, ask the FA – we played at the Totts. We came away with a point from a 1-1 draw. Settle for that :-). Today we were at Shrewsbury in the FA Cup. Third game in five days… and it showed. Those that had played during the week looked like they had lead in their boots. A scrappy 0-0 means we get to replay. Mind you, it is the sort of game we used to lose. On the sporting theme…. last blog ended just before the World Darts final. Well done to Rob Cross on a very convincing win.

On Friday Tricia and me went to the British Museum. This had been delayed from the previous week, because we had been unwell, but managed to get through today. We had specifically gone to see the Scythians exhibition – which was excellent. After a light lunch, we looked around some of the other exhibits, including the ‘Elgin Marbles’ … Having seen the Parthenon in the summer, it was odd to go and see bits that has been taken by Lord Elgin on show in the British Museum. I have mixed feelings about this. At the time the Greeks had nothing in place to protect the Parthenon, and so removing the marbles has actually helped preserve them. However, I can understand why the Greek government would want them back. Having said that… most museums of the world contain items that were removed from somewhere they probably shouldn’t have been…

Tricia has removed all the decorations, and everything is now packed away for another year. Nikki has been away on a uni weekend, she had an exam which she thinks went ok, but she will have to wait and see. Ellie decided she was going to be Vegan for January. I had no problem with this until I realised it was going to affect me. So amongst this weeks offerings were a Sheperdess Pie, which I have to say was rather pleasant… and Butternut Squash and and Sweet Potato curry. I won’t be too upset if I don’t have that again.

And of course… the obligatory picture of cats 🙂

And so to December, and straight into Christmas production. Tricia had already produced a small mountain of mince pies for Elliott to sell at the Waddesdon Christmas market. On the Saturday she had a stall at the Christmas bazaar in the Village Hall. We had helped set up on the Friday evening. In spite of a publicity drive, it was a poorly attended event, and what had once been a very popular village event has now become something almost forgotten. The school had introduced a few events, and it seems there are only so many people will attend. Pics below, homemade mincemeat, and hundreds of mince pies.

In the following week Tricia met up with Pat and Pauline for lunch, and I had the school AGM to attend. On the 6^th Tricia went to the Brownie Christingle in Winslow and enjoyed watching, rather than being actively involved. On the 7^th was the BP IT Xmas do. I went along as I felt I should, but it was a waste of time and money. The event was held in a bar just off Regents St, which in my opinion was a bit of a dive, it was very noise, I couldn’t get to the bar, and none of the food was suitable for me. I didn’t stay long… I went and looked the lights in Oxford and Regent St.

Saturday 9^th it was lunchtime football. Bob and me set off to see the lunchtime game, v Chelsea. We had done reasonably well v Man.City the previous Sunday only losing 2-1 (we had feared a cricket score). It was an excellent performance. We scored early and saw out a 1-0 win. Better days? Meanwhile Tricia had purchased the Christmas tree. In the evening, Steve and Mark came over and we went out for a curry at the Mahabharat in Winslow. Overnight it snowed. Plenty. And it settled. So Sunday was quite nice, we didn’t need to go anywhere. I got a few vegetables from the local shop to go with the roast chicken. Ellie, Tricia and Pat went out played in the snow on Pat’s sledge!

On Monday 11^th, the school was closed, so Ellie was at home, and the Mazda was being looked at for a little issue. We managed to get the cars across in the snow and then back. Turned out the issue (engine light coming on randomly) was due to a faulty spark plug.

Wednesday the 13^th Bob and I were both in London on business (coincidentally), I was at a Microsoft event, and it tied in quite nicely as West Ham were home against Arsenal in the evening. We met up at Stratford after our differing days, grabbed a bite to eat and then walked over to the stadium. Another good performance, 0-0, and we nearly nicked it at the end. Long day though, didn’t get home till 00:45.

On the 14^th Tricia was catering for a funeral. She had been to Janet Longs the previous day, today she was catering for one. Thursday evening I was with Ellie at the schools carol concert. On the Friday Rob was picking up the keys to his new house, and Tricia took him over to MK to pick up some items for the house and dropped them off. In the evening we were on the ‘curry away’ night with the usual folks, and went to the Olive Limes – food was great, service was poor.

Saturday we were moving Amy and Robbie. A long day that saw multiple trips to and from Tring in cold, sleety weather. Sunday morning we put the lights around the large conifer house outside – the neighbours were asking why we hadn’t done so far! This year we added a star to the top of the conifer.

Then we were off to Aylesbury / Tring again to help clean and clear out the flat. Late afternoon we picked up Pat and Clive and went across to Blenheim to see the lights. Wow. Magnificent. It was cold and muddy, but the lights made up for it. I was rather tired when eventually we got to bed.

On Monday I took an opportunity at lunchtime to whizz over to Tring with Robbie to pick up a few bits which needed to go to the dump (old bike). In the evening I was helping Tricia with the Rotary float, raising money for the local school, and more to the point, the new Brownie unit. I was a little sceptical, I don’t really enjoying collecting like this…. But, it turned out to be good fun. It was very cold, but a whisky at the Grays, then the Robinsons, and then a mulled wine later helped. On Tuesday evening we were doing the same in Granborough. Over the two nights we raised around £375 for the Brownies. Tricia was pleased.

On the Thursday when in the office I nipped out at lunchtime to see Mum and Dad in Bracknell and drop off a couple of bits for them. Tricia had been absolutely flat out with TLC orders and managed to shut shop late on Wednesday. On Saturday she dropped Bob and me off at the station, and went for a nice walk. Bob and me had an unpleasant afternoon watching Newcastle beat West Ham 2-3. After a promising few results we were slipping back.

And so to Christmas. On Christmas Eve Robbie and Amy came across. Ellie, bless her, had been flat out at M&S and was relieved to have finished. We enjoyed a meal of partridge, then a visit from Santa (Peter York). Ellie went to the pub, Tricia went up to midnight mass.

Christmas Day was a quiet affair. Relaxed breakfast… no croissants for me (gluten) so I had smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. Nikki and Matt came across around 11:15, had Christmas lunch with us, and stayed till around 4:30. We then made ourselves comfortable and watched Doctor Who and then Call the Midwife… and by then we were yawning.

Boxing Day we had Gran and Gramps, Dave, Manda, Isabelle, Nikki and Matt … so, 10 of us. We had cold meats and salad for lunch, and then some games in the afternoon. Which included being forced to play Polly Pocket with Isabelle! The 27^th on was pants… hacking cough for Tricia and a cold. I had it as well, but not quite so bad, but we both felt sorry for ourselves. We went to Rob and Amy’s on the 27^th, but didn’t stay late. We were both due in London to see the Scythians exhibition on the 28^th, but I postponed that to the 5^th Jan.

Come the 31^st we were both ok to go to Elizabeth’s to see in the New Year… Tricia just about ok. Rob and Amy came along. I did a quiz…  Ellie had six friends over for her own little party at 8 Carters. Quizmaster always has to be noticeable I think… 🙂

Today was a slow start. I did bacon sarnies for all in the house, and then we removed the Christmas tree. All other decorations remained up, but the needles were falling off the tree. You only had to look at the tree and more fell off… as I write this I am just starting to get excited for the World Darts Champs tonight. Phil Taylor, in his last ever professional game is in the final, against a newcomer Rob Cross. Cross had defeated the previous champion, MvG, in a thriller. Will be interesting to see if he can do it again!

Happy New Year all.

Friday 3^rd Nov, Tricia, Ellie and Pat were due to see Cabaret at MK theatre. Ellie was working in Aylesbury and it would seem there was no way that Tricia and Pat could pick up Ellie when she finished work just after 7, and then get there on time. So being a decent chap, I went across and picked up Ellie, Tricia and Pat went directly from home to ensure they wouldn’t be late. I drove from Aylesbury to MK, dropped Ellie off, she missed the first 10 minutes, then drove home. Phew. Tricia said it was an excellent production.

Saturday I was off to West Ham. This time with Bob’s son Jack, as Bob couldn’t (wasn’t allowed) make the game. West Ham v Liverpool. Result, West Ham 1 Liverpool 4. Enough said. We were shocking, allowed Liverpool to play to their strengths, and got stuffed. That was the end for Bilic, sacked the following Monday. It was a long trip home that Saturday evening. Meanwhile, Tricia, Ellie and Jess were having a far better time with Amy and Robbie at the Tring firework evening.

Wednesday evening I was in the school for a data training session, then on the 10^th we had a curry night here. On the Saturday evening we went to the Winslow Players 50^th dinner dance celebration at Verney… a good evening. Sunday started with Remembrance service for Tricia, her first one with the Brownies from the new North Marston unit. Then later in the afternoon we round at Pat Robs, where she had a small gathering to celebrate her 65^th, and retirement. With the impending cruise holiday, I had started to pack… with a little help from Ninja!

Tricia and I then had a busy few days, Tricia getting out her orders before we went on a cruise holiday, and me as I had the boss over from the States. On the Tuesday we had a ‘expo’ for the launch of some new Microsoft products that seemed to go pretty well.

On the Wednesday I drove straight down to Gatwick after work, Tricia travelled down with Pat, Clive and Alex. We had a meal in a pub, then dropped the cars off in a Long Stay car park, then went to the Premier Inn at Gatwick. In the morning it was a walk across the road to the Terminal, check in, and then through. We met up with the Docwra’s, and Jack and Jade Webb. Sadly no Bob or Carol, as Carol had to stay behind after an unexpected operation. We flew to Barcelona, found a pre-booked taxi and checked into our hotel. Tricia, Pay, Clive and myself then went off to look at the Park Guell. We didn’t think we would get into the Gaudi Cathedral. First off we had to negotiate the metro. We eventually worked out the correct tickets and line, and even arrived at the right place. The Park is up quite a hill… some of the path ways were on escalator! The view from the top was quite something. We walked the Park, looking at a number of the Gaudi items. Had a coffee and then worked our way back. Only to find the Docwra’s had gone to the cathedral and got in. Doh. In the evening we went to a restaurant called ‘My F****** Restaurant’. Yes. That F word. Not sure how they get away with that. However, forgetting the name the food was excellent!

Friday 17^th… Nikki had been supposed to be coming on the trip with us, but due to a clash with her Masters course work had dropped out, and Clayton came along instead. Today was Nikki’s 29^th birthday, so we called her and sung happy birthday. In the morning, Pat, Clive, Tricia and myself walked La Ramblas, and very pleasant it was in the sun. Then it was back to the hotel, where we piled in a taxi again and went off to the MSC check in. All went smoothly and we were soon on board… a behemoth of a cruise ship. The cabin was excellent, very comfortable. We explored as best we could without getting too lost. In the evening we departed for Marseille.

Tricia and I had not booked many trips for this holiday, choosing instead to get off and look around when we could. In Marseille, it was a bright day, about 14c and we set off first to the Notre Dame de la Garde… which was a big walk up a hill. What else would it be! Lovely place and great views though. We walked back down and visited the Christmas Market at the Old Port, taking in a mulled wine, and then walked round the Port to go and visit the Cathedral. We bumped into Peter and Jane :-). Then we walked back through an area with a lot of street art, before catching the bus back to the cruise ship.

In the evening we set sail for Genoa. This was a trip somewhat north, but when Tricia and I get off the ship on the Sunday morning, the sun was shining and it was pleasantly warm. Of course, we walked off up the nearest hill we could find! On the way back down we passed a museum –Musei Di Strada Nuova – so we got tickets and went in. Phew, it was never ending. The museum covered three buildings. After the first we went and had a coffee / drink… and bumped into Peter and Jane. Again. They had done the same as us, and so we completed the museum tour with them. I love Genoa, happily go back there. In the afternoon, the ‘English Pub’ on the ship was showing Watford v West Ham. So, having not learnt my lesson for watching West Ham on TV on cruise ships, I sat and watched us lose 2-0. With Bilic gone, and Moyes in, nothing looked different yet. In the evening I had some fun bringing Norris out to play :-).

Monday the 20^th was a Rome visit, which meant stopping at Civitavecchia. Tricia and I decided to have a day on board. I went to the gym with Tricia, we had an otherwise relaxing day… although Pat, Clive and Tricia went and did the Himalayan walk with a little help from Clay.

Tuesday the 21^st we arrived in Palermo. First off we awaited news from home. Ellie had been cramming driving lessons for a few months, and today was her test. The only slot she could get this side of Christmas was when Tricia and me were away. We had left the ship and started walking into Palermo when the phone rang… She had passed her test :-). Good girl. We walked on through Palermo, stopping off at a few churches, before going onto the Church of St Cataldo, which was an impressive sight, dating back to medieval times it has a unique Arab-Norman styling. We walked back down taking in the cathedral, before working our way back to the ship. In the evening, Tricia and soem of the others enjoyed the Cirque Du Soleil show.

Wed 22^nd we were in Malta. We took off for a walk round Valletta with Pat and Clive, It was a nice 20c, and I was in shorts and t-shirt… and in the main high street you could hear Christmas songs. Didn’t seem right somehow. We had a pleasant walk around before heading back to ship.

The Thursday was a day at sea, as the ship made its way back across the Med for Barcelona. I had some fun in the evening as Norris went on a Tour de Force.

The trip home was relatively straightforward. All run to time, and we landed back at Gatwick mid-afternoon on Friday the 24^th. We drove over to Bracknell, where we had a cup of tea with my Mum and Dad, before going onto the Horse and Groom, to meet Deb and Carlos, Wendy and Rob, and Tina and Ransford. 40 years since I had me Deb…

On the Saturday we were back, the 25^th, we went across to the school in the afternoon for the matinee performance of the school production of High School Musical. Ellie was playing ms Darius, and id it exceptionally well. In the evening Tricia was with Pat and Sally, Rob and Amy, seeing a production of Flashdance. On the last day of November I had to deliver an assembly at the school. Then in the evening Tricia went over to Tring to collect Rob and Amy and take them to Luton airport – they were flying off for the weekend to Berlin. When she got back I then went off to Tring station to pick up Ellie and Gus who had been to a concert at the Ally pally. A long day. Here is Ellie in the school prod.

October opened with a big day for Tricia. Her first triathlon. She had supposed to be doing it earlier in the year, but the combination of sinus, and tooth extraction etc had stopped her training. On the evening previous she had traveled across to Brackley with Sue, her friend who was doing it with her, taking bikes across. The triathlon went well, Tricia completed it… and is now considering whether to do another. Nikki went across to support her. I was in Bracknell. An old school friend who now lives in the States was across for a visit, and it was the only chance to have a catch up. I was back late afternoon for a rehearsal.

The Winslow Players production of Wyrd Sisters was in full swing, and with the first night on Thursday 5^th, we were rehearsing it to death. As is the way with Players.  My old workmate Peter came across for the first night. Tricia came on the Thursday as well, as she was away on Friday for the Girly weekend. This year they were in Hastings. The play went well. I had great fun playing the 4 different characters I was allotted… bang up my street. I can’t claim to be a Terry Pratchett fan… and this didn’t change that, but it was fun.

Some of Tricia’s weekend in Hastings

The following wee Tricia had lunch on the Tuesday with her old Guiding friends Pat and Pauline. Then on the Wednesday evening, we went to see the Small Faces musical at the Aylesbury Waterside with the Webbs and the Docwras. Ironically we were booked in at Gourmet Burger. This time they delivered food that was awful. Refund was given again. We won’t be going there again. Ever. The musical was good though – really enjoyed it.

Friday the 13^th… yup, one of those, was the village poetry evening. Good fun, I did a double hander with Bob that went down well. Saturday, Tricia and I spent a whole day in the garden. We did prayers in church on Sunday morning, then came back and did more work in the garden. Stripping back, pruning, digging out etc etc. On the Monday Tricia was away on retreat for a couple of days. Then came the big day….

Thursday October 19^th. Ellie became 18. An adult. Tricia and I no longer have children. We just have adults. We had a lovely meal at the pub, Robbie and Amy, Nikki and Matt came over, Pat and Clive and Alex came along. A good evening, with Ellie centre of attention. Which is how she likes it.

Friday evening was West Ham at home to Brighton. I abandoned Tricia, leaving her doing prep for Ellie’s party, and met up with Bob for our trip to West Ham. We kept with the general ritual, having worked out what we thought was the best route from Stratford to the ground, a pasty off the van, and settled down for what should be a win and three points for West Ham. Except it didn’t work like that. Three goals for Brighton, none for West Ham, a loss, and 3 points for Brighton. Oh bollocks. We are in serious doo dah now. Only a matter of time till Bilic gets the boot. It was a depressing trip home.

Saturday was all about Ellie’s ‘pink and fluffy’ party. She had friends, and family all over. Adrian did the disco, and I have to say it was pretty good. She had a whale of a time. Sunday was breakfast with hungover friends of Ellie, Deb and Carlos came in… and then back to the hall to finish off tidying up. Tricia and me were exhausted at the end of it.

But it only takes a week to recuperate, and the following Saturday we were entertaining again. This time a murder mystery evening with the Robinsons, the Docwras and the Webbs. Great fun.

So we arrived back from holiday late on the 31^st Aug, then Tricia was off on the following morning to Flatford for a weekend with the water colour painting group. She had packed and prepped before going on the cruise, so it was just a matter of picking her bags up on the Friday morning and going. Ellie and I unpacked our luggage and I set about the washing mountain. Tricia enjoyed her painting, and to be honest I enjoyed a quiet weekend, getting the garden straightened out etc. Ellie and me popped over to Bracknell on the 1st to see Mum and Dad. Dad’s model railway has some significant improvements. Got to have a BP forecourt :-).

And from Tricia’s painting weekend…

On the Sunday, Peter and Jane Docwra were celebrating their 40^th wedding anniversary. I went across and spent some time there, Tricia went up and offered her congrats when she got back. First thing I had to do on the Monday morning, when I reluctantly signed back on to my laptop, was cancel a trip to Houston. In the week before we went on the cruise I had to book a trip to the Houston office… then whilst we were away Houston was hit by a hurricane and crippled by flooding.

On the 5^th I was back in the school. I run a training session on ‘exclusions’ for the GB, I was re-elected chair for another year, and we had the first GB mtg of the year. Ellie started on the 6th… her final year in school! Meanwhile Tricia was getting back into shop orders etc. She also catered for Colin and Valerie Price for their 40^th wedding anniversary. Here is Ellie with Jess, off to start their final year in school.

Tricia had bought me a season ticket for West Ham… something I had always wanted to do. And so me and Bob Webb, as new season ticket holders set off for the London Stadium on Monday 11^th Sept for West Ham’s first home game of the season against Huddersfield. Because of the Paralympic World Champs, our home games had been delayed. So 3 away games so far, all defeats, and the pressure was on already. I enjoyed going with Bob, and the atmosphere… but it took some time for West Ham to score, and we came away with an unconvincing 2-0 win. Pre-match pic below.

The following weekend Tricia was away with the ‘3-peakers’ for a walking weekend in Devon. Well, when I say weekend, they set off Friday evening, walked Saturday and then came back first thing Sunday. Meanwhile I was booked in to take Ellie to York for a Uni visit. I picked her up from Aylesbury after she had finished work on the Saturday evening, and we went up onto the M1 and headed north. We stayed overnight in a Travelodge just off the M1, then got up on Sunday morning had a quick breakfast and carried on. We arrived at the Uni for a tour round at 10am. Ellie loved it… the campus, spoke with a lecturer, the course etc. We then ventured into York itself, which she loved straight away. A gluten free fish and chips for lunch, and more looking around the city before we set off back around 4pm… we got home just after 8pm. Phew. Some pics from Tricia’s walking trip…

And a wet York Minster….

Another uni visit was on the slate for the following weekend. This time Edinburgh.  Ellie wasn’t choosing local uni’s! The cost of flying, or train and accommodation was somewhat prohibitive, so Tricia drove up to near Berwick upon Tweed on the Friday evening, they stayed over in a B&B, then went to the Uni on the Saturday, and came back to the B&B in the evening. On Sunday they drove down to Durham, enjoyed a visit there, before moving on homewards. Long weekend with a lot of driving for Tricia.

Whilst all this was going on I had been to see the next West Ham game, home against London rivals, the Totts. We started well enough, and were 0-0 after half an hour, when a Antonio went off injured, and within a few minutes we were 0-2 down. After half time they scored a third and I feared it could be 6. But, they had a player sent off (rightly so), and we started to get back at them. 1-3. Then 2-3. Then… we ran out of time. Another defeat.

Wednesday 27^th Tricia and me were off to the Royal Albert Hall to see Diana Krall… We had a pre- concert meal in one of their restaurants and then saw the support act (dull) went and had pudding and then coffee, then came back and settled in for the main action. I enjoyed it, but she didn’t play some of my favourites, and didn’t play too much up tempo jazz.. As I say, I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as good as the previous one. Here we have Tricia enjoying food and wine, and me and Diana outside the RAH.

Tricia was also embroiled in making the longest cake ever… a particular requirement, Nikki had to come over and help her do the icing.

The day following the Diana Krall concert, we were at a parents evening for Ellie, which went well – nothing but praise. Then Friday evening, Ellie, Tricia and me were going to see a comedian called Joel Dommett. We arranged to meet Ellie in ‘Gourmet Burger’ near to the theatre in Aylesbury. It was difficult to assess if the Burgers were indeed of a gourmet standard because we never got that far. Having placed an order, and not seen any food some 45 minutes later, and the time we would have  to be at the theatre diminishing, I went into my ‘McSweeney frown’ mode and addressed the manageress … and was fully refunded. Which was fine, except we sat and watched the show whilst being rather hungry.  Ellie really enjoyed Joel D, and laughed plenty. I managed a few smiles. For me, any comedian that relies heavily on use of the F word for laughs isn’t really up to much. McD’s on the way home.

September closed with Tricia going off to renew her first Aid certificate, whilst Bob and me traveled to London for an afternoon of torture, as we watched West Ham somehow beat Swansea in the final minute of the game. It was dire football. I will finish Septembers bog with a picture of Ninja…

I love Cruise holidays. A relaxed way of travel… sit on the ship, eat, drink, be entertained and let the countries come to you. This time we were booked on the NCL Jade Spirit. Friday 18th was departure date for our holiday, flying from Luton out to Rome. Nikki drove Tricia, Ellie me and Jess (who was coming along with us) to the airport, where we met up with the Robinsons. Checking in was all straight forward, and a little light lunch was had in the airport whilst waiting for the flight. Alex needs a pint in the airport before flying it seems.

The flight to Rome was straightforward and timely, and the Prosecco fairy visited Pat and Tricia on the flight. Clive and myself had Gin and Tonic to make up for it. We had a little delay in waiting for our taxi to take us into Rome from the airport, but we were soon on board. Ellie laughed at anything and everything and drove us all nuts. Clives fault. Once checked in to our hotel it was out for a meal nearby.

I put a picture of the loo in our room in, just because I was rather surprised at its positioning… to sit you had to somehow position your legs under the sink. All rather uncomfortable and odd.

Sat 19^th we had a day to ourselves in Rome, and the highlight was a tour around the Vatican. This was a bucket list item for me, probably in main due to having been raised a Catholic, and therefore always having viewed it as a special place. We breakfasted in the hotel, and then after some debate over what would be appropriate wear for going into St Peter’s and consideration of the weather, around 35c, we finally set off. Here we are, minus Tricia, who is taking the pic. A highly respectable group :-).

We walked out towards the Colosseum, and spent some time walking around it. I love the Colosseum and the sheer presence of it. I have seen it a few times now and always marvel at the engineering of the Romans. I just enjoyed standing there looking at it. Whilst melting… boy was it hot. We were being sensible and taking on plenty of water. But it seemed that as soon as you drank, you sweated as much out.

We stopped at a restaurant for lunch, and sat outside. A welcome break, before we moved onto the place where we would meet with our guide for the Vatican. The ice cold coke went down a treat… food was good as well. Couple of pictures of the girls as well, enjoying an ice cream at Trevi fountains.

We started out with plenty of time to make the trip, but got ourselves slightly confused with the route, and only just made it. The guide took us up and into the Vatican. We toured around endless halls full of art and history … too much to take in. The place was rammed and … and it was hot. We went into the Sistine Chapel, and it was smaller than I thought it would be. I tried to scan the walls, the ceiling, tried to take it all in, but the mass of humanity squeezed in and being forced through was a distraction. Inevitably we all became separated. After a drink, it was a walk around St Peter’s Basilica itself. I was exhausted at this time, and feeling sick, which was pretty much due to the heat. This may in part be why I was feeling somewhat underwhelmed by the visit. I had expected some sort of spiritual connection, which was sadly absent. I also felt that the Vatican was nothing more than a large museum, rather than a place of worship. I am glad I was able to tick the Vatican off the bucket list, and say I have seen it. But… I was rather disappointed. Perhaps my expectation was all wrong, and I daresay the circumstances for seeing it were not the best.

We walked down out of the Vatican. Pat, Alex, Ellie and Jess took a taxi back to the hotel. Tricia, Clive and myself walked back. A pleasant stroll, we took an ice cream along route. I do love the vintage Vespa and Lambretta motor scooters… and one of my regrets is not having had one when younger. Walking along it was good to spot a few. At a set of traffic lights I bumped into a couple of West Ham fans, who informed me that West Ham had lost to Southampton 3-2. They had come back from 2-0 down, and having had a man sent off, did well to get 2-2. Only to concede in the last minute. It is what we call ‘the West Ham way’. I resolved not to let it get me down. Clive an me below on the walk back, and a strange sign post… ‘kiss and ride’. Kiss a girl and get a free ride ?

Back at the hotel, a lay down, recuperation, a shower and we went on the hunt for an evening meal. We were coaxed into a restaurant by some waiter who caught us looking at the menu outside. This turned out to be a mistake. He tried sell us what we didn’t want, was a creep, and frankly wound me up. The food was ok, but he was trying to work us to suit himself, and upsell items off the menu. Spoilt the meal somewhat. But we had had a good day…. And were exhausted. Sleep was no problem.

Sun 20^th. Today we joined the cruise ship. Breakfasted, bags already, collected by the taxi and off to Civitavecchia, the port that serves Rome. We were dropped off at the NCL terminal, and we then went through the check-in process, which was all pretty smooth.

On board, we had to wait whilst bags were delivered to rooms, so enjoyed a drink and a look round. In the main lobby area Ellie and Jess were having some pix taken on the main stairs, when some idiot photo bombed! Well yes, that would be me 🙂

Here is the Norewgian Spirit on the way to being boarded.

Here we have a few pics from the first day on board… Alex Ellie and Jess wasted no time getting into the pool. Pat found the Champagne Bar… and a shot as we left dock.

Mon 21^st. A short cruise up the Italian coast to Livorno and a scheduled visit to Florence. Off the ship, and a coach drive into Florence. Tricia and me visited here in 2011, and loved it. We had a guided tour around Florence, which the girls started, but decided to drop off and do their own thing. Florence was as a beautiful as ever. WE had a nice stop for a lunch, and a gluten free pizza which was excellent. Coach ride back, late lunch on board… shower, relax, then Prosecco. Here we have Tricia on the Ponte Vecchio, a couple of views of Florence, one with the girls in, one of the cathedral and one of Pat, Clive and me with the Ponte Vecchio in the background.

Tues 22^nd. Today we arrived in Sardinia. I had Sardinia on a list of places I would like to holiday on. So I was looking forward to the trip and tour around so as to get a taste for the island. We had a coach tour, which was hosted by some guy who could speak English apparently but his thick accent seemed to mask that. The tour took us out to some set of ruins which we went round, and were interesting but overall I have to say I was disappointed with the island. Very run down inland, and the beaches didn’t look that good. The buildings on the main front were nice and looked good… but thereafter not so good. So, I can say I have been their, but it isn’t any longer on a list of places to go to.

Wed 23rd was a ‘day at sea’. These are always pleasant easy going days. No rush to get up and go on a trip. Casual breakfast, some time in the sun on the deck, few drinks, bit of reading. Late afternoon on the room balcony enjoying the sun and doing some reading. Lovely. The cabin was really nice, the bed large and comfortable.

Thu 24th… Today we arrived in Crete. We didn’t dock till later in the day so we had a relaxed start, took a bit of sun in, and then once docked walked into the port town. We found a lovely Greek styled church, and a market we walked through. A pleasant walk before returning to ship.

Fri 25th, and today was another bucket list day. Today we were in Athens and a chance to visit the Acropolis. As a young lad, poring over encyclopedias or history books, there would be pictures of the Acropolis and now I was going to be able to visit it and see it for myself. Tricia, me, Ellie and Jess were out on the trip. The coach first dropped us at the site of the 1896 Olympics, where the modern era of Olympics started. Then onto a coach park, and what looked like a daunting walk up the Acropolis. It didn’t turn out particularly strenuous. We had a terrific time walking around the Acropolis and seeing the iconic Parthenon up close. The views from the top was something in itself. It was very hot, but else do you expect in Athens in August. After our allotted time was up it was a gentle stroll back down to Athens where we looked around for a while before getting the coach back to the ship.

Sat 26th…. Santorini. Seems that every Med Cruise stops at Santorini. Alex, Ellie, Jess and myself had a trip booked to go out to a beach. Tricia, Clive and Pat were staying on board. It was a morning trip, we were on a beach for about three hours. A lovely couple of swims in the cold sea. Back to the main town in Santorini we had a look at the shops before getting the cable car down to the port, and the shuttle boat back to the ship. In the afternoon, I sat up on a deck which was showing Newcastle v West Ham on the TV. Sat there in my West Ham shirt, and watched the most wretched display as we lost 3-0. Not good. Bilic looked clueless on the touchline. I didn’t think he would be too long in the job.

Sun 27th… The cruise schedule had Olympia for a visit today. Ellie, Jess and Alex, went off, Tricia, Pat, Clive and me stayed. We had done Olympia before and didn’t feel the need to go again. It was a lovely little port, and so after all those on trips had departed we went down and had a walk around. Below there is a picture where Tricia has braved the cold pool water… and ‘Captain Clive’.

Mon 28th… And so to Malta, and Valletta. I love Valletta. Wonderful harbour. I stood up on deck and watched us come in, before we Tricia, Jess and myself went off for a walk round. The find of the day was the Church of of St Paul’s Shipwreck. We saw a small signpost for it, and there was a small entrance into a good sized lovely church currently being renovated. Lovely ice cream as well, which we had just before going in.

Tue 29th… And onto Sicily. The main trip of the day was out to see Mount Etna. Just Tricia, Pat, Clive and myself. It was a seemingly long coach trip out towards, and eventually up towards Etna. We were taken about 2/3rds of the way up, and could see Etna smoking away…. We could also see lava runs from previous eruptions. It was quite something to see, but would have been nice to have got closer.

It was after the Etna visit that we were then taken to a village called Taormina, apparently used for some location shoots on The Godfather. It was a beautiful place, we wandered around, stopping eventually for a fantastic gluten free pizza. One place we will have to go back to one day :-). And then back to the ship… some dozing along the way.

Wed 30th… and so to the last full day of the cruise. And another bucket list item. Pompeii. Again, harking back to my childhood I was really taken with the story of Vesuvius blowing its stack, and the people of Pompeii being caught in that moment in time. I have always wanted to visit Pompeii… and today was the day. We had an early start, and we were pretty much in the batch of first visitors for the day, which was great. It wasn’t too hot yet, and not too many people about. We had an excellent guide, and I have to say it was a terrific morning.

We had a lovely last evening, we went into the Italian restaurant… had a fantastic meal, a few drinks afterwards … then bed. The trip home was a long one, we had a long wait at the airport in Rome, Ellie was extremely tired after burning the candle at both ends, it was a long day getting back. Nikki met us at Luton airport, and we were back at home late Thursday evening.

Ellie had had a wonderful time… Jess and her with Alex met others and there were about 15 / 16 of them that spent most days messing about. She partied and had fun.

Tricia and I didn’t want to come home, we would happily have gone around the Med again. One of the things that was a recurring theme throughout the holiday was my sparring with the restaurant over gluten free meals…. the first night I ordered a gluten free starter, which was served with a piece of normal toast. When I had pointed out the error of their ways, and pointed out the dangers of serving a gluten loaded meal when their menu states gluten-free I seemed to attract some close attention for the rest of the holiday. We were able to get priority bookings into the restaurants, I was able to order 24 hours in advance… but even then they got themselves in a monumental muddle at times, which was a great source of amusement to Pat, Clive and Tricia. 🙂

So August was in two distinct halves. The before holiday, and the after holiday. Thursday the 3^rd,  saw a fleeting visit from Robbie’s old Uni mate Jordan, before Tricia drove them both to the airport for a long awaited trip to Poland to visit the other member of the uni triumvirate, Weronika. Seems like they had a terrific time.

On the Saturday Tricia was doing some catering for Janet Bayly’s 50^th wedding anniversary… which we then went to, before going off in the evening to Canon’s Ashby to see a very amusing version of Midsummer Night’s Dream in the open air, performed by a group called The Pantaloons. Only half a dozen of them, playing most roles, and those they didn’t were taken on by the audience. Great fun. We had a lovely pre show picnic…. and the weather was good to us.

We had our niece Sarah staying the following week. She stayed in Ellie’s freshly decorated room. I promised Ellie I would redecorate, and managed to get it done amongst everything else going on. The Friday the 11^th, Tricia was out with Nikki. Nikki took her to Rousham for a birthday tea. In the evening we had Pamela and Jim, Pat and Clive over for a farewell meal for Pamela and Jim. On the 12^th I finally managed to get all the furniture back in the correct rooms after the decorating. In the evening we were over at Juliet and Jon’s for their son Dan’s 21^st. Whilst all of this was going on Tricia and I were finding time to keep up with the World athletics championships.

On Sunday Tricia and me were over at Nikki and Matt’s for a bbq. Robbie and Amy came over, Matt and Charlotte and Simon and Katie. A pleasant afternoon… we even recreated an old photograph :-).

On the 15^th, Tricia and I walked up to the Black Boy at Oving for an anniversary meal. 31 years! We had planned to do this when Ellie was away, but it took us nearly the whole month to do it. A lovely meal. Not a late night as we had to be up early next morning to go and pick up Ellie from Heathrow. An emotional return. She had had a fantastic time.

On the Thursday, the first order of business was to go into the school for Ellie’s AS results. She was nervous. Very nervous, panicking about her Business Studies result, because one of her papers hadn’t gone quite so well. As it turned out, A in Drama, and C in English and Business Studies was an excellent set of results.

Back home, there was a frenzy of packing, and sorting items out as the next day…. We were off on holibobs J.

July started with a relatively quiet weekend… scarce things. On Saturday 1^st Ellie had originally planned to go and view Newcastle Uni, but that was canned. Tricia was also going to have a table at Hoggeston Church fete, but that was delayed a week.  I enjoyed a slow Saturday morning by watching the British Lions edge past the All Blacks in the second Test, 24-21, close game.

On Sunday the 2^nd, Tricia and Robbie went off to visit the cat sanctuary near Welwyn. On the Monday I was at Winslow Players for a read through of ‘Wyrd Sisters’, a Terry Pratchett book turned play. Not my kind of thing… but some good characters to play. A busy week for Tricia, as we led up to a busy weekend. She was doing the catering for the ‘Medieval Banquet’ at the church, and was doing a lot of prep. Friday night was a curry night, then on Saturday the Banquet. Theme for Curry night was ‘Call My Bluff’, with Alan Gray doing his finest Frank Muir impression. For the medieval banquet, Robbie came across and put his armor on to add some authenticity… and I had a small acting part as part of the entertainment. Then on Sunday Tricia had a stall at the Hoggeston church fete.

Monday 10^th was the last Brownies for the summer term. On Tuesday 11^th, Ellie was on a drama trip with the school, whilst I was in Henley to pick up an ‘excellence in governance’ award for the school – essentially the completion of two years of training. On the Wednesday Tricia was off having tea at Hartwell House with Elizabeth. In the evening we were at the school for the annual prize giving… Ellie, as Head Girl, helped host the awards. A significant event in one way, the last for the Head. On the Saturday we went across to Buckingham for Isabella’s birthday party.

Sunday was mainly spent with Ellie as she packed, and re-packed and got excited at the prospect of going to Africa the next day :-). Off on her great adventure. Sunday evening Tricia went off with a group from the village to see the World Para Games at the West Ham stadium. Monday 17^th Ellie was a bundle of excitement and trepidation as she ventured off for a month. Hugs and watery eyes all round. I did assembly in the morning, and saw Ellie off in the sports hall. In the late afternoon I was across at Waddesdon for the Head (Peter’s) retirement do. It had been a difficult year for him (and therefore for me as well to some degree), but we got him over the line. The event went well. I had to say a few words. On the Friday there was a nice relaxed closure of the school for the summer…. Good. I needed a break as well! Friday was not such a good day for Tricia… after months (literally) of antibiotics, and sinusitis, a troublesome tooth was taken out. The only good thing was that it meant the sinusitis would clear.

With Ellie off to Africa, Tricia and I were ‘home alone’ …. With Ellie away for a month this was the longest period we would have had on our own at home since Nikki was born nearly 29 years ago! So on the Saturday and Sunday of the 22^nd / 23^rd July we took went off to the Costwolds for a few days and visited Snowshill Manor and then Chastleton House. Snowshill was full of a rather extensive and odd collections made by its rather eccentric owner, and Chastleton is a Jacobean country house, that was used as a filming location for Wolf Hall.

On Friday 28^th, Tricia, me, Gran, Gramps and Sarah all piled in to the car and drove to the Lake District and Millom for Lesley’s 50^th. Oh my… we got stuck in Friday traffic and it took the best part of 8 hours to get there. On the Saturday during the day Tricia and me went off to see Beatrix Potter’s house, and looked around the local area. In the evening was the party…. And then on Sunday after a bbq at Les and Les’s it was back in the car and on the M6… and it took nearly as long to get back.

A couple of other pics…. Amy and Robbie at a friends wedding, and Nikki at a friends Hen party.