Lunch in Tadworth, supper in Boulogne

We had a lovely day yesterday. For some time we've been intending to have another short trip to France. We're so fortunate where we live that we can be at the tunnel terminal in about an hour's drive from home. Luckily traffic was good yesterday and we even had a bit of sunshine on the journey to Folkestone. We even had time for a relaxed coffee before we boarded the shuttle.

35 minutes later and we were in 'la belle France' - amazing! This picture was taken outside Carrefour after having stocked up with a few bottles from another supermarket. I think Mark's wondering, 'how long till supper?'

A slight hitch for the gentlemen! Never mind, after a moment's hesitation, A and M trooped into the 'Dames' - biological necessity having taken precedence over any sense of lack of propriety!

Proof that I can enjoy 'moules marinieres' with the best of them.

Someone suggested stopping off for a 'digestif' at a lovely little bar further up the road called 'The Vole in the Hole' before we made our way back to the tunnel terminal at Les Coquelles.

I was very amused by the 'wall art' in the bar. I wonder whether they had all been 'acquired' by the proprietor or donated by some of his patrons!

A good journey back and we were home by 11pm and tucked up in bed well before midnight after a very enjoyable day. Looking forward to the next trip now.

Roasted Quail, Fillet of Salmon Trout, Bubblegum Cheesecake ! .......

We had a very enjoyable evening at the Post yesterday. The picture above is of one of the delicious desserts chosen by many of us at our table - White Chocolate Fondant, Vanilla Ice-cream and Rasberry Custard. I wish I'd taken a shot of the 'Bubblegum Cheesecake' Apparently it really did taste like bubblegum - not my favourite flavour I must admit but it looked intriguing and also came with one of these spun sugar decorations.

It was good to spend some time together with some of Adrian's close colleagues,and their wives in particular. We found plenty of common ground without resorting to the dreaded 'W' four-letter word. Funnily enough at one point we were all discussing English Premiership football, even more surprising when one of the couples present was from the USA, although they have lived in the UK and Europe for many years.

This 'n' that & nothing in particular

It's been nearly a week since I posted anything so I just thought I'd add a few words in case anybody thinks I've disappeared off the face of the planet.

A pretty typical week really. I managed to do a couple of hours of tidying up in the garden but there still seems to be a mountain to climb there! It was lovely to see Fr Paul on Thursday when he paid a flying visit to Banstead en route to Chichester for their parish celebrations of their Golden Jubilee.

I'm looking forward to going out for dinner with A and colleagues at The Post tomorrow and an afternoon/evening trip to France planned for the beginning of next week so hope to have something a bit more interesting to comment on next week.

Seems to be a quiet week for lots of people. The shops seem to be less busy and fewer people around in the parish during the week. Maybe people are already beginning to take their annual holidays - those that are able to, before the schools finish for the summer break.

Sign of the times . . .

. . . Or a sign of my turning into a 'Grumpy Old Woman' ! I popped into a local shopping centre this afternoon to do a bit of shopping, go to the bank, top up my phone etc. This is what greeted me when I stepped into the lobby from the car park to get the lift down to the shops (no stairs or escalator in this car park, unbelievably).

This is not an unusual sight, especially at the weekend. There is a large waste bin just a few yards away at the entrance to the lobby and it was by no means full.

Is this lack of care for public spaces a new phenomenon or is it just that I notice it more?

The gardener's friend

I couldn't pass up the chance to take a shot of M mowing the back garden. Thanks M, you're a star, much appreciated!

Don't you just love the garden on a sunny day?

I really enjoy taking photos of flowers, especially at this time of year. They are so obliging; unlike people, they stand still (more or less) and pose nicely for you without looking awkward. I think Spring is my favourite season but for me, all four seasons have their own particular merits. I wouldn't want to live in a country that has sunshine all year round. That may sound strange to some people but I think that Spring is all the more special because it follows the contrasts of Winter and the changing seasons have a beauty all of their own.

There's something very special about seeing the first signs of new growth after weeks of cold weather when the garden looks barren. As the days lengthen and we see and feel the benefit of more hours of sunshine, so we see more and more colour in the garden. It's a gradual process and the big blowsy blooms of summer would not seem right in the weaker sunshine of a Spring day.

It's a rat race

I had an interesting phone call today at work. A's secretary rang to say she had been charged with organising a dinner for A and two of his colleagues and their wives (including us) so she was ringing around the wives to ask them to check their diaries.

A slightly surreal conversation when you think about it. What does it say about our lives when rather than a man coming home and asking his wife if they are both free to go out to dinner with two other couples on a particular date, it is necessary for the secretary of these men to ring and ask on their behalf? But sadly, I can see that this is necessary. Sometimes I just want to shout, 'Stop the world. I want to get off!'

Nevertheless, I'm sure we'll have a good evening and at least it will give all the wives a chance to get to know one another a bit better, and also enable us to spend an evening with our husbands for a change.

Spring is here at last

Today was one of those glorious sunny days we sometimes get in May with the promise, not always fulfilled, of long hazy summer days to come.

Not wishing to waste the day by spending it all indoors I went out for a short walk locally as I knew I had other things to do later in the afternoon. I do find that when I'm feeling a bit lethargic, a short walk can be quite energising. I was also delighted to find that the coffee shop overlooking the pond was open and doing a roaring trade in ice-creams.

Just a few miles from the busy M25 and yet it feels as if you are in 'real countryside' on days like this. People out enjoying the Bank Holiday; it's not often that good weather and public holidays coincide. Lots of families out for a walk and plenty of people on bikes too. It's on days like this that it makes me wonder why we hanker after expensive holidays on the other side of the world when we have 'all this' right on our doorstep. I suppose it's easy to forget the other side of the coin which is the endless number of grey, damp days that often typify a British summer.

Hey ho, the sun lifts everybody's spirits though, doesn't it?

Link to the past

I was looking at another blog recently and my eye was caught by the name of a blog listed on the author's sidebar. Thoughts from Walney Island.

Not a place that you hear about very often but Walney Island is in fact where we were living when our younger son was born.

A was working on the Morecombe Bay Gas project at the time and we spent a very happy year on Walney Island which is part of Cumbria. I spent many pleasant hours pushing a pram around the island; such a small place that you could easily walk from end to end in a very short while and around the coast. Usually whenever I mention Walney to anybody, they say, 'where??' Being a 'Southerner' born and bred and having spent most of my life in the South East, I too had never heard of Walney before we moved up there.

Naturally I was curious to see what was happening in Walney today and it was very interesting to hear about the parish church that we had attended nearly 25 years ago. Good to learn everything is going well 'oop North'.