Days 15 - 21 Less travel - but just as much food.

 

After gallivanting around last week, this was a week based locally, but no less interesting or enjoyable for that.

 

Sunday June 8^th

 

At long last, we are sleeping in to a respectable time – for retired persons. After a walk out first thing for a paper, Paula and I went out for a Sunday treat – a very nice eggs Benedict at a local Wetherspoon’s establishment.  Over the last few years, the growth in places like this has been spectacular and no longer can people moan about a lack of cheap, decent food in the UK.  This particular establishment is just one of about 15 within a matter of 200 yards.  A common topic of conversation has been the number of eateries and pubs around now compared to what was available in our youth, when there were just three – Beardsley’s takeaway fish and chip shop and Gilberts tea gardens plus the Plainsman pub.

Now there are three pubs, three coffee bar/cafés, the same fish and chip chop, one Indian restaurant and one takeaway, two Chinese restaurants and a takeaway, one Italian restaurant and pizza takeaway and a French sounding restaurant.  Pretty good really - and the place is alive.

Brother Dave suggested we head out to what was, until the 2012 Olympics, the National Watersports’ Centre at Holme Pierrpont, alongside the river Trent.  Off we went and as soon as we’d parked the car, we spied the Segways…  Dave and I were keen, Sue less keen and Paula not at all keen to give it a go.  I managed very easily and Dave had been on one before and Sue soon learned. Paula was in charge of the camera…

Off then to watch the kayaks on the man-made white water rafting course.  Very skilful.

We then had an enjoyable time watching four inflatables with crews of either four or six inexperienced paddlers plus an instructor, come to grief!

A chance then to fly Dave’s stunt kite which was a bit of exercise for the arms – and a stiff neck…

Out on the Trent, we spied the Nottingham Princess.

A quick catch up with Stewart and Noah who were just heading back from the park.  Home for a turkey dinner and to watch the Canadian F1 GP – which of course is televised at a reasonable hour in Europe.

Paula is looking forward to shopping with Sue tomorrow.

 

June 9^th

Dave and I did our thing whilst Sue and Paula blitzed the shops.  One of the things we wanted to do was to sort out a headstone for the family grave.  The headstone suppliers rang the cemetery for us and apparently we were limited (due to the local Draconian regulations), to a stone no larger than 18” x 18”…

After a few other calls (and brunch at Morrisons...) we headed back home and took Dave and Sue out for a meal at night to “Tree Tops” an ‘Eating In’ establishment, a few doors away from the old family home.  I ate far too much…

 

June 10^th

Not a comfortable night – see the last sentence above.

Paula and I went across town to what was Nottingham’s first true super store 40 years ago – ASDA.  Apart from a pack of socks, my major purchase will have to be kept under wraps until we board the ship.  

On then into town.  The first call was Costa’s for a coffee.

BBQ time tonight. Dave had bought me via Ebay, an electrical consumption meter which will obviously be interesting to use in NZ…

 

June 11^th

Paula and I ended up at B&Q today, shopping for Stewart.  It’s tough for him not having had a Dad around to show him how to do various jobs that need doing or to use birthday and Christmas money to build up a decent set of tools.  So as we walked around his house the other night, we made a list of what might be needed – but he had the list, so the shopping was from memory…

When back home, I wasn’t at all impressed with the hose reel I’d bought as it seemed very flimsy when I assembled it.

After Sue had cooked another nice dinner, we shot up to Stewarts’ and whilst Paula chatted to Manu, Stewart and I unloaded the car and opted to give the water blaster a maiden run.  It was fine - but as I suspected, the hose reel fell apart and the hoses kept blowing off, so I put it back in the car!

 

June 12^th

Getting up later and later!

Dave shot off to Nottingham’s Ice Stadium and we followed at a more leisurely pace to see him ‘perform’.  Honest as we are, we handed over the £2 spectator fee, only to find out that if we’d gone to the café, we could have just walked out the other side and down to the ice for free!

As I was taking a couple of pics of Dave doing a very poor imitation of Christopher Dean, a lady came down, brandishing a copyright form she wanted me to sign and pay for… We managed to talk her out of that and she let us off  - but the camera battery was getting flat anyway.

A coffee and  a toasted panini and whilst Dave and Sue headed for home, we went to what was the city’s first major shopping centre, but not happy as the new mushy pea stall in the Victoria Centre’s market,  seems to have closed down already!  The centre is being refurbished – again so the famous Emmett’s water-clock had been taken away and will no doubt be back again later.

We called at Morrison’s supermarket and couldn’t resist a chocolate covered, cream filled choux bun (known in some places as an elephant’s foot…).

I swapped the rubbish hose reel for a sturdier model then managed – at the third attempt – to catch my school buddy in.  We have been friends now for 60 years.

A successful day.

 

June Friday 13^th – Day 20

A bit of a drive around via the ‘Woodthorpe Top’ for another eggs benedict with Wiltshire ham off the bone (under £4 or $8NZD…) and a call in at ‘Patchings’ art and craft centre and on then for another Costa’s at Mapperley.

After dinner, I popped up to drop off the hose reel to Stewart where Manu had her sister, with her two plus Noah, causing mayhem – mainly Noah!

 

June 14^th

We headed up to see Stewart and Noah and they accompanied us to Costa’s and we made short work of toasted sandwiches…

Back to Stewarts then we all headed out to Ikea, but en route, Paula and I got caught in a road works traffic jam!   Stewart managed to catch a warning sign and missed it.

We didn’t buy much at Ikea yet Paula did. She  managed two Teflon cutting boards – for 80p each.

Stewart and Noah came back with us to Dave’s and they dragged out the guitars and had a bit of a session, whilst Noah accompanied them on the guitar tablet app.

After dropping them off, I called at what was Beardsley’s fish and chip shop to bring back our dinner.  Bearing in mind there were four of us, the two portions of chips were still too much and one portion was more than ample.

With England’s opening World Cup soccer match at 0-0 after half an hour, even though it was a good match, I opted for bed.