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Terrifier
Watching Terrifier tonight. I have a feeling its going to be awful!
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Funny use of words
We’re watching Drink Masters on Netflix and all the contestants use the phrase “appreciate it” an awful lot 😄
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Last minute time off
I have two weeks left to take this year. I was meant to take time off at the end of September, but things got in the way so at long last we agreed, at the last minute, I’d have until the 14th November off.
I’m sitting on the sofa, discussing with Si what on earth we’re going to do! Though I think today is going to be a lazy day.
I slept almost 10 hours last night. I think it was because I was shattered and I knew I had cancelled my alarm so I could relax properly. The gin and dubonnet I had helped too 😅
I still can’t believe I don’t have to go I to work, this is what last minute time off feels like I suppose, almost a feeling of guilt that I’m not there!
Right now, I have much TV to catch up on.
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Dad’s Cycle for SMA UK
My Dad is cycling from London to Brighton on Sunday on behalf of my beautiful niece Alice.
Alice was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy so Dad is riding to support an amazing charity called SMA (UK).
Any support would be amazing! You can support by following the Just Giving link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/grahamrobertshaw
Some cute pictures of Alice 🙂 
My Dad on his previous bike ride a few years ago. Thanks very much 😊
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Summer madness
I never thought I’d hear myself say it, but, I think I’m sick of summer.
This year has been far too hot and humid. Sleepless nights, constantly uncomfortable etc.
Roll on autumn.
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Dinner tonight
We had the leftover lasagne I made from a couple of nights ago. It’s one of my favourite things to cook as I make it extra tasty! Also, it gets better after a few days when the ingredients have had a chance to mingle.
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The Vyne
Today we went to The Vyne. Such a lovely National Trust property. We went insode to look around the house, then we had a nice cup of tea in the sun. After that we went for a walk in the grounds which was about 3.5 miles long. We treated ourselves to an ice lolly after that, then made our way home. A lovely afternoon out 😊.
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Evening Out
Off out tonight as it’s Simon’s first Saturday not having to work weekends! I’m really excited 😁
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AVP Requiem
We have been watching the Alien and Predator films over the last few weeks. Today we watched AVP Requiem. First thing we noticed was we couldn’t actually see the film, it was so badly lit it was too dark to see the action scenes, even in some daytime scenes. The acting and camera work was bad too.
That’s a couple of hours we won’t get back!
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Week off
We have been in the sun all week, so today we are enjoying a well deserved Lord of the Rings marathon!
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Bacon sarnies
Nothing better on a Sunday morning than crispy bacon sandwiches for breakfast 😋
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Sense8
I have started watching Sense8 again. This is the most beautiful and progressive program. I absolutely love it 😊
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Rainy days
Nothing better than sat inside, all warm and comfortable, while watching the rain come down with the balcony door open. Wet, warm spring Tuesdays.
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Weird weather
Such crazy weather today.
I got up at 5.15am and it was nice and bright, a lovely morning. When I left the gym to head to work the sun was so bright and the sky was crystal clear. It got warmer through the day and it made me feel so happy.
When I left work there were dark clouds above and it felt humid, even the breeze was warm.
Now it’s terrential rain. But I’m inside looking outside, nice and comfy.
Steak for dinner 😋
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It’s almost the weekend!
Had a lovely evening with Simon last night, we went to the Rowbarge in Midgham to a meet the brewer event. The ale was great and the food was tasty. We left the car in the car park and took the train home.
This morning I took the train back to Midgham to get the car.
I can’t believe how nice the weather is today. Its sunny but with a nice cool, crisp feeling in the air, such a lovely morning. I hope it carries on for the weekend 😊
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An evening out and A Quiet Place part 2
Yesterday we went out for dinner at Cobrizo Lounge in Newbury, it was very tasty and just what we needed after a long day, especially the ice cold pint of Punk IPA!
Si had a three plate tapas which consisted of halloumi and corn fritters, squid and buttermilk chicken dippers, it looked yummy 😋
I had a buttermilk chicken main course and it was delicious. We didn’t have any starters or desserts as we were being good.
We decided to grab a bottle of wine from the supermarket and head home to watch a film.
We picked A Quiet Place part 2, one of my favourites. Its an excellent film and the acting in it is fantastic.
Then I fell asleep 😅
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Ladybower Reservoir and Derwent Dam
Today we wanted to have a decent walk in the countryside. Si had the great idea of walking around a large reservoir, so we headed over towards Ladybower Reservoir which took almost an hour but it was worth it.
We parked up in a car park next to the water and set off on our hike. We headed into the trail by the Ladybower Inn and it was immediately beautiful with spectacular views.
We headed up the east side of the resevoir which took almost 3 hours but we walked through woodland, villages and on farm roads. We even saw the site of the flooded village and the remains of the vicarage.
We stopped for lunch when we reached the Derwent dam and imagined the WW2 pilots practicing low flying for the bouncing bombs.
We then walked down along the dam and headed to the visitor centre and headed back on to the path. This walk was more woodland for most of the way and was a lot straighter than the last so it was a little quicker.
Towards the end of the trail a fighter jet flew over us which surprised us!
We crossed the bridge by the snake pass and headed towards Ladybower dam to look at the giant plug holes and watch the water going down and out the other side.
It was a 30k step walk so we were feeling pretty shattered when we got back to the car so we decided to go out for dinner for pizza as it was our last night up north.
Here are some photos of the day…
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Speedwell Caverns and Castleton
Today we got up early(ish) and travelled from Chesterfield over to Castleton to visit some caverns. We got there early and had to wait before we could enter Speedwell Cavern as the tour wasn’t for another 45 minutes so we decided to climb a small hill just across the road from the cavern entrance, it looked beautiful with the road running in between the formations.
Speedwell Cavern was a great experience. We entered via an old lead mine entrance and headed underground where a boat was waiting for us. The tour guide was great and had the perfect sense of humour. He told us all about the mines and how the miners got around the cavern. It was well worth the money.
After Speedwell we walked along a trail to get to Peak Cavern. I was really looking forward to this one but unfortunately the next tour wasn’t for a couple of hours so we headed into castleton instead. It was a very pretty little village and we stopped at the visitor’s centre for a coffee and a snack.
We headed back up the hill and took some photos over the views and then headed back to the car.
When we got back to Chesterfield we called into the supermarket to get bits for a ‘picky tea’ which we love! Then we walked into the town centre and found a nice pub called The Rectory. It was just the kind of pub that we like. We enjoyed the ales and the atmosphere for a couple of hours before heading back to the flat to have dinner and play a game of fighting fantasies!
Here are some photos from the day…
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Monsal Trail and Bakewell
Today we got up early and headed over to the Monsal Trail and hired a couple of bikes. We headed to Bakewell first and bought ourselves a bakewell tart to enjoy throughout the day for extra energy! Then we started to cycle the Monsal Trail which is 8.5 miles of disused railway with 6 tunnels to cycle through, 4 of which are very long, they were freezing! Along the trail we saw the disused railway stations and the scenery and nature was spectacular. When we got back to the car we had something to eat and then headed to Buxton which was OK but I preferred Bakewell to the two. But by then I think we were worn out and cold and just wanted to get home. Here are some photos of the day…
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We have arrived in Chesterfield.
We had a nice drive up to Chesterfield today, made it in good time. We arrived around 2pm so not enough time left to do much so we decided to go to Sheffield on the train for lunch and a look around. Here are some photos…
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Sunset
Sunset in Newbury Beautiful sunset in Newbury tonight 😊
Mark R. 