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The French coach arriving | Cuttiing the ribbon on Corné Corner | ![]() Everyone (except me and Dil!) after dinner/dance |
Just to prove we were in Santander |
The 'Stone Crane' on the jetty now a home for pigeons! |
The Botin Centre: arts above, coffee and arty souvenirs below |
The merry-go-round in the park opposite the hotel |
We did an open-top bus tour ... |
... which included a ride on a little road train |
View through an arch to the Cathedral |
Is this the post to Amarillo? |
![]() Centenary Banner by Gerald Whittaker |
![]() The Stage with Foresters Banner |
![]() Gardeners Question Time in the Marquee |
![]() Me as René Artois in the evening |
I had a day of eye tests at the Royal Surrey Hospital today to see if I qualify for a European 'blind' (sic) trial between two different procudures for cataracts and glaucoma. It all depended on the pressures, and apparently I just squeezed in – so now I await the call for surgery.
We ran a Spring Fair in the village hall along the lines of
our annual Christmas Fair – and it was a success.
We had rather given up on Spring fairs some years ago when they were
poorly attended, but this time it was the week before Easter (which was
late this year) and we were lucky with the weather. Shall we do one
next year when Easter is earlier? Not sure.
We ran the first Folk Club in our local pub (the Arford Crown) for many, many years, and it went well. We now plan for it to be on the first Wednesday of each month. Come all ye!
To the eye clinic today for my annual check – they have offered to put me on a European randomised trial for combined glaucoma/cataract surgery. But first I must have more tests to check I'm a suitable subject. Watch this space!
Up to Mansfield Woodhouse in the Mini – our first long trip in
it – to visit Pam & Stu for a long weekend.
While there we went to see Mr Straw's House in Worksop and Bolsover
Castle, neither of which we'd visited before.
4 March 2025Our wedding anniversary. Our good friends the Farnluchers had given us a voucher for a posh lunch in London, so we took the train up to Waterloo and wended our way by bus across to the Liverpool St area (new territory for us) and walked down Catherine Wheel Alley (so narrow you have to go single-file) to find the London Steakhouse. It was a lovely long, relaxed meal – and we beat the rush hour coming back on the train. |
13 February 2025Zak (see photo of band below) has just passed his driving test, and to celebrate he drove me to Southsea to visit the D-Day Museum which we'd both wanted to do in the past. An interesting place altogether, but the pièce de resistance is the Tank Landing Craft outside – not a replica, the real thing with real tanks on it. If it hadn't been such a cold day we'd have spent more time looking round it, but we soon sought sanctuary in the warmth of the indoor displays. |
10 February 2025Our affair with a Citroen C3 Aircross was short-lived,
in fact it lasted just 5 months. Dil couldn't get on with it and it was
a bit of a disappointment after having had two C3s before and enjoyed
them. So it's back to Blighty with a Mini (OK, so I do know they're
really BMWs these days!) and an automatic at that. We're quickly
learning to control that left foot, always having gear shift before
this. |
18 & 23 January 2025The year started as ever with the village pantomime – this year our Cinderella script getting another airing. I played bass in the band (as well as directing and prompting) and Dil was the Fairy Godmother (as well as being responsible for costuming and choreography). It went well (see pictues here) although on the second weekend Cinderella lost her voice completely and had a satnd-in reading her lines from the side of the stage! |