Cambridge

L is still not in work, so she makes up for the lack of gym sessions recently by packing them in this week. On Tuesday she also cuts our grass. After which the Lad looks totally knackered and he still has dog training to come. Daughter is out twitching again until well past midnight which may well be a euphemism. I will try that one on L.

On Wednesday Rishi Sunak finally announces his own execution. We will be having a General Election on the 4th July.

On Friday morning we arrive at the park gates on Harrow Road to find them locked, yet there are loads of school kids on the other side of it trying to get out and it’s a long way back round to get to the school. We walk the streets instead but wonder how that one got resolved.

L is at PT, three days later than usual as her trainer has been recovering from his competition e.g. getting a decent meal inside him.

Then we head down to Cambridge for the weekend. We spend the first evening in the Royal Standard on Mill Street where their speciality is Greek food which we indulge in.

Parkrun is at Milton Country Park but sadly dogs are not allowed. He joins us for coffee and sausage cobs at the park café afterwards. Then it’s back to hotel to freshen up before a walk into Cambridge. We’re not over impressed with Cambridge. It’s quite scruffy and very trafficky. I’m really surprised that there’s almost no pedestrianisation. It’s not a patch on Norwich.

After our busy morning, L looks like she’s about to faint so we stop for a bacon baguette from a street seller. While we’re stood there a number of people try to sell us a boat trip on the river but we daren’t take a punt on punting with the Lad.

Instead we dive into Heffers bookshop and why not. Then we have coffee by the river at a Greene King pub and then head to another pub, the Geldart, for some hot rocks with chicken and lamb alongside some 6% local stout.

On Sunday morning we find ourselves in a queue for breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express. It’s also not a very good breakfast which is why we don’t do Express usually.

Then we checkout and head to Wandlebury Park for a walk and then Ely. In Ely we visit Cromwell’s House, Ely Cathedral and a rather nice Riverside garden with a band playing on the bandstand. We chill out at a cafe with a puppuccino (and real coffee for us). We conclude that Ely is so much nicer and quieter than Cambridge.

Meanwhile, Derby, described as ‘rundown’ and a ‘dump’, claims the ‘prize’ as the worst UK city for a short break.

(Sunday 26^th May)

Three Walks A Day

The rain is back and Monday cycling is back.

Tuesday sees L at PT. Which she says is her first gym session in a week but... a break is good and... she’s been ill all week.

The Lad is at the Vets for his MOT, his booster jab and the horrible kennel cough one up the nose. They weigh him and he’s put on a whole kg since last time. Clearly he’s been having way too many chips.

L relapses and is too ill for the gym on Wednesday. I keep my distance feeling she might expire if I try anything romantic. In the afternoon I take my Dad to an appointment to have his hearing checked. Amazing they say it’s quite good. The Lad is slightly sane at dog training. Daughter is out twitching.

On Thursday I meet my ex-colleague for lunch in the Brunswick while L visits her Dad who is much better.

L is well enough to swim at Lenton on Friday and even walks the Lad at lunch. He’s a three walks a day dog now he’s having to walk that kg off. Given the choice of an hour of the Theresa May book that we are listening to or a gym session L unsurprisingly opts for the gym. The Theresa May book is as dull as you’d expect it to be.

We Parkrun at Clifton on Saturday and then I go over to Aston to perform lawn cutting duties. The Lad amuses himself by pulling my Dad’s plants out of their pots to get at the bone meal he’s bought. It seems he rather likes bone meal. We have a night in the Plough.

On Sunday we head to the Welbeck Abbey Estate and go for a walk there which clocks in at nearly 10k. L’s PT chap wins the body building competition he’s being starving himself for.

(Sunday 19^th May)

Bone Meal And Blood

On Saturday we go to Markeaton for Parkrun but it’s too hot to leave the Lad in car so I watch with him rather than run. L’s sister is there as she’s come up to see their Dad. We all go to visit at the care home and then meet later at Markeaton Garden Centre for lunch. I go collect my Dad so he can join us. He is thrilled by that and then by the visit to Borrowash Co-op which is followed by us visiting our second garden centre of the day. He’s looking for bone meal and blood apparently. Which, as I have zero gardening expertise, is a foreign language to me.

It’s Eurovision in the evening, so we have a night in and watch that. The UK finished a respectable mid table 12th after the jury vote but then were the only country to be given null points by the public and slipped down to 18th. Switzerland won.

It is during Eurovision that we get a message to say that our friend, who had trained two of our dogs and we had visited in Blackpool only a few months ago, has died. We are stunned. We knew she was unwell but wasn’t aware it was anything life threatening.

On Sunday I do my first cycle sportive in many a year, and my first outing on my road bike in over a year, in Newark. L and the Lad come to support. The route takes me past all the sights. Newark Castle obviously for the start and finish but also past the YMCA where we went to the Mayoral hustings, past the PF International Karting Circuit at Stragglethorpe where I used to taz round in go-kart in my younger more reckless days and even close to Collingham, home to many a dog show. It’s only 40 miles but they serve the best ham sandwich and ginger cake at the half-way stopover. In the evening I rehydrate at the Plough.

(Sunday 12^th May)

The Dawn Chorus

Sunday is International Dawn Chorus Day and we are on Wollaton Park for 4:30 am. Yes really. Amazingly the park is open. Yes really. We even have a birding expert with us. Yes Daughter. And we all have our bird apps at the ready, well except me. The Lad is confused because all this is happening before his breakfast and I’m not too sure how we got away with that. Afterwards we’re all back in bed, after feeding the Lad.

Sunday is the new Saturday this week and after our joint gym we do the Plough but then Monday is a Bank Holiday, so we get another lie in but don’t this time have to get up at 4:30am first. Then it’s a leisurely walk on the park. The sun is out and so are L’s shorts. Sadly hopes to enjoy the sun with a coffee or an ice cream are curtailed by the long queues. So we head home for lunch.

We’re back at work on Tuesday and L is at home all week, so she joins in the ‘excitement’ at Sainsbury’s. In the evening I take my Dad out to make up for him missing out on a trip to the Velodrome due to the Bank Holiday.

It’s L’s birthday on Wednesday for which L is still not feeling her best and suspects she has a chest infection. Despite that she has a busy day with book club and a lunchtime 4.5k run with the Lad and I. After which I am feeling confident enough\mad enough (delete as applicable) to enter the Grand Prix series of races. Dog training in the evening is a case of do your own thing as we don’t have a trainer but this proves quite useful if like me you have an errant dog who always does his own thing.

Thursday sees L, who hates driving, with the stress of driving her Mum to an eye appointment during morning rush hour. She survives that but later requires the gentle application of wine to fully get over it which we manage to turn into a Friday night on a Thursday.

On Friday it’s my turn to take a parent to a medical appointment as my Dad has another injection scheduled on his knee. L walks over to us afterwards as she’s been visiting her Dad. He’s not good and we wonder if he’ll pull through. In the evening we go for a curry at Anoki in Derby with friends. 

(Friday 10^th May)

Sign Language

L practically leaps out of bed on Thursday morning (well sort of) and, while I’m still wondering whether to join her, she heads out on her second run in two days. It’s a warm morning and she returns hot and sweaty. Very nice.

Then she rushes off to visits her Dad who’s sadly been taken into hospital. We do a joint gym later where I have a brief sign language conversation with some lad as I try to get him off the leg curl but he’s seemingly too busy booking his post-gym Deliveroo.

On Friday evening we are at Mr Mans Chinese with my Dad and Daughter. It’s a joint birthday celebration as my birthday was last week and L’s is next week. My Dad pays for us all, so we let him stay over. Daughter takes us in her car and then after dropping us back at home heads out to her mystery man.

Saturday is Parkrun and we run at Wollaton while my Dad stays tucked up in bed. Very sensible of him. I then take him home, make him lunch and cut his lawn. I'm a bit nice like that.

Then it's time for the record attempt.

(Saturday 4^th May)

Frank Turner

Tonight I head down to somewhere called Saltbox for the first time. I don’t even know the place existed and I find it lurking near the Ice Stadium. I don’t know what’s on at the Arena itself but there are loads of stalls selling feather boas and kiss me quick hats. Which is worrying. Although I’m sure it’s nothing to do with Frank Turner, which is why I’m here. A quick internet search tells me it’s the Clubland Arena Tour. So that’s cleared that one up... not.

Tonight it’s Frank Turner’s World Record Attempt. He’s doing 15 shows in 15 cities in 24 hours which will be a new Guinness World Record.

With Frank only due to play around 25 minutes it’s good that we’ve got a support act. George Gadd walks out shouting 'You pies!'. Yes he’s a local and clearly not from the red side of the city. It’s also immediately apparent that he’s a wannabe Frank Turner but he’s very confident with it. He's also pretty good and chatty with it. He tells us he used to be in an Emo band and has been to B&Q today!

He plays us some tracks from his forthcoming début album that he says has been 42 years in the making since he was aged two. It includes a ballad about his dog Leo who he lost during Covid and couldn’t say goodbye to due to restrictions. He also covers Frightened Rabbit’s ‘Swim Until You Can’t See Land’. 

He goes down well and George seems slightly overwhelmed with it all. At half an hour our support act has played longer than the headliner is schedule to do. I don’t think that usually happens.

Saltbox is a nice venue albeit with a small stage and although bigger in actual size to the Rescue Rooms it's probably got about the same 400 or so capacity, due to its layout.

Frank is due on a 9pm and his kit e.g. guitar, pedals etc arrive from Chesterfield at 8:45. So it looks like we’re on schedule. It must be hard lugging stuff into a different places unless you’ve cased the joints first but then perhaps they have.

Bang on time Frank Turner takes the stage wearing a T-shirt with the slogan ‘Whose stupid idea was this anyway?’ and welcomes us along to gig six of his mid-life crisis. 

The eight song set draws mainly from his new album ‘Undefeated’ which I get handed a copy of when I enter the venue. The gig plus the CD for only £18.50 and in aid of the Music Venue Trust. So I order a T-Shirt as well.

Alongside the new material he slots in a couple of classics in the shape of ‘The Ballad of Me and My Friends’ and ‘Get Better’. Both of which induce a mass crowd singalong.

Then after a finale of another newbie ‘Do One’ where the chorus appropriately goes ‘I’m still standing up’ he leaves for his next appointment in Birmingham in only an hour’s time.

Of course he went on to achieve his aim in Southampton the next day and now he’s a World Record holder as well as having raised some money for the Music Venue Trust while being the complete legend that he is.

The Rishi Bribe

It's one of those Monday's when L skips the gym to get to work early but then her boss doesn’t turn up so she heads home in a huff. I warn the kettle that it’s going to be busy. 

When she's refuelled with tea I ask her if she’s had the Rishi bribe yet, her 2% off National Insurance, and yes she checks and she’s a whole £18 better off. What's more he’s now knocked another 2% off so it should double next month. I ask if it's persuaded her to vote for Rishi. Apparently not. 

On Tuesday Nottingham is named the country's worst council to the surprise of no one.

On Wednesday we run 3.7k at lunchtime with L still WFH. Then in the evening I’m in Sheffield at the Leadmill for Editors. 

(Wednesday 1^st May)

Editors

Tonight I’m at the Leadmill and hopefully not for the last time. The venue is very reassuring that they’ll still be around for a very long time yet but they are in court later this month as they continue to fight its new landlord over the eviction notice that was served on them when their lease expired in March last year. Thankfully they are protected by the Landlord and Tenant Act and this is why they are in court as only a court can end their tenancy.

Meanwhile the Leadmill is still here doing what it does so well and remains my second favourite venue after Rock City.

 

The support band tonight are Wings Of Desire from Stroud. Who are supposedly a duo consisting of Chloe Little and James Taylor but they are out in force tonight rocking up at the Leadmill as a five piece wielding a pair of guitars, drums and a bass alongside Little on keyboards. The smartly dressed Taylor in a shirt and tie has one of those guitars as well as the lead mic. 

 

All of which creates a very big, layered sound. At one moment you’re thinking shoegaze then the next you’re hit with a wall of percussion and guitars. They are very good and a decent fit for tonight’s headliners, Editors. 

Editors have developed their sound over the years and today we get the full range. There was plenty from their latest record ‘EBM’ such as the opener ‘Strawberry Lemonade’ and ‘Picturesque’ with the classic oldie ‘An End Has a Start’ sandwiched in between.

 

Tonight is a warm up before they become the first band to play to a capacity crowd at the re-opened Brixton Academy after it was closed following the fatal crowd crush back in December 2022. Then they’re off to do a festival in Spain.

The band are excellent tonight and as always they switch up their set list. While I remain unconvinced by their cover of ‘Killer’, tonight they revisit the likes of ‘Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool’, ‘Formaldehyde’, ‘Ocean of Night’ and to my delight ‘Bricks and Mortar’ which appears just before the set ending ‘Papillon’.

 

An encore that gives us ‘The Weight of the World’ and ‘A Ton of Love’ climaxes with a version of ‘Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors’ that starts with the first verse done slow, acoustic and moody before the rest of the band join in to finish it and us off.