Warranting Further Investigation

I saw a lad carrying a For Sale sign up Ilkeston Road last night. Now that brings back memories and reminds me that we must get rid of the one sitting in Son’s room.

We are at a wine tasting this evening and I try to get the bus direct there from work but while L lounges in Cast cafe bar waiting for me, I lounge in Derby bus station.

I lounge for a very long time; there isn't a bus for 40 minutes, so much for the every 10 minutes service.

L describes the wine tasting as ‘an*l’. Well, I think she’s describing the people, who spend more time trying to impress the wine company reps that drinking the wine. I think they’ve got the wrong end of the stick, we drink the wine.

There’s nothing outstanding but nothing awful either. I highlight two out of the dozen or so I try as warranting further investigation. Things perk up immensely when the cheese counter opens, which produces the biggest scrum of the night.

Afterwards we amble up to the Savera curry house where we meet Daughter, can’t be bothered to go home and cook. My curry is excellent although evilly hot.

(Thursday 15th November)

An Impressive Table Decoration

An odd sort of weekend... no events. No dogs shows, no running. A bit of cycling though as I cycle the nine miles to where I abandoned the car at the wine tasting last night. I take my best bike, leaving the errant puncture prone one at home. It was actually quite a workout, more so than I intended due to how windy it was and all against me. All this after a session on the park with the boys of course.

In the evening we’re over in Derby in the time warp surroundings of the International Hotel. Nothing seems to have changed in this place since the 1970’s including the menu. This actually probably means it’s an ideal location for a 50th Wedding Anniversary, which is why we’re here tonight. No, not ours, for L’s parents.

I think the International does Christmas menus all year round, so it’s not surprise that’s what we get tonight, along with Christmas Crackers, a visit from Santa and dancing girls in little red fur trimmed outfits. So it wasn’t all bad.

It’s quite a good do actually, although mainly for the occasion rather than the location. L provides the defining moment by getting a couple of old black and white photos of her parents blown up to poster size proportions, which make an impressive table decoration.

We top and tail the evening with a visit to a couple of local pubs, that we haven’t been to for ages. In fact L says she’s never been with me to the Ye Olde Spa Inn on Abbey Street. Oops, that must have been someone else. While we’re there they treat us to live coverage of Derby’s latest defeat, so we don’t linger too long.

We’ve definitely been to the Crompton Tavern together though, which is where we kill time before the bus home.

(Saturday 26th November)