Day 1888 (27/02/2015)

Busy finishing two reports that had been requested.

Slight bad news over Australia. Its not been cancelled & I already knew about travelling economy class but I've just found out that the meal on the second night on the conference is a Black Tie event, I wasn't even going to take a suit or even proper shoes.

Now I'm going to have to take my suit, which I last wore at a funeral a few years ago and take shirts & shoes to wear with it, I'm not happy.

Day 1887 (26/02/2015)

Busy day having a long meeting with some old friends but there were sausage sandwiches & doughnuts, so its wasn't all work.

Then quickly popped in to see Gary to let him have my Stewart Lee tickets which I can't use as I will be in Oz.

On the way back I went to the chemist to get some tubular bandage, as I doubt the airlines compression socks will fit me, and on a 22hr flight it might be worth taking a few precautions with my legs, which always get injured.

Then home to do a few reports before going away.

Day 1886 (25/02/2015)

Wednesday was still a bit busy and my leg was still hurting but in the evening we went out for a meal at Tristans, somewhere I have been meaning to go back to for a couple of years.

I started with a nice salad - Parma wrapped Figs, Feta and Plums Combined with a Honey-Mustard dressing into Light and refreshing spring Salad.

Then I had a Lamb Tagine - Slow cooked English Lamb’s Leg in a Moroccan Spiced Tomato, Courgette and Aubergine Tagine served with Fruity Couscous.

And my wife had Barbary Duck - Pan fried Barbary Duck Breast sat on creamy Dauphinoise Potatoes, served with Tender Stem Broccoli and an Orange and Raspberry Sauce.

 Then some nice afters and coffee's.

 

Day 1885 (24/02/2015)

Have been busy so catching up with the blog.

Tuesday we started with our usual nice breakfast but my wife made the poached eggs as I'm still struggling with these poached egg things, it's not as easy as the old metal one but that had gone rusty.

Mine weren't quite cooked enough but were still nice.

Nothing much else happening but my leg is still hurting.

Day 1884 (23/02/2015)

Golly its cold & wet, so started with a porridge & banana.

I don't actually have loads of paid work to do but am doing other things so it just seems like I'm really busy.

Day 1882 & 1883 (21 & 22/02/2015)

The weekend is her and thankfully no mad rush to do work, so I am aiming to do some things on renewing material for the courses and relax a bit.

I needed some old police papers so I had a rummage round my old box of bits, which is always emotional.

On Sunday we did our bit to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Day 1881 (20/02/2015)

My leg is getting a lot better and I will probably be able to start swimming again next week.

Just about up to date with work stuff but nothing much else happening.

Day 1880 (19/02/2015)

I was giving a talk to some trading standards officers this morning but was using my new laptop which wouldn't connect to the projector properly so I had to use one of their laptops which wouldn't connect to the internet properly.

It was OK and most people seemed to enjoy the talk but I wasn't happy as I like these presentations to go well not just OK and this seemed less than OK.

I took the photos before they all arrived.

Annoying drive home due to the road works and then out in the evening for my IOD meeting (nothing to do with bombs).

Day 1879 (18/02/2015)

I bought some daffodils for my wife at the weekend and they have come out lovely.

Don't read anything into me buying my wife flowers as I have always bought her flowers and try to but them every couple of weeks so that there are always flowers in the house.

A busy day getting my stuff ready before going away for the night.

I had aimed to leave at around 7pm but in the end I didn't leave until 9pm so didn't get to the hotel until gone 11:30pm.

Day 1878 (17/02/2015)

My leg is still really hurting me, meaning the gym & swimming are on the back burner for a little while.

But on the plus side its pancake day, sweet & saviour obviously.

I made one which was awful, luckily my lovely wife made the rest of them.

I think I will have to be spending a lot of time in the gym when I am better.

Day 1877 (16/02/2015)

Up very early to catch a train to London to have a meeting about doing some training.

My leg is still very painful making walking difficult but thankfully I didn't have that far to go.

The meeting went OK but its a toss of a coin whether I get the training or not. To be honest its only for a course or two so it isn't worth that much money and seems a bit of a long winded process for them to go thru but they want to appear to be fair; which seeing as they were interviewing the dodgy company from the West Midlands afterwards might be a good thing.

I was able to catch an early train home than I had planned but had to wait a few minutes for my wife to pick me up, so to kill the time I did my normal thing of acting like a tramp and checking around the machines for any lost cash.

I found 4 pound coins in the rejected coin slot, what a result :-)

Spent the afternoon asleep on the couch.

Day 1875 & 1876 (14 & 15/02/2015)

We had a nice breakfast at Rick Stein's and I went to retrieve my wife's iPad.

She was glad to have it back.

Then we went for a drive, visiting a Nation Trust place in Tintagel.

Then off to Boscastle, which was nice
.

Then home with some stuff for dinner that we bought at Rick Stein's.

On Sunday I did a paella for dinner.

It wasn't quite from scratch but I tried to make it special and it was well received.

Annoyingly and rather painfully I pulled my muscle rushing to answer the door :-(

Day 1874 (13/02/2015)

Friday started with a nice breakfast without a salesman trying to be matey with us.

When we left we stopped as soon as we had phone reception so I could call EE and slag of their useless lying scum of customer service staff who had again failed to get my account right.

Then we had a drive around into Newquay.

Then into Padstow where we were able to book into our room early and then wander around, during when my wife left her iPad in a coffee shop that then closed, which hopefully we can get back tomorrow.

In the evening we went to the seafood restaurant for the taster menu which was fantastic as always. It started with lovely bread & olives.

Then an amuse-bouche, some fishy stuff.

Then raw scallop with pickled ginger, lemon & cucumber, with chilli.

Next course was a fillet of sea bream with Hong Kong style broth, which you poured on, which was really tasty.

Then a brill & scallop ragu, which was unbelievably lovely.

Then a fish soup with parmesan crouton, which was lovely and very fishy.

Then a Lobster Thermidor, a classic that is always great.

Then afters of a rice pudding with sweet caramel and toasted pecans.

Then finishing off with a latte and some petit fours.

I wish I could eat here every week.