Wednesday

I had the best of intentions today for my new thing and had hoped to go to a pub in Amersham. But when I got to the town I became acutely aware of how scruffy I am. That combined with pure tiredness from gigging, drinking and merriment over the past few weeks with no let up made Budgens my new thing instead!

Tuesday - New thing was the Pheasant Pub in Chesham. Was asked if I “was looking for someone?” on the way in, so can’t work out if that makes it welco

James

Side streets in Ealing and Brixton and pubs on the way to seeing the fabulous James, supported by the lovely Athlete whose perennial favourite Wires brought a tear to my eye as usual. James blew me away from the intro of Tim Booth singing from the bar accompanied by an acoustic guitar, and walking towards the stage. “Where is the love that everyone is talking of. Shake my body - release my soul. Punish my senses - lose control. This body’s young but my spirits old, scatter my ashes and let my feelings go”. Then “She’s a star” much to my sister’s delight before a mix of new songs – Porcupine, Hey Ma and the old classics, Sit Down (which we all stood up for!), Laid, Sometimes and Born of Frustration. Like the rest of the crowd, I fell in love with Tim Booth again – just couldn’t take my eyes off his fabulous dancing and his easy sartorial style.

Friday - the Priory!

...in Wellingborough. For a drink, not for the treatment of drink!

Saturday
Highcross Centre in Leicester and Caffe Nero. Also a fantastic French restaurant called Le Bistrot Pierre on Millstone Lane where I had a very French mackerel pate with ravoli. Delicieux!

Sunday
Beautiful walk near Woodhouse Eaves

The Royal Club!

Wednesday
New thing was reminding myself how hilly Chesham is by driving up a hill on my way home and then cautiously, cautiously coming back down the other side, cursing myself for doing this when it was so damn icy!

Thursday
New thing was a treatment room at Stoke Park which I hadn’t been into before. Had our Christmas party there once again after a brilliant time two years ago. After the massage, spent two and a half hours in the swimming pool – never boring, and then back to new things; steam room, then the room in Layer Cake which our boss had booked for our Christmas meal. Had a fantastic meal with a singsong and then Chrsitine’s husband very kindly dropped me home.

Tuesday - More rubbish new things.

Drove around the Clement Danes School car park – and avoided being hit by a woman in a Toureg by about a centimetre. She didn’t even notice. Serves me right for being where I shouldn’t have been, I suppose!

Monday

Despite being invited to play golf (not old enough yet), I struggled with my new thing today and ended up buying some very expensive cheese biscuits from Waitrose

Sunday - D'Israel and Taking Liberties

New thing was a beautiful, beautiful walk in the grounds of Hughendon Manor, which started in the valley. I then went past the house and into the gorgeous woodland. Even though it wasn’t incredibly early, since it had been so cold the night before, the ground was glistening and shimmery. As the sun came out, there was a very strange sensation of being the only person for some miles, listening to the crackling of the leaves and trees starting to melt –fantastic. I then came out of the other side of the woods into Downley Common and then back through the woods and valley. Funny thing is that Hughendon was the home of Disraeli and while I was there, I got a text from my Dad who was in Tel Aviv – so a text d’Israeli (geddit!). Also watched Taking Liberties since 1997, a powerful, yet hilarious film about the government eroding our personal freedoms.

Saturday

New thing was Mabel’s grandma’s 90th birthday in the St Nicholas at Wade Village Hall. Paid £10 for admittance!

Friday

New thing today was the bookshop in Chesham which I kicked myself for not having been into before. Although the range of books was great for a shop this size, I wasn’t impressed by what appeared to be the owner banging about huffing and puffing dropping piles of books on the floor and barging past me on several occasions. Customer service anyone? More new things were the cafe at the Elgiva and then the magificent Royal Standard of England in Forty Green. I would never have found this gem without the satnav and have never felt such a connection with the past as you could truly imagine that nothing has changed in the pub since 990. King Charles I raised his royal standard here to draw royalist supporters to his cause and you can almost imagine that some of the benches and chairs in the pub still bear the imprint of people who sat there during his reign. Can’t wait to come back and do the pub walk!

Thursday

New thing today was a post work drink at the Ivy House in Chalfont. I was hoping to go to the gym but after the aerobics fiasco I thought that trying to get out of the car park of the pub onto the main road would be enough! Had a very, veyr quiet pint. Just me and the sound of the guy behind the bar pottering around getting things ready for the Friday night crowd.

Aerobics - this is why it should have been left in the 80s!

Tuesday
New thing was an absolute disaster. Decided that instead of ploughing up and down in the swimming pool or slogging my guts out running up and down icy roads that I would go to an aerobics class at the Chiltern Pools. Big mistake! Gave up after half an hour of going the wrong way and getting the movement wrong as both were particularly obvious given the small space and ended up eating lots instead!

Wednesday
New thing was completed before work. Getting bored of waiting in queues on my way to work, I thought I would take the back lanes. Except I took the wrong one, and thanks to two people going in opposite directions in gleaming clean Land Rovers, got stuck. Then the sat nav finally switched itself on and I ended up finding a new short cut through Heronsgate!

Monday - Special Fried Rice

New thing was Meng House – a Chinese Restaurant in Little Chalfont which I thought had a lovely atmosphere and relaxed service. However, once I got home, I didn’t think the special fried rice was very special.

Chesham , Dorset, Chesham

Friday
New shops in Chesham during the Christmas shopping evening before retiring to the pub after being barged in the ribs one too many times! I actually asked if we could have a stall at this event but the organisers never bothered sending the application form I asked for.

Saturday
A fantastic meal at a pub called the Queen’s Arms Inn in Corton Denham for my dad’s birthday. I cannot recommend this place highly enough. The food was simple, but clearly fresh and the staff were attentive and friendly. Can’t wait to make the sister pub the Stapleton Arms my new thing soon!

Sunday
New thing was the guide hut in Lowdnes Park, Chesham, where I and about 500 other people collected our Santa costumes before running (ahem – maybe jogging?) the 1.5 mile course in the mud in aid of Iain Rennie Hospice at Home!