November 2023
You’ll remember that we were on the Isle of
Arran at the end of October, to avoid the fireworks. We came back at the beginning of
November, travelling quite late on bonfire night itself. This was a great way to enjoy fireworks
– in a warm car and thus insulated from the cold and more importantly the
noise. But perhaps best was the
fact that we could see some of the lovely displays from way back so could
see them in their entirety. Beautiful
colour, no crick in the neck and no noise – perfect!
We went to see Hannah and Ben’s wedding venue
for October, Shotton Grange on the other side
of Newcastle. It’s a lovely choice
that they’ve made and we were really impressed by the thought that the
venue have put into making their day go well. Can you believe there is even a “dog
chaperone” whom we have booked to look after
Tara for the whole of the day and into the evening. What a wonderful idea! It means that Tara, being something of
a princess, can get all the attention she deserves! And Hannah, who is also something of a
princess, can get our full attention!
(Tara is cheaper, though.)
We also went for a meal just round the corner at the Snowy Owl to
discuss detail, which was lovely.
Ian did his bit on Remembrance Sunday –
picture above. As always, it was a
lovely event on Gainford’s Green and thankfully
the rain held off.
Ian did one of the country’s very first Single
Justice Service sessions, where a magistrate sits on their own in front
of a PC and makes judgements on things like TV licence evasion, DVLA
notices, that sort of thing, and then decides on the appropriate penalty
(normally a fine). This is a new
way forward and the first session was a bit of a shakedown – Ian was able
to point out some shortcoming before the whole system went fully
operational.
So, all in all, a busy month with lots going
on! In December we might reengage
with Strictly – we’ve avoided it up to now but it does offer a great
countdown to Christmas!
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