January 2025. Southborough. Kent. A difficult week got trickier on Wednesday as Mrs RM’s Dad needed our urgent attention down in Kent. All Michael wanted at the end of an urgent consultation was “a Chinese”, so it’s just as well we have attained Regular Status at Southborough’s top takeaway, as Mrs Meow only opens at… Continue reading SHEPS GOES SMALL BATCH

January 2025. Leighton Buzzard. Not perhaps the wisest evening on a day of family tragedy, but we all cope with death differently, I guess. You can’t end an evening in Buzzard without a Balti, or in this case a Dansak, in Sahil’s back over the bridge. Tremendous curry and service, even if we were never… Continue reading BANGLA, DANSAK, TIA MARIA

January 2025. Linslade/Leighton Buzzard. A trip to Mum’s home village in Eaton Bray, and a night to unwind in Leighton Buzzard where Mum no doubt used to buy her Panini stickers and Bazooka Joe gum. Oh, that was me. A chance to complete the Bedfordshire GBG entries too, which might sound like an achievement but… Continue reading BEDFORDSHIRE HAS FALLEN

January 2025. Leighton Buzzard. It’s hard writing these posts so close to Mum’s death, but the blog is a diary, and I’d be lying to the diary if I didn’t tell it I felt a strong need to maintain a sense of normality as chaos ensued all around. And Mrs RM, bless her, was dealing… Continue reading BASS IN BUZZARD AT THE BLACK LION

January 2025. Leighton Buzzard. Death sets in motion a whole chain of events, many outside your control. The only thing I knew on Monday after a day of interviews and statement taking and a lot of advice was that I couldn’t stay in Waterbeach that night. Hence that trip to Mum’s birthplace, and a night… Continue reading SOMETIMES, ONLY A NIGHT IN A LEIGHTON BUZZARD SPOONS HOTEL WILL DO

January 2025. Eaton Bray. Mum died peacefully on Monday morning, starting a week of phone calls and paper trails and photo selection, but I made my priority that night to visit the church where Mum and Dad were married in 1961, in Eaton Bray, just north of the Dunstable Downs. She was born in this… Continue reading AN UNEXPECTED RETURN TO EATON BRAY

January 2025. Waterbeach. Coming to the tough-to-write posts now. Mum took a turn for the worse over the weekend, and I’d hardly be able to leave her for the next two days. When I did pop out, for her favoured pineapple juice, I nipped in The Sun to clear my thoughts. Pubs are good like… Continue reading A SNATCHED 20 MINUTES IN THE SUN

January 2025. Downham Market. I’d allowed an hour and a half to do all 3 Downham pubs, my Tesco shopping, a bit of sightseeing and some dithering about a Chinese takeaway. I’d only need an hour. From the Live & Let Live, where I sensed folk staring at me, to the modest Tesco, where again… Continue reading THE WHOLE OF DOWNHAM MARKET IN THE SPOONS

January 2025. Downham Market. I abandoned my trip to King’s Lynn 2 stops early; bizarrely it wouldn’t have been a penny cheaper to have just booked a ticket to Downham Market. Someone will be along shortly to tell me it’s still a capital offence to leave a train early in West Norfolk. Downham (pop. half… Continue reading A DOOM BAR IN DOWNHAM MARKET

January 2025. Norfolk. A traumatic day yesterday, one I can’t bring myself to write about just yet. But I need to write to stay sane, so here’s Thursday’s £13.40 rail trip into darkest Norfolk. I’d targeted a first visit to King’s Lynn since just after Covid, after a couple of years when Lynn had looked… Continue reading WHAT ON EARTH HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN KING’S LYNN ?