Escape to the Cliffs

Very unusually, I didn’t go to church in the morning. I was still feeling tired from all the stress of the journey home from my mini-break. My run of bad luck continued with the tumble dryer refusing to start and flashing “Error E90” at me, so I had to put all the wet towels out on clothes airers to dry and become bits of rough cardboard.

I went over to my sister’s for some tea before we drove to the Cliffs Pavilion on Southend seafront. This was for my sister’s birthday treat from last December - we both enjoyed the TV series “Escape to the Chateau”, so I had got two tickets to see the opening show of the Strawbridge family’s UK tour in Angel’s home town. We were in the front row, so got a close up view of all the action. At the start of the show, the family read out the names of some of the audience members who had commented on their social media that they were coming along, and the last name was mine! I’d had a little conversation with Angel on Facebook some time ago about it being my late Dad’s 100th birthday and that he had been a carpenter, which of course she appreciated after all the work that had been done at the chateau. It was an interesting evening, where they told their story, debunked a lot of tabloid myths (no, they are not going to sell the chateau), had a Generation Game style “Jack of All Trades” competition onstage with four audience members trying to complete four building/creative tasks in only ten minutes (chaos - see Extra), and answered many audience questions.

I got home at ten past midnight, having been diverted off the A12 at Chelmsford and getting hopelessly lost in the city when the diversion signs dried up and left me scratching my head. I just couldn’t believe this had happened to me again!! The SatNav eventually helped me out, but only after trying to take me back to the closed junction again which made me shout at it for being so stupid. I’m not going to drive anywhere for a while.