h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

J (from ML) came up to Cambridge for a day out, and we both made successful purchases: she bought boots and I bought a tweed jacket. We ran into another MLer quite by chance and all went for lunch together at Clowns, an Italian cafe/restaurant in the city centre.

After lunch, S went off to do her food shopping and J and I had a browse in Lakeland and Waterstones. Then we headed for the Grafton Centre, where we went our separate ways: J was looking for a birthday present for her sister and I went home, calling in at a friend's house on the way. I had been meaning to visit for some time, as they have had their house almost completely rebuilt. It looks as if they've done a really good job - it's a tall (three-storey) narrow house in a terrace, and the builders basically took the whole of the back of the house off and extended it outwards, effectively transforming it from three bedrooms to four. They have also put solar panels on the roof which power a water heater.

They had to move out into rented accommodation for about six months while the work was being done, but now that they are back in their 'new' home, they think it was worth it. They had had a financial windfall and decided that they could remodel their current house in the centre of the city for less than it would cost to find a four-bedroom house in a similar area.

I really like looking round other people's houses, so it was very interesting to see what they'd done. Oh yes - they had completely turned the staircase round as well.

Well, that sounds like a splendid day out, and hopefully the weather was kind to yo too.

Susan doesn't get any time for recreation, and my life is too much so one long holiday at the minute, meaning that neither of us get to enjoy that most wonderful of things - a busy person's nice day off, with food and shopping and pottering around and no sense of pressure at all.

I have just received the new Picturehouse programme - some good looking stuff in the offing, methinks. Heck, I'm even tempted by the Bond, but I think Pan's Labyrinth is going to be a must-see (I loved The Devil's Backbone).


Douglas

I was just thinking a few minutes ago that my Picturehouse programme hadn't arrived - snot fair! Will have to go to the website and check what's on tomorrow, although I will probably watch the Chabrol 'Madame Bovary' DVD which came free with today's Indie.