“The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys”

Wednesday 14th August

A lovely sunny day, we sat outside during the morning and early afternoon. It was lovely to have a relaxed and unhurried day and it was warm and sunny outside. I read a few magazines - Robbie has plenty to choose from, but mostly I just sat quietly and enjoyed the beauty of the moment. The beach looked beautiful and the rhythmic sound of the waves on the shore line felt like the heartbeat of the earth. I would have liked to put time on 'hold' to stop the day from ending, but all I could do was to treasure the moment. 

Robbie enjoyed the sunshine too, but he doesn't like too much sun so he went back into the bungalow a couple of times to play with his toys - he brought Lego,  jigsaws, 'N' gauge railway, binoculars, a ship spotting app, railway DVDs, loads of magazines and a pile of railway books. Today was a 'Lego day' Robbie built a Lego Technic tractor, it took quite a long time and it involved a lot of huffing and puffing but it looks rather impressive

After a brief trip to the shop and a flying visit to Tesco we went out for a meal at the Lighthouse Inn. 

"Book lovers never go to bed alone" - Unknown

Tuesday 13th August

We'd planned to make an early start this morning because we were going to Cromer, but it proved harder than expected to get up and get organised, so it was 10am before we left the bungalow. It didn't really matter, we had an enjoyable drive and we found a parking space without too much difficulty. 

Our first port of call was the tourist information centre, it has an Internet hot spot. We have missed having a reliable Internet connection while in Norfolk, so we took the chance to catch up on email, facebook etc. While there we bought a pile of railway poster postcards - Robbie likes to collect them. 

 We wandered in the direction of Jarolds, but we didn't get that far, I had forgotten about Robbie's need to stop and photograph every bus that he sees - he even used his phone to take photos as he was crossing the road! I had also forgotten  about the hardware shop, Robbie absolutely loves that shop, he has a bit of an obsession with crockery. I waited and waited until I was so bored that I told him that I was going over the road to the second hand bookshop. I was in heaven! I had forgotten about this shop and I spent a very happy time looking at all the children's books. When Robbie saw the Ladybird books I thought he was going to burst with excitement. He bought the Ladybird book about the railway, he had a good look at the railway book section but he didn't buy any, instead he chose two hardback Snoopy books - one of them is in French!

We finally got to Jarolds where Robbie indulged his passion for pens and erasers as well as books, Playmobil, purses and postcards. We were hungry by now but Robbie still had another bookshop on his list so we walked across to the bargain bookshop and Robbie checked out the transport section - they had bus books as well as railway books so I knew I was in for a long wait! I found a fantastic book which contained all the Britains model catalogues of the 1970s. We bought that book as well as a railway book that Robbie just couldn't resist. 

At long last it was time to eat, we found a little restaurant called the Garden Street Grill. I loved the meal, the service was prompt and friendly and the toilets were excellent. It was good value and I would definitely go there again. 

'For the traveller in search of the English Heritage, the county is a paradise.' - Arthur Mee

Monday 12th August

It is week two already, I really want to slow down time and make this holiday last for ever, I love it here and I love having Robbie all to myself. I need to make the most of it, after this fortnight he will not have any free time for the foreseeable future so I need to make the most of it. I'm not complaining, when he went self employed we worried that he wouldn't find enough work, but thankfully he has, in fact he has had a very busy first year and things are looking good.

Robbie was very tired after his train filled weekend, he fell asleep in the chair last night and he wasn't keen to get out of bed this morning so we are having a lazy day today. It makes a change to enjoy each others company and not have to rush to get ready. 

After a very chilled morning we went out we took a drive on the coast road to Waxham Barn. Robbie loves this drive because there are so many interesting things to see, churches, the Happisburgh lighthouse, and various interesting buildings. The trouble is that it is a very narrow winding road and Robbie keeps wanting me to stop so that he can take photos and take a closer look. It reminds me of taking a dog for a walk and having to stop at every lamp post, I love him dearly but at times like this I have to say a very firm "no". 

We had a cup of tea and some cake at Waxham Barn, then we went to have a look around. Robbie enjoyed looking around the barn and taking lots of photos. The highlight for me was seeing a bat, they have Naterer bats at the barn, but it is very unusual to see one in daylight. It was looking up at the roof timbers and the thatch and I happened to see it fly in and vanish behind one of the roof timbers. It was a really nice afternoon. 

Walcott Church

We drove home via Stalham to pick up some groceries, then we went back to the bungalow to cook a nice evening meal. Robbie had goat burgers, home made sauté potatoes and a bottle of local ale. I had something rather more 'normal' and non alcoholic! He said that the goat burgers were lovely, I'll take his word for it!

Today is the first blank page of a 365 page book, write a good one.

2013 arrived with a bang or to be more accurate it arrived with an irritating cacophony of bangs from fireworks which began way before midnight and went on for far too long afterwards. I don't approve of fireworks at New Year, they are a fairly recent intrusion into our new year celebrations, when I was young fireworks we only had fireworks on 5th November. It is a pity we can't go back to the way things used to be, in fact it I would be happier if they banned them completely except for organised displays because they are dangerous and they frighten pets and other animals  

Yesterday we spent the day at my mum's house celebrating her birthday. It was a real house full, my brother, his partner, my two little nephews, as well as my family. It was such a lovely day, my youngest nephew has just learned to walk and he spent the day showing off his new skill. His big brother who is four and a half enjoyed lots of attention from his grown up cousins. Today was a perfect start to the new year, my mum and stepfather spent the day with us, it was a nice relaxed family time. So we spent the last day of the old year and the first day of the new year with some of the people who matter most to us, our family. Tomorrow we will be back at work and the I will be up at the crack of dawn to drop Robbie at the station. I don't really mind, I have some very happy memories of Christmas and the New Year, we have to get back to work and the normal day to day routine because the bills will not pay themselves. For now Robbie is making the most of his freedom, he is sitting at the table playing with his Lego! When I have finished writing for the blog I am going to answer the first question in my five year question and answer journal.

Bat Watching

Sunday was the most amazing day, hot, sunny with just a slight breeze, it was a real beach day but I wanted to fit a couple of other things in as well. We went to have a look at the car boot sale in Stalham, it was a bit too hot and crowded for comfort and despite his protests that he was okay, I could tell that Robbie was in a lot of pain, so we didn't stay too long. We didn't buy much, but I couldn't resist buying a couple old annuals. Treasure was one of my favourite comics when I was little and 50p per annual it was a small price to pay to rekindle old memories. 

After the car boot we took a drive to Mundesley for a wonderful roast dinner at Jonet. I had a feast of vegetables because Robbie only wanted a few peas and carrots so I had all his cauliflower, sweet corn as well as my own vegetables. There is something extra special about a roast dinner when you haven't had to cool it and I really enjoyed it.

We spent a little while in Mundesley, enjoying the beach and soaking up the sunshine, then we took a gentle drive back to the bungalow. We had a walk on the beach and we sat in the garden for a little while. I didn't stay outside for too long because I was afraid of getting burnt, I had sun block on but I still caught the sun a bit.

At dusk we stood outside and watched the bats flying around the garden, I love watching them. They are so quick that it is hard for my eyes to keep up with them, but there is something soothing about watching them

To the Farm Shop and Beyond

Robbie was really tired and in a lot of pain at the weekend, it had been a very long and challenging week. We didn't have the energy to go racing around finding exciting things to do, but it does you good to get out and do something different. So after dealing with all the routine household tasks we got in the car and took the scenic route through the Northamptonshire countryside to the farm shop. We are very lucky to live in such an attractive county, I always find the beautiful views and the happy memories associated with the little bit of the county that we visited on Saturday very uplifting. 


When we got to the Farm Shop Robbie went off in search of dripping and he was very excited when he found it because they didn't have any last time. We had a look round and chose some free range eggs (the main reason for our visit). Then as we approached the payment desk Robbie noticed some pork scratchings which he absolutely had to have. I thought he was teasing me at first, I didn't know that people actually eat them, I thought they were pet treats or something. Apparently I was wrong, according to Robbie they are a great delicacy but they don't look or smell like something I would want to taste! 


I tried to ignore the chomping noises coming from the passenger seat on the journey back to Northampton but it was challenging. Apparently it is not possible to eat pork scratchings quietly, and he was not amused when I suggested that maybe he should suck them instead! My disapproval didn't seem to spoil his enjoyment because the chomping was interrupted every so often by little expressions of delight and the word "Bostin". Not a word that we are familiar with in Northampton!


According to the Urban Dictionary Bostin means 'brilliant; fantastic; excellent; derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'bosten', meaning 'something to boast about' and now used almost exclusively in the Greater Birmingham area of the UK'


I can't complain too much about Robbie's treats, he bought me a can of Root Beer on Friday (as a thank you for supporting him through a very difficult week).
It was heaven, I love Root Beer, but I know it is not good for me. I also know that Robbie's treats are not good for him, which is why they are only very occasional purchases. 


I don't want to make it sound as if our whole day revolved around food, but later that afternoon we went out for a meal. Just something very ordinary, but it was special because we were together and for once we had a couple of hours without any other demands on our time.

The Things You See When Travelling By Train

Saturday proved to be a very special day. It involved an early start for a Saturday morning and I have to confess to feeling a bit nervous as we boarded the train because we were attending the birthday 'event' of a special friend but I did not know any of the other guests (except Robbie). The journey to Tamworth seemed endless, mainly because there was a woman opposite us who loved the sound of her own voice. I saw her travelling companion nod a couple of times, but other than that it was a monologue and she hardly paused for breath. The whole carriage was forced to listen to her talking about the problems she is having with her computer, the difficulty of getting used to a new phone and the problems she had encountered when buying a car. I was getting increasingly agitated, she was the sort of person who gives women a bad name, she could have solved all those problems herself if she had shut up and given herself time to think!


I was thankful to arrive at Tamworth and leave the woman on the train to bore her fellow passengers all the way to Crewe. A quick visit to the Ladies did nothing to lift my mood, it was grim. It didn't look especially old but it was dirty and smelly. I was able to lock the door but as there was no door handle the only way to get out was to hook my finger through a hole in the door (where a previous lock had been fitted) and pull the door open. There was no hot water and it was clear that there had been nothing but cold water for some time because the knob had been removed from the water heater. I put my now cold wet hands under the dryer to find that it made an interesting noise but it didn't work so I gave up and left with my hands still wet. Is this really what we should expect from a modern railway?

At that point we left the real world behind for the day and began a rather special adventure. The birthday boy was waiting to meet us outside the station and we boarded a lovely old Midland Red bus and headed for the top floor. The conductor who looked a bit like Pte Godfrey from Dad's Army came upstairs and issued us with a ticket (in old money of course) and the journey back in time began. The tickets were narrow strips of paper similar to those used by United Counties buses in my childhood, the Northampton Transport buses that I remember more clearly issued small square tickets of different colours depending on the fare paid.


I had not travelled on top of a double decker bus since, well lets just say for more years than I care to admit. I had forgotten how much fun it was and how much you could see. The seats were surprisingly comfortable and practical, better than those on the only modern bus I have travelled on recently. There was one concession to the modern world that I was very grateful for - the 'no smoking' rule. In my childhood the top of a bus was a fog of cigarette smoke, how times have changed.

The bus took us to Birmingham to pick up more guests and then on to Kidderminster. I was really surprised, I am not really a 'bus person' and I hadn't expected to like it, but I loved every minute of it. We pulled up outside the station and I couldn't wait for the next part of our adventure. We had plenty of time to explore the station but with two bookshops I could have spent the entire day there! A visit to the toilets proved that it is possible to provide clean, pleasant, functional facilities - so why do so many stations struggle to meet even the most basic standards?


We had a lovely cup of tea (or in Robbie's case, coffee) at the cafe next to the museum and bookshop. I couldn't drink it fast enough, I couldn't wait to look at  everything. I loved the bookshop, I bought a book about old stations in Northamptonshire and the Soke of Peterborough and a book about Ivor the Engine - I love Ivor the Engine and I want to share Ivor stories with my nephew Oliver. I wish they would do a dvd with all the Ivor the Engine episodes on it, it is the irreplaceable voice of Oliver Postgate that makes Ivor extra special.


Robbie made most of his purchases at the other book stall, a couple of 'train spotter' type stock books and a pile of lovely train photos. When he found the photos he got so excited that he almost jumped up and down with pleasure. Before long it was time for us all to meet up ready to catch our charter train. The birthday boy was running around like a demented sheepdog looking for two stragglers while most of us stood around chatting. My 'weird magnet' was working well, a little man (he was considerably shorter than me) entered the station area from the platform and marched straight up to me, shook my hand and launched in to a long explanation of why steam trains are better than diesels. I didn't tell him how much I like diesels or the conversation would have lasted all day. Suddenly he stopped talking about trains, informed me that he had important things to do and marched off in the direction of the refreshment room. I think Robbie was quite shocked.

When we arrived at Bridgnorth we had time to go and explore. Robbie and some of the others went off to experience the funicular railway. I had to choose between the bookshop and Robbie and the bookshop won hands down! I now have a wish list of books that I want. After exploring the station I got back to the train in time to have a chat with one of the other guests, then the others came back and it was time to head back to Kidderminster. We had profiteroles on the way back, they were lovely, much lighter than usual and we finished off with a nice cup of tea. I know that this was an extra special trip, but if on-board catering can be this good it seems a shame that Cross Country can't even master the art of making a drinkable cup of tea!


All too soon we were back at Kidderminster and boarding the bus back to Birmingham. For me the best part of the day was the people, it may sound odd to say that I felt totally at ease when I was with a bunch of people that I didn't know but that is exactly how it felt. It really was a lovely day and I will remember it for a very long time. 

Getting There

We woke this morning to find the world covered in snow, in fact it was still snowing very hard and it was very slippy under foot. Robbie was determined to get to work because it was their Christmas meal today and there was no way that a few inches of snow were going to get between him and his food! The likelihood of a bus turning up on time was almost non existent so I was pressed into action. While Robbie was trotting around the house in his underwear deciding what to wear, I was outside thawing the car out! Most of the roads had not been gritted so it was a very slow crawl and skid towards the station. In fact Robbie had to bale out before we got there because he thought it would be better if I didn't have to drive down the steep hill to the station. He got to work OK (there wasn't any snow there) and I haven't heard from him for ages so he must be having fun. We have had more snow during the day and it is snowing again now so I am not sure if he will manage to get home again!

Torture!

I had to have a fasting blood test this morning so from 6pm last night I couldn't eat anything. I had a late lunch so going without food wasn't too much of a problem, but I longed for a cup of tea. On my way home from work I congratulated myself on not feeling hungry, but when I got home Robbie had a meal ready for me and a nice cup of tea was waiting ready for me to drink. It was so hard to resist that cup of tea, and watching Robbie eat the meal intended for me made me feel very sorry for myself. Never mind, it is all over now, I went to the doctors this morning, they took my blood and I came straight home for the long overdue cup of tea.

Kept At Arms Length

We expected Friday to be dull and showery as predicted by the local weather forecast, but clearly nobody had told the weather what it should be doing and it surprised us with another beautiful sunny day. We went to the car boot sale again just to have a look around, it was fun, but we didn't buy much. Sam bought and ancient camera, he is becoming obsessed with photography and he liked this old camera because it is the box type where you look at a viewfinder on top in order to line up your photo. In typical Sam style, when he develops an interest in a subject, it takes over his whole life and he has to know absolutely everything about it!

We went to Mundesley for lunch, there were loads of people on the beach and it was nice to sit in the café looking out at the beach while enjoying our meal. Robbie's meal came with a pile of onion rings so I will be keeping him at arms length for a few days!!

Man Stress!

Sam needed film for his camera and we needed a scart lead for the DVD player, so on Monday we look a drive into Cromer to have a look at the shops. In the end we abandoned Robbie in Jarrolds, I had waited for him for so long that I thought I would grow roots. They sell all Robbie's favourite things, books, DVDs, jigsaws and pens, so there is no hope of dragging him away. There was a sad gap on the main street, the old Woolworths shop remains empty and the town doesn't seem right without it. There is another bookshop and I enjoyed having a look around, Robbie did more than look, when he finally dragged himself away from Jarrolds, he found three railway books and a book about buses that he absolutely had to buy. We had a meal at our favourite restaurant overlooking the pier, but unfortunately Robbie had a man stress about something really trivial.

We went back via Tesco, just to pick up some milk and bread and a few bits and bobs, but Robbie was still feeling uptight and he argued about everything from the amount of milk that we needed to what kind of meat to buy. When he shouted at me about the kind of spread I wanted I knew it was time to make some changes. I gave him my purse and said that to avoid an argument I would go and wait in the car, but in the end he went and I finished the shopping. We drove home in smouldering silence, I really don't understand why he gets uptight about such trivial stuff. Oh well, I guess I can look forward to making up! Come to think of it the last time he was trying to make up he got sidetracked and started telling me about baby Deltics! Sometimes it is easier to just give up!

A Night on the Sofa

Robbie went out for the meal with his train buddies and even with my heavy cold I could tell that he came home stinking. I told him that if he wanted to come to bed he would need to wear a gas mask, but it turned out that he never got that far, he decided to watch some horrible noisy music on television and he fell asleep on the sofa, I went down to wake him a couple of times but he never made it to bed. This morning he was in a bad mood and probably in pain after his night on the sofa. He managed to fall out with me because according to him he had no clean pants, he had of course but they were not the ones he wanted. Most people wear 'thinking caps' but it appears that Robbie wears 'thinking pants' because he told me that he couldn't think properly in the grey ones he is wearing today – the mind boggles!

Having already fallen out with me about his knickers, he then launched into a tirade of criticism because he was almost out of deodorant and I hadn't replaced it. Oddly enough I don't have a crystal ball and even if I did I would find something more interesting to focus on than the state of Robbie's armpits! If he doesn't tell me I am not likely to know that he needs more, anyway if he can find time to go on all his outings I don't see why he can't manage to buy his own toiletries! As always when in a hole Robbie started to dig furiously, he said far more than is good for his health and now he is contemplating a second night on the sofa.

Why Are Men Such Slow Learners?

Why are men such slow learners? You would think by now that Robbie would have learned that certain behaviour provokes a negative response, but when Robbie finds himself in a hole he just keeps on digging!
He rang me at about 4.30pm yesterday to say that there was a problem with his usual route home, and he would try to get back via Nuneaton instead. I know he can't help it but it drives me mad when I am left in limbo, either everyone has to eat late or I have to cook several different meals. We were having roast pork and it wasn't something I could cook in stages, so everyone had to wait.

After several more progress bulletins Robbie hoped that he would be home between 6.45pm and 6.55pm but they encountered further hold ups and the train didn't get in until 7.30pm. A journey that should have taken an hour took three hours and by the time we sat down to our meal it was well past 8pm. I was irritated about him being late, not so much cross with him as frustrated by the situation because it happens so often. I'd had my own frustrations in the afternoon so by the time Robbie got home we were both tired and frustrated. That really wasn't the best time for him to start getting critical about the cooking! He came into the kitchen and started to tell me that I had cooked the peas too soon, he even tried to tell me how to fill the kettle! These are all trivial things, but I have told him about it so many times and he just will not learn that it winds me up. A few words were exchanged, but instead of backing off he started to micro manage how the plates were set out when I dished up the meal, I told him to be quiet and leave me alone - something he seems physically incapable of doing!

After our meal I was trying to get some work finished on the computer and I just needed to be left alone to get on with it. The others were watching the Soap Awards but Robbie did his usual thing, he started flapping his arms and demanding to know what he had done wrong. I tried to focus on my work but with Robbie flapping around like a cross between a dodo and Why Bird! Do you remember Why Bird from Playdays? he had such an irritating voice. In the end I couldn't ignore Robbie any more and I told him to go fry his face, everyone has their limits - even me! The children thought it was hilarious, but I wished I hadn't reacted. It had the desired effect because Robbie took himself off to bed leaving me to tackle the washing up.

This morning he was sorry, but still annoying, I wasn't cross anymore, just exhausted. He sent me a text in an attempt to get back into my good books, a simple sorry would have been fine, but it was a typical Robbie approach. The text said Excellent and rather touching piece on Gwyneth Dunwoody in Rail by Nigel Harris. It is a good thing I can read between the lines! Gwyneth Dunwoody was a bit of a rarity in politics, she said what she meant and she meant what she said, and she would stand up for what she believed was right even if it didn't always suit her party. You have to admire a person with that sort of strength and independence even if you don't always agree with her politics. She will be missed especially by those involved in transport.

Living Dangerously

The fact that Robbie has survived unharmed for 36 years is one of life's enduring mysteries. Sometimes he infuriates me so much that the urge to harm him is almost irresistible. The trouble is that he has no sense of danger, Robbie will 'boldly go' where angels fear to tread. When he got home from work on Monday he wandered into the kitchen to find out what was for dinner, within seconds he was telling me that I was doing things wrong! My warning stare didn't work and when he attempted to tell me how to do something else I couldn't contain my frustration, I stormed out of the kitchen and told him that if he knew so much he could finish cooking the meal himself. I went back a few minutes later because he can't make the gravy, but he was still trying to tell me that his way was the best way. He was standing there in his PJ's and I was armed with a scalding hot jug of gravy, only an act of supreme self mastery on my part prevented me from tipping the gravy straight down the front of his trousers!

Yesterday I played safe and made a chicken casserole so that by the time Robbie arrived home there would be very to argue about. Emily needed a lift so I planned to drive her to the station and then take Robbie home. I made the dumplings before leaving the house, but thankfully I left them on a plate ready to put in when I arrived home and I turned the oven down slightly. When Robbie got into the car his first sentence was to request that I would take him to Staples. I asked if we could do it another day because our meal was almost ready, but apparently it was an emergency - he needed to buy a new pencil! I took him to Staples and I'm please to report that he now has a pencil with lead in it! Thankfully our meal survived the delay.

I went to bed fairly late, I was tired and it didn't take long for me to fall asleep. Sometime later 'Thunder Foot' came to bed. How hard can it be to slip into bed quietly without waking me up? In Robbie's case it appears to be impossible! He thumped and bumped around, talked to me, prodded me, flapped the covers about let the cold air in and worse of all he put the light on just to annoy me. You will not be surprised to hear that it worked! I was furious. Once again I was wide awake and it would take ages to get back to sleep, but within minutes 'Sleeping Beauty' was 'Z'ing away, oblivious of my simmering anger.

This morning I expected a 'sorry' and may be a bit of affection. Instead I was awoken by a searchlight and an inquisition, he was accusing me of stealing his knickers! I was quite insistent that I hadn't touched them but he wouldn't believe me. I was furious about not being believed, we are not exactly talking about the crown jewels here, I don't think there is a booming market in second hand drawers. To add insult to injury he then blamed Sam for stealing them - how ridiculous. If I find them before he does he'd better watch out because every pair will have a liberal sprinkling of itching powder inside!

Just in case anyone is wondering, Robbie went to work fully clothed, including underwear. He had been looking for a specific pair, for some reason or other he had decided that he had to wear that pair today. He told me last night that he had to go on a site visit today and he needed to have a high visibility jacket and safety boots. Perhaps he thought he needed his lucky pants as well!

A Con Trick 20.12.07

When Robbie finally got home from work yesterday it was almost 10pm, he was in a horrible mood and ready to fall out with his own shadow. The cause as usual was the dreaded Network Rail, I will spare you the details of their latest madness, but it comes as no surprise that their failure to communicate efficiently and their lack of understanding of the wider implications of their actions has caused considerable extra work for everyone - including themselves. It has also caused endless earache for me! At times like this there is only one way to shut Robbie up, feed him! Once he had been fed he recovered his equilibrium sufficiently to apologise for his strop and to help me with the final preparations for Sam's birthday, he is 13 today. He was still chuntering about Network Rail thinking he must be a fool, but I ignored it. This morning it turned out that we have both been made fools of in our own home! We finally worked out that Oreo, Dave and Megan have all been having two breakfasts everyday. It seems that they have been getting one meal from Robbie at 6am and then at half past eight they were getting a second meal from me. They are real con artists because they all acted as if they were starving and they ate every bit of their second breakfast, I had no idea that they had already eaten.

Earth Alerts 19.03.07

Robbie helped with the meal this evening. He got so stressed when trying to dish up the spaghetti, he was hopeless.

He has discovered a web site that gives a daily update on 'earth alerts', things like volcanos, earthquakes etc! He almost drove me mad with it this evening, if he doesn't shut up I think he may be in danger of a volcano erupting much closer to home!!

A Brilliant Birthday Meal 01.02.07

I will let the photo speak for itself. The startling aspect of the evening was that Robbie didn't manage to finish the food on everyone's plates. He had been warned to be on his best behaviour!

A Dip Piece

We went out for a pre Christmas Meal today, there were eight of us around the table and Robbie embarrassed me big style. Apparently it is a strange northern custom, but it is absolutely disgusting. He ate a massive meal, and then when there was just gravy left on the plate he got two slices of bread, soaked them in the gravy, poured more gravy over the top and ate the bread with a knife and fork!! He tells me this is called a dip piece. He then polished off two helpings of apple crumble and custard. Not surprisingly he fell asleep as soon as the table had been cleared! You just can’t take him anywhere.