Getting stuck in

It's a strange thing, but I had never been to Henley before coming to look at the house that we eventually bought and moved into.  In all my years of being corporately entertained, I was never taken to the famous Henley Regatta.  Talking of corporate entertainment reminds me of the time when I was working in the oil business in Aberdeen and ended up getting invited to an evening with strippers (female) by one of the employment agencies we used.  Well, I say "invited", but the truth was that a colleague and I were fed up being excluded from the boyly outings and insisted that they ask us along.  The best bit of the evening was the look on the faces of the other guests - all guys, of course - when we turned up.  But I digress.

So what of life in Henley?  Well, it's a big change from Singapore, that's for sure.  Little Lola spends much of her time in what I call the "doggie donut" position, curled up tight on her bed, to keep warm.  Frankly, I feel like doing the same thing on cold days, but there is no room in her bed for two, so I get out and about instead, as part of getting to know my new 'hood.

First up, Pilates on Monday morning with the lovely Michele.  I used to go regularly to a class when we lived in London, but lost the plot rather in Singapore, so it's great to have my Pilates mojo back.  Chris and I have also joined the HOT book club, which meets on the first Monday of the month in a local pub.  This month's book was Ian McEwen's The Children Act, a great piece of writing, which provoked a really good set of discussions.  While riding high on a tide of sociability, I offered to host the next meeting at our place.  The book chosen for that meeting is A Christmas Carol, so I'm already thinking Dickensian thoughts and wondering whether I should decorate the house to resemble Dingly Dell.  I can feel myself getting carried away with thoughts of roasting capons and sides of beef over an open fire, but perhaps I will just pop a few mince pies in the Aga and open a couple of bottles of red.........

The lovely C and I have also become members of the local cinema.  The Regal Picture House is an absolute gem of a mini movie palace, with a lovely cafe, free wifi and nice comfy seats.  We toddled off to see Mr Turner on Tuesday evening and it was just amazing.  If you like film, go and see this one at the earliest opportunity.  Quite frankly, even if you hate film, you might still like this one.  Timothy Spall as Turner plays an absolute blinder and his housekeeper's skin condition, which developed throughout the film from a mild facial irritation to a full blown eruption of scaly, oozy, crustiness (I know, too much information), should have had its own credit at the end of the film, so spellbinding was it to watch.

I'm off now for my daily constitutional with Lola. Watch out for more tasty tales from the riverbank.