Sunday 16th November 2025

Day two of the international break weekend, and the England game was due to take place at five in the afternoon, which is almost bedtime.

How could we fill the day?

Well, by getting up at half six, having coffee, then going to the gym for another cycling session.

That's how.

Seven on a Sunday morning is when we hard core gym rats are pumping iron and lard.

Just a dozen cars in the car park, and maybe half a dozen folks in the gym itself, and the pool empty as its another gala weekend.

I take my position on the bike, and spend forty minutes peddling round Jaipur in India, mixing with traffic on silly narrow roads, going through strange-shaped archways, biking along battlements, or through familiar crowded shopping areas clogged with tuk-tuks.

Then back home for breakfast and a brew. And a shower, before driving out to the alternative centre of commercialism in east Kent: the Ashford Designer Outlet Village.

Urgh.

We needed a frying pan. Our old one is battered and lost its non-stick coating, and buying them online is a bit of Russian roulette as to how good the quality was.

Much better to see it in person, and feel the quality.

I am a quality manager after all.

OK, former quality manager.

We get to Ashford safe and sound, the roads empty until we approach the tented roof, and then there was traffic.

A slow line to enter the centre and then more slow driving to find a parking space.

We have half an hour before parking charges kick in. Can we kick it?

Yes, we can.

So, out of the car, dodging the puddles over to the covered walkway, and to Procook.

Most pans are part of sets, one seems good, a sauté pan.

But the coated one is no good for high heat, stupid. So we buy and uncoated one, and a milk pan.

Eighty quid.

We pay and scarper back to the car, nothing to pay, so we escape onto the ringroad and to the motorway and home.

Lunch was at Jen's, as she is going on a cruise from Miami on Monday along with Jane, Mike's ex, and I am to drive them to the airport in the morning.

We have been invited to dinner with Jen and Jane.

So we go.

Roast chicken, roast potatoes, steamed veggies and gravy.

Does the job, although conversation is stilted.

After what seems the appropriate time after finishing the meal and washing up, we make our excused and leave, with me to return in 14 hours to transport them to deepest Sussex to Gatwick.

Back home at four, and an hour to wait before England kicked off against Albania.

England had already qualified, having won all seven games without conceding a goal.

An edgy game, though England score twice in the second half to make it a clean sweep of eight wins and no goals against.

And that was your Sunday and the weekend.

Its all go.