It is Sunday 21st September 2025, and earlier today, I saw David Dickinson in the flesh. David Dickinson! I have long been an admirer of The Duke, having first watched his television programme, Dickinson’s Real Deal, with my Nan when I was growing up. I googled it earlier, and it has now been on air for 624 years – well in David! It turns out Carl’s Mum, Ange, is quite the fan too, so when I realised a few weeks ago that they were filming in Nottingham today, I saw an opportunity and I took it, inviting both Ange and my darling Mother to come with Carl and I to the recording.
Before we set off, we popped into the Spread Eagle in Rolleston for a cheeky sunday roast, which was absolutely exquisite. We hadn’t told Ange where she was going, although she didn’t seem to care, which is a quality I quite admire in Carl’s mother. We all had Turkey, with all the trimmings and even some extra pigs in blankets, because why not when it’s such a special day? At this point, the excitement was palpable.
When we arrived in Nottingham, Ange still had no idea, and remained clueless until we saw a huge ‘Dickinson’s Real Deal’ banner outside the entrance of Albert Hall. I’m still not sure if the look on her face was elation or disgust, but we headed inside regardless. We sat there for over an hour, watching (almost) silently as the directors demanded take after take from poor, unsuspecting members of the British public, who I imagine had been hoping to get £20 for their Grandma’s old rings and a photo with David before running off into the night, yet instead were expected to act like they were daytime TV regulars, laughing with the dealer before looking genuinely surprised as David walked in to share the valuation of the independent adjudicator, as if he hadn’t already done so four times because he kept fluffing his lines. We whispered and giggled to one another – isn’t her dress awful, that jewellery looks quite tacky, does that crew member do anything except make cups of tea, I think that woman just broke a bit of the set – and so on, as we revelled in the glamour that is daytime television. As an ugly middle aged couple stood just in front of us having a picture with David, my Mother couldn’t resist photo bombing, throwing up a gang sign in the background, ruining what I’m sure would have been a lovely (awful) photograph.
It was a day unlike any I’ve had before, but I can assure you it was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
In other news, Carl has purchased a new car, despite only having purchased his current car around 10 weeks ago. When I first met him, he had a black Audi SQ7, which was very big and very sexy, yet he decided in July to swap it for a red Mercedes A45 AMG, which is very small and very ugly. I did strongly advise against this choice, but my advice went unheeded, so I now get the satisfaction not only of being proved right, as Carl has decided to get rid of the Mercedes, but also of being a trend setter, as Carl has decided to buy a BMW X3, a car which I also obtained myself earlier this year. It can be quite isolating being right all of the time, but it’s a burden I’m willing to bear if it can help those around me (eventually) make better decisions. It will also be quite cute, and incredibly homosexual, having matching cars.
I hate being left out, so with Carl buying (another) new car, I have bought myself a new Laptop. It’s a touchscreen that you can also flip around to serve as a tablet, which is very cool.
Life continues apace. I went for dinner with Jack earlier this week, which was an enjoyable evening. It was his birthday on Tuesday, and he’s really showing his age, so I thought the least I could do was take him for a curry to try and soften the blow. Elia and I walked our pooches together one extremely pleasant evening and put the world to rights, which always makes me feel much better – no matter how delulu I feel, a conversation with Elia always reassures me that there are far more crazy people out there than I. I also hosted Kiera for dinner not long ago, which was nice as I hadn’t seen her in a while. I adore Kiera – she’s one of those friends you can go a few days or a few months without seeing, but it’ll always feel like I saw her just yesterday, and she always puts a smile on my face.
Next week I am dining with Sian and associated friends to celebrate her birthday, before departing to Turkey for a week on Saturday, so keep your eyes peeled for another travel blog. Lots of love. H x
