May 27, 2025 by Mike Madden

The Mind Goggles

To Be Or Not To Be…

Sally managed to cast the family into turmoil for almost a week recently, but it was not entirely her doing. We were at York races when she wandered off. She was being helpful to some ladies who were obviously inexperienced at betting, unaware that she was being observed. A lady approached her, complimented on her shoes, and then her appearance in general. Sally returned the compliment, a little bemused as she was a bottle of champagne in to the day.

The lady then introduced herself as a casting director, and Sally would be perfect for her show. The show cannot be revealed, but she not only gave Sally her business card, she also added her number in to Sally’s phone. It was a laugh, and we had a joke about it, but the following morning the lady messaged, asking when “we” would be ready for a call. Sally agreed to speak to her on Monday, though there was still no sense of it actually happening. Two days later, Sally took the call. She suggested that the casting director should meet myself, Ole and of course Sally. This was all for Ole, and I proposed that he could do it with Sally, but I was cajoled in to at least being on a call.

The Call

The call was set for Wednesday night, but that clashed with the Europa League final. Off the hook! Unfortunately the casting director moved it to Thursday. She also asked if we would be available early the following week to have cameras fitted. This was getting far too real. Sally had sent her pictures of the house and garden, and she was delighted. There seemed to be no escape. Sally shared the email with the details of the Zoom call. I pointed out that the whole process was meant to be confidential. We had all told lots of people. Disappointingly, everyone that I spoke to said that we absolutely must do it. Thanks for your support!

However, Ole is in the process of changing his agent. He has been approached by several, and we considered that they would not be keen on one of their actors being on a reality TV show every week. Ole was working so we could not get hold of him, We had to make a decision. Should we continue or call the whole thing off? Sally mulled over whether she would want the attention, and people recognising her everywhere. I said nothing! We called it off – and I certainly have no regrets. The casting director was devastated, but she has kept Sally’s details for “future series”. Which show this might be for is worryingly unknown, although I think we can rule out Come Dine With Me. For now I am happy to have dodged a bullet.

Things That Go Bump…

The day at the races had started oddly, as we both saw an unfortunate creature that had been hit by a vehicle at the side of the rode. Simultaneously, we thought it looked like a kangaroo, but that could not possibly have been the case, or could it?

We checked in to Middlethorpe Hall, and regular readers will know that it is supposed to be haunted. I went with Mark, the porter, to our room to drop off the bags. That was the last we saw of our room until around 9pm that night. Middlethorpe had kindly upgraded us to a suite, with two bathrooms and a spacious lounge. When we opened the door we were met by a heatwave and a gushing sound. The shower was on full, set to the hottest setting, and the bathroom was full of steam. Condensation ran down the walls (at least it wasn’t blood), and when I tried to reach under the shower stream to switch off the taps the water was almost scalding. I eventually managed it, and we thought we had better alert reception in case they needed to send someone to clear up the condensation in the morning.

Secret spaces at Middlethorpe Hall

The lights went out, and there was a huge banging sound. It was deafening, and doors and windows flew open then slammed shut. A woman in a red dress could be seen floating just above the bed. Ok, I made this paragraph up, but it was a weird occurrence, and neither Mark nor reception could explain it. So, it must be haunted. I’ll be taking my Aurascope next time.

Being watched from the grounds?

I Want Lunch – Not To Buy The Place

We ventured to the Swan at Kettleshulme for Sunday lunch, as it would be quick and the quality of food is usually assured. The meat was exceptional, with good roast potatoes, an ok Yorkshire pudding, and nice cauliflower cheese. Unfortunately, the vegetables were like something from a school dinner. A small tray containing mashed swede and carrot, parsnips that were clearly under-cooked, and green beans that were charred. Service was poor and they did not even seem to be that busy. Chocolate brownie with toffee sauce went some way towards saving the day, but at the price of £27.50 for one course or £36 for two it really does need to be better. We’ll be giving it a miss for a while.

A Bad Reputation

I made chocolate digestives again, and as I did not tell anyone, they lasted a couple of days. I also revisited the Christmas Zuccotto Di Panettone recipe for Easter. Both went well, but Sally seemed to be the favourite in the kitchen. Miles is a notoriously fussy eater. Probably worse than Zac. On a recent visit, Sally handed him his lunch. He ate every scrap of it and said “That’s amazing.” Sally suddenly became 10 feet tall as she strutted around the kitchen. The culinary wizardry that had gained her this praise? It was Laughing Cow cheese spread on an already sliced brioche bun. She had never received such a compliment for her “cooking”.

Chocolate digestives cooling

Two stages of Zuccotto Di Panettone

Her cousin is coming up with the rest of the family from Kent in June. I messaged Jamie on Whatsapp, and offered to make paella in the big pan. He got a bit confused, thinking that it was Sally sending the message. “Thats great cuz,” he replied. “But can Mike do the cooking?”

We’re Irish To Be Sure

My sisters have decided that we can get Irish citizenship, as our maternal grandmother was Irish. Sally was quite excited about this, assuming that she would gain it through marriage. Not so, as she would actually have to live in Ireland for three years to qualify. She debated this with her brother Simon, who asked why she would want it. “You can travel and work in Europe,” she explained. “You don’t work in Derbyshire,” he replied.

Growing Pains

The recent hot spell has seen a lot of activity in the garden. Sally has peas and broccoli in a raised bed, whilst I grew lettuce, beetroot, spinach and spring onion. Potatoes were planted from some that had gone to seed in the kitchen. Sally also planted rhubarb, and sweet peas in a pot. I made an upright frame to go with the horizontal cold frames, and everything seems to be growing well.

Potatoes

Unfortunately, the birds have taken to pulling out the seedlings, but that is not the worst disaster to have occurred. When we went to York races I told Zac that he must water the seedlings twice a day. We were only gone for 30 hours, but in the heat, roughly half of the crop wilted and died. Fortunately I had already started to grow the second wave of most of the vegetables. I am guessing that the summer will be filled with lettuce, saving us about £1.50.

Spinach and lettuce in the shadow of peas and broccoli

Knees Up

Not had a medical situation on here for a while, but my left knee eventually started to object to my walking regime. I went to a new consultant who took four different x-rays, some in very odd positions. He said that he found nothing unexpected. There was bone on bone in the joint, a huge osteoid and severe arthritis. The osteotomy I had ten years ago should only have lasted seven. The next procedure that gets done on the knee will be a partial or full replacement, and he recommended that if the pain is not too severe I should carry on.

Star Setback

We have been busy in the racing world, though the news on Star Of Lady M is not what we had hoped for. She still has a niggling injury, and she will continue just walking until around the time of Royal Ascot. She will hopefully step up her training for a return to racing in late summer.

After York races we went to David O’Meara’s for the update on her. She was in good spirits, but she is probably itching to get back to sprinting. We took some carrots as a treat, but she nibbled at them like a rabbit would rather than crunch them down in a couple of bites. She had already been on her walking regime for a week, and David noticed the improvement. It will be another ten days before I speak to him again, when we should get a sense of how she is progressing.

   

Star Of Lady M struggling with carrots

Daydream Believer

There was better news from Percy’s Daydream who finished third in a race at Ripon. She had been kept in the stalls for around seven minutes before the race, and she ran very green again. She ran on well in the straight, and although the winner was well clear she showed plenty of encouraging signs.

Percy’s Daydream at Ripon

A few weeks later she was ready to race again, this time at Lingfield against four colts and geldings. Being the only girl in the race she was understandably fresh in the parade ring, and I mentioned the stalls issue to our jockey David Probert to encourage him to get her into the stalls last.

He did this and she broke well, but we were up against a long odds-on favourite who had won last time out. Cayman Dancer went into the lead in the hope of repeating his victory, and as they turned into the straight Percy’s Daydream moved into second. She continued to improve, and ranged alongside with two furlongs to go. They had a battle to the line, flashing past together. When they announced that Cayman Dancer had won it was like a sucker punch to the gut, but the commentator mentioned that there had been some interference. Sure enough, a Steward’s Enquiry was called. Everyone was confident that the four bumps that the favourite had given our girl would be enough to overturn the race, including the winners.

Photo finish at Lingfield

After what seemed like an age the result was announced. Percy’s Daydream had been awarded the race, and it was time for champagne.

Percy’s Daydream gets a well-earned drink

Stud Stars

We also made a visit to Mickley Stud, where Massaat stands at stud. He sired Emerald Duchess, our original syndicate horse, who sadly retired through injury. Richard Kent, who owns Mickley, is a great raconteur with a ridiculously good memory of sires, dams and progeny. He had a huge array of inquisitive foals and surprisingly laid-back mares. The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that not all of the pictures contain foals. The other two are Garry and Barry, the companion goats.

 

A Recommendation

Finally, there is a new horseracing series on Netflix called Race For The Crown. It is all about the desire to win any or all of the American Triple Crown, and it tells the tale well (as do most US sports documentaries). However, I think anyone outside the higher echelons of American racing will take an instant dislike to the owners showcased in the production.

You can read the previous edition here

When Is An Americano Not An Americano?