Now that everyone is up-to-date on our new house, I thought I’d write a few words about what’s happening in our social lives. I actually promised the scoop to Hello magazine, but they wouldn’t pay my asking price, so I’m publishing it here first, in another “Where’s Matthew” exclusive.

We had dinner last night with our friend Darren, who snapped this photo over a few beers in the pub afterwards.

Earlier in the day, Aude’s brother Jerome came down to Kent with several of his friends for a tour of the seaside town of Whistable. Unfortunately, he picked a terrible day for it, with pouring rain and gusty wind. We sat in a seaside restaurant, eating local seafood and watching the rather mad locals windsurf and sail in the pouring rain. Air temperatures were 16 degrees and water temperature was 13 degrees, so thermal wetsuits were par for the course.

The previous weekend, we took advantage of the brief spell of good weather to get the Corvette out of storage and go for a drive. We went to Hythe, near Folkstone, to visit the American Garden, 8 acres of informal woodland garden with a spectacular display of Azaleas and Rhododendrons. In the middle of nowhere, it was really stunning, with everything in full bloom, and the perfect place to spend a warm, sunny afternoon.

Tomorrow we’re off to see Cosi fan Tutte at the local theatre…

Life in a small town, eh?