This week on Almost the Weekend, we have been off work, the front garden has had a makeover, and a Halloween trip to the cinema was well worth the wait.

Almost Fit had an okay step week, but we made it to the gym twice in three days, and one of us climbed to number one on a Halloween special cycling class with some favourite movie scores. Strength and resistance training took a back seat, because there is always something else on the go.

Almost Blooming: the garlic, onions and shallots are finally in our brick planters, and the front garden makeover is complete for now. Stage two meant wooden sleepers along the other side of the path, one enormous tree root, weed membrane, bark, and another ten bags of slate. There is a video on all platforms, and a stage three to come.

We went to Comic Con London at the ExCeL, three of us by train. Our daughter went as Clementine from The Walking Dead game in a hand-painted denim jacket, and it was packed, with anime stalls, Nintendo, artist alley and a careers fair. Highlights were the costumes, a Transformers panel and the visual effects talk for Project Hail Mary. Not so great: a warm banana matcha.

The clocks went back, so there are lighter mornings and darker evenings, and it is Halloween weekend, with pumpkins, cobwebs, sweets and not nearly enough organisation yet.

At the cinema we saw Ghosts: The Possession of Button House, the big screen version of the BBC comedy. The cinema was full of families, it is as funny and well written as the series, and it is an easy recommendation. We left as the credits rolled, so we cannot tell you if there is anything after them.

Celebrity Traitors is nearly at the end, the traitors are still hidden, and the after show reactions are our favourite part. No spoilers here, and Claudia is glorious as ever.

On ITV, The Blame stars Michelle Keegan and Douglas Booth in a six-part crime drama where a young person is killed and the suspects are police officers. Twists galore, easy to binge, and one of us guessed right from episode one.

Almost Edible was not what we planned. A slow cooker curry that was not switched on turned into a Friday breakfast dinner of hash browns, bacon, eggs and baked beans, and the curry was rescued for another day. Simple, quick and comforting.

Tipple of the Week is Tango Sours Tropical, a sugar-free, non-alcoholic can with pineapple, mango and apple. Is it better than the Watermelon one? We could not quite agree, and our son has clearly been drinking the cans. Next week, lights, camera, action, and a rude awakening.

Pull up a chair. You’re one of us now. 🎙️

This week on Almost the Weekend, we had an emotional Canterbury tale, our son passed his driving test, and a very sour can made all the faces at Tipple of the Week.

Almost Fit is back on track after a bit of illness. The step challenge is still going, the bike and the running machine have been used, and the strength and resistance training is back too, including a body weight class that moved a little too fast for getting up off the floor. There is a straight bar on the lift now, and a free coffee that arrived with perfect timing.

We went to Canterbury for the Caroline Quentin book tour for her new book, Drawn to Nature. We got front row seats for the talk, with poems, quotes, red squirrels and questions from the audience, and then queued for a signing that brought more than a few happy tears. A lovely day, and a book we recommend.

Before the talk, we looked around Canterbury and went back to The Canterbury Tales visitor attraction, which reopened in March. A very different experience from the one we remembered: holograms, a few wax figures, real actors and five of Chaucer’s tales, ending with honey mead, honey ale and a little clay cup to keep. We also came home with a game, and some pick and mix.

Almost Blooming is getting ready for winter. The tomato plants are out after a full bowl of tomatoes, some red and some green and heading for the windowsill, and the grow bag soil is being recycled. Next week is garlic, shallots and onions in the ground, plus lots of gardening on our week off.

Work news: we both had our final probation reviews in the same week, and we both passed. A good moment, and a relief to get settled in and crack on.

The big news at home: our son passed his practical driving test. He was determined, had a year of driving behind him, and wound us up with a very convincing set of faults before producing the certificate. Cue tears, and a very proud pair of parents.

On the screen, Master Plan on Amazon Prime is a carefree heist comedy with Stanley Tucci, an easy watch that will not win awards. Celebrity Traitors series two has us hooked, and caused a very lively argument about whether the show should reveal who the traitors are. A Taste for Murder on ITV is a light-hearted six-part crime drama set in Capri, ideal for watching with the phone in your hand.

Almost Edible was a one pan pigs in blanket beans: chipolata sausages, pancetta, tinned tomatoes and beans with spices and onion, ready in about half an hour. A proper winter comfort meal, a Bonfire Night kind of dinner, and even better as leftovers at work the next day.

Tipple of the Week is Tango Sours Watermelon, a non-alcoholic, sugar-free can in a very purple colour. It is properly sour, with plenty of watermelon, and the verdict was split. Next week, we’re in the mood for spirits, and that’s only the start of a week off work.

Pull up a chair. You’re one of us now. 🎙️

This week on Almost the Weekend, everything we own has turned blue, there has been plenty of baking, and a honeycomb ice cream stout has spoiled our favourite time of the week.

Almost Fit carries on, with the walking step challenge still in full flow even if the scooter has cost some steps, so there are bike sessions to earn the free coffee points. The new workout bench had a week off after an odd few days and some delayed trains, but it is twenty minutes a day and we are back on it.

The washing disaster: our daughter’s white tops went in with some dark blue trousers and came out a very pale blue. A bottle of Dr Beckmann colour run remover is on the case, there is a video on YouTube, and part two is to follow. Some guilt cleaning of her bedroom helped. Lesson learned: whites, lights and darks.

Almost Blooming has the end of the pepper plant, with the peppers falling off, and the tomatoes finally calling it a day after a fantastic crop. But a delivery of garlic, onion and shallot bulbs means planting season is here. We just need to find the space, and it will be on YouTube.

Mr Almost has been baking for Monday at work: an eggless lemon cake with lemon icing, and a first-ever baked black cherry cheesecake with a digestive biscuit base that survived the journey beautifully. A birthday cheesecake and the Christmas cake are next.

A little trip to Dunelm and The Range turned into a look at the Christmas ranges, spooky Halloween bits, lovely lights, mirrors, big clocks and a five-foot singing, dancing Santa for one hundred pounds. We bought nothing, but it was a lovely mooch.

On the screen it was a double bill. Mother’s Pride is a comedy drama on Sky about a failing pub and a long-lost son, with Martin Clunes, James Buckley and Mark Addy, an odd cast that works. At the cinema we saw Project Hail Mary in 4DX, with Ryan Gosling in space, an unexpected friendship and a few tears. Brilliant to see once.

On the telly it was Ludwig series 2 on BBC iPlayer, the detective comedy starring David Mitchell and Anna Maxwell Martin, with a puzzle master standing in for his missing detective twin brother. Funny, clever and easy to binge.

Almost Edible was a red pesto and mozzarella chicken bake from BBC Good Food: butterflied chicken breasts on frozen Mediterranean vegetables, with red pesto, torn mozzarella and spices, baked for about forty-five minutes and served on sweet potato. A mixed verdict, and next time we would try fresh veg, chicken thighs and rice.

Tipple of the Week is BrewDog and Mackies of Scotland Two Scoops Honeycomb Ice Cream Stout, at seven percent. The verdict: one of the worst drinks of our lives. There is another can of a different flavour waiting. Next week, probation meetings in our new jobs, and a Canterbury tale to tell.

Pull up a chair. You’re one of us now. 🎙️