Almost the weekend

About Almost the weekend

Light chatty podcast focused on winding down the week, and heading into the weekend with fun stories and a relaxed vibe. It's like chatting with your friends on a Friday. mrandmrsalmost.substack.com (https://mrandmrsalmost.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

MrandMrsalmost

Category

society & culture · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

5 Mar 2026

Latest episode

15 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

33 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Oct 2026

   Almost the Weekend - The Great Blue Wash, a Very Long Way Up & the Stout We'll Never Forget

   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. 🎙️ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mrandmrsalmost.substack.com (https://mrandmrsalmost.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   8 Oct 2026

   Almost the Weekend - Autumn Jobs, a Poorly Honey & the Best Chicken Bake We've Had in Ages

   This week on Almost the Weekend, Colin turns out to have four legs, Honey is back at the vet, and the conservatory roof gets the clean of its life. Almost Fit continues with the October step challenge, and Mr Almost is clocking over a thousand more steps a day than she needs. Mrs Almost, on the other hand, has been poorly with a week of woman flu, so the gym has been replaced by sympathy not working out. The bike and the new workout bench will be back at the weekend. Honey is back in the news. Her cough returned, so it was another trip to the vet, and this time she has been prescribed codeine, which is a cough suppressant. Getting half a tiny tablet into a Chihuahua is quite a skill, and melted mozzarella turned out to be the winning trick. Today was a better day, and we are waiting to see how she gets on. Please keep her in your thoughts. A day out in Chichester with Mr Almost’s mum: a Lidl shop, a free coffee and a bacon roll at Caffè Nero, and a lovely change from the usual garden centre. That evening it was dinner with our sons in Brighton at Stone House, with stuffed-crust pizzas, hot honey and a rocky road dessert. Busy, but a lovely long day. Almost Blooming is all about what to plant now: garlic, onions and shallots, winter greens, and spring bulbs such as daffodils, crocus and tulips (squirrels permitting). The leaves are starting to fall, and the conservatory roof got a proper brush and wash in under half an hour, saving fifty pounds and giving us a YouTube video. The Christmas cactus, though, is not playing ball and has no buds, so do send us your tips! It was a family-friendly film week too. Toy Story 5 finally arrived on Disney+, bringing back Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, with Andy’s little sister Bonnie, a story about friendship and how technology is taking over from toys. Mrs Almost is also now aware that Buzz is not George Clooney. At the cinema we saw Verity, the erotic psychological thriller starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, based on the Colleen Hoover novel. A strong cast and a very strange ending: a solid three out of five, and worth seeing if you have a Cineworld card. On the telly, we have been watching Colin from Accounts on BBC iPlayer, the Australian love story of two people and one fantastic four-legged friend, created by and starring Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall. All three series are out and it ends perfectly. One hundred percent recommended. Almost Edible was an Aegean chicken and rice bake from the BBC Good Food app: chicken breast, red peppers, onion, olives, spices and basmati rice with a litre of stock, all in one tray, thirty minutes covered and thirty uncovered. Spicy, fragrant, enough for six and the best thing we have eaten in ages. Tipple of the Week is Vive Tangz Sour Pineapple from Aldi: a sugar-free, non-alcoholic fizzy drink that is properly sour and properly tangy. Surprisingly good, and there are other flavours to try. Pull up a chair. You’re one of us now. 🎙️ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mrandmrsalmost.substack.com (https://mrandmrsalmost.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

3. 

   1 Oct 2026

   Almost the Weekend -Sixteen Meals, a Tentacle-Free Staircase & the Coat Vote Result

   This week on Almost the Weekend, the new ritual we teased is finally revealed, the coat vote has a winner, and the Monstera meets its match. Almost Fit is going strongly. There was a non-stop fifteen to twenty minutes on the treadmill, a lovely autumn recovery ride on the bike with no soreness afterwards, and a set of weights that we nearly talked ourselves out of and then absolutely smashed in twenty minutes. The folding bench has been worth every penny (and every bit of sweat it took to build), we are pushing for heavier weights, and there may even have been our first ever push-ups. Someone else on a fitness journey is our son, who turned the kitchen into a production line: sixteen meals of spaghetti and minced beef, three hours of cooking, and a fridge that looked rather like a takeaway. It is his plan for avoiding fast food, and not everyone in the house can quite unsee eight days’ worth of spaghetti. He is also on the countdown to his driving test, now less than a month away, and we have been talking him through the “show me” questions. Wish him luck! Almost Blooming had a big week. The peppers got a little too rotten, with caterpillars claiming three lovely fruits, and the tomato plant is still delivering a never-ending crop. But the real news is the Monstera: we finally cut the tentacles. It is still alive, a couple of tiny aerial roots are left for it to breathe, the stairs are no longer a trip hazard, and yes, it looks weird without them. The whole thing is on YouTube. The new ritual is Rituals! A big new store opened nearby, and a free goody bag on opening day brought a tote bag, shower foam and body cream, with a free incense stick set for members. They have launched a doggy range too, so Honey came along for the trip and we came home with doggy shampoo. Add a coffee at a different Caffè Nero and it was a lovely day out. The coat vote is in! Mrs Almost’s new Deltaroam coat is green, a lovely army colour, long past the knees, fluffy inside and packed with pockets, ready to hang beside Mr Almost’s blue one. It is too warm to wear yet, but the plan is to show it off in the rain. It was also a big Avengers week. We revisited Avengers: Infinity War on Disney+ as a refresher, then saw Avengers: Endgame back in the cinema, in full Infinity Vision 4D and 3D. Stay right to the end, because the new end credits set up Doomsday in December. We also saw Heart of the Beast, Brad Pitt’s survival thriller with a wonderful dog and a JK Simmons cameo. A thin story and an absolute tearjerker. Take the tissues and maybe the afternoon off. On the telly it was Vigil Series 3 on BBC iPlayer, with Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie investigating a death at an Arctic research station in Svalbard. Six tense, complicated episodes that keep you guessing. Give it a go. Almost Edible was a feta and meatball bake from BBC Good Food, with beef swapped in for pork. Lemon zest, chilli oil, cinnamon, tinned tomatoes, butter beans and our own tomatoes, baked for around forty minutes with pasta on the side. Simple, tasty and definitely one to make again. Tipple of the Week is Solana Peach Lager, a crisp four percent pale lager with a delicate white peach infusion. From someone who is not much of a beer drinker: genuinely lovely. A surprise in the fridge awaits next week. Pull up a chair. You’re one of us now. 🎙️ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mrandmrsalmost.substack.com (https://mrandmrsalmost.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

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