CALLING ALL THE HEROES!

It was "Date Night" last night which was very welcome.

This is where either the Dark Lady or myself organises a little something just for the two of us. An evening for ourselves. No distractions. No children. No family. No friends. Just us.

The reason for this is very simple - we don't get a lot of time together. She is a high powered tycoon. (She actually thinks she's a "low powered office worker". I know which I prefer.)

I of course am a broadcasting demigod (for this read "bloke who plays records in the middle of the night and rarely troubles the daytime schedule and certainly very very rarely the TV schedule"). Well, we are busy people.

There are not enough of the right hours in the day to ensure we get to spend some time alone together, so we arrange these "dates". It keeps things fresh and the DL doesn't have enough time to get fed up and irritated with me before it's time to leave once again.

This is another good reason for marrying relatively late in life, as your spouse won't have enough time to grow to loathe you before you drop off the perch naturally before he or she resorts to greasing the stairs.

Last time we went out I had arranged tickets to see Randy Newman with a bite to eat beforehand. This time it was the DL's turn to sort things out.

She had been listening to what I had been saying (guys, apparently listening to your partner is good and should be encouraged), and had stored away in her head the fact that I wanted to see the new film "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel". The film stars a brace of Dames in Judi and Maggie, and a generally fabulous cast including Ronald Pickup, Bill Nighy and Celia Imrie.

Everyone I know who had seen it including Janice Long and my dad had raved about it. My father is scarcely a regular film goer - he has seen a couple of films this year and prior to that the last one he saw was Ghandi in 1982!

So, we arranged to meet in the pub at 4:30PM for a pint and packet of crisps. I had the pint and most of the crisps as her mother phoned just as they were opened, so I choffed my way through them whilst she was talking.

This was going to be a surprise, so she wouldn't tell me where we were going. I usually like to make a few stabs at what it might be, usually starting with "is it a duffle coat"?

I always start here, as that is the only time she has surprised me and I have guessed correctly beforehand.

Into the car and we eventually drew up outside one of those tiny cosy cinemas that boast comfy seats and nice snacks.

We even had a sofa so we could sit next to each other. There were two types of pizza and ice cream. Yes, before you start I did spill the ice cream down my front. An evening out is not complete without something being spilled down me, either by others or more usually yours truly.

The cinema was so swanky, even the adverts seemed upmarket. So no ads for curry houses and local garages. No. There were lush commercials for exotic places, including the Azores. First time I have ever seen them advertised.

Luckily I had had a Diet Coke before we came in as the caffeine kept me awake. Not that I was bored, it was just that the seats were so comfortable.

It was a great evening but now the bar has been raised rather high.

My turn in a couple of weeks. How can I top that?