For the Craic…

As we were going to the airport on Friday to drop mum off for her return journey to NZ anyway we decided to book a flight to Dublin to meet up with Jamie and see where he has moved to.  Before getting to the airport we had time to fit in one more National Trust property, Claremont Gardens, and have a relaxed lunch at Carluccio’s at Walton-on-Thames.

Jamie had a work’s do on the Friday and so we had time on Saturday morning to be tourists.  We visited Trinity College and saw the Bookof Kells exhibition and looked through the wonderful old library. It took us a while to find the Molly Malone statue as it had been relocated due to the tram work going on at its original location. A photograph later and we continued on walking through Temple Bar district with its winding streets, markets and interesting shops before we visited the magnificent Christ Church Cathedral.

Once Jamie had surfaced we met him for drinks, great sandwiches and live music at the Temple Bar pub where we caught up on each other’s goings ons.

Jamie treated us to dinner out at Ashton’s restaurant not far from where he lives and works. The food was very tasty with large portions but a mistake with the order meant Sue ate her main course after Jamie and I did.

The wet Sunday morning we stayed in Jamie’s apartment except to have brunch in the nearby café Wilde & Green before heading back to the airport to travel home.

It was nice to catch up with Jamie and we had a lovely time in Dublin.

Quality Time…

We took the day off to spend time with mum, initially we thought we would have lunch at the Shard, but this changed to visiting Great Dixter gardens, however at the last minute we found it was not open on a Monday, so we went to Nymans instead. Their summer boarders were fabulous and the house was enjoyable, Sue did get bombarded by seeds shot explosively from a plant several metres away with the sound of popcorn popping but she survived. Afterwards we went on to visit Standen house and gardens – the house being more a draw than the gardens - built in the arts and craft movement and designed by Philip Webb who worked with William Morris. We then carried on to visit the West Beach at Littlehampton and to have a lovely fish supper at the East Beach Café.

Going underground…

One of our neighbours and friend is a member of the Wealden Cave & Mine Society and he organised for a small group of us to visit the nearby Barons’ and Tunnel Road caves in Reigate for a private tour.

The first underground adventure was through the Tunnel Road East manmade caves which have had a varied use over time as stone and sand quarry, war time shelter, cold war bunker and wine and beer vaults. They have exhibitions covering all of these periods and more with an old Anderson shelter, a Roman tile kiln undergoing reconstruction, a geology room, second world war shelters, remains of Cold War bunker equipment and vast quantities of empty (we checked) bottles.

Our second spelunking was into the Barons’ cave under the old motte and bailey mound the remains of the castle. Here we saw the passage that linked the castle to the dry moat, sand excavations (with a surprise T-Rex looming in a corner – from Dr Who fame), several carvings (horse heads and faces) and ancient graffiti. These caves are so called for a local story that suggested that Barons stopped her on their way to Runnymede to sign the Magna Carta, though this is likely to be a myth.

It was a good evening explore and very interesting to add it to my local knowledge.

Sunshine & Music…

This year we tried a new music festival picked by Dave because it appeared to be small and child friendly with an interesting selection of music and good range of beers. With Deb, Dave and boys Tom and Ollie, with Paul, Lorraine and her granddaughters Jodie and Daisy and with Sue’s sister Deb and friend Shelly we assembled at a roadside café early on Thursday morning and travelled in convoy to the Wickham Festival. There was rain as we travelled but it cleared as we put up the tents and it was wall to wall sunshine until we took them down again on Monday morning after which it rained on our way back home.

Smaller than what we have been used to before it was easy to get around and still had enough to keep us occupied. There was a variety of music to suit most tastes and we had a few surprises during the weekend.

The food was good, the beer and cider even better and the sun beat down and warmed our backs and our souls.

We only saw a fraction of the available acts that were on at the three stages. These are some of them:

Banjo Vie – these French based hillbilly rockers were a great introduction to the festival, and one that we were late back for supper as a result. Hard rocking, energetic and full of humour.

De Temps Antan – A trio of traditional Quebec musicians that were extremely talented and energetic (bought their album)

Andy Fairweather-Low – former front man for Amen Corner played a steady if not exciting set.

Wilko Johnson – saw only a couple of songs from this former Dr Feelgood guitarist before excusing ourselves (not our thing).

Megson – A lovely set from this husband and wife duo that we first saw perform many years ago at our local folk club. They have since gone on to bigger and better things, deservedly so (bought their album).

Charlie Cunningham – a very talented guitarist who has picked up some of his skills from spending time in Spain.

Huw Williams & Maartin Allcock – they provided good background music during a lovely sunny day with a beer in hand.

Roy Bailey – a national treasure with entertaining chat and touching songs.

The South – they delivered a tight quality sound not far from a studio performance from this iconic pop band.

Show of Hands – an impressive set from this heavyweight group of talented musicians who have been entertaining crowds for many years.

Billy Bragg – he is as sharp and edgy as ever and still heavy on the political message.

Miranda Sykes & Rex Preston – they were a quality act that impressed with their energy.

The Askew Sisters – a sweet and harmonious sound, perfect for s sunny morning.

The Spooky Men’s Chorale – a firm favourite of ours they entertained us with their peculiar humour.

Eliza Carthy Wayward Band – born from folk royalty Eliza has managed to carve her own furrow with her punchy variations on traditional themes.

Seth Lakeman – a supreme fiddle player we first saw many years ago as a solo artist now has a dynamic band that manage to keep up with his frenetic style.

The Proclaimers – it was a solid performance from the boys even though we would have liked a little more personal interaction.

Les Barker – a lovely humorous poet that has been around for what seems like forever highlighting the absurdities of our language and human frailties. He seemed to be enjoying himself even more than the audience.

Tankus the Henge – hold tight this band is full of a dark energy that powers them along and drags you with them (bought their album).

Moulettes – I have seen this band perform before and they are an offbeat and an acquired taste.

Luka Bloom – a contemporary folk singer songwriter with heart and passion.

The Dhol Foundation – named and fronted by an array of drums this band has a foot stomping energetic dance attitude that mixes and blends cultural influences from Ireland to India from traditional to contemporary in a seamless way.

Tom Robinson & Band – he is another passionate and driven performer with a message who has been around the block once or twice, a little rock history lesson.

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – like a few of the other more ‘mainstream’ acts they have been around for a while, but they appeared to be very grateful to still be playing and entertaining crowds.

10cc – I wasn’t sure what to expect with this band as I was a big fan of their songs way back when, but they were very professional and tight as an act and the newer members of the group fitted in perfectly and reproduced the band’s sound to the note. The highlight was their acapella rendition of Donna. 

The Garden’s bounty...

Strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, black currents have all been good croppers and we have had plenty of fruit off them, we just await the small amount of blue berries we have on the small bush to completely ripen. Also the wild black berries are starting to ripen in the hedgerow.

The peas and beans are cropping well too and we can see we will struggle to keep up with them (some are destined for jars of chow-chow if we cannot give them away). The courgettes are ramping up production and we have had our first potatoes and greens. The salad crops are doing well but we are not seeing much come from our carrots or beetroot.

We have planted some dahlias and have been getting a good show of blooms for cut flowers.

The apple tree is heavy with fruit and I had to cut a limb of that was resting on the fruit cage as it threatened to do some damage. We got a couple of bags of fruit off this single branch and so Sue was busy cooking up chutneys, apple and cider cakes and an apple pie from those she could not give away to neighbours, along with a few courgette based chutneys and a couple of jars of pickled gherkins. 

More of wot I have read…

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

This is an interesting and good first book by this author though I was a little dissatisfied by the title character being quite so elusive without explanation or understanding of her motivation.

‘There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed…

On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives at a grand house in Amsterdam to begin her new life as the wife of wealthy merchant Johannes Brandt. Though curiously distant, he presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. It is to be furnished by an elusive miniaturist, whose tiny creations ring eerily true.

As Nella uncovers the secrets of her new household she realizes the escalating dangers they face. The miniaturist seems to hold their fate in her hands – but does she plan to save or destroy them?’

On your bike…

Again the Prudential Ride London cycle race came through the village with the legion of amateurs first in the morning and then the professionals in several circuits in the afternoon. In the morning we cheered the plucky peddlers on from the green where facilities and entertainment had been provided, and in the afternoon we raised a glass from the Bertram Bees bar happy to be temporarily stranded in the village.

Croatian Culture…

For Mum’s birthday we decided to have a family holiday away in Dubrovnick. Terry and Gill came along with us and stopped the night before at our place before driving early to Gatwick for our flights.

Day 1 (Friday 17^th July) – We arrived in the afternoon and a friendly pre-arranged taxi driver drove us to the drop off / pick up point outside the Hilton garage entrance (there is no vehicle access to the old town – apart from emergency and deliver). We were met by the apartment agent and escorted across the drawbridge and through the imposing gateway into the old town. Our apartment was a couple of floors above the gallery of its owner and access was through his small shop and up the stairs passed some rather unusually costumed mannequins and examples of his graphic artwork. The apartment itself is very classy and modern furnished and decorated in whites and greys accented with wood finishes. There are three double bedrooms, the upstairs one we took including a small seating area and ensuite bathroom; the others had separate bathrooms. There was a large open plan dining/lounge with pictures of the old town and a map on the wall. There was a small but well appointed kitchen along a corridor. Once freshened up we explored some of the old town including the Dubrovnik Cathedral and ended up eating in a seafood restaurant in the old port called Konoba Lokanda Peskarija. The food was fine but a stray tomcat spoiled Gill’s bag with his spraying.

Day 2 (Saturday 18^th July) – We had present-giving for Mum’s birthday over breakfast before heading out. We decided to walk the walls first thing in the morning hoping to miss the crowds and heat of the day, but it was already busy and very hot. The walls were long with several sections of stairs that took some climbing, but the views were spectacular of the town and of the world outside of it.

Later we walked around the peaceful Franciscan Monastery and the old apothecary, noting the framed shell hole in the wall, and that evening we dined at a restaurant called Aquarius (for Mum’s Birthday) that Gill had spotted during our walk around the walls.

Day 3 (Sunday 19^th July) This morning we took the ferry across to the nearby Lokrum Island where we explored the botanical garden looking at the palms, cacti, and listening for and spotting cicadas. We looked in at the little chapel before wandering down to the shore for a quick dip in the water. The place that Gill, Terry and Sue swam at was rougher than they expected and both Terry and Sue suffered grazes on the sharp rocks that later became infected. I took a dip in another location that was not so rough and mum watched safely nearby. We ate a lovely lunch of pizza and salad in the olive tree shaded patio next to the old ruined monastery.  After another short walk Gill and Sue had another dip in the calmer waters of the bay before we re-boarded the boat for our short journey back to the old port. We saw some magnificent ships at anchor including the five-masted Royal Clipper.

  

While mum had a rest at the apartment the rest of us explored the lovely Dominican Monastery with its burgonvilia and citrus trees in the central courtyard. We tried to get a table at a well regarded restaurant called Taj Mahal, but it was full so we ate next door at the Konoba Lanterna which served disappointing plain and boring food.

  

Day 4 (Monday 20th July) We had arranged a couple of excursions while in town the day before and our first was to Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina). We met at the Hilton garage and headed off north exiting Croatia and crossing through into Bosnia and Herzegovina to stop briefly at Neum for a comfort break before re-entering Croatia and back into B&H proper. We stopped at the little mostly ruined village of Počitelj where we saw a lovely reconstructed mosque before heading onto Mostar. We had lunch at the Restoran Teatar that overlooked the famous rebuilt bridge. After lunch we explored the bustling market street and stopped at one of the mosques where some of us climbed the minaret to get a spectacular view over the town and the river and bridge. There was plenty of evidence of the war in the ruined buildings and poignant graffiti. It was so hot here and we were told it was at least 45C and the hottest place in Europe at that time, and had been for several days

Back in Dubrovnick it was a ‘cooler’ 35C and that evening we ate at the Rhea Silvia I where we had some of the best calamari of our trip.

Day 5 (Tuesday 21^st July) In the morning we walked over to take the cable car up the mountain for a panoramic view of the old town which was spectacular. Later we explored the Rector’s Palace with its interesting collection of furniture, sedan chairs and lovely architectural details (such as the hands holding the handrail). While the others took a break in the apartment Sue and I visited one of the many Game of Thrones shops – one that had a mock up of the Iron Throne, and that evening we all ate a delicious meal at the Taj Mahal, which contrary to its name specialises in Bosnian cuisine. 

Day 6 (Wednesday 22^nd July) Our second long day excursion was south to Kotor (Montenegro). The route took us through this small country and into the deep and picturesque bay before stopping at the wonderful old walled town. Afterwards we were driven down to the coastal town of Budva where we had lunch at the waterside café called Jadran Kod Krsta before exploring the small walled town and our return trip.

In Dubrovnik we had a just found a place for our evening meal when we had a sharp shower that did little to cool things down. We had one our best meals at Zuzori with great flavours and beautifully presented food.

Day 7 (Thursday 23^rd July) As this day was to be our last full day in Dubrovnik we went on full sightseeing mode and visited the Marin Drzic (local playwright) museum, the Etnografski Muzej Rupe (with its interesting collection of local historic items in an old grain store), Saint Ignatius Church, Maritime Museum (demonstrating how strong a maritime power Dubrovnik had been), and the Tower Lovrjenac. Our last evening meal was at Revelin with a grand view across the old port as the sun went down.

During our time in this lovely and busy historic town we found refuge from the heat and crowds in several cafes including:

• -       Poklisar(stopped here a couple of times as it was great for watching people parade down towards or from the old port. Had beers the first time and lunch another time and listened to music here)
• -       Café Festival (for beer, cakes, evening music and a great view of the Stradun – main street)
• -       Klarisa(beer and jazz music in the evenings)

Our accommodation (Apartment Bianco) was on the third and fourth floors of an old palace that was burnt to the ground during the Croatian/Serbian/Montenegrin conflict in the 90s. Home to local artist Ivo Grbic who reacted to the tragedy in a surprising way, buy painting murals on doors and windows of the boarded up buildings in an effort to brighten up the lives of his neighbours. He has a detailed display on the outside of his building that explains what occurred and still sits in his small gallery even though he is not able to paint any more. A brave an generous man he is quick with a smile and a friendly gesture.  

  

Day 8 (Friday) – This morning we just relaxed around the apartment as we had an 11am pickup to take us to the airport for our return flight home. When we arrived home it was fully 20 degrees cooler and lashing down with rain. Welcome home!

Moving on…

Jamie has moved from the flat he shared in Bermondsey to his own place in Dublin while he works out there for Paddy Power.

We met him at the old flat to help him sort out some of his last bits and pieces and for his Nan to take him out to lunch at the nearby Del’Aziz in Bermondsey Square.

Afterwards we stopped in at a hipster brewery under the railway arches called Brew By Numbers and enjoyed a couple of drinks in the hot sunshine and met a couple of his friends.

Thai the knot…

We went out and celebrated Paul’s birthday at the Regional Thai Taste restaurant in Reigate. Paul asked me to be his best man, which I was honoured to accept.