Another update…
July 2024 - Continued
We ended the month with another visit to the Sound Lounge, this time to see old school rock ‘n’ rollers Geraint Watkins and the Mosquitoes.
August 2024
This started with an alfresco gathering around at the Whittenbury’s and a BBQ in the garden.
I got together with pals (Martin, James & kids) to play a few boardgames at James’s place. Virus Inc, 5 Minute Mystery, Flamme Rouge, a pirate game (forgot the name) and Roll for It, Zombie Dice and Martian Dice.
We hosted an alfresco evening of our own, this time for Sue’s boss, his sister and Sue’s sister.
Sue and I, with Deb as well, travelled to Seaford to spend the weekend with Chris and Lynne. Whilst we were there, we walked up the coast to the lovely seaside town of Lewes.
Whilst Jamie was away on holiday Sue and I house/cat sat for him in Peckham and had a fabulous time exploring the local environs. We had some good evenings, including at Kokum with Deb and Chris and Carole, Banh Banh for a fabulous Vietnamese meal, Nola Coffee with Jo, Prince of Peckham for the best jerk cuisine with Jamie, Peckham Cellars across the road with Deb and to see the Jonny Liebeck Jazz Quartet at the CLF Art Lounge with Chris and Jo. We also went into London and went up to the Sky Garden to get a great view over the city.
We joined a large group of friends to celebrate Tracy’s 60th birthday at the Greek Vine Restaurant in Wallington. A surreal Zorba the Greek, plate smashing, out of body experience.
It was a more relaxed day out when we went to the Sussex Prairie Gardens with Paul, Lorraine, and Chris and Carole.
Sue and I took a short break to Bristol and found it a vibrant, scruffy, and historically significant town. We ate at some amazing places, including – Bokman (Korean), Wilsons (locally sourced British), the Lido for breakfast (an actual lido), Dhamaka (Indian), Noah’s (seafood). We also found the liveliest street in town and the Old Duke pub that had live music every night. We did seek out some culture as well, visiting the Clifton suspension bridge (saw it as the sun came down), the Clifton Observatory and Giant’s Cave, and taking a water taxi past Brunel’s SS Great Britain.
Returning from Bristol we visited Dyrham Park, a suburb building with a previous owner that had a terrible past, profiting from the misery of others.
The month ended with a dinner out in Epsom at the Koza Bar Kitchen (Mediterranean cuisine) with Chris and Carole.
September 2024
A regular date in our calendar is to visit the small, but perfectly formed, Pippfest open air event in Dorking, with local music, crafts and produce. We went with neighbours, Howard & Anne, Dan & Charlotte, and friends the Whitenbury’s.
We saw father and daughter act, Dirk and Amelia Powell playing Southern style Americana at the Sound Lounge this month.
In September we visited Terry and Katherine and took an excursion out to the opulent Waddesdon Manor, a building built just as a party venue and to house some of the wealthy Rothschild collection.
One Friday we went to Dorking to the Old House and listened to Sarah-Jane Hassell play.
A project that had been ongoing most of the year was the build of a combined bin and bike storage shed in our front garden. I draw up the designs that were realised by Pete. In addition, I laid a living roof on the structure that should hopefully make it blend into it surroundings a little more.
By the end of the month, it was starting to feel decidedly autumnal with cooler nights and the change in the colour of the leaves on the trees. The conkers were scattered all over the ground. We did get out to the Dropkick Brewery for a musical evening with Sophie Mullan entertaining the assembled crowd.
October 2024
This started with my trip out to Essen in Germany for the regular Speil game convention there. I stayed in the quirky Alma Mulheimer Hotel in Mulheim an der Ruhr. I joined up with friends from Belgium (Kotie and David), and New Zealand (Gary and his son Ben). The event was very busy and was sold out each day. One of the traditions is to have pork knuckle at the Restaurant Mausefalle, and this year was no exception.
In the middle of the month, we jetted of to fair Verona with the Whittenbury’s to visit their eldest son Tom, who is living and working there at the Verona Rugby Club. It is an amazing compact city with superb history everywhere. This weekend coincided with a wine event that meant the streets and plazas were full of revellers and music. We also watch the Verona Rugby team win their first league match of the year. We also took a train out to Lake Garda one of the days we were there.
For Sue’s Mum’s birthday we went out to her favourite Chinese restaurant, Heens, with Jamie, Deb, and Dave.
Later in the month we took Barbara down to visit Chris and Lynne where we ate out at a lovely pub.
November 2024
The weather continued to get cooler, and the nights are drawing in. Sue and I managed to get out on a grey day to visit Sheffield Park where the trees were showing their vibrant seasonal colours.
A musical event we had planned for some time was to see Bellowhead on their 20th anniversary tour as they played the Dome in Brighton. We decided to stay over and explore a bit of the town. Before the event we went and had a tasty cocktail at Gung-ho! And then followed up with a fabulous Italian meal at Cin Cin. The band, ably supported by the Longest Johns, were in good form and managed to get almost everybody up and dancing on their feet. The following morning, we took a leisurely stroll around the lanes, fortified by a lovely breakfast at Lost in the Lanes.
Taking advantage of a bright, but cool, weekend we went up to Newland’s Corner where we walked through the woods. They have installed a boardwalk that passes three ancient yew trees that are more than a thousand years old.
We gave in to the persistent Christmas presence and visited the local WestFestival held in the Community Hall and Church.
As a couple of our neighbours are moving away soon, we got together with them (Dan & Charlotte) and other neighbours (Howard & Anne) and had a Sunday lunch and a stroll in the countryside. A pleasant day indeed.
Sue’s boss Jonas was over from Sweden, so we kept him entertained one Monday evening with dinner out at the Queen’s Head in Dorking.
To celebrate Lorraine’s 60th birthday we met in London with Paul, Lorraine, Deb, Deb & Dave, and Chris & Carole (although Chris had leave as he was unwell). We had a few drinks at the Coach & Horses in Soho, before moving on to have a fabulous roast dinner at Sophie’s Soho, and finishing up at the Opium cocktail bar in Chinatown.
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