Carrot Cake and Cava…

Part of the plans when my parents decided to visit us in the UK was to arrange for a birthday party at our house for mum’s 70th where we would play host and invite family and friends over so that they could all catch up and enjoy celebrating the big occasion.


The previous weekend we had been at Paul’s 50th where we ate fine butchered meets from his new BBQ (a present from the gang), drink too much, sang karaoke and wore silly hats (or a lampshade if you want to be particular). The weather that weekend was changeable, as it has been all summer, and so good use was made of gazebos and marquees. Such a good idea it was that we stole it along with one of the gazebos (with permission) that we re-erected on our deck for mums party.

Along with the gazebo we moved the dining room table and chairs around so that we had plenty of space for the 30 or so guests who turned up to enjoy the spread that many helped us with, the carrot cake that Sue made and for those who wished it a glass or two of fizzy cava.

Beer and Hankies…

Once more we took to the road with the Aldbury Morris (men behaving badly with hankies, sticks, bells and baldrics) on their annual trip, this time to Royal Tunbridge Wells accompanied by my parents as well.

We stayed at the very nice Royal Wells Hotel that sits on a hill overlooking the historic town. It is an old hotel with plenty of history itself and it has been tastefully updated and is well run.

On the first evening as people were gathering there was no formal arrangements other than to meet in the pub next door with instruments and voices at the ready for the usual drinking sing along and catch up with old faces (getting older every year).

The next morning after breakfast and a few dances outside the hotel the motley group processed to Calverley Park (the long way around) and to the coffee shop in the middle where a few more dances were had, coffee and tea drunk, before moving on to the Grove Tavern situated in the old part of town where winding cobbled streets were lined with grand old houses. More dancing, this time accompanied with beer from the tavern to slake their thirst and then onto the Duke of York in the Pantiles a fine pub in the lovely old shopping parade of the town with fabulous shops of interesting goods, market stalls and alleys and avenues with tantalising views of closed courtyards beyond.

After a superb lunch at the pub we continued down through the town until we reached the old Spa Valley Railway, there with the assistance of our local contact we boarded a fine old steam train for a short journey a few stops down the line where they danced on the Groombridge platform before returning and dancing some more at the Tunbridge Wells end of the line.

We then walked up to the The Barn where we took a breather and had another drink (or two) before continuing across the common to the secluded Mount Edgcumbe Bistro and Bar, another classy and quirky establishment – with its rock hewn snug and cardboard stags head decoration. This was the last dance spot of the day and many were happy to stagger back to the hotel for a rest.

The dinner was in the first floor conservatory dining area of the hotel that previously that day had been used for a wedding (the guest being now downstairs by the bar in the finery before they went through to the reception dance). We had a great meal and after a few words the tables were cleared and more music and song took us on into the night.

The next morning we drove off towards the other end of the Spa Valley line where the side danced for bemused train enthusiasts before we took another train journey down to High Rocks, a grand hotel where there we sheltered from a shower in the bar before returning.

As people made their way home it had been arranged that we meet at the Halfway House, and fine old drinking establishment with an impressive array of ales on tap and an equally impressive buffet to help soak them up. The final few dances were done as the sun came out again and we said our farewells as we all headed home looking forward to the next year’s outing.

Travellers’ Tales…

Mum and Dad have returned from their tour of Spain tired and happy (though a little less happy about the long queues through the Gatwick South Terminal). We had stuck them on a train in France at Narbonne and they got off in Spain at Barcelona, where the next day they joined a coach tour. They explored Barcelona before they travelled down to Valencia, to Granada, Seville and ended in Madrid. They saw many grand buildings and enjoyed the company of their fellow passengers, though they did say that the constant travelling and high temperatures did eventually tire them out and they were glad when they finally got to the end. They thought the tour was very comprehensive and well organised and supported by informative and engaging guides and that it was a good way to quickly see a country when you are stuck for time.

Baby Cuddles…

Our friends James and Nikala have just had their first baby boy, Noah, and we visited them recently to congratulate them and for Sue to have cuddles with the little bundle of joy. We had lunch and a walk in the park while we chatted (mostly about babies and baby related subjects). We welcomed them to the parental club and warned them that the easy bit was now over and the hard work was just beginning.

Birthday Treats…

Sue had her ‘still in my forties’ birthday party recently and we had a good turnout for her do around home. The weather held off enough for some to spend time outdoors on the deck while the rest were dancing in the dining room.

There was a good spread put together by a cast of many, including Sue with her now legendary sausage rolls and Carole who made an array of colourful cup cakes to accompany the rich chocolate cake she made.

Jamie impressed by his appearance baring an espresso coffee machine as a gift (he claimed he thought it was Sue’s 50^th but everyone told him he had set a precedent now and had to do better next year.)

Need an App? Then I know who to call…

Jamie has decided to hand in his notice and go into business full time with his friend Simon in a company called Locassa. They have set themselves up as independent App Developer and iPhone App Developers and have been establishing themselves for a while now with successful implementation of applications for a number of high profile customers.

So if you are looking for a company to help you with the development of an App or you know someone who might be interested in the services that they can offer, then you can point them in the direction of their website

More of wot I have read…

Ravenor: The Omnibus by Dan Abnett

I like this sort of stuff – modern Boys Own styled war stories. The stories are full of graphic and violent action but it does add depth and colour (though much of that colour is dark – storm grey, olive drab, blood red and midnight black) to the Gothic universe of the Games Workshop – Warhamer 40k table top game system. It is interesting to read how much attention and detail has been created to support a war game, the back story development is fascinating and very visual. If it wasn’t for the obscene amount of violence I think it would make a good movie.

‘In the war-torn future of the 41st millennium, the Inquisition fights a secret war against the darkest enemies of mankind – the alien, the heretic and the daemon. The three stories in this omnibus tell the tale of Inquisitor Gideon Ravenor and his lethal band of operatives, whose investigations take them from the heart of the Scarus Sector to the wildest regions of space beyond, and even through time itself. Wherever they go and whatever dangers they face, they will never give up until their mission succeeds.

The Omnibus contains the novels Ravenor, Ravenor Returned and Ravenor Rogue, plus two short stories and an introduction by the author.’