Messing about on the river…

The parents of one of my friends at work has a canal boat moored on the Thames and each year a group of the lads from work get together to cast off to explore one of the tributaries of the river. Naturally there is a vast amount of liquid inside the boat that once filtered through the occupants would mostly end up outside of the craft and there were important discussions prior to departure to ensure the barrels of beer, bottles of wine and varied spirits all found a place in the cramped narrow boat. To line our stomachs we had a full blown cooked breakfast on the gas barbeque, washed down by the first of many cold beverages.

I joined the annual outing for the first time this year as we planned to travel up the Wey Navigation for a few miles stopping at the locks and any public houses that we might encounter on the way. It was gentle progress as we chugged along with the opening and closing of the locks the only real exercise, so this left us plenty of time to drink and chat and observe the rest of the world as the rushed about us like busy worker ants.

Ian had come prepared with the ingredients for a very fine and substantial curry that fed us well that evening as we gathered around the small table struggling to find space on it for the food amongst the bottles of wine and pints of beer. We ate well with plenty of cheese and nibbles, a couple of cakes courtesy of Sue and the morning fry ups to soak up some of the alcohol.

Sleeping arrangements were more problematic as the boat only had berths for four and there were seven of us. Steve had planned ahead and brought a small tent that he pitched up on the towpath, I had a blow up single mattress that just fitted in the aisle but Ian had none of that and had the hard floor to cope with.

We had good weather and the fresh mornings with the mist on the flat calm canal and the gentle murmurings of wildlife rising for the day were peaceful and gentle, just the thing after a day of drinking.

It was a fun couple of days, though I do feel we are getting a little too old for this sort of thing now.

Summer Nights…

We went to one of the Loosley Park Summer Nights Music events recently mainly to see The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, a fun and talented band. The venue was Loosley Park, a grand old manor house and a name associated now with quality ice cream. We didn’t see the house as the show was out in one of their many fields. It was a lovely small affair and we had a nice time with our picnic on a pleasant summer’s evening.

What a Difference…

Bosham and West Wittering are but a few miles apart geographically but as a matter of market appeal and cultural attraction they are a million miles from each other.

Bosham is a quaint and historical waterside town with quaint old English village feel to it and its tea shops, public houses, church, green outside the yacht club attract a certain type of visitor who likes to stroll around, sit quietly on benches watching the kids playing in their dinghies, eat and drink in the convivial pubs and generally enjoy a gentler pace of life.

On the other hand West Wittering on a summer’s weekend is a mass of humanity, exposed skin, inappropriate clothing choices, sitting sunburned jowl by pink cheek on every available square foot of sand on the long wide beach. I have never seen so many people on one beach in my life. And the car park! The rows, upon row of cars broken only by groups of families having BBQs next to the vehicles or queuing for the fish and chips and ice creams at the café in the middle was mind boggling. We paid the $£6 to get into the car park, walked to the beach, gasped at what we saw and immediately turned around again.

Musical Notes…

We have recently been to our annual pilgrimage to a field in a small Oxfordshire village to witness the audio spectacular that is the Towersey Village Festival. There were a few small changes over the last year which seems to have been introduced due to the increased numbers of people visiting with a new camping area set aside and a larger main tent for concerts. Also this year you had to buy drinks tokens (this was apparently due to the company having been targeted by thieves at another venue).

The main reason we go for is the intimate musical experience that is mostly of the folk genre (though with some crossover alternative acts along the way). We managed to avoid the worst of the weather and saw a great number of acts such as:

Bellowhead – a folk super-group who have a big sound and bigger energy and inspire a party atmosphere from their fans, that can result in the most unlikely of people pogo dancing to the beat (honests, I couldn’t help myself – it was the music that made me do it).

Edward II – another interesting fusion, this time of folk, reggae and rock that were loud and enthusiastic, but not my cup of tea.

Abigail Washburn and Kai Welch – selling themselves as players of American old-time music these two had a nice gentle sound to them that was enjoyable to listen to.

Bev Lee Harling – an artist with an interesting CV that takes in Mediaeval, Jazz, Burlesque and now uses old junk as instruments (tin pots and pans and an old suitcase as percussion, an electric drill, cheese grater, and chopping vegetables on a board with a knife) in an act that is enhanced by the visual experience that adds to the wonderful and enchanting performance. She was one of our favourites this year.

Larkin Poe – a couple of young sisters from the US who play loud and amplified (too loud and amplified for my taste).

Jamie Smith’s Mabon – celtic inspired folk music by very accomplished musicians.

Donal Lunny, Padraig Rynne & Sylvain Barou – Irish inspired music led by Lunny, who has been playing since he started in the early 70’s with folk band Planxty, with concertina playing Rynne and piper and flutist Breton Barou, make up this traditional sounding trio. Very good musicians but not enough songs for us.

 

Esquisse – a very talented French band who were fine musicians but naturally lacked the ability to interact with their British audience.

Old Man Luedecke – another one of our ‘finds’ for this year was this gentle, amusing and talented Canadian banjo player who had a way with words and a captivating, self-effacing charm.

Roy Bailey – a stalwart of the left wing inclusive music scene and a patron of Towersey this grand old man of folk has a huge and enthusiastic following. His son-in-law the talented Martin Simpson said that if Roy recited the telephone directory the audience would applaud – and it is true, such is the devotion and love that this man inspires by his dedicated fans. He did have trouble with some songs and made a few mistakes, but he exudes passion and integrity by the bucket load.

Jon Boden – The lead singer of Bellowhead, Jon can play a different style on his own, or as he was here with a couple of other fine musicians to support him, a much calmer and more reflective mood than the behemoth group.

O’Hooley & Tidow – we saw this couple a while back and know of them when they were part of the Unthanks group. They are talented and quirky performers with a gently cutting wit to them.

Nancy Kerr and James Fagan – this couple have a well balanced act with complementary voices and an interesting turn of songs.

Reuben’s Train – This duo are a very different proposition, one that often confuses the audience. The lead singer has such a low voice that people are not sure whether it is serious or comical, and can find it all a little disconcerting. That is something I like about them and I think it brings an extra quality to the dark and bleak songs they choose to sing.

The Melrose Quartet – this is a group made of two couples, both of which have successful independent careers, but together have a wider and deeper quality to the songs and tunes they perform.

David Gibb & Elly Lucas – A very young couple who are full of talent and the enthusiasm of youth and who have some cute and quirky songs in their act.

Stephen Taberner – better known to us as the choir master for the Spooky Men’s Chorale, but on his own he shows his jazzier side to him while keeping his comic edge sharp.

JuNk – these are an interesting new performance act that use found items as musical instruments and a post-apocalypse back-story to create their own comical world that they explore in a fresh and entertaining way.

Beltane Border – one of the many dance groups that perform at Towersey who were here for the first time and camped near to us for the weekend. The dance a different style to Morris, that is more aggressive and dramatic in appearance as they black up and stomp around in heavy boots and black raggedy cloaks.

in between the music we managed to fit in a bit of drinking, eating and socialising and saw my uncle and his friends as they played and sang at the nearby pub.

All in all we had another entertaining and enjoyable weekend.

Brightest Flame…

The 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics are over and even I as a devote sport-atheist was sucked into the razzmatazz of the whole spectacular event. We did not put our names down for tickets and I feel a little pang of regret from not experiencing the enthusiasm and celebration first hand. Even when the Olympics came to us by way of the cycle race that passed through our village we avoided it, but that was to avoid being trapped here and to allow us to take my folks to visit family before they returned home.

We did however watch some of the television coverage starting with the Opening Ceremony that we thoroughly enjoyed (so impressed with the effects incorporated into the stadium, the imagery of Britain through history and the remarkable set work and visual theatre – not so impressed with the musical acts, but that is just a matter of personal taste). We also saw some glimpses of events on the wall-to-wall coverage we had access to (loved the Matrix style multiple camera shots of the gymnasts as they leapt off the beam), and thought the integration of the events into the city and surroundings was well done (personally I am grateful for the cycle race as it meant we had our roads fixed and a lot of road furniture replaced, buildings repainted and even a new sculpture commissioned for one of the roundabouts).

Equally the coverage of the Paralympics was impressive and the exposure here in the UK has done a great deal to overcome some of the population’s misconception and poor attitude towards disabilities and has increased public awareness. Hopefully it is something that can be built on in the future – one of the legacies they told us about.

Returning Home…

My folks have left the UK after a great extended holiday and eventually made it back to NZ after waiting 6 hours at Gatwick while engineers fixed something to do with the breaks on their plane but as they said ‘luckily they found out before the plane left the ground’. They had planned a layover on route which was cut short and meant they did not miss the connecting flight; it was just more tiring than usual. 

But they are back safe and sound and happy to be home.

Brighton and the Pavilion …

For mum and dad’s last full day in the UK before they returned home we all went to Brighton where we had lunch at a fun café called Bill’s before we went on to visit the Brighton Pavilion to see an almost unbelievable over the top display of wealth and bad taste. Unlike the more disturbing Waddesdon Manor this was too comically tasteless to cause such offense with its towering chandeliers supported by giant gilt dragons, steel columns made to look like palm trees, serpents winding themselves around the curtains two foot high nodding Chinamen in the hall. 

It was a wonderful sunny day and the park around the pavilion was full of foreign tourists, locals on their lunch break and students listening to other students playing music

More of wot I have seen…

Suits

We stumbled across this series by accident and new nothing about it before we started watching, but we were glad we picked it up as it is a very entertaining show. The storylines are not the be-all-and-end-all to the show though there are some interesting lawyer like scenes as it goes along. The big thing to us about this show is the mood of the show and the character acting of the stars, both of this are pitched just right with a light yet punchy feel to the stories and great acting by the cast that seemed to allowed to push things a little to hook the viewer and appear to be really enjoying themselves hugely.

I would certainly recommend you checking this show out and would love to hear if you like it too.

‘While running from a drug deal gone bad, Mike Ross, a brilliant young college-dropout, slips into a job interview with one of New York City's best legal closers, Harvey Specter. Tired of cookie-cutter law school grads, Harvey takes a gamble by hiring Mike on the spot after he recognizes his raw talent and photographic memory. Mike and Harvey are a winning team. Even though Mike is a genius, he still has a lot to learn about law. And while Harvey may seem like an emotionless, cold-blooded shark, Mike's sympathy and concern for their cases and clients will help remind Harvey why he went into law in the first place. Mike's other allies in the office include the firm's best paralegal Rachel and Harvey's no-nonsense assistant Donna to help him serve justice. Proving to be an irrepressible duo and invaluable to the practice, Mike and Harvey must keep their secret from everyone including managing partner Jessica and Harvey's arch nemesis Louis.’

The Killing (US) Season 2

We tried to start with the original Swedish show but a fault in the recordings meant we missed a few episodes, show we switched to the US version when it followed soon after. Not expecting much of a US remake we were surprised as they seemed to capture the Nordic-Noir feel of the whole thing (though the constant rain has put us off visiting Seattle now). I have heard that the story lines diverge quite dramatically between the Swedish and US versions and even though they have tried to keep the mood it has a different emphasis and pace to suit the domestic market. For me the stand out things about the show apart from the good dark (sometimes visually too dark) feel, are the two actors playing the lead characters Mireille Enos as Sarah Linden and Joel Kinnaman as Stephen Holder are brilliant. Mireille is a captivating actress who draws my attention even though she is very restrained and controlled. Stephen plays a great counterpoint to his partner with his quirky, twitchy manner.

I don’t know how this compares to the Swedish but after watching the both seasons of the US show I enjoyed what they have done and I recommend to anyone who likes a crime show.

‘From writer, executive producer and series showrunner Veena Sud (Cold Case), The Killing is based on the wildly successful Danish television series Forbrydelsen and tells the story of the murder of a young girl in Seattle and the subsequent police investigation. 

The Killing ties together three distinct stories around a single murder including the detectives assigned to the case, the victim's grieving family, and the suspects. Set in Seattle, the story also explores local politics as it follows politicians connected to the case. As the series unfolds, it becomes clear that there are no accidents; everyone has a secret, and while the characters think they've moved on, their past isn't done with them.
The Killing stars Mireille Enos (Big Love) as Sarah Linden, the lead homicide detective that investigates the death of Rosie Larsen; Billy Campbell (Once and Again) as Darren Richmond, Seattle's City Council President and now running for Mayor; Joel Kinnaman (Snabba Cash) as Stephen Holder, an ex-narc cop who joins the homicide division in the investigation to find Rosie's killer; Michelle Forbes (True Blood) as Rosie's mother, Mitch Larsen; and Brent Sexton (W., In the Valley of Elah) as Rosie's father, Stan Larsen. The pilot and Season 2 finale are directed by Patty Jenkins (Monster).’

More of wot I have read…

Incompetence by Rob Grant

This was an unusual silly little book from one of the creative forces behind Red Dwarf. It has some fun and interesting observations about society that the author explores through the somewhat weak narrative, though perhaps I missed some of the more subtle jokes. It was an easy read but I can’t say it was all that memorable.

‘Article 13199 of the Pan-European Constitution: No person shall be prejudiced from employment in any capacity, at any level, by reason of age, race, creed or incompetence.

In a united Europe of the near future, incompetence is not an option, it’s compulsory. You can’t be fired for being bad at your job. But the rules don’t apply to the psychopath who’s leaving a trail of corpses across the continent. He’s very competent indeed.

And so, down these mean, incredibly badly sign-posted streets, one detective must thread his way through a maze of blind nightclub bouncers, octogenarian male bunny girls and airline pilots with vertigo.

In search for a killer. In search of the truth. In search of a decent plumber.’

Snuff by Terry Pratchett

Another Discworld novel that expands the well developed world and adding new characters and ideas to the mix, though I think this is more for the fans rather than a great stand-alone book. It lacks a little of the original Pratchett magic but it does have some interesting things to say along the way.

‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a policeman taking a holiday would barely have had time to open his suitcase before he finds his first corpse.

Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is on holiday in the pleasant and innocent countryside, but not for him a mere body in the wardrobe. There are many, many bodies – and an ancient crime more terrible than murder.

He is out of his jurisdiction, out of his depth, out of bacon sandwiches, occasionally snookered and out of his mind. But never out of guile. Where there is a crime there must be a finding, there must be a chase, and there must be a punishment.

They say that in the end all sins are forgiven.

But not quite all…’

Weekend with Family…

Recently we visited my uncle and his lady friend at her place for a family get together before my folks returned to NZ.


I initiated my own unofficial ‘bring your parents to work day’ as we planned to leave straight from work on the Friday, so they enjoyed the dubious delights of Bracknell before joining me and a large group celebrating a colleague’s retirement at the quirky Hideout, home of the Thai House Restaurant and a local hang out for a group of us each Friday lunchtime. It is an odd place hidden in the Bracknell forest decorated with humour with a teddy in armour and stag’s head wearing a hard hat and sunglasses and a couple of Harley Davidson video game machines that I have never seen working.

After work we drove straight on to Gill’s house and encountered the expected Friday afternoon chaos that is the western side of the M25. This was one of the main reasons why we arranged our travel this way as I knew it I had to travel back home before returning along the same bit of motorway it would be a nightmare. Also we didn’t want to leave our journey to the next morning as our village would have been cut off as the roads were being shut for the Olympic Cycle races on Saturday and Sunday.

We were treated to a wonderful evening meal and had plenty of catching up to do. Mum and dad enjoyed exploring the property and interacting with the animals.

We joined the Aldbury Morris side once again, this time as they performed at the Aston Abbotts Fete which is a small, perfectly formed, village fete. Where owner’s dogs were entered into competitive sausage eating contests, kids climbed of antique tractors next to the bouncy castle and the Silver Band played next to the outdoor skittle alley.

On our way back we stopped briefly at the Pitstone Windmill, an iconic post mill in the middle of fields of waving golden grain.

On the weekend we also visited Waddesdon Manor, one of the Rothschild’s party houses built specifically to house a large collection of art work and to entertain guests on hunting weekends. I found this place disturbing with its vulgar display of wealth and antique bling in such an over the top manner.

Out in front of the house was a large display of shiny automotive art in the form of the Jenson Owners Car Club, C-V8 50th Birthday celebrations. Here buffed and polished motors gleamed in the sunlight, though closer inspection revealed that many had cloths under the engine to protect the ground from oil leaks.

Also in the grounds were some very interesting sculptures scattered around the building offering some surprising views.

To top our visits off we also stopped at the Ford End Watermill which was putting on a demonstration grinding grain into flour with the impressive power of the water in the mill pond that turned the grinding stones and shook the building.

We had a lovely weekend and it was a moving sight as mum and her brother said their goodbyes.

Sea, Sunshine and Pasties…

After mum’s party we loaded up the car and headed west in search of the illusive British summer.

We had arranged to take mum and dad to a little place that we know in the middle of the Devon countryside as a birthday gift. First though we stopped in at Castle Drogo, a grand stately home built when people had the fancy for showing off with a country estate and imposing building. And it was quite a statement too, though you can see with the amount of upkeep required and the tragic story about the family during the war, how it became too much to keep on as times changed and the appetite for ostentatious displays of wealth diminished.

Our present was for an evening at the quaint Nobody Inn at Doddiscombsleigh. A historic old pub in the heart of the countryside with a reputation for hospitality, good food, and whiskey (many hundreds to choose from of which I had to sample a couple).

Refreshed and refuelled we set out the next day for Cornwall stopping on the way at another stately home, Lanhydrock. Another fabulous building that is so over the top that benefits from still having much of the servants wing intact with the large kitchens, bakery, cold rooms, dairy and sculleries open to view. Though it is the grand halls where the family entertained and displayed their wealth and status that were outrageously impressive.

Soon though we were at Perranporth a gem of a place on the Cornish north coast with the sea glistening in the sunshine, the sand glowing golden and the sunbathers’ crimson we had arrived on our summer holiday.

We stayed in the faded and perhaps once plush Ponsmere Hotel situated right on the edge of the beach it commanded a great view across the wide and deep beach. But the hotel was just somewhere to get our head down and we were soon out soaking up the sun’s rays.

During our stay there we met up with family friends who lived there and together we dined at the lovely little Del Mar Italian Restaurant where we enjoyed good food, great company and a little wine too.

One of our favourite places to visit in Perrenporth is the bar on the beach, The Watering Hole sitting on the sand provides an ideal place to while away a few hours drink in hand as you watch the quite amazing sights than choose to wander past in all too little clothing for way too much flesh.

Using our National Trust cards to the max we travelled up the coast to the town shrouded in myth and legend but at Tintagel we did not visit the castle (supposed home of King Arthur) but instead we visited the tiny Old Post Office built before people had invented rulers and straight lines.

The town’s population had swelled as we exited back onto the street, with coach loads of tourists eager to see the ruins of Tintagel Castle. From experience I can say that there really isn’t much there to warrant the trek out to the headland, though the weird shops full of crystals, dragons and other new-age items is quite entertaining to wander around.

So instead we decided to drive off to Padstow, or Pad-Stein as it is known with affection for its well known chef Rick Stein, who owns several establishments there. We had an enjoyable time walking the busy streets and sampled locally made pasties and later an ice-cream by the docks.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped at the delightful little country house of Trerice where they allow you to touch replica items associated with the period when it was built. The chain mail armour was surprisingly heavy.

The next day we had made arrangements with an old friend to meet at her home that looks out across to St Michaels Mount where, after a short catch up, we visited taking the boat out and climbing the steep, uneven path to the towers above. As it was Sunday there was a service in the chapel provided by the bishop. It was another glorious day and by the time we had toured around, had lunch at the small hamlet below; the tide had gone out enough for us to walk back across the causeway. We then had tea and cakes with our host at her house before driving off to see St Ives. Here it was heaving and we could not find a suitable space to stop so we decided to avoid the crowds and try and find a pub we had been brought to some years before that we remembered was quite nice.

In the evening sun the Ferryboat Inn on the banks of the North Helford Passage is more than just nice, it was idyllic. Children played in the water in rowboats, rubber rings, canoes or just splashing about. Sailing boats passed by along the estuary and cruisers motored back. A small ferry took people across from one side to another, to or from the pub. And we sat their soaking it all in. Mum had half a pint of prawns, Sue and dad had fisherman’s platters and I had whitebait and we watched as the sun dipped towards the horizon.

Lost Gardens of Heligan was our first stop on our long journey home. Sue and I had been before but it was some time ago, not long after they had opened it up again and we certainly notice big changes to the gardens, how they had matured and how extra areas were now open to view.

At the nearby Eden Project Sue and I stopped at the café as mum and dad went down to explore the domes (we had been before and didn’t want to spend that much seeing them again).

Our route back was similar to the one down and where we had stopped briefly near Stonehenge on the way down, this time we stopped at the Route 303 Bar ‘n’ Grill, a somewhat different experience but still fun.

Eventually we arrived home safe and sound and happy to fall into our own beds, glad to have finally had our summer holiday.