Christmas Carols…

The much anticipated gathering at Terry’s neighbours (Alistair and Brunie) where the guests bring a dish and their sing voice and we celebrate the season in style. 

Party Season Starts…

With a Xmas party at Deb’s. Plenty of old fogies, abundant alcohol and a selfie stick.

Games Day…

Recently I got together with a few friends as part of our semi-regular face-to-face gaming days. Here we played a few varied games including:

Fury of Dracula – In this I was Dracula vs the vampire hunters and I was doing quite well until I got cornered in England and a valiant self-sacrificing all-out attack from one of the hunters eventually put me down.

Sushi Go! – a sweet, easy to learn, easy to play game.

Machi Koro with Harbour expansion – the expansion turns it into a 5 player game and adds a different way of arranging the marketplace, it slowly progressed until a gamble by Martin and a series of doubles paid out big time enabling him to a win with a landslide.

Spartacus with Shadow of Death expansion – I have not usually succeded in this game before, but we played the quick version and I was able to capitalise when Martin bought an almost unbeatable gladiator by manipulating him into decimating our enemies.

Dead of Winter – a co-op survival game that soon had us overrun by the zombie horde.

Christmas is coming to Town…

Our late holiday had put us a little on the back foot for Christmas, but after a concerted effort in the shops and on-line we are mostly there, and with the help of Deb’s we have the house decorated and are now ready-ish for the big event.

Our festive celebrations have started with lunch at Chris and Carole’s where a generous spread was provided and much jolly fun was had by all.

Tasty Tasting Meal…

Uncle Tony arranged to take many of us out for a family dinner at Drakes near Wisley. Here we were treated like royalty and provided with a spectacular series of delicious masterpieces accompanied by perfectly matched wines. It was a culinary delight throughout. 

Late Season Sunshine…

This was a holiday just for Sue and I where we could please ourselves and enjoy each other’s company. It had been a while in the planning and took some time to come around, but we were ready for it when the date drew near.

We were going to take a driving holiday of the Florida Keys (though deliberately not driving every day), and we flew into Miami arriving in the early evening where we picked up our car from the airport (when the garage manager saw my height she asked if we wanted to free upgrade, secretly hoping for a Mustang convertible we ended up with a big black SUV). We drove into the busy traffic towards Miami Beach where we found our Art Deco hotel, the Albion and checked in (again were asked if we wanted a free upgrade, this time to the penthouse suite. A bit more impressive sounding than it actually was as the décor was in need a freshening up, however it was several rooms with its own sundeck on the roof overlooking the city).

Ignoring the fatigue of the flight we ventured out up to the nearby pedestrian area of town where we watched the world go by, had a beer and a bight to eat and then turned in for the night.

I knew there was a good chance the time difference would mean we were up before sunrise so I had planned for this and we walked the couple of blocks to Miami Beach where we witnessed the sunrise as it came up over the sea in a spectacular fashion. Then we walked along Ocean Drive to the 24hr News Café for a hearty breakfast.

After getting some provisions we drove out of the busy metropolis and off towards the Everglades. Near the entrance to the park is an interesting information centre and not far from that a lovely boardwalk around a couple of ponds where we saw crocodile, snapping turtle and plenty of birdlife. As we had time we drove down to the coast to hopefully see more. We packed up in the shade and walked across the grass towards the information centre there and immediately became engulfed in a cloud of voracious mosquitoes (in the centre there was a notice saying the insects were horrible today and recommending people stayed of the grass and remained in the sunshine – now they told us). This soured our experience and so we drove away towards our next accommodation  

Ocean Pointe Suites near to Key Largo which was a complex of apartment blocks on a secluded area with a pool, small marine, bar and café and a small beach. The apartments were reasonable appointed and had small balconies with views out over the sea. We had already planned to use the kitchen facilities to cook our own meal and relax for the evening.

The next day we ventured out to see the old African Queen boat at Key Largo, from the Humphrey Bogart movie Key Largo.

We visited the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and although we did not plan to dive or swim the waters we still enjoyed our journey out in the glass bottom boat that took us out  over the reef.

In the evening we had a pretty forgettable meal at a local establishment that had been recommended (we started to find that a lot of American meals were huge, bland and usually deep fried).

The following day we packed up and took a leisurely drive down towards Key West. We stopped at the Lazy Days South restaurant that was recommended to us and from the outside it did not look like much. The covered deck overlooking the harbour was more like it and the food was very good, in fact it was the best meal Sue had in our time there. We also had to discourage an iguana from joining our table, fobbing him off with a bit of tomato.

In the afternoon we arrived at Key West and our centrally located La Concha Hotel. After settling in we ventured off to see a bit of the town along the busy Duval Street towards the western shore.

As we perambulated along we came across the Hog’s Breath bar (hog’s breath is better than no breath at all) and we stopped for a refreshing drink and to listen to the music before moving on to settle for a while

at the Sunset Pier where we watched the sun go down with a drink in hand and live music in our ears.

Sue had found out about an intriguing place called the Little Room Jazz Club where we ventured to after dark. It was a fabulous little venue, eclectically decorated and cosy. It was virtually empty when we arrived and it didn’t sell hot food or spirits, but the wine menu was good and the beer was fine too. The place became a little busier later and when the

Hal Howland Trio took to the little stage there was a nice, relaxed atmosphere starting. We had a lovely evening listing to fine music.

The next day I had planned as a cultural one. We had learned from the concierge that the hotel had two sister hotels, one at either end of Duval St by the sea, and that there was a golf cart shuttle that travelled between them, so we bore this in mind. We walked out for breakfast and then took the shuttle from one coast to the other where we had a snoop around the lovely hotel on the eastern side. From there it was a short walk to the southernmost point (not actually the southernmost as that is nearby on Navy land), then up towards Hemingway’s house, and then onto Truman’s Little White House. The weather had turned a little damp so we ventured back into town via a small bar and tested out a couple of Hemmingway’s preferred watering holes. Capt Tony’s and Sloppy Joe’s (for a Sloppy Rita – margarita that is), both were understandably busy and loud with loads of people and enthusiastic live music.

A recommendation to us by friends who had visited Key West before was to take the ferry out to the Dry Tortugas and see Fort Jefferson. Unfortunately the weather was such that the sea was quite choppy which Sue was not best pleased about (not quite a repeat of the ferry trip from the Shetland Islands, but still). The place though was fabulous, a massive civil war fort, lovely beaches and some fabulous wildlife, but I think Sue was unable to relax too much as we still had to return on the boat (at least on the way back the bar was open and we found a more stable position in the sunshine).

We thought we would try a nice fish restaurant as a treat and although the food was lovely it did not feel welcoming and we did not feel encouraged to linger, an expensive mistake.

The next day we got the car out and went for a little drive to see a couple of gardens. First was the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden, which was a grander title than it perhaps deserved, though we did see loads of smaller turtles, and some interesting birds and insects, the plants though were less dramatic and the garden was more naturalistic. The small Key West Garden Club in the remains of the West Martello Tower was more dramatic, partly because of its location amongst the tower’s ruins on the coast and partly because of the more exotic choice of planting.

In the evening we again ventured out to see the sunset, this time at the much vaunted Mallory Square, where we had a couple of Mojito’s to celebrate another fine day.

We then strolled through the lovely Memorial Sculpture Garden full of bronze bust to significant local peoples of the past.

This time we ate at a busy establishment right on the bustling Duval Street, capitalising on the happy hour to relax and watch the world go by.

We returned to the Little Room Jazz Club again, this time to see Larry Baeder and Bill Blue play some very accomplished blues while telling us amusing tales of their earlier careers.

On our final day we took it easy in the morning and drove leisurely back up the Keys having lunch at the beach at the other Lazy Days restaurant. The view was better but we didn’t have quite the same success with our choices of food.

We had a bit of a wait at the airport, which is not the most impressive of places, but we had our final indulgence of the holiday was a sturdy chocolate pudding and large margarita. 

More of wot I have seen…

Recently we saw the Lumineers supported by the Bahamas play at the Hammersmith Apollo. It was an enjoyable evening but the venue is quite large and you do lose some of the connection with the band that you get from performances in a more intimate place.

Fine Dining…

One of our favourite local eateries is Kinghams in Shere where we know the owner/chef Paul. We went with mutual friend Howard and Sue’s sister Deb and we were treated extra specially by Paul and his staff. It was a lovely meal and we enjoyed the wine with the meal, the spirits after wards, the beer at the nearby pub, and the cocktails when we got home. Needless to say the next morning was a slow start. 

Gaming Nirvana…

Once again I made the pilgrimage to Essen for one of the best analogue gaming conventions around.

This time I hitched a lift with Derek who was driving over and it certainly made a difference to not have to battle the various European public transport systems.

We went to our usual hotel and met up with many of the regulars including Marc who had flown in from Sweden.

The venue was busy and more areas were open to stalls which helped soak up some of the crowds. I didn’t go too mad while I was there and apart from I couple of gifts I got these for myself…

Escape from Colditz – a reissue of the original with both the old rules and a slightly modified new set and the production values are excellent. This is more of a nostalgia buy.

Karuba (with show expansion) – I good quick to learn, quick to play game that I had enjoyed playing last year and now decided to add to my collection.

Oh my Goods! – bought on the recommendation of a couple of respected gamers.

Kingdomino – new out this year and has good production values. Another easy to learn and play game for the family.

Goons of New York 1901 expansion – I really enjoy New York 1901 and this cute expansion along with the fancy painted figures adds to the game in a good way.

X-Wing miniatures – this was a birthday gift from Marc & Heather, thanks guys.

Istanbul coffee expansion – bought on a number of recommendations from friends and changes the game in an interesting way.

Snowblind, Race for the Pole – This is by Robert van Zyl, one of the guys I met at the convention who frequents some of the gaming sessions at the hotel. A nice guy and a good little game.

Thunderbirds: Tracy Island Expansion – the base game is a challenging co-op game and this adds a few more characters, vehicles, and cards to give more playability.

Local Music…

One of our local pubs, Bertram Bees (B&Bs) hosted Charlie Giles recently, a local singer, who made the most of being cooped up in the corner of a packed bar and sang his heart out. 

2000th 2000AD…

It was a milestone edition for a great British comic with the 2000^th issue of the cult 2000AD and I had to buy a copy. It was still as good as I remember back when I first started reading it when it came out in the 1970’s. 

Board games, Beer and Music...

Recently I got together with a few friends as part of our semi-regular face-to-face gaming days. Here we played a few varied games including:

Pandemic: The Cure

Table Tantrums

Zombicide: Black Plague

Istanbul

In the evening I went to catch up with Sue and Debs and found them in one of the pubs in Dorking’s West Street that were having their own Westival.

They were watching the talented Cellar Door play at the Old House. After this we wander across the road to watch Daytona Rocks at the King’s Arms, and then it was back to the Old House for a bite to eat while we listened to a Blues duo performing for the wedding guests in the garden. We strolled over to The Star to listen to Radio City and ended up back at the Old House grooving to the eclectic sounds of the fabulous Still Moving DJ’s.

Come fly with me…

It has been a year of celebrations for my 50^th birthday and recently I turned in a voucher given to me by my Uncle for a glider flight at the London Gliding Club located at Dunstable. It was delay some time due to the fog and low cloud, but eventually it cleared up enough for me to go up towed behind an aeroplane to a few thousand feet and then let loose. As a passenger of the dual control gliders you get the front seat with magnificent views for miles around. I was given a few basic lessons on the controls and allowed to make a couple of turns before the pilot took over and landed back on the field about 15 minutes later. It was a great experience but perhaps not something I really need to do again.

  

After this we went to a nearby pub where the Aldbury Morris were due to arrive as part of their annual bike ride event to perform and have lunch. By now the sun was out and we enjoyed the entertainment before returning home. 

WESTfest…

Our local village fete was postponed after bad weather earlier in the year and they ended up with a lovely day for the event when it happened recently out on the Cradhurst Recreation Ground with a good number of people enjoying the atmosphere. 

Magical music…

Folk at the Farm is the label for a series of ad hoc events put on at a farm in Surrey. Sometimes it can be music in the front room, sometimes a mini festival in a field. This was a couple of bands performing in a barn.

The first act was Laurie Gregory and her band, a strong, moving performance of C&W songs, all the more remarkable when I heard she had just recently returned to singing after losing her voice due to cancer.

But however impressive she was we were not prepared for the shear brilliant musicianship of the next band. Assembly Lane is a group of young men, many of who are studying music in Newcastle and they blew us away with their skill and professionalism and a fabulous set of tunes and songs. The two main singers have a very different sound and this brings an extra dimension to their music; one is American with a deep base accented voice; the other British with much higher pitch. This allowed them to get the best out of the American and British folk songs they each sang. 

Any excuse for a party…

we chose as an excuse to gather around at our place for a party. The weather was a bit miserable to start with but brightened up a bit during the afternoon as we enjoyed a meal prepared by Sue and I (mostly Sue of course) of mostly vegetarian dishes for Suniva using produce from our vegetable garden (I did a large chunk of beef on the BBQ to satisfy the committed carnivores amongst the group). The deck in the garden had a table and chairs for us laid out, a brolly alternatively for rain and sun protection, and in the centre of the table was a large ice bucket for the wine and beer that was replaced with a fire pit in the evening once it got a bit cooler. I think every enjoyed themselves and we now have to find a friendly neighbour to accommodate those bottles that couldn’t fit into our recycling bin. 

Island in the sun…

Our summer holiday this year was to join the Whittenburry’s for part of their stay at the Interlude Sunelia holiday camp on Ile de Re just off La Rochelle in France. The site was a relatively small arrangement of cabins and free camping with a couple of amenity blocks, and indoor and outdoor pool, bar, restaurant, café and shop and places for the kids to play, a performance stage, petanque (boules) pitches all backing onto the sand dunes the other side of a wonderful large sandy beach. We had a lovely little cabin within shouting distance of the family with a couple of bedrooms (so the boys could have sleep overs), a bathroom and separate toilet and a lounge/dinner that connected to the small but functional kitchen (that even included a half size dishwasher). Outside was a deck where we ate our breakfasts and evening meals.

During the day we explored the area, either staying within walking distance of the cabins at the pool, on the beach (swimming, flying Dave’s kite, rock pooling, and playing French cricket) or walking the sand dunes, or we went out further afield in the car to explore the villages nearby.

The larger of the villages is Sainte Martin de Re, the old town of which is built within the walls of a large star shaped fort and like most villages on the island has its own port. Here is where all the tourist activity is with shops and many different eating and drinking establishments. We came here a few times, to wander around, cycle through, and eat and to watch some music and to wonder at the donkeys dressed in pyjamas.

We also visited La Flotte, Arse en Re and Le Bois Plage en Re while we were there, wandering through the old streets, exploring the wonderful food and craft markets and generally have a good time. One of the highlight visits was to Phare des Beleines where the local Jazz at le Phare was being held in the shadow of the lighthouse.

We had family friendly fun at the markets (food and craft), getting bicycles and riding out to the oyster shack and to see the salt pans and playing on the beaches.

After the family left to drive home, Sue and I went across the bridge to La Rochelle where we had the day to explore the old town with its old port, towers, cathedral and many bars and restaurants.

We enjoyed the warm weather and when we did get a bit of rain we all joined in in a few card games together. All in all it was a very pleasant and enjoyable family holiday, the like of which sue and I rarely partake in these days.

Cows on Parade…

The 2016 Cow Parade was held in Surrey as part of the international charitable event that started in Switzerland and has spread to over 80 cities and towns worldwide. In the last few months there have been 64 cows dotted throughout Surrey in many different places, such as at Gatwick airport, vineyards, National Trust properties, or just by the side of the road in towns and villages nearby. As the craze for collecting Pokémon raged I found myself on a mission to collect pictures of cows and I managed quite a few, however I did not get to see them all as the herd was assembled at the Surrey Hills Food,Drink and Music Festival

On yer bike…

The Prudential Ride London cycle event has become a new tradition for us in Westcott and each year it gets better and better. Since the Olympics they have been making slight changes, to the route and to the facilities on the green. This year we were on part of the route that saw the professional riders loop through our village several times, and on the green was a large screen, impressive facilities for the riders to stop, rest, rehydrate, and fix their bikes with medical care on hand and the local physio also performing massages for those tense muscles. The spectators were also catered for with games to play and food to eat.

Some people don’t like the village being effectively closed for the day, but for us this one day of isolation was more than rewarded by the spectacle of the race. Especially when viewed from the local pub who put on music and food to accompany their beverages. Great fun, and long may it continue.

More of wot I have read…

The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett

I have been a fan of Terry Pratchett’s gentle subversive style of writing and it is sad that this will be the final Discworld Novel. I have grown up over the years exploring this world that is a distorted reflection on our own and its myths and customs and even though the young adult level of this book may not provide deep stimulus there are still some important themes explored. Some too that I must admit moved me, though that may be my age as I find myself tearing up more and more as I get older. A good read for the fans of this world and its people.

‘Deep in the Chalk, something is stirring. The owls and foxes can sense it, and Tiffany Aching feels it in her boots. An old enemy is gathering strength.

This is a time of endings and beginnings, old friends and new, a blurring of edges and a shifting of power. Now Tiffany stands between the light and dark, the good and the bad.

As the fairy horde prepares for invasion, Tiffany must summon all the witches to stand with her. To protect the land. Her land.

There will be a reckoning…’

The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder

I was attracted to this book by its title, its cover and the Steampunk styled alternative world that it is set in. I loved the way the author twisted the nature of the world and provided an impetus for the change within the narrative. The over the top exotic twists and playfully irreverent treatment of historical heroes was exciting to behold and I thoroughly enjoyed what is billed as the start of the Burton & Swinburne Adventures.

“It is 1861, and Albertian Britain is in the grip of conflicting forces.

Engineers transform the landscape with bigger, faster, noisier and dirtier technological wonders; Eugenicists develop specialist animals to provide unpaid labour; Libertines oppose restrictive and unjust laws and flood the country with propaganda demanding a society based on beauty and creativity; while The Rakes push the boundaries of human behaviour to the limits with magic, sexuality, drugs and anarchy.

Returning from his failed expedition to find the source of the Nile, explorer, linguist, scholar and swordsman Sir Richard Francis Burton finds himself sucked into the perilous depths of this moral and ethical vacuum when the Prime Minster, Lord Palmerston, employs him as “King’s Spy”. His first mission: to investigate the sexual assaults committed by a weird apparition known as Spring Heeled Jack; to find out why chimney sweeps are being kidnapped by half-man, half-dog creatures; and to discover the whereabouts of his badly injured former friend, John Hanning Speke.”