New Game Smell…

I recently received another new Kickstarter game through the post, this time it was Family Plot by White Cherry Games which is a little like (un)happy families, where you collect your perfectly disturbing family whilst trying to prevent others from doing so. I have not yet got it to the table, but it looks like a bit of a laugh.

Cowpie Country Show...

Paul & Lorraine, Deb, Dave and the boys and Lynda & Mark joined Sue, Deb and I as we visited the Cowpie Country Show. There were a couple large fields surrounded by rural trades, food and drink stalls, craft tents, food halls, livestock on display and many forms of entertainment including a falconer on horseback and a car and bike stunt team. The weather was good and the company enjoyable and it was a very pleasant day

Eye, eye…

I had an operation on my right eyelid to remove a persistent cyst (chalazion) that had started as a stye in December and never went away. I am not a fan of hospitals at all, but at least our country hospital in Dorking has a nicer atmosphere. The whole procedure was quick and (relatively) painless (the most painful part being the anaesthetic injection), but I don’t think I breathed throughout it as I tried not to look at the knife stabbing at my eye. I had an impressive bruise afterwards and a patch for a few hours and garnered a great deal of sympathy from Sue who spoilt her ‘brave little soldier’ for the next few days. 

Fine Dining…

Went out for an evening meal with Jamie and Gia to the Emlyn restaurant at Box Hill after we had seen good reviews and had won awards in the Surrey Magazine. Initially we had hoped to have their taster menu but they had taken that off the menu. They food was good, tasty and well presented, however the experience was let down by poor services (lack of attention, ill-informed, and slow) and the restaurant lacked atmosphere with a couple of larger parties loudly enjoying themselves with a little lack of care for others. It kind of took the shine of the evening.

More of wot I have heard…

I have bought some more new music for my birthday and this batch included the following albums:

Sea Sew by Lisa Hannigan. This is the Irish singer, songwriter and musician’s debut album which was Mercury nominated and it is a pleasant indie folk collection of songs.

Life in the Dark by Felice Brothers. The latest album from this American folk rock / country rock band is a lively foot tapping affair. I particularly like the first track Aerosol Ball.

Home Again by Michael Kiwanuka. A British soul musician who won the BBC’s Sound of 2012 with this album. He has a great voice compared to many soul heroes.

Sea of Brass by British Sea Power. This indie rock band is from Brighton and they have been compared to The Cure, Joy Division, Pixies and Arcade Fire. This album takes the band’s songs and reworks them alongside bass bands, the result is interesting and sometimes challenging, but I think ultimately rewarding.

Sing to the Moon by Laura Mvula. This is the debut album from this English recording artist that was nominated for the 2013 Mercury Prize. She is a soul/R&B singer with a strong, well-controlled voice that can be haunting and powerful in turn.

Uptown Special by Mark Ronson. This is the fourth studio album from this English record producer that has been described as ‘pop-friendly, and undeniably sexy collection of funk and R&B’ which is pretty accurate to my ear.

KC Rules OK by King Creosote. This is a studio album from this Scottish singer-songwriter from back in 2005 that uses songs written over an extended period and has a distinctive sound based in the traditional folk genre.

Our New Life Above the Ground by Avalanche City. Based in New Zealand this folk musician has a delightful gentle sound that is easy on the ears.

Saint John Divine by SJD. Another New Zealand musician recommended to me by friends has released this quirky collection of electronic rock songs that I think have a noticable NZ sound to them. 

Brunch in Town…

We took Deb and Barbara to a lovely small gathering with Jamie and Gia first for brunch at Temple & Sons (a Jason Atherton establishment) in the city and afterwards at a nearby pub. It was great to catch up with them and for Gia to meet more of the family.

Games Day…

We hosted a now regular gathering with friends where we play table top games old and new. It was only with Martin and James this time but we did enjoy what we played, finding some more difficult than others.

Folk on the Farm…

A repeat event from where we first saw this Northumbrian band Assembly Lane play a collection of their songs/tunes. They are a very talented group of young artists and we are eager for them to produce their first album.

Wok-Off…

After some garden clearance, rubbish burning able assisted by ‘garden slave’ Deb, and planting of raspberry canes, we staged our first Wok-Off completion with our neighbour Howard. We prepared and cooked dim-sum starters and Howard provided various main dishes. The food was fabulous and everyone was happy to declare it a successful draw. 

More of wot I have seen…

We saw Logan at the Everyman in Reigate, a cinema that has the attraction of having a bar and fresh cooked food. Luckily we took the train as we had a few drinkies. We enjoyed the film but I think much of the attraction for Sue was to see Hugh Jackman with his clothes off.

Out in the Country…

Recently we visited friends Andy and Jodie who live near Ludlow in Shropshire and we caught up with them tacking time out to visit the delightful market town of Shrewsbury where we had lunch in the fabulous Henry Tudor House with ‘period’ pictures of past musicians and comedians. We enjoyed a few new card games, lovely home cooked food and a drink or two and were sad when the weekend was over and we had to return home.  

More of wot I have seen…

I have been out to the movies a couple of times this year. We went with Bed and Barbara to see Lion and we were very impressed with the acting in this somewhat sentimental working of a true story. Next I saw the Lego Batman film with Chris while the girls were at a baby shower and we enjoyed the silliness of it and loved the references put in for the grownups.

More of wot I have heard…

I have bought some new music for my birthday and the first batch included the following:

Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away. An Australian act recommended by friends in NZ.

Lawrence Arabia – Absolute Truth. A kiwi act also recommended by friends. Reminded me of the old Flying Nun sound of old.

Bread – Best of Bread. This was a retro choice and I knew pretty much all of the tracks on the album.

Izzy Bizu – Talking to You. A digital download of the single as it is such a catchy track.

Rag’n’Bone Man – Human. A digital download as a result of seeing him perform on Hootenanny and hearing this track on the radio. Very soulful.

Ed Sheeran – Castle on the Hill. Another digital download and this single has a very nostalgic feel to it that is very appealing.

Rumer – This Girl’s in Love – A Bacharach and David Songbook. We just love the sound of her voice.

Van Morrison – Duets: Re-working the Catalogue. Bought for a cousin but an interesting paring with different artists.

Gin Festival…

As part of a gift to blonde Deb and Dave and to Chris and Carole, we bought tickets to the London Gin Festival. Sue and I travelled up earlier to have a wonder around Wapping on a lovely winter day and we met Chris and Carole for lunch at a pub on the river.

The festival was held in a large covered market and included a glass, guide book and few other giveaways with the drinks being provided in exchange for tokens purchased separately. There was a tasting area, talks, a cocktail bar and food hall, but the main event was in a large hall with the bars spread around the circumference. Live music was also provided and as the drink was consumed there developed a real party atmosphere. 

Cardiff Conference…

I spent a few days in Cardiff for a company sales conference and was pleasantly surprised with the lovely weather in this part of Wales. The hotel was located in the castle district opposite the rather impressive ramparts and near a few interesting old malls.

The highlight of the trips was meeting the New Zealand Silver Fern Netball team who were staying in the same hotel while they were over to play a couple of friendlies against the Wales national team. I managed to get a photo with them and I wasn’t the tallest there.

For the big evening out our company group went to the nearby Zero Degrees brewery where we enjoyed a few of the brews made on site.

Out and About in London…

This weekend started on the Thursday night with a folk-opera show called The Transports at the Cecil Sharp House. We saw this with Terry and Gill and were very inspired and moved with the story based on the true events surrounding the transportation of convicts to Australia.

Next morning we started with cocktails at the new Design Museum at Holland Park. It is a fabulous building of great architectural merit and the displays were very interesting and thought provoking. Afterwards we walked through the park and spent a little time at the Japanese gardens which were very peaceful.

We travelled to Soho to meet up with Jamie for lunch and a drink and spent an enjoyable few hours in his company.

That evening we saw the strangest puppet show every at Wilton’s Music Hall. It was called The Depraved Appetite ofTarrare the Freak, and freaky it was too. I loved it! After that we ended up at the Blues Kitchen where we were some of the oldest people there. It was a good evening.

Breakfast the next morning was back in Soho and refuelled we walked through Chinatown (picking up a couple of steamed buns on the way) and headed back home.

That evening was a more relaxed affair as we collapsed in front of the television and eat fish and chips from the local van. 

The Big 30…

The youngest of the nephews, Terry, had his 30^th birthday, with a family dinner at Deb’s. 

Rippered Off…

After a bit of email ping pong we arranged to visit London this time to join a Jack the Ripper Tour gifted to us for Christmas. We arrived earlier so that we could explore Old Spitalfields Market and have a snack, and a few drinks in Brick Lane, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately the guide never turned up and left a group of us wondering what had happened. The money was refunded later. 

The End and Beginning…

The transition from the old year into the new start for us with a visit to London to see a matinée performance of the pantomime Mother Goose at the delightful Victorian shabby chic Wilton’s Music Hall. It was a joyful experience headed up by Roy Hood as Mother Goose.

Later we met up with Jamie and Gia for a few drinks and a chinwag before we headed home for an evening watching the Hootenanny.

On New Year’s Day walk we joined the local history group for a stroll that ended up at to the oldest house in the village where there were mince pies and mulled wine.

Later we played a few new board games and chilled out at home.

Winter Walk…

Was also at ours this year and we were blessed with a lovely winter’s day that allowed us out into the fields around Westcott before returning to celebrate the season with work friends old and new.