Autumn Colours…

This time of year the trees are showing their final colourful display and we went to the RHS gardens at Wisley to see the vivid yellows, oranges and reds of the leaves. It was a party like atmosphere there in the glorious sunshine as people wandered around the site looking at the plants, the tractor display and the apple and pear stands where you could taste many of the varieties grown there. It was a lovely afternoon and our spirits were buoyed up by being out in the fresh air.

Celebration Meal…

We went out to meet the Brown’s in Sutton for a Chinese meal at Heens to celebrate Chris’s new job. He was rightly very excited about it and everyone was happy and hungry which was just as well as we had a full table of food to work our way through.

Fine Food and Fine Company…

We meet up with some of the Jackson’s who were in town after visiting Essen and before they carried on their journeys. We went to the Manor Clapham for a degustation tasting menu dinner which was very interesting. Not all of the combinations of tastes and textures worked in our opinion but overall it was a very good, with friendly service and good company.

Beer, Sausages and Board Games…

It was time again for the annual pilgrimage to the board game Mecca that is Spiel at Essen this time with added friends visiting from New Zealand along with the regulars from Europe that congregate at the friendly Handelshof Hotel in Mulheim.

The journey from Dusseldorf airport to Mulheim was a nightmare this time for several reasons; 1 – because I arrived on a later flight the ticket desk was closed and I could not navigate the ticket machine without a lot of assistance, 2- the local station had been damaged by fire so the trains were delayed, 3- the train that did arrive (and was supposed to stop at Mulheim) went an alternative route and I had to navigate back on the U-Bhan, arriving much later than anticipated. Don’t want to do that again.

We had a good time catching up with friends old and new, exploring the world of games, playing games, drinking and eating, and watching the occasional rugby match.

Some of the regulars are serious consumers of games buying them by the car load, if felt positively restrained purchasing the following:

-       Thunderbirds  - a co-op game that plays like Pandemic (lite) that can be quite hard. Dominant gamers can end up taking over if not careful;

-       New York 1901 – building skyscrapers to achieve the biggest and most prestigious addresses – a pretty game that played well;

-       Codenames– a fun party game of wordplay;

-       Celestia– another pretty game of fantastical exploration. Simple gambling – risk taking game that is family friendly;

-       Kitty Paw – a children’s game of pattern recognition and dexterity that can prove to be surprisingly difficult for adults;

-       The Game – a co-op team game with a very simple mechanic but difficult execution.

Adding to the Drink Shelf…

We recently became aware of a new local distillery that was making a rather tasty gin. The Silent Pool Distillery is just down the road next to the local attraction of the same name and they have the most wonderful brass, steampunk, still in their property that they are using to make a sublime gin. Apparently they are also in the process of making a whiskey and are contemplating ‘doing something with plums’. 

More Beer and Music…

The band Eclectix that we so enjoyed at the Star were playing at the Old House in Dorking and so we went along to listen while we enjoyed a few libations. Apparently I enjoyed a few more than I should have as I do not recall getting home that night and I made some new friends (of which I cannot remember). 

Beer and Music…

The Dorking Music Festival was held recently in town with events in squares and more importantly public houses of Dorking. Some of these establishments put on extra selection of beers to attract the customer and we spent a merry afternoon visiting several of them sample their wares and enjoying the diverse music.

Around the Computer Screen…

Due to our spread out locations and busy work and family schedules my gaming friends and I cannot often get together face-to-face to play board games and now we have found another alternative. Table Top Simulator allows us to create virtual copies of the board games that even include a certain amount of physics (dice rolling and table tipping). It takes a little while to get used to moving the counters and picking up cards with a mouse, but it is really quite a good compromise. 

Around a Table…

Occasionally I manage to get together with a few friends to play board games. And recently we ended up at James’s place where we played a few new and old favourites including:

Exploding Kittens – a mad and unpredictable party game;

Relic – a difficult and long game based in the Warhammer 40,000 universe;

Braggart – a quick and silly card game;

Forbidden island – a difficult (if played right) co-op game;

Martian Dice – a totally random gambling / push your luck game;

Farm Sounds…

Recently we went to a local music event called Front Room on the Farm. It is a small one day event that has blossomed from an intimate and select session in the farmstead’s front room (hence the name) to spread out into the field where 500 tickets were sold and the guests watched some interesting music from the comfort of their own chairs or the hay bales provided whilst partaking of picnics brought along or tasty food and local brewed/distilled beverages. It was a lovely little event. 

More wot I have read…

Slip of the Keyboard by Terry Pratchett

This was a touching book and even though I am a big fan of his writing I think anyone would appreciate his gentle and heartfelt words that give a bit of an insight to this lovely man.

‘Terry Pratchett has earned a place in the hearts of readers the world over with his bestselling Discworld series – but in recent years he has become equally well-known and respected as an outspoken campaigner for causes including Alzheimer’s research and animal rights. A Slip of the Keyboard brings together for the first time the finest examples of Pratchett’s non fiction writing, both serious and surreal: from musings on mushrooms to what it means to be a writer (and why banana daiquiris are so important); from memories of Granny Pratchett to speculation about Gandalf’s love life, and passionate defences of the causes dear to him.

With all the humour and humanity that have made his novels so enduringly popular, this collection brings Pratchett out from behind the scenes of the Discworld to speak for himself – man and boy, bibliophile and computer geek, champion of hats, orang-utans and Dignity in Dying.’

Sun, Sea, Sue and Me…

As a delayed birthday treat for Sue we had a long weekend down on the Jurassic coast, basing ourselves at Lyme Regis in Dorset. We stayed the lovely Cleveland B&B; with only three bedrooms the owners provide a high quality personal service. The rooms were spotless and well equipped, the breakfasts fresh and tasty, it has its own off street parking and the owners are very helpful and caring of your needs. So much so that the other couples staying there were repeat customers over many years.

Lyme Regis is a delightful, old fashioned yet well healed seaside town with a lovely little beach, interesting shops and a lovely harbour (the Cobb – which featured in the French Lieutenants’ Woman).

On this weekend there was an Art Festival with local artists displaying their work in the parks, galleries and shops throughout the town. We had a ramble, stopping in at the local brewery and ending up buying a piece called ‘Tea at Lyme’ by Judy Edwards.

That evening we were booked in to have a meal at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage HQ for a meal and so we took a cab out into the countryside where we were met by a tractor and trailer to take us down to the farm. We were ushered into a yurt for a drink and canapés as the evening was outlined to us and told we had the freedom to explore the farm and kitchens until the appointed time to eat. We saw some of the produce, the old farmhouse used in the TV series, the training school and the converted barn dining room. The guests were sat at two long benches and we found ourselves next to some lovely couples who we got to know better as the series of dishes were brought out to us. The food was divine and the hours soon passed in a merry haze.

The weather was superb (in fact we ended up getting a bit of a tan spending nearly all of our time outdoors), and so we took advantage of this and travelled down the coast visiting Seaton where we wandered along the beach and watched the electric trams, Branscombe where we visited the old forge, mill  and walked down to the beach, Sidmouth where we did not stop as it was a real kiss-me-quick sort of place full of happy families, and on to Exmouth where we visited the intriguing A la Ronde sixteen sided National Trust house.

That evening we had booked a table at Mark Hix’s Oyster and Seafood House which sits on the hill overlooking the Cobb and bay and is a short walk from the B&B. The food was delicious, when we eventually got it, but the service atrocious – it took us nearly an hour to get our first drink and our menus and that was only after we prompted he staff (we noticed another couple leave after similar treatment). Once we were eating though everything else was fine and we tried some interesting fish dishes.

On the Sunday we checked out and visited a nearby Landmark Trust property called Belmont House which was lovely, before heading along the coast towards home, visiting the impressive Chesil Beach, and Portland Bill headland, stopping for a fish lunch at Swanage before crossing Poole Harbour and travelling inland for home.

It was a fabulous weekend all round. 

Social / Anti-Social Weekend…

We had a mixed weekend both weather-wise and social-wise. Friday we had Deb over and Howard joined us for dinner where Sue made another amazing meal that she had never made before. We happy guinea pigs stuffed ourselves silly. Later on we all went up to B&Bs for a quick drink with Neil, Helen and Paul.

Saturday we had a visit from Terry, Stacey and their baby daughter Gracie-Mae along with Dave and Barbara. We had a roast lamb dinner with freshly dug potatoes and over vegetables from the garden, finished off with a fruit crumble and a pavlova. In the evening we went into Dorking as we had heard the landlord of the Star was leaving so we went along and enjoyed ourselves celebrating his time there. The band Eclectix were fabulous, keeping everyone entertained. It was a lively evening and a long walk home.

Sunday we went over to Paul and Lorraine’s for their summer BBQ that was a good number of friends out in the garden. Luckily the weather held off for us and we didn’t need to use the gazebos apart from the karaoke singers later on in the afternoon.

Monday we took Deb back home and dropped in to see Chris and Carole for a cup of coffee and a cake before returning home in the rain, picking up some KFC and hiding away in front of the TV for the rest of the day. 

More of wot I have read…

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

I thought I ought to read one of the books as I had heard they were quite different from the movies. And indeed they are, perhaps as a product of their time, or as a result of the personality of the author, but whatever James Bond is not a very likable character. He has some serious flaws and his attitude to others is frankly quite disturbing. The book seems to have an unusual pace to it too with long passages dedicated to the gambling and to the torture scene with other aspects glossed over. Nevertheless it was interesting to see just how different it was.

‘In the novel that introduced James Bond to the world, Ian Fleming’s agent 007 is dispatched to a French casino in Royale-les-Eaux. His mission? Bankrupt a ruthless Russian agent who’s been on a bad luck streak at the baccarat table.

One of SMERSH’s most deadly operatives, the man known only as “Le Chiffre,” has been a prime target of the British Secret Service for years. If Bond can wipe out his bankroll, Le Chiffre will likely be “retired” by his paymasters in Moscow. But what if the cards won’t cooperate? After a brutal night at the gaming tables, Bond soon finds himself dodging would-be assassins, fighting off brutal torturers, and going all-in to save the life of his beautiful female counterpart, Vesper Lynd.

Taut, tense, and effortlessly stylish, Ian Fleming’s inaugural James Bond adventure has all the hallmarks that made the series a touchstone for a generation of readers.’

For the Craic…

As we were going to the airport on Friday to drop mum off for her return journey to NZ anyway we decided to book a flight to Dublin to meet up with Jamie and see where he has moved to.  Before getting to the airport we had time to fit in one more National Trust property, Claremont Gardens, and have a relaxed lunch at Carluccio’s at Walton-on-Thames.

Jamie had a work’s do on the Friday and so we had time on Saturday morning to be tourists.  We visited Trinity College and saw the Bookof Kells exhibition and looked through the wonderful old library. It took us a while to find the Molly Malone statue as it had been relocated due to the tram work going on at its original location. A photograph later and we continued on walking through Temple Bar district with its winding streets, markets and interesting shops before we visited the magnificent Christ Church Cathedral.

Once Jamie had surfaced we met him for drinks, great sandwiches and live music at the Temple Bar pub where we caught up on each other’s goings ons.

Jamie treated us to dinner out at Ashton’s restaurant not far from where he lives and works. The food was very tasty with large portions but a mistake with the order meant Sue ate her main course after Jamie and I did.

The wet Sunday morning we stayed in Jamie’s apartment except to have brunch in the nearby café Wilde & Green before heading back to the airport to travel home.

It was nice to catch up with Jamie and we had a lovely time in Dublin.

Quality Time…

We took the day off to spend time with mum, initially we thought we would have lunch at the Shard, but this changed to visiting Great Dixter gardens, however at the last minute we found it was not open on a Monday, so we went to Nymans instead. Their summer boarders were fabulous and the house was enjoyable, Sue did get bombarded by seeds shot explosively from a plant several metres away with the sound of popcorn popping but she survived. Afterwards we went on to visit Standen house and gardens – the house being more a draw than the gardens - built in the arts and craft movement and designed by Philip Webb who worked with William Morris. We then carried on to visit the West Beach at Littlehampton and to have a lovely fish supper at the East Beach Café.

Going underground…

One of our neighbours and friend is a member of the Wealden Cave & Mine Society and he organised for a small group of us to visit the nearby Barons’ and Tunnel Road caves in Reigate for a private tour.

The first underground adventure was through the Tunnel Road East manmade caves which have had a varied use over time as stone and sand quarry, war time shelter, cold war bunker and wine and beer vaults. They have exhibitions covering all of these periods and more with an old Anderson shelter, a Roman tile kiln undergoing reconstruction, a geology room, second world war shelters, remains of Cold War bunker equipment and vast quantities of empty (we checked) bottles.

Our second spelunking was into the Barons’ cave under the old motte and bailey mound the remains of the castle. Here we saw the passage that linked the castle to the dry moat, sand excavations (with a surprise T-Rex looming in a corner – from Dr Who fame), several carvings (horse heads and faces) and ancient graffiti. These caves are so called for a local story that suggested that Barons stopped her on their way to Runnymede to sign the Magna Carta, though this is likely to be a myth.

It was a good evening explore and very interesting to add it to my local knowledge.

Sunshine & Music…

This year we tried a new music festival picked by Dave because it appeared to be small and child friendly with an interesting selection of music and good range of beers. With Deb, Dave and boys Tom and Ollie, with Paul, Lorraine and her granddaughters Jodie and Daisy and with Sue’s sister Deb and friend Shelly we assembled at a roadside café early on Thursday morning and travelled in convoy to the Wickham Festival. There was rain as we travelled but it cleared as we put up the tents and it was wall to wall sunshine until we took them down again on Monday morning after which it rained on our way back home.

Smaller than what we have been used to before it was easy to get around and still had enough to keep us occupied. There was a variety of music to suit most tastes and we had a few surprises during the weekend.

The food was good, the beer and cider even better and the sun beat down and warmed our backs and our souls.

We only saw a fraction of the available acts that were on at the three stages. These are some of them:

Banjo Vie – these French based hillbilly rockers were a great introduction to the festival, and one that we were late back for supper as a result. Hard rocking, energetic and full of humour.

De Temps Antan – A trio of traditional Quebec musicians that were extremely talented and energetic (bought their album)

Andy Fairweather-Low – former front man for Amen Corner played a steady if not exciting set.

Wilko Johnson – saw only a couple of songs from this former Dr Feelgood guitarist before excusing ourselves (not our thing).

Megson – A lovely set from this husband and wife duo that we first saw perform many years ago at our local folk club. They have since gone on to bigger and better things, deservedly so (bought their album).

Charlie Cunningham – a very talented guitarist who has picked up some of his skills from spending time in Spain.

Huw Williams & Maartin Allcock – they provided good background music during a lovely sunny day with a beer in hand.

Roy Bailey – a national treasure with entertaining chat and touching songs.

The South – they delivered a tight quality sound not far from a studio performance from this iconic pop band.

Show of Hands – an impressive set from this heavyweight group of talented musicians who have been entertaining crowds for many years.

Billy Bragg – he is as sharp and edgy as ever and still heavy on the political message.

Miranda Sykes & Rex Preston – they were a quality act that impressed with their energy.

The Askew Sisters – a sweet and harmonious sound, perfect for s sunny morning.

The Spooky Men’s Chorale – a firm favourite of ours they entertained us with their peculiar humour.

Eliza Carthy Wayward Band – born from folk royalty Eliza has managed to carve her own furrow with her punchy variations on traditional themes.

Seth Lakeman – a supreme fiddle player we first saw many years ago as a solo artist now has a dynamic band that manage to keep up with his frenetic style.

The Proclaimers – it was a solid performance from the boys even though we would have liked a little more personal interaction.

Les Barker – a lovely humorous poet that has been around for what seems like forever highlighting the absurdities of our language and human frailties. He seemed to be enjoying himself even more than the audience.

Tankus the Henge – hold tight this band is full of a dark energy that powers them along and drags you with them (bought their album).

Moulettes – I have seen this band perform before and they are an offbeat and an acquired taste.

Luka Bloom – a contemporary folk singer songwriter with heart and passion.

The Dhol Foundation – named and fronted by an array of drums this band has a foot stomping energetic dance attitude that mixes and blends cultural influences from Ireland to India from traditional to contemporary in a seamless way.

Tom Robinson & Band – he is another passionate and driven performer with a message who has been around the block once or twice, a little rock history lesson.

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel – like a few of the other more ‘mainstream’ acts they have been around for a while, but they appeared to be very grateful to still be playing and entertaining crowds.

10cc – I wasn’t sure what to expect with this band as I was a big fan of their songs way back when, but they were very professional and tight as an act and the newer members of the group fitted in perfectly and reproduced the band’s sound to the note. The highlight was their acapella rendition of Donna. 

The Garden’s bounty...

Strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, black currents have all been good croppers and we have had plenty of fruit off them, we just await the small amount of blue berries we have on the small bush to completely ripen. Also the wild black berries are starting to ripen in the hedgerow.

The peas and beans are cropping well too and we can see we will struggle to keep up with them (some are destined for jars of chow-chow if we cannot give them away). The courgettes are ramping up production and we have had our first potatoes and greens. The salad crops are doing well but we are not seeing much come from our carrots or beetroot.

We have planted some dahlias and have been getting a good show of blooms for cut flowers.

The apple tree is heavy with fruit and I had to cut a limb of that was resting on the fruit cage as it threatened to do some damage. We got a couple of bags of fruit off this single branch and so Sue was busy cooking up chutneys, apple and cider cakes and an apple pie from those she could not give away to neighbours, along with a few courgette based chutneys and a couple of jars of pickled gherkins. 

More of wot I have read…

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

This is an interesting and good first book by this author though I was a little dissatisfied by the title character being quite so elusive without explanation or understanding of her motivation.

‘There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed…

On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives at a grand house in Amsterdam to begin her new life as the wife of wealthy merchant Johannes Brandt. Though curiously distant, he presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. It is to be furnished by an elusive miniaturist, whose tiny creations ring eerily true.

As Nella uncovers the secrets of her new household she realizes the escalating dangers they face. The miniaturist seems to hold their fate in her hands – but does she plan to save or destroy them?’