Our eldest Godson is now a teenager and
we gathered with his family at his home to celebrate with a fine meal and much
entertaining conversation.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Game Day II…
The return of Game Day, back at Derek’s
this time with James in attendance, but still with fine food provided by Donna
and Sue. The games we played included these fine examples:
Bits and Pieces…
We visited Sue’s mum where nephew Nick
was visiting with his girlfriend Siobhan. We had lunch with them and Deb and
Dave.
Prompted by a special offer in our local
supermarket Sue cooked Lobster Thermador for the first time. Splitting the
lobster in half was a strange experience but it was a tasty treat.
For no reason other than nephew Terry
had seen a picture of them in a paper, he asked Sue to make Chocolate ‘Scotch’
eggs. These are Cadbury crème eggs surrounded in a cake mixture, covered in
chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candied eggs. Each of them a heart attack
waiting to happen and instant diabetes for anyone who eats more than one.
Our semi-regular Furlong Road Curry Evening
where with the lads from the street (and friends – Deb joined us this time)
visit the local curry house now called Indigo Spice. Afterwards we ended up having
some lethal looking martinis at Howard’s.
We managed to get out and start clearing
up the garden for spring. Deb helped us out and we managed to finish the
pruning of the apple tree, weeding and removing old plants, and burning waste
wood, leaves (and an old broken bench) on a bonfire. We rewarded ourselves with
homemade dim sum (dumplings, wontons, satay chicken and all manner of
deliciousness). We also had our lunch out on the deck in the spring sunshine.
Mother’s day was spent helping out in
Sue’s mum’s garden clearing the flower beds, pruning unruly bushes and taking
the rubbish to the dump. Later we had a heart meal to celebrate. Sue received a
lovely bunch of flowers and box of chocolates from Jamie (who also sent flowers
to Mum).
More of wot we have seen…
We have become members at our favourite
local cinema – Everyman in Reigate, and we visited a couple of times to see two
disparate films.
Dad’s Army – a sweet, gentle film that
is very respectful of its heritage with lovely references for the fans of the
TV series.
Hateful 8 – a typically Tarantino film
with some fine dialog, interesting filmic references and outrageous gore.
Continuing Birthday Treats…
Sue took me to Shere and to Kinghams restaurant
for beautiful meal as a birthday treat.
Terry and Gill visited and brought a
1966 bottle of wine. Sue cooked a fabulous meal for us (individual scallops
with black pudding and pea puree, fillet wellingtons, apple brandy pudding) and
we had a convivial afternoon.
Return to the Granite City…
The week following Up Helly Aa I was back in
Aberdeen, this time with work, staying at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Aberdeen City Centre. We did get out one evening and went for a meal at Rustico a pleasant Italian restaurant with friendly staff.
Up Helly Aa…
My big 50th birthday
excursion to the far northern reaches of the British Isles took place in late
January.
To start with Sue and I travelled with
Deb by plane from Gatwick to Glasgow, where we met Chris and Carole at our
hotel, the Holiday Inn Theatreland conveniently located near the bus
and train stations. We had a couple of drinks in the bar before venturing our
heading towards the Merchant area of town (on the recommendation of the
concierge) where we ate at The Corinthian, a rather ornate ballroom of a place.
On the advice of our friendly waiter we
took cabs to The Howlin Wolf blues bar which was a crowded place, full of noise
and fun. Here Bill and Linda met us after flying up separately. We enjoyed the
music of an accomplished duo before turning in for the evening.
Next morning we started out early and
went over to the House for an Art Lover in Bellahouston Park. It is a
relatively new building built to an old design by the celebrated designer
Rennie Mackintosh and it is a fabulous building set in nice grounds surrounded
by sculptures.
After this we returned to the city
centre and went to the Willow Tea Rooms (another Mackintosh building) for lunch
where we meet Jodie and Andy. Our party was starting to swing now with the
application of some alcohol and more company.
Some of us ventured of to the Hunterian Art Gallery at the Glasgow University for a spot more culture before meeting up
together at Ashton Lane where we had a few more drinks in the Wee Pub at theUbiquitous Chip where Jamie met us.
We then went to eat at The Grosvenor Café next to cinema of the same name. A large exciting place with an
interesting vaulted ceiling.
Back at the hotel we had some more drinks
and Jamie and I did a Glenfiddich whisky tasting.
The following morning we made plans to
move on to the next stage of our tour. Jamie and Deb went with Andy and Jodie
in their car while Sue and I went to the Queen St Station to catch a train.
Chris and Carole and Bill and Linda returned home.
Those of us that were continuing on met
up again in Aberdeen at the Jurys Inn Bar where we also met Paul and Lorraine.
Together we took the ferry to Lerwick. We played a few games including Cards Against Humanity for a few hours until we turned in to our boys and girls
rooms. Sometime during the night Jodie ‘fell’ off the top bunk (or sleep
walked) in the girls cabin and injured herself and Lorraine and Deb in the
bunks below. After 14hrs we arrived in the morning at Lerwick.
We were met by our hostess, Shelley, and
were taken to our accommodation in West Baila Street. A nice large and
well-appointed house up on the hill overlooking the town.
We picked up some supplies and explored the
area in smaller groups. Jamie, Paul and I visited the fabulous ancient Clickimin Broch nearby, a mystical and baffling place.
Later on we all went into town and had a
drink in the bar at The Lounge bar where we sampled a few of the many local
brews.
On Burns Night we had with haggis
(including a vegetarian alternative), tatties and neaps and attempted in an
embarrassing way to address the haggis by reciting the largely unpronounceable
poem.
Andy took Sue, Deb and I out on a field
trip to visit Scalloway (castle) and then Meal and Bannamin beaches. On the way
we saw some old bothies and plenty of dramatic scenery.
Much of our downtime was spent playing
the various games I brought and drinking heartily.
On the morning of Up Helly Aa it was
raining heavily and we were concerned about the conditions. But it cleared up
as we made our way into town. There we saw the youth squads burning their galley
and up on the hill we passed the main galley waiting with some of its entourage
for the start of the parade.
In town we found a place for a quick drink
before staking our place out along Hillhead where the squads had assembled
(some 900 odd folk – some odder than others, dressed in all manner of fancy
dress). The main squad matched up in their fabulous handmade armour waving
torches to gather around the galley.
At the nominated time a signal flare was
launched and the street lights dimmed as the squads lit their torches from
burning flares and smoke and cheering filled the air. A brass band struck up
and the galley and its attendant squad matched down, the head Geyser at the
helm. The other squads fell in behind and they paraded along the streets
towards the park. We moved on to try and secure a good vantage point
overlooking the park in amongst the crowds of excited onlookers. From Saint
Olaf Street we watched the boat as it was surrounded by the many torches as the
climax was reached and the burning brands were hurled into the ship to set it
alight. The sky had cleared and as the ship crumbled the fireworks started in a
spectacular display. Afterwards we found Captain Flints in town and continued
the party.
Jamie returned to Aberdeen on the ferry
the next evening for his onward journey to London to meet up with friends where
he was to be best man at a wedding.
On our last day we walked around Knab Point
and saw a double rainbow but we were apprehensive as we had heard there was a
storm (Gertrude) coming. At the ferry terminal the staff advised we might have
bumpy crossing and they were not wrong, I retired early unwell as did Jodie and
I arose early in the morning to find Sue and Debs asleep in the bar where they
had been all night. The captain advised we would be late into the harbour due
to the weather which did not go down well with Sue. Eventually though he saw
and opportunity and docked after we disembarked we gathered our strength in a
coffee shop before Jodie and Andy drove for home. We found out that our ship
was the last out for a while and the storm did batter the Shetlands quite
badly. It was fortunate we did not have the same experience on the way out or
Sue would have insisted I buy us flights out.
In the Union Square shopping centre the
rest of us went to the cinema to see The Revenant and afterwards we ate at
Wagamamas. Had did have a walk about Aberdeen and visited the maritime museum &Provost House and saw a few old buildings.
In the end we took the train to the
airport and flew home glad to finally return to the comfort of our own beds.
More of wot I have heard…
It has been a while since we had any new
music and we have come into the possession of a few old and new items such as:
Jamie Lawson self-titled album. This has
the haunting track called Wasn’t Expecting That, the lyrics of which bring a
tear to my eye.
Come up Full by Meg Hutchinson. This was
a gift from Sue’s cousin Matt, the artist who sings about her experiences as a
person dealing with schizophrenia.
Another Country by Rod Stewart. One of
Sue’s favourite artists and I must say his choice of songs on this album suits
his voice very well.
Decade by Neil Young. Classic songs from
a classic artist, another gift from Matt.
You’re the One That I Want by Lo-Fang.
This is the single from the Chanel perfume TV ad and it is a very different and
ethereal version that I like very much.
Games Day…
I had a fund day around at Derek’s with
Martin and Kevin playing several board games both old and new. Among those we
played were:
- Sherriff of Nottingham
- Celestia
- Thunderbirds
- Formula D
- Isle of Skye
- Zombicide: Black Plague
- Tsuro of the Seas
- Port Royal
- Karuba
More of wot I have read…
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Occasionally I pick a book that is
supposed to be a worthy and important addition to the literary world and as I
had done a road journey across America I chose this one to read. Perhaps it was
the 50 odd years since it was written or that it was aimed at audience with a
different sensibility, but whatever it was I did not engage with the characters
or narrative at all. As to be expected it was dated with anachronistic
references and language, but worse for me was the jarring attitudes of the
characters who did not come off well for their wilful, selfish, and hedonistic
ways. It seemed a self-indulgent and quite naive story but I guess it would
have been more revolutionary and revealing when shone against a background of
post war America.
‘Fans
of Kerouac get the whole beautiful, groovy deal with this new recording of the
radically hip novel that many consider the heart of the Beat movement. Poetic,
open and raw, Kerouac's prose lays out a cross-country adventure as experienced
by Sal Paradise, an autobiographical character. A writer holed up in a room at
his aunt's house, Paradise gets inspired by Dean Moriarty (a character based on
Kerouac's friend Neal Cassady) to hit the road and see America. From the moment
he gets on the seven train out of New York City, he takes the reader through
the highs and lows of hitchhiking, bonding with fellow explorers and opting for
beer before food. First published in 1957, Kerouac's perennially hot story
continues to express the restless energy and desire for freedom that makes
people rush out to see the world. The tale is only improved by Dillon's
well-paced, articulate reading as he voices the flow of images and graveled
reality of Paradise's search for the edge’.
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
I had read this short book some time ago
and wanted to revisit it again. It is interestingly written as correspondence
between several people forced to use an ever-shrinking alphabet. Its main
themes are about freedom of speech and the dangers of political tyranny, but it
is an amusing and diverting story that is both short and sweet.
‘As
Ella Minnow Pea writes to her cousin with the latest news on the small, quiet
island of Nollop, little does she imagine the crisis ahead. The letter z has
fallen from the statue of Nevin Nollop, revered author of the sentence ‘The
quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’ – and the island’s rulers interpret
this as a sign of devine displeasure and ban its use in any form. In a novel
composed of correspondence, the loss of z is inconvenient; but far worse is to
come as more letters fall and more are banned, until only l, m, n, o, p
remain…’
Monday, January 11, 2016
Marking the occasion…
We celebrated Saly’s birthday at Hedsor Social Club with the local band The Stormflies performing, getting almost every
one of the large assembled gathering up and boogieing on the dancefloor. We stayed
at the lovely, impeccably presented, comfortable and peaceful Old Cottage B&B across the road next door to the delightful Garibaldi pub.
Winter Wonderland…
This year we decided to celebrate New
Year’s in style with a short four day trip out to the IceHotel in Sweden.
It didn’t start out to well as we had trouble
finding the car parking at the airport which stressed Sue in particular.
Trouble with the lift then compounded the issue. We did manage to relax a bit
before we boarded our plane but then we were informed it was being grounded due
to a problem with one of the tyres. Luckily as this was our first organised
tour (with Discover The World) we had a travel rep on-board and she assured us she would inform the
people in Sweden of our predicament and make sure everything was done to make
sure our transfers and excursions were unaffected. Eventually after a couple of
hours delay we were on another plane heading for the remote Swedish town of
Kiruna.
When we arrived we hurriedly transferred
to our shuttles to our various locations. We had to rush through our hotel
check-in as we were due on an excursion and consequently we were quite
flustered when we arrived at the meeting point in our newly acquired snow
suits. We then we able to settle down as the group assembled at the snowmobile
area where we took the last machine in the line and mounted up. We headed out
first onto the frozen river to get used to our stubborn beasts, wrestling with
the steering as it tried to follow the ruts in the snow. The couple in front of
us were nervous drivers and so we would tend to lag behind causing the group to
occasionally stop for us to catch up. Leaving the river we headed up through
wooded areas, across lakes and into the hills, stopping once and a while to see
if we could see stars or northern lights, but alas the cloud cover was low and
complete and we saw neither. As we wound through the drooping snow covered
pines we went off trail when we lost sight of the leading pack, luckily the side
route soon re-joined the main track causing only a minor panic. We stopped at
the wilderness camp which was a series of octagonal buildings with a central
fire around which we all sat on benches as our guide warmed up a lovely meal
(leak and potato soup, reindeer stew, panna cotta and lingonberry desert, all
washed down with warm lingonberry juice – alternatively humorously called
‘dingle berry’ by one of the Americans). We enjoyed the company of our fellow
riders especially the gregarious half of the gay American couple seated next to
us (a couple of the women in their group being the slow drivers). Our return
journey was shorter and quicker and soon we were back at the IceHotel. It was
now late and we decided to turn in and organise our hastily unpack belongings.
We were staying the first three nights
in a Kaamos Room (named after the Kaamos light – the twilight illumination that
occurs at this time of the year as the sun stays below the horizon). It was a
comfortable large room with its own bathroom in a block. Several blocks were arranged
around the site as were chalets and a larger octagonal accommodation. There
several other buildings on site – several service buildings, a main reception
with a lovely lounge in it, a shop, and a cold reception adjacent to the
IceHotel itself. There were also a couple of warehouses for the storage of the
ice (it is harvested in spring when the ice is at its thickest and stored over
summer until it is used when they start construction in December). Over the
road from the main reception is a large restaurant that was part of the
facilities, and down in the small town was a local shop, a lovely church and
the Homestead restaurant (part of a complex of older buildings that formed a
historic museum).
After breakfast we explored the site a
bit more finding the domed IceBar (unfortunately or fortunately not serving
drinks in the morning). This structure was interesting as it differed from
earlier years when it was part of the main IceHotel complex as it was now
separate – built by inflating a large dome and spraying it with water until it
froze solid, thick enough to support its own weight yet still allowing some
light to penetrate such that you could see figures moving around inside at
night. It had been a warm winter locally so the second ‘breast’ next door was
not complete.
During the middle of the day we had
arranged a Husky Sledding experience and we met our teams out on the river.
Each sled took four people sitting with the guide standing at the controls
behind is and about a dozen small dogs ranged out in front barking like mad to
be on their way. This was a lovely journey (if slightly smelly – a result of a
meaty diet) across river and through woodland to another group of huts where we
were served homemade spiced apple cake and more lingonberry juice.
Being New Year’s Eve that night we had a
meal arranged at the restaurant and we preloaded a little with some of the
alcohol we brought from the UK with us. We also returned to the IceBar and had
another fortifying drink where we met a group a Swedes who were very friendly.
Our last drink there was called the Tribute, but was locally called ‘wolf’s
paw’ as it could knock you down being that it was mostly vodka (locally it
would be moonshine) and the ubiquitous lingonberry juice. The meal was lovely
and we chose to have the matching drinks (very generous they were too). As the
hour approached we met at the main reception where the King and Queen of 2015
and their courtiers (one playing a white tuba) and a drummer (playing his kit
supported by a fork lift) gathered to process down towards the river. They
stopped briefly at the IceBar to gather more supporters and then as the crowd
gathered in a snowy mosh pit one of the courtiers donned a helmet and
head-butted down a portion of the ice wall to allow the 2015 royals to enter
and address the crowd (humorous speeches and mad opera singing) until time drew
close and as the new King and Queen of 2016 arrived (two children in the bucket
of a digger) and we inaugurated the old King and Queen smashed the ice 2015
sculpture with sledgehammers as the 2016 sculpture rose above the ice wall and
the countdown to the New Year began. It was all quite funny – especially as we
had nearly finished the hip flask of brandy we had brought. Fireworks went off,
music started and pools of coloured flames were lit in large ice blocks as the
party began.
Luckily we had no plans for the next day
as I needed to return to bed after breakfast the worse for drink, and did not
reappear until much later on. We did explore the town, walking down the snow
covered road past the local houses still festive with their Christmas decorations,
to look at the quaint church and walk back along the river (looking at the icy
plunge pool cut into the river for those who wanted to cool down after their
sauna). We had our tour of the IceHotel this day seeing the fabulous art rooms
with individual sculptures within. We also had our briefing about how to cope
with sleeping in the rooms. That night we had another fabulous meal at the
restaurant and as we had an early start the next day we did not linger too
late.
The next morning was our Raidu excursion
to the Sami camp where we would get up close and personal with the reindeer. We
were shuttled out on sleds pulled by a snow mobile where we fed the reindeer
calves by hand with lichen. Then we went to the enclosure where the gelded
reindeer used to pull sleds were kept. After a couple were selected we moved to
a fenced in track where they were each hooked up to a small sled. We were then
invited to volunteer to drive one of the sleds. An American woman and I stepped
forward, her sled started first in a steady manner and I was quite happy until
mine lurched off in a mad gallop to catch the first where upon they both
thundered around the track neck and neck with us ‘drivers’ hanging on for dear
life. Later one couple had a minor crash but were unhurt, though it was enough
to put Sue off trying it herself. After this we went with our Sami guide to a
traditional lavvu (large tepee style structure with and open fire in the middle
and seating on skins on the ground), there he talked to us about his culture
and the reindeer while cooking us a traditional smoked reindeer dish called
suovas. After this we were transported on the snowmobile sled to an open air
museum where we could learn more about their culture.
As this was our night in the IceHotel
cold room we had to check out of our other accommodation effectively making us
homeless for the day. We relaxed and had a snack in the lounge watched over by
stuffed animals (a lynx with an artic hare in its mouth) an impressive set of
antlers with the name ‘Rudolph’ printed underneath. This evening we had an
evening meal at the Homestead and we wandered down early for a drink first. The
food here was more basic but it was a lovely cosy environment in the old wood
panelled rooms. We strolled back and warmed up in the cold reception area (not
cold in temperature just associated with the cold accommodation), leaving it
until quite late before collecting our thermal sleeping bags and moving into
our ‘Northern Lights Room’ (so called for the waving multi-coloured illumination
shone on the ceiling). I apparently was out like a like and snoring terribly
such that Sue did not get anywhere as much sleep. However she was dead to the
world when the girl arrived in the morning with our now slightly boring hot
lingonberry juice to wake us up.
We made use of the facilities, ate a
good breakfast and lingered in the lounge until our coach arrived to take us
back to the little airport and to catch our plane homeward.
The only think we missed out on was the
Northern Lights and had we known before we might have reorganised our stay to
include a night at the Abisko National Park and the Aurora Sky Station where
some of our travellers had seen fabulous displays.
Ashton’s Christmas Travelling Circus…
The beginning of our Christmas
Travelling Circus started with Christmas Eve at the Brown’s where we had a bite
to eat and several drinks in celebration of the season. Sophie and Lucy went
off to go clubbing but Paige stayed with us to play a few games. It was a jolly
affair and we returned to stay at Deb’s.
On Christmas day Sue and Deb prepared
the traditional roast for the Christmas dinner and we opened presents with
Jamie, Dave, and Mum in the bosom of the family unit.
That evening Sue and I went with Sue’s
sister Deb and Jamie to visit the Whittenbury’s where we celebrated ‘blonde’
Deb’s birthday. We exchanged a few Christmas and then birthday presents and
marked the occasions with Deb, Dave her family, Paul and Lorraine. More good
food and party drinks were consumed and much fun was had by all.
We decamped from Deb’s on Boxing Day and
travelled to Tring for an evening at Uncle Terry’s with Gill, Tony and Jan, and
Deb, and Jamie. More presents were exchanged, festive food consumed and liquid
libations taken and a happy and enjoyable evening.
Post Boxing Day we returned back to
Deb’s in Sutton for another family meal this time with Terry, Stacey and the
kids before Jamie, Sue and I returned to our home in the evening suitable
gorged.
The next day we took Jamie to the
airport for him to return to Dublin and we pottered around do a few last minute
jobs before our New Year’s trip away.
Out on the town…
There are several birthdays around the
Christmas period and we tried this year to celebrate them individually so that
they were distinctively separate for the festive occasion. For Sue’s sister we
took her into London and along with Chris and Carole we booked a table upstairs
in the bar at the well-known jazz club, Ronnie Scott’s. On our way from the
train station to the club we passed through Leicester Square that was the venue
for a lively group of amusements that included a wheel and merry-go-round. Then
up through Chinatown decorated with huge illuminated lanterns to the Soho area.
We started with a cocktail at our booth and then went on to wine, fortified by
some tasty bar snacks. The music was a selection of artists of all manner of
styles (not particularly jazz by any means), culminating in a lively band
before we finished for the evening. Even though some of the details of the
later part of the night seem to have escaped my memory, I am confident we all
had a great time.
Friends visit…
As part of their festive break Marc and
Heather and young Elise stayed with us for a few days before Christmas as they
travelled from Sweden to the UK to see family and friends, and we had a good
time catching up with them. We made an excursion out to the wonderful Horniman museum where we also met James and Nikala and their children Noah and Ellie.
The kids enjoyed running around the park, seeing the animals at the Animal Walk,
exploring the main rooms of the museum and playing with the musical instruments
in the interactive area of their impressive musical collection. Apart from the
grey and damp conditions everyone had a fine time together and the kids tired
themselves out (we have photographic evidence that Noah fell asleep on the
stairs before he managed to take his coat or shoes off).
Starting to feel like Christmas…
Held again at the home of neighbours Alistair
and Bruni in their wonderful open plan dining/sitting room (designed by
Alistair). Many friends were back again along with a few new faces everyone
providing a dish towards the meal. The familiar carol song sheets were passed
around and enthusiastically utilised. It was the perfect start to the festive
season and really put us in the mood.
A sad occasion…
We recently went along to Sue’s Uncle
John’s funeral at the Randall’s Park Crematorium in Leatherhead and to the reception
afterwards at Woodland’s Park Hotel. It was a moving experience held with
dignity and respect for the popular and charismatic man who will be sorely
missed by his family and friends.
Monday, November 30, 2015
More of wot I have seen…
We saw The Winter’s Tale live broadcast from
the Garrick theatre at the Sutton Cinema with Barbara and Deb. The show had Judi
Dench and Kenneth Branagh starring.
I had heard Kenneth Branagh interviewed a
day or two before on the radio and was intrigued by the concept of seeing a
live performance without having to go into London. It has been done for a while
now for both theatre and ballet and you often find some very talented actors
playing in major productions for a fraction of the price of being in the
theatre itself. I found the experience exceeded my expectations as the
advantage of the filming was that they could zoom in on the actors and always
had the key sequences perfectly framed. Deb thought that not being in the
actual theatre auditorium was a disadvantage. For me I would definitely do it
again. It was an interesting tale, not one of the bard’s most well-known
stories, and it was superbly acted with energy and passion (you could see the
tears on the actor’s faces).
More of wot I have seen…
We went to see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time at the Gielgud theatre with Tony, Barbara, and Deb.
I had read the book many years before
and enjoyed its alternative point of view very much but I wondered how it could
be portrayed successfully on the stage. I needn’t have worried as the set was
perfect and the use of the space and actors was inspired. On many occasion it
was like watching a ballet such was the complexity of the choreography. The
lead actor was a force of nature spend almost all of the time on stage in what
must have been a physically and mentally draining performance, he is a star in
the making.
Before the show we had a lovely meal at
the Thai Square by Trafalgar Square.
Thanks to Tony for a great evening.
More of wot I have seen…
The Lady in the Van was an utterly charming
film that rang true to the feel of Alan Bennett’s work and superbly acted by
Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings. Nothing much happens as it potters along but
the characters are richly portrayed and the script delightful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)