Booze Cruise…

Recently we took advantage of a deal being done by the Majestic France wine store where by if you pre-order a certain value of wine they will provide either an additional discount or free travel on a ferry or the train to get you to their store. And since the price of the wines is about half that of the same wine in the UK, we decided to nip across the channel for a day trip. We were very lucky with the weather as it was a beautiful day with temperatures around the 28C mark. At Sangatte, a short distance from Coquelles on the coast, the long, sandy, beach was almost empty and we could stroll along in peace and quiet watching the ferries sailing between France and the UK. He two were tall cliffs that mirrored those we could see at Dover in the distance. It was at Sangatte that we had booked into Le Blanc Nez restaurant for lovely lunch. We then stocked up on our goodies and trundled back home. If things change with regards to the impact of Brexit we might not be able to do this again so easily, or so cheaply.

Local History…

The Heritage Open Days scheme provides access to historical buildings and we took advantage of it to visit a few in the nearby villages of Effingham and Little Bookham. These included:

·        St Lawrence’s Church, Effingham – where Sir Barnes Wallis (Dambusters) is buried.
·         Manor Farm Tithe Barn and Barnes Wallis Anniversary – a Grade 2 listed tithe barn (one of the largest in Surrey) that held a comprehensive exhibition about Sir Barnes Wallis to mark the 40^th anniversary of his death.
·         Effingham Methodist Church – a quaint church with a small exhibition about local people including Ada Lovelace (Analytical Engine – early computer program), Charles Howard (Lord of the Admiralty who defeated the Spanish Armada), and dinosaurs.  
·         Manor House School
·         All Saints Church, Little Bookham – believed to have originated from about 1100 and containing a Vulgate Bible.
·         Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church

After such a cultural tour, we ended up at the King William IV, a quaint pub with a view across to Ranmore.

Sipping in the Park…

The sun was out for the Pippfest in Dorking and we went along with friends to soak some of it up, along with a few pints of local ale.

The quoted aim of the festival is:

‘Pippfest is an annual festival of music, art, crafts, food & lots more at Pippbrook House. Fun for the whole family and a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness (and fundraise!) for the CHiP project, a community campaign to save this beautiful building for community use.’

Some of the wonderful local bands we watched included:

·         Lifes Circus;
·         Easy Skanking Band;
·         Eclectix;
·         Stephanie Davies & The Super Dynamics;
·         Objayda.

Just for Laughs…

Along with a couple of neighbours/friends we went to see Jimmy Carr perform at the Dorking Halls. To be expected he was very rude, using the audience as part of his act, which did make me feel somewhat vulnerable sitting in the second row, but luckily a vegan gold star lesbian marketing software optimiser took the flack for the rest of us in the hall.

St Albans and Surrounds…

We visited Uncle Terry and Katherine at her home in St Albans and wandered around the town stopping at the Assembly Hall Museum and Gallery where the old Court Room had been converted into a café we also saw the cells in the basement and an exhibition space with Cornish artist Barbara Hepworth’s sculptures and drawings on show. We also spent some time in the lovely Cathedral with an informative guide and also listening to the choir practicing. The following day we visited Wheathampstead (where Katharine and her family come from) and the National Trust property (Bernard) Shaw’s Corner (the house containing many personal items such as his Nobel prize and Oscar statue for Pygmalion).

More of Wot I Have Read…

Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

This was one of the books on Sue’s Kindle and as I had finished my last physical book I went virtual. I found this to be written in a way that made me think of it like a crime drama serial on TV. It was gentle and uncomplicated without too many surprises and washed over me quite well.

‘Dr Ruth Galloway is called in when a child’s bones are discovered near the site of a pre-historic henge on the north Norfolk salt marshes. Are they the remains of a local girl who disappeared ten years earlier – or are the bones much older?

DCI Harry Nelson refuses to give up the hunt for the missing girl. Since she vanished, someone has been sending him bizarre anonymous notes about ritual sacrifice, quoting Shakespeare and the Bible. He knows that Ruth’s expertise and experience could help him finally to put this case to rest.

But when a second child goes missing, Ruth finds herself in danger from a killer who knows she’s getting ever closer to the truth…’

Festival of Booze…

We have been going to a Gin Festival for several years but last year it failed as a business and the Gin & Rum Festival appeared. As I am not a huge fan of gin, but do like a drop of rum, I was thrilled by the change. Our regular drinking gang joined us (Deb, and the Whittenburys) and we bumped into several other friends at its new venue at the Oval cricket ground. In the line, I also got talking to a lovely American couple who were holidaying in town (turned out he had lived in NZ and had tips on places to visit during an upcoming US holiday).

Unusually for a Bank holiday the weather was hot and sticky so we struggled a bit amongst the crowds in the poorly air-conditioned tasting hall.  But overall, we had a good time and went on to a lovely bar called Mother Kelly’s to sample few beers from their extensive selection before Sue, Deb and I went to Clapham Junction and had a bite to eat (and anther drink) at a quirky bar called Vagabond (you can buy the wine with a card from dispensers, like they do in Vinopolis).

Late Summer Sun…

It was another glorious summer weekend when we visited RHS Wisely gardens with Marc, seeing the new entrance and ongoing expansion work and a sculpture exhibition throughout the grounds. We had lunch at the lovely Withies Inn, and that evening Marc and I were beaten at board games by Sue.

More of Wot I Have Read…

This How You Lose the Time War by Amal-El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

This book has an unusual format to it, alternating between the two main characters and the letters they exchange the narrative slowly reveals elements of them both, their worlds and the conflict between their respective groups. Much is left to the reader’s imagination, which I think is good as it is a complex setting that would only get in the way of the building relationship between the two foes.

‘Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future. Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war. That’s how war works. Right?’

Rain Stops Play…

Recently we visited the Oval with the family as part of a birthday present to Sue’s sport mad brother Chris. The game of cricket was the Gloucestershire vs Surrey T20 Blast. Gloucestershire were first into bat and later, part way through the Surrey innings, the rain stopped play. Surrey lost by the DLS method (not to be confused with the pop group).

Getting a Man in…

Work has been done on the house (the exterior painted, roof repaired, kitchen lights replaced, taps and shower cubicle replaced) and as I am not a proficient DIYer we employed some of Sue’s Brother’s guys to do the work. They had to struggle through some challenging weather (heatwave and then thunderstorms on different days), but the work has been done. Sue subsequently partially repainted the bathroom to freshen it up and it all looks very smart now.

Sitting in a Field…

Sue, Deb and I enjoyed another Wickham Music Festival (we visited a couple of years ago). This is a lovely small event with only two main tents and several smaller stages scattered around one field. There were several big names from days gone by performing (Gilbert O’Sullivan, Level 42, Judy Collins, Ralph McTell, Graham Nash etc.) and many lesser known acts.

We were lucky for the weather for the most part as it was dry and not too hot during the weekend, the only notable rain started on the morning we started to pack up, resulting in us having to dry out the tent in the garden later when we got home, before packing it away completely for another year.

Among the many acts that we saw performing during the weekend were the following (in no particular order):

• -          Matthews Southern Comfort
• -          Graham Nash (he still has it)
• -          Skinny Lister (a great act that style themselves shanty-punk)
• -          The Proclaimers (we saw them here before and they were very good)
• -          National Youth Folk Ensemble (an impressive collective of young artists)
• -          The Outside Track
• -          The Bar Steward Sons of Val Doonican (a very funny novelty act)
• -          The Spooky Mens Chorale (their usual fabulous selves)
• -          Le Vent Du Nord
• -          Baka Beyond (a very interesting fusion of sounds)
• -          Dreadzone (a foot-stomping good reggae act)
• -          Stanley Jordan (for a short time – a virtuoso guitar performance, but not what we were after)
• -          Level 42 (short time – not quite what they used to be)
• -          Siobhan Miller
• -          Will Pound & Eddy Jay
• -          Cara Dillon
• -          Dervish
• -          The Men They Couldn’t Hang (some)
• -          Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls (some – not overly impressed)
• -          Afro Celt Sound System (great lively performance)
• -          Winters Hill,
• -          Sam Kelly & the Lost Boys
• -          Jamie Smith’s Mabon
• -          Ross Ainslie & Ali Hutton’s Symbiosis
• -          Blazin’ Fiddles (some)
• -          Treacherous Orchestra
• -          The Kiefer Sutherland Band (suitably impressed)
• -          Alabama 3 (a very moving performance after the loss recently of one of the founder members)

There were also a few dance groups (we saw our local Boxhill Bedlam side), and many wandering acts such as the Dinosaur Group, a tall Scotsman and his rude dog, the Sniffer Dog Patrol, a large tortoise etc.

Cultural Day Out…

We visited the Watts Gallery located between Guildford and Godalming near the A3. It was the creation of George Frederic Watts and his wife Mary, both very accomplished artists working in the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement. At the gallery, along with paintings and sculptures by Watts, was an exhibition of some of John Frederick Lewis’s works, and we were very impressed with these and his ability to capture the light and character in his subjects.  

Also at this site they have an artist village where you can take part on courses of a variety of artistic techniques. You can visit their home, Limnerslease, decorated by Mary and containing a reproduction of George’s studio. A short walk down the road you can also visit the remarkable Watts Chapel and its breath-taking interior decorations. We spent a very enjoyable time explore all there was on offer and afterwards went for a drink at the nearby Withies Inn before heading home.

50 Year Tour…

In celebration of their 50^th year the Aldbury Morris Men went for their annual weekend away to Winchester with the Hemlock Morris and we tagged along too.

It happened to be the Hat Fair in town (nothing to do with making hats – the term refers to street performers handing out the hat for donations), and they were scheduled to make a few appearances on the Saturday.

Sue an I arrived early on the Friday and explored the town including the Cathedral, The Great Hall (with Arthur’s Round Table), Wolvesey Castle ruins (the Old Bishop’s Palace) and the working old city mill. We had a lovely lunch at the River Cottage Kitchen, sitting on the terrace and watching the opening parade to the festivities. That evening we caught up with Terry and Katharine for dinner and then joined a few others for a musical jam at a nearby pub.

The next day we followed the sides around as they danced in town and went with them on an outing to The Royal Oak in Fritham, New Forrest, where we met Marc and his Aunt.

We stayed at the Winchester Royal while we were in town.

More of Wot I have Read…

Praetorian by Simon Scarrow

Apparently, this is the 11^th book in the Eagles of the Empire series following the adventures of Roman soldiers Cato and Marco. It is an easy read the rolls along at a comfortable pace without offering too many challenges to the reader.

‘The city of Rome in AD 50 is a dangerous place. Treachery lurks on every corner, and a shadowy Republican movement, ‘the Liberators’, has spread its tentacles wide. It is feared that the heart of the latest plot lies in the ranks of the Praetorian Guard. Uncertain of whom he can trust, the Imperial Secretary Narcissus summons to Rome two courageous men guaranteed to be loyal to the grave: army veterans Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro.

Tasked with infiltrating the Guard, Cato and Macro face a daunting test to win the trust of their fellow soldiers. No sooner have they begun to unearth the details of the Liberators’ devious plan than disaster strikes: an old enemy who could identify them, with deadly consequences, makes an unexpected appearance. Now they face a race against time to save their own lives before they can unmask the mastermind behind the Liberators…’

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

a Booker Prize award winning novel that has a unique style to it, presented as quotes as if it was an interview of the characters within the story or references as part of research. It results in a strange, otherworldly and oddly engaging narrative.

‘The American Civil War rages while President Lincoln's beloved eleven-year-old son lies gravely ill. In a matter of days, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returns to the crypt several times alone to hold his boy's body.

From this seed of historical truth, George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of realism, entering a thrilling, supernatural domain both hilarious and terrifying. Willie Lincoln finds himself trapped in a transitional realm - called, in Tibetan tradition, the bardo - and as ghosts mingle, squabble, gripe and commiserate, and stony tendrils creep towards the boy, a monumental struggle erupts over young Willie's soul.’

Sun, Sea and Champagne…

For Sue’s birthday, this year we rented a cottage in the small seaside town of Whitstable on the north Kent coast looking out across the Thames estuary. It is a fishing town with a thriving oyster industry, famous since Roman times for the Native Oyster beds.

The town was also known for one of the earliest passenger railway services, nicknamed the Crab & Winkle line. The old steam engine, Invicta, has been restored and returned to the town museum.

The diving helmet was an invention of the area that was used in salvage work in deep waters.

Out in the estuary are several sea forts (also known as Maunsell forts), large military installations that served as protection against ships and planes during WWII. Now they share the waters with a large wind turbine array that provides power to the country. We took a stimulating boat trip out to the Red Sands installation (once later used as a pirate radio station) that took us right through the edge of the wind farm. Further up the coast is another installation that has declared itself the independent Principality of Sealand.

Naturally we enjoyed many various seafood dishes, eating at the Whitstable Oyster Company restaurant, the oldest restaurant in town – Wheelers, and picking up bits in the market next to the harbour. We did mix it up with Mexican inspired street food at the fun Dirties bar and restaurant in town. As is our way the food was washed down with liberal application of alcoholic beverages.

The weather was unusually hot, reaching well into the 30’s on Saturday, and we were out early wandering around town, up to the ‘castle’, down along Tankerton beach (ice cream in hand), back to the harbour (a fortifying drink in The Harbour Garden Café) before venturing out onto the water to visit the forts and windfarm (at least it was cooler out on the water). When we returned, we had lunch and further explored the town. Watching the sunset whilst sitting on the beach was very memorable.

On Sunday, we had a leisurely breakfast and then drove off to visit the lovely Ightham Mote historical house and gardens as they were having a display from a local sculpture group and we had not been back here for a while.

We picked up some provisions and returned home to relax in the sunshine some more. A very good weekend away. 

More of Wot I have Heard…

We returned to the Isle of Wight Festival this year as a treat for our eldest godson Tom. Sue’s sister Deb also joined us and we stayed at the Silver Glades Caravan Park in the same van we had a few years previously with my mum. We travelled after work on Friday (after Tom’s final exam) and took the ferry from Southampton to East Cowes, then across the floating bridge to West Cowes and on to the caravan park. We went into Yarmouth for dinner at the Blue Crab before having an evening stroll along the pier. While there we saw several black RIBs powering up the Solent without any lights on, they turned towards the harbour and switch on the lights as they cruised in – not sure who they were (we speculated that they might be military, Deb thought they might be delivering her some Milk Tray chocolates).

After breakfast, we drove to a parking spot near the festival site (I volunteered to drive as getting a taxi could have been a bit of an issue later). We were at the gates when they opened at 11am and exploring the site not long after.

It was clear that the weather was not going to be great (some reports of previous days told of a tornado and torrential rain), so we came prepared. As it was the rain was light and patchy and eventually cleared up completely at sunset.

I was wearing my festival top hat (complete with goggles) and my oilskin duster coat, looking a bit like a steampunk cowboy, which got a few comments – positive ones too – from strangers, even an invitation to join a Steampunk Festival the following weekend.

We started at one of the smaller tents and watched a couple of lesser known bands: Floodhounds and The Dead Freights.

At the Big Top we saw Stitch, who impressed us all very much.

After that we moved to set up a place in front of the main stage and as we arrived Andrew Roachford was just finishing. Here we watched KT Tunstall sing her hits, Anne-Marie played up to her pop princess image, Sundara Karma were unknowns who surprised us (the lead singer had a David Bowie’esque sound on some songs), Rick Astley was enthusiastic and fun (he also played the drums on an AC/DC cover), Bastille were just fantastic (they also had a cameo from Rick Astley on the drums for one song), George Ezra had damaged his foot and sat down through his performance which was very polished (he did talk a lot, explaining each song) that culminated in fireworks, and finally, the headliner for Saturday, Fatboy Slim, who put on a particularly impressive show with exciting video images, smoke cannons, laser displays and a thumping sound.

It all finished at about midnight.

The next day we headed off to catch the return ferry at 12:30 and drove back to the Whittenburry’s for a Father’s Day meal as we joined their family.

Sue and I were back home in bed early, still tired from the night before, thankful we only went for the one day.

Green Fingers…

As penance for our excesses we spent the weekend working in our garden getting it tidy (fixing down a deck plank where a wasp nest was evicted from underneath, jet washing the said deck, cutting and trimming and pruning and weeding the greenery until it was all spic and span. We do need to do a few more chores such as paint the fences and wooden furniture, but it is looking much better now.

Afterwards we went to visit 7 local gardens as part of the Pip Brook Open Gardens event in the village that aims to raise funds for a Peace Garden in the St Johns church yard. An excuse for a good nose around other peoples back gardens.

Musical Interlude…

We thoroughly enjoyed and was moved by Rocketman when we saw it recently at our favourite cinema in Reigate, and afterwards we returned to Dorking and spent a drunken evening listening to a lively (if slightly geriatric) band called Blue Haze (or Hayz) at The Old House.

Playing Games…

Martin, Marc and I joined Rhys on our regular board game pilgrimage to the UK Games Expo in Birmingham. This year we stayed further out towards Coventry as it was cheaper than the hotels next to the venue and was closer to where Rhys lives. The hotel was not great but they were happy for us to game in the bar. On the day, we went into the venue it seemed even busier than last year. We did however find a good table to play many games during the day and into the wee small hours. I think the consensus was that Wingspan and the Quacks of Quedlinburg were our favourite games.