Less is More…

Another update…

July 2024 - Continued

We ended the month with another visit to the Sound Lounge, this time to see old school rock ‘n’ rollers Geraint Watkins and the Mosquitoes.

August 2024

This started with an alfresco gathering around at the Whittenbury’s and a BBQ in the garden.

I got together with pals (Martin, James & kids) to play a few boardgames at James’s place. Virus Inc, 5 Minute Mystery, Flamme Rouge, a pirate game (forgot the name) and Roll for It, Zombie Dice and Martian Dice.

We hosted an alfresco evening of our own, this time for Sue’s boss, his sister and Sue’s sister.

Sue and I, with Deb as well, travelled to Seaford to spend the weekend with Chris and Lynne. Whilst we were there, we walked up the coast to the lovely seaside town of Lewes.

Whilst Jamie was away on holiday Sue and I house/cat sat for him in Peckham and had a fabulous time exploring the local environs. We had some good evenings, including at Kokum with Deb and Chris and Carole, Banh Banh for a fabulous Vietnamese meal, Nola Coffee with Jo, Prince of Peckham for the best jerk cuisine with Jamie, Peckham Cellars across the road with Deb and to see the Jonny Liebeck Jazz Quartet at the CLF Art Lounge with Chris and Jo. We also went into London and went up to the Sky Garden to get a great view over the city.

We joined a large group of friends to celebrate Tracy’s 60^th birthday at the Greek Vine Restaurant in Wallington. A surreal Zorba the Greek, plate smashing, out of body experience.

It was a more relaxed day out when we went to the Sussex Prairie Gardens with Paul, Lorraine, and Chris and Carole.

Sue and I took a short break to Bristol and found it a vibrant, scruffy, and historically significant town. We ate at some amazing places, including – Bokman (Korean), Wilsons (locally sourced British), the Lido for breakfast (an actual lido), Dhamaka (Indian), Noah’s (seafood). We also found the liveliest street in town and the Old Duke pub that had live music every night. We did seek out some culture as well, visiting the Clifton suspension bridge (saw it as the sun came down), the Clifton Observatory and Giant’s Cave, and taking a water taxi past Brunel’s SS Great Britain.

Returning from Bristol we visited Dyrham Park, a suburb building with a previous owner that had a terrible past, profiting from the misery of others.

The month ended with a dinner out in Epsom at the Koza Bar Kitchen (Mediterranean cuisine) with Chris and Carole.

September 2024

A regular date in our calendar is to visit the small, but perfectly formed, Pippfest open air event in Dorking, with local music, crafts and produce. We went with neighbours, Howard & Anne, Dan & Charlotte, and friends the Whitenbury’s.

We saw father and daughter act, Dirk and Amelia Powell playing Southern style Americana at the Sound Lounge this month.

In September we visited Terry and Katherine and took an excursion out to the opulent Waddesdon Manor, a building built just as a party venue and to house some of the wealthy Rothschild collection.

One Friday we went to Dorking to the Old House and listened to Sarah-Jane Hassell play.

A project that had been ongoing most of the year was the build of a combined bin and bike storage shed in our front garden. I draw up the designs that were realised by Pete. In addition, I laid a living roof on the structure that should hopefully make it blend into it surroundings a little more.

By the end of the month, it was starting to feel decidedly autumnal with cooler nights and the change in the colour of the leaves on the trees. The conkers were scattered all over the ground. We did get out to the Dropkick Brewery for a musical evening with Sophie Mullan entertaining the assembled crowd.

October 2024

This started with my trip out to Essen in Germany for the regular Speil game convention there. I stayed in the quirky Alma Mulheimer Hotel in Mulheim an der Ruhr. I joined up with friends from Belgium (Kotie and David), and New Zealand (Gary and his son Ben). The event was very busy and was sold out each day. One of the traditions is to have pork knuckle at the Restaurant Mausefalle, and this year was no exception.

In the middle of the month, we jetted of to fair Verona with the Whittenbury’s to visit their eldest son Tom, who is living and working there at the Verona Rugby Club. It is an amazing compact city with superb history everywhere. This weekend coincided with a wine event that meant the streets and plazas were full of revellers and music. We also watch the Verona Rugby team win their first league match of the year. We also took a train out to Lake Garda one of the days we were there.

For Sue’s Mum’s birthday we went out to her favourite Chinese restaurant, Heens, with Jamie, Deb, and Dave.

Later in the month we took Barbara down to visit Chris and Lynne where we ate out at a lovely pub.

November 2024

The weather continued to get cooler, and the nights are drawing in. Sue and I managed to get out on a grey day to visit Sheffield Park where the trees were showing their vibrant seasonal colours.

A musical event we had planned for some time was to see Bellowhead on their 20^th anniversary tour as they played the Dome in Brighton. We decided to stay over and explore a bit of the town. Before the event we went and had a tasty cocktail at Gung-ho! And then followed up with a fabulous Italian meal at Cin Cin. The band, ably supported by the Longest Johns, were in good form and managed to get almost everybody up and dancing on their feet. The following morning, we took a leisurely stroll around the lanes, fortified by a lovely breakfast at Lost in the Lanes.

Taking advantage of a bright, but cool, weekend we went up to Newland’s Corner where we walked through the woods. They have installed a boardwalk that passes three ancient yew trees that are more than a thousand years old.

We gave in to the persistent Christmas presence and visited the local WestFestival held in the Community Hall and Church.

As a couple of our neighbours are moving away soon, we got together with them (Dan & Charlotte) and other neighbours (Howard & Anne) and had a Sunday lunch and a stroll in the countryside. A pleasant day indeed.

Sue’s boss Jonas was over from Sweden, so we kept him entertained one Monday evening with dinner out at the Queen’s Head in Dorking.

To celebrate Lorraine’s 60^th birthday we met in London with Paul, Lorraine, Deb, Deb & Dave, and Chris & Carole (although Chris had leave as he was unwell). We had a few drinks at the Coach & Horses in Soho, before moving on to have a fabulous roast dinner at Sophie’s Soho, and finishing up at the Opium cocktail bar in Chinatown.

Another Tardy Update…

 Another update…

 Mar 2024 - Continued

As the weather improved, we continued going with walks on the weekends with friends – to places such as Reigate Hill.

We continued our support of the Sound Lounge – seeing Jenny Colquitt this month.

At the end of the month the Westcott Historical Group had their Easter walk and talk, this time visiting Rokefield House (a converted manor house and former Jewish blind children hospital), with stories of lost pubs, a grisly murder, royal furniture craftsman, and ice-house.

After visiting friends who were trying out their new caravan, we stopped at Chichester and visited many of its historic sites.

Easter dinner was had at Sue’s mums with several generations of the family present enjoying the company and food.

Apr 2024

This month started with a walk in the countryside to admire the spring bulbs and wildlife (even saw a dead snake).

A new venue in Dorking for us is in the St Marys church, where they occasionally hold musical events. We went with Terry and Katherine and saw Saints & Sinners who played gospel and blues music. Sue made us a hearty Lancashire hotpot for our evening meal. The next day we wandered around Leith Hill Place gardens and admired the large collection of rhododendrons. We also tried to find the bluebells at White Downs, but the place has in a real mess after some very controversial woodland management.

Sue held a soiree for a work colleague (Frenchman Lionel) who was retiring and made a spectacular buffet whilst I mixed a few thematic cocktails.

We visited the house of our neighbour’s partner (Anne of Howard) to play games and have dinner and stay the evening. The next day we returned the favour with a meal at ours along with Marc who was passing through.

Later in the month we visited the Sound Lounge with Deb and Jamie and saw The Lost Trades perform a very entertaining set.

We have several friends who enjoy their food and drink and regular amongst them are Deb & Dave, and it was with them that we had an outing in Reigate to a couple of drinking establishments (including the Hop Stop), and then to Lebnani for some Beirut soul food.

May 2024

The West Festival (West Street in Dorking) started off the long weekend, and we enjoyed several bands (staying mostly in the Star).

Our first outdoor garden party was for a gathering of work colleagues past and present (mostly from GPE and Honeywell). It was good to catch up with them all and find out how they are getting on now.

We are of an age now where we are going to several 60^th birthday parties. In May it was Pete’s and was down at the Railway in Carshalton. On our way home we managed to see the Northern Lights in the night sky.

The Dropkick Brewery has become a favourite place of ours and we spent a glorious day their listening to a DJ set by Uncle Stubble whilst drinking a couple of pints and eating Uboo’s tacos.

We celebrated Jamie’s birthday with a visit to his neck of the woods, where he took us to a rooftop bar (a converted multistorey carpark), a couple of other drinking establishments, and then we had a lovely Indian meal at Kokum.

There was a garden party to celebrate Hillary’s 80^th birthday around at the Whittenbury’s and it was a lovely occasion with friends and family enjoying the good food and company.

Sue and I took a drive out into the countryside and visited the novel Ichi-Coo Park and then a portion of the Wey and Arun canal. The next day we had a long walk out to the Stepping Stones where we enjoyed some jazz (a regular jam session with a wide variety of musicians).

At the end of the month, I went with friends (Martin, James, and Noah – meeting Rhys and Faye) to the UK Games Expo at the NEC. We visited the show and bought a few new games and then spent the rest of the weekend back at the hotel playing more games.

Jun 2024

It was a horticultural start to the month with us working in our garden before going to visit the wonderful Sissinghurst Castle gardens. The next day we stayed more local and visited Logmore Place that was open as part of the National Garden Scheme.

Cyprus Holiday

Mid-month we took off for a long weekend in Cyprus, staying in Paphos on the south coast. It was hot with clear skies the whole time, and we soaked it all up. We spent a good part of the time visiting the remarkable ancient historical ruins with the rest of the time delighting in the local cuisine. One day we took an excursion out to see Aphrodite’s Rock, Lofou, Millomeris Waterfall, Lion’s spirit Winery and Omodos where there is the Timios Stavros Monastery – a lovely small group tour. During the heat of the day, we did retreat to the pool to cool down, and of the evening we tried to be down by the water’s edge to watch the spectacular sunsets.

June had been cold for the UK, but later in the month it brightened up and the signs of summer in the countryside around where we live was a welcome thing.

Another visit to the Sound Lounge, this time to enjoy the poetry of Mike Gerry with musical accompaniment of the Cassia String Quartet.

One of the games I bought at the Games Expo made it to the table – only just fitting as it is a bit of a monster. It a long while to get to grips with it and eventually we had to call it quits before the end. It is the third in a series – Great Western Trail (New Zealand).

Our local fete was bigger and better than last year and was good to see so many people enjoying themselves. Later in the Deb & Dave came round and we ate alfresco.

A relatively new addition to the New Zealand official holidays is Matariki the Maori New Year, which this year was at the end of the month.

Back over to the Whittenbury’s for a pizza party, where we met Lily, Tom’s new girlfriend.

For Sue’s birthday we spent some time with her mum and then at Jamie’s (where he cooked a lovely meal), to party with friends. The next day Sue and I had a relaxing day at Polsden Lacey exploring the gardens and listening to jazz on the lawn.

Jul 2024

Elections – there have been some bizarre global election events, and the UK had theirs with the landslide victory be Labour over the Conservatives.

We caught up with friends around at Paul & Lorraine’s.

And with neighbours at Howard’s.

Then at the Brown’s new house with friends and family.

On one of the hottest days this year Sue and I went out to an open-air event (tickets courtesy of Dave W). There we saw Old Time Sailors, the Lightning Seeds, and headliners Madness. A fabulous but long day.

Back at Dropkick Brewery with Deb & Dave we listened to several DJ sets and enjoyed the sunshine and beer. The following evening, we had a friends (D&D, the Browns and Paul & Lorraine) around to enjoy our back garden.

The month ended with a(nother) boozy and musical weekend, starting with a walk out to Wotton Hatch with neighbours Dan & Charlotte. Then with an evening at Dropkick Brewery to see The Collective ska band. Finishing with and afternoon session at the Sound Lounge listing to Geraint Watkins & The Mosquitoes.

Increasingly Less Frequent Update…

I have been incredibly poor in updating my blog, sorry, but here is a quick update…

Oct 2023

We managed to get mum out her home and over to Jamie’s for a quick birthday celebration. She is still struggling with several mystery illnesses along with a lingering case of shingles.

We got together with Terry and Katherine and Brian and Julie for a lovely evening at Pendley Bridge.

Nov 2023

I struggled to teach Chris and Carole the boardgame Wingspan, but eventually we got there and enjoyed and evening of food and games.

Sue and I visited RHS Wisley to revel in the autumnal displays of flowers and foliage.

Things are starting to ramp up for the forthcoming festive season with a quaint West-Festivity Christmas market in the village.

Sue and I however are trying to hang on to autumn with some lovely walks in the local area.

Later in the month we were treated to an evening out at Ronnie Scott’s with Deb, Jamie, and some of his friends, where we enjoyed the vocal talents of Beady Belle.

We celebrated Ollie’s 18^th birthday with the Whittenbury clan, Deb, and Paul & Lorraine. With a curry out in Brick Lane.

It is feeling colder now, but still we managed to get out for a few walks with friends.

Dec 2023

Ok, now we can prepare for Christmas with the house being decorated.

Sue’s boss, Jonas, was over from Sweden and so we went out into London, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the Christmas decorated streets. We visited the lovely  Mercato Mayfair (crafts, foods and drinks in an old church), we also had drinks in hidden bars such as Opium in China Town and Stone Nest, and had a tasty meal in the Fatt Pundit.

We had a great gig at the Roundhouse celebrating the life of Simon Emmerson and were entertained by Imagined Village, Afro Celt Sound System and Working Week.

We topped up our seasonal spirit with our annual visit to the Christmas singalong organised by Uncle Terry.

Sue and I took off into the woods one day and explored another of our local areas, this time heathland, ancient Saxon churches, and public houses in Aldbury.  

We had a dinner at ours for Deb’s birthday and celebrated it along with Chris and Carole.

We joined in with the village carols on the green and wandered around the streets admiring the festive lights on our neighbour’s houses.

Another festive tradition is meeting friends at Borough Market for a drink and some cheese shopping, and we expended this to also include Spitalfields Market.

Christmas was a round of seasonal indulgence traveling between family and friends, eating and drink way too much, but enjoying each other’s company.

We ended the years with a walk and an evening of boardgames with some neighbours.

Jan 2024

We started the year with a walk around Headley Heath with friends.

And explored some new paths (to us) a few days later, as we explored Reigate Heath. And then a day later with a trip down to the coast at the lovely village of Bosham.

The Dorking Community Orchard was again the location of the annual Wassail festivities that we enjoyed with the neighbours.

Terry and Katherine came over for a visit and together we walked up Leith Hill.

At the end of this month, we were out in town with Deb and Jamie at the underwhelming Leo Green Experience (it certainly was, but not what we were expecting. We did however have a drink in the quirky Scarfe bar beforehand.

Paul and Lorraine’s business, Hedges & Hurdles has a new venue and a as friends we joined the working bee to get the place tidied up.

Feb 2024

We went all sporty at the beginning of the month with our first visit to the local football ground to watch the Dorking Wanderers play the Fylde.

We walked with a couple of neighbours out to the wonderfully named Friday Street, and back in a 6-mile loop.

For my birthday treat, Sue and I flew out to the Austrian Lake District hoping for a wintery wonderland, however we were misinformed and the was not much sign of the white stuff. We did however enjoy some of the well organised local walks. We stayed for a few days in Fusch am See in a family run hotel on the lake.   

We walked the approximately 7 miles around the lake the next day, before having a sauna and a swim.

The next day we hiked over the Mozartblick (very steep decent) to the town of St Gilgen at next lake along, had a beer (or two) watching a carnival, before taking the cable car up to the top of the Zwolferhorn where we finally found some snow.

We then transferred to Salzburg and took in some culture with a concert in the Marble Hall at the Palace.

The next day we walk all around the old town taking all the many and varied cultural highlights. A very interesting city.

This month we went to a relatively new venue called the Sound Lounge in Sutton that promotes unsigned or new music, and here we saw the highly entertaining Matt Owens and his band.

Mar 2024

Chris and Lynne came over to stay and we did a bit of a pub crawl around Dorking, starting at the Drop Kick brewery.

Sue created a wonderful Mexican inspired meal, washed down with a few tequila-based cocktails that we enjoyed with a few friends.

We have some relatively new neighbours and we have introduced them to the joy of boardgames.

As spring starts to make itself felt we started clearing the garden and had our first fir in the fire pit.

Wild garlic is now in season and so we went foraging. Sue turned the pungent greens into pesto, salsa Verde and garlic butter. 

Many Varied Happenings…

Aug

We visited Seaford with Deb and stayed with Chris & Lynne early in August. They took us out to the nearby Rathfinny wine estate, a large and spectacular vineyard, and although the weather wasn’t great, we did enjoy a lovely meal with a few bottles of local bubbly. The following day Sue bought a couple of artworks (Mechanoid Totem, Surreal No. 4 by Stefan Mucha, and an AI, along with a glass work called Henge by Fiona Christian), and in the evening we saw some music in town.  

Our (Deb, the Whittenburys, Paul & Lorraine, and Sue and I) first festival in a while was one that has been running for many years, Fairport Convention at Cropredy. It is a small event with a single stage where we saw a variety of acts (Nile Rodgers & Chic, Toyah & Robert Fripp, Wilson & Wakeman, Merry Hell, 10cc, Fisherman’s Friends, Stawbs (their last gig), Richie Owens & the Farm Bureau, Easy Star All-Stars, Kiki Dee & Carmelo Luggeri, The Joshua Burnell Band, Fairport Convention, Gilbert O’Sullivan, The Young’uns, Solstice, Beans on Toast, Morganway, Richard Digance). Most of the audience were of a certain vintage and the music was not really to our taste – not sure we would return.

Straight afterwards the gang went on a camping at Brig’s Farm in Dorset, at a site with minimal facilities in a lovely part of the world. Whilst there we visited Seatown, Lyme Regis, and River Cottage HQ and the weather was glorious throughout it all.

At the end of the month, we flew to Stockholm and visited Marc, Heather and Elises in their wonderful new house. Situated on a large island near a lovely lake, with a woodland walk around to a fabulous café.

It was crayfish season, so we had plenty of them with a variety of other Swedish delicacies. One evening we ate out at the home of Sue’s boss, Jonas, and his partner.

During our stay we also visited the ABBA the museum, took a ‘under the bridges of Stockholm’ boat tour (don’t bother with this one), and the Swedish royal palace.

Due to an UK air traffic control failure our flight was cancelled whilst we were in the lounge waiting to board. Luckily, we could stay the night with Marc & Heather, and we managed to find a replacement flight for the next day that went via Oslo.

Sept

The month started when Howard and Anne hosted an evening for the neighbours, in their garden on newly installed decking. It was lovely, convivial, and warm evening together.

The following day Howard & Anne, Deb, Sue, and I we walked into Dorking to visit Pippfest, a small music event held in town. Again, the sun had his hat on and the had a jolly time.

Whilst Sue was off on a girly weekend, I visited the Surrey Hills Wood Fair where Paul and Lorraine were showing their woodland crafts in the scorching sunshine.

Each year Open House in London allows visitors to see a different side to various places in the capital. This year we went with Jamie (and briefly Deb too) and saw a community garden (Walworth Garden Farm), a rebuilt church (St Paul’s in Lorrimore Square), and a Grand Design house (15 and a half Consort Road). Also stopped at a local brewery (Orbit Beers) for refreshments and had dinner at Peckham Cellars.

My main gift to Sue for her 60^th birthday was a holiday to London and Paris, and it started in London where had Thursday night at the spectacular St Pancras Hotel with lunch at the Midland Grand Dining Rooms. That evening we explored a place we had never been to before in London, Little Venice.

Friday morning, we took the Eurostar train to Paris and checked into our quaint room at the Monsieur Aristide Hotel in Montmartre. We took a sunset boat ride along the river and saw many of the tourist sights such as the Eifel Tower and Notre Dame as we cruised up and down the Seine with champagne in hand.

Saturday, we took an excursion out to visit Versailles. There were thousands of people and even though the place is massive, it still felt a bit of a crush in places. Looking at the lavishness of the palace and grounds, it was not a surprise the populous revolted. On our way back to the hotel we got caught up in the rugby world cup frenzy, with crowds of Irish and South-African supporters on the Metro and in bars.

On Sunday we wondered around the Montmartre district, and visited Saint-Jean church, Le Mur Des Je T’aime (I love You wall), Place du Tertre (where the artists are), the Sacre Coeur Basilica, Clos Montmartre Vinyard, au Lapin Agile, Dalida’s bust, le Passe-Muraille, came down via the Funiculaire.

Before we left on Monday, we followed an ‘Emily in Paris’ on-line tour (her apartment, the office she works at and some gardens).

A Busy Start to Summer...

 June

June started with Mark joining friends up at the UK Game Expo to participate in all things boardgame.

Early in the month we also joined the gang at Birtley Woods where Hedges & Hurdles were part of the regular craft event there.

On the 12^th Mum arrived for her long-postponed visit to the UK. Luckily the weather had improved.

The first major event was the wedding of Terry and Katharine at Aldbury church, with the reception at Pendley Manor. It was a joyous event.

The next excursion was to the Aldbury Morris annual weekend away, this time held in Shrewsbury. We stopped in at Ludlow on the way and met up with Jodie.  It was a great weekend of baldricks, bells and beer. And on our way home we stopped at Attingham, a National Trust property.

A duo from Australia called Saije, that the girls saw busking in Brighton, were playing at the Sound Lounge in Sutton and we went along to watch them perform. Very good they were too.

Sue shares her birthday with neighbour Howard, and together we went along to the Asia Ivy in Guildford and enjoyed a fabulous meal.

For Sue’s actual birthday we took over the local Grape Variety where many friends came over to celebrate her 60^th birthday.

July

One of the treats for Sue’s birthday was to go to one day of the Love Supreme Jazz Festival in Glinde, where we enjoyed music and merriment together with friends.

Mum wanted to travel north to visit family and friends and so we took her, stopping briefly in Lemington Spa on the way and the fabulous Blists Hill Victorian Town near Ironbridge. We explored Kirkham and Lytham tracing the family roots and caught up with family and friends.

The big family holiday was to Budapest with Mum, Terry & Katharine, and us. We stopped in the Astoria and spent a good few days exploring Buda and Pest in the heat of summer.

The family had a gathering at Chris & Lynnes on the weekend before mum left to return home.

A few days after mum had left, we had a gig with Deb at the Barbican to see Herbie Hancock and we watched and listened to this jazz icon play some wild music.

Sue and I rounded of the month with a visit to the Sculpture Park where we saw some crazy things lurking in the undergrowth.

An Infrequent Update…

 February

Our first break away this year was because of being invited to the wedding of a son of an old school friend of mine. We drove down to Cornwall with Deb and Kay and stopped over at Jackie’s for the night to catch up. The next morning Sue and I left the girls to spend some time together and we decamped for St Ives to stay in a lovely little Airbnb overlooking the town. Later that day we went on to David and Millie’s wedding where many of the Burroughs clan had come over from NZ to celebrate the big day.

As it was also my birthday we stayed on for a couple. We wandered around a sunny St Ives and some of the local beaches and when we went out to eat at the Sloop Inn (circa 1312) where we bumped into the Burroughs’s and had dinner with them.

Later in January we (inc Deb) went to see Rumer play at the Union Chapel. She was supported by local Dorking act TIGY and the lead singer’s (Bailey) mother – Judy Tzuke. We ate a fabulous place called the Western Laundry nearby.

During Feb a bunch of us went out to Reigate to eat at a wonderful little venue called Lebnani that specialises in Beirut soul food.

We have started trying to get together with friends for a Sunday Stroll often in local parks where we can have dogs with us and not to far from a pub where we can have a rewarding pint afterwards. We have been to several locations around Surrey and have sampled several pints too.

A sculpture called the Knife Angel was touring and on show outside the Guildford Cathedral, so we went to have a look. It is an impressively large figure made entirely out of knives and blades to symbolise the artists concerns about knife crime and to encourage handing in of weapons.

 

March

Winter is not over, and we had a dusting of snow in early March.

A group of us went to the Hope in Carshalton to celebrate Tom’s birthday. The Hope is a pub that was rescued from closure by a group of enthusiasts who then turned it into one of the best places to get a beer with a listing in the CAMRA guide.  

Later in March we went with Deb, Chris & Lynne, and Jamie to Greenwich to walk over the Dome, the weather held out and it was an interesting excursion (like trying to navigate a bouncy castle). The views were impressive.

We had a couple of gigs in London in late March – Eels at the Roundhouse and Death Cab for Cutie at the Royal Albert Hall. The music was great, but we certainly felt that perhaps we were to old for going out on a school night to these sort of events.

  

April

Spring started to make itself felt and we visited RHS Wisley to see some of the spring blooms.

Wild garlic also started to grow, and we picked a bunch which Sue turned into a tasty pesto.

Sue and I went out to the Dorking Halls to see Dave Gorman’s Powerpoint to the People comedy show, which was great.

One weekend we met Jamie in London and strolled around in what eventually became a pub crawl for which I do not recall how it ended.

An Easter get-together at the Whittenbury’s where we enjoyed good food, drink, and company.

On a particular dreary Sunday, Sue spoiled me by letting me build my toy soldiers (Bolt Action – Afrika Korps), followed by watching Dungeons & Dragons at the cinema, and culminating in a KFC dinner.

The weather has its moments and occasionally we have been able to get out and enjoy the garden.

  

May

May Day we saw some Morris dancers at Rusper before dodging showers at Nymans gardens.

A group of us celebrated Reg’s birthday at the Hope in Carshalton where the Mariners Mates were practicing sea shanties.

One Thursday we ended up in Dorking with a bite to eat and some drinks (again I seem to have had a bout of drink related amnesia as I do not remember the last shot – could be a concern).

There was an extra bank holiday to celebrate King Charles III coronation. On Saturday we watch some of the pomp and pageantry on TV before going over to Paul & Lorraine’s for a meal. Dorking is resplendent in Union Jacks. One the Sunday had a few people around for a garden party, and on Monday we popped over to the village fete for a little while before retuning home to put our feet up.

We have been busy redecorating a couple of rooms at home, the guest bedroom (for when Mum arrives for a summer holiday), and the bathroom. Once we had finished our final project, we took ourselves out and wandered around Leith Hill Place and Deepdene that have rhododendrons blooming now.

The weather started to improve (touch wood) and we had a few walks in the countryside and enjoyed a few alfresco meals. Now let’s hope it bodes well for the summer.

 

Catching Up…

 September

We heard of the Queen’s passing as we waiting to see Opera in the Tipi at the Queen’s Head in Dorking. The performers held a minute’s silence and dedicated the show to her.

We visited the wonderful RHS Wisley flower show in September and bought a few new plants that we had installed for one of the last garden parties of the year.

Sue and I went into London for the weekend to see some of the London Open House buildings followed by watching the Cuban All Stars at Boisdale. We saw the miles of queue lining the Thames waiting to pay their respects to the Queen. Some of the open buildings we visited were St Brides Church (and the crypt), Temple Bar (relocated to opposite St Pauls cathedral), and St Mary-le-Bow (playing a long peal of bells for the Queen).

The following day we met up with Jamie and walked ‘the Line’, an outdoor art trail that runs up the Lee valley from the O2 and the Thames to Stratford and the site of the Olympic stadium. We crossed the crossed the river on the exciting gondola.

One busy weekend we painted the radiators a copper colour, laid some cobblestones around the patio, and enjoyed a curry with friends at the Whittenbury’s.

October

Terry and Katharine visited in early October, and we went with them to visit the quaint Apple Fair at Leigh and then onto the Sussex Prairie Gardens. Next day visited our local National Trust property of Polsden Lacey.

Loving the changing seasons, we went to view some autumnal scenes at Winkworth Arboretum and were not disappointed.

On one of our visits to see Jamie, he took us to see the Peckham Conker championships, which to our surprise was very popular and well attended (might have something to do with being next to a pub).

Martin and I visited Marc up at his factory in Oxford and we played several games in the boardroom.

Not far from us in Guildford we saw Nerina Pallot at the intimate Boileroom venue. It was a good evening, and we were very impressed with local band TIGY who supported Nerina.

We went to church… …Hackney church, where we saw Australian act, Boy & Bear supported by Stu Larsen. A lovely looking venue it is too.

Sue and I found a new walk to explore, this time at Bookham Common. Later we went back to  Polsden Lacey where there was a fairy tale walk with sculptures around the grounds.

November

Early November we went to see Meute, a German techno marching band at Brixton Academy. They are an interesting and hard to explain sensation that really got the place jumping. Obviously, they have some very dedicated followers.

Tales from the Loop is a fabulous, fantastical, alternative reality that originally was inspired by the art of Simon Stalenhag, which has since gone on to become a role-playing game and a TV series. Now the boardgames has come out. It is a complex mechanic that is designed to have a lot of replay ability built in, however it took me several attempts to grasp the rules and a long time on the table to complete.

It has been quite warm and wet recently but have still managed to get out for a few walks in the countryside (the routes may have included a refreshment stop at a local hostelry).

Sue and I took a day off work and went to visit Petworth and the lovely surroundings. It was a lovely day out away from the office.

An intimate family dinner was had to celebrate Terry’s 75th birthday at a pub near where they live. We found out then that he had his hip replacement booked to happen soon.

We travelled to north London with Deb for an early festive gig at the Union Chapel by Ingrid Michaelson supported by Sugar & the Hi-lows. It was a fun performance in a great venue.

December

The last of our gigs for this year was a return visit to Hackney Church, this time to witness the poetic ramblings of Bonney Prince Billy.

We had a bit of a cold snap early in December (it warmed up unseasonable after that).  We visited Norbury Park where Paul & Lorraine were running a hedge laying course, luckily, we were back home as a light dusting of snow came down.

The Christmas lights are up around Westcott and a tree has been decorated on the green where carols were performed by the local choir. That and on the mulled wine succeeded in getting us into the festive spirit.

We really feel like Christmas is upon us when we travel up to Tring to join in with the long running annual carol singing that my uncle arranges. Terry seems to be recovering extraordinarily well to the hip replacement surgery.

This year was Chris and Carole’s 30 wedding anniversary, and they had a gathering around theirs to celebrate.

Sue’s mum was feeling a bit better, and we were able to take her down to visit Chris and Lynne in Seaford along with Deb. It was her first outing for a while, and I think she had a good time.

Blonde and Dark Deb both have birthdays at Christmas, so we had a buffet spread to celebrate them around ours with friends and family.

Before Christmas we regularly meet up with friends at Borough Market to buy goodies (mostly cheese) and have a few drinks.

We had a lovely evening meal out at Monica Galetti’s restaurant ‘Mere’, catching up with Fiona, Maddy before they went on a boating holiday to see the Northern Lights, and to catch up with Bexi and her boyfriend Shaf. We had a fabulous testing menu with paired wines.

Christmas dinner was held at Sue’s mum’s house, with the girls having cooked the turkey, Dave cooking the veg and Stacey bringing lamb along. A big family do!

Boxing Day was spent at Deb and Dave’s where we were treated to a rib of beef and great company, spending time with them, Reg, Tom & Ollie, Jamie, Deb and Paul & Lorraine.

Marc, Heather and Elise stopped for a few days with us across New Year before they headed back to Sweden to take possession of their new house.

January

For several years now we have had a New Year’s Day with friends, and this year we walked up Leith Hill with the Deb & Dave and Paul & Lorraine and the dogs. We had a refreshment at the pub at Coldharbour afterwards to recover.

On the last day of our holidays before we go back to work, we played a few boardgames - Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne, and I managed to win them both.

We are trying to get out more regularly for walks in the countryside either one our own or with friends, and have managed a few locally around Westcott, at Norbury Park and Headley Heath. It is our attempt to try and improve our fitness.

An evening of dance and drink to bless the apple trees for wassail at the Dorking Community Orchard. The dance troupes in attendance were the Box Hill Bedlam Morris, Mythago Morris, and Madder Mill Molly.

Flying visit from Marc before he heads of for business to Peru, dinner and talk and a game of Pan Am, which I barely won by one point.

Small is Beautiful…

We had some spare time and found out that this exhibition had been extended but was due to close. Sue and I travelled into town, to South Kensington where it was being held. There many artists from around the world that make small works of art had some of their pieces on display (small figures in dioramas hidden in the world, small figures interacting with the real world in amusing ways, paper folding, miniature crocheting, model houses and furniture, tiny animals, pencil lead carvings, and art in the eye of a needle). Absolutely fascinating stuff. 

Artists included – Lisa Swerling, Gaspard Mitz, Minimiam, Christopher Nordstrom, Camille Ortoli, Tank & Popek, Samsofy, Slinkachu, Vincent Bal, Nicolas Guerin, Jeremy Okyel, Thomas Doyle, Simon Laveuve, Ronan-Jim Sevellec, Jasenko Dordevic, Frank Kunert, Trsitan Blondeau, Jilia Cissell, Esha Bijutkar, Mulvany & Rogers, NVIllustration, Basia Wesolowska, Max Dorey, Le Mini Di Claudia, Nils Lagergren, Lucia Dolgopolova, Victoria Rose Richards, Ana Sofia Casaverde, Chris Malcomson, Marc Giai-Miniet, Negar Faal, David A Lindon, Merlijn Van De Sande, Juho Konkkola.

Small Is Beautiful

Nuptial Celebrations…

Sue, Deb and I were invited to the reception of two of Jamie’s close friends, Chris & Jo, to celebrate their wedding. It was a lively event that eventually moved back to their house. The couple looked amazing and happy, and we understand their wedding transport was by bike taxi. We unfortunately encounter a young man who had just been attacked and had to assist him until the police arrived. It was a late finish for us and we eventually climbed into bed at 4am.

A Good Fair…

After many years we revisited the Carshalton Environmental Fair which was in Carshalton Park near where we used to live. It is a small and quirky affair but with the good weather it was packed with revellers.

Dogs on the Beach…

On of our favourite beaches to visit with friends that have dogs is Ferring, where they can run free and there is a lovely café to relax in afterwards. We went with Paul & Lorraine and Linda and their five excitable dogs.

Foraging in the hedgerows…

There were plenty of blackberries in the hedgerows this year, though some were small due to the lack of rain, making up for it by being sweeter.

 

Hot Summer…

 Whilst we were away in NZ, the UK went through a heatwave, and we noticed as we arrived much of the landscape was a dry looking brown. We had to adopt the Spanish ways of closing windows and curtains during the day to keep the heat out, and to ensure we avoided the midday heat. We went for early walk under the shade of trees and ate out in the garden as the sun went down.

Another Hemisphere, another Season…

 As the restrictions to travel to NZ were relaxed, we took the opportunity to fly there for a few weeks. Sue had just given up work and my company granted me extended leave, so as it was my mum’s 80^th birthday and we had not seen family and friends for many years we decided to pay the exorbitant cost to flay out. It was along and uncomfortable flight, but we were glad to see family again.

We visited the family plot in Howick and had a look at the town where we grew up. On the Sunday we had a family lunch at a lovely place in Pukekohe called the Monarch.

Sue spent a lot of time in the kitchen putting together a buffet spread for mum’s 80^th and many of her friends came over to celebrate. It was a joyful day.

As mum was recovering from an Achilles injury, she had not been able to keep on top of the garden, and so we lent a hand and spent a good few days getting it back into shape.

When the sun shone, we took time out to visit the Auckland Botanical Garden to see the early spring flowers.

We all took a trip out to Devonport to catch up with some of mum’s friends that she had not seen for some time due to the epidemic restrictions. It was a lovely day out.

On another occasion we travelled around to the east and visited a fabulous farmers market at Clevedon and had fish and chips at Kaiaua.

I took a few small card games along with me and we played some with mum and her friends in the cul-de-sac.

The weather was not always kind to us, and it was particularly dramatic when we went to visit our friends who built a castle on a remote hilltop (Brent and Hannah). We luckily got away before the trees came down and the roads flooded.

It was nicer weather when we went out to Waiuku for the morning to stroll around the waterfront.

Sue and I took off into Auckland city for a couple of days. On the first evening we went over to Gary and Mary’s where we had a lovely dinner with them, their kids Rachel and Ben, and friends Fi and Avette. During the days we walked many miles around the town and saw places from the past like Unity Books, the Art Gallery, the Viaduct, Marbecks Records and King of Cards game shop. We had a lovely meal at the Amano restaurant (though the portions were so big we were stuffed after the starters). The main reason for the trip was to see/listen to some music at the town hall – Reb Fountain supported by Jazmine Mary. Jazmine was a bit odd and although Reb was good the microphone set up was so poor that we could not catch all the lyrics. Outside there was a weird little Winter Wonderland

Gary and I went off to look at cars at the Coffee & Cars event at Mt Smart Stadium. The weather had put a few people off, but there were still quite a few vehicles to drool over. Afterwards we met up with the girls for lunch at a garden centre (they had been around the Auckland Botanical Gardens). Later Sue and I took mum into town visiting some sites before settling in for the evening at a venue at Mission Bay to see a Trad Jazz band.

It was a nice bright day when we all went down to the Hamilton gardens, and apart from Gary taking a tumble, we had a lovely day out in the various themed garden rooms.

During our time here we caught up with other friends of ours and mums and spent some quality time with family.

Our flight home was scheduled for around midnight, so we took mum out for a last lunch before making our sad farewells and heading off to the airport. It was another very long journey before we eventually arrived home.

Spain at last…

 After being postponed twice due to Covid we finally made it to Spain for our holiday with the Whittenburys (Deb. Dave, Tom, Ollie, Sam & Steve), the Matthews (Paul & Lorraine) Deb and ourselves.

Our first stop was at Seville, where it was warm and sultry, and we spent an enjoyable evening at an outside bar. The next morning, Sue, Deb and I explored the town including the wonderful Real Alcazar. In the afternoon we picked up the cars and travelled to our fabulous villa in the hills near Villamartin. A large sprawling building with well looked after gardens and a large swimming pool. Peaceful and isolated at the end of a long, unsealed road.

Turned out I caught Covid in the last few days, but it is a mild dose and does not seem to concern the others.

After a day chilling by the pool, we took an excursion up to Ronda up in the hills.

On another day trip we travelled around some of the famous Pueblo Blanca, first Zahara del Sierra, then Grazalema.

The group split up and Sue, Deb and I took off to visit Prado del Rey (not as nice as the other white villages).

Benamahoma was another excursion with welcome relief from the sun under the trees near the river.

Arcos de la Frontera is a much bigger place, and the old town is fascinating, as too are the large number of birds of prey circling the towers.

We decamped from the villa after more than a week and returned to Seville where we had a hotel with a rooftop bar (with misters) and a view of the cathedral. It also has very hot decking and a deeper than expected pool (ask Dave about that). We went out for a lovely evening meal to celebrate Paul’s 60^th birthday at El Pasaje Tapas.

While the Whitenburys returned home, the rest of us travelled down to Cadiz, where we wandered around the old town and along by the sea as the temperature increased.

Sue and I returned home next as we were scheduled to catch our next flight in a few days.

Summertime…

 June

• -        Held a Jubilee gathering with cakes and old school party food.
• -        Back at the UK Game Expo after a couple of years, with Martin and Rhys.
• -        Bought a print from local artist called Luke Adam Hawker that was inspired by the pandemic restrictions (we also bought the book where it features in).
• -        Visited the Birtley Woodland Art Space where Paul and Lorraine have a stand.
• -        Jamie treated Sue, Deb, and I to a day out at the Dulwich Pub in the Park fair.

Springtime…

I have been a bit remis about keeping my blog up to date, so I hope to provide an update on what has happened.

February

• -        We caught up with Marc and went to the seaside at Ferring for fish & chips on a bright winter’s day.
• -        A trip to RHS Wisley is a must to catch some lovely spring flowers, and while we were there, we saw a dinosaur in the boarders (like those on sale outside a quirky shop in Gomshall.

March

• -        We found a new walk at Hurtwood and Winterfold. Beautiful countryside and a chance to see some wildlife. There is a lovely installation there that acts as a shelter and has messages on the wooden shingles.
• -        Back to RHS Wisley to see more spring blossoms
• -        Had a fire pit gathering with Chris and Carole.

April

• -        Went few a few pints at the Hope in Carshalton with Chris & Carole.
• -        Foraged wild garlic in the woods.
• -        Had a BBQ with the Whittenburys around our fire pit.
• -        Lucy’s 25^th birthday day celebrations at Chris & Carole’s
• -        A walk in the woods to see the bluebells, followed with an evening around the fire pit with Chris, Carole, Deb, and Howard.
• -        An evening out at Voodoo Ray’s in Peckham to see Cosmic Fusion blue and to have pizza with Jamie and his friends.

May

• -        As the weather improved, we spent more time outdoors in the countryside and around the fire pit with Deb and Haward.
• -        Celebrating Lynne’s 60^th birthday in Seaford.
• -        Played boardgames with Martin, and even won a couple.
• -        Celebrated Jamie’s birthday at his place with friends and family.
• -        Catching up with work friends past and present at Rob and Sally’s place.

Birthday Retreat…

This year Sue and I rented a lovely, converted barn in the wonderfully named Cackle Street for my birthday weekend. It is on the edge of Ashdown Forest and we spent a good deal of time walking through it and across the heathland. We spent a couple of cosy evenings where Sue prepared some delicious food and we snuggled up to watch a couple of movies. On our way back home, we stopped and walked around the nearby Sheffield Park. The evening we played board games and Sue cooked another delightful meal. I felt very spoiled.

Welsh Wales…

A few of us visited Cardiff for a weekend where our eldest godson Tom is at university. We explored the lovely town and harbour and especially liked the Victorian arcades and dramatic castle. We did also enjoy a few bars, such as the The Botanist and The Alchemist, and we enjoyed eating at Mowgli so much that we went there twice, and got the cookbook.

Wassail…

We made an impromptu decision to attend the Dorking Community Orchard Wassail and took Deb, Howard and bemused Jodie and Lou along with us. We first watched some Boarder style Morris in Dorking before processing up to the orchard for the ceremony around a large bonfire.