Another trip, this time a short journey by car around the South of England. Initially designed as a foray into the small villages of Dorset, we wnded up taking small breaks in Woodstock (The Feathers), Milton Abbass (Hambro Arms), Inn With The Well near Marlborough and finally a night near St. Neots on the way home.
Lake Como
First weekend back from a week’s holiday in Menaggio in Lake Como. Another step on a long recovery from a serious stroke, this break was actually booked before the incident and booked to share with friends we have known for 17 years, ever since first meeting in China.
Heritage Break
Back from our first holiday since the stroke. over three months after the dreadful deed. Unusually, Denise arranged it all, booking us into the Flitwick Manor for three nights DB&B, which was nicely situated for both the English Heritage and secretive world of the codebreakers.
Do you want the good news……..?
Well, the good news is I’m still alive. And in a ‘for what it’s worth’ sort of a way, so is Denise. The reason for the complete lack of activity on the site is that we’ve both been very unwell. Denise went down with the very nasty ophthalmic shingles and in a desperate attempt not to be seen as some pathetic, peripheral outsider, I attracted attention by pulling off a (literal) masterstroke. The core of the story and the whole sorry timeline went something like this….
Keeping On Keeping On
Wednesday evening at the Riverside to catch the documentary on Alan Bennett, based on the year leading up to the publication of his latest diaries (“Keeping O Keeping On“). The film seems typically Bennett (or at least as I imagine him to be), a writer who seems as bemused as ever by his own popularity and is still as irreverent in his 80s as he was in his 20s. …
Madrid Meander
Just back from a Monday to Friday break in Madrid with friends. Have to say we were extremely fortunate weather wise; although a little on the chilly side most days were bright and sunny, perfect for wandering around a major city and general sightseeing. On the first afternoon, initially disappointed with our first impressions of the city, but that soon changed when we dug a little deeper and learned that to see Madrid architecture at its best you had to forget about ground level.
Carcassonne Midweek break
Just back from a Monday to Friday break in Carcassonne. Ashamed to say we knew nothing of this Unesco site until we saw a “48 hours in” feature in one of the Sunday papers, decided it looked promising and made a note! Decided we needed a boost after a few health issues (some ongoing) and hoped October would still be holding some warmth and that the worst of the tourist crowds would have diminished a little.
Show Of Hands – Snape 25th August 2016
Following the excellent surprise that was Le Vent Du Nord the previous evening, on Thursday we were back with old favourites Show Of Hands, with Steve Knightley and Phil Beer again accompanied by the double bassist and vocalist Miranda Sykes in the now familiar trio setting. The set was split between the newer material in the first half and a selection of favourites in the second.
Le Vent Du Nord – Snape 24th August 2016
The first of two consecutive nights at Snape, Wednesday saw us taking a chance on the progressive of the Québecois roots band Le Vent Du Nord. A chance in the sense that we’d heard little of their recorded work, although I’m convinced that we did previously catch a portion of their set at one of our early sojourns to the Cambridge Folk Festival.
Sporting Vacuum
For reasons to banal to repeat here, I noticed recently I haven’t made a significant entry about sport on this site for well over two years. I began to ponder the reason and realised that, at least by way of generalisation, I’ve become quite disenchanted by the professional sporting world. There are clearly some sporting specifics, and then there are the stories that some would say are peripheral to sporting excellence but for me are symptomatic of a deeper malaise.
Rosanne Cash at Snape – 21st August 2016
Been a fan of Rosanne Cash ever since I picked up her “Retrospective” Best Of many, many years ago. Followed that up with the “Interiors” and “The Wheel” albums but then didn’t pick up on anything further until the superlative “The List” in 2009. Had never seen her live, so it was too good an opportunity to miss when we saw she was appearing at the Snape Proms – oddly, another Sunday night performance!
A London Two Nighter
Back from two nights in London yesterday. Had a couple of bits of less than stellar news recently so decided to catch a couple of theatre shows to compensate, coupled with a couple of nights stay at the Rubens in St. James. Even managed to squeeze in a visit to an English Heritage site.