The End of Summer

There's more than a whiff of autumn in the air this week. The nights are drawing in, the mornings are getting darker and the leaves are beginning to change. Even the courgette plants are finally starting to slow down - although, that might be helped in part by the Thames Water hosepipe ban!

This month, we took a trip to London to take L and J out for a meal to celebrate J's birthday, swept the chimney in preparation for the winter months - I feel the stove may be used more than usual owing to the extortionate gas prices at the moment, and took a trip to Petersfield over the Bank Holiday. We weren't actually aiming for Petersfield, we were heading for the Chichester area with a view to visiting either Fishguard or the Weald and Downland Living Museum. Unfortunately, the road Gods, in their wisdom, chose the Bank Holiday to litter the place with roadworks to such an extent that by the time we reached Petersfield and stopped to find a loo, we had had enough of detours and decided to call it a day and explore there instead. It turned out to be a good move. I loved Petersfield; as well as being picturesque, it had numerous charity shops to mooch round, a Physic Garden to explore, a fantastic second hand book shop and even a yarn shop. Yes, I could definitely live in Petersfield!

We've had a couple of actual theatre trips and bought a month's subscription to NT Live at Home, which means that for the princely sum of £10, we have been able to watch numerous plays from their archives. When the month is up, we plan to leave it for 6 months or so in order to let new plays cycle round before subscribing again.

Here then are the photos from the last month:

A circular walk and picnic, beginning at St. Mary Bourne. We also collected 2 tubs of blackberries:

The resultant crumble, first of the season:

An open air sculpture exhibition at Shaw House. This was my favourite one:

Associated brocante fair:

The cafe that J chose to have lunch in:

My sweetcorn fritters, which were surprisingly filling:

We followed up lunch with a walk in Brockwell Park:

..... which had the tiniest of model villages!:

Courgette pickle - made out of desperation in an attempt to keep up with the plants. It turned out to be surprisingly good and I would definitely make it again:

'Much Ado About Nothing', again at Shaw House:

Seeing Jodie Comer in 'Prima Facie' at the cinema. It was amazing and she deserves every award going for her performance:

R finding crayfish whilst clearing out the weeds from the river. Don't worry, we put him (her?) back!:

Finishing my pair of socks - the yarn was from the Opal  Van Gogh range in the 'Cafe at Night' colourway:

Petersfield Book Shop - it was brilliant and I could have browsed for hours. I bought a copy of Wilkie Collins' 'The Moonstone' as a souvenir:

Lastly, R doing his Dick Van Dyke impression:

That's all for this month. How has your summer been? Are you sorry that it's coming to a close or looking forward to the misty delights of autumn?

Toodle pip for now. x

Rye, Arundel and Bowie!

I blame Jim Moir - the comedian, otherwise known as Vic Reeves. There is a walking programme, I can't recall the name or which channel, where various celebrities go for a solo walk in their favourite part of the country, accompanied by a selfie-stick. There is probably a cameraman and drone  accompanying them too, as there are a few long-range and aerial shots, but mostly it's just the celeb talking to the camera.

Jim Moir took a walk near Dungeness on the coast of Kent. There was the Nuclear Power Station, an RSPB bird sanctuary and ....... the Denge Sound Mirrors. These are 3 concrete, acoustic mirrors, built along the Kent headland. A forerunner of radar, the sound mirrors were designed as an early warning system to detect enemy planes or airships crossing the English Channel. They weren't terribly successful - ambient noise made them tricky to use and then they were made redundant with the advent of faster aircraft and the introduction of radar. Still, R's eyes lit up at the prospect of paying them a visit.

Thinking that it would be best to get away before the schools broke up for the summer, he booked 2 nights at an hotel in Guestling, not far from Hastings. 

The 'Guestling Hall Hotel' was really lovely. I was rather taken by the antique clock and the beautiful rugs. There was a choice of dining rooms for breakfast - the African Room and the Asian Room, so called because of the decor. We were allocated the Asian one. Luckily, we had taken along our own soya milk (we have learnt from experience!), as they didn't seem to have received R's message about us being annoyingly vegan. We had the full English on both days, without all the meaty, eggy bits. It was fine, nothing to write home about but we didn't starve. My main issue was that it was a communal table, so I was forced to make conversation with strangers. That's not my forte at the best of times and having to do it whilst eating and before being fully awake made it doubly difficult. :O)

The African Room:

The Asian Room:

We had driven down on Friday night, so early on Saturday we set off to locate the Sound Mirrors. It turned out that R should have done a little more research before getting over-excited and booking a weekend away. Whilst they might make an exception for celebs making a TV show, the mirrors are closed off to the public apart from a few open days throughout the year!

We did manage to get reasonably close to them. They are located on a little island, access to which is gained by a bridge which is impassible for most of the time. So, whilst we did see them, R wasn't fully able to appreciate any weird acoustic effects. 

From L to R: The 200 foot sound mirror, the 20 foot sound mirror and the 30 foot sound mirror:

The 30 ft mirror still has the metal pole to which a microphone would have been attached. The mirror would focus the sound onto the mic, which would amplify the sound and allow the slow moving aircraft of the time to be heard and located before they came into sight:

Having gleaned all we could from the mirrors, we drove to nearby Camber Sands to paddle in the sea and partake of the obligatory seaside lunch of chippies on the beach! 

Then it was on to Rye, a town on the East Sussex coast, know for its cobbled lanes and Medieval half-timbered houses.

The 14th Century Ypres Tower (which formed part of Rye's defences) is now the Castle Museum:

After exploring the town, we had some time to kill before dinner. Luckily, there was a local cricket match going on, so we sat on the grass and enjoyed the game. I haven't a clue when it comes to cricket, but I do like the spectacle and the noise of leather on willow. I feel I could quite get into it with someone sat next to me explaining the rules:

Dinner was partaken at the Mahdi Spice restaurant, and very nice it was too!

On Sunday we decided to set off for home, stopping on the way to explore the town of Arundel in West Sussex, famous for its Medieval castle and cathedral. By happy chance, the castle was having a 'Medieval Day' and we bought tickets for the main tour, the bedrooms and the gardens. It was a bit pricey, but well worth it. Falconry and archery displays took place throughout the day, along with sword fighting, musicians and various crafts and entertainments. 

The gardens were beautiful:

View of the Cathedral from the castle gardens:

Then it was a long journey home, squinting into the setting sun as we headed west. I made a quick dinner and then watched the Men's Wimbledon Singles Final on catch up. I was pleased that Djokovic won! :O)

Other happenings this month:

Newbury's annual Waterways Festival:

Following on from our enjoyable trip to see the Simon and Garfunkel tribute act last month, R bought me tickets to see a David Bowie tribute act for our anniversary. I was a big Bowie fan as a teenager, so was really looking forward to this. Unfortunately, I found it a tad disappointing. 'Bowie' wasn't bad, although he didn't have the voice and his wig kept reminding me of the psychopath in 'Silence of the Lambs', who makes a suit out of women's body parts! The worst thing, however, was the noise; it was incredibly loud and I was worried about a recurrence of the bout of tinnitus that I had a couple of months ago. That, and the fact that the people in the row in front of us (just that row!) kept standing up to dance, spoiled it somewhat - it was lovely that they were enjoying themselves, but it did rather block the view of the stage for the rest of us. They eventually went down to the front, but it was still distracting. Nevertheless, it was memorable.

Lastly, I finally finished my 'The Easy One' sweater by Joji Locatelli, just in time for the heatwave! Here I am modelling it over my summer dress on the hottest day of the year:

I'm sure that it will be really handy come the autumn! Well, that's it for this month. I hope you didn't find the recent hot weather too taxing. It's much cooler here today, although I'm disappointed that we didn't get the promised thunderstorm. Anything exciting to report at your end?

Toodle pip for now. x

Oxford, The Platinum Jubilee, and other bits and bobs.

Well, it's been a while! I honestly have no idea where the time has gone but, as they say, : 'Time flies like an arrow and fruit flies like a banana'!

Did you enjoy the Platinum Jubilee? Sadly, we didn't have a street party this time, so I dusted off my cake stand and R and I enjoyed cucumber sandwiches, cake and a pot of tea whilst watching The Trooping of the Colour (Seamus, the mascot dog, stole the show!). I thought that the parade started well, but went on a bit too long (Prince Louis agreed!), ditto the Party at the Palace concert. My favourite bit of the weekend (apart from Her Majesty and Paddington!) had to be Ed Sheeran - just one lad and his guitar, holding the audience enthralled whilst a montage of pictures of the Queen and her family played across the front of Buckingham Palace. It was indeed 'Perfect'.

Other Jubilee related events include:

Enjoying a circular walk around Whitchurch and, by happy chance, coming across a 50s themed fete at The Silk Mill:

Shaw House, our local Elizabethan Mansion, was open free to the public to celebrate the Jubilee. They illuminated the outside in the colours of the Union Flag - although, to be honest, it did look a bit more like a reverse French Tricolore!

We have lived near Oxford for over 20 years now and the girls and I visited it during the school holidays many, many times. Then L went there to do her degree and I spent even more time toing and froing. I love it; it's a beautiful city with so many wonderful museums and places to visit. If you've never been, I would thoroughly recommend it for a city break.

Imagine my surprise then, when R said that he had never been to the Pitt Rivers Museum; I think we were watching an old episode of Lewis at the time and a bit of it was filmed there. Initially, I didn't believe him, mainly because the girls and I have been so many times that it's ridiculous. Also, because I have a mental image of him being with us on one occasion. I put it down to his memory (he also claims that he has never seen 'The Phantom of the Opera', despite the fact that we went into London to see it as a birthday treat for E!) but he was adamant.

When it was my turn to suggest a destination for a weekend jaunt, therefore, I suggested Oxford. I said we could use the Park and Ride and visit the Botanic Garden, have lunch and then walk to the Natural History Museum and the Pitt Rivers. So, that's what we did:

Something for Howard, my Monstera, to aspire to:

An old favourite that I used to take L to when I popped up for a visit:

The Natural History Museum:

Inside the Pitt Rivers:

This used to frighten E when she was little. Walking by the exhibit crosses a light beam which causes the figures to raise their arms and their eyes to light up!

We thoroughly enjoyed both the gardens and the museum - although I found the new 'Woke' attitude of the Pitt Rivers a trifle disappointing. Some old favourites, viz. the mummy's toe visible in the sarcophagus and the shrunken heads, were no longer on show. The lecturing posters we read with a wry smile as, if they really want to be so politically correct, the whole kit and caboodle should probably be repatriated. 

If nothing else, at least I now have photographic evidence of R in said museum, just in case he tries to deny all knowledge again!

Other happies this month:

A visit to Breane Down near Weston-Super-Mare to meet my friend, S, and do the coastal walk. Brean Down Fort was built to defend the country against possible Napoleonic invasion:

A walk and picnic at Iron Age Danebury Hill Fort:

A couple of theatre trips:

Brian Blessed has lived a fascinating life and describes himself as an explorer as well as an actor. His show was interesting in that he didn't appear to stick to a script. The consequent pauses - some of which were so uncomfortably long, that one wondered if he had been taken ill - didn't really add to the flow of the evening, but he was captivating and humorous and I'm glad that we went.

The Simon and Garfunkel tribute act, starring Cameron Potts and Adam Dickinson, was a night out to remember. They didn't look exactly like the duo, although Mr. Potts had apparently had his hair permed for the part, nor did they sound exactly like them. Neither of those things mattered a jot, as they (and their backing musicians) were blooming brilliant! They told the story of S&G through the years, interspersing it with renditions of some of their most famous songs. I loved every minute and they received a well deserved standing ovation at the end. If they come to a theatre near you and you have the opportunity - go and see them; you won't regret it.

A walk and picnic at Oakley and Deane. This was a really picturesque walk, with a couple of treats thrown in for fans of Jane Austen:

I'm always a sucker for a donkey!

All Saints Church, where Jane Austen's father was rector, before moving to nearby Steventon. We ate our picnic on a bench in the sunshine next to the porch:

Deane House, where Jane met her only love, Tom LeFroy:

A Mandarin duck visiting our garden:

Finally, a couple of my favourite poppies at the moment. The large blousy pink ones are grown from seeds given to me by my friend, C. The bees love them:

The ladybird poppy was a buy from the 'sad corner' at the garden centre. I'm a big fan of the sad corner - you can get a real bargain and things, more often than not, perk up with a little TLC:

Well, that's my camera unloaded for another month. I've also stained my hands brown with wood preservative whilst renovating the garden furnture, made some rhubarb and ginger jam and tried my hand at rhubarb gin for the first time. I'll let you know how it turns out.

The pouring rain has put a dampener on my gardening plans for today. Instead, I'm off to move some dust around, maybe go for a swim and then there's Wimbledon to look forward to later. Happy days!

Toodle pip for now. x