Yearly Archives: 2014

John O’Groats

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The day started promisingly. Not for long, we were soon in the rain and cloud with the visibility down to 100 metres. We were heading to John O’Groats. We went by Thurso. Not a lot to see there, so headed on to JOG. On the way stopped at Dunnet which is the most Northerly point on mainland Britain.

Here Rosemary spotted a Puffin on the cliff side. Pretty sure the light house is for sale.

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The lighthouse at Dunnet point.

The most northerly point.

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Dunnet point the most northerly point of Great Britain.

Stephen with wires growing out of his head.

We then drove on to JOG where we bought tomorrow’s passenger tickets for Orkney and photographed this awful German tour bus. We last saw these in Namibia.

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Rotel German tour bus / hotel

Next to the Seaview Hotel for supper and the night. Over 130 whiskys in the bar.

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Seaview hotel John O'Groats

The weather is looking up. There could be a sunset tonight and sun is forecast for tomorrow!

Bankfoot near Perth

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Drove up to near Perth today. Staying in a pub called Bankfoot in the village of Bankfoot Inn a few miles North of Perth on the A9.

The drive up was horrible. Very heavy rain North of Birmingham, which cleared for a while, but started again South of Glasgow. Still we made good time and were here by 3.30.

Meal in the pub, ear wigged to discussions about the Scottish devolution. Not sure what side they were on.

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Le Tour De Finchingfield

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We decided to see the Tour De France as it was passing nearby a friends house in Essex.  We made are way over there on the Sunday evening, and even went to church for prayers at the Central Baptist Church in Chelmsford.  Back to their house for wine and cheese and then sleep.

In the morning we drove to Great Bardfield to park the car and then walked along some beautiful country side to Finchingfield.  Here we were met by crowds of people waiting on the side of the road.  While we drank some beer, we watched the Tour caravan pass by noisily.  Then we made our way further into the village and stood on an embankment waiting for the Tour to come by.  Great vantage point as we could see the racers come into the village, sweep across the narrow bridge and then on up the hill in front of us.

After the tour we hastened into the  Zafra Pasta Bar and Grill for lunch and wine.  Walked back to Great Bardfield by another route and then on home.

 

 

 

The Friars Club exhibition at Aylesbury Museum

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Marillion Poster at Friars Club exhibition

Marillion Poster at Friars Club exhibition

I have returned from the Friars Club exhibition in the Aylesbury Museum.  It has been on for several months and I have only just managed to get to it.  The Friars Club was the host for many rock bands during the 70’s and early 80’s.  Famous names like Free, David Bowie, Blondie, Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake and Palmer played Aylesbury in their early days of success.  Friars club was still running when I first moved to the area back in 1982, alas the club stopped in 1984 before I had even heard of it.  It has reformed, but is not running the weekly events it was renowned for.

Emerson Lake and Palmer poster at Friars Club

Emerson Lake and Palmer poster at Friars Club

The exhibition consisted of the advertising posters, band booking contracts, ticket stubs, band pictures, news letters etc.  There was a drum set from Pink Floyd on show, along with the bass guitar from Marillion.  To me the Friars club did not exist, the exhibition though was still a throw back in memory lane, remembering all those bands who had played in my formative youth.  When I saw a poster for Rare Bird, I immediately thought of the vinyl album back at home which I have not played for years.  That will be going on the record deck shortly.

Pink Floyd drum set at Friars Club

Pink Floyd drum set at Friars Club

I went around the the exhibition with a friend who was in her teens in the early 80’s, she had visited Friars club in its later days between 1982 and 1984.  She said it had been the only good thing to have come out of Aylesbury.  She recounted how her £6 pocket money for the week went on £4 for a ticket to Friars and the £2 on drink and chips.

Another pricing point, in the early 70’s a ticket cost 70p.  Glastonbury first ticket in the 70’s was a pound, with free milk on tap.  Now the price is £210.  OK can’t compare the first Glastonbury festival with a Friars Club gig, and todays Glastonbury.

Julius Caesar at the Globe Theatre

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The Julius Caesar puppet show.

The Julius Caesar puppet show.

Rosemary and I went to The Globe Theatre to watch the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar.  Travelled down by coach with a group of thespian groupies from Dinton for an evening performance.  We drank our G&Ts & Pims and ate our supper on the coach ride down, arriving in plenty of time.  While waiting to take our seats, we were were entertained by a puppet show about Julius Caesar conquering the Gauls, very much spoken in Baldric style.  (Don’t tell the organiser of the trip, but this to me was more fun and livelier than the actual play.)

The Julius Caesar puppet show outside The Globe Theatre

The Julius Caesar puppet show outside The Globe Theatre

We had pretty good seats at the centre front of The Globe.  I have to admit the cheap standing area at the bottom looked fun, where some of the acting took place amongst the audience., although standing for over 2 hours might have been a tad tedious.  There was plenty of fake blood and Romans throwing themselves on the swords in pure Shakespearean theatre.

Selfie looking into The Globe Theatre

Selfie looking into The Globe Theatre. Note am dressed up (ie have shirt on).

The weather managed to stay clement for most of the performance, with the predicted rain appearing an hour late to drizzle in the last few minutes of the show.  We were seated under cover.  Afterwards quick walk back to the coach and home.

The Globe Theatre looks a little incongruous set near to the Tate Modern and dwarfed by the modern expensive flats that surround it on all sides other than the river.

Snowy Farr at Cambridge

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Food at Caius College garden party

Food at Caius College garden party

This Saturday we went to Gonville and Caius college for our annual lunch.  This is given to the alumni who contribute some unknown minimum contribution to the college endowment.  This endowment funds the fees of current students attending the university.  At these events those who have given significant sums are mentioned, for instance the  Caian who has placed bestowed his London house, now worth £3.5 million, or the Chinese parents of a student donating a half million to the boat club house funds.  What is known is the menu of  higher donations will get you, a meal with Stephen Hawking (£50,000 better get on this list soon, he must be nearing his use by date), your name engraved into the Benefactors’ Wall in the Great Gate (£1,000,000), portrait hung on the staircase to the College Library (£2,500,000)  Full details of Caius donations are listed here.  There is so much temptation to piss off your heirs and leave all to your  alma mater  (Selina, I am only joking, she raises money from the opposition alumni)

Anyway, we had a great lunch with the usual  lovely grub prepared by the Caius team headed up by the chef who obviously enjoys his own food and we have nick named Ratatouille, the large chef, Gusteau, from the film Ratatouille.  The crab was excellent.  As usual we met up with Andrea and Richard and Chris.  There though does seem to be a noticeable dearth of people from ’72 who try and assuage their guilt of free tuition and student grants

Snowy Farr sculpture

Snowy Farr sculpture

Snowy Farr Cambridge Market Place 1975

Snowy Farr Cambridge Market Place 1975

Now the point of this post, Snowy Farr (Yes he has a wikipedia entry, so famous). While walking around the market place, I saw this rather naff sculpture which had been placed there.  There was no plaque, nothing nearby to describe what the sculpture was for.  For those who had met Snowy Farr is was obvious what the sculpture was about.  Why the secrecy, what was the council hiding, they paid £50,000 for the sculpture, are they embarrassed by it.  Many feel they should be.  There was much criticism that the sculpture was a waste of money, that Snowy would be rolling in his grave, the money could have gone to the causes he collected for.  A lone few said he would appreciate the humor of the sculpture.  Then there was the build quality.  The sculpture was supposed to be maintenance free, but within months it was stained with rust and grime, though those issues had been corrected when i set eyes on it.  Ah well, he was a Cambridge character, who was there when I was at university and I remember him fondly.  I am glad the Cambridge Council honored his name with this sculpture.  To some extent it needs only to exist for the time those who remember him visit the marketplace.

 

Snowy Farr Cambridge Market Place 1975

Snowy Farr Cambridge Market Place 1975

Snowy Farr raised money for charity.  He was a vegetarian, grew all the food he needed on an allotment,  walked into Cambridge to raise money for charity with his menagerie of animals.  He was a regular eccentric always to be seen in market square.  There is an excellent video recording of an interview with Dave Allen.

Snowy Farr Cambridge Market Place 1975

Snowy Farr Cambridge Market Place 1975

Cambridge weekend in Carmarthenshire

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Rosemary and I enjoyed the annual weekend away organised by the Berkshire Branch of the Cambridge Society.  The weekend was in Carmarthenshire from May 16 to May 18.  We met up with our friends at the Dolaucothi Gold Mines, old Roman workings, more modern Victorian workings and the 30’s mine. We took a tour through the old workings.  On the way to the hotel we stopped off at Talley Abbey, a ruin. I managed to capture a reasonable image of a Nuthatch feeding its young in a small crevice in the ruin.

The evening was spent in the Cawdor Hotel in Llandeilo.  The rooms were recently modernised, alas ours was a bit on the small size.  The food was very good, and they even had draft real ale on tap.  That is almost a first for a hotel.

Saturday we walked through some beautiful woods to Dinefwr Castle and then on to Newton House.  Dinefwr was the original castle, which was left to decay after Newton House had been constructed.  Some reasonable photographs of nest building Housemartins.  After lunch we walked back to the hotel for our cars and travelled to The National Botanic Garden of Wales. This is the newest Botanic Garden in the UK, and was funded by the Millenium project. The site is based on Middleton Hall with many of the old gardens being recreated.  The Great Glasshouse forms the centerpiece and was built where the old house used to be.  This garden was a highlight of the trip, we really needed more time,  there were areas we did not visit. I look forward to the trust raising money to reconstruct some old lakes.  The  glass house was used in the making of the Dr Who series ‘The Waters of Mars‘

Back at the hotel, another lovely meal accompanied by Welsh Harp music.

Sunday another garden, this time Aberglasney Gardens, another smaller but spectacular garden.  All these gardens looked so fresh, and the  blue skies definitely made them look their best.  A good snack lunch and then on to the Gwili Heritage Steam Railway, where we had a ride up the track and back.

It was a great weekend.

Herb Garden now completed after several years

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Herb Garden

Raised bed herb garden

The raised bed herb garden has now been constructed on the site of the ex Willow tree.  It is made of 6 railway sleepers and 30 barrow loads of earth and compost. The project has been on my to-do list for several years. The earth / compost was from several years of composting garden refuse.  It has been planted with Chives, Rosemary, Marjoram, Thyme and  Bay. Not sure the rabbits have yet appreciated this project, their home under and in the compost heap has been dug into.  They though may come to appreciate the tasty leaves as the herb project matures.

I have rejoined the The Kingswood Gun Club

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Its been a very long time since my shot gun has seen daylight. After 4 years of nagging by Jennifer on a Friday night at the P&A I rejoined the Kingswood Gun Club and shot for the first time since, I have no idea when.  Amazingly the gun had no rust marks. The skeet jacket appears to have shrunk by a few sizes, looks like I will be needing a new one of those.  I  impressed myself on the first stand, 7 out of 8.  Went downhill after that though.  I have re-joined. Alas will be missing the Welsh trip next Sunday.  Prior engagement, the daughter is coming for lunch.

Some changes since I was last shot.  All automatic traps, and a tea break half way through the shoot.  Nice to see some old regulars and lots of new faces. The club also has a smashing website and forum.