Two Parties and Two Performers

With just a week between, we celebrated the 60^th birthdays of two of our friends. It is not usual to divulge the age of ladies but I will claim that the power of social media does not allow secrecy to be maintained. This might be something that ‘we have to get a grip on’.

On Friday it was my turn to play the music for the sequence dance. The lap top is making the job much easier and it seems that a lot of people were pleased with the evening.

On 3^rd of November our usual visit to Nan was followed by attending the birthday of our good friend Liz le Voi. We have known Liz and her family from our time when we lived in Milton Keynes in the late 80’s. In fact Irene remembers playing the piano at her 40^th birthday. A few years ago, thanks to social media, we were reacquainted and have kept in touch since. Sometimes there have been face to face meetings, but also Skype and social media has come into its own.

Liz’s party was held at the ‘Red Hot World Buffet and Bar’. It was our privilege to be among the select few. There was good conversation while we tasted an amazing selection of great food. Unfortunately we could not go back to their house for the rest of the party as we needed to return home to light our allotment bonfire. There is only one day in the year when we are allowed to this.

Normally we light the bonfire in the afternoon and it is out well before dark. This year it was dark when I lit the bonfire. After changing, I was the forward party to start the proceedings . A number of bonfires were already lit and our neighbour, Anthony, was leaving with his family. Although it had been raining earlier my bonfire went off at first try. I had stashed an amount of dry wood in a cardboard box. A couple of fire lighters and a match started off the inferno. The heat from this blaze soon dried out and ignited the main bonfire.

Irene’s job was to come later with our tea, a can of brown ale and marshmallows to toast. Being on top of the hill we had a good view of fireworks near and far. Toasting marshmallows is harder than we thought. We did need much longer implements and a method of cooking the sweet all the way through. However we were pleased with our effort. The blaze died down in time for us to be back out of the cold by 9.30.

During the week following there was to be a disappointment. Having ordered floor covering, I took up the carpet on Tuesday morning. Unfortunately the shop rang in the afternoon to say that all their fitters were ill and that we would have to wait till next week. At the time of writing the three fridges are standing in the living room and we can only hope that the workmen will come tomorrow.

On Tuesday afternoon I spent a pleasant time with my friend Paul. His photographs of aircraft are exceptional.

On Saturday, a week following Liz’s birthday, we attended  the 60th birthday party of another dear friend - Sue. We have known Sue for almost 12 years. In recent times, since she moved away, social networking has again come into its own. Sue’s party was within walking distance, at her daughter’s home. There were many friends of hers there and we all squashed comfortably together to enjoy more good conversation and an abundance of food. The party ended with a great firework display.

Sunday 11^th was to start an even more eventful two days. Tim and family had invited us to go and see the girls play in the National Children’s Orchestra in Cambridge. We decided to make it into something of an outing and so we set off earlier than necessary at 9:30 am to arrive in the city at 11:30. The first issue was car parking. The advice said that there would be parking on the street. But being a blue sky autumn day the street was already full. We parked about 5 minutes walk away and then set off to walk into the city. The walk took us through the ‘Backs’, over the ‘Cam’ by Claire College bridge. From the distance all that could be seen of the river was a punt pole sticking up. Many people had already taken the opportunity to indulge in the favourite Cambridge sport of punting. As we arrived at John’s College chapel the chimes rang out for 12 noon. It would be another 30 minutes before we found a suitable coffee shop for a hot chocolate (mine was topped with cream and marshmallows) and chocolate muffins. We needed the sustenance as we had calculated that main meal would not happen till after 3:30.

After lunch we walked on through the city. We spied the Victorian letter box outside King’s College and I needed to take a picture of Irene next to it since the last time I had done so was over 44 years ago. Cambridge is one of those ageless places, unlike us who show age all too well.

Bicycles and Posters

King's Chapel

August 1968

A final circumnavigation took us back to West Road, and as we walked along we met up at almost exactly 2:30 with Tim and family walking towards us. Once more we set off for the Claire’s college bridge. From the bridge we could see the sloping grass which had been our picnic spot on about the same day when I took the first Victorian letter box picture.

 Isla and the girls went back to the concert hall. Tim, Irene and I went off to find Weathespoons,  where we would have our meal. Isla joined us and we placed our orders and had a good time together, before finding our way back to the West Road venue.

Isla, Tim and Irene

The place was packed, but eventually we found our places on the third from front row. It was a very impressive, modern auditorium and a full orchestra easily filled the stage. The orchestra entered to applause which went on until all the well dressed musicians filled the stage. After introductions the concert began. The sound was amazing. To me it was a flawless performance and ended all too soon. Both girls played with real passion, giving their all to the performance.

Iona on the Viola

Izzy on the Double Bass

After the concert we said our goodbyes. Tim and family headed back to Milton Keynes, with the promise of food on route. We set off back along the M11 and fifteen minutes later we arrived at the motel.

It was not the best one we have stayed at. The curtains did not fit properly and the bed insisted on moving away from the bed head. The people upstairs sounded as if they were on exercise bikes. However, after supper, a card game and some telly we slept well through the night. The next morning  we discovered that the shower did not work.

Breakfast was at the ‘Little Chef’. I had pancakes with syrup. Irene had the cereal and yoghurt. Then we were on the way.

Woolsthorp Manor

   Our first port of call was to be the birth place of Sir Isaac Newton, Woolsthorpe Manor, just off the A1. However, it was closed. So we decided to move on. In view of the rain the nearest possible place of interest was the museum in Grantham. Once parked we started our exploration by taking a stroll along the ‘river walk’. We were able to enjoy the autumn colours. 

The rain set in and we returned to the town centre. First we came to the Guildhall Arts Centre just in time for lunch. They served a good soup for Irene and a very filling baked potato for me.

Statue of Isaac Newton and the Guildhall
Arts Centre

Then we went to the museum. It was closed. The guide book said that St Wulfram’s Church was worth a visit and that it had a visitors centre. Once again it was closed. Now we remembered why we usually chose not to go exploring on Mondays.

It was time to start the journey home. Grantham is worth another look, on another day, sometime next year.

Is blogging going out of style?

I thought that it has been some time since I last blogged, but when I think about it I realise that it is a long time since I read anyone else’s blog.

While we were in New Zealand it seemed right to blog regularly. There was more reason to blog and more time to do so. At times it seems that we have never really got back to ‘normal’ since returning from our antipodean trip. A lot could be said about the definition of ‘normal’ when, in retirement, there is little by way of work schedule structure. Even regular ‘hall opening and closing’ duties are subject to the whim of others and can be ignored when we have a reason to do so. In fact everything that we do can be subjected to change at a moments notice.

Two of our regular weekly events have gone on with little interruption. Friday night has been our sequence dance time and Sunday is church attendance.

Two things have impacted our ‘normal’. First, the weather has not been conducive to regular walks. It would be instructive to compare the list of summer UK visits this year with those of last. Second, the decision to rebuild our kitchen units has really taken over. 

My last blog covered the period from 23^rd May until 15^th July and was a marathon effort. This one may get really boring as it will cover the period since then.

 Doing the usual ‘follow the photos’ we take up the story at 25^th July. This is a very significant date. Not only was it our oldest son's birthday, it was the date on which we went into ‘B and Q’ to order the components for our kitchen. It began as one of our ‘regular’ Wednesdays off. (While in New Zealand we made this decision which means I do not do any hall duties on this day of the week.) The day started quite well. We collected our friend Margaret Cornish OBE from her care home (Stanton Hall) and took her for coffee at the village cafe. 

This was in the old school house where we had a delicious but expensive piece of cake with our beverages. ‘Beverages’ is going to be shorthand for tea or coffee or any combination of the two for the remainder of the blog and probably for other blogs unless there is a significant reason to break from the convention.

The reason that I remember that this is the day that we purchased our B and Q kitchen is not by looking back at our receipts, but from looking at the photographic records. No, there will be no photographs of ‘B and Q’. The clue is in the photographs taken at our picnic by the River Trent. This is not the first time that a visit to the DIY store has been followed by a picnic by the river.

The embankment has seen a significant change since my years of travelling along it to work. The road has been narrowed by flood defences and the play area has been much improved, as have the parking areas along the road up through the centre of the recreation area. I was keen to see if anyone was in the Kings School building. However, the place looked very deserted and sad. This was heightened when I tried the intercom from the gate and received a melancholy dialling tone. Looking over the site and seeing the work that I had been part of abandoned in this way was a chastening experience. I wonder how the last members of staff must have felt when they closed the gates for the last time. I think that I am glad that I was spared this event. Although I worked on the site for only two years, it was only five and a half years earlier that I returned from a New Zealand trip to join my colleagues for a few frenetic weeks of setting up the building to receive its first Kings School intake.

While waiting for the flat packs to arrive and on a sunny Wednesday we went off into Derbyshire. There was an ulterior, kitchen related motive; namely to purchase 25 door handles in Ilkeston. As we had left early I thought it would be nice to go on further for morning coffee. Coffee time today would be in Rowsley mill, to the north of Matlock. The cafe is in a lovely, peaceful setting, disturbed only by a very loud gentleman on his mobile phone telling his wife where he was. It seems that some people have not discovered that you don’t have to shout into the microphone to be heard.

We still had time left and so we drove onwards through Baslow and on to our beloved Curbar Edge to walk and sit down for our picnic before going home.

Saturday 11^th turned out to be another sunny day and it was a good opportunity to take Nan for a walk in the garden at High Clere. She can’t really see that well now, but she enjoys touching and smelling the flowers.

By the 22^nd work on the kitchen was well underway, but we had a visitor. Irene called me to see a bird sitting on the fence. Speedily I went upstairs to find the camera, change the lens and then go back to replace the batteries. The result of this exertion was well rewarded by a lovely image of a sparrow hawk.

On the 24^th it was our anniversary. We had booked a cruise on the River Trent. The cruise included a pleasant roast dinner. Having told the cruise office that it was our anniversary, we were presented with a framed annotated painting of the boat.

At the beginning of September our routine was interrupted. Tim and Isla were back to work, but the girls were still at home. So, on Sunday 2^nd we travelled down to Milton Keynes to do our child minding. My Monday morning started with taking Iona off to IKEA so she could buy some storage units and lights for her room.

In the afternoon we went off with both girls to Willen Lake. The first part of the session consisted of Izzy and me going off for a master class in photography. I am sure that will you agree that she is very talented. In the meantime Irene and Iona sat sketching. We all then went on to complete a walk around the north part of the lake.

On Tuesday we went off to Salcey Forest. After delicious ice cream and a walk above the tree tops we had our picnic, before returning to the play area. It was fascinating to watch the girls wheedle their way to having a play on the hammock with a girl who showed no intention of surrendering it to anyone else.

On the 14^th the new camera arrived and I was disappointed to find the autofocus function did not work. Further research showed that the lenses I had were not compatible with the new camera so I took a decision to buy a new lens.

On Saturday I had just settled down to watch ‘Doctor Who’ when the door chime sounded. My friend Alan had come to tell me that the mayor had arrived at the community centre, and ‘could I come to take photographs’. Normally notice is given but on this occasion communications had gone awry. The purpose of the visit was to present the centre with a cheque for £4000 which would be used to give back to the council to pay our rent.

On the 18^th the new lens arrived. However, this failed to function. I was very disappointed. It had taken weeks for the exam board to pay me for the marking that I had done in June and I really wanted the camera to take special photos when Sally arrived from New Zealand at the end of the week. Not being sure about what was wrong, I took the camera into Jessops. I would even have considered the possibility of buying a lens if they sold one at anywhere near the price that Amazon was charging. I tried a lens and found that the autofocus did work and so I could conclude that I had been sold a faulty one. I was amazed by how easy it is to send a faulty product back and get a replacement. However, the lens would not be with me on time.

The 22^nd was a historic day and I had it recorded that I was placing piece 3000 into the jigsaw. The only problem is that I did not record when I started*. But, be assured that it was many weeks before and it was a major challenge.

The 23^rd was an even more historic day. All the UK children and grandchildren and us met up with our New Zealand daughter at Nan’s home in High Clere. Having spent some time with Nan, Isla and Iona and Izzy went off to orchestra rehearsal in Cambridge. The rest of us went back to Tim’s house for lunch and then played a game called ‘Settlers of Catan’. The girls and Isla returned in time for a wonderful dinner together. This was followed by good conversation and ended with family photos before Sally drove us back home, Joni and Fiona drove home and Joe and Julie stayed in a hotel before returning the following day.

Did I say that the rain started about lunch time on Sunday and continued for the rest of the time that Sally was with us? Fortunately, Saturday was a sunny day for Sally to enjoy at her friend’s wedding.

On Monday Sally and Irene went shopping leaving me to run the Monday cafes. I don’t think that I have mentioned that for some weeks now we have been running cafes. The Monday morning one started because I noticed that the mums would hang about talking and I thought that it would be nicer if they sat inside to enjoy a chat and refreshments. A voluntary contribution is asked and is generously supported. While we have the equipment ready we move on to provide a cafe at Leicester House sheltered housing.

In the evening Joni and Fiona joined Irene, Sally and me at our favourite Thai restaurant. Sally could not get over the fact that it was at the back of a normal English public house. From there we went back to Joni and Fiona’s place for coffee and to let Sally see their home and, of course, Tay the cat.

On Tuesday we drove off to MacArthur Glen (http://www.mcarthurglen.com/en) which is a collection of factory outlets at junction 28 of the M1. In the evening Joni and Fiona joined us for a meal and stayed as long as they could.

By the morning Sally’s bags were packed, but there was still time for one more shopping trip. This time the ladies set off for Sainsburys at Pride Park, Derby and returned with 5.5 kg of shoes and clothes. I know that this was the weight because we had to ship them off to New Zealand after Sally left us that day. She returned home safe and well and the package caught up with her on the morning of her birthday.

Our next event was Lawrence's birthday. We thought that we could buy a meal rather than a present. The event turned into a meal and the cinema. Irene and I have never been to the Corner House in Nottingham. Jan drove us and we went to the Flaming Dragon Restaurant. (http://www.flaming-dragon.co.uk/nottingham.php)

This was an amazing place. It had a good atmosphere as well as an ‘all you can eat’ Chinese buffet. As pensioners this cost a staggering £6 each. The film which followed was called ‘Looper’. The film had just been released and was a science fiction story involving time travel. It would seem that most Sci-Fi writers have a very jaundiced view of the future. Perhaps they are right.

From the third to the tenth there is little to report apart from the gradual progress in the kitchen. Tim invited us to join them for lunch on Saturday following our visit to Nan. Lunch involved the presentation of a birthday cake and then we had a walk before returning home.

A retirement village and a lot of water

On the 21^st I finally had an opportunity to get to the allotment. Irene has worked really hard to clear it and I have built the bonfire.

On the 25^th it was Irene’s birthday. We had a wonderful present opening time and then, despite the cold, damp weather we went off on our travels. The first stop was Bardill’s Garden Centre. First we had a pot of tea for two and lovely cream and jam doughnuts. Then Irene spent her birthday tokens on a number of plants for her garden.

The next port of call was Shardlow and a meal at the Clock Warehouse pub. (http://www.clockwarehousepub.co.uk/) It lived up to the recommendation that we had been given. The main meal (two for £10) and the ‘Crabbies’ ginger beer was tasty and so filling that neither of us had room for pudding. The setting is great. The pub is a warehouse on an arm of the Trent-Mersey canal. It was too cold to have more than a brief look around. But, I am sure that next summer we will be back.

Our road home took us through Long Eaton where we investigated the possibility of new floor covering for the breakfast room to finish off the extensive work that we have been doing. From there we went on to the ‘Cheese Cake’ shop and purchased half a cake of ‘Continental Caramello’. Not being far from Trowel Garden Centre our final call was to spend some more of Irene’s birthday money.

The day ended by a visit from Joni and Fiona in the evening. They bought a delicious carrot cake which we enjoyed together.

On Saturday we woke to the first snow of the winter. We then continued with the kitchen. I wish that we could say that it was complete, but there are the finishing off bits of skirting board painting and putting trims around the electricity outlets in the kitchen and the grouting in the breakfast room. However, there was time to sweep and wash the garage floor so that the car could be housed before winter really sets in.

*Actually I did record when I started the jigsaw. If I had have been following my own blog I would have learned that I started the jigsaw on 10th July.