Trains,punts, automobiles and lots of walking.

Not exactly 'Trains, planes & automobiles' I grant you but the nearest I could get. Just back from a couple of days away and its started to rain......which is good because our trip away was a scorcher,
we didn't go far  just into Cambridgeshire for a couple of nights being spoilt in some nice pubs & hotels.
Ostensibly celebrating our 33rd Anniversary we had an excellent dinner at Chez Jerome on Friday .This was supposed to be a bbq but Sainsbury's managed to deliver everything except all the bbq food & accompaniments. Things going slightly pear shaped have been bit of a hallmark to our days away, I should add we didn't need an excuse to go to Chez Jerome it's always great ( follow this link for details http://chezjerome.co.uk/  )
We got on the road on Sunday & went over to Audley End House near Saffron Walden, an English Heritage property there's lots to see there, except the house was closed as Danny Boyle was there filming for a American TV series. It was good to wonder the grounds and see the other things as well, in particular the stables which once was a 16th century house well worth another trip to see everything we missed,we left there late afternoon & went to our stop over The Cricketers  Arms at Rickling Green, got there about 5.45pm & dining finished at 6pm! Nowhere did it state when I booked that there was no food in the evening, however the staff were good & made sure we could order but our meal was abit earlier than planned.

Obligatory ice cream!

The house.

15th C house used as stables

Inside stables, note bricked up door.

Site of the boilers to heat the greenhouses.

A very good full English next morning set us up for a day in Cambridge. Staying in central Cambridge is ridiculous money so we stayed just out side at the Red Lion at Whittlesbury. Two stops along on the train and you are in Cambridge itself. Not long out the station & we were accosted by people selling punting trips. This was on our agenda for today so we signed up for a trip later on. We wanted to visit the Fitzwilliam Museum today......to find it closed, as are it appears most museums in Cambridge on a Monday. Bugger!
Repaired to the Fitzbillies Café  for tea & cakes. Even a good selection of gluten free for Tara. I had a homemade Chelsea Bun 'sustaining Dons & students alike for years' it said. A cross between a Chelsea Bun &  Lardy Cake it was very nice.

I'm sure Tara was happier with her cake than she looks!

Chelsea Bun.

 Corpus Christi College was very interesting to look round. A Medieval courtyard where Christopher Marlowe stayed and studied no less was one of the attractions. A contemporary of William Shakespeare he gained his BA in 1584. A short & very sharp shower ensued but luckily we were under cover so missed the worst of it. Pottered on around Cambridge. It's a beautiful place with lots to see. Main street were teaming with tourists but get off the main track and there's lots of interesting side streets to see.

Corpus Christi.

Corpus Christi Chapel

Add caption

Being punted along the river.

    Our allotted time for a punting trip came round, although the river was busy it was a very pleasant trip going through a number of colleges. Cambridge would appear to get alot of tourists, particularly from the far east. It wasn't just us on this punt, we were at the front with about 6 Chinese behind us! It was however a very relaxing trip.   Repaired to a pub for a snack and a beer after (The Mitre I think) and thought about heading back to the hotel. A short bus trip & the train & we were back to the Red Lion. You'll see in the photos the door to our room was tiny! Known as the 'hobbit hole' luckily the room is normal size! A very nice dinner followed washed down with a local beer of which the name escapes me.

Crab cakes

Corned beef hash

Hake with lentils

Pork with black pudding

Peanut ice cream

Mango cheesecake

Weather started to look a bit dodgy we noticed after breakfast so we decided to head home. A really lovely couple of days. Must do it again.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Happy Birthday.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Happy Birthday.: We went with Ella & Julian to wish Mary (Julian's Mum) a very happy birthday. She's 98, very frail   now  and not always lucid ...

Happy Birthday.

We went with Ella & Julian to wish Mary (Julian's Mum) a very happy birthday. She's 98, very frail   now  and not always lucid though today she was on top form & as long as you hit the right pitch you could have bit of a chat as well. Unfortunately it was arranged at too short notice to get the boys and girls along which was a shame.
 We took her down to the pub next door (how convenient!) for lunch the only negative being again there was next to nothing Tara could have. Soup without the bread for instance.........is it beyond the wit of man to keep a loaf of wheat free bread in the freezer!? It doesn't take long to defrost. Many pubs these days claim they can cater for dietary intolerances, it looks good on the menu but in practise as Tara has the double whammy of being vegetarian as well there's usually precious little to choose from, however, rant over. I should also say that when the pub found it out it was Mary's Birthday they presented her with a bottle of Prosecco which was very kind.
The very palatable 'Reverend James' ale was both mine & Julians choice. Based on the recipe from 1885 it's quite sweet but not too sweet, a lovely mid brown colour, tawny I suppose, and 4.5% in strength. Having ranted about gluten/wheatfree Tara had a gluten free bottle of Peroni lager, Ella had a Southern Comfort and lemonade and Mary a small sherry.
Spiced Parsnip and honey soup  for T&E was bit of a surprise though they agreed it was alittle insipid, Prawn and lobster pot for me (posh prawn cocktail, very nice though). Mains were in the shape of baked camembert & salad for T (a bigged up starter without bread!) pork belly for J, childs cod goujons and salad For Mary and I had a really very good chicken, leek & crème fresh pie with mash & green beans.  Strawberries & frozen yoghurt for Tara's pud, lemon cheese cake for Ella and ice cream for Julian and his Mum. I slummed it on beer!
A very pleasant couple of hours with a grand lady.

Julian, Mary and Ella.

    

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Night before The Somme. 30th June 1916

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Night before The Somme. 30th June 1916: Another one of my periodic looks at the war diaries of both my Grandad's who served in World War One. Both took part in the Battle of t...

Night before The Somme. 30th June 1916

Another one of my periodic looks at the war diaries of both my Grandad's who served in World War One. Both took part in the Battle of the Somme, one going over the top, the other waiting to charge through and exploit the gaps the infantry were supposed to make in the German lines.
So here it is , the verbatim entries from the diaries.
G2104 L/Cpl Alfred Gowers MM 2nd Bn The Middlesex Regiment.
Long Valley.Battalion moved up to assembly positions in front and support lines. Every man carrying 220 rounds of SAA ( small arms ammunition) two mills bombs ( hand grenades) and two sandbags. Every third man had a pick or a shovel. Packs were left behind and haversacks were worn on the shoulders.
1901 Pte William Morgan 1st (Kings) Dragoon Guards.
Serricourt. The regiment with A and B Echelons marched at 9.30am via Arbre and Bouquemaison to the new billeting area at Grouches arriving at 11.30am.The Dismounted men under Lieut RG Fox marched at 1.15pm to Rebruve and billeted there.


So the stage was set for the following morning for the blackest day the british Army had ever known.
 The 2/Middlesex would suffer heavy casualties the KDG's would be at 2 hours notice to move. An order that never came.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Wales Tales. The ending.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Wales Tales. The ending.: Wednesday dawned to rain. Bugger! Tara done in from the mines trip and everything lese this week so reluctantly didn't go out today. In...

Wales Tales. The ending.

Wednesday dawned to rain. Bugger! Tara done in from the mines trip and everything lese this week so reluctantly didn't go out today. In fact only I went out. Popped over to Harlech Castle which was only 8 miles or so, a much more rewarding castle than Cricceith.
Laid siege to in the 1460's during the Wars of the Roses, it was the inspiration for the song 'Men of Harlech' which features in a brilliant- hairs on the back of the neck standing up bit- in the film 'Zulu.'  A film much loved by Alec, so once Tara found out this fact about the castle we had to photograph it and send a selection to him!
Weather pretty grotty, even had my winter coat on to walk the battlements. it was once on the coast line but now about a mile inland. During the siege they were supplied from the sea  and kept the Lancastrian cause alive in Wales during this period. The garrison commanded by Davydd ap Ifan ap Einion held out from 1461 after the battle of Twthill near Caernarfon until 1468 though it wasn't under attack for the whole time. Raiding parties sent out from the castle eventually became troublesome and the fact the that Louis XI of France funded an invasion of Wales by the exiled Duke of Pembroke meant that the Yorkist King, Edward IV had to rid himself of this Lancastrian stronghold once and for all. He sent an army of around 9000 to raise the siege and in August 1468 the garrison capitulated. Some of the English Lancastrians were executed  though the garrison commander was spared, what became of him history does not tell us.
Back to base and explored a little more this time going down across the Ffestiniog railway and down into other fields and woods. Tried to take afew arty photos, my efforts follow. We'd had a brilliant few days in Wales and would love to return. Cymru am byth!  

Ella, MC & Tara discuss the finer points of crochet.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Further Wales Tales.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Further Wales Tales.: I should have included this in the other blog about Wales. From the amount of boots footwear & booze you can tell Gary, Ellie, Oll...

Further Wales Tales.

I should have included this in the other blog about Wales. From the amount of boots footwear & booze you can tell Gary, Ellie, Olly & Laura hadn't left when I took this photo. It kind of sums up the great vibrancy and fun they brought with them.  

Tuesday dawned to rain. Bugger! Though it did ease off and once it did it turned out quite nice. Off to Sygun copper mine  near Beddgelert. Just T & I went in as the 186 or so steps wouldn't have done E& J any good at all. It was very cold inside the mine  and very wet, how anyone could work in these conditions is beyond me. The tour took you over three levels, at each you were taken through the history of the entire mine. It ceased production in 1904. Had a very nice lunch in Beddgelert, home made pizza with gluten free for Tara which was also very good. Back to the ranch and I popped out on my own to visit  a Roman site that was a 15 minutes drive away called Tomen y Mur. A fascinating little site. A small car park has been set aside  and the amphitheatre is more or less next to the car park. As with most Roman remains in the UK you do have to use your imagination. It's all just lumps & bumps in the ground really though you can make out the outer wall of the fort there and in part it has been built back up using stone found there. It was only used for about 60 years from 78AD probably because the Legionaries there went further north to go into Scotland. A much later Norman motte & bailey castle  has been built in the middle of the fort. It's a rewarding site to visit, I like its remoteness.
Dinner then, and we went with Julian, Ella , Chris & MC to a local pub   for a sumptuous feed! An excellent steak & ale pie with chips for self, Chris & Julian. Goats cheese salad for Tara, salmon fillet for MC & a small chicken curry for Ella washed down  with a pale ale called 'Double Hop' by Robinson Brewery from Stockport, Cheshire and very nice it was too, quite hoppy as the name suggests. Then onto a nice red wine with Chris. An excellent evening and great company. An interesting find in our cottage! The tools for the fire are in a shell casing for a 13 pounder shell dated 1916 Royal Artillery. I told Chris this who knew about it as it was his Grandads!

13 pounder shell casing dated 1916.

Memsahib and mine entrance.

Entering the mine.



Copper mine.

Copper mine.

Stalagmites and stalactites within the mine.

Hard has a must!

Just a few of the  186 steps.

End of the tour comes out half way up the hill with spectacular  views.

Beddgelert.

Roman site at Tomen y Mur. Looing towards the Roman fort with the Norman motte & bailey within.

Part of the Roman wall rebuilt using original stone from the site.

Example of the commanding view the fort would have had.

Amphitheatre following the line of the tussocky grass. 

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Wales Tales.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Wales Tales.: We've packed a lot into our time at Penrhyndeudraeth so far. Got an extra night hols really as we decided to do an overnight in Shropsh...