The posh tea.

I don't really 'do' posh as a rule. I'm happier with a pie & a pint rather than lots of small plates of nonsense, however Ella & Julian treated us to high tea at Priory House, which in itself is interesting  as its the remains of the Priors house from Dunstable Priory which was pulled apart in the Reformation around 1540. The tearoom is situated under wonderful vaulted ceilings  restored a few years ago and is now a Grade II Listed Building.

Priory Church looking splendid in the sunshine.

 I'd been here a few years ago on an archaeology gig when the society I belonged to ran a roadshow type thing and asked people to bring things along for identification. It's something I'd arranged via the heritage centre ( a poor mans museum also in the same building), the society got paid about £200 if memory serves.
We were firstly given a menu that I thought had everything in but infact was only the teas and coffees. There was as much tea and coffee as you wanted and you could also try different flavours. Then sandwiches were brought out, little ones with the crusts cut off! Another great thing is that with forward notice they can cater for wheat intolerance so Tara had a nice selection as well.  Polished this little lot off and then fresh (warm) scones, cream & jam came out, Ella couldn't manage her second scone so guess who had it! It didn't actually look very much food that was being presented to us but I must say it was filling. Finally cakes were brought over, a banana and caramel cup cake and a brownie each. All delicious, would do this again. In fact we thought about  making a gathering here when Alec & Laura are over. A brilliant afternoon!  

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Shot at dawn.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Shot at dawn.: This was the title of the latest Herts At War lecture over at the University of Hertfordshire given by ex-army officer and now lecturer Dr ...

Shot at dawn.

This was the title of the latest Herts At War lecture over at the University of Hertfordshire given by ex-army officer and now lecturer Dr John Greenacre.
A possibly controversial subject was handled with sensitivity  & intelligence by tonights speaker. It concentrated on the trail and eventual execution of Private Benjamin Hart of  1st/4th Bn The Suffolk Regiment. Our speaker was born and bred in Suffolk and works at the University of Suffolk and as Hart was the only man from the Suffolk Regiment to be shot it peaked our speakers interest, not necessarily because of his story. Of the 364 soldiers shot most were for desertion, far more were sentenced to death but 'mitigating circumstances' had many sentences reduced to imprisonment.
Our speaker dispelled alot of the myths around what happened at Courts Marshal, for instance the board of officers, in effect the jury, were not all staff officers far from the front line. Of the four officers on Hart's board one had an MC & would go on to win a VC, he and one other were to be killed in action later in the war so they knew what sort of circumstances Hart had come from. Hart was accused of desertion as he went missing shortly after his platoon had been warned about going into the front line trenches. He appeared again a couple of days later and was arrested.  It transpired that he'd deserted before and been sentenced to prison once the war ended, he'd not been an exemplary soldier by any stretch of the imagination and had other charges against him and other punishments including No1 Field Punishment, this entailed being tied to a post or wagon wheel for any two hours in twenty four just to be humiliated. They were also given extra guard duties and fined (my Grandad Pte William Morgan 1st Kings Dragoon Guards suffered this punishment for being drunk on picquet duty).Hart had also been buried alive by a mine earlier on and had to be dug out, he said he'd had trouble with his nerves ever since. Hart didn't speak for himself though he could have and called no witnesses to help him. In many ways his fate was sealed. Once the sentence is passed it goes up the command chain to brigade,division & corps for approval at each stage before the sentence is carried out. At the division level the general who had the file in front of him thought Hart's nerves were worthy of more investigation and he was sent for four days to see a neurologist who pronounced him mentally fit. From the divisional general it when to the Corps Commander Lieut General Rawlinson no less who wrote:' I consider an example should be made.' One more stop for Field Marshal Haig's signature and that was it. Though it must be noted that everyone involved with this were soldiers, there was no one with any legal training involved at all.
Benjamin Hart was shot by firing squad on 6th Feb 1917 and buried at Suzanne Military Cemetery  No 3 in France. Not in an unmarked grave as some think but with a Commonwealth Wargraves Commission headstone.
Of all the Commonwealth countries who took part in the war only Australia refused to shoot its own men. The death penalty was available but no General could pass it. It would have to have gone to the Governor General back in Australia  for sanction and none ever were. It was also known that if Australian troops passed by a soldier on No1 Field Punishment, more often than not they'd untie him!  Execution for desertion was stopped soon after the war, the phrase 'Lack of Moral Fibre' became more prevalent in the second world war but at least they couldn't be shot. 
Dr Greenacre wasn't trying to influence audience opinion but put the facts to us and showed there was due process and rules & regulations to the whole sad tale. In the Q&A session afterwards he was asked whether officers were treated differently, he said they must have been as only three officers were ever shot by firing squad. It was a very interesting talk and one I'm glad to have heard.
My opinion? I don't think there is any excuse to shoot your own soldiers. They surely had enough to deal with being out in the horrors of the trenches never mind the thought their own side might shoot them if they transgressed. Hart could have been suffering from what today would be called post traumatic stress, sadly words that did not exist in 1917, but there seems something particularly abhorrent with executing your own men.   

                                       John Greenacre (on the right)  prepares for the lecture.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Bloody computers!

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Bloody computers!: There're great when they work and a pain in the arse when they don't!  Our home PC was running abit slow so I innocently thought a ...

Bloody computers!

There're great when they work and a pain in the arse when they don't!  Our home PC was running abit slow so I innocently thought a quick system update would help........Oh no! It stuck on a screen that asked about keypad layout and I couldn't get passed it. Got on touch with Microsoft on a chat connection and was taken through afew things that didn't help. Was told that windows 10 had got corrupted and a needed to download a version from an email they'd send me. I did this and nothing happened so next day I got in touch again, after a while the person I was chatting to said he'd have to 'escalate' the problem and I'd get a phone call the next day. This happened and I must say the fella I spoke to, Mohsin, was brilliant! On and off over then next seven hours he talked me through things and also remotely took over and eventually sorted out the problem. He was a star! PC is pretty well back to normal and through his expertise we didn't loose the info on the our PC, there's some minor issues, PDF's I cant open etc but nothing much. He's booked to phone back today to check back that everything is OK, in fact I'm waiting for his call now. I should say all this was completely free, I really can't fault Microsoft aftercare service, it might take a while but it does get sorted. Phew!
   

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Foodie don't you know!

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Foodie don't you know!: Well I'm no foodie, I'm just trying to justify taking photos of my dinner and here's afew more for you.   Cold crap days call f...

Foodie don't you know!

Well I'm no foodie, I'm just trying to justify taking photos of my dinner and here's afew more for you.   Cold crap days call for some hearty warming filling grub, not bloody salad!
Fish pie is an old fave cooked this time with salmon, mackerel and Basa ( a white fish similar to Cod I suppose). Softened some onions & garlic added the fish to just start to cook. A proper rue made with butter, milk and wheat free flour,it works well, and loads of parsley all then bunged in a oven proof dish.
A big old pile of mash all put through my trusty Zyliss potato ricer, it's bit of a faff to be honest but you'll never get smoother mash, butter & milk added then lovingly walloped down on the fishy bit with decorative fish scale shapes made with the end of a pallet knife. Butter the top, stick it in the oven for about half an hour, find a glass of something nice to drink preferably something red (bloody hell I'm turning into a poor mans Keith Floyd) get wife to lay the table, curse number three son who said he'd be home to dinner then had to work late. Relax, sit, eat. Yum.

Rue on the left and fish etc in right.

Into the oven.

Yum.

A belated Valentines dinner was had by the Memsahib and I. Much better on a Friday night anyway, always bit of a pain on a school night! Acado had one of their spiffing deals  of lots of food and a bottle of prosecco.  An excellent fish pate with salad and toast was our starter, then some Bream fillets with a stuffing of peppers & garlic & a pud of panacotta with a fruit topping. Did you know that a good panacotta is supposed to wobble like a pair of boobs........ just think about that for a while, not too long now! I like panacotta.
Some blueberries added to our prosecco added something alittle different, it was a truly lovely evening with my love, what could be better?

Pate

Prosecco and blueberries

Bream fillets, cauliflower cheese & potatoes.


Of course Ida, Ruby & Monty give no quarter so they added a certain something to the evening!

   

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Harrow on the Hill.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Harrow on the Hill.: St Marys church was having an open day of their roof and bellfry  before the church is covered in scaffolding for the roof lead to be repla...

Harrow on the Hill.

St Marys church was having an open day of their roof and bellfry  before the church is covered in scaffolding for the roof lead to be replaced. Tara found out about this so off we went. Tara of course has very many memories of living on the hill, I know it less but I do have ancestors buried in the graveyard there. No graves marked as far as I know, I think the earliest is my Grt Grt Grt Grandmother Dorcas Bodimeade buried there in 1841.  
We both remember trying to walk up the steep path up to the church en-route to the Kings Head I think, one snowy night. One step forward and then slid back two, I seem to remember it was hilarious!
The church has an excellent café  for these events as well with proper home made cakes that stick your ribs together, no airy fairy Mr Kipling nonsense here! We took Ida as well & were pleasantly surprised when she could go into the café (well church hall really) as well.
Had a walk around to some fields overlooking West Street to give Ida bit of a run, it was nice for Tara to be able to reminisce for a while as well.

 

Peachy's Tomb where Byron sat to write.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Oldest bell in the belfry, cast in 1650.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did the tower tour, this was fascinating. Only six were allowed on the roof at any one time so our group was split. Half going on the roof the other half going up into the belfry above the ringing room. The oldest bell hung there has been in situ since 1650.Oliver Cromwell was still Lord Protector! Remarkable to think that my ancestors would have heard the same bell that I was standing next to. If I remember rightly this bell was made by an itinerant bell maker called Whitmore and was cast in a field in Northolt.
Out onto the roof next for brilliant views of all around, including as you can see Wembley Stadium and further into central London.
It was a really nice outing luckily the weather was good too!

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Walks with Ida. Pitstone Hill.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Walks with Ida. Pitstone Hill.: Went over to Pitstone Hill near Ivinghoe for a walk I've not done in ages and never with Ida. you start off walking towards Ivinghoe Be...

Walks with Ida. Pitstone Hill.

Went over to Pitstone Hill near Ivinghoe for a walk I've not done in ages and never with Ida. you start off walking towards Ivinghoe Beacon then turn off before you get there, and up onto part of the Ashridge Estate boundary path. Then off  that path into fields.You are following the ridge right round until you start to drop down towards some very nice looking houses. One house in particular is being refurbished and having another very large house built on its land. Must be worth an absolute fortune!
Bit of road walking here which Ida didn't seem to mind, she's very good and although she certainly opens up the throttles in fields and open spaces she doesn't stray too far with a quick check back to make sure you are still there. Off into fields again from the return leg of the walk. Parts have been cordoned off   as they are being managed for conservation and wildlife purposes. Heard Skylarks here, a wonderful sound drifting across the fields. With Pitstone Hill now back in sight in front of us we eventually got back to the car. Wasn't a really long walk, hour and a bit I suppose though Ida doesn't hang about!

Home and cooked a very acceptable Cottage Pie for self and Oliver with a bean version for Tara. Topping was a mixture of potatoes and sweet potatoes. A good meal for a winters day.

    

An idiots guide to an Idiot: New Saxon album 'Thunderbolt'.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: New Saxon album 'Thunderbolt'.: I recently posted my own review of the latest Magnum album that I had pre ordered so I received it on the day of release. It's extra sp...

New Saxon album 'Thunderbolt'.

I recently posted my own review of the latest Magnum album that I had pre ordered so I received it on the day of release. It's extra special (not to mention extra dear compared to waiting awhile!) to get a new release hot off the press but it is in my opinion special as well!. Yesterday (31st Jan) I was surprised and delighted to have the latest Saxon album drop through my letter box, not least because it isn't due out until 2nd Feb! This is the second of the 'holy trinity' of pre ordered new releases I've got coming. Next month will be the latest from Judas Priest.
Saxon are a great Heavy Metal band, always been one of my faves and were, if memory serves at the cutting edge of the so called 'New Wave Of British Heavy Metal.' They never hit the heights of Iron Maiden (due to naff management Biff Byford said in a recent interview) or AC/DC and strangely seemed to be doing better in Europe rather than Blighty for a few years. Maybe there has been a renaissance for the band over the last few years, having seen them on their last two tours I know that our 'unreserved seats'  needed to be sat in quite early to ensure we all sat together! Heartening to see also  that in common with alot of bands I've seen age is no barrier. Yes of course there's the old headbangers of my ilk but also lots of youngsters, The Band indeed played on!
To the album then, first up a very short 30 second track  called 'Olympus Rising.' Bit of a cheek calling it the first track I thought as it goes straight into 'Thunderbolt' with no break so is more or less part of 'Thunderbolt' really. Here you have the essence of all that is Saxon in this title track. Powerful, loud, take yer head off if it gets in the way, bloody marvellous!
'Secret of flight' is I thought alittle different. It tells the story of flight to an extent (100th anniversary of the RAF this year? No reference made to this but it made me think)  You get Icarus, Da Vinci, the Wright Brothers, jets and the nasty bombs they dropped, it's a good solid track with an interesting story & two superb solos by Doug Scarratt and Paul Quinn.
'Nosferatu (The Vampire Waltz)' is again a tad different. Dare I say a bit proggy! You get an intro of organ music  worthy of any old horror film ,it tells the story of the undead and don't be caught out late in the streets and musters two fine guitar solos from Paul & Doug. I like!
'They played rock and roll' is a particular track dedicated to Motorhead and of course Lemmy. It's a good one full of references to Motorhead from Hammersmith to the bomber to the Ace and many decibels, with solos from Paul Quinn & Andy Sneap (producer of this album and member of 'Hell') it's a worthy tribute to a great, much missed band.
'Predator.' Mmm, just not sure about this one. Biff played a duet with Johan Hegg who gave it all the very gruff growl and dark 'vocal'. I've never liked this style to be honest & I personally don't think it has any room in  a Saxon track. I admire the boys for trying something abit left field & what band doesn't want to push the boundaries now and again but this one in my humble opinion didn't hit the spot.
'Sons of Odin' however is back to basics, a slower track that has the mark of a good singalong, a good old Viking yarn!
'Sniper' has a great rock riff and rattles along, a real classic Saxon track!
'A wizards tale.' Another one I enjoyed, you begin by wondering which wizard we're talking about here, but the line 'Excalibur plunged into the stone' leaves you in no doubt it is of course Merlin and the Court of Arthur. Another great bold  Saxon track, with a riff to be reckoned with.
'Speed Merchants' starts off like a poor mans 'Motorcycle Man' with the screech of motorbikes, it's a fast and furious track with  great rippling solos from both guitarists.
'Roadies Song' is a tribute to those unsung hero's who make it all happen. Without which there wouldn't be a gig! Motorhead did similar with 'We are the road crew' but I like this more tuneful song better, its a great track.
The final track 'Nosferatu (raw version)' is bit of a swizz really, it's track 4 all over again! Frankly I can hear little difference between the two & billing it as a separate track is abit much. I see CD filler written all over this, Saxon has ben guilty of this before, who can forget the truly awful 'Standing in a queue' off the 'Sacrifice' album!?
Saxon dedicate this whole album to the memory of Lemmy & a very worthy memory it is but they make the irritating mistake of attributing it to -Lemmy Kilminster when in fact he was Ian Kilminster known as Lemmy. Pedantic I may be but its an error to a great Rock n Roll hero that should be corrected.
Andy Sneap has produced the last three albums,  this one, Battering Ram & Sacrifice, he has his own style ( listen to the band Hell & you'll see what I mean)he's changed the sound of Saxon to a degree, I like it , not everyone does but you can't deny they do a good job!
So that's it, in many respects an unremarkable album, there's no'747' or 'Motorcycle Man' to bellow out at gigs but its a very good solid Saxon album and for me hits the spot. They are a brilliant band and I look forward to seeing them again alter in the year.