Tuesday 13 March 2018
An idiots guide to an Idiot: I nearly grew a beard yesterday.
An idiots guide to an Idiot: I nearly grew a beard yesterday.: We were in a pub in London on Saturday (The Lyceum Tavern on The Strand), it's very nice, full of old wooden panels and sort of cubby h...
I nearly grew a beard yesterday.
We were in a pub in London on Saturday (The Lyceum Tavern on The Strand), it's very nice, full of old wooden panels and sort of cubby holes to sit in. More like railway compartments I suppose except they weren't totally enclosed and you could hear what the people in the next compartment were saying. Neither of us could believe the conversation we were unwillingly eavesdropping to!
Two blokes, one probably my age the other younger sat talking about sausages.........(oh matron!) how many they'd eat and how many the children would get and when they'd finish the packet. It became one of those bloody inane conversations that unless you sat there with your fingers in your ears you couldn't but listen to. The next topic of conversation was rough skin on your feet, well the best way to get rid of it, according to dumb and dumber, is to put lotion on your feet then cover them in cling film.........That was it! We finished our drinks and left, thank Buddha I never indulge in such rubbish, so I thought.
Talking over the dinner table next day with Oliver & Tara I mentioned that I nearly grew a beard yesterday. What!? So I explained that I hadn't taken my electric razor with me when we went to London for the weekend and didn't shave on Saturday, but then on Sunday morning I used a wet shave instead. And I reckon I don't talk crap! I can still hear their laughter!
Two blokes, one probably my age the other younger sat talking about sausages.........(oh matron!) how many they'd eat and how many the children would get and when they'd finish the packet. It became one of those bloody inane conversations that unless you sat there with your fingers in your ears you couldn't but listen to. The next topic of conversation was rough skin on your feet, well the best way to get rid of it, according to dumb and dumber, is to put lotion on your feet then cover them in cling film.........That was it! We finished our drinks and left, thank Buddha I never indulge in such rubbish, so I thought.
Talking over the dinner table next day with Oliver & Tara I mentioned that I nearly grew a beard yesterday. What!? So I explained that I hadn't taken my electric razor with me when we went to London for the weekend and didn't shave on Saturday, but then on Sunday morning I used a wet shave instead. And I reckon I don't talk crap! I can still hear their laughter!
Friday 2 March 2018
An idiots guide to an Idiot: 'Beast from the East' my arse!
An idiots guide to an Idiot: 'Beast from the East' my arse!: It's the tail end of winter and all of a sudden we get a cold snap........under egging that maybe, but why do we have to give it a daft...
'Beast from the East' my arse!
It's the tail end of winter and all of a sudden we get a cold snap........under egging that maybe, but why do we have to give it a daft name? Then The Beast from the East collided with Storm Emma. So what is it now? Storm Beast? The Beast that is Eastern Emma? Or maybe what a load of old cobblers!
It is cold though, I took Ida out yesterday and it was minus 5 ! Did a walk I haven't done in ages that went around the whole of Kensworth quarry. Only a couple of miles but once you get away from the park you see very few people it seems no one ventures too far from the park! Must say I felt like Scott of the Antarctic in some places on the walk. Just after the area where I took the following phots you get to an exposed area over a couple of fields, the wind was just whipping up the snow to a blizzard! Still, better to be Scott of the Antarctic rather than Captain Oates!
A treat when I returned as Tara had made some very good mulled cider to keep out the worst of the cold & very good it was too! Ida had a little warm Ready Brek . All in all a great walk, quite exhilarating to be honest.......But I still hate cold weather!
It is cold though, I took Ida out yesterday and it was minus 5 ! Did a walk I haven't done in ages that went around the whole of Kensworth quarry. Only a couple of miles but once you get away from the park you see very few people it seems no one ventures too far from the park! Must say I felt like Scott of the Antarctic in some places on the walk. Just after the area where I took the following phots you get to an exposed area over a couple of fields, the wind was just whipping up the snow to a blizzard! Still, better to be Scott of the Antarctic rather than Captain Oates!
A treat when I returned as Tara had made some very good mulled cider to keep out the worst of the cold & very good it was too! Ida had a little warm Ready Brek . All in all a great walk, quite exhilarating to be honest.......But I still hate cold weather!
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| Still a working quarry as its chalk it doesn't look much different! |
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| Ida enjoying what dogs enjoy. |
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| Cold but being refreshed with mulled cider. |
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| Drifting snow on the roads. |
Thursday 1 March 2018
An idiots guide to an Idiot: The posh tea.
An idiots guide to an Idiot: 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, howev...
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.
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!
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| Priory Church looking splendid in the sunshine. |
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!
Wednesday 28 February 2018
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.
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.
Saturday 24 February 2018
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!
Saturday 17 February 2018
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.
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?
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.
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| Rue on the left and fish etc in right. |
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| Into the oven. |
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| Yum. |
Some blueberries added to our prosecco added something alittle different, it was a truly lovely evening with my love, what could be better?
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| Pate |
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| Prosecco and blueberries |
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| 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.
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!
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.
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| Peachy's Tomb where Byron sat to write. |
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| 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!
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