Past Imperfect

2012-01-26T17:30:00.001Z

Ah Tosca!
When I was a child my Dad bought from an old farmer for ten shillings, an ancient album of vinyl records which was the complete Tosca with photos of the Italian artristes. If you can imagine all those records encased in a heavy book-like cover- fraying at the edges ingrained with dust.
I played it endlessly and not knowing the story made it up in my mind's eye.
When evertually I saw Maria Callas - on TV alas- my story wasn't far out. Just listen tothe music.

2012-01-24T10:34:00.002Z

Tuesday Twaddle

I almost missed the anniversary of starting Past Imperfect – six years ago, January14th to be exact. One of my better moves– thanks #1son (have a Happy Silver Wedding anniversary in Antigua),and all the many bloggers who encouraged and helped me.

Whilst I think of it – norovirus – seems to be popping upall over the place – our hospital has closed wards a number of times lately andhotels and cruise ships are particularly vulnerable. Here’s what Gill Charlton said in Telegraphtravel:

Norovirus is contracted by touching surfaces such as stair rails, liftbuttons and salad servers which have been infected by a previous user. Another common way to catch the virus is toshake hands with someone who has recently coughed into their hand.

The best way to avoid catching norovirus is to be scrupulous about handhygiene. Wash your hands for at least 10 seconds in soap and warm water beforeeating anything. Steer clear of openbuffets or take food from the back of the dish.

Most importantly buy a bottle off Boots Anti-Viral Hand Foam which is alcoholfree and manufactured by Byotrol.

When the Holland Americacruise line introduced a trial of this hand sanitizer on its ships, it foundthat norovirus all but disappeared. Itworks much more effectively than traditional sanitizers because as well askilling germs on your hands, it gives an ongoing protection against 99.9% of virusesand bacteria for up to 6 hours

I have always leaned towards Lady Macbeth as far as handwashing is concerned but this sanitizer is top of my shopping list. Let’s hope they don’t run out of the stuff.

On Sunday night I watched an episode of Call the Midwife, it has an excellent cast and the voice of VanessaRedgrave as the mature Jenny. JenniferWorth was a midwife in London’s East End in the fifties and she chronicles life as it was then for thepoor in Dockland with its seamy underbelly of brothels, the Kray brothers and flea-infested slums. I found it to be true tothe essence of the book and Miranda Hart the comedy actress is a delight asChummy aka Camilla, Fortescue Cholmely-Browne who can’t ride a bike for toffeeand is always knocking things over.

In fact the author wrote to Miranda and told her sheenvisaged her in the part. It is just sosad that Jennifer died last July aged 75 before she could see the TV version. The remaining four episodes are on my must-see list.

Immediately after that came the first episode of Birdsong Sebastian Faulk’s love story setin WW1. I seem to remember finding thebook a little disjointed and found the TV version the same with its flittingfrom the gruesome trench warfare to the lyrical love scenes in the Amienscountry-side, without warning. And Ifound the long lingering shots on the hero and heroine – beautiful as they are –interminable. It must be a very difficult book to film, Ithought Joseph Mawle as Jack Firebrace was excellent and will certainly watchthe final episode next Sunday BBC1 9pm.

Looking at photos of hamamelis - witch hazel, my versionseems to be named Orange Peel and they say smells of marmalade. The scent is much more exotic then marmaladeIMO, but there is a clean citrussy kick

2012-01-23T08:38:00.000Z

Yesterday's blooming garden

Camellias- pink and white.

Viburnum

The witch hazel made me hoot with joy - I thought we'd lost it . I have some in the house and it has a divine scent.

2012-01-23T08:26:00.000Z

Some progress on first attic room

Second attic room - this was my office originally.

The large grey object houses an ancient roll top bath.

2012-01-19T12:41:00.001Z

I blame Daphne!

She it was who persuaded me to cast my bread upon the waters(my story) last summer. Last week it was a pleasant surprise to receive arequest for the whole script, but as the family were due and I knew I’d have todo a certain amount of editing I had a moment’s panic. I had all 300 pages printed out but as Ericfamously said:-

“All the notes are there – not necessarily in the rightorder.”

Someone said once that publishers didn’t like a whole scriptto be sent by email because it used up a computer. However after spending the whole week–end atthe computer – with breaks to rustle up scrambled eggs and smoked salmon onmuffins and a full roast dinner for my long suffering family - I was relievedto learn an email would be acceptable.

Then our long awaited handyman came – with reinforcements –to fix the attic windows which recently let in copious amounts of rain and arenow stripping both rooms and decorating. I have been deputed to choose carpets and wall colours. The plan is they will continue downwards tillthey reach the hall. MTL has rathertaken the wind out of my sails because for so long I have been suggesting we doa little more decorating instead of the eternal boring maintenance jobs thatI’d given up.

And the third thing – it’s always three isn’t it? The third thing was we had to arrange MTL’s –hopefully final scan – before seeing the surgeon late February to see if all isas it should be. As there was a gap thisweek at the hospital we went yesterday. I drove back in the rush hour in the dark and it was horrible. My back and neck were hurting – from tensionI suspect – and I took my hand off the wheel to ease my neck and hit the vergewhich frightened the bejasus out of me.

“It’s alright – just slow down a little,” MTL’s calming words had the desired effectand we reached home safely.

I’m still experimenting with photos so either above or belowwill be shots of the attic in progress. Picasa will decide.

2012-01-19T12:34:00.000Z

The attic - a work in progress

2012-01-14T12:46:00.000Z

Something's come up!

Nothing bad but I have to work flat out till its done and have to let everything else be. Sorry - back soon I hope.

2012-01-13T10:55:00.000Z

The Dickens of a Play

The holiday diet of Dickens on TV ended with two nights of The Mystery of Edwin Drood - his lastunfinished novel. He intended it to be published in twelve monthly instalmentsbut he got up one morning with toothache, became very ill and died having onlycompleted six.

It was once performed as a musical with the audience, eachnight, given the choice of three endings.

Now dramatised by Gwyneth Hughes, it is a dark piece with lust,sexual jealousy, murder and racism fuelled by liberal doses of laudanum doledout by a motherly Julia Mckenzie. JohnJasper the drug addicted choir master is obsessed with his nephew’s fiancée –Rosa Bud.

“Your bud has been plucked!” is a line Jasper fiendishlyshouts to his nephew.

The nephew – Edwin Drood is played by Freddie Fox and RosaBud by Tamzin Merchant. The two of themtogether look like perfect innocent children making the dastardly Jasper seemlike Lucifer himself.

Freddie Fox is the son of the brilliant actors Edward Fox (Day of the Jackal) and Joanna David. His sister is Emilia Fox, his uncle - James Fox(The Servant) and his cousin isLaurence Fox, co- star of Lewis –another British acting dynasty.

Jasper is played with chilling menace by Matthew Rhys and ifhe wasn’t the gay brother in the American TV show Brother’s and Sisters I’m a Dutchman.

At first with Jasper throttling his nephew, the story seemsclear but nothing is as it seems and one is gripped to the end to discover whodid what. Certainly Edward disappearsand the finger points to Jasper.

The manuscript is inthe Victoria and Albert Museum written at a frantic pacewith crossings out and corrections – right up to the time he died and it isn’tclear if even Dickens knew how it was going to end. His last written word was ‘appetite.’

Dickens makes even the smallest characters interesting andthe actors do him proud; Rory Kinnear (yes he is the son of that late, greatcharacter actor Roy Kinnear who tragically died falling from a horse in thefilm Return of the Musketeers) plays the Reverend Crisparkle who seems to bedeveloping an attachment to Edwin’s illegitimate sister. Alun Armstrong plays the kindly lawyer whoseclerk was a joy to watch, played – I think - by Alfie Davis.

I love the way Dickens clearly portrays the differencebetween good and evil and it was great to end a Dickens fest on an unfamiliarplay that kept one guessing to the end. The cathedral crypt, the graveyard, the music and the tantalisingsnippets of Matthew Rhys’ glorious voice letting rip makes me want to watch itagain.

The photograph depicts Matthew Rhys as John Jasper, TamsinMerchant as Rosa Bud and Freddie Fox as Edwin Drood in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. BBC2

2012-01-13T10:43:00.001Z

2012-01-10T16:30:00.001Z

Chocolate

I was ten years oldwhen sweet rationing came in and twenty three when it ended. I had/have a sweet tooth and boy friendstended to be graded by their generosity with the sweet stuff.

Puberty was well over by the time I could binge, otherwise Iwould have been known as Spotty Muldoon.

Now I can take it or leave it and never buy it for myselfyet the larder shelf is always laden with the stuff. Inevitably after Christmas there were boxesof Thornton’s – probably myfavourite – champagne truffles from the hamper, Ferrero Rocher and a bigchocolate owl from a grand-son. They allhave a sell–by date so I consider it a duty to ‘use by.’

Yesterday was a wineless day so my treat was going to be aFerroro Rocher or four. They are notideal – a bit too large for my mouth to taste it all over at the same time so Ifeel I’m missing something. They were ina plastic oblong see- through container and it took me an hour to open it. And I broke a nail dammit! In the end I used/ruined a tiny pair of nailscissors. I challenge you to do it inless.

I have the box with me now to remind me of the spelling andI am longing to pop one in my mouth but my craving time is in the evening andif I start having treats in the middle of the afternoon there’s no knowingwhere it will all end.

On the subject of sell by dates, the Wiltshire family arecoming this week-end so I had a quick scan and found two bottles of oil –practically prehistoric. They wereditched and replaced and on checking the date of the new bottle it said:

DEC 12 02:10.

What do you make of that?

Happily there was a free phone number also on the bottle soI rang for an explanation.

I’m sure the brainy ones have sussed it already but forothers like me it means:

Sell by date Dec 12and that it was bottled on the second of the tenth month. Who knew? Anyhow the pleasant girl I was speaking to is going to suggest they makeit clearer.

Buster bulletin:

Yesterday he just sat in his basket and had a poorly eye buttoday – for no particular reason -he bucked up and has gone from 1/10 to 5/10.

2012-01-10T16:23:00.000Z

Buster

2012-01-08T11:21:00.000Z

Happy Birthday David!

This always makes me laugh.

2012-01-06T10:43:00.000Z

Epiphany

January 6^th is Epiphany and also the dayChristmas decorations should be removed. If you are superstitious – don’t panic – do as I have done – take themdown and sort them and put away when you have time.

Good news today – my grandson-dog Buster is out of hospital(RVC) and hopefully with a further 2 weeks antibiotics will be back to his old self, Jubilation all round – he’s been missed somuch by his immediate family. He wasallowed visitors yesterday and I’m sure that gave him the boost he needed.

Sad news from the daughters of an old friend; she died justbefore Christmas but it was such a loving letter saying how very lucky and privilegedthey felt to have been her daughters and described her as ‘our lovely Mum.’

Her grandchildren wrote their own poem and two grand –daughtersread it out at the Service. They hadfound the poem ‘I am Free’ amongst her papers so that was also read out.

I am Free.

Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free,

I’m following paths God made for me.

I took his hand, I heard him call…

Then turned, and bid farewell to all.

I could not stay another day,

To laugh, to love, to sing, to play.

Tasks left undone must stay that way.

I found my peace… at close of day.

And if parting left a void

Then fill it with remembered joys.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss,

Ah yes, these things I too will miss.

Be not burdened, deep with sorrow

I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.

My life’s been full…I’ve savoured much.

Good friends, good times…

A loved one’s touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief,

Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.

Lift up your heart and share with me,

God wants me now …he set me free.

Shannon Lee Moseley

I remember her with great affection; when I first went tolive with MTL I was a stranger in a strange town and some people looked askanceat this person who turned up out of nowhere. Being old-fashioned I think MTL would have liked to have kept me hiddenuntil we were safely married but Pearl and her husband were old and trustedfriends and when we met them for lunch she went out of her way to make me feelwelcome and at home. After lunch shesaid:

‘MTL had got his bounce back,’ which was very reassuring tome and we became firm friends.

One couple dropped in to leave their car as they were goingabroad on holiday. Surprised to see thisstrange lady they assumed I was one of the Scottish cousins.

‘A kissing cousin,’ MTL remarked later.

2012-01-04T10:15:00.000Z

Worth repeating

What lies behind usand what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Walt Emerson

Life is like riding a bicycle-in order to keep your balance you must keep moving.

Albert Einstein

Happiness often sneaksin through a door you didn’t know you left open.

John Barrymore

Try not to become aman of success, but rather try to become a man of value.

Albert Einstein

The best way to cheeryourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.

Mark Twain

The longer we dwell onour misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.

Voltaire

Happiness is when whatyou think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

Mahatma Ghandi

Prosperity is notwithout many fears and distastes, and adversity is not without comfort and hopes.

Francis Bacon

Success is the abilityto go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.

Winston Churchill

There’s much to besaid for challenging fate instead of ducking behind it.

Diana Trilling

Diana Trilling was the one name I was unfamiliar with. She was married to the literary critic LionelTrilling and was a writer and reviewer for The Nation magazine. Our own Martin Amis said of her:

In New York, Diana Trilling is regarded with thesuspicious awe customarily reserved for the city's senior literary ladies.Whenever I announced my intention of going along to interview her, peoplelooked at me with trepidation, a new respect, a certain holy dread. I felt Iwas about to enter the lion's den — or the den of the literary lioness, whichis often just as dangerous."

2012-01-04T10:10:00.000Z

Diana Trilling 1905-1996

2012-01-02T09:43:00.000Z

Everyone Sang

Suddenly this morning - as bright sunshine glowed from theeast - Sassoon’s poem came to life:

Everyone suddenly burst out singing;

And I was filled with such delight

As prisoned birds must find in freedom,

Winging wildly across the white

Orchards and dark green fields, on – on – and out of sight.

Everyone’s voice was suddenly lifted;

And beauty came like the setting sun:

My heart was shaken with tears, and horror

Drifted away…O but Everyone

Was a bird; and the song was wordless; the singing will

never be done

Siegfried Sassoon

Never before have I seen a rose and a daffodil bloomtogether in my garden in January and I am filled with hope and optimism. As David Attenborough says:

’It’s a wonderful world!’ We should make the most of it.

2012-01-02T09:19:00.001Z

...and a poem

2011-12-31T14:30:00.003Z

Ring out the old, ringin the new,

Ring, happy bells,across the snow:

The year is going, lethim go;

Ring out the false, ringin the true.

Ring out old shapes offoul disease;

Ring out the narrowinglust of gold;

Ring out the thousandwars of old,

Ring in the thousandyears of peace.

Alfred Lord Tennyson

God bless you all

Pat

A Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T14:15:00.000Z

A bouquet for you!

2011-12-28T12:18:00.000Z

Oh the Varmint!

2011-12-28T12:16:00.000Z

Oh the Varmint!

He’s got me again. Iwas sure the days of that last hidden present to tease me were over. MTL asked me to choose some earrings and hewould collect them. As usual there werelots of little gifts and MTL apologised for the messy wrapping as his fingersaren’t working properly yet and the earrings I had chosen in a lovely goldlittle parcel. We both were given lovelypresents which we don’t expect or deserve. Gradually I cleared the wrapping paper, made a list of what from whomand dispersed the presents.

The next day I started to think about thank you letters andspotted two little parcels under the tree which I know weren’t there the nightbefore: one scruffily wrapped and one similar to the beautiful wrapping fromthe jewellers. The scruffy packagecontained a beautiful pair of pale pink fluffy long socks and the gold sparklypackage contained a beautiful antique brooch. I looked up to see MTL with a great big grin on his face.

Pat: “Didn’t they think it odd that you bought two presents?”

MTL: “No they think one’s for you and one for the girlfriend!”

2011-12-24T18:33:00.000Z

Now where am I?

Don’t take any notice– I’m just talking to myself, checking I haven’t forgotten something. I seem to have an extra day as I wasconvinced Christmas Day was Saturday and then thought I had all the time in theworld. It’s ridiculous really – just thetwo of us - what could it matter if it all goes pear-shaped? Second wife syndrome?

The boned turkeylooks quite harmless and the ham is safely boiled. I’m trying out a new stuffing – mushrooms,shallots, bread crumbs, tarragon, marmalade and orange juice and I’m going to put port in thegravy. Bacon on the breast and littlesausages will give a bit of a kick, Vichy carrots – cooked with a bit of butterand sugar, a few sprouts and roasted parsnips which are already parboiled to beroasted with drizzles of honey. Oh andas I can’t stuff the turkey I’m going to festoon it with orange and lemonslices.

I’m coming off thewagon for tomorrow at least - it's been a month - and let MTL choose the wine which I think will bechampers. We are not having a starterbut we are having a delicious chocolate and cherry dessert. We’ll have a light breakfast and then starvetill one nanosecond after the Queen’s speech. I hope Phillip recovers in time to be with the family. I’ll bet he’s a terrible patient.

When I hear thecarols in the morning I shall remember all those Christmases past and theabsent ones and the ones still here but absent and I shall toast all my cyber friends – the ones who leavefriendly messages and the ones who just lurk – I’ll be leaving a libation and amince pie out just for you.

2011-12-23T13:26:00.002Z

For anyone who feels -"Wish I was at home for Christmas."

2011-12-20T15:34:00.000Z

2011-12-20T15:33:00.000Z

2011-12-20T15:31:00.000Z

2011-12-20T15:29:00.000Z

2011-12-20T12:12:00.002Z

Dogged is my middle name.

Mid morning I started to post four photos as Scarlet asked me to show the tree. I kept the words to a minimum as Picasa seems to have taken against them but it would not publish. So I tried the photos with just identifying numbers - 1,2,3 and 4. No dice! So I tried the four photos with no words and no numbers. Zilch!
Then I tried without Picasa just getting images from Dashboard but it never recognises my file names. Eventually I find the photos and then it all gets rather painful and makes me feel totally useless.

After lunch I gritted my teeth and have just managed to post one photo at a time - no names no numbers but hopefully the copy below will clarify.
Just had a surprise parcel of fishy delights: oak roast salmon, smoked salmon and gravalax. Yum yum. And a surprise bouquet from my help. Feeling a bit panicked so may be quiet for a while whilst I catch up. That usually ends up with me posting every day. You'll have to just bear with me.

For Scarlet
#1 - whose tree is rather prettier. Christmas decorations are not my forte. They end up looking like the Queen Mum out on the razzle. Then I remember the garden - it's amazing what a bit of laurel , holly and ivy can do

#2Scarlet has a star I have my old faery queen

#3This is my favourite bit because the heat from the fire brings out the fragrance of the pine cones and makes the gold bits shiver and shimmer with delight

#4Our postie is a sweetie and never grumbles because I have covered the letter box.

Photos below - they won't post with copy.

2011-12-18T19:48:00.000Z

An Engaging Hour

Pat “I‘ve just seen a really interesting interview with Brian Blessed.”

MTL”Isn’t he a bit of a ham?”

I always felt there was more to the larger- than- life, rumbustious actor than appears on the surface and Fern Britton’s interview proved I was right. She is one of the best interviewers – inspiring trust in both the interviewee and the audience.

Unusually the interview took place in his shed in what appeared to be very large grounds. This was his cosy comfortable refuge where he could be utterly quiet, at peace and meditate. He was brought up in Yorkshire – the son of a miner and he gave a graphic account of his teen- age breakdown which moved me to tears.

Friends include Stephen Fry and Virginia McKenna who give affectionate descriptions of his persona. I kept expecting Kenneth Branagh to pop up as they worked together in films for years. He has an exceptional singing voice and had a great success in ‘Cats’. The children in the audience were encouraged to come up and mingle with the actors and when one little girl shyly answered “Yes” when Brian asked he if she had enjoyed the show - dressed in his gigantic pussy costume - her parents burst into tears. She had some condition which had inhibited speech and this was the first time she had spoken.

He has always been obsessed with Everest and risked life and limb to climb it. He managed to get an audience with the Dalai Lama, part of which is included in the programme and he later tells for the first time how the Dalai Lama told him of the forthcoming death of his brother and that he would be re- incarnated and live in Halifax, Canada. Further questioning from Fern elicited the information that Brian had found the child – without revealing their connection - and that he had been given the address from the Dalai Lama.

There are lots of interesting anecdotes – he himself is deeply spiritual and was able to help Colin Blakeley find his way when playing Jesus. He goes back to the dear old days when he was a police man in Z Cars and had me roaring with laughter at a story about John Hurt.

One of his daughters – also an actor - said she remembered as a child what a wonderful father he was – and sometimes ‘a pain’. I hoped we might see his wife who I remember as a beautiful actress but I think she probably values her privacy and who can blame her.

I hope I haven’t spoiled it for you as the whole interview can be seen on BBCi Player and presumably if you have a computer you can see it. Enjoy!

See photos below.

2011-12-18T19:43:00.000Z

Brian Blessed

The Dalai Lama

Fern Britton

2011-12-16T11:08:00.000Z

Pampering or Maintenance?

“Don’t you pamper yourself?” Gina’s question gave me pause for thought. I was visiting her for the first time in her new salon and recognised the mixture of elation and terror that comes with starting one’s own business. Remembering the austerity of one’s youth and the enforced penny pinching whilst nursing and early marriage, it was only when I started making money modelling that I felt justified – indeed morally bound - to keep appearances in top notch condition.

Gina was suggesting I had a manicure whilst waiting for my hair to dry and I realised I hadn’t had a professional one since I left the S.E. decades ago. It was a no-brainer – my nails were not perfect and it would make both Gina and Sally the manicurist happy. I remember reading recently that American women take regular manicures as the norm- or was that just New Yorkers?

Manicures have moved on and I had sort of jellex polish applied which is meant to last for up to three weeks. With my record I reckoned 24 hours would be an achievement but so far it is looking good. The whole thing was pleasurable; Sally had very smooth white cushiony hands – very soothing to my bony ones. Each nail had about ten different things done to it and there was no tedious waiting for it to dry as there was a hand receptacle that dried in seconds. Just getting all the nails exactly the same length was an improvement and my years of massaging with Sally Hanson cuticle cream has paid off.

I’m impressed and seriously thinking of making it a regular habit. I discussed it with MTL and he thought it a good idea but what do you think

I chose a very pale pink – similar to the photo but my nails are now shorter.

2011-12-16T11:06:00.000Z

2011-12-13T11:10:00.001Z

A Lasting Impression.

We don’t often get late night calls so I was a little concerned as I picked up the phone. A man’s voice answered my tentative “Hello.”

I remembered an ex- naval relative used to bellow:

“Identify yourself!” But I was always taught to give away no information except possibly the number until you know who you are speaking to.

His voice was cultured, mellifluous and vaguely familiar and suddenly I remembered a very tall slender man with a penchant for dotty sun hats and a unique Christian name. We first met R and his wife at Dubai airport en route for Delhi. They were a charming couple – older than us, and they helped to make our time in Rajasthan even more interesting. On our return we kept in touch and when they were visiting nearby we met them for lunch. Then I heard they had gone to live up north to be near their children. The last Christmas card had a new address of a retirement home.

R told me that his beloved wife became ill and when he could no longer look after her they both moved into a retirement home. They settled in quite happily and then after six months his wife had a stroke and died. R decided to stay on. Of course he misses his wife of over 60 years. He had just received my Christmas card and felt like a chat. He said he was very old and couldn’t remember things and I told him we had the same problems.

“I know we met in India but I can’t remember what you look like.” In fact we had exchanged photos but with all his changing circumstances over the last few years I wouldn’t expect him to hang on to photos of stray holiday acquaintances. All I could think of to jog his memory was that I was fair and not very tall. (5’3and a half after shrinkage.)

I certainly have good reason to remember R as he saved me from a very nasty accident. Visiting one of the temples quite early one morning I – with enormous optimism - went to step up from the rocky ground onto a platform in order to look through a window; I managed to get my foot on the platform then lost my balance and toppled backwards. I just had time to visualise a fractured skull with blood everywhere when I felt a steel- like brace at my back which halted the fall. R who was standing a little way away saw what was happening and with an incredibly fast reflex action had leapt to catch me. Others then gathered round and helped him gently steer me back onto terra rocky firma.

Where was MTL you may ask? He was on the other side of the temple and saw it all happen. From then on R was our knight in shining armour.

I told all this to R and he seemed pleased and somewhat comforted by the time we said good night and he knows he can always phone when he feels like a chat.

Below are a few random photos from our trip.

2011-12-13T11:03:00.000Z

Details of the facade of the Taj Mahal

A young girl with her brass plate to collect animal dung for fuel

Gwalior Fort

A local boy.

Family fun on the terrace of the Taj

One of the temples

Workmen at the Taj

The locals were friendly. There were cranes below.

2011-12-11T11:47:00.000Z

If David says so - it must be true!

2011-12-08T12:19:00.002Z

The Drink and I

First of all let me be clear: I don’t have a problem. I can take it or leave it and just at this moment in time I am choosing to leave it. For now. A week or so ago I had a bug which rendered me sans energy and appetite. After three days I got better and realised that for the first time for decades I had gone longer than 24 hours without a glass of wine. It seemed like an interesting experiment to continue for as long as it felt comfortable and see what effect it had both on my spirits and on my weight. I have difficulty keeping under 9 stone and a few pounds above that and it feels uncomfortable owing to small bones and a short torso. Eight and a half would be grand.

I didn’t want to miss the evening ritual – a relaxed drink before supper – so substituted Diet coke. (Flat D.C. is great, incidentally for Delhi Belly.)

As a child – at Sunday school I was a member of the Band of Hope – much to my Granddad’s amusement – him being a regular at The Rose and Crown, My first memory of sampling the demon drink was the end of our last term at grammar school. In the bowels of the cloakrooms we had discovered an unlocked cupboard which housed meters and had a faint gassy smell. Four of us girls would crouch in there at lunch time in the dark and discuss what we were going to do with our lives, boys and tell each other creepy stories; Edgar Allen Poe was a great favourite. Cider was our tipple - thank goodness we hadn’t got into smoking or I fear we’d have been blown sky high.

In the fifties with babies and little spare money we entertained friends with coffee and sandwiches. It was in the sixties the rot set in; we didn’t do drugs but it was the era of the dinner party. There would be quite stiff drinks as aperitifs, copious amounts of wine with the meal – each course of which would be laced with alcohol and followed by liqueurs and anything we fancied. Then we would drive home. Breathalysers were unheard of. Fortunately the roads were much quieter then.

In the seventies we became more health conscious and many of us stopped smoking and cut down on unhealthy foods and drink. Alcohol became more of a treat and I remember fondly visits to my friend’s farmhouse in the Dordogne. The mornings would be spent hard at work making the house liveable and then at lunchtime we would be treated to champagne cocktails and oysters.

In the eighties after my reunion with MTL there were some long evenings over a bottle of whisky as we caught up with 30 years of living and eventually I realised that spirits were not for me – I couldn’t take the headaches. So wine only was my tipple from then on. The amount would vary according to events and the company but then – after three separate leg fractures I took on board that alcohol inhibits the absorption of calcium and cut down further. So a glass a day is now the norm.

I’m not sure if I shall have a drink before Christmas – I’m not making any promises. It would be good to be more of an epicure and drink only excellent wine, modestly on special occasions. I asked MTL if he had noticed any difference since I cut out the alk. He said:

“You don’t stagger and fall over quite so much.”

That’s a joke!

2011-12-08T12:15:00.000Z

The Days of Wine and Roses

2011-12-05T10:44:00.001Z

Just Words

I have been pondering Neologisms and inevitable Milton springs to mind. He was a blind Puritan who wrote Paradise Lost and incidentally created 630 new words. He would make an adjective from a verb such as stunning and was the first person to use space to mean outer space. Paradise Lost was originally ten books but in 1674 it was made into twelve books, or you may like to see the film: Paradise Lost is scheduled to be made into an action film in 2012, directed by Alex Provas and to be released sometime in 2013. Milton also made completely new words such as sensuous and pandemonium which segues quite nicely into the tale of two pandas: Sunshine and Sweetie.

These are two giant pandas – endangered species - which are on loan from China to Edinburgh Zoo for ten years. They are eight years old – a good age to have baby pandas. Both of them have reproduced before but with other partners. They arrived yesterday - flown by kilt- wearing pilots - to the accompaniment of bag-pipes and are presently settling into their new quarters. In a week or so the lucky Scottish people can visit them. They eat 4kg of bamboo daily and it will cost the Zoo £600,000 annually to keep them. Hopefully thousands of visitors will more than cover the cost.

2011-12-05T10:40:00.000Z

Sunshine or Sweetie

Sweetie or Sunshine

2011-12-03T23:22:00.002Z

Deanna Durbin - Happy Birthday Deanna - 90 today!

2011-12-02T09:55:00.000Z

Phew! That’s better.

I was blind and could not see.

I was weak and could not walk.

Some paraphrasing, poetic license and general hamming it up but it wasn’t fun whilst it lasted. I had eight days relying on two pairs of old glasses – one reading and the other bifocals both two years out of date and pretty useless, but better than nothing. The wrong one was always to hand which meant constant running up and down stairs or just frantically searching everywhere. Yesterday I collected the up- to-date pair and now am happy.

Over the week-end some strange bug laid me low - unable to eat, blog or do anything apart from lie in bed sipping water. I immediately moved into another room and MTL stayed well. All back to normal now – whatever normal is at this age- except I haven’t had a snifter in days, have lost a smidgeon of weight and am wondering if I should remain abstinent and lose a bit more – what with Christmas coming on and all.

Continuing with being uber green – recycling etc - I have found that I have to squeeze the tea bags and dry them on the Aga to avoid wet mess in the food waste bin. Am I over doing it I wonder? Talking of bins- as I probably told you we were left with a double set of everything. They always imagine two families live here. Last week MTL put out the two large bins and when I went to bring them in there was only one.

What a cheek I thought - taking one of our bins without as much as a by-your-leave.

Ignoring MTL’s advice I rang the Council and spoke to a pleasant man who said as there were only two of us (family visits don’t count) we were only entitled to one bin – I actually knew that - but he did allow that it would have been more courteous to have told us. Later on MTL said

“By the way Sheila couldn’t get her car out – the bins were in the way so she moved them and we still have two.”

Against MTL’s advice I again rang the council – I couldn’t have the men berated for something they didn’t do. The pleasant man had gone to lunch but the secretary promised to tender my apologies. Now I await events.

More good news – the Australians are coming over in June which inspires me to get the drawing room fully functional again – it is bigger than the family room with lots of comfy seating and all the children are old enough not to run riot amongst the precious breakables.

In the town the other day I became a member of Blockbuster’s so we can rent films. I asked about “A week with Marilyn” and “The Deep Blue Sea” but apparently new films take about 3/12 before they are available. I spotted “Black Swan” but resisted taking it when I realised it had to be returned the next day. Obviously a certain amount of planning is required. Making time to watch extra stuff isn’t easy.

I still haven’t decided about a Kindle – the price is more attractive – I’m getting far too many books which take up space and with a Kindle I wouldn’t have to wait for them to come by post. Decisions decisions! Have a great week-end.

2011-12-02T09:53:00.000Z

Which?

2011-12-01T19:21:00.000Z

Oh Dear!

2011-11-29T10:41:00.000Z

Birthday surprises

Yesterday was # 1 son's birthday. Here he is on graduation day over 30 years ago. Both his children are now at Uni and he expected a quiet birthday week-end with his wife. As usual she met him at the station and they drove home. When they reached home my DIL asked him to get some things out of the boot. He said there wasn't anything in the boot but she insisted. He opened the boot and voila - out jumped his son Tom - all 6' plus of him
They had only been in the house a few minutes and in strolled his daughter - also escaped for UNI for the week-end.
I can't imagine any better birthday present.

Telling MTL about it we remembered my favourite 80th birthday present. Not the gorgeous ring from MTL - but the boys and their families had arranged a lunch at my favourite pub; the grandchildren wouldn't be able to make it of course as it was term time. The boys drove over to pick us up whilst my DIL's arranged the table and presents. I got up to date news of the children whilst we were driving and walked in to the room with dazzling sunlight so it was a miute or so before I realised that Tom, Sam and Alice were there with big grins on their faces.
It really made my day.
Have you had a lovely surprise lately? They are the best
I think.

2011-11-27T11:50:00.000Z

The woodman didn't listen to Phil Harris.

2011-11-25T11:57:00.002Z

2011-11-25T09:55:00.001Z

Lovely Day

Somehow MTL managed to get to the shops to buy card, chocs and champers and a delicate little silver bracelet which I really did not expect.

“Well you don’t have much silver.” It would have been churlish to remind him of the Greek and Canadian spoils and this has the added benefit that it can be manoeuvered on and off without fiddling with catches.

We had a quiet relaxing day with the good news that the French family are coming in February as is the Norfolk branch who are breaking their holiday to take us out to lunch. The Hertfordshire branch is coming in April and the Wiltshire branch any weekend now. We were delighted to receive an illustrated account of all the schools our Australian grandson had attended both here and in Oz.

The taxi arrived promptly and we found the bar at the Luttrell Arms buzzing with a larger shooting party (pheasants apparently), they must have had a good day because they were drinking champagne. The dining room is on three levels and they were below us but the waiter assured us once they had food silence would reign.

We chatted to a friendly couple who were staying at the hotel to book Dunster Castle for their daughter’s wedding in 2013. Is this normal now? I mean suppose they go off each other and their parents have spent the earth. I do think the wedding business has got a little out of hand and think sometimes the more it cost the shorter it lasts. But that’s just me.

I’d love to say the food was mouth wateringly good – we have had such great food lately – but it was disappointingly ordinary. The ambience was good, the staff were helpful and we still find lots to talk about so it didn’t spoil the evening.

Below see giant bellows in the bar and the middle section of the dining room.

2011-11-25T09:21:00.000Z

2011-11-23T10:32:00.000Z

Well said

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

Thomas Jefferson

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.

E.E.Cummings.

Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die tomorrow.

James Dean.

Wisdom is offtimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar.

William Wordsworth

Eighty percent of success is showing up.

Woody Allen

I count myself in nothing else so happy as in a soul remembering my good friends.

William Shakespeare

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.

Helen Keller

We are not retreating – we are advancing in another direction.

General Douglas Macarthur.

No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.

H.E, Luccock

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.

Henry Ford

Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts.

Charles Dickens

One should always play fair when one had the winning cards.

Oscar Wilde

2011-11-23T10:27:00.000Z

Woody Allen

2011-11-23T10:25:00.000Z

Helen Keller

2011-11-20T16:10:00.002Z

Rebecca Ferguson: she didn't win X Factor but she is a singer and songwriter par excellence.

2011-11-19T11:41:00.001Z

Happy Endings?

I’ve just been reading http://avagabonde.blogspot.com/ post on the wonderful blog meets she has had. Actually I have only heard – not in any detail alas - of one ghastly one. One doesn’t have to actually meet fellow bloggers – I can think of at least three Americans - to feel a close bond, and the thought occurred to me: did anybody get married or form a lasting partnership through meeting a fellow blogger?

I’ve found my hairdresser – or at least her mobile number and she is coming on Monday to cut and blow dry - I’ll shampoo it first. This works quite well as Wednesday is our 32^nd wedding anniversary and MTL suggested we dine at the Luttrell Arms in Dunster. We always eat well there but the last time we stayed the room was less than immaculate so it had to be changed, although when we had MTL’s 80th there, some of the family stayed and were quite satisfied. Possibly just a blip

M our handyman is due this morning to look over the hall, stairs and landings, and also the attic rooms with a view to painting and decorating. The problem is that at present there is a blending of shabby chic all over and any fresh décor is going to highlight the rest. And all those doors – even more than we had in my old Victorian house.

I’m re-reading ‘Wallis’ the infamous Duchess of Windsor who caused Edward VIII to renounce the throne when he found his beloved would not be tolerated as Queen.

Whilst on the Riviera one of the many places they leased was the Chateau La Croe.

Lady Mendl herself turned up to participate. Soon the house carried the authentic Mendl touch: a riot of mirrors, extravagantly elaborate gold and white mouldings, yellow, white and blue draperies and whirlwinds of satin, lace, lacquer and tapestries. The royal bedroom was a flourish of black, scarlet and gold, the furniture painted in trompe l’oeil.

Meanwhile the Duke was fraternising with Adolf Hitler – what a lucky escape we had.

Hurrah I‘ve done my 'abroad' Christmas cards. The next step is Post Office – weighing and stamps. As there are six different countries I’ll really have to concentrate and stamp then correctly – without my good specs. I meant to go and do this today but remembered the last time I did (the PO is in the Co-op) they were closed – it was about lunch time on a Saturday. The plan is to stamp them and post then at leisure so they don’t get there too early. One of these days I really will cancel Christmas.

2011-11-19T11:39:00.000Z

The Windsors with Adolf Hitler

2011-11-16T19:53:00.000Z

Experiment
These are pyjamas and dressing gown I'm getting for Christmas. Ironically after deciding what fun the spotty and tartan PJ's were, I chose these and a similar pair of PJ's in a plain blackcurrant colour.
Aren't women weird?
Mainly I'm trying out Mike's solution (Mike and Ann - side bar) to solve the photo problem. Fingers crossed.

2011-11-15T15:17:00.001Z

Woe is me

I’m not talking plague and pestilence here – just a few little pin pricks which I could well do without. For instance I have been throwing myself wholeheartedly into saving the planet(unlike another house holder not a million miles away) washing plastic bottles, flattening shiny cardboard, reverently wrapping teabags, egg shells, and banana skins in the Daily Telegraph and depositing them in their respective boxes and then I went and cut myself washing out a tin of baked beans. I’ve had to ban MTL from doing the same- should it occur to him – as he is on Warfarin.

I was fairly confident when the optician summoned me for an inspection that my eyes were fine and sure enough the beginnings of a cataract hadn’t changed in two years and everything else was healthy (there is a special in- depth examination now which I had) but my prescription had changed. Recalling how much they cost last year I ummmed and aaahed and even quoted my son’s disbelief at how much they cost, whereupon I was reminded of the varilux lenses, the specially thin lenses, the titanium frames and the react- to- light lenses and if I left it longer than six months I would have to have another examination. So for the sake of economy I shall use the same frames, stick to varilux because they are excellent and dispense with the react- to- light which I don’t find very satisfactory - and it still costs a bomb! The big drawback is it takes about a fortnight to fit the lenses – they have to go away and I have to use old glasses meanwhile so be prepared for barely legible posts.

Mum always said ‘A woman’s hair is her crowning glory’ so I was concerned to return from holiday to find my usual hairdresser had disappeared. She only worked two days a week but for anything other than a straight forward shampoo and blow- dry I would always make a point of booking her. She has always been so kind and supportive I couldn’t understand why she hadn’t said anything but was told firmly she wouldn't be allowed to. There is talk that she is going to start again and meanwhile my hair is growing at a rate of knots.

I’m meeting the girls today and they have had far more important problems to deal with so I’ll get a grip and play some music. It will either be below or above this.

Below – nothing like a combo of Maria and Tosca to put thing in perspective.

2011-11-15T15:10:00.000Z

2011-11-13T16:26:00.001Z

Whitehall - this morning.

The first photo shows the Royal spouses of Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Edward and Princess Anne.

After the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh respectively laid their wreaths they stood immobile whilst all the wreaths were laid by the various countries and organisations. Please someone persuade the Royal pair to be seated for the rest of the ceremony. Phillip is 90 for goodness sake.

I was amused to hear a rather beautiful historian comment on the fact that the Duchess of Cambridge and her mother recently shared hats and how wonderful that the Royal Family were recycling expensive clothes. Princess Anne has been doing that for decades and I’m sure HM would do the same - even more so having been brought up in wartime.

This young lady also said the Royal family had never been known as fashion icons apart from Diana. In fact the Duke of Windsor – the one who abdicated - was famous for the Windsor knot – a way of knotting one’s tie and also rather garish Windsor checks. He is the Prince of Wales in the article below.

"No one completely personified English qualities in attire than the Prince of Wales...Whatever he chose to wear was considered correct and in good taste and was accepted by millions of others in America and elsewhere. Following are a few of the styles that can be traced right back to the Duke of Windsor, either because he wore them first or was responsible for their spread..."

-they include such fashion innovations as:
*The Panama hat
*The spread collar
*The brown buckskin shoe
*The Guards Overcoat, to name only a few.

I missed Prince Harry – he must be serving elsewhere. Oh he is in California doing a two month helicopter training course.

2011-11-13T15:58:00.000Z

2011-11-12T15:09:00.001Z

Alert - from a reputable source

A card is posted through the door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and you need to contact them on 0906 6611911. That`s a premium rate number. DO NOT call the number, it`s a scam originating from Belize.
If you did call it, you`d hear a recorded message begin, and you`d already have been billed £315 for the call.
If you get such a card, please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 02072396655.

2011-11-11T09:57:00.002Z

Musings

Queen ElizabethII is my fourth monarch; the first was George V followed by his son Prince Edward who found it impossible to reign without the love of his life Wallis Simpson – an American divorcee. He abdicated and left his brother George VI, to take over and see us through WW2. On his untimely death the young Elizabeth, his elder daughter started her rule which continues today.

It was her grandfather George V who specifically dedicated a day – Armistice Day as a sign of Remembrance to the veterans of WWI. On this day a scarlet poppy is normally worn. .Way back to the Napoleonic wars the destruction in the fields disturbed the earth and blood red poppies grew around the bodies of the fallen soldiers. This was repeated in 1914 during WWI and the poppies bloomed in the barren land.

John McCrae an exhausted surgeon angered by the slaughter at Ypres and after witnessing the death of a friend wrote:

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Some people prefer to wear a white poppy as a symbol of peace but to me this day is a day to remember and honour the men and women who spilt their blood so that we could be free and the scarlet poppy not only demonstrates this but also helps to support the veterans.

2011-11-11T09:54:00.000Z

My first three monarchs - George V, Edward VIII and George VI

2011-11-10T11:55:00.001Z

Tomorrow: the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of this century

2011-11-08T11:08:00.002Z

And Finally…

It was heartening to find that Ilminster still had good old-fashioned shops – in spite of the advent of Tesco. We visited The Minster which we first saw 26 years ago when we were house hunting. We so nearly bought a house east of the M5 but even then I found the main roads relentlessly busy. We lunched at The Dolphin where the roof was being repaired and I ended up in the men’s loo - the ladies being hidden behind a picture meant to portray its identity but too subtle for me.

Lunch was good – senior citizen’s rates for Seafood Florentine – salmon, smoked haddock, prawns, mash and cheese. The weather broke on the way home so we were glad of a comfy place to come back to. MTL remarked that the environs were how England used to be. We booked to have dinner at the Farthings restaurant in the village. We have stayed there a couple of times on anniversaries.

I wanted MTL to see the church and Chard’s grave although he said he had seen them before – possibly before my time. To make it easier for him we drove out of the grounds then down towards the village until we came to the entrance back in the grounds to the church. When we were ready to leave I discovered my camera was missing. I scooted on foot through the grounds to The Cider House, bumped into John for a quick chat and slightly panicked when I found my camera missing. Scooting back to the church I had a quiet moment to calm down and eventually found it in a pew where I had put it down to read the blurb to MTL. Phew!

Our plan was lunch at the Canal Inn Wrantage but they had cooker problems so we found the Bell Inn at Curry Mallet which did very nicely – Liver and bacon – mash for me but I noted that MTL’s chips were gorgeous.

On Wednesday – after a hair do (for me) in Ilminster where - so impressed with the heated styling brush the stylist used I bought one – Babyliss PRO which so far seems a good buy. The Square and Compass had been praised in the visitor’s book - at Ashill. A large notice said Park in Field. Ever obedient MTL – for some reason drove to the nether reaches and parked the car whilst I held the gate open for him. Unfortunately when I went to close it the heavy metal rung dropped on my left forefinger which elicited the odd adjective and even now looks slightly crooked. As we neared the entrance we saw a perfectly good open car park to the side of the pub. We were not thrilled to find it was closed for lunch. I even popped inside to check and found a bar lady collecting up last night’s glasses.

Thank goodness for The Ashill Inn which was empty but a pensioner’s meal was promised. ‘They come at 1pm!’ a pleasant lady told us so we sat with a drink awaiting the invasion. ‘I hope they don’t come before,’ she said’ I haven’t done the peas.’

That was a jolly lunch time.

Thursday I did some prior tidying so Friday wouldn’t be too arduous and - in our best bibs and tuckers we dined royally at The Farthings.

So many people had written glowingly of The Farmer’s Arms at West Hatch we saved it for Friday. We knew it was difficult to find with instructions such as – ‘If you see the RSPCA centre you have gone too far.’ (depends which way you approach it) and ‘It isn’t really West Hatch but another village whose name I have forgotten.’ We scoured the land and were about to call it a day when we bumped into a house agent (not literally ) who said she believed it had closed down - that it had been tremendously popular, the owners had sold up , left and took the custom with them. She recommended the Greyhound at Staple Fitzpaine. When she heard we didn’t have a Sat Nav she pointed out the Blackdown Hills and said it was that way slightly to the right. Miraculously we found it and even spotted a dilapidated Farmer’s Arms en route.

The Greyhound was marvellous – that and the Bird in Hand at North Curry were our best experiences. I wonder if we should get a Sat Nav. Would MTL listen?

To avoid the network of roads we asked the barman for a more direct route back to Hatch Beauchamp. I’m not sure who got it wrong but we ended up in Taunton in the rush hour and I will draw a veil over the next half hour. It was relaxing to have a last wander round John’s new walk and I was sorry to leave the utter peace and tranquillity. There is always a fly in the ointment. There were wasps – perfectly manageable – they were very dopey, didn’t sting us but would drop on us at odd times. I think it must have been the time of year and it certainly didn’t put us off. I’m tempted to book for next May but think it’s probably wiser to wait for MTl’s scan in February.

See Photos below.

BTW this post illustrates why I don’t write a book about the Inns we visit – it is such – as Ernest would say A Moveable Feast

2011-11-08T09:48:00.000Z

Inside the Minster - Ilminster

A scary notice

Pumpkins in the Bell Inn

No lunch today thank you.

Outside The Bell Inn

Farthings

The lovely pond

The Blackdown Hills

Skirting the woods

Our cluster of buildings

The Grehound Staple Fitzspaine

The grounds

2011-11-06T10:06:00.001Z

Experiment

Before the fall - all these leaves will shortly drop onto my lawn. Lovely colours though.

These were waiting for us when we returned from holiday. We're going green. The experiment was to try to go back to publishing from My Pictures but it was different to my recollection and I couldn't manage it.

2011-11-04T08:03:00.000Z

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MTL!

2011-11-03T10:37:00.002Z

The Cider House Rules Part 2

We weren’t expected until 3pm so decided the try the local Hatch Inn for lunch... Good sturdy cuisine and a useful place to have close to hand but in fact we ate in a different Inn every day except for Thursday when – dressed up – long skirt instead of eternal trousers we dined at Farthings; a superior hotel restaurant in the village where we had previously spent a couple of anniversaries.

It was always going to be a very relaxed holiday – the first day we slept till 9.30am with expeditions to various hostelries and some gentle exploring by me. I had noticed a sign to North Curry and remembered a friend recommending The Bird in Hand. Off the main roads are a network of tiny roads where the signage is often inadequate or just missing, so we saw Wrantage and beyond before turning round and finding the right road. Well worth the trouble; as someone said in the visitor’s book it’s the sort of pub one wished one had on one’s doorstep. I had bass and wicked potatoes which were like fat fleshy chips so had a modest honey comb ice for dessert.

To get some exercise MTL dropped me at the gate to the estate and I wandered round visiting the church and graveyard. John had said Colonel Chard’s grave was pink marble; the ground was very bumpy and I wished I had my pole. I found the pink marble but it was the wrong name so I had to start again and finally found it right beside the south wall of the church.

The Battle of Rorke's Drift, also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was a battle in the Anglo-Zulu War. The defence of the mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenant John Chard of the Royal Engineers, immediately followed the British Army's defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879, and continued into the following day, 23 January. Just over 150 British and colonial troops successfully defended the garrison against an intense assault by 3,000 to 4,000 Zulu warriors. The massive, but piecemeal,^[11] Zulu attacks on Rorke's Drift came very close to defeating the tiny garrison but were ultimately repelled. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to the defenders, along with a number of other decorations and honours.

Some of you may have seen the film Zulu where Stanley Baker played the hero. It’s a firm favourite with the men in my house. I took a photo of the window commemorating Col Chard but missed the window honouring Andrew Hamilton Gault a Canadian who married Dorothy Blanche Shuckburgh in 1923. Gault had fought in the Boer war in the Canadian Marked Rifles and in the Great War he raised and equipped at his own expense a full Canadian regiment which he took to France in 1914. A heroic and romantic concept from the past

By the way he lived at Hatch Court. He named the regiment Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry after the daughter of the Canada’s Governor General the Duke of Connaught. All week I felt as if I was living in an episode of Downton Abbey where I first heard of Princess Pat’s army.

Such was his drive the Pats were ready to leave Canada 17 days after the first call for rearming. Trained in England they crossed to France on 21^st December and their war began at Ypres Jan 1915 and continued until they entered Mons11th November 1918.

Unable to fight in the front line after being wounded he continued to serve in France until the end of the war when he took the regiment back to Canada. He was MP for Taunton 1924-1935 and he and his wife used to fly small planes - DeHavilland Moths. True to form he rejoined the Canadian Army in WW2 until an accident led to his retirement in 1942. He died in 1958 and his wife continued to live at Hatch Court where there is a museum devoted to the regiment. Over the years many Canadians have visited to pay homage to a hero but I’m not sure what the position is now. I suspect it is just a private house.

I finished my wandering by the beautiful pond/lake and returned to The Cider House to tell MTL of my findings. I’ll include a few photos but if Picasa baulks at any words you’ll have to use your wits. More to come – not least a small snag.

Picasa baulked and refused to publish any photos until I split them and tried ten times. See photos below.

2011-11-03T10:32:00.001Z

2011-11-03T10:24:00.001Z

2011-11-02T09:35:00.000Z

2011-11-02T09:05:00.001Z

Another Fine Mess

I found this cutting yesterdayand thought oh good- now I can do clever things like use italics in comments. However after lots of fiddling and not knowing what to press when - I gave up
Unfortunately now any comment box I use is giant size and also my Dashboard page which makes posting a problem. How can I get the comment page and Dashboard back to normal size? I'm anxious to continue my holiday posts before I forget them. I know there are wizards amongst you and will be eternally grateful if you can help me. Please.
As for italics and the rest - I can live without them

2011-10-31T12:31:00.000Z

2011-10-31T12:25:00.000Z

2011-10-31T11:06:00.001Z

Cider House Rules

Hatch Beauchamp is a little conservation village in beautiful rolling farmland between Taunton and Ilminster. The Cider House where we were staying is a spacious barn conversion where the cider apple press for Taunton Cider was housed.
It adjoins the Hatch Court Estate which comprises a beautiful Palladian House, a 600 year old Church, Belmont farm - of which the Cider House is a part - a deer park, acres of woods, parkland and a small lake which John , the owner calls a pond. The estate was bought by John's family in 1900 and Harch Court - the house, was sold by his sister and BIL in 2000. John has now retired from farming
The 70 acres of woodland contain the remains of an 18C landscaped garden. In the visitor's book there are mentions of walking in the woods in the evening and seeing wild deer and badgers whilst herons and kingfishers visit the lake/pond. Recently John sold the woods and farmland to Hatch Court and is now workinjg to enhance the new walk on the remaining 20 acres, which has gloriousviews of the Blackdown Hills and fine trees.

Back left is the church and next is John's house with The Cider House behind. Hatch Court is the large building

Facing the Orangery and the South front houses an arcaded piazza

Two heroes - one Canadian and one British are commemorated in the Church - of which more later.

The Cider House

A warm welcome - fresh flowers and a bottle of wine.

I didn't tidy before the photo - obviously.

Views from our bedroom.

More later.

2011-10-21T15:38:00.003+01:00

For Scarlet

Actually it's an autumn break but we're off tomorrow to Cider Cottage - a new venture for us - just the other side of Taunton but hopefully with lots of goodies I can tell you about when we return in just over a week. Keep the faith and the home fires burning. If you get time please water the wallflowers.

2011-10-20T16:49:00.002+01:00

Reminder

Flu' jab. We had ours yesterday. Don't neglect it if it is relevant to you.
My American friend Unbearable Banishment (see side bar my linkage isn't working) has just had so bad a dose that his little daughter said:
'Are you going to die Dad?'
Fortunately UB is young and healthy and has recovered. Don't say I didn't warn you.

2011-10-18T10:33:00.003+01:00

"Where me and my true love may never meet again,
On the bonny bonny banks of Loch Lomond."

I like to think that they will meet again - even if it isn't by Loch Lomond

2011-10-17T11:15:00.001+01:00

Older, Wiser, Women’s words

I’m like old wine. They don’t bring me out very often, but I’m well preserved.

Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy

I’m not sixty, I’m sexty.

Dolly Parton

Sex appeal is 50 percent what you’ve got and 50 per cent what people think you’ve got.

Sophia Loren

It’s true some wines improve with age, but only if the grapes were good in the first place.

Abigail Van Buren

Wine is a living liquid containing no preservatives.

Julia Child

The older one grows, the more one likes indecency.

Virginia Woolf

When Sears comes out with a riding vacuum cleaner, than I’ll clean the house.

Roseanne Barr

Beautiful young people are accidents of nature but beautiful old people are works of art.

Eleanor Roosevelt

If you survive long enough, you’re revered- rather like an old building

Katherine Hepburn

After thirty, a body has a mind if its own.

Bette Midler

I’ve never met a woman in my life who would give up lunch for sex.

Erma Bombeck

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.

Katherine Hepburn

The lovely thing about being forty is that you can appreciate twenty –five –year –old men more.

Colleen McCullough

You can’t turn back the clock but you can wind it up again.

Bonnie Prudden

Fitness – if it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body.

Cher

2011-10-14T10:04:00.000+01:00

Sofas and a Stalker

It looks a bit buxom but will soon settle down - it is very sophorific. Happily the deep pink is repeated in two of the pictures a lamp and the orchid.

The men have just collected this old friend. I shan't miss washing and changing the covers.

MTL called me in to see the robin. It had spemt the whole afternoon watchin him - looking directly at him and occasionally singing

I whistled in unison and he nearly fell off his perch doing a robin chortle.

He spent hours stying perfectly still and fleeing the minute I raised the camera. He's a real teasebut I got him in the end.

He is such a character and really seems to ccommunicate with us. Could it be someone we know?

See his mouth agape when he's twittering.

2011-10-12T13:44:00.000+01:00

Smartening up.

Today I await the arrival of my new sofa. All I have is a square of material to remind me of what I chose. I’m hoping it blends in and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. I would like to hang on to the old one but four sofas is one too many – even for this house. At least my old one is going to someone who needs one.

With the accompanying disruption and crashing computers I’m behind. At least once a week I try to visit my side bar friends so forgive me if I’m late. I’m finding that a few now have been inactive for quite a while so - in the interests of efficiency I’m going to move them to ‘resting ‘ in the hope they start up again before too long. I still love you.

2011-10-10T21:11:00.000+01:00

Runaway Dames!

These ladies were in place in the post below at 5.30 pm - when I came back after dinner they had disappeared.
Please ladies - stay put!
Jane Asher

Dame Edith Evans

Dame Maggie Smith

2011-10-10T17:12:00.000+01:00

This photograph escaped from the post below - which I almost lost - to my horror'
Dame Sybil Thorndike and her beloved husband Sir lewis Casson

2011-10-10T17:03:00.001+01:00

There is nothing like a Dame.

Jane Asher is the latest Lady Bracknell in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of being Earnest
It seems only yesterday she was the red-haired girl friend of Sir Paul McCartney (who married this week-end for the third time)
She has never spoken of her time with him
She married the illustrator Gerald Scarfe and they have three children. She has written three novels and has a cake shop business in London.
Jane, now in her sixties is at the Rose Theatre in Kingston playing Lady Bracknell much younger than usual and replacing the battle-axe
persona of Lady B with a cool sarcasm. She isn't yet an official Dame - but give her time.
.

Dame Sybil Thorndike 1882-1976 was a Dame par excellence. She trained as a classical pianist but hand cramps put paid to that
so she became an actress
In 1908 whilst understudying Candida she was spotted by George Bernard Shaw who wrote the play St Joan for her.
At this time she met her beloved husband Lewis Casson
and eventually they were both knighted. They were active members of the Labour Party, Pacifists and when they toured South Africa strongly anti apartheid. Sybil always insisted on washing her own stage costume. 'It knows exactly what to do and it mustn't be touched!

Their marriage lasted until his death aged 93. When asked if she ever thought of splitting with her husband she replied:
'Divorce never - murder often!'
When she was awarded the Companion of Honour Olivier sent a telegram saying he couldn't imagine a nicer companion for the Queen. She showed great courage on stage well into old age, in spite of crippling arthritis

Dame Edith Evans 1888-1976
She was nominated for three Academy Awards and is best remembered for her haughty aristocratic Lady Bracknell. Her unforgettable 'A Handbaaaaaag?' using half a dozen musical syllables makes a pitfall for actresses to beware of. She started out as an apprentice milliner and didn't act till the age of 24. In spite of her beautifully modulated voice she was a cockney. She married George Booth and they were very happy for ten years when tragically he died of a brain tumour. She never remarried.
Bryan Forbes - actor, director and writer adapted a film The Whisperers for her and also wrote her life story Ned's Girl. They became close friends and I remember her saying in an interview she always liked to be a little bit in love - it made the days so much happier.
After her triumph as Lady B - what Forbes described as her 'great essay in dragon hood,' - she tried to avoid being cast in similar roles.
She said:
'Actresses are such very dull people off stage. We are only delightful and brilliant when we are doing what we are told to do. Off stage we are awful chumps.'

Dame Maggie Smith 1934... Nominated for 6 Oscars and winning 2. she was born in Ilford - an Essex girl.
In 1951 she joine the Oxford Playhouse School and had an all round education in the theatre becoming an Assistant Stage Manager
the next few years she was involved in all kinds of productions including farce, paantomime and revue. Billed as a singing comedienne
she went from the revue The Singing Lettuce to playing Shakespeare at the Old Vic. In 1963 she signed up with Olivier's Royal National Theatre company and I remember seeing her Desdemona with Olivier playing Othello. He was reported as saying he woud never act with her again.
In 1967 she married Robert Stephens and they had two sons. She had a great success in Coward's Hay Fever and her 'this kipper is disgusting' was remembered with glee. She was excellent in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie but whilst playing in Private Lives her marriage foundered
She married an old flame Beverly Cross and they had 23 happy years until his death in 1998.
She had done a lot of revue work with Kenneth Williams and at times could sound eerily like him
There were accusations that she was caricaturing herself so she took herself off to The Stratford Festival in Ontario and played Cleopatra, Three Sisters and Macbeth to great acclaim
Back home she redeemed herself acting in Alan Bennett's Talking Heads and the Lady in the Van
Bennett said 'The boundary between laughter and tears is where Maggie is poised always.'

In spite of a bout with breast cancer Dame Maggie Smith is now at top of her game playing Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham in Julian Fellowes' Downton Abbey on ITV1 making Sunday nights an unmissable delight

2011-10-07T10:54:00.001+01:00

Random stuff

Seated one day at the organ I was weary and ill at ease,

And my fingers wandered idly over the ‘something’ keys.

I know not why I was weary,

Nor what I was thinking of …

This song is reverberating in my head – after another couple of lines I think Jerusalem bursts forth; a firm favourite at our Sunday School Concerts during the war (WW1) so I’m regressing again. Since writing this I have listened to ‘The Lost Chord and of course it is NOT a precursor to Jerusalem – but it would work IMO.

The cupboard was bare when I went to look for a post today. I looked back at an old notebook written in 2000 soon after my mother’s death but it was full of pain and anger and I didn’t want to go there. I looked back at my blog – roughly a year ago and was cheered. We were just about to leave for the hospital for MTL to have his second op – a reversal which if successful would get our life back on the road to normality before bracing ourselves for six months chemo and all that entailed. We had cancelled our holiday in the cottage at Fremington as any upset is so much easier to cope with at home.

I’m so thankful to be where we are now -MTL is eating and sleeping well and getting his bounce back and we have a week’s holiday soon. So much to be thankful for.

We were startled yesterday evening at a big thump on the window. I couldn’t see anything but today Sheila pointed out the clear imprint of yet another owl. After the last collision I draw the curtains before it gets dark but now will have to do it before I put the light on. - I don’t really want to move the mirror. I’m amazed that it flies so low - Sheila thinks it is a tawny owl – it should wear a crash helmet.

My tubs are looking a little tawdry; Karen suggested I get wallflowers – Persian Carpet and Tom Thumb and I need more compost for when the lovely anemones I ordered appear. We are having violent deluges at present so back to buckets in the flat-roofed garage. Yesterday I met the girls for lunch and managed to walk there and back – do some shopping and keep dry.

I notice that kindles have come down in price but I still can’t imagine getting the same pleasure as I do from reading a book. My latest is Sister –Rosamund Lupton’s debut novel – an exciting thriller. I’m on the lookout for more gripping books as reading has assumed the importance in my life that it always used to have. Also an unmissable film - as on holiday we’ll be within easy reach of a cinema for a change.

Our habitual silence is rudely punctured at present with J C B’s and the like. A neighbour is having his garaged demolished and rebuilt and we have had a week of incessant noise. The neighbour has – wisely – taken a holiday. Have a happy weekend.xox

2011-10-07T10:48:00.001+01:00

2011-10-07T10:31:00.000+01:00

Tawny Owl

NIGEL BLAKE

2011-10-04T15:55:00.005+01:00

A Meeting of Titans

Map mentioned this; I had to hear it and then I had to share it. A good memory of Amy; I love the way - after she successfully completes the first phrase - she kisses her necklace and looks Heavenward.

2011-10-03T10:50:00.000+01:00

To the Beach

My help who was born and bred in Somerset spoke glowingly of Dunster Beach

Friday's dawn looked promising so we decided to explore. Dunster Beach BTW - like Dunster station is quite a cock stride from the village of Dunster.
.
At first I thought it was new to us but then remembered a long walk with #1 son from Minehead to Watchet when we passes the beach huts.

Looking towards Minehead.

There is Grabbist Hill with the little castle thing on top. Behind and to the left is Dunster village

The good weather brings out all the hordes of people - as you can see.

Looking the other way - the Quantocks and probably Bridgwater.

It must be fun to have a beach hut. The sea in front and a lake and the little steam train behind

There are the ducks - we missed the geese

The bridge looked inviting so I accepted.

And here's the lake

I set off on a nature trail - careful badger's crossing.

I could hear the little puff puff but didn't catch a glimpse

I can't resist bridges. One of our favourite occupations is to gaze at the water below and sometimes play Pooh sticks.

At the Smuggler's I had to try the caramelised orange brioche with sticky toffe ice-cream to make sure it really was that good. It was.
I almost aborted this post; although my computer said I wa on line - I wasn't.
For hours! Strange things afoot. I must publish before it disappears.

2011-10-02T09:52:00.000+01:00

Rise and shine to Nigel Kennedy

2011-09-29T10:40:00.000+01:00

September in the Garden

A threatening sky

I ought to rake this path but then again the woodchoppers are due - seems a waste.

Not much happening - the last of the flowers and wild michaelmas.

I'm happy these seeded thenselves

Leaves are falling.

Plenty more where they came from.

Snooze time - till Spring.

These two gangly plants in the pots are indoor crysants which I tried to nurture in the sun room
Karen thinks they may still flower but I have my doubts.

2011-09-27T09:26:00.000+01:00

Beauty Masks a Tragic History Part 2

As we stared out to sea the mist thickened and we knew we should return to the track. If we timed it wrong the track would be flooded and we would have to retrace our steps
.The track then became difficult to spot as it crossed an area of large rough pebbles. We had to keep our eyes open for a causeway of rough pebbles which crosses one of the water courses.

We admired the Jacob sheep and followed the path between two water channels.

A relic of WW2

Through the kissing gate,

over the bridge which crosses the Hawkcombe stream

and reached our goal - the USAF Memorial built by the British Legion. At 7.20 am on October 29th 1942 an American Liberator, based in the New Forest took off for operation U boat in the Bay of Biscay. They turned round at 11.30am but three hours later, due to heavy rain and poor visibility they clipped Bossington Hill and crashed into Porlock Marsh. There was only one survivor out of a crew of 12.

The Memorial used to be at the back of the shingle ridge but was moved intact to its present position in August 2006. The footbridge was built in 2003 as part of the diversion of the Coast Path following the floods of October 1996 which destroyed the old line of the path nearer to Porlock Weir. We spent some time reading the names of the airmen and then went back over the bridge to rejoin the track. The Marsh area is like an ampitheatre surrounded by the hills of Exmoor. As we walked inland the gloom lifted and we managed an alfresco drink at the Ship Inn in Porlock. Back in time for MTL's creation of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on crumpets.

2011-09-26T10:05:00.002+01:00

Beauty Masks a Tragic History Part 1

We left the car in the Central car park in Porlock and
walked through the town until we reached the entrance to Sparkhayes Lane. Here we passed pretty gardens and 50 yards after Parks View we climbed some stone steps into Bay Road. When we reached its junction with Villes Lane we turned left onto a rough path - our first view of the sea.

The walk has some kissing gates - infinitely preferable to climbing stiles IMO.

Bossington Hill has always been a favourite but I was to learn its tragic history.

Here our orienteering went awry due to unclear instructions - so we skirted this field and had to retrace our steps.

Back on track - the lady in red was picking blackberries. She had two plastic bags bulging with the luscious fruit and was going to make jam.

I had to stop and chat to this charmer.

This - I think is near Sea Lane Bossington

Here is the shingle ridge above Bossington Beach. The top of the ridge is the perfect spot to stand and stare at the sea.
I couldn't resist shouting to T not to fall in after last season's excitement.

2011-09-23T10:16:00.002+01:00

Can't see wood for Trees.Part 2

Before the walk we drove along the narrow lanes to Luxborough for a light lunch at the Royal Oak as I was cooking in the evening. The food there is stunning. T had moules, I had terrain with onion marmalade. The bread is to die for

I firmly believe that all the trees we are surrounded by keep the air pure and - oddly tend to give the roses black spot.

I hope you can read this

Their bark is worse than their bite.( for Rog)

Can you see the little mice hiding in the cone with just their tail and feet showing?

2011-09-23T10:01:00.001+01:00

Can't see Wood for Trees. Part 1

The showers were torrential so we parked at Nutcombe Bottom (I kid you not)and decided to do the short walk through the forest at Longcombe to see the tall trees.

One of the chain saw carvings.

The top of the tallest tree

The middle section

The base of the tallest tree in England

2011-09-21T10:35:00.000+01:00

The Boys are back in town.

(That is #1 son and grandson)
After a long drive and threatening clouds they fancied a sandwich at The Old Ship Aground down on the Harbour
It's years since MTL and I were there. Next door is the tiny Fisherman's Chapel. Tuna on brown was very tasty.

Looking up the coast towards Watchet you can spot the white peaks of Butlin's - not to be sniffed at - it keeps the town alive in the winter
The Quantocks are in the background and the close hillock is Grabbist Hill

There used to be a Ferry to Cardiff and for years there has been talk of restoring it, butt it doesn't seem likely in the present climate.

We sat outside for about ten minutes and then escaped inside the pub which is quite spacious.

Pottering after lunch we admired the life-boat station.

Behind the pub, looking towards Porlock. There is the lower slopes of our hill - North Hill.

I have often written about Pinocchio's - our Italian restaurant; they have changed the name to Zest and have a new chef with 'fine dining' so that's where we planned to go in the evening, Meanwhile there was endless rugger and soccer matches on TV. Deep Joy!
More later.

2011-09-20T09:59:00.002+01:00

Beat the Trolls!

A dear blogging friend Judy has been having problems. Her blog Imagine has been attacked by malware and she has been unable to obliterate the problem. She had now gone back to her original blog Just ask Judy. This is a rotten thing to happen to anyone but outrageous to someone of Judy's standing. Please show your support and solidarity by visiting her. Just click on Judy

2011-09-16T10:12:00.003+01:00

What's your Bucket List?

This film inspired one of my friends to find out what her father's Bucket list was. She has just organised a special trip to The Proms which he had always longed to do. Unfortunately in spite of her buying a ticket that cost hundreds there was a mix up and he had to stand throughout - but he wouldn't have missed it for the world.

He was devoted to Mark Twain so - on a trip to his other daughter in the States, she arranged a paddle at trip on the Mississipi.
Back in Blighty she arranged for him to attend a Reunion of WW2 evacuees in London where they were honoured.

A relative of her father was one of the glider pilots at Arnheim who lost his life and she arranged for her father to visit his grave. Now her father is loth to tell her any more wishes as he feels it is too expensive for her.

I asked MTL but he was feeling skittish and said he was making the coffee and trying to take his tablets and finally said 'Grow a moustache!'

For myself - I'd love to have my book published - my # 1 son and grandson arive tonight- what more could I ask? Just more of the same please.

What about you? Do you have a Bucket List or are trying to fill a loved one's?

2011-09-14T12:19:00.001+01:00

Mike Scott

2011-09-14T12:08:00.000+01:00

Mike Scott

Mike Scott whose mother is an English teacher was familiar with poetry and literature from a young age. He and The Water boys have brought rock and roll to the poet WB Yeats. One of my favourites of his poems is The Lake Isle of Innisfree.

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it inthe deep heart's core.
W.B. Yeats 1865-1939