May there be good books, good wine, and angels dining at the Ritz.
Tuesday, 31 December 2019
Thursday, 26 December 2019
Wednesday, 25 December 2019
Tuesday, 24 December 2019
Monarch's Way
While I was walking round Rodmarton village on my last morning there, I noticed a public footpath sign saying Monarch's Way, with one side pointing out across the fields and the other into the village.
So I looked it up, and Monarch's Way turns out to be quite an interesting long distance footpath.
The footpath is 625 miles long, and follows the approximate route (on public rights of way) that Prince Charles took during his escape after the Battle of Worcester in the English Civil War. Eventually, he was taken to the Continent aboard a ship called the Surprise, and that ship is featured on the way markers.
Rodmarton lies on the segment of the path that runs between Cirencester and Tetbury. The prince eventually reached Shoreham, on the South coast, where the ship was waiting for him. The journey had taken him six weeks.
Some of the path runs along disused railways and along canals, neither of which existed in 1651, and is split into three parts with three guide books for the convenience of the modern walker, who is not being pursued by Roundheads.
Occasionally I hear of re-enactors doing long distance walks in full kit - the Ermine Street Guard along Hadrian's Wall, for instance, and way back in the late 1970s/early 1980s (shortly before I was a member, anyway) Sir Gilbert de Hoghton's Companie of Foote did a sponsored walk somewhere around Preston, for which they got a commendation at a short ceremony at the Oak Apple Day battle in 1980 or 81. It was the first (and only) Sealed Knot battle I was involved in (as pike person). I don't remember where it was held, but I do remember being part of the group who took the flag onto the battle field, and shouting "The King and the Cause" when the group got their award.
I wonder if any Sealed Knot members have walked the Monarch's Way.
So I looked it up, and Monarch's Way turns out to be quite an interesting long distance footpath.
The footpath is 625 miles long, and follows the approximate route (on public rights of way) that Prince Charles took during his escape after the Battle of Worcester in the English Civil War. Eventually, he was taken to the Continent aboard a ship called the Surprise, and that ship is featured on the way markers.
Rodmarton lies on the segment of the path that runs between Cirencester and Tetbury. The prince eventually reached Shoreham, on the South coast, where the ship was waiting for him. The journey had taken him six weeks.
Some of the path runs along disused railways and along canals, neither of which existed in 1651, and is split into three parts with three guide books for the convenience of the modern walker, who is not being pursued by Roundheads.
Occasionally I hear of re-enactors doing long distance walks in full kit - the Ermine Street Guard along Hadrian's Wall, for instance, and way back in the late 1970s/early 1980s (shortly before I was a member, anyway) Sir Gilbert de Hoghton's Companie of Foote did a sponsored walk somewhere around Preston, for which they got a commendation at a short ceremony at the Oak Apple Day battle in 1980 or 81. It was the first (and only) Sealed Knot battle I was involved in (as pike person). I don't remember where it was held, but I do remember being part of the group who took the flag onto the battle field, and shouting "The King and the Cause" when the group got their award.
I wonder if any Sealed Knot members have walked the Monarch's Way.
Monday, 23 December 2019
Travelling by Train in a time of Floods
My journey home was smooth and easy. I got a lift down to Bristol with my friend, and arrived at Temple Meads station in plenty of time to have a cup of coffee at Bonaparte's Bar, which was even on the right platform for my train. Then it was an easy change at Newport and up to Hereford, just in nice time for the bus home.
The journey out was not quite so easy. It started with the train from Hereford to Newport being 6 minutes late. This was just enough for me to miss my connection. However, the lovely man at the Help Desk gave me a new route which would get me into Stroud only ten minutes after I had originally planned!
So I got on the train to Bristol Parkway and Swindon. After a little while on the train, there was an announcement to say there was flooding between Bristol Parkway and Swindon, so the train would be taking an alternative route which would add an extra 25 minutes to the journey.
The views of Bath were very nice.
Swindon at least has a lot of space undercover. I bought a magazine at the WH Smiths there, and asked them what their charity box was. The chap behind the counter was pleased to explain the WH Smiths Trust to me, which seems to exist to help staff to fund raise for good causes.
The train to Stroud arrived, and I noticed that I would be approaching the station from the opposite direction from my original route.
By the time I got into the station, I was about an hour late, and worrying that my friend would not still be there to pick me up. She was there, but she had also texted my Young Man to ask for my mobile number.
I don't have a mobile.
So then he was worried as well that I had disappeared somewhere between Hereford and Stroud!
Fortunately he didn't have to stay worried for too long.
Next time I'm booking the ticket to Kemble - I can walk to my friend's house from there!
The journey out was not quite so easy. It started with the train from Hereford to Newport being 6 minutes late. This was just enough for me to miss my connection. However, the lovely man at the Help Desk gave me a new route which would get me into Stroud only ten minutes after I had originally planned!
So I got on the train to Bristol Parkway and Swindon. After a little while on the train, there was an announcement to say there was flooding between Bristol Parkway and Swindon, so the train would be taking an alternative route which would add an extra 25 minutes to the journey.
The views of Bath were very nice.
Swindon at least has a lot of space undercover. I bought a magazine at the WH Smiths there, and asked them what their charity box was. The chap behind the counter was pleased to explain the WH Smiths Trust to me, which seems to exist to help staff to fund raise for good causes.
The train to Stroud arrived, and I noticed that I would be approaching the station from the opposite direction from my original route.
By the time I got into the station, I was about an hour late, and worrying that my friend would not still be there to pick me up. She was there, but she had also texted my Young Man to ask for my mobile number.
I don't have a mobile.
So then he was worried as well that I had disappeared somewhere between Hereford and Stroud!
Fortunately he didn't have to stay worried for too long.
Next time I'm booking the ticket to Kemble - I can walk to my friend's house from there!
Sunday, 22 December 2019
The Malthouse Collective
On the Sunday we headed for the outskirts of Stroud for a big antique centre (and café) called the Malthouse Collective.
Lunch was the first item on the agenda - we had to move away from the big picture windows to the slightly warmer booths at the back of the room. It really was chilly. The food was a bit slow in coming, but when it did arrive it was delicious - my friends had variations on a fried breakfast and I had the salmon bagel from the lunch menu.
Then we went through to the main body of the shop, which is on two floors, for some gentle retail therapy. My friend who is just moving house now has an open fire to play with, and she found a magnificent copper coal scuttle, with matching little shovel. She also found one of those printers' drawers, to display small items.
I was looking for anything with badgers, and came away with a pretty little pottery dish lid showing a family of badgers playing around the entrance to their sett, and my other friend got a few last minute Christmas presents.
There were crafts for sale, as well as antiques, and even a stall selling vinyl and comics, so a good mix. I have to say I was greatly tempted by the Kenyan spear which had reputedly been used to defend the village's goats from wild animals - but I'd never have been able to get it home on the train!
Lunch was the first item on the agenda - we had to move away from the big picture windows to the slightly warmer booths at the back of the room. It really was chilly. The food was a bit slow in coming, but when it did arrive it was delicious - my friends had variations on a fried breakfast and I had the salmon bagel from the lunch menu.
Then we went through to the main body of the shop, which is on two floors, for some gentle retail therapy. My friend who is just moving house now has an open fire to play with, and she found a magnificent copper coal scuttle, with matching little shovel. She also found one of those printers' drawers, to display small items.
I was looking for anything with badgers, and came away with a pretty little pottery dish lid showing a family of badgers playing around the entrance to their sett, and my other friend got a few last minute Christmas presents.
There were crafts for sale, as well as antiques, and even a stall selling vinyl and comics, so a good mix. I have to say I was greatly tempted by the Kenyan spear which had reputedly been used to defend the village's goats from wild animals - but I'd never have been able to get it home on the train!
Saturday, 21 December 2019
Music in a Local Pub
After a very pleasant lunch at Highgrove, we had something very different planned for the evening. One of my friend's colleagues plays guitar in a band, and that night just two of them were entertaining at a pub called the Cross Hands on the outskirts of Bristol. It was Johnny on guitar and Steve on vocals, set up at one end of a bar. They were playing punk and ska with a bit of Elvis thrown in.
I wasn't much of a fan of punk in the 70s - as far as I was concerned it was music for people who couldn't sing - so I was surprised to find that I actually knew a lot of the songs they played, such as songs by Madness (Johnny had a fez with 'Madness' written on the front of it, and a tassle that kept dangling in his face). And I was singing along loudly to Tainted Love - it was the favourite song of one of my housemates at college, so I learned all the words by osmosis because they played it all the time.
It was a real ale pub, the sort with pump clips hung up all round the bar, and I was pleased to find Uley Bitter there. It was also a real locals pub - in the afternoon they'd held a colouring in competition for the local kids, with prizes of selection boxes, and there were still a few boxes hanging around. One or two of them even had some chocolate still in them - one of my friends bagged a finger of Fudge, and I got a Wispa bar!
Steve's (adult) step-daughter was there, pretending to play a toy saxophone, and very enthusiastically encouraging people to get up and dance - which we did, though there wasn't a lot of room.
It was a really fun evening, and it was nice to meet Johnny, as we'd heard so much about him from the friend who works with him.
I wasn't much of a fan of punk in the 70s - as far as I was concerned it was music for people who couldn't sing - so I was surprised to find that I actually knew a lot of the songs they played, such as songs by Madness (Johnny had a fez with 'Madness' written on the front of it, and a tassle that kept dangling in his face). And I was singing along loudly to Tainted Love - it was the favourite song of one of my housemates at college, so I learned all the words by osmosis because they played it all the time.
It was a real ale pub, the sort with pump clips hung up all round the bar, and I was pleased to find Uley Bitter there. It was also a real locals pub - in the afternoon they'd held a colouring in competition for the local kids, with prizes of selection boxes, and there were still a few boxes hanging around. One or two of them even had some chocolate still in them - one of my friends bagged a finger of Fudge, and I got a Wispa bar!
Steve's (adult) step-daughter was there, pretending to play a toy saxophone, and very enthusiastically encouraging people to get up and dance - which we did, though there wasn't a lot of room.
It was a really fun evening, and it was nice to meet Johnny, as we'd heard so much about him from the friend who works with him.
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