All you need is love

Out go SWMBO and I for our occasional walk together, not because we don't want to go out walking together but because SWMBO is usually on the treadmill and in the pool for an hour or so first thing, and the last thing I need after a morning in the garden is a walk!!
Nonetheless, I really should be on the static bike doing some cardio as gardening is only a bit of weight training and more anaerobic than aerobic.

Anyway, today we were off into Noctorum and round the perimeter of Wirral Golf Club. Occasionally we will walk across the course as there are a couple of public footpaths which transgress it, but today we did the longer route. Wirral golf course used to be called Wirral Ladies but they dropped the Ladies from the title about a year or so ago. They thought it was putting new gentlemen members off as the CLub had been open for many years. Personally I would have stuck with the tradition but it was up to the members and they saw fit tot change it.

The course is a bit nervous at the moment as Birkenhead School have submitted planning permission to build 35 houses on their number 2 sports field which borders the course. If it is approved then it is likely that the golf club will be forced into erecting high fences at certain points to ensure no stray golf balls do damage to the new houses. That said, in all the time I ran along the border of the course near the sports field, I never found one golf ball!

But back to our walk. Noctorum is full of very large elegant houses ( and a pretty large council estate) and one of these houses is very much in the style of a French châteaux. It has a floodlit tennis court and a swimming pool block, and a folly. The folly, however, is only wheeled out now and again for the passing foot traffic to enjoy.

Quite what the story behind the Fab Four in Oxton is, I have no idea, but there they are full size and about to go for a stroll themselves!

Ironically, Westminster Council have taken advantage of the reduced footfall caused by the Coronavirus lockdown to repaint the zebra crossing in Abbey Road, made famous as the cover to The Beatles album of 1969. Maybe the folly should be rotated 90 degrees to emulate them crossing the road, as best it can. A zebra crossing might look a bit strange outside this house though.

I have changed the image as the original was blocked, presumably for copyright reasons. It was workmen painting some white lines for goodness sake!!

 In a Sliding Doors moment, I would have been in Atlanta today playing  golf at the Atlanta Athletics Club. Monday and Tuesday just past me and my chum Steve would have done the practise days at The Masters in Augusta, and would have been flying home tomorrow as I had our eldest son's wedding on Sunday in Liverpool. That's all by the bye at the moment, so it's on with lockdown through the Easter weekend, more gardening, gym work and cake. Take care everybody, and stay safe.

The Italian Job

We are half way through our short break in Barbados and up to now it has been anything but dull! The usual room rearrangement was interesting as initially one couple had a suite and the other had the spare box room but they were on different floors. The hotel then came up with a cunning plan to put us in a double suite with a sea view on the floor below. That sounded a good plan until we came back from breakfast find the door would not open. This was when it became necessary to paraphrase Michael Caine as angle grinders and power drills came to the fore. That didn't work so a ladder was brought in so the maintenance crew could get until the rooms via the balcony. After four hours we were back in the room, holiday back on track.

We were fortunate that Tuesday was a Bank Holiday here so the horse racing was moved accordingly. As a result of our room problems we we were guests of the hotel in their VIP tent. Two winners later and we were lined up for a free day. One jockey almost did a Frankie Dettori and had six of the eight winners. People in the known picket up an 800-1 accumulator in the quad forecast.

As can happen here, it dumped down with rain yesterday but it looks set fair for a bit of sea fishing tomorrow. No golf planned while Apes Hill is closed but the positive news is that it should reopen during 2021. Lets hope it is still affordable.

Coincidences still appear regularly. On this holiday I popped into the pavilion at Dover cricket club and there on the wall amongst pictures of famous West Indian cricketers was a presentation plaque from Old Parkonians, the local club to us in Oxton. They went in 1993. Continues to be a small world.

Air today gone tomorrow

We have just packed off four lads who have been here for the weekend as our latest Airbnb guests. They were in Liverpool for some sort of Game Of Thrones convention. They were no trouble at all and departed after breakfast. A few more bob deposited into the SWMBO account and hopefully their feedback will be good to allow us to maintain our gold hosting standard.

Our guests seem to be falling into three categories. One, like the lad's , is people visiting Liverpool for an event, festival or concert. Two is people staying with us while they visit relatives who live locally, and thirdly is people working or participating in some sort of sporting event.

Sadly none in the latter category has embraced the midweek golf profile we were targeting when we set the enterprise up, and most of our attendee's are weekenders. Still we get to meet interesting people and enjoy being able to share the home now the kids have vacated the top floor. We had two NASA scientists staying with us last week while they popped over to the Isle of Man for the classic TT events.

Sadly we can't help the people who need rooms in Oxton for New Year but it would probably be easier to cater for than the 20 we are expecting for Christmas Day and the fifty odd for Boxing Day.

Four people for New Year? No problem!!

Britain in Bloom

Yesterday we were able to wander round our urban village, Oxton, and visit 30 or so secret gardens. It was the 30th year that the Oxton Society had staged this event, but the first time we had been able to make it in the seven years we have lived here.

It was staggering to see the variety and complexity of some of the layouts, as well as marvel at some of the houses which are usually hidden behind locked gates and high walls. It also showed us how much there was to Oxton that we had yet to explore.

We discovered unmade lanes with sandstone walls, long winding drives with night lights, small schools tucked away behind huge rhododendron bushes and an array of properties ranging from the mid to late 1800s through the war years to some modern day infills and blocks of flats.

For this one day of the year though, they had all made an effort, even those not included in the chosen 30, by leaving gates open and making front gardens at least a sight to behold.

Many gardens had something to offer in terms of layout, textural usage or planting structure, although most could have benefited by labelling the less common plants which they used, to help those of us who were looking for something different which would survive in the heavy clay and harsh North Westerly wind.

The pick of the bunch, however, was that which was 28 Christchurch Road. The site was originally the vicarage garden for Christ Church opposite, but the garden fell into disrepair and was sold off with planning permission for a house to be built. The vicarage was turned into flats, and that could have been the end of it. The people who brought the plot, however, were aware that the garden had been magical, with grotto';s waterfalls and much else besides. They researched and found the original plans and have now re-created a very impressive place. It is one of the gardens which opens on charity days, so we will probably pop back on 14th June when next it is available.

Full marks must go to the Liver Morrish Dancers who banged out three sets during the day. I do suspect they were getting a bit tipsy by the time they did the 3pm performance, but as its a dying pastime shunned by the youth of today, it was good nonetheless to see them perform with such enthusiasm.

All in all a good four hours spent, during which we met all our neighbours, who we only see when we are all out and about at such a time......