I visited a traditional country pub yesterday in the village of Charlton, near Goodwood. The pub has kept its dark wood interior and bar, while embracing the modern trend for gastro food. This it does in two separate dining areas which do not interfere with pub ambiance.
For a small pub, it had several cask beers, three ciders and the usually gassy stuff. The cask beers are all local Sussex micro brewers and one was called Fox, the same name as the pub. A plaque on the wall indicated that the first ever WI meeting in England was held here, and a picture on the wall showed Doctor Who, Sarah-Jane and the Brigadier in a scene which was filmed there too. A proper English pub.
Thursday, 14 May 2009
Monday, 11 May 2009
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......
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......
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
And a fruit based drink for the lady
We went to see Al Murray at the weekend, aka The Pub Landlord. He was on at the Echo Arena, and we were curious to see how he would get on as he has had a rough ride in Scouseland on a few occasions.
His act started off as I expected, with him effectively identifying his foils who would be food and drink for him throughout the rest of the show. So, we had the fat bloke, the old bloke, the good looking girls, the intellectual, the getaway driver, a few nurses and secretary's, the lad who worked for a bank, and a few randoms which for this show included a 'finisher' and some stock takers from Morrison. Finally he found the ugly bloke batting way above his average, with a good looking girl.
He then ran a series of gags aimed at or involving each of these stereotypes, and frankly it was all a bit tedious. The stock takers took offense at the 'well you would in Liverpool wouldn't you' joke, and the Gordon Brown stories told in a Scottish accent, so they decided to heckle a bit. Sadly they were not very good at it, and after ten minutes or so they were shown the door.
He proved God was British with a few parables probably not from the Bible, which included alluding to the fact that he always stood his round, even if there were 5000 in the pub, which was amusing, he lambasted the London 2012 initiative, presumably to get the out of town sympathy vote, and ended by extolling the virtues of bacon as a hangover cure.
Would I go again? no, would I recommend him? only if he was doing a 30 minute slot in a comedy club, frankly he should stick to his TV chat show, but as SWMBO indicated, comedians only have a short shelf life so you have to go with it while you can.
His act started off as I expected, with him effectively identifying his foils who would be food and drink for him throughout the rest of the show. So, we had the fat bloke, the old bloke, the good looking girls, the intellectual, the getaway driver, a few nurses and secretary's, the lad who worked for a bank, and a few randoms which for this show included a 'finisher' and some stock takers from Morrison. Finally he found the ugly bloke batting way above his average, with a good looking girl.
He then ran a series of gags aimed at or involving each of these stereotypes, and frankly it was all a bit tedious. The stock takers took offense at the 'well you would in Liverpool wouldn't you' joke, and the Gordon Brown stories told in a Scottish accent, so they decided to heckle a bit. Sadly they were not very good at it, and after ten minutes or so they were shown the door.
He proved God was British with a few parables probably not from the Bible, which included alluding to the fact that he always stood his round, even if there were 5000 in the pub, which was amusing, he lambasted the London 2012 initiative, presumably to get the out of town sympathy vote, and ended by extolling the virtues of bacon as a hangover cure.
Would I go again? no, would I recommend him? only if he was doing a 30 minute slot in a comedy club, frankly he should stick to his TV chat show, but as SWMBO indicated, comedians only have a short shelf life so you have to go with it while you can.
Friday, 1 May 2009
Another year goes by.......
Well another year goes by. Here we are on the first May 2009 and my blog is now 2 years old. It all started off you will recall, as a life journey with the focus being the selling of my London home. So whats happened?
Not a lot really, the current economic climate is well documented, and the house has been reduced in price accordingly. Not enough as far as the agents are concerned, but to a level I feel happy negotiating around, and which should give me scope to purchase a flat further down the line.
Up until recently there were three similar houses for sale in the Crescent, with mine being the mid-priced property. The lower priced one is now under offer, so it remains to be seen whether anybody will show interest in mine during June and July. If not, then I will remove the place from the market and bide my time. The number of flats around at the moment is low and their style and locations do not give me any enthusiasm to purchase which is also a bit disappointing, but I continue to take the stance that I am not selling to move into a place I am not happy living in.
Meanwhile its early Summer maintenance up North, and I suspect I have just scarified the lawn a bit too vigorously. Still grass is pretty resilient so it should recover in time for the first cricket match of the new season!!
I have finally got round to ordering a new car and we now are waiting to see if it or the new grandchild arrives first. Number two daughter is certainly growing a big bump and I am sure she can't wait to offload the offspring before the temperature hots up. Number two son is in the Dominican Republic at his bosses wedding and sounds like he is having a fine time. With a personal butler on call to run his bath, and a golf buggy available to transport him around the resort he should be.
What else will this third year in the life of The Philanderer hold I wonder, rest assured you will be the second or third to know.
Not a lot really, the current economic climate is well documented, and the house has been reduced in price accordingly. Not enough as far as the agents are concerned, but to a level I feel happy negotiating around, and which should give me scope to purchase a flat further down the line.
Up until recently there were three similar houses for sale in the Crescent, with mine being the mid-priced property. The lower priced one is now under offer, so it remains to be seen whether anybody will show interest in mine during June and July. If not, then I will remove the place from the market and bide my time. The number of flats around at the moment is low and their style and locations do not give me any enthusiasm to purchase which is also a bit disappointing, but I continue to take the stance that I am not selling to move into a place I am not happy living in.
Meanwhile its early Summer maintenance up North, and I suspect I have just scarified the lawn a bit too vigorously. Still grass is pretty resilient so it should recover in time for the first cricket match of the new season!!
I have finally got round to ordering a new car and we now are waiting to see if it or the new grandchild arrives first. Number two daughter is certainly growing a big bump and I am sure she can't wait to offload the offspring before the temperature hots up. Number two son is in the Dominican Republic at his bosses wedding and sounds like he is having a fine time. With a personal butler on call to run his bath, and a golf buggy available to transport him around the resort he should be.
What else will this third year in the life of The Philanderer hold I wonder, rest assured you will be the second or third to know.
Thursday, 30 April 2009
'You cannot be serious......?'
So Howard Webb, the eminent footie referee has apologised for 'getting it wrong' at Old Trafford last week when he awarded a penalty to Manchester United which virtually handed them the league title, and put the chances of Spurs reaching Europe in serious doubt.
He appears to have been the only person in the ground who thought it was a penalty, with Alex Ferguson commenting that they had been a bit lucky, and Arsene Wenger indicating that although he did not see it, it was clearly not a penalty.
Spurs have been unfortunate at Old Trafford before, as Mark Clattenburg disallowed a goal in the Martin Jol era, when Ray Carroll clawed the ball back from several feet behind the line. it earned the referee an entry in the Viz Profanisaurus thus:
Clattenburg, n: the term used for sexual intercourse as demonstrated during an Adult Channel movie shown in a hotel room. Everybody knows its in, but you just can't see it.
So once more it opens up the debate for the introduction of technology to aid referees to make the correct decisions. Rugby League pioneered it, Rugby Union and Cricket followed suit and now tennis players are allowed to query calls in which Hawkeye is used to adjudicate .
Would it slow the game down? Well image a couple of examples, the penalty at Old Trafford is given so there is a delay anyway during which the third official would say 'no penalty, indirect free kick to Spurs'. Alternatively, as happened on Tuesday, Thiery Henry is pulled down in the box by a Chelsea player, the ref waves play on. The third official has a look, and mikes the ref, 'Penalty'. The decision is made, the players will moan, but will eventually realise it was shown on TV so justice is done. Very little delay to the game.
Add into the mix the cricket and tennis approach where each manager is allowed three appeals to the third official. if right they keep their three, if wrong then they lose an appeal. Maybe two per half would avoid both managers questioning every decision in the last ten minutes?
Sadly the football authorities think they and their game is so pure that they do not need these things, but with money the prime motivator these days they need to wake up and smell the coffee. Anyway where is my copy of ' Debbie does Dallas'?
He appears to have been the only person in the ground who thought it was a penalty, with Alex Ferguson commenting that they had been a bit lucky, and Arsene Wenger indicating that although he did not see it, it was clearly not a penalty.
Spurs have been unfortunate at Old Trafford before, as Mark Clattenburg disallowed a goal in the Martin Jol era, when Ray Carroll clawed the ball back from several feet behind the line. it earned the referee an entry in the Viz Profanisaurus thus:
Clattenburg, n: the term used for sexual intercourse as demonstrated during an Adult Channel movie shown in a hotel room. Everybody knows its in, but you just can't see it.
So once more it opens up the debate for the introduction of technology to aid referees to make the correct decisions. Rugby League pioneered it, Rugby Union and Cricket followed suit and now tennis players are allowed to query calls in which Hawkeye is used to adjudicate .
Would it slow the game down? Well image a couple of examples, the penalty at Old Trafford is given so there is a delay anyway during which the third official would say 'no penalty, indirect free kick to Spurs'. Alternatively, as happened on Tuesday, Thiery Henry is pulled down in the box by a Chelsea player, the ref waves play on. The third official has a look, and mikes the ref, 'Penalty'. The decision is made, the players will moan, but will eventually realise it was shown on TV so justice is done. Very little delay to the game.
Add into the mix the cricket and tennis approach where each manager is allowed three appeals to the third official. if right they keep their three, if wrong then they lose an appeal. Maybe two per half would avoid both managers questioning every decision in the last ten minutes?
Sadly the football authorities think they and their game is so pure that they do not need these things, but with money the prime motivator these days they need to wake up and smell the coffee. Anyway where is my copy of ' Debbie does Dallas'?
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Oink, Oink
So a new strain of flu is spreading its way around the world as a result of the initial outbreak in Mexico. We are all checking ourselves here to ensure we have not developed small curly tails, pointy ears or large square looking noses. I guess that anybody who looks like Shrek is being viewed with suspicion, so I wonder if Manchester United have put Wayne Rooney into quarantine?
It is not surprising that cases are starting to be identified across the globe given the number of people in the air at any one time. On Sunday morning I drove past the runway at Heathrow, past Hatton Cross, and the aircraft takeoff route was right above us to the East. In the six or seven minutes it took me to pass the three sets of lights on the A30, five jumbo's took off. Thats about 2000 people, or 20,000 per hour, just from one airport.
I remember when the flu virus mutated into Asian flu some years ago and there were a number of fatalities particularly amongst the older population. It did hit Britain during the Winter, however, and I suspect the fact we are entering our warmest period now may contribute to the reduced effects the virus seems to be having here. Mexico is one of the most polluted countries in the world, and the air quality in Mexico City in particular is very poor. I am confident that sensible precautions in the UK will contain this strain as just another 'bad cold'.
Anyway, its early so I must go and stick my snout in the trough.
It is not surprising that cases are starting to be identified across the globe given the number of people in the air at any one time. On Sunday morning I drove past the runway at Heathrow, past Hatton Cross, and the aircraft takeoff route was right above us to the East. In the six or seven minutes it took me to pass the three sets of lights on the A30, five jumbo's took off. Thats about 2000 people, or 20,000 per hour, just from one airport.
I remember when the flu virus mutated into Asian flu some years ago and there were a number of fatalities particularly amongst the older population. It did hit Britain during the Winter, however, and I suspect the fact we are entering our warmest period now may contribute to the reduced effects the virus seems to be having here. Mexico is one of the most polluted countries in the world, and the air quality in Mexico City in particular is very poor. I am confident that sensible precautions in the UK will contain this strain as just another 'bad cold'.
Anyway, its early so I must go and stick my snout in the trough.
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