Allotment 29 August 2024 and The Fox & Hounds

Before	After
The beetroot have grown a little; the potatoes are still shrivelling.  The rhubarb is growing small leaves with short, thin stalks.	Our visit late afternoon (17:20) visit was simply for watering, we were there for around 20 minutes.  The large oak tree we are under is sucking the life out of our plot, I suspect.  There were plenty of acorns on the ground.  So far as I know, acorns rot slowly.

After our short visit, we decided to find somewhere to eat.  After a quick look on Google Maps, we headed for the Fox and Hounds (https://foxandhoundsramsden.co.uk/).  As there was only two of us, we managed to get a table. 

 The food was very good, and the local beer called 'Blond' was brewed just over the road.  It was a nice pint, not at all like lager, as some light coloured beers are.  The chicken skewers (see picture) are well worth a try.

Staycation - Gardens and Cars

After dropping Brody off at the vets, we drove to Colchester to visit the Beth Chatto gardens. 

The main garden is the water garden, where there are not only plants, but all sorts of wild life.  Above is undoubtedly my best picture of the day.  The gardens are well-kept, we saw a small army of ladies working hard on one of the beds, and pleasing to the eye.  It is also very peaceful before most of the visitors arrive.  Unfortunately, it is also quite small for a garden, and I can't help but feel they could make better use of the space and open more of it.  The Beth Chatto gardens is really a large garden centre with the gardens attached, like a lot of large garden centres it has a huge café, so we had a cup of tea and planned where we would go for lunch.  If the gardens had been bigger, we would have lunched there.
We decided to visit the Wooden Fender, just a few miles away down a twisty Essex country road.  We sat in the garden and had a lovely meal - the food and the service was excellent.  Then we drove back towards Billericay, not knowing quite when we should pick up Brody.  We stopped at the Mini car sales place in Chelmsford, to look at a convertible mini - 4 seats, but only 4 people if the passengers in the rear seats don't have legs below the knees!  Still, it looks like a very nice car and would suit us and Brody, but we would have to find a way of strapping him in.
Back in Billericay, we visited the Ford garage to look at bigger cars - S-max etc.  Then there was an hour or so to wait to retrieve the retriever.
The poor dog is not at all comfortable after his knee clean, even this morning he is clearly in a lot of pain.  We have to go back to the vet tomorrow to see how he is doing, and are hoping to start hydrotherapy later this week.

Essex is a beautiful place

We decided to take a walk around Danbury, it was only supposed to be about two and a half miles, but because I didn't pay attention to the instructions in the guide book we ended up here:

Almost a mile from the start of the walk. Still, the tea (one pot = 3 cups) was very welcome, and the location wery pleasant. Brody seemed to enjoy it too, even though he doesn't really like walking on the side of a busy road (A414).

When we finally did get on the walk proper we realised that our guide book is dated 1994, and is a few years out of date.  Some of the things it describes are no longer there. So it took a little while for us to find the path, once on it we were soon in Thrift Wood where there used to be wild boar, and out the other side. Then past the golf course and into some fields.

This is where the beauty of Essex can really be seen.  We appeared to be miles from anywhere, on a lovely summer's day.  Brody can walk freely here, there are no horses or cows to distract him, and no streams for him to get muddy in.  Shortly after that we were back at the starting point:

Once seated in the garden we had a very nice lunch (Fisherman's Ploughmans), and drove home.  Our total walking distance today was about 4.7 miles.

"Gun" Day 6 - White Cliffs

We walked from the cottage to the National Trust visitor centre, a round trip along the cliffs and back of 5.39 miles.  We stopped in the visitor centre for a bit and had lunch, then returned.  We met a school teacher and his charges, asking questions about the cliffs, and eventually followed them along the cliffs at a distance.  Soon we caught them up, and took pictures for them, then left them behind.  Brody found the long walk a struggle for the last mile or so, and is still limping a little.  We have found some new glucosamine tablets that are specifically for pets and that he will eat without having them disguised.

An injured Brody, expecting something - anything - please just feed me!

As I often do, I am reading one of the books left in the cottage. The "Dr. Thorndyke Omnibus his famous cases as described by R. Austin Freeman"  First published in 1929, reprinted 1965.  This is a collection of short detective stories.  Thorndyke is very much like Holmes, though the character is not so filled out.  The reason for this is that the stories are about the detection, not the detector. So the stories could be summed up as Sherlock meets CSI.  In the first part of the book, the stories are written by describing the events, then describing the detection.  In the forward the author tells us that all the facts must be available to the reader - an intention that has so far been delivered, and one that should be essential to all detective novels - though sadly rarely is.  Here, though, the clues are reasonably easy to see, but the reasoning of the detective is the interesting part of the story.  Sadly, I thought I would not get to finish the book, only one day left and only 167 of 1080 pages read, but by the wonders of google I have found it, and ordered it from a second-hand bookseller - first Christmas present!

In the evening we headed into the darkness, there are a few street lights, one or perhaps two at important junctions and other places, but they are few and far between.  So once off the main road, there are no lights.  We drove to the wrong place, due to a sat-nav error.  Then we couldn't see the road the sat-nav said was there (the road looked like a drive, and it was very dark).  A couple of times we went down unmade roads, and finally found the road we needed - also unmade. It was worth the hassle.  The Zetland Arms faces the beach in Kingsdown, it is a homely little pub - a communal front-room (a term I read in the CAMRA newsletter for the area). The service was exceptional, the food excellent and so the evening was very enjoyable.

Veryan Day 3 - Ever Increasing Circles

As forecast, the day started wet and relatively cold.  After breakfast, I completed yesterday's blog, and then started reading a book about Veryan.  The weather seemed to clear, and we rushed to get ready and went out.  Brody was relieved, but by the time he had finished it was raining again, so we returned to the cottage - total distance 0.09 km.
We had lunch relatively early, Jo cooked the Chicken Tikka she bought the other day, and with rice and stir-fry we were fuelled and ready for the afternoon walk.  With the weather improving, we left about 13:20 to complete walk 9 in the booklet of walks.  This one starts at Veryan, and goes through Trewartha and Portloe and then back.  After a short break at the post office to write and send post cards, we returned to the route.

A theme of our walks has been the overly high stiles  we have had to get across.  Here is one that Jo started to cross, before we realised that the gate opened!  There were some very high ones, and some of them we did not need to cross.  The guided walk occasionally mixed it's left and right, so we went round in a couple of big circles.  That means the directions cannot be trusted, so at one point we decided to go down to the coast, except we never got further than the coastal path, and in making that decision we completely missed Portloe.  We then took a very long walk along the coastal path towards Carne Beach, turning away from the main costal path we ended up a little closer to home, which avoided the steep hill up from the beach.  All the time the weather was improving, and my hat was still in the cottage.  I could feel my head getting burnt.

Here is the route as recorded by Runtastic.

 After a short rest and a long drink, we decided to go to The Ship Inn in Portloe.  The food is very good, we both chose the plaice.  I chose it because it was the healthiest option, until I saw just how much butter it had been cooked in. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it.  We drove onwards through Portloe on our way home and soon passed Broom Parc, the house where "The Camomile Lawn" was set.  It is also the point at which we deviated from our route and ended up on a 10km hike.

Sitting here blogging, I thought I would back up the pictures on Jo's phone.  On my 2 android devices, this has been simplicity itself.  Plug it in, wait while the driver installs, look at the contents of the phone in explorer.  So you might expect that a Windows laptop could talk to a Windows phone easily.  You'd be wrong.  The driver install failed.  I have to install an 'app for desktop'.  When installed, it first tries to sync all the photos on the Laptop to the phone.  I stopped it, that would have been a disaster.  I have now copied Jo's pictures to the Laptop, for safer keeping. 

Veryan Day 2 - Fathers Day - Jago Cottage

The day started with a gift from Karen which she provided with Jo's help.

Sorry about the picture of me, but it is the only way to illustrate that it fits!

We bumped into our host, and spoke about the wi-fi - there is a code in the 'black book', but no network is visible.  She spent a little time trying to connect and decided to speak to her son, just back from university.  We also spoke about the TV, the signal is poor and the digital picture breaks up.  When it the sound goes - it is really unwatchable.  A little while later and the JagoCottage network is visible on my phone, my tablet and Jo's phone.  The signal is still poor, but at least we can connect and I can blog.  Later the TV will be exchanged for another, an LG, which is not so badly affected by digital signal problems.  It all gives the sense that we are on the edge of the world.

We started out first venture into the Cornwall countryside.  Smart phone in hand for directions, I am told to turn right at the only road we have come across which leads all the way to the centre of the village - not the best use of Google maps ever!  We arrive at the New Inn, knowing we have seen it before, but we can't remember when.  Both of us know it was late in the day, and that we didn't go inside.  The welcome inside is warm and friendly, and there is no problem taking Brody in.  We order drinks and the Sunday Roast.  We sit at the table discussing phones (Jo has a new smart phone that we are both getting used to), not a subject you would expect such an old couple to be interested in.  The roast dinner arrives quite quickly and is well cooked and hot, although the vegetable portion is a little smaller than I would have liked.  The sweet course is also enjoyable, and we leave the Pub full and refreshed.

There is a booklet in the cottage "Ten Walks in Veryan Parish".  Most of the walks take about an hour.  We start with walk 1, which starts from the Village Hall.  It takes us almost immediately to two of the Veryan round houses. They were built by Revd Jeremiah Trist around the beginning of the 19th century.  They are round so that the devil has no corner to hide in.  I wonder what modern day carpet fitters think of that?

Onward and out of the village we soon come to Carne Beacon, this is the tomb of King Geraint, a 6th century Cornish king, according to legend.  In WWII a Royal Observer Corps post was built on top of it.  I can understand why, the views are amazing, but at the time the locals were appalled at the desecration of the site.  We have the kings subjects and the British Army to thank for somewhere that is easy to stand, that gives such fantastic views.  On returning to the village we took a look at Veryan parish church.  At one time it seated 577, now, I estimate there are about 200 knealers, allowing plenty of space between each of the congregants.

The walk takes the promised 'hour at a leisurely pace', so we are back to the cottage in plenty of time for the Austrian GP highlights.  

After a tea we strive out across country towards Carne Beach.  It takes about 45 minutes on foot, and across country can be difficult.  Cornwall is great for walkers, but not if you have a 36kg dog with dodge back legs!  Behind Jo is one of the worst examples of a stile.  More accurately it is steps up to a 1 meter stone wall.  Lifting Brody over was a challenge, but the open wood built ones of a similar height offer even less places for you to land your dogs paws.

We played on the beach for a only little while because the sun had gone down and the light was beginning to go.  We walked back following the roads with the help of Google Maps.

In the last light of the day I washed the salt out of Brody's fur

Our first walk was about 2.7 miles, our second about 3.7, giving a total of 6.4 for the day.  Not a bad start.

Another Evening at the Rising Sun

Rarely as I've travelled through life I have found myself in a group of people who naturally gel.  The team I was part of and then lead in 2002 - 2004 was one of the few.  We were not split up all at once, but large companies tend to move their people around quite a lot - usually to try to save money, although I'm never sure that works.  I originally suggested that we planned our next get together to occur some time in February, then March, and finally April.  In April, we just about managed it.  We are now all working in different companies, I think, although one of our number was sent to Florida at short notice and couldn't be with us.  We met at the same location - the Rising Sun.  I notice that my previous two reports have been in June.  There is a lot of re-development happening around St. Paul's Cathedral, we all had concerns that the pub might be closed.  It wasn't.  It was relatively empty, though, it's usually a fight to get to the bar - not this time.  We stood inside, ignoring the newly pedestrianised road where most of the other customers were.  Then it was upstairs to the Thai restaurant.  What did we have last time?  Should we choose the same again, or have something different?  I chose ginger chicken stir-fry, I can't remember the Thai name, and I suspect it wouldn't mean much to you anyway.  The food was, as always, very good.  The company, as always, was even better.  There's always lots to talk about, and we never seem to quite get fully up to date - so there's reason to come back again.
The journey home was uneventful, and I was relaxed and happy having spent a good evening with old friends.

The Old Dog Inn

The view immediately after leaving the Olde Dog Inn on our latest country side walk. In other locations there has been nearby parking, but not here so we popped in to let the staff know what we were doing. A very chirpy waitress (or was she the manageress?) said everything would be OK. This was the closest walk to home that we have tried. The signs were not good as we set off down a farm track. Shortly afterwards we came back on the road, crossed over and turned left. Passing the Boars Head
View Larger Map and the duck pond, then once we had crossed a road and walked along a hedge the path disappeared. Footpath 45 was no more. We walked down a track, the only way to proceed, but that lead to a gate wrapped in barbed wire. Nothing for it but to return the way we had come. It had to happen eventually.

We returned to the Old Dog Inn, which being a free house serves my favourite beer, and quickly ordered some food. I'm please to say that we had an excellent meal and were served by the same waitress we had seen before, who was also very efficient. That was some consolation fro the lost half of the walk. Never mind, although I will send a question about the footpath to Brentwood Council, we had done enough walking for the day. We had started by verifying the answers to the Treasure Hunt clues we had prepared for the 11-18's group for Friday night. That had taken about an hour, and another hour on the aborted circular walk meant we had earned lunch.

The Bull, Blackmore

We went for a walk centred on 'The Bull' at Blackmore. Blackmore is in rural Essex and is one of the prettiest villages, with a duck pond in the village green. We walked past the church, which has its own claim to fame, and out into the fields around. I must first admit that our guide book is 15 years old. Things change. That's OK, but moving footpaths is not allowed. In one place the path was overrun with nettles, in another it had been ploughed into non-existence. We added over a mile to the planned walk because the locked gate that you are supposed to be able to walk past was firmly planted in the hedge on both sides. Without a machete or bolt croppers, there was no way through. I had brought the sat-nav, so when we did arrive at the road we were able to check that it was the right one. I also had my compass, and the binoculars. Both proved to be essential in finding the path, or at least in linking the posts that mark the path. At one point, use of the binoculars clearly upset the local residents - who began watching us back. The path we were on was not correct, the one we should have been on was in the process of being ploughed. Jo is standing near the point where the 'river' Wid crosses the road. Sometimes it is in flood, but today it was barely a muddy ditch. To the right is the walkway supplied to allow pedestrians to cross the river - when it is a river. We arrived back at The Bull. It being Tuesday, there were only a few people in. There was a guest beer, so I tried that. I've forgotten the name, but that's OK because I wouldn't rush back for another pint. The first pint I was served was decidedly vinegary and was quickly changed. The first main course I ordered was off the menu (all gone). The food was good, and the service was good. Sadly, there was nothing to make me want to go back. On leaving The Bull, we were treated to a starry sky - Blackmore has no street lights. We were fortunate to still have a car to return in, judging by the skid marks on the road just feet behind our car. They were not there when we parked! On the drive home we spotted a deer at the extremity of the headlights, and shortly after a rabbit - much closer. I'm not sure about the fate of the rabbit, but I now know that the anti-lock braking system works a treat.

Re-union @ the Rising Sun

Every once in a while my old team from about 2002 to 2004 get together for a re-union. I missed the last one due to my shoulder. So I last attended a re-union in June. We meet at the Rising Sun near St Paul's Cathedral. Last night was one of those events. There are usually only four of us, but we have been trying to contact some of the others. Last night was the latest get together now titled "Meet & Eat in the City". That's by far the best title we've had. There were five of us eventually. Two who I haven't seen since they left, and two other regulars. Some people have changed, some are still pretty much the same. There was something that team which is difficult to work out. It jelled better than almost any other team I've been in. We were not great friends at the time, but as the company split us up, we became better friends. It is always a great evening. To get to London I have to buy three rail tickets because I go from work and back to home. Chelmsford to Shenfield (£4.70), Return Shenfield to London (£10.30), Shenfield to Billericay (£2.70). The cost per mile varies dramatically. Why are one stop journeys SO expensive? On my return, Jo kindly agreed to pick me up from the station. I called at Liverpool St to let her know the train I was on. I called again t Shenfield, but didn't get through. A message 'unregistered number' appeared on my phone. I phoned her mobile and left a message. By now I'm at Billericay and still cannot call our home land line, nor Jo's mobile. There had been a power cut in Billericay which disrupted the mobile phone service, it seems, as it's working fine today.

Rising Sun for the evening

I went to London to meet with my ex-colleagues. Close to St. Paul's there is a Thai Restaurant, it is part of the Rising Sun public house. We were set to meet at 7pm, and had a good meal. It was great to catch up with them. I arrived in London very early and read through one of the free magazines - 'Sport'. Too much on golf for my liking, but the article on cycling was interesting, and there was a column on the Canadian GP that takes place this weekend. After that I wandered through the familiar roads, very little has changed. Opposite St Paul's, is the Tate Modern. As I glanced across, there was a painting on the side of the building. A man with a gun. Surely not, not in the middle of town. That might be dangerous. Supposing someone spots it out of the corner of his eye, just as I did. Supposing he is armed and reacts. Supposing he shoots at the building and kills someone in the line of fire.
I'm sorry, Tate Modern, but you'll just have to turn your building in-side-out. If you turn it back before the next general election, you will be arrested under the prevention of terrorism act.

Another Evening in the Neville Bull

What a difference from my last recorded visit to Kent. Once again we trekked across the QEII bridge into Kent to meet an old friend (he will remind me that I am older than him now, for a few months anyway). The pub has not changed much, the food is still very good, and the guest beer was enjoyable too. The topics of conversation this time were more limited, as there was more catching up to do. Also we could not sit outside, as the weather doesn't match that in July, it has been a wet May in England, especially in the south east. Still it was a good evening, one that I look forward to repeating at the end of the summer, before the dark evenings arrive, perhaps we will be able to sit outside then.
So with the family and career news shared we turned our attention to the church, and that was about as far as we got. Then it was back up the M20, through the tunnel and home - relaxed and refreshed.

Our home is turned into a Pub

OK, I exaggerate, but its a headline, and that's what all the newspapers do! Worse than that though is that it only serves cold Carlseberg. Lager! Real Ale should not be served freezing cold, not should it have a half inch head. It arrived yesterday, and was sat on the dinning table with a notice that said:

"DO NOT SWITCH OFF"

The boys have found new ways of getting supplies while they watch the important football games. I believe it holds 9 pints. So it stayed on all night, and most of today. It is now switched off and removed from the table, as we have home group in a little under an hour.

Now, I don't mind, really I don't, but the noise from it is horrible, like malfunctioning air conditioning. Have a listen to the video.

Great Night Out

Last night a friend and I traveled over the bridge into darkest Kent to see an old friend (well almost as old as me anyway). We picked him up and traveled to a little country pub (The Nevill Bull), enjoyed some very nice food and a couple of pints of beer. Most importantly some very good conversations about the old days, the C of E and its bishops, the new Dr Who and a vast range of other topics. Thoroughly chilled out and back very late I slept well in the heat and humidity for the first time this week.

Must do it again soon.