Brothers Day

On Sunday, it was our turn to host my two brothers and their wives for lunch. We normally meet up twice a year, and this time I had also invited my daughter, her husband and their daughter Hannah. Zoe had not seen her uncles and aunts for "a long time", so it was great they could see each other after all this time.

My brother John's daughter also came in the afternoon with her husband and their ten month old son Oli. It was quite something to see the two members of the next generation, soon to be joined by a new baby for Paul's son Tim.

After lunch, John and Jan had to speed back home to be there for the man installing their new fireplace, and the rest of us sat outside and ignored the breeze. It was a really good family get together.

The Garden in June

The major task of the spring turned out to be the border under the trees. Previously, the grass had been left to finish where it wanted, but I decided that after all these years, it would look better with an edge. Once this had been cut, I realised that the soil I had exposed might be just good enough to grow some shade loving plants. I started with some small evergreen shrubs and then in May some Hostas. The white flowering one in the foreground was a present from Alison's sister Anne and, like the others round the corner, is surviving.

The roses have flowered well this year, although the stems are weak and are easily bent in the breeze. Must be something wrong with my pruning.

I always plant Antirrhinum's in the border next to the wall. I think it was four dozen this year, (plus some blue Salvia) so perhaps it is time for some perennials, like the geraniums now having replaced the usual annuals in the front garden.

I am particularly pleased with the Penstemon that I bought from Waterperry last year. It kept its foliage through the winter and has now flowered well. A smaller one behind in purple is also in flower and the Dianthus are as good as last year.

Lake District June 2008

We had not been to the Lakes for two years. The last time we went, the weather was even more cloudy, cool and wet than normal. But we cannot keep away for long, and as we had not stayed in the northern area before, we found a self catering apartment near to Keswick.

We actually drove up on the Friday to meet Alison's dad at Dunham Massey, a beautiful NT property with lovely gardens and a nice cafe for lunch. In the evening we had been invited to dinner at her sister's and we were able to see our nephew, Daniel, who had been away with the school on their last visit to us.

On Saturday we visited Alison's brother and talked to our eldest nephew who is off to uni in September. So we did not arrive in Keswick until late afternoon.

We knew most of the popular walks would be busy on Sunday, so we decided to try Haystacks which is fairly isolated. We found the last car parking place at Gatesgarth Farm and were soon above Buttermere.

The walk up was fairly steep but we had good views of the lake and the surrounding fells. The weather was bright, although quite cloudy, and it was very windy at the top.



The route back visited Innominate Tarn (where Alfred Wainwright's ashes were scattered), Backbeck Tarn before a rough decent to Scarth Gap followed by a steady downhill path winding round the fell on the other the other side of Black Beck.


Wainwright describes Haystacks "Here is a rugged height, little in stature and small in extent, encircled by much loftier fells, some of international reknown, yet standing quite unabashed by their greater presence in the landscape and not acknowledging inferiority to any of them."

The next day promised good weather, so we plunged for Skiddaw, the fourth highest fell in the Lakes, and therefore England. The route up is a wide path, an easy but unrelenting climb to the top. But the views over Derwent Water were magnificent, especially as it was quite bright with little wind.
When we reached the summit, the wind picked up so it became quite cold. But we could see over Bassenthwaite Lake to the Solway Firth and Scotland in the distance.

We took the advice of Colin Shelbourne in his book and returned across Sale How. There is no footpath on the map, but as he says, you cannot miss the route which arrives at Skiddaw House and follows the Cumbrian Way in a long but enjoyable route around Lonscale Fell. And we had time for tea at Brysons on our return to Keswick.

On Tuesday we needed a rest day, and as showers were forecast, we drove to one of our favourite places in the south. Parking at Rydal we strolled along Loughrigg Terrace above Rydal Water and then Grassmere lake. Even from a fairly low height you can see (left to right in the following photo) Crinkle Crags, Bow Fell and the Langdale Pikes.

The weather had stayed fine, so we decided to make the climb to the top of Loughrigg Fell. Again windy at the top, but well worth the effort.

The first heavy shower fell just after we arrived back at the car. In the afternoon, we went into Grassmere and enjoyed a mooch around as we always do. We found a wonderful new cafe called Heidi's for tea and cake, and finally picked up some gingerbread at Sarah Nelson's.

Wednesday forecast heavy rain ,and after the walk yesterday (and Alison's run in the morning) we started a proper rest day with brunch at Booths. Into Keswick for a walk round the shops with a stop for coffee, we ended with a walk to the lake where the first heavy shower of the day started.

The weather on Thursday was still showery and cool, so we picked one from Bob Allen's "Lower Lakeland Fells" next to Ullswater. This took us to Aira Beck and before Dockray we headed up Gowbarrow Fell. Again windy and cold on the top, but good views all round.

The path down was not obvious, but we did find our way and the route around Green Hill, high above Ullswater, was excellent. Most of the time it was cloudy, but when the sun came out, it was quite spectacular. And we could see the path that follows the opposite side of the lake and which we had walked on previous visits. Finally Glenridding, at the end of Ullswater came into view with the Hevellyn range in the distance.

When we arrived back downhill, it was to see the waterfalls at Aira Force. A light shower fell on the walk back to the car, only for the heavens to open when we had made it inside.

On Friday morning we felt like we could not do another fell, and with temperatures steady at 14 degrees max and cloudy conditions, we decided to head for home where we arrived to warm sunshine. Next time (and there will be a next time, despite typical Cumbrian weather) we will just go for two or three days when we go north. Because the Lakes still have their hold on us, and that will never change.

Route for Haystacks (double left click to enlarge)

Route for Skiddaw

Route for Loughrigg Fell

Route for Gowbarrow Fell and Aira Force

Louisiana Blues

Mark Knopfler's recent concert opened with a song I didn't know. I real belting number that Terry Wogan used to call hooligan music. I found out later that it was called "Cannibals" and featured on the "Golden Heart" album which is the only one of his I do not possess. It was the first he released after he folded "Dire Straits".

It is typical of music called zydeco which evolved when French speaking black slaves arrived in Louisiana in the 18th century. A hybrid of blues, swamp pop, R&B and traces of Afro-Caribbean rhythms, it sits alongside Cajun as the dance music of this part of the south. How do I know all this? A couple of years ago I was searching for one of my favourite songs called "Promised Land" by Johnnie Allan. I could only find it on an album called "Alligator Stomp", a mixture of Cajun and Zydeco classics. The sleeve notes give an informative summary of this type of music.

"Promised Land" is a brilliant Chuck Berry R&B composition played with "frantic accordion solos", which instrument is typical of Zydeco. Clifton Chenier was the King of Zydeco and appears twice on the album. He is given a name check in the Paul Simon song "That was your mother" on his "Graceland" recording. Simon even uses the accordion and washboard typical of Chenier's band.

To come full circle, the Mark Knopfler song includes accordion and Louisiana gets mentioned in his sleeve notes. His major influence was Lonnie Donegan whose recordings include "Bring a little water Sylvie" in 1956, his first release with his own musicians after leaving Chris Barber's traditional jazz band with whom he recorded "Rock Island Line" in 1955. Both songs, and others he later recorded, are attributed as compositions, or arrangements, to Huddie Ledbetter. Who played accordion and was born in ......... Louisiana.

The day I met the Queen

Ellis Construction had been the main contractors on the refurbishment of St Luke's Hospital for the Clergy on Fitzroy Square. It was different to a normal refurb, more a reconstruction and fit out. The whole building (originally two town houses in 1920) was gutted and left with the original frame and exterior cladding. We found the remnants of what must have been a very early steel frame instead of the expected concrete. Redesign of the structure and the introduction of numerous steel beams and columns to suit the new layout ( and the new top storey that projects above all the other buildings in the square) meant the programme extended from 26 to 39 weeks.

I had the dubious pleasure of explaining all this to the Rev Paul Thomas, who was the client's representative, at a succession of final account meetings. Having been threatened with the intervention Archdeacon Hayward, and possible excommunication, we agreed on a final sum. And I was still invited to the re-opening by the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh on 8th March 1995.

Architects, other consultants and representatives of the contractors were distributed throughout the building, some were to be met by the Queen and others by the Duke. There were five of us stationed on the second floor landing of the back staircase. The itinerary reads "3.45pm The Queen's Party moves to the rear staircase to the 2nd Floor. Half way up this staircase will be assembled architects, engineers and contractor's management staff."

Approaching the time, an equerry came up the stairs and told us the Queen was near and reminded us the formalities of how to address her. He left and a few minutes later, a smart little old lady, on her own, wandered up to meet us. She was introduced to each us in turn. When it was my turn to shake the Queen's hand, the only recollection of the question she asked and my reply was something about the number of people employed on the project. By this time her party had caught up and they were off up the stairs.

Fifteen minutes later we were in the marquee erected especially on the hospital gardens in the square for the Queen to unveil a plaque. Tea was served and at 4.30 the royal party left. Mike Ellis (the MD) suggested I join him for drink to celebrate, so we grabbed a taxi to central London and found a bar. It had been some day.

Double Fault, On Chesil Beach The Mission Song and Notes from an Exhibition

Having been so impressed by Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk about Kevin, I picked on Double Fault from the other six novels she has written. However, this was quite disappointing and took a long time to reach the end. And then there is no happy ending. In fact the main character, Willy loses both ways at the conclusion. So her struggle, and mine, were not worth it in the end.

The next two books were the opposite and were devoured far too quickly. In fact On Chesil Beach is such a short novel (166 pages) that it would never take long. But Ian McEwan wrings out everything you ever want to know about the two main characters. His writing is superb and the drama of such a little story is mesmerising.

I have read ever book written by John Le Carre. But the poor reviews of The Mission Song nearly put me off. I'm glad they didn't as the author has lost none of his craft and wit. It is equal to any of his later novels, a great plot, stunning locations and brilliant writing. I cannot wait to see the film.

I thought Notes from an Exhibition would be right up my street. Set in Cornwall, time twisting narrative and interesting characters. However it did not quite work for me. There were sections that were quite tedious, interspersed with something quite magical. I must have found the right key three quarters through as suddenly it flowed to a satisfying conclusion.

Reflections of My Life by Maramalade

When Alison bought "Jackie The Album", ( a 3 CD collection of hits from the seventies) I thought there might be the odd track I might like. But there were a lot more than that. The standout song for me was one I had not heard for some time, but was a staple when I used to listen to Radio 2 before it became Radio 1 and a half.

Reflections of My Life was the one brilliant composition from Dean Ford (born Thomas McAleese) and Junior Campbell (born William Campbell) who were the vocalist and lead guitarist in the Scottish band Marmalade. They had previously sung other people's compositions and it was only when they changed record labels and joined Decca that they were allowed to write their own stuff. And it obviously all poured out in this one great melancholic song. It contains a novel reverse guitar solo from Campbell and great vocals from Ford. Unfortunately they never repeated it's success. But definitely one of my favourite records.

The Eye, Doomsday and Iron Man

I had hoped that when the half term holidyas were over, we might have some decent, intelligent films to see. But these have not materialised and I am down to one film every two or three weeks.

The Eye was a decent enough thriller. A remake of the Japanese original, it suffered slightly from a subdued performance from Jessica Alba in the main role. A few shocks along the way depended on apparitions appearing suddenly. Could have been better.

Doomsday had been panned by the critics, but I did not want to miss a Neil Marshall movie after "Dog Soldiers" and "The Descent". It was much better than I had feared. OK, there were many references to other films, particularly the "Mad Max" chase, but it was all done in fun. Rhona Mitra did well in the lead, but Bob Hoskins, who had been advertised as the main star, had a very small contribution. Familiar faces included Adrian Lester from "Hustle" as Mitra's number two.

I had serious reservations about yet another superhero movie, but Michael had recommended "Iron Man", and the trailer was good. I was glad I went. The superherotype action was thankfully limited and we were left with good characterisations and a decent plot. Robert Downey Jr was terrific. He would get the award for best actor in a superhero movie. Ably supported by baddie Jeff Bridges and wet assistant Gwyneth Paltrow. I might even see the sequel.

Mark Knopfler at the Albert Hall

When I went to see the Shangri La Tour three years ago, it was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. Mark did most of the songs sitting down, but that must have been as a result of his motor bike accident which meant that the tour had to be resheduled. But this time he was back to his old self standing throughout.

I liked it that the new arrangements of many of the songs that he played previously were just slightly different. The addition of JohnMcCusker on fiddle/citern just raised the folk sound a notch. The band played all but two of the Dire Straits numbers from last time. Walk on Life and Money for Nothing were dropped but the rest were there: Romeo and Juliet, Sultans of Swing, Telegraph Road, Brothers in Arms, So Far Away and the full 13 minutes of Telegraph Road. Sublime.

Single Spies

I had never seen an Alan Bennett play on stage despite him being one of my favourite writers. So when the Wycombe Swan advertised his "Single Spies", I invited Zoe along for the evening. I have to say that I was a little disappointed by the production, possibly because I was expecting too much.

It was probably that the first of the two pieces seemed a bit flat. Set in Guy Burgess's dowdy apartment in Moscow, the tone was pretty dour. The visit of old friend and famous actress Coral Browne does not really lift his spirits. Nigel Havers and Diana Quick seemed unable to make anything of some mundane gossip.

However, they are much more at home in the second half playing Sir Anthony Blunt and the Queen. Their conversation sparkles with humour and this is where Bennett is in his element. This was worth seeing on its own.