A walk from Turville Heath

For one of my occasional visits to the Oxfordshire Chilterns, I picked a route from Nick Moon's Circular Walks along The Chiltern Way. The forecast was for the odd shower, so I was prepared to get wet. Taking the B480 from Watlington to Pishill, it reminded me that this must be one of the prettiest roads in the country.

It was getting on for midday when I parked on what the author describes as a "small unofficial car park". It seemed very quiet and remote, so I was a little worried leaving the car. (In the end it was perfectly safe). If I have any criticism of the route, it was that the first part was so wonderful, that the rest did not compare. After walking through Turville Park, the green lane above Rolls Bottom had the most perfect views of the Stonor Valley with Stonor Park in the distance. I spent some time watching some red kites, but they never came close.

Rolls Bottom itself is a fairly ordinary track that passes the busy Turville Park Farm, and the path through Longhill Hanging Wood was likewise. It got better as I joined the Chiltern Way and as soon as i came out of the wood, I stopped for lunch.

I continued across fields and approached Northend Common, the walk by passing the village centre. Blackmoor Wood was the entry to the Wormsley Estate, the path descending steeply to a pretty valley. It was here there stands a large palladian stone ornament. The path then opens out and crosses fields with views of the Sokenchurch Tower. There are fine views of the Wormsley Valley both from the descent and then on the path up through the woods opposite. In the distance, through the trees, I saw a number of cars parked in the valley, and presumed this must be where there is the famous cricket ground.

I didn't find the right path on Ibstone Common, but that was fortunate as I found myself outside the Fox Inn, and was able to enjoy the walk past the cricket ground, before turning into Grays Lane, where the beautiful houses on the left have terrific views of the valley us walkers can only glimpse. Into the wood at the end, and it was only a short walk to Turville Heath itself, and back to the car by 3.30pm. And I never felt a drop of rain.

The Last House on the Left, Transformers 2 and Public Enemies

I should learn to accept that when all the reviews for a film are bad, they should be avoided.

The Last House on the Left is a poor remake of the Wes Craven original, which I'm glad I missed. It is nasty and predictable as the parents take revenge on their daughter's attackers. Not a proper horror movie.

Transformers 2 is noisy and boring.

I went to see Public Enemies with more hope, being directed by Michael Mann, and not a typical summer blockbuster. But what a disappointment. The digital photography and jerky camera work made it difficult to watch. The were periods in the film that were just tedious. The script was awfull and Johnny Depp came across as if taking the part was a good idea at the time, but he really had better things to do.

My performance at cricket - the highlights

They are very few and far between. The only coaching I ever received was out of a book. So I will never know what standard I could have reached with the proper help. When we were young, my brother John and I would try to put some techniques into practice on our own in the nets in Holland Park. I used to watch those selected for the school team (being an all boys school) having coaching, whilst my friends and I played in "the cage".

But my first highlight came when I was about 12 at the Boys and Girls Exhibition at Olympia. There was an enclosed section where a pitch had been set up and some Middlesex cricketers were showing off. One of them then took a bat and offered a jar of Brylcream to whichever boy bowled him out first. None of us got anywhere near. For what must have been my third attempt, I changed from my medium pace to offspin. He might have taken pity on me, but I hit the stumps and the trophy was mine. It stood proudly on our bathroom shelf, until it fell and broke.

When we moved to Braintree, a mixed school, I gained a place in the first eleven. It was always special to board the mini bus with the rest of the team. I opened the batting until too many failures relegated me to number seven. It was there I suddenly found success of a sort. Playing Felsted private school (who produce some county level players), our batting obviously collapsed against two excellent fast bowlers on the first pitch I had played on that was so hard it was crisp. So it didn't take long before I was on my way to the crease. The bowling was so fast that whenever I touched the ball, it skidded off for runs. In the end I top scored with 17. At least it kept me in the team.

As trainees at George Wimpey, we were occasionally given the chance to play for the firm's side when they were short. I avoided this at all costs, as the standard was too good for me. I preferred the third team for Turnham Green. But eventually I had to play. Stuck down the order with no hope of a bowl, the opposition opening partnership was unbreakable. Eventually the ball was tossed to me as they needed to try some alternative spin. I was back in Olympia with some deceptive flight that took our first wicket. I thought that would at least give me a couple more overs. But no, our fast bowler replaced me immediately to take on the new batsman. I never bowled again, nor played again for that miserable lot.

I did enjoy my cricket when I played for Turnham Green, either for the second or third team. We travelled around the outskirts of Middlesex, with teas provided in an assortment of pavilions. I cannot remember a decent score or a proper bowl. But it filled the weekends in the mid sixties. Well, that's about it. As I said, my highlights are few, but being so, are more memorable.

A Dolls House

The Donmar Warehouse is the most incredible theatre. Four rows of stalls on three sides of the stage, and another four in the circle. So it is extremely intimate, and so close to the actors, especially if , like me, you are in the very front row. I had my toes pressed against the edge of the less than one metre high stage, so when Gillian Anderson was sitting on a packing case in front of me, it was in touching distance. Extraordinary.

The play was excellent. Apparently a new version of Ibsen's original, it changed Torvald Helmer, a banker, into Thomas Vaughn, an MP. And Zinnie Harris' interpretation worked very well. The cast was starry and brilliant. As well as Gillian Anderson in the main role of Thomas' wife Nora, there was Tara Fitzgerald, Anton Lesser and Toby Stephens. But for me, the revelation was Christopher Eccleston. I never really took to him as Doctor Who, although he was good in Heroes. But on the stage, he is an almighty presence. The role suited him perfectly as he raged as the dastardly Neil Kelman.

The Winters Tale

Another in the plays of William Shakespeare I had never seen before. What made it more interesting was that I didn't even know the plot. And what a splendid production it was. Typical RSC, all action on the huge thrust stage of the Courtyard Theatre. Entrances and exits through the audience, lots of things going on while the actors speak. Greg Hicks was superb in the main of role of Leontes, King of Sicilia.

The first half was basically a tragedy, and is quite dark. The introduction to Act 2 is performed by a character called Time who takes the part of the Chorus. He spells out the passing of 16 years in 16 lines. The second half is a typical Shakespeare comedy, disguises and mistaken identities as normal. And what a contrast to the first act. It was brilliant., and with a happy ending. Some lines to remember: "Properity's the bond of love".........and "Inch thick, knee deep" meaning the evidence is solid and plentiful.

Wimbledon - We were there, but not at the end

An unexpected offer of two tickets to the second Monday of Wimbledon tennis only arrived a few weeks ago. We had heard nothing from the public ballot by early spring, so why it came so late, we will never know. The seats were on Centre Court, but not together. But we accepted nonetheless.

We were promised a hot day, so it was fortunate we had seats near the back and under cover. We watched victories for Federer over Soderling and Dinara Safina over an unlucky Amelie Mauresmo. The latter will always be known as the first match to be played under the new roof. It started to rain during their match and the decision was made to close the roof. I made a quick dash down the steps to get a photo of this historic event.

The last game featured Andy Murray against Stanislas Wawrinka. Play did not start until 6.36pm so was bound for a late finish. Just how late we were to find out. It was well after 9.30pm and into the fourth set with Murray leading by two sets to one that we finally decided to call it a day. Alison had work the following day and I would have another late night at Stratford. On our way out, we passed the crowd on the hill watching the big screen in the near dark. In the end, Murray eventually won at 10.45pm, the tie only completed because of the lights under the roof. It was great that we were there.

Visit to the New Forest

We had booked two nights at the Forest Lodge Hotel in Lyndhurst. It was a bright, sunny Thursday when we drove down the M3 and we decided to head for Bournemouth. A walk along the beach, stops for coffee and ice creams, a relaxing start to our short break.

In the late afternoon, we headed for Lymington. This proved to be a very attractive town with interesting houses and a photogenic harbour.

The next day we went into Lyndhurst to pick up a walking guide. It started to rain heavily, so whilst in a tea shop, we decided to make a trip into nearby Southampton. It cleared later, so we were able to do our walk at Acres Down. And very nice it was too, especially the paths over elevated downland.

The next day we wanted to visit Winchester, and particularly the Cathedral. We took the short park and ride, and were soon inside the Cathedral itself. Extremely impressive and a surprise that Winchester of the capital of England in Anglo Saxon times. Many of the early kings are buried in the Cathedral. We joined a tour with only three other people which was very worthwhile. I even knew the answer to our guide's question about Chantries, much to Alison's surprise.

We left the Cathedral and embarked upon one of my walking tours. Armed with the city centre map from Tourist Information, we first headed for the 13th century Great Hall (the only surviving part of Winchester Castle) and the Round Table that hangs inside. Back roads then led us to Winchester College before returning to the Cathedral. A great day, helped by the warm sunshine.