Missing, Polite Society and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

 

Not nearly as good as Searching, the film that prompted the makers to try something similar. Missing has just too many twists and turns to be at all credible. The one big advantage is that it has Joaquin de Almeida as the private detective in Columbia where June Allen's mother has gone .....you've got it. Joaquin has a huge list of film and tv credits to his name and it shows. He just makes everyone else seem rubbish. 

I didn't realise Polite Society would be so much fun. The script was very good and the interaction between the two sisters and their school friends was excellent. It was supposed to be set in Shepherds Bush (where I changed buses on my way to school and picked up a lift to cricket matches) but we only saw the market. Not to be taken seriously, the film was entertaining and fast paced thanks to director Nida Manzoor. Despite the silliness, the film has a big heart. It was only during the end credits that I realised this was a Working Title picture so credit again to Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. It was in 1985 that they released My Beautiful Laundrette but found real success with Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994. I stayed at the end to hear "Identity", a wonderful punk song from X-ray Spex. More please.

Sometimes the film adaptation of a favourite book is a big let down. But not in this case. Rachel Joyce has written the screenplay from her popular novel and it has all the humour and pathos of the original. And particularly the emotion. Jim Broadbent and Penelope Wilton are, of course, excellent as an older couple still suffering from events that gradually unfold. That is what is so good. That and the English landscape in all it's majesty and it's urban mix. From the countryside of the Cotswolds to Exeter Cathedral and Sheffield's disastrous planning. Director Hettie Macdonald has let us recapture the emotion of the book. Of all the people Harold meets along the way, my favourite was Monika Gossman as the east European doctor relegated to cleaning jobs as her partner left a year before. She should have her own book and film.

Tring Book Club - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

 

The beginning of this book was excellent and it did try to match that all the way through. Elizabeth Zott is a wonderful character, but she has a back story that I wished I had not read last thing at night. And that did not include her awful parents who never paid any taxes and with whom Elizabeth never has contact.

Into her life comes Calvin Evans, an equally devoted chemist. At one point they are talking long into the night when one of them has to get up and takes notes. He is the one who introduces Elizabeth to rowing, but for me, those passages were not that interesting. However an obstetrician has the best line when he asks Elizabeth if she will come back to row in a years time. "No babies in the boat, there are plenty of those as it is".

Hosting the "Supper at Six" TV show is her salvation. Combining chemistry and cooking is a novel idea and one that warms the story. That is until one fateful error. However this is not a romantic novel, but the characters are all vividly portrayed. My choice for Book Club turned out to be a blockbuster. There is humour, pathos and emotion. I loved it.

Garden in late May

 

The recent sunny weather combined with the heavy rain we had in April has meant that everything is growing like mad. The Alliums have never been better.

Some of the Astrantia are already in flower.

The Hostas in the side patio are really healthy.

 So is the Aquilegia that I rescued from the compost heap. Behind it the Weigela has signs of the red flowers after it had that heavy prune in the autumn. 

The cornflowers have gone mad.

The dwarf Dahlias have been planted.

Still alive are the Clematis Montana and the giant Hypericum that I thought I had lost. Both are now showing signs of growth.

Following the continuing advice from Monty Don, the Cosmos seeds I planted have grown enough to harden off outside.

The first roses are coming into flower.

Including my favourite "Blue for You".

And a  Lupin I thought was dead.

 Finally, the Aubretia around the conservatory has almost covered the path.

Holiday in Ingleton

 

Many months ago Alison had booked four nights B&B at Harling House in Ingleton. She had an entry for the Ingleborough Marathon Challenge on the Saturday. I'm very glad that I decided to join her on what turned out to be a wonderful short break. 

Thursday 18th May

It turned out to be an awful journey that started with the M40 being blocked at the Bicester junction. We had to turn round and make are way to the next junction where traffic was again at a standstill. We lost an hour and having left at 10am, we finally arrived at Dunham Massey in Cheshire just after 2pm where we wanted to break our journey. It was warm enough to have lunch outside and then a walk around the deer park. Some were so tame they had made their way to near the entrance. 

Then the M6 was so slow around Manchester that we finally arrived in Ingleton at 5.20pm. Alison had booked the Italian restaurant La Tavernetta for our anniversary dinner. It was superb. The day had been fine with temperatures reaching 17C.

Friday 19th May 

We took the car the the centre of Ingleton and walked all the way round the town.

Not really an awful lot to see so we set off for Clapham and the start of the trail to Ingleborough Cave. Clapham itself is a very attractive place to start.

We were about to buy our tickets for the Nature Trail at the Old Sawmill Cafe when it looked so nice inside we decided to stay for tea and cake. 

The Ingleborough Estate Nature Trail is a beautiful one and a half mile dawdle through a wooded valley.

With stops to see things like this grotto.

When we approached the cave we found a large school party about to go in so we headed further up the path and try the cave on our return. We went as far as Trow Gill Gorge which is "a spectacular wooded limestone ravine".

We went as far as the rocky scramble at the head of the gorge. In years gone by I would have gone up but these days it's not the going up but the coming down.

Arriving back at the cave, we only had to wait ten minutes and the school party was about to exit. So we donned our hard hats and made our way for a briefing and the entrance.

Ingleborough Show Cave is well lit and only has a couple of areas where I had to bend under a low ceiling. It was well worth the visit especially as we had the guide to ourselves for one part.

Lots of stalactites and a few stalagmites to see.

The way back down the trail was equally impressive, all in all six and a half miles of undulating paths.

Dinner that evening was at Peaks and Troughs, excellent Thai fish cakes. The day was mostly sunny and a pleasant 17C.

Saturday 20th May

Alison's big day. I dropped her off at Clapham at 7.30am and was back to Harling House for breakfast. I had the dining room to myself. I took the road to Kirkby Lonsdale and was luckily early enough to find a space in one of the town car parks. I loved the buildings in my walk around the town, especially the horse and swine markets.

Then the old police station and cells.

Next to St Mary's Church, the path by Ruskin's View is now closed for future maintenance but here is as close as you can get.

I avoided going down Radical Steps to the river which someone told me were very uneven. I did not realise there were handrails so I would have given it a go.

Even the track down was very steep. Although the view was great.

But there was another path to the river from Bridge Brow that was less steep that took me past the fabulous cricket ground in the most wonderful setting.

Then down to the river at Devil's Bridge.

Back to the town centre I found a sandwich shop down one of the attractive alleyways and bought some quiche for lunch. Then it was back to Harling House for an afternoon of sport on the laptop and Sky Go. I collected Alison at Clapham and we sat outside a pub going over her adventures. In the evening we went into Ingleton and took a chance without booking anywhere. Fortunately the landlady at the pub the Craven Heiffer found a just vacated table.

It was great to sit and partake the local Thwaites Bitter waiting for my Cumberland Sausage. It turned out to be a fantastic evening made extra special with City winning the league courtesy of an Arsenal loss. Another fine and mainly sunny day and 18C.

Sunday 21st May

Alison had seen the Ribblehead Viaduct on the way round her event and it was where I had always planned to go. As we arrived just past Ribblehead Station, we saw the road packed with cars even this early in the day. It was one of the stops for the Three Peaks Challenge and there were lots of walkers/runners having refreshments. We found a place to park and headed straight for the viaduct. 

We were lucky that a train went across the top.

Alison spent a long time talking to a chap who had a small drone. He flew it for us which was nice. I spent ages talking to his friend. Then more time taking photos of this amazing piece of engineering.

We headed up the stony path shown at the end of the photo above, and onto the route we found online. There were so many walkers on the path, most heading for Whernside having already climbed Penny-Ghent very early in the morning. We left them at Blea Moor.

And turned off the main path towards Winterscales Farm.

And on to near Broadrake where we found an ideal spot to stop for lunch.

In the quiet open countryside we were surrounded by the three peaks. Behind Alison is Whernside. Below is Ingleborough that Alison conquered yesterday.

Far in the distance was Pen-y-ghent.

Here are the Three Peaks  highlighted on the map.

We stayed for ages before following Winterscales Back and back to the viaduct.

For a route of about five miles, it had taken three hours. But we were in no rush and talked to lots of people. It was a wonderful day. Back at Harling House we watched Sky Sports on the laptop as Manchester City were presented with the Premier League Trophy for the third year in succession. We were back at Peaks and Troughs for dinner. Another beautiful day with a high of 18C.

Monday 22nd May

After the awful journey up, we decided to change our route home, drive across the lovely countryside to Harrogate and pick up the A1(M). We left at 9.45am and stopped off at the National Trust's Hardwick Hall at 1.30pm. The satnav took us to the wrong and blocked entrance so we lost some more time finding the right way in. But we were able to sit outside with tea and cake before a stroll around the grounds. Leaving at 3.15pm it was only two hours home.

Finally a note about Harling House. The accommodation is superb. There is everything you could possibly wish for. The attention to detail, whether in terms of decoration, fittings, the garden, parking and breakfast, is absolutely first class. One slight disadvantage is being on the busy main road. A bedroom at the rear would have been perfection. But the view of the hills was nice.