And so this is xmas --- 2011

As is the way of things the corporate world usually celebrates xmas well before the event.  Shops for example start celebrating in September whereas corporate staff xmas dos begin early November.  Gail's workmates organised a party in Manchester, in a tent, with other companies, for what turned out to be a windy and perhaps less than ideal time.  I am assured however that the night was a good one... I didn't go / wasn't invited......   The girls below are Clair Helen Kim Laura and Gail, I think about 20 staff people went. I am told the entertainment was sort of okay but the food was ordinary and the drinks pathetic as was the service.  I didn't miss much but it was mostly about having a time with colleagues so I guess that was the good bit.
 

What I was involved with was the overnight arrangements for a mate of mine from the 90's.  Phil Crisp and I once attended an extended educational event in Sydney where we shared many a day and night and a lot of weekends together but regretfully not many since then.  Anyway other than a brief visit to his coastal retreat in 2007 we have not caught up. He is not a traveller by nature but his new love, Lizzy, is and as they were touring the European and UK shores we demanded they spend a while with us.  A great night and day were consumed in Wetherby with walks and meals and endless chat. 

 For those of you who know I write for fun may be interested to learn Pete Etheringham and I were chosen as in the top ten Yorkshire Ghost story writers by the Harrogate Library.  Pete got third and I was in the top ten.  this is a photo of us in a bar in Harrogate celebrating our win with a photo op and a little drink.  Gail and Hanah also came along.

 One of the joys of living in Wetherby is the nice folk we have met.  In this photo are Rob and Angela on the floor with their dogs LuLu and Iforget, Clare's hand can be seen patting another Iforget and Paul is sitting next to Gail behind the beer bottle.  The room is in Wales. At the foothills of Mt Snowdon, as in the following pic.  They invited us to go and stay with them for a long weekend.  What a fantastic time we had.  Nights together partying and days they went dog walking on beaches and Gail and I went other places in Wales we had never been to.

 These shots are of Portmerrion  which is a wonderful quirky place built to a small scale but capturing all sorts of european architecture.  It is pretty and you can rent rooms.

 We had a fantastic lunch in the 5 star hotel and as it was mid week and mid winter the crowds were not there.  It was a wonderful day out and I can recommend it.

 As I said, we all caught up at night and this particular night it was Angela's birthday so we went to a great little bistro in a nearby town (Betswy-coed) for another fantastic meal.  Around the table are me Clare, Paul, (some welsh git at the table behind us) Angela Rob and Gail.....

 The river ran past the front of our little rented holiday home, just across from the railway line.  The Ffestiniog railway was not that railway but one in Portmandog which used to pull all the slate down from the mountains to the port.  It is now a tourist line but on the day Gail and I went it was a Santa Train with elves, mulled wine, champagne and mince pies all dome in Edwardian dress.  We took lots of shots but these give a sense of the day

 The Wales holiday was only three days and four nights and finished all too soon .  There were many fine memories not the least of which were the ales shared in front of Pub fires in the Welsh valleys...  A very comfortable way to idle away the hours.

 And all too soon the Real xmas days were on us.  Being away from home does mean these days are rather nicely spent with just the two of us but in a sort of tradition now, David and Carolyn, Gail and I share Xmas eve dinner.

 This year it was Gail's turn to do the dinner and we ordered in a ham from a famous London butcher (online delivered to the door) who supplies meat to the big name chefs , and us.   We had a very happy time and Gail and I both enjoyed the next day using our presents, Gail bought herself a cooking thing and I bought us a new music machine as the one we carried over from Australia didn't like the trip much and had been getting quite ill. The new one is tiny but much better, and does Ipod..... we don't have Ipods.

 Some of you may know my Birthday falls around xmas and this is me having breakfast specially made from special birthday ingredients delivered in bed.  YUMMY!

 Finally, and simply because I am proud of the installation, here is our new kitchen tap.  While we were quite happy with the old tap it leaked and they don't make replacement washers for it so you have to buy the whole ceramic valve, special brass enclosure and neoprene rings and flanges assembly, one each for hot and cold...I already did it once... it really was cheaper to buy a whole new tap.  So I did, on line, delivered free, with all the gubbins and this one has replaceable O rings sealing the ceramic disc.....  Looks good don't you think?





Fireworks, markets, libraries, London, Cheltenham, Savages and Lions



And November of course is also the start of firework season for us with Guy Fawkes night and then new years eve and finally Australia Day. So I'll only include two shots of the Wetherby Fireworks this year, we spent the night at David and Carolyn's but I had man flu and retired before the private firework show..... Sorry David. 

The month also required us to eat out a bit. 

 Thai prawns at The Muse

Scones and coffee at Betty's

 Sausage on a bun in the German Beer tent at Leeds Xmas Markets

And Schnitzel with mustard at the German Schnitzel store in the xmas markets 

 The markets are the same as last year but that doesn't make them any less fun.  We will go back in December so may take some more pics then.

I took Carolyn to the British Library at Boston Spa.  They are celebrating 50 years of being the national scientific library for Great Britain.  Every journal, thesis, reference book text or magazine and newspaper ever published has a copy stored in the British Library.  Boston Spa is about to take in every newspaper ever published.  I won't drown you in stats but that's alotta paper.  Thousands of kilometres now all being transferred to robot stored low oxygen racks in this building and another one for newspapers.

 The automated storage robot fed retrieval clerks ask for a book and it comes to them in a box full of unrelated books but sorted by frequency of request.  The books are either sent to the requester or scanned or digitised and emailed around the world to research clients.  The general public can use the facility but can't take books away only See them for reference.   The Boston Spa site sits on 60 acres of land in a 400 acre industrial park just up the road from Wetherby.

 The transfer of all books to the robot store will take some time and the older reference material is still stored in manual access buildings each of 6 stories.  Each floor has picking people and scanning people and admin people and each floor supplies about 1000 requests a day.  That's picked, recorded scanned or sent.

So you need some fancy scanners. these are the overhead dual page scanners with image rectification and page justification but as all the operators need to do is turn pages they are fat slugs of people... We began to think you had to be fat to work there but that was not the case. There are a lot of slow fat public servants there though. We decided we didn't want to work there but if you want to find out everything about the library go to www.bl.uk/ or keep reading for more interesting stuff we did in November 2011.

We headed off to London to see Cora and Trish and to learn how to play cribbage, and to teach them how to play canasta.  we did all these things and managed to slot in some eating and drinking time.  The first bit of eating fro us was at 

 Kegworth Cottage restaurant.  We have decided that rather than stop at motorway services we will take a slip road off to a local town and use their local shops.  Cheaper and better food but you have to look.  This was a great find and we had a lunch that made us late for London but who cared, it was great.

 Heaps of fish and veg, and veg, and veg and veg.... and the dessert was fantastic chocolate concoction, nice wine and dirt cheap. http://www.cottage-restaurant.co.uk/

Anyway in no time at all we were in Hampstead and had picked up Cora and Tricia in a London hackney cab on a quick trip to the Bull and Bush pub for a slap up meal and a great catch up chat.

 

Next day was spent playing cards and drinking wine with a night out at a local pub near their flat.  I was less than impressed with the food but I may be spoiled by Yorkshire standards.... Still miss my majic Sydney food too.  Anyway we had a fantastic time and stayed the night.  We headed off the next day after a slap up french toast and fresh fruit breakfast cooked by Cora.  A short but sweet visit and most pleasant.

 

Next stop , Cheltnam, to catch up with Peter and Ann who have just bought a new house having sold Richmond and Winchcombe this year.

 We met up at the Green Dragon pub nearby and had a slap up meal and I had a welcome re-introduction to an Otter Ale, a sup I have come to seek out when in the Cotswolds.

 For those interested these are the shots of their new (Georgian/Victorian) home.  Massive high ceilings, big rooms and four to five bedrooms, plenty of grass to mow and lots of work to fix up to the standard they like.  Lots of time to do it though.  Very convenient to Ann's family.

We enjoyed a great evening around the kitchen table and I managed to resolve a couple of problems they had with their lights, sound system  and other niggles that old homes bring.  Had a fantastic night catching up and solving the worlds problems Before a much needed sleep and super breakfast before heading back to Leeds.

The Leeds booking was for the Savage social night.  The writers and sketchers of who there are about 30 now were holding a night out and I was keen to take a place at the table.

As usual the company was great and the food fantastic, Gail drove home so I could have a pint or two and as you can see a happy time was had.  I think it closed off nicely the 600 mile driving holiday over the 4 days Gail had rota'ed off work and we felt like we had rewarded ourselves and fully relaxed in that time.

 

But November still had a couple of things left in store.  There was a night at the Muse with Graeme, Kate and Bently the Great Dane and,  as the photos above indicate, a Lions black tie night for the ladies....In the posh room at the Wetherby Golf Club with posh waiters, champagne and stuff.  All the blokes made the effort with tux's and bow ties but Gail was doubly disappointed .  The singer was out of tune or off key and while Gail made an effort with the glad rags, bling and face paint, some of the wives sort of let the team down making Gail think she need not try so hard next time..... I have to tell her there is another one in March..... This time in a posher place so maybe the girls will all spark out.  Anyway the food was great, the wine quite nice and we were made most welcome and I am sure, once I get some younger friends to join the Wetherby Lions we will have a much better time of it.  I am on the entertainments committee this year and they are a fun bunch of blokes so I'm sure stories will result.

Lots of other things happened to us in November but these are the highlights.  December sees us off to Snowdonia in Wales and then to Jersey in January so the adventures continue.   

October pub festival of dogs

Welcome back!  October has been a month of rather less travel for us two adventurers.  Well, Gail continues to drive cross-country on a regular basis, but we have pretty well stayed in Yorkshire. A few dinner dates, really nice nights in at friends places.  Thanks to Rob and Maria and thanks to Graeme and Kate (and Bentley) for some fantastic meals and wines.

So what else's been happenning you ask?  Well there was the Driffield Dog show at the Wetherby Race course grounds on a beautiful couple of days. http://www.driffieldchampionshipdogshow.co.uk/?pageid=229, We could only get to the hound day so missed the Great Danes. They for some reason are in working dogs, go figure.

I can't be sure but I think I got 11th place. (you can click on a picture and it gets bigger you know)

As you will remember from last months post we fare welled Jon and Kylie back to Oz last month and this month we also fare welled Karen Downie who is also going back, to Albury.  Gail is the only Aussie import in the company up north now, except for Ann but she's resident.  Here are some shots I remembered to take of the party. Karen has bought a home in the Wirral (near Chester/Liverpool) and that was the party venue before the tenants move in. It was a good Party, there was wine and many happy people.  We stayed the night.

 Gail is talking to Ann in the kitchen of Karen's home

some of Gail's workmates

 Karen, in red, with two of her friends whose names I forget but the stripey girl is going to contact us about something fun if I recall.  Gail may remember, I think she has a card of hers. It was a good party.

 I am trying not to talk down to Ann.  I never talk down to Ann, she's nice and much bigger than she looks.  It was a great party anyway and we shared a nice grilled English Breakfast with Karen, helped clean the place up and watched NZ beat some team in white in a World something rugby game.  And then we drove home.

You may or may not recall from years ago Gail and I went to a ploughing competition in Wetherby.  Well it was on again in October and this time I took some shots from the new bypass so you could see the scale of the competition. In case you thought such things were for just a few blokes and their tractors and horses.

And then the WETHERBY FESTIVAL for 2011 kicked off.  Gail was surprised I joined her in buying a ticket to listen to Harmony singing in the catholic church..... But I have become a Wetherby Lion and a couple of the Lion members were singing in the group.  Solidarity brother!  I still hate harmony singing.

 I felt like the guy at the top right.  You can tell by the audience and the general maturity of the choir there was little new music being delivered. , despite that though, for  a harmony choir , they did mostly do what the ticket said.  It was not a bad night all in all.  Gail's old troupe of ladies in the SydneyTownChoir were a long way better in their day.

I have referred to the Crypt under St James church before,

 It is in this cozy space Gail and I have had some of the most entertaining nights of our time here.  Gail didn't make the NIGHT OF STAND-UP comedy but Rob and Angela came with me.  We didn't talk much as we couldn't stop laughing.  The comedy acts were so good I have to say I have not had a better time at a comedy show ever.  The night was put on by the Kill for a Seat mob and again they did themselves proud. 

 The humour was nothing if not designed to shock and amuse and the one lass and three blokes provided a very diversified night of comedic style.  I promise I won't try and repeat the jokes and I know the photos are just photos but ........ Anvil Springsteen, a scousa currently living in the geordie capital of Newcastle, gave vent to many regional put downs, "Mum, why are your hands so soft?".... "Of course they are, I'm only 15!" And a hundred more fired off to prevent anyone telling him scouser jokes as he proved he'd heard them all. A quick witted professional he used prepared themes while responding with brilliant improvised material to heckles and interjections, to the crypt under the church location and to the fact everybody brings snacks to these crypt dos,  he decided to call the event the picnic club and we invented a password for future comedy nights...   Anvil was sort of the compare but really did four tight and linked comedy sets by way of introducing;

Iszi Lawrence, a funny bisexual, who'd a' thought? She gave a great start-up set based on student life, kitchen sink Jenga,  sexual angst about body functions and the trials of giving up smoking.. 

Peter Brush followed, an anx-ridden unlikely street gang member with a dead pan but perfectly timed delivery.

and the headline act Dan Bland,a bloke so dry he eradicates damp. He shared observations on his life challenges, he is not really ready for the committment required to accept a Bag for Life from Sainsbury's supermarket, he's ashamed to admit he holds a loyality card for one supermarket but shopped at another as the prices were cheaper.  So guilt ridden he went to the customer loyality service girl, threw himself on her mercy, cried it out and confessed.  She called security.....  "They take it that seriously"...

All in all a really great night of crude, rude and outrageous comedy pieces, the like of which should never soil these pages.

 

Oh, did I say?, I have started to do a few days pulling pints at my local.  Nicola, my new boss, is being very nice to me. Especially over the Halloween period. 

We have an arrangement,  I try really hard to get things right and she lets me fit my work days around Gail's days off, our parties, our travel plans, and my Wetherby Lion's and Leeds Savage meetings and duties..... Turns out I don't work that often.

The wetherby festival rolled on through the week and we went to see two plays, DH Lawrence's  'The Rocking Horse Winner', a really tragic psycho plot excellently produced and acted but to which we didn't take the camera.  And Laying The Ghost, an irreverent comedy with a strong script but a weaker level of performance, or should I say patchy.  Both plays however had so much enjoyment capacity we had  fantastic nights out. 

 And LOOK!!!!! A big Great Dane in our House!!!!!  Say hello to Bentley.  Bentley belongs to our near neighbours Graeme and Kate and we were allowed to look after him while they went out to York to watch Vince Fernier on Stage.  Graeme, not Kate, is a rather huge Alice Cooper fan and he has sort of been stalking the man on his UK tour this time.  I have a soft spot for 'School's Out'  and the stage show but not to that extent.  Bentley remains as yet unaffected by ancient goth rock but he is but a pup, barely one year old.

 He is not used to slippery bamboo floors.

 But is really cute, and thinks feet smell good

 But taste better

 And he can't get used to slippery floors

 but quite likes a hug.


And with those 'furry animal' shots the October blog is finished. 
November is shaping up quite nicely with some fireworks, but more of that all in good time.