Just a couple of things in Feb March

The Royal Andtediluvian Order of Buffaloes Invited Gail and I into their rather nice home in Harrogate for a rather ordinary but quite nice dinner.  We were given a few drinks by the grand master of the lodge and have a guided tour of which these photos show only a small part.  Gail discovered an ad for them and we went one cold winters night for a very warm welcome.  The RAOB have been a charitable bunch for years, originally lawyers and thespians providing orphanage and charity services, now not so much.  Sort of Masonic but different it was a delight to roam the old halls and rooms.

 We also dropped in to see Ann and Peter again in Cheltnham, went for a n ice walk up a very big hill and down again.  Past a stone quarry and looked out over the valley to Malvern

 Another thing, We went back to the Empire Bar in Leeds, gees I love that city, the empire was where we saw Jamie playing with the Otiks in the cellar there.  It is going to drop it's live music licence and become an international beer hall and Gail found an invite to sample what the bar will be offering in it's new guise.  We were two of a small group, before a Saturday night of some 50 couples.  We were encouraged to taste and comment.

The first beer up was an Aussie brew from Freo WA.  I had had this before but it was a great drink and a pleasant memory, served with cooked soy and honey prawns.  Every beer was served with a food accompanying and Music to match, at the end of this blog page I've inserted a audio vid of the Aussie song so you get a feel of the process.

 That was followed by a Mexican drop which was somewhat overpowered by the Aussie and took a while for us to get a proper taste of it.  Telling the organiser we couldn't taste it properly and explaining about how tastings should go from lighter sweeter to heavier stronger he agreed and gave us a bottle to try later.  What a great host huh?

 After the Mexican we crossed the boarder to the USA and here is our Host bringing the Blue moon which was served with a slice of orange and had a strong citrus finish.  a cold dog and sauce was strangely strange.

 The Tiger Beer from Singapore was just a Tiger beer as anyone who has been there will tell you it's not the best available....'nuff sed.

 Chouffe, a fantastic Belgian and one we have had on our travels to that fine country.  Our Host bought his bar fixture over for our photo, Nice man.  You may note there is a Belgian waffle and ice cream, I tell you, some people.   This was a superb beer and regrettably I could say nothing to solicit another free bottle being gifted to us.

 Finally we were given a beer cocktail with white rum and strawberry fiz.  A great finish

This is the vid I was speaking of, hope it works...

into 2013

Well Hello Old adventure blog,  What a turn of events hey, haven't been prompted to put up a post for Christmas and January until now... Must work harder at doing some adventuring I suppose.  Would hate to think we had grown all sedentary and boring... But its winter and lets just say hibernating has been tempting.  We have done a bit of property hunting, spent time in Leeds city doing the shoops, arcades, bars and of course going to the German Christmas markets and getting our annual stollen and chocolate grog flavoured marshmallows, lunched at some pubs and gone to a party or two but really, adventures?  You'll have to decide.
Gail of course, being the prime earner here had a reward of a company xmas party with her new friends at the Hartlepool and North Tees Hospital

Our own Christmas party was a little less grand but the presents were good, for the first time in our time here Gail's employer sent us a xmas hamper of foody delights and xmas cheer. 

Boxing day saw us revisit one of our local pubs for a couple of quiet ales next to a welcome radiator.  Gail's new , bought at a Leeds Street Market, rustic leather bag from Morocco,  Xmas present is evident here so I know it was after xmas day.... not that I don't have total recall of every thing we do on every day we do it.... reminder to self, must turn on the date stamp in the camera.

New Years eve we met up with Rob and Angela for a few ales, a long awaited catch up conversation and then......

.....Off to  JaFlong's for a slap up curry meal with Clare and Paul before returning home for a few fireworks and quiet wines,  New Years day from what I recall was rather subdued.

And yes it snowed a bit in January, this is about 6 inches over night.

Okay I have given up all pretence of trying to recall the other pubs and places we went to without the camera but we did visit West Tanfield again because one of their two pubs was offering a deal for lunch, We went on a Tuesday.

Following are pics of the pub, the food was good, the souffle delicious if a bit burnt on top and the pork mains were ample fare .  We deferred the puddings as there was another pub in town for that.

Outside the pub was a field and in the field a couple of cute little pit donkeys, or as the owner/donkey rescue lady described them, Cornish beach donkeys, I don't really care which, but look at their short legs will you?  Gail was smitten but as they didn't like human males I walked away so they would come and play with Gail.

Gail was very happy and has taken many many donkey photos

Knowing she would catch me up eventually , remember there was pudding still to be had, I thought I'd see if the old tower was open and if we could get up inside.  It was, We could, we did.

Looking down from inside the tower the pudding pub is the last building next to the bridge.  The tower is salvaged but a ruin, scenic though I'm sure you'll agree, and only about 30 minutes from Wetherby.  Which is scenic also to be fair.

 The pudding pub

Looking back from the bridge to the towers, the taller one is the church tower. We didn't climb that.  One flight of silly steep steps a day is the rule of the knee. This is he river Ure and it was in rush after the thaw and endless rains.  Have I mentioned the rain?  19 months of it? Every day? No?  .....well, let me tell you......ok, maybe later.

 Given however that this part of the day was dry and brisk, okay, windy and cold, the best views were enjoyed from here inside the Bull pub with a drink and a hot pudding.  So, sorry to say, as far as adventures go that's about it for the picturesque bits........

I alluded in an earlier blog that we were considering our options and this was one we considered in Leeds, a 2br 2 bath apartment next to the trains and canals of the city.  Auction in February so we will see if it doesn't get to silly money we may put in a bid, it's rented well, would make a profit but only if buyers are put off by the fact that it is a re-possession and the risks of buying are a bit higher.....  All good fun.  Its the one with the light on above the blue foyer.  view and main living pics below.

 And so other than all the stuff I forget we did because we are hibernating, and other pub lunches don't really count as adventures, we'll call that a wrap for January.  In Feb we are heading down to Richmond, Cambridge, Cheltnam and maybe even Surrey....  The gods only know what will come of that adventure but hopefully some wondrous things.

merry xmas 2012

 

 Sorry I have been tardy in the update for November/December but Gail and I have been going through a re-balance of where we are, how we got here and what are we going to do next.  So the last two months have been a bit fraught with possible plans, worrysome work changes and many things more important than writing up blog pages.  But we did go out to some pub lunches.  This was a nice one where there was a piano player, sorry, forget where it was but not far from home.

I also had a rather busy time with the Wetherby Lions , these photos are of the Ladies night.  I chair the committee and we hosted a posh frock night so the Lion wives and partners get a bit of thanks from the guys for supporting us through the year.  Held in the Wetherby Golf Club banquet room it was a Great night, good drinks and food, fantastic music from Mark and Natalie of Rhythm Division and Gail and i had a little dance

 Then another Lions event, the Dickensian Xmas market day
We get dressed up in old clothes and raise money for the
Seniors and pensioners of Wetherby who don't
get a xmas and we give them a party
 Here I am selling chances to guess the reindeer's name.  We had real reindeer too. And of course Santa was there granting wishes for kids

 The Kids all sang xmas songs for their supper, sort of cute, we also had the local silver band playing xmas tunes and the choral society doing xmas songs and a pipe organ machine doing xmas songs.... enough of the xmas songs already.

This is how we drag Santa around Wetherby.  Every night for a couple of weeks we hook this sleigh up and tug Santa through the residential streets of wetherby giving kids chocolates and collecting donations for the seniors party.  Santa is a big earner as it turns out.

 

  Anyway towards the end of the day we chose the name for the toy reindeer and in front of a huge crowd, which was there, nearly a hundred folk, but not in frame.  We called out the name of the winner who as usual was not in the crowd.  But we had a number so called up and the little girl came back in to town and collected her prize.  Most happy, most lovely.  We also sold a huge hamper, abou 18 kilos of bacon in our bacon butties, a fortune in sweet crepes, sold lots of winning tickets for cuddly plush stuffed lion toys and controlled the crowds wanting to sit on santas knee, generally an excellent market day in silly clothes.

Lots more pics on http://s1342.beta.photobucket.com/user/ward0007/library/Dickensian%20Christmas/#/user/ward0007/library/Dickensian%20Christmas?&_suid=13556510961570521976040590842 

 

 

ANYWAY, FOR NOW. HAVE A VERY HAPPY TIME .  SEE YOU IN THE NEW YEAR