Afternoon Tea

Despite the dreadful weather, I spent a lovely afternoon on Saturday at Armathwaite Hall on Bassenthwaite with my Mother in Law Sheila, Liz (Alex’s gran), Jenny and her mum, Violet. We had given Sheila, Liz and Violet, Afternoon Tea vouchers for Christmas and Easter Saturday was the first available date that we could all make. Although Sheila hadn’t met Jenny or Violet before, she was very conversational and was able to talk needlecrafts with both Violet and Liz. And being the sort of person who enjoys cake and tea, I found it a tasty way to spend a damp day

Perfect Paris

Paris was wonderful.  Nerea, Alex, Andy and I packed a huge amount into our three days (and 28 miles walked), including a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower, visits to Notre Dame and Sacre Cour and eating at several local restaurants serving wonderful food. And not forgetting the little matter of a rugby match at the Stade de France. Our little apartment to the South East of the city centre was a perfect size for us and with a patisserie opposite and Metro station just several hundred metres walk away, a convenient place to spend our mini break!

A sick hospital

Hospital really isn’t a place for sick people.  Despite (still) being a massive supporter of the NHS, it’s been something of an eye opener to witness at first hand the challenges that an under-resourced, over stretched hospital faces. With a friend currently enduring day 7 of an unexpected stay, I’ve witnessed with my own eyes the limited number of health care professionals available, resulting in delays in diagnosis and medication, the bed-blocking but incapable patients who really should be cared for elsewhere, the noisy, industrial environment that detracts from healing….I fear for its future if current funding and practices continue

Rugby at the Stade de France

Last week saw me (and my family) attending my first ever “proper” rugby match. That it was in Paris at the Stade de France and England won the Grand Slam and the 6 Nations was an additional bonus thanks to Alex who won the tickets in a raffle! Although it was very cold and we had to be there incredibly early for a 9pm kick off, it was a wonderful experience. I honestly never imagined how much noise 76,000 people could make and more significantly, just how good-natured the atmosphere and banter would be. I’d certainly go to another game!

Women, words and friendship

It seems hard to believe that 5 years have elapsed since Judith invited several mutual friends  to an evening of poetry and readings to celebrate International Women’s Day. Few of us suspected then that we would still be meeting 5 years later, celebrating friendship and words with good food. The interim 5 years have seen all of us grow and change. I hadn’t foreseen just how positive and enriching it could be to celebrate the world around us through the language of poetry and prose. And to experience the generosity of friends in sharing their favourite readings, thoughts and emotions.

Richard Durrant

Early March saw us at the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick for a guitar recital by Richard Durrant. Andy first came across Richard some years ago when he performed in a little church at Wreay and since then, we have followed his composing and performing career, attending local events whenever we can. A classically trained and highly talented performer (and delightfully down to earth and entertaining raconteur), his recent music has been shaped by South American influences resulting in a trilogy of outstanding albums. Unlike Andy, I’m no musician but even I can appreciate and enjoy Richard’s exceptional talents

Tied up in knots!

Despite Mr Glis usually adopting a relaxed style of dress, there are occasions, like the hockey dinner, when he needs to smarten up. And that’s where I come in, for one of the skills I learnt at school on a wet afternoon was tying a bow tie. Now, there are on-line videos but before the days of the interweb, it was seen as a desirable accomplishment for young ladies to learn. So when ever Andy needs to wear his dinner suit, I still remain grateful to Sr. Margaret Mary who probably had limited use for her talent outside of school!

Exotic Vegetables

I’m very fortunate that I have the opportunity to visit a variety of interesting places and a couple of weeks ago I was at Bradford Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market and what an interesting, vibrant place it was. The range of colourful produce on display was significantly greater than usually available in my local shops with a large number of exotic vegetables that I’d never seen before, like the green, warty-skinned Bitter melon, the long, white smooth-skinned Mooli and the hairy courgette-like Moqua. Being an enthusiastic cook, the sight of these potential ingredients set my taste buds on high alert 

"Leaping" into a culvert!

Work plans meant I’d to be in Yorkshire on 29^th February so I was unable to attend a leap day event organised in Cumbria. But, one was organised close to a location I would be visiting. And, it was just yards away from a cache that had been on my watchlist for some time.  Not wanting to venture in the watery culvert alone, I put out the call for other cachers who might be interested and happily, FlapjackJules signed up! So I spent part of my extra day grubbing about in a tunnel looking for plastic! It takes all sorts.

Public Art

During my recent visit to Bradford, there was no shortage of public art on display.  Although I didn’t have time to follow the official sculpture trail, I did manage to see several of the installations close to my hotel. First up was Timothy Shutter’s “Grandad’s clock and chair” depicting a mill owner’s office, the clock pendulum representing past and future. Then I discovered Fibres, an installation created by Tim Randall of two pillars constructed from old railway lines close to Forster Square station. Lastly, buried in the retail park sits Andy Hazell’s impressive lightbulb, shedding light on a safer city.

Bradford!

Bradford! It’s well over 30 years since I last visited the city and in all honesty, I didn’t recognise most of it.  Mr Glis and I have some very happy memories from that time in our lives (vindaloos, caving and climbing featuring large on the agenda) although there was always the fear of the Yorkshire Ripper in the shadows. Although the city has undergone some re-generation and there’s still some way to go, what was particularly sad was the number of former mills that have fallen into decline over the last 3 decades. The heart of the city has gone.

Finally!

After 9 years we’ve FINALLY completed our geocaching D/T grid! Caching has never been (and still isn’t) about the numbers for us but as the total and variety of caches we’ve found has grown, so has the auto-completion of the grid. And then a few years ago, when there were just a few blank squares left, completing it became a real possibility so we decided to work and finish it. But in true Bradbury style, we didn’t set a timescale or make any specific caching trips which is why it’s taken so long to reach this happy state of affairs