An Even More Belated May Round Up.

 Hello, it’s been a while. I’m going to do a fairly speedy round up of May before I hit the epic month that was June!

Most of my spare time in May was taken up with walking. Himself was doing the Royal Lifeboat Institution’s May day Mile challenge. The idea being you get sponsored to walk at least a mile each day in May.

In his words;

'There is no greater calling than risking your own life to save the life of someone you've never met before. To do this as your job is admirable; to do it as a *volunteer* is nothing short of humbling. The crews and lifeguards of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution are these life-savers. They do this every day. Around the clock. Without question.

My late father was a big supporter of the RNLI. He grew up in a fishing village on the coast of Scotland, and saw first-hand the integral part of the community that the lifeboats were. He saw them save lives, saw them when they couldn't manage it, and saw what happened when they themselves couldn't return from the sea. My dad's no longer with us, but I've taken to supporting the charity in his memory. And their latest fundraiser seems custom-designed for me.'

And as he walks every day it was indeed custom made for him, but being the mad person he is, he set himself the target of walking 400 miles in May!?! Yes readers he did it, I did not.

I did manage a respectable 97 miles though. We did three big walks going from 10, to 12 to 13.5 miles respectively. 

 

It was my Sister in Law’s birthday on the 6th and the plan was for friends and family to come round and sit out in their just finished, newly refurbed garden with a drink or two, but as it poured with rain all day, we all filled their kitchen instead and ordered in huge pizzas.

Himself’s birthday is on the 10th so I took him out for dinner at our favourite pub (walking there and back of course!) I had delicious grilled salmon whilst he tucked into homemade chilli con carni.

 

I also fitted in a lunch out to catch up with a couple of friends. One of whom I mentioned in my last post had just had her breast surgery prior to starting radiotherapy. It was lovely to see her, and better still to find out  the surgery had been a success. Her husband came to join us and it was wonderful to see them both so much more relaxed.

 

The weather held out on the Sunday for our 12 mile walk which was just blissful, taking in 5 local villages, 2 pubs, lots of sheep, some cows, a few horses and glorious views.

 

I also did a quick work trip to Paris the next week. I was told early in the year I was going, then I wasn’t, then I was, then I wasn’t. 

Finally, by the time it was decided I really was going, I had a nightmare finding trains because not only was it the bank holiday weekend it was also half term! I ended up having to travel on the day of the event and pray that everything was running on time, and coming back home the next morning.

This meant I ended up being in Paris for less than 24 hours. in fact I worked it out that in a 24 hour period, I waited for a train for a total of 3 hours, travelled for a total of 9 hours, and worked for a total of 5!

There was a gorgeous full moon that night too, but by the time the event had finished I was so knackered, and the location of the hotel was so far out on the outskirts, that I didn’t have the energy or inclination for anything more but sleep. 

I didn’t even make use of the free bar downstairs. The young man who checked me in must have mentioned it half a dozen times, particularly mentioning and the free champagne or cocktails on offer. I liked that even after a mad dash across Paris and with only 40 minutes to spare to check in and freshen up, I still looked like a champagne or cocktail kind of a woman!  Probably he was being charming, I fear I was more likely to look like a slightly deranged, give me anything as long as it’s alcohol, kind of a woman. Any which way a quick cup of tea in my room and I was restored (much as I might of liked a glass of champagne.)

After an early, surprisingly busy, but tasty breakfast I managed to get to Gard du Nord in good time for my Eurostar home. The train was packed full of very loud middle aged French rubgy fans. It was all very good natured though and I had to chuckle at them sharing round coffee and croissants, playing right up to the stereotype. I couldn't help but speculate that if they had been Brits they would almost definitely have been on the beer and probably a damn sight louder.

 

It was lovely to wake up in my own bed on Saturday morning and have a leisurely breakfast before heading out for a long walk. 

This weekend we did our 13.5 mile walk. Himself had decided we should do a circular walk to Wittenham Clumps an ancient hill fort near the Thames. It’s been many years since we last did it and we are both much more seasoned walkers now. The start was a bit confusing as they have started to build a huge housing estate on what used to be farmland, but thankfully the footpath was still there. We also got a little lost trying to find the right footpath to the base of the hill but we got the map out again, figured out where we might have gone wrong and doubled back to find the entrance tucked away and overgrown. 

You walk right past The Earth Trust which has an activity centre and a hall they rent out. There was a wedding in full swing with lots of guests milling about outside enjoying the sunny weather. We did get a couple of double takes as we yomped past. 

We did the main Round Hill first and the view was so worth the climb, it was wonderful to look down on the Thames sparkling in the sunlight as it meanders through the Oxfordshire countryside. The amount of buttercups was just astonishing, as you can see it was just a carpet of yellow.

We walked all the way around the enclosure at the top, encountering a herd of cows who took no notice whatsoever of anybody as they made a slow descent towards the farm at the bottom, pausing to crop the grass here and there as they went. 

We the crossed over to Castle Hill where my enjoyment of the views was spoilt by spotting a pile of discarded cans and food wrappers. Why oh why can’t people tidy up after themselves??

We took a meandering walk down in the village of Long Wittenham, passing through the most glorious ancient meadow

Our plan was to stop for a drink at The Plough, a tiny pub with a huge garden stretching right down to the river., before heading home.

We found a table outside and were enjoying our well-earned pint when I spotted Nephew Number One and his partner Shannon walking up from the river with empty glasses in hand. What a coincidence, we bought them another drink and they sat with us whilst we caught up on news. We were having such a good time we got another drink and walked back down to sit on the riverbank to chat. 

We sat with our legs dangling over the river and spotted Mr heron on the opposite bank. I wasn't sure I would get a picture in time but he obliged.  We finally left together at about 7.30pm!    

Shannon and I walked ahead when the path narrowed and looking across a field I spotted a tawny owl flying. I pointed it out and as it flew closer you could see it had a mouse in it’s talons, so it was clearly feeding owlets somewhere. There were a couple standing on the path ahead of us with binoculars and a camera, so I asked them if they were watching the owl. They said they had been coming out for several evenings now, and proceeded to show us the most fabulous photos they had taken. What made me sad is there is only one field left between the footpath and the relentless building. By this time next year the owl’s hunting ground will be a concrete and brick housing estate. (I have a lot I could say but won’t get on my soapbox.)

 

The following Wednesday was my brother’s birthday so I headed over that evening with his card and presents to enjoy whatever takeaway he fancied for dinner, which turned out to be fish and chips. I haven’t had fish and chips in ages so it was a lovely treat.

Saturday was technically the first of June, but I shall include it, as alongside the Friday, it was an Experience event we put on for incoming students. The Friday night they had a college dinner and for the Saturday we did a boat trip down the Thames, with ironically, fish and chips for lunch. 

The boat stops just after Iffley Lock in Oxford and staff from the local chippy meet it with a trolley full of freshly cooked fish, chicken, and burgers, plus mountains of chips. There was way too much and as the chips weren’t great I ended up eating 2 bits of fish instead. 

 

It was a grey day, rather than the sun we had been promised, so a bit chilly on the river. 

There was another boat that set off just before us which contained a wedding party. When we got back to Iffley Lock there was a brass band playing for the wedding party much to the delight of our passengers and all the passersby.

I had been going to walk back to the station with a load of the incoming students, but as there had been a free bar on the boat, they were pretty lively shall we say. I decided to decamp to the pub with 4 of my colleagues instead. Frankly I figured nurse-maiding a bunch of pissed people goes above and beyond the job description!

I got home early evening and just in time for BBC2’s Bon Jovi night which I thoroughly enjoyed. The fact that it was to celebrate the band having been together 40 years not so much so, I am in denial it's been that long!

 

So that was May, there's a lot to pack in for June but hopefully I can do that before it's August.

A Belated April Review.

April started with the Easter weekend. I know technically Good Friday was March, but I’ll start there.

Himself and I had a very lazy start then went out for a walk, we took a hip flask in his case and a mini bottle of prosecco in mine, which we raised to my Dad as we sat and looked at one of my favourite views. 

On the Saturday I took advantage of finally having some nice weather and started to re-pot and rearrange my mobile garden (so all the plants I moved here with me.) I also did some weeding and tidying up at the front of the house.

Being a big fan of ice cream, I was delighted to find we have an ice cream van that stops near this house. When I heard it go past, I took the opportunity to nip down the road and buy us both a 99 as I happened to have a fiver in my pocket! I can’t remember the last I had one, so it was a lovely treat.

 

The following week I was due to have my routine mammogram on the Thursday and go out for lunch with two old friends on the Sunday Friends I had sort of lost touch with over the years but we had recently reconnected. 

The NHS mobile breast screening unit comes to town every 3 years and takes up residence in the local leisure centre carpark for 3-4 months and offers screening to all women over the age of 50 and those under 50 who are high risk. Well one of these friends of mine had been for her scan 3 weeks before me. Within 4 days they had rung her and booked her in for further tests at the hospital and much to her shock and horror she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is the 4th person I know this year being treated for breast cancer, thankfully in her case it was incredibly early and contained.

In the 2 months since her diagnosis, she has had surgery and is now recovering before starting safeguarding treatment. God bless our NHS and long may they remain (despite this damn government’s best efforts!)

I would say to anyone reading this who gets their call, there is no need to be embarrassed, they have seen it all before a million times. Yes it’s bloody uncomfortable, but only for a mere moment and it might just save your life. So go and get screened! I am very grateful to say my results were clear.

 

On the 19th April I had the day off work to meet Charlotte in London for the Biba exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum. 

I caught the train to London and was due to meet Charlotte in a café near the museum which in itself was risky. Normally we meet at Paddington, from where I just follow her because she grew up in London so therefore knows where she is at. 

I was slightly thrown by the TFL website trying to send me via the Elizabeth line and in the end plumped for what I knew (Bakerloo/Jubilee line) and got there unscathed!

We were so busy chatting we managed to miss our ticketed entry by 10 minutes! Thankfully they still let us in when we dashed across the road. 

The exhibition was extremely busy, we figured it would be given how full the café had been with ladies of a certain age.

Having said that we were still able to get around and didn’t have to wait too long to get near enough to read the information cards or get a closer view of certain outfits. 

If I had one disappointment it was that it was a very small exhibition, I know they have many more examples in their collection so I would have loved to have seen more. Charlotte and I did recognise several outfits courtesy of our fashion-conscious mothers. Indeed, Charlotte can remember being taken to Biba by hers on several occasions.  

As an exhibition it certainly gave me food for thought, you couldn’t help but see the inevitable crash and burn coming when you saw just how quickly the company expanded. It was also the rather sobering to realise Biba was the precursor to our current horrifying fast fashion industry, with Barbara Hulanicki insisting that new ranges came out weekly, and that they actively encouraged people to buy a new outfit every week to go out in. 

An ethos she seemed to subscribe to herself. There is only one item in the exhibition that belongs to Barbara herself, an absolutely gorgeous leopard print coat it must be said. 

The rest she says she threw out, indeed when she sold the company, apparently she threw all her Biba clothes in the bin and ‘moved on’ as she put it.

I also really disliked the fact she would only make the clothes in tiny sizes, indeed there was only one size at first which was a small!

The arrival of the huge Biba department store saw her reluctantly give in to pressure and stock a range of dress sizes. They finally stocked sizes 8-12 which is hardly wide ranging. As someone who has always been tall, and whose size has been anything from a 10 to an 18, and everything in between, I bloody hate with a passion designers who think anyone over 5ft 2 and a size 0 are a freak.   

 

Having seen our fill, we headed out with the plan of grabbing lunch at Borough Market. Only to find it absolutely pouring with rain so instead we decamped to a nearby pub for something to eat and drink somewhere warm and dry. 

After a lengthy lunch we walked along the river, over Westminster bridge and all the way to Ole & Steen at Piccadilly for a drink and slices of their to die for cinnamon social. If you have never tried it and love cinnamon, I strongly recommend it if you are ever near an Ole & Steen!

Again, we were so engrossed in talking that Charlotte suddenly realised her train was leaving in 10 minutes and there was no way she would make it! Thankfully, they let her on the next one. 

This also meant I was stuck getting home too, as I had an off-peak ticket. Usually this means you can catch one slow train an hour but for some reason even this slow train said no off-peak tickets. Meaning I either upgraded or waited 2 hours!?!  In the end I thought I’d take a punt and jumped on it, figuring if they came and checked the tickets then if I had to upgrade I had to upgrade. Luckily for me no one did come round checking tickets.

 

That Sunday I was up bright and early (for a Sunday) and off to London with my sister in law Caron, her friend Michelle, and Michelle’s friend Carla for Abba Voyage. To say I was excited was an understatement! Ever since I was allowed to stay up late and watch them win Eurovision in 1973, I have been a huge Abba fan, something that never diminished even when I discovered my later love for Heavy Metal. In fact, as I was an uncool person anyway, I had no qualms about admitting I loved Abba and being mocked for it by my other Metal loving friends back in the day.

This was a (very) early birthday present from my brother and Caron to me. Carla was also taking Michelle for her birthday, though they were in the seated area whilst Caron and I were standing. We had tickets for the lunchtime concert and got to Stratford underground with enough time to take a slow wander to the Abba Arena. There is a closer station at Pudding Lane which would involve a change from underground to DLR. 

We agreed a meeting place and joined our respective queues. It was a slick process, and we were through security very quickly with time to stop at the bar for a glass of prosecco and bottle of water to take in with us. The later at £6 was typically priced for a gig but came in a branded reuseable metal bottle so got a big tick from me.

The atmosphere once we were in the arena was just incredible and the age range of the audience was vast, I had read an article saying Abba are one of the few multi-generational bands with fans from my age bracket, our parents and also our children, but then due to the success of Mama Mia on stage and later on screen so many years after their music career had ended a whole load of later generations also know their music. Sure enough, I saw a range from octogenarians in sequins and stars, right down to some very excited mini dancing queens resplendent in feather boas.

I have had quite a few people say to me they would never go because who wants to see holographic avatars instead of real people, and I will admit I was wondering how real it would look. The show is so cleverly done though, mixing a live band and backing singers, with an incredible light show you genuinely forget at times it’s not all real people. I think it really helps that the band re-recorded the songs, so they aren’t just the produced album tracks.

The avatars also chat between songs and have instrumental interludes when they change costume. It’s just all incredibly clever and I properly welled up when The Winner Takes it All came on.

In short, it’s just so joyous and uplifting with everyone singing and dancing you would be hard pressed to get a better endorphin hit. I absolutely loved every minute of it.

 

We met up with Michelle and Carla outside where we asked someone to take our picture

Before deciding to try the aftershow party which is not to be missed apparently. 

A work colleague was very excited to hear I’d gone and was eager to know who the DJ was. Apparently they have many famous DJ’s doing a session, but as I don’t listen to the radio unfortunately I had no clue who the guy was!

It was hilarious, and a great mix of Abba and other 70’s and 80’s disco classics, I danced non-stop for nearly 2 hours. 

Again, a real mix of age ranges were there I danced with some teenage girls and at one point a whole family from great grandmother down to great grandson. It was just so joyful; I love dancing but I’m absolutely terrible at it, but no one judged and you could just have a great time without worrying.

 

Finally, it was time to go and find some food so we headed back towards Stratford where we found a pub doing all day Sunday lunches though I went with the fish and chips. Then it was back home for a couple of hours chilling before bed.

 

The following Friday I was out for dinner with Soo and Melissa, I was very happy when Himself got in and I could head off and leave him to deal with the plumber who was making alarming hammering noises upstairs. We had been having on going issues with the toilet upstairs since we moved in, thank the lord this house has more than one toilet because it has broken twice. The first time the plumber came out and said there was nothing wrong with it but one of the parts was just a bit old and it was fine if you pressed the flush VERY firmly! The agency got him to change the old part anyway, and we would just had to put up with the flush.

The second time it just wouldn’t stop running so we had to take the panel off (it’s got a built-in unit) and turn the water supply to it off.  That time he got it working again but admitted that actually, the inlet pipe was cracked, which he hadn’t spotted that the first time he’d been round. He then announced that the whole cistern needed replacing and would send the agency a quote. About 2 months later he suddenly rang and said could he come round and fix it. Would you believe about 2 weeks after the cistern was replaced it broke again!?! This time he blamed one of the new parts failing, we shall see how that replacement goes…

 

Anyway, back to dinner. Soo, Melissa and I had originally arranged to meet in Oxford, but when Melissa heard I was staying over at Soo’s that night because we had a bluebell walk planned for the next day, she suggested we go out in Soo’s or around village, it’s also much easier for her to get to as she was working from home that day.

Soo met me off the bus and we had a cup of tea and a catch up before heading out to the lovely Talbot Pub once Melissa arrived. The food was amazing, absolutely delicious and I’d definitely recommend it. Too full for pudding, we split the bill and waddled back to another pub near the bus stop for more beer and chat before seeing Melissa onto her bus home. A fab evening and a long overdue catch up.

 

The next day Soo and I got up had breakfast before walking to Wytham Woods. The day was overcast but thankfully the rain had stopped, though it was very wet under foot and my poor walking boots were soaked through by the time I got home. I grew up near some bluebell woods and it’s one of my favourite sights and smells. It’s been many years since I was last in one and I was just craving that solace for my soul. Wytham did not disappoint.

They are ancient woodlands and a site of special scientific interest which have been owned and maintained by the University of Oxford since 1942. The University have been doing continuous ecological research there since the 1940’s and the woods are very carefully maintained; you can’t walk in the woods without a permit and dogs are banned. 

Because the day was pretty miserable there weren’t many people about so we got to really enjoy the habitat and the gorgeous bluebells pretty much undisturbed. I took about a million pictures it was utter bliss.

A hint of what was to come...

Our route took us down towards Oxford, joining at the top of the Botley Road. We stopped off for a sandwich in a café in Botley and then tea and a shared peanut butter brownie before I headed to the station and home.

I did also end April by finally sorting out my brooch storage. The glass dishes I was usuing were too full for comfort with my ever growing Erstwilder collection if nothing else. 

I had aquired a set of drawers that were used to store coins before I left the Bodleian. I had been using them to store fabric and haberdashery bits. 

I cleared out the drawers lined them and had a blissful time arranging!

I will try and be back very soon with my May round up before it is July!