One of the fomer councillors on the Parish Council is a keen photographer and belongs to a group, T16, whose members share an enthusiasm for creative photographic work. Every year or so they hold an outdoor exhibition and I went down to Mayfield in East Sussex today to see what was on show.
There were lots of imaginative and visually stimulating pieces of art, but what added to the interest was the way in which the surroundings were used as more than just a backdrop.
As mentioned before when we went on the London Duck, the IBM Club organises events which retired IBMers can attend, together with partners. Today we went to have an all-you-can-eat buffet at Harrods. The cost is highly subsidised by the Club but the drinks were not. So at £10 a glass (yes, really), we avoided the wine.
We have been to see the Counterfeit Stones many times, most recently in November 2006. Tonight we saw them again, this time at the Ashcroft in Croydon. As always, they played all the Stones' classics to an unbelievably high standard, interspersed with amusing film clips and authentic sounding banter.
Sadly the auditorium was only 60-70% full which combined with the Ashcroft's design meant the atmosphere was not as intense as it ought to have been. And I do believe that Sympathy For The Devil is the only one to end with. But when I compare tonight with the miserable effort we saw by the Rollin Stoned back in January, I can say there is definitely no-one that can compare with the Counterfeit Stones.
I went to my school's Old Boys' Day last year and found it a most enjoyable and interesting occasion. This year the day revolved around the Mary Rose exhibition it is hosting so I went again. The result ? Another most enjoyable and interesting experience !
We were escorted from Big School to the exhibition area by pikemen and musketeers from the Honourable Artillery Company. There there were lots of items on display and bits of information, including :-
the Mary Rose was a carrack warship, which means it had raised decks fore and aft the planks forming its hull were assembled in a carvel way, meaning they touched each other edge on, rather than by overlapping. This meant it was much easier to cut a gunport through the hull. The origin of the word “knots” meaning the speed of a boat, comes from the early ways of measuring that speed, which involved the use of a string with knots in being cast into the water the state of the shoes was amazing, and their design seemed rather modern too the chest of the barber-surgeon (the same man for the two jobs in those days, of course) had been recovered, together with all its extensive and, in some cases like the syringe, frightening contents. the everyday utensils, such as bowls and cutlery, that have been found are almost unique, in that the equivalent collections from, say, stately homes are only for the top people the lower ranks ate a lot of fish, and the fish was almost exclusively cod the long bows on display (made of yew, with arrows made of poplar) required enormous strength to use, so much so that there is evidence in bone damage which identifies the archers the Ark Royal is the symbol of the Mary Rose Trust (not sure why) and is also the weathervane on top of the school Charles Howard (1st Earl of Nottingham anfd as commander of the fleet which defeated the Spanish Armada as popular in his day as the Duke of Welllington after Waterloo and Churchill during World War II) owned Haling Park which is now where Whitgift is sited. He was nephew to two commanders of the Mary Rose : Edward Howard and Thomas Howard).
After the exhibition we were treated to a superb lecture by an old boy, a Steven Gunn of Merton College, Oxford. His subject was about life in Tudor times and among the points I noted were :
after farming, the main economic activity was the making of cloth, and the main international place we traded with was Antwerp, so keeping the sea routes open was vital for our exports of cloth people were already eating a lot of cod but of course there could be no fish and chips because we had not yet discovered potatoes fish was eaten not just on Fridays but also throughout Lent (although Barnacle Geese counted as barnacles, so they were allowed during Lent too) one of Stephen's projects is looking at causes of accidental deaths in Tudor Times and the emphasis on longbow practice meant that quite a few died through being too close to the target area (though the chief cause was wheels falling of waggons) there were lots of colliers in Croydon, but producing charcoal rather than real coal 8 pints of beer was the standard daily consumption one in three people died by the age of five, but if you reached 15 you would probably live into your 60s, and the population rose over Tudor times from 2.6 million to 4 million (considerably less than the 15 million living in France, incidentally, with the result that Henry had much more difficulty raising taxes than the French did) “Nuremberg sundials” were the status symbol of the day, portable clocks which in some forms could show the times in other parts of the world too there was a Prior in Tandridge which was closed as a result of the dissolution of the monasteries
After Stephen's talk, I sat on the same table as him and was able to ask why in the Field Museum last week I had seen longbows but not crossbows, unlike in Europe. Stephen explained that they did not have the iron and steel use that we did so (a) it was harder to make a crossbow, with its requirement for some very strong components and (b) the Americans did not have to penetrate the thickness of armour we had to. Apparently in Europe the arrow heads become thicker and heavier during the sixteenth century as the armour worn became thicker.
In the afternoon I took the opportunity to visit an exhibition game of Fives. The courts must be one of the few unchanged parts of the school.
Taking all of the above together with the chance to talk to loads of other Old Boys from both before and after my time, it was a most stimulating day. I wonder what they might be doing next year.
Setting out on another training walk today, I was dismayed to find that on the day I took only the one camera, its battery had gone flat so could take no photos (until we reached home when it was possible to use the other camera to snap me having a refreshing cup of tea.)
The walk itself started at the car park on the southbound A22 just before junction 6 on the M25. We crossed over the bridge to travel westwards past Pilgrim Fort along the North Downs Way, via Gravelly Hill past Whitehill Tower within sight of The Harrow, then further west into the Surrey Wildlife Trust SSSI of Quarry Hangars.
Here we had our usual picnic lunch (for the second time in nine days overlooking the M25) before going down under the motorway to walk on the flat past Becks Cottage, Place Farm, the North Park quarry, back over the M25, up the scarp of the North Downs near Freer Farm Kennels, and thence back to the car. It did not seem like it but we had covered about 15 km in 4 hours.
As I have mentioned before, Pam belongs to a branch of NADFAS (National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts), which organises talks and outings relating to art topics. This morning we went on a trip they arranged to the Garrick Club near Leicester Square. The Garrick is aimed at actors and the building is full of portraits of people who have trod the boards over the last two hundred years. (Having said that, the first thing we saw at the entrance was an envelope awaiting pick up by Mark Knopfler.)
Our two guides were immensely knowledgeable and were full of stories. They pointed out how the paintings illustrated the importance in the old days of gestures, so that particular stances meant “shock” or “fright” or whatever. They also said how influential they could be, such as the one of an old actor demonstrating madness by plucking insects out of the air. Apparently Lawrence Olivier must have seen this because he once was on stage with Sir Ralph Richardson when the latter had a long soliloquy, and upstaged him by going through this insect-plucking routine, much to Sir Ralph's annoyance, of course. The pictures were also a reminder of how Shakespeare plays were performed in contemporary dress up until halfway through the nineteenth century.
We learnt how AA Milne left 25% of his estate to the club, a legacy which became highly significant when Disney bought the film rights for some huge sum ($300m, I read here.) Also, the colours of the club are salmon and cucumber, so if you see someone with a tie, or socks, in those colours, they might well be a member.
We were taken to the library which is THE place to go for theatrical items such as scripts, posters, or programmes. Among the items we saw was a copy of Hamlet with illustrations by Henry Moore and a small thin sculpted piece of metal on the front. It was apparently given to Sir John Gielgud who gave it to Sir Alec Guinness who in turn gave it to the library.
All in all, it was a fascinating experience.
We had to go to Crawley today so we took the opportunity to do a walk, specifically along the Worth Way.
Since this is a former railway line, it was just the opposite of what Pam requires in the way of practice, being so very flat. But it was a most pleasant route and a vivid reminder of the loss it would have been had the local council had its way a few years ago and converted it into a road.
Today we made our usual annual visit to our wood with Roger and Jane but unfortunately we were a little on the late side. Unlike those we saw on Saturday, the bluebells were definitely on their way out.
Then we had another disappointment because when we popped in to the pub in the wood, the Royal Oak, we were told that there was no chance of any food for two hours. The pub was not particularly crowded and we have never had any problems before, but what really upset us was the attitude of the apparent manager : no apology, no expression of regret, and certainly no explanation, just a “no, and be grateful you have a drink” type approach.
We moved on the The Grasshopper at Moorhouse Bank, where we had a delicious meal from the Carvery, something I normally avoid, for just £9.50 each. And the friendly service could not have been a bigger, and more welcome, contrast with the Royal Oak.
The sun was out today so we went for another training session, a bit shorter than one last month. We started off in Woldingham by going through Great Church Wood where the bluebells were tremendous.
We carried on to the scarp slope of the North Downs, ending up on Oxted Downs where we had lunch overlooking the M25, which in the sun was a more scenic sight than it sounds. We then partly retraced our steps before taking the steps up Gangers Hill.
Tonight was our bi-annual IBM Croydon get-together. As usual in our Spring reunions (although see here for a counter-example), numbers were lighter than for our November ones, but the quality was as good as ever, with a couple of first-timers as a bonus.
We went to see We Will Rock You last night at the Dominion in Tottenham Court Road. Although I am a great fan of most of Queen's output, the show was a bit of a disappointment.
On the plus side, we had excellent seats, near the centre in the tenth row back, just as the rake of the auditorium starts to lift each row above the one in front. The backdrops to the sets were highly colourful animated displays, full of motion and excitement. Some of the lines were rather amusing (example : a character pulls a chair away from underneath someone called Cliff Richard, who unsurprisingly falls on the floor. "Don't worry", says the man with the chair, "He's indestructible."
But these positives were more than offset for me by the negatives. Worst of all, perhaps, was something that seemed at first to be admirable : the power and volume of the singers. After a while, though, this belting out of all the songs at top volume without any change or restraint became boring and then tiresome. Another problem was the near complete lack of characterisation. I never really got to like, dislike, or react in any way to any of the characters which meant that I ended up not caring. Finally, although some of the lines were OK, as mentioned above, mostly they were unsubtle laboured efforts which, to be fair, were just the job for the many tourists in the audience.
Since I had enjoyed Buddy, Mama Mia, and, above all, Our House, all musicals whose stories were concocted to facilitate the use of songs by a particular artist, I had expected to have a good time (almost a pun) with this Queen based vehicle. But I was sadly let down.
Today was the 250th anniversary of Handel's death so the Handel House Museum in Mayfair opened its doors for free. We could not pass up an opportunity like this so along we went, discovering that, unsurprisingly, we were not the only ones to feel that way. Indeed we had to queue for 60 minutes to get in but once there we felt obliged to stay. We had the crossword to do.
Once inside we discovered another world, with the rooms containing items of Handel related history including scores he had written as well as one in Mozart's writing (it was an arrangement he did of a Handel piece). There were plenty of information panels, people playing pieces of Handel music on harpsichords, and even some clothes to try. From their size it was clear they were meant for somewhat younger visitors but I had a go anyway.
There were also some photos of Jimi Hendrix because he lived next door for two or three years in the late Sixties, which has led to the building having two blue plaques. Given the pattern of names, it seems that the next musician to live there will have to have a surname beginning with Hind.
We made the most of the Easter Monday sunshine by going for a walk with Julie, with whom we had done another training session back last month. This time we returned to Reigate Hill where we did a walk in January.
Once again, we concentrated on lots of ascents and descents rather than length. Indeed, we took five hours to cover the 9 kilometres but it was very pleasant. We saw many daffodils that were still thriving plus lots of bluebells that were just coming out.
My route was intended to go as far as Lovers Lane, which the OS map showed as just over the M25. We did find it but it was such a small path it apparently did not warrant its own sign. Hence no photo of it.
We often have had dealings with the Downlands Countryside Management Project over the years, for example when we go rhododendron bashing. Yesterday they held an open day at their farm, Old Lodge Farm at Little Woodcote near Purley, and we went along to see the newly born lambs.
We saw lots of ewes in a barn, together with the lambs they had already had, including a couple which had been born that very morning. We learnt that they have already this year had almost as many lambs born as during the whole of the season last year. Currently they are being used to replace some elderly Herdwicks which soon will be too old to continue grazing.
It might sound strange to talk about sheep being too old to graze but the DCMP flocks are used to graze the project's many open spaces, such as Farthing Downs, in order to foster the optimum environment for wild flowers. This means that the grass they eat is low in nutrients and so the sheep have to eat more than an average sheep would.
One other snippet we learnt was how they have concentrated all the lambs' births into a shorter period this year. They did this by exposing a recently castrated ram into the flock of ewes. His smell stimulated the ewes into season which meant that when the real breeding ram was introduced, all the ewes became pregnant at roughly the same time.
Then we were taken out in one of the project's Land Rovers to look at the sheep in the fields around the barn. These are used by the sheep as a base in-between "assignments" to grazing duties on the projects spaces.
It was a most interesting tour, giving us an insight into the difficulties of the project's sheep ownership, breeding, and use.
Just over a year ago we went to Kew and saw the Henry Moore sculptures then on display there. That was with our friends Malcolm and Mandy but today we returned with Roger and Jane, together with her brother Paul whom we saw down in Devon back in June 2007.
The latest attraction is a Tree Walk, 18m high, which one can use to walk through the branches and leaves of various trees.
Today saw our annual Rene Memorial Lunch day, when between 30 and 40 of Pam's relatives have a get-together in memory of Pam's mother, Rene.
Last year we were at the Duke's Head in Wallington but this time we switched to another Young's pub, the Chequers at Walton-on-the-Hill. This had the advantage of a car park and easier access from the M25 plus the room itself was more atmospheric and spacious.
The food was a little disappointing, with my roast beef being rather on the tough side and my bread-and-butter pudding rather uninspiring. My soup was delicious, to be fair. In any case, the object was not to have a memorable culinary experience but to catch up with other members of the family, most of whom we had not seen since last year.
We took some display boards in on which we pinned many old photographs which stimulated lots of reminiscences.
The Daily Mail must still have been involved because on entering we were given a big plastic bag with a copy of the paper inside, something I quickly dumped lest anyone thought I might read such a publication. There were many good things about the show : we sat in a cookery demonstration where a Tiffany Goodall cooked three most attractive courses in about 30 minutes. They were seared tuna steak, spiced lamb leg steak, and a rhubarb fool for pud. Ainsley Harriott had a stand and I was able to chat to him and shake his hand (see photo). He was very friendly, being especially good to all the old ladies, and one of the demonstrators confided in us later that Ainsley was just the same behind the scenes as he appears in front of the cameras. The demonstrator represented another of the highlights which was the chance to listen to people giving the sales patter - even if you were not interested in what they were selling it was normally a real entertainment to hear their performance. In one case, a chap was demonstrating a mandolin, something we already have. But it was a joy to hear all his jokes and, indeed, to see his techniques which we shall have to practise in the future. Using a two-for-one offer, we visited the Ideal Home exhibition today. This was my first time but apparently I did not see it as it traditionally has been experienced. The difference ? Well, there were hardly any people there. When we stopped for a quick bite at lunchtime, the exhibitor we shared a table with told us that normally it was heaving with people. She claimed that EDF, who have taken over the main sponsorship from the Daily Mail, had failed to promote it properly - a sentiment repeated by the man who persuaded us to take part in a wine-tasting (unsuccessfully, though, in that we did not buy any wine).
There was a lot of rubbish on display, as you might expect, but also some nifty gadgets and tools. In the five hours we were there, we bought something that was heavy enough to be delivered, a couple of things that we carried in a bag, and a copy of mops which we then carted round London as if we were looking for a fancy-dress party which we were attending in the role of Neptune.
I was even able to enjoy a touch of nostalgia by having a go at Scalextric.
Back in February a talk at the Purley Literary Society about a trip to the North Pole was postponed, ironically because of snow. I went along last night and heard the rearranged chat, given by Jan Meek, a woman who at 53 with no previous experience rowed across the Atlantic with her son, and at 63 took part in a race to trek across the frozen Arctic Ocean to reach the geographic North Pole. A year later she took part in another trek, this time a more leisurely expedition to the geographic North Pole.
She made a number of interesting points:
During the race they did not take their clothes off for twenty four days. Going to the loo was tricky, with anything being used to wipe up afterwards tending to freeze in the short time taken to more it from where it was being kept to where it was to be used.
When she was at the magnetic North Pole, a long way south of the geographic pole by the way, a load of 4 by 4s turned up part of the Jeremy Clarkson TV programme. She had hoped to meet Clarkson which might seem strange to most of us but he lives in Chipping Norton where she was once mayor. However she had to forego the "pleasure" because he was not actually in the vehicles.
She had to get super-fit because they were walking 25 kilometres a day over very awkward terrain. At first she was pulling a sledge with 40 kg on it but her son found it was faster if he pulled hers as well as his own. Although she was very tired all the time she did not develop any aches, something she put down to her physical preparation.
She claimed that fewer people have rowed the Atlantic and walked to the Pole than have walked on the Moon. Just in case that number might increase, she is planning to walk to the South Pole later this year.
I normally find myself inside a church only for weddings and funerals but this morning Pam and I were passing St Pancras Church near Euston station and were irresistibly drawn in. There was nothing spiritual about this, but simply that there was an exhibition of glass sculptures in the crypt, called Glass Echoes 2. It was a most effective backdrop, with all the curved brick ceilings providing not just an atmospheric surrounding, but also a vivid contrast in texture to the material of the sculptures themselves.
One of our favourites was a table with a meal on it and of course the food, the crockery, the cutlery, and most impressive of all, the tablecloth were made of glass as well as the table itself.
My sister, as reported before, researches our family tree. I joined here yesterday to meet someone who does this sort of thing for a living. My sister had provided her with the tree so far and the meeting was aimed at identifying what research routes could most fruitfully now be followed.
The meeting was at the National Archives, near Kew Bridge. It was my first visit and I was rather impressed. They keep all sorts of records here and they seem to be trying to be helpful to all researchers, no matter how amateur. They have original versions at the Domesday Book and of Magna Carta (though I have seen the latter on a visit to the British Library) so I must go back to see these with Pam some day.
Returning to Kew Bridge I was able to enjoy the Thames Path, at one point looking across the river to the City Barge pub, allegedly the backdrop to a scene in the Beatles' Help film.
Nigel explained that he had decided to become involved with percussion instruments rather than, say, the strings, during his school days when he went to the same school as me, albeit about ten years after me. His parents took him to a concert at the Fairfield Halls and he noticed how the percussionists were the smiling ones and the ones who drove away afterwards in the relatively expensive cars. So he joined the Corps of Drums. He did not go into music from school in the conventional way, however, going instead into the army. Specifically, he joined the Scots Guards where he was able to play the drums as part of the job. This meant, though, that he played in some pretty adverse weather conditions, such as the pouring rain during the Trooping of the Colour. He observed that he was always amused in his current role where colleagues complain at the slightest draught in the orchestra pit, given his experiences of howling gales in the open air. On leaving the army Nigel became a freelance. He observed that the most important quality required of a freelance is that of being known to always turn up, and on time - it doesn't matter how talented you are, if you are not there when you are needed for a session costing hundreds of pounds a minute, you are not going to be very popular. Although he has now been at Covent Garden for over 30 years, he still works alongside freelances and one of them was telling him how he once got a call to go to Abbey Road for a session when he was required to hit a gong twice. He was reluctant to give up his whole Saturday for this but felt obliged to. It turned out to be the recording of "Nessa Dorma" by Pavrotti which must have become one of the most played recordings of classical music ever. His job is in an orchestra that no-one ever sees, being based in the orchestra pits as opposed to concert orchestras up on the stage. At Covent Garden it is the singers and dancers who are in the limelight. Nigel was happy with this although he did admit to finding it "somewhat dis-spiriting" when hearing, on leaving the Stage Door after a performance, the dreaded words "it's only the orchestra". Talking of Pavarotti, Nigel pointed out just how loud he sang, saying that if he were in the hall that we were all in, we would be putting our hands over our ears. Nigel then talked a little about Health and Safety, but was a bit confusing here. At first he was rather dismissive, effectively saying that loud noises never hurt anyone, but then saying how the Covent Garden orchestra had been in the forefront of reducing their volume, and how beneficial this had been from a musical point of view. Sticking with the Health and Safety theme, Nigel then talked about the harness he had to wear throughout some Wagner piece where he has to climb up to bash a bell which is over the regulation height beyond which you have to take precautions. I laughed out loud when Nigel said that he felt some of the comments by his fellow players "could have been a little more supportive." Over his 30 years at Covent Garden, he has experienced many conductors, most of them very good or better. One who was not arrived fresh from winning two conducting competitions and apparently very confident of his abilities and his knowledge of how the particular piece of music should be played. There was zero rapport with the orchestra and he concluded the session by saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, you all have a lot to learn about how to play Puccini." There was stunned silence at this until one of the orchestra, normally known for his reticence, stood up and replied, "And you, Sir, have a jolly sight more to learn about how to conduct an orchestra." Only apparently he used a word other than "jolly". There was lots more, for example about how Wagner specified a piece for 18 anvils knowing it would be cut down – even the ROH use only 14.
Pam and I went to the Purley Literary Society again last night, this time to hear a most entertaining talk given by the Section Principal of Percussion at the Royal Opera House, Nigel Bates. (Percussion Section Principal is his official title and he said that while he would not object to being called "Head of Drums", he did feel that "Director of Percussive Resources" would be a bit much.)
Although our lunch yesterday was high quality, by choice it was not high quantity so we were able to make the most of the spring sunshine and do one of the shorter walks in the Time Out book of London walks that we so often use. This one went from Piccadilly through Mayfair to Marble Arch.
The Mayfair streets were unsurprisingly smart and quiet and led us via three parks including Berkeley Square and Grosvenor Square. Westminster Council erects most informative and interesting boards in even its smaller parks, quite a contrast to whoever (the DoE ?) who is responsible for Marble Arch, where we could find nothing. Indeed, Marble Arch was a bit of an embarrassment all round, with the nearby pedestrian underpasses being rather unpleasant and smelly.
We took the bus back to Victoria and passed the Wellington, or Constitution Arch, which I was rather ashamed to realise is what I had thought Marble Arch was.
It's the last week of the Byzantium exhibition at the Royal Academy and we finally managed to get along today. It was fairly interesting but we went round without the audio guide and found the information supplied rather sparse. For example, one of the early exhibits was a small sculpture showing Jonah being swallowed by a whale or a large fish. All the label said was that and a date plus where it was found. But another exhibition goer pointed out to us (a) that Jonah's face was a straight copy of the usual way Zeus is carved in Greek statues and (b) that the creature was an amalgam of different marine animals so the sculptor must have been working from stories rather than from his own experiences.
Today we went out for a walk with a difference, a sort of personal treasure hunt.
Pam had gone out yesterday for another training walk with Julie, just as all three of us did last Sunday. This time it was up and down Box Hill, apparently including one stretch up that became so steep they gave up and turned back to find another route. Unfortunately the slope was so steep their descent was more an uncontrolled and undignified slide.
Later yesterday evening Pam discovered her watch was missing and concluded that the most likely cause was the way they had come down the hill. So off we went this morning to see if we could find it. It was not at all expensive nor did it have a particular sentimental value, other than that anything one has owned some time might have.
But when, amazingly enough, we did find it just where Pam had suspected, we were both quite relieved. And then we were in a beautiful spot with gorgeous weather which allowed us to continue on a most enjoyable walk.
Pam and I did another walk from the "Time Out London Walks Volume 1" book today. We started at Old Street and passed loads of Vietnamese restaurants before arriving at the Geffrye Museum. I visited the place in March 2007 but it was still interesting to see the 11 rooms illustrating how their design and use have changed over the last 350 years.
Our route took us to Hoxton Square where we were disappointed not to see the pissoir we had seen on a previous visit back in October (see photo). But later I checked on the web and it seems it is there only at weekends.
We picked up the Regents Canal near Baring Street and walked along the towpath for over a kilometre before having to rejoin the real world on reaching the tunnel under Islington. After a two-for-one lunch at an Ask restaurant, we walked up Upper Street through Islington before going a short way along Highbury Place, a surprisingly quiet terrace alongside Highbury Fields.
Then it was back on the tube to Victoria and the train home.
We have lived in Warlingham for over 24 years. We like walking. But yesterday we went for a walk from our house that took us along paths we have never walked along before.
The occasion was a visit by a former colleague of Pam's, Julie. The two of them are going to walk along an Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (the link is to a different route to the one Pam will be taking) later this year so every scrap of walking they can do in preparation will be useful.
I devised a route which went from the bottom of Whyteleafe Recreation Ground to the top then back down to the A22, up to the top of Kenley to see the gliders then back down the London Loop to the A22, then back up the side of Riddlesdown Quarry to Hamsey Green before going round a lot of back alleys home. It was only about 9km but the ascents might prove good training.
En route we came across an old boundary stone of the former Caterham and Warlingham Urban District Council - see photograph.
Last night Pam went to see Tina Turner at the O2. Good though the performance apparently was, (see here for an opinion other than Pam's), also of interest was the problem we had with the tickets.
She had booked them last May, using a credit card to pay for them. We did not expect them to be sent until much nearer the time of the event, but then forgot about them until earlier this week. We then realised we still had not been sent them. Sending an email to the address we had been given produced no response while ringing the supplied phone number gave an unavailable tone.
A Google search then revealed that we had been victims of a scam. Fortunately Pam was able to book some more tickets on the day and we are now hoping that the credit card company will reimburse us for the first transaction.
Pam and I went off to Earl's Court today to see the Eco-Build and Future-Build exhibitions. It was amazing to see so many companies providing products or services relating to environmental style building. My favourite products were the LED lights which seemed so varied in style, shape, and colour nowadays, and the heat pump based heat recovery ventilation systems.
Number One on our "must have" list, though, was this dramatic megalith style pillar. We assumed it was just a dramatic piece of decoration but the chap on the stand assured us they had loads, and quoted a reasonable price too. So watch out for the blog entry once we get it installed !
This is another one of those rare entries in my blog where someone else features in the photo. Fortunately it is for a happier reason than last time because today would have been Pam's last day in work, had she not taken it off on holiday. So yesterday was the actual last day after 28 years with Legal and General. I went along to a local pub yesterday evening for a celebration which 60 or so of her colleagues attended.
There was a tribute by an old friend who is now quite senior in the company, there were lots of presents, Pam said a few words herself, and all in all there was a happy atmosphere as memories of past times were exchanged.
I was particularly impressed, although not at all surprised, to hear from those that I chatted to about how helpful and enthusiastic Pam had been and about how much her encouraging and supportive attitude had been appreciated.
Pam and I go up to Cambridge quite frequently, for example see last June. We went up again today, our main purpose to hear a talk at Kettle's Yard about the holiday we are going on with them later this year to Chicago.
One of the main attractions in Chicago is the architecture and in turn the most famous architect associated with the place is Frank Lloyd Wright. The speaker, who will be going on holiday with us, had actually met Frank, back in 1958. This gave his chat a bit more authenticity. (Chatting to him afterwards, I discovered he had also shaken hands with Nixon - "clearly a crook", he observed !)
Following the talk we walked back through Cambridge, stopping for a spot of lunch. We then visited the recently installed Chronophage, a 1.5 metre wide clock with no hands or numbers, which uses blue LEDs shining through slits to convey the time. It is meant as a tribute to the great 18th century clock-maker, John Harrison, and uses a model of a grasshopper on top to act as the clock's escapement (John Harrison being the inventor of the grasshopper escapement, the technology which allowed the first accurate clocks to be taken to sea and thus to permit the accurate estimation of longitudinal position).
My usual rule is not to put anyone else's photo on the blog but today I am putting a photo of my Aunt Dorothy, whose funeral Pam and I attended yesterday down in South Wales.
She was 89, and was the widow of my Uncle Ted, my mother's brother, who died about 15 years ago. I still have both of my mother's sisters alive, one of whom is 95 and the other will celebrate her 90th in August.
Today we went for another walk with our friend Chris (see here for a report on a previous walk with her.) Yet again we used our ancient copies of "Walks In The Surrey Hills", this time doing a walk near Ranmore Common and Polesden Lacey.
We passed a youth hostel where John of our Bournemouth friends John and Paula, stayed in his youth. The bathrooms and toilets were in another block - not my style of accommodation at all !
Yesterday saw our annual attack on the rhododendrons in Banstead Wood - see here for last year's report. It was much colder than usual but we dressed up and of course once you get chopping and sawing away one soon warms up. Once again we were part of a small L&G contingent but whether this will continue in Pam's absence following her retirement remains to be seen. Overall, though, there were dozens of volunteers, including many youngsters so it looks as though the event itself will continue as long as there are rhododendrons left to bash.
It's a good job the snow did not start to fall seriously until later on.
We took advantage of the sunshine today to go for a walk starting by the Reigate exit on the M25 as indeed we did back in November 2007. Today it was just the two of us and we concentrated on some steep ascents up, and descents down, Colley Hill. All good training for a holiday Pam is doing later this year.
The two of us managed to get to the Rothko exhibition at Tate Modern today. Overall we enjoyed our visit, with the room containing 14 of the Seagram murals being particularly memorable. The sheer awe-inspiring power of the works produces an almost physical impact (I mean this in a positive way, not that it made us feel sick !).
Although there were many other works, I did not manage to understand if there was any development in his styles over the last 15 years of his life. There were indeed changes, as pointed out by the audio-visual guide, but they seemed relatively small-scale.
Much as I enjoy the music of the Rolling Stones, and I do have most nearly all their LPs between 1966 and 1976 with four or five of their later ones too, going to their concerts nowadays does not seem great value for money. By contrast, attending a concert by the Counterfeit Stones is a wonderful opportunity to experience the Stones music being played live at a fraction of the outlay. Plus you can get really close (two of the three or four times I have seen them I have been right at the front touching the stage).
So when the chance came last night to see another Stones tribute band, the Rollin' Stoned, I should have been pleased. In fact, I was in two minds about going because the previous occasion I had seen them they were only good, and thus suffered by comparison with the Counterfeit Stones.
But in the end I decided to go. What a mistake ! The sound quality was terrible, the arrangements uninspired (I had never realised it was possible to hear a dull version of "Sympathy For The Devil"), and the singer varied between being painfully sharp and excruciatingly flat. Never again.
The winter get-together of the Black Cat club is always in London (see last year, for example) and for many years has been in Covent Garden. But the husband of my friend Judy is now based in the City and has an allowance to rent a flat which as it happens is in Marylebone High Street. So yesterday the three of us met in an Italian Restaurant called Getti's in the same road.
I was a little apprehensive because some of the online reviews had been less then complimentary, even allowing for the fact that people who are disappointed are more likely to post than those who are delighted.
But our experience was very positive. The food was fine, the atmosphere was relaxed without being too informal, and above all the service could not have been friendlier. My starter was oven baked figs filled with goat’s cheese wrapped in pancetta and served with honey, my main course was pan-fried calf’s liver with pancetta, butter, sage, spinach, and a caramelized red onion chutney, and my pudding was tiramisu (perhaps an unoriginal choice, but tasty all the same). I should have no qualms about returning.
Pam's mother died a couple of years ago and in her memory Pam arranged for a tree to be planted by Sutton Council in the road where she lived. This was planted yesterday so we went along to witness the event with some of my mother-in-law's neighbours. There was a bitterly cold wind but no doubt it will be much warmer later in the year when we return to see how the tree is progressing.
As I started walking into Croydon from East Croydon station, I noticed the new (to me) Croydon Visitor Centre. There is only the one object on display, but it is quite impressive : a 3D model of Croydon as it might look in 2020, only 11 years away of course. It included Ruskin Square, the development supposedly taking place on the long argued over piece of land to the north west of East Croydon station.
The model could have done with some colour coding, with one colour for existing buildings, one for those under construction, one for those with planning permission, and one for mere proposals. They had a slogan which I could not explain : "Croydon : London's Third City". Well, obviously the first city must be the City of London itself, but what is the second - surely not the White City ??
I had to ask, but if you do not know the answer you'll have to look here.
I had to visit London yesterday and while I was there I passed this statue of Robbie Burns.
Pam and I attended a funeral today of someone I worked with at IBM from when I joined, back in September 1971, through to 1983 on and off. His name was John Peters, and he was a great help to me over those years, providing advice, encouragement, and indeed inspiration, so I owed him a lot.
The funeral was a Humanist one, something as a member of the British Humanist Association I have always said I want myself, and it was the first time I had attended one. In fact it was the same as a religious one, without the religious bits, something perhaps I should not have been surprised by.
We stopped off at Charlecote Manor for a spot of lunch beforehand. Unfortunately the heavens opened so the photograph comes from a visit we made when we were on holiday in the area back in 2004.
When my friend Judy heard that I was actually at the Federer-Nadal Wimbledon Final last year, she said "You lucky, lucky man!". What will she say when she learns that I was at this year's match too ? Last year seemed difficult to top but this year is being described as the Greatest Tennis Match Ever, and it is difficult to disagree.
Sitting almost in line with the net, it was possible to see the variations in speed, spin, and height over the net of the shots. Sometimes the ball would be hit so hard but have so much backspin on that it almost died on bouncing. Before the rain breaks and also at the end, it was so dark the scoreboards shone out like floodlights.
Pam and I are Federer fans but it was hard not to feel that justice was done. If it had not been for Federer's aces (25, compared to Nadal's 6) it would have been much clearer cut. And yet, and yet ... what a story it would have made had Federer managed to hang on to his championship despite being two sets to love down.
As a supporter of the Howard League, I went along to a drinks reception at the House of Commons yesterday. Not knowing anyone, I looked around for someone else on their own to chat to. The first person I found was the MP for Finchley, Mrs Thatcher's former seat, a chap called Rudi Vis. He was very informative about how things work.
While we were talking, he spotted a cormorant on the river catching what looked like a rather large eel. Alas, I was so fascinated by the struggle I forgot to take a snap.
Back in the early 60s my favourite comic was the Eagle. The lead story always featured Dan Dare so I was pleased to see the Science Museum had used the character as a hook for one of its current exhibitions, "Dan Dare and the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain".
In fact, on going there today I discovered there was relatively little about Dan Dare, but it was interesting to see the many exhibits illustrating various British products from the 50s, a time when it appeared we could hold our own in the forefront of scientific and technological developments.
One exhibit brought back particular memories : an Enid Seeney plate whose design is just so evocative of those years.
Today's pre-class walk was walk 7 from the Time Out Walks book, starting at Camden Town. This was all bustle but there was quite a contrast when the walk dropped down to the Regent's Canal. After following the towpath for a while, the walk cut into Regent's Park, a park I found rather disappointing. It was flat, open, and contained far too many Canada Geese and pigeons. True, there was the occasional heron and an effort had been made with the flower beds but overall it lacked anything to make it memorable unlike, for example, Hampstead Heath where I walked a fortnight ago.
Last Monday, before the Tate course I did walk 9 from my Time Out Walks book. Today I did walk 12, which started at Old Street. The first stop was in a cemetery called Bunhill Fields where I saw the graves of Daniel Defoe and William Blake. After this I passed many attractive modern office blocks including City Point Tower and the Broadgate Centre,
before amending the route to end up in front of the City of London School.
On the way back from our trip to Cambridge yesterday, Pam found the following advert in a freebie magazine she had picked up there.
It seems that your cat can be well looked after while you are away, should you live in Cambridge !
My college at Cambridge, St Catharine's, like all the others no doubt, frequently reminds its former students of the desirability of financially supporting the college. Since I do so, every so often an invitation arrives to attend a get-together at the college for a champagne lunch.
Pam and I attended such a lunch today, and it was a most enjoyable occasion. I met a master from school who had matriculated in 1950, 18 years before me. (I had briefly met him at last Saturday's OWA Day). We also chatted to the one other person from my year, a Chris Webbley, and his wife, not to mention several people we had never met before. One chap we did not actually speak to was someone who matriculated in 1932 which means he must be around 94 - he was walking around and looking in pretty good nick.
Perhaps the most pleasing moment was when my old maths professor, a Nick Handy, recognised me. Other than a dinner we were both at in 2001 it was the first time he had seen me in almost 40 years so that was quite impressive.
Today I did walk 9 in my Time Out book of London Walks Volume 1, a walk which goes across Hampstead Heath. To be honest, I quickly lost the route but it did not really matter. I saw a Henry Moore sculpture, Kenwood House,
some views of London, and lots of ponds (some of which are dedicated for men-only swimming, some for women-only, and some mixed).
The walk then took me past the house where Keats lived for the last two years of his life between 1818 and 1820.
I ended up at the end of Walk 10, in Hampstead where I found a noticeboard run by the Heath and Hampstead Society. It described the threats to all the beautiful local trees caused by developers.
Every year around this time my former school, Whitgift, has a day for former pupils to come back and have a bit of a reunion. I never went since the day was rather sports orientated and just did not appeal (I do occasionally attend Old Boy dinners, for example last year).
Apparently lots of other former pupils felt the same way since attendance declined every year, dropping to just 35 in 2006. They did not even run a day last year but this year completely revamped the occasion.
The format was that people (Old Boys and partners) turned up at 10:00 for coffee in Big School. We chatted to several people including a sixth-former from Slovakia whose English was superb, needless to say.
We then had a briefing from the Second Master, containing amazing statistics about the school nowadays. The school's academic results put it in the Top Ten in the country according to the latest list in The Times. The boys now have 35 sports to choose from, with recent pupils reaching international status in Rugby and Crystal Palace standard in soccer. The Arts side is similarly diverse and high quality. Boys travel from Essex and Brighton to attend. Most incredibly of all, there are 50 different languages spoken at the pupils' homes.
We then split into groups of ten, each group being shown round the school by a senior boy. Our group was led by a boy called Tucker who, on describing how he was a fourth generation pupil, was delighted to discover that one of our group had known his grandfather.
After a delicious lunch, including rather tasty spotted dick (if that is not an oxymoron), we had a wander round on our own before returning to the library to hear a presentation from an Old Boy who had been on the front line in Helmand Province in Afghanistan. It was a welcome change to hear an account directly without having to worry what media manipulation had been applied. He denied, for example, having had any shortages of essential supplied or items such as boots, ammunition, or loo paper. He did complain that the 45 degree heat meant that the chocolate in the rations was not in a consumable state.
After a cup of tea we called it a day, agreeing that it had been quite an eye-opening experience.
