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Gnosall

Wednesday 30th September 2015.

As we are unsure whether we will seen Andy and Mo again before we leave for London on the coming Friday we stay back to see them before we then drive over to Gnosall, the village where I spent over 10 years during my school days.

The visit this time is a sad occasion as we call in on Gill Farmer who has been a friend for about 60 years.  Gill has recently lost her son Matthew to cancer at the age of 43 years and is understandably going through a very difficult time. However, we spend over half an hour with Gill and hopefully she will gain some comfort from the four grandchildren to whom she is obviously very close.

All we can all do is look forward to next year’s visit under happier circumstances.

Next stop is a visit to my Mum and Dad’s grave where we put in some new  flowers. We are pleased to see that the whole cemetery is looking very well maintained with the grass obviously being mown on a regular basis.

Before we leave the village we visit the 11th century St Lawrence Church where I spent many hours as a choirboy and an altar boy during my religious period. It certainly took me back to see the new first year primary school intake being blessed and prepared for the trials and tribulations of school. This is also the church where Gail and I were married way back in 1973.

Before we drive back to Walton we make a short call in to see our long-time friends Tony and Penny Rogers in Haughton. We are both Liverpool fans so it’s always good to have a chat.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret.

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Stafford

Tuesday 29th September 2015
As I have left one pair of my cargo pants in Perth ( or somewhere else! Mary suggests a drive over to nearby Trentham Village where there is an assortment of good shops where I should be able to find what I am looking for. Success almost at once and I come away with some cargo pants for 29.95 pounds.
With mission accomplished we have lunch at the Garden Centre and then return to Walton with one very hungry Lucy eagerly awaiting her dinner.
Andy and Mo who are now ensconced in a cottage in nearby Smithfield and come over to join us for part of the late afternoon/evening.
A and M are currently leading a fairly nomadic life after Andy decided to take a midlife gap year in April this year. This has taken Andy and Mo to a number of countries including France, Spain and Portugal. Mo came back to the UK for part of the time leaving Andy to travel to Greece and also fulfil an ambition to undertake a sailing course in Portugal. He has come through with flying colours but is at present only allowed to sail during daylight hours and must stay within 10 miles of the shore. Sadly this has led me to postpone our plans to employ him as a skipper as we sail across the Drake Passage from Antarctica!
He has also learned to play the guitar and although Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton are under no threat he has made very good progress.
Finish off the day with yet another lovely meal served up by Tone and Marg.
Cheers
The Obese Ferret.

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Stafford

Monday 28th September 2015

Marg and Di are off to the gym for their Pilates class and Gail and I decide to do a hike along the path through some very pleasant countryside and along the superb Brocton golf course and club where Tony has been a member for many years. Unfortunately T has a problem with his big toe on one foot and his membership is currently suspended until he is fully fit to continue.
On our return I leave Gail at T and M’s and continue my walk down to nearby Milford. Along the way I call in to take a look at the beautiful Milford cricket ground on which I played once only MANY years ago. Grounds like this make English club cricket so special.
A short walk back along the canal brings me back to T and M’s, all the better for a good workout.
Cheers
The Obese Ferret

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Stafford

Sunday 27th September 2015

Tony was up early to get off to the gym and late morning my nephew Andy and his wife Mo arrived for the lunchtime get-together of the Ireland family which Tony had planned.
The lunch venue is a lovely pub, The Hollybush at Salt, situated a short drive from Stafford and here we are joined by Tony and Marg’s daughter and her husband Terry.We have had a number of very good meals here in the past but on this occasion
The chef appeared to have one his ‘off’ days especially with the roast beef Sunday roast and whilst mine was acceptable if a little tough T and M’s was inedible. These meals were duly returned and exchanged for the turkey roast which was a marked improvement.
In spite of this hiccup it was a very enjoyable if all-too-rare family reunion.
The infamous ‘tyranny of distance’ comes into sharper focus as we get older.
On return to T and M’s we made the most of a beautiful autumn afternoon out in their back garden.

David & Tony

Andy Terry Tony Gail Di Marg Mo

Nothing much to report on the RWC other than the Wallabies, as expected, walloped Uruguay 65-3.
All in all a great family day.
Cheers
The Obese Ferret

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Stafford

Saturday 26th September 2015

Up early to join Tony as he takes his dog, a lovely spaniel called Lucy, on a walk over nearby Milford Hills/ Cannock Chase. At the age of 78 Tony keeps himself very fit by doing this a number of times during the week and going to the local gym each Sunday. Even on days when time doesn’t allow for the longer walk Tony still takes Lucy either down a nearby lane or along the canal. Not surprisingly Lucy is very much Dad’s dog.

The rest of the day was spent just taking it very easy and watching England lose to Wales 25-28 in a match that they could and probably have won. A great result for the Wallabies.
Cheers
The Obese Ferret

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Brecon Beacons

Friday 25th September 2015

Another quality breakfast although the young waitress gets completely confused when taking our order for salmon and scrambled egg.Finally it all arrives OK but the toast is burned to extinction. G requests replacements and these duly appear looking fairly edible.
Check out of the hotel and head south into the Brecon Beacons Nat. Park eventually stopping at the start of the Pen-Y-Fan trek to the top of the mountain of the same name.
This turns out to be a moderately demanding walk offering some great views over the surrounding countryside.
A surprising number of trekkers are out and about fairly early and Gail and I make good progress up the mountain. As we have allowed only 2 hours I leave Gail to continue up the final steeper slope to a plateau with 360 degrees vista. G in fact continues the climb after I go ahead and she handles the trek very well with only the time limit preventing her from joining me at what I assume is the peak. On arriving at the plateau I realise that the top of Pen-Y-Fan is in fact a second peak at the same altitude and packed out with the early birds who obviously had less problems with a confused waitress and burnt toast!

              
Back down in Brecon we stop off for a decidedly underwhelming coffee and cake after which we set off on the road to Builth Wells , Llandrindod Wells and then on through some very picturesque countryside to Stafford.
My brother Tony and his wife Marg are both looking very well and suntanned after a week’s holiday in Portugal.
After a lovely dinner we spend the rest of the evening just relaxing and catching up on events since we last saw them in January 2014.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret

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Wales

Thursday 24th September 2015

Start the day by catching up on the blogs of the previous days and then it’s down to the breakfast room where we quickly forget that we had the evening before agreed to limit the calorie intake by having a light continental breakfast.

We try to walk off the full Welsh breakfast by strolling to the car park to pick up the car. From there it’s back to the hotel to collect our suitcases and leave Cardiff , initially with virtually no idea of our destination. We solve this little problem  by buying a road map of Wales and settling on Aberdare as our first stop.

The Peppers Coffee Shop in this pleasant small town is a real gem with great coffee and blueberry tart( more food!)

Our route then takes us to Hirwaun and along the A4059 through the beautiful scenery of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

We arrive at the very picturesque town of Brecon and after settling in to the Brecon Castle Hotel we take a very pleasant 2 hour walk along the banks of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. On a day such as this with the autumnal temperature quite comfortable the British countryside can be a real delight.

A tribute made from wood to the coal miners

Not a lot of time to spare before we find ourselves in the Hotel Bar for a quick drink and then enjoy a superb dinner in the restaurant.

Now it’s RWC time and we find a large TV screen in the bar which is showing NZ v Namibia, a real David v Goliath contest. NZ have picked a virtual reserve team but with players such as Sonny Bill Williams included Namibia are completely outplayed. To their credit, however , they give it their all and avoid another 100+point defeat. They even manage to score a try to the delight of the player J Deysel and most of the crowd. As at most RWC venues the spectators love to see the underdogs giving it their best shot often against overwhelming odds.

Final score 58-14

Cheers

The Obese Ferret

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Cardiff

Wednesday 23rd September 2015.

The day of our one and only Rugby World Cup match!

Another fine breakfast and then it’s back to the main road to Cardiff.

A combination of normal early morning peak hour traffic and the crowds here for the rugby made for a very slow trip into the city but we eventually arrive at our accommodation, Clayton’s Hotel. As we cannot check-in yet we leave our suitcases at reception for collection later.

Before driving to our car park nearer to The Millenium Stadium( the hotel has no parking) we stop off at Cardiff Bay. In line with what has happened in many cities this waterfront area has been totally redeveloped and now has some fine buildings such as the Millenium Centre and is well endowed with restaurants and cafes.

We opt for Bill’s coffee house for a quick snack and after a quick stroll along the waterfront we set off on what is meant to be a very straightforward drive to our car park. Gail has received some excellent instructions online from NCP as to how to get to Dumfries Car Park and all seems to be going according to plan until the last minute. We can both SEE the car park but the entrance is proving to be very elusive. After a string of expletives ( mainly from me) and an interesting tour of some very narrow streets we do finally reach our destination. Tom Tom is proving to be more of a hindrance than a help in the cities  and we are getting used to the now familiar ” turn around when possible”.

A leisurely stroll back to the hotel to check-in to a room on the tenth floor. Fortunately this well-known vertigo-sufferer is saved by the fact that the one very small window is tucked away in the corner of the room so I’m saved from the embarrassment of having sleep with a parachute on!

Time for a quick drink at the bar and a short break before we walk down to the Stadium and the hordes of supporters crowded into the many pubs. Gail buys a Wallabies beanie and yours truly a gold cap with the ubiquitous bloody Union Jack in the corner. More on this later.

Good seats in this magnificent stadium which will filled to the capacity of 67,000 by kick-off time.

A very entertaining game with the Wallabies winning 28-13 but not before the Fijians gave us a hell of a fright. They must have felt that they were playing in Suva as the crowd support was far greater for the Pacific Islanders than the Aussies. I never realised there were so many Fijians in Britain but a kind England supporter explained ( as if I didn’t know already) that thousands of England supporters were merely here to cheer on an opponent of their main rival in Pool A of the WC.

This is made all the more galling as I’m sitting here with the Union Jack on my cap. I pledge to myself that this little corner of the flag will be blotted out on my cap for the remainder of the WC.

At least we now have PM who is a Republican!

Back to the hotel bar to watch France beat Romania fairly easily and they are looming as a real threat in the Cup.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret.

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Bath to Wales

Tuesday 22nd 2015

The usual intake of delicious breakfast food which will keep us going for most of the day and then we say our goodbyes to Charles and Ann.

We could not have asked for better hosts or finer accommodation.

Our destination for today is near to Newport, Wales but before leaving the Combe Downs and Monkton Combe area we take another drive up on the hill above the village and then follow Ann’s suggestion to visit Bradford on Avon which is an attractive, if unremarkable small village.

a quirky road sign

Lacock is next on the list and this is a delightful village which has been used as the site for Harry Potter movies and Pride & Prejudice. Apparently there is filming taking place at the Lacock Abbey so we give that a miss after buying a couple of items in the National Trust shop we set off for Castle Combe which has gained fame as the most photographed corner of Britain. We have both been here before but the charm of this gem remains undiminished. It is truly a picture postcard location.

Now it’s time to make our way to the M4 and we duly cross over the impressive Severn Bridge , finally arriving at The Old Barn Inn at Llanmartin, our accommodation for the night.

This recently renovated inn offers well-appointed rooms and an excellent restaurant. The evening was made all the more entertaining by a very funny girl serving us who replied to my question as to whether the Stir Fry was spicy  by  remarking ” well, it hasn’t blown anyone’s head off yet!”, all in a very strong Welsh accent.

A relatively early night in this very quiet location.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret.

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Bath UK

Monday 21st September 2015

Breakfast a delight as usual and then it’s off into Bath again with the first port of call the very fine Holburne Museum. After a stay of close to two hours we drive to the now infamous Podium car park and leaving there we check out another of Charles’s recommendations , a coffee called Colonna and Small’s where the barista has won the award as the Eighth Best in the world and the Best in the UK.

This young fellow goes to great lengths to explain that the coffee should not be bastardised by adding water to single or double espressos and instead he uses the finest coffee to produce superb quality filtered coffee. As for my cappuccino sugar is out of the question and after a lifetime of pouring spoonfuls of the sweet stuff into my cup I have to confess that the sugarless cuppa is superb. However, I am not promising that this will be continued when I am on the other side of the world to this highly-decorated little barista!

Next stop is the impressive Bath Abbey with its magnificent vaulted ceiling and we stop to pay homage to Australia’s first Governor General Arthur Phillip who is commemorated by a plaque on the abbey wall.

It’s now on to Bath’s main attraction, the Roman Baths, and we spend a good two hours taking in the splendour of this amazing site. I had seen it before together with Craig but this is the first time for Gail.

This historic gem never disappoints.

Bricks which were heated to warm the baths

underground spring

relics found

Gail wants to take some more photographs  to complement those taken on city  side of the River Avon so we cross over the North Parade Road, stop to have a look at the rugby ground of one of the UK’s finest rugby clubs, Bath and finish by doing more photo shoots near to the Pulteney Bridge.

As we travel around the UK we see ample evidence of the popularity of rugby union with the smallest of towns having a a local club so it’s little wonder that tickets to the World Cup are in such great demand( and short supply)

As Charles has again booked a table for us at the Wheelwright Arms we again avoid bankruptcy by checking out of the Podium car park and driving back to the B&B to relax before dinner.

When we arrive ( not on foot this time) the inn is absolutely packed out, apparently for a funeral party. It would have to be one of the most jovial funeral gatherings we have ever seen and judging by all this jocularity the deceased must have been either much- loved or totally unlamented!

In spite of the crowds the girls serving at the tables perform miracles and our meals and drinks arrive with the minimum of fuss and in very good time. Once again the quality of the food is of the highest order and it’s no surprise that this pub is held in such high regard.

By the time we leave this blogger/ driver is probably somewhat over the limit but we manage to make it home without any mishaps.

However, in our our slightly sozzled state we have forgotten whether the metal ducks should be left lying on their side or standing up when we go off to bed. Moreover, we are not sure if Danny and Harriet, the other guests in the house are back even though their car is parked outside. We decide that they must be home so we put a chain across the main door and trudge up to our bedroom. We then have second thoughts and decide that we need to remove the chain so that the other guests will not be found in the morning covered in a state of frosty rigor mortis. We are just about set off down the stairs when Charles  emerges from another room and is highly amused at our semi- inebriated condition and our fits of the giggles. He agrees that the chain needs taking off as the youngsters are still not back and that our duck should be lying down!

Both Charles and the two of us are still having giggling fits as we say good night and retire for what we hope will be a much -wanted long sleep.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret

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Sunday 20th September 2015

After a surprisingly good night’s sleep we start breakfast at 8.30 and what a breakfast it is. It certainly lives up to the hype of so many of the reviews with a superb array of food including a smoothie, fruit juices, cereals, dried fruits and then followed by a number of cooked breakfast options. The attention to detail in the presentation and the quality of the food is remarkable.

Charles then takes time out to give us some tips on how to make the most of our time in Bath and provides information on cafes, sights and the best car parks. He suggests that the Podium car park would be the best but warns us that at 25 pounds for the day it is pricey. More on this shortly.

After an easy drive into the city we duly park at the Podium and find out that there is a 4 hour limit which costs 6 pounds but if you overstay in any way it does indeed cost 25 pounds!

Charles has probably been giving this same advice to guests for years so goodness only knows how much business he has cost the car park owners. We come to learn that this is very typical of this charismatic, highly intelligent but absent-minded gentleman.

Before we leave for the city centre Charles gives us another reminder of his delightful quirky nature when he explains the use of two small metal ducks which are on the table in the hall. Each of the two rooms used for the B&B has been allocated a duck and when guests go out they should stand their duck up and only lie the duck down when they retire for the night( that’s the guests, not the ducks). Gail almost puts a spanner in the works by suggesting that the ducks are in fact swans but we all agree that we should not let facts stand in the way of a good story!

Charles’s ‘duck’

As we have been blessed with very fine weather and given the huge crowds out and about we decide not to visit any of the main sights and instead do our own walking tour. This gives us a chance to plan our itinerary for the next day when hopefully the madding crowds will have dispersed somewhat.

This statue of rugby player in Bath’s beautiful gardens has been created entirely out of small plants. David in contrast is all human parts

Walking near to the Pulteney Bridge( a sort of poor man’s Ponte Vecchio) we are lucky enough to meet up with Stephen Moore and Kane Douglas from the Wallabies. I resist the temptation to ask for a photo with them but wish them all the best for the first game. The Wallabies are apparently based in Bath for the next few days.

We check out of the car park in time to avoid the 25 pound charge, returning a short time afterwards to the same car park and Saracen’s Head pub across the road to watch the All Blacks eventually wear down the Pumas but not before a far tougher game than most expected. Nevertheless the strength in depth of the AB’s is on full show. Richie McCaw finally gets 10 minutes in the Sin Bin for the sort of infringement he has been committing with impunity for about 15 years.

Return to the B & B at a reasonable time and with the jet-lag baring its fangs, albeit belatedly , we turn in for an early night.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret.

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Friday 18th & Saturday 19th September 2015.

On the road again so Craig takes us to Perth Airport for our 10.35 pm flight to Dohar with Qatar Airways.

Leave on time on a 777-300 Dreamliner and although the seats seem to be hard at first they turn out to be very comfortable as do the flat-beds. First World Problems I can here you all saying!

The food as usual is of the highest order and both Gail and I soon get off to sleep after dinner. With the flight being close to 11 hours we both manage to get a good sleep with some help from Mr Termazapam.

There is some fairly constant turbulence especially over Sri Lanka but nothing of real consequence.

Our two hour stopover in Dohar is a real eye-opener as since our last transit through the airport Qatar has opened a new lounge which has set a new standard in luxury. To use the term state-of -the art does not do justice to the opulence of the lounge and the quality and range of food on offer. Sadly we have already been treated royally on the flight so we aren’t able to gorge ourselves on more food. However, most of the tables in the numerous different lounges seem to be pretty full so I don’t know how they are managing to put away so much tucker.

It’s an A380 from Dohar to Heathrow and again the flight, staff and catering are all that one could wish for.

We both watch a remake of Far From The Madding Crowd which is a beautifully made film although the actor playing the part taken by Terence Stamp in the original suffers from comparison with the roguish Mr Stamp.

After a very smooth flight we arrive on time at LHR and pick up our rented Hyundai for the drive to Bath, a city which I visited with Craig in 1997 but which G has never been to.

Our accommodation for the next three nights is De Montalt Wood in Combe Down just a short distance outside of Bath.

This is a superb house on 17 acres and is owned by Charles and Ann Kent.

Charles greets us at the door and he certainly fits the image conjured up by his emails to Gail. In short he is a very charming former lawyer who has previously owned a telecom company and  a hotel in Bath. He now contents himself with offering accommodation in two of their rooms overlooking the most glorious gardens.

It’s not overstating it to say that he is urbane,a touch eccentric and more than capable of being very self-denigrating. He is not at all interested in rugby but his wife Ann is an avid follower.

Charles has kindly booked a table for us at the local Wheelwright Arms in Monkton Combe and we decide to take up Charles’s suggestion and walk along the country lanes to this pub. We take the wrong walking track up a very steep hill but eventually find the correct road and meet Charles taking his dog out in his car for his daily walk. Strolling down to Monkton Combe we follow Charles’s advice and stop at a wooden seat to take in the very picturesque view of the valley below. A young ,very polite fellow in his school uniform gives us gives us a moment that would not be out of place in the film ‘Goodbye Mr Chips’ when we find him already on the seat with a Latin Primer in his hand. Apparently not his favourite subject!

The Wheelwright Arms turns out to be a delightful English Inn offering fine food, atmosphere and as a bonus a  TV showing Japan beating the Springboks in extra time. The Rugby World Cup is off to a flyer!

It’s fairly dark by the time we set off back to the B & B although Charles has loaned us a torch to stop us from being run over on the very narrow lanes.

He should have thrown in an iron lung and defibrillator as Gail almost goes into cardiac arrest during the decidedly steep trek back.

By now we are both well and truly knackered and so it’s Melatonin for G and Termazapam for the old blogger.

All in all a good first day in the Old Dart.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret

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