Have just passed my Driving Theory Test and picked up the keys for our new house in Oldfield Park, Bath from the estate agents. And it's a year since Patrick and I became boyfriend and girlfriend (although we'd been friends for 17 years beforehand - well you can't rush these things!!)
A momentous day indeed ;)
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Middlewich 2008
Back again, this time with Narrowboat! It was great staying on Ripple and going to the Folk and Boat Festival. Simon and Jane found a superb mooring not far from Patrick's first home in Booth Lane.
The music was good this year, though I think Big Session had creamed off some of the top folk acts. Middlewich still managed to bag the Churchfitters, an Anglo-Celtic band from France, whose bassist makes his own instruments out of saucepans, hacksaw blades etc. Brilliant, as I knew they would be!
Uiscedwr were the highlight of Saturday, with Cormac Byrne's stunning bodhran playing winning him my vote as top folk musician in the world once more. And the band have a great sense of fun too. Good to see Anna, their lead singer, looking so well after her bone marrow transplant. No more blood transfusions - she must be so pleased! Patrick liked Devon Sproule, but she was far to pretty and talented for my liking ;) He also liked the unexpected Aussie, Rory Ellis, with his hardbitten blues and protest songs.
Lau were superb and got a standing ovation at the end of their set. They play with such passion and skill that they win over even the most picky of folkies. And who better to finish of the festival than the Peatbog Faeries with their dancy trancey Scottish tunes?
Booze and food were good too with delicious homemade pizzas being cooked at the festival site, good meals at the Narrowboat pub, and real ale scrumpy cider available in the beer tent (I sampled large amounts of Timothy Taylor Landlord and Ty Gwyn Cider - mmm!)
Numbers seemed a bit down on last year, maybe due to the economic downturn, but still great fun and very good for Middlewich.
The music was good this year, though I think Big Session had creamed off some of the top folk acts. Middlewich still managed to bag the Churchfitters, an Anglo-Celtic band from France, whose bassist makes his own instruments out of saucepans, hacksaw blades etc. Brilliant, as I knew they would be!
Uiscedwr were the highlight of Saturday, with Cormac Byrne's stunning bodhran playing winning him my vote as top folk musician in the world once more. And the band have a great sense of fun too. Good to see Anna, their lead singer, looking so well after her bone marrow transplant. No more blood transfusions - she must be so pleased! Patrick liked Devon Sproule, but she was far to pretty and talented for my liking ;) He also liked the unexpected Aussie, Rory Ellis, with his hardbitten blues and protest songs.
Lau were superb and got a standing ovation at the end of their set. They play with such passion and skill that they win over even the most picky of folkies. And who better to finish of the festival than the Peatbog Faeries with their dancy trancey Scottish tunes?
Booze and food were good too with delicious homemade pizzas being cooked at the festival site, good meals at the Narrowboat pub, and real ale scrumpy cider available in the beer tent (I sampled large amounts of Timothy Taylor Landlord and Ty Gwyn Cider - mmm!)
Numbers seemed a bit down on last year, maybe due to the economic downturn, but still great fun and very good for Middlewich.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Vertical Gardening
Patrick and I are members of the Somersetshire Coal Canal Society, and we help keep the old canal looking beautiful by turning up to work parties and removing any plant growth that might be covering the locks or hiding them from view, get a bit of water flowing through some of them, etc. Hence 'vertical gardening'. Bob is in charge of the work parties and Richard is the chief tree-feller, whilst Adrian is chief fire-starter and tea maker!
This Sunday we were clearing away trees around the bottom lock at Combe Hay so that there could be a nice view from the footpath up the flight towards the Bull's Nose. The work was quite hard, involving dragging felled branches across the newly-filled bottom pound, but was worth it for the final result - a stunning view, of which Adrian and Patrick took quite a few photographs. A few of us were resting on our laurels (no pun intended!) after a hard afternoon's work when we noticed that a tree overhanging the footpath was rustling and inching downwards. We carried on talking as the tree inched downwards a little more, then Richard advised us to get out of the way as the tree was about to fall! The tree fell across the public footpath, and Richard set about chopping it up for firewood. Bob went to inform the landowners, who were only too pleased to have the problem dealt with and receive some firewood for their stove.
Later, as we chatted about our near miss, we noticed a tiny baby fieldmouse by the gate. He seemed totally unfazed by the huge humans standing around making cooing noises - perhaps we were just far too big for him to comprehend. Eventually he disappeared back into the undergrowth. Aww!
Quite eventful for a vertical gardening session!
This Sunday we were clearing away trees around the bottom lock at Combe Hay so that there could be a nice view from the footpath up the flight towards the Bull's Nose. The work was quite hard, involving dragging felled branches across the newly-filled bottom pound, but was worth it for the final result - a stunning view, of which Adrian and Patrick took quite a few photographs. A few of us were resting on our laurels (no pun intended!) after a hard afternoon's work when we noticed that a tree overhanging the footpath was rustling and inching downwards. We carried on talking as the tree inched downwards a little more, then Richard advised us to get out of the way as the tree was about to fall! The tree fell across the public footpath, and Richard set about chopping it up for firewood. Bob went to inform the landowners, who were only too pleased to have the problem dealt with and receive some firewood for their stove.
Later, as we chatted about our near miss, we noticed a tiny baby fieldmouse by the gate. He seemed totally unfazed by the huge humans standing around making cooing noises - perhaps we were just far too big for him to comprehend. Eventually he disappeared back into the undergrowth. Aww!
Quite eventful for a vertical gardening session!
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