The Long Non-Event.......

Ladies that lunch! This time six of us, three are my first cousins, two are my sisters who of course are also their cousins. We all live so far apart but try to get together once a year usually around springtime however last year life got in the way for a few of us and it never happened and this year it took till October, so I was really looking forward to it.

Ipswich to Liverpool Street by train takes just over an hour, meeting the others in the station 11:45am and the pub we are going to is a very short walk away. I decided the train would be more relaxing than driving to Newbury Park and taking the underground the rest of the way which would take about two hours.

Hubby drove me to Ipswich station at 9:45am and I bought my off-peak return ticket for £42.20. Online it said my train to Liverpool Street was 10:06 on the information board it said "10:09 - expected 10:12" so already running a little late, it actually left at 10:15 but still plenty of time.

First stop Manningtree, second stop Colchester, then it didn't move. We were all asked to leave the train as it was terminating here because someone had been hit by a train a little further up the line. So we all left platform 2 as told next train to London will leave from platform 4. It had turned bitterly cold so I stood inside the now packed coffee shop but with my poor hearing and tannoy announcements being what they are I found it difficult to hear and didn't want to miss something important so instead I walked up and down the platform to keep a bit warmer.

I had WiFi so messaged my sisters to tell them and was just about to message hubby when he phoned me. He'd heard there was a rail problem and was checking on me. Told him I'd wait till 11:30 and if I wasn't on my way by then I'd come home.

No reply from my sisters so did it all again by text. Told them to go on without me and if I can I'll meet them at the pub.

The tannoy was keeping us very well informed and by 11:30 they were saying the London line will remain closed for at least another hour. So I made my way to platform 3 for the next Norwich train stopping at Manningtree then ipswich. They announced this would now be the scheduled 11:47 service. Text my sisters and everyone sent sad regrets and I was sad too. Text hubby who said he'd meet me at Ipswich 12:15. Then the driver announced "change of plan we're leaving in four minutes" so another text to Hubby as this was nearly 10mins earlier and he said he'd be at Ipswich for 12.

Well first stop Manningtree where it sat for a while, then the driver said "Passengers I'm so sorry to say that I've a bit more bad news for you....." turns out a freight train had broken down on the line just ahead of us and we were going nowhere.

Another text to Hubby who by now was at Ipswich station. So checking with station staff that yes indeed this was going to be a long delay I left the train and the station to wait outside for Hubby to come in the car for me.

The latest we were told was no London service for at least another two hours, so I was right to head home and now nothing moving toward Norwich either, glad I was sitting outside waiting for my lift, so when a few cars pulled up outside and a passenger was getting out I rushed forward to warn them before their lift drove away and they were very grateful, one even offered me a lift to anywhere I needed to be, so kind of them, but Hubby was nearly there.

Much later in the day when I  checked the rail situation it was still in chaos,  had I gone I would probably have been struggling to get home again. Then I wrote the sorry story on facebook, later still I thought it odd there had been no comments made, well that was because it wasn't there! ! !

So I wrote....
"Hahaha Well that's typical for today, I wrote a long post which has now disappeared!"
By then I just wrote the shorter to-the-point version 😉

I've claimed my ticket price back on the Delay Repay Claim form online but there's nowhere on the form to ask about compensation for not actually getting to where I wanted to be or if I'd incurred further costs because of it. Automatic emails now saying it's being processed.

OK not the outcome I wanted, two hours away from home getting nowhere, but actually I talked to quite a few lovely people during mutual commiserations. Yes Colchester station was freezing but sitting outside Manningtree waiting for Clive I was on a bench in a suntrap 😎 And walking through Manningtree station to the exit I discovered the tunnels are displaying artwork done by the residents of Acorn Village that I would never have seen otherwise.
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Peak District Holiday with friends........

Going on holiday with friendsN&T is always lovely, this one started on Saturday 13th and Hubby was driving, so they parked their car in our garage and with Hubby's car fully loaded we set off to Derbyshire making a lunch stop en route

We are staying in Granary Cottage, Biggin. Cosy little upside down place where the bedrooms are down and the open plan kitchen/lounge upstairs. With no other properties around us these buildings have been made into six holiday lets but we barely saw any others although a few cars did come and go. Cows and sheep in the fields very near so we didn't get lonely.

Most evenings we walked to the local pub, The Waterloo Inn, about 15 minutes away, and walked back in the dark, needing a torch and a phone light so we could avoid the few pot-holes and any traffic could avoid us. One night we ate then played darts, not sure Hubby was too pleased at me beating him! Thursday night we even joined their quiz night and we didn't win but had great fun and did win a bottle of wine in the after quiz raffle yaay!

We had a real mix of weather with wet days needing indoor activities and dry-sunny-chilly days to enjoy long walks and great scenery, some very misty starts that brightened into the warmest days but coldest evenings. Interesting to see the changes and the start of beautiful autumn colours but weather certainly didn't stop us getting out and about.

Sunday we headed to Sudbury Hall which was closed, T found it very funny that access was denied because they were improving access 😉 Also there and open is the Museum of Childhood and the cafe and a lovely walk around the grounds (don't seem to have any photos).

Monday we went into Bakewell, had a mooch around the shops and market, and had to sample bakewell pudding, but in an Austrian cafe and amusingly one of the customers kept yodelling hahaha

Later we found a Stable Bar

Tuesday was Buxton

and their very little market, art gallery/museum

Anglers Rest pub at Miller's Dale then walk along Monsal Trail which was a disused railway line so nice and flat

We'd had a meal lunchtime and bought snack food for an evening in playing scrabble and I won again!

Wednesday lovely sunny start although still quite a chill in the air. Time for the Blue John mine and I coped with the million wet steps going down but oh boy going back up nearly killed me. So worth doing though as beautiful caves, rocks, flow-stone, mineral deposits of various colours and of course seams of Blue John gems.

From there we drove into Castleton and a pub lunch big enough to see us through for another games night in. We had to have a walk around the shops and friendN bought a necklace with the Blue John stone which also included her other love of horses.

Thursday - now this is where it gets tricky as the whole area has little or no phone reception or 4G reception so we relied on WiFi and of course no time to put notes on the blog when we are out and about and the WiFi at the cottage was so flaky that it was frustrating and by Thursday we'd all pretty much given up with it. Hilarious when one phone pinged we all picked up ours to check if a moment of WiFi brought us any news from the rest of the world 😂

So checking photos..... Thursday was the Heights of Abraham, using the cable car and getting great views.

Friday was keeping it local and another disused railway line turned into a flat cycle/pedestrian path. Fantastic views and we reached the point of coffee/tea/bacon/sausage rolls then walked back again. About six miles total.

And all too soon it was Saturday and heading home. We had a really good run and only one comfort break stop, then almost home it was a late lunch carvery in a new local to us pub to save us cooking tonight and paid for by friendsN&T as it's our 45th wedding anniversary.
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Theatre: Dread Zeppelin.......

Red Rose Chain youth theatre presents an explosive new show packed with local WW1 history, drama, terror, espionage and romance… Bet you never knew so much had gone on in sleepy old Ipswich!

Researched by our young people with historian Mandy Rawlins, Dread Zeppelin is a brand new history play written by Joanna Carrick to mark the Centenary. Supported by Heritage Lottery Fund and starring a 26-strong cast!

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I cannot praise this performance enough, yes I'm a little biased as my granddaughter R had one of the lead roles!

A large cast of wonderful individual characters, singing, dancing, accordion playing and a script all based on real life local events in WWII. They totally deserved the standing ovation.

This is the review they got in our local newspaper.......

http://www.eadt.co.uk/what-s-on/review-red-rose-chain-youth-theatre-dread-zeppelin-ipswich-1-5735608

Theatre: Return of a Soldier.......

The Return of the Soldier, by Charles Miller and Tim Sanders, is a musical adaptation of Rebecca West’s remarkable novella written at the end of World War One.

Set in Harrow during the summer of 1916, The Return of the Soldier is an intensely bitter-sweet tale, dissecting the very different love of three women for one man. When Christopher returns from the front, shell-shocked and with memory loss, there are profound consequences for all three women and their love. In the end, only an extraordinary sacrifice will restore the fragile status quo.

Composer Charles Miller puts a unique and contemporary twist on several English music styles from the period in his evocative score. Tim Sanders’ script aims to capture West’s sardonic and contemporary humour as well as her painfully accurate insights into human folly. This exciting new musical adaptation will bring a compelling story of war to a whole new generation.

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The four of us all agreed that we really enjoyed this. Acting was brilliant, story was brilliant, laugh out loud moments and quiet tearful moments too, however it was a musical and although all the cast have great voices and wonderful harmonies the main song was repeated too often to be relevant and just felt like stretching things out and I also hate "sung" dialogue which often had nothing tuneful about it, there were even some sentences that were spoken with the last few words sung out. Why?
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The Red Jeans Challenge........

I think I've said this before but just to remind you, one day a month a large group of us get together and have a craft day. Our venue is within a residential community supporting adults with learning disabilities and more severe problems.

The charity were donated hundreds of these brand new capri length hipster ladies jeans in various sizes but all bright red. They have tried selling to anyone and everyone they know,  in their local charity shop, in bulk on ebay and singly on ebay, only asking £1 a pair but the huge pile is going down very very slowly.

I mentioned some time ago that for such a small cost it was worth buying for the fabric as so many upcycle ideas for denim are possible. So now T(our beloved leader and devoted fundraiser for the charity) has decided to run a competition on the lines of The Great British Sewing Bee invention test to make items to donate back to the charity for them to sell. I've bought six pairs (one of each size) to play with (I did try a pair on but think they are too red for me).

First item I made was this bag (see how I managed to use up a few ties which are still hanging about too).

Next I tackled a wallet which turned out to be a lot trickier than I thought it would so plenty of sewing, unpicking and resewing. I'd seen a picture of something similar but no pattern or instructions. Those ties came in handy again as I used the inner stiffening to give the wallet structure. I'm sure when I make the next one it will be easier.

Also using the little jean zip I made a little coin purse 

An apron came next with ties for tying. 

Here's a pot for putting stuff in or plants etc. Inside two small plastic bottles so watering a plant isn't a problem, you could also use empty milk containers or cans so even less going out with the rubbish. 

Another little cross body bag

And a plastic lined bag to carry your water bottles

Small pouch for headphones or charger cables or whatever

For the Christmas rag-wreaths we are making for the charity to sell I've made three poinsettia flowers to tie on

And even small scraps and belt loops get used, bows with clips on the back so they can be broaches or hair ornaments

Just from the discarded seams a fabric statement necklace

Plus a bit of forward planning for Valentine's day 

It now turns out that the sewing bee challenge never actually got going with anyone else so my makes will be for sale on the handicraft stall at their Christmas Fair.......and I've still got three pairs of jeans I've not cut into yet. 

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Theatre: Once........

The New Wolsey Theatre and Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch co-present Once

A guy, a girl and the song that brought them together. Winner of eight Tony Awards® in 2012, including BEST MUSICAL, Once tells the unforgettable story of a Dublin street musician and a funny Czech flower seller, drawn together by their shared love of music.

As they assemble a band from her wild Czech family and his quirky Irish mates, the craic grows, the music flows and they fall slowly in love. The ensemble of actor-musicians play their instruments live on stage, in a dynamic show that steals your heart.

Once is about what happens when you take chances and go for your dreams. Catch the show as it makes its regional premiere! 

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I certainly cannot praise this enough, it was brilliant.

It's a fantastic Irish pub atmosphere with great musicians thoroughly enjoying themselves all with fantastic voices and unlimited energy, performing original music and meaningful lyrics. Mix in with all that a clever script that really fits each character telling the trauma of life's choices and so much humour too.

We were clapping along lots and a well deserved standing ovation by the whole audience!
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Lost Comments or Spam..........

Blogger seems to be playing games with comments! Hope you don't think I'm being rude not responding.

Either it doesn't send the usual email letting me know that there's a comment or it rudely puts a regular commenter (is that a real word?) into Spam!

So now I know I'll check more often and now you know I know but nudge me if you think I'm ignoring you!
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An age worth celebrating......

Very very good friendK reached 70 last Friday and we were amongst the few special friends invited to celebrate with him.

His wifeL and daughterV started planning back in April and we were all sworn to secrecy. Birthday-boy knew nothing till that morning when his wife had said "wear golfing clothes and bring your clubs as I've booked you a lesson"

We got a message that they had arrived in the bar so the six of us hiding out in one of the rooms surprised came down and him there, and he definitely was surprised! Then we were all surprised when a friend from Florida came out of hiding too.

We were at the Manor of Groves Hotel, Sawbridgeworth a golf club and spa.
After a very noisy rendition of the birthday song, hugs and kisses all round we all got drinks and moved out to the conservatory where some of us had lunch.

Four of the men went off to play golf and six of us went off to the spa, sitting pool side, swimming, jacuzzi-ing, and one even having a beauty treatment. Of course there was constant chat between us all.

Dried and dressed we decided to educate our US friend with the English ritual of a cream tea (good excuse eh?), seated back in the conservatory with pots of tea and scones, jam and clotted cream. He loved it.

Later we all got changed for a yummy 3-course meal. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff and they were more than happy to take photos for us too.

A great evening ending in the bar around midnight. 

We all met up again at breakfast. A lovely noisy band of wonderful friends. 

Lots and lots of hugs kisses and farewells and we drove away more than 24 hours after we arrived. 

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Like Piccadilly Circus.......

This has been Daughter's main summer event as a Tudor so as usual we are here for any grandchildren that remain in the 21st century.

Daughter went off on Friday with E and O and now O is bigger he's having a go at being a Page to the Gentry.

R is staying with us for the duration (11 days) and as she is working (voluntarily) for Red Rose Chain while they put on Much Ado About Nothing at Jimmy's Farm, Theatre in the Forest we started our substitute parenting by collecting her at 10:15pm as we did every night after, dropping her there for 4:30pm. I say we but actually Hubby did every run apart from Friday night collection. 

She/we had Sunday and Monday off (Hubby was out all Sunday fundraising) then as a last minute thing R tells me she really needs a 1930/40s style costume for the following Sunday as they are holding a street party for the audience before the final performance. She had a look in mind and what she really wanted was a beige knitted tank top and had looked in the charity shops in Ipswich without success so Monday we went to Felixstowe as they have an abundance of charity shops and a lot of elderly residents so if not there then I doubt we'd find one anywhere. Well all we found was a very washed out beige long-sleeved jumper which I restyled for her and paired it with a white shirt and black skirt still in the wardrobe from her mother's teenage concert playing days (see I knew they would be useful one day).

She chose not to wear the belt

Also R had wished she'd brought her devil sticks with for something to do, so on the way back from shopping we called into home but her key wouldn't work, second attempt M let her in but she couldn't find the sticks bag, third attempt after messaging her mum asking if she'd left them in the car and told she hadn't they were found yippee (I drove a lot of miles to get them considering they only live 5 minutes away).

Monday evening we had a phone call from Daughter to say E wasn't feeling very well and will probably benefit from a couple of days rest from camping so Hubby went to get her. While here she ate well and slept well but did very little all day Tuesday, I'd started the day with my weekly physio circuit training session so was pleased they didn't need me to do more than sort meals and make packed food for R to take with.   Wednesday E got motivated to get arty and creative and needed me to hunt out art materials at various times, she also needed Hubby to sort computer/scanner/printer etc. 

Meanwhile I finished knitting a cotton top which unfortunately turned out far too small for me and although knitted all from one cone seems to have a shade change across the front! I was given the cone of cotton so no costs lost so I'll put this into a charity bag and maybe someone will love it. 

Very early Thursday Daughter arrived to grab a shower and collect E to get to college and pick up her exam results (two very good passes) she then took E back to Kentwell with her and had intentionally left O behind as he'd had enough. His Tudor shift was covered in clay and he told us he quite enjoyed being a page but hated having to wait until all the Gentry had eaten before the servants were fed, so he gave that up and spent lots of time in the pottery. 

He took up his usual position on the floor by the door, as there are sockets available there, and gets stuck into his technology (making music this time).

He stopped for a while when an experiment came to mind of "how can I position mirrors up and down the room to reflect images remotely like watching tv round corners". He was thrilled to see we had saved some mirror tiles under a bed for just in case!

This had to be an ongoing experiment and the mirrors had to remain in place for days! 

Thursday we also had a visit from sister-in-law who hasn't been here for years so it was lovely to see her. She came by bus and then train and Hubby picked her up from the station. We all had lunch together and later tea and cake then Hubby had to take R to Jimmy's Farm for theatre of course and O wanted some extra computing stuff from home so by the time he did that he was almost late for taking SIL back to catch her train so a bit of a rushed farewell.

R was telling O about her theatre work and all about this Shakespeare play in the forest and so O said he really really wanted to see it. So I booked us a couple of tickets for Friday night. I've given our night out it's own blog post. 

Friday M opened R's post as requested by R and gave her her exam result via messenger, also a good pass. 

We had arranged for R's friend F (who also volunteers for theatre) to sleep over Saturday night as they have the end of show party for cast and crew till midnight and a last performance Sunday. I've known F and her mum for years as they are friends of Daughter. Twin beds in R's room so no problem. Then Saturday evening R sends a message do I mind if two more girls stay over as well. Of course I said they could and gathered plenty of bedding for them in the lounge to use the four recliners as beds. Hubby had to wait ages for them in the car park and they got back at nearly 1am and I could hear them chatting for ages. 

Unfortunately O had a bad evening not being able to get to sleep so I was up and down, then when I'd seen the girls home I got into bed with O and stayed there till morning, each time I tried to leave he cuddled up so I couldn't. 

All up and breakfasted and then Hubby goes out for the day with his friends which had been arranged ages ago. So I cleared away all the bedding, done two loads of washing, and made packed food times four for them to take to theatre. Because of the forecast really wet weather the forest had been cancelled and moved to their much much smaller Avenue venue so R got a message could her and the girls come at 2pm instead as the whole set needs rebuilding. 

Now of course I've the "fox-chicken-corn" situation with a five seater car, driver plus four girls plus O. It's now raining really heavily, thankfully it's so close that I made two trips. 

So O now had me all to himself and first request was baking

followed by board games at the table. 

Bank holiday Monday and I'm home with Hubby R and O and nowhere to rush to! A much quieter day, O happy to watch tv or sit with his ipad and headphones. R didn't even get out of bed till 3pm. Ending the day with a full roast dinner and thought Daughter and E would be back to share dinner with us before taking the children home. But they were running really late so we gathered all their stuff, and there was lots, and I took them home. 

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