Winter has arrived

30 October was yet another theatre visit, this time to the Playhouse to see Casanova who was female in this version! A good production but rather silly in places - she had a baby which was adopted by King George lll. The next day Mel and I met in Liverpool and went to Wetherspoon's for a quick snack before going to see Cats at the Empire. Again very good with lots of singing and dancing by people dressed as cats strangely enough! Shopping and a meal with J in the evening, we went to Morrison's and then to Le Frog. I had salmon after a crab & avocado starter (fish again Mandy) and J had something with black pudding as a starter and then a steak - good food. I then spent 2 days in Harrogate at a conference. Didn't see much of the town but it was a nice break and some interesting people giving presentations. Saturday was the Everyman to see Stockholm after a Greek meal near to the theatre. We really needed Madeline to interpret especially as I didn't have my glasses - I have no idea what we had but it was fine - perhaps a possible when Ben and Madeline next visit. Our waiter called Rocky was studying here but came from Missouri - Ben has no idea that this is in America - not ready for citizenship yet then! The play starred only 2 actors who were on the stage throughout and were extremely good actors -no interval/ice cream again though.
This week we went to see the Changeling - see below. Took a bit of getting into but again an interesting play and well interpreted by all except one actor who I thought was rather wooden!

Beatrice-Joanna wants to marry Alsemero but her father has other plans. Meanwhile, her servant - the hideous de Flores - would do anything to win her. Often hailed as the greatest tragedy in English after Shakespeare, The Changeling was written in 1621. It is at once a classic Jacobean revenge drama fusing explicit sex and violence, with the tragic and grotesque. At the same time, it is an electrifying and immediate domestic drama about the conflicting claims of familial duty and sexual desire. Applauded throughout the country for vivid productions of new and classic plays, English Touring Theatre’s recent work includes Hamlet with Ed Stoppard and Anita Dobson, The Old Country with Timothy West, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Mother Courage with Diana Quick.

We seem to have seen a ridiculous number of plays this season, perhaps we need to be more selective next time!

Last night was a trip to Adsa then the Red Lion at Newburgh. This has changed hands recently and was almost empty but we found the food very good - Cajun chicken for me and lamb shank for J. Obligatory cheese and biscuits for me and rhubarb crumble for J - what oi the world coming to?

I have spent an interesting day in a church hall pretending that Sefton was hit by a flu pandemic. Tomorrow we are off to Wales so hope the weather improves - very windy and chilly. snow in Aberdeen! Hope it is warmer in Wales!!

And the rest of the week...

Thursday was back to the Everyman to see 'The Brothers Size' about 2 brothers called Size, by Tarell Alvin McCraney.
There are two brothers Size: Ogun has worked hard to get his own auto-repair shop; Oshoosi always takes the wrong track. Fresh out of prison, Oshoosi dreams of faraway places. When his ex cell mate Elegba offers him the gift of a clapped-out car, freedom seems to be just around the corner. A young American writer mingles Nigerian Yoruba myth with the earthily poetic life of present day Louisiana to create a playful and deeply original drama.

Quite good overall but no interval and therefore no ice cream! The Queen concert on Friday was good - Mel had booked excellent seats near the front and we sang and clapped and waved our arms as only some one's Mum and Dad can. J nearly didn't make it due to a 6 mile queue on the M6 on his journey home! We saw a fine barn owl on the way home! This morning we had a visit from the Antiques Roadshow man!! They are recording at St George's Hall next Sunday and I sent in a photo (taken by my personal photographer) of the dough chest. They were visiting 40 different pieces of furniture today and will let me know mid week if they are interested in having it there. If not we have a priority ticket so can get in without queuing and can just take a photo to find out about it! I don't think it is worth a lot but it could be old and interesting (like me!!).
I have just been to the gym and before that we went to find out about the new wheelie bins system that is coming to a street near us in early December!! They will only collect non-recyclable waste every other week but that will be no problem for us as we are very good at recycling. Not sure where Mel is going to put her wheelie bin!
We are going to the Tate this afternoon to view the entries for the Turner Prize - I am not expecting to be impressed....

Busy bears!

A very busy week! Monday was off to the Playhouse to see Rough Crossings - another play based on true life stories about the slave trade. We have a lot to answer for and J now knows why Sierra Leone used to be British. A good thought provoking play.

As the American War of Independence reaches its climax, a plantation slave and a British Naval Officer embark on an epic journey in search of freedom. Divided by barriers of race but united in their ambitions for equality, their convictions will change attitudes towards slavery forever. Headlong Theatre’s Artistic Director Rupert Goold directs a new adaptation of Simon Schama’s provocative bestseller by award-winning writer Caryl Phillips. Sweeping from the deep south of America to the scorched earth of West Africa, Rough Crossings is a compelling true story that marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.

Tuesday was Julius Caesar at the Everyman performed by the Youth Theatre. Not bad - some awful Scouse accents but also some budding talent. Lots of loud music, mock fighting [very well done] and pretend blood!

“Cry ‘havoc’ and let slip the dogs of war.” I am looking for the opportunity to get this into the conversation! No luck so far.
Over forty young people from all over Merseyside are coming together to produce this passionate, exciting and vivid retelling of what happens in the aftermath of an act of terrorism. Young people have taken over society, they control the media and they decide who leads the country. But they can’t stop history repeating itself.

Tonight we have been to Morrison's and then to the Stanley Arms in Aughton. Macaroni with cheese and leek, steak pie and chips - I wonder who had which meal?? Not bad at all and change from £20 including 3 drinks! Tomorrow it is off to the Everyman gin then J& I are off to a Queen tribute band courtesy of Mel's birthday present. I shall be glad to get to the weekend for a rest.

Celebration!

Ben phoned on Wednesday morning to tell us that he had proposed to Madeline!! Wonderful news, they sound so happy and excited and are now puzzling over the date. Possibly August which would be beautiful and sunny in southern California.

Last Saturday I spent the morning helping with a promotion for the Southport Comedy Week – the tag line was ‘Laugh your socks off’ so we had a washing line covered in donated Primark socks and were giving out leaflets, some of which had free tickets for the various shows. They didn’t all go so I got some free tickets for Punt & Dennis which Mel and I went to last night – not bad and of course J had to watch the final last night so was unavailable!

On Wednesday I picked J from the train after his visit to Birmingham and we went to the Packet Steamer for a meal prior to tackling Asda. I had a chicken and pasta dish which should have chorizo sausage in it but didn’t. I mentioned it to the waitress and we got free deserts! J had venison sausages and chips which was very nice but would have benefited from peas or salad! I had cheese and biscuits and J a sundae of some sort.

On Friday we went to see Roger McGough and Brian Patten - two of the Mersey Sound poets of the 1960s. The third poet was Adrian Henri who is no longer with us but the stage had 3 chairs on it in his memory. Roger was also a member of the Scaffold along with John Gorman and Mike McCartney (brother of Paul, no less). In the following year The Scaffold's anthem, Lily the Pink, reached No. 1 in the charts. Both poets were very entertaining and I thought that the younger generation would appreciate the poem below! I have to say that poetry is so much better when read aloud, particularly by the person who wrote it.

PAY-BACK TIME
O Lord, let me be a burden on my children
For long they've been a burden upon me.
May they fetch and carry, clean and scrub
And do so cheerfully.

Let them take it in turns at putting me up
Nice sunny rooms at the top of the stairs
With a walk-in bath and lift installed
At great expense.....Theirs.

Insurance against the body-blows of time
Isn't that what having children's all about?
To bring them up knowing that they owe you
And can't contract out?

What is money for but to spend on their schooling?
Designer clothes, mindless hobbies, usual stuff.
Then as soon as they're earning, off they go
Well, enough's enough.

It's been a blessing watching them develop
The parental pride we felt as each one grew.
But Lord, let me be a burden on my children
And on my children's children too.
© Roger McGough Selected Poems Penguin, Feb'06

I have forgotten to mention that Mel and I went to see ‘The song of an emigrant’ on Tuesday. I have copied the extract form the website below

An economic migrant returns after many years spent in America, but the reality of the return does not resemble that of his dreams. His daughter does not recognise him, his wife avoids him, and former friends shun him. Though he has returned, he cannot really come back. He will always be an emigrant.
Winner of a Fringe First and a Herald Angel Award at last year’s Edinburgh Festival, The Song of an Emigrant is drawn from the old Ukrainian songs of eastern Slovakia, the letters of Slovak emigrants, and Josef Capel’s Horduba, this depiction of the ‘bare life’ of an emigrant is that of a life reduced to material needs. Created by a company of artists of Czech, Slovak, Polish, Ukrainian and Serbian nationality, it realizes the reality of Slavs in Europe today – a life soulless without friends, family and community.
‘Occupies a heartland that is universal and timeless… a deeply affecting whirligig of songs, dance and fleeting encounters’ Glasgow Herald

Mel and I had absolutely no ideas whatsoever what it was about!! It was all in Czech and a mixture of dance, music, and song. It started at 7.45 and we were walking back to the car by 8.45. Very strange but obviously from the accolades above we obviously missed something!!
Yesterday I went to the gym , the hairdressers then a quick wander around Liverpool but didn’t buy much. J & Mel had the Derby to watch –Liverpool won 2 -1 with Everton scoring an own goal! Today we have been strolling in the sunshine near Breatherton and Bank Hall Next week we have 3 plays to see and J & I are also going to see a Queen tribute band thanks to Mel’s birthday present to J in February!

Theatre and badgers....

Tuesday was 'I am Shakespeare' at the Playhouse written by Mark Rylance and John Dove. The plot was as follows ...

Webcam daytime chat room show

A dark and stormy night. In his garage in Kent, Frank Charlton – a schoolteacher –prepares for his daily broadcast. Through his subversive internet show, Frank continues to explore the obsession that cost him a promising academic career – daring to question the authorship of the Shakespeare plays. When, that is, he can dodge the ‘helpful’ attentions of his ex pop-star neighbour Barry. Today, however, via the dramatic interaction of a lightning storm and the collective unconscious of the world-wide-web, Frank finds himself confronted with the real William Shakespeare… and the real Francis Bacon… then Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford… and finally the real Mary Sidney… Mayhem ensues as the Police arrive investigating a mysterious body whilst Frank desperately tries to interview each of the four characters from the past to discover who is the real author. Can Frank take advantage of this historic opportunity...without getting arrested or murdering Barry first? Needless to say I have copied this off the website! It ended up like the film of Spartacus, which probably means nothing to my readers, where instead of everyone standing up and shouting ''I'm Spartacus,' 'No, I'm Spartacus' it was 'I'm Shakespeare' etc etc. Quite entertaining and amusing and obviously penned by someone who had done a thesis at sometime on who really wrote Shakespeare's plays.
Wednesday was shopping as usual but home for salad as I had brought fish & chips the night before and J had made a lovely salad so we had that on Wed instead. You will be delighted to know I have bought a Christmas pudding!
Thursday was gym night - they have had lots of new exciting equipment!! Today we went on our first badger hunt!! It was in a wood near Shevington where a factory site (explosives!!!) is being investigated as a possible housing site. I could be first on the list if it ever comes to fruition as lots of the wood will remain with little groups of houses dotted amongst the trees. A survey had been done last year and had identified some badger activity so we were there with 6 others to look at the holes found last time and to assess any activity. We got there early and spoke to the man on duty at the gate who told us that he has seen a badger run over opposite the factory and that there were lots of foxes and rabbits as well as deer. He had a very nice tabby cat (without a name) that he had rescued when found tied to a tree as a kitten. It lived in his hut at night and he fed it - they both looked well fed! We saw 2 other cats during the morning so I think there may be quite a few feral ones around the site. It is very secure so I don't think they get many visitors. J & I were teamed up with Craig and sent to investigate 3 previously identified holes. We managed to find all 3 and took photos and made notes. Unfortunately these were not badger holes and probably just left from the collapsed underground bunkers. We did see the main badger sett but no animals. Not terribly exciting but good to be involved - Ben was so lucky in Durham with his nocturnal friends!!
Tomorrow is the promotion for the Festival of Comedy in Southport so I will be out for part of the day just giving out leaflets and generally telling people about the festival. They also have the opportunity to win tickets for some of the events if they take a lucky programme. Bye for now xx

Life as a volunteer

On Saturday I helped out at Spouthport Arts Centre as part of the Literary Festival. People had booked half hour appointments with the visiting author (Ann Milton) or poet (Alison Chisholm) so it was a case of getting the people to the right venue at the right time and generally welcoming people and chatting. I was commended for my cheery smile (sickly grin according to J!) and have been asked back to help with the promotion for the Festival of Comedy later this month. I am aslo helping out at the Firework Extravaganza on Friday night. So far, so good!

Sunday was walk day as usual and as already reported by J. J has a new jumper and a new name - smooth grey!!



Monday night was a play called Intemperence at the Everyman. It was by Lizzie Nunnery who is a local writer and one of the 4 who wrote Unprotected about Liverpool prostitutes. That was excellent but this one was a bit dull and dreary. It was about an Irish family living in a Liverpool cellar in the mid 1800s at the time when St George's Hall was being built. Some thought provoking moments but not one of the best.

Friday was the British Firework Festival near the Marine Lake in Southport. This consisted of the Lake of Dreams, which was a pretty ordinary display to music but reflections in the lake were very pretty. There were then 2 displays to music by national companies. Last year's winner went first but was definitely outshone by the second contender who chose the 1812 Overture and Bjork's song to name but 2. I was teamed up with a sixth former from Formby and we gave out leaflets and directed people, mainly to the toilet. Not a bad evening all in all. The competition has 2 more nights to run until the winner is announced but I think you could have too much of fireworks!

Another week has gone by ........

Thursday again and Ben has just phoned with news of his trip to Las Vagas! We had a good weekend with Mandy & Dave and their garden is restored once more. I am waiting to see the pansies in full bloom in Hampton Hargrave. Shopping last night and then to the Ship Inn by the canal. We haven't been there for years and did not have good memories of previous meals. However, all that had changed and there were 3 very snug fires!! Yes it really is that cold here and we have put the heating on in the last couple of days. They had a good varied menu including a set one with 2 or 3 courses for a set amount. We both had mushrooms in a creamy Stilton sauce which was good but could have done with a bit more Stilton. J followed this with pork Dijon with salad and chips and I had salmon salad. J was impressed with the price of beer so all in all a successful evening.
I am off to the Southport Arts Centre on Saturday to help out with a Literary Festival - I have become a Sefton volunteer so watch this space for more exciting things!!! The badger group is looking for helpers for a big survey so I am hoping that we can become involved in that too !
Mel seems fully recovered from San Francisco and jet lag never seemed to happen.

King Cotton

The theatre season is upon us again - Hurrah!! Mel was supposed to go with us to the Lowry on Saturday afternoon but San Francisco beckoned. The play was about the slave trade and also the effect it had on northern towns when the American War of Independence blocked the supply of cotton to England. It was excellent, very poignant in places and really funny in others, particularly God who was played by soemone from TV whose name I cannot remember (we needed Mel!). J was also excited by the fact that we saw the actress who played Thelma in the Likely Lads, long, long ago - she was in the foyer at the interval! We looked round the shops in the Lowry briefly and J bought 2 new shirts. The shops are all discount ones like Cheshire Oaks and Mandy will be pleased to know there is a Karen Millen (?) - perhaps worth a visit when next in Liverpool!
We then drove to Settle for the evening having booked into the Whitefriars Guest House. We went to the Golden Lion to eat and J had whitebait (excellent) followed by rabbit pie (lovely pie, disappointing pastry) and chocolate sundae (just weird). I had vegetable Kiev (rather generous and lots of potato) with red cabbage followed by fresh fruit salad and cream (lovely). The beer was Bomber (following a first round of Wainwright) and not bad at all. The whole lot including 2 rounds of drinks cost under £40 which we thought very good.
Full English breakfast the next morning (after delicious homemade raspberries and stewed apples) preceded the walk (see J's blog!) and cheese and onion toasties at lunch time. A good thing we don't go away every weekend!

Eating out on a Thursday!!

J had things to do on Wednesday night (applying for a job)so I went shopping and we went out for a meal on Thursday instead. We decided to walk the long way round to the Swan at Aughton (sore feet for J) which was very pleasant and the white wine and soda/Guinness were extremely welcoming. However, when we enquired if we could have a table we discovered that they were booked up until 9 pm and although it would have been nice just to sit and unwind for and hour & a half we decided that we were too hungry to wait so long. So we walked to Bellagio which is just nearby and used to be The Place and before that a nice little Italian restaurant - a pity it changed! It is now Greek, Italian and Chinese so the menu is quite long and I had not taken my glasses. We spent a happy 15 minutes with J reading out the menu before deciding on pasta with smoked salmon, tarragon, cream and vodka and for J, duck breast in black bean sauce with fried rice. The food was freshly cooked and good but fairly pricey. The meal with 2 drinks each came to just over £40 and they automatically added on 10% which I think is cheeky!
I have been at work today but J is using up some holiday or he will loose them. He has just presented me with a bird table which he has made from a kit today!! Not as big as your monster Ben but it looks sturdy. Just the right height for Bournville! Watch this space.
The elderberry wine is going very well and has only blooped all over the kitchen once!!

Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness...

Not quite so much the mists but definitely time to pick the elderberries! Off we set for the bushes which produced some fine berries last time (2 years ago?) only to find that they were not very good. We got a few then drove back to the start of the Cheshire Lines path near the garden centre. These were much better and we soon had 2 carriers full of berries, still attached to stalks. Not sure if this was the requisite 6lbs so decided to go over the road to the 'owl' wood. We got another half bag full and decided to check up on the big stone owl as he cannot be seen now that the trees have grown so tall. You will all be delighted to know that he is fine although I don't think any of you have ever seen him - I think even Ben managed to escape that one!
We then set off for Widnes which the Yellow Pages assured us had a homebrew shop. No good having the berries without the yeast! We never found the wine shop but did find a Wilkinsons which sells wine yeast so all was well. Spent a while wandering and also bought a 1000 piece cat jigsaw for £2.99 and a few bits and pieces. The jigsaw was a picture of lots of cat photos, not for the cat to do! I spent the rest of Sunday separating the berries from their stalks and discovered I had enough for 4 gallons rather than 2! I have frozen 6lbs and have set the other 2 gallons off fermenting. On Wed I need to add the sugar and pout them into demijohns. The rest will just happen as if by magic. Isn't nature a wonderful thing? It will all seem worth it when I have 24 bottles of delicious home made elderberry wine to savour.
Mel is getting excited about going to San Francisco and I think we have got nearly every thing ready now for a 7.30 am drive to the airport on Wednesday. J will do the pick up at the end of Mel's holiday. Hope she enjoys it as much as we did, I could just do with a laze in the sun. I don't think Mel will get much of a laze though with all of the things B & M have planned!! xx

Return to Le Frog!

It's Wednesday so it must be shopping night. Good to know that at least one of our progeny reads of our exploits!!! Another major chnage tonight as we headed for Morrisons in Ormskirk at J's suggestion - what a rebel. The good point was that it was very quiet so a relatively stress free event. We then drove round to Le Frog which Ben and Madeline should remember from their visit. Last time we went there we both had a delicious meal so tonight was bound to be a disappointment really! I had leek and parsnip soup which was very tasty and it is good to know that not all chefs have stopped using seasoning. J had a disappointing black pudding with caramelised onions which weren't. My pimento and other vege things in lasagne was OK but nothing startling whilst J's vegs were sent back after some impressive face pulling. Ice cream and cheese & biscuits to follow with lettuce instead of celery and only 6 grapes!! Good cheese though. Whole meal? OK but nothing to recommend it really.
Very impressed with the pen purchase by BJ - look forward to the letters!! Hope you both get your courses/school sorted out so that you can enjoy your last months as students. Is my son really going to tie himself down to the world of work??? Life is full of surprises but then it comes to us all eventually! Where did the Summer go? Packing with Mel at the weekend for the greatest adventure of her life - I hope!! xx

Formby

We are getting adventurous, Knowsley last week and Formby tonight! First to Tesco to stock up ready for Lynn, Pete and Dad at the weekend then off to the Red Squirrel. I actually got J to sit outside for a meal... However, the conversation went like this.
Can I set up a tab please we are going to have a meal?
Yes, where are you sitting?
Outside.
Oh no, you can't set up a tab if you are sitting outside.
OK I will pay by card for the drinks.
We sit in the sunshine (rare event these days but today was sunny) and choose our meals. Chicken, leek & ham pie for J and black pudding, bacon and egg salad for me. Next conversation.
Can I order some food please? (to same bar person as earlier)
Yes, where are you sitting?
Outside.
Oh no you can't order food for outside, but you can set up a tab now if you stay inside.
Once again the idea of sitting in the evening sunshine having a glass of wine and a nice meal was foiled. I think J gave them a tip off!!
The pie connoisseur was happy, the salad was ruined by far too much honey and mustard sauce. And so back home to unpack (J), put out the rubbish (me) and watch England lose to Germany at football (I assume that will be the result!)
Is there anybody out there?? xx

La Bohem

No. we haven't been to France, just Crosby! A complete break with tradition as we not only went to Crosby for a meal but went shopping to Sainsburys after the meal which is unheard of. J had been to La Bohem on Friday night with old chums from South Sefton and thought i would like it too. I had pate followed by seared salmon in a lemon and cream sauce with roasties, carrots, cauli and mange tout. J had a tower of black pudding (it didn't look like a tower to me) with garlic mushrooms, plus half of my bread which I couldn't eat then shoulder of lamb (very tender!) with similar veg. A can of Guinness for J - very French, and a white wine and soda for me. A very pleasant meal for £31 including drinks. Sainsburys was very quiet by the time we got there at 8 o'clock so shopping was quite relaxed. Got home early tonight to go to the gym and realised we didn't have anything for tea so called at M & S for some frozen fish and have just had fish and chips - good job I went to the gym!!

Haworth and beyond

As our original blog has been taken over by JD and his maps I have decided to start again. This will be random thoughts, I have a lot, meals out and theatre reviews. Lots of random thoughts on our Bronte Way walk and Ben will be pleased to know that we visited the original Ponden Mill at Ponden!! Needless to say I didn't believe JD when he told me that was what it was, I thought it was just a random mill at Ponden - nice cream teas though!
We had some good Yorkshire food including the Old White Lion where we stayed, J had game salmis (casserole by any other name) which seemed to be mainly rabbit and I had a disappointing roll mop herring in an excellent seafood salad. We also tested out the Weavers Restaurant in Haworth which came highly recommended and we were lucky to get a table at 9 pm 3 nights ahead! Interesting antiquey decor and started off well with smoked trout pate for me and smoked venison salad for J. Both rather disappointing and bland. Followed by my chicken stuffed with aubergine and peppers with grilled sea trout and prawn mash for J. OK but not over impressed - perhaps we expected too much. Service left a lot to be desired.
The find of the week had to be the White Horse Inn at Thornton. We came across it one damp lunchtime when it really wasn't time to stop but I was in need of the ladies and J fancied a pint! It didn't look much from the outside but inside was an array of comfortable leather chairs and settees with Timothy Taylor Landlord beer and excellent roast beef and horseradish sandwiches with chips and salad. The toilets were wonderful and it was very tempting to stay there for another drink and a snooze but the drizzly moors were calling!
We vowed to return for an evening meal later in the week and J had a delicious steak and Stilton pie with suet pastry (all homemade) and I finished off with cheese and biscuits. Probably the nicest C&B I have had and I am quite a connoisseur of C&B!
We hoped for some good National Trust fare when we arrived at Gawthorpe Hall at the end of the Bronte Way. No such luck - they didn't take cards so we just about had enough for an ice cream and went to Tesco for sandwiches!!
The Swan at Aughton has reopened as a tapas and wine bar and does good starters - wooden plates of fresh bread, olives, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, nuts etc and the chicken paella together with a fresh salad was more than enough. J had kebabs which were also good. Wed we went to the depths of Huyton for shopping and called in at the Royal Oak on the A580 on the way home. Do you remember Neil's birthday party there in the Wacky Warehouse Ben?? Two meals for under £10 and good value for money. Chicken and bacon pie for J (there seems to be a pie trend) and smoked haddock and mozzarella fishcakes with salad for me - not quite as exciting as it sounds!
Well that is the end of our recent gastronomic delights, no theatre at the moment but the new season is all booked up from September.