Heckington Singers

An evening of Christmas Music by the Heckington Singers included several solo performances and readings including this work by Frederick Niven:

In Flanders on the Christmas morn
The trenched foemen lay,
the German and the Briton born,
And it was Christmas Day.

The red sun rose on fields accurst,
The gray fog fled away;
But neither cared to fire the first,
For it was Christmas Day!

They called from each to each across
The hideous disarray,
For terrible has been their loss:
"Oh, this is Christmas Day!"

Their rifles all they set aside,
One impulse to obey;
'Twas just the men on either side,
Just men — and Christmas Day.

They dug the graves for all their dead
And over them did pray:
And Englishmen and Germans said:
"How strange a Christmas Day!"

Between the trenches then they met,
Shook hands, and e'en did play
At games on which their hearts were set
On happy Christmas Day.

Not all the emperors and kings,
Financiers and they
Who rule us could prevent these things —
For it was Christmas Day.

Oh ye who read this truthful rime
From Flanders, kneel and say:
God speed the time when every day

Shall be as Christmas Day.

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Fantastic show at Birmingham Symphony Hall by Rod & Gab. The venue was probably as daunting to them as it was impressive to us but that did not prevent them from grabbing some fans and bringing them up on stage to join in with rhythm support. Gabby's solo piece was mesmerising and jawdropping; it was as if she had a dozen instruments in a guitar shaped box. Inevitably, 'Tamacun' to end got everyone on their feet and rounded off a wonderful performance. Highly recommended!

I am Baymax - How can I help you?

A handful of people from our business were lucky enough to be invited to a special advance screening of Big Hero 6 at Disney HQ in Hammersmith. The film was great and made me laugh out loud in several places. The art direction and attention to detail was all the more pleasing because I could see how much effort had gone into creating San Fransokyo following our trip to Japan. Put it on your watch list!

Interstellar

Christopher Nolan has crafted a superb piece of genuine sci-fi with none of the gimmicks or shallow pretense that can be found in many Hollywood offerings.
First and foremost this is a story about people and an exploration of what drives them. Secondly it is film of discovery and the lengths humanity will go to.
There are many parallels with films like Inception or 2001 but none of them detract from the utterly convincing performances and first rate visuals that he has woven together.
PS This film will not be to everyone's liking. I feel for those who don't get it. It is their loss.

Tangentleman

Ross Noble gave a great performance at WAC. Plenty of improv with a reasonable helping of prepared material including a story about how a SWAT team surrounded his Zombie Wagon in the belief it contained an armoury (which later turned out to be some Wellie Boots)

Cotswolds

In spite of our efforts to co-ordinate a stay at Landmark in Derbyshire with a visit to Siân's siblings, we learned on the day of our holiday that a fly infestation made Swarkestone Pavilion uninhabitable.
After some hurried decision making we chose to stay in the West Banqueting house, Chipping Campden instead. The Cotswolds are particularly lovely in late Summer/Autumn so we hoped to make the most of some reasonable weather.
The property is larger that we are used to and actually sleeps 2+2 in separate buildings: The Almonry is just a few yards from the West Banqueting House which itself is only a stone's throw from the East Banqueting House in the grounds of Old Campden House which was destroyed by fire in 1645.
During our stay we visited Batsford Arboretum, Hidcote House and Garden (NT), Snowshill Manor (NT), Hailes Abbey (EH), Broadway tower and explored the village which has a history with the Arts and Craft movement.

Duxford Air Show

As Summer continued to pass us by it became increasingly likely that the only chance we'd have to see the visiting Canadian Lancaster bomber with the BBMF was if we visited an air show.
Duxford is just over an hour's drive from us so we stayed in Cheriton House B&B, Houghton to give us a head start. The local villages are very picturesque and we had a nice walk to Hemmingford Abbotts for a pub dinner.
On Sunday we left for Duxford and soon found ourselves queueing with thousands of other motorists (for 3 hours!) to get on site. Once in, we found the museum very informative and the addition of the airshow made it a great day out. The WW1 dog fight and Red Arrows were very impressive but the hurricane, spitfires and lancasters probably stole the show!

Snowboarding II

Intent on making the most of our new found skills, Mark and I returned to Tamworth to hit the slopes once more. This time we had a fairly intensive traing session that only involved the two of us. After 30 minutes of refresher training we started to learn how to carve full 'S' turns. All went well despite a few bumps and falls that left us just as exhausted as last time. None the less, we have reached 'recreational standard' so progress is now in our own hands. Must try again in the next 3 months!

Fast and Furious

The Driving Experience run by Everyman on a disused airfield at Prestwold Hall near Loughborough was the location for my birthday treat. Not only did I get to drive the car of my boyhood dreams; the Porsche 911 (997 Carrera S), but I was also treated to several laps in the Lamborghini Gallardo.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Both cars were amazing and unlike any other driving experience. The sense of purpose that each machine has and the freedom of driving on a track translates into simple enjoyment. Fabulous.

Snowboarding

Having watched the Olympic Games, Mark and I committed to giving it a go ourselves. Armed with cut-price ski clothing and a Groupon voucher we soon found ourselves at the top of a slippery slope inside a refrigerated warehouse at Tamworth. 3 hours later and utterly exhausted we were pleased with our progress. We now have to plan our return so we can complete the training and start on the half pipe. Gnarly, Dude!

International Table Top Day

Simon, Mark and I headed into Shadow Games, Rugby to join in the fun of International TableTop Day. We managed to squeeze in an abortive few games of Space Sheep, followed by Settlers of Catan, Munchkin and Carcassone: Hunters and Gatherers before dehydration our battery depletion took their toll.

Band Of Skulls

Rock City, Nottingham was the venue for our latest outing with Matt & Lucy to see Band of Skulls on the last UK date of their 'Himalayan' tour. A great live performance with many crowd favourites from their two last albums with a good selection of tracks from their new one.

The Elements of Eloquence ****

Decorating - Blue Reflection

6 Nations - Wales v Italy

Christmas has been and gone but Siân's present finally arrived in the shape of tickets to see Wales in Cardiff. 

As reported on the 6 Nations website: "Tries from Alex Cuthbert and Scott Williams saw Wales begin their pursuit of a record breaking third RBS 6 Nations title in a row with a hard fought 23-15 win over Italy at the Millennium Stadium"

(Unfortunately Wales could not maintain their performances away from home and Ireland were ultimately victorious in 2014.) 

Our weekend away included another stay at the Welsh Gatehouse near Chepstow. The facilities were wonderful, as before, although the loft was possibly too hot to ensure a restful night.

On the way home we stopped briefly at Evesham. Here, as throughout much of the West Country, the effects of flooding were apparent. Fortunately we, nor anyone close to us, has been affected and by March the situation was much improved. 

Calverley 5

On Friday we left Calverley and visited nearby Saltaire. The model town was founded in 1851 by Titus Salt who wished to provide a clean and efficient base for the community employed in his woollen mill. Our tour guide gave a superb description of the town and its people under the domain of Titus Salt. Whilst they were well cared and catered for, they did have to pay for those privileges, however it was the patented manufacture of Alpaca cloth that secured Salt's fortune. However, even his extraordinary wealth could not ensure the future of the town indefinitely. After he died the mill ran for several decades before being abandoned in the late 20th century. A local entrepeneur, Jonathan Silver, then bought the site and working with artist David Hockney created a gallery space like few others. The town is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Calverley 4

On Day Four we headed West and visited the Media Museum in Bradford. This museum, also free, has 5 floors of fixed and changing exhibition space devoted to all forms of media from the last ten decades. Hands on displays allow visitors to practise reading the news, film in front of a blue-screen and try mixing the results. Also the BFI archives can now be plundered; book a free booth and sample delights such as Mr Ben, Think of a Number, Hancock's half hour and many more!
This excursion left us very little time at the end of the day, thus half an hour was really not enough time to do justice to the Bradford Industrial Museum (also free) which can be found north of the city.

Calverley 3

On Wednesday we parked near Roundhay Park in north Leeds and visited Tropical World. This unremarkable series of buildings actually has quite a nice variety of animals including butterflies, reptiles, birds, fish, bats and meerkats. They could do with spending a few extra pounds to tidy up some of the vivariums but this was still a pleasant distraction for at least a couple of hours. In the afternoon we headed to Harewood House which has very nicely restored state rooms and grounds designed by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. In the evening we met my parents who joined us at Calverley to stay for the remaining two days and nights. 

Calverley 2

On Day Two we headed back into Leeds via Kirkstall Abbey. The nearby museum had an interesting Victorian themed set with shops and the like. The abbey itself was obviously none the better after Henry's Act of Supremacy. The weather too meant we didn't stay too long but headed into Leeds where we found the Royal Armouries. This is an excellent free museum with large exhibition spaces devoted to armour from all parts of the world. The Hall of Steel, armour-plated elephant and an exhibition of weapons from The Hobbit film were all highlights.

Calverley 1

We headed North via Bolsover Castle (Eng. Her.) and arrived at Calverley Old Hall (Landmark Trust) which was to be our base for the week. The mediaeval hall was acquired by The Trust in its entirety such that they were able to restore the main hall and provide accommodation for five. The adjoined old chapel and Solar are still unrestored awaiting future decisions about how they can be included in the property let.
In the evening we went into Leeds for the obligatory Pizza Express followed by a film, 'Rush', at the local Everyman. This is an treat that is highly recommended. It's a cinema experience like few others; double seat sofas, leg room aplenty, it caters for wine drinkers and pizza eaters with nairy an obnoxious teenager in sight. Truly a Picture Palace for grown ups!