Monday, November 28, 2005

Wiltshire - November 2005

Little Langford Farm is apparently the last in the area to maintain its' dairy herd. As Topsy explained to us, 17p per litre barely covers the costs, so it’s not surprising that she’s tapped into the Bed and Breakfast market.


It has always struck me that farmers are a breed apart and regard the idea of someone rising 3 hours past daybreak as scornful. Actually, to quote Monty Python, unless you “get up half an hour before you went t’ bed”, you’re always likely to be out of favour - or at the very least, behind schedule. Still, the farmhouse was genuine and charming in all the right places (and warm which was pleasant because the weather was not).


Monday was bright and sunny so we (wisely) decided to get Neolithic. Stonehenge is awesome in every respect. It’s scale, setting, age, and purpose cannot fail to impress, however Avebury is certainly it’s equal. When taken in context with it’s avenue, and the surrounding landmarks of Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow it is possibly even more breathtaking, especially when seen in the snow!

Two rain drenched days shopping in Salisbury and Bath were generally uneventful but interspersed with a couple of highlights including the Cathedral and an impromptu visit to Rosemary and Tony.

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Elephants and Arrows

Have been a couple of times now to the Introductory Archery Course. So far things have gone really well although Siân's first week was more pain than gain. (Whilst many archers suffer with some bruising to the inside of their arm from the string it shouldn't result in the technicolor shades that she obtained!) This week was much better; I did actually manage to get all three arrows in the gold after one end, but that's probably more luck than judgement. There are so many things to remember, or more accurately, so many things to forget. I guess we're quite definitely on the steep part of the learning curve. It's frustrating in some ways because whilst you can run through things in your head, it's only when you step up to the shooting line and shoot an arrow that you can actually put everything into practice. Inevitably the time goes too quickly and the thought "I know to concentrate on that aspect, and it'll mean I'll shoot better next time" is still in you head at the end of the session. (Maybe it's always there?)

Update 02/12/05
Thanks to Simon's Gran, I've upgraded! In truth, Simon has purchased a v. v. nice shiny new riser. Although I'm sure the idea probably crossed his mind, the practicalities of shooting with a bow in each hand mean that I have benefitted, and am now the proud owner of his old bow. Tonight went well, but there is still so much to remember! Time just evaporates and it may be necessary to join the club sooner rather than later. This would at least mean more arrows per week which can't be a bad thing. Watch this space.

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Too old for candles?

Simon just keeps getting older. Can't remember how many times we've done this so I'm sure he's lost count. Still you're never too old for candles. (Or balloons, or chocolate cake). Of course, Jemma and I had to let him win the game of Magic (it is his birthday), but we made sure it was a close thing. Finished off with Pizza, Baileys and Comparative Bruise Analysis (Siân won), but more of that to follow next week.

Saturday, November 05, 2005

Kenilworth Fireworks



John and Hetty both came to see the fireworks this year, as a sort of detour to collecting Evelyn. Having parked about 3 miles away we hiked to the field in time to see the bonfire being lit. The wait then began for the [inevitably delayed] fireworks, but as usual they were quite superb.

Note to self - Must remember to bring portable sofa and thermos next year. Might also be wise to hire a Landy which would make parking a lot easier and allow for an easy escape across the Warwickshire countryside.

The arty pictures are courtesy of John and his inability to hold the camera still. He will claim that it was deliberate but I can personally vouch that all 91 images were wobbly. These are just the best ones!