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Anyone for Tennis?

After at least 2 years of saying it would be a good idea, Guillaume and I finally managed to summon enough energy to actually get up and go play tennis. Twice in one week actually. After a [wet] false start that took us to the indoor courts at Warwick Uni we decided to wait for a dry day, and took advantage of the very good municipal courts.
Whilst the knowledge of how to play has deserted neither of us, it will be a long journey to rediscover the pinnacle of physical excellence we used to inhabit.

Suffolk

With a few clicks and a couple of phone calls I managed to find a fantastic place to stay in Yoxford, Suffolk. The owners, David and Jackum Brown moved into the Old Methodist Chapel about twelve years ago after leaving London. (They have recently started found themselves back on the publishing bandwagon with their "501 must see" guide books.) Needless to say we were delighted with the accomodation and hospitality they showed us.
I found Suffolk surprising in many ways: The countryside is expansive and yet varied; the villages are beautiful but not too quaint; the pace of life is unhurried but does not feel backward.
It was refreshing to find a part of the world not too eager to rush forward with progress but rather choose the best bits once someone else has tested the water. We did not see one Tescos (or other major high street chain come to think of it) and felt all the better because of it!
As usual, our budget break included an assortment of National Trust and English Heritage sites including Wimpole Hall, Sutton Hoo, Orford Castle, Framlingham Castle, and Ickford Rotunda.

Coventry Car Park

Time & Relative Dimensions in Coventry

We visited the Doctor Who exhibition at the Transport Museum on Saturday. All in all it was worth the trip and a great chance to see the props and costumes up close and in detail. Aside from the obvious delights of Cybermen and Daleks I particularly like the Sycorax and the displays that showed how to creat an Ood.

Cumbria 4/5

Thursday was overcast and drizzling so we stuck to the local National Trust properties. These included Townend house, The Beatrix Potter Gallery and her home at Hill Top. After a quick foray into Ulverstone and a hike up Hoad Hill we headed back to Bowness for grub at Jackson's Bistro. Friday was our last day and I was determined to walk off at least some of the food we'd scoffed. With OS map in hand we followed a dozen or so pensioners out of Grasmere and lumbered up the hill to Easedale Tarn. Once up top we fended off ducks and gulls to eat our lunch before trundling back down (with most of our dignity intact) and headed home.

Cumbria 3

On Wednesday we headed North to Keswick and visited the Cumberland Pencil Museum. This was an unexpected treat for me and included a chance to see the largest pencil in the world ~ mmmmm, pencil heaven. After this exciting start to the day we stepped it up a gear and headed into the national park. Following a brief introductory course we were soon swinging through the trees like orangutans at Go Ape (great fun!) Finally we headed west to Castlerigg Stone Circle and then back to Windermere for a curry.

Cumbria 2

Tuesday was a little overcast so after picking up leaflets at the Tourist Information we headed to Blackwell, an arts & crafts house built around the turn of the century. As well as an impressive architectural creation in its own right, the property has a small collection of ceramics and art from the same period. In fact we decided to acquire a smallish piece to take home in the shape of a vessel by James Hake. Since the weather brightened we headed for a walk up Brant Fell, overlooking Lake Windermere before then heading out to Troutbeck for another pub meal at The Queen's Head.

Cumbria 1

Our holiday started with a leisurely drive North, stopping briefly at Dunham Massey (NT), just outside Manchester. The weather was so glorious that by the time we arrived at Windermere I think the squinting into bright sunlight had given us both a headache. After a cup of tea at our B&B - Gillthwaite Rigg - and quick excursion through Bowness we ended up at the Mason's Arms for a very nice pub meal.

Spring not Sprung?

With clement weather and a couple of days off work the outdoors seemed like a good place to be. Both Brandon Nature Reserve and Ryton Wood were lovely but still a little early for the bluebells. We'll have to go back in a couple of weeks assuming the current wind and rain only lasts a short while.

Brandon Nature Reserve

Let it Snow

For all the crossed fingers and wistful looks at leaden skies the snow never really came. The fact that it only snowed 3 or 4 inches however seemed to make no difference: The mere idea of snow is capable of bringing the country to a standstill.
Schools closed...Airports closed...Buses cancelled...Trains cancelled...
Perhaps it'll be better next time. Following 1976 and 1990 it seems we have perhaps another one and a half decades to prepare for the worst.

Gun Wielding Cow on Bunny Hunt

Paul Coppen, 69, was struggling to keep an army of rabbits from stripping his pastures bare. So in an attempt to gain the upper hand, he camouflaged his vintage Massy Ferguson tractor as a cow - complete with a firing platform and a gunslit from which to blast the unwary bunnies.

He said: "One of my neighbours came up with the idea and I just went with it. I hoped the rabbits would ignore the fake cow, thinking it was just another member of the herd, thereby presenting a stationary target for the rifleman as I drive about the farm."

A driver-cum-rifleman was cunningly camouflaged behind a picture of a tree above the cow. "It has to be said that not all rabbits are entirely fooled. Whereas cattle obviously do move around, trees usually don't and that may be a problem. I won't pretend this device is going to be the be all and end all of rabbit control - but it does seem to startle them somewhat and stops them from scampering away too quickly, which give us a chance to have a shot at them."

Dick & Tommy Go Abroad

As usual for this time of year, another fun filled panto courtesy of Heckington Players. Enjoyed by all!

New Year Bunnies

Thanks Hetty for the new Bunnies. It's about time I got back to blogging. If only I had something exciting or interesting to reveal or aspire to. Buying a new vacuum cleaner may not sound like a high point but one takes whatever pleasure one can in the dark and dreary month of January.

A Stay In Hay

Took a trip to Hay on Wye recently to celebrate our anniversary. We were the only guests in The Old Post Office B&B in Llanigon which despite it being a little chilly was up to the usual Sawday standard.
Hay is quite a pretty town but seemed cold in a number of ways. The shop keepers generally seemed friendly to each other but we never really seemed to generate a warm welcome. Still, the book shops kept us amused for quite a few hours and the drive round the black mountains was pleasant enough.
Oh, and whilst the loan car from Listers made it all possible it was nice to get home and swap a dirty white A3 for a clean black one - complete with new radiator.

Plastic Rabbit

"A Chinese sweet maker has stopped domestic sales of one of its best-known brands after it was found to contain the industrial chemical melamine. The company, Guanshengyuan, has already halted exports of the popular White Rabbit candy, made from milk. It is the latest development in a spreading food safety scandal involving milk contaminated with melamine. Traces of the chemical have also been found in Hong Kong and Japan in products containing Chinese milk. They are among a growing number of countries which have already banned or restricted imports of Chinese products containing milk."
news.bbc.co.uk

"Food Standards Australia requested last week that wholesalers and importers voluntarily withdraw White Rabbit brand sweets from shops pending testing for the toxic substance melamine, a plastics industry by-product.
In China, milk products containing melamine, including baby formula, has been linked to the deaths of four babies and is responsible for more than 50,000 falling ill. The NSW Food Authority confirmed it had tested White Rabbit confectionery imported from China and found it contained melamine."
theleader.com.au

Berkshire

We had a lovely time staying with Keir and Louise Lusby (yet another Sawday selection) at Whitehouse Farm Cottage. The pair also run a studio in Shepperton which designs and fabricates props for film and TV so it was quite exciting to share the breakfast table with stories and examples of their work.
On Sunday we caught up with Helen and Benny who were the perfect hosts. After lunch we took a whistlestop tour across Smith's Lawn, stopped briefly at the new Savill Gardens visitor centre and were treated to a river cruise before checking out the ancient oaks near Cranbourne, the polo stables at Flemish Farm and back to their cottage for a lovely dinner!
On Tuesday we took an excursion to the somewhat disappointing Brooklands Museum and the impressive RHS Gardens at Wisley. Finally, our break was wrapped up with a trip into London on Wednesday to the V&A.

Run Rabbit

Goodbye BT & Sky, Hello Virgin.

Thug's Bunny

"Roo the monster rabbit cannot find a home - because she's a real thug's bunny. The rare European giant rabbit, who weighs more than 15lb and is the size of a medium dog, has been snapped up from the pet shop by two different owners.
But both soon returned her - saying she was too much of a handful and kept chewing their woodwork.
Tracy Simpson, who cares for Roo at Pets At Home in Elgin, Moray, said: "Her new owners thought would be a nice, quiet pet.
"But Roo's full of life and likes munching on things. It didn't go down well."
Now she is going to live with a staff member." Daily Mail

Thanks Hetty