Some new friends were discussing how many half-opened bottles of liqueurs and the like they had. Cue an evening drinking up things which we regret so much we're going to do it again.
Our church had a Hat Festival. The contributions of two bishops turned into a mitre-off. Should they be short or tall? Why did we have a Hat Festival? Glad you asked.
Due to gerrymandering, oops re-organisation, Harvington left Evesham (true blue) for the bellwether, Redditch. We now have a Labour MP and are getting used to someone whose priority is people without money and land. We also have an independent councillor who wants to regenerate Evesham Town Centre. Hope he's thick-skinned. We learned to spell bellwether.
After forty years of ordained ministry you will forgive us finding an evening in the same room watching TV a tremendous luxury. Especially after spending more than a few hours with our three year old grandson Lowen. He asks 'Why?' A lot. He is cute, photogenic and ginger. No photo because Jon says they don't want him on social media although I suspect Jon is wanted in several counties. Our visit to 'All Things Wild' had to be delayed because of a storm.
We got an id3 powered by Agile Octopus. Cop that, younger us. We can schedule our car-charging for a time when they pay us to do it. We can add id3 (Hello id) to the list of devices which join in and ask if they can help. Hello id meet Alexa (TV), Siri (iPads) and Hey Google (kitchen hub). One day I'll come down to find them arguing about who should be making the tea. The dishwasher is also potentially smart but we're not letting a device in control of water loose in our home. The id3 is sensitive to things we say in conversation that sound almost like 'Hello id'. These include 'Please pass my sunglasses' and 'What do you want for tea tonight?'
Greet downstairs with 'Hey Google, Good Morning'. The reply is about the weather in Bristol. Then it tells us a joke, suggesting that it may be sarcastic. It isn't. It would be harder to teach it sarcasm than that Serbian Careforce volunteer Steve had with him in 1995. Olja's leaving speech was 'Thanks Steve, you've been a great trainer. Did I get sarcasm?' His work was done.
Meanwhile, back at Google Home Hub (also known as 'kitchen speaker' by Bluetooth), after the joke, it says 'I'm sorry that can't be done on this device'. This is not an anticipation of where the hub should stick itself for constantly telling us the weather somewhere we moved out of over two years ago. It's a reference back to us asking it to reset its location to Evesham which we stopped asking, also two years ago. We request the weather in Evesham. It tells us. Then it plays the BBC headlines without asking (good) and the Sky ones too (overkill). Today it changed its voice and is now a grumpy Midlander. That's not sarcasm; that's abuse.
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| Compton Verney Light Fest |
In the Lenches walking group you wander round somewhere slowly for a couple of hours then spend that long on a pub lunch. Joined.
Also SWAG (South Worcestershire Archaeological Group) which got us an early view of Childswickham dig, a place that has had trading and habitation activity since the stone age. Handled a flint scraper specially made for a left-hander. Moving.
Spent time at Compton Verney. Good exhibitions, walks and café.
Five gigs. At Warwick Arts Centre a group of friends who like John Martyn got together to perform his music. Not a tribute band because the famous alcoholic's slurred vocals are unique but great versions of his best songs.
Also saw Bernard Butler in Beverley, Club Debris at Bretforton, Nils Frahm (remarkable) at Birmingham Symphony Hall and the super Iron and Wine at Birmingham Town Hall.
Met the Fleur de Lys (home of the famous pies) at Lowsonford and the Queens Head at Bromsgrove. Both are good pub grub places but lunch at the Kirkstyle Inn back in the spring was Michelin standard fine dining. Exceptional. We are keeping our local pub in business by having an informal Sunday lunch there once a month with anyone who wants in. Join us? Steve is the king of the slightly-organised. He has only tipped beer over one guest so far.
We enjoyed A Midsummer Night's Dream (where a piece of unsecured furniture made an unexpected appearance front stage), Love's Labour's Lost and The Merry Wives of Windsor. In an outdoor Comedy of Errors by four actors from the Three Inch Fools theatre company the audience were given parts to read when more than four were needed on stage at once.
Alice Roberts gave the 50th anniversary lecture to Alcester Historical Society. She does the lighter side of death and burial very well.
Spring in the Lakes had a lot of rain (that's why it's green and pleasant) and a catch-up/reminisce with our friends Richard and Jenny from Chester-le-Street days.
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| No valley or nuns |
Autumn in Liz's ancestral home of Alnwick where we went to Cragside for the first time. Found Barter Books, a second-hand store in an old station with a model train operating in the rafters, another great café and no discernibly consistent shelving system. Caught up with friends Ian and Joyce, also from Chester-le-Street days.
Fern Brady got many laughs at her own expense discussing her autism. So it is normal to find cataloguing therapeutic. Hooray. The word Czar(s) occurred seven times in the ipaper Codeword between July and October.
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| Cragside |
CPAS celebrated the 100th anniversary of Ventures which we were part of 1972-2002. The forerunners were called Fresh Air camps.
Bits of the body that have given little trouble this year are few (some of our competitors lead with this information) but elbows have been pretty well behaved and we both found good hairdressers after two years searching.
Steve's now on Blue Sky Social. Usual handle. Liz volunteers in the Farm Shop one day a week.
Late Results (Fence Panel Cup) Storm Bert 1 Storm Donnagh 3
