Short Break to Sunny Bournemouth

Courtesy of a rather nice and at the time unexpected gift from someone, Anne and I last week had a two night short break to Bournemouth.

Bournemouth Pier from the cliff top

We set off on Wednesday morning, having planned a stop at Kingston Lacy (National Trust) which is close to Bournemouth on the way down. Though I knew roughly the way, I programmed (as I always do for any trip as much for traffic info as anything) the sat nav. All was well until we reached Bath, where for some reason the sat nav decided to not play ball, and started giving some really weird readings (like not being on the road at all!) and moving around all over the place. I held out for about 30 mins before deciding to re-set it, at which point the whole infotainment screen on the car decided it wouldn't load, rending us without sat nav, radio, or indeed anything else on the screen. (As an aside, the car's due to go in for some work and a software update soon and this has happened before, but not to this extent). Anyway, long story short, we reverted to analogue and a good old road atlas!

So we finally made it to Kingston Lacy on what started as an overcast day, but was getting brighter. As with every place we seem to visit lately, there was renovation work going on with fencing and builders vans and scaffolding around the place but nevertheless we spent an enjoyable couple of hours wandering the grounds. Anne went into the house for a look around (I was on the phone to the car dealer telling them I need this work done urgently!). Kingston Lacy is definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

Kingston Lacy NT

We arrived at our hotel in Bournemouth, the Durley Dean, in time to dump our bags and go for a wander, down the cliff and onto the (very long and extensive) promenade. We went onto the pier (note it's chargeable - I think it was £1.70 each), before walking back up through the lower gardens into town looking for somewhere to have a drink. In my research planning, I'd seen a place called "All Hail Ale" a micro pub. It's a little out of the town centre, but not by much. It's a cracking little place, with loads of beers and ciders on keg/cask and a decent selection of spirits. We'd planned a quick drink before finding somewhere to eat, but there was a cracking pizza place next door Da Mario, in the top 20 places to eat on Trip Adviser in Bournemouth and you can order and have it brought round to you at All Hail Ale. So we did! And it was a fabulous pizza. 

Suitably replenished after pizza and a few *cough* beers we retreated back to the hotel for a nightcap. As is often likely the case in Bournemouth, our hotel seems to be occupied almost exclusively by older clientele and the odd contractor. Bingo was on offer for those of that persuasion! Not quite Fawlty Towers, but you get the drift! However, that's doing the actual hotel a disservice. It was clean, rooms and bathrooms have obviously been modernised, and it has a small leisure area with a pool, sauna and steam room which we made use of during our stay.

The next day dawned bright and sunny - the forecast had been cloudy. Whilst there are lots of places in the general area that we want to see, we decided to make the most of just being in Bournemouth, and walk along the beach promenade from town to Poole harbour/Sandbanks approximately 3 miles (each way) - at least it's flat!

First though we went for breakfast at the Olive Cafe, about 5 minutes from the hotel. A smallish cafe, it had an extensive menu with food cooked to order, and was first class. Fuelled up, we walked down through the gardens to the prom, and began leisurely walk along the fabulous beach with regular stops for coffee and ice cream to take in the sights including an ongoing groyne replacement programme, the little access cliff gullies or "chines" as I discovered they're called, and the many, many, many, many beach huts lining almost the whole promenade from Boscombe to Poole.

Some posh beach huts

More beach huts

The huge beach, stretching for miles

At Poole harbour, we skirted some of the houses (mansions!) on the beach - looking in an estate agents, there was a lovely 4 bed place for a cool £5.5 million overlooking Poole Harbour. We poked our noses through the windows at Rick Stein's restaurant which seemed to be doing a decent trade at mid-day. You certainly need a few bob to live here. The harbour was full of wading birds - oystercatchers, turnstones and we even saw an egret.

The sunny weather continued (we've been really lucky with glorious weather on recent getaways), and I was glad I'd packed and was wearing my shorts. Not bad for the middle of October! By the time we'd almost  completed our return leg, we'd done about 8 miles, so we were glad of the cliff railway that for the princely sum of £1.75 a head took you up to the top of the cliffs and almost back to our hotel.

After a swim and steam room recovery relax, we were ready to to head out for a meal. We'd pre-booked at Lola's, a Tapas bar in town which again has really good Trip Advisor reviews. We'd seen it during our walk in the morning , although it was shuttered up and on a main road through town, and didn't look very appealing. In the evening though it was a different place. Only a small independent place, capable of holding maybe 20-30 people tops, but really very nice and doing a roaring trade. Great service, fantastic food made for a lovely meal, and other thumbs up recommendation if you're ever in the area.

After our meal, we contemplated heading back to All Hail Ale, but instead went to the Goat and Tricycle (seriously, where do they get these names from?), a Butcombe Brewery pub serving an extensive range of decent beers. Although it serves food (who doesn't these days), it's a proper pub, even down to the old fella playing a piano in the bar! Well worth a visit.

By then, fairly knackered and replete, we went back to the hotel. 

In the morning we were up and away to avoid the inevitable Friday traffic (it's a minimum three and a half hour trip without any hold ups at Bath, Bristol, Newport and the current roadworks and on the M4 at J32/33. In the end, our journey back was pretty uneventful, driving through beautiful countryside - even the sat nav behaved.

All in all we had a wonderful break, and will definitely be back to this fabulous part of the country.

Pembrokeshire - stunning as always

Well we finally got away in this annus horibilis that is 2020. A week away in a cottage with our two (adult) children, and a posse of family/friends just down the road on a campsite (21 of us over the first weekend, plus an assortment of dogs), just outside St David's, the smallest city in the UK.

This area has to be one of our favourite places. I've blogged about it before many times. And this year, despite the fact in my 45th year of visiting I've never see it so busy with "staycationers" it was as stunning as ever. We were blessed with several really warm days, although most days it was a tad misty first thing.

We beached, we swam, we went on a boat trip, we BBQ'd, we ate out, body-boarded, we had a bonfire on the beach and we walked. We saw seals, bats, raptors, porpoises, kingfishers, herons, kittiwakes, fulmars, shags and rabbits. We ate chips, drank beer and licked delicious Pembrokeshire ice creams. But most of we just enjoyed the fabulous coastal scenery that this westernmost part of Wales has to offer. Below, are just a few examples of the beauty I managed to capture.

It was a wonderful holiday. Who needs to go abroad anyway?

The southern (quieter end) of Whitesands beach

Sunset from our cottage garden

Rock arch on Ramsey island

Heather and gorse and calm seas near Porthlysgi on the Treginnis penninsula

The famous Blue Pool at Abereiddy - rarely seen without people!

Sunset at Abereiddy

Normality? Not yet, but it's getting there

Things are slowly creeping towards some sort of post lockdown normality. It's certainly not the normal we knew before Covid-19 appeared, but but it's most assuredly better than effectively being confined to quarters for the best part of three months.

Here in Wales we've looked in with a mixture of astonishment and jealousy as England has fairly speedily unlocked the various restrictions associated with lockdown. The Welsh Government has taken a much more cautious approach, welcomed by many but ridiculed by some, although I think the over-riding view has been that a steadier line is the right line.

Anyway, we can now travel pretty much anywhere (within reason) although the advice is as always, be sensible. Non essential retail shops have already opened, and this week sees the much anticipated re-opening of two of the most wanted services - pubs and hairdressers (my wife is delighted - about the hairdresser that is, and already has her appointment!).

Also good news for those looking for a break as self contained accommodation gets the green light  this week and campsites with shared facilities can get going from the end of the month. Our break away to Pembrokeshire is therefore a go-er, and I have to say I'm delighted, relieved and very much looking forward to getting away. Who knows, we might even get to a pub for beer and food!

Finally, team sports are also now allowed, and my cricket club sees it's first action next weekend in a season where frankly, we didn't think we'd see any cricket. I spent most of yesterday afternoon with others from our club helping to prepare the ground for next Saturday, and frankly that's the closest I've felt to normal in a long time.

Preparing the cricket pitch - a semblance of normality

               

April 23rd: St George and booze

As a born and bred Englishman* today should sit proudly as a day to recognise the patron saint of England, St George.  Which is odd, really given he wasn't English, as far as we know never came to England and didn't slay a dragon. I'm not going to go into any more detail about him, as there's plenty of information out there, so if you're really interested a quick Google should give you what you want. If you can't be bothered, then this Wikipedia page might be of interest, with all the usual caveats about the accuracy of that database.

However, it seems to me that there's nowhere near the same fervour held over dear St George than for the other national saints of the Great Britain and Ireland and the days allotted to them. Indeed, here in Wales, St David's day on 1st March is usually marked in many ways, with kids dressing up in school, St David's themed stuff everywhere and more daffodils than you can shake a stick at. It probably helps that it arrives off the back of the 6 Nations Rugby tournament where country pride has been fanatically displayed, and the red shirts are easily to hand. St Patrick's Day goes far and beyond being celebrated in just that part of the world, and the Scot's too with St Andrew seem to make a real thing of it. I'm not sure why this doesn't happen in England, (perhaps him not being English has something to do with it) or is it just that I don't see it?

St George

* Whilst I was born in England and lived in various places there until I was 20, I've been in living in Wales for over 40 years. I married a Cardiff girl. My kids are both Welsh, born and bred in the area. I feel more Welsh than English, and will be found supporting Wales over England in most things (football included).

The current coronavirus pandemic has affected business massively, and small, local businesses are one of the hardest hit. Some will undoubtedly and sadly go to the wall as a result of the current situation, others are struggling on, or have closed and are waiting for the lockdown to ease in the hope that things will pick up. Others, where they are able, have taken the bull by the horns and changed their business model and seem to be doing ok.

One example of this is the Roath and Penarth "Bottle Shops", independent wine and beer merchants (Twitter @CF64BottleShop and CF24BottleShop). I've been buying beer and the occasional wine from their Penarth shop for a couple of years. Their range of craft beers is amazing, and there's something for everyone, with prices from fairly decent (around £2.50 a can/bottle) to anything up to, and occasionally beyond £20 a can/bottle.  Similarly the wine we've bought from there has always impressed. They certainly aren't and never claim to be the cheapest, but the quality of what they source and stock is highly impressive supported by knowledgeable, friendly staff. I've always found them to be extremely helpful. You can also (though we never have as it's a bit too far away) pop in and drink on site (outside of the current lockdown of course), although it's primarily a shop, not a pub/wine bar. They also run wine tasting events and I'm keen to try one of those when I can.

With the shop closed to customers  during lockdown, like many businesses they've taken a delivery service (email orders only) and seem to be doing very well. My delivery arrived yesterday after I'd sent them my budget and 'brief". They know their stuff, and come highly recommended by me if you're ever in the area. It's good to support your local independent businesses.  Note there's a minimum £50 order at the moment, though delivery is free.

My CF64BottleShop stash

Until tomorrow....

#isolationlife
#stayhomesavelivesA

April 10th: Dreaming of Mythos

Don't let the nice weather deceive you. The latest death statistics for the UK are horrible- a further 900+ deaths across the UK taking the total of (hospital) deaths from coronavirus to almost 9,000.

Apparently the Government have said we're allowed to go into our gardens. Erm....thank goodness for that. I have been in my garden every day since the lockdown began despite the fear I might get thrown into jail for doing so.  Seriously though, we've been in a relative state of lockdown for 3 weeks, so this advice is probably a bit late, although probably meant to reinforce that this is ok and to be done instead of heading to the beach or the hills or in fact anywhere that's not a short walk from your house.  I have to say, I'm still conflicted between the advice to stay at home, which I am doing bar the odd very short walk for exercise - I haven't gone more than 15 minutes from my from door in three weeks - vs this that argue you can be out and about providing you're distancing. Seems to me a lot of people are taking a lot more exercise (walking, jogging,) than they ever did before (and probably won't do when this is all over) and bending the guidance to suit them. The guidance is you can go out for essential shopping, medications, and one episode of daily exercise - a 30 mile bike ride, or 10 mile run or walk run isn't I think what the Government had in mind. Please stay at home.

My garden is one of my happy places. I spend a lot of time just pottering about (it's an age thing). I always marvel at how the place comes back to life after winter, although I'm staggered that some of my hanging baskets from last year made it through the winter and have started flowering again now. This lobelia for example, was put in this hanging basket a year ago. It's would normally die off in late summer, but it's hung on through autumn and winter and is going again...remarkable.

It's been a roasting day today. Seem churlish to complain after such an abysmal wet winter and early 2020, but if it's going to be this hot, frankly I'd rather be on a sunbed in Greece with a cold Mythos in my hand. We're booked to go to one of our favourite places in June - a small village in the north west of Corfu and a small family run hotel - this would have been our fifth visit, but although I hold out the slenderest hope, this June is looking a goner....😕

I'd quite like to be here....

And as for the cat. Well it's too hot for her...this was her flaked at 11am!

Until tomorrow....

#isolationlife
#stayhomesavelives

April 3rd: Birthdays, garage doors and more blogs

First up, a very Happy Birthday to my Mother in Law who turned 94 today. My wife was over there and sorted her cake and me and kids FaceTimed in to wish her a happy birthday.

In the latest day of #isolationlife, in a temporary moment of freedom I drove to the surgery for my latest routine blood test for the medication I'm on. Quizzed and temperature taken at the door, I passed with flying colours before a very short wait and an even shorted visit to the phlebotomist, who expertly relieved me of a few millilitres of the red stuff. She was in good spirits, though said she was very busy moving between the community and the local hospital, and it also brought home how easily we can come into contact with people who are in contact with others who maybe closer to the "coal face", so the over-riding mantra remains - #stayathomesavelives unless you absolutely have to be out. I also thanked her for all she and her colleagues are doing when I left (as I always do, but made a particular point of today). It's a small thing, but hopefully helps people understand how much they are appreciated.

My wife was out doing shopping whilst I was at the surgery and texted me to ask if I could stop to get some eggs as there were none in the big Tesco near us! So on the way back from the surgery I stopped at a local stores where fortunately they had a decent supply. I was only out about 20 minutes in total, but the sense of freedom and release was quite something.

In a more bizarre turn of events, I found myself washing the interior of the garage door. Seriously. I only went in the garage to put something away. And then it happens. You look at the inside of the door and think "God that's filthy, I really should clean it sometime" (having wilfully ignored it for the last 15 years). And then you realise that there's just no time like the present. So a bucket of soapy water, a sponge and there I was scrubbing down the door. I just hope no-one came up the drive whilst I was doing it - they'd probably have thought Ithere was a crazy zombie in there knocking on the door to get out!

As the sun continues to shine I keep putting off some decorating (actually a lot) that needs doing, and keep dabbling in the garden. I've pricked out my fledgling tomato plants today and sown some runner bean and French beans. The conservatory looks more like a greenhouse every day.

The things you do when isolated - cleaning the inside of the garage door 

I thought it also worth sharing the following picture that I came across on Facebook which genuinely made me laugh out loud (my wife gave me a very funny look at the time.

Following on from yesterday's post when I directed people to the Better Out than In blog, I've come across another blog worth a read, not least because it's a local blog - Barry's Boldest Blogger. Often humorous, relevant and passionate it's well worth a browse, especially her latest musings on lockdown.

Later this evening we're going to have a 'virtual drink" with our friends, who we'll be FaceTiming for a chat and a catch up over a beer and glass of wine or G&T. My son is also doing a "virtual pub" catch up with his workmates when they clock off this evening, including prizes for the best dressed, most interesting drink and more. Good to see people making the most of a bad situation.

Until tomorrow, I'll leave you with a photo of me and the cat taking a break from washing the garage door.

March 26th: Clap for the NHS

A quiet day at Chez Stats. My wife has been to care for her mother again, and reports that there is now official queuing at the local Tescos, with no more than 40 people allowed into the shop at one time and a strict one in, one out policy.

Kids both working in the dining room, and I've been doing some more gardening and housework. The house and garden has never looked so clean and tidy at this time of year before!

Not stir crazy yet, but I suppose with the weather bing nice it's offset some of the feeling of being stuck at home.

I still can't quite get my head around the issue that we're all being urged to stay at home apart from essential trips for food, medicine or work (for key workers), but people seem to be out making and about because they're using the "one walk a day" ploy.  It doesn't appear to have impacted the local Rag and Bone man (are we allowed to say that any more?) either - he was out and about on the estate this morning although I couldn't make a word out of what was coming through the speaker on his van. Sounded like "Aaeurrghugaraahnnhossioosduher" (repeat til fade).

I see the Chancellor has just announced some news for support for the self employed, a group who seem to have been left wanting in regard to other support packages announced. It's hard, but I suppose the Government can provide fixes/support for everyone at once. The logistics and financial implications are staggering. And whilst we perhaps do need immediate action to address critical issues (like pay for those not working, ventilator production, etc etc) it's worrying to think how all this is going to be managed and paid for once the worst is over.

I was talking to a cricket club colleague earlier also, and we were musing about businesses who perhaps thought they would never have to deal with a situation like this, or argued that they couldn't work remotely, and are now finding that they have to. With so many finding solutions, I think the business models about how the country works in the future may change significantly.

And still on businesses, whilst most companies are doing their utmost to find solutions and support staff, there are a few who it appears are doing quite the opposite. No care for their staff, and only thoughts about the bottom line. Two of these are Sports Direct and Wetherspoons owned by Mike Ashley and Tim Martin respectively. Both have come in (quite rightly) for some major battering on social media, and there's currently a #boycottwetherspoons hashtag trending on Twitter, with many saying they'll never drink in there again. Whilst 'Spoons seem to have backtracked on not paying their staff, the damage may be done, but conversely people have short memories, and when all this is over and everyone flocks back to the pubs, the lure of cheap (relatively) beer may usurp any honourable intentions made now.

Finally, to close off tonight, it seems the Clap for the NHS at 8pm tonight went down well. I was outside clapping along with many in our street. Hats off to all the NHS staff and volunteers - for all they do anytime, let alone now.

Hardly seen the cat all day. Gone AWOL.

Graffiti appeared overnight on a Wetherspoons in Crystal Palace, south London (Picture: PA)