Wimpole Estate

 

After a cold start to the week, it started warming on Thursday. We went to Wimpole Estate Friday, which was the hottest day of the year so far with the temperature from 26-31C.

Inside the walled garden

Finn's First

 Finn's first birthday in a couple of days time, so we went to see him and Toby cooked Sunday roast for us, Chris, Carol and Louise.

Rhododendrons at Childwickbury

 Our third visit to see Childwickbury's rhododendrons was successful, but it was a cold gloomy day.

Prime Steak & Grill

 

Went to Prime Steak & Grill for dinner. We had a 200g Fillet with chunky chips and Heritage Tomato side salad and enjoyed my last bottle of Ridge Geyserville 2017 (Alexander Valley).

Because Zinfandel was under the minimum percentage it couldn’t be labelled as a varietal. But I’m of the firm opinion that Zinfandel is vastly improved when blended with complementary varieties and the presence of 18% Carignan, 12% Petite Sirah and 2% Alicante Bouschet, plus its bottle age, made drinking this wine a sublime experience.

Dan Wins Outstanding Support Role Award

 

Dan won the Noda Outstanding Support Role award (above) for his parts as Barry, Joe & Kevin in the summer 2025 Starlight Players play Ladies Day at a ceremony in Llandudno.

Noda president Kay Rowan presents the  Award to Dan

Pictures by Krisie, more here

Fishbourne Roman Palace

To Fishbourne for two nights at the Woolpack Inn, a 1930s pub with a block of bedrooms at the back of its car park. 

Before dinner we had a walk down to the Mill Pond and harbour,

but the harbour is now silted up and is a wetland nature reserve.

Dinner was a beer battered cod, chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce. Their wine list would delight Gordon Ramsey, being very short, with just three whites, SB, PG and Chardonnay.

We had the first, which was Sol del Oro, a bulk shipped Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, bottled in Germany, which was less worse than expected. It showed some liveliness and character, and by goodness, we needed it.

On Friday we walked 10 minutes to the Roman Palace - or the remains of its North Wing. It was the largest Roman building north of the Alps, yet it wasn’t clear for whom it was built or its location. They had to build long fresh water channels to it as there was no source of water at its location.

All that was left were the magnificent huge mosaic floors, and a garden of boxwood patterns and a kitchen garden planted with herbs and vegetables cultivated by the Romans and some imported by them to Britain. 

Afterwards we caught a bus the short distance to Chichester for a teacake lunch, walk along the city walls and a visit to the museum.

Statue of George Murray with Nelson, situated by the site of Murray's home.

George Murray was born in Chichester in 1759 and joined the Royal Navy when he was 11. Rising swiftly through the ranks he first served under Admiral Nelson in 1801 and the two became close friends. Murray was Nelson's Captain of the Fleet but had to miss the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 as he was sorting out the estate of his late father-in-law. Nelson didn't appoint another Captain of the Fleet, saying "Murray or none".

George Murray became Mayor of Chichester in 1815, the year he was knighted, and died in the city in 1819.

Then we bussed back to the Woolpack, which conveniently has a stop right outside.

The pub was packed for its popular Friday carvery.  The website says the carvery has ‘Free Range Sussex Pork, New Forest Free Range Beef, Butterfly Turkey Crown and Free Range Sussex Gammon’, but the beef we’d set our hearts on was a no show.

Of the three reds on the wine menu we chose Malbec over an Italian Merlot and Australian Shiraz with a dodgy name.

La Vaca Gorda translates to ‘The Fat Cow’, but with a bow tie and pin striped suit the ‘cow’ looks masculine. Perhaps a member of the trans community, but with a wimpish 12.5% abv I could have done with a bit more bull!

Of the three reds on the wine menu we chose Malbec over the Italian Merlot and Australian Shiraz with a dodgy name.

La Vaca Gorda translates to ‘The Fat Cow’, but with a bow tie and pin striped suit the ‘cow’ looks masculine. Perhaps a member of the trans community, but with a wimpish 12.5% abv I could have done with a bit more bull! 

Brionnie Choir

To Tonbridge to see and hear  Brionnie singing  in the Tonbridge Soul Choir. Mick played an unglamorous but  vital support role.

Afterwards Brionnie and Mick joined us for dinner at Cinnamon Square