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

Jack's Fourth Birthday

To The Paper Mill, a pub/restaurant on the canal at Apsley to lunch with Toby, Emma, Jack  & Finn for Jack's upcoming fourth birthday.

It was cold, otherwise it would be pleasant to sit at a table on the banks of the canal, but it wasn't warm inside. Even though there was a small log fire huge air-con vents, that the staff couldn't turn off, continuously blasted out cold air.

When the staff heard we were there for Jack's birthday they brought him a small cake with a lit candle which he greatly enjoyed blowing out.

Fin's Christening

 Dan and Krisie came to stay Friday and Saturday night then on Sunday we all  went to Aylesbury

to see Finley and his cousin Madeline christened by the same priest who had christened Jack.

Courtesy of Brionnie 

Courtesy Dan

Courtesy Krisie

Jack sat quietly through the ceremony.

Courtesy Krisie

Courtesy Krisie

Courtesy Krisie

Courtesy Krisie

Courtesy Mick

We all enjoyed seeing Brionnie & Mick.

First Daffodil

 

The first daffodil bloomed today, it would have been the third but the first two blooms were killed by  frost and can be seen lying on the ground.

In eight years the earliest has been 1 Feb (2020) and the latest 21 Feb (2025)

Alice in Blunderland

To Criccieth on Friday 2 January for The Starlight Players Pantomime  Cinderella in Blunderland. 

We stayed in Min y Traeth, a modern detached house in a close, but it was lacking champagne glasses, anywhere to hang towels in the en-suite bathroom, and a cutlery basket in the dishwasher. And it was cold, the wooden window fittings had warped.

Krisie was Front of House Manager and Dan was Stage Manager.

We saw Cinderella in Blunderland on Saturday night, after dinner at the Prince of Wales. It's a blast, so fast, with none of the standard tired pantomime tropes and with a huge energetic cast.

picture courtesy Dan

Written and devised by the team, it's a totally bonkers mashup of Cinderella and the denizens of Alice's Wonderland with Aladdin's lamp and Genie, Goldilock's Seven Dwarves, the Wicked Witch of the North and was that Tom Baker's Dr Who?

I loved it; it was the best Panto the Starlighters have delivered. So new, lovely costumes and a confident cast. The jive-talking high-fiving White Rabbit (Paula Carr) with his lighted shoes and bow tie dominated the stage, Awen Pritchard played a feisty Cinderella who wouldn't accept any sexist crap from anyone, her bearded Ugly Sisters (Paul Dunn & Dave Roberts) had jaw dropping dresses and I particularly enjoyed the King and Queen of Hearts, (Bryony Green & Swyn Williams), he with his jaunty curled moustache and roving eye and her with a haughty gaze and a penchant for chopping off heads. And then there's the Dormouse (Shon Williams) whose thunderous snores probably were heard in Porthmadog.

How will the Starlighters top this in 2027? I suspect they have a cunning plan.

picture courtesy Krisie

Sunday we had a roast with Dan & Krisie after they had cleared the Memorial Hall of stage props after the final show that afternoon.

picture courtesy Krisie

Monday we were joined by Caroline, Stuart and Elliott. Dylan's was closed that week for renovation so Dan & Krisie brought a takeaway from Sima Tandoori in Porthmadog.

Then home on Tuesday 27 Jan to a Deliverood Nando's

Lanzarote

 To Lanzarote and the Costa Calero hotel again, this time for 4 weeks from 15 December 2025 to 12 January 2026 with the intention of missing Christmas and New Year at home.

Lovely sun and very hot out of the shore wind.

View from our sheltered balcony

Established customs had to be maintained, such as the pre-dinner Cava-time.

And watching the Yellow Submarine submerge and surface at the entrance to the marina.

Christmas Day we had a visit from Santa on a camel.

We had sunsets to watch

Scenery to admire

Food to eat

with exotic fruits

and  wines to drink

plus this model of  Notre Dame made out of sugar and chocolate by the hotel's pastry chef to look at.