Brionnie in Fiddler on the Roof

 

To Hildenborough to see Brionnie in Fiddle on the Roof

Brionnie played Chava, one of three daughters of protagonist Teyve.

The three daughter with Brionnie's Chava in the centre.

The Cast

We stayed at the Premier Inn, and had dinner at next door Never Say Never, where we met Brionnie and Mick for coffee next morning.

photos courtesy Brionnie

Worcester - Elgar's Birthplace

20  August we left Bristol and drove to Worcester. We were booked in for two nights at the Premier Inn.

Its major attraction for Joan is that it overlooked Worcester Cricket Club's grounds. 

Worcester is the site of the last battle in the Civil War where  Cromwell's Parliamentary Army triumphed on 3 September 1651 and  King Charles II fled, first being hidden by my forebears the Penderills in an oak tree before being smuggled to Europe.

We visited the Commandery, a complex of old houses. which was Royalist Headquarters during the Battle of Worcester 1651, and in the evening had fish'n'chips and a bottle of The Ned Sauvignon Blanc in the hotel's restaurant.

Friday 21 August we drove the short distance to The Firs, birthplace of Edward Elgar. This is a small cottage with a cottage garden. 

At the end of the garden is a statue of Elgar on a bench where he used to sit to watch the country side.

At 11:00 in the visitor centre was an excellent talk about Elgar by author Richard Westwood-Brookes. We had intended to leave after it, but he was giving another talk at 13:300 in which he would reveal that Elgar didn't write Land of Hope & Glory. We had to stay for that, so had lunch. Although this is a NT place, the café  is not a standard NT one. Joan had a filling thick-cut back bacon sandwich on granary bread and I enjoyed a delightful toasted tea cake with wrapped pats of local butter and cherry jam.

The 13:00 talk revealed that the tune used for Land of Hope & Glory was originally General Gordon's theme in a piece Elgar was composing about the hero, but he didn't complete the work. When asked some years later to supply music for the coronation of Edward VII he revived the music, and words appropriate to the coronation were written for it by Arthur C. Benson. The coronation did not take place because of Edward's illness.

The music publisher, who owned copyright, asked Benson to write new words suitable for a popular song, and so the current piece was created.  When Land of Hope & Glory was first performed at the Proms, the audience demanded three encores, and it has been performed ever since.

 

Westwood-Brookes also told us that the tune is played at graduation ceremonies in US and Canadian universities.

That night we went to Yeliz Turkish Restaurant in The Old Rectifying House on the river just across from the hotel where

I had Chicken Sauté and we shared a bottle of Kayra Buzbag Okuzgozu from Turkey.

We checked out Saturday, and headed home, stopping for lunch at NT Stowe Gardens. Excellent scones at the café. The grounds are enormous and dotted with follies and temples.

There are lakes, and one is bridged with this magnificent Corinthium columned structure.

We must return.

And then home for a Deliverood Nando's, the last of our holiday restaurant meals.

Bristol - SS Great Britain

In place of our cancelled Grand European Tour cruise we headed to Bristol on 17 August. On the way we stopped at NT Basildon Park for lunch.

The house was left a wreck  without a single unbroken window after WWII requisitioning and was bought in 1952 by newspaper magnate Lord  Iliffe because his wife Renee, Lady Iliffe, saw its potential and they restored it to its glory days.

 Unusually the entrance is on the first floor, accessed by two stairs that go up to the terrace.

We were booked two nights at Bristol Holiday Inn Express, and after checking in we got thoroughly lost finding Rosa's Thai restaurant.

They were very slow bringing drinks, and had to be asked three times and finally came after the food was served.

I had Waterfall Beef (Nuea Nam Tok), described as a legendary Thai dish: slow-cooked beef in a rich marinade, served with spicy, tangy and smoky Nam Jim Jaew sauce. Served with fresh herbs and sticky rice.

I found it a dull pile of tasteless stewing steak cubes.

Next day, Wednesday 18 August, we went to see the SS Great Britain. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, this was the first ocean going, iron ship, powered by a propellor. It was the world's largest ship and the forerunner for all subsequent liners.

We first saw it shortly after it was rescued and installed in the dry dock it had been built in. A lot of work has been done since, and there were terrific knowledgeable guides in costume ready to answer questions. We were especially taken with 'Brunel'

For dinner that night we went to the nearby DoubleTree by Hilton. Their Kiln Restaurant was closed so we had an excellent meaty hamburger in the bar area with a bottle of Reign of Terroir Pinotage.

Thursday was raining, so we headed off to Worcester

Toby, Emma, Jack and Finley at Aylesbury

 

To Aylesbury for an early dinner with Toby, Emma, Jack and Finley. Both boys have grown so much since we saw them last.

Fin used his fingers to eat his ice-cream and managed to get it spread over most of his face.

Jack was writing, with help from Emma.