Private Lives and Chez Mumtaj

 

To London and Ambassadors Theatre for a matinee performance of Private Lives with excellent performances by Patricia Hodge and Nigel Havers.

Afterwards, an 'early bird' dinner at Chez Mumtaj with a bottle of Renwood Zinfandel.

Gorgeous greaseless Onion Bhajis, beautifully presented, as starter

Followed by Lamb Rogan Josh with rice and Gunpowder Potatoes, plus a basket of Naan breads.

Dinner with Jack, Toby and Emma

 

To Tring and the Grand Junction Arms for an early dinner with Jack, Toby and Emma

GOM

The Grumpy Old Men had the private room at Prea Wood Arms for our October meeting.

Anglesey Abbey

To Anglesey Abbey with Alberto and Jacqui.

But first a stop to admire a cottage garden. The owner buys tulip bulbs by the thousands from a wholesaler and annually plants them over three six hour days. 

There's an avenue planted with a carpet of cyclamens that were more impressive than the photograph.

Joan, Jacqui and Alberto

Then to the dahlia garden where 90 different plants are in a crescent arranged so that they can't all be seen from any single spot.

And then we get into the house  before it closed.

And afterward the rose garden. Chandos Beauty is the one with the strongest and most attractive scent.

We had a coffee in the café before heading for home and the heavens opened. Torrential rain, and Alberto bravely heads out to the far end of the car-park to bring the car closer to us. We we so lucky to have a pleasant dry day in the gardens.

Rutland Water

 Before we leave I buy some wines from Oakham Wines, an independent shop on the High Street with a selection of interesting and very tempting bottles.

On our way from Oakham to the A1 we call into the Rutland Water - Europe's largest man-made lake - visitor centre. It's Saturday, the temperature is 29 and rising, and the huge car park is filling. 

Oakham Castle

 

The arch was where the castle's drawbridge was. It's a level walk from the town in to the castle grounds.

The castle walls and towers have all but gone, but the magnificent original Norman Great Hall survives. It was built  between 1180 and 1190.

Inside walls are covered with 230 ornate ceremonial horseshoes donated by Peers of the Realm (Royalty and nobility such as Dukes, Marquis’, Earls, Viscounts, Barons and Bishops). The exact origin of this custom is lost to the mists of time, but it continues to this day. The oldest surviving horseshoe was given to the Castle by Edward IV in 1470.

The Great Hall is one of the oldest-continuously used courts in the country, having sat as a crown every two years since 1229.

There was a new judge today!

In the market place outside the castle are the unusual five-hole stocks.

Oakham - Admiral Hornblower

 

To Oakham to visit the Castle.

We stayed in The Admiral Hornblower in Oakham High Street. From its website we'd thought it was a fairly posh hotel, but it was really a pub with rooms. Our room was in a separate block at the end of he carpark, probably the old stable. The room had only three roof lights and it was hot and stuffy there. Apart from a free-standing rack with a few hangers, there was no storage; no wardrobe and no drawers.

The temperature outside was 30, so we walked to the park outside the castle grounds and read our Kindles.

The  restaurant had a short menu and we had sirloin steak and chips. The chips were excellent, nicely chunky and crisp.

chair in bar