Last Autumn Nick and I indulged in a day of Enid Blyton based mischief. We packed our corned beef sandwiches and cans of ginger ale with the idea of spending the day in Tatton Park. Alas it seems Tatton Park is closed in the winter (something they would do well to advertise on their website). So we changed our plans and unexpectedly found ourselves in the middle of a deer park. Despite living on the green belt and driving past multiple road signs warning that there may be deers crossing, the closest I had ever gotten to one of these lovely creatures was when peering at one of its distantly related cousins at the West Midlands Safari Park.
Dunham Massey, although not being a spectacular grand house, or of particular historical interest, is definitely a must see. Especially on a crisp autumn day. We had the place practically to ourselves and so naturally pretended to be in our own nature documentary, trying to get as close as possible to a large herd who where huddled together, not unlike penguins. It was a very indulgent and childish morning, but was so much fun. All that was missing was the presence of Philip, Dina, Jack & Lucy.
Nick modelling his Movember Look
We then ventured on into Chester as it's on the list. Being the middle distance (ish) between Nick and I, we had ventured here before and have visited since (both occasions were largely due to our need to visit the wonderful Ice Cream Farm, tucked away in the countryside about 20 minutes outside of town. A definite must if you are in the area, especially for the liquorice and blackcurrant flavoured ice cream.) Having Nick about as we wandered around the town was an advantage as I got to pick his brains about the place's history. We walked along the city walls and I learnt about Roman defence tactics and who proceeded Caeser. The city is very nice, with its chocolate box finish and high end shops. I would recommend investing a guide to the city, or do a bit of swotting up before you go as there is more to this city then meets the eye. Unlike other places though, the city does not readily provide much information for us tourists to devour about its rich history. Alternatively I might start hiring Nick out as a guide (possible new business venture). There is also a very nice old fashioned sweet shop tucked up in one of the side streets that stocked every liquorice delight you could imagine, but unfortunately I have forgotten what it is called and where exactly it is. As for it being a Must See City, I don't entirely agree. The best bits of the day were the out of town exploits and the newly acquired knowledge. If I were to do it all again I would spend an hour on Wikipedia learning about the Romans and then hot foot it to the nearest National Trust house for an Enid Blyton adventure. Long live ginger beer!
There were three reasons why Winchester was always going to be better than Brigthon. Firstly it is enshrined in English folklore and holds the Round Table that Merlin, Arther and Lancelot all partied around. Secondly Frank Turner just wrote a song about the place. Thirdly King Alf has his own Twitter account telling tourists exactly where the fun is. These things alone should persuade anyone that the drive there is undoubtedly worth it.
I went with a clear view of what I wanted to see in the 4 hours we had to spend in the city. I wanted to see the Cathedral, I wanted to see the round table and I wanted to do the Mizmaze, if I wasn't to hungover. All of this was swept aside when we got to the high street and were blown away (quite literally they were quite loud) by the Meridian Drum Corps who were busking quite merrily outside Monsoon. Treating us with the delights of Downtown, Total Eclipse of the Heart and Aga Du, they brought the entire street to a stand still. It was just what we needed to kick start our exploration as we were running on nothing but hang overs and very little sleep. Yet again Neffi and I were impressed by the calibre and quality of the buskers, but I am beginning to think that maybe everywhere except Birmingham & Wolverhampton has a thriving busking scene as all the evidence seems to point this way...
After purchase of the obligatory coffee, we wandered into the Cathedral grounds to have breakfast and watched the very well dressed people dispense from the Sunday morning service. The Cathedral itself is both impressive and informative. The staff were very friendly and there was ample reading material explaining everything from British history to procedural information, with a bit of pop culture thrown in to boot. Much better organised than Bristol cathedral and with a lot more to see than in Chester. Although, we may have been a little biased as we are Austen fans; reading so much about her and seeing her grave site was a bit of a pilgrimage. I also learnt and actually managed to retain quite a bit from our brief tour. Having never studied English history that far back at school most of King Alf's story was new to me. I feel like I might be able to add to a conversation between Nick & the guys now, or at least follow what they are saying.
Another good find was Buddy's Dinner. Neff was severely lagging by midday and this Retro American diner was a pretty good bribe to keep her both happy and awake long enough to do a bit more site seeing. We recommend the milkshakes (especially the Oreo Cookie one).
We really enjoyed Winchester. Its up there with Cambridge as our favourite city so far. The place has plenty of history to immerse yourself in, and in an extremely accessible and way. Alas we were to hungover to find St Catherine's Mizmaze and ran out of time to see where Anne Boleyn got married. But now I know how to get there, there is very little stopping us from visiting again.
Also I stumbled across this Diary of a Busker whilst researching the trip & I recommend the read!
We went to this mini London festival on a whim, as we were down South and weren't to bothered about spending much time by the sea side. I was quite excited about it because I FINALLY GOT TO SEE NEWTON FAULKNER. I am a big fan, but had thus far not been able to go to any of his gigs. This frustration was amplified by the fact that Neffi saw him 3 times last year, despite not being particularly bothered about him. So not fair.
Playing by himself, with the addition of a tape player for one song (very retro), he happily bantered away to the little crowd that had gathered in Camden. Even if you aren't a big fan of the music that he makes, I defy you not to be entertained at one of his gigs. He manages top make a humble acoustic guitar sound like a full band, and on occasion plays some string accompaniment with his feet. It is like watching art at work. We were properly impressed, with Neffi wondering if we could make her guitar into a bass drum once we got home.
The big mix is a tiny festival so it was worth going to in order to see bigger names playing in smaller venues, there was stand up comedy and fashion too. May try and go again next year as we saw a lot of new music we liked, along with some old favourites. Just hope it rains slightly less. Now that I have the route from Liverpool Street Station and Brick Lane down (although I swear that place moves every time I go) it should be brilliant. And it is all in support of MacMillan Cancer support, so you can even go home feeling all warm and fuzzy as the money you spent went to a good cause. Keep your eyes peeled for it next year.
Also if you look closely the Teal coat (and by proxy me) makes it into the official video for the day :D
So that is 5/6 bands off Octobers bucket list done. Though it is going to be a while before I get to see the last one.
Last Autumn Nick and I indulged in a day of Enid Blyton based mischief. We packed our corned beef sandwiches and cans of ginger ale with the idea of spending the day in Tatton Park. Alas it seems Tatton Park is closed in the winter (something they would do well to advertise on their website). So we changed our plans and unexpectedly found ourselves in the middle of a deer park. Despite living on the green belt and driving past multiple road signs warning that there may be deers crossing, the closest I had ever gotten to one of these lovely creatures was when peering at one of its distantly related cousins at the West Midlands Safari Park.
