FAR FROM HOME!

How could I have missed this off the list of songs that were played at the Royal Albert Hall? - it's my favourite!!!

Levellers at Royal Albert Hall

Thursday
Firstly went into the chemist in Chalfont St Peter. But then in the evening my colleague/friend/acquaintance suggested going to Harrow for a pint or five as it’s equidistant between our two houses. So after walking through the soulless St Ann and St George’s shopping centre, we went to the Fat Controller Pub and then to O’Neill’s for the worst chips I’ve ever had in my life.
Friday
Finally made it to the Cock and Rabbit in the Lee! And it was worth it – a really lovely traditional pub perched on the edge of the village green, made 100 times better by the lovely picture of Barnaby and Troy on the wall.

Saturday
The Goat Inn in Kensington, followed by something I’ve been looking forward to since March when I booked the tickets! Levellers at the Royal Albert Hall! This was the most incredible venue and I never thought that I would ever set foot here, let alone see my favourite band here! I bumped into Simon Friend on the way in and he was very friendly and kitted out in a cool suit with a barbed wire design on it and then caught the end of Nick Harper’s set, who was singing a duet with his daughter. Then Mark and Jon came on – poor Jon making his way onto the stage on crutches and they kicked off the set with “No Change” which sounded so fantastic and pure. The other members of the band made their way on to the stage one by one, and the band was accompanied by a string quartet and the acoustics in the hall sounded incredible.
Lowlands of Holland, Together all the way (which Mark announced was 20 years old - yet it still sounds fresh to me!), Elation, Chemically Free (not a song I am very keen on – but it sounded beautiful tonight, particularly the fiddle), Before the end, Edge of the world (I think?!), The Boatman, Julie, and then Another Man’s Cause which nearly brought me to tears. After a bar and fag break where I managed to spend £7.70 on two cans of Guinness, no one could sit down any more for the second half and everyone was on their feet for a set list including, in no particular order; Death Loves Youth, What a Beautiful Day, Exodus, Cholera Well, Burn America Burn, Carry me, Men an Tol, Behold a Pale Rider (first time I’d heard this live – what a setting! It sounded fabulous!), Dirty Davey, This Garden, Hope Street – again, not keen on these two, but wow! And then One Way to finish! It was a really special night and I think the band enjoyed it as much as the crowd.

Sunday
Didn’t feel like heading back into London to the Mexican party we’d been invited to, so instead made the most of the sunny weather and took the van to Marlow. Had a lovely walk here and then tried to cheer the ever-depressed Mabel up by taking him to Zizzi for an overpriced meal, after being told we weren’t allowed into the Compleat Angler because there was “a private event on”, and not at all because we looked too scruffy! Had a quick look around the shops and then decided to head for Henley, but I saw a sign for Hambledon and decided to head here instead as it was used in Midsomer Murders, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 101 Dalmations, Sleepy Hollow and Band of Brothers. It is one of the most beautiful villages I have ever seen, despite the fact that I parked my rusty camper in among all the sports cars and 4x4s. And just as I thought my day couldn’t get any better, I saw a nun playing Frisbee.

Angel Delight

Tuesday
Can’t count seeing the filming of a first world war film called Walter’s War as a new thing (even though pleasingly a plane flew over while they were in preparation for the scene!) because I walk down the canal path almost every day. So today’s new thing was buying a sachet of pink Angel Delight – and that is not a euphemism.

Wednesday
Crawley Down.

Chocolate - but good chocolate!

Monday
Dairy free – rice crackle chocolate

Miss Whiplash

Thursday
New thing was dipping in and out of a back road near Chorleywood. Did you know that the road is extremely bumpy and that there are recycling receptacles, for paper, glass and plastic bottles, provided by Three Rivers Council? No? Thought not.
Friday
Wanted to take a very depressed Mabel to the Cock and Rabbit but he point blank refused, meaning that my new thing had to be darting down an alley way en route to the Queen’s Head!

Saturday
Grand cycling tour of the canal through central London – absolutely stunning sunshine – the day was only spoilt by the fact someone drove into the back of my vanL

Sunday
A very early start to get to Brands Hatch – yet we were still beaten there by a very enthusiastic family of competition winners. Great day out with fantastic weather- a brilliant end to the season – I think this is now my favourite circuit!

Wednesday

A pathetic, yet cheap walk through the back of Chesham.

Tuesday

Found a new way into High Wycombe to get my newly repaired van.

Expensive new things

Had a Caddy van as a courtesy vehicle while my van was being repaired :(

Secret dreamworld of sleepy me!

Wednesday
Lots of shops in Norwich, then new parts of Harlow.

Thursday
Terminal five interior (didn't venture in last time I came here!) where I was late and so mum was already there! Other things were taking mum to shops in Chesham and then Old Amersham where despite the renovation work, we saw where the famous scene in Four Weddings and a Funeral was filmed at the Crown Hotel. Hungrily, we sought a restaurant which would accommodate three scruffy looking ruffians (I am officially the poorest person who lives in the county) where we decided upon Ask. The right decision - meal was good and the service was unexpectedly good thanks to our hilarious waiter.

Friday
New things - parts of Jericho and then a number of shops and coffee bars in Oxford City Centre. Thanks to its timeless buildings, it looked the same as the time mum took me here in 1977 when inexplicably I stole a stuffed sheep toy from a shop. She reminded me of this at full volume today.

Saturday
Took my mum for a spin in my campervan through Chesham and ended up in a village I’d never been to before of which I didn’t get the name because I was being aggressively tailgated!). We then switched to the other car and drove to Windsor where new things included going on the big wheel, various shops and buying a pair of tartan shoes (thank you mum - I will think of them every time I wear them!) We then had an icecream by the Thames which was lovely except the woman who sold it to me had questionable hygiene habits. Not only serving ice cream and taking money without washing her hands, but she actually licked the top of her finger when she got the cone out of the box in the manner of someone who is turning the pages of a book. She then assumed I was shaking my head mournfully because the ice cream was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, and I was far too scared and appalled to argue! Mum and I then went to Acton Vue (only made it as far as the car park last time) to watch Mamma Mia (more shaking of the head!) before heading to Loch Fyne in Beaconsfield for a hugely enjoyable meal even though the maitre d’ and I got off to a bad start, caused mainly because I didn’t realise he was a member of staff when I walked in which led to a ridiculous conversation between the pair of us.

Sunday
Car boot sale where I bought three books which provided me with no end of satisfaction– then Harrow (ALOT thanks to the sat nav not working) then to alleviate my rotten mood, and to make the most of the little-seen sunshine, we went to Beaconsfield –the courtyard by the Saracen’s Head (until the sudden and frightening proliferation of children scared me into leaving), then the White Hart, then Pizza Express then M&S. Bumped into my boss and his family THREE times during the course of the afternoon!

Down to earth with a bump -will it ever stop raining!?

Wednesday
Enfield and environs

Thursday
Aldershot and environs! Also massage at therapist’s house in Chesham for a relaxing half hour!

Friday
M&S wild rice salad. Shouldn't really be shopping here but more likely to find a new product here than anywhere else in Rickmansworth!

Saturday
High Wycombe for my van's service. Then lots of shops, charity in particular as well as Pizza Express while I was waiting for the bad news.

Sunday
Walk from Chesham to Latimer.

Monday
Misty Moon pub.

Tuesday
Walked through the back end of Rickmansworth.

The finest wines known to humanity -we want them here and we want them now

Thursday
Queen’s Head pub in Chesham. Very nice and a funny mixture of characters in there! Chavs, posh people and a lot of passing cyclists.

Friday
White Lion – a pub I’ve passed many times on the way to and from home – still not sure which village it’s in. Went inside and as the woman behind the bar didn’t acknowledge me at all, I thought I would slip out unnoticed.

Saturday
No tubes today along part of the Metropolitan line, so new thing was getting the rail replacement bus to Northwood and then onto the Eurostar at St Pancras. Then after a croque monsieur (yes, with meat in it!) at a cafe called L’Europeene, we onto Gare du Lyon to get the TGV to Avignon. Then bus to Avignon centre before meeting Laurie’s friends Madeline and Isaura near the other train station and within the medieval city walls where we got a taxi to St Victor La Coste with an affable taxi driver. Arrived at the magnificent villa that Laurie and Pascal had found and had a fantastic slap up meal and a catch up with them.

Sunday
New things were walking around St Victor and enjoying a chat and a drink at the Cafe L’industrie in the main square and shopping at Proxi. People here are so friendly - you would not believe they were French!

Monday
A walk around Bagnols sur Ceze –twinned with Newbury! Also a stop off at Hyper Champion for some much-needed beer and chocolate.

Tuesday
Oh.My.God. I cannot describe how spoiled I was today - we had a wine tasting thanks to "paschil"s fantastic friend Fred who took us around a Chateauneuf du Pape vineyard where we actually spat out about £1,000 worth of wine. Fantastic and probably far too much for my palate to appreciate. Also climbed up the CAstellas which has been overseeing our trip for a nighttime jaunt. Very atmospheric and a treat to see St Victor from above!

Wednesday
Bagnols sur Ceze again to visit the market before our trip to Avignon. An otherwise perfect day was spoilt by a terrible meal, by any standards, particularly French culinary levels at a place in the place d’horloge called Le Petit Nice. And this is said by someone who can prove with her massive waist that she isn’t a fussy eater!


Thursday
Le Pont du Gard where we enjoyed a "swim" in the beautiful waters underneath the Roman aquaduct in the brilliant sunshine. Then later a marvellous meal at Restaurant La Beaugraviere (Au pays de la Truffe) in Mondragon, preceded by a quick drink in something resembling Moe’s Tavern where we were served by a French version of Barney from the Simpsons. The meal at La Beaugraviere ranks in the top three in my life, along with the one at Celestin in Toronto, which Pascal and Laurie own. The fantastic meal (artichokes followed by cod and crème brulee for me) was supplemented by “some of the finest wines known to humanity” including Domaine de la romanee vosne Romanee 1er cru and an unlabelled wine made by the chef Guy Jullien who came out for a chat. A perfect evening.

Friday
Couldn’t bring myself to venture too far from the swimming pool today as it was our last day here, so new things were breaking into the garage next to the house and peeking into the outhouse!

Saturday
Got the TGV from Avignon back to Paris, then realised I had accidentally booked first class seats, but no matter! A few cafes in Paris during our very slow walk between Gare du Lyon and Gare du Nord, as well as the Jardin des Plantes (where I fell asleep!), then back to Blighty to shove my bag down, change it for a pre packed one and then headed to Prezzo for a meal with colleagues and the Villiers Hotel in Buckingham.

Sunday
Silverstone – great day here despite the weather (and someone kicking in my wing mirror) looking after guests. Great stuff.

Monday
Quickie at the Gate in Chorleywood

Tuesday
Adventure round Enfield before my meeting there.