The Winter Month

Winter is now truly upon us here, and that means doing all things wintery for life in London – whether that’s normal for London or not...

It’s not normally this cold, with temperatures barely making it over 0C for the last few weeks. I’ve still been happily commuting by bike through it all. You may think this would be mad at temperatures reaching -13C, but after about 10mins of riding I’m quite toasty under a few layers. The anti-pollution mask has been great for keeping my face warm throughout, even if it does tend to fog the glasses when I’m stopped at the lights - which is where the photo at the bottom of the page is from.

The other tricky item to negotiate is snow. This also isn’t something that’s particularly normal for London. There’s been plenty of it about, as you can see, but funnily enough, it’s not been a problem to ride through. Sure, I’ve switched to the mountain bike with its wider knobbly tyres, but the simple fact that my commute is all along bus routes makes it a breeze (touch wood). The buses and traffic in general mean that the roads are wet, but both ice and snow are slushed up by the vehicles, and is pretty much found only at the edges in the gutter. Far more treacherous are the iced over footpaths...

Still, as long as you walk on the white stuff that crunches under your feet, you’re fine. This was the case when Sheryl and I ventured through Ravenscourt park on our way to the Natural History Museum for that other fun pastime found on the ice - skating. This very large park was literally covered in snow, making for a spectacular and picturesque walk (see the pic at the top). You did have to feel for the poor ducks and other water fowl wandering across the frozen lake in the middle (above right). The same goes for one small dog whose legs weren’t long enough to keep it above the snow! Both tennis courts were in their traditional whites - completely covered - as was the lawn bowls club further along the park.
Quite a few kids though. As Sheryl said, “kids will always play in a playground no matter what the weather.” and she was right. Just a fantastic wintery scene to walk through...

But back to the ice skating... We met up with Vanessa, Zara, Jarrett and some of Vanessa’s other friends for a session on the ice rink that sits outside the front of the incredible building that is the Natural History Museum (left).
None of us had skated since we were kids, so the start of our session was with much trepidation. Chaos also reigned supreme as there were plenty of small children there with their parents. I’m glad to say that we all stayed on our feet... erm... skates, despite the traffic hazard that all the kiddies presented. Great fun in the end as we all found some level of form and gained our confidence on the ice. Dinner in a nearby pub was just the ticket to finish off the late afternoon.

Finally, winter over here in the UK means one other thing: Christmas, and with that in mind, I again found myself enjoying another Santa Crawl. This time, I was joined by Sheryl and Vanessa for what was to be a fun night of visiting several pubs around the London Bridge area with over 250 other “Santas”. Again, it was all done in the name of fundraising and this year it was for the St Christopher’s Hospice. Raising almost £2,000 meant that we had paid for all in the hospice to enjoy a full on Christmas dinner with their families. Now that’s some Christmas Spirit coming from enjoying some Christmas spirits. Boom! Boom! ... I’ll get me coat...

Have a good (and safe) Christmas folks!

Trekking the Lakes District

On a chilly Wednesday night, we saw ourselves with Mark n Row at their ‘local’ pub, The Black Horse, enjoying the pub’s warm fire and large portioned meals. A great way to finish work and kick off what was to be our 4 day jaunt to the Lakes District.

The following frosty morning saw us begin the 5 hour drive up to Keswick in the Lakes District in the far northern reaches of England. The clouds and the constant drizzle and rain didn’t fill us with a great outlook for a four day weekend of trekking through this region.
We stopped off briefly in Keswick, to meet up with the other couple that were joining us, Arifa and Matthew. A short trip into the local supermarket for weekend supplies, and then we were making the short seven mile trip to the cottage where we were staying on the outskirts of the village of Seatoller. Unfortunately, Seatoller itself is so small that we had some trouble locating our lodgings in the misty rain and dark of night. Once found, we moved in, then headed back out to a nearby hotel and pub about two or three miles back up the road. An open fire and some great food rounded out the night.

We woke the next morning to see where we were in daylight to discover just why the Lakes District is rated as highly as it is. The window from our room resembled a postcard of stone fences, fields, sheep, trees, mountains and blue skies.
Not long after, we were all fed and packed, as well as suitably dressed for the cold, and on our way along the river that ran past our cottages. Over a small stone bridge and we were following the trails towards the hills and valleys of this incredible area. We passed by Seatoller itself, before heading upwards. Passing through a couple of gates, we soon found ourselves following alongside one of those amazing freestanding stone walls. Crossing small wooden bridges over running brooks, we took in the valleys of Borrowdale that opened up before us.
After a while we watched the the valley containing the Derwent Water (a large lake) literally appear in front of us as we crested a small rise. It got a little interesting as we then headed up the large hill known as “Castle Crag”. This path (once found) took us up through a zig-zagging trail through a large pile of shale - see if you can see the path... Nearing the top, we discovered many of the “monuments” of shale that people had left behind – basically this is just standing a large piece of it on its end. A small scramble, and we were then at the top to be greeted by incredible views all round. A perfect spot for lunch in the sun!

Once finished, we made our way back down through the shale to the valley floor and proceeded along until we reached the Derwent River. We followed this home as it took us around the base of Caslte Crag, and led us through the valleys until passing almost alongside our cottage! Remember that small stone bridge at the beginning of our trek? Well, that bridge crossed the Derwent river. The Derwent would have to be the clearest river I have ever seen. All up, a fantastic walk taking in the moss covered trees, the browns of autumn in the setting sun and the simplicity of this incredible countryside.

The evening was spent in a cozy little pub with an open fire, some pints, good food and even a small local dog to watch us eat. Fantastic homemade apple crumble too!

Day 2 had us heading off across the frosted paddocks in the opposite direction (above). This time, however, it was time to go up to and across the tops of the mountains. We headed across the base and along a river for a while before the trail we were following headed upwards... straight upwards. It was quite steep and certainly had us puffing. Not to be out done, the local sheep kept making appearances higher up - just to make us feel better about ourselves. Towards the top of this "climb", we were rewarded with more spectacular views, as well as large pieces of snow.
Hurling a large rock through the iced over lake up there was fun too - even if somewhat childish... but Mark and I were happy. Anyway, onwards we went, across the top of this part of the mountains, only to find that we needed to go further up to get "around" end of the valley we had just come out of.
That was our plan for the day - to head up one side of the valley, to head across the ridge at its end, then come down on the opposite side. All up it turned out to be just over 10kms walking and ascending over 650metres. But I digress...

We headed upwards again as we began to find our way across the end of the valley. It wasn't helped by the low cloud that we now found ourselves in. Visibility was quite low, so it was map reading and GPS "toys" that were then followed far more closely.
We stopped for lunch briefly, and after some "warming" hazelnut Cadburys to finish with, we were back moving again. It was very cold up there, and sitting about didn't exactly help in keeping warm.
As if someone was watching over us, we were given a peak through a break in the clouds that showed us the valley below and gave us our bearings in an instant. On track we were, so back off through the clouds we went. Again, we still saw sheep in the higher parts of these ridges. Amazing that with only hooves they somehow get through some of the rocky areas we traversed...
Not long after, and we had found the path we were looking for that was to take us back down to the valley floor. As we continued down this path, the more the valleys below opened up for us to see. Once again, the area was just postcards wherever you looked.
As we followed the path, we headed through trees and alongside the river that we had followed upwards (while on the other side of the valley some six hours earlier). Below, is arriving back at our cottages. Truly just a wonderful area to be walking through.

Finishing off the evening in the nearby town of Keswick, we dined in a different pub again. A warm atmosphere, good food and a few more pints polished off both the day and the weekend.

Our last morning was a final fry-up of all the remaining breakfast supplies before packing up and hitting the roads back to London. On the way up, we had been in the dark when going through this area, so to see it all in daylight was quite spectacular. A nice way to finish off the trip after our breakfast feast.

* PS: just click on the individual photos should you wish to see a bigger version of them.

Catching Up

Okay, so it’s been a while since I’ve posted here, and with a valid reason - studies and exams. 3 exams in 3 weeks (one a week), with the text books arriving just over 2 weeks before the first exam. Effectively, that makes it one month of full on study, beginning a new book on the night of each exam... Suffice to say, that after all that, I now have UK qualifications, even if they’re only the second rung of the UK’s education system for my industry. At least those I work with will now actually recognise some of the letters after my name.

Amongst all that, we have managed to do some things since Sheryl returned with visa in hand.

We spent one night at the football. White Hart Lane was the venue for Tottenham v Sunderland in the Premier League. Despite it only being a draw, it was a spritely match that was quite enjoyable. More enjoyable for Sheryl’s first football game was the crowd and their antics. We were in the Park Lane end, which is the rowdy end, and we were reasonably close to the away supporters as well. Sheryl learnt some new colourful songs, as well as enjoying the antics of the crowd. Exhibit A: The stewards were in the process of getting everyone in our section of the stand to sit down. We were all reluctantly doing so when the guy next to Sheryl called out “Stand up if you hate Arsenal!” It had the desired (and comical) effect of the entire stand jumping to their feet and joining in with the chant. For his trouble, he spent the next 15minutes effectively “sin binned” in the bowels of the stand unable to see the match...

A week before my first exam, I also managed to get to the Tottenham v Inter Milan match, which was part of the [European] Champions League, of which Spurs are currently competing. “Inter” are the current champions of this competition, and had beaten Tottenham in Italy the previous week. This time out, it was to be a different result with Spurs winning 3-1 in what would have to be one of the best Spurs matches I’ve ever witnessed.

Guy Fawkes Night took place during the last month - Remember, Remember the 5th of November... as the rhyme goes. This means that for 2 weeks before and after Bonfire Night, the evenings contain fireworks being let off all over your neighbourhood.
For the actual night itself, Vanessa, Sheryl, Paul, and myself watched the Australia vs Wales rugby union match in the Sports Bar in Haymarket. After being joined by Shar, we then headed to Ravenscourt Park near home for their fireworks display. Despite getting there after the 8pm start, we still managed to get to see over half an hour of fireworks before settling into a nearby pub in Chiswick for a few drinks.

A rather miserable Sunday did see Sheryl and I in Richmond Park for several hours walking through the fields and forests. Along the way we encountered the deer, a hawk as well as the usual spatterings of ducks, swans and other birds. All this in the light drizzle, but that really didn’t matter as the colours of autumn were really at their peak, to make the outing pretty amazing. Sure, finding a warm pub afterwards for hot Sunday roast definitely helped! And it did make returning home for an afternoon and evening of study somewhat less appealing...

Things We Do

You may recall the name Phil in some earlier posts when it comes to going riding somewhere - like Paris-Roubaix or just locally in Surrey.

Well, Phil will be involved in a "Spin-a-thon" at the NZ Embassy this friday, and as things would go, I've put my hand up to be involved... The simple deal is that, using stationery bikes the Team will attempt to ride the length of New Zealand in 24 hours to raise funds for Help for Heroes.

Here's the link for further reading: www.bmycharity.com/v2/NewZealandSPINATHON

Now, why do I mention this? Well, I'll also be taking part, and my shift will be 4am - 6am this Saturday morning. I won't get to see the likes of Sean Fitzpatrick (former All Black captain) who will be taking part on the friday, but he and a few others will be on TV.

The other reason I mention this is that there are "House Rules" for the event, and one of them is something that includes a little Aussie v NZ banter. I have the jersey you see here, and questioned Phil on whether I'd be let in if I wore it... The NZ comeback is that when the person wearing this jersey walks in, then all must sing the Australian National anthem. Funny. Even more so, that it will be a room full of Kiwi's singing it...

There's No Place Like Home (Pt. IV)

Well, it's mid morning on Saturday here in London and it's been a busy 24 hours... I've attempted to watch the sun rise over a north Sydney beach with Sheryl, breakfasted with my parents, had my 1 year old nephew climbing over me to reach Sheryl's necklace, driven over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, walked through a rainforest in Kuala Lumpur and ridden the Tube and a London double-decker bus... And that was my final 'day' for this trip to Australia. Three cities in nine and a half days... yep, we covered some ground.

We landed less than two weeks ago in Adelaide to a welcoming committee of 4 parents, who were all happy to see their children again. It may have been a late night landing on the last flight of the day, but that didn't stop a pleasant nightcap for the six of us.

The next evening of catching up with Sheryl's family was preceded by an afternoon visit with the famed "cherubs", Joel, Gloria and Frankie. All were excited to see their Aunt again, but were home with a babysitter during the evening while the rest of us enjoyed a fun filled curry night. Great to meet everyone over such a good meal.

The following afternoon saw us with my family and friends. The 'friends' are really the friends of my parents, who I grew up with and were very much aunts and uncles to both myself and my brother. It was an interesting afternoon/evening as not only did we catch up with them (as well as my actual aunts and uncles), but I (re)met a cousin I hadn't seen since we were about 5 years old. To top that off, I (re)met my great aunt, who I'd not seen for over 25 years. She's 95 years old and still living in the same unit from that last meeting. It was great to see everyone again, and made for quite a special afternoon.

Friday morning saw us having a casual breakfast by the sea in Brighton with one of Sheryl’s best friends. A perfect sunny morning for it, despite the cafe stuffing the order up.That afternoon saw us enjoying Yum Cha with Sheryl's parents and young 10month old nephew. It did feel slightly unnerving driving his pusher for what should be obvious reasons... Anyway, a very pleasant lunch, that afforded us some time to walk through the Adelaide Central Markets before our next “function”.
We continued from here to a fun night with a bunch of our combined friends at the Crown n Sceptre pub "just round the corner". We had some fun getting me a new shirt for the night in the nearby Trims store, that included both ironing it and getting an extra squirt of deodorant!
But I digress... A good fun night catching up with our respective friends while meeting each other's friends. Needless to say, we were somewhat worse for wear when we made it home in the wee hours of the morning. Now, this is not how to prepare for a 7.30am flight...
With about two hours sleep, we were woken by a knock on the door asking if we were ready to leave for the airport. We needed to leave in 10 minutes, so hangovers aside we dressed and packed as quickly as possible. We made our flight with time to spare, but I can't say that this must have left too good an impression with Sheryl's parents as I was in a really bad way with a stomach that just wouldn't quit.

We made Melbourne and had a nice coffee stop with Chris as he collected us from the airport and delivered us to Sheryl's cousin, Cathy. And her two kids, Emily and Thomas. Cathy was a God-send. Considering our "second-hand" state, her assistance meant that we actually made it to the wedding we were there to attend.
Held in the Williamstown Botanical Gardens, we watched Sime Brown (who we'd both known since school days) get married. Afterwards, (as they do) the reception kicked on well into the evening and night, so for the second night in a row we got in during the wee hours of the morning.

A quiet Sunday afternoon with the rest of Sheryl's relatives in Melbourne made for a relaxed and cruisey start to the day. The late afternoon, saw us catch up with a group of friends in the beer garden at the Belgian Beer Café before extending it into the evening and dinner at the same venue.

Monday gave us a day to ourselves, and saw us exploring the arcades and lanes that run from the Bourke Street Mall through to Flinders Street in the Melbourne CBD. Great to just poke around a bit, have lunch and a coffee together.
A bit later, after a ride on the SkyBus to the airport, we were in Sydney for the evening. I with my brother, Mark, his girlfriend, Jen, and their son, Oscar, while Sheryl caught up with some of her good friends. I joined them later in the night.

Tuesday had us having a very late breakfast in a groovy street café with a friend of Sheryl's who was up from Melbourne. We then spent the afternoon running about sorting some things before eventually enjoying the sunshine in a rooftop beer garden.

Wednesday afternoon and night was spent catching up with quite a group of Sheryl's friends, but before that, we had breakfast with Brendan & Danni, with young Madeline. We also spent some time in a shopping centre picking up a few items, as well as having lunch in the Strand Arcade in the city centre. A quick drink in the Marble Bar, and then it was down to the Opera Bar for the evening I've just mentioned. Fantastic watching the sun set and the harbour light up to make that certain giant coat hanger look quite impressive. We finished up with a late night feed in a nearby Chinese restaurant to round out the day... err... night.

Thursday had us lunching with my relatives, including my "little cousin" Klaer, who isn't that little any more as she is about to turn 8. Superb for Fraser to make the quick trip home from work for lunch too. From here we headed back to Mark and Jen's for Oscar's first birthday party. Meeting his other grandparents and uncle was a bonus too. It's funny what a 1 year old grandchild can do to your parents, and the things you suddenly see them do. Did they really do that with us when we were that young?? And as funny as it looks, I guess it works - if I may be so bold as to say that we turned out okay... perhaps.
Anyway, it's great how you can give a small child so much enjoyment on several levels with just one present - the paper alone provides such enjoyment, and that's long before they get the toy out of the box that was wrapped in it...

And that brings us to Friday again, which I mentioned at the beginning of this post, and that attempted sunrise (below)... So if you’re reading this and you were a part of this whirlwind trip, then “Cheers!” for making it a good one for us.

Run n Done

After snoozing the alarm, we eventually dragged ourselves out of bed and got moving. 6.30am on a Sunday morning and we were up and about.
Soon on our way, we encountered what seems to be the usual tube problems as we finally made it to North Greenwich and the O2. Thankfully, the start of the RuntotheBeat half marathon had been delayed from 9.45am to 10.30am. The reason? Tube delays - honest! And we'd arrived at 9.30am...

So, with an hour to now fill in, we got our bearings and milled about in the crowd until we had about 20minutes to go. Off came the outer layers, which were well needed on a grey, cold, windy London morning, and into the competitor area we went. Some time in the queues for a "pitstop", then it was into the "pens" to await the starter's gun.
We didn't actually hear it, with the speakers playing music out over all 17,000 of us, but we just waited in the wind with everyone else until the slow walk gave way to actual running and we crossed the start line.
Pacman, the Stig, Batman, SuperGirl, Rudolph, Rhino's, telly-tubbies, Lion, Tinman & Scarecrow, you name them and we saw them out on the course. It's amazing all the different types of folks at events like this - large, small, skinny, (a-hem) "wobbly" and of all ages. I kid you not, we passed one elderly lady who had to be well into her 60's or 70's. Those that lined the course also did their bit to create some kind of atmosphere - ranging from sponsor support groups to little kids to high-5 to one old lady clapping by her front gate... there was always something of interest or to give you a smile.

Sheryl set the pace (helped by the crowd, the atmosphere, the music and the occasional bit of sunshine) and we ran the course more comfortably than we expected. No stitches for Sheryl, and my calf held up (despite pulling it earlier in the week). The final few kilometres had more people lining the streets cheering, which really does make a difference. The pic above is with about 500metres to go...

Once across the finish line it was time to pat ourselves on the back for a run well done, before spending several hours trying to get home on the worsening tube. Time to put the feet up and relax before tomorrow's big adventure starts.

A big THANK YOU to all those who donated to WSPA to sponsor us too. You can see how much was raised above and on the right in the little light blue box. If you would like to donate and add to that tally, then you can click on the donate button there or just go to http://www.justgiving.com/simon-welfare
Cheers!!

One Week to Go...

One week to go til the RuntotheBeat Half Marathon, and it's still "all systems go" for us both. Yesterday we completed a 20km run, which went very well. A couple of laps of Gunnersbury Park, amongst the trees, shrubs, squirrels along with every man (person) and their dog -literally!
So if you haven't considered a bit of sponsorship for both of us, then please feel free by either using the link at the right of this webpage, or click here: http://www.justgiving.com/Simon-Welfare to donate.

The remains of that day was spent at the Swann Hotel across the road from Hyde Park catching up with some of Sheryl's friends from Sydney. A good way to finish off the weekend, which began Friday night (as it usually does). We headed up to Chorleywood to Row n Mark's for a night at a nearby pub called The Cock Inn. And yes, you read that correctly.
This Inn is a couple of hundred years old and you can see that once inside with the old wood beams holding up the thatched roof. We were there for a Game Night, which over here doesn't include Monopoly, but Wild Boar, Pheasant, Rabbit and the like. The main meal was a partridge in a pidgeon in a pheasant. The local [family] brewer was there, so each course came with the recommended ale and its accompanying tale...

The previous weekend had a similar Sunday with a great afternoon in our local beer garden (below) with Bec and Sanj, which was a great way to spend a day after the Saturday night. We'd spent it at Wembley Stadium to see the band, Muse. Of the two support acts that we did see, White Lies and Biffy Clyro, we were pleasantly surprised. Biffy Clyro were really good, and if they head to your area, then definitely go see them. As for Muse, they were awesome too. The best show I've seen at Wembley yet, and that includes U2...

Cornwall

The August Bank Holiday weekend approached with its usual anticipation of crappy English weather, so it was perfect that our destination for the weekend had a far better forecast. Having arranged to have Friday off as well, this made for a good 4-day long weekend, so it was a reasonably relaxed Friday morning that saw Sheryl and myself having breakfast at one of the cafes at Paddington Station.

Leaving London’s overcast and drizzly day, we trained it across the southern coastal regions of England until we eventually arrived in Penzance. No pirates that we could see, but yes, this is the same Penzance as used in the Gilbert & Sullivan show. The simple pleasure of leaving the train station there and walking out into sunshine and blue skies can never be underestimated. A quick stop in the nearby tourist centre, and we were then soon checking in to the B&B that would house our bags and give us somewhere to sleep over the next few days.

It was then time to take a reasonably relaxed stroll through the town and gathering some supplies for the evening, before boarding a bus bound for the small sea-side village of Porthcurno and the Minack Theatre. Perched up the front on the upper deck of the bus, we travelled westward towards a lowering sun. The late afternoon made for a very picturesque ride through the countryside and small villages giving us some great views from our vantage point.
Once at Porthcurno, it was time for the walk to the theatre. We soon discovered that it was mostly uphill, but also gave us some impressive views of the nearby coastline. The theatre itself was on the other side of this hill and was carved into the side of the cliff as you can probably make out here. Thankfully arriving early gave us some excellent seats and, so we joined many others by having a small dinner (of a bottle of red and Cornish pasties) before the show.
Speaking of the show, well, we’re not too sure about it. It had something to do with farmers and hard lives of the late 1800’s, but we really don’t know if there was some sort of story to it. Not that this really concerned us, because we weren’t there really for the show, but more the location and setting. Whilst the sun set behind us, we had a fantastic view of the coastline and ocean. With a near-full moon rising above the headlands in the distance, and then shimmering across the ocean, it really was impressive. (As you can see - click on the pic for a bigger view).

Saturday morning began with an English breakfast before heading out into the township of Penzance again and onto another bus. This time, our destination was Land’s End with another picturesque coastline and countryside viewing along the way.
Land’s End itself isn’t much. Touristy, yes, and therefore not all that impressive. The views and the area itself, however, is simply stunning. After the obligatory photograph at the famous Land’s End sign it was time to mosey around the area taking in the views and surroundings.
On the subject of the sign, my grandparents had their photograph at this sign back in 1966. I had a copy of that photograph with me, and when the photographer saw it he filled us in on some background. He had been working there since 1960, and told us that the picture in 1966 had been taken from a different location at Land’s End. Over the last 44 years, the sign itself has been moved on several occasions. He told us where the sign had been in my grandparents photo, and try as we might, we could not find that exact location... No doubt, we may well have stood or walked over the very spot, but the remaining rocks and pathways didn’t match what remains there today.

As the afternoon approached, and after two of the most horrible tourist shop Cornish pasties, it was back onto the bus and the coastline ride to St Ives. The pasties were sh*t, there's no other way to put it, but sitting there in the sun together marvelling at the views made up for it.
Now, back to the bus... with the weather still being superbly sunny, the one thing we didn’t expect was to be cold! It was an open top double-decker bus, and we were atop it and near the front. The afternoon sea-breeze combined with the speed of the bus all added up.
It did afford some amazing views of the coastal villages (left) and farms on our way to St Ives, so we weren’t too fussed, despite being somewhat wind-blown on arrival.
It’s incredible the ages of what the places appear to be, and probably just how old some of them really are. You wonder what it must have been like several hundred years ago, to live here in a time with not even electricity, and your only contact with the outside world being whenever the traders or postal wagons pulled up...

St Ives was a very busy little town, and rightfully so, as it really is a beautiful spot. The harbour/marina in the late afternoon sun, with folks along the boardwalk and on the “beach”, all behind the coastline views made for a pretty special place. We strolling around the entire marina (below) taking in the sights and antics of both locals (gulls included) and (fellow) tourists. With the sun setting, we attempted to have dinner in one of the many restaurants looking out across the bay. Here’s a trap for us newcomers - book. Every restaurant was booked out until 9.30pm or later!!
So, heading off the beaten track, as we usually do, we soon ended up stumbling across an amazing fish cafe that was just brilliant in its set up. The food... well... it was superb. So belly’s full, we headed out into the now street-lamped laneways for a stroll through the township itself picking and choosing which shops and galleries we would return to tomorrow. Eventually, stopping off in a small pub for a few drinks before heading up the hill to the bus stop for the (quicker, more direct) trip back to Penzance... Did I mention the view from up there? A clear starry sky, a large bright moon, the lights all around the marina below and the lights of the villages scattered along the coastline for miles...

Sunday began in a more conventional way with a morning run. With the half marathon only a few weeks away (see Running to the Beat - Again below), we still needed to do a 15km run this weekend. We chose a pretty good way to do it - along the coastal path from Penzance, through Newlyn and also Mousehole (pronounced “Mowsel”). Spectacular views all the way!
It was this run that altered the day’s plan. Originally, we were going to take the direct bus back to St Ives, but instead chose to go and poke around Mousehole instead - and we weren’t disappointed.
Much quieter than St Ives, but just as picturesque with stunning coastal views, this nearly 600 year old village was an amazing little spot to just mosey around. Pretty good cream teas too!
Again, that thought of living in such a remote place all those years ago came up, as we were in the pub and saw a photo on the wall of ships from the 1800’s in the harbour - each with its name and history written below the photo.
We tried the local Cornish ales here, which weren’t too bad, before heading “up the hill” to the other pub, which we were told had better food. This “hill” was quite steep and we continued up it for some time to find ourselves with nothing but trees and fields around us. Eventually, reached the pub at the top of the hill only to discover that we were actually in the next village!
Anyway, the food was excellent, the staff good fun, and the atmosphere far better than the Ship Inn back in Mousehole. A great night before catching the last bus back to Penzance.

Monday was a somewhat slower start to the day, but once out and about it was a bit more exploring through Penzance as we made our way to the train station. Checking in our bags, we then hopped a bus down to nearby Newlyn for the Newlyn Fish Festival.
A perfect sunny day down on the piers with all the various stalls and other sideshows. This was quite a big event, and we really could have spent longer there. You do have to love it when you get a “fresh crab meat sandwich” and you see the guy hammering the crab claws to get the meat for your sandwich - any fresher and it would have been walking onto the bread!
There was so much to see and do there, and we could have spent a few more hours there if it weren’t for a certain train waiting to return us back to not-so-sunny London. After watching the hourly bus pull away while running for it, we hopped a cab for the £5 ride back to the train station in Penzance. This took us past the famous and haunted Dolphin Inn where our cabbie informed us that “something famous had happened” there. Don’t you just love history and these sorts of towns?

Running to the Beat Again

Yep, this year's main event will be the RuntotheBeat half marathon again. I'll be doing it with a bit of a difference this year:

a) Sheryl will be doing it with me (or is that me doing it with her?)

b) I won't be recovering from being knocked off my bike and have only 1 week's preparation

Anyway, I'll be fundraising for WSPA again, so if you feel inclined to donate, then great! A simple "fiver" (£5) will be appreciated, and any more will also be appreciated!

You can use the little button on the right here, or just go to (or click on) http://www.justgiving.com/Simon-Welfare .

We'll let you know how we go on the 26th of September, so watch this space!

As you may recall, I've fundraised for WSPA before with the proceeds going towards the Bioresource Research Centre (http://www.pbrc.edu.pk/ ) in Pakistan and the two bear sanctuaries (Kund and Balkasar) for those bears rescued from the "sport" of bear baiting. (see: http://www.pbrc.edu.pk/bearbaiting.htm for info on that).

Well, the recent floods in Pakistan have destroyed the Kund sanctuary beyond repair. This leaves only the unfinished sanctuary at Balkasar, which desparately needs completion - not only because it needs to house the 3 surviving bears (from 23) from the floods, but also for the remaining 70-something bears that the staff of the Bioresource Research Centre are trying to rescue from the gypsy bear baiting events.
For these reasons I'm raising funds again for WSPA and this cause...

Happier days for the survivors in the Kund Sanctuary

Weekend in Suffolk

With summer seemingly over, the weather for the weekend was not looking good - forecasts for heavy rain/showers wasn’t particularly attractive. Unperturbed, I met Sheryl in a small bar just near Liverpool St station for an afterwork drink.
We were soon joined by Vanessa, before partaking of a rather ordinary dinner. Finishing with only about seven minutes to spare, we headed for the train that was to take us out of London to Melton, Suffolk for the weekend.

Steve, met us at the Melton station and after some introductions, took us back to his and Eileen’s place for a leisurely evening.

Saturday wasn’t quite the earliest of starts. The quiet of rural village life in England really does help you get a good night’s rest and sleep. No alarms, no noise from busy main roads or sirens and the like are things you get used to in the heart of London. Something you only notice when they’re suddenly not there.

So a morning walk down to the Woodbridge River for breakfast... okay, “brunch” saw us at a local caravan/kitchen. A good “home cooked” breakfast followed, and I use the word “followed” appropriately, as this is what a certain newly met local did. Augustus the beagle tried on his best looks with each of us that were eating there. He had some mixed success before we were finished, and we continued our walk along the river, past the marinas and lone moorings towards Woodbridge itself.
We arrived via the main marina, and found ourselves at the Tide Mill (right).
Woodbridge River is actually tidal, and the level of the water between high and low tide is quite considerable. This is quite evident as you see so many boats moored that are just sitting on the mud of the river bottom at low tide. Anyway, the Mill was only able to run as the tide was going out. A small “lake” filled as the tide came in, then the water in that “lake” would flow out via the paddle-wheel as the tide went out.
From here it was a short walk over the railway line and into the streets and lanes of Woodbridge. A bit of retail therapy had us poking through both the Heart Foundation and Oxfam second-hand book stores, as well as the bakery. It was then time for a bit of a tea break by a cafe before heading home to Steve n Ei’s place with a stack of new reading to do.

With the clock nearing 6pm, we set out for the nearby village of Aldeburgh. Aldeburgh, pronounced “All-bra”, is a very old seaside town. Actually, it’s half a seaside town as half of the original town was washed out to sea many centuries ago. What’s left is a very quaint and picturesque sea-side township, that has two of the best fish n chip places in Suffolk, if not nationally. We were expecting a possible wait to get in, but managed to find a rather empty restaurant when we arrived.
It wasn’t long before the place was full, so our timing was perfect. Take a look at the line of folks waiting in this pic (left) - this is what awaited us when we’d finished.
So with the sun still up, it was time for a walk along the pebbled beach, through the seaside fair and through the quiet streets and lanes of the town. Oh, and the sweets caravan/stall was a popular stop too.
Upon the road back to Melton, we stopped for a brief look at the Snape Maltery, which is now a massive music school. A mix of amazing old buildings and newer constructions of learning centres, accommodation and other things.
Further along the roads we encountered a field of sunflowers, which Vanessa and Sheryl wished to stop and photograph. This turned into about a 10 minute stop as a bit of tomfoolery amongst these near six foot flowers ensued.
The return to Melton was further delayed by a few pints in a pub in Woodbridge to round out the evening.

Sunday saw another leisurely start, that had us on the roads again. This time we began with a drive around the Saxon burial sites known as the Sutton Hoo. We didn’t stop here as most of the good stuff that was excavated is back in London at the British Museum.
We did continue through the country-side to emerge by the coast on Shingle Street for a bit of a drive by the ocean and some of the houses there. Including one of the old forts that were from the Napoleonic Wars that had been converted into a home. Not a bad effort considering that it looked like a small sand castle (the type made by filling your plastic bucket with sand), and had walls that were about eight feet thick.
From here we headed back inland before finding ourselves in the village of Orford and on the banks of the estuary to the sea. We stopped here for what was lunch in a small cafe to enjoy the river views while out of the wind.
Once finished here, we moseyed along the lanes of Orford before exploring Orford Castle. You may recall this from the visit at xmas, but this time the castle was open, so in we went. It’s not particularly large, but obviously fitted the needs of Henry II whenever he visited. It did give you a great view in all directions from the top - once you’d climbed the obligatory spiral stairwell.

Once back at ground level again, it was another picturesque drive through the laneways and roads back to Melton for a cruisey afternoon and dinner before hopping the train back to London, sirens, traffic and the working week...