Monday, September 28, 2020

Published Monday, September 28, 2020 by The Adventures Of Howard And Mary with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday 27th September

Went for a swim on Monday morning. The kitchen sink was blocked so had to take the pipes apart. Did a bit more paint stripping. Tom phoned and all the searches have been done now so they are hoping to exchange contracts on Thursday so we transferred the money we are giving them for the deposit. As infection rates are still rising more country wide restrictions are being planned. Only Connect is back and its been recorded during lockdown so there are screens between the contestants. Most similar programs make no mention of covid so they must have been recorded before this all started, e.g. Pointless and UC. Finally picked up my Ridgeback on Tuesday morning. Tried the front brake in the shop and the cable came loose. Gave it a test run near the shop as its in Shinfield and didn't want to have to go back. It seemed OK but when I got back noticed the back brake was catching. What is it with these people, don't they do basic tests? I think Andy had a similar problem. Decided to go for a ride to check out the bike and also because its the last day of the good weather. Thought I'd head east to Windsor Great Park and get a train back. There are some great views. Its Windsor Castle in the background.

I was thinking to myself that in spite of the fact that its a royal park its a fantastic place for walking and cycling only to find that for some reason cycling is not allowed in the main bit of it at the moment. I did manage to go round and out the other side though and got a train from Egham. Didn't see any deer either. Or any royals. The weather changed on Wednesday, cooler and it rained, so didn't go out. Did a bit of house cleaning and worked on my video for Sailor's Daughter. There was a bit of a kerfuffle with regarde to the money we are giving Tom and Sally. They needed a document to say it was a gift and proof of the transfer. Went for a swim on Thursday morning. 45 mins this time. M did 40 lengths which is 1K. New measures come into force today as the infection rate is rising. The main one is that all pubs and restaurants have to shut by 10pm. People are also being encouraged to work from home if they can, they were being encouraged to go back to work. The NHS track and trace app has been released so I've installed it. Did some more work on the window but its a bit nippy out there. Had a Zoom call with Kevin, Adrienne and Penno in the evening. The first one I've had for a while. Almost forgot how it works. We played Carcassonne via https://en.boardgamearena.com/

Enjoyed it, worked quite well. Kevin is going to retire next May. Penno is waiting for term to start. She has the option to study abroad for a term. A bit of a lazy day on Friday. It was very windy and various pots blew over. Went for another swim, ordered a green screen for making videos, cooked a curry. We're watching Damages about American lawyers. Tom and Sally have exchanged contracts on their house. The completion date was been put back to 8th which is Tom's birthday. Another lazy day on Saturday. Did some more video stuff and guitar playing. M did homemade pasta for tea. Very nice. A good start to the day on Sunday, didn't get up til 1. Went for an urban walk. Very busy in town but the shops we went in weren't that full. In stark contrast to the time we went into town just after lockdown started when we took photos for the pub sign and clock quiz. I noticed the 3 Guineas was shut as was the coffee van round the back of the station. The tea boat was doing a roaring trade though. Popped into the Castle Castle Tap garden and Steve and Patrick were there. Did a roast chicken from the Genius cookbook as recommended by James and Amy. Stayed up a bit too late. Only one photo this week.

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Monday, September 21, 2020

Published Monday, September 21, 2020 by The Adventures Of Howard And Mary with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday 20th September

Infection rates are rising so new measures have been introduced from Monday. No gatherings of more than 6 people. They have removed the household limit though. So it can be 6 people from 6 different households. I guess it makes enforcement easier. Tony came round to fix a broken radiator valve. We went for a swim and managed 40 mins. Went to pick my bike up from Evans on Tuesday morning and guess what? No new pedals in spite of being told it wouldn't be a problem they dont have any in stock. I hate that shop. Managed to get some online without a problem. The final part for my Ridgeback, a chain ring, had arrived last week so phoned up to see it it was ready but they had sent the wrong one. It's due in tomorrow but I'm not holding my breath. In case I haven't mentioned it there is supposed to be world wide shortage of bikes and parts as so many people have started cycling because of covid. That's to keep fit and avoid public transport. Restarted work on the bay window. Cooked a stir fry worked on my new song. Finished The Polish Officer by Alan Furst on Wednesday morning which I really enjoyed. Did the usual spot if cleaning in the morning. Went for another 40 minute swim and did some more stripping of the window. There's not much on TV at the moment so we re-watched The Bridge which we enjoyed so now we are re-watching the second series. There was a Mansfield Rd walk on Thursday arranged by Kelvin. We got a bus to the Red Lion at Upper Basildon and walked to Pangbourne. Sue, John and Paul also came.

M was supposed to come too but had a hair appointment. Really good walk most of which I hadn't done before. We passed St Bartholomew's church Lower Basildon where Jethro Tull came from and is buried.

Churches tend to be open so people can go in any time as there are some restrictions on services

We then walked down to the river where I used to fish and into Pangbourne. The plan was to have a quick pint in The Swan and then get the same bus back. However we waited for 20 mins and no bus so we got a train. We then saw the bus at the start of Oxford Rd on the walk back from the station. M had had her hair coloured. Streaked, some blond, some very red. Looks great. Finished off Sailor's Daughter in the evening. Friday was the annual cycle the number of miles Reading got points ride. This year it was 56 which co-incidentally is about the same as my planned 5 brewerys ride so we combined the two.

Graham dropped out so that left just me, Andy, Kelvin and Dave. Lodden was first on the list and we half halves of Ferrymans with an extra half for top ups. Next up was Binghams where they only have a shop and a few barrels outside to sit on. Had 5 halves of Mystic Endeavour which is a very hoppy IPA with a hint of burntness like a stout.

An interesting sculpture in the unit opposite.

And this car sticker.

Next was Sirencraft. We passed the Royal's new training ground at Bearwood Park on the way.

We also passed Hogwood, the old training ground. We dropped down to 4 halves of Soundwave and had our sarnies sitting in the sun. There was then a 20 plus mile ride over to West Berks. We moved onto pints of Maharaja but it wasn't as good as it could be and there was also a bit of a country smell. We bombed back to Double Barrelled which is another industrial unit down Portman Rd. I hadn't been before. It was really busy and almost exactly 56 miles.

Purely by co-incidence we had pints of 56K Modem. Kelvin's daughter Amy was there with Ben and John Luther. A good ride and I remembered the route. M had cooked a lamb tagine when I got back so settled back to watch TV with a bottle of red. Saw a good documentary about Hendrix at Woodstock. Great stuff. Did a bit of gardening on Saturday morning. My pedals turned up but they are all plastic including the thread so didn't really fancy using them. Found an old pair in the shed though so went down to Evans to get them fixed along with the back brake which was catching the wheel. They sorted it and even gave me a mask so I'll ease off them a bit. My Ridgeback is also ready so I'll pick it up next week. Decided to make pizzas for tea. I had volunteered to do October's society walk so we did a trial run on Sunday with Kelvin.. Nice walk, from Crookham Common near Thatcham, new territory. A lot of it by the river Enborne.

Tried the pub at the bottom of Ashford Hill I had found on one of my lockdown rides but unfortunately it wasn't open. Had a nice pint of Hophead in the Hinds Head at Aldermaston instead.Very quiet. The last time I'd arranged a walk there it was heaving. Had to ask for track and trace which seemed odd. The rest of the covid stuff was fine though. M cooked nice steaks for teas. We finished off watching Criminal UK, a really good series.

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Monday, September 14, 2020

Published Monday, September 14, 2020 by The Adventures Of Howard And Mary with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday 13th September

A good start to the day on Monday for me at least. We hadn't booked breakfast so went to The Hairy Baristas.

We then walked downstream along The Dart Trail. The idea was to head for The Watermans Arms at Bow Bridge, about 3.5 miles and then walk back. It was nice and sunny when we set off and very pleasant.

We had a bit of a problem when we got to Ashprington as the road was closed, even to pedestrians, so we had to back track and take an alternative and initially muddy route. The pub was good on the covid front except no track and trace again. Food also good, tuna baguettes and the chunkiest chips I've ever had. They could even have been homemade. Washed down with a pint of Palmers Gold. We had a bit of a change of plan and decided to walk to The Malters Arms in the next village, Tuckenhay, and get a cab back. This place had track and trace. It was by a very muddy creek. The weather changed and it started drizzling.

Thought it might be curlew country but mainly gulls and the odd egret. Had a pint of Hanlons Yellow Hammer. Got back and chilled for a bit. In the evening we had a bit of a wander and found a back street pub called The Watermans Arms. How often do you go into 2 pubs with the same name on the same day? It was a bit of a local's pub with not much going for it. Had track and trace and a hand sanitiser but not much else on the covid front. Had a pint of Hunter's Old Charlie which was OK. Then wandered to The Steam Packet Inn and decided to eat there even though we had to sit outside. Had good fish and chips but far too many chips. Washed down with a pint of Salcombe Seahorse. Very good on the covid front but had outdoor heaters on in one bit. Wandered back through town.

The bar was full at the hotel so went back to the room and watched Young Wallander with a bottle of white. On Tuesday morning M had conference call with TOFS so I went out to get breakfast. That's when I discovered there had been a power cut so no coffee and couldn't pay for food as no cash. I managed to get grenola and apple juice from the hotel. The power came back on about 10 30 so was out for about an hour. Went for bit of a wander round Totnes when M was on her call. Started off going upstream along the river. Soon found a Morrisons and some industrial units. Still nice by the river though. Found a weir where they seemed to be replacing a hydroelectric unit. Found a church over the river with very modern windows. There's not much in the way of shops or anything on that side.

The main drag was very busy. Went back and sat outside in the sun with a coffee.

We had decided to head for the coast so picked Salcombe. All the car parks were full but we spotted a couple seemingly looking for a lost car, they joking said they weren't leaving and could see we were stalking them but in fact they were leaving and gave us their ticket. An interesting place with lots boats and boat yards.

Found a quiet pub, The Fortescue Arms, which was ideal. Very good on the covid stuff, ticked all the boxes. I had the obligatory crab sandwich washed down with a pint of Salcombe Gold. M had crab salad and a glass of pinot. Just what the doctor ordered. We then went on a walk along the front to the North Sands beach. Quite a few shops in the main drag but no tat and obviously quite an affluent place. They have a gin distillery as well as a brewery

I never quite got the English Rivieria thing but you can see it here on a day like it was.

The plan after was to drive over to an NT car park and walk down near a nature reserve to see if we could spot any curlews. I hadn't appreciated that the car park was on the top of a hill and we would have a steep climb down and up so instead we just settled for this view.

It had been a beautiful sunny day but that wasn't forecast. A good start to the evening. We went to Ben's Wine and Tapas Bar. All the wines were excellent and the tapas good too and very reasonably priced. Also pretty good on the covid front. Got back and the bar was shut. Watched another Young Wallander. Had breakfast in the hotel on Wednesday morning which was great, I had pancakes and M had homemade beans on toast with a couple of eggs. Really nice hotel which deserves a photo.

Got back by about 2 in around 3 hours. Decided to do flat breads and falafel for tea as James and Amy had done but overstretched myself. A big day on Thursday as I had my hair cut for the first time since lockdown.

In the afternoon I cycled over to Mark Best's leaving do. There were a few of the old crowd there including Lynda C. Then went for first Thursday drinks at The Fox and Hounds. Started off with a pint of Pint then moved to Pocket Rocket which was very nice. Everyone in good form. On Friday morning we went for a swim. I then spent most of the day working on a video for a song I've written. Got a call from John Lewis saying my watch had been repaired so went to pick it up. Good start to the day on Saturday. Had pancakes for breakfast. Did a few jobs. Took my town bike into Evans as the pedal had nearly dropped off as a result of the ride with J and A. Finished my video. M cooked lamb with flat breads and salad. Settled down to watch TV. Had a bit of a lie in on Sunday and spent mist of the day working on a new song. M sorted out her clothes. Made pizzas in the pizza oven for tea. They turned out well. I have finally got the hang of it. Watch the end of Lethal White and a new thing called Singapore Grip. Showed M my 3 Minute Wonder video. She liked it.

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Monday, September 07, 2020

Published Monday, September 07, 2020 by The Adventures Of Howard And Mary with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday 6th September

Took Tom and Sally to the station about midday on Monday. Did the walk from Prospect Park down to the Kennet with James and Amy as we needed to go to the bottle bank. They went out to meet up with PJ in Brew Dog in the evening. We had M's signature dish for tea and chilled in front of the telly watching Lethal White. On Tuesday we decided to drive over to Avebury and have a walk taking in a few of old things in the area. There's the stone circle.

We then walked down an avenue of stones to West Kennet Long Barrow

Then we popped over the A4 to Silbury Hill.

The stream that we were walking by is marked on the map as the River Kennet. I checked out where the source us meant to be and its descibed as Swallowhead Springs. This is odd as its downstream of where the river is marked on the map. According to some its a sacred place so people leave offerings like ribbons and candles. We had seen some in a tree by a stream where the footpath turns north so

maybe they had been put in the wrong spot.

Had a nice lunch in the Red Lion, a pub in the village of Avebury very close to the stones. It was Green King but they had a good pint of Ramsbury Gold on. Food was pretty good too, I had moule frites, as was all the covid stuff. Our first time inside a pub. Stopped off at the big Sainsbury's just off the M4 as James and Amy were planning to cook. Really tasty falafels, flat bread, tzatziki, halloumi and salad. We then settled down to watch Dark Waters. Went cycling with James and Amy on Wednesday morning. Did my long morning ride along the Kennet to Theale and back via Hardwick Stud and Mapledurham. Even went over a motorway footbridge.

M had made tomato soup for lunch. I managed a quick burst on the guitar with James on mandolin then we played Viticulture. I was actually winning for a while. I'm purple.

Got a takeaway from the Bluegrass place washed down with champagne and played 6 Nimmt and Codenames. Predictably the younger generation had the upperhand. On Thursday we had a trip to Oxford as Amy had never been. Decided to drive for covid reasons and it was quite straight forward. Unfortunately lots of places were closed, like the colleges, but we had a good wonder round and went to the Ashmolian where we saw Jeannie and Davy. I had a spooky moment being alone in a room full of staues although it doesn't look like it in the photo.

Had lunch in the Bookbinders in Jericho and walked back slong the canal. Oxford was pretty quiet. It was the first day I'd worn long trousers since lock down although I did wear them in the evening at Peter Scoggins' party. Played a game of Patchwork with James, thought I might have won but lost by 1 point. Amy cooked a pasta dish and we watched Denial. Went for a walk based around the Unicorn on Friday and had lunch there. Someone had been building dens in the woods.

Played Viticulture and 6 Nimmt when we got back and I actually won both. James and Amy went to see Josh and Vicki in the evening so we just snacked and watched a couple of films. James had told me of a more scientific method of making coffee so tried that on Saturday morning. A coarser grind, about 5 secs, leave the water for a minute after boiling. Let the coffee stand for 4 minutes then stir and most of the grounds will sink. Its then easy to press. They left after breakfast, about 10 15 and got back about 6ish. The Few Dollars More poster had replace the old Reading boundaries map so I put that up upstairs. Did a bit of music in the afternoon and bit of prep for going away the next day. Cooked a lamb tagine and watcyed a couple of films in the evening. The Contender with Gary Oldman and Munich about the aftermath of the Munich olypics hostage taking. Not seen either before and both pretty good. Google Maps gave conflicting routes to Totnes on my phone and M's Ipad. The Ipad said the M4 and my phone said A303 as a section of the M4 is closed. We went for the latter but there were quite a few hold ups and a tractor to contend with. Still got down in about 4 hours though so not bad. After che king in at The Bull went for a bit of a wonder. Looks like a nice town, lots of trendy shops.