Midsomer Murders



John Nettles, sometimes described as the best James Bond we never had [by me].

 The shop has just been inundated by a coach load of Danish people who are on a week long Midsomer Murders tour of Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds.  Lovely people and obviously very much into their Midsomer Murders.  I'm more of a Bergerac man myself and several of the Danish visitors agreed that Bergerac may have the edge over MM.  I was at pains to explain that Midsomer Murders, although entertaining, is not true to life as we don't have that many murders around here.  Famous last words.

Did you know that the hardest phrase to say in Danish is 'strawberry porridge with cream'?  Next time you speak to a Dane ask them to say it.  Damn near impossible.

Midsomer County aka somewhere around here - would make a good teatowel, mmm...

Cowslips

The cowslips are just on the way out in early May and it is a shame to see them go.  This small and delicate yellow flower is a joy and [for me] has become what spring is all about.  You can make wine from them, but I would never have the heart to pick them.  The road from Cirencester to Gloucester [A417] was constructed around 15-20 years ago and the verges were built using top soil from a housing development near Stroud.  The dormant cowslip seeds sprouted in the first couple of years of the new road's existence and now the large verges are absolutely covered in them.  It's a wonderful sight in April, but hard to take a photo of due to the fast moving traffic!

Royal Wedding

I really enjoyed the Royal Wedding.  I don't normally enjoy wearing my full dress uniform.  The epaulets make me perspire, the medals chafe my left nipple and I tend to trip over the sword.  But for this occasion it was worth it; the whole village came together to celebrate and marvelous fun was had by all.  The Wedding was also a prime commercial opportunity for the shop with commemorative tea towels and mugs selling very well and many souvenirs of the big day going as far afield as Japan and Thailand.  I also noticed an insatiable appetite for Royal Wedding comemorative stamps, with the mini-sheet of four stamps of various values selling out in one day.




The table set for the children's tea party.



The V.I.P



Lyne Down Cider

As I was in Gloucester I had a wander through the excellent Farmers' Market, that is held every Friday in the city centre.  After a good browse I bought some cider from Lyne Down cider, who are based near Ledbury, Herefordshire;  two bottles of single variety cider [a dry and a medium sweet] and a bottle of perry.  I tried some of the cider last night and it is very good. 

One day I am going to apply for a liquor licence so I can sell locally produced cider and beer in the shop.  How it will be received I wonder?  I'm trying a glass of my own scrumpy at the moment and I don't think it's very commercial! 

http://www.lynedowncider.co.uk/

The Judge's House

Yesterday I had a trip to the cash and carry in Gloucester and had a couple of hours to spare so I nipped into the city centre for a mooch.  Most of my favourite buildings in Gloucester are pubs [the New Inn, the Fountain, Cafe Rene etc. etc.] but there is one none pub building, known as the Judge's House, which I find enthralling. 

It is reputed to be the biggest and most authentic sixteenth century timber framed town house in the country.  The catch is that you can't really see it.  Another building was subsequently built in front of the facade of the Judge's House, so that there is now a small narrow lane between the two buildings.  It is down Westgate Street, just passed McDonald's and next door to the Santander Bank.  Until recently the Judge's House was an independent book shop, but is now empty and on the market.  I am told that the upper internal floors of the building have not been touched in 400 years.

If you sidle down the alley, known as Maverdine Lane, strain your neck and look upwards then you can see the tremendous façade.  It is covered in anti-pigeon spikes and it is rather gloomy, but marvellous none the less.  I wonder how the sixteenth century merchant who built it would feel if he knew that his splendid house was now next door to a Spanish bank, and especially one that had consumed several long standing British banks?

Proceed through the alley....it goes no where.

 

Look up.....difficult to get a good photo....



I hope these photos do it justice.  I would have thought that in this digital age the façade could be 'scanned' and then reproduced somehow.  I hope a new use is found soon for the building and that it is a sympathetic one.  It would make a good pub.........
 http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-472600-old-judges-house-26-gloucester

Hedgerow Blossom

The hedgerows appear to be heavily laden with blossom this year which bodes well for a bumper crop of hedgerow fruit this autumn.  Hopefully the frost will not be too severe over the next month or so and the blossoms will be allowed to mature.

GWR Manure

Roy Nash is a gentleman who supplies me with a few greetings cards.  Roy is in his mid 80s and is a very talented photographer.  He lives in Swindon and has day trips to the Cotswolds when he will take lots of photographs.  Roy has accepted the digital age and manufactures all his cards from home; they come with an envelope and are individually wrapped in cellophane.  They're great sellers and are especially popular amongst the Japanese visitors. 

I very much enjoy chatting with Roy as he spent his entire working life with Great Western Railway [GWR] over in Swindon.  Apparently all employees of GWR were provided with subsidised coal which was delivered to their homes by horse and cart.  The horses were stabled underneath the railway arches and their manure was collected on a daily basis.  The manure was then mixed with sand and used in the casting process of the iron locomotive cylinders. 

The massive GWR works at Swindon is now a retail outlet centre and there is an excellent museum there called Steam, which is dedicated to the history of the GWR http://www.steam-museum.org.uk/.  For some smashing old photos of the works go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/swindonlocal/3830008987/

A chap came in yesterday whose ambition it was to travel on all the remaining steam and narrow gauge railways in the UK.  He said there are approximately 130 in total and so far he had ticked off 58.  I'm going to have a crack at it on my retirement.