Entrecote

It's practically our last day gallivanting about and having ticked off the majority of things on our to-do list then we have to pop over to Montpellier for the best ever steak and chips at Entrecote. We were lead to believe that there is an Entrecote in Manchester but it developed a bad reputation when a vegetarian turned up and left feeling very hungry. That might be a joke, I'm  not  sure (OK I am) but it has ceased to exist. There maybe one in London so I'll check it out when we're next there.

Some things never change

If it's Saturday it must be Sommieres  and a little trip to the market. And boy was it busy. We got there at 11.30 and the car park was already full. Its crazy busy. Any way, chance to get oysters for mum and tellines for us. Personally I don't like oysters but tellines  (especially the way that Jan prepares them) are to die for. Oh, and to meet up with old friends. Did I mention that?

It could almost be France

I saw this sign on a door in Boroughbridge the other day. It made me laugh. The shop was shut.

Ida

In a fit of enthusiasm, having seen Gone Girl last week we booked to see the 'five star' rated Ida last night. We liked Gone Girl, both having enjoyed the book and now the film so it was with some anticipation that we looked forward to Ida.
Filmed in black and white, in Polish with English subtitles it was the story of a young nun who tried to find her roots. If you like films where not much happens and not much is said, with lots of staring into space but very nicely filmed then you might like Ida. It is definitely an 'art house' film but a film that you don't really get emotionally involved with. I'm not sure why.
We both left feeling a bit empty and at a bit of a loss of what to say, which is unusual for Jan.

Harrogate

I've always said that Harrogate is somewhere that you want to leave when you're 18 years old but when you get to 50 you wonder why you ever thought like that and want to get back.
Reading this article the other day made me realise how lucky we are to live where we do. The move from France to Yorkshire was mostly motivated for the need to be nearer my mother as she grows older and more frail but having said that we've been pleasantly surprised about how good the weather has been, how nice the people are and how good the shops are. Not nice weather in a tropical sort of way but plenty of sunshine, little rain and temperatures not exceeding 20C, sort of way.
It's easy to complain about where you live but having now lived in various places in the UK and also France I can honestly say that you could do a lot worse than this part of the world. You could spend a lot of time researching places to live but for me the best place to live is wherever Jan is (OK, sorry, pass the sick bucket).

A mystery solved

While out and about recently I'd noticed that certain folks were under dressed. Under dressed as in, 'it ain't that warm why are you wearing so little?' Then, after a while, it dawned on me. The under dressed were almost all heavily tattooed. What was more important to them, was showing the world their tattoos and not how cold they were.
Personally I'm not keen on tats and my dislike started when David Beckham started several years ago. I can understand the odd, out of the way tattoo, administered when you are young and foolish and probably pissed, but not the heavy all over 'body art' that you'd wish you had never had done when you get to old age.
Spare me all the socio mumbo jumbo about body art over the ages and freedom of expression, it just doesn't look too good. I can only assume that the man above is self employed. YMMV.

No 36

Ever since I've been an adult I'd heard a lot about No 69 and, whilst I could appreciate its direction, I've always wanted to try a No 36.

After a bit of deliberation and being mature adults, we decided to let our inhibitions go and decided to partake of the pleasure. The journey had a mostly up and down sensation, quite a bumpy ride, reminiscent of a poorly sprung car and, at the end, I felt slightly nauseous.

Upstairs was the place to be, I've always like upstairs.

The first session took about 40 minutes then we stopped for a breather, something to eat and started again after a couple of hours. The second session was a bit quicker and seemed over before we knew it but then we already had a good idea of what to expect.

Jan has tried it before on her own however this was my first ever use of my free bus pass. The journey between Ripon and Harrogate will never be the same again.

Eastbourne

When visiting Brighton recently we also visited a friend in Eastbourne. Seeing as they're two seaside towns about 30 minutes apart on the same coast, it's difficult not to compare the two. Both towns have similar grand buildings on or near the seafront but Eastbourne somehow feels smarter, nicer in most departments.

I suspect that because Brighton has quicker links to London it attracts lots of wealthy and poor Londoners (whoops now I'm going to upset Londoners) and, as a University town, it has lots of students. Superficially at least, Eastbourne seems to be less scruffy, less 'vibrant' and cater for a better class of folks (like me). For a person who doesn't like the term 'class' that grates as I say it.

The evening that we were there, a really good brass band played on the sea front and turned a mundane promenade into something quite pleasurable. 

God, I'm getting old.  

My new job on a market stall

I've just been inundated with one request to start posting again. I have to admit that from time to time Jan turns to me and says, 'you should blog that.' I've been so sorely tempted that now I've done it.

This morning is a good example. I'm standing at our fruit and veg stall in the market and I noticed two of the serving lads eyeing a very voluptuous young woman standing in the queue. I smiled knowingly at one of them and he said, 'my mate's missus has just chucked him out so he's a bit lonely.'

I smiled and nodded in agreement, trying to stay on the right side of the man who was adding up our bill, 'she's very attractive and well stacked,' I said.

He laughed and without missing a beat he said, 'with an attitude like that you could could have a job here.' I was very flattered.

Ripley Castle

Now there's posh.
The abundance of christmas markets continues to impress and we are dutifully working our way round the nearest.
Today was Ripley Castle just north of Harrogate. We got there about 10.30 and, judging by the carpark, it was already packed. It was so busy that it made browsing the stalls a bit uncomfortable however it was warm and dry inside the huge, chandeliered, red carpeted marquee.
The ladies on the door were dead posh, all big hats and fur, as were some of the stallholders, so we had a bit of a giggle as we pushed our way around and through the crowds. The first area was dedicated to food. Most of it excellent and also available by mail order. The next area was much more mixed ranging from clothes to bric a brac but some of it was interesting.
If we go again next year we'll book tickets in advance because they were about half the price of tickets on the door.

Montezuma's

We were queueing for the checkout in Lewis and Cooper the other day and Jan noticed some chocolate for sale (aren't they clever like that) and asked if I fancied trying some Montezuma's milk chocolate with chilli and lime. My initial reaction was 'I'm not sure about chocolate and lime' but instinctively said, 'OK why not.' We got it home and have to say that it was delicious and we both liked it so much that I checked where else you could buy it. I found their website here.
Which then got me thinking about how entrepreneurial we are in this country. We've both been amazed at the abundance of cottage industries (particularly here in Yorkshire) that we've come across since we've been back in the UK and as Jan said "young folk today quite often get a bad press but there are lots of them out there who are working hard and using their brains and we should support them." I couldn't agree more.

A fun day

That was an interesting day. Jan and I don't really have an anniversary so she we celebrate the day she was lucky enough to first set eyes on me.
That was seventeen years ago yesterday, so as a treat we went to eat at The Star Inn in Harome. And jolly good it was too.
On the drive over I happened to mention that I fancied eating game for a change and, as befits a thatched restaurant cottage in deepest Yorkshire, that's what I had. My risotto starter with locally shot pheasant was absolutely delightful, not cheap, though they offer a set three course meal for £25, the meal was excellent, beautifully cooked and served. They also offer wines by the glass at lunch time which is useful.
This is a top end restaurant and aims to please. Recommended.
Then, it was on to York to see a comedian at the Barbican but not before driving past Castle Howard and Lidl. Lidl because they are selling whole cooked lobster for £5.99 each and we wanted some for New Year.
With a couple of hours to spare we headed into York town centre and headed straight to M&S, where else? And now comes the most surprising part of the day.
Just outside M&S is a Halifax Bank and it was there that I queued behind three ladies as one of them drew money from the ATM. My turn came but before I could put my card in it spewed a receipt obviously intended for one of the ladies. I looked around but they had disappeared. Being the nosey type I looked at the receipt and what it showed made me shout 'bloody hell.' The lady had drawn out £100 but the account balance showed £49,370.38.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

Would the extremely attractive lady who withdrew cash from the Halifax Bank at 16.52 in central York on Friday 22nd November please contact me because I have the receipt that she forgot to pick up. Yours lovingly, an ardent fan and admirer. Alex.

A bit more culcha

Sitting on my arse for three hours watching anything fills me with dread. I get a sore bum sitting on a plane for two hours so this was something that I was not looking forward to.
The RSC production of Richard 11 (as in Shakespeare) was showing at the Curzon and Jan, who studied it for an A Level, wanted to go. Me, trying pretending not to be a philistine, agreed.
The doors opened at 18.40, the play started at 19.15, presumably to let all the white haired folk get home in time for their Horlicks, and finished at 22.15. What I hadn't realised was that it was a live performance from Stratford whereas I thought that it was a film of a performance.
OK, down to the nitty gritty. After a straight 1.5 hours in the packed 57 seater auditorium (with little wriggle room) my bum was starting to really hurt which was very distracting. David Tennant, who I don't think is a very good actor, played a very camp King Richard and had me giggling at times, but I was the only one, and admittedly he did get better as time went on. All in all I don't think it is a 'strong' play and unless you have studied it then the dialogue is somewhat incomprehensible though you do get the gist of what's happening. I realise that I could be showing my ignorance or maybe just describing 'the kings new clothes'. Your mileage may vary.
I have always thought that clapping in a theatre was about the audience telling the cast how much they enjoyed it. When a slightly very smug chap started to clap enthusiastically at the interminable bowing at the end I felt that maybe he was just a bit too enthusiastic whilst sitting in a theatre 200 miles away.

Crafts for Christmas

I must admit I wasn't looking forward to it. Crafts for Christmas was booked by Jan some time ago and I expected it to be a couple of hours of looking at stuff that would appeal to the knit your own yogurt brigade.
We managed to park close to the entrance which is always a bonus at The Yorkshire Showground and it was only a short walk to the exhibition hall, so that was an immediate and welcome bonus. What in fact it was, was a huge indoor Christmas market with all sorts of stuff for sale. Some expensive but the majority not and an excellent place to pick up ideas. Not at all what I expected.
Then, as it was lunchtime, we popped into Fodder, right next door, to see if we could get a bite to eat. As well as their usual choice, they offered the most enormous Sunday lunch with a choice of beef, pork or lamb and a huge Yorkshire pud and veg. Excellent value, we'll be back.

Countryside Live

Last weekend we visited Countryside Live at the Yorkshire Showground. It didn't seem as busy as a previous visit but we came away with two small gems. The first was a stall selling mostly crab and shellfish products. I'm a nightmare shopping before lunch because I'm usually very hungry and today was no exception. They are called What a Catch and we bought and ate a small tub of crab paté. It was really excellent on hot buttered toast as a snack. On November 1st they will launch a website so we will probably try some other stuff. Recommended.
The other gem was a company called Nova Scotia Farm Produce and this is their website. We tried steak pies, the size of pork pies, and they were delicious. Filled with large chunks of meat, not the slime that you normally associate with steak pies. They were really impressive. Recommended.
Since coming back from France we have been amazed at the range and quality of local (Yorkshire) produce and continue to be pleased at what we find.
By the way, there is no charge for all this research and taste testing, so say a big thank you to the nice man and lady.

No trouble at t'mill

When we first got here a couple of years ago we (Jan) wrote down a list of places to go and things to see. High on the list was a revisit to Salts Mill in Shipley or, as the website says, 'shopping, dining and art in one glorious building.' We wandered around the building, which is huge, admiring Hockney originals and buying the odd thing, making for an excellent few hours doing not much. Recommended.
After Salts Mill and with lunch time having nearly passed we headed for the old Harry Ramsden's fish and chip shop in nearby Menston. Fortunately the operation had now been bought by the Wetherby Whaler folks and the fish and chips are now much improved. What really made us giggle was the sight of a grand piano to one side of the dining room and as you can see in the (poor quality) photo above, chandeliers. Admit it, have you ever eaten fish and chips under a chandelier? Recommended.

The Nidderdale Show

I'm reliably informed, by the nice lady who sells scones et al in my favourite cafe in Pateley Bridge, that Nidderdale Show is the last show of the season.
I have always teased Jan about what I believe to be her deep rooted ambition to be a farmers wife and that suspicion was sort of confirmed when she insisted that we went to the show.
Pateley Bridge is one of my favourite places because we can buy scrummy pies (beef and onion is my favourite) and roast meat joints from Kendalls, stock up on sweeties from The Oldest Sweet Shop in Britain and get delicious scones from our favourite cafe. Culinary heaven, especially if you include the Sportsmans Arms just up the road and The Yorke Arms when you really want to push the boat out.
Anyway, the show is an old fashioned agricultural show with pigs, cows, sheep and goats, lots of stalls selling country clothing, food and and other good stuff. Parking was easy and it's an experience worth considering if you're into that kind of thing. Recommended.

Mi-fi

 

The parking arrangements in Weymouth are excellent. The system is simple. You park wherever you want, especially if it's in a prohibited place, and leave your car as long as you want. The parking authorities will then visit your car in a timely fashion and leave your ticket (approval to park) on your windscreen. A tad pricey but an excellent and efficient system.
With three adults all used to instant internet access through phones and tablets and somewhat inclement weather keeping us all indoors I headed out to try this parking arrangement in Weymouth and to find a phone shop where I could get a mobile wi-fi access point. These things are really useful, connecting to the internet via phone masts and allowing several different users to access the internet at the same time. Cool.
I can confirm the parking arrangement works well.

HMP The Verne

 

We're in Portland, Dorset for a first ever visit to this part of the world.
For some reason I imagined that Portland would be flat and boring, wrong, it's a huge lump of rock (Portland Stone) jutting out into the English channel where stone is quarried to this day.
Jan and I explored the island a bit this afternoon and were intrigued to see signs to a jail (The Verne) and the Jailhouse Café. The entrance to the café is accessed through the ancient fortifications that sit on top of the island and is very impressive if not a bit spooky. As we approached, a group poured out that had been celebrating a 70 years old birthday, and I could see that the café was closed but asked a kind looking man if I could look at the menu.
'Sure', he (Ben) said, 'come in.' 'We serve hot food at midday and close about 3.00pm.'
'Are you open in the evening?' I said.
'Nah,' he said, 'we have to be back in our cells by then.'
'Oh,' I said I didn't realise you were prisoners (trying to make him feel better). 'Yes, all the men you can see are prisoners, unfortunately not the women,' he said.
I laughed all the way back to the car. We will visit to show our support.

Dorset

So off we go for a not too sunny week in Dorset. This is our first ever trip to Dorset so we're looking forward to it. More about it later.
The weather doesn't look too promising with rain and strong wind forecast for Sunday. Still, I always have Billy Connolly's words imprinted on my mind when folks complain about the weather.