Author: 50themusical

Back on the Canal (5)

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Warwick Castle

Today we are still moored on the Saltisford Arm and decided to visit Warwick Castle. The day started off a little cloudy and breezy, but got brighter as the day wore on, meaning we were able to have a full day outside.

Warwick Castle is an absolutely amazing day out. On arrival we had a short wander through the grounds and looked at the itinerary of events for the day. We then made our way to “River Island” for the War of the Roses. On entry we chose to go on the side of the House of York (of course) indicated by the white rose. The opposing side was the House of Lancashire and the red rose. The next 30 minutes were filled with an excellent display of jousting, fighting, horse riding and story telling. We were encouraged to cheer on our knights and kings and boo the opponents. It was extremely entertaining.

Our next stop was The Falconers Quest, which was again some great story telling and an amazing collection of birds of prey and falconers. The whole thing was done with such precision and timing, with appropriate background music, making an impressive display, including some of the birds flying, extremely close to the heads of the audience.

Next up we took part in a tour of walls of the castle, with an interesting and knowledgable guide telling us over 900 years of the history of the castle. This was followed by a tour of the state rooms, again with a great guide who gave us lots of information and stories about the rooms.

We then visited the Horrible Histories maze, which was geared up for children, but as a Horrible Histories fan, I really enjoyed it. After much debate (I’m not the bravest when it comes to scary attractions) our final visit was to the Dungeons. This was an extra cost, but well worth it. A series if actors tell gruesome stories about ghosts, plagues and torture. Very entertaining and makes you jump in places but not as scary as I convinced myself it would be.

We definitely had a full day in Warwick Castle and there were still lots of things we didn’t get to see, so it will definitely be worth another visit in the future.

After leaving the castle called in a couple if the shops before heading to the “Tilted Wig”for a tasty meal.

When we returned to Saltisford Arm and our boat, the sun was still out and we managed to sit outside with a drink a perfect end to a brilliant day!

Back on the Canal (4)

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Braunston to Itchington

Before setting off this morning we were visited by a family of swans at the duck hatch. It was lovely to feed them through the hatch, until one of the parent swans began hissing at us and trying to get its head through the hatch. We bid a hasty retreat and shut the hatch, as none of us were keen on battling with protective swans.

Travelling from Braunston was a mostly rural area, peaceful through roaming countryside with no locks for miles. Just before our overnight stop at Long Itchington, are a series of wide locks, big enough for two boats. As there was no one else travelling in our direction, we managed the locks with a single boat.

It was a much shorter journey today and we arrived at our mooring spot close to the Two Boats Inn. It was a lovely sunny afternoon and we walked up into the village to buy supplies.

Ling Itchington was a very pretty village and although we walked up along the roadside, we managed to find a footpath through the fields, which brought us back on to the towpath. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing in the sunshine, before heading off to the pub for tea.

Long Itchington to Warwick

The first part of our journey from Long Itchington took us through picturesque countryside once again. As we reached the Bascote staircase locks we were joined by another boat, and a lovely couple, meaning we could share the double locks and the work of setting all the locks between us, which meant we were able to get through the long series of locks within a couple of hours.

After mooring up for brunch, we continued our journey into Warwick, with a short stop at the big Tesco to stock up on provisions. This part of the journey is much more built up, passing industrial and residential buildings on each side of the canal.

We chose to look overnight at the Saltisford Arm, which is owned by a charitable Trust. Away from the main canal, this is a lovely little haven, with well kept grassed areas, a small shop and facilities for boaters. It certainly felt safer than being in the city centre and was worth the £10 per night fee.

As we arrived, it had started to rain and began to get heavier as the evening wore on, so we decided to cook food on the boat and stay in out of the rain.

Over the past couple of days we have met some lovely people on the canal, chatting about the weather (well what else, we are British?), where they were heading and admiring their boats. We have also unfortunately met some quite rude and condescending people, who on seeing a hire boat automatically assume you have no idea what you are doing and like to offer unsolicited advice often in the way of shouting “You need to slow down” even though the boat is only just ticking over. Thankfully the friendly people outweigh the not so friendly which is a good thing!

Back on the Canal (3)

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Leaving Ansty, we headed along the Oxford Canal towards our next overnight stop at Braunston Junction. The majority of the journey, other than the area around Rugby was rural with fields and woods.

We passed through our first swing bridge at Stratton Top and filled up with water. At Brinklow we came to an area that had suffered from a landslide some time ago. The canal had been closed here due to the blockage. Lots of work has taken place to clear the area, but there is still work going on and you can see the remains of the devastation caused due mainly to the high amounts of rainfall.

Our next new experience was travelling through Newbould Tunnel, which is quite a short tunnel at only 250 yards long. Just before entering the tunnel you are advised to put your light on and toot the horn. I took great delight in tooting the horn, whilst our friends were sat on the front of the boat, completely oblivious until the sudden sound made them both jump a mile! After some abuse, I let them settle down and tooted it again telling them I was only following the rules.

Continuing through beautiful landscape we came to the very pretty area of Hillmorton Locks. Here there are two sets of locks at each level, to allow the swift passage of boats on a busy stretch of canal. Here we purchased some duck food, as we had given them some cereal previously but were aware that some human foods aren’t great for ducks.

We travelled past Barby Marina, again very rural and peaceful. There was very little breeze, so it was warmer afternoon, although there was the odd short shower. Before long we could see the spire of the church at Braunston. The turn at Braunston took us on to the Grand Union Canal, as all the moorings in the area were busy, we continued a little further, mooring up and having our tea before relaxing for the evening.

Back on the Canal (2)

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On Sunday we spent our day travelling back down the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, retracing our route to Fazeley Junction and on to The Coventry Canal. We had a fairly steady day, until reaching the Atherstone Locks, which were quite busy. Unfortunately the first half of the locks we were stuck behind an elderly gentleman, a lone boater who refused to let us help him with the locks and it took him what seemed like an eternity to get through each one. Luckily part way up, there were volunteers from the Canal and Rivers Trust who were assisting with the locks as just were travelling both ways. This speeded things up enormously and we manage to make it just in time for the table we had booked at The Anchor Pub.

We had an impressive roast dinner in the pub before heading back to the boat for a game of cards. Once again it was a fairly early night as all the fresh air had wiped us out and we were all shattered.

Day 4 – Nuneaton, Hawkesbury Junction and Ansty.

On Monday morning we awoke to the sound of rain pattering on the roof of the barge. Luckily by the time we got up and had a coffee, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out. We continued retracing our steps, stopping off at Springwood Haven Marina for a few minor faults with the boat (centre line had worn through, fridge wasn’t very cold and the battery wasn’t charging properly). Luckily whilst these little issues were solved we were able to have our breakfast, ready to set off for the day ahead.

We travelled down the canal, through the built up area of Nuneaton. Although this is a more populated area, it wasn’t as concrete as the approach to Birmingham. On the outskirts there were some lovely houses backing on to the canal. It didn’t take us long to pass through and we were back out into the countryside.

Through the slightly straighter area of the canal Julie and I decided to have a go at steering the boat, as Andrew had done it all up to this point. He very patiently talked us both through it and we did okay, but neither of us were keen on padding other boats, or going under bridges, of which there are many.

We then came to Hawkesbury Junction, which joins the Coventry and Oxford Canals. This is a very pretty area, with cottages by the lock and a lovely pub on the side of the canal. We didn’t stop at the pub, but may get chance to call in on the way back.

There is a stop lock which joins the two canals. The drop is only four inches of water, but was put in place after a dispute between the two canal companies. Once through the lock we travelled a short distance before mooring up for lunch.

I walked on the canal with Nick for the next hour, catching up with the boat at Antsy, mooring up ready for a couple of hours relaxation before heading off to the Rise and Castle Pub for tea. It was lovely to meet up with our friends who live in Coventry, so only had a short distance to travel.

We had a great meal and a catch up, then headed back to the boat for a game of cards, before heading off to bed.

Back on the Canal

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It’s been a couple of years since we had a holiday on the canal, but decided to return to it this year. For one reason and another it has been a hectic, busy and stressful few months. We know that canal holidays are an excellent way of slowing down and chilling out, which is just what we need right now.

We’re doing two weeks with our friends, rather than just one week. Our plan was to travel the Warwickshire Ring, which needs two weeks to allow some downtime in between cruising.

Our journey started at Springwood Haven Marina, with a hire boat from ABC Boathire. After loading the 66ft boat with all our belongings, we had a quick tutorial and safety briefing before setting off on our travels.
We set off in an anti clockwise direction, mainly to get the built up area of Birmingham out of the way early on, rather than coming back that way.

Day 1 – A short journey to Atherstone

Setting off along the Coventry Canal at around 3pm we knew we had only a few miles to go to stop at the locks at Atherstone. We were booked in for a meal at the King’s Head. The afternoon was slightly overcast and a little breezy, but the sun soon came out and we were enjoying watching the world slowly go by as we cruised along.

After about three miles or so, we reached our first locks at Atherstone. This is a really pretty area with a series of eleven locks. It took us a few seconds to remember the routine for the locks, but once we had completed the first couple we were soon back in the swing.

We travelled through locks one to five, before mooring up near the Kings Head Bridge. After having a short break and a shower, we headed off to the Kings Head Pub for our evening meal. It was a very picturesque pub and the food was excellent.

Returning to the boat, we were all tired out and headed off for an early night.

Day 2 – Atherstone to Curdworth (or not?)

Day 2 was a little cool and breezy. We started out by completing the remaining Atherstone locks, by which time it had completely clouded over and started to pour it down. Undeterred we continued and within half an hour the rain had cleared and the sun came back out.

We moored up and had breakfast, allowing coats and shoes to dry out, before continuing on through the scenic area of Tamworth and through the Glascote Locks. There are only two locks here but they were quite leaky, so took a while to fill. Once through the locks we headed towards Fazeley junction where we filled up with water before turning left onto the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal towards Birmingham.

Shortly after the junction we travelled through a quiet open area, passing Middleton Lakes Nature Reserve and reaching Kingsbury Water Park, adjacent to Curdworth Locks. Here there are eleven locks. We had been told earlier in the day that the canal in the Curdworth area was low and it might be difficult to moor here.
A passing cyclist also told us that there was no water further up the canal (but what did he know!?)

We made our way through the first three locks (numbers 11, 10 and 9) easily. By now it was really hot and sunny and we were looking forward to getting through the locks and mooring up ready for a relaxing evening in the sun. It soon became apparent that this wasn’t going to happen!

In between locks 9 and 8, is the Dog and Doublet Pub. It was quite busy outside the pub and there were a few boats moored up. I walked up to speak to the people on the first boat who said that there was no water in the canal from here for the next nine miles up to the Aston Locks in Birmingham. This was unlikely to change until the lock had been repaired, but no news of when this might be.

We moored up and got cold drinks from the pub. The people on the other boats were staying overnight, but we realised that if it was not repaired soon, we may be stuck there for a few days and the situation was only likely to get worse. We rang the boat hire company who had no further information about the closure. There was no notification on the app from the Canals and River Trust, which wasn’t great as lots of people were heading that way.

After our drinks we decided the best option was to head back the way we had come. Due to the size of the boat and width of the canal, the only way to do this would be to reverse down the canal through the three locks and turn in the next winding hole at the other side. Andrew controlled the boat as best he could, as it cannot really be steered in reverse. After a few false starts , bumps and getting caught in the bank, the boat was safely reversed into the first lock. There were some helpful tips and quite a lot of jeering from the audience of pub customers.

To reach the next lock, the boat had to be towed in the old fashioned way, unfortunately not by horses, but by us (mostly Nick) pulling the boat along and me holding the centre line trying to stop it drifting too far, or hitting another boat.

Slowly we worked our way through the locks and to the winding hole, where all our problems were over as we turned the boat to face on the right direction. This didn’t quite go to plan as the boat wasn’t far enough into the winding hole and found itself with the rudder trapped under the edge of the towpath and the bow wedged against the bank at the other side.

Barge poles were used to try and never the boat of the bank but it really did not want to budge. We were then joined by a local resident and two boaters, who came to help. They all made their way to the opposite bank where there was much levering, pulling and pushing until eventually the boat came free. After much thanks to our helpers and offers of beer, we managed to turn around to head back down the canal.

We travelled a little further before finding a quiet spot to moor up and replan our route. We are now going to head back up all the way to Springwood Haven and towards Warwick in a clockwise direction and return the same way rather than doing a circular route.

It had certainly been an interesting day, but we worked together and accepted help from others to solve problems and find a way through. It had given us a lot to talk and laugh about as we continue on our journey.

Relaxing canal boat holiday anyone?

Return To Cornwall

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It was lovely to return, with my husband and our friends for a third stay at Ruan Dinas, a beautiful house on the estuary of the River Fal in Cornwall. We were blessed with beautiful weather for most of the time. After an amazing summer in the UK, we were disappointed to see the weather forecast saying rain for the first week of our holiday, but thankfully this was not to be, and we were able to enjoy the last of the summer sun in beautiful surroundings.

The first couple of days were spent relaxing in the garden and by the river, as we were all exhausted from hard work in the previous weeks and the long journey. We managed to get out on our kayaks and paddle boards, as there was very little breeze and the water was really calm. I finally managed to get from kneeling to standing and back down again without any assistance, which felt like a great achievement. Now I can do it, I ask myself why it took so long!

Once we had recuperated, we were ready to enjoy some days out and about. We enjoyed repeating some of the things we had done on previous trips, but also visited some places we had not seen before.

Bodmin and Wentford Railway – A Murder Mystery

As we had one day of rain, we booked to go to a murder mystery evening on the Bodmin and Wentford Railway. On arrival, we were given a glass of bucks fizz and a pasty (it is Cornwall so no event is complete without a pasty)

We were then given directed to our table seat in one of the carriages of the train. As the train moved off, the actors moved down the train and a story unfolded of a valuable diamond being transported on the train in a secure vault, with a number of suspicious characters plotting to steal the diamond.

The acting was great and as the train came into the station to change lines, we were allowed onto the platform to ask questions of all the characters. Once we were back on the train, a murder occurred and we were all invited to walk down the train to look at the murder scene. We were then asked to identify the murderer and hand in our answers. Back on the platform the true identity of the murderer was revealed.

It was an entertaining evening, with an interesting story, amusing characters and good food. It was also excellent value for money. There is something special about travelling on a steam train and the murder mystery theme added an extra dimension to it, making it a worthwhile visit.

Pendennis Castle

The castle is an English Heritage site and is situated on the coast near Falmouth. From a distance you can see the Tudor Fortress, which was built by Henry V111, but in the grounds there is so much more to see. There have been many additions to the castle and its surroundings to protect it and equip it for the various stages and developments in warfare over the years.

Firstly, we visited the First World War barracks. This is set in a beautiful looking building with the Royal Artillery coat of arms above the door. It tells the history of the men who were stationed there during the war, for training before going to the front line in France and Belgium. It never ceases to shock me how many young men lost their lives and it was sad to hear and see their stories.

We then looked at the various guns and artillery spaced out amongst the walls of the castle, before going to see the developments made during the second World War, where the castle was fitted with equipment to defend against torpedoes and long-range guns from warships.

Lastly, we joined a guided tour of the Tudor Fortress. The guide was friendly and knowledgeable and brought the stories of the castle to life. It was a great tour and so much better than just looking around without the knowledge of the guide. The views from the top of the castle are well worth the climb to the top.

The visit would not be complete without visiting the café, which is situated in the barracks. It was a lovely setting and the food was excellent. Once again, we enjoyed a great day out, learned so much and had great value for money.

Bodmin Jail

We weren’t sure what to expect from Bodmin Jail, but having looked online, we decided it would be worth a visit. We booked a Heritage Guided Tour, which included “The Dark Walk”, which uses technology and theatrical effects to transport you back in time, telling the history of Bodmin and introducing the characters from the past who had been sent to Bodmin Jail. It was an effective way of telling their stories and setting the scene for the visit.

The rest of the tour was with a guide who took us through the history of the jail, its changes over the years and continued the stories of the characters we had been introduced to during the Dark walk. The tour was about two hours long and was crammed with information and anecdotes. It is macabre in places, but also truly fascinating. I never knew so many of our common phrases came from such a gruesome background.

Along the way, there were a few discussions around should it be punishment or rehabilitation, are prisons too soft, should the characters have met such a grisly end? It certainly gets you thinking about things and once again we came away having learned so much.

The Camel Trail

I haven’t ridden a bike for many years and was never a very confident cyclist, but agreed that it would be nice to hire bikes and cycle along the camel trail from Wadebridge to Padstow.

I started off very wobbly, but soon got into the rhythm. One thing I do have a problem with, is that when there is an obstacle in the way, I tend to veer towards it, rather than around it. It takes an inordinate amount of concentration to avoid doing this. Needless to say, there were a lot of walkers and cyclists on the path, so I had to be careful not to lose my concentration for fear of wiping out whole groups of people. Luckily my husband rode behind me all the way ensuring he rang his bell and coached me through. We managed to reach Padtsow, without killing anyone and only once being given a stern word from my husband for stopping suddenly without warning, causing him to brake hard to avoid running into the back of me or flying over his handlebars. Once we reached Padstow, I felt a sense of relief, but realised that I had lost the feeling in my hands as I had gripped on so hard.

We had a walk around the very picturesque Padstow, and some lunch, before setting off back on the bikes. I started to relax on the way back and felt more confident. There were no incidents or accidents, but at one point, a large group of people were walking along, taking up the whole of the path. Despite my husband ringing his bell, they seemed oblivious to anyone else needing any space, resulting in me shouting “Unstable cyclist coming through!”. I’m not sure what they thought of that, but they finally moved over to let me pass.

St Ives

We had visited St Ives a couple of years ago but had just come out of the pandemic restrictions. It was really busy, so we did not spend much time there as felt uncomfortable in crowds of people.

This time however we took the park and ride option from St Erth. Once you have parked, you take a 10-minute train ride into St Ives. The train runs along the coast, taking in beautiful views of the beaches on one side and some impressive houses on the opposite side.

St Ives is a gorgeous fishing village. The kind of thing you imagine when you think of Cornwall. The weather was stunning and as we walked along the harbour wall, we were amazed to see a seal swimming in behind the fishing boats, hoping to catch some leftover scraps of fish. It was captivating to see it in its natural environment and was an added bonus to an impressive day out.

A Weekend Break In London

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This is quite a late post, as once again I have been so busy, I never got around to writing it at the time. During the glorious summer, I went to London with my husband and our youngest daughter and her boyfriend. We arranged to spend some time with our eldest daughter whilst we were there. We had an amazing weekend, with beautiful food and gorgeous weather. We were so busy and saw so many things, so were exhausted by the time we got home, but it was well worth it.

The British Museum and a Pleasant Surprise

We travelled by train, dropped our cases off and et our eldest daughter. Our first stop was the British Museum. It was extremely hot inside and we started off by looking at all the Egyptian relics. I had read reviews before I went and I had to agree with some of them, that there is nothing British about the museum. It is full of items “recovered” from other countries. It is great to see the artefacts, but I question the need to have so many items out of their natural environment. Although I love history and I am no expert, it did feel like there was just loads and loads of the same things for miles and miles. After about an hour, we decided to leave the museum and go and have some fresh air.

We walked down to Trafalgar Square and were excited to see the whole area was set up for the Women’s Euros. There were music acts on stage, food and drinks and football events around the square. The steps had been covered with coloured Astro turf. We got drinks and sat on the steps, spending the afternoon in the sun watching the events and people watching.

Come From Away

In the evening we were booked in to see Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre. On the surface, this musical has a strange premise, as it is about the terrorist attacks of 911, where the aeroplanes were diverted from landing in America, to Newfoundland, where thousands of people were accommodated by a small community.

The show was incredible. The small cast played several different characters in such a believable way. The singing and acting was astounding. There were moments of laughter and some very moving scenes. It was one of the best performances I have seen in a long time.

 Changing of The Guard and New Introductions

This is an event that really surprised me. I remembered watching the Changing of The Guard as a child, but it was so much better than I remembered. The ceremony lasted about an hour altogether, with some beautiful band music, marching, ceremony and tradition. I love the sound of a brass band in the open air and this did not disappoint.

Recently, with the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and seeing all the pomp and ceremony on TV, it made me feel so privileged to have seen this in real life.

Later in the day we went to The Bike Shed, a restaurant in Shoreditch. When I say restaurant, it also has a tattoo and barbers’ shop, merchandise and a motorbike workshop. The motorbikes arrive through the outside seating area. It is a fascinating place, with excellent food. This evening we also met our eldest daughter’s boyfriend for the first time. It was lovely to finally see him and to see our daughter so happy.

Afterwards we went to Junkyard Golf, where we had cocktails and great fun playing the crazy golf. It was a lovely, relaxed evening and we laughed constantly.

The Tower of London

We visited the Tower of London a few years ago, but there is plenty to see, so it is always worth another visit. On this occasion, we also walked through the moat area, which has been planted with a sea of wildflowers. As it had been quite hot, some of the flowers were probably past their best, but it was a lovely day, so it was nice to wander through in the sunshine.

We enjoyed looking around the historic Tower and visited as many of the areas as we could, learning lots about the Tudor buildings, but also the interesting exhibition about the Tower during more recent conflicts, where it was utilised for training the armed forces.

We couldn’t visit without seeing the Crown Jewels and although it was busy, the queue soon moved forwards and we were able to see the amazing exhibition. They are so impressive and beautiful to see under all the lights, which makes them look exceptionally sparkly and regal. In these times of austerity, it seems strange to enjoy looking at something so lavish and extravagant, knowing that the value of the jewels could help so many people in need, but I love the history attached to them and the amount of people waiting to see them, is testament to the value of them as a tourist attraction as well as their monetary value.

Grease

This has always been one of my favourite films and I have watched it so many times over the years. I have also seen the stage musical a couple of times in the past. The production at the Dominion Theatre was slightly different, with some aspects that were great and some not so good. The dance numbers and ensemble pieces were impressive and lively. However, Danny and Sandy seemed to have very little chemistry. The transformation of Sandy in the finale was lack lustre but did not spoil the amazing singing and dancing in the final stages of the show. There were times when the musical seemed to merge with the storyline of West Side Story, which was unnecessary and a little confusing.

It was an enjoyable show, very uplifting with great songs and Peter Andre was amazingly funny and entertaining.

Imperial War Museum and Camden Market

As well as all this, we managed to fit in a visit to the Imperial War Museum. This is an amazing place which really makes you think about the tragedy of war and the cruelty that humans can inflict on each other. It may not sound like the most uplifting of places, particularly the section on the Holocaust, but the personal stories make the experience moving and fascinating as well as horrifying.

We were all a little subdued when we came out of the museum but followed this up with a visit to Camden Market.  I have never been her before, but really enjoyed the atmosphere of the market, the variety of shops and stalls, but most of all the extremely tasty street food.

All in all, we had a superb weekend. There was certainly a lot of variety from hilariously funny laughs to thoughtful, sombre moments. It was great to spend some time together as a family and I can’t wait to do it all again. The other thing, which was good to see, was the business of London itself and the return of international tourists to our country after a tough couple of years for the travel and hospitality industry.

I’m Back!

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I didn’t realise it was so long since I last wrote my blog. In one way, there doesn’t seem to have been very much going on, but me and my husband seem to have been so busy, I haven’t had time to sit down and write. I have taken on extra hours and responsibilities at the Food Bank, am still running our small business-Mezzy Creations and we are helping my renovate my daughters house. Alongside the other day to day things, there never seems a moment to spare. I decided this morning to try and sit down and write my blog, as I have always enjoyed doing it and don’t know why it has been sidelined so much.

Musicals are definitely back

One of the most exciting things to happen over the last few months, is that the theatres are open and I have had chance to go and see some amazing productions, including some I have not seen before. The first one was School of Rock, which we bought as a Christmas present for my daughter and her boyfriend. He had not been to see musicals at the theatre before, but loves the film. We thought that this would be a good way to introduce him to the theatre. It was an absolutely amazing show, with an outstanding cast of adults and children. It was so engaging from the very beginning, right up to the standing ovation at the end. I think we have a new theatre convert and it was such a joy hearing him singing the songs and talking about it over the next few days.

Six The Musical was also another show I had not seen before. This was one that had been booked last year, but was postponed, along with many others. I wasn’t sure whether this would be my cup of tea. Although I had heard rave reviews about it, I did not know if it would be more suited to younger people. I couldn’t have been more wrong! This was a lively production, with some great music, comedy and some wonderful performances by such a small cast. It is only a short musical compared to most, with no interval and it never stopped entertaining throughout. I was absolutely blown away by it and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

We have also been to see The Book of Mormon, which we have seen in the past, but once again it didn’t disappoint. Although very inappropriate and probably offensive to everyone, it is very entertaining, hilariously funny and thoroughly enjoyable. The only issue is, it’s very difficult to find a song you can sing out loud once you leave the theatre.

Choirs are also back

Throughout the pandemic and for many moths afterwards, it has been very difficult to sing in groups. Thankfully we are now back at Batley Community Choir, although numbers have diminished which is such a shame. We have still managed to sing together and I know that those who go get so much out of it. It’s great to be able to sing in a group, even if you don’t have a brilliant voice. We were lucky enough to take part in a charity event with a number of local choirs, raising money for Kirkwood Hospice. It was a great evening, both to be able to sing again for an audience, but also to listen to the other choirs. I think we sounded pretty good too!

I have also started singing with a new choir, Leeds Musical Theatre Choir, which began earlier in the year. This is a choir on a much larger scale with over 100 singers. As it says in the name, the songs are all from musical theatre productions and the quality and volume of sound produced is phenomenal. Some of the singing is quite challenging, but being able to listen to others around you, really helps to get it right. I have to say though, sometimes I am so caught up in listening to the sounds, that I forget to sing.

If you’ve ever thought of joining a choir, but can’t read music or think your singing voice isn’t good enough, I recommend that you get in touch with your local community choir. No matter how big or small, it’s a lovely warm feeling singing with others, is great for you wellbeing and also a good way to meet new people.

Back on the canal boat

Another holiday which was delayed from last year, was our trip on a canal boat. We chose to complete the Black Country Ring, from Gailey Marina, as it was a route we are a little familiar with. The last time we went on the canals, we were with our friends who had been before, but this time we were with different friends, which supposedly made us the more knowledgeable ones!

We had an amazing week, blessed with really good weather. There is so much to see along the canals, with an ever changing landscape as you travel along.

Some of it has changed slightly particularly in the area where the scenery has been devastated to make way for HS2. Around Birmingham city centre, there is lots of regeneration going on, but also lots of neglected areas once you leave the city centre. I was appalled at the amount of litter and filth that was in the canal in various places. It is such a shame that people treat these areas of beauty with such disrespect.

We visited the Black Country Museum again, which is a brilliant place to visit. It is currently having lots of building work done, making areas to depict the 50’s and 60’s, which will be superb when it is completed. The work didn’t spoil the visit and at various places you can see plans of how the new areas are going to look once they are completed.

One thing that was great about the museum was the enthusiasm of the people who work there. They are so knowledgeable and have great tales to tell whilst staying in character. We were particularly entertained by a couple who were having a picnic to celebrate their wedding anniversary, and a young lady who was crocheting whilst travelling on the bus, all very entertaining.

Well I think I’m caught up for now. Hopefully it won’t be too long before I get chance to write again.

A Break At Center Parcs Whinfell Forest

~ 50themusical ~ Leave a comment

When I retired in January 2020, I wanted to treat my family to a special holiday, so we booked to go to Las Vegas and New York. Sadly due to the pandemic, this got cancelled. After some discussion about waiting and rebooking, we decided that none of us knows what may happen in the future. With that in mind, we booked a break to Center Parcs, initially for February 2021, but this also got postponed and we finally managed to get there in October. I went with my husband, our eldest daughter and her friend, and our youngest daughter and her boyfriend. It was a brilliant weekend and well worth the wait.

An Afternoon Of Laughter

We arrived slightly late at Whinfell Foret, due to being stuck in traffic for a while. Once we had checked in, we were straight to the pool, as we had booked a session for the afternoon. The “tropical Paradise” is a large swimming area under a dome. There are slides and chutes, as well as a wave pool and a rapids area. We did spend a fair amount of our time in the outdoor pool, which is a tempting tropical temperature on a fresh autumn day.

We left the pool area a couple of hours later, as we could now make our way to the lodge. Some of us walked up, whilst the others went to bring the car with all our belongings. It seemed like a long walk on that first afternoon, but once we knew our way around the forest paths, the walk seemed to get shorter each time.

The lodge was absolutely spotlessly clean. we quickly allotted the three bedrooms and each one had a bathroom, so we all had our own spaces to retreat to. We unpacked some of our things and then it was off to our next activity – football pool.

The sports area was nice and quiet, so we were soon on the “pool table” and were told we were the last spot of the day, so could stay as long as we wanted. The object of the game is to kick a white ball which then knocks one of the coloured ball into one of the pockets. The same rules as normal pool, but using your feet instead. Sounds simple and in theory it was, but as some of us have no coordination, the ball was off the “table” more than it was on. We played in various combinations of teams and there was a lot of witty banter going on. I laughed so much my sides were aching.

It was then back to the lodge, where we cooked pizzas and snacks for tea, had a few drinks, then played Pictionary Air, which involves drawing items for your team to guess, with the added hurdle that you are drawing in the air and only your team can see what you are drawing. again we laughed all the way through.

It was then off to bed for some rest, ready for the activities the next day

Aerial Challenge And Bowling Fun

The following morning, after a freshly cooked breakfast, we set off to take part in the Aerial Challenge, which is an obstacle course high in the trees, ending with a zip wire back into the village area. we were all booked on to take part, but there was a massive shock for me. As you were being fitted for safety gear, you were then placed on the scales as there is a weight limit. It was here where I was told (thankfully very discreetly) that I was too heavy to take part. I was really disappointed, but also extremely angry with myself for once again allow myself to gain so much weight. However I pulled myself together and became the official photographer for the others taking part.

They all managed to complete the course and I was so proud of my youngest daughter who was terrified of being up so high, but managed to calm her nerves and terror with a little coaxing and encouragement. She was so pleased to have overcome her fear and not let it beat her. It was great to hear her screaming in triumph as she came down the zip wire.

We had a break for a coffee and a walk back to the lodge for lunch, before making our way back to the village centre for our ten pin bowling session. It is a while since we have been bowling, but we soon managed to get back into the swing of things and had an amusing afternoon, mostly taking the mickey out of each other.

We then had another session booked in the pool, so we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on the slides and in the pools

We went back to the lodge for a rest and a shower, as we had booked a meal that evening in the Lakeside Lodge. It was clear that there was a shortage of staff, but the service and food was pretty good, until a very large group arrived and we were virtually left in the lurch. As a result of this we didn’t order any desserts or further drinks and made our way up to the sports bar to play pool, this time on a proper table with cues (not that I’m much better at that)

A Not So Restful Sunday

On the Sunday morning, we had split activities at first. Some of us played table tennis, whilst the others went to the golf driving range. I was the only one that knew how to play and particularly how to score, so it was nice to show the young ones how to do it.

We were then booked in for an archery lesson, so we walked to the outdoor activity centre, where we were given an hours lesson in target archery. We all seemed to get the hang of it fairly quickly and took up the challenges set by the instructor, who pleasant enough, but not quite as funny as he seemed to think he was.

There were a few misses of the target by most of us, resulting in a search for arrows in the grass. There was one slightly hairy moment when the instructor shouted “stop”, just as I had pulled my bow back, and I didn’t know what else to do but let go. Luckily it was an amusing moment rather than causing any harm!

We went back to the lodge for lunch and a few games before a sauna and then getting ready for our evening meal. We had booked “Hucks” which was advertised as an American Diner. The waiter came and told us that we had to book everything on the app and then reeled off a list of things that weren’t available. The food was okay, but not very inspiring and definitely felt like it was mass produced. It was definitely overpriced and a little disappointing.

We then went to the bar in the village centre. I wanted to go into the amusements area, where all the coin operated games are (very childish I know, but I still love to do this). We ordered some drinks and sat in the bar, but it had a very different feel to the rest of our experience of Center Parcs and was more like being in a cheap pub, with children running amok whilst their parents drank and ignored them. We decided to go back to the lodge and have a few drinks in peace.

Swimming And Pancakes

On the Monday morning we had a quick breakfast and packed up our lodge, before heading off for another session in the pool. As it was the first session of the morning, it was really quiet, so we decided that we would try all the slides and rides before they got too busy. It was great to be able to just get on and off them as we wanted without queuing. We also managed to get in the jacuzzi whilst it was quiet. We ended the morning with a nice relaxing float in the warm outdoor pool.

We were all then really hungry. My daughter and her boyfriend were desperate to try the pancake house, so we sent my husband in to charm the hostess into getting us a table. He did a magnificent job and in no time at all we were sat enjoying the pancakes with gorgeous sweet unhealthy toppings.

We then went into the sports centre for a few games of pool before setting off home.

I had an amazing weekend and I am sure that the others enjoyed it too. It was so nice to spend time with our daughters and to see the young people getting on so well. The banter and laughter made the weekend so much fun. Despite it being such a busy, active weekend, I was really tired, but also felt refreshed by the whole experience. I feel so blessed to have these wonderful moments with my family and to make such great memories.

A Weekend In Wales

~ 50themusical ~ Leave a comment

At the beginning of October, we spent a lovely weekend in Anglesey with a group of friends, to celebrate a 60th birthday. It was also my brother-in-laws birthday and a long time since we had been together as a group due to all the restrictions. This was finally the weekend when we could all get together. Unfortunately it didn’t quite work out like that, as some of the group were unable to come and some of us that did make it ended up being struck down with the really nasty cold that is going around at the moment. Even with all that, we managed to have a great weekend, helped by the unseasonably warm weather.

Perfect Conditions For Paddle Boarding

On the Friday and Monday, my husband and I decided to visit Llanberis Lake, which is part of Padarn Country Park. There are a number of parking areas, some of which are free. there is also a café and toilets. We parked in one of the areas that was free, bit was also easy to reach the water. There were quite a few paddle boarders, kayakers, and swimmers. It was great to see everyone out on the water. Because the lake is so big, it did not feel crowded at all.

The lake is stunning, with lots of small inlets as well as the wide expanse of open water. As there was very little breeze, it was a great place to practice paddle boarding. I managed to stand up for long periods of time, practicing paddling and turning , which was a great boost to my self confidence. Getting from kneeling to standing is still a little tricky, but I am definitely getting much better and only need a small amount of support from my husband, who steadies the board for me. Hopefully with a little more practice I will be able to improve this even more when we go out again. As the weather was so warm, we were able to spend a great deal of time out on the water without getting chilly.

Meanwhile, our friends went out in their kayak on the water and managed to make their way around most of the lake. My brother in law and sister in law chose to take what they thought would be a gentle walk around the lake, which turned into a five mile hike.

A Longer Walk Than Expected

On Saturday we had a restful morning around the house which we had rented for the weekend. Clynnog House, is situated at Dwyran and is a stunning six bedroom house, which would not look out of place on Grand Designs. However, it was not quite as clean as it should have been, particularly in the current climate. Although the layout and size of the house is impressive, there were some features that were a bit disappointing. We worked around this and enjoyed the space and lovely gardens.

On Saturday afternoon, we decided to take a walk to the beach. On reading the leaflets at the house, we believed we were taking a “short” path to the beach and would then be able to take a slightly different route back to the house. We took the path to the beach, which meanders through the very pretty Newborough Forest. However, the short walk turned out to be over an hour to get to the beach. We had passed another path on the way, so in our wisdom thought we would meet this further down the beach. this was not to be, and by this time some of our group who were feeling the effects of having cold, were starting to struggle. At this, we turned around and walked back up the beach, to a car park in the forest. Gallantly, my husband and brother in law walked (or possibly ran) all the way back up to the house to collect the cars to ferry us all back. Thankfully we all survived and despite achey legs were none the worse for our experience.

Gorgeous Anglesey Coastline

The glorious weather continued on the Sunday, so we decided to have a drive down the coast and make a few stops on the way. Our first stop was Porth Trecastell Beach, where we had a walk across the headland. The coastal path stretches around the whole of Anglesey and is absolutely beautiful. This particular area has a a petty, flat beach, with a craggy, rocky area around it. There is also an ancient burial chamber hidden in the hillside.

We then travelled on to South Stack, passing so many beautiful beaches and coves along the way. South Stack is a on a stunning area of coastline, with a lighthouse on the craggy out crop. It was busy here, but there was plenty of room for everyone to enjoy the scenery. As we were all now gasping for a cuppa, we did the very British thing of putting the kettle on! Our friends have a camper van, so we boiled the kettle, making tea and coffee, then cutting up the birthday cake and copious amounts of biscuits. It was certainly quicker than queuing for the café.

Once we were all refreshed, we took the path towards the lighthouse. Due to Covid restrictions the lighthouse was not open, but the scenery is still well worth the steep walk. We then walked past the lighthouse and up to the top of the hill behind the lighthouse. There are lots of steps and it is a little uneven underfoot. The views are amazing from the top. It is such a beautiful part of the world and I would definitely go back for another visit.