Quelle Surprise!

To my great surprise, I actually passed my French exam! I'd been irritated that the teacher had spent far too much time preparing us for the assessment and not enough on the sorts of learning that I'm interested in, so I had done no preparation and had tuned-out all her advice about what to learn/do beforehand.

We'll be in Nice in 12 days, too - so something to look forward to (even with the £ so low against the €)!

The New Car

So, this is my new car, a Smart Car Pulse. It's quite a change from the 6-seat Toyota MPV that I've owned for the last 7 years!

It's is quite a lot of fun, --- the ads say that you can get a tumble drier into the cargo space, but I'm not so sure. I am enjoying the semi-automatic transmission though (complete with gear-change paddles on the steering wheel).
Looking forward to 60 mpg.

Snow?

The snow we were warned of for last night came to nothing, really. There was a light covering at 5 a.m., but by 8 it was raining. Won't be much of a day, though - not convinced it will ever get light.

Worse than that, the Christmas shopping rush has started (aided by stores offering 20% reductions), so driving into Birmingham is fraught with more danger than usual!

The Family Fun Vehicle

Aged 11, and after 7 years of faithful service to me and a total of over 151,000 miles, the time has come for me to change cars. The Toyota Picnic that I've been using is far from a 'green' vehicle, so I've decided to look for something that will give me better fuel economy.

I've been researching and test-driving and made the decision yesterday - watch this space!

SNOW!

It snowed yesterday afternoon. This is unusual for October - to say the least. Of course, snow = instant inability for most people to drive sensibly, so my usual 10 minute trip home took 45 minutes instead. What fun!

Today is sunny and bright, but the temperature's pretty low (hovering around 1 degree at 09:30) and there's warning of more snow showers.

A Busy Weekend ...

Spent most of Saturday feeling as though I'd got a hangover - a bit unfair, really since my Friday had been alcohol free, so either a minor bug or stress: who knows? Went to Liaison for dinner -- excellent as ever, especially the starter of confit lamb, but the main of pork 3 ways was pretty good too.
chocolate mousse) and then to Ali's Aunt to deliver the TV magnifier we brought home from Wales last week.Had my mother over for lunch on Sunday (pumpkin soup, lamb shank with garlic mash and beans, Suddenly most of the day was gone!

High point: went on-line to look at car insurance quotes, since I thought that Direct Line were getting a bit pricey: got a quote from saga (compensations of increased age) that was £85 less with better cover! That'll buy a couple of decent bottles of wine!

Not all good news ...

It's been a busy couple of weeks: Term started and I had to get back up to speed with teaching. It's a bit weird not being Programme Director, but I'm learning to love it. French classes started too.

Took Jane (one of my Chinese PhD students) to Heathrow last week - she's safely home now.

Yesterday went to Wales to seem Mother-in-law and Father-in-law. He seems to be a bit worse again and the nursing home staff are worried that he might be in discomfort/pain -- that's not good news at all.

Then today I'm spending writing lectures for next week and doing some cooking!

Terry Pratchett - Nation

As a long time Pratchett fan, I was delighted to see his new book on sale just before we went to Nice. There was even a free pen!

Well, it's been a struggle. I thought, for the most part, it was amazingly derivative (e.g. Harry Harrison's A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah! from 1972 ...). There were some interesting twists, of course, but I'm not convinced that this is Pratchett at his best - or anywhere near it. I'll read it again in a couple of weeks in the hope that I missed the best bits first time round.

So ...

Back from Nice, where the sun shone and the food was good. Actually warm enough to sit on the beach and swim in the sea.
Took trips to Cannes and to Ventimiglia, but probably won't repeat either.

So now, back to work - new students arrived yesterday!

Today, one of my PhD student has her viva voce examination -- I don't think she needs any luck, but a few good thoughts wouldn't hurt ...

And still it rains

The rain continues.... I've just spent an hour outside clearing storm water drains. I've never seen the garden so wet; the vegetable patch is a pond, the path is a river and I'm being (slightly) amused by watching the neighbours trying to bale-out their patio with a bucket when, clearly, there's nowhere to throw the water - hope they haven't got a big problem, though...

The weather forecast continues to be vile. It could stop now. Really.

FOR THE RAIN IT RAINETH EVERY DAY

I've never really believed that Shakespeare existed, but the quote from 12th Night (above) seems to say it all at the moment. It's raining AGAIN!

It's really quite depressing and the garden's suffering too - several plants (some of them quite old) have died because they can't stand being so waterlogged. The pond in the picture (not the best pic ever, I agree, but shot from my study window in the rain) is really the path. Maybe it'll discourage the squirrels from digging in the lawn?


MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE!

IT FEELS LIKE AUTUMN

I know that, technically, September 1st is the beginning of Autumn, but it isn't usually noticeable so early. Mornings and evenings are cool: it's still raining: the nights are drawing in: the leaves have started to turn.

We haven't really had much of a summer this year. Gloomiest August on record and highest rainfall for years.

Still, off to nice in 10 days time, so maybe we'll see the sun there?

Back from Montreal

So we're back from a great holiday in Montreal -- a fascinating experience and there'll be more in the blog soon.

It was interesting to find a Mason sculpture not far from where we were staying - The Illuminated Crowd.

Have to say that I thought it was quite similar to the 'Forward' sculpture that used to grace Centenary Square her in Birmingham until it was destroyed by vandals in 2003 ...

I'm not a very creative person, but it seems that (yet again) an artist has an idea that's too good to only use once (is this self-plagiarism?).

Aristocracy

Turns out that I have a family crest and motto!

Surnames were not used in Britain until the 11th Century and there are records of Matthews back to about 1260. There seems to be some dispute about whether the name is properly spelt with 1 or 2 Ts, but there is some support for the idea that 2-T Matthews comes from Wales in the family motto:

Y FFYNNO DUW Y FYDD
(What God willeth shall be.)

MECCANO AT SKEGNESS

Well, we had the joy of bumping into some of the Meccano aficionados who were eating and drinking at a hotel we visited. It was quite interesting watching one of them force his presence onto another group. I don't want to say these folk were anoraks, but they did make train-spotters look like interesting people!

Otherwise some mixed weather...

!!!!

Can't stop laughing! Just look at the comment left on the previous post!

(If you don't have Meccano wherever you are, look at the link.)

Wow, I'm so excited now I can't wait to be there! (For those who don't have irony where they live, the OED defines it as A figure of speech in which the intended meaning is the opposite of that expressed by the words used; usually taking the form of sarcasm or ridicule in which laudatory expressions are used to imply condemnation or contempt)

SKEGNESS!

This weekend we're going to visit my sister in Skegness. This is the place where my family took the vast majority of its holidays ( think my parents went every year from about 1957 - 1987).

You have to wonder about a holiday resort when the best strapline they can invent is Skegness is so bracing! The poster above shows their logo (note the sou'wester)!

Skegness is famous for:
1: it's winds.
2. ?

Feature Night at the Somers Trad FC

We don't often have feature nights at the folk club, in the past they've sometimes reduced attendance. However, Ali decided that we should run an evening called 'Passing It On'. The idea was to sing a song you'd learned (i.e. that had been passed to you) and then another, that you wanted others to sing (passing it on). Though I was a bit pessimistic, there were many contributions from members.

I'd decided to sing a couple of bits of songs that my father used to sing from his days in the Navy. It was a surprisingly emotional experience (not because of the songs which are, at best, trite) since it took me back to some times/places that I don't often visit in memory -- for some quite good reasons, I think... Ah well!

Melanie

I loved Melanie's songs when I was young. They spoke to so many of the issues that seemed particularly relevant to me at that time. I always regretted that I hadn't seen her live.
Well, the opportunity came to do that (again at the increasingly irritating Huntingdon Hall in Worcester - illegal raffle and all).

The show started with her son, Bo, performing a number of his guitar 'compositions'. This guy is probably the least sympathetic guitarist I've ever seen on stage, such a shame that nepotism seems to have overcome talent.

Melanie's set was good, though far from the most professional; there were stumbles, forgotten words, "is my guitar in tune?" questions, etc., etc. I don't think that the performance was helped much by Bo's 'accompaniment' and the apparent inability of the sound-man to obtain a decent balance between voices and guitars.

However, a lot of the old magic is still there and it made a change to be one of the younger people in the audience!

I wouldn't go to see here again, I think, but I'm glad I went this time. Even more glad that this is our last planned visit to Huntingdon Hall, at least for a while!

Museums

Jane is a PhD student from Nankai University in china. She was in charge of looking after me when I was there last year and, currently, she's studying for her PhD in my Department. On Saturday we took her to the Avoncroft Museum of buildings in Bromsgrove which is quite interesting ,it has the National Telephone Kiosk Collection for example and an excellent 3-hole earth closet!


After a picnic lunch, we went back to Birmingham via the Lickey Hills. On the top of the highest (Beacon) hill there's a fake castle with commanding views over the whole of the city. Visibility wasn't that good (even though it was a hot and fairly sunny day) but it was fascinating to see that the area was littered with Brummies enjoying the sunshine (and smoking, too, I'm sorry to say).
Then we went to the museum of the Jewellery Quarter. Actually a Victorian factory that had stayed in business until 1982 and then been abandoned! It was rediscovered in the 90s and later converted into a museum. An interesting place with well-informed guides. Well worth a trip.

Finally, dinner at the Sundarbon Restaurant in Selly Oak. A fantastic Bangladeshi place. I particularly enjoyed the Murghi Masalla!

Friday Night is Concert Night

Played truant from the folk club and went to see Martin Simpson in concert. This is a fabulous guitarist and singer. Evening slightly marred by sharing a box with 5 other people - even though it was clearly intended for a maximum of 5.
Still, a good night - a little disappointing that no-one sang along, but that's Worcester for you!

I've been trying to get out to concerts a bit more often.

Last week we went to Huntingdon Hall (again) to see Roy Bailey and John Kirkpatrick. Sadly, the attendance was low and the average age, I guess, was around 65.

However, it was a splendid concert; both performers were excellent and I had a really good time and spent a small fortune on CDs (financed by the recent sale of my resonator guitar). It reminded me of what I've always enjoyed most about folk song; that is its role as commentator on social issues and the way it speaks truth to power.

A lot of us didn't think Roy would make it into his 70s - he has, and I'm grateful!

BERGERAC

We often choose our Easter break by seeing where we can fly direct from Birmingham; this year it was Bergerac on the Dordogne river in Perigord. A pretty little place, but rather quiet for me (at this time of year, at least). Food's typical of SW France, so lots of duck and duck products. Best restaurant we found was L'Imparfait which was exceptionally good.
The weather was mixed, but we managed a boat trip (saw lots of Black Kites - apparently imported from North Africa) and saw the French Olympic rowing teams practising.

Friday was spent in Bordeaux (about 50 miles away, but excellent French trains) where it's nice to see that the tram lines have been extended and that the work on the river bank is nearly finished, so the post-industrial wasteland had finally been revived! At last there is
somewhere to sit near the city centre at lunchtime!

(Actually, we had lunch in one of our favourite places - Chèz Edouard in the Place Du Parliament. Fascinating to see that the smoking ban seems to have been accepted pretty much everywhere.)

The airport at Bergerac is tiny (and quite sweet). Our taxi driver took great pleasure in telling us that it only has 3 gates: 1 for arrivals, 2 for departures and 3 for the bar.

After seeing spring in France, it's a bit of a shock to be back in England with frosty mornings!

Ah Spring!

So, we're well into spring. Some authorities suggest we're well into (possibly irreversible) global warming too.

So, the sight that greeted me this Sunday morning was:

This was taken at about 06:30. Of course, we don't really expect it to last and - since I'm flying off to France on Tuesday, I hope it doesn't!

June Tabor

Went to see June Tabor in concert last night. The venue was Huntingdon Hall in Worcester (great potential, poor execution).

It's probably 20 years since I last saw June, but I'm delighted to say that she still has a wonderful voice and an arresting stage presence. Andy Cutting on melodian (diatonic accordion, forsooth!) was splendid as was Marc Emmerson who excelled on viola (something you don't hear nearly enough, I think). The performance is still as stylised as ever, but, all in all a good night out!

More Good Food

Yet another restaurant review, I'm afraid. Went to Simpsons in Edgbaston (currently the only holder of a Michelin rosette in Birmingham) last Wednesday for an unusually splendid meal. Ravioli of foie gras, duo of beef and blackberry & apple crumble soufflé + all the little bits that come for 'free'.
The service and food are outstanding, but the wine list (a book an inch thick!) really is far too expensive (bearing in mind that I like expensive wine). For e.g. a bottle of the Reserve de la Comtesse 1997 is on sale for £68! this is a mark-up of about 300%. Bear in mind that this is also one of the cheapest Bordeaux wines on the list.
Nevertheless, a good evening.

We went to Liaison last night, a restaurant on the busy A34 in Hall Green. From the outside it looks more like a solicitors' office than anything, but inside is a sea of (almost) minimalist calm, decent service and outstanding French-inspired food. The seafood sausage was fabulous, but was eclipsed by the trio of game (a 'special' not on the menu).

Not the cheapest food around, but certainly some of the best; the food was (almost) of the same quality as Turners in Harborne, but the wine list was much more to my taste (good wines by the glass and some nice ½-bottles too) plus there was real espresso!