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!