Christmas Newsletter 2016

Hi, and seasons greetings to all.

It feels as if we only recently completed and sent our 2015 newsletter and here we are already putting the next edition together.  The days go by quickly and we wonder what has been achieved this year? Thankfully, this record shows that we've had a busy time.  As usual, items that are not necessarily of interest to all our readers are grouped at the end of the general news but everyone is welcome to read them. Who knows? – you may even get to like steam trains and other exciting ‘transport’ things!

Holidays

We have managed one holiday and several ‘ breaks’ this year, despite our reluctance to send our feline children to their holiday camp in Kenley. The trouble is, each time they come home after ‘their’ holidays they do so with upset tummies – unpleasant for them and even more unpleasant for us! The vet says that this is not unusual as they suffer from stress when their ‘parents’ appear to be abandoning them!

We decided to approach the problem in stages, starting with a ‘trial’ long weekend to the Isle of Wight, staying at a Warners hotel at Bembridge on the east coast. Our room looked out over the grounds and cliff tops to the sea. The weather was good and the view allowed us to see the comings and goings of cross Channel ferries and some of the larger cruise ships heading out from Southampton. Good food and entertainment was provided and the accommodation was very comfortable. 

Unfortunately, soon after we booked this break, one of Anne’s former industry colleagues died, so she returned a day early so that she could attend the funeral.

We visited a newly-established monkey sanctuary on the Saturday which was very interesting and on the Sunday we went to a 1940s event on the Isle of Wight railway. The wartime years were recreated with people in period uniform and there were old military vehicles on display, too, and music and dance from the period – all of which made it a day with a difference. Also on the site was a falcon centre with interesting talks and displays of hawks, owls and other birds of prey.

In September, we ventured to southeast Ireland for a week. This was a car job and, because of the car ferry timetable, a journey that took two days with stopovers in South Wales. Our base was a large apartment in Knocktopher Abbey, not far from the cities of Kilkenny and Waterford.

We found plenty to do in this scenic area where mountain ranges were rarely far from view. Irish motorways and main roads were hardly ever busy and the only real challenge was when meeting tractors on narrow lanes. All the Irish people we met were exceptionally friendly and always had time for a chat. There was a good variety of places to visit, ranging from pleasant towns and cities to an 800 year old lighthouse, an ancient burial place, a 'Famine Ship' - used to transport passengers to a new life in America (if they were lucky enough to survive the journey), castles and attractive rivers. We even got to learn about the national sport of Hurling – a very fast game on the lines of Hockey but where the ball was carried on the end of a bat (called a Hurl), tossed into the air and whacked at the goal. It was breathtaking to watch.

Then, because the cats seem to have been very stressed out by cattery life (although we tell them well in advance that they’re going to a holiday camp), we have taken separate breaks over the rest of the year. Anne went with a friend to Cheshire on another Warners hotel break and enjoyed day excursions from their base to Chester zoo and Liverpool.

Alan went with his friend John to North Yorkshire to catch up on the preserved railway scene in this very scenic part of the UK, and also to visit the vast open air museum at Beamish, where old towns, collieries and other facets of north eastern life in years gone by are recreated. This really is a most remarkable attraction, set in glorious countryside near Durham.

Then Anne had a weekend in York helping out on the reception desk for the Richard III Society’s a.g.m. Her group (Croydon) performs this role each year and it is a wonderful chance to meet up with fellow members. The a.g.m. is always held on the Saturday closest to Richard’s birthday, and that occasion was celebrated this year with a dinner at Barley Hall in York which was very atmospheric. On the Sunday Anne joined the coach excursion to Middleham (now just a shell of a castle but significant to Ricardians because it was where Richard spent his early years). A new pennant was hoisted above the castle remains.

Finally Alan went on a 9-day trip to the Far East. This involved flying to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, then a connection to Hong Kong, for four days visiting old haunts and finding a couple of new ones. The weather was fine and a pleasant 30-degree temperature with little humidity. Hong Kong continues to grow with even taller buildings, additional land reclamation and a transportation system which keeps pace with the ever-growing population. The new airport is a man-made island in the sea and, despite being much larger than the old one, cannot cope with demand and is about to be enlarged. Now HK is back in Chinese ownership, after being a British colony for one hundred years, there is much investment, not only in renewal, but making city spaces more attractive. Hong Kong is a beautiful place with many islands and mountains and a stunning city waterfront. It is one of the liveliest cities in the world.

On the way back a day was spent in Kuala Lumpur, a place full of interest and fast growing, with large shopping malls to equal nearby Singapore.

Theatre and culture

We’ve been to two ‘amateur’ productions of plays about Richard III, both taking place in upstairs rooms of pubs. Both were very well acted and produced – and their themes provided plenty of food for thought.

Having enjoyed Mark Rylance’s portrayal of Richard III at The Globe two years ago, Anne was keen to see Rylance in his new play (written by him) called Nice Fish. We sat through it always expecting (or hoping) that some hint of a plot would emerge, but it didn’t, and we were so glad when the newspaper reviewers seemed equally puzzled by it! It wasn’t a total disaster because Rylance acted the part perfectly (but we wished we could have understood what he was doing in the frozen landscapes in which the play was set).

This year we also saw ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’ and ‘The Bank Robbery that Goes Wrong’. These plays are sequels to ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ which we saw the previous year. Using the same format, they were both exceedingly funny but didn’t quite have the ‘spark’ of the first one (perhaps that was because we were half expecting some of the slapstick situations we had seen previously).

A Shakespearean Son et Luminiere event was staged at the Guildhall in London to commemorate 400 years of the bard. This was not a great success, the sounds and voices were not clear, nor were the visuals which were projected onto the wall of Guildhall, the stone face of which was not a suitable medium on which to project images. This was at a cold time of year and the best bit was the restaurant afterwards, where a warming, tasty meal cheered us up.

‘Beating Retreat’ is an annual musical military event in June, which takes place on Horseguards’ Parade in London. This year it was the turn of the Royal Marines to host the event and there was a superb, precision display of marching and music on a sunny evening.

Alan and Steve pursued a joint interest during the summer with a very full day at the Brooklands motor, aviation and bus museum. The highlight was a ‘flight’ on Concorde – it doesn’t actually fly but it feels as if it does.

John and Diane came over from Australia in the spring and we spent some great times with them (although their visit seemed to pass far too quickly). We took them to the British Wildlife Centre one Sunday and found lots of interest there, especially the birds of prey flying displays.

Our neighbour, Roger, celebrated his 70^th birthday with a superb afternoon at a local golf club. Roger and his band provided the musical entertainment and about 80 family and friends ‘danced the day away’.

Anne’s birthday treat was a visit to Leicester (yes, she’d been twice previously!) but enjoyed again seeing Richard III’s coffin in its final resting place in the cathedral, then seeing the associated exhibition. It was a wonderful day; we both still love the coffin design – plain, simple and dignified and the exhibition is very informative and very easy to understand (and a great introduction for those who know little about the subject).

One of Anne’s friends came with us to visit Winston Churchill’s country home in Kent – Chartwell. That, too, was an interesting visit – the house feels very homely and the gardens were full of colour.

This year it was Pat & Tony’s turn to come up with a ‘plan’ for our annual day out together. They took us to Herstmonceux in Sussex, which has a beautiful moated castle. It is now home to a science centre for space exploration and we found plenty there to amuse us all day long.

Shows and films

How did we find the time for all these? Anne saw Beautiful, the Carole King musical, with a friend and was very impressed. Then we both went to see Bend It Like Beckham not knowing quite what to expect and were both delighted and impressed. It was a thoroughly entertaining evening, and the story was both moving and uplifting. Anne enjoyed seeing Sunny Afternoon, the story of The Kinks pop group with her friend Cathy at a London theatre

We enjoyed Last Tango with ex-Strictly dancers Flavia and Vincent which was stunning and a short time later went to see An Evening with Anton and Erin along with three of our ex ballroom dancing friends. We had written in to see if we could get a request played for Jackie’s birthday and a response came back that Anton and Erin would meet us at the stage door afterward the performance. We only waited a short time and they emerged and were so friendly and talkative, posing for pictures, signing autographs, etc. It made a fabulous finale to our evening out.

We saw two ‘thrillers’ locally – The Ladykillers, by our local am-dram group; and Dial M for Murder staged by another theatrical group fairly local to us. Both were superb – acting, sets, production couldn’t be faulted.

As fans of the ‘original’ TV series – Dad’s Army – we were a little unsure about the new film but decided to try it anyway. It was really great. At no time did we find ourselves comparing it to the old TV series, and the film version had a really good story line and some very fine actors.

Anne has been going to the David Lean cinema in Croydon with a friend fairly regularly in the past year and they have seen some very good (but not necessarily well known) films - Suffragettes, Our Little Sister, Spotlight, Spy in the Sky, and Bridget Jones’ Baby being just a few.

We saw Bridge of Spies together (a fantastic performance from Mark Rylance who received a well-deserved Oscar for it). Anne’s friend took her to see Goodnight Mr Tom for Anne’s birthday treat. That was at the Richmond Theatre and they subsequently went to see Relatively Speaking there, too, with Liza Goddard and Robert Powell.

A domestic issue

Fed up with our old style fuse box blowing fuses every time a bulb expired, we invested in the latest switch type. All was going well until the electrician switched it on and a lot of fuses promptly shut down. The fault was eventually traced to an overload in the immersion heater, which has performed 40 years of sterling service but could not cope with the new electrics. So now we have a new immersion heater too, adding another £600 to the bill for replacing the fuse unit!

Family

Not a lot to report. Alan’s sister is still in fine health and enjoying life with her family, line dancing and some short holidays in the UK. She had a party in April to celebrate her 80^th birthday.

Anne’s stepmother, May, moved from nearby Beckenham to further away Cambridge and is now settled in the picturesque village of Histon, complete with thatched houses and a duck pond.

Anne’s cousin Lesley and husband Tony, formerly inhabitants of Tenerife and now returned to the UK, are settled in a park home village in mid-Kent and love their new and peaceful surroundings.

Alan celebrated his birthday at a Sussex beauty spot called 'The Devil's Dyke'. As a result of walking along the sloping paths in unsuitable shoes, he couldn't walk for the rest of the week!

Our family retainer, generally know as Freddie Focus the car, let us down this year when, on a hospital mission, he refused to re-start and the car rescue service had to be called. They got us going but suggested that the fuel pump was in need of replacing and this was duly done. It would have been helpful, though, if the mechanic had properly tightened the nuts as the next day, in the height of the rush hour, the thing came apart, sprayed petrol all over the road and we ground to a halt in a most inconvenient spot!

Apart from upset tums, the cats are generally well and full of beans. Rascal still eats for England but is looking very thin whereas Coco hardly ever has a ‘square meal’ but is becoming quite ‘podgy’. They love cat treats at bedtime.

Our Godson Richard became a father in September. Here is young Alex with him and Mum, Jenna.

Other events

As supporters of the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity, we were invited to a seminar to learn about the work that the organisation carries out. We met three dogs (two Labradors and one German Shepherd) and their owners. A lot of work goes into the training programmes for both dogs and owners. Both of us have had eye problems recently so are keen to contribute to the charity.

Anne arranged an event at her old school, the historic Old Palace in Croydon, where the Head Mistress was delighted to allow the Croydon group of the Richard the Third Society to commemorate the passing of their group founder, Roy Linsell. A number of group members gathered for some speeches, and the planting of a white rose in the garden and were then given a tour of the historic buildings, followed by lunch at an Italian restaurant.

So that’s our year. Hope you enjoyed reading about it. Do enjoy the festive season and have a great New Year.

With love from Anne and Alan

Nativity scene knitted by May Webb

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By popular request here is the ‘Transport Stuff’ from events attended this year.

Brussels Railway Museum – home of the record breaking Belgian streamlined ‘Atlantic’ locomotive

Yorkshire – steam and plenty of noise on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s steep hills …..

and at Beamish Museum ......

and a couple of famous locos in York museum.

Severn Valley Railway Spring Gala – a branch line theme

Mid-Hants Autumn Gala - Guest locomotives: Ivatt 2-6-0 and Royal Scot

Epping Ongar Railway Gala - Guest locomotives: a green 9F large freight type and an N2 tank

Kent and East Sussex Railway – The USA tank was in action

Didcot Gala – the Guest locomotive was a Hawksworth pannier tank

Three of us felt lucky to get on a four-hour evening trip around the Surrey Hills with ‘Flying Scotsman’. The luck didn’t last long. A very slow itinerary was followed and our 75mph locomotive averaged just 11 mph in the first hour. On the slowest of schedules, we lost another 30 minutes. On the scenic section it was dark and on our reckoning the train touched a top speed of 50mph just once in four hours! Luckily, as midnight approached, the train made a special stop in Croydon for which we were very grateful, as we would not otherwise have got home. I suspect the rest of the passengers going on to London didn’t get home at all that night.

‘Flying Scotsman’ did two circuits that day and here is the morning one, ready to leave Victoria.

Castle class ‘Earl of Mount Edgcumbe’ hauled a circular tour from Birmingham to Oxford in October, where it was photographed. Beautiful engine!

‘Scots Guardsman’ did a run from London to Weymouth in the summer. Here it is entering Southampton. In the afternoon, ‘Caribbean Princess’ departed for a summer cruise.

Our last decent trains on the Southern have almost gone. The Class 442 Gatwick Express units have been replaced by standard and very uncomfortable new trains. Progress?

On a school camping week to Romney Marsh in 1960, our group was walking near the miniature Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway. There was a whistle and a stunningly beautiful blue locomotive called ‘Hurricane’ dashed past with its train. Despite several visits to the railway since then ‘Hurricane’ has kept its head below the parapet, always in the back of the engine shed and out of site. Until now! Doesn’t it look great?

A trip to Birmingham from Marylebone was a treat, as the latest large express diesel locomotives – the stylish Class 68, now haul several services. As powerful as a Deltic, the loco was happy to charge along at 100mph, providing an unusual railway experience in the UK these days. Despite air-conditioned carriages, the loco could clearly be heard hard at work from the leading carriage.

There has been some aviation, too. Courtesy of Steve and his daughter, free tickets to the Farnborough air show were provided. There were many highlights but two were outstanding: a Boeing 727 equipped for aerial spraying and the RAF’s latest Airbus A400M Atlas heavy lifter, both seen in formation with other aircraft.

Users of London city airport may well be familiar with the UK’s best selling passenger jet aircraft - the British aerospace 146, which at one time was used by several airlines as they were the only regional jet permitted to use the airport. Now, years later, other regional jets are able to operate from the short runway, only 6 miles from the City of London, so the 146 is much less commonly seen. And soon the last major operator ‘CityJet’ will be replacing their fleet with a Russian aircraft design.  The four-engine 146 will be, before long, a distant memory in the skies of London.

The ‘Air Grice of the Year award’ went to the Far East trip, which included return flights from London to Kuala Lumpur on a Malaysian Airlines A380, then return flights from there to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific Airlines – an A330-300 out and a 777-200 back. Kuala Lumpur city has a modern monorail. These are quite rare and very interesting to ride on.

Wherever you go in 2017 – we wish you ‘Happy Travelling’!

The End