A wonderful end to the Summer
23-27-Sep-09 - The car doesn't often get a decent run out, but this was to be a four-day marathon covering about 500 miles and encompassing a really splendid weekend. We left The Eversley on Wednesday for the Luton and Dunstable Hospital, where Evie Alice was, we hoped, waiting for us. Unfortunately it was not to be, as she'd been taken into the neonatal unit for tests, and only parents (and not grandparents) are allowed in there. We did see James and Claire, however, who were in good spirits although they didn't know when the baby would be back on the ward, and James was living on sandwiches from the League of Friends.
Then it was off to Milton Keynes, where I was booked into the Jurys Inn for two nights, prior to going to Buckingham to put YES CHEF! Magazine issue 11 and John Radford's WineWire (issue 1) to bed - more about them later. We had dinner with my former deputy editor Sam Jones and her fiancé at the Living Room, next door to the hotel - she's their events manager. The food, I have to say, was a bit iffy but the company was good and the wine flowed - and we didn't have far to walk back.
Jurys Inn is a very comfortable place, set overlooking a square which must have a dozen bars and restaurants around its perimeter, and it's a long time since I stayed in the centre of the town. I mused that there were probably more eating places in that small area than there had been in the whole of MK when it was part of my radio patch, from 1994-1997.
The following day was press day and we managed to get through most of it, allowing for late delivery of pictures and, of course, the first edition of WineWire. I'd always felt that YES CHEF! Magazine didn't have enough about wine in it - it is, after all, aimed at Chefs - so this was an opportunity to do something for sommeliers as well. The first issue has a retasting of some of the 2003 and 2004 Burgundies from Louis Jadot, as well as an overview of how the 2007s are developing. There's also news about my eventful trip to the Rheinhessen and a mind-blowing tasting of German Pinot Noir wines at Vintners' Hall, put on by the Institute of Masters of Wine. And then there's a bit of gossip, news, and odds and ends about what's been happening in the wine world over the summer. I hope to be able to offer copies of it through this website in due course.
The following day we had a leisurely drive north to Cromford, in Derbyshire, where my niece was getting married. The M1 is horrendous at the moment (what do you mean 'at the moment'? Ed) between junctions 25 and 28 and we ended up taking the scenic route via Wessington and Tansey (with a brief stop for lunch at the Three Horseshoes in Wessington - double egg, chips and peas for £3.95!), and then through Matlock, which seems to have changed quite a bit since I was last there. My late mother ran the High Tor Hotel (Grade II listed) there for about 20 years - it's currently being converted into apartments, which is a pity but at least it's being looked after.
We were to meet up at Alison House Hotel in Cromford, just beyond the Arkwright factory, which is a charming 16-bedroom small country hotel with a lovely garden, and licensed for marriages. A bit of background: my niece Sally was paralysed from the waist down after a road accident at the age of 14 which killed her father, my brother-in-law. Some children would have given up, but she proved to be a fighter, went back to school, then university, got a degree, and now works for the local authority. Meanwhile her childhood sweetheart Will (known as Wig - they met at school aged 11) stuck by her and (although she denies this hotly) it is rumoured that he proposed to her several times before she accepted.
The wedding took place in an annexe to the hotel, and it was very emotional as Sally wheeled herself up the aisle and, of course, had to be given away by her elder brother. She looked radiant, however, and as we flooded out into the gardens the staff served canapés and Kir Royale. The weather was absolutely perfect, with bright sunshine and cloudless skies. The children (ages 3-7) ran riot all over the lawns and we dutifully lined up for the photographer, who had taken it into his head to line us all up and then run up two flights of stairs to photograph us from an upstairs window. Rather him than me.
The happy couple signing the register
The reception proper was in a marquee on the lawn, and was magnificent, with whole hams, barons of beef, poached salmon, plenty of wine, then cheese and Port. It was just wonderful to see so many people enjoying themselves. I have to confess that I retired for a siesta at about 7:00 pm, even though there was a barbecue to follow. Jill snuck out and bagged a couple of big steak baguettes and some salad and we had a midnight feast in the hotel room.
I've included this picture because somehow it encapsulates the whole wedding: lots of laughter, lots of sunshine and lots of lovely greensward for the children to enjoy. On the left is my great-nephew James (5 - and that's his mum, my niece Elisabeth in the foreground), in the middle is my great-nephew Ollie (3). They had a wonderful time.
The following morning Sally and Wig were packing to leave for their honeymoon in Lanzarote, and we set off southwards, not knowing what we were going to find - if anything - at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital. James 'phoned at around 11:00 am, however, to say that Evie had finished all her tests and was back in her cot, next to Claire's bed. We weren't allowed in until visiting started at 15:00 but.. Well, there she was. I'm not going to get into all that grandparenty stuff about how lovely she is, but when she raised her arms, and unfolded her tiny fingers, and yawned, it was a wonder to behold. We unpacked all the presents that people had sent - mostly toys and baby clothes - left about 16:30 and headed south again.
At Last! Doting Grandparents get to see Evie Alice
Very often we like to stop at the bikers' café at Box Hill for a bun and a coffee on the way home, but there was a sign saying that the car-park was closing at 18:00 (which was the time we arrived) so, not willing to risk it, we decided to find a suitable road-house and, after some country-lane ramifications, ended up at the Shelley Arms in Broadbridge Heath. I can thoroughly recommend this place - a big garden with a children's play area and excellent bar food. We shall be going back.
We got home about 20:00, thoroughly exhausted, and had a couple of large ones before turning in. The following afternoon (Monday) James 'phoned to say that they'd been given the go-ahead to take Evie home, and she was safely tucked up in her own little cot. On the whole, apart from the endless driving, it had been a perfect few days.
Then it was off to Milton Keynes, where I was booked into the Jurys Inn for two nights, prior to going to Buckingham to put YES CHEF! Magazine issue 11 and John Radford's WineWire (issue 1) to bed - more about them later. We had dinner with my former deputy editor Sam Jones and her fiancé at the Living Room, next door to the hotel - she's their events manager. The food, I have to say, was a bit iffy but the company was good and the wine flowed - and we didn't have far to walk back.
Jurys Inn is a very comfortable place, set overlooking a square which must have a dozen bars and restaurants around its perimeter, and it's a long time since I stayed in the centre of the town. I mused that there were probably more eating places in that small area than there had been in the whole of MK when it was part of my radio patch, from 1994-1997.
The following day was press day and we managed to get through most of it, allowing for late delivery of pictures and, of course, the first edition of WineWire. I'd always felt that YES CHEF! Magazine didn't have enough about wine in it - it is, after all, aimed at Chefs - so this was an opportunity to do something for sommeliers as well. The first issue has a retasting of some of the 2003 and 2004 Burgundies from Louis Jadot, as well as an overview of how the 2007s are developing. There's also news about my eventful trip to the Rheinhessen and a mind-blowing tasting of German Pinot Noir wines at Vintners' Hall, put on by the Institute of Masters of Wine. And then there's a bit of gossip, news, and odds and ends about what's been happening in the wine world over the summer. I hope to be able to offer copies of it through this website in due course.
The following day we had a leisurely drive north to Cromford, in Derbyshire, where my niece was getting married. The M1 is horrendous at the moment (what do you mean 'at the moment'? Ed) between junctions 25 and 28 and we ended up taking the scenic route via Wessington and Tansey (with a brief stop for lunch at the Three Horseshoes in Wessington - double egg, chips and peas for £3.95!), and then through Matlock, which seems to have changed quite a bit since I was last there. My late mother ran the High Tor Hotel (Grade II listed) there for about 20 years - it's currently being converted into apartments, which is a pity but at least it's being looked after.
We were to meet up at Alison House Hotel in Cromford, just beyond the Arkwright factory, which is a charming 16-bedroom small country hotel with a lovely garden, and licensed for marriages. A bit of background: my niece Sally was paralysed from the waist down after a road accident at the age of 14 which killed her father, my brother-in-law. Some children would have given up, but she proved to be a fighter, went back to school, then university, got a degree, and now works for the local authority. Meanwhile her childhood sweetheart Will (known as Wig - they met at school aged 11) stuck by her and (although she denies this hotly) it is rumoured that he proposed to her several times before she accepted.
The wedding took place in an annexe to the hotel, and it was very emotional as Sally wheeled herself up the aisle and, of course, had to be given away by her elder brother. She looked radiant, however, and as we flooded out into the gardens the staff served canapés and Kir Royale. The weather was absolutely perfect, with bright sunshine and cloudless skies. The children (ages 3-7) ran riot all over the lawns and we dutifully lined up for the photographer, who had taken it into his head to line us all up and then run up two flights of stairs to photograph us from an upstairs window. Rather him than me.
The happy couple signing the registerThe reception proper was in a marquee on the lawn, and was magnificent, with whole hams, barons of beef, poached salmon, plenty of wine, then cheese and Port. It was just wonderful to see so many people enjoying themselves. I have to confess that I retired for a siesta at about 7:00 pm, even though there was a barbecue to follow. Jill snuck out and bagged a couple of big steak baguettes and some salad and we had a midnight feast in the hotel room.
I've included this picture because somehow it encapsulates the whole wedding: lots of laughter, lots of sunshine and lots of lovely greensward for the children to enjoy. On the left is my great-nephew James (5 - and that's his mum, my niece Elisabeth in the foreground), in the middle is my great-nephew Ollie (3). They had a wonderful time.The following morning Sally and Wig were packing to leave for their honeymoon in Lanzarote, and we set off southwards, not knowing what we were going to find - if anything - at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital. James 'phoned at around 11:00 am, however, to say that Evie had finished all her tests and was back in her cot, next to Claire's bed. We weren't allowed in until visiting started at 15:00 but.. Well, there she was. I'm not going to get into all that grandparenty stuff about how lovely she is, but when she raised her arms, and unfolded her tiny fingers, and yawned, it was a wonder to behold. We unpacked all the presents that people had sent - mostly toys and baby clothes - left about 16:30 and headed south again.
At Last! Doting Grandparents get to see Evie AliceVery often we like to stop at the bikers' café at Box Hill for a bun and a coffee on the way home, but there was a sign saying that the car-park was closing at 18:00 (which was the time we arrived) so, not willing to risk it, we decided to find a suitable road-house and, after some country-lane ramifications, ended up at the Shelley Arms in Broadbridge Heath. I can thoroughly recommend this place - a big garden with a children's play area and excellent bar food. We shall be going back.
We got home about 20:00, thoroughly exhausted, and had a couple of large ones before turning in. The following afternoon (Monday) James 'phoned to say that they'd been given the go-ahead to take Evie home, and she was safely tucked up in her own little cot. On the whole, apart from the endless driving, it had been a perfect few days.
To sponsor a weblink or picture for any post, please contact john@johnradford.com
posted by John Radford at
16:52
0 Comments
