Annual ramblings, 2018

Compliments of the season! 

The world of politics is certainly not one I'd care to inhabit these days.  The inexorable rise of populism worldwide is an ugly development, and you start to wonder when the world will come to its senses.  It may not.  I'm glad in some ways to be old.  We have much to be grateful for: we are well, by and large.  You could say, as of a somewhat high-mileage, dented and smoky used car, reasonable condition for age.

CAB Quiz winnings

Martyn's model railway goes from amazing to spectacular: he has put up a video on YouTube.  My hobbies are more modest: the one I get expenses for becomes more and more frustrating.  Since I represent the local branch of the Hobby at the local Citizens' Advice charity, we once again entered a team in their quiz in the spring, and our Rough Justice team won!

I have joined a U3A German conversation group, and am very slowly improving my lamentably poor vocabulary.  (It didn't help that I hated the German teacher we had for the first two years - nor that I started it at the hormonally challenging age of 14).  Talking of U3A, we joined the bird watching group at Rye harbour a few weeks back, and, with the help of a guide, saw all sorts of species, such as a spoonbill, little egrets and sundry waders - and a charm of goldfinches.

During one of our trips, we got a local painter/decorator in to do the bedrooms and the garage doors, which he had the pleasure of doing on some of the hottest days of the year, poor chap.  He did an excellent job, so we no longer have to avert our eyes from the previous administration's dismal choice of colours in the front bedroom, and our rather too bright choice of blue in the back. 

Garden

We had the landscapers in this autumn to scrape off the mossy grass at the front and side of the house and hoik out the badly mutilated cherry tree.  We got them to replace most of the plants with membrane, green slate chips and some new shrubs.  The box hedge now continues from the side of the house (where we'd replaced a silly little fence with a mix of our own box cuttings and plants bought at half price from Fortnums) right round to the front drive, so the garden will in due course look a lot tidier.  And of course we no longer have to cut quite so much grass.  While the landscapers were at it, we got them to dig up a diseased (and in any case, thoroughly boring) viburnum out the back, and replace it with an acer in some decent soil.  We've had little success with acers in the past, presumably because of our awful soil, so keep fingers crossed.

We grew charlotte potatoes again, and they were delicious as ever.  We had better results from the dwarf French beans this year, despite the fact that the seeds were from a packet that has been open for years.  Having attempted leeks, runner beans and courgettes in the raised bed last year, we decided this year to restrict it largely to herbs, which have done extremely well - thanks probably to our having heaved in bags of muck and decent topsoil in the spring.  More of the above in the spring, and I have a new packet of bean seed in waiting.  We have joined a nearby allotment association (though we stop short of taking an allotment), so get composts etc at pretty good prices.  Although we've bought quite a lot of bedding plants as plugs and brought them on, we grew rudbeckias from seed, and they are still flowering well after the first frosts.  The cold frames are full of cuttings, and I just hope they'll survive the winter.  Some of our perennials are now very leggy, so it's time we re-stocked.  A modest triumph too: I harvested seed from a cyclamen that Derry gave us, and managed to grow two little plants, both of which are now in flower.

Arrivals

Pam and Geoff were here briefly in June en route to and from an orgy of opera in Riga (Geoff's 80th birthday present from his devoted public).  We have enjoyed their generous hospitality so many times in Berne and Dunoon, so it was good to reciprocate modestly for a change.  Similarly, we had the pleasure of a visit from Martin and Patricia as they headed for Dover after visits to family and friends in England.  It was good to be able to entertain them, having been welcomed to their home in Mèze so many times when we had a base in France. 

Departures

Chur in the distance, from the Weisshorn above Arosa

We've been out and about a lot this year.  Although we always long to get away during the dark, cold early months, we endured them at home this year, rewarded by watching the garden return to life and colour.  In June it was off the the Graubünden for a week, staying in Chur, and bopping around on public transport as we love to do in Switzerland.  For the first time for me, we rode the Bernina line to Tirano and back, joined by Pam and Geoff, who joined us in Chur, heroically travelling from Berne and then back the same night.

Then in July, we had planned a cruise to the Baltic, but chickened out because of UK-Russia tensions, and the consequent closure of the St Petersburg consulate.  So it was off to the Mediterranean on the Queen Victoria, visiting Cadiz, Monaco, the Cinque Terre, Civitavecchia, Propriano and Gibraltar.  Quite a good exercise in finding places we'd like to visit for longer, and a few that we won't trouble again.  We were again very fortunate with our neighbours at dinner, a sparky couple, Janet and John, from Wakefield.  We quite often had a nightcap with them as we watched the sunset from the lido deck, and they joined us for the evening pub quizzes, a couple of which we won.

Martyn treated me to a birthday present of a trip to Edinburgh in September, travelling by train, and staying in a converted school in Broughton.  The highlights of the trip were a visit to the Britannia at Leith, and a trip to Broughty Ferry for lunch with school friends Jackie and Wendy, and a visit to Broughty Castle: my first, since it has only opened as a museum in recent years.  Weather?  Dreich.

Martyn and Annie: Lunch at the Majestic

In October - for Martyn's birthday - we went to Porto for a long weekend, joined by Annie.  We stayed again in the beautiful flat overlooking the Atlantic rollers in Foz do Douro.  The weather was a shade less co-operative than last time we were there, but certainly made for a dramatic view from the living room.  We did a few of the touristy things one does in Porto, but this time took a ferry across the Douro from Ribeira at Gaia, and legged it up the hill to Taylor's cellars, where we took the tour and tasting.  Another visit was to the Serralves park, where there were a few Anish Kapoor pieces on display.  Lunch at the Majestic is a must if you're in Porto, but perhaps the second bottle of Alvarinho was a mistake.  Siestas all round.  We were less impressed by the roast chestnuts we got from a chap at the roadside near the flat: Annie reckons the summer drought did them no favours.

Atlantic sunset, Foz do Douro

Wheels

Our resident vehicles serve us well, though Martyn's rarely makes 1000 miles between MoTs.  Having dug my heels in (friends will recall that, on a scale of 1-10 for stubbornness, I score 15), I finally got some defective bright work on the Ateca fixed, if not under warranty, then at least at the cost of the manufacturer and the dealership.  Said dealership provided me with courtesy cars a couple of times during the year: one was a Skoda Citigo, which was pretty lively and manoeuvrable (and I managed to deal with the extra pedal and that funny lever on the floor).  The other was a Fabia with a proper DSG gearbox, and it was impressive.  But I get less and less keen on driving, and can foresee the day when I develop a relationship with a local taxi firm, and with grocers who deliver.

Arts

Blue tit: watercolour by Martyn

Martyn has joined our little Thursday morning art group.  Miss having retired, we continue to meet at the same venue, and it seems to be working well enough.  Martyn, who hadn't wielded a brush for decades, is turning out some highly competent pieces, as witness the Christmas card, if you get one!  the group again put up a show at, and in aid of, the Bridges charity in Edenbridge.  One of my little sketches brought them £15.

We took a trip to London on Martyn's birthday to see 42nd Street: fantastic!  Earlier in the year we went to a performance of Historia Theatre Company's docudrama Dear Chocolate Soldier, a moving account of the suffering of a young bombardier in the trenches, based on his correspondence with a child who had sent chocolate to the forces, and with her parents. 

Food and Drink

Our standard entertaining menu this year has been amuse-bouche of smoked salmon and boursin palmiers, insalata tricolore (tomatoes, sliced mozzarella, prosciutto, salad and basil), followed by grilled Aberdeen Angus fillets (from 'Fortnums', of course) with Martyn's home-made chips and roast veggies.  Our favourite white wine Picpoul de Pinet used in these parts to be the preserve of Waitrose.  But it now appears regularly at Sainsburys, Lidl and even in the One-Stop in the village.  On board the floating care home, of course, we ate well and somewhat too copiously.  One interesting starter was a little breaded patty of pork cheeks.  Delicious.  And the Cunard wine list too now features Picpoul de Pinet, priced at the lower end of their eye-watering wine list.

We hope that 2019 will treat you kindly, though I have to admit to having never felt quite so pessimistic.  But however dreadful the political background, strong and loving friendships keep us going, eh?

Best wishes from us both

Martyn and David