Stormy Weather

[Serial_Apologist]

For the fair weather wishers, tomorrow's going to be OK and quite warm in the east; on Tuesday rain is expected to advance slowly across the country from the west, reaching the east in the evening, and heralding an unsettled cooler (but not particularly cold) rest of the week, with Thursday looking particularly windy, especially in south Wales, I'm afraid, Anna.

[Thropplenoggin]

Good luck for the move and settling in in St Albans, Thropplenoggin - the few times I've visited the city it has always struck me as a friendly as well as attractive and historic place, with, as you say, some old pubs, one of which is one of many claiming itself to be the oldest in the country!

Thanks, SA. It is The Fighting Cocks you speak of: my only miserable pub experience in St Albans to date. A terrible half-pint abandoned a third of the way through. Serving staff seemed more interested in talking amongst themselves than serving...An anaemic ambience to the place. The Six Bells, from whence I'd come, had been much more my thing: a warm welcome, dark and cavernous within, and a wonderful choice of ales (inc. XT Dark Roasted - delicious!). The Lower Red Lion, delightfully down at heel and 'old school', let me sample ale before choosing.

Interestingly, I hale from Nottingham, where several pubs vye for the title of Britain's Oldest Boozer (I thought that was our gamba ), including Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem.

[salymap]

Good luck with the move Thropples.

Spent a month in St Albans once years ago. Sadly it was at Barts' who then had a heads,hearts and lungs hospital there. I could see it was a lovely place though. Didn't visit the pubs though, bestio, saly

[Anna]

Not a million miles from here is the oldest pub in Wales, The Skirrid Mountain Inn, mentioned in chronicles from 1100. It's a very welcome finish to a morning spent tramping the mountains.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skirrid_Mountain_Inn

The sun has finally come out but with the wind still rather chill I'm not inclined to strip my jumper off today!

heralding an unsettled cooler (but not particularly cold) rest of the week, with Thursday looking particularly windy, especially in south Wales, I'm afraid, Anna.

Oh well, nothing new then!! How did your 30 mile bike ride go? I really am in awe of your fitness and stamina. Talking about wind, I see there are warnings out for hayfever sufferers for tomorrow, the warmth plus wind will see birch pollen being unleashed (due to cold start to Spring the trees have been storing it up) The lower half of the country, in particular the Midlands and the South, have a Very High forecast.
Has anyone seen Marthe lately?

[mangerton]

Goodness! So many posts since I last looked in. Miss m and I were invited to mum's for lunch. Very good too, but I feel rather guilty (should I?) at letting my nonagenarian mother cook lunch, which Miss m and I are both well able to do. On the other hand, she was delighted to see us and to do it. I'd be interested in your views.

Thropplenoggin's move seems to be very well organised, and I'm sure Clark and Rose are more competent than Pickfords. My parents had them once forty or so years ago. My mother still remembers them unloading (from the top down) two bicycles, a lawnmower, a thin sheet of brown paper all on top of her dressing table.

I've never been to St Albans, Thropples, but of course Peter Hurford played the organ there and started the Organ Festival, so it sounds a suitably musical place. I hope you, family, and cats all settle in well and happily.

It's been a lovely sunny day here today - and at 17° C as mild as it's been all year. It has now clouded over and it looks very like rain.

The Skirrid Mountain Inn sounds a jolly place, Anna, though if they hanged sheep stealers, some of us might be safer to give it a wide berth.

[Anna]

Goodness! So many posts since I last looked in. Miss m and I were invited to mum's for lunch. Very good too, but I feel rather guilty (should I?) at letting my nonagenarian mother cook lunch, which Miss m and I are both well able to do. On the other hand, she was delighted to see us and to do it. I'd be interested in your views.

The Skirrid Mountain Inn sounds a jolly place, Anna, though if they hanged sheep stealers, some of us might be safer to give it a wide berth.

To be honest mangerton, if you stopped your Aged Ma from cooking lunch, I think she would feel very hurt and slighted that you and your daughter think she's not up to it and only fit for sitting in a chair watching Countdown whilst life went on around her and her lunch was being served up on a tray in front of the tv.

I am quite passionate about elderly folk, having made friends with three 80+ year olds who, it must be said, are more lively, and better educated than many 35 year olds.

Skirrid Inn - sheep stealers? Now, how many Border Reivers have set off with a sheep tucked under their arms?

Edit: Archibald Armstrong,. A court jester, called "Archy," was a native of Scotland and according to tradition first distinguished himself as a sheep-stealer; afterwards he entered the service of James VI, with whom he became a favourite.

It is said: At the Newmarket races in 1612, he even tried to excite jealousy between James and Henry, Prince of Wales, by pointing out how more courtiers stayed with Henry once they were parted. Thereafter Henry's friends would always toss Archie in a blanket when they saw him.

[BBMmk2]

Lovely day down here in the wilds of West Sussex. today. Went to my jamming partner's house, with his wife. Unfortunately MrsBBM was working! Had a great time jamming, real ale(ofcourse!), plus a barbeque!

[EdgeleyRob]

Lovely summer-like day here,even better tomorrow apparently.
Been out all day at a Christening and dog walking.
Hope the move goes well for Thropplenoggin

[Thropplenoggin]

Thanks to Rob, Salymap and everyone else for your kind words. Another long day ahead of me tomorrow.

[Serial_Apologist]

Disappointingly grey afternoon after such a promising start - max 19 C. Sunday is my laundry day; some bstard had brought the washing lines down; by the time I'd rigged them all up again the sun had disappeared - my washing is still damp on the line!

[Petrushka]

Other way round up here. It turned out to be an excellent afternoon after a disappointingly grey morning. Warmer out of doors than inside.

[greenilex]

Weather in Fishbourne and Chichester yesterday altogether delightful. Pleased with myself for realising man-made nature of Fishbourne water meadows - they were in fact the Roman harbour workings.

However, depleted uranium? over Damascus.

[BBMmk2]

Ah, Ive been to chichester quite a few times and the cathedral there to. i bought a cd from their shop, a rather good one, withthe HM Royal Marines Band as well!

Well should be rather a good day down here today!

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

weather on Saturday in Oxford turned out to be very fine; wet and chill in the early morning, then wind and scudding clouds, then bright sunhine and blue skies in time for the post lunch phootos and antics in the Quad .... such a very happy day thank you once again for your good wishes ... and it has been pretty sunny and warm in the middle kingdom yesterday and this morning ...

swmbo is making a luncheon salad for dining in the garden this afternoon ... first snooze in the warm sun????

[mangerton]

Glad to hear the sun shone at the right time for you on Saturday, C Da J. Here today it's grey, cloudy and none too warm at 12° C. Still, there's nowhere I have to go, and there are many things I can do here.

I hope all, on holiday or not, have a good day.