Pasqua in Puglia 2023

Cisternino, Puglia, Italy. Monday 10-April-2023.

Here in Cisternino we get two Easter parades for the price of one. Good Friday we get the Procession of the Mysteries.

Loads more photos on FaceBook:

Easter Monday we get our very own Procession of Madonna d'Ibernia from the town centre to the Santuario della Madonna d'Ibernia. According to the town website (and Google translate) the sanctuary is "Outside the town, in the Lamacesare district, is the Sanctuary of the Madonna d'Ibernia (or de Bernis), whose veneration is linked to fertility and abundance, deriving from the cult of the goddess Cybele. In relation to this, on Easter Monday a sweet is brought to the Madonna as a gift which, according to tradition, was offered to Cybele to ensure abundance."

A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is carried from Chiesa di Cristo - Chiesa Nuova at one end of Corso Umberto I, turns the corner at San Cataldo, along the rest of Corso Umberto I, right under our windows, and then down the hill to the Santuario della Madonna d'Ibernia 2km out of town. In the evening she makes the return journey with fireworks. 

San Cataldo.

The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Followed by the Orchestra di Fiati "Vitino Zizzi".

At the end of our street the procession turns another corner...

...and off down the hill to the sanctuary.

There was a spectacular firework display some of which we could see from our apartment over the rooftops.

The Blessed Virgin Mary returned later that evening. We were dining in Il Cucco when I spotted her return and dashed out into the street almost too late.

So a bit of a local custom.

Amelia Long - a Timeline

Introduction

Having written Everything I know about my grandmother I realised that was not quite true. There were still some unanswered questions so I decided to do a deep dive into ancestry.co.uk and see what else I could dig up.

Trying to reconstruct the timeline of someone’s life from genealogy records is a kind of biographical join‑the‑dots. Not helped if you’re missing some of the points. There is a little bit of speculation regarding the missing years from 1901 to 1921 but there is a consistent pattern of name, ages and places of birth that give me confidence. After that the electoral rolls are very informative in tracking her movements.

Summary.

Amelia "Millie" / "Mildred" Long was born in 1885 into a Victorian, working class family in the East End of London. She went into service as a housemaid (later waitress) for 20 years until she married her husband, James Kennedy McLellan in 1921. She had one son, Michael, at the age of 39. They lived in various places in and around London: Battersea, Harrow, Muswell Hill, and later as a window, Kensington. James died in 1933 after 12 years of marriage. As a widow with a child she struggled financially on a small pension from her husband (£2-10-0d per week). In her latter years she mostly lived with her son until her death aged 74.

The early years. 

The first 15 years of Millie‘s life are clear. She was born in 23 Digby Terrace, Manly Road, Wanstead on the 12th of August 1885 as attested to by her birth certificate. She appears in the 1891 census at 11 Chester Street, Leyton as scholar age 5. In 1899, the school leaving age was raised to 12. The following year her father dies. At that time many working-class girls would have gone into service and as expected she appears in the 1901 census age 15 working as a nursemaid / domestic in Leatherhead. 

The missing years.

Then she drops off the radar for 20 years. There is no Amelia Long, born 1885, in either the 1911 nor 1921 censuses. There is no point looking at the electoral rolls as women did not get the vote until 1928.  She reappears in 1921 as Mildred Long, born 1888, according to her marriage certificate. 

Working backwards a search for Mildred Long born in 1888 in the East End of London throws up a couple of hits for the missing decades. 

The 1911 census had Mildred working as an Under Housemaid at The Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent the country estate of Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted. 

The 1921 census has Mildred Long back in London working as a waitress and gives her age as 32 years and 10 months which suggests that she had kept her birthday as the 12th of August and simply took three years off her age.

1921 Census address - 4 Buckingham Street, Marylebone, London.

1921 Census Occupation and Age Waitress Spiers and Pond, Aldersgate Street.

I still don't know who the American woman my father writes about was nor exactly when and where but my money is someone at Mote Park in 1911.

James Kennedy McLellan moved down from Scotland and first appears in the 1919 electoral roll at 46 Richmond Road, Islington. He then met Millie / Mildred and they married in 1921 with his address on the marriage certificate still the same.

It may just be coincidence but my father noted that James belonged to the Freemasons in Scotland and Spiers and Pond, who Mildred worked for at the time of the 1921 census, had a Masonic function room at their Holborn Viaduct Hotel. Could this be where “Mildred” met her husband-to-be?

The married years.

It is impossible to tell how long the newlyweds lived at 46 Richmond Road (assuming Millie moved in with James because JKM does not appear on the electoral rolls for 1922 to 1924. At some point during those years they moved to 66 Cambridge Mansions, Battersea, where their son, my father Michael, was born on the 10th of March 1925 when Millie was age 39.

They lived there for a couple of years and sometime between 1926 and 1927 they moved to West London at 231 Northolt Road, Harrow. How long they were there is not recorded but they were still there in 1929 so several years at least.

They then moved to 135 Colney Hatch Lane, Friern Barnet in North London sometime between 1929 and 1933 but there is a gap in the electoral registers to tell us exactly which year. Michael went to nearby Tollington School in Barnet. This leads me to believe they moved in 1929 or 1930 when Michael was four according to a note he wrote. 

In 1933 James died leaving Amelia with seven old year Michael. 

The widowed / war years.

Millie and her son Michael continue to live at 135 Colney Hatch Lane up until 1945.  Like many other London children when war broke out he was evacuated to the country to avoid the blitz, in his case to Huntingdon. His mother, not wanting to be separated from her teenage son, found work nearby in Keith House, Waldens Road, Huntingdon as a "Housekeeper (Private House)" according to the 1939 census, much to his embarrassment. She had reverted to Amelia, born 1885.

Michael described the evacuation as one of the happiest times of his childhood. Once he reached 16, he moved back into London to continue his schooling and then started studying architecture at the North London Polytechnic. Presumably Millie followed him back to 135 Colney Hatch Lane and she was still there in the 1945 Electoral roll. 

Michael wrote about Christmases during this time:  "We often, after my father's death and the outbreak of war in 1939, went to my Aunt Kit's at Southend where I had a male and female cousin of about my age"

In 1946, she appears for one year living in Earls Court Square, Kensington having given up the Friern Barnet flat while Michael was away serving in the Royal Navy for three and a half years (May 1943 - September 1946). In 1946 Michael was demobbed. For the next six years, she lived at 19 Cornwall Gardens, Kensington with Michael living at home while he continued his architectural studies and was courting his fellow student Geri. 

The mother-in-law years.

What the electoral rolls show is that although Millie lived with Michael for the rest of her life in each case he moved first and she then followed on a year or two later.

Michael married Geri and moved out of Cornwall Gardens in 1951 and Millie continued to live in there on her own for a couple of years before moving in with Michael and Geri in Lewisham. 

Michael then moved to Coventry for work and lived in rented accommodation for a year until he could sell Spencer House and buy a home in Kenilworth. Millie then moved in with them in 24 Southbank Road until her death in 1960.

Full timeline:

• The early years. 
• 1885 Age 0: 23 Digby Terrace, Manley Road, Wanstead Birth certificate - 12-Aug-1985
• 1891 Age 5: 11 Chester Street, Leyton Census - Scholar
• 1901 Age 15: 6 Garlands Road, Leatherhead, Surrey, England Census - Nursemaid / Domestic
• The missing years (speculative identification).
• 1911 Age 23 (?): The Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent - Census - Under Housemaid - Age 23 - Birthplace Stratford, London
• 1921 Age 32 (?): 4 Buckingham Street, Marylebone, London - Census - Waitress at Spiers and Pond Aldersgate Street, London - Age 32y 10m - Birthplace Leytonstone, Essex
• The married years.
• 1921 Age 32 (?): Millie's address 36 Greenham Road, Muswell Hill / James' address 46 Richmond Road, Islington, England - Marriage Certificate
• 1922-1924 address unknown 
• 1925 Age 36 (?): 66 Cambridge Mansions Battersea, Surrey - Birth certificate of son Michael.
• 1925-1926: 66 Cambridge Mansions Battersea, Surrey - Electoral Roll - Mildred and James.
• 1927-1929: 231 Northolt Road, Harrow, Middlesex, England - Electoral Roll - Mildred and James
• 1929-1933: address unknown. 
• 1933: 135 Colney Hatch Lane, Friern Barnet, Middlesex - Husband's death certificate
• The widowed / war years.
• 1939: Michael evacuated to 45 Silver Street, Buckden, Huntingdonshire
• 1939 Age 54: "Keith House", Waldens Road, Huntingdonshire - Census 1939 - Housekeeper (Private House)
• 1941 Age 56: Michael age 17 starts at the Northern Polytechnic
• 1942 Age 57: Michael called up for the Royal Navy
• 1945 Age 60: 135 Colney Hatch Lane, Friern Barnet, Middlesex Electoral roll
• 1946 Age 61: 20/22 Earls Court Square, Kensington, London, Michael demobbed
• 1947-1951: 19 Cornwall Gardens Court, Kensington Electoral Roll also Michael listed
• The mother-in-law years.
• 1951: Michael and Geri marry and move to 23 Dartmouth Row, Lewisham
• 1952-1953: 19 Cornwall Gardens Court, Kensington - Electoral Roll
• 1954 Age 69: 23 Dartmouth Row, Lewisham. Moves in with Michael and Geri
• 1956 Age 71: Michael and Geri move to Bradnick Place, Coventry in rented accommodation for about a year. My earliest childhood memory is of the garden there.
• 1957 Age 72: 23 Dartmouth Row, Lewisham. Now on her own.
• 1958 Age 73: 24 Southbank Road, Kenilworth. Michael and Geri move into their new home and Millie moves from Lewisham to live with them until her death.
• 1960 Age 74: 24 Southbank Road, Kenilworth. Dies on 10-July-1060.

That as much as I can find out online.

See also:

• Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner…
• Amelia Long (12/08/1885 - 10/07/1960)

Amelia Long (12/08/1885 - 10/07/1960)

Everything I know about my grandmother.

Having just discovered that my paternal grandmother was a cockney from a line of cockney forebears [Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner] I thought I would share what else I have learned about her.

Millie, as she was known, was the only grandparent I ever met. Both of my mother's parents and my dad's father died before my parents even married! Dad's father died when he was only eight so he was brought up as an only child in a one-parent household meaning that Millie was even more significant in his upbringing.

Millie was a widow and lived with my parents in a self-contained flat in the first house that they bought: Spencer House, half of Spencer Perceval House, Blackheath (Grade II* listed no less!). 

This was only months after my parents married and the purchase was made possible by the proceeds from my maternal grandmother's estate - she had died only months before Mum and Dad's marriage. 

The building was divided into three flats: Millie lived in the basement flat, two sisters (sitting tenants) rented the middle floors and Mum and Dad lived on the top floor - not ideal for my Mum having to cart three infants up and down three flights of stairs.

This is Millie with me and siblings in December 1955 in that house in Blackheath. Mark (me, left), Ian (front), Jane (babe in arms).

When we moved to Kenilworth in 1956 she lived in a granny flat on the top floor of Mum and Dad's three storey house in Southbank Road. She kept herself very much to herself, although that may have been at my dad’s behest, he was keen that boundaries were respected and she had to knock before entering their rooms. We used to have regular Sunday afternoon tea and cake sessions with her upstairs in her room and watch Sooty and Sweep on her telly.  

Millie died in 1960 when I was only seven and a half so I never really got to know her. She was the first dead body I ever saw. My father decided that I was mature enough to go into her room and look at her before the undertakers came to collect her. It felt like a privilege that I was deemed mature enough to be allowed to see her. It’s better to have your first sight of a corpse in benign circumstances. I have seen a number of bodies since courtesy of working as a hospital porter one summer at Farnham General Hospital.

Doing genealogical research on ancestry.co.uk only gives you the bare bones of a person's life: dates of birth, marriage and death plus every 10 years a snapshot courtesy of the censuses. It doesn’t really flesh out the details of a persons life.

Towards the end of his life, my father Michael, did a little write-up of his mother’s life for our benefit, as follows (typed up verbatim then edited for clarity):

My Mother: Amelia "Millie"McLellan (nee Long) 

[Millie's] Father: James Long - carman, liked music, Dickens, killed stopping runaway horse

[Millie's] Mother: Alice Long (nee McKearns) - hospital nurse, very sharp and intelligent, passionately interested in politics (firm liberal), [Alice] had been a top matron at Barts  

Dates 

• 1885 born Leytonstone 
• 1921 married [James Kennedy McLellan], age 36 
• 1933 husband died (she was 48) 
• 1960 died (cancer) age 74  

Character 

[Millie's] mother was told by [Millie's] school teacher, [that even] after a long severe illness, [Millie] could win scholarship but poverty meant early employment and she went into upper-class service of a young American woman in this period [who] tried to persuade [Millie] to come to America and work for her. My mother [Millie] was tempted. She had an instinctive sense of design expressed her clothes and furnishing ([the American] had seen the best in [Millie's] work). This potential could have been heightened if [Millie] had been born at a time when academic education was available.  

Life as a widow 

She had a small pension from my father [James Kennedy McLellan] (£2 10s per week, barely adequate). Ran an upmarket second-hand dress shop behind Selfridge’s with a friend in the mid-30s that closed because of economic slump. 

After living in Muswell Hill she moved to a flat in Kensington and on our marriage she lived with us (separately) in Blackheath and [later Kenilworth] where she died.  

Summary: she was devastated by my father’s death and for some reason found it difficult to make and keep friends (Why?).  

I think, deep down, that she always felt that she had potential that had somehow missed out. She had four sisters and a brother but her relationship with them was always fractured. In the early days they called her ”Lady Mill” (she told me) which says something about how they saw her. 

Objectively I admired her as a mother (She used to read Dickens to me after my father's death) but our life together had some difficulties, perhaps arising from being an only son with consequent pressure. But, she suggested I learn Spanish at school because I might join my father’s firm, dealing with the South American meat trade, but when I turned to architecture she was totally supportive and, with me, interviewed the principal at the Poly. This shows her at her very best.

Her birth certificate showing her Cockney origin being born in Leyton:

Dad told me that when he was evacuated to Buckden, Cambridgshire, because of the war (WWII) Millie found work in a private boys' school to be near her son much to his chagrin.

The bit about the fractured relationship with her siblings would explain why we never saw anything of Dad's aunts and uncle apart from my great-aunt Kit (Kathleen Grant née Long). 

It was one of Kit's daughters, Dad’s cousin Joan Budd (née Grant), so the family story goes, worked in Hatton Garden and one of the perks of the job was having the pick of the seconds when sorting pearls. Millie had a string of pearls she received as a present from Joan, later passed down to my Mum and, on the occasion of our marriage, to my wife Mary. 

We spend two family holidays in Southend with Millie's relations when I was a small boy aged about 7 or 8, probably in 1958/9, but after the second year something went down, we don't know what. That Christmas our presents were returned unopened and we never saw them again. My Mum had no idea what caused the estrangement, nor does Kit's granddaughter who I managed to track down and establish contact with.

One quirk I did find out from my research is that at some point in her life Millie decided to go by the name Mildred. She also shaved four years off her age when she got married to her husband, James McLellan, my grandfather! 

She claimed to be 32 on her marriage certificate when she was in reality aged 36. The name and age on the marriage certificate and my father’s birth certificate are in accord but differ from those on her birth and death certificates. It wouldn't be the first time a spinster has lied about her age in order not to deter a suitor.

See also: 

• Amelia Long - a Timeline
• Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner…

Elles Bailey at The Caves

Edinburgh, Scotland. Thursday 16-March-2023. 

This was our fourth time of seeing Elles and her best concert yet by quite a margin. The previous time was Elles Bailey at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut where the sight lines were poor and the sound guy needed a stern talking to. This venue is s-o-o much better: it is a fascinating vaulted space beneath the city streets of Edinburgh and the sound engineers did a great job - the sound was excellent. As well as great sound both artists talked about how lovely it was backstage.

We treated ourselves to VIP tickets which gave us a small audience, pre-concert set with Elles and the chance to ask questions. It was fascinating to hear about the inspirations for her songs and experiences when touring.

In between chat she sang four songs and was joined for the last one by the singer from the support act, Morganway.

After the private show there was an opportunity for a selfie with Elles. She comes across a lovely lady, genuinely nice and down to earth.

After a short break to refill our glasses Elles reappeared to introduce Morganway. Normally a six piece band, we got the reduced version comprising a husband and wife guitarist and vocalist. They did 45 minutes of Americana, apparently all their own compositions. I was particularly impressed by the guitarist's playing, he elicited a very mellow, melodious sound from his instrument. SJ, as the singer is known, has a really beautiful voice.

Elles Bailey and her band's set was something akin to a greatest hits, but mainly the tour is to promote her latest album Shining in the Half Light (review by Rock and Blues Muse). It is great when I recognise most of the songs as she is a regular on our play list at home. She is very good at the chat, giving the background to the songs and thus adding an extra layer of appreciation.

Her range is impressive from a gentle lullaby for her infant (Spinning Stopped) to a scathing polemic against politicians (Cheats and Liars). She did an interesting cover of a John Martin song (Over The Hill). Given John Martin's unique vocal delivery it was a bold move to cover one of his songs and her version really rocked. What comes through very strongly is her joy at singing to a live audience, her exuberance is infectious and she has a dedicated following, us included.

We bought two CD's: Shining in the Half Light (Delux Edition) and Morgansway's debut album. We do like to support keeping music live by buying direct from the artist. The money goes straight into their pocket, no middle men and better than the rubbish rates that streaming pays.

Because we were going to Edinburgh for this concert we decided to fly straight from there to Puglia (via Milan) so that is what we did the next day!

Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner ...

... that I love London Town. [Hubert Gregg, 1944]

Cor blimey! Strike a light, Guv! You’re a real toff and make no mistake!

I identify as Londoner. I was born sarf of the river in Greenwich Memorial Hospital and lived half my life in “Lunnun”. My father was also born south of the river in Battersea. Visiting my sister to clear out some old paperwork belonging to our late parents, we came across a piece of paper which noted that my paternal grandmother was a Cockney! I went and checked. Sure enough, she was born in Leyton, East London and the map shows that this is just within the sound of Bow Bells [Source: Quora]

Her father and his father before him, my great-grandfather (brewers' carman) and great-great-grandfather (bootmaker) were both born in the parish of St George in the East. Wapping is definitely cockney territory. Unfortunately even with a change in the wind direction I find it hard to convince myself that it would have reached Greenwich and anyway I don't think south of the river counts so alas I am not true Cockney. However as far back as my genealogy research goes I am descended on my grandmother’s side from a long line of Cockneys. 

This prompted me to order my great-grandfather's death certificate to see if there was any truth in the family legend that he was killed trying to stop a runaway horse. That is possible given his occupation as Brewers Carman (carman = driver of horse-drawn vehicles for transporting goods). The death certificate gives the cause of death as "Exhaustion due to delirium tremens consequent upon injury received in accidental fall off dray he was driving on 27 Sept".

I am assuming that it is not DT in the alcohol withdrawal sense but shakes caused by some kind of brain injury. He died six days later on 02 October 1901. It is entirely plausible that the fall from the dray was caused by his horse bolting so I'm going with the heroic family legend. 

Well, would you Adam and Eve it! I am inordinately pleased about my Cockney roots.

See also:

• Amelia Long (12/08/1885 - 10/07/1960)
• Amelia Long - a Timeline

Wine Tasting - France vs Rest of the World

Bassenthwaite Lake Station, Cumbria. Thursday 02-March-2023.

An interesting wine tasting in the uniquely quirky venue of Bassenthwaite Lake Station. The venue includes replica railway carriages from the Orient Express. Not the real train but ones made especially for the movie set from the 2017 film. To quote from the history in the back of the menu: "At the age of 50, Simon and Diana sold their house to buy a replica train carriage ..."

Even if we have done the theme of “France versus Rest of the World” before (e.g. New World versus Old), it is always different because the wines are different. You get to learn something new every time and discover new wines.

The event was hosted by the owners Simon and Diana, and it is the first time I've been to tasting with a resident dog - a very laid-back black lab, Poppy.

We tasted 12 wines in pairs. Our hosts deliberately chose wines that were readily available and all around the same price. It was a semi-specified tasting in that we knew what the grapes were but we did not know which wine was French nor which country the other wine came from. The tasting price included nibbles of crackers, cheeses, bread and pate.

At the end of the evening we thought there were two standout wines: a Canadian Riesling and a Swiss Pinot Noir - partly because of the quality but also because of the unexpected origins.

We had prudently booked ourselves into the nearby Pheasant Inn for the night as neither of us wanted to stay sober and drive. Locals from Keswick or Cockermouth could taxi home but for us the public transport option stopped at Keswick and a taxi to Penrith would have been almost as much as the hotel’s winter break deal. So we had the luxury of dinner at the inn and a short walk to and from the tasting plus a full English in the morning.

The next day we drove up to Glasgow including a detour to an Aldi to buy six of each of the star wines!

Full list (notes are from the producers / vendors).

Name of wine; Shop or Supplier; Retail price; Grape; Country

Tasting notes.

0l Cremant de Bordeaux; Aldi; £8.99; unknown; France 

Dry rose with rich salmon pink hues and red fruit aromas on the nose and refreshing strawberry and vanilla on the finish.

02 Charles Fox reserve rose; Lake District Wines; £22.00; unknown; South Africa

Pale salmon in colour with beautiful persistent bubbles. Fruity aromas of red berries and spices on the nose with flavours of redcurrant fruitiness and a fresh creamy intensity and long length.

03 Kuhlmann-Platz, cuvee prestige 2021; Majestic; £9.99; Riesling; France 

Just off-dry, this classic Riesling displays ripe pear and peach fruit with a steely acidity. Clean and pure on the palate and with a citrussy freshness, it is ideal as an aperitif or great with lightly-spiced dishes, seafood or creamy fish dishes. 

04 The Falls, Pelham Estate; Aldi; £7.49; Riesling; Canada 

Off-dry but not cloying with lemon acidity to cut through the ripe nectarine flavours. Typical of the variety, it pairs well with light spiced fish or vegetables and creamy seafood dishes. The wine achieves a delicate balance that is elegant and fresh.

05 Villa Maria private bin, 2022; EH Booth; £11.00; Sauvignon Blanc; New Zealand

An iconic New Zealand wine displaying the essence of Marlborough with vibrant flavours of passionfruit and fresh kaffir lime. Intense zesty flavours and fresh acidity make it an ideal pairing for shellfish.

06 Vaux St Georges Touraine; Majestic; £9.99; Sauvignon Blanc; France 

Sandy, flinty soils bring rich minerality to this vibrant wine. Notes of citrus, elderflower blossom and a touch of cedar, its 2021 crisp acidity makes it an ideal pairing for fish or shellfish.

07 Glace & Rocher, limited edition 2020; Aldi; £9.49; Pinot Noir; Switzerland 

A light to medium-bodied wine with ripe strawberry aromas and tart red fruit flavours. 

08 Louis Latour 2020; Majestic; £11.99; Pinot Noir; France 

Both delicious and affordable, look for cherry, raspberry and blackcurrant and a savoury edge with dried flower notes. This is silky and fresh perfect with charcuterie.

09 Argentinian Malbec 2021; EH Booth; £9.50; Malbec; Argentina 

With heady aromas of raspberries, blueberries and cherries, this vibrant malbec has a smooth palate and a delicate fresh fruity finish.

10 Beefsteak Club, pays d'oc 2020; EH Booth; £8.75; Malbec; France 

Deep in colour and full-bodied wine from Languedoc in the south of France. Concentrated red berry and plum notes with a juicy, layered palate and soft tannins with a hint of warming spice on. the finish. 

11 Chateau de Pitray 2017; Majestic £8.99; (special offer normally £13.99); Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec; France 

A great value Bordeaux from Castillon, right next to St Emi!ion. This blend of Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Merlot creates a complex wine with ripe dark fruits, hints of earthiness, cedar and chocolate. Fine tannins make It a perfect accompaniment to meaty casseroles.

12 Ben Marco, special edition 2021; Majestic; £9.99 (special offer normally £14.99); Cabarnet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc; Argentina

Ripe, juicy, seriously concentrated. Packed with flavours of blackberry and oaky vanilla spice. Perfect with steak.  

Coda: We enjoyed it so much we immediately booked for the May tasting.

PS. If you want to see the real thing we went on the Orient Express - London to Venice for our 20th Wedding Anniversary.

How Not To Drown at Theatre by the Lake

Keswick, Cumbria. Tuesday 30th-February-2023.

A thought-provoking performance. Powerfully written and performed by the asylum seeker himself in a small talented cast. 

After our last trip to this very enjoyable repertory theatre, we booked ourselves in for a repeat visit. This time to see "How Not To Drown". It was a joint production by ThickSkin and Traverse Theatre Company. Mary knew of the Traverse Theatre Company by reputation so this was a good bet.

As last time we had a pre-theatre supper in the friendly and very handy cafe next door.

It tells the tale of an 11-year-old boy from Kosovo, who is sent to England by his father to avoid the violence and conflict. It covers his journey across Europe with people smugglers and his early teenage years spent in the British care system with various foster families. What makes this more remarkable is that the playwright and lead actor is the man himself telling his own story.

The production was theatrical in the best sense of the word. With an absolutely minimal stage and a few well chosen props, they conjured up the war in Kosovo, the travel across Europe and his life in a variety of locations. The small cast of five rotated roles and at times the play almost merged into a dance performance. The flyer mentions "ThickSkin's trademark physicality and slick production values" and those were very much in evidence.

The sort of experience you can only get with live theatre.

Germana Stella La Sorsa at PizzaExpress Live

London. Sunday 26-February-2023. 

We were in London for a weekend to celebrate a friend’s birthday. The original plan had been to return to Penrith on the Sunday, but engineering works meant it would’ve taken forever (5½ hours instead of the usual three). So we decided to travel back on Monday, have an extra night in a hotel and enjoy the bright city lights on Sunday.

Ronnie Scott’s was sold out, we had already been to the Spice of Life for live music on Saturday evening. Fortunately, PizzaExpress Live in Dean Street had availability for Germana, so we booked ourselves in.

We arrived in good time, and were given excellent seats, a table in the second row. Before the show, Germana was standing in front of us and chatting to her friends who had front row seats including a man who, it turned out, was her husband. An added advantage of this venue is having the full Pizza Express menu so we enjoyed a meal of pizza leggera for me and a healthy salad for Mary.

She sang in a style I really don't know how to describe. Some of the songs had lyrics, others were scat singing and other vocalisations. It reminded me very much of one of my records: Chick Corea’s Return to Forever, featuring Flora Purim on vocals. That was very much Germana's style. 

Between sets, she was standing right next to us, and we were able to exchange words, telling her how much we were enjoying the show. She had apologised a couple of times saying she had the generic Italian trait of talking too much. We were able to tell her how much we enjoyed hearing the back stories to the songs so she should keep on talking. 

An excellent last minute concert.

Learn more at https://www.germanalasorsa.com/; listen or buy at https://fanlink.to/gDN5.

Di and Viv and Rose at The Penrith Players Theatre

Penrith, Cumbria. Thursday 16-February-2023.

After our last experience at the players theatre [A Bunch of Amateurs] we were looking forward to this production and it vastly exceeded our expectations.

To quote the ad:

"Di and Viv and Rose is a funny and thoughtful exploration of friendship’s impact on life, and life’s impact on friendship. 

Aged eighteen, three women join forces as freshers at university in 1983 and decide to share a house. Life is fun. Living is intense. Together they feel unassailable. 

On the surface, they seem unlikely friends, other than their shared love of the music of the artist formerly known as Prince. Di, a sporty lesbian business student, bursting with energy; Viv, a judgemental, driven, ambitious design student intent on escaping her roots; and Rose, more middle-class, insouciant, a student of Art History.  It’s the early 80s and their friendship, over the next twenty-seven years, is the subject and the heart of this light, amusing and entertaining show.  

Written by Amelia Bullmore, the play shows how their solidarity precariously survives physical separation, varied career paths and life's challenges."

The three leads did an absolutely brilliant job. Congratulations to Charlotte, Elinor and Emma on three excellent performances, very convincing, they inhabited their roles. The whole thing was riveting is "what will happen next?" kind of a way with plenty of plot twists to keep you engaged.

If I were to cavil the the author didn't quite manage the ending, it sort of just stopped without a dramatic full stop. That notwithstanding bravura performances all round with a good number of laughs delivered along the way.

Looking forward to the next production.

Penrith parkrun Event number 390

Penrith, Cumbria. Saturday 18-February-2023.

This week a cool Saturday saw 293 people run, jog or walk the course, of whom 48 were first timers and 32 recorded new personal bests. Representatives of 24 different clubs took part.

We had a couple of milestones. Wade Tidbury achieved his 100 parkrun milestone.

Alison Rowsell celebrated her 100 volunteer milestone. 

Nine of those first timers were doing their first ever parkrun and we hope to see them again next week. The other 39 are tourists visiting from other parkruns around the country. Some are opportunistic parkrun tourists - if you happen to be away see if there’s one nearby. Others plan every weekend to tick off another venue or complete a challenge like the alphabet. One of the great things about parkrun is that whenever you are away from home, you can simply turn up at the nearest parkrun armed with your barcode (#DFYB) and be assured of a warm welcome. 

The lakes being a tourist destination we get plenty of visitors. There is a steady supply of people staying at Centre Parcs. Others are here because of specific events such as weddings, music competitions, or simply visiting friends, etc. This week we had, amongst many others, sisters Lorraine Chamberlain and Nicole Rose visiting from Coventry taking the essential frame picture (with Andrew Richardson trying to photo bomb!)

We also had Dave Bottoms, one of the run directors from Keswick parkrun, over our way to do some shopping!

Note Dave's yellow and black buff (aka Cow Cowl) indicating that he is a member of the facebook group UK parkrun Tourists who are keen parkrun tourists having done at least 20 different UK venues. If you see one it means they are available to chat, go up and ask them where they are from. We had visitors from Stockton, Whitley Bay, Scotland and many more besides. 

Thanks to our lovely volunteers who make our guests feel so welcome.

Support Your Local Library: The Gothic Pub Rock Opera

Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, Cumbria. Wednesday 15-February-2023.

Well that was different. We were given a voucher for Theatre by the Lake as a Christmas present from Nigel and Siobhan. Looking at the program over the following couple of months this looked like it might be entertaining and so it transpired to be.

We decided to have a pre-theatre supper in the associated café, booked ourselves in for 6 o’clock and had a tasty lentil and roasted butternut squash dish and a couple of drinks.

Even before the performance started we were amused by the set as it had a number of jokey book spines featuring such titles as "Better than the Film" by A. Smithee - a bit of a cinematic in-joke.

Performed by Black Liver, a husband and wife team it told the tale of a would-be West End musical with a suitably implausible plot involving the threatened destruction of a local library. There was also an amusing interval competition to think up Mills and Boon titles for a romance between an unlikely couple. We laughed. We groaned. 

Photo via Black Liver of this actual performance.

The show was a series of humorous songs, interspersed with audience banter and a running gag involving tribute band evenings. They impersonated a number well known people into the bargain. All very droll and entertaining. Excellent.  

Yard After Dark

Brunswick yard, Penrith. Saturday 12-February-2023.

Literally up our Street. I can see Brunswick Yard from our front window. By day, it is a mishmash of architectural salvage, antique / junk shops, secondhand bookshop, coffee stall and home to Black Hand Wines. By night, several times a year, it turns into a beer, pizza and live music event. Apparently it used to be a regular feature pre-Covid and has just started up again. We missed out on the January event because it was sold out by the time we heard about it. This time we were quick off the mark.

An unusual approach to custom ticketing.

The beer was provided by Fell and the bar was manned by the regular staff from Fell Bar and Salsa. I’m not sure who was responsible for the pizza. The music was provided by Delagrave who are another local band that we have seen a couple of times previously. The seating on the left and beer tent on the right.

Freshly cooked pizza - very popular so they had a real production line going.

Beer and pizza - food of the gods.

The area where the stage was set up is normally occupied by a stack of Turkish carpets and rugs.

Delagrave with young videographer. Once they started playing the venue filled up pretty quickly.

Afterwards we had to go via home so Mary could start a bread dough in order that it could rise overnight. Then we popped down to Fell Bar for a nightcap and bumped into members of the band and a number of people I recognised from the audience. 

Water’s Edge at Fell Bar

Penrith, UK. Thursday 11-February-2023.

I’m not sure why I haven’t done gig reports for previous bands in Fell Bar. I think it may be because they have been part of other events such as Winter Droving and festive events. As I was listening to this band I thought “They are good, I should do I write up” so here we are.

Water’s Edge are a local band from Keswick and for this gig appeared in a slightly reduced version. They were minus a guitarist and a sax player but on the other hand augmented by a recently recruited bass player. Just as well because they wouldn't have all fitted in!

They played two sets with a range of musical styles.  It was hard to pin down exactly where they fit in the musical spectrum. Some were straightforward indie rock songs, some were a bit prog rock, some had a tinge of folk. Their website describes it as "a compelling blend of entirely original material, ranging from  soulful ballads, through irresistible, danceable songs to epic anthems." I thought the songs showed real structure in their composition. Not simply repeating the same melody or riff all the way through but navigating their way through a number of sections to make up the whole.

Regardless of how they might be categorised, they got our toes tapping which is always a good sign especially being original material we had not heard before. We noted that everyone stayed on for the second set. Not so much voting with their feet as with their bums on seats. 

I suspect that most of the tracks were composed by the lead singer/guitarist, Lee Hawker, but I can’t say for sure. Shelagh Hughes on organ and violin plus backing vocals is clearly very accomplished musician and made a good double act with Lee. The drummer, Richard Burford, provided a steady backbone. The bass player that evening, Gail, is new to the band and only joined in some of the songs; presumably she is still in the process of learning their repertoire.

We bought their latest CD as we enjoyed the music. I think of it as ticket money since it was a free gig. Also the money goes straight to the band and helps keep music live. 

It is a couple of years since they’ve played a gig, partly courtesy of lockdowns. Hopefully they will get out and about more - they deserve to be heard. An enjoyable evening. 

Fell Brewery 10th Birthday Beer Festival

Glisky, Kendal. Saturday 04-February-2023. 

Fun cars, Bus Passes and Beer.

We haven’t been to a beer festival for a couple of years so we were very pleased when our friends Andrew and Sarah alerted us to this one organised to celebrate Fell Brewery's 10th birthday. 

The venue was Glisky, an old warehouse on an industrial estate in Kendal, apparently Fell's new music venue and events space. This presented a slight logistical challenge of how to get there and back whilst not entirely sober. Fortunately friends Simon and Claire, who now live in Windermere, came to the rescue with the offer of beds for the night for all of us. Mary and Andrew then hatched a plan - we would travel separately in the fun cars (Mary's MX5 and Andrew's pretty new Z3) and would use buses to get to and from the beer festival. This also had the advantage for us that we got to use our free bus passes.

Although food was on offer at the festival we decided on a light snack to line the stomach before we set off. No luck at the first three bars / cafés - all full on a damp Saturday in February in Windermere. The fourth had space but they had lost their chef (how careless!) however since we were in the door we had a beer anyway while waiting for the bus.

Once we arrived at the venue, the first order of business was a beer followed by a pizza. There were five beers in cask, the rest in keg. About a quarter of the beers came from Fell Brewery and there were many guest beers so a fair selection.

Choosing a beer from cask.

I started off with Fell’s ESB (Extra Special Bitter) which was delicious. I wish that Fell did more of that, and certainly offered it more often in Fell Bar.

We found a table up near the DJ to eat our pizzas.

The pizza was excellent: hot and delicious with generous topping.

Once eaten we retreated to benches round the side so we could converse.

As there were no other bitters that I could see and rather too many IPA's and sours I did my usual routine and worked my way through the stouts, starting with the lowest ABV and working upwards. It’s good to have a theme. Measures were either 2/3 or 1/2 a pint depending on ABV or price. 

My choices (Brewery, Beer, Style, ABV):

• Fell, ESB (Extra Special Bitter), Bitter, 4.8%
• Fell, Loam, Dry Irish Stout, 4.2%
• Track, Navigator, Stout, 4.2%
• Fell, Byre, Stout, 5.7%
• Fell, Export Stout, Stout, 6.8%

My favourite of the stouts was the Byre. Mary's taste in beer is diametrically opposite to mine so no chance of an overlap. Her choices were:

• Gan Yam, Pop, Pale Ale, 5.2%
• Black Jack, Ragged School West Coast Pale Ale, 5.6%
• Farm Yard, Breezy Gose It, Fruited Gose, 4.0%
• Pilot, Peach Melba, Sour, 4.3%
• Fell, Cracked Earth, Red IPA, 6.0%
• LHG, Walk Through Walls x Basqueland, Hazy IPA, 6.5%

She enjoyed them all but her beer of the evening was the Black Jack's West Coast Pale Ale.

The winner of the best name goes to Sureshot's "You Boys Could Use a Little Churching Up". Clearly fans of "The Blues Brothers".

The place was busy, a successful event. Lots of people from Penrith known to us so a very sociable evening.

I had a chat with one of Fell's brewers extolling the virtues of their ESB so here's hoping we see more of in Fell Bar.

The next morning our hosts provided a delicious breakfast of sausages and egg in a bun. Bidding them goodbye we headed south and went for another walk from my "Walks with History" book, this time focusing on the Industrial Revolution. On the far side of Windermere, a 6k tromp through lovely woods taking in High Dam, Stott Park Heights and Stott Park Bobbin Mill. And back home just in time to buy some Herdwick mutton for supper.