A Fantastic Find During A Walk In The Forest

On Sunday me and Mrs W took a walk in the New Forest. Following a route devised by the National Park themselves,  directions got a bit vague and we found ourselves on the wrong path. Lucky for us we did for suddenly we spotted a couple of deer about 50 feet away through some trees. We stopped immediately, and as we watched realised there was more, at least eight of them. We managed to move a few paces to get a clearer view and the simply stood watching them for a couple of minutes. They knew we were there, at all times at least two were keeping an attentive eye on us, but clearly didn't feel threatened by us. I managed to get the following video of them watching us watching them - they finally ran off when we decided to see if we could approach any closer.

We are used to seeing animals in places like Marwell Park, but to see so many wild animals so close up in their natural habitat was a moving experience. 

A Night At The BBC

On Sunday we travelled up to London to the home of the good old BBC. I'd registered on their website for audience tickets to watch shows being recorded and had been allocated 4 for the recording of the 5th episode in a new situation comedy, Miranda, staring Miranda Hart.

We had a great evening. The show itself had us all in stitches,although I suspect that this was more to do with watching it live, with accompanying mistakes and ad libs. I suspect the finished article won't seem quite so funny - but then not many sit-coms do in their first series.

It was fascinating watching how the show is put together. It's obvious that actors have to rehearse their lines , but only when you watch a recording does it become apparent quite how many are involved behind the scenes, and how much they must have rehearsed to ensure that everyone is in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. This doesn't apply just to those making the programme but even the radio controlled team ensuring the audience don't end up anwhere they shouldn't. It also came as a shock how small an area the sets take up - what you see on screen is pretty much all there is, not an inch of space is wasted.

There are many gaps in recordings as are things are moved around and scenes are reviewed and reshot. The whole evening is "held together" by warm-up man - sorry, Audience Liaison - Ray Peacock. He had the unenviable task of acting as an ad-libbing, audience-involving, stand-up comedian with the added hassle of being told to stop immediately, even if mid-joke, when the others were ready to shoot again. He coped admirably and I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of this guy in front of the cameras sooner rather than later.

And a tip if you ever get the chance to attend a recording, get there early! Like scheduled airlines they give out more tickets than there are seats and it's first come first served.

Northington Grange

Northington Grange, originally uploaded by Wurzel.

Whilst out and about today we visited Northington Grange, near Alresford, Hampshire. This is an amazing place, tucked away down a country lane, blink and you'd miss the entrance. An imposing architectural wonder, stood totally alone and unattended Any attempts to see through any windows not blacked out reveals a derelict interior. Or so it seems. Because in the summer it comes alive ! The video below reveals the secret.

Ancient Britain

Sunday was one of the few pleasant days off of the summer weather-wise (did I really say summer?) and having just received my annual membership of English Heritage (courtesy of Tesco Clubcard) we took a trip to Avebury.

(all pictures my own - click for larger versions)

I remember visiting Stonehenge a long time ago feeling nothing bt disappointment. The stones looked a quarter of the size I imagined and right next to a very busy road and visitors were kept well away from them.

Avebury on the other hand is certainly worth a visit. Here you can actually walk amongst - and touch - the standing stones that are much much older than even Stonehenge. Although not as complete - thanks to local fielders and farmers in bygone days not realising the story behind there neighbourhood collection of standing stones - but enough has been restored to give you a feel for the place. The sheer size and scale of the site is awesome, not to mention the "feeling" of history. Mrs Wurzel - who understands these things - when touching the stones could also get a "feeling" for something more "mystic".


From Avebury itself and it's ring of standing stones we followed more stones forming an avenue (originally about a mile or so long although less than half remain) to the Sanctuary. From here we walked to the West Kennet Long Barrow, an amazing place that is well over 5000 years old but you can actually go inside. Some meditation sounds - made by real people visiting, not tourist trap audio loop through speakers- coming from somewhere in the darkness of the burial chambers added to the mystical quality.

From there, roughly half an hours walk back to Avebury, passing the mysterious and unexpectedly huge Silbury Hill rounded of a very pleasant day, which despite the plethora of information available probably left us asking more questions about the origins of the whole area than were answered. Which is just how I like my history.

The Long Journey Home

Yesterday I had to pop up to London on business, taking Mrs W with me.

An easy drive up in the morning, park in Richmond and get a day rover for the tube, avoiding high car parking charges, congestion charges and god knows what other charges.

Tube to Olympia, business concluded by late lunch so hopped on and off tubes for quick wander round Picadilly, Oxford Street, Soho, St James Park, and Whitehall, jump on another tube back to Richmond, grab a coffee and head home about 19.15

Couldn't be easier.

Until we hit a queue on the M3 just south of the M25 junction at about 19.40pm.

A queue which we soon realised was stationery. Soon the sky got darker and the temperature plummeted

A queue which remained stationery until 22.30 when it moved all of 100 yards before stopping again.

A queue which then remained stationery again until 23.07 when out of the blue, and interrupting the 78th game of I-spy - how I didn't guess v was for van again I'll never know - it started to crawl.

A queue which slowly crawled until 23.30 when suddenly we were past the obstruction (apparently a vehicle fire and diesel spill) and we were on our way. Except we didn't go too far, a stop a Fleet Services was by now a desperate necessity.

We finally arrived home at 00.45.

5 1/2 hours for a journey that normally takes 75 minutes. We could have cycled home quicker !

Not Just Any Old Table

Carved Table, originally uploaded by Wurzel.

On Sunday we went out to the New Forest and ended up wandering around Furzey Gardens in Minstead. A bit "out of season" from a horticultural point of view but still a nice place to visit. What I found particularly appealing is that you are not "herded around" by signposts, you simply pick path and see where it takes you.

One thing we came across was this huge table. I'd guess its around 4-5m long. Closer inspection reveals no joints anywhere. I can only assume that the whole thing has been carved from a huge trunk.

I wonder if I can order one from Ikea?

Big Guns

Aim ---- FIRE !!!, originally uploaded by Wurzel.

On Saturday we visited the Royal Armouries Museum at Fort Nelson up on Portsdown Hill.

A museum of the history of artillery guns and canons doesn't sound the most fascinating place in the world, first impressions can be so wrong.. The nearest I've ever come to the military was a St Georges Day parade with the Cubs so big guns are not the sort of thing I know a lot about. The sheer size of some of them is staggering, the intricate details of some of the more ancient ones make them truly works of art.

Exhibits range from a time when I thought the world was still using bows and arrows, to the components that were confiscated by customs during the Iraqi Supergun scandal of the 1990s and beyond.

The Fort itself has been saved and restored by Hampshire County Council - for once a council decision I can't criticise. Well worth a visit, and totally free as well !

( Whilst we were there we were approached by a guy from the Portsmouth News and asked to pose as "interested visitors" for a photo for an article he was writing for next weeks paper - well what self respecting media-whore could refuse?)

Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

Today I visited Marwell Zoo for the first time in ages. It always makes for a great day out, but seems to have undergone several improvements since I was last there.

My earliest childhood memory of zoos was the now infamous (and thankfully long gone) Southampton Zoo. This was the sort of zoo that gave zoos a bad name, with animals locked in tiny (and even to a small child they seemed tiny) cages. I hate political correctness, but when it comes to animal welfare the pc lobby does have a few good points. This place could have set a world record for the number of rules broken, not least for the chimpanzee, kept in captivity in cramped inadequate conditions who entertained the public by smoking lighted cigarettes they passed to him.

Marwell Zoo is only a few miles outside of Southampton but is light years away from the old zoo when it comes to conditions. Animals are well looked after in large open paddocks ( caged only when safety dictates) with plenty of room to lead as normal existence as possible. It is also world renowned for it's efforts in animal conservation, and has many endangered species not only on display but also in breeding programmes to help re-establish disappearing species into the wild.

The star of the show has to be the tigers. To see such awesome creatures close-up is almost humbling. Seeing them on tv just doesn't do them justice, these beautiful creatures simply ooze power and elegance. Sadly - and to the shame of the human race - the day may come when the only tigers left are those in captivity. Thanks to Marwell and other organisations like them they should hopefully never disappear completely.

Fancy A Beer?

How about 150 and all different ?

On Sunday we were "out & about" and ended up in the village of Southwick. After a few minutes of wandering we came across the Southwick Brewhouse.

An old Victorian brewery situated behind the Golden Lion pub the brewery closed it's doors back in the 1950s. But it has now reopened, the upstairs as a small museum with everything as it was when it was operational, downstairs being a retail outlet that beer lovers can only dream of. Over 150 different bottled beers as well as local wines and other goodies. I ended up taking home a bottle of Liberation - that was the days free sample taster and I just had to buy a bottle, - and a bottle of Scarecrow because ..... well with that name I just had to didn't I.
If you're out that way it's well worth a visit, I'm sure I'll be going back - I still have at least another 148 to sample.



(Click to enlarge, and more pictures)

A Breath Of Fresh Air

I am lucky to live where I do, there is so much open space within a short drive.
On Sunday we (Mrs W and I) took a trip down to the New Forest to follow a short route described in a book of forest walks. The directions were a little vague to say the least and we soon weren't quite sure if were on the right track. Eventually I (well someone has to be in charge) decided we would make it up as we went along. After an hour or so we found ourselves - much to Mrs W's amazement and relief - back close to where we started.
When you're working indoors all day during the week it's great to be able to get out like that, stretching the legs and breathing some fresh country air. Ending it as we did with a visit to a proper country pub makes it even better.
Getting home from work on Monday it was a beautiful evening. I was up for another one so I convinced Mrs W housework could wait for another time nd off we went. Just a couple of minutes from home and we were parking the car and taking a walk of about 5 miles down the bank of the river Hamble and back. Totally different scenery to the day before but just as enjoyable.
Oh, and that one involved a pub stop at the halfway point - there seems to be a theme developing here.

Surrounded By Women

I was given 2 free tickets for a night at the theatre, it would have been daft not to use them. So last night Mrs W and I put on our finest and went off to see ........... The Vagina Monologues.!

I had a rough idea what it was about, having checked a few reviews online. Although a few early ones mentioned "anti-men" later reviews mentioned men "laughing loudest". So I thought I'd pluck up courage and brave it.

As we approached the theatre there were women everywhere. A whole coachload had just arrived and small groups huddled outside the entrance. I kept my head down as we walked briskly through the foyer and headed for the bar. I felt like a negro entering an Alabama drinking den. Whilst supping my (manly) pint of lager a quick game of spot-the-lezzer was proving just too easy although I was thankfully reassured when I heard the one with the beard speak, I wasn't alone after all !

Once we took our seats a quick look round the theatre made me realise that there were plenty of men there. Probably outnumbered about 30 to 1 but in a theatre the size of The Mayflower that's still a fair few, although I doubted that there would be much of a queue for the gents at half time.

The show itself, starring Sue Holderness, Jerry Hall and Claire King was great. It would be no good going if you don't have an open mind. At times the stories were very poignant, whilst much of it had the audience - including me and all the other men - nearly wetting ourselves with laughter. When I say nearly I think one women a few rows in front of us actually did.

If you get the chance Id recommend seeing it. But any gents going, make sure you take a lady with you.

Oh - and I learnt quite a few new words last night - I thought it was us men that were meant to be the crude, filthy minded half of the species

NOT the Easter weekend I was expecting.

On Easter Saturday myself and Mrs W took the 3 girls to Chessington World of Adventure. There was no traffic, we got there just as the gates opened, the sun was shining, what could go wrong.?

I managed just two rides. Dragons Fury was great fun, a roller coaster that also spins your carriage round as you turn the sharp corners and hit the dips and peaks. We came off it with Mrs W's screams still ringing in my ears. My second and last ride of the day was in the back of an ambulance.

Without boring you with the details, I had what can only be described as a "funny turn". After having a twenty minute sit down and still feeling no better I headed for the park's medical room expecting a paracetamol, a sit down and hopefully a free cup of tea. Instead I was taken aback at quite how quickly they decided an ambulance was needed, and almost before I knew it I was on my way to Kingston Hospital.

It turned out I had suffered a Transient Ischaemic Attack, or a mini-stroke. The doctors at the hospital insisted that several tests were needed (I wasn't 100% with it, but hearing that you need a brain scan sinks in very quickly !). After 24 hours they agreed with me that it was pointless taking up one of their beds for days so far away from home simply to await tests that I could arrange to have done locally and let me go.

Can I just say now, I have nothing but praise for all of the medical staff involved. The medics at Chessington (although they didn't tell me at the time) had immediately made the correct diagnosis. We left the girls (aged 12 14 and 17) at the park and the staff even offered to stay as long as it took after closing "babysitting" if necessary for us to get back and collect them. The ambulance crew were simply great and all the time I was at Kingston I felt that I was being attended to and looked after. After not even seeking help until around 12.30pm I had been taken in, thoroughly assessed and was up in a ward well before 6pm. My only criticism was the lack of chocolate eggs as an option for Easter Sunday's breakfast.

Contrast the above with the next day, a near 4 hour wait at Southampton (after producing a letter from Kingston explaining all test results and listing what tests were required) to have approximately 2 minutes with a doctor only to be told an appointment to attend a clinic would be sent to me before they could do anything more. Clearly all hospitals aren't the same.

I've always gone through life assuming this sort of thing only happens to other people. It's only when something does happen you realise how much arranging needs to be done. The girls (and the car) stayed at Chessington whilst Mrs W came with me to Kingston. How far away was that? Neither of us had the slightest idea. Where was the car? Not having driven there, Mrs W had paid no attention to where it was parked. Luckily the girls had ignored my instructions to leave their mobiles at home so Mrs W was able to stay in touch with them. She is insured to drive my car (which had little petrol remaining) but never drives long distances and to be honest had no idea where she was, she may as well have been on the moon. I managed to scribble down a basic Chessington to Southampton route for her and after finally managing to get a taxi-driver to understand that she didn't want to go to Chiswick, she managed to collect the girls and head home. She got petrol on my card (now that's a worry in itself !) and got them all safely home (despite a slight detour via Guildford town centre) within two hours. Next day my brother kindly drove her and the girls (the correct way) back up to collect me.


As I write I feel fine (apart from embarrassment and a permanent feeling of light headedness similar to jet lag) but until l I have had all the tests done and get an "All Clear" I admit to feeling not a little nervous (ok then, scared). And I'm not allowed to drive which again I have to admit I wouldn't feel safe doing so at the moment.

So if anyone of you ever gets to read this I'd like to thank Mrs W (My Hero)for helping me through it and taking all the worry off me about getting the girls home, the girls themselves for not making any fuss (although I was a little disappointed at how readily the agreed to stay in the park whilst I went to hospital LoL), my brother for picking me up and all of the various medical staff for their expert attention.

Normal service will soon be resumed.

Taking Time Out

Last weekend we spent a pleasant 24 hour break away from everything. And how great it felt.

Mrs W had booked an overnight stay at the St Mary Gate Inn in Arundel (that's it in the picture, the white one not the big one with stained glass windows) as part of my Xmas present. And how nice it was to simply get away from it all. No work, no worries (well plenty but we promised not to think about them), no kids (as much as we love them), no cooking, no washing up, no mobiles phones (self-imposed 24 hour ban) and what made it best of all, no time restraints whatsoever.

We ended up in a 16th Century room with an ancient four poster bed, and had a lovely meal in the restaurant, not to mention a huge English breakfast next day. We simply spent the evening and next day exploring the town and surrounding area. Reading it, it sounds really boring but it wasn't. And by the end of it we got back home feeling like our batteries had been re-charged and all the cobwebs blown away.

As for Arundel itself it's a place I've never visited despite being only an hour down the road. It's the sort of place I guess all Americans think the whole of England is like, old fashioned and bustling and full of market stalls and antique shops and 4 by4s with labradors in the back and families wearing green wellies and Tudor houses and castles and cathedrals and sweet shops with sweets in big jars and a bridge over a river and ancient pubs and, and ... I could go on and on. I was half expecting to bump into Miss Marple at any minute.

The perfect place to relax and lose yourself for a day, no doubt we'll visit it again at some time and would recommend it - both Arundel itself and the idea of a 24 hour time out - to anyone. But a word of warning, if you decide to visit The Ghost Experience take a spare set of pants.

WHY ???

The weekend just gone we had a therapeutic no-kids-no-phones-get-away-from-it-all 24 hours to ourselves (no doubt more about that later).

On the way back we spent a couple of hours in Bosham, on the coast in East Sussex. A quaint little village, it's most memorable feature being the coastal road, which gets completely submerged every high tide. There are even signs in the local pub warning that if you are parked there and high tide is due, then the road and possibly your car won't be there when you leave. ! The big question is, if it floods every time the tide comes in why on earth did they build it there. ?

Coco Rio

Every year my family mets up for a Pre-Xmas meal. It's getting to be a challenge to come up with something different, this year my brother suggested Coco Rio - and different it certainly is, for all the right reasons.

It's an Afro-Latino restaurant - no, I had no idea what that meant either! Suffice to say it was the nicest meal out I've had for a long long time. I stuck to the traditiona turkey - after all it was a Xmas get together - but this was no simple roast bird with stuffing. I'm not even going to try and recreate the succulent taste of the perfectly blended herbs spices and unexpected vegetables in words, I wouldn't be able to do it justice. What I would say is come and try it for yourself. Being Xmas the meals were pre-booked from a less extensive than usual menu and between the 8 of us we sampled everything available that evening with not one complaint (excludng my Dad but then he complains for a hobby, no-one takes him seriously)

It's one of those places that feels just right as soon as you walk in, the ambience, lighting and smells from the kitchen make you feel at home straight away. I would guess there was 60-70 people in the place, large enough to feel busy, small enough to feel cosy. A live guitarist was creating just the right atmosphere at just the right volume whilst we were eating. As soon as the last plate was cleared away the volume and tempo increased enabling diners (or at east those still feeling able) to dance the rest of the night away. Suddenly the gutarist was accompanied by a female vocalist, and no too much alcohol wasn't playing tricks on us, it really was the lady who only minutes before was attending the tables.

I understand this place has only been open a few months. Not just for the reasons already mentioned but also for some of the most attentive - but importantly, un-fussy - waitresess around it deserves to do well. It's only drawback is it's a bit hidden away, but as they say word of mouth is the best form of advertising, I'm sure people will soon be hearing plenty more about it.

Oh and I forgot to say, we were very pleasantly surprised when the bill came. They certainly don't rip you off on drinks prices, unlike certain other establishments I could mention.

Check it out at http://www.cocorio.co.uk/

Chocolate Heaven

For ages the kids - & Mrs Wurzel - have been asking to go to Cadbury World. Finally this weekend I succumbed, telling them they would have to be up and ready to leave by 8am on a Sunday morning . To my surprise, no complaints and everyone was ready on time !

Despite the 140 mile drive we were there in no time - and I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting little more than a factory visit but this place is much more than that. A great mix of education and entertainment and enough free give away chocolate to leave you feeling quite sick. We were told to allow 3 hours for the tour and it took us all of that and a bit more, never once getting bored.

Cadbury's are obviously deservedly proud of their products and some off the statistics reeled out as to how many bars are manufactured every day etc are truly mind boggling.

All in all this a great day out for any age - and if you love chocolate then that's a bonus. The Wurzel recommendation is don't try and eat it all at once, save some for the journey home.