OneGuyFromBarlick

Just been to the garden centre to buy a wreath with lots of bling on to take to the crematorium in memory of our daughters - they both loved bling.

Isla May's school nativity at Silsden, cast of thousands, well 90. All sang their hearts out as they do. Isla knew all the words and did her shepherd role with gusto, nice.

We went down to Surbition/Thames Ditton where we used to live this weekend gone for a friends 60th (I know there some oldies on here, but I know I’m knocking on now when I write that). We stayed in the local Holiday Inn by the Thames. Called the lift and as the doors opened, there was the actress Penelope Keith, or ‘Margo’ in The Good Life, famously set in Surbiton (though not filmed there).

Richard Broughton

I liked her in that and 'To the Manor Born'.

Haworth 1940's event for the day. As mentioned in another thread, we thought we were going to miss the Spitfire flypast but it arrived late just when we had got to the bottom of the Main Street. She was supporting D-Day markings when she "beat up" the Main Street on her first pass. She did a turn round the back of the Parsonage then another pass over the park. A half turn, climb and roll and then back down over the village straight and level with a wing wiggle to signal her departure towards Oxenhope.

The event has been lucky with the weather this weekend and Haworth was packed again by late morning. We managed to catch up with a few of our WR28 friends and also ran into the two ladies from Burnley who we always look out for each year, we have had a few laughs with them in years gone by. They are both hairdressers by trade and are always immaculately dressed and coiffured with perfect "victory rolls". It was nice to see them again.

We had or lunch in the park, there was a good variety of food on offer. Finlay and myself dined from the German Frankfurter and Frikadellen bar with lots of garnishes, and sauces to choose from and as much Sauerkraut as you wanted, Sally went for a Moroccan mixed beans and spinach dish from another vendor on the park.

We went down to the bottom of Haworth to the station where there is a free ferry bus service that runs all weekend from the station back up to the top of town. A variety of vintage buses run every 15 minutes or so. We came back up on an open topped one.

Once more round the top of town and a look at the stalls that took our fancy then back down through town to the park. It was late afternoon by then so we decided to get the train to Keighley. I had dumped my car at my daughters in Silsden this morning when we picked Finlay up and she ran us up to Haworth and dropped us off. The train to Keighley was a steam train which Finlay really enjoyed. An easier pickup for Carla as well.

It was nice day out and Finlay did really well with the circuits of the village, best part of three miles for the day. Nice to catch up with friends as well.

Any day that includes Spitfires and steam locos has got to be good! Glad you all enjoyed it.

Went to Manchester to see the biopic of Ken Loach. Afterwards the man himself did a Q and A session. A great film director who tackled subjects others wouldn't touch with a bargepole.

I agree. I shall be watching 'Reg' on iPlayer tonight.... It was on last night but went on after my bedtime at 22:00.

We've left Melbourne and are heading to Northern NSW. It took ages to get clear of the city. There was a massive truck fire on the main freeway through Melbourne and the freeway was closed. We've managed to make it to NSW, just over the border, but the weather is even worse than in Melbourne!! We've battened down the hatches for the night and will head further north in the morning.

I saw the reports of the storms. Be safe!

A casino night at Carleton WMC last night. Organised for a friends 40th birthday party. It was very professionally presented for the black tie party by Red 18 Casinos who are based in Bradford. There were three tables, Roulette, Blackjack and Texas Hold Em Poker. Operators were all suitably suited and booted with waistcoats and bow ties, We had a female croupier for the Roulette table which was operated along with a tally man for the chips, card tables both had cool and calculating male dealers. You could buy a maximum of £10 worth of chips from over the bar. Participants were competing to accumulate the most value in chips, prizes were then awarded for the top three. Under gaming rules, all games were directly against the table or dealer. The Casino was set up in the tap room, buffet was in the snooker room and there was an ongoing disco in the concert room for those that preferred dancing to the lure of the tables.

It was a very good night, the casino finished at 10.30 for the count up. I gained at roulette and then a bit more on the blackjack table, I could not get a seat at the poker table so I returned to the roulette table for an all or nothing bet on the last spin, I put $64,000 on the second 12 at 3 to 1, I lost, another lad put his lot in on 29 black and it came in to gain himself just over 100 grand, he ended up second, the winner made most of his chips on the poker table to end up with $172,000. We came away at half past midnight, our Jack did the taxi service both ways for us, we slept in a bit this morning.

Back to the Day Job then......

On a glamour theme...

Yesterday evening we had a private première at the Rainhall Centre for a local filmmaker's short film which was shot round and about. Me and Tom put quite a bit of effort into making it a red carpet event, with lights and flowers and the proverbial carpet.

The film is showing at film festivals - after that, we can screen it as part of our autumn programme at Centre Screen Cinema.

A trailer for the short, which was written and directed by Matthew Jeffrey is here: HENRY

Looks interesting. A touch of 'Kes'?

Italy. Province of Siena. One the boundary of the Crete Senese and Val d’Orcia. What a beautiful spot. If anyone can recall the film Gladiator, it’s where his family was filmed at home. Classic Tuscan: rolling clay hills with cypress-studded hilltops and isolated hilltop villas.

We had a lovely time popping our feet up reading, strolling around little hill top villages, eating good local food (though Tuscan bread is rubbish – no salt!), sampling the local excellent red wines and buying superb olive oil.

Siena is a medieval gem but the area was chock full of nice villages and churches and buildings and sites in general. We could happily live there for a few months of each year in retirement, I tell you.

Cost wise works out about the same as here, with some things more expensive (e.g. groceries and fresh meat though the quality is outstanding and Italians spend more per head than anyone in Europe on food, not begrudgingly mostly) and some cheaper (e.g. a drink in a local bar and train travel).

We’re going back in 2 years….

Richard Broughton

Can you get salted butter to spread on the Tuscan bread?

No. The local butter was unsalted too.

Apparently, bread is seen there the same as pasta. A vehicle for flavour. And you never have bread therefore with pasta. Thus bread is toasted and drizzled with olive oil and salt for breakfast. Bruschetta (stuff on bread) and Crostini (spreads on toast) are Tuscan. Panzanella is a bread salad (bread, tomatoes, green pepper, cucumber, olive oil, salt). They also do bread soup, or Ribolitta - essentially a broth of beans and barley and veg poured over stale bread and then loads on olive oil. Very thick it is.

It's all delicious this but I do like a slice of good bread with a grilled chop, or rich casserole or yes, a tomato-based pasta dish. Tuscan bread doesn't hit the mark here. Still, it was all made fresh by the local baker each day.

Richard Broughton

Can you get Averna liqueur or Cynar aperitif in the local taverns? We first encountered them in Sicily and I don't know if they were national Italian drinks or a very local Sicilian speciality. (Cynar is Italian for artichoke and the label has a picture of the same, the main ingredient.)

Never saw that Tiz.

The main aperitivo seems to be Spritz. This is Aperol, prosecco and soda over ice. Aperol is a bitter, like Campari (same colour) though easier on the liver at 13%. Three parts Aperol to one part prosecco, bit of soda and all over ice. Very nice. Aperol is readily available here in the UK – they sell it at Sainsbury’s. I preferred the Negroni – this is gin, campari and Martini Rosso over ice. Lovely. A proper drink that.

I like aperatifs. My go-to is the Martini - gin and dry vermouth in a 1:1 ratio in my case, and an olive. Though my absolute favourite is the Vesper Martini: gin, vodka, vermouth and Lillet Blanc (a French aperitif) in a 3:1:1:0.5 ration served really, really cold in a chilled glass with a twist of lemon.

Like all Martinis this is heavy on the liver and one should only have two of them in a sitting. This is because it is said of Martinis that they are like breasts on a woman: one is not enough and three would be ridiculous; two is just right. Or you could subscribe to the wit and writer Dorothy Parker’s thoughts on Martinis of which she wrote: ‘I like to have a Martini, but two at the very most. Three I’m under the table; four and I’m under the host.’ A decent bar would only serve you two proper Martinis in a sitting.

Richard Broughton

Richard, lovely posts. You have reminded me of my dad's saying about drinks; "One's just right, two's too many and three isn't half enough".

Have been to Cowling today on what was a sunny and fine afternoon. There were shower clouds in the distance, but they didn't drop any rain, or very little, on the journey home. Been up Grey Stones looking for ancient rock carvings !!

Not so much where I’ve been, but where I’m going.

Coming to Barlick for a long weekend, staying with my mother. This Friday through to Monday. My wife has finals exams at university next week and I am ‘geeting out from under her feet’. Longest I’ve spent in Barlick for over 20 years I’d say. Chance to see my great-niece too. And pop to the Barlick Tap and try out the new venue that was the Cellar Bar. I have taken to routinely wearing a bow tie and so if you see a herbert in one, it’s likely me…..

Richard Broughton

Richard, as you stagger home in the early hours of the morning you'll probably be photographed by a man walking a black dog!

" I have taken to routinely wearing a bow tie and so if you see a herbert in one, it’s likely me….."

I did the same when I was younger. Grew out of it by eighteen though. Got a photo somewhere. . .

The bow tie has one great advantage, it doesn't dangle in your soup! Favoured by draughtsmen for the same reason. You've picked a cold spell for the visit Richard! Snow forecast today.....