Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome!

Good morning Coolers.

It is somewhat grey here and wifey has prepared everything for the first day of the open fire season, partly because our walk this morning was very Autumnal. The house is surrounded by our winter store of fuel for the fire and the oil tank is full. Bring it on!

As we were on Season 5 of The Sopranos last night (more accurately at 2:30 am .... ) we ended up with pasta today .... I wonder why? :D

May we have some autumnal village pictures, please?

May we have some autumnal village pictures, please?

Of course! I'll take some as Autumn becomes a bit more different.

In the interim ... something about our very small village!

Just by one of our walks is the site of a Roman villa which is around 2000 years old or so. When it was first discovered, they found the best and most complete floor mosaic ever found in a Roman villa in the UK and this is now in the British Museum. We also have a very ancient banjo enclosure just a few feet from the villa which is probably around about iron age.

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

http://jayjayaurelio.livejournal.com/8160.html

Back to the villa! Every few years during the summer when the field is having a well deserved rest an emminent British professor rounds up a group of volunteers and what is left is dug up. We had one of those years a couple of years ago and I have shown a couple of pictures of the dig showing the underfloor central heating system and some of the villa's foundations.

When we arrived in our village a few decades ago, the school was about to close. The reason was that there were only a 20 pupils or so and it was felt too few to sustain the school. What they needed was just three more pupils .... and guess how many kids we had ... THREE! So we saved the school.

Over the years, the neighbouring villages propsered and expanded and the villagers sent their kids to our school and the school flourished. In fact so well a Portacabin was placed in the playground for the overflow. It soon became clear that we had outgrown the school. The governors met but realised there was no cash for a new school. However the local "Lady" who owns all the surrounding farmland heard of the need and sent her land agent to a governors' meeting and indicated that she would give the land to the school for free to have a new school built. These meetings were bizarre. On one of them the governors said, "wouldn't it be wonderful if we had a full sized football pitch". Another said "what about an ampitheatre for open air productions during the summer". The land agent pulled out a map and a Biro and said "no problem ... how much land do you need?". The new larger space was drawn with a biro. The area for the new school was redrawn, permission was sought and gained for a new school worthy of anywhere. The existing school was sold to a devleoper and and the new school built with the cash.

A part of the old school had a toilet block. I'd read in some old forgotten ancient records that the toilet block was built with flint taken from the ruins of the old Roman villa. This is a picture of that wall an hour or two before it was flattened to make way for the house building.

Thought you might be interested in the story of our very small village in rural England. :)

Sophia - I think probably on a Seabourn ship, normally fairly sedate apart from fairly loud chatting and laughter before dinner, a group of it appears 170 out of max. 450 would be pretty hard to join rather than beat. As it seems they were particularly drunk and badly behaved, I for one would have hated it and resented having paid a lot for what I did not get.

 

Anyways, whatever, we had a chicken forestier pate for lunch (on the Waitrose 3 for £6 offer) and it went down very well with fino sherry. The chicken thighs marinaded in the harissa and yogurt paste this evening.

 

I think you are off on a Silversea trip soon? Looking forward to hearing about it.

 

LL

LL, l do agree with you and can understand how upsetting and disruptive this could be, particularity for the prices we pay!

I tend to recall my sea going days and compare with today's climate which is totally different of course, so you must excuse my wicked sense of humour at times....:eek:

I'm away on the Whisper in October, just ten weeks to go....not that I'm counting!! ;)

S:)

Jeff, Extremely interesting history! What a wonderful place for a family and for your children to be surrounded by old Roman villas and generous people who want to see the area flourish and schools to grow. I envy you living there, indeed.

Thank you for the background and the photos. I look forward to more village scenes.

Sophia, will you post some lovely pics of your Yorkshire area? I was looking through some photos of the moors, dales and York yesterday and those are beautiful lands. No wonder you live "in Heaven." I would like to live there, too.

I also like the Scottish Highlands to live in as well. I do believe my paternal roots go back to the Orkney Islands so maybe that's why I'm drawn to the whole area.

Thank you for showing off your country in such a gorgeous light!

Jeff, Extremely interesting history! What a wonderful place for a family and for your children to be surrounded by old Roman villas and generous people who want to see the area flourish and schools to grow. I envy you living there, indeed.

 

Thank you for the background and the photos. I look forward to more village scenes.

 

Sophia, will you post some lovely pics of your Yorkshire area? I was looking through some photos of the moors, dales and York yesterday and those are beautiful lands. No wonder you live "in Heaven." I would like to live there, too.

 

I also like the Scottish Highlands to live in as well. I do believe my paternal roots go back to the Orkney Islands so maybe that's why I'm drawn to the whole area.

 

Thank you for showing off your country in such a gorgeous light!

It's funny you should mention the Islands, because I have become a little fixated about wanting to visit St Kildas for the last few weeks. Whilst wifey was out in London yesterday I specced a trip up but you do have to be very determined. Getting to Harris and then the £190 ferry fare for each of us. I also saw some great youtube stuff about the last group to live there. I also really want to see Helly Aa in Lerwick. Decisions.

http://www.uphellyaa.org/

There's a service out of Harris which goes to St Kilda but it's 3 hours ish across pretty choppy waters and going is fairly uncertain. They give a two day window. I think I decided to give up for the time being.

I have just taken two Autumnel pictures expecially for you. :)

Thanks for that. I too would love to go to the Up Helly Aa which I have not heard of previously. Perhaps it was mentioned in the wonderful PBS show that I saw only the tail end of and can not obtain an American copy of that works. It was of Martin Clune boating around the Outer Hebrides, visiting Forvik, Uist, Eigg and Barra. My kind of trip!

Looks like cooler weather for you. Here it remains in the 80s.

Hellloooooo cool people!

wow, autumn already? Here in south Florida it's HOT but so humid that it's hard to breathe in the morning as the trade winds are quiet at that time.

I have been following the food and frivolity from lurkerland.

So caught up in tying up loose ends before my departure at work in two weeks( but who is counting to quote S).

Love the history Jeff...did you save any of that flint?

Hellloooooo cool people!

wow, autumn already? Here in south Florida it's HOT but so humid that it's hard to breathe in the morning as the trade winds are quiet at that time.

I have been following the food and frivolity from lurkerland.

So caught up in tying up loose ends before my departure at work in two weeks( but who is counting to quote S).

Love the history Jeff...did you save any of that flint?

Hi Spin.

Yes, I kept a piece of flint and one of the terracota capping stones.

I'm hoping you use the cooler to chronicle your transition into feckless inactivity and what you do - and don't do - on a daily basis. The more trivial the more it qualifies. :eek: Use lot's of words where few will do. And pictures. If cooler is going to survive people have to post! :)

We're now in the pre-Autumn stage here in an increasingly browning and crisp Engalnd.

Today I made her some Lebanese Kofta .... and she came back from shopping with the first cobnuts, which is a sure fire sign that Autumn is coming early this year. I might go out next week to some sweet chestnut trees I know of to see how they are doing.

Good Afternoon Coolers.....

It's been a long day crossing the Pennines, bad rain coupled with many traffic hold ups due to road works and also road closures...a normal two and a half hour journey took me almost four today..:o

I had fully intended to stop en route to get some pics but just couldn't do so.

My son in law is cooking a curry for dinner tonight...before which I'm hoping to get a tutorial on the photo front.....have iPad will travel this weekend if l get it right...

Sophia :)

Jeff, indeed cob nuts in Waitrose here this morning and Walnuts by the sack load in the Market, not sure where they are from but I shall enquire tomorrow.

Also did rather well at Allan's the rather smart butcher in Mount Street who really do have the most amazing special offers which they email us about, so the freezer is full.:)

Jeff, indeed cob nuts in Waitrose here this morning and Walnuts by the sack load in the Market, not sure where they are from but I shall enquire tomorrow.

 

Also did rather well at Allan's the rather smart butcher in Mount Street who really do have the most amazing special offers which they email us about, so the freezer is full.:)

They are lovely this year ... those nuts!

You aren't lux's nephew are you?

;)

They are lovely this year ... those nuts!

 

You aren't lux's nephew are you?

 

;)

No,disgraced ex butler.

He couldn't leave the sherry alone.and used my account at Allens to steal meat.

what are cobnuts

and why are they the harbingers of autumn?

No,disgraced ex butler.

 

He couldn't leave the sherry alone.and used my account at Allens to steal meat.

That is so shocking!

He was an ex-disgraced butler of Lord Brooks if I recall! :eek: We haven't seen much of him recently ... sadly. :o

I thought the thing to do with sherry drinkers is to make them chauffeurs! There's a fair few ferrying people around in London at the moment!

Happy days!

:D

what are cobnuts

and why are they the harbingers of autumn?

They are in the picture Spin. :)

They are one of the first indicators or an early or late autumn. I planted some several years ago, but I have never been able to get to them before the squirrels.

again, if they are the harbingers of an early or late autumn, what are the harbingers of mid autumn?

i think i may go round the bend if i don't work!!

Nothing to analyze

:D

again, if they are the harbingers of an early or late autumn, what are the harbingers of mid autumn?

i think i may go round the bend if i don't work!!

Nothing to analyze

 

:D

I think four seasons are enough for both of us to contend with without splitting each up!

We have a blazing fire again tonight.

:)

Wings!

Yum

Yum

Good day Spin!

Isn't it odd how all the best food in the world is peasant food!

How is your preparation for idleness progressing?

Jeff

:)

Finishing my morning espresso, and trying to find college football games for the day.

Creating a mental list to to do items but not yet committing to writing it down.

Less that two weeks left of formal work.

Gaining more confidence in relinquishing control, a good feeling.

Lots of creative ideas for next chapter of life, especially now that I know cobnuts are not related to lug nuts.

Carpe diem!

Finishing my morning espresso, and trying to find college football games for the day.

Creating a mental list to to do items but not yet committing to writing it down.

Less that two weeks left of formal work.

Gaining more confidence in relinquishing control, a good feeling.

Lots of creative ideas for next chapter of life, especially now that I know cobnuts are not related to lug nuts.

Carpe diem!

Sounds like progress.

Relinquishing control ...... :eek: No one will ever be quite as good as you, with your standards of perfection and skill etc ... so it is a tough lesson.

Well done!

Hello All,

Enjoying a lovely weekend with my kids.....had my usual champagne cocktails today at the Chester Grosvenor in the company of my dear friend Paul who's GM there....fabulous guy and so down to earth.

Tonight we are dining at an excellent Chinese restaurant...so just an hour to chill before another cocktail hour.....:rolleyes:

Tomorrow is yet to be organised....weather forecast is dire!

Happy Holiday Weekend

Sophia :)

Hello All,

 

Enjoying a lovely weekend with my kids.....had my usual champagne cocktails today at the Chester Grosvenor in the company of my dear friend Paul who's GM there....fabulous guy and so down to earth.

 

Tonight we are dining at an excellent Chinese restaurant...so just an hour to chill before another cocktail hour.....:rolleyes:

 

Tomorrow is yet to be organised....weather forecast is dire!

 

Happy Holiday Weekend

 

Sophia :)

Hello Sopie Gal,

I do so love a gal who can take her drink. I know what you Northern gals mean when you talk about champagne cocktail! Thanks g*d you didn't call your evening meal a Chinky! :eek:

Made her schnitzel today. A piccy of your day and mine! As you can see we are on the cheap Pecheur muck!

You have a great Bank Holiday as well.