July, a month of contrasts

So, July started off as beautiful weather-wise as June ended, but ended with rain and grey skies. We started off the month going to the CAMRA Hereford Beer and Cider festival with Linda and Phil. We got in early, and so went to Hereford Cathedral.

It's an amazing 11^th Century cathedral. Some of the ceiling was still painted with the most amazing ceiling roses still picked out. There was a lot of beautifully carved stonework as well. The best part of the visit to the Cathedral was the Mappa Mundi. For those who have never heard of it, it's the only remaining Medieval world map remaining in the UK. It was incredible! Such a beautiful artifact, and it's just incredible that it is still in existence. Hereford also has a chained library – thankfully still around because of the monks who set up the Cathedral and its use as a library for many, many years. It was brilliant to see so many things so beautifully preserved. Outside we stood and watched what we think was the Youth Group abseiling down the outside of the cathedral.

As for the festival, it was OK, but not as good as the Cardiff one. There was insufficient shelter and seating – the day ranged between scorching hot (for the UK) and windy and raining. The beers were OK, but there was nothing outstanding – nothing that said 'drink me again!'. That said, it was good to try some different beers. One good thing about Hereford was that we could cash in our unused tokens and get £2 back on our glasses when we left. We later found out that the Festival was drunk dry later that day. We like to think we did our part. When we got back in to Cardiff we went for dinner at a restaurant called Bali – Indonesian, of course (not Balinese, but that doesn't really matter). Linda and Phil had not tried Indonesian style food before, and I think they liked it – they were certainly enthusiastic about the different tastes and textures they experienced.

The week after was THE CRICKET!!!!! We have soooooooo been looking forward to this. Matt took the whole of the week off, and spent a lot of time just wandering around Cardiff just soaking up the atmosphere.

We had tickets to Day 1 and Day 3. Brilliant...... We also live nice and close to the stadium, so of course we had to go.

Day 1 we rocked up, it was beautifully sunny, and it was our wedding anniversary.

View of the pitch from our seats

We went to the cricket and found out that we had seats near the Barmy Army, which was fun.

We could also see the Fanatics – even better....

How close we were to the Fanatics and Barmey Army

Our seats were in the middle of a block, so we didn't have much getting up and down. The pre-match entertainment was a bit twee. It was odd hearing Katherine Jenkins singing “Land of our Fathers” at the cricket, instead of the rugby. It was pretty shameful to see how many Welsh who sang “Jerusalem”. Tsk, tsk. There ready for the first ball of Day 1.

It was really cold, though – we froze. And got windburn. While we saw all the wickets fall on Day 1 we left just after tea because we were just so cold. Either that, or the really dodgy singing by some dyed blond dwarf in a shamefully shiny suit singing dreadful nonsense. Apparently he was some person who got through to some round of some alleged talent quest. Apparently. Walking home it was amazing to see how many people were standing on the pathway along the Taff watching the cricket from outside the ground.

Of interest to some may be that we sat next to Mike Hall. Worst part of the day was it taking Kathy 30 minutes (!!!!!) to buy lunch – and it was terrible. Oily and nasty fish and chips.

Because we're so close to the ground our little street was blocked off to anyone except residents. Cool. On Friday Matt was sitting playing on the computer when he heard clip clop clip clop down the street – a pair of mounted police went past the window.

On Saturday we went back to the cricket, much better prepared for the cold. And it wasn't as cold. We also took food and a thermos of Jasmine Tea, so were much better prepared for food. At one stage the Fanatics, who were feeling a lot more chipper than they had been on Day 1 were giving as good as they got from the Barmey Army, singing “we all live in a sunny paradise... you all live in a rainy shithole” (to the tune of yellow submarine), and chanting “where's your summer gone?”. They also got stuck in to Flintoff – they put a beer on the top of a fence post (what was with that?!?) and kept getting stuck in to him. Another good day at the cricket.

On Day 4 we were sitting in Tair Pluen (soaking up the atmosphere) and were watching the people passing by. There was a billboard set up right outside for a local strip joint – classy, in the middle of the day with kids passing by. 2 SE Asian guys stopped and took a photo of it!!!!

During the Ashes the Halfway re-opened. It was the same, but different. Not sure of the couches, and there certainly isn't enough seating at the right heights for eating off of . And the toilets haven't been renovated. We'll see how it settles.

We sat at home watching the end of the First Test, right on the edge of our seats, gnawing our nails and reacting in horror that the Aussies couldn't bowl out Panesar. Panesar!!!!!!!!!! Blimmin' blimmin'!! Anyway, Cardiff looked really good with the cricket and on TV, and everyone was pleasantly surprised at the way the wicket performed.

Big excitement after the cricket was the opening of a new pub – Y Cadno. In English it translates as The Fox. Yummy beers, good food, but the staff need more confidence, experience and speed.

The week after the cricket we had lunch with Les and Gaynor, which was lovely – especially as it was sunny. We also had a quiet lunch out for our anniversary, at a French bistro at Cardiff Bay. And of course the cricket. Ah, summer wouldn't be summer without the last thing – rain. And lots of it. And it started as soon as the cricket finished, and seems to have barely let off.

Ah, the British summer.....

Glorious June

June was upon us, and the weather turned nice. For a change. We had a yummy spur of the moment dinner at the Conway one Friday. Matt went on the second stag night for Dai, the butcher. I suppose he's allowed to go wild on his 4^th time around!

On the 11^th we went to the CAMRA (CAMpaign for Real Ale) Welsh Beer and Cider Festival opening day. Mmmm, a day off work to drink beer... This was the first time we'd been to a CAMRA event and thought it was an interesting mix of people there early in the day. There were your weirdy beardies, older guys in for a few, people around our age, students skipping lectures, and people coming in for a day out or an evening bevvie after a day at work – but we saw few of the 'usual suspects' until much later in the day. I think they suffered the next day, as most went straight for the cider – which of course is a lot stronger than ale. We had a good day, and found a few we really liked – the 'D' round was particularly spectacular. On the way out Kathy sprained her ankle on very uneven ground which was hard to see. Not badly though. We finished the day poorly though – we went to a really crap 'all you can eat' Chinese place called China China. It was horrible. Salty, greasy and fatty. Ick.

The next day (12 June) we went to Portsmouth (see our separate blog entry for that).

The weather in June was simply gorgeous. Warm and sunny, but humid. We could forgive that. Beautiful warmth.....

Towards the end of the month Kathy found out it was the inaugural Armed Forces Day. Even more exciting, the Welsh event was promising a Spitfire fly past!!! Naturally, we went. It was a beautiful day for an event in Bute Park,

continuing the warm and sunny weather of the rest of the month. There was quite a lot to look at, from all different parts of the Forces, including cadets, volunteers, and various 'PR' type units. There was lots for the kids to do, with activities ranging from abseiling and obstacle courses to target shooting with paintball guns. We saw Taffy the Goat.

Taffy and the Goat Major

The main focus of the day was a parade to celebrate the various returned service personnel.

There were representatives from the Royal Welsh, who have recently returned from active service,looking every inch the professional soldier,

Veteran from various past conflicts with their standards (we were trying to decide where the youngest served. Matt thinks Korea, Kathy thinks Falklands), there were cadets (several of whom needed a lot more marching practice),

people in period costume,

and heavy horse.

No, not this sort of heavy horse

This sort of heavy horse

And his mates

Of the marching units of the 3 branches of the forces, the army put the others to shame – crisp and disciplined. The best bit for us was the Spitfire fly past. Oh, the sound of that engine!!! It was incredible! If that was the noise 1 plane made, imagine a what the amount that took to the skies every day during the Battle of Britain, or just a single squadron must have sounded like! It's no wonder people got excited (and still do) about that plane. It glinted and sparkled silver in the sunlight during it's 3 passes over the Park. Just incredible. It's amazing to think that dedicated volunteers keep those marvels airborne.

During some of June the Halfway was being renovated. This is a very sad sight.

After that, we went to the Cayo to watch the rugby – Lions v South Africa. Pity the Lions managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Pity, they'd done so well during the tour matches, but just couldn't produce the goods during the tests.

Next day we went for a walk along the Taff down to Cardiff Bay. It was a lovely walk, with the river on one side and houses on the other – certainly a lot more pleasant than the usual way we walk. Lunch was Turkish Mezze at a place called Bosphorus. It was, again, a beautiful day, and a good way to end the month

Portsmouth weekend

On 12 June we headed off for a weekend in Portsmouth. Why, you ask? To look at ships, silly!

Matt made us some yummy filled rolls for the train journey, and it's just as well because there was no catering on the train. Which was hot and stuffy. Beside that it was a pretty pleasant journey through some nice countryside – but we were both engrossed in our books. Matt was reading about Agincourt, Kathy was reading a Simon Sharma History of Britain.

When we got to Portsmouth we got off the train, and the first sight that greeted us was a big ship!! We then walked to our hotel, then went for a wander along the waterfront. We found the spot where Raleigh's ill-fated US settlement departed, and where the First Fleet also went from.

Memorial commemorating the First Fleet

The walk went along the sea defences, and it was a pretty good walk – had been set up as a Millennium trail. Part of them had been put up by Henry VIII. Fabulous. After more of a wander we went to a pub in the old custom house and decided to have a meal there. It was fantastic. Matt had a bacon and black pudding salad,

Kathy had smoked trout with horseradish. Mmmmm, very, very yummy. After a glass of wine it was back to the hotel for a nightcap and an early night.

13 June

Today we spent the day at the Historic Dockyards Museum. We started the day visiting the Warrior 1860 – which was the ship we'd seen from the railway station.

HMS Warrior's figurehead

She's a fantastic sail and steam ironclad boat (her funnels can retract when she's under full sail), built for the British Navy, but never used in anger.

Like many other ships before and after her who were cutting edge technology her greater value was as a deterrent. She seemed really huge, and had a full complement of 705 crew. She could run at 14 knots on full sail, 17.5 on steam and sail, and this was 3 times faster than her nearest rival. She was designed so that the propeller could be raised out of the water when she ran under sail to reduce drag.

Pretty clever, huh? She's on display as she would have been when fully operational – including mockups of her 4 ½ inch cannon everywhere,

and row upon row of kit bags, hammocks, the lot. On the second deck there were muskets

and pistols

everywhere, just to remind you that this was a war ship. They were neatly packed away, rank on rank, and sometimes were in patterns which looked really pretty – if deadly. Some of the muskets even had bayonets fixed. We went in to the engine room

and had a look at some of the furnaces.

It was dark and cramped, and must have been really unpleasant to work in. At the bow and stern were more big cannons, and they were on tracks set in to the decking to allow for manoeuvrability when firing.

Sadly she ended her working life as an oil tender in Milford Harbour, but she's now been fully restored.

After that we had a little cruise around on the harbour to see things from the water. It also allowed us to get closer to the naval ships at the base – which is right next door to the museum (of course).

Why a penguin? Apparently something to do with a penguin following some navy guy - can't remember!

Warning - don't get too close!

Just in case you forget what these ships are used for!

We learnt that the base is located where it is because it's the furthest up the harbour that sail could go before either running out of wind or running aground at low tide.

Cliffs on the other side of Portsmouth Harbour

Ruins of Portsmouth Castle on the far side of the harbour

Next stop was the HMS Victory.

Matt at the HMS Victory

That was sooooooooooo cool! Headspace below deck (where we entered) was really low, so it must have been really difficult for the taller members of crew to serve on her. The restoration of the Captain and Admiral's cabins was absolutely fantastic, complete with uniforms that Nelson had worn, restorations and reproductions of embroidery from his mistress, copies of plate and glassware that had been used by the officers, the works. Brilliant. We saw the spot on deck where Nelson had been wounded. Matt stood right next to the plaque and said “so, where did Nelson get shot?” Right at your feet, you twit!

Mind you, Matt wasn't the only one to do something silly – Kathy reached up to touch a bell on deck, just as a recording of the bell was played! She jumped about 10 feet!.

There were miles and miles of rope everywhere – the rigging is just amazing.

All the buckets were leather – either original or reproductions, and were imprinted with GR. There was a woman near us (no, not American) who didn't know what this meant. Decided that it meant George Reigns, after being told that it was the initial of the King at that time. She also announced that everyone used to be so short in the past, didn't they, and why did they have a door in the side of the ship? There are a couple of ornate doorways, but they are on the deck above the one we entered the ship by – through a modified gun port. Daft woman. Then, to top it off she pointed at the main mast (underdeck) and announced that it must lead to the boilers in the engine room to take the smoke away. On a pre-Industrial Revolution era ship. Any way, trying not to laugh too loudly at the poor woman we noticed how beautifully preserved the Victory is. She sits in dry dock, unlike the Warrior, so you are able to walk all around the outside of her. Back inside, though, we were able to go right down to the very lowest deck to see the ballast of pig iron and water barrels sitting in gravel, to keep it steady and stable. We were amazed at the powder room and the precautions they went to to prevent fire – the powder room was lined with copper to prevent accidental sparks igniting the kegs. Throughout the mess area were tables which could be raised up against the side of the ship when the cannons were in action to increase what little space there was to work in. Very cramped living conditions, even for the senior officers, whose cots were so short that they couldn't sleep fully stretched out. It must have been a tough life. Brilliant ship.

Impressive as the Victory is (and don't get me wrong, she's amazing), the Mary Rose is just incredible. She's still being preserved (nearly finished though – next step is to dry her out so she can go on permanent display), so is a spectral shape in the gloom and mist, but is still impressive. The wreck was much larger than we expected, so when she was in original condition she must have been a really impressive sight. The Tudor ships must have had huge amounts of ballast on board, as they always look so top-heavy in paintings. We timed our visit to the Mary Rose perfectly. Because the preservation work is nearly complete the Museum is going to be building a new display building around the ruin later this year, with work to be completed in 2012, so the Mary Rose will not be in display during that time. Lucky, or what?

On our way back out to the Mary Rose display we went and saw the last remaining sail from the Victory from the Battle of Trafalgar. Oh my goodness. It's huge!!! There isn't enough space to display it fully (it's so fragile it has to be laid out on the floor), but what we saw was impressive. There's a huge tear in it, and so many shot holes that it's amazing it's still in such comparatively good condition. It was just fantastic (and accompanied by scenes from Master and Commander showing a battle and similar damage to a sail being perpetrated).

The Mary Rose Museum was fantastic.

One of these is a big fat bastard who was known throughout Britain for gluttony and an insatiable appetite. The other is Henry VIII

It told the story about how the ship was found, excavated and raised. The first beams and bits and pieces from the wreck were raised in the 19^th century, but of course the main wreck was excavated in the 1970's and 80's. Just amazing. There is a huge range of everyday items from the wreck site on display, including cloth, wood, and leather items – all the ordinary every day stuff from the common sailor, not just the officers and wealthy. There are fantastic cannons, swords and guns which have been raised and preserved, with some of the cannons just so beautifully cast. We learnt that the site is still being excavated, but that it's a battle against time as the navy wants to dredge the mouth of the harbour to ensure that it's bigger ships can continue to enter the harbour. It was brilliant.

By this time it was about 4.30pm, and we hadn't had lunch. As we were getting tired and hungry we left the Museum grounds to go back to Gunwharf Quay to find some food. We first stopped at a pub to have a bit of a rest, but also caught the last 20 minutes of the NZ v France test. You know, we went all that way and who did we sit and chat with? Welshmen. Go figure. After a couple of antipasti dishes for 'lunch' we walked around the harbour to a pub called the Bridge Inn,

which we'd passed on our walk the day before, and we just beat the rain. We sat outside under an umbrella and enjoyed watching people coming and going. For dinner we thought we'd try a pub called the Spice Island Tavern. We wish we hadn't. The beer was pretty ordinary, and our ordered fish and chips didn't arrive after 30 minutes. So, we got a refund, left without food, and went over the road to a much, much better pub. There was a restaurant upstairs where we had a table next to the window, and as we enjoyed our fish (John Dory for Matt, Red Bream for Kathy) we watched the Isle of Wight and cross-Channel ferries coming and going as the sun set. Lovely. It was a brilliant end to a great day.

Hmmm, a port, with a landmark like this...

14 June

After a leisurely start to the day we walked back down to the Gunwharf Quay area. We went up the Spinnaker Tower, which has the most amazing views over Portsmouth

The Warrior - again

The 2 pubs we visited last night.
The white one with the red roof at the end of the curve is where we had dinner

and the surrounding countryside. It was well worth the entry fee. The tide was out – a long way out!

We could really understand the decision to place the naval base where it is with the tide out. We stood and watched a ship being escorted in – it was either the HMS Nottingham or Northampton. We're not sure which, as we couldn't see it's name properly.

One of the Royal Navy's ships being escorted in to the harbour

Kathy counted 9 ships off on the horizon in the Channel.

Brilliant.

We then went back to the Dockyard Museum so that we could go to the Trafalgar part of the Naval Museum. We saw a pretty good audio-visual display, but it would have been better if it was less crowded and better lit – especially for the older visitors. There was also an interesting display of figureheads to look at, and a little display about slavery. It was then back to the hotel to pick up our gear, then to our train to go home again. A great weekend.