Saw this in Alton on Saturday. Made me laugh

https://carousel.dropbox.com/photos/cc/sU0PHeTBaMcmw16

Tree planted on death of Sir Winston Churchill in St Lawrence Churchyard, Alton

Plaque at base of oak tree in commemoration of the death of Sir Winston Churchill

Our Spring garden.

Our Spring garden in Alton

Autumn colours

Fabulous skies around Alton and from the train into Alton

If you like skies and clouds, you'll love these!

Interesting cloud above Alton High Street

Looks like the start of a tornado to me but then I am prone to seeing things in clouds. All part of being in the Cloud Appreciation Society.

Light and colourful tulips on way to Alton Station

Just outside the Alton House Hotel on the walk to the station. Doesn't compare to the banks of tulips in Regent's Park or The Embankment, but it is part of  Alton's attempt to win Gold in the Town in Bloom awards 2014.

Remember to get best image you need to click the photo, don't ask me why, guess the app is trying to save bandwidth (for those techies out there - techie ed)

Flood meadows Alton early evening with bluebells and watery reflection

Flood meadows Alton late afternoon. We regularly walk through Flood Meadows in Alton, they have been doing a fantastic job of flooding this year, so ensuring that all of the houses that back onto the River Wey (like what ours does - ernie ed) don't!

Early morning walking to Alton station through the church yard

Why do I take these pictures, well I try to be mindful, that is pay attention to what is going on around me when I walk to the station. It is too easy to turn your mind off, and forget what beautiful sights there are around you. So all of you, "Pay Attention!!.

Single photo of early morning light

Five photos from a differnt day of early morning light

Power On

Well, since 08:28 this morning, this has been a no power household. It finally came back on at 17:55. Makes me wonder if the freezer has managed OK, not opened the door at all, but did open the fridge door a couple of times to make some hand warming cups of tea. Luckily for us we have a gas hob, which had to be lit with a lighter, but managed that without any incident (Ray Mears would have been proud of you - ed)

When I rang the power company this morning they said that the power would be back in an hour. A little optimistic in retrospect methinks. Rang again at 16:15, and was told that it would be on between 4 and 5pm. Well they were a little later than that, but arguably better late than never. At least we aren't snowed in down in the South as some parts of Scotland are who haev been without power for a few days now.

Funnily enough had just lit some candles in the front room, as the light was fading, and dug out the rewindable torch, but failed to find the battery powered torch. Know that I put it somewhere sensible (dangerous thing when he knows where something is - look what happened in the Attic - ed) but have not been sufficiently goaded to properly look for it. Think I am all searched out after Sunday in the attic.

But the  power is now back on I am just knocking out a quick post about it. I mean my readers need to be informed.

Seems that not all of Alton was struck, as I braved the bitter cold of the great outsdoors earlier, well I did  pop to Boots and Sainsbury's to stock up on a couple of items and noticed that Alton High Street was unaffected.

Mildly disappointed that the power is back on, I was looking forward to deciding whether we should go out to The George for dinner, assuming they had power or staying in and cooking a meal on the gas hob and eating a candlelit dinnner which did sound quite attractive, but that would require a bottle of wine to make it romantic?

Nothing on the Scottish and Southern Electric Power Distribution Site with the reason for the failure, all they said this morning was that there was a problem at a local substation.

What was noticeable, with the power outage, was that when the mobile phone ran out of charge and I couldn't access any form of news or social media and strangely the world didn't end? Bizarre eh! We are lucky to still have a landline phone (that old style technology does sometimes come in handy - ed), and the extension in the bedroom worked, but the main phone downstairs didn't as needs mains power. But what can you do with a landline in terms of accessing information on the internet without a working router (which needs electricity - ed) not much it seems.

Afterthought
Might be worth investing in a spare battery for the mobile to give me a little bit more time on the internet should we get another power outage (but you would have to keep it charged, and somewhere where you can remember, so that you can find it should the need arise - ed)

Alton Pub Series Part One - The Eight Bells

Alton has a rich history in hop growing industry and follwing on from that, brewing. The growing of hops and their fine quality led to it having a large brewing industry at one time. However, this industry has now sadly declined to the extent that the town has only one large foreign owned multi-national brewery, Molson Coors, left.(but that means jobs - economics ed)

Related to the brewery, (and keeping you off the point of the post I'll have you know - ed) I have been caught behind Kuehne Nagel (personally call them the Steam Beer Company lorries - ed) articulated trucks that carry the output from the brewery all over the country and are to be regularly seen wending their way slowly from Alton to Basingstoke and back on the A339, during both the morning and evening rush hours (sigh, move over why don't you, I've got places to go and people to see, can't be stuck behind this truck the whole way - motoring ed).

The A339 is one of those rural roads that has few, safe, overtaking points and so in the morning and evening, generally just before peak time, a long queue can easily develop behind these delivery lorries causing the less cautious drivers to do incredibly dumb (dumb in the sense of .. what the f*** are they doing trying to overtake 3 cars and the truck at this point - road safety ed) overtaking manoeuvers. I have seen a few very, adrenalin rush filled (and that's just me - ed)  close shaves, and naturally there is the occasional fatality due to this kind of recknlessness.

What is abundantly clear, however, is that the majority of the dangerous overtakes are done by owners of BMWs and the occasional Audi. Now, having read the legendary book, "The Missing BMW Owners Manual", after half-inching a copy from an unnamed University specialist book section (the name of the University is not mentioned to protect the author from, what now must be, a late payment fee equating to the  GDP of a medium sized South American country, e.g. Bolivia. Extracts from this manual will be the seeds of further posts - ed) this is the behaviour that is to be expected.

The thing that I really don't get (think about it some more - ed), nope, still don't get it,  is that given the distance between Alton and Basingstoke on the A339 (12.6 miles - ed) and the absolute certainty that there is another slow moving vehicle ahead of the slow moving Steam Beer Company vehicle and even if the road is clear, the best you can do is only pick up a minute or so of time! Why do people do this (read the upcoming post on The Missing BMW Owners Manual - circulation ed)? Quite frankly, my readers, they don't give a damn.

Anyhow, what I am meant to be doing is telling you about Alton pubs that I frequent (well pass by for a quiet pint or two). To be fair, there is a good selection of pubs in Alton but there are only a few that I visit with any kind of regularity and that I can then fairly comment on. So let me introduce you to The Eight Bells.

The Eight Bells, Alton, Hampshire, UK

The Eight Bells, pictured (left at present it may move - layout ed) serves extremely well looked after beer.

It has a warm atmosphere (fug factor 4 on a busy night - ed) and a well lived in decor.

It contains an interesting selection of mature adults enjoying a quiet (or not so quiet - hearing ed) chat and a pint, what you can undoubtedly call a real local pub.

It is certainly not a place to go if you want electronic entertainment, there is a TV but it is rarely on. There is not much in the way of food, generally some randomly filled buns, but there are assorted crisps (four flavours) and nuts, if you feel so inclined to investigate its culinary options especially necessary as the number of empty glasses mount (they are good at keeping your table clear of empty glasses, perhaps as a hint to either go, or buy more beer - ed)

It usually has four real ales on the go (the order of, "One of each of your finest ales Landlord", is occasionally heard for those wishing to reduce the number of trips to the bar - useful tip ed) and it also serves other weird kinds of alcoholic beverages like lager, wine and even spirits. To be honest with you, this other alcoholic drinks fetish bemuses me, I mean to say why would you; why would you want to drink something other than beer when there is decent beer to drink? (He's almost lost control again - medical ed)

There is a mild warning to follow, which I feel obliged to tell you; both for your safety and the protection of the waistline of an elderly dog. It is, whatever you do, I really mean whatever you do, (even if you order a white wine - ed) do not feed Toby the dog, as he, at the opening of a packet of nuts or crisps, even when the pub is going full throttle, will arrive beside your table and look at you with those ever so endearing and pleading eyes of his. Don't feed him. Feeding the dog will get you reproachful looks from all of the regulars. You have been warned. It is worth noting, being seen to feed the dog is, not quite like the scene from American Werewolf in London, where the two USA backpackers enter the pub on the moors and everything goes quiet and all eyes are turned on them. As I said, it is not quite like that, but not far off.

On a more historical note, the name of the pub is allegedly linked to the eight bells of St Lawrence Church, directly opposite the pub. The idea of a quick Sunday Service followed by a few beer chasers to mellow out the afternoon must be almost impossible to resist (another wistful sigh - entertainment ed).

Howerver, as far as I am concerned, the reason for liking the pub, is not just the beer or the atmosphere but its location, barely 300 yards from the front door. (wistful sigh - entertainment ed).

Not forgetting, for the dog lovers out there, dogs do appear to be very welcome, though they will need to be vetted by Toby first. The ground rules are very clear, food on the floor is his and his alone.

To finish off this post, as I am sure there is something, Very Important, that I should be doing, I should note that there is a small paved garden out the back containing wooden tables with fixed seats, and some even undercover. It used to be the area that I frequented before the smoking ban simply for the fresh air. However, since the fresh air act, oops, sorry, implementaion of the Smoking Ban, roles have been reversed and it is now the smokers who inhabit this area, come rain or shine, whilst the rest of us enjoy the warm fugginess of the insides of an old fashioned English local pub (was that another wistful sigh that I heard - ed)

Afterthought
Please note in the interest of fairness that there are other pubs in Alton, and I will get around to posting about some of them real soon now, but only about ones that I have been to more than half a dozen times or so, to be able to give them a fair hearing.

Please do note that all words used in this post have been checked using the highly acclaimed international standard of, "No Beer Whilst Writing Rules". The author agreed to be tested before and after the writing of this article and was given a certificate to prove it was written without any beer in his system (another even longer wistful sigh - ed)

Other Credits
This post was addled together using excerpts from, and with kind permission of the publishers, the soon to be published book, "'Mine's a pint: Beer Drinking in English Hostelries in the 21st Century", by S. F. Adams.

Sweet Fanny Adams

Gravestone of Fanny Adams, Alton Cemetery Hampshire, UK 

For those that do not know. Fanny Adams lived in Alton for 8 short years before her murder in 1867.

Why am I mentioning this? Only because I live in Alton and I saw her gravestone the other day, and took the picture to the left.

For those that do not know, the phrase, "Sweet Fanny Adams", or "Sweet FA" is synonymous with her.

She lived in Tanhouse Lane. The ranks of (probably rank as well - historical ed) of Victorian cottages, next to the River Wey, one of where she lived her all too short life, have long since been demolished.

If I recollect, the Curtis Museum houses some information on this unfortunate event.

If you simply aren't interest in poor young Ms Adams, then simply visit the museum. It is a Tardis, in that it is much much bigger on the inside, than on the outside. What is more, it is absolutely free to visit, and no-one even harangues you to drop money in a collection box on entry or exit. In fact, the people manning the counter are incredibly helpful, knowledgeable and pleasant. Well done to the Curtis Museum staff!

Now, I have lived in Alton for over 5 year, and the Curtis Museum has been one of those places that I have walked past on many, many occasions and thought,

"I must pop in one day to see what it is like",

and then immediately forget about it. Then the next time, the same thought and the same inaction.

However, back in Autumn 2012, rather than simply walking past I popped in.

Now, you might think, that popping in suggests a brief moments, you know, a few minutes at the most. However, I was completely entranced and an indeterminate time later I came out and the whole world (well my view of Alton's history at least - ed) had changed. Wonderful, absolutely wonderful.

Wandering through the museum had been like being in a scene from the 1960's film, the Time Machine, where Rod Taylor is sitting in his time machine, racing forward through time and watching the displays of the store opposite change with time as the years flew past.

My experience in the museum had been similar. I had been transported back into a geological epoch and in a few brief hours (aha so you were in there hours were you - timekeeping ed) through thousands of years of history, finally returning to modern days as I stepped out of the museum.

It was wonderful, I would finish reading information on one exhibit, walk around the corner and then be overwhelmed with the next time period, (it is worth nothing that you did linger on certain exhibits more than others - Alton involvement in the brewing of beer - historical accuracy ed)

So, if you are in the area, simply pop into the Curtis Museum and be transported in time (the author has no pecuniary interest in visitors to Alton, the Curtis Museums, or the many and varied food and beverage establishments that make up the vibrant heart of this glorious historical Hampshire market town - promotional ed).

Afterthought

If you are interested in beer, Alton still has one brewery, currently under the name of (not Saunders - literary ed) Coors. There are also a surprising number of smaller breweries in the surrounding area, well from the history of Alton, hops were a major industry over hundreds of years, and like many parts of the country, smaller breweries are making a determined comeback, well done to all of them.

So cheers to Tripple fff Brewing Company, in Four Marks; Hogsback Brewery in Tongham; Ballards Brewery in Petersfield; Andwell Brewing Company in Hook and the Longdog Brewery in Basingstoke (so there is something positive to be said for Basingstoke after all - beer ed)

St. Valentine's Day ... j'accuse

I am not a fan of this day, no, not at all. Why, I hear you squawk in disbelief? Because...I accuse you (j'accuse it is French - how romantic - ed) all of you in conniving to make this day more meaningful that it really is.

I accuse you, the reader, of allowing yourself to be high jacked by retailers desperate to make money in a period that is generally quiet after the post Christmas sales.

I accuse you, the reader, of thinking that this one day is the only day that matters when showing your love and affection to your partner.

I accuse you, the reader, in thinking that an act on this one day is enough to set to rights all of those failures to show affection throughout the rest of the year!

I accuse you, the retailer, of using this Saint's alleged romantic connotations, to cajole the guilt ridden, romantically disinclined public into buying flowers, champagne, chocolates, gifts and treats for their partners.

I accuse you, the retailer, of hiking prices, putting fancy wrapping around objects that for the other three hundred and sixty four days of the year (365 on leap years - pedantic ed) are a fraction of the price.

I accuse you, the retailer, of using something as beautiful, deep and meaningful as love in this cheap (it is not cheap, that bouquet of flowers was nearly £13 - ed) and tawdry fashion.

I accuse you, the media, in all of its garish forms, from TV, newspapers, magazines into using this day to boost your sales and ratings with soppy romantic stories and bizarre marriage proposals.

I accuse you, the media, of tarnishing all that is great and good about love with the lowest forms of drivel in your columns and on your shows.

Have I finished yet, no, but let's move on in a less impassioned, less emotional and more balanced way. If you look up St Valentine on wikipedia you find that not much is actually known about St. Valentine apart from he died on this day.

So, I hear you cry, (or was it sew, a needle pulling thread - they sound so similar - ed), "You haven't got a romantic bone in your body". This is not so, not at all (Dodgy terrain here, so step carefully - ed).

I believe that flowers, champagne, chocolates, gifts and treats should be given on days of our own choosing, and that it should be done on a whim and a fancy and as part of the continual affirmation of feelings between partners  (taking note of this are you Bridget - marriage counsellor ed).

So what has got my goat (and will those that have borrowed it please return it - farming ed)? Well I popped out, to do a couple of errands around noon on Alton High Street (it was high noon and nobody was there apart from usual nefarious suspects - ed). After dodging a large number of teenagers (thought it was half term and they would be off the streets - so much for that theory).

I entered (via the front door this time, getting a bit dodgy to keeping popping in through the back door when they aren't looking, they are beginning to get just a little suspicious) into our local Fruit and Veg shop (yes, Alton does still have one on the High St. - retailing ed) and I was offered a single red rose at a cost of £1.50.

Now I wasn't either in the market for a red rose especially one at that kind of price. What I was in the market for, were the four leeks and the large red bell pepper clenched tightly in my hands. These had, for some reason that escapes me, leaped from the shelves into my hands. (When vegetables throw themselves at you from the shelves - you know something is not quite right with the world - parapsychology ed), and demanded of me that they be bought!

"What about some flowers for your lovely wife", the seller didn't say, and I failed to come back with the age old rejoinder, "Well you haven't met her then, have you! Boom, boom", Les Dawson would have been proud of me.

But, being a man of many talents (and when you find just one, will you let us know - employment ed), I had a retort ready on my lips, as all of you that know me know that I am well known for both the speed and wit of my rejoinders (really - truth ed), "I buy flowers for my wife all year round not just on this so called special day".

The female (failed) flower seller sighed wistfully and said, "I wish my boyfriend were like that, it's so romantic", the male member of staff (there is something off color in there if you try hard - viz smut ed) turned away - and it looked to me that he was putting fingers down his throat, I am still wondering what that means? Maybe he had swallowed something poisonous and was urgently trying to cleanse his system before the poison took hold? (You are so dumb at times - ed).

Anyhow, with four leeks and a red bell pepper in hand, and unusually paid for, I strode manfully from the shop and felt proud of myself. Proud, not just of  being English, but for once, being damn well British and even more surprisingly proud of being a citizen of the European Union. The clouds pulled back and a beam of light fell upon my brow and warmed me through.

Strangely enough, I could have sworn that the failed flower seller said something along the lines of, "What a cheap skate, flowers all year round, my a***", but I am sure that cannot have been the case.

Afterthought

Even though I don't buy especially expensive flowers on St. Valentine's Day, I do buy a card, and unsurprisingly it is not a special Valentine's Day card. It is simply a card with something I like on the front, you know a yacht, a sleek sports car, something a girl can really appreciate.

All the words inside it are all my own of course, hand crafted and lovingly engraved. This year's words contain some wonderfully meaningful and downright heart tugging phrases. I particularly liked the, "Will there be apple crumble tonight?"