The Shed is currently Hovingham Village Hall – where you might see a Brownies Talent Show or the Ryedale Young Farmers doing their stuff. But the Shed turns up some great acts, including Gwyneth Herbert, who did two sets of her own numbers mostly from her new CD Ghosts. Some powerful songs, vivaciously presented. Only drawback was that the bar had run out of Shed Bitter by half time.
Some weeks ago now, but such a treat to live in a place where you can walk across town to a pub and spend an evening listening to one of Britiain’s finest folk musicians in a small room. And such a friendly, informal but thoroughly professional approach.
To mourn the demise of the Agar Arms at Warthill – not as a pub, it’s still there and open, but as one of the best steak houses in the area – and it was for nearly 30 years to my personal knowledge. However, a recent cycle ride out through the early Spring countryside to this delightfully situated hostelry by the village duck-pond revealed a menu consisting only of standard pub food – not a steak in sight. The food was adequate – microwaved and hot and good size portions – but the old days are gone. The Fox at nearby STockton-on-the-Forest may be a more acceptable food alternative.
By folding bike to Helmsley. Few spring flowers yet apart from snowdrops and crocuses, one patch of celandine, and few lambs too, though lots of fat ewes. Catkins, but not yet the light green sheen on the trees which is the true colour of early Spring. Sun, and a light breeze from the SW, so mainly behind me. A fine descent, new to me, from Yearsley to Ampleforth, with some fine views. The White Swan at Ampleforth proved a gem – well-kept Black Sheep bitter and the best toasted sandwich I’ve ever had. Brie and bacon both excellent, delicious coleslaw, a very mixed and interesting mixed salad, and crisps. 9 out of 10. It would have been 10/10 if the crisps had been Seabrooks instead of Walkers. Must get back there to see if their meals are as good as their snacks.
Past the stream bridge of family fame and on to Helmsley for the bus home. Several crossings of the former railway which ran from the ECML to Pickering and on to Scarborough. Some fine station houses remain, and a signalbox at Coxwold.
“An Enemy of the People” at the Crucible was absolutely first rate. Anthony Sher as Dr Stockmann – an endearing and somewhat naive enthusiastic idealist – quite unworldly in lots of ways. His brother quite sinister as the politician. A parable about climate change in a way. Even some laughs – not Ibsen as the common prejudice goes at all.
Considering that the last place visited by this log was Paris, Doncaster is up against strong competition – and comes nowhere. The Frenchgate centre in the evening is like visiting a world where all human life has evaporated – and it hasn’t gone to the pubs. White Swan closed, Great Northern closed, The Plough a little gem with some nice Vermuyden ale. The Leopard somewhat deserted though beer acceptable, the Corner Pin had an eccentric clientele and, considering it had got the Doncaster CAMRA award for a town pub recently, didn’t seem to have kept the beer in top form.
Streets of Doncaster deserted – all rather sinister.
Brasserie St Louis, Musee de Cluny, Cafe de la Place in the Marais, Flea Market, and a wonderful tiny flat on the 4th floor on the Ile St Louis. April in Paris may be marvellous, but February is pretty good too. Like most big long-estalished European ciies, it’s so rewarding to just wander almost at random, and come up with little gems round every corner.
Eurostar on the way back was delayed leaving by British passport officers understaffed and working to rule so we found out that, provided you are at the front of the Eurostar and make a prompt exit, you can get from St Pancras arrival to King’s Cross departure in 7 minutes, at a very brisk pace, having originally allowed 31 minutes for this transfer.
A standing ovation magnificently deserved. Jan Gabarek, Rainer Bruninghaus, Yuri Dniel and Trilok Gurtu in a stunning single 2 1/4 hour set of enormous variety with Bruninghaus and Gurtu in particular getting a very fair share of solos. As well as the trademark ethereal nordic mysteries there were some really upbeat numbers, also some with what seemed like very unusual time signatures plus some rare glimpses of a Gabarek sense of humour in a duel with Gurtu, Garbarek on flute and Gurtu on voice percussion.
Whereas the York Theatre Royal Pantomime is the highest quality load of old rubbish you could ever hope to see in your lifetime. It just gets more outrageous every year – more costume changes, more elaborate sets, more ad libbing, less plot, and, in this case, Humpty Dumpty humpty dumptied after the first scene. Berwick Kaler has made this his gift to the people of York for over thirty years, aided and abetted by Martin Barrass, Suzy Cooper, and David Leonard and it is just wonderful – I hope to keep going as long as Berwick does.
Actually, it’s not, it’s rubbish. Enjoyable rubbish, true, but it’s not Meryl Streep at her best and it’s all about rich people in Californication. I was actually rooting for the creep ex-husband but we should have been hoping she got off with the utterly boring architect. Add to “Films I should Never Have Bothered Going to See>”