Blog

  • Carcassonne Day One : Stansted Wetherspoons – The Windmill

    Carcassonne Day One : Stansted Wetherspoons – The Windmill

    20240427_115340

    As there’s limited public seating in the airside part of Stansted, it wasn’t clear where else we would wait for our flight other than at the Wetherspoons at Stansted Airport, the Windmill. I’ve written about this venue before, but it’s well managed, the staff are engaging, it’s efficient and the environment is clean. It’s expensive, but that’s hardly going to surprise anyone. Liam and I had already enjoyed an extensive breakfast of a packet of crisps and a beer, so we didn’t need to have a fine dining meal. I’m sure (well, I’m not, I’m not always very observant) that they’ve extended the Windmill again, as we were seated in a wing that I hadn’t even noticed before. Incidentally, I remember the previous Wetherspoon outlet at Stansted which had around 18 tables, whereas they must now have over 100 tables across the two floors.

    20240427_115343

    I like high seating and I was enjoying watching whether people coming in would go for high or low seating, and the majority went for higher seating. That’s how I spend my time now, with riveting polling such as that. I definitely need to get out more.

    20240427_115222

    I went to the bar to order as they were playing a rather mean prank on customers and pretending on the app that they only had Greene King beers. I was momentarily excited to see that they had Theakstons Old Peculier, but the helpful staff member said that it had sold out within two hours and it had surprised them. I mean, I can hardly wonder why that beer sold out when the delights of Greene King IPA was on….. Anyway, they had Gold from Exmoor Ales and so I had half of that, it was a not unagreeable creamy, smooth and light beer. It also went well with the five decaff coffees that I had, such are the joys of unlimited coffee.

    There are other food and beverage options at the airport which aren’t really any more expensive than Wetherspoons, but their beer and coffee options are more extensive and better value. I might try the Camden Bar and Kitchen at some point which has a few craft beer options and although isn’t linked to the Camden Brewery, as it’s operated by SSP, it does sell their beers.

  • Carcassonne Day One : Leave Liquids and Devices in the Bag

    Carcassonne Day One : Leave Liquids and Devices in the Bag

    20240427_112010

    I remembered that I had a full bottle of water before going through security and that led to the slight issue of where I was going to pour it. There didn’t seem to be any receptacles for liquids at the security area and so we had to traipse all the way back outside whilst I poured the water on the floor near to a bus and likely got noticed by six security cameras thinking that it was some nefarious attack on the building. I perhaps over-think these things if I’m being honest. It also made me wonder why I keep thinking I’ll drink all this water, but I’m not sure that anyone else (even my two loyal readers) would be overly engaged at that thought process.

    Anyway, this wasn’t the reason for this post and I’ve become distracted already. After entering the security line, we got directed off to a new extension to the terminal building and I was delighted to see that we were part of a trial. Often this isn’t good, but on this occasion it was the new technology that meant liquids and laptops could stay inside of the bag whilst it went through security. I wouldn’t say that this is life-changing, but it is certainly preferable.

    I’m not sure that they had it working quite right as twenty bags in a row went off to secondary screening and then that promptly blocked the entire security line. The staff remained polite and calm, other than one stressed guy who frankly looked panicked by the whole arrangement, but he was my favourite staff member as he was creating a bit of drama for passengers to watch. The owner of the twentieth bag seemed more stressed as the individual bag checks were going to take some time, they might have been less excited by the whole trial. As a positive, Liam and I sailed through, getting through by a whisker (around three hours) before the flight departed. Liam rejected my suggestion that this was cutting it fine, but he’s very reckless and is the only one of us who has actually missed a flight.

  • Carcassonne Day One : Breakfast of Champions

    Carcassonne Day One : Breakfast of Champions

    20240427_101057

    Stansted Airport long ago gave up with any attempt of having seating in their main departures section of the terminal, unless sitting on the floor is in the management’s action plan for customers. However, a short walk to the airport’s bus station terminal leads to a positive smorgasbord of seating options, so we rushed there positively giddy with excitement for the trip. I accept that a breakfast, or perhaps brunch is more appropriate, of King Queen Knave and Adnams Ghostship crisps might not feel premium, but adventures that start with a Pressure Drop beer at least have a positive beginning. Also, the prices in the terminal were far too indulgent for Liam and I, so this was a much more practical thrifty option. Also sitting in the bus station lets me dream of travel, seeing such glorious destinations on the departing coaches which included Braintree, Harlow and Luton. Does travel get any more decadent than that? I don’t think so.

  • Carcassonne Day One : Getting to Stansted Airport

    Carcassonne Day One : Getting to Stansted Airport

    20240427_095415

    I don’t get much chance to get away at the moment, so there will be a small deluge of excited posts about a weekend away which can surprise and delight my two loyal blog readers. Thanks to Susanne for driving Liam and I to Stansted Airport for the adventure, with the added excitement for me of being a passenger in a left-hand drive car so I could pretend momentarily that I was driving. As I mentioned, I don’t get out much and this is all I can muster for this blog to liven up the drive to the airport. One thing about living nearer to Stansted Airport is that it feels much more convenient, although less so for Liam who had driven all the way from Norwich already.

    Stansted Airport doesn’t allow for free drop-off any more as they can excitedly collect money from drivers who want convenience, but it does allow you to park for up to an hour in the medium stay car park without charge and then get a free shuttle to the terminal. As usual, I couldn’t risk being late at the airport, so we arrived nearly four hours before the flight, which to me is cutting it fine. Anyway, I digress. Hopefully I’ll be able to write this weekend up before getting distracted and taking nine months to complete it.

  • Lidgate – Lidgate Star Census from 1911

    Lidgate – Lidgate Star Census from 1911

    [I’ll come back and add more to this post as I find out more….]

    Old census returns are fascinating things, this one is from the Lidgate Star in 1911. It’s the Leach family, who were a couple who had four children, all female, although two children had already died. William and Margaret had married in Newmarket in the final quarter of 1893.

    William James Leach (born in 1867)

    Margaret Leach (born in 1867)

    Margaret Leach (born in 1895)

    Winifred Leach (born in 1896)

    Dorothy Leach (born in 1898)

    Florence Leach (born in 1899)

    William Crick (born in 1874)

    William and his family had also been at the pub at the 1901 census, with William Crick being Margaret’s brother.

    William James Leach died on 6 August 1947 at the age of 81.

  • 200 Years Ago in Norwich : Transportation for Stealing Rope

    200 Years Ago in Norwich : Transportation for Stealing Rope

    And another in my little series of posts relating to articles in the Norwich Mercury from 200 years ago this week. The list of crimes, as usual, was extensive and it’s evident from the media of the time that Norwich was a dangerous city in which to live. Crime was seemingly out of control and the judicial system was desperately trying to deter people from committing offences by having harsher and harsher sentences. And this was certainly one of them:

    “John Challis, charged with stealing a quantity of rope, the property of Samuel Jay, transported for 14 years”.

    Challis had been caught committing crimes before, and indeed had been flogged to stop him repeating his misdemeanours, but that clearly didn’t work. This sentence isn’t some extreme offence either, the courts of the time liked transportation. John was 19 years old, so wasn’t really a hardened criminal and he was sent to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) on the Princess Charlotte, which departed on 3 July 1824 and arrived on 9 November 1824. It’s hard to imagine just what that journey must have been like, but I’m imagining it was traumatic. Those who saw their sentences out were allowed to remain as free settlers in Australia or be given a ticket home, but the story isn’t a happy one for John. He died on 1 January 1827 at the age of 22 and he’s buried in the Cypress Street Anglican Cemetery in Launceston City.

  • 200 Years Ago in Norwich : Little Public Spirit Amongst Norwich Citizens?

    200 Years Ago in Norwich : Little Public Spirit Amongst Norwich Citizens?

    Going back 200 years ago and the journalism in the Norwich Mercury….. I’m more amused by the editor’s response to a letter rather than what the correspondent had sent, but let’s deal with that first:

    “Sir,

    It has often been a subject of regret to many of the inhabitants of this city, and not less to many of the country families who resort hither for medical advice, that in a place where there are so many public and scientific societies, and in which public improvements have kept pace with its increased population*, that there exist not in the city of Norwich any public baths, either for the benefit of the invalid or the gratification of the luxurious.

    There is no doubt that if baths were established here, our medical men would be still more resorted to for advice, by distant patients, than they now are, and many families might be thus encouraged to take up a temporary residence here, who, under present circumstances, must go to Yarmouth or London for the sake of such conveniences.

    As an establishment of this nature could not fail to succeed, it is, I conceive, worthy the attention of some spirited individual to invest a small capital in the scheme, as a source of emolument, sure to repay him liberally for his trouble. A lodging house upon a respectable scale might be attached to the baths. Should no individual be found who would undertake this, possibly there might be found twenty gentlemen who, by subscribing 25l each, would become shareholders of such an undertaking, or as a joint stock company, for their own personal comfort or convenience.

    There are, perhaps, few places which possess such advantages as this city, in regard to pure water, daily into the very houses, besides the facility of carrying off the water at a very trifling expence.

    I am Sir, an Invalid.”

    As an aside, Norwich didn’t get baths for some time after this letter, but it was response of the editor that moderately amused me.

    “*We wish we could confirm the compliment our correspondent pays the citizens. There certainly is no place in the kingdom where so little public spirit is exhibited, and where improvement is so far behind wealth and population”.

    I’m not sure that the present editor of the EDP, or indeed a similar journal, would get away with that.

  • Aarhus – Aarhus Theatre

    Aarhus – Aarhus Theatre

    Many of the images on older posts on this blog are missing, a situation which is sub-optimal. Fortunately, I still have them, it’s just going to take a fair while to restore them. But, I understand that my two loyal blog readers demand it, so I will fix the little issue eventually and I’m pleased to note that this page has now been fixed.

    The original content of this page is hardly riveting and one of the photos is clearly at a tilt, but it has taken years to fine tune this blog contents to build up my readership of two, so early errors are forgivable. It reminds me of the purpose of this blog though, I’ve nearly entirely forgotten much of my trip to Aarhus and posts like this help me piece it back together…. As an aside, I rather liked the line on their web-site:

    “Most performances are aimed at a national audience and performed in Danish. On select days we offer live subtitles in English to your mobile device.”

    Maintaining the language whilst still being accessible to foreign speakers (well, English foreign speakers), seems a well thought out compromise.

    20180417_172139

    The city’s grand theatre opened in 1900, replacing a rather tired building on Kannikegade.

    20180417_172210

    There are a variety of decorations on the front of the building, many are in the Jugend style, similar to Art Nouveau.

    20180417_172215

    The stonework was recently restored due to damage from air pollution over the last century.

  • Awards

    Awards

    This means a lot. Thanks to customers and breweries. No more words are needed, love you all!

    How lovely.

    The marvellous Simon from CAMRA.

  • Graphing Wikipedia – YouTube Video

    Graphing Wikipedia – YouTube Video

    I have a slight penchant (if those two words actually fit together, but there we go) for cataloguing and understanding big data. This video is about trying to understand how the articles on Wikipedia are grouped and how they interact with each other.

    It’s a bit geeky I accept, but I was suitably fascinated by this (click on the image to make it larger). It’s how many clicks you have to make to get from a pre-defined page on Wikipedia to every other page on the site. The vast majority of articles can be reached within six links, which is the principle of the six degrees of separation. There are a few pages where it takes ten or so clicks to reach, but there are very few of them and they’re mostly clumped into a few smaller categories. The most clicks you’d have to make is 166, but that’s for a specific reason relating to how one set of roads are categorised on Wikipedia.

    Once again I’ve intrigued myself with something really not that important, but these things happen quite a lot…..