Into the New Year...

So, already we are looking back at Christmas 2011, still feeling rather over wined and dined. It has been a very enjoyable time this year. having had time to enjoy the different facets of our evolving family and friends. From an evening with Jools Holland to Cathedral choir concert, the Exeter Children's Orchestra Christmas concert, meals out with work colleagues at the Conservatory and with Jacky and Mike at Quo Vadis and the Christmas morning Cathedral service with Steve and Sarah. Family times over Christmas and Boxing day were pleasant, laid back affairs with more than enough food and drink. Before we left work for the Christmas break we had already managed to do the best December figures since opening the Polsloe Bridge sit , so we were able to relax a bit more as a result.
With so many things happening Europe and Worldwide it's difficult to know what we can expect for business in 2012. As a family we are all, in one way or another, involved in Steve's business', so we just hope that some of the magic formulas and ways of operating we seem to be developing will pay off even more in the coming year and beyond.
2012 is not going to be an easy ride but hard work and determination never hurt anyone and I do think we can emerge substantially stronger during this year if we continue to keep focused on the positive work ethics we have established over the last few years.

How to programme a cat...

When you decide that it is time to own a cat and you have chosen your little furry moggy, don't forget there will be various extras required. Various injections, litter trays and food and of course the cat will need to be micro chipped. This will ensure if it lands in anyone else's garden they can take it to the vet who can read the post code and post it back to you, simples!
Unfortunately the cat will, at some time or, unless it is totally neurotic, want to go outside and explore the big wide world. To facilitate this you will need to cut a big hole in your back door and fit a cat flap. Once trained, the cat will then be able to go in and out without asking permission first. If you want added protection from other cats who will want to occupy your house you can fit a cat flap with a sensor that opens the cat flap when yours and only your cat sticks its head in the flap, very useful. Of course you have to get the micro chip in the cat to talk to the sensor in the cat flap so it recognises your cat only. The process for this is easy but often omitted from the instructions with the cat flap. Follow the following simple instructions and you will have a fully operational cat flap for the life of the cat. Hold the cat under your arm and close, about a metre from the cat flap ( check batteries first ) - press the nose of the cat three times, then move the right leg forward and back twice and finally wind the tail in a clockwise direction twice. Point the cat into the flap and you should see the it unlock so the cat can go through. Now your cat is fully programmed to your cat flap and you should have years of trouble free mousing!

Roman Holiday - seven days in the eternal city

We have just have had a fantastic seven days in Rome, such an amazing city with so much to see. Keeping a diary was essential to try to remember different places. Every church or Basilica visited had it's own lavish ceilings, mosaics, frescoes, sculptures and decoration and it was quite difficult to take it all in. The sheer size and space in many of the buildings was incredible and the extent of decoration adorning virtually every wall and ceiling in the churches and places we visited was awesome. The following notes were made each day.

Monday 26 - Departed Bristol on Easy Jet flight to Rome Fiumicino. Smooth 2.5hr flight. Several people on our flight, including ourselves, were a little concerned when it took 1.5hrs to reclaim our baggage - a bit slow but apparently not unusual for Rome airport! A transfer taxi was waiting for us in the terminal and drove us very speedily through Rome to our hotel. The Amalfi Hotel was situated on the street close to the Church of St Maria Maggoire, which was fairly central for most of the main tourist sites. We were welcomed by the very pleasant reception staff and shown to our room which was small but quite adequate with a good size bathroom and shower and air conditioned. We unpacked and set up camp before taking a brief rest.
We were recommended to a restaurant near the hotel which was designed like an old cave. The food was quite good and there was a classical singer with piano accompanist. There was a Japanese party having a meal many of whom were very amused by the singer. After dinner we had a stroll around the local area before returning to the hotel and crashing out for the night.

Tuesday 27 -One very useful item we took with us was a guide to Rome (DK). It was brilliant in pointing us to the main and not so main places of interest and we found it invaluable. We followed a walk. today, from the book taking us to a series of mosaics. We began at San Giovanni Basilica where the apse mosaic was very impressive. Various side apses had incredibly complex ceiling designs and paintings. The sheer size and space inthe place was amazing, originally the banqueting hall of Pope Leo 3rd (795-816 AD). We walked back via a couple of churches that were closed and then headed back to Santa Maria Maggoire which was very close to our hotel. This was such a huge space with floors and ceilings covered with superb designs using mosaic and lots of gold. This is a working church and there were various services going on in sides chapels which meant there was also various singing and music going on. There were priests in confessionals for different languages and we spent some time just sitting and taking in the atmosphere which was quite powerful. After leaving Santa Maria Maggoire we spotted the church of Santa Prassede, located in a little side street. The mosaics inside this church were apparently the most important Byzantine mosaics in Rome. The quality of these mosaics was amazing and the mosaic floor was beautifully designed. It was a warm balmy evening and so we ate outside at a small street cafe which was excellent.

Wednesday 28 - After breakfast today we revisited Santa Prassede to take a few more photos - this was fine until we got caught up with a funeral talking place in the church. It seemed they just carried on regardless of the tourists walking around! We took a walk around the area to the the Garrdini Piazza Vittorio where we found a shady seat to sit for a while and read. We had an amusing conversation with three Italian blokes about all sorts. As they only spoke Italian and we only spoke English I'm not sure if we were talking about the same things but it was fun to try! After lunch at a street cafe we were picked up from our hotel for a tour of the Colosseum. We were taken to the Palentino where we had a walk around the ancient Rome ruins and buildings. It was amazing to see the way the old Roman city had been laid out and how it must have been, walking through on the original basalt road. the Colosseum was spectacular both in its sheer size and the way it was constructed. It would have been even more awesome in Roman times. After viewing the Colosseum from all levels we walked back to the hotel through the Colle Oppio park and took some shots of the Colosseum with sun going down. Later found a friendly bistro where we had an excellent meal including home made Tiramasu!

Thursday 29 - Today we had an early start for an excursion to the Vatican City. We went to wait for the minibus outside the hotel but the manager insisted we had some breakfast and assured us that the driver would come in to collect us. He did and waited for us to finish our coffee, very civilised! the drive through some extremely narrow side streets was entertaining and demonstrated some pretty skillfull driving. We transferred to a large coach which took us to the Vatican. We walked around the city walls to the entrance and then made our way through several very long corridors to the Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo's frescoes. The corridors were immense with highly decorated with 'Trompe l'oille' ceilings painted to look like relief and with wall covered in artworks. The galleries close to the Sistine Chapel had actual carved relief ceilings and wall frescoes depicting all the various areas of Italy. Michelangelo's 'Last Judgement' in the Sistine took seven years to complete (in 1541). The work was highly complex and covered the ceiling and main walls. It was a real treat to see the original of such a well known work even if the Sistine Chapel itself lacked any real prescence. We went on to St Peter's basilica which was immense and full of amazing artwork and the massive dome designed by Michelangelo. The 17th century guilded bronze canopy by Bernini, the papal altar from 1592 and the ceiling covered with the most amazing mosaic work you could ever see. Unless you knew it looks like painted frescoes but it is actually all covered with small pieces of mosaic glass! Totally amazing! Spent some time in St Peter's square before picking up a open top bus to travel back to hotel for a break. Later we enjoyed another excellent meal at a local bistro with beautifully presented food.

Friday 30 - After a well deserved lie in, we headed for the Trevi fountain on the open top city bus. Actually getting on was a bit of a problem as it was very busy. We only managed a downstairs seat (not brilliant on a tour bus) and went as far as the Castel Saint Angelo a large circular fortress near the Vatican City built in AD139 as Hadrian's morsoleum. It was a very impressive place and we explored various rooms on different levels including the Sala Paolina, a highly decorated room with frescoes by Perin De Vagna and Pellegrino Tibaldi (1546-48). The whole place was full of interest and as you make your way to the top the view becomes ever better, until at to top there are stunning views across Rome and the Vatican City. We enjoyed lunch overlooking St Peter's basilica, accompanied by a friendly pigeon! After leaving the Castel we used the city tour bus round to the Trevi fountain. The fountain was quite amazing but there were just far too many people there. Surprisingly, when we took a walk a few metres into some side streets there was hardly anyone! Here we found an archeological site under the Trevi cinema with some building and street remains which we were able to explore and a church near the fountain where we found some peace and quiet for a few minutes. We picked up the last tour bus back to the terminal and walked back to the hotel. After a break we re-visited the same bistro as last evening. Another fantastic meal ending with more Tiramasu an Limoncello both superb!

Saturday 1 Oct - We decided after our late start yesterday that we would make sure of a top deck seat on the city tour bus, so took an early breakfast and walked to the terminal before the first bus left. We had a choice of seats upstairs and it was a beautifully warm, breezy morning, perfect for a bus tour. We took the bus as far as the Piazza di Espagna where the Spanish Steps stretch up from the piazza to the 16 century church of Trinita dei Monti at the top of the hill. As you ascend the steps the views of the Piazza di Espagna and the city keep getting better and from the top they are quite spectacular. The Trinita dei Monti is a peaceful church with a very serene atmosphere. From here we went just along the road to the Villa Medici, arriving just in time to join a tour of the gardens. Thia 16th century villa is superbly positioned on Pincio Hill. It has been owned by the French since 1666 and founded as an academy of music and the arts by Louis 14th as a place for musicians and artists to study. Debussy and Berlioz both studied there. The villa was beautiful with lovely formal gardens with statues in several areas. The views were even better than those at Trinta dei Monti. We were able to have lunch in the villa in the large relaxing rooms with sofas and small tables. After buying an Italian salads book from the Medici bookshop we went on to the Pincio Gardens, a large public park where people were sitting in the shade, strolling or riding allsorts of bike, buggies and pedalos etc. A pleasant place to spend an hour relaxing. We walked down the hill to the Piazza di Espagna and as it was about 3.30pm went into Babingtons Tea Rooms for afternoon tea! This very exclusive English tea room has been there for 119 years. Their special blend of tea was very good and the service impeccable. After tea we strolled down the Via Condotti, arguably the most exclusive street in Rome! All the name brands were there including Gucci, Bvlgari, Armarni and Versaci etc. very few of the displays had any prices, if you had to look at the price tag you couldn't afford it. Personal assistants were waiting to open the door for you, I managed to steer Marg through without losing my credit card! We did visit the Ferrari store which had one of Michael Shumacher's F1 Ferarris on display. Everything here was mega price - leather key tag €68 and model Ferrari €5000! Obviously we had to have some retail therapy and we found a Pandora bracelet store near Via Condotti where Marg bought a bracelet which can be added to over the years. (Thank you Angela!) Since the time had run out on our tour bus ticket we purchased some normal bus tickets to get back to the hotel. Unfortunately we couldn't find the right bus so took a taxi instead. Just at the taxi pulled out the police blocked the road and everyone including a large bus had to reverse out of a small street and go a different way. After a few minutes of sorting the traffic out we were then taken on a detour around the back streets on our way back to Santa Maria Maggoire and the hotel!

Sun 2 -Had a lie in today and had breakfast about 9.00am before taking a taxi to the Pantheon. When we arrived it was closed until the Sunday service had finished at 12.00 so we spent some time exploring the surrounding area and enjoyed a coffee on the piazza overlooking the Pantheon. The surge of the waiting crowd wanting to visit the Pantheon before those in the service had all come out was a bit obscene, to say the least. Little respect shown there! Once w did get in it was quite impressive with a huge dome and massive granite support columns. The support walls for the Pantheon are 19 feet thick! Built on the original Pantheon by Hadrian in AD118-25, the dome is covered with a design that is coffered to reduce weight but keep strength. Raphael is buried in the Pantheon. After leaving the Pantheon we walked aroung to see the remains of Hadrians Temple.The eleven marble columns which formed the front of the temple have been integrated into the Papal Customs house which has now become the Rome stock exchange building. We explored the narrow, shady streets that were full of small business', cafe's and bars until we arrived at the church of Sant Ignazio di Loyola. This church was stunningly decorated with an amazing Baroque ceiling by Andrea Pozzo in 1685. The quality and extent of the decoration in a church of this size was quite incredible. Our next venue was the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj to look at the artwork collection in the villa of the family Pamphilj. The audio guide we followed was brilliant as it was narrated by a member of the Pamphilj family in impeccable English and which made you feel like a personally invited guest of the family looking around their villa. The collection included works by Caravaggio, Titian, Lutto and Gvercino. The whole place was a vast art gallery with hundreds of paintings and sculptures, including the portrait of Pope Innocent X Pamphilj by Velaquez. This painting was superb, as was the carved bust of the pope displayed with it. The most decorative gallery was intended to be a pastiche of Versailles and was quite incredible with gold painted pillars enhanced by the natural light of windows on both sides. This gallery was one of the highlights of the week! We wandered back to the Pantheon for our first Italian ice cream. It was very pleasant to be taking in the atmosphere around the Pantheon on an Italian Sunday afternoon. We taxied back to the hotel to recap on the day and prepared to go out for our final meal in Rome. We had booked at the bistro we visited on Wednesday, and had an excellent meal finishing with several Limoncello's with the owners who were really a really interesting couple.

Mon 3 - We had time in the morning to buy a few things for the family and finish packing before being picked up in a rather nice black Mercedes which took us to the airport. Not sure that texting is the best thing to be doing whilst driving through busy traffic in Rome! Obviously the Italians are better at multi tasking than we Brits are! The flight back was very good and we arrived at Bristol to face wind and rain. That was really good, there's nothing worse that getting back from holiday to better weather than you have left behind! All in all this was one of the best holidays we have had and I would definitely go back for another look at the Eternal city of Rome. Just as well I threw some coins in the Trevi fountain!

A Special Day......

Finding a relaxing retreat with a definite wow factor to celebrate a Ruby wedding anniversary is not easy but the hotel on Burgh Island hits the spot in so many ways. On arrival we were whisked across the sand bar in a Discovery right to the hotel door, knowing that in an hour or so the tide would be covering the access and the island would be truly cut off from the mainland. The beautifully designed Art Deco building beckons in a romantic and slightly mysterious Agatha Christie sort of way. Being shown to our suite, themed around Josephine Baker, we became more aware that we were entering a different time zone in which the clocks have been turned back to the twenties and thirties. Every room and every vista is designed with original Art Deco furniture, fittings and panache which gives a wonderful feeling of actually stepping back in time. Yet, Burgh Island manages to combine this time warp with an exceptional quality of service in every respect. The Josephine Baker suite included a large and comfortable bedroom with dramatic blacks white and reds, a bathroom with marbled floor and a sitting room with attractive red leather suite with zebra cushions, various Art Deco cupboards, tables and fittings including a Bush radio on which we could tune into Classic FM which just finished the ambience. We were welcomed into our suite which had a dozen red roses and bottle of Bollanger courtesy of Jackie and Mike. So we unpacked and then sat on the sun deck and downed a bottle of champers and a few chocolate biscuits. Of course slipping back to 1930 takes a bit of getting used to. Preparing for dinner becomes a more involved and time consuming process of bathing, pampering and checking clothes are fitting correctly and looking right. Pre dinner canope's and cocktails in the Palm Court gave us the opportunity to experience more of the ambience and have a bit of banter with Gary the quite eccentric barman who was very amusing. Dinner in the ballroom is always a special event at Burgh Island and we were not disappointed as both the food and the service were first class. The setting, used in some of Agatha Christie's Poirot movies, is a stunning room in which to have dinner. We retired to our suite to relax with a little music to find curtains drawn and bed turned down, a nice touch..
Saturday started with tea and coffee brought to our room and a tasty breakfast in the dining room around 9.30. We decide to stay on the island for the whole day and just chill and enjoy the surroundings. After reading the morning papers we took a stroll right around the island, not very far but with some fabulous views of the surrounding coastline and rock formations and some very scary sheer drops and cliffs. Not a place to bring young children unless they can fly! An hour of fresh air meant we required a drink so we sat in the Palm Court for a further hour and read our books. After this we retired to our suite and listened to the radio until taking afternoon tea and playing scrabble back in the Palm Court. It's quite tiring being a decadent person of the 1930's, there's just so much to do! It wasn't long before we had to start thinking about preparing for dinner again! Saturday evening dinner is even more special, with live music and everyone expected to wear black tie! Dress and jewellery was even more sparkly, mostly Marg's that is! and it wasn't long before we were back in the Palm Court sipping more cocktails and trying even more exotic canope', I passed on the squid, (that is correct 'I passed on the squid'!). The three piece jazz band, piano, bass and female vocal was in full swing by the time we started our meal, playing a list of songs from the era and providing a fun feel to the room. A few people ventured on to the dance floor giving those watching some amusement although the band did not really connect as well as it might have, but it was fun and we enjoyed the music and the food. We retired to our suite around eleven and chilled for another hour or so doing a crossword and listening to some more classical music.
Sunday arrived with more tea's, coffee's and breakfast. Reading some of the vast amount in the Sunday paper took an hour or so after breakfast before we had to pack our cases to vacate the suite. Having invited Ian and Angela to share lunch on the island with us we took a stroll up the hill to get some fresh air and watched part of a 'round the island charity swim' in which apparently 200 people took part. It looked pretty choppy on the far side of the island and, I imagine, quite hard going. After Ian and Angela joined us we enjoyed another meal and conversation before it was time to leave the island. We were duly shipped back to the mainland in the Discovery and taken back to the garage where we had left our car. It was an exceptional way to celebrate 40 years of marriage, both very enjoyable and very special. So thanks to Burgh Island for creating such a special place and thanks to Marg for sticking with me for such a long time and making it possible for us to celebrate this special day....

Will post some pics on flickr asap.... try the link...

Back To The Island......

This weekend is significant for several reasons. Firstly, it is the celebration of Marg and my 40th wedding anniversary. The time seems to have disappeared pretty quickly and we are still getting on ok, surprisingly, and looking forward to the next 40! We have watched our two kids grow up into adults and produce five grandchildren between them, and now they are growing up seemingly even quicker! But they are all real individuals and it's lovely to see how they are developing (the big ones and the little ones!!)
For a special treat we are going back to Burgh Island and staying at the Art Deco hotel for the weekend. We know how special the place is and are looking forward to going back for a real stay.

40 years ago we were both part of Gospel Folk group with our best friends Ros and Steve. The 4th September is not only our 40th wedding anniversary but also Steve's 60th birthday. This week we were very amused to discover that the album we recorded as as group back in 1972 (The Trouble With Adam - Exordium) has appeared twice on e-bay this week as 'Rare Christian Folk Acoustic Album' and up for £45!! Music has always been very important to our family and in the last couple of years Blu has released several EP's with her band Girl Friday and my brother JJ Clarke has just released his second acoustic album 'Naked In The Headlights'. Steve is currently gigging with a local Rock band.

So it's happy big birthday to Steve Derges, happy revival to 'The Trouble With Adam', and happy anniversary to my lovely and long-suffering wife Marguerite who has put up with me for 40 years!!

The faded elegance of a French Chateau...

Just arrived back from ten relaxing days in France. The first seven days at the Chateau in St Cyprien where we stayed last year. This is such a lovely house and one that gives a real taste of what aristocratic French life must have been. The faded elegance of the Chateau combined with the large park garden is a wonderful place to stay in the Dordogne. St Cyprien is a small town with red roofed houses, an Abbey and a collection of individual shops bars and bistro's. There is a strong and friendly community feel to the place and this was demonstrated during our stay by the street markets, the Fete de Musique and the weekly community meal. Emma and Nick were with us, arriving on Monday at Bergerac airport in about 30 degrees of sunshine. They were keen to spend some time on the Dordogne in canoes, so the week was split with some joint trips and some individual ones. On Tuesday, Emma and Nick spent the day canoeing 28Km down the river whilst Marg and I visited a chateau which belonged to Josephine Baker, a Folie Berger dancer of the 20's. To find out about her life story, which progressed from nude dancer to active member of the French Resistance during WW2 and on to supporting Martin Luther King in his fight against racial segregation in the USA where Josephine Baker had originated from was particularly interesting as we will be staying in the 'Josephine Baker' suite at Burgh Island in September. We also spent time visiting our favourite Dordogne haunts, Monpazier, Belves and Sarlat, all lovely places just to wander around for a couple of hours in the sunshine. This year we also went to Lascaux where the prehistoric cave paintings were found. They have recreated the cave and it was very interesting to see the artistic skills of these people and the history surrounding them. We spent more time at the chateau this year just relaxing and enjoying the place as well as having some lovely food both in and out. After our week in St Cyprien we drove up to the Charante Aquitaine area to spend a few days at Don Hatherley's cottage. From here we went into Royan where we revisited the amazing concrete cathedral and spent a few hours enjoying the coast on an extremely warm day (36 degrees). Emma and Nick made several trips on the train over the next few days whilst we relaxed and visited some of the local towns. All in all, a very good break with some excellent weather and the time to chill out in the surroundings of a place which is quite unique.

Lady Gaga wants peas.......

Exeter Respect Festival took place this weekend. A multi cultural mini festival of music, arts, crafts, food and a platform to inform about a host of organisations. A vibrant array of colourful tents mixed with wonderful smells of different foods being prepared and a background wash of world music. The crowds were chilled out and the atmosphere really pleasant. The most surprising thing to me was the fact that this event was happening in Belmont Park, central Exeter. I'm sure there must have been lots of publicity but I don't think it reached the leafy suburbs! It was purely by chance I found out about it but would definitely go again. Well done Exeter Respect - a brilliant job!
After a last minute change to an audition, Blu had to jump the Megabus at Taunton services today and be collected to give some more studio writing time. What it is to be a rock star. I guess once Blu gets a limo or a helicopter to travel around i, it will be a little easier to change her schedule without upsetting the driver! Anyway by teatime Lady Gaga was extremely hungry and needed a plate of peas with a little chicken and some saute potatoes to get her back on task........