Simply Books is a wonderful, independent bookshop located in Bramhall. If it were a little closer to home, maybe we’d visit more often. On the other hand, our TBR pile continues to grow rather than shrink. A second branch, Prologue, in Stockport, was officially opened one pleasant Saturday morning. Liesel drove me there on her way to her regular WI coffee morning. And when I arrived, there was already quite a long queue. Good to see a book shop being so well supported.
The ribbon was cut, we were each welcomed by owners Ben and Karen as we entered the premises. And it wasn’t too long before it was so full, it was hard to walk around. I only bought three new books, my aim was zero. Plus a cup of coffee and a cinnamon bun. Yes, it is also a coffee shop and wine bar.
A bus ride and a walk away, I had another coffee at the Metropolitan in Didsbury while reading a new book (where did that come from?). Liesel and her Mom had a good time with the ladies of the WI.
Liesel’s birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and this was her first opportunity to celebrate with the family. We met up with Jenny, Liam, Martha and William in the Turkish Bistro in Cheadle and we all enjoyed the meal. We’d brought our own birthday cake, one that Liesel had baked yesterday, and the waiter took it away, added a candle, and returned it while a very loud rendition of Happy Birthday to You embarrassed Liesel from the loudspeakers. Yes, of course we all joined in.
Liesel started off well, cutting the cake, but after a while, Martha pointed out that the knife was upside down! That’s what happens after travelling for 24 hours and not sleeping very well!
Liesel, her Mom and I returned to RHS Bridgewater, specifically to have a closer look at the Chinese Streamside Garden.
There is a very long description, which I shall attempt to replicate from memory:
The heart of the Chinese Streamside Garden captures the key attributes of classic scholastic gardens, where the focus is self-cultivated growth through artistic endeavour and learning. A rare and remarkable place for retreat, reflection and creativity.
In classic Chinese gardens, nothing is accidental. Rock, water and buildings shape the space, while plants carry symbolism and mark the rhythms of the year. Together, these elements create a garden of layers, meanings and discoveries that unfold over time. The carefully composed stone, water, architecture and plants here combine to express harmony with nature.
Interlinked pavilions celebrate the Four Arts of ancient Chinese learning: qin (music), qi (strategy game), shu (calligraphy) and hua (painting).
The planting in this garden is designed to reveal the changing beauty of the seasons, while winding paths and subtle screens encourage quiet contemplation.
The creation of the Chinese Streamside Garden and the Yangzhou Scholars Garden is the result of an enduring RHS collaboration with the local Chinese community, the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Manchester, the China Flower Association and Yangzhou Municipal People’s Government. It has been made possible thanks to the generous donation of Lee Kai Hung CBE DL, Mrs Lee Chan Koon Woon, the Lee Kai Hung Foundation and the support of the Chinese Streamside Garden Working Committee.
This acer in its Autumn colours is positioned next to a traditional weathered, perforated Taihu stone (scholar’s rock) inside the Ling Yi Pavilion area.
I’ve always liked the juxtaposition or contrast between red and green.
One bonus of walking around with someone else, not just by myself, was that we spotted more of the Lego structures.
Thousands of bricks and hundreds of hours of very enjoyable work, I would imagine. If I were looking for a new job…
In the evening, we visited Aviva Studios in Manchester to watch Susan Calman. It’s her first live stand-up tour for ten years. Too much time making TV shows, I reckon. She was very funny but there were a couple of sad, moving moments too.
Too far away to get a decent picture of her on stage, so here’s the tour poster. If you like comedy and/or lasagna, this is the show for you.
In a break from our antics, let’s have a quick look at young Keiran’s adventures.
So exciting to see him standing up!
Barbara came round and took Leslie to a concert. So Liesel and I visited Sale, where we ran some errands and more importanatly, enjoyed lunch at Blossom Bistro.
I always invite Liesel and her Mom to join me on the regular walks. On this occasion, they gracefully declined. The woods in Northenden weren’t as muddy as they often are after so much rain. But it was a lovely day for a walk.
The Laureate is a restaurant inside a hotel in Manchester. When we arrived that night, the hubbub of 200 people in the foyer very nearly deterred us from dining here. We were assigned a table as far away from the rabble as they could manage. After a short while, silence enveloped us the very loud 200 disappeared on coaches to whatever event and I hope they had a jolly good time.
After a decent meal, we walked over the road in the light drizzle to RNCM. We’d booked tickets to see Eddi Reader again, she always puts on a good show. The support was Miwa Nagato-Apthorp, a singer-songwriter from Hawick. I liked her songs so much that I bought her EP even though we’re not supposed to be buying any more physical CDs.
Again, we were too far from the stage to get a decent photo, so she kindly posed for me at the merch table.
Eddi Reader announced that the band was a man down tonight. I thought someone was ill. But no. It turns out her husband, John Douglas, had died in August after a brief illness. I’d totally missed that news at the time, and I think we were all in a bit of shock. Good on Eddi for still turning up and putting on a great show, but not surprisingly, she wasn’t as upbeat as she usually is.
Next day, a group of six of us got soaking wet on a walk around Wythenshawe Park. The weather gods waited until we were in the most exposed part of the path that goes around the park, then they turned up the wind and the rain to 11. Within a few seconds, we couldn’t have got any wetter.
Not everyone was walking in the rain. Some folks were lucky to have sunshine in their park.
So exciting to see him walking!
We last visited Speke Hall three years ago, so well overdue for a return. I don’t think we realised at the time that it was right next door to Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport. We crossed the Merseyside Gateway Bridge so that set us the challenge of having to remember to pay the toll, online, later on.
The River Mersey is of course much wider here than in Northenden. We could have made the journey by boat, I suppose, but we don’t know how many weirs and locks and rapids there are en route. So that’s why we drove. But, next time, maybe we’ll float on a river forever and ever, Emily…
We planned to follow the coastal path but after obeying the wrong sign, we ended up leaving the property and found ourselves at the back door of the airport.
Yes, John Lennon Airport plus an aeroplane with a Paul McCartney song title on the side: Jet.
By the time we found the correct start of the trail, we’d walked quite a long way, so we decided to have a look at the house instead.
It was quite busy here at Speke Hall today, but we did have the opportunity to take a bad photo of ourselves.
What I think I need is a longer arm, or a selfie stick, or an injection of necessary skills.
Like last time, every room had a member of staff, ready to pass on either real or made-up information about the house.
It always amazes us that old houses like this are far more decorative than they need to be. The skill of the various craftsmen and women sometimes seems wasted, putting these carved characters way up in the eaves.
I thought this clock would be a nice addition to our luxury apartment, but sadly, it wasn’t for sale.
What I particularly like was that the two thermometers show the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and in the more unusual Réaumur scale.
But none of this takes away from the Hall itself, of course, creaky floorboards and everything. After all the walking we did, Liesel was complaining about her feet having swollen.
We very glimpsed in interesting work of art at the side of the road as we passed by at nearly 70mph. Too close, really, especially for those of us who’d like to get a half-decent picture.
It’s a 30-meter-high sculpture and gateway landmark located on Speke Boulevard, Liverpool. It features a parallel two-sided progression of 12 giant structural fins set at graduated angles to mimic a dynamic tidal wave of the Mersey. The Mersey at the Liverpool end, not the Northenden end. Apparently, it is recognised as one of the first major UK sculptures specifically designed to be viewed and experienced from a moving car.
It’s been a while since we’ve had the pleasure of collecting the children from school. So long, in fact, we weren’t sure which door to expect them to appear from. The lemon bars that Liesel baked for their post-school snack hadn’t cooled down and set by the time we left, so, plan B, we bought them an ice cream at the park before driving home.
While William ran a marathon on our treadmill, Liesel was showing Martha some crocheting techniques in preparation for helping out at Guides a couple of days later. Jenny and Liam joined us for dinner. Taco Tuesday is always welcome, especially by William, and not just for its alliteration.
Well, Autumn is here and our favourite mushrooms have come up on the grass in the communal car park.
Whatever they’re called, no, we didn’t eat them, we left them for the neighbours to enjoy.
After the Wednesday walk, I took my coffee home. Barbara came and accompanied Leslie to her communal choral sing-along. So Liesel and I enjoyed our date, just the two of us. We visited Dunham Massey and it was delightful to see two fallow stags having a kip right beside the Hall. They weren’t bothered by people getting too close, and it was a great opportunity to have a good look at their racks.
After lumch, good old National Trust toasties since you ask, we went for a shorter walk than we usually manage.
It’s always sad to see a large, old tree, gone. So, what happened? This, one of their largest trees significantly declined over the past five years. They don’t fell all diseased trees but when they are close to paths, people’s safety must come first. I wouldn’t want an old, diseased branch to fall off and bonk me on the head. They’ll plant a new tree in its place, and the wood from the felled tree will take on a new life as wildlife habitat in quieter areas of the garden.
