‘Friends of Wemyss Bay Station’

Posted on 14 April 2010 by Patrick

I have always loved all-things Scottish and Wemyss Bay Station (pronounced weems) is no exception. This Rail Station on the West Coast of Scotland is famous for its wonderful displays of flora over the years, winning many awards for the best kept station in these parts. The station was designed by James Miller and built in 1903 for the Caledonian Railway and is still fully functioning today. You can also catch a Steamer here for The Western Isles. The Station’s renown floral showings were once nurtured soley by the station staff, but these days a loyal band of folk known as ‘Friends of Wemyss Bay Station’ are ready devotees to its old world charm.  ‘Friends of Wemyss Bay Station’ can be found at: www.friendsofwemyssbaystation.webs.com

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New World Cookery from The Old World…

Posted on 6 April 2010 by Patrick

There is an absolute lot of nonsense talked about food these days… And cookery books come and cookery books go! Yet, The New World Cookery Book was published every year from 1927 right up until the late 1960’s. It’s a small hardback book by today’s standard of highly glossy publications, but full of wonderful mouthwatering recipes from the old world that have long passed away, such as Exeter Stew, Alfa Rocks, Apple Amber, Bachelor’s Pudding, Beignets Souffles, Black Cap Pudding, Canary Pudding, Gainsborough Tart, Stuffed Eggs, and Eel Pie, and much, much more!

Example: Tomato Juice Cocktail… Rub Tomato pulp through a hair sieve, season well with salt and pepper, and add generous measures of Sherry to taste, then chill and serve in small glasses.

The New World Cookery Book could be purchased for 10 shillings in the 1960’s, and they were given away free to the purchaser of a brand new British Made New World Gas Cooker!

Adrian made a super discovery when he found one of these magnificent little books in our local charity shop, so it looks as if our cooking habits are about to change for the better… Egon Ronay eat your heart out!

New World Gas Cookers were a British based Company situated on The North Circular Road in London, and again at Birmingham in the Midlands of England.

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Holy Week…

Posted on 29 March 2010 by Patrick

This being Holy Week in the Christian Calendar, with culmination over the Easter Weekend of Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday, with some days being a public holiday, I hope to bring you shots of the famous Good Friday walk through the Bedfordshire market town of Dunstable. The walk starts from Dunstable Catholic Church, takes around an hour, and finalizes with a service of commitment at Dunstable’s lovely and historic Priory Church that was formally the home of monks. Last year was rainy, but did not deter the many hundreds of Dunstablians that turned out for the event. The Priory and grounds are beautiful, and are superbly natured by the Dunstable Borough Council.

Next month with Patrick’s Photo Feature – my camera roams inside the beautiful Priory Church of Dunstable.

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Van Gogh at The Royal Academy…

Posted on 25 March 2010 by Patrick

It’s the last chance for Marilyn and me to see The Real Van Gogh Exhibition at The Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly London. This is a landmark exhibition of the work of Vincent Van Gogh, and the focus of the exhibition is the artist’s remarkable correspondence. 

On display are 35 of the original letters of Van Gogh – very rarely shown because of their fragile state, and around 65 paintings and 30 drawings by the great man.

The exhibition sadly will close on the 18th of April this year.

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Walpole at the V & A

Posted on 23 March 2010 by Patrick

A visit must for Marilyn and me, as the spring weather warms,  will be the Victoria and Albert museum in South Kensington.

An exhibition entitled ‘Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill’ runs from now until the 4th of July. This is the first major exhibition on Horace Walpole… The most important English collector of the 18th century, and brings together many of his most interesting objects. Horace Walpole was the first to recognise the importance of the portrait miniature to the history of British art.

The Victoria and Albert Museum is situated in Exhibition road, and admission is from 5 pounds, and is worth every penny!

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Broadcasting House in 1951…

Posted on 10 March 2010 by Patrick

This wonderful artist line drawing of Broadcasting House in London was first published by the Odhams Press back in 1951. It is a fascinating cut-away look at the establishment in those days which was the centre of broadcasting in Britain. It shows the administrative headquarters of The British Broadcasting Corporation that contained some of the early studios. As today, transmitters are distributed throughout the United Kingdom and there are studios in most parts of the country, although television production in the main now comes from the BBC Television Centre at White City in West London which was opened in June 1960.

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Polyfoto and Enid Stamp Taylor…

Posted on 2 March 2010 by Patrick

This remarkable and previously unpublished set of pictures taken by Polyfoto in the 1930’s show a more unguarded and natural Enid Stamp Taylor and thought to be taken in one of London’s large department stores. They were given to me by Enid’s daughter Robin Anne, and interestly enough there is a corresponding set taken at the same time of Robin Anne herself. Therefore, one must conclude this was a spontaneous gesture during one of Enid’s frequent shopping trips in central London.

Polyfoto were a photographic company that had instore portait studios in many large towns across the country from the 1930’s right up until the mid 70s and enjoyed their own distinctive and notable photographic system which incorporated unperforated 35mm film that in turn produced small square pictures as a contact sheet from which the sitter could choose enlargements a day or two later. However, the system became expensive and dated with the rise of the photo booth

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Sadly, these are all that have survived from a sheet of some 40 pictures! – Patrick.

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Milton Keynes Open Market…

Posted on 27 February 2010 by Patrick

Despite the bitter cold of an easterly wind on Friday, Marilyn and I, made a visit to Milton Keynes open market in search of VHS tapes and DVDs. It’s a wonderful myriad of a market set near to the enclosed shopping area of MK and offers just about everything from fruit and veg to Chinese food, tins, pots, pans, coats and jackets, and there is even a hairdresser for the disconcerning lady or gent. The market wafts with intriguing smells from the citrus to the hamburger and hot dog, steaming coffee and rich ripe teas. Aside from a dozen or so DVDs of Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, Marilyn and I, came away with lovely sense of having stepped back in time to our childhood days!

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The Rat Pack’s in Town…

Posted on 20 February 2010 by Patrick

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Proving that The Crooner’s are still alive and kicking, the Grove Theatre in Dunstable Bedfordshire gave Marilyn, Zena, and me, the sweet taste of success in the shape of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jrn, and Dean Martin. The Rat Pack live from Las Vegas were in town at The Grove on Thursday evening. These were names that have been immortalised on the silver screen and in popular music, simply put they are legends of the 20th century and icons of American history. It was an fantastic show packed with professionalism and glamour, and I must admit to a fetish for The Burelli Sisters!

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The Olde Water Mill at Barton-Le-Clay

Posted on 1 February 2010 by Patrick

100130_141846This lovely old bus sits outside the Dickensian village and olde water mill at Barton-Le-Clay in Bedfordshire, England.

Adrian and I made a visit to this Bedfordshire community on Saturday and found there an excellent eating house with an even more excellent menu.

After lunch we took a step back in time and entered the world of a Dickens Victorian village. Here we embraced the sounds of hustle and bustle walking its cobbled streets. We strolled on to a garden centre and relaxed by a beautiful mill pond of Mallard and Carp. We visited some twenty shops of clothes, jewellery, candles and crystals, chocolates, antiques and collectables, a farmshop, hair and beauty, a photographic studio, and an arts and crafts and gallery, and for the children a pirates and mermaids recreation park. Adrian and I were too late for the mince pies and mulled wine handed around during during Christmas, but our January visit was truly original and worthwhile.

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