Author: davidscruise

Lockdown 2 was announced on Saturday night to commence tomorrow, Thursday, Day 222. Yesterday, I went with Roger for lunch at the Bull i’ Thorn some three miles from home on the A515 road to Ashbourne and beyond. It was far too cold, at times wet, and windy to entertain going for a walk afterwards. The Bull i’ Thorn dates back to the 15th century and for most, if not, all of its life (as far as I know) it has been a hostelry of one kind or another. During my now more than forty-five years living near Buxton, I have dined there on numerous occasions and been the D.J. there for several functions, where dances were held frequently. My friend Freda tells me she went to dances at the Bull I’ Thorn often, in her younger days. It is that ballroom which has become the setting for a very nice tea-room and cafe. The very old part of the building remains off limits to the public since the pub and restaurant closed some months ago. So, this would be our last meal out for at least twenty-eight days.

On Monday, I did little of note, except for contacting somebody to see about numerous windows at my house where condensation has ingressed between the two panes of glass – known as “bursting”. Also, damp seems to getting through to the dining area walls which I had plastered and painted thirteen years ago. It seems the carport roof needs serious attention, to seal the area below from leakage during increasingly stormy weather. Replacing the burst double glazing is no problem, but the carport structure is another matter.

I was rather pleased. I came across, a box of badged crockery, tons of the stuff. Seemingly, the Mothers’ Union in Buxton was once a large and thriving national group, affiliated to a global organisation. I certainly remember my mother being a keen member when I was growing up. The Mothers’ Union still exists but the Buxton group have recently disbanded. I offered what I considered to be a reasonable donation, which was accepted, to put the whole lot into my collection, and unlike other crockery I have saved, actually use some of it. Thus, another slice of local social history survives for a few more years at least (hopefully!)

I became interested in “badged” china ware and pottery after coming across (by accident) a jug and bowl set from The Peak Hydropathic, a hotel which closed in the early 1920s eventually housing the Buxton Museum in one part, The Law Courts and the British Legion Club in the rest of the building. From what I gather, it was never really successful as an hotel, and was sold by auction in 1915. I have a number of copies of the auction catalogue, in various states of condition, detailing every part of the hotel. Thus, coming across what was left of the Buxton Mothers’ Union crockery and badged teaspoons was, for me, something of a find.

For the first time, the battery on my silver Peugeot 508 became drained, and needed charging up overnight. This used to be a regular problem with my little red hard-top convertible. The “big” car goes for servicing tomorrow. Will I eventually need a new battery? We’ll see. And today, I replaced the microwave I wrecked a few months ago forgetting to empty the contents of a tin of soup into a non metal bowl before heating up for lunch. That was a spectacular and ultimately expensive “mess-up”.

I am told that the planet Mars is closer in its orbit, to the Earth than it has been for around thirty years. The “red planet” was prominent tonight in the sky above the roof tops where I live. The learning curve continues and life becomes even more fascinating.

I do hope the U.S. elections come to close, soon. I try not to get worked up about politics in this country, let alone those of somewhere else.

Thanks for reading, David 21.30hrs 4/11/20.

Sent 5th November, a day late.

The ambiguous legislation regarding the latest lock-down restrictions, announced by our prime minister last night, are slowly becoming clearer.  I don’t recall the deeply religious Boris Johnson mentioning places of worship last night in his long winded and graph-riddled address to the Nation. However, at the first of two church services I attended this morning, the clergy had received instructions from “on-high” that places of worship would remain closed during the second lock-down of this pandemic. I presume, also, that my third sojourn at The Crescent is also cancelled, particularly if all pubs, bars and restaurants must remain closed.

Yesterday, much of the Lane was decorated for Halloween. Although I find all this somewhat sinister, it was good to know that many of the children, although forbidden the tradition of “trick or treat”, were assured of an enjoyable celebration, encouraged by much organisation and enthusiasm from their parents. I did give permission for my front garden to be used for hiding parcels for the children to find, however, I was unaware of any young visitors in the evening.

Worship at Christ Church, Burbage, this morning, was genteel, simple and “to the point”. Being The Feast of All Saints, numerous people, no longer with us were remembered in person, and a candle lit. Although not on the list, I tried to make a point of commemorating “in my head” family members who were with us not so long ago.

At St. John’s, the Bishop suggested that this service should be regarded as “the first, last and only” Eucharist you would ever attend, and that when coming to take Communion, you should (in your mind) bring someone of personal significance to the Lord’s Table. This was much more meaningful actually in church than I am able to describe here. The choir, which numbered more than the allowed maximum of six, were put through their paces, and the service was full of wonderful music. The order-of-service booklet attributed the Gloria and Sanctus to Victoria, with whom I am unfamiliar, but which my humble research points to Tomas Luis de Victoria c1548 – 1611. The choir also sang two lots of two verses of the hymn “For all the Saints” at the opening and towards the end of the service. So, this turned out to be rather a special event prior to lockdown.

The eagerness to drive home immediately after church, and prepare lunch, escaped me and after loitering briefly in the church car park, I chose to amble down to the Old Hall Hotel in search of lunch. I chose not to have the roast beef; this is often delivered rare. I did have a plate of three plump sausages with mash, peas and chutney. That was piping hot and most satisfactory.

I am at home now, still somewhat nervous about the development of the pandemic, while outside, the wind howls and the rain falls like stair-rods. Tomorrow may be a very nice day; they do occur quite frequently!

Many thanks for reading,

David, 15.40hrs The Feast of All Saints

This week started with Bible Sunday, as mentioned in my last blog.  Waking up on Monday, I noticed a King James Bible which Mother had given to my father presumably for his birthday in April 1942.  My parents would read from the Bible every night, without fail.  I was encouraged, as a child, to say prayers before going to bed. And to this day, I sometimes employ the same “framework” which Mum and Dad suggested, but hardly ever these days, at night. I picked up the copy from which I presume my parents read from each night, and so far, I have read the first thirteen chapters of Genesis. I never thought that I would ever say this, but it did make compelling reading.  The account of the Creation and the embryonic colonisation of the Earth, while very familiar, still makes for exciting if somewhat far-fetched reading.  People seemed to live far longer then also, centuries rather than decades!

Friday 30th October

I thought that my walking days were just about finished for this year; cold northerly winds cut like an executioner’s axe with an abundance of relentless rain playing at being stair-rods.  But, today, Friday, the breeze which came from more therapeutic climes, was much less strong, and the heavens failed to open from its leadened skies.  And the grey, punctuated with autumnal gold, created a beauty only this time of year can offer. It was good to be out again, overly wrapped up for the unusually mild weather today had to offer.

The day before, I resolved to get something done. I had prepared lunch in the morning; and when ready for my midday meal, I would turn the gas on, steam the vegetables and poach the salmon simultaneously…a top class lunch in around twenty minutes. After lunch, I went upstairs to retrieve a file of rare items I was listing. Halfway up the stairs, a “clunk” from the front door suggested the post had arrived; it was my monthly copy of Heritage Railway.  I was buried in my magazine for four hours and the cataloging never got a “look-in”.

Filthy weather is promised for tomorrow, Saturday, as a lacklustre October draws to a close. There’s food in the house and plenty to be getting on with.  Tomorrow, Buxton is promoted to Tier 2 of the Covid pandemic precautions. I don’t think these extra restrictions will make a lot of difference to me. But for the majority, life has become increasingly difficult.

“Tomorrow” arrived with its promised high winds and heavy rain. I finished watching the Netflix series “Bodygard” which thankfully didn’t span sixty episodes. It was a very well crafted thriller, superbly filmed and full of unpredictability.

No sooner had Buxton and High Peak been put into Tier 2 covid restrictions, our revered Prime Minister chose at long last, to put England back into lock-down. I suspect that he might have come under considerable pressure maybe from somebody with interests in Barnard Castle! Things are even less clear than the previous lockdown I came home to from holiday back in March. I might have missed it; are hotels closing as well as pubs and restaurants? We are advised to stay at home. Are we allowed to travel? I know we are advised not to. Already, deja-vue is setting in! I heard nothing about places of worship. Lockdown- 2 doesn’t start until Guy Fawkes Day, just the time to forbid folk from going out! I’m sure I will ok until 2nd December when it is intended we can return to our respective tier levels.

Tomorrow is All Saints Day. I shall remember my Mother who departed this life in October 2002, attending two services, 9.30 at Christ Church, Burbage, as well as the now weekly service at St. John’s.

Thanks for reading,

David 22.21hrs the last day of October.

The fine warm(ish) weather of Tuesday which had enabled such a pleasant walk “up hill and down dale”, affording such magnificent panoramic views, just couldn’t last, could it! Yesterday, it rained “les chats et les chiens” as they might say in France. It did clear up later in the afternoon, but any motivation to walk had long since evaporated. Today, Wednesday, looked promising, but stepping out of the front door revealed it was much cooler with a biting wind presumably from the north, or that’s what it felt like.

I visited the Parish Office today, Thursday, purely a social call, and to book my pew at St. Mary’s church for Eucharist a week on Sunday. Social distancing in the office was strictly observed; nevertheless, I was grateful for the warm welcome and cup of my favourite Earl Grey tea! I now discover at St. John’s this morning (Sunday) that next week’s service is at Christ Church, Burbage beginning at 9.30am. Theoretically, I can thus attend two services as St. John’s has resumed weekly worship. A good thing except, I feel that the existing local congregation will be spread too thinly between two churches instead of just the one, rather than increased in size.

Roger suggested lunch for Friday afternoon (Day 209). My trusty walking shoes had started to fall apart at the end of Tuesday’s “expedition” and are now awaiting repair. Thus, no walking after lunch on Friday, this time at the Peak View Tea Rooms, formerly the Dish and Spoon just a little further on from the reopened Cat and Fiddle on the main road from Buxton to Macclesfield. The filthy weather of the fore-noon had been defeated by attractive bright weather, but still with a biting cold wind from the west. The hills of Shropshire were just discernable on the very distant horizon, from the carpark of the Peak View Tea Rooms. We adjourned to my place for further tea. I sought ideas on how I could watch TV without disturbing my neighbours who prefer early nights and early starts to their day. While waiting for a flight from Singapore to Dubai last year, I bought a posh set of headphones at one of the numerous fancy shops at Singapore’s Changi Airport. They served me well on the flight to Dubai, but only on a few occasions since. But now, those same headphones are in daily use, wired up to my television. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this years ago; that particular technology has been around for decades! Now, I can watch T.V. at any time without disturbing even people in the same room!

My plan for Saturday was to continue the onerous task of cataloging my collection, a project which is going to take “years”! I have many files of all kinds of ephemera, each item requiring enough detail for anybody eventually inheriting this stuff to have a good idea what each piece is. Unfortunately, on Saturday, I got hooked onto watching T.V. through my headphones. The surround sound is spectacular but the adverts even more irritating!

Today, Sunday 25th October, I returned to St. John’s Church for the first of what are now weekly services. There was a good congregation, the choir no longer looked like astronauts and today, Bible Sunday was marked appropriately with the Vicar, in his homily pointing out the the “Good Book” is very often overlooked by the weekly attendees of Church. He spoke very well, as did the clergy at St. Martin’s in the Fields on this morning’s Sunday Worship on Radio 4. I am not academic, and have not yet (at 71!) acquired an enjoyment of reading. I have tried on numerous occasions to develop a liking for books, and while I use them for reference, it is very rare that I read anything from cover to cover. However, I used to like hearing David Kossof read from the Old Testament when I was a small boy. I really should make time for more productive study.

British Standard Time resumed at 2am this morning, allowing an extra hour in bed. Again, I was only just in time for today’s Eucharist at St. John’s. Again, I felt slightly uncomfortable, but did enjoy coffee afterwards with one of the congregation, at Cafe Nero’s on Spring Gardens. I did get some cataloging done when I arrived home eventually – after a light lunch at “6, The Square”.

The day has gone quickly, as has the summer! Although time flies, the prospect of a “forever” winter seems daunting. There will be no trundling to the tropics in January 2021.

Thanks for reading, David, 22.30, Sunday 25th October Day 211.

I finished watching the Netflix series The Crown this morning after getting up respectably late!  In my previous blog, I described it as being set from the time of George VI; in fact, I was “out” by at least one monarch, Edward VIII whose abdication was covered in some detail, as well as the resulting brutal disapproval of most if not all of the Senior Royals. I never did warm to the Queen Mother who was portrayed magnificently in this series. I am astonished how accurately the characters are portrayed. Perhaps J.F. Kennedy and Billy Graham’s appearances were less recognisable, but Churchill, Queen Mary and Harold Wilson could have been exhumed to play those parts! 

I never had an objection to Royalty, and, perhaps my long suffering father would have preferred not to have stood with me for hours on end in the Mall, waiting for The Queen to ride by on horseback, during (I think) the 1960 Trooping The Colour birthday celebrations. As a youngster, I was thrilled, but thinking about it, my father less so!  Daddy, who grew up in Catford, S.E. 6 did enjoy showing me, and explaining to me the sights of his home city.  However, I was more interested in the buses, beautiful red leviathans with gold lettering beneath the lower deck windows declaring “LONDON TRANSPORT” – as on the Underground trains also.  Some buses had their route numbers above the front second deck windows, but my favourites were those rare pre-war examples with a split rear second deck window with a triangle design at the top of the “split”. Was it a coincidence that City of Manchester buses, and those of London Transport had similar liveries. Before the advent of “all-over red”, London’s buses and underground trains were red with cream upper decks and grey roofs, just about the same as in Manchester. The underground trains were red with cream window surrounds, a livery re-introduced on the Isle of Wight rail services which can still be seen today on their adapted former Underground rolling stock. Manchester followed London revising the livery of its buses to red throughout, Daimler built bus number 4429 being tested in this revised livery c1958. The things I remember from childhood!

The Crown brought back several memories of events of my early childhood, and their significance which I never could have grasped at the time.  But Aberfan, was that disaster really 54 years ago?  “Where has it all gone?” I hear my present contemporaries  lament.

DAY 206

I walked into Buxton Yesterday, starting the blog for that day during lunch at the Tradesman’s Entrance on Buxton’s Market Place. I had picked up my medication for the next two months, and then visited the Post Office. Much to my dismay, its contract with The Royal Mint ceases at the end of November. The manager had developed a worthwhile clientele who collected special Royal Mint issues and it was a good opportunity to support a local business.

I needed to buy some stationery to assist with work at home. Thus, I walked further into Buxton, after lunch yesterday, taking the opportunity to view The Crescent. It appeared to be just as busy as when it first opened at the beginning of the month. From what I gather, reviews are generally favorable with the occasional exception of one or two who might complain if they won the lottery! I took a few more photographs which I include with this blog.

Today, the gardeners arrived at 8.30 am to tidy the garden. Even now, it still looks very well maintained, and I’m delighted. This afternoon, a warmer dryer afternoon provided the opportunity of a brief ramble. We would return to the Monsal Trail to either walk along, or, somewhere close by. The car park was full; with far too many people milling around. We moved on towards an alternative nearby trail which offered panoramic views of the Derbyshire Dales. The undulating countryside looked infinite and the Tunstead Quarry works, an irritating blot on a distant landscape. We could see where once a volcano had erupted millions of years ago. The area, centuries later, would be quarried, the land eventually becoming a council tip. Now grassed over, there is little evidence of its lengthy history. I was shown an ancient tomb, illustrated below. The stones could only have been positioned there by the labours of hundreds of men. I am being shown and told so much about the local countryside – it’s astonishing.

Many thanks for reading, David 21.46 hrs, 20/10/20.

Congratulations (and many thanks) to anybody still reading my fairly frequent blogs. And, welcome to those who “catch up” occasionally, and anybody whom I don’t know who may have stumbled across these blogs in their “e-explorations”. I doubt very much that my attempts to write will, in say,200 years from now, be the subject of academic study in the same way Shakespeare and Dickens is today! My blogs are more of a personal diary which act as a reminder to me of events, either fairly recent, or from a more distant past. Being aware that anybody anywhere in the world can access what I write, naturally, I’m somewhat cautious as to the amount of detail I may include!

There is little to write about the last four days including today that is different to any other four days leading up to, and including, a weekend. This October seems a typically autumnal month with little hope now of a final fling of summer. Storm Alex came and went a few weeks ago, leaving the usual mix of showery weather with parsimonious periods of bright intervals. Annoyingly, the opportunity to “cower in the Caribbean” is just not there, the cloak of covid-19 negating any possibility of long-haul travel to warmer time-zones.

Out of the blue, I found myself considering the acquisition of a new vehicle to replace the car I had bought in April 2014, a decision I now find hard to justify having driven less than 1,000 miles since November last year. It was a nice idea, though!

Roger joined me for lunch at the Parks Inn on Friday. Expecting the Restaurant to not be so busy, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who had the same idea as us, almost filling the place. I enjoyed a lamb shank with cabbage and mash and was once again delighted that within five minutes’ walk, there was a decent eatery – right on the doorstep.

Yesterday, Saturday, my intention to make progress decluttering the “master bedroom” so that it’s original purpose in life can be restored, morphed into a binge session of watching Netflix’s excellent series, “The Crown”. In a nutshell, this series is a drama-documentary charting in considerable detail, the Royal Family, Politics and World events from the time of George VI. Inaugurated in 2016, the series is, so far, in three parts of (I think) ten episodes in each. It must be very strange for the existing monarch and her (still living) family and contemporaries, who can also watch The Crown, to be portrayed by actors. One has to question the accuracy of the dialogue. That is not a criticism, it’s more of a mystery. Are sufficient records available for a reasonable script to be created? Obvious mistakes appear to be very few and very far between. The London Smog of December 1952 seemed to be portrayed superbly. There’s much for me to learn from this series, and I look forward to seeing how the more recent history is portrayed.

For the first time, I just made it in time for the 9.30 Eucharist at Christ Church, Burbage this morning. Sadly, our recently appointed Rector is unwell and on the Prayer List. All the usual Covid precautions were in place, and my place in the church was marked with a sticker with my name on it. I felt reassured, that is, until, partway through the service, I became aware of a late-comer sitting immediately behind me, within less than a metre from where I was instructed to sit. Only at the end of the service did I ascertain who he was – he should have known better! I found it hard to concentrate on what was otherwise a fine service in a church I had not worshipped in since attending the regular Wednesday morning service of traditional Holy Communion some years ago. Other annoyances are ongoing and really, I should just accept change has to happen, if only to keep someone in a job. Not only do I refer to a slight (unnecessary) re-wording of the Lord’s Prayer, but now, the Apostles Creed, which has been similarly updated.

Years ago, as a young boy, and then as a teenager, I recall that, spanning the top of the stage at the St. John’s Parish Rooms, Brooklands, Manchester, was a banner (which greatly irritated my father, who was Lay-Reader), which proclaimed “The Church is Marching On – Are you in Step??? Obviously, I’m not!

Thanks for reading, David.

I have ammended the penultimate paragraph of my last blog to make clear any celebrations are within the current Covid regulations. Access the amended blog via Google, http://www.davidscruise.wordpress.com

Monday, 12th October (Day 198) saw the start of what is now a routine week, with lots of bright sunshine encouraging photography in nice autumnal countryside, trounced frequently by uninviting drenching showers “turbo-charged from leadened skies”.  Actually, it’s quite good weather for a decent railtour!

From what I gather, the pandemic has returned (as I knew it would) every bit as bad as when I had returned from South America, although the death toll, albeit disastrous, is not yet as catastrophic as it was last spring. I just knew that the lifting of many restrictions in the run-up to summer would create the serious situation we have now.  I don’t need to comment further, just Google any reports from which to gain your own opinion.

Right now, I am at Hordern’s Motor House in Chapel-en-le-Frith. Two things are happening here; my ultra low mileage Peugeot 508SW is being MOT’d, and monsieur Coley is encouraging me to replace said car, now seven years old with still less than 22,000 miles on the clock.

It seems that most new style Peugeot 508s are automatic rather than manual transmission – one reason not to be tempted. There is, however, a rather nice 4WD Suzuki 5SZ in the socially taped-off showroom, with opening glass sun roof, seemingly top of the range, and slightly higher up than my rather low-to-the-ground present vehicle. The trouble is that I drive far less than I used to. And I still like my car. But, at seven years old, it would not be the stupidest thing to change it. We’ll see!

I am back home now, my vehicle having glided through its M.O.T. presumably with flying colours. It’s not a bad afternoon although the threat of rain from nearby grey clouds is ever-present. I might just take a routine walk around the estate to see how the new houses are coming along.

Yesterday, the man from Sky Television kept his appointment to upgrade my equipment to accommodate “Sky Q” a development of “Sky Plus” whereby e.g. a programme can be paused to e.g. go to the loo, or answer the door. Sky Q allows me to watch YouTube on my existing 42″ telly rather than just on my mobile phone, and at a further £4/ month, access Netflix, as well as do all sorts of other stuff. I have to pay tribute to the Sky Engineer who was able to get his head around the jumble of wires behind my set-up, which the late Bernard Hulley had installed in 2009! However, he had to take much more than his allotted (I think) 80 minutes to complete the installation with not even a hint of irritation.

Don’t tell me I need a new telly as well as a new car – I need a new brain to keep up with it all! Now, I can command my T.V. remote to tune to whatever channel I instruct it to; this is incredible, but probably these days, not unusual. There is much to get my head around, although most things are reasonably straightforward. However, I’m sure I will be in touch with Customer Services a couple of times with “simple” issues. But, so far, so good.

Last summer, I became acquainted with the miracle of YouTube whereby at my command, I can watch any subject, or listen to any music of my choice whenever I so desire. And those expensive headphones I bought at the Airport outside Singapore started to earn their keep. Tonight, I am exploring all this technology on my T.V. and having great fun navigating the infinite choice of music, documentaries and movies etc.

So, today is the 200th day since arriving back from my travels at the end of March, my first day of lock-down. It seems longer than that. I have attempted to keep a brief but frequent log of these weird times. This time last year, I never imagined that I would be joining my neighbours in a Thursday night round of applause for NHS and Key Workers. For a few, me included, there have been positive things which might not otherwise have occurred. I, with my neighbour and other friends, have got to explore large swathes of the surrounding countryside, hills, forests, redeveloped former railway lines, some of which I had travelled over in various “previous lives”. Sure, some of this might have happened anyway. And, at long last, The Crescent came back to life, probably in a better state than at any time during its entire existence.

The neighbours at the end of our lane are planning to organise special socially distanced events, particularly for their children, to celebrate events such as Hallowe’en, Bonfire Night, Advent and Christmas. We are all encouraged to “join in” which I welcome. This is a fascinating episode of the history of the Lane where I have lived since August 1975. We had a few fun times then, particularly for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, and one or two events since. I look forward to the firework display next month!

Now to read that car brochure – the seed has been well and truly planted!

Thanks for reading, David, 20.03 hrs.

Written Monday morning 12th Oct. from 08.15hrs

It can’t be exciting all the time; the weekend was relatively quiet. On Friday, the weather was “irritatingly mixed”. Roger, back now for a week from twenty-one days of travelling to and exploring the Isle of Arran, suggested lunch and a walk. Rain showers were heavy, separated by varying lengths of dry cool and breezy weather. The countryside, thus with its autumnal shades looked just that little bit more vivid. The walking eased the lower back pain which had manifested itself a few days ago.

I suspect that there is now little hope of any further Indian Summer; we are almost half-way through October and the Jet Stream seems nicely ensconced far South of the U.K!

Saturday was spent watching movies and other T.V. programmes; I had no desire to venture out that day.

Yesterday, Sunday, I was determined to make better use of the day. I caught the end of Sunday Worship on Radio 4 but was much more inspired by the programme which followed, “Point of View”, where a well known writer/essayist reads on a subject of his/her choice, usually about something that’s relevant to the moment. The lady, whose name I forget, recalled, with astonishing detail, her childhood from the time her father walked out, leaving the once comfortably off family in much reduced circumstances. Such detail was brought to mind when the writer’s mother, still alive and in her mid eighties, wanted to declutter the kitchen, her trusty 1962 Kenwood Chef being consigned either to the “skip” or a charity shop. It had become too heavy for her to move from the shelf where it had resided out of use for decades; the daughter being summoned to get rid of it, and thus inspiring the “essay” shared with listeners to Radio 4 yesterday morning.

It was another cool, bright and mixed day which I was informed would remain dry for the afternoon. I had breakfast almost at lunchtime which is now often the case in these wonderful days of leisure. The plan was to drive to Parsley Hay, walk a little and possibly have a late afternoon Sunday lunch at the Royal Oak at Hurdlow. I don’t know about the lunch, but the extensive car park and overflow carpark at the former little- used country railway station was full. People were everywhere, walking dogs, cycling and running. I walked for a short distance and rang the Royal to book a table for around 3 o’clock. They were fully booked; I walked a little further, and resolved to prepare my own Sunday lunch at home; soup, poached salmon and various vegetables and some time later, fruit and a dish of porridge before going to bed. I had gotten bored with a late night movie at the end of the day….Fifty Shades of Grey….and slept soundly afterwards!

Thanks for reading, David.

.

Perhaps, I an biased.  Despite any slight teething troubles, 16 years ago I vaguely remember the maiden voyage of R.M.S. Queen Mary 2.  I do recall that historic “voyage of a life-time” which, by its nature, was unique. QM2 was around two years from keel laying to maiden voyage, but around six or seven years from the idea being put forward to Cunard’s then new owners, Carnival. I remember, only too well, the reaction of many of the passengers (and some Press) from the disgruntled and unnecessarily critical to one American who commented, “what’s there not to like?” I was in his camp.  I had counted the days to the maiden voyage as a youngster counts the days to Christmas!  No inefficient service or other snags were going to spoil my pleasure of “being there”. 

So it was with The Crescent. (Also, last year at Toronto’s Royal York, where I was probably the first to check in at the new reception area after years of renovation. That was more by chance than design!)    In contrast, the rebirth of The Crescent had now materialised. My carefully choreographed plan to be first to check in at The Crescent went “pear-shaped” when, unknown to me, they had opened the doors four hours earlier than intended, originally. Numerous other people must have had that same idea! Suffice it to say, I was there on Day 1.  And, that was important to me.

There is little need to write again about that first day. And indeed, even today, the Hotel has been open for just one week.  I have (out of curiosity) read a few reviews from other guests. Most have been fair in their comments, one or two being harsh and unforgiving, others, perfectly understanding of the inevitable snags that are going to occur with such a new and complex undertaking.  I don’t think I will mind if breakfast continues to be somewhat disorganised. Irritated I may have been to begin with, but I now regard this as part of its charm.  I do like being served everything both from the buffet, as well as the menu, rather than the current trend for helping one’s self. Once again, a hearty breakfast has made lunch redundant. When Covid has subsided sufficiently, breakfast at The Crescent will be a special treat for non-residents. Dinner also, although  “boutique” prices and style seem to prevail here.  On Day 1, dinner was slightly slow with too much time between starter and main course. And, I would have appreciated more chicken. Having said that, I did feel replete until some time in the middle of the night. On both occasions this week, the courses were spaced perfectly. Last night, for dessert, I requested plain vanilla ice cream, not on the menu, explaining to the waitress that being diabetic, the desserts were all heavily sugar-laden and thus, for me, off limits. She seemed to get the message! Nevertheless, the ice cream arrived beautifully presented and smothered with sugar decoration!  I think I got away with this time!

Breakfast on my last day, with a little urging on my part, was most enjoyable, even if I did have to remind one of the servers that I still, nobody had taken my main order. But I knew that was likely to happen and was perfectly content to “enjoy it as it came”.  Earl Grey leaf tea arrived in two separate helpings, both with a pot of extra hot water, with lemon and strainer which I only forgot to use just once!

My haircut at home was scheduled for 11.30, and thus, I couldn’t linger too long in the Hotel’s public areas.  I returned to my room, took some final photos through one of the two windows, left my key-card at Reception, having settled my outstanding bill the previous evening. Checking both in and out is a lengthy procedure; I have seen more spacious Reception and Concierge areas on my travels. As in other places, Reception is difficult to access by telephone in your room; perhaps this is an area which could be looked into. My trick of settling the bill the night before was welcomed by the appropriate Hotel personnel, and made for a speedy get-away.

I was very pleased with a £20.00 refund for a delayed breakfast yesterday, and suspect this had been triggered by a tranche of complaints. I was also pleased with my local resident’s discount, which, if applied to more than just the first night’s accommodation, might encourage more local patronage. But who cares! I have booked a two night stay in November, this time, in a Crescent Superior Room. Maybe this time, I shall remember my trunks and enjoy what the Spa has to offer. (I shall give the Gym a miss!)

To sum up, I was neither surprised nor disappointed at the few very minor niggles during the Hotel’s first week of operation.  I would have appreciated being able to see the various function rooms which have also been renovated to a spectacular standard. But I understand, completely, why this was not possible. The quality of the refurbishment throughout the Hotel, both in public areas and bedrooms, is exemplary. I saw no careless fittings in the bathroom, and everything, including the air conditioning worked as it should. My summer travel plans were curtailed because of the pandemic; these few days made for a very pleasant alternative, and the sun shone as I vacated The Crescent.

Thanks for reading, David, 13.30 back home in Harpur Hill.