My Exotic Summer Adventure: England Outside London (gasp)

[nickbot]

Grievious errors; apologies, sir. I shall endeavour to make it up to you.

Endeavour to make it up to me?? How?? By making the same posting error once more in post #40?

"If you ever find yourself in the West Midlands, do try to visit Chatsworth Estate."

I am a tad confused now.....were we in the West or East Midlands?

Thank you for stepping to my aid mec

The building looks like in a recent movie. Is it Brighthead Revisited?

A quick Google search seems to suggest that Chatsworth was going to be used for Brideshead Revisited, but I can't immediately see if this materialised so perhaps they went for another option. Not seen the film myself (not my cup of tea) - you know me, uncultured and non trendy

Silent for a little while? Silent for a little while? I just looked up silent in an online dictionary, and there was your picture as the very definition of going silent and leaving your poor readers in permanent suspense. Then on checking for synonyms for the word silent - or at least a long time between posts - what do I see? A picture of some DeltaFlyingProf writing a trip report.

Ahh Paint Horse, I'm glad you took the bait It's great to be back in SQTalk land with all the banter - who knows, I might just put my TR writing hat back on sometime soon

[jjpb3]

Tetchy,...moi?

Silent for a little while? Silent for a little while? I just looked up silent in an online dictionary, and there was your picture as the very definition of going silent and leaving your poor readers in permanent suspense. Then on checking for synonyms for the word silent - or at least a long time between posts - what do I see? A picture of some DeltaFlyingProf writing a trip report.

I looked up 'tetchy' and it had one definition as the use of multiple question marks and/or rapid-fire series of questions:

Endeavour to make it up to me?? How?? By making the same posting error once more in post #40?

I'll make it up by posting when I'm not so sleepy, nickbot. Previous posts redacted, mostly. No guarantees, though, on the quality of future posts.

I am drooling at all those yummy looking food! Awesome TR, jjpb3.

More food pics coming soon, KeithMEL.

[nickbot]

Thank you Sir - your corrections have been noted

To try to work off our calories, we also shopped around for a jumper (yay, I use a British term there) that I foolishly forgot to pack and that weather forecasts predicted would be needed for my stay in Yorkshire. But the choices were dismal. Thank goodness our host did not yet know how to freeze moments using my camera. I hereby deny that I ever was in the proximity of garments that would cause a rash to break out on StarG’s or taipeiflyer’s skin:



or that I ever contemplated buying them as stop-gap purchases.

Hmmm, I'm sure I took more than just that one photo jjpb3 - might I ask you to check your memory card again?

[jjpb3]

Part 4 (cont.) - Chatsworth and Anticipations of Dinner

Chatsworth showed how something that probably used to be for a select few, now serves to strengthen social bonds. It was hard not to share in the enjoyment of the place as you walked around.





The place is also quite tolerant of more eccentric antics. Here is one member of our group, demonstrating his, um, different definition of art appreciation:



(I know, horsey

he’s a very naughty man.)

Here he is later on, this time challenging a machine, yes, a machine, to a who-will-blink-first contest. Note how his loving wife is about to come to rescue him from his futile stare-off.




Soon it was time to head home for dinner. As much as we wanted to take advantage of the estate’s famed meat products, the Farm Shop was too much of a detour for four souls who had been thinking of a summer barbecue since, well, when the visit was first finalised.

We were hoping to luck out on the way back to our boutique hotel, but the lambs stayed well away from the front of our host’s car, and a fence separated us from two of the largest chickens I’d seen anywhere (this picture doesn’t do justice to their size):



I think the d*mn hen was taunting us.



No matter, we had another English institution – Tesco – for the barbie’s ingredients. Our ever-obliging host offered to lay some eggs for us (I think that’s what he was doing in the garden when we were cutting veggies and marinading the meat)


but we told him, it’s OK, you just take care of the grilling.

The stage was set for an SQT-inflected (website plus a very traditional beverage) feast:

[HUGE AL]

The stage was set for an SQT-inflected (website plus a very traditional beverage) feast:

Outstanding! Where are those flutes from?

[nickbot]

Outstanding! Where are those flutes from?

They were purchased from Dartington Crystal Sir - did you think they might have been, ahem, liberated from somewhere else? Of interest (well, I find it interesting ), they feature a small engineered imperfection at the base of the glass, which acts as a nucleation point and results in an elegant stream of champagne bubbles

[jjpb3]

Hmmm, I'm sure I took more than just that one photo jjpb3 - might I ask you to check your memory card again?

How strange indeed. I can't seem to find those other pictures.

[nickbot]

How strange indeed. I can't seem to find those other pictures.

Now that's a terrible shame May I suggest sending your memory card off to a data recovery spcialist? I'm sure I could gather together a group of SQTalkers who would be willing to chip in to pay for this service on your behalf

[jjpb3]

Part 5: Barbecue Chez Nickbots

Once again, I’ll cut my narration here (much lower risk of geographical gaffes too ) and just let the pictures do most of the talking.

This section is dedicated to all SQTalkers who love travel and food. That probably narrows the field by a lot. The grilling is for our MEL-based SQTalkers, because it’s summer here and it’s winter there.

This little bear guarded a glass in honour of our YVR-based VVVIP who again couldn’t attend this get-together.


As SQT tradition dictates, Krug is vital for kicking off the festivities and whetting the appetite. (Yes, SuperJonJon, this marks the return of the mysterious figure with the hidden face.)









I'm envious of those who will make it to UMD's TPP Tipple where I hear HUGE AL will be buying and pouring the same.

[jjpb3]

Part 5 (cont.): Barbecue Chez Nickbots

The pictures below may help explain why, after some very serious soul-searching (it lasted all of two seconds), I decided that it was OK to give up my diet that evening:

1. Garden-grown courgettes grilled with herbs


2. Roast Chicken


3. Pork-and-green-apple sausages served with garden-grown potatoes


4. Lamb chops with special secret marinade (our valiant host nearly lost his life when he fell under suspicion of trying to discover the secret recipe)


And to finish it all off,

5. The traditional Bakewell tart from our morning jaunt into the East Midlands countryside, accompanied by (yum! my favourite English flavour) clotted cream ice cream


*burp*

sigh

[jjpb3]

THANK YOU, NICKBOTS

Robin Hood may be the historical figure who is usually linked to Nottingham, but in my mind he’s easily overshadowed by our lovely, indefatigably warm and gracious hosts



and their not-as-indefatigable but equally lovable baby

Thank you for everything.

I wish I could have joined you the next day, but I had to head north for a taste of Yorkshire life.

I did hear murmurs about the southern adventures of the Merry Men and Woman. I even received a tantalising MMS.

[phaleesy]

The building looks like in a recent movie. Is it Brighthead Revisited?

Recent movies at Chatsworth - The Duchess. (Their estate!). Pride and Prejudice (Keira Knightly's version) too I think.

Both versions of Brideshead were filmed at Castle Howard in Yorkshire. The
remake is crap! Should watch the old tv serial (available on dvd). Much better portrayal of the relationship between Seb and Charles. Subtle yet intense.

[phaleesy]

Thanks for the entertaining TR, jjpb3.

You've just reminded me how much there is in the UK to explore. The pretty countryside, National Parks, stately homes, NationaL Trust and English Heritage properties. The peaks in Derbyshire, North York moors, the cotswolds, all very beautiful. Sometimes I wish I had not discovered FT and SQT.

[mec]

Robin Hood may be the historical figure who is usually linked to Nottingham, but in my mind he’s easily overshadowed by our lovely, indefatigably warm and gracious hosts and their not-as-indefatigable but equally lovable baby

Thank you for everything.

Hear! Hear! A toast to the bots!

[HUGE AL]

They were purchased from Dartington Crystal Sir - did you think they might have been, ahem, liberated from somewhere else? Of interest (well, I find it interesting ), they feature a small engineered imperfection at the base of the glass, which acts as a nucleation point and results in an elegant stream of champagne bubbles

Implying something??? Who, me?

Actually, the imperfection is quite intriguing to me as well. Very cool!