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| Cat up a tree in Barrow-upon-Trent |
Yesterday I was in a town called Burton-upon-Trent. My beloved football team, Hull City, were playing an evening game against Burton Albion.
When I booked my ticket, ten days ago, I imagined that I would enjoy a long walk in South Derbyshire before having a meal in Burton and then heading to the match.
However, yesterday's weather was against me. It was a dank, moist day with a thick quilt of cloud pressing down upon the land. Not the kind of day for joyous rambling. Besides, the farming land in The Trent Valley was saturated with ditches and dikes overflowing and the colourless lanes all bepuddled.
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| Dank weather at Ticknall |
I had a stroll in the village of Barrow-upon-Trent and then had another in Repton where there is a famous private school - once attended by the author Roald Dahl and the Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson. Both took away vivid memories of bullying and punishment.
Then it was on to Burton-upon-Trent - a rather sad town, famous for brewing beer. I admit that it is very possible that the mood of sadness was down to the dank weather. There seemed to be very few early evening dining options so I ended up in the rear "restaurant" section of Tommy's Fish Bar with manna from heaven - battered cod, chips and mushy peas with a slice of bread and butter and a pot of tea.
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| Squirrel in St Modwen's churchyard, Burton-upon-Trent |
Then on to the match where I met a man that I last saw fifty years ago. He lived in the next village and was himself a pretty good footballer.
Dank mistiness shrouded the floodlit sporting theatre in front of us and Hull City - also known as The Tigers - thrashed Burton Albion by five goals to nil. It could have been two or three more than that but it was our best away league victory since we beat Glossop by the same score in March, 1915. More than a hundred years ago!
I drove home sensibly in the swirling mist and even managed to grab a couple of celebratory pints of bitter in our local pub before closing time.
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| Bull above the entrance to Burton-upon-Trent's Market Hall |
When I saw that cat photo I thought you had gotten a pet! I like orange striped cats!
ReplyDeleteThe weather you describe is how I used to always picture England...until I met you and a few other people in blogland. Now I see that you have far more nice days than I ever expected!
I am glad that one American has learnt something about English weather from this blog! Thanks for calling by again Jennifer.
DeleteI thought that the cat, perched as he was aloft, was supposed to be a symbol of conquest.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the cat is called Norman!
DeleteI love dank weather for remaining indoors so during dank weather I happily remain indoors.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was living within a stone's throw from the beach and ocean, in various areas, I used to enjoy dully, misty, rainy days, too, as well as the sunny days. Walking along a beach on a damp, misty day has a special feeling about it...for me, anyway. I've not done that for a long, long time...and can't see it happening any time soon, either.
Great to hear your team won! :)
Love the ginger cat. I love ginger cats and throughout my life I've had a couple of beautiful ginger cats share their life with em.
That ginger cat kept watching me. I was twenty five yards away by the church entrance. I think he wanted to eat me.
DeleteYou were safe...you had nothing to worry about. Ginger cats prefer the roast beef to the Yorkshire Puddings...he was probably hoping a big piece of roast beef was about to appear. ;)
DeleteClearly you are a cat behaviourist. You should write a book on the subject. Each chapter would have a different title including "Lazing in the Sun", "Napping" and "Controlling Humans".
DeleteThat I am, Yorkie. :)
DeleteI was about two years old, or a little younger when I was given my first beautiful cat..."Socksie". A couple of years ago I wrote a post about Socksie - the post is titled "My First Love". I've always loved cats and have always had them as pets.
You made the best out of a very dreary day.
ReplyDeleteYou summed it up perfectly.
DeleteThat bull in the last picture looks to me like it has human eyes!
ReplyDeleteThe weather can certainly throw a wrench into travel and sightseeing plans, but as Red said, you made the best of it. I enjoyed the photos.
That squirrel was very precocious. I got several good shots of him.
DeleteThe Cat-upon-tree at Barrow-upon-Trent looks very much as if it were to say "Whatcha looking at?", and how close did you get to the squirrel for the picture?
ReplyDeleteSuch grey cloudy days have a special atmosphere, don't they, and I think you did well in having strolls in the villages rather than across the very wet fields and bepuddled (I like that word!) lanes.
Congratulations for your team winning!
My camera has an excellent zoom facility Meike. I was about six yards from the squirrel but I have no idea how far that is in those fancy new metre things.
Deletei have to do gardening in this lovely weather , my beans are sprouting , so i have to venture to my swamp and pick a patch above the water ...got to love spring
ReplyDeleteI cannot put anything in my vegetable plot yet. It is like porridge.
DeleteA good result for your team, and a good excuse to celebrate !That bull looks quite happy, and it's eyes are almost human.
ReplyDeleteInteresting comment about Repton school YP - my father went there, and never, ever, talked about his school years.
Perhaps your dad was a naughty boy - just like Jeremy and Roald!
DeleteWell, he could have been expelled for all we know ! It was rarely mentioned by the rest of the family either !
DeleteIt will always remain a mystery.
DeleteIt's like reading Bill Bryson except you take better photographs than him.
ReplyDeleteAlso I am not as fat as Bill Bryson!
DeleteMushy peas sound horrid to American ears. Mushy peas and manna should never appear in the same sentence.
ReplyDeleteShould I call them "pois a l'Anglaisse" instead?
DeleteI very nearly made a quick trip to Burton yesterday to source some floorboards...then didn't go...we could have bumped into each other YP!
ReplyDeleteIf you had bumped into me, I might have yelled, "Oi! Watch where yer goin' grandma!"
DeleteYou got some nice photos despite the gray weather. I am SO OVER this spring. I need sunshine. And today, by golly, we got some -- I hope it sticks around!
ReplyDelete