Petes Pix 2022

Day after Groan-Ups we went with  Dan and Krisie to Bletchley Park for lunch and to look around the museum, before taking D&K to Milton Keynes station for their journey home. Lots of changes, more exhibits and atmospheric huts set with coats and hats on hangers and bags by chairs as if the staff had just popped out. However an adult ticket costs £20, and although it is valid for a year I doubt we'll re-use it as we saw everything in one visit.  Dan in mansion entrance Also,   we didn't learn anything we didn't already know. Bombe  .

To London with Dan and Krisie to see Groan-Ups -new show from team who made A Comedy About a Bank Robbery that Dan took us to last year - at the Vaudeville Theatre. But first, dinner at Spaghetti House by exit 4 from Leicester Square station. Dan and Krisie Peter & Joan  Dan's cunning plan to see the show after his day at business meetings unravelled when they brought the meetings forward a day. But then we could have dinner at home with Dan and Krisie and Toby and Emma and some plenty of decent wine. View from seats Thanks for pix by Joan (Dan & Krisie) And Krisie (Peter & Joan and Seat View

Toby and Emma with dog Benson on top of the cake Photographs are in the link Toby & Emma -Wedding Pix at top of page, or click here.   Some photos courtesy of Caroline Keen and Krisie Dawn .

Emma Wright and Toby May got married at Tally Ho hotel , Bicester at 2pm Saturday 21 September 2019 The new Mr & Mrs May sign the register. FOB (Father of Bride) Chris Wright's speech. Toby's Speech. Toby's Speech - Part 2 Best Man's Speech Part 1 Best Man's Speech Part 2

.. and find the dressing-up cupboard

To London and the Royal Academy of Arts for the 2019 Louis Roederer Wine Writer's Awards . Hosted by Michel Janneau of Champagne Louis Roederer Charles Metcalfe, Chair of Judging Panel Generous pours of Roederer Brut and Roederer Ros é 2013 Champagne as well as sponsors wines from Domaine Faiveley, Domaines Ott*, Ramos Pinto, Pio Cesare, and Marchesi Mazzei including served in a room of Constable & Turner paintings and a Michelangelo carved marble.

BA2597 from Verona left at the reasonable time of 11:50, so had time for an excellent breakfast at the hotel. Verona airport wasn't much, and the lounge was outside security, but the plane left on time, Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne was good and plentiful and we landed at Gatwick early of our scheduled 12:55.

Day 4 – the last day – of our Northen Italy wine trip.  Andrea is again our Pagus Tours guide and we leave Verona and drive north of Lake Garda into the Dolomites and the land of Teroldego.  A large lorry  burned to a shell on the southbound carriageway of the motorway has left mile upon mile of stuck vehicles with their drivers strolling and chatting on the road. Further north traffic is being diverted off the closed motorway. Winery & Tasting room. The large cellar is out of view to the right After two hours we call at Bellaveder . The name means ‘beautiful view’ and the view really is here: high-up and surrounded by vineyards and white mountains Our Bellaveder guide standing on the grassed cellar roof Bellaveder was bought in the fifties by Dr Mario Seppi with three hectares of vineyard now  extended  to eight hectares around the winery plus another four in the San Lorenz vineyard. Eight grape varieties are grown for 17 labels (red: Teroldego, Pinot Noir, Lagrein. White: Gewürz

Day 3 of our wine trip is easy going. We are visiting Sirmione in the morning followed by a winery visit with lunch. Sirmione and the winery are only a 40 minute drive from Verona. The day is overcast. We arrive before the tourist hordes who will form a solid line of vehicles all the way along the peninsula looking for parking by the time we leave. Ruins of the villa of Catullus We board a motor launch for a circular tour Sirmione at the tip of the peninsula. The boat, one of many doingthe same trip, stops to let us observe a streams of small bubbles coming from an underground volcanic vent. The largest  has been capped and hot water pumped to the thermal spa (Terme) we can see on the beach. Then we have a hour of free time to explore Sirmione. We have holidayed in Sirmione for several years in the past. Sue and Peter Chasney continue to do so, and we meet them there for a coffee in the town square.  Then it's back to the coach for our lunch time visit to  Cascina Maddalena Winery