Mendip goes home for Christmas!

[armstrong]

I've been back in the UK for a hotel of 10days in 10years and that's about enough.

[Mendip]

Hey mendip, as a father of three kids who did the whole Santa thing, I think they work it out quite early, but go along with it not to risk the presents drying up.

Must admit, some of my fondest memories of them growing up is their wonder on Xmas morning.

Yeah, I wonder about that and I find it hard to believe my daughter still believes in santa, with the time she spends on Youtube and the likes. We did the santa thing this year with hanging out a stocking, and leaving out the whisky, a pork pie, and a carrot for Rudolf, and she was right into it all. I hope she's not pretending so as not to hurt my feelings, she's got a big heart for that kind of thing!

She's a good kid and worries about her dad. When she sees me standing on my own at school pick-up time she worries I have no friends and tries to find some for me. No problem when she drags over one of the pretty young mums to say hello, but it can get a bit weird when she drags over a dad.

[Mendip]

I’m starting to struggle to find things to do locally with the incessant rain, but today it was dry! Grey but no drizzle, and I had a couple of hours before an uncle and aunt were coming round for lunch.

Another walk down the village to get the daughter out of the house, and another trip down memory lane…

This was an apple orchard when I was a kid. As seems usual from what I've seen so far, the play park was deserted, so me daughter got busy on her own… and a big smile!



And another big smile… just for you Cyrille! No pub today!



Seeing as the play park was devoid of any other life we headed down to the rec. On the way we passed the snooker club. There’s a full size and three-quarter size snooker tables in the room at the top of the stairs. A lot of my teenage mornings were spent in there. My mum would drop me off at the bus stop for school, a few of us would hide in the public toilets for half an hour until the buses had been and gone, then the day spent playing snooker. Maybe a break for a pint in the Golden Lion… no problem getting served wearing school uniform 35 years ago!

Incidentally, the building the snooker tables are housed in is called 'John Locke House', he was born in this village in 1632.



And in the corner behind John Locke House, the old fire station. That closed in 1980, although it now seems amazing that a small village like this ever had it’s own fire service.



And onward to the rec...

In 1973 a day’s shopping trip from Bristol Airport to Basle turned into tragedy when the plane ploughed into a snowy hillside in Switzerland. Over a hundred passengers died, almost all of whom were women shoppers from the local villages round here. This is known round this way as the 'Swiss Air Disaster' and had huge impact on the local communities. Each poplar tree planted at the rec commemorates a life lost from our village. Two girls in my primary school class lost their mothers.




And the play area… despite the unseasonably dry weather, also deserted.



In my day there was no fancy soft padding under the swings and stuff. If you fell off, it was either onto concrete or muddy grass. We used to have a huge slide at the rec, I would reckon around 4m high. A girl broke her arm falling off and HSE did the rest. That slide went years ago.

The littlun had a go on the climbing frame, and another big smile!



Around 45 years ago a previous climbing frame at the rec sat on muddy grass. I remember a fellow kid, nick name Enoch, who used to sit under the climbing frame with an empty jam jar. He used to collect beetles, worms, woodlice and the like, then pick them out of the jar one by one and eat them! I’m starting to get some strange memories coming back.

And a close-up of the hill behind the rec. Around 38 Christmases ago I was sledging down that hill on my brand new sledge when I collided head-first with a telegraph pole. You can’t quite see the pole in this pic taken by my shitty phone, but it’s still there. I knocked myself out and was unconscious for several minutes, much to the amusement of all the other kids on the hill. When I came too I couldn’t remember if Christmas had come yet (to even more merriment from my mates) and that memory never came back. I spent the next few days in bed with concussion and have a lump under my right eye to this day from that incident.



That reminds me of how kids round here derived so much amusement from having an unconscious mate. While we were learning to drink cider, I must have ‘fallen asleep’ and (I was told later) my mates put a slug on my face and watched it crawling around, until it eventually disappeared into my mouth. I had some pretty nasty mates back then. That still make me feel ill when I think about it.

More and more memories… I’m so glad I grew up in the village 40 odd years ago when it was a real community. Now it’s full of new-builds and empty of character… this used to be the coal yard and a field with horses when I were boy...



The village now has nearly three times the population it had in my day, the place is deserted, and most inhabitants treat it as a dormitory for working in Bristol. I don’t get it, why live in the countryside if you don’t want the country life?

Rant over.

And tomorrow I have to get out and do something before I go stir crazy!

[David48atTD]

Seeing as the play park was devoid of any other life we headed down to the rec. On the way we passed the snooker club. There’s a full size and three-quarter size snooker tables in the room at the top of the stairs. A lot of my teenage mornings were spent in there. My mum would drop me off at the bus stop for school, a few of us would hide in the public toilets for half an hour until the buses had been and gone, then the day spent playing snooker. Maybe a break for a pint in the Golden Lion… no problem getting served wearing school uniform 35 years ago!

Great smiles on your Lassie there.

Now, I trust you know better then sharing that truancy story with her!

[Dillinger]

Did you enjoy your trip then, Dilly?

Yeah, spent a lot of time with family i don't see too often. It was wet and cold but never dropped to freezing whilst i was there so all good in all. Wallet took a good hiding but enjoyed some great fry ups, kebabs and Xmas dinnee

Glad to be back in the sun

[Klondyke]

More and more memories… I’m so glad I grew up in the village 40 odd years ago when it was a real community. Now it’s full of new-builds and empty of character… this used to be the coal yard and a field with horses when I were boy...

The (gloomy) impression from your pictures and the narrative does not remove much doubt about the reality/reasons why so many English people have chosen their sojourn anywhere else than at homeland...

[fishlocker]

Sadly yes, I'll drink to that. Just kidding it's Satairday. Aint it?

[NamPikToot]

Yes, its like an old soviet era documentary 365 days a year. Once Brexit is delivered the sun will come out just as it did when the Berlin wall fell.

[fishlocker]

Ronnie, The girl loves him. Frickin cowboys, I guess you've got to love them.

"Mr. Gorbie tear down this wall!"

[Bettyboo]

"My mum would drop me off at the bus stop for school, a few of us would hide in the public toilets for half an hour until the buses had been and gone, then the day spent playing snooker. Maybe a break for a pint in the Golden Lion… no problem getting served wearing school uniform 35 years ago!"

Superb effort, well done!

I'm starting to think maybe I know Mendip's real identity...

...do you have a little cat, Mendip?

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Excellent thread.

[Bettyboo]

Yeah, spent a lot of time with family i don't see too often. It was wet and cold but never dropped to freezing whilst i was there so all good in all. Wallet took a good hiding but enjoyed some great fry ups, kebabs and Xmas dinnee

Glad to be back in the sun

Who let Somchai drive?

Seeing family is nice, once in a long while, and certainly British kebabs are the best in the world as is British Indian food, of course, and British British food. I'm pretty sure Mendip has stopped off with his wingman(lady) at a kebab shop on the way back from some of those pub cider trips... Now that's a real British cultural experience.

[Airportwo]

and another trip down memory lane…

In recent years I have found Google earth street view a good substitute for the grey reality! can walk all the streets without getting wet, damp & cold surprising how many memories are triggered!

[jabir]

I've been back in the UK for a hotel of 10days in 10years and that's about enough.

Ditto, not 'home' anymore, though I thoroughly enjoy being a tourist.

[Dillinger]

Seeing family is nice, once in a long while, and certainly British kebabs are the best in the world as is British Indian food, of course, and British British food. I'm pretty sure Mendip has stopped off with his wingman(lady) at a kebab shop on the way back from some of those pub cider trips... Now that's a real British cultural experience.

And that's it in a nutshell really, the only real reason to step foot into the uk in the winter time~ family, food and booze. Oh and the New Years Sales.

Must say, I did feel Slapper's enthusiasm of Wetherspoons also

[Mendip]

Never been to a Wetherspoons... will have to add it to my list. We've only got a week left.

I want my daughter to get the full cultural experience.

It's an action packed Somerset day today. It's not raining and we're going up Glastonbury Tor! Well... the family don't know yet, I'm gonna surprise them when we get there.

Also, met my uncle yesterday and he recommended me Thatchers Green Goblin Cider, so I'll pick some up on the way back to try tonight.

It don't get better than that!

[cyrille]

And another big smile… just for you Cyrille!

So you just need to get more carry outs and spend less time in the pub.

[Mendip]

So, as planned, off to climb Glastonbury Tor today.

On the way we passed another 18th century toll house, for Nev...



We arrived in Glastonbury and I revealed my plan to climb the tor. Can't say that went down well, but no outright refusals, so off we set.

Glastonbury High Street is a bit grim - full of New Age (???) witchcraft and spiritual shops, and of course a plethora of charity shops. Not my scene at all.



And to give you an idea...



We bypassed a vegetarian yoga session and started out for the tor. To be honest I was surprised at how far away it was. I think the missus was even more surprised, but of course the daughter was game.



And onwards...



And further onwards... a flock of sheep...



And for any Welsh members... a fine trio of fillies! There ya go Headhunter, knock yerself out and break out the Kleenex!



And for those who prefer a clean sheep, a sheep dip, probably a couple of centuries old.



But no time for any sheep related fun today, and besides it was way too busy (and I was with the wife), so on we marched... you can see the daughter in her luminous pink top half way up the tor now! The wife was still going strong... I was amazed. The only reason I was bringing up the rear was for the photo opportunities, of course!



And finally! Glastonbury Tor is topped by St Michael's Tower, dating back to the 14th century, after an original 11th century timber church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275.





Neolithic tools have been found on the Tor, and they say at least four buildings existed on the summit during Saxon times.

But of course, it's the association with King Arthur that's most fascinating. King Arthur's and Queen Guineveres's coffins were discovered on the tor in 1191 (allegedly!).

Make's ya think... maybe King Arthur walked passed this very spot 1500 years ago!



And some views from the summit of the tor. This was called the Isle of Avalon in Arthurian times, and was surrounded by sea. It's easy to imagine how it looked with so much standing water at the moment after all the rain we've been having. The Somerset levels were flooded for centuries before being drained for farming.







And then things started to go a bit wrong... starting with me bladdy camera running out of batteries... No more pictures from the tor, and I'm not planning on another visit up there anytime soon (and if I do it will be on my own... I can't see the wife doing it twice!)

[David48atTD]

Glastonbury Tor

Great photo that ...

[Mendip]

There was a plan to meet up with the sister and niece at the nearby Clark's Village for lunch, and my plan was to give her a call once we got back down from the tor and arrange a time. Not easy with a dead phone, so when we got back down into Glastonbury we started searching for a phone box. During this search we passed the 16th century pub, the Rifleman's Arms (no pic), and then the old pub The Beckets Inn (named after Thomas A Becket), a Wadworths pub full of real ale. No such pleasures for me...

We eventually found a phone box, the first I've used for over 20 years, and left a message to my sister, via my mum (because who knows numbers these days) that we would be there for lunch in around 15 minutes. The only reason I know me mum's number is that it was also my number until I left home at 18.

All good... got back to the car and it had a flat back offside tyre. No spare, Dead phone. This pissed me off immensely, not least because my wife's usual sparkling personality was rapidly deserting her, and both she and daughter needed the toilet, oh, and they were cold!

Anyway, after much directions from passing Glastonburonians, I eventually discovered a tyre place open on Sundays and got the car there driving very slowly on a near flat tyre. A screw was found embedded into the side wall, so a new tyre was required at £129, thank you very much. We were put in the queue and told to come back in two hours, so off we set walking to our lunch appointment. I'll be honest, the wife wasn't all that happy by now!

We met up with sister and niece nearly two hours late for lunch, and wife and sister headed off together with their huffs in one direction, and daughter and niece headed off to the play park in another. I was left wondering how on earth any of this was my fault!

My lovely darling daughter found a new boyfriend in the park, and even although he was a ginger, I was so glad she was happy. She never lets me down! (pic courtesy of niece)



But I was still left on me own looking after me sister's ridiculous dog, who seemed to have recovered from her dark chocolate overdose a few days ago.

I mean, FFS, whoever has a dog looking like this???



And to top it all... I'd forgotten it was a Sunday and on the way back Thatchers Cider Farm was shut... so no Green Goblin to try out, and no cider left at home... absolute farkin disaster!

But, the daughter always come through... tonight I taught her Backgammon on the new board she got for Christmas. I used to play loads in the past and she was right into it, although I want her to learn the game before I introduce the doubling dice.

I would recommend this to any parent/kid relationship... it's sociable and gets 'em off the tablets. Also, it's easy going. Me daughter loves chess but it's a bit much for me back home in the evening after a few Leos and Ya Dongs. Backgammon is manageable.

So it all ends well! Backgammon with a £2.95 Tesco bottle of wine and time with me beautiful daughter!



And moral of the story... don't take the wife up Glastonbury Tor!

But if you do... charge your phone beforehand.

And whatever you do... don't get a flat tyre in Glastonbury on a Sunday!

[NamPikToot]

Mendip, you need to get her playing risk to bring out the meglomaniac in her. used to play it with the kids, they'd gang up and annihilate me then call a diplomatic truce..end of game.

Who has no spare tyre?

[Mendip]

Who has no spare tyre?

My mum's old friend who we borrowed the car off! This will be remedied as a thank you... although maybe next time it'd be cheaper to hire!

[Chittychangchang]

Carnt beat a game of backgammon.
Thai women don't do walks well unless there's an incentive like a plate of somtam at the top of a hill.
All quality stuff Mendip, making memories...

[fishlocker]

Good story line. I wish I could write like that. But they just don't write like that anymore. No, not rolling into it.Great thread, good read. We wish nothing but the best for you and yours in this holiday season.

fish

[naptownmike]

Great pictures and story.

It's cool to have such old buildings and history around. Not much older than a few hundred years over here in USA.

I remember visiting one of my Dad's cousins on a trip to England when I was a child. He had a bunch of sheep and a ram headbutted my gut and knocked the wind out of me. I stay well clear of them now. Ha
Followed up by some horrible dinner maybe mutton I snuck in my jacket pocket.

Bummer about the flat tire that was probably the straw that broke the camel's back after the dead phone and long walk in the cold. It will be funny in a few months.

[jabir]

But, the daughter always come through... tonight I taught her Backgammon on the new board she got for Christmas. I used to play loads in the past and she was right into it, although I want her to learn the game before I introduce the doubling dice.

I would recommend this to any parent/kid relationship... it's sociable and gets 'em off the tablets. Also, it's easy going. Me daughter loves chess but it's a bit much for me back home in the evening after a few Leos and Ya Dongs. Backgammon is manageable.

So it all ends well! Backgammon with a £2.95 Tesco bottle of wine and time with me beautiful daughter!

She is white and started with 65, this is a good running number so she should be racing from the back not slotting her bar.

You're right about the doubling cube and that would need to come later, but when you do introduce it make sure she knows that this little thing is actually the secret to the game, more so than luck, odds (easy if you can count to 36) or the ability to switch tactics from roll to roll.

And she is indeed a beaut.