Random thoughts and photos of my journey through life…
This 2009 interpretation of The Last Supper is by contemporary artist Lorna May Wadsworth. Featuring the Jamacan-born model Tafari Hinds as Christ.
It hit the headlines in the summer of 2020 when the artist heard it had been shot while in situ behind the altar of a church in Gloucestershire. The damage occurred on Christ’s right side, the same place a Roman soldier pierced the body of Jesus with his spear as he hung from the cross. (Gospel of St John 19.34)
5 Comments CherryPie on Nov 28th 2024
In 1851 St Albans achieved notoriety when its electorate of 500 men, were found guilty of selling their votes.
4 Comments CherryPie on Nov 27th 2024
10 Comments CherryPie on Nov 26th 2024
Architecture is the thoughtful making of space.
Louis Kahn
8 Comments CherryPie on Nov 24th 2024
Case packed; we check out of the Premier Inn before our last breakfast in St Albans. We both had a senior moment in the car park; we paid the car parking fee put the bags in the car and then remembered that we were walking into town for breakfast!
We had to leave the car park and drove round the corner to re-enter the car park and were surprised find that the next entrance was to a different car park albeit part of the same building complex.
Mischief managed, we walked into town and settled on breakfast in The Street Café due to the appealing breakfast menu options. Luckily there was one table available and once seated, I perused the menu beyond the breakfast options and noticed ‘tomatoes on bruschetta with herbs and balsamic vinegar’. That is my kind of heaven for breakfast and, when it came, it was beautifully presented with the tomatoes diced and piled on the crispy toasted bruschetta with balsamic vinegar drizzled across the plate. Mr C’s ‘full English’ was equally well presented.
Before leaving town, we walked to the war memorial which we had been meaning to visit but hadn’t quite made it to. We looked at the names on the memorial to see if any of our family names were there.
We drove to the nearby De Haviland Aircraft museum, arriving just before it opened. As we queued to pay it was quite noticeable that I was the ‘token girly’.
When we arrived in the first hangar, we were greeted by one of the volunteer guides who explained the aircraft exhibits on display, the Mosquito prototype and the Horsa Glider in a corner of the hangar. The guide explained the Mosquito was constructed of wood and that layers of materials were used to strengthen the wings. The Horsa Glider was of particular interest to Mr C as his grandfather lost his life landing in the sea on one of these during the invasion of Sicily in 1943.
Mr C told the guide the story of his grandfather. The same guide caught up with Mr C when he arrived at the Horsa to share additional information about the aircraft.
We looked round the other hangars walking through a de Havilland Comet and looking at an autogyro. We were also taken into a workshop and shown the restoration process of a passenger aircraft’s wings. By this time, we were thinking of lunch and decided that the café menu options weren’t quite what we were looking for.
So, once again we perused ‘The Extra Mile’ and settled on Fred & Ginger Coffee in Kings Langley High Street. The food was delicious, my choice was toasted tomato and mozzarella of focaccia bread.
On our way home we picked up dinner items for ‘fine dining’ at chez nous.
10 Comments CherryPie on Nov 20th 2024
When I awoke after another comfortable night’s sleep Mr C presented me with a small pile of presents for my birthday. I had a lot of fun opening them to find a couple of books, a Wrendale mug (to add to our collection) and the much-anticipated expansion pack to my board game Apiary.
After a slow start we had a late breakfast in Weatherspoon’s. Their expansive breakfast menu caters for everyone. The St Albans Waterend Barn had an open fire, a lovely welcoming atmosphere and Mr C was able to indulge in a full English breakfast.
We lingered a while before mooching around Dyas and Waterstones whilst we waited for St Albans Museum and Gallery to open at 11am. The museum’s current exhibition is about prisoners and crime which we found interesting and thought provoking. The museum is housed in the former town hall, where amongst other things, an octagonal courtroom, subterranean cells and the Assembly Room can be viewed.
After our visit it was a little too early for lunch so we left the museum’s tempting food options behind, deciding instead to visit ‘The Bookshop on the Hill’ which has an adjoining café. Mr C consulted Google maps and headed in the direction of our hotel, but when we arrived, he realised that we had been walking in completely the wrong direction to where the bookshop is located. Mr C then plotted a new route which found us back at the museum where we walked a short distance down the hill to find the bookshop.
The bookshop is independent and not part of a chain which meant it was lovely to explore. We browsed the eclectic offerings with Mr C lingering a little longer than me. The bookshop is rather small so I waited outside and noticed that I had a missed called from mum. I thought she had phoned me to wish me a happy birthday so I tried to return her call only to find that her mobile phone was now switched off.
Unfortunately, the café adjoining the bookshop is not open on Tuesdays! We walked the short distance back to the museum and its tempting food options and enjoyed an ‘artisan’ toastie in the former courtroom.
We walked into the nearby Maltings shopping arcade away from the noisy streets so I could phone mum back on her home phone rather than her mobile. She was surprised to hear from me and it transpired that she had pressed the wrong button whilst trying to phone a friend to take her to a morning gathering. The arcade turned out to be not as quiet as it should have been. Whilst I was on the phone some workmen were noisily dragging some scaffolding next to where I was seated.
Next, we walked to St. Albans South Signal Box which was a longer walk than anticipated. We arrived to find that it was closed and only opens on Sunday’s. We walked back to St Albans via a different route and were drawn to revisit the Cathedral.
We had refreshments in the café first. The Cathedral had the same calming ambiance that we had experienced on the previous day. It was interesting to see the Cathedral lit in different colours as dusk descended.
After our busy day it was time to return to the hotel to chill out before dining in ‘The Ivy’ where I chose my usual dish, fishcake with crushed peas and then truffles to follow. As the evening progressed, what was a slight chilliness as we started our meal turned into a full-on cold blast from the empty side of the room.
The waiter who took our payment had already checked that the heating was turned on and working normally when the ladies on the table next to us complained that it was cold. It was only when I said that the cold air was coming from the empty part of the room that he frowned and had a light bulb moment. There was a door at the far end of that room that someone had left open by a merest sliver that no one could see. He was thankful we had solved the problem and apologetic in equal measures.
We had a nightcap in Weatherspoons, where we were able to warm up before returning to the hotel for the last sleep of our mini adventure.
10 Comments CherryPie on Nov 18th 2024
