17th June 2021

UK Deaths: 5. Harborough Infected: 24.

There are now 86 local authority areas with five or more confirmed cases of the Indian Covid variant, with Bedford joining Bolton and Blackburn with Darwen in surge testing efforts. Unsurprisingly, the sharp rise in cases in the UK’s current hotspots is largely being driven by younger age groups, most of the over-50s having now been vaccinated.

Today, Sue had a less-than-stellar outing at her U3A Pétanque Group tournament. She blames the humid conditions (and possibly her opponents sneaking in extra practice). I’ve promised to play a few games with her before the next meet, see if we can get her back to winning ways!

As a treat this evening, Suraj took Lucas go-kart racing in Leicester. A high-octane end to the day for them, and a lovely gesture from Suraj.

18th June 2021: UK Deaths: 7. Harborough Infected: 24.

A 9 am start saw us drive the 149 miles to Tenbury Wells, where we were meeting up with Sue’s sister and husband, Pip and Paul, for a belated exchange of Christmas and birthday presents. The day also included a visit to a long-time family friend, Sheila Palmer.

We arrived first and were warmly welcomed with coffee and biscuits before Pip and Paul appeared. Sheila had kindly arranged lunch for all of us at the nearby Fountain Inn for 1 pm. It turned out to be a great spot to continue family gossip over some rather acceptable food.

Back at Sheila’s, Pip and Paul settled down with more coffee and biscuits, while Sue and I stretched our legs with a walk into town. Sue reminisced fondly about her childhood days spent there, while also taking in the sobering sight of the damage left behind by the worst winter floods in living memory.

After meeting up again, we said goodbye to Sheila and her cat Prince, the four of us made our way to our accommodation for the night: the Cadmore Lake Hotel, a few miles from Tenbury Wells. Nestled in a picturesque setting beneath the gaze of Clee Hill, it was an ideal spot to wind down.

On arrival, we were surprised to find ourselves sharing the car park with the Porsche Club, which was holding its first member gathering since the start of lockdown in 2020. Enthusiasts had travelled from all corners of the country to spend a few hours together, enjoy a meal, and admire the subtle variations between the many models this iconic sports car manufacturer produces.

Beyond the usual palette of colours and gleaming bodywork, it was the personalised number plates that drew our attention. One particularly eye-catching plate, 007 TES on a Tesla, sparked some mild controversy. A bold move among Porsche purists!

We found our rooms most acceptable, spacious and well-equipped, with a lovely view across the lake. Naturally, the scenery tempted us into a walk around its periphery before retiring to a table by the water’s edge for drinks and food. Ordering refreshments was no problem; however, the large number of car enthusiasts had overstretched the kitchen. The chef could only offer us a couple of bowls of chips.

As the fries quickly disappeared, so too did the fair weather. A sharp shower forced us indoors for further liquid refreshments before we eventually made our way back to our rooms.

19th June 2021: UK Deaths: 3. Harborough Infected: 21.
The UK is launching the first trial anywhere in the world of booster vaccines for COVID-19, with nearly 3,000 volunteers taking part.

We met Pip and Paul the following morning for breakfast. Only two other couples were staying in the hotel, it seems the majority of Porsche Club members aren’t quite as high-performance as their vehicles and had opted for the quieter comforts of home, rather than rocking through the night!

Our aim for today was to satisfy a long-time wish of the two sisters and visit Witley Court, a ruined Italianate mansion. A place they had passed many times as youngsters on their way to school, etc. and had never visited. As both our families are Geocache enthusiasts, this provided the opportunity to bag a few easy finds on the way.

Witley Court is now maintained by English Heritage, who have successfully managed to preserve more than a hint of its past opulence through stabilising many of its features and gardens. The highlight of our visit was to sit and watch the spectacular Perseus and Andromeda fountain ‘firing’ as it came to life, shooting a jet of water tens of metres vertically into the air. It does this every hour, on the hour.

In the 1890s, fashionable society flocked to Witley Court, including the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), but when a disastrous fire ripped through the court in 1937, it destroyed one of England’s greatest country houses. Charred timbers from the fire can still be seen in this impressive carcass of a once-grand and stately family home to the Foley and Dudley families.

With the ruins and gardens thoroughly inspected, we ambled our way to nearby Great Witley Church, one of Britain’s finest Baroque churches. After enjoying cake and sandwiches in the garden of the adjacent little café, we spent time exploring the interior of this bright and elaborately decorated place of worship. Naturally, we rounded off our visit with a stop at the obligatory heritage-inspired souvenir shop.

Before heading off in our separate directions, we took the opportunity for one final challenge, a hunt for what turned out to be one of the more intriguing and tricky geocaches, located at the entrance to Witley Court. This craftily concealed cache (hint: valve) eluded our best efforts for quite some time, until, inevitably, it was discovered right under our noses!

With Christmas and birthday gifts exchanged in the car park, Pip and Paul set off southwards to Devon and home, while we made our way to the Manor Inn Hotel, conveniently located opposite the 12th- and 13th-century parish church of St. Michael, in the picturesque village of Abberley. We had decided to spend an extra night in Worcestershire to fit in a bit of rambling.

After checking in, we took an early evening stroll around the village, beginning at St. Michael’s and continuing to the large Victorian St. Mary’s Church, built between 1850 and 1852. From there, we followed a field path that led us gently back to the Manor Inn. We dined in the hotel restaurant that evening and were delighted to find the resident chef to be something of a culinary artist, producing a truly memorable meal, one that certainly merits a return visit.

20th June 2021: UK Deaths: 7. Harborough Infected: 19.
There’s been a significant rise in cases of the Indian variant across the UK, with 86 areas now affected.

Despite the easing of lockdown, we learned over breakfast that there was only one other guest staying in the hotel. As expected, the breakfast was exceptional. Perhaps people aren’t quite ready yet to reclaim the freedoms they once took so casually, just 18 months ago?

After checking out, we set off under a leaden sky and rising wind to tackle the Abberley Circular Walk. Determined to make the most of our Worcestershire escape before heading home.

 

 

 

 

 

The route proved wonderfully scenic, offering sweeping vistas across the gently rolling Worcestershire countryside. Waymarks were plentiful and clear, with my GPS only needed on a handful of occasions, mostly in dense woodland. The second half of the ramble, which took us up to and along Abberley Hill, was notably more challenging, thanks to both the steepness of the ascent and, later, the muddiness of the descent, following a brief shower of rain.

Near the summit, we paused to bag an EarthCache close to the dramatic edge of Shaver’s End Quarry. The woodland stretch along the hilltop was a delight, blanketed in aromatic bluebells and peppered with clumps of pungent wild garlic. Despite the overcast gloom, it was a joy to walk through this ancient woodland, resplendent with spring foliage.

By midday, we had returned to the Manor Inn. After swapping boots for dry shoes, we set off on an uneventful journey back to Leicestershire and home.

21st June 2021: UK Deaths: 9. Harborough Infected: 18.

A wet and gusty day made stepping outside a thoroughly unpleasant experience, but we had guests! Yesterday, I’d taken delivery of Brockleby’s Wild Beaver Pies (steak and ale) in anticipation of a small return to something resembling normality. I was hosting a gathering of five friends to watch Leicester Tigers face Montpellier in the final of the European Challenge Cup.

Sadly, the miserable weather forced us to remain indoors, meaning we were limited to just six people in accordance with COVID-19 rules. A few friends had to be turned away, had the weather been kinder, we could have streamed the match outside on the patio and enjoyed a larger (and legal) gathering.

22nd June 2021: UK Deaths: 9. Harborough Infected: 18.

Earlier in the evening, Sue and I set about preparing the pre-match food and arranging the lounge so that social distancing could be maintained. We were sticking to the guidelines for pubs and restaurants: hand sanitiser, masks worn when not sitting, eating, or drinking, and windows open for fresh air. In the past, our tradition was to attend rugby finals at Twickenham, where we’d enjoy pie, mash, mushy peas, and red wine at a small bistro in Twickenham village before the game. That was the menu for tonight as well. Sue prepared the mash and peas, while I heated the pies in readiness for our 7 pm sit-down.

Despite Leicester Tigers losing the game 18-17, our small gathering agreed that the Tigers had been the marginally better side. After the disappointing performances of recent seasons, there was good reason for optimism for the future. It’s amazing how a hearty meal and generous glasses of red wine can lift the spirits!

23rd June 2021: UK Deaths: 6. Harborough Infected: 17.

From midnight on Sunday, Britons will be barred from entering Germany due to concerns about the Indian variant. On the other hand, the Spanish Government announced it would officially lift restrictions for UK travellers from Monday. It makes you wonder about the ‘united’ part of the EU acronym, doesn’t it? Heathrow is also preparing to open a separate arrivals facility for travellers coming from red-list countries. Common sense at last!

On a more domestic note, today I planted the last of the sweetcorn and pinched out the side shoots of the tomatoes in the greenhouse. In the early evening, Jamie popped in with his Audi R8 to pick up his late Christmas presents and to photograph the car, as it looks like he’s planning to sell it.

Later in the evening, for the first time in nearly two decades, we watched the Eurovision Song Contest. Having not heard the UK’s entry before, we were curious to give it a listen, what an appallingly poor effort it turned out to be! Not only was the performance unimaginative and lifeless, but the song itself was complete drivel. Unsurprisingly, it received no points and deservedly came last. In contrast, the winning entry from the Italian heavy-metal band Måneskin (and most others) was everything James Newton’s ‘Embers’ wasn’t: energetic and catchy. I’m fairly certain that if the UK hadn’t had its ‘free pass’ to the final as one of the five countries making the biggest financial contributions to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises Eurovision, we would’ve been voted out in the earlier rounds. Given the current circumstances with Brexit, this is one area where I think a review might be in order. Financially supporting an organisation that doesn’t seem to know where the borders of Europe begin and end has always felt a little dubious to me, Australia, Turkey, Russia, really?

24th June 2021: UK Deaths: 5. Harborough Infected: 16.
More than 60 million coronavirus vaccine doses have now been administered in the UK.

Today is Sarah’s birthday. In the afternoon, both the Rothwells and the Newbold Verdons gathered at Willow Bank to celebrate. It was the first time in quite a while that the family had assembled (minus Jamie). The house was filled with the joyful sounds of chatter and laughter, along with the happy barking of their dogs. It was such a lovely reminder of the energy that family gatherings bring, especially after the silence that COVID-19 has imposed on so many homes.

Sadly, the afternoon came to an end all too quickly. The birthday cake was enjoyed, and then the family branches made their way home. Hopefully, with warmer weather ahead, we can return to our Friday family gatherings. Fingers crossed!

Meanwhile, Jamie, Ruth, and Joey spent the day in Derbyshire. It seemed to be a chilly but pleasant outing, with a visit to Speedwell Cavern on the agenda.