Beer

Forget what you have read about warm British beer. It is a myth. Real beer is stored in cellars where the temperature was and still is carefully controlled.

There are two breweries close to where I used to live, Donnington and Hook Norton. Both breweries provide superlative beer in a few varieties. These beers are designed to be supped quietly in a small room, large open fire, and with no hint of plastic or ‘faux’ in sight. You can, if you want, have a bar snack, but nothing that takes too much time away from the beer.

Not all pubs are created equal. Here is a short beginners guide..

http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/travel/pubs.shtml

You don’t want to make a ‘Shandy’ out of any real beer, nor do you want to disgrace the brew with paper umbrellas, plastic maraschino cherries and crushed ice. Do this with the less classy gas pumped keg beers or the fancy imported designer beers if you are intent on spoiling the brew..

So what does a classic British pint look like? Well, I was born a Midlander, and beer looked like this. It does in the south of the country too. To pick it up, you put four fingers through the handle (you can see it just to the right on the glass), and then you position your finger ends and thumb comfortably into the dimples on the glass.

What you don’t want to do is hold it like you would a milk jug. It is far too easy to waste it into your lap or on the carpet.

During a sortie to the North of where I lived, (Ossett Yorkshire actually), a pint came in a conical glass. Earlier types had a ‘blown’ ring towards the top which helped stop the glass slipping through inattentive hands. This is fairly typical of what is used for lager beers, cider and Snakebites, a combination of lager and cider in the same glass.

OK, so this is my quick guide to ‘warm’ beer and some of the places where you can try it out. There are real ale breweries across the country, and all of them are worth a visit, believe me.

If ever you are a visitor to the UK, I can guarantee that when you arrive back home, you will remember the sunny Sunday afternoon you sat outside a country pub with a glass of Britain’s finest, and you will wish that you were back there, re-enacting your very first taste of the best beer in the world.

A note on Scrumpy..

This is a drink made primarily in England’s West Country. It is essentially fermented apples, nothing added, and is made in quite small quantities. Cloudy in appearance, it can be killer stuff. If ever you have seen horses stagger around after they have eaten a few rotting apples off the ground, you will have a good idea what it will do to you.

You can find it in some West Country pubs, but the best place to get it is direct from the producers. They will be happy to show you how it is made, the tours are always short, fermenting apples in a container with another container in close proximity to catch the finished product, and you can try before you buy.

Cider is a derivative of Scrumpy, way more refined, always carbonated, and way less alcoholic.

A Tale of Two Bridges

The Clifton Suspension Bridge..

Completed in 1864. It isn’t the largest span ever at only 702 feet, but the bridge is not about breaking records. It is about getting from one side of the river to the other without getting one’s feet wet, and it does that in true style. As you can see from the first photo, locations for the towers were less than convenient. This tower is called the Clifton tower and as you can see, it is built atop a solid precipice. The Leigh tower on the other side is very different and here is a link to a website which shows how it was done.

http://www.interactory.com/web/hidbrid/content/dev5

OK. Now for a scene to kill for. If you know of a suspension bridge and surroundings that looks as good as this one, please leave a comment and I will check it out..

The Forth Railway bridge..

The suspension bridge on the left is called the Forth Road Bridge and was completed in 1964. at which point the one on the right became known as the Forth Railway Bridge. From its completion date in 1890, it was called the Forth Bridge, and the ‘Railway’ part was added just in case there was any confusion over which was which after 1964. It is made from riveted steel tubes, big steel tubes, it carries a double track, and I understand that no other bridge was ever made exactly like it because it was so expensive to create. However, other bridges borrowed some of the design features.

It looks small from this angle, but when you stand on the jetty just to the left of the brick towers, you get a much better idea of just how big this bridge actually is.

It is a very strong bridge too. The engineers and designers were acutely aware of what happened to the original Tay bridge, and there was no way that this bridge was going to collapse.

The death toll of workers was quite high, ninety eight killed and thousands of non-fatal injuries sustained, but you have to remember that this is the Firth of Forth. Weather in Scotland is not as kindly as it is in the South West of England.

For more info:

The Clifton Bridge.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_Suspension_Bridge

The Forth Railway Bridge.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_Railway_Bridge

HST.. The Intercity 125

The first production car, 43002 was delivered in 1975. Rumour had it that the HST was a stopgap measure until the AP-T was perfected. It never happened and the HST became the star of British railways

The speed limit on the rails at the time was 100mph, but the light axle loading of the HST allowed for 125mph. It was and still remains the fastest diesel powered passenger service in the WORLD, setting a record of 143.2mph in 1973.

Power was delivered by two power cars, one at each end, Each end was fitted out with a Paxman Valenta 12 cylinder marine diesel engine developing 2,250hp, but due to overheating problems was eventually reduced to 2000hp. Since 2005, HSTs have been refurbished with Paxman VP185 engines

The prototype had a look all of its own, not the prettiest look for a streamliner. This is 41001 on display at the National Railway Museum in York. The buffers look decidedly out of place, and lights are close grouped behind glass in the centre..Also note that there was no provision for a view out of the sides for the driver.

The final design was a little more raked, side windows were added, the buffers disappeared and the lights were spread out and in their own nacelles, an altogether more pleasing look.

Why diesel? Well, the only overhead electrified lines ran down the West Coast main line originally. The East Coast main line didn’t get converted until the 80’s. The Western region was also not electrified, so it made sense to produce a ‘one size Diesel fits all’ The UK was up to this point lagging behind the rest of Europe in high speed trains. The lack of overall electrification and the more traditional train sets made up of Class 55’s and Mk3 coaches was not cutting any mustard.

Anyway, here is a photo of a production HST, 43058 sitting at Leicester on the East Coast main line pre electrification

The HST is a definite favourite with train spotters, not just for the rakish looks and overall performance, but also for the way its starts up. The Valenta turbocharger is really quite noisy, and standing next to an HST is not unlike standing next to jet aircraft as it powers up for take-off. Watch the video and turn your speakers up..

The HST will not be around forever so make the most of them while you can.

The ‘real’ Cunard Queens..

Forget Blue Ribands. They come and go, but the Queens don’t. The first two were built in response to other European countries putting up a show on the high seas. Even the Americans built a ship, the SS United States, but where are they now? All scrapped and no future plans.

Pictures say a thousand words..

RMS Queen Mary.. now preserved at Long Beach, USA

She even looked impressive in her ‘war togs’.. New York Harbour 1945

RMS Queen Elizabeth.. the big sister.. in Cherbourg, France

She had ‘war togs’ too. After the war, Mary and Elizabeth got to fulfil their purpose.. to run the finest trans-oceanic crossing EVER..Unfortunately, at the end of her service, she was sold off to be a floating University. After a fire broke out on board, Hong Kong Fire Department sprayed so much water onto her, she sank.

RMS Queen Elizabeth II.. preserving standards and carrying out her duties with the same grace as her namesake..

So this is where the story of the ‘real’ Queens ends, , for me anyway..

And now for the sad part..

The Cunard Queens which followed the QE 2 are not what I would call real Queens. QM 2 is designed to do Trans-Atlantic crossings, but the new Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria are just a couple of high-rise river barges. Even QM 2 has that look about her.

They have even unregistered in Southampton, and re-registered in Hamilton, Bermuda, and guess why? They want to be able to do weddings in the Caribbean.

Mulberry

Not the tree or the berries.

An apprentice Grim Reaper is sent in to ‘collect’ an aging, crotchety lady, trampled down throughout her life by two sisters who always had the edge over her.

The stuff of comedy? Excuse the pun, but ‘hell yes’. I saw it first time around on TV. The credits rolled and I didn’t know what to expect. Within minutes, I was hooked by the amazing performances by all of the cast, most especially the two main stars, Karl Howman and Geraldine McEwan.

The series only ran for two seasons, and at the end.. no, I can’t spoil it for you. Watch it for yourself. If you have seen it before, it will bring back memories, all good of course, and if it is your first time, you will be enchanted, just as I was.

Here is a taster for you, episode 1, part 1

You are going to want to save the entire set of both series because I know that you will want to see it again and again. So, I will give you a link to a free YouTube downloader where you can save each episode and watch it at your leisure in Windows Media Player or Windows Media Centre. Your choice..

http://www.dvdvideosoft.com/products/dvd/Free-YouTube-Download.htm

OK. You have the tools, and you have seen the first episode. What are you waiting for? Permission? Permission granted.

The Morris Marina..

This is a Best of British failure. That it sold in numbers over almost a decade is sad testament to the undemanding nature of many car buyers at the time.

This car, other than the body, was a parts bin special. A nasty plastic interior, the worst colours imaginable, and vague steering were three attributes that it shared with other British auto nasties.

I drove a Ital shooting brake for maybe seven miles way back when. Every time that I approached a turn, I was never sure how the car would negotiate it. There were never two turns alike. It was scary.

The fact that it shared engine and suspension parts with the ubiquitous MGB did nothing for it at all. It was designed as a dreary vehicle, and it didn’t ever disappoint in that way.

Top Gear have it right. Take a look..

And yes, there really is a Morris Marina Owners Club..

So who bought a Marina? Essentially, any undemanding buyer who also didn’t like foreign imports.

Daley, Daley, Daley..

The world’s greatest decathlete ever, and he was British (still is)..

He was the first athlete to win Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European titles and hold world record.

Before him, British Olympic athletic interest was none too high because we didn’t have too many outstanding competitors. Daley changed that, and how we roared. In case you do not know what constitutes a decathlon, read this..

The decathlon requires proficiency in ten events - the shot put, discus and javelin throws; the long and high jumps; the pole vault; the 100 m, the 400 m and the 1500 m run and the 110 m hurdles.

You have to be good to win the Olympic decathlon just once. Our Daley won it twice.. in a row.. yayyyyyyyy.

He began competing in the decathlon in 1975 and won every event he entered from 1978 until 1988, winning gold medals at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games.

It has been suggested that he lights the torch for the 2012 Olympics. I can’t think of anybody more appropriate, can you? Maybe he will whistle the British National Anthem again, for old times sake. Yayyyyyyyyyyy..

You will never read anything bad about Daley. He may have been a little irreverent at times, but that was his to be. He was and always will be one of Britain’s true greats, and we all love him for what he is, and what he did..

For more about our Daley, start here..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daley_Thompson