Spent a smashing weekend in Portchester as it was Mum's birthday yesterday. Headed over Friday afternoon on the train, meeting up with Andy on the way in The Golden Lion. Not a great pub but a good evening anyway and some nice pints of HSB and a chat. Unfortunately it rained on our walk home, but I didn't want to get a taxi anyway. It was refreshing...
Saturday lots of visitors at Mum and Dad's house, nice to see so many of the family in one go. Then, on to Portchester Gala. This was a village fair type thing at Portchester Castle some demonstrations of things like wild birds, and information stands from local people like The Portchester Society1 and their rivals The Popular Judean People's Portchester Civic Society2, but mostly lots of raffles. I won a tin of kidney beans and bottles of appletize and bitter lemon, no booze, nor yet the signed Pompey shirt. Best bit of the day was when we were lured into the church in the castle grounds with the promise of beer, I thought it was a trick but they really were selling their own "Ale Mary" locally brewed beer. We bought half a dozen, they were quite good.
Saturday night dinner in The Clay Oven, Portchester. We were planning to go to Port Solent but decided on just walking there so no-one would have to drive. Very nice meal but it seemed a bit expensive in the final analysis. Dad picked up the tab anyway so I have nothing to complain about.
Sunday, didn't really have time to do anything but head back before lunch, bah, flying visit.
Paul Clarke's weblog - I live in Hythe in the far South. Wed to Clare and dad to two, I am a full-stack web engineer, + I do js / Node, some ruby, python, php ect ect. I like pubbing, running, eating, home automation + other diy jiggery-pokery, history, genealogy, Television, squirrels, pirates, lego, and TIME TRAVEL.