August roundup: TV binges, a family trip to 'the north' and an exciting peek into a HS2 excavation site

 Hello guys, it’s me again!

It’s been quite a while, I know. But I do have an excuse. It’s been so busy! I didn’t say it was going to be a good excuse.

But, as I’ve been up to so much, now that I’m back I can talk you through it all. 

Following on from my TV review a few weeks ago, I have managed to get all the way to late series 2 of Jane the Virgin. It’s getting quite spicy now, so it was hard to decide whether to indulge myself in a Bank Holiday binge, or come and chat with you lot - you should feel very privileged! I have finished the Hampton Court series which was fascinating and have got a few more of the Historic Towns series under my belt too! Another series Matthew and I have got into lately has been an early 2000’s blast from ITV1’s past - Monkey Business. The documentary follows Jim and Alison and all the goings-on at their ape rescue park, Monkey World. They’ve saved so many chimps, orangutans and small monkey breeds since the park's 1987 opening and even after Jim’s passing, Alison still keeps the pioneering spirit alive today. 

An exciting peek at an HS2 excavation site

Apart from all the TV, we’ve started to venture away from Mulie Manor a lot more over the last few weeks, mostly to see my mum in Aylesbury. Last weekend, there was an event going on in one of the nearby villages, Stoke Mandeville, that really piqued my interest. As many of you will know, HS2 is in full swing with much of the Bucks countryside and surrounding towns and villages being disrupted or dug up. With all this digging up inevitably comes the issue of what exactly is buried in the HS2 foundations. This is what seemingly happened in Stoke Mandeville. 

Back over 900 years ago, St Mary’s Church was a communal hub and a place of worship and ritual. However, in the 1880s it went out of use and a new church was built in a more central part of the village. After many decades of neglect, and a tragic death in the late 30’s, the old building was condemned and demolished. Fast forward to 2021 and with HS2 making plans to put their high-speed line right through the neglected site, they invited a team of expert archaeologists and funded a project that would help them and the local communities rediscover the almost thousand-year-old time capsule, and get some fascinating insights into the lives and times of the people who once called this their home.

As Matthew and I pulled up, following the constructed dirt road with our hazard lights on, it looked quite unassuming - just a huge white tent. But on the inside, there was a treasure trove of history. It was amazing to be able to see a real time-team dig in person and to be able to talk to those who were doing the digging. It always blows my mind when I see historical artefacts in ‘the flesh’ as it were. Knowing that all those years ago a church stood where I was standing. Real people walking around, having conversations, making plans, living their lives. We don’t tend to think about it all much now as we’re so busy living our lives, but one day in the year 2200, people of the future will be learning about our lives; our social norms; our ways of living. They may well wonder why the hell we drove petrol cars, or what our fascination was with TV or how on Earth we survived without data chips in our arms with our vitals on. Who knows what the future holds. All I know is, the past amazes me and digs and insights like the one on the site of the old St Mary’s Church keep me so interested in history. Apparently, among the 3000 bodies that were laid to rest at the site (they’d only so far uncovered 2500 when we were there!) There was the body of Robert Gibb who was himself an archaeologist. There were also brick-lined burial chambers which indicated huge wealth. And, one lady, in particular, lived to the age of 90 in the 1700s! 

There was so much to take in, we were there for almost 2 hours. It was a shame we couldn’t walk along the site rather than being on a platform looking down at it, but I could understand there was a lot left to uncover and they wouldn’t want a single grain of carefully documented soil out of place. They do also have plans to re-bury all those whose bodies were uncovered. While HS2 is still a source of controversy, at least they stopped to think and fund a project like this. While it’s rare to have an opportunity to see a site like the old St Mary’s, I do hope I get the opportunity to go to more things like this in the future.

A family trip to the north

Nan with her Wickerman

It’s been quite a while since me, mum and Matthew went to see my nan up in Corby, Northampton. A lot of my mum's side of the family lives up that way, so it’s a nice change to be able to go and see everyone. 

As my nan also has dementia and Alzheimers, it’s become important now more than ever to have regular catch-ups with her to see how she’s getting on. As some of you may know, diseases like Alzheimer's, dementia and Parkinsons are degenerative and so any large amount of time can equate to a lot of change. I did notice some changes when I saw her and we did the inevitable height comparison. When I was little, my height was often measured in direct comparison to my nan who, for as long as I’ve known her, has always been on the shorter side. I think I was taller than her from the age of 8 and the sheer difference in height has only got more comical from there! I’m now about 5 foot 7 and she’s perhaps 4/4 and a half feet (depending on whether she’s stood up or laid down!) so for your imagination, she’s about boob height. For a small woman, she’s got a lot of attitude and it surprised me how much she can recall given her diagnosis. But, like with any medical condition like hers, there are good days and bad days. She doesn’t take any prisoners and neither does my mum so that back and forth dynamic is always fun to witness. 

As we had the car with us (courtesy of Matthew) mum thought it’d be a good idea to head over to Wicksteed Park in Kettering as there are meerkats and birds that nan likes to see. Now, it was soon after we’d arrived that the comedy of errors started. First of all, there was a queue for food. As hunger struck early and at the convenient yet busy time of 12 o’clock me, Matthew and nan went to find a table and sit down while mum got herself something ‘more substantial'. Now, earlier in the day whilst looking around Corby town centre (there’s a surprising amount of stuff there - more than Aylesbury or Abingdon!) I suggested getting some picnic food for our trip. As with many theme parks, food can be expensive and take ages to get. Matthew got some sausage rolls for the road, mum didn’t. Now, fast forward to 12:30, half an hour after mum went to queue for food at Wicksteed Park, and as you can imagine, Matthew and I were looking quite smug with our sausage rolls. Mum had managed to get something for nan, but they quickly sold out of everything else and so she was left joining another queue to get food for herself. Long after me, nan and Matthew had finished and moved onto ice creams, mum finally came back with fish and chips. After that and hearing they did jaffa cake flavour (it was very nice!) she then joined yet another queue!

And so, bellies now full we headed out towards the meerkats and the aviary. Here is where the second comedy of errors happened. We didn’t have tickets. No tickets = no rides. No rides = no meerkats. No meerkats = pissed off nan. So, we went back on ourselves to get tickets. I was then left standing by the kiosk while the other 3 milled about like lemons so I thought I’d take the initiative and buy the tickets. Boy, was I in for a harsh lesson in taking initiative here. First of all, I miscounted how many of us there were and had to be corrected by mum and Matthew who at this point were looking on in amusement as if I was the fascinating, wildlife attraction. I then corrected myself and was told the amount: £52. Fifty. Two. Pounds. I did think it was slightly off but I guessed that was the going rate nowadays given the parking was £6 for the whole day. The amused onlookers (mum and Matthew) then wondered why I was then getting 3 adult wristbands and one concession. It was getting shameful at this point and what started out as confident initiative melted into a state of confusion and bewilderment. Instead of getting 2x adults and 2x concessions, I’d ended up with 3x adults and 1x concession. Or rather, 2x amused adults, 1x shocked, dismayed and discombobulated adult and 1x concession who didn’t know what the fuss was about and just wanted to see the animals. 

One daylight robbery rant later, we were in the aviary looking at the beautiful and colourful birds. There were all sorts of species here. Canaries, parrots, finches, sparrows, budgies and many more all flew around or sat atop wooden perches. It’s rare you find somewhere with open aviaries like this, so it was a good experience, I told myself still with a £52 hole burnt into my pocket. Here in the aviary was yet another hilarious experience, only this time it was not at my expense…well I guess technically it was, but never mind. As we entered another area of the aviary, it became very clear that we had a very animated collection of budgies in our midst. I was taking a picture of a tree with a group of them when mum told me not to step backwards. Why is it as humans we’re always compelled to do what we’ve just been told NOT to do? Don’t worry, I didn’t step on the poor budgie that was hopping around my foot, it was more a rhetorical question on the human condition. 

However, it was not long after this that the budgie struck again, only this time it wasn’t my shoe they had targeted, but my mum's head and shoulders. While I look back at this now and laugh (sorry mum!), at the time I remember feeling both amused and defensive. They looked as if they were going to start picking at my mum's scalp and so with that threat, I tried to shoo them away, only making mums' experience more traumatic. They wouldn’t leave her alone. As soon as she thought she was safe, the same pair landed on her again. You may wonder what nan and Matthew were doing while this was going on? Well, Matthew had turned into a fascinated wildlife photographer, capturing the tortured-yet-amazed moments on his phone, while nan was wondering what on Earth was focussing on another group of finches ahead of her. I guess it was a had-to-be-there moment, but after some reflection, and now in hindsight, I figured that £52 for that...immersive experience was the going rate.

In comparison, the meerkats weren’t anywhere near as entertaining. Simply, one of them was peeping out of their hidey-hole with its babies. They didn’t fancy coming out, even after Queen Nan arrived with her bird-pecked, daylight robbed entourage in tow. We’d (well I’d) just paid £52 to see these guys. The meerkats were the main reason we were there and they could barely be arsed to get out of bed! 

In a further quest to get our money’s worth, Matthew made the executive decision to lead us all to the train. Nan didn’t fancy a ride, but me, mum and Matthew did so we took it in turns nan-sitting. First up: mum and I. The train went around the back of the park by the lake, through a tunnel and back round the other side. It was a nice change of pace considering earlier events and as it rolled back into the station, mum and Matthew swapped shifts nan-sitting and it was mine and Matthew’s turn next on the train. Once again around the lake, obligatory waves to mum and nan and then back at the station. A nice little ride that proved very popular with the kids.

So, with the train done, it was almost time to leave. Almost. Nan wanted another go round the meerkats and the birds, and then just near closing time, mum spotted the carousel and decided to have one for the road. She was mid-gallop when Matthew text me from the car that the park was closed. From where I was standing it didn’t look very closed to me. Nevertheless, once mum was off we headed back to the car and back to Corby.

Overall, I’d say that while Wicksteed was a nice, memorable day out, if you have a large family it soon adds up. Some top tips for you though, 

1. Take a picnic!

2. Take a hat or head covering!

3. If you’re not there with kids, don’t plan to stay all day or don’t plan on going on every ride, get individual tickets!

And that, folks, concludes my blog for this week. I can’t believe it’s September on Wednesday - it’s basically Christmas!! Have a good 4 day week next week and I’ll write again soon.