- One thing that some cyclists do are longer bike rides. These might be multi day trips or one really long ride of a hundred miles or more. ( Ms. Ava Connor)
100 miles or more? HA HA LOL . Like that’s going to happen….
Reflections and Resolutions!
Reflections and Resolutions!
I do hope you have all had a very Merry Christmas!
There has been such a lot of wining, dining and quaffing that has gone on here in Castle Coop recently that my belt now longer fits comfortably. I need to get a grip.
Luckily I was given a ‘Get a Grip’ FitBit for Christmas – it is awesome!
My one is exactly like this:
The strapline for the fitbit says:
Set a goal and go
Flex allows you to set a goal and uses LED lights to show how you’re stacking up. Each light represents 20% of your goal. You choose which one — steps, calories, or distance. It lights up like a scoreboard, challenging you to be more active day after day.
I love the idea of a scoreboard and look!! As well as all the LED lights which I keep admiring as they sparkle, the kind people at Fitbit have already sent me a badge to cut out and keep!
My Badge!
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The Urban Boot Badge … how exciting is that! I’m totally on board for badges and an urban boot badge sounds pretty edgy. I shall cut my badge out and wear it power walking whilst out and about in Castle Coop.
Resolutions for 2015:
Have you made any? If you have any good ideas, I should be delighted if you’d give me some inspiration as I have been getting depressed considering all the scope for self-improvement. Perhaps I could simply focus on accumulating edgy badges.
Should Hope triumph over Experience?
Should I or should I not put chocolate on the list? To date I haven’t done so as the idea of editing chocolate out of my life isn’t very realistic . On the other hand, there is the belt issue. On reflection, I think chocolate had better go on the list.
Oh no!
Happy New Year!
Yours fatly,
The Ceramic Poppies have arrived!
The Ceramic Poppies have arrived…
& they’re so beautiful!
The 5 ceramic poppies – bought in honour of the 5 soldiers who enlisted from Castle Coop and who were killed in WW1 – have arrived safely.
Here they all are:
Just as each soldier was an individual so each of the ceramic poppies is different from all the others.
I can’t get my head round holding these poppies here in Castle Coop, knowing that they were part of that incredible display at the Tower of London. It is amazing to think that those poor 5 soldiers who were killed, all have their own poppies now, right here in the village they once lived in…
What a thrill!
Yours feeling rather awestruck,
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Sofa Cycling !
Sofa Cycling!
For ages now it has been miserable weather here in Castle Coop. Weeks ago, I decided to combat the winter cold by lying on the sofa under several layers of eiderdown with a cup of tea. This strategy has been a great success and is one I can thoroughly recommend. I knew it would make me feel warm & cozy but it has turned out to be educational as well!
The only snag I found was a (very) small worry of mine about not having taken my bike out and about for ages but look! Someone has already thought up the perfect solution…
Sofa Cycling!
video credit: Cornelia IndoorCyclingVideo
Isn’t this a brilliant idea!
It really is the most marvellous feeling being able to put all this dreary weather to good use. Sofa cycling is a simply wonderful discovery. If you watch Cornelia’s fab video, you will be taken on a cycle tour through a beautiful bit of Germany with the added bonus of a wonderful sunrise thrown in for free. Germany looks very scenic and tranquil; viewing it from Cornelia’s bicycle when she is doing all the leg-work while one is actually snuggled up on the sofa with a cup of tea is most enjoyable.
Learning from Cornelia’s film, small, rural villages in Germany seem quite different from Castle Coop; the houses are like mountain chalets and the roads are far emptier than they are in the UK. Fields stretch right up to the roadsides whereas ours are surrounded by hedges which you can’t see over the top of. German wheelie bins however are exactly the same as ours which I didn’t know before.
On You tube, I’ve discovered loads of other cycling videos which have been filmed all over the world. So you see – sofa cycling is excellent for improving both geography and general knowledge.
Isn’t sofa cycling great!
The Agent takes me in hand:
Unfortunately the Agent caught me sofa cycling alongside a beach in Mallorca last week & I failed to convince him of its merits. In no time at all, he’d arranged for an enormous parcel to arrive.
Behold the Beast!
I am now the proud owner of a high-tech dashboard which monitors distance travelled and calories burnt (& not burnt ) and there are also little buttons which flash to remind me to change gear. However, neither eiderdowns nor cups of tea feature in any of its programmes which IMO, is a bit of a downside.
Yours, astonished that the Agent remains impervious to the joys of sofa cycling but getting to grips with all the newly installed flashing technology,
Christmas Crackers at the Ox and Moose!
Christmas Crackers at the Ox and Moose!
Way back in November, Sir Plym emailed all Castle Coopians asking if we’d like to sign up for a Christmas get-together supper at the Ox and Moose.
Dear All,
Egality and I would like to invite you to join us for an early Christmas dinner in the Ox and Moose. We have provisionally reserved the whole of the main dining room and are seeking to attract between 25 (the minimum) and 40 (the maximum) villagers.
Together with St Mary’s and the Village Hall, the O&M is one of Castle Coop’s major plus points; we are keen to support Lady Langshan behind the bar especially as at the same time we can have fun and enjoy some good food and drinkable wine. (Hurrah!)
Lady Langshan from behind the Ox and Moose bar has offered us a special O and M deal on both the food and the wines with a three course Christmas Fayre meal and a small reduction in the normal prices of the listed wines.
We are suggesting dinner on Saturday 6th December at 7.30pm. Please advise us if you’d like to join in by this coming Sunday, 2nd November:
Best wishes,
Plym and Egality
The Agent signed us up toute de suite!
A Box of Crackers!
On Saturday morning, Lady Langshan from behind the Ox and Moose bar, was rushing here, there & everywhere getting everything ready for hosting the Castle Coop Christmas supper. By lunch time she thought she had finished laying up the tables; the Ox and Moose was festooned with ‘Welcome’ bunting and a huge Ox and Moose Christmas Party banner, held up by strategically placed standard lamps was managing to stay put. Completely unexpectedly Sir Burford Brown turned up saying he and Lady Brown wanted their first Christmas in Castle Coop to be “a Cracker”!
Lady Langshan added the crackers to the tables immediately and we all thought the room looked extremely festive – don’t you agree?
Later that night we all had a simply splendid time!
The Graf read his cracker joke out to us
Q. Why is milk fast?
A. because it’s pasturised before you see it!
and then Sir Burford Brown stood up and enacted his joke, walking backwards down the length of the welcome banner saying, “oh, Oh OH!), Apparently he was being Father Christmas on rewind.
We all laughed our heads off (possibly encouraged by the ‘small reduction in the normal prices of the listed wines’).
On finding a whistle in his cracker, Sir Plym immediately brought into play a rule that at every blast of the whistle all the men had to move 2 places clockwise round the tables. Conversation became extremely lively as a result.
Yours beginning to feel swept up by the Christmas spirit,
The Castle Coop Smoke-Off Coup!
The Castle Coop Smoke-Off Coup!
Précis of Events leading up to the Castle Coop Barbecue Smoke-Off:
- Sir Plym organises an Autumn Clear-Up to take place in Castle Coop.
- Apart from Lord and Lady Nudge (absent on a motor -tour in Bavaria), all the villagers promise to help.
N.B. Thanks to Sir Plym’s magnificent organisation co-ordinating rakes, hedge-cutters and wheelbarrows, Castle Coop now looks like a model village.
- Sir Burford Brown & Sir Plym hold forth on the merits of the gas barbecue in the Ox and Moose.
- The Agent and the Chairman of the Village Hall in the Ox and Moose hold forth on the merits of the charcoal barbecue in the Ox and Moose.
- Sir Burford Brown & Sir Plym throw down the gauntlet to the Agent and the Chairman of the Village Hall who pick it up immediately.
- Lady Egality buys a magnificent Smoke-off Trophy to be presented by Trev the Rev to the winning team.
- The Blue team (Sir Burford Brown and Sir Plym) & the Red team (the Agent and the Chairman of the Village Hall) both conduct a fiercely fought campaign publicising the merits of their chosen fuels.
Quiz:
Please read the following questions and tick a) b) or c) to complete this quiz:
The Castle Coop Barbecue Smoke -Off: What Happens Next?
a) In carefully monitored conditions, Sir Burford Brown and Sir Plym cooking on gas in the Blue Corner are voted to have barbecued the most delicious sausages and burgers.
Trev the Rev presesents them with the Castle Coop Smoke -Off Trophy.
b) In carefully monitored conditions, the Agent and the Chairman of the Village Hall cooking on charcoal in the Red Corner are voted to have barbecued the most delicious sausages and burgers.
Trev the Rev presesents them with the Castle Coop Smoke -Off Trophy.
c) Neither of the above.
To all those who are on the verge of ticking either a) or b), here is a clue as to the correct answer:
Brown Owl orchestrated a Barbecue Smoke-Off Coup!
Yes she really did … it was a totally brilliant surprise coup!
Brown Owl’s Wild Card entry – the Brownies toasting marshmallows for us all on a bonfire – made toast of both the Blue team and the Red team.
Declaring the Brownies victorious, Trev the Rev presented them each with a Camp Fire Badge and Brown Owl who was blushing with pride, held the Castle Coop BBQ Smoke-Off Trophy aloft. As our dear vicar pronounced, there are times at a barbecue when nothing ” tastes quite so good as a well toasted marshmallow!”
Mmm, yum – ambrosia!
Yours wondering if any other village has a Brown Owl quite like ours…
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The Castle Coop Campaign Trail!
The Castle Coop Campaign Trail:
There has been frantic last-minute campaigning for tomorrow’s Castle Coop Barbecue Smoke-Off!
In the Blue Corner:
Sir Burford Brown & Sir Plym on their soapbox outside the Village Hall.
In the Red Corner:
The Agent and the Chairman of the Village Hall setting up their sandwich board outside The Ox and Moose.
It’s extremely exciting!
Yours hoping like mad that rain doesn’t stop play tomorrow,
The Castle Coop Barbecue Smoke-Off!
The Castle Coop Barbecue Smoke-Off!
On Saturday, Castle Coop will be a hive of activity. All the villagers were asked weeks ago by Sir Plym to save the date for the Autumn Clear- Up and Barbecue.
Lord and Lady Eftie Nudge were to have waved the flag to start the Clear-Up officially at 10.30am but unfortunately they have taken the Bentley on a vintage car rally in Bavaria and so won’t be able to attend.
Everyone else has promised to bring their rakes, strimmers and wheelbarrows; by Saturday lunchtime all the old summer growth which is making the village look so messy, will be cut back and tidied and the churchyard, the verges and the hedgerows should be in immaculate order ready for the winter… Hurrah!
No-one is really thinking about the Clear-Up however because immediately after it, inspired by the Great British Bake-Off , we’re going to hold our own exciting cooking contest: The Castle Coop Barbecue Smoke-Off !
Although we won’t have Mary Berry to preside over it or the G.B.B.O’s sumptuous marquee, we will have contestants and a prize!
The Blue and the Red Corners:
Sir Burford Brown & Sir Plym will be barbecuing in the Blue (Gas) corner and the Chairman of the Village Hall & the Agent will be barbecuing in the Red (Charcoal) corner.
Ever since an Ox and Moose Friday night session back in September when Sir Burford Brown (who only moved into Castle Coop during the summer) dared to lecture the Agent and the Chairman of the Village Hall about the superior qualities of a quick, clean, gas barbecue over its ‘messy & slow’ – what??? charcoal counterpart, there have been two rival camps in Castle Coop. Both the pro-gas and the pro-charcoal factions have been tireless in their campaigns to canvass support for their cause.
The C.C.B.S.O. Trophy:
Everyone involved in the Autumn Clear-Up will be asked to test out sausages and burgers cooked by both the Reds & the Blues in carefully monitored conditions. A democratic vote will decide which barbecue method we all think produces the most delicious results and Trev the Rev will then present the victors with a magnificent Castle Coop Barbecue Smoke-Off Trophy.
N.B. Strong views as to gas v. charcoal barbecues expressed by the readership of TAH will be read out by Trev the Rev on Saturday.
The magnificent trophy which Lady Egality has just bought online:
Yours getting ready for an epic smoke- off,
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Mad Dogs and Englishmen…
Mad Dogs and Englishmen…
Early this morning, as it was such a beautiful sunshiny day,
I decided to go for a relaxing spin on my bike.
Relaxing? LOL.
Yours remembering with heartfelt nostalgia, those summer days back in July when the sun came out & stayed out & my bike rides were so much more straightforward,
Home » Castle Coop News » International Friday Night Foyle’s War Club News! -Hurrah!
Tomorrow – all three (new) Foyle’s War episodes being screened in central London. But not sure where.
(3:23 PM – 27 Sep 2014)
Yesterday, having been to the screening, Mr. Horowitz tweeted:
I’m going to stick my neck out and say that the next season of Foyle’s War is our best ever. Really.
Isn’t that brilliant news?
© Rex Features / ITV
Inspired by real events in the early Cold War, the new series will see Foyle (Kitchen) immersed in the dangerous world of espionage in his role as a Senior Intelligence Officer for MI5.
Honeysuckle Weeks will reprise her role of Foyle’s trusted ally Samantha Stewart, while thriller writer Anthony Horowitz will again script the new episodes.
The new Foyle’s War will explore the power of American and German industrialists and a major blight of post war Britain – the Black Market.
“We are delighted to see the return of Foyle’s War to ITV,” said ITV’s Head of Drama Series, Jane Hudson.
“Anthony Horowitz has written three outstanding episodes and the audience are in for a real treat. This series also gives us the chance to take the shoot to one of the jewels of the North West, Liverpool.”
The three feature-length episodes will shoot in Liverpool, doubling for post-war London, with transmission planned for 2015.”
Just to refresh the mind and remind one how exciting it is watching DCS Foyle raise his eyebrow while cutting to the chase, here is a trailer from 2013 for the eighth series of Foyle’s War :
Source:www.digitalspy.co.uk
“In his role as a Senior Intelligence Officer for the secret service-MI5 Foyle continues to be immersed in the dangerous world of espionage at a time in our country’s history when political and foreign governmental relationships were delicately balanced.
Honeysuckle Weeks also returns to her role as Samantha Stewart, Foyle’s trusted associate and ally who successfully navigates the shadowy world of intelligence and assists her former boss as he seeks to uncover the truth of the cases he investigates.
With each episode scripted by Anthony, he will explore powerful American and German industrialists, the latter from the chemical giant I G Farben, accused of fuelling Hitler’s War Machine, and reflect on the tangled web of promises to the Jews to create a state of Israel in British Palestine. The major blight of post war Britain, the Black Market, will also feature with the focus on some of the darkest secrets from operations conducted by the British secret service during WW2.”
Source: www.crimespreemag.com
I gather that the new episodes are to air on British TV (on ITV) between January & April 2015. Hurrah! They will be the sugar in the medicine of being cold for months & months. I must go and round up the actual members of the Friday Night Foyle’s War Club so we can plan our reunion meeting!
Don’t forget, if you would like to join us – The Graf (Chairman), Lady Egality (Treasurer), Col. Pyncheon, Lady Sebright & me (Secretary) watching the new series, sign up to be a virtual member of The International Friday Night Foyle’s War Club!
Yours excitedly,
Pedal2Paris was AWESOME!
Those of you who have been loyally following ‘The Awesome Hen’ will know that at the end of last year I had a sudden rush of blood to the head & signed up for the Royal British Legion’s Pedal to Paris 2014 Bike Ride. It was an attempt to do something personally to honour the memories of the Bede Boys -WLS, Tutty and Bob H and to commemorate the Centenary of WW1 by trying to raise money to help today’s gallant service men and women and their families.
Nearly 300 cyclists gathered at Greenwich
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysrMJjG_ANk
to start the ride and we all finished at the Arc de Triomphe 4 days later.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT_0TktHNIU
It was one of the very best experiences of my life; I loved every minute! Without your fantastic support, I could not have done it and I thank all of you very much indeed.
By looking on the web-site of the Royal British Legion, you can see how the charity uses money raised in donations to improve the lives of servicemen and their families. By looking at my blog (Category: ycling from London to Paris) you can read about my efforts to learn to ride a bike properly and (LOL) turn myself into a long distance cyclist.
Yours encouraging anyone who’s thinking about doing something similar to go ahead and do it – it was fabulous!
PEDAL2PARIS 2014
WITH THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION
WAS
AWESOME!!!!
The Route!
View Pedal to Paris in a larger map
THE
CAUSE
WAS
AWESOME!!!
Wreaths were laid to commemorate those who died:
and funds raised to support for those who survive:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ajzy9fjfLtU
(youtube video source: The Royal British Legion)
THE GENEROSITY OF MY
KIND SPONSORS
WAS
AWESOME!!!
THE
ROYAL
BRITISH
LEGION’S
LEGENDARY ORGANISATION AND SUPPORT TEAMS
WERE
AWESOME!!!
(photo credit: Dave Hayward)
MY
FELLOW CYCLISTS
WERE
AWESOME!!!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysrMJjG_ANk
(Youtube video source: British Forces News)
THE WELCOME OUR
FRENCH HOSTS
GAVE US
WAS
AWESOME!!!
They welcomed us with ceremonies at their war memorials in Calais:
Abbeville:
Beauvais:
and at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris:
(photo credits: Dave Hayward)
with bunting in Auchy la Montagne
and with a feature article written by Monique Biéri the ‘Courrier Picard ‘ at Poix de Picardie:
THE
CONSTANT SUPPORT
I WAS GIVEN
BY MY FAMILY & FRIENDS
WAS
AWESOME!!!
both before:
and afterwards:
W. L. S.
(WHO SURVIVED FIGHTING ON THE FRONT LINE IN 2ND YPRES IN 1915
& IN WHOSE MEMORY
I PEDALLED TO PARIS)
WAS
AWESOME!!!
both in his youth:
and in his old age:
THANK YOU ALL SO, SO MUCH!
Yours feeling absolutely thrilled to have been part of The Royal British Legion’s Pedal2Paris ride, 2014,
Pedal2Paris Day 4!
Pedal2Paris Day 4!
Day 4: Beauvais to Paris (100.8km)
taken from the P2P itinerary – The Royal British Legion.
Enjoy the mounting sense of anticipation as you leave Beauvais for the final stretch to Paris. After lunch, you will merge together into one massive peloton for your triumphant entry into Paris.
From the outskirts of the city, Paris police accompany you, sirens blaring, as you wind through city streets to your final destination. Your first view of the Arc de Triomphe as you turn the corner is a magical moment that you will never forget. We are the only bike ride other than the Tour de France that the roads around the Arc are closed fo and cycling around this iconic monument with 300 cyclists is thrilling end to your exhilarating, unforgettable adventure.
But it’s not quite over yet. Before celebrations begin you will, as a group, parade up to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the iconic Arc. During a poignant ceremony, cycling becomes secondary for a few minutes as we remember all those in our Armed Forces who are away from home serving their country – some of them in difficult and dangerous surroundings. What better way to “Stand shoulder to shoulder with all who Serve”?.
But the evening is all about celebration as we toast your fantastic achievement! As your bike heads back to London, you travel by coach to your hotel and a final celebratory dinner together, hosted by The Royal British Legion.
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Day 4 – Beauvais to Menucourt
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Menucourt
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Day 4 Menucourt to Paris
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Paris
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and here are the very last hills for our trip:
Yours thrilled to bits to be in Paris!
Pedal2Paris Day 3!
Pedal2Paris Day 3!
Information taken from: P2P itinerary – The Royal British Legion.
Day 3: Abbeville to Beauvais (106.9km)
Following a rousing send-off from the people of Abbeville, we continue our cycling by heading south through the Somme region.
The Somme is remembered for the terrible battles of the First World War and the beautiful countryside is studded with cemeteries and other poignant reminders of the thousands of men who lost their lives. You will continue through the Oise Region of Picardie and in the afternoon there will be a special reception at the small village of Auchy La Montagne, where each year the villagers give us a wonderful welcome in thanks for their liberation by British Forces in the Second World War.
The day ends with a ceremony at the war memorial in Beauvais followed by a drinks reception at the Fire Station, before coaches take you to your hotels.
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Day 3 – 7.00am breakfast in hotels 7.40am coach from Cap Hornu 8.00am coaches from Ibis and Mecure hotels 8.45am War Memorial ceremonyDepartures at 9.00am, 9.45am and 10.00am |
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Day 3 – Abbeville to Poix de Picardie
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Poix de Picardie
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Day 3 – Poix de Picardie to Auchy la Montagne
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Auchy la Montagne
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Day 3 – Auchy la Montagne to Beauvais
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Beauvais
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Here is the map for the hills:
Yours with only one more day to go until PARIS!!!
Pedal2Paris Day 2!
Pedal2Paris Day 2!
Information taken from: P2P itinerary – The Royal British Legion.
Day 2: Calais to Abbeville (120.9km)
A moving ceremony at the Calais War Memorial begins our first day in France. After laying a wreath of Remembrance, set off south-west through the beautiful undulating fields and open countryside of the Pas de Calais region. Cycling is the national sport of France and you’ll receive a warm welcome with locals cheering and waving you on your way.
Rolling road-closures and our fleet of support vehicles make sure you need stop for no-one as you cycle to ancient Desevres for lunch. You’ll then pass through the picturesque villages of Roussent and Crécy-en-Ponthieu. Our final leg of the day will bring you to the stunning town of Abbeville, which lies on the River Somme. Abbeville suffered badly in a German air raid in WW2 but its beautiful Flemish-style architecture is still in evidence.
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Calais Town Hall
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Day 2 – Calais to Desvres
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Desvres
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Day 2 – Desvres to Roussent
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Roussent
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Day 2 – Roussent to Crècy-en-Ponthieu
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Crècy-en-Ponthieu pit stop
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Crècy-en-Ponthieu to Abbeville
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Abbeville
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and this is what the hills will be like:
Yours very pro the ‘plain sailing bits’,
Pedal2Paris Day 1
Pedal2Paris Day 1
Information taken from : P2P itinerary – The Royal British Legion..
Pedal to Paris
The Royal British Legion’s signature bike ride. 300 cyclists on a 4-day ride to Paris with a triumphant finish at the Arc de Triomphe. The starting point is Greenwich Park. Please note: Google maps add the distance and DRIVING time to this map. Cycling time is not included.
Day 1: London to Calais (129km)
Leave the capital bright and early from Greenwich Park, accompanied by our motorbike outriders, and head for the coast through some of Kent’s finest scenery.
Leave the capital bright and early from Greenwich Park, accompanied by our motorbike outriders, and head for the coast through some of Kent’s finest scenery.
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Start – Greenwich Park
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Day 1 – Greenwich to Aylesford
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Royal British Legion Village, Alyesford
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Day 1 – Aylesford to Sellindge
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Sellindge Sports and Social Club
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Day 1 – final leg to Dover
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Dover
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Ferry to Calais
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There’s been a lot of talk on here about tough hills, so we asked the super-efficient P2P organisers to highlight key elevation moments that might be challenging. Here’s what they told us…
Yours, not quite believing that I’m really on my way!
The Die is Cast!
The Die is Cast!
I’ve been for my last training ride.
I thought it would be miserable as it was starting to rain, but it turned out to be brilliant fun!
Under Starter’s Orders:
I was just putting on my helmet when Sir Plym appeared driving his lawnmower. He’d been cutting the grass in the churchyard and on the spur of the moment, he challenged me to a race down The Street. The Agent drew up the course with the starting line at the church lych gate and the finish at the Ox and Moose. Lady Egality was in charge of waving the chequered flag, aka her hat.
We set off and I couldn’t believe it – it wasn’t even neck and neck. Maybe I will be fast enough to keep up with everyone else on the Pedal2Paris.
An encouraging email:
I have been so anxious recently about riding slowly – every other cyclist I meet on the road seems to overtake me. However just after my race, I received an email from kind Dan, the Events Administrator for The Royal British Legion.
Please do not worry about your speed, I am sure you will be fine and find plenty of company in one of our speed groups and our ride captains (they’ll be the riders in red) are a fantastic help.
Don’t you think that is encouraging? It never occurred to me that there might be anyone slow in a ‘speed’ group – perhaps I’ll find a cycling buddy!
And…the thought of ride captains who ‘help’ is very reassuring.
A new shirt arrives!
There was also an exciting post this morning. The Royal British Legion has sent me an official shirt to wear!
Isn’t the bit with the supporters cheering us all on, shouting, Bon Courage ! & Allez ! fab ?
The die is cast!
I’ve been for my last training ride. It is now too late for me to get any better at cycling, any fitter or any faster.
The die is cast!
Yours, beginning to get really excited,
I have just found this message on the RBL’s Facebook page:
You’ve all been training so hard and putting so much time into fundraising for the Legion, we wanted to say ‘well done’
– and remind you of the important work the charity will be able to do thanks to your superb efforts. Give yourself a pat on the back!
I should like to pass my pat onto all those who have so kindly and generously sponsored me.
Thank you all so much!
Stop Press:
I’ve just been looking on the website of the Paris hotel where the RBL have kindly booked me a room to stay in on Sunday night should I actually manage to stagger up to the Arc de Triomphe..
Here is a promotional photograph showing a suggested ‘leisure’ activity:
Is someone having a laugh?
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Juicing for Health!
Juicing for Health!
In an effort to pin down a bit of Health and Wellbeing for myself, I decided I need to approach it from the inside out. In the library yesterday, I came across a book called, ‘Food and Juice for Health ‘.
On the front cover is a picture of two large glasses of red berry juice full of raspberries floating about. Doesn’t it look delicious? 
(Picture source: Photodisc)
The book’s strap line reads: ‘Everything you need to know to keep your body immune system and general wellbeing in perfect health”. It all sounded such useful information that without a moment’s hesitation, I passed my library card under the borrower’s bar-code scanner; five minutes later, the book was safely in my bag, travelling home.
Some depressing news:
In the afternoon, my dearest friend Lady Egality came over to warn me that Brown Owl is on one of her campaigns to get us to volunteer to plan the Church Flower Arranging Rota. Immediately both of us felt absolutely worn out and headachy. Recently Lady Egality has been so busy training her scrumptious new puppy and I have been so taken up with the Pedal2Paris ride that neither of us have given a thought to our village responsibilities. It doesn’t seem that long ago since we last organised the dreaded flower rota – and apparently it’s our turn again already.
An infallible remedy:
Luckily, as my library find, ‘Food and Juice for Health‘ was lying on the kitchen table, a solution for our low spirits was within easy reach. Apparently, a juice made simply of broccoli, parsley, apples and celery and served in a glass over ice absolutely guarantees re-invigoration and provides a counter-blast to fits of depression.That’s amazing isn’t it?
In a jiffy, Lady E and I had set to work, assembling the magic potion. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any broccoli, parsley, celery or ordinary apples, but we used our initiative and substituted cooking apples, carrots, strawberries, pineapple and melon. 
By the time the first bit of power juice streamed into the jug, we were so interested, we forgot to worry about our headaches. 
Don’t you think that the garnish of basil chosen by Lady E in lieu of the missing parsley looks professional? Looking at this photograph now, I realise I forgot all about the ice we were meant to add. 
Lady Egality and I spent the next hour by the Aga, happily boosting our health and wellbeing with our delicious power juice while discussing what to say to Brown Owl re the dreaded flower rota.
Yours, now feeling zingy enough to begin ringing round Castle Coop with dates for the Church Flower Arrangers’ diaries so as to have the rota sorted before Brown Owl nabs us.
Total Panic!
Total Panic!
Today I found this picture on the Royal British Legion’s Facebook page:
then I found this:
Hi All, just thought I’d introduce myself. I’m one of the Paramedics who will be riding with you to Paris. See you soon. Wiggy
and then this:
All these riders from the Pedal2Paris 2013 ride, seem to be on stretcher tables although the girl in the foreground looks quite jolly which is something…
I am not very brave. I don’t mean to be ungrateful or rude, but I don’t want to see a Paramedic soon, even though Wiggy sounds absolutely charming. Do you think I am over-reacting?
In just 2 weeks, I’ll find out if I’m a feckless grasshopper instead of a worthy ant…
Oh no!
Yours thinking I should find a paper bag to start hyperventilating into,
And now I see that another new picture horror has just been posted onto the Royal British Legion’s Pedal 2 Paris Facebook page:
I think this is called ‘showing off ‘, don’t you? The cyclist is smiling for goodness’ sake.
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It’s Time to Put the Pressure On!
It’s Time to Put the Pressure On!
I’m having some qualms about cycling to Paris. Look what’s been posted on the Royal British Legion’s Facebook page:
Less than three weeks to the starting pistol, how’s the training going?
Are you working on your average speed, long distances, uphill slogging (we’ve heard the approach to Dover is tough) – or are you putting your feet up and preserving your energy?
That word ‘slogging’ sounds dubious; don’t you think the RBL gurus are trying to tell me something? I sense the bit about putting my feet up and preserving my energy is code for LOL.
The comments that other Pedal2Paris riders are leaving on the RBL Facebook page are also giving me pause for thought. Several mention 100 mile + training rides which ‘help to get saddle time’.
Oh no…. And now the Agent has kitted me out so beautifully, I can’t even blame my tools.
Yours feeling quite sick about that approach to Dover,
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Paris is only 4 weeks away!
Paris is only 4 weeks away!
The final countdown for the Poppy Bike ride has begun.
The Royal British Legion has just published this message on its facebook page:
I’m not sure whether to be excited or alarmed.
Do you think this reminder is intended to be encouraging or unnerving?
After months and months of thinking about the ‘Pedal to Paris ride’, suddenly, it’s almost upon me. I don’t know whether I will have trained enough or not. I do hope I will have done so but …I have qualms.
What should my priorities be for my last-minute ‘Pedal to Paris’ preparations?
Given that I’ve only a month left for last-minute tweaks to my training schedule, I googled the web last weekend to find out what the well-prepared cyclist prioritizes. What would you make of these bits of advice?
- …cyclists training for long-distance rides should push themselves to the limits to prepare. You should reach your VO2 max, or maximum oxygen consumption capabilities, during training to evaluate your ability to successfully complete a long bike ride. (Ms. Linda Ray)
Oh no! I can’t say that I’ve exactly pushed myself ‘to the limits’ during my carefree whizzes through the country lanes around Castle Coop – I’ve never even heard of ‘VO2 max’ before and I still walk rather than ride my bike up some of the hills.
- Long distance cycling is more mental than physical…. it’s the mind and the desire to persevere that forces a cyclist onwards. Having a positive attitude keeps a person going forward and over the next hill. (Articlesbase)
…more mental than physical – what???? I’ve less than a month to go and now they tell me that all this time I should have been training my brain to pedal to Paris….
- Get together your gear for your trip. ( Ms. Ava Connor)
Now that sounds much more do-able…. An officially sanctioned shopping trip – yay, I can manage that!
A Trip to London:
No sooner had I read that I should get my gear together for the Pedal to Paris ride (as a priority) than I found myself nipping onto a train to go to a bicycle shop in the City, near Liverpool Street.
I thought a day shopping in London would be fun and it was! I love the people in their amazing clothes, the shop window displays, the buses, the bustle and all the colour & noise. It’s such an exciting city to be in!
Guess which shopper is me!
Nirvana!
Yours having come home completely laden with exciting bags full of things to pedal to Paris with,
August 4th: 1914 – 2014
August 4th: 1914 – 2014
‘The lamps are going out all over Europe…’
(Sir Edward Grey, Britain’s Foreign Minister, August 4th 1914)
To commemorate the centenary of the Declaration of WW1 August 4th, 1914, tonight the lights were turned off in London. The Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral were all in darkness from 10.00pm. In Westminster Abbey, candles were snuffed out one by one until the only gleam of light came from a burning oil lamp by the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.
Having gathered together around the village flag pole to watch the Union Jack lowered as the Last Post played, villagers here in Castle Coop also switched off all the lights in our homes bar one between 10.00 and 11.00. so that we could join in the nation-wide tribute to those who died.
Yours, thinking about everything that happened one hundred years ago,
Home » Castle Coop News » Friday Night Foyle’s War Club: Sunflower!
Friday Night Foyle’s War Club: Sunflower!
Club notes: Tonight we’re watching the very last episode in the ‘Foyle’s War: The Complete Collection’ set of DVDs which I was given for my birthday last year by the Agent.
During our Friday Night Club meetings, we have watched:
& Sunflower (tonight’s episode)
Tonight therefore marks the temporary suspension of our International Friday Night Foyle’s War Club until the next 3 episodes of Foyle’s War are aired.
Club Minutes:
Apologies: The Graf (Club Chairman) who is summering in Sweden.
Attendees: (Virtual): Martha from America, MohairMK, Kitchentease, C. Nelson, Digby D, ayresorchids, Miss Peppermint and British Detectives from America. (Actual): Lady Egality (Club Treasurer), Lady Liberty (Club Secretary) Lady Sebright, Colonel Pyncheon.
Venue: Castle Coop and various international locations.
Announcements:
1. As we are watching the last episode of the Foyle’s War Collection, we are all trying to decide which has been our absolute top favourite episode so far and why.
2.Tonight the Actual Members will be drinking tea with a whiskey shot (in honour of DCS C Foyle) and eating Flapjacks (which we all like and Lady Sebright has made a huge tinful – yum!).
3. A reminder to all Club Members – don’t forget to place a Foyle’s War picture in the room where you are attending the meeting. Our one for tonight has Sergeant Milnerin. I know he has been written out but for tonight, I wanted a picture of the original three!
Sunflower:
Tonight we will be watching: Episode 3 , Series 7*: ‘Sunflower”
Plot:
Foyle investigates a former Nazi SS officer Strasser (Lars Eidinger), now protected by MI5 in exchange for providing Russian intelligence. Threats, a bullet and sunflower refer to Operation Sunflower 1944 in France, where Strasser ordered 26 surrendered American soldiers shot, but claims he was elsewhere at a desk. American officials want him turned over as a war criminal. Meanwhile, Sam orders a phone tap after Adam suspects a government minister of illegal land speculation when a complainant is viciously assaulted. (source: Wikipedia)
A Slip-up:
The U.S. Flag flying outside the Embassy has the wrong configuration of stars. In 1946 the 48 stars were in a block formation (even rows) The flag shown had staggered rows.(Source: www.imdb.com)
Memorable Dialogue (given its context at the end of the series):
Samantha Stewart: Where to, sir?
Christopher Foyle: Good question.
What a relief that we know now that the answer to Sam’s question turned out to be ...towards 3 more episodes which are in the can!
Having thought about it, I’ve decided that ‘Bleak Midwinter’ is the episode I’d take to a desert island. Some of it was filmed in Odiham where I go nearly every day & it’s so exciting to walk about knowing that DCS Foyle, Sergeant Milner and Sam Stewart were all actually there!
Which episode would you take if you were marooned?
Yours, keenly awaitng the next installment in 2015 and thanking all our virtual members -Martha from America, MohairMK, Kitchentease, C. Nelson, Digby D, ayresorchids, Miss Peppermint and British Detectives from America – for their loyal virtual attendance and informative comments (eg. about why men stopped wearing the fabulous Fedora).
On behalf of the Friday Night Foyle’s War Club Committee, I should like raise a mug of tea and a shot glass to wish you all ‘Au Revoir until 2015 & Good Health’ and to say we all feel we’ve made some wonderful new friendships!
There was an old woman who swallowed a fly!
There was an old woman who swallowed a fly!
Guess what I did on my bike ride this afternoon? Yes I did!
It was absolutely horrid. Yuk, yuk, yukyukyukyuk euuugghh….
The rest of my ride nearly made up for the horror of the fly. It felt perfect to be outside in the sunshine bowling along this little lane…
…to be able to admire this view:
and then to chance upon this dear little well in the middle of the road!
When I arrived back at home and told the Agent all about the fly horror, he said I was obviously cycling far too slowly and then bet me £2.00 my tyres were flat.
Flat tyres!
I couldn’t believe it – I’d only just prodded them the other day and they felt absolutely bursting with air to me. However the Agent tested them with the pressure gauge and snorted when he saw the reading. Then he gave me a massive lecture & I gather I am to test them properly with the pressure gauge every time I take the bike out in future. I felt too ashamed of my careless habits to confess that I had no idea how to do this. As soon as he had gone out, I googled for help and found it here at helpful BikeRadar :
(By George Ramelkamp | Wednesday, April 30, 2014)
Keen to try a bit of DIY bike maintenance but worried your ‘can-do’ approach might end up as one big ‘can-D’OH!’? Check out BikeRadar‘s top 10 DIY ‘Don’ts’ to keep you out of trouble.
Psi
Don’t ignore tyre pressure. Riding around with soft tyres can open up a can of worms, full of inconvenience, as well as dragging down your spirit and top speed. Always check your tyres before heading out on a ride; some thinner walled inner tubes can lose between 5 and 20psi a day. Either give them a squeeze by applying firm pressure to the top with your thumb or ping them with a firm flick of the finger. They should produce a drum-like hollow sound and feel very firm when at the correct pressure. Use a good floor pump with an accurate gauge to get the correct inflation, then learn to identify by feel when you’ve reached that correct pressure, for those times you’ll be using your hand pump by the road- or trailside.
Gosh – I had no idea I risked so much, riding around with poorly inflated tyres. Can of Worms …inconvenience …dragging down my spirit and my top speed... What??? Thank you BikeRadar for putting me straight and telling me how to get my PSI sorted.
PSI?
In a trice, I learnt that PSI means ‘Pounds per Square Inch‘ and the correct PSI is written on the tyre. I then applied myself to pinging and producing the required ‘drum-like hollow sound...’ on the Poppy Bike.
In a jiffy, the pressure gauge went from this:
to this:
Yours, feeling pleasingly competent (although £2.00 down),
The Friday Night Club: The Cage!
The Friday Night Club: The Cage!
Club notes: The Committee of The Friday Night Foyle’s War Club would all like to be sitting outside on a beautiful balmy summer’s evening. And tonight we can be! Yay!
I’ve been having such a happy time basking in the sun this afternoon and now the Agent has kindly set up the TV screen outside for me so that we can enjoy watching ‘The Cage’ while the sun sets.
Club Minutes:
Apologies: Colonel Pyncheon (Actual Member)
Attendees: (Virtual): Martha from America, MohairMK, Kitchentease, C. Nelson, Digby D, ayresorchids, Miss Peppermint and British Detectives from America. (Actual): Lady Egality (Club Treasurer), Lady Liberty (Club Secretary) Lady Sebright.
Venue: Castle Coop and various international locations.
Announcements:
1. Tonight, as the Graf is still summering in Scandinavia and Colonel P has presented his apologies, the I.F.N.F.W Club committee will be entirely feminine. The last time we watched al fresco, Lady Sebright made us all pose as French picnickers so she could pretend to be Manet.
Tonight I hope she will leave her artistic genius at home so that Lady Egality and I can properly concentrate on Hastings’ Crime Fighting superhero aka DCS Foyle.
A Boys’ Day Out!
Lady S is a bit put out that Colonel Pyncheon has abandoned both us and Foyle’s War. Inexplicably he’s elected to go carousing in the Ox and Moose with Sir Plym, the Chairman of the Village Hall and the Agent as the four of them have just returned from a Boys’ Day Out watching the Test Match at Lords.
At the close of play, the score was pretty even-stevens and we three Grass Widows were informed that a convivial post-match drink in the O & M would be absolutely necessary so that today’s play can be thoroughly dissected and analysed.
2.Tonight the Actual Members will be drinking Cranberry Juice (possibly with vodka) and eating black kalamata olives.
3. A reminder to all Club Members – don’t forget to place a Foyle’s War picture in the room where you are attending the meeting.
Here is our one for tonight: (photo source: www.foyleswar.com )
The Cage:
Tonight the International Friday Night Foyle’s War Club will be watching:
Episode 2 , Series 7*: ‘The Cage’
Plot:
The disappearance of a Foreign Office official appears to explain the deaths of a number of Russian agents working for British Intelligence. An apprehensive Sam is also now working at MI5 HQ while helping her husband Adam, who is standing as a Labour Party candidate at the Peckham by-election. While on the campaign trail, Adam meets a woman who asks for his help in finding her daughter Evelyn who has been missing for three days. Back at MI5, Sam notices documents referring to Evelyn Greene, the missing woman from her husband’s potential constituency. But as Foyle continues with his enquiries, the wall of silence surrounding a mysterious military facility leads him to question the motives of his own colleagues.
Historical context
Much of this story is loosely based on the real “Tin Eye” Stephens who successfully ran Camp 020, an interrogation centre near London during World War Two.After the war he ran another in Bad Nenndorf in Germany but was tried for the maltreatment of prisoners, some of whom died. He was tried in a German court and found not guilty, but others involved were not. (Source: Wikipedia)
*N.B. The Episode categorisation is a complete muddle – The I.F.N.F.W.C. Committee has decided for clarity’s sake to categorise each episode as it is named on the ‘Foyle’s War: The Complete Collection’ dvd disc set. Wikipedia however, categorises ‘The Cage’ as Episode 2, Series 8
Yours, missing Sergeant Milner; Adam just isn’t the same,
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A Village Brainstorming Session: Part 2
A Village Brainstorming Session: Part 2
At 7.15 the night before last, the Chairman of the Village Hall was to be found once again chairing a meeting of the Castle Coop fund-raising team. “We’ve been mulling over our proposed money-making ideas for a week now’, he told us, ‘ and need to reach a consensus of opinion asap as to which ones to run with, so that we can get cracking.’
It was pretty clear that ‘asap’ actually meant 8.00pm because he’d put out a little clock next to his pen on the table top in front of him, with the alarm set to signal the end of the meeting in 45 minutes.
What do a scaffold and an alarm clock have in common?
Back in the 1770s Samuel Johnson said,
“When a man knows he is to be hanged…it concentrates his mind wonderfully”. Luckily, our minds were focused by the ticking clock and no scaffold was needed. We put on an impressive display of concentration and simply zipped through the agenda.
In a jiffy we had our outline plan.
Six months’ worth of proposed fund-raising Entertainments:
July: Race Night at the Ox and Moose – to be organised by Colonel Pyncheon
August: Fete weekend featuring Open Gardens, Tennis Tournament/Duck and Boat Races/ Chauffeured Golf Cart Rides/ Dog, Flower and Cake Show – to be organised by Lady Lohmann-Brown, Brown Owl, and the Misses Pepperpot
September: Safari Supper to be organised by Lady Egality.
October: Halloween Barbecue to be organised by the Chairman of the Village Hall and the Agent
November: Quiz- to be organised by the 2013 winners -Hurrah! Sir Plym, Lady E, the Agent and I only came 4th last year (see report here) & so don’t have to lift a finger for this event.
December: Church Bell Ringing Marathon and Concert in the Church for the lead up to Christmas – to be organised by the Reverend Rosecombe and Lady Sebright
New Year’s Eve: 70’s Dance in the Village Hall – to be organised by Sir Plym, Lady Egality and me (which is brilliant as Lady E and I have already designed Sir Plym’s costume and the prototype invitation as we were hoping to hold a fancy dress party for the village in August (see report here). We just have to change it from being a summer extravaganza to a winter one!)
Time is called:
At this point the alarm clock went off. As the Chairman of the Village Hall doesn’t believe in mucking about, the meeting was swiftly terminated and the Village Hall fund-raising team promptly and happily adjourned to the Ox and Moose.
The Safari Supper:
Lady E doesn’t muck about either. By this morning she had a flyer for her Safari Supper ready to go: CASTLE COOP SAFARI SUPPER! Saturday, 13/09/14
The Village Hall Committee is planning a Safari Supper for Castle Coopians! It will be an absolutely fab event; we will be travelling all around the village eating each of the three courses of our suppers in different homes and with different sets of fellow guests. You eat your starter at House A, main course at House B and pudding at House C. At each different house, you will sit with different dining companions! Offer to Host a course and get your tickets for only £10 Go to all three courses as a guest and buy a ticket for £25!
Beverly from America commented last week that she hadn’t come across a Safari Supper before. Lady E has asked me to say she hopes her flyer explains the concept properly. We are also very grateful to both ‘thinkingofyouandme’ and Billy for their great fundraising ideas.
Yours, looking forward to Race Night at the Ox and Moose!
A Pedal to Paris Training Update – Help!
A Pedal to Paris Training Update – Help!
I sat down yesterday with the calendar. According to ical, I have 7 weeks until my ‘Pedal to Paris’ ride. That is only 35 week days (with 3 left in hand for emergency training). I’m going to have to focus!
I then sat down with the suggested Training Programme given to me by kind Graham from the Royal British Legion back in the new year and studied it. The only possible conclusion to make is that I’m going to have to shape up pretty fast. Just look at this:
Suggested Training Programme:
Please note that a gentle cycle to and from
work each day is not going to be enough.
Oh dear…see how the trainers have gone out of their way to point out rather firmly that gentle cycling just won’t cut it; they must know that I’m all too happy to harbour this kind of fatal delusion.
5-6 months before
You should be aiming to cover a minimum of
60 miles a week. Break it down into manageable
pieces: try two short 15 milers a week and a
30 miler at the weekend with a pit stop.
I’ve sort of done that (more or less). Hurrah!
3-4 months before
You should try to cover about the same distance
during the week i.e. total 30 miles, but aim to
increase the weekend ride to 40-45 miles, with
some pit stops.
Oh no – I haven’t done the weekender 40/ 45 miles at all – not even with lots of pit stops – but I have done the right mileage. Do you think that will count?
1-2 months before
You should now have longer days and more light.
Try to increase your weekday rides to 20 miles
each but keeping your weekend ride to 40-45
miles, as before.
So this is where I should be now. The weekday rides are in hand but I’ve got to start doing the 40-45 mile rides from scratch.
In 7 weeks, I’ve got to be able to cycle:
Day 1: London to Calais (129km)
Day 2: Calais to Abbeville (120.9km)
Day 3: Abbeville to Beauvais (106.9km)
Day 4: Beauvais to Paris (100.8km)
Helphelphelphelphelphelphelphelp.
SHAPE UP LIBERTY HEN –
To focus the mind, I have acquired a new top to cycle in:
What do you think of it? I was worried in case people would mistake it for ‘The Yellow Jersey’…
-
[Definition of yellow jersey (n)
Bing Dictionary- yel·low jer·sey
- race leader’s jersey: in the Tour de France, the jersey awarded to the cyclist with the fastest elapsed time at a completed stage of the race]
The Agent however has reassured me, saying there’s absolutely no possibility that anyone would ever make such a mistake. He has said though, that it is very…yellow.
Yours, confidently looking forward to feeling both focused and high viz…
Feeling a bit meh? Is your standard information diet – The Times, Le Figaro, Die Welt, The Washington Post et al… ok for global news but not quite cutting it on those all – important village updates?
Catching up with ‘The Awesome Hen’
Want to join us but don’t live in Castle Coop? You’re in luck ! Yay!
Our crack Editorial Team at The Awesome Hen:
News Reporter
Lady Liberty Hen
WW1 Centenary & Barbecue Enthusiast
The Agent Pastoral Guide
The Rev. Rosecomb (aka Trev the Rev) Film and TV Buff
The Graf von Blommehön Gardening Guru
Lady Lohmann-Brown Party giver Extraordinaire
Lady Egality Maran Sporting Correspondent
Sir Plymouth Rock Author of '101 Ways to Organise Everything & Everyone'
Brown Owl Castle Coop Local Celebrity
Lady Eftie Nudge Castle Coop Resident Tourist
Julia. I'm allowed to be present at editorial meetings so long as I sit at the back & colour in quietly. 
Content Copyright 2021
All original content copyright The Awesome Hen 2021.
All rights reserved.
All the villagers you meet in The Awesome Hen live in the virtual village of Castle Coop and nowhere else. They are entirely their own selves and have no alter egos in either the actual or the virtual world.