Alice in Wonderland

Alice and her sister

rabbit

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do. Once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, “and what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversations?”

– Lewis Carroll

Probably the most famous opening lines in English literature, the opening lines from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was written for Alice Liddell. She and her two sisters, Lorina Liddell and Edith Liddell, were on a boat trip on the river near Oxford, with Reverend Robinson Duckworth and the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. To keep the girls from getting bored, Charles Dodgson told them a story about a little girl called Alice who followed a White Rabbit down a rabbit hole.

• And what is the use of a book, without pictures or conversations?

For Annie, with love.

Lunch at Debenhams

roast pork and vegetables

River Wey Guildford

The roast pork at Debenhams probably was quite good, had I been earlier, but due to kerfuffle at Guildford Station was late, the vegetables may have been edible, maybe the service may have been better and the tables cleared.

Service appalling. 5-10 minutes wait to be served. Another 5 minutes wait to pay. I almost walked out. Tables not cleared.

I should have gone to The keystone for lunch.

The only redeeming factor, the view of the River Wey.

The roast pork was the scrag end leftovers. More than I could eat. I thought maybe they had boxes for customers to take out their cakes. But no. problem solved, squeezed into a takeaway coffee cup.

Lost item on a train

On the 1334 Reading-Gatwick train I bought a ticket.

Alighting at Guildford, I realised I had left railcard on the train, or maybe dropped it. I asked could I go back on the train to collect it, to be told no, speak to the station staff.

Station staff tell me nothing to do with them, they are Southwest Trains, I need to speak to First Great Western who operate the Reading-Gatwick train. They give me a number and I call First Great Western. Difficult to understand what she is telling me. She says I need to talk to Southern Trains, as they operate Gatwick which is the terminating station for the journey. And no, the driver cannot be contacted and the railcard dropped off as train passes back through Guildford, and if railcard is handed in at originating station, which is Reading, it will end up at Bristol.

Southern are equally unhelpful. Railcard would go to Victoria, but this would take up to six days.

My phone then runs out of credit. Both companies operate premium rate 0845 numbers, both have waffle to listen to, not content to rip passengers off with expensive rail fairs, they rip them off again on their phone charges.

I now find I am unable to get off the station because I have no ticket. No way am I going to pay again. Station manager is called. He lets me off the station, but says I will not be able to get back on a train as I have no ticket.

Later, one little bit of good news, I find I do have my tickets, but no railcard.

If anyone has any sense, they will see, if railcard is recovered, my name. All they have do do is look me up on their own records, and post me the railcard, but that would be far far to easy.

Disastrous day in Guildford and Godalming

River Wey Godalming

River Wey Godalming

I alight from Reading-Gatwick train at Guildford, realise have left Railcard on train, but not allowed back on train to retrieve, then do battle with several different rail companies.

Late lunch at Debenhams. Roast pork probably was quite good had I been earlier. I get dried up leftovers.

Decide to hop on a bus to Godalming for tea and a cake. As I approach bus stop, I see a bus approaching, stick out my hand for bus to stop. Bus sails past. Bastard! Long wait for next bus which is over ten minutes late.

Godalming I find coffee bar has closed early as quiet day.

I decide to sit by the river, only to find most of the seats have been ripped out.

I walk to bus stop, only to find I have missed a bus, long wait for next bus.

I walk back to the river, discover I have lost my hat, sun in my eyes.

By now, very bad headache.

I walk back to bus stop. I expect long wait as buses always late. Bus is early, not only early, but leaves early, I am very lucky to have caught the bus.

But at least the evening talk by Canon Robert Cotton of Holy Trinity and St Mary on Resurrection and beyond was to end the day on a high note.

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Today, St George’s Day, search for Alice.

First the farmers market, then I got waylaid at Milk & Honey, a lovely little deli cum café on the left hand side of the main entrance into the Castle Grounds in Guildford, then on to find Alice.

I will not say where Alice is located as she is well hidden, but she is there.

The statue of Alice passing through the looking glass was made by Jean Argent in 1990. The statue stands in a very secluded spot, what once was the garden of Castle Gate, the house beyond. If you know where to look, can also be seen Chestnuts, the home of Lewis Carroll and his sisters. In 1871, Lewis Carroll completed Alice Through the Looking Glass whilst at Chestnuts.

Lewis Carroll used to take long walks in the local area. It was whilst on one such long walk came the inspirtaion for The Hunting of the Snark.

Earlier in the day, I had hoped to visit St Mary’s, the church associated with Lewis Carroll, where as an ordained minister he would occasionally preach. It is rarely open, farmers market is one of those rare days when it is open, but they must have forgot today was a special market for St George’s Day, as it was closed.

For my lovely friend Annie.

Milk & Honey

Milk & Honey

I had never noticed Milk & Honey before, probably because it was not there.

A little deli cum café on the left hand side of the main entrance into the Castle Grounds in Guildford, the top end where is located the bowling greens and a bandstand where plays take place.

I was actually on my way to visit Alice Through the Looking Glass, but the best laid plans of mice and men …

I decided to pop in and take a look. I was there all afternoon until late afternoon or early evening.

Occasionally one finds a lovely food place, where as soon as you walk in the door you see it is a labour of love. Grocer and Grain in Brighton is one such place, and that is what I was reminded of when I walked into Milk & Honey.

Home made cakes, coffees, teas. In the window Easter eggs. Easter eggs? Greek Easter is 5 May.

When people bought a cake, or a piece of cheese, it was lovingly wrapped and tied with a ribbon.

I looked up, and what I had not noticed before, handmade jewellery hanging from the ceiling.

I suggested for the summer, tables and chairs outside, freddo cappuccino. If Costa Coffee can block an alleyway and cause an obstruction, I can see absolutely no reason why Milk & Honey cannot have tables and chairs outside obstructing no one. Although with the park benches outside, pull up a milk churn as a coffee table.

We tried making a freddo cappuccino, but did not work, wrong glasses, wrong milk, and ideally need better coffee.

Another idea I suggested was little picnic packs for people to take and enjoy in the Castle Grounds.

Some hours later, I left to go off in search of Alice.

St George’s Day

Guildford farmers market – St George’s Day

Guildford farmers market usually the first Tuesday of the month. Today a special farmers market in Guildford to mark St George’s Day.

In the woods, trees are starting to come into leaf, woodland banks have primroses.

Horrified to see morons sat on Alice reading to her sister on the banks of the River Wey.

A very warm sunny day. Every patch of grass covered with people, pubs packed outside.

I did not pick up much from the farmers market, mainly because unless you want something bottled or baked or processed or meat, there is not a lot there this time of year. Come June, there will be English strawberries, which put rubbish imported strawberries to shame.

Lunch at Thai Restaurant. Too crowded to go to a pub.

Saddened to see the net café next to the Thai restaurant in Jeffries Passage is closing down at the end of this month. But everyone now has a laptop, smart phone, free wifi everywhere, no longer a demand for net cafés unless lots of passing tourists.

Plan was visit Alice, maybe exhibition, then head off home, sit in the garden, read a book and enjoy the sun.

But the best laid plans of mice and men …

On my way into the Castle Grounds, I passed a new little deli cum café, Milk & Honey, popped in to have a look and spent the afternoon there.

By the time I left, it was late afternoon, early evening. I decided to find Alice, and sat there for a while.

Then time to head home. I was worried that with the clear skies, once the sun was gone temperatures would plummet, but surprisingly, no.

English think St George’s Day is something uniquely English. It is not. It is celebrated in Brazil, in Greece.

Today also World Book Day, and yet I saw nothing to mark it anywhere. Though I had noticed last week a notice in Guildford Library.

Today Shakespeare’s Birthday, but again not a mention anywhere.

Lunch at Guildford Institute

From one one extreme to the other. Last week, tables groaning with food, this week nothing left.

Excellent tomato soup twice in a week.

On Tuesday, roast tomato soup at Café Mila. Today tomato and red pepper soup.

Followed by biriyani, a type of curry.

Followed by banoffee pie.

It was all a bit too much. I do not usually have three courses. I felt bloated and sick.

An exhibition of photos. Unpleasant garish colours. That is when you could see. When are artists going to learn. Hiding behind glass does not enhance your work. All I could see was refection of the room lighting and the windows.

Lunch at Guildford Institute

chickpea bake and salad

I was not sure if it would be open. I must not have been the only one who thought that way, as apart from myself, there was only one other table occupied. A pity, as the lady who prepares the food goes to a lot of trouble.

Chickpea bake and salad, followed by a type of blueberry cheesecake with a pot of tea.

I inquired of the piano, but no one knew what it was. I did learn it could not be played during the day as it disturbs people.

I popped down to the library, which thanks to unnecessary building work which is destroying the building, necessitated going outside. I was pleased to see NeverSeconds on prominent display.

Friday lunch at the Guildford Institute is one of the best kept secrets in Guildford.

Afternoon in Guildford

The Angel Hotel yard

The Angel Hotel

Guildford Town Hall

Heavy rain all night, all morning, but then eased off.

Problem is ground is so saturated from rain all winter, that heavy rain means floods and swollen rivers.

Disappointed to find St Mary’s Church closed, though not surprised, as it is rarely open. I wanted to know, if a piano. I thought I would try the sister church, Holy Trinity, to see if they knew, but they too were closed.

St Mary’s is where Lewis Carroll occasionally read the lesson. Holy Trinity this year marks 250 years with a series of events.

Excellent lunch at Guildford Institute. I was not sure I would find it open.

Guildford Institute has a piano but no one is allowed to play it during the day because it disturbs people.

I was very pleased to see Guildford Institute Library had NeverSeconds on display.

Guildford Institute has Manuscript Found in Accra on order, or it will order now they are aware.

Guildford Library has six on order, but already a waiting list.

The WHSmith fiasco gets worse. Manuscript Found in Accra on offer at half price, but not in stock. Now in stock, but no longer available at half price.

Waterstone’s has on display, but as yet, not sold a single copy.

The Christian Bookshop (it appears to have changed its name yet again) opposite St Mary’s Church, is part of a chain, and it shows. Used to have good staff, all have left. Yet another example of a failing chain. Asked of Manuscript Found in Accra, not a clue.