MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS THE COW TOWER...

This wasn't a visit as such as there isn't really that much to visit- it was more a viewing.

Built in 1398-99, the Cow Tower was a purpose built defence tower; created to protect the north-eastern approach to the city against very real threats from the French, and also indigenous English rebels. 

It was a very rare structure in England during this time, and was specially designed to support the use of gunpowder artillery.

It is situated on the corner of a bend of the River Wensum, and the A147 road leading up to it from where we were staying made for a nice early evening walk.

The riverside walk, with my SuperDean getting into shot.

I love this charming house along the way.  It forms a bridge and is called Pulls Ferry, and dates back to the 15th century.  It's made of flint and was once a watergate.  The stone used to build Norwich Castle was routed through here.

Further down, you have to cross this bridge and turn right at The Red Lion pub on the other side if you want to view the Cow Tower closely.  Unless, of course, you fancy swimming across! 

The meadow the tower stands in was once called Cowholme, hence the tower's name...

The tower is 37ft (11.2 metres) across and 48 ft (14.6 metres) high.  The walls are 5 ft 11 in (1.8 metres) thick at the base, and consist of a flint core encased within brick...

A photo of the inside of the tower, taken through railings.  This is as close as I could get and the whole ruin is very atmospheric and a tad eerie...

Stairs inside the tower.  The tower is divided into three storeys and was probably well-furnished, with different floors used for eating and sleeping...

Repairs carried out in the 19th century inadvertently caused damage to the tower...

The Cow Tower is now managed by English Heritage...

We ended our walk with some food at Zak's Diner, which is painted a very eye-catching pink.

Here's the SuperDean raising his pint of Budweiser.

The restaurant was a very authentic American diner.  The building may have been pink but my theme for the evening must have been blue- I tucked into The Blue Vein, a gorgeous chargrilled burger with a generous helping of blue cheese sauce.  I accompanied this with a Bubblegum cocktail, which was also blue and garnished with real bubblegum balls!  We loved our meals and liked the fact that you were offered a choice of potatoes (chips, curly fries, a baked potato or normal potatoes) at no extra charge.  We opted for curly fries, being the kids we are!

We were seated right by the window and the diner lights reflecting on the water and the Cow Tower made for a wonderful view.  

We shall be returning.

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THE TEA ROSE by JENNIFER DONNELLY

THE TEA ROSE

BY JENNIFER DONNELLY

THE BLURB:-

Fiona Finnegan, the spirited, ambitious daughter of an Irish dock worker, longs to break free from the squalid alleys of Whitechapel. But her dreams fall apart with the sudden death of her father and the disappearance of her childhood love.

Fiona flees to New York where she builds a small grocery shop into a thriving tea house. But she cannot forget London. Convinced that her father was murdered, Fiona returns to the streets of her childhood to attempt to bring his killers to justice- and restore her family's good name.

Ranging from the bleak East End to the burgeoning businesses of Victorian London, to New York's immigrant district and glossy Fifth Avenue lifestyles, The Tea Rose is a heartwarming story of family, fortune, tragedy and tea.

THE REALITY:-

This was the kind of novel that I fall over myself to read- a tome and-a-half, set in my hometown of London (well, a lot of it was!) and a real rags to riches, gritty story of success and triumph in the face of adversity. That's what I want for myself, too. Conceited? Maybe. Realistic? Maybe not. But one can live in hope, because without hope you have nothing. I have the talent and, I like to think, the application to be successful. I truly believe that it will happen. So far, luck has eluded me and it's always nice to have a little recognition each step of the way, for motivational purposes. This hasn't yet happened, but I'm confident that it will.  

Enough of my hopes for the future!  Hope is a big theme in the early parts of The Tea Rose. This novel has stayed in my collection for 14 years because it really touched me. But now, I've acknowledged the fact that it has to go as it's looking too well-read and tattered. So bedraggled that it's going into the recycling bin as opposed to the charity bag.

This book is a real masterpiece and I'm surprised that it hasn't become a worldwide blockbuster. It has it all- fantastic characters with real hearts and faults, well-known locations, a historical sense of time and place and little stories within the mainframe. This book is long and richly detailed: in my mind, just as a novel should be. We really feel for the main character, Fiona. When she's in love, we love too. When her heart is broken, we break with her. And, when her family are almost wiped out we urge her to put one foot in front of the other and gradually pick herself up. She does that, but the way in which she does is dangerous and we pick up on the sense of urgency as she tries to flee her antagonist. This she does physically, but mentally he's always there, and this need for revenge spurs her on and forms the basis for the story.

Apart from Fiona, I also loved Nick and his quirks and found some of Seamie's proclamations and antics hilarious. So inspired was I by this novel that I took myself off to find the Prospect of Whitby and the Town of Ramsgate, situated on the north bank of the Thames. I spent my 35^th birthday drinking in these two establishments (it was a very hot day and I also got sunstroke, but that's another story!) and made time to soak up the atmosphere whist sitting on the old stairs. Read the book and you'll find out what they are, and why they're significant.

The author has certainly done her research with regards to the tea business and London industrial life in the late 1800s, and I like the fact that Jack the Ripper is also a significant part of the novel, marrying reality with fiction. There are twists and turns and interesting outcomings and also a happy ending.

Two more novels have been written in this series and I'm actually loathe to read them as I've yet to find a sequel as good as the original, and they don't sound as good. But I fear that temptation will get the better of me. I'm yet to compile my favourite ten, or even five, good reads of all time. But when I do, The Tea Rose will definitely be on it. Farewell, special novel.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HEATWAVE by MAGGIE O' FARRELL

INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HEATWAVE

BY MAGGIE O'FARRELL

THE BLURB:-

It's July 1976 and London is in the grips of a heatwave. It hasn't rained for months, the gardens are filled with aphids, water comes from a standpipe, and Robert Riordan tells his wife Gretta that he's going round the corner to buy a newspaper. He doesn't come back.

The search for Robert brings Gretta's children- two estranged sisters and a brother on the brink of divorce- back home, each with different ideas as to where their father may have gone. None of them suspects that their mother might have an explanation that even now she cannot share.

THE REALITY:-

Maggie O' Farrell's novels are very easy to read. They tend not to be overly long (this one was 324 pages) and the character observation absolutely brilliant, so it's very easy to get into her work. This one was no exception, but I though the title was pretty lame and uninspiring.  But, get beyond that and you're in for a pleasant ride!

I was the author's age in 1976 (I turned five in the July) and remember this legendary summer being hot, but no hotter than other summers, or so it seemed. During the 1970s we got what I call 'proper' weather; scorching summers and the presence of autumn indicated by foggy mornings and masses of daddy long legs swarming and sticking to windows, winters with knee-deep snow and broken down oil tankers at school and finally, spring entering like a promising, wet yet mild rumba. The only concession to water shortage that I can recall was my mother watering the plants with the mucky dishwater. Enough of my meanderings: what I'm trying to say was that it was easy for me to place myself into the period of the novel. This was an era where Aoife's dyslexia unfortunately resulted in her being labelled weird; so, so, sad, given the recognition we give to the condition nowadays. This was a time when, ten years previously, Michael Francis had to marry his pregnant girlfriend and a time when Monica, a couple of years before, had self-aborted her child.

The characters in this book are incredibly well described, through not just their appearances but their speech patterns and foibles. The author certainly did her research as to how Aoife's condition presents itself and the details are immense.  I liked that the family were Irish Catholics as my partner is from this background and some of the traits within his family echo themselves in Gretta's. The novelist has a great empathy with all of the five senses, manipulating prose so perfectly that you can imagine yourself right there in the book. London, New York and Ireland are well depicted and I also enjoyed looking at her inspirational Connemara photographs.  The author's grasp of the English language is very good, so much so that I managed to learn some new words during the course of the novel, and I am always pleased when this happens.

I loved the fact that the main subject matter- Gretta- turned out not to be much of a heroine and was a very real human being with faults such as hypocrisy and being liberal with the truth. I'm afraid that, in my experience, her generation were so often flawed in this way.

The book is not without fault. I would have loved to have read about Monica self-aborting her baby, such as how she did it and did Gretta really spill the beans to Joe? Details, please! Monica's relationship with her step-brats also could have been explored a little bit more. Also, I don't think the book reaches a satisfactory conclusion. We need to meet up with Robert again, and hear his explanation. But, give this tale a go. You will certainly find yourself living within the pages of this novel.

MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS THE PLANTATION GARDEN...

Known to locals as Norwich's Secret Garden (yes, I have read the book and seen the film!😀) this is one of my secret special places (well, maybe not so secret now!)

The Plantation Garden is three acres in size, English Heritage registered and Grade II listed.  It is administered by the Plantation Garden Preservation Trust and maintained by volunteers.  It's hidden away behind the Catholic Cathedral of St John the Baptist- itself slightly younger, and constructed between 1882-1910- on the outskirts of central Norwich.  Its layout is very lovely; with a perfectly manicured lawn, uniform flower beds, a wooden walkway and bridge, a summerhouse, an Italianate terrace and a Gothic fountain.  It also has a medieval-style wall which is a mosaic of brick and tile, and contains faces, shapes and symbols.

I have also created a YouTube vlog, link:-

https://youtu.be/vOzlEHJw0gE

It was created over a period of 40 years following 1856, after successful Norwich upholsterer, cabinet maker and Baptist minister Henry Trevor (1819-1897) acquired a disused chalk quarry.  He built Plantation House and set about creating what is now known as one of the finest surviving Victorian gardens in England.  

Following his death the house changed hands several times including, lately, being one of the buildings that made up The Beeches Hotel.  After the Second World War the garden was virtually abandoned until 1980, when restoration began.  It is still considered to be a work in progress.  

It is a really tranquil place- sitting on one of the benches, it's hard to imagine that you're not far away from a busy road.  I did find, though, that the whole garden has a real sense of melancholy about it.  I would love to know more about the personal history of some of the characters who lived here.  Maybe their spirits live on and their ghosts shape the atmosphere in some way?  Did someone get their heart broken on the stairs of one of the sloping walkways of the terrace?  Or was someone murdered in a blaze of bloodshed down there on the lawn?  Or am I just being fey, fanciful and a touch daft in the head?!

  It's amazing what an overactive imagination can do.

Here is the flurry of leaves that is the metal entrance gate.

The long, atmospheric view down the garden.

A closer viewpoint.

Gawd knows what variety of tree this is- some kind of palm, methinks, but then I could be very wrong as I'm no horticulturalist!

The Gothic fountain, which is made from moulded brick and flint.  I kept my eyes peeled for passing frogs but didn't see any!

I think this little stone tower is very cute.  There is more than one and also Gothic alcove ruins- which were once part of a fernery- and a 14th century window from the church of St Giles in the garden.

Flower bed, and the garden has been described as "a rich man's folly," or "a tycoon's folly!"

Another flower bed, and these photos were taken in May.

The Italianate terrace.  I have no idea why, but I got a feeling of immense sadness when I sat looking at it.

...Or maybe I'm just being whimsical...

A view back down the garden, taken from the terrace.

The little woodland path veers off in more than one direction.

A view of the terrace, taken from the terrace- with my SuperDean.

Back to where we started, but this time taken from the bridge.

The garden is unsupervised most of the time, and is a habitat for wildlife.  The charge is £2, as dictated to by the letterbox-style 'Honesty Box' just through the entrance gate.  Naughty, naughty me nicknamed it the 'Dishonesty Box' as I slung all the change I had into it.  I think it came to over a pound, but I wouldn't swear on it!!!!

This charming haven is a real oasis of calm, and is well worth a try if you're ever in the area.

I will return, but until then,

TTFN

Miss Elaineous

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ALL OF ME: MY EXTRAORDINARY LIFE by BARBARA WINDSOR

ALL OF ME: MY EXTRAORDINARY LIFE

BY BARBARA WINDSOR

THE BLURB:-

Barbara Windsor- Carry On star and EastEnders favourite- here reveals all about her colourful life.

All Of Me details the highs and lows of an extraordinary career spanning fifty years. From her lonely childhood in London's East End, to her troubled first marriage to Ronnie Knight and her much-publicised affair with fellow Carry On actor Sid James, Barbara emerges a strong woman with nothing to hide.

Now happily married to Scott Mitchell, the son of a childhood friend, she looks back at the extraordinary events in her life, culminating in the proud moment in July 2000 when she received her MBE. It was a fitting tribute to a much-loved actress- the fun-loving cockney with the smile and the giggle, the walk and the wiggle, who has become an adored British icon.

THE REALITY:-

I whizzed through this book, which was by no means short, at 588 pages long- and that's with quite small print. It was very interesting and I flattened it in a week.

Whilst not the world's biggest fan, I do like this saucy little bird with the sexy, curvy figure, but I've only ever known about the most obvious parts of her life. I'm a Carry On fan and my own day-to-day life is peppered with saucy double entendres! I watched Eastenders for many years, although my once almost obsessive interest has faded in recent times. I also remember going to Butlins Minehead in 1985 and she was performing there with Jack Smethurst but I think the show was adults only and I was only 14 (although, with the right amount of make-up on my face I easily passed for 18 and could get served at the bar!)  I think you also had to pay to see her show- in an otherwise all-inclusive holiday camp- and I wouldn't have had the kind of money required for the entrance fee. This would have been at around the time her career was on the decline. I saw the very enjoyable and poignant show about her life, 'Babs' televised recently, and when I found this autobiography in a charity shop shortly afterwards, could not resist giving it a go as I didn't know much about her life, especially her illustrious stage career, which would have taken place before I was born.

This is one lady who has certainly been very busy. It would seem that she's constantly been in demand (even during the bleaker years) and has had a real WOW of a career with not an awful lot of resting time. She's met -and shagged- some very well-known people and I'm quite glad that she was a bit of a slapper as I've never been an admirer of sexually precious, morally self-righteous people. Maybe it's because my mother was quite rigid about such things yet also of Barbara's generation, being born only a few years previously, much older than myself, and I was a bit of a naughty rebel... and I'm proud of it. If it's sex you want to read about then you won't be disappointed as there's a hell of a lot of it in this book, along with gritty happenings such as the illegal abortions Barbara went through.  A few gorier, salacious details would have been a wonderful addition, though.

Barbara's first two marriages sounded really unhappy, with carryings-on (sorry, I couldn't resist that!) on both sides.  These men appeared to use her and then sell personal and sordid details of their life together to the newspapers. She seems to have a penchant for toyboys and, whilst I'm very sure that I wouldn't want a man more than a couple of years younger than me, bloody good luck to her. The photographs in the book are taken at various stages of her life and are a nice addition.  They tell the story in their own way.

This is only one person's account of Barbara's life so you have to take it with a little pinch of salt. As it's an autobiography, you have to wonder about the parts she has chosen to leave out, but then I suppose that if I was writing my memoirs (I wouldn't, I'd put them into novel form!) then I'd maybe write the bulk of it like a curriculum vitae; i.e. me on a very good day.  I kind of got the impression that there's more to her dealings with London's criminal underworld than first meets the eye- by that, I don't mean that she's a criminal herself, but maybe she thought it best not to draw too much attention to that side of her life.  After all, it was a long time before she was awarded her MBE and many thought it was long overdue.  I think her associations held her back, in this respect, for a long time.

I found this work quite heartfelt and you also get to find out about the quirks and nuances of some of her former, well known, co-stars such as Kenneth Williams and Sid James, and get to learn the extent of the latter's obsessive infatuation with Barbara.   Her childhood was very interesting, and I'm glad she opened her heart about her difficult and complicated relationship with both her parents.  This was a good enough read.

THE HOUSE ON BELLEVUE GARDENS by RACHEL HORE

THE HOUSE ON BELLEVUE GARDENS

BY RACHEL HORE

THE BLURB:-

Bellevue Gardens is a tranquil London square, tucked away behind a busy street. You might pass it without knowing it's there.

Here, through the imposing front door of Number 11, is a place of peace, of sanctuary and of secrets. It is home to Leonie; once a model in the sixties, she came to the house to escape a destructive marriage and now, out of gratitude, she opens her house to others in need.

Rosa, Stef and Rick are running from their own problems. They have all found a way to Leonie's home, each seeking a refuge and searching for a new start.

But then Leonie discovers that the house which has provided sanctuary for so many is under threat. Can she rescue the place that saved her all those years ago?

THE REALITY:-

Turn the key to enter Rachel Hore's most compelling novel yet... said the remainder of the blurb... But I have to admit that I probably found this book her least compelling yet, and I've read all of her novels.

Maybe I'm being unfair as, although this story comes across as of the light, bright and trite variety, the beauty is in the subtlety; the way the characters develop and react to the situations dished out to them. I'm going to be reading this novel again as I read it during the week I was on holiday and I want to recapture that mood. I will also keep it in my collection, in the “research” pile, as I intend to make a character in my next novel (entitled “Lydia Darling”) a model, and will use this book to refer to for inspiration (even though Leonie is a model in the 1960s and Lydia will be a 1980s/1990s model).

I liked that this book was set in London, so I could relate to some of the areas the characters find themselves moving in, but was also surprised that King's Lynn, the town I grew up in got a mention. I spent a bit of time trying to figure out exactly where it was that the author had used as inspiration for the street where Michal's safe house is situated, but decided that that part of the descriptive is probably purely fictional!

I loved the sensitive way in which Leonie's marriage breakdown was detailed and also Stef's story, which has its similarities and shows just how something good can turn sour as someone maybe a bit vulnerable gets manipulated until they find their self esteem and leave. I think we can all relate to that- I certainly can, unfortunately.  Michal and Rosa's story was a modern take on the sadder, sleazier side to immigration, and it's horrible that that kind of thing goes on. Again, another example of vulnerable people being manipulated, which appears to be a bit of a theme throughout this book. This was definitely a novel about good guys versus bad guys and all of the characters sat either on one side of the fence or the other.

I liked that fashion got a big mention, from Leonie's career to Stef's passion for design as the latter was once such a big part of my life.  I don't envy this character following a career in fashion, though.  Unless she ends up self employed she will end up unemployed, so good luck with that.  Yep, the story was capable of arousing emotion within me!

A big shame for me was that the novel didn't come to any kind of conclusion. We never did get to find out whether Leonie's painting was valuable enough to make a considerable dent in the asking price for the renewal of the house lease, when a big part of the story revolved around the security the house had brought to its residents. A nice novel that has its merits- the ending not being one of them.

TITANIC NECKLACE and LIFEBOAT NECKLACE...

Whilst I was in Great Yarmouth I visited their Time and Tide Museum, which is housed in a converted herring curing works and demonstrates what their fish trade was all about.  It also shows a more general history of the area and is a truly lovely tourist attraction, being educational yet informative.

Their temporary exhibition was the fabulous Titanic: Honour & Glory, a fascinating collection that depicted what life was like on board the doomed ship.  My favourite displays were the model of the ruined ocean liner sitting destroyed on the sea bed and a replica of the Heart of the Ocean (Le Coeur de la Mer) necklace that Kate Winslet wore in the 1997 mega-successful film, Titanic.

I was upset, however, that copies of the necklace were not available to buy in the museum shop (a bit of an oversight on their part, methinks) as I was hell-bent on buying one.

But I searched eBay and found this little set for just over a fiver... 

Here's a very nonplussed Charlie the Chocolate Magic Monkey modelling the stunning necklace and cute earrings, bracelet and ring.

Moving on from ocean liners to lifeboats, we always make time to visit Caister Lifeboat Station when we partake of out annual pilgrimage to Caister, as it is not part of the RNLI and is totally reliant on charity.  We always do our bit by having a wander around their visitor's centre, looking at the lifeboats, both old and modern, and talking to the various characters who help keep this place going.  We treat ourselves to a cuppa and cake and this year had the added bonus of seeing many well-behaved mutts, as a dog show was taking place.

I bought a couple of books from their charity shop and also found this lovely pearl and diamante earring and necklace set.  For £2, I wasn't going to say no!

Modelled by my monkey...

Close up...

I shouldn't even be looking at costume jewellery as I own W-A-A-A-Y too much... 

But I love my bling!!!!