Grand Designs, Cherry Ghost and The Malvern Hills

Autumn is here.  It's been with us for a few weeks but the weather of late has been kind.  With temperatures in the high teens and a fair amount of sunshine it has seemed like summer would never end.  Just the other day I saw a butterfly, a Red Admiral.  So when the weather forecast said that we would have temperatures of 20 plus degrees and sunshine at the weekend I had no reason to doubt it.  With that in mind I decided a trip to the Malvern Hills would be a good idea. 

Having woken to drizzle and grey cloud I was still optimistic that it would brighten up. It didn't. The temperatures never quite made the 20 plus degrees but it was still warm enough to get away without a coat. We caught the train to Great Malvern.  When we arrived we had a quick coffee at the station before heading into town for breakfast (lunch for Clare) at Rebecca's Range.

With breakfast out of the way we headed for the hills but didn't get far as I wasn't feeling too well. Rather than aim for the top we walked along the hills for a bit before heading back into town. We stopped at St Ann's Well and looked at the natural spring. Which actually stopped running whilst we were there.  

Back in town we browsed the antique shops and stopped at a fantastic little green grocers called Veg n Things which sells a lot of local produce.  Chatting to the owner he reckons he would have gone out of business had in not been for the local fruit and veg. A quick coffee and scone at the station before the train arrived and we headed back. It was a nice day but it was a shame that the weather and the walk wasn't as billed. 

Yesterday was a busy day.  Grand Designs at the NEC.  It's a great place to go if you are looking for stuff for the home.  Whilst having a coffee I got chatting to a bloke who had flew down from Aberdeen. He wasn't impressed as he was expecting more big build stuff rather than soft furnishings.  I, on the other hand, enjoyed the smaller stuff.  I came away with some wireless headphones, cheese, bread, olives, smoked garlic and intense chilli sauce. Oh, and some vegetarian sweets. The free goody bag wasn't as good as last year but did contain a bar of chocolate, a packet of Polos, toothpaste and coffee.

Clare bought me a Dorset Naga.  One of the world's hottest chillis.  To eat a whole one would require a trip to the hospital!!  I tried a slither earlier and couldn't feel my tongue!

From the NEC I dashed into Birmingham.  Cherry Ghost at Birmingham Academy.  I had been really looking forward to seeing them as I love both of their albums.  They didn't disappoint!  A great set which started with Throw Me to The Dogs and ended with a cover of Ce Ce Peniston's Finally. Other highlights included Thirst For Romance, The Night They Buried Sadie Clay, 4 a.m and Black Fang. I had hoped for Luddite but it wasn't included in the set, which was a shame. They played a set that lasted just under and hour and a half.  I believe it was a sell out and despite one or two people at the back talking through the entire gig (I've never understood why people do that) the rest of the crowd seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. It's the first time I've seen them live.  They have a great sound and will definitely make the effort to see them again.  They deserve to be much bigger than they are.

The support came from Tim and Sam's Tim and The Sam Band With Tim and Sam.  A terrible name but a great band.  I liked them that much that I bought a couple of CDs and got a free teabag!

Following the gig we all retired to the Green Room for a quick drink.  It was very quiet in there and you could be forgiven for thinking it was a Monday night rather than Friday.  To be honest that suited me fine.  I arrived home about 15 minutes before midnight. That's late for me these days!