Mug shot

I took my phone to Gloucester today but it was not charged. So, no photos of the city. Just one of the European geography mug that I got from the museum. Last week Steve and I were discussing the exact location of Belarus, because one of his colleagues is originally from there. Now I have the mug to help me out, as well as the atlas. I am concerned about the part of Russia that is sandwiched between Poland, Belarus and Lithuania. It seems a long way from Big Mother Russia. Still, there are people who are paid to look after orphan limbs of countries....

I am not well today. Sort of flu-ish. Lacking energy. Lolling around in bed. It started last night, but Steve and I had a date with history, so we drove to the Folk Museum, now known as the Life Museum, in Westgate Street. I had helped to organise some speakers for the Gloucester & WEA's annual history day. Our first speaker was Dr Stephen Blake, with the history of the Cotswold Way, a 100 mile national trail that I am ashamed to say I have not walked. I need to find a walking companion....The talk and slides have whetted my appetite.

There then followed a hilarious interlude in which one of the museum staff, dressed in Victorian costume, attempted to show the mainly septuagenarian customers how to operate the 21st century coffee machine. It was one of the types with capsules that have to be placed in a drawer, and for frothy coffee it was necessary to insert both a milk pod AND a coffee pod! This caused a great deal of confusion, and at one point the costumed lady was heard to say

" it's too late change now. The machine is set for Indulgence"

If only....

The second talk was by Stroud's own Adam Horovitz, talking about Laurie Lee and the Slad Valley. I listened spellbound, as Adam's facility with words is legendary. In case you need reminding, Laurie Lee is best known for his autobiographical novel Cider with Rosie, set in Stroud's Slad Valley. It was a set text in schools in the UK for around twenty five years, and helped put Slad on the map and to be saved from the developer's shovel.

Afterwards, I got a lift back to Stroud, and went for a bacon sarnie in the Penny Farthing Cafe, since the machine in Gloucester clearly wasn't capable of dispensing such old world comforts.