Black Shuck at The Waiting Room, St Botolphs.

East Anglia has its very own ghostly malevolent beast, a giant black hell hound, as big as a horse with fiery saucer like eyes. It is often referred to as 'Black Shuck', shuck deriving from an old English word for 'Demon'. He has been prowling the countryside of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex for at least 500 years, striking terror into the hearts of the local people. It is said he floats on a blanket of mist and his howls will curdle your blood. If you catch sight of him you will be dead within the year. However, we met him on Saturday afternoon with The Colchester Morris Men and he seemed most amenable, even stopping to have several pictures taken with my son. The reason for his outing was because he is a new addition to the Colchester Morris Men, having replaced Wilfred, the Dancers' previous dog, and he was being introduced into society. A bit like a Debutantes coming out party really, at the 'Waiting Room', St Botolphs .

Colchester Morris Men

There is a great place, I think it would be called a Community Space, in Colchester called the 'Waiting Room'. Basically the old Bus Station Waiting Room, and a group of very pro-active locals have taken it over for as long as the Council will let them. They have managed to get it up and running with minimal financing and most of the renovations that have taken place have all been achieved by volunteers. They host really interesting talks every Wednesday (topics have included Pinhole Camera workshops, Cookery classes, Gin Distillery, Brewing, Letterpress, various craft workshops) and there is also a tool lending library and a wonderful letterpress which can be used by anyone that wants to use it. Unfortunately due to childcare issues I have never been able to make one of the 'Maker Wednesday' nights but I think they would have been a great way for us to meet like locals when we moved here. It reminds me a lot of The Russet in Hackney Downs but with more varied and regular events.

Waiting Room

We go to there quite regularly as despite the fact they don't have high chairs (a minor thing), its an easy place for us to take our toddler, lots of space, the food is usually great (and the local liquor is delicious too). For example, on the first Friday of every month it's local Mersea Island fish and chips, other Fridays the kitchen is run by a Chef serving World Food, 'The Gamekeepers Daughter' uses the Kitchen on the weekends and they have lots of other interesting people using the place like a pop up restaurant. We have taken our neighbours there, our friends have come with us when they have stayed at ours and we have always had excellent food. On Thursday mornings they now have a Children's story time session which my son loved. £5 for 90 minutes of entertainment for the kiddiewinkles (toys, puppets, singing, snacks etc etc) and a coffee for the grown ups. Again, a really useful place to go if you wanted to meet people. My only criticism (apart from the highchair thing) is that they don't appear to market themselves enough. I know about what goes on each week as I signed up to their email newsletter when we moved here but I wonder how they tell other possible customers about how where they are and what events they have. It deserves to be packed every weekend as all the people involved must have worked so hard to get it going.

This weekend was a good example of this, and it may have been the bad weather keeping people from venturing out, but the Colchester Morris Men were at the 'Waiting Room' and it was such a great afternoon that it seemed terrible for there not to have been more people checking it out. 'The Gamekeepers Daughter' was serving up Pigeon + Pistachio Pate, Shin of Beef and a Pear and Gorgonzola Tart, there were puppet kits for the kids along with the history of the Morris Men and pictures of how they had made 'Black Shuck'. Basically lots to see and loads of effort must have gone into the event, it deserved a much bigger crowd. So, anyone living in/around Colchester or anyone visiting the area really should seek this place out, there is more than likely to be something interesting going on and you will definitely have the chance to sample some really great local produce.

Local Liquor

The story of the beastly beast

Beastly Beast bunting

Glove Puppet Kits and a glass of what I hope was apple juice

Completed Puppets

Black Shuck

Colchester, Roman Capital of Britain, rising like a Phoenix.

It's been over a year since my last post. It wasn't a conscious decision to stop writing, life just got very busy. My son is now 29 months old (he's certainly taken up ALOT of my time) I have also been working in Commercials again (I never thought I'd say it, but I really missed it), the house/money pit is almost finished (I've said it before and I will say it again, NEVER buy a house when you have just given birth) and I haven't really had the motivation to be honest. The drudge of life seems to have sucked a lot of joy out of the air! But today I actually feel quite good about life here and perhaps writing things down will reaffirm how I feel. Some of our friends have said it was a bold move coming here whatever that means, others probably wonder why we did it, but we have been here almost 2 years now and have started to grow quite fond of the old place.

So, it feels like good time to start posting again, particularly as there is so much going on here and I cant find anyone really talking about it. In this day and age of social media there is no excuse to have a strong presence online. I think what has also spurred me on was that on Monday night I was invited to a Focus Group in town. I was asked about my opinions of Colchester which resulted in a 3 page email at 4am in the morning. I felt excited, firstly about being given the chance to voice my opinions, and secondly about all the possibilities of this place. However, I came to the conclusion that the main problem seems to be that Colchester doesn't have a good public profile, a very easily solved problem actually. 

First of all, the local papers seem to print predominantly negative stories about Colchester, which seems to fuel the locals to express equally negative comments (mostly about potholes, roundabouts, parking), so if you were thinking of moving here and checked out the local papers online to see what the town is like, you certainly wouldn't think there was much else going on.  Its a vicious circle which needs breaking. I started following the local papers on Twitter and asked why they never wrote about any of the great, creative things going on here and also asked them to check out the Positive News website for inspiration. People like hearing positive news about where they live, I know I do, its good for the soul (and makes me feel like moving out of London was a mistake). However, they never replied to any of my tweets.

So, if it means I have to start spreading the news via this blog, then so be it. I am up to the challenge.

I will assume, dear reader, you don't know anything about Colchester so, may I present to you, a brief, and very basic history. Thank you of course to Google + Wikipedia:

* Colchester, 50 miles from London, is the oldest town in Great Britain.

* It served as the Roman Capital and was known by its Celtic name of 'Camulodunum' although coins with this name on have been discovered here from the period 20-10BC way before the Romans arrived. Basically, its old and dripping with history. Anytime anyone does any building work, they find treasure (sort of).

* The town was home to the the first Roman Legionary Fortress in Britain, the largest Classical Style Temple in Britain, 2 Theatres (also Britain's largest), Britain's only known Chariot Circus, Britain's first Town walls, several large cemeteries and over 50 known mosaics and tessellated pavements. 

* Around 60AD, Boudica, Queen of the Celts got fed up with the Romans, particularly the Temple in honour of Claudius that was built here, and came and smashed the place up with 100,000 Iceni soldiers.

* English historian, Dr John Morris, who specialises in the study of the of the Roman Empire suggested in his book "The Age of Arthur" (1973) that as the descendants of Romanised Britons looked back to a golden age of peace and prosperity under Rome the name "Camelot" of Arthurian legend was probably a reference to Camulodunum.

Fast forward to the Medieval Period via the Saxons (they built some wooden huts) and the Danish (who ran tings until 917. Yes, I said 'tings'):

* Medieval Colchester's main landmark is Colchester Castle which has recently reopened after a £4.2 million National Lottery funded refurbishment. The Castle, an 11th-century Norman keep, is the largest of its type ever built, the oldest of its kind in Europe and built on top of the vaults of the old Roman Temple. It was ordered by William the Conqueror.

* Other notable medieval ruins in Colchester, include the surviving gateway of the Benedictine Abbey of St John the Baptist and the ruins of the Augustinian Priory of St Botolph. Many of Colchester's Parish Churches also date from this period.

* Colchester developed rapidly during the later 14th century as a centre of the woollen cloth industry, and became famous in many parts of Europe. This allowed the population to recover exceptionally rapidly from the effects of the Plague, particularly by immigration into the town.

* Between 1550 and 1600, a large number of weavers from Flanders emigrated to Colchester due to Religious Persecution. An area in Colchester town centre is still known as the Dutch Quarter and many buildings there date from the Tudor period. (This is where we live). During this period Colchester was one of the most prosperous wool towns in England.

* The Dutch Quarter is also where Jane and Ann Taylor who wrote “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” lived between 1796 and 1811.

* In 1645 the self-styled Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins interrogated and imprisoned suspected witches at Colchester Castle.

Fast forward again to the Victorians who built some amazing buildings, which Colchester is well known for (the Town Hall and the Water Tower, the tallest in the Country) and that's my potted history of nuggets 'borrowed' from Wikipedia.

* Also, Colchester's Greatest export is the famous 'Colchester Native'. The Colne Oyster fishery in Mersea Island dates to the Roman era. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book. Colchester obtained rights to the fishery under the provisions of its Royal Charter granted by Richard I in 1189. The oysters obtained from the fishery are known as "Colchester Natives" (Ostrea Edulis). The Romans apparently said that these Oysters were the best thing to come out of Britain!

I think this is pretty amazing. I don't know many Towns in the UK, Europe or probably the World that can boast that much amazing history, and obviously this is just the bare bones. But why don't more people know about it? I don't get it.

Now you know a bit of the history I will tell you a bit about life here in 2014 :

* Fast trains from Liverpool Street take 50 minutes. At its peak, there are 8 trains an hour from Colchester to London.

* 2 Train Stations service the Town, Colchester North + Colchester Town.

* Housing Prices here are very good value. For instance, for the price of a 1 bedroom flat in East London you could buy a 4 bedroom house.

* The Schools have very good reputations. The local children seem to get the kind of education that would need to be paid for in lots of parts of the Country.

* There are lots of things here for families to do (ie Castle Park, Colchester Zoo, Highwoods, Leisure World).

*The High street is currently experiencing a big re-generation. This includes, the Fenwicks owned department Store Williams + Griffin who are undergoing a £30million refurbishment (Significant Roman Hoard recently discovered during renovations, it was on the National news last month). The Curzon are opening, Bill's Restaurant are coming, 2 Boutique Hotels are about to open, there is an amazing community space here called The Waiting Room which will definitely have its own post.

* There are 2 Art exhibition Spaces/galleries, one very controversial one which I happen to quite like (Firstsite).

* There is a monthly Farmers Market in the Arts Centre which has amazing local produce.

* The Arts Centre regularly has shows of very well known Comedians on the start of their National Tours.

* The Mercury Theatre.

* We are 20 minutes by car from Mersea Island.

* We are 20 minutes by car from Suffolk.

* We are 40 minutes by car from Frinton.

* We have also got some really great neighbours. Just in our little street we have people from Leyton, Rotherhithe, Notting Hill + Kew as well as Colchester natives.

* Everyone is super friendly to my son. He always gets people chatting to him, people in shops, people on the bus, people in coffee shops, pretty much everyone and anyone. I want him to think this is normal, that friendliness and manners are a normal part of life, it should be but after 18 years in London I had forgotten.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg really. Of course its not all great,  the season ticket to London is pricey and Colchester does seem to have a problem with what the Council refer to 'as the Nightime Economy' but I don't know what town doesn't. And frankly, if they want to change this particular image of the town they are really the only ones that can do anything about it.

So, as you can see, things are actually ok. Yes, it's not as cool to say you live in Colchester as it was in Hackney (now Hackney seems to have become the centre of the universe) but there is life after E8, you just have to find it. Or read some good PR.

Frinton-on-Sea

Something I've noticed about East Anglia since I've moved here is that, East Anglia doesn't really sing its own praises. There are tonnes of great things to see and do around here that no one really tells you about. Either they are too modest to say or it's tactical and they want to keep things to themselves but whatever the reason, we are slowly discovering more lovely places near Colchester. Despite no one really telling us about them. Today we visited Frinton on Sea, about 35 mins drive from home and it was the perfect day for a trip to the seaside (babies first time). Best weather since time began or something.

En route

Essential beach equipment

Frinton in bloom

View of beach from Esplanade

Long, clean, white sandy beach with warm water!

When we arrived at 1:15pm the tide was in but after about an hour, 

there was loads more room on the beach.

There are also loads of beach huts along the seafront and you can hire deck chairs. As soon as we got home we obviously googled the price of a beach hut, £13K if anyone is interested. I didn't think that was too unreasonable but unless I sell my body parts for scientific research we wont be getting one. 

As well as the beautiful beach, there is also a great little high street with lots of independent shops along the way. To name a few, there is a fish shop, a bakers, a couple of cafes, an ice cream shop selling local ice cream, a great independent book shop, an Art Deco antique shop, a Danish home wares shop and the best one of all (in my humble opinion of course), Piatto Fine Wine and Deli. This deli is jam packed with goodies and it's worth going to Frintonjust for this place. Every town should have one.

They don't seem to have a website which is bonkers, maybe I just can't find it or maybe I'm right and its a tactical move, a local shop for local people . . .

Driving home through Thorpe-Le-Soken

And just as we got home, we heard some lovely rousing music coming from Castle Park. Being nosey parkers we couldn't resist a quick sniff about, and lo and behold there was a brass band in the bandstand playing the theme tune to James Bond. The perfect end to another perfect day.

I only noticed this last week, a ruin of a Roman Townhouse smack back in the middle of the park.

PS: Well done Andy.

Beef Aisle

I am never ill. When I say never, I mean rarely. I'm simply to busy to get germs and was somehow blessed with an iron constitution, the only decent thing my mother ever gave me my father used to say. But I am currently writing this while feeling on deaths door. Yesterday, while skulking around Sainsbury's trying to work out what healthy and quick meal's we can eat for dinner that aren't stir frys, I suddenly had the urge to throw up. I have been feeling dizzy and headachy for a few days but this was another level of horridness. I crouched down on the floor of the beef aisle while trying to work out how I would manage the situation in charge of a toddler. Did I have an empty bag I could puke into if necessary? Could I do it in the flap of the buggy's raincover? Wouldn't it be awful if this was baby's first memory? Me throwing up on his lovely round head next to a lump of cow tied in string? He'd most definitely be traumatised forever and certainly be a vegetarian. While trying to decide on where to vomit and whether I should continue shopping or just leave immediately, the Security Guard started sniffing around me, probably checking I wasn't shoving minced meat down my leggings. 'This is odd', thought I, 'I'm never ill'. So in defiance of my gurgling stomach and to avoid the beady gaze of Mr Security I finished the weekly shop (stir frys), and legged it home. On arriving back at base, I dumped baby in the garden, ran into the house and was sick. I don't know what is up with me, perhaps a bug, unlikely food poisoning but it has wiped me out and positively ruined my first day alone without the baby! At least I wasn't sick on the wee man though.

By the time the baby was asleep last night, all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and die, I was shattered. Being ill is rubbish. However, I had a few things I needed to do in preparation for baby's first full day at Nursery. Last week I had ordered him a little bag with his name on and some embroidered name tags for his clothes. The nursery girls will probably be sniggering about me behind my back when they unpack his things and see everything has his name sewn onto it, but I am so desperate to be the mum I didn't have I'm sure this wont be the last time I do something embarassing. Although, probably my name labels weren't the only thing the girls sniggered at. For starters, our baby has quite an unusual name, not to mention his favorite toys of 'Platypus' a stuffed toy Platypus, 'Auntie Pam' a stuffed toy lobster and his most liked foods of humous, tzatziki and the new favorite of sardines, I'm sure they don't see many of his kind round these parts.

I had rather hoped when I woke up today I would be feeling better as I had a long list of a combination of treats and chores that I wanted to do after I had dropped the little one off at 'Piglet Room' of the nursery:

* Get home, have a bath
* Remove chipped nail varnish and perhaps apply some more
* Go to town, meet friend for coffee
* Go home again, hoover the floors
* Eat one/two of the shortbread biscuits our friends brought us the other week
* Wash floors with excellent new floor steamer
* Hoover sofas in preparation for selling on eBay when new sofas arrive next week
* eBay some stuff
* Sandpaper the stairs
* Possibly do some ironing but more likely watch some 'Escape to the Country' with another shortbread
* Collect baby

However, the day has not panned out like that at all:

* Got home, had bath, felt ill
* Cancelled coffee with friend, boo
* Crawled back into bed, slept
* Woke up, ate Wiggys cold leftover stir fry from last night
* Collected baby

At least one of us had a good day though, the baby LOVED nursery. He cried once the entire time he was there and that was when I collected him to take him home! Apparently, he was very chatty (this is probably my fault, I've talked to him non stop since they day we got him home), he pointed at everything, everywhere, he ate ALL his lunch, played very nicely with the other children and wouldn't have his morning nap. Bravo little man, you have done me proud (apart from the nap bit). If you can do the same again next Wednesday I promise to not be sick and do my chores list. Also, those shortbread biscuits aren't going to eat themselves you know.

A week of Events and Non-Events

The main non event of the past week is that I failed to get a job I had an interview for. The fact I applied in the first place was rather a bold move, I knew I was not really suitable for the job and it, it transpired, was not really suitable for me, but as everyone keeps telling me, "it was an experience". It sure was. And one which I don't intend to repeat any time soon.

It was my first job interview in 17 years and my second interview full stop. In preparation I had purchased some 'lucky/unlucky' shoes  and a 'lucky/unlucky' top as well as doing all the other things one is supposed to do to prepare for such an encounter. I had researched their company, copied out bits of their website that I thought would be useful to remember, re-visited all the jobs I'd worked on so I had something to talk about, thought about the last film I'd watched (I had a weird feeling they might ask me this) but none of it mattered. I was so nervous by the time I arrived my mouth ceased to function properly. I felt like I couldn't speak and think I may even have been rocking in my chair at one point!  And they did ask me "what was the last film you watched?'. Bearing in mind I haven't been to the cinema in some time, since I have been raising a human life (didn't they read my application form ? . . . . ), I thought I would say, should the question arise, 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'. It was the last good film I saw at the cinema and the last one I saw at the wonderful Barbican. However, as soon as I sat down in the interview room/cell, the poster for this film was on the wall behind the interviewers head! I should have just walked out then. However, I didn't and the the interview trundled along for 20 minutes, though it felt A LOT longer, and when I left I prayed I didn't get the job. I was so mortified about the whole thing I never wanted to see anyone at that company ever again. Shudder.

So last week when I got the email of rejection although my ego was in a bit of a grump about it I didn't mind at all and part of me was a bit relieved. Not only does it mean I don't have to start brushing my hair again anytime soon but it also means I get to hang out a little bit longer with my favorite person in the world. My wonderful little boy.

We are in quite a nice routine at home finally. It took almost 10 months to get here but we made it, so part of me really didn't want to disrupt it unless completely necessary. I never tried to impose a routine on him as a baby as our lives weren't particularly structured and it seems to have paid off, he's got into his own little pattern of what suits him (touching wood). However, he starts nursery tomorrow for his first full day so who knows what spanner this may throw in our lovely works. Just one day a week for now, but it feels like a pretty big event, to me anyway.

After 13 months of being with my son all day, every day apart from 4, I think we both deserve some time apart. It will good for me to lie down in a dark room for a few hours once a week while he spends the day with other people. Maybe then he'll realise what a wonderful, kind, witty person I am  . . . Unlike what I have heard about London nurseries, it was very easy to get him a place at a Nursery in Colchester. I called them up, he went for a settling in morning and starts properly tomorrow. Very straight forward. It was the only place I looked at so might be rubbish but it didn't seem rubbish. Hopefully he will enjoy it and make some little friends. He should enjoy it, he's the only boy in his class!

Before he could join officially there was a lot of paperwork I had to fill in and it made me realise just how well I know this little chap. I had to write down his likes, dislikes, favorite foods, his comforters, how he communicates, everything basically. He is the closest person to me in the world without a doubt, and not having a bond with my own mother I now get for the first time in my life,  the whole 'mother and child' bonding thing. I would do anything for this child. Thinking about it, I have done a lot already. Given up my career, given up the wedding, moved out of London, suffered the indignity of childbirth, given up my right to go to the toilet when I need to, etc etc etc....

I look at him like he is a part of me, which he is, but I look at him like he is the best part of me. Having a child has made me think a lot about my own parents and my childhood and made me realise how shaped I am by my past. I have always said to my friends that you can't let your past hold you back and you can't blame your parents for your own failures, you always have to be moving forwards and responsible for your own mistakes, but now I'm not so sure things are as black and white as that. I have virtually zero confidence, I never have,  and now I know exactly why. I spent my childhood being undermined and can not remember being praised or encouraged ever. When I had my first driving lesson my Dad came out of the house and said to the instructor 'I don't know why you are bothering, she wont be able to do it'. And when I got my GCSE results I ran to the phonebox to phone my mum to tell her I had passed them all with Grades A-C (we weren't allowed to use the phone at home) "Are you sure you got the right results?" came the reply. I would say this was a joke but my mother is incapable of humour. This might go some way to explain the awful interview. Why was I so nervous? First and foremost, I didn't need the job, I wanted it because I miss working but I wasn't desperate for it. I had a great CV, a great employment history, loads of contacts but I was a gibbering wreck in person. A lack of confidence has blighted me my whole life. When you are told you can't do things why even bother trying? Considering my less than harmonious start in life I should be very proud of my achievements but still I'm not. However, I look at my son and I want him to have none of the hang ups and insecurities that have held me back and are clearly still holding me back. I never want him to feel like I feel. I want him to believe he can achieve whatever he wants. Most of all I want him to be happy, but I also want him to fulfill his potential of being the best he can be. He will probably be in danger of having the biggest head in the universe with the amount of praise I give him, but its such a beautiful head!  So even though, it will be hard tomorrow to leave him I know it will be a good thing for him. I want him to have experiences with other people not just me and to do things that I wouldn't do with him. They play with shaving foam at nursery, there's no way we are doing that here, not with our newly painted walls. They also have play paints which we don't yet, and after his settling in period last week (I cried, he didn't even realise I had left him for 2 hours) and I was presented with this (below). I think its the most wondrous painting I've ever seen, obvs.

Masterpiece

And finally this weekend, while music lovers of the world focused their attentions on the most awesome musical event of the year, we visited yet another food and drink event in Castle Park. It was the annual 'Food and Drink' festival funnily enough and it was a super afternoon out but with nice toilets and some water zorbing neither of which you would have found at Glastonbury.

There was a £3.50 entry fee payable to some very gruff and officious people at the gate, which was pretty good value. It was packed out with every kind of food stall a greedy guts could hope for, delicious drinks, cooking demonstrations, music and with the sun making a rare appearance it was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

The guy running this stall had the biggest queue in the whole place. Delicious lemonade for £2. Imagine how much profit he would have made?! Maybe I'll try and get a job with him, he must have made a fortune.

Yum

I spent weeks traveling around Mexico once but who knew the 

'World Best Mexican Chilli' was here all the time. I could have saved myself a lot of money and effort if I'd known.

Delights from Turkey

Sausages

Nougat

Guten Tag!

Olives

Extremely rare sausage tree native to Essex