To Motown and back

Last night (31st July) we had a brilliant evening down at the Weymouth Bayside Festival with an excellent performance from ‘The Magic of Motown’. The festival is part of the celebrations during the Olympics and has entertainment every day in two arenas from noon until 11pm. There’s also free entertainment on the beach nearby along with two giant screens showing the sporting events. Unfortunately, the number of visitors to Weymouth is a fraction of what was expected due in part to dire traffic warnings and the fact that the regular summer visitors are staying away. Consequently, Weymouth and Portland district is having its worst summer season for over 50 years! So, if anyone fancies a great day out, come to Weymouth! (The A31 near Ringwood isn’t great, but then it never is, Olympics or not).

When we arrived at our house on the morning after our stay at the Premier Inn we found a postcard on the mat from two of our neighbours welcoming us to Weymouth. An encouraging start. A little later another neighbour came around and introduced himself to us.

Our first full day in our new house was spent unpacking boxes and yet more boxes. Rainbow Removals did a very thorough job with virtually everything being packed in two sheets of special (non-scratchy) paper. We had sent 29 empty cartons back with the van the day before and I think there are about 50 more empty ones in the garage with another 30 or so still to go. We had the plumber round to re-commission the boiler and fix the ball-cock in the tank which had seized up after being drained down and out of use for some months so we now have running water.

We also discovered that there are three aerials in the house – one in the garage which feeds a point in the kitchen and two in the main loft which don’t work so our next job was to find an aerial man to sort that out. Fortunately, we were able to watch the Olympic opening ceremony in the kitchen; the built-in aerial booster in our HD recorder helping to get a good signal.

In the evening, tired and hungry, we walked down to Hope Square where there are four pub-restaurants and a daytime French bistro. In the square there are regular buskers and on this occasion there were Morris dancers who, after finishing their display, sat down with a drink while their musicians continued to play folk tunes. The following evening when we popped out for a stroll and a pre-dinner drink there was a violin and guitar duo playing.

The next day was more unpacking and then I cooked a meal for the first time in our kitchen. I’m used to a gas hob but am now getting used to a ceramic one. It’s ok but I haven’t worked out yet how long it takes for them to heat up or cool down. We ate our meal watching the first part of the Olympic opening ceremony on TV (wasn’t it great? and I loved the Bond scene with the Queen!) before walking down to the beach to join in with the crowds down there to watch the fireworks. Fortunately, the weather was still very warm and the atmosphere was great. If we hadn’t been so tired we would have stayed longer.

On Saturday a man came and installed a new digital aerial, I did a huge shop at our local Asda (a much better managed shop that the one we used to frequent at Lower Earley), and we also met some more of our neighbours. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming. In the afternoon we made our way to B&Q which is adjacent to the railway station. There was a long train of old-fashioned carriages at the platform with steam engines at both ends which pulled away while we watched. There is a local company that runs steam train trips from Bournemouth and Poole to Oxford, Bath etc so they must be doing Olympics specials.(Note to self: always carry camera)

On Sunday morning I went down to Holy Trinity Church by the harbour bridge where I met one of our new neighbours. The service was taken by the Bishop of Salisbury who was there to bless the waters for the Olympics (but not to pray for British victory in everything!) Ian met me outside afterwards and we had a stroll around the town before going back to the Galley Bistro where we’d eaten on Thursday night; one of our neighbours had recommended their Sunday carvery. And, like the meal we’d already had there, it was very good. They even had a fish option.

Monday morning. More unpacking and sorting. I walked to the doctor’s surgery to get forms to register and after lunch Ian and I went out for another walk. Just up from our house is a lovely view over Newton’s Cove where some of the Olympic sailing events are taking place. It was a beautiful clear day and we could see miles down the coast towards Lulworth and beyond. Pictured here are the Danish, Portuguese and Russian teams. (No idea what class, but Britain's Ben Ainslee was competing).

On Tuesday Ian walked into town to pick up a few bits from Wilkos and then onto Asda before walking home. We then both walked to the doctor’s surgery after lunch with our completed registration forms where I discovered that I’d forgotten my photo ID so I’ll have to walk back again. I think we'll be doing a lot of walking here. After more unpacking and, finally, getting my new office in place, we walked down to Weymouth Pavilion (about a mile) to explore the Bayside Festival where, as well as musical and other entertainment, there are stalls with local produce and information on the local wildlife, the Jurassic coast and more. On the way home for an early supper we spotted a rather unusual police vehicle, the driver of which was, I think, enjoying his moment in the spotlight!

Then another walk back to the festival for the evening (see top). Not surprisingly, we are both sleeping extremely well.