Le Pie

Looking to Vezelay, Burgundy

Big thanks to the Shed tribe who invited us to their home in Burgundy this August. We had the best of times , even though the Pie count was low, there was plethora of delicious morsels to occupy our taste buds including cheeses, bread, sausages, brioche with scratchings, iced tea peche and CAKES !!!!

The weather was very kind to us and allowed us to have long relaxing days doing whatever we liked till late in the evening. A small matter of the brakes, on the car, lost us a day but no matter as driving around sorting it out was fine, with such a beautiful backdrop and relaxing weather.

The usual activities sightseeing, exploring, canoeing (!!!!!!), wild cat feeding, eating, chatting, laughing, walking, lounging, reading, shopping, swimming, frisbee, drinking,  etc etc were indulged. But the highlight of the holiday, for the Pieman, was finding a cache of Asterix figures at a great price, at a boiling hot brocante when it was least expected.

"Between A Rock and a Hard Plaice"

Resting up before a performance, a photo by Idreamofpies on Flickr.

Last night we had the pleasure of attending a presentation by Great Escapes TV Presenter, Diver and Marine Biologist , Monty Halls. 

The evening consisted of Monty trawling through his career so far, what inspired him and how he got to do what he does now. He would then go on to speak about the individual series in some further detail emphasising the teams who produce such captivating results. He also gave attention to some of the many characters he met on the way.

His presentation is liberally sprinkled with  some fantastic images and video clips of past and  present work. He is enthusiastic , informative, provoking and captivating in equal measures. There is an interval of about twenty minutes after which a shorter half is ended by a short question and answer session.The time has flown by but he has been talking for nearly 3 hours !!!

However the star of the show is a four legged, webbed, big eared, black coated newfoundland/german shepherd heinz who is massive and has the best temperament of any hound dog I've come across. Reubens is the star.

Jon Anderson, Yes and Pie

Along with Mrs Pieman and Georgio Dragonslayer we went last night to Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester for a solo acoustic concert by Jon Anderson, best known as a singer with "Yes" and "Jon & Vangelis". 

The venue was a first for for us and it was excellent, a self contained theatre within a building? The theatre is in the round style with 3 levels and sits within the main domed concourse of the former exchange building quite beautiful, large but intimate, we like it. Staff are helpful, facilities good, seats slightly awkward to get into (? raised with foot rests and a bar to rest on) but very comfortable and all with a good view.

For this performance the light show is on or off, which is no bad thing as all is concentrated on the music and words coming from the talented Mr Anderson. He is an interesting and an unassuming joy to listen to. He is quite comfortable with the audience and the venue setting. It makes for a relaxed and very enjoyable ramble through his extensive back catalogue interspersed with some interesting background stories. 

He swaps easily between guitar, dulcimer, ukelele and keyboards throughout the evening with stripped down versions of many well known tracks.His voice is good, strong and consistent throughout. 

He played a wide variety of tracks and sometimes snippets but included we think with possible omissions Yours is no Disgrace, Sweet dreams, America (Simon & Garfunkel), Time and a Word,  One Love (Marley), Under heavens door, Flight of the Moorglade,  I'll Find my way Home,  Going For the One (See Mrs Pie), Starship Trooper, Give Love Each Day, Long Distance Runaround; Owner of the Lonely Heart, Close to the Edge; Heart of the Sunrise, Marry Me Again, and The Revealing Science of God,You Got the Light, And You and I, Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soliel), Tony and Me, Give Peace a Chance (Lennon), I’ve Seen All Good People, Roundabout, A Day in the Life (Beatles), Sun is Calling, State of Independence, Wonderous Stories and Soon. 

The covers are interesting and with the obvious admiration/enthusiasm of the player they work well. It also seemed appropriate that someone from Accrington should sing a song (and playing a ukelele) about "four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire".

The only downside of the night was the mini Ginsters Pork & Pickle Pie (2/10) consumed on the way home which was a mistake. A turgid brick of an offering with pickle. I should have read the wrapping better as I have yet to really appreciate a pork pie with pickle within it, rather than with it which is different altogether.

Elvis Fontenot and The Sugar Bees

Elvis Fontenot & The Sugar Bees @ Old Brown Jug, Newcastle-Under-Lyme

Many thanks to good friend Mark Shed for the invite to go to the Newcastle Under Lyme Blues & Jazz festival. It takes place at various venues (Pubs) around the town over the May bank holiday weekend. Most of the venues are free and some charge a small amount as they get packed into the evening.

We arrived mid afternoon and got to see various bands throughout the afternoon/evening of various styles and of various abilities whilst sampling some local beverages. The absolute stand out of our visit though for me was the mighty fine Elvis Fontenot and The Sugar Bees - "Cajun, Zydeco, Swamp 'n' Roll from the bayous of Staffordshire" — at the Old Brown Jug.

They were quite simply brilliant with a well practised set which was captivating, foot tapping and with an energising intensity which you don't find often. Vocal and instrumental duties were split and swapped between all members of the band so there is plenty of variety to keep you interested. 

After a break which was longer than expected, as the drummer couldn't be found, the second half saw the temperature rise and the dancing/jigging/foot tappin catch on throughout the crowded venue.It ended with everyone wanting more which is a testament to their appeal.

Subsequently bought their Cd "Three" from their website and I have been playing it an awful lot. As with the live show it combines originals and their interpretations of standards. I've never been a fan of Tom Waits but their version of "I don't Wanna grow up" is excellent. It doesn't quite catch the intensity of the live show but it will more than suffice until I can get to see them again.

Bionic Man

Bionic Man, a photo by Idreamofpies on Flickr.

"ANTHONY PATRICK McCOY has broken both shoulder blades, both collar bones, his ankles, wrists, cheekbones, ribs, his leg and back and along with several chipped teeth and numerous dislocated thumbs the greatest jump jockey to ever grace planet Earth " - A Racing Passion

A spur of the moment decision led Mr & Mrs Pieman heading for Bangor is y Coed for the first meeting of the new National Hunt season on an extremely pleasant and warm evening.

A while since we have been and a little under prepared, form wise, we still had a great time. There were some excellent close races with an even split between hurdles and chase races.

A good atmosphere with a few improvements since our last visit. Although the standard of equine talent was not the greatest, they came from the best yards and carried some of the best jockeys including the very best, Mr A P McCoy aka the Bionic Man.

Queen Boudica of Brazilica

Queen Boudica of Brazilica, a photo by Idreamofpies on Flickr.

Went to the Brazilica Carnival parade in Liverpool last night. It was excellent. A riot of colour, costumes, rythyms, tunes, smiles to attack and delight the senses.

It started up near the university and wound its way down through the city via Hope St and Bold St to its finale in Williamson Square. it was great fun to watch with the participants clearly keen for a good time. Queen Boudica had her own battery powered chariot to charge down the parade route and she was quite obviously very pregnant !!!!

It was brilliant to watch, with the enthusiasm/exuberance of the performers, very infectious and created a great atmosphere. It was really interesting  to absorb, watch and jig about !!!!

Roodee Roar

Roodee Roar, a photo by Idreamofpies on Flickr.

Had a fantastic evening down at the Roodee last Friday to help celebrate special birthdays for Ange and Beefy.

The roar from the assembled punters as the races finished was not the only roar as the roar of laughter and chat from the clan gathering to celebrate two birthdays was not unsubstantial.

Lots of delicious cake, bubbly refreshments, barbie and peanuts were consumed between the races and chat.The weather was glorious and some even picked some winners but none as good as the J man who was on a roll.

Cow Pie! Rockwells American Diner

This week found two of the Pie tribe in Runcorn this and feeling rather peckish we headed optimistically to a relatively new American themed/styled diner called Rockwells in the high street. The entrance from the High Street is just about noticeable (We actually entered via the back through the Bike Park!), but step inside and a whole new world beckons.

Absolutely fabulous with a lot of effort placed on getting the decor just right. We have missed Eddie Rockets diner in Liverpool but we think this could surpass it and it even has their ceiling fans. 

The service is excellent and the food is great. Just as I was about to order a burger the waitress mentioned the special of the day the "COW PIE" ... well I had to. It was excellent, big, hot, filling and tasty (8.5/10). So much so there was no room for a pud and we had wanted to try the pancakes.

So we will definitely be going back here sometime soon.

CPOP 2013

Ferrari F40, a photo by Idreamofpies on Flickr.
 

Pieman, Georgio, Shabby and Beefy headed for preview day at the latest Cholmondeley Pageant of Power (CPOP 2013). The format is pretty much the same as in previous years with some modifications and changes in line up and display. 

In recognition of Rally GB returning to North Wales for the first time in ages a special display of past and present Rally cars is present including some Colin McRae originals which was great to see. 

On the track their are some familiar vehicles but plenty not seen before and seeing the lorry cab come charging around the corner at a full thrutch was a sight to behold !!!!

The weather was very changeable and resulted in us diving into the beer tent. The rain was pretty heavy so we broke out the Pie supplies which today were purchased from Phil Salt Butchers Pie emporium and might fine they were with particular praise for the Countryman Pie.

As ever access was very good throughout the event and particularly around the paddock area. A number of vehicles drew our attention. Shabby was taken with Danone Heart (Bottom) car and one of my favorites was the Aston Martin DB2 closely followed the Noble which as good as it looked. The only disappointment of the day was missing the scrambling bikes in action (Lack of info) especially as the weather was perfect for them ! But all in all it was great day with Pie consumed.

Crash, Bang, Wallop

Happiest Driver (Jason Plato), a photo by Idreamofpies on Flickr.

An excellent two days were spent recently at the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) meeting at Oulton Park. It has been many years since our last visit and whilst the basic circuit is almost the same with some minor changes ,the circuit as a whole has been improved considerably.

The weather for both days was excellent and the support races were pretty good including the Porsche Super Cup. The main event was the touring cars which was superb with race three on the Sunday being the pick of the bunch ,  with Jason Plato retiring his car on fire. 

Access to all parts of the track was very good and even though it was heaving on the Sunday, it wasn't difficult to find a decent spot to watch from.The circuit setting is superb with great access to the pits available, fine toilets and well organised parking, we even got to drive on the circuit! It's hard to beat.

Pies were consumed over the two days were supplied by Vaughans Butchers of Penyffordd and as ever they were of a very high standard which we can thoroughly recommend including the Steak, Pork and fine herby sausage rolls. Big thanks to our kind sponsor for the day Mrs Georgio Dragonslayer. Look forward to the opportunity of going again soon.