Sunday 13th December 2015

Saturday

With Jools picking up some pre-ordered stuff from Tesco on the way home from work on Friday evening, it meant that for the first time in months we did not have to go shopping early on Saturday morning. Yes, we could have laid in bed until seven or eight or even later. But we were up and about just after seven, feeding the cats and making the first coffees of the day whilst we waited for the day to begin outside. I cooked bacon butties at eight, then we decided what to do with the day. With yet more rain due to fall, and me on my travels again on Monday, a quiet weekend was decided upon, and with there being a beer festival on at The Rack, and Jools needing a few things done in town, it was decided to visit town in the morning, then snooze the afternoon away later in the day.

At least with the redevelopment going on in town, there is now more parking spaces, so we were able to park up in Ladywell, and then split up to do our respective things.

I have to say many thanks to one of my friends in the GWUK group for posting a shot which turned out to be from Dover on the river, which I did not know. Therefore, I am determined to walk the length of the river come next summer, but before then I had an hour to wander along the lower reaches yesterday, from Ladywell to Townwall Street.

The valley in which Dover now stands was formed by this very short river, and once supported many mills of various types, and some still stand, with Crabble Mill being a working flour mill to this day.

In the town it runs through former industrial areas, between houses and sometimes vanishes into short tunnels. Buildings have been constructed over it, and at it's end, the mouth is now a brick built culvert from Townwall Street (the A20) to the docks where just a small arch give the mouth away.

I walk down past the bowling green and the college to Penchester, where the river vanishes beneath some modern shops in a tunnel, emerging on the other side of the road to flow round the edge of Penchester Gardens. A few waterfowl were looking for food, or hopeful I had some in my pockets. I didn't, so I walked on, until the river vanished again as it neared Castle Street. It comes into view again at the end of Dolphin Lane, running beside the shrinking form of Burlington House before vanishing again beneath the main road on Townwall Street. On the otherside, it turns 90 degrees, before vanishing again for a final time into a culvert for its final few metres into the harbour. I didn't cross Townwall Street, as it was blocked thanks to an accident on the radio, but instead walked round Burlinton House again, snapping it as it has lost a couple more floors since last week.

I just have time to walk up Cannon Street and Biggin Street to Ladywell arriving just before ten and when the doors of The Rack would open. Now, even I like a beer or two, I am not normally standing at the doors of a pub when the doors are due to open, certainly not at ten in the morning, but still being tired from the week away, and Norwich on the radio at quarter to one, I thought stay for a couple of pints, go home for lunch and take up the position on the sofa.

I do have four halves, a couple of hoppy ales and a couple of darker brews, including a chocolate/vanilla stout which was very tasty indeed. Jools came at eleven to rescue me, she has a cider before we walk back t the car, and she drives us home.

Norwich were awful, at least in the first half, and were lucky to be just 1-0 down, rather than the 6 they deserved. In the second, we scored within a minute of the restart, and played well for the remainder of the game, but could not get a winner. Later on Man Utd lost again, this time to Bournemouth, which raised more smiles if truth be known.

We watched the final two episodes of the second series of The Bridge, then had supper of a burger followed by a cuppa.

Phew.