And that’s a wrap on another month. How was yours?
A mixed bag of a month here. Mr THL disappeared off army-ing at short notice early in the month and I haven’t seen him since. I think he’ll turn up soon. It’s never quite right without him.
I’ve gotten two more teenagers over the hurdles of GCSE’s and leaving school. They’re both back to the grindstone in September for more studying, but for now they are embracing a season of freedom, festivals and summer jobs.
They make me feel a bit old, but also glad that I’m not quite so young anymore. They seem to have so many pressures and decisions to make. I couldn’t keep up with their social schedules…the amount of fun they have seems exhausting. Good for them though, hey?
Apart from that, June looked a bit like this…
Going to The Cinema
For the first time in ages. First time post-pandemic, actually. Mr THL and I squeezed in time to see Top Gun: Maverick before he left and it was just right. The perfect blend of nostalgia, humour and escapism.
The movie was good, but the cinema was better. Independent, community focused and housed in a beautiful Georgian building, the Parade in Marlborough is a cinema experience, elevated. It’s also home to a fully licensed cafe-bar and a lovely garden terrace. Friendliest staff the warmest of welcomes and really good coffee. What more could I ask?
Amazon & Netflix-ing
Split loyalties and content on the darker side again this month.
First up, Combat Girls on Netflix ( Originally released in German as Kriegerin). This 2011 drama follows the path of two young women as they navigate life in the underworld of Neo Nazi Germany. Main character Marisa is played beautifully by Alina Levshin, who begins to look beyond everything she has ever known after a series of encounters with an Afghan refugee.
Post Germany, I popped across to Iceland for Trapped, which kicked off with dramatic opening episode and closed with an unpredictable ending.
This Icelandic crime drama series had me hooked within a couple of episodes. They haven’t reinvented the wheel, but the characters are engaging and the Icelandic Fjord back drop brings a touch of novelty.
Funnily enough, I looked back at my June round up from last year and I was watching Icelandic TV then too, declaring it, ‘ brilliant for knitwear inspiration and Iceland inspired travel lust.’. Me, Iceland and some impressive knitwear. It’s meant to be.
Meanwhile in Wiltshire…
I’ve been diving into a local history mystery in the form of this dome shaped building. I’ve driven past it loads of times and always wondered, usually out loud, what on earth it could be.
A lock up? A bunker entrance- might be worth knowing about since Putin can’t behave? Some sort of food storage from pre fridge days? Curiosity eventually got the better of me, so I pulled in for a look.
To set the scene, this is a small brick built structure. Above the stout wooden door, an inscription. Unreadable after years of weathering. Nothing but fields and MoD land as far as the eye can see. This is the middle of nowhere. To the rear, rusting railings fenced off some strangely bumpy ground. Now that got my attention- what in the name of could that be a graveyard is this all about?
The explanation is quite mundane. It’s a pump house containing a couple of taps that was ,in the late 1800’s, a source of water for the nearby hamlet of Wexcombe. The iron railings behind fence off not a mysterious graveyard, but an underground reservoir.
So now I know… and so do you!
And Miles of Walks…
As always, lots of walking. It’s what I do when things feel a bit tough- walk it off. I haven’t ventured far this month, just lots of local walking up onto Salisbury Plain and through the local countryside. Living in Wiltshire, you don’t need to go far to find lovely.
There’s been a few early walks and sunset walks to beat the heat, and a few detours to avoid military exercises. I found some company in the fields along the way. Spotted signs that late Summer/ early Autumn foraging will be fruitful.
As we walk into July, I wish you all a happy month ahead. Give me a highlight from your June in the comments, I’d love to hear about it.
Helen x
Your local cinema looks lovely. We have an Everyman which is a small chain, but very good in Clitheroe. There used to be a proper olde world cinema here but that closed years ago. There was a small theatre/cinema in a town nearby , which was lovely , with the velvet red seats, national anthem played before the film and they served tea and coffee in proper mugs. But the pandemic put an end to it. 🙁 Used to love going. Top GunMaverick was a great film , I enjoyed it. X
Oh I love the look of the Everyman,looks so civilised. Such a shame your local cinema closed, mugs of coffee and the National Anthem sounds perfect. I enjoyed Top Gun: Maverick, more than I thought I would, actually.
I love the Everymans … cinemas with Character compared to most!
A purposeful month as ever. Our June highlight may have been Ripon’s first Theatre Festival. I got involved in volunteering as a street theatre ‘usherette’, and our choir was part of the street theatre scene too. It all finished with a performance of Midsummer Night’s Dream at Fountains Abbey. This better be the first year of many!
Interesting blog Helen. Thank you.
Thank you so much, appreciate it!
I love your little pump house. The Victorians sure knew how to do infrastructure.
Didn’t they just? They did a lot of things well now I come to think on it. Infrastructure, fashion, mourning…
As long as you were “upstairs” not “downstairs”!
If you have to have a pump house build an attractive one. Those Victorians did things properly. I am very tempted to go to that cinema, easily within reach. Highlight for me was probably Legoland with the two littlest grandchildren and their parents.
Lego is always a winner! I’d highly recommend the Parade if you get the chance to go, Marlborough itself is so lovely- make a day of it! I loved the pump house, although my imagination had conjured up a million stories about it and none of them were that practical!
That little cinema sounds lovely. We have a new community arts centre / cinema opened just two days ago and we’re looking forward to trying it out. My June ‘highlight’ was finally getting caught by Covid after two and a half years! Luckily it was a very mild case and I’m pretty much back to normal apart from an irritating tickly cough – and even that is fading fast 🙂
Ah no! Well, if it had to hit you, I’m glad you didn’t get it so bad. Here’s to a happy and healthy July!
The cinema looks charming and interestingly enough we visited a similarly lovely, independent and community-oriented cinema in `Fort `William: The Highland Cinema. That was our only our second visit to the cinema together as we got together mid-2019. Then it was the Covid era. Although we would’ve loved to see the new Top Gun, we succumbed to my sister’s desire to see ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’. We hated it. Curious to hear if you’ve seen it and your impressions. Your walks seem really lovely. Avoiding heat is on our agenda as well since in Serbia the summer temperatures are merciless, 37C today. I enjoyed that little mystery solving.
Oh that is some serious heat. I’m definitely more suited to the Scottish Highlands sort of conditions. I saw the trailer for Everything, Everywhere, All at Once and found it a bit baffling. Looked at the husband and realised from his face that if I was going to see it, it wouldn’t be with him 😆 I’ll pick it up at home maybe, out of curiosity.
Great photos Helen, looks like you’ve been out and about a lot recently. Weather could be better couldn’t it? That cinema in Marlborough looks fabulous, we may have to give that a try. About 30 minutes drive so pretty easy to get to. Still settling in here.