WHAT ARE YOU DOING TODAY - WAYDT (PICS)

[Giles]

Thank you. Just popped out with @Madame Buttonfly again.  Weather is too good not to at the moment.

This is the Portsmouth Upper Harbour Ammunition Facility.  Munitions are towed on barges from Defence Munitions Gosport, upstream of here and loaded by crane onto this structure (which is completely self-supporting, generating its own electricity etc.), then the munitions are loaded onto warships as and when needed.  It's in the middle of the harbour, so if it goes bang, Gosport and Portsmouth will come off pretty unscathed….

[scarfmace]

doing horrible spreadsheet work atm.

Good thing I have Crowbar keeping me company:

This Iron Maiden cover is awsome! Turn it up to 11

[neph93]

^ Sweet. That has always been one of my fave Maiden songs. Giving that treatment was a stroke of genius.

[LewisStonehouse]

Pub init

[Giles]

Well behind @goosehd in the cropping stakes, but am just beginning to crop other stuff than plums…..

And frankly, the pears are the size of small melons…..

[neph93]

@Giles:

And frankly, the pears are the size of small melons…..

All the best ones are…

[goosehd]

Great looking pears!  Roasted pears with bleu cheese?

[Giles]

Nope, raw with Stilton, walnuts and rocket (that's arugula for any heathens reading this)…..

https://drizzleanddip.com/2011/05/09/pear-blue-cheese-and-walnut-salad-with-a-maple-syrup-vinaigrette/

[goosehd]

Salivating…I may be going to the store this afternoon.

[Brock]

Got into some golden Chanterelles, Lobster mushroom, and Reishi. Great day in the mountains with the family!

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[Giles]

My birthday present to me.

Being interviewed on Antiques Roadshow….

[neph93]

Amazing! God I loved that show when I was a kid. When is it airing? Need to prime my VPN to get UK TV.

[goosehd]

I’ve watched many episodes of that series.  How did you do…or do we wait to the grand reveal?

[Giles]

@neph93:

When is it airing? Need to prime my VPN to get UK TV.

Dunno, will get an email telling me at some point…..

[Giles]

@goosehd:

How did you do…or do we wait to the grand reveal?

No idea, I spoke, I was filmed, I felt awkward, and it was a wrap…..

[Paul9221]

Hey @Brock where'd you learn to pick mushrooms?  That's awesome!

@Giles are you going to tell us anything about this lovely object or are you going to make us wait for the airing of the show?

[Brock]

Very cool G!

And happy birthday!!

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[Brock]

@Paul9221:

Hey @Brock where'd you learn to pick mushrooms?  That's awesome!

@Giles are you going to tell us anything about this lovely object or are you going to make us wait for the airing of the show?

A combination of making friends with local foragers on IG and self learning from books.

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[Giles]

@Paul9221:

@Giles are you going to tell us anything about this lovely object or are you going to make us wait for the airing of the show?

The short version.

We live in what was the Superintendent's House, for the Royal Clarance Victualling Yard.  The guy who the house was originally built for was Thomas Grant.

In 1844, the King of the French (we could not bring ourselves to call him the King of France) came on a state visit to the UK.  Royal Clarence Yard was where he arrived and was supposed to depart from.  On the day of his departure a storm brewed up and he could not get out to his Royal Yacht.

Thomas Grant was told to get rid of his house guests (who had come to see the amazing celebrations) because Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Lous Phillipe and a few other notables were coming for tea, whilst they waited for the storm to abate.

As a thank you, Queen Victoria gave Thomas Grant a silver-gilt Tazza made by Garrads of London (the royal silversmith at the time) engraved with her, Alberts and Louis Phillipe's cyphers, plus the date of the storm.

Paula tracked the Tazza down a few years ago and gave it to me as a present.

A bit more about Royal Clarence Yard here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Clarence_Yard

And more about that day:
https://www.rcmra.co.uk/post/2014/11/28/the-week-when-rcy-was-global-news

[goosehd]

That's a pretty cool story and I'm wondering how Paula tracked it down.  Was it still in the local area?