Fête nationale; fête ouvrière
Jul. 15th, 2018 12:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shewhomustPrevious years: 2005 (with explanation); 2006; 2007; 2008; (2009: we were in Iceland) 2010; 2011; 2012 (briefly; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016 (briefly) 2017
DMA Website
The Durham Miners' Gala takes place on the second Saturday in July, which means that from time to time it falls on Bastille Day (previously in 2007 and 2012, apparently) and that no-one but me thinks this is worth of notice. Even less frequently, it falls on a blazing summer day, which everyone notices.
D. was with us for a weekend conference, but once he had departed to what he claimed was his first ever nine o' clock lecture, we went out to follow the banners and the bands down to the racecourse:
We did a quick tour of the tents, and said hello to a few people, then found ourselves a spot on the thirsty grass to listen to the speeches - but it was really too hot, and I'd soon had enough. New this year, there was a video screen, which was really too washed out by the brightness of the sun for me to see any pictures, but if you have a video screen you must, of course, have video messages, and there was one from Bernie Sanders, which was interesting, and said many of the right things. His remark, in passing, that we must break our reliance on fossil fuels, was a brave thing to say to this audience.
durham_rambler and I walked along the river in search of somewhere cool to eat, and after a couple of false starts found ourselves in the Tapas Factory on Elvet Bridge, which served us cold beer and decent food in a very friendly atmosphere. I'd go again, and I'd order some - but not all - of the same things! Tomato and goat's cheese salad particularly recommended.
Thendurham_rambler went back to the Racecourse to hear Billy Bragg, and I decided I had had enough, and walked home, over Prebends Bridge, and straight into the shower. Then I sat on the sofa and read a book about being shipwrecked in the Arctic, until I felt ready to face the world again.
DMA Website
The Durham Miners' Gala takes place on the second Saturday in July, which means that from time to time it falls on Bastille Day (previously in 2007 and 2012, apparently) and that no-one but me thinks this is worth of notice. Even less frequently, it falls on a blazing summer day, which everyone notices.
D. was with us for a weekend conference, but once he had departed to what he claimed was his first ever nine o' clock lecture, we went out to follow the banners and the bands down to the racecourse:
We did a quick tour of the tents, and said hello to a few people, then found ourselves a spot on the thirsty grass to listen to the speeches - but it was really too hot, and I'd soon had enough. New this year, there was a video screen, which was really too washed out by the brightness of the sun for me to see any pictures, but if you have a video screen you must, of course, have video messages, and there was one from Bernie Sanders, which was interesting, and said many of the right things. His remark, in passing, that we must break our reliance on fossil fuels, was a brave thing to say to this audience.
durham_rambler and I walked along the river in search of somewhere cool to eat, and after a couple of false starts found ourselves in the Tapas Factory on Elvet Bridge, which served us cold beer and decent food in a very friendly atmosphere. I'd go again, and I'd order some - but not all - of the same things! Tomato and goat's cheese salad particularly recommended.Then
durham_rambler went back to the Racecourse to hear Billy Bragg, and I decided I had had enough, and walked home, over Prebends Bridge, and straight into the shower. Then I sat on the sofa and read a book about being shipwrecked in the Arctic, until I felt ready to face the world again.
no subject
Date: 2018-07-15 06:17 pm (UTC)Lots of memories of 1984 when I was involved in the WSG's
no subject
Date: 2018-07-16 09:38 am (UTC)