Christmas in Royston and Cambridge

[lathany]

Roughly every other year, bateleur and I tend to go to the parents and parents-in-law for Xmas. This was one of those years.

Royston
There was a lot of snow ice around still when we got to Royston, so we did a lot less walking than we have done in previous years. Memorable moments of those three(ish) days are:

• Taking the duo (and my mum) to Letchworth to swim.
• Going to the nearby Thai for dinner one evening (minus bateleur who was sadly ill). Bea discovered how much she liked sweet and sour Thai style.
• The one walk we did go on we passed the Royston Museum - which I'd like to look round when it's open (sadly, it had been open the day before, but we hadn't known that). From the outside it reminded me of the (fictional) Saxton Museum in The Lost Crown.
• Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve - in the main because I love my mum's roasts.

Cambridge
By the time we'd reached Cambridge, the worst of the icy stuff had gone; although there was still a fair amount of sliding on the pavements for the first couple of days. Memorable moments of those three(ish) days are:

• the post-Christmas meal walk; dark, pretty and slippery.
• Meeting up with Luke and family for a walk one morning - he hasn't changed.
• Dick Whittington and his Cat pantomime. This was OK, and I liked watching King Rat and his rattlings do Thriller, but I don't expect to volunteer again next year, not least because of the number of people who wanted to push past even in the middle of the performance. That said, I suspect the duo will be too old to see another by the next time we're back in Cambridge.
• Going to the Fitzwilliam Museum where my sister-in-law works. It's a lovely place for roleplaying game inspiration.

Present-wise I received:

• Dragon Age,
• Dark Fall: Lost Souls,
• two lots of chocs,
• Books - A Snowball in Hell, Lady Oracle and The Gift,
• and a map puzzle.

Comments

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I hadn't noticed there was a new Dark Fall out. Must get hold of that!

[lathany.livejournal.com]

Didn't know you played them - what did you think of the first two?

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

I haven't played the first one, but I thought Lights Out was brilliant. Lots of fun, atmosphere and very clever story.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Going to the Fitzwilliam Museum where my sister-in-law works. It's a lovely place for roleplaying game inspiration.

Incieentally - just in case smiorgan or onebyone are reading this - I managed to relocate the preposterously large sword I'd seen there in the 80s and it is indeed preposterously large. Possibly it doesn't weigh quite as much as 20kg, but it certainly looks like it could. However, reading the blurb next to it, the sword "may have been" ceremonial in purpose, which would explain the problem with it appearing unwieldable!

[onebyone.livejournal.com]

I did read it (eventually), thanks for the update. I thought you claim that you don't have a good memory?

Of course it's also possible that it is unwieldable but wasn't ceremonial, and went through three owners killed after toppling over backwards, before wisely being retired to a museum ;-)

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

I thought you claim that you don't have a good memory?

Which is contradicted somehow by the above?

Of course it's also possible that it is unwieldable but wasn't ceremonial

The same display certainly includes the crossbow variant on that problem: the bow itself looks just about liftable, but good luck aiming it with that football-sized metal winding mechanism bolted to the side!