Mother's Day is the perfect excuse to treat mum to a spring stroll in flower-filled gardens followed by a visit to a beautiful Elizabethan manor house deep in the Northamptonshire countryside. And there's no better place to do this than the National Trust's Canons Ashby. Make the day really special by treating your mum to a delicious lunch in the Garden Tea Rooms, and we'll be giving every mum a posy of flowers to take home.
So why not visit Canons and treat mum to lunch on her special day?
Lunch will be available between 12.30 and 2.30 pm at a cost of £9.50 for adults and £5.00 for children (booking advisable). Roast lamb will be on the menu and there will be a special family deal to include dessert, with reduced rates for children. To book call 01327 861905 or 01327 861900.
Looking ahead to Easter, the Garden Tea Rooms will be serving a special Easter menu, and there will also be activities for children. As spring arrives and we start thinking about our gardens, why not let the children have a go at making their own mini Easter garden?
These events are all part of an interesting and varied programme of events at Canons this year, plus the exciting developments in the restoration of the Victorian gardens, work that started late in 2008 and will continue for around the next four years. The gardens at Canons Ashby were one of the first Arts and Crafts style gardens in the country and were thought to have inspired the famous garden designers Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll.
According to Head Gardener Chris Smith, "We completed the first phase of the project last year - the reinstatement of the Sundial Terrace. This year we'll be putting in five flower beds on the top terrace, each of which will be planted with seasonal bedding schemes typical of the late 19th century. We've been able to establish the exact positions of these flower beds in each of the square lawns by using the results of the geophysical surveys carried out last year by our archaeology team."
Another new feature this year is that the croquet lawn will once again become an integral part of the garden - a yew hedge that was planted in the 1980s and that screened the croquet lawn from the top terrace has been removed. Visitors will even be able to borrow a croquet set and have a go at playing this genteel and historic game themselves!
Out and About
Gaydon Easter Egg Hunt
The Heritage Motor Centre has a whole host of exciting events and activities taking place for all the family during the Easter holidays. One highlight will be the chance to see Roary the Racing Car and Big Chris on Sunday 28 March at various intervals from 10am – 4pm. These well loved and popular TV characters will be visiting the Centre for a fantastic family fun day of crafts, quizzes and colouring. Children will be able to have their photographs taken with the cheeky young racing car and mechanic as a memento of their day. The Centres electric Go Karts will also be open for those under 8 years who want to have some fun behind the wheel and the petrol Go Karts will be open for those aged 8 years and over. From Saturday 27 March – Sunday 11 April children can take part in an exciting Easter quiz around the museum from 10am – 5pm. The quiz is offered free of charge although the standard museum entrance fee applies. The Easter holidays also sees the re-opening of the Go Karts and Miniature Roadway which will be open daily from 11am - 4pm weather dependant. ‘Stop Start Under 17 driving sessions’ are also available offering learner driving experiences for those aged 15 and over in dual controlled vehicles. These one hour sessions cost £30 and pre booking is essential.
Children can visit the Centre to paint racing cars on Thursday 1 & Thursday 8 April. These free drop-in family activities will take place in the Education Room from 11am - 3pm. Children will be able to take home what they make and must be supervised at all times.
Penny Tyler, Marketing Officer for the Heritage Motor Centre stated “We’re thrilled that Roary the Racing Car and Big Chris will be making a guest appearance giving children the chance to see these legendary TV characters in person. Along with seeing Roary, we have plenty of exciting activities to keep everyone entertained during the Easter holidays!”
Roary the Racing Car and Big Chris is just one of a whole host of family events taking place at the Heritage Motor Centre during the school holidays in 2010. Normal museum entry fees apply. A family ticket costs just £28 for 2 adults & 3 children. Prices per ride for the 4X4 Experience cost £6.00 for adults and £4.00 for children and concessions. To find out more information please visit the website at www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk
Saw Doctors at Leamington
The rock and rollercoaster history of The Saw Doctors defies logical
explanation until you remember that, in the end, perseverance gets
rewarded.
The very definition of journeymen rockers, Ireland's Saw Doctors have
blazed back phoenix-like from almost two decades of unsung glory. Out
of the blue, their rambunctious cover of The Sugababes' About You Now
rocketed to No1 in Ireland, restoring them to their rightful place as
that nation's best-loved good-time band.
Fronted by two criminally under-rated songwriters, Leo Moran and Davy
Carton, this is the band that entered the record books back in 1990
when I Useta Lover spent nine weeks at number one, becoming Ireland's
best-selling single of all time. They followed up with another No1,
N17, and a chart-topping album, If This Is Rock And Roll, I Want My
Old Job Back, but somehow the momentum wasn't maintained.
Irresistably singable songs (To Win Just Once, Hay Wrap and Same Oul'
Town to name but three), still flowed from Moran and Carton; their
stormingly exuberant live shows remained unparalleled celebrations of
the spirit of great rock; and their substantial phalanx of hardcore
fans on both sides of the Atlantic never wavered in support.
Even so, the hits dried up. Instead of giving up, though, The Saw
Doctors resigned themselves to the honourable tradition of keeping on
keeping on. They toured America every year, building an ever-
increasing fan base, released ten acclaimed albums and simply refused
to go away.
"I suppose we’re a bit like an old dress," says Leo Moran with a wryly
philosophical smile. "If you keep it long enough, it’s bound to come
back into fashion."
Typically for the Saw Doctors, coming back into fashion happened in
the least likely way imaginable, on February 12, 2008. "We were on the
Podge And Rodge Show," laughs Davy Carton. "It's a late-night RTE tv
show hosted by two rude puppets. Part of the show involves a spinning
music board. They spin the board and the guest artist has to perform
whatever song it lands on. It landed on The Sugababes hit About You
Now."
At the end of the show, The Saw Doctors took to the tiny Podge And
Rodge stage and delivered up their blindingly transformed re-
interpretation of what had been a slick r'n'b pop hit. Now it was
entirely their own, as surely as if Moran and Carton had written it
themselves. Suddenly, About You Now had become a ranting, raving rock
anthem.
To their surprise, this totally off-the-cuff performance stirred up so
much interest that the band realised they had no option but to commit
their version to record.
On October 18, 2008, with hot releases from P!nk, Kings Of Leon and
Snow Patrol trailing along in their dust, About You Now by The Saw
Doctors debuted at No1 in the Irish Charts. Generous to a fault, the
band donated all proceeds, over €10,000, to Galway’s Salerno Cystic
Fibrosis Fund.
Analyzing exactly what makes a hit single is a fool's game. Even so,
it's hard not to notice that a lyric which conveyed angsty twenty-
something romantic regret in the hands of The Sugababes, carries a
completely different message when sung by men who have experienced
more than their fair share of life's upheavals. With Carton howling
out the hooks, the song says that no matter how old you are, it's
never too late to make mistakes and never too late to try to put them
right.
There's a trace of impish delight in Davy Carton when he notes that
The Sugababes' original version of About You Now stalled at No2 in the
Irish Chart. "We're not pretty to look at," he admits, "but we were
No1."
Leo Moran is typically self-effacing when he addresses the question of
exactly what went right for The Saw Doctors after almost two decades
of hovering just off the radar. "Sometimes you stumble upon a bit more
attention," he reckons. "Last year, with The Podge and Rodge Show, and
the Meteor (Lifetime Achievement) Award, we got a lot of attention.”
For many artists a Lifetime Achievement Award comes towards the end of
a long and acclaimed career but, for The Saw Doctors, it came at the
start of their second sprint to the top – just three days after their
momentous appearance on the Podge And Rodge Show.
Nevertheless, it was still a moment that enabled them to reflect on
their achievements so far.
The Saw Doctors were formed in Tuam, Galway, Ireland, in 1986.
Although membership has fluctuated over the years, two founder-members
have remained constant. Leo Moran, formerly of local reggae combo Too
Much For The White Man and Davy Carton, a refugee from short-lived
punk band Blaze X, were there right at the start, when it felt like
success to be able to play in local venues such as Tuam's Imperial
Hotel.
Within a couple of years, though, they were already attracting
attention as an ear-grabbling support act on national tours by major
artists including Hothouse Flowers and, more significantly, The
Waterboys, with whom they formed a lasting friendship, and from whom
they gained a longstanding member, saxophonist and bassman Anthony
Thistlethwaite.
Even after the first flush of success faded, The Saw Doctors were
never far out of earshot. Guinness, for example, used the Saw Doctors'
song Never Mind the Strangers in a multi-million dollar ad campaign
for Harp Lager in the USA. The band made a film appearance in Walter
Foote's directorial debut, The Tavern, which featured Same Oul' Town,
and their song She Says became the theme to the BBC Northern Ireland
comedy series Give My Head Peace.
Through it all, the twin planks of the band's enduring appeal have
been immensely singable songs and riotous live performances. Instead
of the usual swaggering rock cliches about life on the road, drug
problems and easy sex, their songs range from bringing in the harvest,
to running away to join the army; from the plight of Ireland’s
unmarried mothers to the effect of strong religion on a nation’s
youth; from playing football against a neighbouring village to loving
the prettiest girl in town from a distance but lacking the courage to
tell her.
Saw Doctors' fans go home glowing from a gig crammed end to end with
songs about real life. They work the same live magic wherever they
play, from the Royal Albert Hall to a convent, from the paddock at
Sandown Racecourse to the front room of a lucky fan who won a live Saw
Doctors concert as a competition prize.
For a band so clearly in tune with tradition, they're also well aware
of the pros and cons of the digital age. Their 2007 single, I’m Never
Gonna Go on Bebo Again is a case in point. Although it details the
perils of being stalked by an ex-lover on the social networking site
Bebo, the band is savvy enough to maintain its own lively Bebo presence.
Asked about their current approach to songwriting, Moran says, "We’re
being picky and more meticulous than before. We’re trying to put in
all the little things that pop records have now. We’re trying to put
the fairy dust on things.”
As this compilation hits the streets, The Saw Doctors (currently Leo
Moran (vocals, guitar), Davy Carton (vocals, guitar), Kevin Duffy
(keyboards), Anthony Thistlethwaite (bass guitar, saxophone), and
Eímhín Cradock (drums) are embarking on a UK tour that will run
throughout November and December of 2009
And beyond that? In the words of Leo Moran, "We never look more than a
few months ahead. It's tempting fate. We're just pleased to still be
around."
explanation until you remember that, in the end, perseverance gets
rewarded.
The very definition of journeymen rockers, Ireland's Saw Doctors have
blazed back phoenix-like from almost two decades of unsung glory. Out
of the blue, their rambunctious cover of The Sugababes' About You Now
rocketed to No1 in Ireland, restoring them to their rightful place as
that nation's best-loved good-time band.
Fronted by two criminally under-rated songwriters, Leo Moran and Davy
Carton, this is the band that entered the record books back in 1990
when I Useta Lover spent nine weeks at number one, becoming Ireland's
best-selling single of all time. They followed up with another No1,
N17, and a chart-topping album, If This Is Rock And Roll, I Want My
Old Job Back, but somehow the momentum wasn't maintained.
Irresistably singable songs (To Win Just Once, Hay Wrap and Same Oul'
Town to name but three), still flowed from Moran and Carton; their
stormingly exuberant live shows remained unparalleled celebrations of
the spirit of great rock; and their substantial phalanx of hardcore
fans on both sides of the Atlantic never wavered in support.
Even so, the hits dried up. Instead of giving up, though, The Saw
Doctors resigned themselves to the honourable tradition of keeping on
keeping on. They toured America every year, building an ever-
increasing fan base, released ten acclaimed albums and simply refused
to go away.
"I suppose we’re a bit like an old dress," says Leo Moran with a wryly
philosophical smile. "If you keep it long enough, it’s bound to come
back into fashion."
Typically for the Saw Doctors, coming back into fashion happened in
the least likely way imaginable, on February 12, 2008. "We were on the
Podge And Rodge Show," laughs Davy Carton. "It's a late-night RTE tv
show hosted by two rude puppets. Part of the show involves a spinning
music board. They spin the board and the guest artist has to perform
whatever song it lands on. It landed on The Sugababes hit About You
Now."
At the end of the show, The Saw Doctors took to the tiny Podge And
Rodge stage and delivered up their blindingly transformed re-
interpretation of what had been a slick r'n'b pop hit. Now it was
entirely their own, as surely as if Moran and Carton had written it
themselves. Suddenly, About You Now had become a ranting, raving rock
anthem.
To their surprise, this totally off-the-cuff performance stirred up so
much interest that the band realised they had no option but to commit
their version to record.
On October 18, 2008, with hot releases from P!nk, Kings Of Leon and
Snow Patrol trailing along in their dust, About You Now by The Saw
Doctors debuted at No1 in the Irish Charts. Generous to a fault, the
band donated all proceeds, over €10,000, to Galway’s Salerno Cystic
Fibrosis Fund.
Analyzing exactly what makes a hit single is a fool's game. Even so,
it's hard not to notice that a lyric which conveyed angsty twenty-
something romantic regret in the hands of The Sugababes, carries a
completely different message when sung by men who have experienced
more than their fair share of life's upheavals. With Carton howling
out the hooks, the song says that no matter how old you are, it's
never too late to make mistakes and never too late to try to put them
right.
There's a trace of impish delight in Davy Carton when he notes that
The Sugababes' original version of About You Now stalled at No2 in the
Irish Chart. "We're not pretty to look at," he admits, "but we were
No1."
Leo Moran is typically self-effacing when he addresses the question of
exactly what went right for The Saw Doctors after almost two decades
of hovering just off the radar. "Sometimes you stumble upon a bit more
attention," he reckons. "Last year, with The Podge and Rodge Show, and
the Meteor (Lifetime Achievement) Award, we got a lot of attention.”
For many artists a Lifetime Achievement Award comes towards the end of
a long and acclaimed career but, for The Saw Doctors, it came at the
start of their second sprint to the top – just three days after their
momentous appearance on the Podge And Rodge Show.
Nevertheless, it was still a moment that enabled them to reflect on
their achievements so far.
The Saw Doctors were formed in Tuam, Galway, Ireland, in 1986.
Although membership has fluctuated over the years, two founder-members
have remained constant. Leo Moran, formerly of local reggae combo Too
Much For The White Man and Davy Carton, a refugee from short-lived
punk band Blaze X, were there right at the start, when it felt like
success to be able to play in local venues such as Tuam's Imperial
Hotel.
Within a couple of years, though, they were already attracting
attention as an ear-grabbling support act on national tours by major
artists including Hothouse Flowers and, more significantly, The
Waterboys, with whom they formed a lasting friendship, and from whom
they gained a longstanding member, saxophonist and bassman Anthony
Thistlethwaite.
Even after the first flush of success faded, The Saw Doctors were
never far out of earshot. Guinness, for example, used the Saw Doctors'
song Never Mind the Strangers in a multi-million dollar ad campaign
for Harp Lager in the USA. The band made a film appearance in Walter
Foote's directorial debut, The Tavern, which featured Same Oul' Town,
and their song She Says became the theme to the BBC Northern Ireland
comedy series Give My Head Peace.
Through it all, the twin planks of the band's enduring appeal have
been immensely singable songs and riotous live performances. Instead
of the usual swaggering rock cliches about life on the road, drug
problems and easy sex, their songs range from bringing in the harvest,
to running away to join the army; from the plight of Ireland’s
unmarried mothers to the effect of strong religion on a nation’s
youth; from playing football against a neighbouring village to loving
the prettiest girl in town from a distance but lacking the courage to
tell her.
Saw Doctors' fans go home glowing from a gig crammed end to end with
songs about real life. They work the same live magic wherever they
play, from the Royal Albert Hall to a convent, from the paddock at
Sandown Racecourse to the front room of a lucky fan who won a live Saw
Doctors concert as a competition prize.
For a band so clearly in tune with tradition, they're also well aware
of the pros and cons of the digital age. Their 2007 single, I’m Never
Gonna Go on Bebo Again is a case in point. Although it details the
perils of being stalked by an ex-lover on the social networking site
Bebo, the band is savvy enough to maintain its own lively Bebo presence.
Asked about their current approach to songwriting, Moran says, "We’re
being picky and more meticulous than before. We’re trying to put in
all the little things that pop records have now. We’re trying to put
the fairy dust on things.”
As this compilation hits the streets, The Saw Doctors (currently Leo
Moran (vocals, guitar), Davy Carton (vocals, guitar), Kevin Duffy
(keyboards), Anthony Thistlethwaite (bass guitar, saxophone), and
Eímhín Cradock (drums) are embarking on a UK tour that will run
throughout November and December of 2009
And beyond that? In the words of Leo Moran, "We never look more than a
few months ahead. It's tempting fate. We're just pleased to still be
around."
All Stars join Cropredy Line Up
Tickets for Fairport's Cropredy Convention, billed as Britain's friendliest music festival, go on sale this month. The organisers also confirm that internationally acclaimed dub-reggae collective Easy Star All-Stars will be playing at the three-day festival.Fairport's Cropredy Convention takes place on Thursday 12, Friday 13 and Saturday 14 August 2010 at its usual farmland location north of Banbury, Oxfordshire, three miles from Junction 11 of the M40 motorway.
The festival offers three-day (Thurs, Fri and Sat), two-day (Fri and Sat), and Saturday-only tickets with discounts for early purchase. Tickets can be bought online from Fairport's website (fairportconvention.com) or by post from PO Box 8413, Bilsthorpe, Notts NG22 8WY.
With Easy Star All-Stars announced, the 2010 Cropredy line-up is complete - 20 acts will perform for 30-odd hours over the weekend.
Festival co-organiser Simon Nicol, lead singer with Fairport Convention, says: "Easy Star All-Stars might seem a bit left-field for Cropredy but we always put on a very wide range of music to appeal across genres and generations. Last year, Dreadzone (another dub-reggae band) was the surprise hit of the festival and we are sure All-Stars will be just as popular with the crowd. And with us, of course - we're big fans too."
Based in New York, Easy Star All-Stars have a worldwide following and have played in 25 countries on six continents. Their re-working of classic material has produced three of the best-selling reggae albums of the last decade - Dub Side of the Moon, RadioDread and Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band
Whittlebury Hall offers Mothers Day delights
Juggling the aspects of family life, work, home, shopping, schoolwork, teenagers and husbands is never a walk in the park and so this year Whittlebury Hall Hotel and Spa has some great ideas to help ladies celebrate and say thanks to their mums in style. The Hotel is once more hosting a Mothers Day Sunday Lunch on 14th March, the lunch includes three-courses and a Spa Day gift voucher for all Mothers, and is just £29.95 per adult, £14.95 for Children (5-12 yrs), under 5’s free!
Bernhard Zechner, Hotel General Manager says, “It’s not just a cliché this year there really is something for everyone and all budgets. We look forward to spoiling and indulging as many mums as possible!”
The award winning The Day Spa opened in July 2005 and incorporates a Hydrotherapy Pool with Heat and Ice Experiences which provides body sensations brought about by changes in temperature. Facilities include a Sanarium®, a Caldarium hot room, a salt Steam room, Sauna, Experience Showers and Foot Spas. The Day spa also has a Hamman Steam Chamber and Rasul Chamber for mud bathing.
Bernhard Zechner, Hotel General Manager says, “It’s not just a cliché this year there really is something for everyone and all budgets. We look forward to spoiling and indulging as many mums as possible!”
The award winning The Day Spa opened in July 2005 and incorporates a Hydrotherapy Pool with Heat and Ice Experiences which provides body sensations brought about by changes in temperature. Facilities include a Sanarium®, a Caldarium hot room, a salt Steam room, Sauna, Experience Showers and Foot Spas. The Day spa also has a Hamman Steam Chamber and Rasul Chamber for mud bathing.
Creative Campden!
The weekend of 27 and 28 February will see Chipping Campden opening its creative doors to the world.
Creative Campden will be presenting a rich diversity of creative talent for you to visit and enjoy. Artists, writers, jewellers, photographers and musicians are amongst the many to whom Chipping Campden is home.
Browse and buy creative works on a tour of studios, galleries and shops - all within easy walking distance of each other
Special Creative Campden exhibition in the Court Barn Museum
Entertaining and informative sessions with Creative Campden members at a variety of venues
Literary events including poetry reading and a presentation by children’s book authors
A chance to play the organ at 15th century St James’ church
Enjoy meals at Campden’s many restaurants, pubs and bistros
Full details at www.creativecampden.co.uk or telephone 01386 841206
Information on the day from Court Barn Museum, Gallery at the Guild and The Information Centre (TIC)
Creative Campden will be presenting a rich diversity of creative talent for you to visit and enjoy. Artists, writers, jewellers, photographers and musicians are amongst the many to whom Chipping Campden is home.
Browse and buy creative works on a tour of studios, galleries and shops - all within easy walking distance of each other
Special Creative Campden exhibition in the Court Barn Museum
Entertaining and informative sessions with Creative Campden members at a variety of venues
Literary events including poetry reading and a presentation by children’s book authors
A chance to play the organ at 15th century St James’ church
Enjoy meals at Campden’s many restaurants, pubs and bistros
Full details at www.creativecampden.co.uk or telephone 01386 841206
Information on the day from Court Barn Museum, Gallery at the Guild and The Information Centre (TIC)
The Cold War comes to Banbury!
Over 15 years have elapsed since RAF Upper Heyford closed as a military air base. Once, it would have been the site from which American air crews scrambled their nuclear armed F-111s, had the Cold War got hot. And it saw active service during the 1986 Tripoli raid and the first Gulf War in 1991.Now, in a new exhibition at Banbury Museum, documentary photographer Richard Smith is displaying, for the first time, a set of photographs of the base's Cold War landscape as it appears today, an echo of past conflict.
The images explore what was once a hidden and secretive place. They allow visitors a glimpse of what was beyond the fences, while retaining an air of mystery. This exhibition doesn’t aim to explain and de-mystify the history of the base but rather provoke thought, memories and discussion.
Richard Smith said: "What is certain is that the place was militarily significant. It was at the metaphorical frontline of one of the major ideological battles of the 20th century, that between Communism and Capitalism. It was a hidden, secretive battleground. What remains is a scarred and battered landscape.”
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