A Weekend in Kent

So there comes a day when one is wandering the wilds of Kent looking for a pint; and all among the budding orchards one finds a village green and a pub called 'The Black Horse'. and in that pub are friendly locals, a gatling gun in the fireplace and some Zulus.

Two, to be precise; one of them was royalty, wearing a leopardskin headress and benignly nursing his pint of Kentish ale. Everywhere we looked we found spears and shields, hard tack, victorian medals, knobkerries... we were in Pluckley, made famous by the Darling Buds of May TV series. It was the closest village to our hostelry, a medieval farm come B+B restaurant, which is every bit as lovely as the website promises (http://www.elveyfarm.co.uk) If you like oak beams, golden retrievers and serious amounts of good food (including the best cheese/chutney/port combo I have ever tasted), Elvey Farm is the place to go. We were there to celebrate larians birthday; I had arranged it as a surprise, and he was delighted. The local Zulus were extra.

Turns out that the village of Pluckley sent a unit to the Anglo-Zulu wars, and the local re-enactment society do demos, complete with pub screenings of Zulu and Zulu Dawn. On this occasion, they had invited the aforementioned royalty to teach us how to pronounce the words for throwing spear, long spear and shield, and we all sat in the beer garden learning how to fire a Martini Henry and why close order is necessary when facing a Zulu army. It was a sweet day that had started in Leeds Castle, and ended with a meal bigger than my head.

The next day saw us in Canterbury, a place that reminds me of York without the charm. The cathedral is a powerful place, but the whole town is strangely oppressive. Whitstable was more fun with its fishing boats and huts turned stores, and a biting wind calling for fish and chips. Good fresh fish too.

So now we are home, recovering from our rest. A friend has invited me to Ramallah this Spring. I haven't worked out whether this is a nice contrast to Kent or a total brainfart...