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| Drummers, 2010 |
I attended my first Queen's Day in 2007. I had never heard of it before, but Dutch friends told me of the day off and a little bit about what it means. Basically, it's a celebration of the Queen's birthday. The actual date for it is from the previous queen: the current queen, Beatrix, was born in winter rather than the far more convenient early spring date of 30 April.
It affects the whole country. It's fun. The Queen and the royal family get out and visit a different part of the country each time and take part in various fun-fair type activities. Even not-really-monarchists like me appreciate just how nice that is...
I went to Queen's Day in Amsterdam in 2007, 2009 and 2010. It's the big city, and the place goes wild. Early on people dressed in orange (the Dutch national colour) start to crowd the streets and canals. Thumping dance music competes quite happily with the rarely heard Dutch pop and rock.
Dutch people set up little street stalls to sell odds and ends they've collected during the year; or food like pancakes, koekjes (cookies), cupcakes...
There's a Dutch word that captures it: gezellig. And it is.
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Dartmoor is a place in England's south west, in the county of Devon. I first went there when I was really young and while I have no conscious memories of the place every time I've been back there are resonances. I know that sounds a bit 'new age-y' or something, but it's how I feel when I'm there.
Back in 2003 I went with an old friend and a new friend; the new friend who lives very close by. We went to Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Haytor and Hound Tor. The rocks of Hound Tor were amazing, and it was here I felt the resonance. It was late autumn and just lovely. Just was the village of Lustleigh near Bovey Tracy; we enjoyed a drink at the pub there, and chatted with the landlord about the sad decline of villages like this through rich Londoners weekending it there and thus local industry failing.
In 2004 another friend, one who lives in Exeter, took me for a quick drive through the northern parts to a place called Castle Drogo. That's worth visiting properly, by the way, if ever you want to check out a 'modern' castle that's now curious in its eccentricity. It was built in the early 1900s, with all the then mod-cons like electricity. It's brilliant. Oh, and check out Paul Cornell's Something More (Victor Gollancz, 2001) for an interesting take on the place.
In 2007 I visited Dartmoor again, this time with another friend. We went first to Middle Staple Tor and Great Staple Tor. While at Great Staple Tor we saw the Dartmoor ponies rounded up by other horse-riders, bike riders and quad-bike riders. They rather deftly did it, barely disturbing the sheep and cattle around. Quite remarkable. We also walked to Yar Tor; then around the Newbridge area on the River Dart near Dartmeet. Then up to Widecombe again, this time having lovely dessert at the Old Inn. I had a great chocolate brownie and my friend had treacle pudding. We also had Fursty Ferret ale - not bad. The pub itself has plainly been done up lately, and yet retains it's warmth. Recommended.
We then went to Hound Tor, just as the mist was coming down. Eerie is a word that must have been coined for this extraordinary place. Magical is another. I wonder if ancient people had just wanted to recreate some of these amazing places when they moved and thus built the stone circles and other similar things around the place. It's just musing, not backed up by any form of actual knowledge. Anyway, we walked over to Greator Rocks via some medieval ruins, which were fascinating. The mist oozed in and out, which made all the sounds of cows and sheep seem closer than they were. We were amused by a couple using the mist as cover for romantic shenanigans; rumbled by us, so off they went to their car... until we turned up in the carpark again. Funny.
Hound Tor is, of course, one of the places that features in the Sherlock Holmes novel, Hound of the Baskervilles. Its brooding presence was used to great effect in this year's Sherlock episode, Hounds of Baskerville.
