Stonemasons, Timperley Village: a Review

After nigh on thirteen years of residence in West Timperley, I had not actually dined in Timperley Village. A couple of months back I did attempt to eat at the Stonemasons, but found it shut for a further refurbishment. Yesterday my housemate & I finally had reason to have our Sunday luncheon made for us, so telephoned to book a table. Don’t bother unless your party is six or more!

For Sports’ Fans

We turned up about six-thirty, after the late-afternoon soccer on the TV-screens. These cannot be avoided as there are some five displays throughout the pub-restaurant.

Noise Levels

Additionally, music was at a level that anyone with hearing difficulties would struggle to be able to converse. So we shall not be returning with housemate’s Mater! If we want a peaceful repast with good conversation our first choice shall remain as Bramley Farm, our nearest pub-restaurant. We shall, however, be returning to the Stonemasons. Read on to determine why for.

My Meal [image above]

I ordered sirloin steak (rare) which came with roasted cherry tomatoes, peas, chips, mushrooms and onion-rings. The latter I dislike so asked for those to be omitted and pointed out my severe food-allergy. Chef was really diligent, for he came out to check himself that I should be okay with the meal prior to his cooking it. I have had this allergy for about fourteen years and regularly dine out. In all that time only a handful of chefs have come out to speak to me. So top-marks for prudence!

I should say the steak was cooked medium-rare, as there was not a trace of blood - which I should have preferred. Nonetheless it was deliciously tasty - matured for twenty-eight days apparently. The flesh was reddy-brown rather than bright red, which usually demonstrates that it is better meat. It was so easy to cut with the Brazilian steak-knife proffered. A slight amount of gristle & fat - but that helps to give the meat its full flavour. When next I visit I shall be unafraid to order my sirloin bleu (US blue), my preferred manner.

The mushrooms were divine, succulent and full of flavour. The peas were somewhat shrivelled in appearance, but had a good flavour. The tommies were perfectly cooked - firm enough that they did not explode everywhere when poked with the tines of a fork. The chips were fluffy and floury, but slightly on the dry side - but certainly not soggy.

Other than the aforesaid gristle & fat, nothing remained on my plate. I rate the dish as being good.

Companion’s Meal [image above]

My housemate, apart from sampling a little of everything on my plate, actually ordered his own meal: beef & ale pie with chips, sprouts, broccoli florets and juliennes of carrots. It also came with its own little sauce-boat of thick, dark gravy.

The pie was filled to the top of the crust with meat & sauce. My friend did not feel at all cheated. Whilst he enjoyed the “hot-water pastry”, he felt there was far too much of it - not that such prevented him from demolishing the lot and then complaining about being overly full!

Housemate can be a tad fastidious about his veggies, so they must have been on the softer side of al dente otherwise there would have been a whinge! They were all gobbled down as well.

A few spots of gravy and three small chips went back to the kitchen - only because he was full. My friend enjoyed his pie, but he’ll try the chicken one next time as this has a cover of puff-pastry, so should be somewhat lighter on the tummy.

He also rated his meal as good.

Dessert

Housemate insisted he did not want a dessert. I ordered jam rolly-poly with ice-cream to share. There came two slices of a surprisingly light pudding with one scoop of ice-cream, which I split between the two. It certainly was not the stodgy, suet pudding of my childhood. Although it was also not as generous as these puddings of yore in respect to the amount of jam. Nonetheless, a strawberry sauce had been patterned across the plate and its contents to make up for the dearth of jam.

We both rated dessert as good and furthermore we should both happily opt for it on another occasion.

Beverages

Housemate was driving, so was pleased that he could obtain an alcohol-free beer - something many eateries still fail to offer. I had a glass of Prosecco which had a fruity bouquet, but failed to impress the palate. A large glass of Malbec went perfectly with the steak as it had a distinct pepperiness. And thanks to Jack for offering to bring it over as well as taking our second-course order from table.

Take-Away (US Take-Out)

Stonemasons does a fair range of pizzas, made from scratch when ordered. These can be collected for take-away. Looking at the prices, they compare favourably with our current vendor, whose tomato-sauce I cannot have due to my allergy. So, next time we fancy pizza, we shall definitely be trying Stonemasons.

I did not enquire whether other dishes from their large menu can be purchased for take-away.

Staff

I have already mentioned the chef and Jack; but the other staff with whom we came into contact were also affable, professional and personable. Zoey particularly had a good natter with us.

Children & Dogs

Stonemasons is child-friendly, for those who want to take their wee bairns with them. I did not see any hounds, so am unable to comment on the house’s dog policy.

Accessibility

I did not check out the disabled wc, but my carer did so for this review and said it was sufficiently large to turn my above-average sized wheelchair. You will need your RADAR-key.

I could not see a flat-access entry-point. The main entrance is up a shallow step and then a very steep step. Wheelchair-users, including electric ones, would probably need assistance up the larger step. Thereafter it is an even surface for much of the establishment. There is a pull-handle on the right of the main entrance, but not on the left - the side I need.

Recommendation

Both of us enjoyed our meals and our time in a very friendly environment where locals will chat to you. We shall definitely be returning and shall try their take-away-pizzas. Over all rating: good. %)

International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2018

Today is International Day for People with Disabilities (#IDPD2018).

[Image description: the writer in wheelchair sporting WoWPetition paraphernalia]

Here in the UK, matters are deteriorating for disabled folk. Despite treaty obligations, the UK has reduced support for individuals with disabilities. For example, Legal Aid to take action to enforce one’s rights when one has been discriminated against, has been so severely restricted, that is now almost impossible to access one’s rights. Social Security benefits have been reduced or even taken away from individuals. This has then resulted in people having their Motability vehicles, their mobility-scooters and even electric wheelchairs taken from them. Multiple reports, including several by UN agencies, have castigated the UK Government, but they pay no heed. Instead the Conservative Executive continue with dogmatic policies with no evidence base and ignoring the great harms they have caused and still do. The Tories even ignore the evidence that some of their policy changes cost more than the policies they replaced. The UK Parliament also issues reports evidencing the damage done, but has proved impotent when it comes to taking any actions to counter the heinous actions of the Government and its agency the notorious Department for Work and Pensions (aka DWP - which is found to be constantly in breach of the Law but it considers itself above the Law) nor rein them in. The UN itself has also shown it is powerless to enact change for the better in the United Kingdom.

Between 1:5 and 1:6 UK citizens have a disability. WE deserve to be able to work, shop, travel, have relationships, enjoy entertainment, participate in sport, gain an education, just like the majority of Brits. We very often cannot.

Even when we have the ability and the relevant qualifications, we struggle to access the world of work due to the built environment and prejudice, having a much lower employment-rate than non-disabled folk.

The Government has come up with Purple Tuesday, one day a year when disabled people will be treated fairly and assisted at the shops. Imagine if you were limited to a single day per year when you might access all shops!

Around half of all train-stations are inaccessible to many disabled, and for that matter elderly folk, because they are not step-free.

Social services, G.P.s, carer agencies and even charities fail to support people with disabilities who want to explore relationships. As far as I am aware there is not a single English social services department that enquires after a disabled person’s sexual needs. Nor are there any who offer support in pursuing a relationship.

Many places of entertainment are inaccessible to all kinds of disabled folk. Wheelchair-users are frequently barred from entering night-clubs, bars, restaurants, pubs, cinemas and theatres. But they are not the only kind of disabled to be so treated. Folk with learning disabilities are also frequently refused permission to enter such establishments.

Many swimming-pools are inaccessible to folk who become less disabled once they can actually enter the water. Many Premier League stadia do not provide the mandatory number of places for disabled folk.

Statistics consistently and continuously show that folk with disabilities do not achieve as well as their non-disabled peers, due to lack of opportunities, discrimination by schools, failure by local education authorities to provide adequate home-teaching, and so on.

Only UK voters can ensure the position ameliorates. Alas, too many refuse to vote (abstain) or choose to vote wilfully blindly, without considering the consequences to people with disabilities let alone the effects of their vote on the rest of British society.

Please, when next you vote, consider the ramifications on others of that x!

#DisabilityRights #DisabilityDiscrimination #DisabilityHate #DisabilityDeath

________________________________________________________________
You can support the current WoWCampaign on Twitter or go to wowpetition.co.uk

Gay Bars versus Apps

I randomly came across this video (click on link above to hear the discussion from Rise and Fall of “Men of the Den” on YouTube). You make good points.

As a disabled and queer person, I do not see gay bars in quite such a rosy light. I live in the suburbs of Manchester, England, which has its own gay Village. For me the vast majority of the venues and in some cases the actual streets are inaccessible to me.

When I have visited, prices are high - too high! And the area is inundated with groups of young wimmin, supposedly seeking safer spaces. Many LGBTI folk have deserted the Village and prefer to mix with straights in the less expensive, boho Northern Quarter. From my perspective, this area is far more disabled-accessible and thus disabled-friendly.

Living in the suburbs, there is a dearth of gay bars. However, I am fortunate to reside in an affluent and tolerant community. Nonetheless, it is very often difficult to know who is queer or straight these days for various reasons. So, for myself and others, using apps helps us make friends and acquaintances, folk with whom we chat online about art, politics and so forth. In my case, my housemate & I also have been introduced to queer neighbours and arranged a meet-up in our local pub. I have also used apps to make friends with folk in foreign lands prior to visiting on holidays.

Apps usually do not discriminate against disabled queers; bars often do discriminate due to lack of accessibility. For me there is no real-world gay community; there is however a very real online one.

%)

Art for All

In my first term of junior school, I went from sitting at the back of the class to the desk directly in front of the chalk-board, and still I could not see what was written upon it. A speedy trip to the optician revealed a usually hereditary condition, which no-one else in the family was known to have had, as they all had or had had, really good eyesight. I required new spectacles every six months as my vision was deteriorating rapidly. My parents were mortified that they had just thought I was clumsy. I was apprised that I should likely be blind by twenty-one. Being a bibliophile I dreaded that I would not be able to read, so began to teach myself Braille.

As it happened, I did not go blind. My sight deterioration stabilised. My prescription is so strong that folk with good vision instantly hurt their eyes/get head pain when looking through my glasses. Even with high-density materials, my lenses look like the bottoms of bottles. Approximately eighty percent of folk with disabilities develop them during their life-times; so only about twenty percent are born already disabled. Very few have warnings of pending disability and time to prepare for it. And, per the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) around eleven million folk in the UK have some kind of disability; that's about one in six of us.

In my art classes at secondary school I developed my own personal technique to raise the images I drew so that they could be sensed via touch alone. I would start by thickly layering wax-crayon across the surface of the paper. Then I sponged colour as needed in blocks or across the whole waxed layer. Once this had dried, I used Indian-ink, most often black, and scraped silhouette images, usually of leafless trees, but also, bodies of water, people, dogs and other plants. To this day (I am now in my fifties) I still possess two or three works. Alas, in storage.

Galleries & Musea

In my late teens cum early twenties I went to work whilst most of my school-chums attended university. However, I used to spend most of my weekends visiting various university campuses. On one such trip I took myself to a museum, where I was the sole visitor. Back in the mid-1980s there were seldom security cameras. I strolled about the exhibits touching, feeling the statuary. I had not realised how cool marble is as I had not encountered it up to said point. My fingertips could feel the smoothness of skin, the curls of hair.

I understand that touching is a risk to artworks due to acidity and dirt in body oils and sweat. Nonetheless, there are millions of items that never see the light of day, I cannot see any good reason why a proportion could not be set aside for galleries where touching is permitted.

I should also like to see audio descriptions available for at least permanent items on display and their concomitant labels. This would be of assistance not simply to the blind but also those with other sight impairments.

And finally, a plea for seating that can be used for resting in every room/salon/space.

Theatres

Prior to becoming disabled I was an avid theatre-goer. There are several reasons why I very rarely attend nowadays. The main reason is the seating, especially for older theatres, which is so damned uncomfortable. I have to be having a really good spell to be willing to put up with the resulting pain. A second issue which seems to becoming more prevalent in dance and avant-garde performances is no intervals. I understand that professional performers want to keep in the zone, but many disabled, chronically sick and indeed elderly need toilet breaks, or an opportunity to rehydrate, take meds, and so forth.

I would also like to see the return of usher/ettes. At Manchester's Opera House there is now an at-seat service, by which one can order drinks &/or snacks and they are brought to one at the interval. A boon to folk who cannot stand for long and especially not in queues.

However, pluses include occasional BSL-signed performances for deaf folk, loop-systems for the hard of hearing and free or reduced tickets for assistants.

Cinemas

With the same seating and lack of interval issues as theatres, cinemas additionally have the problem of loudness. In 2011 I went to the Cornerhouse cinema in Manchester to see Pedro Almodóvar's "The Skin I Live In". The sound-system created such noise and vibrations my blood-pressure dropped and I began to faint. My companion escorted me outside into fresh air and we decided to go home. I did not return until December last year in order to see the latest Star Wars. I took with me a pair of ear-plugs. I followed the tale with no problems and did not swoon. I may have found a means to more frequently visit the flicks.

Seating can be improved. Showcase Leeds Cinema offers fully reclining seats. I have inter alia osteoarthritis in my lumber and left hip. Sitting is one of the most uncomfortable/painful positions for me. Being able to recline, as at home, would be a genuine boon. There are many conditions where folk need to keep legs/feet raised.

However, cinemas ought to be offering some screenings with lower noise levels, which might be useful to all sorts of folk including so-called fuddy-duddies, those with hyper-acuity as well as some with autistic spectrum issues.

In larger cinemas, it would be good to employ permanent BSL-communicators, so that films could be signed at different times of the day, not just one performance every now and again in an evening slot.

Accessibility

Arts venues, of course in my opinion, need to do far more than pay lip-service and nod towards access for the disabled. A few ramps, lifts, a loop-system and a push-button to open doors are simply insufficient, especially when many of us find the lift out of order, the loop-system off-line, and so on.

All ventures need to attract the largest audiences possible: disabled folk, chronically sick people, and elderly individuals make up a very large percentage of the population. Making accommodations should be designed in to all new construction programmes, from architects (who are still obsessed with using flights of steps instead of clever use of graded access), sound design, use of colour, clear and ample signage, etc.

I should like to see the various arts' councils of the UK's nations insist upon clauses relating to accessibility issues added each time grants are made. I think grants from local authorities similarly should insist upon improved access.

I am no expert on disability issues nor disability access. I observe these issues trying to come up with some common-sense, pragmatic solutions. The reader may have other suggestions or observations: feel free to add them in the comments section below.

*

"And now: the Gallery…" an exhibition of art for disabled is also published today for Blogging Against Disablism Day (#BADD2016). The reader may also find of interest a post I published in March entitled "Towards a Theory of Art". 
 

*

As per previous years the archive for BADD2016 is being hosted by Goldfish on Diary of a Goldfish and is being administered by her and her hubby, Mister Goldfish. There one can find previous years' full archives as well as this year's as it grows over the next few days. Please do take a look - one is bound to find something that is of interest or piques one's curiosity!