Tuesday October 26th
Well it had to all come to an end eventually and today was the day. We got up and cleaned and tidied and did the washing. Hamish had asked for time off to take to us Heathrow and had been granted it. He arrived at 10.30 and loaded up the car with our bags. They were heavy! But we had hand weighing scales and we were pretty sure we were all within our allowance. He signed the key back in at the Guardroom and then drove us to Heathrow. There were no delays and we arrived there shortly after 11am. We asked him to just drop us off and not park as it is a waste of time coming in and costs a fortune.
We did have to stooge around until the flight opened but there are always papers to read. The bags were classed as heavy but well within the allowance of 2 bags each up to a combined total of 46kg . However we were informed that the rules have changed since we booked and in future there is an allowance of 20kg 1 bag each through the States as well now. We were okay becasue was stated at the time of booking held. But that will cramp my shopping next time for sure.
Try as I might I could not get onto the internet at Weatherspoons which was annoying. So no blog got published at the airport as I had intened.
The first leg from Heathrow to LA was really late afternoon and early evening so not much sleeping was done. Of course we had the ridiciulous immigration proceedure in the transit lounge in LA. AS soon as I got back on the plane after the 2 hour transit I just died and don't remember much until having a meal shoved at me. The LA to Auckland leg is a drag and very long. However I practised my old trick of fallihng asleep in front of TV and just dozed while watching movies. It seemed to work but I never really got anything watched properly.
All went well though and we got into Auckland at 6.45am. We took our time, purchased some Duty Free and made our way slowly to domestic for a very long wait. Finally we got the 11am flight to Wanganui and were met by our wonderful house minders and taken home. The place was immaculate and so was the garden. They had really enjoyed living here and taken great care of everything. They had even left the fridge stcoked with the basics so we could get ourselves some lunch.
The trick was to stay up and unpack and not give in the tiredness. We also needed to get at least one of the vehicles up and running. So we took my car for WOF and also relicenced it. Ouch. Tomorrow we will have to do the campervan. Alan's car has packed a real sad and won't start at all.
So it is great to be home but now we have to sort through our vidoes, photos, diaries and books and make sense of it.
The three little kiwis are back on the couch in the hall with all their friends, and Ber Lin has been getting to know the teddies from al the other places they originally came from.
Hemi is parked at Northolt next to Dave the Red Peril of Uxbridge. Hopefully someday soon someone may want to buy him and take him on some more adventures. If not then he may be waiting to take us out again when we go back to visit Hamish in the future.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Oranges And Lemons Take 2
Monday October 25th
Well would you believe it, Hamish manages to throw in one more concert for us to attend on our second to last day here. Today there was a Top Brass concert performed by vaious small groups from the RAF Central band at St Clement Danes Church on the Strand.
We got ourselves into town and got off the tube at Marble Arch and made our way across London getting to the church in plenty of time, although it was quite a hike. I had a bit of last minute shopping to do and things to post. It is not easy trying to find a Post Office in Central London. but my hunch that there may be one in W H Smith was correct.
The concert was of the ususal high standard. The Trombones had formed themselves up into a classy quartet to play a specilaly written piece by Tom Davoren who was present in the audience. There were also a couple of trios performing as well. It was a great ending to our holiday as Hamish had preformed here shortly after are arrival in July.
Alan's cousin Dilys was able to attend and was pleased to see Hamish all smartly attired in his uniform and performing. Louise and her mum Heidi were there as well so he had quite a fan club.
In the evening Hamish, Louise and Heidi came to our place for a farewell dinner. This has been one of the great things about being able to rent the welfare house. You can actually entertain your friends and family there as if it were your home. We made good inroads into the over supply of wine and Hamish and Louise made the sensible decision to leave the car in the drive and walk back to the base. Hamish will shift it when he comes to pick us up in the morning and Louise can walk over and get it later in the day. So it was goodbyes all around and off to be for a reasonably early night in preparation for the long trip starting tomorrow.
Well would you believe it, Hamish manages to throw in one more concert for us to attend on our second to last day here. Today there was a Top Brass concert performed by vaious small groups from the RAF Central band at St Clement Danes Church on the Strand.
We got ourselves into town and got off the tube at Marble Arch and made our way across London getting to the church in plenty of time, although it was quite a hike. I had a bit of last minute shopping to do and things to post. It is not easy trying to find a Post Office in Central London. but my hunch that there may be one in W H Smith was correct.
The concert was of the ususal high standard. The Trombones had formed themselves up into a classy quartet to play a specilaly written piece by Tom Davoren who was present in the audience. There were also a couple of trios performing as well. It was a great ending to our holiday as Hamish had preformed here shortly after are arrival in July.
Alan's cousin Dilys was able to attend and was pleased to see Hamish all smartly attired in his uniform and performing. Louise and her mum Heidi were there as well so he had quite a fan club.
In the evening Hamish, Louise and Heidi came to our place for a farewell dinner. This has been one of the great things about being able to rent the welfare house. You can actually entertain your friends and family there as if it were your home. We made good inroads into the over supply of wine and Hamish and Louise made the sensible decision to leave the car in the drive and walk back to the base. Hamish will shift it when he comes to pick us up in the morning and Louise can walk over and get it later in the day. So it was goodbyes all around and off to be for a reasonably early night in preparation for the long trip starting tomorrow.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sunday Lunch in the Pub
Sunday October 24th
Today was another lovely sunny day although once you got outside it was decidedly chilly. Hamish walked over to collect his car that he had left with us yesterday and then took us over to the base complete with Hemi. He signed on us and we drove Hemi back to his old spot in the car park.
We picked up Louise and her mum Heidi and all went out to lunch together to The Beefeater in Ruislip. It was our last Sunday here so we had a traditional Sunday Pub Roast.
Back at Hamish’s room I got online to update the blog and post an advert on Gumtree to sell Hemi. It is not really the right time of the year to be selling a camper but it is worth having a try. Hamish would like it all sorted ASAP and hopefully before he and Lou come to NZ for Christmas.
Family Reunion in London
Saturday October 23
Today dawned sunny and whole lot warmer that yesterday so we braved it outside with mops and buckets and gave Hemi the spruce up inside that he really needed. It was surprising the things we found hidden away that we nearly left behind. So now he is all clean and tidy and ready to sell.
We walked to Sainbury’s for a few things for lunch and a paper. Hamish came over for lunch and then we took the tube to London. We were keen to revisit the Victoria and Albert Art And Love exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace as we ahd had our tickets converted to a 12 month pass in case we had time to go again. So we took Hamish to see it and he agreed that it was well worth seeing.
At 5.30 we met Dilys and John parker who are cousins of Alan’s. We had a meal in a pub and a good chat and catch up before returning back to base for not too late a night.
The Day We Did Nothing
Friday October 22nd
Today we took our time getting up and had the quietest day ever. We had planned to go out and clean the van out ready for taking it over to the base to be parked up for selling. However it was bleak outside and we just couldn’t face leaving a warm house and going outside with buckets of water. So we indulged ourselves in DVDs and TV and generally wound down. The highlight was watching the old movie in black and white of The Dam Busters.
We are eating up the camping food from the van and there is a lot of wine bought in France that we had intended to give away to our friends but it got left behind when Hemi had his holiday at the mechanics.
Today we took our time getting up and had the quietest day ever. We had planned to go out and clean the van out ready for taking it over to the base to be parked up for selling. However it was bleak outside and we just couldn’t face leaving a warm house and going outside with buckets of water. So we indulged ourselves in DVDs and TV and generally wound down. The highlight was watching the old movie in black and white of The Dam Busters.
We are eating up the camping food from the van and there is a lot of wine bought in France that we had intended to give away to our friends but it got left behind when Hemi had his holiday at the mechanics.
Back To Base
Thursday October 21st
There was a frost this morning and ice on the cars. By the time we were ready to leave the ice had melted and Hemi started perfectly. It was a beautiful sunny autumn day and the drive through the forest was delightful with the leaves drifting off the trees and the autumn colours highlighted by the sunlight filtering through the gaps caused by the leaf fall. We stopped for a nostalgic look at Swan Green and took a photo. The trip on the motorway was smooth and uneventful and we arrived safely at RAF Northolt at about 12.15. Hamish was free briefly to get the key for us to get into the house. He gave us our extra suitcase and we spent the rest of the afternoon sorting through our stuff. The culmination of 4 months travelling was stored in the van and the reality of trying to get it all into our bags is proving daunting. There has been a lot of chucking out. It is so easy to just pop another thing into the van.
The washing machine and drier are going flat out here as there was a lot of stuff in the van taht needed a freshen up.
The lounge here looks like a giant boot sale. The scales bought at the Felixstowe market are proving to be very useful. Thank goodness for the 2 bag 46kg each allowance going home through LA.
It is very wintery feeling here now so we cranked up the central heating and watched TV in between the sorting.
The Big Coach Trip
Wednesday October 20th
Today we needed an early start to catch the national Express from Felixstowe are 7.55am. We were there in plenty of time and the coach left right on time. There were several stops to pick up people along the way but it all went very smoothly. When we were on the outskirts of London the driver was able to ring up and get the road reports for all the main roads in to London and then adjust his route accordingly. We could all here this in the coach. The drive through the outskirts of London took right past the Olympic park development which is huge. There are cranes and workers everywhere.
As it turned out we got to the bus station on time. With 2 ½ hours to fill in before catching the next coach we went to Victoria Station and found Wetherspoons so we could use the WiFi while having lunch.
We were all sitting on the coach ready to leave at 2pm but the coach wouldn’t start. It seemed strange as it had driven in there perfectly okay. The driver had to call the service truck to get a jump start and we were 20 mins late leaving. It was a lovely day for travelling and the sun was shining brightly and London always looks lovely on a sunny day. It was also lovely and warm inside on a day that was decidedly chilly. The driver almost made up the time lost at the start and Liz was waiting for us at Ringwood at 4.15. This part of the trip had cost us 1 pound each! Liz took us straight to the garage to pick up Hemi. The news was all good there. They had managed to get us a new MOT and do the necessary work to get him safely back on the road. So we paid the bill which wasn’t quite as bad as we had been bracing ourselves for and drove back to Liz and Andy’s for the night.
Today we needed an early start to catch the national Express from Felixstowe are 7.55am. We were there in plenty of time and the coach left right on time. There were several stops to pick up people along the way but it all went very smoothly. When we were on the outskirts of London the driver was able to ring up and get the road reports for all the main roads in to London and then adjust his route accordingly. We could all here this in the coach. The drive through the outskirts of London took right past the Olympic park development which is huge. There are cranes and workers everywhere.
As it turned out we got to the bus station on time. With 2 ½ hours to fill in before catching the next coach we went to Victoria Station and found Wetherspoons so we could use the WiFi while having lunch.
We were all sitting on the coach ready to leave at 2pm but the coach wouldn’t start. It seemed strange as it had driven in there perfectly okay. The driver had to call the service truck to get a jump start and we were 20 mins late leaving. It was a lovely day for travelling and the sun was shining brightly and London always looks lovely on a sunny day. It was also lovely and warm inside on a day that was decidedly chilly. The driver almost made up the time lost at the start and Liz was waiting for us at Ringwood at 4.15. This part of the trip had cost us 1 pound each! Liz took us straight to the garage to pick up Hemi. The news was all good there. They had managed to get us a new MOT and do the necessary work to get him safely back on the road. So we paid the bill which wasn’t quite as bad as we had been bracing ourselves for and drove back to Liz and Andy’s for the night.
Museum of East Anglian Life
Tuesday October 19th
Today Mike and Pat asked us where we would like to go for the day knowing that we were really travelled in Suffolk. Alan suggested The Museum of East Anglian life and they were happy to take us there as it was somewhere they hadn’t been to either. It was in the village of Stowmarket. We arrived there and once inside were immediately pounced upon by a very enthusiastic staff member who welcomed us and explained about the whole set up. He then said his colleague was about to go to the far end of the estate and start the watermill and that they would take us up there in the buggy. So we climbed aboard and went to the mill. Once there he gave us the history of the building which had been moved there piece by piece as is the case of most of the buildings on the site. Unfortunately the water level at the mill was not high enough to turn to wheel. So we went and had a look at the chapel while waiting for the water to be pumped up.
The chapel looked as if it would be at home on the West Coast of the South Island of NZ. It was completely made of corrugated iron. They were kitset chapels erected by the Baptists to ensure there were places of worship in rural areas. It even had a total emersion font set into it. It was timber lined like a NZ lockwood house. After viewing the chapel the water level was still not high enough to run the mill so we walked to the middle section to view the collection of farm machinery. This was a large collection well displayed and cared for. Although the sun was trying to shine it was still very chilly so we headed for the cafe for warm soup for lunch. 
After lunch we walked back to the mill only to be told that the chocks had fallen out of the mill so it wasn’t going to be able to started today. The poor girl running the mill was so embarrassed but we were quite okay about it. At 3pm we had the history tour of the estate and gardens. By now it was raining and quite cold, but the tour guide was very enthusiastic and provide us with gold umbrellas and although he has opnly been working there 2 years spoke as if he was the Lord of the Manor. He was certainly very enthusiastic about the whole project and there are grand plans for developing the house on site in the next 2 years.In the evening Pat and Mike took us The Ship just out of Levington for a wonderful pub meal. This was a very fitting end to our stay back in Suffolk.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Pastimes and Good Company
Monday October 18th
Ann was off to school early today so we took our time getting up. We had to try and cram everything back into our cabin size bags that we are travelling with and somehow managed. Tried out the hand scales and they seem to work well. People are surprised we are travelling so light; if only they knew the how much we really have back at Liz and Andy’s.
We still had Kathy’s car so we were able to go into the town and get a few things we needed and also visit a few places of interest around Felixstowe. the photos are of the groins and beach huts on part of the Felixstowe seafront. The groins which are manmade to protect the foreshore are creating alot of controversy here in Felixstowe as they all need replacing and they are going to replaced with boulders rahter than wood and concrete. The other one is of Bawdsey Manor with a Martello tower in the foreground.
Before we left I phoned the garage in New Milton to ask how they were getting along with Hemi. They plan to have him ready by lunchtime on Wednesday so it is looking good for driving him back to London on Thursday. There is a huge sorting out job ahead of us as he is full of treasures collected on our trip abroad.
In the afternoon we drove around to Mike and Pat’s where we are staying couple of nights. Late afternoon we drove back down to Martlesham Heath to return the car to Kathy and they drove us back to Felixstowe as they had been invited for dinner here along with Ann. (Tom is off on a boat trip for a week) We had a superb meal in good company and quite a late night but it will be the last time we all be together for a while now.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Felixstowe Market
Sunday October 17th
This morning we decided to visit the Felixstowe market. This is a huge market held down on the waterfront area every Sunday. It has the usual food and flowers but also has lots of clothes and household goods and tools. I was looking for a hand held set of scales so that we would be able to our weigh our bags. With careful searching i finally found one lying in a box of other assorted items. It was the only one I managed to see, so I snapped it up quickly. This market has stuff that must have been there for 10 years. But someone will come along one day and find the one thing they are looking are. It will be useful to get an idea of how much our bags weigh when we actually come to pack. I think some of the stuff they have down there falls off the back of truck leaving the port.
We had arranged to have a pub meal with our friends that we had met on the Christmas in Austria trip in 2001, so we drove on to their place and all went out together. It was a great to catch up again. Margaret and Richard have done a lot of travelling since we first met them and they gave a their secrets of booking trips online. There are fantastic packages to be found out there so we stored that information away for next time.
The evenings are cooling down fast now so we didn’t stay too late and headed back to Ann’s for our last evening with her and a quiet early night.
This morning we decided to visit the Felixstowe market. This is a huge market held down on the waterfront area every Sunday. It has the usual food and flowers but also has lots of clothes and household goods and tools. I was looking for a hand held set of scales so that we would be able to our weigh our bags. With careful searching i finally found one lying in a box of other assorted items. It was the only one I managed to see, so I snapped it up quickly. This market has stuff that must have been there for 10 years. But someone will come along one day and find the one thing they are looking are. It will be useful to get an idea of how much our bags weigh when we actually come to pack. I think some of the stuff they have down there falls off the back of truck leaving the port.
We had arranged to have a pub meal with our friends that we had met on the Christmas in Austria trip in 2001, so we drove on to their place and all went out together. It was a great to catch up again. Margaret and Richard have done a lot of travelling since we first met them and they gave a their secrets of booking trips online. There are fantastic packages to be found out there so we stored that information away for next time.
The evenings are cooling down fast now so we didn’t stay too late and headed back to Ann’s for our last evening with her and a quiet early night.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
London Again
Saturday October 16th
Today we drove to Trimley St Mary and then caught the little train from Felixstowe to Ipswich Station. There we caught the Train to Liverpool Street Station in London. This really brought back memories as this had been a trip we had taken often in 2001. Ann and her friend June had plans for the day so Alan and I headed for Leicester Square to sort out some theatre tickets for the afternoon. Ann already had booked tickets to the Mousetrap, and Alan had always wanted to go. I said that I would only go when there was nothing else I hadn’t seen at a price I was willing to pay. In the end the Mousetrap won as there was very little we hadn’t seen and most of what was left was at full price. We managed to get tickets for £18.50 each which is very good even though they were in the 2nd back row of the balcony. So having that sorted for the 4pm matinee, we headed back to tube to get to Bond Street so we could go to the Wallace Collection.
The Wallace Collection is a national museum in an historic London town house. In the galleries are displays of French 18th century painting, furniture and porcelain with superb Old Master paintings and a world class armoury.The photo is of a war Harness for man and hoorse dating from 1480. The collection is housed in Hertford house in Manchester Square. The house itself is quite spectacular and would have needed a army of servants to run it when the family lived there. We wondered how we had never managed to find this place in the past. It has quite a few well known original paintings including The Laughing Cavalier.
From here we went to Covent Garden but there were so many people there it was impossible to fight a path through the crowds so we gave up and walked to St Martin’s Theatre to see The Mousetrap. It was way better than I had imagined it would be. It was a thriller and they ask the audience not to tell anyone the outcome at the end. It is in its 58th year and is the longest running play in the world. It plays to full houses most days.
We finished the evening with a pub meal at Hamilton Hall which sounds grand but is actually the Wetherspoons Pub at Liverpool Street Station. We all felt very old as it was Saturday night in London and it was very lively and loud. The trip back on the train was pretty uneventful apart from a very friendly fella who wasn’t prepared to believe I lived in Ipswich, but he couldn’t work out where I really came from and I refused to let on.
Catching Up
Friday October 15th
Today was a restful day at home as Ann had gone to school. Tom was home so spent the morning chatting and looking at a Narrow Boat DVD he wanted us to see.
In the afternoon I visited a friend who had taught at Maidstone with me in 2001 but has retired early through ill health. We had a good catch up and chat about the good old days when we were at Maidstone Infants in Felixstowe.
In the evening one of the other teachers had gathered together nearly all of the staff who had been at the school when I was there in 2001 and put on a magnificent dinner for us all. It was a wonderful evening. One by one they are nearly all retired now and all doing a variety of interesting things. We all wonder where the time has gone but it some ways it just seems like yesterday. Teaching Exchanges are wonderful and it such a shame that they are no longer available to New Zealand teachers.
Today was a restful day at home as Ann had gone to school. Tom was home so spent the morning chatting and looking at a Narrow Boat DVD he wanted us to see.
In the afternoon I visited a friend who had taught at Maidstone with me in 2001 but has retired early through ill health. We had a good catch up and chat about the good old days when we were at Maidstone Infants in Felixstowe.
In the evening one of the other teachers had gathered together nearly all of the staff who had been at the school when I was there in 2001 and put on a magnificent dinner for us all. It was a wonderful evening. One by one they are nearly all retired now and all doing a variety of interesting things. We all wonder where the time has gone but it some ways it just seems like yesterday. Teaching Exchanges are wonderful and it such a shame that they are no longer available to New Zealand teachers.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Paycockes at Coggeshall
Thursday October 14th
Today was the day I finally got to go to Coggeshall and visit Paycockes. We checked the website before we set out to make sure it was open. Built around 1500 for Thomas Paycocke, the house is a grand example of the wealth generated by the cloth trade in the 16th century.
Outside, there is a beautiful and tranquil cottage garden which the custodians who live in the house attend to they also run chickens and have a good vegetable garden to keep the authentic look. The interior features stunning woodcarving and elaborate panelling. Using a lot of wood especially carved wood in house at this time was a sign of wealth and this has wonderful carved beams in the ceilings and wall panels as well. This year it celebrated 500 years. It is one of the finest surviving buildings from this time. The whole village is a treasure trove of period cottages well preserved and still being lived in. They are small and colourful which is a feature of the Suffolk and Essex villages. After looking through the house and garden we walked through the village and into the town square where the weekly produce market was being held.
Ann was with us and had bought a combined ticket to visit the Grange Barn just out of the village as well. We were entering using our NZ Historic Places Trust cards. At the house they told us the barn opened at 1 pm so we ate our lunch and waited by the gate for opening time. There were others waiting there as well. Finally at 1.20 a lady arrived and opened the gate and drove her car in. We followed her in and parked in the car park. Other people started to arrive but there was no sign of the building being opened up. The woman who had the key to open the gate didn’t seem to appear to open the actual barn. One of the other people said he had seen her walking off in the direction of the village. We all thought this very strange. In the end the other chap went to his car and got the national Trust book and rang Paycockes who apologised and said it wasn’t opening anymore. On the way out we looked at the sign and it said that was open until the end of the 2nd week in October. We thought that this would mean it was still open on the 14th but apparently not. We took Ann back to get her refund.Ann and I realised that we were quite near the Freeport Outlet Centre and that would be a fun place to visit. So we headed off for there and Alan was happy to read to his newspaper in the car. It was a good outlet centre with lots of temptations and we both came back with green M and S bags with bargains we had found. By 4pm it had got cold and drizzly and it was time to head back for home before the roads got too busy with the commuter traffic.
Short Trip to Felixstowe
Wednesday October 13th
Today we were completely distracted by the rescue of the Chilean miners. It was not a great day outside so it was not hard to stay in and watch things unfolding on TV. Kathy and Mike had headed out up North to pick up their grandchildren so we were home alone.
After lunch we headed down to Felixstowe to stay with Ann and Tom Montagu for a few days. Kathy has kindly lent us her car for a few days so we drove through the scenic villages rather than taking the main road which is always full of trucks coming and going from the port.
We had a look around the main town in Felixstowe and the main street has had a real facelift with a new pedestrian area that is nearly completed.
Apart from that it was a fairly ordinary day catching up with Ann and Tom over diner and wine.
Today we were completely distracted by the rescue of the Chilean miners. It was not a great day outside so it was not hard to stay in and watch things unfolding on TV. Kathy and Mike had headed out up North to pick up their grandchildren so we were home alone.
After lunch we headed down to Felixstowe to stay with Ann and Tom Montagu for a few days. Kathy has kindly lent us her car for a few days so we drove through the scenic villages rather than taking the main road which is always full of trucks coming and going from the port.
We had a look around the main town in Felixstowe and the main street has had a real facelift with a new pedestrian area that is nearly completed.
Apart from that it was a fairly ordinary day catching up with Ann and Tom over diner and wine.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Thornham Parva and Stonham Barns
Tuesday October 12th
Today Alan finally got to see the retable at Thornham Parva church. When we had been here in 2001 we had visited this church and the very famous retable had been removed for conservation. Alan had always said he would revisit it when it was replaced but it has taken him 9 years to get back there. He was not disappointed.This is a famous 14th century gilded and painted retable that graces the Altar of St Mary’s church and is one of the most miraculous survivals of the art of the English Middle Ages. It is made of painted oak and was the sort of object that would have been found in English churches of all ranks in the Middle Ages and exactly the sort of thing that was destroyed during the English Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries. But this one survived the turmoil largely unscathed. 1n the 1920s it turned up in a stable loft on a Suffolk estate and it now takes pride of place in this little Norman church. There is really interesting stuff about this church at...
http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/thornhamentry.htm
After looking closely at this we had a picnic lunch and then went for a walk in Thornham Park and then went for a walk around part of the park. This had originally been a Tudor Manor House and various other houses over the centuries. However with the death of the 5th Lord Henniker in 1902 the grounds became neglected. Today it is managed by the Suffolk County Council and open to the public to walk freely the only fee being the car park. We picked up the walk guide and visited the Victorian Walled garden which has been developed as an organic apple orchard and offers employment to people with disabilities mental health problems or social disadvantage. There were other interesting things on the walk including a pet cemetery. We also spent quite a bit of time in a hide observing birds feeding at hanging feeders.
After leaving here we went to an interesting place called Stonham Barns which is located on the A1120 at Stonham Aspal, half way between Stowmarket and Framlingham . It is a leisure, shopping and rural pursuits complex. Admission to the main complex and car parking is free although some of the attractions have an admission charge but you can decide which you would like to visit. We didn’t pay to go into anything but had a good browse around. It was a place we had never found or knew about visiting in past visits.
A quiet evening watching TV brought the day to a close.
Aldeburgh and Snape Maltings
Monday October 11th
Today we got an early start and Mike and Kathy took us down to Aldeburgh. This was always a favourite place to visit and never fails to impress. the photo of us is taken in front of the Moot Hall which dates from the 16th century. the town council hasmet here for over 400 years and still does. Aldeburgh is one of those villages that seems frozen in time and has resisted modernization and the big global brands like McD’s. It is delightful to walk through with its cottages and boutique shops.
This tiny little house which is probably someone's holiday cottage is standing in the middle of a carpark!
It was quite breezy on the seafront and the sea was quite rough but it wasn’t unpleasant as the sun was shining and the temperature was still close to 20°. We then drove back in the direction of Snape Maltings. The Maltings is a set of buildings, mostly dating from the 19th century, built on the banks of the river Ore near Snape. Its original purpose was the malting of barley for the brewing of beer; local barley, once malted, was sent from here to London and exported to mainland Europe. The Maltings closed in 1960. The buildings have since been partially restored and rebuilt and converted into shops, galleries, and the concert hall, where part of the world-famous Aldeburgh music festival is held, initiated by Benjamin Britten and run by Aldeburgh Music.
The photos here show the beautiful autumn colours that are around at the moment around the Maltings There are lots of lovely boutique shops there but they are all fairly high end and although lovely to look at I was not tempted to buy. Space and weight are rapidly becoming a problem so purchasing has almost ceased. We had lunch in the small cafe rather than the upmarket restaurant and then returned home as mike had another appointment in the afternoon.
In the evening we took Mike and Kathy over the local pub “The Douglas Bader” for dinner. Named after the famous pilot, Douglas Bader actually did fly planes in and out of Martlesham Heath airfield and he has been honoured by having the local named after him.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Walking on the Heath
Sunday October 10th
This morning I had a session on the phone to family in NZ as Kathy has a deal where she gets free calling to NZ if it is under an hour a call. It was great to catch up with them all and the Local Body Election news from around the country. The morning was spent reading the Sunday papers and generally sitting around which was very enjoyable. There was also a fair bit of internet surfing done of NZ Sunday papers as well.
After lunch we set out for a walk on the Heath with Mike and Kathy. The whole of Martlesham Heath was originally a RAF base. In the early 1980s the subdivision of Martlesham Heath was developed and the houses were built. Mike and Kathy’s house is very near where the runway used to be. A lot of the land has been kept and allowed to grow as natural Heath and we walked around this. The old perimeter road is still there in parts. Mike took us to some of revetments. In these revetments the planes were serviced, refuelled and reamed and they provided some protection for their ground crews. There has been a considerable opening up signposting of historic places on the old airfield since we were living here. There is also markings and evidence of the four large fuel tanks.
The original control tower has been preserved as a museum and now houses all sorts of RAF memorabilia. An enthusiastic group of volunteers open it between 2 and 5 every Sunday afternoon from March till October. We had been before when we had been here in 2001 but it was worth another look. It is a great collection and they are very proud of it. The temperature was well above 20° and it felt like a summer day. The toning of the leaves and all the fungi in the woods made you aware that it was actually autumn.
Being Sunday Kathy had cooked a suberb traditional Sunday roast for the evening meal and the rest of the evening was spent watching TV.
This morning I had a session on the phone to family in NZ as Kathy has a deal where she gets free calling to NZ if it is under an hour a call. It was great to catch up with them all and the Local Body Election news from around the country. The morning was spent reading the Sunday papers and generally sitting around which was very enjoyable. There was also a fair bit of internet surfing done of NZ Sunday papers as well.
After lunch we set out for a walk on the Heath with Mike and Kathy. The whole of Martlesham Heath was originally a RAF base. In the early 1980s the subdivision of Martlesham Heath was developed and the houses were built. Mike and Kathy’s house is very near where the runway used to be. A lot of the land has been kept and allowed to grow as natural Heath and we walked around this. The old perimeter road is still there in parts. Mike took us to some of revetments. In these revetments the planes were serviced, refuelled and reamed and they provided some protection for their ground crews. There has been a considerable opening up signposting of historic places on the old airfield since we were living here. There is also markings and evidence of the four large fuel tanks.
The original control tower has been preserved as a museum and now houses all sorts of RAF memorabilia. An enthusiastic group of volunteers open it between 2 and 5 every Sunday afternoon from March till October. We had been before when we had been here in 2001 but it was worth another look. It is a great collection and they are very proud of it. The temperature was well above 20° and it felt like a summer day. The toning of the leaves and all the fungi in the woods made you aware that it was actually autumn.
Being Sunday Kathy had cooked a suberb traditional Sunday roast for the evening meal and the rest of the evening was spent watching TV.
London to Ipswich via Buckingham Palace
Saturday October 9th
Having packed small bags and only essential items in the backpacks, we were not well prepared for breakfast. We had thought ahead and bought a box of muesli bars as emergency rations but we needed a more substantial feed before setting out for London. Hamish rang about 10.30 and I suggested we go out for Brunch. As he had just got up and not eaten he wasn’t about to turn that offer down. We met at the guard room and he took us to Ruislip where we had a great breakfast at Cafe Rouge. He was off on another Squads gig later in the afternoon and we were booked on a coach to Ipswich from Victoria at 4.30 so he dropped us at the West Ruislip station and we took the train into town.
When we had been walking through London last Monday I had seen the notices for an Exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace called Victoria and Albert; Art and Love. I was determined that we would get to see it before we came home so this seemed like a good thing to fill in the afternoon. Of course there was the problem of the wheelie bags and gallery security. Alan was sure they wouldn’t let us in after the fuss at the Royal Academy. But nothing ventured, nothing gained and I was prepared to ask and be told no. So we went in and spoke to someone who asked someone else and she said yes they would store our bags in the cloakroom but they would be subject to a full search. We were only too happy to do this and they got some young chap over who had to pull all my bras and knickers out to check I wasn’t a Muslim extremist. They then asked if we had any sharp knives or objects. Alan admitted to having a Swiss Army camping knife which he had to hand over. This was placed in a plastic bag and he was given a number so he could retrieve it at the end. It was then locked in a drawer. The security screening was the same level as an airport. However you can’t be too careful and Buckingham Palace is an obvious terrorist target. The long involved process was certainly worth it. We finally got into the exhibition which included an audio guide.
Victoria and Albert are my favourite royal couple and I find them fascinating. This was a collection put together around the theme of their great passion for the arts and their love for each other. They were collectors but they gave gifts to each other for birthdays, Christmas and anniversaries that were very personalised and well chosen. It was so good I just had to buy the book about it even though I made a promise not to buy any more books at things we went to. The tickets could be stamped and we are able to return any time within the next year to look at it again. We might just do this if we get time as we were a bit rushed at the end being mindful of having to walk the bus station. It was quite extensive and bigger than I had imagined it would be.
We retrieved all our baggage and walked along to the Victoria bus station and found the departure for Ipswich. There was time for a quick coffee and then we were off through London. The drive out always takes a while but it is always interesting. This time we went right along the embankment and had a great view of the Houses of Parliament, millennium wheel and Tower of London. The route eventually took us out to Stratford near where they are developing the Stadium for the Olympic Games. Parts of East London are not nearly as scenic as along the Embankment!
The trip to Ipswich took 20 minutes less than stated and the bus driver apologised at one stage for getting us all to Chelmsford 10 minutes early. He was a real character and kept us amused with his comments from the minute we got on. He tried to convince us that he had only had his bus licence three days and had finally passed on the third try because he hadn’t hit anything.
At Ipswich we had to wait for the Route 66 bus to take us to Martlesham Heath as we were so early. We finally arrived at Mike and Kathy’s around 8pm after what had been a very easy trip. It was great to be back in our “own house” again where we lived for a year in 2001.
Having packed small bags and only essential items in the backpacks, we were not well prepared for breakfast. We had thought ahead and bought a box of muesli bars as emergency rations but we needed a more substantial feed before setting out for London. Hamish rang about 10.30 and I suggested we go out for Brunch. As he had just got up and not eaten he wasn’t about to turn that offer down. We met at the guard room and he took us to Ruislip where we had a great breakfast at Cafe Rouge. He was off on another Squads gig later in the afternoon and we were booked on a coach to Ipswich from Victoria at 4.30 so he dropped us at the West Ruislip station and we took the train into town.
When we had been walking through London last Monday I had seen the notices for an Exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace called Victoria and Albert; Art and Love. I was determined that we would get to see it before we came home so this seemed like a good thing to fill in the afternoon. Of course there was the problem of the wheelie bags and gallery security. Alan was sure they wouldn’t let us in after the fuss at the Royal Academy. But nothing ventured, nothing gained and I was prepared to ask and be told no. So we went in and spoke to someone who asked someone else and she said yes they would store our bags in the cloakroom but they would be subject to a full search. We were only too happy to do this and they got some young chap over who had to pull all my bras and knickers out to check I wasn’t a Muslim extremist. They then asked if we had any sharp knives or objects. Alan admitted to having a Swiss Army camping knife which he had to hand over. This was placed in a plastic bag and he was given a number so he could retrieve it at the end. It was then locked in a drawer. The security screening was the same level as an airport. However you can’t be too careful and Buckingham Palace is an obvious terrorist target. The long involved process was certainly worth it. We finally got into the exhibition which included an audio guide.
Victoria and Albert are my favourite royal couple and I find them fascinating. This was a collection put together around the theme of their great passion for the arts and their love for each other. They were collectors but they gave gifts to each other for birthdays, Christmas and anniversaries that were very personalised and well chosen. It was so good I just had to buy the book about it even though I made a promise not to buy any more books at things we went to. The tickets could be stamped and we are able to return any time within the next year to look at it again. We might just do this if we get time as we were a bit rushed at the end being mindful of having to walk the bus station. It was quite extensive and bigger than I had imagined it would be.
We retrieved all our baggage and walked along to the Victoria bus station and found the departure for Ipswich. There was time for a quick coffee and then we were off through London. The drive out always takes a while but it is always interesting. This time we went right along the embankment and had a great view of the Houses of Parliament, millennium wheel and Tower of London. The route eventually took us out to Stratford near where they are developing the Stadium for the Olympic Games. Parts of East London are not nearly as scenic as along the Embankment!
The trip to Ipswich took 20 minutes less than stated and the bus driver apologised at one stage for getting us all to Chelmsford 10 minutes early. He was a real character and kept us amused with his comments from the minute we got on. He tried to convince us that he had only had his bus licence three days and had finally passed on the third try because he hadn’t hit anything.
At Ipswich we had to wait for the Route 66 bus to take us to Martlesham Heath as we were so early. We finally arrived at Mike and Kathy’s around 8pm after what had been a very easy trip. It was great to be back in our “own house” again where we lived for a year in 2001.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
My Favourite Things
Friday October 8th
This turned out to be a very good day. Everything went to plan. In the morning we walked over to the garage to talk them about getting Hemi a MOT so that all the things that would prevent that happening after we had gone home would be done. The list didn’t seem nearly as daunting this time and we agreed to things that needed doing and told Barry we would be in touch with him in about 10 days. We then thought we had better get a few things out of Hemi and check if we had left any food there. We found some rotting grapes that we quickly disposed of. We then locked him up and said farewell and walked back to Barton to pack a small suitcase each so that we could manage on public transport. It was a tight squeeze and the feathers and fur have had to stay behind at Barton on Sea. They are okay about this as Hemi is having to stay back too. We hope they don’t try going out at night to visit Hemi on their own.
Liz and Andy arrived home at lunchtime and they both drove us over to Kingsworthy which is a small village outside Winchester. Liz had looked at the map and knew exactly where to go. When we got there we wondered if we were in the right place. It was quite a contrast from the Albert Hall last Sunday. I went in and asked if this was where the Squadronaires concert was tonight and they all said yes and they were so excited by the prospect. I asked the woman behind the bar if we would be able to leave our bags there for the afternoon, explaining why we had come and that we had got a ride from Barton on Sea. She was only too happy to oblige, commenting that we were rather early for the concert. So we assured Liz and Andy that we were indeed in the right place and said goodbye to them.
We had a sandwich and drink from the bar and asked a local if we were anywhere near a bus to Winchester and he gave Alan directions of how to walk to the bus. It was not far and shortly after we got there a bus came along. Alan wrote down where we were and the stop before so we could get back. It only took about 15 minutes to get into the centre of town and we know it well so were able to find our way around easily. It was a beautiful day, over 20° and really sunny. We had a good wander around the town and then decided we should have an early tea in town as there was nothing near the concert venue and we knew the band were having fish and chips brought in for them.
Alan took the opportunity to take a photo of King Alfred the Great against a blue sky, something he had never been able to do on previous visits. Because the weather was so lovely we bought a take away pizza and went and ate it in the park and watched the world go by. We eventually made our way back to the bus station and got back to the Sports Club. The band had arrived and set up so they had time to kill, and we had a good chat to Hamish and some of the others.
The place was absolutely packed and by the time we went back into the main room we had missed out on a seat but we got an excellent standing spot at the bar looking front on and I was able to video a few items. I didn’t want to spoil the concert for myself by videoing it all but managed to get a programme order from Hamish and selected a few. I persuaded him to tell me if he was doing a solo and it turned out he was so I was ready for his jazz version of My Favourite Things. He also has a classy little solo in Little Brown Jug which we caught on video as well.
The crowd just loved the concert and will probably be talking about it for days. They are determined to get them back again and as it was organised by the local branch of RAFA which is the RAF charity it is very likely to happen. Anyone can request an RAF band, but they have to turn down 50% of requests through lack of time.
Hamish had arranged for us to be able to travel back on the coach with the band to Northolt. So we got out at the gate and got the key to the house and were in bed by 12.30pm.
This turned out to be a very good day. Everything went to plan. In the morning we walked over to the garage to talk them about getting Hemi a MOT so that all the things that would prevent that happening after we had gone home would be done. The list didn’t seem nearly as daunting this time and we agreed to things that needed doing and told Barry we would be in touch with him in about 10 days. We then thought we had better get a few things out of Hemi and check if we had left any food there. We found some rotting grapes that we quickly disposed of. We then locked him up and said farewell and walked back to Barton to pack a small suitcase each so that we could manage on public transport. It was a tight squeeze and the feathers and fur have had to stay behind at Barton on Sea. They are okay about this as Hemi is having to stay back too. We hope they don’t try going out at night to visit Hemi on their own.
Liz and Andy arrived home at lunchtime and they both drove us over to Kingsworthy which is a small village outside Winchester. Liz had looked at the map and knew exactly where to go. When we got there we wondered if we were in the right place. It was quite a contrast from the Albert Hall last Sunday. I went in and asked if this was where the Squadronaires concert was tonight and they all said yes and they were so excited by the prospect. I asked the woman behind the bar if we would be able to leave our bags there for the afternoon, explaining why we had come and that we had got a ride from Barton on Sea. She was only too happy to oblige, commenting that we were rather early for the concert. So we assured Liz and Andy that we were indeed in the right place and said goodbye to them.We had a sandwich and drink from the bar and asked a local if we were anywhere near a bus to Winchester and he gave Alan directions of how to walk to the bus. It was not far and shortly after we got there a bus came along. Alan wrote down where we were and the stop before so we could get back. It only took about 15 minutes to get into the centre of town and we know it well so were able to find our way around easily. It was a beautiful day, over 20° and really sunny. We had a good wander around the town and then decided we should have an early tea in town as there was nothing near the concert venue and we knew the band were having fish and chips brought in for them.
Alan took the opportunity to take a photo of King Alfred the Great against a blue sky, something he had never been able to do on previous visits. Because the weather was so lovely we bought a take away pizza and went and ate it in the park and watched the world go by. We eventually made our way back to the bus station and got back to the Sports Club. The band had arrived and set up so they had time to kill, and we had a good chat to Hamish and some of the others. 
The place was absolutely packed and by the time we went back into the main room we had missed out on a seat but we got an excellent standing spot at the bar looking front on and I was able to video a few items. I didn’t want to spoil the concert for myself by videoing it all but managed to get a programme order from Hamish and selected a few. I persuaded him to tell me if he was doing a solo and it turned out he was so I was ready for his jazz version of My Favourite Things. He also has a classy little solo in Little Brown Jug which we caught on video as well.The crowd just loved the concert and will probably be talking about it for days. They are determined to get them back again and as it was organised by the local branch of RAFA which is the RAF charity it is very likely to happen. Anyone can request an RAF band, but they have to turn down 50% of requests through lack of time.
Hamish had arranged for us to be able to travel back on the coach with the band to Northolt. So we got out at the gate and got the key to the house and were in bed by 12.30pm.
A Brilliant Day at Beauliea
Thursday October 7th
Today Mary said that two of us could come out for the day just like old times, so Pania and Ber lin came along. It was beautifully sunny and warm and they caught the bus to Lymington and then another one onto Beauliea. It went all around the little villages that they had loved to take people to when they lived down here. They were surprised at the narrow lanes that bus went down and there was some tricky passing when they met a car. They managed to get there by about 11.30 and after a coffee started to walk around the grounds.
They went to the Secret Operation Executive display first. This exhibition tells the story of the British and overseas members of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) who completed their secret training at the Beaulieu ‘Finishing School’ during World War ll. It is amazing to think that this little village down in the New Forest was used to train secret agents that went behind enemy lines.
From there they went to visit the main house. Formerly the 13th century Great Gatehouse of Beaulieu Abbey, Palace House is set in glorious grounds and gardens with immaculate spreading lawns and walkways overlooking the Beaulieu River. This charming house, kept in the style of its later Victorian additions, has been in Lord Montagu's family ownership since 1538, when Sir Thomas Wriothesley, later 1st Earl of Southampton, bought the Estate after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. It is a very homely house. Mary and Alan took us on a private tour of the private apartments and were given a very informative talk by a staff member who has lived and worked as a servant for the family for many years. We were able to see where the family lived day to day and she explained various art works and objects to us. In the main house that is open to the public to view all the time there was an amazing dining room. Down one end the children had their own separate dining area. There was a lovely rocking horse there as well and Ber Lin has his photo taken there.
One of the main reasons people come to visit Beaulieu is to see the National Motor Museum. Exhibits include some of the earliest examples of motoring to legendary World Record Breakers like Bluebird, ‘TV Star’ cars like Del Boy’s Reliant Regal and rare oddities like the giant orange on wheels. There are over 300 vehicles on display. Mary took our photos near a car that looked just like Gumdrop. It was a 1928 Austin Clifford Heavy 12/4 just like Mr Oldcastle owned and it was blue as well. There was also a replica of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on display. The best bit though was the ride in the pods. Called “Wheels “, the trip in a space age pod takes you through a dark ride about motoring history. You travel through time from the dawn of man and the first stone age wheels to a vision of what the cars of the future may look like. It was really good and just like a Disneyland ride.
Outside they went and looked at the Top Gear cars on display and they had just lined up to go in when the alarm went off and everyone was asked to assemble by the bus stop. By the time they got things back to normal they had run out of time to go into the exhibition as it started at 3.50 and the bus was leaving at 4.07. Being the last bus of the day to take them back to Lymington there was no way they were about to miss it so sadly missed out on most of the top gear experience. There was time to take the monorail ride right around the grounds and through the museum as well. They also had time to look at the James bond Exhibition which includes many of the cars and artefacts from the James Bond films.
It certainly was a full on day with heaps to do and see and the ticket enabled them to go back again any time during the year as you can’t possibly do it all in one day. However they are not going back tomorrow.
When they got home they started making a contingency plan for moving on from down here without Hemi. Mary had rung the mechanic and he was so apologetic as the part had still not arrived on the courier. So Mary and Liz got on the laptops and looked at lots of possible options for getting to Winchester and London. Hamish is playing in a Squadronaires concert just out of Winchester tomorrow night and Mary and Alan have a night’s accommodation booked at the welfare house at Northolt. Liz can get us to Winchester and Hamish is going to find a way to get them back to London with him and on Saturday they will take the National Express (yes they will risk it again) to Ipswich to see all their friends over there. Hemi needs a few more things doing to make him saleable so tomorrow they will walk back to the garage and arrange for him to be made completely roadworthy with a new MOT. This will give everyone peace of mind and make him more attractive to a buyer if they know he had a clean bill of health.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
On the Bus to Lymington
Wednesday October 6th
Today we walked quite a long way to the garage to where Hemi is parked up waiting for the right part to arrive. We spoke to Barry and he advised us to put some new front tyres on as well which we knew would need doing soon. They had time to do it while waiting for the throttle cable to arrive so it made sense to do it. They are hopeful he will be ready to go by Friday.
From there we walked over to the big Tesco Supermarket and bought all the ingredients i needed to make the dinner tonight. I had offered to make salmon filo parcels but there was no fresh filo pastry on the shelf and none in storage so had to buy frozen which was quite a different texture than I am used to using. We walked back home and the whole round trip took just over 2 hours. The sun had come out the weather was looking lovely so we made a very quick decision to go and catch the bus the Lymington. We both love Lymington and had not been able to get there this time.
The bus stop is very handy, and we got to the stop in plenty of time. The bus was actually 20 mins late but it was a lovely ride through Milford on Sea and went over some roads we hadn’t been on before. When we got there we noticed the recession had taken its toll on the high street. There were quite a few empty shops and some had relocated from the quay area into the high street. But it was as charming as ever and we bought a Cornish pasty each and went and sat down on the quay and watched the little boats come and go and the Isle of Wight ferry coming and going. We actually carried on walking past the boat yard and onto where there was a huge salt water swimming pool that had been established in the early 1800’s and is stil there today. We had never seen it before. It is huge and still used in the summer. There were also large numbers of pleasure boats tied up in the marina. Some are very luxurious and worth millions. Lymington is one of the great places for sailing and pleasure boating. After a good walk around we walked back up to the cobbled street that leads back up to the high street and wandered up the hill back to the bus station.
We managed to catch the bus that had all the secondary school kids on so it was very lively and noisy all the way back to New Milton where the last of them finally got off. We had had a great day out and made the most of staying on in this area for longer than we had expected.
The dinner worked out okay even though I had accidentally bought smoked salmon fillets instead of plain ones. Well Zoe and Mathew liked them so I guess that is a good recommendation.
Tomorrow we are going to take two buses and get ourselves to Beaulieu which we never got to in 2007 and we have a 2 for 1 ticket to use there that got when we went to Chatsworth. There is no point in sitting around doing nothing when there are so many things right on the doorstop that we are able to get to on public transport.
Today we walked quite a long way to the garage to where Hemi is parked up waiting for the right part to arrive. We spoke to Barry and he advised us to put some new front tyres on as well which we knew would need doing soon. They had time to do it while waiting for the throttle cable to arrive so it made sense to do it. They are hopeful he will be ready to go by Friday.
From there we walked over to the big Tesco Supermarket and bought all the ingredients i needed to make the dinner tonight. I had offered to make salmon filo parcels but there was no fresh filo pastry on the shelf and none in storage so had to buy frozen which was quite a different texture than I am used to using. We walked back home and the whole round trip took just over 2 hours. The sun had come out the weather was looking lovely so we made a very quick decision to go and catch the bus the Lymington. We both love Lymington and had not been able to get there this time.
The bus stop is very handy, and we got to the stop in plenty of time. The bus was actually 20 mins late but it was a lovely ride through Milford on Sea and went over some roads we hadn’t been on before. When we got there we noticed the recession had taken its toll on the high street. There were quite a few empty shops and some had relocated from the quay area into the high street. But it was as charming as ever and we bought a Cornish pasty each and went and sat down on the quay and watched the little boats come and go and the Isle of Wight ferry coming and going. We actually carried on walking past the boat yard and onto where there was a huge salt water swimming pool that had been established in the early 1800’s and is stil there today. We had never seen it before. It is huge and still used in the summer. There were also large numbers of pleasure boats tied up in the marina. Some are very luxurious and worth millions. Lymington is one of the great places for sailing and pleasure boating. After a good walk around we walked back up to the cobbled street that leads back up to the high street and wandered up the hill back to the bus station. We managed to catch the bus that had all the secondary school kids on so it was very lively and noisy all the way back to New Milton where the last of them finally got off. We had had a great day out and made the most of staying on in this area for longer than we had expected.
The dinner worked out okay even though I had accidentally bought smoked salmon fillets instead of plain ones. Well Zoe and Mathew liked them so I guess that is a good recommendation.
Tomorrow we are going to take two buses and get ourselves to Beaulieu which we never got to in 2007 and we have a 2 for 1 ticket to use there that got when we went to Chatsworth. There is no point in sitting around doing nothing when there are so many things right on the doorstop that we are able to get to on public transport.
Hemi Extends His Hospital Stay
Tuesday October 6th
Today we hoped to get Hemi back and continue with our travels. I rang the garage at 9am and arranged to go and pick him up at 10am. It all seemed pretty straightforward. Andy was going to come and pick us up and take us to the garage which is quite a long walk away. Not long after the garage man rang me back to say the throttle cable had snapped as they were backing him out to get him ready for us to pick up! I was almost elated. If it was going to break, what better place to break than in his yard. After all we are in England they speak English, and we have a place to stay. Imagine if this had happened when we were on the continent. And we were not driving on the motorway when this happened. This is the garage we used for both our vehicles when we lived down here and they were always very good with our campervan and old car. So he said he would have to order the parts and they would come on the courier in the afternoon but we would probably need to stay here another night. I said I was sure that would be fine and rang Andy to tell him he didn’t need to come and pick us up to collect Hemi.
So we settled down to read the papers do the email etc and after lunch went for a very long walk down to the beach and along the cliffs. It was so misty we could hardly see the Isle to Wight. We ended up walking home through the New Milton township. It was really enjoyable as we could see all the changes that had happened in the last three years.
Shortly after Andy and Liz arrived home the mechanic phoned again to say he was nearly tearing his hair out. This sounded bad, what else could have gone wrong? Turned out they had been sent the wrong part and it was useless, so they had to source another and it wouldn’t come till Thursday. We assured him that we would be okay in the Hengistbury Road Hotel for a bit longer.
At the moment we are trying to rethink the possibilities for getting to either the Friday or Saturday night Squadronaires concert. Tomorrow we are going to walk to the mechanics and find out what are chances are of getting on the road by Friday otherwise it might be back on the National Express!
Today we hoped to get Hemi back and continue with our travels. I rang the garage at 9am and arranged to go and pick him up at 10am. It all seemed pretty straightforward. Andy was going to come and pick us up and take us to the garage which is quite a long walk away. Not long after the garage man rang me back to say the throttle cable had snapped as they were backing him out to get him ready for us to pick up! I was almost elated. If it was going to break, what better place to break than in his yard. After all we are in England they speak English, and we have a place to stay. Imagine if this had happened when we were on the continent. And we were not driving on the motorway when this happened. This is the garage we used for both our vehicles when we lived down here and they were always very good with our campervan and old car. So he said he would have to order the parts and they would come on the courier in the afternoon but we would probably need to stay here another night. I said I was sure that would be fine and rang Andy to tell him he didn’t need to come and pick us up to collect Hemi.
So we settled down to read the papers do the email etc and after lunch went for a very long walk down to the beach and along the cliffs. It was so misty we could hardly see the Isle to Wight. We ended up walking home through the New Milton township. It was really enjoyable as we could see all the changes that had happened in the last three years.
Shortly after Andy and Liz arrived home the mechanic phoned again to say he was nearly tearing his hair out. This sounded bad, what else could have gone wrong? Turned out they had been sent the wrong part and it was useless, so they had to source another and it wouldn’t come till Thursday. We assured him that we would be okay in the Hengistbury Road Hotel for a bit longer.
At the moment we are trying to rethink the possibilities for getting to either the Friday or Saturday night Squadronaires concert. Tomorrow we are going to walk to the mechanics and find out what are chances are of getting on the road by Friday otherwise it might be back on the National Express!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
A Tube Strike and a Puncture
Monday October 4th
Everything today was planned around the Tube strike. I listened to the radio and found that 10 of the 12 tube lines were affected and that there were bits of services running but certainly not the Central line to Ruislip. However we could hear the overland trains rumbling past so that was a good sign. Hamish came over about 10am and took us to the South Ruislip station. i gave him the left over milk and custard out of the fridge. At the traffic lights a woman tapped on our window to tell us we had milk on the roof! He had managed to drive quite a way with a bottle of milk and a tub of custard on the roof of the car without it falling off. This had included going over judder bars so it was quite a feat. He jumped out and removed them and dropped us off. We literally walked right onto a train going to Marylebone station and as it had very few stops the journey took less than half an hour.
When we got out of the station we were looking at the map to decide which way we would walk to Victoria Station when a helpful local man came and asked us if he could help. We told him where we were planning to walk and he was horrified. So I said is it going to take longer than 2 hours and he said no about 1 hour. I said that was nothing so he suggested the Edgware road to Marble Arch. It was a great walk in a part of town that Alan was very familiar with having lived near there in the 60’s. Of course it has changed a lot and is very multicultural now. We got down by Marble Arch and sat and ate our lunch and just watched what was going on. We then walked over to the Australian Memorial in Huye Park which we have never looked at closely. It is across the way from the NZ memorial which is stunning.
We then decided to walk through Hyde Park rather than down Park Lane and walked over towards the Serpentine.
London was pretty much deserted. I think people had just stayed home and the tourists had decided to do other things today. The buses were not full and the tourist tour buses were very light as well. Mind you it was a very grey day again and not at all good for sightseeing and photos. We carried on past Buckingham Palace finally down to Victoria Station. We bought some papers for on the coach trip and also found Wetherspoons with wifi. I checked the album charts and found the Central Band CD, Reach for the Skies has gone into the charts at No 4. Everyone was excited when the Squadroniares CD made it to No5 after 3 weeks earlier this year. This is now the highest placing ever for a military band. It could go to No 1. Not sure how many copies I would have to buy to help that happen.
We gave ourselves a good hour to find the bus station and the departure terminal. It was all very easy and we were surprised at how busy it is and how many people use National Express. the M ticket on teh phone worked brilliantly, I just showed the driver the text.We got on and all seemed to be going really well except it took about ¾ hour to drive out of London at snail’s pace. But you get to have a look at different part. I was quite surprised that we were on the M4 rather than the M3 and even more surprised when we turned off to go to Heathrow. I thought I had avoided the route that goes to Heathrow as that adds an hour to the trip. Then the driver rang up someone on the phone and we heard him telling them he had a puncture on the rear right outside wheel. When he got off the phone he said I guess you all know I have a problem so I have pulled in here and they will send another coach. So we got off and got a snack and had a walk. It took about half an hour for another coach to turn up and they transferred al the bags and off we went. It was now 5.30pm.
The arrival time at Ringwood had been 5.45 so of course I had already rung Andy to alert him that we would be late and that I would ring at Winchester. The driver suddenly decided to leave the motorway and shot off through Basingstoke on the A33 which took us by surprise but we think he must have been avoiding a tail back on the m25 as the traffic was heavy due the tube strike. He actually made good progress on this road and finally got us back onto M3. We arrived at Ringwood at about 7.15. Liz and Andy had set out and run into a deviation but had driven through regardless and managed to get Ringwood but we had to come back the long way as they were closing the road to resurface it. So we finally made it back to Barton where we all had dinner together and had a good laugh about the adventures on the National Express.
Tomorrow we will find out what the story is with the van and set out on our adventures again. Not sure where but we have a few options we could take.
Everything today was planned around the Tube strike. I listened to the radio and found that 10 of the 12 tube lines were affected and that there were bits of services running but certainly not the Central line to Ruislip. However we could hear the overland trains rumbling past so that was a good sign. Hamish came over about 10am and took us to the South Ruislip station. i gave him the left over milk and custard out of the fridge. At the traffic lights a woman tapped on our window to tell us we had milk on the roof! He had managed to drive quite a way with a bottle of milk and a tub of custard on the roof of the car without it falling off. This had included going over judder bars so it was quite a feat. He jumped out and removed them and dropped us off. We literally walked right onto a train going to Marylebone station and as it had very few stops the journey took less than half an hour.
When we got out of the station we were looking at the map to decide which way we would walk to Victoria Station when a helpful local man came and asked us if he could help. We told him where we were planning to walk and he was horrified. So I said is it going to take longer than 2 hours and he said no about 1 hour. I said that was nothing so he suggested the Edgware road to Marble Arch. It was a great walk in a part of town that Alan was very familiar with having lived near there in the 60’s. Of course it has changed a lot and is very multicultural now. We got down by Marble Arch and sat and ate our lunch and just watched what was going on. We then walked over to the Australian Memorial in Huye Park which we have never looked at closely. It is across the way from the NZ memorial which is stunning.
We then decided to walk through Hyde Park rather than down Park Lane and walked over towards the Serpentine.
London was pretty much deserted. I think people had just stayed home and the tourists had decided to do other things today. The buses were not full and the tourist tour buses were very light as well. Mind you it was a very grey day again and not at all good for sightseeing and photos. We carried on past Buckingham Palace finally down to Victoria Station. We bought some papers for on the coach trip and also found Wetherspoons with wifi. I checked the album charts and found the Central Band CD, Reach for the Skies has gone into the charts at No 4. Everyone was excited when the Squadroniares CD made it to No5 after 3 weeks earlier this year. This is now the highest placing ever for a military band. It could go to No 1. Not sure how many copies I would have to buy to help that happen.
We gave ourselves a good hour to find the bus station and the departure terminal. It was all very easy and we were surprised at how busy it is and how many people use National Express. the M ticket on teh phone worked brilliantly, I just showed the driver the text.We got on and all seemed to be going really well except it took about ¾ hour to drive out of London at snail’s pace. But you get to have a look at different part. I was quite surprised that we were on the M4 rather than the M3 and even more surprised when we turned off to go to Heathrow. I thought I had avoided the route that goes to Heathrow as that adds an hour to the trip. Then the driver rang up someone on the phone and we heard him telling them he had a puncture on the rear right outside wheel. When he got off the phone he said I guess you all know I have a problem so I have pulled in here and they will send another coach. So we got off and got a snack and had a walk. It took about half an hour for another coach to turn up and they transferred al the bags and off we went. It was now 5.30pm.
The arrival time at Ringwood had been 5.45 so of course I had already rung Andy to alert him that we would be late and that I would ring at Winchester. The driver suddenly decided to leave the motorway and shot off through Basingstoke on the A33 which took us by surprise but we think he must have been avoiding a tail back on the m25 as the traffic was heavy due the tube strike. He actually made good progress on this road and finally got us back onto M3. We arrived at Ringwood at about 7.15. Liz and Andy had set out and run into a deviation but had driven through regardless and managed to get Ringwood but we had to come back the long way as they were closing the road to resurface it. So we finally made it back to Barton where we all had dinner together and had a good laugh about the adventures on the National Express.
Tomorrow we will find out what the story is with the van and set out on our adventures again. Not sure where but we have a few options we could take.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Proud Parents
Sunday October 3rd
Today was the reason for us being in London this weekend. The RAF Central Band were doing a concert in the Albert Hall to commemorate the Battle of Britain and Hamish had booked us tickets back in March. However these tickets had gone astray in the post and ended up back at the Albert Hall so he needed to front with his credit card and get a reprint. This meant meeting up with him after the rehearsal and before the concert started.
We planned to go into South Kensington on the tube and go to the V and A Museum as a morning activity. So after packing sandwiches (more about that later) we took the tube to Nottinghill Gate and changed to get to South Kensington. By now it was raining again but fortunately there is a labyrinth of tunnels underground to all the Kensington museums so we followed the signs to the V and A came right up in the museum in the dry. Never in our previous visits have we looked at the jewellery so we spent most of the time looking at the collection which is extensive, but well laid out labelled and displayed. I also had a brief look through the fashion over the years, which is my favourite gallery in this museum and it had several new acquisitions including Dianna’s beautiful Catherine Walker pearl on silk gown know as the Elvis outfit.
We had to brave the rain to get to the Albert Hall but it was an annoying drizzle rather than a torrential downpour. We waited by the stage door for Hamish and at one stage I went to check to the box office door in case he was there and a woman on the door said in a rather strange and stroppy tone of voice “Where did you get that sandwich?” It seemed an unusual thing to say. I wondered what it had to do with her. I didn’t think it was against the rules to eat a sandwich outside the door. I said I had made it myself and she seemed surprised but satisfied with that answer. However shortly after that I found out that there was not a sandwich available in any of the food places in the Albert Hall and lots of people were complaining as they had had come early and gone up to the bars only to find they had sold out of sandwiches and only had bags of crisps for £2.10. One disgruntled patron said the seller, I don’t want the whole box, just a packet, but it went over his head. When Hamish did arrive and had picked up the tickets he also found that they had no food suitable for a very hungry trombone player so he left the hall in search of sustenance.
The seats were fantastic, in the front row of the gallery with an unrestricted view. Louise’s mother was sitting with us and managed to catch Louise’s eye and she waggled her clarinet to show she had seen us. But no Hamish appeared and three empty trombone chairs and three empty trumpet chairs were visible. But then the six of them arrived down the side stairs in their full ceremonials complete with hats and the fanfare trumpets and they played the fanfare at the beginning of the National Anthem. It was very impressive. They then missed the next number as they had to get back into their evening dress and joined the stage for the Royal Air Force March Past. I had to keep reminding myself that this was the Royal Albert Hall in London and my son was on the stage. He even got to feature in another number and did several solo stand-ups and got an individual acknowledgment at the end. Loiuse's mum Heidi, was just as excited about being a proud mum and having a kid in the band as we were. It was great to be proudly smiling down on our children together even if they seem to take it all in their stride.
The concert was well programmed with something to appeal to everyone. They even had a ukulele player singing George Formby songs. It was WW2 nostalgia and the age of the audience reflected this, although it was good to see some younger people there. Coach loads of people had arrived from all over.
The last part of the concert was very like a Last Night at the Proms. We had been given Union Jacks when we bought our programme. The audience joined in singing Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia. The paper flags were really quite noisy once everyone started waving them. Well over half of the nearly 5,000 in the audience had them. It will be as close as we ever get to a Last Night of the Proms in the Albert Hall. It certainly had the same atmosphere, and the audience wanted to start singing Land of Hope and glory far too early.
The Concert was under the musical direction of Gavin Sutherland and the London Concert Orchestra combined with the band on stage. Gavin came out to New Zealand several times to conduct the NZ Ballet Productions when Hamish was in the Wellington Vectra Orchestra and it was the first time their paths had crossed again since Hamish had come to live in London. It really is a small world.
After the concert finished we all went out for a meal together at Wagamama which served Japanese food. The tube strike had officially started at 6.30pm so we were wondering how we were all going to make it back home. Hamish checked on his phone and it seemed some services were still running and we could get back to Northolt relatively easily which was a relief. Heidi was able to get back to Victoria to catch her overland train back to Kent so all was well.
Tomorrow may be a different story. The train literally runs through the back garden of this house so we should know fairly early on if they are still running out here or not. Apparently on the last tube strike three weeks ago the band had a police escort of 6 motorbikes and it still took them three and half hours to get into St Pauls Cathedral from Northolt. Driving into town is not an option so we need to get in on a train. Watch this space!!!
Today was the reason for us being in London this weekend. The RAF Central Band were doing a concert in the Albert Hall to commemorate the Battle of Britain and Hamish had booked us tickets back in March. However these tickets had gone astray in the post and ended up back at the Albert Hall so he needed to front with his credit card and get a reprint. This meant meeting up with him after the rehearsal and before the concert started.
We planned to go into South Kensington on the tube and go to the V and A Museum as a morning activity. So after packing sandwiches (more about that later) we took the tube to Nottinghill Gate and changed to get to South Kensington. By now it was raining again but fortunately there is a labyrinth of tunnels underground to all the Kensington museums so we followed the signs to the V and A came right up in the museum in the dry. Never in our previous visits have we looked at the jewellery so we spent most of the time looking at the collection which is extensive, but well laid out labelled and displayed. I also had a brief look through the fashion over the years, which is my favourite gallery in this museum and it had several new acquisitions including Dianna’s beautiful Catherine Walker pearl on silk gown know as the Elvis outfit.
We had to brave the rain to get to the Albert Hall but it was an annoying drizzle rather than a torrential downpour. We waited by the stage door for Hamish and at one stage I went to check to the box office door in case he was there and a woman on the door said in a rather strange and stroppy tone of voice “Where did you get that sandwich?” It seemed an unusual thing to say. I wondered what it had to do with her. I didn’t think it was against the rules to eat a sandwich outside the door. I said I had made it myself and she seemed surprised but satisfied with that answer. However shortly after that I found out that there was not a sandwich available in any of the food places in the Albert Hall and lots of people were complaining as they had had come early and gone up to the bars only to find they had sold out of sandwiches and only had bags of crisps for £2.10. One disgruntled patron said the seller, I don’t want the whole box, just a packet, but it went over his head. When Hamish did arrive and had picked up the tickets he also found that they had no food suitable for a very hungry trombone player so he left the hall in search of sustenance.
The seats were fantastic, in the front row of the gallery with an unrestricted view. Louise’s mother was sitting with us and managed to catch Louise’s eye and she waggled her clarinet to show she had seen us. But no Hamish appeared and three empty trombone chairs and three empty trumpet chairs were visible. But then the six of them arrived down the side stairs in their full ceremonials complete with hats and the fanfare trumpets and they played the fanfare at the beginning of the National Anthem. It was very impressive. They then missed the next number as they had to get back into their evening dress and joined the stage for the Royal Air Force March Past. I had to keep reminding myself that this was the Royal Albert Hall in London and my son was on the stage. He even got to feature in another number and did several solo stand-ups and got an individual acknowledgment at the end. Loiuse's mum Heidi, was just as excited about being a proud mum and having a kid in the band as we were. It was great to be proudly smiling down on our children together even if they seem to take it all in their stride.
The concert was well programmed with something to appeal to everyone. They even had a ukulele player singing George Formby songs. It was WW2 nostalgia and the age of the audience reflected this, although it was good to see some younger people there. Coach loads of people had arrived from all over.
The last part of the concert was very like a Last Night at the Proms. We had been given Union Jacks when we bought our programme. The audience joined in singing Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia. The paper flags were really quite noisy once everyone started waving them. Well over half of the nearly 5,000 in the audience had them. It will be as close as we ever get to a Last Night of the Proms in the Albert Hall. It certainly had the same atmosphere, and the audience wanted to start singing Land of Hope and glory far too early.
The Concert was under the musical direction of Gavin Sutherland and the London Concert Orchestra combined with the band on stage. Gavin came out to New Zealand several times to conduct the NZ Ballet Productions when Hamish was in the Wellington Vectra Orchestra and it was the first time their paths had crossed again since Hamish had come to live in London. It really is a small world.
After the concert finished we all went out for a meal together at Wagamama which served Japanese food. The tube strike had officially started at 6.30pm so we were wondering how we were all going to make it back home. Hamish checked on his phone and it seemed some services were still running and we could get back to Northolt relatively easily which was a relief. Heidi was able to get back to Victoria to catch her overland train back to Kent so all was well.
Tomorrow may be a different story. The train literally runs through the back garden of this house so we should know fairly early on if they are still running out here or not. Apparently on the last tube strike three weeks ago the band had a police escort of 6 motorbikes and it still took them three and half hours to get into St Pauls Cathedral from Northolt. Driving into town is not an option so we need to get in on a train. Watch this space!!!
A Very Ordinary Day
Saturday October 2nd
There are no little travellers with us here in London. There simply was not enough room to accommodate them. So they are having a long sleep at Baton on Sea.
We knew that today needed to be a quiet day and Hamish was having a much needed sleep in after a very busy week. We walked to the local shops and bought a paper which we came home and read with a coffee. Life seemed almost normal, except this is England not Wanganui.
Just before 12 we decided that it would be nice to have a home cooked family meal instead of going out so we got ourselves organised and caught a train to Shepherd’s Bush. We had noticed a supermarket there near Wetherspoons and thought we could combine lunch, internet and shopping. We settled ourselves into Wetherspoons and ordered the burger and Beer lunch and then tried to connect to the internet. After 20 mins and considerable frustration I finally got online. I was able to book a National Express coach trip back to Ringwood for Monday and checked the date carefully several times! Having no printer I opted to have the ticket sent electronically to my mobile phone. This is an M-ticket. You just show the text to the bus driver. Then there was the anxious wait for the text to arrive but it finally did. As long as we can negotiate our way around the tube strike on Monday we should be able to get back. It would seem we can walk to the next station which is close and get on an overland train to Marylebone Station. Then we will have to bus across London to Victoria. We will allow plenty of time and if it all goes wrong we may have to take an expensive London Taxi ride.
We must have spent a good couple of hours in Wetherspoons using their WiFi and looked at some other transport options for later next week. It was a good fast connection and I was able to update the blog and check mail etc.
My goodness, how long is since I actually cooked a roast dinner and in a gas oven. But it all turned out really well and we had a lovely time with Hamish and Louise. We had even tracked down a bottle of NZ wine, (on special of course). Thanks goodness I had got it all in the oven early because Hamish arrived and said how long till dinner because I am so hungry. Nothing changes!
It was not a late night as they have to be at the band room for 7am in the morning. Tomorrow is the concert at the Albert Hall which we have come to London to go to. They have a morning rehearsal before a 2.30pm concert. After the concert we will meet up and have dinner in town and hopefully find a way back home as the tube strike starts at 6.30pm Sunday. Seems you may not be able to top up you Oyster card during the strike but you will be able to use them on the overland trains. I told Hamish this so they left to go and top their cards up before having an early night.
There are no little travellers with us here in London. There simply was not enough room to accommodate them. So they are having a long sleep at Baton on Sea.
We knew that today needed to be a quiet day and Hamish was having a much needed sleep in after a very busy week. We walked to the local shops and bought a paper which we came home and read with a coffee. Life seemed almost normal, except this is England not Wanganui.
Just before 12 we decided that it would be nice to have a home cooked family meal instead of going out so we got ourselves organised and caught a train to Shepherd’s Bush. We had noticed a supermarket there near Wetherspoons and thought we could combine lunch, internet and shopping. We settled ourselves into Wetherspoons and ordered the burger and Beer lunch and then tried to connect to the internet. After 20 mins and considerable frustration I finally got online. I was able to book a National Express coach trip back to Ringwood for Monday and checked the date carefully several times! Having no printer I opted to have the ticket sent electronically to my mobile phone. This is an M-ticket. You just show the text to the bus driver. Then there was the anxious wait for the text to arrive but it finally did. As long as we can negotiate our way around the tube strike on Monday we should be able to get back. It would seem we can walk to the next station which is close and get on an overland train to Marylebone Station. Then we will have to bus across London to Victoria. We will allow plenty of time and if it all goes wrong we may have to take an expensive London Taxi ride.
We must have spent a good couple of hours in Wetherspoons using their WiFi and looked at some other transport options for later next week. It was a good fast connection and I was able to update the blog and check mail etc.
My goodness, how long is since I actually cooked a roast dinner and in a gas oven. But it all turned out really well and we had a lovely time with Hamish and Louise. We had even tracked down a bottle of NZ wine, (on special of course). Thanks goodness I had got it all in the oven early because Hamish arrived and said how long till dinner because I am so hungry. Nothing changes!
It was not a late night as they have to be at the band room for 7am in the morning. Tomorrow is the concert at the Albert Hall which we have come to London to go to. They have a morning rehearsal before a 2.30pm concert. After the concert we will meet up and have dinner in town and hopefully find a way back home as the tube strike starts at 6.30pm Sunday. Seems you may not be able to top up you Oyster card during the strike but you will be able to use them on the overland trains. I told Hamish this so they left to go and top their cards up before having an early night.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
It Never Rains But it Pours!
Friday October 1st
Today we woke up to heavy rain again and the prospect of driving up the motorway was daunting. Liz told Mary she should try and start me up the night before to make sure I would start after sitting for a few days but Mary said it would be fine as I always start. Mary and Alan went over to visit some elderly neighbours before coming back to leave in the rain about 10.30. Andy was home as it was not a suitable day for painting outside. I started perfectly and they set off but at the corner decided to take a detour to TESCO to get some groceries as they were unsure of how they would be placed finding a supermarket near Northolt and the weather was nasty. All went well until they got up by the Infant School and I started to cough and choke like I had in the Czech Republic on a cold wet morning. Mary somehow managed to drive me as far as the TESCO carpark and then rang the RAC. They were great and took all the details and said they would call back when they were near to arriving.
She then rang Andy who had visions of them saying they were stuck in the New Forest. She said she would call back once the RAC had called and they would decide what they do after that. It took an hour for the RAC to turn up which was good as in that time they made plan B which was under no circumstances would they attempt to drive me to London in bad weather today. So Mary packed a little suitcase of essential items only and they discussed getting to London on a train.
When the RAC man arrived I started perfectly and he said it was not a clutch problem but he did suspect it was caused by the damp. Just over the road form TESCO was the garage they had used for the last campervan when they had lived down there, so the RAC man suggested they drive me over there and talk to them and he followed. I was fine but deep down they all knew that the problem could come back. So it was agreed that I would stay there for the weekend and the kind man would look at me on Monday. This suited them fine. They always run off to London when this sort of things happens and I go to the hospital. So Mary rang Andy and he and Liz came and picked them up and took them home. Mary will have to tell the rest of the story as I have once again been left locked in a yard with other vehicles.
Liz suggested that the National Express would be a cheaper way to get to London so she jumped online and found there was a coach going from Ringwood at 1.55 which would get us up to London about 4.20pm. This was going to be heaps cheaper than the train, so she set it all up and Alan paid for it with his card. The E ticket was sent to her email address and she printed it. While she was doing this Andy had made us a cut lunch to eat on the coach. So armed with ticket, lunch and a small bag we all set out for Ringwood. We got there in plenty of time and parked where we could see the bus shelter but stayed in the car as it was still raining. When the coach arrived we all got out and Alan handed the ticket to the driver who looked at it closely and announced that it was for tomorrow; Saturday! And it was a FUN ticket, ha ha! These are non refundable and not transferable. Liz was devastated and pleaded with the driver to let us on the coach, telling him how we were from NZ and our campervan had broken down and we had to get to London to see our son. The driver wasn’t even sure he had room on the coach, but said he would check; after all this was the last pick up; next stop being Victoria Station in London. He finally agreed to let us on but of course only if we paid again, which Liz insisted on doing as she had made a slip of the mouse. Andy was finally allowed to put our bag on the coach and we took our seats, not together of course and we waved goodbye with grateful thanks and saying we would be in touch about our return journey on Monday.
The trip on the coach was uneventful and pleasant. It rained the whole way, but there were no delays and we each had a paper to read. We both remarked that this had potential for a future trip because if you book up to seven days in advance some of the fares are as low as £1. Although we didn’t try it the coach has WiFi on it.
Of course all through this drama I had been texting Hamish. He was tied up all day getting ready for a live broadcast out of Northolt that evening on BBC radio 2. He had unsuccessfully tried to get us tickets, which in the end was a good thing. He had originally said he had a small window of opportunity to give us the key to the house between 2 and 2.30 or 6.30 and 7.00. Obviously we had missed the 2.00 slot so we told him we would make sure we are out at the base by 6.20ish.
The coach actually arrived at the Victoria bus station at 4.10 and from there it was a short walk to the actual Victoria Station. So we collected our thoughts, sent a text to Andy and Liz to report our safe arrival and sent a text to Hamish who confirmed a 6.20 meeting. It was still raining everywhere so we decided it would be best to go as far as Shepherd’s Bush to get out of the London rush hour. There we found a pub and sat and had a quiet drink and then continued the journey towards Ruislip. We did jump on the tube that branches to Ealing but that wasn’t a problem as we were able to change and get back onto a West Ruislip one easily. At Ruislip Gardens I was completely unable to get Hamish to answer his phone which I thought was weird as he was expecting us. Tried texting and phoning but no luck and it was now 6.40. Knowing he had to be back getting ready for the broadcast by 7.00 and that it went live from 8-10 the prospect of standing in the rain for over 3 hours wasn’t pleasant. He finally rang to say that his phone for some reason had decided to drop off the network and he had been expecting a call. We had walked on to the house but he knew he couldn’t leave the base in the rush hour traffic and get back on in time, so I left Alan with the bags and ran back and met him at the base to get the key so that we could get into the house. So he meets me and almost his first words were you have no idea what a crazy busy day I have had, to which I said, well ours takes a bit of beating as well. However there was no time to talk and we made quick plans to do stuff together on Saturday and went our separate ways.
So we got into the house and made a cup of soup and toast and settled down to listen to the radio broadcast on BBC radio 2. It was bizarre to think that it was being broadcast only 10 minutes walk away. However it was probably a good thing we were not at it as we were able to crash into bed when it finished at 10pm. Then I read in the Evening Standard that there is going to be a tube strike from 6.30pm Sunday until 6.30pm Monday! Now this throws up a new set of problems for getting back to Victoria to get the National Express back to Ringwood, but there will be a way and I will find it.
Today we woke up to heavy rain again and the prospect of driving up the motorway was daunting. Liz told Mary she should try and start me up the night before to make sure I would start after sitting for a few days but Mary said it would be fine as I always start. Mary and Alan went over to visit some elderly neighbours before coming back to leave in the rain about 10.30. Andy was home as it was not a suitable day for painting outside. I started perfectly and they set off but at the corner decided to take a detour to TESCO to get some groceries as they were unsure of how they would be placed finding a supermarket near Northolt and the weather was nasty. All went well until they got up by the Infant School and I started to cough and choke like I had in the Czech Republic on a cold wet morning. Mary somehow managed to drive me as far as the TESCO carpark and then rang the RAC. They were great and took all the details and said they would call back when they were near to arriving.
She then rang Andy who had visions of them saying they were stuck in the New Forest. She said she would call back once the RAC had called and they would decide what they do after that. It took an hour for the RAC to turn up which was good as in that time they made plan B which was under no circumstances would they attempt to drive me to London in bad weather today. So Mary packed a little suitcase of essential items only and they discussed getting to London on a train.
When the RAC man arrived I started perfectly and he said it was not a clutch problem but he did suspect it was caused by the damp. Just over the road form TESCO was the garage they had used for the last campervan when they had lived down there, so the RAC man suggested they drive me over there and talk to them and he followed. I was fine but deep down they all knew that the problem could come back. So it was agreed that I would stay there for the weekend and the kind man would look at me on Monday. This suited them fine. They always run off to London when this sort of things happens and I go to the hospital. So Mary rang Andy and he and Liz came and picked them up and took them home. Mary will have to tell the rest of the story as I have once again been left locked in a yard with other vehicles.
Liz suggested that the National Express would be a cheaper way to get to London so she jumped online and found there was a coach going from Ringwood at 1.55 which would get us up to London about 4.20pm. This was going to be heaps cheaper than the train, so she set it all up and Alan paid for it with his card. The E ticket was sent to her email address and she printed it. While she was doing this Andy had made us a cut lunch to eat on the coach. So armed with ticket, lunch and a small bag we all set out for Ringwood. We got there in plenty of time and parked where we could see the bus shelter but stayed in the car as it was still raining. When the coach arrived we all got out and Alan handed the ticket to the driver who looked at it closely and announced that it was for tomorrow; Saturday! And it was a FUN ticket, ha ha! These are non refundable and not transferable. Liz was devastated and pleaded with the driver to let us on the coach, telling him how we were from NZ and our campervan had broken down and we had to get to London to see our son. The driver wasn’t even sure he had room on the coach, but said he would check; after all this was the last pick up; next stop being Victoria Station in London. He finally agreed to let us on but of course only if we paid again, which Liz insisted on doing as she had made a slip of the mouse. Andy was finally allowed to put our bag on the coach and we took our seats, not together of course and we waved goodbye with grateful thanks and saying we would be in touch about our return journey on Monday.
The trip on the coach was uneventful and pleasant. It rained the whole way, but there were no delays and we each had a paper to read. We both remarked that this had potential for a future trip because if you book up to seven days in advance some of the fares are as low as £1. Although we didn’t try it the coach has WiFi on it.
Of course all through this drama I had been texting Hamish. He was tied up all day getting ready for a live broadcast out of Northolt that evening on BBC radio 2. He had unsuccessfully tried to get us tickets, which in the end was a good thing. He had originally said he had a small window of opportunity to give us the key to the house between 2 and 2.30 or 6.30 and 7.00. Obviously we had missed the 2.00 slot so we told him we would make sure we are out at the base by 6.20ish.
The coach actually arrived at the Victoria bus station at 4.10 and from there it was a short walk to the actual Victoria Station. So we collected our thoughts, sent a text to Andy and Liz to report our safe arrival and sent a text to Hamish who confirmed a 6.20 meeting. It was still raining everywhere so we decided it would be best to go as far as Shepherd’s Bush to get out of the London rush hour. There we found a pub and sat and had a quiet drink and then continued the journey towards Ruislip. We did jump on the tube that branches to Ealing but that wasn’t a problem as we were able to change and get back onto a West Ruislip one easily. At Ruislip Gardens I was completely unable to get Hamish to answer his phone which I thought was weird as he was expecting us. Tried texting and phoning but no luck and it was now 6.40. Knowing he had to be back getting ready for the broadcast by 7.00 and that it went live from 8-10 the prospect of standing in the rain for over 3 hours wasn’t pleasant. He finally rang to say that his phone for some reason had decided to drop off the network and he had been expecting a call. We had walked on to the house but he knew he couldn’t leave the base in the rush hour traffic and get back on in time, so I left Alan with the bags and ran back and met him at the base to get the key so that we could get into the house. So he meets me and almost his first words were you have no idea what a crazy busy day I have had, to which I said, well ours takes a bit of beating as well. However there was no time to talk and we made quick plans to do stuff together on Saturday and went our separate ways.
So we got into the house and made a cup of soup and toast and settled down to listen to the radio broadcast on BBC radio 2. It was bizarre to think that it was being broadcast only 10 minutes walk away. However it was probably a good thing we were not at it as we were able to crash into bed when it finished at 10pm. Then I read in the Evening Standard that there is going to be a tube strike from 6.30pm Sunday until 6.30pm Monday! Now this throws up a new set of problems for getting back to Victoria to get the National Express back to Ringwood, but there will be a way and I will find it.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Ber Lin goes in a Balloon at Bournemouth
Thursday September 30th
Today I got my first real outing all by myself in England. The little kiwis have been so good at teaching me English that I am now able to go out on adventures and help write the blog. I got to go on a double decker bus to Bournemouth . Mary had never been on the bus to Bournemouth. Alan had been and taken guests as well, but not Mary so today was the day. They walked down to the beach in time to look around and see the erosion that is continuous on this coast. It was great looking out the Isle of Wight and the needles with the lighthouse on the end. The whole of the south coast is gradually eroding over time and there is nothing that can be down about it.
The bus trip to Bournemouth takes just over an hour and literally goes all around the houses. It is a great trip through Highcliff, Mudeford, Christchurch and then onto Bournmouth. It was all so familiar to them as they had driven it so many times but it looks great out of a double decker bus. Mary was pleased not be driving Hemi through all the roundabouts, traffic lights and narrow bits. They arrived in Bournemouth just after 11am. The gardens were looking fantastic, and then they realised that Bournemouth is celebrating its bicentennial so everything has had a real facelift.
The balloon that takes you up in the air on a tether was actually flying as the weather was so good. Never in all their trips to Bournemouth in 2007 had it been operating due to bad weather. So they took a ride in it. The commentary was excellent and pointed out all the sights around the whole 360° viewing platform.
They had lunch together and then went their separate ways so that Mary could look in her favourite shops in Bournemouth. They met again at the bus stop to catch the 2.20 back to New Milton so that Mary could make it back to the Junior School by 3.30 in the hope she would see some of the kids and parents. The bus stops right outside the school and got there by 3.25 so she hopped out and went over to the playground. Because it was full of adults there were no questions asked and she immediately saw a parent she recognised and caught up with several of the ones she had got really friendly with. One of them had tried to find out how to make contact after the visit yesterday, but the privacy act stops anyone passing information on. She really enjoyed catching up with as many people she could and then did her usual walk home that she had done every day when they lived here.
She also popped down the road to visit another teacher she had taught with at the school who has now had to retire early through ill health. He was pleased to catch up on all the news. Tomorrow it is back to London and I get to meet this Mo fella that Hemi is always going on about. He tells me I will see some planes and lots of people in uniforms and that if I am really good they will take me to London! I can’t wait.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Mary Goes Back to School
Wednesday September 29th
Today I was able to go back and visit New Milton Infant School that I taught at in 2007. To be able to do this though, Liz had to check out first that I would be able to actually go into the school. They were having an open day so that helped. Of course none of the children that I taught are at school any longer as this is an Infant school and they are now in Year 5 in the Junior School next door.
So I was signed in and given an identification tag to make my visit official and the locked doors were opened to allow me to pass through. It was great chatting to all the staff at morning tea time; it was like I had never been away. Several have now retired so there were some new faces. I did manage to have a look around the school and was gobsmacked by the improvements and new equipment that had been acquired in only 3 years. The place has had money thrown at it and I had forgotten just how well equipped they are. There is just so much of everything except for reading books.NZ beats them hand down on this one. There is no equivalent to Learning Media and no free school publications.
I was really keen to go next door to the Junior School to see the kids I had taught, so Sandra in the office phoned them up to see if it was possible. Amazingly, they said yes, but I had to wait until they were back in after play. There was no way they were having a “stranger” lurking in the playground at playtime. So I went over and signed in and was taken to one of the year 5 classes. The children all recognised me instantly and I was able to stay long enough to say hello to each one by name. I then went next door to the next class where one of my most memorable kids leapt in the air off his chair and yelled out “Mrs Dean” rather spontaneously. I then went to the third class and picked up on the others who were also surprised but happy to see me. As we had taught in groups across the year group most of the other kids had been taught by me at some stage and were quick to remind me of this. They all looked the same but a bit taller. It occurred to me as I left after only 10 minutes in total that teachers who have never exchanged have no concept of how magic an exchange year is for a teacher and the kids you teach in that year. It is not like a usual year for either the teacher or the children. It is written into your life in indelible ink forever.
I secretly planned to go back at 3.30 when the children were coming out of school so that I could see them informally with their parents but it was raining so heavily at that time, I had to give the idea away as wet days outside a school are messy. So it was a stroke of luck when Andy and Liz found me walking home in the rain and offered me a lift which I accepted.
That evening Liz’s Parents came over for dinner we had a very pleasant time. They had had been so good to us during our year in Barton. Of course we knew them better than Liz and Andy! It ws great catching up and chatting about what we had all been doing over the last three years.
Today I was able to go back and visit New Milton Infant School that I taught at in 2007. To be able to do this though, Liz had to check out first that I would be able to actually go into the school. They were having an open day so that helped. Of course none of the children that I taught are at school any longer as this is an Infant school and they are now in Year 5 in the Junior School next door.
So I was signed in and given an identification tag to make my visit official and the locked doors were opened to allow me to pass through. It was great chatting to all the staff at morning tea time; it was like I had never been away. Several have now retired so there were some new faces. I did manage to have a look around the school and was gobsmacked by the improvements and new equipment that had been acquired in only 3 years. The place has had money thrown at it and I had forgotten just how well equipped they are. There is just so much of everything except for reading books.NZ beats them hand down on this one. There is no equivalent to Learning Media and no free school publications.
I was really keen to go next door to the Junior School to see the kids I had taught, so Sandra in the office phoned them up to see if it was possible. Amazingly, they said yes, but I had to wait until they were back in after play. There was no way they were having a “stranger” lurking in the playground at playtime. So I went over and signed in and was taken to one of the year 5 classes. The children all recognised me instantly and I was able to stay long enough to say hello to each one by name. I then went next door to the next class where one of my most memorable kids leapt in the air off his chair and yelled out “Mrs Dean” rather spontaneously. I then went to the third class and picked up on the others who were also surprised but happy to see me. As we had taught in groups across the year group most of the other kids had been taught by me at some stage and were quick to remind me of this. They all looked the same but a bit taller. It occurred to me as I left after only 10 minutes in total that teachers who have never exchanged have no concept of how magic an exchange year is for a teacher and the kids you teach in that year. It is not like a usual year for either the teacher or the children. It is written into your life in indelible ink forever.
I secretly planned to go back at 3.30 when the children were coming out of school so that I could see them informally with their parents but it was raining so heavily at that time, I had to give the idea away as wet days outside a school are messy. So it was a stroke of luck when Andy and Liz found me walking home in the rain and offered me a lift which I accepted.
That evening Liz’s Parents came over for dinner we had a very pleasant time. They had had been so good to us during our year in Barton. Of course we knew them better than Liz and Andy! It ws great catching up and chatting about what we had all been doing over the last three years.
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