A Very Long Day But Home Again

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.