UK revisited 2015

So here we are back in the UK and it is even colder. Our ferry crossing went without a hitch apart from a very heavy interrogation from a very charming, female, British customs officer. We almost expected her to ask us the colour of our underwear it was that personal but hey, guess we could also understand that sometimes it is necessary especially as we are travelling on different country passports.i

Anyway it is colder here than we have experienced for a while and as soon as we leave the ferry at Dover we head for Reading and our great friends Cal and Jane who we met in Split, Croatia. They live in a small village called Kidmore End and we are made most welcome at Glen Cottage. One of their daughters Iona is home so it is great to meet extended family as well and in the evening we all sit down to one of Calums amazing fondues. We love these people, our friendship seems so natural and easy, and after a good overnight sleep in Molly we head into Oxford the following morning for a good look around this pretty University town. First stop coffee - like minded friends - and then we are on our way. Believe it or not the sun is shining and the day is glorious, just perfect for exploring all the different campuses, strolling through the parks and along the river Cherwell - watching the antics of students as they celebrate something or other by throwing themselves into the river fully clothed then covering themselves in coloured flour whilst swigging cheap champagne directly from the bottle - oh to be young again and to be so in a place as vibrant as Oxford!!!!!

Next stop the covered market, which is amazing, and where Gary and I buy a big bunch of fresh coriander and Cal buys lunch. Hand made pork and meat pies which we eat out of the bag propped up against a wall in a quiet back street somewhere in this vast town. Awesome and never able to be repeated of course.

From here we go to Cals tennis club which is no ordinary tennis club - if you knew Cal you would completely get this - it is the tennis of old Kings and Queens called "Real Tennis"!!!! Such a complicated game with enough oddity to allow a gout-ridden, overweight Monarch to cheat and win. To be honest I am not sure this is a true or complimentary explanation of this complex indoor game, which slightly resembles modern squash wrapped up in tennis, but that is how it appeared to me and no amount of explanation could help me understand. Guess you had to be there?

Staying for 2 nights with our beautiful hosts we waved them a fond farewell the following morning and made our way to Cheltenham via Cherhill, Calne where we had lunch with another "friend" at the local pub. Friend is in parenthesis as this is rather a unique friendship and until our lunch on this day we had never met but had been in touch for a few years. Daphne is the mother of a friend of mine living in Nelson who loves travelling too and over the years we found we had a great deal in common including Tanya, her daughter, and Nelson where she visits often. Daphne, like Cal and Jane, lives in a pretty village in the most beautiful house, complimented by a splendid garden, which is over 400 years old. Directly opposite is the local graveyard so everywhere is peaceful as you can imagine. We spent a wonderful few hours with Daphne, firstly over lunch at the Pub and then over coffee and Danish pastries at home and I know we will meet again - quite possibly in Nelson???? Thankyou Daphne for your hospitality and generosity - it was lovely meeting you at long last.

Leaving Daphne we headed for the campsite in Cheltenham where we planned to wash and clean and pack Molly up for her time in storage but not before we had a lovely visit from Ian and Jane, his friend. Ian is Gary's brother-in-law who goes out of his way to meet up with us when we are in UK. We get as close as we can and he comes visit. A few hours whizz past as we eat sandwiches and drink wine in the comfort of Molly - Ian is a musician and a very interesting person to listen to - and before long it is "goodbye time" again and we are back to packing up. See you next time Ian!

From here we go straight to our storage place in Shropshire where we stay overnight in Molly, finish the last of the packing, winter over Molly and attempt to put on her cover!!!???? Please do not attempt this at home folks - it is very dangerous and we should have known better!!!!

We had been plagued by high wind gusts over the last couple of days making even driving difficult so picture in your mind putting a cover on Molly starting from the roof top and Gary only being a little fella as well? Really it was never going to happen and it was only in hindsight that we realised that had we started 6 feet in front of Molly, rather than on top, all could have worked out perfectly had we timed the parachute effect of the wind gust perfectly - for Mollys cover was seen to be the perfect fit for the caravan behind us as Gary was forced to let it go having run and been dragged the length of Molly's roof in an effort to stay grounded........from here let your imagination take over because right at this moment in time it also decided to rain.............mmmmmm....do you have some good visuals? He almost went parasailing.... For free!!

There were a few other complicating factors with regard to staying in a storage place overnight and all I can say is that I am thrilled I have a little more bend in my sore knee than I had a few months ago and add, very strongly, that it is alright for you men!!!!!

Next morning we taxi to Telford bus station to catch our bus to Victoria but not before our lovely storage man Alan suggests he puts the cover on Molly after the Summer but before Winter.....Alan we love you. Lobbing him the keys and the insurance details we are off to London for our next adventure.

Bye Molly - take care and we will see you later.....Love you X

Arriving far too early, which I fear now is a family failing, we wait in the cold for our bus, which is also running late, remarking how the dynamics of England have changed since our last visit and just how many young people smoke all over their children.

The coach trip is great and at our stop in Birmingham we get a seat in the front for the rest of the journey and at last we are arriving at Victoria. We have extremely comprehensive instructions on how to get to Brenton's place in Lewisham and a couple of hours later we are there.......absolutely shattered. We are bringing a lot of our stuff home so our bags are heavy and awkward and by the time you have done bus, tubes, train, bus..............well, it's just very tiring.

A nice reception from Paul - Brenton's flatmate - a welcome cup of tea, a sit down and a chat and we have recharged our batteries ready for the onslaught which is my eldest son Brenton. I describe him as an onslaught not as a derogatory term but because he has sooooo much energy just bursting to get out and I know he won't read this blog anyway so I am safe.

A lovely homemade meal, a good nights sleep and 4 days to enjoy London.

In no particular order we saw Cats with Brenton and Jake (Brenton's treat but also thanks to Iain for getting us amazing "close to the front" tickets) - an absolutely rivetting, modernized show at the Palladium with a very talented cast who kept the audience spellbound. A tasty Mexican meal completed the evening.

The Natural history museum was a must for us and we spent a whole day there albeit in the middle of the school holidays which was not the best time to choose unfortunately. The museum is very hands on, full of amazing stuff but definitely needs to work on its earthquake simulator!

We managed, with Brentons help, to catch up with Eddie and Charlene, Sarah and Jim and Matthew Mount (from Nelson) at a restaurant in Picadilly which was truly lovely. Everyone gets on so well and it is great for us to catch up, chat and listen to what all these young people have going for them. They are truly inspirational and a pleasure to be with. Kaye - an update report on Matt will be with you soon.

We love you all - thanks for looking after us Brenton and thanks everyone for taking the time to spend time with us.

Any spare time we had we spent recuperating and preparing for our next journey to Australia from Heathrow - another big trip and long haul flight via Dubai.

So we said our farewells again to Brenton, Jake and Paul and left Lewisham for Heathrow airport. We had no idea what lay ahead for us and in many ways it was good that we didn't. It was sad leaving Brenton - not knowing when we would see him again. Not too long we both hope - we always have a spare bed in NZ.

Love to all X