'Trains, and Boats, and ....... Games.'

I see that I haven't contributed to my blog since June, and this is because (much, I am sure, to the surprise of the younger generations) we have been having such a full-on Great Time!   We may be well into our Seventies, but I can't remember a year when SO much happy-stuff has happened, and when we have enjoyed ourselves more.  Who would have thought, on our Wedding Day so long ago, that 50 years later we would STILL be having the time of our lives!

Having completed my Talks Season with a nerve-wracking finale at Vicki's Winchester Fashion Week, we spent a really happy couple of days with my brother and wife enjoying the ever-generous Harewood House Hospitality.

               Playing a campfire 'sticks' game, which after a great barbecue meal and lots to drink, became more and more hilarious!         

Then we brought Viv and Trev back here with us.  You might imagine that we four aged folk might spend our time dozing in the garden in the sunshine between sessions of g&t's and over-eating ....... but not at all (well..... the eating and drinking went on apace).    We managed to fit in a super time at the Bristol Harbour Festival, taking the Park'n Ride in and walking miles around the dockside to see the myriad boats wedged in every space - and taking a ferry trip to get a different perspective. 

   We shopped, and prepared for a garden party here one day, when my brother was able to get together with his sisters, their families, our Mum, and even our only cousin - Tonia.     We spent one whole day on the golfcourse, with two buggies - the one my brother and I had seemed supercharged, and as he has had racing car-training he drove frenetically around, trying to spin me over the side - it was huge fun (we were lucky to avoid a telling-off from the Course Supervisor!).   And on my birthday we took a really scenic drive down to Devon in the sunshine, visiting High Bullen Hotel (John and my favourite hideaway 'treat' venue) to show them the glorious golf course, and to encourage them to take a break there with us sometime.   Trevor treated us to a delicious evening birthday supper there, and we all landed back home here well after midnight.

The Birthday Girl Celebrates at High Bullen with Little Bro. and Spouse.

This might seem more than enough excitement  for us to cope with- but even more was to come.    Last
week we took Kerry with us to spend a couple of days or so at Gerrards X with Jon and Sam (.... and had a wonderful time with dear little ZeeBee, such a smiley baby!).

    From there the following day, John and I went by train to Marylebone, and thence to Victoria for what was to prove a TRULY truly fabulous experience.

 Kerry had booked a day trip for us on the Orient Express to Southampton, and thence by coach through the New Forest to Beaulieu where we spent a couple of hours or so, with sunshine all the way (super place - MUST go back again!).

'Motorina' Bell in her Edwardian Motor Coat.

 The Orient Express was waiting for us at the QE2 Terminal on Southampton Quayside later that day, with its splendidly uniformed staff lined up by every door to welcome us aboard, where champagne was liberally poured and delicious canapes offered, before a REALLY superb four-course meal which we enjoyed on the journey back to London.    (I have neglected to mention that on the journey down that morning we had been served an amazing brunch, with bellinis mixed at our table, then fresh fruit salad, followed by smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, rosti, and a spoonful of caviare from a silver dish.)

The QE2 Terminal at Southampton Quayside - (last off the coach!)

Halfway through breakfast.

The whole experience was one of utter luxury - the carriages all had wonderfully veneered panelling with art deco marquetry, velvet wing backed armchairs, lots of lovely old brass fittings, thick carpets,  and each had its own particular colourway.   The individual tables were laden with cut glass and fine china, all with the Orient Express Logo, and  velvet trimmed, brass table lamps - all displayed on sparkling white tablecloths.

It was lovely that Kerry was at Jon and Sam's on our return so could hear all about our wonderful day at first hand.   She too seems to have had a great time, as she helped Sam attempt to cover ZeeBee's hands with paint to make Memento Hand-Prints for her scrapbook ( a very messy business, which the wee boy did NOT much enjoy), and she and Sam had both had  pedicures - a first for Kerry, so we were able to admire her pretty toes.

Kerry came back to stay with us in Bristol, and Jon joined us for an evening meal and sleepover when he was working in Bristol - it was lovely to have them at our table together.   

And so we continue along our merry way, with the diary full of dates with family and friends, with Talks and Orchestra, with Committee Meetings (me), and Parish Council Meetings (John - he is now Chairman of our Parish Council) and much else.   No time to 'stand and stare' - and not much time to see to the necessary chores, and the garden - but wow - it's a great life!

Something to Sing About.

What a month June has been - and it's not over yet!   Not only have John and I played at a lovely Concert with the Weston Light Orchestra in Mark Church (sadly no photographs), but we have had the enormous pleasure of going (with Kerry too ) to listen to our daughter Kim perform with the Wherwell Singers at St.Peter's Church, Stockbridge, Hants.  The early evening sun streamed through the stained glass windows as the Concert began, and the music was perfect for a June evening - a very varied selection from Monteverdi, Vivaldi, and Handel, to more modern composers.    The choir were a real joy to listen to,  whether singing unaccompanied, or with their very talented pianist/organist.     But the setting of 'The Seal Lullaby' by Eric Whitacre, a young modern composer, really brought a lump to my throat, and must have affected others similarly, as the Choir reprised it at the end of the evening.    Well done everyone, and particularly our lovely Kim.    (Oh, and the Choir party back at Kim's home afterwards ended the evening on a high note - excuse the pun!)

Then of course the BIG EVENT of the month has been the birth of a brand new baby Grandson, Zac, to proud parents Jon and Sam.   John, Kerry and I couldn't wait to go and see him, and spent a couple of  memorable days with the new little family.   OF COURSE he is adorable, and looks (to us!) exactly like his splendid Dad, and if Zac brings as much happiness to his parents as Jon has to us, then they have a wonderful future ahead.    Well done you two!!

Lots of other 'happys' have taken place as well, too numerous to mention, but very importantly, we have AT LAST set a date for visiting Oz to see a much-missed branch of the family - Bring it on!)

And so June continues its very damp progress, after the warmest driest spring on record.   Are our spirits dampened?  Why, NO........  "June is bustin' out all over" as far as we're concerned.

Holiday Afloat

We have just returned from a super holiday on the Leeds/Liverpool Canal, as guests of Ron and Grace who hired the newest, largest, most luxurious narrowboat available!  The weather wasn't always marvellous, but the company was great, the accommodation spacious - we had our own en suite cabins complete with showers, there was most efficient central heating (and a great little stove on which we burned Martin's HotMax), the galley was roomy and beautifully fitted, and if all that wasn't enough, we ate... and drank!! ... in fine style.   Sadly Ron wasn't too well and took to his bed for some of the time, and Grace was suffering from a nasty cough,  but she soldiered on manfully and was ever cheerful, neither of them allowing their own difficulties to spoil the holiday.

A selection of the photographs we took give a glimpse of the journey we took from Silsden in Yorkshire.

We loved holding up the traffic - this man came to see if we knew what we were doing!

And this craft reminded us of our Ozzie exiles....

We loved Skipton..

And enjoyed a nice walk beneath Castle Hill ....

We spent much time feeding .....

We stopped off to visit Rosie at Nottingham University on our way home.  She took us for a walk around some of the Campus, we met some of her friends, and we drove her out to Wilford Hill, West Bridgford to see the house where her mother was born - very nostalgic for John and I.     We finished off with a 3 course evening meal at the Cafe Rouge in the City Centre which we all much enjoyed.   It was great to get together with our eldest granddaughter who looked wonderful and was great company.

Thank you Grace and Ron for an energetic, yet most relaxing holiday.

(Clever reflection by John!)

Someone Else's Garden.

We went for a fabulous day out this week with our Village Gardening Club to the Abbey House Gardens in Malmesbury, home of the famous 'Naked Gardeners' (though thankfully they were tee-shirted and be-shorted.)

The gardens, in the shadow of the Abbey Ruins, are  really gorgeous, and a great tribute to the Pollard family, who only went to live in the historic Abbey House in 1994 and have absolutely transformed the gardens.   These form a series of 'rooms', with everything from a superb rose garden (JUST beginning to come into flower), knot garden, herb garden, Lady Chapel Garden, spectacular herbaceous borders, laburnum tunnel, and much more.  Unusual water features, and impressive statuary together with clever plantings and very imaginative touches, all made us realise that these gardens are the product of a true artist's eye. 

I just managed to photograph one of the fish about to grab its dinner!

Behind the beautiful old house the land drops away steeply down to the River Avon, here just a quietly flowing stream.   It is truly amazing to think that this extensive area was inaccessible in 1994, covered as it was with everything from brambles, nettles, dead tree limbs, and much more.    Now it is really pleasurable to wander along the many paths through a huge variety of trees and shrubs down to the river, which can be crossed with stepping stones taking one to a whole newly developed area of fishponds such as those originally dug my the monks, where the spoil from the excavations have been used to form a flower covered mound.  A Japanese-style structure sits atop this pretty pile, from where there is a wonderful view of the rear of the house, which apparently Turner sketched when he visited Malmesbury.

We picniced in one of the quiet garden 'rooms' on a day filled with sunshine.   We even had time to visit the Abbey, and take a look around Malmesbury itself, a Cotswold gem.  We MUST go again - a perfect place to take people who come to stay with us.

TREATS!

April has not only brought us lots of lovely sunshine - though we gardeners, having grown flowers and vegetables from seeds, are becoming weary of the need to water all of them each evening, and can’t believe we find ourselves watching the weather forecasts daily in the hope of some mention of rain! - but has also brought us lots of lovely treats.

First there was a great couple of days down at our favourite ‘treat’ hotel – High Bullen near South Molton in Devon. It was my birthday treat for John and this time, as well as the delicious meals, swimming pool and cosy bedroom, we enjoyed a really jolly round of golf. We hired a buggy and John whizzed us up and down the hilly course with complete abandon – I don’t know which we enjoyed most, the golf or the ride!

The Birthday Boy

Looking over the golf course.

Our lovely High Bullen

We meandered homewards, coming across a lovely old train station which had been painstakingly restored by volunteers.   It turned out to be part of the old Lynton and Barnstaple Railway which is gradually being brought back into use couldn't resist taking a look round the station and the little exhibition in an old goods van, and ended up taking a short return journey.   Sadly for us, a diesel engine was in use that day, but at weekends a fabulous old steam engine pulls the carriages.    Still, we sat in splendour in the First Class Carriage, replete with velvet sofa-type seating, and much enjoyed our nostalgic journey.

The old waiting room

From inside the First Class Carriage

We found ourselves at Lynmouth by early evening, and whilst watching mad canoeists riding the boisterous incoming surf, suddenly spotted a group of people taking a heavy 'cage' down to the shore.   It turned out to be members of an animal rescue service who were releasing a young seal back into the sea - it was fun watching its antics, then it's little head popping up out of the sea further and further away till it disappeared completely. 

Kerry came home for a 5 day visit – the weather was hot and sunny the whole time, so she much enjoyed photographic trips to the National Trust’s Kings Wood (just off Shute Shelve under a mile from here), and along the river which flows through our village. She and John were so impressed by the swathes of bluebells and great expanses of wild garlic flowers covering the wood, that they insisted I too went along to see it next day. I have to say it was pretty fabulous – and just on our doorstep too.

We also fitted in a day over at my sister Ingrid’s, and an afternoon strolling along the prom at Burnham, enjoying ice creams.

Having been able to share Good Friday and gifts and cards with Kerry, we took her to catch her coach back home to Wales on Saturday afternoon. Then it was off to Jon and Sam’s in Bucks. on Easter Sunday. Sam has a burgeoning baby-bump now and looks really well as she’s swimming daily and keeping to a very careful diet.

We only stayed a few days but managed to fit in a game of golf (plus buggy) with Jon (whilst Sam swam at their nearby Fitness Club), did some baby-shopping, had a really good lunch sitting in the garden of a pub in Turville (such a beautiful and typically English little village), enjoyed a delicious home-cooked meal on Easter Sunday evening, sunned ourselves on their balcony, and while John went off for a golf lesson booked by Jon, Sam took me for a luxury pedicure together in Gerrards Cross.

                              The churchyard at Turville, ancient cottages, and windmill on the skyline

However, the high spot of the visit was their Golden Present to us, which they had kept as a complete surprise. We went to Raymond Blanc’s Manoir aux Quatr’Saisons! We strolled in the lovely gardens beforehand, and then had champagne and the most unusual, but utterly delicious nibbles before sashaying into the dining room. There Jon ordered the 9-course ‘Tasting Menu’ – every course was OUT OF THIS WORLD, and truly a taste sensation. Though there were seemingly legions of charming French waiters, the service was never intrusive and always really efficient yet friendly. This was food taken to high art, and a fabulous experience. Conversation and laughter flowed the whole evening, and when we stepped out into the warm night afterwards, the garden now shimmering in soft lighting, we felt we had tasted paradise.

Thank you Jon and Sam for such a truly magical experience.