0036 Europe - UK 2

 And back to England

August 4th 2022

Flying in to Gatwick

Flew in to Gatwick over the English fields on EasyJet on 4th August, after a really great month in Almere where we were slowly able to get to know not just the twins Emily and Sophie, but also sister Hayley, a lot better.  Still hard with the language, and we are, after all, strangers suddenly appearing after 2 1/2 years of their lives, but with the help of Maltesers, we are definitely making progress ! 😂.  And it was great to spend some decent time with Nick and Tanja after being forced to keep apart by Covid for the past 3 years.   As always, good friend John picked us up in Gatwick - Di was away in Italy with her sister for a few days. 

John's tomoatoes

John's cucumbers and tomatoes are a sight to see - thoroughly enjoyed !   We started early morning walks from the house, mostly across the fields towards Polesden Lacey as there are some lovely walks around there.  I needed to get my fitness up in preparation for my proposed walk across the Pyrenees on the Camino de Santiago in September, so most early mornings found me out walking - Janet joined me when she was awake ! Some beautiful scenes on the paths through the woods, and across the fields surrounding the house.  Janet managed to keep the kitchen going in Di's absence, although I am sure John was glad to see Di back when 

Walks through the woods 

we picked her up from Heathrow on the 8th August. On the 10th, Di kindly
lent us her car for a few days and Janet and I drove down to Margaret's in Milford on Sea.    Poor Margaret was having major problems with one of her ageing hip replacements, and was virtually housebound.  So we tried to help where we could, and were able to take her out to the cliff top and a few other local outings because Di's car was much easier for her to get in and out of.  Getting down to the cliff top for evening walks was an escape for her, even though the wheelchair had to go with us - It seemed she was happier to push it rather than sit in it !!  On the 12th August we bought fish and chips in Milford and took them down to the cliff top where were were joined by Polly and Joe, and Holly.  Perfect evening !

Sunset on the Milford cliffs

In the mornings I was walking out through Keyhaven and back through the Saltgrass flats and down part of the Hurst Spit back towards Milford, and then on along the cliff top to Hordle before circling back to Margaret's.  This gave me a walk of about 11 kms and took about 2 hours.  The Saltgrass Flats used to be where salt was produced from seawater until the mid 1800's, and today the area is a Mecca for see birds and wildlife.  A walk along there in the early morning never fails to give amazing views of both the marshes and the wildlife.

Hyundai iX20

Dawn at Keyhaven

In the meantime I had been looking for a replacement car for Margaret.  Her Audi convertible, while still much loved, was ageing, and sitting outside in yet another English winter was not going to do it any favours, especially the convertible roof.  More importantly, with her current hip problems, the Audi was too low for her to get in and out, and she was not going to be able to drive at all for several months.  So we all agreed, a change was required, albeit reluctantly !  The choice of make was relatively simple - a local Hyundai garage would pick up and return any car purchased from them when it was time for a service, so it was just a case of finding a car that suited Margaret's needs.  I visited their showroom where they had a number of second hand cars. and eventually found an iX20 model which I

Last view of the Audi

had never seen before.  This is based on the i20 model, but is "taller", with easier access. The other models like the Kona or i30 were too big / expensive etc, so we went for a test drive in the iX20 the seemed to tick all the boxes.  Additionally, the salesman had made a mistake on the mileage / price and we got a lower mileage example for a cheaper price !   The test drive was fine, although I found it quite stressful having to make all the decisions because Margaret couldn't drive the car for herself !   Anyway, eventually all done, and all that remained was to take the Audi to them in part exchange.  The convertible roof had never been opened in over 12 months, but fortunately it performed faultlessly when they were valuing the car !  We were then able to do the exchange, and Margaret had a "new" car - Although she couldn't drive it at all because of her hip !

By the 14th August we were back at Skid's for a gathering on the 17th of the Winsley crowd who John

Party in the Marquee

grew up with, so these are a group who are not only his close friends, but also people I have known for some 50 years as well.  We erected the marquee in the garden, and despite dire threats of high wind and poor weather, it all worked brilliantly.  We had a wonderful evening in the marquee, with copious amounts of beer and wine consumed, although I have to say it was a lot less volume wise than it used to be in the old days - Maybe the quality was higher 😂. And when it was all over, everyone managed to find somewhere to lay their heads, although Jamie and Sue ended up in their tent in the marquee !

The party continued the next day

The next day the festivities continued, with several additional close local friends of John and Di's joining in for a sumptuous lunch - Di was really working hard this weekend !  A bottle of vintage port was even opened later in the afternoon, however, much to my surprise, a number of people changed to zero alcohol beer, and surprisingly seemed to enjoy it !  Most people had to drive home later that afternoon so it was a good move.  Overall, a great two days spent with some great friends. As we all continue to age apace, one wonders whether we will all ever have the opportunity to repeat such a gathering - A sobering thought !!

Walking beside canal

On the 21st we (John and Di and Janet and I) had been invited down the Di's sister Sheri's house for lunch with her and husband Roger.   Having driven down there we first went for a walk along the nearby Basingstoke canal - As usual, many of these canals around England are a scenic delight, and we wandered along the tow path for a couple of kms, admiring some of the lovely houses that opened on to the canal - some with their own narrow boats moored alongside.  I could fancy living on one of those for a few weeks or months !!  Very peaceful.  

Corfe Castle

The next day we headed down to Wareham to stay with friends Jackie and Brian Perry for a couple of days.  John & Di drove us down, stayed for a very enjoyable lunch, and then they headed home.  After a very happy evening spent eating and reminiscing, the next day we set off towards Corfe Castle, a well known ruin that dates from the 1200's, so is

Fox Inn in Corfe

quite old !  `We drove to the top of the hills and then walked several kilometres to Corfe, albeit through mist so we saw virtually nothing of the stunning views that we know exist around here.  We ended up in the appropriately named Fox Inn for some refreshment, with amazing views of the castle over our shoulders as we sat there.   Even the pub dates back to about 1568, so lots of history around here.  Unfortunately, as usual, there were sizeable crowds everywhere, so once we had whetted out whistles we headed back over the hills to the car - Unfortunately still very misty over the top,   But a great afternoon walk nevertheless.

Lunch in The Lazy Lion

The next morning (24th) Jackie and Brian very kindly drove us over to Margaret's home in Milford, and we then all went down into the Village to the Lazy Lion pub and enjoyed an excellent lunch there.  Margaret knew Jackie from our Plymouth days (1950's/60's) so it was a good chance for everyone to catch up. Brian kindly followed me over to the Hyundai garage so we could hand over Margaret's Audi in part exchange, and finalise the deal on Margaret's replacement car, and then he and Jackie headed back to their home in Wareham.  

Leaving Hurst Castle

I continued my early morning walks around Keyhaven Marshes, and then on the 27th August cousin Jen and her daughter Lola joined us on a lovely sunny day for a boat ride across the harbour to Henry VIII's Hurst Castle.  We had a great time wandering through many of the old sections of this historic fortress, and after a cup of coffee we headed along a short rocky spit that allowed Lola to have a quick swim in the sheltered waters away from the fast flowing Solent on the other side of the spit.  Once refreshed, we headed back to the jetty and after a short wait caught our ferry back to Keyhaven.  A fun day for everyone.

Lunch at Lymington YC

The Brew Forest

After 2 or 3 more days doing things with and for Margaret, we all met
friends The Dawsons for lunch at Lymington Yacht Club - A lovely spot overlooking the club, and with great food.  Good to catch up with some of Margaret's friends.  That evening, Jen's Sean popped in unexpectedly to took me off into the New Forest to a craft brewery called The Brew Forest.  We were the only ones there as he was actually closing up, but I was impressed by his beers !   And talk about a micro brewery - He only has 4 very small (200 litre ?) tanks, so he really is a micro brewery - Even makes Benn & Sarah's original Fox Friday brewery in Hobart look enormous !  Thank you Sean - Very pleasant outing !

Time to leave 😕

We then enjoyed 3 or 4 more good days with Margaret, trying to help her become familiar with her new car, and generally trying to do things around the house to help - Like cleaning up and sorting out the garage and the garden shed - Something that really needed doing !  Finally the time had come to leave, and on the afternoon of 4th September, cousin Jo came over to pick Janet and I up - Taking me to Brockenhurst station to catch the train to London, and taking Janet to Southampton airport - Me on my way to France and Spain, and Janet on her way back to Almere.   We were off on our next adventures !!  

Rest of the photos can be found here :-  https://photos.app.goo.gl/9x5PM9jcFMrWotdP7