A WEEKEND OF ENTERTAINMENT

No pictures for this one. Last weekend we went to London to see a show "The Producers" which was fabulous. We took the train up early to have a wander around before going to the show at 2.30pm. We walked from Fenchurch Street Station into the city area, past an incredible building known as the Beehive.Then past Lloyds which I think is a most unattractive building. We asked a workman where we could find St Pauls Cathedral, and he obligingly took us along the street to point out exactly where it waas. He was a Bulgarian, and obviously keen to try out his English.

St Pauls was 9 quid to look through, and as we did not have a great deal of time to spare, we decided that we would put a visit there onto the back burner. Took a bus up to The Strand and found Covent Garden which was mass of Market stalls and street entertainers. Jugglers, acrobats and singers aplenty - the atmosphere was terrific. To our surprise we found ourselves looking at the Theatre Royal which was where the show was - which solved the problem of having to look for it!!

We had lunch in an Italian cafe - excellent smoked salmon and a pizza with a "free" glass of wine. On to the show. It was a musical full of comedy and as one would expect, superbly presented. At the interval we went into the bar and paid 6.pounds fifty for a stubby of beer and a can of lemonade - thank God we didn't want champagne.
This part of London is pretty familiar to me as I stayed in a Hotel on the Strand when I first used to go over to London, so despite some reluctance from She Who Must Be Obeyed, we were going in the right direction for Charing Cross station, from where we took the underground.Taking a punt on train times to Laindon (our home station) we stayed on the underground to West Ham arriving to find he C2C train just leaving. But the service is good and we only had to wait 15 minutes for the next one.

Sunday we had free tickets to the movies courtesy of The Times and Landrover as part of a promotion.The cinema where the film waas shown is at Lakeside, a major shopping complex about 20 minutes away from home. This is the third time that we have taken advantage of these offers to have a pre-release showing. The film was about the famous picture of the raising of the American flag by Marines on Iwojima. A bloody and tragic film which had us both a bit shell shocked when it was over.

And so to home and the exciting prospect for Carol of only three days left of the school terms before the Christmas break and our trip to Norway.

And

CANTERBURY

The website for Canterbury indicated that there was a German Christmas Fair being held in that fair City, so with thoughts of our previous experience in Vienna last Christmas, we departed early for the 60 mile trip. The forecast was 2 - 8 degrees so we went well prepared.

Seeking a parking spot in Canterbury we drove around with little success, and then when we stopped at a road junction, happened to notice that there waa steam pouring our from under the bonnet of the faithful old Vectra. An inspection revealed the cap of the reservoir had blown off and was fortunately sitting on the engine, meanwhile the water had disappeared down the street! And of course this was one time that we had not taken the mobile phone with us!! A young man stopped in his car and asked if he could help - then offered his mobile phone which we used to call our Roadside assist from the Insurance company. About 40 minutes later they arrived (having driven from Dover 20 miles away!) and soon had us back in business. Naturally it was Len's fault - he had checked the oil and water before leaving, and after topping up the reservoir had obviously failed to screw the cap back on tight enough to prevent the resultant blowout!

So we found a parking spot (2 quid all day) and trundled off to find our Christmas Fair. Canterbury is a most charming city, a mixture of old and new due in no small part to pretty severe damage inflicted by German tourists in the 1940's using bomb releases instead of Leicas! There was very much a festive air about the place and it was very pleasant to stroll along the streets. We eventually found the fair which consisted of a mere five stalls mainly involved in selling Glewein and German sausages ! Disappointing to say the least.


So we visited the Tourist spot featuring the Canterbury Tales. This was excellent value with a series of dioramas, each one relating a Canterbury Tale.Top photo was taken there and Len is the figure on the left! Then we went to visit the Cathedral,an absolute must. It dates back to the 6th century although it has been rebuilt and added to over the years. It is a bit awesome to stand on the spot where poor old Tom Becket was put to the sword in 1170. And the Western Crypt is almost 1000 years old which adds to the eerie feeling. There was an Evensong Service at 3.15 which the missus wanted to attend, and as I hadn't seen a Pub handy I thought I might as well accompany her. It was very ritualistic with lots of bowing and scraping, but the choir was superb and as my hearing reluctantly failed to catch a single word of the reading, it turned out to be a pleasant experience.

Did a bit of shopping naturally, and savoured a hot glass of Glewein (3 quid a glass!) and then back to the car. Carol drove home, stopping at the first service station to buy some anti freeze to top up the aforementioned reservoir.

TILBURY FORT

Since the early times, England has always been exposed to the threat of invasion. The Romans, then the Vikings and The Dutch (The Dutch??) in the 18th Century they actually made their way up the Medway and caused a considerable amount of havoc and damage before before being repelled.

So it is no suprise that The Thames, that great river which flows into the heart of London, should be a natural target for would be invaders, and consequently the object of much defence.
Tilbury, which is now the enormous port for cargo from around the world, is near the mouth of the Thames, and it was here that a fort was established in the 17th Century. With a commanding view across the extent of the river, it's early fortification consisted of the old canon and ball, which with their limited range and rate of fire, were only just a sufficient deterrent to trespassers. It was taken very seriously, and the powder stores in which dozens of barrels of gunpowder were stored had walls almost three feet thick and copper plated doors to avoid any chance of a spark.

Later developements saw the introduction of more sophisticated weaponry including 9" canons which could hurl a rifled shell some 5 miles. Mind you, it took an officer and five men to load and fire the beasts. Modern times saw the installation of rapid firing anti aircraft guns and 6" naval guns which had total command of the River.

The barracks for the other ranks were originally quite basic, with small rooms containing 4 beds each of which was the berth for two soldiers. It was said that during the colder months, the windows and vents were securely closed giving rise to some ghastly thoughts about the resultant smell from unwashed bodies in close proximity. The officers, of course, had separate and quite elegant quarters, despite which, several of them elected to live at Gravesend across the water where there was more opportunity for entertainment. Such was life in those days.

English Heritage maintain the site.

APSELY HOUSE - LONDON No1 AND THE GLOBE

Top left is a gallery at the Globe. Right - Apsley House and below the view outside the Globe site

It was forecast for rain on Sunday so we decided to make a trip to London and visit a couple of English Heritage sites - Apsely House - the home of the Duke of Wellington (the Gumboot man) and the Wellington Arch just opposite. Carol also took advantage of a special rail travellers offer of one free entry to the Globe Theatre and Museum.

Aspely House is known as No 1 London. It sits adjacent to Hyde Park Corner- which is in fact a monstrous roundabout. The House was gifted to the nation in 1947 when the incumbent Duke told his brother that he would negotiate with the Government of the day to take it over as the cost of maintaining the property was beyond their means!!Nothing to do with Inheritance Tax of course.

The family still retain private rooms in the house, but the remainder is simply a wonderful museum of Wellington's life and his passion for collecting art. It was the practice in days gone by to reward heroic achievement with great tributes in gold and silver, elaborate dinner services and settings, all of which are in abundance in this beautiful setting. Tributes from Egypt/Turkey/Russia and other grateful nations freed from the scourge of Napoleon line the walls and cabinets. The art galleries are stupendous, covering many famous painters and their works and all superbly presented. The audio guide, available at no cost is ,full of great information on all of the areas visited, and includes commentary from the current Duke.

Opposite the House is the Wellington Arch, the centrepiece of the Corner. There are three floors of memorabillia leading to viewing galleries with great views of the surrounds. On the way down from these galleries there are a series of rooms, one of which is dedicated to the system of "Blue Plaques". These plaques are mounted on buildings through London to signify some historial record of a famous person who had lived in those premises. It certainly adds interest to a walk around the City to find a plaque signifying that Mozart was once resident in this humble building. The room also offers the opportunity for one to nominate someone for consideration of a plaque. Some wag had that very day suggested Ricky Ponting!!

Off to Picadilly Circus and a superb Japanese lunch. Then a bit of navigation to find ourselves on the South Bank of the Thames to the Shakespeare Museum and the replica Globe Theatre.

The replica was the brainchild of an American, Sam Wannamaker, and is a truly remarkable bit of historical recreation. Built of timber and with a thatched roof (imagine the council regulations that would have been invoked with that!) the building represents what would have been the sort of environment of the 17th Century. This part of "London" was called Surrey, London being on the other bank of the river. In it's original form, the theatre would advertise that it was presenting plays by flying a flag, and patrons (customers) would have themselves transported across the Thames to enjoy the spectacle.

In the front of the stage was the yard, where for a penny the hoi poloi would STAND in the open air throughout the entire performance, absolutely crammed up against the stage. Better off customers were seated in galleries surrounding the Yard, and the well off enjoyed boxes on the wings of the stage. Our tour guide was able to convey a picture of what it would have been like during a performance, with no stage lighting or amplification, no set props, and a crowd who were a vocal as they wished. One of the guide' s descriptions was of the smell that would have pervaded the theatre. Unwashed bodies close together, with the favourite lolly - raw garlic!!

Altogether a memorable visit - and we think that we shall have to actually visit during a live performance to get a total picture.

LEEDS CASTLE IN KENT

This is an unusual place. Not only because it has survived since 1119, but, with many and disparate owners, it became a grand home for an American heiress to the Standard Oil fortune who lived there from 1926 until her death in 1974.

The castle has Norman foundations,a mediaeval gatehouse,the Gloriette built by Edward 1st and update in Henry VIII's times, a Tudor tower and a 19th century country house. The bay window shown above was installed by Henry VIIIth.

In 1926 Olive,Lady Baillie, together with her husband Arthur Filmer bought the castle and embarked upon a lavish refurbishment using the finest French architects and designers to create an elegant country residence. On her death she left the castle to the Leeds Castle Foundation, a private charitable trust whose aim is to preserve the castle and grounds for the benefit of the public forever.

It is extensively used for weddings, conferences and banquests. There are 24 bedrooms most of which have bathrooms reflecting the modern necessities of a great country house. I did think about booking this for the potential wedding of my daughter but thank God she has not made such a commitment!

The extensive grounds and gardens have several lakes which are the home to hundreds and hundreds of water birds. These include black swans which were imported from Australia. There is an aviary which houses several endangered bird species, a falconry, a grotto, a maze. All set in majestic parklands. This is a truly remarkable and memorable place to visit.

The day we chose to visit also turned out to be the day on which there was a Food and Crafts fair, which probably accounted for the hordes of people and near full car parks. Housed in large marquees there was an amazing array of craftwork, food and drink and fortunately we had forgotten to get some actual cash to take with us, so that purchasing was strictly limited!!

DARWIN AND THE ROMANS

Well last weekend was a mixture of history and more history. We started off with a visit to the house where Charles Darwin lived for most of his life and where he wrote his thesis on the origins of species. Darwin was fortunate to have been born into a wealthy family - his Grandfather was Joseph Wedgwood of pottery fame, and it was almost by coincidence that he embarked upon his career in exploration. He had started and dropped out of a medical degree and had developed a taste for shooting,hunting and gambling when his tutor mentioned to him that the "Beagle" was looking for a young man interested in exploration. He accepted with alacrity even though his father felt that the project "was not in his interests" and it took intervention by his Grandfather for permission to be given.

It changed his life of course. The research that he carried out on the South American coast and later in the Galapagos Islands led him to a lifetime of thinking and analysis leading to his theories of evolution. He married his cousin and had 10 children and lived a happy life here at Down House. The property, which is now acquired by English Heritage is an excellent museum of his life's work. In particular, the opposition from the Church which greeted his thesis is well documented and some remarkable exhibits of his painstaking research are shown.

An excellent Pub lunch in the village of Downe was made more interesting by the fact that we were very close to Biggin Hill which, during WW2 was the fighter station from which the Battle of Britain was fought. The Pub's decor reflected the aircraft and airmen of that period.We then went on to Lullingstone (which took a bit of finding) and saw this remarkable site of Roman occupation. The original villa dates from the 1st century AD - which makes it pretty bloody old, and it's preservation is a tribute to the regard in which this country's history is regarded. Housed in a large shed structure, the original outline of the villa is quite clear and shows the extraordinary sophistication of those early Roman ocupiers. The bathing facilities were particularly well defined with a series of chambers progressing from warming room to hot room all heated from a boiler room. This was a couple of thousand years ago mate!! The centrepiece is of course the mosaic flooring pictured above. This tiled floor in the main room of the villa lay undisturbed for centuries even though it was originally detected in the 16th century and again ,late in the 19th century when a fencepost hole was driven through the tiling with no realisation of the find!! The fence post hole can be clearly seen in the mosaic . Of interest is the swastika symbol! Heil Caesar.

ROCHESTER - THE MEDWAY

We passed through Rochester some weeks back en route to Dover, and thought then that it would be a good place to come back to for a day visit. We weren't wrong. A great Museum/Castle/Cathedral/old city/Charles Dickens and more.

First stop was the Guildhall Museum -the best provincial museum that we have visited with galleries tracing the ancient times of the area, the middle ages/graphic history of the Hulk ships on the Medway/Charles Dickes association through Pickwick Papers and Great Expectations.

The relics from early times were quite staggering with an exhibit of a 5000 year old stone axe and a collection of Bronze artifacts which had been uncovered by a farmer plowing his field. The sophistication of many of these objects got one thinking about the character of those primaeval people who had developed such skills. Why I wonder did our Aborigines not develop beyond their primitive state?

The diorama of the Hulks used as prisons on the Medway was quite dramatic and chilling and a reminder of the harsh laws which operated in the 17th and 18th century.

Charles Dickens lived in Rochester when he was 5 years old, and spent the last 13 years of his life there. His works abound with mention of features of the city.

On to the Castle which, despite it's 1000 years of existence, remains substantially intact. It was commenced in 1087 and stands 113 feet high dominating the skyline of the City and providing extensive views over the Medway and surrounding Kentish country. It was subjected to seige by King John in 1215 and the rebellious Barons held out for many months until the attackers undermined one of the four towers and set fire to the tunnel with "sacks of pig fat" bringing the tower down. It was eventually replaced, but by a circular tower so that today there are three square towers and one circular!

The Cathedral, England's second oldest, has it's origins in the 7th century and the Norman and late Gothic architechture present an admirable building. Inside we were intrigued by the plethora of plaques to departed members of the Royal Engineers. There were lists of men who had served in the Indian wars and at Waterloo - and we eventually discovered that the Royal Engineers have had their base in the area for many years. As a Local/Acting/Unpaid/Lance Corporal of the RE's during National Service in the 1940's I was quite chuffed to discover this spiritual home!!

In the High Street there is a building called "The Poor Travellers House".This name derives from the poor travellers who were provided with one night's lodging in the six bedrooms built at the back of the Almshouse in the 16th Century. This was due to the generosity of Richard Watts an eminent citizen of Rochester who represented Rochester in parliament for 35 years. His will made provision for "six bedrooms with six good matrices or Flock Bedds and other good and sufficient furniturre to lodge in poor Travellers or Wayfaring men not being rogues or Proctors. "They were also to be given fourpence!! In 1854 Dickens visited the house and it became the subject of his christmas story "The Seven Poor Travellers". The photo top right shows the building.

So after a refreshing Pint of the amber stuff, and a Smoke Salmon and Mackerel pie topped with Welsh Rarebit (yumee) we returned to Langdon Hills well satisfied with the days outing.

DOMAINE DE SIGALOUS - PROVENCE

Where to start? Last Tuesday we left Langdon Hills and drove to Stanstead where we were due to depart for Toulon courtesy of Ryan Air. The queue for security checking was horrendous, and in addition there was a further checkpoint where we had to remove our shoes and have them scanned. Finally (an hour later) we were able to relax and await a boarding call. Fog over Europe had disrupted flights but luckily we were off with only a short delay. Flying into Toulon gave us a wonderful view of the South Coast of France and the Mediterranean. As usual I checked the landing procedures (!) and knew we were on final approach, when up we went again! The skipper came on and apologised saying "We came in a bit too high so we are going around to have another go!" Such honesty earned them the name of TryanAir.

Sigalous is a 200 plus hectare estate with chateau, vineyard, olive grove and a variety of activities for adventure type activities - 4 wheel driving tracks, quad and motorbike tracks, conference facilities, gites (cabins), and more.

It is the home of my niece Jeanette and her husband Alain with their 4 1/2 year old son Morgan. They lead a very busy life organising the various facets of their business. Jeanette is an expert 4wd driver (as she later demonstrated) and has been employed by both BMW and Landrover in the promotion of their vehicles in The West Indies and in Africa!! Some girl.

The little Peugot 206 was made available to us and we took off on the Wednesday for Pierrefeu a delightful village nearby built into the side of a hill. Lots of climbing to get magnificent views. Then on to Hyeres and the Presqu'ile De Giens from where we caught a ferry across to the Island of Porquerolles. Driving on the wrong side of the road from the wrong side of the car has always been a challenge for yours truly, but Jeanette gave me a great piece of advice."Don't forget Len that you are driving in the middle of the road" It certainly helped to put things in perspective.!

We had lunch on Porquerolles and then walked some way round the island visiting the old port and the botanical gardens where many Australian plants and trees were thriving in the warm Mediterranean climate. Home to dinner with the family and a glass or two of the Sigalous vintage

The next day we became a lot more adventurous and took off for Lac de Sainte Croix and the Gorges du Verdon, quite a lengthy drive through delightful country. We stopped in Cotignac to have a wander around and couldn't resist going into a Patisserie where I bought a Sausage roll and a cake of unbelievable richness, while Carol enjoyed a provencal onion and anchovy slice and raspberry tart - all very yummy and eaten on a bench by the car park. It was from here that Carol decided to try her hand at driving and of course did so with cool efficiency that left me quite relaxed! The first view of the Lake is amazing - superb blue water shimmering in the sunlight and stretching for miles. The beginnings of the gorge are here and after a minor navigation error we found ourselves traversing the heights of the gorge. This really is one of the wonders of the world.The Gorge is incredibly deep and winds for miles and miles. The road along the top of the gorge affords continual magnificent views and strategically placed stopping bays allowed for plenty of photos. How thoroughly annoyed I was to find on getting home, that the disk in the camera had become corrupted and not one photo could be downloaded.

In the Times newspaper today there is an article about the Gorge headed "Suicide Valley unearths its past". It states that Verdon, one of the world's deepest canyons, and one of Europe's most spectacular tourist attractions, is also a magnet for the suicidal who have driven their cars off the road over the decades. A clean up operation is being undertaken and already 20 tonnes of metal have been cleared. Most of the cars are from 1940 to 1980, after which barriers were installed along the road above the canyon.

A short detour took us into the Medieval village of Trigance - a real look into the past with many of the original buildings still existent and inhabited together with their Sky TV dishes!! As Carol was still driving at this stage the navigator proved useless and we ended up travelling somewhat in the wrong direction. But with little or no fuss "where the f*** are we" - we found our way back on track and then I took over the driving as it got dark. A couple of beers at Sigalous restored the sang froid and a delightful chicken for dinner made for a good night's sleep!

Friday morning - another beautiful day and Jeanette had decided we would all have lunch in Port de Miramar, but suggested that Carol and I visit the town of Bormes-Les- Mimosas. This turned out to be another of those hillside villages, beautifully situated with extensive views from almost everywhere, and a delightful old centre. We walked along ancient streets (alleyways) and found the old town square hidden by two delightful archway entrances. Tourism had helped to preserve the originality of the area and it was a photographic paradise sadly! A short coffee stop in one of the open air cafes and then we drove off to our luncheon appointment. A lovely lunch followed by a walk along the beach - sand and sunshine - just wonderful.

We managed to get lost (again) on the way back to Sigalous - but it took us through a lovely forested area albeit on a fairly narrow road. Jeanette was waiting for us when we arrived. She had told us that she would take us through the estate and demonstrate the 4wd tracks. It so happened that a visiting adventurer had become bogged somewhere up on the tracks and her first task was to recover his vehicle. This she did with remarkable skill - not that the bogged male driver seemed to be very impressed at this WOMAN rescuing him!! Then off we went - Morgan sitting between myself and Jeanette in front of the vehicle - totally relaxed and almost falling asleep as we negotiated waterholes/chasms and rock faces with total ease. Carol was standing in the open back of the truck enjoying herself immensely. The tour of the estate took in the vineyards from which last year 700,000 bottles of the good stuff were harvested. We also saw a bamboo plantation. These bamboos are grown specifically for the manufacture of reeds in America for wind instruments , and the Provence is the only area in the world where they grow to the required diameter.

Saturday - hard to believe it is the last day - our plane leaves at 3.15 and Jeanette insisted that as long as we were at the airport by 2.30 all would be well! So after breakfast we drove into Hyere to visit a typical Provencal market. We could have spent a whole day there just wandering around looking at the wonderful variety of stalls. We bought some cheeses, slavered over the offerings of fish of every description and enjoyed the narrow streets filled with people. Lunch at Sigalous was on the terrace in bright sunshine and the thought of returning to Essex near winter was not pleasant. True to her word Jeanette got us to the airport at 2.20 and this wonderful provincial facility had us ticketed/cleared of passports and security and on the plane in short order.

A wonderful few days - delightful hosts - great memories of Morgan rapt in his animal books and animal video - bantering with Carol in French.

SUSSEX WEEKEND

The start of the mid term holiday - and we decided to make a weekend visit to Sussex which is South West of here. The National Trust and English Heritage have a host of sites in that area, and we felt it worthwhile to spend a night away to see as many as we could. Most of the sites close down at the end of October for the "Winter" break.

We started off at Bodiam, the site of what is described as "the Finest Ruined Castle in England". It was built between 1385-90 by a Gentleman soldier Sir Edward Dalyngrigge who had accumulated a fortune fighting in France. He married well and through this marriage acquired the land on which he built his castle. Not only did he plan the building as a defense against possible French invasion, but he made sure that it was a classical home for he and his wife. The castle stands surrounded by a wide and deep moat and is immediately impressive. Sadly for Edward, he decided to make another trip to France to fight more battles, and on his final return he lived but a few years to enjoy his estate having spent 15 years of his short life fighting the French - but he did have the good sense to marry well!

As usual the bloody Roundheads attacked the castle in 1645 and as was their trademark, partially destroyed this magnificent structure. It continued in disrepair for many years until finally it was bought by Lord Curzon, who had retired from his role as Viceroy of India, and fell in love with Bodiam as soon as he saw it. This was in 1917 and he spent considerable wealth on restoring and renovation until his death in 1925. It was left to the National Trust upon his death.

Bodiam featured in Roman tiimes, and they sailed their ships up the River to Bodiam which is hard to believe when one sees the present river which is lttle more than a creek,

Next stop was the little village of Burwash which we decided would be a good overnight stop. We booked into the Rose and Crown, an ancient Pub with a nice en suite bedroom and a good looking menu. Then we went to visit the house known as "Bateman's" that was lived in by Rudyard Kipling . Photo top left.

The house was built in 1634 of the local sandstone, and Kipling and his wife lived here from 1902 until his death in 1936. The beautiful house exuded the calm tranquility that he needed to write, and the magnificent gardens were where his wife spent many enjoyable hours. The house and all its contents was given to the National Trust in 1938 when Kipling's wife died. Two of their three children had predeceased them, and the surviving daughter had married well and lived in Wimpole House (see Blogsite "Sunday November 20th) which is probably why the National Trust was given this wonderful Heritage item. The furniture is original, there are many many items of memorabillia, including the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature which Kipling won in 1907. The prizemoney was 7,700 pounds - a substantial sum of money in those days.

In a garage rests the 1923 Roll Royce Silver Shadow which Kipling bought to order for 2,300 pounds, a sum which included two spare tyres! An enthusiastic motorist, it is odd that he never actually drove his cars!!

Then back to the Rose and Crown, a pint of the local brew, a first class meal of Dover Sole for me and Lobster for the Missus -followed by Fudge pudding - slept like a log!

Sadly the following day was wet, wet and more wet. After a breakfast in the traditional English style, we drove down to the coast and along to Brighton. En route we stopped at a lookout high up from where we could see the white cliffs and a huge sea pounding the coastline. Brighton was tantalising but we reluctantly decided that getting wet was not an option, so we have bookmarked a return visit to this area in the Spring of next year.

ESSEX WILDLIFE TRUST

This is the place where I work as a volunteer! The trust has responsibility for many sites throughout Essex, including our local one in Laindon. It covers some 460 acres and adjoins the flats where we live.

My work is at the information centre which houses a Shop selling Books/Memorabillia/toys for kids/teas and coffee. There is also an education section which handles the many school visits to the site, and there are Rangers who maintain the parkland.

Basically we try to encourage people to visit the park and learn something of the wildlife which abounds in the area Foxes/Badgers/Bats/snakes and birds of every description. There is a small museum which is housed in one of the original shacks whcih were built on this land. In the 1930's there was an auction of available land which attracted buyers from London looking for a holiday home. During WW2 many of the Londoners moved here permanently to escape the blitzes. But in the 1950's a master plan was drawn up to develope the new town of Basildon and all the Plotlands shacks were aquired and demolished.

The Trust organises event days with guided tours day and night to promote the concept of the preservation of wildlife, and part of the job is organising these bookings. It is also a fairly regular occurence to have calls for help with unwelcome or injured wildlife. These are referred to a whole host of specialist organisations.

Few people realise that there is an enormous amount of legislation for the protection of wildlife in this country. For instance, should you be unfortunate enough to find that your roof is the newly aquired nesting place for a colony of bats.Stiff! The bats win out and there is nothing that you can do to eliminate them legally. In fact your house can be declared under the law as a protected place. Similarly if one should find that a fox has taken up residence in your garden -live with it.

So it is all very interesting and the people working with me are really dedicated to the Trust and extremely nice folks.

Another little sidelight to my life is that I have become a volunteer walker of retired Greyhounds! There is a big interest in the welfare of these beautiful dogs and considerable publicity inviting people to adopt a dog or, if not able to, to become a friend of the Society and take them walking. The Greyhound is a most mild mannered dog, described as a 40 mph Potato Couch!! Their graceful walk and their forlorn expression wins the hearts of most people.

MORE OF PARIS

Surprisingly we were all ready for breakfast in the hotel at 8.30am Very nice bread/croissant/orangejuice and coffee!
Then off we went to the Notre Dame where Carol and Sarah were determined to climb the Towers. Len decide that climbing up 400 plus stairs was a bit too much to ask and left them to it. While they enjoyed their adventure Len sat in the gardens at the rear of the Cathedral and observed the passing parade with great interest. There were several arrtists exhibiting their wares in the gardens and it was a relaxing and culturally uplifting time!

Regrouping there seemed to be a mutual agreement that some food and a drink were needed. We sat on a sidewalk cafe right beside the Notre Dame and enjoyed Crepes as only the French can make them .Sarah's with Banana and Chocolate,Carol's Lemon and Sugar and the boss had a Croque Monsieur.Wonderful to be all together - sitting by one of the world's famous monuments and watching the world go by.

Next stop was to be the Bata Shoe store (where Carol had bought shoes yesterday - eventually found it after lots of walking - bloody place was closed. Then off to the famous markets by the Metro. Wonderful place (if you like shopping among a million people) - but Sarah boought a wee bonnet and a pair of boots - so it was all worthwhile. Then back to the Camellia -sort out the packing -raced onto the Metro to Garde de Nord where the Eurostar was waiting to take us home. Sarah came out to the station with us and we said a sad farewell- but all were happy that we had had such a great time.

First class on the Eurostar (booked specially for Carol's birthday) was very nice thankyou -while there had been a problem with the inservice meal due to a strike, we still had a very acceptable dinner box, and the drinks trolley came up and down the aisle with acceptable regularity. We had planned to take a taxi from Waterloo to Fenchurch Station- the queue soon dispelled that idea, and we took the underground instead and arrived as the Basildon train pulled out of the station!!

A half hour of frustation waiting for the next one - a very nice taxi from Laindon station to home and we were more than happy to crash.

Oh Yes! -Lost the 18ct ring somewhere en route so will never know if we were scammed!

AND the bill from Basildon Council for rates was waiting for us - $3000 a year for our little flat!!This is not a place to live long term.

MORE OF PARIS

Surprisingly we were all ready for breakfast in the hotel at 8.30am Very nice bread/croissant/orangejuice and coffee! Just for a change!
Then off we went to the Notre Dame where Carol and Sarah were determined to climb the Towers. Len decide that climbing up 400 plus stairs was a bit too much to ask and left them to it. While they enjoyed their adventure Len sat in the gardens at the rear of the Cathedral and observed the passing parade with great interest. There were several artists exhibiting their wares in the gardens and it was a relaxing and culturally uplifting time!

Regrouping there seemed to be a mutual agreement that some food and a drink were needed. We sat on a sidewalk cafe right beside the Notre Dame and enjoyed Crepes as only the French can make them .Sarah's with Banana and Chocolate,Carol's Lemon and Sugar and the boss had a Croque Monsieur.Wonderful to be all together - sitting by one of the world's famous monuments and watching the world go by.

Next stop was to be the Bata Shoe store (where Carol had bought shoes yesterday )- eventually found it after lots of walking - bloody place was closed. Then off to the famous markets by the Metro. Wonderful place (if you like shopping among a million people) - but Sarah boought a wee bonnet and a pair of boots - so it was all worthwhile. Then back to the Camellia -sort out the packing -raced onto the Metro to Garde de Nord where the Eurostar was waiting to take us home. Sarah came out to the station with us and we said a sad farewell- but all were happy that we had had such a great time.

First class on the Eurostar (booked specially for Carol's birthday) was very nice thankyou -while there had been a problem with the inservice meal due to a strike, we still had a very acceptable dinner box, and the drinks trolley came up and down the aisle with acceptable regularity. We had planned to take a taxi from Waterloo to Fenchurch Station- the queue soon dispelled that idea, and we took the underground instead and arrived as the Basildon train pulled out of the station!!

A half hour of frustation waiting for the next one - a very nice taxi from Laindon station to home and we were more than happy to crash.

Oh Yes! -Lost the 18ct ring somewhere en route so will never know if we were scammed!

AND the bill from Basildon Council for rates was waiting for us - $3000 a year for our little flat!!This is not a place to live long term.

LA BELLE PARIS

What a great birthday weekend for the Bride! We left home on Friday morning took a taxi to the station and caught our train to Fenchurch Street. Then by Tube across to Waterloo and the Eurostar departure. Excellent security in place (who wants a bomb in the Chunnel?) and then off we went. Non stop to Paris. Once clear of the suburbs, we were soon hurling along at 170 MPH - and it was fascinating to be parallelling Motorways seeing the poor old BMWs and Mercs crawling along at 80! The Chunnel was duly announced and after awhile a "Welcome to France". Gare du Nord was our termination point and , as we had already bought Metro passes while waiting in Waterloo, we went straight to the Metro and Pasteur(the station beside our Hotel of 13 years a go --The Camellia).

All this time poor old Len had been battling with a cold which Carol had carelessly thrown his way -packets of tissues were quickly consumed, handkerchiefs reduced to unmentionables and a desire for early death became apparent. Nonetheless he soldiered on, trudged valiantly around Montparnesse, managed a few Sushi and Sashami, easily swallowed a few wines and collapsed into bed. The Camellia was little changed from our previous visit, the en suite was still of Lilliputian proportions, but the toilet no longer required a reversed attitude withdrawal.!!

Breakfast at the local cafe - coffee/bread/croissant (breakfast??)- and then off to see the City and meet up with Sarah who was flying in from Stavanger. Believe it or not, Carol found a shoe shop where she managed to buy two pair of shoes to add to the Marcos like collection. It was at this point that we were the subjects of what I am sure was a scam.

As we walked along the footpath, a young girl bent down in front of me and picked up a gold ring (now I THINK I saw it on the ground as she picked it up). Ole! she cried and showed us the ring with obvious delight. My lucky day she said. Carol asked her where she came from and was told Kosova - but now living in Paris without work. She tried the ring on her finger and said it was a man's ring and promptly gave it to me to try where it fitted of course. I took it off to give her back but NO NO it is your lucky day was the reply! Sadly she had no job/no place to live/no money for food so CEJ opened her purse and poured out the few bits and piece of change in Euros - all told about 2 Euros. Not enough to assuage her hunger - so LJMJ delves into the back pocket and came up with a 10 Euro note - and Bingo - all smiles - all have had a lucky day. Now I can't wait to take the ring into a jeweller and see whether the inscribed 18kt mark is fair dinkum!!

Anyway it passed a bit of time until we met Sarah off the airport bus at L'Opera. She was late as her plane was delayed in Stavanger - but she looked absolutely terrific when she finally arrived. We went back to the Hotel where she was also booked in, and as we had already booked a bus tour that night to see "The Illuminations" starting at 9.30 pm, Len sent the girls off to reluctantly shop on their own while he inspected the insides of his eyelids!! When they returned some 3 hours later Father was enjoying a red wine at the footpath Cafe nextdoor to the Hotel.C'est la vie.

The birthday dinner was a great success. Our Hotel concierge had recommended that we walk up to Montparnesse where there were some excellent restaurants, And we found one.Wonderful food with a nice bottle of wine, lovely ambience and not over the top pricewise. And then it started to rain -les Pussies and Bow Wows both.

Undeterred we took off for the Metro and the Station from where we could catch our Bus tour. Fortunately a late night shop was flogging umbrellas - so we bought a couple to keep the worst of the rain away.The double decker bus had an open top deck to enhance viewing opportunities but of little interest in the pouring rain. So off we went with rain dropped and steamed up windows happily listening to the commentary on what was being passed if we had only had the chance of seeing it!! The Eiffel Tower featured strongly from several angles but it really was pretty hopeless - and then Bingo - the Bus hit a car -right on a roundabout!

We sat there for 40 minutes while notes were made of the prang. It didn't look very serious although our driver manfully hauled the front bumper bar from the bus and stored it at the back of the upper deck. It had now stopped raining and so we were able to get up on the open deck and watch proceedings. Nothing was said to anyone about the tour - but finally we started off again and seemed to retrace our steps. Some of the passengers had apparently included a visit to The Moulin Rouge and we stopped in there for a while with lights and confusion everywhere. I remember seeing the Opera Hourse on at least three occasions - and then we finished up on the Champs Elysee in traffic nightmare and wondering if we would be back at that bus depot in time to catch a late Metro back to Pasteur. The tour guides were useless and made no attempt ot apologise for the disaster of an evening.

We finally got back to the hotel at 12.40am -and all agreed it had been a most interesting day!!! More on the next Blog

DOVER CASTLE

Last weekend we drove down to Dover about 70 miles away. As usual the weather was beautiful although the English Channel was very hazy which denied us the chance to have a peep at France across the "ditch".
We went straight to the Dover Castle complex and booked a tour of the Underground Tunnels. These tunnels were started in the days of the Napoleonic war and were used as the barracks for defending troops thankfully never needed.
During WW2 they were considerably extended and were used as the headquarters of Vice Admiral Ramsey who commanded the evacuation of Dunkirk and later was heavily involved in the eventual D Day offensive. A complete hospital was installed in the tunnels, together with a top secret communications system and living quarters for the some hundreds of personnel involved in the war time activity. Very claustrophobic but immensely interesting.
Back above ground (thankfully) we had our sanddwiches and coffee in the castle grounds and then took a long walk around the Battlements which have majestic views. The bottom photo above is of a 1st Century Roman lighthouse!! Only the bottom half is actually 2000 years old with the upper portion restored in the middle ages. The Castle itself contains displays of Henry V111 conditions very well presented by the English Heritage.
On our way home we saw a sign to the White Cliffs of Dover, and parked at the National Trust car park and walked along the Cliff Tops. The view is of course breathtaking and in the bright sunshine the White Cliffs were brilliant as seen in the above photo.
The we drove along the coast to the historic fishing town of Deal. I couldn't help but take a photo of the way the fishing boats are "moored" - simply winch them up on the shingle beach. This is the spot where Julius Caesar landed in 55BC - finding it a lot easier to go ashore here, than trying to scale the White Cliffs - no dope the old Big Julie!!
Stopped in at Rochester for a pint of the good stuff. We will come back to Rochester as it is one of those remarkable old English towns with lots to see.
Next weekend -Paris for Carol's birthday travelling on the Eurostar under the Channel - should be exciting.

THE ROYAL VISIT

Guess who from the Herriot Museum?
Last weekend we took ourselves off to London having booked a tour of the State Chambers at Buckingham Palace. The Palace opens it's State Chambers,Royal Mews and Queen's Gallery to the public during July to September, and it is necessary to make an early booking because of the demand. Our time of entry was for10.45 so we got down to the station early enough to catch a train to get us there on time. Of course there was upgrading of the railway line so the train only went as far as Upminster, from where we joined the underground. There were 27 stops from here to Green Park - naturally we were very late!

But it was all worth while - as one would expect everything was opulence and perfect taste.Magnificent galleries of paintings by the worlds most famous. A collection of the Queen's gowns and jewels were on special display and it was interesting to see the different styles (and sizes) worn by Liz from 1954 until 2006!!

As well as this visit, we had also booked for "afternoon tea" at the Four Seasons Hotel. This was a freebee from the Loyalty Points Carol had accumulated while working for ITN in Ramsey. The Hotel was a bit hard to find even though it was theoretically on Park Lane near Hyde Park corner, but a longish walk only served to heighten the appetite. A lovely spread - cucumber sandwiches of course, scones and cream,french pastries all very quickly disposed of.

The we took a punt and went to Fenchurch Street station (where the Laindon service normally starts) but found the line was still closed, but we could divert to Pitsea and get a train back fom there. This took us along the Thames River and through almost continual container yards, power stations and dock facilities - but very interesting.

Golf hit the highlights this week. I went along to the Basildon Golf Club and met the secretary of the Seniors. All very complicated - the Course if owned by Basildon Council and is therefore a public course. At the coourse there is a private clubThe Basildon Golf Club" and within that club there are the Seniors. So I bought a Season ticket for Senior 5 day a week golf and made an application to join the club!!

Had a game on Wednesday and found the course a trifle challenging. Very hilly and lots of side sloping fairways but I managed to play just about to handicap and am looking forward to my first game with the seniors on Monday next week. When going around on Wednesday I noticed a number of teeing platforms (they had some at Ramsey for times that it was too wet to use the normal tee) and I made a comment about them to the bloke I waas playing with. He told me that the course can get very very wet! He then told me that you can buy a pair of wellingtons with golf spikes on them from the pro shop!!!! Talk about mad dogs and Englishmen.

AUGUST HOLIDAYS PICTURES

Top two - Herriot House iin Thirsk and the original Austin 7 wih young driver.

Last shop in Scotland at Jedburgh adnCoooks House at Staithes

Left is Staithes Beach and below if the ruins of Jedburgh Abbey

AUGUST HOLIDAY - PART 7

It was a long drive from Stirling down to Pickering and a mixture of Motorway and A Roads. We stopped at the border town of Jedburgh, which neither of us had ever heard of, but we found an historic Abbey which was well worth inspection. Another reminder of the destruction caused by the Reformation. But the substantial remains do provide a real question of just how did they build these enormous structures back in the middle ages?

We detoured from the direct route to Pickering heading over to the East coast and stopped at a seaside village called Staithes. Here we had to park at the top of the cliffs and walk down a very steep path to the old village. It was here that Captain Cook worked as a lad. The original house was demolished during a violent storm, but has been reconstructed. While the beach leaves a bit to be desired, there were a mob of people "sunbathing and swimming"!!

The drive across to Pickering took us across the Yorkshire Moors, mile after mile of beautiful rolling country. And Pickering iteslf was a most delightful little town. The Guest House where we had booked in for two nights was a three storey restored 18th century house superbly furnished and we were more than pleased to find we had made a good choice after the Stirling B and B!. Wandered down to the Black Swan Pub and had an excellent meal at a reasonable price, and then an early night after the long day.

Next morning we went to the train station and bought return tickets on the steam train to Whitby. The steam trains have been fully restored and relive a byegoone age. One of the engines was the "Sir Nigel Gresley" a sister engine to "Mallard" which holds the steam train speed record of 125 mph! The train journey to Grosmont took just over an hour, and the stopover in Grosmont was fascinating because it is a typical steam railway junction with a lot of restored and semi restored steam engines in the railway workshops. We then took the light diesel rail service into Whitby itself. As it was Auust Bank holiday Whitby was jam packed with people. We were intrigued by the queues of people lining up outside several of the Fish and Chip shops - queues that stretched for a 100 yards or more!

We visied the Captain Cook memorial in a 17th century house that was owned by the Quaker shipowner John Walker who employed Cook as an apprentice. The exhibition covered all of Cooks exploits and also had a special feature comparing Cook and Captain Bligh which left no doubt that poor old Bligh had been sorely maligned by Hollywood!

Lunch in a Pub with lovely harbour views, a walk through the old town and then back on the train to Pickering. On the leg from Grosmont to Pickering we shared a carriage with a fellow and his son who were obviously train buffs and learnt some interesting facts about the steam trains.

The last day saw us heading off to Thirsk a small market town which is the setting of the James Herriot novels and has a truly wonderful museum dedicated to these famous novels. The house is the actual veterinary practice of Jim Wright who wrote the books. The original Austin 7 used in the TV show is on display and a mock up of the Television studio and equipment used in production of the series. Very interesting.

And so we came back Langdon Hills and home.

For some reason my Blogger won't let me download photos today, so I will try later to do a page of pictures of some of the things mentioned in this Blog.

AUGUST HOLIDAYS-PART 6

The Island of Ulva is just a couple minutes ferry ride (passengers only) and there is a permanent population of just 10 residents. At the ferry drop off there is a small shop and an information booth which prescribes various walks around the island. We set off to explore and found the going quite comfortable -the tracks well marked and the views as usual outstanding. We stopped and ate our rolls after some time, and then carried on to see the monument to Laclan Macquarie. The island is also the birthplace of the father and grandfather of David Livingstone the famous explorer. The sheep are totally friendly ,if rather inquisitive ,but we were disappointed not see more wildlife. The walk back along the shore of the island was full of interest, but again we did not see any seals.

Early morning start on our return trip. Caught the Fishnish ferry at 7.25 and Carol drove the single track along to Corran and our final ferry trip for the holiday. Driving up the Glencoe Pass we found roadworks and had to queue for quite some time to get through. We opened the car windows and experienced the famous Scottish midgies - so the windows were quickly closed.
Our route to Stirling took us through some lovely country and we stopped in at Bowness to view the Firth of Forth.
Our B and B near Stirling was pretty ordinary but the owner did give us a good pointer to a pub for dinner where we had an excellent meal. After the meal we walked through the village which, by coincedence had a Scarecrow festival!! Into Stirling next morning and headed for the castle. We joined a guided tour which was extremely useful.The castle dominates the town, and overlooks the River Forth which afforded the only crossing between Scotland and England in past times. It was this crossing that led to several major battles between the Brits and Scots over the last 900 years. We saw two weavers working on a replica tapestry in the Tapestry room. This tapestry will take some 18 months to complete and it was quite fascinating to see them pulling threads through the material to create the picture -patience personified!
A brief walk through the old town of Stirling, a pint of beer and we were ready to take off for Pickering on the Yorkshire Moors - our final destination for the holiday.