Well we have left Ramsey and The Fens and now live in Essex. The move went quite well, with Carol managing to stack the back of the Vectra with more things than would normally fit into a two ton van. The flat at the stables waas inspected by the school and we were cleared to get our full bond back. Our neighbour Ed (the Canadian) gave us a gift of a Snow White Dwarf in appreciation for the times we had had together. Ed has a miniature Dwarf which he takes everywhere and always includes in digital photos he takes. Our dwarf above!!
So by mid afternoon we had finished carting all of the things we had brought, up the stairs and into our new abode. The flat is excellent, modern and bright and well furnished. We have unpacked and there is still space in a few drawers. This is a really lovely area to live in, quiet and somewhat up market - ideally suitable for a couple of Aussies!
So far we have been exploring the area. A trip to Southend on Sea was a bit disappointing, because the tide was out, and a few hundred meters of mud flats is a bit off putting. And the famous Fish and Chips were at best described as ordinary. But the tide came in with a rush and Carol was bit more impressed. Of course it is holiday season so there are scads of people around.
We also went to Canvey Island which is on the Thames Estuary and visited Hadleigh Castle, or what remains of it. It was built on a high part of the land in the 13th century and overlooks the entire Thames Estuary. It was later used by the wives of Henry v111 - Ann Boleyn/Catheriine of Aragon and Jane Seymour before he had them beheaded.
At the weekend we took the train up to London from the local station.Parked the car at the station car park for a quid all day, and paid 9 quid each for a return ticket to London including a day free use of London Underground and Buses - wonderful. We went to Hyde Park and just avoided getting involved with a big demonstration against Israel's bombing of Lebanon, and walked across to the Serpentine Lake where lots of people were out in paddle boats/row boats/canoes etc .We shared a sandwich for lunch (bloody expensive is London) and then walked along to Knightsbridge which is the site of Selfridges of course. Would be lovely to shop there with Bill Gates' credit card. Saw a couple shirts that appealed but managed to resist them at 125 quid each!
Hopped on the tube to Green Park and walked across to Buck Palace where we had hoped to be able to get in to see the Queens Chambers which are open to the public for a few weeks at this tiime of the year. No luck! All tickets sold for that day, but we will make another trip later on and pre book by internet to see the Chambers/Gallery and Royal Mews for a mere 25 quid each - Liz doesn't come cheap.
We are off to Yorkshire at the end of the week, having booked the same cottage that we had in April this year so that we can further explore that area, and also get across to the Lake District.Then w have booked a cottage for a week on The Isle of Mull which should be fascinating.
No comments:
Post a Comment