BERLIN POTSDAM PART 2

Had a great nights sleep, a hearty breakfast and then off to Potsdam which was a 30 minute train ride from Berlin. As usual Carol quickly worked out the transport system and we took a bus to the Sanssouci Palace the Summer house of Frederick the Great. Our audio guide through the obscenely embellished rooms of the palace was very well presented, and outside we admired the vast gardens. A separate building housed a fabulous art collection - a gallery with hundreds of works of art hung cheek by jowl along the walls. In a way I felt that the amassing of so many paintings in such close proximity detracted from the ability to appreciate the collection. A quick snack of Bratwurst chips and a beer, satisfied the inner hunger and we took another bus to Cecilienhof Palace which is the final Hohenzollern Palace built in the style of an English Country House in the early 1900's.

This Palace was the venue for the famous Potsdam Conference which decided on the future division of Germany after WW2 and was attended by Stalin Churchill and Roosevelt, later replaced by Clement Atlee and Truman. The top right pictures show the Palace and the conference room where meetings took place.I nearly got caught taking the conference room picture as photos were not allowed and I had forgotten that the flash was on!!!

A very friendly bus driver then took us into the old town of Potsdam where we had a lovely stein of beer and Carol had her beer and raspberry (Heirbeir I think it was called!).Then a tram ride down to the Station and back to Berlin. Had an excellent meal in a restaurant near our hotel and were a bit put oout when the waiter brought the bill and made the point that it did not include a service charge or tip!! Carol was most unimpressed and we left the exact money on the table and walked out!!

BERLIN AND POTSDAM

This was one hell of a four day visit and we were pooped little travellers by the time we got home. There were two aspects of Berlin that we tasted - the historical architecture and the Third Reich. I was surprised by two things. Firstly - the significant rebuilding which had taken place after the massive damage caused by both the Allied bombing raids and the Russian battle for Berlin. Secondly - the impact of the Hitler years and the subsequent Russian impact with the East/West divide.

Our friends Tim and Ruth had given us some valuable pointers for the visit, and our Welcome Card which they recommended was a real bonus. We validated our three day passes on the train from Schonefeld airport into the city and managed to get off at the nearest station to our Hotel, although we had to walk some 800 metres along the Kurfurstendam. Although we were early arrivals we were able to get to our room and sit down to work out a plan of attack.After a nice meal of Sushi we trundled off into the City proper and identified the starting point for the Walking Tours, and then took a Tourist bus trip around the major tourist attractions. Then we went hunting for an electric jug as the one we had taken with us for our morning cuppas had unfortunately sprung a hole after contact in the suitcase with our bottle opener!!We visited the most enormous store on the KuDam and after traipsing through a maze of departments eventually found our quarry and thought thankfully of the early morning reviver. On the wander around the area we also managed to book seats for a concert by the Berlin Palace Orchestra at the Charlottenburg Palace Orangery for the following night.

Next day we took ourselves along to the meeting place for the Insiders Tours where we booked the 4 hour Famous Walk. Our guide was a Scotsman,Kenny, who was absolutley tremendous. His knowledge of Berlin (and history) was comprehensive and his ability to communicate that knowledge quite amazing. We walked through the old East Berlin and visited the Island of Museums, Check Point Charlie, the Book Burning site, the Reichstag,Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial,Hitler's bunker,the remains of the Berlin Wall and Gestapo Headquarters. All the time we were given a detailed history of each area. At the end of the tour, Kenny asked if we would like to hear about the events leading up to the demolition of the Berlin Wall. Needless to say we all thought that would be great and listened enthralled as he told us of the East German confusion at a Press Conference which led to a young German hearing on the radio that East Germans were to be allowed into West Germany jumping up onto the wall. When people realised that he had not been shot at (which would have been the normal reaction) they soon started to rejoice at their new found freedom and hacked into the wall!!

As we were close to the Reichstag, we walked back there and queued for best part of an hour to go into the building and up into the cupola which sits atop the building.
It was well worth the wait as the view from the top level was dramatic and the beer we had in the restaurant a real reviver!!

An early dinner at a superb Thai restaurant and then off to our concert. Of course we got off the bus about four stops too early and eventually had to grab a cab to get to the Orangery in time for the start of what was a most enjoyable feast of Handel/Bach/Corelli and Mozart. Even managed to get the right bus back to the Hotel.

CLIVE AND THE NEW FOREST

The start of half term combined with a Bank Holiday was marred by ghastly weather. Cold and raining. We had arranged to go down to the New Forest and stay with Clive Bowring for a couple of nights, and with dire warnings about the likelihood of millions of cars on the roads, we left early for the drive down to Fritham. And of course, the traffic was quite ordinary!! So we reached Winchester by 9 am and decided to have some breakfast and then have a look at the famous Cathedral. Very impressive of course and highlighted with a viewing of the Winchester Bible, a 15th century document. In addition there were other early tomes dating back to the 13th century - quite remarkable.

On down to Clives where we were met with a bottle of Moet pink champers! Clive's friend Dave arrive and we went off for a drive through the New Forest which was alive with sightseers, and dozens of the New Forest Ponies -lots of them with newborn foals. Visited Brockenhurst where I had lived in the 1930's. The photo above is of the house that we lived in.It is now a private residence but when we were there it was the Police Station with Dad as the local bobby.Brought back a lot of memories. Drove on to Lymington and walked down to the Quay and had a drink in the quayside pub. Then back to Fritham and Spaghetti Bolognese with copious quantities of wine before retiring to bed!

It was still raining on Sunday, but notwithstanding the dreadful weather we all decided to take the high speed ferry across to Cowes on the Isle Wight. Found a great little clothing shop where Carol bought a "hoodie" as she was feeling the cold. Then into a magnificent old pub for a delicious meal and a dram or two. Back to Clives and a quiet late afternoon - I watched the BMW Masters Golf while Clive had a nap,Carol read, and Dave departed for his place. We had planned to go out to Lyndhurst for a Chinese dinner, but I suggested to Clive that the weather was too awful,and we scratched around his batchelor kitchen and managed to cook up some delightful omelettes.

We left about 10am on Monday and drove along to Peter and Mary's place where we had arranged to have lunch with them. So another Pub - this time with a French restaraunt,a delightful meal and then home to Langdon Hills. Despite the weather we had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend and now look forward to flying over to Berlin for three nights.

SHAPPERS AND LE BROCQ

We had a big programme this weekend starting off with a trip to Bulls Brook where our old friends John and Brenda Shapiro were celebrating John's 75th birthday.The function had been organised by his children and it was brilliant. The garden setting was perfect and the weather quite kind. As one would expect with Shappers there was plenty of liquid refreshment, and we met some interesting people who were friends. It was quite amazing that so many of the pepople we talked to had either been to, or had some connection with, Australia - so conversation was easy.

Lunch from the BBQ was delicious and while we sat and ate under the tent shelter, a magician entertained each table with some amazing wizardry. At one stage he showed that he had one coin in one fist and three in the other - then invited two of the guests to firmly grip his wrists - and then bingo -opened his fists and showed all four coins in one of them! And at the same time he managed to undo and remove John's wristwatch without him knowing!! Clever stuff.We reluctantly left about 4 pm to drive on down to Bournemouth where we had arranged to meet up with one of my old schoolmates Michael LeBrocq.We found our hotel without any trouble.Although there have been many changes since I lived there 55 years ago, I still knew my way around. As we did not feel particularly like any more food we went for a walk along the cliff top and through the Winter Gardens into the City centre.
On the way we stopped to buy a book from a fellow who was sitting on the footpath beside a bicycle festooned with the names of countries of the world. He was a German who had spent his life cycling around the world and had clocked up 40,000 kms in doing so! He had gone through 15 passports, taken 80,000 photos and rebuilt his treadly many times.
Sunday morning Mike and his wife Merle picked us up at the hotel and drove us over to Sandbanks where he is a member of the Royal Motor Yacht Club. He actually supervises the boatyard in a voluntary capacity spending each morning of the week there. I had not had contact with him since leaving England in 1952 and was surprised to learn that he had become the Chief Engineer of the local paper "The Echo" where he had worked for 50 years. Mike had left school early at the suggestion of the school who felt his performance less than desirable!! But he had always been a bit of a DIY handyman, and it was that skill that he developed and as a totally self taught engineer suceeded. At his home he has a railway line through the garden on which he runs a steam engine and a diesel engine which he built completely from scratch. It is those talents which makes him invaluable to the Yacht Club. His wife Merle plays tennis several times a week and last year reached the finals of the mixed doubles in the English Veterans championship!! A great couple.

We had a lovely lunch in the club and caught up with past names of friends and associates which was pure nostalgia but wonderful. Then we walked around the golden streets of Sandbanks which has some of the most expensive land in the world. Houses are bought for millions of pounds and
pulled down so that a modern structure can take there place - money money money.

And then it was time drive the 150 miles home -motor way all the way and we did the trip in 2 and 1/2 hours.

ELLEN TERRY AND RYE

The weather is still very ordinary and we decided to drive down to Kent and have a look at the Southern coast, and on the way to call in to visit the Ellen Terry cottage which is National Trust.

The 16th century cottage leans this way and that but I guess is remarkable in that it still stands! Inside there is a very good presentation of memorabilia from the Theatrical career of Ellen Terry who was the most famous actress in the late 19th century. She had owned the cottage for many years, principaly as a place of retreat, and I was surprised to learn that she could access London within two hours by the old steam train line which no longer exists. It would take two hours to drive to London today.!!

At the rear of the cottage is a converted Barn which is used as a Theatre by amateurs and professionals, and whilst fairly basic, is very popular with the "in" theatre crowd.

We stopped at a Pub en route to Rye and had an excellent Pub lunch in a very friendly environment and it din't cost an arm and a leg. Then we arrived at Rye which is one of the most charming towns we have visited. The Pay and Display carpark was on the blink and swallowed our money without producing a ticket which was not a good start. But we walked up the cobbled streets to the 13th Century church and strolled through the quaint streets lined with buildiings dating back for hundreds of years.
The town evokes the feeling of the island it once was surrounded by the Rivers Rother,Brede and Tillingham and looming above marshland and sea. The area is reminiscent of the Fens which we loved so much at Ramsey.

We took the coast road home skirting the Romney Marsh and stopped briefly at Dymchurch to peer over the seawall and find a long stretch of sandy beach - yes real sand.The wind was blowing a gale- so we gazed and got!
Then into Hythe and onto the M20 and a fast run home with Carol Schumaker at the wheel.

LONDON EYE,WESTMINSTER AND WAR CABINET ROOMS

The forecast for London was 21 degrees and we took off with high hopes. Arriving at Fenchurch Street we were a bit miffed to find a cold wind blowing from the South and decided we would walk to Westminster to get warm! Hardly anyone about as is usual for London early morning and we both enjoyed the brisk walk for the 2 miles or so along the Embankment to Westminster.

The first thing we noticed was the difference between this place and St Pauls. A truly magnificent structure and full of tombs and memorials of historical Royals and notables. No photographs alowed unfortunately. Poets corner is like visiting an encyclopedia of well known names - Wordsworth/Keats/Shelley/Burns -they are all here.A poignant tomb was that of the unknown soldier, decorated with Flanders poppies and a beautiful tribute "laid to rest with the famous of the land".The ceiling of the main part of the Abbey is incredibly structured and as we heard a guide tell his group "an amazing feat of engineering for the 15th century".

We had booked a champagne "flight" on the London Eye which cost an arm and a leg but gave us priority boarding, soomething we appreciated when we saw the size of the queues. Our capsule held 16 people in comfort and enabled us to move around and take in the extravagant veiws from all sides. The champagne was welcome but there is not much in one glass!! Our guide was well versed in the whereabouts of all the famous buildings and we were kept busy finding the various landmarks. A unique experience and an understanding of the awesome design and construction of this attraction. British Airways,who invested in the project, made a profit of 50 million pounds from the Eye last year and are said to have contemplated selling their aircraft and building more of these around the world!!!

Down to earth again and we went to the wharf where we had paid for a River cruise, only to find that the boat was almost full and the queue for the last few seats meant we would have to wait another hour for the next one.But the ticket man told us that if we hurried across the bridge to the other side of the river we could use our tickets for a sister ship which was leaving in 15 minutes. A hectic scramble through the throngs and we just made it.The legs at this stage were starting to tell me that there was a limit to all this pedestrian activity. Lovely trip on the catamaran however.Up to the Tower Bridge and back with a guide telling us about the various buildings en route.

Another brief walk and we arrived at the Wartime Underground Cabinet Rooms and the Churchill Museum. The rooms themselves have been restored to their original condition (the bedrooms even have poes under the bed!!) and in some rooms models have been consttructed to represent wartime activity. The bomb proofing of these rooms consists of oak beams and supports placed against the roof and walls. I don't think that a direct hit by a land mine would have failed to demolish the whole thing.

The adjacent Churchill Museum is state of the art. Winston's whole life story is displayed with photographs, models and memorabilia. There are many recordings of Churchill's speeches including his famous tribute to THE FEW and his "We will fight them on the beaches".It is a really appropriate reminder of the role that he played in WW11 and it also highlights his many weaknesses such as Galipoli.

We spent nearly two hours here before catching a bus to Trafalgar Square where we had a drink before going on to Fenchurch Street station and catching a train home.Had a couple of loud mouthed mobile phone users in the carriage and some West Ham United football supporters carrying cans of beer - but they behaved OK.!!

MORE GARDENS OF ENGLAND

Another lovely day dawned on Saturday and, after Carol had gone to Basildon Hospital to give a blood sample we took off for Kent and East and West Sussex. Carol had the blood sample taken at the doctor's request. She had appeared to be losing weight (dresses and skirts were more loose fitting than before!) but when the Doc weighed her she was actually a bit heavier than when last checked in August!! Muscle has replaced the puppy fat!!

We had identified three National Trust Gardens to visit and of course this is the right time to go garden visiting. The first one was Standen which was the country house of the Beale family until given to the NT in 1972. The house is absolutely charming and gives a great feel of a place of family happiness. Very well maintained and with lots of orginal furniture,spacious and multi roomed, it is no wonder that there was a staff of 12 servants in its heyday. The garden affords views of the Upper Medway Valley and was designed by Margaret Beale with the help of landscape gardener G B Simpson. Meandering paths lead through rhododendrons and orchards. A most unusual item was a row of old apple trees which had been espaliered and gave two strong branches off left and right from a gnarled trunk. This resulted in a tree which was no more than six feet high - obviously assisting the apple pickers!

We lunched in the barn which was excellent and then drove off to Wakehurst.This enormous park is part of the famous Kew Gardens.Of particular interest was the Southern Hemisphere Garden, and it was quite nostagic to see beautiful gum trees,banksia and tea trees.There was also a specimen of the Wollemi Pine, a tree which had been extinct for some 2 million years and was discovered in a valley West of Sydney in the 1970's.Its exact location is kept a closely guarded secret. A specimen was acquired by Kew and is thriving in these gardens. A couple of fat pheasants sat quite unperturbed as we walked past and ducks lay quietly ignoring the passers by.

Then a final drive to Sheffield Park Garden. En route we stopped in at the Blue Bell Railway where steam trains operate along a preserved rail line. We obtained details of the timetable and plan to make a further visit when we have time to take a trip.
Our Australian National Trust membership card provoked the question of whether we were aware of the Australian connection to Sheffield. It is of course the Sheffield Shield. In 1891 the Earl of Sheffield sponsored a cricket team (including the famous W G Grace) on a visit to Australia, and donated L150 to promote "intercolonial cricket" to be know as the Sheffield Shield - now more commercially known as the Pura Cup!!

Another brilliant garden situated around four lakes. Designed by the famous Capability Brown in the 18th century and further dveloped in the 20th century by its owner Arthur G Soames there are masses of azalias and rhododendrons underpinned with daffodils and bluebells. The bottom photo above is a view across one of the lakes and I think is a great picture.

I think we have probably "done" the garden bit now, and for the long weekend ahead we are now going to visit London.

A WEEKEND OF GARDENS

Good news today - we have finally got our credit card problems sorted out with the Queensland Teachers Credit Union and now have access to our Aussie funds.And on Friday last I had my Steroid injection to try and sort out this bloody shoulder problem and fingers crossed it seems to be a bit easier.

With National Trust sites now in full swing we decided on visit to Kent and a couple of Gardens, taking a picnic lunch with us to enjoy in the sunshine. We drove to Sissinghurst Castle Garden, one of the world's most celebrated gardens created by V ita Sackville West and her husband Sir Harold Nicolson around the remains of an Elizabethan mansion. The Trust employs 6 gardeners to maintain this beautiful creation and the colours are quite dramatic. Greens swards,immaculate avenues of privet hedges,a moat with trout quite visible,blossom trees and more. We had our picnic beside the car enjoying the onion pie and salad washed down with a can of beer, before returning to make sure we had visited all parts of the garden.A climb up to the top of the prospect tower (remaining part of the original mansion) afforded a magical view of the area. Quite superb.

Then we drove on to Scotney Castle and Garden.This property was developed in the 1830's by Edward Hussey 111. The vista from the Bastion just below the "new" Scotney Castle sweeps down to the ruins of a 14th century moated castle and is a truly breathtaking scene. The ruin is reasonably intact and is a most unusual architectural style but most attractive. Masses of bluebells and other Spring flowers provide a colourful background to the panorama, and the distant fields of hops, sheep grazing and undulating country insisted on a quiet contemplation of just how beautiful English countryside is.

Have booked the Eurostar for a weekend trip to Brussells over the May long weekend and a flight to Berlin for the half terms break at the end of May. It's all go!!

KNOLE AND IGTHAM MOTE

Now that we are into April, the National Trust sites are open once more. There are a large number of places to visit in Kent and Sussex, counties which are easily accessible to us from Basildon.

It was a perfect day -unbelievably 24 degrees - found the sunscreen and took off to visit a couple of places. The first one, Knole is one of Englands great show houses set in a magnificent deer park.It's connection with Henry V111 as well as literay connections with Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville West (the Sackvilles still occupy part of the house) provide an interesting history. The name comes from the nearby Knoll in the park (Henry was not a good speller!) and there are 13 rooms presented in much the same way as they were in the 18th century.There is a wonderful collection of Royal Stuart furniture, and paintings by Van Dyke,Reynolds and Gainsborough. There is an ongoing preservation of many of the ancient fabrics,which, with the onset of age have deteriorated badly. There were lots of families picnicking in the park -a bit off putting with the sight of barechested Poms flaunting themselves in the sunshine.

Not far away is the magnificent 14th century moated manor house of Igtham Mote. Set in a sunken valley and dating from 1320, this wonderful old building was acquired by an American Charles Robinson in the 1920's for a few pounds when it was threatened with destruction. He embarked on an extensive restoration programme and modernised some of the features to make the property habitable. He gave it to the National Trust together with an endowment when he died and further restoration has since taken place. Another fine example of preserving the Heritage for fututre generations.

PrROVENCE -PART THREE

Tuesday morning we took off for Monaco and Nice. Carol happily raced along the Motorway at 130 kms and it did not take long to get to the outskirts of Monaco BUT then we were in a long queue of vehicles for the descent into the city. On the way down we were flagged over by a pretty looking Policewoman who requested the car papers (fortunately Jeanette had given those to us) and then our passports, details of everything being written down before we were alllowed to proceed. Jeanette told me afterwards that had we not had the car papers with us, we would not have been allowed to drive off -Heaven knows what we would have done!

We eventually got within the city boundary and picked the first carpark that we saw and with directions from a passerby, we walked down into the city proper. On the way down we spotted a Japanese restaraunt and dropped in for an excellent meal.The salad had the same dressing that we had experienced in Sydney and the waitress gave Carol the ingredients for future reference. With hunger assuaged we walked downhill to the base of the Castle complex and then up to see where Royalty lived. In the Chapel we saw the tombs of Rainier and Grace. The coastline is beautiful, and backdrop of high cliffs makes a perfect setting for this millionaires playground. The marinas were full of exotic boats, the streets abounded with Bentleys/Ferraris and Maseratis -but it did not appeal to me as a placce to live. Bit like HongKong but hillier!!

Len was feeling his 76 years so we decided to catch a bus up to our carpark and it was a couple of euros well spent.

Heading out of Monaco was a lot easier than getting in! We turned north off the Motorway and headed for Vence having decided that a visit to Nice could be avoided as it was an enormous city. Almost missed seeing Vence - the roaad signs here were a bit lacking in detail, and we finished up in the Medieval Village of Tourette sur Loup. It was getting late and a quick look at the fabulous old village convinced us that we should spend the night nearby and make a more detailed inspection the next day. We found an excellent hotel just out of the village which was only 60 euros bed and breakfast with a comfortable room and first class dining rooom. My fish dish was simply superb, and the Crepe which followed was a mountainous concoction of cream ice cream and butterscotch sauce-Wow!

Back to the village in the morning and a wander through the narrow alleyways of this old settlement.It goes back to the 13th century and has been lovingly restored to give a perfect picture of it's original style. Set on a hill (aren't they all?) the village was formed in a pattern of an outer and inner wall to help in defending against all manner of invaders including Visigoths,Huns,Franks and Lombards.It is an artists complex, and here Carol bought a ceramic door sign for her father. The artist was happy to create it in the style that Carol wanted and even arranged to post it securely.

Then off towards Sigalous - a long drive over the most winding road I have ever travelled, through Grasse which is known as a centre for perfumes. As my aftershave botle had spilt into my toilet bag, and Carol's jumper was packed nearby, she smelt very nicely of Eau Savage which deterred her from any desire to investigate other perfumes! I had seen a brochure advertising WW11 museum at Le Muy and we headed there, only to find on arrival that the museum only opened on Sundays. And then we found that no one in Le Muy wants to provide lunch so we hightailed it with empty stomachs until we came to a town with a supermarket where we managed to buy a sandwich and a beer.

Thursday we went into Pierrefeu and bought some fish which Carol was cookiing for dinner that night, and then after lunch we drove to Collobrieres a little village tucked away in the hills not far from Sigalous. It is the chestnut centre for the region and with a pretty stream running through the centre which on crosses on a 13th century bridge was most attractive. There was a general store which was like an old fashioned emporium, stacked with every conceivable sort of item.We bought a bottle stopper in the shape of a grape vine,, and a jar of chestnut puree before returning home.

Friday - the last day, Jeanette took us over to Heyere's The Big Shop to visit a store where they sell weather stations. At Jeanette's we had admired the wall mounted weather station which gave details of the insidde and outside temperatures,barometric pressures and weather forecast. It opeates from a wireless sensor mounted ooutside the house. So we had to have one!

Then the usual no nonsense booking in at Heyere airport, and back to England courtesy of Ryanair. A wonderful 10 days.

PROVENCE - PART 2

Friday was the day that Jeanette Alain and Morgan were off to England to visit my brother for three days leaving us as masters of our own destiny and in charge of the chateau!

We drove northwards to a village oalled Cette which boasted an old Abbey. Found it OK but the abbey was closed and we could only walk around it. Called innto the Touriste Bureau and saw a brilliant diorama of early village life.There were toilets outside the Abbey which proved to be very vintage -that is to say they were holes in the ground!!Authentic though!

From here we went on to Besse which is another ancient village with a 14th century church and a maze of narrow streets bounded on both sides with three stories of dwellings. As they are all shuttered it is a somewhat eerie feeling walking through them, and then one comes across the inevitable display of washing hanging from the opened window. The butchers shop here was most inviting, and we bought some Pate de pays,a few home made sausages and a large slice of sirloin. A little old lady emerged from one of the house on her way to the shops and stopped to talk to us (Carol) and told us of the Lake behind the church which we would have missed without her showing us the way. All of the people here were extremely friendly with everyone saying "Bon Jour" as you passed. I think one of my favourite pastimes in these villages is to sit in a sidewalk cafe and have an ice cold beer and watch the passing parade. There is a very special ambience about these sorts of places.

Home to "our" chateau and a lovely French meal of salade/pate and sausages,cheese and a bottle of the Sigalous red to wash it down- Alain had thoughtfully left 4 bottles out for our consumption in their absence! Loumie, the family's aged Alsatian accepted us as part of the family and passed her time sleeping on the stairs leaading to the bedrooms.

Saturday we went to Brignoles a provincial town of great antiquity dating from the 6th century. It is situated on the ancient Aurelia way which goes from Spain to Italy. It has not been maintained as welll as a lot of other similar areas, although therre was evidence of work being carried out. It gave a rather tatty appearance. We had a baguette in the city square, a pleasant space with plane trees yet to blossom. There was a marked number of Algrerian people in this town, which Jeanette explained was most likely due to the lower cost of property in the town as compared to coastal areas.

On to Saint Maximin where a Basilica was built on the site of a religious Merovingian site.The basilica is the only example of Gothic style construction in Provence and is quite outstanding. Adjoining the Basilica is the Royal Convent, another lovely old building now occupied as a hotel. The town square contains all of the traditional French attributes,plane trees/restaraunts and sidewalk cafes. Yes - we had a beer here!

Sunday was a day of rest. Carol worked on the English translation of the Sigalous Brochure, while I read on the terrace. Then Pierre (Alain's 28year old son) arrived with a friend to explain that they were having some cousins in for lunch and we were welcome to join them.Pierre speaks a little English but none of the others had more than a few words so, as Carol was busy and my French does not stand up to casual conversation, we declined their kind offer and decided to take a quiet drive in the country.

Monday we went into Pierrefeu, the local village perched on top of a hill,posted some cards and did some shopping at ACTA the supermarket.Home for lunch and then into Heyere which is where the Toulon airport is.Despite being Easter Monday, the market was in full swing and we wandered the streets admiring the many stalls. Carol bought a tablecloth for Sarah and a great big slab of cheese ($18)which we are still enjoying!

The old town is most attractive and we walked up to the lookout from where we had a wonderful view of the surrounding countryside and out to the Mediterranean. We saw the Ryanair plane landing at the airport and realised that this waas the one on which Jeanette and family were returning. A quiet beer at the cafe and then back to Sigalous where we learned that the family had had a great reunion in England and that the weather had allowed them to have a lunch at Jill's house in the garden!

PROVENCE- PART 1

We flew into Toulon courtesy of Ryanair and had a better landing than the last time - that is to say we actually landed at the first attempt. Jeanette was there with Morgan to meet us and we were soon at Sigalou. It was amazing to see the vines without any leaves at all (photo above) but Jeanette assured us they would have greenery before we left! Mr Moutte (Jeanette's Pa in Law) keeps daily records of the developement of the vines and it seems that some years ago the grapes were harvested in Otober, but that now the harvesting takes place in August - Global Warming?

The next day we drove off in the little Peugot 206 along the coast towards the East with Cavalier sur Mer as our destination where there was a market day. Found it with not much hassle, and Carol spent a lovely couple of hours wandering around and bought a cardigan while I bought a pair of shoes. The food stalls were tempting -cheeses/olives/pate/rabbits/pastries - too much. Had lunch at the waterfront and took off for Grimaud, a little village inland with the ruins of a castle. These French villages are fascinating.We discovered that lunch is a serious business in France and everything closes up for a couple of hours so that digestion is not disturbed.

In the centre of the village we spotted a tourist train which went by road to Port Grimaud. This port was created in the 1960's by a French architect from swampland and is today a security enclave of canals/marinas and super looking houses and apartments. A bit like an enlarged Sanctuary Cove. The parked yachts/launches etc are mind boggling and there is a pervading air of money money money!

Back to Sigalous and dinner. Carol and Morgan engaged in conversation which, as Jeanette Alain and Morgan are planning to come out to Australia later this year, was mainly centred on Australian animals.Morgan is a very intelligent litle man and his knowledge of animals is quite amazing.

On Thursday we decided to try the western coastline and headed for Cassis. Mr Moutte was in the house when we mentioned this and said we should "prenez le bateau pour les Calanques". Which we did!!Cassis is a lovely little seaside resort with a harbour surrounded by cafes. There are lots of boats promoting trips to The Calanques and we opted for one that visited three of them. The Calanques are indentations in the coastline (a bit like junior Fjiords!)and incredibly beautiful.

Lunch was fresh grilled sardines a la provencale with a small carafe of white grape juice, which as Carol was driving mostly came my way.

The Cassis photos are at the top -can't seem to get this blogsite to put the pictures where I would like them.

Carol drove both ways today - my shoulder does not lend itself to the task, and she is doing a great job of hairing along the road on the wrong side and driving from the left front seat.

WANSFORD WEEKEND

It's time to catch up on some blogs having returned from our Easter break in France.
On March 31st we drove up to meet our good friends Tim and Ruth staying the night with them in their lovely house in the village of Wansford. When we arrived two of Tim's daughters were visiting, and it was great to meet Jemma and Lucy and the two exuberant Springer Spaniels belonging to Lucy.

We went off to take the dogs for a walk in a delightful 1000 year old forest, where the dogs had a ball and displayed a general lack of togetherness! On the way back to Wansford we called in to see Lucy's renovation project. She and her husband had bought a decrepit house some time back and were determined to restore it to a better than past glory. Parts of the property were 15th century, and one can only admire the perseverance and vision that has enabled them to create a wonderful new home. As a listed property, there would have been a lot of frustration in obtaining approval for the rebuilding.It's a good job that Lucy is a GP as the project would have been a virtual sink for money!!!

Jemma is a University student and was at the end of her course and preparing her Dissertation - she visibly relaxed as her preparation got closer to completion.

Sunday we drove to Rutland Water the largest man made lake in Europe. There was a large fleet of Toppers sailing - a dinghy much like a Moth - and they made a colourful sight.As the wind was quite strong (and cold) I didn't envy the sailors battling the choppy waters. There was a museum in the old church (photo above) and we watched a fascinating video of the successful efforts made to achieve a return of the Osprey to its natural habitat in the area. Over a period of years, a band of dedicated volunteers monitored and recorded these beautiful birds in their migration to and from Africa, their breeding and eventual successful establishment on the Damn.

We had lots of conversations about travel, as both Ruth and Tim are seasoned travellers to all parts of Europe and elsewhere, and we received some good advice about Venice in particular.

A lovely weekend.