Singapore - Melbourne - Hobart

Left Singapore on time, at around 8.15 pm, on a full Qantas flight. Arrived in Melbourne on time at 5.35 am. 

The process through the Border Security and Customs was quite streamlined. 

It is interesting to see how automated the whole travel experience is these days; from checking-in in London, printing your own baggage tags and boarding cards - you don’t even have to do that if it is all done online, etc. The same applies for the domestic process as well. If it wasn’t for our need to change seating, and the passage through each security check, you may not even need human contact. 

The flight to Hobart provided some wonderful views of the central highlands and of Hobart. 

London - Singapore

Awake early on our last day in London. Even James was awake at an early hour to take Leelou for her morning walk. 

We headed off towards Chiswick House and Gardens - a wonderful place for both families and dogs. 

This immense estate was designed and built during the 18th century for the Duke of Devonshire, and bought by the local council in 1929 for the benefit of its citizens - the need to keep open space was seen as important way back then. What great foresight. 

Leelou could sense when we were approaching the gardens, having been here many times before. 

Fun and games!

... and, a meeting of minds!

We later returned to James’ for the rest of the day to pack and be ready to leave for the airport at around 5 pm. 

James normally takes us to the airport but his car is currently in the basement garage and the car lift is not working. An Uber was our solution for the transport woes. 

Always sad saying goodbye- to James today and Maddie last evening - but we will return!

The Qantas flight was on time and once at the airport we were able to change our “garbage” seats to some very decent ones - even an exit-aisle seat. 

Left London at 9.22 pm,  arrived Singapore 5.20 pm. 

The Last week or so!!

Where do I start . . . Our last post was a little over a week ago. 

After the Sunday at the cricket we continued to stay with Maddie and Kevan, spending time relaxing after a fairly full couple of weeks. 

Puppy-sitting Chilli was a great distraction and a great incentive to get out early each day for a long walk. 

The Brent Park golf course was the ideal location on most mornings. This area was also a popular backdrop for film production units too. And with the weather being very kind to us, it became our local pub on many afternoons. 

Whilst with Maddie we viewed some houses that they were interested in. One we thought may have met their criteria by the photos was very disappointing. So the search goes on!

We left Maddie and Kevan’s on Thursday to take up puppy duties at James’ place whilst they were in Manchester. Our daily walks with Leelou gave us a chance to explore the backstreets and parks around Chiswick. Chiswick House was the standout. 

Tuesday evening was our last in London, Maddie was returning from the Greek Islands so we all met in Ealing-Broadway for some drinks and a meal. A lovely evening but sad saying goodbye to Maddie and Kevan. 

Beer garden Ealing-Broadway 

Sunday at Lords

Up and around at a reasonable hour. James text as to whether we were still up to chancing our luck with tickets for the Lord’s Test cricket at the gate. Nothing ventured nothing gained!

Navigated the transport system to get to the ground - thank heavens for Google Maps which makes the whole process so easy. Even for an early Sunday morning the buses and the train were still realatively full. 

Things weren’t looking too good early as the rain set in and we couldn’t get tickets at the gate. 

Desperados!

But, after hanging around the streets for and hour or so,  we were able to get two tickets at a reasonable price. 

The morning session didn’t go well for the Aussies. The game came to life later in the afternoon when a few Aussie wickets went down and the game was on!

The artist just down in front of us continued on regardless of the happenings in the middle. 

Well worth the effort. The Aussies hung on by the skin of their teeth. A few Brits thought they could smell a victory - but alas, not to be! The game was declared a draw with three balls to go!  

And shortly after, the rain came down!

A bit of chaos getting home. Many of the trains we needed were closed for maintenance!  

Later joined Helene, Maddie, Kevan and his dad at the pub. 

London

Oops, missed a day! 

Today we delivered our van to the  storage depot where it will stay for the next six months or so. The rain didn’t help us in our efforts to do the final checks that are needed. 

James met us in the early afternoon, we loaded his car with all our traveling luggage and he drove us to Maddie’s and Kevan’s house. 

We hurriedly dusted ourselves off, changed our garbs and headed to the train to meet the kids in Covent Garden for a belated 70th birthday celebration. 

The surprise was that they had organised tickets to the musical The Book of Mormon - a very special present and a very special show. Totally enjoyed the whole evening. 

Before the show we met up and had some tapas and a wine. 

There is always something about central London in the evening. Of a day it is just another dirty noisy city, but at night it seems to sparkle - especially after it rains!

With the crowds spilling out of the theatres and restaurants, the place comes to life again. 

A most enjoyable night after a pretty hectic day!

Raining in Newbury

Back to Newbury today to clean up the van and to continue to pack our cases. The rain didn’t help our cause very much at all. After a wet day we ended up at the Swan Inn - just south of Newbury. 

A lovely traditional pub - and they welcome motorhomes to stay overnight - what great foresight. 

The rain started shortly after 5am and continued throughout the day. We had nearly forgotten how to function when it rains. The English showed us just how it was done - most not using an umbrella and many without a waterproof jacket or hat!

Because of the rain the co-pilot saw it as an opportunity to while away the afternoon in the shops at a retail park. She did get a great bargain with the purchase of some fine walking shoes.  

(Sorry about this photo - we have got to the end of the day and have no photos! Oops - just taken the photo of the pub.)

The Chase - Newbury

Another very quiet night at Abbotts Ann, but good things do come to an end, and, so we moved on today. 

We said our farewells to Fran after enjoying one last coffee with her. Such a lovely part of our trip to the UK when we visit Fran. We will be back next year!

Parked-up at Abbotts Ann. 

We left late morning and drove on to The Chase bear Newbury. 

The Chase is a nature reserve, which was donated to the National Trust in 1944, to be preserved and maintained for the encouragement of the birds, flowers, trees and other features of natural interest it contains. 

Abbotts Ann Day 3

Blackberry picking today! A beautiful fruit and we get two seasons of them - very lucky. Our daily walk took us along a pathway track past “the best blackberries in Abbotts Ann” - we had to stop and pick some. 

Near the completion of our walk we passed the village manor house with the  brick and flint stone wall - common to many parts of England. 

We also stopped off at the church - and were delayed here because of a heavy shower of rain. There has been a church on this site since 901. The current church dates from around 1716. 

A fascinating medieval legacy is on display, one of the largest collections of “Virgin Crowns”, or “Maiden’s Garlands“, in existence, and Abbots Ann is the only parish in England which perpetuates the custom of awarding them after the custom died out in the 18th century. The crowns "may be requested by the relatives of the deceased person, who must have been born, baptised, confirmed and have died, unmarried, in the parish, and must have been of unblemished reputation." The crown is made of hazelwood and decorated with paper rosettes, with five paper gloves. Males qualified if they meet the criteria. Since 1716, forty-nine crowns have been hung in the church. 

At the funeral the crown is "suspended from a small white wand and carried by two girls aged between twelve and sixteen and dressed in white with folded handkerchiefs on their heads at the head of the funeral procession, laid on the coffin in the church and afterwards in the churchyard until the body is committed to the ground." It is then hung from a hook in the church gallery "so that all entering church on the following Sunday may pass under it." If unchallenged after 3 weeks, the crown is hung from a hook near the ceiling of the church, with an plaque recording the name and date. The oldest crown dates from 1740, and the most recent from 1973.

After the rain show we returned to Fran’s where we spent the rest of the day.  

We helped Fran trim back a large hedge that had got out of control. 

Also, started the serious business of preparing the van for storage this Friday!

Abbotts Ann

A slow start this morning before we ventured out for a brisk walk around the village of Abbotts Ann. 

A typical house around the village. Very quaint and authentic. 

The English walking paths crisscross the country, many of which have been reinstated and cleared of recent years.  Walking is a serious pass time for many Brits. 

Around Abbotts Ann there are numerous walking tracks that wind through the village and around the surrounding countryside. We took one of these walks with Fran this morning, constantly passing many of the thatched cottages that enhance this part of the landscape. 

The first settlements in the area can be traced back to 50BC when a tribe  cleared the forests and cultivated the land. During Roman rule the village prospered, and a large Roman villa was built. Mossaics taken from this villa are now in the Btitish Museum. 

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Abbotts Ann

The day started with the nicest of surprises.  We were all set to leave for Abbotts Ann, down in Hampshire, when we noticed a car turn into the parking-lot that looked familiar - sure enough, James, Maddie and Kevan had sought us out. 

What a great surprise!  This delayed our departure by at least three hours. We ended up back in The White Hart for coffee, brunch and wine/beer. 

Photos on the wall of The White Hart - pilots stayed here during WWII. 

What a great way to start the day! 

Nothing like brunch while having the footy on in the background!

It wasn’t until early afternoon that we got away to tackle the infamous M25 - we thought we had beaten it until we approached the intersection with the M3 where we were caught up in a prolonged traffic jam.  But eventually we moved through this jam and had a free run down the M3 to Fran’s place at Abbotts Ann. 

Arrived at Abbotts Ann. 

By this time it was late afternoon. 

This evening Fran has organised a dinner party with some of her friends we had met previously. A most entertaining and delightful evening - to bed after midnight!

Brasted

Woke to the sound of rain on our roof - and what a lovely sound it was too. The misty valley was a very different image from how it looked in full sun yesterday - but the temperature was still around 20 degrees - haven’t gone for the pullover just yet!

Another slow morning with a little reading, house work ((!) and breakfast. 

Shortly after midday we met our longtime friends Norma and Colin at The White Hart in Brasted for lunch. 

It was great catching up again, so much so we were still chatting over four hours later. The lunch, too, was perhaps one of the nicest meals we have had out for many years. 

The White Hart was famous for its connection with the pilots of the RAF during WWII. It was here that many of the pilots stayed, being close to the Biggin Hill airfield, one of the main RAF centres for the Battle of Britain. 

After we left The White Hart we strolled down the High Street looking at the many antique shops that this particular village is noted for. On many occasions the village is used in the production of TV shows based on antiques. 

The White Hart is one of many pubs across the UK that welcomes motorhomes to stay over night. This was ideal for us as it enabled us to stay longer with Colin and Norma, and, have a very pleasant place to stay. We later took a longer walk around the very English village. 

Canterbury to Penhurst

By the time we surfaced this morning - and quite early too - the thirty odd vans here along the Dover waterfront had dwindled to around ten by 8am. The English Channel had calmed significantly - good for the travellers to France. 

We left early for Canterbury and our appointment with the motorhome dealership. The side mirror needed repairs which they carried out very effectively. 

We then organised to meet up with Toni and Andrew (the owners of our previous van) at the Spotted Dig Inn near Penhurst - deep in the heart of Kent. 

It was very enjoyable meeting up with Andrew and Toni. Time absolutely flew, with the rolls being reversed somewhat, with us being the recipient of their vast travel experience - it was very much appreciated. Hopefully will will be able to meet up again next year. 

Later we enjoyed a pint at the Spotted Dog - a  traditional 15th country pub. The 500 year old building originally started out as three cottages, over the centuries these have been merged into the pub we see today. A most interesting place and considered one of the best Inns in Kent. 

The outlook from this location on Smart’s Hill is very scenic too. Near a perfect pub with a fantastic outlook. 

Calais to Dover

I am writing this from the shores of Dover harbour where we have just landed. The young family on the boat were excited when the white cliffs came into view - a very traditional experience for many Brits. 

High winds had been forecast for  the crossing earlier today but, apart from a few white caps the crossing was relatively smooth. 

The fifty days in France has gone quickly, nevertheless, we have had great experiences and, we are pleased we spent time down the southwest of France an area we had not been for many years. 

The 5 kilometre access road to the ferry terminal at Calais is fortified on either side of the road by high fences and razor wire. The issues of the refugees seems to have subsided with none being sighted today. 

Grenay to Calais

On the move again today - nearly completing the circuit of France we began back in June. The journey took us past Méteren, the village in which my grandfather is buried. 

The last resting place of William Sayer - killed 23rd April 1918 - RIP. 

Méteren was totally destroyed during the fighting of WWI. Before the destruction in April 1918 Méteren was an important market town in northern France. 

The above images were taken today on a plaque in the main square of Méteren. How eerie to see the top left postcard - the same as the one I have, sent by William Sayer in 1918 to my mother, who was only three, perhaps the last message to his family before the fateful day in April. 

The William Sayer post card  from the Western Front in April 1918. very treasured possession. 

We had a coffee at Méteren before driving on to Grande Synthe, near Dunkirk, for lunch. After this we headed for the Cité Europe in Coquelles, Calais, where we planned to do some shopping - mainly French wine - and spend the night. 

The day did start with an early morning walk again. Our route took us past the local Boulangerie/Pâtisserie which we couldn’t resist! A baguette and a box of mille feuille later, we returned to the van for breakfast. 

We will miss you, France!