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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