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!

Newbury

Our house-sitting and puppy minding started at 5.30 am this morning when Maddie and Kevan left for their holiday in Costa Rica. 

Motorhomes as far as the eye can see!

James picked us up in Hanwell and we headed for the Motorhome Show out at Newbury. 

The green lush countryside was a welcome site after the dry brown parched landscape in Tassie. The flowering  horse-chessnuts, the cow parsley and the flowering hawthorn hedge rows was very picturesque. 

Chilli, Maddie’s poodle, thought it was doggie heaven, making many new friends along the way! She was very good. 

Chilli wondering if she will ever be this tall!

The choice of motorhomes was a little overwhelming at first but we systematically eliminated most, and we finally ended up with only one in our sights. Another few to visit tomorrow and then make our decision. 

Late in the afternoon we returned to London to consider our options. We enjoyed the lovely confit duckling with caramelised Apple as our evening meal. 

NOTE: Not sure if we want to return to Oz in a hurry considering the outcome of the election!