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by steve, on October 1st, 2009 ( Grenada, UK)
Our last day in Blighty was a long and pleasant one. We didn’t get up until after 9am but were out of the boat before 10. We again walked over the river to the station and headed off to Baker Street. I had located an astronomy store which sold specs for looking at the sun. As we’re hoping to catch the solar eclipse next year, these will be use additions to our inventory.
Next it was off to Oxford Circus to meet Helen’s old (meaning past) traveling friend, Gel, and her daughter Hayley for lunch. We had a pub lunch at the Slug & Lettuce off Regents Street and washed it down with wine and beer.
After Lunch Hayley had to go back to work but Gel stayed with us for an hour or two to carry on the catch up. We sat around admiring the drunks and avoiding (successfully in Gel’s and my case) the pigeon poo in Soho square.
Eventually we had to part ways and say our goodbyes. Helen and I took a long walk to the City passing a lot of our old haunts including the place where we both met at work. We met an old friend of mine, Mark, in Bishopsgate and soon we were back to old times which meant knocking back several beers. Again – it was great to catch up with old friends but eventually we had to again part ways.
Helen and I returned to the boat to pack our bags. Dick was due back shortly after 10pm from his trip to Brussels. He duly arrived on time and as we had not had much time together we went out for a meal (with wine).
We eventually crashed for a short sleep before waking at 5am to head back to Grenada. Dick dropped us off at Clapham Junction railway station and from there we took the train to Gatwick.
Bar some unexpected restrictions on hand luggage weigh the journey was uneventful. Jackie and Mike were there to collect us from the airport. We had made it through customs without a hitch which was fortunate as we had a landrover radiator and parts for their lawnmower, all of which could have triggered undue interest and import taxes.
Mike had to head off in a different direction so Jackie took us back to the boat via a supermarket for some provisions. Back on the boat we had mixed news. There was no evidence of any unexpected entry so the recent c/c issue remains a mystery. All the electrics were fine and the vast bank of batteries nicely topped up with the solar. The fridge came straight on. The boatyard only appears to have done the bottom paint and not some of the other work scheduled. We also discovered that ants have found their way in. It was too late to talk to the yard management about the work as they all close up at 4 it seems so that will have to wait until tomorrow.
For now it’s a bit of unpacking, showering and mainly rest. Tomorrow we get busy getting Dignity ready to go back in the water. Jim from Bees Knees will pop over and bring some of his ant killer. I’ll also seek his oppinion on the work the boatyard hasn’t addressed. We may just leave this until New Zealand. It’s far too hot and we want to get back in the water.
by steve, on September 30th, 2009 ( UK)
On Monday night we had our final Indian take-away from Chesham Tandoori – probably the last we’ll have for several years. (Nephew) David, his wife Tara and daughter Lola came over for final goodbyes.
 On Tuesday morning we lugged our heavy bags to the station and rode four separate London Underground trains to Parsons Green where had another long walk with our bags to meet Dick, our old friend and Sam’s Godfather. He soon took us to his barge, Jacana, where he stays when in London. We had been expecting a narrow, cramped canal barge. What we were brought to was a 100 year old converted river barge, about 150 feet long and about 20 feet wide. Inside it is cavernous including one room with a baby grand piano. Being berthed on the Thames, it spends half the time afloat and half the time sitting on the mud.
Once settled we all went for lunch at a nearby pub with all of us choosing bangers and mash to eat.
 After lunch Dick had to leave to go to Brussels for a conference. We spent a short while settling in on the boat before heading off. To get back on the underground we had a pleasant walk through Wandsworth Park and over the Putney rail and footbridge. We caught a couple of trains to Tottenham Court Road station.
We first checked out the locations of the Dominion Theatre and the Creation restaurant where we were to later have  our dinner and show. Then we entered the British Museum where we spent the next few hours perusing the exhibits. We first went to the European section. I particular wanted to see the ancient clocks and watches section but this section turned out to be closed for a couple of weeks. Nevertheless there were plenty of interesting exhibits to see. Next came the ancient Persian section then ancient Egypt. We concluded our tour with the Asian sections.
Having worn our feet out we decided to stop for a cup of coffee. We found a pleasant street café nearby to recharge. We still had time left over so we went wondering and ended up in a pub near Covent Garden for a pint/glass of wine.
Soon it was time for dinner. Because of our ticket/dinner deal we weren’t presented with the full menu but we were still able to choose two course meals that were quite tasty. From the restaurant we went back to the theatre to pick up our tickets. Rather than sit around for half an hour we had another walk around the area before settling into our seats a few minutes before the show started.
We had little idea about the story for “We Will Rock You”. It turns out to be set in the future when the music corporations have banned any form of live music and it’s up to one ‘dreamer’ to rediscover rock music. Sounds cheesy but it was excellent. All the music was by Queen. As we are familiar with all the songs, as was much of the audience, it was quite involving.
By the time we made our way back to the boat it was almost midnight. It didn’t take long before we were out for the count.
by steve, on September 28th, 2009 ( UK)
We left Cornwall at 8am Saturday morning and had an uneventful drive to Helen’s cousin Liz. We were able to spend a few hours with her then say our goodbyes. A final two hours drive had us back in Chesham.
Sunday morning was a lie in and catch up with some admin. After watching the Singapore Grand Prix (with great, long missed BBC commentary) we drove to London to meet Helen’s ex and his family. We have remained friends over the years which keeps the families close. We went out for a meal in Chinatown and afterward walked back to their home near Victoria.
Today is our final day in Chesham which means we’ll almost certainly have our final curry this evening.
Tomorrow we’re off to London where we’ll stay on our friend’s barge for a couple of nights. Tuesday afternoon we plan on visiting the British Museum followed by dinner and a night out at the theatre. We’ve booked a combo deal – dinner at Creation followed by “We Will Rock You” at the Dominion, both right by the British Museum.
Wednesday we have friends to meet and will probably do a lot of walking around. We have a 9am flight to Grenada via Tobago on Thursday. Not sure if we’ll be able to blog before we’re back so next entry may end up being from the boat.
On the c/c front we’ve been reassured by the boatyard that the boat still looks closed and not broken into. We won’t know for sure until Thursday but there’s not much we can do until then so we shall cease to worry until then.
by steve, on September 25th, 2009 ( UK)
by steve, on September 24th, 2009 ( UK)
We had a very pleasant evening in Wells. We did go out for a meal. Rather predictably we found a local Indian which turned out to make excellent food. We were delighted. We had a good night’s sleep with a lie in before breakfast which involved more sausages, bacon, eggs, beans, etc. We read a little more before beginning our trip to Cornwall.
 As we had some time in hand we thought we’d have a look around Glastonbury, just a few miles to our South and more or less on our way to the motorway. Who knows, being the equinox we may save some poor naked virgin about to be sacrificed by some deranged druids. There was some disappointment on this front but we did have a good visit.
Our first stop was Glastonbury Tor. It was an old ruin of a church (just the tower) perched a few hundred feet above the town on a small hill. This must have been built by clergy who wanted their congregations to be fit. The views from the top were superb. We could see all around including, off in the distance, Wells cathedral. Down below we could see much of the town of Glastonbury but not the remains of the abbey.
 This was our next stop. We hiked back down the hill and along a country lane back to the car and parked by the old abbey. Although the abbey was close to Wells Cathedral and built at the same time, it was in ruins. This was due to differences of opinion between controlling monks and Henry VIII during the reformation period – in particular, differences about where certain church treasures should be kept. The abbey must have once been magnificent but no more.
We were treated to a nice performance of living history in the old kitchen, the only fully standing and intact part of the old structure.
Before heading down to Cornwall we had a wander around the town. Glastonbury is clearly very much a New Age mecca with plenty of stores ready to exploit those who’ve convinced themselves a well placed crystal will change their world.
The drive down to Penzance, Cornwall took about three hours. We arrived about a minute or two after Helen’s sister Lois and her husband Robin. They’d just finished their last of about five trips down to Cornwall moving their possessions from their old home in Stevenage. They have recently retired and are moving to Cornwall to enjoy the area. Helen’s brother, Peter, was also there. We were soon all unloading the van into Lois and Robin’s home and later into Peter’s storage under his house, just a few miles away.
Once this was accomplished and the van dropped off it was time to kick back, open the wine and catch up with everything. In the evening Peter went home and the rest of us went out to eat at a pub called the Dolphin Arms.
 Our plan for day 2 in Cornwall was to get a good hike in. The calorie battle seems to be escalating as moderation, having failed to take a foothold, has yielded to increasing output battling increasing input. Our first excursion was to a local café for breakfast – a full English again. Then it was off to the western end of the peninsular to walk the coast. The area was rugged and beautiful as Cornwall is and festooned with old tin mine ruins. As Lois and Robin knew the area well they were our guides. They took us on a great route including clambering over beaches of boulders and up to Cape Cornwall.  Off the beach of boulders we were able to see seals playing in the water. The weather quite misty and very slightly drizzly – the worst we’ve experienced on our trip so far. Nevertheless it was all very pleasant and enjoyable.
Heading back to Penzance Robin took us along the southern route and detoured into a tiny fishing village called Penberth Cove. There were only a few houses but each was ready for it’s own postcard image. There were a few fishing boats which could be dragged up and down to the sea using a large manual capstan.
Back at Lois and Robin’s house in Penzance we rested for a while. I finished the Dan Brown book I’d recently bought. The ending was a bit wet but overall it had been a riveting read. Peter and his wife, Dianne, came over shortly and we ordered a combination of Chinese and Indian take out for dinner.
Today we plan to visit the library to catch up on emails, etc. Our shipment of boat parts is progressing and should arrive in Grenada the week after we arrive. That’s perfect timing for us. I want to make sure there are no hiccups with this and that the boatyard are on time with their work. We don’t want to have to sit on the hard any longer than we have to when we return to Grenada.
by steve, on September 21st, 2009 ( UK)
We had a nice Sunday with Joanna and Alan. We had a nice lazy morning reading, chatting, looking at their bees. In the afternoon we we drove to Tatton Park for an extended walk which was nice.
In the evening we had a meal whereby we fried meats and veg on a hot plate, Japanese style. This worked very well.
This morning we began our trek south. We’re due in Cornwall tomorrow so today we broke our trip by diverting to Wells in Somerset. It’s known as the smallest city in England. It qualifies as a city by possessing a cathedral.
We arrived around midday, parked the car and wondered into the city center. We immediately recognised the area at the end of the high street from a movie we’d seen. It took us a while to remember it was “Hot Fuzz.”
We took a guided tour of the cathedral. It’s always amazing to see old cathedrals. I can’t imagine anyone affording to build a stone building of such intricacy today.
We’ve settled into the White Hart Hotel, an old coach house, for the evening. We’ll probably eat out tonight.
by steve, on September 19th, 2009 ( UK)
We’re now “Up North” staying with Helen’s sister Joanna and her husband Alan in a place near Manchester called Appleton.
The last couple of days have been quite interesting. The first 24 hours in the country we managed to cover, again, all our missing favourites. Wednesday lunch we had a full English breakfast. In the evening we had curry. The following morning Helen and went for a long walk and ended up in a pub where we ate fish and chips. We are really in danger of putting on some serious weight.
Yesterday evening we all went out to celebrate Emily’s (our nieces) 21st birthday by going out to yet another pub which served up great Italian food.
In amongst all this we took a trip to Tesco’s. This trip highlights the difference between shopping in the Caribbean and here in the Uk. In the Caribbean you go to wherever you are going and are simply grateful if you can find most of what you’re looking for. We went to Tesco’s principally to pick up the latest Dan Brown book. We knew they were selling it as a loss leader (less than half price) to bring people into the store. Knowing this we felt immune to the hook. We picked up our hire car first and discovered it needed fuel. Tesco’s sells fuel too. Going into the store we learned that if we spend 50 pounds we’ll save 5p a litre on the fuel. So we figured we’ll pick up some clothes we need and some wine. There was a deal on for 3 bottle for 10 pounds and sparkling wine was half price so we bought a bottle of that. Then we saw that we’d save another 5% if we bought six bottles so another 2 bottles went into the basket. By the time we left we’d spent over 70 pounds having intended to go in just for a book.
This morning we drove up from Chesham to here – about three hours. We were fed a fine roast dinner on the basis they don’t eat like this normally but as they had guests ……
We’ve been out for a walk to lose a small fraction of the mass we’ve eaten recently stopping off for beer in a nice pub. Not a lot planned for the next day. We’ll begin our trip to Cornwall on Monday.
by steve, on September 17th, 2009 ( UK)
Traveling by airplane just doesn’t have the sense of excitement as it used to – particularly when there are three to catch.
The flight from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg was non eventful. We had a short wait of about an hour or so until the overnight Air France flight to Paris. Entering the plane things weren’t so good. It seemed there was no cold air flowing so it felt like an oven. Worse still – someone near us (couldn’t/wouldn’t figure out who) had wiffy armpits and it smelt like someone with 20 arms. We were promised the plane would cool down when we took off. The best we got is it got less hot. The smell didn’t blow away.
I was wedged between Helen and a German lady. My seat didn’t want to stay back and it felt like the padding beneath my arse had worn out as the chair felt quite hard. The German lass didn’t feel this as she had a rather large amount of padding of her own which made it’s way into my seat from time to time over the night. As a consequence of all this (the heat, the smell and the German invasion) I slept very little, if at all.
I caught up a little sleep at Charles de Gaul airport where we had a three hour wait for our London flight. Helen found some adjacent seats without intervening handles which allowed me to lie down and sleep for a bit.
The London flight took off about 45 minutes late for various reasons. We landed about 10 to 11. The busses which we wanted to catch left the central bus station at 15 minutes past the hour. We didn’t hold much hope for the 11:15 bus but despite this we hurried along. We whizzed through immigration without delay and the first of our bags appeared almost as soon as we arrived at the baggage claim. Our hopes were raising. Could our second bag arrive in time?
An agonizing wait ensued and eventually our next bag arrived. We practically ran through customs, ditched the trolley, down the stairs, picked up another trolley, ran to the bus station basement, crammed ourselves into two separate lifts (elevators), and finally ran (me with three bags/cases) to the bus stop. We arrived a minute late. The bus left two minutes later. Phew.
On the bus we started our calls to figure out what we’re doing for the next couple of weeks. Looks like we’ll stay in Chesham for a couple of days then drive up to Manchester to visit one of Helen’s sisters. A couple of days there then down to Cornwall, probably stopping off somewhere along the way. A few days in Cornwall then back to Chesham. We may have an opportunity to stay in London for a couple of days so we’ll do that if we can just before heading back to Grenada.
by steve, on September 4th, 2009 ( South Africa, UK)
While my recent blogs have been, to the letter, accurate, they have also been misleading through omission. Over a week ago we flew to England followed by a trip to South Africa arriving yesterday to surprise my parents on their 50th wedding anniversary. All went well. We’re a bit tired so updating the blog may have to wait. I’ll be going back and adding the missing bits to all the previous blogs too.
by steve, on September 2nd, 2009 ( UK)
Helen’s son John came to visit on Saturday staying the night. Not to miss out on the good food at our old local Indian restaurant we ordered takeaway to make it two nights in a row.
Monday was a bank/public holiday here in the Uk. Usually this means poor weather and long queues on the motorway for folks returning from a long weekend away. For us this meant a visit to our friends Erin and Robin for a BBQ where we were joined by our old karate instructor Ashley. We had great fun catching up and the weather was great for us.
We finally got quotes together for all the remaining bits and pieces we need sent to Grenada so at least that seems to be moving on now.
We went for a walk yesterday before it got too hot. Pleasant trails through woods and saw some old churches. Had fish n chips in the evening. The British influence in this place is evident. Being in England this is hardly surprising. Remember – when writing this we were pretending to still be in Grenada. We had fun writing these things into the blog.
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