This Summer we will be really excited to
welcome Barb's sister Anita and hubby John to England. In all
the years we lived there together (1974-1981. We were there
singly long before) and all the summers we have visited since,
none of her siblings have ever visited us there. Barb's
parents came twice and Rick, her nephew has been twice, but
this is a stellar occasion for all of us.
We are renting lodges in Mercia Marina for
the duration, near our boat Basil the King.
Plans include London for almost a week, Liverpool for 3 days
and St. Ives, Cornwall for a week. In June we plan to cat-sit
for my bro Michael and sis-in-law Ange in my Ancestral Village
of Woodchurch, Kent. Gotta get our cat fix! Planned visitors
to Mercia will include our nearly-drowned friend Liza (see
July 7th 2016) who is bravely coming back, and my
boyhood friend and uncle (he's actually younger than I am)
Richard and his new bride, Viv. We hope to see my high school
mate Peter when we visit the West Country (he and his wife
live in Devon). At the end of August we will join Mick and
Ange and her family for a week's cruise around
Slartibartfast's masterpiece, the Norwegian Fjords, before
flying home.
As usual, I am
hoping to do some boating, Barb not so much. Basil
boat has been badly beaten up by a bad winter. His deck board
sags (left), another boater crashed into him and who knows
what else I will find when we get there. Fingers crossed. Stay
tuned for regular updates starting in June.
June 13th Who would have
thought, all those years
ago when British Airways started the Phoenix to London
direct flight using old DC10's, that one day they would
fill two huge 747's daily? That's about 2,400 people
flying back and forth between Phoenix and Europe. Now
this year they have new competition in the shape of a
daily Condor Airlines flight to Frankfurt. Condor
Airlines is a German subsidiary of Thomas Cook.
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
Earlier BA 747 flight departing, passes
Condor Airlines Airbus on the ramp.
Minutes later a second BA 747 (ours) lands at
Phoenix Sky Harbor Aiport.
Preparing to Depart on BA Flight 288
We had a
somewhat bumpy but otherwise uneventful flight to London. BA have improved their cabins, particularly the TV, but they need to catch up with the Asian airlines. The food was terrible. I had gnocchi that was so overcooked it had
caramelized and the sauce was dried to a
red crust. Barb had an inedible 'filet'. Managed to get some sleep, though, and next morning we were rewarded by great views of the patchwork quilt that is England (right).
We stayed one night in London and the next day
(Sunday) I rented a car and we drove haltingly up to Derby.
Haltingly because of a weird Citroen gearbox and, if I'm honest,
my lack of practice with stick shifts. It was a gorgeous sunny
day with fluffy clouds and England looks stunning in all its
summer greenery. Now we are ensconced in Laurel Lodge at Mercia
Marina. No rain yet, but it will come in the fullness of time. Basil
seems to be in fine form so far. The solar panels kept the
batteries topped up all winter and are now running the fridge as
well. I dewinterized the engine today and it started up with
nary a puff of smoke. Amazing. I have yet to tackle my bête
noire - the plumbing system - which has been through several
hard winter frosts. We shall see.
Dinner at Nadee on
Monday night was sublime. If there is any French justice in the
world, that place should have a Michelin star.
Few things are more depressing than a mid-week visit to a
Midlands Tesco supermarket. Full of old grannies wielding
shopping carts like battering rams, shelves of old produce dated
tomorrow and high prices. But you gotta do what you gotta do and
we did it yesterday. We were feeling right grumpy by the time we
got to the checkout and I got an earful from Barb about not
packing correctly, much to the amusement of the cashier. I must
say, for all their faults, the Middle Earth people are
unfailingly friendly and cheerful in spite of the dour
post-industrial conditions in which they live. In the evening we
went out to dinner with Gandalf, aka our friend Robert, the
Wizard of Mercia. He, and a surfeit of wine, cheered us up
enormously.
Laurel Lodge (spot the Resident)
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
Basil in Dock. New Piazza Building behind.
Basil Looks Pretty Smart in Spite of a Hard Winter
The Marina Gets Lusher Every Year
I can only imagine what the guy (yes, it must be
a guy) who drives this eccentricity looks like.
With Robert in the Boot Inn, Repton
I must say that it's great being here. Probably
partly because I'm at home but also because Britain seems like a
much kinder gentler place than America right now. There's a
thread of common decency running through society here that has
disappeared in the US. Sure, Britain has its problems but,
watching a Brexit debate in Parliament last night, I was struck
how little party infighting there is. There was vociferous
disagreement (one MP was thrown out of the House) but all seemed
to put the country's interest over partisan squabbling. The
world of Trump and his nasty, petty politics seems far away.
June 17th Had a bit of an altercation with an animal abuser yesterday
while out on my bikeshare bike. He let his little dog loose to
swim in the lake in front of a swan. Predictably, the swan
attacked the dog. The man began hurling rocks at the swan.
Man: "F****** swans,
I hate them."
Me: "Well, it's his
territory."
Man: "You wouldn't
say that if you had seen what I saw. A swan breaking a
dog's neck. There's far too many of them."
Me: "It could be
said there's far too many dogs."
Man: "Yeah, and it
could be said there's far too many f****** people,
too."
The dog narrowly
escaped, but it was close. He will probably think
twice about swimming with swans in future.
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
The Swan in Happier Mood
Earlier in the day we said goodbye to
Barbara's old friend Liza, who came by train to see us and
stayed one night. We toured the marina on foot with her and
she was able to thank Mike for saving her life when she fell
in the water when she last visited in July 2016. We ate in the
Boardwalk which has gone downhill a little but still cooks
acceptable nosh.
Barb and Liza in the Boardwalk
Chrissy (who runs the Marina store with husband
Graham) has opened a new Gift Barge.
Nadee, Holder of a Carter Star of Excellence
June 28th Nearing the end of a ten day visit to
Michael and Angela's house in Kent. After two days, they flew
off to Slovenia and left us in charge of their two most
excellent cats, Tigger and Patch. (Tigger is named after the
tiger in "Winnie the Pooh"). The weather has been absolutely
gorgeous, so we have been on excursions to Hythe and
Folkestone on the coast. My brother Nigel, his wife Sandra and
my sister Angela, nephew Jon, his wife Katie and their
daughter Esme have all been over to see us in Woodchurch.
Here are some photos:
Tigger
Patch, in Formal Attire
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
The Street Where I (used to) Live
The Village is Blooming
Henden House, Reputedly the Oldest in
Woodchurch
Cricket Match on Woodchurch Village Green
Michael, Sandra and Nigel
Preparing the Feast
A Feast at Angela & Mick's House
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
Angela and Barbara
My Brothers, Michael (left) and Nigel
Esme (21 months) in Movie Star Mode
Esme Eating Lunch in the Six Bells Pub.
Pigarina and Pigletta Prepare
to Leave for Slovenia >>
Barbara at The Leas, Folkestone
Barb's New NHS Hearing Aid
Sign on the Leas
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE (except sign above)
The Ship Inn, Folkestone Harbour
Inside the Ship Inn
Expert Kiteboarder in Action
Typical Tabloid Fare in the Daily Mirror
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
Cultural Note: The British Government,
concerned about childhood obesity, is considering legislation
banning advertising of junk food and drink on TV before 9 p.m.
Prescription drug ads are already banned here
and there is a tax on sugary drinks. None of this is
acceptable in the USA because it would be a breach of the
Constitutional right of free speech.
July 7th At the end of our time in Kent we went to visit my bro
Nigel and his wife Sandra in Canterbury. My sis Angela drove
over from Walmer with her grandson Thomas and we had tea in
Nigel's garden on yet another sunny afternoon. The weather has
been superb - continuous blue skies and temps up to 30C (88F)
every day. In the evening we celebrated nephew Josh's 25th
birthday at Dems, a local Bistro which served excellent
French-ish cuisine.
Next day we visited Rye, a medieval port on
the River Rother. The sea has receded since the town was built
but small boats can still access the harbour via the Rother
estuary. Rye is one of the Cinque Ports - five ancient ports
which were active after the Norman conquest of southern
England. It is a quaint old town with tiny shops on cobbled
streets and is built atop a hill with sweeping views of the
coastline and the Romney Marsh. We wished we could take Anita
and John there later when they visit but, alas, there is
nowhere quite like it in the Midlands.
Nigel and Thomas
Nigel, Amber, Roger, Barbara, Josh and Sandra
in Dems, Canterbury
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
Rye Town Crier
Old Town Gate
Old Houses in Rye (above and left)
Mick and Ange returned from Ljubljana, pleased to find their cats
and house mostly intact, and we all went together to watch the
finals of the Eastbourne Lawn Tennis Championship. This is a
precursor to Wimbledon and lots of players warm up there for
the Big One, as it were. It used to be a ladies-only (WTA)
tournament but now it is also a men's gig on the ATP world
tour.
Grandstand Mural at Eastbourne
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
A Full House Awaits the Ladies Final
Caroline Wozniacki beat a young but promising
Aryna Sabalenka.
Caroline Wozniacki Serves
The Men's Champion Trophy went to Mischa
Zverev who beat Luká Lacko in straight sets
It was incredibly hot in the stands just sitting
and watching. God knows how the players coped with the heat, but
they did. Afterwards we walked along the seafront and on the
pier to cool off. We were very impressed with Eastbourne. It is
beautifully decked out with flower filled formal gardens and
people of all ages having a good time. It still has that certain
air of faded Edwardian gentility shared by so many English
seaside towns, but has been nicely spruced up and is livelier
than most but by no means overcrowded. Of course, any town looks
stunning under a blue sky, drenched in sunshine and fringed by
an aquamarine sea.
On Eastbourne Pier
On the way home we ate
at the Bull in Rolvenden, a classic country pub with a
friendly laid-back atmosphere and good food. Next day
we said sad goodbyes to Tigger, Patch, Ange and Mick
and drove back up to the Midlands in heavy traffic.
Tigger Prefers Water On Tap
"What Do You Mean, They're Not Coming Back
Until August?" (Photo & caption by Ange)
After the long drive round London on the M25
orbital, tunneling under the Thames and up Britain's busiest
freeway, the M1, I had a brainwave as I entered the big green
security gates at Mercia Marina. I suggested to Robert (the
Manager) that there should be a big, colourful sign on the gate:
"You are Entering a Different Way of Life. Please Slow Down." He
thinks it's a good idea and says he'll do it.
We had one day off at Mercia before Nigel and Sandra arrived by
train to stay two nights. Next day we actually WENT BOATING for
a WHOLE DAY! Basil Boat purred up the cut in fine fettle
to below Weston where we picnicked on the towpath under the
shade of a giant oak, or some other tree.
Sandra, Barb and Nigel Shop at the Marina
Sandra and Nigel in the Boardwalk Restaurant
We Met Up with Old Friends Cathy and Mick
on their boat "The Crafty Foxes"
Out on the Canal At Last!
Picnic on the Bank of the Trent & Mersey
At Dusk, We Moored at Nadee for Dinner
Sunset at Mercia Marina
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
The weather continues in sublime summer mode as we
prepare to leave tomorrow for six days in Cornwall
on the far southwest tip of England. We'll be back
on July 14th.
July 16th Cornwall We got back from St. Ives, Cornwall after a magnificent six
nights by the sea in the sunny Southwest. The drive down was
only 312 miles, nothing much by American standards, but it felt
very arduous. 5.5 hours to get there and 6.5 hours to get back
because of heavy traffic. Our rented Citroen C3 Aircross is a
very quirky car, the clutch and brake pedals and the gears are
all very close together. Once I stomped on the clutch instead of
the brake (do not try this on your car) and several times tried
to pull away in third gear. In addition it is extremely
underpowered and has weird design errors. The suspension is
horrible, strange for a company once renowned for smooth riding
cars. The doors lock when you approach with the key and you
can't leave the windows open a crack in hot weather because the
alarm sounds after a few minutes even if you lock the car.
Doubtless some of this is due to my rusty stick shift and
driving on-the-left skills, but I cannot recommend this car. On
the plus side it is very comfortable as a touring car on
freeways.
As soon as we arrived at the Pedn Olva hotel, the driving stress
evaporated as we surveyed the vista of Porthminster Beach laid
before us from our verandah. I'll shut up now and mostly let the
pictures do the talking:
The Pedn Olva Hotel
We have stayed here before and love it. CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
The View from our Balcony
Another view of Porthminster Beach
England was Gripped by World Cup Fever.
The beach graffiti reads: "ENGLAND, IT'S
COMING HOME!". Sadly, they lost to
Croatia in the semi-final but they did well and
were fun to watch.
Porthminster Beach Cafe - Whole Lemon Sole
The Ancient Sloop Inn, St. Ives Harbour
More popular now than in the 16th Century
A Flower Among Flowers
Low Tide at Dusk, St. Ives Harbour
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
One day we visited the Tate Gallery in St. Ives.
The Tate has been recently extended and is built on the site of
an old gas works, overlooking St. Ives' other main beach. The
area has long been a magnet for artists not only for the
stunning landscapes, lit by the best light in the land, but also
for a rich history of smuggling, pirates and other crusty old
seafaring characters. In addition to collected local works by
Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and others, we saw a special
exhibition of Patrick Heron's paintings:
Sydney Garden Painting : December 1989 : II
Christmas Eve, 1951
10 - 11th July 1992
Ceruleum Sea : June 1961
On the second day
we clambered aboard the Citroen and motored 50 miles along
the A30 and some impossibly narrow Cornish lanes to the tiny
seaport of Port Isaac. Here we joined a bunch of idiots who
have seen the village 300 times before on TV but are
addicted, like us, to the comedy drama 'Doc Martin'. This
series about the curmudgeonly doc, who would certainly have
targeted us all with his acid sarcasm, was filmed here. In
the series it is named 'Port Wenn'. The locals attempt to
live a quiet life of fishing and ruminating but are
outnumbered by the hated hordes, many of whom are American.
Barb asked one of the locals if they had finished filming
the latest episodes and he muttered "I don't know, and I
don't care", in more fulsome language.
Port Isaac Harbour. The Doc's Office is Top Left
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
Barb Did Not Have an Appointment
The Golden Lion, Where We Ate a Good Lunch
- (in convivial company!)
Memo to Jack: We saw no giggles of girls shouting
"tosser" or "Bodmin" at us, though we richly deserved it. We did
have to drive past Bodmin to get to Port Isaac.
Another day we took the train
from St. Ives to Penzance. The little train rumbles along
the coast and along an estuary to St. Erth where we changed
to a mainline train from London for the short but scenic
ride to Penzance. For the princely sum of £3.05 ($4.05)
Seniors round trip, this is surely one of the best value
train rides in the country, if not the world. It will be a
subject of my documentary "Great Value Rail Journeys",
available after my death when it is finally edited. From
Penzance we walked along the promenade to Newlyn.
Newlyn Harbour
Great Western Railway Train at Penzance
View of St. Michael's Mount from Newlyn
Lobster Pot In Newlyn Harbour
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE (except Newlyn Harbour, top)
Wherever We Went We Made Friends
A short hike from St. Ives took us to Carbis
Bay, along the coast a bit. Here is the longest beach I have
ever seen outside of Australia, miles of golden sand almost
uninhabited by humans (or flies) even in this glorious
weather. We had coffee in the swanky Carbis Bay Hotel (£7
for two Americanos). I rode the train back because my
arthritic ankle was really acting up, but Barb hiked back.
Carbis Bay
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
Black Cat Luck Along the Way
Flowers Grace the Trail
Is THIS the Best Value Train Ticket? (0.65p)
Cottage Flowers and Cats, St. Ives
And so ended a
memorable stay in St. Ives, Cornwall. We resolved to
come back next year and stay in the Pedn Olva hotel
for a third time. The room we had this year was
tiny, though we managed fine and it had a great
balcony, but they showed us a better room for next
year. The food and wine was fine and very good
value, not something you can usually say about
holiday hotels. We ate steamed mussels, grilled
hake, fish & chips, haloumi burger and desserts
with clotted cream including a delicious gluten-free
chocolate brownie. Yummie!
People who come to St. Ives are an interesting mix
of working-class (blue collar) people and artistic
types. The little train disgorges families who come
for the day and leave in the evening, but quite a
few stay on in the hotels.
No Comment. Will NOT enlarge.
First Night Back - Barb Slept Well
Now we are back at
Mercia Marina, preparing for a 3-day trip to
Liverpool, home of The Beatles and the late Ken Dodd,
among others.
Two Cats and Two People Live Here
Tiller Pin on Precious Time
Back on My Bikeshare Bike
Donald Trump appeared briefly here, played golf,
met the Queen and insulted the Prime Minister before flying off
to Helsinki to cozy up to Vladimir Putin. He was carefully
insulated from the hundreds of thousands of protesters who
joined the largest weekday protests in the history of politics.
Something to add to his "biggest, most wonderful" bag of
accomplishments.
Meanwhile the British Government is in disarray over the
impossible task of leaving the European Union without
bankrupting the country. Theresa May must rue the day she ran
for Prime Minister, a thankless job if ever there was one.
July 22nd We returned from Liverpool yesterday
after 2 nights in the Premier Inn, Albert Dock.
The River Mersey
Narrowboats in Outer Albert Dock, Dwarfed
by the City Buildings
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
View of Inner Albert Dock from our Window
Inner Albert Dock by Night
Old Dutch Trader, the De Wadden, in a Dry
Dock prviously used to Repair Slave Traders
The whole
dock area, which was a hub of Transatlantic shipping in
the 18th, 19th and early 20th Centuries and then fell
into dreadful dereliction, has been immaculately
restored. The old warehouses now house hotels like ours,
shops, cafes and museums. The docks are linked together
and connected to the River Mersey via huge sea locks and
to the inland waterways system via the Leeds and
Liverpool canal. So, if you have the time, you can take
a boat like ours from London or Birmingham and cruise to
Liverpool and mingle with seagoing craft in Albert Dock.
This is one of the finest urban renewal projects I have
ever seen. The old gritty grandeur of the docks and huge
warehouses is retained but perfectly adapted to modern
uses.
Ship's Rats and Predator on the Dock
Another tourist magnet is the most famous rock
band of all time, The Beatles. There are Beatles crawling
everywhere: Beatles statues, Beatles exhibitions, 'The Beatles
Story' and the rebuilt Cavern Club, to name a few. We did our
fair share of visiting these adulatory sites. We spent two hours
at The Beatles Story (never thought I'd see my contemporaries in
a museum), gawped at their statues and withstood the din in the
Cavern Club for a few minutes. Loud music is everywhere - we
were unable to find a quiet restaurant. One highlight was a
special exhibition of John and Yoko's love story and work in the
Liverpool Museum, entitled 'Double Fantasy'. Together, they
tried to make our world a better place while doing what they
loved. They left a lasting legacy and legions of fans worldwide.
I was horrified when John was shot and this exhibition brought
tears to our eyes all over again. What a terrible loss it was
for all of us
Beatles Photos:
Statues in the dock area (above)
Poster for the Double Fantasy exhibit (right)
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
"Bed Peace" tableau (above)
and detail of the guitar that John played
at Bed Peace and decorated (below)
Peace Wall (Public Graffiti)
Naive but Powerful Lyrics to Imagine
We also visited the Slavery Museum, the first and
only one in Europe. Liverpool played a big part in this sordid
piece of human history. Many of the slave ships were built,
owned and crewed by Liverpudlians. Slaves were transported in
the ships' horrific holds, shackled together and rocking in
their own vomit and excrement. Many did not survive the transit
from Africa to the Caribbean and the American colonies. If too
many survived, the ship's Captain would sometimes throw slaves
overboard to claim the insurance.
The Maritime Museum was a little disappointing. Liverpool has a
rich history of seafaring, not all of it sordid. The stately
ocean liners departed from here to New York and now about 70% of
trade with North America passes through Liverpool's new
container ports. There was little of this in the museum, though,
just two exhibits dealing with the Titanic and the sinking of
the Lusitania in WWI.
The Mersey ferry has been plying the Mersey estuary for 150
years. It still is an important service but is also a tourist
attraction. We sailed over to the Wirral peninsula and
disembarked to look at the remains of an old German U-Boat which
was sunk in 1945 by a Halifax bomber using depth charges.
Inside the Slavery Museum
Liverpool Cityscape from the Mersey Ferry
We could have used a couple more days in Liverpool. We
were somewhat exhausted by the end of our visit. The
drive back to Mercia was only 88 miles but took over 2
hours because of dense traffic and road-works on the
M6.
I would love to come
back here by boat and moor awhile in the docks, but
sadly that will probably never happen. It's a two week
cruise from Mercia one way and lots of big locks on
the way.
The Liver Building
Liverpool Cathedral
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
July 28th We spent a week on and around the marina
after returning from Liverpool. The weather continues brutally
hot, over 30C every day. One day the high was 36C (97F) which
felt worse than being in Arizona as we have no aircon in the
lodge or the boat. The news is full of the excessive heat all
over Europe, Japan, China and North America. We had dinner with
our friends Carol & Keith (right) in the Boardwalk one night
and next day visited them and their dog Lucky on their boat.
Barb and I went out on the boat for two days, traveling the
Trent and Mersey up to Barton Marina and back. It was pleasant
enough in the mornings just tootling along with Basil's
windows and doors all open wide, but it was really too hot to
work locks or do anything at all after 2 p.m. Yesterday the
weather broke and right now it is grey and pouring watery stuff.
We are hoping for a happy medium when Anita and John come next
week. We are going to London on Monday (30th) and they arrive
there on Wednesday.
Lucky With His Teeth In
Cattle Sheltering from the Heat
Cruising on an Aqueduct Over the River Dove
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
Almost Home - Moored in Willington
Aug 12th A hectic couple of weeks prevented this diarist from
scribbling. We went to London by train from East Midlands
Parkway because there are no trains from Derby to London while
the station is being reconfigured. I got horribly lost on the
way and we found ourselves on the M1 heading south and could not
turn back for miles. Then I repeated the error going north.
Result: missed train. We caught another 45 minutes later and
luckily the conductor accepted our tickets for the wrong train.
We hauled all our bags on the Tube to Waterloo and walked to the
Premier Inn, County Hall in the searing heat as the 'heat wave'
continues to blast the British Isles. One day the high was 36C
(97F) in a city largely bereft of air conditioning. Fortunately,
in spite of a notice to the contrary on our bedroom wall, the
Premier Inn is now so equipped. Next night we went to see 'Tina-
the Musical' at the Adelphi. Adrienne Warren, who plays Tina
Turner did a great job and the music is great, of course, but
the acting was a little stilted and, well, nobody can compare to
the real Tina.
We duly met Anita and John
(Barb's sis and brother-in-law) at Heathrow for their first
ever visit to the UK and shepherded them back via the TFL
Connector train to Paddington and a taxi to the hotel. Once
again, I will clam up and let the pictures talk:
Thames Panorama from the Tate Modern
With Anita and John at Heathrow Rail Station
Outside the County Hall Theatre where
we later saw Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution
Premier Inn, County Hall (left) and the
London Eye at Night
Parliament is shrouded in scaffolding due to
major renovations. Only Big Ben's face is visible
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE (except panorama, top)
The Thames by Night
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
(Rebuilt on the South Bank by Sam Wanamaker)
St. Paul's Cathedral from the Tate Modern
The Shard - Tallest Building in the EU
Borough Market
Seafood Stall in Borough Market
Birthday Girl
A Highlight was Anita's Birthday at Da Mario
Restaurant in Covent Garden with most of my
family in attendance. Small Italian place with
great food
My arthritic ankles were
acting up so I took a boat to Greenwich and explored the
Cutty Sark (an old Tea Clipper) and the Royal Naval
College while Barb, Anita and John went to Portobello Road
Market and also saw where Barb used to live in the early
1970's.
The Cutty Sark
After an illustrious career transporting tea from
India and wool from Australia (when it set the
sailing ship record of 70 days from Sydney)
the Cutty Sark is now high and dry as a
museum in Greenwich.
Captain Carter at the Helm (he wishes).
Fine Collection of Figureheads at the Cutty Sark
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
We also visited my old BBC mate Colin.
Here he is with Barb outside the Adelaide
Pub in Teddington where we lunched
On August 4th we
traveled by train with Anita and John back to Mercia
Marina to show them the REAL England (or at least one
version of it). London is a giant seething
cosmopolitan mix of cultures from all over the world
and no more representative of Britain than New York is
of the USA. The Midlands is proudly blue-collar
working class and predominantly Anglo but with many
immigrants from Pakistan, India and the Caribbean.
Anita and John were impressed with the peace and quiet
of the marina. While they were here we went boating
for a day and visited Chatsworth House, the stately
home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. What the
Duke of Devonshire is doing in Derbyshire I was unable
to adequately explain. We also went to Matlock Bath, a
pretty little town in a gorge of the River Derwent.
Aboard Basil
John did most of the steering and was very
good at it - a natural narrowboater.
Anita Tries the Helm
Barbara at Chatsworth.
We hung out in the Capability Brown Garden
while Anita and John toured the 270-room
house and grounds
Pastoral Perfection - the Derwent runs
through the grounds at Chatsworth
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
The Derwent Again at Matlock Bath
While they
were here we ate out every night. None of
us were very impressed with the Boardwalk,
it has really gone downhill. A & J
finally had fish and chips at the Dragon
in Willington and were so impressed we had
to go back and repeat the experience. The
Dragon has been the butt of my sarcasm in
the past. They once served me a pulled
pork sandwich which consisted of a smear
of pork on a huge bun. I sent them a photo
of a real one upon my return to the
States. I have to revise my opinion now,
though, the food there is excellent. We
also ate twice at Nadee and it did not
disappoint. It was really sad to see Anita and
John leave. I was so terrified of making
another navigational error on the way to
East Midlands station that I dumped them
there 45 minutes early. They managed to
return to Bellingham without too much
aggro except for weather delays of about
1.5 hours at Heathrow.
Could this be a Texas Longhorn?
(Seen by the canal in a field full of assorted
cows)
Now we are lonely and stranded in
our lodge, decompressing before our cruise to the
Norwegian Fjords at the end of August. The heat
wave is definitely over and the weather has
reverted to British summer - cloudy and gray with
intermittent rain but quite warm. Aug 20th We did manage one short last cruise before
winterizing Basil and packing up to leave
the Midlands. This may well be our last canal
cruise together as Barb doesn't like the Midlands
and doesn't care for boating much anymore. My
arthritic ankles, particularly the left one, have
deteriorated markedly and we may have to sell the
boat next year if I can't get some relief from the
docs over the winter and if I cannot get cruising
help. To that end, I am getting a valuation done
tomorrow *. Very depressing, but all good things
must come to an end.
In spite of the clouds hanging over us, real and
emotional, we had a pleasant 4-night cruise to
Alrewas and back. It is one of the most attractive
villages on the canal system and sparkled in the
dappled sunshine. We stayed two nights and ate
both nights at the Crown Inn because The George,
our usual haven, is closed for restoration. I have
high hopes for the Crown but it is a work in
progress. The new managers, Claire and Andrew, are
really trying hard and the food is imaginative and
excellent but the service needs improvement. The
staff are too busy laughing behind the bar or
striding through the restaurant avoiding eye
contact with the customers. Menus sit on tables
alongside empty glasses for too long before anyone
notices. Andrew is a former cruise line chef and
produces dishes which are a cut above the usual
pub fare, though those staples are listed too. We
both had trio of pork the first night, excellent.
Next night, I had Mediterranean flatbread which
was loaded with grilled veggies and really good,
while Barb had a steak. Her steak was grossly
overdone even after a long friendly discussion
with Andrew about how she liked it (pink, no
blood). We were presented with dessert menus and
ignored by the vacuous young staff for ten minutes
before we managed to flag one of them down.
Another ten minutes produced no dessert so we
deserted, paid up and left.
Moored Alone below Branston Lock in
Sight of the Needwood Forest
Dusk at Branston
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
Awaiting Release from Tatenhill Lock
The Trent Flows Across the Canal at Alrewas
Alrewas Lock
Old Working Narrowboat Crewed by Self-
Described Nutcases
Alrewas Lock Bypass Weir
Moorhen and (Day Old?) Chick
Crowded 48-Hour Moorings at Alrewas
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
Barbara's Tormentor Waits to Woo-Hoo
Her Tonight
Delilah
Aug 23 * FOOTNOTE:
Ian from the New and Used Boat Company
came to value Basil and basically
shot himself in the foot by persuading me
not to sell. I told him the reasons - my
arthritis and Barb's increasing dislike of
boating - and he said "I would get a new
one". For an instant I thought he meant a
new smaller boat, easier to operate
single-handed. Then I realized he meant
wife. He said he has been boating for 50
years and would "never give it up". He was
10 when he started with his Dad. He has a
prenuptial agreement with his wife that he
will never have to sell his boat.
He also told me the story of a customer
who came to sell recently. Ian asked "Why
do you want to sell? I just sold you this
boat 4 years ago." The man said he never
liked to traverse the same stretch of
waterway twice. We agreed that we both
like to revisit places we love: Tixall
Wide, Alrewas, Trent Lock and many others.
A man after my own heart. Food for
thought. He enthused about Basil's
layout and condition and valued him at mid
£70,000s.
On the left is our new visitor, Delilah.
She sought us out last year when we were
in Oak, again this year in Laurel and now
she has found us here in Bay Tree. She
comes in at least twice a day for a
cuddle, struts around the house and finds
different places to curl up. She is
completely unafraid of anything it seems,
sure of her superior position in the
world. I went to see her 'owner', Tracey,
who lives on a wide-beam barge fairly
close. She says Delilah is a former
Lithuanian beauty queen. She had two
litters for a breeder. The second litter
'did not turn out well', so she was spayed
and adopted by Tracey and her husband. She
is a "Highland Straight" because her ears
are not folded like a Highland Fold. One
parent had folded ears, the other
straight. We are honoured to serve.
Mon, Aug
27th On
Wednesday we are off on a Norwegian Fjords
Cruise with my brother Mike, his wife
Angela and four of her family. We have
been busy packing up and winterizing Basil.
Heard this morning that Arizona Senator
John McCain died. The BBC aired a far from
fawning tribute, pointing out his numerous
policy shifts on subjects from campaign
finance reform to immigration. But he was
an implacable foe of Donald Trump
and basically a decent human being. There
should be an interesting election in
Arizona.
This will be my last regurgitation from
England. There won't be time to write from
the North Sea, so I will post some
pictures after we get back to the USA on
Sept 9th.
There's a Nip in the Air as we Prepare to
Leave
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
This is the Ridiculous New
Canal and River
Trust Logo. Looks like any other amorphous
corporate generic logo. The previous one,
featuring a swan under a bridge, at least
bore
some relevance to the waterways. This was
designed by some company that knows
nothing about waterways.
Sept 15th Back now in the searing heat of Phoenix (41C
when we landed, same as when we left). Here is an
account of our Norweigan Fjords Cruise:
We were intending to unwind in Woodchurch for a
day before we shipped out, but a cataclysmic event
occurred. As we were approaching the Thames
Crossing at Dartford on the M25 (London Orbital
Freeway) at about 2 p.m. we suddenly ground to a
halt and became a speck in a huge traffic jam.
After a couple of hours we discovered, via local
radio, that two trucks had collided and were
blocking the entire motorway. Almost
simultaneously another accident in the
anticlockwise direction caused a diesel spill
which closed the road in that direction. We were
stuck for hours before help arrived to clear the
freeway and then we had to drive east because all
roads into London were blocked. I found a
pub/restaurant where we had dinner and I was able
to book online the last room in a nearby Premier
Inn. It was 3 miles from the pub to the hotel and
it took over an hour to drive there including some
hair-raising and illegal driving on the wrong side
of the road. Every road within a ten-mile radius
of Dartford was locked solid. The crossing was
closed for 16 hours and 200 motorists had to sleep
in an Ikea warehouse overnight. We were lucky to
actually have a comfy bed in a hotel at about 9:30
p.m.
Next day we got away early and everything was
moving again, so we easily made the cruise
departure from Dover in the afternoon. There were
eight of us in the family group (see near end of
page) and we left our car in Wye and boarded a bus
to get to the docks.
The cruise ship, Fred Olsen Lines' Boudicca,
was much nicer than we expected. Several people we
know had rubbished Fred Olsen. One said "If you've
been on Oceania and rated it five stars, Fred
Olsen is minus one star". Boudicca is an
older ship but beautifully designed and well
maintained. It actually looks like a ship and not
a floating apartment block. The cabins are larger
than the equivalent Oceania cabin (260 sq ft vs
175). The staff were unfailing friendly and
professional, the food was fine, sometimes
excellent, and a good time was had by all. F.O.
does charge for things that are inclusive on most
cruise lines, but then the initial cost was much
cheaper and the drinks are reasonably priced. Most
of the passengers were British with a smattering
of other nationalities. Barb was the only
American! One of our party of eight, Eleanor,
suffers from cerebral palsy and is in a
wheelchair. The staff were great with her. There
were 660 of us (880 is the max) and 372 crew
aboard as we set sail from a steely grey and
dismal Dover. However, the weather soon cleared
and we saw no more rain until we approached Dover
again a week later. The Fjords were mostly basking
in sunshine or speckled with fluffy clouds.
After a day crossing the North Sea we explored
some fjords on the way to Eidfjord (above,
right
and below)
*
Light and Shade
Next day (Sept 1st) we moored at Eidfjord..
..and walked up a salmon river
..to a pretty lake.
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
Toadstool encountered at Eidfjord
Early Cruise Passengers
(Actually "The Goblin Tastes the Brew"
by Nils Bergslien in the Eidfjord Art Museum)
This diary is uncensored
except that Barb has to
approve any photo of her before I publish
it. She
did not like this one but I like it, because
it tells
a story. The story may be in your (fevered?)
imagination, but it's a story nonetheless.
This is the posed and sanitized version that
she
prefers. I am hoping to hold my own on this.
As you can see, I did.
*
*
Riding the Bus from Flam
A Waterfall at Every Hairpin Bend
We cruised overnight to Flam
where we moored on the dock close to the
town centre. We boarded a bus for a ride up
to the town of Voss, high in the mountains.
The trip was exhilarating - through tunnels,
up mountain roads, over bridges and with
breathtaking views in every direction. Our
guide told a joke about a Flam bus driver
and a Priest who both died and reached the
pearly gates together. St. Peter said to the
driver "You may enter the Kingdom of Heaven
immediately, but the Priest must wait
awhile." The Priest protested "But I have
always served God. I have encouraged people
to go to church and to pray and I have given
long sermons in praise of God!" St. Peter
replied "Yes, but many people slept through
your services and did not pray, but when the
driver drove people round the mountains near
Flam, everybody stayed awake and prayed
fervently to God."
Rest Stop at Tvinde Waterfall
The bus ride
ended at Voss (above),where we boarded a train to
Myrdal. There
we changed to the famous Flamsbana
Railway, a candidate for the world's
most scenic train ride. The
track descends
867 metres over 20 km to Flam. An
incredible feat of engineering
involving massive tunnels,
bridges and grades of over 1:18.
*
The Flamsbana Wends its Way from Myrdal
to Flam
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
* Photos by Michael
Carter
*
The Train Stops at Kjosfossen Falls
At
Kjosfossen Falls (left) the train
ground to a halt and we dismounted
to view the falls. Suddenly, the
air is rent by eerie, thunderous
music and a sprite appears from
behind the rocks, dancing to the
music. This is the Huldra,
a mythical woman who is beautiful
(except for a cow's tail), and who
lures men into the forest and
pleads them to marry her.
If they do, she loses her tail,
becomes ugly, and gains the
strength of ten men. The hokey
Huldra (in red, just visible in
the photo), we later learned, was
played by a man in drag!
*
Pigarina and Pigletta Enjoyed the Ride
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
Early Flamsbana Locomotive in the Museum
Adjacent to Flam Station
We could have used more time in Flam, there is
so much to see and do there, but we cruised on
through more beautiful fjords to Bergen, arriving
next morning, Sept 3rd. Bergen is a big, busy city
with an attractive port rivaling Sydney or San
Francisco.
Colourful Bergen Architecture (above and
right)
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
(except panorama above)
We rode the modern funicular (left) to the
top
of Mount Fløyen where there are spectacular
views of the city, restaurants, trails and
goats.
View of Bergen from Mount Fløyen
Two Old Goats (and Barbara)
Good Thing Pigs Can Fly
(Photo by Angela Carter)
The Bramleys, Finns and Carters at The Grill
aboard Boudicca (bathed in infrared
light).
From left: Eleanor (Jackie and Peter's
daughter)
Peter Bramley, Me, Barb, Jack Finn (Angela
&
Jackie's Dad), Angela & Michael (my Bro)
and
Jackie Bramley.
Our fellow family cruisers presented us with
this professional photo of us in fancy
dress.
THANK YOU!!
CLICK on any IMAGE to ENLARGE
After one more
day crossing a calm North Sea, we
docked in Dover on a damp and dreary
morning, finding it much as we had
left it.Sadly,
our cruise had come to an end, as
all good things must.
A real sadness is that Eleanor had
contracted a throat infection during
the last few days aboard and was
running a fever. The day after she
got home she had to be rushed to
A&E (ER) with pneumonia and a
collapsed lung. She is in hospital
fighting for her life as I write. We
are all hoping for the best and I
will add a postscript when I know
more.
White Cliffs Welcome
After the cruise we visited Richard (my
friend and 'Uncle' who by a quirk is actually
younger than I) and his new wife Viv at home
in Goudhurst, then spent a day with Michael,
visiting my sister in Deal.After
that, a final day in London before flying home
to Phoenix on Sept 9th.Our
summer was over.
Cristo Art in Hyde Park, London
made from 7,500 oil barrels