A Delayed Post

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

From Southend we moved on to our hotel in Maldon - Le Bouchon - which is a first class small hotel with an excellent restaurant where you can book in on a stay and dine package. This trip was done via Wivenhoe to take Bill home and have lunch at the revamped Black Buoy Inn before checking in  to Le Bouchon.
The next day (Thursday) we drove to Colchester to buy a UK Sim for Mary's iphone and then to Bill's where he was waiting to take us to lunch at the Jubilee Hotel, at Ardleigh with his friend Terry O'Brien.  Our experience with the girl at the Three company where we bought the Sim was not inspiring and we have since discovered that she sold us the wrong package.  She was in a hurry to move on to another customer and very smartly dropped us - think he must have been much more interesting than two old Aussies!

Next day was Friday and we went to a village close to Maldon on the Blackwater Estuary called Tollesbury. We took a walk around the Tollesbury Wick Marshes. These marshes make up a reserve of 600 acres of coastal grazing marsh, sea walls and saltings. The reserve forms part of a Special Protection Area for wild birds, particularly overwintering birds. The walk is via a public footpath of 8 km from the marina in the village and return following the sea wall. This sea wall was constructed from the diggings of an inside ditch which then formed the Borrowdyke. Here are two pics selected from our picture gallery on the blog.  As you can see it was a beautiful sunny day.

Lightship

Yachts returning to Harbour.  Mersea in the background where Marilyn Mckenna is from.

There are about three of these buildings built originally to store sails for one of the America's Cup Challenge. One has been converted into a cafe and the others are used for a variety of storage and businesses.

 Saturday, 31 May 2014

A short trip to March to be welcomed by Alan and Tina.  Jodi and Danielle came round later in the afternoon and Danielle had the youngest Smith descendant, Poppy  with her. She is delightful and such a happy little girl.  Linda and Roy also visited as they were heading off that afternoon in their caravan for a month's stay close to Yarmouth.  We got to know Yarmouth fairly well when we lived in Norwich for six months back in 1995 and from memory there were the usual lovely gardens along the sea front which I expect are still there.  I expect that some of the sad looking water front houses have been revamped as it was a nice seaside town.

Sunday I took an early morning walk along the River Nene and around town.  Took some photos and came across a road accident which kept March in lock down for about three hours!  Nothing much seems to have changed in March since we were last there in 2011.  Alan and Tina took us to lunch at the Chequers Hotel, not too far from March near Wisbech St. Marys.  Danielle and Poppy and Jodi and Duncan came as well.  A great meal, but we are eating far too much!

Jodi and partner Duncan 

Canal Boat on River Nene at March

The youngest Smith descendant, Danielle Cox's daughter, Poppy

Alan playing the fool with his two daughters,his wife and granddaughter.  Missing Jodi's

two children, Georgia and Mason

Monday, we went to Peterborough to try to resolve the phone situation.  Got a bit of the way to resolving it, but still have to do more!  Also had to attend to a banking matter, but I did manage to get in some retail therapy and my first visit to M&S.  On the way back to March called in on Lynette and Darryl.  Lynette sends her love to Janiece and Therese.  You will be sorry to learn Janiece that she has lost contact with Neil.  She is very happy with her job at the Funeral parlour where her boss is called Charlie Brown. 

Tuesday, 3rd June.

A long drive across country to South Wales to visit our friends Ann and Stephen Evans.  We met them when we were all on a trip to New Zealand in 2001 and have caught up physically with them three or four times since.  They live at Dinas Cross near Fishguard and it was Ann's birthday, so we went to dinner at the Ferry Inn, near Cardigan.  It is in a lovely setting and with daylight saving it was still light till around 9.30.  There was a striking sunset over the river and the tide was coming in very slowly.

We swapped husbands.

Wednesday, 4th June

Next day dawned very grey and very wet.  We lazed around in the morning catching up with all the happenings within the Evans family and going for a tour of the holiday cottage they own next door.  Called Mein Mawr (not sure of the spelling) it has been used in a couple of films recently.  One was a horror movie which is on You Tube but as there was no reception there I haven't had time to look it up yet.  We also toured Stephen's shed.  It reminded me of all the hoarders I know, but Stephen claims that he knows exactly where everything is.  After lunch, we headed off to do some botanising.  It was pretty bleak when we found what he was looking for at Ceibur - Lathyrus Japonicus (American Sea Pea).  I think Brian may have deleted the photo I wanted to insert here.  We were all posing and pointing at a pretty pink pea flower with everything  being blown to pieces.

Then to Cilgeran to see the ruins of a castle and a coracle.  The villages around this part of the coast were the home of coracle fishermen.  Perhaps the most famous example of one of these unique boats was the one taken by St. Brendan which was re-enacted some years ago for a BBC TV series.

Coracle in the Friendless Church

At Cilgeran

Then to Manor Deiji to a very old church which is looked after by an organisation called the Friends of Friendless Churches.  We took quite a few photos and Ann and Stephen sat in the upper class  boxes a couple of which even had their own fireplaces, and Brian and I were of the lower orders in the pews!

The Upper Classes

The Lower Orders

 














Finally to a lovely church on top of a cliff overlooking Mwnt Beach.  Then back to Glan Y Mor (Welsh for close to the sea) for a delicious casserole for dinner and a cosy night by the fire.

BRIAN GOT SICK OF WAITING FOR ME TO FINISH THIS LAST NIGHT AND POSTED THE BLOG BEFORE I HAD PUT IN THE PHOTOS OF OUR TRIP TO CALDEY.  HE WAS TRYING TO MAKE THE PHOTO OF "THE UPPER CLASSES" CLEARER BUT WHILE IT WORKED IN THE DRAFT AS SOON AS HE PUT IT INTO THE BLOG IT WENT BACK TO THE ORIGINAL - WHAT YOU CAN JUST SEE IS THAT THEY HAD THEIR OWN FIREPLACE AS DEPICTED IN THE  BOX  WITH AN EMPTY PEW ABOVE.  


Thursday 5th June.

When I pulled the curtains back, I looked out on a beautiful view of the sea lit up with a very bright sun.  Unbelievable after the previous day.  Breakfast with home made toasted bread and jam from home grown fruits of which both Ann and  Stephen are rightfully proud.  We left around 9.30 and Stephen drove over the mountains to Tenby, about an hours drive.  Then a small ferry boat across to  Ynys Byr (in Welsh) Caldey Island.  

 














By coincidence while we were preparing this section of the blog, the BBC Show Grand Designs was on the TV and it was about the restoration of the old Tenby Lifeboat House.  Unfortunately none of us took a picture of it when we were there. But above right is one from the net.

It is now the home of an offshoot of the Benedictine Order of Monks, known as the Order of Reformed Cistercians.  The order was founded in 1098 by an Abbot from France because he and his followers thought that the Benedictines had become too worldly.  Their aim was to restore the original purity of the Rule of St. Benedict (the more things change, the more they stay the same as far as I can see!)  The current monks live a strict lifestyle.  They make a lifelong commitment to the monastic way of life and take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and observe a rule of silence between the hours of 7 pm and 7 am.  They rise for pray at 3.15 am; and attend eight services including concelebrated Mass and parts of the prayer sessions are sung in the traditional plainchant.  According to a guide book we bought, the regime of prayer "is balanced by periods of manual or secular work, designed to keep their feet on the ground to help them earn a living and in modern parlance, to become "rounded" human beings.  Initially they tried farming, but the weather being so inclement meant that it was extremely difficult, so they went into the perfume industry and tourism.  They also make fudge and chocolate.  We bought some, but haven't eaten it yet. 














We did a walk through the village up to the Lighthouse and had a picnic lunch looking across to Cornwall.  Stephen and Ann did some botanising at a pond on the way round and we ended up on the beach where he was photographing and recording more plants.  I'd never thought about it before, but botanists seem very like twitchers to me.

Back on the late afternoon ferry and a wander around Tenby,  A pint in the Tenby House Hotel, a drive to a pub for dinner opposite the Carew Castle.  Then onto a typical Welsh pub at Cresswell Quay for another pint.  And so we returned home, as I was taught to say when I was learning to write essays in primary school  "tired but happy after a lovely day in the bush"!

Friday 6th June.

Left Ann and Stephen to their preparations for a baby sitting visit to one of their sons, and we headed off to Ashford in the Water which is where I am writing this.  Enough for one day my bottom is getting sore and it is time for a drink!.      


Saturday, 7 June 2014
 
Me again - very rainy day today so mainly indoor activity such as catching up with our blog posts. The weather cleared in late afternoon so I headed off to get some fresh air - two hours later I arrived back at the cottage at about 7.30 - thank goodness for daylight saving. I managed to find the Monsal Head Track but came back via the road route. I recalled the comment of the young Englishman that got lost in the Blue Mountains near Sydney when upbraided by his rescuers for not having a map, compass and some food. He said in defence " I'm English; when you get lost in England you just keep walking until you come to a pub". Well I came to a pub and they duly directed me

to my home base.

Southend and Surrounds with the Smiths

Monday dawned grey and overcast.  I woke about 5.00 and went for a walk to Shoeburyness which is at the far end of the front as Southend.  I had to find out what all the sticks I could see in the distance were. 
Turned out that they were Yacht masts - the yachts being stored out of the water in the middle of an avenue.

 

Jean drove Billy and his Dad to the Premier Inn and then went on with Bill to park close to the pier and Billy Brian and I walked up to meet them.  Jean, Bill and I went down the longest pier in the world on the train and Billy and Brian walked.  We meet up at the terminus of the train and wandered around for a while, took some photos and explored the only shop - the Lifeboats -  but it was pretty cold with a strong wind.  Took some photos and agreed with Billy and Jean that the building on the end of the pier is a monstrosity and that someone with a bit of vision needs to take over the business management of this important site.  Bill and Jean trained it back and the three of us walked.  We met up for coffee in the Royals Shopping centre, then went across to an old family establishment for lunch.  By this time it was raining and it didn't stop until we were leaving Southend.

We adjourned for coffee at the Clifton Pavilion which now houses a theatre.  Would be lovely on a sunny day!

Tuesday was consequently an 'indoor' activity day.  First port of call was the Museum.  I was impressed by the standard of the displays and loved the one which talked about the fishing industry.  Came across a letter written by Disralie which took my fancy:

Your oysters were worthy of Roman Emperors and I have little doubt that it was these very green primed natives that impelled them to invade Britain and I fear conquer Essex.  They are delicious and I am ashamed to add I devoured most of them myself.  Your oblig.servt., Disralie.

Lunch was in another great restaurant which Billy and Jean have frequented over the years they have lived in Southend.  Nothing like local knowledge to help you discover the good places to eat!

Then off to the Prittlewell Priory which dates from the 12th century.  It was built for the Cluniac Monks, destroyed by Henry VIII and became a country estate for a Victorian family.  Was finally given to Southend Community by a wealthy businessman.  The dinning hall has been restored to its original character, and the remainder as part of the country house.  It has some beautiful timber and is very impressive.  It is set in a beautiful park with fantastic walled gardens which are now coming into bloom with spring flowers.  Jean took a photo of me under the Laburnum arch.  Don't like me, but love the Laburnum!  Also saw some beautiful peonies.




 






















Wednesday, we had breakfast at Chez Smith.  Breakfast at the Premier Inn was not the best.  Scrambled eggs with lots of runny milk floating on top - yuk!  Then after saying goodbye to Billy and Jean - the most fantastic hosts - we headed of to Wivenhoe with Bill.  Drove down to the village and had lunch at a delightful pub, dropped him off and headed for our boutique hotel - Le Bouchon in Maldon - very salubrious to these hardened old youth hostel type backpackers!

 

The Joys of Long Haul Flights

Well we made it through the two long haul flights with only general exhaustion as the major negative. We had a small hitch at Sydney airport security when Customs and Border Protection confiscated a 250 ml container of mouth wash and a 250g of moisturising cream. Poor planning on my part because the international regulations stipulate no more than 100ml and 100g. I am at a loss to understand that if a some dangerous device can be constructed with 250ml or 250g then what is the impediment to constructing a similar device with only 100ml or 100g. In fact it beggars the imagination that any device could be made up using mouth wash and moisturising cream but perhaps some chemist reading this might enlighten me, although I would still be puzzled as to how a lesser quantity (ie < 100ml or 100g) couldn’t be used as the same recipe with pro rata consequences. The nice man from border protection told us these were government regulations and they were only doing their job – I think this is known as the Nuremberg Defence.

We had a good recovery phase at the hotel in Incheon. On this occasion it was not the Hyatt but the Songdo Park Hotel some 30 minutes by bus from the terminal. There were few lay over guests from the Australian flight but the hotel seemed reasonably busy with guests from other sources.

Our second leg from Seoul to London went well and despite lots of turbulence made good time by getting us there 30 minutes earlier although this gain was eaten up by a long trip across the Heathrow tarmacs seeking a suitable bay to off load its valuable but exhausted cargo. In the immigration hall as European citizens we were two of about a dozen arrivals and processed electronically by a passport reading and photographic device. After that we sailed through customs (nothing to declare) gate and twenty minutes later we were on our way to our hotel for our final recovery phase which was more than welcome. The next day the Hertz man, obviously believing that we had just flown in from Australia, was sufficiently surprised to comment how fresh we looked after our voyage. We couldn’t have been that fresh or alert because he managed to sell us an upgrade from a Vauxhall Corsa to an almost new Nissan ‘Note’ hatchback complete with factory installed GPS system. We then had a pleasant Sunday drive from Heathrow to Southend despite it being a long week end (Whitsun I believe). Weather dry but with temperatures about the same as Canberra.

Therese picked us up about 12.00 on Thursday and dropped us at the Jolimont centre in time to board the bus which departed at 1.00 pm.  The journey was good until we hit the peak hour traffic jam on the M5 near the airport tunnel.

As this was the start of our ‘white sheet’ holiday, I found the Rydges Hotel at Sydney airport very comfortable.  Janiece and Pat Jacobs joined us for a farewell dinner which was the early bird special.  It was delicious and reasonably priced.

Next morning we decided to leave breakfast until after we had checked in.  Things went well until Brian’s run in with Customs and Border Protection. 

I’ll skip details of the flights but want to add that the change of hotel was a bit of a surprise – the Hyatt at Incheon has been where we have stayed in the past but there is nothing to divert you there other than the hotel.  This time we were taken to what was labelled the Incheon Free Economic Zone IFEZ on all the signs.  It is obviously a new city/suburb with some fantastic shaped buildings and loads of Hong Kong style apartment buildings.  Opposite the Hotel was “Central Park”

and we explored it after breakfast which while not as fantastic as the one at the Hyatt was very good.  Brian says it was less hectic than the one at the Hyatt, but I still prefer the former.  Getting back to the park; it is quite large and is in the classic Asian style very similar to the Chinese Garden in Darling Harbour.  There are classic Asian pavilions placed at strategic points –two over the water in the middle of the garden and two on the high points at the top of some hills. The plantings are Azaleas and conifers and there are rocks in various places similar to the ones in New York’s Central Park.    About half way round we came across a plaque giving details of the ‘Eric Stanley’ Bridge.  The plaque stated that he had been extremely important to the establishment of the IFEZ – and I couldn’t help wondering if he had been in Korea during the war and had gone back to help after or whether he was part of an American Government project to help keep the communists out of South Korea.  My guess is that it would have been the former because there was no mention of USA Government and as we all know, Government funded programs always demand

recognition of their contributions.

The Aurora Hotel was very nice, but the air-conditioning was set too high at 24 degrees and neither of us slept very well.  No doubt part of that was due to the jet lag as well.

Collected the car on Saturday morning.  It is a pillar box red Nissan – small but very comfortable AND it has a Navman installed which was a boon for us when we travelled down to Southend on Sea on Sunday.  We came via the M25 and were pleasantly surprised by the lack of traffic until we got close to Southend.

We arrived too early to get into our room, so walked along the promenade and dropped into The Britannia Hotel for a bacon sandwich and a beer.  Then back to the Premier Inn to settle in before going around to Billy and Jean’s house.  We had a lovely surprise to see that Billy had been up to collect Bill from Wivenhoe.  Billy and Jean fed us very well and then Jean drove us back to the Hotel where we had the best night’s sleep since leaving home.  Woke up at 4.30am rather than  1.00 or 2.00 am in London.