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The Motherland & Beyond

maja - czerwca 2023
  • Graeme Dickinson
I off to see Serena in Finland and then off to the Motherland. Czytaj więcej
  • Graeme Dickinson

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  • Graeme DickinsonPodróżnikThe Motherland & Beyond
    1

    It's been a hard days night........

    30 maja 2023, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    ....and I've been sightseeing like a dog...........

    My first full day in London and I had to make a stop at Abbey Road Studios. While tours of the studio were not running, I did the famous walk across that crossing and visited the gift store.

    After checking out Abbey Road, I went to the Natural History museum. Whoever would have thought that such a museum of old bones, rocks, and skeletons would hold so much interest. I had to queue for 2 hrs to get in the door, and then it was a " bun fight" to get around inside. Altogether I spent 3 hrs there and could go back for more. I saw the oldest and largest complete skeleton of a dinosaur ever discovered, and that only occurred in 2014 in Argentina. It has only recently gone on display. It's called a Titanosaur. It's massive, and you wouldn't want that running through the Redwood bush in Tawa... NZ got a mention as to some very old rocks, etc, and I saw some of the worlds biggest uncut diamonds and jewels. The museum was just amazing. I was fascinated that Britain has so many mineral deposits that they are trying to mine for electric car batteries.

    Speaking of cars, I passed by the Lamborghini sales office, and they also sold Maseratis as a side line. Very nice!

    Those excertions filled my day, I forgot about crowds in London, the time on the underground and busses and those queues!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Graeme DickinsonPodróżnikThe Motherland & Beyond

    He works on the Thames Barrier!

    31 maja 2023, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Hello John, got a new motor? Hello John, got a new motor?
    He works on the Thames Barrier. He works on the Thames Barrier.
    Is there life in Peckham? Is there life in Peckham?
    ..........with apologies to Alexi Sayle ( 1980's muso) but that song of his fascinated me in the 1980's about the Thames Barrier and I never went to see it, so I finally made the pilgrimage. Yes, I know what you're thinking (has this lad got nothing better to do?) but it was worth the visit as the Barrier is one of the great modern wonders of the world. London flooded in the 1950's causing a lot of deaths and since the barrier has been in place, it has been activated 3 times, saving serious flooding. London is very low lying, and it's hard to imagine it flooding, but it has.
    While in Nth Greenwich, I took the opportunity to go on the Thames Gondola, that too was amazing.

    The area where the Gondola is, used to be a waste land in the 1980's and now there are endless luxury apartments and an international London airport which was created by a NZer who convinced the Brits there was room for an airport closer to London. I can remember the day he flew his prop plane onto the makeshift runway to prove his point.

    I took the opportunity to do a London river cruise back(while having G&T) from Greenwich, which is a fitting way to return from that part of London.

    Today has been a day for British engineering feats as I also visited the old Battersea Power station that has been restored into a hotel, shops and apartments along with a lift in one of the old chimney stacks. The power station in its time was the largest coal powered station in Europe, powering 20% of London. The station was decommissioned in 1983, and I can remember when they were contemplating knocking it down. However, a Malaysian group bought it and spent galzillions of dollars upgrading it, and what a great job. I had heard of the lift in the chimney, and that alone was an experience not to be missed, better by far than the London Eye (and no queues).
    The shopping centre represented the top end, so purchasing anything from the shops was slightly out of my league.

    Later in the day, I just had to stroll up Oxford Street in the maddening crowd. That was hard work.

    I do love the British sense of humour and it came out in the "graffiti " photo I took.

    After dinner, I walked around Kenningston Gardens and walked down a street housing a large number of embassies.

    The end of day walk was a perfect wind down to yet another exciting day in London.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Graeme DickinsonPodróżnikThe Motherland & Beyond
    1
    CAPT(retired) Jarlath Norman OBE2William Webb - EllisThe field where Rugby started3Re-inactment of Webb-Ellis picking up the ball and running2Headmasters office2The Squirrel Pub2Guy Fawkes home 1605Last of the Summer wineJarlath & Jenny's homeLetterboxes decorated for the coronation1

    Scrum down - Ball out

    1 czerwca 2023, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I'm on hallowed ground, instructions are you look at OBS ( Old Big School) where it all happened and Webb- Ellis picked up the ball and ran. Yes folks I'm in Rugby where the Brits invented the game but of course we Colonials perfected it 😉.
    Rugby is a beautiful town dominated by the school. My friends Jarlath & Jenny Norman sent their son to Rugby school, a private ( or in the UK, public) school.
    The history of the school is interesting. In the 1800's the school pupils revolted and there was an armed stand off between pupils and the local militia.
    My friend, Jarlath , his father was head caretaker at the school and Jarlath as a child can remember helping his father mow the lawns.
    My Great Uncle, Billy Wallace, was one of the first All Blacks, and he played at Rugby. These were the days when they toured for 6 months and were greeted like hero's on their return.
    During my days in Rugby, we drove around the countryside and walked a lot. We saw Guy Fawkes house, built in 1605, where he planned his attack on Parliament. So Rugby has had them all, the good and the bad.
    My friend Jarlath is a retired Army Captain, Parachute regiment and last served in Afganistan. Jarlath and I also worked together in our later jobs and I had Jenny work in my team.
    Today, Sunday, we had a classic British pub lunch. It was delicious and not badly priced. I had a "warm beer" to wash down the Sunday roast. Afterwards we strolled back to Jarlath & Jenny's.
    Tomorrow, I'm off to Tamworth to meet Dave and Bev and then travel by car to Cheltenham.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Graeme DickinsonPodróżnikThe Motherland & Beyond
    Mr Boofle really took to his mode of transport
    Jarlath & JennyDave, Bev, Rob, Sally Wills and a common Colonial at the Tame Otter2British pub grub at its bestCoco1

    Cheltenham via Birmingham

    5 czerwca 2023, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Jarlath and Jenny dropped myself and "Mr Boofle" off at Rugby station after a great few days of reminicing and seeing Rugby and surrounds.
    Of course, the day I left Rugby, British Rail was having a few issues, and I had planned to meet my friends Dave and Bev in Tamworth and then head to Cheltenham by car. But never fear, the Motherland is criss crossed with rail and while the direct route to Tamworth was not running(overhead wires were down), I jumped on the train to Birmingham and then down to Tamworth. Met an interesting character on the train who said his cell phone wasn't working and he needed to get hold of his Governor as he was returning to prison; "Could I phone ahead for him and tell his Gov he was going to be late?" ( as with my new aquantaince, I was just out of minutes 😉)
    I arrived in Tamworth to be met by Dave and his brother in law Rob. We headed off to Robs house where I met up with Bev, Dave's wife and Sally, Rob wife and their son , Wills. Rob, Sally, and Wills had been in NZ earlier this year, and I had a drink with them on the Wellington waterfront. Dave and Bev, whom I first met in 1983 in the Motherland, had been to NZ and stayed with me in 2020 just after my accident. It was a great reunion. After sitting in the Tamworth sunshine in Rob and Sallys backyard sipping tea (a cracker of a day), we headed to the "Tame Otter," a local pub by the canal.
    After a traditional British pub lunch, we walked the canal seeing a number of " narrow boats" and interesting sites. These narrow boats are so interesting, and as with British Rail, canals also criss-cross the country and in past had acted as trading and shipping channels for the country. They are still in existence and functioning over 300 years later.
    So after a pleasant afternoon in Tamworth, Dave, Bev, myself and Coco, the spaniel, headed to Cheltenham. Oh, how I love Britain!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Graeme DickinsonPodróżnikThe Motherland & Beyond
    Ledbury
    Ledbury Market squarePint of mild Governor!Eastnore Deer park2Dave & BevEastnore CastleWorcester Cathedral13King Graeme of the Principality of TawaThe CloistersEnglish countryside at its best1Scones anyone?

    Three Counties in a Day

    6 czerwca 2023, Anglia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Tuesday, we set off to explore Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. This was a lovely road trip, first arriving in Ledbury, a market town, where we strolled the main street and lunched in a pub dating back to the 16th century. I'm sure the beer was 16th century, warm and flat(as a flea's fart - a local saying).
    After lunch, we headed off to walk in a large estate, Eastnore Deer Park, admiring the countryside and taking in the view of a local Eastnore castle still in private hands. The countryside is almost manicured with perfectly straight trees that haven't been ravaged by winds and fields with plenty of colour and wildlife.
    Wednesday, we made the pilgrimage to Worcester city and the cathedral. A magnificent Roman town with reminents from AD600. We toured the great cathedral and wandered the docklands as Worcester was a port, now home to some luxury vessels and long boats.
    In the afternoon, I had fourty-winks, and then Bev and Coco (the dog) took me on a walk up a country lane in Hartpury. The afternoon was finished off by scones, clotted cream, and strawberry jam, oh to be an Englishman once again.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Graeme DickinsonPodróżnikThe Motherland & Beyond
    Check the price!BMW motor - so sad, so unreliable1

    Malvern & Morgans

    8 czerwca 2023, Anglia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Another gorgeous day in the Motherland, and today I'm going somewhere very special. I'm off to the Morgan Motor Company and factory in Malvern to pick up my new Morgan and to arrange shipping. I had kept this quiet, but in keeping with my single status, I needed a "chick magnet," and what better than a Morgan with me in my Tinder shots.
    I arrived at the factory and was greeted enthusiastically by the staff. Before getting my new Morgan, I did a tour of the factory. Morgan's are the last true British hand-made sports cars in the world - every single man's dream....... other than Rachel Hunter(NZ super model).
    Morgans are made in some of the same hand-made processes and machines used for the last 75 years. The car is still made using Ash wood in the frame, aluminum hand beaten panels and boxing, and leather from Scotland. Touring the factory was like letting me in Santa's workshop. I was in awe of the tradies producing such quality. My guide said that they produce about 1,000 cars a year and every part except the engine and tyres are handmade.
    Most Morgan's today are fitted with BMW engines (so sad), and the majority still have manual gear boxes. You can have any colour combination, leather and wood finish, and a choice of solid, mag, or wire wheels. What amazed me on the tour was how close you were to the production, standing right along side of a tradie hand beating fenders or hand planing wood. I watched a skilled seamstress manipulating the leather into beautiful car head rests and other tradies crafting the wood facing dashboards and bending Ash into shape for the structure - British craft at its best.
    The tour ended up in the gift shop where you could buy every conceivable extra for your car from hand crafted driving gloves, exquisite Morgan wrist watches through to British wicker picnic baskets.
    This was a tour not to be missed!
    By the way, I did tell you, I got my Morgan..........................................................................embossed woollen scarf and decided to ship it back home in my bag. I will really look the part in my Tinder photos.....(sigh)............

    (Now you didn't really think I had bought a Morgan sports car, did you?😉 (not at $180,000 and a 12 month waiting list - Gordon Bennet! 🫢))     Czytaj więcej

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  • Graeme DickinsonPodróżnikThe Motherland & Beyond
    The Royal forest of DeanDave & Bev Zeal1Hartpury Church, circa 16th centuryThe Tithe barn possibly 12th centuryThe Bee HouseTewskesbury 14th century pubHighnam CourtBentley straight 8BentleyMorgan's foreverE TypeAston Martin DB5

    Down the country lane.......

    9 czerwca 2023, Anglia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    What is more exciting than going to the Morgan factory? Driving a Morgan down a country lane also walking a country lane with my new BFF, Coco.
    Bev took me to their local church and to see the Tithe barn opposite the church. Located in the church grounds was a very ancient bee hive or Bee house to house hives.
    M.y good friends arranged for me to meet their good friends, Martin & Vanessa of Rosetree Cottage, and head out in their 1998 Morgan, I was in heaven.
    The next day, we headed for the Forest of Dean, where we .trekked through a Royal forest that Henry VIII once hunted in, and probably King Charles hunted for Camilla in, or was that lusted after............
    Saturday evening, we all headed for Tewskesbury to hear Dave's Choir, Cotswold Male Voice choir, world famous! Before the concert, we toured Tewkesbury having an ale in a 14th century pub still serving beers in barrels.
    Today, even more cars. Dave took me to Highnam Court, a stately home owned by a friend. There were classic cars on show that would be exstinct or never seen in NZ.
    These experiences really make England such a great place to visit. Within a 10 mile radius of my friends house and village, there is more history and experiences than we can ever imagine in NZ.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Graeme DickinsonPodróżnikThe Motherland & Beyond
    3Tithe barn 1496
    Inside the Tithe barnThey had graffiti back then in 1673More Grafitti, Crimewatch needs to know!😆Zeal Manor with his Grace & the DuchessDuke ,& Duchess of Beech HouseMr Boofle sunbathing againMr Boofle was proud of his gardening at the ManorThe Intrepid traveller off to MerseaMr Boofle & Graeme off on another Brit Rail adventure

    Off to the seaside

    12 czerwca 2023, Anglia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Today, Mr. Boofle and I left Hartpury to head for Mersea Island. Last night, we ( Zeals & Graeme)had a beautiful meal at an italian restaurant ( run by a geniune Italian family) on the Gloscester docklands.
    It was sad to leave Hartpury and my good friends, Dave and Bev, and their dog, Coco. Dave and Bev have been my friends since 1983, and since my return to the Colonies, we have met up four times with Dave and Bev coming to NZ and I thrice to England since 1986. I was treated to an exceptional stay at Dave and Bevs, meeting their friends and touring the local area. Gloucestershire is a beautiful part of the Motherland. The history alone left me breathless.
    Now I'm heading on British Rail to Colchester, where I will meet Allan and Shirley, more long-term friends from the 1980s. They will then take me to Mersea Is, a British island connected to the Motherland by a tidial causeway.
    Traveling by rail is a real treat. Britian is fortunate to be well catered by public transport that is convenient and reasonably fast. I'm glad I haven't hired a car as I can sit back and relax.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Graeme DickinsonPodróżnikThe Motherland & Beyond
    Low tide in the inlet
    Mersea central from the seaOn the Chase boatSunset from the Yacht clubWe British!The very ancient Oyster shed1Classic beach hutsHouse boat now landlocked1The Nutshell cottage16th century cottage1Almost bought this 500SL V8😄

    Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

    16 czerwca 2023, Anglia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    I have now been on Mersea Island for about 4 days, and it is a stunning place with approx 7,000 residents and about 3 pubs, a small shopping area, and loads of yachts. It is an island of wealth, and the cars and yachts reflect that. It is also an island that connected the mainland by a tidial causeway, which has been greatly improved since I was last here in 2013.
    You can cycle around the island, to which I did on an electric bike, very nice it was (just dont drink the local beer and then cycle......).
    My friends Allan and Shirley live for their yachting, and it was all hands on deck when I arrived as Allan teaches new yachties in handling dinghies up to 4m in length. Allan took me out on the support boat to assist in spotting. One lady who is learning is 87 yrs old, an example to all of us, and you're never too late to learn. After 2 hrs on the sea, I was exhausted.
    The next day, we had to go out to "Dura," their main yacht, and prepare for the Friday racing and our planned weekend excursion up to Heybridge basin and lock, close Maldon We were to take part in 3 days of racing for the Admirals Cup. However, A & S could not get enough crew, so it's a Friday night effort in a weekly competition.
    Preparing a yacht is a huge task, l didn't realise the work that goes into this. I had often helped my friend Mike G on his 16-foot fishing launch, and that was hard work, but yachts are on a different scale. We will be short crewed for the Heybridge trip, but this "cabin boy" will have to learn quickly and multi task😉.
    There are two yacht clubs on the island, and A & S belong to "Dabchicks."
    Mersea has some interesting homes and scenes, sunsets like I would expect in the tropics, and beautiful sandy beaches. The heat is something else as well, phew!
    However, it is still British in every sense with beach huts, shops selling buckets and spades, warm beer at the pub, and a lovely local butcher. There is also a thriving oyster and mussel farming business and local fish mongers, British in every sense. Of course, there is endless industry dealing with yachts, launches, and small boats.
    So, today I'm off at 5pm to go out to Dura on the rigid hull inflatable and do at least 2 hours racing finishing up at the yacht club for a bit of nosh and a warm beer, oh arrh!     Czytaj więcej

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  • Graeme DickinsonPodróżnikThe Motherland & Beyond
    Preparing to race
    Crew on stand byFull sun at 5pmShe who must be obeyedChartingRadio CarolineUnder full sailThe Romford Navy had arrivedRafting upHey babeI needed a chaperone!BBQ time!2The one and only Al

    Locked in at Heybridge

    16 czerwca 2023, Anglia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    So what does one do at sea in the Motherland? Yachting, of course ol'boy!
    Friday night was race night and race we did. While the Admirals Cup Regatta was canceled( lack of crew and entries), Alan & Shirley still race every Friday. I was still cabin boy and learning, so 2 extra crew came on board. I wasn't much use the whole race as I was feeling like "feeding the fish" (so to speak)but managed to hold it together.
    We came 8th in our handicap and after the race, it was down to the club for a bit of nosh and a warm beer.
    The next day, it was up early and on the yacht at 9 am, ready for the flotilla (14 yachts) to invade Heybridge basin for a weekend of food and singing and drink and ........
    The day started off a little cool, but I soon warmed up on reaching Heybridge after seeing a single lady with her own craft. Alan said she was from the "Romford Navy" 😉.
    On our way to Heybridge, we passed Radio Caroline, the 1960s pirate radio ship, to which a great film was made starring Bill Nighy.
    Sailing in these waters requires great skill as there are some shallows, and you need to know the channels so you don't get the keel stuck. These are signaled by "witheys" that are sticks in the water, signaling the shallows.
    Nearby Heybridge, it was regatta weekend for this local yacht club, and we saw spectacular vessels in full sail. Yachting is a very exhilarating sport. Heybridge basin has a lock in which to enter so we could moor on the canal banks by "rafting up." We entered the lock from the sea enmass, about 6 yachts at a time. The Lock Master ( a profession in the UK) then closes the lock, and the water fills from the canal or, depending on the tide, drains to raise or lower the vessels. Again, massive skill required along with a number of fenders, after all, can't allow the Gin to be shaken ol' chap.
    Once through the lock we moored up by rafting and then Shirley gave me a lecture on etiquette on how to get ashore by crossing other yachts(never cross at the rear, might see a Romford gal rearranging her sails).
    So the fun began with a night of BBQs, singing by Alan Mason of the Three Flats and Sharp group, world famous in Europe, and food for this Navy. Alan is an accomplished musician of 60 years, and he sure demonstrated this on Saturday night.
    The evening came to an end, and we crawled on board our yachts to be gently rocked to sleep.
    The next day, after a hearty breakfast, we prepared to leave. Again, the skill required as we filled with water, packed away goods, unleashed our rafting, and entered
    the lock according to tides. I soon learned to fend off, rope up, and other naval terms that left me confused and bewildered at times. At least I wasn't "keeled hauled" by the Captains wife for failing to clean the deck, oh arrrgh!
    We arrived shore side at Mersea around 3pm, and it was off to the club for one last drink.
    Yachting is a very cooperative exercise. Everyone looks out for each other and supports those who need that little extra (tot of rum). It really is a great show of humanity.
    I went from Cabin Boy to First Mate after learning my Port & Starboard, fending off, Knott tying, trimming, grinding, and endless jokes about Essex girls.
    This part of my trip will stay in my mind forever😉.     Czytaj więcej

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