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Peter & Mary’s 2017 HolidayPeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
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Peter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday

July - September 2017
When I retired, we decided to travel overseas each second year, so now we have been to the UK & Europe in 2010, 2013 and 2015 - this will be our 4th big holiday. We have made many friends and been able to visit relatives that live so far away. Read more
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  • Peter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
    Day 22

    The dark side of a long holiday ...

    August 14, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Sunday, a day of rest, and we have a full day in Manchester to recharge our batteries, and the iPhone and the iPad and the Mac book and the camera, the list goes on. Also, Mary is still sore from her fall in Stockholm, I think she may have cracked a rib - I'll do my bit by trying not to make her laugh.

    Its a beautiful bright and sunny day in Manchester. I look to Mary to see what mischief we can get up to today when she says - "I need to do some washing". No problem, I'll find a laundrette, shove the clothes into a washing machine then the tumble drier - easy. Not so I find out.

    We started the day with a walk along the canal - a pleasant walk - could do with a cleanup, but we enjoyed ourselves. We found a laundrette, then I found a pub "The Boat and Horses" - nice place for lunch - very popular. I was amazed at how much potato & vegetable & Yorkshire pudding people could put on their plates when they ordered a half roast chicken !!!

    Back to the hotel for a rest after another walk around the nearby houses then it was off to the laundrette armed with £1 and 20p coins. Now people assume you know how to work these machines - we don't. Bought the soap, put it in the machine, throw in some clothes, select a wash that we think maybe right, close the lid and wait 40 minutes to see what happens.

    Okay, so we open the lid, clothes are still very wet and some have soap marks and grit lines in them ... there's no way Mary is going to use the dryers. Home we go to have a makeshift clothes line in our room - Mary is worried that management might throw us out - they didn't.

    In all a restful and peaceful day, and a happy Mary with a suitcase full of clean clothes. Being away for a long holiday means you have to do some washing sometime and it can be a real test of your ingenuity.

    Tomorrow, more of Manchester, visiting cemeteries and a family dinner to complete our visit here.

    Cheers    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
    1
    Day 23

    The Danes of Manchester

    August 15, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    While my Grandfather, his second wife, his brother [Uncle Puff], two sons and his nephew left India in 1947 [at the partition of India] and moved to Australia, another brother [Charles Edgar] eventually went to England and in his later years settled in Manchester. My grandfather and his family were probably more British than the British, and India at that time was not the place to be.

    Carl Dane, his two daughters, Lorraine and Amanda and son Carl are now the Danes of Manchester and I couldn't come to England and not visit them - a beautiful and loving family.

    We started the day with a trip to the City of Manchester. Not a long drive from our hotel in Oldham - around 25 minutes. Manchester is a real mix of buildings and spaces, some very old, some very new, some run down and some very smart. On our quick visit to the city we didn't get a good feel for the place - but you can't do everything.

    In the afternoon we visited the grave site of Marie Dane [2011] as well Charles [1970] and Jane Dane [1971].

    Time for a farewell to the Danes and of course we all got together in a Curry Restaurant thanks to Carl Dane. A great night and fond memories.

    Tomorrow we are off to Birmingham - only a 2 hour drive down the road.

    Cheers,    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
    Day 24

    Time to stay at a real B&B

    August 16, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Time to say goodbye to Manchester and head down to Birmingham. We checkout late 11:35 then spent an hour in the lounge working on diaries. The drive to Birmingham is pretty straight forward, although on very busy roads - but still should only take about 2 hours.

    There are too many cars on UK roads, especially the M56 and M6. We saw our first car accident - hope no-one was badly hurt - but police and ambulances came from everywhere. Adding to the congestion, they are digging up the old concrete and relaying large sections of the M6. So again a bumper to bumper trip - with Mary's help we didn't miss a turn off. We have named the inbuilt SatNav in the car "Isabel" and my windscreen SatNav "Andrea" - so I have three of them telling me what to do - can't go wrong!

    We arrived at the B&B Woodlands - and it is just what we were hoping for. Met the owner, he was working in the garden and he told us about the walks around his three lakes on the property and the walks to the nearest pub and local villages along the canal.

    Off for a walk - he is proud that he has stocked his lakes with carp - think he should try Trout. We went down some country walking lanes to the local pub - a "pub in a paddock" type of thing. The canal boats look great but were too expensive for just Mary and I - you really need 4 or 6 per people boat.

    After our walk [about 6km's] we drove down to Alevchurch and posted our post cards - hope they reach home before we do. Had dinner at the Victoria Hotel - I had pizza - bad decision ... she said most Australians had fish and chips - I wanted a change - should have just stuck to the beer.

    Tomorrow we head down to the south coast of England - not sure where we are staying - but it should be more fun and adventure.

    Cheers,    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
    1
    Day 25

    Cruising into Southampton

    August 17, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    It was only going to be a short drive today - less than 2 hours, so we decided to do some exploring around Redditch. Mary had family from a small market town called Alcester. We parked and spent most of the morning going from shop to shop and talking to the locals. We also checked out Studley Castle where we stayed once before - they are spending £M's on it - should be great when finished.

    Much to Mary's delight we bought some coat hangers - now we can dry more clothes in our room - happy wife, happy life.

    The Alcester Post Office box in town was painted gold because a local won a Gold Medal at the London games- nice touch.

    Halfway down to the coast we stopped at Andover - another picturesque town - again I tried to drive through the pedestrian mall - until I noticed the bemused look on the parking attendant.

    Arrived at out hotel in Southampton and the hotel looks great - might stay here two nights and just do a day drive to the New Forest. The best part was - our room was on the ground floor, easy for suitcases and had a had a bathroom for people with disability - that is, a huge bathroom with plenty of space for all our stuff.

    Southampton is a difficult city to drive around - no structure to the streets, shops spread all over the place and a real mix of old and new [in most big cities the old part is preserved - note to HCC].

    We found a large new shopping centre and had a good shop around ending up in a Nordic restaurant - had a large share platter of fish and other Scandinavian delights.

    Tomorrow its the New Forest and another night in Southampton.

    Cheers,    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
    Day 26

    A walk in the New Forest

    August 18, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today we had a brilliant day getting back to nature. We headed off to the New Forest and started with a long walk through the New Forest Wildlife Park. We arrived in time to see the feeding of the Otters - some very big ones and some extremely small and cute.

    The big attraction for Mary was always going to be the Butterfly House, but on the way she stopped see the Harvest Mice - so tiny and fascinating - we spent a good time there watching them. There were dozens of large butterflies to see - couldn't get a good photo of the big blue ones - but got some good photos of others. It was like a steam room - funny to be so hot in the UK!

    We drove around the New Forest to places where you would love to stop for longer, Lynhurst, Minstead,Totton, Boldre, Lymington and Beaulieu. Each place had plenty of things to see and do, there were museums, marinas, market towns and pubs. Today was nearing the end of school holidays and so there were heaps of people, cars and bikes everywhere. Still it had a great holiday atmosphere.

    On the drive home, through the Solent National Nature Reserve, we crossed cattle grids because there were free ranging horses/ponies and cattle all along the road - just brilliant. Large flat, moor like areas - very different from the rest of the New Forest.

    Tomorrow we leave Southampton for a couple of days in Brighton - a place we decided a couple of trips ago that we needed to return to and see all the sights - let's see how we go with all the holiday makers.

    Cheers,    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
    Day 27

    Don't take your car to Brighton

    August 19, 2017 in England ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Time to leave Southampton and head to Brighton - we had a very short visit there before and it has been on the top of our list for a return visit.

    On the way we stopped at Portsmouth - first the newest British largest aircraft carrier was on its maiden voyage and had stopped at Portsmouth and second, a Facebook friend lives there. We were very happy with the old port area - but again like Southampton, it had a strange mix of old and new. We spent some time at a garrison church that had been bombed in the second world war - but only the roof burnt - enjoyed a talk to the guide who was very informative. They said that in its heyday people would buy "tickets" to get a seat in the church - how things have changed. It was lovely meeting our friend Ray - we had a great chat and a cup of tea with him and he showed us around his house.

    From our previous trip I remember the constant roundabouts on the main road along the south coast of England - they just don't work - hold ups every time.

    We found our Guest House in Brighton - but typically it had no parking and nowhere to stop to drop off our bags - we parked on the footpath, but even then cars could only just squeeze by - this is crazy.

    Being a coastal town there is usually a strong sea breeze - but tonight it was something else - never seen Mary so annoyed and cold - but she survived.

    Tomorrow we are going to the Royal Pavilion & North Laine areas.

    Cheers,    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
    Day 28

    The mad King's son

    August 20, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    As we were leaving Brighton on a previous visit, we drove past the Royal Pavilion and Mary said "we must come back and look inside". Well today was our day to check it out. We were not disappointed - what an amazing place.

    George IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover following the death of his father, George III - who was best known as the "mad king who lost America". Followers of Black Adder would know more about this. George didn't get on well with his father and did his best to avoid him - a good way was to spend a lot of time in Brighton. From small beginnings the Pavilion was extended outward and upward with no regard for the cost.

    It looks Indian from the outside and is decorated in a Chinese style on the inside - it has to be seen to be believed. Mary and I spent the whole day there.

    After leaving the Royal Pavilion we explored the lanes of Brighton. The North Laine is much like Salamanca or the Block Arcade in Melbourne - full of people and shops. The people of Brighton are free spirits and it seem like love is in the air everywhere - people just feel free to express their affection in public.

    A walk on the rocky "beach" ended a most enjoyable and interesting day.

    Tomorrow we head to Thame - the place of Robin Gibb's grave and the site of many episodes of Midsummer Murders".

    Cheers    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
    Day 29

    England's white cliffs

    August 21, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Mary was up early and took a long walk along the seafront, cliffs etc, she is so keen to get her daily exercise.

    It was never going to be easy leaving Brighton. Small rooms, lots of stairs and no parking make it a challenge. I took the suitcases, one by one, down four flights of stairs then Mary and I took the hand luggage etc down the stairs, down the road, across the highway, down three more flights of stairs to the beach and along to the carpark, then a left, left, left loop around the tiny roads to get back to our Guest House. I was asked not to park on the footpath because it blocks the road - but we were quick and away with no troubles.

    We decided to drive east, but not all the way to Dover, to see the White Cliffs. They were terrific. There were walk ways down to the bottom of the cliffs were you can see just how magnificent they are. Strolling along we came to a nudist Beach. I did a double check just to make sure - only naked males I'm afraid.

    The drive to Thame should have been pretty straightforward. Unfortunately there were queues and more queues. A two hour trip on the Satnav turned our to be four hours. The roads here are full and a lot more investment in building roads is needed.

    Arriving in Thame we were meet by our friends Lizzie and George - first a cup of tea, then off to the Sunday evening church service then back to their place for dinner and a few glasses of wine - it really feels like home here they are such wonderful people.

    The next three days we will spend around Thame - this is a much anticipated part of our holiday.

    Cheers,    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
    Day 30

    Married a publican's great granddaughter

    August 22, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Mary's great grandmother sold the Great Stone Inn in 1901. Each trip to England we pay it a visit, say hello to the locals and have a few drinks and a meal. Mary's dad was born in Rose Cottage, which is next door to the pound which in turn is next door to the pub. Across the road from the pub is the church and behind the pub is the school. I guess Mary's dad had everything he needed within easy reach.

    We put flowers on Mary's relatives graves and had a wander around - very peaceful and relaxing.

    Speaking of graves, we also made our pilgrimage to Robin and Andy Gibb's graves ... at St Mary's church in Thame.

    The B&B where we are staying, Scotsgrove House, was mentioned in the domesday book of 1086, sort of an audit of the assets of England won by William the Conqueror. So, it is old - perhaps 1100 years, an dthe church, where the Gibbs are buried, is at least 900 years old, but they think there are older ruins beneath. The Church near the Great Stone Inn was built by the Norman's in the 12th century - but is also the site of Roman ruins from who knows when.

    Mary and I love this history and knowing that people have lived and worshipped here for so long - we did brag that our church, St James has celebrated its 100 year anniversary this year - still a long way to go.

    Tomorrow its the local street market, a 7 mile walk on an old disused train line and then to explore the Midsummer Murder locations around town.

    Cheers,    Read more

  • Peter DanePeter & Mary’s 2017 Holiday
    Day 31

    Time for a walk

    August 23, 2017 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    On a long holiday you spend heaps of time driving, eating, drinking and sightseeing. There comes a time when you need to take a day off from the holiday rush and just go for a walk.

    Today is market day in Thame - much like Salamanca Market in Hobart with stalls selling fruit, vegetables, flowers, clothes - almost everything. Mary bought some light clothes that might be useful in Italy wear it has been very hot. And we also bought some flowers for Robin and Andy Gibbs's graves. A nice stroll.

    Now its time for some real exercise. There are many walks around Thame - the main one is the Phoenix Trail. It's a seven mile walk - I thought it was seven kilometres, and I overlooked the fact that it is seven miles one way. So, a 22 kilometre return trip was going to take me 4 -5 hours ! Anyway, having reviewed my abilities, we started out - deciding to walk for just one hour and then return.

    I don't think we have a lot to thank Margaret Thatcher for, but in closing down the rural railways she has left councils with ideal walking tracks. In fact there are over 12,000 miles of traffic free off road walking and cycling paths available throughout the UK. We were able to stop for a toilet break in a pub mid way - refreshed, we moved on.

    On returning from that walk, we decided to do the historic walk through Thame following brass plaques placed on the footpath outside significant buildings. It was fun trying to find our way around, but we did the lot - another 3 kilometers completed.

    A very pleasant day finished, we had dinner at the Spread Eagle Hotel - called the "Morecroft Pub" in midsummer murders.

    Tomorrow, some clothes washing and a trip to the Cotswolds.

    Cheers,    Read more

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