March 22, 2010 - Loss of a Friend

To all our friends,

This blog is dedicated to our dear friend Glenda who sadly passed away on March 21st after a long fight with cancer. Death is very much a part of life as we all know but it is not something you expect to happen to someone younger than yourself who was full of life and up to any challenge put in her path.

While we are greatly saddened by Glenda's passing I want to celebrate her life and what she meant to me and our family. We became friends with Steve and Glenda in September 1975 through Fred working with her at the Scotiabank branch at Eglinton and Midland, Scarborough. We were both fortunate to win the opportunity to purchase a home with a small down payment through a special lottery in Malvern a suburb in Scarborough. Now being friends and neighbours, we shared some wonderful times together. Young couples who saved up beer bottles so that we could have a weekend bar-b-cue, the guys watching a hockey game or a card game of euchre for our entertainment. We both worked for the bank and long before personal obligation days were a part of taking time off we would call in sick for a girls day out. This only happened a couple of times as Glenda would get so stressed out worrying that we would get caught. On one occasion in particular the car stalled and we could not get it to restart. I had flooded the motor and while it did eventually start, our day was ruined. We enjoyed a trip to their the cottage in mid winter with our dogs and froze off our butts but have great memories of the experience.

When I became pregnant it was Glenda who came with me on drive over bumpy roads to encourage the birth of our child. Steve and Glenda became the god parents first to Jonathan and then later Christopher. Glenda was always there for our Jonathan from having Fudgeo cookies, which he would invite the neighbourhood kids to enjoy, at her place when he would disappear from our driveway on his tricycle to later years when they lived in the same building and he needed consoling.

As the years went by we found our lives taking us in different directions but our friendship remained fast. We would go for years without seeing one another then connect again and it would always be as if we only saw each other yesterday. Always a part of our families lives, a great adventurer on our travels together and like the sister I never had. Glenda was a champion for the underdog and compassionate in all she did. She will be missed but we have wonderful memories of the times we shared and she will live in our hearts forever.

Gone but never to be forgotten.

Sandy

March 4, 2010 - Quarry Bank Mill & Knutsford

Greetings All,

Today we met up with Brian (Fred's cousin) and his wife Alison to visit a National Trust Site, Quarry Bank Mill, located in Cheshire about an hours drive away from home. The mill was founded in 1784 by Samuel Greg in the Village of Styal on the River Bollin. The estate surrounding the mill, also developed by Greg, is the most complete and least altered factory colony of the Industrial Revolution. The iron water wheel was designed by Thomas Hewes and built between 1816 and 1820. The Hewes wheel finally broke in 1904. After that the River Bollin continued to power the mill, through two water turbines. Today the Mill is home to the most powerful working waterwheel in Europe, an iron water wheel which was originally at Glasshouses Mill at Patley Bridge. This wheel was designed by Sir William Fairbairn, a Scottish engineer who had been an apprentice of Thomas Hewes.

The factory was founded for the spinning of cotton and upon Samuel's retirement in 1832 it was the largest business of its kind in the UK. Spinning and weaving was first done by hand on spinning wheels and looms but all this soon became mechanized with the introduction of the water wheel and production was notably increased.

Quarry Bank Mill is notable for its use of unpaid child apprentices, a system that continued until 1847, with the last child to be indentured starting work in 1841. Greg employed Peter Holland, father of the Royal Physician Sir Henry Holland, 1st Baronet and uncle of Elizabeth Gaskell, as mill doctor. Holland was responsible for the health of the children and other workers, and was the first doctor to be employed in such a capacity. The children lived in a separate building near the factory called the Apprentice House. Most children came from workhouses. They would work long days with schoolwork and gardening after coming back from the mill. The work could sometimes be dangerous with fingers being lost occasionally. However, most children were happy to work in the mill because life at a workhouse would be worse. To us the use of children as young as 5 years old and conditions while better than those in the cities was pure slave labour. The day would start at 5:30 A.M. and end at 7 or 8 P.M. depending on the time of year. The noise of the machinery was also deafening we only heard 4 machines running and the racket was unbelievable. Dust from the cotton and oil from the machine were also extremely bad and accounted for illnesses that eventually ended in deaths of the workers. Cancers of the lungs, groins and mouths. Deformities due to standing or squatting in one position for long hours and of course deafness. We saw a written note by one of the Greg's that called the death of a child as a melancholy event. The poor kid's head was crushed when he got trapped in a spinning mule. Times were certainly hard back then but they were supplied fresh meat and vegetables living at the mill and were housed in warm clean homes.

The workers homes have all been converted to private homes now and the village of Styal is today a thriving community. We then walked around the grounds and gardens in which the first signs of spring where evident. Crocus and Snowdrops where in bloom as well as some other flowers that we could not identify.

It should be noted that the mill still produces cotton calico which is used to make gifts in the on site shop. Also, I have posted Video's on Facebook that gives you an idea of the noise.

We then headed off to Knutsford a town in Cheshire. A quaint place with a lot of upscale shops and Brian told us there is a lot of money in the area. After a nice walk around town we headed back to Liverpool with a stop at a Pub the Kilton for supper. A great and educational day. We will be visiting more of the National Trust Sites in the near future.

We hope you enjoyed this blog.

Ta Ra for now,

Sandy & Fred

February 10, 2010 - St George's Hall Liverpool

Greetings All,

Today we headed out to St George's Hall to view the Minton Tiles in the Great Hall. St George's Hall came about as Liverpool needed a hall in which to hold its music festivals. In 1836 a company was formed to raise funds for the building of such a place. The site picked was formerly occupied by the Liverpool Infirmary 1729-1824 and the foundation stone for the new hall was laid in 1838 in honour of Queen Victoria, with a competition being held for the design of the hall in 1839. The winner was Harvey Lonsdale Elmes and construction was started in 1841. Harvey unfortunately died in 1847 so did not complete the interior design. Sir Charles Cockerall was awarded this task. The engineer for the total project was Sir Robert Rawlins who carried on with the work and oversaw the design until Sir Charles took over from Harvey's untimely death. The Hall was completed in 1854 and cost 380,000 pounds. Today cost comparison 25.3 million pounds or approximately 50.6 million dollars Canadian.

The design is Neoclassical and holds a Assize Court, Cells, a Concert Hall, Tea Room and the Great Hall. The pipe organ was built in 1855 by Henry Willis and for a short time held the distinction of being the second largest organ in the UK with its 7737 pipes. It is now the third largest pipe organ in the UK with The Liverpool Cathedral organ being the largest and the Royal Albert Hall organ in London being the second largest. Restoration work was done started in 2000 and the Hall was re-opened on April 12,2007 by HRM Prince of Wales.

Harvey Lonsdale Elmes design for the Great Hall (completed by Charles Cockerall) was based on the Roman Baths of Caracalla. It is 169 feet long and 74 feet wide and has a tunnel vaulted ceiling. The tiles were manufactured by Minton Hollins tile factory in Stoke-on-Trent. The tiles are encaustic, this is a method that creates the design where coloured clay is poured into moulds and fired giving more durability to the patterns and the tiles. The design comprises some 30,000 tiles and was laid in 1852 costing 2000 pounds. It is 140 feet long and 72 feet wide. It should be noted that Minton tiles are found all over the world one good example is The Whitehouse in Washington D.C. They are situated around fireplaces and floors laid from 1876.

The floor was designed by Alfred Stevens of Dorset a son of a house painter. Born in 1818 he showed great promise as an artist and completed his training in Italy. The main design of the floor consists of three large circles. The largest in the centre measures 40 feet in diameter and depicts the Royal Coat of Arms. The other two circles contain the Liverpool Coat of Arms and The Star of St George, Rose, Thistle and Shamrock. Around these are nautical themes. As well, there are inscriptions both in Latin and English that all relate to the various sciences and arts. Depending on where the inscriptions are they relate to either the courts or the organ.

The raised area of the floor shows serious wear and tear with the tile colour being worn away almost completely. The main floor was covered in 1883 with wood in order to make it a more suitable for dancing. The wooden floor is like a puzzle so lifting it is no easy task as it must be lifted according to a set plan. The floor was only lifted on a average of every ten years and as a result the main floor is bright and unmarked.

When we were in the balcony overlooking the floor of the great hall Fred was approached by a custodian on duty as he noticed his camera. He asked Fred if he knew what a plasters mark was. Fred said if it was like a masons mark then he had some idea. He then took us to look at a plaster of a Angel in one of the corners. The head of the angel has the signature in the hair. The plasterer had hidden in the hair a profile of himself. The staff think it is his signature or a good joke he was pulling on the architect. George went on to tell us of some more of the hidden secrets of the hall which they hope to open for public viewing in the future once they have covered all safety concerns such as the catacombs under the jail cells and space between the Great Hall Ceiling and roof. As well they hope to be able to open the roof top for viewing. George of course has seen these areas and shared his experience with us. It was rather appropriate that his name was George as we were in St George's Hall and we laughed as he said that is why he gets to go to all the secret places of the hall.

Last but not least I told you earlier that the Hall was to be a place to hold music festivals. But as Liverpool also was in need of a Assize Court and cells for those waiting trial, the architect felt that rather than have two separate structures the building could be designed to house and met all the requirements. So St George's Hall became the court, jail, tea room and music hall all in one. The tour of the hall is usually free but the charge to view the Minton Tile Floor was only a pound less then $2.00 Canadian and it was worth much more.

We hope you enjoyed this bit of Liverpool History, pictures will be on Flickr by Sunday.
Happy Valentines Day All.

Ta Ra for now,

Sandy & Fred

January 18 - 21, 2010 - How many Camels ??

Salam alekom Everyone,

The staff have been very good in how they cleaned up in the aftermath of the storm. The pool bar still did not have power the day after the storm and the staff were very inventive in providing light. Candle sticks were passed around and as it was breezy they cut the plastic water bottles to put over the candles to keep them alight. We watched ours as they were a fire hazard. Finally proper candle holders were brought in. Beer was now bottled as was the pop and juice but at least the bar was up and running. The balance of the resort had power restored for the most part but we do not know if it was due to generators on site as many parts of Sharm El Sheikh were still without power.

January 19 - After a day around the pool we headed up to our room early as it was breezy and decided to check out the local town Naama Bay. We walked along the promenade that separates the hotels along the main drag into town and the beach. The beach area for our resort was small compared to that of some of the other hotels towards town. We have decided to investigate the other hotels when we return to the UK as we will return to Sharm to dive. Naama Bay was a very small town about 4 streets in all and had a major shopping centre, casino and some small hotels. There were many restaurants with sadly the usual MacDonalds, Kentucky Fried and Burger King. There were a number of very small shops with trinkets, silver, glass vials and perfumes. There were a number of men that seem to be loitering around. We soon found out they are shop owners or workers from the shops scoping out the tourists. We made the mistake of making eye contact with a man and he asks us where we are from. Canada I responded and we chatted a little. He then says he has a shop with some art as he is a artist. We say no thank you and he got really offended. Talk about sensitive. We walked further along and another man stopped me grabbed my hands and says to Fred How Many Camels??. I answer 36 camels going on 37. Fred say no Sandy no you don't get it, he wants to know how many camels I will take for you!! Oh the penny drops then he laughs and asks where we are from. Canada I responded and he wants us to write something in his book. OK I said and Fred says no. I say what can a message from Canada hurt. Fred again was right again it was a come on to get us in his cousins shop. Hospitality of tea or pop was offered which we declined. They again become insulted. I am then asked did I know what the bottles are and I said perfume. I am then asked what kind of scent I liked and I responded I am allergic. Well we were almost thrown out of the place. Lesson learned avoid eye contact. We had a nice walk back and are stopped once again on our way but now we know how to respond. Sorry we are on our way to a meeting and will return later.

Tonight we had our best meal of our stay. Seafood night, complete with entertainment.
Fred had the seafood and I had chicken. The portions are absolutely huge. We split the meals so we both had some seafood and chicken. I am not a lover of fish but the fish we had was delicious. It turns out it was sea bass, one of Fred's favorites. Dessert was fresh fruit a nice change from all the pastries that were usually offered. The four course meal and entertainment were well worth the extra that we paid.


January 20th - Up and at them early today. The previous day we had made a point of asking whether the excursions were still and were told yes. So with a 5:00 a.m. wake-up call we were down to the Lobby by 5:40 for our pick up to visit to Saint Catherine's Monastery and to visit a Bedouin Village. We wait and wait until 7:15 a.m. No pickup so we head back to our room and go for a proper breakfast and then headed poolside. Later in the morning we spoke with the Thomson Rep who said she would look into why we hadn't been picked up. She found out that the excursion had been canceled because of the continuing problems from the storm. Unfortunately they did not inform the local Thomson Reps nor ourselves. We were disappointed but nothing can be done so a extra day of relaxation and sun.

January 21st - Our last day was more sun and relaxation. So I thought I would give you some information on the culture of Egypt. Women are totally unseen anywhere on the resort. Housekeeping was all done by men. Any women on staff we did see where either English, Italian or Russian. The belly dancer when we went for our seafood night was an English girl. I asked our waiter Ibrahim Fathy if females have any rights at all. He said yes they get an education but after that they are expected to marry take care of the family and if they don't have children they take care of their fathers. We did not even see women shopping or working in the family stores. Certainly not a way of life we can understand let alone accept given our up bringing. I sure would have very difficult time being as outspoken as I am. Bedouins can have up to four wives if they have the funds. I wonder who would want more than one given how we can be sometimes :) ! The pay scale is also very low by our standards. Ibrahim who is what we would call a head waiter makes 450 Egyptian Pounds a month, which is about $130.00 Canadian. Prices of things though tourist stuff, were very high so tips are very important to them.

As I said not an exciting blog this time around but a relaxing time for us and a nice introduction to Egyptian travel as we will return to do a Nile Cruise to see the major historical sites and Sharm to Dive.

Hope you did enjoy this segment of our latest travels. Pictures will be posted on my Facebook and Flickr later this week.

Maasalaama,

Sandy & Fred

January 17, 2010 -Sharm El Sheikh Mother Natures Fury

Salam alekom everyone,

The blogs on this trip are not going to be very exciting due to mother natures fury.

We spent a full day around the pool enjoying the sun, relaxing and reading. In the evening we decided to check out the availability and cost of internet in the Lobby. On the way to the Lobby I commented on the lightening in the mountains. The cost for internet was 120 Egyptian Pounds which works out to about $30.00 Canadian for twenty four hours access. A bit pricey but we felt it was worth it. The lightening and thunder was awesome. The storm to watch was spectacular lighting up the sky and surrounding hills. The rain when it came was torrential and in no time the lobby was flooding and we lost power. The storm lasted for just over an hour and the hotel staff were all scrambling trying to contain the water which was pouring in everywhere. Once the rain stopped, we made our way slowly back to our room in the dark as we had our laptops and I was terrified of falling on the wet stone and tiles. The damage in our room was less than we had anticipated. Flooding at the front door, balcony door and bathroom had occurred but our bed was dry and the roof hadn't leaked. We hit the sack early as the lone candle we were supplied doesn't provide enough light to read by.

It turns out that Mother Nature is following us around on our travels and showing us all that she has to offer. This was the first rain and storm of this nature that this area has had in forty years. Some of the younger staff are in awe as they have never seen rain. Damage in the hotel was worked on very quickly with staff working around the clock to get things back in order. They had even managed to prepare breakfast though the power remains out. The pools were all out of order with the exception of one which is at the top of a hill. The rest of them were filthy with mud. The sea was also rough in the aftermath of the storm and the temperature had dropped enough that the Egyptians found it cold. To us, cool but it doesn't stop us from sunning.

We were safe but sadly there were deaths due to this act of nature, seven people have lost their lives and we have heard upon our return to the UK that people are still missing. This was all of course kept very quiet while we were in Egypt.

More Boukra(tomorrow)

The Jinx's

Sandy & Fred

January 16, 2010 - Egypt Sharm el Sheik

Salam alekom (Hello)

I must tell you that our bed is like lying on a piece of marble. Boy does this bring back memories. When Fred and I first married my Dad advised us that there was nothing better than a firm hard bed for a good nights rest and baby making. Well, we listened to him and bought such a bed and it is now at my Mom’s and it is still as hard as ever. We are well past the need to make babies and comfort for old bones is now more important. So a rather restless night for me and I certainly woke up very stiff compared to when I went to bed. Fred on the other hand slept well. We attended the welcome briefing by the Thomson Company Reps, as this area of the world is a whole new experience for us. All inclusive does not imply what the word say’s. There are exclusions and little quirks we have not previously experienced. A good example is fresh squeezed orange juice. If you take it when asked by the waiter who is a special waiter there is an extra charge and somewhat substantial from our understanding.

We checked out the beach and are rather disappointed. Sardines in a can have more space then what we saw today. Our rep told us if you want a place on the beach take your towel and tanning stuff down at 5:00 a.m. to get a good spot. I don’t think so, we will be pool bound where at least we can have some personal space. So the balance of our day was spent around the pool to near the bar/restaurant as we were rather late having attended the briefing.

Maasalaama (Good Bye)

Sandy & Fred

January 14, 2010 - Egypt Bound

Greetings all,

We headed off to the hotel at Manchester airport late Thursday afternoon and booked into the Crowne Plaza, our mystery hotel, which also gave us parking for a week. Fred of course has worked everything out and this works best for us pound wise plus we don’t have to get up at some ungodly hour to make our flight. We enjoyed a light supper and then headed to the room. As luck would have it we were awoken by the fire alarm, going off at 1:00 a.m. Friday morning. What to do, what to do?? I know some of you are saying get your ass out of there while others are saying what I said to Fred. “Is the door hot to the touch, do you smell smoke?”

The alarm went on for some time so we decided we had better get dressed and vacate the premises as the parking lot seemed to have quite a number of people in it. Well you know what happened. We are just at the staircase to head down, which by the way is right outside our room and the alarm is silenced. So back to the room and to bed we go. Of course now I am awake on the hour every hour waiting to get up to head out to the airport.

The flight itself is uneventful and as I have a window seat I am able to get some pictures of the Alps as we fly over them and Mount Sinai as we fly into Egypt. As we have no experience with this side of the world we are not sure what to expect of this adventure, which should prove very interesting.

The bus ride to the resort takes about 40 minutes as we are the last hotel on the drop off run and when we arrive we are not really impressed. The first resort where passengers were dropped off looked amazing and Fred comments we need to check out pricing upon our return. Turns out the entrance to our resort was very deceiving the place is huge. Exploration in daylight will tell the tale.

Good night all and more news tomorrow.

Sandy & Fred