Sept 17, 2011 - Kids Arrive

Greetings All,

Our son Jonathan and his wife Amy finally arrived after a 9 month delay.  Their first vacation plans were cancelled due to unforeseen work commitments.  Panic stations set in at the very beginning as we slept through the alarm and woke up at the time we should be leaving. To top it all off Fred checks the flight and it is a half an hour early.  As it turned out all was well, when we arrived at the airport they had not cleared customs/immigration yet.  Fred went to get me a much needed tea and I waited, watching for them to come through the arrival gates.  I missed them coming through as all of a sudden Jonathan was in front of me.  We both start to well up but after hugs and kisses all around we pulled ourselves together. It turns out they sat on the runway for half hour as there was no where for them to disembark.  It could only happen in Manchester at 8:00 a.m.  We headed to Liverpool to allow the kids time to freshen up and repack what they needed for a week in London.

After a short break we headed to London arriving at the Marriott, County Hall where we stayed for the night before heading to John's flat which will be home for the week as he and Adrienne with the pups were heading off to France.  The picture at the top is the view from our room at the Marriott.

Once we were settled in we headed out along the South Bank (a promenade along the Thames River) to check out what was going on and for the kids a much needed stretch of the legs after sitting in a plane for 9 1/2 hours and then a car for 4 hours.  We stopped at a pub called Doggetts and Jonathan enjoyed his first pint with his Dad (Doom Bar) while Amy and I have a cider.  We also had supper at Doggetts with Fred, Jonathan and Amy having good old traditional fish and chips and I had a chicken burger.  With tummies full we continued our walk crossing the river at The Blackfriars Bridge and headed along the other side back towards the hotel.  As we walked along it turns dark. 
The picture at the bottom right side is the view of our hotel and the London Eye from across the river.  The kids were starting to fade as they had been up for over 24 hours.  We had one last stop to get a photos of the Parliament Buildings lit up.  Jonathan hates his picture being taken but cooperated with me so I can get a photo of him and
and Amy before we returned to the hotel and they finally get to bed for some much needed sleep.

Bye for Now,

Sandy & Fred

Festivals in Liverpool

Hi Ya All,

The end of August and beginning of September marks the beginning of festivals in Liverpool.  The last weekend of August is the Mathew Street Music Festival and this is our third year of attending.  Some of the tribute/cover band music is dedicated to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Skiffle music of Liverpool.

This year we planned ahead our attack of the venues we wished to see.  The music on Sunday was Abba, Beach Boys, Bee Gees, and Skiffle music of Lonnie Donnegan.  The picture on the right is me with Kyle and Paul, two young kids who enjoyed the Bee Gee's and I who danced with in the street. The atmosphere is very laid back and enjoyable as all ages mixed together to celebrate music.  We spent a full six hours at the festival with a short rest at the Pump House pub in the docklands between venue's for a most enjoyable day.  We did not attend the second day of the festival as the weather took a turn for the worse (read rain) but again enjoyed the festival.


Next festival was the Food and Drink Festival which was held in Sefton Park.  This was our first year of attending the festival and the first time they had it over two days.  We attended on the first day and arrived early in the morning which was good as we got to cover the grounds without the masses of people that arrived later in the day.  The giveaways are numerous and the best was at the Peacock, a restaurant promoting Cuban food and drink. They were giving away lamb-burgers, hamburgers and jerk chicken. We partook of these giveaways and I had a nice mojito and a Red Stripe beer for Fred.  We wandered around and purchased sausage, cheese, pita chips, bread and sample what was offered.  The most unusual was deep fried jam butties.  We left with our purchases very satisfied with our day out.

The last festival we attended was the River Festival.  This was a week long series of events at the Pier Head.  It started off with the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth on the Thursday.

The ship arrived early and left at 10:00 p.m.  We went into town to see it leave and the fire works display.  We were amazed at the number of people that turned out and were at first disappointed with the fire works, only seeing a few and think how disappointing and that we were at the wrong spot on the pier and started to leave.  It turned out we were so wrong.  The fireworks didn't really start until the ship has pulled way from the dock, so we ended up turning around and headed back to get some amazing shots.  We headed into town and stopped at The Lady of Mann Pub for a nightcap before heading home.  We attended the Festival again on Saturday with Bryan, Fred's cousin and his wife Alyson.  We have a great lunch at Jamie's Italian then visited the docks to check out the Tall Ships, Arts &Crafts, and Racing Boats.  The docks area are a crush of people with a lot happening all along the dockland area. The last day of the Festival was haircut day for Fred so we checked out the Queen Mary 2 that had arrived in and had a leisurely lunch at La Tasca one of our favourite restaurants.  There is another festival which we will miss The Hope Street Festival.  It celebrates Food, Entertainment and Restaurants in the area but for good reason as we will be  enjoying London with our son Jonathan and his wife Amy who finally get to enjoy their wedding gift from us.

Stay tuned for our adventures with them.

Ta Ra,

Sandy & Fred

August 18, 2011 - Our 38th Anniversary Day

Greetings All,


The weather made the decision as to how we would spend our day.  It was raining quite hard so we went to visit a couple of National Trust properties in the area.  Our first stop was Snowshill Manor and Garden. It was the home of Charles Wade who embodied his family motto "Let Nothing Perish".  He collected objects, both everyday and extraordinary, because of their craftsmanship, colour or design. Mr Wade did not live in the manor but used it to display his collection.  The manor holds over 22,000 items from the tiniest of toys to Samurai armour.  Fred thought I collected a lot of items with my plates, thimbles, spoons and prints.  Items are displayed somewhat theatrically as per Mr Wade's instructions.  The picture above and on the left is a wall clock that actually works and tells very accurate time.  The picture above and on the right is a small portion of the "wheels" room and shown in the display is a Penny Farthing Bike.  Wade in addition to being an avid collector was also a talented painter and model maker.  In accordance with Wade's request, nothing is labeled and the lighting is kept low creating a sense of mystery.  As the manor house was used to display his collection, he lived next door in what was once the Priest's House in very humble conditions compared to the Manor.

After almost three hours we headed off to Chastleton House located just outside Morton-in-Marsh.  The house was originally built for Walter Jones.  Like many "new men" of the early 17th Century Jones invested his fortune in land.  He purchased the estate in 1604 from Robert Catesby who was the mastermind of the Gunpowder Plot, and demolished the house.  Between 1607-1612 he built another in the most advanced style: tall, compact and outwardly symmetrical.  Unlike other country homes the house is not at the end of a long drive but overlooks the village street.  In 1633 a year after Mr Jones died an inventory was taken of his possessions, some of which are still in the house today.  His descendants were content to live quietly in this isolated area and had neither the money nor the inclination to modernize the house.  In the late 18th and early 19th centuries much needed repairs were carried out.  Between 1828-53 the house enjoyed a brief renaissance with the infusion of funds from a distant cousin.  Money became increasingly short and parts of the house were tenanted for a part of the early 20th century.  The family tried valiantly to maintain the house until 1991.  The lady living there in 1991 only used two room of this great house. What makes this house so unique is that the it is a true representation of a 17th century home as no modernization has been carried out.  Pictures were not allowed in the house due to fragile nature of the interior.

We headed back to the hotel for what we thought would be a steak dinner in the bar as advertised on the website.  However, they were not offering it so we decided to have dinner in the restaurant.  We had not made a reservation, but they did accommodate us with an 8:00 p.m. sitting.  We were asked to go to the bar and told the bar staff would give us a snack and menus to peruse.  Fred had a pint of bitter and I had a glass of wine.  The snack was olives and some type of peppers that have been marinated.  We had just had a nibble of an olive when the restaurant manager says he can sit us earlier should we wish.  Off we went to enjoy a delicious meal.  A mushroom soup was enjoyed as a chefs surprise before our appetizers.  Fred had lobster consume with a wasabi wonton and I had a tomato salad.  Our mains were chicken with lentils for me and duet of pork for Fred.  Dessert was a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream for Fred and I had the chocolate fondant wit orange ice cream.

All of this was accompanied with a bottle of Etchart Malbec.

Who would have thought 38 years ago that we would be living in the UK and celebrating our anniversary in the Cotwolds.  Not us, but we are certainly enjoying our life to the fullest.

Cheers All,

Sandy & Fred

August 17, 2011- The Bear of Rodborough

Greetings All,

Today, we headed off to the Cotswolds to celebrate our 38th Wedding Anniversary on a special, two nights for the price of one.  The drive south is relaxing for the most part as we stayed off the motorway.  We were a little disappointed when we arrived as the hotel's location is somewhat isolated, being a couple of miles outside of the town of Stroud.  It is 600 ft above sea level and located between two commons (Rodborough and Minchinhampton).  The hotel was originally constructed in the 17th century as an Ale House and derived it's name from the bear baiting activities that took place nearby.  It was conveniently located on the main coaching route from Gloucester to London.  The valley below was difficult to negotiate as it was either swampy or muddy and the climb up to the common was very steep.  Horses would be changed at the Bear while customers enjoyed refreshment before moving on to their final destination.  The following inscription is carved in the beam over the entrance, "Through this wide opening gate none come too early, none return too late."  It is believed to have been designed and carved by Eric Gill who was famous for his type setting.  In 1925-26 the hotel was enlarged to what we see today.  Our room is a good size though a bit tired and could use some refurbishment.

Cattle roam freely on the two commons between May and October, as a result cattle grids are in front of most properties to keep the cattle out.  After we settled in and had some refreshment in the pub we headed out to explore the Common.

A Common dates from medieval times and is a parcel of land with its use being open to all people unconnected with ownership or tenure of land.  In this case it is pasture for the cattle.  There was cow poop everywhere so we knew the cows truly wander anywhere they pleased.  We came across a large number of wild blackberries and Brianagh came immediately to mind.  She would have had a feast on the berries.

It started to rain so we headed back to our room to enjoy a glass of wine, snacks and relax before supper which we ate in the bar.  The portions are very generous, I can't finish my meal and Fred struggled with his.  Tomorrow, depending on the weather as the forecast is not promising,  we are going to either exploring some of the villages or National Trust Sites.


Ta Ra,

Sandy & Fred

July 24, 2011 - Powderham Castle, Devon

Greetings All,

This was the last day of our mini honeymoon and we visited our last stop in Devon before making our way back home to Liverpool. Powderham Castle, a 600 year old castle situated on the edge of the Exe estuary, is the family home of the Earl and Countess of Devon.

We were on the first tour of the day and learned that the castle's original name was Polderham, which is derived from the Dutch word "Polder" (reclaimed land) and thus means hamlet of  reclaimed marsh land.  The river Exe has built up with silt over the years resulting in large tracts of land being reclaimed.  The castle has remained in the same family since Sir Philip Courtenay began building it in 1391.  There have been many changes to the castle over the years, and having withstood the ravages of a civil war in the 17th century, it was extensively embellished both in the 18th & 19th centuries.  The picture on the right shows some of the alterations made during the Victorian period.  As this is a family home pictures were not allowed to be taken in the castle, so we purchased postcards and scanned them to add to our photo collection.  The picture on the right shows the great staircase and the plasterwork on the walls.  It took 3 men 3 years to complete the work.  Our guide was very informative  and we were taken through many secret doorways as we toured the castle.

Weddings were held at the Castle until, in May 2008 Lord Devon reportedly said that requests for gay civil partnerships clashed with his religious beliefs.  Devon County Council revoked the license to hold civil ceremonies effective January 1, 2009 as the Lord was contravening the Equality Act 2006. 

After completing our tour of the house we continued with an  exploration of the grounds.  The back of the castle has a lovely road garden and chapel.  We took a number of pictures in the chapel which can now be seen on our Flickr site.  The castle also has a deer park that is home to a herd of fallow deer.  We did not do the deer park safari as the wagon ride was not until after 1:00 p.m. and we wanted to be on our way home by then.  Our last stop before heading out was a tour of the Victorian kitchen.  We had a lovely chat with the lady who was the hostess.  She explained what they now do in the kitchen as well as its history.  She asked us were we lived as it was obvious we were not from Britain.  We explained that we are from Liverpool but originally Ontario, Canada. Once we had related our story she became very excited and started introducing us to people as they arrived.  Goodness, who would have thought we would cause such excitement.  We finally excused ourselves and thanked her for her time.  As we left the grounds we were lucky enough to see a small herd of male deers grazing near the road.  The deers segregate themselves until rutting season which occurs in mid September to mid October.

Our trip home was uneventful as it was mostly on the motorway.

Finally home after five weeks for me.  We hope you have enjoyed this segment of our travels.  Look for more in late September when my son Jonathan and his wife Amy arrive for a long awaited visit.

Ta Ra for now,

Sandy & Fred

July 23, 2011 - Buckfast Abbey and Dartmoor National Park

Hi Ya,     

We started the day seeing the hotel's receptionist, a male helping a very old dear put in her hearing aids.  Now that is what we call going beyond the call of duty. I also tried Marmite a spread that I heard either you love or hate. Well I will tell you it is really gross,salty and a bit bitter. Marmite is a yeast base spread made from concentrated yeast sludge. Needless to say my vote is hate it.
After breakfast we headed off toward Exeter so that we could cross the River Exe and then drove down the coast road into Teignmouth, stopping on the way at Labrador Bay to take some photos.  From Teignmouth we headed inland to  Buckfast Abbey a Living Monastery.

Buckfast  Abbey was founded nearly a thousand years ago and stood for five hundred years before it was closed by Henry VIII.  The present community of monks returned in 1882 and rebuilt the Abbey on its medieval foundation, finishing the abbey church in 1938.  True to the Benedictine Rule all are welcome and the monks lead a life of prayer, work and study.  The Abbey is famous for its Stained Glass and the picture on the left is a excellent example of their work, which covers the whole of the front wall of the chapel used for prayer services.

Their stained glass designs are now in over 150 churches.  Bee keeping, food production, wine making with a special tonic wine and the making of wares for sale have made the monks self-sufficient.                                                               
After a couple of hours at the abbey, we headed off to Dartmoor National Park.  The roads are winding and the the scenery is beautiful. We came across more wild ponies that look Shetland and Exmoor ponies.  These ponies are not in the least bit shy, surrounding a SUV sticking their heads in the open windows we suspect looking for food though you are not supposed to feed them.  As we came off the moor we drove into a forested area where we stopped for another photo opportunity and an ice cream off a truck in a parking lot at New Bridge and the River Dart as seen on the left.  We continued on, traveling

on more narrow winding roads, stopping at Two Bridges for a pint of Jail Ale brewed by the Dartmouth Brewing Company, half pint of cider plus a bag of crisps (chips).  The village, if you can call it that, is aptly named as it has two bridges and a pub.  We were amazed that the parking lot was full as the pub was in the middle of nowhere.  An explanation was soon found when we entered the pub as a wedding was about to start.  The young men were outfitted in their military dress and the girls in their fancy dresses.  We also saw some truly horrible dresses.  Refreshed we headed back to Exmouth on slow meandering roads.

Once back at the hotel we headed downtown and purchased a bottle of wine to enjoy on our balcony as we watched the sunset before supper.

Cheers,

Sandy & Fred

July 22, 2011 - Exmoor National Park to Exmouth

Greetings All,

We decided to take the 50 mile scenic tour though Exmoor National Park to take in the scenery and hopefully some of the wildlife that inhabits the moor.  Starting out from "Little Switzerland", the area that encompasses the twin villages of Lynmouth and Lynton we headed along the A39 toward Dunster.  After a couple of miles we crested a brow and to find moorland and a herd of Exmoor Ponies.  We had read that the Exmoor Pony is a very rare breed and one of Britain's oldest.  They almost fell into extinction in the 1940's when the herd had only 50 ponies and just 4 stallions.  Stocks have now increased to 1000 but it is still classified as endangered by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.  Before 1950 almost all Exmoor Ponies lived on the moor but today in order to ensure the survival of the species some have been moved outside of Exmoor.  There are now only around 200 ponies on the moor that roam freely and breed in their natural habitat.  We were very excited to be able to stop and get some great photos of the ponies. The picture above is of two colts who just crossed the road with mom and were just a few feet away from us.  The moor is also home to Red Deer, Horned Feral Roaming Goats and and two endangered species of British Butterfly's.  There are also four varieties of Whitebeam Trees that are found no where else in the world. The Whitebeam berries are edible and were once sold in local markets.

We made our way along the winding roads taking in the beautiful landscape.  The picture below is  Exmoor and the Bristol Channel.   The day started out overcast and unfortunately the weather turned as we drove along with rain falling quite heavily.  We passed through some lovely little villages that would have been nice to explore had the weather been dryer.

We made our way along the moor and onto some very narrow lanes wide enough for a single car with  8 to 10 foot hedgerows on both sides of the road and passing points alternating on either side of the road. With the hedgerows being very tall when you meet a car it made for a heart stopping moment for me.  Fred of course has no issues and drives like he has been motoring on these types of roads all his life.  We come off the moor into the seaside town of Ilfracombe and had some great views of the Bristol Channel and a large cruise ship anchored in the bay.  We learned later in the day that the cruise ship was the first one to ever visit Ilfracombe.  From Ilfracombe we headed back onto the moor and headed to Exmouth, our next stopping point.

We arrived at Exmouth, a typical seaside town and our base for the next two nights.  Our accommadtion was a Coast and Country Hotel which caters to more senior people (older than us) so there were no rugrats under foot.  The accommodation is half board,  breakfast and supper being included in the price.  We opted for the late sitting for supper as most of the real seniors prefer to eat at the earlier sittings.  The picture on the left was of the water front as viewed from our room.  Once we had dropped our suitcase we headed off to explore the waterfront and find a place for a late lunch, as supper was not until 8:00 p.m.  We found a nice pub where we had a light lunch of sandwiches with a pint of cider for me and bitter for Fred.  Once refreshed we continued to explore looking for downtown Exmouth.  We never did find what we were looking for as we went along the water front when we left the hotel.  Had we gone up the hill away from the water front we would have been in the heart of downtown Exmouth less than a two minute walk away.  We returned to the hotel for a drink at the lobby bar and use the free WiFi before supper.  Supper was somewhat disappointing given our previous experience in Bath with the same chain.  After supper we had an early night as we planned to be out bright and early the next day to explore the south Devon Coast and Dartmoor National Park.

Cheers,

Sandy & Fred